:      

  ,         ,       .
JEDDAHTwo million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime.

This year sees the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and comes with the Gulf mired in political crisis and Islamic State group jihadists squeezed in Iraq and Syria.

Im so excited because many people dream of coming to this place, said 47-year-old Eni from Indonesia, her face framed in a sand-colored veil trimmed with lace.

We feel more religious when we leave this place, she said.

Indonesia is the worlds most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the hajj.

ADVERTISEMENT

Enis compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometers west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the hajj every day.

But Eni is almost oblivious to the hubbub that surrounds her as she studies her Koran in the oppressive heat, pearls of sweat beading her face.

After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him, she said of the Prophet Mohammed before returning her attention to Islams holy book.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in a lifetime if he or she has the means to do so.

BEFORE THE HAJJ. Iranian Muslim pilgrims wait at the Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia on August 27, 2017, before the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. AFP

This year we expect around two million pilgrims, Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of hajj and umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs, told AFP.

Iranians are back after not attending in 2016 following a deadly Mecca stampede the previous year that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims.

It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic republic among the dead.

Following the disaster, Tehran railed against Saudi Arabias organisation of the pilgrimage.

The two countries then severed diplomatic relations in January 2016 after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was ransacked by a crowd protesting against the execution in the kingdom of a Shiite religious dignitary.

Analysts say that neither Riyadh nor Tehran has any wish to prolong the dispute.

To politicize an event like this does no good, said Slimane Zeghidour, author of La vie quotidienne a La Mecque: De Mahomet a nos jours [Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today].

Accusations of the hajj being politicized have marred the region for some time.

For nearly three months, the Gulf has been embroiled in its worst ever political crisis, with Saudi Arabia and its allies facing off against Qatar, which they accuse of being too close to Iran and backing extremism.

A boycott imposed on the small but gas-rich emirate since June 5 has resulted in Qatars land, sea and air links being badly affected.

This has also had a knock-on effect on hajj-related travel, although Riyadh announced it was relaxing certain restrictions for pilgrims.

In the arrivals hall at Jeddah airport, determined pilgrims walk hastily to avoid losing contact with other members of their group.

Im so happy to be a part of it this year, said 43-year-old Nigerian Mohammed Said, in the seamless two-piece white garment or ihram worn by male pilgrims.

I want to do it every year if I can afford it, added Said who is in Saudi Arabia for his third hajj.

Every time its differentits like Im doing it for the first time.

For author Zeghidour, going on the hajj takes pilgrims to another level altogether.

The pilgrim has to run, move, and perform several stages of the ritual.

It is so physically and mentally demanding that he doesnt have time to think about the crisis in the Gulf. For him this is literature.

Many pilgrims come from Asia or Africa, far from the Middle East, and they come to a place where they can try to forget their lives back home.

Murderous jihadist attacks across the world in recent years will be on the minds of many pilgrims, especially those from Iraq and Syria where the IS has suffered a series of setbacks.

But the threat from extremists has not put off pilgrims such as Fatima, from Perpignan in southern France.

Ive been waiting to go on this journey for a long time, she said, wearing a red veil like the other people in her group.

Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
Jordan has balked at Berlins demand for complete immunity for its soldiers to be deployed in the country as part of US-led coalition against terrorism in Syria, delaying the move.

German media have confirmed that bilateral talks to station 250 German soldiers in Jordan have hit a roadblock as Amman refuses to grant total immunity to German soldiers in view of the Jordanian jurisdiction.

Der Spiegel noted over the weekend that the demand by German authorities met with Jordanian refusal.

We already started the deployment  and are expecting to be fully operational by October, a spokesman of the German defense ministry was quoted as saying.

An unnamed Jordanian official told media that the talks halted over diplomatic rules and demand by the kingdom for equal mutual treatment, The New Arab reports.

The German soldiers would be stationed at Muwaffaq Salti (Azraq) air base.

Germany decided to transfer its soldiers to the Jordanian air base after Turkey recently refused that a delegation of the defense committee of the German parliament visits the German soldiers at Incirlik base.

Germany and Turkey have been embroiled in tense diplomatic relations since last years failed coup in Turkey. Turkey accuses Germany of sheltering coup instigators and housing terrorists aligned with Erdogans US-based enemy, Gulen.
The Iranian Foreign Ministrys spokesperson Sunday sent warnings to the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over US demand for the agency to inspect Irans nuclear program facilities including military installations.

We will continue to cooperate with the agency in line with previous commitments and we will certainly not cross any of the red lines set by the Islamic Republic of Iran, Bahram Qassemi said in an interview with the IRIB news agency.

US envoy to the UN Nikki Haley, who visited the agency last week, urged the UN branch to check Irans compliance with the 2015 historic nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with world powers plus Germany.

She pointed out at a press conference in Vienna that Iran with a history of lying could hide secret military locations where the Islamic Republic enriches uranium for military purposes.

We are encouraging the IAEA to use all the authorities they have and to pursue every angle possible with the JCPOA, and we will continue to support the IAEA in that process, she said.

For Qassemi, such a demand is unacceptable and violates the framework of the agreement.

We will completely try to safeguard the JCPOA, because it is a multilateral agreement to which we must all remain committed and other parties must also carefully fulfill their commitments, the Iranian official said.

The JCPOA requests Iran to curb its uranium enrichment to 5 per cent  making Tehran unable to manufacture nuclear weapons. Iran in return will see economic sanctions imposed on it by the West lifted.

The Trump administration has criticized the deal arguing that it does not scale down Irans influence in the region.

The US Treasury in July pressed new sanctions against Tehran over its ballistic missile program and human rights record.

Iran lambasted the fresh sanctions saying the ballistic program was a civil program.
About 32 senior executives of the Sahel multinational military force known as G5 Sahel last week, met in Mauritanias Capital Nouakchott to strengthen police cooperation in the terrorism-stricken region.

Leaders of Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad, earlier last month, established the G5 Sahel force to operate in coordination with French troops and MINUSMA, Malis struggling U.N. peacekeeping mission.

The fight against cross-border crime is one of the pillars of the security actions planned under the G5 Sahel.

During last week gathering, sponsored by the GIZ (German Cooperation Agency), 32 senior police officers from the G5 countries exchanged views on cooperation between police officers at the borders, security of border areas, and cross-border crime. They also discussed compliance with human rights standards in the context of border controls, and the creation of a platform for exchanges on community policing, the official document of the workshop detailed.

According to the organizers, the Nouakchott phase emerged as an approach aimed at identifying operational planning for cooperation actions between the G5 Sahel police forces in order to counter the cross-border crime in the region.

The regional task force, which is expected to consist of around 5,000 troops, is scheduled to be operational by October.

It will need significant financial backing to fund a first-year budget of 423 million.

The five member states have so far contributed a total of 108 million, including the European Unions 50 million contribution announced in June.
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and to show you personalised advertising. To find out more, read our privacy policy and cookie policy
Drug cartels and street gangs in Mexico are creating their own religions and altering beliefs in existing Catholic saints, in a move to create a new narcoculture that tries to morally justify crime and violence.

Some of these new figures of worship are existing Catholic saints, most of which have had their meaning altered for the narcoculture. Some are pulled from Aztec gods worshipped through human sacrifice, while others are new creations altogether.

The two most popular figures of worship in Mexico are products of this new narcoculture. The most popular is St. Jude Thaddeus, also called Saint Judas, while the second most popular is a newly created folk saint called Santa Muerte, Saint Death.

For the rest of Mexico, the growth in popularity of narco saints presents a moral crisis, since they are not only being used to alter the traditional, morally based faiths, but also to create a new system of morals that supports violent crime.

What is taking place in Mexico is a form of spiritual appropriation, whereby the existing religion is being altered to justify a criminal insurgency, according to Robert J. Bunker, adjunct research professor at the Strategic Studies Institute at U.S. Army War College.

There is a spectrum of beliefs in Mexico that ties directly to the growth of crime. Bunker said at one extreme, there are those who adhere to traditional Catholicism and other morally based religions. At the other extreme would be those individuals whom we consider to be evil in their value system.

Yet as the narcoculture continues to develop, it is becoming harder for people to differentiate the legitimate figures from the newly created narco saints. Bunker noted the case of Saint Judas, a legitimate Catholic saint now commonly worshipped for protection by smugglers, bandits, gangs, and drug cartel members.

He said a slightly more extreme case is the new bandit saint, Santo Nino Huachicolero, which is an alteration of a legitimate Catholic saint, Santo Nino de Atocha, or Holy Child of Atocha.

The Catholic News Service warned of the newly altered saint on May 12, noting that it was created by a gang of gasoline thieves known as huachicoleros southeast of Mexico City who altered the image of the Christ child to show him holding a gas can and hose. It cites Father Paulo Carvajal, archdiocesan spokesman, as stating: This image can never be accepted. Being a huachicolero is practically a crime. The church cannot be in favor of this, much less be in favor that images are used in this way.

Carvajal said the new saint is being used to deceive people. Locals following the new saint have even protested to defend the gas thieves from law enforcement.

Bunker noted the significance of the phenomena, saying, A venerated 13th-century Catholic saint has just been spiritually hijacked by criminal elements in Mexico and recast as the patron deity of gasoline thieves before our eyes.

With the creation of the new saint, another demographic, albeit a relatively small one, has just further rationalized their criminal behaviorswhich are at odds with state authorityby having someone to pray to in order to achieve success in their gasoline-stealing endeavors, he said.

From a Catholic Church and traditional Mexican societal perspective, another grouping of people just jumped ship and went over to the narco and criminal elements of society in both their hearts and minds.

Left-Hand Saints

The cases of sanctioned Catholic saints relate to spiritual appropriation, according to Bunker, whereby people are altering religions to justify actssuch as theft and smugglingthat would traditionally violate the religion.

On a spectrum that classifies beliefs on a left-hand path as ones that could be viewed as purely evil and on a right-hand path as ones of traditional morals, these new saints and figures fall from the middle to the left.

Bunker describes the spectrum of narco saints in the book Blood Sacrifices: Violent Non-State Actors and Dark Magico-Religious Activities, published in 2016.

Many cartels and criminal organizations in Mexico can no longer be viewed as merely conventional criminal groups, since many of them use narco saints to try to justify, or even sanctify, their crimes.

The Familia Michoacana cartel and the Caballeros Templarios cartel, which are two of the largest drug cartels in Mexico, worship the newly created San Nazario, The Craziest One. Their crimes play a direct role in their worship of their manufactured saint, who they believe requires torture, ritual killing, and cannibalism.

The Sinaloa cartel worships an unsanctioned saint of drug traffickers, bandits, and outlaws that they refer to as Jesus Malverde, also known as Generous Bandit.

Even Saint Death, which carries the image of the grim reaper, has a strong criminal following. According to Blood Sacrifices, the new folk saint is worshipped by the Los Zetas cartel, the El Gulfo cartel factions, and by many other gangs. Their worship often includes ritual killing, offering of human body parts, and cannibalism.

Mid-sized Mexican gangs and criminal outfits also have their manufactured saints. The Mexican Mafia, the Surenos, and Barrio Azteca, for example, worship the Aztec war god Huitzilopochtli. Bunker notes that while the deitys requirements are often less gruesome than the new saints worshipped by many cartels, it is still used to justify the ideology of violent crime.

A Social Dilemma

For the rest of Mexico, the growth in popularity of narco saints presents a moral crisis, since they are not only being used to alter the traditional, morally based faiths, but also to create a new system of morals that supports violent crime.

In the conventional view of crime in the United States, people in criminal gangs are often motivated by financial gain, are pulled into lives of crime due to poverty or poor education, or join the gangs for a sense of belonging.

Bunker noted that while this conventional understanding of gangs and organized crime may still be largely accurate in the United States, it cannot be used to understand Mexican cartels or related Latin American gangs such as MS-13 and 18th Street.

These groups, he said, are evolving into something much more dangerous that blurs our understanding of criminal activity and warfare. He said they have become challengers to the state and have carved out their own territories in many countries where they can act with impunity.

The creation of new religions only adds to the severity of the threat. He said the groups criminality is no longer just secular, since they have added a new spiritual component to their actions, and they are now spreading these new ideologies among the general populationcreating warped, criminalized societies.

Bunker noted that Americans and Europeans often see the world through utilitarian, rationalistic, liberal democratic and secular colored lenses, and these perceptual biases often prevent them from seeing that some groups may have perceptions completely different from their own.

This is whyas a nationthe U.S. falls into recurrent traps of our own making, he said, noting the U.S. attempts at nation-building in countries like Afghanistan that have often overlooked the tribal and factional cultures in those countries and their illicit markets in opium production.

The same has applied to other areas, including with drug cartels and terrorist groups. He said this perceptual bias has prevented many in the United States from being able to understand that some people, such as members of a specific cartel or a terrorist group, may kill for sport and pleasureas in the case of Los Zetasor truly believe that they are doing gods work while beheading someone, as in the case of Islamic State adherents.





ONE AMERICAN COUNTY.under Mex occupation





LOS ANGELES COUNTY HANDS MEXICOS ANCHOR BABY BREEDERS MORE THAN A BILLION PER YEAR.




Following the August 14 unprecedented disaster, Tony Elumelu, Founder of Tony Elumelu Foundation and Chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA), yesterday, Wednesday 23 August, paid a state visit to the people and Government of Sierra Leone to commiserate over the great loss caused by devastating mudslides and floods that have claimed hundreds of innocent lives and left many more still missing.

Elumelu in the company of former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo and Sierra Leonean Presiden Ernest Koroma visited some of the survivors at the Connaught Hospital in Freetown upon arrival in the country. Later on at the Sierra Leonean Statehouse, he made a donation of USD$250,000 on behalf of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and another USD$250,000 on behalf of staff, management and Directors of United Bank for Africa (UBA) as emergency aid grants for victims of the mudslides.

Speaking in solidarity with Sierra Leone, Elumelu charged the world and the African private sector to rally around the ongoing rehabilitation and relief efforts. For me, the little token we are giving is what it is, little, but symbolic. At a time like this, the world must come together to support the victims of this unfortunate disaster. It is not a situation that one prays to be in, but in the event that it does happen, we should all rally to support one another.

Continuing, he urged the rest of the world not to turn a blind eye to Sierra Leones plight: We have on our hands a humanitarian disaster of high proportions. It requires the attention of the entire world. We have buried over 600 lives and many hundreds more are still missing. We must turn the global spotlight on Africa. The world must stand with Africa just as in the past, Africa has stood with the world.

The UBA Chairman reassured Sierra Leoneans of the Banks steadfast support. United Bank for Africa (UBA) will continue to play its role in helping small and medium scale enterprises, and women, especially from the affected areas, to enable them rebuild their economic lives.

The Sierra Leonean President, moved by this act, commended Elumelus unwavering presence in the countrys times of need, stating: In you we have a brother and someone we can rely on. He praised the consistency of the Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF). You have always provided us with support. United Bank for Africa (UBA) was here immediately after the war to provide us with banking services to support our rebuilding efforts. Again, during our fight against Ebola, you were here through the United Bank for Africa (UBA) and the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) and provided us with great support. And now again, you have come to support us.

Elumelus donation will support the victims, some of whom are in hospital needing food, clothing and medicine. The much-needed assistance will also go towards the ongoing recovery efforts and the construction of permanent settlements for the affected persons.
VICTOR  Jim Vargovichs role in the History Channels new Blood Money series is about the future as well as the past.

The owner of Double J Fencing said he was surprised when his business received an email about a year and a half ago from a production company saying they wanted to talk to him about a show.

I was like Yeah, right, Vargovich said.

The shows producers were looking for successful startup companies whose owners wanted to pass the business onto their children, and Vargovich fit right in. In business since 2012, Double J Fencing claims to be one of the largest fencing companies in Montana.

I replied to their email, and the next thing I knew, my phone started ringing off the hook, he said. The series is a different take on generational gaps; it isnt talked about much, but it makes business owners think about giving the business to their children without the proper education and work ethic.

The story is based on people who built a business from the ground up and offering our children an incentive and challenge.

In Vargovichs case, that challenge involved having his 16-year-old son, Talon, build a custom fence to hold in bison. He doesnt want to go into details and give away the shows ending, but notes that if successful, his son would get a $50,000 college scholarship.

Lets just say my son got his ass kicked from fighting fire, building fence, packing iron and moving buffalo, Vargovich said, laughing.

Susan Levoli, a vice president for publicity at the A&E Network, which is home to the History Channel, confirmed this week that Vargovich is part of a series for the History Channel, but declined additional comment.

Vargovich said that while the shows producers were interested in his son and the challenge, his personal history also piqued their curiosity. He said he had a pretty ragged childhood.

He joined the Army after high school, and eventually made his way to the Bitterroot Valley.

They had a lot of interest in my backstory, Vargovich said.

His also is the story that many Americans no longer see, Vargovich said  a story about people taking on the challenges of constructing something from the ground up, complete with their celebrations and tears. In addition, his business focuses on employing veterans, which Vargovich said adds layers to the story and is a challenge for all of America to undertake.

The actual filming was a bit disruptive, Vargovich said, but at the end of the day they stayed on task. The filming wrapped up about three weeks ago.

We were pretty focused on our work, Vargovich said. I think it was educational on both sides. They were enthralled with the Double J story; they said they had no idea businesses like this existed.
Issues surrounding public access, public lands and private property in the Crazy Mountains has garnered a great deal of public attention recently. If youve tuned in to various editorials, articles and social media on the issues, one may think there is no hope for resolution in some of these long-standing disputes.

But for the past four months, a group convened by the Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers Association has gathered to work toward solutions. The Crazy Mountain Working Group includes a cross section of landowners, access advocates, nonprofits, and state and federal government representatives. This small but diverse group of stakeholders has agreed: its time to change the storyline of these contentious issues and create a more productive discussion. The Crazy Mountain Stockgrowers Association stepped forward to fund a neutral facilitator for these meetings.

The group is exploring ideas and options for the resolution of longstanding issues related to private property and recreational access in the Crazy Mountains. The group's goals include identifying timely and practical solutions, and encouraging cooperative and respectful meetings between interest groups. Even in its early stages, participants are committed to understanding one anothers perspectives and concerns, and making headway toward on-the-ground improvement of access issues.

One participant, Ryan Weiss, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Public Access Specialist, observed that  this group represents one of the most positive efforts in the state toward resolving access disputes." David Allen, RMEF President and CEO noted: [o]ne of Rocky Mountain Elk Foundations highest priorities is to improve access to public lands for sportsmen and women, and so we are pleased to be at the table working alongside landowners and other partners in a cooperative way.

We all value and respect this landscape, and we are eager for results. However, we know this process will take some time, and we hope for patience to see it through. We believe this collaborative approach, though in the early stages, holds promise to bring forward ideas for resolution that can meet the interests of landowners and public access advocates alike.
UberEats, the ride-sharing service's food delivery option, will go live in Missoula on Monday.

It's the company's first branch into food delivery in Montana, following its initial statewide ride-sharing launch in August 2016.

Starting at 11 a.m., the service will offer full menus from more than 20 restaurants, according to a news release. The list includes the Montana Club, the Notorious P.I.G., and Rumour. The company declined to provide a full list of restaurants, but it will be viewable in the UberEats app.

Any restaurants interested in joining can go to about.ubereats.com/en/restaurants.

Restaurant availability will vary based on location, according to answers relayed from Kiran Vinta, the UberEats general manager.

According to a map the company provided, service will be available in the city core, plus the Lower Rattlesnake, the Northside and Westside out to Hellgate Meadows and Mullan Road. Pattee Canyon, Farviews, the South Hills, Linda Vista and Miller Creek and Blue Mountain didn't appear to eligible based on the map, but for specific delivery locations, check the UberEats app.

Delivery costs $5.99 in addition to the restaurant's menu price. The total will be available during the ordering process and no tips are required. The average delivery time for UberEats worldwide is 35 minutes, which they'll aim for here, according to Vinta.

The company plans on expanding UberEats to other cities in Montana in the future.

Last week, Uber's chief rival Lyft was given approval to begin operating in Montana by the Public Service Commission.
NOTICE:

TO BE CLEAR:

WE HAVE OUTLINED UNDER OUR RECORD MAINTENANCE POLICY WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A FAIR PROCESS FOR ALL. SIMPLY PUT: IF THE COURT SAW FIT TO EXPUNGE YOUR RECORD,SO WILL WE, FREE OF CHARGE. ARRESTS DO NOT IMPLY GUILT AND CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE MERELY ACCUSATIONS,EVERYONE IS PRESUMED INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY IN A COURT OF LAW AND CONVICTED. FCRA DISCLAIMER: MUGSHOTS.COM DOES NOT PROVIDE CONSUMER REPORTS AND IS NOT A CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY. OUR DATABASE CANNOT BE USED TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT CONSUMER CREDIT, EMPLOYMENT, INSURANCE, TENANT SCREENING, OR ANY OTHER PURPOSES THAT WOULD REQUIRE FCRA COMPLIANCE. MUGSHOTS.COM PARTICIPATES IN AFFILIATE PROGRAMS WITH VARIOUS COMPANIES. WE MAY EARN A COMMISSION WHEN YOU CLICK ON OR MAKE PURCHASES VIA LINKS. MUGSHOTS.COM IS AN AGGREGATOR OF THE TODAYS CRIME NEWS. IN EACH FRONT-PAGE POST, THE HYPERLINK TO THE PRIMARY SOURCE IS SPECIFIED. ALL TRADEMARKS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, ALL MATERIALS TO THEIR AUTHORS. IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF THE CONTENT AND DO NOT WANT US TO PUBLISH YOUR MATERIALS, PLEASE CONTACT US BY EMAIL mugshots.com1@gmail.com. THE CONTENT WILL BE DELETED WITHIN 48 HOURS.

MUGSHOTS.COM IS A NEWS ORGANIZATION. WE POST AND WRITE THOUSANDS OF NEWS STORIES A YEAR, MOST WANTED STORIES, EDITORIALS (UNDER CATEGORIES - BLOG) AND STORIES OF EXONERATIONS. OUR CONTENT REVOLVES AROUND CRIME, ARRESTS AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT. WE BELIEVE IN THE CONSTITUTION AND OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT TO PUBLISH UNPOPULAR SPEECH. OPEN RECORD LAWS WERE WRITTEN TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC; BY INFORMING THE PUBLIC OF ARRESTS AND TO HOLD LAW ENFORCEMENT ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE HUMANE TREATMENT OF ARRESTEES. MOST OF, IF NOT ALL MUGSHOT LAWS WERE CRAFTED TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM FEES FOR REMOVAL OF ONLINE MUGSHOTS AND TO FURTHER PROTECT THE PRESS FROM THOSE VERY SAME "MUGSHOT LAWS".WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR REMOVAL OF ARREST INFORMATION AND/OR BOOKING PHOTOGRAPHS. MORE...
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 []
Here are links to some of the stories making headlines today.

Houston area copes with flooding as Harvey delivers pounding rainfall The second fatality in the ferocious storm occurred in the Houston area when a woman drove her vehicle into high water, city police said. Police said they believe the car became inoperable or the water was too high to pass through. The victim got out of her vehicle, was overtaken by water and drowned.

Mayweather defeats McGregor by TKO McGregor, though, surprised many by going toe to toe with Mayweather until the 10th round. Hes a lot better than I thought he was, Mayweather said after the bout. Mayweathers record is now 50-0, surpassing Rocky Marciano, who went 49-0. After Saturdays win, he said this was the final fight of his career.

US journalist killed in South Sudan named The State Department confirmed that Christopher Allen was killed in the East African nation on Saturday. We can confirm that U.S. citizen Christopher Allen died in South Sudan on August 26, 2017 while working as a journalist. We express our condolences to Mr. Allens family, it said in a statement.

Facebook, Instagram experience outages Saturday Some people reported difficulties accessing the two social platforms beginning at about 9 a.m. ET, according to Down Detecto r, a site that tracks real-time outages and other online issues. Facebook acknowledged the outage in a statement sent to CNNMoney. Earlier today, a technical issue caused some people to have trouble accessing Facebook services.

Bill Nye to Disney: You owe me $9 million for Science Guy The famed science enthusiast filed suit against Disney on Thursday, claiming the media giant hoodwinked him out of more than $9 million in earnings from Bill Nye the Science Guy. The beloved television series originally aired between 1992 and 1997, gaining a loyal following among children while winning multiple broadcasting awards for its fun, science-focused programming.

Harveys Unprecedented Precipitation And Flooding Are Only Getting Worse This isnt the time to mince words  the effects of Hurricane Harvey are only going to get worse for Texas. On Sunday, the National Weather Service called the flooding thats quickly taking over Houston alongside much of the coastal area surrounding it unprecedented and beyond anything experienced.

Dramatic Photos Show Texas Under Water, With Flooding Expected To Worsen Dramatic photos and videos on social media have captured the destruction in parts of Texas after Hurricane Harvey barreled into the Gulf Coast, bringing potentially historic rain and flooding, according to weather officials. This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced, the National Weather Service said.

Resourceful Dog Walks Away With Bag Of Dog Food After Hurricane Harvey The morning after Hurricane Harvey tore into Texas, Gulf Coast residents were already trying to prepare for life after the destructive storm  including Otis, the dog. Tiele Dockens was checking out the damage for friends and family in Sinton, north of Corpus Christi, when she saw Otis on the street carrying a large bag of dog food.

Twitter Doesnt Tire Of Knocking Conor McGregors Stamina Conor McGregor was game  but man was he tired. Twitter weighed in on the Irishmans technical knockout loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. Saturday, saying fatigue did him in. Fight fans jabbed at McGregor afterward. Live look at McGregors current stamina. pic.twitter.com/bYne2StmNk  Clark W.

The Most Brutal Photos From The Mayweather-McGregor Fight Floyd Mayweather beat the Irishman with a technical knockout in the 10th round.

Trump Still Insists Mexico Will Pay For The Wall  Eventually President Donald Trump on Sunday returned to rallying his base by continuing to insist that Mexico will pay for his proposed border wall, after last week threatening a government shutdown if funding for the barrier isnt provided in the U.S. budget.

Mayweather Retires With Perfect 50-0 Record: Tonight Was My Last Fight After defeating UFC champ Conor McGregor during their much-hyped Saturday night fight in Las Vegas, undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. said he was hanging up his gloves  for sure this time. This was my last fight tonight. For sure. Tonight was my last fight, Mayweather, 40, said at the conclusion of the unexpectedly competitive bout, according to Rolling Stone.

Liverpool 4-0 Arsenal: Dreadful Gunners picked apart at Anfield Liverpool were magnificent. That needs to be said because, in the coming days, there is going to be a lot of commentary about Arsenal, and its all too easy to forget the winners. So, Liverpool: outstanding. Joe Gomez: superb. Emre Can: immense. Roberto Firmino: brilliant. Mohamed Salah: electric.

Manchester Citys Raheem Sterling celebrates his late winner Raheem Sterling capped off an eventful day by dining out with his Manchester City team-mates at a restaurant on Saturday night. Sterling struck an injury-time winner in Citys match at Bournemouth before he was sent off for a second bookable offence for celebrating with the away supporters.

Phil Jones dominant for Manchester United and deserves England start Victor Lindelof briefly brought the leafy lane leading up to Manchester Uniteds training base to a halt on Friday afternoon. Supporters were waiting at the gates ready to pounce for autographs from their heroes as Lindelof attempted to snake his way home.

The terrible price of the search for a better life in Europe  BBC News Three photos are all that Yaya Sangare has to remind him of the family he once had. It was nine months ago when his wife and sons drowned off the coast of Libya. I was holding my newborn son Kami Davide in my arms when he died, he says quietly, as he goes through the small album of photos on his cracked mobile phone.

Zillertal Alps accident kills five climbers in Austria  BBC News Five climbers have been killed and one seriously injured in an accident near Krimml, in the Austrian Alps. Five rescue helicopters were sent to the scene, 2,000m above sea level in a mountain range known as the Zillertal Alps.

Angolas ruling MPLA wins parliamentary election, commission says  BBC News Angolas ruling MPLA party has won the countrys parliamentary election, provisional results suggest. The party received 61% of votes cast during Wednesdays ballot, the Angolan electoral commission said on Friday. The opposition Unita party, which received 27%, disputes the commissions count.
Remember the street guy who made headlines in March after returning Ksh200, 000 that had fallen out of a womans purse?

Five months later, Vincent Omondi alias Vince Dancer, is out of rehabilitation where well-wishers took him to fight his drug addiction.

A transformed Mr Omondi has taken to social media with a special message to Kenyans who came to his rescue.

The Bachelor of Business IT graduate from St. Pauls University has also appealed to Kenyans to help him find employment as he continues his recovery.

Omondi warmed peoples hearts when the rare incident was highlighted on social media. On the said day, an employee of an unnamed business in Nairobi was heading to a bank to deposit Sh700,000 when two bundles of Sh 100k each, fell out of a bag after a zipper caved in.

Moments later, Omondi aka Don, approached the lady with the money and after ignoring Don at first, thinking he was just another street boy begging for a handout, the lady listened to what he had to say and that is when he pulled out the stacks of money.

Omondi ended up on the streets after his life took a drastic turn when his mother and father died, leaving him and his sisters to fend for themselves in the streets.

Last week, he posted on his official Fcaebook page on his progress.

He wrote:

I thank all my social media fans, if now only I had a permanent job or at least something to give me rent, fare and food clothing will come in time but I THANK you all and hope for your continued support I LOVE YOU all and May God Bless you.
Nadya and Genji Schmeder will celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 2. The couple met and were married in New York City in 1967. They moved to California around 1971, and have lived in Napa since 1986.

Nadya is retired from teaching and occupational therapy with Napa County Office of Education. Genji is retired from computer programming with University of California, Berkeley. They have a daughter, now a citizen of Australia, and a son, who is a resident in Napa. They also have three grandchildren.

Nadya is active with Congregation Beth Shalom. She plays fiddle and banjo with the Pickle Creek String Band. Genji enjoys hiking and independent foreign travel, and he studies German and Spanish languages.

Nadya and Genji are spending the weeks around their anniversary visiting the beautiful cities of Amsterdam and Copenhagen in Europe.
During last year's presidential campaign, some Christian leaders compared Donald Trump to various biblical kings, most often as a modern-day David, an imperfect man chosen by God to lead Israel.

On Tuesday, televangelist Paula White, a prosperity gospel pastor and spiritual adviser to Trump, made another scriptural comparison - this time between the president and a Jewish woman in the bible.

Appearing on "The Jim Bakker Show," White said Trump's victory in November was akin to Esther becoming queen in the Hebrew Bible because both were unconventional choices for the roles they received.

Esther, as the story goes in Jewish and Christian scripture, was an orphan hand-picked by the Persian king to be his new queen at a time when Jews were persecuted. In her position she was able to stop a plan to kill all the Jewish people in Persia. The Bible says Esther was placed there by God for this purpose.

"Because God says that he raises up and places all people in places of authority it is God who raises up a king. It is God that sets one down," White said on the show.

Esther did not have the image or the background to be queen, yet God chose her, White said. The same is true for Trump's ascent to the presidency, she believes.

God is "raising up Esthers," she said.

Stephen Strang, the founder of Charisma Magazine, a Pentecostal news site, said Christians often look for spiritual parallels in modern-day life, so it is natural for them to make these comparisons between Trump and biblical figures, though he could not remember previous presidents, Democrat or Republican, similarly being associated this way.

White has known Trump since the early 2000s, and he chose her as one of the clergy members to pray at his inauguration. The choice was controversial, as my colleague Julie Zauzmer wrote then, because the prosperity gospel says true believers of God will receive both eternal salvation and material wealth on Earth. Other Christians says this is heretical, and warn that preachers like White profit off their gospel by asking followers for money.

Two years ago, comedian John Oliver did a segment dissecting the practices of the prosperity gospel. In 2007, Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, launched an investigation into spending by televangelists, including White. But its report three years later did not reach any conclusions.

During her appearance this week, White went on to encourage viewers to be obedient and loyal to Trump because it is what God wants. If God hadn't intervened in the U.S. elections, she said, religious liberties would have eroded to such an extent that people would have had to pray in an "underground church" within five years.

White's perspective is similar - albeit perhaps more dramatic - to many conservative Christian leaders who have increasingly said in recent years that growing tolerance for liberal mores and secularism comes at a cost to traditional faith. Many GOP candidates, including Trump, said during the campaign that protecting the religious liberty of traditional believers was among their top priorities.

Lance Wallnau, a Christian author, claimed God spoke to him and showed him that Trump was like King Cyrus, who followed God's will despite being a pagan.

"I really believe that the mercy of God intervened in this last election cycle and gave us an individual who has the willpower and the tenacity to be able to do a reset," Wallnau told CBN News in March. "I heard the Lord, 'Donald Trump is a wrecking ball to the spirit of political correctness.' "

Strang shares Wallnau's belief that Cyrus is the more apt comparison, showing that "God can raise up a leader to rescue his people" even if that leader comes from an untraditional background. He doesn't quite see the Esther one, however.

White's analogy was equally puzzling to Dennis Olson, a professor of Old Testament theology at Princeton Theological Seminary. Though he understands the point about Esther and Trump both being outsiders, he sees more reasons why they are opposites.

Esther's story is one about protecting persecuted ethnic minorities, said Olson, while the president has won support from white supremacist groups and seeks to crack down on immigration.

But evangelical Christians in America see themselves as persecuted by an increasingly secular nation and see Trump as the one chosen to fight for them. On that subject, Strang has written a book to be released in November called, "God and Donald Trump," which examines Trump's "divine" win.

"I believe that Bible-bleeding Christians have been praying for a turn in our country and we feel our religious liberties have been eroded and our country is less and less godly," Strang said. "And somehow, someway, his election was a partial answer to our prayer."
Tension between the federal government and its states has permeated American history from the earliest moments of the nations founding 241 years ago.

Drafting the U.S. Constitution was an exercise in balancing federal authority against states rights. The Constitutions supremacy clause defined federal authority, for instance, while its 10th amendment guaranteed that states could exercise powers not reserved to the national government.

The broad wording of both merely set the stage for centuries of political and judicial conflict over their meaning, punctuated by the nations bloodiest war.

Over those decades, states rights evolved, in the minds of many, into code words for discrimination and/or repression. It was cited, for example, by Alabama Gov. George Wallace and other defenders of racial segregation a half-century ago.

More recently, we have seen conflicts over whether the federal government or its courts could prohibit states from outlawing abortion or same-sex marriage, and over the constitutionality of state and local gun control laws.

As those instances suggest, those on the political left have usually cheered when federal law triumphed  when, for instance, state laws to crack down on illegal immigration were deemed to violate the federal governments authority over immigration matters.

Today, however, with Donald Trump in the White House and Republicans in control of Congress, the worm has turned and California, ever the contrarian, is invoking the doctrine of states rights to resist the Trump administrations vow to round up and deport those in the country illegally.

The state is home to at least two million undocumented immigrants and has done everything in its power to legalize them, such as issuing drivers licenses.

Last month, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared that local governments that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities would lose federal law enforcement grants, citing a specific federal law barring non-cooperation.

So-called sanctuary policies make all of us less safe because they intentionally undermine our laws and protect illegal aliens who have committed crimes, Sessions said.

The money involved for California is chickenfeed, just $28 million a year. However, last week, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra responded with a lawsuit, branding Sessions action, and the presidential order that preceded it, as an unconstitutional incursion on states rights.

The Trump administration is starting with the very misguided premise (that) immigrants are a danger to the public or our public safety. That could be no further from the truth, Becerra said at a press conference. Its our right and its our duty to fight to protect our law enforcement officers  and to protect the resources that they rely upon. Were in the public safety business. Were not in the deportation business.

As that legal conflict  one seemingly destined for the U.S. Supreme Court  begins to play out, California lawmakers and Gov. Jerry Brown may be inviting more legal war by making the entire state a sanctuary.

When the Legislature returns to Sacramento this week for the final throes of its 2017 session, a major agenda item is Senate Bill 54, carried by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon. It would prohibit local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities in identifying and holding those in the country illegally, except when it involves those convicted of particularly violent or heinous felonies.

De Leon says it will prevent state and local law enforcement agencies from acting as agents of immigration and customs enforcement (and) keep them focused on community policing, rather than rounding up hardworking, honest immigrants who in many instances assist police in solving crimes rather than committing them.

Many local law enforcement officials oppose the measure, saying it would inhibit anti-crime efforts, and Brown has not yet endorsed it. Earlier, as attorney general, Brown was leery about sanctuary laws, but has since joined other Democratic politicians in the resistance to Trump.

Should it be enacted, which is highly likely, it will open a new and ironic chapter to the tortured history of states rights.
At this point, it's not really a surprise that a government shutdown is in the realm of possibility. Congress has faced the threat of one every fall for at least the past four years, since the government shut down in 2013 over Obamacare.

But this year, the threat is more serious, say budget experts, for one reason: President Donald Trump. He badly needs a legislative victory, and he flat-out said this week he would risk a shutdown to get funding for his hallmark campaign promise, a border wall.

Overlay Trump's potential intransigence on a Republican Party that has long brought itself to the brink of a shutdown, and you have more factors leading to a shutdown than at any time since, well, the last one.

"It's completely unpredictable," said Maya MacGuineas, the president of the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Budget. "A negotiation that one could have seen the outlines for the resolution just got a mini bomb tossed into it."

Here are all the reasons experts say a shutdown is more likely than not this year.

--Too much to do, too little time

Congress spent much of its spring legislative session trying to pass a health-care bill. When lawmakers come back after Labor Day, they have roughly a month to:

Pass a spending bill by Oct. 1.

Lift the debt ceiling by late September so the U.S. can borrow money to pay its debts.

Fund a federal children's health insurance program.

Reauthorize a flood insurance program.

Oh, and Republican leaders want to seriously start debating a tax reform bill.

Any one of those tasks could easily take a month. And when Congress has too much on its plate, it can get paralyzed.

--Republicans can't decide what should be in the spending bill

By now this is old news, but it shouldn't be overlooked. The Republican Party looks more and more like a coalition of different parties, and one of those factions has reliably refused to vote on legislation that increases government spending.

In fact, for the 30-40-member strong House Freedom Caucus, a shutdown is like a campaign event, said Stan Collender, a nonpartisan budget expert.

This political dynamic could also complicate the debt ceiling fight. Some uber-fiscally conservative lawmakers say they'll only vote to let the U.S. borrow more money if the U.S. promises to cut its spending.

The Trump administration is giving mixed signals on what the president would sign into law. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin wants Congress just to raise the debt ceiling and leave the spending debate to another, less economically perilous piece of legislation. Trump's budget director, Mick Mulvaney (a former Freedom Caucus member), has suggested a debt ceiling raise should come with spending cuts.

--Democrats can force Republicans to choose between their president and a shutdown

In budget fights past, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., has relied on Democrats to get a majority of votes for a spending bill. The same thing is true in the Senate.

And that means Democrats have the ability to influence what's in the spending bill almost more than Republicans do. This year, their chief demand: Not a dime for Trump's border wall.

"If the President pursues this path . . . he will be heading toward a government shutdown which nobody will like and which won't accomplish anything," warned Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., in a statement Wednesday.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., reminds those who want to blame Democrats for any shutdown that Republicans control Washington,

"With a Republican House, Senate and Administration, Republicans have absolutely no excuses for threatening America's families with a destructive and pointless government shutdown," she said in a statement Wednesday.

Democrats know full well that most Republicans don't want to be on the hook for an untold billions to build a border wall, either.

--Trump is a black hole

Even with all those pitfalls, Congress has figured out how to hobble along, said Molly Reynolds, a congressional expert with the Brookings Institution. It can pass a short-term spending bill that funds the government through December to provide more time to come to an agreement.

But, Trump. Nobody has any idea what he wants, what he'll sign, or whether he even cares if there's a shutdown.

"All he said is 'the wall,'" said Collender. "We don't know whether that's bluster, we don't even know what he means by a 'wall.'"

Trump is seven months into his presidency without a legislative win; it's entirely possible he will decide to risk it all on getting some money for his wall, now that it's clear he has no intention of forcing Mexico to pay for it.

Trump has a few options to go to war with Congress on the wall. He could veto a spending bill that doesn't have money for his wall. He could veto even a short-term spending bill. He could even veto a debt ceiling bill. On all of that, Congress could override his veto with a supermajority. Or it might not be able to.

It's all so up in the air that it's impossible to rule out a shutdown right now.

"It's all entirely up to the president right now," said Steve Bell, a former Senate Republican budget aide now with the Bipartisan Policy Center. "It's his shot."
- UAE and Saudi Arabia using diplomatic carriers to transport weapons to armed rebels and terrorists..





- The US has used similar carriers for similar operations in the past.





- The weapons end up in the hands of terrorist militants in Syria and Yemen that Saudi Arabia officially admits supporting.

According to reports by an investigative Bulgarian Journalist, it appears that weapons funded by the Saudi and UAE governments have been finding their way to armed groups in high conflict zones in Syria and Iraq using diplomatic transport methods.





The report, authored by Dilyana Gaytandzhiev, claims Saudi Arabia, UAE, the US military and several countries have used Azerbaijani state-owned airlines Silk Way Airlines to transport large quantities of weapons that ended up in the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group, Kurdish fighters in the Middle East and armed groups in Africa.





"At least 350 diplomatic Silk Way Airlines flights transported weapons for war conflicts across the world over the last 3 years," says the report, published in Trud, Bulgaria's largest circulated newspaper.





"The state aircrafts of Azerbaijan carried on-board tens of tons of heavy weapons and ammunition headed to terrorists under the cover of diplomatic flights."





According to the report, "Saudi Arabia has purchased huge quantities of Eastern European weapons and exported them using Silk Way Airline's diplomatic flights.





"In 2016, 2017 there were 23 diplomatic flights carrying weapons from Bulgaria, Serbia and Azerbaijan to Jeddah and Riyadh".





The report further indicates that although Saudi Arabia pays for these weapons, it does not do so for itself as the weapons do not meet the its military standards..





Gaytandzhiev says in the report: "The Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] does not buy those weapons for itself, as the Saudi army uses only Western weapons and those weapons are not compatible with its military standard.





"Therefore, the weapons transported on diplomatic flights end up in the hands of terrorist militants in Syria and Yemen that Saudi Arabia officially admits supporting."




16:16

Journalist Sanjiv Mahajan, who revealed that Dera Sach Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's adopted daughter Honeypreet Insan was taken in a chopper with him to Rohtak's Sunaria jail, where she stayed for long, on Monday said that the self-styled godman had threatened the jail authority of getting them suspended by using his connection with chief ministers and big politicians, when the Director General of jail refused entry to Honeypreet after a couple of hours."



As soon as Baba was convicted of rape, an application was filed by his lawyers saying that Baba has a back ache and suffers with migraine for which he be given a one-plus-one attendant. The CBI judge did not give any orders, citing it outside his jurisdiction, and that if Honeypreet willingly wants to stay with him, then government or jail authority can give approval," Mahajan told ANI.



Mahajan informed that Honeypreet accompanied Ram Rahim to the Rohtak Jail, but after about two-and-a-half hours, she was taken away.



"She stayed there for two-and-a-half hours, after which the DG objected and she was taken away," he said.



Sources say that Baba became furious for not allowing Honeypreet to stay with him, and threatened to make phone calls, but the police refused access to a phone, and then he threatened that he will talk to the chief ministers and other big politicians and can get the jail authorities suspended, he added, informing that the police refused to budge from their stand in spite of the threat.



Speaking on the big convoy that Baba Ram Rahim had brought on the day of hearing, Mahajan said that he had brought 700 to 800 vehicles with himself, which met with seven accidents in different locations along the way.



Meanwhile, about 73 vehicles had entered Panchkula, out of which only three were allowed to enter the court premises.



"Baba got his car inspected, but refused the inspection of his second car. To avoid any ruckus, the police complied, but later it was Baba's second car in which an AK-47, revolvers, and petrol were seized," disclosed Mahajan.
Spain's King Felipe VI (C) stands between Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy (L) and President of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont (R) during a march against terrorism which slogan will be #NoTincPor (I'm Not Afraid) in Barcelona on August 26, 2017, following the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks killing 15 people and injuring over 100.(AFP PHOTO / LLUIS GENE)

BARCELONA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of people demonstrated in Barcelona on Saturday against terrorism under the motto "No tinc por" (I am not afraid), after the attacks in Spain that killed 15 people and injured more than 100 others.

Placards of "I am not afraid", "We want peace, not arm sales", "The best answer is peace", "Their wars, our death" were showed by more than 500,000 people through the streets of Barcelona, according to local police.

The demonstration started at 6:00 p.m. local time (1600 GTM) at Jardinets de Gracia, was planned to go through the famous street Passeig de Gracia and finish at Placa Catalunya, the square just before the Ramblas, the iconic street where the first attack took place in which a van killed 13 people and injured over 100.

At Placa Catalunya, Catalan actress Rosa Maria Sarda and Miriam Hatibi, spokeswoman for Ibn Battuta foundation, made a joint speech. They said they were proud of the rapid response of emergency services and citizens that show solidarity, adding that love wins above hate.

"We are millions of people refusing violence and defending coexistence in Manchester and in Nairobi, in Paris and in Bagdad, in Brussels and New York, in Berlin and in Kabul", Sarda said.

In Ripoll where the 12-people cell behind the attacks were allegedly formed, a demonstration against terrorism was also held at the same time as in Barcelona. Hafida Oukabir, sister of Moussa Oukabir (one of the five men shot dead after stabbing pedestrians in Cambrils) and Driss Oukabir (arrested) made an emotional speech, saying that "we have to work together so that this will not happen again", adding that "we have to be self-critical and change many things".

On Friday, another demonstration was also held in Cambrils where a woman was killed and five people were injured, with the participation of more than 16,000 people, according to local police.

Barcelona's demonstration was led by members of the civil society, emergency and health services, regional and national police as well as people who helped those affected by the attacks. They were followed by the families' victims.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 02:19:25|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed shock at Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales' declaration to expel the head of a UN anti-corruption commission in the country.

The decision to expel Ivan Velasquez, head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), came immediately after a Friday meeting between Guterres and Morales at UN Headquarters in New York, during which the UN secretary-general expressed his confidence in Velasquez and UN support for the mandate of his commission.

In a statement issued through his spokesman, Guterres expressed disappointment at the expulsion. "Under Commissioner Velasquez's leadership, CICIG has made a decisive contribution to strengthening justice-sector institutions in Guatemala, helping to ensure justice was done in numerous cases. Mr. Velasquez has worked tirelessly to promote a culture that upholds the rule of law and rejects corruption," said the statement.

Guterres expected that Velasquez will be treated by the Guatemalan authorities with the respect due to his functions as an international civil servant, it said.

CICIG, set up in December 2006 under a treaty-level agreement between the United Nations and Guatemala, is an international body that helps Guatemalan authorities investigate sensitive and difficult cases. Its ultimate goal is to strengthen Guatemala's national judicial institutions to allow them to continue to confront illegal groups and organized crime in the future.

Morales declared Velasquez's expulsion after Guatemalan chief prosecutor Thelma Aldana, who is working with CICIG, announced on Friday that she was asking the Supreme Court to recommend stripping Morales of his immunity from prosecution in order to investigate financing of his 2015 campaign. Congress will make a decision at the court's recommendation.

Velasquez's commission was key to the fall of Morales' immediate predecessor, Otto Perez Molina, who was forced to resign in 2015 and was prosecuted.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 04:54:51|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

ATHENS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Greek private sector deposits increased by two billion euros (2.4 billion U.S. dollars) this summer after the conclusion of the second review of Greece's third bailout in mid-June, Greek media reported on Sunday.

Approximately one billion euros in corporate and household deposits were made in June, according to central Bank of Greece data, bringing the total of private sector deposits in Greece's banking system to 120.4 billion euros.

An additional one billion euros were added in July to early August, financial news portal "Sofokleous" reported, citing banking sources.

The positive trend is the result of the gradual restoration of confidence to the financial system and the prospects of Greek economy, following the end of the review which dragged on for more than a year, it reported.

The swift completion of the third review which starts in autumn is crucial to further strengthen confidence in the Greek banking system, the report added.

Bankers expect that Greeks will keep transferring cash hidden under their mattresses to the banking system in coming months, as from Sept. 1 the capital controls imposed in June 2015 will further ease.

From this September, Greek depositors will be able to withdraw up to 1,800 euros per month. So far they can withdraw up to 840 euros each fortnight. (1 euro= 1.19 US dollars)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 04:54:52|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks during a joint press conference with visiting Japanese officials following their meeting at the State Department in Washington D.C., the United States, on Aug. 17, 2017. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reaffirmed on Thursday that diplomatic effort was "first and foremost" choice in solving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. (Xinhua file photo/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that the United States will continue to seek a peaceful solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue despite the recent missile launching by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"The firing of any ballistic missile is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and we do view it as a provocative act, a provocative act against the United States and our allies," said Tillerson on Fox News.

"We are going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign as I have described that working with allies, working with China as well, to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table," Tillerson added.

The U.S. Pacific Command confirmed on Friday that the DPRK launched three missiles on Saturday morning local time, but none of them had posed a threat.

The latest missile launch came as the United States and South Korea were conducting their joint annual drills, which Pyongyang deemed as a provocation.

The missile launch also came days after Tillerson said that he was pleased with the DPRK's restraint in recent weeks.

On Sunday, Tillerson said he didn't think he was wrong about his remarks.

"I don't know that we're wrong," said Tillerson. "I think it's going to take some time to tell. This type of launch again, it is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. So, it is -- clearly, they are still messaging us as well, that they are not prepared to completely back away from their position."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 05:04:54|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

LUSAKA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian finance minister said Sunday that Standard and Poor's revision of the country's sovereign rating from negative to positive with a stable outlook represents an affirmation of the soundness of policies implemented by the government.

"This development rises on the basis of the critical reforms which we have adopted on as a country under the economic stabilization and growth program to implement fiscal implementation, remove subsidies, reform the energy sector, and embark on diversification of the economy through agriculture development and industrialization," Minister of Finance Felix Mutati said.

The result from the assessment by the rating agency was a welcome incentive for investors as they should remain assured that the country was on track with economic stabilization and growth, Mutati added.

International rating agency Standard and Poor's has revised Zambia's outlook on the 'B' long-term foreign and local currency sovereign ratings to stable from negative.

It also affirmed the 'B' long-term and 'B' short-term sovereigns for Zambia, attributing the reduction in fiscal deficits and the stock of debt as core to the country's rating trajectory.

"We have assigned a stable outlook to reflect a number of more positive developments that we expect will continue to reduce pressure on Zambia's fiscal, economic, and external assessments," the finance ministry quoted an S&P statement as saying.

The rating agency has however warned that the rating could be lowered if the government materially deviated from its fiscal consolidation target and if previously destabilizing factors re-emerged, such as a reverse in copper prices and a reversal of improvements in the liquidity of domestic banking systems.

It also warned that derailment of talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have been going on, could dent confidence and reduce investment as well as offset positive factors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 05:34:59|Editor: Yurou

Video Player Close

A vehicle is stranded in flood near the China Town of Houston, Texas, the United States, Aug. 27, 2017. Widespread and worsening flood conditions prompted the closure of nearly every major road in Houston as the outer bands of Hurricane Harvey swept through the Houston area over the weekend. Latest news reports said the storm death toll has climbed to at least 5. (Xinhua/Liu Liwei)

HOUSTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Texas Governor Greg Abbott Sunday said the state has now activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members to take part in rescue operation as a result of severe damage and flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

A body was found not far from the coastal area in South East Texas on Sunday, the sixth death reported after Hurricane Harvey made a landfall in Texas Friday evening.

Local police said they are not sure if the death is directed related to Harvey. "At this time it is unknown if the subject passed away from health conditions or due to drowning," police said in a statement, noting water in the area was high overnight.

At a Sunday press conference, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said more than 2,000 emergency calls had been received and more shelters would be opening.

The U.S. Coast Guard has focused all its resources on rescuing people in trouble as waters continue to rise in Houston and surrounding areas, with assistance coming in from bases all over the country.

Eight helicopters and three flood response teams have rescued 100 people so far, officials said, and have received 500 calls for assistance.

The agency said that an additional 11 helicopters are expected. Another flood response team is coming from nearby state Louisiana.

About 80 counties have been declared state disaster zones. Both major airports in Houston have been closed amid severe flooding.

A Houston Airport System statement on Sunday said George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport are closed to commercial flights until further notice.

Widespread and worsening flood conditions prompted the closure of nearly every major road in Houston as the outer bands of Harvey swept through the Houston area over the weekend.

Less than 24 hours after Harvey hit the Gulf Coast, more than 300,000 people were without power, according to AEP Texas, the transmission company that services the region hardest hit by the hurricane. AEP reported mass outages in areas along the Gulf Coast.

The loss of electricity was likely due to wind damage to more than 150 transmission circuits, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said, which oversees 90 percent of the state's electric grid.

Houston mayor Sylvester Turners said Sunday morning the George R Brown convention center has been opened as a shelter.

Hundreds of people sought shelters in the last 24 hours when Hurricane Harvey pummeled Houston area.

Latest news reports said the storm death toll has climbed to at least 5.

Houston government issued notice Sunday morning that the 911 services are at capacity.

"If you can shelter in place do so, a few inches in your home is not imminent danger. Only call if in imminent danger."

Widespread and worsening flood conditions prompted the closure of nearly every major road in Houston as the outer bands of Harvey swept through the Houston area over the weekend.

As of Sunday morning, Houston TranStar has already logged 174 high-water road closures in the area.

The White House said Sunday that President Dounald

Trump will visit hurricane-ravaged Texas on Tuesday amid the ongoing recovery efforts.

President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and members of Trump's cabinet discussed federal support for response and recovery efforts, said the White House.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 05:40:01|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

Tripoli, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Eight people were killed and two others injured in clashes between armed groups and residents on Sunday in Rqe'at town, 40 km southeast of Libyan capital Tripoli, a security source revealed.

"The clashes broke out at dawn today in the Rqe'at town between young residents and armed groups from the nearby city of Trahona," a source from the interior ministry told Xinhua.

The clashes started after the militants killed Saturday a resident of Rqe'at, sparking anger in the area. Residents attacked a number of militants stationed at the administrative order of the area and the militants retaliated by launching a large-scale armed attack with tanks and artillery, the source said.

The source confirmed that the casualties are likely to rise due to inability of ambulances to access the area of the clashes and to transfer victims.

"The clashes continue intermittently. The militants viciously attacked residential neighborhoods and destroyed civilian homes. There is a state of chaos in the streets of Rqe'at," he added.

There was no official statement from the government or municipal council of Trahona about the clashes.

Libya suffers escalating violence and chaos since the uprising of 2011 that toppled former leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime. The country is plagued with insecurity and unrest.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 05:40:02|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- American horror film legend Tobe Hooper has died Saturday at 74 at his home in Sherman Oaks, California, local media reported on Sunday.

Hooper was pronounced dead at his residence at 4:10 p.m.local time on Saturday.

"He looks to be a natural death," investigator Rudy Molano of the coroner's office was quoted as saying by City News Service.

Hooper was born in Austin, Texas, the United States, in January 25, 1943. Best known for his director work in the horror film genre, Hooper's most recognized films include "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" among others.

The 1974 "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. It was called one of the most influential horror films by critics. With a limited budget of around 300,000 U.S. dollars, "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" became one of the most profitable independent films of the 1970s in the United States.

The 1982 "Poltergeist", directed by Hooper, written and produced by Steven Spielberg, became the eighth-highest grossing film of the year and also became a classic of the genre.

Hollywood celebrites and horror film fans paid tribute to Hooper on social media in wake of his death.

Scott Derrickson, best known for directing horror films such as "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "Sinister," called Hooper "the king of transgressive horror" on Twitter.

William Friedkin, the director of "The Exorcist" wrote "Tobe Hooper, a kind, warm-hearted man who made the most terrifying film ever. A good friend I will never forget."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 05:55:04|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

CARACAS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's truth commission is investigating to find out which members of the opposition requested the United States impose economic sanctions against the country, a top official said on Sunday.

The Truth, Justice and Peace Commission, created to clear up crimes committed during months of anti-government protests, including lynchings and vandalism, has launched an investigation into the matter, the president of the committee, Delcy Rodriguez, said.

"At the truth commission, we opened an investigation into those responsible for the financial blockade against Venezuela. This cannot be unpunished," said Rodriguez, who is also president of the controversial National Constituent Assembly (ANC).

The creation of the ANC angered Venezuela's U.S-backed opposition, which holds a majority in the National Assembly (AN), or congress, since the temporary but powerful constituent body takes precedence over the legislature.

Venezuela's coalition of opposition parties tried unsuccessfully to prevent July 30 elections to choose the 545 members of the powerful constituent body.

Having failed to stop the elections, the opposition, which advocates the ouster of President Nicolas Maduro and the ruling socialist party, then boycotted the vote.

According to Rodriguez, the commission "has evidence" that at least one member of the opposition, Julio Borges, the president of the AN, "spent his time requesting intervention and the (financial) blockade against Venezuela."

There are "letters signed by Julio Borges asking for a stop to international investment in the country (and) for blocking Venezuela's access to international loans. They requested it and they have worked tirelessly for intervention in Venezuela," she said.

On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that "prohibits dealings in new debt and equity issued by the government of Venezuela and its state oil company" and also prohibits "dividend payments" to the South American country's government.

In announcing the new sanctions, the White House said "these measures are carefully calibrated to deny the Maduro dictatorship a critical source of financing to maintain its illegitimate rule."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 06:45:10|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

BOGOTA, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group on Sunday launched the process of transitioning into a political party that will continue its struggle for social justice, but from within the system.

Some 1,200 of the former armed rebels gathered in the capital Bogota for a national congress and constituent assembly to found their political party, which will have representation in Congress.

"Starting with this event, the FARC is transforming into a new exclusively political organization that will carry out its activities via legal means," top FARC leader Rodrigo Londono told the assembly.

"We will continue to fight for the creation of a democratic political system that will guarantee peace with social justice, respect for human rights, and economic development with wellbeing for all who live in Colombia," added Londono, who fought under the nom de guerre "Timochenko."

The party is likely to be named Colombia's Revolutionary Alternative Force, preserving the group's initials.

Colombia will hold presidential elections next year, but the new party is not expected to field its own candidate, instead endorsing the candidate that aims to comply with the peace accords reached between the FARC and the current administration of President Juan Manuel Santos.

Colombia's conservative camp opposed the peace agreement.

The congress is to conclude on Sept. 1, with the official launching of the party.

As part of the peace deal, signed by Santos and Londono on Nov. 24, the new party is set to have 10 seats in Congress as of congressional elections in 2018.

The peace agreement, which put an end to more than five decades of armed struggle, was approved by Congress in December in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 09:40:48|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

Zhang Dejiang (C), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), attends a session of the 12th NPC Standing Committee, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 28, 2017. The session deals with draft laws on nuclear safety, promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises and the national anthem. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature opened its bi-monthly session on Monday, with legislators scheduled to deliberate several draft laws, amendments and reports.

Legislators will continue to review the draft laws on nuclear safety and national anthem, as well as draft revisions to the laws of anti-unfair competition, standardization and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises, during the week-long session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

They will also deliberate draft revisions of laws on the organization of courts and procuratorates, the judges law and a draft law on tobacco leaf tax.

Reports on economic and social development, the implementation of budget, poverty relief, the work of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) courts, and the implementation of the Copyright Law will be also deliberated.

Legislators will review draft lists of members of electoral councils for electing deputies from the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao to the 13th NPC.

The session will also review a number of official appointments and dismissals.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 10:26:09|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

YANGON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Extremist terrorists continued to make coordinated attacks on several police outposts in Maungtaw, Myanmar's northern Rakhine state throughout Sunday, torching houses of their own with the intention of flaming the violence to totally destroy the town, said the State Counselor's Office Monday.

At least hundreds of terrorists in each incident blew out improvised bombs, setting several villages on fire and attacking over 10 police outposts including those in Ngayantchaung, Minkhamoung, Yeaung Chaungwa, Taungpyo-Letwe, Nwayontaung, Kyaukhlaygar areas in Maungtaw.

Using hand-made bombs and holding sticks, spears and swords, the terrorists surrounded some villages and police posts, forcing the police to disperse them by opening fire.

One security personnel went missing, sources said.

Firefighters and security personnel, while trying to put out the fire, were again attacked by the terrorists who fled the scene after exchange of fire.

The security forces were trying to repel the terrorists' attacks on Maungtaw, home to both Bengalis and Myanmar ethnic minority.

Meanwhile, Myanmar authorities have declared the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) as extremist terrorist group involved in the attacks since last Friday, urging people not to encourage, support and abet the extremist terrorists.

The authorities also advised the local people not to be malicious and aggressive, not to hold sticks, knives or swords or any other weapon while the security forces are undertaking their duties and not to get outside in the time prohibited by curfew order.

Local people desiring for peace are also urged to cooperate with the security forces and administrative personnel without any concern in keeping peace and stability in the area.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 10:56:21|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Mexico on Sunday reaffirmed its position not to pay for a U.S.-proposed border wall between the two countries, shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump once again tweeted about the issue.

"As the Mexican government has always stated, our country will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall or physical barrier built on U.S. territory along the Mexican border," the country's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The response came after an early morning tweet by Trump, who posted "With Mexico being one of the highest crime nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other."

Mexico also made it clear its policy was not a negotiating tactic in ongoing talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

"This statement is not part of a Mexican negotiating strategy, but rather a principle of national sovereignty and dignity," the ministry said.

Mexico noted the United States and its "high demand for drugs" was partly to blame for drug-related crime, and called for teamwork to overcome the problem.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 11:21:39|Editor: Zhou Xin

Visitors walk past the China Pavilion during the 55th International Fair of Agriculture and Food (AGRA) in Gornja Radgona, northeast Slovenia, on Aug. 26, 2017. The six-day, 55th AGRA, which attracted more than 1,820 exhibitors from 36 countries and regions, was opened on Aug. 26. As a partner country this year, China showed its agriculture products and food of more than 10 campanies. (Xinhua/Matic Stojs)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 11:06:26|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

YANGON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- About 500 civil service personnel and those from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have fled terrorist attacks in Maungtaw in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state to the capital of Sittway following days of renewed violence, the local daily Voice reported Monday.

Some 400 basic education schools have also been indefinitely closed by the state government, local sources was quoted as saying.

Rakhine state government officials said security in the conflict-torn areas including villages of local ethnic minority have been tightened by the military.

According to the report, about 4,000 local Rakhine ethnic people have moved to Sittway in three days following extremist terrorists' attack on the security forces and police outposts since last Friday.

Security personnel are carrying out area clearance operations as civilians are being evacuated to safer places.

Hundreds of extremist terrorists launched renewed attacks on security forces and 30 police outposts in northern Rakhine in the early hours on Friday, killing 12 security personnel and one immigration officer.

A total of 77 bodies of the terrorists have been seized with two captured alive so far .

The violence continued in the following days.

Meanwhile, Myanmar authorities have declared the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) as extremist terrorist groups involved in the attacks.
Experts from the Chinese Red Cross foreign aid medical team carry out screening for children with congenial heart disease (CHD) at a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Dai He)

by Abdul Haleem

KABUL, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- "My daughter has been suffering severe heart disease since her infancy, but I couldn't treat her because of intense economic problem," 45-year-old Mohammad told Xinhua.

A resident of Samangan province, Mohammad has taken his seven-year-old daughter, Marwa, to check with Chinese doctors. He said he was thankful to neighboring China for sending a medical team to Kabul.

In war-torn Afghanistan, most parents of children with severe heart diseases are unable to provide treatment to their beloved ones due to extreme poverty.

"I took my daughter to Balkh provincial hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif city some two months ago, but doctors there advised me to take her to Kabul for checkup," Mohammad said.

He whispered that he was very happy that Chinese medical team checked her daughter here in Kabul free of charge.

Before the Chinese medical team arrived, Afghans used to take their children suffering from Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) to Germany and India with the support of the Afghan Red Crescent Society for treatment.

This is the first time that a Chinese medical team has visited Kabul to provide medical treatment to needy children suffering from heart diseases.

Zahra Faizi, mother of six-year-old girl Marwa Mirahmad, is another Afghan who has taken her child to see Chinese doctors.

"After almost two days of traveling from the western Herat city, I arrived in Kabul to meet the Chinese physicians and seek their assistance for the recovery of my child," Faizi told Xinhua in the hospital where she was visiting the Chinese medical team.

"We are poor and have no money. I want my daughter to be treated free of charge," she muttered.

She noted that all Afghans, especially the poor and needy parents, are thankful to China for sending the medical team to help ailing children in their country.

A 10-member team of medical practitioners from China arrived in Kabul recently to help children with severe heart diseases during its 10-day stay in Afghanistan.

Based in a local health center - the Kabul Royal Hospital, the team checks up to 50 children in every two days. It has also promised to send some children to China for further treatment if their conditions require.

Another man, Fazal Ahmad, has also expressed happiness at seeing Chinese doctors in Afghanistan, saying the presence of the Chinese medical team has raised hope in his heart that his daughter could recover.

"I have no money to afford medical treatment for my daughter Asia who is six. But now I am sure my daughter will get her health back with the support of Chinese doctors," Ahmad told Xinhua.

"The situation in Afghanistan and the poor condition of parents who are in dire need of medication for their ailing children have drawn the attention of China's Red Cross Society, which has decided to send a medical team to Afghanistan," Sun Shuopeng, head of the team, told Xinhua.

He added that his team had recently launched the "Angels Tour -- Belt and Road Humanitarian Rescue Afghanistan Action for Children with Severe Diseases" in the Kabul Royal Hospital.

Under the initiative, the Chinese Red Cross foreign aid medical team will take CHD children who are screened in accordance with surgical indications in batches to China to receive free surgical treatment, Sun said.

The Chinese Red Cross Foundation established the Belt and Road Fraternity Fund in February and is committed to optimizing the humanitarian service supply along the Belt and Road routes.

Screening for CHD children in Afghanistan is the beginning of a humanitarian rescue program by the fund.

Nearly 7,000 Afghan children with the CHD are waiting for urgent treatment, according to figures provided by the Afghan Red Crescent Society.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 12:26:56|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Up to 12 people were killed and a few others injured after a car bomb targeted a convoy of Afghan forces in the southern Helmand province Sunday night, a security official said Monday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 12:37:01|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Navy said Sunday that the remains of all 10 missing sailors from the USS John S. McCain have been recovered almost a week after the warship collided with a merchant vessel.

The cause of the incident was still under investigation, the U.S. Navy said in a statement released Sunday on its website.

The guided-missile destroyer collided with an oil tanker east of Singapore last Monday, leaving 10 missing and five injured. The injured have all been released from hospital.

The incident also marked the fourth such involving a U.S. warship this year.

After the collision, U.S. Navy immediately announced an operational pause of its fleets globally and a comprehensive review of the U.S. Pacific-based 7th Fleet.

The Navy also removed Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, the head of the 7th Fleet, in connection with the four accidents. The highly decorated naval aviator, who had been expected to retire in the coming weeks, is replaced with Rear Admiral Phil Sawyer.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 13:02:07|Editor: ZD

Video Player Close

CHICAGO, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in downtown Chicago Sunday afternoon, denouncing white supremacy and neo-fascists.

The rally, called "Solidarity Against White Supremacy," gathered members of more than 40 local community and labor organizations at the Federal Plaza, in response to the death of Heather Heyer, who was killed when a car rammed into a crowd protesting white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia on Aug. 12.

"We recognize that this hate has deep institutional roots in our country, and many of the politics pursued by politicians of both parties reinforce, rather than diminish it," said Jaquie Algree, vice president for external relations of SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana." All these are policies that reinforce racism and other hate highlighted in Charlottesville."

Anton Ford, a professor of the University of Chicago, told the crowd to defend each other. "The good news is that we are many and they are few. We are the vast majority," he said.

Protesters set off their march to Trump tower near Chicago river in downtown after the rally, with signs reading "Unite and fight against racism," "Resist the right, stop racist attacks," and "Hate has no room here."

No incidents of violence were reported during the protest.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 13:22:11|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Up to 12 people were killed and several others injured after a car bomb targeted a convoy of Afghan forces in the southern Helmand province Sunday night, a security official said Monday.

"It was late night when a terrorist driving an explosive-laden car blew it up next to a military convoy on a road leading to Nawa district killing 12 people on the spot and injuring few others," the official told Xinhua but declined to be identified, saying authorized officials would talk to media.

Meantime, spokesman for provincial government Omar Zawak has confirmed the incident, saying 13 persons including security personnel and civilians were killed and 19 others with majority of them civilians sustained injuries.

Nawa district in the restive Helmand province with Lashkar Gah as its capital, 555 km south of Kabul, was captured by government troops months ago.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 13:27:13|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

CANBERRA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The signing of China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (ChAFTA) has paved the way for the value of the Australia's wine exports to stand at 2.7 billion U.S. dollars annually by 2020, the government has announced.

The 40 million U.S. dollar Export and Regional Wine Support Package, announced by Australia's agriculture minister Barnaby Joyce and assistant agriculture minister Anne Rushton on Monday, will focus on the Chinese and U.S. markets with money to be made available for marketing in the two countries.

The government has identified China as a particularly compelling opportunity for growth, forecasting a 15 to 17 percent rise in the value of wine exports to China by 2020.

Rushton said the projected boom would not have been possible without the ChAFTA.

"The package is part of a suite of measures to reform the Wine Equalisation Tax rebate scheme, following extensive consultation with the wine industry," Rushton told reporters on Monday.

"Our wine industry was already in a strong position, with tariff reductions from the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement leading to China's overtaking of the United States as the most valuable destination for Australian wine."

"This investment is ensuring we will capitalize on this and drive further growth.

"I'm looking forward to the industry taking ownership of it and making it work not only for their benefit and our economy, but also for the regional communities in which many of them operate."

It is expected that the package, which will be managed by the Australian Grape and Wine Authority (AGWA), will inject 134 million U.S. dollars into the Australian economy by 2020.

Joyce said that on current pace more than 800 million liters of Australian wine would be exported in the current financial year.

"This package aims to build on this, delivering up to 8 percent per annum value growth across all export markets to 2021-22, including 15 to 17 percent in China and 6 percent in the United States," Joyce said.

"At home, the package will help to attract up to 40,000 more international tourists to visit our world-renowned wine regions, and take the great Australian wine tour."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 13:42:22|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

HOUSTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Catastrophic flood waters inundated Houston on Sunday and forecasts expect more heavy rainfall in the coming days.

Earlier on Sunday, a body was found not far from the coastal area in Southeast Texas, which increases the death toll to six after Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday night. However, local police said they are not sure if the death is directly related to Harvey.

Widespread and worsening flood conditions prompted the closure of nearly every major road in Houston as the outer bands of Harvey swept through the Houston area over the weekend.

Less than 24 hours after Harvey hit the Gulf Coast, more than 300,000 people were without power, according to AEP Texas, the transmission company that services the region, which has been hit hardest by the hurricane. AEP reported mass outages in areas along the Gulf Coast.

The loss of electricity was likely due to wind damage to more than 150 transmission circuits, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said, which oversees 90 percent of the state's electric grid.

A Houston Airport System statement on Sunday said George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport are closed to commercial flights until further notice.

As flood waters keep rising through Sunday, leaders in Texas are trying to increase resources to deal with the catastrophy.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) add 12 more counties to the Presidential Disaster Declaration.

The original request, which was quickly granted by FEMA last week, will provide individual assistance, public assistance and hazard mitigation to Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Harris is among the counties which will be added into the disaster declaration, where Houston is located.

In addition to this request, the governor has already issued a state disaster declaration for 50 Texas counties in response to the hurricane.

On Sunday, Abbott also said the state has now activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members to take part in rescue operations.

At a press conference on Sunday, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said more than 2,000 emergency calls had been received and more shelters would be opening.

The White House said Sunday that President Donald Trump will visit hurricane-ravaged Texas on Tuesday. President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and members of Trump's cabinet discussed federal support for response and recovery efforts, said the White House

At the county level, the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management on Sunday upgraded the evacuation status for those in low-lying areas along the Brazos River from voluntary to mandatory, urging residents to pack belongings quickly and leave.

While rain continued to drench the area, the major threat remained a day away. The river of Brazos, which winds its way across the southwestern Great Houston county, was rising slowly, expected to hit its peak after 4 p.m.(2100 GMT) on Monday.

Late Sunday afternoon, residents continued to pack up belongings. A steady stream arrived to Red Cross shelters. According to American Red Cross, there are eight shelters scattered across the Great Houston area.

A mandatory curfew was in effect both in Pasadena and League City Sunday night.

Meanwhile, some residents continue to cope with the diaster by themselves.

In Dickinson, south of League City, Kelley Scott-Romar awoke Sunday morning to find floodwater inside her home.

"We've lived here for ten years and it's never flooded here like this before," Scott-Romar, an educational administrator at the Texas Independent School District, told Xinhua. "At first I couldn't believe it. We were seeing vases and rugs floating in the water."

Some of her prized possessions - a relative's wedding belongings and decorations - also perished in floodwater.

Scott-Romar's concern grew when she looked outside to find the waters rising, reaching almost chest high. "It still looks like a lake outside our house," she said.

Scott-Romar and her husband planned to stay on the upper floor of their two-story home Sunday night, hoping for the best despite weather forecasts for yet more rain in the area.

"I used to be the homeless educational liaison for homeless families, helping people in this kind of predicament," she said. "And here I am today going through some of the same challenges that they had."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 13:57:27|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

NEW DELHI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- India's northern states of Punjab and Haryana have been put on high alert ahead of the sentencing of self-proclaimed spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was on Friday convicted guilty of raping two women followers.

A multi-layer security ring has been thrown around Haryana's city of Rohtak, where Singh is lodged in a jail, and in the state's Sirsa town, the headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, with the Indian Army and para-military forces deployed alongside the local police personnel.

"Para-military forces are in charge of jail security and shoot-at-sight orders have been issued," Inspetcor General of Rohtak Police Navdeep Singh Virk told the media Monday morning.

Soon after Singh was convicted by a court of India's premier probe agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), his supporters in the city of Panchkula Friday erupted in violence and clashed with police that left at least 38 people dead and over 300 injured.

"This time, we are fully prepared to deal with any kind of law and order situation. The CBI judge, who will pronounce the quantum of sentence, will be flown to Rohtak jail and his court will sit inside the jail only," Virk said.

Massive security arrangements have been put in place this time, in the wake of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana Saturday coming down heavily on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and Haryana's Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for failure to stop violence.

The High Court held the chief minister responsible for the violence "for his political gains" and did not even spare Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he was the country's prime minister and not the BJP's only.

But who actually is this spiritual guru and how he managed to command a follower base of over 60 million around the world?

The 50-year-old self-styled godman is chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect that describes itself as "a non-profit social welfare and spiritual organization." Based out of northern India, the sect runs 46 centers across India and the world.

Known as "Rockstar Baba," Singh is often spotted in shiny, colorful clothes and has performed in half a dozen music videos. He has also earned the nickname "Guru of Bling" because of his preference for ornate jewellery. Of late, he has started acting in films.

Over the years, Singh has presented himself as a social reformer by organizing cleanliness drives and blood donation camps. In 2010, the sect organized a mass marriage where more than 1,000 followers "volunteered" to marry sex workers.

"For years, chief ministers of both Punjab and Haryana, along with several other politicians of all parties, have vied for Singh's support for his huge follower base, just for vote bank politics. Singh also exploited them rightly," said Basab Gupta, a political analyst in Delhi.

"But this time, the long arm of the law has finally caught him for raping two of his women followers some 15 years ago. And the politicians, belonging to both ruling BJP and opposition Congress, now have no other options but to toe the judiciary's line," he added.

Experts also attribute the rise of the spiritual guru to the failure of the government of India, particularly in Punjab and Haryana, to make available to masses affordable healthcare and education even after 70 years of independence.

"Dignity, social support, medical help, and food security. These are precisely the things that the modern Indian state - at least in its Haryana/Punjab version - refuses to offer to the people," said M. Rajivlochan, Professor of Contemporary History, Panjab University.

"There are over 3,000 deras here, each providing the same services to the people - health guidance, de-addiction support, with a lot of dignity and all of it laced with a quirky spiritualism," Rajivlochan wrote in the Indian Express newspaper.

Singh faces a minimum of seven years in jail for the rape. And whatever be the judgment, the political parties will have to accept it, notwithstanding the fact that they might have to lose a large chunk of their vote base - Singh's followers - in future elections, analysts say.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 14:02:29|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

Hi, here's what you need to know about China for the past 24 hours.

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico is working to expand trade ties with China, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Sunday, believing boosting agricultural exports to Asia "represents a great area of opportunity for economic growth."

The push is part of a larger strategy to diversify Mexico's export markets at a time when the country's main trading partner, the United States, is looking to protect domestic industry and jobs by trimming trade ties.

- - - -

XIAMEN -- As the 2017 BRICS summit draws close, young people from Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa who study or work here are expecting the summit to promote enhanced cooperation in finance, trade, education, and beyond between BRICS countries.

The 9th annual summit of the bloc, scheduled for Sept. 3-5 in Xiamen City of southeast China's Fujian Province, is expected to provide more opportunities for emerging economies and injecting impetus into economic globalization.

- - - -

VIENTIANE -- The Laos-China Railway Company announced on Sunday that the China-Laos railway project has entered the phase of comprehensive construction in an orderly and effective way.

The announcement was made by Zhao Xiang, director general of the Laos-China Railway Company, at a gathering here to commend the progress achieved so far in the project.

- - - -

NEW YORK -- The number of American K-12 students learning Mandarin has doubled to around 400,000 in two years, Morgan Jones, Chief Operating Officer, U.S.-China Strong Foundation,told Xinhua in a recent interview.

The non-profit U.S. organization is leading a Chinese language education initiative called "1 Million Strong" which seeks to expand to 1 million the number of U.S. K-12 students learning Mandarin by 2020.

- - - -

WINDHOEK -- At a Namibian university festival on a mid-August morning, Keith Musonga, a 26-year-old Namibian student, was busy taking photos, together with other photographers. But later he held a handphone, speaking the Chinese language instead of his mother tongue.

Performers, wearing Namibia's national dress at the event, looked at Keith with curiosity when he took photos of them. Keith explained to them that he was doing a live webcast.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 14:07:31|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

KAMPALA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Military chiefs and experts from 12 African nations met here on Monday to discuss setting up a rapid response force on the continent.

This is the third time they are meeting under the African Capacity for Immediate Response to Crisis (ACIRC) Volunteer Nations, an interim multinational initiative set up in November 2013 to decide if certain situations need military intervention on the continent.

The meeting started with a session on the robustness of the ACIRC to respond to crises and contribute to peace support operations.

Lt. Gen. Ivan Koreta, who opened the meeting on behalf of Gen. David Muhoozi, Uganda's Chief of Defense Forces, said action needs to be taken to address protracted conflicts in some countries that are ruining peace on the continent.

"We need to have the capacity to support interventions at different levels and at the right time to deal with these conflicts," he told the experts from Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Chad, Egypt, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, South Africa, Niger, Sudan and Uganda.

"ACIRC could deliver the right impact, address complex conflicts and deal with various scenarios much earlier than projected," he added.

Koreta noted that the African nations need to operate together in an integrated manner to enhance cohesion and capacity to act.

The experts will review framework documents and budget estimates among others.

According to official figures, over 30 million U.S. dollars is required for the deployment of one battle group and force headquarters for the financial year 2017/2018.

Each voluntary nation is required to contribute 12,000 dollars annually for ACIRC operations and administrative matters.

A report from the experts and the defense chiefs will be forward to the defense ministers who will meet on Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 14:22:35|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

SUVA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mental health and suicide are two of the most serious social and health issues facing Fiji, Youth Champ for Mental Health President Lionel Rogers said Monday.

Fiji has the highest suicide rate in the South Pacific.

Rogers revealed that it had been established that most adolescents considering suicide or who have attempted suicide shy away from using specialized mental health services.

Rogers said on average one young person attempted to commit suicide every 36 hours.

"We have relationship problems, rejection from families... We have poor examination results, unrealistic expectations from communities and families as well as bullying in schools, violence on social media and in the grassroots level," he told the state owned Fiji Broadcasting Corporation.

The Youth Champs for Mental Health is the only organization in Fiji that looks after mental health and suicide issues among young Fijian people.

There are only around 1,300 mental health professionals in Fiji.

The Youth Champs for Mental Health believes that there is a need for more professionals so they can evenly distribute them to urban and maritime areas.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 14:42:38|Editor: Zhou Xin

Video Player Close

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's military saw the unidentified projectiles fired last week by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) as short-range ballistic missiles which UN Security Council resolutions ban the DPRK from test-firing.

An unnamed South Korean military official was quoted by local media outlets as saying Monday that the projectiles were highly likely to have been short-range ballistic missiles based on the joint analysis result by the militaries of South Korea and the United States.

Pyongyang on Saturday test-launched three short-range projectiles into its eastern waters from Gitdaeryong in the country's southeastern region.

Two of the three projectiles flew about 250 km, but the remaining one exploded in the air right after taking off.

The presidential Blue House initially said the DPRK projectiles were estimated to have been artillery shells launched by improved 300-mm multiple rocket launchers.

The South Korean military official was quoted as saying further details on the type of missile and its capability were currently under analysis.

The DPRK missile launch came amid the ongoing South Korea-U.S. joint annual war game, codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), which kicked off last Monday. It would last until Thursday.

The computerized command post military exercise has been denounced by Pyongyang as a rehearsal for northward invasion.

Some of peace activists here claimed that the annual South Korea-U.S. war games should be suspended in exchange for the halt of the DPRK's missile and nuclear launches to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 15:22:54|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

FLASH: CHINA CONFIRMS INDIA'S WITHDRAWAL OF BORDER PERSONNEL AT FACE-OFF SITE AT DOKLAM

Related:

China issues position document on Indian border troop trespass

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday released a position document on the Indian border troops' illegal trespass into Chinese territory. Full story

Spotlight: Video on China-India border issue sparks heated discussion among netizens

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A short online video discussing the recent border issue between China and India has sparked a heated discussion among netizens from the region and beyond. Full story

Full text of facts and China's position concerning Indian border troops' crossing of China-India boundary

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry issued on Wednesday a document of the facts and China's position concerning the Indian border troops' crossing of China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector into the Chinese territory. Full story

China clarifies position on Indian border incursion

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday laid out its position on India's incursion into Chinese territory in the Himalayas. Full story

PLA Daily calls for withdrawal of trespassing Indian border troops

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army's (PLA) flagship newspaper Thursday called for the immediate withdrawal of Indian border troops trespassing in China, warning India not to harbor any illusions about the Chinese military's resolve to defend its territory. Full story

Infographic: Under the pretext of "protecting Bhutan", India attempts to create disputes in Doklam

China says Indian troops' illegal entry into China "irresponsible and reckless"

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian troops' trespassing into Chinese territory is irresponsible and reckless, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Full story

Chinese defense ministry demands immediate withdrawal of Indian troops

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese defense ministry has urged India to immediately pull back the trespassing troops to the Indian side of the boundary. Fulls tory

Truths about Indian troops' illegal entry into Chinese territory

BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- On June 18, Indian border troops crossed the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector at the Duo Ka La (Doka La) pass and advanced more than 100 meters into Chinese territory. Full story

Infographic: India's "excuses" of illegal trespass into Chinese territory groundles

Infographic: Netizens from the region and beyond support China in China-India border issue

Infographic: Former Chinese ambassador to India on Indian troops illegal entry into the Dong Lang area (Doklam)

Commentary: India must not flirt with disaster

BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- India should underestimate neither China's determination nor its capacity to defend its sovereignty and national interests. Full story

Commentary: Indian military's seven "sins" in trespassing into Chinese territory

BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nearly two months have passed since Indian troops illegally crossed the China-India boundary in Sikkim Sector, and there is no sign of withdrawal so far. Full story

Chinese troops patrol control line on China-India border: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border troops have always patrolled the Chinese side of the line of control on the China-India border, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wednesday in response to a recent altercation between the two troops. Full story

China urges Japanese ambassador to India to be discreet on Doklam standoff

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday that the Japanese ambassador to India should not wag his tongue too freely on the standoff between China and India in the Dong Lang (Doklam) area. Full story

Spotlight: What's behind India's illegal trespassing into China?

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border troops have always been committed to upholding peace and tranquility of the China-India border areas, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wednesday in response to India's trespassing into the Dong Lang (Doklam) region on June 18. Full story

Chinese troops injured by Indian border troops' fierce action: foreign ministry

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Some Chinese troops suffered injuries from Indian troops' fierce action in the western part of the border area, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday. Full story

China discredits India's excuses for illegal trespassing

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that India will take practical and positive actions to correct its incorrect words and deeds, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Full story

Commentary: Withdrawal of Indian troops prerequisite for resolving China-India border impasse

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Indian military's trespassing into China's territory has entered the third month, with no signs of the south Asian country withdrawing its troops. The ball is now firmly in India's court. Full story

China criticizes India's building roads near undemarcated boundary

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- India's road building near an undemarcated boundary reveals a contradiction between what India says and what it does, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Full story

Commentary: India to face the consequences of its strategic miscalculation

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- It has now entered the third month since Indian military trespassed into Chinese territory, to which China has shown the utmost tolerance. India must take any possible consequences if it continues to miscalculate the situation. Full story

Commentary: Why China cannot back down in the Doklam standoff

BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The military standoff between China and India in the Doklam region has lasted for almost two months now, and there is still no end in sight. Full story

Doklam has always been under China's effective jurisdiction without dispute: FM

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday that there has been no territorial dispute in the Doklam area. Full story

Commentary: Turning a deaf ear to China will not help India on Doklam

BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- India has repeatedly ignored China's call for pulling its border-crossing troops from Doklam area back to its own territory. However, turning a deaf ear to China will but to worsen the month-long stand-off and put itself further into embarrassment. Full story

Chinese envoy calls for unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops, peaceful solution to incident in Doklam
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C) delivers a speach to the parliament in Tehran on August 20, 2017. Iran's President said the top foreign policy priority for his new government was to protect the nuclear deal from being torn up by the United States. (AFP Photo)

TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A senior military adviser to Iran's supreme leader said Sunday that inspecting Iranian military sites under the pretext of the international nuclear deal is "impossible," state TV reported.

The nuclear agreement signed between Iran and world's six major powers two years ago allows no inspection of Iran's military sites, Major General Hassan Firouzabadi said on Sunday.

He slammed recent comments made by Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, in her visit to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters in Vienna, as an attempt by Washington to undermine the nuclear agreement.

On Friday, Haley said Iran has publicly declared that they will not allow access to military sites. But the international agreement in 2015 makes no distinction between military and non-military sites, said Haley after she returned from Vienna.

Firouzabadi said Haley is the U.S. agent to hatch a "new plot and she is lying."

On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bhram qasemi, also emphasized the IAEA inspections in Iran would be carried out only within the framework of the country's policies.

After years of tension with the West, Iran struck a deal with the five world powers of Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in July 2015 on a comprehensive deal, under which Iran agreed to limit its uranium-enrichment activities in return for the lifting of western and international sanctions.

The IAEA is responsible for the verification of Iran's compliance with the agreement through regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities.

The international agreement is facing serious threats of collapse as tensions mounted between Washington and Tehran recently.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 15:58:08|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

MANILA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Government troops killed 10 fighters allied with Islamic State (IS) in a fresh clash early Monday in Marawi City in southern Philippines, the military said.

The military said in a statement that the soldiers intercepted the 10 extremists belonging to the Maute terror group on board two motor boats that tried to sneak into the city around 2:30 a.m. local time on Monday.

"A three-hour firefight and pursuit operations immediately ensued between (the) forces and the fleeing terrorists," the statement said.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, commander of the Western Mindanao Command, lauded the troops for thwarting another attempt to reinforce the thinning extremist forces fighting the government security forces.

"The recent accomplishment of our ground forces only shows the successful coordination made by our troops and the local government units," Galvez said.

He said the planned attempt to re-enter the city was tipped off by civilians, prompting the special forces riverine units and maritime policemen to detect and neutralize the IS movement.

"Let this be a warning to those who have the intention to escape and to enter, our troops are ready for you. We will definitely get you," warned Galvez.

Galvez said the troops seized the two boats and an M-16 assault rifle used by the IS militants.

Fighting between the security forces and the militants continued since the war broke out on May 23 when militants attacked the city.

The military said nearly 800 have been killed in the ongoing conflict, including 603 militants, 130 soldiers and policemen and nearly 100 civilians.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:03:09|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China said Monday it had made on-site checks of India's withdrawal of personnel and equipment from Dong Lang (Doklam) after a months-long military stand-off.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that Chinese personnel made the on-spot check around 2:30 p.m. (Beijing Time), adding that China will continue to safeguard its territorial sovereignty according to historical boundary treaties.

On June 18, over 270 armed Indian troops with two bulldozers crossed the boundary into Doklam, China's sovereign territory, to obstruct Chinese infrastructure construction.

Related:

China issues position document on Indian border troop trespass

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday released a position document on the Indian border troops' illegal trespass into Chinese territory. Full story

Spotlight: Video on China-India border issue sparks heated discussion among netizens

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A short online video discussing the recent border issue between China and India has sparked a heated discussion among netizens from the region and beyond. Full story

Full text of facts and China's position concerning Indian border troops' crossing of China-India boundary

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry issued on Wednesday a document of the facts and China's position concerning the Indian border troops' crossing of China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector into the Chinese territory. Full story

China clarifies position on Indian border incursion

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday laid out its position on India's incursion into Chinese territory in the Himalayas. Full story

PLA Daily calls for withdrawal of trespassing Indian border troops

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army's (PLA) flagship newspaper Thursday called for the immediate withdrawal of Indian border troops trespassing in China, warning India not to harbor any illusions about the Chinese military's resolve to defend its territory. Full story

Infographic: Under the pretext of "protecting Bhutan", India attempts to create disputes in Doklam

China says Indian troops' illegal entry into China "irresponsible and reckless"

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian troops' trespassing into Chinese territory is irresponsible and reckless, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Full story

Chinese defense ministry demands immediate withdrawal of Indian troops

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese defense ministry has urged India to immediately pull back the trespassing troops to the Indian side of the boundary. Fulls tory

Truths about Indian troops' illegal entry into Chinese territory

BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- On June 18, Indian border troops crossed the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector at the Duo Ka La (Doka La) pass and advanced more than 100 meters into Chinese territory. Full story

Infographic: India's "excuses" of illegal trespass into Chinese territory groundles

Infographic: Netizens from the region and beyond support China in China-India border issue

Infographic: Former Chinese ambassador to India on Indian troops illegal entry into the Dong Lang area (Doklam)

Commentary: India must not flirt with disaster

BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- India should underestimate neither China's determination nor its capacity to defend its sovereignty and national interests. Full story

Commentary: Indian military's seven "sins" in trespassing into Chinese territory

BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nearly two months have passed since Indian troops illegally crossed the China-India boundary in Sikkim Sector, and there is no sign of withdrawal so far. Full story

Chinese troops patrol control line on China-India border: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border troops have always patrolled the Chinese side of the line of control on the China-India border, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wednesday in response to a recent altercation between the two troops. Full story

China urges Japanese ambassador to India to be discreet on Doklam standoff

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday that the Japanese ambassador to India should not wag his tongue too freely on the standoff between China and India in the Dong Lang (Doklam) area. Full story

Spotlight: What's behind India's illegal trespassing into China?

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border troops have always been committed to upholding peace and tranquility of the China-India border areas, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wednesday in response to India's trespassing into the Dong Lang (Doklam) region on June 18. Full story

Chinese troops injured by Indian border troops' fierce action: foreign ministry

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Some Chinese troops suffered injuries from Indian troops' fierce action in the western part of the border area, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday. Full story

China discredits India's excuses for illegal trespassing

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that India will take practical and positive actions to correct its incorrect words and deeds, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Full story

Commentary: Withdrawal of Indian troops prerequisite for resolving China-India border impasse

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Indian military's trespassing into China's territory has entered the third month, with no signs of the south Asian country withdrawing its troops. The ball is now firmly in India's court. Full story

China criticizes India's building roads near undemarcated boundary

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- India's road building near an undemarcated boundary reveals a contradiction between what India says and what it does, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Full story

Commentary: India to face the consequences of its strategic miscalculation

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- It has now entered the third month since Indian military trespassed into Chinese territory, to which China has shown the utmost tolerance. India must take any possible consequences if it continues to miscalculate the situation. Full story

Commentary: Why China cannot back down in the Doklam standoff

BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The military standoff between China and India in the Doklam region has lasted for almost two months now, and there is still no end in sight. Full story

Doklam has always been under China's effective jurisdiction without dispute: FM

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday that there has been no territorial dispute in the Doklam area. Full story

Commentary: Turning a deaf ear to China will not help India on Doklam

BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- India has repeatedly ignored China's call for pulling its border-crossing troops from Doklam area back to its own territory. However, turning a deaf ear to China will but to worsen the month-long stand-off and put itself further into embarrassment. Full story

Chinese envoy calls for unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops, peaceful solution to incident in Doklam
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:08:11|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered the military Monday to immediately switch to an offensive operation if the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) "crosses the line."

"(The military) should strongly push for reform of the military structure in accordance with modern warfare to make it possible to immediately switch to an offensive operation if DPRK conducts provocation that crosses the line or attacks the capital area," said Moon.

Moon made the remarks during the meeting with Defense Minister Song Young-moo and top military commanders as well as officials from the defense ministry and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, according to the Blue House.

Attending the discussion session, where the president was briefed on policy directions and listened to speeches by government officials, were senior presidential secretaries, the prime minister and senior lawmakers of the ruling Democratic Party.

During the session, the fourth of its kind that would last until Thursday, the president said the order was issued as the country's commander-in-chief to achieve a real defense reform.

Moon ordered the military to draw up a detailed plan on the timetable of setting up "the Korean version of three pillars" - the Kill Chain, the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) systems.

The KAMD is a project to develop its indigenous missile defense system to shoot down income DPRK missiles at multiple layers. The project includes the development interceptors such as medium-range surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM) and long-range surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM) that can intercept missiles at an altitude of less than 100 km.

The Kill Chain is designed to preemptively strike the DPRK's missile launch sites when signs of the first strike are spotted. The KMPR is a project to preemptively strike the DPRK's leadership and headquarters with massive missile attacks when Pyongyang's first strike signs are detected.

Moon also instructed the top-level commanders to eradicate any corruption in the defense industry, urging them to draw up epoch-making measures to reform the justice system of the military, gender equality, human rights and the military culture.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:33:30|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

RABAT, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan authorities have arrested three people over suspected links to Spain's terror attacks, local media reported on Monday.

Citing Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ), Akhbar Al Yaoum said the suspects were captured in the Eastern city of Oujda, the northeastern city of Nador and Casablanca.

The same source said that two of the suspects were freed, while the third is still detained.

The detained is accused of preparing a terror attack against the Spanish embassy in Morocco, it added. He lived in Spain for nearly 10 years, it noted.

Moroccan authorities have raised security vigilance in the Kingdom's northern region, especially near the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, in a bid to thwart any infiltration attempts or smuggling of arms by terrorists.
Xinhuanet| 2017-08-28 16:54:54|Editor: ZD

Valentine's Day is for everyone, whether you have your sweetheart or not. Those who don't may feel the festive atmosphere as well. Anyway, nobody wants to miss this sweet day. China has her special valentines day for people in love.

The Qixi Festival is a Chinese festival that celebrates the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in Chinese mythology. It falls on the seventh day of the 7th month on the Chinese calendar. It is sometimes called the Double Seventh Festival, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Night of Sevens, or the Magpie Festival. It falls on August 28 this year.

Make beautiful floral arrangement

Women learn to make floral arrangement at a training class ahead of the Qixi Festival, or the Chinese Valentine's Day, in Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, Aug. 23, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhao Xiaoming)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:53:34|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

LONDON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- London's biggest street party, Notting Hill Carnival, was held on Sunday in the shadow of Grenfell Tower fire that took more than 80 people's lives two months ago.

The carnival opened with performance of the charity single "Bridge Over Troubled Water" recorded by more than 50 stars including Stormzy and Craig David to raise money for those affected by the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

A group of multi-faith prayers was held and doves were released at the official opening ceremony as an act of remembrance. The sound systems were turned off and all the carnival participants fell silent at 1400 GMT in tribute to the victims of the disaster. After one minute's silence, the crowd erupted into applause for the firefighters who worked laboriously to save survivors of the Grenfell fire.

Many carnival's attendees were wearing green costumes or accessories with the meaning of "green for Grenfell" to show "reverence and respect amidst the revelry".

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said that although this year's carnival took place in a "context of sadness and sorrow," it was a celebration of London's diversity.

On the early morning of June 14, a massive fire broke out in the Grenfell Tower, a 24-storey apartment built in the 1970s in the west of London, and killed at least 80 people. It motivated extensive support for the community while also anger over accusations of mismanagement by the local authorities.

The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe and originated in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions.

However, because of the Grenfell Fire tragedy, this year's carnival had been endowed with further significance -- using its amazing array of sounds, colourful sights and social solidarity to heal the local community.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:53:35|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

MANILA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Senior diplomats and maritime experts from China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are to convene in Manila this week to discuss ways to enhance practical cooperation in the South China Sea, the Philippine foreign department said on Monday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said in a statement that it will hold a seminar on Tuesday and Wednesday on the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of the Parties in the South China Sea(DOC) that China and ASEAN inked in 2002.

It said the two-day seminar hopes "to build on the gains that have been achieved so far in efforts to build peace and stability in the South China Sea."

"The seminar seeks to build on what we have achieved so far in our efforts to build trust and confidence among the parties involved in the South China Sea issue," Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.

"The seminar also seeks to boost regional efforts to ensure peace and stability in the South China Sea to help prevent maritime accidents, and to preserve and protect the marine environment and promote sustainable fisheries," Cayetano said.

The DFA said senior diplomats, policy-makers and maritime cooperation scholars from the 10 ASEAN member states and China, as well as representatives from think tanks and the academe, will exchange views on how to further enhance practical cooperation between ASEAN and China in the South China Sea.

Foreign ministers from ASEAN and China approved the framework of Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, which was agreed on on May 18, at a meeting held in Manila on Aug. 6.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:53:37|Editor: Yurou

Video Player Close

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, on Aug. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/JINI)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met with Israeli leaders Monday on his first visit since taking office, with long-stalled peace bid high on the agenda, local media reported.

Guterres is likely to seek to push Israel and Palestinian leaders closer to renewed talks on their decades-old conflict during his three-day visit that ends Wednesday.

After meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Guterres is due in Ramallah on Tuesday for talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is visiting Turkey and is not expected to meet Guterres during the trip. Guterres will then travel to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

After arriving on Sunday evening, the UN chief met Jason Greenblatt, a top aide to US President Donald Trump charged with pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Peace efforts have been at a standstill since April 2014 and Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank has continued.

The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel and has been the focus of international diplomacy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:58:39|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha said on Monday that her country could seek diplomatic room for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula if the peninsula's situations are managed well by mid-October.

The South Korean top diplomat told a press conference that if situations are managed well on the major occasions in October, room would be created to run diplomacy for denuclearization dialogue.

Major anniversaries would fall in October, including the 10th anniversary of the Oct. 4 joint declaration, the outcome of a 2007 inter-Korean summit meeting between late South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and late DPRK leader Kim Jong Il, father of the current leader Kim Jong Un.

Kang said South Korea would patiently make efforts to ease tensions on the peninsula and resolve humanitarian issues between the two sides, though Pyongyang had yet to respond to it.

She vowed to exert multiple efforts for inter-Korean dialogue by making using of available diplomatic channels and closely communicating with the United States.

The top diplomat said South Korea can try to contact DPRK embassies in foreign countries to explain Seoul's talks overtures and encourage Pyongyang to positively respond to the dialogue offers.

Pyongyang test-fired three short-range projectiles, which South Korea's military saw as short-range ballistic missiles, on Saturday amid the ongoing U.S.-South Korea war game, codenamed Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG).

The computerized command post military exercise, which kicked off last Monday, would last until Thursday. It was denounced by the DPRK as a rehearsal for northward invasion.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 16:58:41|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

RAMALLAH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The West Bank city of Ramallah is known as the most vibrant and diverse city with a special socio-cultural scene that is emerging into a metropolis city, despite its small size and the political constraints.

Ramallah emerged from a village-town a hundred years ago, to a relatively small city until the Oslo Accords were signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel in 1993, leading to the formation of the supposedly interim Palestinian National Authority (PNA).

Since then, representations of complex underlying cultural trends showed up, with a growing population, cash pump, more institutions and schools and the emergence of a new middle class that may have exhausted the city and put it in its own bubble.

From one perspective, Ramallah offers what other West Bank cities don't, an interactive social and cultural space that allows youth to present their experimental music and hobbies, particularly in the open air summer events organized by various collectives.

On a Friday evening, we ran into Khalil Rantisi, 29 years old, holder of a master degree in international relations with a focus on diplomacy while selling his bead bracelets in a traditional popular market organized by the Ramallah municipality.

Rantisi was with several other young men and women displaying their hobbies and handcrafts for sale, selling beaded bracelets under the name of his original hometown, Lodd, which was occupied in 1948.

Standing near his stand, we asked him about his work and he said it is his way to make use of the open space that serves as an interactive cultural space in the face of growing capitalism.

"It is an attempt to change the rigid public space that is full of restaurants and capitalism into a more interactive, social and cultural space for the people to present their hobbies and allows them the opportunity to nurture what they have and the room to encourage talents, once appreciated, they can do more and more," said Rantisi.

Ramallah Municipality has its own cultural division that gets very busy during summers in particular. The head of this department Sally Abu Baker stressed to Xinhua that their goal is to make culture more accessible to all the city residents.

"Our philosophy, in general, and our areas of intervention are all about contributing to cultural and social advancement that we implement through dozens of projects," Abu Baker said.

"Al-Harajeh market is one of the most important ones where we transform a public space into a social scene that brings together all city residents and even attracts citizens from outside Ramallah," he added.

Nevertheless, the cultural scene could be seen bustling in the summer days, but in fact, it is not constant summer in Ramallah.

Hana Al-Araj, a celebrated events manager who runs her own pub in the city, affirmed that Ramallah is a perfect destination for youth who wish to nurture their personal interests and explained why "it attracts tourists, internationally and regionally, when expats or students return for visits, in addition to its cool weather at night and it's cultural movement and night life, although it is limited."

"I feel that some people run away from their life pressures, even if for a few hours only, but it is still not giving back to the entire community, the cultural life here is still very limited," she added.

In a conversation between Al-Araj and Ramallah based social activist Osama Abu Karsh, they both agreed that Ramallah is a unique place that is growing towards a new metropolitan city, but still facing many hardships.

"Ramallah is a liberal city," said Abu Karsh, "it is our choice to be in it, because it holds our values and life style that are secular and liberal and allows you to start a family and get your chance in life, but like all developing country cities, and under occupation, it beholds its own dichotomy: the duality of modern and old.

He took us back to the history out of which the city emerged, saying "Ramallah is one of the cities that emerged out of sudden immigrations; in 1948 people fled to Ramallah, which changed its quiet suburban atmosphere to a semi-city with the new comers, cash pump and professional workers. Then in 1967, a less amount of people fled to Ramallah, pushing it a step forward."

Ramallah became the de facto political hub for Palestinians, "in 1993, the PNA came and made Ramallah and central city; there was a high investment that is also human, making the city the hub for the ministries and institutions," explained Osama, "that's why, a big number of people immigrated to Ramallah from the suburbs for the opportunities it held, but, for sure the infrastructure, be it cultural, social and materialistic, couldn't have been ready for all this."

Social critics argue that the ongoing development of the city with the political impasse and continued Israeli settlement expansion around it sets the "Ramallah life style" to certain limits, or creating a non-realistic life detached from reality that some call a bubble.

According to Al-Araj, the "political circumstances and happenings cripple the movement all together, and none is immune from the politics and the rough circumstances. The Israeli occupation is the pivotal point in our lives, thus has a large impact on our lives on all levels, not just the cultural or social scenes."

Whether it's a misinterpretation of a misrepresentation of the characteristics of metropolis Ramallah that lies in its attractive and significant cultural openness, the city remains swinging between the modern and the old and negotiating the terms of change through the many years of struggle against occupation and against backwardness.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:03:42|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's top legislature began discussing bills on two draft revisions of laws on the organization of courts and procuratorates to legislate judicial reform measures.

Lawmakers will deliberate the bills at the bi-monthly session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, which opened Monday.

Compared with the current law, the draft revision of the Organic Law of the People's Courts adds stipulations about maritime courts, intellectual property rights (IPR) courts and the circuit courts of the Supreme People's Court, according to a document delivered by the NPC's Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee at the session.

To strengthen judges' responsibility, the draft also provides organizational and operational rules for collegiate bench trials and sole-judge trials as well as duties of relevant judicial personnel, the document said.

Another document by the committee said the draft revision to the Organic Law of the People's Procuratorates includes new provisions to meet the needs of deepening the country's supervisory system reform, which requires major adjustments to procuratorates' power and personnel rules.

The draft also legislates the power of prosecutors to lodge public interest lawsuits according to law.

Both drafts spell out protections for judicial personnel carrying out their duties.

According to the drafts, judges and prosecutors shall not be removed, demoted, dismissed or punished without statutory reason and due process. Any act of harassment, insult, threat or violence against judges, prosecutors or their close relatives will be seriously punished.

The NPC Standing Committee session will also include discussion of proposals about draft amendments to eight laws including the Judges Law.

According to the drafts, a national exam for legal profession admission will be required for more legal professionals beyond judges, prosecutors, lawyers and notaries. These include administrative review and administrative adjudication workers, legal advisors at governmental agencies, and law-related arbitrators.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:03:43|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. technology company, Nvidia Corporation, continues to block Iranian internet users from accessing parts of its website, Financial Tribune daily reported on Monday.

The software download page of Nvidia.com does not allow Iranian IP addresses to access updated software. The site now says "403 -- Forbidden."

Nvidia's another website, geforce.com, is also blocked to Iranian web users. That website says "access denied" followed by a message saying "the request was blocked by the security rules."

When the user contact the company's online help service to ask why Iranians have been suddenly banned from using their software, Nvidia responded that "we regret to inform you that Geforce NOW and Geforce Experience is not available in embargoed nations."

Prior to Iran's international nuclear deal in 2015, several software companies in the United States and Europe blocked Iranians from accessing downloads.

However, since then several companies quietly removed restrictions on Iranian Internet users.

Nvidia's measure comes just days after Apple began removing Iranian applications from its iOS application store.

On Thursday, Apple removed Snapp, a ride-hailing app similar to Uber that is popular in Iran, from its app stores. That was followed by the removal in recent weeks of apps for food delivery, shopping and other services.

In a message to Iranian developers whose apps were affected by the ban, Apple said, "under the U.S. sanctions regulations, the app store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain U.S. embargoed countries."

In January, Apple shut down a number of Iran-based iOS apps from the app store, including online e-commerce service Digikala.

"Since Apple takes a cut of all app store purchases, sales from Iranian apps generate revenue and are thus in violation of U.S. law," Apple said.

In response, Iran's minister of telecommunication and information technology said Friday that his country would legally sue the decision by Apple for removing Iranian apps from its app store.

Apple holds 11 percent share of the Iranian cellphone market, however, it has not observed the Iranian consumer rights, said Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:08:44|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

HANOI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Three submarine cable systems which connect Vietnam to the world have faced a connection problem at the same time, Internet service providers in the country said on Monday.

The glitches of three cable systems, IA, SMW3 and AAG, have affected Internet connections in Vietnam, and their reasons have not been identified, the providers said, adding that they could have been caused by a recent tropical storm in the South China Sea.

SMW-3, built in 1999 by China Telecom and France Telecom, connects Vietnam (with the cable landing in central Da Nang city) with 39 other countries in the world.

AAG and IA, which became operational in 2009, both land in Vietnam's southern Vung Tau city.

Vietnam witnessed 9.9 million fixed broadband Internet subscribers in the first half of this year, up 16.9 percent on-year, according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Meanwhile, the country made total telecommunications revenues of 189,500 billion Vietnamese dong (nearly 8.4 billion U.S. dollars), up 7 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:08:46|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

TOKYO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Former Japanese Prime Minister Tsutomu Hata died of natural causes at his home in Tokyo on Monday at the age of 82.

Hata was firstly elected to the lower house in 1969 from a constituency in Nagano Prefecture. He went on to be re-elected 13 times.

Between April and June 1994 he headed a coalition government while he was leading the defunct Japan Renewal Party.

Hata held a number of cabinet portfolios in his career under Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) governments including those of agriculture and fisheries minister and finance minister.

Along with former political heavyweight Ichiro Ozawa and other lawmakers, Hata left the LDP to form a new party in 1993.

Hata served as foreign minister in the anti-LDP coalition government established that year with Morihiro Hosokawa at the helm.

He succeeded Hosokawa as prime minister the following year, although Hata and his cabinet resigned en masse after just 64 days in power.

Prior to entering politics, Hata graduated from Seijo University in Tokyo and worked for a bus company.

Yuichiro Hata, his son, is currently an upper house lawmaker with the main opposition Democratic Party.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:13:50|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

by Sun Ding, Hu Yousong, Guo Yina

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Several days after giant panda Bei Bei celebrated his 2nd birthday here at Smithsonian's National Zoo, his father Tian Tian turned 20 years old on Sunday, a senior biological age for a giant panda, but he somehow managed to have kept his childhood alive.

It was a routine of the National Zoo to prepare a cake for a giant panda's birthday. Though it intended to keep it a low profile, many giant panda fans, tourists and other visitors waited at Tian Tian's yard before the Giant Panda Exhibit opened at 8 a.m. local time (1200 GMT).

Jim, a Washington D.C. local and the first visitor to the exhibit on Sunday, told Xinhua that he has been following the growth of giant pandas inside the National Zoo since he retired in 2005 and he came on every birthday of them.

"It's Tian Tian's 20th birthday. It's a big occasion for him. That's why I am here," Jim said.

Born in 1997 in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Tian Tian, whose name means "More and More" in Chinese, is one of three giant pandas that now live in the National Zoo.

Tian Tian and female giant panda Mei Xiang made a buzz when arriving here in early 2001. Ever since then, the pair has given birth to three cubs named Tai Shan, Bao Bao, and Bei Bei that have lived for more than a few days.

Two-year-old male giant panda Bei Bei is now the only offspring in the zoo after Bei Bei's brother, Tai Shan, and his sister, Bao Bao, moved to China, respectively in 2010 and early 2017, as per an agreement between the United States and China.

Many giant panda fans said mischievous, adorable and strong-growing Bei Bei is a lot like his father.

Zoo employee Larry Howard said Tian Tian, also a good eater, is "reckless sometimes, energetic, curious and inspiring," adding that the father and son look similar in both physical and personal aspects.

Recalling the first time seeing Tian Tian, Angela D. Wessel, who has served as a volunteer for 40 years at the zoo, said, "Tian Tian was more playful then because he was young."

"But Tian Tian is still the roly-poly that likes to roll down the hill and play in the snow, the panda that he has always been, even at the age of twenty," Wessel said, "He is a lovable panda."

The birthday cake for Tian Tian is more of a big Popsicle that would help him dispel a late-summer heat. Curator Brian Cannon said that the 40-pound frozen cake is made of mostly apple juice and water, decorated with specially-shaped pears, bananas, carrots, sweet potatoes, among others, with a round-shaped ice disk painted with a "20" standing vertical on a colorful, multi-layered cake base.

Curators also brushed some honey onto the cake to make it more appealing to Tian Tian who did not wait for his audience to sing a birthday song for him later but went ahead for the frozen cake with both his mouth and paws.

He went even further by straightforwardly tearing the ice disk from the base for his own convenience, a naughty move that sent all into joyful laughter.

It seemed that Tian Tian is not the only one who has kept his childhood alive. Jeremy Miller, who fell in love with giant pandas since childhood, told Xinhua that seeing Tian Tian reminded him of his first giant panda visit when he was 13 years old and was brought by his grandmother to exactly the same zoo.

"We stood here to be captivated and amazed and watched them," Miller said, "My grandmother said it was time to go and I said 'no, I want to see panda more'."

Giant pandas are beautiful, mysterious, unique and gentle bamboo eaters who are aesthetically pleasing, he described. "They just have an appeal that I cannot put into words, just fun to watch."

Miller, who brought his daughter with him to see Tian Tian's 20th birthday, said he hoped his love for giant pandas could pass on to younger family members.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the average lifespan of giant pandas is only 30 years in captivity and 14 to 20 years in the wild, under which Tian Tian could be categorized as a senior-aged giant panda. The world's oldest panda is 37 years old as of now.

Good news is that Tian Tian is in both good spirit and condition. "He has got his treatments and medical examinations. Just by looking at him, you can tell he is (in) good health," Howard said.

"Tian Tian's celebrating his 20th birthday is great. It means that we're doing our job. Keep them alive as a species," Wessel stressed.

"Those giant pandas at the zoo stand for U.S.-China friendship and scientific effort to preserve them. They are big part of scientific effort on both sides," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:18:55|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

HOUSTON, Aug. 27 -- Mandatory and voluntary evacuations are issued across the Houston metropolitan area in the southern U.S. state of Texas as historic Hurricane Harvey is expected to make a second landfall Tuesday.

Mandatory evacuation will go into effect for entire Bay City in the area at 13:00 local time (1800 GMT) on Monday, which expects up to 3 meters of water downtown.

Residents in low-lying coastal areas along or near the coast line are ordered to evacuate, including those in Rock Port, the area hit hard by the hurricane which made the first landfall Friday night.

People who live inland but are close to rivers received notice for voluntary evacuations, including those who live in the Greater Houston area.

Catastrophic flood waters inundated Houston on Sunday and forecasts expect more heavy rainfall in the coming days.

Earlier on Sunday, a body was found not far away from the coastal area in Southeast Texas, which increases the death toll to six after Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday night. However, local police said they are not sure if the death is directly related to Harvey.

Widespread and worsening flood conditions prompted the closure of nearly every major road in Houston as the outer bands of Harvey swept through the Houston area over the weekend.

After receiving an overwhelming number of inquiries for help from citizens and corporations, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund which accepts tax deductible flood relief donations.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:34:04|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

by Bedah Mengo

NAIROBI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's capital Nairobi looked different and cleaner as citizens largely complied with a ban on plastic bags, which took effect on Monday.

The plastic bags, initially common on the streets, retail outlets and open air markets, were nowhere to be seen as citizens went about their businesses.

It was a breath of fresh air, a sudden change of habit and a seemingly less struggle to comply with the government ban, with many satisfied with the move.

On the streets of the central business district, a survey showed that citizens had complied with the move to kick out plastic bags.

Women, who initially would be spotted with plastic bags with some carrying more than one, had replaced them with canvas bags of various colours.

Some had pink, other blue, orange and black canvas bags that signified the change with times and the love for the environment.

Along the busy Tom Mboya Street, in shops that stocked the plastic bags that went for between 0.05 U.S. dollars and 0.20 dollars, the change was evident.

On the shelves that once hosted the plastic bags now lay canvas bags each going from 0.10 dollars to 0.30 dollars depending on the size.

"Buy canvas bags, buy canvas bag at 0.10 dollars. Don't be caught on the wrong side of the law," shouted a hawker carrying dozens of the canvas bags along the street.

Several pedestrians rushing to work bought the bags as the man, who had an assistant, did booming business early morning.

Away from the hawker at Muthurwa market, which was once described as the bastion of plastic bags, change was in the air.

The flea market is home to hundreds of traders and before the ban, they generated tonnes of plastic bags garbage.

The plastics, as at many other markets across Kenya, were used for packing cooked food, fresh produce, clothes, shoes and other merchandise sold at the busy facility.

But on Monday things were different, the dozens of traders who normally sell the bags to customers, had replaced their wares with canvas bags.

"10 dollars, 10 dollars....canvas bags at 10 dollars, 10 dollars," shouted one of the hawkers as he sought to attract customers.

However, as the hawkers sold the bags, traders selling produce like tomatoes, onions and potatoes had changed tactic.

Before the ban, they would offer customers plastic bags for free after buying their commodities, but on Monday, the traders asked buyers to buy the canvas bags.

"If it was my wish, I would offer you for free something to carry in your purchase as it was before but things have changed," said Mary Wanjiku, a trader. "We have to comply with the law because we don't want to be arrested."

Other traders packed their produce, especially the bulky ones in gunny bags doing away with the practice of stuffing them in several plastic bags.

However, not everyone at the market and the nearby Gikomba, the biggest second-hand items market in Kenya, had complied with the law, some traders could be seen packing their wares and those for customers in plastic bags.

But it is at the supermarkets that the ban on plastics had totally been complied with as the retail outlets replaced plastic bags with reusable canvas bags.

At a branch of Eastmatt Supermarket along Tom Mboya Street, the outlets branded plastic bags had been replaced with canvas bags, with each going from 0.05 dollars.

On the other hand at a branch of Naivas on the opposite street, their new mantra "use me, re-use me and try not to lose me" rent the air as customers left the stores with branded canvas bags.

"Our last day to use plastic bags was yesterday, we tried as much as possible to clear them. From now on, we will use a variety of canvas bags depending on the items bought," said an attendant.

Kenya notified citizens on the move to ban the use, manufacturer or importation of plastic bags six months ago in bid to have a cleaner environment and protect its natural resources including rivers.

Kenya used up to 24 million plastic bags monthly, with half ending up in the environment due to poor disposal.

Transition to alternative packing material has been slower with many waiting for the last minute. A case to challenge the ban in court was thrown out last Friday paving way for implementation of the law on Monday.

Anyone found with plastics will now be arrested and charged, with the offence attracting a fine of between 19,417 dollars and 38,834 dollars, a jail term of between one and two years, or both.

"To avoid plastic bags, invest in reusable containers, look for alternative packing materials, use paper, steel or bamboo straws, buy unpackaged food, use degradable or reusable shopping bags made from starch, corn or potatoes," the National Environment Management Authority informed citizens.

However, not all plastic bags have been banned in Kenya. Plastic bags used for industrial primary packaging where the product is in direct contact with the plastic and is done at the source have been exempted from the sanctions.

The environment agency on Monday said it would send out its inspectors and environment police to inspect whether manufacturers and citizens had complied with the ban.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:49:10|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday confirmed via on-site checks that India has withdrawn personnel and equipment from Dong Lang (Doklam) after a military stand-off lasting more than two months.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that Chinese personnel completed the on-site check around 2:30 p.m., adding that China will continue to safeguard its territorial sovereignty according to historical boundary treaties.

The Chinese government values its neighborly friendship with India, Hua said. It expects India to respect historical boundary treaties and basic principles of international law, and to work with China to safeguard peace and stability in the border area on the basis of mutual respect of each other's territorial sovereignty.

On June 18, more than 270 armed Indian troops with two bulldozers crossed the boundary in the Sikkim sector and advanced more than 100 meters into Chinese territory to obstruct routine road construction in the Dong Lang area of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Hua said since the Indian trespass occurred, China has lodged representations to India through diplomatic means on multiple instances. It has explained the situation to the international community, and urged India to immediately withdraw its border troops to the Indian side of the boundary. Meanwhile, Chinese troops have taken effective measures to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and lawful interests.

Dong Lang, which borders India's Sikkim state to the west and the Kingdom of Bhutan to the south, is part of Chinese territory and has been under Chinese rule for a very long time.

According to the Convention between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet (1890), the area undoubtedly belongs to China. The agreement was inherited by India after its independence and has been repeatedly confirmed in writing by successive governments of the former British colony.

Related:

China's military to stay vigilant, firmly safeguard territory

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese military will remain vigilant and firmly defend national territory and sovereignty following a military stand-off between China and India, a military spokesperson said Monday. Full story

China issues position document on Indian border troop trespass

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday released a position document on the Indian border troops' illegal trespass into Chinese territory. Full story

Spotlight: Video on China-India border issue sparks heated discussion among netizens

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- A short online video discussing the recent border issue between China and India has sparked a heated discussion among netizens from the region and beyond. Full story

Full text of facts and China's position concerning Indian border troops' crossing of China-India boundary

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Foreign Ministry issued on Wednesday a document of the facts and China's position concerning the Indian border troops' crossing of China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector into the Chinese territory. Full story

China clarifies position on Indian border incursion

BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- China on Wednesday laid out its position on India's incursion into Chinese territory in the Himalayas. Full story

PLA Daily calls for withdrawal of trespassing Indian border troops

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- The People's Liberation Army's (PLA) flagship newspaper Thursday called for the immediate withdrawal of Indian border troops trespassing in China, warning India not to harbor any illusions about the Chinese military's resolve to defend its territory. Full story

Infographic: Under the pretext of "protecting Bhutan", India attempts to create disputes in Doklam

China says Indian troops' illegal entry into China "irresponsible and reckless"

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Indian troops' trespassing into Chinese territory is irresponsible and reckless, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday. Full story

Chinese defense ministry demands immediate withdrawal of Indian troops

BEIJING, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese defense ministry has urged India to immediately pull back the trespassing troops to the Indian side of the boundary. Fulls tory

Truths about Indian troops' illegal entry into Chinese territory

BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- On June 18, Indian border troops crossed the China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector at the Duo Ka La (Doka La) pass and advanced more than 100 meters into Chinese territory. Full story

Infographic: India's "excuses" of illegal trespass into Chinese territory groundles

Infographic: Netizens from the region and beyond support China in China-India border issue

Infographic: Former Chinese ambassador to India on Indian troops illegal entry into the Dong Lang area (Doklam)

Commentary: India must not flirt with disaster

BEIJING, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- India should underestimate neither China's determination nor its capacity to defend its sovereignty and national interests. Full story

Commentary: Indian military's seven "sins" in trespassing into Chinese territory

BEIJING, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Nearly two months have passed since Indian troops illegally crossed the China-India boundary in Sikkim Sector, and there is no sign of withdrawal so far. Full story

Chinese troops patrol control line on China-India border: FM spokesperson

BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border troops have always patrolled the Chinese side of the line of control on the China-India border, said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wednesday in response to a recent altercation between the two troops. Full story

China urges Japanese ambassador to India to be discreet on Doklam standoff

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Friday that the Japanese ambassador to India should not wag his tongue too freely on the standoff between China and India in the Dong Lang (Doklam) area. Full story

Spotlight: What's behind India's illegal trespassing into China?

BEIJING, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Chinese border troops have always been committed to upholding peace and tranquility of the China-India border areas, said a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wednesday in response to India's trespassing into the Dong Lang (Doklam) region on June 18. Full story

Chinese troops injured by Indian border troops' fierce action: foreign ministry

BEIJING, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Some Chinese troops suffered injuries from Indian troops' fierce action in the western part of the border area, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday. Full story

China discredits India's excuses for illegal trespassing

BEIJING, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- China hopes that India will take practical and positive actions to correct its incorrect words and deeds, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday. Full story

Commentary: Withdrawal of Indian troops prerequisite for resolving China-India border impasse

BEIJING, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Indian military's trespassing into China's territory has entered the third month, with no signs of the south Asian country withdrawing its troops. The ball is now firmly in India's court. Full story

China criticizes India's building roads near undemarcated boundary

BEIJING, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- India's road building near an undemarcated boundary reveals a contradiction between what India says and what it does, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Thursday. Full story

Commentary: India to face the consequences of its strategic miscalculation

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- It has now entered the third month since Indian military trespassed into Chinese territory, to which China has shown the utmost tolerance. India must take any possible consequences if it continues to miscalculate the situation. Full story

Commentary: Why China cannot back down in the Doklam standoff

BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- The military standoff between China and India in the Doklam region has lasted for almost two months now, and there is still no end in sight. Full story

Doklam has always been under China's effective jurisdiction without dispute: FM

BEIJING, July 24 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Monday that there has been no territorial dispute in the Doklam area. Full story

Commentary: Turning a deaf ear to China will not help India on Doklam

BEIJING, July 14 (Xinhua) -- India has repeatedly ignored China's call for pulling its border-crossing troops from Doklam area back to its own territory. However, turning a deaf ear to China will but to worsen the month-long stand-off and put itself further into embarrassment. Full story

Chinese envoy calls for unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops, peaceful solution to incident in Doklam
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:54:14|Editor: Song Lifang

Convoy of buses and ambulances prepare to evacuate Islamic State (IS) militants and their families from Qara in western Qalamoun region toward the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, Syria, on Aug. 28, 2017. Around 600 Islamic State (IS) militants and their families are set to evacuate their last stronghold in western Qalamoun region toward the eastern city of Bukamal on Monday, a military source told Xinhua. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

QARA, Syria, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Around 600 Islamic State (IS) militants and their families are set to evacuate their last stronghold in western Qalamoun region toward the eastern city of Bukamal on Monday, a military source told Xinhua.

About 250 IS militants are among those who will evacuate as the rest of the number is their family members, the source told Xinhua in the barrens of Qara in Qalamoun where the evacuation will take place.

A convoy of buses is on standby in the badland of Qara as well as Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulances.

The source told Xinhua that the evacuation will take place on Monday and the operation could last the whole day long.

This instance marked the first time IS militants fully evacuate an area which they control under a deal and in buses provided by the government.

The al-Qaida linked Nusra Front and other rebels were evacuated from several areas recently in what was seen as a view of weakness and surrender.

And it's the first instance where the Hezbollah fighters will be escorting the convoy through the desert to Bukamal, a city held by IS in Deir al-Zour province, which is expected to be the next target of the Syrian army and Hezbollah.

The evacuation comes after the IS militants were cornered in the barrens of Qara as a result of a wide-scale offensive launched 10 days ago by the Hezbollah fighters and the Syrian army against the terror-designated group in Qalamoun near the Lebanese territories.

After the recent progress against IS, the terror group surrendered in Qalamoun and demanded to be evacuated to the city of Bukamal.

In return, the terror group divulged the fate of Lebanese soldiers kidnapped in 2014. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Lebanese soldiers had been killed by IS.

The agreement of the evacuation was reached between Hezbollah and IS and agreed upon by the Syrian army.

The Syrian army said in a statement that it accepts the deal to save the blood of the soldiers after the surrender of IS.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:54:16|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- About 100 photos featuring Cambodia's Angkor world heritage site are on display in Huangshan city in east China's Anhui province as part of cultural exchanges, Cambodia's Apsara Authority said on Monday.

Huangshan Mayor Kong Xiaohong and Apsara Authority's deputy director general Sok Sangvar jointly inaugurated the photo exhibition on Saturday, at Xihai Hotel in the Huangshan Mountain, the Apsara Authority, which manages the Angkor archeological park, said in a news release posted on its Facebook.

The exhibition will last for three months.

Kong said the exhibition would not only contribute further to promoting the famed Angkor to foreign tourists, but also enhance people-to-people bond between China and Cambodia.

Mount Huangshan Administrative Committee and Apsara Authority signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cultural exchange in 2016, Sangvar said.

"The purpose of the Angkor world heritage site photo exhibition is to promote the Angkor tourist destination and Cambodian culture and tradition to international tourists, especially Chinese ones," he said, expressing his belief that through the event, more foreign tourists would spend their holidays at the Angkor.

According to Sangvar, In October last year, the Huangshan Mountain world heritage site photo exhibition had been successfully held for three months at the magnificent Banteay Srei temple in the complex of the Angkor archeological park.

Located in northwestern Siem Reap province, the 401-square-km Angkor archeological park, inscribed on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1992, is Cambodia's most popular tourist destination.

The ancient park attracted 1.41 million foreign visitors, including 509,000 Chinese, during the first seven months of 2017, according to Cambodian government's latest figures.

An entrance fee to the Angkor is 37 U.S. dollars for a one-day visit, 62 U.S. dollars for a three-day pass, and 72 U.S. dollars for a week-long pass.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 17:54:17|Editor: Lu Hui

Video Player Close

BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the car bomb explosion at a busy market area in eastern Baghdad on monday rose to 12 people killed and 24 others wounded, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 18:04:23|Editor: Yurou

Afghan army soldiers take part in a military operation in Nawa district of southern Helmand province, Afghanistan, Aug. 27, 2017. Some 48 militants were killed after the Afghan army, police and intelligence agency personnel launched wide-scale operations against militants within the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said on Monday. (Xinhua/Abdul Aziz Safdari)

KABUL, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Some 48 militants were killed after the Afghan army, police and intelligence agency personnel launched wide-scale operations against militants within the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said on Monday.

Up to 29 militants were injured and four others were detained during the raids carried out in 11 of the country's 34 provinces, the ministry said in a statement.

The joint Afghan forces also destroyed four militants' vehicles, 10 motorcycles together with weapons and ammunition, the statement said, adding that the Afghan air force conducted 101 surveillance and supportive flights and launched 11 airstrikes against militants' hideouts over the period.

Violence has been on the rise as the Afghan security forces struggled to curb a surge in attacks by anti-government fighters since the drawdown of foreign forces over the past two years.

On Sunday, 13 people were killed and several others wounded after a Taliban suicide car bombing struck an army convoy in southern Helmand province.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 18:09:25|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the car bomb explosion at a busy market area in eastern Baghdad on monday rose to 12 people killed and 24 others wounded, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua.

The blast took place before noon when a booby-trapped car went off near the electricity office at Jamila wholesale market in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr city, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Many nearby shops and stalls were destroyed and several civilian cars were damaged by the blast, which caused a plume of grey smoke to rise above the scene, the source said.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 239 civilians and wounded 2,737 others in July across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said earlier in the month.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the United States that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003, under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the country.

The war led to the ouster and eventual execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but no such weapons have been found.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 18:24:28|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Jerusalem's Holocaust memorial museum on Monday, pledging commitment to combating anti-Semitism and racism.

Guterres laid a wreath in Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust museum and signed the guestbook.

"As UN Secretary-General, I'm committed to combating anti-Semitism," he said. "I wish to praise every person who works and preserves this exceptional museum," he added.

Guterres landed in the Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv on Sunday night for a three-day visit, seeking to find ways to revive the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

His itinerary includes meetings with Israel's President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before he will travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

He is also scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, the military's intelligence chief, Herzi Levi, and other senior security officials, who plan to show him evidence of Iran's alleged attempt to achieve a stronghold in Syria.

This is Guterres' first visit to the region since taking office in January. The visit comes amidst tensions between Israel and the UN.

Israel was outraged by a resolution taken by the UN's cultural agency UNESCO that, according to Israel, did not acknowledge the Jewish ties to Jerusalem.

Israel also often criticizes the UN peacekeeping force for not taking a harsh stance on the Iran-backed militia of Hezbollah on the Lebanon-Israel border.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 18:34:37|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

KAMPALA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and his Equatorial Guinean counterpart Obiang Nguema called on Monday for political solutions to resolve conflicts and crises on the African continent.

The two leaders, according to a State House statement issued here, said the African Union (AU) and other regional organizations need support from the United Nations (U.N.) and the international community to foster peace, security and development for Africa.

They said political dialogue is necessary to diffuse emerging tensions in various regions around the globe, and concerted efforts should be made to fight terrorism.

Museveni, who has just completed his four-day state visit to Equatorial Guinea, commended the country for its priorities selected for its tenure at the U.N. Security Council as a non-permanent member for the period of 2018 to 2019.

Among the priorities are peaceful resolution of armed conflicts, reform of the U.N. Security Council, combating terrorism and trans-national crime, and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as the AU's Agenda 2063.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 19:14:53|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

COLOMBO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Monday inaugurated the annual Colombo Defence Seminar which will discuss global efforts to counter violent extremism.

The two-day international seminar is attended by over 91 foreign military and civil scholars from across the globe.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Kapila Waidyaratne said this year's seminar which will be held on the theme of Countering Violent Extremism with the objective of establishing intellectual connectivity on preserving strategic national, regional and global security.

With many countries facing the threat of violence, the defense secretary said it was important for countries to maintain collective defense strategies as no country in solitude could counter the situation.

"Collective defence strategies among nations are vital to reaching a pragmatic and appropriate response to a highly dynamic global security environment and anticipated future operational requirements," Waidyaratne said.

"This calls for all nations to work together and formulate consolidated national security strategies in order to face modern adversaries whose actions are brutal, unpredictable and highly technological," he added.

Military officials from 35 countries are participating in this year's seminar.

Since its inception in 2011, the island nation's annual international defense forum has grown into an internationally accepted round-table for interaction on matters pertaining to national, regional and international security.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 19:19:55|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

BERLIN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Munich court Monday opened proceedings against a German arms dealer who allegedly sold weapons and ammunition to the shooter of a bloody rampage in Munich.

The 32-year-old Philipp K. faces charges of nine counts of manslaughter and illegal arms dealing including the sale of a firearm and at least 450 rounds of ammunition to Munich attacker David S.

The highly anticipated court opened with delay after the court received additional information concerning the case on Sunday night.

The mentally-illed killer shot nine people dead and then killed himself at a shopping mall in July 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 19:24:58|Editor: Song Lifang

A car damaged in a car bomb explosion is taken away at Jamila wholesale market in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr city, Iraq, Aug. 28, 2017. The death toll from the car bomb explosion at a busy market area in eastern Baghdad on Monday rose to 12 people killed and 24 others wounded, an Interior Ministry source told Xinhua. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

BAGHDAD, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the car bomb explosion at a busy market area in eastern Baghdad on Monday rose to 12 people killed and 24 others wounded, an interior ministry source told Xinhua.

The blast took place before noon when a booby-trapped car went off near the electricity office at Jamila wholesale market in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr city, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Many nearby shops and stalls were destroyed and several civilian cars were damaged by the blast, which caused a plume of grey smoke to rise above the scene, the source said.

Iraqi security forces cordoned off the scene and fire engine gathered to put off some fires at nearby shops and buildings, while ambulances evacuated the killed and wounded people to the city hospitals.

A videotape circulated by local media showed the wreckage of shops and stalls, while many angry people were collecting vegetables scattered at the outdoor vegetable market.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State (IS) militant group, in most cases, is responsible for such attacks, targeting areas where crowds of people gather, including markets, cafes and mosques across Iraq.

The attack comes as the Iraqi forces are in final stages of recapturing the northern town of Tal Afar from IS.

Terrorist acts, violence and armed conflicts killed 239 civilians and wounded 273 others in July across Iraq, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq said earlier in the month.

Many blame the current chronic instability, cycle of violence, and the emergence of extremist groups, such as the IS, on the United States that invaded and occupied Iraq in March 2003, under the pretext of seeking to destroy weapons of mass destruction in the country.

The war led to the ouster and eventual execution of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, but no such weapons have been found.
South Sudanese students attend an orientation party organized by the Chinese Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, Aug. 26, 2017. (Xinhua/Gale Julius)

JUBA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese government has awarded scholarships to at least 240 South Sudanese students to study undergraduate and postgraduate programs at various Chinese universities.

Li Xiangfeng, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in South Sudan, said Saturday the scholarships are offered in a wide range of disciplines including medicine, economics, agriculture and international relations.

The envoy said the program is part of China's contribution to the development of South Sudan through supporting economic and human resource development.

Li remarked that human resource development programs in China will boost the knowledge needs of the People of South Sudan and the results will be social and economic development.

He revealed that Beijing has offered at least 4,100 scholarships and short-term training programs for South Sudanese since the birth of the world's youngest nation in 2011.

"I would like to appeal to our scholars to come back to South Sudan for a stronger state building of their nation and a better livelihood of the people," the envoy said.

"Furthermore, you are also ambassadors of South Sudan to China. We hope you would come back with not only knowledge and expertise, but also sincere friendship between our two nations and people," he added.

Yien Oral Lam, Minister of Higher Education, thanked the Chinese government for its willingness to help South Sudan, adding that South Sudan would continue to cooperate with the people of China because of their continued commitment to help the people of South Sudan.

"I appreciate our level of interaction with the people of China not only in the field of education, politics and economic development, but we want to continue with our social and cultural interaction with the Chinese people," Lam said.

Luka Monoja, representative of the South Sudan-China Friendship Association, said the scholarships would strengthen people to people relations and also boost bilateral ties between the two governments.

He urged the students to utilize the opportunity to learn China's history of how it transformed from a developing country into the world's second biggest economy, and apply it in the development of the war-torn East African country.

"We hope that your going to China will bring new skills and knowledge that will benefit you and our country that needs a lot of things to be improved," Monoja said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 19:45:11|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

BERLIN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- German SPD candidate Martin Schulz has launched a new attack on Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) on Sunday night, weeks before Germans are scheduled to elect a new federal parliament (Bundestag).

Still trailing behind Merkel in opinion polls, Schulz sought to reinvigorate his bid for Germany's chancellorship by adopting a more aggressive tone against the country's incumbent leader.

"There are many issues where people have the feeling that Merkel is out of touch," the SPD candidate told public broadcaster ARD during an interview.

He accused Merkel of abusing her position of political power to reduce the cost of her campaign and having attempted to dictate the terms of their upcoming televised debate.

The former president of the European Parliament cited a report by news magazine SPIEGEL according to which Merkel was making use of police and military helicopters without the CDU covering the full cost of the service.

"She is using the infrastructure of the state to fly to her campaign events at a bargain price," Schulz complained.

He also blasted Merkel for lacking the courage to engage in a real debate after the chancellor was reported to have rejected proposals allowing for greater spontaneity during the pair's televised discussion next Sunday.

"More and more people are seeing this as a kind of aloofness that is already playing a big role in this campaign and will mobilize my voters," Schulz said.

The SPD candidate further attacked Merkel for being too soft on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, for having "no plan" on how to resolve the ongoing "dieselgate" scandal, and for not investing enough in education and childcare.

Appearing on ZDF for a separate interview shortly thereafter, Merkel appeared calm and unimpressed by Schulz' heavy criticism.

In response to the accusation of aloofness, the chancellor smiled and said that she had always attempted "to do justice" to her political office.

"And that means serving the people of Germany," she added, noting that she had sworn an oath to do as much.

Asked about Schulz' claim that she had tried to manipulate their TV confrontation next Sunday, Merkel replied simply that she looked forward to next week's debate.

Rather than engaging with criticism, the CDU leader adopted several of her rival's proposals. She echoed Schulz' rallying cry for a greater focus on education and childcare, for example, admitting that while her government had made progress on these issues, more remained to be done.

Merkel continues to enjoy a comfortable lead over political opponents. The latest "Stern RTL Wahltrend" survey gave the CDU/CSU conservative alliance a combined 38 percent following, compared to 24 percent for the SPD.

The discrepancy was even starker in a direct comparison of candidates, where Merkel (50 percent) was widely backed over Schulz (23 percent) by respondents.

Nevertheless, Schulz insisted on Sunday night that he could still become chancellor by focusing on undecided voters. A recent study suggested that as many as 46 percent of German voters had not made up their minds on whom to vote for yet.

"I want to reach those undecided people," Schulz said. "...[I]f I can do that, then I can win the parliamentary elections."

In a show of confidence, the SPD leader told ARD that he was not interested in a renewal of the current "grand coalition" between the SPD and CDU unless he was at its helm.

"I don't want to continue the grand coalition...If [Merkel] wants to join a government under my leadership with the CDU as junior partner, then we can see. But I don't think they want to continue the grand coalition either."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 19:50:15|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

JAKARTA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian airline Batik Air opened a new direct flight service linking Jakarta with Chinese southwestern city of Guilin, providing more transport accommodation for Chinese and foreign visitors to visit Indonesia.

The airline, operated by Indonesia's prominent airlines group of Lion Air, commenced its initial direct flight service from Jakarta to Guilin in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Saturday, served with its brand new plane Boeing 737 MAX 8.

"With our vast domestic routes, visitors arrived from Guilin can continue their flights to destinations with Lion Air fleets and Wings Air which serve scheduled flights to diverse destinations across the country," Lion Air Public Relations Manager Andy Saladin said, referring to another domestic airline operated by Lion Air.

Lion Air's full-service airline of Batik Air currently serves 37 domestic and international routes with its fleet of 49 planes. Besides China, the airlines also serves flights to several cities in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and India.

Lion Air opened charter flights to China's Sanya earlier last month, adding its routes linking Chinese cities to several destinations in Indonesia.

The Indonesian airline, famed for its budget flight service, served routes of Indonesian cities of Denpasar, Manado, Balikpapan, Batam and Jakarta to Chinese cities including Changsha, Nanchang, Wuhan, Xiaoshan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai.

Indonesia Tourism Minister Arief Yahya hailed the launch of direct flight to Guilin, saying the Chinese city is an essential gate to fly visitors to Southeast Asian nations.

"Guilin is the Little Heaven of China. It is a historical and cultural city that has beautiful scenery and heritage buildings. The city has received 18 million visitors annually. With the direct flights to Indonesia, we expect them to come to Indonesia," the minister said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 19:55:19|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

by Ronald Njoroge

NAIROBI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will expand by at least ten percent if all the Horn of Africa states join the World Trade Organization (WTO), a senior Kenyan government official said on Monday.

Amina Mohamed, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs told a media briefing in Nairobi that by acceding to the global trade body, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan will be required to open their economies to international trade.

"We therefore anticipate that Kenya will benefit from more crossborder trade and hence its economy could expand by at least ten percent," Mohamed said during the opening ceremony of the First Regional Dialogue on WTO accessions.

The three-day forum aims to mobilize support for facilitating and accelerating African accessions to the WTO.

During the conference, government officials from Somalia and South Sudan will receive a two-day practical training on WTO Accessions during which they have an overview of the WTO accession process and the substance of accession negotiations.

Mohamed noted that of the 21 countries in the process of joining the WTO, eight are in Africa, four of which are in the Horn of Africa region.

Mohamed said that intra-Africa trade remains very low due to the numerous tariff and non-tariff barriers imposed by many African states.

She said that WTO membership has numerous benefits and requires countries to reform their laws and policies to conform to international trade rules.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 20:00:21|Editor: ying

Photo taken on Aug. 8, 2017 shows the newly-opened 828.5-kilometer-long highway pointing to the Mountain Huashan in northwest China's Shaanxi Province. The 828.5-kilometer-long highway, which runs along the Yellow River, opened to traffic on Monday. The highway, which runs through the north and the south of Shaanxi Province, is expected to play a positive role in promoting the province's local tourism and ecological conservation. At cost of 6.9 billion yuan (1 billion U.S. dollars), the highway across 12 districts and counties will benefit more than 2 million people. (Xinhua/Shao Rui)

XI'AN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new highway along the Yellow River in northwest China's Shaanxi Province opened to traffic on Monday.

The north-south highway which starts in the city of Yulin and ends in Weinan travels 828.5 km along the west bank of the Yellow River.

At cost of 6.9 billion yuan (1 billion U.S. dollars), the highway across 12 districts and counties will benefit more than 2 million people.

The highway links several tourist destinations in Shaanxi including the Hukou Waterfall and Mount Huashan, one of China's five sacred mountains.

The highway also links nine expressways, 13 major highways and 80 country roads, said Feng Xining, director of the Shaanxi provincial transport department.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 20:05:26|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities have asked lawyers to provide legal assistance to all suspects and defendants of criminal cases throughout the judicial process.

All criminal suspects and defendants are unconditionally eligible to legal assistance from a pool of lawyers designated to offer such services, according to a recent document jointly released by the Supreme People's Court, the Supreme People's Procuratorate, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of State Security and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ).

The purpose of the new regulation is to guarantee the litigation rights of criminal suspects and defendants in an effort to promote judicial justice, said an MOJ spokesperson, adding that it is also a major task for the central government to deepen judicial system reforms.

The regulation rules that legal assistance agencies should select lawyers from the pool of candidates based on their political qualifications, ethical standards, and the duration of professional services.

Lists of lawyers providing legal assistance should be compiled and the assistance can be offered via phone or online for areas with a shortage of lawyers, according to the regulation.

It added that a mechanism could be established for governments at various levels to purchase legal assistance services from lawyers.

The justice and administrative departments, legal assistance agencies, and the lawyers' associations should supervise and manage the work of legal assistance lawyers, the regulation stated, noting that the lawyers' performance should be incorporated into their credit records.

It also ordered courts, public security departments, and detention centers to help facilitate legal assistance.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 20:10:28|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

JAKARTA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The government of Indonesia had projected digital industry will expand rapidly in 2019, which will provide thousands of jobs.

Indonesian Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday that the digital industry or e-commerce industry is estimated to grow by 10 times in 2019 from 1 percent to 2 percent expansion target of this year.

A total of 1.2 to 1.3 million of small and medium businesses has been created by the industry at present, he said.

"Mall shopping centers can not create such figure," Airlangga said.

The minister cited that over new 200,000 entrepreneurs can be created by the digital industry by 2019.

The minister cited that digital industry has been one of the main contributors of community-base economy in the archipelagic nation.

The government has supported development of digital industry in the country, by providing supportive regulations.

Small and medium scale businesses have significantly contributed to the expansion of the Southeast Asia's largest economy.
German Chancellor AngelaMerkel speaks during an election rally for Germany's federal election in Fulda, Germany, on Aug. 25, 2017. Germans will elect a new federal parliament on Sept. 24. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)

BERLIN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has rejected claims on Sunday night that the Libyan coast guard was bringing the migrants and refugees it intercepted to inhumane detention centers in the country.

"The Libyan coast guard delivers these [refugees and migrants] to international organizations," Merkel told tv channel ZDF in the course of her "Summer Interview."

According to the chancellor, the goal was to create humane conditions in Libya which would require annual funding of around 150 million euros (179 million U.S. dollars).

"We currently spend around 50 million, which is still sufficient for the moment, but we would also be willing to give more," she said.

So far, between 12,000 and 15,000 individuals have been intercepted at sea by the Libyan coast guard and brought back to shore.

The new policy was outlined at a recent conference in Berlin between Merkel, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi and Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) William Lacy Swing. Libya constituted a focal point of talks, given the country's emergence as the key transit route for African migrants towards Europe.

Speaking to ZDF, Merkel sought to clarify the purpose of "migration partnerships" with African countries such as Libya. Contrary to some reports, the German government did not envision making decisions on asylum applications locally and posting officials of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bamf) abroad towards this end.

"We cannot establish Bamf-branches there." Merkel said. Much rather, the goal of such partnerships was to provide care for refugees and migrants closer to their homes and to offer legal routes towards employment and training in the European Union instead of illegal migration.

The chancellor cited the existing agreement between Turkey and the European Union as a model for such intensified cooperation with Libya.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 20:25:37|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

by Denis Elamu

JUBA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Monday regretted the killing of U.S journalist Christopher Allen during fighting in the town of Kaya, near the border with Uganda, in circumstances that remain unclear.

"We would like to pass on our deepest condolences to the family, colleagues, and friends of Christopher Allen for their loss. His death while reporting on the conflict in South Sudan is a tragedy," Head of UNMISS and Special Representative of the Secretary-General, David Shearer said in a statement issued in Juba.

However, UNMISS said Allen who was killed on Saturday is the tenth journalist to have been murdered in South Sudan since 2012.

"UNMISS has repeatedly stated that any attacks on journalists are unacceptable and it calls on all parties to the ongoing conflict in South Sudan to respect the freedom of the press," Shearer disclosed.

Several journalists have since been killed during the ongoing more than three years of violence in the youngest nation in unclear circumstances that have not been conclusively investigated, amid international condemnation.

According to the South Sudanese army (SPLA) deputy spokesman Col. Santo Domic Chol, the slain journalist was killed on Saturday afternoon, alongside 16 (SPLA-IO) rebel fighters allied to former First Vice President Riek Machar in the border town located south of the capital near the Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo border.

Chol also allegedly said Allen was killed on the frontline while holding a gun as government troops engaged in fight with rebels that lasted several hours, before his corpse was found and evacuated to Juba.

"He is a white rebel because he was killed alongside rebels while he was holding a gun," Chol told Xinhua on Sunday.

South Sudan descended into violence in December 2013 after political dispute between President Kiir and his former deputy Machar led to fighting that pitted mostly Dinka ethnic soldiers loyal to Kiir against Machar's Nuer ethnic group.

The 2015 peace agreement to end the violence was again violated in July 2016 when the rival factions resumed fighting in the capital forcing Machar to flee into exile.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions that have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 20:25:39|Editor: ying

Video Player Close

XINING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The population of Przewalski's gazelle, an endangered species found only around a lake in northwest China's Qinghai Province, has recovered to 2,010.

According to a survey by Qinghai Lake National Nature Reserve, there are2,010 gazelles around the lake, 546 more than last year.

The reserve's Wu Yonglin said the survey recorded 551 fawns and 1,459 older gazelles: 422 males and 1,037 females.

Wu attributed the recovery of the population to the efforts of local farmers and herdsmen.

The local government ordered the removal of barbed wire fences, once used to restrict the movement of livestock and mark ownership of the grassland. Previously, the fences killed many gazelles as they tried to jump them.

Przewalski's gazelle was named after a Russian adventurer who collected a specimen and took it back to St. Petersburg in 1875. The gazelle is under the highest level of national protection in China.

The gazelle was once found in Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions and in Gansu and Qinghai provinces.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 20:50:55|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

GABORONE, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Motosport enthusiasts thronged the city of Gaborone, Botswana for the two-day 2017 Motocross of African Nations, which came to an end on Sunday.

The annual event saw some of the continent's prolific riders from 9 African countries showcase their mettle in a series of races; among them were the VMX, MX 65,MX LITE, MX 50, MX 2 and MX1.

The event is accredited by FIM Africa which governs motor sport in the African region.

According to John Carr-Hartley, president of Botswana Motor sport, this is the first time the event has been held in Botswana.

"We are extremely proud to host the event. It has been absolutely a wonderful event, the track is also world class," he said.

Tasmia Young, team manager for Swaziland, said they were really impressed with the track and that all the riders were enjoying it.

Among the many riders who stole hearts was South Africa's David Goosen in the MXI class. He displayed a breathtaking performance, especially in the final race of the event.

At the end, it was South Africa who was crowned the 2017 champion followed by teams Zimbabwe and Zambia in second and third respectively, while the host nation Botswana fell in fourth place.

Other participating countries included Swaziland, Namibia, Uganda, Kenya and DR Congo.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 21:01:01|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran plans to call for a meeting of major world powers to address the U.S. policy toward Iran's nuclear deal, Tehran Times daily reported on Monday.

Iran is considering to call for a meeting of the foreign ministers of six major world powers to address the U.S. administration's policy toward Iran's international nuclear deal, Tehran Times daily quoted Iran's atomic chief as saying.

"Our foreign minister is likely to take action over convening a meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran and P5+1 group, namely, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany," said Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly summit in New York, to be held on Sept. 12-25.

The foreign minister recently wrote a letter to the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the European Union foreign policy chief, to indicate "the harassing acts of Americans" vis-a-vis the nuclear deal, Salehi said.

On Thursday, Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, urged the IAEA to use all the authorities to monitor Iran's nuclear program, including Iran's military sites.

Iran has declared that they will not allow access to military sites.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post said Iran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, complained to IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano that Haley's recent visit to the IAEA headquarters in Vienna was intended to sow doubt about the nuclear agreement.

On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qasemi, also emphasized that the IAEA inspections in Iran would be carried out only within the framework of the country's policies.

After years of tension with the West, Iran struck a deal with the five world powers in July 2015 on a comprehensive deal, under which Iran agreed to limit its uranium-enrichment activities in return for the lifting of western and international sanctions.

The IAEA is responsible for the verification of Iran's compliance with the agreement through regular access to all Iranian nuclear facilities.

The international agreement is facing serious threats of collapse as tensions mounted between Washington and Tehran recently.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 21:11:08|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

LJUBLJANA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Slovenia-based Adria Airways has announced it will offer flights from Ljubljana to Kiev since October, making the direct link from Ljubljana airport to Boryspil International available three times a week.

The route will open on October 29, with night flights to Kiev scheduled each Thursday, Friday and Sunday and flights in the opposite direction on Monday, Friday and Saturday, the Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported on Monday quoting Adria Airways.

Adria Airways CEO Arno Schuster believes that the route will also provide a better connection for Ukraine via Ljubljana to other European destinations and it will boost economic cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 21:11:10|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Iran is building military bases in Syria, with a goal of using them against the Jewish state.

Speaking at the start of a meeting in Jerusalem with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu accused Iran of turning Syria into a "base of military entrenchment as part of its declared goal to eradicate Israel."

"It is also building sites to produce precision-guided missiles towards that end, in both Syria and in Lebanon. This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the UN should not accept," Netanyahu said, according to a statement released on his behalf.

The statement did not elaborate on Guterres' response.

Iran, Israel's archfoe, has been combating along President Bashar Assad's army.

The UN chief is on a three-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. After arriving on Sunday evening, he met Jason Greenblatt, a top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump charged with pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Peace efforts have been at a standstill since April 2014 and Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank has continued.

The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel and has been the focus of international diplomacy.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 21:36:21|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

SHENYANG, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A new book on Japanese Army Unit 731 was published in Chinese Monday in Shenyang, northeast China's Liaoning Province.

The book "Behind Bayonets and Barbed Wire: the Secrets of Japanese Army Unit 731" is by Japanese writer Nishisato Fuyuko, who published another book on Unit 731 in 2002.

Since her first book, Fuyuko has visited Shenyang almost every year and talked to victims and Japanese soldiers that served in the unit.

The book contains many photographs and inside stories on how the unit conducted its experiments on live human beings and traded data with the United States so as to be exempted from prosecution after surrender.

Fuyuko said humans must reflect on their crimes. She wanted the book to describe history rather than to spread hatred. "We should never make the same mistake as our predecessors," she said.

Unit 731 was a secret biological and chemical warfare research base established in Harbin in 1935 and the center of Japanese biological warfare in China and Southeast Asia during World War II.

The unit conducted experiments on live humans to test germ and chemical bombs, among other atrocities. Many civilians and prisoners of war from China, the Soviet Union, the Korean Peninsula and Mongolia perished. Some of them were children.

After Japan's surrender in 1945, the unit hastily pulled out of China, with 3,000 Japanese children and some experimental equipment left behind. Many of those children were raised by Chinese families.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres hold a press conference at the prime minister's office in Jerusalem on August 28, 2017. (AFP Photo)

JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Iran is building military bases in Syria, with a goal of using them against the Jewish state.

Speaking at the start of a meeting in Jerusalem with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu accused Iran of turning Syria into a "base of military entrenchment as part of its declared goal to eradicate Israel."

"It is also building sites to produce precision-guided missiles towards that end, in both Syria and in Lebanon. This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the UN should not accept," Netanyahu said, according to a statement released on his behalf.

The statement did not elaborate on Guterres' response.

Iran, Israel's archfoe, has been combating along President Bashar Assad's army.

The UN chief is on a three-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian territories. After arriving on Sunday evening, he met Jason Greenblatt, a top aide to U.S. President Donald Trump charged with pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Peace efforts have been at a standstill since April 2014 and Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank has continued.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 21:56:25|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

PARIS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The French Foreign Ministry on Monday called on Britain to clarify its position on sensitive issues at the center of the ongoing Brexit negotiation.

During a regular press briefing, the ministry's spokesperson reaffirmed that discussions on the future relationship between the European Union (EU) and Britain"will only be possible if sufficient progress has been made under the first phase of the negotiations."

"It is up to the UK to move forward on delicate issues -- citizens' rights, borders, financial regulation," said the spokesperson.

France would like to see a "real clarification of the British position" on these issues come out of the third round of Brexit talk between the EU and Britain, which kicked off in Brussels on Monday.

The spokesperson also stressed that there's only "one sole negotiator" on the EU side, adding that the 27 member states have agreed on "simple principles to safeguard the interests and unity of Europeans, including the organization of negotiations in separate phases."

Recent media reports said that France would like to begin trade talks with Britain as early as next month, but the EU has warned that the schedule could be delayed if the deadlock on key issues is not broken.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 22:16:36|Editor: Song Lifang

Video Player Close

WINDHOEK, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Environment Ministry nabbed six poachers suspected to have killed a rhino in the Klip river area in the Kunene region, in the northwest of the country.

The ministry on Monday in a statement said the rhino carcass was discovered on Aug. 25 and an operation was launched and two of the suspects were arrested immediately.

According to the ministry, another operation involving aerial patrols and strategic road blocks was initiated in the area and led to the arrest of four more suspects who are believed to have poached the rhino as they were found in possession with a pair of fresh rhino horns.

The environment ministry said the poachers are all Namibian and one of the suspects is a school teacher.

Meanwhile in a separate incident, the Ministry said, another black rhino carcass was discovered, suspected to have been poached in the Okozongoro farm in the Erongo region.

According to them, the Okozongoro is one of our rhino custodianship areas and at the moment no arrests have been made in this case.

With the latest incidents, the ministry said this brings the total of poached rhinos to 26 this year compared to 60 in 2016.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 22:31:44|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

TEHRAN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry lauded the recent visit by a Iranian top military official to Turkey as the new chapter in the relations between Tehran and Ankara, state TV IRIB reported on Monday.

The recent visit of Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri to Turkey was an "unprecedented" event in the history of the two neighbors and it has opened a new chapter in the ties between the two countries, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi told IRIB.

"The visit is an indication of new developments in the relations between the two countries as they have entered a new stage," said Qasemi.

With Baqeri's visit to Ankara, the bilateral relations have developed into broader areas, he said, adding that Baqeri also held "very good talks" with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The spokesman expressed hope that the upcoming visit by President Erdogan to Tehran will lead to further enhancement of the relations.

Last week, Erdogan said that Turkey and Iran had been considering a joint military action against the terrorists.

Besides, Baqeri announced on Aug. 21 that Turkish Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar would pay an official visit to Iran in the near future.

The upcoming visit of Akar aimed to "complete and conclude the negotiations" held during his recent visit to Turkey, Baqeri said, adding that Iran and Turkey reached good agreements on border issues, as well as the conditions in Syria and Iraq, during visit to Turkey in mid-August.

During Baqeri's visit to Turkey, NATO member Turkey and neighboring Iran agreed to reinforce bilateral military cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 22:41:50|Editor: Yang Yi

Video Player Close

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (R) meets with Patricia Espinosa, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 28, 2017. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China on Monday called on all nations to cooperate on tackling global climate change.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi was speaking during a meeting with Patricia Espinosa, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary.

Yang called on all countries to take action, since climate change concerns everyone, worldwide.

He said China hoped all nations would stick to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, take different domestic situations into consideration and speed up action by 2020.

Espinosa said the UNFCCC Secretariat expects more cooperation with China on climate change.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 22:41:52|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

KAMPALA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- At least over 200 people have been displaced following a weekend landslide that hit three villages in the mountainous eastern Ugandan district of Bududa, local authorities and police said on Monday.

Polly Namaye, deputy police spokesperson told Xinhua by telephone that no human deaths have been reported so far.

She said a rescue team had been dispatched to the affected villages to establish the extent of the damage.

"We have sent a team on the ground to establish the damage and whether there were human causalities and deaths," said Namaye.

John Nambeshe, the area Member of Parliament said the landslide hit the three villages of Marobo, Shikhuyu and Nabutsasi affecting over 200 people.

He said the Sunday incident followed torrential rains.

"The residents in affected areas are sitting on a time bomb. There are so many cracks. We advise them to leave and relocate to safer places. But many have stubbornly refused to do so," he said.

Some of the displaced persons have sought refuge with relatives in safer places and nearby trading centers, according to local media.

According to government figures, at least 35,000 people around the slopes of Mountain Elgon are at risk of landslides as heavy rains start to hit the region.

In March 2010, several landslides occurred in Bududa, killing at least over 300 people and leaving thousands of others homeless.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 22:41:54|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

BRATISLAVA, Aug.28 (Xinhua) -- Farmers and food producers, including Slovak ones, can report cases of unfair commercial practices directly to the European Commission (EC), Slovak Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Gabriela Matecna announced on Monday.

"Farmers, food producers and suppliers not only in Slovakia, but throughout the EU, are given a chance of a transparent trade environment without unfair practices. We're calling on farmers and food producers not to remain silent and to address their specific experience and motions to the Commission," stressed Matecna.

The public consultation will form the basis for preparing measures aimed at improving the position of farmers.

"Strengthening the position of farmers in the food supply chain was a priority of the Slovak presidency of the Council of the EU," added Matecna.

The latest EC initiative concerning this issue is aimed at obtaining specific information and knowledge about unfair trading practices, market transparency and producer cooperation directly from farmers, food producers and distributors as well as from state administration bodies and consumers.

Output from this initiative is expected in early 2018 and will include either a legislative or non-legislative proposal and an impact study.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:07:08|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

by Burak Akinci

ANKARA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has extended his powers on the country's intelligence organization with a new government decree published on last Friday under emergency rule, further consolidating his grip over the state despite objections by the oppositions.

The powerful National Intelligence Agency (MIT) will from now on report to the president rather than the prime minister as it was before. This could be seen as a minor change considering that the dominant president has already extended his powers over the years, but considering that the Turkish government survived a coup attempt last summer, it is a radical and unprecedented move in state affairs of the NATO country.

The decree is the latest of several similar rules released in the line of the state of emergency declared after the failed coup that targeted President Erdogan and his government.

According to the decree, the MIT chief Hakan Fidan, appointed by President Erdogan in 2010, will report directly to the president who will have the last word on any operation of the secret services.

For the first time, MIT will be able to gather sensitive intelligence on armed forces and defense ministry personnel, something carried out previously by the military, reported the state-run Anadolu news agency.

Moreover, according to the decree, jail terms could be given to individuals who disclose the position, duties and activities of MIT personnel, in addition to disclosing the identities of MIT staff and their families.

Immediately after the shocking coup attempt that killed 250 people and masterminded by exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen's followers infiltrated in the army according to Ankara, Erdogan announced he would extend his powers to grasp control of the army and the intelligence services. He is doing this agenda after having very narrowly won a contested constitutional referendum in April conferring him sweeping executive powers and scrapping those of the prime minister.

But most of the measures foreseen in this controversial reform are due to come into effect after the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections. Yet Erdogan has become the boss of both internal and external intelligence, a move harshly criticized by the opposition amid the ongoing government crackdown against Gulen followers.

Erdogan will now be able to reject the judiciary's demands to investigate the head of MIT or for him to testify in court as a witness. The presidency will from now on head a new body that is directly subordinate to the Turkish leader called the National Intelligence Coordination Board (MIKK) with overseas intelligence activities of MIT, the military and police combined.

The social democratic main opposition party CHP (Republican People's Party) reacted immediately against the move, accusing the government of bypassing the parliament, which it argues should have taken such an important decision. "Erdogan is creating his own deep state," told CHP lawmaker Levent Gok to reporters.

He added that "Turkey is turning into a spy-state, in the footsteps of the regime of Adulhamid," the Ottoman sultan, who ruled over a police state for more than thirty years in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and who was synonymous with despotism and authoritarianism.

Another lawmaker from CHP and renowned human rights lawyer Sezgin Tanrikulu denounced on social media "a clear coup against the constitution" by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), accusing it of violating the rule of law by governing Turkey by decrees since the failed coup.

More than 50,000 people have been arrested following the failed coup on July 15th, 2016, and almost three times that number of civil servants, academics, judges and soldiers, have lost their jobs. Friday's second decree dismissed another 900 public sector workers as well as military personnel with suspected links with the self-exiled preacher, who lives in the United States. Those sacked included more than 100 academic personnel.

Measures adopted by the Ankara government after the failed coup have alarmed Turkey's western allies and right groups. Gulen has denied the charges and condemned the attempt.

Murat Yetkin, a columnist of the Hurriyet Daily News, saw in this decisive move on Saturday the expression of "lack of confidence from the president towards the secret services."

The intelligence service came under fire in the aftermath of the coup and its credibility was tarnished with questions about why the MIT had not discovered the plot in advance and why his chief failed to inform Erdogan.

The secretive organization was reshaped with more civilian personnel than army officers to coordinate on a daily basis with different state entities in post-coup period and young bureaucrats were appointed to key positions in an institution, which is since several years a key player in Syria and Iraq.

A retired MIT official told Xinhua that President Erdogan will also have oversight on the secret appropriations fund used previously by the prime minister, something, he said, "which will be a first in Turkish politics."

"The institutional re-designing of Turkey's security and intelligence architecture so as to adapt an executive presidency has just started with this decree," commented for his part a security analyst and retired Turkish officer, Metin Gurcan, pointing out that a "new system" was being created under the direct oversight of President Erdogan.

Government sources downplayed the move as a "necessary move to streamline bureaucracy and to coordinate efforts from different institutions," while Turkey is struggling against armed Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country and Islamic State (IS) jihadists threat stemming from neighboring Syria and Iraq.

On August 25, when being asked about the decree, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said "We have no problem with our president or institution."

An intelligent agency under the president is still obligated to report all of its activities to the government, and the change only involves cases about the appointment and dismissal of MIT undersecretary, he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag brushed aside on Saturday the opposition criticism of a "police state," arguing that the prerogatives and the powers of the intelligence agency remained unchanged and that the move was "appropriate to the spirit of the democratic state of law."

"It is simply an adaption which has been brought forward," in order to enhance cooperation on intelligence matters between different elements of the state, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:22:17|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

KIEV, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Clashes in eastern Ukraine continue despite the new cease-fire declared on Aug. 25, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said Monday.

"The OSCE special monitoring mission has registered over 600 cease-fire violations. It is still quite a high number. Any shot fired, regardless of the purpose, is a violation," said Alexander Hug, the deputy chief monitor of the OSCE special monitoring mission to Ukraine.

The fights have mostly taken place around traditional hotspots, Hug said, noting that 80 percent of the truce violations occurred in epicenters of recent violence.

Both sides engaged heavy weapons like tanks, artillery and mortars, Hug said.

Meanwhile, he also said that since the beginning of August, the frequency of fights in the region has fallen.

The conflict between government troops and pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine has been raging since April 2014, claiming about 10,000 lives.

On the midnight of Aug. 25, the confronting sides declared a cease-fire to ensure children's security ahead of the new school year, which will begin on Sept. 1.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:37:26|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

BERLIN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- German automotive firm Daimler tried to secretly loan a "StreetScooter" electric vehicle from Deutsche Post through a fake company for test purposes at its Stuttgart headquarters in April, the newspaper Spiegel reported Monday.

The German postal service Deutsche Post AG recently attracted widespread media interest for unveiling the "StreetScooter" as an electric alternative to conventional delivery vans. Deutsche Post is offering the vehicle for sale as well as using it for its own purposes.

The development also appears to have drawn the attention of Mercedes-Benz owner and leading truck and van manufacturer Daimler which acquired one of the brand new vehicles under a fake company name.

When Deutsche Post sought to investigate the customer's identity, however, it discovered the fraud and managed to track the borrowed vehicle via GPS to Daimler's manufacturing center in Stuttgart.

Confronted with the claims, Daimler told Spiegel that it was not uncommon in the automotive industry to rent vehicles through third parties for test purposes. It remained unclear on Monday whether Deutsche Post intended to file charges in the case.

Daimler announced earlier in May that it would produce electric versions of its Vito and Sprinter vans for the courier service Hermes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:42:30|Editor: Liu

Video Player Close

HANGZHOU, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Alibaba announced on Monday that Tmall.com will license more than 10,000 physical stores in China this fiscal year.

Tmall.com, one of the most popular online trade platforms in China, will cooperate with Alibaba Distribution Platform, a service platform, to upgrade stores in residential communities as its brick and mortar stores via brand authorizing.

These physical stores under the brand of Tmall will be smart and well-targeted. For example, the stores will have convenient supply chain provided by Alibaba Distribution Platform, meanwhile, on the basis of big data, Alibaba Distribution Platform will also give advice on the way of shelf displays and the most popular goods in the neighborhood.

Lin Xiaohai, vice president of Alibaba, said the physical stores of Tmall will be upgraded on the basis of Alibaba Distribution Platform, which provides a series of services such as ordering goods, logistics, sales marketing, and value added service.

So far, Alibaba Distribution Platform has offered services to about 500,000 stores.

"With the help of big data analysis, traditional small shops will save their costs," said Liu Jianfeng, director of the product center of the platform. "In the future, these Tmall physical stores will receive support from Alibaba Distribution Platform on sales marketing and application of smart technologies."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:42:31|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

MOSCOW, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russia's economic growth slowed down in July compared with the previous month, the Russian Economic Development Ministry said Monday.

The country's gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 1.5 percent year-on-year in July after registering a 2.9-percent growth in June, which is due to weaker performances in several fields, the ministry said in a report.

"Weaker dynamics of agriculture, industry and trade, which was partly offset by growth in construction, contributed to the slowdown in growth compared with the April-June period," the report said.

The worsening of the annual dynamics was most pronounced in the manufacturing industry, it added.

Meanwhile, the ministry said the July data should not be interpreted as a change in the positive trend of the economy on the whole.

"An increase in production activity in 2017 was observed in all major industries, except for agriculture, the dynamics of which were negatively affected by the atypically cold weather in May-June," it said.

The ministry expected the economic situation to normalize in the following months, noting that higher than average indicators of industrial activity indicate a possible acceleration of industrial growth in August.

Other positive signs in Russia's economy continued to be observed in July, including wage growth, restoration of retail lending, a historically low unemployment rate, recovering consumer demand and growing investments in fixed assets, according to the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:42:32|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's leadership in tackling climate change has encouraged many countries to address the issue, a United Nations (UN) climate official said Monday.

"We have seen an emerging and growing leadership of China in terms of clean technologies, and different initiatives they have taken nationally in order to accelerate the transformation of the Chinese society," said Patricia Espinosa, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Espinosa is on a three-day visit to China, her first to the country as a UN climate official.

She called China "one of the most important leaders" in tackling global climate change, noting that the country has made positive efforts in line with its green development concept, which the UN very much welcomes.

"China has translated it into actions, which is no doubt a source of inspiration for other countries," she told Xinhua.

China has made headway in cutting emissions and fighting climate change in recent years. Last year, the country cut its carbon intensity, the measure of carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP, by 6.6 percent, surpassing its goal of 3.9 percent.

The government has promised to reduce its carbon intensity by 18 percent, and to increase the share of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption to 15 percent, by 2020 from 2016.

China also signed the Paris Agreement in April 2016, giving a strong push to international efforts against global warming.

The 23rd UN Climate Change Conference is to be held in Bonn, Germany from Nov. 6 to 17, defining the guideline for the implementation of the Paris Agreement.

Espinosa expressed regret over the U.S. intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, but said it is encouraging that other national authorities have ambitious climate goals.

She said she hopes to discuss China's successes and concerns in its climate action with the country's leaders during her visit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:42:32|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

JERUSALEM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli political leaders told visiting United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Monday that Israel would not accept Iranian military bases in Syria.

During the meeting between the UN chief and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the latter accused Iran of "turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment" and using Syria and Lebanon "as waterfronts against its declared goal to eradicate Israel."

Netanyahu said that Iran is building production sites of precision-guided missiles in both Syria and Lebanon to use them against Israel.

"This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the UN should not accept," Netanyahu said.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Netanyahu also slammed the UN for allowing "Palestinian hatred speech to flourish in its institutions."

He said the UN has failed to fulfill its peace mandate when it comes to Israel because of "anti-Israel" resolution it took, addressing specifically to resolutions by the UN's cultural agency, UNESCO, which "absurdly denies" the ties between the Jewish people and Jerusalem.

Guterres, who is on his first visit to the region since taking office in January, responded to Netanyahu by saying that he will "do everything in his capacity" to ensure UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, fulfills its obligations.

"I understand the security concerns of Israel," said the UN chief. "And I repeat that the idea or the intention or the will to destroy the State of Israel is something totally unacceptable from my perspective."

Later, Guterres met with Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who warned that Israel will not stand still in the wake of Iranian military presence near Israel's northern border.

"This is unacceptable and we are determined to prevent any threat to the security of the citizens of Israel," Lieberman said.

Guterres kicked off his three-day trip to Israel and the Palestinian National Authority with a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel's official Holocaust memorial museum, where he laid a wreath to honor the Jewish victims of the Nazis. He cautioned that antisemitism is still "alive and well" nowadays and vowed to combat all forms of racism.

On Tuesday, he is expected to meet Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in the West Bank. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to travel to the Gaza Strip, where a ten-year blockade imposed by Israel has brought the Palestinian enclave to a humanitarian crisis.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:42:33|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

MADRID, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona on Monday presented new signing Ousmane Dembele to the fans and press at the Camp Nou stadium.

Dembele has cost Barcelona a club record 105 million euros, plus a further possible 40 million for fulfilling a series of objectives and agreed a five-year contract.

The 20-year-old joins from Borussia Dortmund, where he had been suspended after boycotting training earlier in the month in order to try and force the deal through.

At his presentation. Dembele said that his first objectives were to "integrate into the new club and to win trophies."

However, it was not an entirely happy day at the club as a section of the fans booed Barca President Josep Maria Bartomeu for his handling of the sale of Neymar to Paris Saint Germain and the apparent chaos in Barca's transfer dealings over the summer.

Meanwhile, the club's Director of Sport, Robert Fernandez, said Barca were still negotiating to try and sign Brazilian midfielder Phillipe Coutinho from Liverpool and "hoped" to present him at the end of the week.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:42:34|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

ULAN BATOR, Aug. 28 (Xinhua)-- The city authorities of Ulan Bator have imposed a temporary ban on transportation of live cattle, sheep and goats from local regions to the capital city, in efforts to curb the spread of acute infectious diseases of animals.

According to the Metropolitan Department of Emergency Situations of Mongolia, the measure has been taken in response to the spread of acute infectious diseases of animals in several provinces.

The Metropolitan Department of Emergency Situations has decided that it is necessary to take additional measures to protect against the introduction of pathogens of dangerous diseases.

Under the decision, transportation of cattle and sheep to the capital city would be suspended from Aug. 28 to the end of the year.

Currently, Mongolian veterinary specialists have been implementing a set of measures to eliminate the diseases by means of disinfection, establishment of quarantine restrictions and mass vaccination of susceptible animals.

In early August, Mongolia received from Russia 1.2 million doses of a vaccine against infectious diseases of animals.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:47:35|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua)-- Chinese flagship airline Air China is launching direct flights between Beijing and Athens this September in cooperation with the Athens International Airport (AIA), one more landmark in the bilateral ties which is expected to help bring people of the two nations closer.

On Wednesday, an Air China AirbusA330-200 aircraft will land at AIA for the first time directly from Beijing, Chinese and Greek officials told a press conference at the Chinese embassy in Athens on Monday.

The plane with a 237 seating capacity will be from now on connecting Beijing and Athens twice a week, each on Wednesday and Saturday and vice versa without any stopovers.

Since 2011, Air China which opened its offices in Athens back in 2005, was operating a Beijing-Athens line with a short stopover in Munich every Wednesday and Saturday.

The introduction of the direct flights was warmly welcomed by representatives of both sides on Monday as a significant step that will help further advance the Sino-Greek relations, increase the number of visitors in two-way tourism and promote people-to-people exchanges.

"The long expected launch of direct flights between Beijing and Athens on September 30 will contribute to enhancing the status of Greece as a prominent hub of transport and an attractive destination for Chinese tourists," Chinese Ambassador to Greece Zou Xiaoli said at the press conference which was attended by officials from Greek ministries and the tourism industry.

"More importantly it will demonstrate once again to the whole world that with shared commitment and synergy we can make our dreams come true," Zou stressed.

"We are extremely excited to welcome now the direct flight between Beijing and Athens. It is a dream come true and we put great hopes into the development of the China-Greece relations," Athens International Airport CEO Yannis Paraschis told Xinhua.

Despite the difficulties Greece faced during the seven-year debt crisis, it remains a very attractive tourism destination and the AIA has seen between 2013 and 2017 a total passenger growth of 75 percent, he noted.

In order to welcome more Chinese visitors to Greece for business or leisure, the AIA has made preparations to facilitate and accommodate their needs, Paraschis stressed.

On his part, Qiao Shuwen, general manager of Air China's affiliate in Athens, voiced optimism that in a couple of years, thanks to this landmark, the number of Chinese visitors to Greece will double.

"China and Greece have a good relationship and the Chinese government and Greek government have sown the friendship to bring many of the Chinese tourists to Greece... We also want to bring more Greeks to China...This is our target," he told Xinhua.

Greek and Chinese officials have put emphasis on increasing the travelers' flows between the two countries.

Established in 1988 with a fleet of over 600 aircrafts, Air China has been constantly expanding its presence in particular in Europe in recent years and currently is the largest carrier between China and Europe offering about 200 flights each week on 20 routes to European cities.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-28 23:52:37|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

BERLIN, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Leading German politicians have called for a more aggressive use of economic sanctions against Turkey, the latest sign of swelling tensions between Berlin and Ankara, on Monday.

SPD candidate Martin Schulz reiterated his demands in Rhein-Necker-Zeitung newspaper to give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan an ultimatum regarding the release of German prisoners in Turkey.

If not met by Ankara, the planned expansion of the European Union's (EU) customs union with Turkey should be halted, according to Schulz.

He added that the release of individuals from custody would have to occur within weeks. At least ten German citizens have been imprisoned in Turkey since the country's failed military coup in 2016.

Addressing the subject of German-Turkish relations on Monday, CSU leader and Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer also called for a complete and immediate halt to EU financial aid for Turkey.

Speaking to Funke media group, Seehofer accused Ankara of "weekly provocations" and demanded that aid tied to Turkey's ongoing accession talks with the EU be freezed.

Around 4.5 billion euros (5.37 billion U.S. dollars) in EU financial assistance are currently earmarked for Ankara between 2014 and 2020.

Turkish EU accession talks have stalled as relations between the bloc and its Turkish neighbor continue to deteriorate. The European Parliament and several senior European politicians have repeatedly called for a formal end to talks.

Traditionally close ties between Ankara and Berlin in particular have come under severe strain in the wake of a failed military attempt to unseat Erdogan in July 2016. Amongst others, the Turkish president has since criticized German politicians for allegedly granting asylum to Turkish revolutionaries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 00:02:43|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

KUWAIT CITY, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Russia does not want to vie with anyone in settling the standoff between Qatar and an Arab quartet.

The top Russian diplomat held talks separately with Kuwaiti Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to discuss the bilateral ties, Gulf situation and global issues of mutual concern.

Lavrov told reporters that Russia supports the Kuwaiti initiative in mediating the Gulf standoff, which started in early June when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar.

"We strongly believe that Kuwait's initiative deserves the support of all those who can generate a positive impact on this situation," Lavrov was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying.

Russia is ready to provide its support in any mode that will be acceptable to all participants in this situation, Lavrov told reporters.

He added that Russia does not want to vie with anyone as it has "good relations with all the countries which found themselves in such a difficult situation."

Lavrov also urged Qatar and the Saudi-led Arab quartet to abandon "confrontational rhetoric."

Lavrov, the first top Russian official to visit the Gulf since the standoff, will also visit Qatar and the UAE to continue his mediation.

Tensions renewed last week when Qatar announced Wednesday to send back its ambassador to Iran, a rival for most Gulf nations. Qatar recalled its envoy in Tehran in early 2016 in a show of solidarity with Saudi Arabia after the attacks on two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar bin Mohammad Gargash on Saturday strongly criticized Qatar's "arrogance and adolescent behavior" for the deepening of the crisis.

On June 5, the Saudi-led quartet severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade on the rich tiny Gulf nation, citing Doha's support for terrorism and extremism, interference in their internal affairs and seeking closer ties with Iran.

Qatar has strongly denied these charges, while flatly rejecting a list of 13 demands put forward by the quartet in late June for normalizing their ties with Doha.

Despite a flurry of diplomatic mediation efforts made by the United States, Europe Union, and Kuwait in the past months, the Gulf standoff has shown no signs of easing.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 00:17:47|Editor: Yang Yi

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- India pulled back personnel and equipment from Dong Lang (Doklam) region on Monday afternoon, ending a two-month military stand-off triggered by India's illegal incursion.

It is the correct choice of India to return to abiding by international law.

The Doklam area is undisputed Chinese territory with a clear history and legal basis. The Indian military trespass grossly encroached on China's territorial sovereignty, and trampled on the fundamental principles of international law and basic norms governing international relations.

Over the past days, China has demonstrated its determination to safeguard its territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights. Chinese troops have also taken countermeasures.

The Chinese side has exercised the utmost restraint, communicated with the Indian side through diplomatic channels, and shown maximum sincerity in resolving the dispute via peaceful means.

There is no room for the slightest ambiguity regarding historical issues that concern the principle of right and wrong.

For China and India, close neighbors and the world's two largest emerging economies, their common interests far outweigh their disputes. China has been building friendly ties with India, and safeguarding the overall interest of bilateral ties, on a basis of respect for each other's territorial sovereignty.

As India's gambit comes to an end, China will continue to patrol the Doklam area and safeguard territorial integrity, as approved by border agreements.

It is expected that India will continue its correct attitude and to meet China halfway to put China-India ties on a healthy track.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 00:32:52|Editor: Yang Yi

Video Player Close

Yu Zhengsheng (C), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), attends the opening session of the 22nd meeting of the Standing Committee of the CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 28, 2017. The meeting focused on providing suggestions and solutions to problems in the work of targeted poverty relief. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China's senior political advisors met Monday to offer suggestions on targeted poverty relief.

The issue was discussed at the 22nd meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, which opened on Monday morning and was attended by Yu Zhengsheng, chairman of the CPPCC National Committee.

Wang Yang, Chinese vice premier also attended the meeting, issuing a report and pointing out some major current problems in poverty relief.

Vice chairman of the CPPCC Du Qinglin presided over the opening session, stressing the significance of the battle against poverty and asking for more opinions on the issue.

Attendees at the meeting voiced their opinions on six specific topics, including the accurate policies, the role of industrial projects, and basic public services.

More training should be held to improve grass-roots cadres' abilities on poverty relief work, and more intensive support, more effective measures and more dynamic work should be in place, some advisors suggested.

More efforts must be put into eliminating the roots of poverty, in order to set a stronger and more stable basis for poverty relief, the attendees said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 00:37:53|Editor: Yurou

Video Player Close

NICOSIA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- United Nations (UN) Secretary General Antonio Guterres stands ready to assist the stalled peace process in Cyprus, a Cypriot official said on Monday, quoting a letter by Guterres.

Government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides told reporters that Guterres sent the letter to President Nicos Anastasiades in reply to a communication in which the Cypriot president complained about plans by Turkish and Turkish Cypriot officials to seek a Cyprus solution outside the framework set by the UN.

"The Secretary General says in his letter that the United Nations is ready to assist the peace process in Cyprus, should the two sides in Cyprus request so", Christodoulides said.

Guterres declared the Cyprus negotiations at a deadlock in July, after the Greek and Turkish Cypriots and the three Guarantor powers of Cyprus -- Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom -- failed to reach a final agreement on the reunification of Cyprus at an international conference in a Swiss Alpine resort.

Guterres sent the parties to reflect on the outcome of the negotiations before deciding on his next moves in the context of a good services mission entrusted to him by the Security Council.

However, prospects for resuming negotiations seemed to move away after Turkey said it will seek a solution outside the parameters set by Guterres.

Turkey occupied the north part of Cyprus in a 1974 military operation in response to a coup by the military leaders of Greece at the time.

The collapse of the negotiations came after Turkey's foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara would never accept to withdraw all its troops from Cyprus and to terminate guarantee and intervention rights in Cyprus it had obtained in 1960.

Turkey's deputy Prime Minister in charge of Cyprus, Recep Akdag, arrived Monday in the occupied part of Cyprus for talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci on the next moves of the Turkish side.

Akdag said on arrival that Turkey would support a Cyprus solution but he did not say whether it will consent to the continuation of the peace negotiations.

Christodoulides said the Cypriot government expects consultations to take place in New York with Guterres, when Anastasiades will attend the UN annual General Assembly later this year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 00:52:56|Editor: Yurou

A resident and his pet dog are evacuated to the Constellation Field shelter in Sugar Land near Houston, the United States, on Aug. 28, 2017. The priority at this moment was to evacuate people stranded in their houses, and the shelters across the Greater Houston have homed about 5,000 people, Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner told a press conference on Monday. (Xinhua/Liu Liwei)

HOUSTON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The priority at this moment was to evacuate people stranded in their houses, and the shelters across the Greater Houston have homed about 5,000 people, Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner told a press conference on Monday.

Experts estimated that there would be 30,000 in total evacuated to shelters.

A number of evacuations were carried out Sunday night and on Monday, as hundreds of rescues were conducted across the region.

Hurricane Harvey has slammed Houston and other areas in Texas with heavy rain since the weekend and the losses are expected to amount to billions of U.S. dollars.

After receiving an overwhelming number of inquiries from citizens and corporations who would like to help, Turner has established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund that will accept tax-deductible flood-relief donations. The fund is administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 01:02:59|Editor: Yang Yi

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Xiangyanghong 01, China's elite science ship, began its journey around the world Monday on the country's first maritime research that integrates oceanic and polar research.

Under the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), the research will focus on resources, the environment and climate in its six segments, and will mainly be conducted in the southern hemisphere, according to Li Tiegang, major researcher at the SOA.

In the fourth segment, the ship will join Xuelong, China's ice breaker, in the country's 34th Antarctic mission, Li said.

The voyage is significant for China to discover new growth points in a number of sciences, as well as to increase the influence of the country in terms of oceanographic research, said Lin Shanqing, deputy director of the SOA.

Starting in east China's Qingdao, Xiangyanghong 01 will cover around 35,000 sea miles in its 260-day mission, and is scheduled to return to Qingdao on May 15, 2018.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 01:13:02|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

NAIROBI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's historic plastic ban that was implemented on Monday has earned accolades from a leading African green lobby group which termed it a giant step towards securing the country's sustainable future.

Greenpeace Africa said in a statement issued in Nairobi that Kenya has set a precedent in environmental conservation by imposing a ban on manufacture and use of plastic carrier bags.

The Executive Director of Greenpeace Africa Jeri Kabeberi said that Kenya has inspired other countries in the continent through the landmark decision to ban plastic packaging materials whose threat to ecosystems and livelihoods is profound.

"Greenpeace Africa welcomes the decision by the government to implement the plastic bags ban. This is a beacon of hope in fostering an environmentally conscious society and is a clear message that Kenya is ready to join other African countries in taking bold steps on environmental issues that are key to ensuring a sustainable future," Njeri said.

Cabinet Secretary for Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Judi Wakhungu in late February announced that the plastic ban will be effective from Aug. 8 in line with a regional pact to phase them out and reduce pollution.

The country's manufacturing lobby opposed the ban citing its adverse impact on jobs and wealth creation in the country.

High Court Judges ruled in favor of a case filed by the manufacturing lobby to suspend the ban until viable alternatives to ecologically harmful polythene carrier bags were found.

However, the Environment Ministry on Aug. 26 got a boost in its drive to ban plastic bags when the high court suspended the injunction placed by manufacturers.

Conservationists hailed the court's decision to allow the plastic ban to be implemented in full, saying it marked a critical milestone in Kenya's transition to green economy.

"Kenyans need to adopt 100 percent re-usable and eco-friendly packaging materials in the market like traditional baskets," said Kabeberi.

"As we welcome this ban, we cannot forget the challenge that lies ahead of us in dealing with the tones of plastic already polluting our environment," she added.

The Kenyan-born green advocate said her organization is willing to partner with the central and county governments to boost solid waste management at the grassroots level.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 01:28:08|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

DUBAI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi discussed with president of the Republic of Guinea on Monday ways to boost economic and investment ties between the two states, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) state-run WAM reported.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces held talks with visiting Guinean President Alpha Konde.

During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on regional and international developments, as well as a number of issues of mutual interests, according to WAM.

For his part, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said that the UAE is keen to strengthen its relations with Guinea for mutual benefits, looking forward to opening up a wider prospect of cooperation and successful partnerships.

In a related context, the Guinean president noted that Guinea seeks to strengthen bilateral relations with the UAE and to enhance cooperation in the economic and investment aspects.

The Guinean president arrived in the UAE earlier today.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 01:33:12|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

by Maria Spiliopoulou, Valentini Anagnostopoulou

ELEFSINA, Greece, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A troupe of artists from China's renowned Huangmei Anhui Opera Theater gave a performance of the classic play "Marriage of the Fairy Princess" on Sunday during one of Greece's most prestigious cultural festivals.

Spectators at the old oil mill of Elefsina, the main venue of Aeschylus Festival, were treated to singing and dancing and the plot of a centuries-old tale.

The festival takes place 17-km southwest of Athens in the city where ancient Greek tragedian Aeschylus was born 2,500 years ago. It was here the Chinese artists presented a masterpiece of one of China's most important opera styles in the past two centuries.

Sunday's show was one of the highlights of the 60 theatrical, dance and music performances, visual art exhibitions and other art events included in the festival's program this summer, organizers said.

It was staged as the two countries celebrate the China-Greece cultural exchanges and culture industry cooperation year in 2017.

After the twinning of Elefsina and China's Haicheng city in 2014, it is the fourth consecutive year the Greek festival has hosted a Chinese cultural production.

"Anhui Huangmei Opera's performance in Greece represents a culture exchange and interaction between the East and the West," said Dong Qing, president of the Association of Anhui Arts.

"Huangmei opera is one of the five main operas of China. We are very proud to introduce this to the world on behalf of Anhui Province and China," leading actress Yuan Yuan told Xinhua.

Huangmei Anhui Opera Theater troupe has promoted China's traditional artform worldwide with great success, and the 28-year-old actress said she felt honored to be part of this history since she was 8 years old.

Among the Greek spectators who enjoyed the performance was Elefsina Mayor Yorgos Tsoukalas.

Speaking to Xinhua, he expressed eagerness to further enhance ties between his municipality, one of Greece's main industrial zones, and China.

"After Elefsina was chosen as European Cultural Capital, we want to come in closer contact with other civilizations...The Chinese civilization is one of the most important in antiquity and modern times and from this point of view, we are trying to learn from the Chinese theater and Chinese peoples' views in the past and today," Tsoukalas said.

Elefsina has been declared European Capital of Culture for 2021.

"Our festival is a festival with a 43-year-long history which has preserved its values and is constantly improving...Our aim is to make culture a way of living for the people of Elefsina," Konstantina Marougka, the festival's spokesperson added.

Elefsina focuses on deepening its ties in particular with China, one of the greatest ancient civilizations, Marougka underlined.

As part of the Aeschylus Festival this year, Elefsina is also hosting an exhibition of Chinese opera costumes until Sept. 9.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 02:13:20|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

ROME, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Italy deported a 37-year-old Moroccan on Monday who exulted in jail after 2015 Tunis Bardo Museum terror attacks, according to Ansa news agency.

The man had been in jail for petty crimes and has already been flagged as a "high" security risk, Ansa said.

The North African also said it would be easy for him to carry out attacks in the Vatican and poison Rome's drinking water, the reports said.

The Bardo National Museum in the Tunisian capital city was attacked by three militants on March 18, 2015, when 22 people, mostly European tourists, were killed. The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for the terror attack.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 02:38:30|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

ADDIS ABABA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian President Mulatu Teshome has called on 12 newly appointed ambassadors, including Ethiopian Ambassador to China, to boost the east African country's position in bilateral and multilateral standings.

The president, in his farewell message to Brhane Gebrekirstos, the newly appointed Ethiopian Ambassador to China, and 11 others ambassadors in overseas late on Sunday, has stressed the need to further enhance Ethiopia's position in bilateral and multilateral relations and scale up its standing in regional, continental and global spheres.

Gebrekristos, who was recently served as a foreign mission special envoy to the Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn following his position as a Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister from 2010 to 2015, has been appointed by the president as Ethiopia's ambassador to China last week.

Noting that Ethiopia has managed to become one of the world's fastest economies together with a leading role in promoting regional and global peace and security, the president further urged the ambassadors to exploit these opportunities in their endeavor to ascertain Ethiopia's national interest.

Teshome also affirmed that the ambassadors are entrusted with responsibilities of maximizing Ethiopia's economic diplomacy pursuits.

Workneh Gebeyehu, Ethiopian Minister of Foreign Affairs, who noted the successful experience of the newly appointed ambassadors in various high-level positions and greater responsibilities in their previous assignments in public offices, also expressed his expectations that they would effectively implement their diplomatic mission.

Gebrekirstos was previously Ethiopia's ambassador to the European Union and the Benelux from 2002 to 2010 and Ambassador to the United States from 1992 to 2002. He will replace Seyuom Mesfin, who served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia to China for the last 6 years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 02:43:33|Editor: Yamei

Video Player Close

An EU flag is seen outside the the Houses of Parliament in London, Britain on March 29, 2017. (Xinhua file photo/Tim Ireland)

BRUSSELS/LONDON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday urged Britain to take a more serious stance and quickly provide official positions on all Brexit issues as the latter called for more "flexibility and imagination" on both sides in the third round talks.

EU officials said last week there were no plans to extend the negotiations beyond the March 2019 deadline despite a clear lack of progress on crucial issues so far.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and his British counterpart, David Davis, are scheduled to hold a news conference at the end of this round on Thursday.

The talks will focus once again on Britain's financial settlement, the so-called Brexit bill, citizen rights and Northern Ireland's border.

Unlike in the first two rounds, when the British delegation failed to get into the details of the financial obligations, this week it will present a legal analysis of the situation, local media Euroactive reported.

TALK PAST EACH OTHER?

During the press conference, Barnier and Davis reaffirmed their stance separately, with division still being large and clear.

"To be honest, I am concerned, time passes quickly," Barnier told reporters in a press conference prior to the new Brexit talks.

"We welcome the (recent) UK government papers and we have read them very carefully... but we must start negotiating seriously," he said.

"We need UK papers that are clear. The sooner we remove the ambiguity, the sooner we will be in a position to discuss the future relationship and a transitional period," he added.

Responding indirectly to Barnier, Davis insisted that British documents were "products of the hard work and detailed thinking that has been going on behind the scenes not just the last few weeks but the last 12 months."

"They should form the basis of what I hope will be a constructive week of talks between the European Commission and the UK," said Davis.

Progress will require "flexibility and imagination from both sides ... We're ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work again once more," said Davis.

MORE FLEXIBILITY IN NEW TALKS

A day before Davis' trip to Brussels, British government said London will push for a flexible approach in the third round.

"Both sides must be flexible and willing to compromise when it comes to solving areas where we disagree," said a press briefing from the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEu).

"As the EU itself has said, the clock is ticking so neither side should drag its feet," it added.

During the talks, Davis will build on work done over the last two weeks that outlined Britain's strategy by calling for "imagination" on both sides to drive talks forward, a spokeswoman for the DExEu said.

British government published a series of position papers outlining the country's negotiating positions regarding its withdrawal talks earlier this month.

"The papers demonstrate Britain's pragmatic approach to negotiations, and highlight how conversations about our exit and the future deep and special partnership we want with the EU are inextricably linked," a government spokesperson said.

One of the papers focused on Britain's post-Brexit relationship with the European Court of Justice.

Political commentators said the paper left open the possibility of Europe retaining a say on the British law, particularly in any transitional period beyond March 2019 when the two sides part company.

However, British Prime Minister Theresa May had insisted that the jurisdiction of the European court will end with Brexit, with control over the British law returning to Britain.

Another paper discussed facilitating cross-EU trade and business, saying that Britain will seek a special customs deal with the EU after the completion of Brexit.

By setting out Britain's view on the future partnership with the bloc, the papers should help to drive progress on the current topics being discussed, British government sources said.

LABOUR'S U-TURN LOOMS LARGE A DIVIDED KINGDOM

In a dramatic shift, Britain's main opposition Labour Party on Sunday called for the Kingdom to remain signed up to Brussels for up to four years after departure in 2019, opening up a clear divide with Theresa May's ruling Conservatives.

The party's Brexit shadow secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Labour would seek a transitional deal that maintains the same basic terms that Britain currently enjoy with the European Union.

"That means we would seek to remain in a customs union with the EU and within the single market during this period. It means we would abide by the common rules of both," said Starmer in an article published in a local newspaper.

Starmer said a transitional continuation of membership beyond the March 2019 departure date would be as short as possible but as long as necessary, but would also mean accepting the free movement of labour, possibly until around 2023.

Starmer said May's "ideological obsession" with leaving the European customs union and the European single market during a transitional period means the options to deliver a good deal for Britain are diminishing fast.

He said: "The fanciful and unachievable proposals put forward in the government's recent customs paper show the colossal risks it is willing to take with British jobs and the economy."

Meanwhile, Brexit campaigners condemned Sunday the move as an attempt to effectively sabotage the EU exit demanded by last year's in-or-out referendum.

Richard Tice of the pressure group Leave Means Leave, told the Express website that "This is one of the most astonishing U-turns in modern political history.

A Tory spokesman said: "The truth is Labour have no idea what they want and this is a weak attempt to kick the can down the road."

Tory MP Maria Caulfield, who was on the Commons EU Exit Committee, said that only last month Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was stating that a Labour government would leave the single market.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 02:43:34|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Monday ordered the east African nation's anti-graft watchdog to investigate grand deals suspected to have made through corruption and fraud.

A statement from the Directorate of Presidential Communications at State House in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam said the president made the order when he made an impromptu visit to the headquarters of the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).

"PCCB should not hesitate to take relevant measures when it has enough evidence against people with corruption charges," said President Magufuli.

Magufuli made the order hardly a week after he had expressed concerns over the slow pace of investigations and conviction of corruption cases.

On Thursday last week, Magufuli urged the PCCB to make sure that investigations, prosecution and conviction of corruption cases were hastened in order to eliminate this social cancer.

The president expressed his aversion shortly after he had sworn in Brigadier General Julius Mbungo as Deputy Director General of the PCCB.

On Monday, Magufuli said PCCB should focus its investigations on various issues with corruption implications, including the revelation of 19,500 ghost workers, 56,000 phantom families that were getting financial assistance from the Tanzania Social Action Fund (TASAF), 5,850 phantom students who secured education loans and the purchase of 11 locomotive engines without a contract.

"All these were done through corrupt means. We want PCCB to investigate them and prosecute the offenders," said Magufuli.

On Thursday, President Magufuli said:"If we succeed fighting corruption by 80 per cent this country will have made huge progress. And investors are attracted to countries that have managed to control corruption," he said.

He added: "Most of the problems facing Tanzania have been caused by corruption. We have ghost workers. We have drugs. We have bad contracts, and we have fake academic certificates. All these have been caused by corruption."

Magufuili appealed to leaders in the east African nation to unite towards the fight against corruption.

"As your leader, I have decided to fight corruption with full force. I need your full support. All people convicted with corruption should be jailed without mercy," he said.

Last year, Tanzania established a specialized court on economic, corruption and organized crime after President Magufuli has assented into law a Bill approved by Parliament to establish it.

Magufuli had promised to establish the anti-corruption court during presidential campaigns for the October 2015 general election, saying fighting corruption was one of his priorities.

The PCCB Director General, Valentino Mlowola, said the decision by the government to establish the court showed its political will in fighting corruption.

Statistics showed that there were 3,911 cases involving corruption allegations during the 2015/16 year. Investigations on 324 of them had already been completed.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 02:48:36|Editor: Yurou

Islamic State (IS) militants and their family members are seen inside a bus as they are evacuated from the barrens of Qara in western Qalamoun in Syria, on Aug. 28, 2017. Around 700 Islamic State (IS) militants and their families started evacuating their last stronghold in western Qalamoun region toward the eastern city of Bukamal on Monday, according to Xinhua reporters at the site. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)

QARA, Syria, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Around 700 Islamic State (IS) militants and their families started evacuating their last stronghold in western Qalamoun region toward the eastern city of Bukamal on Monday, according to Xinhua reporters at the site.

Around 300 IS militants were among those who evacuated and the rest are their family members.

A total of 16 buses carrying the IS militants and their families left the barrens of Qara in western Qalamoun.

The evacuated also included 112 family members of IS who were brought from Lebanon's Arsal to join their relatives from IS in their evacuation to Bukamal.

Meanwhile, 25 wounded members were also transported by Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to nearby hospitals in Qara for quick treatment before returning to the assembly point of the evacuees to leave Qara.

The move marked the first time IS militants fully evacuate an area they controlled under a deal and in buses provided by the government.

The al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and other rebels were evacuated from several areas recently in what was seen as a view of weakness and surrender.

But this time is the first when IS militants evacuate after fully surrendering and under the sight of journalists and cameras.

And it's also the first instance where the Hezbollah fighters will be escorting the convoy through the desert to Bukamal, a city held by IS in Deir al-Zour province, which is expected to be the next target of the Syrian army and Hezbollah.

The evacuation comes after the IS militants were cornered in the barrens of Qara as a result of a wide-scale offensive launched 10 days ago by the Hezbollah fighters and the Syrian army against the terror-designated group in Qalamoun near the Lebanese territories.

After the recent progress against IS, the terror group surrendered in Qalamoun and demanded to be evacuated to the city of Bukamal.

In return, the terror group divulged the fate of Lebanese soldiers kidnapped in 2014. Unfortunately, it turned out that the Lebanese soldiers had been killed by IS.

The agreement of the evacuation was reached between Hezbollah and IS and agreed upon by the Syrian army.

The Syrian army said in a statement that it accepts the deal to save the blood of the soldiers.

Dubbed "If You Return We Will Return," the operation in Qalamoun against IS aimed to clear the badlands of the western Qalamoun region in Syria from IS, just a couple of weeks after both allies dislodged the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front from areas in western Qalamoun and the adjacent Juroud Arsal barrens on the Lebanese side of the border.

In the last battle against Nusra, the Syrian army and Hezbollah were fighting on the Syrian side of the borders, and other fighters of Hezbollah were fighting on the Lebanese side of the frontier.

At the time, the Lebanese army wasn't engaged in the fight but took defensive positions in case of any attempt by the Nusra militants to carry out counter attacks.

In this battle against IS, Hezbollah and the Syrian army are fighting in Syria, while the Lebanese army is fighting IS in Lebanon.

Lebanese officials said there was no coordination between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah or the Syrian army.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 03:58:59|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

GWERU, Zimbabwe, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- China has announced a contribution of 5 million U.S. dollars to Zimbabwe for resilience building among the rural communities.

Donated through the World Food Program (WFP) Zimbabwe, the money will benefit vulnerable communities in the country in 2017 and 2018, WFP country director Eddie Rowe said Monday at a joint press conference with Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe, Huang Ping.

"We have just received information that the Chinese government will be contributing 5 million dollars through the multilateral platform to WFP Zimbabwe to go towards livelihoods enhancement, resilience building, and capacity enhancement for the different vulnerable districts in Zimbabwe," Rowe said.

The contribution by China comes after it donated one million U.S. dollars early this year to assist families affected by flooding in February.

Huang said China was providing the aid to enhance the capacity of rural communities in mitigating food shortages due to bad weather.

China last year also donated one million U.S. dollars to assist families facing hunger due to drought.

Rowe said the WFP used 40 percent of that amount to assist those in need of food aid while 60 percent was used to establish a water harvesting system and small scale agriculture scheme that will be launched by ambassador Huang on Tuesday in Zvishavane, Midlands Province.

Zimbabwe recorded a bumper maize harvest of 2.1 million tonnes this year, but it is estimated that 1.1 million people will still need food aid during the peak hunger season from January-March 2018.

Zimbabwe requires 1.8 million tonnes of the staple maize for consumption annually.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 04:34:15|Editor: Yurou

Video Player Close

LAGOS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- An eight-member United States Congressional delegation led by Senator Christopher Coons (Democrat-Delaware) is visiting Nigeria over issues including Boko Haram, according to a statement reaching Xinhua Monday.

The U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, in a statement said Senator Coons, who is a member of the Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Ethics committees is leading the largest U.S. congressional delegation to Nigeria.

The delegation also includes Senator Gary Peters (D-Michigan); Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colorado); Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware); Representative Terri Sewell (D-Alabama); Representative Charlie Dent (Republican-Pennsylvania); Representative Barbara Lee (D-California); and Representative Frederica Wilson (D-Florida).

The Congressional delegation is visiting Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, and The Gambia in addition to Nigeria during their West Africa tour.

During their stay from Aug. 28 to 31 here, the U.S. legislators will meet with a range of high-ranking leaders to gain a fulsome picture of the bilateral relationship.

They will be briefed by Ambassador W. Stuart Symington and staff before meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, other members of the National Assembly, and religious and civil society leaders.

Among the issues of particular interest to the U.S. officials will be the fight against Boko Haram and the humanitarian situation in the northeast of Nigeria.

They will also visit Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub where trade and investment relations will be the theme.
Chinese and Russian policemen attend a joint anti-terror drill in Manzhouli City, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Oct. 20, 2014. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

MOSCOW, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Two militants were killed in an anti-terrorism operation on the outskirts of the Khasavyurt city in the Republic of Dagestan in Russia's North Caucasus, Russia's National Anti-terrorism Committee (NAC) said Monday.

"During the shootout, two militants from the so-called Khasavyurt gang were neutralized. They are being identified," the NAC said in a statement.

Automatic weapons, ammunition and grenades belonging to the suspects were seized on spot, while improvised explosive devices were destroyed in controlled explosion, it said.

According to the statement, there were no civilian casualties, as residents in the neighborhood had been evacuated in advance.

However, two police officers died from injuries received during the skirmish, it added.

The searches and investigation are underway, the document said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 05:09:23|Editor: Yurou

Video Player Close

PARIS, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- France and Germany deplore "serious violations of the ceasefire, including the use of heavy weapons" in eastern Ukraine, said a statement issued on Monday by the Elysee Palace.

Despite the endorsement by the Normandy Format, a diplomatic group set up by France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine, the security situation in eastern Ukraine has not significantly improved, according to the statement in the name of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The ceasefire decided by the group is not fully implemented by the parties who are signatories to the deal, said the statement.

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)'s monitoring mission in Ukraine continues to report "threats to its personnel and restrictions on its freedom of movement, particularly in non-governmental areas," the statement added.

The two leaders urged their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts to "fully comply with their commitments, to publicly endorse the ceasefire and to ensure that appropriate instructions have been sent to the military and deployed personnel in the field."

Macron and Merkel said they would continue to "watch closely" the situation in the coming days.

"We encourage greater cooperation with the Joint Control and Coordination Center on the ongoing fights and we call on all parties to ensure safe and unimpeded access for the OSCE observation mission in Ukraine," they said.

Macron and Merkel held a four-way phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to discuss security issues in Ukraine on Aug. 22.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 05:54:37|Editor: Yurou

Video Player Close

TRIPOLI, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, Ghassan Salame, on Monday met with Agila Saleh, Libya's eastern-based parliament Speaker, in the eastern Libyan city of Al-Gubba.

The meeting discussed means to solve the political and economic crisis in Libya, as well as future elections.

"The future of the political agreement is up to the Speaker and other Libyan leaders, with whom I will meet before the Eid," Salame said.

Salame has met with Saleh on Aug. 7 and discussed the political situation in the country and ways to strengthen Libya's independence and the stability of its institutions.

Recently-appointed Salame replaced Martin Kobler, who led a series of political dialogue sessions between Libya's rival parties, which ended in signing a political agreement and appointing a unity government.

However, Libya remains politically divided amid insecurity and unrest.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 06:09:42|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

TOKYO, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired a missile Tuesday morning and it appeared to have passed over the Japanese archipelago, said Japanese government.

The missile was fired around 5: 58 a.m. local time (GMT 2058 Monday) from the western coat of the DPRK towards a northeastern direction and appeared to have fallen into the Pacific Ocean some 1,180 kilometers east of Cape Erimo around 6:12 a.m. local time (GMT2112 Monday), said the government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 06:14:46|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

CHICAGO, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) grains futures closed lower on Monday as funds increased short positions in corn, wheat and soybeans.

The most active corn contract for December delivery fell 2.5 cents, or 0.71 percent, to 3.51 dollars per bushel. December wheat delivery slid 7.25 cents, or 1.67 percent to 4.28 dollars per bushel. November soybeans went down 3.25 cents,or 0.34 percent, to 9.4125 dollars per bushel.

CBOT brokers reported that funds sold 4,500 contracts of corn, 3,600 contracts of wheat, and 2,300 contracts of soybeans.

Russian wheat yields continue to be impressive, with some traders now expecting a crop of 90 million metric tons this year. With already redundant supplies at world wheat market, the Russian factor put further pressure on the wheat futures.

The massive flooding across southeastern Texas has pushed up the prices of unleaded gasoline and diesel as key US refineries are expected to be shuttered for weeks.

Reduced U.S. refining capacity will impact ethanol demand, but the degree is uncertain. Traders are now following the situation closely, which they think will influence the prices of corn futures.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 06:29:50|Editor: Yurou

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a joint news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (not in the picture) at the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Aug. 28, 2017. U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he hoped the U.S. could have good relations with Russia, which would be "good for world peace." (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he hoped the U.S. could have good relations with Russia, which would be "good for world peace."

"I hope that we do have good relations with Russia," Trump said at a joint press conference with visiting Finnish President Sauli Niinisto. "I say it loud and clear. I have been saying it for years. I think it's a good thing if we have great relationships, or at least good relationships, with Russia."

"I believe someday that will happen...I think that's very good for world peace and other things," the U.S. President added.

When asked whether he considers Russia as a security threat, Trump said, "I consider many countries as a security threat, unfortunately, when you look at what's going on in the world today."

Trump's remarks came at a low point of bilateral relationship between Washington and Moscow, as the two sides hold differences on a range of issues, including the war in Syria, the conflict in Ukraine, and U.S. accusations that the Kremlin meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, a charge Russia strongly denies.

Earlier this month, Trump signed into law a sanctions bill on Russia, Iran and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but he criticized the bill as "seriously flawed."

The new legislation also grants U.S. lawmakers power to block Trump from unilaterally lifting sanctions on Russia.

Russia will not resort to symmetric countermeasures in response to sanctions by the U.S. and will continue to seek dialogue with the latter instead, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has said.

"This is a huge burden and a serious blow to the basis of our relationship. Nevertheless, we do not want to turn relations with the United States into a tit-for-tat game," Ryabkov said in an interview Tuesday with Xinhua.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 06:29:51|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

LESKOVAC, Serbia, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The 28th Rostiljijada barbecue festival, one of the most visited in Serbia opened on Monday on the streets of southern city of Leskovac, with sounds of drums, dance of majorettes and tens of thousands of tourists from all over the region.

At the main street of Leskovac, well-known in the region for its tasty barbecue, the manifestation that draws up to 500,000 tourists for seven days started with the presence of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Opening the festival, he said that Leskovac has the potential to become well-known for its cuisine much wider than the region, and that Rostiljijada ranks among the country's biggest events that attracts most people.

"Rostiljijada is the biggest manifestation in Serbia. It is bigger than Beerfest, as well as Guca and Exit music festivals and Leskovac has a lot to be proud of," Vucic said.

The ceremony included majorettes, drummers and the performance of the well-known brass orchestra of Fejat and Nebojsa Sejdic.

Every day until Sept. 3 visitors to Leskovac will be entertained with music and dance performances, evening concerts of local bands, and degustation of barbecue delicacies.

On Thursday barbecue masters from Leskovac will traditionally attempt to make the biggest hamburger in the world, as last year they succeeded in grilling a burger weighing more than 60 kilograms.

In the countries of the former Yugoslavia as well as the region, Leskovac has been for decades the unofficial capital of barbecue, and for its special recipe it is much appreciated across the region.

All over the country, as well as the rest of the Balkans, fast foods sell barbecue allegedly made according to the secret recipe of Leskovac's masters who are also considered the best chefs in Serbia.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-08-29 06:39:55|Editor: yan

Video Player Close

By Olatunji Saliu

ABUJA, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian military on Monday confirmed a top Boko Haram commander had surrendered to troops in the country's northeast region.

His submission to the military was promptly followed by a confession in which the terror group commander, identified as Auwal Ismaaela, said he played a major role in the abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, a Christian-dominated town in the northeastern state of Borno.

Ismaaela threw in the towel as troops intensified efforts to smoke out remnants of the terror group in Nigeria.

Amid many acts of bloodletting on innocent people and destruction of properties across the length and breadth of Nigeria's northeast, Ismaaela and another repentant Boko Haram fighter named Abu Hafsat led the killing of youths and other school children in Madagali area of Adamawa State, also in the northeast region.

"In one of the operations, I abducted my wife named Maryam, who had two kids for me in Sambisa Forest," Ismaaela said.

Such abductions by Ismaaela and the Boko Haram group at large had led to the use of preteen and teenage children, especially girls, as so called "human bombs" in the most populous African country.

Last Tuesday, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed extreme concern about an appalling increase in the cruel and calculated use of children as human bombs, saying

children had been used repeatedly in this way over the last few years.

So far this year, the number of children used is already four times higher than it was for all of last year, UNICEF noted.

Since January, 83 children have been used as so called human bombs; 55 were girls, most often under 15 years old; 27 were boys, and one was a baby strapped to a girl, according to the UN agency's data.

UNICEF said the use of children in such attacks has had a further impact of creating suspicion and fear of children who have been released, rescued or escaped from Boko Haram. As a result, many children who have managed to get away from captivity face rejection when they try to reintegrate into their communities, compounding their suffering.

Until Boko Haram becomes history in Nigeria and the country wakes up to his social problem, an end is not in sight to the abduction and use of very young citizens as either human bombs or terrorists, said Yemi Odufuwa, a security expert.

Odufuwa noted that Boko Haram had created a strong image for itself globally when it ventured into the killing, abducting and the use of underage children for its attacks.

This, he said, had complicated the fight against Boko Haram.

"No doubt, those young boys and girls abducted by Boko Haram are being used as human bombs. The terror group only uses them to make a strong statement to the world," he said.

"The only foreseeable and lasting solution to this problem is to defeat Boko Haram," Odufuwa added.

Meanwhile, Ismaaela has vowed to cooperate with the Nigerian Military with useful information on locations and hideouts of other top commanders of the deadly sect.

"It is unfortunate that I was brainwashed and misled not only on some abductions but in the killings of my own people that were innocent. I wholeheartedly regret my actions," he told investigators.

Ismaaela's plea is being considered by Nigerian authorities. Whether his plea is accepted or not, he would, however, live the rest of his life without a right leg and a partially burned body, the vestiges of a senseless fight against his country and compatriots.

"I willingly surrendered to the military because I was tired of the senseless killing and fight. I realized that our people have resort to stealing and all sort of atrocity contrary to the teaching and practice of Islam.

More than 100 Boko Haram members and some commanders had in the recent past surrendered to the military, knowing full well that their actions had become inimical to the overall interest and well-being of the nation and the surrounding countries of Cameroun, Niger, and Chad.
ABC News(HOUSTON) -- Southeastern Texas has been absolutely pummeled with flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, leaving thousands of residents stranded and in need of help. Fortunately, some citizens have stepped in to assist with the rescues.



Professional and amateur rescuers snatched up people from submerged streets and flooded homes throughout the day on Sunday and into the morning on Monday, some of them using kayaks and canoes.



George and Alex Jackson were among the residents who answered the call from local police departments to help those stranded by the floods.



The roads in their neighborhoods were flooded so badly that they looked like canals, but the brothers used their motor boat to provide assistance.



"There's some older people that needed some attention and we're trying to convince them the best thing they can do is get out," George Jackson told "Good Morning America" today.



ABC affiliate KTRK in Houston reported that members of the so-called Cajun Navy, a group of volunteer citizens who rescued people during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, got the proverbial band back together for a mission in Houston.



The affiliate described a caravan of pickup trucks and small motorized fishing vessels that ventured out from Louisiana swampland and into Houston.



There, they worked until the early morning hours on Monday, pulling people from flooded homes, and posted images of their exploits on Facebook.



"It's a mix of emotions," a member of the Cajun Navy named Jeff told KTRK. "You hate to see people lose all they have. All we can do is get them to dry land."



Monday, on "Good Morning America," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the flood "the worst weve ever seen in the state of Texas" and an "unprecedented" weather event, echoing the word used by the National Weather Service Sunday.

He added that he was proud of how Texans came together to help each other.



"You have to be proud to see the way our fellow Texans have responded," Abbott said, "whether they be the first responders or just neighbors helping neighbors to deal with this overwhelming catastrophe."



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
TTW announces final 2017 workshops

The TTW is offering 12-week acting classes for children, teens and new actors and a tenweek course in How to Read and Write Poetry.

Participants will learn about improvisation, playback theatre, musical theatre, stage combat and stagecraft (lighting, scene and costume design).

Throughout the course, students and instructors will work together to construct and produce a presentation which will be performed at the end of term showcase. The students are encouraged to be actively involved with all aspects of the production, including costume/ set design and creation, script writing, direction and performance.

Facilitators include Afi Ford-Hopson, who has been teaching and facilitating social and theatre- based programmes for the past 12 years and playwright, poet and fiction writer Dr Raymond Ramcharitar.

The Childrens Theatre Workshop will run from September 9 to November 25 on Saturdays between 10 am and 1 pm. The workshop is open to children seven to 12 years. The Teen Theatre Workshop will run for the same period as the childrens, also on Saturdays from 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm. It is open to 13 to 17-years-olds. The New Actors Workshop runs from September 5 to November 21 on Tuesdays from 5.30 pm to 8.30 pm for 18 years and up.

The ten-week poetry programme runs from September 6 to November 15 on Wednesdays from 5.30 pm to 7.30 pm. The course will lead students to answer the questions: What is poetry? What is good poetry? How does a reader tell good from bad? And how does one begin to write poetry? This will be the final arts workshops put on by the TT W at its current location at corner of Jerningham Avenue and Norfolk Streets, Belmont. Fund-raising efforts are continuing for the move to the new premises in Woodbrook.

For more info: trinidadtheatre@ gmail.com and Facebook
Merman Watson

One week ago, Duke announced that he would be attempting to swim from Tobago to Trinidad in an effort to highlight the plight faced by Tobagonians due to the ongoing issues on the sea bridge.

Speaking to reporters yesterday morning at the Scarborough Fishing Depot, where the swim is expected to start, Duke said everything is in place and all teams were ready.

We are ready. This swim protest will be done with Tobago in mind and if you ask me if Tobago is ready, I would say yes Tobago is ready. Tobago is ready for the opportunity to decide its future. A simple thing like the sea bridge and the air bridge must be decided by Tobago. For 125 years and eight months, Trinidad has been deciding for us and still we have been battling problems after problems. We are saying that the time has come for Tobago to be the final decision maker on the ferry it wants, on the type of airline system operating the air bridge, he said.

He said that during the swim, the team, will be doing some trade as well as delivering letters to both boards of Caribbean Airlines and the Port Authority.

We would be taking down some provision, we would plant a tree when we get there and we would be bring up a wheelchair for a guy within my district, so we are actually going to do some trading in Trinidad. We also will be taking few letters to Trinidad; to Caribbean Airlines and to the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago requesting meetings with the Minority Council of the Tobago House of Assembly, so as to ensure that the minor people, those who are excluded from the Prime Ministers closed door session will have a voice, this is what true democracy is all about, he said.

The Minority Leader went further, indicating that this swim protest will benefit Tobago tremendously, as according to him, the situation requires a struggle.

In order for something to reach the national community, it requires someone of national status. Every single struggle will define a leader or produce a leader. I believe that this struggle produced me, I am not really one to get involved in politics but Tobago has been suffering for the last 16 going on 20 years.

We are saying that the time has come when we need a voice, we need a voice in the Tobago House of Assembly to stand in defense of Tobagonians and say to the almighty Central Government, we in Tobago speak for Tobagonians. This is why there is the THA elections, this is why there is a THA act, speaking about autonomy and giving us responsibility over 33 different areas of Government and yet, we lack the opportunity to make a decision, Duke said.

Questioned as to how he felt even amidst critics as many are doubting that he could complete this task, Duke said the idea is not to prove that we are the best swimmers.

By any means necessary, we will hold fast to that. The idea is not to prove that we are the best swimmer out and make the Guinness book of World Records but the idea is to ensure that Tobago is placed on the national agenda and if nothing is done within short order, short measure what will happen is that we may be forced to swim and go back to trading using fisher boats and canoes, this is the reality.

It would be means that are unorthodox, means that are not the best means but means none the less the represents the struggle of every Tobagonian who is contented with the air and the sea bridge. The numbers you will have to be here to see, the Minority Leader said.

Additionally, on Friday the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard issued a media release warning Duke of the risk associated with such a swim, while at the same time, indicating that they are unable to dedicate any resource or give any assurance for a voluntary expedition at this time.
Standby passengers fume

Many of those waiting said they had been waiting for hours with little to no explanation as to why there was no flight for them to get on. However, many of those were standby passengers. There was a long line at the standby counter.

Passengers waiting at Piarco International Airport yesterday sat on the floor, some stood with frustrated looks upon their faces as they waited on a flight.

At about 3pm, one Tobagonian woman, who wished not to be identified told Newsday, I have been here since eight this morning and when I reached by the counter, counter number one, it was about minutes to nine and they closed off and they did not give any information... and a lot of attitude. The customer indicated that there were a number of time changes for information and she was then informed that there were technical difficulties with the planes.

Ricardo Thom, from Tobago, said he had been at the airport since noon, was not told much and that people were there all day.

He said the airline was not taking any standbys and only confirmed flights were going. Thom, however, was on standby. They said there was a problem in Tobago with a plane. Some have tickets and some dont, Thom said.

Terrence Cumberbatch, who flies regularly between Trinidad and Tobago said the country does not have an air bridge. Cumberbatch, also a standby customer, said he had been there only since 2 pm.

They do what they want, how they want, when they want. We are not the owners. We are the servants. And that is Independence for you, he said.

Cumberbatch, a frequent flyer, said this was something constantly experienced.

The airlines Head Corporate Communications, Dionne Ligoure, confirmed there was a plane with technical difficultly but only two of the airlines scheduled flights were affected.

The standby passengers are persons who do not hold bookings for a particular day and time of travel. Caribbean Airlines operates a scheduled flight. The priority would be to transport the confirmed passengers. She said if any confirmed passengers are displaced, the airline ensures those passengers are re-accommodated. Standby passengers, she said, were ad hoc to the operations. She said it required the airline putting on additional services to accommodate them or disrupting international or others services to ensure that they are accommodated. But in all of this the air bridge is given the highest priority at Caribbean Airlines, Ligoure said.
Trini in Houston a little worried

More than 6.5 million people call Houston home. Among them are Trinidadian national, Stacy Ann and Australian national, Nicole Flockton, both of whom spoke with Newsday yesterday about how their families have been coping.

Stacy Ann lives in Fulshear while Flocktons home is located about half hours drive away in whats known as the Energy Corridor of Houston.

The streets in her neighbourhood hadnt flooded as of yesterday afternoon but the retention ponds and lakes in the area were either full or overflowing.

Rain has been steady since Friday night. Flooding will get worse over the next few days, as retention ponds are filled. Asked if she was concerned about what might happen, given the forecast for more rain over the next few days, Stacy Ann said she was a little worried. Our neighbourhood has lots of lakes, so we could take water but this is a lot and our lakes are filling up...If the rain doesnt stop and let it drain off, we could see water coming up on our street and maybe even our driveway. Our house is high up on the street but if it rains for three more days, as predicted, anything is fair game. Given that her daughter, Sophia, is five-years-old while her son, Adam, is two-years-old, Stacy Ann said her children have had different reactions to the change in routine; particularly the need to seek shelter during tornado warnings.

Adam couldnt care two hoots.

Sophia is more aware and just scared of the tornadoes. Tornadoes are scary. You cant see them and the warnings are constant, so you dont know where theyll come from, it at all. During the tornado warnings; one was issued shortly before 2 pm yesterday while Stacy Ann was talking to Newsday, the family has huddled together in a closet in a bedroom on the ground floor of their home.

Its small but the strongest part of the house, (so) thats where we wait out the tornadoes. Asked how shes tried to keep Sophia calm, Stacy Ann told Newsday that because her daughter gets to sleep with mom and dad during Harveys passage, She is in heaven right now. Stacy Ann expressed sorrow that while her family is OK, so far, Families in Simonton; a few miles from here, have to evacuate. What is sad is, some of them lost their homes two years ago and had just rebuilt. So sad. Thankful for being spared, Stacy Ann said she and husband, Adam, were planning to go help people in other neighbourhoods who need to pack up their stuff quickly but by 4.30 pm yesterday, the rain was pouring down again and the roads leading out of their community had flooded. So the couple were forced to stay put.

Yesterday, many schools in Houston announced the cancellation of classes for all of this week.

The Katy Independent School District (KISD) was among the school systems which decided to do so.

Stacy Anns children go to schools within the KISD.

Referring to the announcement made early yesterday afternoon, she said, I have a sitter lined up, so I can work from home or at the office if I need to go in. Over in the Energy Corridor, Flockton expressed relief that her home and neighbourhood had been spared the worst, so far, from Harveys passage.

We are in a good area, fortunately.

We also didnt have tornadoes touch down near us, Flockton told Newsday.

During a break in the rains yesterday morning, Flockton and her husband, Jason Flockton, donned boots and took a walk through their neighbourhood and out to Westheimer Road, a main eastwest road in Houston, Texas.

Our streets drainage is doing a brilliant job, Flockton wrote on her Facebook page.

When we started out the rain was heavy and there was pooling but the drains were gulping down the water. There was water up to the top on a couple of the drains but water was still flowing. The four-way intersection has puddles but was clear. As we headed down toward one of the main roads, Westheimer, there was puddling that got deeper as we walked toward the road.
Stop killing National Bird!

The president of the Point-a-Pierre Wild Fowl Trust in a strongly-worded letter called for more game wardens to stop what she described as this abomination.

From as early as May this year there were reports of poachers haunting the countrys national bird. After a number of reports, three men were arrested on August 14 by game wardens after they were found in possession of the dismembered national bird. They were subsequently charged with hunting at the protected site (the Caroni Bird Sanctuary) and being in possession of the protected/prohibited animal.

In the letter issued to the media, Gaskin said, We hunt, we kill and we eat! Our National Bird! We celebrate Independence, Republic Day, Holidays!!Do we know, understand, care what it all means? In the U S of A if you are caught with one feather of their National Bird, you can be jailed and fined heavily. Have we no pride at all in ourselves, our country in what we are supposed to stand for?! She added that years ago the Wild Fowl Trust along with other NGOs spearheaded a drive to have the countrys national bird made a protected species.

We succeeded.

We appealed then, as we appeal now for help for the Forestry/ Wildlife Division for more licensed and properly armed game wardens to patrol and protect our valuable wetlands, forests and their species.

There are just 11 men, if so many now, to patrol and protect all of Trinidad and Tobago.

Are we joking?!Let us stop this abomination now. Let us take more pride in ourselves. Stop the killing of our Scarlet Ibis. Stop the killing of our National Bird. The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) has since started the process of appointing the National Bird an environmentally sensitive species.

Gaskin is the 1987 recipient of the Hummingbird Medal Gold for loyal and devoted service to the country.
Drainage overhaul for Port-of-Spain

When the current administration. assumed office it found that,. in large part, the IDB loan had not. been used despite this country paying. a Project Execution Unit and. spending US $700,000 in commitment. fees to the lender.

Whats more alarming to engineers. attached to the Drainage Division. of the Ministry of Works and. Transport is that the previous plan. for flooding in Port-of-Spain had. several fundamental flaws. Joel. Taylor, Manager of the Drainage. Divisions Project Execution Unit. says We reviewed the proposal. which was done by the previous. administration and right now we. are currently taking the necessary. steps to alleviate flooding in the. short, medium and long term. The. long term is a new design development. for the entire Port-of-Spain. catchment.. According to Taylor, the previous. design was not holistic it was. broken up into eight individual. sections, it wasnt seen as one continuous. flow of water. So now were. looking at it as a whole so in critical. areas well know how to transition. that water into a next catchment.

Taylor says the plans deficiencies. did not stop there. They didnt. have the underground utilities,. they didnt consider the effects of. the Maraval and St Anns rivers and. how they affect the catchment.. The plan was so ill-conceived, he. says, after futile attempts to retrofit. the previous work done they had to. scrap the plan altogether.

The proposal we submitted will. cater for underground utility, topographical,. drain CCTV and river. surveys, Taylor explained, this. new plan is currently before. Its Director, Paula Webber says. after the Drainage Division was. moved back under the Works Ministry. from the now defunct Ministry. of the Environment and Water. Resources they have been able to. better coordinate the effort.

The drainage division has a. team which uses a rover and they. go and map and gather data for the. underground drainage network. in downtown Port-of-Spain via a. CCTV video outline of the whole. system.. Webber says her division proposes. re-scoping the loan but remained. coy on just how much. money remained from the initial. sum procured from the IDB.

In the short-term the Ministry. has begun cleaning outfalls in the. capital but Webber urges patience.

Most of downtown Port-of-Spain. is reclaimed land at sea level, which. provides a unique challenge especially. when bad weather and hightide. converge on the city.

We want to do something sustainable,. I know people are crying. out and we feel for them we. feel their pain, but you might dig. up Port-of-Spain and cause more. damage. Which is why I think this. project is really an important one,. to do a holistic design to alleviate. the problems being experienced.. Drainage Engineer, Kerry Sheppard. points out that its not only. Port-of-Spain thats in focus, there. are 120 projects on the schedule,. one collaborative project The. sluice and floodgates are very important,. he assures We have vandalism. and people taking the steel. for scrap so were working on a. project to repair and increase embankments. to fix the problem of. flooding throughout the country.. There are 11 pump sites from. Sea Lots to Felicity to Moruga and. Drainage has begun a collaboration. with the Mechanical Service and. Maintenance Divisions to carry. out a conditional assessment and. repair of these pumps and sluice. gates which work in tandem to. keep water courses clear.

For the first time, Webber says. we are partnering with mechanical. and maintenance to ensure that. all our pump sites are functional,. some of those pumps are over 40. -50 years old.. But Webber says the public must. pitch in. The main challenges. are people dumping their refuse. especially fridges, stoves, that has. been our experience, car chassis,. you name it. The things you see in. underground drains, plastics, styrofoam. and concrete washed down. from construction sites.. To this end the Drainage Division. is involved in another major. collaboration with NALIS, it is. one that seeks to educate the next. generation on the importance of. proper waste disposal as a means. of preventing flooding in their own. areas.

.
Dr Hosein warns Guyana on overspending oil dollars

Hosein told an audience on Wednesday in Georgetown gathered for a lecture organised by the Guyana Oil & Gas Association, that between 1999 and 2016, Trinidad earned approximately US$90 billion in oil and gas revenues, but most of it, he explained, were poorly spent. A senior economist at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus, Hosein said that of the US$90 billion collected in oil revenue, only US$5 billion exist in the countrys Heritage and Stabilization Fund whilw US$8 billion is part of the stock of international reserves.

Of the US$77 left, Hosein said that it was his view that it was poorly spent.

However, he said that the intercept of economic activity changed in Trinidad and Tobago, but the growth of economic activity remained the same.

Hosein said, The Trinidad and Tobago economy today in 2017 has not grown since 2007.

In fact, we had negative economic growth of 0.51 percent from 2007 to the present.

Trinidad and Tobago is certainly an economy at the brink of a lengthy period of structural adjustment. Hosein went on to explain to the audience that a countrys comparative advantage evolves over time and results in changes in the weaknesses and strengths of certain sectors in the economy.

And if an economy becomes stronger in the areas it can produce well, he said, it is a healthy sign for growth. However, the economist said that if in so doing, the economy is exposed to a greater amount of vulnerability from external shocks, this must be closely monitored.

Hosein warned the Guyanese audience which include economists, multilateral stakeholders and oil and gas and technocrats who attended, that intense focus on oil and gas and the related sectors of the Trinidadian economy, inadvertently resulted in neglect to other sectors.

And Trinidad and Tobago became cognisant of it, he added, but only when the price for oil and gas had tumbled on the world market.

He said that Trinidad and Tobago faces what he described as Dutch disease, which is the relationship between the increase in the economic development of a specific sector such as oil and gas, and, the accompanying decline in other sectors of its economy.

The Guyanese authorities, he said, should not make the same mistakes as others.

Oil production in Guyana is expected to begin by mid-2020.
Hunt them down

Community Education Officer of the Institute of Marine Affairs Lori Lee Lum on Friday told Newsday that at last years lionfish derby, divers killed close to 400 in two days.

No natural predators can get rid of the lionfish, so it has to be hunted, Lee Lum said.

Lee Lum spoke with Newsday on the Brian Lara Promenade where the Institute of Marine Affairs held an educational awareness programme on the lionfish.

It attracted a number of passers-by.

They provided handouts and other tokens in the campaign.

Together with the Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute, they provided samples of the lionfish to the visitors who said they love the taste.

In Jamaica, Lee Lum said, the lionfish is a regular on their menu.

Three restaurants and eateries in Tobago.

have it on their menu.

Contrary to popular opinion, she said, the meat of the lionfish is not poisonous.

Because it is not poisonous, it is being promoted as a delicacy on the menus of many Caribbean countries in an bid to reduce the lionfish population.

Three restaurants and eateries in Tobago.

have it on their menu.

However, the spiky fins are venomous, should the lionfish strike. There is treatment for the sting.

Calling on divers and fishermen to intensify the Sustain the hunt. Stop lionfish campaign which began last year with the derby, Lee Lum, said, more derbies are being planned with stakeholders. Some of the stakeholders include the Association of Tobago Dive Tour Operators, Ricks Dive World, All Tobago Fisherfolk, Department of Marine Resources and Fisheries, Tobago House of Assembly, Fisheries Division, Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, and fishing associations in Trinidad.

More recently, the lionfish which causes ecological damage to the coral reefs, reduces the population of juvenile and small fish by up to 90 percent, has recently found its way to mangroves, Lee Lum said.

They eat the herbivores like the wrasses and parrotfish that keep algae from overgrowing the coral reefs.

The mangroves are also nurseries for different species of fishes.

They decrease the abundance of the commercial fish stock such as snappers and groupers, and shrimp and crab.

The lionfish, which is native to the Indo- Pacific, also outnumbers the native fish populations in many locations.

Noting the danger that the lionfish pose to the fishing stock in Trinidad and Tobago waters, she said, the lionfish is not caught in nets like regular fish because they stay close to the jagged edges of the coral reefs and now the shores where mangroves are located.

As such, she said, a special fish pot ( a trap) is being developed to try to catch the prey.

Fishermen in Tobago have caught the lionfish in fish pots they set for the regular fish.

The lionfish is known by other names such as zebra fish, turkey fish, peacock lionfish, and butterfly cod. Thy grow to about 18 inches in length.
Find new vessel fast

This includes the Port Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (PATT) being mandated to find a passenger ferry in the shortest possible time, Government to order a custom-built ferry, Tobago to operate ferries, and the expansion of the board of directors of PATT to include two more Tobagonians.

Rowley has also agreed to consider, after discussions with the Minister of Finance, the removal of the hotel tax which threatens hoteliers ability to survive in the present circumstances given the disruptions and consequent loss of income associated with the ferry problems.

In addition, Government is to review Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL) booking policy for travel to and from Tobago.

This is according to the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) which noted in a release issued yesterday that the measures were put forward by the stakeholders.

With one ferry out of commission and another due to go on dry dock for extensive repairs, Government has instructed the PATT to broaden its search for a suitable replacement ferry, wherever vessels are available, and whether held by owners or brokers.

During the last search, OPM said, the PATT restricted its search, and selected a passenger ferry under questionable circumstances.

This selection process is now being investigated.

Rowley is quoted as saying that the search should be easier with the summer at an end. Looking for a vessel in September and October, he said, is a easier than looking in June or July when there are increases in traffic in the northern hemisphere and everyone is using their vessel.

Now moving into fall and winter, there should be more available, but we must broaden our search. Whatever went wrong with regard to the restriction of the search ought not to form part of a new search. So we will be working overtime to get a passenger vessel here in the shortest possible time. Once found, Government will seek to enter into a two to threeyear contract while moving to order a custom-built ferry.

Cabinet has decided to place an order for a brand new ferry that will be built to specifications. It will be State-owned and operated by the PATT. The tender is expected to go out for bids soon.

On Tobago operating the ferries, the OPM said, Rowley believes that given Tobagos reliance on them for sustenance, the service should be operated out of Tobago and under the guidance of Tobago.

The people of Tobago, he said, have demonstrated an ability to manage their own affairs in other areas and they should be allowed to manage this facility.

You should be looking after your welfare in these areas and of course, when we add that to the phasing in of other medium-term and long-term arrangements, we have every confidence that Tobagos economy, in the hands of Tobagonians as part of the national effort, would progress to a better place, he said.

Meanwhile the PATTs board will include two more Tobagonians bringing the number of Tobagonians on the board to three.

We believe that the Port Authority must have a larger Tobago interest on the board because Tobago relies so much more on the port than other communities, he said.

On improvement to CAL operations, the airline will continue to make additional seating available for travel between Trinidad and Tobago.

The Cabinet, the OPM said, is to make a decision on CALs current booking policy.

We are operating in a system where people can book at will and cancel at will without penalty.

This matter has come before the Cabinet. Some adjustments will have to be made. He said there were some 98,000 cancellations which took place at CAL recently with respect to seats that were booked by people who did not travel.

Bookings force people to travel on standby.

He said he also wants to see more Tobagonians represented on the airlines board.
Review people venerated in public places

Making the call on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Independence, the CRFP said, the world is today witnessing how nations symbolically represent their past, can legitimise certain values and undermine others in the present.

Noting that in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas a new generation that cuts across racial, class and gender lines, is striving to rescue public spaces from historys most vile epochs to honour humanitys highest values, the CRFP said, it wants nothing less for Portof- Spain and other Caribbean cities.

The CRFP said the Caribbeans continued adherence to an ethos that gives public space and pre-eminence to the most notorious and immoral colonial figures without ever interrogating the atrociousness of their actions and their calamitous repercussions over time, is increasingly out of place. The organisation noted the veneration of the Genovese sailor Christopher Columbus, who initiated one of the most barbarous chapters in all of human history.

The CRFP said that to ask Caribbean citizens, particularly the Indigenous Peoples, to accept national property occupied by reverential statues to this man who, stole and renamed their lands, trafficked, raped and enslaved their ancestors, destroyed their way of life and denied their humanity, is patently absurd, cruel, and even perverse. This was especially perverse, the CRFP said, as the state seeks to draw attention to the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by declaring a public holiday in October. Even in Spain, the release said, people are beginning to see October 12, 1492 as a source of shame rather than pride as Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has publicly said the country should stop marking a genocide with an 800,000 military parade.

The former mayor of Cadiz, Jose Maria Gonzalez, is quoted as saying, We never discovered America. We massacred and suppressed a continent and its cultures in the name of God. The CRFP said, Shame on us in Trinidad and Tobago that we have not one, but two Columbus statues, the last curiously erected in Moruga in 2010. Mindful that Columbus is just one of a slew of unjust colonial- era icons that overwhelmingly dominate Caribbean cities from Georgetown to Nasau, the CRFP said, one cannot help but compare the cultural paralysis in TT and the Caribbean to the revolt taking place in the USA over the past two years. The fatal protests by White supremacists to reverse a decision by the city of Charlottesville, Virginia, to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee and rename Lee Park, Emancipation Park, the CRFP said, is now accelerating the removal of Confederate statues and other memorials to iniquitous historical figures, including Columbus.

The CRFP was purposely named after Cecil Rhodes, primary architect of South Africas apartheid movement.

The campaign uses his name as a metaphor to invite Trinbagonians to view themselves as a people at a crossroads.
Drones to protect Scarlet Ibis

Over the last week, several test flights were conducted, zooming in on the birds roosting and nesting sites as well as the several rivers channels in the swamp which are commonly used as boat transport routes.

Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries, Clarence Rambharat, who has fully supported the initiative, said:For several months I have been exploring the use of drones and other technology in law enforcement areas in the Ministry. Some are already in use by agencies that we work with.

More recently I have seen what drones and other technology can do for us in managing the Caroni Bird Sanctuary, the Queens Park Savannah, the Zoo and other public and environmentally sensitive spaces. I have also seen how the big budgets proposed by the Ministry can be significantly reduced and how better selection of Human Resources and contractors can improve what we do. This is happening and I am pleased with where we are headed. The project is supported by the Zoologi cal Society of Trinidad and Tobago Inc and the Serpentarium in collaboration with the Wildlife Section, Forestry Division, Ministries of Planning and Development, Rural Development and Local Government, National Security, Works and Transport and Tourism, The Environmental Management Authority (EMA), Chaguaramas Development Authority (CDA), Institute of Marine Affairs (IMA), The San Juan Laventille Regional Corporation, CEPEP, URP and the Solid Waste Management Company.

This step forward is safeguarding the swamp would not only protect the scarlet ibis but provide added protection for the many other species of wildlife including mammals, reptiles and other birds inhabiting the ecosystem.

Chief Game Warden and Conservator of Forests, Courtenay Park, is happy the Ministry will use modern technological methods to protect the swamp.

The information gathered from the flying drones will be immediately transferred to officers stationed on the ground at several locations throughout the area.

Any illegal activity sighted will rapidly attended to by these officers.
Japan's current economic expansion, whose start coincided with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's return to power, is believed to have entered its 57th month in August, tying the second-longest boom in the postwar period.

The expansionary phase began in December 2012, when Abe came back as prime minister with the Abenomics reflationary policy. This month, it is believed to have matched the 57-month Izanagi boom between November 1965 and July 1970.

But economists say that private consumption lacks vigor as pay growth is sluggish for regular workers, who account for 60 pct of the total number of people employed in the country.

A Cabinet Office team determines peaks and troughs in the business cycle in Japan. In June this year, the team effectively confirmed that the latest expansionary phase reached its 53rd month in April, beating the 51-month asset bubble boom between December 1986 and February 1991.
Share



5G is on its way and the arrival of 5G networks is expected to accelerate the growth of connected devices. Yet, the average revenue per user for the Internet of Things will be disappointing due to the low bandwidth requirements of most IoT endpoints, according to a new publication from Juniper Research (News - Alert).





The research firm says we can expect to see 1 million 5G connection by 2019. But, Juniper Research suggests, the number of 5G connections will soon break into the billions  with 1.4 billion by 2025.

5G Market Strategies: Consumer & Enterprise Opportunities & Forecasts 2017-2025 also looks at 5G from a geographical standpoint. It says the U.S., China, and Japan will be the leaders  in terms of the number of 5G connections  by 2025. The U.S., at that time, is expected to account for more than 30 percent of global 5G IoT connections, Juniper Research says. The three countries will represent 55 percent of the worlds 5G connections by 2025, the firm adds.



Because building 5G networks will require significant new investments, yet generates relatively low ARPU, Juniper Research says that operators should adopt software-based architectures to better address IoT requirements and minimize their operational costs. The company also says delivering fixed wireless broadband services that deliver fiber-type bandwidth will prove crucial for network operators to offset disappointing 5G ARPU.



Operators and vendors must test their networks in a real-world environment at scale, ensuring speeds can compete with fibre services, says research author, Sam Barker. Networks that can deliver the highest speeds and greatest reliability will command the highest ARPCs, hastening an operators return on 5G investment.

Verizon (News - Alert) executive Matt Ellis recently said his company is confident it will be able to roll out 5G commercially next year. Verizons early work related to 5G involves fixed wireless tests in 11 markets, including Ann Arbor, Mich.; Atlanta; Bernardsville, N.J.; Brockton, Mass.; Dallas; Denver; Houston; Miami; Sacramento, Calif.; Seattle; and Washington, D.C.

Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri recently commented that he believes there will be significant 5G trials next year and meaningful deployments of 5G the following year in China, the U.S., and elsewhere.

Edited by Mandi Nowitz
We have used your information to see if you have a subscription with us, but did not find one. Please use the button below to verify an existing account or to purchase a new subscription.
The Moroccan origins of the perpetrators of the Barcelona and Cambrils attacks offered an easy scapegoat for pundits and media outlets in their attempts to ascribe terrorism to an external factor. By doing so, they further stigmatize a community of 800,000 Moroccan expatriates in Spain and fail to consider the deep causes of Europes residual terrorism.

The analyses that deliberately seek to put the blame on the Moroccan origins of the perpetrators are as superficial as they are lame. A look at the biographies of most of the perpetrators shows that they all have moved to Spain before the age of adulthood.

The driver of the van that ploughed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Younes Abouyaaqoub, 22 years old, is certainly born in Mririt in Morocco, but he moved to Spain at the age of 7. His brother, Houssain, one of the five terrorists involved in the Cambrils attack immigrated to Spain at the age of 4. Were these brothers terrorists when they left Morocco in such an early age?

Other terrorists of Moroccan origin involved in the Catalonia attack include the Hichamy brothers, Omar, 21, and Mohamed 24. They were shot dead in Cambrils. They were both born in Mrirt. The two brothers left Morocco respectively at the age of 3 and 6. Nevertheless, their Moroccan origin is highlighted every now and then by some Western media outlets as if it was in Mrirt where they learnt the basics of terrorism.

Likewise, the other suspects, the Aalla brothers, Said, Youssef have immigrated to spain at the age of 8 and 11 respectively, while one of the Oukabir brothers, who were shot dead too in Vambril near Ripolll, Driss, 28, left Morocco at the age of 10.

The persistence of Western media to raise the Moroccan nationality whenever the issue of Catalonia terrorist attacks is raised is actually clouding the real reasons behind the terrorist threat in Spain: domestically radicalized youth.

A recent survey from West Points Combating Terrorism Center found that since the Madrid 2004 terrorist attacks, more than 720 people have been detained in Spain in connection with jihadi terrorism, and almost a quarter of the 178 people arrested for terrorism-related activities over the past three years are from Barcelona.

The study shows that nine out of every 10 detainees included in the survey have been radicalized partly or fully while inside Spain, where terrorist recruiting agents take advantage of the hardships of immigrants in their ghettos and the lack of state effort to ensure their full integration.

Another factor that contributed to the radicalization of the youth involved in Catalonia attack is the lack of oversight over mosques in Spain. Police reports indicate that they have been indoctrinated by an unqualified Imam at a mosque in Ripol. This Imam, Abdelbaki Es Satty, who left Morocco and abandoned his children has learnt the basics of extremism between Spain and Belgium. Belgian authorities warned Spain about his extremist propension, but he managed to keep his job in leading disillusioned youth astray.

Es Satty has also been indicted on drug trafficking charges among other crimes. Had Spain consulted Morocco on Es Satty, he could have never been an Imam.

Spain and the EU in general should reconsider their laxity with extremist religious discourse and develop more policies to integrate the disenchanted youth hailing from migration, mainly Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian migration.

The spread of confusion by highlighting every now and then the origins of the terrorists will backfire. Spreading such amalgams plays into the discourse of far-right groups who are seeking to pin all that goes wrong in the Western societies on Muslim immigrants.

Such discrimination, if not contained, will result in a counter reaction and an increased stigmatization, which could lead to radicalization. The wise thing to do is to tackle terrorism as a global problem requiring the help and contribution of the Muslim diaspora, authorities and the media and trans-border cooperation.
The US Administration has set six conditions to be met by Cairo before it unfreezes the military aid it cut last week, London-based The New Arab reports.

Washington decided last week to delay $195m in military aid to Cairo because of concerns over Egypts human rights record, the ratification in May by President al-Sisi of a controversial anti-NGO law, and Egypts cozy relationship with North Korea.

The New Arab, citing Egyptian diplomatic sources at home and in the US, revealed that the decision took Cairo by surprise and that contacts with US Congress members and the US administration pointed out that the White House is expecting Cairo to abide by six conditions before the frozen money is accessible again by Egypt.

According to the media outlet, the first condition is the amendment of the anti-NGOs law that renders the work of the charities almost impossible. The sources, who spoke under condition of anonymity, told the media that Washington wants the legislation to be less restrictive in a way that allows US charities to go about their work in Egypt and protects local NGO workers.

As a second condition, the US wants the al-Sisi administration to ease its crackdown on dissent and allow critical political voices to take part in the political life of the North African country.

Since taking power in 2013, hundreds of political opponents and Islamists, mainly members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, have been arrested and jailed following unfair mass trials.

The diplomats said Washington wants Sisi to release left-wing and Islamist prisoners detained in the wake of his takeover of power to reduce the risk of radicalization, The New Arab notes.

The diplomats argued that the US is getting concerned over the likely emergence of another Islamist trend, which may erupt as a result of the continued crackdown on the Islamists.

Washington is closely watching Cairos foreign policy, which has tilted towards Russia alongside with Cairos strong ties with North Korea; one of US global enemies.

Washington believes that Moscow has done nothing to push Sisi into committing to his obligations towards the US, one of the diplomats said.

Washington has accused Cairo of supplying Pyongyang with Scud missiles and other military equipment.

The fourth concern, according to the sources, is the lack of transparency in Egypts fight against an insurgency in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, where an Islamic State group affiliate has killed hundreds of soldiers and policemen, the London-based media reports.

Many proofs have revealed execution of militant suspects and unlawful arrests of civilians in the Sinai, in the name of the fight against terrorism. The US administration wants Cairo to respect human rights.

Washington is warry to see the restive peninsula becoming the next stronghold of the Islamic State group (IS) after it lost Libya, Iraq and on the verge of losing Syria one diplomat told the media.

The fifth condition set by Washington is further involvement of Cairo in the moribund Palestine-Israel peace process and in political crisis in neighboring Libya, the diplomats highlighted.

The US believes that the Egyptian president has failed to change the status quo on the two issues.

And lastly, Washington is expecting Cairo to curb the militarys growing domination of the economy and open up the market for foreign investors to create more job opportunities, the sources said.

The Egyptian military has a long history of its involvement in the countrys economy. The army has built factories, businesses.

The countrys economy is badly in need of foreign investment to shore up the economic crisis, which emerged following the 2011 revolution.
Libyas Prime Minister Faiez Serraj Sunday agreed with his host, Sudanese President Omar Beshir, to warm bilateral ties following border dispute between the two Muslim countries.

Khartoum had accused the forces of the self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) of Khalifa Haftar of backing forces opposed to Omar Beshir and using Sudanese mercenaries in the so-called fight against terrorism.

Haftar forces are controlling the South-eastern Libyan borders with Sudan.

The LNA accused Khartoum last month of collaborating with Qatar in supporting terrorists. Sudanese staff at the diplomatic mission in Kufra were sent back home.

Although Serraj does not control the Libyan-Sudanese border, he is keen to have Sudan on his side. Beshir, whose relations with Cairo are also relatively tense, sees Tripoli as a major partner in combating rebels opposed to Khartoum.

We are affected directly by the insecurity in Libya, which has made it expensive for us to fight human trafficking, illegal immigration and cross-border crimes, Beshir said, reported the Libya Herald.

We have no agenda in Libya other than the unity of Libya and the interest of the Libyan people so that they can enjoy stability, he added.

We discussed during the talks the importance of securing the border between the two countries and activating [existing] agreements, said Serraj who was visiting Sudan for the first time as head of the Presidency Council.

Both leaders oversaw the signing of a memorandum establishing a political consultation committee between the two countries foreign ministries.
Cameroon has renewed its firm backing and constant recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over its Sahara during a meeting held lately in Yaounde between Cameroonian officials and a Moroccan MP delegation.

The Moroccan delegation, led by deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Mohamed Ouzzine, had talks with Speakers of Cameroons Senate and National Assembly, Marcel Niat Njifenji, and Djibril Cabye Sidibe, and with several cabinet members of this African country.

Cameroon has reiterated its support to Moroccos sovereignty over its southern provinces, said Ouzzine in Yaounde

Moroccan-Cameroonian talks, which focused on cooperation prospects between the two countries and economic partnership, were held on the sidelines of the meeting of the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) convened in Cameroons Capital Aug.23-27.

The Pan African Parliament was established as an organ the African Union (AU) in order to ensure the full participation of African peoples in the development and economic integration of the continent.

Its ultimate goal is to evolve into an institution with full legislative powers, whose members are elected by universal suffrage. The PAP seeks to facilitate the effective implementation of the policies and objectives of the AU and promote the principle of human rights and democracy in Africa.

It encourages good governance, transparency and accountability in member States. It seeks also to promote peace, security and stability in the continent.

The PAP endeavors to contribute to a more prosperous future for the peoples of Africa by promoting collective self-reliance & economic recovery, enhancing inter-African cooperation and strengthening solidarity among Africans.
With Bannon the Barbarian back in the saddle at Breitbart News, the populist outlet will become even more acerbic in pushing Trump to ignore globalist family members and advisers. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AFP/Getty Images

When Steve Bannon returned to Breitbart News the very day his resignation from the White House staff was announced, there was immediately speculation that Bannon the Barbarian (as he called himself) might focus his powerful right-wing media outlet on settling scores, within and beyond the Trump administration.

Just over a week later, Breitbart seems to be settling into the sort of loyal gadfly role some conservative agitators took during the Ronald Reagan administration, blaming everything their hero did that they disliked on the work of manipulative centrist insiders. It is unclear whether their slogan will be Let Trump Be Trump, but it will involve the same careful balancing act, with the added peril of risking alienation of the most thin-skinned president since his hero Andrew Jackson.

So far, as a useful catalogue of this last weeks Brietbart headlines by Politico shows, the fiery site has only directly criticized Trump on one topic: his decision to go with the recommendations of the generals on Afghanistan. But on that topic Breitbarts Raheem Kassam was blunt in blaming Trumps positioning on National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, Bannons chief globalist rival in the White House and a man Breitbart has been pounding for months.

This isnt about changing his perspective on the war. POTUS is a remarkably astute and stubborn individual. This was about the swamp getting to him.

Afghanistan aside, Breitbart has continued its fairly regular criticism of Jared Kushner and Gary Cohn, while defending Trumps aggressive utterances on Confederate monuments, the border wall, and the failings of the Republican Congress. A pretty characteristic line of attack, from Breitbart veteran Neil Munro, accuses West Wing Democrats of conspiring to convince Trump to break his campaign promises on immigration.

There was one departure from the official Trump line last week that might show Breitbart News having an impact on the presidents views. The sites Washington editor, Matthew Boyle, who is especially close to Bannon, hyped a Sarah Palin endorsement of Judge Roy Moore against Trumps endorsed candidate, Luther Strange, in the Alabama GOP Senate runoff. But he didnt leave it at that: His piece pounded Strange as an anti-Trump puppet of Mitch McConnell who opposes the presidents demands for the abolition of the legislative filibuster, and didnt mention Trumps endorsement of the incumbent.

Within a day, the Washington Post was reporting that Trump was rethinking his support for Strange, and might do little or nothing for Big Luther in his life-or-death struggle with Moore. Thats probably not a coincidence.

So one way to look at it is that Breitbart will continue its customary more-Catholic-than-the-Pope attitude toward Daddy, praising him most of the time while criticizing him when he listens to the wrong people instead of following his populist instincts. But as Rosie Gray points out, there could be one big difference in how Breitbart operates now that Bannon is back:

One of the surprising things about Breitbart during the Trump era so far has been that for the amount of access it supposedly has, the site hasnt broken much news. Yes, Boyle has interviewed Trump, and other administration officials have given interviews to Breitbart. But most of the big leaks out of the administration have gone to mainstream news outlets.

But now, as one Breitbart staffer pointed out to me, though the sites staffers were nearly as in the dark before as other outlets when it came to the inside goings-on of the administration, that will change with the reentry of Bannon. He returns with just about the most insider knowledge a person could have of the White House 

Bannon will try to use some of the shit that hes learned, said [former Breibart writer Lee] Stranahan.

In the most insanely turbulent news environment anyone can remember, Breitbarts ability to break news could be a new and even more unsettling factor. And its as likely as not that on any given occasion Trump will agree with what Bannons hirelings are saying  even if its to say the president needs to stop listening to his own staff.
Perhaps this time around DLC co-founder Will Marshall wont punch hippies or engage in intra-party strife. Photo: Progressive Policy Institute

When a new Democratic group launched earlier this month with the announced goal of expanding the partys electoral base into more conservative territory, the ranks of those who are ever-ready for a struggle for the soul of the Democratic Party rejoiced. That included conservatives eager to suggest the group would be a redoubt for pro-life candidates progressives wanted to exclude; progressives quick to label it as advocating the rich-friendly neoliberalism inflected with white identity politics that Democrats have begun to repudiate; and mainstream-media folk looking for a new entrant in the fight over the partys direction. There were also some clueless observers who apparently thought the groups name, New Democracy, harkened back to a Maoist slogan rather than to the New Democrats that were Bill Clintons (and to some extent Barack Obamas) ideological comrades.

Those who were familiar with the New Democrats (and the organization that launched them, the now-defunct Democratic Leadership Council) can be forgiven for assuming the new group would again be taking up the cudgels against fundamentalist liberalism and an interest-group-dominated Democratic Party  particularly given the new prominence of democratic socialist Bernie Sanders and his followers. After all, New Democracys founder, Will Marshall, was a co-founder of the DLC more than three decades ago, and he still espouses some of the same policy views (bemoaning economic anti-globalization and pessimism) and political perspectives (embracing a big tent party committed to persuasion as well as mobilization of voters) familiar to participants and spectators of intra-party fights in the past.

But in an interview with Ezra Klein, Marshall disclaimed any interest in struggling for souls:

I was interested to see that Marshall has formed a new organization: New Democracy, which promises to expand the partys appeal across Middle America and make Democrats competitive everywhere. The DLC wing of the Democratic Party has been surprisingly quiet as its legacy has come under attack, and as the argument over the future of the party has centered on how far left it should go. The debate, I assumed, was about to be joined. But when I reached him, thats not what happened.

I dont know the one true path to durable progressive majorities, and I dont think anyone else does either, Marshall says. When youre in the minority, you need to expand in every direction.

When asked to live up, or down, to his reputation as a lefty-basher, Marshall demurred:

A few decades ago, Marshall helped lead a confident ideological insurgency that reshaped the Democratic Party from top to bottom. Today, he sounds chastened. Were not interested in engaging in sectarian battles for control of the Democratic Partys steering wheel, he says. New Democracy isnt aimed at safe blue districts. The Democratic Party is doing well there. Were focused on the competitive ground where we need to make big gains.

Among the current and former elected officials New Democracy has signed up, most are indeed from red and purple states. But they hardly resemble the southern white boys the DLC was often accused of representing. Their southern contingent prominently includes two African-Americans from the reddest of red states, U.S. Representative Terri Sewell of Alabama and Columbia, South Carolina, mayor Steve Benjamin. Perhaps their best-known white Southerner is New Orleans mayor Mitch Landrieu, whose conspicuous stand against neo-Confederate monuments makes the idea this group promotes white identity politics a bit absurd. Most typical of the New Democracy supporters is probably former Iowa governor and Obama Cabinet member Tom Vilsack, who has watched his states hard-won Democratic majorities unravel rapidly over the last few years, from the top to the bottom of the ballot.

I should note that I was a colleague of Marshall at the DLC back in the day. I almost certainly preceded and exceeded him in the sort of humbled reevaluation of the organizations tenets that Klein observes, as reflected in my own conflicted assessment of the DLC when it closed its doors, in 2011. But his ecumenical spirit was exemplified by a joint statement on economic policy he co-signed with the American Prospects Robert Kuttner  yes, the same rigorously progressive Robert Kuttner whose commitment to economic populism made Stephen Bannon think he might make common cause with Trump in China-bashing  back in 2004. Some of us who knew both men thought this meeting of the Democratic minds could be a sign of the End Times.

In any event, Marshall and his colleagues appear to come in peace, asking for a job some Democrats are loath to do. As Jesse Jackson once said to a DLC gathering, it takes two wings to fly. That doesnt mean party conflicts can be perpetually avoided. As Klein observes, when it comes time to nominate a presidential candidate for 2020, there can only be one winner. And Marshalls suggestion of a red-state/blue-state division of labor wont convince populists who believe that their own message, not some squishy business-friendly centrism, is the ideal ice-breaker for white working-class voters. But with Donald Trump still raging around the White House, and Republicans still controlling most of the levers of power in Washington and a majority of the states, a delay in the intra-party fisticuffs as long as possible probably makes sense.
Donald Trump, Tevfik Arif, and Felix Sater attend the Trump Soho Launch Party on September 19, 2007, in New York. Photo: Mark Von Holden/WireImage

There are three known channels for potential collaboration between the Trump campaign and the Russian influence operation on its behalf. The first, and best-known, is a meeting in Trump Tower between Russian agents and Donald Trump Jr., Paul Manafort, and Jared Kushner. A second channel was an attempt by Republican operative Peter W. Smith to obtain Hillary Clintons emails through Russian hackers. (Robert Mueller is investigating Michael Flynns connection to this operation, The Wall Street Journal reported a few days ago.)

Now the New York Times reveals a third potential channel: Trump associate Felix Sater, who described his ambitions in emails to his friend (and Trumps lawyer) Michael Cohen, in emails: Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.

We dont yet know for certain what level of cooperation any of these three channels produced. Saters channel is particularly intriguing. Whatever Sater did began much earlier than any other known case of collaboration  he emailed Cohen about the scheme in November 2015, seven months before the Trump Tower meeting. Sater has deep financial connections to Trump and to Russia. Andrew Rices profile is a good place to start understanding Sater  a Russian-American gangster, a friend of Cohen since childhood, and an important Trump business partner who worked out of Trump Tower.

In an interview with Rice, Sater denied any collusion between Trump and Russia: But was it really a conspiracy between Putin and Donald to get him elected? A little bit of a stretch. He also refused to answer when asked the last time he had spoken with Trump.

Trump, likewise, has been highly evasive on the subject of Sater. Felix Sater, boy, I have to even think about it, Trump told the Associated Press in December 2015, referring questions about Sater to his staff. Im not that familiar with him. In 2013, Trump walked away from a BBC interview when asked about Sater:

But Saters work on behalf of Trump continued through the campaign and beyond. Sater, the Washington Post reported last night, tried to set up a deal for Trump to build in Moscow in late 2015, and Trumps company signed a letter of intent. (During the campaign, Trump denied any financial involvement with Russia: I have nothing to do with Russia, he told CBS Miami. I dont have any jobs in Russia. Im all over the world but were not involved in Russia. Like many of his claims on this and other subjects, he was lying.)

In January 2016, Cohen emailed Vladimir Putins top aide requesting help on the project. And a few weeks after Trump was inaugurated, the New York Times reported months ago, Cohen and Sater gave Flynn a proposal for a pro-Russian settlement with Ukraine.

What all three channels have in common is documented proof that officials working for Trump had an utterly blase attitude about soliciting Russian cooperation for the Trump campaign. When promised Russian-produced dirt on Hillary Clinton, Donald Jr. eagerly replied, If its what you say I love it. Peter Smith met with Matt Tait, a British cybersecurity expert, in the hopes of obtaining stolen Clinton emails, and did not care at all that he might get them from Russia. (He never expressed to me any discomfort with the possibility that the emails he was seeking were potentially from a Russian front, a likelihood he was happy to acknowledge, Tait recounted.) And Sater seems to assume that whatever plan he was cooking up would succeed: I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected, he wrote.

We dont yet know how deep any of these schemes ultimately went. We do know that the principal figures in all of them took the premise of accepting Russian help for Trumps campaign as an obvious backdrop assumption. If theres an email in which one of Trumps staffers expresses shock or bewilderment at the idea that Vladimir Putin would want to help elect Trump, or that Trump would accept his aide, it has not yet turned up.

In its place we have a series of denials by a wide array of figures in Trumps orbit about their connections to Russia. The denials keep crumbling, one by one. There is no reason to assume the pattern will stop any time soon.
Forever ever? Photo: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

Last week, the State Department suggested that it would not push for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, because doing so might bias one side over the other.

This was a perplexing statement. The two-state solution had been Americas official position on the conflict for decades precisely because its the only framework that could (however, superficially) accommodate the fundamental, internationally validated demands of each side: for Israel, the ability to maintain a democratic, Jewish ethno-state insulated from the demographic threat of Arab procreation; for the Palestinians, independent political power and an end to military occupation.

The Trump administration is not going to support a one-state solution that grants all of the regions residents equal-citizenship rights, as such a proposal would jeopardize Israels identity as a Jewish state (as opposed to a binational one). So, the State Department was ostensibly saying that it would be biased for the U.S. to rule out a one-state solution in which Palestinians in the occupied territories are treated as second-class citizens, by virtue of their ethnicity, in perpetuity (an arrangement that Israels own leaders have likened to apartheid).

This implication was not lost on the Palestinian leadership. As the Times of Israel reported:

On Sunday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told a group of dovish Israeli lawmakers that he had met with Trump officials 20 times, but had no idea what their stance on issues was, describing the administration as in chaos.

Other officials have expressed dismay as well and accused the US of being biased toward Israel, even as a delegation led by Trumps senior adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner arrives in the region to try and find a way forward.

On Tuesday, Ahmad Majdalani, a top aide to Abbas, said the Palestinians asked Kushner for the US position on two key issues  Israeli settlements and support for Palestinian independence  during his last visit to the region in June.

Since then we didnt hear from them, he said.

Such silence may be unnerving for Abbas, but it seems to have been liberating for Benjamin Netanyahu. On Monday, the Israeli prime minister vowed that Israel would never uproot any of its (illegal) settlements in the West Bank  a pledge thats (all-but) impossible to reconcile with the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

We are here to stay, forever, Netanyahu said, at an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Israels occupation of the West Bank, according to Haaretz.

There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the land of Israel. It has been proven that it does not help peace, the prime minister continued. So we will not fold. We are guarding Samaria [the biblical name for part of the West Bank] against those who want to uproot us. We will deepen our roots, build, strengthen and settle.

It has been clear for some time now that Netanyahus government has no interest in two states. The status quo works well for the Likud government and its constituents  or, at least, well enough that it has little incentive to offer controversial concessions to the Palestinians. This basic fact was clear to the last American diplomat to push for peace, John Kerry.

But Netanyahus remarks Monday were unusually forthright in their contempt for Palestinian independence. To the extent that the Trump administrations abandonment of the two-state framework contributed to this candor, it may actually prove productive. Now, we can stop pretending that the Likud government is interested in granting Palestinians political autonomy of any kind. To avoid genuine bias in their pursuit of peace, future U.S. policymakers will have to accept this fact  and resolve to make indefinite occupation less comfortable for Israel than it currently is.
Kim Jong-un. Photo: STR/AFP/Getty Images

North Korea appears to have fired a long-range missile over northern Japan, an extraordinary act of aggression by the rogue regime, and one that came less than 24 hours after U.S. and Japanese forces concluded joint exercises in Hokkaido, the nations northernmost island.

Northeast Japan woke up Tuesday morning (local time) to learn that North Korea had fired a missile in its direction. The Japanese government warned residents of the Tohoku region that a North Korean missile was headed for their area, according to local broadcaster NHK.

Alarm from the JP Gov again. "A North Korean missile passed over this area. If you find suspicious things, please never touch them." pic.twitter.com/EbYioe2VpZ  Chihok (@Chihokomoriya) August 28, 2017

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later told reporters that the missile appeared to have overshot the nation, according to CNBC.

A senior U.S. intelligence has told NBC News that this is, ostensibly, the first North Korean missile test to ever pass over Japan on a high-altitude trajectory. The South Korean military estimates that the missile traveled 1678 miles, and reached a height of 341 miles, according to the Associated Press.

On Saturday, North Korea launched three short-range ballistic missiles, in its first weapons test since the United Nations Security Council unanimously voted to impose a new round of sanctions on the country.

Earlier this month, President Trump vowed that North Korean aggression would be met by fire and fury like the world has never seen. Kim Jong-uns regime responded to that aggression by threatening an attack on the U.S. territory of Guam.
I, alone, can destroy it. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images

It was always clear that Donald Trump could never be fully White Housetrained. No chief of staff could ever quiet the billionaires bark, or keep him from chewing up the Oval Office scenery. The septuagenerian celebrity is set in his ways  and those ways include broadcasting nearly every destructive impulse that skims across the surface of his mind.

But while few believed they could muzzle the president, many have thought he could be defanged. Which is to say: With the right personnel in place, Trumps sound and fury could be made to signify nothing  or, at least, not very much.

Just yesterday, the secretary of State affirmed this conviction. Earlier in the week, the United Nations had condemned Trumps kind words for the very fine people who marched with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. On Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace asked Rex Tillerson whether Americas allies could trust that it would continue living its values. I dont believe anyone doubts the American peoples values, Tillerson said. Asked about Trumps values, the secretary replied, The president speaks for himself.

Here, Tillerson wasnt merely disavowing Trumps rhetoric, but rather, suggesting that the presidents most incendiary statements have no bearing on U.S. policy.

This belittling of the president wasnt unprecedented  only unprecedentedly public. Top administration officials have been reassuring the world that our commander-in-chief is all bark, no bite, for months now. After Trump vowed to meet the next threatening statement from North Korea with fire and fury like the world has never seen, White House aides and cabinet officials spread word that he was merely riffing. When the president abandoned a longtime U.S. ally over Twitter, Tillerson reaffirmed Americas support for Qatar. And after the president banned transgender Americans from serving in the armed forces (in a pair of tweets), the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ignored  and implicitly rebuked  his order.

Earlier in the administration, Trumps loud threats to cancel NAFTA, launch a trade war against China, withhold Obamacare subsidies from insurers, cancel the Iran deal, force a shutdown over border-wall funding, and lift sanctions on Russia had all come to nothing.

Of course, from day one, the president has charted a cruel, illiberal, mindlessly destructive course on immigration and environmental policy. But cruelty toward the undocumented and blithe indifference to climate change dont place Trump outside of Beltway norms. Where the moguls populism has put him in tension with his partys military and business Establishments, Trump has (almost) always demurred to the swamp. And after those Establishments finally pushed Steve Bannon out of the White House  and more troops into Afghanistan  there was reason to think that Trump would remain deferential to them, in perpetuity.

But then, on Friday, Trump made the transgender ban official; pardoned a proto-fascist sheriff in defiance of Justice Department guidelines; and, reportedly, decided that he will buck popular opinion, and subject undocumented people who were brought to the United States as children to the threat of immediate deportation.

Meanwhile, the president is apparently pressuring intelligence officials to manufacture evidence that Iran is violating the terms of the nuclear agreement. In July, Trump told The Wall Street Journal that if it were up to him, he would have declared Iran noncompliant 180 days ago (despite the fact that American and European intelligence officials agree that there is no evidence to support that claim). While the American foreign-policy Establishment was divided on the merits of entering the deal, no mainstream analysts support withdrawing from it unilaterally, on a false pretense. This is because such a move would do more to hurt Americas relationship with its European allies, and broader diplomatic credibility, than to discipline Tehran.

Whats more, on Sunday night, Axios reported that Trump was considering firing one of the administrations most reliable dispensers of such inconvenient geopolitical facts  Rex Tillerson. Among Trumps complaints with the secretary: Tillerson contradicted the presidents response to the recent tensions over Qatar. In other words: The president may fire his top diplomat for refusing to allow him to poison diplomatic relations with a key U.S. ally (that hosts one of Americas most strategically vital air bases in the Middle East) on a whim.

Rumors of a Rexit arent new. But they put Tillersons comments to Chris Wallace in a new light: Perhaps the secretary didnt rebuke Trump out of confidence in his independence from the president, but rather out of indifference to remaining in a post where he must do the moguls bidding.

None of these developments directly threatens the interests of Wall Street or the military-industrial complex. And the Arpaio pardon actually represents an instance of Trump honoring the advice of his aides, albeit that of his most radical ones.

But they all serve as reminders that Trump doesnt just play the president on TV  for all his Cabinets assurances to the contrary, at the end of the day, its the billionaires finger on the button.

And someday, he just might push one that afflicts the powerful. Observe this recent Oval Office exchange revealed by Axios, and undisputed by the White House:

The scene: The Oval Office, during Gen. Kellys first week as Chief of Staff. Kelly convened a meeting to discuss the administrations plans to investigate China for stealing American intellectual property and technology. Kelly stood beside Trump, behind the Resolute desk. In front of the desk were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, senior trade adviser Peter Navarro, top economic adviser Gary Cohn, and Trumps former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump, addressing Kelly, said, John, you havent been in a trade discussion before, so I want to share with you my views. For the last six months, this same group of geniuses comes in here all the time and I tell them, Tariffs. I want tariffs. And what do they do? They bring me IP. I cant put a tariff on IP. (Most in the room understood that the president can, in fact, use tariffs to combat Chinese IP theft.)

 John, let me tell you why they didnt bring me any tariffs, he said. I know there are some people in the room right now that are upset. I know there are some globalists in the room right now. And they dont want them, John, they dont want the tariffs. But Im telling you, I want tariffs.

There are two ways to read this. One is as a toothless, symbolic gesture to Trumps base. Axios is well-sourced among the (freshly evicted) Bannonites. This anecdote helps establish Breitbarts new narrative  that the populist presidents better instincts are being stymied by globalists. And Trump has evinced some approval for this sort of story. In recent days, the president has indicated that he believes he can turn his policy-making impotence into a strength. The idea being: By claiming that his first-term was sabotaged by Establishment forces within the congressional GOP and deep state, Trump could still play the voice of popular frustration with the status quo in 2020, and campaign for reelection as an outsider within his own White House. Thus, the administration confirmed the veracity of Axioss story because they want to portray the president as committed to his trade agenda  but helpless to enact it.

Alternatively, one could accept the exchange on its face: Trump is anxious to start a trade war with China, and furious with those who keep telling him he cant.

If the latter is true, theres reason for Wall Street to fear that, someday, Trump wont take no for an answer. As his legislative agenda has stalled, the president has made a regular habit of publicly rebuking his partys leadership. In most cases, these attacks have been rhetorical. But Trumps decision to back a primary challenge against Jeff Flake represents a real, substantive break with the Senate GOP.

Should tax reform fail, Trump could grow bolder. Already convinced that he needs distance from his partys Establishment, the president may see little downside in bucking its wisdom on economics. Many of Trumps most radical actions have been motivated by a desire to compensate for a legislative failure with executive action. The presidents decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement came as Obamacare repeal was falling months behind schedule. His pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio  and reported readiness to end DACA  came as his request for border-wall funding remains stalled in the Senate.

The president can impose tariffs unilaterally. If his jobs agenda isnt moving through Congress, he just might reach for that lever  and teach the business class what the most vulnerable people in America learned long ago: This presidency bites.
Trump on the debate stage in October 2015, as his associates were trying to make Trump Tower Moscow happen. Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Days after Donald Trump officially became his partys presidential nominee at the 2016 Republican National Convention, he insisted on Twitter and in interviews that he had no business dealings in Russia. I mean I have nothing to do with Russia, he told CBS Miami. I dont have any jobs in Russia. Im all over the world but were not involved in Russia.

This may have been technically true at the time, but it wasnt for lack of trying. On Sunday the Washington Post reported that the Trump Organization was still pursuing a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow in late 2015 and early 2016, months into his presidential campaign. Per the Post:

As part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested that he could get President Vladimir Putin to say great things about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence.

The developer, Felix Sater, predicted in a November 2015 email that he and Trump Organization leaders would soon be celebrating  both one of the biggest residential projects in real estate history and Donald Trumps election as president, according to two of the people with knowledge of the exchange.

Sater wrote to Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen something to the effect of, Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president?  said one person briefed on the email exchange.

Trump never went to Moscow, but by late 2015 Trump and Putin were publicly praising each other. According to the Post, the ill-fated project was well under way at the time:

Discussions about the Moscow project began in earnest in September 2015, according to people briefed on the deal. An unidentified investor planned to build the project and, under a licensing agreement, put Trumps name on it. Cohen acted as a lead negotiator for the Trump Organization. It is unclear how involved or aware Trump was of the negotiations.

The Trump Organization signed a letter of intent with investors, but they never secured the land or permits for the Trump Tower in Moscow (nevertheless, Russia renewed six Trump trademarks in 2016). The project was abandoned in January 2016, just as Trump was winning his first presidential primaries.

Trumps attempts to build in Russia date back to the late 80s, and are well-documented. The Posts report sheds new light on the Trump Tower Moscow project, based on information from sources and what appear to be subpoenaed Trump organization emails which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon. The New York Times first mentioned Saters claim that he was pursuing a Trump Tower in Moscow back in February. Earlier this month, Sater told TPM that the deal died in the final months of 2015 because, Once the campaign was really going-going, it was obvious there were going to be no deals internationally. As New Yorks Andrew Rice noted around the same time, For an international man of mystery, Sater can be quite talkative.

TPMs Josh Marshall explains that there are two potentially significant revelations in the Post report. The first is that Cohen  who was acting as a spokesman for the Trump campaign in fall 2015  was also lead negotiator on the Moscow deal. Second is that congressional investigators are getting their hands on the Trump Organizations emails. It seems we can expect to learn much more about Trumps murky Russian business dealings, which ostensibly dont exist.
Louise Mensch and her writing partner fell for a hoax. Photo: Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

In the fallout of last November, as liberals and conservatives both attempted to make sense of Trumps election, an odd and unlikely figure emerged: former British conservative MP Louise Mensch, who became the leading figure in what was essentially a liberal conspiracy movement dedicated to propagating wildly outlandish theories about the president.

Together with a man named Claude Taylor  tweeting under the handle @TrueFactsStated  Mensch began posting scoops, which were often unsupported and far-fetched, but which she nonetheless claimed to have received from legit sources  and which tended to go viral.

Chief among those claims was the contention that Donald Trump has already been indicted, impeached, and removed from office by secret court proceedings. To anyone with half a brain, it scanned as ludicrous. To people still desperately searching for an explanation for the Trump presidency that wasnt misogyny, racism, and economic resentment, it read as a turning point in the crowd-sourced conspiracy investigation, a saving throw of sorts in the fight for democracy.

But Mensch and Taylor are now walking back some claims after the Guardian was contacted by a hoaxer fed up with the pairs antics. The false tip alleged that Trumps modeling agency was being investigated by authorities over concerns of sex trafficking. The hoaxer claimed to work with New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman.

The source said that Taylor asked no questions to verify my identity, did no vetting whatsoever, sought no confirmation from a second source  but instead asked leading questions to support his various theories, asking me to verify them.

He asked things like, Is there anything you have heard thats really going to shock people? An Oh my god! sort of thing?

Taylor walked back the story earlier today.

2. suspect the info was not genuine. It turns out the tips were phony. As a "citizen journalist" I acknowledge my error and do apologize.  Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) August 28, 2017

Taylor also claimed on Twitter that someone from the Schneiderman office had reached out to inform him of the bogus claim, though his public disclosure on Twitter came only after the Guardian inquired. Louise Mensch, who is leveling similar allegations, claimed to have separate sources backing it up. The New York AGs office stressed to the Guardian that readers should be discerning about where they get their news.
A parliamentary investigation has accused Rubanda West MP Eng Denis Sabiiti of having used his former office in the ministry of Works and Transport to steer the lucrative vehicle inspection contract to Swiss company; Societe Generale de Surveillance (SGS).

The investigating parliamentary committee on Physical Infrastructure accused Sabiiti of deliberately locking out other interested companies.

Sabiiti is also accused of soliciting for a job as a consultant with SGS when he worked as a commissioner at the ministry of Works and Transport.

In March 2015, government awarded SGS a $12.5 million contract to do mandatory inspection of vehicles largely to get cars in poor mechanical condition off the countrys roads and reduce road accidents.

However, when the matter came to the floor of parliament, MPs demanded to know how the company got the contract and why it charges exorbitant fees for vehicle inspection.

Vehicle inspection station, Namulanda

In June this year, the speaker of parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, directed the Physical Infrastructure committee to investigate the SGS contract terms and also look into the fees levied and the management of the inspection exercise.

In the course of the investigation, the committee found that Eng. Sabiiti was the chairman of the ministry of Works contracts committee at the time SGS was awarded the contract. He later resigned in May 2015 to join elective politics.

Last Wednesday, Sabiiti was grilled by MPs for his role in brokering the SGS deal, an accusation he roundly denied. He said all decisions were authorized by the permanent secretary, ministry of Works, and were in conformity with procurement laws.

However, the committee chaired by Lilian Nakate (Luweero Woman) received a confidential document, showing that Sabiiti was hired as a consultant after the contract award and received Shs 10 million ($3,000) from SGS.

His contract ran for 10 months from July 17, 2015 to May 17, 2016.

SGS does not hire an individual and that is in their policy. You ask them; they have company policies, which they submitted. I resigned from the ministry in May 2015 and I was free to solicit for work anywhere, Sabiiti told MPs and demanded that they produce evidence linking him to SGS.

When Jonathan Odur (Erute South) asked him whether he was paid any money by SGS, Sabiiti said no. But during another meeting on Friday, August 25, top SGS managers in the country revealed that Sabiiti was hired as a consultant.

SGS country director Christophe Dubois told the committee that Sabiiti was hired by the parent company SGS SA in Switzerland for consultancy work.

I am not aware of the content of this consultancy agreement. As far as I know, he was supposed to assist in his field of expertise about regulations in motor vehicle inspection services and other technical issues. We have a code of integrity that forbids us from appointing any elected person, that is why the consultancy agreement ended, Dubois said.

MPs including Elijah Okupa (Kasilo) and Richard Othieno Okoth (West Budama North) demanded a copy of SGS contract with Sabiiti. But Dubois declined, citing confidentiality issues.

This is something I have to reroute to my bosses in Geneva. I am not allowed to disclose this, Dubois said.

Okupa, however, told him that the committee under Rule 197 of the Rules of Procedure has powers to compel witnesses to produce documents needed for its investigations. The committee directed him to produce the contract on Monday (today).

eyotaru@gmail.com
President Museveni is expected to camp in Kalungu district today and tomorrow to bolster NRMs campaign to retain the districts LC-V chair in Thursdays by-election.

NRMs Richard Kyabaggu, whose February 2016 election was annulled for electoral malpractices, is facing a tough challenge from his predecessor, DPs Emmanuel Musoke, in an election that has sharply divided the NRM leadership in the district.

A sizeable number of NRM leaders are allied to Kalungu West MP Joseph Ssewungu (DP), in supporting Musoke, while Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries minister and Kalungu East MP Vincent Ssempijja (NRM) is struggling to keep party members united behind Kyabaggu.

While Ssempijjas camp hopes to ride on Musevenis influence to win Thursdays by-election, Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi (aka Bobi Wine) is also joining the DP camp in the final push for votes.

President Museveni shakes hands with Bobi Wine

The race also has two NRM-leaning independents, Mathias Kintu Musoke and David Luyombo Busagwa, who defied a call by NRM secretary general Justine Kasule Lumumba to stand down in favour of Kyabaggu.

Away from the real candidates, the campaign has opened a bitter fight between Ssempijja and Ssewungu, the MPs representing the only two constituencies in the seven-year-old district. The duo continues to trade accusations during speeches at their respective candidates rallies.

As the campaign enters its final phase, several violence-related cases have been lodged with police. Gerald Kiggundu, a former LC-V councilor for Lukaya town council, has filed a complaint with police accusing Ssempijjas aides and three armed soldiers of attacking him.

I was attacked on August 24 at about 8pm but I managed to escape. When they left my place, they went and attacked Charles Sserwanja, the LC-V councilor for Bukulula sub-county, who they stabbed in the hand and also vandalized his motorcycle, Kiggundu told The Observer on August 25.

Ssewungu has also told police he has received death threats from Ssempijjas aides.

Ever since I reported the case at police, they havent taken any action. I will keep an eye on the police but for now I have to mind about Sserwanjas health because he was injured, Ssewungu said.

Sserwanja, an NRM leader, is campaigning for the opposition candidate. Musokes supporters also include the former NRM district chairman, Kiddu Ssali; Lukaya town council mayor Gerald Ssenyondo Kikyamu; and Hussein Kayizzi Matovu of Bukulula.

The party cant accuse us of defiance. We are being respectful to the president who is also our party chairman who always spoke in praise of Musoke [during his term of office] as a hardworking leader. If Museveni recognised that, why should we drop him [Musoke]? Kayizzi wondered.

Secondly, if Museveni himself appointed known opposition politicians like Florence Nakiwala Kiyingi and Beti Kamya to his cabinet, theres no harm in us supporting an opposition candidate, Kayizzi added.

PROTEST VOTE?

Before joining parliament and later cabinet, Ssempijja was the district chairman of Masaka before it was split into four districts.

Given his seniority, Ssempijja behaves more like a kingmaker.

Some former MPs such as Umar Lule Mawiya (Kalungu East), Anthony Yiga (Kalungu West) and Florence Kintu (Woman) have refused to be put under the thumb of the minister.

Many accuse Ssempijja of failing to use his ministerial position to bring services to Kalungu. Instead, critics claim, the minister spends more time fanning unnecessary political fights.

We have to punish the minister because he has misused his office to fight his fellow leaders in the district instead of using his office to develop the district, Kiggundu said.

To respond to critics, Ssempijja carries a box file of documents listing some of the projects he has brought to Kalungu, including the governments $11 million (Shs 39.6 billion) rural electrification project.

However, Ssewungu also claims to be the brains behind the same project. He carries copies of a printout of his email correspondences, lobbying the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for the same project.

Ssewungu has asked village chairpersons to share the copies with community members. The DP legislator said opposition-held constituencies like his Kalungu West, Florence Namayanjas Bukoto East and Mathias Mpuugas Masaka municipality are doing quite well.

Other than blowing Shs 45m in a single day to fly a chopper here, what has he [Ssempijja] done for his constituency? When government through his ministry procured tractors for distribution to farmers, he took all of them to Mbarara, Ssewungu said.

The vocal MP also accused Ssempijja of using his office to close landing sites in Lukaya town council under the guise of fighting illegal fishing yet he wanted to give the land along the shores of Lake Victoria to some Chinese to cultivate rice.



FRANTIC EFFORTS

Ssempijja has spent the last three weeks overseeing the grading of several roads in the district such as Lukaya - Lusango, Lukaya - Lwabenge, Lwabenge - Kyamuliibwa and Kalungu - Villamaria among others.

Like Ssewungu, who has distributed water to homesteads, Ssempijja has also bought a water tanker to deliver water to any home in need.

He also handed over a double-cabin pickup truck procured under the World Bank-funded Agriculture Cluster Development Project (ACDP) to the districts agriculture department.

At his home in Kapere zone, Lukaya town council, this writer on August 25 found NRM mobilisers drawn from different districts in Masaka sub-region busy with the NRM campaign.

The minister, however, has trouble getting his fellow NRM parliamentarians and ministers to join the campaign. While the DP camp has the support of the entire DP caucus in parliament and other opposition figures such as Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, the only bigwigs that Ssempijja has on Kyabaggus campaign trail include the minister of state for Microfinance, Harunah Kyeyune Kasolo, and EALA representative Mathias Kasamba, who attended the NRM post-nomination rally.

Interviewed, Ssempijja refuted claims of disunity in the NRM camp.

We have made some strides towards reconciliation. All the former MPs and other leaders are with us; we are moving on well. As you may have heard over CBS, I and Mawiya reconciled; we have never been as united as we are in this campaign, Ssempijja said.

The said reconciliation happened on August 19 during the last funeral rites for John Bakitumye Mukasa in Kulubya cell, Lukaya town council when Mawiya announced he had been sent by President Museveni to ask his supporters to rally behind the NRM candidate.

Ssempijja and Mawiya hugged.

The following day, Mawiya hosted about 400 of his campaigners at his Kiweesa home in Bukulula subcounty to further communicate the presidents message.

Interestingly, however, Mawiya told The Observer that reconciliation with Ssempijja is unlikely.

I have not and I doubt whether reconciliation with Ssempijja is possible. I was in Kalungu because I had been asked by the top party leadership to do what I did, Mawiya said.



ABUSED, INSULTED

During last Fridays interview, Ssempijja said he is not taking Ssewungus attacks lightly and is preparing to fight back.

I have been abused by Hon Ssewungu at the rallies and the other day [August 23] he was on NBS TV... I have been called a thief, a stupid person and every bad thing has been said about me but I will use the law and all straight avenues to answer back, Ssempijja said.

Asked about claims that he uses armed men to intimidate Musokes campaigners, Ssempijja said, You came in unnoticed. You never indicated that you would come, but have you seen any guns around? I am powerless. Given the insults against me, I would have behaved differently but I have been the most disciplined.



sadabkk@observer.ug
President Museveni, keen to stop the rampant illegal drugs and ivory trafficking through Entebbe International airport, has directed that all travellers luggage should be checked by sniffer dogs.

According to the minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Prof Ephraim Kamuntu, the directive is largely intended to curb the increased trafficking in wildlife products through the countrys only international airport.

The minister said the sniffer dogs and their handlers will from now have access to any part of the airport, including the VIP section, to ensure they do their job without any interference.

Museveni ordered use of sniffer dogs even on VIPs

In the past, sniffer dogs had been confined to the check-in area. But the president, a source said, was told that traffickers are not ordinary travellers. Some, the source said, have diplomatic passports and can easily use the VIP lounge.

The directive is to ensure that Ugandas international airport is not used as a transit route for smugglers. There are guys that smuggle from outside Uganda and use Entebbe as a transit route; we are stopping it, Kamuntu said.

Last week, a Vietnamese national was arrested at the airport. Uganda Wildlife Authoritys newly acquired dogs sniffed out 23.38kg of rhino horns in the Vietnameses possession.

The 22-year-old Thai Xuan Tuan entered the country by road through Kenya and was scheduled to fly to Hanoi, Vietnam through Doha with Qatar Airways.

The dogs sniffed out the rhinos horns in Tuans bag at the baggage conveyor and followed it to the departure lounge where it was checked and found tagged in his names.

These dogs are to help sniff any of these poached ivory or rhino horns. What the president has done is to grant unlimited access for the dogs and their handlers at the airport to any part of the airport, including the VIP section, to ensure they do their job without any interference, Kamuntu said.

Minister Ephraim Kamuntu and US Ambassador Deborah Malac test drive one of the canine vans donated to UWA

Kamuntu made the announcement at an awards ceremony for the conservation fine art challenge held at the Entebbe-based Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (UWEC). At the ceremony, the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), with support from USAID, handed over a van worth $65,500 (Shs 235.8m) to transport UWA sniffer dogs.

The conservation body also received 130 smart phones worth $33,800 (Shs 121.6m) for ecological monitoring and 50 high performance power banks worth $2450 (Shs 8.82m) from the same donors.

With US funding, AWF first procured four dogs for UWA and funded the training of 12 dog handlers before increasing the number of dogs to six.

Musevenis directive, according to Kamuntu, was based on available evidence of traffickers who have in the past been arrested at Entebbe.

Asked by this writer whether government is not worried about inconveniencing its VIP guests, Kamuntu said, Dogs dont inconvenience anyone, they simply come sniffing and if you are a VIP, you should not be smuggling anything, be true to [your VIP status], be honourable. If you are not smuggling anything, when the dogs come, they will sniff and go.

According UWAs director in charge of conservation, John Makombo, about 15 tonnes of smuggled ivory, rhino horns and bones have so far been impounded at Entebbe.

We have had challenges in the trafficking of wildlife but ever since we deployed the dogs, we have been able to intercept and impound seizures at Entebbe, implying that without the dogs, we wouldnt be able to get these smuggled animal parts, Makombo said.

Quoting a report on the state of Ugandas biodiversity 2017 by Makerere University, US ambassador Deborah Malac urged government to do more to address poaching and trafficking of wildlife products.

Ambassador Deborah Malac (L) talking to a UWA ranger

We can do this by collaborating and strengthening national agencies, including law enforcement and the judiciary, to ensure that wildlife crime cases are appropriately settled, Malac said.

Government is also increasing its conservation efforts, given that nearly 10 per cent of Ugandas GDP comes from tourism yet over 80 per cent of tourism is nature-based. In the past financial year, tourism stood out as the countrys leading foreign earner generating $1.35bn (Shs 4.86 trillion).

sadabkk@observer.ug




apparently kit is related to his character. fun fact!

Reply

Thread

Link

i thought he was related to the guy who invented the toilett

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

he can be related to multiple people

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

I read that! He needs to do one of those celebrity genealogy shows so we can see

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

They're both shit actors so, good luck

Reply

Thread

Link

LMFAOOOOOOO nnnnn, Liv Tyler is so pretty but ITA

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It's weird because he's done a lot of theater work, and you don't keep getting cast for the stage if you can't act. But he just doesn't bring it on TV or in films. He's better on TV than he is in movies, tho. His film work has really sucked.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lol why is this bland mf always so stressed looking? is he alright?

Reply

Thread

Link

Right? It's annoying. Lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ikr? like, u got money and a good ass, what are u so worried about?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lmao. For real. His ass is amazing, but he's kinda ugly and like 5'4"

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Really? This guy?

Reply

Thread

Link

Can't wait! Historical period drama is my jam! Love Kit in everything but hope he does more comedy roles as 7 days in hell becomes better every time I watch it-he has great comic timing!

Reply

Thread

Link

ita with this entire comment <3

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Right up my street. It'll come out before next series of Thrones.

Reply

Thread

Link

I'll watch it.

Reply

Thread

Link

Autumn is coming. Really, BBC? lol

Reply

Thread

Link

I see what they did there

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'll watch. Maybe we'll get an ass shot because why not

Reply

Thread

Link

wait that's Tom Cullen in the beginning? I thought it was Richard Armitage.

Reply

Thread

Link

Yes! I think he's being guy fawkes

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

tom cullen looks like a younger richard armitage lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Ok can I use this post to ask about the finale? Because I'm not sure if White Viseryon is supposed to breathe ice or if he's some kind of Azula and it's blue fire?

Reply

Thread

Link

I wondered that, too.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I thought it was ice or like just power, nothing looked melted just blasted to bits

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I called it crystal fire? haha.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

frostfire is what i'm calling it

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Eh, I'll stick with the Robert Carlyle/Richard Coyle (and, yes, Fassy) Gunpowder, Treason, and Plot.

Reply

Thread

Link

The BBC already made the only version of the story anyone needs...





Reply

Thread

Link

I do love this show so much

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Huh, his voice is different than I imagined it. Looking forward to this!

Reply

Thread

Link

ew mark gatiss

Reply

Thread

Link

Mte I dislike that guy greatly

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
i feel like paris jackson went from "we have to teach nazis how to love~" to "fuck these guys" in such a short notice lmao

Reply

Thread

Link

Her speech was so awkward and try-hard. Kudos to her for the message she was trying to get out there but...

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

hashtag no dapple!

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

i feel like everything she does is awkward and try-hard

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm assuming like great great (great?) grandson..or maybe it's like how John Tyler has 2 living grandkids, lol

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I saw a source that said great-great-great-great nephew lol



Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Yeah I was like That'd be astonishing. Honestly we're not very far removed from the time of slavery anyway but

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

can u guys believe mods told me to summarize this series of self-explanatory tweets & close captioned videos?? I felt like what's her face from 30 rock, "my single is called 'my single is dropping' and it's dropping" 

Reply

Thread

Link

LOL that was such a perfect moment. I love ha.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Lmao it happened to one of my self explanatory posts before. I was like ??? As if ONTD reads...picture book this bitch and call it a day tbh.



But I digress...it's a "rule" I suppose.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Can any of Michael Jackson's kids even do the moonwalk?! Worthless.

Reply

Thread

Link

Why are we no longer having Political posts on here?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Mods got strict about how they define "celebrity" haha. I feel like legit celebrities comment on politics all day, though, can't be that tough to come up with 6?? idk

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I faintly remember one of the regular political posters said they were stopping after the 20th b/c they needed to focus on school or something?





(I miss those posts so much though)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

why does everyone keep saying this. is this not a political post?

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Great that it got political but when gringos will stop with the ~fight for our freedom~ bullshit?? killing brown people overseas it's not fighting for your freedom, it makes me so so mad everytime I read that bullshit argument.





Reply

Thread

Link

Paris is allegedly has been brainwashed into thinking she is identifies as black

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Exactly, and if PoC are not free on the US it's because the US goverment, not because some 3rd world countries.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

ia, im tired of the praise ppl heap on the us military when they have the blood of thousands on their hands.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Idk who specifically you are referring to But Logic is a white passing black man



Edit: nvm I can't read



Edited at 2017-08-28 10:24 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

it takes so much to not correct my family about that. I really want to, but my mother is very strictly "keep the peace". but the last time the US waged war for the freedom of Americans was the 1860s.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte. forever mte.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

US Americans are fucking obsessed with their "freedom", and I wish it was only the white people but it's most of them in general. It's funny but incredibly stupid, considering their "freedom" consists not only in shit foreign policy but also in having the worse systems of any developed country, istg.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

mte, and their obsession with it is creepy

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

lmaooo that shot of Knaan has me sf annoyed. God, why is he there? Please tell me he wasn't promoting that disgusting HBO shit?

Reply

Thread

Link

oh word? Nice.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

incredible icon

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

mte

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yes! i'm afraid this won't last because of ~free speech.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I only heard of that site last year when our resident mansplainer linked to it and got yelled at for doing so lmao

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

Obviously this is a win but I wonder if having these people all in one place was helpful to the FBI?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

And holy fuck at that police chief story.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Trump will pardon him too i bet.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

This is the one neonazi website I lurked when I was a teenager and depressed the hell out of my hormonal young self, so fucking yay

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssssssssssssss ss

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

hahahahaha yasssssssss

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Only about a decade (or however old it is) too late.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

A fucking POLICE CHIEF is the owner of the most well-known white supremacist website. Let that shit sink in. #YesAllCops

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

white supremacist record label?? wth

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

That's amazing. Stormfront is probably the first forum I ever trolled back in the late '90s.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

yall pray for my city Houston



i live right behind a bayou that is at full capacity and Harveys bitch ass movements are unexpected



also smh at the tx governor having the audacity to get angry at a reporter asking him if there were going to be asking for ID's at the shelters like bitch undocumented people are scared to leave their homes show some compassion and understanding of their fears

Reply

Thread

Link

Stay safe and get a 'go bag' ready of important documents and essentials to take with you if you need to evacuate! Sending love to you and everyone in Houston right now.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I'm irrationally (??) mad that Trump and Abbott want to visit "Harvey devastated TX" in San Antonio  all we got was fucking clouds. Like my plants got a little over watered before I brought them in.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

the whole thing about them potentially asking for ids/documents has been making me so fucking angry these last several days. how can these people sleep at night?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Can this become a political post b/c I've been gone for the past couple of days, log into twitter this afternoon and all of a sudden North Korea shot missiles at/near Japan???

Reply

Thread

Link

Yeah... I am... not feeling good about North Korea right now. I'm starting to believe that Kim Jong Un is really stupid enough to start a war.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I've read stories where they talk about how he is not stupid or crazy (like Trump), just very power driven. I don't think he'll start a war...he knows him and his country would be blown off the map. Is that worth taking out a few thousand Americans?

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link



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

Reply

Thread

Link

Like, I am still in shock that Trump pardoned Arpaio. I mean, I'm not surprised.



But I'm still disturbed, you know?

Reply

Thread

Link

it's horrifying and unacceptable

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

it's disgusting and horrifying

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

let's hope that the discussion about the pardon being an impeachable offense holds water

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

Did the people saying that explain why it would be an impeachable offense? Idk much about presidential pardons at all besides that they're allowed to do it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I think he was going to do it anyway when he probably met the man and simply waited until Harvey to do it thinking it would get secondary to almost nonexistent coverage.



Edited at 2017-08-28 11:06 pm (UTC)

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

same. it still makes me physically ill when i think about it. i legit couldn't sleep the night it happened.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

someone said pardoning arpaio was a way for trump to show off his power and send a message to everyone under investigation by mueller "if you stay loyal & quiet i will pardon you."



i can totally believe it.

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

It's always amazing to me there's a large number of people that think the civil war had nothing to do with slavery and was about state's rights or w/e

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link

I've seen people try to argue this on FB and it's insane. Thank Fox News for this unfortunately :/ And what those people always miss is that State Rights were intertwined with slavery, like c'mon now...ending slavery affected the commerce of the South, everyone knows this.

Reply

Parent

Thread

Expand

Link

oh i just got my annual "list of actors of jewish decent" private LJ message



anyone else?

Reply

Thread

Link

yup! were you in the ed skrein post? i was chalking it up to that

Reply

Parent

Thread



Link
China has approved the merger between its biggest coal producer Shenhua Group Corp, and one of the top five state power companies, China Guodian Corp, in a deal that would create the worlds largest power company by installed capacity and with assets worth US$271 billion (1.8 trillion Chinese yuan).

Chinas State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission issued on Monday a one-line statement that it has approved the merger, which is part of the Chinese governments efforts to streamline power operations and reduce the number of state-owned enterprises.

The new company resulting from the merger is expected to be named National Energy Investment Corp.

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the generation capacity of the new energy behemoth will be 77 percent coal-fired, 14 percent wind power, 8 percent hydropower, and 1 percent solar power generation capacity.

Back in June, Bloomberg reported that Shenhua and Guodian were in talks to merge, quoting people familiar with the situation.

Talk of the possible merger has been circulating for several months.

Earlier this month, Wood Mackenzie said in a report that Shenhua and Guodian had reportedly submitted a merger proposal to authorities for review. If given the green light, the merger would create the worlds largest power utility, with installed capacity exceeding 225 GW, as well as the biggest wind power developerwith 33 GW of capacity, and the largest coal producer, WoodMac said. Related: Texas Oil Production Remains StrongBut For How Long?

According to the energy consultancy, Shenhua could diversify its fuel mix toward cleaner energy, while Guodian could benefit from Shenhuas lower-cost coal and integrated transportation infrastructure, and more importantlyfrom cutting its debt using Shenhuas cash.

The union of coal and utilities means both Shenhua and Guodian will balance their risks from commodities, but it will not necessarily boost its profit level, Li Rong, power analyst with SIA Energy, told Reuters.

Analysts expect other mergers to follow in the Chinese power generation sector as Beijing aims to cut inefficiencies and debts across its state power companies.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
While the United States, Mexico, and Canada are due to meet for a second round of NAFTA talks on Friday, the Texas Association of Business welcomes proposed U.S. legislation that would expand the ability of a development bank created under NAFTA to invest in energy projects along the border, seeing the Mexican market as an outlet for excess natural gas from Texas.

In June, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) introduced the North American Development Bank Improvement Act of 2017, which was aimed at boosting the ability of the North American Development Bank (NADB) to continue investing in international land border crossings, natural gas projects, and environmental infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill is currently referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Texas Association of Business and its NAFTA focused Texas-Mexico Trade Coalition believe that more investment in the NADBank could spur additional border infrastructure development across the state and the nation, and could help Texas energy companies provide more jobs, Jeff Moseley, the CEO of the Texas Association of Business, wrote in the Houston Chronicle last week.

The shale gas boom that has changed the U.S. and Texas energy landscape is sometimes forcing producers to burn off the excess, Moseley says, adding that our neighbor to the South may be the perfect solution to our problem.

While Texas is pumping more oil and gas, Mexicos domestic output has been declining, and the energy trade between the U.S. and its southern neighbor has significantly changed in recent years.

According to the EIA, historically, the energy trade has been driven by Mexicos sales of crude oil to the United States and by U.S. net exports of refined petroleum products to Mexico.

The value of U.S. energy exports to Mexico, including rapidly growing volumes of both petroleum products and natural gas, exceeded the value of U.S. energy imports from Mexico in 2015 and 2016, as volumes of Mexican crude oil sold in the United States continued to drop. Last year, the value of U.S. energy exports to Mexico was US$20.2 billion, while the value of U.S. energy imports from Mexico was only US$8.7 billion, according to the EIA.

Related: Texas Oil Production Remains StrongBut For How Long?

On the other hand, Mexicos oil and gas output is 40 percent off its peak levels, an S&P Global Platts report showed last week. Mexicos crude oil output of 2 million bpd in June was far below the 2004 peak of 3.4 million bpd, while dry natural gas production is 3.2 Bcf/d this year, compared to a 2010 peak of 5.1 Bcf/d. Mexico, therefore, relies heavily on U.S. pipeline gas and LNG imports.

Mexico is also opening its refined products market to competition as it is unable to meet demand with its own production. Imports of U.S. petroleum products surged by 125 percent annually in the first four months of this year, S&P Global Platts said.

Currently, pipeline imports of U.S. natural gas account for almost 60 percent of Mexicos natural gas supply, up from 22 percent in 2010. Imports of U.S. natural gas are expected to grow to nearly 70 percent of total supply by 2022, Platts Analytics estimates.

In this supply-demand situation, Texas oil and gas has a lot to gain from energy projects along and across the border. Last year, Texas exported US$93 billion in total goods and services to Mexico and another US$20 billion to Canada, Moseley said in comments about the NAFTA renegotiation objectives. More than 387,000 jobs in Texas are supported by trade generated by NAFTA, he noted.

So, additional investments and energy infrastructure projects would boost Texas position as an energy provider to Mexico.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Gasoline prices hit two-year highs today in electronic trade after Hurricane Harvey, which reached the Texas coast last Friday, caused the shutdown of a number of refineries. Gasoline was trading at US$1.7595 a gallon, up 5.57 percent from Fridays close, but west Texas Intermediate was down 0.55 percent to US$47.73 a barrel at 6:30 AM EDT.

According to an S&P Platts report, around 2.2 million bpd in refining capacity was shut down or in the process of being shut down as of Monday morning. Refineries in the Corpus Christi area had shut down ahead of the storm, but those in the Houston area only began shutting down yesterday, prompted by the floods that Harvey brought.

Among the plants being shut down was Exxons 560,500-bpd facility in Baytown  the second-largest oil refinery in the U.S. after Port Arthur. Shell also started shutting down its Deer Park facility, which has a capacity of 340,000 bpd, and Phillips 66 started the shutdown of a 247,000-bpd refinery in Sweeney. Texas houses some 4.944 million bpd in refining capacity.

Hurricane Harvey has also disrupted imports and exports of oil and oil products, with both Corpus Christi and Houston ports closed. EIA data for May shows that Texas imported 1.9 million bpd of the total 3 million bpd that entered the U.S. via the Gulf Coast, as well as 418,000 bpd of refined petroleum products.

As a result, Reuters reported earlier today, traders have approached refineries in Northern Asia seeking supplies of jet and diesel fuel. In addition, traders and refiners have provisionally reserved ships to carry gasoline and jet fuel from South Korea to the West Coast.

Related: Tesla Successfully Raises Funds As Cash Bleed Continues

In production, around 379,000 bpd of capacity has been idled, the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said, which represents 21.64 percent of the 1.75 million bpd that field operators in the Gulf of Mexico pump.

Experts said that Harvey is the strongest hurricane to hit Texas in the last 50 years. The damages from the storm are yet to be calculated.



By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
For now at least, it has become hard to risk capital on the price of oil with as much conviction as in the past.Andy Hall, famed oil trader, on shuttering his oil hedge fund.

If Andy Hall is confused, what does that say about the rest of us? This checklist tries to identify some of the anomalies in the global crude oil marketplace which presumably will ultimately get resolved even if they dont seem to have any resolution at the moment. So heres an oil watchers late August list of things to keep an eye on:

Brent versus WTI spread

At well over $4 and change, why is the Brent versus WTI spread so large, the largest since early 2015? Is it increased European and Asian demand as a result of more robust economic growth or weaker US demand and higher US productionor a combination or more precisely what combination of both?

From contango to backwardation



The October Brent futures contract is now in backwardation, while the corresponding WTI contract has seen its contango narrow significantly to just pennies per contract. In 2016, when WTI was trading around the same $47-48 level, the contango (note: not the spread) was as much as $4. Backwardation and/or a diminished contango imply quicker inventory depletion and consequently higher commodity prices. But in the present circumstances, what gives?

Price disparity



During the process described above, prices for WTI and Brent were actually falling while the Brent contracts backwardation increased and the WTI contango narrowed. Changes to the term structure are generally regarded as the best future determinant of crude oil prices. What does this disparity tell us?

Inventories

Despite continued, significant weekly draws, crude oil inventory levels are still robustly high. While drawdowns have taken inventory levels well below 500 million barrels for the first time in months,YTD, crude oil inventories are down cumulatively just under 30 million barrels; interestingly, gasoline (down just under three million barrels) and distillates (down just under five million barrels) are barely negative (EIA data: This Week in Petroleum.) So should inventory levels prove to be more impactful on crude prices in 2017 than they were in 2016? Or is pricing still really just a function of the weakening US dollar, which is down by about 8% during this period? Related: Two Countries Could Push Oil Over $50

Global demand

Demand focuses on the paradox of declining Chinese and US demand and growing US production. On the latter front, yet another increase in US production last week amounted to 79,000 barrels per day according to the EIA. On the former, a Reuters story from earlier in the summer (China, India, Japan hamper Asia oil demand growth, efforts to balance market) quotes Michael Corley, managing director of Mercatus Energy Advisors: We are indeed seeing lower demand from more than a few clients  air, marine, road, industrial  They are actually consuming less fuel than anticipated. The three countries together account for about 20% of global demand.

OPEC



Has the world forgotten about OPEC? Reduced but nonetheless consistently robust production from OPEC at just under 35 million barrels per day along with falling compliance (currently reported at around 75%) puts the recent St Petersburg agreement in the spotlight and probably spells trouble. Does anybody have much faith in OPEC in any case?

Technicals



Trader interest in crude as measured by the weekly Commitments of Traders reports from the U.S. CTFC is in a declining trendline with the exception of the recent upward blip in trading activity (see chart.) The technical picture, however, continues to deteriorate even as crude has experienced a number of counter-trend rallies. Related: Kurdish Independence Could Deal A Major Blow To Oil Markets

Anomalies exist. And if one of the worlds greatest energy traders is calling it quits, its clearly time for caution (for more see: Are Oil Markets Becoming Untradeable?)

WTI Commitments of Traders 2016-2017

(Click to enlarge)

COT Net Positions

Commercials

Large Speculators

Small Speculators

The technical picture of futures trading activity resembles the technical profile of WTI itselfa series of lower highs and lower lows.

By Brian Noble for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Natural gas exports from the worlds biggest deposit, South Pars, rose by 12 percent over the past 12 months, according to Irans head of customs, as quoted by Reuters. Gas condensate exports also increased, by 28 percent in terms of value, to US$6.9 billion. In addition to these, the fields operator Petropars exported methane, propane, and polyethylene.

Most of the exports went to Asia, including China, India, Indonesia, South Korea, and Japan, and the rest went to Egypt, the UAE, Kuwait, and Turkey.

South Pars lies in the Persian Gulf and Iran, and Qatarwhich calls its portion the Northern fieldshare its wealth. Petropars was in charge of the first ten phases of development in Irans 3,700 sq km section of the deposit, which is est6imated to hold 14 trillion cu m of natural gas and 18 billion barrels of condensate. This amount represents 7.5 percent of global gas reserves and 50 percent of Irans reserves.

Earlier this year, French Total inked a deal with Tehran for the 11th phase of development of South Pars. In June, the company said it will commit US$1 billion to the development of the South Pars offshore gas field in Iran, after the U.S. extended a sanction waiver. In an interview with Reuters, CEO Patrick Pouyanne said that The U.S. waivers have been renewed and they will be renewed every six to eight months. We have to live with some uncertainty.

Total took part in the initial development of South Pars back in the 1990s, but was forced out of the country when international sanctions were imposed on Tehran on suspicions that it was developing nuclear weapons. Now the company is back for the Phase 11 of the fields development, estimated to cost some US$5 billion. It has a 50.1-percent stake in the field, partnering with Chinas CNPC with 30 percent, and Petropars, which holds the remainder.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Fitch Ratings cut Qatars credit rating down to AA- on Monday as the nations row with its fellow Gulf states approaches its 90-day mark.

International mediation efforts are still ongoing but are not showing significant progress, analysts Krisjanis Krustins and Jan Friederich said in the Fitch statement, according to the Financial Express. In our view, the negotiating positions of Qatar and the boycotting countries remain far apart.

A recent report by Bloomberg pinned Qatars economic expansion at its slowest rate in 2017 since 1995. Foreign currency reserves fell eight percent in July, according to official figures, and banks have been instructed to recruit international investors instead of relying on Doha for funding.

Qatar maintains that its liquefied natural gas trade, which tops any other nation, has kept its coffers full to the brim despite the embargo from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and several other Muslim allies. The countrys most recent move has been to restore diplomatic relations with Iran  the country at the core of Dohas dispute with the Gulf  in order to establish its independence from Riyadhs tough talk on foreign policy.

Doha dodged the worst logistical obstacles of the blockade by shifting its main export hub from the United Arab Emirates to Oman when the row first became public. Now, Qatars energy leaders are optimistic, feeling the ordeal has made the countrys logistics more robust.

Qatars wealth plays a large role in preventing it from surrendering to Riyadhs will. The countrys central bank has $40 billion in cash reserves plus gold, while the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has $300 billion in reserves that it could liquidate, the Governor of Qatar Central Bank, Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saud Al-Thani, told CNBC in an interview in early July, one month into the blockade.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the state-held oil company of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will cut by 10 percent its October crude term agreements for three grades, as the UAE is moving closer to finally meet its OPEC commitments.

In line with the UAEs OPEC commitments, ADNOC has informed customers of its crude oil nomination cut for October, Energy Minister

Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei tweeted on Monday.

In October, ADNOC will cut 10% from its Murban, Das and Upper Zakum term agreements, Al Mazrouei said, and added that ADNOC has announced monthly nomination cuts throughout 2017 in support of the UAEs OPEC commitment to reduce its oil production.

At the end of last month, Al Mazrouei announced via Twitter the UAEs plans to reduce crude oil exports beginning in September of this year.

Despite being an ally to Saudi Arabia, the UAE has not fully complied with its production cut commitments since the start of the deal in January. The UAE pledged to cut 139,000 bpd off its October 2016 level of just over 3 million bpd, and keep output at 2.874 million bpd.

But seven months into the deal, as per OPEC secondary sources, the UAE has not managed to achieve a 100-percent compliance, which OPEC and its leader Saudi Arabia tout as a great achievement in the deal. In July, according to the latest available figures, the UAE produced 2.905 million bpd, down by 6,700 bpd over June, but still above the quota.



Related: Texas Oil Production Remains StrongBut For How Long?

In early August, OPEC held a meeting in Abu Dhabi with some of the producers and cited its members Iraq and the UAE, as well as non-OPEC signatories to the deal Kazakhstan and Malaysia, as laggards in compliance.

The Joint OPEC-Non-OPEC Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC)which held meetings in Vienna last week to discuss slipping conformity with the pledgessaid at the end of the meetings that the oil market was moving in the right direction towards rebalancing, but all options, including extending the cuts beyond March 2018, were still on the table.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Venezuelas Oil Minister Eulogio del Pino, who was appointed again as minister last week, plans to visit Saudi Arabia and Russia ahead of the September 22 meeting of the joint OPEC/non-OPEC panel set up to monitor the cuts, Russias TASS news agency reported on Monday, quoting Del Pino as saying.

Del Pino had served as Venezuelas oil minister until January this year, when he was replaced by Nelson Martinez. Last week, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro reshuffled again the government and the top management of embattled state-held oil firm PDVSA, replacing Martinez with Del Pino, and appointing Martinez to run the close-to-default state oil company.

Del Pino now plans to embark on a 10-day tour ahead of the next meeting of the Joint OPEC-Non-OPEC Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC) in Vienna, and plans to visit Moscow and Riyadh. The Venezuelan minister will discuss the implementation of the production cut deal with the respective leaders of the OPEC and non-OPEC nations party to the agreement and the introduction of changes, if need be, according to Russian media.

The Venezuelan minister did not elaborate on details, while Russias energy ministry has not yet confirmed Del Pinos visit, Russian media report.

The oil market is moving in the right direction towards rebalancing, but all options, including extending the cuts beyond March 2018, are left open, the JMMC said at the end of its latest meeting last week.

Venezuelas oil revenues account for 95 percent of its export earningsalmost the entire foreign cash it can get. But its oil production is falling not only because it is keeping its agreement with OPEC, but also because it simply cannot afford to reinvest in its oil industryfor years it has had to use its oil revenues to pay for imported goods. Venezuelas oil production has declined by a fifth over the past two years, to 1.93 million bpd in July, from an average of 2.375 million bpd in 2015.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
WikiLeaks recently published a secret report saying the United States' top intelligence agency the CIA has technology to access biometric data through covert operations conducted across the world.

The Office of Technical Services which is a branch within the CIA has a biometric collection system that is provided to liaison services around the world - with the expectation for sharing of the biometric takes collected on the systems, WikiLeaks said in press statement. WikiLeaks called it 'ExpressLane project of the CIA'.



According to the report, ExpressLane is a covert information collection tool that is used by the CIA to secretly exfiltrate data collections from such systems provided to liaison services. It is installed and run with the cover of upgrading the biometric software by OTS agents that visit the liaison sites. Liaison officers overseeing this procedure will remain unsuspicious, as the data exfiltration disguises behind a Windows installation splash screen.



The report further said that the core components of the OTS system are based on products from Cross Match, a US company specializing in biometric software for law enforcement and the Intelligence Community.

RELEASE: CIA 'Express Lane' system for stealing the biometric databases of its 'partner' agencies around the world. https://t.co/8FefOS2Ljlpic.twitter.com/LPwlAd0Tgr  WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) August 24, 2017

Some media reports suggest that Cross Match is the same company which was one of the first suppliers of biometric devices certified by UIDAI for Aadhaar program. Cross Match with its Indian partner Smart Identity Devices Pvt Ltd has enrolled 1.2 million Indian citizens on the Aadhaar database.



Back in 2011, Cross Match had received the Certificate of Approval from the Indian government. It was reported that the Certificate of Approval to Cross Match was issued after completion of all tests required to demonstrate compliance with the quality requirements of UIDAI.

However, WikiLeaks' new revelation suggest that the CIA has the tools and technology to access Aadhaar data. WikiLeaks on Friday tweeted about it and asked: Have CIA spies already stolen India's national ID card database?



According to a report in Times of India, the government officials here in India said that it was not a WikiLeaks "leak" but a report by a website. "The reports do not have any basis in fact. Aadhaar data is safely encrypted and is not accessible to any other agency," the TOI quoted an official as saying.
Support our Overland athletes in their upcoming games and competitions. Click the headline title for this week's events and streaming links. Note: all home events that will take place in our West Gym from here on out will be broadcast FOR FREE on our Overland Athletics YouTube Channel.
Pakistan cannot bring Afghan war into Pakistan: Qamar Bajwa

DUSHANBE: Assuring cooperation to Afghanistan, Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa said that Pakistan cannot bring Afghan war into Pakistan.



Addressing Quadrilateral Counter Terrorism Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on Sunday, the army chief said terrorism is a multinational threat. He said Pakistan has indiscriminately eliminated all safe havens of terrorists on its soil.



The meeting was attended by senior military leadership of member countries, including Gen Bajwa, Gen Li Zuocheng (China), General Sobirzoda Imomali Abdurrahim (Tajikistan) and General Sharif Yaftali (Afghanistan), the ISPR said.



All four leaders welcomed the QCCM initiative and expressed hope that an inclusive and cooperative regional approach will prove best for eradication of terrorism.



Bajwa highlighted achievements of Pakistan in fight against terrorism for eliminating terrorists' safe havens from its soil. He said that terrorism being a transnational threat can only be defeated through intelligence sharing and coordinated effective border management.



The participants also signed an outline cooperative mechanism which will come into force after its endorsement by respective governments.



On sidelines of the event, COAS met Afghan CGS Gen Sharif Yaftali. Afghan situation was discussed candidly sharing concerns.



He said that Pakistan has already cleared all its areas indiscriminately and has started unilateral border security measures including fencing. Besides border security management other key factor for enduring peace is dignified repatriation of Afghan refugees.



The army chief reassured Afghan side that Pakistan is open to any suggestion that facilitate peace in Afghanistan. In this spirit, he offered to form a Pak-Afghan army working group to jointly work and formulate security recommendations for government level discussion aimed at addressing mutual concerns. Afghan CGS agreed to the proposal and thanked COAS for his relentless efforts towards peace.



Defence Ministry officials and military leadership of all four countries have had held several staff level consultations over the last few months to formulate agenda points for conduct of this event, said the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army's media wing.



Upon arrival, the COAS called on the Tajik Defence Minister Sherdil Mirzo and Chinese Chief of Joint Staff General Li Zuocheng.



The participants also signed an outline cooperative mechanism which will come into force after its endorsement by respective governments.



During the next two days the forum will discuss regional security environment and way forward in relation to situation in Afghanistan and Counter Terrorism efforts.



Last week, Gen Bajwa reacted strongly to President Donald Trump's accusations that Islamabad takes billions of dollars in aid from Washington and helps militants plotting deadly attacks against American troops in Afghanistan.



"We are not looking for any material or financial assistance from USA, but trust, understanding and acknowledgement of our contributions," General Qamar Javed Bajwa told the US ambassador in a meeting at Pakistan army's headquarters in Rawalpindi.



While announcing his long-awaited Afghan policy, Trump harshly criticized Pakistan, asserting Washington is paying Islamabad "billions and billions of dollars", but the South Asian nation is sheltering the terrorists US forces are fighting on the other side of the border. Bajwa in his meeting with Ambassador David Hale reiterated that peace in Afghanistan is as important for Pakistan as for any other country. "We have done a lot towards that end and shall keep on doing our best, not to appease anyone, but in line with our national interest and national policy," noted the top general.
Special Representative for Afghanistan-Pakistan scheduled trip to Pakistan has been postponed

ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Acting United States Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Alice Wells' scheduled trip to Pakistan has been postponed, the US Embassy in Pakistan confirmed on Sunday.



According to a private TV channel Wells was set to visit Islamabad on August 28 to discuss "cooperation in the region", said a US State Department media note.



The trip was postponed at the request of the Government of Pakistan, US Embassy spokesman Rick Sinelsine told the TV channel.



The new date of the visit is not confirmed, he said, adding that the trip has been "postponed until a mutually convenient time."



The development surfaced at a time when relations between the two countries are already tense after the US President Donald Trump, delivering a speech on Afghanistan policy, accused Pakistan of providing safe havens to terrorists. Islamabad strongly rejected Trump's accusation and is currently busy discussing the new US policy with China, Russia, and Turkey.



A day after Trump accused Pakistan of duplicity, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had warned Pakistan that it could lose its status as a privileged military ally if it continues giving 'safe haven' to Afghan militant groups.



Tillerson had claimed that Washington has "leverage" over Pakistan, "a non-NATO ally" that has been receiving US aid.



US Ambassador David Hale held separate meetings with Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Bajwa to brief them on the new policy.



"We are not looking for any material or financial assistance from the US, but trust, understanding and [an] acknowledgment of our contributions," the COAS had told Hale.



Separately, Commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General John Nicholson has claimed that the US is aware of the Afghan Taliban leadership's presence in Quetta and Peshawar.



"The Quetta Shura, Peshawar Shura, these shuras are identified by cities inside Pakistan, we know Afghan Taliban leaders are in these areas," he said in an exclusive interview with Afghan media outlet TOLO news.



According to him, the issue of sanctuaries was a serious one and one that needed to be addressed.



On whether a diplomatic solution could be found, he said this was a possibility but that a significant military effort inside the country would be carried out and that together the US would work with the Afghan government to increase its military capabilities.



"I am primarily focused on activities inside Afghanistan," but other officials are looking into the issue of sanctuaries in Pakistan, he claimed.



Nicholson made it clear that the US and NATO stand by the Afghan security forces against terrorists and enemies of Afghanistan and said that the Taliban cannot win on the battlefield. "It's time for them to join the peace process," he stressed.



He said the issue of outside sanctuaries has to be addressed but that it was "being addressed in private between the US government and the Pakistani government - but it does need to be addressed." "Support for terrorists and insurgents has to be reduced, has to be stopped," said Nicholson.



Specifically asked whether the Taliban leadership in Quetta and Pashawar and other major Pakistan cities "shouldn't sleep in peace from now on", he said "I won't put words in the (US) president's mouth but he definitely conveyed this message." He said that following US President Donald Trump's announcement earlier this week on his new war strategy, he, Nicholson, as a commander, has a new policy - "one based on conditions and not time." He said: "It gives us additional capabilities. We have a direction now provided by the US policy that is being supported by NATO".
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
The mathematical (and other) thoughts of a (now retired) math teacher,
LAKE LUZERNE  The Rev. Lucy Harris sends prayers into the world on the fragile surface of a bubble.

Im going to just send out energy into the world for peace and for love, not hate, and for acceptance, not fear, she said last Sunday.

Little kids blew bubbles around here and she encouraged them to bubble it up.

Harris is the founder of a new type of worshiping community called ADK Church Without Walls, which takes its worship outside the confines of the sanctuary and encourages people to find God in nature and the wonder of the Adirondacks.

Harris and a small group of kids and adults sent their thoughts and prayers into the world together outside Beaver Brook Outfitters in Lake Luzerne before gearing up for a day of whitewater rafting down the river.

Justin LaPrairie of Warrensburg, who watched his sons Owen and Ethan blow bubbles, asked for tolerance for each other and to make the world a better place for his kids.

Martha Meredith of North Creek, who has attended a number of ChurchWOW activities, wished for peace for everybody.

I love it because its outdoors, its free, she said. Its not preachy, preachy either. She talks about God and everything, but its the way she does it.

Harris then lead the group in singing, Down by the Riverside.

Gonna lay down my sword and shield, down by the riverside, the group sang.

Harris, a part-time pastor at the Kingsbury Baptist Church, was finishing up ministry with the Presbyterian Church of Warrensburg, when some community members encouraged her to continue her ministry, which encourages inclusiveness.

At the same time, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was promoting its 1,001 new worshiping communities effort to create new and varied forms of church to keep up with changing culture.

ADK Church Without Walls is for folks who just dont find themselves feeling comfortable or included in a traditional church, Harris explained. The group gets together about twice a month.

Kingsbury Baptist and ADK ChurchWOW will host a free Big Tent Meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Kingsbury Baptist Church, 1790 Church Road in Hudson Falls. The community is welcome to enjoy bluegrass music, a cookout and kids activities.

At the event, children can make and decorate their own percussion instruments. Harris, who is also a drummer, will invite the children to do a drumming call to worship. At most events, the children are also encouraged to draw sidewalk chalk murals on the ground with their wishes for their communities and families.

Itll have rainbows and flowers and smiley faces and words like kindness and joy and patience, something we all probably should have more of, Harris said.

Harris said she feels lucky to be a part of such a unique worshiping community.

I say to people, Why do we need to build a sanctuary? Weve got one,  she said with her arms spread out wide. Six million acres. 
LAKE GEORGE  As the victorious French soldiers stood and chanted Aupres de ma blonde, the defeated British and Colonial troops trudged by the entrance to Fort William Henry on Sunday afternoon, returning to their campsites.

It means Return to my girlfriend. It is an old French song. Blonde means girlfriend, said one of the French re-enactors, who had just accepted the surrender of the British on a sunny Sunday morning during the 260th anniversary of the surrender.

The re-enactors, more than 400 strong, still had one more battle to go, for the many tourists who had come to get a taste of history.

That taste, though, was not necessarily what they expected.

People come, and they think its going to be the American Revolution, then they wonder why there are so many French and Native Americans, said Melodie Viele, the forts director.

The weather was perfect for the three-day event, which included re-enactor encampments at Charles R. Wood Park and the Lake George Battlefield campground.

The scenarios were amazing, Viele said. Everyone was really excited for the weekend.

After the surrender, the re-enactors went back to their camps, then staged another battle at the battlefield park.

The fort, built in 1755, was under the command of Lt. Col. George Monro, and was under siege by the French and their allies for six days.

Monro asked for reinforcements from Fort Edward, where the main base was, but his request was denied. He was forced to raise the white flag and negotiate a surrender to Montcalm.

Historically, the day after the surrender turned into a massacre, with the Native American allies of the French attacking the unarmed British and Colonial troops as they withdrew toward Fort Edward.

The Native Americans didnt understand the European concept of surrender. They wanted all the things the British had, Viele said. They went into the fort where the injured British were, and they killed and scalped them.

Then they attacked the retreating British, who finally had to be escorted back to Fort Edward by the French, who then returned to Fort William Henry, burned it and went home.

The French commander wanted to pursue to Fort Edward, but the French soldiers had to go back to bring in the harvest, said Viele, who noted that historians have some disagreements on how many were killed in the massacres. The estimates range from 80 to 200.

Even though visitors do not get to see Revolutionary War soldiers, Viele said they do get to see one for the reasons for the war.

The French and Indian War led to the American Revolution, because the British had spent so much money on the war, that was why they had to start taxing the colonies so much, she said.
QUEENSBURY  This summer, Councilman Doug Irish has been conspicuous in his absence.

The man who would bring up controversial topics, speak his mind and argue with Supervisor John Strough was gone. He has been in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he is now a department chairman at Fayetteville Technical Community College. He is leading the vehicle collision and refinishing program there and teaching classes.

Although he promised to stay involved through the end of the year, his classes were set for Mondays and Wednesdays. He couldnt get back for the Monday evening meetings.

After six weeks, some residents began complaining. At Mondays Town Board meeting, one resident asked whether Irish was going to resign.

It turns out Irish is unhappy about the situation, too.

I cant get a flight Monday that would put me in Albany early enough to make the meeting, he said.

If he cant get to meetings soon, he said, Ill most likely resign.

But hes hoping to be at every meeting, beginning on Sept. 25.

The community college offers accelerated classes that are held in eight-week sessions. The next session starts Oct. 19, and Irishs classload will be on Tuesday and Thursdays then.

So Im hoping to finish out the year in person at the meetings, he said.

For now, he said hes staying involved.

I have been corresponding via email with the board as needed to weigh in and/or question topics the board is working on, he said. I may not be at the meetings to be a thorn in anyones side, but I am definitely still participating in representing my constituents.

Still, since the other board members know that he wont be there to vote on issues, they are taking his questions less seriously, he said.

I think both John (Strough) and Tony (Metivier) take me less seriously, he said.

The board would be able to appoint his replacement if he resigns. Hes not eager for that to happen, saying he doubts the newcomer would be as outspoken.

Realistically, I dont believe anyone the board appoints would do what I do, he said. There are not a lot of people willing to challenge John or the board on things the way I do.

As for issues, his priority is to get back to meetings so he can focus on the supervisors race. He is supporting Rachel Seeber, who is challenging Strough for election in November.

The only downside to my not being there is Im not able to show the voters that we need to replace the supervisor, he said. No one is going to challenge his misstatements of the issues and facts except for Rachel, and then everyone cries, Its political!

Irish was planning to run for re-election, but dropped out just after he filed his petitions, because he got the Fayetteville job. He was replaced on the ballot with George Ferone, who has been on the Planning Board since 2012.
GRANVILLE  The Slate Valley Museum will use First Friday this week as a chance to open a new exhibit.

The exhibition explores World War I from 1914 through 1918 from the vantage point of both the Welsh slate area of northwest Wales, the valleys found below Snowdonia and from the Slate Valley region of Vermont and New York.

The exhibition is titled No Peace in the Valleys: A Call for Service in the Quarries and Beyond, World War I 1914-1918.

The Welsh experience is provided in exhibition panels representative of a portion of an exhibit held at the National Slate Museum of Wales during 2016. The National Slate Museum coordinates closely with the Slate Valley Museum.

The war effort took many men away from the local quarries and mills. Strong national feelings were stirred among the many cultural and ethnic groups that made up the slate industry, when people were transferred to the European front or the many factories providing military equipment and supplies.

The exhibition is a continuing effort by the Slate Valley Museum to explore the issues and times that led to the Great War as the nation participated in the World War I Centennial.

The exhibition will be open from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and close with special activities on Veterans Day, which commemorates the armistice that ended the war.

The museum will also continue activities related to the Library of Americas World War I and America Series Sept. 15 with a program called Well this is all for now ... so goodbye; Letters, Writings, and Poetry from Veterans. This event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Stone Valley Arts Center in Poultney, Vermont.

The exhibit was sponsored by the Vermont Slate Quarry Association.

The Pember Library and Museum will present Natural Creations as its First Friday event.

Both featured artists work with natural, found objects  such as branches, bark and stone.

One will be Bob Dienst Sr., of American Images Studio, who has shown at the Pember before. The other is Sara Jane Cormier, who combines natural objects into art.

Cole Kitz will provide the music on keyboard.

The exhibit was generously sponsored by the Vermont State Quarry Dissociation.
A jury trial has been continued until Dec. 11 for two Davenport teenagers charged in the shooting death of 15-year-old Ayana Culbreath last year.

Trevor D. Owens, 18, and Kamario C. Hill, 15, were slated to be tried Sept. 18. On Friday, Assistant Scott County Attorney Amy DeVine filed a motion seeking a delay because three material witnesses will be unavailable.

According to DeVines motion, the defense was consulted and did not object to a continuance.

District Court Judge Mark Cleve granted the motion and set a final pretrial date of Dec. 6.

They are charged in adult court with first-degree murder, intimidation with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon or adjudicated delinquent.

Hill is represented by Katherine Drummond, and Owens is represented by Michael Motto.

Police say the two fired a handgun toward a group of people during a large gathering in the backyard of 4233 Warren St., Davenport, on June 26, 2016.

Culbreath was taken to Genesis Medical Center-East Rusholme Street, Davenport, where she was pronounced dead. An autopsy determined that she died from a gunshot wound to the chest, according to police.

Witnesses at the gathering identified Hill and Owens as the shooters, police said.
Davenport Superintendent Art Tate, the focus of an ethics complaint lodged by the state, has a hearing set for Feb. 6, 2018, the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners announced Monday.

The ethics violation in question involves Tate's decision in October 2016 to spend district reserve funds to pay for programming costs in excess of allowable limits set by the state. He did so with the full support of the Davenport School Board and to make a point about inequity in the law that allows some districts to spend more per pupil than others.

He is ordered to appear at 1 p.m. Feb. 6 before Administrative Law Judge Margaret LaMarche, who acts in behalf of the board. The hearing is in the Department of Inspections and Appeals, Wallace State Office Building, Third Floor, 502 E. 9th St., Des Moines.

Tate is declining to comment at this time, according to Dawn Saul, spokeswoman for the district. He has 20 days to decide how he will move forward on the issue.

The ethics complaint that Tate faces was lodged last year by Ryan Wise, head of the Iowa Department of Education.

Wise filed the ethics complaint on Dec. 16, 2016, 24 hours after the district appeared on Dec. 15 before the state's School Budget Review Committee. At that time, Davenport argued it should be allowed to use district reserve funds to pay for programming costs, but the committee denied the request.

The Davenport Community School District does not have the spending authority to use the funds in its savings account. That spending authority is set by the state. Using the funds in this manner is unlawful.

Tate faces two counts, according to the filing:

 Failing to comply with state law.

 "Willfully departing from or failing to conform to the minimum standards of acceptable and prevailing educational practices in Iowa."

The board's investigation revealed that Tate "purposefully and publicly advocated for the Davenport School Board to exceed its lawful spending authority, based on his belief that the Iowa school funding formula is unfair and should be amended."

The matter may be resolved by Tate agreeing to surrender his professional license or accept a lesser sanction, according to the filing, which was dated Thursday.
iStock/Thinkstock(NEW ORLEANS) -- The rain from Harvey is not only devastating Texas, it's also pounding Louisiana, and the state's governor, John Bel Edwards, is warning that "the worst is likely to come for us here.



Harvey "does remain a named tropical storm and it's going to drop an awful lot of rain," Edwards said at a news conference Monday. "We do have a long way to go with this particular storm."



This comes after Harvey tore through the Houston area this weekend, causing several deaths, forcing evacuations and wiping out homes. About 20 to 40 inches of rain has fallen in the Houston area and additional rain is forecast for this week. The National Weather Service deemed the flooding "epic and catastrophic" and Texas Gov. Greg Abbot the aftermath of Harvey will likely be "horrific" and will leave behind a mess that will "take years" to rebuild.



Edwards said 40 people from Louisiana's Department of Wildlife are in Texas helping with rescue efforts. Edwards said Louisiana has not received a specific request from Texas or Houston for Louisiana to take in evacuees, but if Texas needs Louisiana's help to shelter displaced residents, Shreveport will be the location, and he said shelters are ready.



ABC News meteorologists say current radar shows heavy rain remaining near Houston and heavy rain bands moving across southern Louisiana. ABC News meteorologists say Harvey is expected to make its third landfall east of Galveston on Wednesday morning and continue to move into northern Louisiana and southern Arkansas by the end of the week.



Flash flood watches are in effect for eastern Texas, including Houston, and stretch across southern Louisiana toward New Orleans and parts of southern Mississippi. Southern and western parts of Louisiana could see 10 to 15 more inches of rain, meteorologists say.



Edwards said Cameron Parish is under an evacuation order but there has not been significant structural damage reported in Louisiana at this time.

Edwards said that President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration, and shortly after the governor's news conference, he tweeted that he spoke with Trump and "thanked him for the quick response to our emergency declaration request."

Just spoke with @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and thanked him for the quick response to our emergency declaration request. #lawx #lagov  Gov John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) August 28, 2017

The governor added that once the storm has passed Louisiana, the state can shift resources to helping Texas.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
If we start hating them, then we become them.

That was the message from Rabbi Henry Karp, one of the conveners of One Human Family QCA, the group that organized a rally Sunday afternoon in Schwiebert Riverfront Park, Rock Island, to affirm the welcoming spirit of the Quad-Cities and a community commitment to diversity.

The crowd of about 300 people included Gale Francione, of Davenport, who said the Quad-Cities needs to get together and speak about being a welcoming community.

Francione, who is 100 percent Italian, said that one time (Italians) were not considered white people in this country. We were those 'swarthy immigrants,' she said. The definition changes.

The Rev. James Vrba, of St. John Vianney Church, Bettendorf, was among many members of the clergy at the rally. He made a general announcement at Mass on Sunday to encourage people to attend, he said. Come to the rally this afternoon and join in, he told parishioners. Stand up for what is right and what is good.

Kai Swanson, Rock Island County Board member, was the emcee.

Rita Rawson, 5th ward alderwoman in Davenport, read the anti-hate and anti-racism proclamation the city of Davenport unanimously passed Aug. 16. All in favor, say Aye, she said, and the crowd resounded with an enthusiastic Aye!

Vera Kelly and Berlinda Tyler-Jamison, leaders of local NAACP chapters, stood together to discuss the history of the NAACP and recruiting attempts by white supremacist groups in the Quad-Cities. We support democracy, dignity and freedom, Kelly said. Its time for us to stop complaining and start working and to hold Number 45 (President Donald Trump) accountable, she said.

God bless the America we want to be, Tyler-Jamison said.

To fight racism, we need public education. We need to fund it, said Maria Bribriesco, deputy state director and political director for the League of United Latin American Citizens-Iowa.

She referred to the Constitution of the United States. Theres no nobility, no divine right, she said. She said that President Donald Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio, a former Arizona sheriff whom Bribriesco called a most violent, racist man.

Karp, convener of One Human Family QCA, said he was asked about the possibility of rain affecting the gathering. If people cant stand up to a few raindrops, how are they ever going to stand up to neo-Nazis and white supremacists? he asked.

If any group is targeted for hatred, then every group is vulnerable, he said. Weve got to stop looking at our neighbors as labels. Weve got to start looking at them as family.

When we replace hate with love, when we replace bigotry with understanding  we have to do that across the board, not just for victims, but also those who hate. If we start hating them, then we become them.

Chris Dunn led the gathering in songs, including If I Had a Hammer. Other speakers included Brandy Donaldson, vice president of African-American Lesbian Professionals Having a Say.

On Monday, the City of Rock Island will issue a proclamation as a safe, welcoming and diverse city. Bob Babcock, a member of One Human Family QCA, invited those at the rally to attend the Rock Island City Council meeting to applaud the action.

Rock Island is the areas fourth city, along with Davenport, Bettendorf and Silvis, to issue such proclamations.
Mourners wore flowing velvet skirts adorned with intricate golden ropes and delicate lace, and ruffled shirts and embroidered jackets during a celebration of Holly Jo Alford's life Sunday evening at Skellington Manor, Rock Island.

The strains of Dust In The Wind filled the manor during the celebration of Alford, 60, a talented designer and seamstress, who died Aug. 15. She had contributed her work to Skellington Manor, Ballet Quad-Cities, Quad-City Arts Festival of Trees Sugar Plum Ball, Genesius Guild, Playcrafters and more.

When I came here 42 years ago to go to college, she and her family kind of adopted me, and weve been sisters of the heart ever since, said co-organizer Debra Ferrenburg of Blue Grass who wore one of Alfords lush medieval-themed designs. She was such an incredible person. Thats why so many are here to pay tribute to her.

She had the heart of an artist and the eye of a designer, said co-organizer Kelly LeFebvre of Colona, Illinois, who also wore an Alford original. She was a lovely, spirited person, and so talented. Thats why you see so many people here wearing her artworks.

I knew the best way to pay tribute to her was if everyone came together and wore the costumes she created as a celebration of her talent and all the lives she touched, LeFebvre said.

A large percentage of the crowd wore period garb.

The choice of venue was not arbitrary. Alford was a regular at Skellington, and participated in many of the venues events, most notably its haunted houses and costume balls.

Shed been part of our family since we started doing events in 2010, said Skellington co-owner Penni Steen of Riverdale. Holly was such a unique individual. We wanted to celebrate her life in an equally unique way.

She was always such a happy person, always helpful and she had a great way of gliding around life, Steen said. Shell be part of this place forever.

She was a terrific performer and a great person, said Matt Moody of Muscatine. Its neat to see all of her friends and families come together here. Im sure everybody here has a story of her and how she impacted their lives.
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNS) | Allured by the distant chopping of helicopter blades, a young French boy diverts his attention from his television screen to watch native pilots rescue stranded hikers in Southeast France.

Glancing back at his favorite show, he notices an American pilot navigating a similar airframe, causing him to wonder what it would be like to fly a chopper.

Through sheer determination, Commandant Micka propelled himself to serve and fly for both nations. As part of the 67th Helicopter Squadron Pyrenees, Cazaux Air Base, France, he was proud to Fight and Save, fulfilling the French air force helicopter communitys mantra. Now, hes a part of Moody Air Force Bases 41st Rescue Squadron to contribute to their motto.

'So That Others May Live, is a (motto) I want to honor during my tenure here and Im proud to represent my country as the only current French exchange pilot in the (U.S.) Air Force, said Micka. I was very excited to join the 41st RQS because of the mission similarities with my unit back home and also the United States and Frances rescue history together.

Ive seen the HH-60G Pavehawk throughout my deployments and the ability to now fly one is special, Micka added, who is the 41 RQS assistant director of operations and an HH-60 pilot. It resembles and maneuvers a lot like my old airframe, the (French air forces) EC-275 Caracal.

According to Micka, in addition to the aircraft likeliness, he relished the two nations lengthy experience and capabilities in performing in hostile environments and highlighted the 100th birthday of the nations being brothers in arms during World War I.

Ive always appreciated how the Americans aided France and also helped change the tide of the war, said Micka. Understanding the historic close relationship and similar mantras between these nations is very dear to me.

Knowing his dedication of this symbolic relationship and his eagerness to learn to be a better pilot and wingman, one 41 RQS member speaks on how the unit has embraced Micka.

(Micka) has proven and continues to prove he is an excellent ambassador for our French rotary wing partners, said Lt. Col. Chris Richardson, the 41 RQS commander. He consistently, much like his predecessors before him, brings outstanding insight, credibility and experience to our squadron. His interactions with the (combat search and rescue) community, more specifically, the 41 RQS, are instrumental in building a bigger, more holistic approach to how we conduct and execute our mission.

For as long as this partnership has been around, this squadron and our community continues to reap the benefits of experiencing how each respective partner and individual unit integrate into and provide capability to the joint fight, Richardson added. This exchange program allows (U.S. Air Force) members to work with our French partners, while also allowing us to incorporate (Mickas) expertise into our own programs.

Throughout his career, Micka said hes gratified to have flown over 2,000 flight hours, completed 650 missions in hostile territory and participated in 13 deployments, but nothing yet compares to his first save.

My first save was of a wounded Afghan child when I was a young co-pilot in this unit, said Micka. It was such an adrenaline rush and special moment for me. You dont realize the impacts of everything youre accomplishing on a mission because youre so in the moment. When you land and think about all the training you did to save someones life, its the best feeling in the world.

Another great feeling for Micka is the ability to become a more proficient pilot during deployments. According to him, one aspect of accomplishing this doesnt always involve maneuvering the controls in the cockpit.

Theres nothing like being (entrenched) in an international coalition environment to achieve one goal, said Micka. The opportunity to build relationships, share tactics and familiarize myself with the 30 nations Ive deployed alongside with has been great.

Micka credits this exposure of different nations aircraft and pilots for helping him prepare for his biggest challenge thus far.

Overcoming the language barrier and improving my minimal English skills has been one of the hardest tests for me since my arrival (at Moody AFB), said Micka. Over time, Ive sufficiently progressed through the process by getting accustomed to hearing different accents in flight and in the simulator, reading emails and talking with my comrades.

As the 41 RQS ADO, Micka recently finished his HH-60 qualification training. In the near future, he hopes to accomplish his main desire as part of the exchange program.

One of the biggest purposes of the program is to deploy to save lives and brag about your combat experience, said Micka. Its been my favorite part of the job since Ive started. Im doing the same mission I love, just in a different unit.

Micka added that the program is so much more than one pilot getting to experience another country's tactics and training. According to him, its also about being able share what hes learned.

I hope to take my experiences back home to better help the 67th Helicopter Squadron, said Micka. My next goal is be their squadron commander and overall serve in the Air Force for as long as possible. Being open-minded and embracing challenges never mind helped me succeed. It hasnt been an easy process, but its all definitely been worth it.
Classes start today in the Meade School District, and there has been a lot of discussion centered on accommodating increasing enrollment.

The district has been dealing with increased enrollment both at Piedmont Valley Elementary and Sturgis Elementary for the past several years. Now, those students are beginning to enter the middle school.

Meade School District Superintendent Don Kirkegaard estimates that Piedmont Valley will have an enrollment between 675 and 700 students for the coming school year.

Seven years ago when I first started, we were just about 400, he said. They are totally out of space.

Last year the Meade School District started the school year with about 500 students at Sturgis Williams Middle School and ended with 515.

We think we might start the middle school this year with about 600, Kirkegaard said. We havent had 600 in the middle school in a long time. And when we did, it was when we had fifth through eighth considered middle school.

In Rapid City, school officials said it's too early to tell whether enrollment is up or down this year, but the numbers have remained steady in recent years.

The official count for the first quarter of the 2016-2017 academic year was 13,740 students. That's about 100 fewer than the previous year's 13,846 enrolled students at the same time, but above the 13,500 projected by officials.

Katy Urban, communications manager for the Rapid City Area School district, said a new online registration system for middle and elementary school students was taking some families "a little longer to navigate," but enrollment numbers should be available by the end of September.

Shane Daniel, director of information and technology for the school district, said the district started the online program in the last couple of years as a pilot for returning middle school students. After working a few kinks out, Daniel said the district rolled out the program for all new and returning middle and elementary students.

Parents this year had the option of using the traditional pen-and-paper option or the new electronic enrollment, and Daniel said last week that 62 percent of students were enrolled electronically. Next year, he hopes to see that number at 100 percent.

"It's really to try to get rid of the paper that's being pushed back and forth," he said. "Most school districts our size have already gone to an electronic registration process."

The program is run through Skyward, an online software used by the school district that serves as a sort of portal or hub for educators and families. Parents can log in to Skyward through the school district's website, and use it to track information about their student's attendance, grades and assignments, as well as other district information such as bus routes.

In addition to what Daniel described as significant time savings for the district, the online enrollment rollout has given the added perk of introducing more parents to Skyward, with which Daniel said many parents were unfamiliar.

"To me, one of the huge benefits of this is just getting people to use the stuff we have in place," he said. "Any time you change anything, theres always good and bad. Were getting a lot of positive feedback on it."

Describing high school enrollment as a "different animal," he said it will be a while before the district's high schools offer online enrollment.

Nancy Williams, district analyst, has been spearheading the implementation of the program and said there have been some "learning curves," but overall it's working well. She advises that parents trying to utilize online enrollment will have better luck on a desktop computer versus a phone or tablet. The district has computers available at the schools for the parents to use, and there are tutorials and more information available on the district's website, rcas.org.

She added that the district still has new students and parents visit their schools in person to provide immunization and birth records, so they still get valuable face time.

"So we havent lost that face-to-face with parents, were just making it so their time in the building is better served," she said.

Fixing Sturgis' overcrowding

Just like Piedmont, Sturgis Elementary is bursting at the seams, Kirkegaard said.

To wait until Summerset-Stagebarn Middle School opens up wasnt going to eliminate the crowding at Sturgis Elementary.

One way to alleviate overcrowding at Sturgis Elementary School would be to move the fifth graders to the second floor of the Williams Administrative Building.

Meade School District Business Manager Brett Burditt said the district moved students out of the building when the new Sturgis Elementary School was built in 2009.

It was really for efficiencies of economy to put those grades all under one roof, he said.

The district had to make some emergency upgrades to the Williams Building facility following the Winter Storm Atlas in October 2013. The storm caused damage to Sturgis Williams Middle School, and as a result sixth grade classes were moved to the space on the second floor.

Shortly after that we knew we were going to have to do something with that space because of enrollment increases, Burditt said. We revisited the plans with the architect and started putting it all together.

The newly renovated fifth-grade space has seven classrooms, new restrooms and a new elevator that meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. It also features an all-new heating and air conditioning system and new windows.

Dean Kurtz Construction was the contractor on the $1.1 million project. Burditt said the project was financed internally through the districts capital outlay budget.

Chantal Lightenberg, principal at Sturgis Elementary School, said she believes the fifth-raders will transition well to their new intermediate school in the Williams Building.

We will have smaller class sizes, and it will serve as a stepping stone to the middle school, she said.

Some of the changes from traditional elementary practices include moving from class to class for social studies, math and science, and implementing a letter grading system. Recess will stay the same.

We believe that it is age-appropriate for them to have that break, she said.

The district is anticipating an enrollment of about 140 fifth-graders this year in Sturgis. Grace Winsell is one of the new fifth-grade teachers.

I like that the building is kind of historic. And I like all the windows, she said.

Winsell believes the fifth-graders will settle into their new surroundings just fine. I think it will be exciting for them to transition to a new building and have more responsibilities, she said.
A Rapid City man in his early 30s was pulled from Pactola Reservoir on Monday afternoon, resuscitated and flown to Rapid City Regional Hospital.

The man, whose name was not released, was in critical condition.

South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks employee Chris Dekker was the first to respond to the scene after being notified that the man had disappeared beneath the waters surface. The man had been swimming with family and friends near the northern parking area and viewpoint along U.S. Highway 385.

After finding the mans body about 25 feet below the surface, Dekker, in a Journal interview, said he used a drag net on a GF&P boat to pull him from the water. Dekker was then assisted by a Forest Service employee and a member of the Johnson Siding Volunteer Fire Department as they resuscitated the man using cardiopulmonary resuscitation and an automated external defibrillator.

A medic unit arrived on the scene shortly after, and then a Lifeflight helicopter arrived and transported the man to Regional Hospital.

Dekker, 29, who has worked for GF&P for three and a half years, said it was his first time pulling someone from the water.
Now that President Donald Trump has announced he's skipping the Kennedy Center Honors because the honorees were joining the rest of those shunning him, let's talk about the foolish debate to which he's attached himself: whether to retain those statues that glorify the Confederacy. Because it's such a moronic argument, I'm not about to go so far as to call everyone who opposes getting rid of these memorials celebrating Robert E. Lee and the rest "bigots." "Insensitive," yes, but not necessarily bigots. At least not all of them.

Many of them are, however  including President Trump, who is aligning himself with the Nazis, Klansmen and other racists who have joined those who contend that the statues of Lee and others should stay in place to reflect history.

Never mind that it's the history of slavery, which they fought a deadly civil war to defend. He and Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis and all the "Johnny Reb" soldiers are glorified in bronze and marble instead of vilified. They are icons of a blighted American reality that resonates to this day, from slavery to Jim Crow to modern-day prejudice exploited successfully by our demagogue president.

Of course, Trump opposed the removal of these icons of hate. "Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments," he tweeted, "... the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!"

Unfortunately, I must respectfully disagree with the president. They can be "comparably replaced" and could reflect a more realistic view of U.S. "history and culture." As these tributes to treason are eliminated, perhaps we could install new ones that depict slavery. They might be works of art that honor the slave being beaten by his white owner with a whip.

And let's not forget the Jim Crow legacy, perhaps symbolized by civil-rights demonstrators being brutalized by Bull Connor and fire hoses.

Nationwide, there are more than 1,500 monuments to the Confederacy. Here's how we can get support from President Trump for removing them: Why not make them part of his infrastructure initiative? Remember that one? That was the Trump campaign promise to start a national repair of the disintegrating U.S. framework  the bridges, highways, water systems, all systems that badly need reconstruction.

Of course it has gone nowhere, dissolved by the same toxic waste that has poisoned the entire Trump presidency. But here's a chance to revive it. If the removal of the statues and other monuments to the defenders of slavery could become a part of the program, maybe the effort could get support from the administration as and Democrats.

There is a nagging question, though. What do you do with them? Melt them down or destroy them in nationwide sledgehammer parties? Too risky. Too many people cling to the history of intolerance.

But how about placing them in a Bigots Museum in Washington? We already have the new African-American Museum, but for those who advocate equivalence, we could have another to celebrate hate, such an important part of what makes America what it is today.
The rate of violent crime in South Dakota nearly doubled between 2005 and 2015, according to the FBI. While there are a number of things which can contribute to a surge like that, many agree drugs have played a significant role.

The drug epidemics realities reach even beyond crime. Nationally, a baby is born addicted to opioids every 25 minutes or so. And in 2015, around 52,000 Americans died of a drug overdose. President Trump has declared this a national emergency.

While South Dakota saw 15 opioid-related deaths in 2007, the number jumped to 37 by 2014, per the South Dakota Department of Health Vital Statistics. Many first-responders now carry an antidote for opioid overdoses.

Still, its important to note South Dakota hasnt experienced the opioid epidemic as harshly as many other states. That may be because South Dakota doctors have tended to prescribe fewer than others. But a recent report found prescriptions are increasing here too, reaching the highest number ever recorded in 2016.

New training efforts have launched at places like Avera and Sanford to make sure doctors understand when and how to prescribe opioids. I strongly support legislation that cracks down on Mexican drug traffickers and those who help facilitate their illicit activities at the border; this includes a vote to fully fund President Trumps border security agenda. And I am fighting to make sure local law enforcement has the resources and training it needs.

I also believe in redemption. Earlier this month, I visited the Keystone Treatment Center, an addiction recovery facility in Canton. The work done there gives folks another chance at life, at a family, at hope.

In June, I introduced bills to better support the rehabilitation offered by places like Keystone. The proposals look to strengthen families during drug addiction treatment and amplify efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect that can result from drug use.

No community  no family  is immune to addiction. Particularly with opioids, it can often start with a prescription for pain medication. But that same medicine can be the drug that leads to a life-altering addiction. If you or someone you care about is abusing drugs or medications, talk to your doctor or contact a treatment center. If you dont know where to turn, call the free and confidential National Treatment Referral Routing Service at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Over the past few months, weve seen the U.S. economy improve.

In July, employers added 209,000 jobs, bringing the unemployment rate down to 4.3 percent. However, wages remain stagnant and economic growth has hovered at 2 percent for the past 10 years, a full percentage point lower than the historic post-World War II average. According to the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), this has cost families an average of $8,600 in income annually. Also according to the JEC, economic growth will remain at 2 percent under our current policies.

This underscores the need for a pro-growth tax policy that creates jobs, increases our competitiveness overseas and gives our economy a much-needed jolt. Our current tax code is far too complicated  it is more than 74,000 pages in length and takes Americans 8.1 billion hours annually to complete. I support the ongoing efforts by the tax-writing committees in Congress to take on comprehensive tax reform. When we return to Washington in September, we expect to ramp up these efforts. I look forward to working with my colleagues to lower the rates for South Dakota families, rein in the IRS and provide long-term certainty in our tax code.

It has been more than 30 years since our tax code was reformed. Since then, other countries have lowered their rates and become more competitive, while our tax code has barely changed. The average corporate tax rate in the U.S. is 39 percent, compared to an average of 25 percent by our foreign competitors. It is time to reform the tax code and lower the rates  a plan that we know will help our economy because weve seen it work in the past.

During both the Kennedy and Reagan presidencies, we saw a reduction in regulations and taxes. In turn, the economy prospered and flourished under their respective administrations. They knew that individual citizens know the best way to spend their own money, and they certainly dont need Washington telling them what to do with it.

While I continue to advocate for comprehensive tax reform, I recognize the complexity in passing comprehensive tax reform. Earlier this year, I introduced a tax relief plan that would reduce the average South Dakota familys tax burden by about 16 percent. My plan calls for a simple 2 point rate cut across-the-board for each tax bracket. By lowering the tax rate for all, we will be able to provide direct and immediate relief to hardworking families and shake up our economy. This will result in a more prosperous economy for all Americans.

We have our work cut out for us in the coming months, and I am ready to work with every senator, on either side of the aisle, to get it done. When Americans are free to spend their money as they see fit  whether thats sending kids to college, buying a new home, saving for retirement or starting a new business  our economy will benefit. And when our economy is healthy, every American will feel the positive effects.
Pennington County Commissioner Ron Buskerud crossed a line when he said we should consider returning to our Wild West ways when justice was swift and final.

He later apologized for his role in the sophomoric banter with Commissioner Mark DiSanto, who said at the Aug. 2 budget hearing that it would resolve a lot of problems if our criminals would just settle their differences by playing roshambo, a reference to a crude game where men kick each other in the private parts until only one is left standing.

In response, Buskerud said: Or if the Supreme Court would allow us to have a trial and take em out behind and shoot em, like we used to do in the Wild West. That would solve a lot of problems.

Later, in a Journal article, Buskerud called his remarks totally inappropriate, stupid and he absolutely regretted them.

But what was lost in the locker room talk is a serious issue  the extraordinary cost of prosecuting death-penalty cases. When State's Attorney Mark Vargo said he would seek the death penalty for two men charged with killing Jessica Rehfeld, he set in motion a process that could lead to an increase in property taxes.

The Pennington County Public Defenders Office is seeking an additional $200,000 in 2018 to defend Jonathon Klinetobe, considered the mastermind of a truly heinous crime. More funds could be needed in the future since it costs between $250,000 and $750,000 to defend death-penalty cases, according to the public defenders office. Its total budget request is $2.7 million for 2018.

The states attorneys office, meanwhile, wants an additional $57,000 for witness expenses in 2018, including those for the death-penalty trials. The 7th Circuit Court cited the death-penalty cases when making its request for an increase of $530,000, which includes funds to hire court-appointed lawyers for both defendants, for a nearly $2 million budget in 2018. In death-penalty cases, defendants typically have two lawyers; Klintobe will have three lawyers, all at public expense.

The death penalty has the overwhelming support of the Legislature, which reflects how many South Dakotans feel about the ultimate punishment. For those who support it, the stabbing death of 22-year-old Jessica Rehfeld in a car meets the criteria for the death penalty.

But while Vargo and his office shoulders the burden of prosecuting the cases, it's residents who have seen property taxes climb significantly in the past two years that will shoulder the burden of the costs.

In fact, it has become so expensive to prosecute these cases it is unlikely any of South Dakota's rural counties could foot the bill. For example, Bennett County has a budget of only $1.3 million to cover all its expenses.

It is time for state lawmakers and officials to create a fund to help counties pay for the prosecution, court costs and when needed the defense of those facing the death penalty.

Otherwise, state's attorneys who also are elected officials will have to consider the bottom line when making life-and-death decisions, which means it could no longer be a matter of if the punishment fits the crime, but if the county can afford what it considers the appropriate punishment.

If the majority of South Dakotans support executions, they should have no trouble contributing to the prosecution of all future death-penalty cases.
AFK Sistemas appeal against seizure of its funds to be reviewed on September 4

MOSCOW, August 28 (RAPSI)  The Eighteen Commercial Court of Appeals has postponed the hearing over an appeal filed by the AFK Sistema against the seizure of 170.6 billion rubles (about $2.9 billion) as part of the legal dispute between the company and Russias largest oil corporation Rosneft, the courts documents read on Monday.

On August 23, the Commercial Court of the Republic of Bashkortostan recovered 136.3 billion rubles (about $2.3 billion) from AFK Sistema in favor of Rosneft. Sistema considers the ruling unlawful and unreasonable saying it plans to challenge it in the Eighteenth Commercial Court of Appeals. Rosneft sought to recover 170.6 billion rubles (about $2.8 billion).

On June 23, the Commercial Court of the Republic of Bashkortostan seized 31.76% of MTS mobile operators shares owned by AFK Sistema and its subsidiary Sistema-Invest as well as 100% of Medsi Groups shares and 90.47% of Bashkir Power Grid Companys (BESK) as part of 170.6 billion rubles (about $3 billion at the current exchange rate) lawsuit filed by Rosneft, Bashneft and Republic of Bashkiria against the companies.

On August 7, AFK Sistema appealed the seizure with the Eighteenth Commercial Court of Appeals.

Press service of Rosneft has said previously that the lawsuit is connected with alleged siphoning of assets. Actions of AFK Sistema allegedly led to decrease of assets at this sum.

Initially, Rosneft sought to collect 106.6 billion ($1.8 billion) in damages from Sistema. Later the oil giant increased its claim to 170.6 billion. The plaintiff revised the claim damage upwards taking into account currency fluctuations, according to a companys representative.

According to AFK Sistema, the plaintiffs demands are illegal and groundless.
Moscow court extends house arrest of Renova Groups managers charged with bribery

MOSCOW, August 28 (RAPSI, Yevgeniya Sokolova)  The Moscow City Court has extended until December 5 and 6 the house arrests of Yevgeny Olkhovik, a co-owner of top Russian group of companies Renova, and Boris Vaynzikher, CEO of Renovas subsidiary, T Plus Company, who stand charged with giving about one billion rubles (about $16.5 million) in bribes to officials of Russias Republic of Komi, the Courts press service told RAPSI on Monday.

The court has thus satisfied the motion investigators had filed earlier to extend for a month the house arrests of the defendants. The ruling also permits both Olkhovik and Vaynzikher to make telephone calls to their lawyers and go on daily hour-long walks near their places of residence.

On August 1, the court released the defendants from detention and placed them under house arrest.

Earlier, a criminal case was opened against some former and acting managers of Kompleksnye Energeticheskiye Sistemy (KES) company, of which T Plus is the legal successor, over alleged corruption. At that time, the offices of the companys parent holding Renova were also raided.

Three men holding CEO posts in the KES at different time, Olkhovik, Vaynzikher and Mikhail Slobodin are involved in the case. Vaynzikher and Olkhovik were initially put detention. Slobodin, ex-head of the telecommunications giant VimpelCom, has been arrested in absentia. In late July, Russias prosecutors turned to Interpol asking it to issue a Red Notice for Slobodin.

According to investigation, between 2007 and 2014, the defendants bribed officials currently involved in the case against ex-head of the Komi Republic Vyacheslav Gaizer. Earlier, investigators claimed that Olkhovik and Vaynzikher had allegedly received 177 and 89 million rubles (about $4.5 million in total) in bribes respectively during their management in the Kompleksnye Energeticheskiye Sistemy and transferred the money to the accounts of affiliated companies.
Defendant in Culture Ministry embezzlement case receives suspended sentence

ST. PETERSBURG, August 28 (RAPSI, Mikhail Telekhov)  A court in St. Petersburg has sentenced a defendant in the so-called case of restorers, head of BaltStroy Dmitry Sergeyev, to 4.5 years on probation and 800,000 rubles fine (about $13,700), RAPSI correspondent learnt in the courtroom on Monday.

Segeyev was found to be an organizer and perpetrator of a crime but the court took into consideration defendants cooperation with law enforcement.

Earlier, a prosecutor in the case requested to sentence Sergeyev to 5 years in a penal colony. The case was reviewed under special procedure because Sergeyev pleaded guilty. According to the prosecutor, the fraud involving Sergeyev resulted in the embezzlement of 71 million rubles ($1.2 million) and the defendant himself unlawfully obtained 11 million rubles ($188,000). The prosecutor noted that Sergeyev had already in full compensated the damage he caused.

On June 6, it was revealed that former Deputy Minister of Culture Grigory Pirumov and other defendants in the case paid about 163 million rubles in damages (about $2.7 million).

In March 2016, Pirumov, head of the Center of restoration Oleg Ivanov, director of the Ministrys department of property management and investment policy Boris Mazo, head of BaltStroy Dmitry Sergeyev and the companys manager Alexander Kochenov, businessman Nikita Kolesnikov, head of a state-owned Directorate for construction, reconstruction and restoration Boris Tsagarayev and project manager of companies Stroykomplekt and Baltstroy Vladimir Svanbek were arrested.

Kolesnikov was later put under house arrest while Kochenov was released on ten million rubles ($176,500) bail.

In November 2016, Komersant newspaper reported that some of the defendants, including Deputy Culture Minister Grigory Pirumov, pleaded guilty.

Investigators believe that in 2012-2016 the defendants embezzled over 164 million rubles allocated on restoration of the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow, Ivanovsky Convent in Moscow and other objects across Russia.

In December, Dmitry Medvedev, the Chairman of the Russian Government, relieved Pirumov of his post.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is lifting angling restrictions on the Jefferson, East Gallatin and Gallatin rivers; effective Tuesday August 29th at 2:00 pm due to improved stream temperatures.

The restriction being lifted Tuesday will open the following river sections to all-day fishing:

 The entire Jefferson River

 Gallatin River from Sheds Bridge (Hwy 84) near Four Corners to the confluence with the Madison River at Three Forks

 East Gallatin River from Spring Hill Road Bridge (Hwy 411) to the confluence with the Gallatin River

Regional Fisheries Manager Travis Horton says shorter days have brought down stream temperatures and closures are no longer necessary.

The angling restrictions remain on the Big Hole River from Notch Bottom FAS to the confluence with the Beaverhead River, and the Madison from Ennis Dam to the confluence with the Jefferson River.

Despite high daytime air temperatures, the longer nights are preventing water temperatures from reaching critical levels.

For up-to-date information on restrictions related to drought, visit
After two days of relief, smoke has once again moved into Missoula and the surrounding area.

The Lolo Peak and Rice Ridge fires grew over a combined 5,000 acres Saturday, leaving plenty of smoke on the wind ready to pool in the Missoula Valley. Air quality was unhealthy in Lolo and very unhealthy in Florence, according to the Missoula City-County Health Department.

Seeley Lake had hazardous air quality again Sunday morning, and the Health Department has advised residents to get out of Seeley Lake if possible to avoid health impacts.

There is currently no out-of-state smoke clogging the air, which is a small comfort for the next few days. Hotter, drier weather is expected to cause even more fire activity and accompanying smoke as a high-pressure ridge will keep smoke in the valleys.

David Noble, meteorologist at the National Weather Service, said that the coming week will be similar to the smoke accumulation Missoula saw last week.

Temperatures are going to be 10 degrees above normal, Noble said. Fires will be producing a lot of smoke during the afternoons and evenings and its going to be stable at night, which means smoke will sock the valleys in again.

There is light at the end of the tunnel according to Noble.

Thursday and Friday will see increasing westerly winds, which should blow the smoke away, Noble said.

But until then, prepare for another smoky week.

***

Western Montana fire updates from Inciweb:

Lolo Peak fire: Saturday, firefighters burned out a large area by the Elk Meadows Road, sealing the fire from moving onto Highway 12. The fire has been stopped at the primary fireline from Elk Meadows Road, two miles north of the Idaho border all the way to Highway 12, east down to Lolo, and south to One Horse Creek Canyon.

Like links in a chain, these burnouts are proceeding south to protect homes and other values at risk by widening the buffer along the main control line, a report on Inciweb reads.

Firefighters continue mop-up operations and are patrolling around residences and control line during the day and night shifts.

All evacuation orders have been lifted, but warnings remain in effect in the Lolo Peak fire vicinity.

A public meeting was scheduled for the Lolo Peak fire Sunday at 7 p.m. at the Florence Baptist Church.

Meyers fire: The Meyers fire has burned 16,354 acres and is at 5 percent containment.

Public information officer Katie Knotek said that the fire is seeing slow growth now, with only 300 acres added to the burn since Saturday, and most of that growth was from unburned pockets of forest within the fire's perimeter.

Fire behavior has been minimal, Knotek said, but there might be more activity (Monday) as hot and dry conditions continue.

Blue Bay fire: Certified Fireline Explosives Blasters from the Lolo National Forest worked with firefighters already on scene at the Blue Bay fire to build line on the northern side of the fire Saturday.

Blasting on the fireline removed dangerous trees and allowed firefighters to removed blast-weakened trees close to the fireline. Crews are currently clearing overhead hazards and snags before they will begin to mop up the fire, extinguishing any remaining heat sources by hand.

The Blue Bay fire is still at 490 acres burned. Containment has risen to 60 percent.

Sprague fire: Glacier Parks Sprague fire continues to burn and has grown to 1,543 acres.

The fire is burning nine miles northeast of West Glacier and 124 personnel are assigned to the fire. Warmer temperatures and lower humidity levels over the next few days might cause an increase in fire activity.

Firefighters are clearing fuel from around structures while helicopters are being used to drop water when and where necessary.

Gibralter Ridge Fire: The Gibralter Ridge fire, seven miles east of Eureka, is at 27 percent containment and has burned more than 5,000 acres.

Crews have been working on firing operations in order to tie the fire to Grave Creek Road while other crews mop up along the perimeter, clearing snags and logs while extinguishing heat sources.

Evacuation warnings are in effect still for Sherman and Griffith creeks, Therriault Pass Road and the Stevens Creek areas.

Graves Creek Road and the Ten Lakes recreation road are still closed to the public.

Rice Ridge fire: Fire crews continued burnout operations on the north and south sides of the Rice Ridge fire Sunday in the Sawyers Creek and Morrel Mountain areas. Crews are tying fireline to roadways while removing brush and burnable debris with heavy equipment.

Rice Ridge added 3,587 acres to its burn total Saturday, which kept Seeley Lake in the hazardous morning air quality pattern it has been in for the last month. Smoke will stay in the area as fire conditions are expected to remain active in the Rice Ridge area.

Air operations had to be shut down Sunday evening when another drone was spotted in the area of the fire. Air resources had been requested by firefighters and were unable to assist in operations after the incursion, Inciweb reported.

Sunrise fire: The Sunrise fire sent up a large amount of smoke Saturday due to burnout operations completed by hotshot crews in an area of unburned fuel near the fireline. The crews burned ground debris and vegetation and avoided burning mature trees. The burn operation will be completed Sunday.

Fire suppression continues around the secured lines at the northwestern tip of the fire down to Quartz Creek and west to Fortysix Creek.
Amazon Warehouse Job Fair August 2017

Packages riding on a belt are scanned at an Amazon fulfillment center in New Jersey in early August.

(AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

NORTH RANDALL, Ohio -- A state board is set to consider incentives Wednesday for a massive Amazon fulfillment center in North Randall, where the e-commerce giant plans to hire more than 2,000 workers to pack and ship electronics, books and other small items.

The project appeared on an Ohio Tax Credit Authority agenda distributed Monday afternoon. Details of the applications and awards typically aren't available until after the five-member board votes. The agenda is short on details, identifying only the businesses seeking aid and the general project locations.

Amazon inked a lease deal last week on a planned 855,000-square-foot building that will rise on the former Randall Park Mall site at Emery and Warrensville Center roads. The mall, which opened in 1976, was razed starting in late 2014.

Seefried Industrial Properties, Inc., an Atlanta-based developer that has worked with Amazon elsewhere, will gobble up 69 acres of the former retail site for the project.

Developers Stuart Lichter and Chris Semarjian, who assembled much of the property over the past few years with help from the Cuyahoga Land Bank and the village of North Randall, will continue to control the balance of the 100-acre property.

Recent fulfillment-center projects in the Columbus area offer some clues as to what the state might be putting on the table in North Randall.

In mid-2015, Amazon secured an incentive package for similar centers in Etna and Obetz. The board unanimously signed off on a 15-year, 75 percent payroll-tax credit for those facilities, according to meeting records. In exchange. Amazon committed to creating 2,000 full-time jobs and $60 million in payroll.

The company, which now employs 4,500 people in the Columbus area, also received an assist from JobsOhio, a statewide nonprofit focused on economic development. The organization kicked in $1.5 million in grants for the fulfillment centers, according to the JobsOhio website.

Amazon, which starts hiring six to 10 weeks before a fulfillment center opens, hasn't announced pay rates for North Randall. A spokeswoman said the jobs there will be full-time positions with access to benefits on the first day. Anonymous posts on the Glassdoor jobs website place average hourly pay at just under $12.50 for fulfillment center associates across the country.

Earlier this year, the village and the Warrensville Heights Board of Education approved 15 years of 75 percent property-tax abatement for the North Randall facility. Documents circulated at a Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority board meeting last month described the building as a $177 million project, with 2,600 parking spaces, 64 truck docks and parking for 200 trailers.

Amazon confirmed last week that the facility will be among the 20 percent or so of fulfillment centers where the company's employees labor side-by-side with robots.

The Ohio Tax Credit Authority's agenda also includes an Amazon project in Monroe, in Warren County, roughly midway between Dayton and Cincinnati.
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
Guwahati : A lady journalist of a local news channel in Assam was killed while a speedy truck hit her in Guwahati on Saturday night.

According to the reports, the incident took place at GS road near Dona planet in the capital city of Assam.

The speedy bricks laden truck hit the lady journalist identified as Reema Sarma worked in Prag News, while she came from Dona planet with her scooty.

Local people had immediately rushed her to Guwahati Mediacl College Hospital (GMCH), but doctor declared to death.

The truck had fled from the area after the incident.

Meanwhile, Guwahati city traffic police SP Amanjeet Kaur said that, police is trying to capture the truck and also to arrest the driver after seeing the CCTV footage.

Several media, civil society, political organizations had condoled on demise of the lady journo.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati : Tension still grips in various parts of Assam following the assault incident upon indigenous people in middle Assam's Nagaon town.

Pro-talk ULFA leader Anup Chetia on Sunday said that, we will not tolerate if any outsiders assaulted indigenous people in Assam.

'If any outsider (Bangladeshi migrants) think that, Assam is not suitable for him or them, then he or they can left our soil. We are not welcoming them to the state. If anyone went aggressive, then we will also too,' the pro-talk ULFA leader said.

Earlier, the pro-talk ULFA leaders on August 25 had threatened to take up arms again if the state government wouldn't take appropriate measures to protect indigenous people of Assam.

The statement came from the pro-talk ULFA leaders after another Silapathar like situation created in the middle Assam's town Nagaon.

According to the reports, a surrendered ULFA was allegedly assaulted and severely wounded him by a gang of youths including a BJP leader of a particular community inside a commercial establishment in the middle Assam's town Nagaon few days back.

Following the incident, Nagaon police had arrested the wounded person and his three associates after the proprietor the shop filing an FIR against them for a dacoity attempt.

Protest against the incident, several organizations on August 25 had organized a protest rally and demanded the district administration and state government to arrest the culprits immediately.

Pro-talk ULFA leader Arobinda Rajkhowa said that, the present state government is totally failed to protect indigenous people of Assam and the recent Nagaon incident proved it again.

'If the state government wouldn't take appropriate measures to protect our people, we will take up arms again,' Arobinda Rajkhowa said.

The pro-talk ULFA leaders also demanded to release the surrendered ULFA members immediately and to arrest the culprits behind the incident.

Meanwhile, tension still prevails in Nagaon as several organizations and local people demanded district police to arrest all culprits behind the incident and staged protest against the incident in different parts of the state.

On the other hand, Prabajan Virodhi Manch said that, the state government and political leadership have abdicated their responsibility to the indigenous people.

Convenor the Manch and advocate of Supreme Court Upamanyu Hazarika said that, instead of protecting indigenous people, their first priority is now going to protect the migrating people of a special community, which has triggered incidents like Silapathar and Nagaon creating a language divide.

'State BJP president had recently said that, the promise of protecting Jati, Mati, Veti was in a national context and not to protect indigenous against Bangladeshi infiltration. Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that BJP did not come to power on the Assamese vote. It now remain for Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal Sonowal to say that, he is the Jatiya Nayak of Bangladeshi, not of indigenous people,'A Hazarika said.

The Supreme Court advocate said that, the permanent solution against recurrence of such incidents is to give protection to indigenous people of Assam, similar to the protection enjoyed by indigenous is other north eastern states like Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and which is possible by the Assam assembly enacting a legislation reserving land, resources, government job, educational reservation, trade licences etc only for those who were citizens of India and resident of Assam in 1951 and their progeny.

On the other hand, police on Saturday had arrested another culprit behind the indigenous people attack incident from Guwahati.

Meanwhile, the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) had protested against the Nagaon incident by lighting torches across the state on Sunday evening.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
SNc Channels:



Search

About Salem-News.com



Aug-28-2017 01:10 TweetFollow @OregonNews Motorcylist Crashed into a Bear near Breitenbush The motorcyclist was flown by lifeflight to the nearest hospital.

Example of a black bear in Oregon. NOT the actual bear involved in this incident.

Photo: wildoregon.com

(DETROIT, Ore.) - Sunday afternoon, a motorcyclist was riding on Breitenbush Rd near mile post 18.5 when he crashed into a black bear who was in the middle of his lane of travel. The motorcyclist was flown to a hospital to be treated for their injuries. It is unknown the extent of injuries to the motorcyclist at this time. The black bear died at the scene and was taken care of by the US Forest Service. Please use this incident as a reminder to be careful while driving in rural areas as well as camping / hiking, as we frequently have wild animals of this nature sharing space and our roadways with us. Deputy Zahn from the Marion County Sheriff's Office is the lead investigator in this incident and was assisted by members of the Detroit-Idahna Fire Department, Lyons Ambulance Service, and the United States Forest Service Fire and Police. The Marion County Sheriff's Office would like to thank all of their user partners as well as WVCC and METCOM emergency dispatch services, and life flight for their assistance. The motorcyclist's name has not been released. Source: Marion County Sheriff's Office _________________________________________

Oregon | Motorcycle | Traffic | Most Commented on





Articles for August 28, 2017 | Articles for August 29, 2017
You have permission to edit this collection.

Edit Close
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Partly cloudy. High near 60F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 47F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
As of Friday morning they had 96,000 liters of water, 306,000 meals and 4,500 tarps and there were more en route.

Robin Smith, FEMA Region VI spokesperson
Masked men and women with Anarchist banner chanting "Heather Heyer, rest in power." #ABC7now pic.twitter.com/yPrnUTgntw  Dan Noyes (@dannoyes) August 27, 2017

Thousands of people showed up in Berkeley Sunday, including UC Berkeley students and city residents, to protest a planned but ostensibly canceled rally by right-wing and conservative activists with an "anti-Marxism" theme. By all accounts Berkeley police mostly kept the peace, but left-wing "antifa" activists descended on Patriot Prayer organizer Joey Gibson, shouting at him and pepper-spraying him until police put him and a "bodyguard" in handcuffs, in an effort to "rescue" him from the scuffle, as CBS 5 reports.

Is this black bloc's biggest ever showing in the Bay Area? pic.twitter.com/qX1Ck3j8Sh  Michael Montgomery (@MichaelMontCIR) August 27, 2017

A total of 13 arrests were made after more than 4,000 showed up in and around Civic Center Plaza, as ABC 7 reports, with the right-wing demonstrators far outnumbered by counter-protesters. They report that "dark-clothed anarchists attacked at least five people" including Gibson, and Orange County based right-wing activist Johnny Benitez also had to be escorted out of the area by police.

Berkeley police earlier warned protesters that they would not be allowed to carry sticks of any kind, and would not be allowed to cover their faces with masks.

Meanwhile, scheduled speaker at Saturday's canceled Patriot Prayer rally in San Francisco, Kyle Chapman, was under court order to stay away from the Berkeley rally after being jailed and released on bail Friday for charges related to a rally and riot in Berkeley in March. He took to Twitter to compare the police reaction to that in Charlottesville, even though it appears no one today was significantly injured.

Berekley was a set up. The police said they would protect the attendees and did nothing. Total stand down like Charlottesville.  Based Stickman (@BasedStickMan_) August 27, 2017

Stephan Golux, in an op-ed for Berkeleyside, argues that the reaction by leftist activists today was unnecessary and out of scale. "While I personally hold strictly to the principles of non-violence, I have never been able to say that antifa is necessarily wrong that Fascism may need to be confronted differently," he writes. "But I can say definitively that that was not the case today. If antifa is going to be the nuclear defense of the left against the horrors of White Supremacy, they will need to act with restraint when militant response is not called for."

Thankfully the Bay Area got through this contentious weekend, which was spurred by the two rallies planned here by right-wing activists intent on "poking the hive" and gaining more attention for themselves, without any serious violence. Let's hope that by thwarting an effort to incite chaos and violence, San Francisco and Berkeley have proved themselves to be less desirable targets for these types of events in the future.

Related: Photos Of Saturday's Rallies And Protests Against Hate In San Francisco


While much of the city was focused on rallies and marches against bigotry and hate on Saturday, a group of people headed to Ocean Beach for a planned demonstration of their own  forming a heart shape that got topped with an American flag, and was photographed by helicopter.

This was an effort organized by the local chapter of the group Together We Will (TWW), who were behind the human banner spelling RESIST! on Ocean Beach earlier this year.

Related: Photos Of Saturday's Rallies And Protests Against Hate In San Francisco



Thousands Spell 'Resist' On San Francisco Beach


Uber's board made a somewhat surprising decision Sunday to appoint Expedia chief Dara Khosrowshahi to the open CEO role at the company, settling two months of unrest at the company and setting aside rumors that ousted CEO Travis Kalanick was going to retake the helm at the company. As the New York Times reports, Khosrowshahi became the frontrunner after former General Electric CEO took himself out of the running Sunday morning.*

BuzzFeed suggests that there was ample board support for hiring Meg Whitman, despite the fact that Whitman had denied she was in the running for the job last month  though she was apparently the favored candidate by Benchmark Capital, the board seat holder who is currently suing Kalanick for fraud, and a few other things.

As the Times puts it, "How much of an impact Mr. Khosrowshahi can have on Uber is uncertain. The company still bears the imprint of Mr. Kalanick, who is on Ubers board." Khosrowshahi also happens to be on the board of the New York Times Company, and he has served as Expedia CEO for 12 years.

Apparently Kalanick may have maintained some influence on the decision, with BuzzFeed reporting that "a person close to him [said] that Ubers cofounder did not trust [Meg Whitman] and viewed her as being deceptive about her intentions."

As the Washington Post notes of Khosrowshahi, who is Iranian-American, he is "well liked and respected" within Silicon Valley after presiding over "a huge expansion of [Expedia] to over 60 countries," and he's "also a vocal critic of President Trump, particularly his travel ban against Muslim Americans."

Also, per the Post:



People who know him said Khosrowshahi brings two assets to Uber. For one, he is considered even-keeled and low-key -- a sharp contrast to Uber's former chief executive and co-founder Travis Kalanick, who has been known to fly into fits of anger... Khosrowshahis other asset is his skill as a dealmaker in the highly competitive market for online travel.

It remains to be seen how Kalanick may continue to exert influence in his role as board member of Uber, and the Benchmark lawsuit is challenging a shareholder vote last year that gave Kalanick control over two additional, currently unfilled board seats.

Related: Key Uber Investor Sues Travis Kalanick To Get Him Off The Company's Board

* Correction: An earlier version of this story listed Immelt as General Motors CEO, when in fact he was the CEO of General Electric.
The Bay Area found itself in a dubious top ten earlier this year when we were named the tenth most bed bug-infested region in America. Help may be on the way, according to the Chronicle, with the passage of a new law requiring landlords to give tenants written notification of any and all previous bed bug infestations. But that law is too little too late for one San Francisco couple, who moved into the modern urban luxury apartment complex Potrero Launch in December 2015. For the next year, their lives would become a bedbug nightmare as they were bitten the hell up, ended up burning some of their favorite clothes and possessions, put the rest of their stuff in storage, had the stuff stolen, and were eventually so stressed by the experience that it contributed to them calling it quits as a couple.

The Chronicle spoke to Straten Schemel and Paige Govey, who moved to San Francisco in 2015 and signed a 63-page lease (!) for an apartment at Potrero Launch. That lengthy lease also included a two-page addendum acknowledging that there may have been a prior infestation of bed bugs, but that this was treated by a professional and the unit was believed to be free of further infestation.

The key phrase there is believed to be free of further infestation. The tenants quickly started seeing bed bugs and complained to the propertys management. Exterminators visited their place five times, but the damned critters kept returning and causing immeasurable hassle for the couple. The escalation of pest extermination forced them put all of their items in storage, and some of their possessions were stolen.

It became us living out of boxes, living in the same three outfits, spending every night vacuuming the bedding and box springs, Govey told the Chronicle. It was a pretty large factor in a lot of fights.

Potrero Launch admits to the infestation, but insists they handled everything by the book. The apartment was treated for bed bugs in December 2015, Potrero Launch management said to the Chronicle. The pest control contractor followed their standard protocol, treating the unit three times, and inspecting adjacent units for infestation. No bed bugs were found and the issue was isolated to the one apartment. There was an apparent reinfestation of the same residents apartment in March 2016, which was treated following the same protocol. The resident moved out in December 2016 and there have been no further reports of bed bugs for any unit on the property.

While San Francisco may be the tenth most bed bug-infested town in the U.S., Los Angeles is all the way up there at Number Four. Hopefully this changes with the passage of a new law requiring additional tenant notification on prior bed bug infestations. That law is sort of a statewide version of bed bug warrior Jane Kims 2012 legislation, and requires landlords to provide tenant with a bed bug history of the apartment while prohibiting them from showing, renting, or leasing a vacant dwelling unit that the landlord knows has a bed bug infestation.

The new law is specific to bed bugs. Why bed bugs have their own law is that they are a harder pest to treat, California Apartment Association attorney Whitney Prout told the Chronicle. It requires early detection and integrated pest management between the landlord and tenant, because of how pervasively [the bed bugs] can take over.

While the new statewide law passed last year, it has not yet gone into full effect. Landlords were required to notify new tenants of bed bug infestations on July 1, and the law will be expanded to current and existing tenants on January 1, 2018.



Related: Allegations Of Bed Bug Infestation At 1000 Van Ness Movie Theater Persist


Piedmont Mayor Jeff Wieler announced Sunday that he would be stepping down from the job following an outcry last week over several Facebook posts that showed him to be less than enlightened on subjects ranging from trans people to Black Lives Matter. Wieler took on the mostly ceremonial role of mayor in the wealthy East Bay township last fall, and as the Associated Press reports, he announced his resignation in an apology letter to the city council  where he says he will remain until his current term expires.

The move came a day before what was sure to be a contentious meeting of the council with a vote of no confidence for Wieler.

If that seems confusing, it's because the job of mayor in Piedmont does not come with a salary or any official duties beyond running public hearings, and is more akin to being the president of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco. It's a position appointed by the council, typically to the member of the council with the most seniority. He remains a member of the city council, and his position as mayor will now be taken over by Vice Mayor Bob McBain, as the Chronicle reports.

Wieler said in his letter, "After a quarter century of volunteering for Piedmont in various roles, I regret the impact this has had upon the city I love and the men and women in the staff who do such a fine job for our citizens."

In a separate statement, according to the Chronicle, Wieler said, "We have a president who has coarsened the national dialogue and made many people feel insulted. No matter what you think of his policies and programs, this is a reality that I and many other Republicans are coming to acknowledge." He added, "I apologize deeply for the pain Ive caused. Going forward, I will restrict my Facebook posts to pictures of our pets and vacation pictures. Fortunately, Ive never tweeted!"

Wieler's previous Facebook posts, about which he was called to task at a public meeting last week, included the phrases, "Black Lives Matter encourages cop killing," ''Democrats are the plantation slave masters of today," and "Transgenders [sic] are mentally ill."

As many on the right have come under attack in recent weeks, Wieler was sure to add in his apology statement, "I want to make clear I loathe and despise white supremacists, neo-Nazis and racists."

Councilwoman Jen Cavenaugh told the Chronicle, "Our community has been really clear that this is not reflective of who we are and what we value." She went further, though, to imply Wieler should probably relinquish his role on the council, since councilmembers don't have the power to remove other councilmembers.

City Administrator Paul Benoit told the East Bay Times that under the city charter, Wieler's actions do not warrant removal from the council, and his current term ends in November 2018.

Piedmont, a town of 11,353 residents that is surrounded completely by Oakland, maintains its own school district and 28-person police department.

Previously: Piedmont's Mayor In Trouble Over Racist, Transphobic Facebook Posts


Touting their supposed efficacy in treating certain illnesses, a Monterey County man has proposed a measure for California's ballot that would legalize consumption of psilocybins, aka "magic mushrooms."

CBS 5 reports that the proposed ballot measure was filed Friday, with hopes that it would appear on the 2018 ballot.

According to the initiative, which you can read in full here, adults over the age of 21 "would be exempted from criminal penalties" for use, "possession, sale, transport and cultivation of Psilocybin."

The man behind the measure is Monterey County resident Kevin Saunders, who's been a candidate for mayor of the city of Marina, among many other things.

From a 2016 KSBW report:

[Saunders] is banned from Starbucks coffee shops worldwide. Saunders served a month in jail after pleading no contest to violating a restraining order and harassing the manager of a Marina Starbucks. Saunders is also banned from Monterey College of Law in Seaside, where he was expelled as a third-year law student.

According to KSBW, Saunders drew criticism last November when he reportedly targeted Monterey County Weekly reporter Sara Rubin with an "anti-Semitic rant" in which he said Send this shill back to Jersey or Haaretz and These Js will do just about anything to stop me."

Going back further to 2014, Saunders was sentenced to a month in jail for "violating a restraining order, making harassing phone calls and violation elections code," the Weekly reported at the time. He was also required to seek mental health counseling.

Fast-forward to today, and Saunders says he's now hard at work helping the mental health of everyone in California. According to the LA Times, in two studies published last November (you can read them here):

Trial subjects who received a single moderate-to-large dose of psilocybin got substantial and lasting relief from their profound distress. Among 80 cancer patients who participated in the two trials, as many as 4 in 5 continued to feel measurably less hopeless and demoralized six months after taking the drug than they had upon their recruitment.

For his part, Saunders told the LA Times that "using mushrooms helped him stop using heroin 15 years ago."

I think were seeing something that could literally heal our brothers and sisters," he told the Times. "Were talking about real cutting-edge stuff."

But before that happens, Saunders will need 365,880 valid signatures to get the measure on the ballot for the November 6, 2018 general election. But Saunders seems ready for the challenge, as he says the time is right for his proposal.

"Its a natural progression from marijuana legalization," he told the Times. "I think that we are having an opportunity to lead the discussion."

Related: Coyotes, Possibly High On Magic Mushrooms, Attacking Cars Near Stinson Beach


A flight to San Francisco International Airport was held up for over nine hours Sunday, but (for once!) the issue wasn't ground delays at our end  instead, a rat that had stowed away on the flight was the cause of the trouble.

According to the Times of India, the saga began at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 2:30 a.m. local time. That's when a rat was spotted on Boeing 777 operated by Air India, as the flight was taxiing toward takeoff.

So instead of ascending, the plane turned back around and headed back to the gate, where its 207 passengers were unloaded and the search for the stowaway began.

Six hours later, workers were done fumigating the plane, but they couldn't take off yet. That's because the Delhi-SFO flight is one of the world's longest nonstop flights, at 9506 miles flown over the course of 16-17 hours. Because of its length, the flight "needs two sets of crew, with one commander and copilot operating first half of the flight and the other two, the second half." But due to the rodent-hunting delay, flight duty and time limitations prevented the current set of crews from working that flight, and "The airline had to, at the last minute, look for a replacement crew," a source tells the Times.

It took Air India three more hours before they could find two commanders and two copilots for the flight, which eventually took off at noon local time.

"Passengers were unhappy at the long delay," the Times reports.

But how did the rat get on the plane in the first place? By catering van, the Times posits, quoting an official who says "This is a universal phenomenon. Rats follow the large storage cases in which food trays are kept. The catering vans are like a home for them as food keeps getting dropped."

"Rats get on the high lifts that take those storage cases to aircraft and then remain there. This happens across the world," the unnamed official said, and he or she is not wrong: Just last March, there was a similar scene aboard a British Airways flight headed from Heathrow to SFO, when a mouse was reportedly spotted scampering down the aisle. Guess everyone, even the tiniest among us, wants to go to San Francisco.

While we've all dealt with rodent infestations at home and agree they are gross but manageable, things get way more serious when we're talking about the critters in the air. Then, the madly chewing beasts (after all, "rodent" comes from the Latin word "rodere," which means "to gnaw") "pose a threat to safety by cutting electric wires and sending the systems haywire," the Times reports.

According to a senior commander who spoke with the Times, "Rats on board an aircraft can lead to a catastrophe if they start chewing up electric wires of a plane. If that happens, pilots will have no control on any system on board leading to a disaster."

Previously: Undocumented Mouse Delays SFO-Bound Plane For Hours
The port will especially be used for cargo and logistics that will serve exports and imports between Indonesia and Vietnam, particularly coal, Intra Asia Indonesia commissioner Lutfi Ismail said on the jakartapost.com.The port, worth US$ 1 billion, is designed to have a capacity of 15-20 million tonnes of coal per year and will help cut logistics costs for importing coal from Indonesia. Hence, it will facilitate the sustainable development of coal exports from Indonesia to Vietnam and supply fuel to coal power plants in Vietnam.Indonesias Central Statistics Agency recorded that trade between Indonesia and Vietnam reached US$ 6.3 billion last year, while Indonesia suffered a US$ 182.9 million deficit.This year, Indonesia is targeting to export 4.5 million tonnes of coal to Vietnam, Lutfi added.

VNS
The Japanese circus troupe will bring to the city international artists from Japan, Venezuela, Argentina, Columbia, Mexico, Ecuador and Russia.



The artists will present a variety of acts, including acrobatics, juggling, globe of death, flying trapeze, circles of death, flying motorcycle act and others performances that have won awards in international circus festivals.

The show will begin on September 1 and run to December 1 at the National Circus Federation in Hanoi . Happy Dream Circus will tour the nation from December 2, 2017-April 1, 2018.







By MAI AN  Translated by Kim Khanh
Statistically, total number of international holiday-makers arriving in the country in eight months of the year reached over 8,4 million, a leap of 29.7 percent compared to same period last year.



If the figure of visitors continued to rise along with concerted efforts to boost tourism, it is hoped that Vietnam will welcome 13 million international tourists in 2017, achieving the set target.

The statistic also showed local tourists reached 52.8 million in eight months. The tourism sectors revenue reached VND335,840 billion, 26.7 percent higher than same period last year.

As per the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)s report, Vietnam is becoming interesting destinations of international travelers. The Southeast Asian nation is ranked tenth position in the index of top emerging destinations for international tourists, according to UNWTOs survey.

Especially, the globally famous tourism web TripAdvisor announced ten interesting destinations in Vietnam selected by tourists. The central province of Quang Binh rose to the fourth place after UNESCO-recognized natural heritage site of Hoi An town, Vietnams capital city of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

By MINH TAM  Translated by UYEN PHUONG
SIOUX CITY | Woodbury County Sheriff Dave Drew freely admitted Monday that he's not a patient person.

So waiting over the weekend for a jury to decide whether Melvin Spencer was guilty of attempted murder for firing 16 shots at Deputy Mike Lenz tested Drew's limits.

His patience was rewarded Monday afternoon, when the Woodbury County District Court jury concluded eight hours of deliberations and found Spencer guilty.

"I'm really pleased," Drew said. "I was worried that the longer they were out, it could be a lesser charge. It was obvious to me it was attempted murder, but I'm not a juror," Drew said. "We're glad that justice was served."

Spencer, 25, of Sioux City, faces a 25-year prison sentence. A sentencing date was not set.

Spencer exchanged gunfire with Lenz at the conclusion of a Feb. 26 vehicle pursuit south of Sioux City. Lenz was not injured, but at least five rounds struck his patrol vehicle.

Lenz was not in the courtroom when the verdict was announced, but Drew contacted him soon after.

"He's a solid kid, a young man who does a good job," Drew said. "He believed he did the right thing."

Jurors heard evidence for two days and deliberated for two hours on Friday before going home for the weekend. They resumed talks Monday morning and spent nearly six more hours before reaching their unanimous verdict.

Woodbury County Attorney Patrick Jennings, who prosecuted the case, declined to comment.

The February chase began when another deputy attempted to stop a vehicle driven by Brittney Hood on 260th Street near Port Neal Road for traffic violations. Rather than pull over, Hood sped away before stopping the vehicle, exiting and fleeing on foot before being apprehended.

A passenger in the vehicle, Spencer took the wheel and sped off. He was turning onto 225th Street when Lenz joined the chase and followed Spencer north onto Allison Avenue, where the vehicle became stuck in a ditch at a dead end. Spencer then leaned out the driver's side window and fired at Lenz, who returned fire. Spencer fled on foot while Lenz attended to a passenger in Spencer's vehicle who had been struck by gunfire and suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Spencer was arrested three hours later after officers from several local and state law enforcement agencies had joined in the manhunt.

"Everybody came rallying around our deputy who was shot at," Drew said.

Hood, 27, of Sioux City, pleaded guilty in April to misdemeanor charges of eluding and interference with official acts and was sentenced to 90 days in jail.
SIOUX CITY | Two men have pleaded not guilty in federal court to selling methamphetamine in the Storm Lake, Iowa, area.

A grand jury indictment filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City charges Bounpane Phaymany, 33, of Storm Lake, and Dylan Gustafson, 24, of Aurelia, Iowa, with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Gustafson also is charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Both men pleaded not guilty Friday. Their trial was set for Oct. 2.

According to the indictment, to two had been selling meth in the area from about June 1 through Aug. 23.

The two were arrested in July after Storm Lake police executed a search warrant at a home in the 1100 block of West Fifth Street in Storm Lake and found 1.2 pound of meth with a street value of about $19,000, a semiautomatic handgun and $400 in cash.

Gustafson arrived during the search, and police found him in possession of $8,500 in cash, two ounces of marijuana and a loaded 9mm handgun.

Both were charged in Buena Vista County District Court with drug possession. Those cases were dismissed Thursday after the federal indictment was filed.

Four children ranging in age from 3 to 6 also were removed from the home, and Brenda Vang, 25, of Storm Lake, was arrested on charges of child endangerment. Her case is pending in Buena Vista County District Court.
SIOUX CITY | Kingsley-Pierson School District officials aim to hold classes Tuesday, a day after a water break in the Kingsley building resulted in some pupils getting the afternoon off.

Kingsley-Pierson Superintendent Scott Bailey said a pressure valve tank in the ceiling broke just after noon Monday, sending water into the building. The building has elementary and high school grades, and those pupils were sent home from school.

Bailey said everyone cooperated to help address the water incident. Teachers moved some items to dry parts of the building, and the volunteer "fire department did a fantastic job," he said.

No one was injured during the incident or clean-up.

Fans and dehumidifiers have been operating in the Kingsley building, which dates to 1979. Bailey said the goal is to resume classes Tuesday, with a two-hour late start.

K-P middle school students in Pierson held classes as scheduled Monday.
SIOUX CITY | Three Siouxlanders were among the 20 Iowans who are either in Texas or headed there to pitch in on the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts through the Iowa Red Cross.

Allen Van Beek of Rock Rapids was deployed to assist with the distribution of emergency supplies and Tyler Martensen of Mapleton volunteered with health services. Joining them is Randall Hitchcock of Sioux City who departs Tuesday.

According to the Red Cross, the organization has set up 34 shelters -- a number it expects to grow -- that have taken in more than 1,800 people after Saturday's deadly storm and the continued flooding in Texas where the brunt of the storm struck.

Harvey will continue to produce an additional several feet of rain over the next few days and millions of people are facing flash flood warnings, including the entire Houston metro area which is under a flash flood emergency.

The Red Cross has enough shelter supplies in Texas to support 28,000 people and supplies for an additional 22,000 people are being sent, according to the organization. In addition, tractor trailer loads of ready-to-eat meals, comfort kits, kitchen supplies and cleaning supplies are on the ground in Texas.
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(August 28, 2017)The Prince Frederick Barrack of the Maryland State Police (MSP) today released the following incident and arrest reports.POSSESSION OF MARIJUANA & PSILOCYBIN: On 8/25/2017 at 2:26 am, Trooper Backus stopped a vehicle on Rt. 4 near Thomas Johnson Rd. in Solomons for traffic violations. An odor of marijuana was emitting from inside the vehicle. A K-9 scan was requested and resulted in a positive alert., were arrested for possession of Marijuana and Psilocybin. They were incarcerated in the Calvert County Detention Center.ASSAULT & DISORDERLY: On 8/26/2017 at 1:10 am, Troopers responded to the Green Turtle in Prince Frederick for a reported assault., were observed in the parking lot in an active altercation. During the investigation it was confirmed that Jackson had previously assaulted and stabbed a patron inside the restaurant. Jackson was arrested for the assault. Hutchins began yelling profanity during the investigation and was warned numerous times to stop and she continued to do so and was arrested for disorderly conduct. Both were incarcerated at the Calvert County Detention Center.MOTOR VEHICLE CRASH: On 08/27/2017 at 1:08 pm, TFC Rucker responded to a motor vehicle crash at Route 4 and Patuxent Point Parkway in Solomons. The collision involved several vehicles including a Ford Expedition and Toyota Tacoma. The Ford Expedition rolled over during the crash and the driver was flown to PG Shock Trauma. The driver is currently listed in good condition and expected to fully recover. The State Police is looking for any witnesses that may have seen the events leading up to the crash. Please contact TFC Rucker or TFC Matthews with information, 410-535-1400.Lawrence W. Langyher, 63, of Dunkirk, arrested on 08/21/2017 @ 06:52 pm by TFC P. KaitzJoseph J. Bello, 65, of Stevensville, arrested on 08/23/2017 @ 10:31 pm by TFC P. KaitzRonald W. Milligan, 59, of St. Leonard, arrested on 08/23/2017 @ 11:24 pm by CPL. B. WiesemannClifton S. Gibson, 49, of Washington, D.C., arrested on 08/27/2017 @ 02:04 am by CPL. B. Wiesemann
(AP) Yesterday, Congresswoman Alma Adams (D-NC) held a press conference at Time Out Youth, a local LGBTQ youth center in Charlotte, NC, to announce the introduction of the Youth Access to Sexual Health Services (YASHS) Act. The bill provides federal funding to expand access to sexual health services and scientifically-based, inclusive sexual health information and support programs that promote sexual health for LGBTQ youth, young people of color, homeless youth, youth in foster care, immigrant youth, and youth in juvenile detention.

In a recent report, HRC hailed the introduction of the YASHS Act in the U.S. House of Representatives by Adams to provide sexual health services to marginalized youth. Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI) and seven co-sponsors introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

"Recent studies rank North Carolina among the states with the highest number of reported cases of STDs in the nation," said Congresswoman Adams. "Across the U.S., youth ages 13-24 account for more than one in five new HIV diagnoses, an epidemic that must be stopped."

HRC joined nearly 30 national organizations including the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the U.S. (SIECUS), National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America to endorse the YASHS Act. Scott Bishop, a member of HRC's Board of Directors, and HRC Southern Regional Field Organizer Hope Jackson were present at the event to thank Congresswoman Adams for introducing important legislation that will support the needs of LGBTQ youth across the country.

Mayor Jennifer Roberts, Equality North Carolina's Interim Director Matt Hirschy, and Councilmember LaWana Mayfield joined Congresswoman Adams in speaking to the importance of YASHS and protecting underserved youth.

"Far too many youths in this country face far too many barriers that prevent them from accessing very necessary health resources and services," said ENC Interim Director, Hirschy. Our current systems are struggling to reach LGBTQ, immigrant, and homeless youth and we can't rely on that any longer. That's why Equality NC is proud to endorse Representative Adams' YASHS act alongside so many other organizations."

"If we are going to help every young person in this community to be successful then we must be committed to the development of all facets to their mental and physical health. The YASHS goes a long way towards that total development of our youth," said Councilmember Mayfield. "We know that our youth faces challenges that we never faced... particularly pleased to see that grantees have to form a partnership with community organizations like Time Out Youth, use scientifically effect strategies, provide medically accurate information, provide an annual report on their uses of funds and how their efforts increased youth access to sexual health services," said Mayor Roberts. And so, we are talking about a way that young people know that they are getting real information so they may have empowerment to take control of their futures and their lives."

In far too many places across the country, at-risk youth that are LGBTQ, people of color, homeless or in foster care or juvenile facilities lack access to medically-accurate sex education and health services that are imperative to their sexual health and well-being. Congresswoman continued leadership helps protect and expand healthcare for LGBTQ youth.

Learn more about sexual health education from HRC's brief, "A Call to Action: LGBTQ Youth Need Inclusive Sex Education" here.
(EDGE) LGBT civil rights group Human Rights Campaign issued a statement blasting President Donald Trump's late Friday pardoning of controversial former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The move sparred the former sheriff, who has been called racist and anti-LGBTQ, a jail sentence after he was convicted of criminal contempt related to his hard-line tactics in going after undocumented immigrants.

"Joe Arpaio must be held accountable for his long record of violating the civil rights of Maricopa County's Latinx population, and carrying out a hate-filled agenda through extreme racial profiling," said HRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof.

"During his tenure, Arpaio has attacked nearly every marginalized community, including using anti-LGBTQ schemes to humiliate inmates at his 'Tent City' prison. By pardoning Arpaio, Trump is again aligning himself with his nationalist, racist, anti-LGBTQ supporters -- only two weeks after the violent extremism in Charlottesville."

More briefly, HRC President Chad Griffin had this to say on Twitter:

Meet the convicted racist @realDonaldTrump thought worthy of a presidential pardon. Joe Arpaio belongs behind bars. https://t.co/3NCaQx5Uqn  Chad Griffin (@ChadHGriffin) August 26, 2017

HRC notes that Arpaio campaigned against the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides much-needed relief for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children. DACA allows these young people to come out of the shadows and live fully within their communities -- including 75,000 LGBTQ Dreamers.

Last week, HRC joined Voto Latino by signing a coalition letter sent to President Donald Trump expressing opposition to the potential presidential pardon of Arpaio.
An outbreak of violence interrupted a Mississippi vigil that was held last week on Wednesday for a transgender woman the day after her death.

After a candlelight vigil for Kiwi Herring, transgender activists protested and were violently disrupted by a man driving through the crowded street and mowing down several people with his Mercedes.

Several kicked the Mercedes and climbed on the hood, The Riverfront Times reports, noting that video footage exists to corroborate these claims. After a few moments, the video shows, the Mercedes surges forward, sending people tumbling into the street before speeding off around the corner.

The driver has been identified as 59-year-old Mark Colao, who, according to the Times, steered his black Mercedes around three other cars that had stopped for protesters who were blocking the intersection of Sarah Street and Manchester Avenue.

"Colao accelerated and then hit the brakes as he reached the edge of the crowd.

He has been charged with resisting arrest, leaving the scene of an accident and operating a motor vehicle in a careless manner. He was stopped a block away from the incident and taken into custody.

The day prior, Herring was shot and killed by police officers after police responded to reports of domestic issues.

Hours before they arrived, Herring used a knife to slash into her spouses face, arms and torso. Herring used the same knife to cleave one of the officers over the shoulder before police promptly shot and killed her.

A spokesperson for the St. Louis police told the Huffington Post an investigation was ongoing. The officers are currently on administrative leave. Herrings spouse was also taken into custody due to involvement in the assault, St. Louis Police Chief Larry OToole told THP.

Kiwis sister-in-law Crevonda Nance told the publication that police filed charges of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon against her sibling. We dont know why those charges have been filed.

An initial police response on the matter misgendered Herring as male, discouraging the deceased Herrings family and friends, who wished to make clear that Herring identified as female.

Nance told THP she wants everyone to remain calm until they can learn more information.

I dont want people out causing trouble, Nance said. Yes, black lives matter. I agree, but I also feel all lives matter. Color or sexual orientation doesnt. Kiwi was a human being created by god and that matters.

Watch the video below.
Le Collectif Cheikh Yassine a organise un certain nombre dactivites et de festivites pour les enfants de Gaza sous le theme  La joie des enfants de Gaza pour lAid . Ces activites ont commence le premier jour de lAid et continue jusquau 4eme jour de lAid dans la bande de Gaza.



Plusieurs activites, ont ete organisees parmi lesquelles : des competitions recompensees par des prix, des jeux, des animations et des chants presentes par un groupe ainsi que des distributions de cadeaux et daides financieres.




We can't seem to find the page you are looking for.

You may have typed the address incorrectly or you may have used an outdated link.
The only thing better than coffee is coffee with breakfast tacos. That happens to be the very concept in play at Fox Loves Taco, the new Washington, D.C. coffee bar from the team behind Little Red Fox, a multi-roaster and sandwich joint.

The new Fox Loves Taco is in the former Filter Coffee space in the Districts Brookland neighborhood. The spaces interior is absolutely bursting with colorful design, and theyre backing that up with serious gear and a breakfast taco-forward worldview, which we feel sounds delicious. The spot opens in mid-September.

As told to Sprudge by Matt Carr.

For those who arent familiar, will you tell us about your company?

Little Red Fox is our first location. Its a market and coffee shop. Weve been open for three years. Were now expanding with Fox Loves Taco, which will serve specialty coffee and breakfast tacos.

Can you tell us a bit about the new space?

It was previously occupied by Filter Coffee, a pioneer in the DC coffee scene. Its also a shared space with The Bike Rack, a local independent DC bicycle shop. We are retaining the coffee setup (mostly) and are adding a kitchen to the space. In my opinion, just offering specialty coffee (and pastries) isnt enough anymore with the market growing so fast and so competitive. You have to offer something else. Little Red Fox has prepared foods, breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and a market (along with a specialty coffee setup). This new space will offer pastries and breakfast tacos served all day.

Whats your approach to coffee?

Coava out of Portland, Oregon is our main roaster, so we will only be using single origins for espresso and pour-over. We treat coffee like food and rotate it out seasonally. Also like foodservice, we try and make our coffee service as approachable, clear, and friendly as possible. But if a drink isnt on the menu, were not going to make it for you. I wont ask my staff to make a drink theyve never practiced before.

Any machines, coffees, special equipment lined up?

Marco SP9 Twin for pour-overs. Because we will be doing so much foodservice, I dont want my baristas tied up with a manual pour, so this is the best alternative we found. Well also be using a La Marzocco Strada EE, Mazzer Kony, Mahlkonig EK43, and Curtis Twin brewer.

Whats your hopeful target opening date/month?

Projected opening is the second week of September.

Are you working with craftspeople, architects, and/or creatives that youd like to mention?

Dan Gray and Joseph Margot are super-talented steel and wood workers and they will be designing and building all of our custom furniture and shelving. Our logo will be designed by the very talented crew at Polygraph Creative, a small DC graphic design shop.

Thank you!

The Build-Outs Of Summer is an annual series on Sprudge. Live the thrill of the build all summer long in our Build-Outs feature hub. Got a Build-Out of your own? Get in touch.

Photos courtesy of Farrah Skeiky.
Good Trip Coffee Company is a new cold brew line in Denver that specializes in unique flavor infusions and easy home brewing. Each coffee comes in a pouch that is ready to steep in water and is nitro-flushed during production. The results are an interesting and convenient take on a sub-genre in the coffee industry that never seems to stop growing.

After traveling and learning about coffee in Nicaragua, owners/founders Angela and Andrew Oehlerking decided to create a cold brew line that would be approachable for just about any sort of coffee drinker: people looking for fruity and clean cold brews, people looking for something like a dessert, anyone and everyone.

We want to serve consumers who value sustainable sourcing practices and craftsmanship, but who also enjoy a moment to let their hair [and egos] down and enjoy something lighthearted and refreshing, says Angela. Were certainly not trying to make light of the inequities in the industry that were trying to help reverse, but were trying to perhaps bring more consumers into specialty coffee and into the human story of coffee by opening the doors to people who might have been previously intimidated by certain aspects of Third Wave coffee culture or the high-octane cold brews out there.

By attempting to appeal to everyone right out of the gate, Good Trip could potentially run the risk of appealing to nobody in particular. However, the company has a few things going for it that should remove any fears of lacking an audience, including the product itself.

To start, the coffee tastes good. Among the six coffees available, the Rwandan single origin stands out as a fruity and clean coffee aimed at attracting the attention of the specialty coffee crowd, while the spicy Mayan cocoa infusion should please anyone with a sweet tooth. In total, Good Trip offers another single-origin coffee from Nicaragua, organic infusions such as mint and coconut, and a dirty chai option.

To further draw upon the human stories of coffee, Good Trip sources exclusively with female farmers and three percent of sales are donated to a Nicaraguan scholarship fund supporting higher education for women-owned co-ops.

The aesthetics and the casual approach of Good Trip is also sure to bring in a few curious coffee drinkers. Rather than opting for intimidating color schemes, mysterious labels, or forcing a philanthropy into a logo, the founders went with informative and eye-catching designs from local artist Josh Holland.

Good Trips production facility is part of a shared commissary kitchen in the Thornton area just north of Denver. The setup is simple and practical: a single mixing drum, a Mahlkonig GUA 710 grinder, a dosing machine, a bag press, and a nitro-flushing machine that pulls the oxygen out of each bag prior to seal. Its an efficient model for the uncommon business of launching a cold brew product without having a roastery or cafe as home base.

Perhaps more than anything else working in Good Trips favor is consumer convenience. Each bag gives an effective rundown of brewing recipes, but really, its as easy as measuring water, pouring water, and removing bags hours later. It will be difficult to make cold brew at home any easier than this.

In Denver alone, there are probably a half dozen cold brews that someone will swear by, and probably another half dozen being shipped in from out of state. Good Trip is technically competing with all of them but is currently as close to being in a class of its own as it gets. The Oehlerkings may not make a bottled cold brew sitting on a shelf in a store, but they can provide a pitcher of cold brew sitting on a shelf in the fridge in your home.

Ben Wiese is a freelance journalist based in Denver. Read more Ben Wiese on Sprudge.
Two divisions of New York Sire Stakes (NYSS) two-year-old trotting colts and geldings vying for $107,000 in purse money highlighted the Sunday afternoon (August 27) card at Batavia Downs and a live crowd of 3,500 was on hand to watch the proceedings.

In the first $53,500 division, Tito (Andy Miller) left from post one and took an undisputed lead right off the gate. After going a moderate 1:01.3 to the half, the heavily favoured My Lindy Winner (Jim Morrill Jr.) came first-up and delivered some moderate pressure to the front-runner. But Tito was up to the task and buzzed home in a quick :56.4 back-half to win easily by two-lengths in 1:58.2.

It was the first career win for Tito (7.20) and thus the time was a new lifetime mark. The time was also only one-fifth of a second off the track record for two-year-old trotting colts.

Tito, who is by Muscle Mass out of Stonebridge Encore (Angus Hall), is owned by Anthony Lombardi, George Golemes and Louis Willinger and is trained by Erv Miller. He was bred by Angie Stiller of Arva, Ont.

In the second $53,500 split, Clive Bigsby (Chris Lems) used the exact same game plan. After taking the lead from post one, Lems backed off the fractions to 1:01.2 while three horses broke behind him. He continued to grab leather up the backside with no challengers in sight and gave Clive Bigsby his head for the last quarter where he trotted home in :28.4 to an easy three-length win in 1:59.1.

The win puts him in a first-place tie in points (200) with Fourth Dimension as the top horses in the NYSS division. Fourth Dimension did not enter this weeks NYSS race.

Clive Bigsby ($3.10) now has five wins in seven starts this year and an impressive bankroll of $93,562. The progeny of Muscle Mass out of Northern Flare (Angus Hall) is owned by the Winters Racing Stable and George Ducharme, who also trains the gelding. He was bred by Karen Carroll of Shedden, Ont.

There were also two $15,000 divisions of the Excelsior series on the card.

The first group was bested by Dewey Hava Winner (Deweycheatumnhowe-Kosher Winner), who scored a half-length decision in 2:00.4 for trainer/driver Ray Schnittker. Dewey Hava Winner ($4.10) is owned by Eric Taddeo.

The second set went to If Not Why Not (Muscle Mass-Amazing Grace) after a good late brush off a pocket-trip in 2:01.1 for Phil Fluet. If Not Why Not ($10) is owned by Michael Polansky and is trained by Dave Spagnola.

First-Time Starter Ruby Wins Wiener Dog Race

Ruby, a three-year-old dachshund making her first lifetime start, defeated nine other wiener dogs on Sunday en route to winning the 2017 Batavia Downs Dachshund Dash sponsored by Genesee Feeds of Batavia.

History has shown that a dog racing for the first time normally doesnt perform as well as dogs that have raced in previous years. But that wasnt the case on Sunday when Ruby, who is owned by Patrick Gorman of Buffalo, New York, served notice with an electrifying heat victory believed to be the fastest win ever at Batavia.

In the final, she took the lead soon after the start and cruised to victory.

She stays fit by swimming, said her owner Gorman. She loves to fetch so thats why we entered her.

For her efforts, her owner takes home $135 in Batavia Downs Gaming Free Play and two clubhouse buffets.

Maximus finished second for owner Carrie Marseglia while Martin was third for owner Christine Baker.

Former champion Rudy got the biggest roar of the crowd. Now a 14-year-old, the legendary Dachshund, who was unbeatable in 2005 and 2006, made the final but was unplaced.

It was a remarkable afternoon, said Director of Marketing Ryan Hasenauer. Every year Family Fun day gets bigger and better and we look forward to doing it all again next year.

With New York Sire Stakes, Family Fun Day and the wiener dog races, local racing fans and families came out in force on a perfect summer afternoon. Track officials estimated the live crowd to be 3,500.

(With files from Batavia Downs)
Calif. Bill Threatens Religious Liberty

Contact: Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, 212-371-3191, pr@catholicleague.org

NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2017 /Standard Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue (photo) today sent the following letter to all members of the California State Senate:

Dear Senator:

I write to express the Catholic League's opposition to Assembly Bill 569.

Under the guise of "anti-discrimination," this bill is a blatant assault on religious freedom. It would bar religious organizations from establishing faith-based codes of conduct for their employees. So, for example, a Catholic school could not require that its teachers adhere to public and workplace rules of conduct that would model the principles of the Catholic faith to Catholic schoolchildren.

This bill specifically targets codes of conduct involving employees' "reproductive health care decisions." That, and its full-throated endorsement by groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice California, make clear the bill's true intent: to undermine Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life, by forcing the Church to employ people who publicly reject that teaching. It is a thinly disguised attempt to impose radical pro-abortion policies on religious organizations.

I urge you to defend religious liberty by voting against AB 569.

Sincerely,

William A. Donohue, Ph.D.

President
By Gemma Handy

TOURISM chiefs have hit back at hoteliers who claim a recent crime spate is to blame for a drop in air arrivals.





Figures show a two percent dip  or 2,655 fewer people  flew into the TCI between April and June this year, compared to the same period in 2016.





The biggest decrease was seen in flights from the US and Canada, the countrys principal source markets.





Concerns earlier this month from Turks and Caicos Hotel and Tourism Association (TCHTA) chiefs came hot on the heels of the shooting of two American holidaymakers within five weeks.





But the Tourist Boards statistics, released in a statement on Thursday (August 24), only cover the period immediately prior to the shocking attacks against tourists, the third quarter of 2017 still being in progress.





The data did show, however, that overall arrivals to the Islands, by both air and cruise ships, in fact soared by 17 percent for the second quarter of 2017, compared to last year.





The decline in air arrivals is attributed in part to the Trump effect, with patriotic Americans apparently choosing staycations over international trips.





"Travelzoos spring 2017 Travel Trends Survey finds that nearly 60 percent of Americans will travel domestically for their primary vacation this year, the tourism ministry statement continued.





American travellers are also showing an interest in long weekends to Europe, thanks to a slew of new low-cost carriers, it said.





The ministry "makes it categorically clear that there is no evidence to support that the recent incidents of crime correlated to a decrease in arrivals to the destination, it went on to state.





The 2016 tourism season was "mixed for much of the region and, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), travel from overseas is expected to be sluggish for the upcoming season.





A surge in alternative accommodation such as Airbnb is said to have resulted in fewer hotel stays across the region last year.





Nonetheless, TCI tourism bosses remain optimistic. The statement claimed there was still "strong interest among key markets.





"The frequency of flights from most major gateways in the US and beyond makes the Turks and Caicos an attractive destination, including for last-minute vacation planners, it said, adding that the ministry was "working aggressively to maintain brand TCI.





"We assure the travelling public that everything is being done to ensure a sense of security in our destination.





Islanders were recently urged to join the fight against crime in a united plea from resort chiefs and Tourist Board members.





TCHTA executive director Stacy Cox previously said violent incidents had hit the TCIs "economic vein but, while they might temporarily bring the country "to its knees, the Islands remained an "ultra-safe destination compared to many regional counterparts.





Cox admitted there had been concern - and subsequent cancellations - from vacationers deterred by the crime wave.





On July 28, holidaymaker Mike Jones, 57, was shot during an armed burglary at his villa in Leeward.





Five weeks earlier, Kevin Newman, of Alabama, was robbed at gunpoint and shot in Grace Bay and had to be flown to Florida for treatment. Both men had been vacationing in the Islands with their families.





A national security strategy aimed at tackling crime, and its causes, has since been announced.





In February, Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson asked the UK for assistance during a visit to London.




By Daisy Handfield

INCREASING the accessibility to healthcare for residents of the Turks and Caicos Islands is still on the immediate agenda of the Ministry of Health.





Earlier in the year the ministry held a press conference at the Town Hall Centre in Providenciales where they announced plans to take healthcare to the vulnerable communities in Providenciales through a community outreach programme.





A statement from the ministry recently said that it is in the process of designing a state of the art mobile clinic that will travel to various communities to offer healthcare education and services to the public.





It will be especially aimed at those who might have difficulties in getting to the hospitals or might not know that they require medical attention due to a lack of education about both communicable and uncommunicable diseases that affect the TCI population.





Minister of Health Edwin Astwood said that the ministry is in the process of getting the vehicle to carry out the operation and that members should expect to see it commissioned later this year.





He said: "The mobile clinics are on schedule to be here in November We have submitted the design to companies, exactly to the specs that we want.





Astwood said that if the ministry had gotten the design a little bit earlier in the year, the vehicle would have been available for September.





Nonetheless, he said he is still excited about the debut of the vehicle.





Senior public health nurse, Elrisa Gardiner said the teams of medical professionals will be visiting various communities, starting with Providenciales.





"We will be walking from house to house and assessing each household to see what we need to do for them and to see if we need to refer them to any other organisation or unit within the Ministry of Health or any other organisation that is non-governmental, she said.





She added that the idea is to conduct a health and wellness assessment of these communities to provide background data for the Ministry of Health so that they will know what has to be put in place.




AS THE Government continues to go full steam ahead with its immigration crackdown, the Ministry of Border Control and Employment Services is engaging with representatives of countries that have a high number of citizens residing in the Turks and Caicos Islands.





Two weeks ago, the minister and Deputy Premier Sean Astwood spent a considerable amount of time engaging with leaders of the larger migrant communities as a lead up to his ministrys crackdown on the illegal population.





At those meetings, the deputy premier also revealed that new policies and frameworks are on the horizon in the area of immigration.





He promised his attendees that these measures will be introduced to the public within coming months as it relates to work permits, border enforcement and improvements in processing and other operational policies and procedures.





On August 8 (one week ahead of the August 14 deadline), Astwood met with representatives of the Philippines, Jamaica and Haiti.





This came prior to his meeting of August 10 when he brought together pastors of the Haitian community.





During the meetings, he discussed the current immigration and border control initiatives in the TCI announced on July 26 in the House of Assembly.





Since the Deputy Premiers announcement of tighter controls and improved enforcement of the immigration law, there has been much speculation and mischief-making, a statement from his ministry read.





Hence, the purpose of those meetings was to provide factual information that the representatives could disseminate to persons in their respective communities.





Astwood briefed the attendees on the aims of his ministry to regularise immigration in the Turks and Caicos Islands and further assured them that the intention of the ongoing initiative is to ensure that everyone in the TCI is legal and that all laws of the territory are being upheld.





He also emphasised to the attendees that it is important that the Government do all within their power, and guided by legal frameworks, to ensure the safety and security of all people that live, work and visit the Islands.





Astwood informed attendees that his ministry intends to ensure that all those living in the TCI have valid statuses to do so, as such, the immigration taskforce in conjunction with the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force will perform stop and search operations, and people found to not be in possession of a valid TCI status will be detained and processed.





Community leaders were informed that while some deportation is anticipated, the department will take a keen look at each case on an individual basis to ensure that those falling outside of the intended target objective are not disadvantaged by the operations, and that all others are either repatriated or charged and deported in which case they too will be added to the Immigration Stop List.





The deputy premier impressed upon his audience the need for people to use the time given to either regularise themselves, or to leave the territory voluntarily, as this will permit re-entry at a later date, through legal means once approved to do so.





When asked for his views on the success of the meetings, Astwood stated: "I am confident that the meetings provided a platform to not only address the migrant communities concerns regarding my ministrys ongoing initiatives but it also gave opportunity to share this Governments vision and expectations of the migrant population that remain amongst us with the hope that the consuls and pastors, as leaders within their own right, will provide clarity to persons in their communities and further encourage them to abide here following all of the laws of our country.





This immigration initiative, which has since come into effect, is just the beginning of a long-term goal to restore balance and order in the Turks and Caicos Islands, the Government has consistently expressed.




By Daisy Handfield

SEA Guardian and Sea Persuit were the names selected for the two new marine boats that the police force has invested in to help fight against illegal migration and smuggling.





A ceremony was held at the Shipyard in Long Bay on Friday, August 18, to officially announce the arrival of the new vessels.





The boats were named through an in-house competition, in honour of two fallen officers who lost their lives in 2002 as they attempted to get to shore after their fishing boat sank.





The voyage of four left two survivors, including a serving police inspector.





Constable Jordon Sutton, son of deceased officer John Sutton Senior, who was present at the ceremony said that it felt great to see that his father was not forgotten.





He said: "He was a dedicated officer. Anybody you ask about John Sutton can tell you that he always got the job done.





"I grew up seeing that he was dedicated to his job. It is good to see that he had one of these boats named after him. I am very happy about it.





Premier Sharlene Cartwright Robinson expressed gratitude to officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF).





She said: "I am more than elated to be a part of the virgin voyage for civilians and see the capabilities of the acquisition.





"So, I am really grateful that we have been able to invest as a country in these vessels we will build a marine base, already committed in the budget for next year.





"This is to make sure that we protect the investment that was made.





She also acknowledged the fact that this initiative fell under the former administration.





"Of course I have to stop and say to people that this is the effort of the former administration.





"It is just the right thing to do, to show that no matter what it is, there are things that we have to agree on and this is one that we totally agreed on and we supported, she said.





After nearly two years of waiting, the boats finally arrived in the TCI earlier last week.




The TDN editorial board is endorsing Phil Jurmu for the Longview School Board, and urges you to vote for him.

Finding good candidates to fill local city council and school board races can be a challenge. In the race between Phil Jurmu and Norma McKittrick, both are very good candidates for the Longview School Board. Not only are Jurmu and McKittrick good candidates, but their beliefs are almost identical.

We spent an hour digging into, probing and questioning McKittrick and Jurmus positions, and could only find one issue they disagreed on  and its an important one.

Earlier this year the Longview School Board changed its communication policy. Previously, only the board president spoke publicly on behalf of all board members.

If an individual board member was asked a question outside of a board meeting they were not allowed to answer. Only the board president could speak on behalf of the board.

TDN met with Board President CJ Nickerson and asked him to consider advocating for a new communication policy. In the spirit of transparency, TDN asked the Longview School board to allow individual board members to speak for themselves.

The school board ultimately changed the policy, which now allows school board members to speak for themselves but not on behalf of the board. We consider this a positive change, one that provides voters and taxpayers with a way to hold individual school board members accountable.

We felt this was a critical and much-needed change. Citizens dont elect a board, they elect individual board members. As such, its important for taxpayers to be able to ask questions and get answers. Letting board members essentially hide in a crowd just isnt right.

Jurmu fully supported the new school board communication policy and thought it was important for each board member to be able to share their views.

On the other hand, McKittrick indicated she would vote to overturn the new communication policy and go back to the old ways. McKittrick felt it was more important for the board to appear united on issues rather than being transparent to the public.

McKittrick feels board members get to speak at the school board meetings and that was good enough. We disagree. Given that 99.9 percent of citizens dont attend school board meetings, the vast majority will never be able to know what was said.

Aside from this issue the candidates agreed on virtually everything else.

When it comes to the upcoming $122 million capital bond, both candidates wholeheartedly support it.

Jurmu was on the original facilities planning committee that suggested merging high schools and was on the planning committee for the upcoming bond. He would like to see the bond pass and upgraded facilities built.

McKittrick was not on the facilities planning committee, but agreed with Jurmu on every part of the upcoming $122 million bond. She felt strongly that citizens should pay their fair share to support education and learning.

As it relates to a potential future high school merger, both Jurmu and McKittrick fully supported moving to a one high school system.

We found this intriguing after citizens came out pretty hotly against high school consolidation a few years ago.

Additionally, Longview School Superintendent Dan Zorn came from a school district that voted to go from one big high school to two smaller ones.

When asked why the district should move to a one high school system, both candidates said, more opportunity and talked about students not having to commute between RAL and MM to take classes.

Both McKittrick and Jurmu were open to making changes to bus routes and school boundaries, if need be, to fully use facilities.

In the current environment it is difficult to find teachers to hire. School districts across the state have trouble filling teacher openings. Both McKittrick and Jurmu would not support reducing the credentials needed to be a teacher just so positions could be filled. Both would like to see higher teacher pay to help attract applicants.

In the final analysis, both candidates for the Longview School board are good candidates and share almost identical views on issues.

We want to see the school board communication policy stay as is. Jurmu supports the new communication policy and McKittrick does not.

When the school board is asking the public for $122 million, we need to hear from each and every one of them.

Please join us in voting for Phil Jurmu for the Longview School Board.
Thanksgivings Revenge? That could be one potential title for a horror film based on this UPI story, about a New York town where numerous residents are staying inside thanks towild turkeys.

A group of wild turkeys have begun to terrorize a neighborhood in New York, forcing some residents to stay inside. The wild turkeys first appeared in Stamford three years ago and City Representative Steven Kolenberg said two males have matured and laid claim to the area after residents decided to feed them. Theyve gotten very territorial and aggressive, and they love to chase people now, he told WCBS radio.

Heres a news report on the turkeys from WNBC4 in New York City:

Kolenberg told the Stamford Advocate that this is quite serious, and that they need to harass them and push them out:

This is one of the stranger constituent complaints or issues Ive gotten, but that doesnt make it any less serious, Kolenberg said. These birds may come across as silly-looking, but they are very territorial, and if you feed them, they become aggressive. Its a public safety issue at this point, he said. We need the community to come together, stop feeding the turkeys, and if they still continue to come around, we need to harass them and push them out and make it uncomfortable for these turkeys to be in our neighborhood.

Particularly victimized? The mail carriers:

From what Ive been told, this has been happening to carriers all summer, and its just the mail carriers theyre chasing, said Kevin Stewart, a postal service supervisor in Stamford. Sometimes theyve said people in the area have to come out and chase (the turkeys) out with a broom.

It sounds like those feeding the birds should have gone cold turkey. And hey, if you want wild turkey, the whiskey might be a better option. The postal carriers might need it after facing these birds

[UPI]
`Reckless driving main cause of road accidents`

Experts at a seminar said reckless driving is one of the leading causes of road accidents in the country as the transport sector is facing the shortage of skilled drivers.

Road accidents have increased at an alarming rate resulting in deaths and injuries of a huge number of people every year, they said this on Sunday while speaking at a seminar at the Council Bhaban of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in the city.

Accident Research Institute (ARI) of BUET organized the seminar titled "Strategic Accident Reduction Programme (SARP): Joining Hands of Research and Realization."

State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan, Chief Engineer of Roads and Highways Department Ebne Alam Hasan and Chairman of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) Md Moshiur Rahman, among others, addressed the seminar with BUET Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Saiful Islam in the chair.

Director of ARI of BUET Prof Dr Moazzem Hossain presented the keynote paper in the seminar highlighting different aspects of road accidents.

Mannan said the government has constructed huge road infrastructures including flyovers and bridges to improve the road communication system in the country.

This improvement of road communication network is significantly contributing to the economic development in the country, he said adding, "We have to improve the overall traffic system creating skilled manpower and incorporating technology to stop road accidents."

"Although we are facing a challenge to reduce road accidents, the government has been successful to reduce accidents on waterways in the country," the state minister added.

Citing a research report of ARI, in his keynote paper, Prof Moazzem said over speed of vehicles is the main reason in case of 43 percent road accidents while it is the second cause in case of 31 percent road crash.

The study found that speed of vehicles exceeded 100 kilometer per hour in risky areas on roads and there was no effective monitoring system to check such reckless driving.

Referring to police reports, Prof Moazzem said 3000 road accidents take place every year in the country and 2700 people are killed and 2,400 injured in the road accidents during the same period of time. The estimated economic losses stand at Taka 40,000 crore per year, he added.

The government has set a target of reducing 50 percent road accident by 2020 to fulfill the target of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), he said.

Other speakers stressed the need for motivation and awareness among the drivers to check reckless driving.
Underdevelopment at the grassroots

Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque :

The scenario of governance conceptually connected with politics of rural development enables us to understand potential barriers to institutional intervention towards poverty reduction. Rural development to reduce poverty cannot be achieved simply through growth with equity indicators and targeted safety-nets. Projected programmes of addressing poverty under millennium development goals (MDG) are difficult to implement.

This contextualism provides much room for the analysis of relational matrix under the condition of seemingly fuzzy governance within the methodological perspective of political economy based on pro-Marxist stance. Plethora of recent studies (Wood 1976, Alavi 1973, Blair 1978and 1985 Huizer 1981, Westergaard 1976, Poulantzas 1975, Umar 1986 and 1987) on development are illuminating with insightful research notes to facilitate understanding of the state of governance that impinges into peasant social fabric. Peasant communities operating within Asiatic mode of production have been encapsulated by feudal or semi-feudalistic pattern of governance. Bangladesh presents a prototype of Asiatic mode of production in a hydraulic structure ruled by the semi-feudal lords and emerging tycoons who use opportunities for investment in capitalistic mode of production. . They have come to constitute a governing class lying at the apex of the community power structure because of high income (including unearned one coming through the channel of corruption), large landholding estate and education.

Some recent socio-economic surveys on rural local communities in Bangladesh conducted by Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD) and Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies(BIDS) are 'snap-shots of a vast and complex a vast and complex social formation undergoing a rigorous process of social transformation'(Ahmed 1991:41). Both the surveys present almost similar findings though BARD conducted research with a larger sample. It is clear from the surveys that local governance does not serve the interests of the majority of the peasants. Blair (1987) argues that 'leaders in any society invariably are elite of one sort or another. Bair compares Bangladesh context with that of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and and Kerala states of India. However governance situation in Bangladesh is strictly different from that of Indian states. This is because of the fact that some undemocratic culture coupled with military and quasi-military intervention is responsible for 'blocking the normative development of democratic political institutions. In Bangladesh 'the petty bourgeoisie has become a dominant social class. The state plays a Bonapartist militarist role (Poulantzas 1975 and Jahangir 1986). There happens to be relative autonomy to 'keep its political jackets clean and resolve inner contradictions among themselves (traditional petty bourgeoisie and new petty bourgeoisie). Manipulation appears to be function of the governing elites. The contemporary scenario of triangular manipulation is a manipulation by the dominant interest group-the coalition of interests among "governing elites," "fortune seeking political entrepreneurs" and privileged business communities. Governing elites include both political leadership and bureaucracy. It is seen that governing elites expand various opportunities for economic concentration including rent-seeking ones. It ultimately aggravates the poverty situation threatening the legitimacy of the regime and increasing the probability of regime turn over.

Manipulation has of late degenerated into criminalization. Bangladesh syndrome of criminalization has diverse manifestations like rampant politicization and partisanization, toll extortion, forced occupation of land, commercialization of politics and criminalization of business and syndication. Criminalization started to mushroom in Bangladesh when things stumbled onto misgovernance with state failing to stem the rot.

The propensity to corruption is inherent in misgovernance. Corruption has acquired a pervasive character devouring economy as a whole. This problematic scenario continues to hold tenuously on extremely fragile and soft state. . The consequence is likely to be the generation of catastrophic conditions as well as humanitarian crisis. Corruption in terms of massive societal degeneration put severe strains on the implementation of public policy on various sectors and sub-sectors. Despite effectiveness of the economic policy strategy in rising GDP at a reasonable rate and raising remittance flows corruption has brought into being a set of interrelated and potentially explosive problems. This is reflected in the fast deterioration of material conditions and rising structural tension bedeviling the lives of the vulnerable especially in the countryside. Quddusi (2010) has succinctly analyzed recent trends in criminalization and corruption in a state with military preponderance. It is clear from his study that corruption thrives in the midst of criminalization of politics.

Corrupt practice in various forms continueto engulfs all strategic institutions undermining governance. It is so deeply in field level extensions departments for rural development with the reinforcement of criminalization and syndication that it seems impossible to break its vicious chain. The environment around bureaucracy and political arena has become inordinately vitiated to give way to institutionalization of corruption.

A true dinosaur of corruption has reigned supreme under the manipulative design of fortune seeking rural leaders to weaken political stability and economic resilience. Local touts active in rural politics have been immensely benefited from Machiavellian syndrome of politicization while the honest has been sidelined.

"For decades, the story of Bangladesh has been a cycle of poverty, natural disaster, political violence and corruption."(Baladas 1991). A policy of patrimonialism followed by successive government in Bangladesh has facilitated corruption (Khan, 1998). Patrimonialism is a system in which the politicians national wealth and resources to enrich themselves creating an affluent class subservient to them through the massive transfer of public wealth to private hands (Moniruzzaman, 1992).

Political leadership actually does not represent the majority of the rural population. The change of political allegiance of local leadership with the change of the ruling regime is evident (Ahmed 1991). Local leadership has turned into a lucrative trade without investment drawing most patronage resources from the ruling regimes. Patronage resources have been usually placed at the disposal of the influential elites including local MPs. There is a great struggle among faction leaders to capture those resources which provide accessibility to development inputs flowing into the locality from different strategic points of the "centre power axis."

Under the circumstances one can realize the indispensability of decentralized LG system in minimizing the damaging effects of centralization. Poverty reduction as one of the major objectives of the Millennium development goal (MDG) and sustainable rural development(SDG) requires decentralized LG at the micro-level. More, obsolete structures as found in micro public administration constitute a road block to any intervention aimed at economic empowerment of the poor living far below the subsistence level. We have democratic institutions at the sub national level that are more apparent than real and are merely the political fronts of the 'Kulak clubs'. The poor continue to remain voiceless having no opinion leader to speak out their problems. More, bureaucratically structured field administration as the extension of central command directs development process with communication, information, networking, planning and budgeting.

We talk of autonomy so often as if it were the only variable for the promotion of local governance. Trapped by the illusion of autonomy the continuing malfunctioning of local governance with representative institutions and field administration told heavily on community life immerizing the low income group. The terribly bad shaped democratic institutions plagued by internal strife, impotence and split enabled the field bureaucracy to have strangle-hold over local institutions. Relative autonomy was used only to resolve internal contradiction, manage crisis and serve information needs.

The dysfunctional role of the members of parliament is pertinent to the analysis of fuzzy local governance. They were found using their position to channel development projects into their constituencies. This was obviously for establishing command over patronage resources and mobilizing support base. The urge to share patronage resources was a critical factor in the abiding interests of MPs to see how projects were being implemented. MPs increasingly intruded into local politics when it came to utilization of public funds in their respective constituencies. At the micro level such intervention gave rise to dualism in the implementation of rural development projects. Anyway, the governing class was rather benefited by the centrally determined sectional allocations for development projects. In such an environment local governance was divorced from public purpose, disarrayed by private gains and material interests where 'dividing line between the ruling party and the opposition was indistinguishable (Sobhan 2006-5).

Of course belatedly the Centre for policy Dialogue (CPD), Local Government Initiative, Campaign for political Reform and other Civil Societies came forward with the ideas of strengthening existing potentials of local self governance. Donor agencies funded policy analysis on the issue of local governance with action research to offer future policy options.

However, it has been increasingly realized by the civil societies that community wide consensus on generic and specific issues of local governance needs to be reached. There needs to be a broad brush initiative with the participation of citizen bodies and community stake holders. The new perspectives in local governance reveal a strong desire for promoting local government initiative with new vision in the 'art of the state' to set appropriate agenda of action. Much is left to the proposed Local Government Commission that is expected to take a planned approach to local governance providing a platform for community participation in need based development. The civil societies can only play second fiddles with advisory roles.



(Dr. Md. Shairul Mashreque, Department of Public Administration, Chittagong University)
Why is BPDB buying solar power at huge cost?

THE government continues to sign unsolicited power purchase agreement unconstrained with private companies to buy expensive electricity from solar parks. It has once again signed a contract on Sunday for a 30-megawatt plant to be commissioned by next year. Under the contract, Intraco Solar Power Limited will supply electricity from the solar park to state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) at Tk 12.80 or 16 US cents per unit or kilowatt-hour for 20 years.







Besides this, BPDB also signed contracts with three private companies - Southern Solar Power Limited, HDFC SinPower Ltd and HDISUN-Power Point & Haor Bangla-Korea Green Energy Ltd - between February 2016 and January 2017 to buy solar electricity at Tk 13.6 or $0.17 per unit for 20 years. The government seems to be hell bent to buy and supply electricity at any cost, but the point is - it continues to fail to regulate the per unit price to keep it within the affordable range of the common people. That said - the combined capacity of five solar parks is 332MW, which is likely to put a huge financial burden on the Power Board due to the pricy electricity.





The government's commitment to introduce renewable sources of power to meet the growing demand is praiseworthy, but it should not come at such a high cost. According to BPDB sources, the country's average power generation cost currently stands at Tk 5.58 per unit and how financially feasible is it to buy it for double the price? Moreover, this expensive electricity will double and then triple disproportionately in the next twenty years.







Needs to be mentioned - in the past three years or so, a good number of private companies were in discussion with the government to set up grid-tied solar parks, following a number of contract signing ceremonies - not even a single solar park has been commissioned so far.







Such hasty attempts to make the country self-sufficient in power generation overnight appears more like running after white elephant projects. However, we expect authorities concerned to be more pragmatic and judicious in terms of procuring electricity at reasonable price at par with reality.
Home rush kicks off

Bus, launch, rly stations buzz with passengers

The city\'s Kamalapur railway station was seen crowded with homebound people on Monday as they started leaving the capital Dhaka to celebrate the holy Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones.

Staff Reporter :

City people on Monday have started leaving the capital Dhaka to celebrate the holy Eid-ul-Azha with their near and dear ones at their respective village home.

The city's Kamalapur Railway station, Gabtoli, Sayedabad and Mohakhali bus terminals and Sadarghat launch terminal were seen crowded with homebound people on Monday as they left for home with their family members to celebrate the Eid.

As the three days official holiday for Eid-ul- Azha will begin from Friday, many officials and employees of government and private organisations took three holidays from Tuesday and left the capital on Monday.

Bus, launch and railway stations will witness the main Eid rush on Wednesday and Thursday as a large number of people will make their frantic efforts to reach their native villages in the two days, sources said. As the Cabinet did not take any decision about the extension of vacation in Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Azha and religious festivals of other communities, many government officials and employees on Monday applied for leave in order to go to their village home earlier.

Meanwhile, the homebound people are facing serious difficulties on their way due to bad conditions of roads and highways, non-availability of train tickets and realising of extra bus fare among others.

The floodwaters and torrential rainfalls in phases for last one month caused damage to Dhaka-Chittagong highway, Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Tangail at several points and roads in other uapzilas in the districts across the country.

Senior highway police officials fear that Dhaka-Chittagong, Dhaka-Aricha, Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Tangail highways will witness serious gridlock.

Apart from sever traffic congestion, traffic is running at a slow pace on Dhaka-Tangail highway as work to turn it into four lanes is progressing, an police official said.

However, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Monday claimed that there was no traffic congestion in the country. "Traffic congestion was created at different points on highways when some vehicles went out of order. But the situation is getting improved," he told journalists in Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj district yesterday.

A major portion of the Eid holidaymakers will start leaving the city after Thursday noon as the day is the last working day for the government and private officials and employees before Eid.

Both plainclothes and uniform police have already strengthened their vigilance to prevent the activities of 'Malam Party' and 'Agyan Party' as well as other crimes for ensuring hassle-free journeys of the homebound people.

The Bangladesh Railway, Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) have taken different initiatives including introduction of special launches, trains and buses to make hassle-free Eid journey of homebound people.

Seven pairs of special trains have already started running on various routes from Sunday and these trains would continue till August 31 before Eid and from September 3 to 7.

An official at Kamalapur Railway station said those who purchased advance ticket on August 19, they left the city on Monday.

"Actually the Eid journey began from Sunday," he said.

Sources at the bus terminals and highway police said the traffic pressure on highways will be high this year compared to previous years due to the short holidays

In Daulatdia ferry ghat, hundreds of goods-laden trucks got stranded for three days as the vehicles were not allowed in the ferry. "Carrying gas cylinder we reached Daulatdia ferry ghat on Saturday. But we are yet to cross the river as the authority is giving priority to the cattle-laden trucks and passenger buses," a truck driver told journalists on Tuesday.

Abdullah Al Zubayed, Sub-Inspector of Daulatdia ferry ghat traffic police said they are giving priority to cattle-laden trucks and passenger buses.

"But we are also allowing one goods-laden truck to board on the ferry ghat," he said.


Pakistan postpones top US officials visit following Trump's Afghan speech

AP :

Pakistan's Dawn daily on Sunday quoted US Embassy spokesman Rick Sinelsine as saying that the trip by Alice Wells, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State in-charge of South and Central Asia, was "postponed until a mutually convenient time" at the request of the Pakistani government.

Wells would have been the first high-level official to visit Pakistan after Donald Trump last week issued the bluntest warning so far by a US President that "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists".

Samaa TV reported that police baton-charged and tear-gassed a protest rally by Imamia Student Organisation (ISO) in Karachi on Sunday "to condemn recent US allegations on Pakistan" as it tried to move towards the American consulate in the port city.

Wells, was slated to meet government and civil society leaders in Pakistan during the visit that was to begin on Monday.

According to the US State Department, Wells was also scheduled to visit Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The News International characterised Islamabad's demand to postpone the visit as an act of defiance.

"It is not often that the Pakistani government has shown spine in the face of threats from Washington and by telling the State Department that officials concerned are not available, a clear message has gone through that enough is enough," it wrote.

The Daily Times reported that Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters in Sialkot that the Taliban were the problem of the US and Afghanistan and not of Pakistan.

"If the US doesn't trust us, it should repatriate Afghan immigrants in Pakistan itself," the daily quoted him as saying.

Pakistani media reported that China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi "reaffirmed its continuing support to Pakistan and vowed to further strengthen strategic friendship with it" during a meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua in Beijing.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with General Li Zuocheng, Chief of Staff of China's People's Liberation Army, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Radio Pakistan reported.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Quadrilateral Counter Terrorism Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) meeting.
Abducted businessman not yet traced

Staff Reporter :

Police are yet to trace out a businessman who was abducted by unknown criminals from in front of a bank in the capital's Gulshan on Sunday afternoon.

Even the police force also could not arrest the abductors after observing the footage of CCTV cameras installed nearby areas.

Aniruddha Kumar Roy, 53, Managing Director of RMM Group, was abducted when he came out of the bank around 4:20pm on Sunday.

"A special team of cop is trying to identify the criminals and their whereabouts after the abduction. We hope to arrest the criminals soon," said Abu Bakar Siddique, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gulshan Police Station.

Police have interrogated some persons to unveil the clue to the abduction, the OC said.

The police official said Aniruddha, who runs export-oriented leather business, has two partners. "We are looking into whether there is any enmity with his business partners." Meanwhile, Aniruddha's nephew Kollol Hazra filed a GD with the police station in this connection.

Kollol said his uncle went to Gulshan for business from his office in Bangla Motor.

"Nobody has called us demanding ransom or anything else as of 12:30am on Monday. The family is extremely worried. We want his immediate return," Kollol said.

Two unidentified men picked up Aniruddha Kumar Roy on a microbus at 4:30pm on Sunday, police said.

"The duo pushed him into the microbus after a brief conversation in front of the Union Bank office at Gulshan 1 when he was about to get into his car," Gulshan Police Station Inspector Salahuddin Mia said.
9 more bullet-hit Rohingyas admitted to CMCH

UNB, Chittagong :

Nine more Rohingyas, who sustained bullet wounds by security forces in Rakhine State of Myanmar, were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital on Monday. With the nine, the total number of injured Rohingyas at CMCH reaches 16 in last three days. Of them, Mohammad Musa, 22, succumbed to his injuries on Saturday, said sub-inspector Jahirul Islam, in-charge of CMCH police outpost.

The injured are identified as Ziabul, 27, son of Nuruzzaman, Md Elias, 20, son of Hamid Hossain, Md Toha, 16, son of Hossain Ahmed, and Mubarak Hossain, 25, son of Nabi Hossian-hailed from different areas of Maungdaw in Myanmar.

The Rohingyas entered Bangladesh through several points along the Teknaf border following the fresh violence in Rakhine State in Myanmar.

Ziabul's younger brother Md Yakub said, "Members of Myanmar security forces set fire on their houses in Maungdaw area. Many people sustained bullet wounds. He along with his family members entered Bangladesh crossing Teknaf border at night. He took three injured, including his brother, to CMCH."

The injured were undergoing treatment at wards no 26 and 28 of CMCH.

Several bullet marks on different parts of their bodies were found, SI Jahirul added.
2 Bangladeshis killed in Qatar road crash

UNB Moulvibazar :

Two Bangladeshi expatriates were killed in a road accident at Umm Salal Ali town in Qatar on Saturday midnight (Qatar local time).

The deceased are Foysal Ahmed, 27, son of Abdul Jalil of Kholagaon village in Boralekha upazila and Moksud Bokhs, 32, son of Rafiq Bokhs of Joypasha village in Kulaura municipality.

According to victims' family sources, the accident took place at midnight on August 26 while they were returning their residence, leaving the duo dead on the spot. Police recovered the bodies and sent those to Al-Hamad Hospital in Doha for autopsy.
Central Eid congregation to held at MA Aziz Stadium

Chittagong Bureau :

The central Eid congregation and Eid-ul- Azha prayer will be held at Chittagong MA Aziz Stadium adjoining ground on Saturday morning . If the inclement weather prevails on that day, the congregation will be arranged at Stadium Gymnisium Hall , a sources said. Following the decision of the Central Eid Jamaat Committee, Chittagong. the time and venue of the Eid Jamaat was fixed .

The preparatory meeting of the Central Eid Jamaat Committee was held at Deputy Commissioners conference Hall on August 26 last with DC in the chair. Principal of Baitus Sharaf Ideal Kamil Madrasa Dr Syed Md. Abu Noman will conduct the Eid Jamaat as Imam . Other Eid Jamaats in the city will be held in enlisted Eidgahs and Mosques under the Central Eid Jamaat Committee in different city wards . Meanwhile, the main Eid Jamaat under the auspices of Chittagong city corporation will be held at Jamiatul Falah Mosque maidan at early morning beside other Jamaats of the CCC in different city wards.


CCC Mayor vows to remove water logging by one year

Chittagong Bureau :

City Mayor of Chittagong A J M Nasir Uddin said at a roundtable meeting arranged by news portal of the country that the people of Chittagong will see the visible development within next one year as the government has taken mega projects for the development of the port city Chittagong now.

Editor of Banglanews-24.com Alamgir Hossain chaired the round table meeting titled "Chittagong on the highway of development and citizen's suffering and duty of the citizen" held at Radisson Blu hotel in the port city recently.

Nasir Uddin also said, it is very difficult to solve the crisis of Chittagong. The water logging which is a very prime problem of Chittagong likely to be solved as the government has taken mega projects through CDA.

Among others, Editor of Daily Azadi M A Malek, President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mahabubul Alam, Additional Commi-ssioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police Devdas Bhattachariya, journalist Rafiqul Bahar, Tapon Chakraborti, Dr Anwara Alam, Chief Engineer of Chittagong WASA Engineer Nurul Afsar addressed the meeting.
Pope Francis due Nov 30

UNB, Dhaka :

Pope Francis will be here on a three-day state visit on November 30 carrying a message of peace and harmony for all.

The crucial visit was officially announced in Dhaka and Vatican City simultaneously on Monday.

Dean of Diplomatic Corps in Dhaka made the announcement saying timings and venues of the Pope's engagements in Dhaka will be shared later. The visit, which has been in discussion for over a year, is taking place following two separate invitations, including one fromPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Pope will meet President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina among other engagements. He will also visit Myanmar. Last year, Pope Francis announced that he would 'almost certainly' visit India and Bangladesh in 2017. Bangladesh will show the highest respect during his visit.
CJ to visit Canada, Japan

Staff Reporter :



Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha will travel to Canada and Japan from September 10-21, said an official notice.

The notice was issued by the registrar of the Appellate Division on Sunday.

The Chief Justice will stay in Canada from September 10 to September 17 to visit his ailing daughter living there, according to the notice,

On September 17, he will off to Japan from Canada to attend the Conference for the Chief Justices of Asia and the Pacific at the invitation of the Chief Justice of Japan.

The conference will be held in Tokyo on September 18- 21.

The notice said the Chief Justices wife, Shreejukta Sushma Sinha, and Appellate Divisions registrar Md Zakir Hossain will leave Dhaka on September 17 to accompany the Chief Justice during his Japan visit.

The Chief Justice and his entourages are scheduled to return to Dhaka on September 22.

The notice also added that the Supreme Court will be on long vacation for 37 days from August 27 to October 2.




Provide shelter to Rohingyas: Khaleda

UNB, Dhaka :

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday called upon the government and law enforcement agencies to provide shelter and security to the Rohingya people who are fleeing their homeland Myanmar

to save their lives following a fresh violence there. She also hoped that the Myanmar government will move ahead with a wise and farsighted policy to ensure the security of life and residence of Rohingyas and stop bloody violence against them. In a statement, Khaleda said, "Myanmar's Rohingya men, women and children have been staying on the bank of Naf River along the Bangladesh with deep fear and uncertainty about their shelter. This scene is inhumane, painful and distressing."

She further said, "I urge the Bangladesh's administration concerned and law enforcement agencies to give shelter to the Rohingya women, men and children who are fleeing from Myanmar in fear of life and ensure all-out security for them." The BNP chief, now in London, came up with such a call amid the government and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB)'s refusal to allow no more refugees from Myanmar.

At least 89 people were killed as militants besieged border posts in northern Rakhine State of Myanmar on Friday. The attack triggered a fresh influx of refugees towards Bangladesh.

After visiting the Myanmar-Bangladesh border area along Ghumdhum BGB border out-post, BGB DG Abul Hossain on Sunday said additional forces have been deployed along the 271-km border with Myanmar to prevent fresh influx of Rohingyas. On Saturday, the government directed the local administration to employ its best efforts to restrict the entry of fresh Rohingyas into the country saying not a single person will be allowed in the name of 'humanity'.


Country

United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Hi, my name is Mike, and I'm back. Big thanks to friend Gordon for keeping the lights burning here at TOP while I was away.

I went to Cambridge, where my mother and stepfather live.

It is neither fitting nor fair that my dear Mom should suffer the depredations of dementia. For most of her life she was a woman who loved to be organized, in touch, and in controlthe master, or should I say mistress, of events, households, schedules, and the warp and woof of full and active livesher own and others. If you wanted to know some detail of family history or the latest news about any family member or friend, she's who you would ask; she had the orbits and activities of a large cast of characters catalogued in her mind. Now she struggles sometimes to place the names of her own grandchildren. Last Summer at this time, she would repeat, "this damned dementia! I hate it!" This visit, she would look at me curiously and say, "Now waittell me, what is 'dementia'?" She is heartbreakingly still herself, and tragically not.

iPhone portrait of Pearl, my mother's daytime caregiver. An entrepreneur with a growing business, Pearl was born in Ghana and grew up in the Netherlands.

I was supposed to stay with her while my stepfather, her main caregiver, went to Italy to visit his daughter in Rome. But my stepfather collapsed just prior to his departure with a heart irregularity, and spent the week in the hospital instead. Not at all what he had planned or wanted. I traveled to Cambridge anyway, to lend support. It's a challenging time for all concerned, with too many things up in the air.

A new Fuji you've never seen

While there, however, I got to have lunch with sagacious and wise Oren Grad, who lives in nearby Wellesley, which, for your information, is between Natick and Needham. You might recall that Not-So-Stately Oren Manor in Wellesley is the location of the Large-Format Camera Museum and Graveyard. Oren is the holder of thirteen scholarly degrees and an M.D. (I exaggerate, but only ever so slightly). He speaks or reads Hebrew, English, French, and Japanese, and has lately embarked on acquiring Finnish (all truehere, I do not exaggerate). My father once admiringly described a scientist colleague at NASA by saying "he thinks thoughts all the time you and I never think"which I could say of Oren.

To give you a brief idea of Oren's mental horsepower, on Saturday I gifted him an e-booka full-length book about nutrition written by a doctor and researcher that spans 354 pages in the print version. Amazon reported that the gift had been accepted a little after one in the afternoon. Early the next morning, at six-something, I had in my inbox Oren's long, detailed analysis of the book, complete with citations. He had read it between loads of laundry the previous afternoon, and composed and written his astute and articulate response before the poor Earth had struggled to complete one full revolution. Imagine the intensity of the man's intellectual focus when he actually tries.

Oren in action with the RodenFuji InstaxStock (?)

...But he's a photo-dawg, just like the rest of us. At lunch, he promised to show me a brand new Fujifilm camera I had never seen beforeand he delivered! He pulled from his bag a Fuji Instax Wide 300 ($87.75 new) modified by having its lens removed and replaced with a 100mm Rodenstock Sironar-N view camera lens. Although the film is inherently low-resolution, he says the better lens makes a quite noticeable difference when the exposure is just right.

Yr. Hmbl. Ed. slowly emerging from blankness, which is a good way to summarize today, too

Which might be beside the main point, which is that the hybrid is quirky, fun, and unique.

Butterrrrrs!

Next stop, Rochester, to pick up the doggiesand then I'll have one more post to put up this afternoon tomorrow [sorry], a lovely piece from Carl Weese, who happens to be one of Oren's oldest friends. (We all met on the old CompuServe Photo Forum, which dates us in Internet eras.)

Check back for more later!

It's good to be back.

Mike

(Thanks to Gordon and Oren)

Original contents copyright 2017 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site.

Trundling onward

Give Mike a Like or Buy yourself something nice

(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)

Featured Comments from:

hugh crawford: "Ohh! want one! The Lomo Instax Wide backs seem to be permanently out of stock. They seemed like the best way to build a Frankinstax but they are apparently just too dead."

Richard Szmyd: "Hi Mike, Can you let us know what the nutrition book was? It's a subject I am very interested in. Thanks."

Mike replies: Hi Rich, it was Whole: Rethinking the Science of Nutrition, by T. Colin Campbell and Howard Jacobson. Oren was critical to the point of scorn (I dutifully report) but I find a lot of value in some of the ideas and I find it courageous that Campbell attempts to articulate his thinking while knowing it's neither conventional nor easy to defend. My own feeling is that nutrition science is currently in a primitive state, similar to, say, anatomy before William Harvey or epidemiology before John Snow. Despite that, we must eat!

Illkka: "I wonder if you really need to say 'iPhone portrait of Pearl...'. I know this is a photography website, but still. Would you say 'Hasselblad portrait'? Maybe you would. But is it really necessary? Nice portrait, by the way."

Mike replies: Thanks, and the iPhone question probably worth a whole post. But I think that, as you guessed, I would indeed say "Hasselblad portrait" if I thought the information was pertinent. I guess it depends on my seat-o'-the-pants sense of what the typical reader is likely to be interested to know, nothing more rigorous than that.

Dave Levingston (partial comment): "Oh...and welcome back. Missed you, but Gordon did well while you were away."

Mike replies: Indeed.

Dave Karp: "I have never met Oren, but he is a darn nice guy. He has been very generous in his assistance and advice to me (just another photographer who sometimes uses a sort-of resurrected large format film size). Always very appreciated."

Mike replies: He has been invaluable to TOP over the years, too, mostly behind the scenes. He is indeed an extremely helpful person by nature and you're right, very appreciated.

It's worth mentioning that Oren is a big part of the reason that TOP exists at all. In 2005 I was putting together a website to collate my various photo-related activities, and I had an extra tab in the template I was using. Oren suggested, "Why not start a blog?" and I answered, "What's a blog?" Blogs were hot at the time and Oren was reading something like 150 of them every day (as my story above suggests, he's a natural speed reader) and was getting most of his news, collectively, from them. So he educated me about blogs, I decided to shift The 37th Frame from paper-by-subscription (itself modeled on David Vestal's GRUMP) to online-and-free, and the rest is history. (The website I was building back then was never made public, by the way.)


The best bang for your buck! This option enables you to purchase online 24/7 access and receive the Sunday, Tuesday & Thursday print edition at no additional cost * Print edition only available in our carrier delivery area. Allow up to 72 hours for delivery of your print edition to begin. Print edition not available for Day Pass option.
BENTON  Part of South Main Street in Benton was closed Monday morning after a motorist hit a building, causing a gas leak.

According a news release from Illinois State Police District 13, the crash occurred at about 9:07 a.m. when a 2014 Chevrolet Cruze, driven by 18-year-old Anthony Boykin of Benton, drove into a building after he fell asleep at the wheel.

The release said Boykin crossed the eastbound lane and the sidewalk on the north side of West Church Street, knocking down a light pole and hitting a gas pipe. Boykin was not injured in the crash.

Franklin County Emergency Manager Ryan Buckingham said the Benton Fire Department evacuated buildings within a half-block radius of the crash while Ameren CIPS crews worked to contain the leak.

Buckingham said within that evacuated area was the Campbell Building, home to the assessors, the Regional Office of Education among other county officials. Buckingham said all nearby county buildings had been swept by Ameren crews using gas monitors and had been given the all clear. He said the Campbell building would reopen for county business at noon, and the courthouse was not affected by the evacuation. Business was normal while crews secured the site of the crash.

Watson said traffic was blocked in both directions in a one block radius at the Church Street intersection. He said as of about 11 a.m., traffic had been reopened.

Buckingham said that at about 11 a.m., evacuated buildings were being repopulated.

Benton Mayor Fred Kondritz was impressed by his emergency crews speed and efficiency.

Its good to see a response like that, Kondritz said.

Boykin has been cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid a crash and improper lane usage.
"Tracy and I can't thank the people of Southern Illinois enough for their support and their prayers. Our victory tonight sends a powerful message to out-of-touch politicians everywhere that we're unified and unyielding in the fight for our conservative values. Joe Biden's going to be held accountable for destroying the economy, ignoring the border crisis, and taking us from America First to America Last in two years flat. But none of this would be possible without the trust of voters from across our vast 12th District. Serving you is truly the honor of a lifetime."
BLACKVILLE  Tests on new nutrient-management technology under development at Clemson University showed savings of up to $54 an acre on cotton production.

Those savings could mount quickly. South Carolina plants more than 180,000 acres of cotton, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

In another test, Clemson automated tillage technology reduced fuel usage by nearly half on soil tillage needed to protect row crop yields.

Deep tillage is the most fuel-consumptive thing you do in the field, said Jonathan Fox, a plant and environmental sciences masters student speaking at the Row Crop Field Day at Clemsons Edisto Research and Education Center near Blackville.

Most sandy soils in South Carolina have a compacted zone, called a hardpan, that roots cant penetrate. The hardpan, usually at a depth of 10 to 16 inches, can be 2 to 8 inches thick. If not tilled, the hardpan will prohibit roots from reaching water and nutrients found in deeper soil.

The hardpan can reduce crop yields by as much as 50 percent and makes plants more susceptible to drought stress, Fox said.

Fox is working with agricultural engineer Ahmad Khalilian and other specialists at the Edisto REC to develop a real-time, variable-rate tillage system that uses sensor technologies to pinpoint the depth and thickness of that soil hard pan. The technology communicates with the tillage equipment to automatically adjust the blade depth on the go. As a result, farmers dont till soil if they dont need to and dont till deeper than needed.

In turn, what that gives us in my research so far is fuel savings of up to 45 percent for farmers, Fox said.

Foxs project was among several on display at the field day at the Edisto REC, which is home to the universitys precision agriculture program that utilizes new technologies to make farming more efficient, profitable and environmentally friendly.

Clemson University irrigation specialist Jose Payero is installing weather stations and soil-moisture sensors at farms across South Carolina and developing the online platform that will allow farmers to use the collected data to conserve water and energy by reducing irrigation. Farmers can contact Payero about participating at jpayero@clemson.edu. Payero said the online platform is about a month from completion.

Agricultural engineer Kendall Kirk is developing a system he calls Directed Prescriptions for prescribing variable seeding rates that would help farmers optimize spatial assignment of rates.

Were not just looking at yield. Were looking at profit. Whats the ideal seeding rate for your field to maximize profit? Kirk said.

With the help of post-doctoral associate Wei-zhen Liang, Kirks group is also developing image analysis software to quantify soybean leaf defoliation. Farmers typically use a visual estimate to determine if insect damage has reached a level that requires treatment. That defoliation is often over-estimated, however, and farmers spend money on unneeded insecticide treatments, Kirk said. Kirk and Liang are developing a website where farmers could upload leaf or canopy images and receive a spray recommendation.

Just a 5 percent spray reduction would save farmers $420,000 in South Carolina alone, Kirk said.

Kirks work presented at the field day was supported by Cotton Inc. and the South Carolina Soybean Board. Farmers interested in learning more about the variable-rate seeding technology or the defoliation image analysis software or in participating in a field trial for these technologies can contact Kirk at kirk2@clemson.edu.

Also on display at the Edisto REC field day was a sensor-based, variable-rate nitrogen applicator that can be used with center-pivot irrigation systems in cotton fields. Clemson University Ph.D. student Phillip Williams received a $94,808 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to develop and test the technology.

Williams plants a nitrogen-rich strip of cotton to evaluate the fields maximum, or target, yield. He then flies a drone mounted with an infrared camera over the field to measure nutrient content in plants and uses a global positioning system to map the fields nutrient deficiencies. That information, along with planting date and historical yield data, is plugged into an algorithm developed at Clemson to tell how much fertilizer needs to be applied and where. A variable-rate applicator connected to an irrigation system then applies only the amount of fertilizer needed at variable rates throughout the field.

It is essentially micromanaging your fertigation through this irrigation system, which hopefully can optimize nitrogen rates, increase yields and increase profits for the growers, Williams said.

In an on-farm trial, Williams demonstrated savings of up to $54 per acre. Using the technology, Williams reduced fertilizer applications by nearly two-thirds over the conventional rule-of-the-thumb applications of 90 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Despite the reduced fertilizer applications, yield was unchanged, and because the applicator would work in tandem with an irrigation system, it also would save time and fuel by eliminating a second trip through the field for nitrogen applications.

Farmers interested in participating in trials of this technology can contact Williams at pbw@clemson.edu or visit www.clemsonnitrogencalculator.com.
Editors note: Under a trade deal concluded in May, China has begun exporting chicken to the United States. Critics have pointed to Chinas record of food safety issues and argued the deal prioritizes commerce over public health. Here Maurice Pitesky, a poultry extension specialist at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine with a focus on poultry health and food safety epidemiology, answers five questions about importing Chinese chicken.

Why is the United States importing chicken from China? Do we have a shortage?

Hardly. The United States is the largest poultry producer in the world, and the second-largest poultry exporter after Brazil. However, as part of a recent bilateral trade deal, China has agreed to accept imports of beef and liquefied natural gas from the United States. In exchange, the United States is allowing China to export cooked poultry meat to the United States.

Why can China send us only cooked chicken?

This is most likely in response to concerns over avian influenza transmission from raw poultry to the United States. Viable avian influenza viruses could potentially infect U.S. poultry or birds and spread these novel viruses in North America. Some of these viruses can infect humans.

South and Southeast Asia have dense human populations, with numerous poultry producers, vendors and markets where people are exposed to live birds  all conditions that contribute to the spread of avian flu. Since 2013 China has confirmed 1,557 human cases of AH7N9 flu and 370 deaths.

Given Chinas history of food safety problems, should U.S. consumers be worried about eating chicken processed there?

China is already the third leading supplier of food and agricultural imports to the United States. U.S. consumers are eating imported Chinese fish, shellfish, juices, canned fruits and vegetables.

If poultry is cooked properly, there is no food safety risk from viruses or bacteria. However, if the poultry is not cooked properly, or if there is some type of cross-contamination  for example, if raw chicken or feathers come into contact with cooked product or packaging material  then zoonotic bacteria like salmonella and campylobacter can cross the species barrier and sicken humans.

Most cases of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis are thought to be associated with eating raw or undercooked poultry meat, or with cross-contamination of other foods by these items. There are no publicly available data on rates of salmonellosis and campylobacteriosis in China. In the United States, infections from these two bacteria sickened nearly 14,000 people in 2014. Of this group, 3,221 were hospitalized and 41 died.

Poultry meat can also contain contaminants, such as heavy metals, and antibiotic residues if birds are treated with antibiotics in an inappropriate fashion. Specifically, when poultry farmers use antibiotics inappropriately (quantity, type and timing), residues can persist in muscle, organs and eggs and toxic and harmful residues build up in the birds. These risks are probably greater for poultry raised and processed in China than for poultry raised and processed in the United States.

Here in the United States there are strict rules requiring growers to stop giving birds antibiotics for periods of days or weeks before they are processed, and we have a National Residue Program that is designed to test for these compounds in eggs and meat.

China has similar rules, but they are not robustly enforced, and many poultry farmers are not well-informed about them. The Chinese government recently announced a plan to increase surveillance, oversight and monitoring of poultry, livestock and aquatic products to decrease the presence of antibiotic residues by 2020.

Heavy metals in Chinese poultry products may also be an issue. This is a worldwide concern, but its especially serious in China because they still burn huge quantities of coal, which releases lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic. High levels of lead and cadmium have been reported in agricultural areas near Chinese coal mines. These heavy metals can contaminate soil and end up in animal feed and animal meat and eggs.

We really dont understand how widespread these problems are in China and the Chinese government isnt very transparent about food safety.

What will U.S. inspectors do to determine whether Chinese chicken is safe?

The U.S. Department of Agricultures Food Safety Inspection Service is responsible for determining whether other countries have meat and poultry safeguards that are equivalent to ours. Chinese poultry processing plants cannot ship cooked poultry to the United States unless they meet that test.

When a foreign program is approved by the USDA, the Food Safety Inspection Service relies on that countrys government to certify that its plants are eligible and conduct regular inspections of the exporting plants. The Food Safety Inspection Service conducts on-site audits of the plants at least annually to verify that they are still meeting the required standards. It will be interesting to see whether the U.S. National Residue Program is involved in those inspections.

Where will chicken processed in China show up in U.S. markets?

This is the million-dollar question. Cooked poultry is considered to be a processed food item, so it is excluded from country of origin labeling requirements which would apply to raw chicken. This means that U.S. consumers will not know they are consuming chicken grown and processed in China.
WASHINGTON -- Columbia native, Lower Richland High School and South Carolina State University graduate Bruce T. Crawford was promoted to lieutenant general on Aug. 17 in Washington, D.C.

Crawford was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Chief Information Officer of the Army on Aug. 1, 2017. In his role as the CIO, Crawford is responsible for the Armys information technology strategies and policies. In addition, he manages the Armys $10 billion in information technology investments to support the Armys warfighting capabilities, information security, force structure and communications equipment.

I am humbled by this appointment and can think of no greater honor than being afforded the opportunity to continue to serve as the Armys CIO, Crawford said.

A native of Columbia, Crawford is a 1981 graduate of Lower Richland High School and has over 31 years of military service in a variety of leadership positions at all levels. Crawfords many command and staff positions have prepared him for his new role, but he credits his experiences growing up for his accomplishments. He credits his success to his grandparents, Heyward and Grace Spigner, both deceased, his mother, Sarah Crawford, and his father, Daniel Alston Jr.

Crawford learned valuable lessons about the importance of self-worth from his mother, who still resides in Columbia. From his father, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who also resides in Columbia, he learned the value of education and self-discipline.

Dr. Clarence Hill, veteran, Columbia resident, and his former high school teacher, took Crawford under his wing and convinced him to continue his education after a learning guidance counselor told Crawford he was not college material. When asked about his leadership philosophy, Crawford said that leaders must treat people with dignity and respect at all times. He understands the importance of taking advantage of opportunities and is forever grateful for the many people in his life who have placed opportunities in his path.

Crawford met his wife Dianne while they were students at South Carolina State University. They are the proud parents of two sons, including one currently serving in the U.S. Army and another studying computer science at West Virginia University. Crawford was commissioned as an Army officer through S.C. State's Army ROTC program after graduating in 1986 with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. He also holds masters degrees in administration from Central Michigan University and in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces.

Previous assignments include commanding general of the Armys Communications-Electronics Command in Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland; commanding general, 5th Theater Signal Command in Wiesbaden, Germany; and director of cyber in Europe. He has also served in numerous command and staff positions in Washington, D.C., Hawaii and North Carolina, including multiple deployments to Iraq with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
WASHINGTON -- In the mid-'90s, after the Soviet Union collapsed, I went to an old park in Moscow where the Russians had deposited pieces of the monuments of the "great" communist leaders that had been knocked down.

I have pictures of myself mocking Lenin, questioning Karl Marx about economics and raising a pathetic little fist against Stalin!

But destruction of the past always goes many ways. When the great Buddha of Bamiyan in Afghanistan was blown up in 2001 by the Taliban, I was nearly moved to tears. And when ISIS destroyed part of beautiful Palmyra in Syria, a piece of my heart broke.

Of course, the communists were savages who destroyed millions of their people, while the Buddha was the vision of peacefulness in the world, and Palmyra was the center of a great and complicated empire. Nevertheless, destruction of the past is a tricky business.

So after the vicious street fights in Charlottesville, Virginia, when I delved into the newest national debate -- the question of whether Confederate monuments and statues should be taken down -- I was not surprised to find various strains of history that I, at least, had known little about.

Who knew that a great number of the statues of Confederate generals were put up not immediately after the Civil War, but between 1890 and 1920, and then again mid-20th century? Who knew that most of the Confederate statues were raised as a kind of appendage to Jim Crow and that they were meant to monumentalize the losses of the South until the day came when the Union would, yes indeed, be finally defeated?

I certainly did not.

"In the 1890s, as the Confederacy was coming to be idealized as the so-called Lost Cause and the Jim Crow system was being fastened upon the South, and in the 1920s, the height of black disenfranchisement, segregation and lynching," Columbia University professor of history Eric Foner wrote recently in a New York Times editorial column, "the statues were part of the legitimation of this racist regime and of an exclusionary definition of America."

But it becomes more tricky, as one digs deeper, to use the morals of our age to judge the men and women of an earlier and very different one.

In Baltimore, for instance, the statue of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Roger B. Taney has come down after 144 years. Yet Taney, who wrote the hated pro-slavery Dred Scott decision in 1857, had personally freed all of his own slaves.

So we have to ask: Where in our parks and city halls are statues of the scores of brave black lawmakers who, during Reconstruction, were U.S. senators, civil servants and school board officials? Where are the white people of the South who worked with them, struggling to make Reconstruction work?

Thus, I come out tentatively as a supporter of the "build it up" side, which in effect is the idea of taking down statues memorializing utterly egregious individuals and moving others to museums, cemeteries and foundation grounds -- but also constructing new monuments to our best and most creative.

For I fear, as the wise writer Peggy Noonan wrote in The Wall Street Journal, that, "When a nation tears down its statues, it's toppling more than brass and marble. It is in a way toppling itself -- tearing down all the things, good, bad and inadequate, that made it ..." She ends with: "More statues, not fewer; more honor, not more debris. More debris is the last thing we need."

Meanwhile, I am hushed and amused by a story attendant upon these questions. Somewhere along the way, people realized that there was something namelessly similar, something jarring, about the Confederate soldier statues ("silent sentinels," they called them) and the Union soldier statues -- depictions of foot soldiers, not the generals and captains who led them -- erected across both the South and the North.

And in fact, there was. In fact, they were identical! The Monumental Bronze Co. of Bridgeport, Connecticut, knew a good thing when they saw it. They sold their one statue of an American soldier -- no discrimination there, friends! -- to both North and South.

I found this rather comforting. Because, as in all wars, the poor average trooper, the poor Joe or Rhett or Willie on either side, is very much the same. So by all means, let their statues stand! They symbolize to us our common, suffering humanity.
By Trend





Iran Minister of Communications and Information Technology emphasized establishing relations in quantum field with global bodies, IRNA repotred.

Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi made the remarks Sunday in the first National Quantum Technology conference.

'We should support the infrastructures related to quantum,' Azari Jahromi said.

'No technology has ever been able to change human life like quantum,' he added.

'Quantum has had social and cultural effects on human life,' the Iranian minister noted.

Azari Jahromi went on to say that eighty percent of the world activities are related to cyber space.

The first national quantum technology conference was held in Tehran on Sunday with the attendance of communication minister, head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi and some other experts in quantum field.

The event aimed at paving the way for introducing quantum technologies inside the country and getting familiar with the latest achievements in this field.

Quantum technology is a new field of physics and engineering, which transitions some of the properties of quantum mechanics, especially quantum entanglement, quantum superposition and quantum tunnelling, into practical applications such as quantum computing, quantum sensing, quantum cryptography, quantum simulation, quantum metrology and quantum imaging.
By Trend





At least seven PKK terrorists were killed on Sunday during a counterterrorism operation in three eastern provinces, Interior Ministry said, Anadolu reported.

Four PKK terrorists were killed in Baskale district of eastern Van province, two others in Zovank plateu neighbourhood of eastern Mus province and Kemah district of eastern Erzincan province, according to a statement released by the ministry.

One of the PKK terrorists killed in Mus was said to be Sidar codenamed Ridvan Yalcin, 23, who was the so-called regional public relations coordinator for the terror group.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU, resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015.

Since then, it has been responsible for the deaths of more than 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians, including women and children.
Red Sea Housing Services (RSHS) and Aecom have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaborate in delivering innovative, modular affordable housing solutions on fast track basis for the Saudi Arabian market.



While RSH will manufacture and deliver the modular building units from its factory, Aecom will undertake the responsibility for designing, engineering, planning, and project managing these housing projects.



RSHS CEO William Ali Mills stated: "The collaboration between RSHS and Aecom will provide an ideal platform to deliver quality homes in the kingdom in a fast and efficient manner using our state-of-the-art technology, at affordable prices."



This engagement brings together Red Sea Housing's modular construction expertise - an innovative building technique that dramatically reduces construction time and delivers buildings at the highest levels of quality, with Aecom's expertise in sustainable and energy efficient construction solutions. Jointly the companies look to tackle the rising affordable housing crisis.



The main objective of the 12-month MoU is explore housing opportunities presented by the Ministry of Housing in Saudi Arabia, said a statement.



"We are delighted to have signed this MoU with Red Sea Housing Services", said Hamed Zaghw, chief executive, Aecom Middle East, "By combining our knowledge of the local market, solutions for affordable housing, and our design and programme management expertise, we will explore opportunities that support the priorities of the Ministry of Housing."



Red Sea Housing Services (RSHS) a global leader in high quality modular living and working environments for industrial and residential communities. RSHS sets up the infrastructure and facilities required for global companies to construct high quality, reliable, durable and tailored modular buildings, and housing units, including hotels, offices, accommodation units, utility services, telecommunications networks, catering and recreation facilities, from its manufacturing facilities in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ghana, PNG and Malaysia.



A Fortune 500 company, Aecom is a leading global design firm. It provides professional technical services in the fields of engineering, consulting, planning, architecture, construction management, project management, asset management, and environmental services. - TradeArabia News Service
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has urged the emirate's citizens and residents to benefit from the Shams Dubai smart initiative and install solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of their premises.

The initiative is already a great success with increasing adoption rate since its launch.

Shams Dubai encourages Dewa customers to install solar photovoltaic panels on the roofs of their premises to generate solar power and transfer any excess to the power grid.

This is part of Dewas effort to promote Dubais sustainable and comprehensive development, and support national efforts to increase reliance on clean energy, protect the environment and natural resources sustainably, said the authority.



Shams Dubai gives Dubais residents the opportunity to transform their buildings into sustainable ones, reduce the emirates carbon footprint, and increase the proportion of solar power in Dubai's environment-friendly energy mix. Through this initiative, community members will promote sustainable development in Dubai and transform the emirate into a global hub for clean energy and green economy, said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, managing director and CEO of Dewa.

Shams Dubai allows customers to avoid using very expensive power storage systems by connecting the photovoltaic panels to the network. Furthermore, the surplus power will be exported to Dewas grid, which will be deducted from the customers' future bill. Apart from providing those direct benefits to electricity customers, it also increases the value of buildings where solar photovoltaic systems are installed, he said.

Shams Dubai has been instrumental to the development of the flourishing solar industry in Dubai, and supports the long-term Green Economy for Sustainable Development initiative, to build a green economy in the UAE.

Al Tayer praised the efforts of institutions and individuals who have participated in the Shams Dubai initiative and have already installed photovoltaic panels on 435 buildings with a total capacity of 15.6 MW. This will increase in the future to eventually cover all buildings in the emirate by 2030, he said.

Dewa has certified over 300 solar photovoltaic experts, and a total of 63 companies are currently enrolled with Dewa for Shams Dubai: 54 contractors and nine consultants. The equipment eligibility scheme has attracted interest from 85 manufacturers who have registered so far, and 700 pieces of equipment, such as panels, inverters, and interface protections, have been made eligible for use by Shams Dubai.  TradeArabia News Service
Real estate businesses in the UAE must consider how the five per cent value-added tax (VAT), being implemented from January 1, 2018, will affect them, an expert has said.



Although home renters will escape taxation because residential rentals will be exempt from VAT, landlords may lose out on other expenses they incur with VAT, making rental prices vulnerable to an uptick, said Lukman Hajje, chief commercial officer of Propertyfinder Group.



From a developers standpoint, VAT will certainly impact the contract price in construction contracts. And since Dubai developers have been ramping up launches of their off-plan projects in the last six months, its imperative that they lock down processes so they are prepared to recoup potential losses under the new taxation system, he said.



Hajje pointed out that while 'location' may be one of the top three most important things in real estate, for developers it's all about brand and reputation.



He cautioned that paying attention to the uptick in construction costs and the inclusion of VAT may put a strain on margins, but there are ways to maintain long-term success.



The developers who deliver on time and consistently build and maintain a quality product in the long term enjoy repeat business, attract the best talent and the best margins. - TradeArabia News Service


The UAE has launched an initiative that creates a platform for female Emirati role models to share their knowledge, skills and experience with national women across all strata of society.



Launched by Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, president of the UAE Gender Balance Council, president of Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) and wife of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and UAE Minister of Presidential Affairs, 'Qudwa'  Arabic for 'role models'  seeks to empower national women to further contribute to the development of the UAE.



The four-month initiative is part of the DWEs objective of offering Emirati women opportunities to meet accomplished female role models, including ministers and leaders in fields as varied as media, technology, health, energy and the environment, in both the public and private sector.



The female Emirati role models, who have distinguished themselves with their contributions to society, will share their expertise with senior university students, women professionals, and new employees in the workforce, through three dedicated platforms - 'Knowledge Sharing Sessions'; 'A Working Day with Your Role Model'; and 'Meet Your Role Model'



Sheikha Manal said: "This initiative was launched to coincide with Emirati Women's Day, under the theme of 'Women Partners in Giving', which was launched by the 'Mother of the Nation' Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Womens Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, who dedicated her life to serving the nation and supporting the development of Emirati women."



The Qudwa initiative reflects the objectives of the 'Year of Giving' launched by President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and is inspired by the call made by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to the workforce of both the government and private sectors to strengthen humanitarian initiatives throughout the year.



"The Qudwa initiative reflects the vision of the UAE leadership and strengthens the nation's position as a global leader in humanitarian relief, Sheikha Manal added.



Sustainable knowledge building



This initiative creates a platform for inspiring Emirati women role models to engage with aspiring students, graduates and fresh recruits in the workforce. Emirati women have always been generous givers across various fields, actively contributing to the development of their society and nation.



Sheikha Manal said: "This form of knowledge sharing is one the most rewarding ways in which you can give back to society, and it enables Emirati women to leave a legacy."



The three different sessions are exclusively designed to enable distinguished and inspiring female role models to enlighten Emirati women and girls on how they can lead exemplary professional and personal lives.



During this session, aimed at university seniors, accomplished women role models will teach Emirati women about their professional journey, the challenges they had to conquer, and their early career strategies. The aim is to help boost the confidence of aspiring Emirati youngsters, and help them succeed in their chosen careers.



A working day with your role model



National women will have the opportunity to spend an entire working day with distinguished Emirati female role models, and not only learn how to be effective at their workplaces but also learn about the core competencies and skills required in varied jobs. This session aims to inspire and equip Emirati women and girls to excel professionally.



Meet your role model



Emirati women will have the opportunity to have an informal meeting with accomplished National icons. They can seek advice in both professional and personal areas, get to know them and gain inspiration on how to live an accomplished life.



Sheikha Manal said: "Emirati women are not only working alongside men as equal partners, contributing to the nation's development, but also making a significant impact on national life armed with their scientific temperament, knowledge, experience and determination."



DWE is consistently striving to provide new platforms for Emirati women, by offering them opportunities to upgrade their skills sets and encouraging them to take on leadership positions across economic, social and political sectors.



Between September and December 2017, DWEs Qudwa initiative will create opportunities for Emirati icons to share their life journey with aspiring national women.



These exemplary Emirati women role models have substantial achievements to their credit in their respective fields, and have made major contributions through their humanitarian and volunteer work. This initiative will celebrate their various achievements as much as it will empower Emirati women to lead enriching personal and professional lives.  TradeArabia News Service
Dubai-based DP World, a global shipping terminal operator, today announced a revenue of $2.295 billion for the first half of 2017, a growth of 9.6 per cent on reported and 3 per cent on like-for-like basis compared to H1 2016.

The revenue growth was supported by the strong volume growth across all three DP World regions. There was a 4.2 per cent increase in total containerised revenue, the group said.

Profit for the period attributable to owners of the company was $606 million, a 15.8 per cent increase before separately disclosed items on a like-for-like basis, but on a reported basis earnings remained flat (-0.3 per cent).

Adjusted EBITDA hit $1.225 billion (+4.2 per cent) and adjusted EBITDA margin 53.4 per cent. Like-for-like adjusted EBITDA increased at a stronger pace of 7 per cent resulting in a margin of 54.8 per cent.

Cash from operating activities amounted to $1.009 billion, up from $905 million in H1, 2016. Leverage (net debt to annualised adjusted EBITDA) decreased to 2.6 times (from 2.8 times at December 31, 2016).

The gross throughput was 33.997 million TEUs, up 8.2 per cent compared with 31.414 TEUs in H1 2016.

DP World continued investment in high quality long-term assets with strong supply/demand dynamics. It made a capital expenditure of $595 million across the portfolio during the first half of the year. Capital expenditure guidance for 2017 remains unchanged at $1.2 billion with investments planned into Jebel Ali (UAE), London Gateway (UK), Prince Rupert (Canada) and Berbera (Somaliland), the group said.

Improved trading environment in the first half of 2017 and market share gains from the new shipping alliances are driving volumes in the second quarter of the year, it said.

DP World Group chairman and CEO Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem commented: DP World is pleased to announce a solid set of first half results with attributable earnings of $606 million, and like-for-like earnings growth of 15.8 per cent. Adjusted EBITDA reached $1,225 million as margins were maintained at above 50 per cent. Encouragingly, after a challenging period, we have seen a pick-up in global trade particularly in the second quarter of the year, and that combined with the ramp up in our recent investments in Yarimca (Turkey), London Gateway (UK), Rotterdam (Netherlands) and JNP Mumbai (India), has delivered ahead-of-market volume growth.

In the first half of 2017, we have invested $595 million of capex in key growth markets, and announced over $170 million of acquisitions in our maritime business, which offers significant growth opportunities. These investments leave us well placed to deliver on our strategy to strengthen our port related services and capitalize on the significant medium to long-term growth potential of this industry.

Our balance sheet remains strong and we continue to generate high levels of cashflow, which gives us the ability to invest in the future growth of our current portfolio, and the flexibility to make new investments should the right opportunities arise as well as delivering enhanced returns to shareholders over the medium term.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, we expect higher levels of throughput to be maintained. Overall, the steady financial performance of the first six months leaves us confident in meeting full-year market expectations, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
ABC News(WASHINGTON) -- President Donald Trump will travel to Texas Tuesday in response to record-level flooding from Hurricane Harvey, according to the White House.



"We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know," press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement Sunday afternoon.



She added, "We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers.



First lady Melania Trump will accompany the president on his trip to Texas, her director of communications, Stephanie Grisham, confirmed Monday.



Trump had tweeted earlier Sunday that he plans to visit Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption."



In an interview Sunday on ABC News' This Week, Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert elaborated on the president's tweet, saying Trump doesn't want to get in the way of the relief efforts.



Harvey, which hit Texas as a Category 4 hurricane but was downgraded to a tropical storm over the weekend, will still be ongoing when Trump touches down in the state. Another 15 to 20 inches of rain are expected to fall over the Houston area before the storm is done Wednesday or Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.



As a result of Harvey, Houston, the countrys fourth largest city, is dealing with record-level, life-threatening flooding.



Over the weekend, the president monitored the storm from Camp David, the first natural disaster of his presidency.



While he was a candidate for president, Trump paid a visit to Louisiana after deadly flooding hit Baton Rouge and parts of Lafayette in August last year. He, along with now-Vice President Mike Pence, toured the flood damage and helped unload a truck of supplies.



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Swisslog Middle East, an intralogistics provider, has appointed Alain Kaddoum as its new general manager and added three new members to assist in bringing its robotic and data-driven intralogistics vision to life.



Swisslog Middle East is part of Switzerland-based Swisslog Warehouse & Distribution Solutions (WDS).



The new leadership and growing team will play a critical role in supporting Swisslogs continual growth strategy and in driving its leadership position in automated intralogistics solutions throughout the region, said a statement.



Kaddoum will directly drive and support the sales and business teams, developing strategies to support uptake of the companys robot and data driven intralogistics automation solutions for forward-thinking customers in the UAE, it said.



Having worked for Swisslog for more than two years, and in the engineering industry for almost a decade, Kaddoum brings a wealth of experience and industry expertise to his new role as general manager, it added.



Daniel Hauser, managing director region - Central Europe and Middle East, Swisslog WDS, said: We are a leading global company that is synonymous with creating effective innovative solutions.



Our portfolio consists of various key technologies, such as robotics, ASRS, AGVs, shuttle systems, monorails, conveyors and software to help businesses innovate and maximise their intralogistics potential, he said.



Customers who have worked with Kaddoum have been very responsive to his collaborative approach. His passion and deep understanding of the local market makes him the right person to lead us to the next stage of our growth, he added.



Since joining the company, Kaddoum has had the opportunity to work with some incredible customers and his nomination will expand our reach across the entire Middle East region, he continued.



Kaddoum replaces Frederic Zielinski after almost four years of senior leadership at Swisslog Middle East, who leaves the company due to personal reasons. Moreover, Kaddoum bolsters the companys leadership welcoming three new members to its team.



Joining as senior project manager, John Sassine is a qualified mechanical engineer with thirteen years of technical experience in the storage solution industries. His role at Swisslog will involve overseeing the Mai Dubai project, which will see the company deliver a new automated raw and packing material warehouse, extend its production capability as well as build a high bay warehouse to store finished goods.



Sri Aravindhan holds both a Masters degree in Logistics and a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering. As the teams system designer, he will be working across all Swisslog Middle East sales projects for customers in the region.



Completing the team is Yokesh Kumar Sundararaman, who joins as PLC and customer service engineer. With a Bachelors degree in Electronics and a diploma in Mechatronics, he will be involved in the realisation of all projects in the region and he is responsible for ongoing maintenance of the existing sites.



Kaddoum said: I am extremely pleased to welcome Sassine, Aravindhan and Sundararaman as integral parts of our team based in Dubai. Together with the rest of the team, the new additions can deliver a full service situated locally to new and existing clients, providing everything from consulting to design and customer service, he added.



Hauser continues: The Middle East is an exciting market for Swisslog, and we believe there is vast potential to expand our specialized logistics services throughout the region.



With the continued growing demand for data-driven intralogistics services, we permanently invest technology upgrades. Swisslog as a member of the German automation company Kuka is looking forward to continue to deliver the solution portfolio, which has an increasingly strong and established reputation in the region, he added.  TradeArabia News Service
Saudi Industrial Property Authority (Modon) and National Industrial Clusters Development Program have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Goldwind Science & Technology to explore wind-turbines manufacturing opportunities in the kingdom.



Goldwind Science & Technology is a Chinese company specialising in the manufacturing of wind turbines and accessories.



As per the agreement, Modon will allocate land to the Chinese company in its industrial cities, whereas the National Industrial Clusters Development Program will assist the company in identifying investment opportunities and support its search for local partners.



The agreement was signed by Modons director of marketing and corporate communications Bandar Al Toaimi; and vice president plastics and chemical sector engineer Tariq Buksh; while the executive vice president of Goldwind Science & Technology, Wu Kai, signed on behalf of the Chinese company.



Al Toaimi praised the role of partnerships in the implementation of the Kingdom's vision 2030, its ability to stimulate industrial growth in the kingdom and create the right environment by bringing international expertise, knowledge transfer and localisation, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri), a leader in logistics and transportation, revealed that its business unit, Bahri Dry Bulk, has signed an agreement worth $120 million with South Korea's Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, a member of Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group, to build four bulk carriers.



The agreement was signed in Dubai, UAE, in the presence of Ali Al Harbi, acting CEO of Bahri; Nezar Banabeela, president, Bahri Dry Bulk; and Sam H Ka, president and chief operating officer (COO), Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) Group, in addition to other executives from both the companies, said a statement.



With construction commencing immediately, each vessel will be built to the highest environmental, fuel-efficiency and safety standards, with a capacity to carry up to 80,000 metric tonnes per voyage, and will be delivered during the year 2020, it said.



Al Harbi said: Our long-standing relationship with Hyundai Heavy Industries Group bears testimony to the success of the bilateral ties between Saudi Arabia and South Korea, and Bahri and HHIs shared values for long-term growth.



HHI Group brings decades of expertise in shipbuilding and its sustained focus on quality has contributed to their position as one of the most highly-regarded names in the industry, he said.



The addition of four new vessels to our fleet is firmly aligned with our long-term strategy for expansion and diversification. Upon delivery, the vessels will contribute towards the growing demand Bahri Dry Bulk is witnessing for the import of essential grains such as barley, wheat and corn into the kingdom, he added.



Banabeela said: For Bahri Dry Bulk, the additional vessels will help to address the needs of customers in Saudi Arabia and the region as well as international companies importing grains into the kingdom.



This, in turn, will enable food security for the kingdom, and through this initiative, we are proud to play an active role towards achieving an important objective of Saudi Arabias Vision 2030, he said.



H Ka added: We are honoured to further extend the scope of our partnership with a transportation and logistics leader like Bahri.



Ours is a long and special relationship that has evolved over many years, and over the course of which we have successfully delivered many other ships to Bahri including VLCCs, he added.- TradeArabia News Service
Kuwait National Petroleum Company's (KNPC) expenditure for the next five years is likely to touch KD3.5 billion ($11.6 billion), the company's CEO Mohammad Al Mutiari has said.



In an interview with local Al-Rai daily, he said that such expenses are earmarked for ongoing projects as well as launching new ones. KNPC's total capital for the 2017-2018 fiscal year was at KD6.1 billion ($20 billion), a Kuwait News Ageny (Kuna) report said.



KNPC is developing the Clean Fuels Project that will upgrade and expand two of its largest refineries to make higher-value products such as diesel and kerosene for export.



Al Mutairi said the first instalment of a $6.25 billion loan from international lenders was expected to be received by the end of September.



He also said the ageing Al Shuaiba refinery will be closed and it is now up for sale following the completion of all procedures.



He said a gas line project with a capacity of 805 million cu ft per day, being built at a cost of KD428 million ($1.4 billion), is currently under way. The project entails separating methane and ethane gases through a highly intricate process, the report said.



Al Mutairi also spoke about the construction of new KD210 million ($696 million) liquid sulphur treatment facilities at Al Ahmadi refinery and work to upgrade equipment in those storages.



On the local market's soaring demand for fuel, he noted that a warehouse in Al Ahmadi area is currently undergoing rennovations at a cost of KD75.6 million ($250 million), while a new facility will be built shortly in Al-Metla'a area.



The KNPC CEO also revealed plans to buld 100 new fuel stations to ensure adequate power supply amid growing urbanisation in the country.



On KNPC's total workforce, Al Mutairi said that 6,281 employees had been registered as of August 13, while the company is expected to hire an additional 377 workers.
Samsung Electronics has unveiled three new professional monitors for the modern workplace, the CH89 (34-inch curved model), CH80 (27-inch curved model) and SH85 (23.8- and 27-inch flat-screen models) at IFA 2017 in Berlin, Germany.



The CH89, CH80 and SH85 feature the USB Type C interface for seamless connectivity, as well as optimized clarity and colour presentation at the ultra WQHD (CH89), Full HD (CH80) and WQHD (SH85) resolutions. The monitors also feature a three-sided, bezel-less design, with the CH89 and CH80 further amplifying the bezel-less effect through an 1800R curved structure. By streamlining setups that typically required multiple screens and equipment to a single monitor, the compact displays additionally free up coveted workplace space and reduce maintenance.



Todays professionals cannot afford to waste time navigating complex multi-display systems or having to struggle to access and read necessary content, said Seog-gi Kim, executive vice president of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. Through clear, simultaneous content presentation, our CH89, CH80 and SH85 monitors efficiently provide ample space to view multiple data-rich documents without interference.



The CH89, CH80 and SH85 displays empower professional users to access, load, view and share content efficiently and quickly. These models include a dedicated USB Type C interface, enabling transmission of data, Display Port (DP) signals and power within a single-cable connection. Beyond removing excess wires from the workspace, the USB Type C composition ensures compatibility with personal laptops, tablets and mobile devices for seamless, port-driven content exchange. Users can view documents and images from their smaller personal screens on the larger monitor without losing visual quality.







Professionals additionally can customize their content presentation through Samsungs Easy Setting Box software. Within the programs intuitive interface, users can select from a detailed library of split-screen template and screen-size optimization options and choose their preferred viewing parameters.



For convenient collaboration and screen sharing, the CH80 and SH85 monitors feature DP Out Daisy Chain technology. Users can extend their current desktop across single monitors or monitor groups through one DP connection, preventing the need to synchronize each monitor with a PC or other external device.



The CH89s ultra WQHD resolution (3,4401,440) produces a sharp presentation with nearly 2.5 times the pixel density of FHD, creating a wider and more colourful workspace. The SH85 follows suit with WQHD resolution (2,5601,440) that delivers detailed imagery with nearly 1.8 times more pixel density than standard FHD monitors.



All three displays contain a height-adjustable stand as well as swivel and tilt capabilities, allowing users to set the monitor at their ideal viewing distance and position. These models also include Samsungs Flicker Free and Eye Saver features, which deter harmful visual effects that can otherwise cause eyestrain during long-term usage.



Additionally Samsung will exhibit a 49-inch CHG90, the HDR (high dynamic range) QLED monitor at IFA 2017. The CHG90 expands the workspace while offering panoramic views of figures, diagrams and charts within a single screen. This ultra-wide size prevents users from having to combine two 27-inch monitors to complete their tasks, and also deters the misalignment and central bezel interference that come with such arrangements. Coupled with its HDR QLED picture quality, the CHG90s size accommodates a range of content while upholding a clear, colourful and true-to-life presentation.



In addition to the Easy Setting Box screen optimization technology, the CHG90s Picture-by-Picture functionality allows users to connect and view input sources without degrading the original image quality. The CHG90s extensive connectivity, including DP, Mini-DP, HDMI and USB ports, also welcomes content sharing to and from external personal devices.  TradeArabia News Service


The Italian National Tourist Board will be the Premier Partner at WTM London 2017  the leading global event for the travel industry  as Italy takes a fundamental step towards a new marketing strategy.



Known as ENIT, the tourism body has signed the Premier Partnership deal to ensure widespread media coverage; to offer maximum support its tourism industry; and to highlight Italys diverse range of holidays.



ENIT will have two main stands at WTM London (EU2000, EU2070) and will share its exhibition space with around 230 Italian travel trade partners, including regional tourism bodies, hotels, travel agencies, resorts and operators.



Through its Premier Partnership status, Italy aims to reposition and widen the Italian tourist offer beyond the traditional tourist destinations.



ENIT will also shine a spotlight on its themed years, with Italian villages being the focus for 2017, and food and wine in 2018.



Both themes promote the Italian way of life, which can be experienced by tourists across the whole country  from its mountains to the coast, lakes and cities.



Indeed, the countrys cuisine is already a major draw, and it is regarded as the number one destination for food and wine tourism, according to the Food Travel Monitor.



Italy will also use WTM London to highlight its cultural attractions and the fact it has more UNESCO World Heritage sites than any other country, with 53.



According to FutureBrands Country Brand Index, it is ranked top for Tourism & Culture  and it is the most photographed country on Instagram, with 64 million tags and counting.

Its varied attractions mean Italy is the fifth most popular destination worldwide for international arrivals, with 52 million visitors in 2016  up 3.2 per cent on 2015.



These visitors generated more than 36 billion ($42.4 billion) last year for the Italian economy, with Germans accounting for the highest amount at 5.7 billion ($6.7 billion). The US was the second biggest market (4.6 billion/$5.4 billion), followed by France (3.6 billion/$4.2 billion), the UK (2.9 billion/$3.4 billion) and Switzerland (2.4 billion/$2.8 billion).



Cities famed for their art and culture  such as Rome, Milan, Venice, Florence, Naples and Turin  are the most popular option for overseas tourists, who spend about 14 billion ($16.4 billion) in this sector. Overseas tourists visiting for seaside holidays, meanwhile, generate almost 5 billion ($5.8 billion).



Dario Franceschini, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, said the special themed years mean that regional tourist boards and cities can work together with the trade to create itineraries which enable overseas visitors to experience Italian lifestyles.



In the tourism sector, where competition is so fierce, it is fundamental for Italy to diversify its attractions and spread tourist flows over the entire national territory, he said.

Tourism, this extraordinary engine of economic development, is a medium of peaceful encounters between cultures and a fundamental antidote to the fear of the different.



WTM London senior director Simon Press said: WTM London is thrilled to welcome Italy as its Premier Partner for 2017."



Italy has long been a key exhibitor at WTM London and were delighted that this Premier Partnership will help the country to take its tourism marketing to the next level."



Being WTM Londons Premier Partner means Italy has the perfect platform promote the extensive range of Italian holidays to buyers and media from across the globe. - TradeArabia News Service


Hospitality giant Hilton has opened doors to the new Hilton Busan, marking its debut in South Korea's second largest city.

With its prime location on a pristine coastline in the East Busan Tourism Complex, Hilton Busan is set to be a hub for business and leisure travel to this dynamic region. The hotel will offer two innovative dining concepts, a rooftop swimming pool and versatile meeting space unparalleled for both function and style.



"Busan is a key tourism destination and we're delighted to be introducing Hilton's trademark hospitality and flagship brand to the city, complementing the five hotels we currently operate in South Korea," said Sean Wooden, vice president, brand management, Asia Pacific, Hilton. "Guests visiting Hilton Busan will enjoy a unique urban retreat with thoughtful amenities and offerings as captivating as its seafront location."



Hilton Busan provides a convenient base for guests looking to explore major attractions including the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, BEXCO Convention Center and The Lotte Premium Outlet, which is only 1.6km away from the hotel and houses more than 150 local and international shopping outlets.



"As Korea's largest port city, Busan has always been a popular destination for both business and leisure guests, including fans of the annual Busan International Film Festival," said Tim Soper, vice president, operations, Japan, Korea and Micronesia. "Thanks to Busan's eclectic mix of leisure attractions including nature parks, museums and temples, it is also a popular destination for major meetings and events, which Hilton Busan will be well placed to accommodate. Having operated in Korea for decades, we are pleased to add another Hilton-branded property in this dynamic country and in an energetic city such as Busan."



Boasting a blend of nature and modern design, each of the hotel's 310 spacious guest rooms feature stunning land and sea scape views, 49-inch LED televisions, high-speed internet access, private balconies, large work spaces and four-point bathrooms. All rooms span at least 60 square meters, while the suites are at least 120 square meters. Those staying in executive rooms have access to the Executive Lounge, which offers breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening cocktails.



Guests looking to relax will find extensive recreational facilities at Hilton Busan including a wellness center, 24-hour fitness center, kids activities, and range of all-weather swimming options, including an infinity pool with panoramic ocean views, adults-only pool, children's pool, jacuzzi and indoor pool.



Guests and locals alike can enjoy a variety of dining options on-property, including:



Da Moim: An all-day dining restaurant with a remarkable view featuring delectable Korean, Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisine with an interactive live cooking station and open kitchen.



McQueen Bar: Poised to become a destination in its own right in Busan, guests can enjoy a stylish drink menu and relaxed ambience.



McQueen Lounge: Located on the top floor, framed by a panoramic view, this lounge offers a French/Korean-fusion-inspired afternoon tea with freshly baked pastries and treats.



Sweet Corner: Guests can enjoy French pastries, macaroons, handmade chocolates, cakes, cookies and other desserts and beverages.



Hilton Busan offers flexible meeting and event space, including seven function rooms, a 1,417-square-meter Grand Ballroom that can accommodate up to 1,500 people, and a 977-sq-m ballroom featuring beautiful ocean views. Hilton Busan offers a business center and a dedicated hotel team to provide comprehensive support for seamless events and meetings. The hotel also has two outdoor event venues ranging from 350 square meters to 670 square meters. Unique to hotels in the area, Hilton Busan also houses a wedding chapel, allowing couples to celebrate their special day overlooking the sea.



Visitors to Hilton Busan can access the property from Gimhae International Airport or Busan KTX Train Station. The hotel's address is 268-32, Gijanghaean-ro, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan 46083, Korea. - TradeArabia News Service
The Middle East is witnessing an accelerated shift to smartphones. An increasing number of regional holiday-goers are depending on their smartphone to plan their trips this summer with 40 per cent of GCC travellers using the internet as their first stop.



Honor, the leading smartphone e-brand in the region, predicts that holidays-goers in the summer will spend up to a staggering 26 hours a week on their smartphone. Where once the camera was the most important travel accessory, nine in 10 people in the UAE now believe their smartphone is more essential, demonstrating how important a consumers device is as part of their lifestyle.



Chris Sun Baigong, vice president Huawei honor Middle East CBG, said: The fact that holiday-makers will spend up to half of their week on their smartphones even surprised us. What doesnt surprise us however, is how important smartphones are as an extension of peoples lifestyles.



Smartphone penetration among millennials in the GCC is in the high nineties and mobile usage is almost at 100 per cent, according to recent study by thinkwithgoogle.



Research from Huawei honor, suggests that there is a significant difference in smartphone behaviour between UAE and Saudi Arabian holiday-makers. It highlighted that people in Saudi mostly use their smartphones for gaming and making calls when on holiday, however taking photos was still the number one in terms of usage.



Sunbaigong added: At Huawei honor, everything we do is for the benefit of the end user. Whether it is specs, camera or appearance, we take note of what they actually want and use on a daily basis. This is why this summer we have partnered with cleartrip to giveaway all honor users vouchers worth up to Dh100 ($27.2) just by registering on store.hihonor.com/ae/ website. We know how important the smartphone camera is to our end-users, which is why our devices are geared towards taking great shots on the go  meaning there is literally no excuse for a bad photo. In fact, our upcoming smartphone launch will really showcase this in abundance so watch this space. -TradeArabia News Service
Have an event, trend or general energy happening youd like to see in the Energy Journal newsletter? Send it to Star-Tribune energy reporter Heather Richards at heather.richards@trib.com. Sign up for the newsletter at www.trib.com/energyjournal.

This week in numbers

Friday oil prices: West Texas Intermediate (WTI) $49.52, Brent (ICE) $52.38

Natural gas weekly averages: Henry Hub $2.96, Wyoming Pool $2.61, Opal $2.66

Baker Hughes rig count: U.S. 940, Wyoming 26

Lawmakers frustrated by BLM

The Bureau of Land Management's consideration of viewshed impacts from Native American historic sites has some lawmakers and a number of oil and gas operators frustrated.

The trouble has only recently come up, which has some wondering why conservative strength in Washington isn't in their favor on the issue.

The Select Federal Natural Resource Committee meets and Casper next week, and the viewshed is on the agenda.

EPA awards grant to address leaky storage

Wyoming's Department of Environmental Quality will receive $1.6 million from the EPA for it's leaking storage tank program.

The Environmental Protection Agency gives Wyoming money every year to boost the program, which investigates and remediates sites where underground tanks have begun to contaminate the soil or water supply.

Ruffatto sentencing delayed

Two Elk developer Michael Ruffatto won't be sentenced until October. A court date Friday was pushed back another two months.

Ruffatto pleaded guilty last year to defrauding the federal government out of millions of dollars. The Two Elk energy project in Carbon County never materialized though Ruffatto courted state and federal officials for the endeavor over a period of 20 years.

The prosecution seeks jail time. Ruffatto is 71.

Sage grouse controversy continues

Environmental groups say a letter from Western Energy Alliance may point to backdoor favors for industry groups in regard to sage grouse conservation.

A report on sage grouse management in the West, made public early this month, included a number of recommendations that the WEA requested in a July letter to the Interior Secretary.

Western Values Project has put in a public records request to analyze communication between industry groups and the Department of the Interior regarding the grouse.

The oil and gas advocates say they don't have special privileges with the department.

Game and Fish finishes rules for sage grouse farming

Wyoming Game and Fish Commission approved regulations Wednesday that govern permitting for sage grouse farming in the state.

Up to five farms at a time could apply for permits if they meet a list of enclosure and disease control guidelines. Licensed farms will be able to collect 250 wild eggs per year for their experiments.

Scientists have not been pleased by the state Legislature's decision early this year to allow sage grouse captive breeding in Wyoming, arguing that it is no substitute for aggressive protections of sage grouse's wild habitat.

Still, a handful of people have been persistent in their requests to try it out. The Legislature has given sage grouse breeding a five-year window of opportunity.

Quote of the week

Having been at the table for 12 years, to suddenly be on the outside whistling in the dark? Thats the way it was.

Brian Rutledge, conservation policy and strategy adviser for the National Audubon Society, about being left out of Secretary Ryan Zinke's sage grouse review
The Casper airport is required to provide free parking to passengers. But they dont make it easy to find. Tucked just south of the rental car parking is an old access road that has been converted to a thin, narrow parking lot. There are no directions to the lot and a small sign placed at the start takes an opaque approach in announcing that the lot is free.

Two weeks maximum beginning of parking pertaining to WS 315-5-501(d), the green sign reads.

If a visitor fails to bring their copy of state statute, they might be confused just what the sign means. In fact, Wyoming statute 315-5-501(d) doesnt exist.

But 31-5-501(d) reads as follows: For public convenience, commissioners or boards having jurisdiction to regulate parking of vehicles shall provide free parking areas adequate to accommodate at least twenty percent of the number of vehicle parking spaces for which a fee is charged.

In other words, the Casper/Natrona County International airport  and all other airports in the state  must provide 20 percent of its parking spaces for free.

Airport leadership, naturally, is not thrilled with the requirement.

It was kind of added in there at the very end and wasnt even placed in a part of the statute that directly deals with parking, said airport board president Joe MacGuire, a Republican state representative from Natrona County.

Honestly, its kind of an unfunded mandate, he added.

Joe MacGuire appointed to Wyoming Legislature Joe MacGuire, a Casper businessman who has served on the Natrona County GOP executive commit

But when the paid parking lot at the airport was expanded in 2012, the free parking needed to expand as well.

Airport manager Glenn Januska selected a crumbling lot on the far reaches of the airport property, adjacent to grazing land and nearly a 1.5 mile walk from the terminal along roads without sidewalks or lighting.

We believe that were meeting the requirements, of the statute, Januska said.

Surely, though, the law intended for the parking lot to be close enough to the airport that passengers could use it?

If there was a specific requirement for where the lot was put in, that would have been put in the law, Januska said. I cannot tell you what the spirit of the statute is.

They hate my guts

But Dick Sadler, a former state legislator who said he was the one to propose the law in the 1970s, knows exactly what the spirit of the law was  and that the new free parking lot doesnt come close to meeting it.

I passed that law and they hate my guts for it, Sadler said on a recent drive out to the airport.

He said an acquaintance took him aside after an airport board meeting and told him where the new free parking lot was. The friend said that Sadler should reset his speedometer before setting out to measure the distance.

I damn near died when that guy told me to reset my speedometer, Sadler recalled.

MacGuire took issue with the free parking requirement being slipped into a part of state law dealing with jurisdiction over state highways. But Sadler said the placement was very intentional. The Legislature agreed to allow county-controlled boards in charge of fairgrounds, airports and parks to regulate their own traffic and parking for the welfare of the general public or for the proper use of public lands. The free parking was part of that.

Building an additional free parking area 1.4 miles away from the terminal is certainly not being done for the welfare of the public, Sadler said.

(Sadler, a Democrat, gained something of a national reputation for his stance on highway laws in the 1970s when the federal government mandated that states set a maximum highway speed limit of 55 miles per hour. We (told) the feds to go to hell and we were going to raise our speed limit, he recalled.)

MacGuire isnt claiming that the new free lot is easy for passengers to use.

Yeah. Its a mile away, MacGuire said. I cant tell you that its going to be convenient or anything else.

But, MacGuire said, the airport does not have the money to build a new parking lot that wont generate any revenue and the remote piece of pavement along Commerce Road was the only available location for a new free parking area.

The airports current budget anticipates revenue outpacing expenses by just $33,000 and paid parking is one of the largest single-sources of revenue. Paid parking is expected to generate $440,000.

If we did not have parking revenue  thats the difference between being a self-sufficient county entity and having to go to the county for county support, Januska said.

He estimates that the free parking area costs the airport about $165,000 in lost fees. New parking lots cost roughly $5,000 per parking space, Januska added. Gravel isnt an option because snowplows cant clear them during the winter months.

But Sadler points to the many rental properties on the airport grounds and the fact the county was not required to pay market rate for the land as reasons that the free parking requirement is both a reasonable and fair requirement.

And its true that, despite barely breaking even, the airport has many sources of revenue. The airport received well over $1 million in rent from office space, hangars and land along with an additional $3 million in revenue from fees paid by the airlines and other miscellaneous items. But the expenses largely keep pace with the revenue.

Despite downturn, Casper airport plans to grow The new 10,000-square-foot hangar sits to the left of the main terminal at Casper-Natrona Co

Januska said the airports master plan, released last year, calls for all new parking  including free lots  to be built within easy walking distance of the terminal.

In the meantime, the free parking located adjacent to the rental car area usually has enough space for those in the know, MacGuire said.

I wish everything at the airport was free, he said. Unfortunately, things dont just sprout of the ground for free.
POWELL  The person who caused a wildfire that destroyed a home and threatened several others east of Yellowstone National Park could be ordered to pay millions to cover firefighting costs.

The fire last year burned more than 19 square miles of rugged terrain 40 miles east of Yellowstone.

Federal officials say they are still investigating the fire. They haven't publicly identified the person they say accidentally caused the blaze with sparks from a metal grinder.

U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Sarah Beckwith said the federal agency seeks to recoup the cost of wildfires caused by people.

Beckwith says the fire cost the BLM roughly $1.4 million and several agencies were involved in fighting the fire.
A South Dakota girl died following a Saturday car crash on Wyoming Highway 270 near Hartville.

Lilly Nehring, 13, of South Dakota, was the passenger in a vehicle headed north that ran off the road at milepost 510, according to the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

The car hit a mile marker post and the driver overcorrected, taking the car off the left side of the road. The car rolled over and came to a stop upside down, according to a highway patrol report.

The driver of the car and two children were airlifted to a Nebraska hospital, where Lilly died.
I have to something to confess: I wasnt that excited about the eclipse.

I was a bit baffled that people were coming from different continents to check it out. To me, it kind of just sounded like the sky was going to get dark for a few minutes. But I must admit, I broke out in chill bumps when the suns corona burst through.

Although totality was beautiful, I think my favorite part of this weekend was all the great people-watching. From a married couple who were celebrating their seventh anniversary on Monday to a 77-year-old who was visiting so he could cross watching an eclipse off his bucket list, this weekend brought in a lot of interesting visitors and stories. Since it seems like the festival was a hit, I hope its the first of many to come.

***

On that note, I received an email from one visitor who wanted to publicly thank the staff at the Altitude Veterinary Clinic. He was visiting in his RV and brought his Siamese cat along for the eclipse. She became very ill, and all the local vet offices were closed. He contacted the staff at Altitude by calling their emergency line and a vet quickly came out to help him.

We came here for the Eclipse; but will always remember the remarkable service we received from Altitude, wrote Mike Williams.

***

Councilman Dallas Laird gave me a call on Friday and said he thinks the Casper City Council should hold a Town Hall meeting.

Although residents can address council members during their regular meetings, Laird said some might find it difficult to publicly voice their views.

The councilman thinks citizens would find it easier to speak up at a Town Hall event. If readers are interested in seeing this happen, contact council and let them know.

***

Councilman Jesse Morgan announced at the end of Tuesdays City Council meeting that he is donating his $500 monthly stipend to the Wyoming Food for Thought Project. Morgan routinely gives his stipend to various charities, but this month he let his Facebook followers vote on which group should receive the donation. Although it was a close call, the Wyoming Food for Thought project won by two votes. Morgan said Thursday that he was pleased with the results.

They give food to the people who are in need, primarily kids, he explained. Its a great organization here in town.
WASHINGTON  President Trump sought to showcase the federal governments response to Hurricane Harvey in a tweetstorm of his own Sunday, marveling over its size like a TV host and announcing a visit to Texas with the natural disaster only just beginning to take its catastrophic toll.

In a series of tweets, Trump said his administration was handling its responsibilities well and, in a tangential aside, hawked a book on race and crime in America written by a supporter.

Wow  Now experts are calling #Harvey a once in 500 year flood! We have an all out effort going, and going well!

He later added: Even experts have said theyve never seen one like this!

Harvey is the first major natural disaster of Trumps presidency and a significant test for a White House that is often chaotic and rife with infighting. Attention on Harvey from officials, the public and the news media also allows Trump to refocus after a turbulent stretch that included his widely criticized response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Trump, who spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, convened a Cabinet meeting by telephone Sunday which included Vice President Mike Pence. He tweeted a promise of a Texas visit as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption  later announced by the White House as Tuesday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott loaded heavy praise on Trump and the federal government, describing an A-plus effort.

Ive got to tell you, I give FEMA a grade of A+, all the way from the president down, Abbott said. Ive spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of FEMA, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services.

The devastating storm has dumped more than 2 feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a landmark event that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.
Calimmune Inc., a gene-therapy drug startup company co-founded by a University of Arizona alumnus, will be acquired by Australian-based biotech drug giant CSL Ltd. for $91 million.

The deal, which will make Calimmune part of Pennsylvania-based CSL Behring, also includes up to $325 million in potential performance based milestone payments over eight or more years after the transactions close, expected within the next two weeks.

Calimmune, co-founded by UA biology grad and entrepreneur Louis Breton in 2006, is developing stem-cell gene therapy to strengthen patients own immune systems.

The companys technology is based on research by co-founder and Nobel Prize winner David Baltimore of the California Institute of Technology, Irvin Chen of UCLA and Inder M. Verma of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Calimmunes clinical and laboratory operations are based in Pasadena, California, and Sydney, Australia, while its corporate office is in Tucson.

In 2013, Calimmune won an $8.3 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to study its HIV drug. Its lead drug candidate is in Phase I/II clinical trials as a one-time treatment to prevent HIV progression to AIDS.

The acquisition will give CSL Behring Calimmunes pre-clinical drug candidate, CAL-H, a stem-cell gene therapy for the treatment of sickle cell disease and blood disorders, complementing the companys current product portfolio, CSL said.

The deal also includes two proprietary Calimmune technologies to select genetically modified stem cells and to produce viruses used to deliver gene therapy.

CSL Ltd. CEO Paul Perreault said the acquisition will boost his companys growth in gene therapy, calling Calimmunes accomplishments thus far impressive.

While Calimmune is still in the early stages, we believe that our combined strengths have tremendous potential to change treatment paradigms, and most importantly, significantly improve the lives of our patients, Perreault said in a news release.

Breton, Calimmunes CEO, said CSL is an established global leader in protein-replacement therapies, with a track record of driving new treatments to the global marketplace.

Together, we are well positioned to take our achievements to the next level, Breton said.

In 2015, Calimmune completed a $15 million Series B financing round, led by a large pharmaceutical company.

Members of Tucsons Desert Angels investment group also provided early private-equity funding for the company.

CSL is one of the biggest biotech drug companies in the world, with fiscal 2016 revenue of $6.1 billion.
We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some Aug. 28 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.
PHOENIX  An appeals court said federal judges in Arizona were wrong for ignoring its order limiting when prisoners can be shackled when they appear in court.

In an often sharply worded ruling, the three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said trial judges handling criminal cases erred when they refused to decide on a case-by-case basis when a pretrial detainee needs to be in chains.

The appellate judges said Friday that is directly contrary to a published opinion they issued three months ago.

The appellate court acknowledged it had agreed to stay that order to allow federal prosecutors to appeal. But it said that did not mean trial judges could automatically continue to ignore claims by defendants that there was no legitimate reason for them to be shackled while in court.

There was no immediate response from federal prosecutors who had fought the order.

The May ruling by the full 9th Circuit was fairly straightforward.

Before a presumptively innocent defendant may be shackled, the court must make an individualized decision that a compelling governmental purpose would be served and that shackles are the least restrictive means for maintaining security and order in the courtroom, the judges said.

Courts cannot delegate this constitutional question to those who provide security, such as the U.S. Marshals Service, the ruling read. Nor can courts institute routine shackling policies reflecting a presumption that shackles are necessary in every case.

In this latest case, three defendants requested they be unshackled while in court, citing the May ruling. But the trial judges in each case refused, noting that there was a stay issued.

On Friday, the appellate court said that was in error.

A published decision of this court constitutes binding authority which must be followed unless and until overruled by a body competent to do so, the three judges wrote in the order.
PHOENIX  Just days after having his criminal conviction effectively nullified with a presidential pardon, former Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio is weighing another bid for public office  perhaps against Sen. Jeff Flake.

The 85-year-old Arpaio acknowledged Monday that his inclination after being defeated last year and found guilty of criminal contempt was to simply retire into the background.

But Arpaio told Capitol Media Services he is entertaining various requests that he re-enter political life.

And the former sheriff said if he did, he might take on the incumbent U.S. senator, who is seeking re-election next year.

Arpaio said any decision would not be based on the fact that both Flake and John McCain, the states other senator, were very critical of Fridays decision by President Trump to pardon him. But he did unload on both, saying they should have spoken to him about the underlying issue before making their statements.

Im their constituent, he said. You would think they would check with me if there was abuse of the justice of the courts.

But he specifically singled out Flake for saying that Trump should honor the judicial process and let it take its course.

Arpaio said that would have meant waiting until he was sentenced on misdemeanor charges that he ignored a federal judges orders not to use his deputies to go after those suspected of being in the country illegally. That could have meant up to six months in jail.

The normal practice of the U.S. Department of Justice is to wait five years before considering such requests for pardons.

Its too late then, he said.

Instead, Arpaio said, any decision to run would be solely to support Trump and his agenda in Washington.

The main thing I would want to do is help the president, he said.

Arpaios renewed interest in politics comes as his attorneys are asking the judge who convicted him of contempt to dismiss the conviction.

In a new filing Monday, the former sheriffs attorneys acknowledge that the pardon puts an end to any criminal prosecution or chance of jail. But they said that the conviction still remains on his record. And that, they said, has potential harms.

His conviction may be considered at sentencing in any subsequent criminal proceeding and may result in heavier penalties, his lawyers wrote, citing another case where someone had been pardoned. That conviction, they told the judge, also could be introduced to impeach the sheriffs credibility.

Anyway, they said, it is only fair for the court to vacate the verdict  and all rulings in the case  because Arpaio will never have a chance to appeal the conviction.

But in a separate statement, attorney Jack Wilenchik said the sheriff took the pardon rather than appeal because it could take years to resolve. And with Arpaios age, he said, there is no guarantee that he would outlast the appeals.

If Arpaio runs  and he stressed that no decision has been made  it could undermine the candidacy of former state Sen. Kelli Ward, who to this point is Flakes only announced foe.

Ward has staked out some of the same positions as Arpaio on things like illegal immigration and her support for Trump. But Ward suggested Monday that shes not about to withdraw, though she sidestepped questions Monday about how an Arpaio run might affect her chances.

My campaign has incredible momentum and I will do everything possible to make sure the sheriff and I remain on the same team  united to retire Sen. Flake in 2018, she said in a prepared statement.

Flake, for his part, had no comment.

Whether the former sheriffs musings translate into an actual candidacy is speculation at best.

During his 24 years in office, Arpaio often delighted in telling reporters how he was the most popular elected official in the state and openly suggested he might run for governor. None of those campaigns materialized, as Arpaio concluded he liked being the top law enforcement officer in the states most populous county.

But now, after he lost last years re-election bid and following the criminal contempt conviction  now moot because of Fridays pardon  Arpaio finds himself with nothing to fall back on.

When I left office, I told my wife I am not going back into politics, he said.

And then I decided in recent months that Im going to go back into politics.

And the possibilities, he said, include going after Flake, whom recent polls suggest would be vulnerable in a Republican primary.

A statewide survey of 400 likely Arizona general election voters found that if Flake went up against Ward, she would pick up 42.5 percent of the vote against 28.2 percent for Flake. But nearly a quarter had no opinion or declined to comment.
A medium-security unit of a prison in Douglas was on lockdown Monday after a huge brawl that injured 17 inmates, with one group of prisoners trying to escape attackers by climbing up onto a building and throwing objects down at them.

Six corrections officers who were assaulted in the melee suffered minor wounds.

Movement was restricted and visits were canceled at the state prison complex's 950-inmate Mohave Unit in Douglas while authorities investigate the disturbance that began Sunday night in the prison yard, Arizona Corrections Department spokesman Andrew Wilder said. The inmates in that unit are housed in dormitories rather than cells and under normal conditions are allowed free access to the yard into the evening, he said.

Some of the unit's yard privileges will probably be suspended to some extent, with the inmates confined to housing at least initially and meals brought to them, said Wilder. "It's likely to be lockdown for them through the week, suspended programing" for things such as job training and substance abuse counseling and no visits by family and friends allowed, he said.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office said it was alerted to the riot before 8 p.m. Sunday and the U.S. Border Patrol and the Arizona Department of Public Safety were called in to help secure the perimeter around the complex.

Wilder said the fighting lasted about an hour before corrections officials brought the situation under control. "It was just between the inmates, no breach of the perimeter, no attempt to escape," he said.

The prison complex is located about three miles north of the Mexico border, but Wilder said its proximity to the international line was not an added concern.

The corrections department spokesman said preliminary information indicates the disturbance began when a group of Hispanic inmates and a group of non-Hispanic whites began fighting in the unit's yard. Prisoners from one side clambered up onto a building to escape their attackers and began hurling things down at them. He said it was not immediately clear if the dispute was racially motivated.

"The reasons behind the fighting remain under investigation," said Wilder.

In the coming days, he said, authorities will attempt to identify the instigators and reassign them to other units if deemed necessary.

Wilder said the most seriously wounded prisoner was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of head injuries while the other injured inmates were taken to hospitals by ground ambulances and helicopters for evaluation and treatment. He said 12 of the injured inmates were back at the prison by midday Monday.

The six officers who were hurt suffered only minor injuries and were treated at the prison, Wilder said.
PHOENIX (AP)  Racism was behind an Arizona ban on ethnic studies that shuttered a popular Mexican-American Studies program, a federal judge said Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge A. Wallace Tashima found that the state enacted the ban with discriminatory intent.

He had previously upheld most of the law in a civil lawsuit filed by students in the Tucson Unified School District. But a federal appeals court, while upholding most of his ruling, sent the case back to trial to determine if the ban was enacted with racist intent.

The new trial was held in July.

The law prohibits courses that promote resentment toward a race or a class of people or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treating people as individuals. A portion of the law that banned courses designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group was struck down.

The state violated students' constitutional rights "because both enactment and enforcement were motivated by racial animus," Tashima said in the ruling Tuesday.

However, Tashima said he doesn't know a remedy for the violation and has not issued a final judgment. Plaintiffs' attorneys hoped he would throw out the law, which was enacted in 2010, the same year Arizona approved its landmark immigration law known as SB1070. They have not responded to calls for comment Tuesday evening.

Tashima was critical in his ruling of former state education leaders Tom Horne and John Huppenthal, who railed against the program and helped pass the law that ended it.

"Additional evidence shows that defendants were pursuing these discriminatory ends in order to make political gains. Horne and Huppenthal repeatedly pointed to their efforts against the MAS program in their respective 2011 political campaigns, including in speeches and radio advertisements. The issue was a political boon to the candidates," Tashima wrote.

Huppenthal said Tuesday he was not surprised by the ruling and said it was meaningless because the law is not likely to be enforced in the future.

"The concern about what was going on in those classes was very real," Huppenthal said.

His new concern "would be if they crank up all that stuff of teaching students that Caucasians are oppressors of Hispanics," Huppenthal said.

The Tucson Unified School District dismantled its program in 2012 to avoid losing state funding. The district hasn't responded to questions from The Associated Press about whether it would revive the program if the law is thrown out.

Horne, the former state attorney general and former leader of Arizona's public schools, testified in July that he was troubled by what he described as radical instructors teaching students to be disruptive. But he insisted he targeted all ethnic studies programs equally.

Horned testified that battle against the program began in part after he visited a Tucson high school to watch an aide rebut prior statements by guest speaker Dolores Huerta, a well-known national labor and civil rights activist, that Republicans "hate Latinos."

Some students taped their mouths and turned their back to Horne's aide, later walking out of the event with their fists in the air, "which is a pretty extremist thing to do," he said.

Horne never visited a Mexican-American studies classroom. He drafted the law as superintendent of public schools and later defended it as state attorney general.

Horne said of the ruling Tuesday that Tashima's decision promotes a program that "divides students by race and promotes ethnic chauvinism."

"I believe it is a fundamental American ideal that we are all individuals, entitled to be judged by our knowledge and character, and not by what race we happen to have been born into," Horne said in a statement.

The Tucson program began in 1998 and focused on Mexican-American history, literature and art in an effort to keep Mexican-American students in school and engaged. Students who participated outperformed their peers in grades and standardized tests, advocates said.

The board of the Tucson school district officially dismantled the program in January 2012 to keep from losing state funding.

By 2015, the Tucson district was expanding a "culturally relevant" curriculum developed in the wake of a separate racial desegregation lawsuit. Those courses are now taught at all district high schools, Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said.

He said the district worked with the Arizona Department of Education to ensure the courses don't violate the state law and are "very scripted," including offerings such as American history from an African-American perspective.
PHOENIX  A legal fight over whether a chain of charter schools is illegally preaching religion is hung up in federal court over whether the child whose father is suing could become the victim of retaliation.

Attorney Keith Beauchamp is asking a federal appeals court to let the case go to trial with only John Doe listed as the name of the plaintiff.

Beauchamp had previously convinced U.S. District Court Judge Steven Logan that there is a reason to fear some actions against Does child if his or her identity is disclosed.

Beauchamp contends there are so few children attending the Heritage Academy  only 1,500 spread out among three Maricopa County campuses  that even the initials would identify the parent and, ultimately, the child.

What the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ultimately decides could determine whether the case moves forward.

As a charter school, Heritage is a public school that gets state aid, albeit one run by a private entity. While it is exempt from many of the regulations that govern traditional public schools, it still must live under others.

There also is a specific legal requirement that a charter school ensure that it is nonsectarian in its programs. And there is a state constitutional provision barring the use of public money for religious instruction and a separate one forbidding the use of state taxes for any sectarian school.

The outcome of this case could have implications beyond Heritage Academy, as it goes to questions of not only what is being taught but even the books being used.

Attorney Richard Katskee, legal director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which also is representing Doe, said Heritage is crossing the legal line in the teachings of school founder, president and teacher Earl Taylor Jr., that the Ten Commandments must be obeyed to attain happiness.

And he said the school engages in a form of proselytizing by telling students they are duty-bound to implement and instruct others about these religious and religiously based principles in order to restore the United States to freedom, prosperity and peace.

Katskee specifically singles out the required reading of Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land, citing text that includes, To protect mans rights, God has revealed certain principles of divine law.
The Tucson area has a long way to go before it can call itself sustainable, a new report says.

The report, prepared by a United Nations-related group, ranked Tucson as the 57th most-sustainable city among the countrys 100 most populous metro areas. To this report, sustainability means pursuing economic, social and environmental development at the same time in order to improve quality of life, economic opportunity and environmental management.

The metro areas were rated on 49 indicators of environmental and economic health, public health, educational quality and achievement, and crime, among other things.

The Tucson area had a sustainability score of 43.36 out of a possible 100, with low ratings in jobs, crime and education particularly dragging down its performance.

Here is a link to the full report:

Tucson is far from alone in its low sustainability rankings. The highest ranking metro area, centered in San Jose, California, scored only 61.04. This shows that all U.S. cities have far to go to meet the U.N.s sustainable development goals, the report said.

The reports author was the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a nonprofit group operating under the U.N. Secretary Generals Office. It ranked cities in how they meet 16 sustainable development goals that were adopted in 2015 by 192 countries, including the United States.

The Tucson area fared well in some environmental indicators, including a broad category of sustainability and in releases of toxic chemicals into air and water, where it ranked in the top 10 metro areas nationally.

It also did well in open-space preservation and in the percentage of commuters who walk and bike to work, and placed well above average in public health. It did well in some economic categories such as affordable housing and in the percentage of families who have to spend more than 30 percent of their income on rents or mortgages.

But this region bombed on several broader economic rankings, including poverty levels and a category called decent work and economic growth. It did particularly badly with children in poverty. The region also fared poorly in education and crime standings and didnt do particularly well in climate-change indicators.

The Tucson area ran behind most other Southwestern metro areas in dealing with many of these concerns, the report shows.

Of 21 Southwestern metro areas from southern and central California to south Texas, the Tucson area beat only El Paso, Riverside-Ontario-San Bernardino and Bakersfield. But numerous other cities in this region fared only a little better. Overall, the Southwest had the countrys worst poverty rates, the report said.

The Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa area ranked 43rd. Albuquerque, with which Tucson is often compared, ranked 53rd, four spots better than Tucson.

Seven of the top 10 ranked metro areas nationally lie on the two coasts, where environmental protection and other sustainability measures helped them overcome their generally unaffordable housing. The Deep South and the Upper Midwest accounted for all the bottom 10 cities. Baton Rouge, Louisiana, fared worst with a score of barely 30 out of 100.

The report based many of its rankings on data from federal agencies, including the Census Bureau, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Aviation Administration. It also got data from Columbia and Harvard universities, the Georgetown Law School Climate Center and the University of Michigan and the Brookings Institution think tank.

Some specific Tucson area rankings:

Poverty. In 2014, nearly 21 percent of all area residents lived below the poverty line and the areas per person income was $35,749. The city ranked 94th in the poverty category.

Work opportunities and economic growth. From 2011 through 2016, the area had the fifth-lowest economic growth rate. More than 16 percent of the Tucson areas youths were rated in 2013 as disconnected, meaning they werent employed, in school or getting job training. The area ranked 91st in the overall economic growth category.

Crime. Tucson ranked 11th worst in a category called Peace, justice and strong institutions that was based on nationally gathered crime statistics from 2014. It had the third-highest rate of gun violence that year at about 16 incidents per 100,000 people. It ranked 21st from the bottom in homicide victims, with about 15 per 100,000 people. It ranked 23rd from the bottom in overall violent crimes, with about 865 per 100,000 people.

Quality education. Tucson placed sixth best in 2014 for school enrollment. The same year, it tied for the 13th worst high school dropout rate, and ranked 64th in people over 25 with at least an undergraduate degree.

Climate action. The Tucson area ranked 30th nationally with 18.27 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per person in 2014. About 10 percent of all energy used in the state came from renewable sources, excluding nuclear energy, from 2011 through 2016, placing the Tucson and Phoenix areas in a tie for 54th.

Overall sustainability. About 4 percent of area residents walked or biked to work in 2014, the countrys fourth-best ranking. The area ranked 32nd in taking transit to work in 2014  nearly 6 percent of all commuters. The average drive to work was 49th longest in 2015 at 23.4 minutes. Its rankings in ozone and fine-particle levels were at best average. Only 7.9 percent of area residents lived within a 15-minute walk of a public park in 2013, the 12th-worst ranking.

The area ranked 21st in affordable housing in 2014, based on the median per-square-foot home value divided by median household income. About 42 percent of homeowners paid more than 30 percent of their income on their mortgage, putting the area 16th best nationally. About 10 percent of renters were in the same boat that year, putting Tucson 20th.

Tucsons overall ranking was fifth in this category, called Sustainable cities and communities.

Toxic releases. Tucson ranked third nationally due to a very low level of releases of toxic chemicals to the land, air and water per square mile in 2014. Thats probably due to our lack of industry.

Here is a link to the full report: http://unsdsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/US-Cities-SDG-Index-2017.pdf

Here's a link to a Web page that allows you to link to the report's underlying data: http://unsdsn.org/resources/publications/us-cities-sdg-index/
My family also had a disturbing incident with a church. When my mother died in Tucson, we had her cremated at her request and flew with her cremains to her home town in Wisconsin for the funeral. She had sent my sister and I to 13 years of parochial schools, at her own expense and now wished to be remembered at the church she had supported and attended for over 65 years. The priest refused to let us bring her cremains into the church and she had to stay outside, at the curb, in the hearse because the church forbid cremation.
Why was the house taken to Berlin in the first place? Why not leave it in Detroit? Personally it doesn't matter what they do with the house. Setting it on the White House lawn is a bad idea. Everyone would want to do it.
Vietnamese students at the 2017 ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest (Robocon 2017) in Japan were crowned champions on Sunday after trumping their Malaysian opponents in the events finale.

Launched in 2002 by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), Robocon is an international stage for engineering students from the Asia-Pacific region to showcase their skills in robotics.

The contest often involves head-to-head matches where the robots are tasked with achieving specific goals to score points and win.

This year, 19 teams of university undergraduates from countries and territories across the Asia-Pacific region gathered in the Japanese capital of Tokyo on Sunday to compete for the title.

Students from Lac Hong University in southern Dong Nai Province represented Vietnam at the contest, after winning the national round in May.

The Vietnamese team bagged easy wins against Fiji and Sri Lanka in the group stage, before trumping India and Japan in the quarter-final and semi-final, respectively.

Facing off against Malaysia in the nights finale, the Vietnamese student team executed cohesive teamwork to win the match after only one minute and 20 seconds.

Vietnam is set to host next years Robocon, where the host country will task contestants with building robots capable of playing the traditional game of nem con popular among ethnic communities in northwestern parts of the Southeast Asian country.

The simple game involves throwing a cloth-wrapped ball through a hoop dozens of meters above the ground.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Students from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture have made an effort to beautify a city in the Mekong Delta and raise environmental awareness by decorating over 20 manhole covers.

Over 30 students from different faculties at the university have drawn on 24 manhole lids on a 1km-long road in Can Tho City.

The students began drawing early on Sunday morning on Hung Vuong Street in Can Tho, and finished work by the early evening of the same day.

This was the first project by the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture in cooperation with the city.

Tran Le Ngoc Tram, majoring in furniture design, explained that the pictures drawn on the manhole lids told the story of a turtles journey from the sea to the mountains and then to the urban environment of the city.

The pictures are not only meant to decorate the street, but also to tell a meaningful story as a reminder of the importance of keeping the city clean and protecting the environment.

This is the message we want to convey to other people, so that they will all take part in protecting the environment, and the beautiful scenery of the city, Tram said.

The leader of a social work club at the university  Nguyen Hoang Anh Vi  revealed that the group had wanted to decorate the street for a long time, but had not been able to do it until now.

Many people passing by were curious and asked us what we were doing. A lot of people seemed excited but others believed we had nothing better to do, Vi said about the process of drawing the pictures.

The club has also taken part in decorating and drawing on toilets at primary schools.

However, they had not had a chance to draw on the streets before.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Speaking with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper after the meeting, Ambassador LopezDiaz said he had paid the visit to bid courtesy farewell to the state president prior to finishing his tenure in Hanoi.

The Cuban ambassador expressed his thanks for President Quangs continued support in efforts to strengthen bilateral ties.

On a more personal note, the ambassador said he had been on good terms with the state president since Quangs previous office as Vietnams Minister of Public Security.

President Quangs priority had always been to upgrade relations with Cuba, Ambasador Lopez Diaz stressed, noting that the Vietnamese head of state was the last world leader to meet with late Cuban leader Fidel Castro before his passing.

State President Tran Dai Quang (L) shakes hands with Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Herminio Lopez Diaz at the Office of the State President in Hanoi, August 28, 2017. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

At Mondays meeting, President Quang congratulated the Cuban ambassador on having outstandingly executed his four-year mission in Vietnam.

Over the course of the ambassadors tenure, Quang said, he had become a trusted bridge between state and Party leaders of Vietnam and Cuba, and an close companion of Vietnamese authorities.

The Vietnamese head of state highly regarded the comprehensive friendship, cooperation and trust that leaders and people of the two countries had been able to achieve over years of continued efforts in multiple sectors.

President Quang underlined Vietnams remembrance of late Cuban leader Fidel Castro, whose lifes work had been of significant importance to the prosperity of Vietnam-Cuba relations.

The Vietnamese leader hoped that the Cuban ambassador would continue to make active contributions to bilateral ties after finishing his tenure in Vietnam, as well as revisit the country in the near future.

State President Tran Dai Quang (R) talks with Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam Herminio Lopez Diaz at the Office of the State President in Hanoi, August 28, 2017. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Problems have been reported on three submarine communications cables crucial to Vietnams international connectivity, a local Internet service provider confirmed to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday.

The cable systems in question are the Intra-Asia (IA), South-East Asia - Middle East - Western Europe 3 (SMW-3) and Asia America Gateway (AAG).

Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), one of three major Internet service providers in Vietnam alongside FPT Telecom and Viettel, said it was looking into the problem with the AAG system as well as considering contingencies.

As of Monday morning, local providers were yet to say conclusively the nature of the problems with these cables or announce a maintenance schedule.

There is speculation that the submarine system was ruptured by consecutive tropical storms in the East Vietnam Sea over the past few weeks.

According to FPT Telecom, the SMW-3 cable system was connected to Vietnam on September 1999 and completed in late 2000.

It is led by France Telecom and China Telecom, and is administered by Singtel, a telecommunications operator owned by the government of Singapore.

The 39,000-kilometer system is the longest in the world, connecting Vietnam and 39 other countries through the landing point in central Da Nang City.

Meanwhile, the AAG is a 20,000-km submarine communications cable system connecting Southeast Asia with the U.S. mainland across the Pacific Ocean via Guam and Hawaii.

The US$560 million submarine system strikes land in Vietnam in Vung Tau City in the south, delivering up to two terabits per second.

The IA cable system was inaugurated on November 2009 with a total length of 6,800 km, linking Internet users in Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Japan.

The $200 million cable also makes its landing point in Vung Tau, capable of delivering up to 3.84 Tbit/s.

All major providers in Vietnam confirmed that they had backup plans in place to maintain uninterrupted international connectivity in the event of problems with any of the cables.

In late 2016, the Asia Pacific Gateway (APG) was completed with the highest Internet traffic capacity in Asia.

It was expected to offer Internet users in Vietnam a more reliable connection than the infamous AAG system, which has suffered repeated ruptures over the past few years.

Since July, VNPT and Viettel have been operating on the Asia Africa Europe 1 (AAE-1) cable system as well.

The communications system links 19 countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and cost $820 million to develop.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
EXCLUSIVE: Former Managing Director Programming and Production at Nine, Andrew Backwell, has joined Sony-owned Playmaker as consulting Head Of Unscripted.

He will exploit the Sony format catalogue and oversees several new formats that are soon to be announced.

Since departing Nine last September he has been a consultant for Mediaworks NZ, which has now concluded.

Playmaker Managing Director David Taylor said, Playmakers ongoing commitment to producing authored original drama remains as strong as ever. This appointment signals our intent to also move into the unscripted space. Andrew is a world class executive with brilliant editorial instincts and were pleased hes joining us.

Andrew Backwell said: Playmaker is one of the leading drama producers in the country, so its a real privilege to be working with David Maher and David Taylor to expand the business into unscripted.
Film Finances Australasia Drama exec Dan Read has been promoted to the new position of CEO.

Managing Director, Anni Browning, said, Dan will take on more of the day to day management of the company, which will be a great support to me at time when we are busier than ever in Australia and New Zealand.

Dan has been with the company for nearly five years and brings incredible attention to detail and a great finance acumen to the role.

Im thrilled to take on this senior position at Film Finances at this busy time for the organisation. I join a small group of esteemed industry professionals who have held the position before me  including my mother, Adrienne Read, who was Annis immediate predecessor in the mid-90s, Read said.

Browning is not retiring, but sharing her management load with Read, according to a press release.

Mr Read joined FFA in 2013 following a 20-year career in production. He has worked on all formats of drama production from short film to TV series to feature films large and small. His credits include Moulin Rouge, Australia, The Waiting City, Underbelly and The Wolverine.

Film Finances Australasia is an associate and representative in Australasia, of the US-based Film Finances, Inc, a subsidiary of FFI Holdings PLC (AIM: FFI). The Company is the market leader in the provision to film financiers of completion contracts for the film, television and transmedia industries in Australia and in other countries around the world.

The companys recent projects include The Dressmaker, Hacksaw Ridge, The Water Diviner, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and the new ABC drama Pulse.
Help India!

New Delhi, (IANS): The National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to the Jharkhand government on the reported deaths of 52 infants in 30 days at Jamshedpurs Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College, an official statement said on Monday.

Taking sou motu cognizance of media reports, the Commission has observed that the painful deaths of children and infants, in such a large number, are a matter of concern.

Support TwoCircles



The Commission said it has also learnt that the cause of the deaths is reportedly malnutrition.

Accordingly, the Commission has issued notice to Jharkhands Chief Secretary calling for a report within six weeks.

It has also asked the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to take immediate action by way of issuance of suitable directions to all the states and union territories so that due to any negligence, such tragic deaths do not take place in any hospital in the country.

In a similar case, earlier over 63 children died at Baba Raghav Das Medical College in Uttar Pradeshs Gorakhpur due to encephalitis and alleged failure in supply of oxygen.

In another case, four infants died due to negligence by the oxygen plant operator at Ambedkar hospital in Chattisgarh. Reports on both the cases are awaited.
Conservative Future members have provided a critical response to Theresa May's recent resignation announcement.

Members of the Conservative Party's youth wing have criticised the Prime Minister for declaring that she will resign on Friday 30th August 2019, five months after Britain will leave the European Union.

The Mirror reported that she invited 15 Tory MPs to Chequers where she handed them prosecco and homemade chocolates on arrival before making her speech. The pressure for her to resign comes after she failed to win a majority at this year's snap election.

Ben Walker, a CF activist in Bath, said: "If the next leader is Jacob Rees-Mogg, then great. I never wanted May as leader and I'll be glad to see the back of her. We either elected Rees-Mogg or go bust!"

Theresa's honesty and commitment to meritocracy is something I really support

However, Nicola Richards, a Tory councillor in Dudley who supported Mrs May's leadership bid last year, said: "Mistakes were made in the 2017 election campaign, but I really believe my overwhelming feeling from Theresa May's leadership will be a positive one.

"I am incredibly proud our party has had two female prime ministers, and Theresa's honesty and commitment to meritocracy is something I really support."

Will Taylor, Vice Chairman of Mid Worcestershire Conservative Future, said Mrs May is right to resign, adding she doesn't have the charisma for the role and the mistakes she made in the recent election have tarnished her reputation.

He said: "She has shown that when facing defeat, she wavers and when facing victory, she becomes far too arrogant to be sound in judgement."

"Her push for more government control over the internet, and restrictions to British citizens' privacy, are particularly dangerous to the nation. Nowadays, people are being sent to prison for tweets or Facebook posts, and all she's done is double-down on this, wasting police time and resources and setting a dangerous precedent for future governments to arrest people for 'offensive speech.'"

Government stability is important

Wellow Tory Councillor Harmeet Singh-Brar said she should not resign and stay on to see Brexit through.

He said she should focus on achieving the best deal for this country and that government stability is important.

Leon Nicholls, a Kensignton CF activist, said he is "quite frankly irritated" over the Prime Minister's resignation announcement. He said the party does not need this distraction during the Brexit negotiations. He added; "Also, it will be open-ended civil war within the Tory ranks, creating damage that is beyond repair for a generation."

Adam Lawless, the youngest Conservative activist in the country who resides in Worcester, said her chosen date was very smart as the party needs her to stay strong on Brexit.

He said he is partly sad to see her go, but in the end, setbacks created in the most recent general election took away any of her positives.

He added: "She may have won the election, but she still humiliated herself and strengthened Labour even more."

Dan Caldicott, a Birmingham CF activist, said she is leaving after Brexit, but it will just leave a 2 year phoney war for successors given there is no one planning to replace her. He added: "It gives the 2010/15 intake two years to see if they can push their image in the party and nationally to see if they could lead and prevent the country from three possible outcomes: Corbyn, Corbyn's successor and Jacob Rees-Mogg."

CF activist Hani Mustafa agreed this is the right move and in the party's best interest in the long-term.

He said she is doing as little damage as possible to Brexit by leaving after March 2019.

She will be gone by September 2019

More than a dozen Conservative politicians have signed a letter demanding the Prime Minister stand down. Yet that falls short of the 48 signatures necessary to trigger a new leadership vote. One Tory MP said she will be gone by September 2019 and cannot lead the party into another general election.

Downing Street has denied Mrs May has picked a leaving date, informing MailOnline this is just silly season. No.10 refused to comment when approached by Metro.
A Hezbollah controlled state television channel, Al-Mannar, has claimed that the Lebanese army, along with its Syrian and Hezbollah allies have declared a ceasefire with the so called Islamic State after a week-long joint campaign.

The joint-offensive began last week when the Lebanese army and the Hezbollah, along with their Syrian allies, liberated a vast portion of land which was previously under the Islamic State's control. The terrorist organisation now controls just 40 square kilometres of land on the Syrian side and 20 on the Lebanese side, announced Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a televised media briefing on Thursday.

"The remaining ISIS terrorists are completely confused and seek an escape or any settlement to exit the area which they have occupied after being besieged," said Nasrallah.

Conflicting reports

There are contradicting reports coming out of the region following the conclusion of the joint counter offensive. The Lebanese army has claimed that the intention of signing a ceasefire truce was to sit down for negotiations to search for its missing soldiers. They did not confirm whether they have defeated the so called Islamic State. Hezbollah, on the other hand, is reporting that several IS combatants have surrendered and turned over the bodies of two Lebanese soldiers while promising to help search for the ones who are unaccounted for.

Search for missing soldiers prioritised

Nine Lebanese soldiers were taken as captives by ISIS and the al-Nusra Front from Northeastern Lebanon in 2014. It is believed that the Lebanese army is searching for information for its missing troops, MiddleEastEye reports.

"There has been no time-frame set," said an army source to AFP.

"The negotiations are ongoing for the IS to withdraw and provide information on the fate of the troops."

Hezbollah has been one of the effective forces in driving out ISIS and al-Nusra strongholds along the Lebanese border. They have been cooperating with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's government forces to combat the militants' insurgency.

The United States backed Lebanese army does not want to associate itself with Hezbollah which the U.S. has declared as a terrorist organisation. The Lebanese army which had shown neutrality in the ongoing chaos in the region was forced to resume relationships with the Syrian government after Hezbollah leaders put pressure on the Lebanon government.
The reaction of President Trump to the violence in Charlottesville has put the White House economic adviser under pressure. Gary Cohn, who is Jewish American, said in an interview that he is now confronted with enormous pressure to step down from office, according to The New York Times.

Brain drain in the White House

When President Donald Trump came to the defense of the Neo-Nazis, by the omission of naming the wrong parties and blaming "both sides," several days after the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, most of the White Houses Jewish members chose to distance themselves from the issue.

However, there are a few courageous souls in the administration who stood up against the chief executive. Among them is Gary Cohn who publicly criticized Trump because of his remarks on the Charlottesvilles incident.

Social media: a battleground between Trump and his critics

For the military to publicly deviate from their commander in chief is pretty much unusual. But there are top officials in the U.S. armed forces who expressed their criticism to the president by posting messages on social media. Their posts condemned racism and neo-Nazis. They did so without dropping the name of the president.

In one interview on Thursday, Cohn broke his silence on the issue. According to Cohn, American citizens who are fighting for freedom and equality should never be compared to the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

He thinks that the Trump administration can do better in healing the countrys division.

Cohns family, more particularly his wife, advised him to contemplate on his resignation. As he was a former executive at Goldman Sachs, his colleagues in the business community told him to distance himself from the Trump administration.

The New York Times reports, the White House economic adviser has drafted his resignation letter.

The rumor of Cohns resignation spread like wildfire. It created a negative impact in the markets. U.S. stocks drastically dropped until the rumor was denied by the White House. Before getting on board with the Trump administration, Cohn spent an entire career in the trading world which is why the market reaction deeply troubled him.

Cohn told the Financial Times that he already had a conversation with the president regarding this issue. In an interview he said, I have not been bashful saying what I think. Many believe that his resignation is highly possible because of his strong interest to become the chair of the Federal Reserve, The Guardian reported..
Over the last few weeks, Donald Trump has continued to act in a controversial manner that has led to even more political division in the United States. Following the recent white nationalist rally turned riot in Virginia, the president has caused massive backlash, with many high-profiled critics speaking out.

Reid on Trump

Not long after Donald Trump kicked off his campaign for president back in the summer of 2015, it became more than obvious that he would not be on the same page as the majority of the mainstream media. From the moment the former host of "The Apprentice" referred to illegal immigrants from Mexico as "rapists" and "murderers," the press pushed back.

In the two years that followed, Trump and the media would continue to engage in a heated war of words, which peaked when the billionaire real estate mogul started referring to any reports he disagreed with as "fake news." Since his inauguration last January, the press put even more pressure on the president, with some members of the media taking time to call out the White House on an almost daily basis. As seen on her Twitter account on August, MSNBC host Joe Reid went on a lengthy rant targeting Trump over multiple issues.

I had to check the date on this to make sure this man actually tweeted this today, with Texas still fighting a killer storm. https://t.co/BWcklPQeXW  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 27, 2017

Trump's first tweet this morning was to pormote the book of a guy who ran a jail where at least 4 people died (one of dehydration). https://t.co/UAexSXSJzp  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 27, 2017

Taking to her Twitter feed on Sunday afternoon, host of "A.M.

Joy" on MSNBC, Joy Reid, gave her blunt thoughts about Donald Trump. "I had to check the date on this to make sure this man actually tweeted this today, with Texas still fighting a killer storm," Reid posted in response to Trump's earlier tweet focusing on building a border wall while Hurricane Harvey hits Texas.

- Mass deports Latino men, women, grandparents & students

- Seeks to ban Muslims from entering the U.S.

- Promotes a sadist sheriff's book  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 27, 2017

- And who cuddles white nationalists, including hiring them for his administration, to include an actual medal-sporting Nazi?  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 27, 2017

"Trump's first tweet this morning was to promote the book of a guy who ran a jail where at least 4 people died (one of dehydration)," Joy Reid replied after Donald Trump decided to promote the new book by controversial sheriff David Clarke.

Not stopping there, Reid then went on a multi-tweet attack against the president, while summing up some of the negative aspects about his administration.

Reid unloads

"Trump shows more passion standing up for white nationalist goons in Charlottesville and monuments to the racist, slave-holding confederacy ...than he has for storm victims in Texas (a state he won, so given his ego, you'd think he'd care.)," Joy Reid tweeted, before asking, "What do you call a person like that?"

Help me out here. Because I hear a lot of calls to "unify" the country, but I can promise you we can't unify around that.  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 27, 2017

We are a leaderless country. We need to figure out what that means and deal with it until we get the chance to change it in 2020.  Joy Reid (@JoyAnnReid) August 27, 2017

"And quite frankly, what are we supposed to make of the people who, knowing all of that, continue to support and even revere him?" Joy Reid continued.

"Help me out here. Because I hear a lot of calls to 'unify' the country, but I can promise you we can't unify around that," she added. Like others in the media, the MSNBC host is not a fan of the president, and her opinion doesn't look to be changing anytime soon.
President Trump threatened Congress again during his rally in Phoenix, Arizona last Tuesday when he said that he would shut down the government if they didn't give him funding for his border wall. House Speaker Paul Ryan said during a speech in Oregon on Wednesday that the threat was unnecessary and that funding had already been passed by the House. It's been reported that President Trump's budget proposal had already been rejected with the passing of an omnibus spending bill from earlier this year. But Congress prepared another budget before leaving for August recess, which seems to include a lot of President Trump's agenda which has the support of Rep.

Diane Black (R-TN).

President Trump attacks Mitch McConnell

Trump has already been known to attack, bully and intimidate members of Congress in order to try and force them to do his bidding. But during the August recess, lawmakers attempted to get get some distance from legislating with Trump, it's been reported that more republicans are facing a frustrating reality with his presidency that they might have to legislate by themselves. It's unknown, however, what options congressional Republicans have and whether they've reached their limit of the president's abuse.

Recent reports reveal some details about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell arguing with the president over the phone, who lashed out at him for not getting rid of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) otherwise referred to as Obamacare.

But the President reportedly also attacked McConnell for not stopping the investigation being conducted on him. It was reported that last Monday, McConnell's aides met with the President's to try and keep the attacks at a minimum, but this hasn't stopped the President from continuing his attacks on other Republicans through the end of the week.

Support for government shutdown, short-term budget bill

Prior to the passing of the spending bill this year, Trump's Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, also threatened Congress with a government shutdown if they didn't fund the President's border security agenda. While he would eventually be calmed, Mulvaney had a history of voting for a government shutdown during Ted Cruz's filibuster in 2013.

While many have pushed back against threats of government shutdowns over the years, with more support for Trump's agenda coming from congressional Republicans, forcing a government shutdown is likely to become a popular option.

Speaker Ryan also said that it looks as if they're going to have to pass a short-term bill to keep funding the government called a Continued Resolution (CR), which has become more of the norm over the past several years. According to CNN, Ryan also said that the Senate would need more time to pass a full funding bill and with Democrats having more sway in the Senate, it's likely to take longer than Congress has to complete the year. It's likely that the threat of a government shutdown will only cause Republicans to likely distance themselves from the president even more.
Russia and China came to rescue Pakistan after Trump's new foreign policy. After China, Russia defends Pakistan against Donald Trumps allegations.

Global community must acknowledge Pakistan's efforts

After Chinas strong message supporting Pakistans role in Afghanistan and challenging the global community to acknowledge its sacrifices in the war against terrorism, Russia has sounded similar opinions following President Donald Trumps allegations that Pakistan was allowing the safe shelters to terrorists.

Russian Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov flung Trumps Pakistan policy and insisted that Islamabad be "a fundamental regional member to adjust with."

First, in a phone call to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, China's head diplomat Yang Jiechi prompted the US to consider Pakistan's position in Afghanistan.

Donald Trump, in his initial address to the public as commander-in-chief on Monday, whipped Pakistan for sheltering militants.'

Pakistan's defense interests must be considered

The United States must appreciate Pakistan's performance in Afghanistan and uphold its security matters, China's top representative Yang Jiechi narrated Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a telephone call, according to Chinese national media.

China's Foreign Ministry justified its partner Pakistan earlier this week following President Donald Trump declared the United States could no longer be calm about terrorists using protected havens on Pakistani soil.

On Monday, Trump performed the United States to a continuing battle in Afghanistan, indicating he would assign more troops to America's continued war and declaring "a battle to win."

Trump asserted that others  the Afghan administration, Pakistan, India, and NATO associates  step up their dedication to fixing the sixteen-year dispute, but he saved his sharpest terms for Pakistan.

Yang, who excels China's foreign representative, told Rex Tillerson on Wednesday that China was ready to adjust with the United States on Afghanistan and execute collective efforts to realize peace and security there and in the neighborhood, according to a Chinese announcement issued late that night.

Pakistan has been battling home-grown rioters for years. It witnesses Afghanistan as a necessary diplomatic interest and a barrier against the old rival, India. Islamabad rejects securing militants, who move beyond the porous boundary with Afghanistan.
On Friday, Donald Trump's adviser and deputy assistant Sebastian Gorka resigned from his position according to The New York Times. The presidents chief of staff John F. Kelly was against Gorka continuing his duties.

According to the Federalist, Sebastian showed dissatisfaction with the current administration of Trump in his resignation letter. The White House announced that he does not work in the administration anymore, not that he had resigned. After Gorka publically criticized secretary of state Rex W. Tillerson, John Kelly changed his attitude towards him and forced him to leave the White House.

In his resignation letter, Gorka wrote that now "The best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the Peoples House.

Who is Sebastian Gorka?

Gorka considered himself as President's national security adviser, but he was not a member of the National Security Council. Since 2015, he has always supported the Trump administration, protected Donald Trump's reputation and supported his ban of refugees from Muslim countries entering the US.

He claimed that the US could suffer from Islamist extremism. Before the White House, Gorka had been working on a right-wing website Breitbart News so that he could remain connected with far-right groups. His book Defeating Jihad: The Winnable War became a bestseller last year.

Gorka worked for the F.B.I. to teach the courses on terrorism, but after saying that all the Muslims obey to Sharia law and will be radicalized, the agency stopped him from teaching, Huffington Post reported.

Gorka's doubtful ties

Gorka's parents were from Hungary, where he had been living for 15 years. In January, Gorka publically appeared with a medal of the membership in the Hungarian group Vitezi Rend, as The Guardian reported.

This group worked with the Nazis in 1941-1945. Gorka was accused of anti-Semitism, so he had to explain that it was a memory of his fathers life and work in Hungary, although the group officials said that Sebastian Gorka took part in their actions himself.

Ten years ago, Gorka became a founder of a political party in Hungary, which was for anti-immigration, anti-Semitism, and homophobia.

After the rally in Charlottesville, many groups for the civil rights thought that his attitude was rather doubtful and asked President to fire Gorka, explaining that no person who supports the supremacy of white people or neo-Nazism can serve in any administration.
It looks like Hillary Clinton is going to Wisconsin after all, over a year after it would have done her some good during the 2016 presidential election. Instead of votes, Clinton is going after book sales. She will be hawking What Happened? her litany of excuses as to why she is not in the oval office and Donald Trump not back at the penthouse in the Trump Tower, fuming. She is to offer some insights (i.e., lies and accusations) about the 2016 presidential campaign, why she lost, and why America is the poorer for it at the Riverside Theater in downtown Milwaukee Nov.

9.

Trump broke the rules

Clintons first excuse is that Trump broke the rules of politics, which is a strange way of saying that he out campaigned her. He went to the blue states and took several away from the Democrats, some for the first time in decades. Trumps campaign was a classic of how one wins a nationwide election, just as Hillarys was of how one loses.

Of course, she plays the woman card

Hillary Clinton will also play the woman card, blaming sexism for her defeat. In this way, she proves that she doesnt get why she was beaten. Americans do not loath the idea of a woman in the White House. They do loath the thought of Hillary Clinton ever getting near the levers of power ever again.

Besides, as Hot Air notes, how does one explain why the Clintonistas put a shiv in Bernie Sanders?

What about the Russians?

The Russian collusion angle has already become old news. Most of the media have moved on. It should be noted that the Clintons did their share of collusion with Putin, selling uranium rights and then taking half a million for a speech at a Russian bank that was involved in the sale.

The difference was that the Clintons were in it for the money.

The bottom line on Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton reaches the end of her life deprived of the one thing she craved more than anything, the presidency of the United States. The position is something that she is not suited for, not in experience, temperament, or even likability.

Americans may not need to like their presidents, but they at least like to respect them. No one respects Hillary Clinton, not even her husband of over 40 years. She was seen, at best, as the vessel of the ambitions of other. That quality proved to be insufficient to propel her into the Oval Office. That lesson was driven home twice. As long as she fails to realize this she will not only be a loser but a pathetic one.
Finally, things are getting a little better for the Starks in "Game of Thrones" season 7, but fans cannot forget how Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn Tully died in the third season of the show. Every fan knows what happened at the Red Wedding, but many of them don't know that Robb and Catelyn's deaths were supposed to be entirely different, according to the "A Song of Ice and Fire" original outline included in a 1993 George R.R. Martin's letter.

Robb against the Lannisters

In George R.R. Martin's original outline, Robb leads the Stark army in the war against the Lannister after Eddard's beheading.

He obtains several great victories and is able to maim Joffrey Baratheon on the field, but ultimately, he is defeated by Jaime and Tyrion Lannister's forces. (Lord Tywin Lannister, who swiftly became the lead villain over Jaime once he appeared, isnt mentioned at all in the letter. Nor are the Boltons or Freys). The young and brave Stark meets his death on the battlefield like a proper warrior, but without killing the unbearable Joffrey.

There's no hint of the shocking massacre at The Twins in the letter, suggesting that the author came up with that crazy twist much later.

Catelyn forced to flee from Winterfell

Catelyn and Arya escape the capital after King Joffrey's execution of Eddard Stark, but when they arrive at Winterfell, they are not safe.

In Martin's original plotline for his fantasy book series, Tyrion Lannister attacks and burns Winterfell. Then Catelyn, Arya, and Bran escape the castle and go north while hounded by Lannister riders. When they arrive at the Wall, they find Benjen and Jon. Sadly, both Jon Snow and Benjen cannot help their family members because of the Night's Watch's oath.

Catelyn, Arya and Bran in the deep north

Lost any hope of being helped by the Night's Watch, Catelyn, with Bran, Arya and their direwolves, tries to find safety in the deep, deep north, where the Lannister can't find them. Soon the Starks are taken prisoners by The-King-Beyond-The-Wall. The wildlings don't hurt them, but the "inhuman Others" attack the encampment.

Bran Stark fights using magic, Arya fights with her sword, the direwolves protect their favourite humans, but Catelyn Tully, nonetheless, is killed at "the hands of the Others".

We don't know if Catelyn was also supposed to rise again as a wight of the White Walker's army, as this information is not included in the letter Martin sent to Harper Collins back in 1993.

The Wars of the Roses?

As many noted, the series seemed a like a much more straight-forward retelling of the Wars of the Roses, with the Starks and the Lannisters standing in for the Lancasters and the Yorks. Moreover, Jaime is more evil: at a certain point he kills everybody ahead of him in the line of succession, becomes king, and blames Tyrion for the murders.

But we would also like to point out that one thing hasn't changed between the plan and now, and this thing is Martin's willingness to kill off beloved characters. "I want the reader to feel that no one is ever completely safe, not even the characters who seem to be heroes," the author wrote to the publisher.

It's interesting to see the ways the story-as-plotted changed, isn't it? Anyway, a new episode of "Game of Thrones" season 7 is approaching, so don't forget: the next episode, titled "The Queen's Justice", will air on July 30, on HBO. Here's the brief official description: "Daenerys Targaryen holds court. Cersei returns a gift. Jaime learns from his mistakes".
"NCIS" Season 15 will offer something exciting to its fans when it returns in September. Teasers of the long running CBS series reveal that Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Timothy McGee will face dangerous situations.

Agents in danger

In a promo photo, Gibbs and McGee are being held captive by insurgents in Paraguay. The team is in the country as they are tracking down a missing SEAL. They found out that he went with a group of young people who are being trained as rebels in the forests of Paraguay. This mission is important to the SEAL, as he is trying to save the son of someone special to him.

It has been two months since Nick Torres (played by Wilmer Valderrama) left with the helicopter containing the abducted youngsters, but Gibbs and McGee decided to stay with the rebels, which is dangerous for them.

Will Gibbs make a sacrifice?

The teaser image shows the pair badly beaten. It is clear in the photo that Gibbs can still see a positive outcome, knowing that the NCIS team will save them while McGee is about to surrender.

Spoilers reveal that Gibbs will sacrifice himself for McGee, but he will definitely want to survive as his pregnant wife Delilah (portrayed by Margo Harshman) is waiting for him back in the United States. The situation isn't looking good with the rebels surrounding them.

Although it is risky to leave, their only option is to get away before anything else happens to them. But will they manage to escape?

Returning cast and guest stars

After reading the teaser of "NCIS" Season 15, fans are undoubtedly looking forward to the show's return.

Apart from that, there is returning cast and guest stars who will bring a more interesting plot to the show.

Anthony Dinozzo Sr. (played by Robert Wagner), who worked with Sherlock in the previous season, will once again appear in the show. There are also rumors that Michael Weatherly's Tony will also join the cast after hinting that he wants to reunite with the "NCIS" cast since he left the show last year.

One of the confirmed guest stars is Gates McFadden who will appear in the upcoming episode. Also making an appearance are Cheryl Texiera of "Girl Meets World" and Trevor Donovan of "90210".

Meanwhile, Maria Bello is now a new series regular wherein she will make her first appearance in many episodes of the new season. Reports indicate that she will have a significant connection to Agent Gibbs.

"NCIS" season 15 is set to premiere on Sept. 26, 8 p.m. EDT on CBS.
Zimbabwe police road blocks are an incessant hassle for commuters in the country, but the latest alleged incident where drunk cops beat a Human Rights Lawyer seems to indicate that cops are getting out of control.

Zimbabwe, lawyer assaulted by police

ZimNewsNet reported that on Sunday evening outside Mvuma, a small settlement in the police district of Masvingo, about five police officers who were allegedly drinking, pulled over a minivan registered in South Africa.

Having handcuffed the driver, they started to beat him up. Human Rights Lawyer, Lucy Chivasa, who works for the Legal Resources Foundation tried to give the beaten man her business card and found herself a victim of assault too.

She managed to hang onto her phone during her assault which was switched on in video mode. The video was subsequently uploaded to Youtube for all the world to see.

A formal charge under crime register number 70/08/17 was filed at the police station in Masvingo against the officers involved in the alleged assault.

Police roadblocks in Zimbabwe are indiscriminate and even harass tourists

There are other videos on the internet where foreign tourists from across the world have expressed their displeasure at alleged extortion where they have to pay to get away from these police stops, which is hurting tourism in the country.

Drunk police beating up random people at road blocks is taking police brutality to a new level and on this occasion, a soldier apparently decided to join in the 'fun.'

A young Zimbabwean soldier was alleged to also be at the scene of the accused beer-drinking police.

He became involved and also reportedly assaulted one of the passengers. Unfortunately for him, it seems he assaulted his senior officer who was also one of the passengers in the van.

Soldier attacks senior officer at road block

According to the report by ZimEyeNet, the soldier, who happened to be wearing his uniform when he allegedly joined the police in beating up people at the road block, was spotted by a senior army officer who was also traveling in the mini-van.

After being ordered by the senior officer to desist, the soldier slapped his superior in the face. Realizing his error, he then fled in a truck that was pulling out of the stop. The military officer is reportedly going to deal with the incident through military channels.

Police brutality in Zimbabwe seems to be getting out of control.

Drivers have been recorded as being beaten up for simply refusing to pay a bribe, as evidenced in this video below:

Cops allegedly gouge out eye

News24 reported this week, that five other police officers appeared in court in Harare, over allegedly beating up Yvonne Magora and her husband Washington Gezana on the corner of Kenneth Kaunda Avenue and Julius Nyerere Way in the capital city, near a traffic road block.

In a report by The New Zimbabwe, in the melee, Washington had his eye gouged out and it was dangling on his cheek after the alleged assault by the police officers. He and his wife were treated at Parirenyatwa Hospital. In court, the officers denied the assault on the grounds that the incident happened at night, so they could not possibly be identified as the attackers.
Lee Lik Hsin, CEO of Scoot Airways, soon after announcing the merger of Scoot and Tigerair on July 25, 2017. [Photo provided to China Daily]

When he was appointed CEO of both Scoot Airways and Tigerair, two budget airlines owned by Singapore Airlines, in July, Lee Lik Hsin immediately realized he would have no leisure time. His task was cut out: lead the companies to higher growth targets so as to compete with other established rivals.

After Tigerair was merged with Scoot, the latter announced five new destinations from Singapore, including Harbin in China, Honolulu in Hawaii and Kuantan in Malaysia. Scoot's service network now covers 65 destinations across 17 countries and regions.

"The Harbin service will start this December to enhance our service ability between Southeast Asia and China's northeast region," said Lee.

Harbin will be Scoot's 19th destination in China from Singapore.

Having managed both Scoot and Tigerair, Lee said the new, bigger Scoot plans to add more destinations in the long run. The average load factor for all its flights to China from Singapore are above 80 percent, which is fairly healthy.

"We are seeing healthy customer demand on the flights that used to be branded under Tigerair, after the changeover to the Scoot brand," said the Singaporean executive and father of two. "Scoot will continue to increase overall brand awareness in all the Chinese cities we operate to, on our own and together with our distribution partners."

In 2016, Scoot launched flights to Chinese cities like Dalian, Zhengzhou and Wuxi and diversified sales channels via travel agencies, both traditional and online, to reach more customers. Scoot will now tie up with various tourism boards in China to stimulate inflows of tourists into China.

Supported by more than 2,000 employees, Scoot currently has 14 wide-bodied Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 23 Airbus A320 aircraft.

Lee said the growing number of Chinese middle-class consumers will bring greater opportunities for Scoot. With greater disposable income, demand for leisure travel will increase.

The airline currently flies to many new top- and second-tier cities in China such as Hangzhou, Tianjin, Nanjing, Xi'an, Qingdao, Shenyang and Dalian. It is confident of serving more budget customers who are willing to travel from these cities by offering them attractive prices where they can choose to pay only for the services they require.

An economics graduate from the University of Pennsylvania, Lee said Scoot plans to play a bigger role in advancing transportation services this year for multilateral cooperation in countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

The service, infrastructure and trade network proposed by China in 2013 envisions a Silk Road Economic Belt and a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It has been warmly welcomed by over 100 countries, regions and international organizations as it meets their desire for people-to-people exchanges, urbanization, regional connectivity and other new market growth points.

Scoot is the only airline plying the routes of Singapore-Zhengzhou and Singapore-Xi'an, two major cities involved in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Lee said these routes are still new and there is much potential to increase the frequency and capacity, in tandem with the economic development in these regions. Apart from its distribution partners, the airline has teamed up with the local airports to jointly stimulate more travel to and from these cities.

On handling hardship, Lee said it is important to remain calm in the face of adversity. "It allows you to rationally assess your options and plan your next steps to overcome the difficulties. It also helps one to put things in perspective, and with that, learn and grow from the setbacks."

Li Xiaojin, a professor at the Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin, said direct flights between first-tier Chinese cities and second-tier foreign cities, as well as second-tier Chinese cities and top-tier foreign cities, are expected to grow rapidly in the future, given the significant demand for international travel in China.
A technician inspects a solar power farm in the remote mountains of Dingyuan county, Anhui province, which has helped alleviate poverty in the region. [Song Weixiong/for China Daily]

China is expected to invest $3 trillion in power generation over the next 25 years, according to a recent report released by Bloomberg New Energy Finance or BNEF.

Some 75 percent of the expected investment will flow into the renewable energy sector.

The report said that the investment in the wind power sector will reach $1 trillion. And the solar and nuclear power sectors will attract $700 billion each.

BNEF estimated that between 2030 and 2040, building wind and solar plants will be cheaper than building coal plants or even operating existing coal plants.

As a result, China will retire coal plants whose collective power generation capacity would be 360 gigawatts, 145 GW of which will be forced out of system, because operating wind and solar plants will be less expensive.

"There had been three consecutive years that the global carbon emission remained stable. The biggest reason behind that is what China had done in the past years. China has become the world's largest country producing and consuming renewable energy, and its carbon emission dropped in both 2015 and 2016," said Spencer Dale, BP Group chief economist.

The report from BNEF also shows that by 2026, more than half of China's installed capacity will come from zero carbon emissions energy, including nuclear, biomass, large hydro, wind and solar energy, and the figure will rise to 63 percent by 2040, doubling China's current level.

In 2015, the National Energy Administration issued a "Front Runner" project to encourage the research and development of photovoltaic products which have the highest energy efficiency, by building demonstration bases as well as launching innovative projects in the field.

JA Solar Holdings, one of the world's largest producers of solar energy products, offered the largest volume of modules to the "Front Runner" project. In the first phase of the project, it supplied 422 megawatts of modules, accounting for about 50 percent of the total volume in the phase.

"The Chinese government is supportive of developing clean energy, and the market potential in the field is huge. Therefore, we grasp the opportunity to continue our research and development in high-performance solar power products," said Xie Jian, president of JA Solar.

"In the first quarter of this year, we started mass production of Bifacial PERC (passivated emitter rear cell) modules with double-glass structure. The module can produce 16 percent more power than the conventional PERC modules. It provides new solutions to achieve PV grid parity where PV power costs are similar to those for fossil fuels."

Xie said that in the first half of this year, JA Solar signed a strategic agreement with Peking University to establish the first "Summer School" in the photovoltaic field. Through their collaboration, JA Solar aims at cultivating a batch of photovoltaic talents with both creative ideas and innovative abilities.

"China's installed photovoltaic power capacity ranks first among the world. Photovoltaic power, especially distributed photovoltaic power, enjoys favorable government policies," said Han Xiaoping, chief information officer at Beijing-based industry consultancy China Energy Net Consulting Co.

Han explained that families from the rural regions in China install distributed photovoltaic power systems on their roofs and make money from the power generated, and each of the farmers can earn 3,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan ($450 to $750) every year. So, photovoltaic power not only saves the planet but alleviates poverty.

"We have 11 production facilities around the globe. The new production facility launched this June in Baotou, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, will further increase the capacity of silicon wafers. It is estimated that by the end of this year, our PERC technology will raise the solar cell efficiency from 20.5 percent to 21.2 percent," Xie said.

Bloomberg contributed to this story.
Premier Li Keqiang called on domestic manufacturers to enhance technological innovations and improve quality of products as a way to upgrade the sector and increase global competitiveness.

The premier spoke to the management of a number of leading manufacturers on Friday at a meeting promoting the Made in China 2025 strategy.

Manufacturing is the key to the nation's economic development, and the economic restructuring requires making the sector stronger, Li said. But the sector is still on the low to medium tier compared with other leading countries, thus it is vital to improve the quality and upgrade to increase competitiveness, he said.

The upgrade depends on innovations, and manufacturers should make technological breakthroughs by focusing on quality and branding and using top manufacturing countries as benchmarks, Li said.

Li called for management innovation to transform models for research and development and production, and increase the efficiency for resource allocation. He said manufacturers should also develop customized production to meet diverse demands.

He urged manufacturers to take advantage of China's rich human resources by promoting entrepreneurship and the spirit of craftsmanship, both requiring long-term input to cultivate high-quality managers and technicians.

Meanwhile, Li also pledged administrative reforms to further reduce unreasonable pre-entry approvals and permits, which will decrease institutional costs for manufacturers. However, market supervision will be strengthened to fortify intellectual property rights protection and crack down on counterfeit products, he said. Financial institutions are encouraged to provide aid to small and medium-sized manufacturers, he said.

With the world's largest manufacturing capacity, China's export-oriented manufacturing has been trying to shift the focus to domestic consumption and high added values in recent years. The central government has promoted more high-end manufacturing, including the strategy of Made in China 2025.

The State Council decided to promote the strategy by granting more favorable policies for the manufacturing sector at two executive meetings in May and July.

Li Dongsheng, chairman of TCL Co in Huizhou, Guangdong province, who delivered a speech Friday, said, "The meeting, which focused on improving the real economy and manufacturing, provided encouragement and support for manufacturers like my company."

The premier emphasized the key role of manufacturing to compete, he said. "Our manufacturing provides high-end products, besides those with fewer added values, and should strive for more well-known branding by using Germany and Japan as benchmarks. The meeting gave us confidence that we will make more highly value-added goods and world-leading manufacturing."
Troops and equipment withdrawn from Chinese territory, officials confirm

India has withdrawn all its personnel and equipment back to its side of the Sino-Indian border after a 10-week intrusion into China's Donglang area, the Foreign and Defense ministries confirmed on Monday.

The withdrawal, which took place at around 2:30 pm, was verified by Chinese personnel at the scene, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a daily news conference in Beijing.

Since India's intrusion in mid-June, China has lodged representations to India via diplomatic channels multiple times and told the international community the truth about the intrusion, expressed its solemn position and clear demands, and urged India to withdraw its border troops immediately, Hua said.

The Chinese military also took effective countermeasures to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and lawful rights, Hua said.

China will continue exercising its sovereign rights and safeguarding its territorial sovereignty in accordance with historical border agreements, the spokeswoman said, adding that Chinese border troops have continued patrolling and defending Donglang.

On June 18, Indian troops illegally crossed into the Sikkim sector of the China-India boundary and intruded into China's Donglang area to block China's road construction.

The Sikkim sector is the only delimited part of the boundary between the two countries, which was defined in the 1890 Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet.

In early August, the Foreign Ministry issued a paper that made it clear Donglang "is indisputably Chinese territory", and said India's trespass violated China's sovereignty and territory and the 1890 Convention as well as the basic principles of international law.

On Monday, Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian commented on India's withdrawal, saying, "We remind India to learn from this incident, to comply with historical border agreements effectively as well as the basic principles of international law, and work with China to maintain peace in the border region."

Sun Hongnian, a border researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said China and India solved the tension in the Donglang area through diplomatic efforts, which "gives peace a chance".

Lan Jianxue, a researcher in South Asian studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said India "made a wise choice" because it realized that it would harm its interests if its personnel and equipment continued to stay in Donglang.
Wu Muye is touring the country, playing music of Chopin and Debussy, as well as his adaptation of Chinese folk songs. [Photo provided to China Daily]

When he was 15 years old, Wu Muye studied playing the piano at Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, the music school of the Paris Conservatory, from where he graduated in 2009.

The pianist says the city brought him closer to the music of some of his favorite composers, Frederick Chopin, Claude Debussy and Franz Liszt, all of whom lived in the French capital at some point in their lives.

Chopin arrived in Paris in 1831 and never returned to his homeland, Poland. In Paris, he forged a friendship with the Hungarian composer Liszt. The French composer Debussy frequently played Chopin's music during his studies at the Paris Conservatory, he says.

"And all of them developed a close connection with Paris, where I stayed for about 10 years," says Wu, 32.

Now, he is conducting a nationwide tour interpreting their masterpieces, including Chopin's 24 preludes, Debussy's Clair de Lune and Liszt's Dreams of Love.

Wu enjoyed strolling around Paris. He says the old buildings, narrow lanes, with their walls and street lights, made him feel connected to the composers, whose music he wants to play authentically.

"I have been to places where they lived. When I play their works, it feels like I am having a conversation with them."

The pianist recalled his years in Paris and sought to convey his feelings through his performance, when he played Debussy's Clair de Lune at the gala of the G20 Summit, which was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, last year.

Wu studied with French pianist Jacques Rouvier at the Paris music school.

"One of the most rewarding parts of learning with him was that he taught me lots of things, which I couldn't have learned just from the score," says Wu. "While keeping the tradition of Liszt's musical style, he also let me incorporate my own understanding of the music."

During his ongoing tour, the pianist is also playing pieces that he adapted from popular Chinese folk songs, such as My Motherland, and his own composition, Yuan, which was inspired by The Interrupted Dream, a well-known Kunqu Opera piece based on the play The Peony Pavilion by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) writer Tang Xianzu.

Born in Beijing in a family of musicians, Wu started learning the piano at age 4, giving his first public performance in a piano competition in Hong Kong at 5 and winning the first prize.

Like many promising child pianists, he was enrolled to study at the primary and middle schools affiliated to the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, where he received solid training in technique.

Graduating from the Paris Conservatoire with the highest diploma, Perfectionnement Piano, he was feted for his excellent technique and his expressive playing.

He undertook his first tour in his home country in 2009, and performed with China National Symphony Orchestra in Paris in 2010.

In 2014, to mark the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, Wu played Chopin's Polonaise in A-Flat Major, Op 53 at the opening gala held at the Grand Palais in Paris.

The same year, the pianist played in Beijing along with China National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of French conductor Michel Plasson.

His latest tour commenced in Beijing on Friday and will run through November in cities, including Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hangzhou.
New apartment buildings and businesses sprout up on 14th Street near U Street in Washington a photo taken on Sunday. The traditionally black neighborhood has seen an increase in the white population along with skyrocketing real estate prices. Chen Weihua / China Daily

Having lived in Washington DC for almost five years, I have seen the city growing, with new construction and renovation projects happening in many streets and neighborhoods.

The Wharf residential and business project I visited recently is probably one of the biggest. Located in southwest Washington along the waterfront next to the famed Maine Avenue Fish Market, its first phase will open on Oct 12. The second phase is set for completion in 2021.

Only a short walk from the National Mall, it looks like a good place to live, work and hang out.

The same urban renewal is happening in other parts of Washington. The U Street/Shaw and 14th Street area has fast been turned into an upscale neighborhood in recent years, with many new restaurants and shops opening and new apartment construction.

These changes may look pleasant, but not quite so to Derek Hyra, an associate professor at the American University School of Public Affairs and an expert on neighborhood change.

He saw major issues of gentrification and segregation in Washington beneath the surface of rapid urban renewal. His book this year, Race, Class, and Politics in the Cappuccino City, is the result of his many years of field research on the issues.

Hyra described the massive transformation in the U Street/Shaw area, where the city's once most infamous open-air drug market has become a farmers' market now selling grass-fed beef and homemade duck egg ravioli.

The area, a 90 percent black neighborhood just a few decades ago, was only 30 percent African American by 2010. Whites are the majority now, accounting for 55 percent of the community.

Hyra described how the "dark ghetto" has been turned into a "gilded ghetto". To Hyra, it has caused not just residential displacement for African Americans but also political and cultural displacement.

In a meeting with a group of foreign journalists, Hyra talked about how African Americans in the neighborhood refused to walk their dogs in a new dog park. He said they resent the park because they had appealed for an upgrade to the area, but it wasn't turned into a dog park until whites moved in.

On the surface, the Shaw and 14th Street area looks increasingly like the most diversified area in Washington. But Hyra found micro-level segregation when people go to churches and bars.

If you pass by a school in Washington, it's not hard to tell that city schools are still very much segregated even though racial segregation is illegal in the United States.

A report this year by the UCLA Civil Rights Project shows that schools in DC remain intensely segregated.

According to the report, the overall share of African American and Latino students in Washington who attended such segregated public schools - those with 90 to 100 percent minority enrollment - decreased between 1992 and 2013, but remained very high.

Nearly 90 percent of black public school students went to "apartheid schools" - completely nonwhite or within 1 percent of total segregation - in 1992; the percentage was as high as 71 percent in 2013.

These are serious issues that people don't read much about in US mainstream media or watch in hearings on Capitol Hill, located a few blocks from those neighborhoods.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
My friends in and outside of America last week kept bombarding me with safety reminders to stay vigilant because there was going to be a right-wing Patriot Prayer rally on Aug 26 in San Francisco.

With a permit issued for the Patriot Prayer  an Oregon-based organization led by founder Joey Gibson  event in the city's Crissy Field, four other groups also got rally permits which enabled them to protest at the same park.

"I hope you know that Gibson's other events have attracted white supremacists and caused a string of violent confrontations among demonstrators on both sides," wrote a friend from New York in a worrisome email. "Stay indoors this Saturday as you won't want to see bloodshed."

Of course, I didn't. Actually nobody wants to see San Francisco, the cradle of the 1960s free speech movement and a city which cherishes its core values of diversity, acceptance and compassion, be tarnished by violent clashes and hatred.

In fact, the elected officials raised concerns that Patriot Prayer would lure hate speech and potential violence and trigger a riot similar to the Aug 12 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, which brought hundreds of white supremacists to the small town to protest the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and resulted in the death of a 32-year-old woman and numerous injuries.

Earlier in the week, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee joined by US Representative Nancy Pelosi denounced the planned rally as a "white supremacist" event.

Addressing a group of people on Friday who gathered in front of City Hall to protest the Patriot Prayer rally, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee said, "You all know that some people are coming in tomorrow to our city  you know as well as I do that they have a message that we don't believe in, a message of hate. But San Francisco is a city of love and compassion, and we will always lead with love and compassion."

The crowd responded to Lee by waving signs reading "Rise against Hate" and "Love Wins."

San Francisco has been paying a hefty price for its pride in acceptance and compassion. The family of Kate Steinle, who was shot dead by illegal immigrant Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez on July 1, 2015 on the Embarcadero waterfront, can't sue San Francisco because of its "sanctuary city" laws. Lopez-Sanchez, a Mexican national, had been deported five times and had seven felony convictions for drug possession and illegal reentry.

In March, 2015, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ordered that Lopez-Sanchez be detained on the grounds of a 20-year-old outstanding marijuana possession charge, but San Francisco's policy of only cooperating with ICE officials on immigrants who face an active warrant for arrest meant that the drug charge was simply ignored.

In 1989, San Francisco passed the City and County of Refuge ordinance which "prohibits city employees from helping federal immigration enforcement efforts unless compelled by court order or state law."

Nearly three decades on, San Francisco is among 20 metropolitan regions with large populations of undocumented residents in the US. An estimated 240,000 undocumented residents, or 5.3 percent of the region's total population, live in San Francisco, Oakland and Hayward, according to the Pew Research Center.

Steinle's death caused a nation-wide uproar. Many who opposed sanctuary cities argued that Steinle's death could have been prevented if San Francisco officials had executed ICE's deportation order. Donald Trump cited Steinle's case during his presidential campaign, arguing the old immigration policy was problematic.

Has San Francisco gone too far along the way of so-called diversity and compassion?

I don't know. I also don't know how to answer my friend from Beijing when I showed him around the city's downtown. "Is that stench of urine?" he asked as we strolled along busy Market Street, where throngs of panhandlers look for prey.

What has gone wrong?

On Friday, Gibson announced that the Saturday Patriot Prayer rally was cancelled. "Right now, we had to cancel the rally," he told reporters. "It was the best thing to do for the city because the way it was set up is that a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt."

In response, Ed Lee said, "If people want to have the stage in San Francisco, they better have a message that contributes to people's lives rather than find ways to hurt them. That's why certain voices found it very difficult to have their voices heard today."

All clear for now.

Contact the writer at junechang@chinadailyusa.com.
Barbara Koster stands on her front door as she surveys her property which was left devastated by Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas, August 26, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

HOUSTON -- A body was found not far from the coastal area in South East Texas on Sunday, the sixth death reported after Hurricane Harvey made a landfall in Texas Friday evening.

Local police said they are not sure if the death is directed related to Harvey. "At this time it is unknown if the subject passed away from health conditions or due to drowning," police said in a statement, noting water in the area was high overnight.

At a Sunday press conference, Houston mayor Sylvester Turner said more than 2,000 emergency calls had been received and more shelters would be opening.

The U.S. Coast Guard has focused all its resources on rescuing people in trouble as waters continue to rise in Houston and surrounding areas, with assistance coming in from bases all over the country.

Eight helicopters and three flood response teams have rescued 100 people so far, officials said, and have received 500 calls for assistance.

The agency said that an additional 11 helicopters are expected. Another flood response team is coming from nearby state Louisiana.

About 80 counties have been declared state disaster zones. Both major airports in Houston have been closed amid severe flooding.

A Houston Airport System statement on Sunday said George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport are closed to commercial flights until further notice.
"Water has climbed to the stairs leading to the second floor. Our cars are in water and can't be started anymore. Dear friends, sorry I can't fulfill the appointments for the next few days, but I will do my best!"

That was a post at 5:52 am on Sunday by Zilin, a well-known makeup artist in Houston's Chinese community, who goes by her first name.

Zilin's apartment is located near Interstate 610 and Highway 90 in the southern section of the city. Her place is among thousands of houses and apartments affected by Hurricane Harvey, later Tropical Storm Harvey, which caused a 500-year flood in Houston and surrounding areas in southeast Texas.

At 8:12 am, Zilin posted photos of a sofa floating in her living room. "Water has reached to my chest. We can only be rescued by boat now."

Can anyone save her and her family, including two young children, by boat? she pleaded.

Helpful messages poured in as her message was passed around in various WeChat groups. Many reposted her message under their own status to help.

At 2:09 pm, Zilin posted an update that the city and Chinese Consulate General in Houston were aware of her situation.

Water had reached her neck; all they could do was wait.

"There are more than 70,000 people waiting for rescue," was one comment under the post.

At 6:58 pm, she posted that self-mobilized helpers couldn't get to her place despite numerous tries. Her complex is behind an iron fence with a small gate, which prohibited boats from entering to get to her door.

Too many others in the city waiting for rescue from the government were ahead of Zilin and her family, so they spent the night on their second floor.

On Monday morning at 5:58 am, Zilin updated that the flood had retreated enough to allow a truck to get through. At 8:02 am, she posted a picture from inside a truck, saying that her family was on the way to a friend's house downtown for shelter.

After a hot meal at her friend's place, Zilin expressed her gratitude. Some friends lined up to buy food for her family, and many people had expressed concern, including Houston officials and the consulate. Many also had made numerous attempts before her family was eventually rescued.

Zilin is one of the many Chinese living in Houston seeking help through WeChat. Similar messages were passed around the social media website since the storm began pounding Houston with relentless rain.

Many messages were similar to Zilin's  seeking help to get out of their flooded houses. Some updated their statuses after being rescued, and some didn't.

One message sought help for three family members stranded atop their vehicle.

Another was seeking information on a 14-year-old girl, who was stuck at a friend's house where power was out and her phone went dead.

On Sunday evening, news came that for the first time in its history, Houston decided to release water from the Barker and Addicks reservoirs on Monday morning to avoid a dam break and overflow.

The Brazos River reached a historical high, triggering mandatory evacuations for the nearby area, where a sizable number of Chinese reside.

Sunday night, pipa virtuoso Wu Changlu posted on WeChat that her house, although dry, was within the mandatory evacuation zone. Lacking a second floor, she sought help to store her musical instruments somewhere.

Wu later posted that she was able to store most of the instruments at a friend's place. However, she had to leave two pianos behind.

While WeChat has been a helpful platform, it is also a personal mission for Ke Yan, owner of Merry Houston, an online Chinese media platform, to call out sensational statements or erroneous information looking to draw internet traffic.

"No, there is no news that water will be cut off. No, Sugar Land was not lost to the flood," she posted in correcting rumors in a WeChat group.

Ke also regularly updated information on roads, shelters, rescue numbers, weather, government-issued orders and announcements, and pleas for help, paying close attention to the information's accuracy.

"There is a difference between real journalism and those who care more about clicks," she said.
Please turn JavaScript on and reload the page.

Loading...

Checking your browser before accessing the website.

This process is automatic. Your browser will redirect to your requested content shortly.

Please wait a few seconds.
Vietnam and Myanmar plan to deepen cooperation in the future, leaders said at a meeting in Naypyidaw on August 25.

At their meeting, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi praised the official establishment of the Vietnam-Myanmar comprehensive cooperative partnership framework as a new milestone and a source of momentum for bilateral collaboration across a range of issues.



General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong meets Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi__Photo: VNA

Aung San Suu Kyi affirmed the strong friendship between Myanmar and Vietnam, saying her country wants to learn from Vietnam s experience, while Party leader Trong said Vietnam considers Myanmar a priority in its foreign affairs policies.

The leaders agreed to increase delegation exchanges at all levels from the Party, Government and State to the legislature, with the aim of increasing political trust, reinforcing friendship, and boosting comprehensive cooperation.

The host and guest agreed to strengthen coordination, exchange information and provide mutual support at regional and international forums to maintain solidarity and promote the central role of ASEAN in the regional security architecture.

They emphasized that the maintenance of peace, stability, freedom, and safety of maritime and aviation movement in the East Sea benefits not only the involved parties but also the region and world.

The two sides advocated efforts to accelerate the settlement of any disputes via peaceful means and in accordance with international law. Relevant laws include the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Both countries expressed hope that the region will soon establish a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

During the meeting, Trong informed the host about the outcomes of his talks with President Htin Kyaw. He noted that the two countries agreed to elevate the bilateral relations to a comprehensive cooperative partnership and signed a number of cooperation agreements on key issues, including politics, economics-investment, defense-security, and culture-education.- (VNS/VLLF)

, , ,
HA NOI  Viet Nam will reform rice production to gain sustainable development in the production and export of rice, according to Viet Nams Rice Market Development Strategy from 2017 to 2020.

According to the strategy for developing the countrys rice export market in the 201720 period with a vision to 2030, one of the goals is to gradually reduce the rice export volume but increase the value of exported rice.

Specifically, the annual rice export volume is expected to reach about 4.5-5 million tonnes in 2020, earning an average of about US$2.2-2.3 billion per year.

From 2021 to 2030, the nations annual rice export volume is expected to reach about 4 million tonnes, earning $2.3 to 2.5 billion per year. At the same time, it would restructure rice export products.

Exports of fragrant rice, specialty rice and Japonica rice will account for the largest proportion of the total volume of exported rice at 40 per cent, followed by glutinous rice and white rice exports at 25 per cent each.

Meanwhile, the proportion of high quality, high-value, organic, highly-nutritious rice and products made from rice will be about 10 per cent.

Tran Cong Thang, deputy director of the Institute of Policy and Strategy for Agriculture and Rural Development under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that at present Viet Nam does not have a national plan for the development of export rice but provinces have developed areas of producing high-quality rice products while applying high technology for production. In addition, the nation has had geographical indicators for rice products such as Hai Hau rice and ien Bien rice.

Meanwhile, many local brands have been protected including Kinh Mon glutinous rice in Hai Duong Province, ong Trieu glutinous rice in Quang Ninh Province and aromatic rice of Soc Trang Province. Many enterprises have developed brands for their business and for their rice products.

Meeting the market demand, in recent years, the area of growing high-quality rice is increasing. Rice exporters are also more active in seeking ways to penetrate high-quality rice markets as well as linking with each other to build the rice production chain. Especially, in the Mekong Delta, there are 10 to 12 brands of rice produced by private enterprises such as Ngoc Troi and Ngoc ong.

However, Thang said, besides development of high-quality rice, Viet Nam still needs to develop rice products in traditional rice markets and expand the export market to Africa.

In addition, Viet Nam and many other countries producing rice are experiencing various problems such as salinity intrusion and climate change, so rice production to adapt to climate change is a big challenge, he said.

The MARD has worked with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) to develop key rice varieties for each region according to the market demand.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh said that to implement the restructuring of the rice production industry in Viet Nam, the agricultural sector has to improve rice varieties, production technique and infrastructure; set up appropriate mechanisation in production, preservation and processing; and promote production chain. The sector will identify suitable rice varieties for each export market.

He said that initially, the sector would focus on researching high-quality rice varieties and rice production technical package to reduce production cost, improve rice quality, protecting the environment and ensure sustainable agricultural reforms.

To implement Viet Nams Rice Market Development Strategy for the period 2017 to 2020, the MARD will review and identify rice growing areas with an advantage to adjust production plans and convert areas with inefficient rice production to other purposes. It will plan a schedule on adjusting production scale and output to meet domestic and international demand and the competitive ability of Vietnamese rice.

It will also plan and organise production based on regions of material and regions specialising in the production of rice, demand of specific export markets, and orders of enterprises.

The ministry said that in the first seven months of the year, Viet Nam exported 3.3 million tonnes of rice, earning $1.5 billion, up 15.7 per cent in volume and 13.7 per cent in value compared to the January-July period of 2016. China was still the largest export market for Vietnamese rice, followed by the Philippines.  VNS
HA NOI  The foreign investment is looking up, as the total capital pledged for investment in the country until August 20 was nearly equal to that for the entire 2016.

The reports from the Foreign Investment Agency showed that foreign investors had registered to invest US$23.36 billion into Viet Nam in the January-August 20 period, up 45.1 per cent year-on-year.

Last year, Viet Nam reported a total registered capital of $24.3 billion from foreign investors, up 7.1 per cent against the previous year.

From the amount pledged this year, $13.45 billion came from 1,624 new licensed projects, a 37.4 per cent rise; and $6.4 billion was the additional capital for 773 existing projects, up 40.2 per cent. The remaining was from the capital contribution and share purchase of foreign investors.

According to the agency, the disbursement of the capital in the first eight months of this year by foreign investors was also positive, with a growth rate of 5.1 per cent year-on-year to $10.3 billion.

In the period between January and August, foreign investors poured the capital into 18 industries, of which the manufacturing and processing industry was the most attractive destination with a total capital of $11.69 billion, equal to some 50 per cent of the countrys total registered capital. However, the ratio was still lower than that in the previous years, when the industry often attracted some 70 per cent of the countrys total registered capital.

This was followed by the power production and trading industry with $5.36 billion, accounting for 22.9 per cent of the countrys total registered capital.

The mining industry was ranked the third, as its registered capital rose 5.5 per cent to $1.28 billion.

The first eight months of the year saw 98 countries and territories wanting to invest in Viet Nam, of which the Republic of Korea topped the list with a registered capital of more than $6 billion, accounting for 25.7 per cent of the countrys total registered capital. Japan and Singapore followed with $5.74 billion and $3.92 billion, making up 24.58 per cent and 16.8 per cent of the total capital, respectively.

The business performance of the foreign firms was also optimistic during the period. Their exports, including crude oil, rose 15.5 per cent to $95.66 billion, accounting for 71.6 per cent of the countrys total export revenue during the period.

With an import value of $81.38 billion, foreign firms gained a trade surplus of $14.28 billion during the period.  VNS
HA NOI  Vietnamese shares have risen during the last three sessions on both the local exchanges, but this rally is not expected to sustain through the last trading week of August.

This is because investors will try to accrue profits from their recent gains, while supportive business-market information is lacking, according to experts.

The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange gained 0.24 per cent to finish the last trading week at 771.63 points. It has rallied totally 1.4 per cent over the last three sessions.

The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange added 0.34 per cent to end Friday at 102.64 points, extending its gain for a third day with a total growth of 1.8 per cent.

The three-day rallies of the two indices helped them recoup the losses incurred in the first two sessions of the week and end the trading week higher than the previous one.

The VN Index posted a weekly gain of 0.3 per cent, and the HNX Index rose 1.8 per cent week on week.

The three-day rallies on both the local exchanges were attributed to the improvement in the bank stocks, which benefited from a draft circular released by the State Bank of Viet Nam to collect public opinions on the extension of the schedule requiring commercial banks to reduce their maximum ratio of short-term funds used for medium- and long-term loans from 60 per cent to 40 per cent.

The current timeline requires the commercial banks to reduce by 2018 the maximum ratio of short-term funds used for financing medium- and long-term loans, while the draft circular suggests the commercial banks should complete the action by the end of 2019.

The news boosted bank stocks such as MBBank (MBB), Vietcombank (VCB), VPBank (VPB) and Asia Commercial Bank (ACB). These bank stocks advanced between 0.7 per cent and 6.5 per cent in the last three sessions.

Energy stocks were also supported by the rising oil prices during the week. Brent crude rose 1.4 per cent since Monday, pushing up the prices of PetroVietnam Gas (GAS), PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services (PVD) and PetroVietnam Coating (PVB).

Speculative stocks also performed well, including those of property developer FLC Group (FLC), FLC Faros Construction (ROS), FIT Group JSC (FIT) and Benovas Pharmaceutical Company (DCL).

FLC and FIT increased by one-fifth each during the week, DCL surged nearly 10 per cent and ROS advanced 4.8 per cent.

According to the brokerage firms, the markets would face difficulty in extending their gains this week, as investors would try to take profits from the recent gains in the share prices, such as those of banks and property developers.

BIDV Securities (BSC) wrote in its weekly report that the market rallies received strong support from speculative stocks, while the trading of blue chips was not positive, therefore, the rallies were not stable and strong enough.

In the coming week, if investors continue to keep focusing on lower-priced, speculative stocks, rather than making investment in large-cap ones, they could make large-cap stocks suffer and increase the risk of margin lending for the market, BSC said.

According to Vietnam Investment Securities (IVS), the current market conditions are not attractive enough for investors, as there is a lack of supportive news and information.

It also explained why the daily average trading liquidity last week fell from the previous number, as investors would rather keep their money safe and secure, than disburse it into local stocks.

According to vietstock.vn, more than 232.8 million shares, worth VN3.28 trillion (US$146 million), were traded on both the local bourses in each session.

Last weeks daily average trading numbers were down 2.5 per cent in volume and 22 per cent in value from the previous week.

Ngo The Hien, head of market analysis division at Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities (SHS), told tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn during a round-table discussion that the VN Index had moved narrowly in the range of 759 and 777 points for the past two weeks.

There is little chance for the benchmark index to make a jump now, because it is facing strong resistant levels ahead.

It will narrowly move between 760 and 780 points in the coming week, and hopefully, it will end August at 780 points, Hien said.  VNS
Viet Nam may not reach this years targeted cashew export value of US$3.3 billion, due to a shortage of raw materials for cashew export processing. Photo vietnambiz.vn

HA NOI  Viet Nam may not reach this years targeted cashew export value of US$3.3 billion, due to a shortage of raw materials for cashew export processing.

Ta Quang Huyen, vice chairman of the Viet Nam Cashew Association and general director of the Hoang Son I Co Ltd, stated that Viet Nams cashew exports in the first seven months of this year have reached a total value of $2.6 billion.

The domestic cashew industry must import about 300,000 tonnes of raw materials for export processing, to reach its targeted export value of $3.3 billion for the entire year, Huyen added.

However, the cashew crop season in West Africa has already ended so the available supply of raw materials from this region will not be too significant, making it difficult for the domestic cashew processing industry, he further said.

In the first seven months of this year, Viet Nams cashew processing and export enterprises have imported 1.3 million tonnes of raw cashew nuts, 200,000 tonnes higher than in the same period last year, said Nguyen Hue Chi Thai, consulting expert at the association.

By the end of the year, the demand for cashew nuts in the world market will increase, especially for Christmas. Therefore, factories will continue to import 300,000 tonnes of raw cashew for processing and export to many countries, such as Libya, Mozambique, Tanzania and Indonesia.

However, due to unusual weather conditions, many African cashew growing countries, such as Libya, have reduced their cashew output by 250,000 tonnes, so the two main regional suppliers of raw materials for the industry are Tanzania and Mozambique.

Indonesia will also supply 200,000 tonnes for the world market, but at higher prices, at $2,500 per tonne, compared to raw materials from African countries, so local businesses will have to calculate the cost of importing raw materials from Indonesia.  VNS
HA NOI  Australia last week announced that it would permit the import of Vietnamese dragon fruit, making Viet Nam the first country to get licence to export fresh dragon fruit there.

Dragon fruit is one of Viet Nams key export fruits, and saw export sales worth US$895.7 million in 2016, accounting for 50.3 per cent of the countrys total fresh fruit exports and 36.1 per cent of Viet Nams total fruit and vegetables exports.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that in order to export goods to the Australian market, exporters must comply with stringent regulations.

Specifically, to export to Australia, businesses must have a valid licence issued by the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources as well as a certificate of no-insect infection in the area of biological safety control by Viet Nams Plant Protection Department (PPD).

The fresh dragon fruit must originate, be produced and exported from Viet Nam, in accordance with relevant conditions and programmes. Before shipment, the fruits must undergo vapour heat treatment (VHT) for 40 minutes at 46.5 degrees Celsius at a minimum of 90 per cent humidity at a processing facility approved by the PPD.

The produce must be free of insects and diseases and must not have contaminant pollutants.

Packaging must be done using synthetic materials or highly processed materials of plant origin; unprocessed materials such as straw cannot be used.

The cartons or individual packages must be tied firmly and labelled with unique identifier to facilitate traceability.

The treated products must be protected from harmful insects during and after packaging, while handling, storing and transporting between locations. Products that have been inspected and certified by a competent authority from Viet Nam must be maintained in a safe condition so as not to be mixed with fruits exported to other markets, or for consumption in the domestic market.

The PPD must inspect containers prior to loading and ensure there are no insects, and all vents must be covered to prevent insect infiltration.

The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources can review the import policy at any time after trade commences, or when pest and quarantine control rules in Viet Nam are altered.

Fresh dragon fruit is one of Viet Nams priority agricultural commodities for the Australian market. Australia is also speeding up the approval process for other fresh fruits from Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  The speedy repossession of collateral is a credit-positive step for Vietnamese banks, which continue to grapple with legacy asset-quality issues caused by rapid credit growth and loose underwriting standards of the past decade, Moodys Investors Services said in a note on Monday.

Previously, because of rules and a cumbersome, lengthy legal process, it took banks and the Viet Nam Asset Management Company (VAMC), a State-owned company that specialises in buying non-performing loans (NPLs) from banks, several years to repossess collateral.

Because of lack of clarity in the countrys laws on collateral repossession, the VAMCs cumulative NPL recovery rate has been low at around 20 per cent.

However, on August 15, the National Assembly enacted Resolution 42/2017/QH14 that permits banks and VAMC to deal with NPLs by rapidly repossessing collateral in the event of borrower default.

The ability to repossess collateral is a critical next step in resolving NPLs, and we expect Resolution 42, which removes previous legal impediments, to help improve the rate of collateral repossession by banks and the VAMC, Moodys noted.

The new regulation also rebalances the bargaining power of banks and the VAMC vis-a-vis borrowers.

The effectiveness of the regulation is apparent in the VAMCs first repossession of collateral for an NPL, which it completed in just one week after Resolution 42 took effect. On August 21, the VAMC repossessed Saigon One Tower in downtown HCM City.

Investors kicked off the VN5 trillion (US$220 million) Saigon One Tower project in 2007, and construction was slated to be complete by 2009. However, the project dragged on and construction came to a standstill in 2011 when 80 per cent of the work was over. The investors had incurred around VN7 trillion in debts.

However, Moodys noted, though banks can reduce their reported NPLs by offloading problem loans to the VAMC, the banks asset quality and profitability will improve only if and when the VAMC successfully sells the repossessed assets.  VNS
QUANG NGAI  A planned wood-pulp plant in Binh Son District would destroy 50ha of nipa palm forest, causing pollution, loss of biodiversity, and irrevocable damage to local lifestyles, biologists and residents warn.

Biologist and vice rector of a Nangs Teachers Training College Vo Van Minh made the case against the plant in a petition to the provincial Peoples Committee last week.

As planned, the province will allow the agricultural irrigation development company VNT 19 to build a paper mill in Long Phu Village in the districts Binh Phuoc Commune. The mill would require the construction of an 85ha lake in the commune, of which 50ha are to be built where a century-old nipa palm forest now stands. Construction on the plant will likely not begin for two to three years, as ministries and departments conduct assessments on the planned facility.

Local residents say they rely on the forest for survial. Nguyen Ngoc Minh, 70, said he grew up with the nipa palm forest, and it creates a major income for some households living around the forest.

Local residents still fish in the forest and collect leaves of nipa palm for house building. We could earn VN300,000 (US$13.3) each day from fishing in the area, Minh said.

The forest creates a green landscape and shelter for aquatic fish, shrimp and oyster. It also protects our farming land from erosion and salinity, he said, adding that the forest had sheltered the armys soldiers and guerillas during wars in the 20th century.

Vo Van Minh said that 400 households in the area rely on the forest for income from fishing and leaf collecting.

Local residents go fishing in the nipa palm forest in Binh Phuoc Commune of Binh Son District in Quang Ngai Province. A 50ha portion of the forest is allocated for the development of a paper mill project.  VNS Photo Lan Anh

Nguyen The Nhan, chairman of Binh Phuoc Commune said the province had asked the company to replant an area of forest equivalent to which would be cleared to build the lake. The province proposed a VN25 billion (US$1.1 million) payment from the company for the replanting.

Vo Van Minh said the province should conduct an assessment of the environmental impact on nipa palm forest and coastal mangrove swamps in Binh Son District before approving an industrial project.

Minh, who is head of Environment Biological Resource Teach Research Team (DN-EBR), said the team, in co-operation with the Centre of Biodiversity Conservation, GreenViet, a NGO, had surveyed the biodiversity in the nipa palm forests and mangrove swamps in the district and found them extremely rich.

Seventy five species of flora and fauna were found on total 120ha of nipa palm forest. The 100-year-old forest area is also a safe shelter for 26 migrant bird and waterfowl species. Almost 90 per cent of aquatic animals and fishes in the coastal area are grown in the ecological system of nipa palm forest before moving to the sea, Minh said.

The controversy over the wood-pulp plant comes as the region struggles to balance conservation with economic development. According to latest report from the provincial agriculture and rural development, the province has 197ha of coastal mangrove forest, nearly 60 per cent decrease from 2002.

In 2015, the province grew 45.7ha coastal mangrove forest in three communes of Binh Phuoc, Binh ong and Binh Duong in the district under the Climate Change Resilience and coastal mangrove swamp project.

But regrowth projects cant keep pace with the destruction of forests. Last month in Binh Son District, a microorganism, Sphaeroma terebrans Bate (a mangrove-boring isopod) killed 32.4ha of mangrove.  VNS
HA NOI  Hoang Thi Mai smiled broadly as she tasted the Amok fish, the national food of Cambodia, at a Cambodian gastronomy stand in Ha Noi on Saturday.

Its the first time that the young woman has enjoyed a Cambodian dish.

Its very tasty. Before today, Khmer food was still a mystery for me as I has never been to Cambodia and because Cambodian menus still have limited exposure in Viet Nam or other countries, she said.

I plan to visit Cambodia at the end of this year. It will allow me plenty of new food adventures, she said, excited.

The fish, which is seasoned with lemongrass, garlic, shallots and chilli before being steamed in a banana leaf basket is the pride of the Cambodian people, explains Op Sophy, consular at the Cambodian Embassy in Viet Nam.

Besides food from Cambodia, guests and visitors also had the opportunity to taste specialties from nine other ASEAN countries.

The event was part of the ASEAN Golden Festival which was held on Saturday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It was organised by the ASEAN Womens Circle in Ha Noi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam.

The festival offered visitors and guests the opportunity to better discover the culture of ten ASEAN members through music, gastronomy, and photo exhibitions.

Todays festival is an opportunity for the ASEAN family in Ha Noi to join international friends in celebrating the 50th Anniversary. This is also the opportunity for us to demonstrate our joint commitment to make the ASEAN Community ever more united and stronger, said Nguyen Nguyet Nga, honourary President of the ASEAN Womens Circle in Ha Noi, at the opening ceremony.

At the event on Saturday, representatives and artists of ten ASEAN countries also performed traditional dances of their countries. They included the Indonesian Poco Poco dance, the Lao Lamvong dance and the Thai Rabam dance.

They also tasted various traditional foods of ASEAN countries, including Thailands Pad Thai, Myanmars Mohinga fish noodles, the Malaysian Teh Tarik milk tea, Bruneis Nasi Lemak (coconut rice), Indonesias Sate Ayam (chicken satay), Singapores Kaya Toast (toasted bread filled with butter); and Vietnamese seafood spring rolls.

Guests and visitors also took part in traditional games such as Philippines Pabitin, a Singaporean game of five stones, and Coconut-Shell Shoes Race of Thailand.

Fifty award-winning photos featuring the landscapes and people of ASEAN were also on display.  VNS
YANGON  Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held a meeting with representatives of leading enterprises from Viet Nam and Myanmar in Yangon on August 26 as part of his State visit to Myanmar.

Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, who is accompanying the Party chief, highlighted the success of the Party General Secretarys visit, including the establishment of a comprehensive cooperative partnership, thus creating new opportunities for bilateral co-operation, especially in economy, trade and investment.

The Deputy PM noted that Viet Nam has become the ninth largest trade partner and seventh biggest foreign investor of Myanmar, with 59 projects worth US$1.42 billion in Myanmar. The direct air routes between the two countries have also helped facilitate trade and tourism ties between the two sides.

However, he pointed out that two-way trade has reached only $500 million, falling short of the two countries potential and strengths.

Minh stressed that Viet Nam is working hard to reform its administrative procedures to create an optimal legal framework and infrastructure system for foreign investors, including those from Myanmar.

He held that the newly-established partnership between the two countries provides a basis for the formation of effective collaboration mechanisms, thus boosting bilateral investment ties.

Also on the same day, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Myanmar Vice President U Myint Swe cut the ribbon to inaugurate the headquarters of Telecom International Myanmar (MyTel) in Yangon, a joint venture by Viet Nams Viettel Group and a Myanmar partner.

After over 27 years of development, the military-run Viettel Group has become a strong enterprise that has made great contributions to the Vietnamese economy. Its revenue in 2016 hit $11 billion with profit of over $2 billion.

The group is operating in 11 countries on three continents, covering a market of 320 million people, with annual revenue of over $1.5 billion and achieving a year-on-year growth of over 20 per cent, in addition to creating jobs for over 11,000 labourers.

When officially inaugurated, MyTel will have the largest infrastructure system with almost 7,200 base transceiver stations (BTS) covering 90 per cent of the Myanmar population.

On the occasion, the Party leader and Myanmar Vice President U Myint Swe witnessed the signing of a co-operation agreement between MyTel and the Ministry of Education of Myanmar, under which MyTel will provide Internet services to over 1,350 schools, supply them with computers and develop education management software for the schools.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong arrived in Ha Noi on August 26, concluding his Indonesia and Myanmar tour.

Also on August 26, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sent a message to Myanmar President Htin Kyaw to thank the State leader for his warm welcome.

He said the visit left him with a good impression of a beautiful country with rich cultural tradition, dynamism, and hospitable people, expressing his strong belief in a productive bilateral partnership.  VNS
YANGON  Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong welcomed the establishment of the Myanmar  Viet Nam Friendship Association in July this year and asked the association to assist with the implementation of bilateral agreements.

He made the comment while receiving chairman of the association U Tint Swai in Yangon on Saturday (August 26), as part of his State visit to Myanmar.

Underscoring the valuable traditional ties between the two countries, the Party chief said Viet Nam appreciates Myanmars support during the past struggle for national independence.

He noted his visit aims to elevate bilateral relations to new heights, adding that the two sides have issued a joint statement on establishing a comprehensive cooperative partnership to reinforce co-operation in politics, trade, security-defence, and people-to-people exchanges, as well as at regional and international forums.

Trong said he hopes the two countries friendship associations will share experiences and hold people-to-people exchanges to boost mutual understanding and amity between the two nations.

For his part, U Tint Swai expressed his delight at the growing Viet Nam  Myanmar relationship.

He said his association needs to learn from Vietnamese partners via experience exchanges on international co-operation.

He said his organisation plans to admit Vietnamese investors in Myanmar as members and to work with its Vietnamese counterpart to intensify bilateral friendship activities.

The chairman pledged to do his best to increase engagement between the two governments and their people.

Earlier the same day, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited the Shwedagon Pagoda, the most sacred Buddhist pagoda in Myanmar.  VNS
HCM CITY  HCM City will not grant licences to high-rise construction projects on roads and in areas where planned infrastructure projects have not been completed in an effort to relieve congestion.

Apartment buildings have been built in many areas where roads have not been graded and enlarged.

Five apartment buildings on a 1km stretch of Trinh inh Thao Street between Tan Hoa Canal four-way cross-roads and Luy Ban Bich four-way cross-roads have exerted pressure on infrastructure in Hoa Thanh Ward in Tan Phu District.

A representative of the citys Department of Construction said in many areas building projects had surpassed the capacity of infrastructure and social development.

He said that new apartment building projects in residential areas built decades ago had affected poorly developed transport facilities and water supply networks, he said.

According to a source from the citys Department of Transportation, authorities have not sought opinions from the department on the planning of apartment buildings.

As a result, new high-rise apartment buildings on roads which have yet to be upgraded and enlarged have exerted rising traffic pressure on many densely populated areas.

Tran Quang Lam, deputy director of HCM City Department of Transportation, said that the department has asked investors of these apartment building projects to submit reports on transport impact and plans for enlarging roads to reduce traffic congestion.

Prof. Nguyen Trong Hoa, ex-chief of HCM City Institute for Development, said that experts had also asked city authorities to delay licensing high-rise building projects located on main road axis in the downtown area as infrastructure is overloaded.

However, Hoa said that licences had been granted to new high-rise building projects under a plan of 20 years later when seven metro routes and underground parking lots would be built.

Dr Nguyen Van Hiep, ex-deputy director of the citys Construction Department, said the laws on assessment of environmental impact should be changed.

The Government should hire consultants to make an environmental impact report on these projects, and agencies will rely on these reports when deciding whether a high-rise building project should be licensed, he said.  VNS
iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- The United States is stuck in a political and military stalemate in Afghanistan, and it is unclear whether President Donald Trump's new strategy in the country will resolve it, a former U.S. envoy to NATO said.



"If our goal is stalemate, we've achieved it, former NATO Ambassador Douglas Lute told ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos in an interview on ABC's This Week Sunday that also included Zalmay Khalilzad, who served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and the United Nations under President George W. Bush.



Lute was responding to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's comments Tuesday about the administration's new strategy in Afghanistan, when he said, "This entire effort is intended to put pressure on the Taliban to have the Taliban understand: You will not win a battlefield victory. We may not win one, but neither will you."



We have not only a stalemate on the security situation, but a threefold stalemate on the political front, said Lute, a retired Army lieutenant general who served as an adviser on Afghan policy under both President Bush and President Obama. We have a political stalemate in Kabul. We have a political stalemate in the region, and we have a political stalemate with regards to trying to enter talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban.



Khalilzad took a somewhat different view, telling Stephanopoulos that he believes the stalemate "has been shifting in favor of the Taliban in recent weeks and months."



"They have been gaining ground," he said. "So why should they negotiate for peace if they think they're going to win the war?"



But Khalilzad said an important change in President Trump's new strategy is its sharp focus on Pakistan, particularly its assistance to U.S. enemies in the region.



"This has been in my judgment the single most important factor, the Pakistan problem, for prolonging the war," Khalilzad said, adding that he believes the United States has leverage over the country to Afghanistan's south and west.



"We have the leverage of cutting off assistance," he said. "We have the leverage of putting ... individuals who support groups such as the Taliban on a blacklist."



Lute was less sanguine. "I'm actually skeptical that we have sufficient leverage against Pakistan to change their strategic calculus, he said.



We don't have to accept [Pakistan's] perspective, but understanding it is the start point, Lute said. And that start point begins with their view that their tension, that their competition with India is existential, and everything flows through that lens."



Lute and Khalilzad agreed that more details are needed to fully assess Trumps Afghanistan strategy.



We heard a lot about what it is we want to accomplish, Lute said. We heard very little on how.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
HA NOI  Rail tracks located in the inner city have caused problems for Ha Nois traffic, however, this will be addressed in the future when city planning is completed.

Transport Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc ong made this comment referring to the proposal to move Ha Noi railway station out of the inner city.

Traffic congestion (caused by the railways) is indeed taking place, at present. In the future, the rail tracks will not cause traffic jams. The Cat Linh-Ha ong rail route will run on an elevated rail track or the Nhon-Ha Noi rail route will be underground. We will address the problem, he said, indicating he was not in favour of the proposal.

He said the Ha Noi transport development, including Ha Noi railway planning, has been scheduled.

According to the Viet Nam Railway Corporation, there are 5,564 crossings between rail tracks and roads nationwide. Ha Noi has the highest number of crossings. There are also a large number of national rail tracks running parallel with Ha Nois main roads, such as Le Duan and Giai Phong, and crossings between rail tracks and the citys main transport routes, including densely-populated intersections such as Kham Thien, ai Co Viet-ao Duy Anh, Truong Chinh and Linh am peninsula.

As a result, trains are banned from entering and moving out of the inner city during the rush hour, which is when there are maximum passengers. This has limited profits of the railway sector.

Vu Anh Minh, chairman of the Viet Nam Railways Corporation, said worldwide, railways has two advantages -- safety and location in the inner city to meet travel demand.

He said major cities such as Paris, Tokyo, and Frankfurt have their national railways located in the city centre, which is connected with inner cities railways.

He said if the railways were not located in the city centre, small-sized vehicles carrying passengers to the suburbs would increase.

Hundreds of other vehicles replacing a train carrying 700 to 1,000 passengers still put pressure on the inner citys traffic, he said.

In early August, the Ha Noi Police Department proposed to move the Ha Noi Railway Station and all inter-provincial rail tracks to the suburbs to avoid traffic congestion and fatal accidents in the inner city.

Figures from the citys Traffic Safety Steering Committee show that in the first seven months of this year, as many as 14 traffic accidents occurred on railroads, leaving 13 dead and many injured.

Most of the accidents occurred at intersection points or crossings between rail tracks and streets as drivers and pedestrians failed to observe or obey railway signals.

The Ministry of Transport is also collecting opinions on its website to draft criteria to determine black spots of railway accidents.

The criteria proposed to determine potential spots of railway accidents are quality of railways and safety railway barriers, as well as the number of traffic accidents in a year.  VNS
SON LA  National Highway No 6 section linking Moc Chau District of northern mountainous province of Son La and Son La City was open to traffic on August 24.

The project is part of Vietnam Road Asset Management Project (VRAMP) funded by the World Bank.

VRAMP, aiming to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the road asset management and maintenance practices performed by Ministry of Transport on national roads, is worth a total investment of US$301 million, including $251 million funded by the World Bank and $50 million of counterpart capitals.

The total length of maintenance of the National Highway No 6 section Km193+000 to Km303+000 covers 110km with total investment of about VN537 billion ($23.4 million).

National Highway No 6 is a key route connecting northwest region with Ha Noi.

Cam Ngoc Minh, Chairman of Son La Provinces Peoples Committee said that the road upgrade from Moc Chau to Son La City and from Son La City to Ha Noi has reduced travel time by almost one hour, facilitated travelling and contributed to local socio-economic development.  VNS
SON LA  With no more tears to cry, Lo Thi Xams only hope is that her two sons can love their mother more. The Thai ethnic lady, living in Phat Village, Long Sap Ward, lost her husband to a drug overdose nearly ten years ago. Unfortunately, her sons seem to be on the same path.

In 2010, my husband became addicted to drugs. After that, he went to work in Laos for food and drugs, then died there in 2012. At least his remains were shipped home for burial, she said.

After the death of her husband, all Xams love is for her two sons, Ha Van Huong and Ha Van Hung. However, they began using heroin and quickly became addicted. Hung is undergoing compulsory detoxification while Huong is being treated with methadone.

My friends dropped out of school and started using drugs at a young age. Now, ten of them are in rehab. The village has no more young people, Huong said.

Huong and Hung are only two of 197 drug abusers living in the area, according to Lo Van uc, head of Long Sap Wards Police Department.

Buoc Pat, an isolated village about 27km from the districts centre, is home to many drug addicts. Some died, some are in rehab, some are imprisoned while others work in Laos for drugs, said uc.

The situation is similar in the neighbouring villages of Chieng Khua, Muong Sang or other villages in districts of Van Ho and Sop Cop. Hoang Thi Xien of Chieng Khua Districts Khua Village said: My husband passed away. One of my sons died from drugs, another is in rehab.

Fight against drugs

Long Sap is Moc Chau Districts border ward, sharing nearly 30km of border with Sop Bau District, Laos. Long Sap Border Gate is good for trading, but also creates good conditions for drug trafficking.

Residents have asked local authorities to consider drug trafficking a serious issue. They believe that only by blocking the supply, educating people about harms of drugs and the Governments regulations and implementing compulsory detoxification, can the harms of drugs be tackled.

However, the situation is getting worse. In 2016, Son La Provinces police detected 860 drug-related cases and arrested 1,391 criminals. In the first six months of 2017, they detected 551 cases with 907 criminals. Moc Chau District police investigated 130 cases and 249 criminals in 2016 as well as 111 cases and criminals in first six months of 2017.

279LL is a case managed by the Ministry of Public Security with police of Moc Chau and Van Ho districts and other related agencies.

In the fifth phase of the case, police had five gunfights with armed Mong ethnic groups, seizing 400 heroin bricks, synthetic drugs and several guns.

In the eighth phase, on July 22, 2017, forces arrested Mua A Hu of Laoss Sop Bau District, seized 28 heroin bricks and a gun. Expanding the investigation, they arrested two others from Pu Nhan Village, Long Sap Ward.

This is a serious issue. We have to fight as hard as possible so that they will not dare to smuggle drugs, said uc.

On the difficulties of fighting drugs, Tran Nam Hung, deputy director of Long Sap Border Guard Station said Drug dealers have networks with people in and outside the area. Therefore, it is hard for us to investigate them.

Say no to abetting

Because of economic difficulties, locals can be bribed and become cogs in the drug dealers networks. While drugs can bring profits to some people, they also destroy the lives of others.

Ta Van Tue, deputy head of drug prevention department under Moc Chau Police recommended people not help criminals store drugs, as they could go to jail and cause others to die.

Tue has many experiences in the war on drugs. On July 19, 2014, he and other officers chased 25 drug traffickers. A fireight ensued, leaving Luong Phat Chiem of Son La Provinces Police dead and Nguyen Manh Ha wounded.

Long Sap Border Gate or Long Luong Ward seems peaceful in the day, surrounded by broad green hills. However, at night, it is the most intensive area of drug crime, said Lo My Sang whose son is in prison for using drugs. Her only hope now is that her community will be rid of drugs.  VNS
Bui Thanh Son, deputy minister of Viet Nams Foreign Affairs Ministry, and chair of the APEC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM-3), spoke with Viet Nam News about the Dialogue on Regional Trade Agreement (RTAs) and Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).

What is the role of APECs Third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 3)?

This SOM 3 has a very important meaning because it has gathered many senior officials from APEC economies to discuss and prepare documents to submit to the APEC Economic Leaders Week which will be held in November in the central city of a Nang.

This is also a good chance for us to prepare our agenda and review all documents, many of which have been suggested by Viet Nam since the beginning of the year. These will be submitted for the APEC Economic Leaders Week as well.

This meeting is an annual event, where APEC economies meet and share experiences. The ultimate goal of all APEC economies is one fully free trade region. To reach the goal, APEC economies have created many FTAs in different sub-regions and this is a long-term foundation to build one FTA for the whole Asia  Pacific region.

In the annual meeting, APEC economies share experiences about FTAs: what is new content, how FTAs are approached, the scale of FTAs, and how APEC can build one FTA for the whole region. We also learned experiences from other regions, such as Latin America, East Asia, and Eurasian Economic Union to prepare for APEC free trade agreements.

Why has comprehensive development been chosen as one of the co-operation priorities in APEC this year?

Comprehensive development has received a great deal of attention from APEC economies as well as all around the world. It means that during globalisation, development and integration of some regions, some residents (in remote and mountainous region, and ethnic minorities) and enterprises, especially small ones, have not caught up with the process, and have even been left behind.

The development gap among different economies is bigger and even in each economy, some sectors have strongly developed while others have been left behind. The situation requires one common strategy to attract participation from all social classes and all kinds of enterprises to the development process (comprehensive participation). In return, all participants will receive benefits from globalisation (comprehensive benefit-getting). With the theme of comprehensive development, this year Viet Nam has launched an initiative to build an action framework for comprehensive development in finance, economy and society.

This is an important Vietnamese initiative that can attract support from APEC economies in general, as well as meet the desire of regional economies. Today, one important seminar about the topic will be held. With results from the seminar, we will collect contributions and prepare documents to submit to the upcoming APEC Economic Leaders Week.

How has Viet Nam participated in RTAs/FTAs?

Multilateral and bilateral FTAs have recently strongly developed. Over half of the worlds FTAs originate from the Asia  Pacific region. For the past 30 years, RTAs/FTAs in the APEC region have flourished in number, scope of work and sophistication. According to the APEC Policy Support Unit, as of December 2016, 165 RTAs/FTAs signed by at least one APEC member economy have gone into effect, 62 of them intra-APEC agreements.

During international integration, Viet Nam has paid attention to its approach to new foreign markets for exporting products. Viet Nam has signed and implemented 12 Free Trade Agreements with important partners. The country is continuing to negotiate other FTAs with different partners throughout the world.

Generally, getting multilateral and bilateral FTAs is the common trend of the region and Viet Nam is on the right track. FTAs have created favourable conditions for our products to enter many different markets all around the world.

What are the challenges and advantages for Viet Nam in promoting RTAs/FTAs?

There are many challenges, but also advantages. The biggest challenge is that there are so many risks in the global economy, despite its recent development. Risks have appeared in different development areas, in different sectors and regions. Additionally, the trend of protests against and concerns about globalisation has emerged in many places. Furthermore, many economies have only focused on what they are interested in and they have hindered great efforts from other economies, which want to promote free trade, investment, and opening and approaching markets to serve development.

With current global economic fluctuations, over-production is also another challenge. Economies have already set up different protective barriers, both tariffs and non-tariffs. In this context, FTAs are the answer for countries which want to support each other in opening and approaching new markets over the long-term to meet benefits for all sides.

However, we should also notice that most economies in the world have recognised that they need to co-operate with each other, and need to open their markets for better development. With the foundation of free trade in the World Trade Organisation, economies will negotiate with each other about new versions of FTAs. In the new version, market openings will include not only products but also services, public investment and other new fields on a larger scale.

Under these basic challenges and advantages, Viet Nam has strengthened FTAs and taken advantages to approach markets and expand exports. However, the country should enhance the competitive ability of enterprises and the national economy in the development process.  VNS
HA NOI  A fire broke out around 8.45am on Monday at a goods storehouse in Ha Noi Port on Bach ang Road in the capital citys Hai Ba Trung District.

Workers at the store, located in Thanh Luong Ward and owned by VNT6 Design and Consultants Joint Stock Company, called the fire department after they were unable to put out the blaze.

Around 20 fire engines were deployed to the site, and firefighters are fighting to prevent the blaze from spreading but the fire is not stopped completedly. Losses incurred are being estimated.

In another incident, around 8pm on Sunday, a fire broke out at Paldo Vina Co Ltd, a South Korean company that makes instant noodles, in Phu Ninh Districts ong Lang Industrial Zone, in the northern province of Phu Tho. It was doused at 11pm. No fatalities were reported. The police are investigating to determine the cause of the fire.  VNS
AK NONG  Tests on water from a water supplier in uc Xuyen Commune, Krong No District, Central Highlands province of ak Nong, revealed that the amount of arsenic used in insecticides, weed killers, solid-state doping agents and various alloys, exceeded national regulated norms.

The information was released on Monday by Ngo Xuan ong, vice chairman of the district Peoples Committee.

The tests were conducted and supervised by the provincial preventive medicine centre in June.

The amount of arsenic in several water samples exceeded regulations by two to 20 times.

The water samples were taken from the depth of five to more than 50m.

The province offered a free-of-charge health examination for locals. A total of 350 urine samples were taken for tests. As many as 35 were tested, of which 32 samples had the arsenic amount exceeding regulated levels by at most eight times.

So far nobody has shown clear symptoms of disease caused by arsenic contamination.

ong expressed his hope that the provincial authorities would support the district in treating the water and limit the harm.

Nguyen Hung, vive chairman of uc Xuyen Commune Peoples Committee, said the commune received residents report about the abnormal water in May this year.

The commune reported the case to upper level authorities.

After receiving the tests results, the commune will repair the water suppliers filter system and clear bushes around it.

The commune has warned residents to limit their use of the water until it is treated, and instead use rain water or well water.

Several residents in the commune said that they were forced to buy clean water at the price of VN15,000-20,000 (US$0.7-0.9) per 20-litre bottle for cooking.

The provincial authorities said arsenic was very dangerous for peoples health.

If people eat or drink about 0.3-30mg of arsenic, they can be poisoned within 30-60 minutes and this can then lead to fatalities or prolonged dangerous after-effects.

If people use water contaminated with arsenic, they can be chronically poisoned, affecting their mental, cardiovascular and digestive system, and face high risk of cancer.  VNS
The Yeasu FT-817 would have to be one of the most revered and iconic QRP radios of all time. But this doesnt mean it doesnt have its faults. Take the DC ...

3 years ago
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Be the first to know Get local news delivered to your inbox! Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
WATERLOO  An Arizona man faces multiple charges after hitting a bicylist with his truck.

Daniel K. Murphy, 63, of Flagstaff, Ariz., was arrested on charges of assault with a dangerous weapon, first-offense operating while intoxicated and carrying weapons following the incident at approximately 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Waterloo police were called to the intersection of Cedar Terrace Drive and Texas Street for a report of a hit-and-run accident involving a white truck and a bicycle. The cyclist, Justin Holm of Waterloo, reportedly suffered minor injuries.

Murphy was arrested during the investigation on the felony assault charge. No further details were released at this time.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man told police he was beaten and robbed early Sunday morning.

Andrew Paige, 28, was taken to a local hospital by private vehicle with injuries to his head and hands, said Capt. David Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department. He said the injuries dont appear serious.

Paige told officers he was walking to his car in the 300 block of Commercial Street shortly after midnight when he was attacked by an unknown number of suspects and knocked out. His wallet was taken, according to the incident report.

Paiges vehicle was also reported missing, but it was found a short time later in the 300 block of Jefferson Street with the keys on the windshield and his phone inside, Mohlis said.
WATERLOO  Credit union officials said they dont believe any sensitive information was compromised after finding a skimmer on an ATM on Friday.

Armored car guards discovered the device  which is used to record information from magnetic strips on debit and credit cards  along with a small hidden camera at the Veridian Credit Union drive-up ATM at 1515 E. San Marnan Drive around 7 a.m. Friday, according to Waterloo police.

The equipment was seized by authorities.

Investigators believe the hidden camera was used to record video of people entering their PIN numbers into the keypad, said Capt. David Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department.

Waterloo/Cedar Falls police warn of ATM skimmers WATERLOO  Local police are warning shoppers to use extra caution when removing money from ATMs.

Skimming machines are card readers that are placed over an ATMs normal card reader. They copy information from cards inserted by unwary customers, and the thieves then return to collect the skimmers and cameras and use the information to create cloned credit cards for their own shopping sprees.

Veridian officials said they dont believe any information was compromised with the skimmer found Friday, because it was discovered only about an hour after it was placed and before the thieves could retrieve it.

Credit union officials believe the skimmer was placed on the ATM at about 6:45 a.m. Friday and was found and removed by security personnel at 8:05 a.m. on the same day.

As a precaution, Veridian officials are contacting customers who used the ATM while the skimmer was in place.

Waverly forgery suspect sought in Wisconsin card skimming probe WAVERLY  A Miami man caught in a Waverly credit card fraud investigation last month also is

This isnt the first time skimmers have been found in the area.

Police received reports of suspicious card transactions from residents who had used their cards at ATMs at Farmers State Bank locations in Waterloo and Cedar Falls in November, and the investigation found that someone had placed skimming devices at the ATMs.

Also, in February, Waverly police arrested three Cuban citizens who had been traveling Iowa making purchases with cloned credit cards believed to have been created with the help of skimmers.

The group allegedly used the bogus cards to purchase gift cards at Walmart in Waverly and Cedar Falls.

One of the three also was a suspect in the case of a skimmer found at a Wisconsin convenience store gas pump in November 2016, according to court records.

Federal charges in Waverly credit card skimming probe WAVERLY  Three Cubans have been charged in federal court for allegedly using cloned credit 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Waterloo Police Department at 291-4340, the Cedar Falls Police Department at 273-8612 or Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers at 855-300-TIPS (8477). Tips also may be left at www.cvcrimestop.com or sent with TipSoft or by texting the word CEDAR plus the information to CRIMES (274637).
WATERLOO  A candidate for the Director District 1 seat on the Board of Education has withdrawn from the race.

Evansdale resident Brian Jacobs was one of two people who filed to run for the seat in the Sept. 12 election. The real estate broker and Waterloo native moved to the area in May after living in Wisconsin for 30 years. He decided to run for the seat on the Waterloo Community Schools board after learning incumbent Mike Kindschi was stepping down.

Flurry of filings in races for area school boards WATERLOO  Two of three seats up for election on the Board of Education Sept. 12 will be con

But now Jacobs thinks he might have jumped the gun when it comes to his eligibility for getting involved with a local elected board.

He is still in the process of moving from Wisconsin and currently owns a house there.

I did a little checking on my own, he said. Im still considered a Wisconsin resident.

Although Jacobs is withdrawing, his name will still appear on the ballot because he missed the deadline to have it removed before printing. The other candidate whose name will appear on the ballot is Astor Williams of Waterloo.

The position represents a northeast portion of Waterloo, portions of East Waterloo and Poyner townships, and Elk Run Heights, Evansdale, Gilbertville and Raymond.
CEDAR FALLS  Registration is open for the third biennial Cedar Valley Conference on Ethics, which will be Sept. 22 at Maucker Union on the University of Northern Iowa campus.

The theme this year will be Ethics and Social Responsibility.

Oral, panel and poster presentations will be offered from faculty and staff from UNI, Hawkeye Community College, Allen College and other institutions of higher learning from Iowa, as well as public officials, experts and community members from across the Cedar Valley.

Keynote speaker will be Stephen Black, director of the Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility at the University of Alabama. He also is founder of Impact America, a student service initiative which is dedicated to developing and implementing substantive service-learning projects in coordination with colleges and universities. Black is the grandson of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo L. Black.

Additional session topics include Fake News, Culturally Competent Communication, Ethical Dilemmas in Promoting Transparency and Community Input in Public Service Work, Addressing Wicked Problems in Practical Ways, Building a Culture of Ethics in Higher Education, and UNI Youth Arts Summit: Mentoring and Empowering Youth Voice Through the Arts. The Cedar Valley chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants will offer sessions on business ethics as well. To see a complete agenda and to register, go to www.ethics.uni.edu/ethics-conference-2017. Deadline is Sept. 12.

Leading sponsors of the conference include Allen College, the UNI Center for Academic Ethics, Character Counts! Cedar Valley, Hawkeye Community College, and the Institute of Management Accountants.
WATERLOO  There was a moment this spring when U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-1st District, saw what was going on at the state Capitol, with protests against the majority Republicans proposed legislation, when he doubted the party would stick to their principles.

I wondered if our knees will start going wobbly. But hats off to everyone in Des Moines, you stayed the course, you stayed true, you made the tough votes, (and) I believe Iowa and the citizens of Iowa are going to be better off for those votes that you made, Blum recalled during the Black Hawk County Republicans annual Lincoln Dinner on Sunday night.

Then, he added, Im jealous.

While there had been some mild criticism through the night of the federal-level Republicans who have few accomplishments despite total GOP control, Blum made clear to the about 65 attendees thats not due to inaction in the U.S. House of Representatives.

And he said hes still optimistic that seven months after Republican U.S. President Donald Trump was sworn in big things can happen. That includes the Senate passage of a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, the federal health law and passage of tax reform legislation.

He quoted Fox News pundit Sean Hannity in saying, Let not your heart be troubled, before saying hes optimistic about what will yet be done this year.

Blum also laid out legislation that has passed in the U.S. House but is held up in the U.S. Senate, including the repeal of financial regulation law known as Dodd-Frank, the repeal of other regulations, funding for the opioid crisis, two laws addressing illegal immigration issues, and funding to start building a wall at the United States southern border.

When people say, Darn Congress, GOP, not getting anything done, please let them know the U.S. House is one of the most productive in history, Blum said, noting the chamber had passed more than 300 bills so far this session.

He defended the House-passed repeal of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, saying in the rear-view mirror, it looks pretty good. He also praised Iowa Republican U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley for supporting Obamacare repeal, and said he believes their fellow senators will get on board to pass something before next summer.

He said hes heard a lot from left-leaning groups like Indivisible and groups calling themselves the resistance, but he encouraged others to share the fortitude of the Iowa lawmakers earlier this year.

Not real productive, but theyre very loud. They cant be the only voice. I think we should be professional. I think we should say what we believe in with a smile, and dont back down. Were right; were right on the issues. Dont back down, just say it with a smile on, Blum said.

Throughout the night other speakers had contrasted the inaction in Washington, D.C., with that of the work that the Iowa Legislature did this year to enact major changes.

I really hope the U.S. Congress can get to come out here and look at what were doing, because we really got a lot of stuff done in this past session. So, Im hoping they kind of get in gear and maybe look at us and learn what to do and how to do it, said Iowa Rep. Dean Fisher, R-Garwin.

Reynolds, Gregg discuss boosting Iowas workforce WAVERLY  A question at the beginning of a tour of Waverlys United Equipment Accessories pe

Fisher focused on the collective bargaining changes, the reform of workers compensation laws, gun reform, voter integrity reform, anti-abortion measures, among others passed this year.

Weve got a lot more to do, Fisher said. Were heading in the right direction, and were going there pretty fast.

The event also focused on small businesses and highlighted two area businesses before the end of the ceremony. They were VGM Group and Greg and Lea Ann Saul, and their PIPAC Centre.
WATERLOO  The Waterloo Historic Preservation Commission is hoping to draw attention to buildings most at risk of being lost forever.

The volunteer board released its 2017 Most Endangered Properties list, which includes three churches, a former Rath Packing Co. building, the citys oldest remaining limestone house and several historic houses in the Walnut Neighborhood.

Chairman Ed Ottesen said its the first time the commission has compiled such a list, which is similar to those put together at the state an national level to boost public education and raise awareness.

All too often an endangered building does not get that public attention until it is nearly too late to save it, Ottesen said. It is the commissions hope that through this awareness, these buildings can be rehabilitated into useful, contributing structures the community can be proud of.

Ottesen said the eight buildings listed were felt to be the most endangered of many historically significant structures in Waterloo.

If the commission listed all buildings that are considered endangered, then it would be a very extensive list, he said. In coming years this list will change as buildings are rehabilitated, the urgency of another becomes more important, or through loss.

The list includes three eastside churches, including Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, 633 Walnut St., which was built in 1911, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 and still still hosts services for a small congregation.

Preservation Iowa listed Mount Moriah as one of the states most endangered properties last year, noting the building is an iconic structure of the Waterloo skyline not only for its unique architecture but also because it sits directly behind Waterloo City Hall on one of the major thoroughfares through the city.

Mount Moriah church tapped for 'endangered' list WATERLOO  Local historic preservationists are hoping to focus more attention on an iconic d

Walnut Baptist Church, built in 1908 at 414 Walnut St. and also on the National Register, is on the citys list along with the former St. Marys Church and School at East Fourth and Parker streets. St. Marys closed in 2006 and was sold to private investors who neglected the buildings, which are in grave danger of being demolished due to major deterioration.

The former Rath Packing administration building at 1515 Sycamore St. was shuttered when the meatpacking giant went bankrupt in 1985 and was placed on the National Register in 2008. A private developer from California was expected to renovate the building but has failed to perform. The city has asked for the property to be returned so a new developer can be found or the building demolished.

Waterloo acting to repossess Rath site WATERLOO  A California developers effort to save the historic Rath Packing Co. Administrat

Also on this list is the Dunsmore House, which was built in 1866 by English immigrant stonemason Thomas Chadwick using limestone from a small quarry near the present site of Allen Hospital.

Thought to be the only remaining 19th-century limestone house standing in Waterloo, its named after John Dunsmore, an employee of the Illinois Central Railroad who bought it in 1873. The city bought the house for $35,000 in 2012 to save it from demolition.

Youth volunteers clean up around Dunsmore House WATERLOO | Nine-year-old Gabe Frazier gripped a rake and spoke through a dust mask to explai

Three houses in the Walnut Neighborhood also are on the list, including 516 Pine St., which was built in 1905 and thought to be the citys first hospital; 521 Pine St., built in 1889 and moved to its current location before 1910; and 408 Saxon St., built in 1931.

Rehab planned of Walnut area WATERLOO  A push to revitalize homes in the historic Walnut Neighborhood soon may get finan

JSA Development is expected to renovate the two Pine Street houses through a development agreement with the city of Waterloo. Those projects, however, are dependent on the neighborhood getting a historic designation to allow the of federal and state tax credits.
CEDAR RAPIDS  In addition to a good head of hair, a firm handshake and a winning smile, running for governor takes money.

A candidate for governor of Iowa should be prepared to raise upward of $5 million, according to Matt Paul, who has worked on campaigns from city hall to the White House.

In 2014, former Gov. Terry Branstad raised about $10 million. His opponent raised less than $2 million. Campaigns arent all about money, but Branstad carried all but one of Iowas 99 counties.

Potential candidates generally know theyll have to raise a lot. But whatever they think theyll need to raise, theyre usually off by a factor of five, said Paul, who joined Cornerstone Government Affairs in Des Moines after working for two Cedar Rapids mayors, former Gov. Tom Vilsack and more recently as Iowa director of Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and as chief of staff for vice presidential candidate Sen. Tim Kaine.

There are a lot of similarities between launching a campaign and an entrepreneur going out and setting up company ABC to sell widgets or whatever, said Brian Dumas of Davenport-based Victory Enterprises.

Youve got to have a business plan. Youve got to have a salesman, basically, in the candidate selling their ideas and vision, he said. Then you have to build a team around them. And if you run out of money or cant raise enough venture capital or sell enough widgets you close your doors.

As in business, he added, Youve got to be able to adjust and move quickly  maybe even more so in politics than in business.

Even before raising venture capital, Paul said a candidate must have an absolutely rock solid answer why they are the best person for the office.

A gubernatorial campaign can last two years, involve three or more nights a week away from family, time away from a job, travel and hours on the phone raising money.

Candidates have to come to be their own north star on why they are doing this in order to get through the day-to-day of the very unglamorous life of being a candidate, Paul said.

Its a troubling sign if a candidate cant articulate why she or he is running, said Jeff Link of LPCA Public Strategies in Des Moines, who works with Democratic candidates. In those cases, he tries to talk them out of running because the work is too hard, too tedious to continue unless you are really passionate.

Those second thoughts happen with some regularity, according to David Kochel, founder of Redwave Communications in Des Moines. They think about. Take a few steps. Then decide against it.

Paul has had four or five conversations in the current election cycle with potential candidates who decided against it after having that conversation.

However, if candidates can answer the why question, then its time to start putting together the building blocks of the campaign, said Kochel, a former Harvard Institute of Politics fellow who worked on campaigns for presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.

The basic building block is money.

Link, who has worked with former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and Barack Obama in 2008 as well as with campaigns in the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Africa, asks potential candidates to make a spreadsheet of all the names in their phones and on their Christmas card and wedding guest lists, and next to them write how much money each person would give to the campaign if asked. In 25 years, hes had about three candidates follow through.

Paul tells candidates write the name of every person you will call and ask for $1,000, and come back when your notebook is full.

Its easy for a candidate to say they can raise $300,000, for example, but when you start writing down names and numbers, the numbers get real, real fast, Link said.

For an Iowa gubernatorial primary race, he estimates a candidate must be able to raise at least $1.5 million to run a viable campaign.

From a functional standpoint, launching the campaign is similar to starting a business venture, according to Sam Roecker, Links colleague at LPCA. In addition to employees, a campaign needs to recruit motivated volunteers, people who know how to organize, how to schedule the candidates time, how to keep the campaign on message, get that message out and when, where and how to advertise to build a statewide presence. And, Roecker said, a campaign needs a logo, a slogan, perhaps, and an office.

Nothing too glamorous, he said, because donors dont want to think their money is being spent on prime office space, nice furniture and fancy campaign swag. You do what you can to get by. Look for free furniture.

Technology has made the traditional campaign headquarters less important than in the past, Dumas said.

Twenty years ago, everyone came to the office to make phone calls, he said. Today, you log in from your home computer and make calls or you share a campaign message on Facebook and Twitter.

Candidates can run the day-to-day campaign operation, but Dumas said their time is better spent making personal appearances and raising money.

Campaigns are almost always about the candidate: Who they are, their background, their capacity to lead and how prepared they are, Kochel said. So to maximize their impact, candidates running for governor generally rely on campaign consultants to recommend and recruit professional staffers to help develop messaging and campaign strategies, and help with the fundraising how-to.

However, A candidate has to have a relationship with activists, with volunteers, with voters, Kochel said. You cant hire a professional to provide those things.

Also, Paul said, If youre running for governor of Iowa, youre running to be the CEO of a $9 billion operation. So you should be able to handle a $9 (million) or $10 million election budget.
Register for more free articles. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading.

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! Already a Subscriber? Already a Subscriber? Sign in Terms of Service Privacy Policy
The field appears to have settled at seven Democrats seeking to become the partys nominee for Iowa governor in 2018.

And those seven Democratic candidates are honing their message to voters nine months out from the partys primary.

Each appeared in Des Moines last week at a meeting of one of the states largest union groups, the Independent Federation of Labor. The candidates were asked topical questions, but also had the opportunity to give opening and closing comments. It was during those three-minute windows candidates were free to make their pitch to a group of voters who are likely to be motivated and mobilized in 2018.

Obviously issues central to organized labor were prominent in the discussion. It should surprise no one the new collective bargaining law passed by the Republican-led Iowa Legislature and signed by then-Gov. Terry Branstad was addressed (and opposed, of course) by all seven candidates.

But the candidates also used their time to make their cases more generally.

John Norris and Andy McGuire, for example, talked about the need for Democrats to recoup voters lost in rural portions of the state. Thats an issue Democrats are talking about across the Midwest, and its a critical issue for Iowa Democrats if they are to win a statewide race for governor in 2018.

McGuire said while traveling across the state as chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, she observed many people feel left behind. And Norris touted his farm roots.

I am from rural Iowa, said Norris, who was raised on his family farm in Montgomery County. I understand rural Iowa. I am passionate about it.

Fred Hubbell pitched himself, as he has throughout his campaign, as the candidate with rich experience in both the public and private sectors. Hubbell was chairman of Younkers and president of Equitable of Iowa, and also served on state boards overseeing economic development and renewable energy.

Like many other candidates, he criticized the incentive package  a combination of state and local incentives  awarded to Apple for the new data center it plans to build in suburban Des Moines. Hubbell said he could have negotiated a better deal for the state.

I have training and experience to do that, he said.

Cathy Glasson has carved out her niche in the field as the bold, progressive candidate. She uses the phrase often on the stump and did so again last week when speaking to the labor group.

Nate Boulton was on quasi-home turf in addressing the labor group. Boulton, who has been endorsed by 23 labor organizations across the state, received a standing ovation when he was introduced. So naturally the bulk of Boultons comments were on labor-related issues.

If all seven Democrats remain in the field, each candidates message will be critical to help himself or herself separate from the crowd. Already voters can get a sense of the lanes the candidates are picking to travel the primary trail.

Straw poll

Kim Reynolds and Nate Boulton were the most popular choices among those who cast votes  and kernels  at the Iowa State Fair.

Reynolds, the successor incumbent Republican governor, and Boulton, a Democratic state senator, garnered the most votes in a pair of straw polls conducted throughout the state fair: by the Iowa Secretary of States Office and by Des Moines TV station WHO-TV.

In the Secretary of States poll, which was also available online, Reynolds got 77 percent of the votes cast for Republican candidates. Cedar Rapids mayor Ron Corbett was a distant second at 12 percent.

Boulton got 38 percent of the votes in the Democratic field. Fred Hubbell was second with 17 percent.

At WHO-TVs Cast Your Kernel booth, voters placed a corn kernel into jars labeled with the candidate they support. The field was not separated by party.

Reynolds received the most kernels, snaring 51 percent of the overall vote. Boulton was second, and tops among Democrats, with 22 percent.

No other candidate reached 10 percent.

This all means, of course, absolutely nothing. But its a fun Iowa State Fair tradition.

Although, for what its worth, the winners of the 2015 Cast Your Kernel polls were Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Communities in the Cedar Valley are still struggling with the issue of legalized fireworks.

Thats not a bad thing. Taking the time to determine the most palatable course for the greatest number of residents for future years is a better approach than knee-jerk reactions.

Thats what happened in Cedar Falls, where council members voted earlier this month to implement a fireworks ban in the city after allowing them for a nearly five-week span this year.

On Aug. 21, after hearing from residents, council members reversed that decision and voted 4-3 against drafting an ordinance to ban fireworks. The council then voted 6-1 to send the matter back to committee for more discussion.

Council members took the votes after listening to arguments from residents on both sides of the issue.

Im a little conflicted myself, said Councilman Frank Darrah. Id love to ban fireworks. For me, thats the bottom line. But I also heard a lot of really good ideas tonight. ... I also want to be respectful of individuals in our community who are responsible users.

Many residents had complained about weeks of noise and debris from fireworks in June and July, disturbing pets and veterans with post-traumatic stress. Others said an outright ban is excessive and favored limiting the time fireworks could be discharged.

We stick with our previous opinion  stated prior to the initial Cedar Falls ban vote  that the long time frame of legalized fireworks was, by far, the biggest problem.

The Legislature legalized the sale and use of consumer fireworks this year for the first time in 80 years, allowing them to be shot off on private property from June 1 through July 8 and again from Dec. 10 through Jan. 3. But cities can adopt more restrictive usage times.

In Cedar Falls, five weeks of legalized fireworks over June and July turned out to be overkill.

In Waterloo, councilmen voted 6-1 in May to only allow fireworks use from June 30 through July 4  a much shorter and more practical time frame than the initial Cedar Falls regulations.

Even so, future fireworks use in Waterloo also is up in the air. A proposal narrowly endorsed by a Waterloo City Council subcommittee Monday would limit legalized fireworks to the Fourth of July.

Some residents there have pushed since for a total ban, calling fireworks a nuisance, while supporters have pushed back with calls to continue them.

Many fireworks proponents have used Fourth of July celebrations to back their arguments. Vietnam veteran and local businessman Greg Saul said the right to discharge fireworks is one of the freedoms he fought for.

I support fireworks, and I think 80 percent of the veterans do. Let freedom ring, and let Cedar Falls celebrate, like most of the rest of the country, the Fourth of July.

Yes, we support the ability to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks. Its a longtime American tradition. But theres no reason to celebrate the Fourth of July on June 1, or even June 30. People setting off fireworks in city neighborhoods in early June arent celebrating Independence Day.

The Fourth of July is still a deeply meaningful holiday for a lot of people. Frankly, we believe that long of a window for legal fireworks cheapens the actual holiday, a special day with the special privileges of setting off fireworks in celebration.

The practical compromise here is legalizing fireworks only on (and possibly closely around) the actual Fourth of July holiday.
When Gov. Terry Brandstad and then-Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds formally declared 2017 as the Year of Manufacturing, they named building a skilled workforce as a primary area of focus to grow the states gross domestic product from $29 billion to $32 billion by 2022.

There are more than 6,100 manufacturers in Iowa employing more than 200,000 workers. Competition for top employees can be fierce, and finding quality workers is often cited as a top concern for companies throughout the state, including the Cedar Valley.

Manufacturing companies looking to expand or relocate often list the quality and quantity of available workers as a key factor in their choice of location.

Iowa has a great work force with great Midwestern values and a strong work ethic. One of the many factors Hydrite considers when deciding where to expand is workforce availability, said Dan David, office manager, Hydrite Chemical Co. in Waterloo. At times, it can be a challenge to find employees in a market with lower unemployment but Waterloo continues to be a source for great employees to fuel our growing business.

The Wisconsin-based company is currently adding a 30,000-square-foot warehouse and manufacturing facility in Waterloo to facilitate growth in the food and sanitation business segments. The first phase of the expansion is expected to be completed within the first quarter of 2018.

Several positions have already been established due to the steady growth of business, said Brian Poehnelt, regional operations manager for the company. We are always evaluating staffing levels and anticipate additional growth in our production staff for this expansion.

Established in 1929, Hydrite Chemical Co. has a total of 12 facilities nationwide. Its Waterloo facility focuses on commodity distribution, food and dairy sanitizers, food ingredients, liquid sulfur salts and liquid fertilizers. The company serves customers across a diverse set of industries including industrial manufacturing, food and dairy, organic processing, biofuels, foam control, liquid sulfur salts, water treatment, paper manufacturing and agriculture liquid fertilizers.

Hydrite continues to integrate more automation into its processes and systems to improve safety, quality, and efficiency. As manufacturing evolves, the types of skills employees need to be successful also change.

In order to maintain automated systems, we need to either provide the training to our current employees or hire or outsource individuals with these unique skill sets, said Poehnelt.

The key to working with computerized automation is that the employee still has to understand the variables to be able to troubleshoot.

We are looking for career-minded people that will have a positive impact and desire to grow within Hydrite. Its a plus to find candidates with industrial manufacturing experience, however, we also give consideration to candidates with a great work ethic, positive attitude and the skill sets necessary to be successful in chemical manufacturing, David said.

In a typical year, the company will employ 20-plus interns and co-ops, with many of them receiving offers post-college. The Waterloo branch usually employs one to three interns.

For our engineering and management positions we like to focus on hiring local talent from state universities and/or community colleges to continuously grow our talent, David said.

As recent college grads choose between competing offers, one differentiator is that Hydrite involves employees in problem-solving discussions. Its easy to make a change to solve a temporary problem, but the real goal is to get to the root cause and fix it.

Employee involvement in process improvement and the decision-making process is key to providing safer, more efficient and a more reliable operation. Employee involvement contributes greatly to our ability to provide high quality and cost effective products and solutions to Hydrites customers, Poehnelt said.
Email To : Multiple e-mail addresses must be separated with a comma character(maximum 200 characters) Email To is required.

Your Full Name: (optional)

Your Email Address: Your Email Address is required.
past daily news Sep 13 (1) Sep 09 (15) Sep 06 (12) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (10) Aug 31 (17) Aug 29 (14) Aug 26 (13) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (12) Aug 19 (21) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (10) Aug 10 (10) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (10) Aug 06 (10) Aug 05 (8) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (14) Jul 29 (1) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (10) Jul 22 (11) Jul 19 (16) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (10) Jul 15 (13) Jul 12 (7) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (3) Jul 06 (5) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (11) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (8) Jun 28 (7) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (8) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (9) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (9) Jun 18 (8) Jun 15 (9) Jun 13 (13) Jun 11 (11) Jun 09 (19) Jun 06 (10) Jun 04 (10) Jun 03 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (5) May 30 (5) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (7) May 26 (6) May 25 (4) May 23 (6) May 22 (6) May 21 (4) May 20 (7) May 19 (9) May 18 (4) May 17 (6) May 16 (5) May 15 (7) May 14 (3) May 13 (3) May 12 (9) May 10 (3) May 09 (7) May 08 (4) May 07 (3) May 06 (5) May 05 (8) May 03 (9) May 02 (1) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (5) Apr 28 (4) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (4) Apr 24 (8) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (5) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (1) Apr 19 (5) Apr 18 (3) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (5) Apr 14 (2) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (2) Apr 11 (4) Apr 10 (3) Apr 09 (3) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (3) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (2) Apr 03 (3) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (7) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (6) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (10) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (5) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (5) Mar 17 (4) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (7) Mar 12 (5) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (8) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (12) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (8) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (8) Feb 28 (7) Feb 27 (5) Feb 26 (6) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (6) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (3) Feb 20 (1) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (2) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (3) Feb 13 (6) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (6) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (6) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (2) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (1) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (8) Jan 30 (2) Jan 29 (4) Jan 28 (1) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (4) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (2) Jan 20 (2) Jan 19 (3) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (2) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (6) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (4) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 05 (5) Jan 04 (4) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (1) Dec 31 (5) Dec 29 (4) Dec 28 (5) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (3) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (2) Dec 17 (1) Dec 16 (4) Dec 15 (2) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (5) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (2) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (4) Dec 06 (4) Dec 05 (1) Dec 04 (5) Dec 03 (3) Dec 02 (5) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (5) Nov 29 (10) Nov 28 (6) Nov 27 (2) Nov 26 (3) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (6) Nov 19 (2) Nov 18 (5) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (3) Nov 15 (2) Nov 14 (3) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (2) Nov 11 (4) Nov 10 (5) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (4) Nov 04 (5) Nov 02 (4) Nov 01 (4) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (9) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (2) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (3) Oct 23 (6) Oct 22 (4) Oct 20 (3) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (4) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (2) Oct 13 (4) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (5) Oct 10 (4) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (1) Oct 06 (10) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (1) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (6) Sep 26 (5) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (6) Sep 23 (5) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (6) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (5) Sep 18 (3) Sep 17 (5) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (4) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (4) Sep 06 (8) Sep 05 (6) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (3) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (5) Aug 31 (8) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (6) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (1) Aug 26 (4) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (7) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (4) Aug 21 (4) Aug 20 (7) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (8) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (2) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (4) Aug 08 (8) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (3) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (8) Jul 31 (1) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (2) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (10) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (5) Jul 23 (3) Jul 22 (2) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (1) Jul 16 (10) Jul 14 (7) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (7) Jul 10 (5) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (4) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (7) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (2) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (5) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (6) Jun 23 (4) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 18 (2) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (4) Jun 15 (3) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (2) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (8) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (10) Jun 05 (14) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (6) Jun 02 (8) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (7) May 30 (2) May 29 (7) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (4) May 25 (5) May 24 (4) May 23 (5) May 22 (5) May 21 (5) May 20 (3) May 19 (10) May 18 (6) May 17 (3) May 16 (6) May 15 (2) May 14 (3) May 13 (5) May 11 (1) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (4) May 07 (2) May 06 (4) May 05 (6) May 04 (5) May 03 (5) May 02 (1) May 01 (6) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (7) Apr 28 (8) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (14) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (1) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (1) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (1) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (2) Apr 08 (4) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (6) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (2) Mar 31 (5) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (9) Mar 26 (4) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (10) Mar 22 (9) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (11) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (3) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (6) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (3) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (5) Mar 08 (6) Mar 07 (13) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (6) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (4) Feb 26 (5) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (9) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (6) Feb 18 (3) Feb 17 (4) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (5) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (3) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (9) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (7) Feb 06 (10) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (2) Feb 03 (8) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (5) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (4) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (7) Jan 26 (8) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (6) Jan 23 (5) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (6) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (12) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (8) Jan 12 (6) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (7) Jan 09 (4) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (9) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (8) Dec 31 (2) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (4) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (3) Dec 18 (5) Dec 17 (3) Dec 16 (1) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (10) Dec 13 (7) Dec 12 (12) Dec 10 (3) Dec 09 (6) Dec 08 (7) Dec 07 (12) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (13) Dec 04 (6) Dec 02 (8) Dec 01 (8) Nov 30 (6) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (4) Nov 26 (8) Nov 24 (2) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (11) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (3) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (7) Nov 17 (6) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (5) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (4) Nov 09 (14) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (5) Nov 04 (11) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (10) Nov 01 (8) Oct 31 (12) Oct 30 (5) Oct 29 (5) Oct 28 (5) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (13) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (8) Oct 22 (5) Oct 21 (11) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (5) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (10) Oct 12 (11) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (10) Oct 09 (7) Oct 08 (5) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (14) Oct 04 (9) Oct 03 (12) Oct 02 (4) Oct 01 (9) Sep 30 (5) Sep 29 (7) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (3) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (10) Sep 21 (12) Sep 20 (12) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (11) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (8) Sep 11 (6) Sep 10 (10) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (9) Sep 07 (8) Sep 06 (11) Sep 05 (2) Sep 04 (8) Sep 03 (2) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (9) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (4) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (4) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (2) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (6) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (6) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (3) Aug 10 (5) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (9) Aug 07 (7) Aug 06 (7) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (11) Aug 02 (6) Aug 01 (9) Jul 31 (11) Jul 28 (7) Jul 27 (11) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (5) Jul 24 (1) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (2) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (8) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (7) Jul 15 (4) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (2) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (5) Jul 06 (6) Jul 05 (3) Jul 04 (6) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (3) Jun 30 (8) Jun 29 (5) Jun 28 (6) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (4) Jun 25 (1) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (5) Jun 19 (7) Jun 17 (4) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (4) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (4) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (6) Jun 09 (8) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (8) Jun 06 (7) Jun 05 (5) Jun 04 (7) Jun 03 (1) Jun 02 (9) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (8) May 30 (7) May 29 (5) May 28 (5) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (4) May 24 (3) May 23 (5) May 22 (2) May 21 (3) May 20 (7) May 19 (11) May 18 (1) May 17 (7) May 16 (3) May 15 (4) May 14 (3) May 13 (4) May 12 (4) May 11 (11) May 10 (2) May 09 (6) May 08 (6) May 07 (2) May 06 (3) May 05 (4) May 04 (5) May 03 (8) May 02 (4) May 01 (4) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (13) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (7) Apr 26 (5) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (2) Apr 23 (7) Apr 22 (9) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (2) Apr 19 (2) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (6) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (2) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (6) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (7) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (9) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (7) Mar 28 (4) Mar 27 (3) Mar 26 (6) Mar 25 (3) Mar 24 (8) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (10) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (6) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (4) Mar 12 (6) Mar 10 (3) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (4) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (5) Feb 28 (3) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (9) Feb 24 (11) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (7) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (6) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (2) Feb 12 (5) Feb 11 (5) Feb 10 (3) Feb 09 (10) Feb 08 (9) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (2) Feb 05 (9) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (7) Jan 31 (4) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (6) Jan 28 (5) Jan 27 (2) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (7) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (14) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (10) Jan 18 (11) Jan 17 (9) Jan 16 (5) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (10) Jan 06 (8) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (9) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (5) Jan 01 (14) Dec 30 (13) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (5) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (7) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (5) Dec 22 (4) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (9) Dec 16 (8) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (5) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (17) Dec 09 (8) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (10) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (7) Nov 30 (9) Nov 29 (6) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (15) Nov 24 (7) Nov 23 (15) Nov 22 (9) Nov 21 (6) Nov 20 (11) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (13) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (7) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (13) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (4) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (8) Nov 03 (9) Nov 02 (8) Nov 01 (6) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (15) Oct 26 (10) Oct 25 (10) Oct 24 (13) Oct 23 (9) Oct 21 (8) Oct 20 (13) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (8) Oct 16 (14) Oct 14 (9) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (13) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (15) Oct 07 (7) Oct 06 (11) Oct 05 (18) Oct 04 (14) Oct 03 (1) Oct 02 (10) Sep 30 (11) Sep 29 (11) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (15) Sep 26 (7) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (17) Sep 20 (20) Sep 19 (4) Sep 18 (11) Sep 16 (10) Sep 15 (12) Sep 14 (9) Sep 13 (12) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (4) Sep 10 (8) Sep 09 (9) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (13) Sep 06 (15) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (10) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (12) Aug 31 (14) Aug 30 (14) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (8) Aug 27 (9) Aug 26 (12) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (5) Aug 20 (6) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (11) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (5) Aug 05 (7) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (4) Aug 02 (5) Aug 01 (5) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (5) Jul 29 (9) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (8) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (6) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (6) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (5) Jul 18 (15) Jul 15 (14) Jul 14 (5) Jul 13 (6) Jul 12 (12) Jul 11 (8) Jul 10 (3) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (10) Jul 05 (4) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (5) Jul 02 (7) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (10) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (2) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (5) Jun 21 (7) Jun 20 (3) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (11) Jun 16 (5) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (7) Jun 13 (14) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (8) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (11) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (16) Jun 03 (8) Jun 02 (12) Jun 01 (5) May 31 (7) May 30 (15) May 28 (7) May 27 (5) May 26 (21) May 25 (14) May 24 (10) May 23 (7) May 22 (8) May 21 (11) May 20 (5) May 19 (4) May 18 (10) May 17 (11) May 16 (5) May 15 (6) May 14 (7) May 13 (12) May 12 (10) May 11 (7) May 10 (13) May 09 (4) May 08 (7) May 07 (3) May 06 (6) May 05 (9) May 04 (14) May 03 (7) May 02 (10) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (5) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (8) Apr 24 (6) Apr 23 (14) Apr 22 (16) Apr 21 (11) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (16) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (10) Apr 15 (8) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (11) Apr 12 (10) Apr 11 (8) Apr 10 (12) Apr 09 (5) Apr 08 (13) Apr 07 (9) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (15) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (15) Apr 02 (5) Apr 01 (11) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (10) Mar 29 (8) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (12) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (8) Mar 24 (7) Mar 23 (15) Mar 22 (17) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (8) Mar 19 (4) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (19) Mar 15 (13) Mar 14 (7) Mar 13 (20) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (13) Mar 08 (13) Mar 07 (7) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (16) Mar 02 (16) Mar 01 (13) Feb 29 (8) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (16) Feb 26 (10) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (12) Feb 23 (14) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (8) Feb 19 (12) Feb 18 (12) Feb 17 (11) Feb 16 (8) Feb 15 (9) Feb 14 (7) Feb 13 (10) Feb 12 (11) Feb 11 (13) Feb 10 (5) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (4) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (13) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (7) Feb 02 (19) Jan 31 (21) Jan 29 (11) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (13) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (2) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (13) Jan 21 (11) Jan 20 (9) Jan 19 (13) Jan 18 (4) Jan 17 (11) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (13) Jan 13 (9) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (5) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (7) Jan 08 (7) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (7) Jan 04 (7) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (8) Jan 01 (5) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (9) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (1) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (6) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (7) Dec 19 (13) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (10) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (11) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (4) Dec 12 (9) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (10) Dec 08 (13) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (12) Dec 05 (8) Dec 04 (11) Dec 03 (12) Dec 02 (16) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (11) Nov 28 (15) Nov 27 (16) Nov 26 (11) Nov 25 (9) Nov 24 (13) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (1) Nov 21 (7) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (11) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (10) Nov 15 (3) Nov 14 (10) Nov 13 (14) Nov 12 (8) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (11) Nov 06 (12) Nov 05 (17) Nov 04 (12) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (12) Oct 31 (11) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (10) Oct 28 (18) Oct 27 (16) Oct 26 (11) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (12) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (12) Oct 20 (17) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (15) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (10) Oct 14 (16) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (12) Oct 09 (21) Oct 08 (22) Oct 07 (19) Oct 06 (18) Oct 05 (6) Oct 04 (17) Oct 03 (13) Oct 02 (14) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (14) Sep 29 (15) Sep 28 (12) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (15) Sep 25 (13) Sep 24 (9) Sep 23 (10) Sep 22 (12) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (4) Sep 19 (12) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (16) Sep 16 (21) Sep 15 (14) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (10) Sep 11 (16) Sep 10 (7) Sep 09 (8) Sep 08 (10) Sep 07 (7) Sep 06 (5) Sep 05 (8) Sep 04 (9) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (4) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (1) Aug 28 (10) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (14) Aug 24 (4) Aug 23 (3) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (13) Aug 20 (9) Aug 19 (13) Aug 18 (3) Aug 17 (3) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (8) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (12) Aug 11 (9) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (14) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (1) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (6) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (2) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (3) Jul 29 (6) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (6) Jul 23 (5) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (5) Jul 18 (6) Jul 17 (5) Jul 16 (4) Jul 15 (9) Jul 14 (2) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (1) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (3) Jul 07 (13) Jul 05 (2) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (7) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (7) Jun 25 (4) Jun 24 (6) Jun 23 (9) Jun 22 (4) Jun 21 (3) Jun 19 (4) Jun 18 (7) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (11) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (3) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (3) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (4) Jun 06 (2) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (8) Jun 03 (9) Jun 02 (6) Jun 01 (4) May 30 (7) May 29 (9) May 28 (13) May 26 (8) May 25 (5) May 24 (2) May 23 (8) May 22 (9) May 21 (7) May 20 (4) May 19 (6) May 18 (7) May 17 (8) May 15 (9) May 14 (5) May 13 (8) May 12 (6) May 11 (6) May 09 (7) May 08 (6) May 07 (11) May 06 (7) May 05 (4) May 04 (11) May 03 (5) May 02 (4) May 01 (9) Apr 30 (6) Apr 29 (4) Apr 28 (9) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (3) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (10) Apr 22 (8) Apr 21 (9) Apr 20 (3) Apr 19 (4) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (7) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (6) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (3) Apr 12 (6) Apr 10 (2) Apr 09 (4) Apr 08 (5) Apr 07 (5) Apr 06 (2) Apr 05 (2) Apr 04 (5) Apr 03 (7) Apr 02 (7) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (3) Mar 29 (1) Mar 28 (2) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (2) Mar 25 (5) Mar 24 (4) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (4) Mar 21 (6) Mar 20 (9) Mar 19 (9) Mar 18 (8) Mar 17 (9) Mar 16 (7) Mar 15 (11) Mar 13 (5) Mar 12 (12) Mar 11 (9) Mar 10 (12) Mar 09 (4) Mar 08 (5) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (5) Mar 05 (5) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (11) Mar 02 (5) Mar 01 (8) Feb 27 (9) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (8) Feb 24 (6) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (3) Feb 21 (6) Feb 20 (3) Feb 19 (10) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (7) Feb 16 (5) Feb 15 (2) Feb 14 (8) Feb 13 (12) Feb 12 (8) Feb 11 (10) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (6) Feb 08 (3) Feb 07 (2) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (4) Feb 04 (11) Feb 03 (5) Feb 02 (7) Feb 01 (4) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (12) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (8) Jan 26 (13) Jan 24 (8) Jan 23 (12) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (10) Jan 20 (8) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (11) Jan 14 (4) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (6) Jan 10 (2) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (6) Jan 06 (4) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (3) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (2) Jan 01 (3) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (4) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (3) Dec 24 (5) Dec 23 (7) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (4) Dec 20 (4) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (8) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (9) Dec 15 (7) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (10) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (10) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (5) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (9) Dec 04 (3) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (10) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (1) Nov 29 (3) Nov 28 (9) Nov 27 (3) Nov 26 (7) Nov 25 (12) Nov 24 (3) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (4) Nov 21 (3) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (6) Nov 18 (10) Nov 17 (12) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (5) Nov 14 (12) Nov 13 (3) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (7) Nov 09 (6) Nov 08 (5) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (6) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (9) Nov 03 (6) Nov 02 (14) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (9) Oct 27 (3) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (8) Oct 23 (4) Oct 22 (3) Oct 21 (4) Oct 20 (2) Oct 19 (11) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (7) Oct 15 (7) Oct 14 (8) Oct 13 (5) Oct 12 (8) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (5) Oct 09 (11) Oct 08 (10) Oct 07 (8) Oct 06 (3) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (8) Oct 03 (3) Oct 02 (10) Oct 01 (3) Sep 30 (7) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (5) Sep 27 (8) Sep 26 (11) Sep 25 (11) Sep 24 (15) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (4) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (10) Sep 17 (10) Sep 16 (5) Sep 15 (5) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (5) Sep 12 (5) Sep 11 (8) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (7) Sep 08 (5) Sep 07 (2) Sep 06 (4) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (11) Sep 03 (7) Sep 02 (7) Sep 01 (2) Aug 31 (3) Aug 30 (1) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (5) Aug 27 (4) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (6) Aug 24 (9) Aug 22 (11) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (12) Aug 19 (8) Aug 18 (4) Aug 17 (4) Aug 16 (3) Aug 15 (6) Aug 14 (4) Aug 13 (7) Aug 12 (8) Aug 11 (7) Aug 10 (12) Aug 08 (5) Aug 07 (6) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (8) Aug 04 (5) Aug 03 (4) Aug 01 (7) Jul 31 (6) Jul 30 (12) Jul 29 (4) Jul 28 (5) Jul 27 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (8) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (3) Jul 21 (8) Jul 20 (6) Jul 19 (3) Jul 18 (8) Jul 17 (2) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (9) Jul 13 (10) Jul 11 (9) Jul 10 (8) Jul 09 (3) Jul 08 (7) Jul 07 (7) Jul 06 (7) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (4) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (1) Jun 27 (15) Jun 26 (10) Jun 25 (9) Jun 24 (16) Jun 23 (6) Jun 22 (12) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (6) Jun 16 (7) Jun 15 (5) Jun 14 (5) Jun 13 (13) Jun 12 (7) Jun 11 (14) Jun 10 (3) Jun 09 (2) Jun 08 (2) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (16) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (18) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (8) May 31 (3) May 30 (6) May 29 (6) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (4) May 25 (6) May 23 (4) May 22 (8) May 21 (5) May 20 (6) May 19 (2) May 18 (9) May 17 (1) May 16 (5) May 15 (5) May 14 (7) May 13 (7) May 12 (7) May 11 (4) May 10 (4) May 09 (5) May 08 (10) May 07 (4) May 06 (13) May 05 (4) May 04 (10) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (9) Apr 29 (6) Apr 28 (3) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (9) Apr 24 (7) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (3) Apr 20 (10) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (5) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (6) Apr 15 (7) Apr 14 (11) Apr 13 (4) Apr 12 (5) Apr 11 (9) Apr 10 (4) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (6) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (6) Apr 05 (10) Apr 03 (9) Apr 02 (9) Apr 01 (12) Mar 31 (4) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (7) Mar 27 (8) Mar 26 (8) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (11) Mar 23 (8) Mar 22 (7) Mar 21 (14) Mar 20 (6) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (11) Mar 17 (12) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (8) Mar 14 (13) Mar 13 (8) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (8) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (3) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (15) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (9) Mar 04 (6) Mar 03 (12) Mar 02 (20) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (8) Feb 26 (11) Feb 25 (6) Feb 24 (14) Feb 23 (5) Feb 22 (6) Feb 21 (8) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (4) Feb 17 (8) Feb 16 (11) Feb 15 (3) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (7) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (4) Feb 08 (6) Feb 07 (5) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (10) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (4) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (3) Jan 30 (5) Jan 29 (2) Jan 28 (6) Jan 27 (3) Jan 26 (2) Jan 25 (5) Jan 24 (7) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (4) Jan 21 (5) Jan 20 (5) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (7) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (4) Jan 15 (3) Jan 14 (5) Jan 13 (4) Jan 12 (5) Jan 11 (3) Jan 10 (5) Jan 09 (6) Jan 08 (6) Jan 07 (3) Jan 06 (1) Jan 05 (4) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (3) Jan 02 (6) Jan 01 (2) Dec 31 (6) Dec 30 (1) Dec 29 (5) Dec 27 (1) Dec 26 (2) Dec 25 (4) Dec 24 (8) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (1) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (8) Dec 18 (3) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (3) Dec 15 (3) Dec 14 (3) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (4) Dec 11 (4) Dec 10 (7) Dec 09 (5) Dec 08 (2) Dec 07 (5) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (9) Dec 03 (4) Dec 02 (2) Dec 01 (8) Nov 29 (5) Nov 28 (7) Nov 27 (5) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (3) Nov 24 (5) Nov 23 (6) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (12) Nov 20 (12) Nov 19 (10) Nov 18 (4) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (8) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (7) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (12) Nov 11 (6) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (4) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (5) Nov 06 (5) Nov 05 (9) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (4) Nov 02 (3) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (10) Oct 30 (4) Oct 29 (11) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (7) Oct 26 (7) Oct 25 (6) Oct 24 (7) Oct 23 (11) Oct 22 (2) Oct 21 (7) Oct 20 (4) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (7) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (5) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (7) Oct 11 (20) Oct 10 (2) Oct 09 (4) Oct 08 (21) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (34) Oct 04 (24) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (3) Oct 01 (7) Sep 30 (3) Sep 29 (5) Sep 28 (6) Sep 27 (5) Sep 26 (6) Sep 25 (5) Sep 24 (2) Sep 23 (8) Sep 22 (4) Sep 21 (3) Sep 20 (9) Sep 19 (11) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (7) Sep 16 (6) Sep 15 (3) Sep 14 (7) Sep 13 (8) Sep 12 (11) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (6) Sep 09 (5) Sep 08 (3) Sep 07 (6) Sep 06 (10) Sep 05 (7) Sep 04 (7) Sep 03 (5) Sep 02 (4) Sep 01 (8) Aug 31 (5) Aug 30 (7) Aug 29 (10) Aug 28 (7) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (3) Aug 24 (8) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (6) Aug 21 (8) Aug 20 (8) Aug 19 (4) Aug 18 (2) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (7) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (3) Aug 13 (4) Aug 12 (6) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (6) Aug 07 (4) Aug 06 (6) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (3) Aug 02 (4) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (3) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (6) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (5) Jul 25 (4) Jul 24 (7) Jul 23 (10) Jul 22 (8) Jul 21 (5) Jul 20 (4) Jul 19 (7) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (10) Jul 16 (11) Jul 15 (5) Jul 13 (5) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (11) Jul 10 (12) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (8) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (10) Jul 04 (8) Jul 03 (10) Jul 02 (12) Jul 01 (8) Jun 30 (5) Jun 29 (6) Jun 28 (23) Jun 27 (18) Jun 26 (12) Jun 25 (14) Jun 24 (15) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (15) Jun 20 (9) Jun 19 (8) Jun 18 (11) Jun 17 (7) Jun 16 (6) Jun 15 (6) Jun 14 (6) Jun 13 (5) Jun 12 (6) Jun 11 (9) Jun 10 (10) Jun 09 (9) Jun 08 (6) Jun 07 (2) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (4) Jun 04 (3) Jun 03 (4) Jun 02 (3) Jun 01 (6) May 31 (3) May 30 (5) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (2) May 26 (2) May 25 (8) May 24 (7) May 23 (6) May 22 (9) May 21 (6) May 20 (5) May 19 (6) May 18 (9) May 17 (10) May 16 (11) May 15 (5) May 14 (11) May 13 (6) May 12 (7) May 11 (7) May 10 (5) May 09 (3) May 08 (10) May 07 (8) May 06 (11) May 05 (5) May 04 (9) May 03 (3) May 02 (2) May 01 (5) Apr 30 (5) Apr 29 (8) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (4) Apr 26 (9) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (4) Apr 23 (11) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (7) Apr 19 (10) Apr 18 (8) Apr 17 (10) Apr 16 (8) Apr 15 (4) Apr 14 (5) Apr 13 (7) Apr 12 (11) Apr 11 (6) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (3) Apr 07 (3) Apr 06 (9) Apr 05 (10) Apr 04 (7) Apr 03 (2) Apr 02 (6) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (3) Mar 30 (4) Mar 29 (3) Mar 28 (5) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (5) Mar 25 (4) Mar 24 (5) Mar 23 (7) Mar 22 (6) Mar 21 (9) Mar 20 (5) Mar 19 (5) Mar 18 (9) Mar 17 (2) Mar 16 (8) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (10) Mar 12 (10) Mar 11 (2) Mar 10 (1) Mar 09 (6) Mar 08 (4) Mar 07 (4) Mar 06 (3) Mar 05 (3) Mar 04 (7) Mar 03 (6) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (9) Feb 28 (6) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (7) Feb 24 (3) Feb 23 (4) Feb 22 (4) Feb 21 (7) Feb 20 (4) Feb 19 (4) Feb 18 (2) Feb 17 (1) Feb 16 (6) Feb 15 (6) Feb 14 (5) Feb 13 (4) Feb 12 (7) Feb 11 (2) Feb 10 (2) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (5) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (4) Feb 05 (9) Feb 04 (3) Feb 03 (3) Feb 02 (10) Feb 01 (9) Jan 31 (5) Jan 30 (8) Jan 29 (5) Jan 28 (3) Jan 27 (4) Jan 26 (5) Jan 25 (6) Jan 24 (5) Jan 23 (4) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (3) Jan 20 (3) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (3) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (8) Jan 15 (7) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (1) Jan 12 (7) Jan 11 (1) Jan 10 (3) Jan 09 (3) Jan 08 (5) Jan 07 (4) Jan 06 (2) Jan 05 (3) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (4) Jan 02 (4) Jan 01 (4) Dec 31 (3) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (5) Dec 28 (8) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (2) Dec 24 (4) Dec 23 (4) Dec 22 (7) Dec 21 (5) Dec 20 (3) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (6) Dec 17 (4) Dec 16 (5) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (8) Dec 13 (3) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (8) Dec 10 (5) Dec 09 (4) Dec 08 (4) Dec 07 (7) Dec 06 (7) Dec 05 (6) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (7) Dec 02 (1) Dec 01 (6) Nov 30 (2) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (16) Nov 27 (7) Nov 26 (5) Nov 25 (2) Nov 24 (6) Nov 23 (5) Nov 22 (5) Nov 21 (5) Nov 20 (15) Nov 19 (8) Nov 18 (2) Nov 17 (3) Nov 16 (5) Nov 15 (7) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (7) Nov 11 (8) Nov 10 (3) Nov 09 (5) Nov 08 (8) Nov 07 (9) Nov 06 (9) Nov 05 (1) Nov 04 (4) Nov 03 (8) Nov 02 (6) Nov 01 (3) Oct 31 (6) Oct 30 (7) Oct 29 (3) Oct 28 (3) Oct 27 (4) Oct 26 (4) Oct 25 (8) Oct 24 (4) Oct 23 (1) Oct 22 (6) Oct 21 (1) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (6) Oct 18 (10) Oct 17 (6) Oct 16 (15) Oct 15 (4) Oct 14 (5) Oct 13 (3) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (7) Oct 10 (1) Oct 09 (5) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (3) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (5) Oct 04 (3) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (6) Oct 01 (6) Sep 30 (8) Sep 29 (6) Sep 28 (13) Sep 27 (10) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (8) Sep 24 (8) Sep 23 (3) Sep 22 (7) Sep 21 (9) Sep 20 (7) Sep 19 (8) Sep 18 (4) Sep 17 (3) Sep 16 (4) Sep 15 (8) Sep 14 (5) Sep 13 (7) Sep 12 (7) Sep 11 (9) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (10) Sep 08 (4) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (15) Sep 04 (5) Sep 03 (4) Sep 02 (6) Sep 01 (9) Aug 31 (7) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (8) Aug 28 (11) Aug 27 (2) Aug 26 (6) Aug 25 (15) Aug 24 (6) Aug 23 (8) Aug 22 (5) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (7) Aug 19 (2) Aug 18 (5) Aug 17 (5) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (4) Aug 14 (6) Aug 13 (9) Aug 12 (4) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (6) Aug 09 (5) Aug 08 (7) Aug 07 (9) Aug 06 (4) Aug 05 (4) Aug 04 (4) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (9) Aug 01 (10) Jul 31 (11) Jul 30 (4) Jul 29 (3) Jul 28 (11) Jul 27 (4) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (8) Jul 22 (5) Jul 21 (4) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (6) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (6) Jul 16 (7) Jul 15 (6) Jul 14 (4) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (8) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (14) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (5) Jul 07 (4) Jul 06 (9) Jul 05 (8) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (8) Jul 02 (5) Jul 01 (5) Jun 30 (6) Jun 29 (3) Jun 28 (3) Jun 27 (4) Jun 26 (8) Jun 25 (3) Jun 24 (5) Jun 23 (14) Jun 22 (11) Jun 21 (5) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (7) Jun 18 (4) Jun 17 (3) Jun 16 (12) Jun 15 (12) Jun 14 (10) Jun 13 (10) Jun 12 (9) Jun 11 (6) Jun 10 (12) Jun 09 (4) Jun 08 (3) Jun 07 (12) Jun 06 (6) Jun 05 (7) Jun 04 (6) Jun 03 (3) Jun 02 (4) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (4) May 30 (3) May 29 (8) May 28 (7) May 27 (4) May 26 (3) May 25 (5) May 24 (9) May 23 (16) May 22 (12) May 21 (11) May 20 (7) May 19 (10) May 18 (8) May 17 (8) May 16 (10) May 15 (8) May 14 (5) May 13 (1) May 12 (6) May 11 (9) May 10 (9) May 09 (10) May 08 (9) May 07 (6) May 06 (5) May 05 (7) May 04 (10) May 03 (7) May 02 (9) May 01 (10) Apr 30 (4) Apr 29 (9) Apr 28 (12) Apr 27 (9) Apr 26 (4) Apr 25 (5) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (4) Apr 22 (7) Apr 21 (8) Apr 20 (9) Apr 19 (6) Apr 18 (4) Apr 17 (2) Apr 16 (4) Apr 15 (10) Apr 14 (7) Apr 13 (5) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (7) Apr 09 (6) Apr 08 (7) Apr 07 (10) Apr 06 (8) Apr 05 (8) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (6) Apr 02 (4) Apr 01 (4) Mar 31 (11) Mar 30 (12) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (10) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (6) Mar 24 (9) Mar 23 (3) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (12) Mar 20 (14) Mar 19 (8) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (8) Mar 16 (4) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (9) Mar 12 (6) Mar 11 (5) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (8) Mar 08 (10) Mar 07 (12) Mar 06 (6) Mar 05 (4) Mar 04 (2) Mar 03 (3) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (8) Feb 29 (11) Feb 28 (5) Feb 27 (3) Feb 26 (13) Feb 25 (10) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (10) Feb 22 (9) Feb 21 (18) Feb 20 (6) Feb 19 (7) Feb 18 (9) Feb 17 (5) Feb 16 (9) Feb 15 (7) Feb 14 (6) Feb 13 (5) Feb 12 (6) Feb 11 (4) Feb 10 (8) Feb 09 (5) Feb 08 (8) Feb 07 (10) Feb 06 (7) Feb 05 (7) Feb 04 (5) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (4) Feb 01 (3) Jan 31 (12) Jan 30 (7) Jan 29 (7) Jan 28 (7) Jan 27 (12) Jan 26 (7) Jan 25 (11) Jan 24 (4) Jan 23 (6) Jan 22 (8) Jan 21 (12) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (6) Jan 18 (6) Jan 17 (11) Jan 16 (9) Jan 15 (4) Jan 14 (3) Jan 13 (6) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (9) Jan 10 (10) Jan 09 (5) Jan 08 (10) Jan 07 (5) Jan 06 (6) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (5) Jan 03 (8) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (10) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (5) Dec 27 (10) Dec 26 (4) Dec 25 (5) Dec 24 (7) Dec 23 (2) Dec 22 (9) Dec 21 (8) Dec 20 (8) Dec 19 (5) Dec 18 (1) Dec 17 (5) Dec 16 (6) Dec 15 (5) Dec 14 (13) Dec 13 (8) Dec 12 (7) Dec 11 (9) Dec 10 (12) Dec 09 (7) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (9) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (10) Dec 04 (6) Dec 03 (8) Dec 02 (6) Dec 01 (14) Nov 30 (7) Nov 29 (8) Nov 28 (8) Nov 27 (6) Nov 26 (9) Nov 25 (10) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (10) Nov 20 (4) Nov 19 (4) Nov 18 (8) Nov 17 (9) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (12) Nov 14 (6) Nov 13 (9) Nov 12 (3) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (10) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (7) Nov 07 (8) Nov 06 (10) Nov 05 (8) Nov 04 (7) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (11) Nov 01 (10) Oct 31 (5) Oct 30 (8) Oct 29 (8) Oct 28 (8) Oct 27 (11) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (9) Oct 24 (10) Oct 23 (5) Oct 22 (14) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (8) Oct 19 (11) Oct 18 (13) Oct 17 (7) Oct 16 (6) Oct 15 (9) Oct 14 (7) Oct 13 (12) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (9) Oct 10 (8) Oct 09 (9) Oct 08 (7) Oct 07 (12) Oct 06 (8) Oct 05 (13) Oct 04 (11) Oct 03 (7) Oct 02 (5) Oct 01 (14) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (12) Sep 28 (11) Sep 27 (11) Sep 26 (7) Sep 25 (10) Sep 24 (3) Sep 23 (7) Sep 22 (8) Sep 21 (8) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (7) Sep 18 (5) Sep 17 (14) Sep 16 (7) Sep 15 (11) Sep 14 (13) Sep 13 (11) Sep 12 (9) Sep 11 (5) Sep 10 (4) Sep 09 (13) Sep 08 (11) Sep 07 (11) Sep 06 (16) Sep 05 (1) Sep 04 (10) Sep 03 (8) Sep 02 (8) Sep 01 (7) Aug 31 (1) Aug 30 (6) Aug 29 (2) Aug 28 (3) Aug 27 (6) Aug 26 (8) Aug 25 (5) Aug 24 (5) Aug 23 (6) Aug 22 (7) Aug 21 (6) Aug 20 (4) Aug 19 (9) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (7) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (2) Aug 14 (5) Aug 13 (5) Aug 12 (10) Aug 11 (5) Aug 10 (4) Aug 09 (8) Aug 08 (3) Aug 07 (5) Aug 06 (12) Aug 05 (5) Aug 04 (7) Aug 03 (6) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (7) Jul 30 (7) Jul 29 (13) Jul 28 (10) Jul 27 (6) Jul 26 (7) Jul 25 (7) Jul 24 (4) Jul 23 (12) Jul 22 (14) Jul 21 (6) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (12) Jul 18 (9) Jul 17 (4) Jul 16 (6) Jul 15 (8) Jul 14 (15) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (10) Jul 11 (6) Jul 10 (6) Jul 09 (6) Jul 08 (6) Jul 07 (9) Jul 06 (15) Jul 05 (6) Jul 04 (10) Jul 03 (6) Jul 02 (6) Jul 01 (11) Jun 30 (7) Jun 29 (4) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (8) Jun 26 (5) Jun 25 (11) Jun 24 (9) Jun 23 (10) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (8) Jun 20 (6) Jun 19 (5) Jun 18 (15) Jun 17 (8) Jun 16 (13) Jun 15 (15) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (6) Jun 12 (15) Jun 11 (7) Jun 10 (7) Jun 09 (18) Jun 08 (20) Jun 07 (17) Jun 06 (9) Jun 05 (9) Jun 04 (12) Jun 03 (13) Jun 02 (14) Jun 01 (8) May 31 (13) May 30 (8) May 29 (6) May 28 (8) May 27 (17) May 26 (8) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (9) May 22 (4) May 21 (4) May 20 (11) May 19 (14) May 18 (6) May 17 (10) May 16 (4) May 15 (5) May 14 (28) May 12 (9) May 11 (17) May 10 (15) May 09 (12) May 08 (5) May 07 (4) May 06 (10) May 05 (8) May 04 (10) May 03 (5) May 02 (6) May 01 (8) Apr 30 (8) Apr 29 (12) Apr 28 (6) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (12) Apr 25 (6) Apr 24 (3) Apr 23 (5) Apr 22 (10) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (13) Apr 19 (11) Apr 18 (11) Apr 17 (5) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (11) Apr 14 (17) Apr 13 (6) Apr 12 (16) Apr 11 (10) Apr 10 (1) Apr 09 (18) Apr 08 (14) Apr 07 (6) Apr 06 (10) Apr 05 (21) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (4) Apr 02 (13) Apr 01 (8) Mar 31 (10) Mar 30 (11) Mar 29 (10) Mar 28 (8) Mar 27 (6) Mar 26 (12) Mar 25 (15) Mar 24 (10) Mar 23 (12) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (8) Mar 20 (4) Mar 19 (11) Mar 18 (7) Mar 17 (7) Mar 16 (9) Mar 15 (10) Mar 14 (4) Mar 13 (2) Mar 12 (14) Mar 11 (13) Mar 10 (7) Mar 09 (9) Mar 08 (17) Mar 07 (5) Mar 06 (7) Mar 05 (13) Mar 04 (10) Mar 03 (14) Mar 02 (12) Mar 01 (18) Feb 28 (8) Feb 27 (2) Feb 26 (9) Feb 25 (13) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (13) Feb 22 (12) Feb 21 (11) Feb 20 (11) Feb 19 (16) Feb 18 (17) Feb 17 (15) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (15) Feb 14 (10) Feb 13 (8) Feb 12 (10) Feb 11 (15) Feb 10 (11) Feb 09 (13) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (9) Feb 06 (6) Feb 05 (15) Feb 04 (15) Feb 03 (11) Feb 02 (14) Feb 01 (15) Jan 31 (11) Jan 30 (9) Jan 29 (19) Jan 28 (9) Jan 27 (9) Jan 26 (16) Jan 25 (19) Jan 24 (17) Jan 23 (8) Jan 22 (15) Jan 21 (9) Jan 20 (11) Jan 19 (7) Jan 18 (9) Jan 17 (6) Jan 16 (7) Jan 15 (12) Jan 14 (9) Jan 13 (14) Jan 12 (11) Jan 11 (13) Jan 10 (8) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (20) Jan 07 (11) Jan 06 (11) Jan 05 (8) Jan 04 (14) Jan 03 (6) Jan 02 (7) Jan 01 (7) Dec 31 (14) Dec 30 (15) Dec 29 (7) Dec 28 (10) Dec 27 (4) Dec 26 (3) Dec 25 (11) Dec 24 (9) Dec 23 (9) Dec 22 (15) Dec 21 (12) Dec 20 (11) Dec 19 (4) Dec 18 (16) Dec 17 (6) Dec 16 (12) Dec 15 (14) Dec 14 (11) Dec 13 (10) Dec 12 (6) Dec 11 (10) Dec 10 (17) Dec 09 (11) Dec 08 (12) Dec 07 (16) Dec 06 (11) Dec 05 (5) Dec 04 (12) Dec 03 (15) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (12) Nov 30 (16) Nov 29 (7) Nov 28 (11) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (13) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (15) Nov 23 (10) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (4) Nov 20 (8) Nov 19 (9) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (11) Nov 16 (11) Nov 15 (10) Nov 14 (9) Nov 13 (6) Nov 12 (10) Nov 11 (12) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (10) Nov 07 (6) Nov 06 (7) Nov 05 (12) Nov 04 (14) Nov 03 (10) Nov 02 (13) Nov 01 (9) Oct 31 (9) Oct 30 (11) Oct 29 (18) Oct 28 (13) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (12) Oct 25 (14) Oct 24 (20) Oct 22 (18) Oct 21 (18) Oct 20 (19) Oct 19 (12) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (5) Oct 16 (18) Oct 15 (8) Oct 14 (11) Oct 13 (9) Oct 12 (13) Oct 11 (6) Oct 10 (7) Oct 09 (27) Oct 08 (14) Oct 07 (10) Oct 06 (9) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (10) Oct 03 (6) Oct 02 (9) Oct 01 (13) Sep 30 (12) Sep 29 (13) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (9) Sep 26 (8) Sep 25 (14) Sep 24 (4) Sep 23 (14) Sep 22 (20) Sep 21 (11) Sep 20 (6) Sep 19 (9) Sep 18 (14) Sep 17 (8) Sep 16 (17) Sep 15 (6) Sep 14 (11) Sep 13 (9) Sep 12 (4) Sep 11 (7) Sep 10 (14) Sep 09 (12) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (12) Sep 06 (13) Sep 05 (9) Sep 04 (20) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (16) Sep 01 (10) Aug 31 (13) Aug 30 (4) Aug 29 (9) Aug 28 (6) Aug 27 (8) Aug 26 (11) Aug 25 (10) Aug 24 (14) Aug 23 (12) Aug 22 (13) Aug 21 (10) Aug 20 (13) Aug 19 (15) Aug 18 (8) Aug 17 (10) Aug 16 (8) Aug 15 (3) Aug 14 (11) Aug 13 (12) Aug 12 (15) Aug 11 (10) Aug 10 (17) Aug 09 (6) Aug 08 (13) Aug 07 (11) Aug 06 (13) Aug 05 (11) Aug 04 (11) Aug 03 (10) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (6) Jul 31 (10) Jul 30 (21) Jul 29 (14) Jul 28 (13) Jul 27 (16) Jul 26 (10) Jul 25 (15) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (15) Jul 21 (19) Jul 20 (17) Jul 19 (9) Jul 18 (7) Jul 17 (26) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (20) Jul 14 (16) Jul 13 (19) Jul 12 (11) Jul 11 (5) Jul 10 (13) Jul 09 (11) Jul 08 (8) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (16) Jul 05 (9) Jul 04 (5) Jul 03 (15) Jul 02 (11) Jul 01 (14) Jun 30 (13) Jun 29 (19) Jun 28 (8) Jun 27 (9) Jun 26 (16) Jun 25 (22) Jun 24 (17) Jun 23 (11) Jun 22 (15) Jun 21 (14) Jun 20 (8) Jun 19 (17) Jun 18 (10) Jun 17 (10) Jun 16 (17) Jun 15 (13) Jun 14 (14) Jun 13 (4) Jun 12 (13) Jun 11 (15) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (10) Jun 08 (23) Jun 07 (14) Jun 06 (20) Jun 05 (10) Jun 04 (11) Jun 03 (12) Jun 02 (21) Jun 01 (14) May 31 (10) May 30 (14) May 29 (8) May 28 (23) May 27 (20) May 26 (16) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (10) May 22 (18) May 21 (14) May 20 (12) May 19 (18) May 18 (14) May 17 (13) May 16 (4) May 15 (7) May 14 (16) May 13 (13) May 12 (8) May 11 (18) May 10 (8) May 09 (7) May 08 (13) May 07 (11) May 06 (15) May 05 (18) May 04 (17) May 03 (7) May 02 (5) May 01 (11) Apr 30 (19) Apr 29 (21) Apr 28 (18) Apr 27 (16) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (11) Apr 24 (9) Apr 23 (20) Apr 22 (23) Apr 21 (5) Apr 20 (16) Apr 19 (13) Apr 18 (6) Apr 17 (6) Apr 16 (16) Apr 15 (18) Apr 14 (13) Apr 13 (14) Apr 12 (9) Apr 11 (3) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (14) Apr 08 (12) Apr 07 (18) Apr 06 (7) Apr 05 (11) Apr 04 (9) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (16) Mar 31 (16) Mar 30 (22) Mar 29 (16) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (19) Mar 26 (31) Mar 25 (25) Mar 24 (26) Mar 23 (27) Mar 22 (22) Mar 21 (22) Mar 20 (13) Mar 19 (21) Mar 18 (20) Mar 17 (24) Mar 16 (18) Mar 15 (9) Mar 14 (9) Mar 13 (29) Mar 12 (15) Mar 11 (11) Mar 10 (11) Mar 09 (20) Mar 08 (12) Mar 07 (6) Mar 06 (21) Mar 05 (22) Mar 04 (19) Mar 03 (9) Mar 02 (20) Mar 01 (11) Feb 28 (11) Feb 27 (27) Feb 26 (15) Feb 25 (18) Feb 24 (17) Feb 23 (19) Feb 22 (24) Feb 21 (10) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (25) Feb 18 (16) Feb 17 (19) Feb 16 (23) Feb 15 (8) Feb 14 (11) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (16) Feb 11 (12) Feb 10 (18) Feb 09 (12) Feb 08 (14) Feb 07 (8) Feb 06 (27) Feb 05 (28) Feb 04 (24) Feb 03 (17) Feb 02 (20) Feb 01 (23) Jan 31 (16) Jan 30 (20) Jan 29 (26) Jan 28 (17) Jan 27 (21) Jan 26 (24) Jan 25 (16) Jan 24 (14) Jan 23 (16) Jan 22 (17) Jan 21 (19) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (17) Jan 18 (13) Jan 17 (14) Jan 16 (10) Jan 15 (21) Jan 14 (16) Jan 13 (19) Jan 12 (30) Jan 11 (14) Jan 10 (11) Jan 09 (8) Jan 08 (23) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (21) Jan 05 (15) Jan 04 (18) Jan 03 (9) Jan 02 (12) Jan 01 (15) Dec 31 (18) Dec 30 (7) Dec 29 (13) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (8) Dec 26 (6) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (28) Dec 23 (12) Dec 22 (12) Dec 21 (17) Dec 20 (19) Dec 19 (19) Dec 18 (22) Dec 17 (24) Dec 16 (17) Dec 15 (29) Dec 14 (22) Dec 13 (12) Dec 12 (22) Dec 11 (24) Dec 10 (25) Dec 09 (18) Dec 08 (15) Dec 07 (21) Dec 06 (24) Dec 05 (30) Dec 04 (28) Dec 03 (26) Dec 02 (22) Dec 01 (33) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (9) Nov 28 (18) Nov 27 (25) Nov 26 (17) Nov 25 (23) Nov 24 (27) Nov 23 (12) Nov 22 (10) Nov 21 (15) Nov 20 (23) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (24) Nov 17 (21) Nov 16 (20) Nov 15 (13) Nov 14 (15) Nov 13 (27) Nov 12 (23) Nov 11 (19) Nov 10 (21) Nov 09 (13) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (16) Nov 06 (32) Nov 05 (24) Nov 04 (20) Nov 03 (29) Nov 02 (12) Nov 01 (15) Oct 31 (20) Oct 30 (22) Oct 29 (27) Oct 28 (20) Oct 27 (23) Oct 26 (21) Oct 25 (15) Oct 24 (23) Oct 23 (26) Oct 22 (27) Oct 21 (28) Oct 20 (24) Oct 19 (13) Oct 18 (9) Oct 17 (30) Oct 16 (8) Oct 15 (20) Oct 14 (14) Oct 13 (17) Oct 12 (16) Oct 11 (8) Oct 10 (19) Oct 09 (22) Oct 08 (16) Oct 07 (18) Oct 06 (23) Oct 05 (7) Oct 04 (15) Oct 03 (21) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (22) Sep 30 (25) Sep 29 (20) Sep 28 (17) Sep 27 (13) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (15) Sep 24 (24) Sep 23 (23) Sep 22 (18) Sep 21 (20) Sep 20 (11) Sep 19 (24) Sep 18 (25) Sep 17 (25) Sep 16 (19) Sep 15 (21) Sep 14 (15) Sep 13 (10) Sep 12 (23) Sep 11 (23) Sep 10 (25) Sep 09 (25) Sep 08 (17) Sep 07 (3) Sep 06 (17) Sep 05 (14) Sep 04 (24) Sep 03 (16) Sep 02 (11) Sep 01 (19) Aug 31 (20) Aug 30 (11) Aug 29 (24) Aug 28 (24) Aug 27 (16) Aug 26 (26) Aug 25 (21) Aug 24 (15) Aug 23 (19) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (25) Aug 20 (27) Aug 19 (19) Aug 18 (24) Aug 17 (14) Aug 16 (10) Aug 15 (15) Aug 14 (16) Aug 13 (21) Aug 12 (30) Aug 11 (19) Aug 10 (8) Aug 09 (12) Aug 08 (17) Aug 07 (21) Aug 06 (26) Aug 05 (23) Aug 04 (21) Aug 03 (12) Aug 02 (7) Aug 01 (19) Jul 31 (21) Jul 30 (25) Jul 29 (29) Jul 28 (23) Jul 27 (17) Jul 26 (11) Jul 25 (21) Jul 24 (14) Jul 23 (15) Jul 22 (19) Jul 21 (15) Jul 20 (9) Jul 19 (10) Jul 18 (15) Jul 17 (22) Jul 16 (18) Jul 15 (21) Jul 14 (20) Jul 13 (7) Jul 12 (9) Jul 11 (29) Jul 10 (19) Jul 09 (17) Jul 08 (26) Jul 07 (21) Jul 06 (18) Jul 05 (14) Jul 04 (20) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (24) Jul 01 (23) Jun 30 (23) Jun 29 (18) Jun 28 (16) Jun 27 (16) Jun 26 (17) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (32) Jun 23 (29) Jun 22 (8) Jun 21 (17) Jun 20 (25) Jun 19 (28) Jun 18 (19) Jun 17 (25) Jun 16 (23) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (11) Jun 13 (14) Jun 12 (22) Jun 11 (19) Jun 10 (17) Jun 09 (15) Jun 08 (16) Jun 07 (7) Jun 06 (29) Jun 05 (27) Jun 04 (24) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (22) Jun 01 (13) May 31 (9) May 30 (26) May 29 (19) May 28 (15) May 27 (15) May 26 (23) May 25 (13) May 24 (12) May 23 (24) May 22 (13) May 21 (21) May 20 (18) May 19 (16) May 18 (7) May 17 (12) May 16 (25) May 15 (24) May 14 (23) May 13 (19) May 12 (17) May 11 (8) May 10 (6) May 09 (14) May 08 (21) May 07 (26) May 06 (14) May 05 (14) May 04 (3) May 03 (3) May 02 (24) May 01 (13) Apr 30 (15) Apr 29 (24) Apr 28 (24) Apr 27 (11) Apr 26 (8) Apr 25 (13) Apr 24 (27) Apr 23 (15) Apr 22 (21) Apr 21 (19) Apr 20 (17) Apr 19 (8) Apr 18 (20) Apr 17 (27) Apr 16 (27) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (8) Apr 13 (8) Apr 12 (7) Apr 11 (7) Apr 10 (22) Apr 09 (15) Apr 08 (15) Apr 07 (17) Apr 06 (14) Apr 05 (5) Apr 04 (12) Apr 03 (19) Apr 02 (17) Apr 01 (19) Mar 31 (25) Mar 30 (13) Mar 29 (9) Mar 28 (16) Mar 27 (23) Mar 26 (22) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (25) Mar 23 (16) Mar 22 (13) Mar 21 (24) Mar 20 (27) Mar 19 (20) Mar 18 (24) Mar 17 (17) Mar 16 (11) Mar 15 (6) Mar 14 (20) Mar 13 (28) Mar 12 (30) Mar 11 (20) Mar 10 (21) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (8) Mar 07 (17) Mar 06 (20) Mar 05 (19) Mar 04 (15) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (8) Mar 01 (12) Feb 28 (16) Feb 27 (17) Feb 26 (8) Feb 25 (23) Feb 24 (15) Feb 23 (8) Feb 22 (10) Feb 21 (24) Feb 20 (14) Feb 19 (24) Feb 18 (19) Feb 17 (27) Feb 16 (13) Feb 15 (11) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (13) Feb 12 (13) Feb 11 (21) Feb 10 (16) Feb 09 (15) Feb 08 (10) Feb 07 (17) Feb 06 (21) Feb 05 (17) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (23) Feb 02 (5) Feb 01 (8) Jan 31 (17) Jan 30 (22) Jan 29 (23) Jan 28 (10) Jan 27 (24) Jan 26 (12) Jan 25 (9) Jan 24 (12) Jan 23 (19) Jan 22 (19) Jan 21 (14) Jan 20 (21) Jan 19 (12) Jan 18 (8) Jan 17 (20) Jan 16 (14) Jan 15 (23) Jan 14 (8) Jan 13 (20) Jan 12 (9) Jan 11 (7) Jan 10 (18) Jan 09 (11) Jan 08 (18) Jan 07 (13) Jan 06 (12) Jan 05 (12) Jan 04 (11) Jan 03 (10) Jan 02 (9) Jan 01 (9) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (11) Dec 29 (6) Dec 28 (9) Dec 27 (13) Dec 26 (15) Dec 25 (8) Dec 24 (6) Dec 23 (8) Dec 22 (5) Dec 21 (6) Dec 20 (14) Dec 19 (17) Dec 18 (14) Dec 17 (14) Dec 16 (13) Dec 15 (9) Dec 14 (9) Dec 13 (11) Dec 12 (16) Dec 11 (18) Dec 10 (4) Dec 09 (24) Dec 08 (11) Dec 07 (19) Dec 06 (6) Dec 05 (26) Dec 04 (15) Dec 03 (20) Dec 02 (17) Dec 01 (11) Nov 30 (10) Nov 29 (18) Nov 28 (21) Nov 27 (10) Nov 26 (22) Nov 25 (16) Nov 24 (12) Nov 23 (8) Nov 22 (18) Nov 21 (9) Nov 20 (17) Nov 19 (16) Nov 18 (16) Nov 17 (5) Nov 16 (9) Nov 15 (21) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (20) Nov 12 (16) Nov 11 (13) Nov 10 (9) Nov 09 (10) Nov 08 (16) Nov 07 (15) Nov 06 (18) Nov 05 (19) Nov 04 (16) Nov 03 (11) Nov 02 (5) Nov 01 (17) Oct 31 (17) Oct 30 (21) Oct 29 (9) Oct 28 (16) Oct 27 (6) Oct 26 (6) Oct 25 (16) Oct 24 (18) Oct 23 (14) Oct 22 (17) Oct 21 (10) Oct 20 (6) Oct 19 (8) Oct 18 (11) Oct 17 (12) Oct 16 (14) Oct 15 (19) Oct 14 (15) Oct 13 (11) Oct 12 (9) Oct 11 (10) Oct 10 (23) Oct 09 (13) Oct 08 (15) Oct 07 (20) Oct 06 (13) Oct 05 (4) Oct 04 (16) Oct 03 (17) Oct 02 (17) Oct 01 (20) Sep 30 (17) Sep 29 (9) Sep 28 (8) Sep 27 (14) Sep 26 (20) Sep 25 (19) Sep 24 (13) Sep 23 (11) Sep 22 (9) Sep 21 (5) Sep 20 (8) Sep 19 (21) Sep 18 (12) Sep 17 (20) Sep 16 (16) Sep 15 (10) Sep 14 (6) Sep 13 (18) Sep 12 (14) Sep 11 (24) Sep 10 (17) Sep 09 (16) Sep 08 (16) Sep 07 (10) Sep 06 (20) Sep 05 (13) Sep 04 (23) Sep 03 (14) Sep 02 (12) Sep 01 (11) Aug 31 (11) Aug 30 (13) Aug 29 (18) Aug 28 (14) Aug 27 (21) Aug 26 (10) Aug 25 (8) Aug 24 (10) Aug 23 (17) Aug 22 (15) Aug 21 (14) Aug 20 (20) Aug 19 (20) Aug 18 (7) Aug 17 (9) Aug 16 (11) Aug 15 (12) Aug 14 (14) Aug 13 (19) Aug 12 (14) Aug 11 (6) Aug 10 (12) Aug 09 (7) Aug 08 (18) Aug 07 (16) Aug 06 (16) Aug 05 (20) Aug 04 (12) Aug 03 (8) Aug 02 (12) Aug 01 (14) Jul 31 (16) Jul 30 (16) Jul 29 (11) Jul 28 (8) Jul 27 (9) Jul 26 (17) Jul 25 (20) Jul 24 (17) Jul 23 (11) Jul 22 (18) Jul 21 (7) Jul 20 (10) Jul 19 (14) Jul 18 (11) Jul 17 (15) Jul 16 (12) Jul 15 (10) Jul 14 (8) Jul 13 (8) Jul 12 (17) Jul 11 (18) Jul 10 (16) Jul 09 (13) Jul 08 (10) Jul 07 (12) Jul 06 (8) Jul 05 (16) Jul 04 (14) Jul 03 (17) Jul 02 (13) Jul 01 (16) Jun 30 (19) Jun 29 (7) Jun 28 (19) Jun 27 (21) Jun 26 (27) Jun 25 (23) Jun 24 (23) Jun 23 (12) Jun 22 (9) Jun 21 (18) Jun 20 (15) Jun 19 (24) Jun 18 (21) Jun 17 (13) Jun 16 (9) Jun 15 (9) Jun 14 (18) Jun 13 (24) Jun 12 (18) Jun 11 (23) Jun 10 (25) Jun 09 (24) Jun 08 (27) Jun 07 (5) Jun 06 (25) Jun 05 (30) Jun 04 (23) Jun 03 (22) Jun 02 (16) Jun 01 (17) May 31 (18) May 30 (19) May 29 (17) May 28 (23) May 27 (15) May 26 (10) May 25 (19) May 24 (16) May 23 (16) May 22 (27) May 21 (20) May 20 (26) May 19 (6) May 18 (8) May 17 (20) May 16 (8) May 15 (18) May 14 (5) May 13 (21) May 12 (9) May 11 (8) May 10 (12) May 09 (18) May 08 (11) May 07 (27) May 06 (12) May 05 (16) May 04 (19) May 03 (14) May 02 (18) May 01 (18) Apr 30 (25) Apr 29 (27) Apr 28 (11) Apr 27 (10) Apr 26 (18) Apr 25 (10) Apr 24 (29) Apr 23 (29) Apr 22 (14) Apr 21 (15) Apr 20 (20) Apr 19 (22) Apr 18 (16) Apr 17 (32) Apr 16 (12) Apr 15 (21) Apr 14 (21) Apr 13 (15) Apr 12 (13) Apr 11 (14) Apr 10 (16) Apr 09 (20) Apr 08 (36) Apr 07 (22) Apr 06 (11) Apr 05 (28) Apr 04 (20) Apr 03 (29) Apr 02 (32) Apr 01 (18) Mar 31 (12) Mar 30 (9) Mar 29 (15) Mar 28 (22) Mar 27 (24) Mar 26 (17) Mar 25 (17) Mar 24 (13) Mar 23 (5) Mar 22 (12) Mar 21 (15) Mar 20 (18) Mar 19 (19) Mar 18 (16) Mar 17 (10) Mar 16 (6) Mar 15 (18) Mar 14 (24) Mar 13 (18) Mar 12 (18) Mar 11 (17) Mar 10 (13) Mar 09 (12) Mar 08 (18) Mar 07 (25) Mar 06 (16) Mar 05 (16) Mar 04 (22) Mar 03 (17) Mar 02 (6) Mar 01 (23) Feb 29 (19) Feb 28 (25) Feb 27 (26) Feb 26 (23) Feb 25 (12) Feb 24 (13) Feb 23 (15) Feb 22 (26) Feb 21 (31) Feb 20 (12) Feb 19 (21) Feb 18 (15) Feb 17 (10) Feb 16 (15) Feb 15 (19) Feb 14 (15) Feb 13 (25) Feb 12 (20) Feb 11 (9) Feb 10 (7) Feb 09 (28) Feb 08 (20) Feb 07 (22) Feb 06 (20) Feb 05 (19) Feb 04 (14) Feb 03 (16) Feb 02 (28) Feb 01 (37) Jan 31 (27) Jan 30 (31) Jan 29 (18) Jan 28 (14) Jan 27 (10) Jan 26 (18) Jan 25 (26) Jan 24 (34) Jan 23 (21) Jan 22 (21) Jan 21 (18) Jan 20 (18) Jan 19 (18) Jan 18 (26) Jan 17 (24) Jan 16 (23) Jan 15 (30) Jan 14 (20) Jan 13 (18) Jan 12 (24) Jan 11 (11) Jan 10 (23) Jan 09 (22) Jan 08 (17) Jan 07 (17) Jan 06 (9) Jan 05 (18) Jan 04 (15) Jan 03 (19) Jan 02 (14) Jan 01 (6) Dec 31 (12) Dec 30 (4) Dec 29 (15) Dec 28 (11) Dec 27 (7) Dec 26 (10) Dec 25 (16) Dec 24 (13) Dec 23 (16) Dec 22 (11) Dec 21 (26) Dec 20 (28) Dec 19 (14) Dec 18 (25) Dec 17 (23) Dec 16 (19) Dec 15 (22) Dec 14 (38) Dec 13 (26) Dec 12 (25) Dec 11 (27) Dec 10 (31) Dec 09 (15) Dec 08 (30) Dec 07 (31) Dec 06 (27) Dec 05 (38) Dec 04 (25) Dec 03 (27) Dec 02 (15) Dec 01 (36) Nov 30 (23) Nov 29 (17) Nov 28 (23) Nov 27 (13) Nov 26 (16) Nov 25 (14) Nov 24 (18) Nov 23 (21) Nov 22 (21) Nov 21 (24) Nov 20 (20) Nov 19 (23) Nov 18 (17) Nov 17 (17) Nov 16 (34) Nov 15 (25) Nov 14 (17) Nov 13 (21) Nov 12 (18) Nov 11 (9) Nov 10 (15) Nov 09 (9) Nov 08 (9) Nov 07 (12) Nov 06 (8) Nov 05 (4) Oct 29 (1) Oct 01 (1) Jul 29 (1) May 11 (1) Jul 11 (1)
Yes, you can transfer your domain to any registrar or hosting company once you have purchased it. Since domain transfers are a manual process, it can take up to 5 days to transfer the domain.

Domains purchased with payment plans are not eligible to transfer until all payments have been made. Please remember that our 30-day money back guarantee is void once a domain has been transferred.

For transfer instructions to GoDaddy, please click here.
The statement said that the latest U.S. sanctions will affect Venezuela's efforts to buy food, medicine and basic goods.

Three United States congressional members issued a statement calling for a diplomatic solution in Venezuela in response to the newest U.S. financial sanctions against the country.

In a press release released Friday, U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI), John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), and Ro Khanna (D-CA) defended Venezuela against the unilateral sanctions, for the good of its people.

With its announcement of the most extensive U.S. financial sanctions against Venezuela to date, the Trump Administration is once again pursuing aggressive unilateral measures abroad in an attempt to distract attention away from the sustained outrage over the presidents disgraceful antics at home  all while designing his sanctions in accordance with the interests of oil-industry lobbyists, the statement read.

The new sanctions which were announced by the U.S. administration Friday, aim to prevent Venezuela from raising new loans on U.S. financial markets. They are expected to make it difficult for the government of President Nicolas Maduro to restructure its debt payments, and are likely to aggravate the shortages of some foods and other products for Venezuelan consumers.

The congressional members stated that sanctioning the nation will only aggravate the economic crisis. These unilateral sanctions will only further complicate efforts to achieve a peaceful solution to the countrys political crisis and threaten to create greater economic hardship for ordinary Venezuelans."

In a letter written to U.S. Secretary Rex Tillerson last month, the congresspeople warned that U.S. economic sanctions would be rejected by Venezuelans and only serve as fuel for further tensions between the two nations, while the opportunity for dialogue and a peaceful solution continued to slip further away.

By applying financial sanctions to Venezuela, President Trump is threatening the countrys ability to access foreign currency, which is desperately needed to alleviate widespread shortages of food, medicine and basic goods, the document stated.

Prior to ratcheting up hostilities through these latest sanctions, President Trump absurdly suggested a military option in Venezuela, publicly betraying his campaign promise to avoid regime-change efforts that have undermined U.S. security interests, the statement continued.

Such a reckless maneuver, absent Congressional authorization and U.N. Security Council approval, would be clearly unconstitutional and illegal, the politicians stated.

A sensible approach to Venezuelas crisis is obvious: the United States needs to work with other governments in the region to support mediation and negotiations that involve respected international actors such as the Vatican and the United Nations.
Aug 28, 2017 | By Benedict

Engineers have proposed a number of futuristic concepts for new Royal Navy vehicles and weapons. Their designs include a 3D printed stingray-like submarine and swarms of fish-shaped torpedoes.

Vehicle concepts are often a mixed bag: while artist impressions of, say, high-end cars can offer real insight into future vehicle technologies, they often verge on the fantasticaltoo elaborate, too fanciful, and not enough justification for how and why any of these future technologies might come about.

But when its in-the-know professional engineers doing the designs, you have to stop and pay a bit more notice. (Even when their designs take their inspiration from manta rays, eels, and fish.)

Thats right, young scientists and engineers from UKNEST, a science, engineering, and technology nonprofit focused on naval design, have submitted a number of weird and wonderful proposals for future underwater vehicles, some of which are 3D printed.

These young engineers reportedly work for a diverse range of companies, including Atlas Elektronik, Babcock, BAE Systems, BMT, DSTL, L3, Lockheed Martin, MOD, QinetiQ, Rolls Royce, SAAB Seaeye, and Thales. Impressive names, and impressive designs to match.

With more than 70 per cent of the planet's surface covered by water, the oceans remain one of the world's great mysteries and untapped resources, commented Commander Peter Pipkin, the Royal Navy's fleet robotics officer. It's predicted that in 50 years' time there will be more competition between nations to live and work at sea or under it. With this in mind that the Royal Navy is looking at its future role, and how it will be best equipped to protect Britain's interests around the globe.

The crazy designs, which have been given the Royal Navys seal of approval, include a mothership submarine called Nautilus 100, which features a whale shark mouth and the body of manta ray.

Quiet, efficient, and ultra-fast, the concept sub would suck water in through its mouth and pump it out of the reara process not unlike that used by Dyson vacuum cleaners. It would also employ a supercavitating system for boiling ocean water in front of it with a laser, reducing resistance.

According to Rear Admiral Tim Hodgson, the Ministry of Defence's director of submarine capability, these plans might not be as outlandish as they seem when considered in the context of naval history.

From Nelson's tactics at the Battle of Trafalgar to Fisher's revolutionary Dreadnought battleships, the Royal Navy's success has always rested on a combination of technology and human skill, Hodgson said.

Specifications for the Nautilus 100 include a 3D printed hull made from acrylic materials and alloys, with surfaces that can dynamically change shape. The unusual vehicle would also have tiny graphene scales, controlled by an electric current, for reducing noise.

The submarine also showcases a range of futuristic weapons, which also happen to look like sea creatures. Autonomous sea drones shaped like eels and tiny dissolvable swarm drones have each been proposed, as have flying fish drones to replace torpedoes.

Today's Royal Navy is one of the most technologically advanced forces in the world, and that's because we have always sought to think differently and come up with ideas that challenge traditional thinking, Pipkin said. If only 10 per cent of these ideas become reality, it will put us at the cutting edge of future warfare and defense operations.

Hodgson echoed Pipkins sentiments, saying: We want to encourage our engineers of the future to be bold, think radically, and push boundaries.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

Maybe you also like:









thoxbui wrote at 8/28/2017 9:58:29 PM:It's the Flying Sub from Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea!




Aug 28, 2017 | By David

A high-performance material commonly used for insulating space craft and satellites has been successfully 3D printed for the first time. This is a significant breakthrough that stands to increase the number of potential applications for 3D printing technology in space exploration projects, as well as the electronics and aerospace industries, where the material is also frequently used. Researchers from Virginia Tech were able to synthesize the molecules required to 3D print the polyimide material, which is formally known as Kapton.

The process of creating the necessary macro-molecules to 3D print Kapton, in such a way that they would remain stable and maintain their thermal properties, took researchers from Virginia Techs College of Engineering and College of Science around a year to complete. The success of the project means that a theoretically limitless variety of shaped parts and components can now be made from Kapton, which was previously only possible to produce in the form of large, thin sheets. These gold foil-like sheets are present in the multi-layer insulation found on many satellites and spacecraft, to protect them from the extreme heat and cold conditions they are exposed to.

The difficulty of manufacturing parts made of Kapton is linked to its molecular structure. It is an aromatic polymer composed of carbons and hydrogens inside benzene rings, which gives it exceptional thermal and chemical stability, but also means that complex structures have been nearly impossible to produce.

3D printing parts with Kapton doesnt just expand the range of possibilities for the industries that already make use of it, but also for 3D printing technology itself. Typically, 3D printable polymers start to lose their mechanical strength at about 300 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the research team, Kapton can maintain its properties up to 1,020 degrees Fahrenheit. This means 3D printing could now be used for all kinds of new high-performance applications.

We are now able to print the highest temperature polymer ever  about 285 degrees Fahrenheit higher in deflection temperature than any other existing printable polymer. Additionally, our 3-D printed material has equivalent strength to the conventionally processed thin-film Kapton material, said Christopher Williams, an associate professor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering, and leader of the Design, Research, and Education for Additive Manufacturing Systems (DREAMS) Laboratory.

The project was a large collaborative effort, with Williams working together with Timothy Long, a professor with the Department of Chemistry and the director of the Macromolecules Innovation Institute (MII), as well as then-post-doctorate researcher Maruti Hegde, now a research associate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. College of Engineering doctoral students Viswanath Meenakshisundaram, of Bangalore, India, and Nicholas Chartrain, of Westfield, New Jersey, were also involved. Their research has been published in the Advanced Materials Journal under a fitting title: ''Processing the Nonprocessable''.

The team chose to synthesize the molecules for 3D printing Kapton as it was a relatively ubiquitous polymer, enabling their work to have a rapid impact on existing technologies. They eventually filed a patent for their material, after a year of testing in different scenarios and fine-tuning how it is printed, and several major companies have already expressed their interest.

We can imagine this being used for printing a satellite structure, serving as a high-temp filter or a high-temp flow nozzle, said Williams. We can imagine using the wide geometric and microscale possibilities offered by 3-D printing to further improve existing designs  say, a more lightweight satellite, a filter that provides optimum/efficient flow, a nozzle with a designed flow path that allows greater exit velocity and efficiency.

Posted in 3D Printing Materials

Maybe you also like:









Robiol eslam wrote at 9/3/2017 5:19:15 PM:Kaoton




by Richard King

Of all the flags seen at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month  the Gadsden, the Confederate, the National Socialist  none so caught the media's attention as the one raised in its immediate aftermath. Responding to the far-right rally, and to the atrocity committed by one of the protestors, the Cheeto Jesus equivocated. There was, he said, blame on "many sides"  a claim he reiterated a few days later in an impromptu press conference at Trump Tower in New York. Indeed he went further, describing as "fine people" many of the protestors who'd attended the march and more than implying that their central grievance, the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, was based on solid reasoning. Even by Trump's standards this was a shock, and rival politicians and mainstream media wasted no time in denouncing his comments. In his response to the violence in Virginia, they said, the president had revealed his "true colours".

Personally I doubt Trump has any true colours. He is too chaotic an individual to have a consistent ideology, save for the usual dog-eat-dog shtick that passes for wisdom at the big end of town. But there's no doubt he represents something in the minds of the millions of Americans who voted for him, and the question of what that is is crucial. One doesn't need to have read Sun Tzu to know that in order to defeat an enemy it is first necessary to understand it, and at the moment we are presented with very different interpretations of the reasons for Trump's ascendancy and the rise of rightwing populism more generally. To a great extent these interpretations reflect broader ideological frameworks. These, too, need to be named and delineated before liberals and leftists can begin to construct a coherent platform from which to fight back against right-wing populism in the US and beyond.

In what follows I want to offer an overview of what I take to be the two main analyses, and suggest, not only that both are limited, but also that the simplistic opposition of the two is based on a false antithesis. As tempting as such posturing is at present, crude characterisations of Trump's constituency as reflexively racist, economically neglected, or just plain dumb do nobody any good. God knows, I'm not proposing to Unite the Left, or suggesting that "the left" can be united. But I do think a more granular analysis of this question has the potential to instil a bit of solidarity in the shadow of this ongoing calamity. So, with your indulgence comrades

The key question can be simply stated: How do we characterise  is it possible to characterise  the Trump ascendency/insurgency and the broader politics of which it is an example? At present most analyses of this question fall into one of two broad camps, both of which, amusingly, tend to cast the other as dominant. Either you think that populism is an essentially racialised/cultural phenomenon, based in "white fright", Islamophobia, misogyny, fear of change etc. Or you think it's a response to "globalisation" and the economic stress that accompanies it. Emerging from these analyses, and moving between them, are "false consciousness" arguments, the thrust of which is that while you may think you're mad about A, or B, or C, you're actually really mad about X. This analysis is more common on the "globalisation" side, stemming as it does from a more "materialist" conception of society as organised around an economic base that colours the superstructural sphere and underlies the conflicts within it.

The first case  the "race/cultural" case  has been put forcefully by the political scientist Christopher Parker, who, in a recent interview with Salon, dismissed the idea that Trump's victory had anything to do with globalisation, describing it as "nonsensical". Noting that 48% of college-educated whites cast their votes for the current president, he characterised the Trump catastrophe as a symptom of white identity politics. That Hillary Clinton received 53% support from voters earning less than $50,000 is, for Parker, further evidence that racial and cultural resentment, not class, was the fuel that propelled Hair Force One towards the White House. Writing in The Conversation shortly after the election result, he set out his case in strenuous terms:

Rapidly changing demographics means that America will transition to a "majority-minority" country no later than 2044. Women are now more visible in public life than ever. Three serve on the Supreme Court. One even ran for president  twice. Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land. Last, but not least, we've had a black president for almost eight years. With this in mind, many Trump supporters believe themselves to be losing "their" country, something that leads them to prefer a social milieu more consistent with days gone by  one in which primarily white, middle- and upper-class, heterosexual, native-born men reigned supreme.

For Parker it follows that any strategic response to this kind of white identity politics should itself be grounded in identity, not class. As he puts it in his Salon interview, progressives need to stop agonising about how to win back white working-class voters and concentrate on "fear and identity politics as an organisational tool on the left".

Though Parker is something of an outlier in his total rejection of the economic/globalisation analysis, there is no doubt that his basic argument is one to which many people would subscribe. Certainly it chimes with the temper of the "resistance" that has emerged as a reaction to Trump's presidency, focused as it tends to be on issues of race, misogyny etc. As for evidence from outside the US that the rise of rightwing populism is steeped in racial and cultural anxiety  that is not in short supply.The Brexit result was widely characterised as a victory for nationalism, and there are good reasons to think that such attitudes were strongly represented in that vote. The loud appeals to nativism from the UK Independence Party found fallow ground in the north especially, and there's little doubt that the overrepresentation of older voters skewed the poll in favour of more nativist attitudes. Nor is there any doubt at all that anti-immigration sentiment sits right at the heart of the populist upsurge on the European continent. It takes many different forms, of course  from the "illiberal liberalism" of Marine Le Pen to the hard-right rhetoric of Hungary's Jobbik. But that it's there, and that it has deep roots, is obvious.

So plenty to be going on with here. But there are also problems with this argument, not the least of which is the fact that voters who switched from Democrat to Republican were located almost exclusively in middle and lower income groups. Indeed, and according to Torsten Bell of the UK-based Resolution Foundation, 16% of voters earning less than $30,000 switched their allegiance from Democrat to Republican, and this would certainly help to explain the Donald's success in those de-industrialised states hit hardest by the China shock. Surely it is stretching credulity to suggest that Americans from Michigan or Wisconsin who'd voted for Obama twice would vote for Trump for racist reasons, or reasons of a purely cultural character. The role of race in US politics should never be underestimated, and I think Parker is right to suggest that the Tea Party was steeped in white anxiety and resentment. Nor is there any doubt that Trump, with his "blue lives matter"/birther shtick, was attempting to channel this sentiment. But to reduce the Trump ascendancy to such nativist attitudes strikes me as a stretch. There is clearly more going on than that.

This brings us to the second analysis, which rejects this "whitelash" argument in favour of an economic explanation. According to this thesis the election result was a rejection of a status quo that had failed to improve the material lot of working and middleclass Americans  a system of which Clinton 2.0, as a multimillionaire and political insider, was and is the living symbol. Its advocates point to the surge in voting on the part of non-college-educated whites aged 45-64 and suggest that it is precisely this cohort that has suffered as a result of neoliberal globalisation, with its layoffs, offshoring, anti-union legislation, stagnant wages and declining conditions. They note that Clinton's share of these votes fell sharply as compared to Obama's, point to exit polls showing widespread anxiety about the economy, and suggest that it was the promise of import tariffs and infrastructure spending in the Midwestern states, and not the slurs against Mexicans and Muslims, that explained the Republican surge in the rustbelt. Moreover they suggest that those who seek to deny or downplay economic factors are afflicted by a guilty conscience stemming from the fact that in the 1990s the centre-left ceased to oppose neoliberalism, adopting instead a "trickledown" model of social and economic justice based around education, meritocracy, social engineering and the like. Doubling down on identity politics gives Clinton and her analogues an "out".

Well, I don't disagree with that. But, again, this argument in its stripped-down form does strike me as rather too simplistic, and even in its "false consciousness" form  viz. "If workers can be shown that it's capitalism that makes their lives intolerable they'd stop being so racist, sexist etc."  as less than satisfactory in the light of the data collated by Parker. So: Is there a way to explain the rise of Trump and rightwing populism that can accommodate both explanations without simply subordinating one to the other in the manner of a "vulgar" Marxism?

I think there is, but it involves a rather more subtle approach to issues of economics and culture, and to the character of globalisation, than has so far been advanced in the great majority of analyses. In what follows I'll sketch what I take to be the broad parameters of such an approach and identify some recent work that I think moves us in the right direction.

Economics is about more than income. This simple but often neglected point is of the utmost importance to the current predicament. The exposure of the US economy, and indeed of the European economy, to competition from outside markets not only leads to plant closures in the Midwest; it also leads to the threat of such closures and thus to the kind of competition-focused policies that serve to minimise risk for employers at the cost of increasing it for employees, usually under the rubric of greater "flexibility". It leads, in other words, to job insecurity, a quantity much harder to measure than income. Moreover, and as David Harvey has argued in a number of books on the character of modern capitalism, the way in which many western economies emerged from the labour crisis of the 1970s laid the groundwork for the crisis of 2008. Essentially the policy was to compensate for falling wages by encouraging people to take on debt, and that, too, leads not only to crisis (as with the subprime housing bubble) but also to deep changes in the nature of social life. Life and work are much more precarious than they were in the decades after the Second World War, even for those outside the "precariat" defined by Professor Guy Standing. Even in my native Australia, which was largely protected from the global debt crisis by dint of its mineral exports to China, it is clear from recent qualitative research that people feel pinched and pressed and pushed in a way that it is hard for quantitative data to get at.

Underlying these issues of insecurity and debt is the fact that the transition from a largely industrial to a largely postindustrial economy was achieved through an expansion of higher education and a broad consensus about the desirability and efficacy of meritocracy. This was of course a great thing for many people, but it also sharpened and altered the relationship between the well educated and the less well educated in ways that are only beginning to be understood, and are almost certainly related to Trump's insouciance in point of verifiable evidence, and the broader politicisation of knowledge of which that is an (outstanding) example. As Thomas Frank has argued in Listen, Liberal, those who now sit at the well-paid centre of the knowledge economy, the "professionals", tend to be drawn from the same social backgrounds as those at the centre of political life, and share with them a view of the world that is increasingly alien to many voters  one in which a good degree or diploma is the ticket to success and in which mobility and flexibility are held in greater esteem than tradition and community. One can take Parker's point about the percentage of college-educated whites who voted for Trump in 2016 and still recognise the fertile ground this opens up for demagogues of the rightwing populist variety.

In The Road to Somewhere David Goodhart describes the knowledge class's view of the world as an "anywhere" ideology  an ideology stemming in part from the kind of work its members do and the kind of education they required to get it. Such work is organised around cognitive ability, creativity, systemic thinking and so on, and the kind of world-picture to which it gives rise is one to which "human capital" and an attitude of openness are increasingly central. Politically that ethic translates into a focus on "achieved" identities as opposed to "ascribed" ones, and into what Goodhart calls "progressive individualism"  a political outlook that is broadly accepting of the "double liberalism" (economic and social) represented by Clinton and politicians of her ilk. This is, it should be obvious, precisely the sort of ideology globalisation needs to function. Abstract rights and ideas of equality are placed above more "grounded" politics, and openness preferred to closedness in both the economic and social spheres. Fluidity, flexibility, becoming  these concepts are increasingly central to the knowledge economy and the knowledge class, occupationally and politically.

What Goodhart calls the "somewhere" ideology is in large part a reaction to this new reality. And while there are "hard authoritarians" to be found within the populist insurgency, it seems that most "somewhere" sentiment is not aggressively racist or xenophobic but rather nostalgic for a more settled society in which social roles were more strictly defined. If that sounds like a distinction without a difference, bear in mind that the progressive unwillingness to distinguish between implicit and explicit racism, xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny and so on is itself a symptom of the "postmaterial" politics that many somewheres regard as alien. When they report that they feel like "strangers in their own land" it is to this moving of the moral goalposts, as much as to race and immigration, that they're referring.

It seems to me that what we are dealing with here is neither a class war nor a culture war but a combination of the two. Which is not, to reiterate, to insist that the one thing is a symptom or mere projection of the other, but that the two are, finally, inseparable, and that only a politics that recognises that fact has a hope of sending the populists packing. It should not be a controversial conclusion. The leaders of the Civil Rights movement needed no convincing of the deep connection between identity and the economy. How could they, given that their fight was with the legacy of a mode of production called "slavery"?

Neither a vulgar class analysis nor a narrowly cultural one will suffice in the political battles ahead. Both the material left and liberal progressives need to accept that at the current moment issues of economic insecurity and feelings of cultural dispossession are largely indivisible. People need money, but they also need meaning, and a program offering only one of these things is doomed to almost certain failure. Trump's program, which combined nativist rhetoric with the promise of economic rejuvenation, was itself a recognition of this reality. When that program fails, as it surely will, the broad spectrum of progressive forces had better be ready with some "colours" of its own.

*

Visit me at The Bloody Crossroads.
When you've worked up an appetite, make this your go-to list this week.

When in Rome



Pasta lover and Rome-based cookbook author Katie Parla is giving a talk at UC Berkeley on her forthcoming untitled cookbook to do with the cuisine of Southern Italy. She'll speak about the lost and disappearing dishes of the region, and do a short Q&A moderated by Professor Danielle Callegari of the Italian Studies department. // 5-7pm, Thurs. Sept. 7 at UC Berkeley, Dwinelle Hall 370, (Berkeley), katieparla.com





Burger Night at Fiorella

Because burgers make everything better, Chef Dante Cecchini (formerly of Marlowe), is bringing his own version to the table at Fiorella, the Outer Richmond eatery usually known for its small plates and pizza. Sink your teeth into six ounces of B&N Ranch ground beef topped with American cheese, Fiorella;s "special sauce," sour pickle, butter lettuce, and grilled onions all on a poppy seed bun. Bonus points for the crinkle cut fries. // 2339 Clement St (Outer Richmond), fiorella-sf.com





Instacart for All!

Everyone deserves excellent grocery delivery. Last week, San Franciscobased Instacart announced expanded service to include households in Wine Country and Contra Costa County, as well as even more territory in the East and North Bay. That's right, now all you folks in Napa, Fairfield, Vallejo, Hayward and beyond can have your organic unsweetened almond milk delivered same day to your door. // instacart.com

Au Lait!



La Boulangerie is really back in the swing of thing. Its 7th location, which opened in FiDi last Tuesday, is primed for pre-work breakfast with a large bakery assortment, quiche, and croque monsieur, as well as grab and go sandwiches and salads for lunch. All new is the DIY Au Lait bar: Grab your choice of coffee or tea, and dress it up with milk and a housemade simple syrups such as 65% dark French chocolate, double mint, or malted vanilla. // La Boulangerie, 655 Montgomery St (FiDi), laboulangeriesf.com





Get Happy at Laszlo



One more reason to grab drinks at Laszlo: Now during happy hour (4-6pm) Mondays through Thursdays, the bar is serving $4 Shiner Bocks and $7 specialty cocktails. Order the Evan Williams Presbyterian Highball or an Aylesbury Duck Moscow Mule created by bar manager Nicky Beyries. Best of all? Free snacks! // 2526 Mission St. (Mission), laszlobar.com





Wine and Dine @ Alta

As part of Alta's ongoing Meet the Winemaker series, hosted the last Friday of every month, the restaurant will welcome Damien Reusch, of Phifer Pavitt Winery, this week. Reusch will be pouring complimentary tastes of 2013 Cabernet and 2016 Sauvignon Blanc. There'll be an option to buy a glass at the bar and during dinner that night. // 4-6pm, Friday, Sept.1 at Alta, 1275 Minnesota St. (Dogpatch), altaca.co
Thats a major turnaround from 2011, when the economy still was struggling to bounce back from the economic downturn of the late 2000s. Back then, just 15 percent of American workers were able to increase their retirement savings over the previous year, while 29 percent cut them. This year only 19 percent of workers said they had reduced the amount they were saving.

The biggest jump in retirement savings was among younger workers. Twenty-seven percent of millennials said they were putting aside more money for retirement than last year, while 19 percent were saving less and 47 percent were saving the same amount.

Among boomers, 21 percent said they were saving more than in 2016, while 14 percent said they were saving less and 59 percent were saving the same amount as last year.

The survey also found that 33 percent of boomers felt that they are growing their personal wealth, which is more than twice the share (15 percent) who thought they were losing ground. Fifty-two percent said their wealth is about the same as it was a year ago.
As much as she is thrilled to give the 2 million-member organization its first female commander in its 98-year history, Rohan describes her focus  which she stressed at the groups annual meeting in Reno last week  as extending to every member of each military family. Her aim, she says, is to strengthen the web formed by the Legions many different branches, programs and members, so they can together better support everyone  from veterans returning from war with PTSD to families struggling with the void left by mothers or fathers overseas.

With so many national guard and reservists in particular facing multiple deployments to places like Iraq and Afghanistan, Rohan says it is the Legions business to support their families  especially since we live in a society where their next-door neighbor may have no idea that the mother or father beside them is shouldering a significant burden alone. By the time were at the deployment service, we know the family, she says. Over years of such goodbye ceremonies, she says, she has heard the same answer to the question of how the Legion can best support departing personnel: They always say, Take care of my family. 

Another key part of Rohans personal approach concerns the return home. Advocating for more service officers to help veterans navigate a cumbersome benefits-claims process is high on her list of priorities. So is undoing the damage done to Vietnam-era veterans when they were denied the homecoming  and gratitude they deserved years ago. When Vietnam vets came into Legion posts they werent necessarily welcomed properly by WWII and Korean vets, and I'm sorry that happened, she says. Ever practical, the former logistics instructor also notes that with so many Vietnam veterans reaching retirement age, they also have the time to be active Legion members. I ask them to give the American Legion another chance, she says  noting later in her candid and somewhat droll way that new members may need to hang in past the roll call and agenda items. Often someone comes to a Legion meeting and they sit there and think, This is the most boring thing Ive ever done. But the actual work we do in the community to help lift up military families across this nation, thats the beauty of this organization.

Rohan, who joined the U.S. Army in 1974, is the second woman this month to be elected to lead a major veteran service organization. She joins retired Army veteran Delphine Metcalf-Foster, who was elected national commander of the Disabled American Veterans organization, which has nearly 1.3 million members.
Jefferson cruises to 11AAA state title over Harrisburg in 2nd year

Head coach Vince Benedetto asks his team the same question after every game: "Can we play better?" But Saturday, "it doesn't matter because we're champions."


Always Moving Forward...

Rouyn-Noranda, Aug 28, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Most of us are aware of Tahoe Resources' very serious problems at their massive Escobal silver mine in Guatemala. Beginning in June, local protesters initially blocked access to the silver deposit, and over the past couple of months, gained the support of the courts to shut down operations. With no solution in sight, the future of the mine appears quite grim. Tahoe's stock price closed August 25th at CDN$5.58, down over 50% since mid June.



Tahoe's situation speaks volumes to Dupont's focus in politically stable Canada. All of Explor Resources exploration assets are focussed in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. Tahoe is rumoured to be one of the serious suitors interested in Explor Resources Timmins Porcupine West Gold Deposit (TPW), especially given its adjacent to their Gap 144 gold resource. With pressure from their shareholders, I would think the Tahoe directors would want to put out some good news? As an unhappy Tahoe shareholder, acquisition of the largest porphyry ever found in the Timmins Porcupine Destor Fault, with an HMC Model suggesting 20-30 million ounces of gold, would make me a lot happier! With the added scramble for regional gold assets by Goldcorp, Kirkland Lake, and more recently, McEwen, I suggest the proposed 5-10,000 meter drilling campaign slated for this fall at the TPW, may, in fact, be financed by others. I suspect proposals are being prepared for Dupont, and the Board to consider?



Dupont is in Val d'Or, Quebec this week, meeting with the geologists that performed the preliminary work on the company's East Bay gold property block. Explor is the single largest property holder in the Duparquet Camp, holding some 11,000 hectares. IAMGOLD is the second largest in the region. Apparently, following a meticulous geophysics program, some 80 grab samples were sent to a lab in Val d'Or for multiple element testing. Dupont is undoubtedly hopeful the results will be available, as they are a meaningful component in deciding where to drill the 3,000 meters proposed on East Bay. I'm also hearing he will be in Timmins for a number of meetings during the week. I know some of Explor's largest shareholders are anxious to hear from him personally about plans moving forward. I'm guessing he may be meeting with the odd TPW suitor as well?



Lastly, I'm hearing an influential M&A group is developing a comprehensive presentation on Explor to present to prospective financiers; possible Joint Venture Partners; and serious mineral property buyers. Well experienced in the field, I'm expecting some interesting developments from them over the next couple of months.



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.


and Danaos Partner to Accelerate Digitalization of Maritime Industry

Sydney, Aug 28, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Speedcast International Limited ( ASX:SDA ), the world's most trusted provider of highly reliable, fully managed, remote communication and IT solutions, and Danaos Peripherals today announced a strategic alliance agreement under which the two companies will combine maritime communications with advanced application management developed by Danaos. Within 2017 the two companies will jointly release a remote and autonomous IT system on board a vessel, leveraging key technologies such as Big Data analytics, (IoT) Internet of Things, and cyber security. The system will enable the remote deployment of 3rd party services and applications, allowing for the swift and simple implementation of new capabilities to a ship.



Speedcast is the leading global satellite communications and network service provider, offering high-quality managed network services in over 100 countries and a global maritime network serving customers worldwide providing connectivity to over 10,000 ships and supporting mission critical applications.



Danaos Peripherals is the leading software provider to the commercial maritime industry offering the most complete system to the shipping community currently supporting more than 6000 vessels and 500 shipping companies worldwide.



"The Speedcast and Danaos strategic alliance represents an exciting new direction for the Maritime sector" said Mr. Tim Bailey, EVP of Products, Marketing, and Business Development for Speedcast. "The combination of Speedcast's expertise in delivering high quality critical communications solutions and Danaos's ability to create a state of the art application environment will accelerate the digitalization of the Maritime business."



"Danaos recognized Speedcast as a strategic partner in our vision of enhancing onboard IT infrastructure and delivering advanced solutions, meeting today's market needs with minimal effort for implementation and support" stated Mr. Dimitris Theodossiou, Managing Director of Danaos Peripherals.





About Speedcast International Ltd





Speedcast International Ltd (ASX:SDA) is the world's most trusted communications and IT services provider, delivering critical communications solutions to the Maritime, Energy, Mining, Media, Telecom, Cruise, NGO, Government, and Enterprise sectors. With more satellite capacity than any other provider, Speedcast enables faster, seamless pole-to-pole coverage from a global hybrid satellite, fiber, cellular, microwave, MPLS, and IP transport network with direct access to public cloud platforms. The company also integrates differentiated technology offerings that provide smarter ways to communicate and distribute content, manage network and remote operations, protect and secure investments, and improve the crew and guest experience. With a passionate customer focus and a strong safety culture, Speedcast serves more than 3,200 customers in over 140 countries. Learn more at www.speedcast.com.
Planes could take off from British airports using fuels made from rubbish that gets sent to landfill, under a new UK Government scheme.





Above: Jesse Norman MP was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport on 14 June 2017.



As part of plans to promote clean alternative fuels, the government is offering funding for projects in the UK to develop low carbon waste-based fuels for planes and lorries, with matching funding from industry.

Transport Minister Jesse Norman (above) said: We are committed to cutting carbon emissions and promoting new environmentally-friendly fuels that will help us meet that goal.



We are making funding available to innovative businesses which will lead the way in developing alternative fuels that are efficient, sustainable and clean.



We want every new car and van in the UK to be zero emission by 2040, but we know lorries and aeroplanes will rely on more traditional fuels for years to come so we must promote environmentally friendly alternatives.



The government is already planning to revolutionise the motor industry with ultra-low emission electric cars and now it is going further and investing in a new generation of fuels which will power our aircraft and lorries.



Trials of sustainable jet fuel, made from waste materials, have taken place in Europe and North America and now the launch of a UK competition will see British experts conduct pioneering research in this sector.



The Department has already had interest from more than 70 groups in bidding for the funding.



The new fuels are chemically very similar to conventional fuels, so can be used in existing aircraft without the need for any engine modifications.



The low carbon transport fuels made from waste materials could be worth 600m a year to the British economy by 2030, and could also support up to 9,800 new jobs.



The 22 million fund could help deliver up to five new low carbon fuel plants by 2021. The money is available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels, to be used in planes and lorries where it is not viable today to switch to electric power, because of the large weight of the vehicles.



Planes and lorries powered by waste fuels could use up to 90% less carbon than traditional fossil fuels.



The Future Fuels for Flight and Freight competition is part of the governments Modern Industrial Strategy, which sets out to support evolving industries with the potential to boost the economy.



The government is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050 and transport emissions must be slashed if they are to meet that target.



Biofuels made from waste products could be even more sustainable than current crop-based biofuels, already used in some road-based vehicles.
President Donald Trump is accusing Canada and Mexico of being very difficult at the negotiating table over the North American Free Trade Agreement, and threatening anew to terminate the deal.

Trump tweeted on Sunday morning that NAFTA is the worst trade deal ever made. Trump said at a rally last week in Phoenix that he would end up probably terminating NAFTA at some point.

The US, Mexico and Canada began formal negotiations earlier this month to rework the 23-year-old trade pact that Trump blames for hundreds of thousands of lost US factory jobs.

Trump is also taking to Twitter to press the need for his promised southern border wall, tweeting that Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other. Mexico has repeatedly said theres no chance of that happening.

Mexicos foreign relations ministry responded to Trumps comments Sunday by reiterating that Mexico will never pay for a border wall and that it will not renegotiate NAFTA via social media or the press.

In a statement, the ministry also emphasized that the violence generated by drug trafficking is a shared problem between Mexico and the US, which creates the demand for drugs.

The second round of the NAFTA renegotiation is scheduled to begin Friday in Mexico City.
North Korea has cancelled this years Wonsan Air Show, travel agents said on Monday, with reports suggesting tightened travel restrictions by several countries due to nuclear tensions with Pyongyang could be behind the move.

The first-ever Wonsan International Friendship Air Festival was held in September last year, attracting hundreds of foreigners as the isolated North showcased a line-up of civilian and military aircraft.

The event had been planned to take place every two years, but North Korea said in March the first was so successful that it was bringing forward the second edition.

But the gathering, scheduled for late September, was cancelled by the North Korean Preparatory Committee due to current geopolitical circumstances, specialist website NK News reported, citing an email from the organisers.

It did not give specific reasons but cited uncertainty and recently upgraded travel warnings regarding trips to the North, the report said.

A US travel ban issued following the June death of US student Otto Warmbier, who was released in a coma after being held by Pyongyang for more than a year, will come into effect on Friday.

Britain updated its advice at the weekend to urge its citizens against all but essential travel.

Japans public broadcaster NHK cited diplomatic sources as saying the reason for the cancellation was unclear. It said there was speculation it could be part of the Norths efforts to save fuel in the face of increasingly tough United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Rayco Vega at China-based KTG DPRK Tours & Information said that the agency has scrapped its plans.
Speculations are rife in political circles that NCP president Sharad Pawar is likely to be inducted a cabinet berth in the Modi government. Even Nitish Kumar led JD (U) might be allotted a cabinet berth for openly rebelling against the Congress. Minority community votes are important for them to retain a hold over their constituencies. However, there are also prominent leaders in the party without any grassroots connection, who have been nominated to the Rajya Sabha or Legislative Council. Before the presidential and vice-presidential elections, they had been debating whether the party should support the candidates of the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Opposition. While one group wanted to openly side with the BJP, the other was bitterly opposed to any attempt to abandon the partys secular and socialist credentials to enter a saffron space dominated by the national ruling party and the Shiv Sena. There were also rumours that Sharad Pawars name would be proposed by NDA for presidential post of India but that did not happen, later on to pacify Pawar he was awarded with Padmashree. Still the over ambitious and greedy politician Pawar has been straddling two boats for a long time now and he is in danger of falling into deep waters. If you look at his political history, it is evident that he is an opportunist and most unpredictable politician ever.

In the recent past his intimacy with Modi has not gone down well with his voter base and this was reflected in the results to the civic polls in Maharashtra where NCP fared poorly, losing many of the civic bodies it held to the Shiv Sena or the BJP. For instance, his flip-flops on demonetization have been confusing his workers and his voters alike, and he is under terrific pressure to take a stand and clear the confusion.

While the Shiv Sena has perfected the art of having its cake and eating it too  being in government with the BJP and yet bitterly opposing its ally, thus occupying the opposition space as well  the Nationalist Congress Party is struggling to keep on the right side of a rising BJP and yet hold on to the Congress for its electoral fortunes. However, Pawars worry to rebuild his fading credentials of the party  by going back to the grassroots is biggest challenge of the time. It is unlikely that he will openly root for the BJP as his core base is Western Maharashtra, from where he gets maximum electoral returns. This is Chhatrapati Shivaji territory, and the Maratha ethos, despite its current problems with Dalits following the brutal Kopardi rape case, is a socialist one. In Marathwada, however, there has been tremendous resentment against Dalits since 1994 when Pawar, then the chief minister, renamed Aurangabads Marathwada University after BR Ambedkar. Pawar has sensed that breach and is making desperate efforts to recover lost ground here as nowhere else in Maharashtra does the NCP stand much of a chance to, well, stand on its own feet.

Under the circumstances, the Congress could be its only friend. However, after a series of betrayals by the NCP, Congress is more cautious with Pawar. Perhaps Pawar knows the Congresss need for an alliance with his party is greater. But if he continues to ride two horses pulling in opposite directions, a calamitous fall is unavoidable. Though, Sharad Pawar has ruled out the possibility of joining National Democratic Alliance many times since 2014 but he is evidently getting close to Modi. Earlier Pawar said his party would prefer to sit in the opposition with Congress than join NDA. Its said in political circles that Pawar cant live without power. His entire career spanning 50 years in politics is testimony to this fact. He has switched sides, made friends with enemies, compromised with opponents, all in his zeal to stay in power at any cost. He entered the Maharashtra Assembly in 1967 at a young age of 27. He slowly rose up the ranks in Maharashtra politics and the state Congress. He became the youngest chief minister of Maharashtra by toppling the Vasantdada Patil-led Congress government in 1978. He led a group of 40 MLAs to split from the parent party and formed the government with Janata Partys support. In 1980, after Indira Gandhi swept the Lok Sabha polls, Pawars state government was dismissed. In the Maharashtra elections in 1980, his party lost.

Again in 1985, Pawars party the Indian National Congress (Socialist) won only 54 seats and he became the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra. With the split and the decline of the Janata Party nationally, Pawar soon realised that he cant get back to power in Maharashtra on his own. Pawar merged his party back into the Congress in 1986. The Shiv Sena was spreading its wings in Maharashtra and Rajiv Gandhi needed a strong man to keep them in check. Lady luck smiled on Pawar again when Rajiv called the incumbent Maharashtra chief minister Shankarrao Chavan to join the Central cabinet, and Pawar again got a shot a chief ministership in 1988 (within two years of joining the Congress back).

After Rajiv Gandhis death in 1991, Pawar made a bid to become the prime minister but as he writes in his book, Sonia Gandhi didnt want somebody with an independent mind to be prime minister. Instead, PV Narasimha Rao was chosen for the top job. Pawar, though unhappy, took up the defence portfolio and swallowed his pride again for the sake of power. In 1993 the Congress sent him back to Maharashtra as chief minister. In the 1995 state elections, the Congress lost sizably to the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. After the 1995 loss and with no prospects in the state for Pawar for the next five years, he shifted again to Central politics and won his Lok Sabha seat from Baramati in 1996. He unsuccessfully made a bid to be the Congress president in 1996 but lost to Sitaram Kesri.

In snap polls in 1999, Pawar opposed Sonia being chosen as the Congress prime ministerial candidate owing to the latters foreign origin. Essentially, Pawar saw that his dream to become the prime minister would be permanently punctured if Sonia was projected as the leader of the Congress. The foreign origin issue was just an excuse. He, along with PA Sangma and Tariq Anwar, were suspended from the party and they formed the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in May 1999. It is very difficult to predict about Sharad Pawar. Lets see this time what shocker he gives to his party workers and people of Maharashtra.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
NCP leaders termed the reports pertaining to party president Sharad Pawar being allotted a ministerial berth in NDA government as baseless. According to them, NCP right now doesnt have any plans to join the Modi government. They added that NCP is a party that follows secular ideology and the party cant deviate from it. As far as decision pertaining to joining the government Sharad Pawar only can take a final call which at this point of time looks a distant possibility said NCP leaders. Modi government is planning to reshuffle the cabinet and JD (U) is likely to be offered a cabinet berth.

When AV spoke to Fauzia Khan, NCP leader and former Minister of State for School Education she said, Sharad Pawar wont take such a decision. He follows secular ideology and there is no question of him joining BJP. One should not believe in this report as it is not authentic.

Sunil Tatkare NCP Maharashtra president and MLA said, All these are rumours baseless and you should take it with a pinch of salt. We have faith in our leaders.

Deven Patil former rural development minister and NCP MLA said, This report lacks credibility and one should not believe in it. If the report is true then why our leaders are making statements against Prime Minister Narendra Modi? We wont lend support to NDA. If this is the case then Pawar would have held a meeting to make his stand clear. Our party president wont take such a decision.

Nawab Malik, NCP spokesperson said, All these rumours are baseless and there is no truth in it. I wont make further comments about this issue.

A prominent NCP leader on the condition of anonymity said, Modi has gone beserk. Some section of media is predicting their political fantasies. Pawar is a senior political leader and NCP wont join Modis cabinet. Wait for sometime the rumour will settle its dust.

The Modi government is likely to promote five ministers of states (MoS)  Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Dharmendra Pradhan and Jitendra Singh. Prime Minister Modi had undertaken a first cabinet expansion in November 2014 as 21 new faces were inducted 21 including Manohar Parrikar as defence minister. In July last year, Modi undertook another reshuffle in which he appointed Prakash Javadekar as the human resource development minister, replacing Smriti Irani, who was shifted to textiles. Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) is likely to be rewarded for joining the NDA.
US President Donald Trumps outlining of new Afghan policy marks a shift from earlier Presidents and policies. If the policy is implemented as stated, it would mean that US is keen to change its outlook towards South Asia. Although the policy is about Afghanistan, it was Pakistan that was the ultimate target of the US President. Trump spoke about increasing the US Armed Forces in Afghanistan in order to fight the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. This is reversal of Obamas policy that sought phase-wise withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.

While threat of Taliban and Al-Qaeda is the reason of US increasing its presence in Afghanistan, it can be easily understood that Trump believes Pakistan to be the root cause of all the instability in the region. Trumps statement that Pakistan harbours and provides safe haven to the terrorists and terrorist organizations is the shift from the policies followed by the previous US governments. Further he also stated that should Pakistan fail to end terror activities, US itself would use all and any means (which range from economic sanctions to military means) to tackle this problem.

This change in stand by the US is a positive sign for India. Indias efforts to resolve the menace of terrorism by isolating Pakistan on international stage may well be bearing fruit with these developments. How and how much of Donald Trumps new policy is implemented remains to be seen. As far as India is concerned, Trump called for a greater role by India in Afghanistan. Again this is departure from the earlier policies of US. Until now Pakistan has always been the partner of US in Afghanistan. India should consider this as an opportunity to make inroads in Afghanistan and play a part that should matter to India and the South Asian Region.

India is already involved in Afghanistan in a number of ways. Majority of Indias involvement remains in infrastructure development, humanitarian aid and logistics. Besides, India has also provided training to personnel of Afghan Armed Forces. Now we have an opportunity to go beyond economic domain and try and take advantage of the geopolitical landscape that Afghanistan offers. India has two extremely important interests in Afghanistan. One is security and the other is connectivity.

Afghanistan, like India, has been a victim of terror attacks from Taliban, Al-Qaeda, ISIS or even Pakistan-based terror organizations. There have also been a number of attacks on Indian diplomatic missions and on Indians engaged in various medical and infrastructure activities in Afghanistan. Security wise Afghanistan remains a vulnerable country whether for Afghans or Indians. India could look forward to meeting two objectives should it chose to participate actively in the security of Afghanistan. First priority would be to strengthen the security of Indians in Afghanistan. The second objective would be to participate in counter terrorism operations against various terrorist groups that operate from Afghanistan or especially from the Af-Pak border. Indias active involvement in the security architecture along with the US and Afghan Armed Forces could result in a better co-ordination in war against terrorism. India would also be a valued and trusted partner than Pakistan. Despite partnering US in Afghanistan Pakistan has all along continued to support terrorist organizations to operate from its own soil. Indias experience in fighting terrorism and inputs from Indias intelligence agencies could greatly help India in Afghanistan.

Indias other interest in Afghanistan is connectivity. A stable Afghanistan would see increase in the trade and commerce in Afghanistan as well as through Afghanistan. Afghanistan could become a gateway for India into Central Asia. India has economic activities going on in Iran including the development of Chabahar Port. Indias active role as a stakeholder could open up sea access through Iran to Afghanistan and even Central Asia. Peace and stability in the region along with co-operative diplomacy from Indias side could result in improved connectivity and thereby economic development of the region.

Indias increased role in Afghanistan would go a long way in serving formers economic and geopolitical interests in the South Asian Region. Afghanistan is not just a theatre of war to counter Pakistan, it is also an important geostrategic point to compete with and counter China. China has considerable stakes in Afghanistan with investments in mining of natural resources. Presence in Afghanistan would help India tackle a number of issues as well as offer an opportunity to exert influence in the region. Therefore Indias strategically proactive Afghan Policy would be a great boost to its foreign policy.

Niranjan Marjani

(The author is an Independent Researcher based in Vadodara and can be reached at  niranjanmarjani@gmail.com)
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Abundant sunshine. Much cooler. High 56F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Clear skies. Low near 35F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
Iraq's Assyrians Oppose Planned Kurdish Independence Referendum

Christians residing in the cities of Kirkuk and Mosul are reportedly wary of the planned independence referendum scheduled by the Kurdish Regional Government for Sept. 25, as they think the move will not benefit their community in the future. In an interview with the Anadolu Agency on Aug. 22, Assyrian Democratic Movement deputy secretary-general Imad Yohanna said the majority of Iraqi Christians oppose the upcoming independence referendum. The MP pointed out that these people were forced to flee the atrocities of the Islamic State in their hometowns and the non-binding referendum will only exploit the persecuted community. "Most of Iraq's Christian community opposes a regional referendum," Yohanna explained to the Anadolu Agency on Tuesday. "We reject this referendum; we don't view it as beneficial to our people's future." He then added: "Holding a referendum in areas to which they [i.e., Christians] have yet to return would be an injustice and an exploitation of internally displaced people." Meanwhile, Baghdad also rejected the referendum, which will see KRG residents voting on whether they should declare independence from Iraq or not. For the Iraqi government, the poll would only interfere with the ongoing offensive against ISIS. On Aug. 23, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said he had already detailed their concerns about the planned referendum to KRG leader Massoud Barzani and said they expect Erbil to cancel the vote. Turkey is joined by Iran and Syria in opposing the upcoming poll because they fear that their local Kurdish populations could also come up with the same idea, Reuters reported. Cavusoglu told reporters later that he met with Barzani and talked about the independence referendum. While the Turkish government did not demand anything over the issue, the minister urged Baghdad and Erbil to conduct a dialogue regarding the poll. The U.S. and other Western countries also share the same opposition to the independence referendum. They fear that it could spark fresh conflict with Iraq or other nearby countries.
Cooperation with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Space and Technology Association

Programme reached 75 students during two workshops about A380 and Space

Mr NG Chee Meng, Minister for Education (Schools) and Second Minister for Transport visited workshop on A380

Singapore, 28 August 2017  The Airbus Foundation, together with its partners The Little Engineer, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Space and Technology Association, conducted two workshops of the Airbus Little Engineer programme in Singapore last week. This marks the second round of the programme in Singapore since August 2015.

The goal of the initiative by the Airbus Foundation is to encourage students to understand and embrace technology and ignite a passion that could grow into an exciting career in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

The first workshop, which was organised with the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, took place between 24 - 25 August at the Aviation Open House at Suntec City. The four-hour workshop introduced students to the process of assembling an A380, from the resources to the logistics, until the manpower needed to do so. The 60 students were tasked to assemble an A380 model, program it with their own algorithm so it is able to manoeuvre on the tarmac, ready for take-off. The students were joined by Mr NG Chee Meng, Minister for Education (Schools) and Second Minister for Transport, who was impressed by the curiosity and motivation of the young students.

The second workshop, which was coordinated with the Singapore Space and Technology Association, took place on 25 August at the ACS Junior Primary School. The 15 students carried out a simulation of a launch mission to space. Over the course, students assembled and launched a rocket, set up a base, established communications, and explored Mars.

Since its launch in 2012, the Airbus Little Engineer programme has successfully positioned itself as an effective vehicle for discovery-based learning, working to enlighten and empower youth in the areas of science and technology through robotics and aerospace. As of now,

the programme has reached over 3,000 students.

About the Airbus Foundation

The Airbus Foundation, chaired by Tom Enders, CEO of Airbus, includes Airbus, Airbus Helicopters and Airbus Defence and Space as founding and contributing members. It is the companys vehicle for corporate philanthropy, using the groups resources, aeronautic and space products, competencies, diverse workforce and culture for driving innovation to address societal issues. In particular, the Foundation supports the global humanitarian community and inspires and prepares young people for the challenges of tomorrow. Since its launch in December 2008, the Airbus Foundation has facilitated more than 55 relief or goodwill flights to numerous destinations around the globe. More information can be found at http://company.airbus.com/responsibility/Foundation.html

Follow us on Twitter: @AirbusFdn
August 25, 2017

CAIRO  After six years, Egypt is reopening religious training camps to bring its employees and others up to speed on their education and give them the tools to guard against extremist thought. In addition to targeting imams, administrative staff and midlevel department heads, the camps will target students of Al-Azhar institutes and, for the first time, female preachers.

The ministry also hopes the effort will strengthen its employees' "street cred," which has suffered among some young Muslims.

The camps were closed half a dozen years ago due to the country's unstable security conditions, but the Ministry of Awqaf (Religious Endowments) now believes "the dust has settled in Egypt," Sheikh Jaber Tayeh, the head of the ministry's religious department, told Al-Monitor.

The most recent reopening was Ras al-Barr camp in Damietta governorate in the northeast, which was opened Aug. 12, preceded by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq camp July 23 in Alexandria. The ministry said it plans to open other camps in Upper Egypt. The camps, which have been around for 30 years, have their own budget set by the Ministry of Awqaf.

Minister of Awqaf Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said the camps have three core themes: ethics and conduct; fighting extremism and raising awareness about plots to topple the state; and raising awareness about the risks of overpopulation.

Tayeh said, We want to upgrade the level of preaching by allowing the trainees to benefit from the experience of Al-Azhar imams and teachers, discuss contemporary issues and think about their solutions. The camps also will address principles of citizenship, and they will be organizing cultural and touristic trips to archaeological sites, he added.

For the first time, the camps have female preachers appointed by the ministry. Women have served as preachers in mosques previously  early this year, the ministry officially appointed 144 women in mosques and more are to follow  but this marks the first presence of women in the ministry's training camps.

The role of female preachers is as important as that of clerics," Tayeh said. "Their influence reaches society and mosques.

The ministry chooses female preachers carefully to face extremist thought. For instance, they should be graduates of Al-Azhar University or the Awqaf-affiliated Islamic culture institutes.

For the first time in the history of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq camp in Alexandria, female preachers were welcomed Aug. 5. The group consisted of 80 volunteers and appointed preachers who have graduated from Al-Azhar and have been preaching in mosques as volunteers.

Wafaa Abdul Salam, a female preacher at the Ministry of Awqaf, told Al-Monitor, The participation of female preachers is a positive step that aims at cementing their presence and ensuring that the ministry officially acknowledges them. She added, The [camps] help women preach with a moderate approach. Camps are an enriching experience for women, allowing them to meet in different governorates and to discuss issues that interest them, like how much Islam honors women. She also praised the psychological and spiritual guidance that the camps offer.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has repeatedly called on Al-Azhar institutes and the ministry to renew their religious rhetoric in Egypt, update religious interpretations and implement religious reform, which he said will not change Islamic principles. Such actions will, however, help prove that Islam is a peaceful religion, he said.

Despite these calls and pressure, religious institutions are still standing their ground against renewing the religious discourse.

Georges Fahmi, a research fellow from the Robert Schuman Center for Advanced Studies, told Al-Monitor, The reopening of the Ministry of Awqaf camps is a step in the right direction. He argued that imams face a major obstacle in countering extremist thought, as some of them lack credibility within the religious sphere.

The angry Muslim youths who got carried away with violence believe the imams are mere mouthpieces for the state and do not trust them," he said.

Fahmi believes that Al-Azhar, unlike the Ministry of Awqaf, seems aware of the need to protect its image as an independent religious authority and is keeping its distance from the political regime. The Ministry of Awqaf wants to tighten its grip on mosques and religious rhetoric, for instance through the unified Friday sermon, which weakens the image of imams and makes them look like employees who say what they are told to," he said.

This situation creates an urgency for religious institutions to espouse religious reform in their own ways, he noted: "If the state is the party making the religious reform, people will see the reforms as orders from the state to the religious scholars, thus harming the legitimacy of religious institutions. So far, the Ministry of Awqaf seems to be making religious reforms from within and, despite pressure, without any direct external orders from the presidency.

Fahmi added, The solution is to proceed with measures that return to imams their legitimacy so they have credibility in their surroundings and to nourish their competence while giving them a breathing space in their preaching to face radical Islamist groups.
August 28, 2017

An Egyptian tech school is shattering stereotyping in the tech industry by enabling more women to learn programming, coding and elements of building websites.

AlMakinah, a Cairo-based tech school, has initiated a new program exclusively for women titled The Women in Tech Track with the aim of addressing the imbalances in the gender ratio in Egypts tech industry.

The program includes sessions on front-end web development, data visualization, digital marketing as well as workshops on confidence and resilience and talks by industry experts about the tech field, Hoda Hamad, the manager of the program, told Al-Monitor.

Hamad was a participant in one of AlMakinahs tech classes. After noticing that the AlMakinah classes were mostly dominated by men, she decided to join the schools team and launch a program for women to rebrand the field and remove any social stereotypes set by society.

In our last full-stack program, we only had four girls in the class. I was one of them. And after attending this class, I decided to change that, she said.

There is now a class of 17 bright women, 15-36 years old, from different educational and economic backgrounds. They are currently learning front-end web development. They started on Aug. 20 and the program will go until Aug. 31, she noted.

AlMakinah was launched two years ago to bridge the gap between the requirements tech companies seek from employees and the skills job seekers possess. Since then, the tech school has launched several programs that teach web development in a practical way that satisfies the needs of the companies looking to hire new people.

Apart from teaching women the basics of programming and building their own websites, the Women in Tech Track seeks to get those women access to numerous job opportunities, which include remote jobs and where they could gain a stable income working from home, Hamad said.

The Women in Tech Track also launched a hashtag on Twitter, #YouCodeGirl. The main aim of the hashtag is to encourage women to penetrate the tech industry as well as to trigger a supportive culture among their communities, Hamad added.

According to statistics, the representation of women in the tech industry is significantly low. In the United States, the percentage of computing jobs held by women has fallen over the past 23 years, according to a 2015 study released by the American Association of University Women, a nonprofit organization promoting gender equality. During that period, the number of women earning computing degrees also declined.

In Europe, women only make up 30% of the 7 million people working in the continents digital sector and they are underrepresented at all levels, especially in decision-making positions, according to a report released by the World Economic Forum in 2016.

The gender gap in STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] industries remains stubbornly high, with women representing around 26% of the STEM workforce in developed countries, the report added. The report also stated that the figure is even lower in developing countries.

However, according to UNESCO statistics as reported in US News & World Report, more women have recently started to study STEM in the Arab world. In the Gulf region, women comprise 60 percent of engineering students in universities, compared with 30 percent in the US and Europe.

According to a report by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Egyptian female students are beginning to enter the tech field, traditionally seen as male-dominated.

Dalia Hisham, a 27-year-old programmer, said that women in Egypt are bravely facing the challenges of being in the tech industry, including the inadequate number of female role models in the field, gender bias in the workplace and unequal growth opportunities compared to men.

But such challenges are gradually being overcome by women as they are now creating role models and mentors in the field and are having more growth opportunities, Hisham told Al-Monitor.

It is now getting better for women to enter the tech field in Egypt, especially amid the launch of initiatives like Women in Tech Track that seek to break gender bias and encourage more women to infiltrate into the industry, the young programmer added.
August 28, 2017

Lebanon's train stations have not seen a train depart since the 1990s, and Beiruts central station was turned into an open-air nightclub in 2014, with a DJ booth added to an old locomotive.

When I was young, my family used to tell me stories about the trains in Beirut, so I decided to rent the station and give it a new life, Alain Hasbani, the co-owner of Trainstation Mar Mikhael, told Al-Monitor.

Hasbani simply added a bar counter, chairs and tables to the space. The mood gets festive at night, but few partygoers realize the importance of this historic location that was the hub of the railways in the Middle East in the 19th century.

Those old railroad cars look really nice  it gives an industrial touch to the bar but surely this is only decoration, right? asked Lara Khoury, a young Lebanese woman who enjoys coming here for drinks.

Like Lara, most other patrons at Trainstation Mar Mikhael think the railroad cars and tracks are the decor of the bar. In general, the Lebanese know very little about their countrys former railway system.

As the Ottoman Empire was weakening, foreign experts were given economic concessions to modernize the country's infrastructure. This is how Edmond de Perthuis, a French aristocrat and former navy officer, came to build and run a railway line connecting Damascus to Beirut with the first train departing in 1895. The journey took just under 9 hours to travel the 147 kilometers (91 miles) that separate the two cities. It was also the first train journey in the region.

This railway has had a stiff climb over the main range of the Lebanon Mountains coming from Beirut [] it continues over to the Anti-Lebanon range to Damascus, and the rack and pinion devices are needed still, for that city is some 2,000 feet above sea level," journalist Roswell Rand wrote in a 1916 New York Times article.

Other testimonies and pictures describe a beautiful ride through fields of olive trees and fruit orchards; merchants would wait for the passengers at each station hoping to sell their local produce.

Two other lines were built: one in 1902 that connected Beirut to Homs in Syria, and the other in 1911 that linked Tripoli to Homs. By 1930, the Lebanese railway was also connected to the famous Orient Express network; the luxurious sleeper cars arrived from cities in Europe to Istanbul, and three times a week set off toward Damascus and Beirut.

The expansion of the Lebanese railway took a significant turn with the start of World War II. The Allies, who needed to move their troops in the region as fast as possible, built a new line along the seaside that linked the Lebanese coastal cities and traveled to Haifa in Palestine and up to Egypt.

The railway project, however, was short-lived. The creation of the state of Israel in 1948 caused a shutdown of the southern Lebanese border. The Israelis bombed the bridge and a train tunnel near Naqoura for fear of an Arab invasion using the tracks from the north. Up until today, this zone, now under the control of the United Nations, contains the remains of the former bridge that still hangs in the air above the sea.

With private vehicles becoming more common in the 1960s, trains become less popular. Travelers realized that a car ride was often up to four times faster than the train, especially for mountain destinations.

The Lebanese civil war (1975-1990) was the final blow to the Lebanese railway system. In 1976, virtually all the trains came to a halt. The train tracks were severely damaged by the fighting, and many of the stations were turned into military bases.

Elias Maalouf, who grew up in Ecuador, lives in the village of Rayak, in the central Bekaa Valley. The history of Lebanon or its trains mattered little to him. It was only as he was filming a documentary about the retreat of the Syrian army in 2005  which had occupied Lebanon since 1976  that he learned about the history of the Lebanese railway system.

"I was filming Syrian soldiers leaving a military base, located in the old train station of Rayak. I saw one of them burn documents in an old wagon, so I ran to get closer. I saw he was destroying military archives. There was shooting around me so I had to leave, and of course when I came back it was too late. To this day, I feel guilty and I promised myself that I would protect the history of the Lebanese trains, he told Al-Monitor.

In 2010, he founded a nongovernmental organization called Train/Train, which advocates the rehabilitation of some parts of the Lebanese rail network and the creation of a train museum in Rayak.

The end of the war in neighboring Syria would one day mean that the Lebanese economy would get a boost. According to World Bank estimations, the reconstruction efforts will cost at least $170 billion, and Lebanon is anticipating an increase in trade.

The northern city of Tripoli is already gearing itself up to become the main point of entry toward Syria. The city's port is undergoing a massive extension and a Special Economic Zone is expected to be launched in the near future. Old roads are giving way to brand-new highways, and there is serious talk of rehabilitating the rail network toward Homs.

Since 2014, the project has been in the hands of the Council for Development and Reconstruction, which has dealt with all of Lebanons infrastructure projects since the end of the civil war.

"It is a question of months. We are talking about it every day, said Toufic Dabbousi, the president of Tripolis Chamber of Commerce, in an interview to the local press. According to him, negotiations are underway with potential Chinese investors.

Regardless of when the Syrian conflict actually ends, Ziad Nasr, the head of the National Railway and Public Transportation Authority, claims that rehabilitating the train line to Homs has become a priority. The project has been given a high priority, he told the local press. We believe it is very important for this line to be implemented, done and ready.
August 28, 2017

The head of Irans Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, told reporters there is a chance that Iran could call for a meeting of the foreign ministers of the P5+1 during the United Nations General Assembly in September. The meeting would be the first between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, should both attend.

Zarif met numerous times with Tillersons predecessor, John Kerry, and the two broke a decadeslong taboo with direct, bilateral negotiations. The Iran-US bilateral meetings were largely responsible for breaking the impasse over Irans nuclear program.

Salehi also discussed the possible Iranian response to a US withdrawal from the nuclear deal that was signed two years ago between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany. He said that if the United States and the European countries in the P5+1 leave the deal, Iran will do so as well. But he said that if the other members of the P5+1 remain and only the United States leaves the deal, Iran will not walk away.

Salehi said the US desire to walk away from the nuclear deal has more to do with domestic political circumstances in the United States. In its political strategy, the US is conflicted  [and] we are seeing political confusion and some regional countries are escalating this mess, Salehi said, without elaborating. He said Iran has made preparations for all possible scenarios, but hopes the United States comes to its senses.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley recently pressed the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding inspections of Iranian military sites. As part of the nuclear deal, the IAEA has access of sorts to Iranian military sites upon request and inspected the Parchin military site since the signing of the deal. It is not clear if Haley is requesting broader inspection of military sites or if she is setting up a scenario to help the United States leave the nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump has previously said would happen.

Hassan Firouzabadi, former chief of staff of Irans armed forces and currently an adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that in Iran, no official, foreign or domestic, has the right to inspect a military site without the permission of the commander in chief. The confusion appears to be whether the IAEA physically enters Irans military sites, which is not part of the deal, or if nuclear inspectors are handed samples from requested sites.

During an Aug. 27 press conference, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghassemi said US pressures on the IAEA are illogical and unrealistic. Regarding Haleys visit to the IAEA, Ghassemi said, She can claim she had a successful trip, but the framework of the nuclear deal is clear and we made an agreement about this and it has been confirmed by the United Nations Security Council with a resolution.

Ghassemi said the framework with regard to IAEA inspections is irreversible, meaning Iran will not renegotiate those terms. He said that the United States is seeking to portray Iran as being noncooperative with the IAEA but that Iran has had positive cooperation with the IAEA and that the IAEA has repeatedly issued statements on Irans adherence to the nuclear deal.

Ghassemi said Iran will completely try to protect the nuclear deal, but added that it is a multilateral agreement and that the other sides need to abide by the agreement as well. He urged European leaders to counter rogue US actions with respect to the nuclear deal.
August 28, 2017

On Aug. 18, Iranian officials announced that they had now put in place the infrastructure to swap up to 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil with its Caspian neighbors. Under these agreements, Iran would receive crude oil from Caspian producers at the northern port of Neka, feed that crude to northern refineries and then allocate crude oil from southern terminals to international clients designated by the Caspian producers.

Prior to 2010, Naftiran Intertrade Company (NICO), a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), oversaw this practice. In 2010, Tehran stopped the swap arrangement, arguing that the $1 a barrel fee charged had to be increased and based on the international crude oil price. Tehran realized that the Caspian producers alternative route would be to use the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline at a much higher cost.

In 2012, NICO tried to revive the old swap deals. In the interim, however, the Iranian petroleum sector had been subject to EU and US sanctions, including NICO being put on a US blacklist, meaning that any direct trade, even by non-US companies, with NICO would lead to US penalties being assessed.

Following implementation of the nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers in January 2016, Irans Ministry of Petroleum indicated its interest in reviving the old swap arrangements. In fact, the infrastructure for a return to swap deals is fully in place. Iran has two crude pipelines running from the port of Neka to the refinery in Ray, south of Tehran. The combined capacity of these pipelines was originally 150,000 bpd, but has now been increased to 500,000 bpd. Using Caspian oil in northern refineries apparently helps Iran save on transportation costs for its own crude from southern provinces to the north.

One reason why Iran is interested in resuming the swap deals is that the Tehran refinery had actually been revamped to take Caspian-quality crude. During 2012 and 2016, when Irans export potential was limited due to sanctions, NIOC could deliver excess crude to this refinery, but now that sanctions have been lifted, it makes more sense to export Iranian crude from the south and use Caspian crude as feed for the Tehran refinery.

Incidentally, in addition to the traditional crude swap deals, NIOC has also become interested in swap deals involving petroleum products. In fact, in June 2015, the first gasoline swap operation was conducted with gasoline cargo imported from Turkmenistan to the Anzali port in exchange for exporting the equivalent amount of other petroleum products (including fuel oil) from Iran's southern ports. It was the first swap deal in petroleum products since 2000.

The urgent need for petroleum product swaps is being driven by a gradual increase in gas production levels that has reduced consumption of gas oil and fuel oil in Iran's industrial units. Essentially Iran has a deficit in gasoline, but a surplus in all other petroleum products. Therefore, any swap deal that can offer Tehran gasoline in return for crude or other petroleum products would be welcomed.

While these agreements seem like a win-win scenario for all parties, there are also bottlenecks. One of them is the transit fee that Iran wants to charge, especially considering that the original deal collapsed in 2010 due to its asking for higher fees. Also, as suggested above, the quality of crude received from Caspian producers must match the needs of Irans northern refineries. In the past few years, Iran has revamped its refineries and tried to optimize consumption in its existing refineries. Some past consumption patterns may have changed.

Nonetheless, experts expect that NIOC will consider three types of contracts in future swap deals:

a pure swap, with Iran receiving crude at the Neka terminal and loading the same amount of crude onto designated oil tankers in the southern export terminals;

a swap including marketing of the final crude oil sale, with the Caspian producer benefiting from Irans marketing activities and potentially selling its crude to customers of Iranian crude (especially Asian customers); and

a pure purchasing agreement, as in the new cycle of contracts with Caspian producers, in which Tehran is ready to just purchase their products. The benchmark for this scenario would be the per barrel fee the producers pay to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.

At the same time, NIOC officials have been indicating that new swap contracts with Caspian states would be based on the participation of private sector companies. In other words, NIOC or one of its subsidiaries would sign a contract with an Iranian prime contractor and then ask the prime contractor to engage in actual negotiations with Caspian producers.

The logic behind this move is to spare NIOCs legal team from having to negotiate swap deals, as they will be needed for negotiating major investment projects with international oil companies. Furthermore, NIOC can claim that it is empowering the private sector.

Depending on which companies are designated as prime contractors could make the actual negotiation of a swap deal (between a foreign company and a private Iranian company) more feasible, but the final implementation of the swap deal will depend on NIOC itself. If the prime contractor is affiliated with or is a semi-state institution, however, especially, for example, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, it could create problems related to sanctions against blacklisted companies. If this happens, which should be considered a possibility, it would make reaching a direct agreement almost impossible.

The key issue in new swap deals based on the above model will be the anticipated process of decision-making similar to that which has delayed decisions on so many other projects in the petroleum sector. The checks and balances designed to prevent corruption delay final decisions to an extent that potential foreign partners may give up on an actual opportunity.

Nonetheless, now that NIOC and the Ministry of Petroleum have regained their post-sanctions balance between production, consumption and exports, one can anticipate a growing trend in swap deals with Caspian states becoming part of Iran's strategy, although Tehran will be more interested in swaps that also involve gasoline imports for Iran and petroleum products exported by it.

All in all, an increase in diverse swap deals would allow Iran to more proactively engage its Caspian neighbors and also improve the overall efficiency of its energy sector. Such deals can also help the land-locked Central Asian states find a new outlet for their oil and petroleum-product exports.
August 28, 2017

Almost six years have passed since the release of Gilad Shalit in October 2011, a saga that generated a national trauma that is deeply engraved in the souls of many Israelis. Unfortunately, the same story seems to be slowly repeating itself.

Shalit, a member of an Israeli tank crew, was abducted by Hamas in 2006 and held captive for five years. Ironically, it was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who, after negotiating with the terrorists, released more than 1,000 Hamas terrorists and murderers in order to bring Shalit home. This was despite the fact he had invested great efforts throughout his political career in preaching against negotiating with terrorists.

Shalit had spent five years incommunicado without any visits. During this time, Israeli society was torn between the masses of demonstrators who demanded that the state do everything to bring Shalit home, and opponents of a deal, mainly right-wingers, who demanded that murderers not be released in exchange for the soldier. They argued that a large proportion of the released terrorists would obviously return to the circle of terror.

On the heels of the Shalit deal, Netanyahu established a special committee, headed by former Supreme Court President Meir Shamgar, to set basic rules with which to conduct similar negotiations in the future. In 2012, the committee submitted a detailed report that recommended to severely stiffen the conditions for conducting negotiations for the return of abducted or imprisoned Israeli soldiers, and set out a detailed outline that severely limits the governments freedom of action in freeing terrorists. For example, the report states that Israel should be willing to give up the bodies of terrorists it holds for the bodies of Israel Defense Force (IDF) fighters, but should not release living terrorists for an Israeli corpse. Though he was the one to order the report, Netanyahu did not bring it to the government for ratification, thus the document remains nonbinding.

Now the story is returning. This time, it is not about imprisoned or abducted soldiers but about the bodies of two Israeli combat soldiers: Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul and Lt. Hadar Goldin. Both were killed in the course of the 2014 Operation Protective Edge, but their bodies were abducted by Hamas and have been held since then in the Gaza Strip.

It turned out that Hamas has no qualms about wheeling and dealing over bodies, and the organization demands the release of terrorists in exchange for the bodies of the fighters  just to start the negotiations. Israel refuses. Recently, the families of Goldin and Shaul, who had kept a low profile in the last two years, transitioned into an open struggle. On Aug. 24, retired IDF Col. Lior Lotan quit his role as the prime minister's coordinator for Israels prisoners of war and those missing in action. Lotan gave up on reaching a breakthrough for retrieving Goldin and Shaul. On Aug. 27, the Goldin family convened a press conference in which they called Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman weak and a coward. If we add to the pot the fact that Goldin was the nephew of the previous defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, then we receive the Gordian knot that Netanyahu now faces.

It is believed that Hamas holds, in addition to the bodies of the two IDF fighters, three Israeli civilians who crossed the border of their own volition in recent years. The families of these civilians are also demanding that Israel take decisive action to return their loved ones. The one who is blocking negotiations with Hamas on this issue is Liberman. He demands that the government adopt the Shamgar report, despite its delay in doing so, in order for Israel not to repeat the mistakes made with the Shalit deal, in his words.

According to Liberman, 202 of the terrorists released in the Shalit deal have been rearrested by Israel for returning to terror. In addition, seven Israelis were murdered with the direct or indirect involvement of these terrorists. Liberman swore that this scenario would not repeat itself on his watch and has now found himself on a collision course with the families. Netanyahu, who is well-aware of the power held by bereaved families on Israeli society, is trying to keep a low profile, but does not dare enter into a conflict with Liberman on this issue. This is especially true now that Netanyahu is under siege by two hefty criminal investigations and perhaps additional ones in the future.

There are even more variables in this equation that further complicate the situation. As opposed to the Shalit family, who demanded in its time that the government comply with Hamas demands of releasing the terrorists and returning their son home alive, the Goldin family does not have a similar demand; perhaps even the reverse is true. Goldins parents feel that it is forbidden to release murderers in exchange for the body of their son. Instead they demand the government increase the pressure on Hamas and the Gaza Strip to force the organization to return the body by its own initiative. They demand that Israel should stop returning the bodies of Hamas terrorists that were killed in the course of carrying out attacks in Israel, worsen the conditions of Hamas prisoners incarcerated in Israel and halt family visits to jailed terrorists in Israel. Also, they demand that Israel not assist Hamas in Gaza and instead severely intensify the siege on the organization. Ironically, their opinions are close to those of Liberman regarding this last issue: Over the last year, Liberman has been torpedoing all the new suggestions of many sources within the government to bring humanitarian relief into the Gaza Strip and lessen the heavy pressure on Gaza.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu is trying to run between the raindrops on this dilemma, without paying a political or public price. On Aug. 2, the Goldin family complained that Netanyahu has not found time to meet with them. Netanyahu knows that there will not be the kind of public outcry and protest now as there was for Shalit because the present case is about bodies, not a soldier who is alive. On the other hand, the Goldin family belongs to the religious Zionist stream, part and parcel of Netanyahus electoral base and the hard kernel of Netanyahus supporters among Israels traditional right. Should the Goldins continue their protest, this can inflict significant damage on Netanyahu in the public opinion, and in his traditional bastions of support.

Netanyahu could formulate a diplomatic plan if he only had a well-formulated, strategic policy in regard to the Gaza Strip in general. The problem is that no such strategy exists. On Aug. 28, Netanyahu met with Antonio Guterres, the new United Nations secretary-general. Guterres has begged the prime minister to alleviate the situation in the Gaza Strip. But Israel still has not decided what exactly it wants from Gaza and what exactly is its policy vis-a-vis the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip.

On the one hand, Israel holds Gaza above the water via more than 1,000 truckloads of provisions it sends from the Israeli side, and through other means. On the other hand, Israel continues to keep in close contact with Egypt and with former Fatah senior member Mohammed Dahlan  who is reportedly close to Liberman  in an effort to try to formulate an alternative to Hamas in Gaza.

When one body has several hands that move in opposite directions, it is no wonder that the head does not really know what to do.
August 28, 2017

The highly publicized clash between Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and the families of two soldiers  Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul  whose bodies are being held by Hamas has underscored an Israeli decision to limit the price it will pay for the remains. An angry exchange erupted following the Aug. 24 resignation of Lior Lotan, the negotiator tasked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with contacts for the return of Israeli captives and MIAs. The Goldin and Shaul families claimed Lotan quit because the government had tied his hands in negotiations with Hamas. According to the families, Lotan had concluded that the Israeli government was unwilling to pay the price Hamas was demanding, and therefore there was no hope of a deal.

The leaks from Libermans office in response have only served to bolster the families suspicions. Associates of the minister report that Liberman insists that there will be no second Shalit deal on his watch, referring to the October 2011 agreement freeing 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, mostly Hamas supporters, from Israeli jails in return for Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier held by Hamas for five years. According to Libermans associates, the demands being made by Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' leader in Gaza, are even steeper than those the organization presented for Shalit.

After Lotans resignation, the Goldin family said Liberman was unable to bring back their son because he was a weak and cowardly defense minister. Libermans office issued a statement in response, asserting that 202 of the Palestinians freed in 2011 had returned to terrorist activities and that 111 were back in Israeli jails. Seven Israelis had been murdered in attacks carried out or planned by released inmates, according to Libermans count. These figures have not been verified by outside experts, but Israel did rearrest some 50 freed Hamas prisoners following the June 2014 abduction and murder of three Israeli youths in the Etzion settlement bloc of the West Bank.

The arguments by Liberman and his associates could explain Lotans resignation. If Hamas is interested in a deal on the scale of the Shalit exchange, and Israel is adamant in its rejection of such a deal, there is indeed nothing further the negotiator can do.

Over the past two months, progress toward an agreement on a prisoner deal appeared to have been achieved in talks between Hamas and Egypt, mediated by the former Fatah official Mohammed Dahlan. The last meeting was held in Cairo at the beginning of July. According to details reported in the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, Hamas was demanding that Israel free women prisoners, minors and 58 Palestinians released in the Shalit deal and subsequently rearrested. Israel would in return receive information about the bodies of Goldin and Shaul and information about two mentally ill Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayad, who had separately crossed the border into Gaza. Only later  after agreeing to details for the release of additional Palestinian prisoners  would Hamas return the Israeli soldiers' bodies and free the civilians.

A top Hamas official speaking to Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity claimed Israel has not responded to proposals made by Hamas or Egyptian mediators, not even in regard to a mechanism for determining how negotiations on a deal would be conducted. For more than a year, he said, Israel was only willing to discuss easing the humanitarian crisis in Hamas-ruled Gaza in return for information about its captives. The Hamas source said he was not in the loop regarding the nitty-gritty of talks with Israel, but flatly denied claims by Libermans associates that Sinwar had upped the ante from the organizations past demands for Shalits return.

We have said throughout the negotiations that there would be no compromise on our demand for the release of those rearrested after the Shalit deal, the top official said. This was a prerequisite for the negotiations to continue, he added, and it also included a demand that Israel pledge to Egypt not to rearrest freed inmates in the future. He admitted that Dahlan had raised the issue in the talks he mediated between Hamas and Egypt in Cairo last month. He also said Israel had tried to exploit the economic distress and electric power crisis confronting Gazas 2 million residents by offering economic, humanitarian solutions, but had not made substantial offers, as he termed them. The Hamas official said Lotan had gone to Cairo several times, but only offered such things as easing the Israeli closure on Gaza and the supply of diesel fuel to Gaza, essentially a pledge of ensuring a regular power supply to the besieged area and increasing the number of permits allowing Palestinian traders to enter Israel through the Erez crossing.

The Goldin and Shaul families are not demanding that Israel free Palestinian inmates in return for a deal with Hamas. Simcha Goldin, Hadars father, told reporters that the families want Israel to apply pressure on Hamas to release the Israelis it is holding, for example by suspending family visits to Palestinian prisoners in Israel and increasing economic pressure on Gaza.

Gershon Baskin, who helped coordinate the Shalit deal through a channel he set up with senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamed, doubts that greater Israeli pressure will convince Hamas to accept a deal that does not include freedom for its prisoners. Theres abject poverty in Gaza, over 60% unemployment, what kind of economic pressure can you apply? he said in an interview on Israel Army Radio.

The governments decision not to free Palestinian prisoners on a scale similar to that of the Shalit deal clearly means only one thing: There are no contacts underway for the return of the Israelis held by Hamas.
August 28, 2017

Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Putins Black Sea residence in Sochi. It was their sixth meeting over the last two years, since Russias air force began its military operation in Syria. Netanyahu came to express his concern over the intentions of Iran and its allied Shiite militant movement, Hezbollah, to establish a permanent presence in an area of Syria currently being surrendered by the Islamic State (IS).

The Israelis are preoccupied with who is going to play the key role in the postwar future of Syria.

Netanyahus visit Aug. 23 came within three days of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's speech before diplomats in Damascus, where he put Russia on par with Iran and Hezbollah, thanking them for their support in the fight against terrorism and for Syrias salvation.

The Syrian army and Hezbollah are conducting a successful military operation against IS along the Lebanon-Syria border. There are positive developments on other fronts as well. Thus, against this backdrop, who will be able to point Iran and its allies to the door, and how? Could Putin be useful to Netanyahu to this effect? The answer is no.

Even if he wanted to, [Putins] help could be nothing but psychotherapeutic, that is, he could only listen to his Israeli counterpart, but would hardly ever be able to limit Irans influence in the region. Yet it should have been flattering for Putin to be consulted on such serious geopolitical matters, and in this respect the meeting was mutually beneficial, Andrey Kolesnikov, special correspondent of the Russian Kommersant newspaper and a member of the Kremlins press pool for 20 years, wrote in describing the Sochi meeting.

Speaking before journalists, the Russian president avoided comments on Netanyahus complaints about Iran, confining himself to vague generalities of being pleased with the effective mechanism of cooperation established between [Russia and Israel], including the relationship between the leaders. It was a clear message to Tehran that Moscow hadnt changed its position. Several hours later, this position was confirmed by Vasily Nebenzya, Russias permanent representative to the UN, who was quoted by Interfax as saying: We know the position of Israel on Iran, but we believe that Iran is playing a very constructive role in Syria.

Moscow spent several years convincing the international community to acknowledge Iran as a rightful member of the talks on Syria. Though Tehran is a serious competitor of Moscow in Syria militarily  and in the near future economically and politically  the reality is that without Iran, Syrias situation will hardly be stabilized. That is well understood in Moscow.

The very possibility of a dialogue between Moscow and Tehran is getting on Washington's nerves.

There is one more point. The very possibility of a dialogue between Moscow and Tehran is getting on Washington's nerves, which gives additional weight to Russias position in the Syria talks. Besides, the degree of Russias influence on Iran  if it exists  is irrelevant in this regard. What matters is Russias appearance of influence, the semblance of power.

That said, Moscow is genuinely taking into consideration Israels position on regional security. According to Israeli media, Russian Ambassador to Israel Alexander Shane said that after the conflict is settled, pro-Iranian or any other foreign troops should not stay in Syria. The only hitch is that Russia is also a foreign power, and its policy in Syria is mapped out not in the Foreign Ministry, but in the presidential administration and the Defense Ministry. However, no representative of the military was present at the Putin-Netanyahu talks. On the Israeli side, Netanyahu was accompanied by Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, who reportedly provided the Russian president with sensitive, credible and very disturbing detailed intelligence on Irans military activity in Syria  all to convince Moscow that Tehran poses a threat.

Clearly, Israel and the United States want a guarantee there will be no Iranian military bases in Syria, while Iran wants to ensure there will be no American ones. They are unlikely to agree that the only foreign military presence there should be Russian. Moscow is not willing to give up its bases in Tartus and Khmeimim. The Kremlin is now listening to all parties, but is making no promises to anyone.

That means Israel, in the meantime, will have to be satisfied with what it already has  which isnt insubstantial. Moscow is mostly blind to Israels operations against Hezbollah in Syria, but is vigilant when it comes to preventing any large-scale confrontations of Israeli forces with the Syrian army. One of the most dangerous situations occurred in March, when a week after Netanyahus Moscow visit the Israeli air force hit the facilities of the Syrian army near Palmyra, allegedly to target a Hezbollah weapons convoy. Syrian air defense forces struck back. Israeli Ambassador to Russia Gary Koren was summoned to the Russian Foreign Ministry, where he was told Moscow found unacceptable any military clashes between Israel and the Syrian army. Yet the Russians said not a single word about Hezbollah.

Nevertheless, staying between Israel and Iran gives Russia certain space for maneuver. Hezbollah regiments and Iraqi Shiite formations may go home (to Lebanon and Iraq, respectively) on several conditions. First and foremost is Syrias stabilization and guarantees that Irans interests will be looked after there. Moreover, this departure cannot look like a triumph of Israel and the United States. Russia could become a go-between on this issue, but in any case, there should be an agreement with Iran.

It is noteworthy that on the day Netanyahu was meeting with Putin, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the center in Amman, Jordan, that monitors Syrias southern de-escalation zone had finally started its work. Agreements on monitoring were reached as early as July, and have been a serious worry to Israel. For Russia, however, the de-escalation zones are matters of special pride. Moscow is indeed so proud of negotiating the achievement that at an Aug. 23 meeting with Lebanese Defense Minister Yacoub Sarraf, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu declared that establishment of the four zones had brought Syrias civil war to an end.

There is, however, no clear-cut agreement on the zone in the Idlib region.

The meeting between Shoigu and Sarraf took place on the same day as the talks between Putin and Netanyahu. This coincidence is rather symbolic  the strategy of Moscow in Syria today resembles a multiple-board chess game.
August 28, 2017

A Kurdish militant group claimed today that it has captured Turkish intelligence officers. Diyar Xerib, a Kurdish leader linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), said the PKK had arrested two Turkish nationals working for Turkeys national spy agency MIT, but had refrained from publicizing the incident so as not to create problems for the local government.

No doubt the PKK can publish news about the arrests of the MIT officials who wanted to make the area a place to carry out their dirty operations, the biggest of which was to assassinate a prominent PKK official, Xerib told the pro-PKK Roj news outlet.

News that the PKK had captured Turkish intelligence officials first surfaced last week. Accounts vary but according to several Iraqi Kurdish news organizations, the Turkish spies had traveled to Sulaimaniyah, the de facto administrative capital of the eponymous province in the eastern part of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The men were said to be planning to assassinate a senior PKK figure, most likely top field commander Cemil Bayik, and ended up ensnared themselves. Bayik occasionally travels to Sulaimaniyah for meetings as well as for medical treatment.

Eyewitnesses report spotting the burly guerrilla commander there in a grey business suit but without a tie.

The mountainous region bordering Iran is controlled by the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The PUK has cordial relations with the PKK. The Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzanis Kurdistan Democratic Party is closely allied to Turkey.

Xerib did not provide any details about where or when the alleged MIT agents were apprehended. He did, however, threaten to release photographs of the men and unveil their identities. Its not clear what if anything the PKK is demanding in exchange for their release. The PKK has held Turkish citizens, including soldiers, in the past. The rebels usually release them unharmed amid a blaze of publicity calculated to showcase their strength.

The Turkish government remains silent on the matter, neither denying nor confirming that any Turkish officials have fallen into PKK hands. Fearing official reprisal, the Turkish media has largely followed suit. If the story of a botched assassination proves to be true, it will be a huge embarrassment for the Turkish government. The Aug. 23 expulsion order for the PUKs long-time Ankara representative Behruz Galali suggests it may well be.

Iraqi Kurdish officials told Al-Monitor on condition that they not be identified by name that reports confirmed that two Turkish nationals had been seized by the PKK on Aug. 5 in the Dukhan area near Sulaimaniyah. One of the officials described the reports of the alleged plot to murder Bayik as "far fetched."

The Turks had traveled from Turkey to Erbil and were driven to the Sulaimaniyah area. The officials said Turkey had failed to inform the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) about their planned mission but had then sought its help to free the men. Turkey is accusing the PUK of leaking information about the MIT operatives to the PKK. The PUK denies any knowledge of the scheme.

Saadi Ahmad Pira, a veteran PUK official, told the Voice of America that Galalis expulsion from Ankara followed a failed operation. He asserted that the PUK had received no prior notification from the Turkish authorities, saying only, There was an act, an intelligence operation conducted by Turkey. It was not successful. Not only was it not successful, it even ended with damage inflicted on the Turks. He declined to elaborate.

Pira noted, however, that Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was in Erbil on Aug. 23, had raised the matter in a meeting with him and Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, whose ailing father Jalal remains notionally in charge of the fractious PUK.

There are unconfirmed reports that Turkish consular services in Sulaimaniyah have been suspended since Aug. 24. Al-Monitor was unable to reach Turkish officials for comment.

Some analysts scent a connection between Turkeys actions and a planned referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence. Turkey says it wants the KRG to cancel the vote planned for Sept. 25.

One of Turkeys biggest objections to the referendum is that it will cover the disputed areas, notably the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, which the Iraqi Kurds and Baghdad both claim for their own. Kirkuk is home to a large ethnic Turkmen population with strong kinship ties to Turkey. Ankara has sought to mobilize the Turkmens to advance its own political agenda in Iraq with mixed results. The PUK currently controls much of Kirkuk, where PKK fighters also joined in the fight against advancing Islamic State militants in 2014.

Another theory making the rounds is that the the Turkish government may seek imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's help in bringing the MIT agents back to Turkey. The PKK leader has remained off limits ever since April 2015, when the latest round of peace talks between the government and the PKK collapsed.

Turkey has long sought to either capture or kill high value PKK targets and has asked the United States for help in locating them. Turkey is believed to have renewed the request during Secretary of Defense James Mattis visit to Ankara on Aug. 22. The idea was floated during the Barack Obama administration and is being mulled by the current one.

Few believe that eliminating the PKK leadership would have a lasting impact on the group, which has been fighting the Turkish army, NATOs second largest, for the past 33 years.

Past efforts to dismember the PKK have ended in failure. The PKK did experience internal fissures after Turkey netted Ocalan in 1999 with American help. A group of dissenting rebels led by Ocalans brother Osman sought to seize control of the outfit but were forced out. Some believe that driving a wedge between it and its sister organization in Syria, the Peoples Protection Units  the United States top partner in the campaign against IS  can weaken and ultimately unravel the PKK.
August 28, 2017

For years, a sizable group of social media trolls, columnists and television show hosts have been openly rooting for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. These men and women serve not only as the administrations defenders, but also frequently act as its advocates and even unofficial spokespersons. Over time, Erdogan, his bureaucrats and senior members of his party have stopped talking to the press except for a handpicked few  some of them rumored to have direct access to Erdogan.

Some of these people can be rather aggressive, and their statements are not just empty threats. For example, Turkiye columnist Cem Kucuk has become known for his predictions of those who will be fired from their jobs or prosecuted.

In Ankara, these aggressive advocates are often referred as "Erdogans men." However, on Aug. 20, Erdogan surprised even them when he told his own partys members in Istanbul that he was upset about their internal quarrels appearing in columns. Using a phrase associated with street thugs and the mafia, Erdogan said, I see there are some who brag and claim to boss others on my behalf. I do not need anyones showing off. I can do that myself.

Erdogans choice of words against his own political corps generated a rather heated debate in the Turkish media. Questions arose, such as: Whom was Erdogan aiming at? Was it so and so? Will they tone down their aggressive rhetoric now? What will happen?

If Erdogan had wanted to warn anyone, he could have done so privately. But that would have defeated the real purpose of generating drama. Turkish politics has been thriving upon flashes of drama, interminable crises and ad hominem attacks while serious political matters are pushed out of the public discussion.

Erdogan and his men are skillful in generating drama after each of his pragmatic yet unpopular decisions. In particular, any move that offends Islamists has been met with immediate and equally compelling scandals to take Erdogan out of the spotlight.

A high-profile example to demonstrate how brilliant they have been in keeping the devout Erdogan fans unified took place recently. On Aug. 12, Erdogan and a group of his ministers attended the opening of what was described on the presidencys website as the opening of a fruit juice factory in Turkey's Isparta province.

On Aug. 11, Alparslan Kuytul, a leader of the religious Furkan Movement, condemned Erdogans anticipated presence at a Coca-Cola factory opening. Kuytul told Erdogan that he will be making a mistake, saying, If you inaugurate Israeli factories, how can you oppose Israel and how can you face the Palestinians? Initially, the social media troll army did not believe Kuytuls claim, but the next day Erdogan appeared live on TV under the brands banner.

For years, the Coca-Cola brand has symbolized Israel to Islamists in Turkey even though the company is a US multinational; while Coca-Cola started operations in Turkey in 1964, the soft-drinker maker long was subject to an Arab League boycott after the company opened a bottling plant in Israel in the 1960s. However, Coca-Cola now operates in the West Bank and opened a plant in the Gaza Strip last year. Still, Turkish Islamists have continued to vehemently protest the drink and religious leaders have encouraged their followers to boycott it. An alternative brand, Cola Turka, has been marketed to Turks for years. So how could Erdogan endorse the Coca-Cola brand? The hashtag #erdoganincocacola (Erdogans Coca-Cola) immediately trended on Twitter. Brazilian cartoonist Carlos Latuff captured the anger of many Islamists and others.

This is not the first time Erdogan has gone up against causes dear to Islamists. In June 2016, he faced opposition from many Islamists and families of Mavi Marmara flotilla victims when renewing relations with Israel in what many saw as a decision with wide-reaching economic ramifications for Turkey. Turkey now says Israel has paid $20 million to the families.

How does Erdogan get away with going against Islamists?

A quick media search uncovers an interesting pattern. Erdogans men came to his rescue Aug. 13, not by defending their leaders actions but rather by distracting the public with another controversy. As the public awaited Erdogan's explanation for his Coca-Cola endorsement, another hashtag took over: #camisokagindabarolmaz (There cannot be a pub on the street of a mosque). The online outrage was diverted to alcohol as tweets of photos of broken bottles started trending. Posters harshly criticized those who go to bars. There was no specific incident to trigger such a response. Angry tweets about defending the mosques against alcohol-consuming vagabonds appeared pretty much out of the blue to overwhelm the Coca-Cola hashtag.

Mosques and alcohol have been a favorite combination to rally the Islamists. During the Gezi Park protests four years ago, Erdogans men were adamant that men and women protesters had taken over a local mosque and were binge drinking and having sex there. Although Erdogan and his followers have claimed there was proof of these acts, none was ever shared with the public, and the mosque's imam has contradicted the government's story.

A communications professor told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, For lucrative yet un-Islamic decisions, there is a two-step damage-control method followed. First, create a distraction. Second, direct the anger of the Islamists to the real threat: the secularists. So in the Zionist cola case we see that Erdogans men first created an ambiguous incident  and frankly no one is allowed to question what happened. Then Islamists are forced to face a new challenge: Here your mosques, your headscarf, your honor, your belief system is immediately threatened and Erdogan is your only shield against these Islamophobic Turks. Are you not going to defend Islam and be united?"

She added, Erdogans men are indispensable to creating a dense fog so that his supporters are forced to trust the storyteller and not necessarily the story. Hence, there is always a lively debate around political issues, never touching upon what matters. An essential element of survival for such an authoritarian system is not just the leader but also the never-questioning, always angry die-hard supporters who cheer bald-faced lies.

If Erdogans men serve such a crucial purpose, then why would Erdogan publicly scorn them? If it were meant as scorn, wouldn't Erdogan name names? asked the professor. Erdogan has always boldly targeted journalists he disapproves of personally. So even this angry outburst was nothing but a distraction so anger and fear would eclipse a public backlash. We should expect more frequent use of this method  distracting and scaring the public  because creating public drama is easier than governing.
The Alabama Department of Labor will host a job fair in October in Birmingham for disabled people, Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday after touring the LINCPoint adult Day Program for Adults with Disabilities at United Ability in Birmingham.

The event will be held Oct. 30 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Bill Harris Arena at the Birmingham CrossPlex as part of Disability Employment Awareness Month.

"What you do is not easy, it is not cheap and it often goes without much recognition," Ivey said to the center's staff. "But the work of loving one another as Jesus Christ would have it is always the right thing to do."

Alabama Secretary of Labor Fitzgerald Washington said recruiting for the job fair has just begun so the department isn't yet ready to announce committed employers.

"People with disabilities are actually some of the most hardworking, detail-oriented workers that we have, and it's imperative that we bridge that gap of understanding between those who want a job and those who need to fill a job," Ivey said.
Sen. Luther Strange spent part of his campaign swing through east Alabama today hearing and speaking about jobs in the run-up to his Sept. 26 runoff with Roy Moore.

The scene was American Apparel, a plant with 250 employees in Centre off Alabama 9 that makes all weather coats for all branches of the U.S. military.

With polls showing him in a statistical dead heat with Moore, the former Alabama Chief Justice, Strange used today to focus on economic issues.

The runoff between Moore and Strange is Sept. 26. The winner will face former U.S. attorney Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 general election.

As the plant's employees gathered at lunch tables, Strange used his folksy "Big Luther" persona in a brief address drawing attention to the job done at the plant.

"A vote is important, because people around the world that you're helping are working every day to protect our right to vote," he said.

Strange also reminded them of his endorsement from President Donald Trump. "He loves Alabama," he said. "He loves what we make here."

Mentioning Trump wasn't just a nod to the chief executive. Strange's appearance at the plant was aimed, in some aspects, at tapping into the same economic issues that fueled Trump's victory last November.

After his speech, Strange sat with Chuck Lambert, the chief operating officer of American Apparel about some of the issues the business deals with, for about 15 minutes. On the paneled wall behind him were the seals of all the branches of the armed forces.

American Apparel has three plants in Centre, Opp and Selma, employing 729 employees in all. The three plants turn out more than 25,000 garments for the military each week.

Just four-and-a-half years ago, the company had almost twice that many employees at five plants in Alabama. Then cutbacks in Defense Department spending forced the company to close two plants, shutter Opp for one year and lay off hundreds.

Lambert told Strange about how the company was ranked as one of the top 15 Defense Logistics Agency suppliers, out of a pool of 3,000. But he could hire 200 more workers, he said, if the government increased the employment threshold on small business classifications. As it is, he has to stay under 750 to be eligible for small business contracts.

This wasn't an issue during the Iraq War and Afghan deployments. The company grew to meet the military's needs. But then they were penalized once need shrank and requirements changed, he said.

The average service member needs about four to six uniforms per person a year. But he said the government should be looking at whether it has enough infrastructure, not just in uniforms, should a large scale deployment occur.

He also asked Strange to work in getting Department of Homeland Security uniforms covered under the Berry Amendment, which requires military uniforms to be made by domestic companies.

One other focus was the incentives employees have to stay on the job. Lambert said the company has problems retaining employees. American Apparel employs workers at $10 to $12 an hour with insurance and benefits, he said. But some employees leave because their income endangers what entitlements they already receive.

Then there is the opioid epidemic. American Apparel requires drug tests prior to hiring and after accidents. Some would-be employees leave rather than take a drug test they know they'll fail.

Strange toured the plant, which was built in 1956 and acquired by the company in the late 90s. He said he regularly hears these issues at rural stops along the campaign.

"Jobs are critical to our state's future, particularly jobs in smaller communities," he said. "Helping them succeed is a really important part of the job. These challenges are real. These are real world examples."
Birmingham will begin collecting items for victims of Hurricane Harvey in Houston and southeast Texas beginning on Wednesday, Aug. 30, the mayor's office announced on Monday.

"Birmingham is a generous and kind city and we know that everyone including myself wants to do whatever we can to help the storm victims," Mayor William Bell said in a statement.

The Houston area is experiencing catastrophic flooding as a result of Harvey, which made landfall on Friday. As many as 50 counties in Texas are affected by the flooding, the Associated Press reported on Monday. At least two people have died as a result of the rain and flooding.

Items can be dropped off at Boutwell Auditorium at 1930 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Blvd. through Sunday, Sept. 3. Donations will be accepted from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day.

Items can also be dropped off at the entrance gates to the UAB football game on Saturday at Legion Field.

According to the mayor's office, Texas authorities are in need of canned goods, bottled water, cleaning supplies and canned pet food.

"Any donation is welcome and appreciated," Bell said.

For more information, call 205-335-4573.
Brandon Peckinpaugh

There was an unlikely sight on Birmingham area interstates Monday morning as law enforcement officers from multiple agencies chased a stolen school bus.

Brandon Peckinpaugh, 24, of Kentucky, was booked into the Jefferson County Jail shortly before 11 a.m. Monday. He is charged with attempting to elude law enforcement, reckless endangerment and resisting arrest. His bond is set at $15,000.

In Blount County, authorities Monday afternoon charged him with five felonies: first-degree theft of property, two counts of unlawful breaking and entering of a vehicle, and two counts of theft of second-degree theft of property. Authorities there said he broke into two vehicles early Monday, and stole a gun from each.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is expected to seek an attempted murder warrant against him for running into a state trooper vehicle.

Peckinpaugh told authorities his friends left him, and he needed a ride.

It all began about 1 a.m. when authorities say the bus was stolen from the home of a bus driver in Blount County. Blount County Sheriff's Office Operations Manager Tim Kent said the bus was taken during an early-morning spate of burglaries in the Oscar Bradford Road area.

Authorities later received a call from a citizen who was following the stolen school bus near Finley Boulevard in Birmingham. That citizen was told to stop following the bus and law enforcement officers were notified.

Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian said they came in contact with the bus at 7:40 a.m. after they were notified by the Blount County Sheriff's Office that a school bus had been stolen from their jurisdiction by a white male suspect. No children were on board the bus at the time.

At about 8:01 a.m. deputies came into contact with the stolen bus on I-59 southbound at exit 110 and attempted to stop the bus, Christian said. The driver refused to stop and a pursuit ensued.

The driver led law enforcement through the McCalla and the Oxmoor Road areas before heading onto I-459 northbound. The driver hit a State Trooper vehicle and attempted to hit several other law enforcement vehicles involved in the pursuit.

The school bus was ultimately stopped on Interstate 459 at Acton Road. Christian said the driver threw a handgun out of the school bus window. He was taken into custody without incident.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Homebuyers in the Birmingham metropolitan area need to make, at least, $41,717.33 a year to afford to purchase a median-price home, according to a new analysis from HSH.com.

Despite being one of the affordable metros in the U.S., homebuyers in the Birmingham metro saw an increase of more than $3,000 in the required salary during the second quarter of the year, the website stated. Home prices grew by 12.62 percent in a quarterly comparison.

If homebuyers put 10 percent down instead of 20 percent, the required salary increases to $48,645.87, according to HSH.com

The Birmingham metro still remains one of the 25 least expensive of the 50 largest metro areas in the country. The metro area includes: Bibb, Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, St. Clair, Shelby, and Walker counties.

The average mortgage rate in Birmingham metro is 4.11 percent. The median home price is $206,100, according to HSH.com. The averagely monthly payment is $973.40.

HSH.com is the nation's largest publisher of mortgage and consumer loan information.

To come up with the average salary required to purchase a home, HSH.com calculates the annual before-tax income required to cover the mortgage's principal, interest, property tax and homeowner's insurance payment. HSH.com uses standard 28 percent "front-end" debt ratios and a 20 percent down payment subtracted from the median-home-price data to arrive at the figures.

Loans with less than a 20 percent down payment will incur mortgage insurance, which would increase the required salary and require private mortgage insurance.
The two Republican candidates for Alabama's Senate seat now each have gun rights groups in their corners.

Roy Moore received the backing Monday of the National Association for Gun Rights, the political action committee announced.

Rival Luther Strange boasts the endorsement of the National Rifle Association.

"Judge Roy Moore has proven to be a strict constitutionalist and has given good reason to believe he'll be a gun rights champion and vocal supporter of the Second Amendment in the U.S. Senate," Dudley Brown, Director of NAGR-PAC, said in the endorsement announcement.

The NAGR said Moore filled out his candidate survey 100 percent pro-gun and he "opposes expanded Brady Registration checks, calling them a national gun registration. He is also a steadfast opponent of high capacity gun magazine bans and bans on so-called 'assault weapons.'"

"Judge Moore has defended the Constitution as a judge, and is a great candidate to do the same as a Senator," Brown said. "In this new political landscape, Moore will defend against anti-gun legislation, but also go on the offensive and roll back unconstitutional gun control laws."

The NAGR said in the announcement that it has 4.5 million members and supporters nationwide.

Moore and Strange will be in the runoff Sept. 26 with the winner of the GOP nomination facing Democrat Doug Jones in the Dec. 12 general election.
The chairman of the state budget committee in the Alabama House said he wants to save taxpayers the cost of another special election should another vacancy occur in the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Steve Clouse, R-Ozark, has pre-filed a bill for the 2018 legislative session to change the law on how a vacancy is filled.

Under current law, when a vacancy occurs the governor appoints an interim replacement and schedules a special election.

Under Clouse's bill, the governor would appoint an interim replacement, followed by an election to coincide with the next general election occurring more than one year after the seat becomes vacant. The state holds general elections every two years.

Clouse, chairman of the House Ways and Means General Fund Committee, said the ongoing special election for the seat Jeff Sessions left to become attorney general will cost the cash-strapped General Fund about $10 million.

"I think people now begin to realize that this wasn't one special election," Clouse said. "It was three special elections when you consider the primary, the runoff and then the general."

Clouse said each of the three rounds is expected to cost about $3.5 million.

The primary was Aug. 15. Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore and Sen. Luther Strange square off in a Sept. 26 runoff for the Republican nomination. The winner faces Democrat Doug Jones on Dec. 12.

Clouse said the second purpose of his bill is to clarify the law.

Former Gov. Robert Bentley initially scheduled the election for Sessions' seat to coincide with the 2018 election cycle.

That sparked objections from the Alabama Legislative Black Caucus and others, as well as a lawsuit by State Auditor Jim Zeigler.

Critics of Bentley's decision said the law demanded an earlier election date. State law, Code of Alabama 36-9-8, says that if a vacancy occurs in the U.S. Senate more than four months before a general election, "the governor shall forthwith order an election" to fill the unexpired term. The Bentley administration interpreted "forthwith" differently than some others.

When Gov. Kay Ivey replaced Bentley, she rescheduled the election for this year. Clouse does not disagree with the decision, but said the law should be more specific.

"It's probably the right thing to do based on the law that we go ahead and have this," Clouse said. "But I think that language needs to be either changed or more clearly spelled out."

The legislative session begins Jan. 9.
Amazon isn't wasting any time cutting prices at Whole Foods Market.

Amazon's acquisition of the upscale grocery store closed today. Amazon announced last week it was offering lower prices on some of its best-selling items.

"We're determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone. Everybody should be able to eat Whole Foods Market quality - we will lower prices without compromising Whole Foods Market's long-held commitment to the highest standards," said Jeff Wilke, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer.

How much are the discounts?

Bloomberg recently visited a store in Manhattan and found discounts of as much as 43 percent. The lower prices ranged from a change from $4.29 per dozen to $3.99 per dozen for organic large brown eggs to $3.49 to $1.99 per pound for organic Fuji apples. Other price drops include organic rotisserie chicken ($13.99 to $9.99); Whole Trade bananas (.79 cents per pound to .49 cents per pound); and tilapia ($11.99 per pound to $7.99 per pounds).

Signs at Whole Foods listed the old price, the new price and the phrase "more to come."

Another visit to a store in Brooklyn, New York - this one by Business Insider - showed the total cost of a basket on Friday was $97.76. After Monday's acquisition, the price dropped to $75.85, a drop of about 23 percent.

Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods has more than 430 stores in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom, including Alabama locations in Huntsville, Mountain Brook, Mobile and Montgomery.

Amazon announced in June it was acquiring Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in cash. The Federal Trade Commission gave its approval for the deal Wednesday.
Gov. Kay Ivey is gearing up the Office of Volunteer Services to aid with relief efforts in Texas after Hurricane Harvey, she told reporters at a press conference Monday.

Ivey has called to the office of the Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and offered aid from Alabama.

"If they need us, we'll be ready to serve," Ivey said.

Ivey said she has no specific plans for the office - it will respond to whatever Texas says it needs.

Ivey asked residents looking for ways to help victims to "Stand by, stay prepared, and pray."

Tropical Storm Harvey caused "unprecedented" flooding in Texas over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service, especially in and around the Houston area. More than two feet of rain have fallen in the Houston metro area, according to the National Weather Service in Houston.

Ivey was speaking Monday at the the LINCPoint adult Day Program for Adults with Disabilities at United Ability in Birmingham.
A Haleyville man was killed Saturday night and two others injured after he was ejected from his Jeep during a single-vehicle wreck, authorities said Sunday morning.

Jesus Megal Medina, 20, was driving a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee around 10:45 p.m. Saturday when the Jeep left the roadway on Winston County Road 3220 -- about three miles from Haleyville -- and overturned, ALEA spokesman Jonathan Appling said.

Medina, who was not wearing a seat belt, was ejected from the Jeep and pronounced dead at the scene. Two passengers in the car suffered injuries, with one being airlifted to UAB Hospital and the other taken to ECM Hospital in Florence.

Alabama State Troopers had no further information on the wreck, which was still being investigated.
The founder of the internet's oldest white supremacist site said he was trying to get back online Monday after a company revoked its domain name following complaints that it promotes hatred and is linked to dozens of murders.

Athens native Don Black, a former Ku Klux Klan leader who has operated stormfront.org since 1995, said he didn't receive any warning before Network Solutions blocked the use of the stormfront.org name on Friday.

Stormfront.org had more than 300,000 registered users, Black said, with traffic increasing since a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Popular with the KKK and neo-Nazi groups, the site included forums where users sometimes promoted white power events.

"I'm talking to my lawyers, and that's about all I can do right now," Black, of West Palm Beach, Florida, said in a telephone interview. "I can switch to another domain, but it might wind up the same way."

Another major white supremacist website, The Daily Stormer, was previously shut down by the web-hosting company Go Daddy and then Google after the violence in Charlottesville.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law said the stormfront.org shutdown followed complaints it filed with Network Solutions alleging the site promotes not only hate speech, but deadly violence.

A spokesman for Network Solutions didn't immediately return an email seeking comment.

Users of Black's website have been implicated in more than 100 killings, according to the complaint, including 77 people slain by neo-Nazi Anders Breivik at a camp in Norway in 2011.

"Especially in the wake of tragic events in Charlottesville and the spike in hate crimes across the country, Stormfront crossed the line of permissible speech and incited and promoted violence," said a statement by Kristen Clarke, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Black, speaking about the shutdown during an online radio show Monday, said his site had rules against promoting violence or any crime.

Black was a state KKK leader under former Klan Imperial Wizard David Duke, who appeared on the radio show following Black and expressed his "full support" for Black and the website.

"He was the first major site defending the rights of white people," said Duke.

Black has been involved in the white supremacy movement since the 1970s and was convicted in 1981 for his role in a right-wing plot to overthrow the government of Caribbean island nation of Dominica.
Tim Harvey [File photo from web]

YINCHUAN  Tim Harvey, an agriculture and animal husbandry expert from New Zealand, had a full schedule lined up during his visit to Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

It was the 12th trip to Ningxia for Harvey, 71, who is retired as a professor from Massey University in New Zealand.

Wearing a black jacket, jeans and sneakers, Harvey climbed yellow dirt slopes, ducked under sheep pens and talked with farmers in Guyuan city, one of the poorest areas in China.

"Everywhere Harvey goes, he goes to farms first to see what questions the farmers have and organizes training around these problems," said Yang Qi, director of an animal husbandry institute in Ningxia, who accompanied Harvey on his visit.

"He has very diverse knowledge of animal husbandry and has a great deal of hands-on experience to help farmers," Yang said.

At Yanli village in Guyuan, farmer Li Shenglu did not understand why several of his lambs always had runny noses. Li received nine sheep three years ago for free from the regional human resources department, which was part of the poverty-relief aid. Now Li owns 60 sheep.

Harvey rolled up his sleeves and, together with Li, they grabbed a lamb to examine it.

"They had a bit of a cold, but nothing serious. It had not rained for days, and there is too much dust in the wind, so their noses run," he said.

This was Li's first encounter with Harvey, but many farmers in Ningxia are quite familiar with the animal husbandry expert from New Zealand.

"Every time Harvey comes, he comes to my sheep pen, despite the foul smell. He taught us how to grow clover and how to prevent diseases. I have learned a lot from him," said farmer Li Yugang, who has received training from Harvey three times.

Li owns 34 sheep. Last year, he made 40,000 yuan (about $6,000) by selling 116 of them.

Harvey has helped with animal husbandry in China for 30 years, traveling extensively in poor areas of Guizhou, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang and Ningxia.

Harvey has received friendship awards from the Chinese government and is an honorable citizen of Guizhou for his contributions to poverty reduction there.

Accompanied by his wife, Harvey arrived in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, on Aug 13. He had heart surgery in September of last year, but that has not prevented him from keeping a busy schedule.

Harvey photographed the farms and made presentations while travelling from village to village.

"Farmers see their own villages and sheep in the presentation, so they are rather interested. Harvey is very dedicated, too. He would rather stand than sit for the whole lecture," said Yang.

"Harvey is good at details and numbers. He tells farmers exactly how much they could make through certain ways of raising the cattle. This is something Chinese experts usually lack," Yang said.

"Harvey has very deep connections with farmers. He is a farmer at heart," said Ma Jikai, an official with the regional human resources department and interpreter for Harvey for 12 years.

"Ningxia has changed a lot in the last 12 years. The level of animal husbandry has especially improved," Harvey said.

"If you went back 100 years in New Zealand, you would find agriculture was based on the family, and this is similar to Ningxia. The family unit in the village is very important for agriculture in China, but we will soon see changes here as some of the big companies start to develop and use new technologies available today," he said.

If his health allows him, Harvey says he would like to go to Zambia in September.

"I enjoy helping farmers and enjoy doing this. Maybe I'm a little old and slower, but I still feel young at heart. This is something that my wife and I can do together, and we really enjoy it," he said.
A judge's order that education employees receive refunds of part of their health insurance costs might be put on hold, at least temporarily.

Lawyers for former Alabama Education Association President Sheila Remington, who sued to challenge insurance cost increases, won't oppose a stay of the ruling until a hearing can be held. In a request filed Friday, they asked for a hearing within three weeks.

Earlier on Friday, lawyers for the Public Education Employees' Health Insurance Plan requested a stay of the order by Montgomery County Circuit Judge Johnny Hardwick. They filed notice that they would appeal his ruling.

Hardwick ruled on August 20 that PEEHIP's board violated the Open Meetings Act when it met privately on April 27, 2016 to hear a presentation from the PEEHIP staff about the need for increases in premiums and surcharges.

The board held an open meeting later the same day and approved the increases, which took effect Oct. 1.

The board contends the morning meeting was a "training session" and not subject to the Open Meetings Act.

Hardwick disagreed. The judge invalidated the increases and ordered the refunds.

The monthly premium for single coverage increased from $15 to $30 a month. The monthly cost for family coverage including a spouse rose by $80.

Lawyers for PEEHIP cited multiple reasons in their request to stay Hardwick's order for refunds. They said it would take 4,000 man-hours to calculate refunds in an insurance program with 150,000 members. They also note that, if PEEHIP ultimately prevails on appeal, the members would then be forced to return the refunded amounts.

"It would be a tremendous potential waste of time, money and human resources to refund or reduce PEEHIP premiums prematurely," they wrote.

In a footnote, they say that PEEHIP projects a break-even year in 2019 even with the increases, and a shortfall of more than $200 million in 2020.

In the lawsuit, Remington objects to the increase, in part, because the Legislature granted PEEHIP's request for a $23 million increase for the budget year that started Oct. 1.

The Legislature also approved a 4 percent cost of living raise for education employees.

Remington's lawsuit contends that the Legislature intended that employees take home an extra 4 percent instead of having the raise partly offset by increased insurance costs.
The 14-year-old girl who drowned in Ski Lake Saturday following a boating accident has been identified as Madison Reed of Lake View, Tuscaloosa County authorities said Sunday.

Madison's body was found Saturday night by a Tuscaloosa Fire Department dive team. Investigators with the Tuscaloosa County Homicide Unit said Madison appeared to have been struck in the head by the boat's propeller when she fell off the boat.

Madison was sitting in the front of the pontoon boat with her feet dangling in the water when she fell off and under the boat around 6:40 p.m. Saturday, authorities said. She had been on the boat with friends and one of her friend's parents.

Two people on the boat tried to rescue Madison but could not find her. A dive team with the Tuscaloosa Fire Department found her body in Ski Lake around 10 p.m. Saturday around where she was last seen.

Lake View Mayor Paul Calhoun said he was unsure if Madison went to private school or Brookwood Middle School, but said she attended Lake View Elementary School.

He said Madison's church was preparing meals for her family.

"What we do in the South is if somebody dies, were gonna feed you," Calhoun said.

The mayor said the family was grateful that her body was recovered.

"Because of [the divers], [Madison's father] will be able to go home knowing where his daughter is tonight," he said.
More than 200 people attended an unveiling ceremony for a new Confederate monument Sunday afternoon in Alabama's Crenshaw County.

The modest stone marker commemorates the "unknown Confederate soldiers" who died in the Civil War but have been forgotten by history, particularly those from Crenshaw County and the surrounding area.

The memorial now stands in a confederate memorial park first opened in May 2015 on private land in an unincorporated area next to Dry Creek RV Park about three miles north of Brantley. It sits among existing monuments, replica cannons and tall flagpoles flying Confederate and other flags.

A new Confederate monument was unveiled Sunday afternoon in Crenshaw County. (Connor Sheets | csheets@al.com)

"That's why we're here is to honor our Confederate dead, to honor our ancestors," David Coggins, a Sons of Confederate Veterans member who operates both the RV Park and the adjacent memorial park, told the energetic crowd during introductory remarks he made from a wooden stage.

"That's why I'm in it, that's what it's all about. We should all be proud of our Confederate ancestors."

Speakers and attendees repeatedly stated that the memorial and ceremony were not responses to the racial discord currently gripping the nation. They said it was just a coincidence that the date of the event was announced online shortly after a white nationalist ran over and killed a woman in Charlottesville, Virginia, following violent demonstrations there earlier this month.

"We have been really scrutinized for the past two weeks," Jimmy Hill, commander of the Alabama division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said. "This has been in the works for nine months, but because we put it on the website two days after [the Charlottesville clashes], the media put that together."

Slapout resident Vann Royal said he has been a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Tallassee, Alabama, for more than 20 years. He said he was there to remember the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the Confederacy and support the ongoing movement to do so.

About 200 people attended the unveiling in rural Alabama (Connor Sheets ! csheets@al.com)

"The thing is nowadays everyone wants to take the monuments down, so we're just glad that they're down here doing this [ceremony]," Royal said. "It's to let people know that what our ancestors did was not in vain."

Dozens of attendees wore Confederate T-shirts, black-leather motorcycle jackets or similar attire, while some men dressed up for the occasion in Confederate soldier uniforms and several women wore period costume dresses. Many in attendance waved Confederate flags and other banners associated with the Confederacy and the South.

About 10 members and affiliates of the right-wing Three Percenters militia movement stood in the back, wearing camouflage fatigues and body armor and carrying large guns; a member said they were there "in case anything were to happen." Coggins asked for donations to support the construction of a future monument to the Confederate Navy.

The event - which AL.com was barred by organizers from bringing video cameras or cameras other than cellphones into - kicked off with a series of speeches followed by a flag-raising ceremony and an approximately 10-minute period during which attendees called out names of Confederate veterans who lost their lives in battle and where and how they died.

The gathering then moved to the unveiling stage, when Coggins and Hill pulled a piece of red cloth off the memorial and three men dressed as Rebel soldiers fired blanks into the air. The memorial resembles a standard stone gravestone and bears the words "Unkown AL Soldier CSA" and the quote "Mother, I have been found, I am home."

A new Confederate monument was unveiled Sunday afternoon in Crenshaw County. (Connor Sheets csheets@al.com)

Once the ceremony concluded, members of the crowd mingled for a time as more blanks were fired from multiple replica Civil War cannons.

Wendy Osborne, a Tallassee resident and member of the Talisi Cotton Belles, a local chapter of the Order of Confederate Rose, said she was glad to see so many people come out in support of the Confederacy in a time when such groups face widespread derision and criticism.

"We are proud of our ancestors and we want to remember our history and where we came from, and that keeps us stronger as a people and brings us closer together," Osborne said. "We stick together as a people."
A theater in Memphis, Tennessee has pulled the classic movie "Gone with the Wind" over concerns it is "insensitive" to minorities.

The Orpheum Theatre in Memphis dropped the 1939 film from next year's summer lineup after it said it received complaints after an Aug. 11 screening.

"While title selections for the series are typically made in the spring of each year, the Orpheum has made this determination early in response to specific inquiries from patrons," The Orpheum Theatre Group said in a statement. "The Orpheum appreciates feedback on its programming from all members of the mid-south community. The recent screening of Gone With the Wind at the Orpheum on Friday, August 11, 2017, generated numerous comments. The Orpheum carefully reviewed all of them.

"Orpheum cannot show a film that is insensitive to a large segment of its local population," it added.

The population of Memphis is about 63 percent African American.

"Gone with the Wind," based on the 1936 novel by Atlanta's Margaret Mitchell, is set in the South during the Civil War and includes scenes involving slavery and the treatment of slaves. The movie won eight Oscars, including picture of the year.

Hattie McDaniel won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mammy in the film, becoming the first African-American to win an Oscar. She and other black actors were not allowed to attend the film's premiere due to segregation laws in Atlanta at the time of its premiere.

"Gone With the Wind," is listed in the top 10 of the American Film Institute of top 100 American films and is preserved in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry.

The Orpheum's decision has prompted an outcry on the theatre's Facebook page.

"Ridiculous for this theater to bow to a few voices and remove a classic film from their lineup," one commenter said.

"This would be laughable if it weren't so frightening. We are literally erasing our entire culture," another added.

The 2018 movie series will be announced in the spring and will contain classic films and more modern movies.
With public funding options limited, Alabama transportation officials are turning to the private sector for advice and creative solutions in paying for the massive Interstate 10 overhaul in coastal Alabama.

John Cooper, director of the Alabama Department of Transportation, said Monday that state officials were interested in learning more about project plans from approximately 400 private sector attendees during the two-day Industry Forum at the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center.

That includes financing, which remains the biggest hurdle toward moving the project forward in the next year. At this point, no options have been settled including whether to institute tolls to pay for bridge.

"How we finance the project is, to some extent, what we will learn from in these meetings," said Cooper.

Since July 2014, when a draft environmental impact study was first released, a host of financing options have been tossed out. Few have gained traction, and scant answers have been revealed on how the structure will be funded.

Even the overall costs of the project are murky. Cooper said the 215-foot-tall, six-lane bridge over the Mobile River is estimated to cost around $850 million, which is the only estimate that has been publicized for more than three years.

That cost, Cooper said on Monday, does not include additional construction work needed to tie the bridge with I-10 near Virginia Street in Mobile County or with the existing Bayway.

The project could cost even more, depending on whether the 7.5-mile Bayway is expanded from four lanes to eight.

Cooper said he's seen estimates between $800 million to $1.8 billion, "depending on how much you do."

He promised, however, that the bridge, itself, would get built.

Also under consideration is a complete raising of the Bayway to an elevation above a 100-year storm surge event. The costs to elevate the Bayway are also unknown.

"I don't want to talk too much about that, because we are interested in seeing what these people think the cost is," said Cooper, referring to ALDOT's reliance on learning more from the private sector during the Industry Forum instead of issuing cost estimates.

ALDOT anticipates the project will be implemented through a public-private partnership in the form of a design-build-finance-operate-and-maintain model.

ALDOT intends to follow up the Industry Forum by issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) this fall, with a Request for Proposals (RFP) scheduled for the second quarter of 2018. The state plans to work with three teams to develop, design and construct the bridge.

Construction is expected to begin by 2019, and last more than four years.

Cooper, though, said he's unsure how the process will unfold.

"You might see us engaged with an engineer, or an engineer-contractor or to make a deal with a concessionaire who would then put together a complete team to build a project in an all-encompassing proposal," said Cooper. "We just don't know where this will go."

He added, "What we do know is through one of these methods, we'll build the bridge."

Atop the funding considerations is for tolling, though exact fares or how motorists will be assessed the toll, remain unknown.

Approximately 60 percent of motorists who travel I-10 are from out-of-state, with the remainder of drivers commuting from Baldwin County to downtown Mobile.

"We have always thought tolls should be a portion of the financing of this project just by the nature of this corridor," Cooper said. "We have a huge out-of-state participating traveling through the corridor. We always believed those folks should help the people of Alabama, in a meaningful way, to help pay for the project."

Tolls haven't always been popular. Among the critics for a tolled bridge is U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Fairhope, who has said motorists will look for ways to avoid tolls.

Vince Calametti, ALDOT's Southwest Region's chief engineer, said the I-10 project could be similar to the new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York City. That project, costing an estimated $4 billion, is being financed through $2 billion from bank settlements, $1.6 billion from a federal loan, and with tolls.

Calametti also said that ALDOT will continue exploring federal assistance, such as applying for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grants. Those grants are intended to go toward projects viewed as a critical infrastructure need, and I-10 seems to fit the description: The Hill newspaper listed I-10 as one of five infrastructure emergencies in the U.S. last year.

Other financing mechanism, aside tolls and private investment, include money from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA). That money, which provides revenue to Alabama to compensate for environmental impacts of oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, is supposed to go toward coastal conservation, restoration and hurricane protection.

Baldwin County Commission Chairman Chris Elliott said GOMESA could still be considered, but agreed with Cooper in that tolls are "the right direction."

"It's really all options on the table," said Elliott. "We are looking at a way that 60 percent of the traffic not from Mobile and Baldwin counties paying for a portion of this bridge through a tolling option. That will be much more palatable for our taxpayers."

Also unknown is whether an increase in Alabama's portion of the gasoline tax can be applied toward the bridge's funding. Alabama's 18-cents-per-gallon tax hasn't been raised since 1992.

Gov. Kay Ivey has stated that she supports a gas tax increase to help fund large infrastructure projects.

"The Legislature might pick up the gas tax this session, but I don't know how much that will play into this, quite honestly," said state Sen. Bill Hightower, R-Mobile.

Also unknown is whether President Donald Trump can usher through a nationwide infrastructure program which he promised while campaigning for the presidency last year. Trump's $1 trillion infrastructure program appears stalled as Congress has shifted its focus this year to overhauling health care and the federal tax code.

"In general, I think you would comprehend that you will need some form of participation from the federal government, which we expect to get," said Cooper. "We will need a commitment from ALDOT at some level, which we expect to be able to fund. It would be nice to have those (expenses) replaced by some form of additional funding from our standpoint, but that is not necessary for this project to go forward."
A man who terrorized his Montgomery neighbors for years was sentenced on Monday to 40 years in prison.

Jason Clark, 45, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated stalking.

Clark, who lived in the Dalraida neighborhood, was accused of poisoning neighbor's lawns, attacking neighbors and making death threats, WSFA reported. Clark was also reportedly found to have a large arsenal of weapons and ammunition.

Some of the people who Clark terrorized testified at Clark's sentencing hearing.

Neighbor Sara Chandler said she lived across the street from Clark for about 27 years. "He threatened me, yelled at me and scared me tremendously," she testified.

Chandler called Clark a "domestic terrorist." She said she began to feel like a prisoner in her own home.

She said she once saw Clark swerve his vehicle towards an elderly neighbor as if he was going to hit her. "She was never the same after that. She feared for her life every day because she didn't know what he would do," Chandler said, of the neighbor.

Chandler testified that Clark put spotlights and lasers up on the outside of his home. He put up a large fence and painted it bright orange and put up "No Trespassing" and "Private Property" signs.

WSFA reported that another neighbor, Kristin Norris, testified that Clark threatened to kill her dog. She later found her dog poisoned. She said Clark would hide in the bushes, and he made her feel her life was in danger. She said she also suspected Clark jammed cell phones in the neighborhood.

Another neighbor, Charles Gross, testified that Clark attacked him in the street, beat him and slammed his head on the ground in September 2013. Prior to that incident, Gross said he was on Clark's side. He had lived next door to Clark for 28 years.

Gross also said Clark sprayed chemicals on his lawn, which killed the grass and made his dog sick. The dog eventually had to be put to sleep.

Neighbors previously obtained orders of protection from Clark, which Clark reportedly violated.

Montgomery County Circuit Judge Truman Hobbs Jr. called Clark a "ticking time bomb." He said the man had more than 40,000 rounds of ammunition and assault rifles in his home.

Clark's attorney Tom Azar told WSFA that he plans to appeal the judge's ruling. He said he never considered a sentence as high as 40 years. The probation office had recommended a 10-year sentence, he said.
J. Pepper Bryars, who grew up in Mobile and lives in Huntsville, is a conservative columnist for AL.com and the author of "American Warfighter." Contact him at www.jpepperbryars.com.

Elijah Morrison had a small farm in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains, outside the rural community of Talking Rock, Georgia.

It was beautiful country. Good soil, clean water, and the woods were heavy with game. It was the type of place a man would fight to stay, not leave to fight.

But by the winter of 1862 the war had drained most of the young men from the county and calls for more volunteers came daily.

"To Arms! To Arms!" read the recruiting posters. "Rally Young Men! To War!"

Elijah was hesitant. At 36, he was older than most who initially joined, and he was bound to the land, a poor farmer who worked it alone, and food was becoming scarce. He would have to leave his wife, Esther, to run the farm alone with their three children - 12-year old Julia, 11-year old Emma, and his son, 7-year old Montgomery.

Politicians said the war would be over by then, anyway. But it was now nearing its 20th month and the newspapers told of horrific battles in places like Shiloh, Manassas, and Sharpsburg. The death toll kept rising and the call to arms kept sounding. Many of his friends had already answered, and the Union Army kept marching closer, ever closer, to Georgia.

So finally, on his 37th birthday - December 1, 1862 - Elijah bid a sad farewell to Esther and his children and walked off to enlist in the 36th Regiment, Georgia Infantry.

If it's any consolation (and it's not), Elijah's was a short war.

With little training and few supplies, his regiment marched across Tennessee and joined the ranks of the Army of Mississippi. Within three-months of leaving home, Elijah found himself part of the force defending Vicksburg, a fortress-like city that commanded the last Confederate-held portion of the Mississippi River.

Elijah's first taste of war came on May 16 at the hands of Major General Ulysses S. Grant, who sent the Army of Mississippi fleeing behind the city's many fortifications.

The Siege of Vicksburg had begun, and it was a poor thing. Already low on stocks and weakened, those trapped inside the city were quickly down to eating mules, dogs, cats, and even rats. Clean water was rare, and medicine nonexistent.

In the middle of all this, Elijah managed to have a letter smuggled to Esther.

He told her how slow the army's march had been, how distant the soldiers felt from their generals, and about when to plant crops and who in town would give a good price for the coming harvest.

"Such eating we get here isn't fit for a dog," he also wrote. "I don't like this place at all."

He wouldn't be staying much longer.

The siege ended when Confederate forces surrendered on July 4th, but relief didn't come quickly enough to Elijah. Sickness, starvation, and dehydration had left him near death. He and others like him were ferried down river to New Orleans and then on to the many makeshift hospitals dotting the coastline from Louisiana to Florida.

Elijah was let off at Point Clear, along the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, and carried inside the hospital that had once been the Grand Hotel.

Sometime later, Esther received a letter from a hospital volunteer named Mrs. E.A. Scott of Mobile.

"The boat came loaded with sick and wounded which brought your husband to this place," she wrote. "He was almost dead when they brought him here."

She then detailed Elijah's final days, writing, "he assured me that he was ready to live or die as the Lord's will might, but his only regret was leaving his family."

Elijah died on July 23, 1863, just under eight months after enlisting. Trenches were hastily dug in nearby Point Clear Cemetery, and his body was placed in a mass grave with approximately 300 other soldiers from the Vicksburg campaign.

"There was so many sick and so few to do anything that marking graves was neglected," Mrs. Scott wrote.

Esther grieved and kept the letter close for her entire life. She remained in Talking Rock and lived to be 88-years old, but never remarried. Julia and Montgomery stayed in Georgia while Emma moved to Haskell County, Texas. All were married and had children.

Elijah's descendants are now spread across the country, from Florida to California, and have become businessmen, teachers, doctors, pastors, farmers, and attorneys, even politicians. One of his grandsons served in the U.S. Navy during World War I, and two of his great-grandsons served in World War II, one receiving two Bronze Stars.

His descendants have helped build, and defend, our nation.

Elijah Morrison would lie under unmarked earth for 136-years until members of a nearby camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans used ground-penetrating radar to successfully map the precise location of the mass graves in Point Clear.

My story about their efforts ran in a January 1999 edition of the Mobile Register and was republished across the South. It found its way into the newspaper serving Adairsville, Ga., just 30-miles from Talking Rock. There, Elijah's great-great grandson, James Burrell, read the article and knew this must be the same "Point Clear" that the nurse mentioned in the letter, now a treasured family heirloom.

Records were checked and verified, and a stone marker supplied by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was finally set above Elijah's final resting place.

Elijah Morrison was a farmer. He was a husband. He was a father. And, for a brief time, he was a soldier. He went when he was called, did his duty as best he could, and then died a miserable, lonely death, leaving behind a widow and three orphans to struggle through Reconstruction alone.

His story wasn't unique.

Children and grandchildren who never knew where their loved ones were buried eventually erected memorials across the South, like the one outside of the Madison County Courthouse in Huntsville that protestors recently demanded be removed, and the one at a downtown park in Birmingham that the mayor just had covered with plywood. You may have seen the one in Durham, N.C., hauled down and smashed to pieces earlier this month.

Is this how Americans remember dead soldiers?

These aren't statues of Jefferson Davis or Robert E. Lee. They're memorials to simple soldiers and sailors, many of whom lie in unmarked graves, and by now we should be able to separate them, as men, from the cause for which they fought.

Say what you want about the politicians and generals who led him, but Elijah Morrison and those like him deserve to be remembered and honored.

Anything less and we forget who we are, and dishonor ourselves.
The sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh raises questions about the functioning of spiritual organisations, or deras.

The sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the controversial leader of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, has raised questions about the functioning of deras in India.

A Dera is a social welfare and spiritual organisation with a leader at its head who commands the trust and devotion of their followers.

Singh, known by his moniker Ram Rahim, was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in prison for raping two female followers in 1999 at the sects headquarters in the city of Sirsa in Haryana state.

Singh has led a flamboyant and opulent lifestyle. He has produced music albums and films that he has starred in.

Gory details of Singh sexual encounters with his followers, as well as the castration of hundreds, have come to light during his trial.

In recent years, many sect leaders, or babas as they are known in India, have come under scrutiny over allegations of sexual harassment and corruption.

At the same time, some deras have forged close ties to political parties. Under Singh, Dera Sacha Sauda has openly supported the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which rules at the federal level as well as in Haryana.

I think where all these babas and deras go wrong is in getting enticed by the corrupting politicians allurements; or, in thinking that they can exploit the politician for their own use. No one  and, that means, no one  ever gets the better of the politician, wrote Harish Khare, editor-in-chief of the Tribune newspaper.

But not all deras are centres of corruption and exploitation.

There are about 10,000 deras with millions of followers in northern Punjab state alone. The majority of those who attend the deras come from the least privileged castes or classes, which make up one-third of the states population.

Ronki Ram, a professor at Panjab University in Chandigarh, the capital of both Haryana and Punjab states, says people find equality at deras and do not face discrimination.

In a society like India, which is hierarchical in terms of caste and religion, the people who belong to lower castes and class mostly go to deras. But some people from the upper or rich class and caste also go there. But the majority of people, nearly 80 percent, belong to the lower caste, Ram said.

They also provide many services such as the free community kitchen or langar, subsidised items for the household. Deras also run schools and colleges providing good education at cheaper rates.

READ MORE: Who is Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh?

The proliferation of deras

According to Ram, deras were started by Sufis in the 11th century in what is now Pakistan.

The word Dera comes from Persian; it means a place where a dervish lives, he said, explaining that the Punjab region, including Pakistani Punjab, has long been home to vibrant socio-religious movements.

Punjab has remained a centre of the Indian bhakti [religious] movement, Ram said, referring to the precursors of contemporary religious orders. Even today, he added, there are cities in Pakistan named as Dera Baba Ghazi Khan or Dera Ismail Khan.

In India, the proliferation of deras began after the advent of the Green Revolution in the early 1970s, which marked the introduction of high-yielding seeds and chemical fertilisers to boost crop production.

The agricultural boom was accompanied by the rising prosperity of the least privileged castes and Dalits, the former untouchables, who continued to face discrimination from the more privileged caste groups belonging to both Hinduism and Sikhism.

Deras emerged as places that offered a sense of equality to these discriminated groups.

Primarily after the advent of globalisation and the neoliberal economic regime [in the 1990s], the state withdrew from welfare activities. Education and hospitals have mostly been privatised, Ram said.

The state is there only to look after law and order. So, in this situation, those who were already poor and did not have much resources, found this new system of [the] neoliberal economy a lot more difficult. This can be the one reason they go to dera, he said.

M Rajivlochan, writing in the New Delhi-based Indian Express newspaper, said: Dignity, social support, medical help, and food security. These are precisely the things that the modern Indian state  at least in its Haryana/Punjab version  refuses to offer to the people.

He continued: The deras here seem to go beyond providing people with mental succour and start providing those services that should have been given by the state.

Some people believe that babas, or gurus, will help them reach God and many hope their mannats, or wishes, will be fulfilled with the grace of the babas. For the followers, sect leaders carry psychological and spiritual solace.

But as deras grew rapidly in the past two decades, political parties started to make the rounds of these communities to gain electoral support.

Political science professor Jagroop Singh Sekhon, from Guru Nanak Dev University, has called deras the ATMs of vote banks.

Once babas become powerful they attracted [a] large number of people, who are not only followers, they are also voters, and that brought politicians to babas, Ram said.
Police to be given easier access to high-calibre arms and tanks as US president revives controversial scheme.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that revives a controversial programme giving local police easier access to military gear such as grenade launchers, high-calibre weapons and armoured vehicles, despite widespread concerns over the militarisation of the force.





Trump signed the executive order on Monday, undoing a directive by his predecessor, Barack Obama, that limited police agencies access to camouflage uniforms, riot shields and other items.

Obama had issued the order in the wake of the fatal shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown by Darren Wilson, a white police officer in August 2014.

Browns death sparked national protests over the polices use of deadly force, especially against black men, and when demonstrators rallied in the city against alleged police brutality they were met by a police force dressed in full riot gear and pointing sniper rifles at them.

A review by the Justice Department found that deploying police with armoured vehicles, tear gas and dogs, had inflamed tensions and created fear among demonstrators.

OPINION: Who are the US police really protecting?

Weve seen how militarised gear can sometimes give people a feeling like theres an occupying force as opposed to a force thats part of the community thats protecting them and serving them, Obama said at the time.

It can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said on Monday that the restrictions placed on police departments went too far, adding that the Trump administration would not allow criminal activity, violence and lawlessness to become the new normal.

Speaking to police officers at a conference in Nashville, Tennessee, Sessions said the equipment was needed because violent crime is back with a vengeance, citing a murder rate that had surged nearly 11 percent nationwide in 2015.

Al Jazeeras Kimberley Halkett, reporting from Washington, DC, said while there were some regional cases such as Chicago, St. Louis and Baltimore where that was the case, violent crime had been dropping by as much as 50 percent over the past 25 years.

There is a lot of concern among civil rights groups over how this will be received by minority communities, she said.

According to a 2015 Gallup poll, 61 percent of white people reported having a great deal of confidence in the police while only 45 and 30 percent of black people and members of the Latino community shared that sentiment.

Considering the distrust of police actions, many people will no longer view the police as partners in combatting crime  but as occupiers, our correspondent added.

Defies logic

Groups across the political spectrum expressed concern over the lifting of the ban, with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF) saying it was exceptionally dangerous and irresponsible and encouraged confrontations with officers.

Just a few summers ago, our nation watched as Ferguson raised the spectre of increased police militarisation. The law enforcement response there and in too many places across the country demonstrated how perilous, especially for Black and Brown communities, a militarised police force can be, the LDF said.

The presidents decision to make this change in the wake of the tragedy in Charlottesville and against a backdrop of frayed relations between police and communities of colour further reflects this administrations now open effort to escalate racial tensions in our country, it added.

Tensions are high after a white supremacist mowed down a crowd of anti-racists on August 12 in Charlottesville, Virginia, killing anti-fascist protester Heather Heyer and injuring dozens.

Kanya Bennett, legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union, also slammed the move.

We have an epidemic in the United States of police using excessive force, particularly against people of colour, with injuries and deaths mounting, Bennett said.

It defies logic to arm the police with weapons of war  instead of practical, effective ways to protect and serve everyone.
Proposed legislation also allows gay couples to adopt children and denotes marriage as union between two people.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has sent legislation to congress seeking to legalise gay marriage, a move that follows a string of social reforms in one of Latin Americas most conservative nations.

The bill submitted on Monday would allow gay couples to adopt children and would denote marriage as a union between two people rather than between a man and a woman, according to reports.

We do this with the certainty that it is not ethical nor fair to put artificial limits on love, nor to deny essential rights just because of the sex of those who make up a couple, Bachelet said in La Moneda presidential palace.

In a post on social media, the president wrote: There are no conditions to love. To keep moving towards an inclusive Chile, today I signed the Equal Marriage bill.

Para amar no hay condiciones. Para seguir avanzando hacia un Chile inclusivo, hoy firme el proyecto de Ley de #MatrimonioIgualitario. pic.twitter.com/ZARkzOmgOE  Michelle Bachelet (@mbachelet) August 28, 2017

In March, Bachelet, a centre-left politician, pledged to send a full marriage bill to legislators before the end of the year.

But it was not immediately clear if Bachelet would be able to push the gay marriage bill through congress before she leaves office in March 2018.

Though her Nueva Mayoria coalition has a majority in congress, it is severely fractured ahead of elections in November and several members of the coalition hold socially conservative views.

Former President Sebastian Pinera, who hopes to run as the candidate for the conservative opposition coalition Vamos Chile in the November 19 vote, told broadcaster Radio Concierto that marriage is not to be confused with same-sex partnerships.

Pinera, however, said he is against all forms of discrimination and in favour of equal rights for gay couples.

In recent years, Chile has been taking a series of steps on the international stage to promote gender equality.

In 2012, the South American country passed a hate crime and anti-discrimination law that protects individuals harmed on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The law was approved following the murder of Daniel Zamudio, a young gay man who died after being severely beaten and had swastikas carved into his body.

Two years ago, Chiles congress had already approved same sex civil unions after years of legislative wrangling. And in 2016, Chile was one of the lead sponsors of a UN Human Rights Council resolution establishing the mandate of an independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity issues.

Bachelets push for marriage equality also comes as countries across the region are expanding gay rights.





Same-sex marriage has been legalised in recent years in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Mexico, despite the powerful influence of the Catholic Church, which opposes such unions.

As of February 1, 2017, there are 21 countries with marriage equality, counting about one billion, or a seventh of the worlds population.

Bachelet, who is barred by the current constitution from seeking a consecutive term, has been pushing for legislation opposed by the countrys Catholic leadership.

Just last week, Chiles Constitutional Court gave the green light to a law passed in July that will allow abortion in limited cases.

Before that, Chile was one of only a handful of countries in the world that outlawed terminating a pregnancy in any situation, including when a womans life was in danger.

Bachelet had previously served as president of Chile from 2006 to 2010, during which she also pushed for pay equality legislation and emergency contraception, including to persons under 14.
Eid al-Adha holidays in 2017 range from 16 days in Saudi Arabia to three in Uganda.

Traditionally, Eid al-Adha is celebrated for four days as an official holiday in all Muslim-majority countries.

For 2017, Eid al-Adha will be celebrated on Friday, September 1 in most countries, and on September 2 in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the following public holidays have been officially announced for Eid:

Saudi Arabia: a 16-day public holiday from Thursday, August 24 until Saturday, September 9.

Qatar: a 10-day holiday from Thursday, August 31 until Saturday, September 10.

Turkey: a 10-day holiday from Friday, August 25 until Monday, September 4.

Egypt, Oman , Kuwait, Jordan, Palestine : a five-day holiday from Thursday, August 31 until Monday, September 4.

: a five-day holiday from Thursday, August 31 until Monday, September 4. Pakistan, Lebanon

Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana

Eid al-Adha is a public holiday in the Philippines since 2002, established by the Republic Act 9177.

2016 holiday

Eid al-Adha 2016 was celebrated on Monday, September 12 in Saudi Arabia and in most other countries, and on September 13 in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The following public holiday breaks were officially announced:

Saudi Arabia: a 12-day holiday break, which will include the days of the Hajj pilgrimage.

Gulf Arab countries of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman: a nine-day public holiday from Friday, September 9 until Saturday, September 17.

Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Sudan also announced a nine-day public holiday on the same dates as in the Gulf.

Turkey: a nine-day public holiday from Saturday, September 10 until Sunday, September 18.

Bangladesh: a six-day Eid holiday, from Friday, September 9 until Wednesday, September 14.

Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Morocco, Nigeria: four-day long weekend holiday, from Saturday, September 10 until Tuesday, September 13.

Pakistan: a three-day holiday from Monday, September 12 until Wednesday, September 14.

Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, and Ghana: three-day long weekend holiday, from Saturday, September 10 until Monday, September 12.

To compare with the holidays of Eid al-Fitr in 2016, check here.
New pact seeks to establish pre-asylum hubs in Africa to process requests instead of in destination countries in Europe.

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain have agreed to help Chad and Niger with border controls to help stem the flow of migrants and refugees into Europe from northern Africa.

They made the pledge on Monday at a summit in the French capital, Paris, aimed at reducing the numbers of people undertaking a dangerous journey along the so-called central Mediterranean route.

During the meeting, which was also attended by the head of Libyas UN-backed government and the presidents of Chad and Niger, they also said they would accept asylum claims from refugees who apply for protection while in Africa instead of their destination countries.

The leaders signed a plan on the proposal, though there were as yet few details on how it could work. A joint mission will be sent to Niger and Chad soon, they said in a statement after the mini-summit.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who hosted the summit, called it the most effective and far-reaching meeting in months.

We must all act together  from the source countries to Europe and passing by the transit countries, especially Libya  to be efficient, he told reporters. Its a challenge as much for the EU as for the African Union.

In a joint statement, the four leaders acknowledged the need to initiate a process in Chad and Niger that would lead to the resettlement of particularly vulnerable migrants in Europe.





They announced the plan to carry out protection missions in the African nations in cooperation with the United Nations refugee and migration agencies.

The process would allow refugees and migrants to immigrate legally to Europe if they are on an eligibility list provided by the UN refugee agency and registered with authorities in Niger and Chad.

The pre-asylum centres would receive European financing, according to a top French diplomat. The official, in keeping with French presidential policy, requested anonymity and would not provide details on the precise locations and procedures for the missions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said European countries must clearly define which asylum seekers have legitimate humanitarian needs and who are fleeing poverty.

She called it very, very important that the possibility of resettlement is coupled with an end to illegal migration.

Merkel also said Europe also needs to urgently rethink its asylum system, which requires migrants to seek refugee status in the first country they reach. The requirement has put a huge burden on Greece and Italy, where waves of rickety boats carrying people have arrived in recent years.

The African leaders at the summit said fighting poverty must be a central part of any strategy, adding that human smugglers must be given legal ways of making money.

Nigers President Mahamadou Issoufou said poverty is what drives people to head to Europe and into trafficking, and that it is important to find alternatives for the smugglers to leave criminal activity, such as commerce or farming.

We are all committed to reducing the damage, the death of Africans in the desert, the death of Africans crossing the Mediterranean, Chad President Idriss Deby said.

The fundamental problem will always remain development. We need resources, he added.

Helping Libya was also a key part of Mondays meetings, and Fayez al-Sarraj, the head of Libyas UN-backed government, asked for more support to fight people trafficking and monitor his countrys southern border.

Fearmongering





The seven leaders also discussed security cooperation before the Europeans held separate talks focused on European Union matters.

Meanwhile, the interior ministers from Libya, Chad, Niger and Mali, who were meeting with Italys interior minister in Rome on Monday, said the Paris summits agenda can constitute the beginning of a new relationship between Europe and Africa.

The ministers also renewed a pledge to back peace accords among Libyas southern tribes and to stress the importance of backing Libya in the creation of a border guard force.

But groups that help migrants and refugees criticised attempts to stop migration at its source.

Were extending the European border farther and farther away, Eva Ottavy, of the French charity Cimade, told AFP news agency.

On Monday, the Oxfam and ActionAid charities criticised Europes leaders for what they called fearmongering over the migrant crisis.

They continue to present migration as a threat rather than recognising its benefits, the groups said in a joint statement.

They are playing into the hands of populist fearmongers who falsely claim that Europe is unable to cope with the arrival of people to its shores and who demonise search-and-rescue missions that save lives in the Mediterranean, it went on.

Their short-term approach ignores the fact that Europe needs migrants, the statement said, adding: Italy alone will need an estimated 1.6 million regular migrants over the next decade to sustain its welfare and pension schemes.

They called on the EU to stop outsourcing border controls to Libya, trapping more and more people in a living hell and urged governments not to make aid conditional on border management.

Some 125,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year, according to UN figures, with the vast majority arriving in Italy before travelling on to other EU members. An estimated 2,400 have died en route.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year.
France hosts summit with leaders from Europe and Africa to discuss how to stem an influx of refugees to the continent.

Seven African and European leaders are meeting in the French capital, Paris, to discuss ways to stem the flow of migrants and refugees into Europe from northern Africa.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited his counterparts from Niger and Chad as well as the head of the Libyan UN-backed government Fayez al-Sarraj, whose countries lie on the main transit route for people fleeing violence and poverty in parts of Africa and the Middle East.





German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian Prime Ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europes top diplomat Federica Mogherini will join Mondays talks.

Some 125,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year, according to UN figures, with the vast majority arriving in Italy before travelling on to other European Union members. An estimated 2,400 have died en route.

Al Jazeeras Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said the focus of the meeting was on the central Mediterranean route.

What Macron says is that he wants to see more border controls in Africa, more patrolling of the waters off the coast of Libya and more development aid for Africa, Butler said.

His argument is that fewer people would be fleeing poverty if those countries were stabilised and had more opportunities.

In July, Macron also proposed  without consulting his allies  the creation of so-called hot spots in Africa where asylum seekers fleeing persecution or war could lodge a request to travel to the EU.

The comment prompted confusion, and his office later downplayed the remark.

Dramatic fall in arrivals

The meeting might also provide insight into why arrivals have plummeted in recent weeks from Libya, the main route into Europe since a separate pathway from Turkey into Greece was shut down in 2016.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year.

OPINION: Who is really responsible for deadly refugee journeys?

Possible reasons include improved action by the Libyan coastguard, tougher border controls in transit countries inland, as well as Libyan militias joining efforts to stop boats leaving.

Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou will tell his European counterparts that the number of migrants passing through the transit town of Agadez in his country has fallen by 80 percent thanks to government efforts, a source in his team told AFP news agency.

Libya has also sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

READ MORE: German NGO halts refugee rescue operations off Libya

Italy has also sought to impose a code of conduct on the NGOs, which face accusations from some critics that their operations have encouraged migrants to attempt the crossing with the knowledge that they will be picked up in an emergency.





The code has been signed by five of seven NGOs with rescue ships; only the French organisation Doctors Without Borders and Germanys Sea-Watch have refused as a matter of principle, saying they want to maintain their independence.

The code is set to be approved by all the countries attending Mondays meeting, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

Commenting on the drop in arrivals, Al Jazeeras Butler noted, however, that there is another side to the story.

There are reports from migrants who talk about being turned back at borders by armed groups, without actually identifying them, she said.

There have also been reports in British media that perhaps some Italian officials have been paying people smugglers to keep the migrants back in Libya and not send them over.

The Italian government has denied that claim, but it does raise the question how those figures have so dramatically tumbled.
Police say nurse convicted of murdering patients by injecting them with deadly medication may have killed scores more.

A former German nurse serving a life sentence for murdering patients by injecting them with a deadly medication is suspected of killing 84 other people, according to police.

If convicted, the man  identified only as Niels H under reporting rules  would be one of the worst serial killers in the countrys criminal history.

A court order to exhume scores of former patients treated by the suspect found traces of the medication in 84 cases, Johann Kuehme the police chief in the northern German city of Oldenburg told a press conference on Monday.

Kuehme said police believe that the numbers of deaths could be even higher. However, many of the patients who died have since been cremated.

In past hearings, the nurse, now aged 40, admitted deliberately injecting patients at two clinics in northern Germany with deadly drugs and then trying to revive them in order to play the hero, German media said.

Murders could have been prevented

An Oldenburg court sentenced H to life in prison in February 2015 on two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and causing bodily harm to patients.

During his trial in 2015, the former nurse also confessed to murdering more patients during his career.

His confession prompted police to establish a special commission to investigate the deaths at two clinics where he worked  in Oldenburg and the nearby town of Delmenhorst.

The commission has been analysing hundreds of medical records and has exhumed more than 100 bodies to test them for traces of drugs.

In June 2016, police and prosecutors concluded that the man had killed 33 patients at the clinic in Oldenburg and that he had done so out of a desire to win approval by taking heroic measures trying to resuscitate them.

He injected patients with a drug so that they suffered heart failure or a shut down of their circulatory systems.

Two former senior physicians and the head of station at the Delmenhorst clinic are also facing manslaughter charges in relation to the deaths of the patients.

Investigators said their probe into the events at Oldenburg clinic is still ongoing.

The murders could have been prevented, said Kuehme, with investigators believing that those responsible at the time could have acted faster.

The clinic in Oldenburg knew about the irregularities, said Kuehme.
A judge in northern India has sentenced the leader of a popular sect to 20 years in prison for raping two of his female followers.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced amid intense security on Monday at a prison in the town of Rohtak, where the 50-year-old sect leader has been held since his conviction last week.

Singh was given two 10-year jail terms, which will run consecutively, for each offence.

His conviction on Friday sparked deadly violence in Haryana as his angry supporters rioted in the streets and clashed with security forces.

READ MORE: Jailed sect leader  Why deras command huge following

More than 30 people were killed, hundreds were injured and dozens were later arrested.

Police issued orders on Monday to shoot protesters on sight before the sentencing, and ordered the hearing to be carried out inside the prison where Singh was being held.

Singhs lawyer, AK Panth, said his client was innocent and would appeal against his conviction.

Vipassana Insan, a spokeswoman for Singhs sect, Dera Sacha Sauda, urged his followers to respect the courts order. Earlier in the day, another spokesman for the sect had called for calm.

Utsav Singh Bains, a lawyer for the victims, said he would seek a longer sentence and asked Indias federal investigations bureau to investigate dozens more alleged cases of abuse.

READ MORE: Who is Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh?

We will file two appeals shortly. One for enhancement of the punishment and another for further investigation into the case, Bains told the AFP.

We believe there are at least 48 more victims who were sexually abused and who may have been killed or are too scared to come out and testify against Ram Rahim.

High security

Al Jazeeras Sohail Rahman, reporting from Rohtak, said about 4,000 government troops were patrolling in Rohtak and Sirsa, where Singhs headquarters are located.

Security forces are searching anyone whos entering Rohtak, while Sirsa is still under curfew, he said.

The Haryana state government, controlled by Narendra Modis ruling BJP, came under fire from the opposition and a state court for failing to stop last weeks violence, our correspondent said.

A curfew was put in place on Monday in Rohtak, too.

Trains and buses leading to the town were cancelled to prevent Singhs supporters from gathering there. Schools and offices were also shut in many places.

In a monthly radio address on Sunday, Modi, the Indian prime minister, said it was natural to be worried after the violence.

The rape case against Singh was brought after an anonymous letter was sent to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then prime minister, in 2002. The author accused Singh of repeatedly raping her.

The charges were investigated by Indias Central Bureau of Investigation, and a special CBI court convicted and sentenced Singh.

The rape conviction is not his only brush with the law.

He is awaiting trial on a murder charge over the death of a journalist, and is also under investigation by the CBI over allegations of forcing several male followers to undergo castrations to bring them closer to God.

He has denied the accusations.
Harvey has become one of the most devastating storms in the history of the United States. People are trapped in attics, people are trapped in cars, and still the rain continues.

The main problem is that the storm is incredibly slow moving.

Normally a storm like this would be steered by winds high up in the atmosphere, but the winds are weak, so theres nothing to push it out of the way.

Harvey has remained within about 150km of the spot where it first made landfall, and its only moving at 5km per hour. Most people can jog faster than that.

What is the forecast?

With the steering winds being so weak, so far its been difficult to predict exactly where this storm will move and when.

However, the different forecasts, generated by the computers of the main meteorological agencies, are now in more of an agreement as to the future track of this storm.

This boosts confidence of its future path.

Harvey is expected to move in an anti-clockwise motion, leaving the Texas coast on Monday, then moving northwards up the coast and coming on shore again in eastern Texas.

Finally on Wednesday the storm is expected to clear away towards the north, into Arkansas. However, rain is still forecast for Houston.

Will it re-intensify?

The sea is the energy source of a tropical storm such as Harvey. As it moves over the waters of the Gulf it could slightly strengthen, but the winds are not expected to become significantly more powerful.

However, the rain will continue to be a problem.

The storm is a large system and even when the centre of it is over the sea, it will continue to fire torrential rain towards the land.

Houston, where some of the worst of the flooding has been seen, was not hit by the centre of the storm. It was the outer bands of the storm which triggered the relentless rain and the unprecedented flooding.

So far 776 millimetres of rain has fallen on the city and there could be over 600mm more still to come as the storm cycles round to move close to the city.

Will the flood drain readily?

With more rain forecast, there are major concerns that the water already on the ground is unable to drain away.

Being a modern city, there is a lot of tarmac and cement, which obviously doesnt help drainage, but even where there is soil, it has a large clay content which prevents drainage.

Even water which has made it into the many bayous and rivers which crisscross the city cannot simply flow into the sea because the winds are still blowing the waters of the Gulf of Mexico towards the coast.

Sea water is being driven directly against the flow of flood water, creating an impasse.

It is not only Houston which will be hit by further flooding. A significant section of Texas and southwestern Louisiana could be in for another 500mm of rain.

As the storm continues to churn across the state, more rain will fall and more people will feel its force.

In a region where less than a quarter of people have flood insurance, many residents are set to lose everything.
Indias foreign affairs ministry says country has agreed with China on expeditious disengagement of border troops.

India and China have agreed on an expeditious disengagement of troops at a disputed border area in the Himalayas, where their soldiers have been locked in a standoff for more than two months, according to Indias foreign ministry.

The decision comes in the run-up to a summit of the BRICS nations  a grouping that also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa  in China early next month, which Narendra Modi, Indias prime minister, is expected to attend.

In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam, Indias ministry of foreign affairs said on Monday, referring to the area in the Himalayas close to the borders of China, India and Bhutan.

On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing.

READ MORE  India vs China: Clash of the titans

China said Indian troops had withdrawn from the remote area in the eastern Himalayas. Hua Chunying, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, said Chinese troops would continue to patrol the Doklam region.

China will continue to exercise sovereignty rights to protect territorial sovereignty in accordance with the rules of the historical boundary, she said.

Speaking from Chinas capital, Beijing, Al Jazeeras Adrian Brown said that the high-stakes, high-altitude problem was over for now.

This dispute has been going on for 55 years but China is making it clear that it is not giving up its historical claims, he said. It says it wants to work with India to maintain peace but it said India must respect Chinas historical borders.

Chinese and Indian troops have been confronting each other at the Doklam plateau near the borders of India, its ally Bhutan, and China, in the most serious and prolonged standoff in decades along their disputed Himalayan border.

India says the dispute erupted after India objected to the Chinese building a road through the mountainous area.

India said it sent its troops because Chinese military activity there was a threat to the security of its own northeast region.

READ MORE: India rejects Chinas mediation offer on Kashmir

Small incursions and troop standoffs are common along other parts of the contested 3,500km frontier, but the recent impasse was marked by its length and the failure of talks to resolve the dispute, raising fears of a wider escalation as the two Asian giants compete for influence.

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8  Anurag Srivastava (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2017

The Nathu La Pass, on the frontier between the Indian state of Sikkim and Chinese-controlled Tibet, was the site of a fierce border clash between Chinese and Indian troops in 1962.

Shekhar Gupta, Indian political commentator, said there was too much at stake for the two countries to fight over a small piece of territory.

Hopefully, Doklam is a new chapter in India-China relations. Too much at stake for both big powers to let legacy real-estate issues linger, he said in a Twitter post.
Israeli PM makes claims Tehran is setting up sites to produce missiles with the aim of deploying them against Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Iran of building sites in Syria and Lebanon to manufacture precision-guided missiles, with the goal of deploying them against Israel.

His allegations on Monday came at the start of a meeting with Antonio Guterres, the United Nations secretary-general, who is on his first official visit to the region since taking office at the beginning of the year.

Iran is busy turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment, and it wants to use Syria and Lebanon as war fronts against its declared goal to eradicate Israel, Netanyahu said in Tel Aviv, without offering anything to support his allegations.

[Iran] is also building sites to produce precision-guided missiles towards that end in both Syria and in Lebanon, he said, without offering specifics. This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the UN should not accept.

There was no immediate comment from Tehran.

Both Iran and Lebanese movement Hezbollah have backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government forces in the civil war that has ravaged Syria.

Netanyahu pressed Guterres on the UN peacekeeping force in neighbouring Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, with Israeli officials having accused it of blindness to what they call an arms build-up by Hezbollah.

Guterres vowed that he will do everything in my capacity to ensure UNIFIL fulfils its obligations.

The UN Security Council is debating a renewal of the forces mandate for a year, with a vote expected on Wednesday.

UNESCO tensions

Guterres arrived on Sunday for a three-day visit to the region at a tense time between Israel and the UN.

Earlier in May, UNESCO, the bodys cultural agency, passed a resolution that criticised Israels actions in occupied Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

In July, UNESCO listed the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank as an endangered Palestinian world heritage site. The move prompted anger in Israel and led to Netanyahu slashing the UN membership that his country contributes by $10m.

READ MORE: Take a tour of West Jerusalems Palestinian history

At a joint press conference with Guterres, Netanyahu said his country has been treated unfairly and urged Guterres to address the issue.

There is no question that weve had a troubled relationship with the UN, Netanyahu said.

I think it has an absurd obsession with Israel, flagrantly discriminatory tactics  you dont have to be the Israeli prime minister to understand that.

Two-state solution

For his part, Guterres made a forceful argument for a two-state solution with the Palestinians and spoke of what he called obstacles to peace, including Israeli settlement building.

I dream that I will have the chance to see in the Holy Land two states able to live together in mutual recognition, but also in peace and security, Guterres said in remarks at Netanyahus office, calling for an improvement of economic and social conditions for Palestinians.

He also vowed to use his position to combat all forms of racism and bigotry and said that those who call for Israels destruction peddle in a form of modern anti-Semitism  though he added that he does not always agree with the countrys policies.

WATCH UpFront: Palestine and Israel  One state, or two?





Guterres wishes to be both impartial and a messenger of peace, said Al Jazeeras Harry Fawcett, reporting from West Jerusalem.

He is in favour of a two-state solution and one in which the Palestinians would see an improvement in their economic and social well-being so that they would have a stake in peace going forward.

Guterres is due in Ramallah on Tuesday for talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is visiting Turkey and is not expected to meet Guterres during the trip.

Guterres will then travel to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, where the issue of a crippling electricity crisis will be on the agenda.

Al Jazeeras Fawcett said the issue of Gazas power crisis will be on the agenda.

Palestinians have been calling on Guterres to keep up the pressure on illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Yet, senior Palestinian officials are expressing concerns that Guterres may not be the vociferous proponent of changing Israels policy, Al Jazeeras Fawcett said.

Hanan Ashrawi, member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, echoed those fears.

Guterres whom weve known for years and we had hoped would signal a new will on the part of the UN leadership to stand up to Israel, were beginning to see not just a regression, a sense of intimidation and reticence when it comes to Israel, she said.
Japan condemns launch of ballistic missile, which fell into waters off Hokkaido island, as an unprecedented threat.

North Korea has fired a ballistic missile that flew over Japan before plunging into the northern Pacific Ocean, in a step termed by the Japanese prime minister as a grave threat.

The launch appeared to be the first to cross over Japan since 2009 and comes amid ongoing annual military drill being carried out between the United States and its close ally in the region, South Korea.

South Koreas joint chiefs of staff said the missile travelled about 2,700km and reached a maximum height of 550km as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and landed in the sea.

The projectile was launched from the Sunan region near the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, just before 6am local time on Tuesday (21:00 GMT on Monday), the South Korean military said.

READ MORE: North Korea explained in graphics

Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported that the missile flew over the northernmost main island of Hokkaido and broke into three pieces and fell into the waters 1,180km east of Cape Erimo.

The test appeared to have been of a recently developed intermediate-range Hwasong-12 missile, experts said. It is the same sort of missile that North Korean threatened to fire on the US territory of Guam.

The Japanese governments J-Alert warning system advised people in northern Japan to take precautions, but NHK said there was no sign of damage.

Japans military did not attempt to shoot down the missile, which passed over Japanese territory at about 6:06am local time (21:06 GMT).

There was no immediate comment from North Korea.

Shinzo Abe, Japans prime minister, said the missile launch over its territory was an unprecedented, serious and grave threat.

Their outrageous act of firing a missile over our country is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat and greatly damages the regional peace and security, he said.

In a 40-minute telephone call with US President Donald Trump, he said, the two allies had agreed to further strengthen pressure against North Korea.

Abe said he would also call for an urgent meeting at the UN to discuss further action, strongly demanding stepped up pressure against the reclusive neighbour.

Al Jazeeras Wayne Hay, reporting from Seoul, said that although there have been several recent missile launches by North Korea, and there are often launches this time of year due to military exercises between the US and its allies in the region, a missile passing over the Japanese mainland will be seen as a bigger provocation.

So this will certainly be viewed by Japan, the United States and South Korea as an uptick in the seriousness of the missile launches coming from North Korea, he said.

OPINION: Should you be worried about North Korea?

North Korea typically reacts with anger to US-South Korean military drills, which are happening now, often staging weapons tests and issuing threats to the two countries via its state-controlled media.

But animosity is higher than usual following threats by Trump to unleash fire and fury on North Korea, and North Koreas stated plan to consider firing some of its missiles towards Guam.





Michael Penn, president of the Shingetsu news agency in Tokyo, told Al Jazeera that North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un is continuing to test the boundaries as he has done since coming to power in 2011.

What is different now, and what makes the situation potentially a lot more dangerous, is that people no longer know what the United States policy is going to be. They no longer know how President Trump is going to react, said Penn.

This is really the first major test since the fire and fury speech which Donald trump gave. So the big X factor  the thing of most concern  is what is the Trump administration going to do because its policies seem to have become rather unstable as compared to the past.

Four South Korean fighter jets bombed a military firing range on Tuesday after President Moon Jae-in asked the military to demonstrate capabilities to counter North Korea.

Now all the eyes are on the UN Security Council. South Korea, Japan and the US have called for an urgent UNSC meeting that is likely to be held late on Tuesday. There is likely to be a push from some corners for even tougher sanctions to be introduced on North Korea, Al Jazeeras Hay said

But thats unlikely to be supported by its traditional ally China.
Rescue efforts under way in Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey brings catastrophic flooding to southern US state of Texas.

Floods in the southern US city of Houston have forced thousands to flee their homes and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with constant calls for help.

The incessant rain brought by Hurricane Harvey covered much of Houston on Monday.

Texas largest city was submerged in visibly dirty water, with streets navigable only by boat.

In a frantic rescue effort, helicopters landed near flooded motorways, airboats crisscrossed neighbourhoods and high-water vehicles negotiated water-logged intersections late on Sunday.

READ MORE: Facing Hurricane Harvey

Some people used kayaks, inflatable beach toys and air mattresses to get to safety.

Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their rooftops or from the water, which was high enough in places to gush into second floors.

Some formed human chains while others fired up their motorboats and jet skis to pluck their fellow Texans to safety.

The Harris county sheriffs office rescued more than 2,000 people in the greater Houston area using vehicles including motorboats, airboats and humvees on Sunday, a spokesman said.

Harvey made landfall late on Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has continued to drop heavy rain as a tropical storm.

Parts of Texas are expected to see a years worth of rainfall in the span of a week.

The storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties, Reuters news agency said, citing federal disaster declarations.

READ MORE: Harvey  Unprecedented flooding not over yet

The US National Weather Service said the breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before.

Harvey was blamed for at least two deaths, and officials fear the death toll may rise as the storm triggers additional tidal surges and tornadoes.

Authorities ordered more than 50,000 people to leave parts of Fort Bend County, about 55km southwest of Houston, as the Brazos River was set to rise to a record high of 18 metres this week  more than 4 metres above its flood stage.





Robert Hebert, Brazos county judge, said the forecast crest represents a high not seen in at least 800 years.

What were seeing is the most devastating flood event in Houstons recorded history, said Steve Bowen, chief meteorologist at reinsurance firm Aon Benfield.

Greg Abbott, governor of Texas, said he will deploy an additional 1,000 National Guard troops for rescue missions. He had already called up 3,000 troops over the weekend.

Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves.

One man was spotted clinging to a tree on Saturday night by police patrol officers who then formed a human chain across a bayou to save him.

Houstons George R Brown Convention Center was quickly opened as a shelter.

Most of the people at the shelter were African American or Latino.

Several people told the Associated Press news agency that in hindsight, they wished they had left Houston beforehand.

Before Harvey hit, local officials pushed back against Abbotts suggestion that people in Houston should leave and did not order a voluntary or mandatory evacuation.

Sylvester Turner, Houstons mayor, stood by that decision on Sunday, saying an evacuation would have put many people on roads that eventually flooded and endangered more lives than having residents stay in their homes.
US disaster agency says 50 counties in Texas are affected by the flooding, as weather forecasters predict more rain.

More than 30,000 people are expected to be placed in temporary shelters in the US state of Texas due to widespread flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, US officials said, with more rain expected in the coming days.

Brock Long, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said on Monday that 50 counties in Texas are affected by the floods, which were brought about by an estimated six months-worth of rain falling in the last three days alone.

We have not seen an event like this. You could not draw this forecast up, you could not dream this forecast up, Long said.

Earlier, Texas Governor Greg Abbott deployed an additional 1,000 National Guard troops, on top of the 3,000 already sent in the flood-stricken state, which is the size of France, Belgium and Switzerland combined.

READ MORE: Facing Hurricane Harvey

Texas officials said on Monday that six more people are feared to have died in the Houston area as a result of the storm and flooding.

Tricia Bentley, spokeswoman for the medical examiners office in Harris County  which includes the city of Houston  confirmed six deaths since Sunday that are potentially tied to Hurricane Harvey.

She was unable to specify the causes of death, explaining that some people may have had a medical emergency and just could not seek help because of the flooding.

The fatalities were distinct from unconfirmed reports that a family of six had died in a van caught in floodwaters.

Three people were previously confirmed to have died after Harvey hit Texas on Friday. In Houston, a woman drowned when she left a car that had stalled in high water. Another man was found dead in a flooded Wal-Mart car park in Galveston County.



Thousands seek shelter from floods after Harvey

And one person was killed when a house caught fire in the Rockport area, where Harvey made landfall.

Al Jazeeras Heidi Zhou-Castro, reporting from Houston, the largest city in Texas, said that in the last 48 hours, emergency agencies have received some 6,000 calls for help.

She said that between 300 to 400 households were still waiting to be reached by rescuers as of 13:00 GMT on Monday.

Our correspondent also said that the flooding is expected to rise in some parts of Houston, as authorities are expected to open dams and levies in the area, to ease pressure from the continuous rain.

Al Jazeeras weather presenter Richard Angwin reported that the worst is probably yet to come, saying that the storm, which is moving only at an estimated five kilometres per hour, could dump more rain in the coming days.

We are only half-way through the rainfall, he said.

The storm is going nowhere very fast. It is going so slowly. Theres still a lot still coming out of it, picking up warm water in the Gulf of Mexico.

Catastrophic

In some areas just north of Houston, rainfall has already reached 1,000mm in the last three days, which our correspondent described as catastrophic.

Aside from the 50 counties affected in southern Texas, a portion of the south-western state of Louisiana was also affected by Harvey, which made landfall late on Friday as a Category 4 hurricane.

Harvey has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but the damage it has left is extensive.





About 450,000 people are anticipated to apply for disaster assistance, which would make them eligible for financial support, possible replacement of property and other disaster-related aid.

President Donald Trump is expected to visit Texas on Tuesday, but not Houston as flooding in the US fourth-largest city continues.

Harvey is the first major natural disaster to hit the United States during Trumps presidency. On Sunday, he convened a cabinet meeting by telephone in response to the disaster.

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the country in 13 years, and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961s Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.
Gainesville Police announced Friday that human remains found almost a year ago are of 23-year-old Hannah Zehner Brim, who was reported missing in 2016.

The remains were discovered in a swampy area near railroad tracks about two-and-a-half miles northwest of Orange Heights, east of Gainesville, in September 2016 and were sent to the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification for DNA testing in January, a year after Brims disappearance, said GPD spokesperson Officer Ben Tobias at a press briefing.

Brim was last seen with her boyfriend, Nelson Ariel Armas, Tobias said. Armas, who has been in Alachua County Jail since February 2016 for unrelated charges, faces charges for premeditated first degree murder, grand theft auto and evidence destroying with no bond.

In a sworn complaint filed in 2016, GPD officers identify Armas as the suspect in the case. Armas first told police he had fought with Brim earlier in the day before she dropped him off by the side of the road, and he walked home.

Video surveillance and witnesses confirm Armas left Brims car in a Walmart parking lot before it was reported missing, which was inconsistent with what he told police, according to the sworn complaint. Armas gave the car to a friend to be crushed, but a witness came forward and turned the car into GPD, according to the complaint.

GPD found blood matching Brims in the trunk and wipe marks consistent with the car being cleaned, according to the complaint.

Tobias said the discovery of Brims remains is the latest update in the case. Scientists say their certainty of the body being Brims is approximately 286.8 trillion to one, Tobias said.

DNA results typically take a very long time due to the science involved, Tobias wrote in an email.

Brims parents, son, estranged husband and in-laws stood beside Tobias at the briefing but declined to speak.

Tobias said it is believed that Brim was five months pregnant, and Armas charges may be reevaluated.

Hannah Zehner Brim was reported missing in 2016.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
Over the summer, a lot of UF students had the luxury of living in a bubble. Some students spent the past three months in the woods as camp counselors. A few used their time off from classes to travel abroad to where they had little-to-no access to the internet. Others went on mission trips, worked at time-consuming internships or just spent their days sleeping for long periods of time. Basically, a lot of Gators were fortunate enough to be gleefully unaware of a lot of the chaos happening around them over the past few months.

Upon reuniting with our friends who had essentially dropped off the face of the planet during Summer Break, we noticed a commonality between them. They were each shell-shocked by the things they were seeing in the news.

After living in the wilderness with hundreds of elementary-school-aged children, our friends who served as camp counselors returned to the real world to find Nazis in the streets. Our friends who spent their summer elbow-deep in work at their internships returned to freedom only to learn minorities in the U.S. were still fighting to be treated like real people. Needless to say, our uninformed comrades had a lot waiting for them when they came back to the real world.

While at first we envied our friends who got to take a break from the news, we realized their short-lived intermission may have not been as great as it appeared.

Just because you arent seeing the news, doesnt mean it isnt happening.

As journalism junkies, we pay close attention to the news. Most of our classes in the College of Journalism and Communications require that we follow current events as if our lives depend on it. That being said, we rarely get a break from the news, nor do most of us want one. Thus, we arent exactly sure what it would feel like to be uneducated about the world around us.

We can certainly understand the appeal of ignorance when it comes to the news right now. If you dont know whats happening, you cant be upset about it, right? Its a pretty fool-proof plan. However, its nearly impossible to avoid knowledge forever.

Even the most uninformed person sometimes finds themselves in a situation where they are faced with the news and all its calamitous accoutrements. The people who shield themselves from newspapers, online articles and the first ten channels on cable will learn months into a catastrophe that the world has been on fire for a while now, and theyve done nothing to stop it. In our opinion, its better to know what is going on, little by little, than to find out all at once in a moment of bewilderment and devastation.

Whats more is that those who dont know what is going on in the world cant do anything to help stop it. In the last presidential election, only 55 percent of voting-age citizens cast a ballot. This means 45 percent didnt use their voice. Had these 45 percent of eligible voters cast their ballot and made their freedom count, the election results could have been entirely different. However, many people choose to be uninformed and therefore let the rest of us down.

Please, dear reader, do yourself a favor and dont live in ignorance. We are lucky enough to live in a country where we have the freedom to make our voices count. But you can only make your voice heard if you know what you need to be speaking up about.

Enjoy what you're reading? Get content from The Alligator delivered to your inbox Subscribe Now
With the beginning of another school year comes something that is a mystery to most and dreaded by many: fraternity and sorority recruitment. As of last Wednesday, sorority recruitment at UF has come to a close. For many women on campus, the last week has been filled with makeup, dresses, heels, small talk and long hours. Girls from all over the country  and world  come to UF to visit each sorority house and find their homes and future sisterhoods through a process that could accurately be described as grueling and rather unpleasant.

As a Panhellenic woman myself, I am all too familiar with this process, having experienced it as both a potential new member (PNM) and as a recruiter for my own chapter. Im not writing this to talk about what its like to participate in recruitment or to persuade anyone that they should or should not rush upon coming to college. Im writing this to discuss something Ive noticed about this process in the three years Ive been a part of it.

It is not what it seems, and people both on the inside and on the outside of recruitment may think they know what it is like for each PNM going through it. Truthfully, it is a very different experience for each PNM, and many women go into it with the expectation that it will work out just as it had for others who went through before them. It is my genuine hope that every woman who rushed had a great experience. I hope they all feel valued, and I hope they all found where they belong and are truly happy to be there. I hope they got a bid, opened it Wednesday and cried because they were so happy. I hope they ran home into the arms of their new sisters and never looked back. That is, after all, the best-case scenario and what every girl wants.

However, I recognize that this is not always what happens. Sometimes, a woman will fall in love with a house only to find out she will not be visiting it the next day. Sometimes, she will fall in love with several and find none of them on her schedule. Sometimes, a woman will receive a call with the news that she has no more houses on her schedule. This may have been the very first thing she ever did in college, and she is being told that she wont be welcomed into a sisterhood. In a school where Greek life is heavily emphasized and advertised, this can be devastating.

No matter whether a girl experiences the best, the worst or something in between, she is still just as much a human being as the next. She is every bit as beautiful, loved, intelligent, kind, caring and worthy as she was before taking this journey. Greek life has been a wonderful and integral part of my college experience, and I am very grateful for it. However, it is not the only way to make friends and feel accepted in college.

Recruitment can be nothing short of traumatizing for some women, and if anyone reading this has been negatively affected or hurt by this process, I would like to apologize from the bottom of my heart. I firmly believe that you can be just as happy  or happier  outside of Greek life than you would be inside it.

If your path brings you to Greek life, I wish you all the best and hope your sisterhood is everything you dreamt of and more. If it takes you elsewhere, I hope you feel fulfilled and find your own path doing whatever you love doing. Greek life is merely a tiny part of everything UF and the world have to offer, and I hope you find what you love.

Taylor Cavaliere is a UF journalism and psychology junior. Her column appears on Mondays.
A day after San Francisco "anti-hate" protesters celebrated forcing the cancelation of a free speech rally by the group Patriot Prayer because of threatened violence, Antifa took to the streets of Berkeley looking for a fight against "far-right" protesters at a "Say No to Marxism" demonstration.

Not finding anyone to fight with among the peaceful protesters, Antifa thugs attacked anyway. The result was chaos, thanks to a curious reluctance on the part of Berkeley police to intervene until the lives of the anti-communist protesters were actually in danger.

The rally in Berkeley had actually been canceled on Friday. But a few people showed up and ended up being assaulted by Antifa anyway.

And where were Berkeley's finest?

Legal Insurrection's Bill Jacobsen:

The San Francisco Chronicle has a timeline of the riots. Here are a couple of the key timeline entries: 1:20 p.m. Tensions rising: Far-left demonstrators wearing black masks and body armor have joined the crowds gathered at Civic Center Park. Tensions at the park have been on the rise as police in riot gear abandoned their post along a concrete barricade within the park separating the right-wing demonstrators and the counter protesters. Police are now surrounding the perimeter of the park to deal with masses of counterprotesters who are trying to get in. 1:35 p.m. Hundreds break through: Berkeley police in riot gear stepped aside as hundreds of counterprotesters jumped the barriers around Civic Center park and flooded the place. All very peaceful. One protester said that was "too easy." Fighting broke out and pepper-spray and tear gas filled the air as hundreds of men and women clad in black moved through the park.

Chronicle reporter Lizzie Johnson, who was on scene, tweeted what she experienced and saw, including: "The #Berkeley police have stood down. A sea of black masks as far as I can see. This is what WAS NOT supposed to happen."

Oh, yes it was. This is exactly what was supposed to happen and was predicted by Joey Gibson of Patriot Prayer and the Berkeley organizer, Amber Cummings. Both cited fears that police in San Francisco and Berkeley would stand down and allow Antifa to attack.

Here's the "explanation" by the Berkeley police chief for why the cops disappeared:

Berkeley police chief Andrew Greenwood defended how police handled the protest, saying they made a strategic decision to let the anarchists enter to avoid more violence. Greenwood said to The Associated Press: "the potential use of force became very problematic" given the thousands of peaceful protesters in the park. Once anarchists arrived, it was clear there would not be dueling protests between left and right so he ordered his officers out of the park and allowed the anarchists to march in. There was "no need for a confrontation over a grass patch," Greenwood said.

...except that "grass patch" was occupied by people the chief and Antifa disagree with politically. A "strategic" retreat by police allowed Antifa to teach the peaceful protesters a lesson: if you value your life, stay away from Berkeley.

If the police allowing Antifa into the park  actually standing aside and letting violent thugs confront protesters  isn't evidence that the cops chose a side in this protest, I don't know what is. How could the police chief possibly believe that it was better to let a violent confrontation ensue than not? Is he brain-dead? Doesn't he know what Antifa is and what its members do? The answers are no, and of course he does.

Even the Washington Post was forced to report the truth: "Black-clad antifa attack peaceful right wing demonstrators in Berkeley."

Their faces hidden behind black bandannas and hoodies, about a 100 anarchists and antifa  "anti-fascist"  barreled into a protest Sunday afternoon in Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park. Jumping over plastic and concrete barriers, the group melted into a larger crowd of around 2,000 that had marched peacefully throughout the sunny afternoon for a "Rally Against Hate" gathering. Shortly after, violence began to flare. A pepper-spray wielding Trump supporter was smacked to the ground with homemade shields. Another was attacked by five black-clad antifas, each windmilling kicks and punches into a man desperately trying to protect himself. A conservative group leader retreated for safety behind a line of riot police as marchers chucked water bottles, shot off pepper spray and screamed "fascist go home!" All told, the Associated Press reported at least five individuals were attacked. An AP reporter witnessed the assaults. Berkeley Police's Lt. Joe Okies told The Washington Post the rally resulted in "13 arrests on a range of charges including assault with a deadly weapon, obstructing a police officer, and various Berkeley municipal code violations."

When civil rights protesters tried to march from Selma, Alabama to the capitol of Montgomery in 1965, they were beaten back by state troopers on the Edmond Pettus bridge. Undeterred, Martin Luther King organized another march following the same route  only this time, he brought thousands of marchers, daring the police to stop them.

The police gave way, and King and the demonstrators proved a point: determined people can overcome even the most violent opposition if they are peaceful and resolute in exercising their rights.

I suggest that protesters return to San Francisco and Berkeley, only in numbers that will cow the haters and anti-free speech fascists in government and the community. Showing that we are unafraid will do more to ensure the survival of the First Amendment than anything else.
President Trump continues to receive scorn over his assertion last year that vote fraud accounted for Hillary Clinton's raw vote majority. Democrats and their shills are unanimous in denouncing the "false claims." (The Amazon Washington Post recently called it a "zombie claim.") When the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity was announced, it was denounced as a waste, an attempt to intimidate minorities, and a scheme to violate privacy, which has caused states to refuse to release public data requested by the commission. Its investigator, J. Christian Adams, is being vilified. Even Republicans expressed reluctance to Politico over the investigation.

Senator Chuck Schumer bizarrely linked vote fraud to Charlottesville.

In the wake of the confrontation in Charlottesville, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for President Trump to disband the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity on Aug. 24. In a Medium post, Schumer said the actions of the commission were "wolves in sheep's clothing" and a "ruse" designed to "revive the old playbook and disenfranchise minority voters."

They really, really don't want anyone looking closely at vote fraud. They claim there is none of any significance.

That must be why this report from Chicago City Wire has been so thoroughly ignored by the mainstream media:

More than 14,000 votes were cast in Chicago during the 2016 general election than there were voters to cast them, based on separate figures released by the Chicago Board of Elections, the chairman of the Chicago Republican Party has reported. Chris Cleveland told the Chicago Wire that "on a whim," he filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the board, which provided him with a list of 1,101,178 people who voted in the general election. An earlier post on the board's website said that 1,115,664 votes had been cast. "There should be never be more votes than voters," Cleveland said. "Every ballot cast should be recorded against a registered voter." The party did a breakdown of voting by precinct, and Cleveland said it found an uneven distribution of discrepancies. Fifteen precincts had 100 more ballots cast than voters, while others had fewer votes than voters.

Judicial Watch is also on the case:

Washington-based Judicial Watch named Illinois among 11 states that have another kind of discrepancy in their voting rolls: The number of registered voters exceeds the number of voting-age citizens as determined by a review of Census data. In April, the group sent a notice-of-violation letter along with a threat to sue the 11 states. Robert Popper, director of Judicial Watch's Election Integrity Project and formerly deputy chief of the voting section of the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, said that not maintaining accurate voting rolls violates the National Voter Registration Act of 1993. "People remember the act as the 'motor voter' law because it requires the states to offer voter registration forms with driver license applications," Popper said. "But what a lot of people forget is that as a compromise for getting the act through, it requires states to maintain accurate voting rolls." Judicial Watch identified 26 Illinois counties where voter registration was higher than the number of people eligible to vote, according to Census numbers.

But we can expect that Democrats will continue to dismiss the possibility that vote fraud worked for them on a significant scale. The fact that they resist investigation is telling.

Hat tip: Peter von Buol
On May 14, 2012 Alarabiya reported about the exorcism of Latifa Hachmi in Brussels:

A court in Brussels opened on Monday the trial of six people charged in connection with the 2004 murder of a young Muslim woman in a deadly act of exorcism, a practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person believed to be possessed[.] ... [T]he woman apparently could not stand the severe punishment the exorcism allegedly entails to scourge the demon out of the body, and she lost her life[.] ... [H]er body was found covered with bruises and her lungs filled with water[.]

Wikipedia explains:

"Islam has the concept of a malevolent Devil. Belief in Jinns, or supernatural beings, is also widespread in the Islamic world...While Satan (named Iblis) is said to be a tempter; whispering evil suggestions to the human heart. Jinn are often held in folklore to be able to enter a human body physically or haunting them mentally...." The 72nd chapter of the Qur'an, entitled al-Jinn (The Spirits), as well as the heading and introductory bismillah of the next chapter, entitled al-Muzzammil (The Enshrouded One).

In a typical Islamic exorcism, verses of the Qur'an are recited, sometimes accompanied with the beating of the afflicted.

On April 4, 2017, Sarah Halimi, a Jewish teacher, was murdered by her Muslim neighbor in her apartment in Paris. Sarah Halimi's murder has similarities to Latifa Hachmi's exorcism. Tablet Magazine reported:

[I]t appears that Halimi's murderer did target his victim because of her Jewishness, and recited verses of the Quran both before and after he killed her[.] ... Neighbors awakened by the cries were also watching. One testified that the beating looked 'bestial.' Others said they heard Kobili T. crying out 'Allahu akbar,' 'shut your mouth,' and 'you sheitan!' [devil or Satan][.] ... Sarah Halimi's murder looks a lot like the killing of Sebastien Selam that occurred in 2003, coincidentally in the same neighborhood, and was the very first anti-Jewish crime of a very long list of them in France. Like Sarah Halimi, Sebastien Selam, 23, was killed on an impulse by his childhood friend and neighbor Adel Amastaibou -- and, like Kobili T., Amastaibou emerged from the parking lot where he had assassinated Selam proclaiming that his act was inspired by Islam (in this case, what he cried out was 'I'll go to heaven, I killed my Jew')."

I recently found information about myself online on an Arabic website titled "Observatory of the diabolic system that rules the world." I wonder if sometimes, when a Muslim commits a terrorist act, he believes he is on a holy mission killing demons from the "diabolic system that rules the world."
Asked for by no one, Joe Biden has popped out of the woodwork to make a breathless pontificating political stump speech denouncing President Trump, writing in the Atlantic.

I was living history  and reliving it  at the same time. And the images racing through my mind were a vivid demonstration that when it comes to race in America, hope doesn't travel alone. It's shadowed by a long trail of violence and hate. In Charlottesville, that long trail emerged once again into plain view not only for America, but for the whole world to see. The crazed, angry faces illuminated by torches. The chants echoing the same anti-Semitic bile heard across Europe in the 1930s. The neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and white supremacists emerging from dark rooms and remote fields and the anonymity of the web into the bright light of day on the streets of a historically significant American city. If it wasn't clear before, it's clear now: We are living through a battle for the soul of this nation.

Oh, spare us, Plagiary Joe. The overblown event was the product of a couple of small violent extremist groups fighting over a statue, one of which is so richly and deservedly pariah-cized that it must have a couple hundred members, while the other is so celebrated by Biden's own Democrats (party of Bull Connor) that it must have thousands of thugs and goons. Typical of America's story this is not; these are the two lunatic fringes duking it out and getting lots of media attention from a mainstream press that will do anything it can to pin the whole mess on President Trump. For Joe, this is existential drama around the future of the nation, the Lincoln moment of significance he wishes he could have been a part of. A perfect opportunity to puff and bloviate:

The giant forward steps we have taken in recent years on civil liberties and civil rights and human rights are being met by a ferocious pushback from the oldest and darkest forces in America. Are we really surprised they rose up? Are we really surprised they lashed back? Did we really think they would be extinguished with a whimper rather than a fight?

What giant step forward, Joe? The inner cities, run by Democrats, are an unmitigated disaster. Child poverty and families that never formed are the bane of black and immigrant families' existence, as well as those of whites. There's a unity in that one. As for Klansmen rising up, again, this is a group with about 300 members. A rise-up this is not. It was a protest over a statue that went bad because both sides were bad, and yes, the thug who ran over the woman with his car has been arrested, and you can bet he will be packed off to prison.

Extinguished, this is not  there wasn't even a flame here. Nobody from the right supports the white supremacists and National Socialists. The right doesn't support any variety of socialist. Conservatives just wish Democrats would share the same disgust with their far more closely aligned Antifa goons on the rabid left, which they don't.

Did we think the charlatans and the con-men and the false prophets who have long dotted our history wouldn't revisit us, once again prop up the immigrant as the source of all our troubles, and look to prey on the hopelessness and despair that has grown up in the hollowed-out cities and towns of Ohio and Michigan and Pennsylvania and the long-forgotten rural stretches of West Virginia and Kentucky?

Now we get to the real point of this baloney: blaming and attacking President Trump. Suddenly, it's not about a statue and the existence of lunatic fringes; it's about immigrants and xenophobia.

What's more, it's not about Virginia anymore, where the city of Charlottesville is located; it's about the Rust Belt: Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Those are the guys to blame now for all this racism and electing of President Trump.

This calls to mind the hypocritical reality here: those states most certainly were hollowed out by the Obama years, they most certainly did suffer from Obama's insistence on putting the coal industry out of business, and they most certainly did vote for President Trump. Now, in Joe's eyes, they're the Klan for it. For not liking what Democrats did to them, they are now being smeared with the neo-Nazi label. Never mind that the original fight over a Confederate statue took place somewhere out in Virginia, and all of the accused states went with the Union back in the 1860s, most quite militantly.

So now let's look at Joe's own record on racism:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."

Um, by extension, Biden doesn't think most black people quite fit this "articulate and bright and clean" description. That's not much of a compliment from him to black people.

Blacks alone aren't the only ones targeted by Joe for racial stereotyping:

In Delaware, the largest growth of population is Indian Americans, moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking.

Indian-Americans got it a couple of times from old Joe, actually. Any questions as to why such a large portion of them voted for Trump?

Even the handicapped didn't escape:

I'm told Chuck Graham, state senator, is here. Stand up Chuck, let 'em see you. Oh, God love you. What am I talking about. I'll tell you what, you're making everybody else stand up, though, pal.

Idiots who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Biden's record on racism is one of the weakest in the weak Democratic field, yet the only reason he is constantly excused for it is that he is a Democrat. Now he goes on to lecture the rest of us on race, puffing, pontificating, and making an utter fool of himself, yet again.
More proof that welfare state is self-defeating. The state of Kansas performed a natural experiment when it changed from the welfare state policies of Democrat Kathleen Sebelius to the conservative policies of Sam Brownback. There has now been enough time under both regimes to assess outcomes. Ali Meyer of the Free Beacon writes:

Welfare reform implemented in Kansas caused individuals to reenter the labor force while earning higher incomes, according to a report from the Foundation for Government Accountability.

Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback took office in 2011 and began to implement welfare reform after the previous governor, Kathleen Sebelius, had relaxed requirements for those on welfare to work or search for employment.

From 2000 to 2011, the number of able-bodied adults on cash welfare was increasing by 42 percent in Kansas, while nationally the number on welfare had dropped by a third.

Brownback first began reforming welfare by strengthening sanctions for those who received cash assistance by implementing a three-month ban on those who refused to meet work requirements. If an individual failed to meet the requirement for a second or third time, the ban was prolonged for six months to a year.

"Since these reforms took effect, compliance with work requirements has climbed from historic lows," the report states. "The percentage of able-bodied adults on the program who are employed has also risen. Meanwhile, the opposite trends were occurring both nationally and in the region with fewer able-bodied adults on welfare working."

Brownback also began collecting employment and wage data on 17,000 individuals who had left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program for a duration of four years to see if these individuals became self-sufficient.

The study found that those who left welfare saw their earnings increase by 104 percent in one year, which is $20 million more than they had while on welfare. In four years, these individuals saw their incomes increase by 247 percent.

Individuals who left welfare are also better off because they found employment in more than 600 different industries and found long-term, high-paying jobs.
For years, Pemex has been one of the biggest sacred cows in the world. It's no coincidence that the Pemex tower stands in Mexico City for everyone to see.

For some, it is a symbol of the Mexican revolution.

For many others, it is a symbol of corruption and ineffectiveness. Please add me to this group.

In recent years, President Pena-Nieto has been trying to reform Pemex. It appears that he may have found a way of going around Pemex's rigid rules and bringing much necessary foreign investment.

It looks as though Mexico's promising Shale Region is showing the way, according to this interesting article by Jamie Horgan:

Don't look now, but Mexico is hoping that its recent energy reforms will turn the shale boom from a uniquely American phenomenon into a uniquely North American one. This summer, Mexico opened up onshore blocks of its Burgos basin region, just south of Texas. To date, the country's state-owned oil company Pemex has been unable to successfully start commercial production in the basin, in part due to geology but certainly also the result of the company's lack of expertise in shale. Now that Mexico's oil and gas reserves are being opened up to private (and foreign) companies, there's an opportunity for firms with the personnel, the experience, the equipment, and the culture necessary to get the country's shale production up off (or maybe more accurately out of) the ground. Prior to Mexico's market reforms, Pemex was in a tailspin. The company was running the Red Queen's race, spending more money and hiring more personnel while seeing production fall precipitously as fields matured. President Enrique Pena Nieto pushed through unpopular reforms to open Mexico's struggling oil and gas industry up to competition, and after some fits and starts he's seen that effort rewarded: on one day in July, there was a "world-class" oil discovery in the Gulf of Mexico by a group of private companies, a major increase in the estimated potential of another offshore field, and the successful sale of 21 out of 24 other offshore blocks on auction. In other words, there's a lot of momentum building up in Mexico's offshore hydrocarbon industry. Onshore, progress has been slower, but Mexican shale -- especially in the Burgos basin -- looks to be a winner.

We hope it is a winner, indeed.

Mexico is the ultimate underachiever when it comes to energy. It started in the 1930s, when President Lazaro Cardenas nationalized foreign oil companies. Unfortunately, Pemex grew over the years into a corrupt enterprise. It is not very good at finding oil, as just about any Mexican will privately admit. Instead, it is a state agency that abuses small companies, hires for purely political reasons, and has kept Mexico as an undeveloped country.

As I told a group of Mexicans at a U.S.-Mexico Chamber meeting a few years ago: "privatize Pemex, and you will quickly run out of hotel rooms in Mexico. In other words, you won't be able to lodge all the investors looking to invest in Mexico."

After my talk, a couple of Mexican businessmen shook my hand and agreed with my assessment. However, one whispered in my ear: "Vaca sagrada, amigo, vaca sagrada." (In Spanish, sacred cow, my friend, sacred cow.)

Hopefully, shale oil will start the crackup of Mexico's sacred cow. It would be the start of turning Mexico into the economy that most of us believe it should be.

Of course, it will be hard, but shale oil development may just be the light at the end of the tunnel.

P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.
Meghan O'Sullivan, a former member of the Bush National Security Council from 2004 to 2007, and deputy national security adviser for Iraq and Afghanistan, has penned an op-ed in Bloomberg that points out that Trump's removal of Obama's timeline from the Afghanistan strategy was not without risks but the right thing to do.

Nothing did more to undercut Obama's 2009 surge of troops into Afghanistan than his announcing in advance when Western forces would be pulled out. Given that no victory over the Taliban was conceivable, the only realistic objective of more military might was to bring the enemy to the negotiating table. Yet as long as waiting out U.S. resolve was a distinct option, compromise never seemed attractive to the Taliban, and the war dragged on. This is not just my opinion. It is also that of the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan under Obama, James Cunningham, who said as much to an audience at the Aspen Institute just last month. Ditching the timeline will also help strengthen the nation's institutions critical to success. Afghans were reluctant to invest in a state when the chances of its failure seemed high; instead, many in important roles saw their time in government as little more than a chance to position themselves as well as possible for when the state collapsed. But now that the U.S. seems committed to staying, Afghans are more likely to see the state as worthy of their efforts to create a new reality. Finally, losing the timeline could make a big impression on two countries that are not mentioned in Trump's speech, but are creating major obstacles to a better Afghan future: Iran and Russia. Both governments have upped their meddling, likely positioning themselves for what was perceived as an imminent American departure. For all these reasons, removing an arbitrary timeline from the U.S. Afghan strategy will make it a significantly different approach than that tried under Obama  with better prospects for success.

For nearly 16 years, Democrats have been demanding a date certain for withdrawal from Afghanistan  just as they did in Vietnam, Panama, and Iraq. In what fantasy universe is this sound policy? Even the village idiot could figure out that telling the enemy when you are leaving encourages him to lie low until our forces are too weak to resist.

The absence of U.S. troops in Iraq encouraged ISIS to attack. The drawdown of U.S. troops in Afghanistan has emboldened the Taliban. Now Trump is altering that equation and putting doubts in the mind of the enemy. This is a very good thing, and it makes criticism of Trump's plan that it's too much like Obama's policy ring hollow.

There are other differences between Trump's strategy and Obama's, perhaps most importantly the change in attitude toward Pakistan and calling on India to do more to assist our efforts. As I write this, the entire Taliban leadership is meeting in Quetta, Pakistan. These men are plotting the deaths of American servicemen, and the Pakistani government is looking the other way. Trump was absolutely right to call out Pakistan for its support of our enemies and doubly right to threaten Pakistan's billion dollars in aid we send every year.

There are risks to Trump's policy and some contradictions, as O'Sullivan points out. But compared to Obama's indecisiveness, Trump's policy proposals are a breath of fresh air.
Anyone who cares to look can readily identify that the package of high taxes, high government spending, and high pensions for retired public employees kills economic growth and causes people to flee. If a test case is needed, the adjacent states of Illinois and Indiana  relatively indistinguishable from each other and varying only in the model of state governance  prove that the critical variable in economic success is whether a Democrat set of policies or a Republican set of policies (to over-generalize) is in place.

The editors of the Chicago Tribune appear to get it.

[W]hen Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb showed up in Gary recently wearing a hard hat and holding a shovel, he was doing two important things: welcoming a trucking company from south suburban Chicago Ridge, and taking a dig at Illinois. "We are thrilled to welcome HMD Trucking to Indiana, home to balanced budgets, a AAA credit rating and a low cost of doing business," Holcomb said. "It is clear why HMD Trucking decided to move from Illinois to Indiana. We have become the best state in the Midwest to start, get and grow jobs." Ouch, Gov. Holcomb, the truth hurts. Almost like getting smacked with a shovel. Alas, it's no longer surprising when an Illinois company leaves for Indiana. ... Despite the similarities, the two states have very different economic prospects. Indiana is in fine fettle, while Illinois is a basket case, with more than a $130 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, an unbalanced budget and $15 billion in overdue bills. Illinois has higher taxes, too, which would need to be raised even higher to right the ship. We have no idea what that would cost taxpayers, given that the Democrat-controlled General Assembly, ruled by House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, has resisted Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner on his turnaround plan. This constitutes a major roadblock to future job growth and prosperity.

Embracing Democrat policies brings unemployment, declining incomes, and an angry and depressed populace. It really is hard to understand why voters would hand control to Democrats anywhere  assuming, that is, that actual voters are the ones casting ballots.

Hat tip: Cheryl Jacobs Lewin
At a top-level trade meeting at the White House earlier this month, Trump angrily accused some of his advisers of being globalists and demanded that they formulate tariffs to impose on China.

The Hill:

During Gen. John Kelly's first week as White House Chief of Staff, the former Homeland Security secretary called a meeting to discuss the administration's plans to investigate China for stealing U.S. intellectual property and technology. "For the last six months, this same group of geniuses comes in here all the time and I tell them, 'Tariffs. I want tariffs.' And what do they do? They bring me IP. I can't put a tariff on IP," Trump reportedly told Kelly during the meeting. "China is laughing at us. Laughing." Also attending the meeting  the account of which was confirmed to Axios by anonymous sources  were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, senior trade adviser Peter Navarro, top economic adviser Gary Cohn, staff secretary Rob Porter and Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon, who was ousted not long after. "John, let me tell you why they didn't bring me any tariffs," Trump said. "I know there are some people in the room right now that are upset. I know there are some globalists in the room right now. And they don't want them, John, they don't want the tariffs. But I'm telling you, I want tariffs." Kelly eventually ended the meeting, assuring Trump the group would work things out and reconvene later. "The president has been very clear about his agenda as it relates to trade," a White House official told Axios. "Discussions pertaining to specific tariffs and trade deals are ongoing and have already resulted in many positive developments."

Regardless of what these advisers believe personally about trade, they are working for the president of the United States. He has ordered them to pursue a policy. They have, so far, refused. They are playing bureaucratic games and dragging their feet.

Trump has every right to fire them. But that would cause even more consternation about the chaos in the White House. So Trump gave them a direct order and is counting on Kelly to follow through.

To be clear, this happens in every administration. Policy differences among advisers is usually helpful to a president, as he gets to hear all sides of an argument. But in this case, the argument is over. The president has decided, and it is up to his advisers to come up with ideas on how to implement the policy.

If they disagree strongly enough with the policy, they can always resign.

Again, this is not indicative of any "chaos" in the White House. It's just the routine give and take that goes on constantly about the president's policies. It's also not unusual for a president to get pushback from advisers who disagree. But Trump has put his foot down, and the advisers have been given their marching orders.

I imagine that the next time they meet, they will have something the president will be more pleased with.
The Royal Anguilla Police Force is investigating the shooting incident that took place on Monday 28th August 2017 at about 5:00 AM in the vicinity of Omega Car Wash and Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre in The Valley.

Circumstances are that a Prison Officer of The Valley was approached by two (2) assailants while on a walk along the road between Omega Car Wash and Landsome Bowl Cultural Centre, and one (1) of them shot him causing him to sustain an injury. The injury is not life threatening and a Family Liaison Officer has been appointed to the victim.

One of the suspected assailants is at The Valley Police Station assisting with the investigation.

Police are appealing for any witnesses or any person with information to contact the Police on 497-2333 and ask for anyone in the Major Crime Unit or use the confidential tip line at www.gov.ai/911.

Release resubmitted and updated on 8/29/2007
Jude Scott, CEO of Cayman Finance, issued the following statement about a new peer review report by the OECDs Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes which rated the Cayman Islands as largely compliant with the international standard.

By rating the Cayman Islands as largely compliant, the new OECD report again confirms that we meet or exceed globally-accepted standards for transparency and cross border cooperation on exchange of tax information. Achieving the same rating as top rated G20 member countries Canada, Germany and Australia further establishes Caymans place among the G20 Plus  jurisdictions including G20 countries and top international financial centres that adhere to the highest global transparency standards.

The detailed findings of the OECD report show the vital role Caymans financial services industry plays as a strong international partner in combatting corruption, money-laundering, terrorist financing and tax evasion. Our continued progress demonstrates our years-long commitment and our collaboration with the Cayman Islands Government and the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority to make our jurisdiction a global leader on transparency.

International policymakers should take this new report seriously. Cayman meets the OECD definition of largely compliant on the international standard for transparency and exchange of information. Cayman does not meet any widely accepted definition of a tax haven. Therefore Caymans role as a transparent jurisdiction should be reflected in new tax policies being developed around the world.

Caymans approach on these issues means Cayman continues to play a vital role in the worlds economy as a well-respected premier global financial hub for international business helping capital flow from institutional investors (like pension funds) into infrastructure investment projects in many major jurisdictions, helping to bring valuable liquidity, boost economic activity and create jobs and tax revenue in many G20 countries.
2016 was the deadliest year ever for environmental activists: 200 defenders were killed in 24 countries and 60 percent of these murders happened in Latin America, according to the watchdog group Global Witness.

Though unnoticed by many, this type of crime can likely affect every inhabitant of the world: if we cannot secure a healthy and safe environment, none of us will fully enjoy human rights.

People who fight for our well-being continue to fall on a battlefield that tragically expands to more countries in Latin America and the Caribbean a region internationally known to posses the largest proportion of natural protected areas in the planet. We need to stop this.

If we fail to support the efforts of conserving the environment and protecting the defenders, it will be impossible for us to fully enjoy human rights, as well as to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

The Brazilian ecologist Chico Mendes (1944-1988), who was murdered because of his struggle, said more than 20 years ago: At first I thought I was fighting to save rubber trees. Then I thought I was fighting to save the Amazon rain forest. Now I realize I am fighting for humanity.

The majority of conflicts that threaten the life of environmental defenders have its root cause in extractivism, major infrastructure projects and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. There is a lot we can do to tackle this issues.

The people have the right to be listened to and to see their communities strive in a sustainable manner, with total respect for human rights. The mechanisms of prior consultation and public participation already in place in several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean must be fully implemented. Legislation, policies and specific actions are required to guarantee the exercise of those rights.

But we can go even further and become pioneers in the road to a greater and better environmental democracy: currently, the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are negotiating a regional binding instrument on access to information, public participation and justice on environmental matters, derived from Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development. We must support this process.

More than 80 per cent of the regions population lives in cities, where natural resources are wasted as if they were infinite. From a citys perspective, the fight of people dispossessed of their natural resources and ancestral homes might appear distant. But it is not. We must carefully listen to environmental defenders. Their struggle is also ours.
(ANSA) - Rome, August 28 - Paris on Monday hosted a migrant summit between the leaders of Italy, France, Germany and Spain as well, beforehand, talks with Fayez al-Serraj, head of Libya's internationally recognised government, and the leaders of Niger and Chad.

One of the main talking points was setting up hotspots in sub-Saharan Africa to sift economic migrants from genuine refugees and stop the former.

This was the subject of talks between African leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron before the summit. Macron held a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the summit got under way with Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni and Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy, as well as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini. Also ahead of the summit, there was a meeting at the Italian interior ministry in Rome with the leaders of Libya, Niger, Mali and Chad.

Rome discussed new migrant moves at the meeting, its second migration interior ministers' 'control room' get-together with Chad, Libya, Mali and Niger Monday.

Topics included including strengthening controls on sea and land borders, fighting terror and traffickers, setting up a high-level security task force and getting the UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration more involved in setting up centres in Niger and Chad and improving conditions in Libyan ones. Italy is stepping up efforts to stem the migrant flow across the central Mediterranean having drastically cut it via a code of conduct for NGO rescue ships and an agreement with Libya to stop traffickers.

Berlin, Paris, Madrid and the EU's Mogherini have already hailed Rome's new NGO code of conduct as well as its planned cooperation with Libya on migrant routes. German Chancellor Merkel said Italy and Greece cannot bear all the burden of receiving migrants on their own.

Meanwhile the Italian interior ministry is weighing the use of property confiscated from the mafia to host evicted people in the wake of last week's controversial eviction of hundreds of Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers in Rome.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti will meet later this week with Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi.

Italian officials on Monday held their first talks on evicting people from squats since last week's controversial eviction of hundreds of Eritrean refugees from an occupied building and square near Rome's Termini Station.

Clashes left several police and asylum seekers injured and led to a row over alleged policy heavy-handedness and the lack of provision of alternative accommodation.

On Monday interior ministry officials met with those from police forces as well as prefects and municipal officials on a plan to use property confiscated from the mafia to house evicted squatters, be they foreign or Italian.

The involvement of the association of Italian municipalities, ANCI, and regional governments was agreed.


(ANSA) - Rome, August 28 - Paris on Monday hosted a migrant summit between the leaders of Italy, France, Germany and Spain as well as Fayez al-Serraj, head of Libya's internationally recognised government, and the leaders of Niger and Chad.

One of the main talking points was setting up hotspots in sub-Saharan Africa to sift economic migrants from genuine refugees and stop the former.

This was the subject of talks between African leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron before the summit. Macron held a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel before the summit got under way.

Also ahead of the summit, there was a meeting at the Italian interior ministry in Rome with the leaders of Libya, Niger, Mali and Chad.

Rome discussed new migrant moves at the meeting, its second migration interior ministers' 'control room' get-together with Chad, Libya, Mali and Niger Monday. Topics included strengthening controls on sea and land borders, fighting terror and traffickers, setting up a high-level security task force and getting the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration more involved in setting up centres in Niger and Chad and improving conditions in Libyan ones. Italy is stepping up efforts to stem the migrant flow across the central Mediterranean having drastically cut it via a code of conduct for NGO rescue ships and an agreement with Libya to stop traffickers.

Berlin, Paris, Madrid and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini have hailed Rome's new NGO code of conduct as well as its planned cooperation with Libya on migrant routes. Chancellor Merkel said Sunday Italy and Greece cannot bear all the burden of receiving migrants on their own.

Meanwhile the Italian interior ministry is weighing the use of property confiscated from the mafia to host evicted people in the wake of last week's controversial eviction of hundreds of Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers in Rome.

Interior Minister Marco Minniti will meet later this week with Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi.

Italian officials on Monday held their first talks on evicting people from squats since last week's controversial eviction of the hundreds of Eritrean refugees from a building and square near Rome's Termini Station.

Clashes left several police and asylum seekers injured and led to a row over alleged police heavy-handedness and the lack of provision of alternative accommodation.

On Monday interior ministry officials met with those from police forces as well as prefects and municipal officials on a plan to use property confiscated from the mafia to house evicted squatters, be they foreign or Italian.

The involvement of the association of Italian municipalities, ANCI, and regional governments was agreed.

Tomorrow there will be a "technical" meeting between the interior ministry and ANCI, officials said.


3,512 irregular migrants apprehended in Turkey 351 intercepted at sea. 108 alleged traffickers arrested

(ANSAmed) - Rome, August 28 - Over the last week the Turkish authorities have apprehended 3,512 migrants and refugees caught trying to enter the European Union or cross the border into Turkey illegally, the interior ministry said on Monday. Of these, 351 were intercepted at sea. During the same period 108 people were arrested for alleged migrant smuggling by land or sea. (ANSAmed).




TEL AVIV - Each time Galia Ashkenazi, 70, enters or leaves Israel, she is asked with curiosity why her document lists her birthplace as "en route to Israel".



And each time she's asked, Ashkenazi, a teacher in Shoham in central Israel, patiently explains that as a child she was part of the "Exodus", a ship full of Jewish refugees who escaped the Holocaust in Europe and were travelling to a country that didn't yet exist.



She explains that the British, then agents in Palestine, blocked and sent back anyone who tried to enter, such as those from the Exodus, the ship that symbolises the Jewish emigration whose captain, Yossi Harel, resembles Paul Newman in the film inspired by the story.



The ship's passengers disembarked in Haifa after a difficult voyage in which they were constantly hounded by the British Navy.



They were arrested and then sent back on other ships, first to France and then to Germany.



"When I show my identification, they immediately ask me what that's about, then they run off to show my passport to the others," she told Israeli daily Haaretz.



"And then I begin to tell them the whole story." Her name tells the story, given that Galia comes from the word "Gal", which in Jewish means "wave", which couldn't have been more appropriate given the circumstances surrounding her birth.



According to historical research, about 70 babies were born on the Exodus and subsequent ships that were deported from Haifa back to Europe.



Galia Ashkenazi, whose parents were travelling on the Exodus, was born August 9, 1947, aboard the "Empire Royal", one of the British ships that was deporting survivors back to Europe.



Her family didn't manage to return to Israel until May 1949, when it was by that time an actual country.



When she turned 16 years old, Ashkenazi requested an ID card from the interior ministry, where they asked for her birthplace.



"I told them I was born on the Exodus, so that is what they wrote," she said. This was later changed to "en route to Israel", which remains on her documents to this day.



However, not all "children of the Exodus" had a happy ending like Ashkenazi and the others who now live in Israel surrounded by children and grandchildren.



Some of them died before birth, while others died immediately after birth on ships that were bringing their parents back to Europe.



On September 7, the survivors born on these ships will reunite in Haifa for an event to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Exodus.
ROME - Between 9,000 and 12,000 children are trapped in the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, where they are exposed to brutal violence and airstrikes on a continual basis, said Save the Children.



Children who escaped the city told their stories to the organisation, recounting daily lives of desperation and deprivation where decapitations and explosions are the norm.



Since the time "Operation Wrath of Euphrates" launched against ISIS in November 2016, 271,000 people have been displaced and 75% of the city's neighborhoods have been abandoned, with just six out of 24 remaining populated.



Half of the people who remain are children, forced to face intensely difficult conditions, including forced relocation into ISIS-controlled areas, and the constant lack of food and water threatening their survival.



The situation is made even more difficult by airstrikes, which have already caused many civilian deaths; families are aware that by staying in Raqqa they could lose their lives, just as they are aware of the fact that they would risk their lives trying to escape.



The youngest survivors, who are now in a refugee camp in Ain Issa north of Raqqa, described unheard-of levels of violence to the Save the Children workers who met with them.



Many of them told of witnessing executions and airstrikes up close, as well as of having been forced to stay in their homes for months, robbing them of the chance to play or go to school, with electricity available for just a few hours per day.



"Children must be placed in the condition to be able to leave Raqqa, without having to fear violence or death, and without being forced to walk for days through minefields in search of safety," said Sonia Khush, director of Save the Children in Syria.(ANSAmed).
Turkey arrests a further 585 people on terror charges 400 detained on suspicion of links to Gulen

(ANSAmed) - ROME, AUGUST 28 - Some 585 people have been arrested on charges of 'terrorism' in Turkey over the last week, according to a report released by the interior ministry on Monday. The majority of suspects (400) are accused of links to Fethullah Gulen, the exiled Turkish political figure and preacher who the government blames for the unsuccessful coup attempt in July 2016. A further 127 people have been arrested in operations against the Kurdish militant PKK, during which 22 people were also killed.



In addition, 44 people have been detained for alleged connections to ISIS and 14 for suspected links to outlawed groups on the extreme left.



Over 50,000 people have been arrested in Turkey since the failed putsch for alleged 'terrorism' offences. (ANSAmed).




Woman launches school for supermodels in Dubai Glitzy Al Banna says showing her daughter women can achieve

(ANSAmed) - NAPLES, AUGUST 28 - Glitzy Al Banna, a woman originally from the Philippines who has been living in Dubai for the past 17 years, has opened a school for supermodels in the United Arab Emirates capital city.



The Niche Modeling Agency teaches the modeling trade and also works as a modeling agency for girls who dream of becoming fashion show models.



"I'm doing it to give talented people the chance to reach their goals," Al Banna told the Gulf News.



She founded her agency a year ago and is already planning an expansion of the services offered.



"I want to add more value to the brand by turning it into an institution where people can also enroll in empowerment and motivational trainings, or short courses on grooming, etiquette, fashion, confidence building and public speaking," the 38-year-old said.



Al Banna herself had several obstacles to landing a job in the UAE, when she first began in 2000 at the age of 22. She said that after submitting her CV to several large companies, she landed her first job just two days before her visa expired, after meeting a Filipina at a perfume shop. She said she wants to give the same opportunity to others.



Al Banna worked for several years as a beauty consultant before going to work for a real estate agency.



"I was very ambitious even back then," she said. "It was the boom of Dubai construction and we were at the helm of big real estate projects," Al Banna said. In five years she rose from secretary to executive document controller, but the arrival of a new manager who expected her to perform more mundane tasks like making coffee complicated her tenure there.



That's when she decided to start over, and using her savings she opened a beauty salon and spa in the Karama neighbourhood of Dubai. It went bankrupt after two years due to employee mismanagement of funds, but Al Banna, who in the meantime had given birth to two children, decided to start over once again.



"One of the reasons why I put up Niche Modelling Agency was to inspire my children, especially my daughter, so that she will grow up seeing that women can achieve whatever they put their mind into," she said.(ANSAmed).




PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron said that the migrant challenge is a "challenge that regards everyone and no one can solve it alone", speaking at a press conference Monday at Elysee Palace at the conclusion of the summit on migrants attended by the leaders of France, Italy, Germany, Spain Chad, and Niger, together with Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.



"We have to act all together, from the origin countries to Europe, passing through the transit countries, to take efficient action," he said, adding that the migrant challenge is one for both the European Union as well as the African Union.



"It's a moral requirement, but also a principle of action and of efficiency," he said.



"Today a team has been formed to turn words into action," he said.



Macron said that in coming days a meeting on the ministry level will carry out decisions taken during the summit, which will be the topic of discussion at the next EU-Africa summit.



He said the action plan includes identification in transit countries through cooperation with African countries that also provides for a military presence in the field.



German Chancellor Angela Merkel said a distinction must be made between economic migrants and those who are true candidates for refugee status, and said there needs to be a discussion with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to stop undocumented migration.



Merkel ensured European commitment to cooperation because "economic migrants must be able to return to their countries".



Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni expressed doubt over those who "propose immediate solutions that can end this situation".



"We won't renounce our tradition of welcoming, but these situations must be controlled," he said.



"I must say that in recent weeks and recent months, we've even seen results on the Central Mediterranean route," Gentiloni said.



"But they are initial results and must be consolidated. And this effort needs to be "Europeanised", because it can't be the effort of just one country or a few countries. It must be a European commitment," he said.


TEL AVIV - Jared Kushner, son-in-law and advisor to US President Donald Trump, has reportedly asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to refrain from action against Israel for four months in exchange for a comprehensive plan to relaunch the peace process.

He is said to have made the request during their recent meeting in Ramallah.

A Palestinian source quoted by daily newspaper Israel Ha-Yom said Abbas accepted on principle but requested that Trump guarantee personally for the plan and demanded a commitment to the two-states solution. The same source said Trump and Abbas could meet during the upcoming UN general assembly in New York in September and that the peace plan that is currently being drawn up by the US could be presented on that occasion. The newspaper also said Trump could meet with Israeli Premier Benyamin Netanyahu in New York on September 17.


(ANSAmed) - Madrid, August 28 - Catalan pro-independence parties on Monday presented a bill on the region's disconnection from Spain and the creation of a 'Republic of Catalonia' in the event of a victory for the yes campaign in the referendum announced for October 1, despite a veto from Madrid. It is not clear when the proposal, which also provides a legal framework for the transition period, will be put to a vote in the Catalan parliament, where secessionists hold the absolute majority. One possibility is that it will be put to an urgent vote together with the law on the referendum on September 7. Spanish Premier Mariano Rajoy has said the referendum is "illegal" and that he will prevent it from taking place "with every means" at his disposal. Once they have been approved, the government is expected to appeal against the two laws to the constitutional court, which should overturn them immediately. However, the Catalan government has said it will push ahead regardless on the basis of the new 'Catalan legality" established by the new law regulating the transition. (ANSAmed).


Catalonias public broadcaster, TV3, was tasked with providing international networks with live footage of the Barcelona demonstration against terrorism. For instance, Spains La Sexta (with its own touch here and there) and Telecinco both used it. Given the wealth of experience gained through its coverage of the annual marches on Catalonias National Day, TV3s production was entirely professional in that it showed what was going on in the streets of Barcelona, foregrounding the voice of the people, both in terms of the crowds as well as the way they expressed themselves. Banners, chants, slogans, placards and a range of flag types were shown. However, the Spanish public networks coverage of the event was a farce that set a new low in the history of audiovisual misrepresentation. At the start, it quickly became apparent that TVE did not trust TV3s broadcast. Rather than personalising the feed, they carried out a parallel production obsessed with concealing anything objectionable and focusing on the political authorities in attendance. After the first shouts and boos directed at Rajoy and his ministers, TVE also revealed that they were carefully monitoring the audio feed. When the Spanish king eventually arrived, booing and shouting were clearly audible on TV3, whereas they only lasted a few seconds on TVE before someone turned off all ambient sound.

Because Catalan separatist flags were in the majority at the head of the march, TVE patched in its own camera feeds, which avoided wide-angle shots that would have shown the pro-independence flags. TVEs cameras were also placed somewhat lower than TV3s, which provided less depth of field and their viewers missed the crowds banners and placards.

TVE kept alternating images of the kings front row, which included the political leaders, with aerial shots from a helicopter. Inevitably, the latter only showed blurry banners and flags due to the height. If you switched back and forth from TV3 to TVE, you could see that whenever TV3s broadcast showed an estelada flag, a slogan against Rajoys policies or the king, TVE quickly switched to a different, more neutral shot. The massive banner accusing the king of being involved in arms dealing, which could be seen from above, did not exist on TVE.

One of the most moving moments, which only TV3 showed, was a live broadcast from Ripoll where the grief-stricken sister of two of the terrorists, Hafida Oukabir, read a manifesto in support of peaceful coexistence.

TVEs obsession with showcasing the political leaders eventually cost them. When the king was shown bidding farewell to the other vips, we could see a severe-looking Miriam Hatibi, the spokesperson for Fundacio Ibn Battuta, giving the monarch a long earful. I would be interesting to know what her words were. Once the king had left, TVE ended its special programme.

The stark, shocking contrast between TV3 and TVEs audiovisual account of the event also reveals a very different understanding of the value that each network attached to the march in Barcelona city. While TV3s approach suggests a social interpretation of the publics response, the misrepresentation and visual narrative of TVE merely sends an authoritarian political message, one that is fearful of Catalonias social reality.
BarcelonaSince Thursday afternoon, when the terrorist attack in Barcelona took place, a political narrative has been woven, and it has taken shape and gained momentum as days went by and controversy replaced grief. Madrid-based media have linked the attacks to Catalonias independence bid, thus creating the impression that the Catalan government has taken advantage of terror and that Catalonias police force (the Mossos dEsquadra) have chosen to exclude Spains law enforcement because of the independence process.

Friday August 18

Leadership doubts

One of the few political interpretations that are made the day after the attacks is a call to unity in newspaper editorials. Madrid daily El Pais takes it a step further in its own editorial, where it demands the end of Catalonias independence process. Political reports do not agree as to who is leading the coordination of the efforts following the attacks. El Mundo claims that president Carles Puigdemont has hoarded the institutional reaction, whereas no members of the Spanish government turned up before midnight. I contrast, other papers mention Rajoys leadership. The Spanish PM arrived in Barcelona six hours after the attacks. Days later, all Madrid-based newspapers will agree that the Catalan government had aimed to sideline its Spanish counterpart so as to appear as if Catalonia were an independent country.

Saturday August 19

All hell breaks loose over Puigdemonts answer

Spanish radio station Onda Cero interviews president Puigdemont: Will these events alter the independence process? The Catalan leader replies that one thing has nothing to do with the other and refers to El Pais editorial by claiming that it is contemptible when you mix the priority to respond to a terrorist threat with other stuff. His statement makes headlines. El Mundo: Puigdemont digs heels in on independence bid and in the editorial they misquote the Catalan president: the attacks will not change the independence road map and they accuse the Catalan leader of being totally insensitive. Madrids ABC uses Puigdemonts reply to argue that he is wasting the perfect chance to show that he has grasped the gravity of the moment.

La Razon is the first newspaper to question the Mossos work in dealing with the blast in Alcanar and, quoting unnamed anti-terror experts, the conservative daily states that had all three agencies worked together, they would have realised that the blown-up home was a jihadist base. Upon first inspection, the Mossos believed that the blast in Alcanar was caused by a gas leak and did not alert any Spanish law enforcement agencies.

The other fresh controversy is over whether Barcelona citys local government should have fitted bollards on La Rambla. All Spanish media slam Mayor Ada Colau and quote a memo from Spains Home Office which suggested that bollards should be used. However, they fail to mention that the memo refers explicitly to the Christmas holiday period. The shared message is that Colau ignored the advice. ABC and La Razon extend the controversy through to the end of the week, insisting that bollards would have stopped the attack.

Sunday August 20

A tweet, a retweet and the nationality of the victims

El Mundo prints this headline on its front page: The Catalan government is using the attack to promote independence and justifies it by stating that several Catalan officials have mentioned independence in messages about the attacks. Several Catalan officials actually refers to a tweet by the presidents press officer mentioning that Catalan Foreign Minister Raul Romeva had met his French and Italian counterparts; a retweet of a newspaper by the Catalan National Assemblys US chapter and the words of Catalan minister Joaquin Forn, who spoke of Catalan and Spanish" victims during an interview on TV3. In its editorial, El Mundo writes that the Catalan government is adamant it will go ahead with independence and is attempting to turn the attacks into propaganda tools. La Razon focuses on Puigdemonts answer on Onda Cero and its editorial accuses him of being the first to contaminate the scene. In its report, the Madrid daily claims that Puigdemont did not address everyone when he made a public statement in Catalan. Two days later, when the Catalan president spoke in four different languages, La Razon called it a language travesty. In contrast, Madrids newspapers barely mention Jose Ignacio Zoidos mistake when the Spanish Home Secretary claimed that the terrorist cell had been taken out, even though one of the terrorists was still at large. ABC agrees with the Spanish minister and writes that if Forn contradicted him, it might be because of the bollards affair, even though the Catalan minister has barely referred to it.

Monday August 21

Enter the CUP

On Sunday CUP MP Mireia Boya says on Catalunya Radio that the CUP is waiting to know the details of the demonstration and states that if the Spanish king leads the demonstration, her party will not take part in the event. Madrid's newspapers are quick to draw their conclusion: CUP breaks up united political front against terror is El Pais headline and only the body of the story mentions that the CUP has not made a decision yet. La Razon uses the controversy to headline its editorial: The CUP is neither with democracy nor reality. ABC combines it with Forn and Puigdemonts words and concludes: Sick, petty separatism. Eventually, the CUP decided to join the street march.

Tuesday August 22

A shift in the narrative on the Mossos

The Catalan police shoots down Younes Aboyaaqoub but the unanimously favourable discourse in Madrids media up until then begins to shift. With the only exception of El Pais, whose editorial praises the Mossos, the idea that the State has been deliberately sidelined gains traction. ABC takes it the furthest and plays down the role of the Mossos by illustrating the capture of the terrorist with a photo of minister Zoido taken before the fact. In the body of the report ABC explains that, once the Mossos took the advice of the Spanish National Police and Guardia Civil both of which, according to the paper, had been demanding since Saturday that a photo of the missing terrorist be released, the matter was resolved within hours.

In another piece, ABC slams Jaume Asens (a BComu councillor in Barcelona) and CUP MP Benet Salellas by taking out of context a statement made when both lawyers had provided legal counsel to a convicted jihadist: The CUP MP who called jihadists Catalan working people.

Wednesday August 23

The Mossos, in the eye of the hurricane

What was only hinted at on the previous day is now a full-on criticism by Spanish police unions: the narrative that the Mossos neglected their duty because their leadership is busy with independence is taking centre stage. La Razon gives full credibility to the criticisms by the Spanish police unions: Independence supporters discriminate against Spanish police and only decorate Mossos. Nobody in the Spanish executive or the police forces endorses the unions jibe.

Thursday August 24

An email message from Belgiums police about the Ripoll imam

A Belgian police officer sends an email to a Mosso enquiring if the Catalan police has any information about the new imam in town (who will later move to Ripoll). The information is stored on a Spanish police database which the Catalan force has no access to. When he receives the inquiry, the Mosso searches the Catalan polices own database, to no avail. This narrative fuels the accusations of neglect against the Mossos dEsquadra and muffles their complaint that they are denied access to Europols intelligence. El Mundo and El Pais speak of Belgiums warning rather than enquiry, which are hardly synonymous.

Friday August 25

The Catalan governments victim mentality

The controversy over the role of the Mossos is rounded off with the Generalitats response. El Pais reports that the Catalan government does not acknowledge any mistakes, implying that mistakes were made, indeed. In its editorial, El Mundo criticises the Catalan governments victim mentality. However, the Madrid paper begins to admit that the Mossos are not the sole culprits of the affair of the Ripoll imam and there is talk of a chain of errors. Still, it links it with the Catalan independence process: In a climate of mutual trust and institutional loyalty, the Catalan police should have shared their suspicions with the National Police. La Razons editorial finishes off the job by claiming that the publics praise for the Mossos is an opportunistic means to a political end to do with the referendum.

Saturday August 26

Another statement by Puigdemont stirs controversy

Amid the debate over the role of the Mossos and their joining Europol, the Financial Times interviews Puigdemont and the Catalan president remarks: We told them not to turn security into a political game. Unfortunately, the Spanish government had other priorities. He mentions the Spanish governments refusal to grant access to Europes police intelligence or to allow the Catalan force to expand its numbers, a criticism that he has already made months before the attacks. Spanish newspapers believe it is unforgivable of him to bring this up on the day before the demonstration: Puigdemont taunts Rajoy on eve of march is the El Pais headline. El Mundo uses the word demolish, whereas ABC and La Razon choose to focus on the 177 civic groups that oppose the king and claim that a separatist boycott against the march is in the works. The political narrative of the attacks keeps taking shape.

Editorials unanimously against Catalan independence:

El Pais

An attack of this magnitude should be a wake-up call for Catalan politicians, including the regional government, parliament and pro-independence movements, which have made the independence fantasy the sole issue on Catalonias political agenda over the last few years. Its time to ditch the democratic nonsense.

El Mundo

Puigdemont saw no shame in saying that it was contemptible to connect the attacks with his independence plans. By saying so, he intends to dodge his governments duty to drop its fruitless plans and get down to work on Catalonias true problems, of which the existence of highly radicalised pockets of muslim population is one of the most pressing issues. We mustnt forget how Catalan nationalists have fuelled a real bomb by encouraging the arrival of migrants from muslim countries over Spanish-speaking nationals, as part of their separatist strategy.

La Razon

Puigdemont was the first to contaminate the citys scenery and the mood of a grief-stricken citizenry []. He was not alone in sneaking in divisive messages and plugs that separate us. [] Spain came out in aid of central part of itself. There was solidarity, affection and togetherness, the exact opposite of those who promote a split, ethnic difference and supremacy.

ABC

Separatism is Catalonias moral malaise. We mustnt allow ourselves to be fooled by joint displays of public grief because they can barely mask the segregating pulse that inhabits Catalan politics. Evidence is plentiful and ad nauseam [] . They havent even managed to feel a modicum of togetherness with the rest of Spain when theyve been struck by the same murderous hand.

El Mundo

Full cooperation between the various law enforcement agencies [] isnt happening because on orders from its leaders one of the forces has embarked upon an independence process. This also accounts for the shameless sidelining [] of the National Police and the Guardia Civil []. Catalonias leaders are quick to present the terrorist attacks as if they were a blow to their own territory.

ABC

When you go over the questions that must be addressed by the Mossos dEsquadre and its political leaders concerning their work ahead of the attacks, you come up with a list of potential coordination lapses to put it mildly []. The opportunistic pat on the Mossos shoulder [] conceals a political agenda to do with independence and the referendum on October 1.

El Pais

Carles Puigdemont has done everything within his ability to end the fleeting consensus that prevailed in the political arena of a country in shock. As if that wasnt enough, he has done so willingly, we must presume on the day before the demonstration in Barcelona []. We call on everyone to ensure that this event is not merely a display of grief and a condemnation of the attacks, but the start of a new, realistic political agenda where united action and efficacy against terror take centre stage. We have had enough fanaticism and opportunism in this separatist fantasy that divides us and makes us all more vulnerable.

La Razon

Once again, separatists are ready to cross a number of red lines when it comes to loyalty. Are they aiming to turn a demonstration against jihadism into yet another protest, once more, against the Spanish government? Puigdemont has failed to rise to the challenge and he is showing his discomfort with a terrorist crisis that is messing up his independence plans.
The opera The Dream of the Red Chamber will tour Beijing, Changsha and Wuhan in September. It premiered in the United States last year. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Novel The Dream of the Red Chamber, written by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is considered one of China's greatest classical novels, and its latest rendition is set to thrill opera lovers in the country.

The San Francisco Opera rolled out the world premiere of its operatic production based on the novel in September.

A year later, the production is scheduled to tour three Chinese citiesBeijing, Hunan province's capital Changsha and Hubei province's capital Wuhanto present six performances between Sept 8 and 23.

The Dream of the Red Chamber chronicles the downfall of the wealthy and influential Jia family during the imperial era, against the backdrop of the country's social and political upheavals.

Apart from its intricate portrayals of hundreds of characters and settings, it also offers a look at China in the philosophical context of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.
That is 1 billion unique Aadhaar numbers linked to 1 billion bank accounts and 1 billion mobile phones.

New Delhi: Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday said that the country is within the reach of 1 billion-1 billion-1 billion vision where 100 crore Aadhaar numbers are linked to 1 billion bank accounts and 1 billion mobile phones to bring all of India into financial and digital mainstream.

Within reach of the country is what might be called the 1 billion-1 billion-1 billion vision. That is 1 billion unique Aadhaar numbers linked to 1 billion bank accounts and 1 billion mobile phones. Once that is done, all of India can become part of the financial and digital mainstream, Mr Jaitley said in a Facebook post.

He said that just as GST created one tax, one market, one India, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and the JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile) revolution can link all Indians into one common financial, economic, and digital space.

No Indian will be outside the mainstream. This is nothing short of a social revolution, said the finance minister.

Three years ago today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a flagship program: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) aimed at providing financial services to the poor. These included opening bank accounts for the poor, giving them electronic means of payment (via RUPAY cards), and placing them in a position to avail themselves of credit and insurance, he said.

Mr Jaitley said that JAM social revolution offers substantial benefits for government, the economy and especially the poor.

The poor will have access to financial services and be cushioned against lifes major shocks. The government finances will be improved because of the reduced subsidy burden; at the same time, the government will also be legitimised and strengthened because it can transfer resources to citizens faster and more reliably and with less leakage, said Mr Jaitley.
DoT has requested the Authority to provide its recommendations on applicable reserve price.

Last date for comments is September 25 and that of counter-comments is October 3.

New Delhi: Regulator Trai on Monday started consultation process for the next round of spectrum auction that includes radiowaves for 5G services and frequencies such as the prized 700 MHz that had no takers in the previous auction.

The consultation paper follows reference from the Department of Telecom (DoT) in April this year where the department sought views of the regulator on various conditions for the auction, including valuation and reserve price for mobile airwaves across nine different frequency bands.

While DoT has proposed to hold auction in 2017, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has sought opinion on when the next round of auction should be held and whether it should be done in a "phased manner", given the financial stress on telecom operators.

"The government is planning to auction the right to use of spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3400 MHz and 3400-3600 MHz bands in the next auction to be held in 2017," Trai said in the consultation paper.

"DoT has requested the Authority to provide its recommendations on applicable reserve price, quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and associated conditions for auction of spectrum in these bands for all service areas," it said.

Industry association COAI suggested that the government should not rush to auction spectrum this year, as the industry is going through "acute financial crisis" and "uncertainties".

COAI further said 2019 might be an "appropriate" time to auction 5G spectrum as there will be better use cases and applications for it, and its ecosystem would be developed.

In all, the consultation process entails auction of roughly 7500 MHz of spectrum across nine bands (compared to 2,354.55 MHz that was placed on the block in the previous auction), according to two Trai officials.

This is the highest quantum of radiowaves frequencies ever sold through auction in the country and includes 60 per cent of the total spectrum that remained unsold in the October 2016 auction.

In addition, DoT has included 275 Mhz of radio frequencies in two more bands for mobile services -- 3300-3400 MHz and 3400-3600 MHz -- that can be used for 5G services.

During the previous bidding in October last, the government had put airwaves worth Rs 5.66 lakh crore for sale. In the five-day auction, seven telecom companies made commitments of Rs 65,789 crore for buying 964.80 MHz of spectrum in various frequency bands.

Even at the end of the auction, nearly 60 per cent of the spectrum remained unsold and spectrum worth Rs 4 lakh crore in 700 Mhz band found no takers.

The telecom industry has been reeling under poor financial health, falling revenue and profitability and is staring at Rs 4.5 lakh crore of debt. Industry body COAI has said appetite for spectrum is likely to be felt only by late next year or early 2019 as telecom operators are taking stock of their holdings amid ongoing consolidation.

COAI Director General Rajan Mathews told PTI that having a clear road map for spectrum auction is important, but the larger question is around when the auctions will actually happen and how the entire strategy syncs with the new telecom policy being drafted by DoT.

Also, Mathews felt that the value of the 700 MHz band should be based on analysis of the market and not pegged to the previous auction amount for 800 MHz and 900 MHz bands.

In all, Trai has asked 19 questions ranging from suitable timing for the auction to block sizes, from rollout obligations (for old and new bands) to spectrum caps, and valuation approach for arriving at a suitable reserve price for various bands. Last date for comments is September 25 and that of counter-comments is October 3.
Analysts said Nilekanis return would provide some much needed stability to Indias No.2 IT services exporter.

Nandan Nilekani has come back to board to steer Infosys out of mess. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Shares of Indias Infosys Ltd surged almost 5 percent on Monday, their first day of trading since co-founder Nandan Nilekani returned to the company as chairman, on hopes a months-long row between the board and the founders would be resolved.

Nilekani, also a former Infosys CEO, was named chairman on Thursday in a victory for the founders, who led by Narayana Murthy have waged an acrimonious battle with the board for months over alleged corporate governance lapses.

Analysts said Nilekanis return would provide some much needed stability to Indias No.2 IT services exporter that has been reeling since Vishal Sikka resigned as its CEO on Aug. 18, blaming Murthy for creating an untenable atmosphere.

The new chairman of Infosys told investors on Friday his priorities were to find a CEO, reconstitute the board and shape future strategy.

Shares of the firm were trading up more than 3 percent as of 0518 GMT, after earlier climbing to 953.95 rupees ($14.93). Indian markets were closed on Friday for a public holiday.

Nilekanis return to Infosys gives it the best start in six years in regaining leadership stability, strategic relevance and resolving cultural battles, CLSA wrote in a note to clients.

The brokerage raised its rating on Infosys to buy from underperform.

Another brokerage Jefferies said the appointment would likely lay to rest any issues with founders, helping client and employee retention at the firm.

Nilekani, who served as Infosys CEO during 2002-2007, is credited for increasing the firms annual revenue to $2 billion from $500 million over the period.

Infosys shares had slumped to a more than three-year low last Monday following Sikka's resignation, but have recouped some losses since on expectations of Nilekani's return.
The team walked out after the host reportedly 'could not wake up' post his party late night and couldn't make it for the shoot.

Mumbai: There was a time when actor-comedian Kapil Sharma could do nothing wrong.

From being the darling of Bollywood stars for a substantial period of time with most of them making an appearance on his show, it would not be wrong to say that Kapil Sharma has suddenly become a villain.

Post his much-public fallout with friend Sunil Grover after reportedly throwing a shoe on him on a flight, the TRP ratings of his show fell down drastically and this was followed by his health issues.

The comedian-actor reportedly collapsed on the sets a couple of times and was rushed to the hospital and rumour mills were abuzz that it was due to the stress over the falling TRPs.

It was these health issues that had led to the cancellation of the integration episodes of Jab Harry Met Sejal, Mubarakan, Guest Iin London and Poster Boys. Kapil even reportedly kept OK Jaanu leads Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur waiting for almost five hours before the shoot.

And this time, the team of upcoming period drama Baadshaho had to face the brunt of Kapils erratic behaviour, according to a report in Mumbai Mirror.

Considering the recent string of cancellations, the team confirmed with the show makers about the shoot, but when the lead actors Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Ileana DCruz and Esha Gupta turned up on the sets, Kapil was nowhere to be seen.

The film's team had been in touch with Kapil's team since the previous night to ensure that everything went as per the plan. It was decided that the camera would roll at 11 am and Kapil's team assured them that he would arrive on time. Even before the stars could leave from their respective residences, Kapil's team claimed he was on his way and it won't take time they claimed Kapil was at a hotel which is only 15 minutes away from the studio, a source told the tabloid.

Apparently, Kapil was partying till 6 am and could not wake up post that. After being informed by the team that itd take him at least two hours to get ready, the actors decided it was best to leave.

Kapil's team informed them that the show host hadn't woken up and if they waited for him, it would take at least two more hours for him to get ready and reach the venue. There was no update from Kapil's end after that so the actors walked out at 11.15am, the source further added.

With Baadshaho set to release on September 1 and with back-to-back promotions lined up this week, the team has no plans of returning to the show to shoot the episode either.
Bollywood stars also took to Twitter to praise the actor-producer's eco-friendly Ganesha after he posted the video.

Riteish Deshmukh in a still from 'Banjo.'

Mumbai: Actor Riteish Deshmukh created an eco-friendly idol of Lord Ganpati on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and dedicated it to the farmers of the country.

Continuing with the annual tradition, the 38-year-old actor, made a unique planter pot statue of the tusked god, right from scratch.

Deshmukh, who is currently in the US, took to Twitter where he posted almost two-minute-long video of him making the idol.

"Celebrating #GaneshChaturthi in America, made an idol, I humbly dedicate it to our farmers. #ECO #Planter #Visarjan #SonOfAFarmer #Bappa," the 'Bank Chor' actor captioned the clip.

In the video, the subtitles read that "the turban on the head of Lord Ganesh represents every farmer in India. As a son of a farmer, I dedicate this idol to them."

Deshmukh's father was former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, who passed away in 2012.

The actor also thanked his wife actor, Genelia Deshmukh being a source of inspiration.

"I wanna thank Baiko @geneliad for inspiring me to do this and also for shooting this video. God bless you all with happiness prosperity and love," he wrote.

I wanna thank Baiko @geneliad for inspiring me to do this & also 4 shooting this video.

God bless you all with happiness prosperity & love.  Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) August 27, 2017

Several Bollywood stars lauded the actor for his creative and noble initiative.

Genuinely one of the nicest simplest coolest people in our industry !!! https://t.co/xBZsv2XYRW  Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) August 27, 2017

Amazing amazing amazing!! My fav one so far  @Riteishd https://t.co/AKsUFc9WKT  Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) August 27, 2017

This is superb!!!! Eco friendly all the way  such a lovely video https://t.co/nfqbuLdcuD  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) August 27, 2017

This is so so amazing my dearest Riteish and Genelia! God bless you both!! Incredible..... https://t.co/jiibZLLv0N  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) August 27, 2017
The review meeting will be held at the Chief Minister's Office.

UP CM Yogi Aditynath will also address the irregularities in the industrial development in the state. (Photo: File)

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday will hold an analysis-discussion over the health and medical education in the state, in the aftermath of the Gorakhpur tragedy.

After more than 70 children died at Gorakhpur's Baba Raghav Das (BRD) Medical College's hospital in a week, questions were raised about the health and medical operations in the state.

The review meeting will be held at the Chief Minister's Office.

Aditynath will also address the irregularities in the industrial development in the state.

The Chief Minister will also be present at a programme at Gomti Nagar's Lohia Institute at 4 pm and a hostel's naming ceremony.

Adityanath will also unveil the statue of Padmashri Dr SC Rai.
The move of resolving the standoff comes ahead of Modis visit to Beijing for the 9th annual BRICS summit.

The MEA said on Monday that expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the faceoff site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: India and its neighbouring country China have agreed to disengage a prolonged standoff at the Sikkim border that began earlier in June 2017, said the government on Monday. The two countries arrived at a breakthrough middle ground after diplomatic talks, said the Centre.

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going, " said the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement.

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2017

Almost after three months lengthy border dispute, India and China have agreed to end the military standoff at Doklam near Sikkim, an External Affairs Ministry press statement said on Monday.

In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we are able to express our views and convey our concern and interest, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The move of resolving the standoff comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Beijing for the 9th annual BRICS summit.

Meanwhile, Reuters quoting Chinese foreign ministry said, the Indian troops at Doklam have been withdrawn from the area as both India and China have agreed to resolve the border dispute through diplomatic channels.

The military standoff which began in mid June with Indias opposition to Chinas road construction in Doklam, a disputed tri-junction point between India-Bhutan-China basically belongs to Bhutan but was allegedly claimed by China as its territory.

Doklam is a few kilometres away from Indias strategically important Chicken neck passage, which connects mainland India with its northeastern part.

Small incursions and troop standoffs are common along other parts of the contested 3,500-km (2,175-mile) frontier, but the recent impasse was marked by its length and the failure of talks to resolve the dispute, raising fears of a wider escalation as both neighbouring countries compete for influence.

The Nathu La Pass on the frontier between the Indian state of Sikkim and Chinese-controlled Tibet, was the site of a fierce border clash between Chinese and Indian troops in 1967.

(With agency inputs)
Dr Bhattacharjee tried to pull out his son from the water but lost his balance and fell into the ditch.

IIT sources said the 40-year-old professor was taking a stroll with his two children outside the campus when one child fell into a ditch while trying to take a selfie. (Photo: File/Representational)

Kolkata: A professor of IIT Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) drowned in a ditch filled with water on Sunday while trying to rescue his 4-year-old child who had fallen into the water body near the IIT campus in Kharagpur's rural area of West Midnapore district, police said.

Local people took Joydip Bhattacharjee, a faculty member of Department of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, and his son out of the water and took them to a hospital where the professor was declared brought dead.

IIT sources said the 40-year-old professor was taking a stroll with his two children outside the campus when one child fell into a ditch while trying to take a selfie.

Dr Bhattacharjee tried to pull out his son from the water but lost his balance and fell into the ditch.

Registrar Pradip Ghosh said, "He went outside to spend the Sunday with his two children. We are shocked to hear the news about his death."

"IIT-KGP mourns the loss of its faculty Professor Joydip Bhattacharjee. It is unfortunate we have lost such a young, talented soul," Dean Faculty Professor Subhasis Tripathy said.
Medical examination of Ram Rahim Singh was conducted, after which he was given a jail uniform and allotted a cell in jail.

Arguments began at the Sunaria jail around 2:30 pm where the prosecution demanded maximum punishment for Ram Rahim. (Photo: PTI/File)

Rohtak (Haryana): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on Monday pronounced 20-year imprisonment for Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for raping two sadhvis in 2002.

According to CBI Spokesperson Abhishek Dayal, Ram Rahim will serve 20 years(10-10 in both cases) in jail and both the sentences will run consecutively

The lawyer appearing for Ram Rahim said that the judge announced 10-year imprisonment along with Rs 15 lakh fine each in the two cases of rape. An amount of Rs 14 lakh each has also to be paid to both the victims.

The defence also said that they will approach high courts in the matter.

Medical examination of Ram Rahim Singh was conducted, after which he was given a jail uniform and allotted a cell in jail.

Soon after the CBI judge sentenced Ram Rahim for rape, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh assured there was "total normalcy" in the state.

"Our forces are on their toes. Will not let any untoward incident happen," he said. He also said that this sentence "must be accepted by the people and peace must prevail".

Haryana Chief Minister M Manohar Lal Khattar has called for an emergency meeting of senior state officials, party leaders and ministers at his residence in Chandigarh.

Arguments began at the Sunaria jail around 2:30 pm where the prosecution demanded maximum punishment for Ram Rahim.

Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh allotted 10 minutes each to both sides to put forth their arguments.

Defence lawyer SK Garg Narwana asked the judge to take a lenient view arguing that Ram Rahim Singh is a social worker who has worked for the welfare of the people.

Two cars were torched by Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in Phoolka area of Haryana's Sirsa ahead of the judgement.

Dera chairperson Vipassana Insaan appealed to Dera followers to peacefully abide by the judgement.

Panchkula-based judge Jagdeep Singh, who held the self-styled godman guilty on Friday, was flown to Sunaria jail in Rohtak on Monday morning to read out the sentence to Ram Rahim in a makeshift prison created within the jail.

Haryana, Punjab and parts of Uttar Pradesh were under a thick security cover on Monday to prevent any repeat of the mayhem that followed the guilty verdict on Friday.

Thirty eight people have died so far in the violence perpetuated by followers of Ram Rahims sect, the Dera Sacha Sauda.

The fulcrum of security activity was Dera headquarters Sirsa and the Sunaria jail in Rohtak where the convicted felon Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was being kept.

At least 4,000 Army personnel guarded the jail  10 kilometres from Rohtak city - in a three-tier security cover.

Curfew continued in Sirsa on Monday, as did the statewide suspension of mobile Internet services. Internet services will be suspended in Haryana till 11:30 am on Tuesday.

Schools and colleges in Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradeshs Shamli district were shut on Monday.

Thousands of supporters who had gathered at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa were also shooed out by the administration.

Read: 'Papa's angel' Honeypreet, Ram Rahim's adopted child is closest to him

The rape case against Ram Rahim has been dragging since April, 2002 when an anonymous letter written to the Punjab and Haryana chief justice complained of sexual exploitation of women followers at the Dera.

Journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati of Sirsa, who had exposed this exploitation, was shot dead at his residence on October 24, 2002. That case is up for its next hearing on September 16.

Acting on the letter, the High Court handed the matter to the CBI later that year after a district court indicated the possibility of sexual harassment.

Read: How Dera Sacha Sauda chief launched his ayurveda brand to take on Ramdev

The CBI registered a case of rape and criminal intimidation in December, 2002 and fled a chargesheet against Ram Rahim mid-2007 for the sexual exploitation of two sadhvis between 1991 and 2001.

A daily hearing was ordered by the special CBI court in July, 2017 followed by the guilty verdict on August 25, 2017.
A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now.

The Supreme Court also asked the Gujarat government to file an affidavit in this regard. (Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: Three days after Dera Sauda Sacha chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was found guilty of raping two women in 2002, the Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Gujarat government for slow trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now, reported PTI.

The Supreme Court also asked the Gujarat government to file an affidavit in this regard.
Beijing likely to stop building road that triggered standoff; agreement paves way for Modis visit to China for Brics.

New Delhi: In a major diplomatic breakthrough and a clear victory, India has managed to tame the Chinese dragon ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis forthcoming visit to China for the Brics summit early next month, with New Delhi on Monday evening confirming pullout by both Indian and Chinese troops from Doklam in Bhutanese territory, bringing an end to the two month-old Sino-Indian military standoff there.

In what is a vindication of the Modi governments resolve to draw red lines for China despite tremendous pressure from Beijing over the past nine weeks, India said there was ongoing expeditious disengagement of border personnel of India and China at the face-off site at Doklam which has since been almost completed under verification. New Delhi said this followed diplomatic communications between the two nations, following which an agreement was hammered out. Speculation is also rife that an informal understanding may have been reached wherein China will not construct the road which had triggered the standoff in the first place in view of the serious security implications for India. There were some reports that the Chinese may have pulled back their bulldozers and earth-moving equipment as well.

According to PTI reports from Beijing, China was also silent on its plans to build a road and said it would make adjustments with the situation on the ground. However, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel the impression of a climbdown by Beijing, saying the Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions. China regards Doklam as its territory and calls it Dong Lang.

With India refusing to back down despite daily Chinese threats while at the same time refusing to be drawn into a war of words, New Delhis patience seems to have borne fruit. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had earlier suggested in Parliament that the two armies should withdraw for an amicable solution.

China had scoffed at the suggestion, but was left with no option but to follow it. New Delhi has managed to make it clear to the Chinese that agreements and understandings reached on the boundary issues must be scrupulously respected.

The Chinese side also appears to have realised the futility of the military option because India is no military pushover and also because of the disastrous impact it would have had on the Chinese economy. India is also a big market for Chinese investment and products. By its resolve, New Delhi has also conveyed to Beijing, the rest of Asia including Bhutan and the whole world that India still has the power to restrain an aggressive China. But it remains to be seen how long the truce holds up, with a smarting Chinese PLA likely to test India again at some point soon.

Sources told this newspaper that moves towards a resolution of the standoff picked up during national security adviser Ajit Dovals visit to China in the last week of July, with foreign secretary S. Jaishankar too trying to work out a solution. China, expected to make major announcements at the Brics summit in the first week of September, was impressed upon at various diplomatic levels that a summit without Indian PM Narendra Modis presence would lose much of its lustre. Decks have now been cleared for Mr Modis visit to Xiamen for the Brics summit from September 3 to 5.

In an updated statement on Monday evening, the external affairs ministry said: We had announced that following diplomatic communications, expeditious disengagement of border personnel of India and China at the face-off site at Doklam was ongoing. This process has since been almost completed under verification. The MEA added: India has always maintained that it is only through diplomatic channels that differences on such matters can be addressed. Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected. Indias policy remains guided by the belief that peace and tranquillity in the border areas is an essential prerequisite for further development of our bilateral relationship... We look forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side.

In a statement earlier on Monday, the MEA said: In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communications in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests.

On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying was quoted as saying: On the afternoon on August 28th, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary. She added: Chinese personnel on the ground have verified this. The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions. Stating that the Chinese side continues to patrol the Doklam area, she, however, said: I can tell you that China will make adjustments with the situation on the ground.
Justice Misra shot into limelight in November 2016 when he ordered all cinema halls to play the national anthem before the screening of films.

President Ram Nath Kovind shakes hands with new Chief Justice of India Justice Dipak Misra after administering him oath of office at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Senior most judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Dipak Misra, who gave the controversial judgment on national anthem, was on Monday sworn-in as the 45th Chief Justice of India by President Ram Nath Kovind at a brief function held at the Rashtrapathi Bhavan. He succeeds Justice J.S. Khehar who retired on Sunday.

Among those who attended the swearing-in ceremonies were Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, outgoing CJI Khehar, several former CJIs.

Justice Misra (63) was elevated as a Supreme Court judge in 2011 and during the last six years he rendered several landmark judgments on various branches of law. He will have tenure of over 13 months and is due to retire in October 2018.

Justice Misra, who hails from Audit, is known for his impeccable honesty, integrity, simplicity, frank and forthright views. A scholar and erudite judge, he is proficient in Sanskrit, ancient history and literature, and this is reflected in his anecdotes as an interlude during the course of the hearing of sensitive cases.

Justice Misra shot into limelight in November 2016 when he ordered all cinema halls across the country to play the national anthem before the screening of films and that all present must stand up in respect till the anthem ended. The order said the practice would instil a feeling within one, a sense of committed patriotism and nationalism.

In the Delhi Nirbhaya gang rape case, he confirmed death penalty to four convicts describing their action as barbaric and no sympathy is called for to show any leniency to the convicts.
The bench asked the ASG to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Gujarat government to explain the inordinate delay in the trial of self-styled godman Asaram Bapu in a rape case for which he was arrested in 2013.

A bench comprising justices N.V. Ramana and Amitava Roy asked additional solicitor general (ASG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat, to explain why the victim has not been examined so far. The ASG pleaded that some more time may be required for examination of the victim and other witnesses. The bench asked the ASG to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

The court had in April directed the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the examination of prosecution witnesses while rejecting the Asarams bail plea. The godman was asked to seek bail after

the conclusion of the examination of key witnesses as well as the trial in Rajasthan, which is being held on a day-to-day basis.

Senior counsel Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioner, informed the bench that the proceedings in Gujarat are lagging behind and that there is an inordinate delay in the examination of witnesses.

He said many prosecution witnesses had not been examined so far and at this rate it will take a long time for conclusion of the trial.

In his appeal seeking bail, Asaram said he has been incarcerated in the prison since September 1, 2013. Asaram said the Gujarat High Court on a completely erroneous basis disregarded the overwhelming medical evidence and has rejected the interim bail and sought his release on bail to enable him to avail treatment. The other accused are on bail, he said and prayed for parity in granting bail.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi and BJP president Amit Shah will be among those present.

Lucknow: The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh will hold its annual coordination meeting with over 40 outfits affiliated to it in Mathura from September 1 to 3.

The BJP, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Swadeshi Jagran Manch will be a part of the three-day deliberations at Mathuras Keshav Bhavan. The meeting will discuss the prevailing political and social situation in the country and also the Sanghs strategy for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi and BJP president Amit Shah will be among those present. UP deputy chief minister and state BJP chief Keshav Maurya will also be there.

RSS chief spokesman Manmohan Vaidya said the annual meeting will take stock of events and activities of the past year and draft a plan for the coming months. He said the achievements and observations of each organisation will be discussed.

The RSS leader, however, clarified that this will not be a decision-making meeting but serve as a platform to share ideas on how to strengthen and improve the activities conducted by various organisations.

Sanjeev Maheshwari, convenor of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said around 200 leaders from different organisations will attend the meeting.

Sources said recent incidents of communal politics in Kerala, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, the performance of BJP governments in states and the strategy for the states going to the polls next year will be the focus of discussion.

It is noteworthy that the RSS, of late, has shown a lot of concern over the performance of BJP governments. The Sangh leaders have stressed the need for greater coordination between the party and governments and also between party workers and governments.

In Uttar Pradesh, Sangh leaders have said UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath must not let the bureaucracy mislead him on crucial issue and must not allow the administration to have its way over the party agenda.

The annual meeting will also focus on the political situation emerging from the coming together of major Opposition parties and the softening attitude of the Muslim community on the Ram temple issue as well as the impact of the recent Supreme Court ruling that had banned triple talaq.
Air pollution is dependent on several factors like industries, aviation, railways and construction activities.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre as to what steps it had taken to stop import of crackers from China, the cause for causing huge air pollution, ahead of the ensuing Diwali.

A Bench of Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta sought the response of the additional solicitor general Pinky Anand, even as it reserved verdict on a bunch of petitions filed by three toddlers, Arjun Gopal, Aaray Bhandari and Zoya Rao Bhasin seeking ban on crackers as they caused air pollution.

Acting on these petitions which complained of pollution, the bench early this month had asked firecracker manufacturers not to use heavy metals like lithium, antimony, mercury, arsenic and lead and chemical elements like antimony in any form whatsoever in their products. It said that it was the responsibility of the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) to ensure that the order was complied with, including in Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, where there were a large number of cracker manufacturers.

On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association, Sivakasi it was submitted that bursting of firecrackers during Diwali is not the only cause of air pollution. Air pollution is dependent on several factors like industries, aviation, railways and construction activities.
Sources said Karti arrived at the CBI headquarters here at around 11.30 am and was questioned extensively till 6.30 PM.

New Delhi: Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P. Chidambaram, on Monday appeared before the CBI for the second time for questioning in connection with the agencys investigation pertaining to the alleged manipulation of a tax probe against INX Media in a FIPB clearance case.

Sources said Karti arrived at the CBI headquarters here at around 11.30 am and was questioned extensively till 6.30 PM. Three suspected associates of Karti Bhaskar Raman, Ravi Vishwanathan and Mohanan Rakesh  were also questioned in connection with the case, they said. Sources further said all the four persons were questioned separately and information given by them is being scrutinised.

It is only after the analysis of their responses that a call will be taken whether further interrogation is required or not in the case, sources said. Earlier, the agency had questioned Karti on August 23. They have been asked to produce some documents which they have agreed to provide, sources said.

The agency questioned 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 P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.

The sources said a firm indirectly controlled by Karti Chidambaram received money from INX Media, run by the Mukerjeas, who are currently in jail, charged with the murder of Indranis daughter.
After his stint as the defence minister, Parrikar had returned to state politics in March.

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and BJP leader Vishwajit Rane addresses a press conference after winning Panaji and Valpoi by-elections respectively, in Panaji, Goa. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar on winning the Panaji Assembly bypoll, describing it as impressive.

Mr Modi also congratulated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ally Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its candidate Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy on the big victory in the Nandyal bypoll in Andhra Pradesh.

BJPs Vishwajit Rane, who had quit the Congress soon after the Goa Assembly elections, retained Valpoi seat, defeating his nearest Congress rival Roy Naik by 10,066 votes, taking the saffron partys tally in the 40-member House to 14.

Mr Modi also congratulated Mr Rane on his electoral victory. The bypolls were held in three states for total four seats on August 23. Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Bawana Assembly bypoll. AAPs Ram Chander defeated his nearest rival from the BJP, Ved Prakash, an AAP turncoat.

Mr Parrikar, the former defence minister, won by 4,803 votes, defeating his rival from Congress, Girish Chodankar, and is now a member of the state legislative Assembly.

Congrats to @manoharparrikar & @visrane for the impressive wins in Panaji & Valpoi respectively. I thank the people of Goa for their support, Mr Modi tweeted.

After his stint as the defence minister, Mr Parrikar had returned to state politics in March. Before joining the Union Cabinet, he had been winning the Panaji seat since 1994.

BJP leader Sidharth Kuncolienkar, who won the subsequent bypoll from Panaji and retained the seat in the 2017 elections, stepped down to make way for Mr Parrikars election.

With 16 MLAs, Congress is still the single largest party, while Goa Forward Party (GFP) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP), with three MLAs each and three independent candidates, are part of the BJP-led ruling coalition government.

I am thankful to the people of Panaji who elected me. Its a repeat of the 2012 Assembly elections, Mr Parrikar said soon after the result was declared. He said it was a vote for his governments performance and his personal connect with people.
The Navrang Dance Academy had also called a few international celebrities to the event.

In todays world, we see Indians all over the world. From Great Britain to the United States of America, people of Indian origin are almost everywhere. There is a concentration of the Indian community in Londons Southall and Wembley, and in the US, one can find a large number of Indians in New Jersey and the San Francisco Bay Area.

It is believed that the Indian community that moved to US many decades ago still lives in the same old-fashioned manner, some even find the humour in it, saying that Indians in India are more modern than Indians in the US. Each to his own, I believe, and setting ones roots in another country and bringing up children is not an easy task when one is away from ones motherland.

Indians in New Jersey, who lived a very traditional life until recently, experienced a new dance revelution, and it was all thank to a woman with great vision. Varsha Naik of Navrang Dance Academy organised The Grand Magical Night, a huge vintage ballroom party at the prestigious Royal Alberts Palace. This gala celebration of dance was attended by hundreds of couples who came with great excitement and enthusiasm with their loved ones to experience the old world charm of ballroom dancing.

I feel humbled to say that for this romance-filled night, I was invited all theway from India to choreograph and teach. This one-of-its-kind night was very unique and different. It was more of a grand family event where couples ditched their traditional Indian wear, men got into their sharp tuxedos and suits, and women in their long flowing gowns with high heels, all ready to dance the classic ballroom moves.

This magnificent evening held at the palatial ballroom opened with an elegant and graceful performance by dancers from Navrang Dance Academy, dancing to the 1990s romantic hit song Oh Mere Sapno ke Saudagar from the film Dil Hai ke Manta Nahi.

After the performance, the most classic ballroom dance of all times, the waltz, was taught to all the guests present. In an hour-and-half-long dance workshop, all the traditional steps of the waltz were taught. I was happy to see the eagerness and enthusiasm of the so-called traditional Indian community of New Jersey.

The Navrang Dance Academy had also called a few international celebrities to the event. At the workshop, dancing away and showing off their moves was popular French actor-director Jacques Roybin, Hollywood actress and American super model Ekaterina Hanssens and Mr India United Nations Prakash Patil among others.

The writer is a Latin and ballroom dancer, a World Book of Records holder and a choreographer.
The couples are required to have sex at the shrine which houses remains of a prince and his step mother whose affair was caught by the king.

A prince is said to have sanctioned adulterous sex before he was killed (Photo: Pixabay)

Conversations about sex and exploring sexuality are viewed as a taboo in several parts of the world as they are projected as being against traditional values. But several rituals and beliefs dating back centuries tell another story about the attitude towards sex in these very places.

Indonesia is known to be the most populated Muslim majority country in the world and considering this, it seems quite bizarre for a ritual requiring extramarital sex to exist in the country. But a festival in Indonesia involving sexual intercourse between strangers next to a shrine seems to paint a very different picture.

The Pon Festival which takes place at a shrine on Mount Kemukus in Java attracts couples who come to the spot to have sex with complete strangers even if they are married to other people. The strangers are then required to meet seven times every 35th day to complete the ritual.

The shrine of Gunung Kemukus houses the remains of a 16th century Javanese prince called Pangeran Samudro and his stepmother Nyai Ontrowulan. It is believed that the two fled to Solo when the king discovered their affair only to be caught by villagers while having sex before they were killed.

One version of the story says that Samudro sanctioned adulterous sex before his death and another states that having more scandalous intercourse than the prince and his step mother on the grave can bring good luck.

Several people visit the shrine hoping for good luck and success in business, and while some do inform their legal spouse about the trip, most prefer to keep it a secret.
Hawk becomes unlikely sidekick to a cab driver from Texas when it seeks refuge inside the mans vehicle and refuses to leave.

Bruso apparently tried shooing the hawk away but the bird just would not leave. (Photo: Youtube screengrab)

It seems that Game of Thrones is not the only place where people and species are coming together to fight a bigger force. Hurricane Harvey sure seems to have brought species together in their quest for survival. A hawk became an unlikely sidekick to a cab driver from Texas when it sought refuge inside the mans vehicle and refused to leave.

William Bruso said that he was stocking up on supplies on Friday ahead of the storm and when he returned he found the bird sitting on his passenger seat.

Documenting the entire thing in YouTube videos, Bruso can be seen saying, He looks like hes scared. He doesnt know whats going on. He goes on to add, He just kind of hopped on in and doesnt want to leave. Im not sure what to make of it.

Bruso apparently tried shooing the hawk away but the bird just would not leave. Videos later showed the bird to be perched on the door of the parked car, still refusing to fly away. Bruso had to finally take the bird inside and give it chicken hearts to snack on.

The flying refugee was soon named Harvey the Hurricane Hawk from Bruso  as well as a flock of concerned and curious fans.

Harvey stayed in Brusos home overnight, but a worker with the Texas Wildlife Rehab Coalition was seen scooping the bird up on Saturday and taking it to a shelter for professional care.
He has released a tell all book about their

A Japanese man named Ryuho Okawa claims he spoke to Princess Diana's "lonely" spirit, The Mirror reported.

In his country, Ryuho Okawa is known as "renowned spiritual leader", the report revealed. Okawa released a book on their conversation entitled Spiritual Interview, just prior to her 20th death anniversary. It is currently sold on Amazon

While there are many tributes to Diana on her death anniversary, this is for sure the strangest. Okawa claims he summoned the princess earlier in August at a lecture hall in Japan. According to him, Diana was "invited by the International Division of Happy Science to speak to Okawa and his fellow psychics," The Mirror reported.

He claims they talked about Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and the night she died where she was killed in a car accident in Paris.

Okawa also claims Diana's "spirit" believes the British Royal family could soon come to an end and face a revolution. Speaking about Kate Middleton, her son William's wife, Diana "said" she is kind to her.

However, the biggest claim was about Prince Charles. When Okawa asked if she could forgive him, the spirit reportedly said: "No, definitely no. No, no, no. I don't hate him, but I believe that he's a devil."

The interview takes an even more dark twist when he asked her if someone killed her. According to the report, in the book the spirit is quoted as saying: "I'm not sure, but I felt some kind of evil intention."

"Maybe secret service or... Someone was aiming to deprive me of my life after I got a divorce. It's from Charles or..."

"He can send some messenger of death."

Okawa founded Happy Science in 1989, a movement dedicated to bringing "happiness to humankind". He has also reportedly sold more than 100 million books on a range of topics.
The court issued notice to Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other agencies and sought their replies before the next hearing on December 6.

New Delhi: The Delhi high court heard a PIL filed seeking demolition of hundreds of buildings above the prescribed height around the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGAI) in the capital on grounds of threat to lives of passengers and damage to the aircraft.

A bench of acting chief justice Gita Mittal and justice C. Hari Shankar issued a notice to the ministry of civil aviation, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Delhi International Airport Private Limited (Dial) to seek their replies on the plea. The PIL also alleged that the authorities colluded with real estate lobbies, leading to the present situation.

The PIL claimed that a similar situation prevailed in Mumbai with regard to the airport there. The court also issued notice to Airports Authority of India (AAI) and other security agencies and sought their replies before December 6, the next date of hearing.

Yeshwanth Shenoy, who filed the PIL, sought directions to the DGCA and other authorities to proceed against the said buildings near the airport as per the Aircraft (Demolition of obstructions caused by buildings and trees) Rules, 1994.

It urged the court to direct the concerned authorities to conduct an obstacle survey as mandated by law.

Mr Shenoy, a Kerala-based lawyer, said that Delhi was affected by obstacles. The AAI has identified the obstacles, but failed to follow the procedure provided to remove them thereby, threatening aviation safety and consequently, the lives of passengers, crew and the people on ground. The Dial has also failed to conduct obstacle study as mandated by law and the DGCA failed to identify the threat to safety in its safety audits.

Mr Shenoy also urged the court to direct the authorities concerned to produce the past 10 years safety audit reports for the IGIA in Delhi and instruct Dial to comply with the safety standards as mentioned in the AAI and DGCA audit reports.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security, CISF and Delhi Police have not taken airport security seriously, he added.
The bus was heading for Pune from Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district, Narayangaon police said.

Pune: Nine people were today killed and 12 others were injured after a bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation rammed into a stationary tempo near Narayangaon in Pune district amid heavy rains.

The bus was heading for Pune from Trimbakeshwar in Nashik district, Narayangaon police said.

The accident spot is 77 km away from here.

"It seems the bus driver could not see the tempo due to heavy rain," a police officer said.

The accident took place at around 1.45 am when the driver of the tempo, which was carrying onions, had halted by the roadside to change a flat tyre.

"Identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained," the officer added.

Injured passengers were being treated at nearby hospitals.
The ICG has been providing training to BCG officers and sailors on various fields since 2014.

The BCG delegation, led by Captain Mohammed Ali Chowdhury, the West Zonal commander, met Inspector General Kuldip Singh Sheoran, ICG NE regional commander, and his staff. The regional commanders-level meeting will conclude on August 30.

Kolkata: The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) has sought assistance from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) for training its force about the operation and maintenance of hovercrafts during the regional commanders-level meeting which got underway between the two forces at ICG Northeast regional headquarters in New Town on Monday. The BCG does not have any hovercraft which is used for amphibious operation.

ICG (NE) spokesperson Avinandan Mitra said, The BCG delegation will visit ICG Hovercraft port on August 29. They will witness the hovercraft operation. They have intimated that they are planning to procure hovercrafts and requested assistance from the ICG for training about operation and maintenance their hovercrafts. The ICG has been providing training to BCG officers and sailors on various fields since 2014.

From this year, courses are held twice a year for the BCG officers and sailors following their request, Mr Mitra added. The BCG delegation, led by Captain Mohammed Ali Chowdhury, the West Zonal commander, met Inspector General Kuldip Singh Sheoran, ICG NE regional commander, and his staff. The regional commanders-level meeting will conclude on August 30.

Various common maritime issues  sensitisation of fishermen on cross border fishing, bilateral table top exercise, real time information sharing, capacity building of BCG through training and exercise  were discussed at a staff-level meeting.

Mr Mitra said, Both sides have expressed their desire to cooperate with each other in order to jointly tackle the maritime challenges across the mutually shared international maritime boundary line. The BCG delegation was given a balanced understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the ICG NE region in general and search and rescue of fishermen at sea in particular.
Even after 3 years in power, BJPs achche din are nowhere in sight, says West Bengal CM.

Kolkata: A day after attending RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadavs rally in Patna for the ouster of the BJP from power at the Centre, chief minister Mamata Banerjee declared on Monday that West Bengal would pave the way for bringing a change at the Centre in 2019 Lok Sabha Elections.

Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modis slogan Achche Din she claimed, Three years and some months have already passed after a new government came into existence at the Centre. Election is held after five years. Now tell me where is Achche Din? Only they (BJP) will remain in power forever, none else. But this can not happen.

Accusing the BJP government of destroying communal harmony and its failure to create employment, Ms Banerjee said, The battle of 2019 will usher a change in India. The call has to be made from West Bengal. A change is needed across the country. A new India and a new generation will arise. My student and youth fraternity will bring that change.

She was addressing the foundation day rally of the partys student wing: Trinamul Chhatra Parishad on Mayo Road. The Trinamul Congress supremo also tore into the BJP-ruled Haryana government of failing to tackle the violence in the wake of godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs conviction.

She asked the BJP to focus on Panchkula and Uttar Pradesh before Bengal.

Meanwhile, the Trinamul supremo also lashed out at the BJP for objecting her decision to postpone Durga Puja idol immersion for a day on the account of Muharram this year. Accusing some Delhi-based TV channels of spreading rumour, Ms Banerjee reasoned, What is the problem is giving a gap of day when idol immersion would be held for four days? Durga Puja is our national festival. We do not organise idol immersion on Ekadashi and Amavashya. Even the most ignorant would not do it.

The chief minister also called upon her partys student and youth wing members to devote themselves in building the organisation.

Giving examples of the formation and the functioning of students bodies in some reputed academic institutions in the city, she advised, Work has to be taken forward by setting up student councils. Student bodys election will be held the way it used to be held. But I do not want outsiders hooliganism in educational institutions.

Ms Banerjee underlined, While the college students will be in politics in their respective institutions, the university students will do politics at their places. This model has been adopted from the structure existing in St Xaviers College and Lady Brabourne College.
The girl, along with her aunt and mother visited Panchras house and complained to his father, but he did not pay heed to them.

Mumbai: A Prevention of Child from Sexual Offence (POCSO) court has awarded a three-year jail term to a 23-year-old man for having allegedly outraged the modesty of a 16-year-old school girl and threatening to kill her thereafter if she refused to marry him in Ghatkopar in 2015.

While pronouncing the sentence, the court said, Nowadays, incidents of stalking, outraging the modesty of women by roadside Romeos like the accused, like grabbing their hand as well as threats to minors, compelling them to accept their advances, are increasing everyday. If the said incidents are ignored, in future, it may turn into a more serious and heinous offence. So, it is necessary to report such incidents immediately.

According to the prosecution, the accused, Pravin Prakash Panchras, a resident of Ramabai colony, had on the evening of August 10, 2015 targeted the minor, when she was returning home from college. At around 5.15 pm, the girl was passing through a subway when Panchras held her hand and asked her to love him. When the girl resisted, he abused and assaulted her. He also threatened to kill the girl if she did not marry him. Fortunately, the victims maternal aunt, who was vegetables in the market, witnessed the entire incident. c

The girl, along with her aunt and mother visited Panchras house and complained to his father, but he did not pay heed to them. The girls family registered an FIR against the accused in Pant Nagar police station under charges of outraging a womans modesty, threatening to kill her as well as various sections of the POCSO act.

The prosecution has examined four witnesses including the victim. The accused argued that the girl was deliberately implicating him in the crime because of family rivalry.

While rejecting the claims of the accused, the court said, There is no reason for the victim as well as her parents to falsely implicate accused in the present case. In the case of sexual assault, it is not easy for the victim or their parents to come forward and report alleged incidents as ultimately it is going to affect the reputation of victim also. It further said, No parents will dare to lodge a false case against any person to involve their daughter in such a case.
On Monday evening, the body of Naseem Akhtar (30) was recovered from beneath the debris.

Mumbai: Two days after the six-storey building collapsed on Saturday evening at Chandivali in Andheri, the body of a 22-year-old worker, identified as Naval Parsa Naik, was recovered from the debris on late Sunday night. On Monday evening, the body of Naseem Akhtar (30) was recovered from beneath the debris.

The death toll of the building collapse now stands at three, with Gaurav Mallar (32) being declared dead on Saturday. Officials attached to Saki Naka police station have said that though no case has been registered till now, an accidental death report (ADR) has been registered according to the basic protocol.

The buildings owners, Mukesh Brothers, were demolishing the Crystal Plaza Business Park, located near Sangharsh Nagar in Chandivali, as they wanted to convert the commercial building into a residential complex.

The structure collapsed at around 5:35pm on Saturday after a slab broke off from the middle portion of the building during the demolition process.

An official involved in the rescue operation told this paper that only the middle portion of the building had collapse, while the other parts were intact.

Avinash Dharmadhikari, senior police inspector, Saki Naka police station said, The body of the deceased persons were sent to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital. Right now we have not registered any case except for an accidental death report for the deaths as per the basic protocol.

According to an eyewitness, one of the four massive cranes working on the building hurled down from the top floor of the skeletal structure and due to its impact, at least three slabs came crashing down. One of the workers told this paper that the building wobbled before collapse, but before they could react, it came crashing down.

Chief fire officer Prabhat Rahangdale said, We are now in the process of cutting rods, which are previously coming in the way, delaying the rescue operation. Till now only 35 per cent of the debris has been removed, while 65 per cent is still remaining.
The judge also asked the Maharashtra government if it did not want the high court to exist.

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government  which had sought a change of bench in a noise pollution case last week, accusing Justice Abhay Oka of bias  on Monday apologised for levelling the allegations against the Bombay high court judge.

Justice Oka, however, held that the state had shown no remorse when the latter offered an unconditional apology and withdrew its allegation against him. He said the court was not bothered about the allegation but the state had lowered the dignity of the more than 150-year-old institution.

The judge also asked the Maharashtra government if it did not want the high court to exist.

You have taken this 155-year-old institution for a ride. First, go and apologise to the Chief Justice (CJ) whom you misled by not showing our order. Your apology is not bona fide, Justice Oka said.

The division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla lashed out at the state and Advocate General (AG) Ashutosh Kumbhakoni for both, the manner in which it levelled allegations against Justice Oka to get the matter of noise pollution transferred from Justice Okas court and the way it withdrew the charge levelled against the judge.

Have you ever heard any allegation of bias levelled against a judge without an affidavit?

Can an allegation of bias be made in Praecipe? asked Justice Oka.

You mislead the CJ to get an order and later she had to withdraw that order, he said, adding, Wasnt it your (AGs) and (counsel for state Abhinandan) Vagyanis duty to inform the CJ that this court had passed an order in open court loudly and clearly that

it has not recused itself from hearing the matter, and it had been kept for hearing the states side at 3pm?

When Mr Kumbhakoni told the bench that as AG he was taking all the responsibility for what went wrong, the bench said, You have taken the responsibility, we uphold the dignity of advocate general office and matter ends there. Justice Oka however, also said, The allegation was levelled by the state and apology tendered by the state is not bona fide and hence it is expected that if state wants to tender an apology it should be in the form of affidavit.

Following this, the AG told the bench that an apology in the form of an affidavit on behalf of the state government would be submitted before the court on Tuesday.

The two-page communication by the state had said that states allegation that Justice Oka harboured a serious bias against the state machinery in the noise pollution matter was not raised as an allegation against the judge personally, but was limited only to the subject matter involved.

To this, Justice Oka said that he was not bothered about allegations made against him personally because many litigants do that but the bench was worried about its consequences on entire judiciary and especially on the high court.Later, the larger bench consisting Justices Oka, Anoop Mohta and Chagla, posted the bunch of petitions on noise pollution for hearing on Tuesday.
Medicos from state-run JJ Hospital will be included in the committee.

Mumbai: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday ordered the setting up of an expert committee comprising doctors, including gynaecologists and psychologists, to look into whether the 24-week-old foetus of a 12-year-old Mumbai rape survivor should be aborted.

Last Wednesday, the girls parents filed a petition in the apex court, seeking its permission for abortion as the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act bars the abortion of foetuses that are over 20 weeks old.

The parents had cited reasons including the girls age, due to which her body cannot handle motherhood, and the fact she is a rape survivor for the abortion. Medicos from state-run JJ Hospital will be included in the committee.

Lawyer Sneha Mukherjee, who is representing the girl in Supreme Court, said, The Supreme Court has set up a medical board to examine the 12-year-old girl from JJ hospital who is pregnant. The petition is related to termination of her pregnancy.

Talking to The Asian Age, a senior doctor from JJ Hospital said, We have not received the courts order till now. We need to examine her. We will be able to give our opinion after medical assessment.

Considering her age, it is very risky for the girl to carry a foetus, he added. The pelvis is undeveloped and the vaginal opening is small. There are risks of lacerations, added the doctor.

The girls pregnancy came to light after she started gaining weight. When her mother took her to a doctor, the family was referred to gynaecologist Dr Nikhil Datar.

Dr Datar has since been assisting the girls parents with the legal aid required for seeking an abortion after the 20-week deadline. However, by that time, the girl was already in her 24th week of gestation.

The Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, does not allow abortions beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy, though courts have made exceptions if the foetus has a serious medical abnormality or if the mothers life is at risk.
Trump's positions on the wall and trade are well-known, and both were centerpieces of his campaign for the White House.

US President Trump repeatedly insisted that the multi-billion-dollar cost of the wall would be borne by Mexico (Photo: AP)

Washington: President Donald Trump insisted Sunday that the US Congress must find a way to pay for his promised border wall, branding Mexico a hotbed of violent crime. And he warned both Mexico and Canada that if they continue to be "difficult" in trade talks, he make have to break off attempts to reform the NAFTA free trade pact.

Both positions put Trump on a collision course with both skeptical US lawmakers and neighboring capitals, but remain popular with his electoral base.

"With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other," Trump tweeted.

"We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada. Both being very difficult, may have to terminate?"

Trump's positions on the wall and trade are well-known, and both were centerpieces of his campaign for the White House, but they may now run afoul of political reality.

US lawmakers return from their summer recess on September 5 needing to come up with a deal to fund the government and raise the federal debt ceiling.

The Republican majority wants to cut taxes and pass a costly infrastructure bill, but Trump has threatened to trigger a government shutdown unless it funds his wall.

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly insisted that the multi-billion-dollar cost of the wall would be borne by Mexico, an idea scornfully dismissed by Mexican officials.

Now -- while this remains a centerpiece of his populist speeches -- he accepts US funds will pay for construction, and Mexico will be forced to re-pay in some way later on.

But Democrats oppose including the wall in the spending bill, and Republican leaders will struggle to pass it, while also opposing a government shutdown.

Trump's homeland security adviser Tom Bossert attempted to explain the contradiction in an interview with ABC News.

"What we'll do here is go through the mechanism of getting the original initial money that we need for that capital project from Congress through an appropriations process and we'll responsibly construct the barrier on the border," he said.

"As we work with the Mexicans in other policies and trade policies and such, we'll determine ways for us to make that right."

At Trump's instigation, the United States, Mexico and Canada began renegotiating the 23-year-old trade deal earlier this month.

Trump has repeatedly called the agreement a "disaster" that exported US jobs to Mexico, while Mexico has dismissed his rhetoric as a negotiating tactic playing to his US base.

Mexico -- which sells 80 percent of its exports to the US -- is not interested in sweeping changes, and Canada is wary.

Later Sunday, Mexico City reiterated it will not be paying for Trump's dream wall.

"As it has said consistently, our government will not pay for a wall in any way, shape or form; this is not a Mexican negotiating strategy. It's an issue of sovereignty and national dignity," a foreign ministry statement said.
The US president praised the great coordination between all levels of government and great talent on the ground.

US President Trump took to Twitter Sunday to indicate he was monitoring Tropical Storm Harvey, which continues to wreak havoc on the Texas Gulf Coast after being downgraded from a hurricane. (Photo: File)

Houston/Washington: US President Donald Trump will visit storm-ravaged Texas on Tuesday, the White House said on Monday, even as the administration ramps up its response to the most powerful hurricane to hit America in 13 years.

Hurricane Harvey left a trail of destruction as it sept through Texas on Sunday, pummelling the region with heavy rains and claiming at least 5 lives since making landfall on the US' Gulf Coast.

"We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalised, we will let you know," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. "We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers," she added.

US President Trump took to Twitter Sunday to indicate he was monitoring Tropical Storm Harvey, which continues to wreak havoc on the Texas Gulf Coast after being downgraded from a hurricane.

The US president praised the "great coordination between all levels of government" and "great talent on the ground". He also said he will visit Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" to the ongoing emergency response. He continued to closely monitor the situation in Texas and held a video teleconference with top officials from Camp David, where he is spending the weekend.

Participants in the call included the Vice President Mike Pence and Chief of Staff John Kelly. "President Trump continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives," said a read out of the video conference.

"The President and Vice President continue to extend their thoughts and prayers to those affected and recognise the many volunteer and faith-based organisations dedicating time and efforts to helping fellow Americans," it said.

Trump has already declared major disaster in the state of Texas. Meanwhile the National Weather Service called the flooding in Texas unprecedented as the State experienced a record breaking 50 inches of rain in parts of Texas. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before.

"Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days," the service said in a statement. Later on Sunday, Trump held a second Cabinet meeting on Hurricane Harvey to shore up response and recovery efforts, according to the White House.

The storm has hammered Texas since Friday, when it first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. The federal government has 5,000 people on site in Texas and Louisiana, where the storm continues to bring torrential rains and flooding.

Trump, who spent Sunday morning praising the federal government's response to Harvey in a series of tweets, "continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives," the statement reads.

Vice President Mike Pence in a tweet on Sunday emphasised the White House statement that Trump's top priority is saving lives. "@POTUS stressed all depts & agencies stay committed to supporting Govs of Texas & Louisiana & his number one priority of saving lives," Pence wrote on Twitter, including a readout of the teleconference the two held earlier.

The statement adds that Trump "reminded everyone that search and rescue efforts will transition to mass care, restoring power, providing life-sustaining necessities for the population that sheltered in place, and economic recovery.

He also urged those impacted by the storm to continue to heed the instructions of State and local officials. Earlier Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott heaped praise on the federal government's response to Hurricane Harvey, and Trump convened administration leaders to discuss the recovery from the storm that battered the Texas coast over the weekend.

Their efforts came as it became clear that the situation was bad and could possibly get much worse. Amid dire warnings, Abbott praised the response to the crisis. The monster storm has claimed 10 lives so far.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said recovery efforts would take years.
Trump said at a rally last week in Phoenix that he would 'end up probably terminating' NAFTA 'at some point'.

The second round of the NAFTA renegotiation is scheduled to begin Friday in Mexico City. (Photo: File)

Washington: President Donald Trump is accusing Canada and Mexico of being "very difficult" at the negotiating table over the North American Free Trade Agreement, and threatening anew to terminate the deal.

Trump tweeted on Sunday morning that NAFTA is the "worst trade deal ever made." Trump said at a rally last week in Phoenix that he would "end up probably terminating" NAFTA "at some point."

We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

The US, Mexico and Canada began formal negotiations earlier this month to rework the 23-year-old trade pact that Trump blames for hundreds of thousands of lost US factory jobs.

Trump is also taking to Twitter to press the need for his promised southern border wall, tweeting that Mexico will pay for it "through reimbursement/other." Mexico has repeatedly said there's no chance of that happening.

With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

Mexico's foreign relations ministry responded to Trump's comments Sunday by reiterating that Mexico will never pay for a border wall and that it will not renegotiate NAFTA via social media or the press.

In a statement, the ministry also emphasized that the violence generated by drug trafficking is a shared problem between Mexico and the US, which creates the demand for drugs.

The second round of the NAFTA renegotiation is scheduled to begin Friday in Mexico City.
Tillerson asserted that Trump was clear in his speech the US was not undertaking nation-building in Afghanistan.

Washington: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan would determine the number of American troops in the war-torn country and the new US strategy was intended to send a strong message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere.

Tillerson told Fox News that US President Donald Trump had been very clear that the policy he announced this week was a dramatic shift from a time-based military strategy to a conditions-based strategy, which means it will be dictated by conditions on the ground informed by battlefield commanders.

He has delegated significant authority to Defence Secretary (James) Mattis to set troop levels, but also has been able to delegate for the military commanders in the field, decision-making, to begin to turn the tide against the Taliban, he said.

Now, all of this is directed at sending a message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere. Were going to be here, Tillerson said.

According to the secretary of state, Afghanistan has a history of being a refuge for some of the most devastating attacks carried out.

As we all know, the attack of 9/11 was organised and carried out from Afghanistan. So, in Afghanistan, we have to secure Afghanistan in a way that that can never occur again because theres no territory available to organisations to do so, he said.

Tillerson asserted that Trump was clear in his speech the US was not undertaking nation-building in Afghanistan.

So, we will be shifting our diplomatic and aid and development programs as well to coincide with the presidents view that the Afghan government and that Afghan people must own their form of government, he said.

They must come to some reconciliation with all ethnic groups, including the Taliban, as to how they can secure their country, as a peaceful country, one that does not support terrorism, does not provide safe havens for terrorists and does not align itself with any terrorist organisations or countries that do. Thats what winning looks like, he said.

He also strongly refuted the allegation of former White House official Sebastian Gorka on the absence of word radical Islamic terrorism in Trumps Afghan policy speech. Gorka was fired by the White House on Friday.

I think hes completely wrong. I think it shows a lack of understanding of the presidents broader policy when it comes to protecting Americans at home and abroad from all acts of terrorism. Terrorism, as weve said, manifests itself in many types of organisation, he said.

The president has charged us to develop policies and tactics both diplomatically and militarily to attack terrorism in as many forms, wherever it exists in the world and wherever it might present a threat to the homeland or to Americans anywhere. This means that we have to develop techniques that are global in their nature, Tillerson said.
During his visit to India, Deuba signed agreement over eight issues, out of which four are to ease the way for India to assist Nepal.

Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba emphasised on maintaining harmonious relations with its southern neighbour, India, for the betterment of the nation.

"Undermining the national interest, improving the Indo-Nepal relations is must. More the relations between Nepal and India improve and get strengthened, the more it gets in favour of Nepal. The establishment of harmonious relations with India is in national goodwill for Nepal," Deuba told the reporters as he returned to Kathmandu after his five-day official visit to India.

Prime Minister Deuba also discussed the engagements and agreements sealed during his visit to New Delhi.

Earlier on August 7, Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, in a press briefing, asserted that that Nepal stands in between two countries over border dispute which was claimed to be a setback for New Delhi.

With the prime minister's assertion to maintain harmonious relations with India, China must worry about it, he said.

Reacting on the allegations made by the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist Party (CPN-UML) to invite its southern neighbour over the internal issue of the Constitution amendment, Deuba said that their was a need of some reforms over the Constitution.

"We made an attempt to amend the Constitution in order to respect the feeling of the Madheshi people, but failed. In the coming days, it could be possible to amend as per the feeling of the Nepali people. In this talk, there also is possibility of support from the CPN-UML, there is no assurance that a two-third majority will be met," the Prime Minister said.

During his visit to India, Deuba signed agreement over eight issues, out of which four are to ease the way for India to assist Nepal for the reconstruction of various infrastructures as promised before, along with other focussing on trade, security, power and investment.

Apart from this, the Nepali Congress President as well as Deuba raised the issue of the Terai inundation caused by the dams constructed over by India as well as other issues of national interest during his brief meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
The families had gathered for hours in downtown Beirut amid blistering heat to await news of their loved ones.

The announcement came hours after the army declared a pause in its nine-day assault on ISIS in exchange for information on the missing soldiers. (Photo: Representational/File)

Beirut: Lebanese authorities on Sunday located the remains of eight people they believe to be soldiers kidnapped three years ago by the Islamic State group along the restive eastern border with Syria.

The announcement came hours after the army declared a pause in its nine-day assault on ISIS in exchange for information on the missing soldiers. Head of the General Security agency Major General Abbas Ibrahim said ISIS fighters who had surrendered led his agency and the Lebanese army to the remains.

"We have removed the remains of six bodies. We are expecting the number to go up to eight," he told reporters gathered in downtown Beirut. "We believe that these remains belong to the soldiers."

The army later released a statement saying the remains of eight bodies had been retrieved from the Jurud Arsal mountainous border area with Syria and taken to a military hospital for DNA testing.

The troops were among 30 soldiers and police kidnapped by ISIS and Al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate when they overran the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August 2014. Four were killed by their captors and a fifth died of his wounds while 16 were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015 that was also overseen by Ibrahim.

Nine troops remained missing, but today Ibrahim spoke only of eight bodies and said he was "almost certain that the case is closed". He spoke to reporters after informing the families of the missing soldiers of the latest developments.

The families had gathered for hours in downtown Beirut amid blistering heat to await news of their loved ones. They sat in tents they had pitched three years ago during protests to pressure the government to find the troops.

The army had said the missing soldiers were its "top concern", as it launched an offensive earlier this month against an estimated 600 ISIS jihadists in the border region. Before today's ceasefire, the army had squeezed ISIS into 20 square kilometres out of 120 held by the jihadists in the mountainous region of Jurud Ras Baalbek and Jurud al-Qaa, near the Syrian border.

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, which had simultaneously launched its own assault against ISIS from the Syrian side of the border, also declared a ceasefire on Monday. Hezbollah's War Media channel said the unilateral pause was "in the framework of a comprehensive agreement to end the battle in west Qalamun against Daesh (ISIS)".

The deal is expected to see hundreds of ISIS fighters leave both sides of the border for an area in eastern Syria, Syrian and Lebanese sources said. A source close to Hezbollah told AFP the deal would see ISIS's "surrender and deportation from west Qalamun (in Syria) and the Lebanese outskirts to the city of Mayadeen in Deir Ezzor province".

Mayadeen is an IS-held city near Syria's eastern border with Iraq. The War Media channel said that 17 buses and 10 cars belonging to Syria's Red Crescent had arrived in the west Qalamun area in preparation for the evacuations.

Hezbollah has been fighting alongside troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad since the Syrian conflict erupted in 2011. Syria's state news agency SANA, quoting a military source, confirmed Hezbollah and ISIS had agreed that "the remaining Daesh (ISIS) fighters will leave to eastern Syria". And a Lebanese military source told AFP the jihadist group would quit territory it held in eastern Lebanon.

"When this happens, Daesh's military presence in Lebanon its control of geographic territory will be finished," the source said. But the source warned that ISIS still had "sleeper cells" in Lebanon. Six soldiers have been killed since the start of the assault, which the army has insisted is not being coordinated with Hezbollah.

Last month, Hezbollah carried out its own campaign further south on the border area against what is now Al- Qaeda's former affiliate, after Al-Nusra broke off ties with the extremist group last year.

The six-day offensive ended with a ceasefire under which 8,000 refugees and jihadists were transported to northwestern Syria in return for the release of five captured Hezbollah fighters.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message sent to journalists.

The majority of the dead belong to Afghan forces and most of the wounded are civilians, the source said. (Photo: Representational/AFP)

Kandahar: A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and wounded several more in an attack on a convoy of Afghan soldiers in Helmand province on Sunday, an official said.

It was the latest in a series of deadly blows to Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces and yet again underlined spiralling insecurity in the war-torn nation. "A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-filled car as the Afghan National Army convoy passed a small market in Nawa District of Helmand," Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor, told AFP.

He added that civilians and forces personnel were among the dead while more than a dozen others had been wounded. A source working at a nearby hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity that the bodies of 15 victims had been brought to the hospital. Another 19 injured were also admitted, he added. "The majority of the dead belong to Afghan forces and most of the wounded are civilians," the source said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message sent to journalists. The deadly assault came days after a Taliban suicide bomber killed five civilians and wounded dozens of others, mainly children, when he detonated a car filled with explosives at a police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's capital.

That attack was the insurgents' first major one since US President Donald Trump announced he was committing American troops to Afghanistan indefinitely. The resurgent Taliban are at the peak of their summer fighting season and have been ramping up their campaign against government forces.

Afghan police and troops beset by a high death toll, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll have been struggling to beat back the insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.

Casualties among Afghan security forces soared by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR. More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops were killed from January 1 to May 8. Ordinary Afghans have also paid a heavy price for the 16 -year US-led war. Civilian deaths are at their worst since records began in 2009.

In the first half of the year, 1,662 civilians were killed and more than 3,500 injured, according to the United Nations. Analysts have warned that Trump's commitment to sending thousands more American troops to Afghanistan reversing earlier pledges to pull out could fuel the insurgency and lead to more casualties.

The Taliban had called for a complete withdrawal of foreign forces and, following Trump's announcement, vowed to make the country a "graveyard" for US forces.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday visited Saudi Arabia and held talks with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

Islamabad : The visit of a top US official overseeing South Asian affairs to Pakistan has been postponed, the Foreign Office said on Sunday, amid indications that Islamabad was still evolving a response to Trump administrations new Afghan strategy.

Alice Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs and acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan , was scheduled to visit Islamabad next week, but the visit has been put off by the Pakistan government "until a mutually convenient time."

The Foreign Office did not give any reason for postponing the visit.

But government sources said Islamabad was still evolving a response to the US accusations that Pakistan was providing safe havens to militants and prolonging the US 16-year Afghan war.

It would be "premature" to interact with the senior US State Department official at this time, they added.

Wells's visit would have been the first by any US official after US President Donald Trump unveiled the new policy for Afghanistan and the larger South Asian region.

The Pakistan government has tasked Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to garner support from friendly countries. He is expected to visit China , Russia and Turkey next week in the first phase of the countrys regional diplomatic outreach.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday visited Saudi Arabia and held talks with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

News reports in Pakistan said he was accompanied by Asif on the trip and discussed the US new Afghan strategy there.

The Pakistan-US ties received a fresh jolt yesterday when Gen John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan , claimed in a TV interview that his country was aware of Afghan Taliban leaderships presence in Peshawar and Quetta .

Pakistan has repeatedly denied it hosts the Taliban.

Today, Asif said the Afghan Taliban were the US and Afghanistan s problem, not Pakistan s.
The centres new director, secretary and members of the board of directors are all party members, atheists, non-believers in Buddhism. The demolition of student houses continues. The authorities plan to develop the area for tourism.

Chengdu (AsiaNews)  Tibets Larug Gar Buddhist Academy will be headed by a Communist director and secretary, and other Communist officials will hold the majority on the board of directors.

The learning centre, which is located in Garze (western Sichuan), was established in the 1980s by Jigme Phuntsok, a monk who attracted tens of thousands of followers and monks. Since the founders death in 2004, the centre was ruled by a group of authoritative, democratically elected monks.

On 20 August, the Sichuan Prefecture decided to appoint Garze's deputy police chief as the Academys director, who will also serve as its party secretary. Two officials from the local Religious Affairs Bureau will become the academys deputy director and deputy party secretary. Three other local party officials will be the monasterys party secretary and management committee directors.

Although all of them are Tibetans, they belong to an atheist party and do not believe in Buddhism.

According to the Dharamshala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy, the goal of this move is, first, to diminish the Academys value and influence, placing it in the hands of incompetent people, and, second, to boost local tourism through infrastructure development. The latter however could destroy the academys natural and spiritual environment.

This is not the first time that Larung Gar is targeted. More than a year ago, the authorities tore down student houses and chased many away. Out of 10,000 students, male and female, studying at the academy in 2016, only 4,828 monks and nuns are left. Some 4,725 houses were flattened.

Almost two years ago, Xi Jinping, in a speech to the United Front, noted that religions must submit to the Chinese Communist Party.

Since then, all religious activity (by Buddhists, Taoists, Muslims, Christians) has come under tighter controls. The scrupulous application of regulations has included tearing down crosses and demolishing mosques and temples.
by Sumon Corraya

Thousands are trying to cross the border, even at night, seeking safety. Those who are caught are sent back to Myanmar. "They are our brothers and sisters, a Dhaka imam says.

Dhaka (AsiaNews)  Myanmars Rohingya are being driven towards Bangladesh, which in turn is refusing them entry.

For Theophil Nokrek, secretary of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Bangladesh, the refugees should be allowed to enter Bangladesh on humanitarian ground. They have the right to save their lives. In fact, the "government should be flexible towards Rohingya refugees so as to save their lives".

Every day, hundreds of Rohingya have been trying to cross into Bangladesh, in the southern districts of Cox's Bazar and Bandarban, to flee the fighting with the Myanmar military. More than a hundred Rohingya have been recently killed by soldiers.

Although the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) is stopping refugees at the border, the latter try to sneak into the country at night, unseen.

Mostak Ahmad, 70, is a Rohingya who is now in the "no-man's land" in Bandarban, where his life is in constant danger. "My only son was captured by the Myanmar army. I'm sure he will not come out alive. We escaped here to save our lives. We seek refuge in Bangladesh."

Rohina Akter is also Rohingya. "My husband is innocent, she says, but the Burmese soldiers took him. He was tortured before my eyes. I escaped to save myself and save my children."

Like them, other Rohingya have escaped from Myanmar to seek salvation and refuge in Bangladesh. However, many of them have been caught by the border police, which provides them with food and medical care before sending them back.

No Christian or NGO is currently working for Rohingya refugees on the border.

Many Muslims in the country would like to welcome the refugees. "The Rohingya are our brothers and sisters. They are Muslims, said an imam at a Dhaka mosque. We should not push them back; we should save them.
The announcement made today by the Holy See Press Office and at the same time in Dakha and Yangon. From November 27 to 30, Francis will visit Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw. From November 30 to December 2, he will visit Dhaka. Yesterday's appeal on the persecution of Rohingya.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Pope Francis will travel to Myanmar from 27 to 30 November and from November 30 to December 2 will be in Bangladesh: the Vatican Press Office announced today that the Pontiff welcomed the invitation of "the respective Heads of State and Bishops. " In Myanmar, the pontiff will visit Yangon and the new capital Nay Pyi Taw.

For Bangladesh, the Vatican Press Office only says that he will visit Dhaka, but that the detailed schedule will be published shortly.

A possible trip to Bangladesh had been mentioned by the same pontiff in October 2016. In December of the same year, the Bangladesh premier had sent a letter to the Pope to invite him to his country.

Along with Bangladesh, the Pope thought he could visit India and there were some steps from the nuncio of Delhi and the Indian government. But it is very likely that the rise of incidents involving Hindu nationalist fundamentalists against Christians has forced a postponement of this leg of the journey.

The possibilities of a leg in Myanmar increased during this year: in March, diplomatic relations between Holy See and Myanmar were re-established; In May Aung San Suu Kyi came to Vatican in her role as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Catholic Church has similar characteristics in the two countries, especially in terms of numbers: in Bangladesh, a country with over 160 million inhabitants, Catholics are less than 400,000 (about 0.3%). In Myanmar, out of a population of 50 million, Catholics are about 700,000 (just over 1%). In both countries, the faithful mainly belong to ethnic minorities, often marginalized by the Bangladeshi and Muslim, or Burmese and Buddhist majority. But in both cases, the Catholic Church is making an essential contribution to the development of the two nations, with strong growth, despite the shocks caused by Islamic terrorism in Dhaka and conflict with minorities in Myanmar.

A common problem is that of the Rohingya minority: These migrants of Bengal origin live in Myanmar without citizenship rights. For some years, nationalist groups, through clashes and violence, have been trying to force them to return to Bangladesh, but the authorities in Dhaka refuse to welcome them. In recent days, armed groups of Rohingya have assaulted some soldiers and policemen. In response, the army targeted hundreds of Rohingya in Bangladesh, but the country's border police repelled them, under Burmese military fire. Several dozen were killed.

Just yesterday Pope Francis appealed against the "persecution" of the minority. After recalling the flood victims in Bangladesh and South Asia, he said: " Sadly, the pope said in his address, "There have been reports about the persecution of our brothers and sisters, the Rohingya religious minority. I would like to express all my closeness to them. Let all of us ask the Lord to save them and encourage men and women of goodwill to help them, and give them full rights. Let us also pray for our Rohingya brothers and sisters "and he paused for silence.
In a week the coalition forces have quashed jihadists resistance, liberating the city. Now the goal is Al-Ayadieh, 15km, along the road leading to the border with Syria. Activists and NGOs are launching appeals for the protection of the population, dozens of families welcomed in Badush Health Center in precarious conditions.

Baghdad (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iraqi forces, supported by local Shiite militias and US-led international coalition raids, have defeated the Islamic State (IS, formerly Isis) resistance in Tal Afar, north of the country, liberating the city from the jihadist presence. One week after the offensive, authorities have announced the (almost) complete victory over fundamentalist militias who have lost control of one of the last strongholds in Iraq.

In a note, the leaders of the anti-Isis coalition - Iraqi army, federal police, anti-terrorist forces, and about 20,000 Shiite paramilitary militants (supported by Iran) of Hashed al-Shaabi - demand control of all 29 districts of the city. At the moment, the final clearing of the remaining pockets of jihadist resistance is underway.

Meanwhile, soldiers have already begun to celebrate victory, marking another blow to the Daesh militia [Arabic acronym for IS] in Iraq after the "liberation" of Mosul. Pro-government militias paraded through the city's streets aboard the tanks, waving flags and showing victory marks. IS banners and signposts were removed from the buildings and checkpoints set up by the fighters.

Tal Afar's rapid fall is a further, fierce hit by the army to the Islamic militia, which until a few months ago controlled much of northern Iraq and the eastern sector of Syria. The city is located along the route that links Mosul to the Syrian border and is an important crossroads of men and women in the region.

The official announcement of the victory should arrive by 2 September, the day of the beginning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (the "Sacrificial Festival") in Iraq. Now the next target in the area is the town of Al-Ayadieh, about 15km north of Tal Afar, also located along the road leading to the border with Syria.

Most of the more than 200,000 people in Tal Afar abandoned the city in 2014, concurrently with the arrival of the first militia of the Islamic State. Originally it was inhabited by Shi'ite Turkmen, considered "heretics" by Sunni Islamic fundamentalists. As with Mosul, fears of the Tal Afar battle involved the fate of thousands of civilians trapped in the city and unable to escape. Coalition estimates reported about 50,000 people locked inside, were used by jihadists as human shields.

In the battles that fought in the past few days, at least 162 people died, ten were injured. Soldiers also found a mass grave in a suburban area of the city, which contained the bodies of 80 people, mostly civilians.

And it is precisely the fate of the local population that concerns activists and human rights activists in the area. In a note, the leaders of Oxfam, coordinating interventions in the area, ask the Iraqi government to ensure civilians safe and urgent delivery of aid. Tens of people fleeing from the fighting found shelter in Badush health center, about 60 miles east of Tal Afar: "The little ones  reported an NGO spokesman - were covered with dirt and very thin, they crossed hell to arrive up to here. Families tried to stay united, mothers kept their children, some newborns close to them. They were all exhausted and traumatized by the terrifying experience. " (DS)
Airline tries to change passengers mood with food



Image Credit: Monarch

A British airline is now offering in-flight food specially designed to improve the mood of its passengers.

Britains Monarch Airlines, formulated the Monarch Mood Food Box with a food psychologist and will serve different parts of the box at particular points in the journey chosen to heighten the effectiveness of the food.

The Mood Food Box includes relaxing green tea and lavender cakes, energising snack bars and immunity boosting echinacea and liquorice ice-cream.

Monarch said after surveying over 2, 000 British holidaymakers, over a third said stress was their biggest holiday mood killer.

Food was however listed as the best mood booster for 60 per cent of holidaymakers.

The food psychologist behind the mood food box, Professor Charles Spence, explained the reasoning behind each of the foods, saying the black colour of the liquorice ice cream is designed to delight passengers.

The black colour is certainly counter-intuitive  most passengers think of white or pale colours with the ice cream, Professor Spence said.

This may also help to distracts passengers from their chaotic journey whilst also surprising them and playing into childlike nostalgia.

The green tea and lavender mocha rice cakes will be given to passengers at take-off to help relax nervous flyers.

The soft, chewy texture of the rice encourages mastication which has proven anti-stress properties, reducing tension much chewing gum, Professor Spence said.

Approximately 30 minutes into the flight passengers will be given a specially designed tea and help aid bloating and digestion that Monarch says effects 18 per cent of travellers.

Just before leaving the flight, the passengers will be given a caramelised nut bar coated in umami flavoured mushroom and tomato powder to re-energise and awaken the passengers senses.

Travelling is a time when were under pressure and rushed, so eating well is often an afterthought, Professor Spence said.

Ive loved working with Monarch to use food  which can be a powerful psychological and physiological tool  to create the first ever real happy meal to get travellers in the holiday mood as quickly as possible.

Related articles
Hogs Breath steakhouse wins PETA vegan award





Australian steakhouse, Hogs Breath, has won an award from animal advocacy group, PETA.

Hogs Breath won the Proggy Award from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for a vegan burger recently added to its menu.

PETAs Proggy Award recognises animal-friendly achievements in commerce and culture.

A few years ago, some people might have thought that pigs would fly before you could order vegan food at Hogs Breath Cafe, said PETA Associate Director of Campaigns, Ashley Fruno.

But times are changing, and even the most traditionally meaty places are changing with them, she said.

Hogs Breath joins a number of other quick service restaurants in Australia which have been adding vegan foods to their menus recently, including Zambrero, Pizza Cappers and Crust Pizza.

Related articles
Photo: Texas Army National Guard/ Lt. Zachary West

Hurricane Harvey, whose heavy rains brought devastating flooding to Houston and much of south Texas, may yet cause more trouble for the region-- the National Weather Service is predicting an additional 25 inches of rain through the end of the week in certain areas.

Some parts of Texas have already seen as much as 30 inches of rainfall, with flood waters covering freeways, homes, and neighborhoods across south Texas in an area the size of Lake Michigan, a Red Cross administrator told National Public Radio.

It will be a while before the totality of the damage is realized in the fourth largest city in the U.S., but some are estimating that 30,000 are currently without a home. Many key roads in the area are impassable or washed away and that is also impacting businesses, including trucking operations.

The Texas Department of Transportation discouraged travel in the affected area, warning drivers that Harvey would continue to linger in Southeast Texas, bringing substantial wind and rain to the area. TxDOT is also providing an interactive map that shows current road conditions in the state.

Trucking research and analysis firm FTR estimates that Hurricane Harvey could strongly affect over 7% of U.S. trucking with up to 10% of all U.S. trucking being affected during this first week.

FTR attributed this disruption to trucking to a few broad effects. Trucks will have to wait for the water to recede from roads and docks in the region before freight begins to move. Extra shipments of relief construction supplies will take precedence, so overall productivity could decrease due to out-of-cycle supply chain demands. Then, most obviously, there is the infrastructure nightmare due to congestion and backed up loading docks.

The hurricane will also have significant pricing effects on the spot market based on observations made after similar storms, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to FTR. Ports and railways are also jammed with traffic waiting just outside the affected area, falling behind schedule.

Look for spot prices to jump over the next several weeks with very strong effects in Texas and the South Central region, said Noel Perry, partner at FTR. Spot pricing was already up strong, in double-digit territory. Market participants could easily add 5 percentage points to those numbers.

Fuel prices are also expected to jump as Texas provides 30% of U.S. refinery capacity. Regional diesel prices are expected to be strongly affected with national prices increasing as well. The storm could cause temporary shortages for the Gulf Region and increase prices in the Northeast, which supplies some of its oil from the region, according to the Washington Post.

While Harvey is no longer a hurricane, having been downgraded to a tropical storm as it weakened over land, it could still deliver buckets of rain that could cause more congestion and problems for transportation along its path.

The storm is expected to stall over the Gulf region, near Louisiana, before eventually moving northeast through the Mississippi River region into parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Missouri, and Kentucky. There are also reports that another tropical storm, named Irma, is being tracked off the coast of Florida could bring additional problems to the East Coast.

Word came late this afternoon that Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has activated the entire Texas National Guard in response to Hurricane Harvey, bringing the total number of deployed guardsmen to roughly 12,000. The governors office said the National Guard will assist in the ongoing search and rescue effort for any Texans in immediate danger, and will be heavily involved in the extensive recovery effort in the storms aftermath.

It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm, said Gov. Abbott. The Texas National Guard is working closely with FEMA and federal troops to respond urgently to the growing needs of Texans who have fallen victim to Hurricane Harvey, and the activation of the entire Guard will assist in the efforts already under way.

"While this is still a dangerous situation with a long response effort ahead, the state and people of Texas are resilient," said FEMA Administrator Brock Long. "FEMA was here before the storm hit, and we will be here as long as needed, actively coordinating the full resources of the federal government, to support Gov. Abbott and the state."
Camnetar

Mike Camnetar has joined LeasePlan USA's business development team as a regional vice president in the upper Midwest region, the fleet management company announced.

In his new role, Camnetar will be responsible for partnering with national and multinational companies. He will join a growing group of talent supporting LeasePlan's growth strategy.

Camnetar will report to Joe Danca, LeasePlan USA's national vice president of business development.

"Mike's extensive experience and vast knowledge of the industry makes him a great addition to this team," said Ricardo Fonzaghi, chief commercial officer.

Camnetar has more than 18 years of fleet industry experience, most recently serving as director of fleet partnerships at Element Fleet Management. He has served on the NAFA Board of Trustees and is a Certified Automotive Fleet Administrator (CAFM). He has also worked as an instructor for NAFA's CAFM bootcamp and fleet management seminars since 2009.
Thank you for reading!

Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism.
The Florida Autism Center in Tampa is celebrating its official opening.

The center offers programs for children with autism as well as training and support for parents.

Florida Autism Center celebrates official opening

Programs offered for children with autism, training for parents

Staff members are eager to welcome more families



Madelaine Santana said day-to-day life with her 3-year-old son with autism can be difficult.

"A lot of people judge you. They see him screaming and they don't understand that he has a special disorder," Santana said.

She said coming to this center has helped.

"He's been here a month and he's starting to say his colors, he talks," Santana said. "They get the one-on-one therapy. He's been in daycare since he was 6 weeks old and I had never seen an improvement until he started coming to this facility."

But, it's not just the kids that get help. Santana said the center also offer courses for parents to help them learn the best ways to help their children.

Although there are several of these centers throughout the state, and a handful already in the Bay area, staff members say there are plenty of families in the community that need help.

"One in 68 children is diagnosed with autism and we really need to start thinking about all of our community members and they're a pretty large amount of our community," said Jackie McLeish, director of Florida Autism Center Tampa.

Community leaders say centers like this provide an ideal avenue where kids with autism can come, feel safe, and begin learning and growing like their peers.

"We want to make sure as a community that anybody who is touched by autism has the same opportunities the same chance at the great quality of life that the rest of us enjoy," said Tampa Mayor Bib Buckhorn.

Staff members are eager to welcome more families through their door, and continue to see current families like Santana's continue to grow.

The center offers both group and one-on-one sessions. There is also a school for kids ages 5-13.
Bay area help is on the way to Texas.

Bay area agencies assisting in hurricane-impacted east Texas

USAR/Duke Energy lending aid

RELATED: Downpours/flooding continue across east Texas

Urban Search and Rescue Florida Task Force 3 will assist recovery efforts in east Texas.

FL USAR Task Force 3 has been activated and will deploy to assist with Swift Water Rescue Operations following Hurricane Harvey.

The State Of Texas through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) has requested 2 Swift Water Rescue teams and support staff. The total staff deployment is 2 swift water rescue teams comprised of 18 members and 7 logistical support members.

TF3 left Tampa Sunday night and stage in Pensacola before finishing their trip to the hurricane effected region. Once deployed TF3 will conduct operations and support for the State of Texas and FEMA.

Their deployment is scheduled to last through September 6.

Meanwhile, about 100 Duke Energy Florida distribution line contractor resources are responding to Houston from across our service territory to assist with Hurricane Harvey impacts.

They will be working with CenterPoint Energy directly, with an expected arrival timeline of Tuesday night or Wednesday morning.

In addition, Red Cross volunteers also are assitsting in areas impacted by the storm.
The first round of price cuts will begin Monday at Whole Foods stores, including the three locations in the Bay area.

Bay area shoppers ready for Whole Foods discounts

Amazon announced last week its purchase of Whole Foods would close Monday

Whole Foods will offer lower prices on various items starting Monday

Amazon announced last week its purchase of Whole Foods would close Monday and prices would be discounted.

Whole Foods will offer lower prices on staples including bananas, eggs, salmon, beef, and other products. Looking ahead, the Seattle company hopes to give Amazon Prime members special savings and other in-store benefits.

Also, certain Whole Foods products will be available through Amazon.com, AmazonFresh, Prime Pantry and Prime Now.

But don't set expectations too high just yet, there won't be a huge bevy of bargains. Still, Whole Foods shoppers say they are discounts at WHole Foods would be a bonus.

"I come to Whole Foods because of the selection, I'm vegan," said Whole Foods shopper Jillian Desouza. "So they have a lot of options that I'm looking for, but because I'm looking for lower prices I do tend to go to Sprouts more even though that's farther for me, so now maybe I'll shop here more."

The discounts are thanks to Amazon's supply chain that streamlines delivery, allowing for lower prices through logistics.

Amazon officials said the these Whole Foods savings are just the beginning as it plans to offer more in-store benefits and lower prices over time as the companies intergrate their systems.

Were determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone. Everybody should be able to eat Whole Foods Market quality  we will lower prices without compromising Whole Foods Markets long-held commitment to the highest standards, said Jeff Wilke, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer.

To get started, were going to lower prices beginning Monday on a selection of best-selling grocery staples, including Whole Trade organic bananas, responsibly-farmed salmon, organic large brown eggs, animal-welfare-rated 85 percent lean ground beef, and more.

"And this is just the beginning  we will make Amazon Prime the customer rewards program at Whole Foods Market and continuously lower prices as we invent together. There is significant work and opportunity ahead, and were thrilled to get started.

Amazon officials said Amazon Prime will become Whole Foods' customer rewards program, giving prime members special savings.

The Whole Foods store brand also will be available through Amazon.com, Amazon Fresh, Prime Pantry and Prime Now. Also, Amazon lockers will be added to certain Whole Foods locations.
The St. Petersburg mayoral primary is set for Tuesday.

Six candidates, including the incumbent, are vying to serve the next four years as St. Petersburg mayor.

Current mayor Rick Kriseman is bidding for a second term, while former mayor Rick Baker is trying to reclaim his office.

They are joined on the ballot by Jesse Nevel, Anthony Cates, Paul Congemi and Theresa Lassiter. Here is a quick look at each candidate.

Nevel's platform is "unity through reparations."

"Reparations means righting the wrongs of the past and also taking responsibility to rectify the conditions that we see today, Nevel said. And it means funding genuine economic development for the black community that is in the interest of and controlled by the black working class of this city."

Nevel said reparations would include things like turning the land under Tropicana Field back to the black community so it can be used to rebuild economic development and affordable housing.

He said development of the South side is something everyone, regardless of their skin color, will benefit from.

Cates is focusing on creating a thriving business community and cutting down on crime.

To do the latter, he said it's important to properly educate youth.

"We have to have more after school projects, all the way up to the national level, Cates said. Especially with Trump cutting the budget for after school programs, that is going to hit us hard."

Cates managed a Walmart store that closed a few months ago in Midtown. He said the closing inspired him to run on a campaign of economic stability.



Development in Midtown, where a Walmart closed earlier this year, is one of the election's hot topics.

Lassiter, better known as "Momma Tee," has been a fixture for years on the City Council. Now she wants to take it to the next level.

"I wanna bring people together," she said. "That's why I say I want to be called the 'woman in the middle.' Because I feel like I've got the community on this side, I've got government on this side, and I'm trying to say, 'Come on, come on. We're better together.'"

A native of St. Petersburg, the road to her candidacy has been a rough one. She has battled drug addiction, serious illness and a failed marriage. She said that life experience is key to making for a good mayor.

"How can you make decisions about people if you've never walked in their shoes?" she said. "How can you say what needs to go on in my community, if you don't know what it is to be Theresa Lassiter and live off of $9,821?"

For Congemi, this is his third attempt at the mayor's office. In July, he said, "I know I'm not going to win."

"I don't get upset if I lose," Congemi said. "The most important thing is running and getting my message out."

That messages involves confronting what he calls "moral decay."

"Homosexuals, they call it equality, they call it love," Congemi said. "It's not equality. It's immorality."

He said he would also ask the St. Petersburg NAACP branch to disband.



Current Mayor Rick Kriseman and former mayor Rick Baker have spent months sparring about sewage problems in the city.

For the front-runners Kriseman and Baker, it's been about sewage issues and Midtown development, among other issues.

The candidates debated July 25 on Bay News 9, with the sewage controversy dominating much of the hour.

"I believe if the maintenance program continued after I left office and if we would have kept Alfred Whitted open today then I don't believe we would have had the amount of significant overflows that we have had," former mayor Baker said.

Mayor Kriseman, a Democrat, admitted his office could have handled the situation differently.

"Clearly Im sitting in the seat and while I rely on my people it still rests with me," Kriseman said, adding "Mr. Baker said that he had no spills during his time as mayor and thats just simply not true."

A Republican, Baker countered by saying he would reopen the closed Albert Whitted sewage plant, which was shut down in August 2015. The state recently ordered the city to follow a $300-plus million plan to fix the sewage crisis.

Baker blames Kriseman for dropping the ball in Midtown where two grocery stores have closed in Tangerine Plaza.

Kriseman says his administration plans to get it right when a retail store returns to the plaza.
A Lakeland woman's invention is now being sold across the world.

Lakeland woman invented Go Pillow

The portable pillow is used for breast-feeding

The product is being sold around the world



Tangela Walker-Craft said her Go Pillow was approved for a patent on the first try, which she said is unheard of.

It's a multi-purpose, wearable, portable pillow with a re-tractable blanket, commonly used for breast-feeding, or cradling a baby. Walker-Craft came up with the idea 12 years ago, when her now 15-year-old daughter was a toddler.

"A rainy day, caught where they sell the turkey legs at Disney World, surrounded by people and me being a modest mom and not liking to breast-feed in front of strangers and my husband taking his shirt off and me saying there has to be a better way to do this," said Walker-Craft. "And that's kind of what sparked the idea for the Go Pillow.

After she got the patent, Walker-Craft began selling it to friends and online. After the television shows stopped calling, sales slowed down, and she wanted to find a way to sell the pillow to a broader audience.

"We were selling it to Canada through my website, but a lot of the other countries we didn't have the ability to send the product to because of the customs cost."

The high cost of getting her product through customs led her to look for a global manufacturer and distributor. That led her to the Canadian company Kushies Baby. She sent them an email and she said within minutes, one of its female executives responded.

Three years later, after slightly tweaking the invention to fit their brand, Walker-Craft signed a licensing agreement with the company, giving them the right to sell her invention. She gets a percentage of every sale.

"I feel validated because I worked hard at it for so many years, she said. "I really honestly from day one wanted the Go Pillow to be the number one childcare product in the world. At some points, I kind of doubted that it could happen. But based on working with them, and knowing their reach, seeing all of the countries they sell products in I think it might actually happen.

Kushies Baby started selling the product on its website this summer. Its also sold on Amazon.
One shelter has opened as Manatee County continues to be hit with heavy rain.

St. Georges Episcopal Church, located at 912 63rd Avenue West in Bradenton, is now open to residents seeking temporary shelter, according to county officials.

Manatee County Area Transit is providing displaced residents with bus transportation to the shelter.

The countys emergency management chief is urging those seeking shelter to use the church as a last resort.

We always urge people to seek lodging where theyll be most comfortable, said Sherilyn Burris. Were assisting anyone who needs help to the emergency shelter, but your best bet is to stay in a more familiar place with family or friends.

Storms in the area have also caused officials to closes roadways.

Four roads were closed due to flooding: Creekwood Boulevard at State Road 70, Tara Boulevard south of State Road 70, Morgan Johnson Road at State Road 64 and Orlando Avenue from 5th Street West to Orlando Circle. According to officials, all roads have reopened.



Officials warn drivers to not drive through flooded areas. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.

Manatee County is under a flood watch until Monday evening.

MANATEE COUNTY SCHOOLS

The school district of Manatee County has announced that schools will open on Monday.

However, officials want parents, students and staff to be aware of areas that are impacted by street flooding.

Parents are urged to remind students to be careful when driving or walking to school and to avoid areas of standing water.

School buses may be running a little later than usual, according to school officials.

If a bus stop is flooded, students should stand in a place that's not covered in water but where they are visible to bus drivers.

The district says will update everyone if anything changes.

SANDBAG DISTRIBUTION

Sandbags will be available Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, between 7 a.m. and 11 a.m. at the following locations:
In the wake of Hurricane Harvey's massive flooding in Texas, victims are in need of relief and aid. Here are the organizations that are helping:

Local organizations

Where to donate:

Harris County Donation Hotline: 1-800-924-5985. Available 6 a.m. to midnight.

George R. Brown Convention Center, NRG Center, Toyota Center and BBVA Compass Stadium are no longer accepting donations from the public. The GRB Center is accepting corporate donations and is in serious need of the following supplies: bleach, buckets, containers to carry supplies, lip balm, Vaseline, work gloves, insect repellent, dusk masks, rakes, shovels, duct tape, tarps, trash bags, sunscreen. Corporations wishing to donate should contact Bill Kelly, Director of Government Affairs for Mayor Turner at Bill.Kelly@houstontx.gov

Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner has set up this fund for tax-deductible flood relief monetary donations. It will be administered by the nonprofit Greater Houston Community Foundation. Click here

BakerRipley, the Houston community charity that is running the NRG Center shelter, is accepting monetary donations for the long-term recovery ahead. Click here. Donations of goods can be brought to World Harvest Outreach Seventh Day Adventist, 10800-A Scott Street, 77047. Contact: Pastor Kenneth Goodman (713-364-9763)

Currents needs include: non-perishables/ canned goods, infant formula, diapers, water, new women, children, men's underwear and socks.

Interfaith Ministries: This nonprofit that operates the city's Meals on Wheels program is in need of financial donations and additional volunteers. They specifically need donations of Ensure, walkers, wheelchairs, microwaves and shower chairs. They can be dropped off at Meals on Wheels, 3202 San Jacinto 77004. More info here.

Houston Food Bank helps provide meals for hungry neighbors in emergencies and all year round. To donate to the food bank, click here

Houston Furniture Bank provides furniture in need and is launching a special effort to help Harvey victims. They are accepting donations of furniture, especially mattresses, tables and chairs, call ahead before making a drop-off donation, at (713) 842-9771. Monetary donations are accepted at houstonfurniturebank.org.

United Way of Greater Houston has set up a relief fund that people can donate to. The organization said its first priority is shelter and basic needs like food. The organization said it will also focus on long-term recovery efforts. It also said that it will absorb administrative costs, so 100 percent of every donation goes directly to relief.

Houston Children's Charity is teaming up with the Astros shortstop Carlos Correa to raise $500,000 to provide displaced children with beds. Click here to learn more and to donate.

BARC Animal Shelter is taking donations  the shelter is closed for Labor Day and will resume regular operations Tuesday, Sept. 5.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Rosenberg is serving residents of Fort Bend, Wharton and other surrounding areas devastated by Harvey with hot meals, groceries, cleaning supplies and help applying for assistance. They are requesting monetary assistance. To help, call the church office at 281-232-5113.

Holy Family Catholic Church at 2011 Briar Ln, Wharton, TX 77488 needs supplies for its shelter. They especially need wooden pallets.

UPDATE Sept. 4: -Holy Family Roman Catholic Church is no longer accepting donations. They ask that you now send donations to East Gate New Prosperity Baptist Church in Wharton and Greater New Prospect Baptist Church in Needville.

Star of Hope: The local faith-based homeless shelter is accepting monetary donations to help its community cope with the disaster. Click here to donate.

The South East Texas Regional Advisory Council needs medical supplies. For how and what to donate, contact adunn@americares.org. They are also accepting monetary donations here.

LGBTQ Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief Fund: Donations will help LGBTQ community members displaced by the story. The fund is managed by the Montrose Center. To donate to the relief fund, click here

Avenue CDC: A local nonprofit working to build affordable housing in Houston will help rebuild in the aftermath of the storms. Click here

I Have Food I Need Food is a collaborative of many Houston chefs, restaurant owners, suppliers, and volunteers who are sourcing and preparing food to distribute to storm victims across the region. Commercial kitchens and licensed caters can register to donate here

Pets affected by Hurricane Harvey are being taken in by animal shelters across Texas, including the SPCA of Texas, Austin Pets Alive and the San Antonio Humane Society. The Houston Humane Society is also available, with limited staff. For Habitat for Horses, donate here

HISD Foundation: Help HISD students and families in need of storm relief. Click here

Houston ISD is accepting donations Saturday at Delmar Fieldhouse, 2020 Mangum, Houston, TX 77092, 8 a.m. til 5 p.m. Enter the complex on Mangum and follow the signs.

The district is accepting donations of the following new, unused items: undergarments, socks, uniforms, deodorant, hand sanitizer, pillows, blankets, shoes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, other hygiene items, professional dress for impacted staff

Sept. 5-8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., donations will be accepted at Delmar Fieldhouse, 2020 Mangum, Houston, TX 77092; Butler Stadium, 13755 Main St., Houston, TX 77035; and Barnett Stadium, 6800 Fairway, Houston, TX 77087. Starting Sept. 11, Delmar Feildhouse will accept donations during normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Fort Bend ISD has teamed up with businesses and organizations to set up several donation collection and distribution sites. They are accepting bedding, toiletries, school uniforms and non-perishable food items, among other things. For a list of where to donate, click here

Fort Bend ISD Foundation is accepting monetary donations to aid teachers and students impacted by the storm, click here

KIPP Houston Public Schools has set up a Family Emergency Fund to help students, staff and their families who have been affected by Harvey. Click here

Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: For donations call 1-800-924-5985. For volunteer opportunities call 281-656-1533 or visit volunteerhouston.org

The Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce has set up a donation fund to support African-American businesses affected by Hurricane Harvey. Check donations can be made payable to GHBC Foundation, 4828 Loop Central Drive, Suite 100, Houston, TX, 77081

Brazoria County Recovery Fund, set up by Brazoria County Office of Emergency Management, will help the county with run shelters in the county and in neighboring Fort Bend County. Click here

MC-CARES, a partnership of Interfaith of The Woodlands and United Way, has announced five donation collection sites in Montgomery County. These Hubs are prepared to accept donations. The following items are most needed: baby food, baby formula, diapers, new undergarments, hygiene products, water, squeeze pouch fruit and vegetables, easy open canned fruit and vegetables, pasta and convenience meals, granola bars, toilet paper, paper towels, mops, brooms, garbage bags, towels, and blankets. The hubs are as follows:

Central Montgomery County:

Crisis Assistance Center  1022 McCall Ave. Conroe, TX 77301, Phone: 936-539-1096

Falcon Steel America  3575 Pollok Dr., Conroe, TX 77303

South Montgomery County:

Interfaith of The Woodlands  4242 Interfaith Way, The Woodlands, TX 77381, Phone: 281- 367-1230

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Parish  7801 Bay Branch Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77382

East Montgomery County:

Mission Northeast  22098 Loop 494 New Caney, TX 77357, Phone: 281-354-1200

Westbury Baptist Church, 10425 Hillcroft, will serve as a drop-off and distribution site for supplies needed by those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Please visit their website for a list of needed items. Hours are 9 am to 7 pm.

Jewish Community Center, 5601 S. Braeswood, although impacted by the storm, will be distributing supplies and accepting donations for those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Hours are Thursday-Sunday (Aug. 31-Sept. 3) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the J's Tennis Center. Enter off of Atwell and exit Braeswood. For a list of needs, click here

UPDATE Sept. 4: The Jewish Community Center is no longer accepting supplies. Those signed up for their assistance program can pick up supplies at the Tennis Center.

Westbury Christian Church and School, 10420 Hillcroft, on Friday, Sept. 1, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Westbury Christian School and Westbury Church of Christ will be accepting donations of specific items (see their website for details) at the McCloy Gymnasium located at 10420 Hillcroft (west end of south parking lot). On Saturday, September 2, WCS and Church will organize and distribute supplies. For more information and a list of needs, click here

Lone Star Convention Center 9055 Airport Road, Conroe 77303, is serving as a shelter and needs cots and bedding, coloring books, crayons and basketballs for the many children there.

UPDATE Sept. 4: Lone Star Convention Center is redirecting donations to their warehouse (3575 Pollok Dr. in Conroe.) Immediate needs include cleaning supplies and women's pants/shirts size 4x. They are open Monday, Sept. 4 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Lord of Life Lutheran Church 3801 S Panther Creek Dr, The Woodlands, TX 77381 is collecting clothing, cleaning supplies, toiletries.

UPDATE Sept. 4: Lord of Life Lutheran Church is no longer accepting anything other than cleaning supplies. They are overwhelmed with clothes.

The Montgomery County Food Bank will be accepting mass quantity food, personal care items and toiletries at: One Food for Life Way, Conroe, TX 77385 Phone: 936-539-6686 (GPS will recognize- 1 Prospect Point Conroe, TX 77385)

Monetary donations to help Montgomery County-wide flood recovery efforts can be directed to: United Way- 1600 Lake Front Circle Ste. 248, The Woodlands, TX 77380 Phone: 281-292- 4155

Holy Name Catholic Church: This Woodland Heights church, 1920 Marion, is open to shelter evacuees. They are also feeding any first responders who stop in. The shelter has plenty of donations already, but needs toothpaste.

Portlight Inclusive Disaster Strategies: This grass-roots agency helps families with disabilities. Click here.

Easter Seals Houston: The local chapter of this longtime organization provides services to people with disabilities and their families. Click here.

Texas Diaper Bank: This San Antonio-based group needs monetary donations and supplies. Click here.

Galveston County Food Bank: Monetary and food donations are needed at this Galveston County nonprofit. Click here.

Food Bank of the Golden Crescent: This food bank in Victoria needs donations of money and food. Click here.

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD: Shelters in the school district are in urgent need of bleach and bottled water. Click here for details on how to donate.

Corpus Christi Food Bank: In this hard-hit city, food and monetary donations are needed. Click here.

Brittmoore Rescue: Located in hard-hit Memorial (1401 Brtittmoore Rd.), the donation center is taking water, snacks and cleaning supplies.

Jewish Family Service of Houston: This local nonprofit is accepting donations to handle immediate needs of those affected by Tropical Storm Harvey and its flooding. The group provides a variety of services, including mental health and support counseling. Click here

Jewish Federation of Greater Houston: This nonprofit provides a variety of services to the Houston community. Click here

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston Disaster Recovery Fund - Click here

Casa Juan Diego Catholic Worker House shelter for immigrants: Food can be brought to 4818 Rose St. They also need adult diapers, especially medium pull-ups for the sick and injured, as well as underpads for beds, baby wipes and wipes for adults. Financial donations to assist those who have lost much in the flood and hurricane can be sent to P.O. Box 70113, Houston, TX 77270.

The Forge for Families, a Christian-based community organization, is a temporary American Red Cross shelter, housing more than 300 hurricane victims. They need food, new underwear for men and women, and baby supplies. Easy drop off at 3435 Dixie. Click here for more info about the group.

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is holding dozens of blood drives across the region to help replenish supplies from three donation days lost during Harvey. For a list of drives, click here

Neighbors Emergency Care Centers are collecting donated items for Harvey relief efforts. Learn more here

Where to volunteer:

Harris County Volunteer hotline: 281-656-1533

BakerRipley is calling for volunteers to sign up for shifts at the shelter at the NRG Center. Sign up here.

Volunteer Houston: This volunteer-agency match program connects those interested in helping others to groups in need. Look here for ways to donate now, and ways to help in the cleanup that's sure to come. Visit volunteerhouston.org

NRG Center: Sign up for a shift to volunteer with BakerRipley at Houston's largest shelter. Click here

George R. Brown Convention Center: Volunteer Houston is coordinating volunteers for the shelter. Sign up for a shift here.

Toyota Center: Volunteers are needed here, but asked to register through the Red Cross and check in at GRB.

Gallery Furniture is accepting monetary donations and volunteers to help with its Rebuild TX initiative, which will provide free help with cleaning up homes damaged by Harvey. Click here

Texas Muck Map helps connect volunteers willing to help clean up homes with flood damage with the homeowners in need. Click here

Houston Food Bank: Volunteers are needed to sign up for various shifts. Click here

Houston Food Bank: There is a critical need for additional volunteers to take calls, coordinate furniture donations, help with furniture distribution, help move furniture in the warehouse, as well as other duties. Please call: (713) 842-9771 or email info@houstonfurniturebank.org to inquire about volunteering.

Woodlands Church at 1 Fellowship Way on Highway 242 needs volunteers to serve, work in shifts, and support those in need who arrive throughout today and the rest of the week. Click here to donate or volunteer.

The South East Texas Regional Advisory Council is connecting licensed caregiver volunteers with hospitals and health providers in need. Volunteer here.

Lord of Life Lutheran Church in The Woodlands: The church is organizing clean up crews to help flood-stricken residents recover. Crews will work from 10am to 6pm Saturday, Sept 2.

Workers should bring solid work gloves, hammers, screwdrivers, electric drills, utility knives and blades, wheelbarrows, pick up trucks, masks 1 gallon spray jobs for use with vinegar solution if they have them.

The Lifelong Learning Center in Katy: The center is offering free respite care for children with special needs and their siblings, ages 12-22. 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sept 5-8, 1701 East Ave. Light lunch and snacks included. They're seeking volunteers, too. 832-795-3342 or 832-935-0903; info@avantrcs.com

Houston Volunteer Lawyers is asking attorneys to volunteer their time and expertise to provide legal help to storm victims. Register to volunteer here

Willow Meadows Baptist Church, 4300 W. Bellfort, is organizing volunteer crews to help area homeowners with cleanup efforts Friday and Saturday. Staging times are at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Volunteers are asked to bring their own lunch and tools. Call or text 713 922-0877 for details.

Texas Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster has a list of religious, community and non-profit disaster relief organizations that provide services to storm victims here.

Emergency Lodging Assistance is a FEMA -funded program that provides emergency housing in hotels. Hotels can find out more about participating in the program here or by calling 1-866-545-9865.

Texas organizations Carter BloodCare and South Texas Blood and Tissue Center are seeking blood donations.

To help Harvey-struck farmers and ranchers, the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, managed by the Texas State Agriculture Department, is accepting private donations. Donate here. To donate hay and animal feed, check here, or call 512-463-9360.

National/global organizations:

The American Red Cross is encouraging people to donate money on its website or to text 90999 to donate $10. The organization is also asking for volunteers.

Apple is letting users donate to the American Red Cross directly on iTunes and App Store.

Salvation Army: Donations will help provide physical, emotional and spiritual care to survivors and relief workers in areas affected by Tropical Storm Harvey. The organization is running two emergency shelters in Houston and has served nearly 120,000 meals to storm victims. To go to helpsalvationarmy.org, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY, text STORM to 51555, or send a check (designated "Hurricane Harvey") mailed to PO BOX 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301

The International Orthodox Christian Charities is collecting donations for its Hurricane Harvey Response Fund.

Direct Relief: This relief organization sends its inventory of emergency health supplies to areas in need, including the parts of the Gulf Coast affected by the storm. Click here

Save the Children: This organization will be working to bring supplies for children in shelters as well as other support. Click here

UNICEF USA has started a fund to assist children affected by Hurricane Harvey. Click here

Samaritan's Purse: This nondenominational evangelical Christian group has provided international relief since 1970. To donate to Samaritan's Purse, click here

Convoy of Hope: This group distributes emergency supplies and is on the ground in areas affected by Tropical Storm Harvey. In addition to financial donations, they are looking for volunteers who live within two hours of the storm-damaged area. Visit www.convoyofhope.org

Episcopal Relief and Development: To help fund efforts for storm rescue, relief and recovery, you can donate to this organization that has an international reach. Click here

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Charities organizes groups of volunteers to help during disasters. Click here

Global Giving: This crowdfunding site is trying to raise $2 million to help storm victims. To donate to Global Giving, click here

Heart to Heart International: The group's disaster response team delivers water, supplies, hygiene/health kits to affected areas. To donate to HHI, click here

Islamic Relief USA: This national group funds a variety of efforts, including disaster and emergency response efforts under way in Houston. Click here

United Sikhs: This religious, international nonprofit organization is organizing volunteers and accepting donations to help bring supplies to underserved neighborhoods affected by Harvey. Call 1-888-423-1690 for assistance with shipping and distribution of donated items. United Sikhs is asking that all supporters consider a $25 or more gift by texting HOUSTON2017 to 91999 or donate here. To volunteer locally, contact sikhaid@unitedsikhs.org or call (888) 243-1690.

Mattew 25 Ministries: This faith-based group provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief worldwide. They accept monetary and product donations. Click here

WATCHING HARVEY: Death toll reportedly reaches 5 as Harvey spawns massive flooding in Houston area

DonorsChoose.org is collecting funds to help teachers rebuild and restock their classrooms with books and other classroom supplies. All of the donations to the relief fund will support classroom projects.

Better Than a Hotel is temporarily making all of their available rentals in Austin and College station free for evacuees affected by Hurricane Harvey. For those in need of shelter can contact Albert Smith, director of business development and marketing at albert@BetterThanAHotel.com.

Airbnb has launched a site for people looking for a place to stay and for those who can offer shelter. Fees are waived for people who check in before September 25.

Americares, an emergency response organization based in Connecticut, is delivering relief supplies and working with a local clinic in Houston. They are taking donations here.

Global Giving is attempting to raise $2 million for funds that will "exclusively support local relief and recovery efforts from this storm."

HARVEY HITS: Houston residents share Hurricane Harvey photos on social media

Other organizations that are accepting donations for disaster relief include the Texas Diaper Bank, Discoll Children's Hospital in Corpus Christi.

Embark is donating 100 percent of its net profits from consumer website sales from Wednesday to Sunday to the Houston Humane Society and Austin Dog Alliance.

Simon & Schuster is providing assistance by offering damaged Texas public libraries and school libraries a donation of 250 "best of" titles to help restock their collections. School and public libraries can request the donation by emailing S&S at education.library@simonandschuster.com. For booksellers affected by the flooding, S&S is offering multiple copies of 20 new releases and bestsellers free of charge. Booksellers affected should contact the Book Industry Charitable Foundation at help@bincfoundation.org.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The water started bubbling up out of the nursing-home toilets around 3 a.m. It seemed like a bad sign  but not dire.

So when the overnight staff at La Vita Bella in Dickinson called owner Trudy Lampson early Sunday, she thought they had time to carry out carefully laid hurricane plans designed to ensure the safety of their 15 elderly patients battling dementia.

"We were so well-prepared," Lampson said. "We even had containers for the charts."

But by the time she arrived at the home on Oak Drive, water was already a foot deep. Half an hour later it was chest-high, and the meticulously curated medical notes floated atop a mess of debris and muck brought in with the floodwaters from the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey.

FEMA: Harvey is 'the worst disaster the state's ever seen

And, despite frantic phone calls from staff  some at the home, some trapped in their own residences  help did not come.

"I was on the phone with anybody except for God," said employee Tina Davis.

God didn't answer the phone, but in the end it was the Army National Guard that showed up to save the day, floating the wet, half-clothed residents out on mattresses to waiting trucks  massive light-medium tactical vehicles well-equipped for such conditions.

"The house was pretty much underwater," said an Army National Guard captain who asked not to be named.

Nine years ago, Lampson had evacuated the residents for Hurricane Ike. But this time, they stayed put.

David Popoff, emergency management coordinator for the city of Dickinson, located 30 miles southeast of downtown Houston, couldn't understand why.

"The mayor issued an evacuation warning for low-lying areas and people that were medically fragile and for some reason they didn't evacuate," he said.

The staff made their first calls for help in the early-morning hours, they later recalled. They tried 911, state officials, the fire marshal, and the mayor of a nearby town.

At one point, Lampson said, she was on the phone with a state official who said there was help at the scene  even though there was no one in sight.

Eventually, Lampson snapped a picture of the inundated house and sent it to her daughter, Kimberly McIntosh.

When McIntosh's husband shared the picture on Twitter, it went viral.

"Need help ASAP emergency services please," he wrote.

Still, they waited.

As the hours wore on, workers tried to placate the residents with Gatorade and cookies.

One asked repeatedly for her son. Another insisted they call a firefighter who'd helped her once, towns away.

DEBUNKED: TS Harvey victims, don't share viral National Guard social media message

"I was so scared," said Shantell Woodruff, a 17-year-old who works at La Vita Bella with her mother.

"I didn't know if I was going to get out or not."

Finally, around noon, help came.

Two patients were airlifted from the home, according to Popoff. Staffers said some were rescued by a friend with a boat.

And the Army National Guard pulled up with massive trucks to rescue the remaining 11 residents and five staff.

"It was about waist-deep water," the captain recalled. "And we were evacuating them out on mattresses."

Early Sunday afternoon, the wet and tired workers and their charges arrived at Santa Fe Elementary School, where some transferred to a bus headed for a church shelter in Alvin. Others went to the hospital as a precaution.

Pelted by a steady drizzle in the elementary school parking lot, Lampson reflected on the rescue effort: "I thought people would come quickly." And on the flood: "I thought we would have a couple hours."

Popoff offered sympathy.

"I don't blame her," he said. "We have made over 600 rescues today and I guarantee that for every one you talked to, we didn't come soon enough."

Even as Woodruff dried her tears and was loaded on the bus, Lampson, the owner, planned a return.

"I need to go back," she said. "We have like seven cats."
A feature in the Idaho Statesman highlights the sacrifices one woman makes to pay for the cost of long-term care for her husband who has Alzheimer's disease.

Betsey Winkler, 60, sold her embroidery business so she could care for her 69-year-old husband full-time, according to the report. When the care became too much for Ms. Winkler to provide on her own, she moved her husband into an assisted living facility, which costs the couple $48,000 a year. With combined incomes of $51,600 from pensions and Social Security, the Winkler's budget is tight. However, Ms. Winkler anticipates costs of long-term care for her husband to increase when his Alzheimer's worsens, up to as much as $63,600 a year, according to the report.

To help make up for that shortfall, she is saving as much money as possible, living on just $1 a day. To do this, she regularly looks through the dumpster at her local grocery store  collecting produce that didn't pass the store's quality standards and eating it for the week, according to the report. Any food she finds that she doesn't need is donated to a local food bank for others in similar situations.

Read the full story here.

More articles on finance:

Why patients delay medical payments: 12 findings

For-profit hospital stock report: Week of Aug. 21-25

6 recent donations, grants to healthcare organizations
Richard Boehler, president and CEO of St. Joseph Hospital in Nashua, N.H., is resigning, effective Sept. 1, according to a Union Leader report.

Mr. Boehler led the hospital since 2013. A hospital release noted he is leaving his post to "pursue other professional opportunities," according to the report.

During his tenure, the hospital saw significant growth and implemented an organizational restructuring.

Mr. Boehler previously served as CMO for provider solutions at Medeanalytics, a health IT firm. An internal medicine physician by training, he holds an MBA from Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based SUNY Empire State College.

Tewksbury, Mass.-based Covenant Health, the hospital's parent, hired a recruitment firm to find an interim leader for the hospital, according to the report.
After retiring as chancellor of Omaha-based University of Nebraska Medical Center three years ago, 80-year-old Harold Maurer, MD, returned to work as a part-time pediatrician at the Children's Hospital & Medical Center, also in Omaha, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Dr. Maurer and his wife, Beverly, attempted a test-run at retirement for two months in 2015, visiting their children and grandchildren in Tampa, Fla. However, Dr. Maurer said he "failed" at it.

"I failed retirement. I don't want my brain to turn to mush," Dr. Maurer told the Omaha World-Herald. "I enjoy seeing patients, and that's why I'm here. You do nothing, you've got a greater chance of developing dementia."

While in Florida, Dr. Maurer made the decision to begin seeing patients for the first time in years. He took a three-day course in Dallas and began following physicians on their rounds at a hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla. He went on to observe physicians at Children's Hospital & Medical Center, where he saw patients on a trial basis before winning privileges to see hematology patients, the report states.

Now, Dr. Maurer said he sees roughly one to three patients during his shifts.

Prior to his chancellorship, Dr. Maurer served as dean of medicine at UNMC for five years.
Becker's Healthcare is pleased to recognize the following 60 CEOs, presidents and administrators of critical access hospitals.

The men and women included on this list are at the helm of organizations regularly recognized for safety and quality. Many led their hospitals through expansions, mergers and EHR implementations. The individuals on this list are also key members of the community, serving on corporate boards and state-level initiatives to improve access to care.

This list highlights individuals who lead the hospitals featured on the Becker's Healthcare 60 Critical Access Hospitals to Know list, published in July.

Please contact Laura Dyrda at ldyrda@beckershealthcare.com with questions or comments on this list.

Note: Leaders are presented in alphabetical order. Individuals and institutions cannot pay for inclusion on this list.

Sponsored By:

athenahealth partners with hospital and ambulatory clients to drive clinical and financial results. We offer network-based medical record, revenue cycle, patient engagement, care coordination, and population health services, as well as Epocrates and other point-of-care mobile apps.

athenahealth connects care across a national network of 87,000 providers and 91.7 million patients. Our network provides clients better insight across their own organization as well as the ability to learn from the experience of every other provider on the network. Throughout the network, we infuse the knowledge clients need to thrive in a changing industry directly into their workflow, from clinical guidelines to payer rules. We take on back-office work at scale so providers can focus on patients, not paperwork, and get paid more, faster.

Todd Almendinger. President and CEO of Magruder Hospital (Port Clinton, Ohio). Mr. Almendinger became president and CEO of Magruder Hospital in 2012 after serving as the hospital's vice president and CEO for six years. [CLICK HERE]

Rebecca Beck. President of Hawkins County Memorial Hospital (Rogersville, Tenn.) and Hancock County Hospital (Sneedville, Tenn.). Ms. Beck became director of surgical services at Wellmont Health System's Bristol (Tenn.) Regional Medical Center in 2012 and was promoted to president of Wellmont's Hawkins County Memorial Hospital and Hancock County Hospital in Sneedville in 2015. [CLICK HERE]

Arthur Blank. President and CEO of Mount Desert Island Hospital (Bar Harbor, Maine). Mr. Blank began his tenure as CEO of Mount Desert Island Hospital in 1999. [CLICK HERE]

Paula Chermside. CEO of Aspirus Ironwood (Mich.) Hospital & Clinics. Ms. Chermside was named CEO of Aspirus Ironwood Hospital in May 2016 after spending three years as the hospital's COO. [CLICK HERE]

Chad Cooper. CEO of Riverwood Healthcare Center (Aikin, Minn.). Mr. Cooper became CEO of Riverwood Healthcare Center in July 2013. [CLICK HERE]

Michael Coyle. CEO of Coteau des Prairies Health System (Sisseton, S.D.). Mr. Coyle has spent more than 25 years in the healthcare industry. [CLICK HERE]

Mark Dalley. Administrator of Gunnison (Utah) Valley Hospital. Mr. Dalley became administrator of Gunnison Valley Hospital in August 2011 after serving as president and CEO of Ontario, Ore.-based Holy Rosary Medical Center, a Catholic Health Initiatives affiliate. [CLICK HERE]

Eugene Della. President of Fairview Hospital (Great Barrington, Mass.) and BMC Hillcrest Campus (Pittsfield, Mass.). Mr. Della joined BMC Hillcrest in 1962 and was named president and COO in 1981. [CLICK HERE]

Dolan Dalpoas. President and CEO of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital (Lincoln, Ill.). Mr. Dalpoas joined Springfield, Ill.-based Memorial Health System in 1994 and currently serves as president and CEO of Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital. [CLICK HERE]

Jenny Derks. Chief Administrative Officer of Calumet Medical Center (Chilton, Wis.). Ms. Derks became chief administrative officer of Affinity Health System and Ascension's Calumet Medical Center in November 2016. [CLICK HERE]

Mike Donlin. Administrator of Floyd Valley Healthcare (Le Mars, Iowa). Mr. Donlin began his career as an orderly in a small Onamia, Minn.-based hospital before being commissioned to the National Naval Medical Center in 1975. [CLICK HERE]

Brian Denton. Administrator of Mercy Hospital Kingfisher (Okla.). Prior to his November 2013 appointment as administrator of Mercy Hospital Kingfisher, Mr. Denton directed outpatient services and managed the EHR rollout at Mountain View, Mo.-based Mercy St. Francis Hospital. [CLICK HERE]

Mike Dowdy. CEO of Central Montana Medical Center (Lewistown, Mont.). Mr. Dowdy has been CEO of Central Montana Medical Center since 2015. [CLICK HERE]

Toby Freier. President of New Ulm (Minn.) Medical Center. New Ulm Medical Center is a nonprofit hospital affiliated with Minneapolis-based Allina Health. [CLICK HERE]

David Frum. President and CEO of Bridgton (Maine) Hospital.Mr. Frum joined Bridgton Hospital in 2010. Under his leadership, the hospital earned the National Rural Health Association's Top 20 Critical Access Hospitals award in 2016. [CLICK HERE]

Marian Furlong, RN. President and CEO of Hudson (Wis.) Hospital & Clinic. Ms. Furlong has been president and CEO of 25-bed Hudson Hospital & Clinic since 1999 and plans to retire in October 2017. [CLICK HERE]

Jeanie Gentry. CEO of Steele Memorial Medical Center (Salmon, Idaho). Ms. Gentry joined the 18-bed Steele Memorial Medical Center in April 2016. [CLICK HERE].

Matt Grimshaw. West Region President of CHI St. Alexius Health (Bismarck, N.D.). Mr. Grimshaw rose to his position as West Region President of CHI St. Alexius Health in 2017 after seven years as president of CHI St. Alexius Health Williston (N.D.) Medical Center. [CLICK HERE]

Martin Guthmiller. CEO of Orange City (Iowa) Area Health System. Mr. Guthmiller has been CEO of Orange City Area Health System since 1993. [CLICK HERE]

Hank Hanigan. CEO of Whitman Hospital and Medical Center (Colfax, Wash.). Mr. Hanigan became CEO of the 25-bed Whitman Hospital and Medical Center in 2014 after serving as COO of Coupeville, Wash.-based WhidbeyHealth. [CLICK HERE]

Tim Herrmann, RN. Chief Administrative Officer of PeaceHealth Cottage Grove (Ore.) Community Medical Center. Mr. Herrmann joined PeaceHealth in 1988 as the trauma program coordinator at Spokane, Wash.-based Sacred Heart Medical Center. [CLICK HERE]

Brian Herwig. President and CEO of Perry County Memorial Hospital (Tell City, Tenn.). Mr. Herwig brings Perry County Memorial Hospital more than 25 years of healthcare management experience. [CLICK HERE]

Dale Hustedt. President and CEO of Avera Holy Family Hospital (Estherville, Iowa). Mr. Hustedt was named CEO of Avera Holy Family Hospital in 2014. [CLICK HERE]

Barry Jacobsen. CEO of Myrtue Medical Center (Harlan, Iowa). Mr. Jacobsen was appointed CEO of Myrtue Medical Center in 2009 after dedicating more than a decade to the Harlan-based institution. [CLICK HERE]

Ryan Jones. CEO of Aultman Orrville (Ohio) Hospital. Mr. Jones spent nearly two decades in various positions at the 25-bed Aultman Orrville Hospital before Aultman Orrville's Advisory Board of Directors named him CEO in August 2017. [CLICK HERE]

Steven Jones. President of University Hospitals Geneva (Ohio) Medical Center. Mr. Jones was named president of University Hospitals Community Hospitals-East region in 2016, responsible for the health system's hospitals throughout Ohio in Ahuja, Bedford, Conneaut, Geauga, Geneva, Portage and Richmond. [CLICK HERE]

Connie L. Koutouzos. CEO of Aspirus Iron River (Mich.) Hospital & Clinics. Ms. Koutouzos is the CEO of Aspirus Iron River Hospital & Clinics, a 25-bed critical access hospital founded when Iron River, Mich.-based County General Hospital and Crystal Falls (Mich.) Community Hospital merged in 1996. [CLICK HERE]

Jeff Lingerfelt. CEO of Hammond-Henry Hospital (Geneseo, Ill.). Mr. Lingerfelt began his tenure as CEO of Hammond-Henry Hospital in November 2015. [CLICK HERE]

Tammy Loosbrock. Senior Director of Sanford Luverne (Minn.) Medical Center. Ms. Loosbrock served as the manager of rehabilitation services, ancillary service director and COO of Sanford Luverne Medical Center before becoming CEO. [CLICK HERE]

Lenny Lyons. Administrator at Delta (Utah) Community Hospital and Fillmore (Utah) Community Hospital. Mr. Lyons is the administrator for Delta Community Hospital and Fillmore Community Hospital, both nonprofit hospitals with combined governing boards. [CLICK HERE]

Amy McDaniel. CEO of Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics  Belmond. Ms. McDaniel is CEO of Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics  Belmond, which, in conjunction with its sister hospital in Clarion, Iowa, and surrounding outreach clinics, includes 500 employees and more than 35 healthcare providers. [CLICK HERE]

Michelle McEwen. President and CEO of Speare Memorial Hospital (Plymouth, N.H.). Ms. McEwen oversaw the completion of a $15 million renovation to Speare Memorial Hospital in 2006 as president and CEO. [CLICK HERE]

Doug McMillan. CEO of West Park Hospital (Cody, Wyo.). Mr. McMillan has been the CEO of West Park Hospital since 1997. He oversees the 25-bed critical access hospital's staff of more than 50 physicians and 500 employees. [CLICK HERE]

David Miller. President of River Falls (Wis.) Area Hospital. Before joining River Falls Area Hospital, Mr. Miller served as the vice president of operations for St. Paul, Minn.-based United Hospital for 10 years. [CLICK HERE]

Tamara Miller. CEO of Madison (S.D.) Regional Health System. Ms. Miller leads Madison Regional Health System, which includes a 22-bed hospital and 220 employees. She became CEO in 1996. [CLICK HERE]

Kim Monjesky. CEO of Pikes Peak Regional Hospital (Woodland Park, Colo.). In December 2015, Ms. Monjesky transitioned from CFO to CEO of Pikes Peak Regional Hospital. [CLICK HERE]

Rick Nevers. Senior Vice President of Regional Operations and Systems Integration Officer at Aspirus (Wausau, Wis.) and Interim President of Aspirus Medford (Wis.) Hospital & Clinics. Mr. Nevers is senior vice president of regional operations and systems integration at Aspirus as well as interim president of Aspirus Medford Hospital. [CLICK HERE]

Julie Petersen. CEO of Kittitas Valley Healthcare (Ellensburg, Wash.). Ms. Peterson joined Kittitas Valley Healthcare as CEO in June 2016. [CLICK HERE]

Bob Peterson. CEO of Millinocket (Maine) Regional Hospital. Mr. Peterson has served as CEO of Millinocket Regional Hospital since June 2014. [CLICK HERE]

Michele Pilon. President and CNO of Transylvania Regional Hospital (Brevard, N.C.). Ms. Pilon became president and CNO of Transylvania Regional Hospital in October 2016. [CLICK HERE]

Lisa M. Radtke. Chief Administrative Officer of Winneshiek Medical Center (Decorah, Iowa). Ms. Radtke is the chief administrative officer of Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic Health System's Winneshiek Medical Center and regional administrator for human resources for the Southwest Wisconsin Region. [CLICK HERE]

Roger J. Reamer. Administrator and CEO of Memorial Health Care Systems (Seward, Neb.). Mr. Reamer heads Memorial Health Care Systems, a critical access hospital that opened in 1950. [CLICK HERE]

Dave Ressler. CEO of Aspen (Colo.) Valley Hospital. Mr. Ressler served as CEO of Aspen Valley Hospital from 2004 to 2013 and then returned as CEO in the fall of 2016. [CLICK HERE]

Jeremy Roberge. President and CEO of Huggins Hospital (Wolfeboro, N.H.). Mr. Roberge joined Huggins Hospital in 2012 as CFO and senior vice president before becoming president and CEO in August 2016. [CLICK HERE]

Bruce Roesler. CEO of Richland Hospital (Richland Center, Wis.). Before Mr. Roesler joined Richland Hospital in March 2015, he served as president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center  New Hampton (Iowa) for eight years and president and CEO of Avera Marshall (Minn.) Regional Medical Center for one year. [CLICK HERE]

Justin Selle. CEO and Administrator of Pike County Memorial Hospital (Louisiana, Mo.). Mr. Selle joined Pike County Memorial Hospital as COO in July 2014 and transitioned into the CEO role in March 2015. [CLICK HERE]

Matthew R. Shahan. CEO of West River Health Services (Hettinger, N.D.). Mr. Shahan oversees the 20-bed West River Health Services hospital, West River Health Services Foundation and Western Horizons Living Center. [CLICK HERE]

Tanya Sharp. President and CEO of Boone County Health Center (Albion, Neb.). Ms. Sharp has been CEO of Boone County Health Center since January 2017. [CLICK HERE]

Hank Simpson, MD. CEO of Mayo Clinic Health System-Red Cedar (Menomonie, Wis.). Before his tenure as CEO, Dr. Simpson served as Mayo Clinic Health System-Red Cedar's vice CMO and chairman of the board. [CLICK HERE]

Philip J. Stuart. Administrator of Tomah (Wis.) Memorial Hospital. Mr. Stuart became administrator of Tomah Memorial Hospital in 1995. [CLICK HERE]

Dennis Swan. President and CEO of Sparrow Health System (St. Johns, Mich.). Mr. Swan has served on the executive team at Sparrow Health System for 32 years, previously as senior vice president of operations and COO. [CLICK HERE]

Josh Tucker. Administrator of Mercy Hospital Logan County (Guthrie, Okla.). Mr. Tucker joined Mercy Hospital Logan County in December 2011. [CLICK HERE]

Allen Van Driel. CEO of Smith County Memorial Hospital (Smith Center, Kan.). Mr. Van Driel became a board member of the Sunflower Health Network in 2012. [CLICK HERE]

Jeanie Vieira. CEO of Providence Hood River (Ore.) Memorial Hospital. Ms. Vieira became CEO of Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital and the Columbia Gorge Service Area in May 2016. [CLICK HERE]

Timothy Walsh. Interim President and CEO of Martha's Vineyard Hospital (Oak Bluffs, Mass.). Mr. Walsh served as CEO of Martha's Vineyard Hospital from 2002 to 2016, and then returned as interim CEO in June 2017. [CLICK HERE]

Harry Weis. CEO of Tahoe Forest Hospital (Truckee, Calif.). Mr. Weis joined Tahoe Forest Hospital in December 2015. [CLICK HERE]

Ken Westman. CEO of Barrett Hospital and HealthCare (Dillon, Mont.). Mr. Westman became CEO of Barrett Hospital and HealthCare in 2011. [CLICK HERE]

Todd Willert. President and CEO of Community HealthCare System, Onaga (Kan.) & St. Mary's. Mr. Willert became CEO of Onaga, Kan.-based Community HealthCare System in 2015 after spending nearly 20 years as CEO of Nevada, Iowa-based Story County Medical Center and one year as CEO of Albia, Iowa-based Monroe County Hospital and Clinics. [CLICK HERE]

Richard Willett. CEO of Redington-Fairview General Hospital (Skowhegan, Maine). Mr. Willett joined Redington-Fairview General Hospital in 1972 as director of pharmacy and became CEO in October 1991. [CLICK HERE]

Lee Woodward, Jr. President of Coastal Healthcare Alliance (Belfast, Maine). Mr. Woodward serves as president of Coastal Healthcare Alliance, the health system overseeing Belfast-based Waldo County General Hospital and Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Maine. [CLICK HERE]

Gerald Worrick. President and CEO of Door County Medical Center (Sturgeon Bay, Wis.). Mr. Worrick became president and CEO of Door County Medical Center in 1988, overseeing the hospital's change from an inpatient to outpatient model focused on primary care and prevention. [CLICK HERE]

Robert Wright. CEO of Newman Regional Health (Emporia, Kan.). Mr. Wright became CEO of Newman Regional Health in 2013. Since then, he has overseen a $3 million Meditech upgrade. [CLICK HERE]
A patient in police custody at St. Barnabas Hospital in New York City was stabbed twice Friday by another patient while handcuffed to a gurney in the hospital's emergency department.

Police say 23-year-old Joseph Curet was arrested Friday after allegedly making several calls to 911, claiming he was going to shoot police officers. Police took Mr. Curet to St. Barnabas Hospital for a psychological evaluation. While in the hospital's ED, he was stabbed in his chest and arm by 36-year-old Tomas Berroa, according to WABC. A police officer guarding Mr. Curet subdued Mr. Berroa with help from the ED staff.

Mr. Berroa was also a patient at St. Barnabas Hospital, according to News 12. Authorities say it not clear why Mr. Berroa stabbed Mr. Curet.

St. Barnabas Hospital did not immediately respond to Becker's Hospital Review's request for comment.

More articles on healthcare news:

Augusta University Health System blames lack of physicians for $8.8M loss

SSM to break ground on $550M hospital Aug. 31

CMS cancels cardiac bundles, scales back CJR model: 8 things to know
Massachusetts permanently closed Westwood (Mass.) Lodge, a psychiatric hospital owned by Arbour Health System in Pembroke, Mass., just four weeks after it declared the hospital safe for adult patients, according to the Boston Globe.

The Massachusetts Department of Mental Health shut down the facility on Friday citing safety lapses, despite increased oversight by the agency. All 20 adult patients at Westwood Lodge were transferred to other treatment facilities.

While a statement from the Massachusetts DMH did not disclose details of the safety lapses, an employee from the agency told the Boston Globe that a patient allegedly assaulted another patient last week.

After major mistakes halted adult and adolescent admissions to the hospital on May 12, state mental health regulators reopened admissions for adult patients on July 31. Hospital executives promised changes to increase patient safety such as filling new leadership positions, hiring additional staff, renovating patient units and improving treatment planning. Yet, despite these changes, state regulators cited critical safety issues four weeks later.

"The Department of Mental Health made the decision to close the Westwood Lodge effective August 25, 2017, due to issues of patient safety, quality of care, and the facility's failure to comply with DMH requirements," spokeswoman Daniela Trammell told the Boston Globe.

Westwood Lodge's Children's unit has been closed since April 26.
United Blood Services is calling on Texas residents to donate blood in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, according to the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.

United Blood Services is a nonprofit community blood service provider for the Rio Grande Valley, west Texas and New Mexico. The company is expecting blood shortages due to injuries related to the hurricane, which hit the Texas Gulf Coast Friday night.

"As a unified blood provider, we want to ensure that blood is available to our neighbors in this time of need. If you are able, please consider donating blood," Carla Alexander, a marketing and communications manager with United Blood Services, said in a press release cited by Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.





More articles on supply chain:

AI could help keep medications safe, says Xavier Health director

FDA approves treatment for Parkinson's drug side effect

Former pharma CEO: Political interference is 'worst solution' to high drug prices
Theresa May says executive greed is 'damaging the social fabric of our country'

Fat-cat bosses whose huge pay rises outstrip the performance of their companies have been branded the "unacceptable face of capitalism" by Prime Minister Theresa May as she prepares to set out new measures to curb boardroom excess.

Mrs May warned that the "excesses and irresponsibility" of a minority of executives was undermining public confidence in the free-enterprise economy and "damaging the social fabric of our country".

She warned it risked fuelling support for far-left policies of state control of industry and high taxation.

Mrs May announced plans, to be spelt out in detail later in the coming week, for reforms to name and shame firms where shareholders have rebelled over executive salaries and bonuses and to ensure that the voice of workers is heard in the boardroom.

Sources close to the Prime Minister dismissed reports that Mrs May had set August 30 2019 as a deadline to hand over the reins of power to a successor.

As the PM conducted a charm offensive on Tory MPs by inviting them for drinks at her country residence in Buckinghamshire, the Sunday Mirror quoted one attendee as saying: "It's clear she won't lead us into another election and will be gone by September 2019.

"She invited MPs to Chequers to ensure there isn't a leadership contest in the meantime."

But a senior Tory source retorted: "I think we've hit peak silly season with this story."

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mrs May stressed her support for the majority of British businesses, which she said understood the need to respond to the concerns of employees and shareholders.

But she said: "T oo often in recent years, we have also seen another, unacceptable, face of capitalism. A minority of firms are falling short of the high standards we expect of them.

"Some have deliberately broken rules that are designed to protect their workers. Others have ignored the concerns of their shareholders by awarding pay rises to bosses that far outstrip the company's performance."

Mrs May said that problems were caused by a "sm all minority" of executives who " narrowly put their own short-term interests first".

"Our future success as a nation, and the security and prosperity of every family in every part of the UK, depends on our economy thriving in the years ahead," she said.

"That future success is undermined by the excesses and irresponsibility of a few.

"When big businesses are brought into disrepute, public trust in an open, free-enterprise economy is weakened. It is bad for individual workers and companies, but also damages the social fabric of our country. It emboldens those on the far left who hate to see business succeed."

Mrs May said the Government reforms would include measures to ensure workers' voices were "properly heard in the boardroom", but made clear that listed companies would choose for themselves whether to do this by having an employee advisory panel, a dedicated board member or an employee representative on their board.

A new public register will be established by the end of this year, listing companies which have faced shareholder revolts over salaries and bonuses, she said.

The register will enable potential investors to identify firms where existed shareholders do not feel that bosses' rewards are justified.

Mrs May warned that she was ready to take "further steps" if businesses did not respond positively.

Critics will say that the package represents a significant watering down of proposals she previously floated for workers' representation on boards and shareholders' votes on bosses' pay.

But the measures are still likely to face resistance from pro-business Tories.

Backbencher George Freeman, a former minister and head of the PM's policy board , warned on Saturday that Mrs May's government was " 'flirting with anti-capitalism" rather than promoting "real entrepreneurship".
Two members of the highly-successful group The Priests have been given new roles after a diocesan reshuffle.

The changes in Down and Connor were announced by Bishop Noel Treanor yesterday.

Fr Manuelito Milo, the first non-national to be ordained in an Irish diocese, has also been given a new appointment.

The Very Reverend Eugene O'Hagan, one of singing trio The Priests, who is already the Chancellor of the Diocese, has been given the additional appointment of Vicar-General.

In Canon Law the Vicar-General has responsibility for the Diocese in the absence of the Bishop.

The Very Rev David Delargy, also part of the singing troupe and at present Parish Priest of St Michael the Archangel in west Belfast, becomes Parish Priest of the Lough Shore Parishes of Whitehouse, Greencastle and St James. Fr Martin O'Hagan, the third member of The Priests, is currently the Parish Priest in Newtownards and Comber.

As well as this series of best-selling CDs which have brought them widespread international fame, The Priests undertake regular concert tours in Ireland, the UK and elsewhere.

However, their recording contract also allows them to fulfil their normal clerical duties in their different roles.

Fr Manuelito Milo, who was born in the Philippines, was ordained into the Diocese of Down and Connor on June 25 last year, and he has been appointed as a curate at St Patrick's, with additional duties at the Mater Hospital.

He was educated at St Malachy's and Queen's University, and later at Maynooth. He was a chaplain in Cork University Hospital before coming to Belfast where he was engaged in pastoral work, prior to his ordination.

Other appointments include that of the Very Rev Martin Magill, currently administrator of Ballyclare and Ballygowan near Larne, who will become Parish Priest at St John's in Belfast.

Fr Magill is a well-known ecumenist who has worked closely with the Rev Steve Stockman, minister of Fitzroy Presbyterian Church, in establishing the annual Four Corners Festival in Belfast.

Last night Fr Magill told the Belfast Telegraph that he was moving with mixed emotions.

"I am heartbroken to be leaving the Ballyclare and Ballygowan parish, where I really enjoyed my last 11 months as administrator," he said. "However, I am also looking forward to returning to Belfast, having been in west Belfast for 15 years.

"I'm looking forward particularly to coming to St John's and working with the local politicians and the community."

Another significant appointment is that of Paula McKeown, who becomes director of the Living Church Project, in succession to the former director Alan McGuckian, who was recently installed as Bishop of Raphoe.

Fr Ciaran Feeney, the Parish Priest of St Colmcille's on the Newtownards Road, has been appointed to St Michael the Archangel's.

Fr Feeney informed his congregation at yesterday's Mass, and afterwards received a standing ovation.

All appointments take effect from September 22.
Angry groups of landowners in border counties - in the Republic and Northern Ireland - are considering "strong-arm" tactics to block a huge electricity scheme which would economically benefit both regions.

They are furious over a recent Dublin High Court ruling which approved plans for the scheme, after it was challenged by the North-East Anti-Pylon Campaign Committee.

Farmers are claiming the pylons, with the overhead power lines proposed by EirGrid, would pose a huge environmental threat - and would means their property values could take a substantial hit.

The 200m North-South Interconnector project was first put forward for planning approval in 2009 - but, eight years later, it has still not received the final go-ahead

The current plan is for an 85 mile-long overhead electricity link to run from Charlemont, through Co Armagh, crossing the border near Keady into Monaghan and Cavan, ending north of Kells in Meath.

Plans to link the two power grids mean the construction of huge pylons to carry high-voltage cables.

The decision by the High Court in Dublin last Tuesday to reject a challenge by the North East group against An Bord Pleanala's decision to provide planning permission for the 380m overhead North-South scheme, is to be appealed.

But despite the appeals process, it emerged yesterday that several landowners in counties Meath, Monaghan, and Cavan - three of the counties where the pylons are proposed - have now held private talks aimed at disrupting the scheme, with the clear aim of preventing it from going ahead.

It is understood the scheme's critics are planning to act independently, and are not connected to any political organisation or group, although it is believed they may have the support of some angry Irish Farmers Association members in the region.

The landowners have already declared they are not opposed to the cross-border electricity interconnector scheme in principle, but are demanding that the power-lines should be buried underground, rather than be carried on dozens of overground pylons.

Speaking after the Dublin High Court decision, Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy was forthright about his opposition to the erection of the pylons and overhead power-lines.

He said he felt the North South Interconnector "cannot proceed" unless it is underground, and he added he was not in favour of the High Court court ruling.

He said: "The North-South Interconnector is a project of significant importance for the whole island and its energy market.

"However, it will never go ahead unless it is underground.

"Communities across Cavan, Monaghan, Meath, Armagh, and Tyrone, have fought the plan to overground this project for a decade, and they will not give up now.

"Since this project was first mentioned, the costs of undergrounding the project have fallen dramatically to the point where it is arguably more efficient that constructing massive pylons while the technology that would allow undergrounding has been hugely advanced."

"Next month I will be hosting a delegation from all the counties involved in the anti-pylon campaign, including elected representatives and energy experts, to visit the Aachen-Liege project, which runs between Germany and Belgium.

"This project is comparable in many ways to the proposed EirGrid line but it is underground."

The MEP concluded: "The government needs to understand how fiercely opposed local landowners and communities are to the project, as it currently stands, and their resolve to resist it."

Business organisations north and south have called for the interconnector to be built as soon as possible.

Speaking at a public inquiry into the project earlier this year, Kirsty McManus, of the NI Chamber of Commerce, said delivering the interconnector was a "top priority" for its membership.

The Northern Ireland section of the interconnector is the responsibility of SONI Ltd, a subsidiary of Dublin-based Eirgrid PLC, which in turn is owned by the Irish government.
Belfast mechanic Lewis Goodall is charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to his mother.

A Belfast teenager was remanded in custody today accused of a knife attack on his mother.

Lewis Goodall, 18, allegedly turned violent at their Donard Street home on Saturday.

The defendant, a mechanic, appeared before Belfast Magistrates' Court charged with attempting to cause grievous bodily harm to his mother.

He also faces a second count of possessing an offensive weapon, namely a knife, with intent to commit an indictable offence.

A PSNI constable said he could connect Goodall to the alleged offences.

No further details of the incident were disclosed.

With no alternative address available at this stage, a defence solicitor confirmed he was not yet seeking bail.

District Judge George Conner remanded Goodall in custody to appear again by video-link on Friday. ends
The families of those killed in the Kingsmill massacre will meet the Taoiseach tomorrow to demand that his government immediately hands over security files on the IRA attack.

DUP leader Arlene Foster will accompany the relatives to the meeting where Leo Varadkar will be told that the failure to pass on the documents is hampering the inquest into the atrocity.

Victims' campaigner Willie Frazer claimed that Dublin had been promising the material for more than two years.

And he warned that if Mr Varadkar didn't act speedily, the Kingsmill families would hold a protest rally outside Leinster House next month.

The last attempt by relatives of IRA victims to march in Dublin led to serious rioting, which caused the Love Ulster demonstration to be abandoned in 2006.

The location for the Taoiseach's meeting with victims hasn't been confirmed but it is understood that it is most likely to be Armagh.

A DUP spokesman said: "Arlene Foster raised the Kingsmill issue with Leo Varadkar in her first discussions with him after he became Taoiseach and he readily agreed to meet the families.

"We are looking forward to Tuesday's meeting and we hope it results in progress regarding these documents."

Ten Protestant workers were ordered out of their minibus by IRA gunmen in 1976 and shot dead by the side of the road.

An inquest into their deaths, which began in May, is due to resume again next month after breaking for the summer.

Mr Frazer last night told the Belfast Telegraph: "The Kingsmill families feel very angry and frustrated over Dublin's repeated failure to hand over documents.

"The Irish government are only paying lip service to their pledge to do everything they could to help us. They haven't delivered anything worthwhile. We know they are sitting on material which is vital to the progress of the inquest.

"We have spoken to retired gardai who are disgusted that the documents haven't been given to us."

Mr Frazer said that Irish authorities had an array of material relating to the massacre.

"We know that they are in possession of evidence as to who hijacked the vehicle used in the attack," he stated.

"They also have intelligence documents about some of the suspects involved who were later arrested in the south with weapons used in Kingsmill and in other IRA murders in South Armagh."

The victims' campaigner accused Dublin of breaking promises to hand over the material twice in 2015 and again last year.

"We are hoping that there will be a different approach by the new Taoiseach and that he will fulfil pledges made by the previous administration," he said. "Leo Varadkar is just in the job and we are certainly up for giving him the opportunity to prove that it isn't just nationalist victims whom the southern government is concerned about.

"But this is the last chance Dublin is getting. We'll be taking no more excuses."

The Taoiseach's office couldn't be contacted for comment last night but earlier this month a spokesman said that the government was co-operating fully, in accordance with the law, with the Kingsmill inquest in order to provide answers for the victims' families.

A spokesman said: "In line with this commitment, significant evidential material has already been transferred by An Garda Siochana to the Northern Ireland coroner.

"The Irish authorities have continuously sought to cooperate with the coroner and his legal team as part of an ongoing legal process.

"Every effort has been made to facilitate further cooperation in respect of the coroner's requests to An Garda Siochana and there have been numerous meetings with the coroner's legal team over the last year. The Coroner's most recent request of April 13, 2017 was responded to comprehensively on June 1, 2017. The Irish government and the Garda authorities remain keen to assist any further requests from the coroner in accordance with the law."

However, Mr Frazer claimed that "so far we have received only 90 pages of documents, around 60 of which are newspaper cuttings". He added: "Nationalist families regularly complain that the British drag their feet in releasing material to them about killings, well our experience with the Irish government is just the same."

The victims' campaigner said that a previous parade in Dublin in protest at the government's failure to hand over documents had been cancelled after pledges of speedy action were made.

"We won't be making the same mistake again," he warned.

"The Kingsmill families and those who stand with them will be marching if Dublin doesn't deliver."
Houses in Chobham Street in east Belfast were boarded up in 2015 ahead of the huge bonfire at the foot of the street being lit

More than 100,000 spent boarding up homes ahead of Eleventh night bonfires across Northern Ireland in five years has been branded "ridiculous".

Between 2012 and 2016, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive spent 116,884 of taxpayers' money covering houses to protect them from damage.

The costs rose year-on-year from 9,668 in 2012 to a staggering 37,202 in 2015, and most recently 19,586 in 2016.

Read More

Since 2013, the highest amount was spent boarding up homes in the Shankill area of Belfast with 6,449 spent in 2016 and 7,993 in 2015.

The figures were obtained after a Freedom of Information request to the Housing Executive.

SDLP MLA Claire Hanna said: "That is a really large amount of money for something unnecessary. It's ridiculous that to facilitate reckless behaviour we are actually boarding up - at cost to the public purse - to protect people's homes.

"We know that many of these people were very distressed about it. Bonfires which are outside reasonable parameters and do cause risk to property are just not acceptable. Nobody is trying to ban bonfires, but some structures are beyond the pale."

However, Belfast DUP councillor Brian Kingston said that continued "engagement and co-operation" with communities is key and that "fewer bonfires have the potential to cause damage".

In 2015 there was a substantial cost in east Belfast amid fears a whole street could go up in flames when a huge bonfire was lit and 52 houses boarded up. Some families in Chobham Street, off Ravenscroft Avenue, moved out ahead of its lighting.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close William Young used a drone to take this remarkable photo of the bonfire at Sandy Row. 11/07/2017 Sandy Row Photo: William Young Sandy Row Photo: William Young Roden Street Photo: William Young Shankill Photo: William Young The scene on Love Lane in Carrickfergus as the local community rebuild a bonfire after the original bonfire they build was burnt on Monday evening. Picture by Matt Mackey / presseye.com 10/07/2017 The scene on Love Lane in Carrickfergus as the local community rebuild a bonfire after the original bonfire they build was burnt on Monday evening. Picture by Matt Mackey / presseye.com 10/07/2017 The scene on Love Lane in Carrickfergus as the local community rebuild a bonfire after the original bonfire they build was burnt on Monday evening. Picture by Matt Mackey / presseye.com 10/07/2017 Pacemaker Press Belfast 11-07-2017: Final preparations takes place for the Bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast .The bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas as part of Eleventh Night celebrations on Tuesday night. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11-07-2017: Final preparations takes place for the Bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast .The bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas as part of Eleventh Night celebrations on Tuesday night. Picture By: Arthur Allison. Pacemaker Press Belfast 11-07-2017: Final preparations take place for the Bonfire on Sandy Row in Belfast .The bonfires will be lit in loyalist areas as part of Eleventh Night celebrations on Tuesday night. Picture By: Arthur Allison. SDLP MLA Daniel McCrossan posted this photo of one of his election posters on a bonfire and said he considers the action a hate crime. Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. [Photo: Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com] Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. [Photo: Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com] Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. [Photo credit: Liam McBurney/PA Wire] PA Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. [Photo: PA Wire 10/07/2017] PA A bonfire constructed across the road from a petrol station in Carrickfergus was set alight in the early hours of Tuesday morning. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp William Young used a drone to take this remarkable photo of the bonfire at Sandy Row. 11/07/2017

In Bangor in 2015, 5,874 was spent boarding up houses.

The figures show 2012 was the lowest cost of bonfire protection, with the highest individual bill being 2,007 in the Collon Terrace area of Londonderry.

However, despite the preventative measures in 2016 a pensioner and a young family were left homeless after the bonfire in the Shankill Road area ignited a row of terraced houses. Three properties were significantly damaged as burning embers caught by the wind rained down on their rooftops.

The figures also reveal that in 2016 it cost the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) 11,312 to attend Eleventh night-related bonfires. NIFRS said it "continues to work closely with partner agencies and local communities to provide safety advice in relation to bonfires".

Bonfires have been a hot topic this summer as Belfast City Council tried to take action against some unregulated pyres.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens. The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Lower Shankill bonfire in west Belfast. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye 11-07-17] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye The 'eleventh night bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The 'eleventh nightO bonfire is lit at the Milner Street area of the Village in South Belfast as celebrations of William of Orange's victory commence on July 11th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Firefighters near a lit bonfire on Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. PA The Lower Shankill bonfire in west Belfast. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye 11-07-17] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye A quiet moment as the Sandy Row bonfire in south Belfast starts to die down. [Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye] Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Onlookers watch as firefighters douse nearby buildings as a bonfire is lit in Albertbridge Road, Belfast ahead of the key date in the protestant loyal order marching season - the Twelfth of July. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Tuesday July 11, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 11: Loyalists finish a bonfire in East Belfast in preparation for the 11th night celebrations on July 11, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images LISBURN, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Having finished school for the summer 13 year old Tyler Reid helps guard the Lisburn bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The bonfires, which are lit on the stroke of midnight on the 11th night, mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades in Northern Ireland. The annual Orange marches celebrate the protestant King William of Orange's victory over the catholic English King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: A Loyalist climbs the Conway street bonfire built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Workmen board up windows of property beside a bonfire at the end of the Comber Greenway off Ravenscroft Avenue in east Belfast. Picture by Jonathan Porter/PressEye.com Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Liam McBurney/PA Wire PA Masked men continue to build a bonfire at Inverary Playing Fields in Belfast. Police in Northern Ireland have warned their resources could be stretched amid growing fears of tension around the burning of Eleventh night bonfires. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday July 10, 2017. See PA story ULSTER Twelfth. Photo credit should read: PA Wire PA Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Roden Street bonfire. The largest bonfire in Belfast. BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tradition holds that the bonfires commemorate the lighting of fires on the hills to help Williamite ships navigate through Belfast Lough at night when Protestant King William III and his forces landed at Carrickfergus to fight the Catholic Jacobites, supporters of the exiled Catholic King James II. The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists climb The Village bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: The bonfires also mark the beginning of the annual 12th of July Orange parades. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: Loyalists sit on the Sandy Row bonfire being built in preparation for the 11th night bonfire on July 10, 2017 in Belfast. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) Getty Images LARNE, NORTHERN IRELAND - JULY 10: 'Hurka' the chief architect and builder of the Craigyhill bonfire takes a break from stacking pallets to pose with his creation whilst balancing on a ladder on July 10, 2017 in Larne, Northern Ireland. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) Getty Images General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph General views of the square shaped bonfire on Milner Street in South Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Pastor Lucas Parks at his church in east Belfast close to the walkway bonfire on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph The Conway Street bonfire in West Belfast on July 10th 2017 (Photo by Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph) Kevin Scott / Belfast Telegraph Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield Walkway bonfire site. Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A wooden pallet is carried to a bonfire in the Shankill area of west Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builders Dean Neeson and Graeme Stewart carry wooden pallets to a bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith /AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Posters of Sinn Fein politicians are seen placed on a bonfire in Shankill. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn.[Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire is pictured in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images A bonfire towers over the housing in the Ballymacash area of Lisburn. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Children play on a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires The Eleventh Night refers to the night before the Twelfth of July, an annual Protestant commemoration of the famous battle were Protestant King William III of Orange defeated Catholic King James II at the battle of the Boyne on July 12, 1690. / AFP PHOTO / Paul FAITHPAUL FAITH/AFP/Getty Images AFP/Getty Images A Union flag flutters in the breeze in front of a bonfire in the village area of Belfast. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie, poses for a photograph beside a bonfire in the village area of Belfast, Northern Ireland on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Former Bonfire builder Colin Tweedie (R), inspects a bonfire in the village area of Belfast on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole in north Belfast on July 10, 2017 ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Bonfire builder Ryan Preston poses for a photograph on the Doonbeg bonfire in Rathcoole on July 10, 2017, ahead of the traditional 11th night bonfires. [Photo: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images] AFP/Getty Images Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. East Belfast Bonfire at Avoniel Leisure Centre car park that has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway East Belfast Bonfire ath Ravenscroft Avenue car park/Bloomfield walkway has had an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the bonfire site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. Belfast Telegraph 09-07-2017 East Belfast Bonfire at Inverary playing fields that has an injunction by Belfast City Council in place to stop wood from being dumped at the site and added to the bonfire. / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The Eleventh Night from above Belfast. Pic Stephen Owens.

A court order banned loyalists from stacking up more wood for the fires ahead of the Eleventh night - an order that subsequently appeared to be broken.

In addition a Sinn Fein motion was passed at Belfast City Council after it said a small number of fires were built dangerously close to homes or businesses and that poisonous gases were affecting the health of nearby residents.

A last-minute amendment saw a clause meaning it only applied to those fires which posed a threat to life or property.

The council is currently reviewing its bonfire policies after it stored pallets for an east Belfast pyre which were stolen.

Mr Kingston said bonfire issues were best dealt with at a local level, adding: "It is necessary to engage and to co-operate with communities in order to have influence. On some occasions the Housing Executive has taken the precaution of placing boards over the fronts of properties which could be damaged by the heat from bonfires.

"Tragically the catching fire of the roofs of a few houses in Lower Shankill last year, due to embers blown from the bonfire by strong winds, demonstrated that there is always an element of risk with bonfires; that bonfire was moved this year.

"My party colleagues and I remain committed to continuing to engage with local communities in order to bring about designated sites and arrangements which will enable Eleventh Night bonfires to take place in an appropriate manner and to reduce the negative effects of poorly-managed bonfires. This matter will be discussed at the forthcoming cultural convention."

A Housing Executive spokesman said the work required is determined by the sites affected and properties at risk.

"This work is only carried out when properties are deemed to be at severe risk of damage," he said. "The Housing Executive has a duty of care to protect residential properties from damage and the boarding up is required in order to facilitate this.

"This proactive approach was requested by residents living across Northern Ireland and actioned by Housing Executive staff, helping to reduce disruption to those directly affected.

"We continue to work with the local community and a range of other organisations to reduce the impact of bonfires built.

"These figures refer to the whole of Northern Ireland over five years. Some of the properties affected are both Housing Executive and private properties.

"As bonfires are located on council, Road Service, private and NIHE lands, it would be impossible to give an accurate figure but it would be estimated a large majority of houses affected would be social housing as the bonfires are largely located in or around social housing estates."
The former head of the Army has slammed the "outrageous" issuing of legal letters to thousands of former soldiers who served in Northern Ireland.

Retired General Sir Richard Dannatt is the latest to intervene in the row over what some have branded a "witch-hunt".

Troops based here during the Troubles have received letters asking for statements about fatal shootings ahead of new inquests.

Lord Dannatt said: "There should be no obligation on soldiers to co-operate because they have previously given evidence on the assurance of no further action being taken when this has proved a false promise.

"I think this is an extremely unwelcome, worrying move. I served in Belfast in 1971 and had 25 to 35-year-old soldiers in my platoon who would now be in their 70s and 80s. Asking them to recall shootings from back then is outrageous.

"Veterans will wonder what is behind this and when this will end. After what British troops who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan have been put through following baseless claims against them of abuse, this is another episode we could well do without. I'm surprised the MoD [Ministry of Defence] is going along with it."

The Mail on Sunday obtained an email from the MoD to regimental associations.

It says: "The circumstances surrounding the deaths of those killed during the Troubles have been reviewed, sometimes several times. This has resulted in a decision by the Northern Ireland Attorney General to hold new inquests. The MoD has an obligation to support these inquests.

"As part of this, letters are being sent by the Defence Inquest Unit to those who might have been witnesses."

Sinn Fein victims spokesperson Linda Dillon said: "It is not a witch-hunt. It is due process and any attempt to absolve former British soldiers involved in the murder of Irish citizens is entirely unacceptable."
It happened on the Killyglen Road into Larne.

Police in Northern Ireland are investigating a petrol bomb attack on a Larne property.

The attack on the empty building happened in the early hours of Monday morning.

Detective Sergeant Crothers said: At approximately 1am police received reports a front window of the property had been smashed and a number of petrol bombs were thrown into it causing scorch damage to a front room. Police attended along with NIFRS who extinguished the fire.

Sinn Fein former MLA Oliver McMullan said the property has been targeted in the past.

He said: "Several petrol bombs were thrown into the front window of a property in the Killyglen Road area in Larne causing scorch damage to a front room.

"This is not the first time that this home has been targeted and thankfully no one was injured."

He added: "I am calling on political unionism and civic community leaders in the Larne area to stand shoulder to shoulder with me in condemning this continued criminal activity by loyalist paramilitaries and I am urging the PSNI to do more to bring this crime wave to an end."

Police have appealed for information.
Fire damage to the east Belfast Rosewood Park flat. The alarm was raised by a pregnant resident

Fire damage to the east Belfast Rosewood Park flat. The alarm was raised by a pregnant resident

Residents caught up in an arson attack on a block of flats have told of their panic as they battled to escape the blaze.

Children and a heavily-pregnant woman were among those forced to flee when flammable liquid was poured over the front door of one of the flats.

The blaze broke out in a block in Rosewood Park in Castlereagh, east Belfast, around 12.40am on Saturday.

Firefighters rescued two women and two children, aged one and seven, who had taken refuge on a first-floor balcony. The pregnant woman was forced to climb through a narrow window to escape.

Emergency services arrived in minutes to find thick toxic smoke and fire engulfing the main entrance and stairwells trapping nine residents in their flats.

When the Belfast Telegraph visited yesterday, fumes, charred walls and smoke damage still blanketed the three floors of the block.

Julieann Grey (23), who is seven months' pregnant, raised the alarm after hearing a commotion only feet from where she was sleeping.

"I was in bed then I heard a smash and loud crackling noise," she said. "There was a fire at the door and smoke everywhere.

"It was such a panic, it was very scary. I have never been in a fire before.

"I had to climb through the window to get out.

"I was just thinking about my friend who lived upstairs with her child, I was thinking of them and shouting up to try and get people out."

The arsonists targeted a ground floor flat that is believed to be privately rented by an Eastern European man in his mid-20s. He was out at the time at the time of the attack.

Resident Julie Wilson (34) was returning from a night out when she saw the emergency services outside the neighbouring block.

She said: "I had been out for a meal and few drinks with my friend, and as my taxi pulled up I saw the blue lights of an ambulance and the fire brigade.

"I didn't know what had happened, then some people standing outside said there was a fire coming from the ground floor.

"My neighbour said a petrol bomb had been thrown at someone's front door.

"The emergency services were there for a couple of hours trying to sort it.

"You could smell the fumes, it was like petrol, the smell was terrible. Those people are lucky to escape with their lives.

"But I have to say that any-thing like this is unusual for around here.

"It's a nice quiet area and most people have lived here for years. Nothing like this ever happens."

East Belfast DUP MLA Robin Newton said: "In this incident we are fortunate that we are not dealing with a fatality or the fatalities of women and children."

Alliance councillor Michael Long said someone could have been killed.
An organisation which represents rank and file officers has reminded its members to be careful online

Detectives are enquiring into Twitter activity by people purporting to be police officers.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) warned firm action would be taken if any allegations are substantiated surrounding racist, sectarian, sexist or homophobic behaviour by its staff.

An organisation which represents rank and file officers has reminded its members to be careful online.

A PSNI statement said: "The PSNI is currently carrying out enquiries into Twitter activity connected to persons purporting to be police officers. These enquiries are ongoing.

"The PSNI is not aware of, or are we investigating, many of the allegations published yesterday in an online media article.

"We would appeal to anyone who has evidence of the these matters to report them to us or to the Office of The Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

"The PSNI will not accept any racist, sectarian, sexist or homophobic behaviour from any of our staff.

"All allegations will be investigated and firm action taken if the allegations are substantiated."

The Police Federation for Northern Ireland urged officers to exercise great care and caution on social media.

Chairman Mark Lindsay said there were dangers and pitfalls.

He added: "There is also still a severe threat to our officers and it's essential for their own safety, and the safety of their colleagues, that officers realise the risks and take all necessary precautions to avoid unnecessary attention."

Six Northern Ireland police officers have been disciplined for making "unprofessional" and "inappropriate" comments on social media in the last three years. None of those cases related to the current enquiries.

Last year, PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton apologised to his officers after posting a Saturday night tweet that appeared to dismiss the pressure under which they work.

Mr Hamilton told a fellow PSNI officer and Twitter user: "Dry your eyes, do the job or move on."

The Twitter user had challenged the chief constable's call for people to consider a career in policing, tweeting a picture of a historical recruitment advertisement and pointing out that it was now a more complex job than originally envisaged.

Mr Hamilton later posted a video on Twitter to apologise for causing offence and said he was "hugely proud" of his officers.
A number of PSNI officers and support staff are currently being investigated over allegations surrounding messages posted on the social networking site Twitter, it has been reported. (Lauren Hurley/PA)

A number of PSNI officers and support staff are currently being investigated over allegations surrounding messages posted on Twitter, it has been reported.

Among the allegations made is that racist, sexist and sectarian messages were posted on Twitter and potentially prejudiced criminal inquiries.

The PSNI has confirmed that an inquiry is under way in relation to the tweets.

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton, who is in charge of the force's professional standards department, told the Guardian newspaper: "I can confirm that the PSNI is examining material posted on personal social media accounts by persons who may be serving police officers.

"In response PSNI professional standards department has instigated disciplinary proceedings against one individual who has been identified as a serving officer.

"The review of the material is ongoing at this stage."

The Guardian reported that six PSNI officers or civilian support staff are among the group under investigation. Some of the tweets at the centre of the investigation include allegations against a Northern Irish journalist and also the abuse of another journalist from a Belfast radio station in the form of name calling.

The tweets are also reported as including pictures of the interiors of PSNI stations, including a CCTV monitoring station in Belfast.

Other pictures of alleged crime suspects and convicted criminals sent include a message urging a prisoner to "put the rope up" and "hang yourself".

Mark Lindsay, chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, told the Guardian: "We are fully aware of the advantages of using Twitter to communicate with others and, indeed, the wider community. It is a public forum, and we would urge our officers to exercise great care and caution in their use of all social media platforms.

"There are dangers and pitfalls. There is also still a 'severe' threat to our officers and it's essential for their own safety, and the safety of their colleagues, that officers realise the risks and take all necessary precautions to avoid unnecessary attention."

Meanwhile the Sunday Life reported that police are also investigating claims that Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has been trolled by a serving police officer.

Ms Long is currently taking time away from politics as she undergoes treatment for endometriosis.

A spokesman for the Police Ombudsman said: "We have been dealing with a complaint concerning an allegation that a police officer has been misusing social media."
The Queen's Baton Relay has visited Belfast ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games in Australia

The Queen's Baton Relay picked up some Narnia magic during a visit to Belfast ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games in Australia.

It passed through a colourful and activity-filled CS Lewis Square, named after the famous writer and featuring seven bronze sculptures from his landmark Chronicles Of Narnia novel The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe.

BMX bikers and athletes gathered for a bank holiday carnival of sport as the baton was borne along a greenway at the Connswater River en route to the Gold Coast for next year's competition.

It also toured the nearby Titanic Quarter where the famous doomed liner was built.

Michele Bryans, acting manager for the Connswater Community Greenway, said: "This allows East Belfast to have that bit of recognition and puts us on the map."

CS Lewis was born in East Belfast and spent much of his early childhood in the city. He died in 1963 aged 64.

The square named after him has been built at the intersection of the Connswater and Comber Greenways.

The pedestrian and cycle routes follow the course of city rivers and were opened to provide a space for people to engage in outdoor activities.

On Monday the baton enjoyed a celebratory welcome, with cheerleaders, music and fun fitness setting the holiday crowd bouncing.

Ms Bryans added: "It is very exciting to be able to welcome the baton to East Belfast."

The baton is making a 142,915-mile (230,000km) journey over 388 days ahead of the Gold Coast 2018 event, travelling through Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

It left Buckingham Palace in March carrying a message from the Queen and will arrive in Australia in December and travel through the country, finishing its journey at the Opening Ceremony on April 4.

Designed for each Games by the host nation, the 2018 Queen's Baton has a distinctive loop design and has been made using macadamia wood and reclaimed plastic, sourced from Gold Coast waterways.

It is scheduled to tour Northern Ireland until Friday.
Ibrahim Halawa was imprisoned after being detained in a mosque in Cairo during protests over the removal of elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 (Family handout/PA)

The Egyptian president has given his word that he will release a jailed Irishman once a verdict is delivered in a long-running trial.

Ibrahim Halawa, 21, had been expecting a judgement in the mass trial over Muslim Brotherhood protests which took place in Cairo in August 2013 following the removal of elected president Mohamed Morsi.

The ruling was postponed with a new hearing date set for September 18.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar held a 25-minute phone call with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Monday evening where he e xpressed his disappointment at the latest delay.

A spokesman said: "He made clear to President el-Sisi that his priority was to secure the return of Ibrahim Halawa to Ireland as soon as possible."

The Egyptian leader reiterated his stance that he cannot interfere in a judicial process.

The Irish Government said Mr el-Sisi "gave the Taoiseach his word" he would resolve the matter swiftly within the Egyptian constitutional and legal framework after a verdict is delivered.

The spokesman said the two leaders looked forward to Mr Halawa's repatriation and to concentrate on broader and normal bilateral relations on trade, tourism and political cooperation.

Ibrahim Halawa, a student and son of a prominent Muslim cleric in Dublin - Sheikh Hussein Halawa - was jailed after being detained in a mosque near Ramses Square in Cairo four years ago. He was 17 at the time.

Along with scores of others he is accused of murders, bombing, possession of firearms and explosives, arson, violence against police and desecration of Al Fatah Mosque.

Mr Halawa's solicitor Darragh Mackin, of Belfast-based human rights legal firm KRW Law, said no specific evidence was introduced in the long-running trial relating to the Irishman.

When the delay in the verdict was confirmed Mr Halawa's family accused the county's judiciary of playing with life.

"It is truly upsetting and heart-breaking to constantly keep having our expectations and hopes shattered into a million pieces," his sister Somaia said.

"It is not just Ibrahim's life that is being played around with but also the entire family's life. We would ask that our family are allowed some time to ourselves during this difficult period."

Mr Mackin added: "Regrettably, this is not the first time the case has been due to conclude when a last minute - unexpected and unjustified decision is taken to delay the case further.

"We are now four years on, with each day and each false dawn having a hugely significant mental and physical impact on our client's health.

"It is not known when this case will ever end. Such irrational and unpredictable decisions cannot be allowed to continue, and in particular when they operate in a vacuum of lawfulness depriving our client of his basic rights."

It is understood no formal explanation was given for the delay but there are unconfirmed reports of references to security concerns and a threatened prison escape by inmates involved in another case.

Mr Halawa is facing the threat of a death sentence if found guilty.

Hearings in the mass trial involving Mr Halawa and 493 others have been adjourned and delayed numerous times over the past four years. The prosecution case ended last month.

Maya Foa, director of the Reprieve charity which works to prevent human rights abuses, said: "Ibrahim was arrested as a child for the 'crime' of attending a protest and brutally tortured.

"This mockery of justice demonstrates that there is no longer any semblance of due process in Egypt."
The "ordinary, decent Fianna Fail voters" are deeply alarmed at recent manoeuvres within the party towards a coalition deal with Sinn Fein, it has been claimed.

Patrick O'Donovan, the new junior minister at the Republic of Ireland's Department of Finance, has spoken of his concern at what he has described as a "rush" within political circles to "find Sinn Fein respectable".

The Limerick TD told today's Irish Independent that he and others within Fine Gael perceive Sinn Fein as a party which espouses "back of the fag box economics", and one which is associated with those who have "blown children to smithereens".

Mr O'Donovan said Fianna Fail voters are worried about recent remarks made by senior front bench figures.

"The people I have met during the summer, at agricultural shows and other events - the farmers and fishermen and ordinary decent Fianna Fail people - this is something has really concerned them. It has worried Fianna Fail people who don't want to have any truck with Sinn Fein," Mr O'Donovan said.

And he said that before Sinn Fein can be considered as a potential party in government, it must deal with issues of the past.

"I and so many other people in Limerick will always remember where we were the day Jerry McCabe was murdered," he said.

"But I also think about another garda, Seamus Quaid, whose brothers and sisters live here in Newcastlewest. This was a man lured to his death in a quarry in Wexford. His family have had to bear that cross.

"Have they or the McCabes ever had proper reconciliation? I don't think so," Mr O'Donovan said.

"They are just two victims. What about Brian Stack? What about the innocent children blown to smithereens indiscriminately in bombings? That was not done in my name or in the name of any right-minded person.

"So when I hear senior people of a political party talk about 'legitimate combatants'. In whose eyes? Who voted for that? I certainly didn't."
Most would visit Edinburgh given more free time (Andrew Milligan/PA)

Almost seven out of 10 Britons (69%) would explore the country if they had more spare time, new research shows.

A Virgin Trains survey of 2,000 people found that 51% would visit Edinburgh given more free time, making the Scottish capital the most attractive destination in Britain.

York is the runner-up at 48%, followed by Oxford (43%), Bath (40%) and London (37%).

Expand Close Shoppers in The Shambles, York city centre (Anna Gowthorpe/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Shoppers in The Shambles, York city centre (Anna Gowthorpe/PA)

Some 6.9 million adults planned a domestic break over the bank holiday weekend, up from 5.1 million over the same period last year, according to tourism body VisitEngland.

Virgin Trains published the results of its poll to mark the launch of its Free Me campaign, encouraging people to make the most of their spare time.

It found that a third of people (33%) enjoy train travel because it gives me time to myself.

Passengers from Edinburgh spend the most time meditating on trains, while those from Swansea are the biggest online gamers.

Expand Close Steam rises above the hot natural spring waters Bath (Ben Birchall/PA) PA Archive/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Steam rises above the hot natural spring waters Bath (Ben Birchall/PA)

Gloucester-based travellers are most likely to take a nap while on board, with more people from Chelmsford doing work while they travel than those from anywhere else.

The most popular activity overall is admiring the view through carriage windows (60%), with a quarter (25%) saying they listen to music and 17% taking the opportunity to daydream.

Virgin Trains co-chairman Patrick McCall said: Whether youre on a journey to pursue a dream youve always had or you simply want to use the time on your train to unwind and relax, Free Me is about inspiring people to get out there and see more of Great Britain.
Bank holidaymakers had to be evacuated from a stretch of coastline after a chemical haze left many with streaming eyes, sore throats and vomiting.

Emergency services warned people along the East Sussex coast to keep doors and windows closed after 50 people were affected along the shoreline from Eastbourne to Birling Gap, near Beachy Head.

Coastguard rescue teams from Birling Gap, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Newhaven raced to help clear the busy beaches as visitors feared they had been struck by a chlorine leak.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

Kyle Crickmore, who had been enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend sunshine at the beach at Birling Gap with his family, tweeted: Some sort of chemical incident at Birling Gap, eyes are streaming and theres a strong smell of chlorine in the air.

He had finished swimming when his eyes started stinging. He looked around and saw everyone on the beach also rubbing their eyes and coughing in what he described as all sorts of strange behaviour.

He told BBC News: Then looking out towards the water, there was just this crazy foggy haze rolling in off the sea out of nowhere. It was definitely out of the ordinary considering it was a nice clear sunny day 10 minutes beforehand.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

It was stupidly busy and it was a boiling hot day. It emptied in about 10 minutes which was quite staggering considering the amount of people who were there.

Members of the public alerted emergency services just before 5pm.

It triggered call outs to the UK Coastguard, Sussex Police, the South Eastern Ambulance Service and the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service who said they were treating it as a chemical incident.

The beachfront is popular with dog walkers and is a busy spot for tourists and locals enjoying the bank holiday sunshine.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

Dan Sankey wrote on Twitter: Beautiful afternoon at Birling Gap cut short by some weird mist, burning everyones eyes which led to the beach and cliff being evacuated.

Sameer Jadhav tweeted: Birling Gap some weird gas leak. People crying. Ambulances called. Dont go to Birling Gap at the moment.

The RNLI said that possibly some kind of gaseous fumes had drifted over and a significant number of people on cliff tops had been struck down with symptoms including irritation, sore eyes and vomiting.

The RNLI launched all-weather lifeboats from Eastbourne and Newhaven to the Birling Gap area after fears from the coastguard that people could be trapped on the beach.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

There was a doctor on board the Eastbourne lifeboat.

UK Coastguard commander Steve Carson said: This seems to have been caused by an unknown haze coming in from the sea, but the source has not yet been established.

People living along the coast in the area have been advised by emergency services to keep doors and windows shut and to move away from the Birling Gap area in particular.

Eastbourne councillor Kathy Ballard described it as a matter of definite concern, adding: We need to find out the cause, where did this come from and to make sure that steps are taken so that it does not happen again.

I have not heard of it happening before in this area.
A chemical cloud which forced coastline evacuations across East Sussex on Sunday is very unlikely to have floated over from northern France, authorities said.

Some 150 people required treatment for stinging eyes, sore throats and vomiting, but the effects of the unknown substance were mostly minor, Sussex police said.

Despite the incident, thousands are expected to flock to beaches along the coastline on Bank Holiday Monday as temperatures reach up to 25C (75F).

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

In the past, chemicals have drifted across from European industrial units, but weather models indicate this was not the case on Sunday, according to the Met Office.

Forecaster Jay Merrell suggested a vessel in the English Channel may have been responsible for the noxious haze, but stressed nothing conclusive had been proven and that inquiries continue.

Bob Jefferey, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Eastbourne division, said it would be business as usual.

He said: Whatever it was, it smelled like burnt plastic. It hung about and didnt move yesterday because there was no wind. The cloud seems to have dispersed today though.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The hospital has downgraded the threat to pretty much non-existent now.

Mr Jefferey added that five people had to be rescued from rapidly rising tides yesterday, and urged beach-goers to watch sea levels.

People along the shoreline from Eastbourne to Birling Gap, near Beachy Head, were advised to close windows and doors on Sunday, but have been told it is now safe to open them.

Kyle Crickmore, who had been enjoying the bank holiday weekend sunshine at the beach at Birling Gap with his family, tweeted: Some sort of chemical incident at Birling Gap, eyes are streaming and theres a strong smell of chlorine in the air.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

Dan Sankey added: Beautiful afternoon at Birling Gap cut short by some weird mist, burning everyones eyes which led to the beach and cliff being evacuated.

Sussex police said: Neither the gas nor its source have been established, but agencies are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out either on-shore or off-shore locations, although it does appear that it did sweep in from the sea driven by on-shore breezes.

However, weather models suggest that an onshore source in northern France is very unlikely.

Public Health England said anyone still suffering effects from the fumes should wash irritated areas with soap and water.
A British family of four were rescued when their catamaran ran aground on a reef in the South Pacific during heavy seas (David Young/PA)

A British family of four are recovering on board another ship after they were rescued when their catamaran ran aground on a reef in the South Pacific during heavy seas.

The family made an emergency radio call at 2.30am from Beveridge Reef  a remote reef 400 km south east of the small island of Niue, the Rescue Coordination Centre of New Zealand (RCCNZ) said.

Search and rescue officials said it was very fortunate that a nearby vessel  the sole craft in the vicinity  was monitoring the emergency channel and able to assist.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The captain of the Dona Catharina, the 18 metre steel ketch that rescued the family, said they were now resting and recovering after the overnight ordeal.

Speaking from a satellite phone aboard the ship, captain Martin Vogel said: They were pretty distressed but theyre all sleeping now. Honestly, theyre coping remarkably well.

The 15 metre catamaran, Avanti, was taking on water but was well aground, enabling rescue crews to wait until daylight before collecting the family by lift raft at around 6.30am.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The family left the vessel, which is now likely to break up on the reef, with their passports, some clothes and a few treasured items, captain Vogel added.

He said the family included a boy and a girl aged about 13 and 11.

RCCNZ Senior Search and Rescue Officer Geoff Lunt said: The skipper of a 18 metre steel ketch Dona Catharina answered the emergency radio call from our Maritime Operations Centre within seven minutes. It was very fortunate they were anchored in the lagoon and listening to the distress channel at 2.30am.

He said the boat, manned by seven crew members, was taking shelter as it sailed from New Zealand to Niue to help with a study of humpback whales.
More than a hundred arrests have been made during the first day of Notting Hill Carnival, as hundreds of thousands of revellers begin a final day of celebrations.

Scotland Yard said there had been 106 arrests during the first day of carnival as of 10pm on Sunday, with more than a third of these  42  for drugs offences.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

There were also eight arrests for possession of an offensive weapon or knife/ blade, nine public order arrests and ten common assault arrests. Some nine arrests for sexual offences were also carried out, and six arrests for assault of police officers.

The numbers are roughly the same as the first day of carnival 2016, when around 105 people were arrested, overwhelmingly for drugs offences.

It follows a three-week crackdown on crime, which saw more than 600 people arrested and a large number of knives, guns, weapons, drugs and money seized, culminating in a series of dawn raids.

Scotland Yard was criticised for linking the raids with the carnival, and was unable to confirm it had received prior intelligence that the individuals targeted were planning on disrupting the festivities.

On Monday the entire carnival procession will pause for the second time for a minutes silence in honour of those who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire.

Expand Close People observe a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire (Yui Mok/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp People observe a minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire (Yui Mok/PA)

Hundreds of thousands of revellers are expected to take to the streets in west London for the second and final day of the annual August bank holiday event, which traditionally celebrates the capitals Caribbean communities.

The colourful and flamboyant parade will pass within half a mile of the blackened tower, with a yellow reflection zone where performers are encouraged to dip their music and walk respectably. Sundays events, the more family friendly of the two-day parade, saw a series of commemorations to the people who died in the tragedy on June 14, when at least 80 people lost their lives.

The Lancaster West estate, where the blackened shell of the tower stands, will remain fenced off from the main carnival procession out of respect for local residents and mourners.

The release of dozens of white doves marked the start of the festivities, followed by a minutes silence at 3pm, when the otherwise joyous attendees bowed their heads in honour of those who perished and the people that tried to save them.

Crews at North Kensington fire station, in the heart of the parade route in Ladbroke Grove, joined the occasion, where crowds erupted into applause and queued to thank them for their bravery.

A second silence is expected to take place at 3pm, followed by a rendition of the Grenfell charity single Bridge Over Troubled Water.

A heavy police presence marked the tree-lined streets leading to the main parade route, including steel barriers, concrete blocks and weapons checks, which police said were in place to guard against the threat of a Barcelona-style terror incident, and potential acid attacks.

Speaking at the official opening of the carnival on Sunday, local MP Emma Dent addressed the Grenfell generation, telling them: Today is a day to set aside our burden of sadness.

Expand Close Emma Dent Coad speaks during the Notting Hill Carnival (Yui Mok/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Emma Dent Coad speaks during the Notting Hill Carnival (Yui Mok/PA)

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan also pledged to redouble our efforts to support this community and make sure those responsible are held to account to ensure that the tragedy of Grenfell Tower never ever, ever happens again.

The London Ambulance Service said it had treated 344 patients during the first day of carnival  many for alcohol-related injuries.

The Met said a mild acidic liquid was thrown over a number of people at St Charles Square, near to Ladbroke Grove, just before 8pm on Sunday.

A spokesman said: Some of the crowd in the area then quickly dispersed, causing injuries to two people, who have since received treatment from the London Ambulance Service at the scene.

Expand Close Costumed revellers pause during a moment to honour the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire (Tim Ireland/AP) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Costumed revellers pause during a moment to honour the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire (Tim Ireland/AP)

Three people have also reported skin irritation injuries, although these are not thought to be serious.

There have been no arrests, and police are working to identify who was responsible, the force said.

As of 3.30pm on Monday, some 149 arrests had been made  over a third of which, 61, were for drug offences, the Met said.

There were 17 public order arrests, and 15 arrests for possession of an offensive weapon, or knife/blade.
Bank Holiday Monday was the hottest on record in late August, the Met Office said.

Temperatures hit 28.2C (82.8F) in Holbeach, southern Lincolnshire, forecaster Oli Claydon said, surpassing the previous record of 27.2C (81F) in East Bergholt, Suffolk, in 1984.

The hot weather is down to a ridge of high pressure bringing still conditions and sweltering sunshine, according to Mr Claydon.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

In 1965, the August Bank Holiday was moved from the first Monday of the month to the last.

In southern England, temperatures should stay around the mid-20s on Tuesday, but moving into Wednesday a front from the North West will bring a fresher feel to things, the meteorologist said.

Expand Close The UK experienced the hottest late-August Bank Holiday Monday on record (Steve Parsons/PA) / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The UK experienced the hottest late-August Bank Holiday Monday on record (Steve Parsons/PA)

The cooling wave will bring temperatures down to the mid-teens as the front makes its way south-east  but showers are expected to be sparse.

There was some confusion over the record because of a suspect reading in Cambridgeshire in 1990  where a temperature of 28.3C (82.9F) was noted.

But that number did not tally with other readings from the area, invalidating the result, Mr Claydon said.
I always find it intriguing when people expose the complexities of our past ("Nelson McCausland: Nationalist venerated by GAA clubs was a supporter of the slave trade", Online, August 24).

While this expose is intriguing, it also reminded me of what I was taught as a child: "Half the truth is worse than a lie."

Nelson, rightly, exposes the fact that the "racist John Mitchel", as a supporter of slavery, was, indeed, an Irish republican, who, like many modern republicans, did not support "respect" and "equality" in his day.

He has, however, overlooked some important facts.

Newry hosts a statue of John Mitchel in the centre of the city, because his father, also John, was a Presbyterian minister there from 1823-1840.

The most important fact, however, overlooked by Nelson, is that John Mitchel married the daughter of a prominent Orangeman, Jane (Jenny) Verner, also an Irish republican, in Drumcree Parish Church on February 3, 1837.

Jane Verner was one of eight daughters of Sir William Verner, of Churchill, Co Armagh - the family seat is now better-known as "Peatlands".

William Verner, who fought with Wellington at Waterloo, was the Grand Master of County Armagh Grand Orange Lodge from 1821 to 1836. Evidently, Jane eloped with John Mitchel while her father was Grand Master of Co Armagh.

As well as being a "racist", as Nelson suggests, and evidently pro-slavery, perhaps he was also an early example of political ecumenism?

Rev Brian Kennaway

Author: The Orange Order: A Tradition Betrayed
Flags of the European Union fly outside the European Parliament in France. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Yet again we have the debate on Brexit diverted off the path of rational argument into the back alleys of mud-slinging.

Ruth Dudley Edwards is an experienced and respected columnist, who has been much praised for her insightful commenting, not least on matters relating to the island of Ireland.

She is fully entitled to support Brexit, to vote for it and to argue for it. She quite rightly reminds us that to do so does not make her a racist, or a bigoted nationalist.

But what hope is there of rational debate when she lobs in verbal misguided missiles such as the profoundly undemocratic EU Commission, or the unreformed arrogant, expansionist, bullying and inept EU, or her presumably considered opinion that the EU is a sprawling, sclerotic, dysfunctional, bureaucratic hell-hole incapable of meeting the challenges Europe faces today ( Comment, August 21).

Read More

Why does she call the EU Commission profoundly undemocratic? As part of its function is to be the central administration of the EU, it is a permanent bureaucracy, but it is not the governing body of the EU.

It is also, in part, a political think-tank, but within the legislative process of the EU its role is subsidiary to the democratically elected governments of the member states and of the democratically elected members of the European Parliament.

Where does Ms Dudley Edwards see this sprawling, sclerotic, dysfunctional, bureaucratic hell-hole? Sprawling one can accept, as important elements of what is the EU are not just in Brussels, Luxembourg and Strasbourg, but in each and every one of the 28 capitals of the member states in the form of their democratically elected governments.

Calling the EU secretive and protectionist because it prevents member states from making bilateral trade deals is a bit rich. The customs union, within which member states trade without restriction, and as one unit with the outside world, is a fundamental building-block of the EU and one signed up to by every state and there is nothing secretive about it.

A degree of uniformity of rules within a customs union and a common market is obviously essential, but the vast bulk of EU legislation is created by means of laws drafted and adopted at national state level to take account of varying national conditions in order to avoid imposed uniformity. It is known as subsidiarity.

Calling the EU arrogant, expansionist, bullying and inept is just vulgar abuse. The EU is the member states, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice, and the European Commission. Are they all arrogant, expansionist etc.?

European states have been queuing up to join the EU, but that does not make the EU expansionist. As an entity, it could be accused of ineptness in handling major problems such as the refugee crisis, but then all the member state governments could also be so accused.

Can an organisation be both sclerotic and expansionist? Hardly; not if it is growing vigorously, thinking ahead to such adventurous projects as a European Army.

But, of course, Ms Dudley Edwards goes much too far in saying that the EU is demanding a European army. There is no such demand, no such proposal at EU level.

Several member states have indicated their concern for more provision at EU level for European defence and security. Italy produced an informal paper last year outlining the idea of a powerful and useable European force to be formed by member states willing to share forces.

The paper did not envisage this as a rival to NATO, but as a force that could be used in support of NATO and UN operations. France and Germany have produced an informal paper on similar lines.

Last November, the European Commission produced a proposal for a Joint EU Defence Action Plan, including the creation of a European Defence Fund to support member states more efficient spending on joint defence capabilities.

The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said European security required more co-operation between member states and greater pooling of national resources.

He added: If Europe does not take care of its own security, nobody else will do it for us. A strong, competitive and innovative defence industrial base is what will give us strategic autonomy.

All this is a far cry from a call for the creation of a European Army. The informal papers from member states are just that: informal papers.

The limited proposal from the European Commission, to be acted upon, would have to get the approval of the European Parliament and of the Council, representing the member states. Cumbersome, maybe, but that is how democracy works.

A European Army in any form would need approval by every member state and could be vetoed by any one state.

Ms Dudley Edwards signs off with the advice to Dublin that it should work with London to find solutions to the desperate problems Brexit may cause Ireland, because few will care much about it in Brussels.

She forgets that it was Brussels, not London, who insisted the Irish border be a top priority issue in the negotiations.

Nor was there much evidence of any consideration at all in London, in the rush to Brexit, of the impact on the island of Ireland.

** Dennis Kennedy is a former deputy editor of The Irish Times. He served as European Commission representative in Northern Ireland from 1985 to 1991.
The apartments where the McCann were staying the night of their daughters disappearance

Prayers will be said for Madeleine at church in Portugal tonight

A tourist looks at a tribute to Madeleine McCann, close to where the girl went missing

BARREN scrubland, caves and sun-baked rural communities stretch for miles beyond the orderly white buildings that make up the resort where Madeleine McCann disappeared.

It is somewhere in that unregulated, sprawling wilderness that Dave Edgar believes the little girl with the unusual imperfection in her right eye is languishing.

Read More

His theories of what is now happening to her will bring no comfort to heartbroken parents Kate and Gerry.

Dave believes two things about Maddie  the now 14-year-old is alive and is most likely being held as a sex slave or being brought up by a family.

After three years scouring the world for the youngster, he is sure she is being held just 10 or 15 miles from where she was snatched.

The former RUC man, whose search for Maddie stretched from 2009 to 2011, told Sunday Life that believing Maddie is not dead also keeps her ex-GP mum Kate (49) and heart doctor dad Gerry (48) clinging to the hope that one day they will be reunited with their daughter.

Theres one reason Im sure Madeleine is alive  a body hasnt been found, he said.

In my experience as a detective, when strangers kill children, or if strangers kill anyone for that matter, they do one thing very quickly and almost automatically  they dump the body of their victim so theyre not caught with it. Thats just the way it works.

So, without a body, somebody must have taken Maddie away and be keeping her alive.

Daves theory is drawn from the 30 years of experience he accrued in the RUC and Cheshire Police.

Expand Close The apartments where the McCann were staying the night of their daughters disappearance AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The apartments where the McCann were staying the night of their daughters disappearance

As an officer in the RUC, which he joined in 1978 aged 22, he was shaken by the deaths of two of his pals.

Sergeants Stephen Fyffe (28) and William McDonald (29) were killed in the 1983 IRA bombing of the Ulster Polytechnic in Jordanstown.

As a Detective Inspector in Cheshire, Dave solved some of the most gruesome abduction and murder cases in British criminal history.

The retired investigator, who grew up on Belfasts Woodstock Road, said: Another element in cases where strangers commit murder is that they often dispose of their victims body in the open.

People just often make little or no effort to conceal the body. Again, thats just the way it is.

All my experience tells me a stranger or strangers took Madeleine and that shes still alive.

Expand Close Gerry and Kate McCann PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Gerry and Kate McCann

The reason Dave thinks Maddie is being held so close to the Ocean Clubs resort in Praia da Luz, where she was last seen by her family, is that his investigation has taken in most of the world, with no success.

Together with former Merseyside Detective Sergeant Arthur Cowley (65), Dave formed the Alpha Investigation Group to hunt for Madeleine.

Dave and Arthur were recruited along with an interpreter/translator and former police administrator when the McCanns became disillusioned with the work of Spanish detective agency Metodo 3.

The Barcelona-based business began to look for Madeleine in 2007 after the McCanns became convinced Portuguese police had given up. It reportedly charged 50,000 a month and its director, Francisco Marco, was criticised after boasting about his ability to locate Madeleine. In December 2007, he caused a stir by claiming he knew who had kidnapped her and hoped to have her home by Christmas. Metodo 3s six-month contract ran out in January 2008.

During Dave and Arthurs time on the case, they investigated leads in Australia, Germany and Barcelona.

While Dave investigated child sex offenders, almost 80 rapists and more than 20 vagrants as part of his worldwide hunt, he could never shake the feeling Maddie was being held in a cellar or underground cave in the wasteland a short hike from Praia da Luz.

Expand Close Madeleine McCann PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Madeleine McCann

When you get beyond the Algarve, it turns into countryside and there are any number of small villages where Maddie could have been kept, he explained.

Im not talking miles and miles into the countryside. When you get up 10 or 15 miles beyond Praia da Luz, there are loads of very rural communities  farming communities concerned with growing oranges and crops. She could be being kept in one of those quite easily.

Despite previous reports, Dave told Sunday Life he did not believe an organised child sex trafficking gang or paedophile ring snatched missing Maddie.

Rather, he feels a Josef Fritzl-esque character seized the child and may still be keeping her as a sex slave.

I dont believe it was an organised group that kidnap children for sex who took Maddie, he said.

If that had been the case, someone would have broken ranks by now and come forward.

Expand Close Madeleine in a photo released by her parents  PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Madeleine in a photo released by her parents

They would have done it to either get the money, because there was so much reward money on the table at one point, or they would have been caught doing something else and theyd have wanted to trade information about Maddie to save their skin.

Dave does believe the youngster could have been taken by a single sex predator who could be keeping Maddie underground or in a cellar in one of the many rural communities near Praia da Luz.

However, he feels that if that is the grim reality facing the youngster, her captor is being protected by a loved one or partner in crime.

I believe, if it was a lone wolf kidnapper, they would have confided in someone else, Dave said. These type of people just cant keep a secret like that inside.

Whether they have told a lover, wife, husband, sister or associate, I believe someone else other than Maddies kidnapper knows where she is.

In April, former police chief Paulo Pereira Cristovao said he believed Maddie was being held in a network of caves at Burgau beach, under the resort where she was snatched.

But Dave doesnt agree. I stick by the theory she is in the countryside, he said. Those caves are hard to get to and there is a distinct lack of real evidence thats where Maddie was taken.

Dave first spoke to Sunday Life about his search for Madeleine in 2009, when he claimed the youngster could be oblivious to the worldwide hunt for her as her captor or captors could have brainwashed her into forgetting her family and taught her a different language.

There are now a string of cases around the world supporting his theory that she may still be alive.

In 2009, the year Dave started his search for Maddie, US kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard was released from her sex offender kidnapper Phillip Garrido, who grabbed her from the street when she was 11 and raped her repeatedly, with Jaycee fathering two of his children.

Elisabeth Fritzl had seven children by her father, Josef Fritzl, after he lured her into his windowless cellar when she was 18, keeping her there for 24 years.

Austrian Natascha Kampusch was just 10 years old when Wolfgang Prikopil snatched her from the streets in 1998, subjecting her to eight years of sex slavery before she escaped.

These cases and Daves theories will be torture for the McCanns. On the one hand, they will want their daughter to be alive but, on the other, will not want to imagine her suffering like Elisabeth Fritzl.

But Kate McCann has shown her steely mindset by speaking about how she researched the realities of child sex slavery as part of her search for her little girl.

She wrote on the Find Madeleine website: Child sexual exploitation and child pornography, in particular, is sadly and shockingly extensive worldwide.

It is a multibillion-dollar industry aided by the use of the internet, with the thirst for younger victims growing.

My bubble of a life burst as I began to discover the facts relating to this now global crisis.

As we travelled through Europe in an attempt to raise awareness of Madeleines abduction and appeal for help, we were repeatedly made aware of the unbelievable existence of such a horrifying activity and its vastness in our so-called civilised society.

My eyes have certainly been opened to a whole new world out there  a very worrying one.

As a parent of an abducted child, I can tell you that it is the most painful and agonising experience you could ever imagine.

My thoughts of the fear, confusion and loss of love and security that my precious daughter has had to endure are unbearable  crippling. And yet I am not the victim, Madeleine is. No child
Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday home in Portugal's Algarve region in May 2007, days before her fourth birthday

Motive, opportunity, preparation and execution. These are the four elements detective Dave Edgar looks at in any missing person case when weighing up suspects.

He insists there is zero evidence linking Kate and Gerry McCann to any of these areas. There was no opportunity for the parents to do it, he says. And there was no motive. What motive could there be for parents to kill their child?

Read More

Others not as close to the case as Dave have not been as certain of the McCanns innocence. From the moment Maddie disappeared, her parents hoped publicity would bring the truth. Instead, it brought them anguish and made them the subject of hatred and suspicion.

Early in the case, the McCanns were berated for not having been in Apartment 5A in Praia da Luzs Ocean Village when Madeleine vanished.

This was despite friends saying the couple were the most strict of the so-called tapas seven about checking on their children every 15 or 20 minutes.

As recently as this year, members of the public called on the McCanns to be charged with neglect, with one petition gaining more than 130,000 signatures.

Also this year, someone posted a note online purporting to have been written by one of the couples twins, saying the McCanns left Madeleines body to rot.

In 2014, a dossier stretching to 80 pages was handed to Scotland Yard, showing the extent of the trolling.

It contained a message saying the husband and wife should burn in hell, with another troll offering to supply the petrol, and another telling how they wanted to see them smashed up the back of a bus or trampled by horses.

Perhaps the hardest moment for the McCanns came on September 7, 2007, the day Portuguese police declared them arguidos, or official suspects.

Expand Close Madeleine McCann PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Madeleine McCann

The announcement came after sniffer dogs trained to detect dead bodies and blood alerted handlers to potential traces in Apartment 5A and in a car the McCanns hired three weeks after Madeleine disappeared.

The samples were sent to the UK Forensic Science Service in Birmingham, where expert John Lowe found that while there were components of Maddies DNA in two of them, they were not unique to the girl. The Portuguese polices summary of the report omitted this fact.

As a result, the McCanns were interrogated for hours amid leaks to the Press that the investigation was centred on the McCann family and their group.

Soon, a narrative emerged. It claimed the McCanns sedated their children so they could party with their friends. When they returned to find Maddie dead, they hid her body while gripped with fear their twins would be taken from them if they confessed. They then hid their daughters body in the spare wheel compartment of their rented car, later burying it somewhere else.

Portuguese police were reported to be planning to search the Our Lady of the Light church in Praia da Luz, where the McCanns prayed regularly and to which they were given the keys. Detectives were said to be set on digging up an area where roadworks were under way when Madeleine disappeared.

Its a theory Dave Edgar rejects  and he holds no stock in the work of the sniffer dogs. There was no evidence to support the theory the McCanns were involved in the disappearance, he says.

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Distraught parents: Kate and Gerry McCann shortly after thier daughter Madeleine went missing PA A tourist looks at a tribute to Madeleine McCann, close to where the girl went missing PA Gerry and Kate McCann PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Distraught parents: Kate and Gerry McCann shortly after thier daughter Madeleine went missing

I know the Portuguese police ... made a big play about the dogs, but Ive been involved in cases in England and Northern Ireland where the dogs got it wrong. Plus, Ive yet to meet a dog that will stand up in court and give evidence.

Plenty of people agree with Dave. The theory that the McCanns concealed Madeleines body begins to unravel when certain questions are asked. For instance, how could two people under scrutiny have hidden their daughters body without being seen? If, as some claim, they had concealed a corpse in their car, wouldnt the smell have been obvious?

Were the McCanns capable of carrying out their plan alone, or persuasive enough to silence others who may have suspected them? And how could two people unfamiliar with the landscape have found a hiding place that would months later remain undiscovered? Is anybody really so calculating to maintain a front of grief and sustain a global lie for more than 10 years?

Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Missing Madeleine McCann Madeleine in a photo released by her parents  PA Prayers will be said for Madeleine at church in Portugal tonight PA / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Missing Madeleine McCann

As someone who has handled cases involving parents murdering children, Dave is well-placed to answer such questions.

Many of those type of cases involve high emotion, but there is none of that evident with Madeleine, he says.

Eventually, in mid-2008, the McCanns arguido status was lifted, but every day the abuse continues despite there being no evidence that Madeleines parents were in any way responsible for her disappearance and despite the fact that neither British nor Portuguese police no longer consider them suspects.

Expand Close The apartments where the McCann were staying the night of their daughters disappearance AFP/Getty Images / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp The apartments where the McCann were staying the night of their daughters disappearance

What you have is two parents simply very strong in their commitment to get Madeleine back, Dave says. Its been 10 years, but theyre still really resolute about getting Madeleine back.
Cow vigilantes inspect a truck on a highway in Taranagar in the state of Rajasthan, Nov. 5, 2015.

Indian police on Monday had not identified members of a mob that allegedly killed two Muslim teenagers who were believed to be transporting cows in West Bengal state a day earlier, an official said.

A mob allegedly killed Anwar Hussain and Hafizul Sheikh, both 19, after finding live cattle in the duos pick-up truck in Jalpaiguri district, Superintendent of Police Amitabha Maity told reporters.

Hussain and Sheikh were rushed to a nearby hospital but were declared dead on arrival, Maity said, adding that police had registered a case of murder against unidentified people and an investigation was ongoing to identify the suspects.

Stern action will be taken against those involved in the case. If they thought that the cows were being transported illegally they should have informed the police instead of taking the law in their own hands, Maity said.

We are also investigating if the killings were a result of spontaneous rage of the villagers or if an organized group was behind it, he said.

The incident is the latest in a spate of mob violence by self-styled cow vigilantes across India, where cows are considered holy. The slaughter and consumption of beef is banned in most states of the Hindu-majority country.

About 14 percent of Indias 1.3 billion people are Muslims, while Hindus make up 80 percent.

This was the second incident of cow-related mob violence in West Bengal in the last two months  three Muslim men were beaten to death in June over suspicion they were cattle thieves.

Almost 30 people  a majority of them Muslims  have been killed in nearly 65 incidents of cattle-related mob violence across India since 2010, with 97 percent of the attacks coming after the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in May 2014, according to IndiaSpend, a New Delhi-based data journalism initiatives.

In his strongest statement against violence targeting minority Muslims across India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month deplored a string of violence.

Killing people in the name of cow protection is not acceptable. No person in this nation has the right to take law into his or her hands, Modi had said.

But rights activists said Modis right-wing government had failed to take concrete action against the culprits.

Mob violence has spread across the country in the name of cow protection and minorities are being targeted with impunity. Not a single conviction has taken place in any of the cases, Pradip Bhattacharya, a New Delhi-based government critic, told BenarNews.

Time and against the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, BJPs ideological mentor) has alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was indulging in minority appeasement in her state. If that is true, why are Muslims in her state being targeted in the name of cow protection, he added.
Dian Yulia Novi (left), and Tutin Sugiarti, who were sentenced on terrorism charges on Friday, enter an East Jakarta Courtroom, Aug. 23, 2017.

Indonesias would-be first female suicide bomber, who is due to give birth in the next week, was ordered to spend 7 years in prison, a judge and her lawyer said Monday in what is believed to be the nations harshest sentence against a woman terrorist.

The verdict at the East Jakarta Court against Dian Yulia Novi, 28, was expected this week but announced Friday without any journalists present because of her medical condition.

The judges sped up the case because Dian is expected give birth, her lawyer, Kamsi, who like many Indonesians goes only by one name, told BenarNews on Monday. Dians due date is Sept. 2.

She was found guilty of malicious conspiracy and attempted criminal acts of terrorism.

Her husband, Muhammad Nur Solikin, 26, with whom she allegedly plotted the attack, is standing trial on similar charges and a verdict is expected next month. Police previously referred to Solikin as Solihin.

Dian was arrested on Dec. 10, 2016, disrupting her plan to blow herself up outside Jakartas State Palace during a changing of the guard ceremony the next day. Police found an unexploded pressure cooker bomb in the rented room where she was arrested in the West Java city of Bekasi, about an hour from Jakarta.

I was surprised because the Friday agenda was actually for the defense, Kamsi said.

Judge Syafrudin Ainor Rafiek confirmed the verdict and sentencing.

The bomb was already at the home, so only the action was not taken yet, Rafiek told BenarNews on Monday. So the elements of conspiring and attempting to conduct a criminal act of terrorism are legally and convincingly fulfilled, he added.

The sentence is lower than the 10-year prison term sought by prosecutors.

In a separate trial at the same court, judges sentenced another woman, Tutin Sugiarti, to 3 years in prison, less than the five years sought by prosecutors, for recruiting Dian and introducing her to Solikin. Kamsi said both women accepted the verdicts and sentences.

Solikin, who remained married to Tutin, also married Dian in October 2016, a month after they met. Neither were present at the wedding ceremony, but were represented by other people.

Fatwa

Solikin took on Dian as his second wife because a fatwa issued by the extremist group Islamic State (IS) required women to have permission of their fathers or husbands to carry out any activities outside their home  even for worshipping, including by becoming a martyr, according to a report published earlier this year by the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC), a Jakarta think-tank.

The criminal indictment stated that the goal of the marriage was to allow Dian to blow herself up in a suicide attack, something she had planned while working as a migrant in Taiwan in 2015.

During TV interviews shortly after their arrests, Dian and Solikin admitted that they married so she could commit the terror act, adding they were being directed by someone they believed was Bahrun Naim, a leading Indonesian IS figure.

Harsh sentence

Adhe Bhakti, a terrorism analyst with the Center for the Study of Radicalism and Deradicalization, said Dians sentence was the longest for any female terrorist in Indonesia.

But its proper seeing the role, the involvement, and the location being targeted, Adhe told BenarNews.

Previously, women had been sentenced for involvement in terrorism under the category of concealing information about terror acts or aiding in hiding perpetrators.

Munfiatun, the widow of Noordin Mohammad Top, a Malaysian extremist who was wanted for a series of bombings, including at the J.W. Marriot hotel in 2003, the Australian Embassy in 2004, and the J.W. Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotels in 2009, was sentenced to three years for concealing the whereabouts of her husband.

Umi Delima (alias Jumiatun), the widow of Eastern Indonesia Mujahideen leader Santoso was sentenced in May to two years and three months in prison.

Dian Yulia Novi sits next to her husband, Muhammad Nur Solikin, as they stand trial in an East Jakarta Courtroom, Aug. 23, 2017. (Arie Firdaus/BenarNews)

Solikin

Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year sentence for Solikin and eight years for a fourth suspect, Agus Supriadi.

The apparent leader of a small militant cell in Central Javas city of Solo, Solikin allegedly said he had received instructions from Bahrun to make the bomb. Bahrun has been identified as the mastermind of an IS-claimed terrorist attack in Jakarta in January 2016 that killed eight people, including four militants.

Police allege Agus rented a car to deliver the bomb made by Solikin from Solo to Jakarta. Special anti-terror squad Densus 88 arrested Solikin and Agus on Dec. 10, 2016, in East Jakarta.

Their verdicts are expected in mid-September.
A U.S. Navy diver enters the water during search efforts for sailors missing from the USS John S. McCain, Aug. 21, 2017.

Divers have recovered the bodies of all 10 American sailors who went missing after their warship and a giant oil tanker collided last week in the Singapore Strait, the U.S. Navy said Monday.

Their bodies were found inside flooded compartments of the USS John S. McCain, the destroyer that was involved in the collision with a Liberian-flagged merchant ship, the Alnic MC, on Aug. 21, Navy officials said in announcing an end to search-and-recovery efforts that involved Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

U.S. Navy and Marine Corps divers have now recovered the remains of all 10 USS John S. McCain sailors, the navys Seventh Fleet said in the statement.

The Seventh Fleet is the largest of the U.S. Navys forward deployed fleets, with about 50 to 70 ships and submarines, 140 aircraft and about 20,000 sailors, according to the Navy.

At the time of the collision, the McCain was sailing toward Singapore for a port of call. Malaysia and Singapore claim control of the waters where it occurred, and both claimed leadership of search efforts.

Adm. Scott Swift, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, boarded the warship after the collision and met with families of the dead sailors. On Monday, the Navy released a statement posted by Swift on Facebook.

We will determine the causes of these incidents, we will learn from them and we will apply those lessons. What changes need to be made will be made, Swift wrote.

The Navy suspended search-and-rescue operations Thursday as divers carried on with efforts to recover the bodies inside the ships flooded compartments. That same day, Malaysian Security Council Director Gen. Zulkifeli Muhammad Zin and U.S. Ambassador Zulhasnan Rafique visited the White House in Washington, where President Donald Trump thanked them for Malaysias help in the search efforts.

Malaysia deployed Navy ship KD Handalan to lead its search efforts with two Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) ships assisting, along with aircraft and divers. Zulkifli said search crews worked more than 83 hours, covering 2,660 nautical square miles.

MMEA expresses a great deal of appreciation and gratitude to all the agencies involved in the four-day search and rescue, Zulkifli said in a statement.

This was the second collision involving a U.S. warship in the region in three months. On June 17, seven sailors died when another destroyer, the USS Fitzgerald, and a container ship collided in the Sea of Japan.

Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was relieved of his duty as commander of Seventh Fleet because of a loss of confidence in his ability to command, the Navy said.
A man looks at an Islamic State-linked gunman slain in a clash with Philippine troops in the besieged city of Marawi, Aug. 28, 2017.

Philippine troops killed 10 militants Monday as they tried to reinforce their embattled Islamic State-linked colleagues in the southern city of Marawi, the military said.

The encounter happened weeks after Islamic States leaders called on fighters in Southeast Asia to travel to Marawi and help their colleagues who have laid siege to Marawi since May 23, the military said.

Leading the fight in Marawi is Abu Sayyaf commander Isnilon Hapilon, the so-called emir of the IS in the Philippines, backed by the local Maute group and several militants from around the region and the Middle East.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, the local military chief, said the reinforcements were spotted trying to sneak into Marawi aboard two motorized boats before dawn Monday.

It sparked a three-hour fire fight, leaving 10 militants dead.

"Let this be a warning to those who have the intention to escape and to enter, our troops are ready for you. We will get definitely get you, Galvez said.

Tipped off



He said the military believed that more militants could have been slain, but it could not be ascertained because their bodies have not yet been found.

One of the pump boats was also seen sinking during the pursuit operation. Patrolling soldiers and policemen are still looking for the dead bodies and sunken boat, Galvez said.

He said troops were tipped off that the rebels would try to sneak in fighters to aid those still trapped in Marawis central area, after the military campaign last week forced the rebels out of a strategic mosque in what is considered a victory of sorts for the government.

But troops did not locate dozens of hostages held by the gunmen, who are believed to be using them as human shields.

Marawi is virtually a ghost town in ruins since militants engaged in clashes with troops and forced more than 200,000 civilian residents to flee their homes and seek temporary shelter in evacuation sites scattered across several nearby towns and provinces.

Since the fighting erupted, at least 130 troops have been reported killed along with 603 enemy fighters. 45 civilians have died, while more than 1,728 others were rescued from the battle zone.

Latest intelligence information states that the enemy force has shrunk to about 40 fighters from more than 600 when hostilities broke out.

Islamic, Christian sites desecrated

Capt. Jo-ann Petinglay, the local task force spokeswoman, said soldiers had recovered some 1,270 improvised bombs left behind by the gunmen as booby traps in areas that they had abandoned.

She said that apart from Marawis grand mosque recovered days earlier, troops had also retaken St Marys Cathedral, a Catholic church in downtown Marawi, from the gunmen.

The troops also discovered that enemy fighters had dug a tunnel inside the mosque where they hid their ammunition, she said.

"We have seen how these terrorists have desecrated both the Islamic Center and the St Mary's Cathedral. This only shows how these people do not respect any religion may it be Christian or Muslim, Galvez said.

"We abhor the acts of the terrorists and we know that they will never have a place anywhere in the world, he added.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has admitted to underestimating the firepower of the militants, has placed the entire south under military rule until December.

He has also sought intelligence help from the United States and Australia, while regional neighbors Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have also offered closer counter-terrorism cooperation to stop the flow of militants across borders.

On Thursday, Duterte visited the frontline and vowed the campaign would be relentless until the last militant was killed.

We have to end it the way it should be and we will not stop until the last terrorist is neutralized. That is the ultimate objective, the president said.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte met Monday with the parents of a 17-year-old boy whose death at the hands of police provoked a massive protest against the governments drug war, and he assured them there would be justice for their son.



Teenager Kian Loyd delos Santos was among 96 drug suspects killed by police nearly two weeks ago in its one time, big time anti-drug operations in Manila and nearby suburbs. The raids were part of the Duterte administrations war on drugs that has claimed the lives of thousands of suspects through extra-judicial killings and which, rights activists say, have been carried out with impunity.



Photographs released by the presidential palace showed the boys mother embracing Duterte as the father looked on.

During the meeting, the president reassured (the couple) that there will be no interference in the case, citing that only due process will prevail and that the handling of the case will be fair, the presidential palace said.



Shortly after the couples son was killed, Duterte egged police to kill more drug suspects and he guaranteed them protection from prosecution.



The police claimed that Kian was shot because he fought it out with the officers. Photos provided by investigators showed him with a gun in his left hand, although the teenager was right-handed.



A closed-circuit television camera also filmed policemen taking the boy away moments before he was killed, contrary to police accounts that he had pulled a gun on officers.



The governments public prosecutor has filed murder charges against three policemen and their superior at the justice department, which is headed by Vitaliano Aguirre, a staunch ally of Duterte.



Yellow and white flowers



The boys funeral on Saturday drew thousands of Filipinos to the streets. His coffin, decked with yellow and white flowers, was carried in an open truck as it slowly wound its way to a cemetery under a drizzle of rain.



A popular priest, Robert Reyes, said the march reflected the peoples frustration at the violence, and noted that many of the more than 8,000 killed so far were poor and helpless random drug addicts.

I think this happened because the victim is poor. Would these policemen burst into gated villages and rich enclaves? I dont think so, he said as he led the funeral march Saturday.





Thousands of people take part in a funeral procession for Kian Loyd delos Santos, a Filipino teenager who was killed during an anti-drug operation by police in the Manila area, Aug. 26, 2017. [Linus Escandor/BenarNews]

Free to kill the idiots



Just before Duterte met with the parents on Monday, he gave a speech to mark the countrys National Heroes Day celebration during which he praised Chief Insp. Jovie Espenido, a police official who has been leading the bloody campaign against illegal drugs.



Espenido led a raid in southern Ozamiz city last month that left 15 people dead, including local mayor Reynaldo Parojinog who had been publicly named by Duterte as a drug kingpin among a list of 150 judges, politicians and police and military officers suspected of involvement in the drug trade.



Two other mayors also on that list were gunned down earlier. One of them was inside a jail cell when he was killed during a raid by police.



Espenido, who was also the head of local police in Leyte province when the shooting occurred, has asked to be moved to central Iloilo city, whose mayor Jed Mabilog, was also named by Duterte on his list of drug suspects.



You asked for the assignment in Leyte, the mayor was slain there. You asked for another assignment in Ozamiz, and the mayor there was Parojinog, Duterte said to laughter from the crowd. Now you want to be assigned in Iloilo, where Mabilog has been identified as a protector. Will he live?



He said Epenido was doing the Philippines a favor, and that he would support him in his campaign.



Do not worry. Just follow the rules of engagement, Duterte said.



Referring to drug suspects, he told Espenido that he was free to kill the idiots if they resisted arrest and became violent, thereby endangering the lives of policemen.



Hes a dedicated man. He knows his law. So he should replicate his exploits in other parts of the country. He wants to be assigned in Iloilo, I will assign him there, Duterte said of Espenido.



Mark Navales in Cotabato, Philippines contributed to this report.
Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra greets supporters as she arrives at the Supreme Court to give a closing statement in her trial on negligence charges stemming from a rice subsidy scheme, Aug. 1, 2017.

Updated at 5:42 p.m. ET on 2017-08-28

Thailands junta chief Monday rejected reports that government officials may have helped former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra flee the country ahead of a verdict in her trial on negligence charges stemming from a failed rice subsidy scheme.

The government did not allow Yingluck to leave as part of any deal to stop Red Shirt activists who are aligned with her opposition Pheu Thai party from stoking unrest if she were convicted, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told journalists.

Who allowed her to leave? Who was that insane to have allowed her to leave? ... Prayuth said during a visit to the Queens Guard regiment in Chon Buri province.

Dont you pay much attention to that.  But we have to investigate how she exited and when. I have ordered the security officials to trace how she could have slipped away.

Yingluck, whose government was toppled in a military coup led by Prayuth three years ago, was due to appear at the Thai Supreme Court on Friday to hear the verdict in her trial. After she failed to show up, the court issued a warrant for Yinglucks arrest and postponed the ruling until Sept. 27.

Sources told the Bangkok Post on Friday that state officials were complicit in allowing Yingluck to leave the country and that people of influence had subsequently helped her travel from Cambodia to the Middle East.

Lets just say the powers that be gave her the green light to go, said a source the Post described as close to the upper echelons of power in Thai politics.

If she had been convicted or jailed it would have caused more trouble and social unrest, so letting her leave was considered the best option, the source reportedly said.

Sources close to Yingluck and her party told BenarNews that she crossed into neighboring Cambodia before flying to Singapore, and from there possibly on to the United Arab Emirates. Last week, CNN reported that she had fled to Dubai, where her brother Thaksin, another former PM overthrown in a similar coup, has a home.

On Saturday, however, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen denied that Yingluck had entered his country.

Senior Thai police officials met Monday to discuss Yinglucks possible whereabouts and efforts to ensure she appears for the rescheduled verdict.

Immigration police nationwide do not have records of her going out at any check points. But she could have slipped through non-governed border passes. ... We dont know where Yingluck is  inside or out of Thailand. We could not guess, Pol. Gen. Srivarah Rangsipramanakul told reporters in Bangkok.

Police Maj. Gen. Apichart Suribunuya said Thailand would seek help from Interpol to locate Yingluck.

Under the dictatorial grip of the NCPO, Yingluck could not have slipped unless a traitor turned one blind eye or helped Yingluck flee, said Weera Somkwamkid, a prominent former political activist opposed to the Shinawatras, referring to the juntas official name, the National Council for Peace and Order.

She could not have escaped successfully, is it right? So the government must punish the traitor, otherwise it is the one to blame, Weera told BenarNews.

If convicted of negligence charges, Yingluck, 50, could be sent to prison for 10 years and banned from politics for life.

The charges stem from her administrations scheme to buy entire rice crops at prices well above the market rate.

In a bid to influence the world rice market, she encouraged rice farmers  a huge voting bloc  to store their crops in government silos and gave advance payments of 15,000 baht (U.S. $450) per ton. At the time, rice sold for 9,000 baht ($270) per ton.

The program was riddled with graft and it failed as the global rice market plummeted. Officials appraised the loss at 178 billion baht ($5.3 billion), from 2012 to 2014, when the government was left with warehouses full of overpriced crop that eventually rotted in silos.
ein Google-Unternehmen

Google-Dienste anzubieten und zu betreiben

Ausfalle zu prufen und Manahmen gegen Spam, Betrug und Missbrauch zu ergreifen

Daten zu Zielgruppeninteraktionen und Websitestatistiken zu erheben. Mit den gewonnenen Informationen mochten wir verstehen, wie unsere Dienste verwendet werden, und die Qualitat dieser Dienste verbessern.

neue Dienste zu entwickeln und zu verbessern

Werbung auszuliefern und ihre Wirkung zu messen

personalisierte Inhalte anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

personalisierte Werbung anzuzeigen, abhangig von Ihren Einstellungen

Wenn Sie Alle ablehnen auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies nicht fur diese zusatzlichen Zwecke.

Nicht personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung werden u. a. von Inhalten, die Sie sich gerade ansehen, und Ihrem Standort beeinflusst (welche Werbung Sie sehen, basiert auf Ihrem ungefahren Standort). Personalisierte Inhalte und Werbung konnen auch Videoempfehlungen, eine individuelle YouTube-Startseite und individuelle Werbung enthalten, die auf fruheren Aktivitaten wie auf YouTube angesehenen Videos und Suchanfragen auf YouTube beruhen. Sofern relevant, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auerdem, um Inhalte und Werbung altersgerecht zu gestalten.

Wir verwenden Cookies und Daten, umWenn Sie Alle akzeptieren auswahlen, verwenden wir Cookies und Daten auch, umWahlen Sie Weitere Optionen aus, um sich zusatzliche Informationen anzusehen, einschlielich Details zum Verwalten Ihrer Datenschutzeinstellungen. Sie konnen auch jederzeit g.co/privacytools besuchen.
By Bonnie Blankinship

ACTION has in some way raised the bar in math and science education here, said Dr. Daniel Brahier, Professor of Teaching Excellence and director of the program. Ive heard from our faculty in Arts and Sciences that they can spot an ACTION student the moment they walk into the classroom. Theyre more prepared, theyre engaged students who get other students engaged. This group of 100-plus students seem to have a kind of shock wave effect.

Now in its ninth year at Bowling Green State University, Science and Math Education in ACTION recruits outstanding Ohio students who want to become science or mathematics teachers and provides them four-year scholarships and an intensive curriculum rich in subject content and pedagogy. Part of the Choose Ohio First initiative, it seeks to address the states shortage of math and science teachers, especially in the areas of chemistry and physics, which mirrors the national trend. ACTION graduates are being snapped up by school districts looking for highly qualified teachers.

The future teachers focus on either science or math and their preferred grade level, from fourth grade to high school. Each cohort has between 25 and 30 students. As part of a learning theme community, many live together on a floor of Offenhauer Residence Hall, where they can study, share and socialize together. The bonds they form become a significant part of their college experience.

In choosing among prospective students for the program, we look for leadership skills, time donated to the community, students who are already volunteering and engaged and showing leadership, Brahier said. And they continue to blossom once theyre here. Many of them go on to become resident advisers and presidents of organizations. Theyre so active in leadership, they have an impact on the whole campus.

And they do jump right in, beginning with a summer bridge experience before their first freshman semester.

I will admit that I was reluctant to give up my summer with my friends before going off to college, but the summer bridge program was by far the best experience to get me ready for college and I now realize how important it was to help me as a teacher as well, said Kimberly Verhoff, who teaches chemistry, biology, botany and zoology at Tri-Valley High School in Dresden, Ohio. She was in the first cohort of ACTION, and returned this summer to address the new cohort of students.

At the other end of the education continuum, incoming freshman Morgan Bannister was exuberant on move-in day following the summer bridge. It was a great experience and Im really excited to be here, said Bannister, a middle childhood math and science education major from Clyde, Ohio. The alumni shared with us things they do with their classes and we learned a lot from them that Im excited to try when I get into the classroom. Both my parents are teachers and Ive always loved school. Its like a second family for kids. School is a safe base where you can help them grow while you teach them.

I was able to make connections with other incoming freshmen and many professors within the science and mathematics departments, as well as the education department, said alumnus Joshua Klein, who now teaches Algebra 1 to eighth- and ninth-graders in addition to calculus at Ada High School in Ada, Ohio.

As freshmen, ACTION members are involved in small-group science or mathematics research projects, working with a faculty member. Verhoff worked with chemistry faculty member Dr. Bob Midden, associate vice president for experiential and innovative learning and director of the Northwest Ohio Center of Excellence in STEM Education.

I got a chance to work with students of all ages to figure out a real-world problem where I lived, she said. My research project involved working with Dr. Midden to determine the effects of runoff on local water systems. I now do a similar lab with my chemistry students each year. I also discuss mega farms and their problems in zoology and biology.

At the end of the year the freshmen create PowerPoint and poster presentations for the Choose Ohio First Research Symposium. This engages them in public speaking right away and is the first of three major presentations they will give during their time in the program.

Not only has the program helped me to establish real world examples with my students, it has also made me a confident teacher, Verhoff said. I had to present projects to various faculty members and colleagues throughout my time at Bowling Green, and as a result, I am confident in being able to talk to colleagues and administrators at the school in which I teach.

Sophomores have a practicum, or internship, during which they work in a local business, agency or industry setting to see how math and science are applied in the business world  knowledge they can share with their future students to explain how their learning is relevant. The ACTION students spend about 20 hours a week tackling a problem posed by the employer.

The interns must produce some type of project results for the employer, whether a PowerPoint, video or written report. Then they come back and present their findings to all the other first- and second-year ACTION students  the second of their major presentations.

Adams worked with local ergonomic chair manufacturer BioFit conducting efficiency time studies of work processes.

For Verhoff, This business was a fish farm just outside of Bowling Green. I had to monitor levels of various chemicals in the water to make sure the fish and zooplankton were able to live. I now do a lab in chemistry classes involving this same concept to help students see how what they are learning can be applied to the real world.

A second effect of the practicum is that it often validates and confirms their desire to be teachers, Brahier said. In addition to their presentations, they also write a reflective paper on their experience. They will oftentimes say, Having spent these weeks in a business setting, I realize I dont want to be in a business setting  thats not me. I like being in front of kids and working in the classroom.

Both the College of Education and Human Development and ACTION are committed to giving students earlier field experience, Brahier said. From day one theyre on a bus going out to schools, helping teachers, really getting a chance to discern what teaching is all about.

During their junior and senior years, the students conduct research on teaching methods, which they can perform while in actual classrooms during their methods classes and as student teachers  which also improves those experiences, Brahier said.

Adams has been studying the impact of project-based learning in the mathematics classroom, working with Dr. Kimberly Rogers, an assistant professor of mathematics. She will implement and test what she has been working on in her methods and student teaching this year at Springfield Middle School in Holland, Ohio, west of Toledo.

At the end of senior year, during their ACTION Capstone Colloquium, the students present their two-year pedagogical research project findings in a short PowerPoint.

A parent came up to me after the seniors did their capstone presentation this April, Brahier said. He said it had been wonderful watching them grow. From seeing their freshman posters and now you extend that out four years and theyve had so much experience and they seem so adult getting up there and presenting their work. He said their growth is just tremendous.

I think one of best things about ACTION is the opportunities you get, Adams said. She has been gaining extra experience working as a tutor in the Math in ACTION Tutoring Hub housed in Olscamp Hall at BGSU. Middle school or high school students can come in to get free help whenever they need it. Or we can work with them online. The kids are super nice, and theres such relief for them when they get what theyve been struggling with.

Through faculty connections with ACTION, Verhoff was able to work as a summer lab assistant for cohorts two and three. I learned how to set up a lab for students, how to prepare materials for lessons, and figured out how much extra work it takes to be ready for teaching beyond what you would see in the classroom.

Having Brahier as the program director is especially helpful because he has also maintained his position as a seventh- and eighth-grade math teacher in a local school for 27 years, Adams said. Hes more aware of current issues and situations, she said.

The program manager, Wendy Standinger, and secretary Cindy Fuller are so great, Adams said, and are always there to provide guidance and support. You also get so much support from your cohort. If you ever have a question, you know where to go.

All in all, Klein said, The program helped me become a better mathematical thinker, and provided me with the confidence to start teaching in my own classroom. I was given many ideas for future lessons, connections with other new teachers across the state, and the ability to see the world of mathematics outside of the classroom with a practicum I completed with h2o Church's treasurer.

ACTION was one of several defining experiences throughout my time in college. I would recommend anyone interested in pursuing a career in math or science education to greatly consider applying to be a part of ACTION, as it will exceed your expectations.
Free State Agriculture (FSA) recently hosted their 2017 Congress, themed Value Added - Closer to the Consumer. One of the key speakers at the congress, consumer behaviour consultant Nadia van der Colff, provided delegates with some interesting insight on a trend that has increasingly shaped the agriculture industry and how it operates in past years - farm to fork. We chat to Van der Colff to find out more.

Nadia van der Colff

...it is one value chain with the farmer at the beginning and the consumer at the end. Strategically, it is crucial to be informed about consumer trends and behaviour as there is a mutual dependency between farmer and consumer.

Farm to fork has been one of the major trends in agriculture for several years now. Why do you think that is?

Previously, the focus was rather fragmented and limited to only the sequential process in the value chain, e.g. from farm to processing. Recently the significance of a more strategic and integrated approach has been recognised together with the advantages of adding value and consequently eliminating some cost building intermediaries.

Why is it so important for farmers to consider their consumers and consumer trends and behaviours?

In essence, it is one value chain with the farmer at the beginning and the consumer at the end. Strategically, it is crucial to be informed about consumer trends and behaviour as there is a mutual dependency between farmer en consumer. However, different consumers have different needs. In South Africa, there are quite a number of higher end niche markets as well as a large, albeit heterogeneous middle class. Therefore, it is important to understand the different consumer market segments in order to supply food according to their needs. Consumer research furthermore needs to be an ongoing process as consumer needs and preferences change over time due to numerous influences such as socio-demographic and personal factors.

How can farmers go about identifying opportunities in consumer demands?

Always start with the bigger picture and carefully analyse changes in the macro environment as well as population data, e.g. a growing population, an aging population and urbanisation. Think practically about the implication of these trend drivers, e.g. urbanisation, cluster living and smaller houses with less storage space are often the result. On its turn, urbanisation will drive the need for smaller, individually packaged food with less bulk buying and more out of home meals. Therefore, aim to first understand what the trend drivers are and then identify the resulting opportunities.

Konstantin Trubavin via 123RF

What are some of the key consumer trends driving the farm to fork trend?

Health and convenience remain some of the biggest trends, especially in the higher income segments. For example, consumers on the go are snacking on healthier options such as nuts, fruit and trail mixes while popcorn is also one of the fastest growing snack categories in South Africa. As a result, popcorn-specific maize cultivars are being planted to supply according to the growing demand. Consumers, furthermore, increasingly seek healthy, individually packed meals and ready-to-drink beverages suitable for time pressed lifestyles. With information readily available through mobile internet access, consumers are also more knowledgeable and are concerned about animal welfare and sustainable farming.

How have these trends manifested themselves in the agro-food market?

Currently, new product development and innovations are at an all-time high. Categories such as the ready-to-drink beverages (RTDs) have seen significant growth with a strong emphasis on health, e.g. cold pressed fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies and vitamin and probiotic waters. Also, with diabetes a global epidemic, a lot of new product development efforts involve sugar reduction, sugar replacements and low GI alternatives. Short ingredient lists, clean labels, less refined, raw and unprocessed product alternatives are increasingly on offer to the health conscious consumer together with healthy, individually packaged meals.
Broll has launched an overview of various commercial property segments in certain SADC, East and West Africa countries in its Sub-Saharan Africa Snapshot 2017 report

Elaine Wilson, divisional director for research, Broll Property Group

Elaine Wilson, divisional director for research for Broll Property Group says: Our research teams across sub-Saharan Africa enable us to advise and provide our clients with knowledge based research across various commercial property segments in these countries.

Wilson explains that markets across sub-Saharan Africa differ from country to country, some are less sophisticated than others and what may work in Nigeria, for example, does not necessarily work in a market such as Mauritius. In order to make the best decisions for their investments and portfolios, investors and occupiers wanting to enter any of these markets will need to have an understanding of what is happening within the sector they are interested in.

The snapshot contains overviews of the economy as well as the industrial, office and/or retail markets within each of the above mentioned countries.

Continued investment flow for retail sector

According to the snapshot, even though most of these countries retail sectors are facing challenging times, the sector overall continues to see investment inflows, albeit at a slow pace. While markets such as South Africa may be in danger of oversupply with regards to shopping centres, other markets are seeing increased demand for formal shopping centres with many international retailers having entered the sub-Saharan Africa market over recent years.

South Africas retail sector in particular is going through tough times with high household debt to disposable income at 73.2% and the increasing costs of living placing increased pressure on consumers thus negatively affecting the retail market This has been evident by the number of store closures over the last few months, annual financials of large nationals indicating reduced sales, retailers becoming more cautious with regards to expansion plans, lease negotiations becoming more challenging, rental negotiations and rent reductions becoming more evident and a number of retailers (especially marginalised retailers) struggling to meet their monthly financial commitments.

Despite these challenges, new international retailers continue to enter the country. Prime gross achievable rentals for typical 200m white box premises are priced between R235/m2/month to R450/m2/month ($17.7/m2/month to $33.9m2/month) dependent on city.

In Mauritius, luxury retail remains a key focus in Port Louis, the Mall of Mauritius - the countrys largest shopping centre measuring 44,521m and in the tourist-centric northern region of the country while traditional markets still form a significant part of the retail environment.

Growth of e-commerce

Kenyas industrial sector is experiencing increased demand as seen in the number of industrial hubs being developed in Nairobi and its immediate environs. Additionally, the growth of e-commerce has led to increased demand for warehouse spaces.

In West Africa, in both Ghana and Nigeria, additional office stock is expected to come onto the market over the next six to 24 months. With tough economic conditions and in a bid to remain competitive, in some instances, landlords continue to offer concessions such as rent reductions, longer rent free periods and additional fit out allowances, according to the snapshot.
Director of GAPP Architects and Urban Designers Erky Wood has been nominated to deliver the third Roelof S. Uytenbogaardt UDISA Memorial Lecture . The lecture will take place in Johannesburg at the Wits Planetarium on 12 September at 5pm.

I wasnt always in love with cities, admits Wood. In my mother-earth days, which are still at the core of my value system, I thought of cities as a global cancer that would grow exponentially and strangle the world. I then, on enquiry, found that theyre probably humanitys greatest cause for optimism. I thought Id simply started romancing the city, but had unwittingly become involved in a full-blown life-time affair, with she - the City - the dominatrix.

Khalied Jacobs, chairman of the Urban Design Institute of South Africa (UDISA), says Wood has been presented this honour as recognition for his contribution, principally, to the practice of urban design. With his early background in lecturing and thesis supervision, Wood went on to design, implement and administer the levels of urban design involvement that are seldom achievable in contemporary city management, adding immense value, whether socially, culturally, spiritually and economically, says Jacobs.

Sharing urban design, processes knowledge

Wood, who has been a director of GAPP since 1983, has dedicated his time to not only urban development projects but to the sharing of knowledge around urban design and processes. He achieved his BSc TRP at Wits Universitys Faculty of Architecture and went on to do his Masters in Environmental Planning: Urban Design. In his earlier years, and while learning the ropes of city administration and management with the Johannesburg City Council, he was a lecturer in urban processes at Wits and for many more years was a masters thesis supervisor in urban design. His involvement in student crits and juries, competition adjudications, countless conferences and a special presidential commission has kept him relevant in all aspects of urbanism beyond the work he carries out in his practice.

Over the years at GAPP, Wood was a member of the original urban design team for Sandton Square (now Mandela Square) and the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront project in Cape Town. He was also the team leader of urban design for the FNB BankCity headquarters in Johannesburg and, in 1992, was responsible for documenting the Johannesburg Metropolitan Interim Strategic Framework for a post-apartheid urban future. For 18 years he was involved with AECIs 4,200ha Modderfontein landholding in Johannesburg, taking land that had become surplus to requirements for the chemicals and explosives industry and weaving it into an unfolding urban area. He was the urban designer in charge of Tongaat Hulett Developments La Lucia Ridge Office Estate, including its architectural design controls, which has been described as South Africas premier office park, and the Umhlanga Ridge New Town Centre, north of Durban. These are but a few of the high profile projects in which he has been involved.

Uytenbogaardt's approach to urban design

I certainly feel privileged to be presenting the Roelof S. Uytenbogaardt UDISA Memorial Lecture to commemorate a truly inspiring and influential architect and urbanist, says Wood. Uytenbogaardt established UCTs first postgraduate programme in urban design and often acted in the public interest in support of the poor and marginalised. He was known for setting the highest standards of excellence in his many urban design projects. These projects often challenged archaic design and planning thought and set the approach for restructuring the South African city in the post-apartheid era. As an urban designer, I believe its important to learn from and honour the pioneering way in which Uytenbogaardt approached urban design.

Speaking about his topic for the lecture, Urban Praxis: Making sense of nonsense for the post-apartheid city, Wood says despite being over 20 years on into democracy, the spatial legacy of apartheid and the exclusion of many from the urban system is still with us and the urgency to muster the political will to transform remains profound.

I will cover many of the issues Uytenbogaardt raised in taking on the inequities of apartheid city-building, assessing why change has been so limited and, largely from an urban practitioners perspective, reflecting on and pointing to the prospects for urban success, he says.
Banks are feeling increasingly nervous about an implosion of bankrupt state-owned airline SAA with Citibank being the second bank to refuse to extend its loan to the sinking company, in this case R1.8bn.

In June, Standard Chartered Bank refused to roll over its loan of R2.2bn to SAA. The move required the Treasury to step in with an urgent bail-out to settle the debt because the unprofitable airline had run out of cash and was not generating enough income to cover its operating expenses.

SAA has had to reach repayment terms with suppliers owed R750m and will not be able to repay the R1.8bn it owes Citibank, which is due at the end of September. The Citibank loan is one of several totalling R6.8bn, which all become payable at the end of September.

DA deputy finance spokesman Alf Lees - quoting from a secret cabinet memorandum in the National Assembly on Thursday, 24 August - said Citibank "has stated its unwillingness to extend their lending facility". The memorandum also says that the inability of SAA to pay its suppliers was "deteriorating and untenable" and an urgent recapitalisation was necessary.

The failure by SAA to honour its R6.8bn debt at the end of September, Lees said, would trigger cross-default clauses and render an additional R7.8bn in SAA debt payable immediately by the state, worsening its already weak fiscal position. This R7.8bn becomes payable between 2019 and 2022. State guarantees to SAA already amount to R19bn.

Approached to explain the reasons for its refusal to extend the loan, especially as it is backed by a state guarantee, Citibank said: "Citi chooses not to comment on the matter at this time." SAA chief financial officer Phumeza Nhantsi confirmed that Citibank had written a letter to SAA saying that it was unwilling to extend its loan, but said that SAA was still in talks with the bank in an attempt to get it to change its mind. It was also engaging with all the other lenders.

Treasury spokesman Mayihlome Tshwete said Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba would also meet Citibank in a bid to get it to change its mind. But he said the attitude of lenders, including Citibank, had hardened with the statement by Lees that a R10bn recapitalisation of SAA was on the cards. Quoting from the memorandum, Lees said Gigaba was planning to give SAA R10bn by possibly selling the state's shares in Telkom, which were worth about R14bn.

Tshwete said this disclosure had added to the precariousness of SAA's situation and strengthened the hand of lenders in the negotiations as they now knew that funds would be forthcoming and would choose to take their money. "It has blown the negotiations." SAA had lost its leverage, Tshwete said.

Citibank's refusal to extend the loan adds to the urgency for the government to provide SAA with an equity injection. The R10bn recapitalisation would provide R6.8bn to repay maturing debt and R750m for working capital and would include the R2.2bn already paid to SAA. It would be financed through a special appropriation bill which the Treasury is planning to present to Parliament. Gigaba has stressed that any money given to SAA would be conditional on its aggressive implementation of its long-term turnaround plan.

Lees said in an interview that SAA was totally bankrupt and in a "very, very parlous situation". In normal circumstances it would be in liquidation. It had been unable to pay its suppliers in July and August and would not be able to do so in September either. The airline could face a liquidation application at any moment if an unpaid supplier decided to go to court.

It appears that Nhantsi was not frank with Parliament's standing committee on finance when she and SAA executives appeared before it on Wednesday to explain irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. She told MPs that SAA was engaging with its lenders for the extension of the R6.8bn due at end-September and while there were as yet no confirmed agreements to extend loans she did not foresee any decision not to extend. When asked by committee chairman Themba Godi what gave her the assurance that the loans would be extended, Nhantsi said that one of the issues of concern to lenders was the absence of a permanent CEO, which had been addressed by the appointment of Vodacom executive Vuyani Jarana.

Godi said on Thursday that if at the time of making this statement Nhantsi knew that Citibank had refused an extension then it was wrong of her not to disclose this. "It is something that she should have been upfront about it," Godi said. However, Nhantsi explained that what her statement meant was that SAA was still in negotiations with lenders, including Citibank, and that it was hopeful of a successful outcome.

Source: Business Day
Net1 UEPS Technologies expects to continue issuing the government's social grants until June 2018, it said in its financial results statement released on Friday, 25 August.

This is despite a ruling from the Constitutional Court that Net1 was to relinquish its South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) contract by the end of March. But Sassa's mismanagement of the tender process for a new welfare grant distributor forced the court to extend the deadline indefinitely.

Although Net1 denied it was holding the government to ransom, the controversy resulted in the ousting of its founder Serge Belamant in May. Belamant was replaced as CEO by the group's chief financial officer Herman Kotz.

"Our guidance assumes that our contract with Sassa remains in effect for the full year on the existing terms and conditions," Kotz said in Friday's results statement.

Net1's overall revenue grew 3% to $610m, but its aftertax profit declined 14.5% to $72m.

The group segments itself into three divisions: South African transaction processing, which grew revenue by 17% to contribute 38% of the total; financial inclusion and applied technologies, whose revenue declined by 5% to 36% of the total; and international transaction processing, whose revenue grew 4% to 27% of the total.

On 7 August, Net1 announced it had concluded its acquisition of 15% of Cell C for R2bn and 45% of DNI for R945m. DNI was described as the largest wholesaler of Cell C starter packs.

Source: BDpro
Treasury has issued the final retirement funds default regulations which will take effect on 1 September 2017.

The final default regulations are the outcome of an extensive consultative process between National Treasury, industry, the Financial Services Board (FSB) and other interested stakeholders.

The first draft of the default regulations was published for public comment on 22 July 2015, and revised after taking into account public comments. The second draft of the regulations was published for public comment on 9 December 2016.

Treasury on Friday, 25 August, said these final regulations are meant to improve the outcomes for members of retirement funds by ensuring that they get good value for their savings and retire comfortably.

The regulations require retirement funds trustee boards to offer a default in-fund preservation arrangement to members who leave the services of the participating employer before retirement, and also a default investment portfolio to contributing members who do not exercise any choice regarding how their savings should be invested.

For retiring members, a fund should have an annuity strategy with annuity options, either in-fund or out-of-fund, and can only default retiring members into a particular annuity product after a member has made a choice.

Member defaults should be relatively simple, cost-effective and transparent. The default regulations will require that fund trustee boards assist members during the accumulation and retirement phases.

The provisions in the regulations for default investment portfolio will mean that all retirement funds with a defined contribution category are required to have a default investment portfolio.

The regulations require that the investment portfolio that members are defaulted into should be appropriate, reasonably priced, well communicated to members, and offer good value for money while performance fees will be allowed but subject to a standard to be issued by the FSB and a regulatory or policy review.

For now, does not apply to retirement annuity and preservation funds.

With regards to default preservation, the regulation require that funds that have members enrolled into them as a condition of employment (i.e. pension and provident funds), will have to change their rules to allow for default preservation as some of them currently do not allow resigning workers to leave their accumulated retirement savings in the fund.

The employee, however, will have the right and option to withdraw, upon request, the accumulated savings or to transfer them to any other fund, thereby achieving portability.

Employees will also be required to first seek retirement benefits counselling before they make a decision. The default preservation regulation does not apply to retirement annuity and preservation funds.

On the annuity strategy, two types of annuities exist, a living and life annuity.

A life annuity, once chosen or defaulted into, becomes irreversible. To better manage this irreversibility, it was decided that funds should first require the active participation of members, who should indicate beforehand, which type of annuity  for example life or living annuity should be paid.

This required pre-selection by the members makes the purchase of an annuity a soft default by having the member opt-in instead of opting-out meaning that a member must first indicate which annuity product he/she would prefer being enrolled into.

According to the regulation the default annuity should also be appropriate for members, well communicated and offer good value for money. It also requires members to be given access to retirement benefits counselling to assist them in understanding and giving effect to the annuity strategy.

Pension fund, pension preservation fund and retirement annuity funds are required to establish an annuity strategy. However this does not mean that members of provident funds are compelled by these regulations to purchase an annuity upon retirement.

The annuitisation of provident funds remains under discussion at Nedlac, Treasury said.

All new default arrangements that come into operation on or after the 1 September.

According to Treasury existing default arrangements will be expected to be fully aligned to the by 1 March 2019.

As with any new policy or regulation, Treasury said these final regulations will be continuously monitored, assessed and reviewed to enable necessary updates that ensure that members of retirement funds are protected against excessive fees, excessively complex and opaque products and certain bad practices.
Research finds that a growing proportion of companies, who are still being led by their founders, make up 30% of IPOs and 7% of companies with market capitalisation above $500 million.

According to Ovidiu Patrascu, sustainable investment analyst at Schroders, In those cases where track records are limited, the role and effectiveness of business leaders is often judged by intuition more than analysis.

The issue is expected to become increasingly important. Companies can scale quicker than ever in capital-light, global industries. With venture capital war chests still strong, public market capital is little impediment to scaling a good idea quickly.

He suggests that in addition to this, the prevalent internet usage enables companies to tap global customers, employees and suppliers quickly, bypassing the conventional expansion from local to national to international. As a result, it is increasingly likely that the founder will still be in charge by the time IPO scale is reached.

Methodology

We set out to explore whether companies led by their founders tend to take a more long-term approach in capital allocation, enjoy superior profitability or perform better than peers. We examined 3,600 non-financial companies with market capitalisations over $500 million. Approximately 70% of founder-led companies are listed in the US, followed by China (8%), Japan (7%) and Europe (6%), and the majority operate in the technology, pharmaceuticals and retail sectors (source Bloomberg 31 Dec 2016).

Founder-CEO companies outperform

According to Patrascu, the research demonstrates that in general:

Founder-CEO companies invest more aggressively than their peers in research and development (R&D), capital expenditure (capex), and mergers and acquisitions (M&A);



They grow revenues at a faster pace; and



Their share prices have outperformed peers over the 5-year period to December 2016

Sector-specific differences

However, Patrascu points out that the findings become more nuanced when looking at specific sectors in more detail. Founder-CEO companies operating in innovation intensive sectors such as internet, software, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals tend to invest more in R&D, capex and M&A than their peers. This often leads to better revenue growth, but not to share price outperformance.

In more capital intensive industries, such as hardware and semiconductors, founder-CEO companies tend to allocate capital more conservatively and their share prices have generally outperformed their peers.

In some mature but profitable industries, such as electronic and electrical equipment, founder-CEO companies allocate more capital but at relatively high levels of profitability. This leads to strong compounding power and share price outperformance.

Enabling better research focus

Founder-CEOs are often found in the most exciting areas of the market. By objectively examining their influence on capital allocation and investment performance, Schroders investment teams are better able to focus research efforts into specific sectors where founder-CEO companies are more likely to outperform their peers, concludes Patrascu.
Parliament has weighed in on the Vodacom billing debacle, calling for the matter to be investigated by an independent body. The mobile operator drew the ire of some of its subscribers last week whose data and airtime disappeared as a result of a technical glitch.

 Andrea De Martin  123RF.com

The company has since apologised and begun reimbursing customers who were affected by the problem, but Parliament has called for a further probe into the matter. The billing crisis came amid growing calls around the country for data prices, which remain stubbornly high, to be slashed.

Parliament's portfolio committee on telecommunications and postal services said on Thursday, 24 August, that it strongly condemned the Vodacom incident.

Although the company had apologised to customers and committed not only to refund them, but also to give them an extra 500MB bundle valid for three days, the committee said the matter must be investigated by an independent body.

"SA ranks fourth out of 17 African countries with high costs of data, and to have millions of people robbed of their airtime and data in this manner is a serious concern," said Dikeledi Tsotetsi, the acting chairperson of the committee.

She said having received inputs from individuals and organisations during the cost-to-communicate public hearings held in Parliament last year, the committee had tasked the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) to investigate high data costs further.

In May, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel announced that SA's high data costs would be investigated by the Competition Commission. This month, the commission published the terms of reference of the inquiry and called for submissions. The inquiry will look into the market structure, the general adequacy and impact of the current regulatory regime, and costs faced and profits earned by fixed and mobile network operators.

Icasa is also reviewing the broadband market and has said the reduction in the cost of data would depend on the outcome of the review. Tsotetsi said while the committee was awaiting reports of the ongoing investigations by Icasa and the Competition Commission, the mobile network operators had a responsibility to conduct business in a manner that was just and lawful.

Source: BDpro
With the arrival of the internet and a host of disruptive technologies, travel agents have been deemed the dodos of the travel industry. It's true, to an extent, as travel agents, as we knew them - acting as agents for airlines, hotels and other travel suppliers in the absence of online travel platforms such as Expedia, Booking.com, etc. no longer exists. If you'd read the papers in the past decade, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the role of travel agent was going the same way as the dodo, and to a large extent you would be right.

According to the Association of Southern African Travel Agents (ASATA), the travel agency you walk into today, however, is a but a shadow of that past, evolving to become a centre for travel professionals that guide holidaymakers and business travellers to travel with peace of mind. Dominated by women, South Africas travel agencies have further shrugged off perceptions that the industry is doomed to go downhill and fostered a generation of powerful women who are now taking it to new heights.

Heres how three power-house women are flying high to achieve their professional and personal goals:

Carla Nichols

Carla Nichols  leisure consultant, Club Travel

Although the travel industry is perceived to be very glamorous which it can be, it takes a lot of work.

Its the simple things in life that Nichols enjoys. Family time, travel opportunities and making her clients holiday dreams come true are what make her happy. For Nichols, the travel bug bit young. Coming from a family that travelled, Nichols has been fortunate to travel the world as a travel consultant, but cautions that it takes hard work and passion. The travel industry, says Nichols, is a small, tight-knit industry so people who work in travel rely on each other for support. Many managerial roles are filled by women who have worked their way up the ladder and they are given the utmost respect. Nichols' travel agent background has meant that she can now travel to other countries and work in travel, which she plans to do as she prepares to move to London. Her plan is to stay in the travel industry.

How do you think travel is going to evolve in the next few years?

I think travel is always going to grow, but I do feel that clients are becoming a lot more travel savvy and are now open to exploring new/untouched destinations.

What would you say to those who say youre crazy to become a travel agent or work in travel?

Travel is amazing. It opens your eyes to the world and shows you that there is so much more to explore and experience. No single day is the same. You interact with different people every day who want to travel to different destinations so you are always learning.

What are the best benefits of your job in travel?

The best benefit of my job in travel is the opportunity to travel so you can see and experience destinations first-hand. Theres no better way to sell a destination to a customer than when youve travelled there yourself.

Michelle Keggie

Michelle Keggie  travel manager, Flight Centre Travel Group

This job is a purposeful job. We make peoples dreams come true.

Keggie has led her team to be Flight Centre South Africas top shop in KwaZulu-Natal for the last two years. Today, Keggies goal of working half-day to spend time with her family has come true and she can think of nothing else shed rather do. Having lived overseas and worked in travel for over 20 years, Keggies heart remained in South Africa and she returned to Durban to do what she loves. Shes since travelled to 15 different countries and says she couldnt do this a job on her own  she has the backing of an innovative company that constantly reinvents itself and an invested team that is reaping the rewards of focusing on a goal and working hard to achieve it. For Keggie, being a travel consultant is something she envisages for the rest of her life, but she admits you need to be very driven and to look within for motivation if youre going to succeed.

How do you think travel is going to evolve in the next few years?

In the future, I predict there will be fewer bricks and mortar stores and travel will be sold in the comfort of peoples homes. Personal contact with the customer is very important offering a more superior service because so much can happen in your travel experience and its great to know that you are dealing with someone that is available to you 24/7. This personal contact is a great opportunity for travel agents competing with online travel sites.

What would you say to those who say youre crazy to become a travel agent or work in travel?

This job is a purposeful job. We make peoples dreams come true, like the lady who hasnt seen her sister in 15 years. We make that happen by connecting with people from all walks of life. People open up to you when youre their travel consultant and we have an important role to play in their experience.

What are the best benefits of your job in travel?

Working with people is a humbling experience. You learn something new every day. The opportunity to run your own business without the headache of the business admin and to write your own paycheck are other benefits. Once youve built up your client base over a year or two, youll enjoy endless opportunities, and you get to enjoy the magic of travel where there is a whole world to explore and discover.

Tamarin Seymour  Travel Counsellors South Africa

The longer Im in travel and hear that travel agents are on their way out, the more I know its absolute nonsense.

One of the lucky few women in South Africa to balance her work and personal life, Seymour is an independent travel consultant with Travel Counsellors South Africa. As such, she runs her own business with the support of Travel Counsellors and has time to balance a busy work day with fetching and carrying her kids and indulging her Crossfit habit, which takes centre stage six mornings a week. Family and health inspire Seymour and spending time with her family is the most important thing in her life. Seymours dream in high school was to join the travel industry, a decision she has not regretted as she works with travellers who rely on her excellent service and are prepared to pay for it. According to Seymour, South Africans are increasingly realising the value of working with a good travel consultant as service begins to trump price. In her business, referrals are precious so top-notch service is essential, and the systems and technology provided to me by Travel Counsellors assist me in providing the best product too.

How do you think travel is going to evolve in the next few years?

The longer I work in travel and hear that travel agent are on their way out, the more I know its absolute nonsense. There is so much information out there and too many things the customer doesnt know, organising travel has become completely overwhelming. The internet is actually making it harder for people to travel.

What would you say to those who say youre crazy to become a travel agent or work in travel?

Being a travel consultant opens your eyes to whats out in the world. We dont live in a box which makes us street smart. The industry is also filled with amazing people. To work in travel, you need to be a special breed of person. Of course, we do have some opportunities to travel, but this is not the main reason you should work in travel. Rather, its because of the knowledge of the world you acquire and the people you meet along the way.

What are the best benefits of your job in travel?

I love planning things for people. Its a passion, especially if its their first trip. Its such a special thing to be involved in and youre always going to be remembered as the person who made it happen.
Unprecedented sentence seen as beginning of end to grip of chaebols

SEOUL - The conviction and jailing of South Korea's top business tycoon heralds a drive to reform the country's giant conglomerates and loosen their grip on the economy, analysts said.

When Lee Jae-yong, de facto head of the world's biggest smartphone maker Samsung Electronics, was jailed on Friday for bribing South Korea's former president and other offenses, the Seoul court condemned "corrupt ties" between business leaders and politicians.

It is far from the first time these links have been made public. South Korea's chaebols, or family-run conglomerates, have long enjoyed close, opaque ties to political authorities.

"There is a well-founded concern that Korean corporations have too much financial influence over the political system through favors and friendships," said Robert Kelly, professor of political science at Pusan National University.

The chaebols were instrumental in South Korea's rapid transformation into Asia's fourth-largest economy - during which they received privileges in business and protection from foreign competition.

But as GDP growth has slowed, public frustration with the chaebols has mounted. They are accused of choking off innovation, distorting markets and engaging in corrupt practices to ensure founding families retain control.

When millions of people took to the streets to demand president Park Geun-hye's ouster over a burgeoning corruption scandal, their anger was directed almost as much at the companies that paid her secret confidante Choi Soon-sil as at her.

After Park's impeachment and dismissal, new president Moon Jae-in won a sweeping election victory campaigning on a platform of reform.

Samsung is by far the biggest of the chaebols, with its revenues equivalent to around a fifth of the country's GDP.

Lee Jae-yong's father, who remains Samsung chairman, was previously convicted of bribery, tax and other offenses himself, and the scion's grandfather also had brushes with the law, but neither was ever jailed.

Chaebol leaders have regularly enjoyed such privileges in the past, with trials ending in light or suspended sentences and courts citing their contributions to the economy.

But imprisoning the vice-chairman of Samsung for five years - even though the sentence could be reduced on appeal - shows that now no one is immune, the thinking goes.

"The unprecedented jailing of the head of the country's most powerful chaebol will serve as a catalyst for changing the whole society," said Chung Sun-sup, who runs specialist website chaebul.com. There have been promises of reforms before, from both sides of the political aisle, but they came to little.

Former Justice Party lawmaker Park Won-wuk blamed a lack of political will and resistance from the chaebols, which warn of negative consequences for investment and employment.

"No politicians have been really free from collusive ties with chaebols," said Park. "But Moon, differently from his predecessors, owes no debts to chaebols, and his top officials in charge of chaebol reform are thoroughly reformist.

"Lee's imprisonment shows they are down to business quite seriously this time."

Corruption remains "the single biggest issue" in South Korea, Kelly said. The Transparency International watchdog ranked South Korea 52nd out of 176 countries in its perceptions index for last year.

Agence France-presse
The state's proposed sale of its stake in fixed-line group Telkom will probably not affect operations, says CEO Sipho Maseko.

The government owns 39% of Telkom and was said to be considering selling the shares to bail out troubled South African Airways (SAA). Its stake in Telkom is worth about R14bn.

Asked whether Telkom would consider a stock buyback, Maseko said Telkom would consider its options, including a buy-back, once there was a formal process. It emerged in Parliament on Wednesday, 23 August, that the state sees the sale of non-core assets as the only sustainable way to support SAA.

Responding to questions from opposition parties, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government continued to discuss which assets were strategic. "If that proposition [selling the Telkom stake] comes up, Parliament will deal with it," said Ramaphosa.

Telkom management, led by Maseko, had substantially reduced costs, which were a drain on the group. The business recorded improved performance in the year to June.

Although the core fixed-line voice business is facing pressure, it has experienced a strong uptake in data services.

Telkom's share price has fallen 10% since January.

The group is entering a new phase it believes will unlock shareholder value. This includes adding a new unit, called Gyro, which will house its multi-billion-rand property portfolio including vacant land, office blocks and mast towers.

Source: Business Day
Marine pilot at Port of Saldanha - the deepest port in South Africa which handles the biggest vessels of all the country's ports - Salmaa Vincent was able to apply her newly acquired Open Licence certification to craftily guide a 350-metre long vessel with a deadweight tonnage of 300,000dwt into the port, just ahead of Women's Month. She is the first female within Transnet National Ports Authority to hold this licence for such large vessels.

Salmaa Vincent

Open Licence certification is one of the most coveted qualifications in the field and permits qualified marine pilots to guide ships of any type and size in and out of our ports, from the very smallest vessels to the gigantic super tankers and container ships.

Of her first experience, Vincent said: It was nerve wracking at first but this was soon overtaken by exhilaration and excitement at my ability. Throughout the experience, I concentrated and exercised caution to ensure that I was successful.

From maritime student to marine pilot

Vincent, 30, received a bursary from Transnet National Ports Authority in 2005 which allowed her to pursue one year of Maritime Studies at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, followed by 18 months at sea with Safmarine (now Maersk). In 2008, she went on to pass her oral exam with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and was issued with a Deck Officer certificate of competency.

Transnet then enrolled her in a tug master programme which she completed in January 2009. This was followed by oral exams at SAMSA before obtaining her Master Port Operations certificate. She then went on to do a year of marine pilot training. This included two weeks in Rotterdam doing practical ship handling. Upon her return, she completed simulation training in Durban at the Transnet Maritime School of Excellence. She finished her practical pilot training in Cape Town in September 2011 and qualified as a marine pilot, serving first at the Port of Cape Town for three months before returning to the Port of Saldanha.

Diverting from her fathers dream of becoming a medical doctor, Vincent had a job shadowing experience which introduced her to Marine Engineering. Here she found her flair in the deck side of things and never looked back.

Breaking through the glass ceiling

She credits her success to TNPAs efforts to empower women in its environment which she says she has witnessed through her journey. I read a lot about women within TNPA doing remarkable things, making a difference and taking on senior and leadership roles which inspire me, she says.

Her advice to other women interested in breaking through the glass ceiling is: You have to be determined and have strong character. Be clear about what you would like to get out of your career. You also need perseverance because you have to work with mother nature and you must be physically fit.

She is thankful to mentors like retired Captain Brian Radford, Captain Ahmed and her father who encouraged her to continue her studies and to obtain various qualifications while she climbed the ladder of success in her industry. Her husband Wahseem Vincent has been a true rock she says, supporting her in her career and always behind her. In her spare time, Vincent enjoys spending time with her sixteen-month-old daughter, travelling and going to the beach. Although juggling everything can be a handful at times, she cherishes her strong support system that is always there to back her up.

Exciting things happening at the Port of Saldanha

She is excited about the future of South Africas ports and  while her dream is to obtain pilot licences in other ports - she says that there are exciting things happening at the Port of Saldanha.

Transnet is developing new infrastructure and expanding and stimulating the economy. With the development of Saldanha port infrastructure to support the oil and gas sector, the towns of Saldanha and Langebaan will be the jewels of the West Coast with overseas companies establishing businesses here and totally new and bigger vessels visiting our ports. There are lots to look forward to, she says.

Vincent completed her harbour master diploma in October 2016 through IBC Academy in London and would like to pursue her MBA in the near future.
PARIS, France - A dogfight over the assets of troubled Alitalia and Air Berlin heralds a new shake-up in the European airline industry - but unless other carriers cut costs they may meet a similar fate themselves, analysts warn.

Richard Silagi via Wikimedia Commons

Facing insolvency after key investor Etihad threw in the towel after years of trying to keep them flying despite losses, both airlines may now be snapped up whole or carved up by rivals interested in getting ahold of their planes and airport landing slots.

But the overhaul is unlikely to end there.

Changing business models

"The sector will continue to consolidate because the business models are in the process of changing," said Stephane Albernhe, managing partner at Archery Consulting.

"It is an underlying trend in Europe and the United States, where four 'consolidators' are in the lead: American, Delta, United, and low-cost Southwest."

For Europe, consultant Jerome Bouchard at Oliver Wyman believes that eventually "there will be an oligopoly centred around Lufthansa, IAG and Air France-KLM". International Airlines Group is the parent company of British Airways, Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling.

Before major consolidation can take place, however, Bouchard believes the airlines need to find a business model where they are no longer operating on the brink of bankruptcy. Alitalia and Air Berlin had both been operating at losses for years.

Budget operators become major players

Low-cost airlines had eaten away at Alitalia's market share in particular, with Ireland's Ryanair having eclipsed it as the largest operator in Italy. They were spared by Etihad, which took equity stakes in both as the flush Gulf airline tried to buy its way into Europe, but it lost its gamble that it could turn them around.

"Etihad's exit from Alitalia's capital will contribute to the acceleration of consolidation," Albernhe said. "Alitalia will very likely join, either in whole or in part, Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, IAG, or even EasyJet or Ryanair."

Low-cost Ryanair has soared to become Europe's top airline by number of passengers. Fellow budget operators EasyJet and Norwegian are also major players.

While former flag carriers still offer a full range of services on both medium- and long-range flights, low-cost airlines offer fewer services and until recently have focused mostly on shorter journeys.

"It is the never-ending battle between a super generalist and super specialist," said Bouchard.

The situation is similar in Asia, where carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines have seen profits plunge amid intense competition from lower-cost rivals.

Australia's Qantas was able to staunch the red only by undertaking, in 2014, a major restructuring that saw it axe thousands of jobs, sell off dozens of aircraft and defer orders for new ones.

The pressure on former national carriers will only continue as low-cost airlines push into the long-haul segment, which has until now been an area where they enjoyed comfortable profits.

Cost reduction paramount

With profit margins already tight, airlines are going to have to attack their high fixed costs on planes, fuel and labour. "Worldwide competition is so fierce with yields declining continuously that cost reduction is paramount," said Mark Bobbi, an analyst at IHS Markit.

In this context "mergers, takeovers and joint ventures will be increasingly important," said John Strickland, director of JLS Consulting.

Airlines took their first step towards consolidation in the 1990s with alliances which allowed them to share flights and run joint loyalty programmes. But "in the end, the expected synergies didn't really happen," said Bouchard. Airlines in the alliances kept their own separate fleets of planes and their own maintenance operations, thus not making much in savings in two large cost areas. Alliances didn't even address the delicate issue of salaries.

Wages are a major competitive drag for former flag carriers. For example, the salaries of Air France pilots are 20 to 25 percent higher than those of low-cost EasyJet, according to industry experts.

Airline alliances may get tighter

Airline alliances may be about to get a bit tighter.

Air France-KLM recently decided to allow Delta and China Eastern, both partners in the Sky Team alliance, to take stakes in its equity capital. The equity stakes make the airlines "more cooperative on their business model" and "more interested in synergies", said Bouchard.

Air France-KLM also took a stake in Virgin Atlantic alongside Delta to gain market share in the competitive North American and Asian markets.

With global traffic growing by four percent per year, there could be room for both former flag carriers and low-cost airlines, said Bouchard, but he warned "positions are changing quickly" and high fixed costs "don't leave any room for mistakes".

Source: AFP
New look and feel positions Mr D Food as the premier food delivery service in SA...

Over the past year, door-to-door food delivery has become a highly competitive space. As the most established and farthest-reaching local service, Mr Delivery has dominated the SA market and in keeping with technological developments and trends, Mr Delivery has developed and launched its own app (Mr D Food - Delivery & Takeaway). The popular food delivery business partnered with advertising agency M&C Saatchi Abel Cape Town to create a new, more dynamic look and feel to coincide with the launch - and to ensure that the brand resonates with young, tech-savvy South Africans.

Our brief was to create a playful new logo and CI that would speak to young South Africans, explains Joshua de Kock, Creative Group Head at M&C Saatchi Abel Cape Town. The look and feel needed to contrast and add something different to the current landscape  something that would stand out and boldly show its character.

Notably, the agency discovered that the new Mr D app had more restaurants listed than any other takeaway delivery app in South Africa. This intrinsic benefit inspired the compelling and ever-changing logo that essentially represents the choice and infinite options customers experience with the Mr D app.

Stylistically, we drew inspiration from our own experience of ordering from Mr Delivery when we were kids in the 90s, adds De Kock. The experience of ordering was always synonymous with cartoons, friend sleepovers, movies and video games - so we created a bright and eye-catching logo that paid homage to that era...

As part of the launch of the app and new CI, M&C Saatchi Abel CT also created engaging content and animations for social media platforms, a series of press ads, street pole posters and radio ads that speak to Mr Deliverys new brand line: What do you feel like?




How does going digital' in the television market affect content and viewership patterns? Kui Kariuki from Ipsos Kenya unpacked what happened with Kenya's digital migration process, in a presentation to the annual conference of the Pan African Market Research Organisation (Pamro), which takes place in Cape Town this year.

#Githeriman in the recent elections voter queue went viral.

Kariuki said there was lots of debate as to the role of content in a more fragmented media space after digital migration in 2015 in Kenya, including whether clients and agencies were informed about the implications of moving advertising dollars from traditional above-the-line media to an evolving digital space.

Some of the expectations they had:

That viewership would be fragmented.

Loss of audiences on main channels as programming would change, with a wider variety of shows available to the viewer.

Decreased channel loyalty  content will drive stations ratings.

Demand for quality content was expected to drive audiences on television stations.

Although there were fears that the cost would put off consumers, set-top box purchases increased among daily television viewers, as did the incidence of viewership. Government actually introduced free set-top boxes, but ownership did increase by 48% after digital migration.

During this period of the migration, pay-TV stations also introduced attractive deals, said Kariuki.

Audiences are loyal to content

The Ispos survey showed that there was no real dissatisfaction with television content after digital migration when they looked at the stations that were leading before and after digital migration. Kenyans are now paying for set-top boxes to watch stations that they used to watch for free, as the top three stations remained the same.

Of key importance was that vernacular television stations remained in the top 10. Stations with low reach were pushed out of the top 10. Vernacular stations follow largely the same program schedule as top three TV stations with news and soapies dominating popular content at prime time viewing.

Platform is key

How much platform can affect content ratings showed that with some content, platform overrides content. An example was the Coke Studio programming, which, when it was moved to another channel, increased ratings.

Habits are ingrained

Is content really king, asked Kariuki, as consumers didnt switch stations for similar content, but stayed on their favourite channels. But, DJ Afro movies on Gikuyu TV, showed huge ratings, so for newer television stations, they can repurpose content and older movies in a unique way to gain audience share, as DJ Afro has done with old Kung Fu movies.

Radio is king

Radio is still king in the media space in Kenya, said Kariuki. There has been a significant drop in listenerships of English radio, as well as Swahili as audiences move online. But vernacular radio is still relevant as it speaks in your home language and about issues relevant to communities.

Next frontier: online

The online space is the next frontier, but internet penetration stats vary widely in the Kenyan market and Ispos has shown that radio and television are still the most popular media channels, even though the internet is the next frontier as mobile penetration increases.

And this is where content is king, said Kariuki. Organic content creation in the media space is the sweet spot and brands are able to jump on that, she said referencing several examples where memes went mainstream, with brands cashing in.

#Githeriman inserted into Game of Thrones in one of the memes that went viral.

One example was #Githeriman, a photo of a voter in a queue munching on the traditional Githeri dish of maize and beans, out of a plastic bag. The meme went viral, easing tensions in the recent highly charged elections in Kenya, and #Githeriman found himself inserted into pictures with everyone from political leaders such as Trump, to celebrities and famous television scenes in Game of Thrones.

Kui Kariuki

Brands soon jumped on board after the media tracked him down and identified, him, involving him in brand conversations from teeth whitening to technology.

Daily media consumption

Despite the fact that traditional media channels like radio and television are still doing well in Kenya, daily media consumption habits have changed, said Kariuki. The mobile phone grew by 84%, and the internet by 500% since 2007. All other media types have dropped.

For brands to remain relevant with audiences, Kariuki advises:

Established traditional media platforms have the luxury of high audience reach, established consumption habits and high brand equity. All of which can trump content. In order to remain relevant, traditional media must listen to their more disconnected audiences and work with them to generate content the consumer wants. Advertisers need to be in the consumers space at the right time and in the right place. They need to understand their consumers and involve them on the brands journey. Organic conversations are gold  all brands seek out ways to remain relevant and authentic; whilst creating an experience for its audiences and consumers.

The nuances of trends need to be understood so brands dont miss the mark. Co-create with your consumers, make them part of your brand. Ecobank Fintech Challenge, for example, got customers involved in creating a product for the bank," explained Kariuki.
Delegates at the two-day Infrastructure Africa Business Forum held in Sandton, South Africa, last week, heard that African governments need to create the environment for business to invest in infrastructure, as infrastructure investment is critical for Africa's growth and development.

 Yang MingQi via 123RF

The Minister of Finance in Zambia, Felix Mutati, said African governments should create a conducive environment in their respective countries that will generate appetite among the private sector to invest in infrastructure projects in the continent.

One of the objectives of the Infrastructure Africa Business Forum, held in Sandton, 21-22 August 2017, was to encourage public-private partnerships in the development of world class infrastructure in Africa.

I have no doubt that despite the daunting challenges that we experience as a continent when it comes to addressing the infrastructure deficit, we shall overcome if governments are working effectively together with the private sector. But it is important for the government to define its role clearly.

The role of government must remain to provide a business environment that creates confidence and trust, as well as opportunities for the private sector to invest in infrastructure development, said Mutati.

Inter-regional trade

South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, said the development of infrastructure is an essential and absolutely fundamental catalyst for regional integration for increased inter-regional trade and for industrialisation in Africa.

Therefore, infrastructure development lies in the very heart of our efforts to promote high levels of inclusive growth and development throughout the continent, said Davies.

Davies added there was a huge deficit in the infrastructure that is necessary to support high levels of inter-regional trade that connects African countries to one another.

As a continent, Africa has an infrastructure deficit estimated at $93 billion per annum for the next 20 years. Colonialism has created infrastructure that was only geared towards the continent fulfilling its role as mere producer and exporter of primary commodities that were taken to other peoples economies. There is a huge amount of catch-up that we need to undergo as a continent in order to achieve regional integration, Davies said.

Africa has an infrastructure deficit estimated at $93 billion per annum for the next 20 years.

Mutati added that government should not monopolise investment in infrastructure but should make its responsibility and priority removing the burden that is created by bureaucracy in the private sector.

It is crucial for government to generate mechanisms and instruments aimed at enhancing the appetite of the private sector to invest in infrastructure development projects. These include credit enhancement and credit contingency guarantees which should go a long way in minimising the level of risks. The private and public sectors should share these risks for the benefit of all in the continent, said Mutati

Mutati added that decisive political leadership across the continent was important in order to attract investment in infrastructure. He cited the example of the thriving energy sector in Zambia which attracted private investments after the government decided to liberalise it.

Competitiveness

Davies explained that in addition to the infrastructure deficit, Africa was losing over 40% of its competitiveness as a continent due to the absence of infrastructure or inefficiency of established infrastructure.

The critical role of infrastructure development in achieving integration, growth and development in Africa can never be overemphasised. Through infrastructure development we can provide roads, rail, ports, energy transmission lines and ICT connectivity that are all necessary to facilitate economic development.

Also, infrastructure can be an important counter-cyclical tool because by infrastructure development we can to generate economic activity even if some of the other forms of economic activities are suffering from the negative waves. Thirdly, we can use infrastructure development to support the industrialisation that we aspire to as individual countries and as regions in the continent, added Davies.

He stated that regional integration has three legs, namely free trade areas, infrastructure development and cooperation which are essential in promoting industrial development across the continent.

We need to partner to build the required infrastructure and the real capability that will assist all of us build our countries. Adequate, effective, affordable and well-maintained infrastructure is an essential tool for Africas growth and development.

We as South Africa are committed to doing everything possible to unlock the opportunities as we address the infrastructure deficit in the continent because we recognise the important role that infrastructure can play in the industrialisation of the African continent, stressed Minister Davies.
Subscribe to daily business and company news across 19 industries

SUBSCRIBE
Among the casualties of 12 security forces members, one was reported from Tamadaw (army), one from immigration department office and the rest from the border police stations.

Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group previously known as Harakah al-Yaqin, has claimed the responsibility for the attacks.

The outfit, which instigated the October attacks in Arakan, informed that their members were involved in the attacks on the outposts of Maungdaw, Rathidaung (North) and Buthidaung localities. The militant group warned of more such attacks.

The attacks were carried out simultaneously by the group between the midnight of 24 August and the morning hours of Friday.

In Maungdaw township, 26 outposts at Net Chaung, Taman Thar, Kunthee Pin Chaungwa, Nantar Taung, Nantar Taung Chaung wa, Me Dike, Kyi Kyunt, Pru Ma, Maungka Mong, Zipin chaungwa, Longdon, Theho Kyan, Zinpy Nyar, Thaye konbong, Pa Naung Pin Gyi, Shwe Yin Aye, Myint Laut, Alay Thankyaw, U Daung and Thinbaw Kuae faced the attacks.

On the other hand, in Rathidaung locality, two outposts at Kodan Kouk and Shinkhali were attacked by the militants while in Buthidaung, the outposts at Faundaw Bying and Taungbazar faced the arsons.

According local sources in Maungdaw, at least 11 government officials including 3 police personnel from Me Dike outpost were killed. The list also included one immigration department office worker at Alay Thankyaw who became the victim of the circumstances. The government has however admitted that only 9 police personnel were killed in the attacks.

We heard the sound of guns at 2 am from our surrounding areas. Everybody was worried about their securities after the series of loud shots. The fighting continued till the morning hours, said a resident of Maungdaw.

A teacher from the same locality informed that four bombs were exploded in four different locations. The government high school, Kyin Chaung junction near to the phone tower pillar, market junction and the front of Kyin Chaung village hospital were targeted, however no one was wounded, he added.

In Shinkhali outpost, one police constable received minor injuries. However three terrorists were gunned down at the venue, informed a police officer. The locals informed that the encounter continued in some areas close to Mayu range till 10 in the next morning.

Meanwhile, the United States government urged the Myanmar administrations to avoid reprisals after the attacks that might inflame the tensions.

The office of Aung San Suu Kyi informed the world media outlets that the military and border police personnel responded to a series of attacks by Islamist militants under the clearance operations. The police fought off groups of as many as 100 Rohingya attackers armed with guns, machetes and homemade grenades. The captured weapons were shown in photos posted online by the government.

Meanwhile, Suu Kyi called the attacks a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine state.
The network, consisting of 25 member organizations and 15 allied organizations, met in Taunggyi on August 25 to discuss how they can better promote gender equality.

Daw Myo Nwe Si, the network coordinator, said womens organizations must cooperate to level the playing field and increase the scant number of women holding leadership positions.

Our main focus is uplifting the capacity of women and enabling them to take part in the leadership sector. We will also try our best to help women who have experienced violence. Women are suffering from both physical and mental abuse, she said.

Women in Myanmar have long been excluded from decision-making in public life. According to the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process, The expectation that males are leaders, combined with the social expectation that women play supportive roles, is entrenched in daily Myanmar life.

While Myanmar constitutionally enshrined womens right to political participation in 1932, the country also has among the lowest number of female lawmakers in Asia.

Women hold 14.5 percent of the electable seats in Union parliament after the 2015 election, up from under 4% previously, according to calculations from the Asia Foundation.

In the past, women only stayed at home and took care of domestic affairs. Our aim is to show that they are qualified to lead, said Daw Than Nwe Aung from the Morning Star Intellectual Disability Group.

U Aung Than Maung, Shan States Minister of Bamar Affairs and chair of the Womens Affairs Committee, said the country needs to work on eradicating traditions, customs and views that have inculcated gender discrimination. He added that rule of law must be enforced to end impunity for perpetrators of violence against women.

The Southern Shan Womens Network was established with ten organizations in 2014. It now includes 40 member and allied organizations.
Reciba en su email: noticias de ultima hora, analisis tecnicos o el cierre de mercado

Email no valido Nombre requerido Recibira las informaciones mas relevantes del dia en tiempo real Que informacion desea recibir? Noticias de Ultima hora Boletin Cierre de Mercado Boletin analisis tecnico Boletin Fundsnews Debe seleccionar un tipo de boletin Acepto la Politica de privacidad Debe aceptar la politica de privacidad Responsable EMPRESAS DEL GRUPO WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Finalidad La remision de informacion, novedades y promociones Establecimiento o mantenimiento de Relaciones Comerciales. Legitimacion Consentimiento del interesado. Interes legitimo en el desarrollo de la relacion comercial Destinatario Empresas del Grupo WEB FINANCIAL GROUP Derechos Acceso, rectificacion, supresion, limitacion, oposicion y portabilidad Informacion adicional Politica de Privacidad de nuestra pagina Web + INFORMACION
Botswana Sectors of Educators Trade Union (BOSETU) will hold its Elective Congress in Palapye at Majestic Five Hotel from 24th-28th August 2017 under the theme BOSETU-Championing Educators Rights In The Midst Of Collective Bargaining Challenges.

The objective of the Congress is to elect the Unions new leadership and introspect on the achievements and challenges facing the Union and to carve a new path towards a brighter future. BOSETU Elective Congress is held every three years. The event will be a memorable one since it will also be an opportunity to celebrate the Unions thirty year anniversary. Two hundred and ninety delegates from the Unions twenty regions will be casting election votes in line with the wishes of the Unions 16000 subscribing members.

This was revealed by the BOSETU Publicity Secretary, Edwin Maitshoko at the Unions briefing for service providers which was held at the same hotel on Friday. The briefing was meant to meet and share expectations prior to the Congress and to avail each service provider the opportunity to select their working stations.





According to Maitshoko, he said because of the magnitude of the event the Union found it fit to invite only those who excel in their respective crafts to make presentations during the event. Chief among them is Amanda Brown, who will deliver the keynote address. She is the Assistant Secretary General of National Union of Teachers in the United Kingdom and is also a member of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Board.

Maitshoko added that they were expecting presentations from Professor Roy Du Pre who is the European Union University Teacher Development Advisor, and Professor Mothusi Marobela from the University of Botswana. He further revealed that they will be honoured by the presence of the Minister of Basic Education Unity Dow, the Minister of Tertiary Education Alfred Madigele, and the Minister of Employment and Labour Productivity Tshenolo Mabeo.

As it is the norm with events of such prestige, BOSETU has invited the Association of Non-aligned Teachers Union of Southern Africa (ANTUSA) with member representation from South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Moreover, local trade unions and political parties will be present to offer solidarity messages based on the theme of the Congress.

The current National Executive, headed by President Kwenasebele Modukanele, will be dissolved on the 27th August 2017 paving way for elections which will be conducted the following day.
There have been calls especially from councillors and other local authorities for the decolonisation of Francistown by changing both its name and names of its streets.

Significantly, Francistown, named after a gold-digger from England, Daniel Francis, has got the abiding distinction of being the only town in Botswana with a colonial name. Over the years, several motions have been adopted by the town council, the last one being in 2008, to rename Francistown to Nyangabgwe, its traditional name.

Calls have also been made to change the names of streets such Blue Jacket Street, Baines Street, Francis Avenue, Francis Driveway, Moffat Street, Guy Street and Feitelberg Street in favour of names that are more commemorative of the history and culture of the indigenous population because names say a lot about who is in charge.





In Botswana, the call for the renaming of places especially in Francistown reflected the pan-Africanist ethos of the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) of the 1960s which emphasised Marcus Garveys slogan of Africa for the Africans.

Even back in the pre-independence and post-independence days the BPP had called for the decolonisation of Francistown by renaming it Nyangabgwe after a hillock nearby.

Latter-day calls for the renaming of Francistown and its streets to reflect the local history was no doubt, inspired by developments in countries such as Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia, among others, where place names were changed either to honour local heroes and heroines at the expense of racists and exploiters or to reflect the history of the place.

Pundits view the renaming of places as being part of correcting past injustices. Some believe that, it is the duty of every government to create local models by naming places after local heroes. After independence, Bechuanaland became Botswana while Gaberones changed to Gaborone, the original name of the place.

Southern Rhodesia was an amalgamation of Mashonaland and Matebeleland, but subsequently, it became Zimbabwe-Rhodesia before being renamed Zimbabwe. Although racial bigotry was rampant in Francistown where whites-only hotels, bars and night clubs abounded, the call for the change of names has surprisingly not elicited any urgency.

Obviously irked by the history of racism in Francistown, those calling for the colonial names to be erased are disgusted that Francis and his ilk neglected to develop the place. When an occupying power renames a place, the intention is to erase the history, culture and identity of the locals.

The change of the local names signifies power and control by the new rulers. By clamouring for the renaming of Francistown and its streets each time the motion was debated, the Councillors argued that they were reclaiming their history, identity and dignity.

Conquered communities were given place names that reflected settler history. Perhaps to assuage their sense of nostalgia, in some instances, colonisers named a place after where they originated in the metropolis. This must have given them the sense of feeling at home.

For example, America, which is a former British colony, has names such as New England, New Hemisphere, New York from their English colonisers. Considering themselves the standard bearers, the colonisers believed that the indigenous populations they subjugated, had no history worth preserving let alone celebrating.

They considered colonialism as some kind of rescue operation for which the colonised communities should be grateful. The suppression of the locals by way of giving their places colonial names did not immediately and completely erase those traditional names from the memory of the local people.

Resistance came in many different ways. Some continued to use the indigenous names albeit failing to save them from disappearing from everyday usage especially by the youth. With the technology they had, the colonisers, backed by official power derived from the political power they possessed, were able to codify the colonial names while the traditional ones remained unwritten.

The result was that, the traditional names ultimately faded from use. Needless to say, in countries where hard colonialism was practised and where the locals had to fight for their liberation such as in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia and such like, place names mean a lot.

Meanwhile, things are not as emotive in Botswana. There is no doubt that the relative radicalism in the demand for the renaming of Francistown and its streets displayed by Francistown councillors including those from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) such as Peter Ngoma and James Kgalajwe, whose party is known for its ultra-conservatism, emanates from the fact that under the Tati Company, Francistown experienced what some call hard colonialism.

Ominously for the success of the project, the call for the renaming of places in Francistown has never been people-driven. Instead, it always came from political leaders who were accused of being attention-seekers driving a political agenda. Alternatively, they were labelled tribalists especially when they advocated for the change of the towns name from Francistown to Nyangabgwe which is a Kalanga name.

Ngoma and Kgalajwe remain hopeful that their goal of decolonising Francistown name-wise will be achieved. I remain convinced that it is the right thing to do. I am committed to revisiting the matter although I cannot say when. I believe that the occasion of independence should be accompanied by changes that reflect the fact that your towns are no longer centres of colonial power, said Ngoma.

For his part, Kgalajwe said that it would be wrong to act as if it is business as usual as far as place names is concerned. Those who want to preserve the history that degraded us should be reminded that history resides in the history books. Place names must reflect what we are now and not what we were before independence, said Kgalajwe who added that, he intends to resubmit his 2008 motion on the change of names.

It is not only street names that must change. Francistown must be renamed Nyangabgwe, said Kgalajwe. Not everybody sees the need for the change of colonial names even if it is for the elimination of any vestige of white oppression like in South Africa.

Says one G. E Turley of South Africa: If it is necessary to rid this province of every last vestige of colonial rule why not demolish all cities, towns, roads and factories built by colonialists and start afresh. His take is that, instead of wasting money on changing names and confusing business when new directories and street maps, the money should be used to create jobs, provide water, housing, health care and other more pressing services to the people.

It amounts to window dressing at best and a waste of resources at worst, he said.
Travelling always comes with its own challenges. Key amongst such preparations is for one to make logistical arrangements in advance.

But, to miss the main attraction of the event that you so much envied to be part of because of wrong settings of bearings can be very embarrassing. That is exactly what happened to yours truly in my trip to my home village, Tonota for the coronation of the fourth BaKhurutshe Chief, Kgosi Bokamoso Radipitse on Friday.

Having been part of the original coronation planning meetings and subsequently writing stories about the much awaited historic event, I have always known that the installation of Kgosi Bokamoso, who succeeds his retired father, Kgosi Ramosinyi Radipitse will be on the 18th, but despite having made all the necessary arrangements, my mind has always been set that the event will happen on a Saturday.





Having been formally released from work, I left Gaborone on Friday morning and drove slowly enjoying the scenery along the A1 road. But when I reached the Tonota village, I opted to go straight to the main Kgotla just to see the preparations, then that was it. The Kgotla was well packed, the event was on. I had missed Bamangwato regent, Kgosi Sediegeng Kgamane installing Kgosi Bokamoso. But managed to continue with the rest of the programme,Bokamoso could not be draped with a leopard skin in line with the customs reserved for a chief during installation ceremony, for the simple reason that his father, Kgosi Ramosinyi who retired is still alive. What stood out about the colourful ceremony is that BaKhurutshe are a united and proud tribe.

This is so because their chieftainship succession is clearly defined, no one has ever challenged the lineage; as such they remain amongst the few tribes who have a smooth transition, a matter which has been acknowledged by the government. The two permanent all weather shelters built at the Tonota Kgotla are second to none in the country.

They are fitted with a permanent structure fitted with modern gadgets such as public address system, chairs, Wi-Fi which is open around the clock to connect the world. Plans are underway to have air conditioners. The presents given to Kgosi Bokamoso were also fitting. Although a royal, Bokamoso still regards himself as a farmer.

Amongst them were 12 heads of cattle of which four and a bull were donated by the area MP, Thapelo Olopeng, seven goats and two sheep. Besides government officials led by Assistant Minister of Local government Botlogilwe Tshireletso, there was a delegation of Bahurutshe ba ga Manyana led by Kgosi Kebinatshwene Mosielele and Dikgosi from other Districts.

The reception and or after party at Tonota College of Education was great too, it was attended by people of all ages and backgrounds who danced the night out with their youthful Kgosi.

The Spaghetti

Having now satisfied myself that Kgosi Bokamoso coronation had gone well, yours truly decided to celebrate by travelling further up north on the 30 kilometre smooth double lane highway to the second city of Francistown purely to have a feel of how driving over the famous Spaghetti junction is.

Excited as I was, I got disturbed by the fact that some of the Francistown residents and, or drivers behave the same way as those in the capital city, Gaborone .They too have knocked down some of the traffic lights installed on the newly constructed and, or refurbished highway between the BMC circle and the Spaghetti junction.

But, that did not discourage me from achieving my mission of ensuring that I enjoy myself driving over the Spaghetti junction. I adhered to all road regulations in order to ensure safety of myself and other road users. But still, I behaved like a little baby who is always kept indoors and was allowed to play outside in that hour. I took rounds over and over again driving from all access points just to have a feel, and of course it was a great experience.

Although it is exciting to drive in, around and over the junction, it equally brings its own safety risks. The highway that leads into the Spaghetti junction when coming from the western suburbs passing in front of the Francistown Toyota and going over the railway line leading to Nyangabwe hospital is a nightmare.

It is too narrow and makes it just too difficult for motorists to pave way for emergency vehicles. This is so because a good space which could have been used has been allocated a to pavement which separates the opposing lanes. I pray and hope that authorities will normalise the situation before precious lives are lost.

As I was driving over the Spaghetti junction, I thought that possibly those who cant appreciate the architecture or the Spaghetti designers work are held back by the fact that so far one is able to see traffic coming from almost all directions of the junction. Based on that, and the international practice, as well as in line with the world acclaimed green world campaign initiative of planting trees as well as decorating the historic junction , I recommend that the authorities must quickly plant trees and, or make rockeries instead of leaving all empty spaces dusty and with rubble. This will kill two birds with one stone because mass tree planting has been identified as the most effective strategy to reduce effects of climate change by preventing global temperatures to increase by 2 Degrees Celsius annually. Botswanas contribution is a target of 650 000 trees per annum.
Kgoesakeni, a local production written and directed by Shabba Kgotlaetsho and performed by Lepatata Arts Ensemble, seeks to change performing arts in the country.

The artistic director for the production is none other than Koketso Ndeke who previously worked with the ensemble in another production. A corporate premiere of the production is pencilled to take place in October, with a public screening expected to follow thereafter.

For those that have previously had the opportunity to see the ensemble in action, this is one production that they do not wish to miss lest they regret that decision. Guaranteeing viewers and those who are passionate about the arts value for their time and money, Kgoesakeni is being showcased at a time when many have been questioning the path that the arts in the country have taken and whether there is a decline or growth.





And this production might just be what the country needs right now in order to resuscitate the arts, and take them to another level. Kgoesakeni is a musical dance theatre production that explores themes around the current life situations of the Kua people.

The story, according to a press release, puts into perspective the native Kua traditions such as music, socio economic practices and spirituality and how these were impacted by the relocations. The story is a product of years of field research involving tens of personal interviews and months of sleeping in the CKGR and New Xade. The author attended many of the court sessions while still a practising photojournalist and was the only local journalist present when the people returned to CKGR after the court victory that confirmed their liberty to reside in the CKGR.The release explains that the production narrative follows the life of a young Kua maiden born in the CKGR but grows in the Botswana metropolis. Growing into world religious masonry, which she quits due to ancestral issues, she enjoys modern day corporate success. Under a strange trail, she loses all the worldly glory and circumstances force her to return to the CKGR for her salvation, says the release. The story, the statement points out, is told in purely Kua song and dance systems as a tribute to the communities. Kgoesakeni is the name of the new home, New Xade, where the majority of the communities that were relocated are currently residents.

According to Kuela Kiema writing in his book, Tears for my Land (2010), New Xade was named Kgoesakeni, meaning in search of better life, in April of 1997 by a delegation of four men, including Kiema. He does not explain why they chose the name but alternative sources state that this name could have been inspired by the basis and purpose of the relocation as stated by the national government then. According to the national government, the relocation was intended to give the peoples of the then CKGR a new lease of life against how they had been living, states the release.

About Lepatata Arts Ensemble

Lepatata Arts Ensemble is performance arts ensemble that exists to prioritise pure traditional Botswana song and dance in mainstream performance platforms.Driven by core belief that Botswanas competitive edge globally can only be its unique artforms, Lepatata intends to showcase Botswana traditional dance and song globally in a performance language the world understands. Among Lepatatas corporate intents is to provide alternative and sustainable professional platforms to Botswana artists, especially those of traditional folk systems. Lepatata Arts Ensemble intends to by year 2019 have at least 20 full-time employed artists who will equally be accredited and qualified by BQA as Botswana traditional song and dance experts and professionals.Lepatata exists in three disciplines being the folk dance and song, the choir and theatre sections. Lepatata Arts Ensemble uses native dancers as anchors in all its productions as shown during its inaugural theatrical, Hosanna Wosana where Lepatata sourced Hosana dancers from Bukalanga. For the current production, Lepatata has sourced additional eight dancers from New Xanagas and four from Dkar to retain the artistic integrity of the song and dance forms. This is also Lepatatas corporate inclusive consideration.
On Friday, a dream that started off two years ago turned into reality for an enterprising young Motswana. The Culinary Baron Cafe opened its doors to customers in a new location at the Office in Fairgrounds.

The dream has been two years in the making and until the big opening, it has needed a bit of polishing here and there. And the brains behind the Cafe, Thabiso Mauco tells BG Style that on their first day the number of customers that walked through their doors blew them away. At its new location, the Culinary Baron Cafe fits like a glove and promises to attract an array of customers from all walks of life.

On the menu, customers can look forward to the popular Motlapiso/Bunny chow that comes in different flavours ranging from curry, burger and mutton. You need to sample the Motlapiso in order to appreciate what it is all about. Although it is a bit tricky to eat, it compensates with an explosion in the mouth that can only be found at this eatery.





With a hint of hot spices, even for those who are not friends with hot foods will truly enjoy this little treat. Other dishes on the menu that change daily include stir fries, steaks and traditional dishes such as bogobe jwa lerotse, mokoto and seswaa.

Mauco embarked on this exciting culinary journey at the prodding of family and friends who had identified that he was very talented in the kitchen and that he could make money through it.

His journey started off with a table around the University of Botswana, and then grew from there. I started off with subs, and then it grew to mobile kitchens around the city, he explains. Soon, he was operating his first restaurant that was located at Extension 14, but with the numbers not adding up, he realised that he needed a vibey location hence the new location. At our new location, we can target all classes from low to high income earners.

And we can serve them quality food at reasonable prices, he says. On our first day, we had good reviews from customers both inside and outside, and they were happy, he explains.

Maucos journey in the kitchen started off at the age of eight and was greatly influenced by his mother and grandmother.

His first dish, he recalls, was making egg at the age of eight.

He brushed his skills by attending a number of culinary courses. Explaining what sets the Culinary Baron Cafe apart from other establishments in town, he explains that firstly it is that they are presently working on creating a digital restaurant which will incorporate different platforms such as a website and culinary baron app. The app will allow customers to have access to a menu, get recipes and online quotations at the click of a button. He also says that they are culinary magicians and fuse different cuisines from across the world, granting their customers a taste explosion that they can only find at the Culinary Baron Cafe.We also pride ourselves for serving quality food and reasonable pricing, says Mauco.
This October/November, the Khoi-Fro a local brand will be featured in one of the biggest television channels in Europe. Khoi-Fro will be featured as part of an eight-part episode series documentary about the world of fashion on MTV 3.

Tsholo Dikobe is the face behind the local brand, and she remains one of Africas trail blazing stylists and fashion personalities. According to Dikobe in a press statement, the crew from MTV 3, which consisted of a Finnish female journalist and male videographer, had a 10-day stay in Botswana where they camped in the Makgadikgadi and further enjoyed a number of popular tourist attractions.

The purpose of the visit was to explore and expose Botswana, show the world the Botswana or the great Africa that is usually not shown in the media  the cosmopolitan Africa. The presenter of the show informed me that when she googled Botswana fashion, what pops up first is my name and my colourful images, and that that was a confirmation because she already followed my work online, says Dikobe.





I am truly humbled by the recognition and opportunity yet again. This is another milestone added in my fashion career and I am hoping that this will open more doors for me and Botswana fashion, and bring collaborations with the international market.

Moreover, the visit was also for me to talk about my work as a fashion artist and brand as THE KHOI-FRO and my accomplishment thus far, she says excitedly.

She explains that the Khoi-fro, in essence is an ode to an African woman who is rooted in naturalness, individuality, authenticity and wholeness.

The woman in question, she says takes pride in her origins and roots. The brand, she explains is inspired by The Khoi/Khoisan, a clan which originated in Southern Africa, regarded as the first or real - real people to occupy the earth, hunting and gathering for their livelihood - An ode to a way of life that perfectly sums up her fashion life.

Fashion transports me to places I have never been and its ever changing for the better  again a trait that was mastered by the khoi/ khoi-san. They are very adaptive in nature and that is what I am aspiring to be, in a world that is ever changing, she points out.

She says that Vrou is an Afrikaans word that means woman/lady/queen.

And that she metaphorically let vrou read as fro, to also mean, The First LADY/WOMAN/QUEEN, in her authentic self/state, hence, THE KHOI-FRO.

Moreover, she notes that there was interest in the design aspect of her work, which entails the mogagolwane collection, where, (GaTsh Fros) won an international award in London in 2014. The interview wrapped up my plans for a new line, my charity MESSY-MERCY organisation that is two months old and my upcoming Khoi work that will soon be launched under THE KHOI-FRO BRAND, she concludes.


Union Minister for Defence, Arun Jaitley, pose for a photograph with Model of LRSAM with Secretary, Defence Production, Ashok Kumar Gupta, Vice Admiral Karambir Singh Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and others at the handing over the LRSAM to Indian Navy at BDL in Hyderabad on Sunday. A PTI Photo.

HYDERABAD (PTI): Defence Minister Arun Jaitley has said owing to its geographical location and in view of "multiple threats", India had to always remain prepared to defend itself as "it is our best defence".



He also underlined the need to equip the forces with the "required support system".



"In the current geopolitical situation, we are located at a place where we have multiple threats. And to face those multiple threats, our preparedness itself, as I was emphasising, is our best defence. There is no area that we can leave uncovered," he said on Sunday.



Jaitley added that even though the entire country had confidence in the armed forces, which represented some of the best traditions anywhere in the world, "as part of our preparedness, we obviously need to equip our forces with all the support system they require".



The Union minister was here to attend an event marking the handing over of a long-range, surface-to-air missile to the Indian Navy.



Lauding the Indian talents, Jaitley said that local human resources were now capable of offering services to other developed economies at a cheaper price.



"There is hardly any country in the developed world, where the presence of Indian minds is not visible, be it in the field of medicine, science or technology. And, therefore, not only do we have a large human resource pool, we have surplus resources which serve other countries too," he added.



The defence minister said India's resources, compared to other economies in the world, were available at a very competitive price.



"That being a reality, over the last few decades we have seen some of the best companies -- be it pharmaceutical or IT -- shifting their research and development bases to India," he added.



Jaitley also took part in a number of programmes, including the ground-breaking ceremony of the second phase of facility creation at the Bharat Dynamics Limited's (BDL) Ibrahimpatnam unit and inauguration of the ASTRA weapon system production at the BDL's Bhanur unit.



"As India is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, it is very important to invest and emphasise more on defence research," he said, while lauding the services and performance of some of defence PSUs such as BEML, HAL, Bharat Electronics Limited, Midhani and BDL.



Noting that the public sector had played a vital role in manufacturing defence equipment, the Union minister said the government was now encouraging private sector as well.



"As part of a strategic partner policy, some platforms, where we were entirely dependent on equipment, were brought from outside. We are now advising Indian private sector, along with their foreign partners, to come and invest in India," he said.



Secretary, Defence Procurement, A K Gupta said BDL was in the process of setting up two manufacturing facilities in Amaravati in Maharashtra and Ibrahimpatnam in Telangana.




A representational photo.

NEW DELHI (PTI): After years of wait, the Indian Army will finally get an advanced medium-range surface to air missile (MRSAM) system by 2020 which will be able to shoot down ballistic missiles, fighter jets and attack helicopters from a range of around 70 km.



The missile system will be produced by premier defence research organisation DRDO in collaboration with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), a senior army official said on Sunday.



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.



The current version of MRSAM is operational with the Indian Air Force and the Navy.



The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a Rs 17,000 crore deal with the IAI for the ambitious project.



The MR-SAM, a land-based version of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) for the Navy, will have a strike range of up to 70 km, the official said. The deal envisages 40 firing units and around 200 missiles.



"The MRSAM for Army's Air Defence is an advanced all weather, 360 degree mobile land based theatre air defence system capable of providing air defence to critical areas against a wide variety of threats in a combat zone," the official said.



The first set of missile system will be ready in the next three years, he said.



The Army has been pressing the government to enhance its aerial attack capability considering the evolving security challenges.



In May, the Army successfully test fired an advanced version of the BRAHMOS land-attack cruise missile in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.



The Indian Army, which became the first land force in the world to deploy the BRAHMOS in 2007, has raised several regiments of this formidable weapon.



In May 2015, the Army had inducted the indigenously- developed supersonic surface-to-air missile Akash which is capable of targeting enemy helicopters, aircraft and UAVs from a range of 25 km.



The Army thinks procurement of the MRSAM will mark a paradigm shift in its strike capability.




Union Minister of Defence,Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitely having word with a pilot during the launch of the production of HAL designed LCH and dedicate the Hawk-I to the Nation at HAL airport in Bengaluru on Saturday. A PTI Photo.

BENGALURU (PTI): Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley has announced the launch of the production of HAL-designed 5.8-tonne category Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) here.



It was cleared for procurement by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) few months ago.



He also dedicated the company's "role changer" design upgrade programme of Hawk-I to the nation.



HAL's Rotary Wing R&D Centre has designed the LCH, whereas the Mission and Combat System R&D Centre (MCSRDC) has designed the Hawk-I in association with the Aircraft Division.



The basic version of LCH has been cleared by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), and the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has accorded the approval for the procurement of 15 LCH from HAL under Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured (IDDM) category.



Accordingly, the production was launched on Saturday.



Lauding HAL for I and LCH, Jaitley said, "We are moving in the right direction in evolving ourselves into a major manufacturing hub, and in this context Saturday's experience has been encouraging."



HAL officials said its twin engine LCH of 5.8 tonne class featuring narrow fuselage and tandem configuration for pilot and co-pilot/weapon system operator, and the helicopter has indigenous state-of-the-art technologies like integrated dynamic system, bearing less Tail Rotor, anti-resonance vibration isolation system, crash worthy landing gear, smart glass cockpit, hinge less main rotor, Armour Protection and stealth features from visual, aural, radar and IR signatures.



The helicopter is equipped with 20mm Turret gun, 70 mm Rocket, Air to Air Missile, EO-Pod and Helmet pointing system, and can carry out operational roles under extreme weather conditions at different altitudes, hot weather desert, cold weather and Himalayan altitudes.



The LCH has demonstrated capability to land and lift off from Siachen Range with considerable load, fuel and weapons that are beyond any other combat helicopter.



On Hawk-I ( Hawk-India), HAL officials said the company took up the indigenous role change development program to convert the jet trainer into a combat-ready platform.



They said Hawk-I is capable of delivering precision Munitions including Air to Ground and close combat weapons, self defence capabilities through Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, digital map generator and operational reliability through new Dual Hot stand-by Mission Computer Avionics architecture supported by indigenous high accuracy and high Altitude Radio Altimeter, among others.



The aircraft was flown during the 2017 Aero India here with lot of appreciation from users.



The integration of indigenous HUD, RLG based INS and Anti Airfield Missile is in advance stage.


Let Me Tell You is a new bespoke podcast series from



Hosts Daniel McConnell and Paul Hosford take a look back at some of the most dramatic moments in recent Irish political history from the unique perspective of one of the key players involved.


One of the largest rubbish collection companies in the country is calling for Gardai to protect its staff.

Greyhound says workers are being attacked in certain areas of Dublin, with some staff suffering injuries.
The Fianna Fail leader has said the government needs to use all its influence to convince the UK to remain in the customs union.

Micheal Martin has said how trade between Ireland and the UK happens after Brexit is critical to the future of both islands.
Update: 6.05pm: The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has told Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi that he is disappointed at the delay in Ibrahim Halawa's verdict.

In a 25-minute call this evening, President Al-Sisi promised the Taoiseach that the matter would be resolved "swiftly" as soon as a verdict is given.

The Taoiseach also made it clear to the Egyptian President that his priority was to secure the return of Mr Halawa to Ireland as soon as possible.

However, President Al-Sisi emphasised that his Government could not interfere in his country's judicial process.

Both leaders said they look forward to bringing the matter to "an early and satisfactory conclusion".

Update: 12.41pm: A statement from Ibrahim Halawa's solicitor, Darragh Mackin, on behalf of Mr Halawa's family has said the decision to adjourn the trial again came "as a huge disappointment" as they expected today's hearing "to be the conclusion of the proceedings".

Mr Mackin said: "Todays news is truly devastating for our client and his family. Regrettably, this is not the first time the case has been due to conclude when a last minute - unexpected and unjustified decision - is taken to delay the case further.

"We are now four years on, with each day and each false dawn having a hugely significant mental and physical impact on our clients health. It is not known when this case will ever end.

"Such irrational and unpredictable decisions cannot be allowed to continue, and in particular when they operate in a vacuum of lawfulness depriving our client of his basic rights."

Somaia Halawa, Ibrahim's sister, said: "It is truly upsetting and heart-breaking to constantly keep having our expectations and hopes shattered into a million pieces. It is not just Ibrahims life that is being played around with but also the entire familys life.

"We would ask that our family are allowed some time to ourselves during this difficult period."

Ibrahim pictured with his sisters.

Update: 11.36am: Minister Zappone has said Ibrahim Halawa's verdict has been postponed.

"I share the deep disappointment felt by the family of Ibrahim Halawa following the postponement of a verdict," she said.

"Ibrahim and his family are in my thoughts and prayers during this enormously difficult time.

"As Ibrahim's local TD, I remain in continuous contact with the family, his legal team as well as government colleagues. This is a very difficult consular case for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the officials working behind the scenes have my full support.

"Ireland has respected the legal process and we expect it to deliver.

"At a time when hopes are high this further delay is very frustrating. Nevertheless we must continue to put in place the supports necessary to ensure Ibrahim's health and well-being when he is allowed home to be reunited with his loved ones."

He will have to wait another three weeks for the verdict in a trial over Muslim Brotherhood protests in Cairo in 2013, his lawyers have said.

The judgment has been put back until September 18.

Mr Halawa's lawyer, Darragh Mackin of KRW Law, a human rights law firm based in Belfast, said the latest delay was "horrific".

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has scheduled a phone call with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for Monday night in a bid to get further guarantees on Mr Halawa's repatriation.

The Egyptian leader previously refused to interfere in the trial following repeated representations from Dublin but said Mr Halawa could be released once a verdict is delivered.

Hearings in the mass trial involving Mr Halawa and 493 others have been adjourned and delayed numerous times over the past four years. The prosecution case ended last month.

No specific evidence was produced relating to Mr Halawa, KRW Law have said.

Along with scores of others he is accused of murders, bombing, possession of firearms and explosives, arson, violence against police and desecration of Al Fatah Mosque.

He has been tortured and gone on hunger strikes during his imprisonment.

Earlier:A verdict is expected today in the trial of Dublin man Ibrahim Halawa.

The 21-year-old has been in jail in Egypt for the past four years after being arrested during a political protest.

The verdicts of around 500 other defendants are also expected to be announced.

Colm O'Gorman from Amnesty International Ireland has said the outcomes of mass trials like this are very unpredictable.

Thoughts very much with Ibrahim & the Halawa family today. Verdict due in coming hours. After 4 years, there is finally hope. #FreeIbrahim  Colm O'Gorman  (@Colmogorman) August 28, 2017

"In many mass trails involving hundreds of defendants, we've also seen mass sentences handed down sometimes mass life sentences and indeed mass death sentences," he said.

"It's going to be a very nervous time for Ibrahim's family, friends and supporters."

Ahead of today's verdict, Ibrahim's sister Nosaybathanks those who have been supporting her brother.

"Hopefully we'll hear good news but I want to thank all of the people that have been supporting us, without their support we wouldn't be at this level," she said.
A man has been arrested at Dublin Airport in connection with a plot to kill a member of the Hutch gang.

It is part of the investigation into the attempted murder of James 'Mago' Gately in Dublin's north inner city in May.
Details of a new suburb the size of Wexford town on the Kildare / Dublin border are due to be revealed soon.

South Dublin County Council plans to give special status to the land between Balgaddy, Clonburris and Adamstown

If given the green light, it would mean work could start on homes for up to 24,000 people as early as next year.

Fine Gael councillor William Lavelle has said there is one big problem with the plan.

"The real question is can we sustain a second strategic development zone in Clonburris on top of Adamstown at a time when we have serious traffic congestion and very few plans coming down to address that, we have to get the balance right here" he said.

Mayor of South Dublin County Council Paul Gogarty has said putting in public transport will be key to its success.

"We need to push the transport providers, Iarnrod Eireann and Dublin Bus and obviously the government to make sure that all the infrastructure and facilities for the community are planned and ready to go before any of the housing is built," he said.

The council owns 35% of the land at Clonburris  and plans to turn a large portion of that into a park.

The rest of the land is owned by established developers who are well placed to deliver housing.

Unused land near Kishogue Train station, near Adamstown and Clonburris. Pic: Google maps.

Developer Cairn Homes  which owns approximately a quarter of the site  has said it is ready to start as soon as possible.

The company hopes to be able to deliver homes costing less than 300,000.
Update: 12.58pm: A chemical cloud which forced coastline evacuations across East Sussex in England on Sunday is "very unlikely" to have floated over from northern France, authorities said.

Some 150 people required treatment for stinging eyes, sore throats and vomiting, but the effects of the unknown substance were "mostly minor", Sussex police said.

Despite the incident, thousands are expected to flock to beaches along the coastline on the UK's August Bank Holiday Monday as temperatures reach up to 25C (75F).

In the past, chemicals have drifted across from European industrial units, but weather models indicate this was not the case on Sunday, according to the UK Met Office.

Forecaster Jay Merrell suggested a vessel in the English Channel may have been responsible for the noxious haze, but stressed nothing conclusive had been proven and that inquiries continue.

Bob Jefferey, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Eastbourne division, said it would be business as usual.

He said: "Whatever it was, it smelled like burnt plastic. It hung about and didn't move yesterday because there was no wind. The cloud seems to have dispersed today though.

"The hospital has downgraded the threat to pretty much non-existent now."

Mr Jefferey added that five people had to be rescued from rapidly rising tides yesterday, and urged beach-goers to watch sea levels.

People along the shoreline from Eastbourne to Birling Gap, near Beachy Head, were advised to close windows and doors on Sunday, but have been told it is now safe to open them.

Public Health England said anyone still suffering effects from the fumes should wash irritated areas with soap and water.

The fire service has now stopped dealing with the incident and inquiries continue into the cause of the cloud.

Sussex police said: "Neither the gas nor its source have been established, but agencies are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out either on-shore or off-shore locations, although it does appear that it did sweep in from the sea driven by on-shore breezes.

Earlier: A stretch of UK coastline was evacuated after a chemical 'haze' left dozens of holidaymakers with streaming eyes, sore throats and vomiting.

Emergency services warned people along the East Sussex coast in England to keep doors and windows closed after people were affected along the shoreline from Eastbourne to Birling Gap, near Beachy Head.

Coastguard rescue teams from Birling Gap, Eastbourne, Bexhill and Newhaven raced to help clear the busy beaches as visitors feared they had been struck by a chlorine leak.

Photo taken with permission from the Twitter feed of @WelshJab of mist at Beachy Head in East Sussex, England, yesterady.

A spokesman for Eastbourne District General Hospital told the BBC that 133 people had received treatment on Sunday.

Kyle Crickmore, who had been enjoying the weekend sunshine at the beach at Birling Gap with his family, tweeted: "Some sort of chemical incident at Birling Gap, eyes are streaming and there's a strong smell of chlorine in the air".

He had finished swimming when his eyes started stinging. He looked around and saw everyone on the beach also rubbing their eyes and coughing in what he described as "all sorts of strange behaviour".

He told BBC News: "Then looking out towards the water, there was just this crazy foggy haze rolling in off the sea out of nowhere. It was definitely out of the ordinary considering it was a nice clear sunny day 10 minutes beforehand.

"It was stupidly busy and it was a boiling hot day. It emptied in about 10 minutes which was quite staggering considering the amount of people who were there."

Members of the public alerted emergency services just before 5pm.

It triggered call outs to the UK Coastguard, Sussex Police, the South Eastern Ambulance Service and the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service who said they were treating it as a "chemical incident".

Now we're being advised to keep all windows shut due to a #chemicalhaze coming in from Sussex 

Never been so thankful for my electric fan   Doc Atherton Official (@realdocatherton) August 27, 2017

The beachfront is popular with dog walkers and is a busy spot for tourists and locals enjoying the bank holiday sunshine.

Dan Sankey wrote on Twitter: "Beautiful afternoon at Birling Gap cut short by some weird mist, burning everyone's eyes which led to the beach and cliff being evacuated."

Sameer Jadhav tweeted: "Birling Gap some weird gas leak. People crying. Ambulances called. Don't go to Birling Gap at the moment".

The RNLI said that "possibly some kind of gaseous fumes" had drifted over and a significant number of people on cliff tops had been struck down with symptoms including irritation, sore eyes and vomiting.

The RNLI launched all-weather lifeboats from Eastbourne and Newhaven to the Birling Gap area after fears from the coastguard that people could be trapped on the beach.

There was a doctor on board the Eastbourne lifeboat.

UK Coastguard commander Steve Carson said: "This seems to have been caused by an unknown haze coming in from the sea, but the source has not yet been established.

"People living along the coast in the area have been advised by emergency services to keep doors and windows shut and to move away from the Birling Gap area in particular."

Eastbourne councillor Kathy Ballard described it as "a matter of definite concern," adding: "We need to find out the cause, where did this come from and to make sure that steps are taken so that it does not happen again.

"I have not heard of it happening before in this area."

Police believe Sunday's incident was an isolated one and investigations to find out the cause are continuing.

Sussex Police said: "With another fine day expected for Bank Holiday Monday, thousands of people are expected to flock to the coast once again.

"The situation will continue to be monitored, but it is believed that this was an isolated incident and is not expected to recur."

AP
Security services and police forces need to share more intelligence in order to combat the terror threat across Europe, the director of Europol has said.

Rob Wainwright, who heads the EU law enforcement agency, urged deeper co-operation in order to save lives.
A lorry driver facing 20 charges over a motorway horror crash in England that left eight people dead has appeared in court.

Ryszard Masierak, 31, is accused of being over the alcohol limit when his truck was involved in the incident on the M1 in Buckinghamshire early on Saturday.

Six men and two women in a Ford Transit minibus died after the collision with the Polish driver's Scania lorry and a second lorry, shortly before 3.15am on the southbound carriageway near Newport Pagnell.

Three passengers, including a five-year-old girl, were left fighting for their lives, and a fourth suffered minor injuries in the crash between junctions 15 and 14.

Masierak appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Monday.

With short, cropped brown hair and stubble, and wearing a grey custody tracksuit, he listened intently to proceedings via a Polish interpreter as the charges were read out.

He faces eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving, four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

The court heard that he is accused of having 55mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal driving limit is 35mg.

Masierak, of Evesham, Worcestershire, made no application for bail and did not indicate how he would plead to the charges.

He was remanded in custody to appear next at Aylesbury Crown Court on September 26.

At one point in court, Masierak wiped away tears with a tissue.

Speaking outside court, Chief Inspector Henry Parsons, from Thames Valley Police, said: "Four people who were injured remain in a serious condition in hospital.

"We have had full co-operation from the two freight companies involved and they are fully supporting us with our investigation."

The minibus driver and owner of Nottingham-based ABC Travels, Cyriac Joseph, who was killed in the crash, was described as an "extraordinary father".

He had been taking a group of people from India to London from where they were due to start a tour of Europe.

Three other fatalities were named on Sunday as employees of IT company Wipro.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: "It is with deep regret and sadness that we confirm the passing away of three of our colleagues, Karthikeyan Ramasubramaniyam Pugalur, Rishi Rajeev Kumar, and Vivek Bhaskaran in a tragic road accident in the UK.

"Another colleague, Mano Ranjan Panneerselvam was critically injured in the accident and we are praying for his speedy recovery.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who lost their lives in this tragedy.

"We will continue to provide all assistance to the families in this hour of grief."
An "exciting" new study has revealed a drug that could help reduce the risk of heart attacks and cut cancer deaths.

More than 10,000 patients took part in a trial using the anti-inflammatory Canakinumab, the results of which were presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

The patients, all of whom had previously had a heart attack but had not been diagnosed with cancer, were treated with the drug once every three months, and monitored for up to four years.

The Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes study, or CANTOS, showed a 15% reduction in the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and cancer deaths cut in half, the hospital where one of the lead authors is based said.

Dr Paul Ridker of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said the study "represents a milestone in a long journey", adding that the findings "usher in a new era of therapeutics".

He said: "For the first time, we've been able to definitively show that lowering inflammation independent of cholesterol reduces cardiovascular risk.

"This has far-reaching implications. It tells us that by leveraging an entirely new way to treat patients - targeting inflammation - we may be able to significantly improve outcomes for certain very high-risk populations."

The hospital said the reductions in risk were "above and beyond" those seen in patients who only took statins.

Dr Ridker said the study showed another way to prevent repeated heart attacks, through the use of anti-inflammatories.

He said: "In my lifetime, I've gotten to see three broad eras of preventative cardiology.

"In the first, we recognised the importance of diet, exercise and smoking cessation. In the second, we saw the tremendous value of lipid-lowering drugs such as statins. Now, we're cracking the door open on the third era. This is very exciting."

Gary Gibbons, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, said the results provided a platform on which to carry out further trials and research.

He said: "Although this trial provides compelling evidence that targeting inflammation has efficacy in preventing recurrent cardiovascular events, we look forward to findings from additional trials, such as the NHLBI-funded Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial, to further refine the best therapeutic strategies for preventing cardiovascular disease."

In looking at the effects of the drug on cancer, Dr Ridker said the findings indicate "the possibility of slowing the progression of certain cancers" but said further research is required.

The study was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

Its a kindergarten cap!

The city will not add an extra class for kindergarteners at Brooklyn Heights PS 8 this year, despite a wait list of 24 students just one school-year after a controversial rezoning designed to reduce overcrowding in its classrooms. And the decision is frustrating parents who hoped to get their youngsters enrolled there before the first bell on Sept. 7.

We really wanted our daughter to be in her local public school with her friends. Were pretty upset about it, said one dad, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution.

There will be five kindergarten classes this year, but parents crossed their fingers the city would add a sixth to accommodate youngsters hoping to matriculate at the Hicks Street school. But it will not, according to an education department spokesperson, who said wait-listed kids either have to enroll elsewhere or be lucky enough to snag a spot with less than two weeks left until the first day.

The agency hoped to avoid this problem when it redrew zoning lines to cut the area PS 8 serves by about 50 percent in 2016, adding the other half of its former district, which includes Dumbo and Vinegar Hill, to the zone served by nearby PS 307. The move angered parents who hoped to send their tykes to PS 8 as well as those of kids at PS 307, who worried an influx of rich families would alter the fabric of the largely minority facility.

The rezoning seemed to work at first  there was no kindergarten wait list in 2016 after 50 tots could not get in the year before.

Its return has little to do with the glut of new residents moving to the booming nabes served by the school, according to the education department rep, who blamed it on incoming siblings of already-enrolled students who receive priority admission even though they now live outside the district.

Eighteen of those pint-sized pupils will be attending PS 8 this year, according to spokesman Will Mantell, who said the education department expects overcrowding to subside as squirts with siblings get older. He did not say, however, how that theory applied to the lack of a wait list last year  when already-enrolled students also had incoming siblings  or how it explains this years six wait-listed kids who dont have kin at PS 8.

The city is refusing to add another kindergarten class because the school is already overcapacity for the 201718 school year, Mantell claimed, although he refused to give enrollment figures, saying he doesnt have final numbers yet.

He did say that 165 kindergarten students received offers, up from 148 last year. One hundred forty were enrolled in 201415, 120 in 201516, and 116 in 201617. There were five classes the past two years, and six in 201415.

Meanwhile, the number of students applying for kindergarten at PS 307 this year increased after PS 8 families learned they were wait listed in March, according to Mantell. The city sent out 88 offers for the Vinegar Hill school, up from 66 last year, a boost it credits to the wait list at the Brooklyn Heights facility.

The PS 8 dad said several parents have told him there are only four second-grade classes at the school this year, leaving space open for more kindergartners, but the education department refused to verify this, ignoring repeated questions on the number of second-grade classrooms.

The frustrated father attributed the agencys silence to his theory that the city wants to push more kids into PS 307, which will again operate under capacity this year.

My understanding is they actually have space to accommodate another class and it was a decision by enrollment somehow not to do it because there was space at 307, he said. Theyre basically denying people the right to go to their own school because they happen to have capacity open a mile away.

The education department rep refused to say whether it was attempting this tactic, offering only a few words of encouragement for those still stuck on the wait list.

Well continue to work with families to ensure they find kindergarten seats that meet their needs, he said.
Bucks County schools help Give a Christmas reach local families in need

In its 64-year history, the Give-a-Christmas drive has raised $5.26 million to help thousands of families at the holiday season.
State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) presented a check to Yardley Borough Police Chief Joseph Kelly for $68,600 for the purchase of a new police vehicle and motorcycle during a visit to the station. Our police put themselves on the line every day to keep our community safe, said Sen. Santarsiero. Dating back to when I was a Lower Makefield Township Supervisor more than...
latest news

October 31, 2022

Buddy TV

In November, there are hundreds of new and returning TV showsit can be overwhelming to try and choose what to watch. That's why we've selected some of the best options...
Environmentalist Bill McKibben to discuss climate change at Buffalo Humanities Festival

The Buffalo Humanities Festival will include a performance by visiting artist Deke Weaver of "BEAR and the Unreliable Bestiary," an exploration of what he calls "stories from our precarious moment in natural history."

McKibben speaks directly to us, people rooted in our communities and committed to their improvement. His beautifully crafted and lucid message is specifically for the people of Western New York who want to organize their lives in ways that are most likely to produce a good future.

BUFFALO, N.Y.  Bill McKibben, author of the groundbreaking book The End of Nature, which helped establish him as leading voice on the global threat of climate change, will be the keynote speaker for the Buffalo Humanities Festival, Sept. 28-30 at various locations in Western New York.

Organized annually by the University at Buffalo Humanities Institute (HI), one of the most important entities supporting the humanities in Western New York, this years festival is presented in partnership with Canisius College, Niagara University, SUNY Buffalo State and Humanities New York.

McKibben, the Schumann Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, will deliver his lecture, The Desperate Climate Fight: Ordinary People in an Extraordinary Moment, at 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29, at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery.

Published in 1989, The End of Nature, which has been translated into more than 20 languages, stands today as the first book for general readers on the dangers of climate change.

McKibben recognized very early on that we need to take the environmental fight to the streets, says David Castillo, UB professor of Romance languages and literatures and HI director. And hes just the one to do that. McKibben is the kind of person who can speak to the general public and get us fired up to acknowledge the moment in which were living and the importance of fighting against the forces of climate change denialism.

McKibben is an inspiring example of someone who is simultaneously an extraordinary humanities scholar and an extraordinary activist, adds Kari Winter, UB professor of transnational studies and HI executive director. Hes not just describing the world; hes trying to change the world for the better.

The End of Nature, in fact, is McKibbens call for a new, sustainable relationship with the natural world.

General admission tickets for McKibbens talk are $20 for the public and $15 for students. There is a separate VIP reception with McKibben in the AK Cafe. The VIP reception is included with the purchase of a VIP Full Festival Pass, which is $60 for the public and $40 for students.

In addition to McKibbens keynote, the three-day festival features environmentally themed talks, music, performances, community debates and other activities that focus on issues of local, regional and national environmental justice and economic sustainability.

A complete festival schedule, including additional ticket information is available online.

In 2014, McKibben received the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called the alternative Nobel. The author of more than a dozen books, he is the founder of 350.org, the first planet-wide, grassroots climate change movement.

McKibbens broad environmental vision is rooted deeply in place and his writing represents the importance of sustainable thinking that inhabits both local and global spaces.

I see a stark difference in two visions of the future, says Winter. President Trump recently said if people in Western New York are struggling financially they should move to another state. McKibben says if we want to survive the coming era the most important thing to do is to become part of a strong community.

McKibben speaks directly to us, people rooted in our communities and committed to their improvement, she says. His beautifully crafted and lucid message is specifically for the people of Western New York who want to organize their lives in ways that are most likely to produce a good future.

The festival begins on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m. with a discussion organized by Humanities New York in the Burchfield Penney Art Centers Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Auditorium, titled Turning the Tide: Communicating Climate Science. Participants include Jacqui Patterson, director of the NAACPs Environmental and Climate Justice Program; Jason Briner, associate professor in UBs Department of Geology; and others. Ryan McPherson, UBs Chief Sustainability Officer, will serve as the discussions moderator.

The full festival day on Saturday, Sept. 30, will be held in Rockwell Hall on the SUNY Buffalo State campus. The day begins at 10:30 a.m. with visiting artist Deke Weavers performance of BEAR and the Unreliable Bestiary, an exploration of what he calls stories from our precarious moment in natural history.

There will be multiple sessions, talks and panels throughout the day on Saturday. Lunch by West Side Bazaar is included with tickets purchased before Sept. 25.

The festival concludes with music from the 12/8 Path Band and a reception with beer from Community Beer Works.
Democrats largely prevail in SJ, but reversals loom in two townships

Democratic incumbents held on to many seats, but GOP challengers made inroads in two large townships
Thousands of people headed to Burnham-On-Seas seafront on Sunday (August 27th) for the towns rescue services day.

Huge crowds thronged the sun-soaked South Esplanade to see displays and demonstrations from 40 rescue charities and emergency services.

A fly-past by a Coastguard helicopter and Civil Air Patrol microlights were among the displays, alongside rescue demonstrations by RNLI lifeboat crews and lifeguards.

Mayor Cllr Bill Hancock, who opened the event with Mayoress Frances Hancock and MP James Heappey, said: It was great to see so many organisations along the seafront and crowds of visitors coming out to see them.

I am full of admiration for all the volunteers work and the work they do behind the scenes for our community.

The event has been run for 14 years by BARB Search & Rescue, whose hovercrafts were on show to visitors.

Organiser Roger Flower from BARB said: We were so pleased to see so many people come along  we think it was a record crowd  and we are very grateful for all the support shown to the many organisations. We are so lucky to have so many groups here in the Burnham area. A spokesman for BARB thanked Roger for all his work on behalf of the crews.

Among the crowds was Caroline Hall, the mother of the late Lelaina Hall, 5, whose memory lives on in the name of BARBs rescue hovercraft. A long-time supporter of BARB, she was visiting the event with her family.

The Civil Air Patrol microlights flew over the seafront during the morning

Burnham and Highbridge Mayor Cllr Bill Hancock and Mayoress Frances Hancock visiting the stands at the event to hear about their work.

MP James Heappey took part in a rowing challenge on the seafront, and led the competition, run by Burnham Gig Rowing Club. It was won by Matt (630 metres) and the winning youngster was Eleni Markoutsas with a distance of 402 metres.

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance were among the stalls

The St John Ambulance cadets explained their work to visitors

The Police gave visitors a chance to try out some of their equipment

The Coastguard helicopter made a special visit during the day

It flew over the beach and jetty several times for the crowds to see

Burnhams gig rowing club held a race during the mornings high tide

The rowers showed their skills at powering across the water

Scores of stalls were also set up to raise funds for the groups. During the day, one fundraiser  Burnham resident Jen Parr  donated a table full of home-made cakes for BARB, raising funds

Burnham Lions Club sold cuddly toys to raise charity funds

The Samaritans team were in a colourful mood during the day

The Mayor and Mayoress were welcomed to BARBs tombola

Large crowds watched the event along the seafront

MP James Heappey supported the work of BARB during his visit

Burnham RNLI carried out several demonstrations during the day

Several casualties were rescued from he sea as part of the display

Members of Bridgwater HOG were welcomed to BARB during the event

Burnham Coastguards were called off to several incidents

The RNLI crew taking a breather after their demonstration before a call-out

The RNLI sold souvenirs from their seafront stall

Young visitors got a chance to jump onboard the rescue hovercraft

The BARB crew during Sundays event on Burnham seafront

Jason Vickers enjoying a chance to have a selfie taken for charity funds

Mo the bubble man entertaining youngsters on Burnham beach

The event was opened by the Mayor and Mayoress, MP and Town Crier Alistair Murray with BARB Chairman Mark Newman and President Roger Flower

Classic and American rescue service vehicles were on display on the lawns

Wessex 44 were on hand to explain their work to passers-by

Mark Wakeling gave out information about Sufers Against Sewage

The Marine Life team gave visitors a chance to win a cuddly dolphin while explaining their work

Former MP Tessa Munt buying a raffle ticket from BARBs Christine Marston

Somerset Care explained their work during the day

Gaynor Brown gave a kite display to promote Burnhams upcoming Kite Festival
Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.

Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.

Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.

Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.

26 years of website archives.
Coal India's expenses are likely to shoot up by Rs. 5,500-6,000 crore every year, as the company has conceded to a 20 per cent wage hike apart from other benefits. This in turn, is likely to pull down the company's projected profitability by a minimum of nine per cent.

Projecting a boost in coal demand, sector analysts had projected a Rs 11,000-13,000 net profit for for the entire year, however, post the wage revision, the same has been downgraded to range between Rs. 9,000-10,000 crore.
Chennai Petroleum Corporation (CPCL), a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), is planning to invest about Rs 1,495 crore to produce BS-VI fuel for the automobile industry. The only stand-alone refinery in the country, CPCL, said that it is looking at setting up a nine million tonnes per annum (mtpa) expansion project. All the Indian refineries are required to produce BS-VI specification auto fuels, effective from April 2020, in order to reduce sulphur content in automotive fuels, to improve environmental aspects.
The Rosneft-led consortiums acquisition of Essar Oils assets last week, including its fuel retail network, is keeping state-run (OMCs) on their toes to ensure footfalls do not decline.
As many as 12 smartphone including Xiaomi, HTC, Vevo, Lenovo among others have provided details about their security architecture to the government whereas others such as Apple, Samsung, Sony etc have sought more time to furnish their responses. The government is likely to extend the deadline, which ended on Monday.
Raising the issue of increasing airport charges and levies along with high taxation, has said such factors continue to shackle the airline industry.

Goyal, in the airline's annual report for 2016-17, sent to the shareholders ahead of the companys AGM next month, also said the existing airport infrastructure has not been able to match with the rapid growth in passenger volumes and aircraft movement.

Goyal, however, maintained that the domestic aviation sector remains robust and holds out significant opportunities to the players in the space.

"For aviation to truly realise its potential, several areas must be addressed. Escalating airport levies, surcharges and high taxation continue to shackle the industry, " Goyal said.

The current airport infrastructure is unable to keep pace with the breakneck growth in capacity and traffic, he said adding, "addressing these issues is the most urgent need of the hour."

However, these challenges notwithstanding, the domestic aviation market is set for a bright future, he added.

Goyal also said government's UDAN scheme will further boost air connectivity across the country.

Under 'Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik' (UDAN) scheme, airfares have been capped at Rs 2,500 for a one hour flight and it aims at providing air connectivity to the unserved airports and adding flights to the underserved aerodromes.

Unserved airports are the one where there is no flight whereas the underserved airports have been categorised as the ones which have three or less flights per week.

Significantly, Goyal's Jet Airways along with some other domestic carriers did not participate in the first round of bidding for operating flights under UDAN scheme.

In the first phase, five air operators --Alliance Air, SpiceJet, TruJet, Air Deccan and Air Odisha- bagged the flying rights to operate on 128 routes connecting over 30 underserved airports under the scheme.

"I am convinced that the Indian aviation sector remains robust and holds out significant opportunities with political and economic stability, growth in GDP, higher disposable incomes and a young and aspirational population contributing largely to the potential of aviation," Goyal said in the report.

The Mumbai-based full service carrier will also announce June quarter results next month along with its AGM as it is adopting new accounting standards from this fiscal.

"Since the company is adopting the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind AS) from the financial year 2017-18... The company may submit its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 to the stock exchanges by September 14, 2017," Jet Airways had said in a regulatory filing earlier this month.

Ind AS is converged with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Under Sebi regulations, a listed company is required to submit its quarterly financial results to the stock exchanges within 45 days of the end of a quarter.

Jet Airways group had reported a net profit of Rs 438 crore for the financial year ended March 31,2017 on total revenues of Rs 22,693 crore.

Domestic air traffic registered a growth of over 17 per cent in the month of July with airlines ferrying 95.65 lakh passengers as compared to 85.08 lakh passengers in the corresponding period last year.
Two summers ago Lara Pia Arrobio was working as a designer for the clothing company Reformation when she was recruited by Zara, the fast-fashion behemoth, for a job at its headquarters in Spain.
Mahindra Gujarat Tractor (MGTL), the joint venture (JV) between and Gujarat government in the ratio of 60:40, has been renamed on Monday as Gromax Agri Equipment (GAEL). And, under the JV, a new tractor brand was launched called as Trakstar.
Mobikon, a marketing and customer engagement platform for the restaurant industry, has raised $7 million in Series B funding from a three-member investor consortium that comprises Sistema Asia Fund, which is the proprietary fund of Russia's largest conglomerate Sistema JSFC, Singapore-based C31 Ventures, and Qualgro. Existing investors Jungle Ventures and Spring Singapore also participated in the round.
has started commercial production at its new manufacturing facility at Vallam Vadagal near Chennai.

Spread over 50 acres, the Vallam Vadagal plant will be Royal Enfield's third manufacturing facility and will manufacture motorcycles for India and international markets.

In 2017-18, the company plans to invest Rs 800 crores, largely towards capacity expansion at Vallam Vadagal, new products and platforms, and technical Centres in Leicester, UK and Chennai. This investment will be funded through internal accruals.

In 2017-18, the combined production capacity from all the three plants is planned to be 825,000 units. In 2016-17, produced and sold 667,135 motorcycles, nearing its installed capacity.

In October 2014, Royal Enfield acquired a 50 acre plot in Vallam Vadagal, near Oragadam, one of the automobile hubs of Tamil Nadu, as the site for its third manufacturing facility.

The construction of the facility started 15 months back and has been completed in record time. The new facility has been benchmarked to the highest level of quality and productivity. The capacity in this facility will enable the company to meet its next level of growth.

Royal Enfield's sales have grown at a compounded rate of over 55 per cent over the past 6 years. The order book continues to be strong and there is a large unmet demand.
Many years ago I was at a friends place for dinner. His wife who was working for Indian Airlines (this was before the merger) proudly took me to the kitchen where she showed me hundreds of cubes of jam and butter along with sachets of ketchup. She proudly told that she had one years stock of these. I remember saying to myself that an airline with a culture like this cannot last long.
Turning cautious about the two real estate facing insolvency proceedings, the State Bank of India, countrys largest lender, has begun review of loans to buy home in unfinished projects by Jaypee Infratech and Amrapali.
Uber chose Dara Khosrowshahi, who leads the online travel company Expedia, to be its chief executive on Sunday, two people with knowledge of the decision said. The selection capped a contentious search process as the ride-hailing company seeks to move past a turbulent period.
Facebook-owned instant messaging platform has shared details of how businesses will be able to communicate with the two billion-odd users on its platform - marking the first real attempt of the company to monetise its service.
Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be sentenced on Monday at 2.30 p.m. at a special court near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The quantum of sentence will be done in a court being specially set up inside the District Jail premises in Sunaria near Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, where Ram Rahim was brought and lodged after his conviction.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, will be flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years respectively.

The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, has been completely cordoned off by security forces, including para-military forces and Haryana Police. The Army has been kept on stand-by.

No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

"We are fully prepared for any situation. The Army has been kept on stand-by," Haryana Director General of police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said.

Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) Navdeep Singh Virk said that 28 companies of para-military forces, along with Haryana Police, have been deployed in Rohtak.

Security forces were on high alert again on Monday in Haryana and Punjab as both states braced for the announcement of quantum of punishment to the disgraced sect chief.

Curfew was reimposed in Haryana's Sirsa town, where the sect's headquarters are located, on Sunday. The curfew will continue on Monday.

The sect has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana.
With tension building up ahead of the sentencing of convicted Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday, the Haryana and Punjab governments on Sunday suspended mobile internet services till August 29 (Tuesday).

Both states had suspended mobile internet services earlier on August 24 (Thursday), a day before the verdict of the CBI special court in Panchkula in the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The quantum of punishment in the case would be pronounced on Monday at a special court being set up in the prison premises in Rohtak. The judge would be flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.



"The Haryana government has extended the suspension of mobile internet services, including 2G, 3G, 4G, CDMA and GPRS, all SMS services and dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls, in the state till 11.30 a.m. on August 29," Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Home, Ram Niwas said here on Sunday.

On August 25, CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh held the Dera chief, who has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana, guilty of raping and sexually exploiting two female disciples in 2002. The sect chief was later shifted to a prison near Rohtak town (about 70 km from Delhi).



Also, internet lease lines in the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa, have been suspended until August 29. Any person found guilty of a violation of these orders would be liable for legal action, he said.

The ACS said the order has been issued "to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in the state in view of quantum of punishment to be announced by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in the case of Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, on August 28".

"The orders have been taken considering the critical law and order situation and to maintain peace and communal harmony in the state, and to prevent any loss of life or further damage to public and private property. It has been reported by IG/CID that the situation is tense and violence may again continue for several days, especially on August 28, when the quantum of punishment will be announced," the order stated.

"Besides, it has been reported by Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa and Superintendent of Police, Sirsa that the devotees may resort to breach of peace and tranquillity, and arson leading to damage to public and private properties in Sirsa, being the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda. Since the environment is tense, rumours of different kinds may be spread through broadband and internet lease lines in the premises of DSS," he added.

Directions have been issued to Haryana telecom service providers and those providing internet lease lines in the premises of DSS, Sirsa, to ensure compliance with these orders, he said.

Thirty-six people died and over 250 others were injured in violence in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa towns on Friday (August 25) following the conviction of the DSS chief by the CBI special court in a rape case.



The Punjab government, also on Sunday announced the suspension of mobile internet services (2G/3G/4G/CDMA), all SMS services and dongle services till August 29.

A spokesperson of the Punjab government said this decision has been taken to maintain law and order in the state.
Less than a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to land in China to attend the BRICS Summit, India and China on Monday agreed to end the over two-month long military stand-off in the remote Doklam plateau.
Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was On Monday sentenced to 20 years imprisonment  10 years for each rape conviction. The self-styled godman was convicted by a special CBI court on Friday, which led to large-scale violence by his followers in parts of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, resulting in the deaths of 38 people. Ram Rahim is lodged in a Rohtak district jail. Here are the latest developments:
The capital was on Monday under high alert with prohibitory orders continuing after Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sentenced to 20 years jail for rape by a court in Haryana.

Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of more than four persons, was imposed in Delhi on Friday night following multiple incidents of arson in the capital after the Dera chief's rape conviction.

The prohibitory order is in place in the city, except for north and central police districts.

"Section 144 will be in place in Delhi, but only for miscreants or mischief makers and it will be reviewed in the coming days," Delhi Police spokesperson Madhur Verma said on Monday evening.

The DCP added that Delhi will continue to be on high alert, but people will not face any problems while travelling.

Verma said that additional forces have been deployed in sensitive locations and added that there were pickets and additional forces in Delhi border and the vigil will continue.

Verma said that one person has been arrested for spreading rumours in north east Delhi, besides the 15 persons who were arrested earlier for violence and arson on Friday.

On rumours that schools would be shut, Verma said: "There are no instructions from Delhi Police on closing of schools or traffic diversions in the city."

The officer said that in view of the sentencing of the Dera chief on Monday, senior police officers were on the field as well as paramilitary and reserve police.

"There were no untoward incidents in the whole of Delhi (on Monday). The security arrangements will continue tonight and tomorrow," he said.
The Home Ministry said on Monday the situation in Haryana three days after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was still tense but under control.

"As per report dated August 28, of DGP Control Room, Haryana, total casualties have been 35 with 17 in Panchkula, six in Sirsa and 12 in Chandigarh and total number of injured is 204," the Ministry said in a statement.

It said Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) remained imposed in all districts of Haryana.

"Columns of Army are doing flag march continuously," it added.



The Ministry also said that there was a proper vigil in Panchkula, which bore the maximum brunt after the August 25 verdict, and at Sirsa that headquartered the Dera, as well as other parts of Punjab and Haryana.

Around 2.30 pm, a special CBI court's judge will begin hearing arguments on the quantum of punishment of the Dera chief in a 2002 rape case, inside the District Jail at Sunaria near Rohtak where Ram Rahim was lodged since Friday.



His punishment could range from seven years to life imprisonment.
Authorities in Haryana on Monday issued shoot at sight orders in and around the District Jail near Rohtak ahead of rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Singh's sentencing.

The quantum of punishment was expected to be out by 2.30 p.m. at a CBI court specially set up inside the jail premises in Sunaria, about 70 km from Delhi, where Ram Rahim has been lodged after his conviction on Friday.

Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) of Police Navdeep Singh Virk said: "We are on top of the situation. Adequate security arrangements are in place. If anyone tries to disobey the law, he will be shot at."

Virk said 28 companies of paramilitary forces, along with Haryana Police personnel, have been deployed in Rohtak.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of two of his female disciples in 2002, was being flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years, respectively.

The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, have been completely cordoned off by security forces, including the paramilitary and Haryana Police.

The Army has been kept on stand-by. No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

"We are fully prepared for any situation. The Army has been kept on stand-by," Haryana Director General of police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said.

The security forces in Haryana and Punjab were again on high alert on Monday as both states braced for the sentencing.

Curfew continued to be in place on Monday in Haryana's Sirsa town, where the sect's headquarters are located. The sect has lakhs of followers in the two states.

(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.)
Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 10 years in jail on charges of rape of a female devotee in 1999 by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula. The self-styled godman will now be taken for a medical examination, after which he will be given a jail uniform and will be allotted a cell in the jail.
In backdrop of perpetual problems faced by real estate players, land owners and property buyers in Noida, the Yogi Adityanath government has constituted a Group of Ministers (GoM) to study the various issues pertaining to the real estate sector in the Capital Region (NCR) and submit a detailed report.
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman .

A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now.

It asked the state government to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

The apex court had on April 12 asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against the self-styled godman.

The court had asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses including the alleged rape victims.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a "fictitious document" to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.

The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on ten witnesses in the Asaram rape cases.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.
The Supreme Court today rejected the pleas of the Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) and seeking scrapping of e-auction of iron ore in Karnataka.

A bench of Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Naveen Sinha said they do not accept the suggestions.

"We reject the plea of FIMI and also we reject the petition of suggesting alternative measures for e- auction," the bench said.

FIMI had submitted that instead of e-auction, there should be long-term agreement between producers and buyers as part of the new mechanism relying upon the suggestion made by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in this regard by its report on April 28, 2016.

However, an NGO Samaj Parivartan Samudaya, had earlier opposed the plea, saying the e-auction was meant to provide the best price and royalty to the state government.

The apex court had on April 18, 2013 allowed mining in Ballari, Tumakuru and Chitradurga districts, but with the cap of 30 million tonne per annum.

It added that mining should be only through e-auctions and subject to monitoring by the Central Empowered Committee. It had then also ordered several measures to prevent environmental damage due to mining.
A Swiss parliamentary panel will discuss next month necessary safeguards the European nation needs to adopt in automatic exchange of banking information with India and 40 other jurisdictions for checking alleged stashing of .

The Committee on Economy and Royalties of the Council (CER-N), a key panel of Swiss Parliament which rejected on August 15 a proposal seeking to outrightly suspend implementation of the AEOI Switzerland has agreed to adopt with 41 nations including India, will examine the criteria a country would need to satisfy to start getting access to data under the automatic information exchange.

According to the minutes of the last meeting of the committee, the CER-N will continue its examination at a meeting on September 11 of the 41 AEOIs agreed upon by the Federal Council, the highest decision-making body of the Swiss government.

In this context, the panel will also discuss how to strengthen the role of the relevant parliamentary committees in deciding whether or not to transmit data abroad.

The Federal Council adopted a resolution on June 15 regarding the introduction of AEOIs with 41 jurisdictions including India. The decision is not subject to any referendum.

The council has also proposed to submit a report to Parliament in order to ensure that the necessary requirements, including on confidentiality and data protection, are met by the concerned countries before transmission of the data.

The report will also entail the possible measures in case of non-compliance.

At its meeting on August 15, the committee rejected by 13 votes to 10, with 2 abstentions, a proposal to suspend implementation of AEOIs until the Federal Council presents a list of criteria for judging whether the exchange can be activated with a country.

The majority observed that the question of criteria could be examined in the context of the discussion by the article.

The committee went into the matter, without objecting to the Federal Council decision, on the control mechanism.

One of the demands, made by some political parties and banking industry, relates to asking the administration specific the criteria on which a country review would be based before deciding to transmit the data abroad.

Among others, the Swiss People's Party (SVP), a populist political party in Switzerland, has opposed the AEOI framework.

The opposition by SVP, which is known as a national- conservative and right-wing populist political party, is in sharp contrast to the official position of the Swiss government that has cited strong Indian data protection laws for agreeing to include India among jurisdictions for the Automatic exchange of information (AEOI) on financial matters.

It is one of the largest parties in the Federal Assembly and late last year it had supported a campaign, 'Yes to protect bank secrecy in Switzerland'.

Earlier, some private bank groups in Switzerland had opposed the pact but the government decided to go ahead with this framework after putting in place necessary data protection and confidentiality clauses.

A draft memorandum has been already ratified by the Swiss Federal council for implementing the automatic information exchange framework with India, which is expected to come into force from next year.

India has been pressing for long to have such a pact amid a widespread perception about Swiss banks being among the most-favoured for stashing of suspected .
Two million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the haj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime.

This year sees the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and comes with the Gulf mired in political crisis and Islamic State group jihadists squeezed in Iraq and Syria.

"I'm so excited because many people dream of coming to this place," said 47-year-old Eni from Indonesia, her face framed in a sand-coloured veil trimmed with lace.

"We feel more religious when we leave this place," she said.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the haj.

Eni's compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the haj every day.

But Eni is almost oblivious to the hubbub that surrounds her as she studies her Koran in the oppressive heat, pearls of sweat beading her face.

"After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him," she said of the Prophet Mohammed before returning her attention to Islam's holy book.

The haj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in a lifetime if he or she has the means to do so.

"This year we expect around two million pilgrims," Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of haj and umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs, told AFP.

Iranians are back after not attending in 2016 following a deadly Mecca stampede the previous year that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims.

It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the haj, with 464 people from the Islamic republic among the dead.

Following the disaster, Tehran railed against Saudi Arabia's organisation of the pilgrimage.

The two countries then severed diplomatic relations in January 2016 after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was ransacked by a crowd protesting against the execution in the kingdom of a Shiite religious dignitary.

Analysts say that neither Riyadh nor Tehran has any wish to prolong the dispute.

"To politicise an event like this does no good," according to Slimane Zeghidour, author of "La vie quotidienne ? La Mecque: De Mahomet ? nos jours" (Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today).

Accusations of the haj being politicised have marred the region for some time.

For nearly three months, the Gulf has been embroiled in its worst ever political crisis, with Saudi Arabia and its allies facing off against Qatar, which they accuse of being too close to Iran and backing extremism.

A boycott imposed on the small but gas-rich emirate since June 5 has resulted in Qatar's land, sea and air links being badly affected.

This has also had a knock-on effect on haj-related travel, although Riyadh announced it was relaxing certain restrictions for pilgrims.

In the arrivals hall at Jeddah airport, determined pilgrims walk hastily to avoid losing contact with other members of their group.
The 71-day military standoff at Doklam, on the tri-junction of the Indian, Chinese and Bhutanese borders, has been defused without armed confrontation and bloodshed.
The provisions of the Prevention of Money-laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, will apply to the gem & jewellery sector with immediate effect, the Centre has said in a notification.
We are a unit in a special economic zone (SEZ). We have an order for export from a merchant exporter in domestic tariff area (DTA). Do we need to charge Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) to the merchant or dispatch the goods according to Rule 46 (10) and 46 (11) of the SEZ Rules, 2006 for subsequent export by him? Will the provisions of Section 51 of the SEZ Act, 2005, that give over-riding effect to SEZ laws, apply in this case?
The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is set to undertake the recruitment programs for around 9000 Management Trainee (MT)/Probationary Officers (PO) vacancies in 20 public sector banks for the year 2017. The official notification for the same will be released soon in July. The recruitment will take place at three levelsPreliminary exam, Main exams and Interviews. The Preliminary examination for the Probationary Officer recruitment is scheduled to take place on 7th, 8th, 14th and 15th of October this year.
The Union Public Service Commission is inviting applications for the post Specialist Grade-III Assistant Professor (Ophthalmology) to be hired by the concerned department under Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Candidates willing to take up the post can apply for the same till August 31, 2017 (Thursday). The number of vacancy is three; for Unreserved Category (2) and OBC (1) only. The qualified candidates would be offered the salary as per PB-3 i.e. Rs.15, 600-39,100 with Grade Pay Rs.6, 600/- plus N.P.A as admissible. The post carries probation of one year.
Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy is on an official visit to India from 28 to 30 August 2017. The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation. .

.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy will hold bilateral discussions with Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of the Naval Staff and other senior officials of the Indian Navy on 28 August 2017. The Admiral is also scheduled to meet Chief of the Air Staff, and will also call on the Honble Raksha Mantri, NSA and Defence Secretary as part of his official meetings in New Delhi. In addition to New Delhi, the Admiral is also scheduled to proceed to Visakhapatnam where he will be visiting various naval establishments, including INS Kalinga, INS Karna and INS Satavahana. .

.

Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through Training, Port Calls, Passage Exercises along with Capability Building and Capacity Augmentation initiatives. Bangladesh Navy is also the present Chair of the Indian Ocean Symposium (IONS), which is a Multilateral Maritime Cooperation platform launched by the Indian Navy. Bangladesh Navy is also scheduled to conduct an International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise titled IMMSAREX in November 2017, which is being held under the IONS construct. .

.
MNRE & GIZ Signs Agreement to Improve Framework Conditions for Grid Integration of Renewable Energies

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the Indo-German Energy Programme  Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC) here today . The main objective of this programme component is to improve the sector framework and conditions for grid integration of renewable energies. In the distinguished presence of Minister of State (IC) for Power, Coal, New & Renewable Energy and Mines Shri Piyush Goyal and the German Ambassador to India, H. E. Dr. Martin Ney, the agreement was signed by Dr. Wolfgang Hannig, Country Director, Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India and Mr. A. N. Sharan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE).

Speaking on the occasion, Shri Goyal said  am delighted that this relationship between GIZ and India will result in improve market mechanisms and regulations, help us train manpower, to ensure grid stability & integration of renewables into grid and ensure safer & secure grid and a grid which can take cyber challenges . Shri Goyal further added that Germany is a very reliable partner country and has been supporting India in achieving its goal for sustainable development through bilateral cooperation for almost six decade now.

Dr. Ney added When in July 2012 Power Grid Corporation of India submitted a comprehensive and well elaborated Transmission Plan for Envisaged Renewable Capacity to MNRE it paved the way for Indias ambitious goals to transform its power system by significantly increasing the share of renewable energies in the energy mix. Also in Germanys Energiewende the evacuation and grid integration of renewable energy plays a pivotal role with major technological and fiscal challenges. Both the countries have very constructive dialogue under the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF).

Being committed to this objective, GIZ and MNRE will work on improving market mechanisms and regulations for integration of Renewable Energies; advancing technical and institutional conditions in specified target states, regions and on a national level; adding human capacities to handle systemic (strategic, managerial, financial, technical) Renewable Energies integration in an efficient and effective manner.

The IGEN-GEC programme is commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and jointly implemented by Ministry of New and Renewable Resources (MNRE), Ministry of Power (MoP), Government of India and Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). This programme component supports the implementation of the Renewable Energy Management Centre (REMCs), Green Energy Corridors scheme of the Government of India which is a prerequisite for large scale grid integration of renewable energy thus contributing to achieve the 175 GW target of the Government of India for renewable energy generation capacity by 2022.

Based on the Indo-German Consultations held on 11th April 2013 in Berlin, both countries confirmed collaboration on the Green Energy Corridors. In the subsequent bilateral development cooperation negotiations, it was agreed that Germany will provide concessional loans of up to 1 billion Euros through KfW (German Development Bank) and up to 10 million Euros under technical assistance in forecasting, balancing, market design, network management and demand side energy efficiency, implemented by GIZ. These contributions have been further increased in 2015 and 2016 by concessional loans up to 400 million Euros for transmission infrastructure and up to 7 million Euros for training activities in the photovoltaic solar rooftop sector and energy efficiency in residential buildings under technical assistance through GIZ.

It was added that India & Germany will further benefit each other in the journey towards sustainable development. Economic growth and a cleaner world with successful continuation of cooperation & fruitful exchange.

RM/
In a big push to Namami Gange programme, National Mission for Clean Ganga under Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation has awarded for the first time contracts for three STPs under hybrid annuity model. Two STPs of 68 MLD and 14 MLD will be set up at Haridwar and one STP of 15 MLD at Varanasi. .

.

This Hybrid Annuity model is first of its kind in the countrys waste water management sector. The Central Government will completely fund the STPs construction ensuring that there is no shortage of resources for the project. The unique financial model will ensure the transparency and accountability of the running of sewage treatment infrastructure. .

.

The contractors will not only establish the sewage treatment plant but they will also operate and maintain it for a period of 15 years. Thereafter it will be handed over to the local bodies. This will ensure that no waste water is dumped in the holy river. The payment of the operations and management of the projects and the worth of the cost will be provided to the agency over a period of 15 years ensuring that the project runs smoothly. .

.

Samir/jk
Union Steel Minister calls for greater collaboration between Australia and India in the area of Steel & Mining through technology transfer and knowledge sharing

An Australian delegation led by Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia Mr. Keith Pitt called on Union Steel Minister Shri Birender Singh at Udyog Bhawa today. The meeting was attended by Deputy High Commissioner to India Mr Chris Elstoft, Secretary, Steel Dr. Aruna Sharma and other senior officials from Australia and India.

Shri Birender Singh shared details of National Steel Policy 2017 and other initiatives being implemented by Indian Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He invited Austrlian Government and Businesses to be a part of the ambitious growth and development opportunities available in India.

He stated that the New India provided ample scope for strengthening bilateral relations through investments, technology transfer and knowledge sharing. The Minister also highlighted areas of concern for India steel industry like wide fluctuations in prices of coking coal imported from Australia and disadvantage to Indian steel exporters due to concessional tariffs for other countries.

Mr. Keith Pitt remarked that Australia is also keen on widening the scope of relations from Natural Resources to technology sharing and knowledge exchange. Australian investors are excited to witness growth and potential of business in India, he added. Mr . Pitt said that Australia would be happy to help in sharing its expertise in extracting resources efficiently.

Both sides agreed to take the discussions further for working on areas of mutual interest and finding avenues for collaboration and cooperation.

YSK/MI
Women motorbike riders group Biking Queens calls on PM

.

A group of 50 women motorbike riders from Gujarat the Biking Queens today called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. .

.

The group says they have driven over 10,000 km, covering 13 States/UTs, and interacted with people on social themes, such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao; and Swachh Bharat. On 15th August, 2017, they unfurled the tricolour at Khardungla, in Ladakh. .

.

The Prime Minister appreciated their efforts and wished them the best for their future endeavours. .

.
The internet never saw the minute of silence that many groups in Spain held for the victims of the attacks on August 17 in Barcelona . Moreover, many users took advantage of the unbridled freedom of expression provided through outlets such as Twitter and Facebook to vent hatred and spew inflammatory speech.

Alongside the grief triggered by the attacks that shook both Barcelona and Cambrils earlier this month, a wealth of views on the event surfaced in Spanish-sections of social networks. While some attacked Muslim migrants in vicious diatribes, called for reflection and criticized xenophobic displays.
American Group Inc's new Chief Executive Brian Duperreault has pledged to revive the insurer's glory days of top talent, underwriting discipline and fat profit margins.

One thing he has already brought back: big pay packages.

As he rejoined AIG in May, the 70-year-old insurance industry veteran received bigger awards than any of his predecessors since Maurice "Hank" Greenberg, the man who built the company into a behemoth and left under a cloud in 2005.

Duperreault quickly hired as his deputy Peter Zaffino, a former colleague at broker Marsh & McLennan Cos Inc, with a lucrative sign-on bonus, as well as a senior executive to head technology initiatives.

Shareholders are banking that these costly personnel moves will pay off, after watching AIG stock underperform rivals and the broader market for nearly a decade.

"He (Duperreault) comes with a visible long-term track record in terms of inspiring the operations and leading the personnel," said Mac Sykes, an analyst at investment firm Gabelli & Co, which owned about $58 million worth of AIG shares as of June 30. "It's what AIG needs at this point."

Sykes and said they have no issue with Duperreault's handsome pay package, as long as he performs.

"We didn't react in a negative way, especially because they're going to make a lot more money if they execute," said a portfolio manager whose fund owns a large AIG stake, but was not authorised to speak about it publicly.

Flawed incentives?

In addition to a $16 million annual package for 2017, Duperreault received $12 million in cash for shares he forfeited from Hamilton Insurance Group Ltd, an insurance company he co-founded and led in his native Bermuda. On top of that he got options to buy up to 1.5 million AIG shares dependent on the share price hitting certain targets over the next seven years.

AIG also agreed to pay Hamilton $40 million to get Duperreault out of a non-compete agreement and bought the company's US unit for $110 million.

Excluding the sign-on award, Duperreault's annual package is similar in size and structure to what CEOs of major rivals Prudential Financial Inc and MetLife Inc received for 2016.

AIG spokeswoman Cindy Leggett-Flynn declined to comment on Duperreault's compensation or the other payments required to bring him on board.

But there can be risks to big pay packages if they do not properly incentivize executives, pay consultants said.

AIG learned that the hard way when it nearly collapsed in 2008 due to massive exposure to derivatives based on plunging property prices, and needed a $182 billion taxpayer-funded bailout by the Federal Reserve and US Treasury.

After that, AIG withheld awards from some executives for inappropriate risk-taking, and paid its new CEO a nominal $1 salary in 2008. The company kept a lid on CEO pay throughout the period it was supported by the US government, which ended in 2013.

For a graphic showing AIG CEO pay since 2004, click on http://tmsnrt.rs/2fSflV9.

Corporate governance experts said they were most concerned about the structure of Duperreault's longer-term stock option awards.

To cash in the maximum number of his stock options, he must raise AIG's stock price by $30, or about 50 percent of its current value, within the next seven years and it must stay at that level for 20 consecutive trading days. The earliest he could exercise all his options, if the share price hits certain levels, would be three years.

That could encourage aggressive risk-taking for short-term profits that ultimately harm the company, some experts said.

Duperreault's options could vest more quickly than it may take for long-term risks he takes on to become apparent, said Adam Kolasinski, an executive compensation expert who teaches finance at Texas A&M University.

"If I were a board member, I would be very happy to grant a pay package even more generous than this one, provided it created good incentives," said Kolasinski. "I am afraid this one does not."

Small fortune

Recruiters, consultants and industry sources said AIG had little choice but to spend a small fortune to get Duperreault to leave a firm where he was comfortable and well paid, to take a difficult job that few wanted. His predecessor, Peter Hancock, left under pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn, who was unhappy at dismal results and a static share price.

Revamping AIG will require all Duperreault's leadership skills and insurance know-how. He spent more than 20 years at AIG at the start of his career before transforming ACE Ltd into a global insurance powerhouse, revamping a troubled Marsh & McLennan and co-founding Hamilton before returning to AIG as CEO.

"How many people can step into that job?" asked David Larcker, director of the Corporate Governance Research Initiative at Stanford Graduate School of Business. "It's a pretty small set."

Duperreault is the first AIG CEO in a decade to focus on growth and investment rather than divestitures and cost-cutting in the wake of the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Investors are hoping this is the right approach, given AIG's sluggish share price growth since the crisis.

AIG's stock closed at $60.78 on Friday, down 7 per cent this year, compared to a 9 percent rise in the S&P 500 index. The stock must hit $90.99 for Duperreault to exercise the maximum number of his stock options over the next seven years, a challenge Wall Street is ready to see him take on.

"I'd rather see a package like this on the entry than a golden parachute on the exit," said Jeff Wilson, an equity analyst at Scharf Investments LLC, which owned about $186 million in AIG stock as of June 30.
Republican lawmakers have seen the Trump disaster coming for a while now. They simply have no clue what to do about it.
During his speech last week about Afghanistan, President Trump slipped in a line that had little to do with fighting the Taliban: Vast amounts are being spent on our nuclear arsenal and missile defense, he said, as the administration builds up the military.
Catastrophic flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Harvey inundated Houston on Sunday, forcing residents of the fourth most populous US city to flee their homes in boats or hunker down in anticipation of several more days of unprecedented rainfall.
Around 13 million people continue to battle "catastrophic" flooding and torrential rains in storm-ravaged Texas where has wreaked havoc, turning streets into raging rivers and claiming at least five lives.

US President Donald Trump will travel to Texas tomorrow to get first-hand information on the flooding from Hurricane Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit America in 13 years.

The hurricane left a trail of destruction as it swept through Texas yesterday, pummelling the region with heavy rains and forcing hundreds of trapped residents to climb onto rooftops after its landfall on the US' Gulf Coast.

According to the Indian Consulate in Houston, at least 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned due to widespread flooding. Houston is home to a sizable Indian population.

The hurricane has now turned into a tropical storm and is dumping rain on southern Texas. The National Weather Service said the final tally could top 50 inches, setting an all-time rainfall record for the state. Streets in Houston and many other cities are flooded.

The National Weather Service called the flooding in Texas "unprecedented" as the State experienced a record breaking 50 inches of rain in parts of the city.

"The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before. Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days," the service said in a statement.

Harvey has been hammering Texas since Friday, when it first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. At least five people have died and the death toll is expected to rise as the storm has triggering record floods, tidal surges and tornadoes.

The last Category 4 storm to hit the US was Hurricane Charley in August 2004 in Florida.

Over the next few days, Harvey is forecast to head back into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will pick up moisture before moving back over Galveston and into Houston again, CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis said, meaning at least four more days of rainfall.

Officials say they have conducted more than 250 water rescues and rescued more than 1,000 people.

Major refineries are closing down, cutting at least 1 million barrels per day out of production, and the Houston Ship Channel, the busiest in the nation, is closed.

Officials have closed Houston schools for the week and shuttered William P Hobby Airport until at least the middle of the week.

Southwest Airlines airlifted around 500 of its customers out of Hobby Airport yesterday, according to airline and US government sources with knowledge of the operation.

"It's scary. I've been through many storms in my city, but it has never been this terrible. This city is completely underwater," Guatzin, a local resident, told CNN.

"We have nowhere to go. I have a 2016 Chevy Silverado and the water is up to the door panels. The water keeps rising," said Jake Lewis, who was in Houston on business and woke up to ankle-deep water in his Houston hotel room.

"The water keeps rising. We have called already to several numbers but no luck," said Janet Castillo, who was trapped at home with little children as the water crept up to their knees.

In Washington, officials said President Trump will travel to Texas tomorrow to take stock of the situation.

The President will travel to Texas on Tuesday, said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

The visit will be a test for Trump, as it's the first major natural disaster to strike the United States under his presidency. Former US President George W Bush faced widespread criticism after the federal government was slow to respond in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which caused major floods in New Orleans in August 2005, local media reported.

Trump held a second Cabinet meeting on to shore up response and recovery efforts yesterday, according to the White House.

The federal government has 5,000 people on site in Texas and Louisiana, where the storm continues to bring torrential rains and flooding.

Earlier yesterday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the federal government's response to .

Amid dire warnings, Abbott praised the response to the crisis.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said recovery efforts would take years.
When voters in Spains Catalan region go to the polls on October 1, much more than independence for the restive province will be at stake.
The headlines state it clearly, and in capital letters. Migrant crisis: Spain rescues 600 people in busiest day, wrote the BBC . Spain rescues HUNDREDS of migrants crossing from Morocco, exclaimed the UKs Express . According to these reports, there is a growing migrant crisis in Spain as the number of people crossing the Strait of Gibraltar by boat increases. The problem is, in most of them theres a little evidence, a lot of dramatising and not much perspective. So is it right to speak of a crisis?

The available data does show an upturn in boat migration from Morocco to Spain. There have been consistent increases in the number of people seeking to reach Spain irregularly by boat over the past five years. According to the UNHCR, 3,237 arrivals were recorded by sea in 2013 but by 2016 this had more than doubled to 8,162. In 2017, this process has accelerated and by mid-August there were 9,738 people recorded having made the sea journey. This was more than in all of the previous year.
The slide towards bleak historical periods can be difficult to recognize in the moment  often it only seems obvious in retrospect. But its hard to miss in the U.S. in this early part of the 21st century.
You treat me like a baby! Am I like a baby to you? I sit there like a little baby and watch TV and you talk to me?
As protesters across the country marched in opposition to neo-Nazis this month, President Trump did something truly shocking on Twitter: He issued a level-headed statement praising the marchers.
Torrential storms have been coursing through much of Texas in recent days, prompting massive flash flooding that has swept away entire homes and left wakes of devastation.
After months of mulling, President formally announced his strategy for Afghanistan in an hour long speech last week. For citizens of a country that has seen militant violence reach new highs on the back of the gradual withdrawal of US troops there are a number of important takeaways.
Uber selected Dara Khosrowshahi, who leads the online travel company Expedia, to be its chief executive on Sunday, two people with knowledge of the decision said. The selection capped a contentious search process as the ride-hailing company seeks to move past a turbulent period.
Sub-Saharan Africa has huge potential to become a global food basket, but it is far from being realised. The region is estimated to have 60% of the globally available and unexploited arable land yet it remains food deficient.
Realty major wiped off all its morning gains to slip in red on Monday after the company on Sunday said it has entered into a joint venture (JV) with GIC to build rental assets in India. READ FULL REPORT HERE
gained as much as 4.4% to Rs 953.5 in the early morning deals after Nandan Nilekani returned at the helm of Indias second-largest software exporter as a non-executive chairman of the company on late Thursday evening. In comparison, the Nifty IT index gained 1% while the benchmark indices were up around 0.4%.
gained over 3% in trade on Monday to Rs 941 levels on the National Stock Exchange, after Nandan Nilekani assumed charge as its non-executive chairman over the weekend. The stock hit a high of Rs 953.95 and a low of Rs 938 on the NSE in morning deals. By comparison, the Nifty50 and the Nifty IT indices gained 0.4% and 0.8%, respectively.
As many as 233 people are undergoing medical treatment after a suspected chemical leak near a beach in Sussex in southern England.

British emergency services have evacuated the popular Sussex coast after dozens of people basking in the bank holiday weekend sunshine complained of stinging eyes and sore throat after a noxious "chemical haze" swept over a beauty spot in Sussex in southern England.

Residents along a five-mile-stretch of Sussex coast have been warned to stay inside and close their windows after the "chemical haze" was reported.

The residents are being treated for breathing difficulties, vomiting and stinging eyes following a suspected gas leak near the Beachy Head near Eastbourne on Sunday.

Due to its strategic location on the south coast, Sussex has always played an essential part in both communications and the defence of England.

Witnesses claimed there was a distinct and pungent smell of "chlorine" in the air at the East Sussex site, with one saying it 'stung their noses,' The Independent reported.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pearl Harbor, part of the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), which was currently operating in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region to strengthen partnerships and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency, departed Goa on Monday.

The Whidbey Island-class (cargo variant) amphibious dock landing ship USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), with embarked 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) was in Goa.

While in Goa, the ship's sailors and marines conducted exchanges with the Indian Navy and Indian Navy Marine Commandos relating to amphibious warfare as well as tours, a press conference and meetings with military leadership.

"Our subject matter expert exchanges were very successful, and it is our sincere hope that they will lead to more robust exchanges in the future and enhanced interoperability between our forces," said Cmdr. Theodore Essenfeld, commanding officer of Pearl Harbor.

"This continuation of our nations' long history of military cooperation is based on our shared national ideals of democracy, international rules and norms, and our desire for peace, security and prosperity throughout the region."

"No single nation can combat regional threats alone," said Lt. Col. James Stover, the Combat Logistics Battalion 15 commanding officer.

"During the Amphibious Warfare Subject Matter Expect Exchange (SMEE), we discussed topics ranging from amphibious training continuums, MEU force generation, and the 15th MEU's ability to conduct operational maneuver [and logistics] from the sea.

Through these topics and small group discussions, we shared each other's unique experiences while encouraging further interoperability and teamwork in future engagements."

In addition to the topics discussed above, the exchange also offered an in-depth look at the MEU's pre-deployment training program and personnel and equipment assignment to shipping. Once the SMEE completed, the crew had the opportunity to enjoy liberty and experience rich Indian culture during the ship's first visit to India.

"After a very fruitful four-day visit, the officers, crew and embarked forces on board USS Pearl Harbor are grateful for the hospitality, camaraderie and friendship shown to us by our Indian hosts in Goa," said Essenfeld.

"While we thoroughly enjoyed the rich culture and heritage of Goa we look forward to further exchanges and future operations with our Indian military partners."

After visiting India, Pearl Harbor will continue training with allies and partners in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations AOR. The 7th Fleet AOR includes more than 48 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean, running from the international dateline to the eastern coast of Africa, and from the Antarctic to the Kuril Islands, Northeast of Japan.

USS Pearl Harbor was launched on Feb. 24, 1996 and commissioned on May 30, 1998. The ship is based in San Diego, California. The 15th MEU is based at Camp Pendleton, California.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan has postponed a visit by a U.S. acting Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells amid protests against President Donald Trump's accusations that Islamabad was harboring terrorists to prolong war in Afghanistan.

The visit of Wells, who is the acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Asian Affairs, scheduled for Monday, would have been the first high-profile visit by a US official since Trump's new Afghanistan policy was announced on August 21.

The talks proposed talks on three levels involving cabinet, foreign affairs and security were aimed to explore how the United States and Pakistan could rebuild their relations under the guidelines set by President Donald Trump.

"The visit of acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells has been postponed on Pakistan's request. It will be rescheduled at a mutually convenient time," the Dawn quoted a senior State Department official, as saying.

The rescheduling of Wells' visit was the second such request from Islamabad in less than a week.

The rescheduling of talks between Pakistan and the U.S. high profile officials on the new American strategy for South Asia is a major setback as earlier, Pakistan had requested rescheduling of Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif's visit to Washington, who was expected to be in the White House on Aug 25 on an invitation from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Between 100 and 150 protesters carrying placards bearing pictures of President Trump and chanting anti-U.S. slogans were stopped by police as the protests were moving toward the U.S. consulate building in Karachi

But there is also a third visit of a U.S. delegation led by senior White House National Security Council official Lisa Curtis which is also likely to be rescheduled.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
If chips, pretzels and salted nuts are your go-to snacks, you may want to cut back on them as according to a recent study, high salt intake is associated with a doubled risk of heart failure.

"High salt (sodium chloride) intake is one of the major causes of high blood pressure and an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke," said Pekka Jousilahti from the National Institute for and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. "In addition to CHD and stroke, heart failure is one of the major cardiovascular diseases in Europe and globally but the role of high salt intake in its development is unknown."

The 12-year study in more than 4,000 people presented at ESC Congress assessed the relationship of salt intake and the development of heart failure. Estimation of individual salt intake is methodologically demanding and therefore suitable population-based cohorts are rare.

This study used 24 hour sodium extraction, which is considered the gold standard for salt intake estimation at individual level.

The study cohort was followed up for 12 years through computerised register linkage to National Records. Cases of incident heart failure were identified from the Causes of Death Register, the Hospital Discharge Register and drug reimbursement records. The association of salt intake in quintiles (<6.8g, 6.8-8.8g, 8.8-10.9g, 10.96-13.7g and >13.7g/day) and the risk of an incident new heart failure event was estimated.

During the follow-up, 121 men and women developed new heart failure. In an age, sex, study year and area adjusted model, hazard ratios in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th salt intake quintiles, compared to the 1st one, were: 0.83, 1.40, 1.70 and 2.10. After further adjustment for systolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol level and body mass index the hazard ratios were: 1.13, 1.45, 1.56 and 1.75, respectively.

Jousilahti said that the heart does not like salt, adding that high salt intake markedly increases the risk of heart failure. "This salt-related increase in heart failure risk was independent of blood pressure."

"People who consumed more than 13.7 grams of salt daily had a two times higher risk of heart failure compared to those consuming less than 6.8 grams," he continued. "The optimal daily salt intake is probably even lower than 6.8 grams. The World Organization recommends a maximum of 5 grams per day and the physiological need is 2 to 3 grams per day."

Jousilahti concluded that studies in larger, pooled population cohorts are needed to make more detailed estimations of the increased heart failure risk associated with consuming salt.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Gujarat Government for slow trial over self-styled accused godman, Asaram Bapu, in connection with a rape case registered against him.

There are separate rape cases registered against the accused in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

On August 1, the Apex Court heard the plea filed by Asaram in this case.

Earlier in April, the Supreme Court had asked the Gujarat trial court to consider Asaram Bapu's case urgently and finish the trial in a time-bound manner.

In another case registered against him, the apex court had earlier dismissed his bail plea in a Rajasthan harassment case, where a teenager had accused him of sexually assaulting her during celebrations in a village near Jodhpur Ashram.

The Jodhpur Police arrested Asaram on August 3, 2013 and since then, he has been in prison.

The apex court had in October last year sought the Centre's response and five states on a plea seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged murder of children through black magic and attacks on ten witnesses in Asaram's rape cases.

Asaram Bapu's son Narayan Sai had also been named in connection with a rape case registered against him by the Gujarat state.

Sai was arrested for allegedly raping a Surat-based woman who was his father's disciple between 2002 and 2005.

The Gujarat Government had earlier told the top court division bench that the rape case registered against Asaram would very likely precede in an expeditious manner, adding that the trial would be completed within six months so the bail should not be granted to him in the case.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Baloch Republican Party held shutter down strikes and events across the world, including Balochistan, European countries, United States, South Korea and the United Kingdom on occasion of 11th martyrdom anniversary of 'father of Nation' Shaheed Nawab Akbar BugtI on Saturday.

Baloch Republican Party Spokesman Sher Mohammad Bugti said the events were also held by BRSO in Germany and American Friends of Balochistan in Washington where Baloch leader Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti also addressed the audience through video link.

Bugti said that the has now acknowleged Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti's sacrifice.

"In old age", Bugti said, " Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti laid foundation of a practical Baloch struggle for Baloch nation and Baloch land. Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti sacrificed his precious life, giving Baloch movement undefeatable strength, which is even after eleven years still continues towards ultimate destination.

"Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti never compromised his principles and chose to embrace martyrdom instead of kneeling before the oppressors, which has become source of inspiration for Baloch nation and every other oppressed nation struggling against the subjugation and suppression." He said.

Sher Mohammad Bugti said "The state forces tried to disrupt the strike in different part of Balochistan including Dera Bugti and Turbat by torturing and harassing their owners. but failed."

Activists paid tributes to him and vowed to continue Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti's freedom struggle to achieve its final destination.

Baloch Republican Party and Baloch Student Organization held awareness campaign at international level in Germany, South Korea, America, Britain, Switzerland, and other European countries. As part of the campaign, Party activists also held a seminar, paid tributes to Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti for his struggle and sacrifices during the events.

The spokesman said that BRP workers held Holy Quran Recitation, memorial references, and study circles in Balochistan. including Karachi, Sui and Dera Bugti.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy, Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, called on Defence Minister Arun Jaitley in capital New Delhi on Monday.

Admiral Ahmed is on a three-day official visit to India from August 28 to August 30 to consolidate bilateral naval relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation.

Admiral Ahmed will hold bilateral discussions with his Indian counterpart Admiral Sunil Lanba and other senior officials of the Indian Navy today.

Admiral Ahmed is also scheduled to meet Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra.

In addition to New Delhi, the Admiral is also scheduled to proceed to Visakhapatnam where he will be visiting various naval establishments, including INS Kalinga, INS Karna and INS Satavahana.

Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through training, port calls, passage exercises along with capability building and capacity augmentation initiatives.

The Bangladesh Navy is also the present Chair of the Indian Ocean Symposium (IONS), which is a Multilateral Maritime Cooperation platform launched by the Indian Navy.

The Bangladesh Navy is also scheduled to conduct an International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise titled IMMSAREX in November 2017, which is being held under the IONS construct.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Skirmishes erupted in California's Berkeley after several dozen of left-wing protesters surrounded and shouted at a handful of right-wing demonstrators.

As per the Fox News a score of people gathered for a 'Rally Against Hate' in response to a right-wing protest that was planned to raise concerns of violence.

The local police broke up the brief tense fights, by using reportedly using smoke grenade.

Anti-rally protesters were chanting slogans like "No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA" and carried placard that said: "Berkeley Stands United Against Hate."

Numbers of people were arrested for violating rules against covering their faces or carrying items banned by authorities.

The Police detained at least two people for wearing bandannas covering their faces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Responding on United States President Donald Trump's value and response to the racially charged violence in Virginia's Charlottesville, Virginia, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the former "speaks for himself".

Tillerson, distancing himself from Trump's remarks after the deadly Virginia protests said that the United States is committed to freedom and "equal treatment of people the over", reported Fox news.

"I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values," he said, when specifically asked Trump he added, "The President speaks for himself."

Meanwhile, the Anti- White Supremacy protestors will demand President Trump removal from office by starting a 10-day march from Charlottesville, Virginia to Washington, D.C. on Monday.

The March is set to on August 28 and end in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Organizers say the march will be followed by an occupation of Washington, D.C. with daily nonviolent demonstrations, reported The Hill.

"This is the time to confront white supremacy in our government and throughout our history. We demand that President Trump to be removed from office for allying himself with this ideology of hate and we demand an agenda that repairs the damage it's done to our country and its people," the website for the march reads.

A number of activist groups such as the Women's March, Working Families Party, the Action Group Network, United We Dream, Color of Change, and others will be participating in the March to Confront White Supremacy.

Violence erupted in Charlottesville earlier this month at a protest when a man with alleged ties to white nationalists killed one person and injured dozens more by ramming his car into a crowd of counter-protesters. Tensions were further inflamed when Trump responded to the violence by blaming "many sides" for the violence.

The Charlottesville Police Department has charged three people in relation to the violence that followed the "Unite the Right" rally there on August 12.

Police said the Criminal Investigations Division charged Daniel Borden, 18, of Ohio with malicious wounding.

He was arrested Friday and is currently in the custody of the Hamilton County Criminal Justice Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Police also charged Alex Michael Ramos, 33, with malicious wounding and is currently wanted by the police department.

Both of these charges are in relation to an assault that happened in the 500 block of East Market Street in Charlottesville.

Police charged Richard Wilson Preston, 52, of Maryland, with discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. Police said this is in relation to a shots fired incident on August 12 in the 100 block of West Market Street in Charlottesville.

Preston was arrested Saturday and is currently in the custody of the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson, Maryland.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Barnala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harjeet Singh on Monday said that a curfew will be imposed in Punjab 's Barnala from tomorrow.

The SSP said that the curfew will be imposed from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m.tomorrow.

This came after 10-year sentence by a Special CBI judge handed down to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Meanwhile, security forces carried out a flag march in Barnala after the sentencing.

"Environment is peaceful after the announcement of sentence and adequate security arrangements have been given therefore no untoward incident will happen," Barnala SP Swarn Singh told ANI.

Also the police in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have upped the vigilance and precautionary measures in districts adjacent to Delhi and Haryana after the sentence to the Dera chief.

The police in Uttar Pradesh has increased the level of security in the state as 12 districts of the state have as many as 18 Dera ashrams. In addition to it, ten companies have been assigned to look over the security of eight districts in NCR.

Earlier in the day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar presided over an emergency meeting at his residence in Chandigarh.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the state, including party leaders and ministers.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has appealed for peace and said that the sentence must be accepted by all.

"So there is nothing for us to say rather than to say to the people to accept the decision. There is total normalcy. Our forces are on their toes. We will not let any untoward incident happen. This sentence must be accepted by the people and peace must prevail," Singh told ANI.

Ram Rahim, who was held guilty on charges of rape of a female devotee in 1999, was, earlier in the day, sentenced to ten years of imprisonment by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula.

The Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh had allotted 10 minutes to both sides to put forth their arguments. The prosecution reportedly had demanded the maximum punishment for the rape convict.

The defence had argued that Ram Rahim was a social worker, who had worked for the welfare of people, so the judge should take a lenient view.

Just minutes before the pronouncement of the sentence, two cars were reportedly torched by Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in the Phoolka area of Haryana's Sirsa district.

Ram Rahim was convicted on charges of rape on August 25 by the Special CBI Court.

The rape case was registered by the CBI in April 2002 against the self-styled god man after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers. The then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had received an anonymous letter from a Dera Sadhvi that she was being raped by Ram Rahim.

Following Ram Rahim's conviction on Friday, his 'bhakts' went on a rampage in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, demanding justice for their leader and Punjab, Haryana and their neighbouring states have, since, been on the edge.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hectic negotiations are on between the United States and the Indian officials on the issue of New Delhi's membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The diplomatic talks are underway for India's entry into the 48-memeber elite nuclear club as the next plenary session of the Nuclear Suppliers Group will meet in November and Washington will support India's membership in the NSG, according to the local media.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington, U.S. President Donald Trump reaffirmed the support of the United States for India's membership bid to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

"As global non-proliferation partners, the United States expressed strong support for India's early membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement, and the Australia Group," said a joint India-U.S. statement after the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and President Trump.

India has been trying to enter into the NSG since 2008, but Beijing scuttled India's bid during meeting of the elite nuclear club in June 2016, citing that it was not a signatory to the non-proliferation treaty (NPT).

India has renewed its efforts to become a member of the 48-nation group by engaging with all member countries including the pro-India push from other key players such as the U.S., the U.K., France and Russia.

India is keen to become a member of the NSG and other export control regimes such as the Wassenaar Agreement and Australia Group as it seeks to significantly expand its nuclear power generation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar appealed to the Dera followers to maintain peace in the state and warned them against any anti-social activity, following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

"I appeal to all the people to not violate any laws or orders of the state. The state is peaceful at the moment but strict action will be taken against the people who consider themselves above the law," Khattar said, while speaking to ANI.

Following the conviction of the Dera Chief to 20 years of imprisonment, Khattar said that the decision of the court is justified.

He said, "He has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and has to pay Rs. 15 lakh to each of the victim. Everyone must accept the decision of the court."

He added that the administration has made sufficient arrangements to ensure the security of people around the state.

Earlier today, Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who was held guilty on charges of rape of a female devotee in 1999, was sentenced to a total of twenty years of imprisonment by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula.

Ram Rahim was convicted with the charges of rape on Friday (August 25) by the Special CBI Court.

The rape case was registered by the CBI in April 2002 against the self-styled godman after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers.

Following Ram Rahim's conviction on Friday, his 'bhakts' went on a rampage in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, demanding justice for their leader and Punjab, Haryana and their neighbouring states have, since, been on the edge.

In what was seen as a massive upheaval, an ocean of people resorted to vandalising public property - by destroying public transport, burning vehicles and even attacking the media. 38 people were killed and around 250 injured in the violence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari has said that fleeing the country would not help ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif revive his image.

Speaking at a meeting with Pakistan People's Party leaders on Sunday, he also asked Sharif not to run away from the country and face the cases against him.

"Nawaz Sharif should show courage," The Nation quoted Zardari as saying to his party leaders.

Earlier, PPP chief and Zardari's son Bilawal Bhutto said that Sharif was neither qualified nor capable to lead Pakistan.

Zardari was earlier acquitted by a special accountability court in Rawalpindi in a reference related to his alleged unlawful assets in Pakistan and abroad after nineteen years due to lack of solid evidence.

Sharif was disqualified on July 28th by the Supreme Court for hiding assets.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) later denotified Sharif as a member of the National Assembly and also asked the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to remove him as the party head.

Sharif has been defending himself against the Supreme Court's decision to disqualify him for hiding assets and has already filed several review petitions in the top court, challenging his ouster.

The Election Commission of Pakistan has scheduled polling in Lahore's NA-120 constituency for September 17th after Sharif's disqualification.

The election authorities have approved Sharif's wife Kulsoom Nawaz's nomination for the by-election but she is not expected to campaign much for her election as she is in London for treatment of throat cancer.

Some members of the Sharif family are already in London to look after Kulsoom Nawaz and Nawaz Sharif too is expected to join her soon.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Google on Monday announced the launch of a new website https

To ensure secure and stable experience for users which provides more information on the merits of using certified android devices, Google announced the launch for Android, which is an open-source platform with an ecosystem that was started with one device, one carrier and one manufacturer in 2008.

Google works with manufacturers across the globe to run hundreds of compatibility tests that ensure devices adhere to the Android security and permissions model.

Certified devices also come with Google Play Protect out-of-the-box, providing users with a suite of security features that include automatic device scanning for malware. This provides baseline protection against malware, privacy hacks and more.

Android is an open-source platform with an ecosystem that was started with one device, one carrier and one manufacturer in 2008. Today, there are over 2 billion active devices worldwide.

The pace of innovation has never been greater, offering users choice and diversity.

When shopping for a new Android phone or tablet, it is always recommended to ask for a certified device or look for the Google Play Protect logo on the box. This helps ensure that users experience the benefits of using a certified device, along with the additional layers of security provided by Play Protect.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesdays to take a stock of the situation and review state's efforts to recover from Hurricane Harvey, which has caused catastrophic flooding in the area.

As per the CNN, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders informed this and said that, "We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know."

"We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers," she added.

The exact location is not yet decided, but the president is expected to travel away from the storm zone, avoiding the most hard-hit areas, reported the CNN.

Trump on Sunday lauded the government agencies' "coordinated" response to Hurricane Harvey.

"Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government. Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued. Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground," Trump said in a series of tweets.

At least five people were reported to be dead on Sunday as the Hurricane Harvey hit Houston and the surrounding region, causing catastrophic flooding and injuring dozens.

More rain is expected to cover Houston in the coming days as Harvey moves inland.

More than 1,000 people had been rescued overnight due to record flooding in the sprawling Houston area, CNN quoted meteorologist Jeff Lindner with Harris County's Flood Control District as saying.

According to local media reports, the storm hit southeastern Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, but wind speeds have since slowed down and it is now a tropical storm.

The storm is Trump's first major natural disaster in office and will be the first major hurricane to hit the U.S. since 2005.

The President is closely monitoring the storm as it approached the U.S.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iraqi forces have recaptured virtually the entire stategically important city of Tal Afar from ISIS jihadists, the ISIS stronghold in the country's northwest.

All 29 neighbourhoods in Tal Afar have been taken back from the jihadist group after eight days of fighting, the military said in a statement.

Tal Afar was captured by the extremists on June 16, 2014, after a two-day battle and it was used as a supply route between Syria and the former ISIS stronghold of Mosul.

Backed by the American forces, several divisions of Iraqi security advanced on the city from different sides.

The commander for the operation, Lt. Gen. Abdulmanir Yarallah, said only one enclave - north-west of the city center - remained under the ISIS control. Yarallah said that counter-terrorism forces had raised the Iraqi flag in the central areas of the Citadel and al-Basateen.

"Two Iraqi military divisions are now advancing towards that final ISIS-occupied enclave, al-Aidiya, and its surrounding villages," CNN quoted Iraqi Joint Military Command spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasool, as saying.

Fighting continues in al-Ayadiya, a small area 11 km north-west of the city, where militants, who fled the district's city centre are in hiding, Rasool said.

After the Mosul was liberated, there were concerns that ISIS fighters and violence could return to the city due to the existence of sleeper cells and Tal Afar was the last city still under the control of the ISIS militants.

Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against the ISIS, had told reporters on Thursday that the ISIS fighters were "completely surrounded" in Tal Afar, with their resources drying up, as Iraqi forces moved closer to the city center.

Rasool, of the Iraqi Joint Military Command, said on Thursday that 302 ISIS fighters had been killed since the start of the operation. He added that 33 rigged vehicles and 35 tunnels had been destroyed. Officials provided no updated figures on Sunday.

The United Nations warned of the risks to thousands of Iraqi families as they sought to flee the battleground in the scorching heat. The U.N. refugee and migration agencies on Tuesday called for civilians to be given safe passage out of the conflict zone.

"We fear that Iraqi civilians are likely to be held as human shields again and that attempts to flee could result in executions/shootings," said Andrej Mahecic, a spokesman for the U.N. refugee agency, the UNHCR, in a news release.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said Taliban had no need to hide in Pakistan, since they held more than 40 per cent of Afghanistan.

This comes after the White House accused Pakistan of continuing to harbor terrorists on its soil.

The commander of the United States forces for Afghanistan and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)-led Resolute Support Mission General, John Nicholson has said that the US "knows the Afghan Taliban leadership is in Quetta and Peshawar".

Iqbal also mentioned that Taliban were using Afghanistan as the launch pad for their operations, both inside and outside Pakistan.

"If they have control over so much land and resources in Afghanistan, it means they have hideouts there, not in Pakistan," The Dawn quoted Iqbal, as saying.

He categorically said that Pakistani authorities had been conducting comprehensive security operations in different parts of the country for four years and had cleared a large area, including North Waziristan.

He further said that said Washington had stated that they would acknowledge the efforts of Pakistani forces if they managed to clear North Waziristan of terrorists.

"Pakistan is fully committed to rooting out terrorism and no other country can match us in terms of the number of sacrifices made in the war on terror," he added.

Separately, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said the US should refrain from blaming its 16 years of failures in Afghanistan on Pakistan.

Earlier, a source has said that Islamabad is trying to mount a diplomatic offensive to muster the support of friendly countries in the face of Trump's allegations that Pakistan was hosting terrorist 'safe havens' on its soil, the Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif will visit China, Russia and Turkey for consultations on the U.S.'s new South Asia strategy.

After consulting with three nations, Pakistan will be convening an international conference to highlight its contribution towards the war against terrorism and to adopt a new policy which will call a halt to Washington's unending demand to 'do more' on the issue.

However, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nafees Zakaria underscored that the differences between Pakistan and the U.S. over the new policy did not mean a rupture in ties.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Nirmal Singh, on Monday dubbed the disengagement of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China from the Doklam plateau as 'victory of India.'

"It's a victory of India, of our PM, of our patience and of the depth of Indian democracy. Ultimately a mighty nation like China has to bow before the patience of India," he told reporters.

Addressing the recent Pulwama encounter, Nirmal Singh said that Pakistan is desperate and is trying to influence the Kashmiris against India.

"This is a proxy war. Pakistan is desperate and new people and new faces are coming to exploit Kashmiri people's sentiments, but we will firmly deal with them," he commented on the Kashmir violence.

He also urged for people's cooperation and for politicians to rise above party politics to deal with the situation.

"Since we are at a decisive position, now that the Centre is firmly dealing with it under the guidance of our Prime Minister - whether they be separatists or terrorists - results are coming. In such a situation, the people as well as the opposition should cooperate, because when it comes to security, we should rise above politics," Singh told reporters.

Reiterating his stand on Pakistan, he said that Pakistan will soon be declared a terrorist state, and refuted Afzal Guru's squad's claim of being responsible for the Fidaayin attack in Pulwama that killed eight security personnel.

"The three terrorists were from Pakistan, what does that have to do with Afzal Guru Squad? Pakistan is desperate and trying to influence Kashmiris, especially the youth against India," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Police in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday confirmed the arrest of three persons for allowing dogs into the mortuary of the Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital to eat a dead woman's body.

Lucknow Police said that ward boy Islam, securitty guard Pawan Mishra and supervisor Ashish Mishra had been arrested, and added that another accused supervisor, Pawan Singh, is yet to be taken into custody.

Police said that the three accused have been arrested under Section 297 and Section 404 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Police said that the arrest of the accused was on grounds of gross negligence by hospital authorities.

It is being reported that the woman, who had died of food poisoning, had been kept in the government hospital mortuary for conducting of a post mortem.

However, owing to mismanagement and poor infrastructure, the body was eaten by stray dogs. So badly was it mauled that it could no longer be recognized.

The woman, who was admitted to the hospital on Saturday, died while undergoing treatment. The body was later shifted to the hospital morgue.

Hospital Director Devendra Singh Negi said that stringent action will be taken against the staff for their irresponsibility. Negi added that any other person found guilty in the incident too will be punished.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif is not trusting any one other than his daughter Maryam Nawaz to oversee the campaign of his ailing wife Kulsoom Nawaz for the National Assembly -120 by-election.

Maryam has cancelled her planned visit to London for 'uninterrupted canvassing' and has informed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz members that she was not going to London to see her ailing mother and would rather join them in the constituency for canvassing.

"The Sharif family appears not to trust anyone else in the party to oversee the campaign in NA-120 in their absence and, therefore, Maryam is not going to see her ailing mother," a PML-N source told the Dawn. "Since Maryam is quite active and ambitious in politics, she cannot take chances to hand over the campaign to anyone outside the family."

Maryam held meetings with the ruling party's local bodies' representatives at the Chief Minister Secretariat in Model Town and took a pledge from them to work day and night for the success of her mother.

"I will start visiting the whole constituency after Eid. I will also remain among the workers till the 2018 elections." Dawn quoted Maryam as saying.

Nawaz Sharif's sons Hussain and Hasan and daughter Asma are already with Begum Kulsoom Nawaz in London where she is undergoing treatment for throat cancer. Mr Sharif is expected to leave for London this week.

Differences had emerged in Nawaz Sharif's extended family as the founder of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has refrained his nephew Hamza Shahbaz to participate in the campaigning process of NA-120 by-elections, from where his wife Kulsoom Nawaz will contest after his disqualification in the Panamagate case.

The disqualified premier has called his brother Shahbaz Sharif, nephew Hamza Shehbaz and close aide Pervez Malik for a meeting at his residence of Jati Umra, reported the Dawn.In the meeting, he handed the responsibilities of the campaigning to Pervez Malik, who suggested that Hamza Shahbaz can perform the duties better than him. However, the PML-N founder rejected his suggestion.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said that Hamza could not oversee the election campaign due to security threats.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mexico has reiterated its stand that it will not fund United States President Donald Trump's proposed border wall.

"As the Mexican government has always stated, our country will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall or physical barrier built on US territory along the Mexican border. This statement is not part of a Mexican negotiating strategy, but rather a principle of national sovereignty and dignity," the Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Mexico's reaction comes after Trump reaffirmed his commitment to build the Mexico Wall, saying that the U.S. must build the wall.

"With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other (sic)," he tweeted.

With regard to the violence generated in Mexico by the illicit drugs, arms and money trafficking, the Mexican Government reiterated that it is a shared problem that will only end if its root causes are addressed: high demand for drugs in the United States and supply from Mexico (and other countries).

"Transnational criminal organizations have killed thousands of Mexicans, including members of the armed forces and police officers, and thousands of Americans. Only on the basis of the principles of shared responsibility, teamwork and mutual trust will we be able to overcome this challenge," the Mexican Ministry said in the statement.

The ministry also reacted to Trump's tweet on North American Free Trade Agreement, saying that "Mexico's position at the renegotiation table NAFTA will continue to be serious and constructive, always putting our national interests first, and seeking a beneficial result whereby the three North American countries win".

"Mexico will not negotiate NAFTA, or any other aspect of the bilateral relationship, through social media or any other news platform," it added.

Trump had earlier threatened to terminate NAFTA talks with Canada and Mexico, saying that both are "being very difficult" in renegotiation of NAFTA.

"We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada. Both being very difficult, may have to terminate?" Trump said in a tweet.

Trump had recently emphasised that the NAFTA talks with Canada and Mexico would not achieve a successful end.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Monday briefed the Nepal Parliament highlighting the major political and other engagement of mutual interest during his five-day India visit.

Deuba emphasised on close ties with India for the goodwill of the nation and claimed that there was nothing wrong in briefing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Constitution Amendment Bill.

"I briefed over the amendment attempt made by us during the joint press statement. Some of the political parties', personalities' and media's reaction over it has dragged my attention over it. It is our national agenda to make the Constitution acceptable to all and make it acceptable to all. There is no wrong doing in informing international community about subjects of our national priority," Deuba said while addressing the parliament.

Referring to India and its help over the time of political development and changes over various period of time to Nepal, Prime Minister Deuba termed it natural concern over the political development but warned Nepal won't tolerate any sort of intervention.

"During the peace process and people's movement, the neighbour countries that helped Nepal, their concern over Nepali politics cannot be termed unnatural. But, any sort of intervention by any of our neighbour and other countries over the implementation of Constitution will not be acceptable," Deuba added.

India, the Southern neighbor of Nepal with whom it shares an open border over vast trench of land, had extended help during various political changes starting from the overthrowing of the Rana rule.

One of the major steps initiated by India in support to Nepal was the Peace accord that was signed in Indian national capital-New Delhi- that put an end to over a decade long insurgency, which claimed lives of about 17,000 people and thousands more still missing.

India got in haywire after it lent hand to Madhesh minority groups in 2015, who claimed the newly promulgated Constitution was discriminative against them.

The Madhesh based parties which went to New Delhi were chided by then government under leadership of KP Sharma Oli.

They also halted the flow of goods to Nepal from India by protesting in no man's land in Southern District of Birgung. (ANI)

.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Delhi court on Monday extended the Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of financier Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali for more five days in connection with Jammu and Kashmir terror funding case.

Watali, who was arrested by the NIA, earlier this month, was on Monday produced before a Delhi Court.

Watali's lawyer, however, appealed to court for his early release, citing his health condition.

The court also extended the judicial custody of four accused persons- Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Ahmad Shah alias Funtoosh, Peer Saifullah, Nayeem Khan and Mehrajuddin Kalwal- by another thirty days, i.e. till September 27.

Earlier on August 26, the NIA conducted a search operation at the office of Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd in Srinagar's Barbarshah, owned by Watali.

The search has unearthed incriminating documents pertaining to Watali's financial transactions which were seized by the agency.

On August 17, the NIA arrested Watali from the capital, in connection with a case of funding terrorist and separatist activities in Jammu and Kashmir.

His arrest was followed by a search conducted by the NIA at multiple locations belonging to the relatives and employees of Zahoor Watali in Srinagar, Handwara, Kupwara and Baramulla.

The search had unearthed highly incriminating material pertaining to receipt of funds by Watali from foreign sources and its further distribution to the terrorists and separatists in the valley for anti-India activities.

At present, the proceedings in the case are in abeyance as per the orders of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

Earlier, on June 3, the NIA had searched Watali's house in Srinagar and seized incriminating documents pertaining to several financial transactions and land deals.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
North Korea, on Tuesday morning, launched ballistic missiles, which has reportedly passed over Japan, has broken into three pieces and fallen 1,180 kilometers from Cape Erimo into the waters off Hokkaido.

In the wake of recovery of remains of the parts of missiles, the Japanese Government warned the people in northern Japan to prepare for a potential incoming missile from Pyongyang, reported the Suptnik quoting local news channel.

This has been confirmed by the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said that the ballistic missile was fired from near Pyongyang.

Even the Pentagon confirmed that North Korea conducted missile launch in last 90 minutes, which flew over Japan.

No damage or injury has been reported till now; the Japanese Government has said the utmost effort would be made to protect the nation's public.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will visit the United States in the third week of September to attend the United Nations General Assembly session, Geo News reported sources, as saying.

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will also accompany Abbasi to the United States.

This will be the newly-elected prime minister's maiden trip to the US.

The visit comes amid tense relations between the two countries following Trumps' criticism of Pakistan for providing safe haven to terrorists.

Earlier, Abbasi said the United States' new Afghanistan policy is going to fail like the previous ones.

"From day one, we have been saying very clearly the military strategy in Afghanistan has not worked and it will not work", the Bloomberg News quoted Abbasi, as saying.

He further said that Islamabad supports the fight against terrorism and it won't let the war in Afghanistan spill into Pakistan.

Earlier, a source has said that Islamabad is trying to mount a diplomatic offensive to muster the support of friendly countries in the face of Trump's allegations that Pakistan was hosting terrorist 'safe havens' on its soil, the Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif will visit China, Russia and Turkey for consultations on the U.S.'s new South Asia strategy.

Pakistan's National Security Committee took the decision for the visit in a meeting on Thursday, which focusses on the United States new policy for the South Asian countries, especially Afghanistan.

"Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will be visiting regional countries for consultations," Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said.

After consulting with three nations, Pakistan will be convening an international conference to highlight its contribution towards the war against terrorism and to adopt a new policy which will call a halt to Washington's unending demand to 'do more' on the issue.

However, Nafees Zakaria underscored that the differences between Pakistan and the U.S. over the new policy did not mean a rupture in ties.

Showing similar sentiment, Pakistan's civil and military leadership said scapegoating them will not help stabilise the war-ravaged Afghanistan.

In a clear ultimatum to Islamabad, Trump said Pakistan has to change its "double game" policy or face the consequences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hours before the court proceedings against rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, scheduled to take place around 2

ADGP Anand Kumar has directed the police to monitor the Dera Sacha Ashram and bases in the NCR. A high alert has been given to all districts of the Agra zone, and also to the Meerut Zone on the UP borders.

While necessary security arrangements have been made, instructions have also been given to the district administration to impose Section 144 when needed.

Special vigilance and security arrangements have been made in the Meerut Zone.

Instructions have also been given for enhancing surveillance on the border areas adjoining Delhi-Haryana.

Intensive checking of vehicles and police force deployment has been ordered on state borders.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police, while dismissing the same, said everything would function as normal.

"There are some rumours being spread on the WhatsApp and other platforms that schools will remain closed on Monday as the sentencing is scheduled. Also, we have also been told that rumours have been spread about gatherings of Ram Rahim's followers in parts of East Delhi. I would like to notify that all these are fake, and people must stop spreading them immediately," Madhur Verma, Delhi Police's Public Relations Officer told ANI.

Verma clarified that traffic would not be diverted and the metro will comply as scheduled.

"We have got sufficient deployment of the Delhi Police in all areas, apart from certain decisions of the paramilitary forces and the CRPF. Police patrolling is going on in important places. There is no reason to panic or instigate panic through these rumours," stated Verma.

Arrangements have been made for the sitting of a CBI Court in Sunaria District Jail, Rohtak for the pronouncement of quantum of sentence against Ram Rahim Singh, after his followers went berserk with grief and anger over his conviction,

Yesterday, Rohtak District Collector Atul Kumar while assuring complete vigil from the police stated that if any anti-social elements are found trying to harm themselves or others, shoot at sight orders would be passed immediately.

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu had earlier said that 52 cases were registered and 926 arrests made so far.

"At least 52 cases have been registered so far and 926 people have been arrested. As for casualties, 38 people have died in the violence. 6 casualties are from Sirsa and 32 are from Panchkula. All bodies in Sirsa have been identified, but in Panchkula, 24 have been identified through post-mortem, the rest are yet to be identified. Of the 250 injured," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hours before the court proceedings against rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, the Congress on Monday urged for preventive measures to minimise provocation that can arise after the hearing.

Speaking to ANI, Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "I would not like to comment on it before the proceeding, nor would like any political party too add fuel to the fire. This is a judicial and legal proceeding and should be handled with care. Also every possible pre-emptive and preventive method must be adopted to minimise the provocation. I think it is a good start to have the sentencing process in the Rohtak jail."

Further speaking on the security measure, Singhvi stated that central forces and police should take preventive measures before anything big occurs.

"The state government should have absolutely no excuse to prevent even a minor partial repeat of what happened last week. It has been known that something like this might happen; even after the paramilitary force, the central forces and the police were deployed," he said.

Earlier in the day, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Anand Kumar directed the police to monitor the Dera Sacha Ashram and bases in the NCR. A high alert has been given to all districts of the Agra zone, and also to the Meerut Zone on the UP borders.

While necessary security arrangements have been made, instructions have also been given to the district administration to impose Section 144 when needed.

Special vigilance and security arrangements have been made in the Meerut Zone.

Instructions have also been given for enhancing surveillance on the border areas adjoining Delhi-Haryana.

Intensive checking of vehicles and police force deployment has been ordered on state borders.

Also the Delhi Police, while dismissing the same, said everything would function as normal.

Arrangements have been made for the sitting of a CBI Court in Sunaria District Jail, Rohtak for the pronouncement of quantum of sentence against Ram Rahim Singh, after his followers went berserk with grief and anger over his conviction,

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu had earlier said that 52 cases were registered and 926 arrests made so far.

"At least 52 cases have been registered so far and 926 people have been arrested. As for casualties, 38 people have died in the violence. 6 casualties are from Sirsa and 32 are from Panchkula. All bodies in Sirsa have been identified, but in Panchkula, 24 have been identified through post-mortem, the rest are yet to be identified. Of the 250 injured," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The court proceedings against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim will begin at 2

The special Central Bureau Investigation (CBI) court judge, Jagdeep Singh, has already left from Panchkula and is expected to reach the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, soon.

Ahead of the proceedings, Inspector General (I.G.) of Police, Rohtak Range Navdeep Singh Virk said that few weapons were recovered from Bahalgarh's Dera Ashram in the Sonepat district, and that a search operation was underway.

Virk informed that weapons had been hidden in the fields near the Dera. The people connected with it have been arrested, and are being interrogated.

He also said a total of 1,500 district policemen, 500 from other districts and 23 paramilitary companies are deployed at Rohtak's boundaries.

Also, shoot-at-sight orders have been issued for anybody, who tries to break the status quo or who tries to harm himself or others prior to or in the aftermath of the sentencing.

Rohtak Superintendent of Police (S.P.) Pankal Nain said that the Rohtak Police is on alert, while they have also got the support of the paramilitary services.

The past few days in Panchkula, Sirsa and the neighbouring areas have witnessed a volatile situation, after Ram Rahim was convicted of rape charges.

After Ram Rahim's verdict announcement, at least 30 died in Panchkula, six in Sirsa, and 269 were injured due to violence by DSS chief's followers.

To control the violent situation, the Army was deployed and a curfew was ordered in few places of Haryana and Punjab which was later released.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has directed Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the Director, Intelligence Bureau, Dineshwar Sharma to continuously monitor the situation in Punjab and Haryana.

Along with Rajnath Singh, Doval and Sharma, the Home Secretary, and other Home Ministry officials were also present in the meeting that took place in North Block.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Immediately after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar called for an emergency meeting at his residence.

The meeting will be attended by senior officials of the state including party leaders and ministers.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has appealed for peace and said that the sentence must be accepted by all.

"So there is nothing for us to say rather than to say the people to accept the decision. There is total normalcy. Our forces are on their toes. We will not let any untoward incident happen. This sentence must be accepted by the people and peace must prevail," Singh told ANI.

Ram Rahim, who was held guilty on charges of rape of a female devotee in 1999, was, earlier in the day, sentenced to ten years of imprisonment by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula.

The Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh had allotted 10 minutes each to both sides to put forth their arguments. The prosecution, reportedly, had demanded the maximum punishment for the rape convict.

The Defence had argued that Ram Rahim was a social worker, who had worked for the welfare of people, so the judge should take a lenient view.

Just minutes before the pronouncement of the sentence, two cars were reportedly torched by the Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in the Phoolka area of Haryana's Sirsa.

Ram Rahim was convicted with the charges of rape on Friday (August 25) by the Special CBI Court.

The rape case was registered by the CBI in April 2002 against the self-styled godman after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers. The then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had received an anonymous letter from a Dera Sadhvi that she was being raped by Ram Rahim.

Following Ram Rahim's conviction on Friday, his 'bhakts' went on a rampage in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, demanding justice for their leader and Punjab, Haryana and their neighbouring states have, since, been on the edge.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who was held guilty on charges of rape of a female devotee in 1999, was on Monday sentenced to ten years of imprisonment by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula.

The self-styled godman will now be taken for a medical examination, after which he will be given a jail uniform and will be allotted a cell in the jail.

The Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh had allotted 10 minutes each to both sides to put forth their arguments. The prosecution, reportedly, had demanded the maximum punishment for the rape convict.

The Defence had argued that Ram Rahim was a social worker, who had worked for the welfare of people, so the judge should take a lenient view.

Just minutes before the pronouncement of the sentence, two cars were reportedly torched by the Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in the Phoolka area of Haryana's Sirsa.

Ram Rahim was convicted with the charges of rape on Friday (August 25) by the Special CBI Court.

The rape case was registered by the CBI in April 2002 against the self-styled godman after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers. The then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had received an anonymous letter from a Dera Sadhvi that she was being raped by Ram Rahim.

Following Ram Rahim's conviction on Friday, his 'bhakts' went on a rampage in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, demanding justice for their leader and Punjab, Haryana and their neighbouring states have, since, been on the edge.

In what was seen as a massive upheaval, an ocean of people resorted to vandalising public property - by destroying public transport, burning vehicles and even attacking the media.

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu revealed that 52 cases were registered and 926 people arrested so far. As for casualties, 38 people died in the violence; six casualties from Sirsa and 32 from Panchkula were reported. Also, over 250 people were injured.

Following this, arrangements were made for the sitting of a CBI Court in the Sunaria District Jail, where the rape convict is currently stationed, for the pronouncement of quantum of the sentence.

Rohtak District Collector (DC) Atul Kumar also stated that if any anti-social elements are spotted trying to harm themselves or others, shoot at sight orders will be passed immediately.

Additionally, to avoid unnecessary movement of vehicles around the Sunaria Jail, schools and colleges remained closed.

Ahead of the proceedings, Inspector General (I.G.) of Police, Rohtak Range Navdeep Singh Virk said that few weapons were recovered from Bahalgarh's Dera Ashram in the Sonepat district, and that a search operation was underway.

A total of 1,500 district policemen, 500 from other districts and 23 paramilitary companies were deployed at Rohtak's boundaries.

Also, 37 companies of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) were kept ready to be utilised at the time of any untoward situation in Sirsa.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also directed Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the Director, Intelligence Bureau, Dineshwar Sharma, to continuously monitor the situation in Punjab and Haryana.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Spice Digital Limited, a company well known in the market for its portfolio of MVAS, Telco, and Enterprise services forayed into FinTech space three years ago.

Today SDL's Spice Money is India's leading India stack based FinTech Company. Spice Digital was chosen by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) as one of the eight BBPS operating units when NPCI launched its pilot project for Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS) in August, 2016.

Spice Money received an in-principle approval to set-up as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007 in May 2016. After about a year of running the pilot, abiding by the technology and stipulated processes, now, in an official communication, RBI has accorded final certification to Spice Digital for processing bill payments under BBPS as a BBPOU.

Spice Digital has received CoA from RBI for operating as BBPOU. The BBPS, through its centralized bill payment system allows the users to use a single website or outlet to pay all their monthly or repetitive bills such as mobile phone and electricity.

Bill payment is a major component of the retail payment transactions in India, and is characterized by the presence of large number of billers, and aggregators who provide a variety of payment options to customers.

According to the Digital Payments 2020 report by Google and Boston Consulting Group, non-cash contribution in the consumer payments segment will double to 40 per cent. Since January, 2017 the Bharat bill payment market has grown by nearly 70 times in over six months. According to the same report in this new era of digitization, India will see digital payments exceed USD 500 billion by 2020 and non-cash transactions exceed cash transactions by 2023.

"We are excited to have received the final license from the RBI allowing us to process bill payments as a Bharat Bill Payment Operating Unit (BBPOU) in the Bharat Bill Payment System (BBPS). This is our second license from the RBI, the first one being of a Pre-paid Payment Instruments. BBPS initiative will provide a major push to digital payments as it is a big step forward in formalising the bill payment system in the country. Leveraging on enabling infrastructure, technology and standards of Bill Payment System (BBPS) we are increasing acceptance channels especially physical through an assisted mode," said global CEO, Spice Digital, Saket Agarwal.

SDL's Spice money is making financial technology even more accessible to the common man. With a vision to bridge the gap of digital divide, Spice Money aims to reach the remotest corner of the nation bringing basic Fintech services like direct money transfer, Mini-ATM, Aadhar Enabled Payment System (AePS), health and vehicle insurance, travel booking and bill payments at every Indian's reach.

"It gives us a great deal of satisfaction that under BBPS we have empowered our 45,000+ Agent network to offer Bill payments of utility comprising of Electricity, Telecom, DTH, Water and Gas by giving a convenient O2O experience to the customers," said Agarwal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Government of Saudi Arabia has said that it is expecting around two million people from across the globe to visit the Holy City of Makkah for this year's Hajj, making it the largest annual international gathering, and which, for many Muslims, is the highlight of their spiritual lives.

To date, Saudi Arabia has welcomed 1.497 million pilgrims in preparation for the annual Islamic Hajj pilgrimage, which is due to begin on August 30, 2017.

As one of the five pillars of Islam, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah, is mandatory for physically and financially capable Muslims to perform at least once in their lives. The rituals involved are intended to cleanse the soul and demonstrate the equality and solidarity of all Muslims, in their submission to God.

The responsibility for organizing the pilgrimage falls on the government of Saudi Arabia, under direct supervision of theCustodian of the Two Holy Mosques,King Salman bin Abdulaziz and the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman; a huge logistical undertaking that will run until Hajj ends on the 4th of September, 2017.

The number of foreign pilgrims has multiplied exponentially over the years, from as few as 24,000 in 1941 to 1.325 million in 2016. Including local pilgrims that reside in Saudi Arabia, a total of 1.86 million Muslims performed the Hajj last year.

Saudi officials have prepared to receive the massive influx of pilgrims from over 80 countries, many of whom also visit the second Holy City of Madinah. The Hajj team deployed on the ground speaks over a dozen languages to ensure that the needs of pilgrims are met.

Mina is also known as the City of Tents as it hosts tens of thousands of air-conditioned tents as temporary accommodation for a significant portion of the pilgrims expected to take part in Hajj this year. Mina is located between Mount Arafat and Makkah's Grand Mosque. The tents are neatly arranged in rows and grouped into areas labeled with numbers and colors according to nationality.

Every pilgrim is given a badge with an assigned number and color to help them find the way back to their tent if they get lost. To prevent fires, the tents are constructed of Teflon-coated fiberglass, and are fitted with sprinklers and fire extinguishers.

More than 17,000 civil defense personnel have been deployed to serve Hajj pilgrims. More than 17,000 highly trained personnel, supported by 3,000 advanced vehicles, are in position to guarantee pilgrims the highest level of safety. About 300 ground ambulances, 30 motorbikes, 113 ambulance centers and 8 air ambulances

Over 2,000 Saudi Red Crescent Authority personnel deployed in Makkah, Madinah and other holy sites to provide ambulance services to pilgrims during Hajj.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev on Monday said that 10-year sentence handed down to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim by a Special CBI judge is an example that no one can escape the law.

Ramdev told ANI that it will set an example to people that no matter how powerful a person is, he cannot escape the court or the law.

"In the name of religion, irreligious activities should not take place. Justice can be delayed, but it cannot be denied. And, our judicial system has become so strong that no one can escape after committing a crime. The court has set an example on this. Powerful people can and should also take a lesson from this and refrain from committing sins. If you are convicted, then face the punishment," he added.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar presided over am an emergency meeting at his residence in Chandigarh.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the state, including party leaders and ministers.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has appealed for peace and said that the sentence must be accepted by all.

"So there is nothing for us to say rather than to say to the people to accept the decision. There is total normalcy. Our forces are on their toes. We will not let any untoward incident happen. This sentence must be accepted by the people and peace must prevail," Singh told ANI.

Ram Rahim, who was held guilty on charges of rape of a female devotee in 1999, was, earlier in the day, sentenced to ten years of imprisonment by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula.

The Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh had allotted 10 minutes to both sides to put forth their arguments. The prosecution reportedly had demanded the maximum punishment for the rape convict.

The defence had argued that Ram Rahim was a social worker, who had worked for the welfare of people, so the judge should take a lenient view.

Just minutes before the pronouncement of the sentence, two cars were reportedly torched by Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in the Phoolka area of Haryana's Sirsa district.

Ram Rahim was convicted on charges of rape on August 25 by the Special CBI Court.

The rape case was registered by the CBI in April 2002 against the self-styled god man after allegations of sexual exploitation of two women followers. The then prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had received an anonymous letter from a Dera Sadhvi that she was being raped by Ram Rahim.

Following Ram Rahim's conviction on Friday, his 'bhakts' went on a rampage in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa, demanding justice for their leader and Punjab, Haryana and their neighbouring states have, since, been on the edge.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Shiv Sena on Monday took a dig at the Union Government over its claim of a decrease in terrorist activities in Kashmir in the wake of the Pulwama encounter on Saturday, where eight soldiers lost their lives.

The Shiv Sena's mouthpiece, Saamna, in its weekly editorial, said, "The recent Pulwana encounter puts the Centre's claims of Kashmir's safety at a questionable stand."

Talking about the recent violence that followed Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's verdict, the Shiv Sena said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 'Mann ki Baat' said that he condemned violence in the name of faith, but on the other hand, the High Court's statement - 'due to political agendas, the Haryana Government let Panchkula burn,' came as a 'shock.'

The Shiv Sena also said, "This kind of incidents are happening all over the country."

The Sena further said that it was the soldiers that keep the country safe and enemies out, and not people earning money.

"If there would be no country, then what will you do with the money? Our soldiers are fighting is the reason we are able to fight enemies in Kashmir and Doklam," it said.

It added that one of the Pulwama bravehearts, Ravindra Dhanawade, hailed from Maharashtra.

"Marathis have always laid their life for the nation. We have always come forward to give our blood for this nation and all those try to act over smart with Maharashtra should understand this," it said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Haryana Police on Monday assured the situation is under control in the state following the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The state police further said that they are working to identify the instigators of the violence to ensure permanent peace.

"No incidents of violence were reported today. As of now, there is peace in the state and we hope the situation remains the same. We had three objectives from the day of verdict. Firstly, to ensure that the violent mob do not enter the city as it would become difficult for us to control them. Therefore we planned our strategy and deployed the forces accordingly. Secondly, we planned to contain the mob in specific area and not let them move from there. Our third objective was to maintain maximum restraint. We achieved all the three objectives," V Uma Shankar, Special Commissioner, Haryana said in a press briefing.

Expressing grief over the deaths in the violence, he said, "We are sorry for deaths. Instigators of this violence will be identified and actions will be taken against them."

Meanwhile, AS Dhillon. Inspector General, Haryana said, "There are still more than 1000 people inside the Dera, but numbers have come down significantly. I would not like to share the exact figures."

Earlier in the day, a CBI court awarded 20-year jail term to the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in a rape case.

The quantum of punishment was pronounced in Rohtak's Sunaria district jail.

A three-tier security ring was put in place around the jail where CBI special judge Jagdeep Singh pronounced the sentence.

The security at Rohtak was strengthened to prevent any untoward situation. 23 companies of paramilitary force were also deployed along with state police.

The Dera Chief was convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula on Friday following which violence had erupted in Haryana and neighboring states. 38 people were killed and around 250 injured in the violence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The visit of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to the Sri Mookambika temple in Udupi district of Karnataka on Sunday was postponed due to bad weather.

Wickremesinghe was scheduled to arrive at the temple around 11 a.m. from Bengaluru, according to media reports.

Due to heavy rains in the region, his chopper could not land, despite all arrangements.

However, he is expected to visit and complete the puja rituals in the month of October.

In his absence, chief priest Narasimha Adiga performed the puja rituals around 1.50 p.m.

The number of devotees visiting the temple on Sunday was comparatively less than the ordinary days as people avoided going to temple considering the security.

Earlier last month, Wickremesinghe's relatives had performed the 'Navagraha Chandika homa' at Mookambika temple.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States President Donald Trump has approved a Louisiana emergency declaration as rain and flooding from Hurricane Harvey's aftermath continue to hit the region.

This move from the president gives the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) the authorization to "coordinate all disaster relief efforts".

The White House in a statement read, "The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts."

This action will help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency has inflicted on the local population," added the White House.

Trump had already announced a disaster proclamation for Texas, granting the state federal aid as Harvey made landfall.

At least five people have died from the storm.

The storm is Trump's first major natural disaster in office and will be the first major hurricane to hit the U.S. since 2005.

The President is closely monitoring the storm as it approached the U.S.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President Donald Trump is planning to lift the ban on allowing local police forces to use military equipment.

As per a report published on the hill, the local police forces may be allowed to use armored vehicles, high-caliber weapons and other kinds of heavy equipment that were used in the military earlier.

Former president Barack Obama's administration initially banned the use of military equipment after police in Ferguson, Mo. Drew flak for using the equipment against protestors.

It is being speculated that the Attorney General Jeff Sessions in his address Monday, might unveil the new policy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The United States may ask China to put pressure on Pakistan to act against Afghan Taliban and other terror groups having sanctuaries inside Islamabad .

The U.S. may carry out strikes in Pakistan as part of its new regional strategy for stabilising Afghanistan, its Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, a day after President Donald Trump announced a change in America's approach to Pakistan. The aid being provided to Pakistan, and its status as a non-NATO ally are on the review table but China may view with suspicion any U.S. moves to expand the scope of drone strikes beyond the tribal areas.

AS China has economic and strategic interests in Pakistan that involvs tens of billions of dollars in investment. The marked shift in Beijing foreign policy is due to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which Chinese officials have described as the flagship for President Xi Jinping's Belt and Road initiative.

China will provide a stronger support than it did the last time when US-Pakistan tensions deteriorated after the 2011 special forces raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. " Beijing's interests in Pakistan have shifted markedly in recent years, and Beijing cannot be expected to react the same way that it did in the Abbottabad aftermath."

For successful implementation of new U.S. South Asia strategy ,U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Pakistan authorities that if Islamabad continue to support Afghan Taliban and other terror groups in Pakistan, then the Trump administration is likely to impose sanctions on them and may carry out air raids inside Pakistan.

China is willing to extend economic support and political protection to Pakistan if U.S. punishes Islamabad with sanctions.But China is also concerned with the security of Chinese nationals and its assets involving China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. "Demonstrating that China can stick by its closest military and intelligence partner during trying times is a credibility issue that now extends well beyond any bilateral interests," the article reported.

"Beijing is likely to view with suspicion any US moves to expand the scope of drone strikes beyond the tribal areas. While the US would say that any strikes on militant safe havens have nothing to do with China, Beijing, with its wary eye on the deepening US-India strategic relationship, may not be persuaded."

The new US South Asia strategy involves tightening the screws on Pakistan if it doesn't address militant safe havens within its borders,

"Some things haven't changed. While it might seem that Beijing would see any deterioration of Islamabad's ties with Washington as an opportunity to exploit, China has long perceived greater advantage in a robust US-Pakistan relationship. Given Pakistan's most important role for China has been as a counterbalance to India, it wants Islamabad to benefit from solid US economic and military support,"South China Morning Post reported.

"Healthy ties with Washington are seen by Beijing to place implicit limits on the scope of US-India relations. They also ensure that Pakistan doesn't turn into yet another point of tension in US-China relations or act as an impediment to Sino-Pakistani security ties," South China Morning Post reported.

Beijing's main aim is to form a basis for continued US-China cooperation on Afghanistan by supporting reconciliation talks with Taliban. "Beijing's first instinct will almost certainly be to see if there is scope to square the circle between US and Pakistani interests rather than risking a slide into mutual antipathy. An agreed path towards peace talks with the Taliban will probably continue to be China's main focus, even if the near-term prospects of negotiations remain poor."

Beijing also wants to see a stable settlement in place to ensure that Afghanistan cannot become a safe haven for Uygur militant groups or a threat to its growing strategic interests in the region.

Moreover, Chinese PLA troops mission is to expand its global power projection capabilities and for this reason,"the People's Liberation Army is strengthening ties with partners in areas ranging from naval cooperation to counterterrorism."

In 2015,when Pakistan was being pushed by the Saudis and the UAE to play a significant role in the military campaign in Yemen. Chinese economic reassurances helped Pakistan to resist the entreaties and financial threats. China has also given stronger political cover to Pakistan in international forums.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the United States' new Afghanistan policy is going to fail like the previous ones.

"From day one, we have been saying very clearly the military strategy in Afghanistan has not worked and it will not work", the Bloomberg News quoted Abbasi, as saying.

Abbasi, who is an interim Prime Minister, joined the office three-weeks ago pitched for "political settlement".

He further said that Islamabad supports the fight against terrorism and it won't let the war in Afghanistan spill into Pakistan.

Earlier, a source has said that Islamabad is trying to mount a diplomatic offensive to muster the support of friendly countries in the face of Trump's allegations that Pakistan was hosting terrorist 'safe havens' on its soil, the Express Tribune reported.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif will visit China, Russia and Turkey for consultations on the U.S.'s new South Asia strategy.

Pakistan's National Security Committee took the decision for the visit in a meeting on Thursday, which focusses on the United States new policy for the South Asian countries, especially Afghanistan.

"Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif will be visiting regional countries for consultations," Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said.

After consulting with three nations, Pakistan will be convening an international conference to highlight its contribution towards the war against terrorism and to adopt a new policy which will call a halt to Washington's unending demand to 'do more' on the issue.

However, Nafees Zakaria underscored that the differences between Pakistan and the U.S. over the new policy did not mean a rupture in ties.

Showing similar sentiment, Pakistan's civil and military leadership said scapegoating them will not help stabilise the war-ravaged Afghanistan.

In a clear ultimatum to Islamabad, Trump said Pakistan has to change its "double game" policy or face the consequences.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The president-elect of the United Nations General Assembly and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovak Republic, Mr. Miroslav Lajcak, called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

Prime Minister Modi congratulated Mr. Lajcak on his election to the post of President of the 72nd UN General Assembly.

President-elect Lajcak shared his priorities for the upcoming 72nd UN General Assembly. Prime Minister assured him of India's full and constructive cooperation in discharging his new responsibilities.

They both discussed the need for stronger UN action on major global challenges, including terrorism, United Nations reform, implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, and climate change.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ahead of the crucial meeting of the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), wherein it's expected that the merged factions (EPS and OPS) of the party will decide on the fate of jailed party general secretary V.K. Sasikala and T.T.V. Dinakaran, the latter's faction has said that it would seek the President's intervention in case a proper session of the Assembly isn't convened.

"We believe that the government will take fair decision and convene assembly. We will seek intervention from President Ramnath Kovind if this doesn't happen," MLA Thanga Tamilselvan (Dinakaran faction) said, reiterating their demand for a floor test.

He further said that at least 20-25 MLAs are staying in the resort and nobody has invited or informed them about the expected meeting.

"We are 20-25 MLAs staying in this resort. Nobody has invited or informed us for today's meeting. Do we belong to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)?" he said.

The 21 MLAs backing Dinakaran continue to be lodged at a hotel in Puducherry where they moved into on Friday after vacating a resort.

Meanwhile, the AIADMK meeting at Chennai's Royapettah has started. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy and O. Panneerselvam are present in the meeting.

The meeting will also discuss the issue of 19 (allegedly 22) legislators giving a letter to Governor C.Vidyasagar Rao withdrawing their support to Chief Minister E. Palanisamy and wanting a new Chief Minister.

According to reports, the meeting would also reiterate that the appointment of Dinakaran is invalid as he did not complete five years in the party as a member to hold a party post.

Originally, the AIADMK was divided into two factions - one led by former chief minister O. Panneerselvam and the other by Sasikala.

The Election Commission (EC) had recognised only these two factions at the time of R.K.Nagar constituency by-polls. However, it was postponed because of money play - bribing the voters.

Later, a third faction emerged under Palanisamy as it developed differences with the Sasikala-Dinakaran faction.

On August 26, Dinakaran said that all those MLAs supporting him will teach a lesson to those who want to evict Sasikala.

Over the last few days, many MLAs of the AIADMK have pledged support to Dinakaran taking the strength of his camp to 21.

The anger within the EPS over its merger with the Panneerselvam camp was evident as the MLA publically chided the Chief Minister for his decision.

While the DMK and the Congress have been urging the Tamil Nadu Governor to direct Palanisamy to prove his majority in the House, no decision on the same has been taken yet.

Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao is expected to return to Tamil Nadu shortly, after which he is likely to ask Palanisamy to take a floor test.

This would be the second time in six months that the State Assembly would witness a floor test, if it happens.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At meeting held on 28 August 2017

Bombay Rayon Fashions announced that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 28 August 2017 has approved the issuance of 1,93,10,061 equity shares of face value of Rs. 10 each and upto 1,06,732 Optionally Convertible Debentures ('OCDs') of the Company of face value of Rs. 1000/- each to State Bank of India under Scheme for Sustainable Structuring of Stressed Assets ('S4A scheme) through preferential route in terms of applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 and SEBI regulations and guidelines.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved the proposal of Ministry of Railways to close the Bharat Wagon and Engineering Company Limited (BWEL) - a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) under Ministry of Railways.

626 employees of BWEL will be benefitted from the voluntary retirement scheme to be offered at 2007 pay scale. The Government will have to provide one time grant off 151.18 crore towards severance package and for clearing the current liabilities of the company.

This measure will stop flow of financial support from public funds for carrying on the operations of sick/loss making BWEL resulting in savings for the Government.

The implementation will be done as per the timelines prescribed in the guidelines issued by Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) on time bound closure of sick/loss making CPSEs.

In view of the continued poor physical and financial performance of the company for more than 10 years, in spite of financial assistance and other support provided by Ministry of Railways combined with low probability of its revival in future, Bharat Wagon and Engineering Co. Ltd. is being wound up.

Background:

BWEL was incorporated on 4th Dec' 1978 as a CPSE after taking over two sick private sector companies - Arthur Butler & Company, Muzaffarpur and Britannia Engineering Company, Mokama.

The Company was referred to BIFR (Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction) in December, 2000 and was declared sick in the year 2002. The Company continues to be a sick Company since then. The administrative control of the company was transferred from Department of Heavy Industry (DHI) to the MoR in August, 2008, as approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. The company is engaged in the manufacture and repair of wagons, and is having two manufacturing units, at Mokama and Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dr Reddy's Laboratories lost 2.17% to Rs 2,042.55 at 10:42 IST on BSE after the company said a law firm representing a purported investor in the company filed a purported class action lawsuit against the company.

The announcement was made during market hours today, 28 August 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 168.46 points or 0.53% at 31,762.20.

On the BSE, 41,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 54,579 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 2,089 and a low of Rs 2,029.70 so far during the day. The stock had hit a 52-week high of Rs 3,394.95 on 28 October 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 1,901.65 on 11 August 2017.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 24 August 2017, sliding 22.45% compared with the Sensex's 2.02% fall. The stock had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter, declining 17.16% as against the Sensex's 4.27% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one year, sliding 31.3% as against the Sensex's 12.6% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 82.93 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories said that on 25 August 2017, a law firm representing a purported investor in Dr Reddy's Laboratories, filed a purported class action lawsuit against the company, its CEO, and CFO, in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging violations of the US federal securities laws. The plaintiff in the lawsuit purports to represent a class of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired the company's publicly traded shares on the New York Stock Exchange between 17 June 2015 through 10 August 2017.

The lawsuit alleges that the company made materially false and/or misleading statements or omissions in connection with its corporate quality system, and specifically in connection with a warning letter from the US Food and Drug Administration dated 6 November 2015, and a letter from the Regierung von Oberbayem in Germany dated 10 August 2017. The lawsuit seeks damages to compensate the purported class of investors for a purported decline in the company's share price allegedly caused by the alleged misstatements or omissions.

Dr Reddy's said it has not yet been served with the lawsuit. Dr Reddy's added that it cannot comment on the specific allegations in the pending litigation other than to state that the company believes the asserted claims to be without merit. The company will respond to the allegations after it has been served with the lawsuit and as and when it may be required to do so by the Court, Dr Reddy's said in a statement.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories' consolidated net profit declined 56.6% to Rs 66.60 crore on 2.5% rise in net sales to Rs 3315.90 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q1 June 2016.

Dr Reddy's Laboratories is an integrated global pharmaceutical company.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Infosys rose 2.95% to Rs 939.40 at 9:32 IST on BSE after the company appointed Nandan Nilekani as the chairman of the board with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 129.22 points, or 0.41% to 31,725.28.

On the BSE, 4.85 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 5.19 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 953.50 and a low of Rs 940.30 so far during the day. The stock hit a 52-week high of Rs 1,080.70 on 14 October 2016. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 861.50 on 22 August 2017.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 24 August 2017, falling 8.18% compared with 2.43% decline in the Sensex. The scrip had also underperformed the market in past one quarter, falling 8.40% as against Sensex's 1.83% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market in past one year, falling 11.97% as against Sensex's 13.51% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 1,148.48 crore. Face value per share is Rs 5.

In its press release issued after market hours on Thursday, 24 August 2017, Infosys has announced an overhaul of its board of directors (board). The board appointed Nandan Nilekani as a non-executive, non-independent director and as the chairman of the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of R. Seshasayee as the chairman of the board and as a director on the board with immediate effect.

The board has accepted the resignation of Dr. Vishal Sikka as the executive vice-chairman of the board and as a director on the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of Professor Jeffrey S. Lehman as a director on the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of Professor John Etchemendy as a director on the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of Ravi Venkatesan as the co-chairman of the board with immediate effect. However, he continues as an independent director.

Infosys' board held its first meeting on Friday, 25 August 2017, chaired by its newly elected chairman Nandan Nilekani. Nilekani stated that the board is focused on bringing complete stability to the company. It has also tasked its committee of directors to work with the CEO (U B Pravin Rao) and management to review and refresh the company's strategy by October.

Nilekani was Infosys' CEO for five years till 2007. He left the software major in 2009 to become Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).

Vishal Sikka, the first non-co-founder CEO of Infosys, stepped down on 18 August 2017 citing continuous distractions and increasingly personal attacks on him. The Infosys board blamed Murthy's continuous assault as the primary reason for Sikka putting down his papers. Shares of Infosys had tumbled 14.45% in two trading sessions to settle at Rs 873.50 on 21 August 2017, from its closing of Rs 1,021.15 on 17 August 2017.

Infosys' consolidated net profit fell 3.3% to Rs 3483 crore on 0.2% decline in revenue to Rs 17078 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q4 March 2017.

Infosys is a global leader in technology services and consulting.

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
IT major Infosys will be in spotlight. In its press release issued after market hours on Thursday, 24 August 2017, the company has announced an overhaul of its board of directors (board). The board appointed Nandan Nilekani as a non-executive, non-independent director and as the chairman of the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of R. Seshasayee as the chairman of the board and as a director on the board with immediate effect.

The board has accepted the resignation of Dr. Vishal Sikka as the executive vice-chairman of the board and as a director on the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of Professor Jeffrey S. Lehman as a director on the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of Professor John Etchemendy as a director on the board with immediate effect. It has accepted the resignation of Ravi Venkatesan as the co-chairman of the board with immediate effect. However, he continues as an independent director.

Infosys' board held its first meeting on Friday, 25 August 2017 chaired by its newly elected chairman Nandan Nilekani. Nilekani stated that the board is focused on bringing complete stability to the company. It has also tasked its committee of directors to work with the CEO (U B Pravin Rao) and management to review and refresh the company's strategy by October.

Real estate major DLF said its board approved a 33.34% stake sale in its rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers (DCCDL) for Rs 8900 crore to Reco Diamond, an affiliate of Singapore-based GIC Real Estate.

In addition, DCCDL will buy back Rs 3000 crore of preference shares held by promoters in two instalments, taking the total money accruing to DLF's promoters to Rs 11900 crore. This entire amount, after paying requisite taxes, will be ploughed by the promoters into DLF as equity, and will be used to reduce the developer's debt. This 6.66% stake to be bought back by DCCDL will be extinguished.

Post completion of series of steps as contemplated in the transaction, DLF shall hold 66.66% equity shares (up from 60% on a fully diluted basis earlier) and Reco Diamond shall hold 33.34% equity shares in DCCDL. The announcement was made on Friday, 25 August 2017.

Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) announced on Friday, 25 August 2017, that it entered into memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MAHAGENCO) for extending financial assistance to the tune of Rs 13000 crore and for providing required services. The above MoU is non-binding in nature and the financial assistance is subject to appraisal of the proposal(s) to be submitted by MAHAGENCO to REC and approval of competent authority.

Gujarat Fluorochemicals said that the ratings agency CRISIL Ratings has assigned a long-term rating of CRISIL AA/stable (Reaffirmed) on the company's total bank loan facilities of Rs 2000 crore. CRISIL has assigned a short-term rating of CRISIL A1+ (Reaffirmed) on the company's bank loan facilities. The announcement was made after market hours on Thursday, 24 August 2017.

Future Enterprises announced that its subsidiary Future Supply Chain Solutions (FSCSL) has filed the Draft Red Herring Prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a public offer of up to 97.84 lakh equity shares representing 25% of the existing issued and paid-up equity share capital of FSCSL for cash.

The OFS constitutes up to 19.56 lakh equity shares held by the company in FSCSL representing up to 5% of the existing issued and paid-up equity share capital of FSCSL and 78.27 lakh equity shares held by Griffin Partners (other participating shareholder) in FSCSL representing up to 20% of the existing issued and paid-up equity share capital of FSCSL. The announcement was made after market hours on Thursday, 24 August 2017.

Meghmani Organics after market hours on Thursday, 24 August 2017, said that it formed subsidiary Meghmani Agrochemicals to undertake manufacturing and sale of chemicals and chemical products.

Lumax Auto Technologiesafter market hours on Thursday, 24 August 2017, said that it signed a joint venture agreement with Francisco Albero S.A.U., Spain to manufacture and supply oxygen censors to the Indian automotive industry. Lumax Auto Technologies will own the 51% of the joint venture company, Lumax FAE Technologies, with FAE owning the remaining 49% .

Powered by Capital Market - Live News

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Ram Chandra was leading in the Bawana Assembly by-poll in Delhi by around 20,000 votes, giving a boost to the party which is in power in Delhi.

After 23 out of 28 rounds of counting was over, the AAP candidate had 51,070 votes against 29,595 votes of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Ved Prakash. Congress candidate Surender Kumar had 28,126 votes.

The by-poll was necessitated after Ved Prakash quit the AAP and resigned from the assembly seat to join the BJP.

Voting was conducted on August 23 at 379 polling booths. The polling percentage remained low with only 45 per cent people turning up to cast their votes.

One of the 12 reserved constituencies, Bawana has around 2.94 lakh voters and is dotted with 26 villages, unauthoried colonies and slums.

--IANS

ao-am/vn/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday won the Bawana assembly bypoll here by a margin of over 24,000 votes, defeating former party legislator Ved Prakash who had defected to the BJP.

After the final round of counting, AAP candidate Ram Chandra got 59,886 votes against 35,834 votes of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Ved Prakash. Congress candidate Surender Kumar got 31,919 votes, a poll official announced.

Percentage-wise, the winning candidate polled almost as many votes as the two other leading candidates combined.

The AAP candidate received 45.39 per cent of the total votes cast, while the BJP and Congress candidates got 27.16 and 24.19 per cent of the remaining votes.

While, 1.07 per cent of voters chose the 'None of the Above' (NOTA) option on August 23.

The by-poll was necessitated after Ved Prakash quit the AAP and resigned from the Delhi Assembly to join the BJP.

--IANS

vn/in/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gujarat State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has slapped a fine of nearly Rs 23,000 with nine per cent interest on an Ahmedabad gynaecologist in a botched-up abortion case which forced the patient to run from one hospital to another.

The Commission's order of June 17, 2017, in the 2005 case when the woman was in her 20s, was recently received by the Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS) that had taken cudgels on behalf of Sima Kothiya, now in her early 40s.

"Sima's story speaks a lot of the lack of sensitivity towards women patients by the medical professionals and this is shocking," Pritee Shah, director of CERS, told IANS.

Kothiya, who belongs to Ahmedabad, went to Dr D.N. Patel at Marie Stopes Parivar Clinic way back in 2005 for a routine check-up where she learnt she was two months pregnant.

According to her petition, she decided to undergo abortion or medical termination of pregnancy since her husband was unemployed and they could not afford to support a second child. The surgery was done and she paid Rs 520 for it.

However, the next day, she developed severe pain in the abdomen and consulted Patel who simply asked her to continue the medicines he had prescribed. But her condition went from bad to worse the next day and this time, the doctor only said he could not do much since it was a holiday at the clinic.

In a critical condition, she was admitted to another hospital where her sonography revealed that the MTP at the previous place was not done properly. Not only this, an ectopic pregnancy, or a conception in the fallopian tubes, was found.

Revealing the details, Pritee Shah said Kothiya's uterus was badly damaged and there was acute blood loss. She had to be transferred to yet another hospital where her ectopic pregnancy was terminated and she was given blood.

Shah said Kothiya must have spent Rs 26,000 which was a fortune for her since she came from a very modest economic background. Kothiya wrote to Patel to compensate her for the expenses in getting the second procedure done but there was no response.

Kothiya then approached CERS, which in turn issued a legal notice to the gynaecologist. This too, like her letter, went without a response. It took a complaint with the Ahmedabad District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum that elicited some reply from Patel, who disputed that he was careless and said he had properly terminated the uterine pregnancy.

The gynaecologist submitted in the consumer court that an ectopic pregnancy along with an uterine pregnancy was a rare occurrence and could not be diagnosed easily in a clinical examination.

However, the district consumer forum in 2010 ruled in favour of Kothiya and charged the doctor with negligence, observing that the doctor did not bother to conduct a sonography before and after MTP, which should have been done. Even the abortion of the uterine pregnancy was not done properly.

The forum observed that though the patient had complained of severe abdominal pain a day after the procedure, the doctor had not ordered a sonography and this was a "careless approach that endangered her life".

It directed the gynaecologist to pay Rs 12,555 to Kothiya for medical expenses and Rs 25,000 with nine per cent interest as compensation for mental and physical harassment and towards litigation costs. However, Patel challenged this in the Gujarat State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission which upheld the verdict though the compensation amount was reduced to Rs 10,000 from Rs 25,000.

The Commission upheld the Forum's verdict but modified its order by reducing the amount of compensation from Rs 25,000 to Rs 10,000.

--IANS

desai/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The merged factions of the AIADMK on Monday decided to call a meeting of the party's general council and also on retrieval of the party's mouthpiece Namadhu MGR and television channel Jaya TV, said a senior leader.

Speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity, the AIADMK leader said that all the legislators supporting the government, numbering over 100, were present at the meeting.

He said the executive committee appointed by late Chief Minister and General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa will be the executive committee of the merged factions.

According to him, this is the first meeting of the party after the merger - one faction led by O. Panneerselvam and the other by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami. Panneerselvam was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister after the merger.

The meeting was attended by Palaniswami, Panneerselvam, ministers, legislators, Members of Parliament and other office bearers.

The 19 legislators belonging to the faction led by T.T.V. Dinakaran, who have been ferried to a resort in Puducherry to prevent poaching, did not attend the meeting.

Ever since he was sidelined by the faction led by Chief Minister Palaniswami, Dinakaran has been trying to establish his supremacy within the party as its "Deputy General Secretary" appointed by V.K. Sasikala before she was sent to jail.

Reacting to the resolutions, Nanjil Sampath, who is of the Dinakaran faction, said Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV are private property and cannot be taken away.

--IANS

vj/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iran's minister of telecommunication and information technology said on Sunday that Apple's ban on the Iranian apps will result in the developments of domestic technologies.

Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi described recent decision of Apple Inc to remove Iranian apps from its store in alleged compliance with US economic sanctions as a testimony to Iran's right path and success to develop local start-ups, Tasnim news agency reported, Xinhua reported.

Azari-Jahromi said when an archenemy like the US places such embargoes on Iranian technologies, Iran should grow investment on domestic technologies.

What the US company did lately attested to Iran's movement in the right direction, he said, adding that "the US never imposes sanctions on our weak points, but does on our strong points."

On Friday, the Iranian minister said his country would legally sue a recent decision by Apple for removing Iranian apps from its app store.

Apple holds 11 percent share of the Iranian cellphone market, however, it has not observed the Iranian consumer rights, said Azari-Jahromi.

"We will legally sue (the issue of) removing of the apps," he said.

Pursuant to the US sanctions, Apple has no official presence in Iran. Millions of Iranians use iPhones smuggled in from different countries and thousands of apps have been created for Iranians in Apple's app store.

On Thursday, Apple removed Snapp, a ride-hailing app similar to Uber that is popular in Iran, from its app stores. That was followed by the removal in recent weeks of apps for food delivery, shopping and other services.

In a message to Iranian developers whose apps were affected by the ban, Apple said, "under the US sanctions regulations, the app store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries."

In January, Apple shut down a number of Iran-based IOS apps from the app store, including online e-commerce service Digikala.

"Since Apple takes a cut of all app store purchases, sales from Iranian apps generate revenue and are thus in violation of US law," Apple said.

--IANS

ahm/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ruling parties on Monday won the assembly bypolls with the BJP retaining both seats in Goa while AAP retained the Bawana seat in Delhi by defeating the BJP by a huge margin and the TDP snatching the Nandyal seat from YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh.

In Goa, where BJP retained power in the Aseembly earlier this year, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar won from Panaji with a margin of 4,803 votes while Health Minister Vishwajit Rane won the Valpoi seat with a margin of 10,066 votes. Parrikar, who was Defence Minister at the Centre, was despatched to Goa amidst government formation in the state. Parrikar said he would resign his seat in the Rajya Sabha shortly.

Winning the seat for the sixth time from Panaji, Parrikar polled 9,862 votes beating his nearest rival Congress' Girish Chodankar, who netted 5,059 votes. Anand Shirodkar of the Goa Suraksha Manch came a distant third with 220 votes.

In Valpoi, the winning BJP candidate Rane got 16,167 votes, while his rival from the Congress, Roy Naik netted 6,101 votes.

"I was expecting to win," Parrikar told reporters after the victory.

Chodankar said he may have lost the polls, but he was touched by the manner in which Panaji voters had interacted with him.

Nearly 75 per cent voting was recorded during the August 23 bypolls in Goa.

The bypoll in Panaji was necessitated by the resignation of sitting BJP MLA Sidarth Kuncolienkar to enable Parrikar contest the seat as required under law to become an MLA in six months of taking over as chief minister.

In Valpoi, the bypoll was held following the resignation of Rane as a Congress MLA. He subsequently joined the BJP and joined the cabinet as Health Minister.

In Delhi, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) retained the Bawana seat by winning the bypoll with a margin of over 24,000 votes, defeating former party legislator Ved Prakash, who had defected to the BJP amd resigned the seat causing the by election.

AAP candidate Ram Chandra got 59,886 votes against 35,834 votes of the BJP's Ved Prakash. Congress candidate Surender Kumar finished third with 31,919 votes.

The AAP candidate received 45.39 per cent of the total votes cast, while the BJP and Congress candidates got 27.16 and 24.19 per cent of the remaining votes.

Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) snatched the Nandyal Assembly seat by defeating YSR candidate with a huge margin.

TDP's Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy defeated his nearest rival Silpa Mohan Reddy of YSR Congress party by over 27,000 votes. Brahmananda Reddy polled 97,076 votes while Silpa Mohan Reddy secured 69,610 votes. The Congress finished far behind with just 1,382 votes.

In what was considered a prestige battle for both the parties, Brahmananda Reddy took the lead from the very first round of counting. Except in the 16th round, the TDP candidate maintained the majority till the completion of counting in 19 rounds.

About 80 per cent of the 2.16 lakh voters had cast their votes in the bypoll held on August 23.

In 2014, Bhuma Nagi Reddy of the YSR Congress had won the seat by a majority of just 3,604 votes over Silpa Mohan Reddy, who had then contested as a TDP candidate. Nagi Reddy, who crossed over to the TDP last year, died in April, causing the vacancy.

--IANS

bns/vsc/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CBI on Monday again questioned Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, on alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance to INX Media for FDI in 2007.

Karti Chidambaram, who arrived at the Central Bureau of Investigation headquarters on the Lodhi Road here a little after 10 a.m., was questioned for over eight hours. On August 23 also, Chidamabaram was questioned by CBI officials for over eight hours.

Beside Chidamabaram, the agency on Monday also questioned Ravi Vishwanathan, Bhaskar Raman, and Mohanan Rajesh.

According to agency's sources, all four were questioned separately.

The sources said Karti, who was accompanied by his lawyers, faced over 100 questions prepared by the central agency.

The CBI officials questioned Karti Chidamabaram about the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media when his father was the Union Finance Minister and allegedly receiving funds from Mauritius.

The sources said a firm "indirectly controlled" by him received money from INX Media, then run by Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukherjea, currently in jail in a murder case.

On August 18, the Supreme Court had directed Karti Chidambaram to appear before the CBI in the case.

The CBI was asked to question Ravi Vishwanathan, Mohnan Rajesh, Bhaskar Raman, and C.V.N. Reddy on August 28. Reddy was to be questioned at CBI's Chennai office and the other three in Delhi, the sources said.

On May 15, the CBI had registered an FIR against Karti Chidambaram on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, accepting gratification by corrupt or illegal means, influencing public servants, and criminal misconduct.

Karti Chidambaram allegedly received Rs 3.5 crore from Mumbai-based INX media, now 9X Media, for helping it get FIPB clearance, when it was run by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea, both accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

The FIR does not mention Chidambaram senior, though it said he cleared the FIPB approval for Rs 4.62 crore Foreign Direct Investment in the firm at an FIPB meeting on May 18, 2007.

Earlier, the CBI had issued three notices to Karti Chidambaram, but he did not present himself for questioning.

--IANS

aks/tsb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A lost collection of nearly 150 letters from the British codebreaker Alan Turing has been uncovered in an old filing cabinet at the University of Manchester, the media reported.

The correspondence, which has not seen the light of day for at least 30 years, contains very little about Turing's tortured personal life. It does, however, give an intriguing insight into his views on the US, reports the Guardian.

In response to an invitation to speak at a conference in the US in April 1953, Turing replied that he would rather not attend: "I would not like the journey, and I detest America."

The letter, sent to Donald Mackay, a physicist at King's College London, does not give any further explanation for Turing's forthright views on America, nor do these views feature in any of the other 147 letters discovered earlier this year.

The correspondence, dating from early 1949 to Turing's death in 1954, was found by chance when an academic cleared out an old filing cabinet in a storeroom at the University of Manchester.

Turing was deputy director of the university's computing laboratory from 1948, after his heroic wartime codebreaking at Bletchley Park.

He was a visionary mathematician and is regarded today as the father of modern computing who broke the Nazis' Second World War Enigma code, the Guardian reported.

While his later life has been overshadowed by his conviction for gross indecency and his death aged 41 from cyanide poisoning, a posthumous pardon was granted by the Queen in 2013.

His life was featured in the 2014 film the "Imitation Game".

--IANS

ksk/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Blaming the Haryana and Central governments of "utter callous insensitivity" for the situation in the state after the verdict on Dera Sacha Sauda chief, the Congress alleged "collusion" by the state's Manohar Lal Khattar regime with the sect's supporters.

"We have seen utter callous insensitivity from the Haryana and the central governments. This was coupled with obstinacy in the face of the most unprecedented strictures by the High Court.

"In any responsible sensitive form of democratic governance, comments, not strictures, of far less severity than we have heard in Haryana, would have led to apologies, resignations and complete unconditional acceptance. Here it has had the opposite effect," said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"There is a hardening of positions. There is an increase of arrogance and reaction is on the contrary. They have earned their continuance, not resignation. The words of the High Court are unprecedented.

"Not in recent living history or memory, can I recall such clear categorical, unequivocal, unambiguous strictures roping in not only the Chief Minister (Khattar) but commenting on the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) as well," he said, adding no other CM or PM in recent history has been so pulled up but are silent.

Quoting the High Court observation, he said there was a "collusion charge" but the Chief Minister was not resigning.

"The High Court said 'the Centre in particular should not abdicate or avoid its responsibility'. The central and state governments have surrendered before the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda for political considerations'. This was a political surrender to allure a vote bank'," Singhvi said.

"This is a collusion charge. But forget the High Court words, the CM is shamelessly not offering his resignation and the central government is not imposing President's Rule," he added.

"The High Court said 'national and law order are above everything. We are one nation, not a party nation. It is the Prime Minister of India, not the PM of BJP. It is the CM of the state, not the Chief Minister of the BJP. Satya Pal Jain is Additional Solicitor General of India, not of any party," he said.

On the question of the quantum of sentence to sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, he said he did not think it is necessary to comment on it, as it was "entirely between the accused and the court".

--IANS

sid/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As India and China agreed to disengage at Doklam, where a stand-off has been continuing since June 16, defence veterans welcomed the diplomatic solution found to the issue which led to tension between the two nuclear-armed nations.

Former army chief, Gen. V.P. Malik (retd.) pointed out that the problem was not just between India and China, but Bhutan was also a party to the conflict.

"Not many people seem to realise that Doklam stand-off is not a problem between India and China, it is a problem between India, China and Bhutan," Malik, who headed the Indian Army during the Kargil conflict, told IANS.

"Doklam grazing ground belongs to Bhutan and they have a dispute over this territory with China. The Bhutanese major objection, and our major objection was that the troops should not construct road through this area.

"That has been stopped because our troops were called on request of Bhutanese government. I am glad the thing has been resolved diplomatically. Now they are talking about both parties to withdraw mutually and simultaneously," he said.

Noted China expert Major Gen. S.L.Narasimhan (retd) also welcomed the move and said it was the "right way to go".

"It was diplomatically agreed upon to disengage and then simultaneously Awithdraw, that is the right way to go," Narasimhan told IANS, adding that it did not matter which country withdrew first, as long as it led to a resolution.A

"I sure diplomatically they must have agreed to disengage, and a methodology must have been worked out. It does not matter who is going to pull out first, as long as the disengagement takes place it should be good," he said.

Narasimhan however added that there is chance of such incidents to happen in future as well, as the two countries do not have a finalised boundary yet.

India on Monday announced that an agreement was reached diplomatically with China to disengage at Doklam stand-off site, and later External Affairs Ministry announced that the process of pullout by both sides was almost over.

--IANS

ao/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 10 years jail for the rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples.

The quantum of sentence was announced by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh at a specially set up court inside the library of the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The CBI judge had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The complaint in the case was filed in 2002.

While the defence (sect) counsel had argued for minimum punishment for the disgraced sect chief saying that he was a social worker and had health issues, the prosecution side (CBI counsel) sought maximum punishment for the rape convict given his conduct.

There was drama inside the special court near Rohtak as the convicted sect chief broke down and pleaded with folded hands before the judge.

After the sentence was announced, Ram Rahim sat down on the floor and wept. He was taken away by jail wardens.

Ram Rahim was immediately medically examined by doctors and found to be fine.

Earlier, the judge was specially flown to Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, on Monday for announcing the sentence at the special court.

Ram Rahim was brought and lodged in the jail (Prisoner No. 1997) here after his conviction by the CBI court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Friday.

There were reports of fresh violence in Sirsa town, 260 km from here, on Monday afternoon. Two vehicles were set on fire by Dera followers, sources said.

To keep Dera followers, who had indulged in large-scale violence in Panchkula on Friday after he was convicted, in check, authorities in Haryana on Monday issued shoot-at-sight orders in and around the District Jail at Sunaria.

Thirty-eight people were killed and 264 others were injured in the violence in Panchkula and Sirsa towns in Haryana.

--IANS

js/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Despite broadly negative global cues, the key Indian equity indices provisionally closed on a higher note on Monday as easing geo-political tensions between China and India, coupled with healthy buying in capital goods, consumer durables and IT stocks, lifted the sentiments of investors.

According to market observers, a strong rupee and intense buying activities observed in index heavyweights like Infosys, Hero MotoCorp, Sun Pharma, Hindustan Unilever and Adani Ports, too, added to the upward trajectory of the key indices.

The wider 51-scrip Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) rose by 55.75 points or 0.57 per cent to provisionally close at 9,912.80 points (at 3.30 p.m.).

The 30-scrip Sensitive Index (Sensex) of the BSE, which opened at 31,756.87 points, closed at 31,750.82 points -- up 154.76 points or 0.49 per cent from Thursday's close at 31,596.06 points.

The Sensex touched a high of 31,809.70 points and a low of 31,701.67 points during the intra-day trade.

The BSE market breadth was bullish with 1,602 advances and 954 declines.

On Thursday, the benchmark indices closed on a flat-to-positive note on the back of short covering in healthcare stocks and positive European markets.

The Nifty closed fractionally higher by 4.55 points or 0.05 per cent at 9,857.05 points, while the Sensex closed at 31,596.06 points -- up 28.05 points or 0.09 per cent.

The Indian equity markets were closed on Friday on account of Ganesh Chaturthi.

--IANS

ppg/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Global defence equipment major Boeing on Monday said that its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft is compatible with India's current naval carrier platforms and that they can be produced in the country under the government's "Make in India" initiative.

"Analytical and (computer) simulations have shown that the F/A-18 is compatible with the current carrier fleet of the Indian Navy. The results of the test have been submitted in response to a global RFI issued by the Navy," said Pratyush Kumar, President, Boeing India.

Presently, the Indian Navy's aircraft carriers' utilise "ski-jump ramps" for fighter aircraft to take-off.

Kumar spoke to IANS on the sidelines of a briefing over F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft which was held here. Boeing has filed its response to a global RFI (request for information) floated by the Indian Navy earlier this year.

Boeing is considered to be one of the major contenders for the supply of 57 carrier-borne fighter aircraft required by the Indian Navy. Company executives told IANS that the F/A-18 Super Hornet was designed for carrier operations and is "the world's pre-eminent carrier capable aircraft" with a defined US Navy flight plan to outpace threats into the 2040s.

The Indian Navy initiated the bid and issued a "RFI for Procurement of Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighter for The Indian Navy" on January 31, 2017.

According to Kumar, apart from the advanced technologies, the aircraft comes with an overall life cycle cost which is more reasonable than other contenders in the bid.

"The overall life cycle cost is far lower than others," Kumar said. "The Super Hornet has the lowest cost per flight hour which is even lower than Lockheed Martin's F-16."

Dan Gillian, Vice President of F/A-18 and EA Programmes, Boeing, observed that a platform like the "Super Hornet" under the "Make in India" programme will help the Indian industry to position itself for the manufacture of "Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft" (AMCA).

"Boeing can provide the capability needed for the Indian Navy to build its next generation carrier air wing. It can also provide the industrial base right here behind that capability," Gillian said.

"When we look across the globe at quality, capability and cost - India is an obvious partner. We have been building F/A-18 aerostructures and assemblies in India because it makes good business sense to do so."

"The Super Hornet represents 21st century capability for the Indian defence forces, and industrial capability where we have evaluated 400 suppliers for the fighter campaign and have done a deep assessment on the capability of over 160 Indian suppliers," Kumar said. "We have quadrupled our sourcing from India and currently source $1 billion from India."

Gillian mentioned that the Super Hornet is ahead of its competitors because of its affordability, survivability, built-in stealth, smarter weapons and being combat proven.

Currently, the Indian Navy has two aircraft carriers -- INS Vikramaditya and INS Viraat -- which are based in the Indian Ocean Region. It operates the Russian built MIG 29-K fighter aircraft from these platforms.

--IANS

rv/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actress Bidita Bag, whose latest release is "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz", says the film industry knows the importance of actors and not just stars.

"This industry is very fair. People in the industry are known because of their talent and their hard work. If an actor does not showcase his worth in films, then he or she will no more be a part of this industry.

"If you see superstars, they are also here because of the work they do. The film industry knows the importance of actors and not just stars," Bidita said at the trailer launch of her upcoming film "Rabbi" here on Monday.

"Rabbi" is a story of the rise and fall of a young musician, essayed by fresh face Furqan Merchant. Bidita, who was seen in a very bold avatar in her previous film, said her role in "Rabbi" is a complete opposite.

"You will see me in a completely different avatar than what you have seen in 'Babumoshai...'. I play a character of a girl from Kashmir. She belongs to a conservative family, but she has very liberal thoughts even though she might look very traditional in her outer appearance," she said.

When asked if the project was shot before her recent success, the actress said: "I did 'Rabbi' before 'Babumoshai...'. There are a number of social films that I have worked in before and after 'Babumoshai...'. Now that one film has turned out to be a hit, I hope to work in more films as soon as possible."

"Rabbi" also stars Raghubir Yadav, Dolly Ahluwalia, Brijendra Kala and Virendra Saxena. Directed and produced by Rahat Kazmi, the film is set to release on September 15.

--IANS

iv/rb/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday called upon the government to provide shelter and security to the Rohingyas who are being forced to flee fresh violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar.

"I am urging the government and its authorities concerned to provide shelter and security to the Rohingyas who have intruded into Bangladesh for the sake of their lives," Zia said in a press statement.

She called upon the Bangladesh government to take diplomatic initiatives to send back the Rohingyas after ensuring security of their lives and property, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

Zia also expressed grave concern over violence by the Myanmar security forces on Rohingyas that left many killed, the report said.

--IANS

soni/sac

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government on Monday said that it plans to sell up to 5 per cent of its equity stake in NTPC.

According to a notice on BSE, the company will open the "Offer For Sale " (OFS) facility for bids on Tuesday, August 29 for non-retail investors and for retail investors on August 30.

The company's OFS proposes to off-load 41.23 crore shares. Further, the notice said that more shares can be issued in case of over subscription of the initial OFS offer.

"The floor price for the offer shall be Rs 168 per equity share," the notice read.

"Further, up to 5 per cent of the equity shares sold pursuant to the offer (over and above the offer shares) may be offered to eligible and willing employees of the company at a discount of up to 5 per cent of the cut-off price subsequent to completion of the offer."

--IANS

rv/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in the US city of Chicago, denouncing white supremacy and neo-fascists.

The rally, called "Solidarity Against White Supremacy", held on Sunday afternoon gathered members of more than 40 local community and labour organizations at the Federal Plaza, in response to the death of Heather Heyer, who was killed when a car rammed into a crowd protesting white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12.

"We recognise that this hate has deep institutional roots in our country, and many of the pursued by politicians of both parties reinforce, rather than diminish it," said Jaquie Algree, vice president for external relations of SEIU Healthcare Illinois and Indiana.

"All these are policies that reinforce racism and other hate highlighted in Charlottesville," Xinhua news agency quoted Algree as saying.

Anton Ford, a professor of the University of Chicago, told the crowd to defend each other.

"The good news is that we are many and they are few. We are the vast majority," he said.

Protesters set off their march to the Trump Tower Chicago, with signs reading "Unite and fight against racism", "Resist the right, stop racist attacks", and "Hate has no room here".

No incidents of violence were reported during the protest.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday said that people illegally staying in India will have to go, including the Rohingyas.

"Anyone who is staying in India illegally has to go away. There is a proper process for deportation," Rijiju said.

The government is preparing to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims back to Myanmar. Around 16,500 of these refugees are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), that has issued them identity cards.

"What I said in Parliament is based on position of law. It is wrong to demonise India. India has accepted the largest number of refugees in the world. So whether it is UNHCR or any other organisation, they have no right to criticise our government," Rijiju said after the government drew flak from human rights advocacy groups and others for its proposed move.

He said the Home Ministry has issued a directive to set up a task force in every district to identify illegal immigrants and "start the process of deportation as per law".

He said that India cannot go on accepting migrants "indefinitely".

"What I am saying is that we are not just throwing them away. We are deporting them as per a legally laid procedure? India has immense respect for human rights and human dignity," the Minister said.

Rijiju had earlier this month told Parliament that the central government had directed state authorities to identify and deport illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas.

--IANS

rak-mak/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the beneficiaries of the Jan Dhan Yojana upon completing three years, calling it a historic initiative for the poor.

"Today, the Jan Dhan Yojana completes three years. I congratulate the crores of people, particularly the poor, who benefited from this initiative.

"Jan Dhan Revolution is a historic movement to bring the poor, downtrodden and marginalised into the financial mainstream," Modi said in a statement issued by his office.

"Through Jan Dhan Yojana, social security schemes, MUDRA and Stand-Up India, we have given wings to millions of aspirations.

"Our efforts to bring a qualitative and transformative change in the lives of the poor and marginalised continue with immense vigour," he added.

--IANS

vn/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Karti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, on Monday appeared before the CBI for the second time for questioning in a matter related to alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance to INX Media in 2007.

He arrived at the Central Bureau of Investigation headquarters on Lodhi Road here a little after 10 a.m.

On August 23, he was questioned by the agency's officials for over eight hours. CBI sources said that Karti, who was accompanied by his lawyers, faced over 100 questions prepared by the agency.

On August 18, the Supreme Court had directed the former Finance Minister's son to appear before the CBI which examined him in a case related to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media for allegedly receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was in office.

As per the apex court order, the CBI will also question four more persons -- Ravi Vishwanathan, Mohnan Rajesh, Bhaskar Raman and C.V.N. Reddy on August 28. Vishwanathan, Rajesh and Raman will be questioned in Delhi, while Reddy will be questioned at the CBI's Chennai office, said sources.

On May 15, the CBI had registered an FIR against Karti on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, accepting gratification by corrupt or illegal means, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct.

Karti is said to have received Rs 3.5 crore from the Mumbai-based INX media, now 9X Media, for helping it in getting the FIPB clearance when it was run by Peter and Indrani Mukherjea, both accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

The FIR does not mention the name Chidambaram senior, though it said he cleared the FIPB approval for Rs 4.62 crore Foreign Direct Investment in the FIPB meeting on May 18, 2007.

Earlier, the CBI had issued three notices to Chidambaram junior, but he did not depose before the probe agency.

--IANS

aks/vgu/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Members of Congress' policy planning group on Kashmir, led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will visit Jammu and next month to assess the present political scenario in the state and meet other "like-minded opposition leaders".

Jammu and Congress chief Ghulam Ahmad Mir said that the team will visit Jammu on September 10 and on September 16. The team will decide the dates for visiting Ladakh after visiting Kashmir, he added.

The party's policy planning group on Kashmir includes senior leaders like P. Chidambaram, Karan Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni. It also includes Mir, CLP leader Nawang Rigzin Jora, the state unit's senior Vice-President Shyam Lal Sharma and former MP Tariq Hameed Karra.

The group was set up in April this year in the wake of party's concern on the prevailing situation in the state and its handling by the PDP-BJP government.

Mir said members of the team have met thrice in Delhi.

"During our last meeting we requested the central leadership that they should visit all the three regions in the state - Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh," Mir told IANS.

"They will assess the present political scenario in the state and possibly they will meet other like-minded opposition leaders, individuals and the groups as well," he added.

Asked about the possibility of meeting Hurriyat leaders, Mir said no group or individual has been invited.

"But, it is open. Anybody who wants to meet them (the team), specially from the mainstream opposition and other socio-cultural groups can do so."

--IANS

sid/ps/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Home Ministry on Monday reviewed the security situation in Haryana and Punjab ahead of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing and said the situation was "still tense but under control".

Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a review meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi and other officials, sources said.

Earlier, the Ministry in a statement said 35 people have been killed in Haryana and Punjab following the verdict on Friday in a 2002 rape case.

"As per report dated August 28, of DGP Control Room, Haryana, total casualties have been 35 with 17 in Panchkula, six in Sirsa and 12 in Chandigarh and total number of injured is 204," the Ministry said in a statement.

It said Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) remained imposed in all districts of Haryana.

"Columns of Army are doing flag march continuously," it added.

The Ministry also said that there was a proper vigil in Panchkula, which bore the maximum brunt of the violence after the August 25 verdict, and at Sirsa that headquartered the Dera, as well as other parts of Punjab and Haryana.

A special CBI court's judge will begin hearing arguments around 2.30 p. m. on the quantum of punishment for the Dera chief, inside the District Jail at Sunaria near Rohtak where Ram Rahim has been lodged since Friday.

His punishment could range from seven years to life imprisonment.

--IANS

bns/in/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued notice to the Jharkhand government on thr deaths of 52 children in 30 days at a government-run medical college in Jamshedpur.

The local media reported 61 deaths at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College (MGM) in Jamshedpur, which falls in Chief Minister Raghubar Das' constituency, from July 1 to August 27.

The NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that weeks after a controversy erupted over the Gorakhpur tragedy, 52 infants have now been reported dead in Jharkhand, it said in a statement.

"According to the reports, the infants have died in a span of 30 days and the hospital Superintendent has reportedly blamed malnutrition for the deaths," it said.

The Commission observed that "painful deaths" of children and infants, in such a large number, is a matter of concern and issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand, calling for a report within six weeks.

It has also asked the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to take immediate action by way of issuance of suitable directions to all the states and union territories so that due to any negligence, such tragic deaths do not take place in any hospital in the country.

It may be recalled that the NHRC had recently taken cognizance of two similar incidents.

One occurred in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district, where more than 60 children and infants died at BRD Medical College, and another was reported from Chhattisgarh, where four infants died due to negligence by the oxygen plant operator at Ambedkar Hospital.

The reports are awaited in both the incidents.

--IANS

ns/him/vm

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday questioned Naeem and Naseem Geelani, sons of hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in connection with its ongoing probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based terrorist groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir valley.

An NIA official, requesting anonymity, told IANS that the brothers appeared at the NIA headquarters in central Delhi past 10 a.m.

Beside Geelani's sons, Ghulam Nabi Bhatt, a separatist leader, was also being questioned by the counter-terror agency.

On Saturday, the NIA had summoned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Noor Muhammad Kalwal to appear before it on Monday.

Kalwal, a close aide of JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, was one of the five militants released after the abduction of then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed's daughter in 1989.

On Thursday and Friday also, the NIA had questioned Geelani's sons for over seven hours.

This is the second time in a fortnight that the counter terror probe agency is grilling Geelani's sons. The agency had asked them to bring certain documents related to financial transactions that have come under its scanner.

Naeem, a doctor by profession, is seen as Geelani's natural heir while Naseem, the younger son, works at an agricultural university in Srinagar.

On Saturday, the NIA also carried out searches at the office of the company owned by Zahoor Watali, who was arrested on August 17 in Srinagar.

During the searches, the NIA recovered several incriminating documents pertaining to Watali's financial transactions.

Watali was arrested from Srinagar, a day after the NIA searched multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley, including the businessman's office and houses of his close relatives.

Watali, a prominent businessman close to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested on charges of acting as a conduit for passing money received from Pakistan to militants, separatists and stone-pelters in the Kashmir Valley.

On July 24, the agency arrested seven separatist leaders in connection with its probe into terror funding from Pakistan and militant groups based there.

The arrested separatists include Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Shah and Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.

They have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.

The NIA alleges that separatist leaders were receiving money from militant leaders in Pakistan including Hafiz Saeed, who heads the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa and banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

--IANS

aks/him/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday questioned Naeem and Naseem Geelani, the sons of hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, for nine hours in connection with the ongoing probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based terrorist groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir valley.

A NIA official, requesting anonymity, told IANS that the brothers appeared at the agency headquarters in central Delhi past 10 a.m.

Beside Geelani's sons, Ghulam Mohammad Bhatt, the cashier of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali's company, Devinder Singh Behl, a close aide of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and Noor Muhammad Kalwal were also questioned by the counter-terror agency.

Kalwal, a close aide of JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, was summoned by the agency's officials on Saturday to appear before it on Monday. Kalwal was one of the five militants released after the abduction of then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed's daughter in 1989.

The agency has asked them to appear before it on Tuesday again.

On Thursday and Friday last week, the NIA had questioned Geelani's sons for over seven hours.

This is the second time in a fortnight that the counter terror probe agency is grilling Geelani's sons. The agency had asked them to bring certain documents related to financial transactions that have come under its scanner.

Naeem, a doctor by profession, is seen as Geelani's natural heir, while Naseem, the younger son, works at an agricultural university in Srinagar.

On Saturday, the NIA had carried out searches at the office of the company owned by Zahoor Watali, who was arrested on August 17 in Srinagar.

During the searches, the NIA recovered several incriminating documents pertaining to Watali's financial transactions.

Watali was arrested from Srinagar, a day after the NIA searched multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley, including the businessman's office and houses of his close relatives.

Watali, a prominent businessman close to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested on charges of acting as a conduit for passing money received from Pakistan to militants, separatists and stone-pelters in the Kashmir Valley.

On July 24, the agency arrested seven separatist leaders in connection with its probe into terror funding from Pakistan and militant groups based there.

The arrested separatists include Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Shah and Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.

They have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.

The NIA alleges that separatist leaders were receiving money from militant leaders in Pakistan including Hafiz Saeed, who heads the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa and banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

--IANS

aks/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday appealed to the people of his state to maintain peace after a court sentenced Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years jail for rape.

Under fire for Friday's widespread violence in which 38 people died following the Dera chief's conviction, Khattar stressed that the law and order situation in the state will not be allowed to be disturbed.

"No one is above the law. The decision of the court must be respected by all," Khattar said.

The sect chief has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in each of two cases of rape. Both sentences will run consecutively.

The opposition had demanded Khattar's resignation over Friday's violence.

--IANS

kd/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Patidar agitation spearhead Hardik Patel was detained on Monday evening while on way to Anand in connection with an alleged dacoity and loot incident.

As many as 70 policemen detained the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) leader Hardik Patel, intercepting him on the Ahmedabad-Vadodara Expressway, while he was on way to central Gujarat town of Anand for a rally.

His close associate Dinesh Bhambhaniya was picked up by Crime Branch Police from Rajkot in Saurashtra region in the same case. Both were being taken to Patan to hand them over to police there.

According to Patan police, Narendra Patel, who was PAAS Convenor for Mehsana district but had since fallen out with Hardik Patel, in his complaint a day after the alleged incident on Saturday claimed that he and his associate Dilip Savaliya were seated near Navjivan Hotel for snacks when Hardik Patel arrived at the spot with his supporters and asked both not to make derogatory comments.

There was an altercation between the two groups after which, the complainant alleged, Hardik Patel's supporters abused and attacked them while one of them snatched their gold chain and broke a mobile phone.

Later, when they reached Pragati Maidan in Patan town, where Hardik Patel's rally took place on Saturday, Narendra Patel alleged that Dinesh Bhambhaniya threatened them with dire consequences.

The police registered a complaint against Hardik Patel, Bhambhaniya, Sunil, Brijesh and Mahesh Patel and unknown persons under Sections 395, 427, 504, and 506(2) of the Indian Penal Code related to dacoity, dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace, and criminal intimidation.

Before he was detained, Hardik Patel talked to IANS on phone and expressed complete ignorance of the incident and claimed he had left immediately after his rally in north Gujarat's Patan. "I have no idea what you are talking about," he said.

At the rally that was attended by a large number of Patidars (Patels), he had called for throwing out the BJP government in Gujarat and asked them to give the Congress an opportunity.

Hardik Patel was accompanied by another Patidar leader, Sardar Patel Group's Lalji Patel, who has had a love-hate relationship after Hardik's movement began in 2015.

"The BJP has no sensitivity towards the Patidars, though there are 44 legislators, seven Cabinet Ministers and a Deputy Chief Minister from the community. We are not interested in power but we want reservation, be it from (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi's pockets or the barrel of Amit Shah's gun," Hardik Patel said in Patan on Saturday evening.

Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who had called the Patidar leader a "Congress agent", was on Monday shown rolling pins and protest banners by a group of women in Patan.

--IANS

desai/tsb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Militants on Monday shot at and critically injured a junior level police officer in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag town.

Abdul Rashid, an assistant sub-inspector of police (ASI), was shot at from close range, a police official said.

"The ASI was immediately shifted to the district hospital in Anantnag. Doctors there referred him to Srinagar," police said.

The area where the shooting took place was cordoned off for searches.

--IANS

sq/in/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday visit Udaipur, where he will inaugurate some completed road projects and lay the foundation stones for some new projects in the state, officials said.

"The Prime Minister will be in the city for around three hours, during which he will address a public meeting at Khelgaon Maidan," a senior state government official told IANS.

He is scheduled to arrive in the city at around 12.30 p.m and leave for Delhi at 3.45 p.m.

Modi, besides laying the foundation stones and inaugurating national highway projects, will also dedicate to the nation a few completed national highways projects.

He will also perform the ground breaking ceremony for a few other projects, including state highways, rural roads and the Jaipur Ring Road project.

--IANS

as/nir/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The remains of all 10 sailors who went missing after an American collided with an oil tanker near Singapore have been found within the vessel, the US 7th Fleet said on Monday.

The Fleet said the US Navy and Marine Corps divers have recovered the remains of the sailors who had served on board the USS John S. McCain, reports The Straits Times.

"The incident is under investigation to determine the facts and circumstances of the collision."

Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) said all the search and recovery efforts have concluded.

The collision on August 21 between the McCain and the Liberian-flagged Alnic MC also injured five navy sailors.

The collision damaged the US warship's left side, near the stern, punching a hole that stretched above and below the waterline.

Following the collision, Singapore coordinated a search and rescue operation with the US, Australia, Indonesia and Malaysia, covering 5,524 sq km, an area more than seven times the size of Singapore, The Straits Times reported.

The collision was the second involving a destroyer from the US 7th Fleet in two months in the Pacific.

Head of the US 7th Fleet Joseph Aucoin who was scheduled to retire next month was removed from his post last week.

In June, the guilded-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with Philippine container vessel ACX Crystal, killing seven sailors and injuring three others.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sarala Gupta, wife of RJD Rajya Sabha member P.C. Gupta, on Monday deposed before the ED in connection with an ongoing probe into alleged irregularities in awarding maintenance contracts of two railway hotels to a private company by the then Railway Minister Lalu Prasad in 2006.

According to the financial probe agency, Gupta arrived at the agency's headquarters in south Delhi's Khan market area around 11 a.m.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had summoned the Rashtriya Janata Dal MP's wife for the second time on August 23 to appear before it.

She was earlier summoned on August 17 for questioning on August 21. However, she did not turn up.

The ED had on July 27 registered a separate case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act taking cognizance of the Central Bureau of Investigation FIR against RJD chief Lalu Prasad.

According to ED officials, the agency will investigate the case against Lalu Prasad and others since the accused had allegedly generated money through shell companies.

On July 5, the CBI registered a case against Lalu Prasad and his family members.

Lalu Prasad as Railway Minister in 2006 is alleged to have handed over the maintenance contract of two IRCTC hotels to Sujata Hotels after receiving a bribe in the form of prime land in Patna.

The CBI claimed that the kickback was paid through a "benami" company owned by Sarala Gupta.

--IANS

aks/him/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Monday said that it will hear challenge to the constitutional validity of the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act used to keep the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) under continuous ban since September 2001.

A bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, Justice A.M.Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y.Chandrachud directed the hearing of the challenge to the provisions of the 1967 security act on October 13.

The petitioner is contesting increasing the duration of ban from earlier two years to five years.

Humam Ahmad Siddiqui, a former SIMI member, had challenged the constitutional validity of these provisions and the apex court had on May 7, 2012 issued notice to the Centre on his petition.

The petitioner have contended that the provisions of the said Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, are not only intrinsically flawed but the manner in which they are operationalised by the central government go on to breach of the Constitution's Articles 14, 19 and 21.

On May 2, 2014, the top court had referred to a larger bench the plea challenging the ban on SIMI, saying it would hear the challenge to the law in the course of the hearing of a batch of petition challenging the provisions of law as well as ban on the SIMI.

--IANS

pk/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Terming the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq as "unconstitutional" and an "attack" on Muslim personal law, West Bengal minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury on Monday urged Muslims in the country to continue with the practice.

"We respect the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India but the verdict to bar the triple talaq practice is an attack on the century-old Muslim personal law. It is unconstitutional," Chowdhury, who is also the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind state secretary, told reporters at an event of the Islamic organisation's state wing.

"The Muslims would keep following the order of Quran and Muslim personal law on the triple talaq practice. We do not agree with the verdict of barring talaq for the next six months," he said.

Chowdhury is the Minister of State (Independent Charge) of Mass Education and Libraries, besides being the Minister of State of Parliamentary Affairs.

With Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee keeping a studied silence on the issue, Chowdhury, asked about the absence of any statement from the ruling Trinamool Congress, said: "You can consider my words as Trinamool Congress' statement as I am a minister elected from this party."

Claiming the Supreme Court's decision was not unanimous, he hoped the case would go to a nine-judge bench for further discussion.

"This was not a unanimous decision. The Chief Justice himself said that there should be no interference in the process of Muslim marriage and talaq. Three judges have termed the talaq as illegal. This is their decision. But we hope this will go to the nine-judge bench for further discussion," he said.

Accusing the BJP of trying to scare the Muslim community, he said: "This is nothing but BJP's conspiracy. They are trying to establish a uniform civil code in the country and scare the Muslims. They want the Muslim men and women to fight among each other and the Muslim youth to clash with the administration over this issue. We condemn and oppose this."

Chowdhury said their organisation would form a new committee named Shariat Application Act Protection Council West Bengal with representatives from all the districts that would look into the issues of talaq and the future of the Muslim women.

Stating that they would observe developments regarding the issue of talaq in the state, he vowed to bring out a rally with 10,000 Muslim women on the streets of Kolkata if "the situation does not change".

--IANS

mgr/ssp/vd

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Security forces surrounded six villages in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district on Monday following information about the presence of militants, police said.

"Searches have begun to locate the militants...So far, there has been no exchange of fire", the police said.

As part of an all-out operation against militants in south Kashmir, the security forces have launched search operations in Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama districts during the last two months.

--IANS

sq/ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Shanghai tech firm was fined for making emoticons based on "comfort women", police said on Monday.

Shanghai Siyanhui Technology Co., Ltd. was fined 15,000 yuan ($2,255) and ordered to suspend operations for two months for making the emoticons which appeared on the internet on August 18, reports Xinhua news agency.

The emoticons were screen grabs of "Twenty Two", a documentary about 22 comfort women, a euphemism used for girls and women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II.

The company apologised for hurting public sentiments.

Some 400,000 women across Asia were forced to be comfort women for the Japanese army during the war, nearly half of them Chinese, according to the Research Centre for Comfort Women at the Shanghai Normal University.

Only 14 comfort women are still alive on the Chinese mainland.

--IANS

ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard will come on a three-day state visit to India from August 30 in what will be just the fourth visit by a Swiss President to India, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday.

"The Swiss President will be accompanied by senior government officials and a large business delegation of leading Swiss companies," the ministry said in a statement.

Leuthard will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other ministers will also call on the visiting dignitary.

Switzerland is the seventh largest trading partner for India with the total bilateral trade including merchandise exports, bullion and IT services and software exports, amounting to $18.2 billion in 2016-17.

Bilateral trade has a share of 2.76 per cent in India's total global trade and has shown a mixed trend due to the global economic slowdown.

From April 2000 to September 2016, Switzerland invested approximately $3.57 billion in India, thus becoming the 11th largest investor and accounting for about 1.2 per cent of total foreign direct investment (FDI) in India during this period.

About 100 Indian companies have invested about $1.42 billion between 2013-14 and 2015-16 in Switzerland, placing it among the top five European investment destinations and top 10 places globally for Indian investors.

Major Indian IT companies including TCS, Infosys and Tech Mahindra have their offices in that country and provide services to major Swiss pharmaceutical companies, banks and insurance firms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Switzerland in June 2016 in what was the first prime ministerial visit from India in several decades.

During the course of that visit, Switzerland expressed support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The issue of black money parked by Indians in Swiss banks also came up for discussion.

Swiss Presidents have earlier visited India in 1998, 2003 and 2007.

--IANS

ab/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
YSR Congress Party President Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday accused the ruling TDP of "misusing official machinery", spending around Rs 200 crore and threatening voters to win Nandyal assembly seat by-election in Andhra Pradesh.

"As per conservative estimate, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) spent around Rs 200 crore in this by-poll," the Leader of Opposition in Andhra Pradesh assembly said.

He said while he accepted the people's verdict, it was a mistake on part of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to claim victory.

He thanked voters for extending support to YSR Congress despite what he said were threats and coercion from the ruling party.

TDP won the Nandyal by-election by over 27,000 votes.

"The blatant misuse of official machinery, scaring away of voters with threats about withdrawal of pensions and other sops and misuse of police for political gains, besides rampant distribution of cash, led to their victory," the YSR Congress leader said.

"The setback is temporary and we will bounce back resolutely," Jagan added.

The YSR Congress chief said it could be a referendum only if bypolls were held to all 20 constituencies where YSR Congress MLAs defected to the TDP.

"Since it was a solitary bypoll, the state focused with great concentration, but one can call it a referendum only if bypolls are held in all 20 seats and see if the government can focus on all these seats in equal measure," he said.

"... it is not prudent for Chandrababu Naidu to describe it as a victory as ethics, morals, and values were thrown to the wind and there was no level playing field," he added.

--IANS

ms/tsb/vm

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The 75-day-long tense standoff between India and China in Doklam ended on Monday with both sides agreeing to withdraw troops from the disputed region in the tri-junction with Bhutan, in a breakthrough ahead of next week's BRICS summit in China that is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The exact contours of the deal between the two sides is not clear. While India maintained that both sides have agreed to withdraw their troops, a demand External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had made in Parliament last month, China claimed that the Indian troops have withdrawn to Indian territory and that its army will continue to patrol the area.

There was also no clarity on what happens to the road construction by China that was the trigger for the standoff that began on June 16 when Indian troops stopped a People's Liberation Army contingent from building a road in Doklam.

Indian External Affairs Ministry broke the news on the development on Monday morning, which was shortly followed by the Chinese Foreign Office confirming the disengagement.

The External Affairs Ministry statement said "In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests".

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to, and is ongoing."

Indian Army sources said that the process of "disengagement" of its troops had begun, with the Chinese side also withdrawing its soldiers.

The withdrawal of Indian troops from the standoff point started around noon on Monday.

Around 350-400 Indian troops were there at the border point. India had refused to withdraw its soldiers unless there was a simultaneous withdrawal from the Chinese side as well.

The decision to disengage their troops comes ahead of a crucial BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit being hosted by China on September 3-4, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

In Beijing, the Foreign Ministry said that China is pleased over India's withdrawal but stated that Chinese troops will "remain in the region" and exercise their "sovereignty over the region".

Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that Chinese border troops will "continue to patrol in Donglong", which India refers to as Doklam, in the Sikkim sector.

"On the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all the Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this," Hua said.

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions," she added.

Asked if the disengagement was from both sides, Hua repeated the same statement.

"Just now you mentioned that the Indian side has said it is a mutual engagement, but I want to stress that India has withdrawn all the personnel and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary.

"Chinese personnel on the ground has verified this and Chinese border troops continue to patrol in the Donlong area."

However, she said: "In the light of the changes of the situation on the ground China will make necessary adjustment and deployment."

Asked what she meant, she did not elaborate.

This is in contrast to India's statement that both countries have agreed to "disengage" in Doklam.

Relations between the two nations had dipped to a new low over the standoff at Doklam, with the Chinese side refusing to withdraw. Beijing had accused India of transgressing into its territory and demanded immediate withdrawal of Indian troops. The Chinese side, especially the state media, since then had been on an offensive, and on occasions issued veiled threats of war.

India has maintained that both sides should withdraw simultaneously for any dialogue on the issue, and asserted that war was not a solution.

Amidst the standoff, Prime Minister Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg on the sidelines of the G20 summit, while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Beijing on the sidelines of a BRICS security meet.

--IANS

ab/rn/vsc

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and China ended their 75-day-long tense standoff in Doklam with both agreeing to withdraw troops from the disputed region ahead of next week's BRICS summit in China which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend.

However, the announcement of the disengagement by India, and later confirmed by China, was marked by drama, with Beijing claiming that while Indian troops had withdrawn Chinese troops would continue to patrol the area in the tri-junction with Bhutan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that China is pleased over India's withdrawal but stated that Chinese troops will "remain in the region" and exercise their "sovereignty over the region".

In an apparent bid to rebut the Chinese claim, the Ministry of External Affairs took the extraordinary step of issuing a second press statement in the evening asserting in effect that both sides were withdrawing troops and the process was almost complete.

The MEA evening statement said that following its announcement that India and China have agreed to pull out their troops from Doklam "This process has since been almost completed under verification".

It added that India has always maintained that differences on boundary issues can only be resolved through diplomatic channels.

The statement said that in June in Astana, India and China had agreed that "differences should not be allowed to become disputes". "We look forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side on this basis".

Simultaneous withdrawal of troops was demanded by India, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj making it clear in Parliament last month that the two countries should withdraw troops for any meaningful discussion.

There were also reports that the Chinese side had stopped its road construction activity in Doklam that was the trigger for the standoff that began on June 16 when Indian troops stopped a People's Liberation Army contingent from building a road there.

The simultaneous withdrawal means that status quo has been restored in the area, sources said. "India never had a problem with China patrolling the area, neither has India any claim on the territory. The Chinese statement indicates that the status-quo will be restored," a government source said.

On Monday morning, the External Affairs Ministry broke the news of disengagement. "In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests".

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to, and is ongoing."

Indian Army sources said that the process of "disengagement" of its troops had begun, with the Chinese side also withdrawing its soldiers.

The withdrawal of Indian troops from the standoff point started around noon on Monday.

Around 350-400 Indian troops were there at the border point. India had refused to withdraw its soldiers unless there was a simultaneous withdrawal from the Chinese side as well.

The decision to disengage their troops comes ahead of a crucial BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit being hosted by China on September 3-4, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua said during a briefing in Beijing: "In the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all the Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this.

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions," she added.

Asked if the disengagement was from both sides, Hua repeated the same statement.

"Just now you mentioned that the Indian side has said it is a mutual engagement, but I want to stress that India has withdrawn all the personnel and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary.

"Chinese personnel on the ground has verified this and Chinese border troops continue to patrol in the Donlong area."

However, she said: "In the light of the changes of the situation on the ground China will make necessary adjustment and deployment."

Asked what she meant, she did not elaborate.

Relations between the two nations had dipped to a new low over the standoff at Doklam, with the Chinese side refusing to withdraw. Beijing had accused India of transgressing into its territory and demanded immediate withdrawal of Indian troops. The Chinese side, especially the state media, since then had been on an offensive, and on occasions issued veiled threats of war.

India has maintained that both sides should withdraw simultaneously for any dialogue on the issue, and asserted that war was not a solution.

Amidst the standoff, Prime Minister Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg on the sidelines of the G20 summit, while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Beijing on the sidelines of a BRICS security meet.

--IANS

gsh/ao/rn/vsc

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Senior members of Donald Trump's administration and Israeli officials renewed talks over the possibility of moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a promise made by the US President during his election campaign, the media reported.

Trump's son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner, peace envoy Jason Greenblatt and Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy Dina Powell met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu here on August 24 as part of a visit to the region in a bid to revive Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

In the meeting, the embassy move "was brought up by both sides as part of a productive broad conversation about a number of issues", a US source familiar with the discussions told The Times of Israel on Sunday night.

But Trump backtracked on the pledge in June, signing a waiver which pushed off moving the embassy for at least another six months.

"Needless to say, the administration's policy is 'when not if,'" the source added, referring to statements the US officials made when signing the waiver promising that the move would take place during Trump's presidency.

Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told The Times of Israel that the issue did not come up during last week's meetings.

"We were told that the move (of the embassy) would go ahead but it wasn't on the table and there hasn't been any progress on it. I hope there will be soon."

When Trump signed the waiver, White House officials said that moving the embassy at this stage could jeopardise efforts to bring the two sides together.

Israel captured East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan during the 1967 Six Day War and later annexed it.

Israel declared the city its undivided capital, but the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

The US has said that its policy on Jerusalem has not changed and that Jerusalem's status must be negotiated between Israelis and Palestinians.

--IANS

ksk/bg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Tamil Nadu Assembly Privileges Committee on Monday issued a notice to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) working president and 20 other legislators of his party for having brought Gutkha, a banned product, into the House in July.

The committee is led by Pollachi V Jayaraman, who is also the deputy Speaker of the assembly.

Sources said the panel has sent notices to the DMK MLAs seeking their explanation within a week.

The notices were sent after scrutinising the assembly proceedings' footage of July 19 when members of the main opposition had held up Gutkha pouches.

DMK legislator S Regupathy told reporters here that what his party MLAs had done was their "democratic" duty.

It was to demonstrate that banned Gutkha was available and action should be taken to halt it, he said.

Senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Pandian said similar instances were seen in assemblies elsewhere to drive home various point like "presence of rotten rice", adding that likewise Opposition leader Stalin had raised the Gutkha matter in the House.

On July 19, DMK MLAs led by Stalin had created a furore in the assembly when they held up Gutkha sachets, prompting Speaker P Dhanapal to refer their action to the Privileges Committee.

The Speaker had then said that the DMK MLAs' action amounted to "breach of privilege". During the debate, that day in the House, leader of the opposition Stalin sought to raise the issue of alleged availability of Gutkha in the state.

The issue of 'gutkha' (a mixture of chewing tobacco and betel nut) has created a political furore in Tamil Nadu.

Searches by Income Tax authorities in the premises of a gutkha manufacturer in Chennai last year had led to the unearthing of documents claiming a "payout" to a minister and officials including a senior police officer, as a quid pro quo for overlooking the sale of the banned product.

Ever since the matter came into the limelight, the opposition DMK has been targeting the ruling AIADMK (All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam) for allegedly allowing Gutkha sale and the alleged graft involved in it.
The BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao rally, called by the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Patna on Sunday, had assumed great significance, especially after the Mahagathbandhan government in Bihar, comprising the RJD and Janata Dal (United), collapsed last month. Projected to showcase opposition strength in the face of that debacle, it was the first such gathering of various political parties and their supporters. The grand call to oust the BJP and save the country at a time when the saffron party is in power in all the north Indian states, except Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Punjab, was not only viewed as gutsy but also one of the the first serious attempts to launch a full-scale spirited attack on the Democratic Alliance (NDA), which has been profiting from a disarrayed opposition.
The results of the Assembly to Valpoi and Panaji in Goa and Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh were along expected lines, but Bawana in Delhi sprung a surprise.
Two national award winning child actors in Bengali film 'Sahaj Pather Gappo', to be released on September 8, hailed from a remote village in the Sunderbans.

Nur Islam and Samiul Alam, now studying in class 3 and 6 in a local school, were picked up for the roles which required them to speak in a local dialect, the film's debutant director, Manas Mukul Pal, told PTI here.

The two got the national awards in the Best Child Artist category (Rajat Kamal) and Rs 50,000 for 'Sahaj Pather Gappo' based on Bibhuti Bhusan Bandyopadhyay's short story 'Tal Nabami'.

"I was looking for two children who are conversant with the dialect used in the Sunderbans and who will be instinctive and uninhibited, bereft of urban mannerisms," he said.

They were selected after visiting primary schools in the villages in the Basirhat sub-division belt, Manas said.

Not only the two, almost 80 per cent of the actors belonged to different villages in the area, the director said.

The families of Nur and Samiul were not familiar with the term "national award for films" but when they learnt its implications on the day of announcement, they were overjoyed, Manas said.

The title of 'Sahaj Pather Gappo', the director said, was taken from Rabindranath Tagore's Sahaj Path, the book which introduces a child to Bengali language as it deals with nostalgia-tinged childhood," he said.

"The shooting had taken place in Bolpur and Sunderbans," he said.

'Sahaj Pather Gappo' had been to Mumbai International Film Festival (MAMI), Indian Panorama, IFFI international Section, Goteborg International Film Festival, Sweden, New York Indian Film Festival, Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2017.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two security guards were today shot dead by unidentified motorcycle-borne men outside a government office in Pakistan's Sindh province, police said.

The guards, affiliated with a private company, were shot at multiple times while on duty outside the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) office in Gulistan-e-Jauhar here.

"The two security guards who belonged to a private company were posted at the FBR offices for the last 15 years," Sindh Home Minister, Anwar Sayal said.

Karachi has witnessed a rise in crimes in August with a number of bank robberies being carried out in different parts of the city.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two women porters died in a stampede today at a border post between Morocco and Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta, a rights group and the MAP agency said.

The women, aged 34 and 45, were trampled at the Tarajal 2 border post and rushed to a hospital where they died of their injuries, Mohammed Benaissa of the Northern Observatory of Human Rights told AFP.

Four other women porters were injured in the crush and taken to hospital in the nearby town of Fnid'q, Benaissa said.

Morocco's MAP confirmed the death toll and said that one of the injured was in a critical condition.

Moroccan authorities said they had opened an investigation to "determine the circumstances of the incident".

Thousands of people, mainly women, work as porters transporting goods across the border, sometimes making return trips and carrying up to 70 kilos on their backs.

Human rights groups have repeatedly denounced their working conditions, describing the women's situation as "degrading and humiliating".

Karima Omar El Ayachi of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) said the porters are "treated like livestock".

Today's deaths brought to four the number of women porters who have died in similar conditions since the frontier post was opened earlier this year, Benaissa said.

Authorities reopened the crossing in late February and tightened controls on the size and weight of goods that porters can carry each day.

They also set a quota of 4,000 porters permitted to make the run between the two countries.

Unemployment is high in Morocco, where according to the World Bank almost 5.3 million people "live under the threat of falling back into poverty due to their socio-economic conditions".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam today over a multi-million dollar fraud at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the sector.

Authorities have vowed to clean up an industry plagued by favouritism and dodgy loans -- part of a broader drive against corruption in the country.

In the latest trial, the ex-chairman of Ocean Bank, Ha Van Tham, is accused of illegally approving loans worth $23 million in 2012, ultimately leading to the bank's demise and stripping him of his status as one of the country's richest men.

Tham and 50 other bankers and businessmen, most of whom worked at Ocean Bank, face various charges related to the illegal loan in the 20-day trial that opened Monday.

Some face the death penalty, according to the lengthy indictment.

The trial involves a record 50 defence lawyers and more than 700 witnesses, and is the second time the accused have appeared after a March trial was postponed for further investigation.

Tham is accused of approving the loan to the Trung Dung real estate company without proper collateral.

The head of the real estate company, Pham Cong Danh, is currently in jail for a separate conviction of economic mismanagement.

Ocean Group, which includes real estate and hotel subsidiaries, enjoyed a meteoric rise after its founding in 2007, and was valued at $500 million in 2013 under Tham's stewardship.

But after Tham was arrested in 2014, most bank branches shut and the State Bank of Vietnam, the central bank, acquired Ocean Bank for USD 0.

Ocean Group is still active in real estate and hotels and services and was valued at about USD 3.5 million in 2016, according to its website.

Vietnam has already jailed dozens of bankers in other high-profile banking cases, which some see as a commitment to cleaning up the sector.

"(Monday's) trial shows progress made by the Vietnamese government in the fight against corruption," Nguyen Hoang Hai, deputy chairman of the Association of Financial Investors, told AFP.

In September last year 36 former Vietnam Construction Bank employees were given jail terms of up to 30 years, after they were accused of secretly withdrawing millions of dollars from clients' accounts to use for loans or keep for themselves.

Bad debts have long plagued the banking industry. They make up some eight percent of outstanding loans, according to the state bank, though experts say the real number could be far higher.

Authorities have also targeted other sectors in their anti-corruption drive, though analysts say convictions are often driven by political infighting rather than a genuine commitment to reform.

This month Germany accused Vietnam of kidnapping Trinh Xuan Thanh, a former oil executive accused of corruption, from a Berlin park.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Seven members of a family, including three women, were today killed when their vehicle skidded off the road and rolled down into a river in hilly Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said.

The car was coming to Rajouri from Jammu when its driver lost control in the Narian area at round 5.00 PM, Senior Superintendent of Police, Rajouri, Yougal Manhas told PTI.

He said the police rushed to the scene of the accident and retrieved all the seven bodies from the river.

Mehmood Ahmad was travelling along with his family in the vehicle, the SSP said, adding that the deceased included three women members.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The US knows that the Afghan Taliban leaders are based in the Pakistani cities of Quetta and Peshawar, the top US commander in Afghanistan has said, evoking a sharp reaction from Islamabad against blaming Pakistan for the situation in Afghanistan.

General John Nicholson, the commander of US Forces and NATO in Afghanistan, said the issue of terror sanctuaries was "being addressed in private between the US government and the Pakistani government - but it does need to be addressed."



"Support for terrorists and insurgents has to be reduced, has to be stopped," Nicholson was quoted as saying by Tolo of Afghanistan.

"I am primarily focused on activities inside Afghanistan," but other officials are looking into the issue of sanctuaries in Pakistan, Gen. Nicholson had said.

"The Quetta Shura, Peshawar Shura, these shuras are identified by cities inside Pakistan, we know Afghan Taliban leaders are in these areas," he said.

Reversing course from an earlier stand that he would end US involvement in Afghanistan, a 16-year conflict that has cost American lives and trillions of dollars, US President Donald Trump had hit out at Pakistan, which he said was offering safe haven to "agents of chaos".

Meanwhile, Gen. Nicholson's remarks have elicited a sharp reaction from Islamabad, which has been fuming over President Donald Trump's recent warning to Islamabad against providing safe havens to terrorists.

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that the Taliban were using Afghanistan as the launch pad for their operations, both inside and outside Pakistan.

He said the Taliban had no need to hide in Pakistan, since they held more than 40 per cent of Afghanistan.

"If they have control over so much land and resources in Afghanistan, it means they have hideouts there, not in Pakistan," Iqbal told Dawn newspaper.

Pakistan, he said, had made the commitment that it would not allow any group to use its soil against any other country, including Afghanistan.

Separately, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, who scrapped a planned visit to Washington following Trump's remarks about Pakistan, said the US should refrain from blaming its 16 years of failures in Afghanistan on Pakistan.

"America used Pakistan as its ally, but Pakistan suffered unbearable losses in the war on terror. If the US doesn't trust Pakistan, it should make preparations to repatriate the Afghan refugees Pakistan has been hosting for nearly 35 years," he told Geo yesterday.

"We want to clear misunderstandings with the US by maintaining this relationship," Asif said.

He said that peace in Afghanistan was important for Pakistan too, which was why Islamabad was helping the US in trying to find a solution to the Afghan issue.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
It is up to the court to take a decision on fast-tracking the rape case against Asaram, and the Gujarat government has no role in it, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said, after the Supreme Court questioned the state over the tardy pace of progress in the case involving the self-styled godman.

"Trial is going on in the court, which is independent. It is for the court to take a decision (on expediting the trial). The government has no role in the matter," Rupani told reporters while replying to queries on the sidelines of a function in Rajkot.

He rejected the Congress' allegations that the ruling party was trying "shield the accused".

"The Congress is only seeking to take mileage by making false political allegations against the government. People will teach it a lesson in the upcoming assembly elections," the chief minister said.

Senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil welcome the Supreme Court's observations and voiced hope that the BJP government will act to ensure that the guilty are punished.

"Law and order is a state subject. This is not the first time it has happened. Ever since the BJP came to power, it had to repeatedly face the ire of the Supreme Court," he said.

"It's the government's responsibility to ensure the accused get punished as early as possible. We welcome what the Supreme Court said and hope this will make the government act."



Earlier in the day, the apex court asked the state government to file a progress report in the case. It also directed the government to explain why the victim in the case has not yet been examined.

After giving directions, a bench, comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy, posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

Two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

Also, in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused Asaram of sexual assault at his ashram near Jodhpur.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.

Asaram was arrested by the Jodhpur police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
AIIMS is not a place for a stroll but an institution for imparting education and medical treatment, the Delhi High Court has said.

The high court made the observation while rejecting a plea of an RTI activist, who was barred from entering the AIIMS premises, that he had an unrestricted and untrammelled right to visit the institution which was a public hospital.

"Undoubtedly, AIIMS is a public place. However, it is an institution meant for imparting education and medical treatment. It is not a place for busy bodies to saunter in whenever they like, without any business in the institution," Justice Vibhu Bakhru said.

The judge said the court was conscious of the volume of persons visiting AIIMS for medical treatment and prima facie, permitting any person to visit the premises without any business at all was likely to add further pressure on the institution and disrupt its functioning.

The court also said that such disruption would inevitably be at the cost of patients seeking medical treatment.

"Therefore, this court finds no infirmity with the decision of the AIIMS authorities restricting the entry of the petitioner to the AIIMS campus," the court said.

Petitioner Raj Narayan was restrained from entering the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) premises after he had joined a protest on February 4 last year with doctors and faculty members when permission to protest was only meant for the faculty members.

It was alleged that he had indulged in certain violent acts on that date, though the police authorities had found these allegations to be incorrect.

Narayan had approached the high court against the February 5 last year order of AIIMS authorties.

The court disposed of his petition with the direction that unless the man was able to satisfy the authorities regarding his bonafide need to visit the premises, the AIIMS authorities are under no obligation to permit him to enter their campus.

A status report filed by the police had indicated that the man was taking photographs without permission, which had resulted in a minor altercation between the protesting doctors and faculty members and him.

According to the police authorities, no cognisable offence was made out and, therefore the complaint made by AIIMS has been disposed of.

The man's counsel had said that since the allegation of violence has not been found to be correct, the order restraining his entry into AIIMS should be quashed.

On being asked by the court as to what business does he have with the AIIMS, the counsel had submitted that it was a public place and he had a right to visit it.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it aims to double the income of farmers by 2022 to tackle suicides among them.

The Ministry of Agriculture also proposed to make special efforts to ensure adequate flow of credit in under-serviced areas, eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir.

"It is submitted that the government is addressing the low income of the farmers. Agrarian distress as manifest from large number of farmers living below poverty line and unfortunate incidents of suicides can be addressed by enabling farmers to increase their income.

"With this understanding, the government is targeting to double the income of farmers by 2022. To achieve this, department of agriculture, cooperation and farmers' welfare has constituted an inter ministerial committee to examine various dimensions of farmers' income and to recommend an appropriate strategy," the status report said.

The matter was listed before a bench of justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta which took on record the status report in which the government said it was implementing and promoting schemes to reduce cost of cultivation in order to realise net positive returns for farmers and the National Policy for Farmers (NPF), 2007 was also being reviewed by it.

The report, which came on a PIL filed by Punjab-based NGO Youth Kamal Organisation, through its president G S Happy Mann, seeking steps to prevent farmers' suicides, said "a plan of action was prepared by an inter-ministerial committee set up by the government for operationalisation of NPF, 2007".

"After carefully analysing the differential between the action points as contained in the NPF and action already taken by the government, the committee prepared a plan of action and identified 201 action points, where action was to be taken," it said.

It said that as of now, out of 201 action points only nine action points remain for further action.

"This (inter-ministerial) committee has also been entrusted to review the NPF, 2007 which would also include the unresolved nine action points."

The report said that in order to increase production, the government was implementing schemes such as National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission for Oilseed and Oil Palm (NMOOP), Mission of Integrated Development for Horticulture (MIDH), National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology (NMAET) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

It further told the court that in Budget 2017-18, the government has increased the target for agricultural credit to "a record level of Rs 10 lakh crore from Rs nine lakh crore allocated during previous financial year."

"Government will make special efforts to ensure adequate flow of credit to the under serviced areas, the eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir," the report said.

It further apprised the apex court about Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, introduced in 2016 at very low premium rate which aims to address agricultural risks and shortcomings in earlier schemes.

"It ensures full insurance cover at all stages of crop cycle," it said, adding that 390 lakh farmers were covered under the scheme and 3,86.75 hectare area was covered with a sum of Rs 1,41,883 crore during Kharif 2016.

It also referred to its Kisan Credit Card scheme under which a farmer could purchase agricultural inputs and draw cash to fulfil their consumption needs.

"In order to ensure all eligible farmers are provided with hassle free and timely credit for agricultural operations, government has introduced Kisan Credit Card scheme which enables them to purchase agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides etc and draw cash to fulfil their consumption needs," it said.

Further, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has allowed the banks to take a lenient view on the rescheduling of loans if a farmer loses 33 per cent or more of his crops.

"The banks have been advised to allow maximum period of repayment of up to two years (including moratorium period of one year) if the crop loss is between 33 per cent and 50 per cent," it said, adding that if the crop loss is 50 per cent or more, then restructured period for repayment is extended to five years.

The government also said it was enhancing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to provide price support to farmers.

"In order to provide the much-needed price support and de-risk farming, the government has been enhancing Minimum Support Prices(MSP) for various crops based on recommendations of Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)," it said.
Exhorting employees to re- dedicate themselves to turnaround Air India, its new CMD Rajiv Bansal today said the national carrier will continue to expand its network as well as fleet.

This is Bansal's first formal communication with the employees after he was given interim charge as the Chairman and Managing Director last week.

"I have full faith in your capabilities and experience and am sure that we will work as a team and do everything to further strengthen the profitability of the company," he said in a letter to AI employees.

"We have introduced new flights to international destinations and will continue to launch new routes in the days to come. Along with extending our network, we will be inducting new aircraft to augment our fleet with state of the art aircraft like the Dreamliners and A320 Neos," the letter reads.

Referring to the 10th anniversary of the merger of Indian Airlines with Air India, Bansal told the employees, "exactly 10 years ago, a new resurgent Air India was born".

He has taken over at a time when the government has constituted a group of ministers to chart out a strategy for the disinvestment of the airline, which has a debt of over Rs 48,000 crore.

Against this backdrop, Bansal said, "I exhort you all to rededicate yourself towards turning around our beloved Air India."



Nearly 10 years after the merger, Air India managed to post an operational profit of Rs 105 crore in 2015-16.

Concerns have been raised in many quarters, including some related to Air India, that the merger led to poor financial health of the national carrier.

Bansal replaced Ashwani Lohani who assumed office as the Chairman of the Railway Board.

A senior IAS officer, Bansal has also served as a director in the civil aviation ministry and played a crucial role as a board member of the National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) during the formative years of the merged national carrier.

A Nagaland-cadre IAS officer, Bansal has also been a board member of the Alliance Air, a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, the release said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arjun Kapoor will be stepping into the shoes of Akshay Kumar for the sequel of "Namastey London" and the actor says he admires the superstar for his film choices.

It was rumoured that Akshay is upset with producer Vipul Shah and the actor for going ahead with the sequel.

In an interview with PTI, Arjun says, "I shot a video for his film 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' and it negates the speculation. Vipul sir and Akshay were to do a film together but due to time constraints and scheduling problems (it did not happen). Vipul sir offered (the project to) me and I got excited about it."



The actor is confident that Shah must have discussed the matter with Akshay before approaching him with the project.

"Akshay sir and I get along well and I respect him for what he has achieved and the work he is doing now."



Arjun, who will feature in "Namastey Canada", is pumped up about working in the film.

"I think the kind of love 'Namastey London' got was immense... Stepping into a franchise is always great as one has to go in with a strong mindset."



There is buzz that his "Ishaqzaade" co-star Parineeti Chopra will be a part of the sequel but there is no confirmation yet.

The actor recalls watching "Namastey London" along with the leading lady, Katrina Kaif, during one of its screenings.

"I had told her (Katrina), it was her best performance so far. I remember the scene where Akshay sir spoke about India in that scene on the ship. (I believe) The simplicity worked well for the film.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As many as 1,413 votes were polled under the 'none of the above' category in the Bawana Assembly bypoll in Delhi.

In the final tally, after 28 rounds of counting, NOTA was after the three main contenders from the AAP, the Congress, and the BJP.

Of the total 1,31,950 votes polled, the AAP cornered 59,886 (45.4 per cent), BJP 35,834 (27.2) and Congress 31,919 (24.2 per cent).

The vote share under the NOTA category stood at 1.1 per cent, according to officials at the office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

Eight candidates, including three Independents, were in the fray for the high-stakes bypoll which was held on August 23.

The turnout was a meagre 45 per cent.

Independent candidates Satpal Singh, Sumesh and Umesh Kumar got 961, 786 and 185 votes, respectively, while SP's Kalu and Rashtriya Janta Congress's Banwari Lal received paltry 834 and 132 votes, respectively, all falling below the NOTA share.

The counting, which was held at a college in Alipur in north-west Delhi, began at 8 am today. A total of 28 rounds were held for the exercise carried out by the office of the Delhi CEO.

Electronic voting machines equipped with VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) were used in all polling stations for the first time in this constituency.

There are 2.94 lakh voters in Bawana -- 1,64,114 males, 1,30,143 females and 25 third gender voters. Voting was held peacefully in 379 polling stations across the Assembly constituency.

With today's win, the AAP now has 66 MLAs in the 70- member Delhi Assembly, the rest four of the BJP, as the Congress again drew a blank.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress candidate Surendra Kumar has taken an early lead of around 2,000 votes over his BJP rival in the race to the Bawana Assembly seat.

At the end of the 4th round of counting, Kumar had polled 8,996 votes, while BJP candidate Ved Prakash was trailing behind with 6,899 votes, said the Delhi CEO office.

The AAP candidate, Ram Chandra, was placed third with 6,256 votes.

The counting began at 8 am.

The Congress is hoping for a victory in the bypoll to open its account in the Delhi Assembly. The party had drawn a blank in the 2015 assembly elections.

In the 70-member Delhi Assembly, the AAP has 65 MLAs and the BJP 4.

Kumar is a three-time former MLA from the Bawana seat, which had fallen vacant after Ved Prakash, who represented it, resigned from his assembly membership and quit the AAP to join the BJP in March this year.

The by-poll, which was held on August 23, saw a meagre turnout of 45 per cent.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Supermodel Bella Hadid has confirmed that she will return to the ramp at this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

The 20-year-old catwalk star made her stage debut at last year's edition of the show in Paris, alongside her supermodel sister Gigi Hadid and friend Kendall Jenner.

Hadid took to Instagram to make the announcement, where she said she was "crazy humbled" to be a part of the show again.

"@victoriassecret I am so excited!..!!!!Thank you @monica.Mitro @10magazine @johndavidpfeiffer and of course the wonderful, incredible @ed_razek plus everyone on the team for making this dream come true again...

"I feel so crazy humbled to get the opportunity to be a part of this show again... Walking into the offices this year I felt so happy, healthy, and honoured... I can't wait for another incredible experience! Congrats to all of the beautiful ladies I will be walking beside. I can't wait!" she wrote, alongside a selfie.

Supermodels Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Lily Aldridge and Candice Swanepoel will also be seen rocking the runway at the showcase.

The show is reportedly being held in Shanghai this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Liquor manufacturers from on Monday alleged in the Supreme Court that the state government destroyed stocks of alcoholic beverages worth Rs five crore in a "vindictive and arbitrary" manner in the past three days.

The manufacturers told a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra that it was "unfair" on the part of the state to destroy these stock as they had informed Bihar's counsel about the application filed by them in the apex court in the matter.

The counsel for the manufacturers told the apex court that some states like Telangana and Maharashtra had given them the permit to dispose the stock of alcohol lying in in their states.

" put an arbitrary condition that trucks carrying liquor will have to be fitted with GPS so that it can be tracked whether the trucks are going outside the state," the lawyer told the bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud.

The lawyer also argued that the plea filed by the manufacturers has virtually become infructuous as hardly any stock was left in Bihar now.

"Our application was filed in the court. We have informed the Bihar government's counsel that the matter would be taken by this court today but from last Friday till today, they have destroyed stock worth Rs five crore. This is a vindictive and arbitrary action by the state," the counsel said.

Advocate Keshav Mohan, appearing for Bihar, countered the allegations and said the apex court had earlier refused to extend the July 31 deadline for disposing of old stock of over 2.80 lakh bottles of alcoholic beverages outside the state.

He said no stay was granted by the court on the manufacturers' plea.

The bench also told the counsel for manufacturers that it would not extend the deadline any further.

The apex court, however, asked Bihar government to file an affidavit responding to the allegations levelled by the manufacturers.

The apex court had on July 31 dismissed a plea of liquor manufacturers from Bihar to extend the deadline for disposing of the old stock outside the state.

The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar had imposed a ban on liquor in the state from April 1 last year.

On October 7, 2016, the apex court had stayed the operation of the Patna High Court judgement quashing state's law banning sale and consumption of all types of liquor, saying liquor and fundamental rights "do not go together".

The Bihar government has challenged the high court verdict of September 30, 2016.

However, after the law was set aside, the Bihar government had come out with a new law banning sale and consumption of liquor which was notified on October 2, 2016.

It had notified the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016 to ensure that the ban on sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages including Indian Made Foreign Liquor as well spiced and domestic liquor, continued in the state.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today expressed optimism that his party BJP would win all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state and over 60 seats in the 81-member assembly in next polls.

Addressing the party's South Chhotanagpur Divisional Workers' Convention here, Das said "We have to break the record of the last elections."



BJP had won 12 Lok Sabha constituencies and 37 assembly seats in the elections held in 2014.

"The national party president (Amit Shah) is doing a lot of hard work, going everywhere and we should also work hard and take the party forward," Das said and asked the workers to take government schemes to the people.

The party should be strengthened at the booth level as wanted by Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two directors of a firm were today sent to ED custody for ten days in a money-laundering case related to alleged cheating of a large number of banks to the tune of Rs 2,240 crore.

The directors of the Surya Vinayak Industries Limited, Sanjay Jain and Rajiv Jain, were produced before Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Pandit who sent them to ED custody after the Enforcement Directorate said they were needed for further custodial interrogation.

The accused were arrested by the probe agency on August 22 and sent to three-day ED custodial by the court. Later, they were sent to judicial custody for three days.

The accused were recently granted bail in a separate CBI case related to the matter.

Advocate Nitesh Rana, appearing for ED, today sought 14-day custody and told the court that their interrogation was required to unearth the money trail.

The counsel said both the directors were not cooperating with the investigation and were required to be confronted with one another as well as with the incriminating documents.

It was alleged that the accused, along with two others, used more than 100 shell companies for routing and diverting the bank funds. The firm and the shell companies had no genuine business transactions, the agency alleged.

The company had allegedly diverted bank funds to the tune of Rs 2,240 crore, which resulted in loss to the consortium of banks. Over Rs 300 crore of working capital was also allegedly moved to six companies set abroad, the agency said.

The case was registered by the CBI on the complaint of Punjab National Bank (PNB) alleging that the accused were using over 100 shell companies for routing and diverting the bank funds.

In its complaint, the PNB had alleged that the company had diverted bank funds to the tune of Rs 2240 crore, which had resulted in loss to the consortium.

It had alleged that they had cheated 17 nationalised and four private banks. Later, ED also registered a case in this regard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Chhattisgarh government has set up a judicial commission to probe the death of large number of cowsat three state-aided cow shelters recently.

The single member commission, headed by retired District and Session Judge A K Samantray, will probe the sudden deaths of cows atShagun Gaushala in Rajpur village (Durg district), at PhoolchandGaushala in Godmarra village and Mayuri Gaushala in Rano village (Bemetara district), a General Administration Department (GAD) official here said today.

The panel would submit its report within three months of the issuance of a gazette notification on its constitution, he added.

The probe panel would focus on six points including how many livestock had died and reason behind their deaths; whether these incidents could have been averted and who all are guilty.

Also, what measures should be taken to improve management in cowsheds so that such incidents are not repeated in futureand reforms to be taken to make the system of registration, grant approval and monitoring of Gaushala more effective, he added.

TheCommission will also look into the measures required to ensure continuous systematic management in cowsheds and the necessary legal provisions required to enforcement of such measures, he added.

The Raman Singh government has come under sharp attack from the opposition Congress over death of cows in the three state-aided cow shelters.

While Shagun Gaushala was being run by BJP leader Harish Verma in Durg, the two others cowsheds were being operated by his close relatives.

According to the state officials, over 200 cows died in these cowsheds between August 16 to August 18 due to alleged "starvation and lack of care".

Five persons, including Verma, have been arrested in connection with the deaths. After the incident came to light, the state government had suspended nine personnel of the animal husbandry department, including two deputy directors.

The state government has also formed a cabinet sub- committee, comprising four state ministers, to review the arrangements at cow shelters across the state following these incidents.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kerala Coastal Police has registered a case against a cargo vessel, which allegedly hit a fishing boat off the Kollam coast on Saturday, it said here today.

The coastal police said they had registered the case against the vessel after recording the statements of the fishermen, who were on board the fishing boat.

The boat was hit by the cargo vessel, about 40 nautical miles from Kollam, in international waters.

In their statement, the fishermen said the ship, which they could not identify, had gone southwards after the incident.

The crew of the ship had been charged under IPC sections 280 (rash navigation of vessel) and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), the Kochi Coastal Police said.

All the six fishermen -- one Keralite and five from Tamil Nadu -- on board the boat were rescued by other boats nearby and brought to the shore safely.

The Navy had said the ship was "most likely" a Hong Kong-registered vessel and it would be asked to berth at a nearby Indian port for further investigations.

The ship is now in international waters.

"The ship involved has been identified most likely to be Ksl Ang Yang, registered at Hong Kong, and it is heading southwards," a Navy spokesperson had said yesterday.

The boat involved in the incident has also been brought to the Neendakara fishing harbour in Kollam district.

The incident came close on the heels of two fishermen being killed and 11 others getting injured when a Panama- registered cargo ship hit their fishing boat off the Kochi coast on June 11.

Kerala had also witnessed another fatal incident involving a foreign ship in February, 2012 when two fishermen from the state were shot dead by two Italian marines on board an oil tanker.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Tamil Nadu farmers protesting at Jantar Mantar here today blamed the centre and the ruling AIADMK for turning a "deaf ear" to their issues and threatened to eat flesh from human dead bodies if their demands were not met.

The farmers, who have been protesting in the national capital for the last 44th days, today bit human skulls and bones as a "mark of protest".

"Instead of solving issues of farmers, the people in the ruling party in the state are fighting for positions and the Centre has totally sidelined us," farmers' leader P Ayyakkannu alleged, adding that eating flesh from human dead bodies was their next form of protest.

"Today we have been pushed to eat bones and skulls and tomorrow we will not mind eating flesh from a human dead body if our demands are not met," he said.

The farmers also offered an open invitation to youngsters to join the protest "to protect future generations".

"This is not just for farmers, but to protect future generations. I request all the youngsters to join this protest for providing a better future for our kids," Ayyakkannu said.

The farmers are demanding farm loan waivers, crop insurance and the setting up of the Cauvery Management Board by the Centre among others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A series of five children books challenging the prevailing fundamental constructs of gender in the society was released at the New Zealand High Commission here today.

The books, by NGO and literary house 'Katha' in association with the High Commission's Head of Mission Fund (HOMF), are aimed at creating awareness about gender equality.

The launch attended by Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia, witnessed active participation from children and teachers from government schools.

Sisodia interacted with the children on the "universal" issue of educating girls and highlighted the role of a teacher in a child's life.

"It is encouraging to see how such story books help in sensitising children from the beginning. It is not that the issues that are discussed in these books are a subject of your society versus my society... They are universal and related to the humanity at large.

"The teacher has a remote control to all the menace we have related to gender issues in the society. They play a vital role in the overall development of the child. But they do not use this potential fully," he said.

One of the books titled, "Lachmi's War", elaborates on the importance of educating the girl child through the struggle the protagonist -- Lachmi.

Extending her support to the initiative, Joanna Kempkers, New Zealand High Commissioner to India, said while the issue of gender equality is universal, it varies in nature from one place to another.

"Not only does New Zealand have a proud tradition of producing some of the world's finest children's literature, we are also one of the top 10 countries for gender equality.

"It is a pleasure, therefore, for us to support an organisation like Katha that works to promote both children's literature and literacy as well as foster greater gender equality in the process," Kempkers said.

Other books in the series are titled, "Abba's Day", "Choo...Mantar", "One Magical Morning" and "One's Own Yet Different".

The books, available in both Hindi and English, will be distributed through libraries to children attending government schools and living in slums, as well as to students attending the Katha Lab School in Delhi.

"Around 90,000 children will directly benefit from this project," Katha's executive director Geeta Dharmarajan said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Chinese President Xi Jinping has appointed 63-year-old decorated General Li Zuocheng, a veteran of the Sino-Vietnamese war, as the new chief of the Joint Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The Chinese Defence Ministry did not directly announce Li's appointment, but simply identified him with his new designation during a meeting with Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan on Saturday.

He replaces Gen Fang Fenghui. The ministry didn't reveal which position Fang is transferred to.

Gen Li was awarded a first-class merit for his role in China's conflict with Vietnam in 1979. The Central Military Commission later honoured him as a "war hero". His combat unit was also awarded a collective order of merit.

Li has been seen as one of President Xi Jinping's rising stars since 2013, when he was named chief of the former Chengdu Military Region, which also looks after the border region with India. He was promoted to full general in 2015 and his new role is crucial to Xi's military reforms.

Xi has launched an overhaul of the military to shape the 2.3 million-strong PLA into a modern force that can "win and fight wars".

Li's promotion as the new military chief of staff demonstrates China's determination to improve the military's combat capability, Chinese analysts said.

President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, ordered PLA troops during the military parade, held in July, to uphold its combat effectiveness and modernise the national defence and armed forces.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
China has ordered the country's internet platforms to verify users' true identity before letting them post online content, the latest step by authorities to tighten policing of the web.

All social networking sites and discussion forums must "check the real identity" of their users before they can post online content and comments, under new regulations published yesterday by the Cyberspace Administration of China.

The platforms will also have to strengthen their oversight over all published information, deleting all illegal content while also alerting authorities to the postings.

The new guidelines take effect October 1.

China already had laws requiring companies to verify a user's identity but it was applied in a fragmented and incomplete way.

But forcing online posters to identify themselves - which will probably require scanning a government-issued ID as proof of identity - makes it much more difficult to post online anonymously.

China already tightly controls the internet aggressively blocking sites of which it disapproves and curbing politically sensitive online commentary, such as on criticism of the government.

The new regulation was adopted as part of a cybersecurity law that took effect in June, which bans internet users from publishing a wide variety of information.

That covers anything that damages "national honour", "disturbs economic or social order" or is aimed at "overthrowing the socialist system".

The law also requires online platforms to get a licence to post reports or commentary about the government, economy, military, foreign affairs, and social issues.

Since 2013, China has imposed prison sentences on users whose messages are deemed "defamatory".

But new restrictive measures have multiplied in recent months, ahead of the Communist Party's autumn congress during which President Xi Jinping is expected to be re-elected.

China has enforced new rules on what is permissible content, with content such as celebrity gossip blogs and online video streaming sites hit by the regulations.

The authorities have also stepped up efforts to clamp down on virtual private networks (VPN), software that allows people to circumvent the Great Firewall.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dozens of migrants fleeing from Border Patrol agents led authorities to a surprising discovery over the weekend: A tunnel under the US-Mexico border in San Diego used to bring Chinese nationals illegally into the United States.

Drug cartels have built hundreds of tunnels to move drugs into California.

But it's unusual to find such a large group of foreigners, especially from as far away as China, come out of an illegal border tunnel, Border Patrol agent Eduardo Olmos said.

Agents detained 23 Chinese nationals and seven Mexicans. "To say the least, this is definitely a significant event because of the amount of people," Olmos said.

Agents first spotted a large group of men and women on a San Diego street near the Otay Mesa border crossing at about 1 AM (local time) on Saturday.

When agents headed towards them, the migrants ran toward a hole in the ground near a border fence. The hole was covered with a few branches and a wooden ladder led down to an underground passageway to Mexico.

Olmos said he did not know the tunnel's length or dimensions. Agents captured 30 migrants, he said, but he did not know how many of those detained were grabbed while getting into the hole or whether any of them made it back into the tunnel and returned to Mexico.

Cartels have been sneaking drugs under the border for decades, especially after security was increased following the 9/11 attacks.

Many tunnels found by agents in San Diego have had lighting, ventilation and even railroad-type tracks so the drug cartels could efficiently move their loads into California. In Arizona, smugglers used to move migrants through storm drainage pipes that lie under the US-Mexico border.

Smugglers in San Diego occasionally moved a few people through narrow, quickly excavated tunnels that authorities call "gopher holes."



It was unclear how long the newest tunnel found had been there and how many may people have used it, but officials said it may have been built as an extension of a previously discovered incomplete tunnel found by Mexican authorities.

Most human smugglers have avoided building elaborate tunnels to move people because the trade was not as lucrative as smuggling drugs, said Mike Unzueta, the former head of investigations at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in San Diego.

Smugglers also wanted to avoid having their cargo the people they were moving expose their routes, like they did on Saturday.

But the event may indicate it has become profitable enough for them do so because Chinese nationals can pay up to USD 20,000 a person to be brought from their homeland to the United States, Unzueta said.

"You're making a higher profit margin with Chinese nationals versus Mexican nationals," Unzueta said.

Detentions of Chinese nationals crossing the border in the San Diego area has jumped from just four in 2013 to 48 in 2015 to 861 last year, Olmos said. So far 193 have been arrested since July 31 in the sector, including those apprehended over the weekend.

They are being held at a detention center while authorities review their cases, Olmos said. It was not known if a smuggler was among those detained.

US authorities plan to seal the tunnel with cement but will first map it to determine its path between the countries.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Unfair judgement awards by stock exchanges and market regulator SEBI and no refunds from scam cases like Sahara top the list of complaints received by the Centre, a government instituted study has said.

The pan-ministry study found that the bulk of the grievances related to the Department of Economic Affairs were on the National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) scam and significant losses due to the levy of Commodity Transaction Tax (CTT).

The study was conducted by the Quality Council of India for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, following recommendations of a Parliamentary committee.

It involved identification of top grievance categories and recommendation of systemic reforms.

"For the Department of Economic Affairs, the top most issue for the ministry revolved around investor woes concerned with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Commodity Markets issue, refund of scams and employee grievances, accounting for 25 per cent, 18 per cent,17 per cent and 8 per cent of the grievances," said the study, presented recently to Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh.

The study also cited "non-receipt of shares, dividend pay-outs or bonus shares", "unfair judgement awards by the stock exchanges and SEBI", "unauthorised and unlawful transaction by the brokers as trading members" and "unsatisfactory grievance redressal" as issues causing grievances with the market regulator.

"No refund has been received in scam cases like Sahara Ltd," the report said, highlighting "refunds of scams" as a major grievance causing issue.

The Department of Economic Affairs received 9,553 complaints from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2016. The study focused on the period from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, when 2,076 complaints were received. For its analysis, it used a sample size of 250 cases.

The Sahara case deals with alleged irregularities in raising over Rs 24,000 crore from more than three crore investors.

The NSEL -- which is now defunct -- suspended trading on July 31, 2013 after a major payment crisis broke out at the bourse. Subsequently, a number of regulators and enforcement agencies launched probes into the NSEL matter.

The CTT is levied on transactions done on the domestic commodity derivatives exchange.

The study also suggested certain priority systemic reforms to check grievances.

"With regards to grievance category non-refund scams like Sahara, was deprioritized for the reform recommendation exercise, as most of these cases are sub-judice," it said.

According to the report, SEBI has taken several steps to address investor grievances relating to dividends.

It has made it mandatory for the top 500 listed companies (in terms of market capitalisation) to have a dividend distribution policy which will broadly list the circumstances and financial parameters (internal and external) under which a shareholder may or may not expect a dividend.

"This policy will need to be disclosed in the annual reports and websites," it said.

The report suggested that transaction taxes across products be looked at in order to increase trading volumes in market. It also suggested provision for placement of a link directing users to grievance lodging portals like SEBI Complaint Redress System (SCORES) within Demat dashboard websites.

A total of 20 ministries/departments were selected for the study based on the number of grievances received by them from April 2012 to March 2016 through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) -- an online system for filing of complaints.

Of the total grievances, the highest number of 18,567 grievances were related to the Information and Broadcasting ministry.

Besides, 17,840 grievances were related to the Department of Financial Services (Insurance Division), 17,323 against the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 17,084 against the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and 16,047 against Consumer Affairs Ministry, the study said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The main opposition Congress today alleged that the TRS government in Telangana has turned the comprehensive land survey taken up by it into a "ruling party affair".

"Why only the TRS MLAs, MLCs and MPs are involved (at every stage in the land survey process) and not Opposition leaders? Is it a survey conducted by the Telangana government or the TRS party?" Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir told reporters here.

He said public representatives belonging to opposition parties should also be involved in the process.

"Why not involve the opposition parties in framing rules and regulations for the survey so that the process is foolproof and will be useful to expose the corruption and scams in the land allotments , if any," Shabbir said.

He said the then Congress government of Chief Minister K Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy had also conducted a comprehensive land survey in the entire undivided Andhra Pradesh during 1993-94.

A record 4.5 lakh acres of land held by the poor were regularised and 'patta pass books' (documents for title holding) were granted, he said.

"Many suspect that it was a survey just to target few politicians (both ruling and opposition) who were not in the good books of the government, and to arm twist them to toe the line of the TRS in the coming days and 2019 elections," he said.

The state government said it had taken up the land survey to put an end to disputes and to rectify errors.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Millennials of India and other nations cannot trust as yet to take decisions on their behalf and the most pressing national issues for them include corruption and inequality, a worldwide survey showed on Monday.

Besides, climate change is keeping them up at night as their biggest global concern for the third year in a row, showed the survey conducted by Geneva-based WEF (World Economic Forum).

More than 31,000 millennials, aged 18-35, from over 180 countries, including India, participated in the Global Shapers Annual Survey 2017 on technology, economy, values, career and governance, the WEF said in a statement.

It also said that over 78 per cent young people would welcome refugees in their own neighbourhood.

"Corruption, inequality and lack of career and economic opportunities are seen as the most pressing national issues by millennials around the globe," it stated.

Among other results, 74 per cent observed that technology is creating more jobs than it is destroying, but a majority of 51 per cent respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed when asked if they would trust decisions made by a robot on their behalf.

Showing that young people's enthusiasm for technology has limits, 44 per cent rejected the idea of having an implant in their skin to increase their capabilities.

Asked about whether they would support rights for humanoid robots, the most popular response was 'No' (50 per cent). The 'Yes' answer choice had only 14 per cent while 36 per cent chose 'Maybe'.

The US emerged as the top destination of young people looking to advance their career, followed by Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, Switzerland, France, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands.

A large majority of young people said they are willing to live outside their country of residence in order to find a job or advance their career (81 per cent). For the third year in a row, the United States remained on the top, found the survey, which was conducted between March 31 and June 30 this year.

On the most serious issues affecting the world, the maximum respondents said it was climate change, followed by large-scale conflict or war.

Also, a big majority said they "strongly agree" that humans are responsible for climate change, which has remained the top global issue for the third year on the trot.

More than half of the millennials believe that young people's views are ignored before important decisions are taken in their country.
The last rites of CRPF Jawan Ravindra B Dhanawade, who was among eight security personnel killed in a terrorist attack in Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, were conducted at his village Mohat in Jawli tehsil of Satara district in western Maharashtra tonight.

Head constable Dhanawade, who joined the Central Reserve Police Force in 2000, is survived by wife, two children and mother.

A pall of gloom descended on the village after the of Dhanawade's death came.

Eight security personnel, including four CRPF men, were killed when militants carried out a suicide attack on a district police complex in south Kashmir's Pulwama yesterday. The three terrorists were also killed in the massive gunfight.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Lower-order batsmen Pat Cummins and Ashton Agar helped Australia resist a persistent Bangladesh spin attack as the visitors took tea at 193-8 on day two of the opening Test, here today.

Cummins, on 25, and Agar, on 22, put on an unbeaten 49- run partnership for the ninth wicket but Australia still trail the hosts by 67 in their first innings.

Spinners Mehedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan struck crucial blows in the first two sessions to reduce the visitors to 144 -8.

The left-right batting combination of number nine Agar and number 10 Cummins frustrated the Bangladesh bowlers, forcing skipper Mushfiqur Rahim to rotate his options.

Cummins rode his luck after being dropped by Shafiul Islam on 11 at cover and later got a reprieve from the third umpire, who overturned a caught-behind call on 24.

The pair came together after Mehedi Hasan trapped Mathew Wade leg-before for five and Shakib had Glenn Maxwell stumped on 23 in the post-lunch session.

Mehedi and Shakib had taken three wickets in the morning session, including skipper Steve Smith for eight.

Off-spinner Mehedi bowled Smith, who added just five to his overnight score, in the third over of the morning after the tourists resumed on a precarious 18 for three.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 46-year-old Delhi Police head constable allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service revolver at the Delhi Cantonment police station, the police said today.

Pramod Kumar, who was posted in the malkhana (store room) of the police station, shot himself yesterday around 10.30 pm, said a senior police officer.

He left behind a suicide note in which he claimed personal problems as the reason behind the extreme step, the officer said.

The other police personnel present in the station rushed him to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries this evening, he added.

In the constable's suicide note, he said he was upset about not being able to keep his family happy.

Pramod is survived by his wife, who is also with the Delhi Police, and two children.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A special CBI court today sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail for rape of his two followers, holding he acted like a "wild beast" who did not even spare his own "pious" female disciples.

The court also said that Ram Rahim, 50, committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting "such gullible and blind followers" and that he did not deserve any leniency.

Judge Jagdeep Singh in his 9-page order pronounced two sentences of 10 years rigorous imprisonment in each of the two rapes that date back to 2002, three days after the conviction of the Dera chief that sparked violence leaving 38 dead and scores injured in Haryana.

Defence lawyer S K Garg Narwana told reporters that both the sentences will run "consecutively" for a total of 20 years in jail for the dera chief, who has millions of followers and counts politicians as well as celebrities as his friends. He said the orders will be challenged.

The judge also fined the 50-year-old flamboyant guru Rs 15 lakh in each of the two offences, of which Rs 14 lakh each would go to the two victims who were part of his sect and were allegedly coerced into having sex with him.

"Having due regard to the peculiar fact and circumstances of the case, the court is of the view that if acts of the convict in sexually exploiting his own female disciples and intimidating them of dire consequences is taken note of, then such kind of persons does not deserve any kind of leniency from the court," he said. "The convict did not even spare his own pious disciples and acted like a wild beast."



"Both the victims put the accused on the pedestal of God and revered him like that only. However, the convict comitted breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting such gullible and blind followers.

"Such criminal act of a particular individual/convict who is stated to be heading a religious organisation known as Dera Sachha Sauda is bound to shatter images of pious and sacred spiritual social cultural and religous institutions existing in the country since time immemorial," the judge said.

CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal also said that Ram Rahim will undergo a 10-year sentence in each of the two rape cases. The sentences will run consecutively and the total jail term is 20 years, he said in Delhi.

In another case of criminal intimidation (section 506 of IPC) the Dera chief has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment, Narwana said.

"In section 506 of IPC, his term will run concurrently," he said.

The defence counsel sought leniency while submitting that Dera chief was 50 years old and suffering from hyper-tension, acute diabetes and sever back-ache problem for last eight years. He also said that his client is into social work.

The CBI counsel told the court that the Dera chief had projected himself as a godman and took undue advantage of his position and committed the rapes.

"This is not an ordinary case but rarest of rare case which has larger implications for the entire society and accordingly the convict deserves maximum punishment," the counsel said.

Media reports said Ram Rahim broke down and begged for forgiveness with folded hands when the first sentence was passed. He then refused to leave the court room, in the jail library, said the reports.

On August 25, Ram Rahim was held guilty by the special CBI court of judge Jagdeep Singh in Panchkula, near Chandigarh.

The sexual exploitation case was registered against the Dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two 'sadhvis' (female followers) by Ram Rahim Singh.

The sentence was passed in a makeshift court inside the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, is lodged since last Friday after he was convicted. The special courtroom was set up on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The judge was brought to Rohtak by a helicopter from Chandigarh and landed at a helipad near the jail located on the outskirts of Rohtak.

There were no immediate reports of violence. At least 38 people were killed and hundreds injured on Friday in Haryana and Punjab, which had seen widespread violence by his followers after his conviction on Friday. Most of the dead were shot by police who had opened fire to quell the protests.

No untoward incident was reported from Sirsa after the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence, said a senior Haryana government official.

Speaking to reporters in Sirsa, IAS officer V Umashankar also said the district authorities had ordered attachment of the Sirsa-based Dera's accounts and compensation to those affected in the violence could be given from these.

"There was no report of any untoward incident and I hope that peace will be maintained," Umashankar said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed to the people, especially the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, to respect the sentence pronounced by the CBI court and help in maintaining peace in the state.

"No person is above the law and everybody should respect the verdict delivered by the court," he added.

A multi-layer security cordon manned by police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces was thrown in and around Rohtak and also around the jail. The Army has been kept on standby while all routes to the jail were sealed.

Haryana and Punjab remained on high alert with officials warning that violent miscreants will be shot at sight, describing the security situation as "challenging."



The CBI filed the chargesheet against the Dera head in Ambala court in July 2007 about five years after the registration of the rape case. The chargesheet mentions sexual exploitation of two 'Sadhvis' (women followers) between 1999 and 2001.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar summoned an emergency meeting today of top officials of the state after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted in a 2002 rape case, was sentenced to 10 years in jail, a senior official said.

Khattar also appealed to the people, especially Dera followers, to maintain peace, the official added.

"The chief minister summoned an emergency meet of the chief secretary, home secretary, Haryana DGP and other senior officials to take stock of the situation after the CBI court awarded the jail term to the Dera chief," the official said.

The conviction on Friday of the Dera head by a CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, triggered violent protests by Dera followers. At least 38 people were killed and 260 injured in Haryana, mostly in Panchkula.

To prevent any further trouble, CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh today pronounced the sentence in a makeshift court in Sunaria jail, where Ram Rahim, 50, had been lodged since his conviction.

CM Khattar said all possible arrangements had been taken to deal with "any situation that may arise" after the sentencing.

He directed the administration to deal strictly under the law with anyone found stirring up trouble or indulging in violence or arson.

Neighbouring Punjab has also been put on high alert, with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh closely monitoring the situation, officials said.

The Punjab CM will meet Punjab Governor and UT Chandigarh Administrator V P Singh Badnore later today to brief him about the situation in the state.

Punjab has been maintaining a vigil in sensitive districts falling in the Malwa region, including Bathinda, Sangrur, Moga and Patiala, where there is a sizable presence of Dera followers.

Schools and colleges stayed shut across Haryana and parts of Punjab today. Mobile Internet services will remain suspended in the two states till Tuesday.

Sensitive areas such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Kaithal, Patiala, Bathinda, Moga, Ferozepur and Malout in Haryana and Punjab are on high alert, the officials said.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court came down heavily on the Khattar government after Friday's large-scale violence.

Khattar was also attacked by the opposition, which accused him of failing to handle the situation.

Authorities in Haryana said they were braced up for any eventuality and would prevent a re-run of the events that broke out in Panchkula on Friday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eminent economist and Nobel Laureate, Muhammad Yunus today asked management students to design a banking system that would benefit all particularly the poorer section of the society.

Taking part in an interactive session at XLRI - Xavier School of Management (XLRI) here, Yunus said such a system was required to address poverty.

The seed of poverty prevailed in the system and we have to break it by reversing the system, he said while asking the future managers to build a road to reach the destination.

The banks are for rich people as it remained for the privileged class, he said adding that more than half of the world population has nothing to do with the banking and it was not only in Bangladesh but globally.

Bank does not exist for them (poorer class) but privileged class, he said.

Highlighting the difficulties at every step he worked for the welfare of the poor class in his country, Yunus talked about businesses as a medium for solving problems and reducing the disparity between the various economic sections of the society.

He went on to talk about the problems encountered in his crusade against loan-sharks and his commitment to serve the destitute who lacked access to basic financial services.

Yunus illustrated the progress that societies can make through entrepreneurship by citing various examples from different parts of the world.

He also highlighted the difference between helping through charity and helping through businesses which make money and ensure sustainable progress of the downtrodden sections of the society and advocated the latter.

The founder of Gramin Bank said, "Create businesses to solve problems, not to generate money. The problem is not in the paper, but in the thinking. One does not have to change the world, just one person to begin with."



Yunus was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for founding the Gramin Bank and pioneering the concepts of micro-credit and micro-finance.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hitting back at rebel AIADMK leader Dhinakaran, a meeting chaired by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami today said he was sacked from the post of deputy general secretary on August 10 itself and changes made by him in the party posts were invalid.

Dhinakaran had "no authority or qualification" to remove those appointed by late AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa from party posts and his announcements in this regard were not binding on party affairs, a resolution adopted at the meeting said.

The meeting, attended by Ministers, MLAs and senior functionaries, also adopted a resolution to soon convene a general council meeting that could pave the way for jailed party chief VK Sasikala's ouster.

Dhinakaran, who is nephew of Sasikala, claims the support of 21 MLAs and is demanding removal of Palaniswami as CM since the merger of two factions led by Palaniswami and rebel leader O Panneerselvam on August 21.

He has also been trying to reassert his position, effecting changes in the party office-bearers, especially district secretaries, a key post in the Dravidian party's hierarchy, bringing in his supporters.

Incidentally, Dhinakaran had yesterday announced removal of Palaiswami as the party's Salem District Secretary.

The Dhinakaran camp pooh-poohed today's resolutions, saying only the party's general secretary had the authority to convene the general council, the party's decision-making body.

It also claimed they were not invited for the meeting held at the AIADMK headquarters and attended among others by Deputy Chief Minister and party co-ordinator O Panneerselvam.

The first of the four resolutions adopted at the meeting said Dhinakaran had been "removed" as deputy general secretary on August 10, 2017 at the then meeting headed by Palaniswami.

Dhinakaran being appointed as deputy general secretary by Sasikala before proceeding to a Bengaluru jail (in February) to serve her term in a disproportionate assets case, was not authorised by relevant party bye-laws, it said.

Further, the Election Commission had also not accepted his appointment and these had been explained to Dhinakaran by "functionaries appointed by 'Amma' (Jayalalithaa)," it said.

They had made it clear to him that he cannot be appointed to any party post, the resolution said.

"With the Election Commission so far not recognising V K Sasikala's appointment as general secretary, which was done as an interim measure, appointment of Dhinakaran as deputy general secretary by her and his getting involved in party affairs is against party laws," it said.

Those appointed by Jayalalithaa, as well as elected through organisational polls, will continue in their respective positions, it said.

The resolution on convening the general council said it was being done on demands from party functionaries and General Council members.

"It is being resolved to convene the General Council and Executive very soon," it said without making any explicit reference to Sasikala, whose removal was a key demand of the faction led Panneerselvam ahead of the merger.

On the day of merger, the party's Rajya Sabha MP R Vaithilingam had said steps will be taken for the removal of Sasikala, close aide of Jayalalithaa.

Today's meeting also decided to initiate legal steps to ensure that party-backed media "Namathu Dr MGR" and "Jaya TV" "continued to hail" Jayalalithaa, seen as an attempt to wrest control of them from the Dhinakaran camp.

"Jaya TV and the daily were launched following efforts of Jayalalithaa and the contribution of lakhs of party workers and therefore they are our party's assets," it said.

Since the confrontation between Palaniswami and Dhinakaran, the two media arms have openly sided with the Sasikala camp.

Another resolution said it has been resolved to strive hard to "protect" the party and its government.

The meeting saw absence of some of the AIADMK MLAs and MPs, besides 21 of the legislators supporting Dhinakaran.

Asked about this, party sources said some of the MPs were members of parliamentary standing committees and hence could be in other states as part of their work.

They, however, claimed most of the MLAs were present.

It was not clear how many MLAs and MPs attended the meeting, chaired by Palaniswami to discuss the way forward to tackle internal crisis in AIADMK which has 134 MLAs in the 234-member state Assembly with one vacancy.

The pro-Dhinakaran MLAs are camping in the neighbouring Union territory of Puducherry since meeting Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and expressing lack of confidence in the chief minister on August 22.

Meanwhile, sources in the unified AIADMK said a team of ministers might approach the Election Commission to withdraw the affidavits filed in favour of Sasikala by the Palaniswami camp before the merger.

They might leave for Delhi soon, accompanied by aides of Pannnerselvam, they added.

The erstwhile Panneerselvam faction had earlier approached the EC against Sasikala's appointment as party chief on December 29 last year following Jayalalithaa's death.

Making light to today's meeting, key rebel camp member and MLA Thangatamilselvan said the party's general secretary alone had the authority to convene the general council.

Since the party chief was now in jail, only Dhinakaran can do so, he told reporters in Puducherry.

The 21 MLAs and district secretaries supporting Dhinkaran were ready to attend today's meeting but were not invited, he claimed.

There was no change in their demand for changing the chief minister, he added.

He also said two media arms of AIADMK were "private properties" and cannot be taken over by the Palaniswami camp.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Commerce and Industry Ministry today released the next edition of its consolidated FDI policy document, incorporating all the changes made over the past year.

The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) said the new "circular will take effect" from today.

The consolidated policy is a compilation of the various decisions taken by the government in the past one year.

The DIPP, which deals with FDI related matters, compiles all policies related to foreign investment regime into a single document to make it simple and easy for investors to understand.

Investors would otherwise have to go through various press notes issued by the department, and the RBI regulations to understand the policy. The government updates the policy every year.

The whole exercise is aimed at providing an investor friendly climate to foreign players and, in turn, attract more FDI to boost economic growth and create jobs.

During the last one year, the government has liberalised FDI policy in over a dozen sectors, including defence, civil aviation, construction and development, private security agencies and broadcasting.

Foreign investments are considered crucial for India, which needs around USD 1 trillion for overhauling its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth.

Foreign investments will help improve the country's balance of payments situation and strengthen the rupee value against other global currencies, especially the US dollar.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A landslide at a gold mine in central Burkina Faso that followed heavy rains has killed eight people, local authorities say.

The accident happened on Saturday at Nagrire, "leaving eight people dead and five slightly injured," said Bernard Bouda, mayor of nearby Gogo commune yesterday, who travelled to the scene of the tragedy.

The dead were buried on the spot and the wounded taken to hospital in Gogo, a local judicial source said.

The landslide came after heavy rains in the region in recent days, which burst a dyke in the area, the source added.

Such deadly landslides are frequent and the Burkinabe authorities struggle to control gold prospecting in the area, which is carried out by 1.2 million people according to official figures.

Gold is one of the main exports of the landlocked state in west Africa's arid Sahel region.

Child miners have also become a growing problem in Burkina Faso, where 60 percent of the population is under 25.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 20-year-old engineering student allegedly committed suicide at his residence in Borivali, police said today.

Yash Salaskar, a second year engineering student took the extreme step by hanging himself from a fan on August 26, said Satish Raorane, senior police inspector of Kasturba Marg police station.

Yash, son of a school teacher, was alone in the flat when he ended his life, Raorane said.

A suicide note purportedly written by Yash was found from the spot, the officer added.

According to police, the suicide note says, "Bury me, don't cremate me, I don't blame anybody for my suicide".

The exact reason for his suicide is yet to be ascertained. But, we are verifying various angles, another official said.

Asked whether the student was victim of 'Blue Whale' online suicide game which was discussed in the area, the official said, "We don't have that information."



A case has been registered and a probe is on, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A farmer died of electrocution



after he came in contact with an electric fencing near his fields in Pusgawan village in the Bilsi area, the police said today.

Sukhvir (40) died last night when he came in contact with the electric fencing that was erected by a man to prevent animals entering his fields, they said.

The matter came to fore this morning when Sukhvir's body was spotted in the fields, police said.

An FIR has been lodged against two persons in this regard, they added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Kerala government has directed the Health department to conduct an inquiry into reports about the alleged prevalence of primitive female genital mutilation practise in the state.

Health minister K K Shylaja directed the Health Director to conduct an urgent preliminary inquiry into the matter.

The inquiry was ordered in the wake of recent media reports that 'chela karmam', the practice of removing the genital skin of girl children, is conducted in some medical clinics in Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram districts.

According to media reports, such centres facilitate the altering or injuring of female genital organs by ritual cutting or removing the skin for non-medical reasons.

"The report was really shocking. The practise is not only primitive and superstitious but also an insult to the womanhood," Shylaja told PTI.

The minister said the department would do all possible steps to check such practises, if it was found to have been existed in the state.

"We will hand over the inquiry report to the Home Department for further action," she said.

Following the media reports, the activists of Youth League, the youth wing of Indian Union Muslim League, took out a march to one such clinic in Kozhikode, where the illegal practise was allegedly carried out, and forced closure of it yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A German male nurse jailed for life two years ago for killing two patients with lethal drug overdoses is now a suspect in at least 84 more murders, police said today.

Niels Hoegel, 40, was jailed in February 2015 for two murders of intensive-care patients at the Delmenhorst hospital near the northern city of Bremen.

Police said today that investigators exhuming and analysing more bodies had so far found evidence of "84 more murders", which would make him one of Germany's worst ever serial killers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government today briefed the opposition leaders on the easing of Dokalam border standoff with China with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj speaking to former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders.

The Congress, on its part, welcomed and supported the understanding between India and China to de-escalate the border tension at Dokalam in the Sikkim sector.

Sources said Swaraj called up Singh and Gandhi, besides Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and deputy leader Anand Sharma.

Sources said Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar also called up Sharma separately and informed him about the current status and the easing of border tensions at Dokalam.

Sharma confirmed that the government has briefed Congress leaders about the Dokalam standoff ahead of the BRICS summit.

"This understanding that has been reached is a positive development which we support," Sharma said.

Asked about the development at the AICC briefing, party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said this is a matter of national security but one should not go into a rejoicing mode.

"There would be nobody happier than my party, than me, if what has just been stated by you, is not the momentary truth but the stable longer term or at least medium truth.

"However, just like we should not go into panic mode as soon as something happens, we should not go into rejoicing mode the moment it is received," he said.

"I can only join you with the entire nation in hoping that this information which is coming is at least medium, if not long term true, stable and comprehensive and that unfortunately other conflicting information coming is untrue," he added.

He said both countries should engage to find a permanent solution in the light of the 2012 agreement between India- Bhutan and China about the location of the trilateral junction.

"There must be an agreement to maintain the status quo until a resolution which is acceptable to all," he said.

Sharma, who is a former minister, said it is important that both the countries being strategic partners, neighbours and large developing countries work with sincerity guided by the principles and parameters of 2005 agreement between the two prime ministers on the border issues.

Swaraj is also learnt to have talked to other opposition leaders, informing them about the development. CPI leader D Raja welcomed India and China agreeing to "expeditious disengagement" of troops, saying the move "is in the interest of the two countries".

India and China have almost completed the disengagement of border personnel at Dokalam, in a major diplomatic breakthrough that came a week before the BRICS summit in China which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government today reached out to Australian investors, asking them to avail of benefits of growing business opportunities in the country.

A delegation led by Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia, Keith Pitt called on Steel Minister Birender Singh today, the Ministry of Steel said in a statement.

The minister apprised the delegation of the National Steel Policy and the initiatives being implemented by the government. He "invited the Australian government and businesses to be part of the ambitious growth and development opportunities available in India", the statement read.

The 'New India' provided ample scope for strengthening bilateral relations through investments, technology transfer and knowledge sharing, the minister emphasised.

He, however, flagged concerns of the Indian steel industry such as wide fluctuations in price of coking coal imported from Australia and the disadvantage to steel exporters caused by concessional tariffs for other countries, the ministry said.

Pitt, on his part, said Australia is also keen on widening the scope of ties from natural resources to technology sharing and knowledge exchange, according to the statement.

"Australian investors are excited to witness growth and potential of business in India... Australia would be happy to help in sharing its expertise in extracting resources efficiently," he was quoted as saying.

Both sides agreed to take the discussions further to work on areas of mutual interest and find avenues for collaboration and cooperation.

The meeting was attended by Deputy High Commissioner to India Chris Elstoft, Steel Secretary Aruna Sharma and other senior officials from Australia and India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today distributed tables to students of Saurashtra University and gas kits to women in two separate functions organised here.

Rupani distributed tables, with market price of Rs 7,000, to nearly 15,000 students of the university at a nominal rate of Rs 1,000.

In another function, the CM distributed gas kit to 10,236 beneficiaries.

"The state government understands the problems faced by poor people. In the past 70 years, no such concrete step was taken by the Congress for the upliftment of the poor," said Rupani.

"But the BJP government at the Centre and in the state are concerned about the upliftment of the poor and have launched various schemes for them," he added.

"The state government launched 'Annapurna' scheme under which poor people engaged in labour work can get meal by paying Rs 10. The state government has covered around 42 lakh families under 'Amrutam Vatsalya Yojna' under which the beneficiaries can get medical treatment at affordable price," Rupani said.

The CM also said that the "Jan Aushadhi Kendra network has been expanded to provide expensive medicines at cheaper rate to the people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Gaza head of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas said today it had increased its military capabilities thanks to newly improved relations with Iran.

In a rare meeting with a small number of journalists, Yahya al-Sinwar said Iran was "the biggest supporter" of Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

Hamas, Sinwar said in response to an AFP question, was "developing our military strength in order to liberate Palestine", but he also stressed that the movement did not seek war.

Hamas has run Gaza since 2007 and received Iranian financial and military support for years before it was reduced following a falling out over the Syrian civil war.

Sinwar said relations with Tehran had improved in recent months, with a delegation visiting Tehran.

"The Iranian military support to Hamas and al-Qassam is strategic," he added, saying the relationship had "become fantastic and returned to its former era".

"Every day we build missiles and continue military training," he added, saying that thousands of people are working "day and night" to prepare for the next conflict.

However, he stressed that the movement "doesn't want a war and takes every effort to avoid a war".

"At the same time we are not afraid of a war and are ready for it."



The Islamist movement has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, most recently in 2014.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
American cult-bike manufacturer Harley-Davidson today named Peter MacKenzie as Managing Director of its Indian operations.

MacKenzie will assume the role with immediate effect in addition to his current role as managing director for Greater China, the company said in a statement.

MacKenzie will continue to be based in Shanghai while Harley-Davidson India Country Manager Manish Agarwal will be providing him support on a day-to-day basis, it added.

In his new role, MacKenzie will manage Harley-Davidson India's leadership team responsible for in-country sales, dealer network management, marketing, service and operations activities to expand the company's presence in the country.

Commenting on the appointment, Harley-Davidson Vice President and Managing Director, International Markets Marc McAllister said MacKenzie would provide strong leadership to grow reach and impact of the brand, as the company expands dealership network in India.

"India is a strategic market for us in line with our company strategy to build the next generation of Harley- Davidson riders globally," McAllister added.

MacKenzie joined Harley-Davidson in 2010 and has 25 years of experience.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana and Punjab were on high alert today ahead of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's sentencing, as officials warned that violent miscreants will be shot at sight, and described the security situation as "challenging."



A multi-layer security cordon manned by police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces has been thrown in and around Rohtak and also around the Sunaria Jail where the sect leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is lodged. The Army has been kept on standby.

CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh will be flown to Rohtak where he will pronounce the sentence in the jail, expected to be handed out at around 2:30 pm.

Authorities are geared up to prevent a repeat of the mayhem on Friday by the followers of the 50-year-old sect chief after he was convicted of rape. The violence claimed 32 lives in Panchkula and six in Sirsa, besides leaving over 260 injured. Most of the dead were shot dead by police trying to quell the protesters who set fire to many vehicles and buildings.

Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Atul Kumar said police will not hesitate to open fire again at those spreading violence.

"It is a challenging situation, but we are prepared", Kumar told reporters.

"We are prepared to deal with any unscrupulous element who may try to create trouble ... If there is any such element who indulges in any act of violence endangering innocent lives, if he does not pay heed to warnings then shoot-at-sight will be used against him. Action will be taken as the situation demands," he asserted.

He said the Rohtak administration and security personnel were dealing with a "dynamic and challenging situation".

"We have clarity of thought, we are not confused. If we feel any person is endangering lives of innocent people and is causing damage to property, then shoot-at-sight will be used (to deal in such a situation)," he said.

Haryana DGP B S Sandhu also said that "maintaining law and order is the top priority for the Haryana Police today.".

A special court room has been made within the Sunaria jail, Rohtak Range IG, Navdeep Singh Virk said.

"The judge will be flown in by a special helicopter and will land in the helipad near the Sunaria jail" on the outskirts of Rohtak city, Virk said.

He said the Haryana Police was fully geared to deal with any situation and police from neighbouring districts too has been deployed.

"We have also been provided 23 companies of paramilitary forces by the Central government. We have sufficient forces and we have deployed them. We are on our toes 24x7 and we are 100 per cent certain that there will be no untoward incident," he said, adding the Army, however, will be on standby.

He said it will be ensured that no Dera follower is allowed to enter Rohtak district or come near the jail.

"For that we have set up special barricades across the entire Rohtak district," he said.

The police have sealed 10 congregation centres of the Dera in Rohtak police range. In all, 103 such centres have been searched across Haryana. A sedition case has been filed against two close aides of the sect head after the violence in Panchkula on Friday.

Appealing to the people not to enter the district without any specific and urgent reason, Kumar, the Rohtak DC, said every person entering Rohtak was being checked.

If during checking, any person fails to produce proof of identity or specify reason for visiting the district, then he would be taken into custody, he said.

He said prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), prohibiting assembly of five or more persons, and carrying of firearms and other weapons, were already in place in the district.

All routes to the Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where the sect chief has been lodged, have been sealed.

The Dera head wields considerable political influence and counts political leaders from various parties among his fans, particularly during elections because of the vote bank he controls.

He has lakhs of followers in northern India. Enraged by his conviction, which took place in Panchkula on Friday, the followers who had camped there for days went on a rampage, at first attacking media crews and their vehicles.

Police said a designated place has been earmarked for the media today to allow them to cover the court proceedings today. However, they will not be allowed into the special court in the jail where the sentencing will take place.

Sirsa, the sect headquarters, meanwhile continues to be under curfew.

Police have registered 52 cases in connection with Friday's violence which left a trail of destruction, particularly in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, and arrested 926 people.

As a precautionary measure, schools and other educational institutions will remain shut in Haryana today while these will also remain closed in sensitive districts in Punjab.

In Haryana, curfew now remains clamped in Sirsa only, and has been lifted from other places including Panchkula and Kaithal.

Train operations in Punjab and Haryana, severely affected by violence in two states, have been restored, except for the Delhi-Rohtak-Bathinda section, a railway ministry statement said in New Delhi.

The security clearance for the section is awaited from state authorities, it said.

Mobile Internet services will remain suspended in Haryana and Punjab till 11:30 am on Tuesday. Internet leased lines on the premises of the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa will also be suspended till then, officials said.

At many sensitive places in Punjab too, security forces conducted flag marches and kept a tight vigil in sensitive areas.

Punjab was maintaining a vigil in sensitive districts falling in the Malwa region including Bathinda, Sangrur, Moga and Patiala, where there is sizeable presence of Dera followers.

Meanwhile, authorities in Punjab and Haryana have started identifying movable and immovable assets of the cult on the directions of the high court, officials said.

Banks have been asked to provide details of accounts of the dera.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the two states to submit by Tuesday a list of dera's properties and assets which can be attached in case it is found that they were responsible for property damage after Singh's conviction.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Madras High Court today issued a notice to the Tamil Nadu government on a petition against installation of a statue of late chief minister Jayalalithaa in Kancheepuram.

The division bench comprising Justices M Sathyanarayanan and N Seshasayee issued the notice on a petition by one Gothandan.

The petitioner's counsel submitted that erection of the statue inside Kancheepuram municipality was in violation of a government order of 1998.

According to the order, prior permission is needed for putting up a statue. However, in this case it was not done, he claimed.

Gothandan, who claims to be a social activist, referred to a recent newspaper report which stated that Jayalalithaa's statue would be installed in the municipality premises at Kancheepuram on August 30 in the wake of year-long birth centenary celebrations of late M G Ramachandran (former chief minister).

The petitioner submitted that a person convicted for corruption would be made a "memorable person" by seeking to install her statue in a public office.

Jayalalithaa was convicted in 2014 in a disproportionate assets case by a special court in Bengaluru, along with close aide V K Sasikala and two others, and sentenced to four years of simple imprisonment.

On an appeal, the Karnataka High Court had acquitted her, which was, however, overturned by the Supreme Court.

The petitioner said he had made a representation on August 20 to the authorities, requesting them to drop the idea of installing the statue.

Hence, he sought a court direction to the authorities to act on his representation not to install the statue.

It may be recalled that a writ petition seeking removal of Jayalalithaa's portraits from public offices is pending with the Madras High Court.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court today sought the response of the Centre and the AAP government on a plea by the Assembly Speaker seeking to vacate a stay on breach of privilege proceedings against the PWD secretary for allegedly misleading a house panel on the issue of de-silting of drains.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar also issued notice to the office of Lieutenant Governor, PWD secretary Ashwani Kumar and the legislative assembly's Committee of Privileges (CoP) which had initiated proceedings against the bureaucrat.

Senior advocate P Chidambaram, appearing for Speaker Ram Niwas Goyal, argued that the Speaker's powers cannot be challenged in a court of law and the high court's order staying the breach of privilege proceedings initiated by CoP should be vacated.

He said the question is that legislature's proceedings cannot be interfered by the high court and submitted that the matter involved two branches of the state which must be resolved.

He sought an early hearing in the matter which was listed for November 8.

The bench listed the Speaker's plea as well as the main petition for further hearing on October 24.

Advocate Sanjay Jain, appearing for the LG, opposed the plea saying no case for expeditious hearing was made out and there were other pending matters also before the court.

Advocate Vivek Chib, who appeared for Kumar, said the Speaker has not yet filed a reply on his main petition.

On July 31, the bench had also put on hold the panel's notice to the bureaucrat asking him to remain present for the proceedings before the CoP.

The bench had issued interim orders and said that on prima facie reading of the Conduct of Business Rules of the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory, a panel of the House would be precluded from taking action in any matter which was being looked into by a court of law.

In the instant case, the entire issue of de-silting of drains was pending consideration before the high court, it had noted.

The court had also issued notice to the Centre, the Delhi government and the office of Lt Governor on Kumar's plea.

Kumar, the Principal Secretary of Public Works Department (PWD) and the Vigilance Commission, has challenged the proceedings of breach of privilege initiated against him by the CoP on the ground that it was "without jurisdiction, malafide and wholly erroneous".

The CoP examines notices of privileges and contempt of the House as referred to it by the Speaker.

In this case, the breach of privilege proceedings were initiated against Kumar for allegedly misleading the committee on petitions which was looking into a complaint claiming failure of the PWD and the municipal corporations in de- silting the drains in east Delhi's Pandav Nagar.

His counsel had argued that as the issue of de-silting was being monitored by the high court, the Committee on Petitions could not have gone into it.

Kumar, in his plea, has also challenged the Committee on Petitions' June 29 report that there was misrepresentation of facts before it.

The Assembly on July 3 had passed a resolution accepting its report and referring the issue of misleading of the panel to the CoP.

Thereafter, on July 28, the CoP had issued a notice of meeting to the petitioner to appear before it on July 31.

Kumar has challenged all the orders starting from referring of the complaint to the Committee on Petitions till the notice of July 28 seeking his presence before the CoP, saying all of them were "without jurisdiction and motivated by malafide considerations".

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court today sought response of the Centre on a PIL challenging the acquisition of over 300 Waqf properties in the national capital by the Centre.

A bench of Acting Chief Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to the Lieutenant Governor, the AAP government and the Delhi Waqf Board on a plea which sought to restore the possession of Waqf properties which were allegedly taken over by the government without paying any compensation.

The bench directed authorities concerned to file status report before the next date of hearing, December 11.

The petitioner, advocate Shahid Ali, said the intentions of officials concerned of the Centre are malafide, contrary to the principles of natural justice and violative of the fundamental rights of citizens.

The plea said that when any land is acquired by the government, an applicable compensation is paid to the owner.

In this case, the Waqf land "is vested with God and no compensation can be made to the God" and hence, no acquirement can be made, it claimed.

"Allotment of Waqf land by the government to any person or institution or even acquirement of thereof is void under section 51 of Waqf Act 1995 which provided that any lease or any immovable property which is Waqf property, shall be void unless such lease is effective with the prior sanction of board," the plea said.

"Issue a writ of mandamus or any other or further writ order or direction thereby cancelling/ quashing of awards, by virtue of which 48 Waqf properties in district north, 165 Waqf properties in District South, 32 Waqf properties in District West, 24 Waqf properties in District New Delhi, 11 Waqf properties in District East, 40 Waqf properties in District South-East, 5 Waqf properties in District North-West, 8 Waqf properties in District Shahdra and 28 Waqf properties in District South-West were acquired by the government/UOI...

"...And further for restoring the possession of such Waqf properties in favour of Delhi Waqf Board, of which the possession has been acquired by the government," the plea said.

Earlier, the high court had on August 8, asked the AAP government and other agencies to enforce the pending eviction orders against encroachers of 990 Waqf properties in the national capital.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
High salt consumption may double the risk of heart failure, a 12-year-long study warns.

Researchers at National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland found that people who consumed more than 13.7 grammes of salt daily had a two times higher risk of heart failure compared to those consuming less than 6.8 grammes.

High salt intake markedly increases the risk of heart failure. This salt-related increase in heart failure risk was independent of blood pressure, researchers said.

"High salt (sodium chloride) intake is one of the major causes of high blood pressure and an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke," said Pekka Jousilahti, research professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare.

Researchers studied 4,630 randomly selected men and women aged 25 to 64 years.

Baseline data collection included a self-administered questionnaire on health behaviour, measurements of weight, height and blood pressure, a venous blood sample for laboratory analysis, and collection of a 24 hour urine sample.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum of five grammes per day of salt intake and the physiological need is two to three grammes per day.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The University Grants Commission (UGC) today told the Delhi Commission of Women (DCW) that Hindu college authorities have to resolve on their own the issue of charging of higher fee at the girls hostel.

According to a DCW statement, the Executive Secretary of the UGC, P K Thakore, today appeared before the DCW following summons issued by the latter on the issue.

Thakore told commission chairperson Swati Maliwal that the issue is related to the college authorities and they will have to solve it on their own as "UGC has no role in this matter", the statement said.

Maliwal said the fees of the boys hostel is much lower than that of the girls hostel. The girls are facing the brunt due to this "discrimination", which is not acceptable, according to the statement.

The Commission had summoned the UGC executive secretary over higher fee in girls' hostel than boys' hostel and other "discriminatory" rules in Hindu College.

Also many colleges do not have girls' hostel due to lack of funds and grants of many other colleges are stuck with the UGC, the commission alleged in a statement.

The DCW has written several letters to the UGC on all these issues.

The commission had written a letter to the UGC on February 8. The commission had urged the UGC to take action on all pending proposals of educational institutions so that more girls' hostels could be constructed and the girls could get education in a safe and secure environment.

The Commission had also written a letter to HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on this issue and had appealed them to resolve the issue of charging higher fees in the girl's hostel.

Taking action on the Commission's letter, the HRD ministry has asked the UGC to send a report on this issue to the ministry, the statement said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Oil Exploration Co Ltd (HOEC) has started commercial sale of natural gas from its Assam fields, where production is planned to nearly double by this fiscal, its CEO P Elango said today.

HOEC has started selling 10 million standard cubic feet per day of gas from the Dirok field in Tinsukia district of Assam to Brahmaputra Cracker and Polymer Ltd, he told PTI.

"The price realised is government mandated USD 2.48 per million British thermal unit," he said.

The government, in May 2015, had approved a USD 82 million field development plan (FDP) for Dirok. The FDP envisaged re-entry and completion of three existing wells and drilling of one more well, along with a 25-km pipeline and a gas processing plant.

However, the rest of the new wells drilled were encouraging and the company got approval for drilling two additional wells.

"The FDP envisaged a peak production of 20 mmscfd, but with the six wells we plan to hit 36 mmscfd, which is equivalent to 1 million standard cubic metre per day, by the end of the current fiscal," he said.

Production from Dirok will be over 12 per cent of total gas production in Assam. About 8 mmscmd of gas is produced in Assam currently.

"The field gas has a production profile of 15 years," he said.

Dirok field has been developed in a record 27 months by the joint venture consisting of Oil India, Indian Oil Corporation and HOEC.

HOEC is the operator with 28 per cent stake.

"The initial production to be about 10 mmscfd is restricted by the capacity of the pipeline (carrying gas to the OIL facility) and will be ramped up to full capacity over the next six months with the commissioning of Modular Gas Processing Plant (MGPP)," he said.

Oil India buys the gas at the price fixed by the government while IOC will buy 1,000 barrels per day of condensate to be produced from the field.

"We are building facilities that can deliver 36 million standard cubic feet of gas and over 1,000 barrels of condensate per day, nearly doubling our initial estimated volume of 20 mmscfd stated in the approved Field Development Plan (FDP)," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
More than 130 people have been hospitalised in the UK after they complained of breathing difficulties following a suspected chemical leak along the country's south-east East Sussex coast.

Birling Gap beach had to be evacuated yesterday after people reported breathing difficulties, stinging eyes and vomiting when a mystery "mist" appeared.

"This seems to have been caused by an unknown haze coming in from the sea, but the source has not yet been established. Emergency services are treating people at Birling Gap and clearing the area," Sussex Police said, confirming that they were investigating the cause of the incident.

"People living along the coast in the area have been advised to keep doors and windows shut and to move away from the Birling Gap area in particular," police said.

Police also issued a warning that the "plume of gas" appears to be shifting eastwards towards Hastings.

The "mist" is believed to have come in from the sea, with previous incidents involving something coming over from an industrial unit in France.

By last mist,233 patients had been treated at Eastbourne District General Hospital where they were being "decontaminated on site" by hospital staff.

Officials said the effects, while uncomfortable, were not serious, and East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said it was "extremely unlikely" the substance involved was chlorine.

"BirlingGapsome weird gas leak. People crying. Ambulances called. Don't go toBirlingGapat the moment," Sameer Jadhav, an Indian-origin, holidaymaker tweeted.

Kyle Crickmore, who was at the Birling Gap beach with his family, said it emptied in 10 minutes after people began to feel unwell.

He described how a "foggy haze rolled in out of nowhere" and there was a "strong smell of chlorine in the air".

"It was definitely out of the ordinary considering it was a nice, clear, sunny day 10 minutes beforehand," he told the BBC.

Thousands of people are expected to head to the coast again today, which is a UK-wide holiday.

The beaches in East Sussex are open as normal and there were no officers at the scene by today.

"We need to find out the cause, where did this come from, and to make sure that steps are taken so that it does not happen again. I have not heard of it happening before in this area" said Eastbourne councillor Kathy Ballard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and China have almost completed the disengagement of border personnel at Dokalam, in a major diplomatic breakthrough which came a week before the BRICS summit in China which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today announced that both the countries agreed to an "expeditious disengagement" at the face-off site in Dokalam following diplomatic communications.

In response to a question later in the evening, the MEA said the process of disengagement had almost been completed under verification, reflecting an end to the nearly two-and- half-month long standoff.

"This process has since been almost completed under verification," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, referring to the disengagement.

In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, however, sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel the impression of a climbdown by China.

The official, while stonewalling questions about India's announcement of the mutual disengagement of troops, claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area.

Troops of the two countries had been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the disputed area.

India had deployed about 350 Army personnel in the area.

Sources in the Army said it had disengaged, implying that its troops had been withdrawn.

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Dokalam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests," the MEA said.

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Dokalam has been agreed to and is on-going," it said in a statement earlier in the day.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "On the afternoon on August 28th, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary".

Hua remained silent on China's plans to build a road, which sparked the standoff, and said it would "make adjustments" with the situation on the ground.

The official said the Chinese side would continue to "exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions".

Asked if the Chinese statement meant China had not made any concessions, officials in New Delhi said expeditious disengagement implied a withdrawal of both parties because a unilateral withdrawal by India would not have required an agreement with China.

Responding to a question on the disengagement understanding, the MEA spokesperson said India's principled position was that agreements and understandings reached on the boundary issues must be scrupulously respected.

"India's policy remains guided by the belief that peace in the border areas is an essential pre-requisite for the further development of our bilateral relationship," he said.

The two countries had also agreed in Astana in early June that "differences should not be allowed to become disputes and that India China relations must remain stable", Kumar said, adding that India looked forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side on this basis.

Modi and Chinese president Xi Jingpin had held talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The BRICS summit, that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will be held in the Chinese city of Xiamen from September 3-5. Prime Minister Modi is expected to represent India at the summit.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently said both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, and favoured a peaceful resolution of the border standoff.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal today said India has entered into a pact with Germany to improve parameters for grid integration of renewable energies.

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Deutsche Gesellschaft f?r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH India on behalf of Germany signed an agreement on technical cooperation under the "Indo-German Energy Programme ? Green Energy Corridors (IGEN-GEC)" here.

This relationship between GIZ nad India will result in improved market mechanisms and regulations and help train manpower in India to ensure grid stability to ensure more and more integration of renewables in the country, Goyal said.

It "will lead to a safer grid, a more secured grid, a grid which can also take care of cyber challenges", he said.

He was speaking at the signing of the agreement here.

Goyal further said that Germany is a very reliable partner and has been supporting India in achieving its goal for sustainable development through bilateral cooperation for almost six decades now.

"India and Germany share a very active and dynamic engagement furthering the relations in variety of areas... Within this larger broader context of the Indo-German relationship, clean energy has a very important role to play," Goyal said.

GIZ and MNRE will work on improving market mechanisms and regulations for integration of renewable energies, advancing technical and institutional conditions in specified target states, regions and on a national level, adding human capacities to handle systemic (strategic, managerial, financial, technical) renewable energies integration in an efficient and effective manner.

German Ambassador to India, H E Martin Ney, said, "When in July 2012, Power Grid Corporation of India submitted a comprehensive and well elaborated 'transmission plan for envisaged renewable capacity' to MNRE, it paved the way for India's ambitious goals to transform its power system by significantly increasing the share of renewable energies in the energy mix."



Both the countries have very constructive dialogue under the Indo-German Energy Forum (IGEF), Ney said.

Based on the Indo-German consultations held in April 2013 in Berlin, both countries confirmed collaboration on the green energy corridors.

In the subsequent bilateral development cooperation negotiations, it was agreed that Germany will provide concessional loans of up to 1 billion euros through KfW (German Development Bank) and up to 10 million euros under technical assistance in forecasting, balancing, market design, network management and demand side energy efficiency, implemented by GIZ.

These contributions have been further increased in 2015 and 2016 by concessional loans up to 400 million euros for transmission infrastructure and up to 7 million euros for training activities in the photovoltaic solar rooftop sector and energy efficiency in residential buildings under technical assistance through GIZ.

For over 60 years, the Deutsche Gesellschaft f?r Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH has been working jointly with partners in India for sustainable economic, ecological, and social development. Currently, GIZ has over 330 employees in India, of whom 85 per cent are national personnel.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's crude steel production grew 3.5 per cent to 8.36 million tonnes (MT) in July this year, says the latest report by World Steel Association.

The steel output stood at 8.08 MT in the same month last year, it said.

Domestic production in the January-July period of 2017 increased by 5.4 per cent to 58.01 MT over 55.07 MT in the same period of 2016, the data showed.

Global steel production for the 67 countries reporting to World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 143.24 MT in July this year, registering an increase of 6.3 per cent over 134.798 MT in July 2016.

For the first seven months of 2017, global steel production stood at 977.32 MT, up 4.6 per cent from 933.97 MT in the same period of 2016.

World's top steel producer China produced 74.021 MT last month, up 10.3 per cent over the year-ago month when the country had produced 67.12 MT.

Japan has witnessed a contraction in its steel production. The second largest steel producing nation produced 8.588 MT steel, down 4.3 per cent from 8.971 MT a year ago.

The US produced 7.07 MT, up 5.6 per cent from 6.69 MT earlier.

"The crude steel capacity utilisation ratio of the 67 countries in July 2017 was 72.1 per cent. This is 3.2 percentage points higher than July 2016. Compared to June 2017, it is 1.5 percentage points lower," worldsteel said.

India has overtaken the US to become the world's third largest steel producer and the country is now looking to replace Japan from the second spot.

Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh had earlier said that India is heading towards becoming the second largest steel producer in the world.

"If you see what India produced last was 100 MT and Japan 104 MT. Soon, we will be the second largest steel producer in the world," the minister had said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Infosys shares rose by nearly 5 per cent after the company named former CEO Nandan Nilekani as its new chairman.

The stock opened higher and further gained 4.49 per cent to Rs 953.50 on BSE.

At NSE, shares of the company went up by 4.58 per cent to Rs 953.95.

The stock was the biggest gainer among both Sensex and Nifty components during the morning trade.

Stock markets were closed on Friday for Ganesh Chaturthi.

Infosys faced a leadership crisis after first non-founder chief executive Vishal Sikka abruptly quit on August 18, blaming founders for slander.

Last week saw the founders staging a dramatic coup, bringing back co-founder Nandan Nilekani as its Chairman, replacing R Seshasayee.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iraqi officials say a car bomb has ripped through a busy market area in eastern Baghdad, killing at least six people.

A police officer says the explosives-laden car went off today morning at the wholesale Jamila market in Baghdad's Shiite district of Sadr City. He says the explosion also wounded 15 other people and that the death toll is expected to rise.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they aren't authorised to talk to journalists.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The Islamic State group often claims responsibility for large-scale attacks targeting Shiite civilians in Iraq's capital.

The attack comes as US-backed Iraqi forces are in final stages of recapturing the northern town of Tal Afar from IS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Israel is expecting 55,000 tourists from India to visit their country in the current calender year, a senior official said today.

In 2016 about 44,672 Indian tourists travelled to Israel.

"Till July 2017, over 34,000 Indians have already visited Israel marking a growth of 36 per cent. And the numbers are growing...The historic visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to our country has sparked a renewed interest among Indians to travel to Israel," Israel Ministry of Tourism India Director Hassan Madah told reporters here.

"For this (2017) year we are expecting about 55,000 Indian travellers. Talks are on for introducing direct Air India flights connecting New Delhi with Israel. It is expected that the direct AI flights are likely to commence in the coming months and once it starts the number can reach 70,000 to 80,000 this year," Madah said, adding they are targeting one lakh tourists from India by the end of 2018.

Currently 3-4 direct flights ply from Mumbai to Tel Aviv, he said.

Madah said, among the Asian countries, India used to be number one source market for Israel two years ago and now China is in the first position with 78,000 tourists travelling to Israel last year. "This is because more airlines from China have brought in more tourists."



To a query, Madah said "We encourage film producers (from India) to shoot in Israel. We are already in talks with some (of them). We from tourism ministry will give our support. We don't have schemes that gives benefits (to film industry), but we can work on an ad hoc request."



"We know that films can attract tourism. Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand and other countries have promoted films (shooting) and more tourists are coming to those countries and we are working on that also,' Madah added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Japan will take "full steps" to ensure the safety of its people following a North Korean missile test today that passed over the country, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

The firing comes days after Pyongyang launched three short-range missiles in what was seen as a minimal provocation after the start of the Ulchi Freedom Guardian South Korean-US joint military exercises.

But today's flight path represents a significant escalation by Pyongyang, which earlier this month threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

Any such flights would have to pass over Japan.

"North Korea launched a ballistic missile which appears to have flown over Japan," Abe said in televised comments.

"We will immediately collect and analyse details and the government will take full steps to protect Japanese people's lives."



The "unidentified ballistic missile" was launched at from Sunan, near Pyongyang, the South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement, saying it travelled east "and over Japan".

Japan's top government spokesman said the missile flew over the country's northernmost island Hokkaido and then fell into the Pacific, some 1,180 kilometres (733 miles) east of the coast.

"So far no fallen objects have been confirmed to have fallen inside Japanese territory," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told an emergency press briefing.

"There is no report of damage to aircrafts and vessels" in the area, he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A team of experts from Japan arrived here on Monday to assess the safety status of the Indian Railways network, the Embassy of Japan has said.

The visit comes in the backdrop of back-to-back rail accidents.

The experts, who will be here till September 1, will meet senior officials and conduct site visits.

The team of experts consists of railway safety experts from railway-related organisations, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

"The team dispatched by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will examine the current status of railway safety in India and India's needs for capacity development for railway safety for considering further cooperation through JICA," according to the embassy statement.

The visit of the experts also comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe are scheduled to lay the foundation stone for India's first ever high-speed rail network next month.

The first line for the bullet train is being developed between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and soil testing and terrain mapping are currently underway, railway officials said.

India signed an agreement with Japan in February this year on enhancing railway safety in the Indian Railways with focus on railway track and rolling stock safety.

(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.)
Jaya TV today hit back at Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami's camp for what it alleged was a threat by the ruling faction to wrest control of it and a Tamil daily, backing AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran's camp.

The channel head's reaction comes in the wake of a party meet led by Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam wherein it was decided to initiate legal steps to ensure that party-backed media "Namathu Dr MGR" and "Jaya TV" "continued to hail" Jayalalithaa.

It is seen as an attempt to wrest control of the media outlets from the Dhinakaran camp



Chief Executive Officer of Jaya TV, Vivek Jayaraman said the move was strongly condemnable.

"Jaya TV and Namathu Dr MGR (Tamil daily) are private companies... These firms cannot be taken over by anybody just like that," he said in a statement.

If the ruling camp sought to do it despite knowing that these were private entities, "it is an open threat to the channel which has won the admiration of the people."



"How can the channel be acquired by a government or a political party?" he asked.

Claiming that the firm was facing indirect intimidation of "raids and cases," he said they had the courage and truth to back them to take on such threats.

"Since our function and accounts are honest we do not fear any pressure," he said and added that if "false cases are still foisted" on them, they would legally face it.

He said the company would oppose the "threat" with determination the way they had dealt with "indirect pressure."



"Nobody need dream that they can make a company to bow before them by escalating pressure."



Asserting that the founding of Jaya TV nearly two decades ago was a "baptism by fire," he quoted late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa as having said that "the channel was swimming against hostile currents like Central government's troubles, political rivals and conspiracies from within and outside enemies."



However, he did not mention when the late leader had made such remarks. "I would like to give this (Jayalalaithaa's remarks) as my reply to all those working against Jaya TV."



Elaborating on indirect challenges faced by Jaya TV, he alleged that in regions, including Salem and Erode in Tamil Nadu, some were "blacking out" the channel. This was being done through a government run entity, he alleged.

Earlier in the day, the Palaniswami faction's meet had said "Jaya TV and the daily were launched following efforts of Jayalalithaa and the contribution of lakhs of party workers and therefore they are our party's assets."



Ever since the confrontation began between the Palaniswami and Dhinakaran factions, the two media outlets have openly sided with the Sasikala camp.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) has bagged an award for community investment through legal work, with a cash prize of 2,000 British Pounds.

The JGLS came ahead of the Legal Services Clinic of National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, and Antashchetana of Chanakya National Law University, Patna, to bag the 2017 Herbert Smith Freehills' Community Engagement Award.

The law school affiliated to O P Jindal Global University (OPJGU) won the award in a programme that invited entries from individuals or teams of students across all Indian law schools to showcase their contributions in their communities.

OPJGU Vice-Chancellor C Raj Kumar said the award was a recognition for the outstanding work of the faculty members and students of university towards legal empowerment and social justice.

"The Herbert Smith Freehills' Community Engagement Award for Community Investment through Legal Work is testament to the passion, commitment and dedication of our students and faculty to seek social change and contribute to social engineering through law and its instrumentalities," Kumar said in a statement.

The award, which recognises and champions meaningful community engagement activity of law students in India to bring sustainable social impact by using their legal knowledge, comes with a cash prize of 2000 British Pound.

Apart from the shortlisted entries, various other institutions had also submitted their entries, including the Legal Aid and Awareness Committee of National Law University Jodhpur, and ODRways -- a tech initiative of National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata.

It included two main categories namely community investment through legal work and community contribution through volunteering.

Entries were judged on the basis of four key parameters -- social impact, project sustainability, innovation and presentation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Sajjan Jindal-owned JSW Steel is in talks with Algeria's Cevital Group to acquire its Aferpi steel mill in Italy for USD 100 million, a source said today.

The private steel maker had earlier tried to acquire the mill in 2014, when it was known as Lucchini. The Algerian conglomerate Cevital however acquired Lucchini and renamed the it Acciaierie e Ferriere di Piombino (Aferpi).

JSW Steel is in talks with Cevital Group to acquire Aferpi, an industry source confirmed.

JSW Steel may offer a financial consideration of USD 100 million (about Rs 639 crore) to Cevital Group to acquire the mill, the source said.

Emails sent to JSW Steel and Cevital Group in this regard remained unanswered while the JSW Group official did not respond to the calls.

JSW Steel is planning to increase its manufacturing capacity to 40-45 million tonne by 2030 from the present 18 million tonne.

"If the country builds 300 MT capacity by 2030, we would like to plan accordingly to maintain our 15 per cent share, which will be 40-45 MT," JSW Steel joint managing director & group CFO Seshagiri Rao had said earlier.

Aferpi's activity involves production of a wide range of quality and special steels, with different shapes and sizes for rails, wire rod and bars for railway, automotive, earthmoving vehicles, energy, fastening, springs and welding.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Justice Dipak Misra, who was part of the bench that confirmed the death sentence of the four convicts in the December 16 gangrape case and passed the order for mandatory singing of the national anthem in cinema halls, was today sworn in as the 45th Chief Justice of India.

At a brief ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office to Misra.

Justice Misra took the oath in English in the name of God.

Justice Misra, 64, assumes office following the retirement of Justice J S Khehar yesterday.

Justice Misra will remain in office till October 2, 2018.

As per the established practice, Justice Khehar had named Misra as the next CJI last month.

He was the chief justice of the Patna High Court and the Delhi high court before being elevated to the apex court in October 2011.

After his enrolment as an advocate in 1977, Justice Misra practiced in constitutional, civil, criminal, revenue, service and sales tax matters in the Orissa High Court.

He was appointed as an additional judge of the Orissa High Court on January 17, 1996, before his transfer to the Madhya Pradesh High Court. He became a permanent judge on December 19, 1997.

Justice Misra is currently presiding over a bench hearing the Cauvery and Krishna river water disputes, BCCI reforms and Sahara case among others. He headed the bench that passed the order for mandatory singing of the national anthem in cinema halls across the country.

He was also part of the bench that upheld the death sentence given to the convicts in the December 16, 2012 gangrape case.

Justice Misra, along with Justice P C Pant, had in May, declined to de-criminalise defamation - an offence punishable with two years in jail apart from fine - saying the right to free speech cannot mean that a citizen can defame anybody.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several union ministers were present at the ceremony.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also attended the oath ceremony.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Sri Lankan Army is concerned about the re-emergence of violence in the country, Army chief Lt Gen Mahesh Senanayake said today as he expressed readiness to share with others the experiences learned from the three- decade long war with the LTTE.

"The Sri Lankan Army is a proud military to have done its duty in liberating the motherland from the clutches of dreadful terrorism," he said while speaking at the seventh 'Colombo Defense Seminar - 2017' here, inaugurated by President Maithripala Sirisena.

Retired General Ashok Mehta, a Commanding Officer in the Indian Peacekeeping Force (IPKF) stationed in Sri Lanka's north and east provinces between 1987-1990 was the special guest at the seminar themed 'Countering Violent Extremism: Global Trends'.

Over 90 foreign military and civil scholars are attending the two-day seminar with 800 participants, including 15 foreign and 12 local guest speakers.

The seminar was initiated by the Sri Lankan Army with the intention of sharing experience and knowledge earned from a three-decade long terrorist problem that ended in 2009 after wipe-out of one of the most ruthless terrorist organisations that prevailed one time in the world, the Army chief said.

"The Sri Lankan Army is concerned on restraining destructive re-emergence of violence in the country, and the security of the region and Asia in general," Senanayake said.

The Sri Lankan Army earnestly aspires to engage in sharing its related security expertise in playing a vigorous role in influencing the security architecture of Asia and the region, and to strengthen regional integration in security ties, he said.

He also said, violence is perhaps one of the most challenging problems now.

"It doesn't matter anymore of which part of the world you live in. The unfortunate reality is that violence spurred by terrorism has gone global and every human being is equally susceptible and vulnerable to its ferocity." he added.

The LTTE, which led the separatist war for a separate Tamil homeland, was finally crushed by the Lankan military in 2009 with the death its supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran.

Admiral William J Fallon (Retd), of the US who gave the keynote address said, "It was the responsibility of respective governments and state actors to pull together and contain violence for the best interests of today and tomorrow."



"There is no better example in the world than what really happened in this country by way of violence. Violence always needs lots of collective action since expectations on the part of civilians are very high as far as their security is concerned," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
london is the flavour of the Durga Puja season this year.

At least two well-known puja committees in the city have chosen London as the theme of this year's Puja celebration.

Theme-based pujas became fashionable for the last few years, not only in the city but in the districts as well with thousands of revellers making rounds of the unique pandals.

"75 Palli" puja organisers at Bhowanipore in south Kolkata, the area where state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resides, are set to convert the 40,000 square feet area in front of their puja pandal into a typical London street, according to a puja committee member, Moloy Dey.

"In our small space we plan to introduce a slice of London where the Big Ben and the Westminister, two London icons, will be recreated to give the visitors a feel of the place," Dey said.

He said that the London street replica would also help spread Mamata Banerjee's message of transforming Kolkata, once the second city in the British empire, into a London.

Dey said the idol would be made from mahogany wood, dokra and brass by artisans from Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.

The chief idol maker being from Siliguri in the plains and the artisans from the hills, which are in turmoil over the demand for a separate state, this would send out a strong message of unity, Dey believed.

The chief minister is expected to inaugurate the puja, Puja committee chairman, former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra, says.

On the day of the inaguruation, the CM will also hold a video conference with the puja organisers of "London Sharad Utsav" held at Cambridge University.

Another crowd puller puja committee of the city, Santosh Mitra Square will also make the forecourt of their Puja pandal resemble a public square in London.

The pandal will have a traditional look complete with a gigantic chandelier and traditional decorations.

The idol will sport a traditional look with the saree of Goddess Durga made entirely of gold with zari work. The dresses of the other idols and Mahisasura, the demon, will also be made of gold, to be fabricated by fashion designer Agnimitra Paul.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Maharashtra government today formed a one-member committee comprising former additional chief secretary (home) K P Bakshi to probe charges of illegal denotification of MIDC land against industries minister Subhash Desai.

Senioe Shiv Sena minister Desai has been accused of denotifying plots acquired in Nashik for the benefit of builders.

A Government Resolution (GR) issued today said a one- member committee is being appointed to probe allegations levelled against Desai by opposition legislators during the monsoon session of state legislature which concluded last month.

"Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had assured members of both the Houses to probe charges against the minister. This issue was under consideration of the government. Accordingly, a one-member committee, comprising Bakshi is being formed," the GR said.

The panel will probe if norms were followed while denotifying the land, the GR said, adding that it will also check if there was a conflict of interest in the denotification decision.

During the session, leader of opposition in Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde had alleged that Desai had de-notified a 400 acre acquired land near Igatpuri in Nashik district belonging to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) with a view to facilitate a private developer to the tune of thousands of crores of rupees.

Munde had claimed that Desai had de-notified about seven per cent of the acquired land by the MIDC and sought a judicial probe into the issue. The NCP leader had also claimed that around 400 acres of land acquired by MIDC was given to a developer close to Sena.

Bakshi, who retired on November 30, 2016, currently heads the State Water Regulatory Authority.

Munde said conducting an independent inquiry is not possible unless the minister is sacked.

"The minister is in a position to influence the inquiry. How will his department officials give proofs against the minister until he is removed from his post? The minister will never let a fair inquiry be conducted," he said in a statement.

He further said that "the BJP slogan of zero tolerance against corruption is only a farce and in reality, the party supports wrong doings in the government."



Munde also demanded that all the decisions taken by Desai to denotify lands should be probed instead of conducting an inquiry only of land in Gondedumala and Wadiware in Igatpuri taluk of Nashik district.

"From January 1, 2015 in Desai's tenure, 12,421 hectares land has been denotified. An inquiry should be conducted into all of these," added the NCP leader.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz India today launched an AMG Performance Centre at its official dealership centre here.

With the latest AMG Performance Center (APC) in Kochi, Mercedes-Benz India will now be offering exclusive and personalized services to its existing and potential AMG customers, the company said in a release here. Roland Folger, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India commented said AMG has been globally redefining the performance motoring segment since its inception in 1967 and we are delighted to see an increasing preference for an AMG vehicle in India too.

"The launch of Kochi's first AMG Performance Center reaffirms our promise to provide customers an exceptional AMG brand experience. We strongly believe there is an immense potential for performance cars in India and people are vastly aspiring for performance oriented driving," he said.

Folger said it was highly encouraging to witness demand of AMGs emerging from markets like Kochi which will be future engines of growth for Mercedes-Benz.

The AMG Performance Centers are designed to offer an exclusive and customized Mercedes-AMG product experience and commit to first-class service quality at every stage in the customer relationship.

Rajasree Motors Kochi with its world-class dealership will house the AMG Performance Center, will be fully equipped to sell and service all AMG cars, the company said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The special Chinese envoy on Afghan affairs today stressed that a military solution cannot achieve peace in Afghanistan and expressed China's "firm support" for Pakistan's efforts in the war-torn country.

Ambassador Deng Xijun's remarks came nearly a week after the US announced its new strategy for Afghanistan, involving greater Indian participation and slammed Islamabad for providing safe haven to militants and prolonging the 16-year conflict.

The visit by the Chinese official came as Pakistan asked the US to postpone a visit by Alice Wells, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. She was scheduled to visit Pakistan this week.

Deng discussed regional and international efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan with Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua here, the Foreign Office said.

"Ambassador Deng Xijun reaffirmed China's continuing and firm support to Pakistan's commitment and efforts for peace and stability in Afghanistan," it said.

"Emphasising that there was no military solution to the conflict, he underlined the need for a politically negotiated settlement through an Afghan-led Afghan-owned peace process."



Janjua underlined the importance of Pakistan-China strategic partnership, calling for closer cooperation between the two nations to promote peace and stability in the region.

She expressed satisfaction over the deliberations held between the two sides during her Beijing visit from August 21 -23.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Moscow today slammed new US sanctions on Venezuela, saying they were aimed at damaging the Latin American nation's economy and aggravating tensions.

"The announced sectoral sanctions against Venezuela's financial and oil sector are quite obviously aimed at aggravating the out-of-balance situation in the country and aggravating the economic problems," foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.

"It's obvious that the very logic of sanctions implies the prospect of fuelling tensions."



On Friday, the White House unveiled tough new financial sanctions against Caracas, which it said were aimed at stemming vital funding to the "dictatorship" of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Zakharova complained that the sanctions were "steeped in cynicism" and came at a moment of "relative stabilisation in domestic politics" in Venezuela.

She said the measures "whip up those intransigents who cannot see a way to realise their political opportunities without removing the Venezuelan leadership from power".

Zakharova said Russia had warned of the dangers of putting the leadership at risk.

"Provoking and encouraging from outside the destabilisation of the domestic political situation cannot be to the benefit of ordinary Venezuelans," she said.

Maduro said last week that "Venezuela has the full and absolute support of Russia" and that he would soon go to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin.

Zakharova said Russia would analyse the impact of the sanctions on Russia's interests and businesses in Venezuela.

She vowed, however, that sanctions "cannot influence our readiness to develop and strengthen our cooperation with friendly Venezuela and her people.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An industry association at Bari Brahmana industrial area has signed an MoU with a private skill development company for providing trained manpower.

The Bari Brahmana Industrial Association signed the MoU with Orion Edutech for providing skilled manpower in the fields of foods and beverages, banking and finance, retail sales associate and other services, an official spokesman said.

The MoU was signed yesterday in the presence of state industries and commerce minister Chander Parkash Ganga, the spokesman said.

The minister said that "such initiative is bound to promote and enhance skill development throughout the state".

Ganga said the contribution of local companies towards Skill India Mission and employability options for local youth must be encouraged.

He asked officials to make efforts to bridge gap between industrial requirements and available employee skill set.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu today said the victory of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in the by-election to Nandyal Assembly seat reflected the people's trust in his governance.

He thanked the people of the state for supporting the TDP-led government and its development agenda.

However, the opposition YSR Congress (YSRC), which lost the bypoll, said the setback was "temporary".

"Thanking people of Nandyal for showing their trust in TDP's governance. Will create a Smart Nandyal by following our motto 'People First'," Naidu said in a tweet after his party's Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy was declared winner in the bypoll.

Reddy defeated his nearest rival, YSR Congress candidate and former minister, Silpa Chandra Mohan Reddy, by a huge margin of 27,466 votes this afternoon.

"People have endorsed development agenda, upheld values in public life. Rejected and punished negative politics & disorderliness," the chief minister tweeted.

Naidu also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi who congratulated Brahmananda Reddy and the TDP over the victory.

"We're happy to see that people of Nandyal have reflected their belief in our model of governance," the TDP president added.

Meanwhile, YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy said it would be a "mistake" for Naidu to claim victory in Nandyal.

"I would accept the people's verdict but at the same time it is a mistake for Chandrababu Naidu to claim victory. The setback (for YSRC) is temporary and it is not prudent for Naidu to describe it as a victory as ethics, morals and values were thrown to winds and there was no level-playing field," Jagan told a press conference.

He dared the chief minister to make all 20 MLAs, who defected from the YSRC to the TDP, resign from their posts and face fresh elections.

"One can then call it a referendum (on the state government)," the Leader of Opposition remarked.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) would work upon certain courses about history of India's tradition and culture, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said here today.

He was speaking while inaugurating a lecture series on Bharat Bodh (Idea of India) at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).

"Bharat's (India's) education system became such that we kept on forgetting Bharat's culture and insisted on remembering the rest of the world's.

"It is necessary to know and remember the world but this does not imply that we can forget Bharat. It is necessary to understand the Bharat and its glorious past," Javadekar said.

"We will replicate such courses with NCERT because we think our true identity begins with the identity of our nation. Without knowing it, we will not be able to decipher the truth about the world. We are open to discussions about the value of our past," he said.

The minister said all philosophy and Indology students should attend this lecture series and added that people did not know about India and they should know the true identity of their country.

The lecture series was being organised by IGNOU in association with Bhartiya Shikshan Mandal (BSM).

"We will soon launch a new formal academic programme called certificate course in Bharat Bodh. This will talk about the cultural wealth of India and will also take a critical look at it," IGNOU Vice Chancellor Ravindra Kumar said.

Kumar said everything would not be taken for granted but critically examined and whatever was valuable would be retained.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Women agitators belonging to Bodo organisations today blocked NHs 31 and 15 in Assam for nearly 10 hours and announced a 12-hour shutdown of the state on September 11 demanding a separate Bodoland state.

The protesters, who assembled under the aegis of All Bodo Students Union (ABSU), National Democratic Front of Boroland and People's Joint Action Committee for Boroland Movement blocked the NH-31 at Kajalgaon and NH-15 at Orang to press their demand.

The agitation lasted from 5 am till 3 pm in the afternoon.

ABSU president Pramod Boro said all the three groups have jointly called for a 12-hour Assam Bandh on September 11.

"If still the government does not do anything to meet our demand, it will be followed by mass hunger strike and railway blockade programme," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team for getting "the better of China" in the Dokalam standoff.

"India getting the better of China is all the more remarkable because it was done without any chest thumping & (and) bluster. Kudos PM Modi & team," Omar wrote on Twitter following an agreement between New Delhi and Beijing on disengagement in the area.

Omar said the return to status quo was a victory for India and the prime minister.

"But isn't the return to status quo a victory for India & PM Modi? It was China that wanted to alter the ground position with the road work," he said responding to a tweet on the issue.

Troops of the two countries had been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the disputed area.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is expected to visit the United States in the third week of September to attend the UN General Assembly session, government sources said today.

The visit would come amid simmering tension with the US over its accusations that Pakistan provides safe havens to militants, who attack American troops across the border in Afghanistan.

The sources said Abbasi expectedly would meet senior US officials on the sidelines to discuss the bilateral ties and regional situation with special reference to Afghanistan in wake of the new Afghan strategy of the Trump administration.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif would accompany Abbasi on the trip. Asif had been invited by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to visit the US but he delayed it until Donald Trump announced the new Afghan policy.

It would be Abbasi's first visit to the US as prime minister after Nawaz Sharif was ousted in July.

Relations between Pakistan and US are tense and a scheduled visit by US Acting Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells to Pakistan was postponed by Islamabad.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan has postponed a visit by a top US diplomat who had been due to arrive here today, days after President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Islamabad for providing safe havens to agents of chaos that kill Americans.

Alice Wells, the acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs and acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was set to be the first major American official to visit the country since the president's comments, but her visit has been put off by the Pakistan government "until a mutually convenient time".

The Foreign Office did not give any reason for postponing the visit.

But government sources said Islamabad was still evolving a response to the US accusations that Pakistan was providing safe havens to militants and prolonging the US' 16-year Afghan war.

It would be "premature" to interact with the senior US state department official at this time, they added.

In Washington, the state department confirmed Wells' trip has been postponed at the Pakistan government's "request", but it too did not provide any reason for delaying the visit.

Wells' visit was scheduled as part of her three-nation South Asia tour. She would continue with her trip to Dhaka and Colombo, according to the state department.

The Pakistan government has tasked Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to garner support from friendly countries. He is expected to visit China, Russia and Turkey next week in the first phase of the country's regional diplomatic outreach.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday visited Saudi Arabia and held talks with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

reports in Pakistan said he was accompanied by Asif on the trip and discussed the US' new Afghan strategy there.

The Pakistan-US ties received a fresh jolt on Saturday when Gen John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, claimed in a TV interview that his country was aware of Afghan Taliban leadership's presence in Peshawar and Quetta.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied it hosts the Taliban.

Asif yesterday said the Afghan Taliban were the US and Afghanistan's problem, not Pakistan's.

He told reporters in Sialkot that Pakistan has been hosting the Afghan refugees for decades and the US "should help to repatriate them back to Afghanistan if they do not trust us.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Leaders from various political parties today welcomed the 10-year prison term given to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh even as some Opposition leaders lashed out at the Haryana government for the violence that preceded the pronouncement of the sentence.

"We have seen this callous insensitivity, coupled with the mulish obstinacy in the face of the most unprecedented structures in the high court of the state. In any responsible sensitive form of governance, comments, not strictures of far less severity than we have heard in Haryana would have led to apologies, resignations and complete unconditional acceptance. Here it has had the opposite effect, that's the interesting part of it" said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"Because of worldwide condemnation, because of the high court strictures, because of our comments calling for the resignation, the reverse has happened, there is a hardening of positions," he said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the law of the land must be implemented, but expressed concerns over the violence after the court on August 25 held Ram Rahim guilty of rape.

"It is strange that despite the high court's directions, no stringent measures were taken to ensure there was no violence," he said.

The verdict on Friday had led to widespread violence in Punjab, Haryana, parts of Uttar Pradesh and even Delhi leading to the deaths of more than 30 people.

"The law has taken its course. It is a verdict on the charges of serious nature. One should respect the verdict. Somebody must be held responsible for the violence which preceded the verdict. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar should have resigned by this time. His position has become untenable and he must quit," said CPI national secretary D Raja.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the court has found Ram Rahim guilty and sentenced him.

"There is nothing for us to say other than asking people to maintain peace," he said.

"There is curfew in one or two places in Punjab and we have left it to the district administration to decide in a day or two when the time is right to lift the curfew," he added.

Both Haryana and Punjab are on high alert with elaborate security arrangements in place. Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh passed the sentence in a makeshift court in the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, had been lodged since his conviction.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that Ram Rahim's conviction was a message that no one is too big to be prosecuted.

He also said that it was unlikely that Rahim's 10-year term would be reduced on appeal.

Swamy also lauded the CBI judge, who he said wasn't "cowered" by the magnitude of the case.

"I think it is a major victory after the triple talaq verdict and is a message for women's safety. Ultimately the public reaction was so strong that the government also had to move in," he said.

"We want to demonstrate that no matter how high you are the law is above you and we have seen victory of the law both in sessions court and in the HC. Now let him appeal and I don't think he will get any relief, he has to serve 10 years."



Swamy, however, said that in terms of "quantum of lawlessness" both Punjab and Haryana were equal, but as a BJP ruled state, it was the latter that faced the brunt of the criticisms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The need for stronger UN action against terrorism and the reform of the world body were among the issues discussed when President-elect of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak met Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi here today.

The prime minister congratulated Lajcak on his election to the post and assured him of India's full and constructive cooperation in discharging his new responsibilities, a PMO statement said.

During the meeting, Lajcak shared his priorities for the upcoming 72nd UN General Assembly.

They discussed the need for stronger UN action on major global challenges including terrorism, United Nations reform, implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, and climate change, the statement said.

India has been pressing the UN to take an early decision on Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), a proposal which has been pending for nearly two decades.

Once adopted, the CCIT would make it binding on all member countries to deny safe havens and funds to terrorists and terror groups.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The suicide attack on district police lines in south Kashmir's Pulwama was an act of desperation by militants in the wake of killing of many of their commanders recently, a top CRPF officer in the valley said today.

CRPF IGP (Operations), Kashmir sector, Zulfiquar Hasan, said that the force's success against the militants would only surge and effective steps would be taken to deal with such threats.

"In recent days, some top militants were killed in south Kashmir in which there was an important role of CRPF battalions," he told reporters in Pulwama.

"We understand that these people (militants) in their desperation are trying to attack security forces and inflict damage. We are ready to tackle this situation and in the coming days, our success will surge," he said.

Hasan visited the District Police Lines, Pulwama which was stormed by three foreign militants of a "fidayeen" (suicide) squad on Saturday.

Four CRPF jawans and four Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel lost their lives in the pre-dawn attack. All the three militants were killed in the nearly 24-hour-long operation.

The IGP CRPF said the security forces displayed extreme bravery during the attack.

"The CRPF's 182 and 183 battalions displayed extreme bravery in partnership with Jammu and Kashmir Police. It was challenging as there were families of the forces' personnel. So, with extreme bravery, all three terrorists were killed and civilian families protected," he said.

Hassan said among the injured, three were critical and would be shifted to Delhi for specialised treatment if the need arose.

Three people were very critical among those injured.

"We hope all of them are discharged in good health. If there is a need of shifting them to Delhi from Srinagar, we will do that after they get stable," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Union minister Kiren Rijiju today slammed human rights groups for criticising the Centre's move to deport Rohingya refugees, saying India has given shelter to maximum number of migrants, more than any other nation, and advised them not to "lecture".

He asked the rights groups not to "demonise" India as a country hostile to refugees and said New Delhi is not going to "throw" the Rohingyas into the "ocean" or "shoot" them but will follow due process of law before their identification and deportation.

"India is the most humane nation in the world. Millions of refugees live in India. There is no other country in the world which hosts so many refugees. So, don't demonise us, don't give us lecture," he told reporters here.

He was referring to the criticism by some human rights organisation to the government's move.

The minister of state for home said all those who had entered India were liable to be deported after following a proper process of law.

"We are not going to shoot them nor we are planning to throw them in the ocean. India is not a signatory to UN human rights convention but still the country has been hosting millions of refugees," he said.

However, Rijiju said, these continuous influx cannot go indefinitely, there has to be an end to it.

"Please don't accuse us as intolerant. We value human rights, we act as per law," he said.

Early this month, the Centre had said illegal immigrants like the Rohingyas pose grave security challenges as they may be recruited by terror groups, and asked state governments to identify and deport them.

In a communication to all states, the Union home ministry had said the rise of terrorism in last few decades has become a serious concern for most nations as illegal migrants are more vulnerable to getting recruited by terrorist organisations.

"These illegal immigrants not only infringe on the rights of Indian citizens but also pose grave security challenges," the communication said.

The infiltration of (the Rohingyas) from Rakhine state of Myanmar into Indian territory, especially in recent years, besides being a burden on the limited resources of the country also aggravates security challenges posed to India, the home ministry said.

Rijiju had said in Parliament on August 9 that according to available data, more than 14,000 Rohingyas, registered with the UNHCR, are presently staying in India.

"However, some inputs indicate that around 40,000 Rohingyas are staying in India illegally and the Rohingyas are largely located in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan," he had said.

On November 16, 2016, the government had informed the Parliament that according to available inputs, there were around 20 million (two crore) illegal Bangladeshi migrants staying in India.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
About 1,000 ethnic Rohingya villagers from Myanmar have forced their way into Bangladesh after coming under fire from Myanmar soldiers.

The villagers, who were seeking refuge from ongoing violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, had been in a border no man's land for two days.

Bangladeshi border guards, who had provided them with food and water, today sought to push them back to their own country.

A Bangladeshi local official, Jahangir Aziz, said that when Myanmar troops fired their guns, the crowd ran back and broke through a Bangladesh barricade and cordon of 300-400 guards.

Violence broke out last week in Rakhine after Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar police posts. Advocates for the Rohingya say the army retaliated by burning down villages and shooting civilians, forcing thousands to flee.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Russia has sent two large newly- upgraded submarines to reinforce its naval presence in the Mediterranean, where it has a Syrian base, the defence ministry said today.

"The Black Sea fleet's new large diesel and electric submarines, Kolpino and Veliky Novgorod... Have arrived in the Mediterranean," the ministry said in a statement on its website.

It added the stealth submarines, which entered service in 2016 and have a speed of 20 knots under water, are intended to boost the Russian navy's permanent presence in the Mediterranean.

The submarines, both with crews of 50 and built in the northwestern city of Saint Petersburg, are classified by NATO as "Improved Kilo" class.

They are fitted with new navigation systems, fully automatised control systems, high-precision missiles and powerful torpedo equipment, the defence ministry said.

At Russia's Syrian base of Tartus in the eastern Mediterranean, Russian ships have played a prominent role backing up an aerial bombing campaign in support of leader Bashar al-Assad.

During its military intervention in Syria, Russia has deployed warships, submarines and aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean.

In December last year President Vladimir Putin signed an order to expand the naval base at Tartus and allow Russian warships into Syrian waters.

In January, Moscow and Damascus signed a 49-year deal for Russia to expand and modernise the facility.

Russian submarines used in the region are covered from Syria by Moscow's S-300 and S-400 missile systems and its Bastion coastal defence system.

According to official figures from last year, some 4,300 Russian military are deployed in Syria.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court today expressed anguish over the tardy pace of progress in a rape case involving self-styled religious figure Asaram Bapu and asked the Gujarat government to file a progress report on it.

The apex court, which has earlier rejected several bail pleas by Asam and was hearing one more moved by him, also questioned the state government on why the victim in the case has not yet been examined.

"Why is there a delay despite the earlier direction for expeditious trial? Why has the victim not been examined so far," a bench of Justices N V Ramana and Amitava Roy said.

It told the Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat government, that directions for expediting recording of evidence were given in April.

"Why has the victim's statement not been recorded in the case so far. She is the most crucial witness in the case," the bench observed.

Mehta told the bench that two crucial witnesses have been killed, one is missing and 17 others injured in alleged attacks.

The woman will be examined by the court after ensuring her safety, he said, adding that out of 92 material witnesses, over 45 of them have been examined so far.

Advocate Saurabh Ajay Gupta appearing for godman said that they have to prove the defence of his client (Asaram) and it is only after the victim is examined, he can press for bail.

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing the victim, sought speedy trial of the case and said that the Court should issue a direction to examine the prosecutrix before September 23, which is the next date of hearing of the case before trial court.

The bench then asked the state government to file an affidavit detailing the stage of trial and how it wished to move forward in the case. It then posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

On April 12, the apex court had asked the Gujarat trial court to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against Asaram.

It had asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of the 46 remaining prosecution witnesses, including the alleged rape victims.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a "fictitious document" to persuade the court to grant him bail and ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The Gujarat Government had then told the top court that the rape case registered against Asaram would very likely proceed in an expeditious manner and trial would be completed within six months.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement among other charges.

The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which had led to the death of two witnesses.

The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on several witnesses in the Asaram rape cases.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The on Monday said it would hear on October 13 a batch of petitions, including one of the Centre, relating to the government's decisions to ban Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) from time to time.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud decided to segregate the writ petitions challenging provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act from those related to the ban on SIMI and fixed the former for hearing separately on November 9.

The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal, headed by Delhi High Court judge Justice Suresh Kait, in 2014 had confirmed the Centre's decision to extend by another five years, that is till 2019, the ban on SIMI.

The banned outfit has filed appeals in the apex court against every ban order passed by the tribunal from time to time since 2001.

The Centre had also filed an appeal in the top court in 2008 against an order passed by Justice Gita Mittal tribunal lifting the ban on SIMI.

The tribunal had said that the evidence against the SIMI was not enough to justify the extension of ban under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. However, a day later, the stayed the order lifting the ban.

Today, the court considered the statement of Attorney General K K Venugopal, representing the Centre, that the pending pleas deal with various issues including the challenge to the ban imposed on SIMI and the validity of certain provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The Ministry of Home Affairs, on February 6, 2014, had banned the SIMI for another five years beginning February 1, saying that if not curbed, the group will reorganise and "disrupt the secular fabric" of the country.

Extending the ban, the MHA, in its notification, had listed 21 terror cases highlighting the alleged involvement of SIMI, including the rioting at Azad Maidan in Mumbai in 2012.

The SIMI was proscribed under the UAPA since 2001 for alleged "anti-national" activities. The government has extended the ban several times since 2002 and higher courts have upheld the proscription.
The security has been tightened in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, bordering Haryana, in view of the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, police said today.

The Shamli district authorities had sealed roads connecting the district with Haryana.

Police checking all vehicles on Panipat-Kairana highway and Karnal-Meerut highway before letting them enter or leave the district, SP Ajaypal Sharma said.

Additional forces have also been deployed in the district to prevent any untoward incident, he said.

Police are keeping an eye on activities of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, which has two Ashrams in Shamli district, he said.

Also all the schools in the district are closed today, an official said.

Prohibitory orders barring assembly more than five people were in force in the district.

The hearing on quantum of sentence against the 50-year- old self-styled godman, now lodged in Rohtak jail, will be held today.

After the Dera chief was convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, his followers went on rampage setting fire to vehicles and railway stations, and damaging public and private properties. Thirty-eight people were killed and more than 250 injured in violence in Panchkula and Sirsa.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Singapore will hold Presidential polls on September 23 if more than one candidate qualifies to run for the position, Elections authorities said today.

Former Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, Indian-origin businessman Mohamed Salleh Marican and Farid Khan Kaim Khan are bidding to qualify for the election.

If there is only one eligible candidate, he or she will be declared as the President on Nomination Day.

If elected, Halimah will be the Singapore's first woman President.

Singaporeans will vote for their eighth President on September 23. The winner will be the second Malay president in Singapore's history, and the first to be chosen in a presidential election reserved for candidates of a specific community.

Singaporeans will know if they will get to cast their vote or if the election will be a walkover on Nomination Day which is set on September 13, The Straits Times reported.

The Presidential elections Committee will screen all presidential hopefuls and inform them of the decision on September 12.

Candidates must apply for a certificate of eligibility, as well as a community certificate confirming they belong to the Malay community.

So far, three people of Malay origins have thrown their hat in the ring.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
With DU elections just around the corner, student political outfits are visiting the DUSU chief election officer with multiple suggestions on poll reforms, most of them converging on the issue of improving voter turnout.

The low turnout is a common feature of varsity's student body elections. Every year, an average of only around 30 per cent of the students in the 50 DUSU-affiliated colleges come out to vote.

Today, the All India Students' Association (AISA) submitted a memorandum to CEO S B Babbar asking for deployment of VVPAT machines, inclusion of women-only colleges in the Delhi University Students' Union, and issuance of identity cards to all DU students which would ensure a larger turnout on voting day.

"We have suggested strict control of printed material to ensure the campuses are not littered and presidential debates in colleges of all zones," the CPI-ML's student wing said in the memorandum.

Last week it was the ruling ABVP and its arch rival, the Congress-affiliated NSUI, which made representations to the election committee suggesting poll reforms.

The National Students Union of India demanded mock drills of all EVMs, installation of VVPAT machines, and appointment of party polling agents, besides demanding ID cards to all students or allowing other IDs such as voter ID, PAN, Aadhaar for voting to increase the voter turnout.

The ABVP, the student wing of the RSS, demanded declaration of votes in every DU college to ensure transparency, attendance benefit for votes and strict implementation of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Swiss president Doris Leuthard will pay a three-day visit to India beginning Wednesday during which both sides will hold extensive talks on entire gamut of bilateral relationship including on ways to ramp up trade and investment ties.

Leuthard will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said.

In the talks, the Indian side may raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

"India and Switzerland enjoy robust economic ties, with Switzerland being seventh largest trading partner and eleventh largest foreign investor for India.

"Both countries share common views on many major global issues. The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to both sides for holding wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, global and regional issues of mutual interest," the MEA said in a statement.

Leuthard will be accompanied by senior government officials and a large business delegation of leading Swiss companies.

Swiss Presidents have visited India on three occasions earlier in 1998, 2003 and 2007.

Besides Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, members of the council of ministers including the minister for external affairs will also call on the Swiss president separately.

Modi had visited Switzerland in June last year during which the country had announced its support to India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The two countries had also resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating tax evasion and black money.

Modi, then, had said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was "shared priority" for both the countries.
A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and beaten up by a man at gunpoint in Jabalpur village of Shamli district, the police said today.

The Class 7 student was alone in her house when the accused, Ankit Kumar (25), entered her house and raped her at pistol point, Circle Officer Rajesh Kumar said.

The accused also beat up the girl when she resisted, he said.

A case has been registered against the accused, the circle officer said, adding later he was arrested.

In a separate incident, a man allegedly tried to rape a 22-year-old woman in Ramadan area of Kandela town in Shamli district yesterday, a police officer said.

Raja (23) entered the women's house and attempted to rape her but as she resisted his move, the accused beat her up and then escaped from there, SHO Umesh Korya said.

The accused also threatened her of dire consequences if she revealed the incident to anyone, he said.

A case has been registered against Raja, who is absconding, the officer said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ten Taliban and Jamat-ul-Ahrar militants have been arrested by Pakistani authorities along with a huge cache arms during a raid in Punjab province.

The suspects have been taken into custody in Chak 330 JB Seowal, Toba Tek Singh district, some 200km from Lahore.

A joint operation of Pakistan Rangers, local police, Elite Force and personnel of intelligence agencies was launched early in the morning yesterday in Seowal. The personnel did not allow anyone to enter or exit the village, the police said.

"During the operation which continued for several hours the personnel arrested 10 suspects and recovered 86 pistols of 30-bore, three 12-bore rifles, 19 pistols of 12-bore, one 7-MM rifle, a carbine and hundreds of bullets and cartridges from their custody," a police spokesman said.

He said a carton of 116 old model of mobile phones was also recovered. The suspects have been shifted to an undisclosed place for interrogation. He said the suspects belong to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamat-ul-Ahrar (JuA)



Meanwhile, the interior ministry has extended the stay of Rangers in Punjab province for two more months. The Rangers have been deployed in the province which has the population of nearly 100 million people to combat terrorism.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau says whenever a character is killed off on "Game of Thrones", there is no emotional drama on the sets.

The 47-year-old actor says the artistes treat their exit like just another professional decision and look forward to other jobs, reported Men's Health magazine.

"There have been some dinners, but when you follow a show and you love the characters and they die, it becomes a big deal because you've invested in these people. When you work on something, and especially as an actor, and especially when you've done this for as long as Diana (Rigg) has, that's just the nature of what you do.

"You do a job and then it ends and then you do another job. Yeah, it can be sad if you've had a great relationship, but you'll meet again later on. There's not much emotional drama, to be honest," he says.

In the ongoing seventh season of "GOT", Coster-Waldau's Jaime Lannister offered a peaceful end to Rigg's character, Lady Olenna Tyrell, by allowing her to drink poison.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A transgender Singaporean and her friend facing a year in prison in the United Arab Emirates for dressing in a feminine way have seen their sentences reduced to a fine and deportation.

That's according to an official involved in negotiations over the fate of the two who spoke to The Associated Press today.

A separate report today in The National, a state-linked newspaper in Abu Dhabi, quoted an unnamed Emirati official also saying the two would merely face a fine of 10,000 dirhams about $2,270 and deportation.

Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim, a transgender woman who has not undergone a sex-change operation, and her friend, freelance fashion photographer Muhammad Fadli Bin Abdul Rahman, were arrested at Abu Dhabi's Yas Mall on August 9.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres meets Israeli leaders today on his first visit since taking office, with long-stalled peace efforts with the Palestinians and a United Nations force in Lebanon high on the agenda.

Guterres is likely to seek to push Israel and Palestinian leaders closer to renewed talks on their decades-old conflict during his three-day visit that ends Wednesday, but the interests of Israeli leaders lie elsewhere for now.

They have said they want to press Guterres on the UN peacekeeping force in neighbouring Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, accusing it of "blindness" to what they call an arms buildup by Hezbollah.

The trip comes as the UN Security Council debates renewing the force's mandate for a year, with a vote expected on Wednesday.

After meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today, Guterres is due in Ramallah on Tuesday for talks with Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is visiting Turkey and is not expected to meet Guterres during the trip.

Guterres will then travel to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

After arriving on Sunday evening, the UN chief met Jason Greenblatt, a top aide to US President Donald Trump charged with pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Greenblatt was part of a US delegation last week including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner that held talks with Netanyahu and Abbas. He remained in the region for further discussions.

Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister who took office in January, is likely to try to take steps to keep the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict a viable option at a time when it is under threat.

Peace efforts have been at a standstill since April 2014 and Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank has continued.

Trump has said he wants to reach the "ultimate deal" -- Israeli-Palestinian peace -- but he himself has cast doubt on the two-state solution, saying he could support a single state if it meant peace.

Such statements deeply concern Palestinians, while delighting right-wing Israelis who want their country to annex most of the West Bank.

The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel and has been the focus of international diplomacy since at least the early 1990s.

At the same time, many analysts say both Netanyahu and Abbas are not in position to make any major concessions for now.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres held talks with Israeli leaders today on his first visit since taking office, making a forceful argument for a two-state solution with the Palestinians and speaking of his "dream" for peace.

Guterres also spoke of what he called obstacles to peace when meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including Israeli settlement building and the need for Palestinian leaders to condemn "terrorism".

"I dream that I will have the chance to see in the Holy Land two states able to live together in mutual recognition, but also in peace and security," Guterres said in remarks at Netanyahu's office.

He recalled past secret talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at his office when he was Portugal's premier from 1995 to 2002, saying it had exposed him to the difficulties of the peace process.

Guterres spoke of improving economic and social conditions for Palestinians to provide them with a "dividend" and incentive for peace.

His meeting with Netanyahu was part of a three-day visit that ends Wednesday and came with the two-state solution, long the focus of international diplomacy, under threat.

Earlier today, he met President Reuven Rivlin, and is due in Ramallah tomorrow for talks with Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is in Turkey and not expected to meet Guterres during the trip.

Guterres will travel to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with UN officials calling for Israel's blockade of the Palestinian coastal enclave to be lifted, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions there.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, including Islamist movement Hamas which runs the territory, have fought three wars since 2008.

Today, Hamas's head in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, said it had increased its military capabilities thanks to newly improved relations with Iran, but stressed it was not seeking war.

After arriving last evening, the UN chief met Jason Greenblatt, a top aide to US President Donald Trump charged with pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Greenblatt was part of a US delegation last week, including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, that held talks with Netanyahu and Abbas. He remained in the region for further discussions.

Peace efforts have been at a standstill since April 2014 and Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank has continued.

Trump has said he wants to reach the "ultimate deal", but he himself has cast doubt on the two-state solution, saying he could support a single state if it meant peace.

Such statements deeply concern Palestinians, while delighting right-wing Israelis who want their country to annex most of the West Bank.

The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, and has been the focus of international diplomacy since at least the early 1990s.

At the same time, many analysts say both Netanyahu and Abbas are not in a position to make any major concessions for now.

Netanyahu faces pressure from his right-wing base not to do so and to continue settlement building, and there is little incentive at the moment for him to change course, some analysts say.

The 82-year-old Palestinian leader is unpopular and his Fatah party, based in the West Bank, continues to be divided from Hamas in Gaza.

While Guterres spoke at length in his public comments on Monday on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli leaders' interests lie elsewhere for now.

Netanyahu pressed Guterres on the UN peacekeeping force in neighbouring Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, with Israeli officials having accused it of "blindness" to what they call an arms buildup by the Shiite group Hezbollah.

The trip comes as the UN Security Council debates renewing the force's mandate for a year, with a vote expected on Wednesday.

Guterres told Netanyahu: "I will do everything in my capacity to make sure that UNIFIL fully meets its mandate."



UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric has expressed "full confidence" in the force's commander.

Netanyahu also spoke of what he sees as Israel's arch- rival Iran seeking to expand its presence in the Middle East, particularly in neighbouring Syria.

He accused Iran of building sites to produce "precision- guided missiles" in both Syria and Lebanon.

"Iran is busy turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment and it wants to use Syria and Lebanon as war fronts (for) its declared goal to eradicate Israel," Netanyahu said in English.

Netanyahu again accused UN bodies of bias against his country, saying they had "an absurd obsession with Israel", and called on Guterres to address it.

Guterres, meanwhile, said: "To express that the right of existence of the state of Israel doesn't exist or the wish to destroy the state of Israel is an unacceptable form of modern anti-Semitism.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress today said the violence by supporters of the sect leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Haryana last week was "state sponsored".

All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Oza also condemned the "clean chit" given by the ruling BJP to the Haryana government in the aftermath of the August 25 violence erupted after the conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in a rape case.

"According to legal experts, President's rule should have been imposed following the violence by Dera supporters. However, instead of taking such a step, the Centre gave a clean chit to the Manohar Lal Khattar government which failed to control the violence," Oza told PTI here.

Terming the rampage and violence as the "government sponsored", Oza said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had repeatedly exhorted the government to take steps to maintain the law and order ahead of Singh's conviction.

"Despite section 144 of CrPC being in place, more than 1.5 lakh Dera supporters gathered in Panchkula and took law into their hands," she said referring to August 25 violence that left scores dead.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' programme in which he stated that violence in the name of faith won't be tolerated in the country, Oza said Congress wanted to know who was supposed to stop the rampage in name of faith in Haryana.

Oza also accused the BJP of "failing" to keep its electoral promise to enact a law granting reservation for women in the country.

"It is the responsibility of the Narendra Modi government to present the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament and get it passed. Congress would extend full support to this bill," the Congress leader said.

The BJP on Saturday ruled out removal of the Haryana chief minister, saying the government controlled the situation within three hours with "minimum possible damage".

A special CBI court today sentenced the Dera chief to 20 years in prison after his conviction in two rape cases.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two ministers of Congress government in Himachal Pradesh has announced that they would contest the upcoming assembly polls only under the leadership of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who reportedly decided not fight the elections.

After state Animal Husbandry minister Prakash Chowdhary announced that he would contest the elections only under the leadership of Singh.

State Health Minister Kaul Singh has also said that Virbhadra Singh has contributed a lot to the party and the state and the party wants him to contest the polls.

At a recent Congress legislative party (CLP) meeting, the chief minister had said that he would not contest assembly polls has created ripples in Himachal Congress Chowdhary also announced that he would contest the polls only under the leadership of Singh.

The Health minister also said that Virbhadra has contributed a lot to the party and the state and the party wants him to contest the polls.

The six-time chief minister is at logger head with Himachal Pradesh congress Committee (HPCC) president Sukhvinder Singh.

Chief Minister is likely to visit Delhi this week and hold talks with senior party leaders, party sources said.

The Union government has not so far notified opening of AIIMS at Bilaspur while the state cabinet had already cleared the project.

He also urged the Union Health and Family Welfare minister J P Nadda to take lead and lay the foundation of AIIMS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Voting for students' union polls in government universities and colleges of Rajasthan began today.

The counting of votes will take place on September 4.

Except the universities and government colleges in the Udaipur division, where the elections were postponed due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit tomorrow, all other universities and colleges went to polls today.

Voting will take place in Udaipur on September 4 and the results will be declared the same day, a higher education department spokesperson said.

There was a heavy deployment of police personnel at the Rajasthan University campus and its constituent colleges to ensure peaceful voting, the police said.

Rajasthan University has 23,651 registered voters, but identity cards for the polls have been issued to only 19,394 of them.

Nine student leaders are contesting for the post of students' union president in the Rajasthan University.

Deepak Kumar Meena, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) candidate, has locked horns with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad's (ABVP) Sanjay Machedi for the post of students' union president.

Pawan Yadav, an ABVP dissident, has entered the fray as an Independent candidate.

Rahul Bhakar, an NSUI dissident, is also contesting the polls.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The JD(U) faction, led by Sharad Yadav, today threatened to take "appropriate" action against the "unconstitutional acts" of the Nitish Kumar-led faction which had yesterday said that Yadav had indulged in "anti- party activities" by attending Lalu Prasad's rally.

Javed Raza, a party general secretary who was "removed" from his position, rejected the contention of Kumar-led faction that Yadav's participation in Lalu's rally amounted to giving up membership of JD(U).

He maintained that the Yadav faction was the real JD(U) and that it has moved the Election Commission to claim that a majority of the party's rank and file is with them and that the party's symbol should be allotted to them.

"I vehemently deny that he (Yadav) has committed any anti-party activities and the same are totally false and baseless. Be that as it may, this is a classic case of 'ulta chor kotwal ko dante' (pot calling the kettle black)," Raza said in a statement.

To hit out at Kumar, the Bihar Chief Minister, he cited earlier decisions of the party to fight the BJP while justifying Yadav's participation in yesterday's RJD rally in Patna which was attended by leaders of several opposition parties.

The statement of Raza, a close aide of Yadav, is a rejoinder to the party's secretary general K C Tyagi's charge yesterday that Yadav had indulged in anti-party activities by participating Lalu's rally in Patna.

Tyagi had also claimed that Yadav's participation in the rally had amounted to his volunatrily giving up the party.

"In these circumstances, your (Tyagi's) contention and threat that he (Yadav) has voluntarily given up the party's membership is mere political grandstanding and the JD(U) reserves its right to move proceedings before appropriate forum to take action against the unconstitutional acts committed by the faction led by Nitish Kumar," Raza said.

He, however, did not specify what the "unconstitutional acts" were.

"In fact, it is Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Ji and you (Tyagi) who have abandoned the JD(U)'s basic principles and have voluntarily given up its membership," he alleged.

Tyagi had yesterday said the party will write to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu seeking disqualification of Yadav, who attended the opposition rally in Patna defying the party's directive against it.

JD(U) has witnessed a divide ever since Kumar dumped the alliance with RJD and Congress and decided to go with the BJP a few weeks back.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Karnataka BJP President B S Yeddyurappa today hosted 33 Dalit families from across the state at his residence here, as a mark of gratitude to their hospitality during his state wide tour.

Considered as an attempt to woo Dalit votes, the families were served with lunch along with gifts besides taking them for sightseeing in the city.

Several BJP leaders including Govinda Karajola, C M Udasi, Shobha Karandlaje and Madara Chennaya Swamiji, a seer from the Dalit community participated in the event, BJP in a statement said.

As part of his 'Janasamparka yatra' and drought study tour across the state in May, Yeddyurappa along with other leaders partook of breakfast at dalits houses across the state.

The former Chief Minister also quoted controversy during this state wide tour as it was alleged that he had breakfast brought from a nearby hotel instead of what was homemade, which drew flak from both the Congress and JD(S).

Refuting the charge, Yeddyurappa had termed it as a malicious campaign by the Congress unable to resist his visit to dalit mohallas.

"Felicitated and hosted lunch for Dalit families who provided me hospitality during BJP's Janasamparka Yatra," Yeddyurappa tweeted with pictures of him serving food to Dalit families.

"I have seen your situation when I visited you. I can never forget the the richness of your heart, despite poverty," he was quoted as saying to Dalit families in the release.

Promising to work for their upliftment, he said "those who want to criticise me, let them criticise. I will keep visiting Dalit houses and continue to work for their upliftment," he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
By Clare Jim

HONG KONG (Reuters) - China Evergrande Group, which has the second-largest debt pile among the nation's corporates, pledged to slash its debt by 2020 after unveiling a jump in first-half profits that was aided by the early redemption of some bonds.

The country's No.3 property developer by sales also announced it is changing its growth strategy to focus on growing profitably, and reduce the size of its land reserves towards that end.

Evergrande said on Monday it aimed to cut its net debt ratio to around 70 percent by June 2020 from 240 percent now, helped partly by the introduction of a third round of strategic investments of 30 billion yuan ($4.53 billion) to 50 billion yuan by its unit, Hengda Real Estate Group, expected after September.

As a first step, it aims to lower the ratio to 140 percent by end of June next year, and to 100 percent in the year after. Its total borrowings stood at 673.5 billion yuan as of end-June.

Chief Executive Xia Haijun told an earnings briefing Evergrande would no longer aim to be the largest developer in China by sales, but instead attempt to be the No. 1 by margins.

It will start to reduce the scale of land reserve by 5 to 10 percent, or 10 to 20 million square meters, each year, he said.

"In the last 20 years, Evergrande has been chasing scale, but why is Evergrande changing strategy this year? ... This is because we have the basis for a transformation," said Xia.

"Because China's property market has moved from a golden era to a stable one, so we need to transform."

Evergrande's core profit, which excludes revaluation gains, came in at 27.30 billion yuan ($4.12 billion) over the six months ended June, a more than three-fold surge versus 7.8 billion yuan a year ago, thanks to a substantial rise in average selling prices and a full redemption of high-interest perpetual bonds.

Its net profit rose nine-fold to 18.83 billion yuan, while gross margin rose by 7.5 percentage points to 35.8 percent.

However, the developer booked a net loss on the disposal of available-for-sale financial assets of 7.02 billion yuan.

Earlier this year, subsidiaries of Evergrande sold 1.55 billion A-shares in China Vanke at a lower than average buying price to state-owned Shenzhen Metro, ending a years-long struggle for boardroom control at the larger peer Vanke.

Having half of its exposure to smaller cities in China, Evergrande was less affected by a slew of government tightening measures to rein in the country's overheated property sector.

The developer said its future land purchases would be focused on Tier 2 and satellite cities in China that are less impacted by tightening policies, although it forecast land prices would rise steadily due to a shortage.

Evergrande redeemed all its perpetual bonds, totalling 112.94 billion yuan, by end-June. The bonds cost it $1.6 billion in interest last year.

Its dollar bonds were trading higher by a quarter to a half point across maturities after its pledge to further cut its net debt ratio.

The developer has seen its shares surge close to 400 percent this year, driven by an imminent backdoor listing for most of its real estate assets in mainland China, fresh capital of 70 billion yuan from strategic investors as well as share buybacks.

Evergrande said it believed the Chinese economy would maintain a stable and favourable trend and that it was confident it could achieve its full-year contract sales target.

($1 = 6.6279 Chinese yuan renminbi)

(Reporting by Clare Jim; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Muralikumar Anantharaman)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese regulators are preparing new regulations on digital coin offerings and may ban them until the rules are in place, the financial magazine Caixin reported on Monday, as interest in the new fundraising channel grows rapidly in a regulatory grey area.

Digital currencies, also called cryptocurrencies, such as bitcoin and a growing stream of alternatives, allow anonymous peer-to-peer transactions without the need for banks or central banks.

They are also used by companies seeking to raise capital, in the form of initial coin offerings (ICOs) or initial token offerings (ITOs).

The currencies exist in a legal grey area, however, with regulators scrambling to come up with rules that will not stifle innovative funding models while also protecting investors.

ICOs have become a bonanza for digital currency entrepreneurs, allowing them to raise millions quickly by creating and selling digital "tokens" with no regulatory oversight.

But Chinese regulators, including the People's Bank of China and the China Securities Regulatory Commission, are now considering how to handle ICOs, including whether to ban them outright until regulations are in place, Caixin reported citing sources.

The report on China's plans follow comments from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in July that the tokens can be considered securities, and therefore, may need to be registered unless a valid exemption applies.

The PBOC and CSRC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The popularity of coin offerings has surged in China this year, with 65 ICOs and 2.62 billion yuan ($394.6 million) raised from 105,000 individuals in the country, state-run Xinhua reported in July citing data from a government organisation that monitors online financial activity.

Marketing events for an upcoming ICO held over the weekend at five-star hotels in Beijing and Shanghai saw standing-room only crowds with several hundred prospective investors at each event.

The government issued draft rules targeting illegal fundraising on Thursday, as the authorities step up a campaign to crack down on risky and illicit behaviour in the country's financial sector.

In China's rapidly developing financial markets, regulators periodically crack down on what they deem to be illegal fundraising schemes, including online peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms and pyramid schemes.

($1 = 6.6400 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Stella Qiu and Elias Glenn; Additional reporting by Xiaochong Zhang; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
MUMBAI (Reuters) - Creditor banks of Jaiprakash Power Ventures Ltd are seeking bidders to buy a stake of at least 30 percent in the Indian power producer, the majority of which they jointly own, a banker involved in the sale told on Monday.

A document on the website of SBI Capital Markets showed an unidentified creditor group has hired the investment bank and peer Ernst & Young to help sell a minimum of 30 percent of a power producer to a new investor. The buyer will become the producer's single largest shareholder, the document showed.

The banker identified the power producer as Jaiprakash Power. The utility is 51 percent owned by ICICI Bank Ltd and over a dozen other creditor banks which swapped debt for equity in February.

Jaiprakash Power and ICICI Bank and did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The banker was not authorised to speak with media on the matter so declined to be identified.

The potential sale falls under the central bank's Strategic Debt Restructuring scheme, introduced in 2015 to allow banks to convert part of defaulters' debt to equity and take majority stakes. Banks are then required to find new owners for the stakes but have had little success so far.

Jaiprakash Power has operational power projects totalling about 2,200 megawatts, the bid document showed. It also owns stakes in 2000 megawatts of thermal power generation capacity as well as in an operator of a 214 kilometre (133 miles) power transmission line.

Bids must be submitted by Sept. 11, the document showed.

(Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; Editing by Christopher Cushing)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factories likely posted another solid month of growth in August, suggesting the world's second-largest economy is still growing at a healthy clip despite rising financing costs and a cooling housing market, a poll showed.

The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) is expected to come in at 51.3 for August, down just a hair from July's 51.4, according to a median forecast of 39 economists polled by .

That would signal the 13th straight month of expansion for China's manufacturers, who are enjoying their best profits in years thanks to a government-led construction boom and a recovery in exports. The 50-mark divides expansion from contraction a monthly basis.

Driven by strong infrastructure spending and record bank lending last year, China's economy grew by a faster-than-expected 6.9 percent in the first half of 2017 and looks set to easily meet the government's full-year target of around 6.5 percent.

That momentum has given policymakers room to focus on tackling financial risks stemming from a rapid build-up in debt and an overheated property market.

Economists expect such cooling measures will start to drag on growth eventually, but do not foresee any sharp slowdown, especially as the government is keen to ensure stability ahead of a once-in-five-years Communist Party leadership reshuffle in the autumn.

"Given that the economy is slowing from an elevated position, the central government's focus should change to stability concerns in place of a focus on economic growth," analysts at Sun Hung Kai Financial said in a note on Monday.

Some signs of fatigue may already be starting to show.

China's import and export growth slowed more than expected in July, raising worries about domestic demand. Industrial output, investment, and retail sales also underwhelmed last month, while bank lending and money supply growth also slowed.

Data on Sunday showed industrial profits grew at the slowest pace in three months as a boost from higher commodity prices starts to fade, but they were still up some 21 percent in the first seven months of the year from the same period last year.

Economists expect the findings of a private survey on China's factory activity will be similar to the official reading.

They predict the private Caixin/Markit Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' index (PMI) will dip slightly to 50.9 in August from 51.1 in July, which would be the first decline in three months.

The official PMI survey will be published on Aug. 31, along with a similar survey covering the services sector, while the Caixin PMI is set to be released on Sept. 1.

(Reporting by Elias Glenn; Editing by Kim Coghill)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Some striking about Nandan Nilekani are his affable attitude, his pleasant demeanour and his optimism that always hinges on the art of the possible. That forms part of his armour as he readies for yet another innings at Infosys as its non-executive chairman, a decade after he had retired as CEO from 2002 to 2005.

He was hailed as the person best capable to quell the fire at Infosys, after co-founder Narayana Murthy's relentless tirade against the company board, especially former CEO Vishal Sikka and former co-chairman R Seshasayee, on issues related to corporate governance.







Nilekani, who shot to international limelight after a reference to his leadership at Infosys in Thomas Friedman's 2005 bestseller The World is Flat - A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, was seen as the person who can best assuage Murthy and prevent further damage to a company which reportedly lost nearly Rs 36,000 crore in investor wealth in just two days after the Sikka's resignation on August 18.

Nilekani, 62, who started his career in 1978 at Patni Computer Systems where he met Murthy, was not only a co-traveller of the latter in founding and building the IT services firm to an internationally respected giant, with current revenues of over $10 billion (Rs 64,000 crore). As CEO, his performance was equally spectacular. During the five years Nilekani held the post, Infosys' revenue grew six-fold, from $500 million (Rs 3,200 crore) to $3 billion (Rs 19,200 crore).

However, his biggest contribution is yet to come. Stepping into Infosys after founding the 'Aadhaar' as the chairman of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and a shot at politics as Lok Sabha candidate from Bangalore South on a Congress ticket in the 2014 general elections,which he lost, Nilekani is expected to marry the old ideas with the new at India's second largest IT company that employs two lakh people.







Remember, Murthy was whipping up the same allegations over the $200 million (Rs 1,278 crore) Panaya acquisition in 2015, which seemingly benefited Sikka as alleged by a whistleblower complaint, and how two top executives Rajiv Bansal and David Kennedy were offered big severance packages to buy their silence as they red-flagged certain chinks in the corporate governance armour.

All these allegations were sufficiently addressed by the Infosys board, with investigations conducted on three different occasions by reputed law firms, on which Infosys spent Rs 10 crore. All investigations proved no wrongdoing, insisted the board under Seshasayee and former Microsoft India head Ravi Venkatesan. Investors and staff seem to be equally convinced, with foreign portfolio investors (FPIs), who hold 37.53 per cent stake in Infosys, not raising a red flag over the issue.

Rather, Oppenheimer Fund, an FPI, came out in public support of Sikka in February. The staff tuned in to Sikka's ambitious plan to generate $20 billion (Rs 1,27,770 crore) in revenues and $80,000 (Rs 51,10,800) per employee revenue by 2020 (a plan which may not meet success, given the distractions the company has gone through).







Under Sikka, Infosys looked poised to regain its sheen that it seemed to lose during the days with some of its cofounders at the helm.

But Nilekani will tread cautiously on Murthy's allegations. He will have to use all his negotiation skills to charter a mid-path, taking Murthy's views on board, while ensuring not to upset the Infosys apple cart once again by reviving old allegations. He has said his comeback is not a permanent one, but will move out once Infosys is on the stable path once again. How long would it take to bring about stability?

One feels that Nilekani, who has penned acclaimed books 'Imagining India-Ideas for the New Century' in 2010 and'Rebooting India-Realising a Billion Aspirations' in 2015 with Viral Acharya, now an RBI Deputy Governor, would give himself at least a couple of years at Infosys now.

He is expected to move along the path of innovation that Sikka had set forth on, rejuvenating the company to take on global competition.

He would work to maintain and strengthen the confidence of high value clients whose trust in Infosys would have got a jolt with Sikka's resignation, and instil new confidence in a workforce whose morale would have taken a serious knock. Last but not the least, he will have to identify and bring in a new CEO at Infosys, at a time when getting external CEOs into the firm would be a tough task.

Building a new management with a new competent CEO and several independent board members will be Nilekani's most formidable task. When he steps out when he pleases to, he would not want to see Infosys embroiled in yet another war with the original co-founders. To ensure that, Nilekani would need to work out his real magic that had once endeared him to Infosys and its various stakeholders.
The government seems to be relentless in its effort to widen the tax net in the country. According to a report on The Times of India, the income tax authorities are set to look into the accounts of those who earn an interest of Rs 5 lakh or more from fixed deposits. The Income Tax Department will specifically probe those who are not paying taxes despite holding huge amounts in fixed deposits.

Accounts of even senior citizens who do not include the income from interest on fixed deposits in their taxable income or do not file tax returns at all will also be looked into, the paper cited senior officers in the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) as saying.

Fixed deposits have drawn the attention of tax authorities because a lot of professionals deal in huge amounts of cash and maintain a lavish lifestyle but do not always file income tax returns.

The Income Tax Department is dependent on banks to provide them information related to such accounts. It apparently has a substantial amount of data from different agencies to track down those who are deliberately avoiding the tax net or not paying the right amount they should as taxes, according to the report.

The focus, however, will be on big absconders. "Our focus is on the large evaders. There is no point chasing the smaller persons who do not yield much returns," the paper quoted a top-ranking officer as saying.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has been particular about the need for the expansion of the tax net. In fact, the income tax authorities are expected to raise as much as Rs 9.8 lakh crore from direct taxes in the current fiscal year.

Earlier this month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley revealed that the direct tax collections in the first four months of the ongoing financial year 2017-18 had shown a growth of 19.1%. The total amount received by the means of Direct Tax collections, after excluding refunds from them, stand at Rs.1.90 lakh crore the Ministry statement said.

With this, the Direct Tax collection reached 19.5 per cent mark of the total Budget estimates of Direct Taxes for the current financial year 2017-18. Also, the number of tax returns filed soared to 2.83 crore as against 2.27 crore in the previous year. The government released the numbers of tax returns filed, showing demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes had given the substantial growth.
Self-styled Godman Baba Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim who was held guilty of rape last week will be sentenced to punishment by a special CBI judge today in Sunaria Jail in Rohtak.

Judge Jagdeep Singh, who delivered the guilty verdict in the 2002 rape case against the Dera chief on Friday, will be flown in by a special helicopter for the sentencing. The helicopter will land on the helipad near the jail on the outskirts of the Rohtak city, IG (Rohtak Range), Navdeep Singh Virk said.

The announcement of punishment for the Dera Sacha Suda chief is expected to be announced at 4:00 pm.



Also read: Ram Rahim Singh convicted: Dera Sacha Sauda violence reaches Delhi



Media will not be allowed to cover the proceedings of the special court.

We have ensured that there is no crowd build-up in and around Rohtak city or Sunaria Jail. For that, special arrangements have been made. We have been provided forces from neighbouring districts and other units of Haryana police too," Virk said. He said 23 companies of paramilitary forces have been provided by the Centre. "We have sufficient forces and we have deployed them. We are on our toes 24x7 and we are 100 per cent certain that there will be no untoward incident tomorrow," he said.



Also read: Ram Rahim's income: With no need to pay taxes, the self-styled godman's earnings are unimaginable



The forces also conducted flag march in Rohtak today, where prohibitory orders under Section 144 are already in place, he added.



The Dera chief was convicted by the CBI court in Panchkula on Friday in the 15-year-old rape case. After his conviction, his followers went berserk in Panchkula and Sirsa. In the violence and arson that ensued, 38 people lost their lives while over 260 were injured. The administration has made tight security arrangements before the sentencing.








In last three years of his tenure, BJP's party chief Amit Shah never spent more than a week in New Delhi at a stretch. Unlike this time. He not only is spending more time in the national capital, but is regularly meeting the party leaders, RSS officials and several leaders of allies to formulate the details of cabinet reshuffle, restructuring the party and filling the vacancies at several governor houses.

Shah, who recently got elected into the upper house, is not likely to join cabinet. But he is designing the restructure, which is expected this week, might see reshuffle in 25 ministries, which includes dropping of several ministers and inclusion of some new. The sources close to him suggest this re-jig is designed to prepare both government and party for their big test in 2019 general elections. In mid-august, Shah convened meeting of party strategist, including 9 ministers. One of the inferences arrived at was, party is lacking talented spokespersons, and some of the ministers might have to come back to the party's fold before 2019 polls. Along with this, later this year, Gujarat & Himachal Pradesh state assemblies might go to poll, followed by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. All these are important for Shah and BJP's calculations.

In last one week, Shah asked for several ministers to give presentations of work done by ministries under them, including Skills Development Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

The cabinet recently saw exit of M Venkaiah Naidu (Urban Development Ministry and I&B) after his elevation as Vice President of India, Manohar Parrikar (Defence) who went to Goa as Chief Minister, along with this, there is no regular minister for Environment, forest and Climate Change. Science and Technology Minister Harshvardhan is taking care of these department after death of Anil Madhav Dave.

Moreover, it is expected that NDA might look at replacing NN Vohra as Governor of J&K. He didn't have a great equation with BJP leadership in the state. He is serving his second term, after he took over from SK Sinha on June 25, 2008. A former Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain, could be the replacement. Apart from this, there are four vacancies for other governors, and two more are about to finish their respective tenures. There are five MoS with independent charge, who are expecting promotion to the full cabinet rank. The list includes Power Minister Piyush Goyal, Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Oil and Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Telecom minister Manoj Sinha and DONER & MoS at PMO, Jitendra Singh.

Meanwhile, the exit of Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Small and Medium Enterprises Kalraj Mishra along with Health Minister JP Nadda appears evident. The party is also discussing the utility of keeping DV Sadananda Gowda. Along with this, the exit of Tourism minister Mahesh Sharma, along with MoS Steel Vishnu Deo Sai, MoS Water Resources Sanveev Balyan, MoS Agriculture Sudarshan Bhagat, MoS Women & Child welfare Krishna Raj appears evident. Sharma, a MP from Noida is likely to take organizational role in Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, Nadda might also comeback to take responsibilities in organization. His home state, Himachal Pradesh is heading towards elections this winter, and Nadda is seen as the choice for chief minister's post. His exit might see, and entry into union ministry from Dhumal family. The erstwhile CM, Prem Kumar Dhumal -who is close to the PM Narendra Modi-appears to be a better pick than his son Anurag Thakur (MP from Hamirpur). Three names, who are expected to come include Satpal Singh -former Mumbai police commissioner and MP from Bhagpat, BJP's intellectual cell chief Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. New entrants in NDA JD (U) might get two slots. Their Rajya Sabha MPs RCP Sinha and Ramnath Thakur, might get slots in Agriculture Ministry and Rural Development. Two members of AIADMK and one each from Shiv Sena and TDP might also join ministries.

Meanwhile, the sources in BJP suggest that Prabhu's portfolio might go to Surface Transport, Shipping and Highways minister, Nitin Gadkari for better integration of the transport and logistics' movement strategies. Sources in BJP suggest, Prabhu might see himself as next Defence minister. Meanwhile, Mishra's exit is seen more evident because of his age. He turned 76 this summer. But what works in his favour is the ongoing feud between Rajputs and Brahmins, and his control on the Brahmin votes is not fading away.

However, the Lutyen's Delhi is full of buzz. But history tell us that it is difficult to predict, what Shah and Modi plan. Till the announcement comes, all are keeping their fingers crossed.
Haryana and Punjab continues to be on edge as special CBI judge sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan to 20 years rigorous imprisonment in Rohtak jail today.

Special CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh, who was flown to Rohtak jail in a helicopter from Panchkula handed out the quantum of sentence to rape convict Ram Rahim Singh.

03:52 pm: Ram Rahim Singh is crying inside the courtroom, reports India Today.



03:41 pm: Medical examination of Ram Rahim Singh will be done following which he will be given a jail uniform and will be allotted a cell in jail.



03:35 pm: I appeal to Dera followers to peacefully abide by the judgement today: Vipassana Insaan, Dera chairperson.



03:28 pm: Ram Rahim gets 20 years rigorous imprisonment.



03:25 pm: Police flag march on in Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana.



03:20 pm: Protesters torch vehicles in Sirsa, reports India Today



03:13 pm: Prosecution is seeking life term for rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan.



03:12 pm: Curfew imposed in Moga district in Punjab



03:00 pm: Baba Ram Rahim Singh is crying inside the court and seeking forgiveness, reports India Today.



02:58 pm: Arguments end, CBI judge Jagdeep Singh deliberating on sentencing.



02:55 pm: Defence lawyer says Ram Rahim is social worker. Seeks leniency from judge.



02:40 pm: Prosecution has asked for maximum punishment for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh saying he is a serial offender.

02:30 pm: Court proceedings have begun inside the Rohtak jail.



01:51 pm: Petrol bombs, weapons seized from Dera Sacha Sauda followers in Malout.



01:43 pm: CBI judge Jagdeep Singh expected to reach Rohtak by 2:00 pm. Ram Rahim's sentencing to begin by 2:30 pm.



01:39 pm: Villagers of Shahpur Beghu near Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters have armed themselves with sticks and bricks to protect against mob of angry Ram Rahim followers, PTI reported.

01:36 pm: Police forces are continuously patrolling the streets of Rohtak with minutes left before Ram Rahim's sentencing.



#Haryana Police patrolling in Rohtak ahead of quantum of sentence hearing of #RamRahimSingh pic.twitter.com/ButnQybxB2 - ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

01:33 pm: Ram Rahim complains of uneasiness ahead of sentence in rape case.



01:19 pm: All districts of Uttar Pradesh put on high alert ahead of Ram Rahim's sentencing. Senior Superintendents of Police given free hand to implement Section 144 in their respective districts, if needed.



12:00 pm: Special CBI Court judge Jagdeep Singh leaves Panchkula for Rohtak jail in a helicopter



11:30 am: No relief for self styled godman Asaram. Supreme Court refuses bail in a rape case.

11:00 am: Weapons, chains, lathis recovered from Dera premises in Sonipat.



10:30 am: Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had held Ram Rahim guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, will be flown to Rohtak in a chopper today for announcing the sentence. The sentencing is expected to be announced at 2:30

10:26 am: Meanwhile, Punjab police has rounded up Dera followers at various place. 8 Dera followers have been booked in Abohar.

10:22 am: The police has launched a massive crackdown. Over a hundred Dera supporters have been taken into preventive custody in Rohtak. Paramilitary forces have been deployed near the jail complex.



10:20 am: Forces guarding the Rohtak Jail have been given shoot-at-sight orders. 10 Km area around Rohtak jail has been sanitized.

10:17 am: Ahead of the announcement of quantum of punishment of Dera chief in 15-year-old rape case, schools and colleges have been shut in various parts of Punjab and Haryana. Mobile internet services have also been suspended.

10:15 am: According to reports, there has been a huge crackdown at Dera headquarters in Sirsa. Nearly 8000 Dera supporters have been evacuated in the last 24 hours.

10:13 am: Rohtak prison has turned into a fortress as Ram Rahim faces a minimum of 10 year in jail.

10:10 am: The Punjab and Haryana high court had on Friday asked the government to seize entire property of Dera to compensate the damages done by its followers. The High Court has asked a list of its properties from the Dera.

10:00 am: In 2002, a sadhvi from Dera wrote an anonymous letter to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee saying she was raped by the Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Soon after it got reported, the Punjab and Haryana high court took suo motu cognizance of the letter and directed the Central Bureau of India to register a case against the Dera chief. Sadhi who wrote the letter was not the only victim. There were other female followers who were, Sadhvi wrote in the letter, raped by Gurmeet Ram Rahim. After Sadhvi's revelation, the CBI questioned other sadhvis as well where two of them confirmed the allegations against Ram Rahim. Those two Sadhvis later recorded their statement in the CBI court where they again reiterated the charges. The CBI slapped Section 376 and Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code on Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a high-level meet with senior officials from police, IB and the Home Secretary. NSA Ajit Doval was also present in the meeting. The meeting comes two days after 38 people were killed in the aftermath of violence following Ram Rahim Singh's conviction.


RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (SJM) has opposed the corporate led anti-malnutrition drive for children that are being rolled out by various states in the country.

In a letter to Maneka Gandhi, Union Minister for Women and Child Welfare, Ashwani Mahajan, All India Co-convenor, SJM, called for a national policy to end the use of commercial Ready to Use Therapeutic Foods (RUTF) promoted by global food giants. The organisation wants it to be replaced by the supply of 'indigenous, economical and culturally relevant' home augmented food items.

The letter specifically targets the Scaling UP Nutrition (SUN) movement that has partnered with the state governments of Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh to provide packed RUTFs to children in rural areas to tackle malnutrition. Another agency that has come under SJM attack is the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). The letter points out that SUN has a business network called SBN with majority of its members in food businesses promoting ready-to-use foods, nutrition supplements, ingredients for formulas and highly processed products and snacks. These members include Pepsi, Cargill, Nutriset, Britannia, Unilever, Edesia, General Mills, Glaxo SKB, Mars, Indofood, Nutrifood, DSM, Amul, and Valid Nutrition, it states. Inorder to suggest a conflit-of-interest possibility, the letter also informs that GAIN, chaired by Vinita Bali, former managing director of Britannia, leads the SBN.

"These vested interests like to promote 'magic bullet' and market-led approaches. Such approaches are misleading and undermine local, bio-diverse and sustainable food cultures", the letter alleges."Rajasthan is already using RUTFs under the National Health Mission supported by agencies like GAIN, ACF, and UNICEF. It is no doubt very expensive also and not sustainable", it adds.

According to SJM, the Indian data for the treatment of SAM children suggests little difference between commercial ready to use foods and home augmented foods."The locally created ready to use therapeutic food group was found better as there was 57 per cent recovery rate as compared to 43 per cent among the commercial RUTF group," it said.

The organisation also adds that several international experts and research bodies have questioned the evidence for the routine use of RUTFs for severe acute malnutrition, though international agencies like World Bank and UNICEF continue to support the SUN movement.

More than 44 million children under the age five remain chronically undernourished in India. Over 90 per cent of the children i.e. 23 million out of 26 million born, between the age group of 6-24 months do not get to eat the recommended four food groups crucial for their growth and development.

Terming childhood under-nutrition a deep rooted and multi-dimensional problem, SJM wanted it to be solved through food security, protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding and optimal complementary feeding, preventing early child bearing, strengthening preventive and curative health systems, and improving water supply and sanitation.
The 70-day long Doklam standoff between India and China has finally come to an end with India and China agreeing to a mutual withdrawal of troops from the tri-junction region.

Ministry of External Affairs issued a press release today saying, "expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going".

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests," it said.

The breakthrough on Doklam issue comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China.

India had stalled the construction of a Chinese road in Doklam which led to protest from the Chinese side. Doklam lies in the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan. Bhutan has also protested China's road building activity in its territory.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit China next month for the BRICS meeting.

In the last two months, state-run Chinese media put out numerous reports blaming India for Doklam standoff. China had conducted live-fire drills in Tibetan Autonomous Region during the escalation.


At a time when the government is working out divestment plan for national carrier Air India, the appointment of Rajiv Bansal as its chairman and managing director raises serious questions. Bansal, who is additional secretary and financial adviser in the petroleum ministry, was given this additional charge after AI's former CMD Ashwani Lohani moved to railways board. It's a bit surprising that Bansal's tenure is going to last just three months, a time period too short to make any significant contribution to the ongoing disinvestment plan. By appointing Bansal for such a short term, it seems that he's not going to play a pivotal role in the disinvestment process.

As AI careens towards a possible takeover, having a stable commander of the ship is important. This stopgap arrangement of the government could affect the sale of Air India in more ways than one. For an airline that's fast losing market share, more operational slip-ups can hit valuations. AI's market share has tanked over the years -- from 18 per cent in July 2014 to 13.5 per cent in July 2017.

The appointment is rather redundant because the whole disinvestment procedure is expected to take more than a year, and Bansal's value addition in three months can be patently restricted. In June, finance minister Arun Jaitley had said that the government is looking at selling stake in the loss-making national carrier. Jaitley reasoned that private carriers already control 86-87 per cent market share, and they could handle 100 per cent market. Following this, an inter-ministerial group was formed to help government divest its stake in the carrier.

Air India is a bottomless pit. Previous governments have spent huge sums on its revival but in vain. The most recent attempt was made in 2011 when the government decided to pump in Rs 30,231 crore over 10 years to turn around the airline. In the sixth year of TAP (turnaround plan), some Rs 24,745.21 crore have already been spent out of that kitty. AI has a gross debt of Rs 46,570 crore as on September 30, 2016 and has accumulated losses of Rs 47,440 crore between 2007/08 and 2015/16.

The rush to appoint Bansal has befuddled industry experts who point out the government's habit of keeping key PSU (public sector unit) positions vacant for too long. For instance, in May, union minister Jitendra Singh told Lok Sabha that some 42 posts of chairman and managing directors were vacant in central PSUs (including Maharatnas) due to various reasons such as company being loss making or sick, scrapping of panels and non-availability of suitable candidates.

Bansal's expertise in handling civil aviation matters is fairly limited, at least in his official capacity. He had served as a director in the civil aviation ministry between 2006 and 2008. With this short-term appointment, Bansal could just be a figurehead who can keep things going as is without having to worry much about the overall performance of the airline. Also, a person with a long-term commitment would have saved time and energy of the government machinery which will now have to go through the rigmarole again three months down the line.
India's mining giant Adani will start work on its 16.5 billion dollar Carmichael coal project in Australia in October and is expected to ship the first consignment in March 2020, the company has said after the controversy-hit project cleared two major legal hurdles.

The group has for more than five years battled opposition from green groups who are opposed to any expansion of the port, saying it will cut into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The port is to be used for exporting coal to India.

The group has so far invested Australian dollar 3.4 billion on the Abbot Point port and preparatory work for the Carmichael coal mine.

The company decided to move forward on the project after it cleared two more legal hurdles last week with a Brisbane court dismissing appeals filed by environmentalists and a traditional landowner against the venture.

"We will start construction of the project by October and first coal will come out in March 2020," Adani chairman Gautam Adani said yesterday.

Adani Australia Country Head and CEO Jeyakumar Janakaraj said this was yet another example of Adani finally being able to enact long-held plans to benefit Queensland state.

The company has selected the first regional contractor to refurbish its existing exploration camp accommodation.

"Engaging with regional contractors has enabled us to be flexible and quick to get some of our construction infrastructure already operational," Janakaraj said.

Adani Australia's regional content initiatives will have long-term benefits for Queensland, particularly for contractors who help us meet our Indigenous content targets, he said.

A further 245 rooms at the Carmichael camp are expected to come online by early September, along with extra facilities, project offices, utilities and communications.

Earlier, Janakaraj had said the project would create "10,000 direct and indirect jobs", with a minimum 7.

5 per cent of those going to traditional land owners.

The project will also inject 22 billion dollars in royalties and charges into the state coffers to be reinvested back into the broader community.

In June, Adani's board gave final investment approval for the proposed coal mine, which would be the largest in Australia.

However, the Environmental Defenders Office said it would continue to examine the lawfulness of the mine.

Environmental activists are concerned about the potential impacts to the Great Barrier Reef as the coal will be shipped through areas close to the national icon. There are also concerns the coal burned will contribute to climate change, which is the biggest threat to the reef.
Vincent N. Ndumu N. Melo

Vincent Nji Ndumu, Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council, has ordered all the traders to open their shops today and not to respect operation ghost town.

Vincent Nji Ndumu Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council has ordered all the traders to open their shops today and not to respect operation ghost town.

He was speaking during the meeting held on Saturday 26 August 2017 in the town of Bamenda with the Traders of the Food Market, Ntarinkon Market and the Main Market.

Vincent Nji Ndumu asked traders to conquer fear and forgo the ghost town by opening their shops on all days of the week. It was also stated that the Government will sanction any trader who fails to open their shops today according to news from Equinox Radio.

He added that the traders should create vigilante groups as a matter of personal security to anticipate their kids for school come September 04th 2017.

It should be noted that before theses resolutions were arrived at, most of the traders were seen walking out of the hall saying when fire will come visiting and their shops burnt down and their children attacked, they will only have their own eyes to cry therefore they are not ready to sacrifice their source of livelihood nor their children.
| BY Ricki Green |

TBWA Sydney & Maud have been named Agency of the Year at the 26th annual Australasian Catalogue Association (ACA) Awards, held last Friday night.

The awards recognised the creative skills of up-and-coming talent and industry leaders.

Creatives, retailers, producers and agencies were amongst a record attendance of 734 guests all awaiting to hear who had been crowned Agency of the Year.

TBWA Sydney and Maud were successful in securing the award for Agency of the Year. The agency had a big year winning another four awards for David Jones with Catalogue Retailer of the Year  up to 1.5M, Kitchen and Home Interior, Chain and Department Stores, and Online Retailers.

TBWA Sydney & Maud took the title over tough competition with the finalists including Clemenger BBDO for Myer, AJF Partnership for Vintage Cellars, and Plump + Spry for Grand Central Shopping Centre.

Says Jenny Calcott, production designer, TBWA: We are honoured to win the title of Agency of the Year. Were very proud of our efforts and are thrilled to be among such credible names. Well done to the TBWA team for producing outstanding work over the past year. We are excited for the year ahead.

Clemenger BBDO and the BCF in-house team took out the Award for the prestigious Judges Choice for its work on The BCFing Winter Fashion Collection for BCF (Boating, Camping and Fishing).

Says Emma Yerbury, marketing coordinator at BCF (Boating, Camping and Fishing): We are truly grateful to be awarded Judges Choice for 2017. Our strategy proved to be successful as we worked together to combine a strong range with engaging creative and product range to intrigue customers.

Says Kellie Northwood, chief executive officer, ACA: Tonight is an important night in the catalogue and letterbox marketing industry as we celebrate the powerful work from retailers, agencies, printers and distributers, and their marketing throughout the year. As 69% of the population engage with catalogues, it is amazing to celebrate those across Australian and New Zealand who are working this channel harder every year. A big congratulations to TBWA Sydney & Maud for being awarded with Agency of the Year. A well-deserved award for their outstanding work.

The Major Australasian Catalogue Awards Winners and Finalists:

Agency of the Year (Sponsored by Fairfax Media)

Winner TBWA Sydney & Maud

Finalists Clemenger BBDO, AJF Partnership, and Plump + Spry

Best Young Designer (Sponsored by Sierra Delta and PMP Limited)

Winners Zoran Serovski and Kathrina Mabilangan of Chemist Warehouse

Finalists Kate Cochrane of Kmart, Emma Borlase of Target, and Jasmine Holm of TBWA Sydney & Maud

Best Young Talent (sponsored by Stora Enso)

Winner Leah Mammoliti of Redhanded

Finalists Natalie McAdam of Kmart, Genevieve Blackman of Dan Murphys, and Hannah Toole of Target

Judges Choice (sponsored by PMP Limited)

Winner BCF  Boating, Camping and Fishing  Camp Couture produced by Clemenger BBDO

Finalists Kathmandu  The Summit produced by Kathmandu In-House Team, The Kitchens  The Kitchens Autumn 2017 produced by Plump + Spry and Kidstuff  Play Summer/Autumn 2017 produced by Born and Raised

Catalogue Retailer of the Year  up to 1.5m (sponsored by Norske Skog)

Winner David Jones  AW17 Brand Book Two produced by TBWA Sydney & Maud

Finalists Myer  Remember When produced by Clemenger BBDO, BCF  Boating, Camping and Fishing  Camp Couture produced by Clemenger BBDO and BCF In-House Team, and Kathmandu  The Summit produced by Kathmandu In-House Team

Catalogue Retailer of the Year  up to 3.5m (sponsored by Norske Skog)

Winner Chemist Warehouse  Prices are Falling produced by Chemist Warehouse In-House Team

Finalists Kmart  Fit For Every Day produced by Kmart In-House Team, Dan Murphys  Buyers Guide produced by Hardie Grant, and Coles Supermarkets Happy New Year produced by Whippet.
| BY Lynchy |

VML Singapore has been named the social media agency for Singapores luxury mall and retail destination, ION Orchard, for a period of 12 months. The agency will support ION Orchard across all aspects of its social strategy, including content planning and asset development, community management, reporting and analytics, as well as strategic campaigns and related events.

Tripti Lochan, CEO, Southeast Asia & India, VML (pictured) said, We are incredibly honored to partner with a brand as vibrant and inspiring as ION Orchard, as it makes waves in retail innovation. Consumers rely on digital for everything  from deal hunting to location mapping and information gathering when it comes to shopping these days. We look forward to helping ION Orchard join the dots for their consumers through the powerful use of their social channels that encompasses pre-shopping trip research to post check-out customer services.
Sunday, August 27, 2017 at 6:50PM

A number of devices including the three-year-old Samsung Galaxy S5 is getting an August patch that address some security issues. For the Galaxy S5, its getting version G900FXXS1CQH1, which comes in at 75MB and has been coming to S5 units in Europe. The Galaxy S6 line on AT&T is getting the update too as version G890AUCS6DQH1 for the S6 active, G920AUCS6EQH1 for the S6, G925AUCS6EQH1 for the S6 edge, and G928AUCS4EQH1 for the S6 edge+.

A non-Samsung device is also getting the update, too. The Nexus 6 on AT&T is getting the August patch as version N6F27I.

Source: GSMArena
When the licence for Casino Canberra was approved in 1992, much against the wishes of the RR, it did not allow the then operators, Casinos Austria International, to install poker machines. This was despite having paid $19 million up front and committing to an annual licence fee of $500,000.
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
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.
An Israeli autonomous drone delivery company has started commercial operations in Reykjavik, Iceland, one of the first in the world to offer the service on demand.

Tel Aviv-based Flytrexs drones will fly more than 2.5 kilometers (1.6 mile) across a large bay that separates two parts of the city, delivering for online marketplace Aha, company Chief Executive Officer Yariv Bash said in an interview.

The drones will drop off the goods at a designated landing pad where they will then be taken to their final destination by foot, scooter or car. The companies hope to receive regulatory approval by the end of the year to transport orders straight to customers backyards.

Drone-based disruption is only taking off, with Iceland as its runway, Bash said separately in a statement.

Using drones will save Aha 60 percent of delivery costs to that area of Reykjavik, where it serves 8,000 customers, he said. Currently the drones make up to 10 deliveries a day, and will double the number by the end of next week.

Some heavy-hitters are working on developing drone delivery, including Amazon.com Inc. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. Airbus SE, the European aerospace conglomerate, is starting a company to provide unmanned aerial services as well, estimating in May that the field could increase to more than $120 billion annually as the use of such fleets expands.

Amazon in December made its first-ever drone delivery  a television streaming device and a bag of popcorn  to a customer in the U.K., where the company is testing the technology, in part because of strict U.S. regulations. 7-Eleven and Dominos have used Flirtey drones to deliver packages, and Zipline flies unmanned aircraft to parachute medical supplies to remote African villages.

Bash, who previously headed SpaceIL, an Israeli nonprofit aiming to land the first Israeli spacecraft on the moon, doesnt see Amazon.com Inc. as a competitor. Amazon serves Amazon customers, he said in a phone interview. That leaves the rest of the market open for other drone companies.

The Israeli company is carrying out trial deliveries in countries other than Iceland, and has regulatory approval in one nation to do backyard drop-offs, said Bash, declining to elaborate.

Flytrex has raised $2.5 million from angel investors including Swiss venture capitalist Daniel Gutenberg, who also invested in Mobileye, the maker of software for driverless cars acquired by Intel Corp. earlier this year for $15 billion. It plans another financing round in the next few months, Bash said.
Chinese brand Chery is looking to expand into global markets with a suite of new vehicles, and one of them will be a compact SUV.



Previewed in a few design sketches ahead of its Frankfurt Motor Show premiere on September 12, the as-of-yet-unnamed SUV is said to incorporate a new evolution of the companys Life in Motion design philosophy.

Its styling is said to be inspired by nature, and some of the highlight designs include a sharp chrome horizontal bar at the front end, chrome trim for the bumper, side skirts and window surrounds, full LED headlights, and slim taillights, joined together by a chrome strip.

Its wide track and large wheels contribute to its muscular and purposeful stance exudes confidence, says Chery.

The world premiere of our new compact SUV marks the start of our approach to European sales with a new model line, commented the brands Executive Vice President of R&D Center Shanghai, Ray Bierzynski. Launching within a few years, all models in the lineup will feature characteristic styling, user-focused technology, electrified powertrains, and advanced safety features.

Cherys new cars will arrive in Europe, and other global markets, over the next few years, and the automaker is also planning new design and R&D centers on the Old Continent, which should accelerate their plans for global expansion.

PHOTO GALLERY
Ford is being sued by hundreds of owners over reportedly defective lug nuts, Automotive News reports.



The suit, filed by law firm Hagens Berman on Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges that millions of lug nuts fitted to the Ford Fusion, Flex, Focus, Escape and F-350 can swell and delaminate.

If that happens, it can become difficult to remove the wheels without paying for expensive repairs and new lug nuts, the suit claims.

In a statement, managing partner of Hagens Berman, Steve Berman, said that Ford opted to design and develop lug nuts which look good to the eye but arent suitably strong.

Were not talking about breakthrough technology or computerized aspects of the auto world. Were talking about possibly the simplest part of the car  the lug nuts. Ford chose to make its lug nuts with an inferior design that puts cosmetics ahead of safety and directly led to harm to consumers, he says.

The suit has been signed by owners in Arizona, North Carolina, Tennessee, California, Virginia, Illinois and Ohio and claims that Ford has violated 68 different federal and state acts.

PHOTO GALLERY
Its hard to deny that both the Mercedes-Benz S63 and S65 AMG are two cars that perfectly combine performance with luxury. However, for those that want similar characteristics but in a more understated package, the M760Li xDrive is the way to go.



Installed with a twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V12 engine pumping out 610 hp, the car can hit 100 km/h in the low 3 second range, all the straight-line performance youd expect from an M-car but without any compromises over the silky smooth 7-Series.

A couple of weeks ago, we stumbled upon images of an M760Li xDrive painted Estoril Blue and were blown away. This one takes things to an even classier level.

Painted in San Marino Blue, this M760Li xDrive is immediately more eye-catching than any other 7-Series weve seen and looks all the more impressive thanks to 21-inch M Performance wheels, an Alpina trunk spoiler and a 3D Design front bumper.

As for the interior, well, its opinion-splitting to say the least. Bathed in almost nothing but red leather, it looks quite nice when viewed from the outside, contrasting the blue paint. But on closer inspection, its hard not to think about how it cheapens the interior of BMWs most luxurious vehicle.

PHOTO GALLERY
Photo: The Canadian Press

Canadian expats living in Texas said they've gone days without sleep as the remnants of hurricane Harvey continue to deluge the southeast coast Sunday.

Megan Giffin-Scheffers, who moved from Halifax to Houston four years ago, said "everything is overflowing" in the Texas city, which is the fourth-largest in the U.S., as rising waters force thousands of people out of their homes.

Giffin-Scheffers, a mother of three, said she hasn't slept properly in two days as she and her husband take shifts on the lookout for signs of danger.

Every time her phone lights up with a tornado alert, her family has to hunker down in their pantry as wind gusts howl through the city like "freight trains," she said.

"As Canadians ... I don't think we really understood the impact of a hurricane," Giffin-Scheffers said in a phone interview. "I'm homesick every single day, and when something like this happens, that's just when I want to pack up and move back."

Canadian astronaut Joshua Kutryk, who is training in Houston, posted photos to social media of neighbourhoods flooded with murky waters that almost fully submerged a car.

"Feeling like an ant in an anthill today, here by the grace of Mother Nature," he tweeted. "Sometimes we get stepped on."

Isabelle Dion, who is from Saint-Cesaire, Que., says her home in Houston has been spared from damage, but it's scary not to know what will happen when night falls.

"Imagine a shower that's full capacity and it never stops," said Dion. "Tornado warnings, and tornado warnings. Every five minutes of the night your cell phone goes on, and it's very difficult."

Canadian engineer Raihan Khondker said his family safely left their home in southeastern Texas, but he was forced to return to the Bay City area as part of a support team at a nuclear power plant.

For three days, Khondker, who is from Toronto, has been working tirelessly to manage "one thing after another," driving through water-choked streets to bring supplies to engineers at the plant who are running out of food.

Khondker said houses in his neighbourhood have been turned "upside down," and rising waters in a nearby river threaten to send a potentially catastrophic flood into the area.

"Every single creek in the neighbourhood is full," he said. "There is an imminent flood coming to Bay City, we just don't know how much water we are going to see."

Harvey slammed into Texas as a Category-4 hurricane Friday and has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, which is causing torrential rains.

-With files from The Associated Press
Photo: David Ogilvie Smoke spotted in West Kelowna.

UPDATE: Monday 9 a.m.

Staff at Gorman's sawmill advise the smoke seen Sunday was from its kiln.

It's not known how serious the situation was, but there are no reports of a fire at the mill.

ORIGINAL: Sunday 6:10 p.m.

Castanet is receiving reports of smoke in the Glenrosa area of West Kelowna.

According to one report, the smoke is near Gorman's Mill, off Glenrosa Road.

The cause of the smoke is still unknown.

Castanet will keep the public updated with more information as it becomes available.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Emergency officials in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, say they consider it almost miraculous the death toll from Harvey's landfall hasn't been higher.

Thirty-seven-year-old Sam Speights easily could have been a victim. He says he survived by dodging, weaving and running from his trailer home to a pickup truck to a concrete block structure after the hurricane hit Friday night.

When nearly everyone else on his street had fled, he hunkered down. Harvey flattened nearly everything on his street, a line of trailer homes on a 10-foot rise three miles from the Gulf of Mexico. Speights says he has lost everything.

Rockport emergency management spokesman Bill Terry estimates that it will be three to four weeks before essential services can be restored and people can return to their homes.
Photo: Contributed

Two people have died after the motorcycle the couple was driving crossed the center line in a clockwise curve and collided with an eastbound Toyota RAV4, near Merritt.

On Aug. 27, at 2:49 p.m. Merritt RCMP, Central Interior Traffic Services, BC Ambulance and Merritt Fire Rescue responded to Hwy 8 just east of Coldwater Road for the report of a motorcycle and car collision.

Investigators are able to confirm that two couples on their motorcycles were traveling together and were westbound on Highway 8 when the lead motorcycle for unknown reason crossed the center line in a clockwise curve.

Evidence located at the scene indicates the driver of the RAV4 moved to the right in an attempt to avoid the collision.

Sgt. Mike Pears confirms that the RCMP Victim Services Unit from Merritt is actively involved in dealing with everyone that has been directly impacted by this crash.

The second couple was not injured and not directly involved in the collision other than witnesses to this tragic event. Both couples are from Washington State.

The mother and child in the RAV4 were transported to hospital in Merritt to be checked by a physician. Their injuries are believed to be minor.

Central Interior Traffic Services investigators from Merritt and a collision re-constructionist from the Southeast District will assist the BC Coroners Service to try to determine why the motorcycle collided with the RAV4.

The RCMP are asking anyone who witnessed this crash to please contact Central Interior Traffic Services investigators in Merritt.
Photo: Contributed

Like any typical teen, Jadine Baldwin loves spending time on her cellphone and laptop, the latter the vehicle for honing her skills as a wordsmith to fulfil her dream of some day becoming a novelist.

But what sets the 17-year-old apart from most of her adolescent peers is her physical disability, the result of being born with cerebral palsy.

And while she has no intention of letting that stop her from reaching her goal, she continually bumps up against the barrier of discrimination  the stares, the whispers and the social exclusion by those seemingly unable to see past her inability to walk or her somewhat laboured speech.

"I think people discriminate against me in the way that they see my wheelchair and not who I am as a person," said Jadine.

"They'll talk to other people about me, but not directly to me. So people will stop my mom in the grocery store and ask her what my problem is ... because they think that because my legs don't work I'm stupid and can't understand them.

Jadine is part of a new campaign by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto, called "Dear Everybody," aimed at ending stigma experienced by the estimated 400,000 Canadian children and youth with physical or cognitive disabilities and breaking down the barriers that lead to discrimination.

"It's a campaign that's not only designed to change hearts and minds, but also to inspire action, to get people to think differently about the lives of people with disabilities," said Julia Hanigsberg, president and CEO of Holland Bloorview.

The campaign includes TV and radio ads, as well as a website   that features an open letter written by kids and young adults with disabilities that answers questions and brings Canadians "face to face with their own biases."

Hanigsberg said youth with disabilities are less likely to pursue post-secondary education, are vastly underemployed compared to their typically developing friends, and have fewer opportunities for social inclusion.

"One of the most startling statistics that I have ever heard is that more 50 per cent of young people with disabilities have zero or one friend."

"Young people who are intelligent and dynamic and have a ton to say tell me that they're spending every day at the school cafeteria sitting by themselves because no one wants to sit next to them.

Maddy Hearne knows all too well what it feels like to be unable to keep up with her friends and classmates after suffering six concussions over the last four years, half of them occurring while the diminutive teen was taking dance classes.

The traumatic injury requires resting the brain as much as possible to help it heal, in part by reducing exposure to stimuli like loud noise and bright light.

"I had to wear headphones and sunglasses, and because of that people stared at me and they saw I had a bunch of accommodations (from the school) and they're like 'She's crazy. Like I don't want to be a part of that.'"

At lunchtime, she was put in a quiet room as prescribed by her doctor. "No one else was allowed in the room. I couldn't eat in the room, I just had to sit there," Maddy explained.

"The room was a glass room and I always call it the goldfish room, the goldfish aquarium, because everybody would stare at me. I felt like a zoo animal.

"I'd sit there and watch my friends go by."

The Toronto teen said she's lost a lot of friends as a result of her concussions, which cause symptoms like fatigue that don't allow her to be as active as she once was. She previously spent dozens of hours a week practising and performing ballet and other forms of dance.
Photo: Swiss Ultra/Katrin Meier Shanda Hill during swimming competition at Swiss Deca.

Super athlete Shanda Hill of Vernon has completed the Deca Ultratriathlon Continuous  one of the toughest competitions in the world.

Hill, who was the second woman to complete this year's race in Buchs, Switzerland, finished in 11.5 days and ahead of the Aug. 29 cutoff.

Hill, 35, was cheered as she crossed the line on Monday holding a Canadian flag overhead.

She was the eighth athlete out of 16 to finish and the first ever Canadian woman to complete the race.

"I'm grateful, humbled and in awe of the competitors and support teams here, Hill said after the competition.

The punishing Deca is the equivalent of ten Ironman competitions, involving a 38 kilometre swim, an 1,800 km bike ride and a 422 km run.

Hill also sent out a big thank you to sponsors and supporters.

Thank you RanchoVignola, Pro Hands massage, Ursuit and Kaiser, my friends and supporters. Thank you Canada and Vernon, British Columbia for your support. Today was amazing.
Photo: BC Wildfire Service

Seven new fires were sparked over a 24-hour period on Sunday, with two believed to have been caused by human activity, two by lightning and three under investigation.

One of those was about 13 kilometres east of Squamish, along the Mamquam River, and although it was small, the wildfire service says more crews and equipment were due to be assigned to contain and extinguish it.

A provincial state of emergency remains in effect.

The wildfire service says 1,123 fires have been reported since the start of the fire season on April 1, burning just over 10,600 square kilometres of timber, bush and grassland.
Photo: Google Maps

A mysterious chemical haze that left scores of people on the English coast with streaming eyes, sore throats and breathing problems has dissipated, but its cause remains a mystery, police and emergency services said Monday.

The gas cloud appeared Sunday, sending people fleeing from the beach and cliffs at Birling Gap, a popular coastal spot 100 kilometres south of London.

Life boats were dispatched to help clear people from the beaches there, and Eastbourne District General Hospital said it had treated more than 130 people. Sussex Police said the injuries were mostly minor.

"Whatever it was, it smelled like burnt plastic," said Bob Jefferey of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's Eastbourne division. "It hung about and didn't move yesterday because there was no wind. The cloud seems to have dispersed today, though."

Pollution has been known to drift to Britain from industrial plants in France, but police said the wind direction made that unlikely in this case.

"Neither the gas nor its source have been established, but agencies are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out either on-shore or off-shore locations," Sussex Police said.
Photo: The Canadian Press Seamus O'Regan arrives Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made former TV host Seamus O'Regan his new veterans affairs minister Monday in a mid-mandate shakeup that puts cabinet stalwart Jane Philpott at the heart of a retooled Indigenous Affairs department.

Philpott is taking on a new Indigenous Services portfolio to work alongside Carolyn Bennett, whose new title  minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and northern affairs  signals a sharper focus on reconciliation.

Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes the new health minister, while Carla Qualtrough becomes minister of public works and procurement, replacing Newfoundland and Labrador MP Judy Foote, whose resignation prompted Monday's shuffle.

It's widely seen as one of the toughest portfolios in cabinet, responsible for handling the federal government's troubled Phoenix pay system as well as handling defence procurement challenges.

Foote, who had been on leave from her cabinet portfolio, said last week that she was resigning her House of Commons seat for family health reasons. O'Regan's promotion ensures a continued seat at the cabinet table for Newfoundland and Labrador.

With Trudeau having made gender parity in cabinet a big part of his government's identity, he also needed to add a promising female backbencher to the cabinet table to restore the balance upset by Foote's departure.

That turned out to be Ginette Petitpas Taylor, whose promotion to the Health portfolio indicates a strong degree of confidence in the rookie New Brunswick MP.

The opposite could perhaps be said about Kent Hehr, who was shuffled out of Veterans Affairs to take over for Qualtrough in the Sport and Persons with Disabilities portfolio.

The Liberals were elected two years ago on a promise to address many of the complaints veterans had raised about their treatment under the Conservative government.

The biggest promise was to reintroduce lifelong disability pensions, which had been eliminated in favour of a lump-sum payments and a new system of benefits for injured ex-soldiers in 2006.

But the Liberals have since waffled on that promise, and Hehr's folksy style and vague promises had failed to quell growing complaints that the government was breaking its key promises to veterans.

O'Regan was first elected in 2015 and is a close personal friend of the prime minister. He worked in politics as a ministerial assistant both federally and provincially before joining CTV's Canada AM in 2001.
Photo: The Canadian Press A man floats past a truck submerged on a flooded freeway in Houston, Sunday.

Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-storey homes Monday, and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey kept pouring rain on the Houston area after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.

The nation's fourth-largest city was still largely paralyzed, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast. With nearly two more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

The disaster unfolded on an epic scale in one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centres. The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles, an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. It's crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles to the southeast from downtown.

The flooding was so widespread that the levels of city waterways have either equaled or surpassed those of Tropical Storm Allison from 2001, and no major highway has been spared some overflow.

On Monday, the city's normally bustling business district was virtually deserted, with emergency vehicles making up most of the traffic. Most traffic signals were out and most businesses closed.

Elsewhere, water gushed from two reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey as officials sought to release pressure on a pair of dams where floodwaters were at risk of spilling uncontrolled from around the sides of the barriers. The move aimed at protecting the downtown business district risked flooding thousands more homes.

Meanwhile, rescuers continued plucking people from the floodwaters  at least 2,000 so far, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

At least 185 critical rescue requests were still pending on Monday morning. The goal is to rescue those people by the end of the day, Acevedo said.

With rain falling unabated, he said there was nowhere left for the water to drain.

"I'm not sure where the water is going because it's just so much that we can't really absorb more in the ground at this point," he told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

The rising water forced a mass evacuation of parts of the city Sunday and rescuers who could not keep up with constant calls for help. The storm has been blamed for at least two deaths.

Residents living near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs  which were created to prevent flooding in downtown Houston  were warned Sunday that a controlled release would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. The rising water and ongoing rain put pressure on the dams, which could allow water to spill outside them if the pressure is not relieved.

Water levels were increasing at a rate of more than six inches per hour.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A native American band says its anglers have caught about 20,000 fish following the collapse of a commercial net pen rearing farmed Atlantic salmon in Puget Sound.

The Lummi Nation say its fishermen have brought in about 90,700 kilograms of the non-native species since it declared a state of emergency Thursday.

Cooke Aquaculture's marine salmon farm in the San Juan Islands off Washington state failed over a week ago, releasing thousands of farmed Atlantic salmon into waters.

Band and state officials have urged people catch as many as possible.

On Saturday, Gov. Jay Inslee directed the Department of Ecology to put on hold any new permits for net pens.

State officials also announced the formation of a response team comprised of the departments of Natural Resources, Fish and Wildlife, Ecology, the Office of the Governor and Emergency Management Division.

It's not yet clear how many non-native Atlantic salmon escaped into Puget Sound. Cooke Aquaculture officials say the pens held about 305,000 fish.

The company has said high tides and currents damaged the salmon farm and led to the escape of fish.

The release at Cooke Aquaculture's facility comes as the company is proposing a new expanded commercial facility in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington.
labfolder and the German Accelerator Life Sciences (GALS), an initiative supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), today announced the initiation of an extensive collaboration supporting the companys expansion into the North American markets. With thousands of users and a growing number of customers in the U.S. already, the newly established Cambridge office will accelerate those efforts and support customer relations.labfolder digital lab notebook software was developed to support research teams in managing their vast amounts of data, and being more productive in the lab. The company is one of the world's leading electronic lab notebook (ELN) platforms with a strong user base within life sciences, biotech and pharma.

The Boston/ Cambridge biotech hub is an important market for the laboratory supply industry with hundreds of top-tier biotech and pharmaceutical companies, the top 4 NIH-funded hospitals in the U.S., and 122 colleges and universities. Academic research institutions as well as industrial R&D giants worldwide are looking towards Boston as one of the most innovative regions. For us it is not only a great opportunity, but also an honor being able to support research teams with our software, and helping them to focus on making groundbreaking discoveries., said Simon Bungers, Co-founder and CEO of labfolder.

Since the first public release of our software in 2013, we have seen high user growth in the U.S. and just within the last year we have increased our customer-base within this market by 10-fold. Researchers everywhere are looking for a simple, easy-to-use solution to manage the vast amounts of data produced in a lab each year and store them in a safe and accessible way, added Florian Hauer, Co-founder and COO of labfolder. We are planning to aggressively expand our US customer base and our newly established U.S. office as well as our collaboration with the GALS team will help to deliver on these strategic plans.

As of 2014, labfolder offers a standalone server solution next to the cloud version. Customers can also benefit from added support for managing extensive datasets, team management, and collaboration features, as well as a material database to manage inventory. Offering these features paved the way to the companys success. labfolder customers include Germanys most renowned research organization, the Max-Planck-Society as well as Europes large university hospital, the Charite Berlin, among others.

labfolder won the trust of leading research institutions and companies in Germany, says Christoph Lengauer, CEO of GALS. I am convinced that the labfolder team will be able to leverage this success for partnering here in Cambridge and the U.S. in general. GALS will provide strategic as well as operational support for labfolder and leverage its industry network to support the companys further expansion into the U.S. market.
McDonald's has inked a multiyear deal with French technology consulting company Capgemini Group to speed up its digital innovation and improve customer experience. The deal also will bring as many as 600 new jobs to the area.

McDonald's has put technology at the top of its priority list over the past year, investing in its "Experience of the Future" model, which includes installing order kiosks and Bluetooth-enabled table service. The fast-food giant also is rolling out mobile ordering, curbside check-in and a delivery partnership with UberEats.

Advertisement

McDonald's lost its first chief digital officer, Atif Rafiq, to Volvo last year, and said at the time that his "departure provides an opportunity to further align our structure as we accelerate the digital experience our customers want."

Capgemini, which has an existing Chicago office on West Wacker Drive, said it will open a new Global Digital Retail Center here to bring in support staff for the partnership and allow it to grow its North American operations.

Advertisement

Capgemini has about 1,600 workers in the Chicago area and said it will add 400 to 600 workers as part of the center opening. About 100 McDonald's tech workers will become Capgemini employees as part of the deal.

sbomkamp@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SamWillTravel
Gary Lynch with a bomb shelter under construction at Rising S Co. in Murchison, Texas. (Joyce Marshall/Fort Worth Star-Telegram)

Washington  The showdown between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump has once again raised the specter of nuclear annihilation.

That has done wonders for the bomb-shelter industry.

Advertisement

Sales and inquiries have spiked, according to several of the U.S. companies that make money from doomsday fears.

"The increase in demand is everywhere. We are getting hundreds of calls," said Ron Hubbard, president of Atlas Survival Shelters, based in Montebello, Calif. Hubbard said he expects to have a banner year, selling 1,000 shelters at an average price of $25,000 each.

Advertisement

Bomb shelters are a cyclical industry, booming during crises and waning during periods of peace and predictability. Trump's "fire and fury" threat, after news about North Korea's nuclear weapons advancement, has helped boost sales, and not just in the United States.

Hubbard reports there is intensified demand in Japan, where he has opened a sales office in Osaka. He's also opening a 400,000-square-foot plant in Dallas, largely to serve the Japanese market.

"We are back in the 1960s again," said Hubbard, referring to the Cold War demand for bomb shelters. "We've got a crazy man on one side and Donald Trump on the other."

Gary Lynch, general manager of Rising S Shelters in Murchison, Texas, has also seen a rise in demand for his products, both in Japan and here. "It is all due to the rhetoric on what is going on in North Korea," said Lynch, who said he has sold 67 bomb shelters internationally this year, mostly to Japan, compared with just nine for all of 2016.

In the United States, bomb-shelter customers run the gamut. Some are homeowners recently alarmed about the threat of a nuclear strike. They also include survivalists and "preppers"  people preparing for man-made or natural disasters. Rising S is owned by a Texas prepper named Clyde Scott.

After Barack Obama was elected president, Lynch said Rising S was contacted by customers worried about the government coming after their guns. After Trump was elected, a different clientele  Democrats  started calling. "People are worried that Trump would start a war," he said.

Consumers shopping for a family bomb shelter have a world of options. At Rising S, Lynch's most popular model is a 500-square-foot, steel-encased bunker that can accommodate a single family, for $120,000. That price does not include underground installation or overseas shipping. But it does include an NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) filtration system, essential for surviving after an attack.

Atlas markets 15 types of shelters, Hubbard said, but focuses on a corrugated steel pipe model, which can be decked out with luxuries or kept as a simple "man cave." He said he's brought his average price down from $100,000 to about $25,000 in the past six years.

Advertisement

"I think of myself as a modern-day Henry Ford, coming out with a shelter that everyone can afford," Hubbard said.

Vivos, another California-based company, offers a completely different shelter experience. It sells shares in underground bunker complexes, a sort of doomsday condominium. Vivos says its 80-person Indiana complex is completely sold out, with shares going for $35,000 per adult.

Although they vary in their products and customer base, U.S. shelter makers all have learned that paranoia can be a potent marketing pitch, especially when trust in government is on the wane.

Vivos, for example, has a website with images of viral pandemics, asteroid strikes, nuclear mushroom clouds and other calamities.

"People are sensing that a global life-changing event is just ahead. Millions of people believe that we are living in the 'end times.' The governments of the world know something and have been bunkering up for decades. Why is nobody telling you to prepare?" the company says.

Owners of shelters generally say they don't want their neighbors to know they have one, Hubbard said. "They would all be freaking out and banging on your door," he said. "It is kind of like when a ship sinks  everyone swims to the floating life raft."

Advertisement

It's a roller-coaster business. In 2014, Vivos scrapped plans for a 5,000-person shelter in Atchison, Kan., after saying it was about to build the world's largest doomsday bunker.

Atlas Survival Shelters began in Sacramento, Calif., in the 1950s. It was then named "Atlas Bomb Shelter Distributing" and purchased ominous advertising warning about the "danger of a nuclear war." But the company went out of business as the Cold War cooled and people started joking about "Duck and Cover," the 1951 civil defense film that featured Bert the Turtle.

Not all preparedness advocates are fans of private bunkers. "Anyone buying a shelter should first vet it carefully with someone knowledgeable about exposure to nuclear fallout," said Dr. Robert Levin, public health officer of Ventura County, California.

Levin, who has recently urged communities to more seriously prepare for a nuclear emergency, said there are other precautions people can take. One, he said, is for people to identify secure places in their homes or offices  or along their commute routes  where they can take cover during an emergency.

Hubbard, however, said there's a growing segment of homeowners who want the ultimate protection. That includes people in Japan, where developers are building new communities with bomb shelters installed and marketed to lure customers.

There's even increased interest in South Korea, he said.

Advertisement

"South Koreans generally don't buy shelters because they are numb to the rhetoric coming out of North Korea," he said. "But apparently Kim Jong Un has struck a chord."
Paul England pilots his boat through floodwaters in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey in Port Arthur, Texas, on Sept. 2, 2017. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press)

The devastating floods wrought by Hurricane Harvey have grounded flights and shut down operations in Houston for Chicago-based United Airlines, with major flight disruptions expected throughout the week.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston  United's second-largest hub  is "closed until further notice" according to the airport's website, canceling about 480 United departures there on Monday.

Advertisement

"We are not operating today; we did not operate yesterday," Megan McCarthy, a United spokeswoman, said Monday.

Bush Airport will be closed until noon Thursday, McCarthy said, and United is offering waivers to passengers who need to change their travel plans.

Advertisement

United Airlines, which maintains a strong Houston connection from its 2010 merger with Continental Airlines, also has seen significant disruption to its business operations in the wake of the storm, which was a Category 4 hurricane when it swept in off the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday.

A United support center in downtown Houston was closed Monday, displacing 1,200 employees. United has about 11,000 total employees based in Houston.

"Our offices in downtown Houston will not be open today," McCarthy said. "I don't have timing on when they will reopen."

While Harvey has been downgraded to a tropical storm, with waters rising and a record rainfall of 50 inches forecast for some areas of southeast Texas through Thursday, the catastrophic flooding is expected to continue for days, the National Weather Service said.

Both Houston airports were closed Monday, with 1,162 departures and arrivals canceled at Bush and 339 at William P. Hobby Airport, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, which is based in Houston.

FlightAware reported 13,781 delayed flights and 1,884 canceled flights across the U.S. as of Monday afternoon, with United and Dallas-based Southwest Airlines topping the cancellation list among airlines.

The flight-tracking service has been grappling with its own storm-related problems.

"Our Houston office is closed," FlightAware spokeswoman Sara Orsi said Monday. "We do have staff members who have been impacted, but we are maintaining normal operations in terms of the website."

Advertisement

While United passenger flights are grounded, the airline has been flying relief missions into Houston, providing emergency supplies to flood victims, McCarthy said. More than 100 United employees flew in between Sunday and Monday to help with the recovery.

United said it was expecting to get its roughly 200 remaining stranded passengers out of Houston on Monday night on a relief flight to Chicago. Weather waivers, which let passengers reschedule flights in and out of Houston before the storm hit, helped minimize the number of people stuck on the ground, the airline said.

United also is teaming up with the American Red Cross and other organizations by providing up to 3 million bonus frequent flyer miles to United customers who donate to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

The airline has pledged to match the first $200,000 raised, McCarthy said.

"The thoughts and hearts of the entire United family are fixed firmly on everyone impacted by Hurricane Harvey," United CEO Oscar Munoz said in a news release.

Dallas-based American Airlines also is supporting relief efforts by offering members of its frequent flyer program 10 miles for every dollar donated to the Red Cross through Sept. 24 with a $25 minimum donation.

Advertisement

American said that Harvey had "a limited impact" on its operations.

United completed its $3 billion acquisition of Houston-based Continental seven years ago, consolidating its headquarters in Chicago but maintaining deep roots in southeast Texas, where Continental was founded in 1934.

The airline is planning to move its Houston operations into a new 48-story downtown office tower this year. For now, United's Houston workforce has nowhere to go.

"Certainly people can work remotely, but obviously many people in Houston are impacted by this," McCarthy said. "So our focus right now is providing the support to our people who need assistance and to get the airport operating again."

McCarthy did not have projections for the financial impact of Harvey on the airline's operations as of Monday.

Lauren Zumbach contributed.

Advertisement

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertChannick
Gov. Bruce Rauner has vetoed a bill that would prohibit employers from asking job candidates about their salary history, but advocates for the measure say they'll try to garner enough support in the state legislature for an override.

Rauner on Friday vetoed Illinois' No Salary History bill, which seeks to narrow the pay gap between men and women by keeping too-low salaries from following women as they move from job to job. A wave of similar laws have been adopted in states and cities across the country, including Massachusetts, Oregon, Delaware, New York City and San Francisco.

Advertisement

Iliana Mora, CEO of the advocacy group Women Employed, said she was "shocked" and "disappointed" that Rauner blocked the bill, and plans to work with Republicans who supported the legislation on an override during the November veto session.

The numbers could work in her favor. The bill passed the House 91-24 and the Senate 35-18, with one Senate member voting present. A veto override requires 71 votes in the House and 36 in the Senate.

Advertisement

Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva, who voted for the bill, expressed optimism that the effort would succeed.

"This bill has had strong bi-partisan support from day one," Andersson said in a comment posted Friday evening to the Facebook page of Rep. Anna Moeller, D-Elgin, chief sponsor of the legislation. "It's a bill that will right an important wrong. I have faith this will be law shortly. I will vote to override and I don't think I will be alone..."

The practice of setting pay based on a job candidate's previous salary is believed to be one factor perpetuating a pay gap between men and women. Overall in Illinois, women earn 79 cents for every dollar a man earns, and while that gap narrows when comparing people with the same occupation, title, industry and experience, it persists in many jobs, and research shows the disparity starts early.

Women just out of college earn 6.6 percent less in their first jobs than their male counterparts after controlling for personal demographics, occupation, college major, grade point average, hours worked and location, according to a 2012 report from the American Association of University Women, which cited bias or reluctance among women to negotiate salary as among possible reasons. Bills that prohibit asking about salary history require employers to set pay based on skills and job requirements.

In a message issued with his veto, Rauner said the "gender wage gap must be eliminated" and suggested that Illinois model a bill after a law in Massachusetts that gives employers a bit more wiggle room.

Like the Illinois bill, the Massachusetts law makes it unlawful for an employer to seek a job candidate's compensation history, including pay and benefits, unless it is a matter of public record or the applicant is a current employee applying for another position within the company. The measures don't prohibit candidates from volunteering the information.

But the Massachusetts law, which goes into effect next July, allows employers to seek pay history after they have offered a candidate the job and salary  which, on the plus side, could allow employers to increase an offer to make it more appealing, but, on the down side, could reduce an employee's raise or bonus down the road if it is revealed he or she was earning much less before.

Mora said such provisions weaken the law, and that the goal was to have a simple bill.

Advertisement

"If the point is not to ask for previous salary, let's just stick to that," she said. "There should be no out in our view."

Still, she was heartened that Rauner's message suggests he recognizes a gender pay gap exists and that he believes not asking for prior salary could be a way to eliminate it.

Some employers have come out against bills that ban asking about salary history, saying they interfere with the hiring process and won't do much to close the pay gap. Philadelphia's ordinance is on hold after the local chamber of commerce sued the city, arguing the law violates employers' First Amendment rights. The chamber also said the law doesn't consider that pay discussions are important to lure high-level executives away from their current employers.

Brian Alcala, who heads the labor and employment practice in the Chicago office of Nixon Peabody, said restrictions on talking about salary could hurt some applicants who wish to negotiate aggressively, because employers might be reluctant to discuss pay even if the candidate brings it up voluntarily.

"The employers are going to be a little gun-shy in talking about salary because they're afraid of running afoul of this law," said Alcala, who represents employers. With a patchwork of different laws in different localities, multistate employers might avoid the conversation altogether to be safe, he said. Employers must follow the local laws where their employees are based, no matter where the company is headquartered.

But Jill Weinstein, a partner in the Chicago law firm Pedersen and Weinstein, sees the bill as a way to stop pay inequality before it can harm morale, lead to costly lawsuits and derail careers. Most of her clients find out by accident, or through casual conversations with friends, that they are getting paid less than male colleagues with the same job.

Advertisement

"It's devastating, not just from a financial perspective," Weinstein, who represents employees in discrimination cases. "When there isn't a good explanation for the pay disparity it's very demoralizing, you don't feel valued, and some women decide they're just not going to work anymore."

aelejalderuiz@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @alexiaer
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises has settled a lawsuit filed by a former worker who accused the restaurant group of harassing and ultimately firing her for refusing to engage in activities she believed were illegal and for reporting them to her supervisors, a lawyer in the case said Monday.

The case, filed in June in Cook County Circuit Court, has been "settled to the satisfaction of both parties," said Jonathan Lubin, the lawyer for Cristina Griffith.

Advertisement

Lubin declined to comment on terms of the settlement. Lettuce Entertain You confirmed the settlement in a statement but also declined to comment on the terms.

The Chicago-based owner of M Burger, Wow Bao and dozens of other eateries was accused of violating the state's Whistleblower Act.

Advertisement

Griffith, an office manager at Italian restaurant Saranello's in Wheeling from January 2014 until Oct. 11, 2016, alleged that harassment began in April 2016. For example, according to the lawsuit, a chef asked her to write a character reference for him bearing the signature of a top company executive for use in a court proceeding. She believed she was being asked to make false statements to the court, her suit said.

When she refused to participate in those and other activities, the supervisor began yelling at her and harassing her, the lawsuit alleged.

Circuit Judge Diane Shelley signed an order July 27 dismissing the lawsuit, but it could have been reinstated if the parties hadn't reached a settlement before Saturday.

byerak@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @beckyyerak
The Shinola Arrow bicycle at Shinola's retail store on Rush Street on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. The company said it still plans on opening a manufacturing plant on Chicago's South Side. (Shinola)

Built-in-Detroit watchmaker Shinola still intends to open a factory on Chicago's South Side, but the company is keeping plans around timing and what it will make close to the vest.

"(Chicago is) a very important market for us. It's a city that understands what we're doing," said Shinola President Jacques Panis. "We love the South Side of Chicago, and we believe that if we can create a few jobs there and share the story of the folks that are there, it could have a little bit of impact."

Advertisement

Detroit-based Shinola gained a following by selling not just its products, but the story it crafted behind the brand: a company bringing manufacturing jobs back to Detroit, where its workers assemble products including upscale watches, leather goods, bicycles and turntables. Its name traces back to an old shoe polish brand.

Panis, in town between the openings of Shinola stores in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood and Oakbrook Center mall, said he is actively exploring opportunities with potential landlords and facility operators.

Advertisement

Last year, Shinola floated plans of opening an eyewear plant on Chicago's South Side sometime this year.

Panis said the company is "very much still on that path," although there is no specific timeline and the factory will likely not be making eyewear.

"It has to do with the manufacturing side of things, and what we can do in a cost-effective way, and in a timely fashion to get things set up, and then finding the right partners," Panis said. "It's shifted a bit, but we're still very much looking at the South Side of Chicago for a facility of some sort to create some jobs down there."

Shinola has had a store in Chicago's Bucktown neighborhood since late 2014. The company expects to open a fourth Chicago-area location at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora in September.

The company is not looking at setting up plants outside Detroit beyond the proposed Chicago facility, Panis said.

"Chicago is a city with a rich manufacturing heritage. If you look back at the history of the city and what was made here and what still is made here, and you look at the South Side of Chicago and what is truly needed from a societal point of view down there, we don't know of a better place off the top of my head today where we would go," he said.

lzumbach@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @laurenzumbach
Months before Amazon announced it would be shelling out $13.7 billion for Whole Foods, the grocery chain made a surprise announcement of its own: It would begin lowering its prices.

The April announcement was born of necessity. Whole Foods was experiencing the longest sales slump since going public in 1992, and investors had begun pressuring the company to rethink its strategy.

The high-end grocer has long resisted lowering its prices, which has earned it the nickname "whole paycheck." The few times it has, analysts say results have been spotty, sending profit margins lower without driving up volume.

"The reductions have, quite honestly, been haphazard and they've done very little to change peoples' perception of the company," said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData Retail in New York. "This has been a perennial problem for Whole Foods with no good solution."

Until now, he says. This week, Amazon - which plans to finalize its takeover on Monday - announced that its first course of business would be to immediately slash prices on key groceries, including bananas, avocados and eggs. (Jeff Bezos, the founder and chief executive of Amazon, owns The Washington Post.)

"We're determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone," Jeff Wilke, chief executive of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, said this week. "We will lower prices without compromising Whole Foods Market's long-held commitment to the highest standards."

It was an obvious move, analysts said, but also a symbolic one. Whole Foods has had a complicated relationship with its prices - executives have long maintained that they charge a premium because they sell superior products to those of their competitors - even as consumer and investors have been outspoken about company's premiums in a famously low-margin business. Back in November, chief executive John Mackey had told investors that he was "not participating in a race to the bottom" by cutting prices.

But the high prices have also allowed Whole Foods to enjoy higher profit margins than its competitors. In the most recent quarter, for example, it had a profit margin of 2.9 percent, compared to 0.8 percent at Kroger and 2.4 percent at Costco. (Two years ago, however, Whole Foods had a profit margin of 4.2 percent.)

The prospect of declining profit margins is less of a problem, analysts say, for a technology giant like Amazon,making it possible for Seattle-based company to double down in way Whole Foods couldn't on its own. "The difference is, Amazon doesn't really care about its margins very much - and neither do its investors," Saunders said. "Longer term, they know Amazon's deep cuts will lead to more shoppers."

The company plans to begin selling Whole Foods' private-label brands through its website, was well as its AmazonFresh, Prime Pantry and Prime Now programs, beginning Monday.

But the challenge, some say, will be preserving Whole Foods' high-end image while lowering its prices and making its products widely available.

"That's the thorny problem Amazon faces: How do you become a low-priced supermarket and still retain that cachet?" said Jeffery Inman, a marketing professor at University of Pittsburgh and president of the Society of Consumer Psychology. "They've got to figure out how to toe that line."

A year ago, Whole Foods opened its first lower-priced concept with a smaller store footprint called 365 by Whole Foods, to help the company's "price image." Initial tests had been successful, executives said. The company also said it planned to cut $300 million in costs, in part by rethinking its labor scheduling technology.

"You have to be price relevant, and nobody wants to feel like they're being cheated," John Mackey, co-founder and chief executive of Whole Foods, said in a call with analysts in February. "And so does Whole Foods need to be the cheapest or least expensive retailer out there? No. But we also can't have too big of a gap, or people will feel like we're trying to take advantage of them."

But even closing that gap, as Amazon plans, may not be enough to turn things around overnight, analysts say.

"Everyone thinks the sky is going to fall Monday because Whole Foods is lowering its prices on milk and eggs," said Michelle Grant, head of retailing at Euromonitor International, a London-based market research firm. "But people have their own routines and habits. It's a very competitive market.

"How many eggs are you really going to eat?" she said. "Just because it's cheap doesn't mean you're going to hoard milk and avocados."
Despite making or influencing the majority of new car purchases, women account for only 19 percent of sales force at new car dealers. (Hero Images/HANDOUT )

Alana Barragan says she was so put off by the high-pressure sales pitch she encountered while car shopping at AutoNation Honda in Fremont, California, that she didn't buy one. After discussing the experience with a manager, he spent the next hour trying to hire her.

Barragan now sells about 18 vehicles a month for the store and finds women are some of her best customers. But car shoppers are hard pressed to find many sales people like her. Even as women make or influence the majority of auto purchases in the U.S., retailers have failed to attract and retain female employees, according to CDK Global, which advises dealerships on sales strategies.

Advertisement

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to get into this," Barragan said of joining AutoNation Honda in January. "I could be more open and honest to customers and give them an experience that I would want. The customers appreciate that."

Women make up about 19 percent of U.S. dealership employees and most of those are support staff, according to the latest estimates from the National Automobile Dealers Association. The annual turnover rate for the few women who do sell cars is 88 percent, CDK says, meaning would-be buyers interested in negotiating with a female dealer may find themselves fresh out of luck.

Advertisement

"By dealerships not attracting and retaining women in the workforce, they are potentially missing out on a huge sales opportunity," said Grace Wepler, senior market research analyst for CDK.

The lack of women on car dealers' sales floors starts with lackluster hiring efforts. More than 60 percent of female dealership employees surveyed by CDK in May said their companies weren't doing anything to help recruit more women.

When women do get recruited, many say they find dealerships still aren't a welcoming place. More than half who CDK surveyed have been in their current position for six or more years, suggesting upward mobility is an obstacle. And 57 percent reported experiencing gender bias, like having to endure boorish, sexist banter.

"A lot of people are intimidated by the industry because it's a male-dominated field," said Barragan, 31, who previously sold appliances at Sears. "Initially the guys tried to say, 'Oh, let me help you, let me do that for you.' You just have to stand up to them and show them your confidence and say 'I've got this.'"

Kathy Caron, general manager of Hopper Buick GMC Dealership in Ontario, Canada, described the industry as "a boys club" and said women don't seek out jobs in dealerships because they're intimidated by that fact.

"I've gone to big GM functions, and I always say you never have to wait in line for the women's washroom," said Caron, who was among the CDK survey participants.

Sales roles in particular have a poor representation of women because of the long hours and lack of flexibility, said Judy Farcus Serra, chief financial officer of Headquarter Hyundai in Sanford, Florida.

"It's a dog-eat-dog kind of setup, an every man for them self kind of environment on the sales floor," said Serra, another CDK survey participant. Women need mentors to offer advice and support and few get such help, she said.

Advertisement

Women tend to get more support if they work in a dealership run by other women, with 63 percent saying the gender ratio in key positions was favorable at women-run dealerships compared with 29 percent in those run by men, CDK found. Women were also much less likely to be harassed, according to respondents.

General Motors is trying to increase the number of women owning Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac franchises from 243 stores, or 5.5 percent of its dealer network, said Jim Cain, a spokesman for the automaker. About 450 women have been named successors at existing dealerships and the largest U.S. automaker has an advocacy, mentoring and business development program as well as scholarships dedicated to these efforts, he said.

AutoNation, the largest dealer group in the country, has set goals to hire more women into general manager roles and at every other level of the company, said Andrea Schliessman, senior director of learning and development.

The share of women running AutoNation dealerships has increased to 7 percent this year from 4 percent in 2012, and the number of assistant service managers has more than doubled to exceed 300 in that time frame, said Dan Best, head of human resources for the Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based company.

AutoNation also is rethinking compensation and schedules to help recruit more women. Rather than pay employees entirely on commission and sometimes require them to work seven days a week, they can now opt to receive about half their pay in salary and also work closer to a 40 hour week, according to Best.

Whether employees are compensated with partial salary or pure commission, total pay ranges from about $42,000 to $47,000 for a starting sales associate, and the more flexible schedule can be attractive to female candidates, Best said.

Advertisement

"Late last year we started looking at changing things that had been a barrier to women and other employees," Schliessman said. So far this year, she said about 20 percent of new hires are women.

Barragan said she ultimately bought a used Honda Civic from another dealer the day she was turned off by the sales pitch at AutoNation Honda. She's now one of four women at the dealership selling alongside about 25 men.

"I do feel that women are more comfortable working with a woman sales associate," said Barragan, who eventually bought a new vehicle from her current employer. "They can feel like there's a little more trust, maybe, that we're not trying to just push something on them. Even as a customer myself, I felt that way, too. I didn't want someone pushing something on me."
Two Noble Square restaurants will throw a family meal block party Monday night to benefit the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.

Ruxbin and Mott St, both from chef and restaurateur Edward Kim, will pair with restaurant Ada Street and Hopewell Brewing to serve dinner on the patio of Mott St. While the meal is complimentary, a $25 donation is suggested; proceeds will be donated to the Young Center.

Advertisement

Kim and Bell will prepare dinner for an estimated 100 to 200 guests in the style of a "family meal," referring to the spread prepared for restaurant staff before service begins. No advance RSVP is required; simply show up with cash if you'd like to donate.

Kim and his Ruxbin sous-chef, Ryan Bell, began organizing the event in the winter, shortly after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who threatened to eliminate former president Barack Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, set up to protect children of undocumented immigrants.

Advertisement

"This is a very timely situation. It's a direct pushback against anti-immigrant rhetoric during the election and afterwards. Chef Kim and my families, we're both second-generation Korean. Our parents came to this country as immigrants. It's something that hits very close to home," said Bell. "The goal of the event is to reaffirm our commitment to the community as a whole and make it explicit that there is no room for that kind division or marginalization of any group of people."

Bell adds that he and Kim are following the example of Chicago's mayor: "Rahm Emanuel put out a call to action to have an event like this, to build bridges with people who might be feeling targeted."

Mayor Emanuel affirmed Chicago's continued status as a sanctuary city in January after President Trump signed an executive order to cut some federal funding from sanctuary cities. The mayor hosted a dinner at his home in January for six students protected under President Barack Obama's DACA act, and Emanuel urged Chicagoans to reach out to their immigrant neighbors.

"One of the things that I really love about Chicago is the diversity, and the thing I love about what we do in terms of being a restaurant is hospitality and being inclusive," said Kim, who grew up in Chicago. "The food that we make is a celebration of culture. It's hard not to have a heart for that."

At the core of the event is its beneficiary organization The Young Center for Children Immigrants' Rights. Maria Woltjen, the founder and executive director of The Young Center, established the nonprofit in Chicago in 2004. It now has offices across the country, from Washington, D.C., to Texas.

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

"Our mission is to advocate for the best interest of unaccompanied immigrant children," Woltjen said. "These are kids who come from all over the world. Most of the kids are crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. They cross the border, they get apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security, then most of the children get placed in shelter facilities around the country."

The center recruits bilingual volunteers to serve as child advocates, liaisons who get to know undocumented children and their stories and then help them through the legal proceedings.

"We also do a lot of policy work around changing the immigration systems for children," said Woltjen. Right now, kids in deportation proceedings are treated the same as adults. They have to establish the same facts; they appear in front of immigration judges. Most of the children don't have legal representation, but that's part of our job, to make sure they have an attorney."

Advertisement

One recent case matched a volunteer child advocate with a 13-year-old girl from Honduras who was the victim of sex trafficking for prostitution by a cartel, said Woltjen. "She was in custody for quite a few months and kept changing her mind  I want to go back home, I want to stay. The attorneys were unsure how to go forward in representing her; our volunteer child advocate was a teacher who spoke Spanish." Ultimately, the child advocate from the Young Center and a social worker who visited the girl's community in Honduras determined her return to Honduras would be unsafe. The child remained in the U.S. and is now doing well.

The money raised at the block party meal will go directly toward the advocate program. "I hope that (attending) makes people feel a little less disenfranchised and less helpless in terms of wanting to say something, wanting to do something," Kim said.

Ruxbin and Mott St Family Meal Block Party to benefit the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights will be 6-10 p.m. Monday at Mott St, 1401 N. Ashland Ave. Find more details here.

raydin@tronc.com

Twitter @chitribfood






The British monarchy  as manifest for the last 64 years in the personage of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II  has survived the republicans and the democratic imperative for three principle reasons.

One is that the British constitutionally dislike change. Another is an awareness of the advantage of having a head of state who can deliver condolences or open a bridge while floating above political rancor of the kind so currently prevalent in these United States. And the third is the great affection for the staggering longevity and forbearance of the current holder of the office. (As compared with, say, most of her prime ministers.)

Advertisement

Once that changes, all bets are off, especially among the member states of Queen Elizabeth's beloved Commonwealth of Nations.

All of those truths are on display in Peter Morgan's play, "The Audience," a smart, juicy and gossipy exploration of the queen's complex relationship with decades of democratically elected heads of state, from Winston Churchill to David Cameron, with Margaret Thatcher, et al, coming between. (The play was written before Theresa May took office.)

Advertisement

"The Audience" was a monster hit in London, and a solid hit on Broadway, where the queen was played by no less than Helen Mirren, an actress more like the queen, it seemed, than the queen herself. And, I must confess, it was hard to exorcise Mirren from my head, or, for that matter, director Stephen Daldry's superb original production. But Nick Bowling, who directs TimeLine Theatre's simple but enjoyable Chicago premiere, has both a more intimate toolbox at his behest and a few fresh ideas, including a cheeky final sequence. I won't spoil the surprise.

You couldn't honestly say that Janet Ulrich Brooks (in the lead role here) evokes the full dimensions of queenly power and detente, any more than the trio of top-drawer actors playing her minsters prime (Matt DeCaro, David Lively and Mark Ulrich) capture every class-based nuance of these familiar figures. They certainly don't all sound like the real men.

But that's not the main assignment here, which is to embrace the ideas and essence of a show that dangles the thesis that the queen always was far more than the proverbial postage stamp with a pulse and that her advise-and-consent role had significant political implications over the years.

There's good evidence for that; she who sticks around tends to know some stuff. Everyone here is on board with that, especially Ulrich, whose Anthony Eden, as wracked by the 1956 Suez Crisis, is quite moving, as is DeCaro's Harold Wilson, oft alleged to have been a favorite of the queen.

Far and away the best scene of the night is between Brooks' QE2 and Carmen Roman's Thatcher; there always has been speculation that the two women did not get along, especially when it came to matters of South Africa and the reaction of the queen's fellow heads of state in the Commonwealth. So much so, in fact, that the monarch was suspected of a leak to the Sunday Times, a bit of gamesmanship dissected deliciously here with Roman's terrifying Iron Lady in high dudgeon. It's a fantastic scene from two great Chicago actresses.

Morgan (who also penned "The Queen" and "Frost/Nixon") knows to write unpretentious plays that get you talking over dinner. He's no absurdist stylist, or anything like, but his work always contextualizes human frailties in a broader context. Clearly, he regards the monarch as every bit as useful as elected political leaders who can peek, by the nature of democracy, only through a thinner window of experience. The queen, though, has been drinking tea long enough to know that all problems and ideas come around again and again. They just come in different strengths and flavors.

Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.

cjones5@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Review: "The Audience" (3 stars)

When: Through Dec. 3

Where: TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave.

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Tickets: $40-$49 at 773-281-8463 or timelinetheatre.com

[ Review: A stunning Young Woman in 'Machinal' at the Greenhouse Theater  ]

[ Review: 'Trevor' a promising musical about a kid who's easy to love  ]

[ Review: 'Hair' shows much has changed but it's still great to be young  ]







Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner smiles while surrounded by law enforcement officials and immigrant rights activists in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, after signing legislation that will limit how local and state police can cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The narrow measure prohibits police from searching, arresting or detaining someone solely because of immigration status, or because of so-called federal immigration detainers. AP (Ashlee Rezin / )

With mariachis performing in the background, Governor Bruce Rauner signed the TRUST Act on Monday, at a Mexican restaurant in Chicagos Little Village neighborhood, officially barring cooperation between Illinois police departments and immigration officials.

The TRUST Act, valid in all cases except where a federal judge has issued a warrant for arrest, will make Illinois more welcoming to immigrants and refugees, according to its supporters.

We are glad Governor Rauner is doing the right thing by signing the TRUST Act, but it is important to remember that it is a result of our communitys efforts. This is what the community needs and wants, said Mony Ruiz-Velasco, president of the board of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).

The law denies local law enforcement the ability to detain people on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the federal agency charged with identifying and investigating immigrants present in the country illegally. It also prohibits local officials from inquiring about a persons immigration status, something Ruiz-Velasco called a very important protection, that will make immigrants more comfortable reporting crimes to local police.

"The TRUST Act will ensure that those who live in this state of limbo [as concerns immigration status] can have one certainty: When their lives and their families are in danger, they can turn to the police without their world being taken away from them, said Serafina Ha, of the Korean immigrant services agency, the Hana Center.

Support for the law came from Illinois law enforcement functionaries, as well as over 170 faith leaders, and over 170 Illinois employers. The Campaign for a Welcoming Illinois, in support of the bill, engaged over 84 organizations and 14,000 people in the state, according to ICIRR.

However some political leaders, including many downstate Republicans, voiced opposition.

"We are a country founded by immigrants, but those were legal immigrants, and I think the last thing Illinois wants is to see a sanctuary state, and this moves us in that direction," state Sen. Kyle McCarter, a Republican from Lebanon, Ill., told the Chicago Tribune.

Just five Republicans voted for the law in the Illinois Senate, and only one Republican voted for it in the House.

Passing with mainly Democratic support on May 5, 2017, the law had since sat on Governor Rauners desk as supporters organized through letters, press conferences and rallies.
Dear Amy: I've had an on-and-off relationship with a guy for about six years. We're both 45.

He's divorced with a son in high school. I've never been married.

Advertisement

Recently we made plans for a Monday night. There is a history of this guy "disappearing" and not following through on plans.

I emailed him a couple of times the week before, with no response. When I hadn't heard back from him the Friday before, I emailed him, letting him know I had made other plans for Monday.

Advertisement

I got a response telling me to erase his number and email and to never contact him again.

I've since sent a number of emails apologizing profusely, with no response. I can't believe that my "offense" (making other plans and letting him know I wasn't going to be available after not hearing from this guy for over a week) is a capital offense, one for which you'd cut all contact from someone you've known for six years. I'm not sure what to do at this point!

 Wondering Woman

Dear Wondering: When someone demands that you delete him from your life, that's exactly what you should do. I wonder how much more information you need from this man in order to get the message that this relationship is over.

Based on your version of events, he has overreacted to this particular situation. But based on other clues you scatter in your question, I suspect that you might have a pattern of putting up with a lot of nonsense and also not reacting proportionally to various social cues.

You should not offer apologies when you've done nothing wrong. To do so is not only confusing but also throws off the balance in a relationship.

Now, you should redirect your energy, perhaps toward some introspection, in an effort to understand why you have been in this relationship for six years, and why you feel the need to apologize when someone has been rude to you.

Dear Amy: Shopping last week, I bought three shirts, a pair of jeans and socks at Target. At checkout, the total was much less than I expected, which I chalked up to discounts and the sales tax holiday. Later, I was reviewing my purchases at lunch and realized the jeans I bought weren't on the Target receipt. I know that I put everything on the conveyor belt; somehow, the cashier must not have scanned it. I rationalized that it would be unfair to punish myself for their mistake and decided not to correct it. Should I have returned to rectify the mix-up?

Advertisement

 Sale of the Century

Dear Sale: It is human nature to enjoy the feeling that you've gotten away with something, through no intent, fault, or malice on your part. However, I think the universe generally has a way of balancing out these unforeseen lucky breaks with other, less appealing happenstance. (You might expect a flat tire sometime in your near future.)

I fail to understand how you can equate doing the right thing with "punishing yourself." Is it really a punishment to pay for something you intended to purchase? Understand, of course, that if you have a problem with your jeans (they're damaged, the wrong size), you have no recourse. It's not like you can take your pirate's booty to Target's legendary customer service desk to complain, exchange or return.

I contacted Target headquarters in Minneapolis regarding your dilemma. A corporate spokesperson responded by urging you to do the right thing (naturally): "If a guest ever recognizes an error on their receipt, we encourage them to go the Guest Services desk at the store or call our Guest Services hotline to remedy the situation." Answering a further question of mine, the spokesperson added that the cashier who made the error does not have to compensate for the error.

Dear Amy: Responding to the query from "A Father, Torn," who was desperate to join the military, I don't think you have a grasp of the role the Reserves and National Guard play in the defense of our country.

They are frequently called to active duty, sometimes up to a year or more. My own mother went to Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom as a reservist.

Advertisement

Ask Amy Daily No-nonsense advice for better living delivered to your inbox every morning. For a limited time, sign up for the Ask Amy newsletter and get the book Ask Amy: Essential Wisdom from Americas Favorite Advice Columnist for $5. >

He may sign up for more than his family expects.

 Been There

Dear Been There: I think it is widely understood that reservists can be called to active duty. Presumably, this writer would learn this if he looked into joining this important branch of the service.

(You can contact Amy Dickinson via email: askamy@amydickinson.com. Readers may send postal mail to Amy Dickinson, c/o Tribune Content Agency, 16650 Westgrove Drive, Suite 175, Addison, Texas, 75001. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or "like" her on Facebook.)

COPYRIGHT  2017 BY AMY DICKINSON

DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC.

RELATED STORIES:

How to avoid street petitioners without being flippant

You discover that your partner is sexting someone else. What should you do?

Advertisement

How to deal with your ex's flirtatious friend






Taylor Swift, seen in Texas on Feb. 4, 2017, didn't attend Sunday's 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, but at the show, she released her new music video, "Look What You Made Me Do." (John Salangsang / Invision)

I couldn't be more disappointed with Taylor Swift even if she'd plagiarized a Michelle Obama speech for her new single.

What was she thinking?

Advertisement

By now you've no doubt heard that the pop Goliath released the first single from her forthcoming album, "Reputation." You may have even read a think piece or nine about it.

I'm writing another one. Because a mere two weeks ago I gushed about Swift's performance in court, where she proudly, righteously refused to accept responsibility for someone else's bad behavior.

Advertisement

"I'm not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault," she told the attorney representing a radio host accused of groping Swift. "Here we are years later, and I'm being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the product of his decisions  not mine."

(Preach!)

Then she released a song called "Look What You Made Me Do."

(Say what?)

I don't like your little games

Don't like your tilted stage

The role you made me play

Of the fool, no, I don't like you

Advertisement

I don't like your perfect crime

How you laugh when you lie

You said the gun was mine

Isn't cool, no, I don't like you

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time

Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Advertisement

I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined

I check it once, then I check it twice, oh!

Ooh, look what you made me do

Depending whose think piece you read, the song is either Swift's latest salvo in her long-running feud with artist Kanye West, an homage to Arya Stark from "Game of Thrones" or a weak attempt at creating a sensation along the lines of Beyonce's "Lemonade." (One tweet: "This looks like Lemonade: Crystal Light.")

Possibly all three.

The world goes on, another day, another drama, drama

Advertisement

But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma

And then the world moves on, but one thing's for sure

Baby, I got mine, but you'll all get yours

I don't trust nobody and nobody trusts me

I'll be the actress starring in your bad dreams

Here's what I hear:

Advertisement

Shades of Columbine killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Santa Barbara gunman Elliot Rodger's "Retribution" video. Every other tragic revenge scenario we learn about post-school shooting.

I hear shades of "13 Reasons Why," the Netflix series about a teenage girl who killed herself and left behind audiotapes calling out the people she blames for her suicide.

"I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now."

"Why? Oh 'cause she's dead!"

(Chorus repeats)

And, above all, I hear the language of domestic violence perpetrators.

Advertisement

" 'Look what you made me do,' is what abusers say," Gita Jackson writes in Kotaku, "both in real life and in Oxygen made-for-TV movies."

Earlier this summer, we read in horror about Alexis Stubbs, the 12-year-old girl allegedly killed by her mom's boyfriend, who then texted her mom: "See wat u made me do."

I liked it better when Taylor was shaking things off.

Which isn't to say that's her (or anyone's) only option. I'm all for standing up for yourself when someone is mistreating you. Speak up. Shout back. Leave.

Dark, twisty revenge scenarios are a different story.

In that recent court appearance, Swift's message was loud and clear: Don't hold me accountable for your terrible behavior. Don't blame me for my own assault. "His decision  not mine."

Advertisement

"Look What You Made Me Do" is the opposite. It surrenders agency, rather than re-claiming it. It relinquishes control. It shirks responsibility. It victim-blames.

It's beneath her. And the rest of us  who will be hard-pressed to avoid the thing blasting from every pop station and shopping center for the foreseeable future.

hstevens@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @heidistevens13

[ Related: Evanston Township High School adopts a kinder, gentler dress code where leggings are OK  ]

[ 'Go back to India'  Chicago CEO goes public with racist taunts he receives  ]

[ The part of Taylor Swift's court case we should all commit to memory  ]






A strategic location can be more curse than blessing. Just ask the Maltese, whose tiny island nation lies 50 miles below Sicily. Early in World War II, when Malta was a British possession, Germany and Italy bombed it almost daily.

And centuries earlier it was the site of the Great Siege of 1565, a devastating, yet ultimately unsuccessful, step by the Ottoman Turks toward conquering all of western Europe.

Advertisement

For travelers today, Malta's proximity to Europe's glamour destinations is a definite plus - if not a widely appreciated one. Often experienced as a day stop on Mediterranean cruises, Malta greatly rewards a longer stay. The 17-by-8-mile island is packed with lovingly restored sites that bring history to life, as my wife and I discovered in mid-May in what served as a perfect four-day prelude to a Venice, Italy, visit.

Beyond its history, Malta's landscape offers a natural, if hauntingly monochrome beauty amid the brilliant blues of the surrounding sea and sky. Greenery is sparse. And from rows of city buildings to its ubiquitous walls, which replace fences and hedges as property boundaries, nearly every structure is colored with the ocher of the soft limestone that underlies the surface of the island. Its people, though, are eager to show what Malta has contributed to world events as well as its hospitality. That includes a seafood-based cuisine that blends influences from Italy, Spain and Morocco, among other places, as befits a cultural crossroads. And with English being an official language, along with Maltese, the country is especially attractive to Americans.

Advertisement

We spent our time there with a Utah couple planning to visit Barcelona, Spain, next, as well as a Pittsburgh-based couple who make Malta their second home. The Pennsylvanians were eager to lead us in touring - a godsend, as Malta can be hard to explore on one's own.

For visitors, the idea of taking the wheel is daunting; roads are narrow and lined with limestone walls. Plus, drivers in this sun-drenched, densely populated country of 450,000 are known for a somewhat cavalier attitude. (Asked which side of the road Maltese drive on - Britain's left-side approach is the rule - one local answers, "the shady side.") It is worth it to arrange in advance for a private guide, although buses do make circuits to the many tourist attractions around the island.

Because history is a major draw for our group - we've all read up on the Great Siege, for instance - our first stop is Valletta, the compact, walkable capital overlooking Malta's magnificent Grand Harbour. Several small peninsulas are spread before us, each crowned with a fortress much like what the attacking Ottomans must have seen.

But today, the 16th century would have to wait. By a steep stone stairway we descend to the Lascaris War Rooms, which preserve a command center and connected network of tunnels built during World War II to provide security from the constant air attacks.

In a Mediterranean Sea that Italian dictator Benito Mussolini tried to transform into "an Italian lake," Malta had "the only harbor available to the British between Gibraltar and Alexandria, Egypt," notes military historian Rick Atkinson. That made it "the most bombed place on earth in the early 1940s, with some 16,000 tons of Axis bombs dropped" over Malta's fewer than 100 square miles. "The Maltese," Atkinson adds, "showed remarkable fortitude, given the thousands of casualties suffered and the enormous privation imposed on them by the war."

Bernard Cachia Zammit, our war-room docent, proudly elaborates on that perseverance while pointing to a large wall board with expected arrival times of Sicily-based Axis bombers, just 20 minutes away - and noting the Allied fighter squadrons pursuing them. Much of the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily also was planned here.

Climbing back to Valletta's streets, we then make the 15-minute walk to Fort St. Elmo, which the Turks seized briefly during the Great Siege. The fort's museum describes the nobles of the multinational Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller, who along with the Maltese people helped repel the invaders. The knights, who date back to the Crusades, were given Malta as their home by the Church in return for a nominal annual fee: a single Malta-trained hunting falcon. (The jewel-encrusted black bird of movie fame? It was the creation of mystery writer Dashiell Hammett.)

Next comes Saint John's Co-Cathedral, the plain limestone exterior of which opens into a glorious gilded sanctuary. Like Valletta itself, this gem was built by the knights in the late 1500s as the island sought to refortify itself after the siege's destruction. Among the cathedral's treasures: two stunning works by the realist painter Caravaggio, who lived in Malta in the early 1600s, including his largest (and perhaps most gruesome) work, "The Beheading of John the Baptist."

Advertisement

Lunch at Triq il-Merkanti's busy outdoor street market gives us a chance to recover from the artist's graphic depiction and to sample Malta's own diamond-shaped ricotta pastry dish - pastizzi - with a glass of Cisk, its lovely light-colored beer. Then it's on to the massive Renzo Piano-designed City Gate project, still under construction, as part of a complex with his new parliament building and open-air theater that will replace an opera house destroyed in World War II. Controversy over its modern style seems to be waning as the Maltese gear up for their country's turn as the European Union's designated European Capital of Culture next year.

Our group stays in the fishing town of Marsaxlokk, just southeast of Valletta, where we have rented an apartment. Its harbor teems with brightly painted boats, which draw the eye from the ocher buildings on the shore. Its dockside crafts market displays many items bearing the eight-pointed Maltese cross.

Like many Maltese restaurants, Ferretti, our choice this evening, has a historic setting: It occupies an 18th-century battery surrounded by a moat, from which the harbor view is spectacular. We feast on local grouper, stone fish and sea bream, offered whole and split among the diners. Offerings from the local Marsovin winery prove popular.

The next day's scenic drive along Malta's southwestern coast takes us to a place we're unprepared for - since we're still thinking of 1565 as pretty long ago. Malta has unearthed and meticulously reconstructed two elaborate prehistoric limestone temples dating back to 3600 B.C., before Egypt's pyramids and even Britain's Stonehenge. Little seems to have been learned about the ancient builders of the temples, called Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, although excavation of the sites began in the 1800s.

We spend our last evening in Mdina, the walled capital at the time of the Great Siege. It lives up to its "silent city" nickname as we wander its tunnellike streets among a smattering of other tourists. Bacchus, our restaurant, seats us in a vaulted room that was once a gunpowder magazine. A variety of meats, including local rabbit, join fish dishes on the menu. My soup, called aljotta, is so full of giant mussels that little room is left for broth.

The next morning, my wife and I break up our group of six and fly to Venice via Air Malta, the island's main carrier. (Like most Americans traveling to Malta by air, we had made connections in another European city - London, in our case.)

Advertisement

The cost of visiting Malta, we would find, was considerably more reasonable than Venice - and the crowds much smaller. Still, the European Union's smallest nation is among its healthiest economically. It benefits from the tourism produced by cruise lines, although travelers who come to spend a longer time there are a rarer breed. (For a multiday stay, one of Valletta's many charming hotels would serve nicely, as the capital is also the excursion-bus and taxi hub for the island.)

Later, we hear from our Utah friends that they loved their Malta-Barcelona pairing. "Our time in Malta seemed a little jarring at first," says Patricia Richards. "It was so arid, and it sometimes felt a little cramped with all those stone walls on either side. But our appreciation increased when we realized how accessible everything was. If you want to see something in Valletta, you just walk in. Barcelona, though, from Las Ramblas to the Gaudi architecture sites, was a sea of people, wherever we went."

And what of our vacation-capping Venetian trip? The glittering canals were more colorful than walls, to be sure. How refreshing to cross scores of bridges on foot each day, from Piazza San Marco to the far end of the Grand Canal, without seeing a single car or bus.

But we'll always remember Malta's unique wonders, and learning firsthand of its historic contributions, over the centuries, to how modern Europe has evolved.

Harris is a writer based in Hingham, Massachusetts. Find him on Twitter: @royharrisjr.

IF YOU GO

Advertisement

Hotel Phoenicia Malta

The Mall, Valletta | 011-356-2122-5241

campbellgrayhotels.com/the-phoenicia-malta

A newly renovated, luxury hotel near city gate. Rooms from $238.

Grand Hotel Excelsior

Great Siege Road, Floriana | 011-356-2125-0520

Advertisement

excelsior.com.mt/malta-valletta

A luxury hotel with harbor views. Rooms from $190.

The Osborne Hotel

50 South St., Valletta | 011-356-2124-3656

osbornehotel.com

A smaller hotel, well situated near popular Valletta sites. Rooms from $137.

Advertisement

Castille Hotel

Castille Street, Valletta | 011-356-2124-3677

hotelcastillemalta.com

A small, centrally-located hotel on historic site. Rooms from $127.

Where to eat

No. 43

Advertisement

43 Triq il-Merkanti, Valletta | 011-356-2703-2294

facebook.com/no43valletta

Sandwiches, salads and lighter Maltese fare. Entrees start at $6.

Ferretti

Triq il-Qajjenza, Birzebbuga650247 | 011-356-2165-0247

ferretti.com.mt

Advertisement

Seafood, meat and eclectic local specialties with great harbor views. Entrees start at $20.

Bacchus

Triq Inguanez, Mdina | 011-356-2145-4981

bacchus.com.mt

Seafood, soups and game and other meats in historic setting, along with a large wine list. Entrees start at $25.

What to do

Advertisement

Lascaris War Rooms

Lascaris Ditch, Valletta | 011-356-2123-4717

lascariswarrooms.com

A well-preserved World War II command post. Open Monday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Entrance fee is $13.

National War Museum, Valletta

Fort St. Elmo, Triq San Guzepp | 011-356-2123-3088

Advertisement

heritagemalta.org/museums-sites/national-war-museum

An overview of warfare in Malta, from prehistoric times to the present. Open Monday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Entrance fee is $11.50.

Saint John's Co-Cathedral

Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta | 011-356-2122-0536

stjohnscocathedral.org

Dazzling 16th-century church housing two Caravaggios. Open Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Entrance fee is $4.80.

Advertisement

National Museum of Archaeology

Triq ir-Repubblika, Valletta | 011-356-2122-1623

heritagemalta.org/museums-sites/national-museum-of-archaeology

Valletta's National Museum of Archaeology, occupying a classic 1571 building, displays Maltese treasures dating back to 5000 B.C., in the Neolithic period. Open Sunday to Monday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Entrance fee is $5.75.

Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Temples Triq Hagar Qim, Qrendi

Triq Hagar Qim, Il-Qrendi | 011-356-2142-4231

Advertisement

heritagemalta.org

Brilliantly reconstructed prehistoric places of worship. Open 9 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. Entrance fee is $11.50.

toursbylocals.com/Malta-Private-Tours

excursionsinmalta.com
Hillary Rodham Clinton makes the keynote address on June 27, 2017, to the American Library Association Annual Conference and Exhibition at McCormick Place in Chicago. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune)

Whatever you think of Hillary Clinton, public speaking isn't typically regarded as her greatest strength.

But that doesn't mean you'll get to hear her promote her latest book this fall on the cheap.

Advertisement

Tickets to her Oct. 30 book tour event at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago "start at" $45, according to promoters, who did not reveal Monday at what price premium seats will be listed.

Prices to attend a similar event in New York, however, may give some indication of what the vanquished Democratic presidential candidate is charging. Tickets in the Big Apple cost $125  about the price of a decent Broadway show.

Advertisement

Tickets in Washington, D.C., come a little cheaper at $55-$75, also including an unsigned copy of Clinton's book, "What Happened." But fans who want a personal meet-and-greet with Clinton in Toronto will have to fork over $2,400  in U.S. dollars  (a similar "VIP Experience" package is planned for Chicago, according to organizers). And even the cheapest tickets at the Toronto event are $64.

Chicago, D.C., New York and Canada are likely to be among the friendlier tour stops for the "Hillary Clinton Live" roadshow, which visits five states Clinton lost in November, including the key swing states of Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Clinton is promoting the tour by promising to loosen up. "In the past, for reasons I try to explain, I've often felt like I had to be careful in public, like I was up on a wire without a net," she is quoted as saying on the book tour's website. "Now I'm letting my guard down."

To find out just how far she'll go, you'll have to cough up.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
Chanting "white lives matter!" and "Jews will not replace us!" hundreds of neo-Nazis and white supremacists carried torches across the University of Virginia campus on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. (Evelyn Hockstein for The Washington Post)

I fully expected the recent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., to turn into a hate-filled demonstration against African-Americans. What caught me by surprise, though, was the venomous attack on Jews.

Please allow me to speak candidly about my embarrassing miscalculation of the depth of anti-Semitism that exists today.

Advertisement

As an African-American raised in the South, I am painfully aware of the symbolism behind a statute of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee erected in a public park. However, I did not immediately grasp the Nazi-inspired message behind the chants "blood and soil" and "Jews will not replace us."

Before Charlottesville, some of us assumed that hatred against Jews paled today in comparison to the contempt blacks, Hispanics, Muslims and other minorities face in America.

Advertisement

While there has been an increase in bomb threats against Jewish institutions across America recently, overall anti-Semitic incidents still remain historically low. The most notable rise has been on college campuses, according to the Anti-Defamation League. But these incidents garnered less attention than recent attacks on other groups.

You could argue that Jews assimilated into American society after the Holocaust more easily than blacks did after slavery. You could ignore their fears and say their white skin gave them an advantage that other persecuted groups could never have.

Some may have thought that was enough to safeguard Jews from overt displays of hatred. But Charlottesville proved that bigotry has no racial, ethnic or religious boundaries. When unleashed on Jews, is as vile and contemptible as the hatred of blacks and other minorities.

While I might have been surprised to see swastika banners being held high at a rally to save a Confederate monument, many Jews were not. They are well aware of the increase in negative attitudes and hostility that, according to the ADL, has surged since the beginning of the year.

For my 82-year-old friend, Ann, the recent incidents bring back memories of a painful period when anti-Semitism was pretty much accepted.

A few days before the Charlottesville rally, Ann and I were having lunch and talking about news events. She had always wanted to be a journalist, she said. But when she applied to journalism school in 1951, she was turned down, despite her good grades and impressive portfolio.

She recalled meeting with a man in admissions who told her, "You look like a good candidate, but we can't take any more of your people because for two or three years, we have our quota."

"I shrugged my shoulders because that's the way it was back then," she said. "You kept your mouth shut so you wouldn't get into trouble."

Advertisement

Though Ann eventually found her true calling as an artist and a teacher, she would never forget how anti-Semitism shaped her life.

Another time, she told me about having to run for her life when she was 11 or 12 after taking a shortcut home through a neighborhood where Jews were not welcome.

She was late leaving the library and decided to cut through a West Side neighborhood her parents had forbidden her to go to. A group of young men, one wielding an ax, chased her and her friends and shouted anti-Semitic slurs. She and her friends got away by running to a nearby drugstore, where the owner just happened to be standing outside.

Those types of incidents rarely occur these days. But since Charlottesville, when neo-Nazis took to the streets, unafraid of showing their faces while promoting the so-called resurrection of the white race, it is clear that anti-Semitism did not fade with time.

With the attention focused on Confederate monuments, African-Americans are in the forefront now. But hatred toward Jews stems from biblical times  so far back that Ann wonders if it will ever end.

If anything, Charlottesville proved that hatred is cyclical. It may focus on one group today and another group tomorrow. And it will come around again and again  until someone stops the wheel from turning.

Advertisement

dglanton@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @dahleeng
The driver of a vehicle that hit a tree off the Bishop Ford Freeway suffered life-threatening injuries Sunday night near South Holland, police said.

The crash happened about 6:25 p.m. on southbound Interstate 94, north of 159th Street, Illinois State Police Master Sgt. Don Orseno said in an email.

Advertisement

The driver suffered life-threatening injuries when the vehicle hit a tree, and the passenger suffered no apparent injuries. A cause wasn't immediately known.

All lanes were closed on the expressway as police investigated.

Advertisement

Check back for updates.
A SWAT team ended a standoff Monday evening at a building in the Chicago Housing Authority's Cabrini Rowhouses development after officers confronted a man who may have had a gun, according to police.

Police were called to the 900 block of North Cambridge Avenue a little after 3:20 p.m. after a report of a person with a gun in the area, according to a police spokeswoman. The SWAT team entered the building Monday evening sometime after 6 p.m. and were able to end the standoff without the use of force, according to a police spokesman. Two people were detained.

Advertisement

When officers arrived, they saw a man who fled inside a building in the 500 block of West Delaware Place, the spokeswoman said. Several buildings in the area officially have Delaware Place addresses, but the street itself is less than a half-block long west of Cambridge.

A SWAT team was dispatched to the incident later in the afternoon, and the standoff was still going on a little before 6 p.m.
Surveillance photos show the man who robbed a Chase Bank branch, 230 W. Monroe St. in Chicago, about 9:45 a.m. on Aug. 28, 2017. (Via the FBI)

A bank in the Loop was robbed Monday morning, according to the FBI.



A man entered the Chase bank at 230 W. Monroe St. around 9:45 a.m. and announced a robbery, the FBI said.

The man demanded money but did not show a gun. Information about the way he went after the robbery wasn't released.



The robber was described as a white man in his middle 40s, standing 6 feet to 6-foot-2, with gray hair and a gray beard and wearing sunglasses. He was wearing an Under Armour sweatshirt and black pants. The FBI released photos of the man through its BandittrackerChicago.com website.



Chicago police generally do not release information about bank robberies.

Advertisement

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the FBI at 312-421-6700. A reward is being offered for information.
Violence in Chicago over the weekend dropped sharply from a week before, but there were still 32 people shot in the city, seven of them fatally, including a 16-year-old boy.



The previous weekend, at least 63 people were shot and eight of them were killed, according to police. It was the most violent weekend of the year except for the long Fourth of July holiday.



So far this year, at least 2,498 people have been shot in Chicago. That's down from 2,821 this time last year, when violence hit levels not seen in two decades. There have been at least 462 homicides this year, 29 fewer than this time last year.



The youngest victim from this past weekend's violence was 16-year-old Theotis Luckett, who was shot in the back just before 3:50 a.m. Saturday in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side, police said.



Luckett was one of three people killed and at least eight other people wounded in the city during a nine-hour period from late Friday to early Saturday, according to police. The two other homicides happened on the South Sides and were a 31-year-old man killed in the Washington Park neighborhood and a 35-year-old fatally shot in the Englewood neighborhood, police said.



From Saturday to Sunday morning, three men were killed: Gerard Mayo, 35, in the West Woodlawn neighborhood; Brandon Cathey, 24, in the Englewood neighborhood; and Adrian Lopez, 18, in Humboldt Park.



Late Sunday, Arthur Sanchez, 51, was killed in a shooting about 8:55 p.m. in the Heart of Chicago neighborhood.
Walter Adams, 35, a Cook County Jail inmate who prosecutors say attacked his cellmate in July, now faces attempted murder charges, prosecutors said Aug. 27, 2017. (Cook County sheriff's office)

A Cook County Jail inmate who prosecutors say attacked his cellmate last month while the man slept is now facing attempted murder charges, prosecutors said Sunday.

Walter Adams, 35, was ordered held without bail on suspicion of punching and kicking his cellmate in the head July 27.

Advertisement

The victim was taken to Stroger Hospital for treatment and is unable to communicate verbally, according to Assistant State's Attorney Julia Ramirez.

"It is unclear if he will ever speak again," Ramirez said in court.

Advertisement

Adams, of the 5800 block of South Ada Street, was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery Thursday. He appeared before Cook County Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. for a bond hearing Sunday at the Leighton Criminal Court Building.

Adams originally was being held in connection with the felony aggravated battery of a nurse, which took place at a hospital in the 7500 block of South Stony Island Avenue about 7:20 p.m. May 7, according to police and court records. Jackson Park Hospital is in that block.

Adams was arrested on an unrelated warrant May 11 but apparently was allowed to be free on bail. He was arrested again at his home on Ada Street on June 15 on charges of violating bond and criminal damage to government property. While he was in jail on those charges, he was charged July 10 in the hospital incident, according to records.
Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Police Department announce a new curriculum that focuses on police torture history in the city and the victims of Jon Burge, a former Chicago police commander. (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune) (Alyssa Pointer/Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Public Schools on Monday unveiled its new curriculum to teach all eighth-graders and high school sophomores about the decades-old torture and brutality by disgraced former Chicago police Cmdr. Jon Burge and detectives who worked under him.

The coursework was mandated as part of the 2015 deal in which the City Council approved a $5.5 million reparations fund for dozens of victims with credible claims of torture by Burge and his so-called "midnight crew" of rogue detectives.

Advertisement

Even though lawsuits still linger, the scandal has cost taxpayers what is estimated at more than $100 million in settlements, judgments and other legal costs, according to lawyers involved in the litigation.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson apologized to two of the more prominent Burge victims  Darrell Cannon and Anthony Holmes  at a news conference at CPS headquarters while insisting such conduct "doesn't exist anymore" at the Police Department.

Advertisement

"Since becoming superintendent, from day one I have always pledged that if we were wrong we admit it, we fix it and we move on," said Johnson, who also recorded a video message to be played as part of the class. "To ignore it is just to perpetuate the problem."

Cannon, who spent 24 years in prison after Burge allegedly coerced him into confessing to murder by putting a loaded shotgun in his mouth and shocking his genitals with an electric cattle prod, said the new curriculum is not about "police bashing" but rather educating young people about the past.

"There are still men who are in prison wrongfully because of Jon Burge and company, and we intend to continue to be their voice until justice prevails," he told reporters.

Flint Taylor, who played a key role in negotiating the reparations deal, and other lawyers have said as many as 120 men, mostly African-Americans, were tortured from early 1972 to late 1991. Individuals and their lawyers claimed that the officers used suffocation, electric shock and even Russian roulette to coerce confessions.

By 1993 Burge was fired after he was linked to the torture of cop-killer Andrew Wilson. In 2006, after a four-year investigation, special Cook County prosecutors found evidence of widespread abuse by Burge and detectives under his command.

Burge was convicted in federal court in 2010 of lying about the torture and sentenced to 41/2 years in prison. He still collects a police pension.

The Fraternal Order of Police, which represents rank-and-file Chicago police officers, issued a statement saying it did not believe "the Burge mythology" should be part of the public school curriculum, citing "the strong possibility that some wrongful conviction claims are false and some may even be fraudulent."

The curriculum was developed by social science specialists who worked for months with African-American community leaders, civil rights advocates, law enforcement, academic researchers and the Chicago Teachers Union.

Advertisement

During the last school year, the curriculum was tested at a half-dozen elementary and high schools. As part of that effort, several survivors of torture told their stories to some classrooms.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

According to details of the curriculum provided by CPS officials, high school teachers will use a "talking circle strategy" at the outset to help deal with topics the district expects to be deeply troubling and emotional for students.

Students will be asked to think about factors that "allowed the torture scandal to occur and to persist for nearly two decades," while examining the roles of political leaders, racism and community tensions with Chicago police. High school students will also develop plans for a public memorial on the torture scandal  another condition of the reparations agreement.

In his video message, Johnson didn't name Burge but spoke of "some ugly and horrible events" in which black suspects were tortured by a police commander.

"When that professionalism is compromised, no matter how isolated, it undermines our entire department and our relationship with our residents, our communities, with you." Johnson said. "It's my job as your police superintendent to ensure that this doesn't happen again."

Chicago Tribune's Juan Perez Jr. contributed.

Advertisement

jgorner@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JeremyGorner
The Chicago Alliance Recovery van allows heroin users to obtain clean syringes or other necessary drug supplies for the sake of safety. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune) (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Nicole Clark's first encounter with fentanyl-laced heroin came a decade ago, when it was a novelty in Chicago's drug scene. What she remembers still haunts her.

She snorted a small line of the drug soon after she bought it on a street corner, but before she and her friend could reach the nearby expressway for the ride back to Huntley, she fell unconscious. When she awoke, she was in a hospital bed, her body bristling with tubes.

Advertisement

That was enough to scare Clark, now 41, away from fentanyl, a synthetic opioid 40 times more potent than heroin. But her friend, 42-year-old Keith Glissendorf, said the drug's dangerous power wasn't a red flag  it was exactly why he wanted it.

"I was (patronizing a particular dealer) because he had the fentanyl dope," said Glissendorf, who, like Clark, is now in a methadone treatment program. "I crashed three vehicles in a week. I went to jail. But I liked it. I loved it  the rush, the euphoria, everything that came along with it. I was getting ripped."

Advertisement

Whether feared or desired, fentanyl, carfentanil and other man-made opioids have become a mainstay in the city's drug trade, found in about 40 percent of the heroin sold here, according to a Chicago Police Department estimate.

Experts say these powerful synthetics are responsible for a spike in fatal overdoses in the Chicago area and nationwide: Users are consuming drugs stronger than they can handle, often without knowing what they're putting into their bodies.

"I believe that's contributing to the increase in deaths," said DuPage County Coroner Richard Jorgensen, whose jurisdiction has seen 23 fentanyl-related fatalities this year, compared to 13 involving heroin alone. "How do you as a dealer or user know the strength of your drug?"

Angel, a heroin user who wanted only her first name used, said she recently overdosed on fentanyl, having received no warning from her dealer. We dont know what were putting in our systems, she said. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune )

'Drop Dead'

Fentanyl patches have long been used as a treatment for chronic pain, but starting around 1980, dealers began mixing the drug and its close cousins into the heroin supply, causing irregular outbreaks of overdose deaths.

The synthetics hit Chicago hard in the mid-2000s, when the Mickey Cobra gang obtained a supply from a clandestine lab in Mexico and passed it off as heroin that became known as "Drop Dead." About 350 people died within 20 months, according to a study by pathologist Dr. Scott Denton, former interim chief of the Cook County medical examiner's office.

"It didn't stop until the (U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration) busted the lab in Mexico," Denton said. "The demand wasn't going away."

Synthetics flared again about four years ago, but this time the supply hasn't stopped. Chief Anthony Riccio of the Chicago Police Department's organized crime bureau said local gangs are mixing heroin from Mexico with fentanyl from China to create super-potent hybrids.

Advertisement

Death often follows when those drugs circulate, but in the perverse world of heroin sales, that's like putting up a Times Square billboard.

"It's the best advertising they can have," Riccio said. "The true addicts want that (powerful) high. When word gets around, business booms."

Fatal opioid overdoses in Illinois had been rising for years even before the rise of synthetics, reaching more than 1,000 in 2013. Just 8 percent of those deaths involved fentanyl and its analogs, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Three years later, overdose deaths rose to nearly 1,900  and about half were fentanyl-related.

Kane County Coroner Rob Russell saw synthetic-related overdoses jump sixfold between 2015 and 2016. He expects that to continue, given the ease of smuggling fentanyl; one study estimates that while a mere 300 pounds entered the country last year, it was enough to supply 1 million doses a day.

"There's quite a bit of enforcement out there to try to thwart this, but it's hard," Russell said. "It's like trying to shoot a fly from outer space."

Advertisement

The same acceleration is happening elsewhere in the country, leading federal officials at a congressional hearing earlier this year to label fentanyl "an even more dangerous threat" than heroin.

Matthew Allen of the Department of Homeland Security told the panel that drug cartels have learned that lab-crafted opioids like fentanyl are more cost-effective and easier to manufacture than heroin, which requires fields of opium poppies for its raw material.

Leo Beletsky, a drug policy researcher at Northeastern University in Boston, said that evolution is a predictable outcome of the "iron law of prohibition," which holds that any banned substance will become more concentrated to maximize its financial return.

"It takes a lot of effort to produce heroin," he said. "It takes much less effort to synthesize fentanyl in a lab, so I imagine the market will continue to turn in that direction.  I think we've not seen the peak of the overdose crisis."

Cops endangered

As fentanyl proliferates, its effects are rippling outward. The DEA this summer warned first responders that exposure to even small quantities can cause "serious negative health effects, respiratory depression and even death," leading some departments to change how they handle suspected narcotics.

Advertisement

Riccio said fentanyl-laced drugs once looked different than pure heroin, prompting officers to exercise greater caution, but that's no longer the case. Chicago police now send all suspected narcotics to a crime lab instead of performing field tests.

"The more the product is handled, the greater the potential to go airborne," Riccio said.

Even drug-sniffing police dogs are endangered by synthetics; some have reportedly died after inhaling the drugs. The University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine recently released a video advising veterinarians on how to treat dogs that accidentally overdose (naloxone, the overdose-reversing medication, works on canines, too).

Many people who overdose end up at Loretto Hospital on Chicago's West Side, in the midst of one of the city's most active drug markets. Dr. Lois Clarke, head of Loretto's emergency department, said the effects of the surge have been obvious.

"A few years ago, we maybe saw one or two overdoses in a week," she said. "Now we're seeing multiple people in a day."

Chris Pinkard, a clinical supervisor with the hospital's addiction center, said he and his colleagues are rethinking how to treat people who get hooked on fentanyl. They are considering using larger doses of Suboxone, a medication that staves off withdrawal symptoms, and introducing Vivitrol, a one-shot opioid blocker.

Advertisement

Dr. Sonia Mehta, Loretto's CEO, said that for all the work done in the hospital, resources to help people struggling with opioids are still far too limited. A lack of psychiatrists, counselors and job opportunities  not to mention the funding to pay for it all  makes addiction even harder to kick, she said.

"This is definitely a crisis, almost an epidemic right now," she said. "We can treat them, we can send them out with naloxone kits, but where do they go from there?"

Street-level view

Standing on a street corner in North Lawndale, a longtime heroin user named Jose wondered where he was going to go. He had just gotten out of Cook County Jail, he said, and wanted to see if there was room in a treatment program.

He wasn't counting on it. That's why he was picking up clean needles from a van operated by the Chicago Recovery Alliance, a group that provides health services to drug users.

People leaving incarceration are among the most at-risk for an overdose, their tolerance lowered from months of abstinence. Potent synthetics heighten the danger even more, but Jose, 47, said he wasn't worried: His dealer had always been straight with him.

Advertisement

"I've known him a long time," he said. "Whatever he puts in, he tells me."

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

A woman named Angel, 51, wasn't so nonchalant. She said she recently overdosed on fentanyl, having received no warning from her dealer.

"We don't know what we're putting in our systems," she said. "For all we know, they're opening up the kitchen sink and just putting in anything.  It's a losing battle out here."

Daniel Ciccarone, a professor of family and community medicine at the University of California at San Francisco, said highly dangerous drugs tend to have a short run  the cannabinoid K2, which in 2015 caused a spate of "zombie-like" overdoses in New York, is one example  as users and dealers alike grow leery of the carnage.

Synthetic opioids are lethal mainly because of erratic doses, he said, and could become more predictable over time. But he fears that with cartel hierarchies in flux and China rising as a new supplier, it might be too late for anyone to gain control.

"What happens next is unknown," Ciccarone said. "It's more unknown than we've ever had in any drug epidemic."

Advertisement

jkeilman@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @JohnKeilman
In this interrogation video, Micheail Ward breaks down crying as he alleges a higher-ranking gang member ordered him to open fire into a South Side park and threatened to kill him if he didnt do so. Warning: Graphic language. (Cook County court records) (Handout)

A Cook County judge on Monday rejected a second bid by defense attorneys to exclude as evidence an extensive confession from one of the men charged in Hadiya Pendleton's slaying.

After more than three hours of testimony and arguments, Judge Nicholas Ford said he found no evidence that Micheail Ward's statement had been improperly coerced and ruled that it could be used at an eventual trial.

Advertisement

Ward told detectives in February 2013 that he fired the shots killing 15-year-old Hadiya after being pressured to shoot by co-defendant Kenneth Williams, whom prosecutors have described as a higher-ranking gang member. Williams has also been charged in the slaying.

Ward's attorney, Julie Koehler, alleged that detectives psychologically manipulated him into confessing.

Advertisement

"(Ward) told them exactly what they told him to say," she said. "It makes him desperate to someday walk out of jail.  It doesn't make him guilty."

The killing of Hadiya just a week after the honors student performed at President Barack Obama's second inauguration festivities attracted nationwide attention and became emblematic of Chicago's out-of-control gun violence.

Without a murder weapon or much physical evidence, prosecutors are expected to lean heavily on Ward's statement to detectives.

Koehler sought unsuccessfully last year to have Ward's confession suppressed, noting that he told police multiple times he had nothing to say before he started talking.

This time she brought in Richard Ofshe, a professor emeritus of sociology at the University of California at Berkeley and an expert in coerced confessions.

Ofshe said while detectives did not physically abuse Ward or specifically promise him leniency if he complied, they used subtler coercive tactics.

At multiple points, the detectives implied Ward could help himself by cooperating and showing remorse, Ofshe said, eventually leading Ward to believe he had no choice but to give detectives what they wanted to hear.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"This is, in my judgment, a statement in which coercive tactics  are the cause of shifting from denial to admission," he said.

Advertisement

Ford rejected those arguments, saying he found Ofshe to be biased.

At prosecutors' request, Ford earlier this summer ordered that transcripts and video of Ward's statement  previously available in a public court file  should be sealed, citing concerns for witness safety and fears of biasing potential jurors.

The video and interview transcript provided a rare glimpse into how police elicit confessions in high-profile cases. The transcripts show the intense pressure felt by police to solve Hadiya's killing. While questioning Ward, detectives attempted to put that pressure back on the 18-year-old.

"But now people say we got to stop this violence because look, this little girl sang at the president's inauguration. One week she's at the president's house, the next week she's dead by her house," one detective said. "That's what makes this thing different."

mcrepeau@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @crepeau
Paul Mulcahy, former village president of Lake in the Hills, was found guilty on two criminal misdemeanor charges of domestic battery. (Lake in the Hills)

The former village president of Lake in the Hills on Monday was sentenced to a year of conditional discharge and ordered to continue counseling and to pay a fine for domestic battery last year against a woman with whom he was in a relationship.

Paul J. Mulcahy, 65, who had served the village since 1997 and was president from 2013 until he lost his bid for re-election this spring, was found guilty last week in a bench trial on two criminal misdemeanor charges of domestic battery. McHenry County Judge Michael Feetterer also found him not guilty on five additional charges of domestic battery.

Advertisement

Under conditional discharge, a person avoids jail time but could be jailed if new crimes are committed. Mulcahy's attorney, William Bligh, asked for six months of conditional discharge, citing Mulcahy's lack of criminal history, his service to the community and the consequences he has already paid with the loss of the election.

Bligh said the "damage of his arrest" has been punishment enough.

Advertisement

The judge ordered Mulcahy to pay $75 in fines, $50 to Turning Point of McHenry County  an agency that helps domestic violence victims  and $10 to Crime Stoppers.

He also must continue counseling, undergo substance-abuse evaluation and is barred from having contact with the victim, who works at a local restaurant where Mulcahy said he has friends and sometimes attends business meetings. Feetterer did not ban Mulcahy from going to the restaurant but said he cannot go there when she is working.

But, Mulcahy said, he has "no desire" to have contact with the woman, with whom he said he has ended the relationship.

Authorities said that after a dinner date in November with the woman at which both consumed alcohol the couple returned to Mulcahy's Lake in the Hills home. They argued and he "forcibly" threw her out of his house and to the ground without shoes or a jacket. The woman went back into his home and he found her in a spare bedroom. He then "grabbed her by the feet and dragged her down a flight of stairs, causing injury and pushed her out the door," authorities said.

The woman called 911, and Mulcahy was arrested.

Mulcahy, a retired postal worker, was emotional when he told Feetterer that he had served the village and his country well and feels he is still mourning the loss of his wife, who died in 2011.

"I deeply regret what I did that night," Mulcahy said, adding that he "was immediately repentant." He is now in a new relationship and said "I'm in a much better place."

"I'm a better person than I was Nov. 6, and I intend to stay that way," he said.

Advertisement

Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.






A housing advocacy group is asking a federal judge to halt a construction project that it says would displace dozens of homeless residents living in tents under crumbling viaducts in the Uptown neighborhood, officials said.

The injunction, which was filed Monday morning as part of an existing federal lawsuit against the city, asks federal U.S. Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier to stop the city of Chicago from evicting residents who live under viaducts along Wilson and Lawrence avenues near Lake Shore Drive.

Advertisement

Uptown Tent City Organizers hopes to force the city to either provide housing for the residents living under the bridges or allow them to relocate their tent village to a nearby park, said Andy Thayer, an activist with the group.

"The city has failed to provide any alternative places where people can put up their tents," he said. "Short of that, they've got to stop this construction. People who are homeless are already facing enough stress."

Advertisement

About two weeks ago, the city posted notices along the two bridges warning residents that the two bridge areas will be shut down from Sept. 18 until March 31, 2018 so that improvements to the infrastructure can be made. The heavily traveled structures have visible signs of decay: The paint has faded, and in many areas the concrete has cracked and is crumbling.

In addition to fixing the structure of the bridges, there are also plans to construct bike lane paths, which would make the sidewalks smaller. Now, there is enough space on the wide sidewalks for the tents with room for pedestrians to pass. Officials with the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless are threatening a lawsuit to stop the current design of the bike paths so that the residents in tents won't be squeezed off the sidewalks.

For months, Thayer has been pushing to relocate the tent cities from under the bridges to a grassy area outside the Stewart School, he said. But that plan has faced opposition and led to the initial lawsuit.

The request for an injunction came in response to the start of the construction.

The (city) wants people to disappear, to be hidden away in corners. ... Find housing for these people and we'll go away.  Alan Mills, attorney with Uptown People's Law Center

Across the country, homelessness is a growing problem, and communities of residents living in tents and camps have sprouted up in cities like New Orleans, Fresno and Seattle.

In Chicago, advocates estimate that more than 82,000 families struggle with homelessness. There are about 30 residents living in tents along the Wilson Avenue stretch; about 35 are living along the Lawrence Avenue section. All the people living in the camps are adults; no young children or teenagers are living there, residents and organizers said.

Advocates want the residents to either be permanently housed  not shifted from one overcrowded shelter to another throughout the city  or for the residents to continue living in the tents in Uptown.

"The (city) wants people to disappear, to be hidden away in corners," said Alan Mills, an attorney with Uptown People's Law Center who is representing Uptown Tent City Organizers and the residents. "Find housing for these people and we'll go away."

Advertisement

A spokesman for the city's Law Department would not discuss Monday's court filing or the pending lawsuit but said in a statement that the organizers' claims "lack merit."

"This motion should not prevent or delay the City from undertaking needed repairs to these bridges, which have received serious and poor structural ratings," the statement said.

On Monday morning, several residents gathered with their attorneys at the news conference and emphasized they don't want to live in tents. but they feel they have no alternative. The area under the viaducts shelters them from the weather, and they have set up grills to cook, established restroom areas and created a community.

"We are not happy living here. We are not happy with this lifestyle," said Jesse Tolwinski, 61, who has lived under the viaduct at Wilson Avenue and Lake Shore Drive for three months. "Nobody's coming to help us."

Tolwinski said a divorce left him homeless and unable to support himself.

Daywatch Weekdays Start each day with Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox. >

"I'm too old to get a job," he said. "This is not the first place I'd choose to be."

Advertisement

Joseph Murray, 54, said he found himself homeless after he was released from serving a prison sentence and had to start over without the help of family or friends. He refuses to live in a shelter because he is married, and he and his wife want to stay together. Such accommodations at shelters are limited. More than two years ago, they began camping out under the viaduct at Lawrence Avenue.

"As many of you lay in your beds at night, we're sleeping in a tent with rats around us," he said. "All we want is shelter. That's not too much to ask for.

"We're not dumb. We're not violent. We just want help," he said.

A hearing on the injunction is expected to take place at 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

lbowean@chicagotribune.com

Twitter: @lollybowean
Governor Bruce Rauner laughs after a reporter asks him about the Cubs after speaking at the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago on Monday, July 24, 2017. (Alexandra Wimley / Chicago Tribune)

Gov. Bruce Rauner Monday signed into law one bill that would protect immigrants who are in the country illegally from being detained solely because of their immigration status and another that would automatically register many Illinoisans to vote.

The Republican governor's approval of the controversial immigration legislation marks a victory for immigrant advocates and a defeat for the more conservative members of his party, who had lobbied against it.

Advertisement

Known as the Trust Act, the new law would prohibit state and local police in Illinois from arresting or detaining a person solely because of their immigration status, or based on a federal immigration detainer. The law would, however, allow law enforcement officials to hold someone if a judge has issued a warrant.

"This was not an easy bill to pass, let's be clear," Rauner said, praising the bill as "a very reasonable, decent outcome."

Advertisement

He said he had sought out the opinion of law enforcement as he was contemplating whether to sign or veto the bill.

"I asked them, 'Should I sign this bill, should I not sign this bill?'" Rauner said. "They all said to me: 'Governor, this is a reasonable compromise. It will help us do our jobs better; it will help us keep our communities safer.'"

Rauner entered a bill signing ceremony at Mi Tierra restaurant in Little Village to cheers from at least 200 supporters of the measure. Outside, an opponent carried a sign that said, "Illinois victim families say no sanctuary state."

The governor's approach to the the immigration bill signing was an indication of his efforts to walk the line between his conservative base and the more moderate constituencies he'll need in order to win reelection in 2018.

Rauner faced an intense lobbying campaign over the bill and warnings last week that he might lose support from conservatives if he were to sign it into law. State Sen. Kyle McCarter, a Republican from Lebanon outside St. Louis, said "this could be the last straw" for Downstate voters who have backed the governor if Rauner failed to veto the bill.

So before the governor inked his signature to the legislation, an array of supporters, including members of the law enforcement community and business advocates, appeared on stage to demonstrate broad support.

"Contrary to popular belief, this bill does not turn Illinois into a sanctuary state," said Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, a fluent Spanish speaker who kicked off a slate of more than a dozen speakers with remarks in both English and Spanish.

Illinois State Police Director Leo Schmitz said the legislation "reinforces local, county, state ability to work with the federal government and our federal partners to protect the neighborhood." He and others said that the legislation will allow immigrants to reach out to local law enforcement without fear of being punished for their immigration status.

Advertisement

Earlier Monday, Rauner signed the voter registration bill, which would add Illinoisans to the voting rolls when they get or renew a driver's license. He vetoed a similar plan last year, but this time Democrats made changes to try to assuage some of the governor's concerns.

Democratic state Sen. Andy Manar, of Decatur, a chief sponsor, noted that the legislation had been in the works for more than two years. He thanked Rauner "for keeping his promise to sign this legislation," but gave credit for the bill's success to the advocates who'd pushed for it over the years.

"The legislative process that's been undertaken by grassroots organizations throughout the state of Illinois has been a true exercise in democracy when it comes to this legislation," said Manar, who added that "we would not be here in this position to present this bill from the legislature to the governor without their work."

Rauner cast the legislation as a product of negotiations between lawmakers and the governor's office, which had raised concerns last year about the measure conflicting with federal law, and about the potential for errors and fraud. Rauner said he had used his amendatory veto powers to rewrite the measure last year to address those concerns. In fact, he had vetoed it outright but spelled out his reasons in a lengthy veto statement.

"The General Assembly came together, worked with us, made the changes that we were recommending, and now I think we have a good, strong piece of legislation that makes it easier for everyone who's eligible to vote to be able to vote," Rauner said Monday.

kgeiger@chicagotribune.com

Advertisement

Twitter @kimgeiger
North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday morning that flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, the most brazen provocation of Kim Jong Un's five-year-long rule and one that elicited strong condemnation from U.S. allies Japan and South Korea.

The launch poses a further challenge, in particular, to President Trump, who has made North Korea a favorite rhetorical target. Trump said earlier this month that he would make Kim "truly regret" harming the United States or its allies.

In Japan, the prime minister was visibly agitated by North Korea's actions. "A missile launch across Japan is an outrageous act that poses an unprecedented, grave and serious threat, and significantly undermines the peace and security of the region," Shinzo Abe said after an emergency national security council meeting.

Japan's upgraded missile response system swung into action, sending emergency alerts through cellphones and over loudspeakers shortly after 6 a.m., warning people on the potential flight path of the threat and advising them to take cover.

However, Japan did not try to shoot down the missile.

The missile appears to have been a Hwasong-12, the intermediate-range ballistic missile technically capable of flying 3,000 miles that North Korea has been threatening to launch toward the U.S. territory of Guam.

But North Korea launched Tuesday's missile to the east, over Hokkaido and into the Pacific Ocean, rather than on a southward path toward Guam, apparently to test its flight on a normal trajectory without crossing a "red line" of aiming at the United States.

Still, this launch, coming after North Korea last month launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles theoretically capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, underscore both Kim's defiance of the international community and his determination to press ahead with his missile program. Kim has now ordered the launch of 18 missiles this year alone, compared with the 16 missiles his father, Kim Jong Il, fired during 17 years in power.

The White House did not immediately respond to the latest provocation, but the Japanese prime minister's office said Trump and Abe talked by phone for 40 minutes after the launch, agreeing that the test was unprecedented and that they should further increase the pressure on North Korea.

The the U.N. Security Council confirmed it would hold an emergency meeting in New York Tuesday to discuss the latest provocation. Missile launches and nuclear tests are banned by the U.N. Security Council, but North Korea has paid no attention to its resolutions.

In Seoul, President Moon Jae-in, a liberal who has promoted engagement with Pyongyang, ordered an "overwhelming show of force" in response to the missile launch. South Korea's military aircraft dropped eight bombs on a shooting range on the southern side of the border with North Korea.

Analysts said Tuesday's launch marked a worrying escalation from North Korea. "This is a much more dangerous style of test," said Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center and a former top East Asia official at the Pentagon.

North Korea's recent missile tests had been carefully calibrated to go nearly straight up and land in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, rather than overflying Japan.

"North Korean missiles have a habit of breaking apart in flight, so if this happened and parts of it landed in Japan, even if it was not North Korea's intention, this would amount to a de facto attack on Japan," Denmark said.

This missile appeared to have broken into three during flight, but all of the parts landed in the sea.

The missile was launched at 5:58 a.m. Japan time from a site at Sunan, north of Pyongyang and the location of the country's main international airport.

U.S. intelligence agencies were monitoring the site and had seen signs of the impending launch hours earlier, when they spotted Hwasong-12 missile equipment being moved into place.

The Hwasong-12, known to American agencies as the KN-17, is fired from a road-mobile launcher - usually a modified truck - making it easy to move around the country and launch on short notice.

North Korea has sent rockets over Japan before, in 1998 and again in 2009. But both times it claimed that they were satellite launches, and in the second case, it gave Japan notice before the launch.

This time, there was no notice, and analysts said that this launch was clearly for military purposes.

The missile traveled almost 1,700 miles in total, flying over Hokkaido at 6:06 a.m. before landing in the Pacific Ocean 730 miles to the east of Hokkaido's Cape Erimo at about 6:12 a.m. During this time, it traveled through Japanese airspace for about two minutes, government officials said.

The Pentagon said it had detected the launch but was still in the process of assessing it.

Japanese military aircraft and ships headed to the landing site on Tuesday morning to try to recover debris from the missile, which could yield important information about its technical capabilities.

The Japanese broadcaster NHK showed Patriot missiles installed at sites around the country.

"We will make every possible effort to protect citizens' lives and property," Abe told reporters before heading into the national security council meeting.

However, the Japanese military did not attempt to intercept the missile. Government officials said they could tell the missile was heading into the sea, rather than toward Japanese territory.

But analysts said that the PAC-3 missile defense system has a range of less than 20 miles and is designed to intercept the missile as it's coming down, meaning that even the batteries on Hokkaido would not have been able to intercept this one.

Tuesday's launch, on the heels of three short-range missiles fired Saturday, comes amid ongoing joint exercises between the United States and South Korean militaries, exercises that North Korea always strongly protests because it considers them preparation for an invasion.

The exercises, which mainly involve computer simulations rather than battlefield maneuvers, are due to end Thursday.

"We should expect a kinetic reaction from North Korea during the exercises, but this pushes the boundaries of an ordinary response," said Daryl Kimball, the director of the Arms Control Association.

However, Kimball said that talks still remain the best course of action for dealing with North Korea.

"The U.S. and Japan have so few options to respond to these ballistic missile tests short of negotiations that would have North Korea agree to halt these launches in return for a modification of future military exercises," he said. "This is why North Korea is such a problem - there are no good options."

Despite the international pressure, Kim has pressed ahead unrelentingly with his missile program.

His government had been threatening to fire a missile to pass over Japan and land near Guam, which is home to two huge U.S. military bases, by the middle of this month. However, Kim later said that after reviewing the plans, he would "watch the Yankees a little longer" before making a decision about whether to launch.

After the Guam threat, Trump warned North Korea that "things will happen to them like they never thought possible" should the isolated country attack the United States or its allies.

With no missile launches during the first three weeks of August, the Trump administration had suggested that its tough talk was working, with Trump saying last week at a rally in Phoenix that Kim had come to "respect" him.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued President Donald Trump on Monday seeking to prevent implementation of his ban on transgender individuals serving in the military, saying the order violates their rights to equal protection and due process.

The federal lawsuit was filed in Baltimore by the ACLU of Maryland on behalf of six transgender individuals currently serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and Naval Reserve.

"President Trump's actions immediately caused the individual plaintiffs and other transgender service members to fear for their careers, the well-being of their family members and dependents, their health care and, in some cases, their safety," the lawsuit states.

Trump directed the Pentagon on Friday to implement a ban on transgender individuals from enlisting in or continuing to serve in the military, which he first announced in a tweet.

The ban, which would take effect next year, also orders a halt to the use of Defense Department resources to fund sex-reassignment surgeries for military personnel, except if needed to protect the health of an individual who already has begun a course of sex-reassignment treatment.

"Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail," Trump tweeted.

The plaintiffs, who claim they face immediate and irreparable harm, are asking the court to declare the ban unconstitutional and invalid.

White House officials said Monday that they do not comment on pending litigation.

Similar litigation was filed in federal court in Seattle on Monday, on behalf of a 12-year Army veteran and two young transgender men who hope to enlist, by the Human Rights Campaign and the Gender Justice League. And last Wednesday, before Trump formally issued his directive, GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights sued in Washington, D.C., on behalf of five transgender service members with nearly 60 years of combined military service.

Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD's Transgender Rights Project, said Monday that the filing of multiple lawsuits is a good thing, because Trump's policy is a "slap in the face to service members who have devoted their lives to protecting the country."

The ACLU complaint calls the new policy a betrayal to existing service members who came out publicly to military personnel following a directive issued last year by President Barack Obama's defense secretary, Ashton Carter. That "open service" directive stated that no otherwise qualified service member could be discharged or denied re-enlistment solely because of his or her gender identity.

The ACLU claims the administration has provided no evidence to justify the reversal in policy, which has been criticized by some Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Scott Taylor of Virginia, a former Navy SEAL; and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former Vietnam prisoner of war.

"News reports indicate that the Secretary of Defense and other military officials were surprised by President Trump' announcement, and that his actual motivations were purely political, reflecting a desire to accommodate legislators and advisers who bear animus and moral disapproval toward men and women who are transgender, with a goal of gaining votes for a spending bill that included money to build a border wall with Mexico," the lawsuit claims.

The lawsuit, which says an estimated 8,800 or more transgender people currently serve in the military, asserts that Trump's concerns about military preparedness, unit cohesion and medical costs are baseless. According to a Rand Corp. study issued last year, there would be "minimal" impacts on readiness, with only 10 to 130 active-duty members having reduced deployability because of gender transition-related treatments.

The lawsuit also notes that 18 other countries, including 11 NATO members, allow transgender people to serve openly in the armed forces, and that the Rand study found no significant effect on their operational effectiveness.

Associated Press contributors include Jessica Gresko in Washington, D.C., and Gene Johnson in Seattle.
While Donald Trump was running for president in late 2015 and early 2016, his company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow, according to several people familiar with the proposal and new records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.

As part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested that he could get President Vladimir Putin to say "great things" about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence.

The developer, Felix Sater, predicted in a November 2015 email that he and Trump Organization leaders would soon be celebrating - both one of the biggest residential projects in real estate history and Donald Trump's election as president, according to two of the people with knowledge of the exchange.

Sater wrote to Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen "something to the effect of, 'Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president?' " said one person briefed on the email exchange. Sater emigrated from what was then the Soviet Union when he was 6 and grew up in Brooklyn.

Trump never went to Moscow as Sater proposed. And although investors and Trump's company signed a letter of intent, they lacked the land and permits to proceed and the project was abandoned at the end of January 2016, just before the presidential primaries began, several people familiar with the proposal said.

Nevertheless, the details of the deal, which have not previously been disclosed, provide evidence that Trump's business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president - and in a position to determine U.S.-Russia relations. The new details from the emails, which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon, also point to the likelihood of additional contacts between Russia-connected individuals and Trump associates during his presidential bid.

White House officials declined to comment for this report. Cohen, a longtime Trump legal adviser, declined to comment, but his attorney, Stephen Ryan, said his client "has been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with both the House and Senate intelligence committees, including providing them with documents and information and answering any questions they may have about the Moscow building proposal."

In recent months, contacts between high-ranking and lower- level Trump aides and Russians have emerged. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a U.S. senator and campaign adviser, twice met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Donald Trump Jr. organized a June 2016 meeting with campaign aide Jared Kushner, campaign manager Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer after the president's eldest son was promised that the lawyer would bring damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help the campaign.

Internal emails also show campaign adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly sought to organize meetings with campaign officials, including Trump, and Putin or other Russians. His efforts were rebuffed.

The negotiations for the Moscow project ended before Trump's business ties to Russia had become a major issue in the campaign. Trump denied having any business connections to Russia in July 2016, tweeting, "for the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia" and then insisting at a news conference the following day, "I have nothing to do with Russia."

Discussions about the Moscow project began in earnest in September 2015, according to people briefed on the deal. An unidentified investor planned to build the project and, under a licensing agreement, put Trump's name on it. Cohen acted as a lead negotiator for the Trump Organization. It is unclear how involved or aware Trump was of the negotiations.

As the talks progressed, Trump voiced numerous supportive comments about Putin, setting himself apart from his Republican rivals for the nomination.

By the end of 2015, Putin began offering praise in return.

"He says that he wants to move to another, closer level of relations. Can we really not welcome that? Of course, we welcome that," Putin told reporters during his annual end-of-the year news conference. He called Trump a "colorful and talented" person. Trump said afterward that the compliment was an "honor."

Though Putin's comments came shortly after Sater suggested that the Russian president would speak favorably about Trump, there is no indication that the two are connected.

There is no public record that Trump has ever spoken about the effort to build a Trump Tower in 2015 and 2016.

Trump's interests in building in Moscow, however, are long-standing. He had attempted to build a Trump property for three decades, starting with a failed effort in 1987 to partner with the Soviet government on a hotel project.

"Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment," he said in a 2007 court deposition.

"We will be in Moscow at some point," he promised in the deposition.

Sater was involved in at least one of those previous efforts. In 2005, the Trump Organization gave his development company, the Bayrock Group, an exclusive one-year deal to attempt to build a Moscow Trump Tower. Sater located a site for the project - an abandoned pencil factory - and worked closely with Trump on the deal, which did not come to fruition.

In an unrelated court case in 2008, Sater said in a deposition that he would personally provide Trump "verbal updates" on the deal.

"When I'd come back, pop my head into Mr. Trump's office and tell him, you know, 'Moving forward on the Moscow deal.' And he would say, 'All right,' " Sater said.

In the same testimony, Sater described traveling with Trump's children, including joining Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. on a trip to Moscow at their father's request.

"They were on their way by themselves, and he was all concerned," Sater said. "He asked if I wouldn't mind joining them and looking after them while they were in Moscow."

Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told The Washington Post last year that Sater happened to be in Moscow at the same time as Trump's two adult children. "There was no accompanying them to Moscow," he said.

Neither Sater nor his attorney responded to requests for comment.

Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Sater, who served time in jail after assaulting a man with the stem of a broken margarita glass during a 1991 bar fight and then pleaded guilty in 1998 to his role in an organized- crime-linked stock fraud. Sater's sentencing was delayed for years while he cooperated with the federal government on a series of criminal and national security-related investigations, federal officials have said.

During that time, Sater worked as an executive with Bayrock, whose offices were in Trump Tower, and brokered deals to license Trump's name for developments in multiple U.S. and foreign cities. In 2010, Trump allowed Sater to briefly work out of Trump Organization office space and use a business card that identified him as a "senior adviser to Donald Trump."

Still, when asked about Sater in 2013 court deposition, Trump said: "If he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he looked like." He added that he had spoken with Sater "not many" times.
President Donald Trump reacts before speaking at a rally on Aug. 22, 2017, at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix. The Trump administration is preparing to restore the flow of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies. (Alex Brandon / AP)

WASHINGTON  The Trump administration is preparing to restore the flow of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies under a program that had been sharply curtailed by the Obama administration amid an outcry over police use of armored vehicles and other war-fighting gear to confront protesters.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press indicate President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order undoing an Obama-era directive that restricted police agencies' access to the gear that includes grenade launchers, bullet-proof vests, riot shields, firearms and ammunition.

Advertisement

Trump's order would fully restore the program under which "assets that would otherwise be scrapped can be repurposed to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement better protect public safety and reduce crime," according to the documents.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions could outline the changes during a Monday speech to the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville, Tenn., a person familiar with the matter said. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss the plan ahead of an official announcement.

Advertisement

The changes would be another way in which Trump and Sessions are enacting a law-and-order agenda that views federal support of local police as a way to drive down violent crime.

National police organizations have long been pushing Trump to hold his promise to once again make the equipment available to local and state police departments, many of which see it as needed to ensure officers aren't put in danger when responding to active shooter calls and terrorist attacks. An armored vehicle played a key role in the police response to the December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif.

Groups across the political spectrum have expressed concern about the militarization of police, arguing that the equipment encourages and escalates confrontations with officers. Obama issued an executive order in 2015 that severely limited the surplus program, partly triggered by public outrage over the use of military gear when during protests in Ferguson, Mo., following the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Police responded in riot gear and deployed tear gas, dogs and armored vehicles. At times they also pointed assault rifles at protesters.

Obama's order prohibited the federal government from providing grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, and firearms and ammunition of .50-caliber or greater to police. The agency overseeing the program then recalled more than 100 grenade launchers, more than 1,600 bayonets and 126 tracked vehicles  those that run on continuous, tank-like tracks instead of wheels  that were provided through the program.

Trump vowed to rescind the executive order in a written response to a Fraternal Order of Police questionnaire that helped him win an endorsement from the organization of rank-and-file officers.

The documents, first reported by USA Today, say Trump's order would emphasize public safety over the appearance of the heavy equipment. They describe much of the gear as "defensive in nature" intended to protect officers from danger.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the expected move.

Most police agencies rarely require military equipment for daily use but see a need to have it available, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

Advertisement

"It is hard to imagine any situation where a grenade launcher or bayonet would be something that a major police department would need, but defensive shields and armored vehicles kept on reserve will be welcome," he said.

Sessions has said he believes improving morale for local law enforcement is key to curbing spikes in violence in some cities. The plan comes after Sessions has said he intends to pull back on court-enforceable improvement plans with troubled police departments, which he says can malign entire agencies and make officers less aggressive on the street.
Mary Shelton was just 31/2 pounds when she was born in 1925, a preemie who in those days wasn't given much of a chance to survive.

She eventually became a registered nurse on a medical team at Michael Reese Hospital, the first hospital in the country to use the incubator. The groundbreaking device, also known as a "hatching cradle," helped thousands of underdeveloped babies through their perilous first few weeks, even months, of life.

Advertisement

"She loved babies and chose a profession that would allow her to dedicate her life to saving them," said her daughter Trish O'Connor.

Shelton, 92, the creator of a training program for neonatal care nurses at Michael Reese and later head nurse of the premature infant station at University of Illinois Hospital, died July 24 at a hospital in Ontario, Ore., of complications related to dementia. Formerly a longtime resident of East Rogers Park, she had moved to Oregon a year ago to be closer to family members.

Advertisement

Throughout her career, Shelton, known to family and friends as "Mia," served as a consultant to various hospitals and was a participant and guest speaker at conferences around the country. At a 1963 seminar sponsored by the University of Colorado on premature and newborn care, she shared details of her own home birth in an interview with the Rocky Mountain News.

"They put me in a false-bottom box near the stove with heated bricks underneath," she told the newspaper. "It worked fine. In fact, I've recommended the same methods to other nurses who have to work in remote areas."

Born Mary Stelzer in Cologne, Germany, Shelton was just a year old when she immigrated with her parents to the United States and settled in the Sauganash neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

After graduating from Von Steuben High School, she completed the nursing program at Michael Reese Hospital in 1946 and joined the staff of its internationally renowned nursery for premature infants. She remained at the hospital until 1962.

She married Jack Morrison while at Michael Reese. The couple divorced after 10 years. In 1964 she married Farrell Shelton, who died 10 years ago.

In 1956, Shelton developed the Premature Infant Training Program at Michael Reese to help other nurses learn the painstaking procedures used in the around-the-clock care of premature infants.

The program taught special techniques used in feeding, diapering and holding the babies, as well as putting nipples on bottles, making beds and sanitizing equipment. The babies were fed more frequently, but in smaller amounts. They were also isolated in separate incubators in another measure to stymie infection.

During the late 1960s, Shelton became the head nurse in charge of the High Risk Nursery at the U. of. I Hospital, where she also taught.

Advertisement

"She put in long hours at the hospitals, especially whenever there was an emergency," said her son James "She'd leave home early in the morning and return late at night."

In 1978, she joined the staff of HealthStaffers, Inc., a Chicago recruitment firm that hired nurses for jobs around the country. There she helped staff nurses, particularly in hospitals in Hawaii, where the need was great.

"She came on board and did what she did best  working with all types of people in a very professional and cheerful manner," said Rose Houston, the founder of HealthStaffers. "And she brought so much experience to her job.

In 2000, Shelton retired, but kept in touch with former colleagues and stayed abreast of advances in her field.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 86 Dick Orkin, an award-winning radio advertising creator for close to a half-century who was perhaps best known for his syndicated Chickenman spoof, which aired on Chicago stations, died on Dec. 24 in California. He was 84. Read more. (Handout)

In 2009, the mother of five became the grandmother of twins, a boy and girl born six weeks early. She paid a visit shortly after they were delivered at Sherman Hospital in Elgin.

"She loved talking with the nurses there and was amazed at how similar the care was to back when she was still working," said her son. "Nothing had really changed."

Advertisement

A son, John Morrison, died in 1975, and a daughter, Kathleen Heath, died in June.

She is survived by another daughter, Tracy Shelton Dedrick, and two other grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Sept. 16, at Granville Avenue United Methodist Church, 1307 W. Granville Ave., Chicago.

Joan Giangrasse Kates is a freelance reporter.
Americans watched anxiously this summer as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un repeatedly threatened to launch a missile attack against the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam  the latest escalation of recent provocations. The proposed attack, and news that U.S. intelligence officials believe North Korea has successfully miniaturized nuclear warheads, are chilling signs that almost no country is out of range of North Korea's dangerous capability.

North Korea may be isolated from most of the world, but unfortunately, it has a few equally dangerous kindred spirits. One reason that North Korea even has a missile program is due to the fact that two years ago, the U.S. released billions of dollars to North Korea's main missile test partner, Iran, with the signing of a misguided nuclear deal. North Korea's missile program and technology are identical to that of Iran, and inaction on one sends a powerful signal to the other that is can act with impunity.

Advertisement

Iran, according to the Congressional Research Service, has provided "significant and meaningful" assistance to North Korea's ballistic missile program. For instance, in May 2017, Iran conducted a failed cruise missile test launch from a Ghadir-class "midget" submarine in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian submarine's design closely mirrored that of North Korea's Yono-class, prompting speculation that the Tehran-Pyongyang military collaboration remains vibrant. The diesel-electric Yono/Ghadir-class submarines are virtually undetectable and were used by North Korea to sink a South Korean ship in 2010.

Most alarming, Iran carried out test-launches of a ballistic missile that has a range just under 2,500 miles in July 2016 and January 2017, thus bringing Europe into Iran's ballistic missile range. Experts believe North Korea sold this particular missile, a variant of the BM-25, to Iran.

Advertisement

U.S. lawmakers wisely seized an opportunity to blunt the complementary ambitions of Iran and North Korea. The bipartisan Korean Interdiction and Modernization of Sanctions Act, which overwhelmingly passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by President Donald Trump on Aug. 2, increased a president's ability to impose sanctions on countries found to have violated U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding North Korea. The legislation also expanded the list of activities that would trigger sanctions against a country partnering with North Korea on possible weapons development.

But more must be done.

The international community must work collaboratively on reining in the Iran-North Korea alliance to ensure that Iran does not follow in Pyongyang's footsteps regarding nuclear weapons capability. To prevent this, the U.S. must disrupt the sea and air procurement networks between North Korea and Iran, which have operated largely free of interference. For example, the U.S. must work closely with China to ensure that cargo flights on the Pyongyang-Tehran route, which stop in Beijing, are not carrying illicit nuclear materials or large sums of cash.

The U.S. must also monitor Iranian efforts to outsource elements of its illicit nuclear program to North Korea. Two key shortcomings of the Iran nuclear deal are that its restrictions only address Iran's domestic nuclear weapons program, and it lacks an enforcement mechanism to prevent the transfer of nuclear material and technologies to Iran from another country. The U.S. should make clear that it regards Iran carrying out extraterritorally nuclear activities forbidden by the Iran nuclear deal as a violation, and will seek activation of the agreement's sanctions "snap-back" mechanism as a result.

Lastly, the Trump administration must address entities assisting North Korea's access to critical parts and technologies from countries like Iran. According to the U.S. Treasury Department, a number of Chinese banks and businesses are reportedly complicit in the DPRK's sanctions-busting and proliferation efforts through engagement with North Korean front companies. Given the interconnected nature of Tehran and Pyongyang's ballistic missile programs, North Korea's proliferation advancements have redounded to Iran's benefit. Applying secondary sanctions against Chinese entities aiding North Korea in this manner would impose a significant cost.

The threat that North Korea poses to the United States has been ignored far too long and at our own peril. The U.S. should remain vigilant as it monitors Iranian and North Korean efforts to share weapons technology, particularly following North Korea's recent missile test. Pyongyang and Tehran remain two pieces of a greater national security puzzle that Americans and their elected policymakers must address.

Mark S. Kirk, the former U.S. senator from Illinois, is a senior adviser at United Against Nuclear Iran.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis, and US Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Paul Selva take their seats for the US-Japan Security Consultative Committee at the State Department on August 17, 2017, in Washington, D.C. (MANDEL NGAN / AFP/Getty Images)

Two of President Donald Trump's highest-ranking Cabinet officials just took a giant step backward from their boss, raising the question of whether Trump's inner circle is seriously considering abandoning him.

In separate, jaw-dropping comments that made news over the weekend, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to distance themselves from the president on his response to the Charlottesville, Va., violence and, perhaps, in general.

Advertisement

In a video that surfaced on Facebook over the weekend of Mattis speaking to troops stationed abroad last week, he urged them to "hold the line" and promised the country would "get the power of inspiration back."

"Our country right now, it's got problems we don't have in the military. ... You just hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it," Mattis said.

Advertisement

"The power of inspiration  we'll get the power of inspiration back," he later said. It's not clear whom Mattis was speaking to, but he traveled to Jordan, Turkey and Ukraine last week and met with troops stationed there.

Mattis never came out and said: "Your commander in chief is fomenting divisions in this country that the military must rise above," but it was as close as this disciplined, apolitical former Marine general was going to get.

By the end of the week  as a devastating hurricane was making landfall in Texas  Trump ordered Mattis to ban transgender recruits from the military. Trump was following up on a promise he made suddenly, without Mattis' awareness, on Twitter in July.

It's not clear Mattis knew his comments were being recorded, apparently by someone in the audience, but it also doesn't look like he intended to keep his distaste for the tenor of respect in the country right now secret. Why else would he say something that could remotely be considered a criticism of the commander in chief anywhere in public?

Tillerson's rebuke of Trump was even more direct. In an interview Sunday with Fox News' Chris Wallace, Tillerson was asked if Trump's "both sides" comment in the wake of racially charged Charlottesville violence speaks for American values.

"The president speaks for himself," Tillerson said flatly.

"Are you separating yourself from the president?" a stunned Wallace followed up.

"I've made my own comment as to our values," Tillerson said. Earlier in the show, he had said: "We express America's values from the State Department  our commitment to freedom, our commitment to equal treatment of people the world over," adding, "And that message has never changed."

Advertisement

This is big news. These aren't GOP members of Congress distancing themselves from a president they've secretly always disliked. These are two of the highest-ranking officials in government  who both agreed to be conduits for Trump's policies and presidency  publicly disagreeing with their boss on whether America is going in the right direction.

They are not the only Trump advisers struggling to stand by him after Charlottesville. Trump's chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, all but told the Financial Times in a recent interview that the president should have handled Charlottesville better:

"This administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities," Cohn said.

After Charlottesville, Cohn was "mortified" at Trump's comments, The Washington Post reported, and it was an open question if he'd stay on.

Now, can you disagree with your boss on some things and still work with him on others? Sure. Mattis, Tillerson and Cohn wouldn't be the first or last presidential advisers in that position.

But it's also rare for so many advisers to speak out so publicly against their boss, and in such stark terms, on matters of such magnitude.

Advertisement

We aren't talking about policy disagreements or personnel food fights. We're talking about whether some of Trump's highest-ranking staff agree with him on the most fundamental questions: What are American values? And does the president represent them?

At least three of Trump's top officials are struggling to answer that. And from there it's an easy question to ask whether they are or have considered ditching this president altogether.

The Washington Post

Amber Phillips is a staff writer for The Fix, a politics blog at The Washington Post.
As the magnitude of damage done by Hurricane Harvey becomes clear, the commentariat class is already weighing in on President Donald Trump's response. And so far, so good.

The Trump White House appears to be doing everything right. The president has been hyper-attentive, and his administration seems to be leading the way. No one, perhaps aside from a few of the president's most obstinate critics, have suggested that Trump is not on top of this. I wonder if that is a product of Trump's instincts, chief of staff Gen. John Kelly's focus and authority, or a combination of the above. Regardless, this disaster is still happening. Recovery hasn't started yet.

Advertisement

Trump is under the microscope of the biased media, and they're eager to pounce on any flaws in his response to Harvey. For now, the most credible critique comes from Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott who said: "I give FEMA a grade of A+, all the way from the president down."

But the question on everyone's mind is how long will the president be able to maintain his poise. Will Trump pull a Trump and spoil the moment? Will he tweet something wildly inappropriate? Will he spit out a jaw-dropping, demoralizing non sequitur insult at exactly the wrong time? Whom will he pick a fight with? Hmmm.

Advertisement

Anyway, I thought this might be a good time to consult my friend and business partner, former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who was one of the heroes in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. In his book "America's Great Storm," Barbour details Mississippi's immediate response to Katrina and the years of recovery that followed.

When I asked him about some of the most important lessons learned, one of Barbour's first thoughts was that "Texas will be recovering from this storm for years to come. The state and local governments have to work together and the governor has to lead. Nobody else can lead." And with respect to the White House's response, he said: "The federal government has to be a good partner to Texas just like they were after Katrina and Sandy. The federal government won't do everything perfectly, but it must be there and for the long haul."

Undoubtedly, there will be Republican hand-wringing about cost and precedent, and Democrats will overreach on spending and micromanagement. While the real recovery will take years, Trump needs to stay engaged and care about some details for months before his chapter in the history of Harvey is written. There will never be enough, and Trump will have to pick winners and losers.

There haven't been any blunders, wild tweets or pointless distractions yet. The Trump administration is off to a good start. But this is just the beginning.

The Washington Post

Ed Rogers is a longtime Republican strategist and chairman of the lobbying and communications firm BGR Group.

Related articles:

The yearslong recovery from Hurricane Harvey

Advertisement

Trump wants to militarize the police, at exactly the wrong moment

Can Trump be impeached for pardoning Arpaio?

Why so many people still support Donald Trump
While Gov. Scott Walker's administration finalizes a $3 billion incentive package to lure Foxconn to southeast Wisconsin, Illinois lawmakers can tout a tax credit they hope will lure other businesses here. Better late than never? Let's hope.

Gov. Bruce Rauner is expected to sign legislation soon that overhauls the state's Economic Development for a Growing Economy tax credit, otherwise known as EDGE. The changes are designed to coax companies to move to Illinois, help existing firms expand and make the program more transparent after years of questionable giveaways.

Advertisement

Better hurry with that signature, Gov. Rauner. By the time we're done typing this editorial, another business might announce plans to open in an adjacent state. See Sunday's editorial on Indiana's latest score, Chicago Ridge-based HMD Trucking, which is building a new facility in Gary: chicagotribune.com/indiana

Created in 1999, the EDGE tax credit was a modest tool to attract companies to Illinois and reward those that expanded here. But the program became a go-to handout from elected officials desperate to retain jobs in a state with a growing reputation for dysfunction and anti-employer tax policies.

Advertisement

A 2015 Tribune investigation into 783 EDGE agreements found that two-thirds of companies receiving the tax incentive did not live up to the job retention or creation numbers they promised. Seventy-nine EDGE participants reported eliminating 23,369 jobs while receiving tax breaks from the state to grow them, the Tribune found.

That's absurd.

We're not fans of corporate handouts, particularly the previous EDGE program that increasingly operated with little accountability. As Illinois' economy worsened during the recession that began in 2007 and lasted through June 2010, companies approached the state with demands and the state often got on its knees to beg.

Lawmakers and the governor's office under Pat Quinn awarded lucrative tax breaks to firms that later moved or laid off workers. Motorola Mobility in Chicago laid off 500 workers. Kraft Foods in Northfield laid off 700 workers. Mitsubishi in Normal closed, eliminating 1,000 jobs.

All of them were participants in EDGE.

Fast-forward to 2017, and the business climate in Illinois is arguably worse: Years of Democrat-written unbalanced budgets, an unpaid bill backlog of more than $14 billion and an income tax increase approved this summer without offsetting reforms the business community sought. Taxpayers get the same Illinois government and policies at a new, much higher price.

Unfunded pension obligations and other taxpayer debts continue to climb. Would you want to move a business here and volunteer for still more tax increases to buy Illinois out of hock?

So as we said, we've got this one thing: The new EDGE tax credits would encourage companies to locate or expand in underserved areas of the state. Companies also would have to repay the state if they fail to meet the terms of their agreements. And those agreements would be open and transparent to the public. All good changes.

Advertisement

Our point isn't that Illinois should hand out tax credits willy-nilly. It's that the state's economic development team should have this arrow in its quiver. Would just the right EDGE credit have made Illinois more attractive to Foxconn? We'll never know. As we've said before, the shame isn't that Illinois lost out to Wisconsin, it's that Illinois wasn't prepared to compete for Foxconn.

"We all acknowledge that the current system is really lousy," said state Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside, who sponsored the bill in the House. "We give tax credits out, and there was no way of knowing what the company did with the credit. The reporting and transparency metrics were lousy. That's much better in this version. Companies have to commit that they're going to stay here."

A revamped EDGE tax credit will help Illinois. Rauner already clamped down on some of the giveaways and put recent tax credit agreements online.

But companies still want fairer workers' compensation costs, more flexibility with organized labor, fewer regulations and a cohesive, predictable, stable state government.

If only Rauner could fix all of that with the stroke of an ink pen.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.

Advertisement

Become a subscriber today to support editorial writing like this. Start getting full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks.
The scale of flooding in the Houston area as a result of Hurricane Harvey is hard to imagine, and the images of suffering are horrifying to behold. In central and south Texas, an area the size of Michigan is now a storm-tossed lake. What Brad Kieserman, vice president of Red Cross, described as "the most catastrophic event" he has ever seen has killed several people, displaced tens of thousands and wrecked untold numbers of homes, commercial and industrial buildings, highways, bridges and harbors.

It has also created human misery on a vast scale. Thirty Texas counties, which together have nearly 7 million residents, already have been declared disaster areas. Nearly half a million people may ultimately need disaster assistance. The physical and emotional wounds inflicted on victims won't heal overnight.

Advertisement

One heartening aspect of the catastrophe is the heroic effort of so many locals who've used every means they had to rescue those stranded and in danger. Another was the response of other cities in the region. "We will do whatever it takes," promised San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who expects a large influx of evacuees from Houston, 200 miles to the east. "No one will be turned away."

No doubt Americans will respond quickly and generously to the catastrophe, sending contributions to groups that minister to those in need  from well-known organizations like the Salvation Army and the Red Cross to local food pantries, diaper banks and shelters. Numerous big corporations have made large pledges, including $1 million apiece from Walmart, Pepsico and Amazon. Volunteers are arriving by the hour to do what they can.

Advertisement

The federal and state governments have a big role to play. On top of the search and rescue efforts undertaken and coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Congress may have to come up with additional funds to assist in overcoming this gargantuan disaster.

Americans who want to help shouldn't limit their focus to the Houston area. Much of the Texas Gulf Coast was devastated, and much of southern Louisiana, too, is at high risk of flooding.

But it's also important to remember Houston and neighboring areas once the sun is shining. Recovering from a natural disaster on this immense scale takes a long time. If someone asks how long New Orleans needed to recover from Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, the best answer would be: We're still waiting to find out. "We are going to be dealing with this all the way through Christmas," predicted Kieserman in an interview with NPR. Repairing and rebuilding will take not months, but years.

So will bringing back the people forced to leave. The New Orleans area lost some 380,000 residents after Katrina, and 10 years later, its population was still well below its previous level. Baton Rouge, which absorbed a lot of those who left New Orleans, has grown. Tens of thousands of former New Orleans residents settled in Houston, which in 2005 used the Astrodome to provide shelter to 25,000 people

Many of the unfortunate souls now displaced from Houston are expected to seek refuge in San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth, as well as smaller cities that the storm spared. Dallas is housing evacuees in a convention center, and high schools and middle schools in Austin are being used as emergency shelters. Anyone looking for worthy causes should look not just at the place hit by the storm but the places that will be coping with the influx of evacuees for quite a while.

Americans are a generous people, quick to respond to devastating emergencies by opening their checkbooks and rolling up their sleeves. For all of us, FEMA Administrator Brock Long had some sound advice: "Donate your money. Figure out how you can get involved as we help Texas find a new normal." We would add: And keep doing that long after the floodwaters recede.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.

Become a subscriber today to support editorial writing like this. Start getting full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson field questions after welcoming this years eighth class of CPD recruits Tuesday Aug. 15, 2017, at the Chicago Police Training Division on the city's West Side. (Phil Velasquez / Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel is brimming with unearned confidence in the nascent turnaround of the Chicago Police Department.

The city's lawyers have asked a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking court oversight of the troubled department. A consent decree isn't necessary, they say, because the policies and practices alleged by a coalition of civil rights groups "are no longer in place in light of CPD's extensive, ongoing reform efforts."

Advertisement

It's the same argument Emanuel has used to defend the secret no-oversight agreement he's trying to negotiate with the U.S. Department of Justice, which lost interest in curbing abuse by police officers when Jeff Sessions took over as attorney general.

Outside of City Hall, though, there's little faith that police reforms will take hold in Chicago without a federal judge to enforce them. This seems like a good time to remind the mayor what others have said about his attempted end-run around his promised consent decree:

Advertisement

"It's past time we give our police officers what they need to succeed. A consent decree with an independent federal monitor is the only way that will happen."

 Former U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon, in a farewell letter to Chicago

"I always believed that the police could shoot black and brown people with impunity. And I'm president of the county, and I believe that. So, what do people on the street believe? Probably the same as me, the same thing as I do.  I don't have any confidence that it can be done without outside oversight. I believe we need court supervision."

 Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle

"The idea that we can negotiate our way through this with the Trump Department of Justice on the other side of the table is delusional. The Emanuel administration must submit to federal judicial oversight, as it already committed to doing."

 Ald. Susan Sadlowski-Garza, 10th

"People should have concern about an agreement that really doesn't advance reform, that really doesn't address systemic problems within the Police Department, and they should have concerns about a process that keeps relevant stakeholders on the outside looking in."

 Chicago Police Board President Lori Lightfoot, who served as co-chair of the mayor's Police Accountability Task Force

Advertisement

"We need a consent decree, and we need some judicial power to make sure that it happens. There is skepticism for good reason. This has gone on for too long."

 County Commissioner Jesus "Chuy" Garcia, who lost to Emanuel in the 2015 runoff election for mayor.

"This will be an expensive process over the long haul. And a court order that requires us to do it changes things. It's no longer a political decision, a balancing act between this policy priority and another policy priority. It's, 'We've got to follow a court order. That's that.' "

 Inspector General Joseph Ferguson, to Chicago aldermen preparing to vote to give him another four-year-term

"For more than 50 years, the city has failed repeatedly to address police misconduct, with grave consequences, in particular, for communities of color. There has never been systemic and comprehensive police reform in Chicago because there has never been an enforceable court order requiring it."

 Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, in a Tribune op-ed

Advertisement

"Mayor Rahm Emanuel would be nuts not to let a federal judge have oversight over the Chicago Police Department because there is no win for him if he doesn't. The reason is simple: lack of trust."

 Chicago Sun-Times columnist Mary Mitchell

"The city is proposing to sign a set of promises with a DOJ that is hostile to real police reform. ... This proposal is a nonstarter for anyone committed to real reform of Chicago's broken system of policing."

 Karen Sheley, director of the ACLU of Illinois Police Practices Project

"I've never seen a department that screams out for a consent decree more than Chicago."

 Christy Lopez, a former Justice Department lawyer who helped lead the yearlong investigation in Chicago

Advertisement

Emanuel desperately wants Chicagoans  and that federal judge  to believe he has this under control.

For assurance, he offers that a proposed agreement he won't share with the public will be enforced by a Department of Justice that has shrugged off the need for those reforms.

Is anybody buying it?

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.

Become a subscriber today to support editorial writing like this. Start getting full access to our signature journalism for just 99 cents for the first four weeks.
Your fine editorial "What's so great about the Hoosier state? It's not Illinois." on the flight of businesses from Illinois to Indiana is spot on. You wrote that "employers don't want to pay for someone else's dysfunction. They want to grow in a healthy, stable environment." That's so true, but sadly that's nothing new; it's been that way for decades.

To be sure, HMD Trucking, Alliance Steel, Hoist Liftruck and T&B Tube all have recently decided to relocate to Indiana. But, they are just the most recent companies deciding that the business climate in Indiana is more welcoming than that in fiscally troubled Illinois.

Advertisement

Honda's 2006 decision to locate its then-new $550 million assembly plant in Indiana was a crushing disappointment to Illinois economic development officials. Honda officials diplomatically claimed that the choice of Indiana was based on location, something Illinois could do nothing about. They let Illinois down easily by saying that proximity of parts suppliers and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, where Honda race cars have enjoyed great success, were the motivation for locating the new plant in the Hoosier state.

But, the reality was so much different. One could easily conclude that, if Illinois were vastly superior to Indiana in its welcoming attitude toward business, location alone would not have decided the issue in Indiana's favor, and Illinois would have been a stronger contender or even cinched a deal to site the plant in Fithian, Ill., which Honda had under consideration.

Advertisement

Honda's decision 11 years ago should have been a loud wake-up call for Illinois politicians, but sadly it wasn't. Economic development in Illinois continues to languish at an important crossroad. Regrettably, the damage done by anti-business legislation can be long-term and often is irrevocable. Business planning cycles extend years into the future, and uncertainty about the direction a state's lawmakers might take in such areas as corporate taxation, workplace regulation, and onerous environmental restrictions can and have prompted business leaders to look elsewhere to make their capital investments.

This all needs to change if, as your editorial rightly points out, we want to "dig" ourselves out of this mess.

 Gerald D. Skoning, Chicago
Adam Frisch keeps calm waiting for all ballots to be counted in CD-3
By Gidon Gautel and Zoey Zhang

Editors Note: This article was first published on August 28, 2017, and was last updated on February 1, 2021.

Social insurance exemption for foreigners can be a valuable asset for employers and foreign employees to save on unnecessary costs. However, many companies hiring eligible employees are not aware of the benefits available to them, while those who do are often unsure as to how to go about applying.

Chinas social security system consists of five different types of insurance, plus one mandatory housing fund. The five insurances are pension, medical, unemployment, work-related injury, and maternity insurances.

The premiums for pension, medical, unemployment insurance, and mandatory housing found are jointly contributed to by the employer and employee, while the premiums for work-related injury and maternity insurance are solely contributed to by the employer.

While regional authorities manage the social insurance system  not all regional governments have enacted the implementation rules for Chinas international social security agreements.

China has signed social security agreements with 12 countries, but only 11 such agreements have been implemented. Currently, expatriates from Germany, South Korea, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Japan, and Serbia are eligible for social security exemptions across China.

In this article, we look at who is eligible for exemption and how to apply.

Social insurance in China

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security requires foreign employees working in China to participate in its social insurance scheme as detailed in the Interim Measures for the Participation in Social Insurance of Foreigners Employed in China, 2011.

According to Chinese labor law, any foreigner employed by a legally registered entity in China or any foreigner dispatched to a registered branch or representative office of a foreign company  must participate in basic pension insurance for employees, basic medical insurance for employees, work injury insurance, unemployment insurance, and maternity insurance.

However, since social insurance is managed at a regional level, a range of inconsistencies exist among cities. As a result, most major cities have implemented their respective requirements for foreign employees.

For example, in cities such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Nanjing, among many others, social insurance payments are compulsory for foreign employees  who are treated in the same way as domestic workers. On the other hand, Shanghai does not currently require foreign employees to contribute towards social insurance.

Since all regional authorities have not implemented rules in accordance with international social security agreements  which increases the difficulty in obtaining exemptions  employees from countries that have agreements with China are eligible for social insurance exemptions.

To date, 11 such agreements have been implemented between China, and the following countries: Germany, Korea, Denmark, Canada, Finland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain, Luxembourg, Japan, and Serbia.

China has also signed agreements with France and Serbia; these agreements are not yet in effect.

Applicable countries

All existing agreements define the groups of employees eligible for exemption and lay out the categories of social insurance for which employees are exempt from paying.

In turn, Chinese employees sent to the participating country will also be exempt from making the relevant social insurance contributions there.

Social insurance exemptions are only available to a defined group of labor categories, and not to all foreign employees.

The 11 bilateral agreements with China for social insurance payment exemptions that have been implemented are shown in the table below.

For example, the China-Japan social insurance agreement, which took effect September 1, 2019, will exempt Japanese nationals from Chinas basic pension contribution as well as exempt Chinese nationals from Japans National Pension and Employees Pension Insurance.

It will apply to dispatched personnel, employees on board ships and aircraft, civil servants, and diplomatic and consular personnel of each side.

As to the agreement with France, which is not yet effective, details including the implementation date and range of exemptions will be announced  once each country completes their respective domestic legal procedures.

Basic process for applying for premium exemptions

Exemption does not apply automatically, and companies with foreign employees are required to apply to related bureaus for exemption.

Though the process of applying for insurance premium exemptions varies across regions, and according to the specific agreement under which it is performed, it follows a standard formula.

The entity that employs the foreign employee in China must submit original certification of insurance issued by a relevant entity in the country of origin to the local Chinese social insurance bureau.

This will then be verified, and a copy will be held on record. Following verification of this documentation, and possible further verification and certification, the employee in question will be exempt from the relevant social insurance payments.

The time limit of the exemption period may vary.

For employees from the Netherlands, for example, the maximum length of the exemption period is five years. If the dispatch period is more than five years, the time limit for exemption will not be extended for more than one year.

Difficulties of implementation

While social insurance exemption agreements offer cost benefits to enterprises based in China, businesses should act in caution regarding how they go about availing them.

Although bilateral agreements for exemption are made at a national level, regional governments must implement the system locally.

This invariably results in inconsistencies and varying levels of implementation at a local level, complicating the process for companies and foreign employees.

David Niu, Senior Manager of Human Resources Administration and Payroll Services at Dezan Shira & Associates, explains: Officers in social insurance bureaus are often unsure about how to implement foreign employee social insurance exemptions. Many cities have no local regulations relating to this topic, especially in second and third-tier cities.

He elaborates: Cases exist where city-level regulation for insurance exemption is not at hand from the local bureau. In such cases, if a business makes the decision not to make social insurance payments for their foreign staff, they may be challenged by the bureau for non-compliance during a later insurance inspection.

David also highlights a key grievance that emerges in this area in the case of Shanghai.

By local rule, female foreign employees are not required to contribute to maternity insurance in Shanghai, which can cause some disagreement between the employer and the employee. In case the foreign female staff needs to take maternity leave, the local social insurance bureau will not cover the payroll and relevant costs for the staff during the leave.

However, from the employers perspective, they seem to have no legal obligation to compensate the cost themselves either. Thus, the employer should reach an agreement prior to employing the staff to define the future obligations and responsibilities to avoid labor disputes on this issue.

Finally, companies should note that failure to pay social insurance premiums when not in receipt of explicit consent from the local social insurance bureau bears an inherent risk.

Therefore, it is essential to consult both the local social insurance bureau, as well as relevant staff at the local labor bureau before taking any unilateral measures.

Additionally, seeking the help of an advisor is highly recommended. If appropriate precautions are taken, these agreements can be beneficial tools for enterprises employing foreign staff in China.
Beijing's food safety watchdog has begun a two-week sanitation inspection of the city's restaurants, following news reports that two Beijing branches of a popular hotpot chain were unhygienic.

The Beijing Food and Drug Administration announced the inspection over the weekend, saying its main targets will be restaurant chains, canteen suppliers and establishments with previous food safety problems.

"Business licenses, dishwashers, sanitation equipment and pest and disease control are the focus of the inspection," said Duan Zhiyong, director of the administration's supervision department.

Legal Evening News, a Beijing newspaper, reported on Friday that the operations of two Beijing branches of Haidilao, a popular hotpot chain with restaurants in about 60 Chinese cities, were unsanitary.

Videos taken by hidden cameras showed rat-infested kitchens, a dishwasher caked with oily food residue and a worker trying to fix a sewage blockage with a soup ladle.

The hotpot chain, which originated in Jianyang, Sichuan province, admitted its management faults and apologized in a public statement issued on Friday afternoon.

The administration has launched a safety check on all branches of the hotpot chain in the city and talked to representatives of the company on Saturday.

"We've also ordered Haidilao to open its kitchens to the public in a month and report its overhaul measures," the statement said, adding that the chain's sanitation rating will be downgraded.

Fan Jing, a Beijing native and a hotpot fan, applauded the inspection, "because food safety must take priority in a restaurant's operation". But she said the inspection should be extended to small canteens in the city.

"Food safety checks in supermarkets or big restaurants are common, but grocery stores with some safety risks in communities are rarely inspected," she said.

Li Xiaoou, another Beijing native, said the administration should disclose the inspection results in a timely manner online, to help residents know about problems and which restaurants are unhygienic.

"After all, we cannot check whether a restaurant's kitchen is clean or not when we eat there. What we rely on is the authorities' increasing supervision, and self-inspections by the restaurants," he said.
In an attempt to defend Hong Kong's judiciary from vicious, unjust attacks, particularly from the biased Western media, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, reemphasized the vibrancy of the SAR's judicial independence on Saturday.

Without any basis or evidence, some Western media outlets and politicians, including a couple of US Congress members, joined a chorus last week to accuse Beijing of meddling in a Hong Kong court case, in which three young activists were imprisoned.

There is nothing new or unusual about such accusations, as some Western media outlets and politicians are known to harbor hostility toward China. And they hardly let slip an opportunity to soil Beijing's reputation.

But they were barking up the wrong tree when they attacked Hong Kong's judiciary and questioned its independence after the city's Court of Appeals sentenced Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang to imprisonment of between six and eight months for offenses related to unlawful assembly.

The imprisonment of the three reflects "the voice of Beijing, not of justice", The Guardian said in an editorial. Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, in a letter to Financial Times, said the three activists' imprisonment is "a further example of Beijing tightening its grip on Hong Kong's aspiration to remain a free society". And a Financial Times' commentator claimed Beijing is "clearly retreating from the commitments ... to guarantee free speech, press and assembly" for Hong Kong residents.

But the accusatory voices were silenced by the swift response from the SAR's judiciary, the Bar Association and Law Society of Hong Kong, which issued a rare joint statement condemning the "unfounded criticism" by "some local and international media". The two legal professional bodies, which together represent all the city's lawyers and have fought for judicial independence, said the judges handled the case strictly based on established legal principles and procedures, and all the defendants were given proper legal representation.

Indeed, the slanderers are guilty of pretending to be unaware of the independence and quality of Hong Kong's judiciary. The city's judicial independence is ranked eighth globally by the World Economic Forum, well ahead of the United States (29th). And the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, which measures people's experience and perception about the rule of law across the world, placed Hong Kong at 16th among 113 jurisdictions on its 2016 list  ahead of "big democracies" such as the US (18), France (21) and Italy (35).

Of course, facts will eventually scotch the lies. But that does not spare us the obligation to set the record straight.
 Flash

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that the United States will continue to seek a peaceful solution to the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue despite the recent missile launching by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

"The firing of any ballistic missile is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and we do view it as a provocative act, a provocative act against the United States and our allies," said Tillerson on Fox News.

"We are going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign as I have described that working with allies, working with China as well, to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table," Tillerson added.

The U.S. Pacific Command confirmed on Friday that the DPRK launched three missiles on Saturday morning local time, but none of them had posed a threat.

The latest missile launch came as the United States and South Korea were conducting their joint annual drills, which Pyongyang deemed as a provocation.

The missile launch also came days after Tillerson said that he was pleased with the DPRK's restraint in recent weeks.

On Sunday, Tillerson said he didn't think he was wrong about his remarks.

"I don't know that we're wrong," said Tillerson. "I think it's going to take some time to tell. This type of launch again, it is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. So, it is -- clearly, they are still messaging us as well, that they are not prepared to completely back away from their position."
 Flash

Wei Qiujie [File Photo]

A body believed to be that of a missing Chinese teacher, Wei Qiujie, has been found in Hokkaido in Japan, according to local TV reports.

Local fishermen say they found the body of a young woman by the sea. She was wearing white clothes and had long hair, and bore a similarity to the missing Chinese teacher, said Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting.

Further investigations are underway by the Japanese police.

27-year-old Wei Qiujie, who worked at an elementary school in Fujian Province, had been traveling alone in Japan. She went missing from a Sapporo hotel on July 23. A hunt for the teacher has been underway ever since.

Her family feared that she had been kidnapped and was being held hostage.

A handwritten letter had been found in her hotel room addressed to her parents saying goodbye and telling them that she wanted to start a new life. However her friends had reportedly said that she had shown no signs of wanting to do such a thing.

There have been a number of recent cases where Chinese women have been targeted abroad. In early July, two Chinese sisters were found dead in a forest in Kanagawa, southwest Japan, after being reported missing.

The sisters also came from Fujian Province. In that case, the local police have arrested a Japanese man in his thirties on suspicion of killing the two women.
In an apparent bid to quell Western concerns over a series of accidents involving US naval vessels, General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, the US Pacific Air Forces commander, insisted the US "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea have not suffered a setback and the US military will continue them to combat China's territorial claims.

These remarks expose the US' hegemonic mentality: Never admit you have done something wrong, put the blame on others.

The USS John S. McCain was the latest US vessel to collide  with a tanker off Singapore on Aug 21  in what was the fourth accident involving a US naval warship in the Pacific this year. Media reports said the 10 missing sailors were confirmed dead after their bodies were found on Monday. Together with the collision of the USS Fitzgerald in mid-June, which left seven US sailors dead, the US Navy has lost 17 personnel, compared with the 11 US soldiers killed in Afghanistan so far this year.

Judging by these figures alone, what the US claims to be "freedom of navigation" operations for peaceful purposes have become far more dangerous for the US military than fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The US should rethink its "freedom of navigation" policy for the safety of its military personnel, if not for anything else.

Yet O'Shaughnessy's remarks show the United States prefers to stick to its hegemonic mentality.

The Barack Obama administration ordered several "freedom of navigation" operations in the South China Sea, using the maritime disputes involving China and some Southeast Asian countries as an excuse to interfere in regional affairs. The Donald Trump administration is continuing that practice, perhaps because it perceives the so-called freedom of navigation operations as a major US strategy to check China's influence in the region. But the reckless behavior of US naval vessel commanders have helped people to see through the US' dangerous strategic games.

Instead of defending the so-called freedom of navigation, US naval vessels sailing in the South China Sea have become moving threats to other ships. And their frequent and unannounced presence in the waters should make the international community realize it is the US Navy that is militarizing the waters.

But instead of urging the US to rethink its strategy, some Western journalists have hinted that cyberattacks, orchestrated by China, could have led to the accidents involving the US warships. Are these journalists trying to prevent the US Navy from thoroughly investigating the accidents because they fear that it would reveal the dirty truths?

And if the US believes in such preposterous ideas, its naval vessels will continue to pose a threat to not only other ships but also its own military personnel.
People run on treadmills to exercise during a work out session. [Photo/VCG]

Eastern China's port city Xiamen, the country's largest exporter of fitness equipment, witnessed surge in trade to Russia in the first seven months.

Data from Xiamen Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau showed the city exported $5.35 million worth of fitness equipment to Russia in the first seven months of the year, up 45.7 percent year-on-year.

The city's fitness equipment exports to Brazil rose 32.1 percent year-on-year. Exports to South Africa increased 4.6 percent while exports to India picked up 3.4 percent.

In total, Xiamen's fitness equipment exports to these countries reached $17.5 million, up 15.9 percent from the same period last year.

The trade and economic relations among the BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - are getting increasingly closer as the leaders are expected to meet in Xiamen on Sept 3-5 for the group's 9th summit.

Xiamen is the country's largest fitness equipment and message apparatus producer and exporter. Globally it accounts for 60 percent of the treadmill output. Its exports of message devices represent more than 70 percent of the country's total.

There are more than 90 enterprises engaged in fitness equipment and related industries, with more than 10,000 employees.

Of these companies, 60 are exporting companies and 10 boast output value of more than 100 million yuan ($15.07 million).
Qoros' executives and a representative of the automaker's partner, China Mobile IoT Co, at the launch ceremony of their cooperation agreement to develop smart connectivity in cars. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chinese automaker Qoros has unveiled a new product series called Model Young as part of its drive to offer new premium mobility to China's growing mature customers.

The first model, the Model Young SUV, is wowing fans with its simple but appealing design and outstanding quality at the ongoing Chengdu Motor Show.

"The products in this series are more dynamic and fashionable," said Qoros CEO Leon Liu.

The Model Young series are built on the T1X platform that Qoros developed with its parent company Chery Auto and British premium carmaker Jaguar Land Rover.

Featuring industry-leading technology, the platform extends to products with different powertrains, including naturally aspirated engines, turbocharged units, as well as plug-in hybrids.

Liu said the new platform was a good complement to Qoros' current two state-of-the-art platforms: the CF1X, on which the Qoros 3 and Qoros 5 models are based, and the new energy vehicle GEV platform for its Model K-EV series.

The Qoros 3 compact car was the first China-built model to receive a five-star rating under new European car safety standards, which has earned Qoros the reputation as being a leading new premium car brand in China.

Since its establishment in 2007, Qoros has been dedicated to first-class quality, distinctive and elegant design and innovative user experience.

Qoros Chairman Chen Anning said: "Customers are getting more mature in China. They are not necessarily interested in traditional premium brands, but are more inclined to choose ones that have design, quality and technology all in one."

As Qoros enters a new stage of development, Liu has charted out a dual strategy featuring both gasoline-powered cars and new energy vehicles.

He said Qoros is speeding up its efforts in the research and development of its QamFree engines with European racecar maker FreeValve, the sister company of Koenigsegg.

The revolutionary engine can greatly enhance a car's performance while cutting fuel consumption by as much as 15 percent.

Liu said the automaker was actively pushing forward its new energy vehicle strategy as well as smart mobility, adding that its autonomous mule car is conducting situation tests.

Qoros is also making strides in other aspects. It has joined hands with China Mobile's internet of things subsidiary, to offer faster and more reliable 5G-based smart connectivity system on its models.

A wholly owned unit of China Mobile, the company is a major provider of IoT-based chips, modules and applications.

"We are pleased to join hands with the China Mobile IoT Company to promote the development of smart connectivity in cars," Liu said.

"Qoros is a leader in onboard smart connectivity. Our QorosQloud system has many fans and we are to install its 3.0 version in our 2018 cars."

QorosQloud 1.0 was developed in 2011, when it was the most advanced of its kind. Its latest version, compatible with different platforms, will focus on smart mobility but feature other business functions.

"We offer good and right products, and while we strengthen cooperation with our dealers, we will explore others ways to boost our sales, including exports and e-commerce," Liu added.

"Our goal is to make Qoros a mainstream brand by 2020."

As part of its new marketing efforts, Qoros introduced Crazy Qoros, an online sales brand marketing campaign, in late July, which Liu said has attracted more than 200 million views so far and thus greatly enhanced market awareness of Qooros.

It has received an order of 30,000 cars from Chinese conglomerate JHZX Group and the cars will be delivered in two years, according to Qoros.
BEIJING - The Chinese government has stepped up a crackdown on state-owned enterprises (SOE) debt to prevent systemic financial risks infecting the broader economy.

A recent State Council meeting agreed the work would be a priority in the ongoing campaign to bring down debt levels of SOEs administered by the central government, amid improving corporate performance.

Central SOEs have made headway in cutting outdated capacity, reining in debt risks and improving competitiveness. Given the favorable conditions, more effort is needed to cut the debt level of SOEs and a guideline will be formulated, according to the meeting.

China's non-financial SOEs have a high rate of leverage. Data from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences showed that the leverage ratios of financial institutions and non-financial institutions were 21 percent and 156 percent respectively at the end of 2015. The Economic Information Daily reported earlier that SOEs were responsible for about 60 percent of China's corporate debt.

At the recent National Financial Work Conference, the central government said deleveraging at SOEs was of the utmost importance and required that SOEs give priority to deleveraging and speed up the phasing out of debt-laden "zombie enterprises."

To reduce the leverage ratio, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) has encouraged enterprises to optimize capital structure via public offerings on the stock market, and supported efforts in asset securitization, said Shen Ying, SASAC chief accountant.

As an important means to reduce SOE leverage, debt-to-equity swaps have been accelerated, allowing companies with long-term potential to exchange their debt for stocks. By the end of June, 12 central SOEs had signed debt-to-equity swaps agreements, she added.

Dong Ximiao, a senior researcher with the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies of Renmin University of China, said that currently debt-to-equity swaps had mainly been introduced in sectors such as coal, iron and steel manufacturing.

They should expand to more heavily-indebted industries and real economy sectors with competitive product and good market prospects, he said.

According to the State Council meeting, debt-to-equity swaps will be pushed forward, with state investment funds encouraged to participate in the process. Central SOEs should speed up the pace of mergers and acquisitions.

Dong Ximiao said mergers and acquisitions were important ways to rein in SOE debt, and should go hand in hand with efforts in cutting outdated capacity.

Wu Qi, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said a breakthrough should be made in sectors with overcapacity, and that technological innovation should play a role in deleveraging as it helped improve corporate strength.

Combined profits of central SOEs rallied 16.4 percent year on year in the first seven months, in contrast with a 3.7 percent drop in the same period of 2016.

The debt-to-asset ratio edged down 0.2 percentage points from the beginning of the year. China's GDP expanded by 6.9 percent in the second quarter, flat from the first quarter but beating market expectations.
Adnan Hafeez's family and friends expected him to be a doctor when he chose to study in China in 2005. However, when he graduated with a master's in medicine (orthopedic surgery) from Dalian Medical University nine years later, he decided to set up Felpa International Trading Co Ltd, a business engaged in trade between China and Pakistan.

"There're so many opportunities between the two countries, especially those stimulated by China's Belt and Road Initiative. I'm trying to be a bridge," the 30-year-old Pakistani said in fluent Mandarin at his office in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province. Currently, he owns two businesses, the other being Linden Business Consultant Co Ltd, a firm focused on intermediary services between the two countries.

In January 2017, Hafeez took three Chinese companies to Pakistan and won a bid for a municipal project in Karachi.

"The modes of thinking as a doctor and businessman are different, let alone setting up a company in a foreign country," he said.

From his side, he displayed passion, trustworthiness and fluent Mandarin skills. The local government offered supporting policies, which helped Hafeez overcome capital shortage eight months after the company registration.

He started a pro bono office at the Shengheshu University Graduates Entrepreneurial Park in Zhongshan District of Dalian's central business district, where annual office rent works out to about 100,000 yuan ($14,960).

"Young entrepreneurs can communicate with each other and get some guidance here, and thus grow fast in the infant stage," said Hafeez.

When his company became stable, he cooperated with the park and local government institutions to help foreign students in China to set up their companies in Dalian.

They built the International Entrepreneurs Corridor, modeled on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative. Currently, there are three firms established by students from other countries such as France and Canada.

"There're so many opportunities in China. More and more foreign students are choosing to stay in China to work and start their own business after graduation," said Hafeez.
Hiring tends to be time-consuming, more so for Wang Lin, 30, the head of overseas business with Walltrek, a relatively new Chinese online recruitment startup that was incubated in Beijing in 2016 and has since expanded overseas rapidly.

Wang was tasked to hire at least five foreign employees for call centers abroad. Luckily, she found a "shortcut".

Walltrek's multinational team of hiring professionals offers help "at a much lower cost than the market average", Wang said. The startup developed a system that links employers and matching candidates among the jobseekers.

Stefan Djokovic, a Serbian, founder and CEO of Walltrek, calls the service the "Uber of Human Resources" - the matching system helps reduce the time and cost of both jobseekers and employers.

"Employers can use filters to search the database based on candidates' candid information and video resumes," said Djokovic. Unlike popular online job websites and hiring agencies that focus on Fortune 500 labels and big corporates, Walltrek serves small and medium-sized businesses by offering a global talent pool.

"Established headhunters favor the Fortune 500 companies as customers as the latter are often in need of mid-level managers. Walltrek offers tailor-made services to small businesses," he said.

Walltrek has 20 clients across industries like education, healthcare, and trade and has already helped several employers find exactly the kind of candidates they were looking for.

Having gained some recognition in the marketplace, Djokovic is keen to upgrade Walltrek's system next month, and open two new offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou by next summer. He is seeking strategic investors as well.

Djokovic said huge opportunities arising from the Belt and Road Initiative will boost communication and innovation between China and Serbia.

Asked about the biggest challenge facing entrepreneurs like him in China, Djokovic said registration formalities tend to be strenuous. "I wish foreign-funded startups could enjoy similar one-stop service as Chinese companies."
South African entrepreneur Grant Horsfield always believes, and manages to prove, being "naked" can be pretty and profitable.

And today, the 40-year-old co-founder of Naked Group, a big label in the resort business in East China, is betting big on the future of co-working spaces in China, and Asia as well, aspiring to get global corporate icons out of "their ugly offices" and into his much cooler and lively spaces branded as Naked Hub.

Late in July, Naked Hub, a subsidiary business of the Shanghai-based group, announced its merger with Singapore co-working space brand JustCo.

Together, they are going to form Asia's largest hot-desking office network, covering nine cities in six countries with a total space of 140,000 square meters at 41 locations.

Talking about his recently developed business interest in co-working spaces, Horsfield noted that resorts, as well-designed and popular as they are, could accommodate guests once or twice every year during their vacation. On the other hand, offices are the places that people spend the most time at outside home every day, and most of them are "cubicles" or "gray boxes" that the nature-loving entrepreneur disdains.

It was also his dire desire to go back to nature that inspired him to start his hospitality brand, or more precisely a retreat of his own from the hustle and bustle of Shanghai where he used to work as a consultant, back in 2007.

Together with his girlfriend then and wife now, Hong Kong-born architect Delphine Yip, they renovated a farmhouse in the bamboo forest at Moganshan, Zhejiang province, for their own and friends' holiday at first.

But it gradually became a hot spot for both vacation-minded expats in East China and young Chinese.

Today, Naked enjoys wide popularity like well-established international brands such as Banyan Tree. It is now partnering with real estate developers for expansion.

For co-working spaces, Horsfield expects the merger with JustCo to boost the total revenue past $100 million by the end of this year.

Real estate consultancy Colliers International estimated that by 2030, up to 30 percent of the working spaces globally will be transformed into shared or co-working offices. In Shanghai, the figure today is less than five percent.
One may have a thousand reasons to love the ocean, but for Stephane Gonnetand, 39, a French entrepreneur in Dalian, the love for the ocean comes from the joy of sailing in his yacht during the tides.

When he moved to Dalian in 2004, his ambition was triggered as he witnessed the development of China. The then 26-year-old engineer made up his mind to start his own yacht-building business in the northeastern port city of China.

"Dalian attracts me with various livable conditions: comfortable climate, friendly locals, beautiful ocean," Gonnetand said. "But what made me choose this city to start my business is that it is the best place to fulfill my entrepreneurial dream."

In 2006, when Gonnetand was 28, he opened his startup ODC Marine with compatriot Gildas Olivier, who was then 26. "ODC" sounds like "Odyssey", indicating their resolve to achieve success without fearing any challenge they may face in the long course of development.

Indeed, it took them some time to win the trust from the supplier, and more to gain the market share as most customers considered them too young to handle their business. But fortunately, good opportunities came their way, giving them many advantages.

"Dalian is a city whose shipbuilding history dates back to more than 100 years ago," said Gonnetand. "The technicians and workers here are very professional and skilled, which was a significant factor that bolstered us to start our business."

Xavier de Montgros joined their business in 2009. From a small office with only four working staff in 2006, to the sole dealer of Beneteau in Northeast China in 2010, Gonnetand has conquered many challenges during the period to shore up the company's position in the market.

"We have been welcomed and well treated since we started our business," Gonnetand said. "China is becoming more and more friendly to foreigners setting up startups in the country. Besides, Le Havre and Dalian are sister cities. The bond between the two cities is a strong backing for French entrepreneurs like me."

In 2009, ODC Marine succeeded in wheeling out the first 100 percent lithium-powered passenger boat. In the same year, the company offered a clean-up boat to the local government to improve the environment of the harbor.

So far, the company has delivered 45 aluminum-alloy vessels to customers abroad and 14 Beneteau leisure yachts to Chinese customers, among which the biggest deal was worth more than 8 million yuan ($1.2 million). The boats are enjoying good reputation in its major market Europe.

With the business growing, the company is planning to expand the shipyard to boost its production capacity.

On future prospects, Beneteau's official dealer for Northeast China considers yachts a developing but promising market in China.

"Yacht sailing is a very popular sport in our country (France)," Gonnetand said. "It stresses the coordination of the team and strengthens our bodies. It is a hot sport among French youth and I hope it will gain popularity among Chinese youth too."
Patting gently the foundation, drawing carefully the eye-liner and rouging cautiously the lips, Wai Wai Oo, 23, founder of a campus-based one-stop makeup platform, applies cosmetics to a group of actors at a graduation ceremony.

Seeing them perform on the stage with glimmering makeup, Wai said she treasures this kind of moments.

Wai Wai Oo, a student from Myanmar, established China's first campus-based e-commerce platform Qing Chun Hui, to provide university students with a one-stop makeup-related services, including at-home (or at-dormitory/at-hostel room) makeup, costume-renting and makeup training.

The startup is based in Tsinghua University. It has now provided services to over 10,000 university students in Beijing in the past two years with sales revenue reaching 3 million yuan ($450,000) in the last 10 months.

"I've never imagined that I could start a business in China. The platform is now developing beyond my expectation," Wai said.

For Wai, the business idea popped up in her mind after a bad experience.

She once agreed to compere an important event, and was required to dress up and appear with professional makeup and hairdo.

Not finding a makeup room in the university, she had to spend nearly 500 yuan, or one-fourth of her monthly living expenses, to invite someone outside of the campus to her dormitory to apply makeup.

"This awful experience inspired me. I thought, 'Why not establishing a door-to-door makeup platform on the campus?'"

After in-depth research and preparation, she started her business in 2015.

"Actually, things are not easy, especially for me as a foreigner," she said. "Lack of money and experience are two main challenges."

She was "lucky" to have received support from Chuang Plus, an incubator of Tsinghua University to encourage students to start their own businesses.

Chuang Plus has incubated over 380 startups with a total seed money of several billion dollars. Over 40 business proposals received investments from angels.

The platform helped Wai to accumulate experience and obtain investments.

Official data showed there were over 440,000 foreign students in China in 2016. China has a series of policies to encourage such students to start businesses.

"China's stable business environment and policies are a big help," Wai said.

Her firm's services now cover 18 top universities in Beijing. "In the future, I'll continue my business in China and hope to cover all Chinese universities."
As a foreign national now living in China, I've a potential business idea that I think would benefit China. I've even shortlisted potential investors. What do I need to do next?

If you have graduated from a Chinese university, you can apply for an entrepreneur visa with letters of support for your application (in the prescribed certificate format) from your financiers, university, startup incubator or the industrial park you are based in, along with a copy of your viable business plan.

The university concerned also provides detailed information on the local laws and regulations. You can consult your university career office for more specific guidance.

What are the key government policies in China that benefit enterprising expatriates with entrepreneurial ambitions?

The new policy announced this year grants a two- to five-year visa for fresh Chinese university graduates from other countries with viable business plans or demonstrable entrepreneurial potential.

Startup owners in certain zones such as Zhongguancun in Beijing, and free trade zones or FTZs in Guangdong and Shanghai can also benefit from favorable green card policy.

For example, those with startups in such areas can apply for a permanent resident card after achieving 70 points in China's point-based visa system. More information on the system can be found at http://www.safea.gov.cn.

Are the local/provincial government policy and central government policy to encourage foreigners to set up startups in China much different?

Foreign students in China usually need two years of work experience before they can work in China. But in cities like Shanghai, you can apply for entrepreneur visa if you have graduated from a Chinese university, produce a financial guarantee and demonstrate a viable business plan.

When your application is approved, an S2 visa valid for up to six months will be issued. If you have an entrepreneur certificate from a municipal industry park or a recognized startup incubator, you can apply to extend your stay by up to two years. That time will be counted as equivalent to two years of work experience.

There is not much difference in government policy in terms of sectors or industries, but you will be more likely to receive an entrepreneur visa if your business plan or startup is related to your academic background.

Typically, how long does it take for me to set up a startup in China and begin operations?

It usually requires one to three working days to register a new company with the Administration of Industry of Commerce. This can also be done online as well. More information is available at http://www.saic.gov.cn. Application submission is followed up by a five- to 15-day verification process. Then, one to two days are needed to obtain the official company stamp and the certificate of registration.

However, before a startup can launch its operations, you will need to set up a bank account in the company's name, register the firm with the local tax bureau and open your social welfare account. You will need to bring your company stamp, certificate and personal identification document for tax registration. It can be obtained within a day, but can vary according to the tax bureau. All in all, A-Z will likely take 20-25 working days, which is considered much quicker than the current situation in many other countries.

Where can I find more detailed information on how an expatriate could set up a startup in China, and on financial and other incentives, regulatory framework, relevant laws, and taxes?

Please visit China Consular Affairs' website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at www.visaforchina.org. There are many useful online resources that offer comprehensive information. We recommend these: http://www.visaforchina.com; http://www.pathtochina.com. As for offline resources, you may want to visit your university, the industrial park or startup incubators for a range of information.
XIAMEN - As the 2017 BRICS summit draws close, young people from Russia, Brazil, India and South Africa who study or work here are expecting the summit to promote enhanced cooperation in finance, trade, education, and beyond between BRICS countries.

The 9th annual summit of the bloc, scheduled for Sept 3-5 in Xiamen city of East China's Fujian province, is expected to provide more opportunities for emerging economies and injecting impetus into economic globalization.

Anait Agadzhanian from Russia, who majors in finance, will graduate from Xiamen University this year. She plans to find a job in China because she thinks she has more opportunities here.

Agadzhanian said she believes the long-time good relationship between China and Russia will reach a new level within the BRICS framework, in areas such as financial cooperation.

The two countries have done some work on the integration of banks within the BRICS framework and help to raise funds for developing countries, she noted, adding that a lot more need to be done.

"That will present lots of opportunities for me particularly," she said, noting that she hopes to facilitate cooperation between Chinese and Russian banks and governmental organizations with her bilingual skills.

Agadzhanian, who has been living in Xiamen for more than two years, said she was surprised at how friendly and welcome people are here, and would like to tell people about a different and diverse China.

Brazilian businessman Marcos Caldeira came to coastal city Xiamen four years ago to learn Mandarin. He soon started his own business for exporting Chinese stone products to South America.

"I hope the BRICS summit will further promote trade between Brazil and China and reach more reciprocal deals," he said, seeing it as a great opportunity to expand his business.

Caldeira, who imports processed marble products from Xiamen and sells them to Brazil and other markets, has seen rapid growth of his business in the past two years, with its export value exceeding $10 million in 2016.

The Brazilian businessman fell in love with Xiamen at the first sight. "The first impression is like 'WOW'! It's a very nice city, very developed, very clean... the weather was amazing...," Caldeira recalled.

Apart from achieving success in his business, Caldeira also found his love here and held his wedding recently. "I am very thankful for Xiamen," he said.

Kanika Rupani from India said she thinks relations between India and China will improve with the BRICS summit. "I think business people will get more chances. We are hoping that business will get better and better between India and China," she said.

Rupani came to China three years ago for her children's studies. Her husband has been in China for 20 years.

"One time my daughter got the first rank in Mandarin in her school, it's like a very touching moment for me," Rupani said, noting that she was curious about how she learns Chinese with other foreign students.

Rupani, who has become a volunteer in the city's Guanren Community, said she would like to learn more Chinese and communicate with local people, "to share our culture, to share our tradition, for a better relationship between India and China."

South African Wilma Hugo, 27, is studying Chinese in Xiamen. His plan after graduation is to go back to South Africa and become a Chinese language teacher.

"I'm really hoping this meeting can lead to some outcomes", Hugo said, noting that his focus of the summit is on education. Hugo said he hopes the relationship between China and other BRICS countries can be strengthened in the educational field.

Hugo, a fan of Chinese characters and ancient Chinese series, said he is fortunate to have benefited from an agreement between China and South Africa, in which China trains South African teachers for free.

He hopes to help his people understand China a little bit more, as they are sometimes confused about the faraway Oriental country. "If I can help them understand Chinese culture, history and geography, that would be good," he said.
China National Nuclear Corp, one of the country's largest nuclear companies, signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia last week to further explore and assess uranium and thorium resources in the country.

The two countries also vowed to further continuously cooperate on nuclear energy projects following discussions between the two sides to support Saudi Arabia's nuclear energy program.

Saudi Arabia has been trying to diversify its energy mix for years as oil resources are needed to generate revenue through exports.

China and Saudi Arabia in 2012 signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on the civilian use of nuclear energy.

CNNC said it's one step closer to exporting its high-temperature gas cooled reactor projects to countries that include Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Its HTGR fuel assembly line entered mass production last month at China North Nuclear Fuel, which is headquartered in Baotou in northern China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

CNNC President Wang Shoujun said CNNC has already signed memorandums of understanding with Saudi Arabia and the UAE in HTGR project cooperation, signaling that decades of research on the reactor have paid off.
The BRICS Summit will be an important way for developing countries to explore a cooperative approach to sustainable growth and prosperity, leading Chinese experts said on Monday, dismissing concerns that the growth deceleration among the bloc's members would undermine the group's viability.

Zhang Yansheng, chief economist at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said China is willing to expand the BRICS "circle of friends" and welcome other developing countries to the bloc so that countries can jointly address challenges that include rising protectionism and anti-globalization trends.

Leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are scheduled to meet from Sept 3 to 5 in Xiamen, a resort city in Fujian province.

That growth deceleration, especially in Russia, Brazil and South Africa, which are heavily reliant on natural resources, has raised questions about how member states can transcend domestic problems and focus on further boosting their market potential through multilateral cooperation.

The bloc's share of global GDP has risen from 12 percent to 23 percent in the past 10 years, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Outbound investment by BRICS members and foreign direct investment in these countries accounted respectively for 12 percent and 16 percent of global investment in 2016. But two-way investment among them only accounted for 6 percent.

Zhang Jianping, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce, said the vast potential of trade and investment among the members will help boost the bloc's role in the global economy.

"China has the advantage in infrastructure and industrial capability and is willing to work with other BRICS countries to build a global supply chain that will create more growth opportunities for developing nations," Zhang said.

BRICS commerce ministers reached agreements at a meeting in Shanghai this month to boost trade, investment, e-commerce and cooperation in intellectual property rights.

Wei Jianguo, vice-president of China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said the summit in Xiamen will herald the start of the bloc's "second golden decade" representing the interest of developing nations and emerging economies.

"In addition to trade and investment, the member states should explore new areas such as the financial, cultural and education sectors to boost cooperation," Wei said.
LONDON - Ford's Dagenham diesel engine plant is a marvel of mechanization - a steel and chrome hangar full of LED lighting, robots and computer-controlled machine tools.

The US carmaker has invested $2.5 billion in the plant, where 3,150 people churn out an engine every 30 seconds. And they've been here a long time: Edsel Ford, son of founder Henry Ford, personally cut the sod to start construction of the company's UK manufacturing headquarters in 1929.

It's hard to imagine Ford would walk away from all that if Britain fails to negotiate a favorable trade deal when it leaves the European Union.

But don't bet on it. With auto parts passing through as many as 15 countries before a car is completed, a Brexit agreement that results in new tariffs that increase the cost of Ford vehicles for consumers is no small problem.

"It will force us to consider what the longer-term options are for the investments that we make, because let me be clear: We have to transact business in an environment where we can be competitive, and it's that competitive base that we're interested in making sure is protected," said Steven Armstrong, CEO of Ford in Europe.

Britain's car industry, which employs 814,000 people, illustrates the struggle the country faces as it prepares to exit the EU.

Cars are assembled, not forged in a single place. Modern manufacturing techniques result in automakers having plants in several locations, often in different countries, that specialize in producing pieces of the finished vehicle. For instance, the plant in Dagenham, in East London, makes nothing but diesel engines and parts.

Tariffs, which are non-existent for goods that move from one EU nation to another, are an oversized threat to British carmakers because they could be applied each time those components cross and re-cross international borders on their way to the new car showroom.

"The country has high-tech assembly, a good supply chain, links to Formula One teams that add to innovation - it does have a lot to recommend it," said David Elmes, an expert on global energy and corporate change at the Warwick Business School. "But access to the European market is a concern."

Those concerns can be seen by following the movements of one component throughout the manufacturing process.

The unit is accompanied by a "birth history," a passport of sorts, that chronicles where and when every component was installed. The summary alone is 56 pages long. This passport traces the block's world travels from its "birth" as a cylinder block in Cologne, Germany, through Belgium and Holland and finally on to Dagenham.

It will get a new "stamp" when the block is shipped back over the English Channel and across Europe to Turkey, where it will become part of a rear-wheel drive vehicle. Some of those vans then cross back across the UK border for a third time for sale - and theoretically each time it crosses, it could be taxed after Brexit.

British carmakers, and many other industries, want the government to negotiate an agreement that preserves free trade with the EU's single market after Brexit.

Failure to do so could mean that tariffs and quotas are applied according to World Trade Organization rules, which would make each vehicle more expensive.

WTO rules could raise the cost of finished vehicles by 10 percent, said Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

"That could potentially fl ow through to about 1,500 pounds ($1,920) on the price of any vehicle, any imported vehicle from Europe sold in the UK. So that would be a difficult and substantial cost to mitigate and clearly it would be to a large extent passed on to the consumer."

The industry relies on Europe as both a market and a supplier, with the EU accounting for 56 percent of UK car exports and 69 percent of imports in 2016, according to the SMMT. Besides that, Europe supplies the majority of components within UK-built vehicles.

Ford wants to know how the government plans to address this issue - and how soon.

"We want access to the single market, we want a frictionless ability to move goods from the UK to Europe and back again, and we need some clarity on how that's going to be delivered from the government," Armstrong said. "That's what we really want."

Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said that remaining in the single market is not an option, but the government this month outlined its hopes for an agreement that would permit the "freest and most frictionless possible trade" with EU member states. This could include a temporary customs union with the bloc for up to three years after Britain leaves in 2019, to give businesses time to adjust to the new rules.

AP
In the first seven months of this year, Mercedes-Benz offered to its customers leading-in-segment more than 354,000 units of cars. The top management ascribes it to great products, improved services and dealers' collaboration. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The management at German premium automaker Mercedes-Benz have put the probability of winning their premium segment crown in China for the year 2017 down to not only having a mighty product portfolio, but also improved customer services and support from dealers, indicating a posture of being proactive rather than complacency.

"That's a consequence of not only great cars, but what we've been doing in terms of customer experience and the value of the brand that was presented to the customers as they expect from Mercedes-Benz services," said Nicholas Speeks, president& CEO, Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co (BMBS).

"And also, with the very strong support and loyalty we've been able to enjoy with our dealer partners," he told China Daily during the Chengdu Motor Show on Friday.

In the first seven months this year, the premium car title winner delivered to customers in China more than 354,000 cars, an impressive increase of 34 percent year-on-year, which almost matches their sales in 2015.

Ranking or volumes is usually a result of different influences, but the what the company cares more about is the process of ensuring that they do the right things and continue to do so.

In other words, the guarantee of customer value always comes ahead of numbers or growing speed that can never be simply a target they are in pursuit of.

Nicholas Speeks, president & CEO, Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales Service Co. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"We know well that it is not possible to maintain high growth rate that we have right now in the future, nor is it necessary. We hope to conclude this year with double digit growth, and continue our solid development in 2018," Speeks said.

"We are very conscious that we cannot rest on our laurels, nor do we intend to," he added.

Mercedes-Benz has gone through a period of hard time in China years ago, until the transition in the last five years brought them to where they are now, and that's been helped by a number of factors.

One of the factors attributes to its great products brought to China in the past years, especially with more and more features tailored to the local market.

This year, they plan to continue to land 15 new and facelifted models to their biggest market worldwide.

"We have had the GLA facelift which was very successful, we have the S-Class coming up, and we have the new AMG range," Speeks said.

"And we now refresh the car with a facelift, with some modifications to the engine technology, with the look and feel of the car, in order to bring it a little bit up to date."

For instance, the new flagship S-Class he mentioned revamps a classic favorite released in 2013, which will hit the market in September.

Furthermore, concerted efforts have been made by the Stuttgart-based company and its sub-brands to propagate and enhance customer engagement and satisfaction.

"Customers are our treasure and we need to let them feel it and we must value our customers with the experience they deserve," he said.

"If we don't, then that's a very short term behavior and it will be very damaging to us in the long-term." In meeting customers' increasing needs for online purchasing, they launched their own E-Commerce platform in December. It is now offering 19 models in 91 variants, covering 276 dealers across the country.

Besides the online upgrading, they have brought an even better experience offline as well, according to Speeks.

Taking of digital showrooms, the company will introduce more than 200 dealership equipped with the digital means of presenting vehicles be the end of this year and all dealerships will be kitted out with that by the third quarter of next year.

"We will then be able to show consistently, throughout the network, the cars on a digital platform," he said.

Furthermore, they initiated the ground-breaking joint AMG/Maybach center last year in Hangzhou, to great customer feedback, and two more stand-alone AMG centers in Beijing and Shanghai are set to be launched soon.

"Once you have reached a certain level, what's next? And the challenge is identifying where we still need to do things," Speeks said, adding there are challenges that they need to address and they are addressing. They formed 5 percent of their working force into an agile with the social changes and customer demands to tailor new experiences for customers.

Not only did Mercedes-Benz offer new products, upgrade services, they also maintained a win-win relationship with dealer partners in previous years as well.

Since 2016, they have remained No 1 in dealer satisfaction in the premium segment for two consecutive years. Currently, they have more than 500 dealer outlets in China. "These dealers represent to a very large extent Mercedes-Benz very well," Speeks said.

"We are constantly working with them to improve the quality of the service and the experience our customers have in those dealerships in training, in personnel qualifications and in the way we organize ourselves and direct our people in the dealerships, so that the customer experience is the best we can make it."

When being approached by another particular challengeNEV, Speeks said: "We are also working there to bring electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids with sufficient range to the Chinese market."

In meeting the commitment of introducing 10 NEVs globally by 2022, the Daimler group has been already working together with BAIC to jointly invest total 5 billion yuan in battery assembly and preparing for NEVs production.

"We don't know quite yet when exactly and how it will all work, but we are equipping ourselves," Speeks said.

"China provides us with a hopeful field, not only by virtue of what we are able to achieve today, but what it promises. Not only in terms of market potential, but also in people potential for the company in the future."
The Range Rover Velar will hit the market on Sept 2 in Beijing. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Jaguar Land Rover is continuing to accelerate into the fast line in China with its long-standing Customer First strategy, which the British premium carmaker believes is pivotal to its successful and sustainable development there.

Frank Wittemann, president of Jaguar Land Rover Integrated Marketing Sales and Service. [Photo provided to China Daily]

From January to July, Jaguar Land Rover delivered 78,739 cars in the Chinese mainland, its largest single market, achieving 27 percent year-on-year growth, much faster than the industry average.

July also marked another achievement: the 19th month of year-on-year growth in a row.

"Our consecutive growth over the last 19 months demonstrates how successful our efforts have been to deepen our roots in China," said Frank Wittemann, president of Jaguar Land Rover Integrated Marketing Sales and Service in China.

"We are driving forward in a good way, and we want to continue this growth in a healthy and sustainable fashion."

One of Jaguar Land Rover's efforts is to enrich its portfolio to meet the growing and diverse demands of its Chinese customers.

The Range Rover Velar, which will hit the market in early September in Beijing, is one example. Filling in the gap between Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport, the brand new model is appealing to many people at the Chengdu Motor Show, with its beautiful design and outstanding performance.

"Interest in the Velar is high around the world, so our concern is to get enough production capacity in order to satisfy our customers in China," Wittemann added. Wittemann said the automaker is localizing its compact Jaguar E-PACE SUV in China in 2018 and another model put into local production is to follow soon for people with different needs. Besides its enriched lineup of models, Jaguar Land Rover has built a new engine plant in China, which the automaker believes will enable it to better respond to local market demands.

Hu Jun, deputy president of Jaguar Land Rover Integrated Marketing Sales and Service. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The state-of-the-art facility, Jaguar Land Rover's first overseas engine plant, has both machining and assembly halls to manufacture the new Ingenium engine, the most advanced one the automaker has ever produced.

The engine will be placed in all future Chery Jaguar Land Rover products, placing them at the forefront of the automaker's future development.

"We believe the primary goal of our localization is to give faster responses to market, and we are confident in our new engine, which will prove to be the engine of Jaguar Land Rover's development," said Hu Jun, deputy president of Jaguar Land Rover Integrated Marketing Sales and Service in China.

The automaker is optimizing its sales network based on its successful Customer First philosophy. "For us, the extension of our dealership network over the next years is focused on customer convenience," Wittemann said.

"We now cover most major cities, so we are now setting up more dealerships in smaller regions, like tier-3, 4 and 5 cities, where we are not present, but mainly because of customer convenience."

Hu said Jaguar Land Rover will ensure the Customer First philosophy sits at the very core of its business.

"We will continue to do everything in our power to innovate and deliver outstanding products and services that meet our consumers' unique needs and requirements."
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.

License for publishing multimedia online 0108263



Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
Authorities should encourage parents to send children who have broken the law to reform schools to stamp out criminal behavior at an early age, according to prosecutors and child protection experts.

Public security departments once had the authority to order children under 16 who commit minor crimes to attend reform school without consent from their parents.

But the law was revised in 1999. Currently, the young offender, the parents and the child's school must first agree to the move. The change has led to decline in the number of students at reform schools, experts said at a forum in Shanghai on Saturday.

The reform schools, which are included in China's nine-year compulsory education system, benefit parents and help juveniles understand "that they must respect the law and be responsible for their actions", said Gao Weijian, a law professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing.

Reviving reform schools was part of a wider strategy proposed at the forum to prevent minor juvenile misdeeds from developing into serious criminal behavior. More than 150 prosecutors and experts in the law and child protection attended the one-day forum.

Under current law, the vast majority of offenders under age 16 who commit minor crimes receive little or no punishment, yet the chances of reoffending are high, official data suggest.

Over the past five years, more than 90 percent of adults convicted in Shanghai's Xuhui district had committed offenses as a juvenile, according to the local prosecuting authority. In Nanjing's Xuanwu district, the proportion was 80 percent.

"The actual situation is that young offenders are heading for punishment as soon as they become old enough, if their misbehavior is not effectively stopped," said Yao Jianlong, a law professor at Shanghai University of Political Science and Law.

Experts urged law enforcement departments and policymakers to look at early intervention measures, such as community service, requiring offenders to apologize to their victims and compensate them, one-on-one education and outreach programs.

"The system we put forward can ... deal with these juveniles to ensure that the law and society are tolerant toward them without overlooking their mistakes," Yao said.

Gao added that parents must also take responsibility for their children, as they can often be blamed for failing to monitor and supervise their children adequately.

In Xuhui district, parents of young lawbreakers are required to post a bond of between 1,000 and 10,000 yuan ($150-$1,500), which they will forfeit if their child offends again before turning 16.

The measure was introduced six months ago as part of a pilot program that also includes "paying regular visits to juveniles and their families to check on their studies and life", said Ji Dongmei, the district's director of juvenile prosecutions.

"We also try to look for schools and job opportunities for them if they have difficulty, so as to avoid repeated mistakes because of social prejudice," she said.

The program is expected to be rolled out across Shanghai at the beginning of next year, Ji said.
An inspector from the Beijing Food and Drug Administration checks the condition of a Haidilao restaurant's kitchen in Beijing on Friday, soon after a report that it was unhygienic.Cao Boyuan / For China Daily

Beijing's food safety watchdog has begun a two-week sanitation inspection of the city's restaurants, following news reports that two Beijing branches of a popular hotpot chain were unhygienic.

The Beijing Food and Drug Administration announced the inspection over the weekend, saying its main targets will be restaurant chains, canteen suppliers and establishments with previous food safety problems.

"Business licenses, dishwashers, sanitation equipment and pest and disease control are the focus of the inspection," said Duan Zhiyong, director of the administration's supervision department.

Legal Evening News, a Beijing newspaper, reported on Friday that the operations of two Beijing branches of Haidilao, a popular hotpot chain with restaurants in about 60 Chinese cities, were unsanitary.

Videos taken by hidden cameras showed rat-infested kitchens, a dishwasher caked with oily food residue and a worker trying to fix a sewage blockage with a soup ladle.

The hotpot chain, which originated in Jianyang, Sichuan province, admitted its management faults and apologized in a public statement issued on Friday afternoon.

The administration has launched a safety check on all branches of the hotpot chain in the city and talked to representatives of the company on Saturday.

"We've also ordered Haidilao to open its kitchens to the public in a month and report its overhaul measures," the statement said, adding that the chain's sanitation rating will be downgraded.

Fan Jing, a Beijing native and a hotpot fan, applauded the inspection, "because food safety must take priority in a restaurant's operation". But she said the inspection should be extended to small canteens in the city.

"Food safety checks in supermarkets or big restaurants are common, but grocery stores with some safety risks in communities are rarely inspected," she said.

Li Xiaoou, another Beijing native, said the administration should disclose the inspection results in a timely manner online, to help residents know about problems and which restaurants are unhygienic.

"After all, we cannot check whether a restaurant's kitchen is clean or not when we eat there. What we rely on is the authorities' increasing supervision, and self-inspections by the restaurants," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.
Nearly 400 government officials have been punished for embezzlement or misuse of poverty alleviation funds, the top anti-graft watchdog said on Sunday.

The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection said 388 people in 20 provinces and regions, including Beijing and Shanxi and Fujian provinces had received administrative or criminal penalties.

All were officials with poverty alleviation authorities at the provincial, city or county level, and half were department directors, the CCDI said.

Of the 115 cases investigated, 68 involved abuses power, neglect of duty or embezzlement, which have "affected the progress and effectiveness of tackling poverty and seriously eroded the political foundation of the ruling of the Party", the agency said.

"Loopholes in the supervision mechanism, and the high number of anti-poverty projects and the huge funds involved have all contributed to the high incidences of such cases."

In recent years, a large amount of poverty relief funds have been embezzled or misused, seriously harming the public's vital interests and legitimate rights. This has also led to a series of petition cases, affecting social harmony and stability.

"We will make every effort to punish those who use their jobs to embezzle, hold back, falsely claim or squander the poverty alleviation funds," the CCDI said.

According to the anti-graft watchdog, as more funds were invested in poverty relief, some economic organizations took chances to pretend to be the poverty relief enterprises to embezzle those funds.

Additionally, some counties and villages set up poverty relief mutual aid cooperatives and through loopholes in the supervision, the funds were easily embezzled or misappropriated.

Even worse, some local officers have made random decisions to arrange projects or uses for poverty relief funds that are out of line with the practical situation at the grassroots, the CCDI said.

In a separate development, Mo Jiancheng, leader of the CCDI's inspection team stationed in the Ministry of Finance and a former Party member at the ministry, was placed under investigation for "serious violation of Party discipline", the CCDI said on Sunday.
Last year, a little-known "cliff village" in Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture of Southwest China's Sichuan province grabbed national attention. Photos of children climbing a rattan ladder on an 800-meter cliff to reach their school left the country in shock. After the village hit the headlines, the rattan ladder was replaced with a steel ladder with handrails November costing one million yuan ($148,000). The person who should be credited for making the life of children easier is Chen Jie, a photographer of Being News. On June 16, Chen came back to the village to interview the villagers. That was his sixth trip to the village and 16th time climbing the ladder to cliff. [Photo/VCG]
A couple kisses in a kissing contest in Wuhan, Hubei province on Aug 2, 2015. [Photo/VCG]

No one it seems like missing out on any festivals or special days. Chinese Valentine's Day, or Qixi, on Aug 28 is destined to raise a wave of excitement across the country.

Sogou, China's second-biggest search engine, has released a study based on big data revealing interesting facts about this romantic day.

The group aged 24 to 30 shows the most interest in the festival as this segment conducted 37 percent of all online searches related to the event.

Surprisingly, the generation born in 2000s is more excited than those born in 1980s who are usually regarded as the main force of the trend.

Speaking of Zoadic signs, Virgos and Scorpions are paying more attention to the festival than others, against the common perception that these two signs are indifferent and not good with people.

To people who want to take the opportunity of this festival to look for love encounters, they might want to stay in cosmopolitan cities. The data shows people in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangdong care for the Valentine's Day the most, followed by Hubei and Fujian.

Immersed in this sweet ambience, what key words people put into their search engine are not so sweet.

Except "love confession", the No 1 key word, and "having babies" at No 5 in the search engine, "breaking up", "emotional recovery" and "cheating" are the other popular key words on the top. It seems people who are single may not be the only group who will feel a bit sad and left out. So will some couples.

But are those lucky couples enjoying the festive atmosphere? According to the data, people are racking their brains to please their better half. They search for the date, the present, the custom, the quotes about Qixi, and look for plans online to express their love.

All fancy ideas and intense love will finally come down to the earth-- the location.

The hotels, restaurants and amusement parks are still favored by couples as the most popular sites for a date. But when some get creative, they try out new experience like going to a concert, taking a challenge to escape a room based on clues or snack crawl in some street.

As for the people who are single, they are definitely feeling left out. Majority of single males, 53 percent, and 37 percent of single females interviewed for the research said they didn't care whether the dinner is special or delicious as long as it doesn't leave them hungry.

What's more, one third of single people hate the idea of watching shows anywhere with couples.

Speak no more.

It is not a special day for every one.
Students at a job fair in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, on March 11. [Photo/VCG]

A series of incentives, ranging from easier residency permits to lower housing prices, has been rolled out in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province, to encourage college graduates to stay in the city.

Wuhan aims to attract one million graduates during the next five years to work in the city after graduation.

To support this, Wuhan is one of a few cities in China which offers graduates Hukou, or residency permits, without any limits. Graduates can also get local Hukou by submitting their graduate certificates.

Graduates, who have launched start-ups in Wuhan or worked in the city for at least three years, as well as those who have no houses registered in their names, can apply for a low-cost apartment.

Initially, the city offered 3,605 apartments for use, and those who qualify can apply for residence for a period of up to three years at most.

Chen Yixin, deputy Party chief of Hubei and Party chief of Wuhan, said when enterprises look at the investment environment of a city, human resources would be on top of the factors, according to Wuhan-based Chutian Metropolis Daily.

Chen said the city would also take measures to raise the minimum salary of university graduates.

So far, there are more than one million students from across the country studying at universities and colleagues in Wuhan.

Statistics show more than 80,000 colleague graduates chose to settle down in the city in the first half of the year, which has been an increase of 28,000 people compared to last year.

This year also had a record of 7.5 million students graduate from China's universities and colleges.

However, China's first-tier cities, mainly Beijing and Shanghai, have tightened control on residency permit policies, fearing an excessive influx of students from other areas would put pressure on local resources.
BEIJING - China issued a grade-IV emergency response on Monday following a landslide in the city of Bijie, southwest China's Guizhou province.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs have sent officials to the area to assist disaster relief work.

The landslide occurred at about 10:40 a.m. in Zhangjiawan township, affecting 34 households. Two people have died and a further 25 are missing.

Local civil affairs authorities sent tents, quilts and camp beds to the site after the disaster.

A grade-IV response, the lowest in China's emergency response system, means a 24-hour alert, daily damage reports, and the allocation of money and relief materials within 48 hours.
Dovecote, a house designed by the School of Architecture at Southeast University in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu province, won the top prize in the International Student Construction Competition, which ended in Deyang, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on Aug 27, 2017. Twenty-two Chinese and foreign universities took part in the competition. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

While rural dwellings are becoming more and more like their urban counterparts, students from 22 Chinese and foreign universities, such as Tsinghua and Politecnico Di Milano in Italy, recently finished designing 22 houses in Longdong village in Deyang, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

With simple materials such as wood, bricks and steel, the houses they designed are in harmony with the hilly village's natural environment.

On Sunday morning, a ceremony was held in Deyang to honor these prize-winning designs.
As China is preparing for the BRICS Summit in Xiamen next week, analysts said the past few years marked China's transition from a player in global affairs to a leader of the global agenda.

A six-episode political documentary, Major Country Diplomacy With Chinese Characteristics, started on Monday on China Central Television, with one episode a day showcasing the progress that the nation, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with President Xi Jinping as the core, has made in diplomacy in the past five years.

It focuses on the new diplomatic concepts, thoughts and strategies put forward by Xi, highlighting the process of China's emergence at the center of global stage and China's role as a contributor to global peace, development and order, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Just as Xi put it in his New Year's speech for 2016: "The world is so large, with so many problems. The international community expects to hear China's voice and see China's solution. China should not be absent."

Since he was elected as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in November 2012, Xi has played a proactive role in international affairs and improving global governance. He has visited over 50 countries and met with hundreds of foreign heads of states and governments visiting China since then.

Xi presided over the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Beijing meeting in 2014, the G20 Hangzhou Summit last year, and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in May, charting the course for global growth and navigating world economic recovery.

"All countries should jointly push the establishment of a new type of international relations with win-win cooperation as its core," Xi said in a speech in March 2013 at a university in Moscow, which was featured in Monday's episode.

The past five years have witnessed China's increasing contributions to world development, especially through the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the BRICS-led New Development Bank.

By linking countries and regions that account for about 60 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global GDP, the Belt and Road Initiative is a perfect example of China sharing its wisdom and solutions for global growth and governance.

"China's solution is to build a community of a shared future for mankind, and to achieve mutual benefit and mutual sharing," Xi said in a speech delivered at the UN Geneva headquarters in January, also featured in Monday's episode.

At least 68 countries and international organizations have signed agreements with China on Belt and Road cooperation. The trade volume between China and countries along the Belt and Road routes exceeded $3 trillion between 2014 and 2016, and Chinese investment in these countries surpassed $50 billion.

Through hosting international events such as the G20 Summit last year and the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Beijing has translated the "China solution" into "international practice", said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies.

"The 'Major Country Diplomacy With Chinese Characteristics' originates from China's strong confidence in its development path," he said.

China has become much more confident on the global stage, said Wang Jiugao, a professor at Peking University's School of Marxism.

"President Xi's words on various occasions show to the world that China is open and responsible, willing to work with the world both as a participant and a leader," Wang said.

Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China, said the initiative fits well with Xi's vision of a community of a shared future for mankind. "Xi has shown he has what it takes to lead, not just in China but also on the global stage, through the initiative," he said.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Xi said that China has made huge contributions to global trade, and its economic development has created immense opportunities for the world.

China's economy expanded by 6.9 percent in the first half of 2017, with consumption and services, together with new innovation-driven economic sectors, taking up larger roles. In light of the strong data and expectations of continued fiscal support, the IMF in July revised China's growth forecast upward to 6.7 percent for 2017 and 6.4 percent for 2018.

Robert Kuhn, a China expert from the United States, said that the Chinese president is proposing a grand vision of global governance  stressing the strength of stability and the goal of mutual prosperity  with China playing a dramatic new role in seeking global win-win cooperation.
Rescue workers continued to search for survivors as possible signs of life were detected on Monday evening after a landslide hit a neighborhood in Bijie, a city in Guizhou province, in the morning.

The landslide at 10:40 am in Zhangjiawan, a township in Nayong county, affected 34 households and had killed at least three people by 8 pm on Monday night. Seven who were rescued were hospitalized, and 32 people were missing, according to the city government.

Xiao Tiaowei, a senior Guizhou fire brigade officer who participated in the rescue, told China Central Television that rocks had been rolling down the mountain, making the rescue work more difficult.

Heavy rainfall was expected in Nayong from Monday evening to Tuesday morning, possibly causing more problems for disaster relief.

The China National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the Ministry of Civil Affairs initiated a grade-IV emergency response after the landslide and sent officials to the area to assist disaster relief work. Local civil affairs authorities also sent tents, quilts and camp beds to the site.

A grade-IV response, the lowest in China's emergency response system, means a 24-hour alert, daily damage reports and the allocation of money and relief materials within 48 hours.

Resident Li Yan told China Youth Daily she heard a loud tumbling noise. When the dust settled, she saw the mountain was much lower. The cause of the landslide remained unclear.
Event showcases countries' regional economies, promotes mutual understanding, Han Junhong reports.

The 11th China-Northeast Asia Expo, a cross-border platform for business cooperation among Northeast Asian countries, will significantly increase the interconnectivity of the countries.

That's according to a leading official from China's top economic planner, who added that it will further contribute to the integration of Northeast China with the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Zhou Jianping, director of the National Development and Reform Commission's department for the revitalization of the northeast region, was talking ahead of this year's event at a recent news conference in Beijing.

The expo will be held from Sept 1 to 5 in Changchun, capital of Jilin province.

"The expo showcases China's neighborhood diplomacy, featuring mutual understanding, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, and promotes the win-win cooperation between China and countries in the region," Zhou said.

Underscoring the expo's importance were the other attendees to the news conference.

These included Wu Zhengping, head of the Ministry of Commerce's department of Asian affairs; Yin Zonghua, vice-chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade; and Li Jinxiu, vice-governor of Jilin province.

The expo, which was established under the aegis of the Chinese government in 2005, has catered to the demands of regional economic development and strengthened the personnel exchanges between the countries, Wu said.

In 2016, the trade volumes between China and the five countries in Northeast Asia - Russia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - totaled $605.9 billion, accounting for 16.4 percent of China's foreign trade, Wu said, citing ministry statistics.

Japan and the ROK are China's second and third-biggest trading partners, and the two countries are also the second and third-largest sources of foreign investment in China, with ROK's investments in China totaling $4.75 billion last year, with that of Japan totaling $3.1 billion.

Meanwhile, China is also increasing investment in those countries, Wu said.

Moreover, China is speeding up construction of long-term economic cooperation mechanisms with them, he added.

The China-Japan-ROK Free Trade Agreement negotiations were going on steadily, and the construction of the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor had made great strides, he said.

"Against the backdrop of a global economic downturn, countries in Northeast Asia should make full play of the advantages of geographical proximity and economic complementarity and pursue innovative development by focusing on such strategies as the Belt and Road Initiative," Wu said.

Zhou said the central government had in recent years paid great attention to the revitalization of Northeast China, once the country's industrial base, as the region was hit by an economic downturn.

The State Council has issued a range of measures in the past year to promote economic restructuring in the region, Zhou said.

The economies of the three provinces in the region - Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning - were stabilizing and showing positive signs.

He added that the National Development and Reform Commission would help the region integrate into the Belt and Road Initiative and build it into a regional economic hub for Northeast Asia.

The China Council for the Promotion of International Trade's Yin Zonghua said the theme of this year's expo was innovation, openness, inclusiveness and cooperation.

Yin said it coincides with the economic development strategies of Northeast Asian countries and reflects regional enterprises' demand for "win-win cooperation".

As the co-host of this year's expo, the council will stage an exhibition featuring intelligent manufacturing, a roundtable meeting focusing on the Belt and Road Initiative's role in regional economic cooperation, and a seminar on business law services, Yin said.

Li Jinxiu, vice-governor of Jilin, said that his province, as the host of the expo, sees great opportunities for development amid the country's strategy of revitalizing Northeast China.

The province was shouldering "great responsibility" to hold a professional and efficient exhibition.

Innovation will be a highlight of the expo, which has 2,800 booths with a total exhibition area of 63,000 square meters.

"For the first time, a pavilion featuring intelligent manufacturing will be built at the event," Li said.

Cutting-edge technologies, including 3-D printing and artificial intelligence, will be shown at the expo, and such issues as the service orientation of the manufacturing industry and Internet Plus will be discussed, he said.

More than 80 Chinese and overseas companies, including Tesla and Haier Smart Home Platform, will display their latest products at the pavilion.

Contact the writer at hanjunhong@chinadaily.com.cn



Chinese and foreign guests attend the opening ceremony of a China-Northeast Asia Expo held in previous years in Changchun, Jilin province.

From left to right: Participants listen at a high-level forum on Northeast Asian cooperation, held during a China-Northeast Asia Expo. One of the nine pavilions of the expo explores the themes of culture and tourism. Foreign visitors check out goods displayed at a previous expo.Photos Provided To China Daily

(China Daily 08/28/2017 page10)
Residents in Changchun, Jilin province, will soon feel the charms of high-tech - as they take in an intelligent manufacturing-themed pavilion set up at the 11th China-Northeast Asia Expo, which runs from Sept 1 to 5.

A range of high-end intelligent manufacturing products, including intelligent robots, 3-D printing, smart home appliances and new energy automobiles, will be displayed at the expo.

This marks the first time that such a pavilion is included in the expo.

"The 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) is a crucial blueprint for China's manufacturing industry to improve its efficiency and strength," said Zhang Liang, vice-chairman of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade's Jilin committee.

"Intelligent manufacturing is key to the country's Made in China 2025 strategy," added Zhang, who was explaining the reason for launching the pavilion.

In 2015, the country unveiled its Made in China 2025 strategy, a road map to the future of the manufacturing industry.

"Jilin is an important hub for traditional manufacturing. The province should seize the opportunities brought about by the national strategy and make breakthroughs in improving its industrial efficiency and industrial restructuring and upgrades," Zhang said.

A range of leading companies booked booths at the pavilion, including United States group Tesla, Austria's Polytechnik, Hyundai Heavy Industries from South Korea, Evolver and Shenyang Machine Tool from China.

The expo will not only display up-to-date high-end manufacturing technologies, but also offer a platform for exchanges between Chinese and overseas industry insiders, Zhang said. A forum on intelligent manufacturing will be held during the expo, and 400 corporate executives and experts in the industry will participate in the event.

Another eight pavilions at the expo include those for Hong Kong commodities, Taiwan commodities, international commodities, foods and pharmaceuticals, culture and tourism, e-payments and Jilin's opening-up and cooperation.

In the pavilion for international commodities, products from 10 countries along the Belt and Road routes will be displayed, including teak furniture from Indonesia, leather products from Pakistan, cashmere products from Nepal, carpets from Iran and wood carvings from Zambia.

The pavilion for culture and tourism will showcase Jilin's tourism resources and products as well as the achievements of the province's tourism industry in recent years.

In the pavilion for Jilin's opening-up and cooperation, the achievements of the province's cities, development zones and key industries will be displayed, and the progress of key investment projects in the province will be exhibited.

Time: Sept 1 to 5 (Friday - Tuesday), 2017

Venue: Changchun, Jilin province

Customers inquire about drones at a China-Northeast Asia Expo held in Changchun.

(China Daily 08/28/2017 page10)
RIO DE JANEIRO - The number of police officers killed so far this year in Brazil's crime-riddled state of Rio de Janeiro reached 100 on Saturday, local media reported.

Sergeant Fabio Jose Cavalcante, 39, was shot and killed during an attempted armed robbery in Sao Joao de Meriti, in the metropolitan area of the capital Rio de Janeiro, according to online daily Extra.

His death brings the homicide rate among both working and off-duty state police officers to one every 57 hours, the highest rate since 2016, when an officer was killed every 53 hours.

Rising crime led the federal government to dispatch some 10,200 military troops and police officers to help cap violence in the state. They were mainly deployed to Rio and its metropolitan area, the country's leading tourism destination.

The state government announced this week it would restructure its Pacifying Police Units, special forces employed since 2008 to combat organized crime within the slums.

Some 843 Rio districts are under the control of organized criminal rings.

A year after the world applauded Rio's successful staging of the Summer Games, Brazil's second biggest city is in deep financial difficulty and the demoralized police are struggling to contain well-armed drug gangs based in the favelas.

President Michel Temer's decision in July to deploy thousands of soldiers to Rio acknowledged that state police have lost the ability to cope with the often bloody struggle against the drug traffickers.

Brazil as a whole is one of the most deadly countries in the world.

Estadao newspaper recently reported that this year's six-month homicide tally has reached just over 28,000. That is equivalent to 155 killings a day or six an hour around the country of 208 million people.

The toll is almost 7 percent higher than last year and indicates that Brazil may again break the ceiling of 60,000 homicides a year in 2017.

By contrast, the United States, with a population of nearly 326 million, had 15,696 murders in 2015, according to the FBI.

Xinhua - Afp

(China Daily 08/28/2017 page12)
A ceremony is held at the Dabaoen Temple in Nanjing to celebrate the Qixi Festival, Aug 27, 2017. [Photo/Asianewsphoto]

If it rains heavily at night, some elderly Chinese will say it is because Zhinu, or the Weaving Maid, is crying on the day she met her husband Niulang, or the Cowherd, on the Milky Way.

Most Chinese remember being told this romantic tragedy when they were children on Qixi, or the Seventh Night Festival, which falls on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. This year it falls on Monday, August 28.

Folklore Story

As the story goes, once there was a cowherd, Niulang, who lived with his elder brother and sister-in-law. But she disliked and abused him, and the boy was forced to leave home with only an old cow for company.

The cow, however, was a former god who had violated imperial rules and was sent to earth in bovine form.

One day the cow led Niulang to a lake where fairies took a bath on earth. Among them was Zhinu, the most beautiful fairy and a skilled seamstress.

The two fell in love at first sight and were soon married. They had a son and daughter and their happy life was held up as an example for hundreds of years in China.

Yet in the eyes of the Jade Emperor, the Supreme Deity in Taoism, marriage between a mortal and fairy was strictly forbidden. He ordered the heaven troop to catch Zhinu back.

Niulang grew desperate when he discovered Zhinu had been taken back to heaven. Driven by Niulang's misery, the cow told him to turn its hide into a pair of shoes after it died.




China's Global Newspaper





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. Please check the URL for proper spelling and capitalization. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Chinadaily.com.cn, try visiting the Chinadaily home page
The First Belt and Road Book Fair opens in grand style in Jinan, Shandong province on Aug 19. [Photo/ sdcbcm.com]

The First Belt and Road Book Fair came to an end recently in Jinan, Shandong province, attracting nearly 100 publishers from 35 countries and overseas regions, including 58 from those involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.

More than 240 copyright contracts were signed at the fair, about 220 of which were for exporting Chinese books, 20 were for introducing foreign books and 12 were for exporting digital products.

Pupils from the United Arab Emirates present local children's books at a booth during the First Belt and Road Book Fair held in Jinan, Shandong province. [Photo/ sdcbcm.com]

A translation-themed forum was held during the fair, attracting more than 120 industry pundits and overseas students from China, Vietnam, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries.

Foreign publishers negotiate business with Chinese companies at the First Belt and Road Book Fair held in Jinan, Shandong province. [Photo/ sdcbcm.com]

Under the guidance of China's State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television and the Shandong Provincial Department of Publicity, the fair was organized by the Shandong Publication Group with the aim of boosting cultural exchange and cooperation between China and the Belt and Road countries, as well as promoting internationalization of China's press and publishing sector.
Copyrights to Shanxi TCM book exported to France ( chinadaily.com.cn ) Updated: 2017-08-28

Shanxi Science and Technology Press signed an agreement with Paris Editions You Feng, a French publisher, on the rights to publish a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) book during the 24th Beijing International Book Fair which was held from Aug 23 to 27.

The book, written by Li Ke, a veteran TCM doctor, is an account of his experiences treating various diseases which has been reprinted more than 40 times, setting a record for the number of times a professional TCM book has been reprinted.

The traditional Chinese and Japanese versions of the book now sell well overseas. The partnership with Paris Editions You Feng is another achievement that will help promote TCM in France.

Shanxi Science and Technology Press is a culture-related company operating under the framework of the "going out" strategy for Chinese culture. Since 2008, the publisher has exported the copyrights of some 200 books, with the majority focusing on TCM and Chinese martial arts.
CAI MENG/CHINA DAILY

Recent uncertainties and relative deceleration of growth in BRICS states may have cast a doubt on the group's potential to transform the global governance structure. Yet experts agree that it is still the most powerful locomotive for strengthening South-South cooperation.

Questions have also been raised about whether rapidly growing economies such as China and India and their expanding foreign investments, especially the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, would undermine the puritan dictum of South-South cooperation that propagates "de-linking" less-developed economies from the exploitative global North. Even the expanding foreign aid from China and India has been questioned, as many fear it might compromise democratic and human rights in developing countries, because the aid comes with no strings attached.

Since China and India are also investing in advanced industrialized countries, will their actions dilute BRICS' commitment to South-South cooperation?

If anything, BRICS states are widely recognized today for their inflecting economic reforms and restructuring, which have resulted in policy innovations guiding their inclusive development and poverty eradication initiatives, and providing inspiring examples for developing and less-developed countries.

The South-South cooperation paradigm evolved in the late 1960s. Recognizing the subservient nature of their relations with the advanced economies, many scholars suggested that less-developed countries "de-link" from the North as a way to forge stronger economic ties among developing countries.

BRICS today presents a success story of that original paradigm. In purchasing power parity terms, BRICS accounts for more than 30 percent of the global GDP and accounts for more than half of global growth, which have given the group power to influence global trends and trajectories. Grounded in the South-South cooperation paradigm, intra-BRICS trade, as percentage of their total foreign trade, doubled from 6 percent to 12 percent between 2001 and 2015. And BRICS states have taken a common stance at various international forums on trade, services, investment and e-commerce, as well as at rule-making world bodies.

The outlook on BRICS states' further integration remains promising given the establishment of the New Development Bank and the BRICS Contingent Reserve Arrangement, which have already started financing projects in various developing countries. Symbolizing BRICS macro-policy coordination, they have enhanced BRICS' leading role in South-South cooperation. Besides, the NDB and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank have already prompted the Bretton Woods financial institutions to implement reforms, in order to give developing countries greater say. And BRICS states' mini-summits on the sidelines of G20 gatherings have offered new ways to democratize the global governance structure and process.

Indeed, enterprises based in BRICS states have established a unique culture of investment, technology sharing and market management, which is totally different from the patron-client model of the multinationals from the industrialized North. At the BRICS seminar on governance in Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, last week, which I attended, China International Publishing Group signed a series of cooperation agreements with various publishers from the other four BRICS states, and its vice-president Wang Gangyi urged all sides to make concerted efforts to engage in substantial research and advice "to promote BRICS to become a new leading platform for South-South cooperation".

BRICS has especially benefited from the economic buoyancy of China and India, as well as the continued sluggishness in the economies of the global North. China and India have emerged as major investors in infrastructure construction, information and communications technologies and energy. Here, BRICS provides them a with unique forum to coordinate their perspectives to maximize benefits.

BRICS represents a strong source of empowerment and inspiration for most developing countries. Given this fact, the idea of inviting several developing countries to the upcoming BRICS Summit in Xiamen, Fujian province, and forging new partnerships under the "BRICS Plus" arrangement holds the promise of making BRICS a stronger platform for South-South cooperation.

The author is a professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi.
As relations between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea further deteriorate, some East Asian countries are busy strengthening their militaries. At the United Nations forum on disarmament in Geneva on Tuesday, the US and the DPRK accused each other of posing a nuclear threat. US envoy Robert Wood elaborated on President Donald Trump's top priority: protect the US and its allies against the "growing threat" from the DPRK, for which Washington will use "the full range of capabilities at our disposal".

DPRK diplomat Ju Yong Chol, on his part, said, "as long as the US hostile policy and nuclear threat remains unchallenged, the DPRK will never place its self-defensive nuclear deterrence on the negotiating table or step back an inch from the path it has taken to bolster the national nuclear force". More importantly, DPRK leader Kim Jongun has reportedly instructed the country's Chemical Material Institute of the Academy of Defense Science to make more solid-fuel rocket engines and rocket warheads.

The US and the Republic of Korea, refusing to change their stance, began this year's 11-day joint military drill on Aug 21, to which the DPRK responded with a warning that the US could face "merciless revenge". And when Japanese and US foreign and defense heads met in Washington on Aug 17, Tokyo unveiled a plan to accelerate the deployment of a land-based Aegis Ashore anti-missile defense system to counter Pyongyang's military "provocations". Japan already uses a sea-based Aegis Ashore system, a regular feature on many US warships.

An Asahi Shimbun report said the Japanese defense ministry has decided to develop an anti-stealth radar system that can locate ballistic missiles with stealth capabilities. Work on the next-generation warning and control system will begin in the next fiscal with an expected budget of 19.6 billion yen ($177 million), and the ministry plans to complete it by fiscal 2023.

Besides, Japan is likely to increase its defense budget at a faster pace in its next five-year plan, which starts in April 2019, than the 0.8 percent annual average increase, according to the Nikkei Shimbun.

The ROK, too, is strengthening its military. After the DPRK test-fired its second intercontinental ballistic missile on July 28, ROK President Moon Jae-in ordered the speedy deployment of the controversial US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system, reversing his earlier decision to suspend it for environmental reviews.

And the US Department of Defense has said it is "actively" considering revising the bilateral ballistic missile guidelines with the ROK to accede to the latter's request to build more powerful missiles. The ROK has also deployed the US-built Patriot missile defense system and, apart from the two THAAD launchers already deployed, has four more in the pipeline, pending an environmental review.

Moreover, Moon told Trump during their telephone conversation on Aug 7 that Seoul wants to build a nuclear-powered submarine.

The US continues to raise tensions in the region even though the DPRK and the ROK are technically still at war, as the Korean War (1950-53) ended with an armistice agreement, not a peace treaty. In May, the Pentagon endorsed a plan, the Asia Pacific Stability Initiative, to invest $7.5 billion to strengthen US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region over the next five years. The plan, if approved, would translate into an extra annual spending of $1.5 billion for the region from 2018 to 2022.

The initiative "could enhance US military power through targeted funding to realign our force posture in the region, improve operationally relevant infrastructure, fund additional exercises, pre-position equipment and build capacity with our allies and partners", said US Senator John McCain, who proposed the initiative earlier this year as a long-term plan to counterbalance China's growing capabilities. The plan has gained increasing support among US lawmakers amid the intensifying concerns over the DPRK.

It's a pity that the parties refuse to realize that the ongoing game of military buildup will worsen the security situation in the region, instead of defusing tensions.

The author is China Daily Tokyo bureau chief. caihong@chinadaily.com.cn
Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor (second right) and her husband Lam Siu-por (third right) greet the public before the flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region at Golden Bauhinia Square on Saturday. [Photo/INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT]

In an attempt to defend Hong Kong's judiciary from vicious, unjust attacks, particularly from the biased Western media, Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, reemphasized the vibrancy of the SAR's judicial independence on Saturday.

Without any basis or evidence, some Western media outlets and politicians, including a couple of US Congress members, joined a chorus last week to accuse Beijing of meddling in a Hong Kong court case, in which three young activists were imprisoned.

There is nothing new or unusual about such accusations, as some Western media outlets and politicians are known to harbor hostility toward China. And they hardly let slip an opportunity to soil Beijing's reputation.

But they were barking up the wrong tree when they attacked Hong Kong's judiciary and questioned its independence after the city's Court of Appeal sentenced Joshua Wong Chi-fung, Nathan Law Kwun-chung and Alex Chow Yong-kang to imprisonment of between six and eight months for offenses related to unlawful assembly.

The imprisonment of the three reflects "the voice of Beijing, not of justice", The Guardian said in an editorial. Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, in a letter to Financial Times, said the three activists' imprisonment is "a further example of Beijing tightening its grip on Hong Kong's aspiration to remain a free society". And a Financial Times' commentator claimed Beijing is "clearly retreating from the commitments ... to guarantee free speech, press and assembly" for Hong Kong residents.

But the accusatory voices were silenced by the swift response from the SAR's judiciary, the Bar Association and Law Society of Hong Kong, which issued a rare joint statement condemning the "unfounded criticism" by "some local and international media". The two legal professional bodies, which together represent all the city's lawyers and have fought for judicial independence, said the judges handled the case strictly based on established legal principles and procedures, and all the defendants were given proper legal representation.

Indeed, the slanderers are guilty of pretending to be unaware of the independence and quality of Hong Kong's judiciary. The city's judicial independence is ranked eighth globally by the World Economic Forum, well ahead of the United States (29th). And the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, which measures people's experience and perception about the rule of law across the world, placed Hong Kong at 16th among 113 jurisdictions on its 2016 listahead of "big democracies" such as the US (18), France (21) and Italy (35).

Of course, facts will eventually scotch the lies. But that does not spare us the obligation to set the record straight.
China's Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday that India should refrain from abusing trade remedy measures, which would disrupt economic cooperation and trade relations between the two countries.[Photo/mofcom.gov.cn]

India has started building a road near Bangong Lake in Ladakh, which, according to Indian media, will facilitate the movement of Indian troops. This suggests India might be preparing for a war with China, or pretending to go to war in the hope of forcing China into making concessions.

Indian troops trespassed into China's territory in the Donglang area more than two months ago to stop Chinese troops from building a road in its own territory, claiming the road would pose a threat to India's security. Why doesn't the Indian government apply the same logic to understand that by building a road near the disputed border area with China, India will pose a threat to its neighbor's national security?

Whether India has the economic and military wherewithal to become a hegemon is still uncertain, but it indeed is behaving like one considering its decision to send its troops into Chinese territory by assuming it is Bhutan's protector and its insistence of keeping them there leading to the more than two-month-long standoff with Chinese troops.

India claims to be acting on behalf of Bhutan, but many in Bhutan feel India's protective embrace has become suffocating, according to a report in The New York Times. Pema Gyamtsho, a leader of the opposition party in Bhutan's National Assembly, was quoted as saying that in the case of a war between India and China, Bhutan would become the meat in the sandwich.

Instead of safeguarding Bhutan's national security, India is actually bullying the tiny country, as Bhutan doesn't seem to have sought India's help. As such, India is taking advantage of Bhutan, in order to assert itself as a regional superpower.

And in doing so, India is punching above its weight, perhaps because it believes China will do whatever it can to avoid a military conflict with India. India's decision-makers may be complacent in the belief that they have made the right decision given China's tolerance and repeated warnings over the past more than two months.

But if India continues to think so, it cannot escape the retribution it deserves for what it has done. It's only a matter of time.
A McDonald's store in Wuhu, Anhui Province. [Photo /Xinhua]

FAST FOOD CHAIN McDonald's issued a statement on Wednesday saying it will implement a new broiler-chicken antibiotics policy in markets such as Brazil, Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States and Europe from next year. Surprisingly, China, the company's third-largest overseas market, is not among them. The Mirror commented on Saturday:

Chinese diners may have to wait for another decade to get antibiotics-free meat meals at McDonald's. The fast food chain will ban the use of antibiotics classified by the World Health Organization as "Highest Priority Critically Important Antimicrobials" for human medicine in many of its markets from next year, and extend the ban to Australia and Russia by the end of 2019.

But the ban will be extended to markets such as China only by 2027.

McDonald's decision has raised concerns among Chinese customers, who feel discriminated against yet again by some multinationals. McDonald's China has said it adheres to its global goal of eliminating the use of antibiotics in meat products in the Chinese market, while working closely with government departments, suppliers, industry associations and scholars to promote the industry's sustainable development.

But is China not on the list because it lags behind in antibiotics management? Not exactly. The US and the European Union issued regulations to ban antibiotics in fodder years ago, while China revised its veterinary drugs regulation last year and the regulation on fodder and fodder additives early this year. So whatever be the reasons behind McDonald's refusal to ban the use of antibiotics in its Chinese outlets, the lack of legal instruction is not one of them.

Perhaps McDonald's doesn't want to extend the ban to its Chinese market to save the extra cost of doing so. Its weak explanation about why Chinese diners have to wait longer could end up angering and estranging them. The least it can do is to give a specific timetable for the ban.
Sunset at West Lake in Hangzhou. The city tops the list of Chinese destinations with the highest tourist ratings. [Photo by Lian Guoqing/China Daily]

Chinese are increasingly willing to spend on travel, especially trips around the country.

The number of domestic trips in the first six months of this year surpassed 2.4 billion, up 10 percent over the same period last year, China's biggest online travel agency, Ctrip, reports.

Separately, roughly 62 million Chinese went outside the mainland in the same period, a 5 percent increase.

The agency's report is based on Ctrip's 300 million members.

Last year, the domestic travel market saw about 4.4 billion trips, which generated 3.9 trillion yuan ($590 billion) in tourism income, according to the National Tourism Administration.

High-speed rail, flights and roadtrip routes have given incentives to young travelers born in the 1980s and '90s, who favor leisure and in-depth travel experiences, the report says.

Tours featuring gourmet food, culture and cross-country experiences witnessed a 500 percent growth in bookings in the six-month period, Ctrip says.

Bookings for domestic travel were mostly made using travel websites and mobile phone application. They covered more than 700 destinations in 100 cities.

Sichuan, Guizhou, Shandong, Hubei, Anhui, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and Guangdong provinces were the most popular, Ctrip reports.

Sichuan, Guizhou, Shandong and Hubei each received more than 300 million visitors in the first half of the year.

Guizhou, Yunnan, the Tibet autonomous region and Shanxi witnessed the quickest growth in tourist numbers, at more than 25 percent each.

Yunnan was favored by those who sought leisure, while Hainan was chosen by those who wanted to avoid the winter. Shanghai's Disneyland enchanted many.

A sign that Chinese travelers are more than ready to spend is the increase of flight bookings.

Domestic-flight occupancy reached 84.9 percent between January and June.

"The increasing travel and desire for leisure have made flights a necessity," says Shi Yuduan, a senior official with Ctrip.

Most domestic trips lasted from three to five days, and per-capita expenditure stood at 2,000 yuan.

The Circum-Bohai Sea, the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, Chongqing and Sichuan were the major sources of tourists, thanks to developed local economies and big populations.

Increasing incomes and paid vacations will continue to fuel domestic travelers' enthusiasm, says Shi.

Cities with the highest ratings

 Hangzhou, Zhejiang province

 Kunming, Yunnan province

 Shanghai

 Chengdu, Sichuan province

 Nanjing, Jiangsu province

 Chongqing

 Qingdao, Shandong province

 Xiamen, Fujian province

 Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region

 Beijing
LONDON - A second man was arrested on Sunday after three police officers were injured by a man wielding a 1.2-meter sword near Buckingham Palace in central London on Friday.

A police officer patrols within the grounds of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain August 26, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

The 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences, and a search of a property in west London is being carried out, the police said."The man was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism," and "he has been taken into custody," a police statement said.The arrest was made after a 26-year-old man drove a car in front of a police van in a restricted area near Queen's official residence on Friday evening. The man, who comes from Luton some 50 kilometers north of London, had repeatedly shouted "Allahu Akbar", meaning in Arabic "God is great".The man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody. Three police officers were slightly injured in a struggle to arrest the sword-brandishing man.The police force on Sunday obtained a warrant to detain him until Sept. 1."This is a timely reminder that the threat from terrorism in the UK (United Kingdom) remains severe," Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Dean Hayton said.The British police on Saturday opened a counterterrorism investigation into the incident, which came as police across Europe are on high alert following a spate of terrorist attacks this year.In the Britain alone, three attacks claimed the lives of dozens of people, while police in Spain are probing a suspected terrorist network after twin assaults in the northeastern region of the country earlier this month.
A body believed to be that of a missing Chinese teacher, Wei Qiujie, has been found in Hokkaido in Japan, according to local TV reports.

Security footage shows Wei Qiujie at a hotel in Sapporo.[Photo: youth.cn]

Local fishermen say they found the body of a young woman by the sea. She was wearing white clothes and had long hair, and bore a similarity to the missing Chinese teacher, said Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting.

Further investigations are underway by the Japanese police.

27-year-old Wei Qiujie, who worked at an elementary school in Fujian Province, had been traveling alone in Japan. She went missing from a Sapporo hotel on July 23. A hunt for the teacher has been underway ever since.

Her family feared that she had been kidnapped and was being held hostage.

A handwritten letter had been found in her hotel room addressed to her parents saying goodbye and telling them that she wanted to start a new life. However her friends had reportedly said that she had shown no signs of wanting to do such a thing.

There have been a number of recent cases where Chinese women have been targeted abroad. In early July, two Chinese sisters were found dead in a forest in Kanagawa, southwest Japan, after being reported missing.

The sisters also came from Fujian province. In that case, the local police have arrested a Japanese man in his thirties on suspicion of killing the two women.
China-Laos railway enters phase of comprehensive construction

Xinhua | Updated: 2017-08-28 09:53

VIENTIANE - The Laos-China Railway Company announced on Sunday that the China-Laos railway project has entered the phase of comprehensive construction in an orderly and effective way.



The announcement was made by Zhao Xiang, director general of the Laos-China Railway Company, at a gathering here to commend the progress achieved so far in the project.



The construction of the railway officially started on Dec. 25, 2016 in northern Laos' Luang Prabang province. In march this year, a campaign of 100-day dry season working competition was launched to speed up the construction process.



According to Zhao, since the launching of the competition, construction units of the project have overcome various difficulties to actively promote the implementation of the project.



In less than six months, site preparation has been completed for the construction of four stations; foundation construction of nine bridge piles have finished; 86 holes for construction of 46 tunnels have been prepared, of which 15 are key tunnels, he said.



Lattanamany Khounnyvong, Lao vice minister of public works and transport and team leader of the railway project working group, said in his speech that th China-Laos railway is a project of strategic significance which will benefit peoples of the two countries.



Besides promoting interconnectivity between China and Southeast Asia, the railway is also an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.



Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.



Huang Difu, general manager of China Railway International Co., Ltd and chairman of the Laos-China Railway Company, said the construction of the railway has achieved substantive results.



Since the railway runs along the scenic spots of Laos including world cultural heritage protection area, the construction units will make the greatest efforts to reduce the impact of construction on the environment and protect the beautiful scenery of Laos, Huang said.



The China-Laos railway has a total length of 414.332 kilometers with over 62.7 percent of bridges and tunnels, linking Mohan-Boten border gate in northern Laos and capital Vientiane. Operating speed on the route is designed at 160 km per hour.



Construction of the project is scheduled for five years with investment of some 40 billion Chinese yuan (5.8 billion US dollars), 70 percent of which comes from Chinese investment and the rest from the Lao side.



China-Laos railway is the first overseas route connecting with the railway system in China, using Chinese technology, equipment and investment.
UK immigration policy has been criticized after estimates of the number of foreign students who overstay their visas were revealed to be inaccurate.

Prime Minister Theresa May faces mounting pressure to remove overseas students from immigration figures after new data from the Office for National Statistics released on Thursday showed that 4,600 international students remained in the UK after their visas expired last year, compared with the government's previous estimates of around 100,000.

May has repeatedly rejected calls to exclude foreign students from her Conservative government's mooted policy to limit net migration to the UK to the "tens of thousands".

The UK Parliament's Education Committee recently recommended that international students should be listed under a "separate classification" and not be counted against the overall migration limit.

Senior ministers including Chancellor Philip Hammond and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson have raised concerns that limiting net migration will deter foreign students from coming to the UK.

The ONS data appeared in a Home Office report published this month. The figures are described as "experimental statistics" achieved through an exit check program that analyses passenger ticket bookings, passport swipes at the border and immigration records.

The report found that of the 181,024 international students whose visas expired last year, 97.4 percent departed the UK on time. A minority left after their visas expired.

Tim Bradshaw, director of the Russell Group, an association of 24 UK universities, said: "This exit check data confirms that in addition to helping create a diverse learning environment and making a big economic impact, an overwhelming majority of international students comply fully with the terms of their visas."

Ning Yang, director of admissions at Sunrise Immigration, said it would be "unwise" for the government to include foreign students in its plans to limit migration.

"Chinese students (for instance), are making a contribution to UK economy," Yang said. "Local accommodation, housing, and restaurants all benefit from them."

There are more students from China in the UK than from any other non-EU nation, and China is the only country showing a significant increase in student numbers.

In 2016, 91,215 Chinese students were in the UK for higher education degrees. The number has increased annually by 1.8 percent since 2013.

Cao Yuan, director of admissions agency O4U, said Chinese students still identify the UK as an attractive and economical place to study. "Education in the UK still has a good reputation in China,"Yuan said.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd has launched an investigation into the impact of international students on the UK's society and economy.
Stylish Star Allu Arjun is busy with the regular shooting of the flick Naa Peru Surya under director Vakkantham Vamsi. The makers have updated about this movies present status.

Writer turned director Vakkantham Vamsi has managed to impress Bunny and got a chance to direct him. Titled as Na Peru Surya, this flick has commenced its regular shooting a couple of days back. Currently, a big fight sequence has been canned in Ramoji Film City under the choreography of Ram-Lakshman masters. This sequence is designed in a very stylish way to match the body language of Allu Arjun.

The producer Lagadapati Sridhar stated that this particular fight sequence is very crucial in this flick. He is planning to release this movie on 27th of April, 2018 as a Summer blockbuster. Vishal-Sekhar duo is composing music for this flick.
The California State Senate has passed a bill that would make it a criminal offense to address a transgender person by the wrong pronoun.

According to hotair.com, the bill now goes on to the State Assembly. If passed and signed by the governor, the bill could enforce criminal penalties, including jail time, against someone who refuses to address a transgender individual by their chosen gender pronoun.

The bill passed the Senate in a vote of 26-12. According to The Daily Caller, The law is currently limited in its effects to nursing homes and intermediate-care facilities, but if passed, those who willfully and repeatedly refuse to use a transgender residents preferred name or pronouns could be slapped with a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison, according to the California Heath [sic] and Safety code.

Although the current scope of the bill is relegated to nursing homes and care facilities, experts believe if passed, it will soon become law in other contexts as well.

Hotair commentator Jazz Shaw notes that California has been becomingly increasingly liberal in its laws--so much so that many, perhaps only part-jokingly, suggested that Californias threats to secede would not be a big loss for the country.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstock/nito100

Publication date: August 28, 2018
Michael Cromartie, a Washington networker who helped rebrand Americas image of Christian political engagement, has died of cancer at age 67.

The news of his death was reported Monday on Twitter and confirmed by colleagues at the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), the DC-based conservative think tank where he served for more than 30 years.

Cromartie brought Christian thought leaders and secular journalists under the same roof at the Faith Angle Forum, held every year since 1999. Through his work as EPPC vice president, he evoked theologians and philosophers as he advocated for thoughtful engagement in public policy and civil discourse.

In a political arena often dominated by competition, power grabs, and culture war debates, Cromartie stuck out by offering a friendlier, humbler approach. Its this attitude that his colleagues remember most and cite as his greatest legacy.

It cant be said of many people, but everyone Mike touched was influenced for the better, said Michael Gerson, a Washington Post columnist and former speechwriter for President George W. Bush. His passing leaves a huge gap in American public life and in the lives of his friends.

Mike was a man of great knowledge who made it accessible to others, Gerson told CT. He was a man of great faith, who make it real and attractive to others. And he was a man of exceptional decency, who demonstrated how to live with joy and integrity.

Journalists and Christian leaders alike shared their tributes [see CTs Twitter Moment].

Michael Cromartie was different from what most people think of when they think evangelicals and politics. Thanks be to God, said Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, who admired his humble character and effective engagement with journalists.

After his cancer diagnosis, every time I saw Mike he would say, Pray like a Pentecostal. We did, Moore shared with CT. Mike now is in the presence of the Lord of Pentecost. We will miss him here, and must pray for more like him.

Michael Wear, a former White House faith adviser under Barack Obama, described Cromartie as one of Christianity's principal ambassadors in Washington, [representing] Jesus with joyful confidence.

I've seen the effects of his life and work up close, and both the church and the nation are better off because of him, said Wear. Michael was a friend whose encouragement I did not deserve, and whose insight has shaped my work, my life, and my faith. In the days ahead, we should look to Michael's example to stoke our imagination for what a faithful public witness can look like in this moment.

Cromartie had surgery last September for stomach cancer. By July, his cancer had spread, and he heard from doctors last week that they had done everything they could, according to Timothy Dalrymple, who profiled Cromartie for CT in 2013.

Dalrymples feature sums up the Beltway believers story this way:

Cromartie converted to Christianity as a teenager in the Vietnam War era, proclaimed himself a progressive pacifist, and joined a Christian commune. Shortly after joining Chuck Colson's then-new Prison Fellowship, however, he was literally mugged by reality when thieves invaded his hotel room in Denver in 1978 and left him bound and gagged. (Cromartie managed to convince the burglars to leave his new tie so he could still attend his meetings with dignity.) That experience and Colson's influence produced a paradigm shift, and Cromartie went on to work for the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he is now vice president and director of the Evangelicals in Civic Life project. From his perch on M Street five blocks from the White House, he has served as a consigliere for conservative Christians in the nation's capital. He has also helped countless journalists, whose only map to evangelicalism reads HERE BE DRAGONS, chart a more finely drawn geography of the American Christian landscape. In fact, the concept for the forums took shape as Cromartie received one call after another from knowledgeable journalists who wanted to know whether all evangelicals hate sex, or whether he could provide contact information for the author and publisher of the Book of Ephesians.

Grieving with many today over the death of the brilliant and gifted Michael Cromartiea clear thinker with strong character. RIP, tweeted John Stonestreet, president of the Colson Center. Cromartie was a voice of clarity and reason, thoughtfulness and moral judgment. Brought people together in the best of ways.

Even before his death, stories and tributes came pouring in on his familys Facebook pages. His son Eric pledged to share the comments with his dad, who was hospitalized at Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington.

Mike enriched the lives of those who became part of his community with his kindness, his genuine interest in others, his light touch, and his joie de vivre. This was obvious based on the outpouring of affection as his health worsened, wrote EPPC colleague Peter Wehner. This was a man who left a deep imprint on peoples hearts and souls.

Cromartie described his faith as evangelical, reformed, Anglican and attended Falls Church Anglican. He graduated from Covenant College and American University. A former chairman of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, he regularly advocated for the cause of religious liberty.

He also served as a senior advisor to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, a senior fellow with the Trinity Forum, and a former advisory editor at CT.

In a Politico feature on his birthday last month, he shared his morning routine: Pray. Read the news. Then pray all the more!
Stating that flooding is imminent in some areas due to the record rate of release of water from Lake Conroe, the city of Conroe is evacuating McDade Estates immediately.

With approximately 200 homes, the community in West Conroe off of FM 2854 west of Loop 336 West, has been prone to flooding as it sits along the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, downstream from the Lake Conroe Dam.

"Continued flooding is expected throughout the week. Heavy rains and rising water levels continue to occur around the City of Conroe and surrounding region," the city stated in a release early Monday morning. "Any areas that may be affected should take action immediately and find a safe location. A flash flood warning is in effect for residents of Conroe.

The city plans knocking door to door to alert McDade Estates residents, who expressed concerns to The Courier Friday about the potential of devastating flooding from a lake water release.

Around 2:15 a.m. Monday, the San Jacinto River Authority, which manages the water at Lake Conroe, announced record release rates are in effect.

According to the SJRA, the Lake Conroe water level has risen to 205.88 feet above mean sea level (MSL), breaking the previous record water level for the lake of 205.60 set during the storms of 1994.

The current release rate from Lake Conroe is 73,201 cubic feet per second (cfs), more than doubling the previous record set in 1994 of 33,360 cfs. Since before 4 a.m. Saturday, the lake has received 18.5 inches of rain on the north side by FM 1097 and 20.25 inches near the dam.

"Hurricane Harvey has created an extreme weather event for the entire Houston region, and SJRA personnel are working around the clock to deal with the tremendous amounts of rainfall that are impacting the watershed," the SJRA stated in a release.

The City of Conroe also stated other areas would be evacuated by the county due to the flooding expected along the San Jacinto River.

"Public Safety Officials have been overwhelmed by the number of calls and are currently prioritizing calls as they come in," the city stated. "Many roads are closed or experiencing high water and city crews are working diligently to clear the roadways for emergency personnel. If you are not evacuating, the City of Conroe is encouraging Citizens to stay where they are until it is safe to leave."

As previously reported, rivers and creeks downstream from the Lake Conroe Dam are expected to reach major flood levels today.

SJRA release rates are available at www.sjra.net.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Sunday brought the worst kind of deja vu for one of my younger brothers, Chris Svahn, 55, of Dickinson, as he huddled with his wife, Therese, their pets, and several neighbors we have known all our lives, waiting for a high-water rescue.

Chris had been through this before, in 1979, when Tropical Storm Claudette dumped an epic deluge on Alvin that inundated our hometown, too, as it drained to Galveston Bay. It didn't take much to summon the memory of seeing our devastated parents and our fragile, elderly grandmother lifted by volunteer firemen from four feet of smelly, murky water surrounding everything they owned. For Chris and his twin brother, Fred, at 17, the terror had also held a kind of thrill. (Ditto for Xavier, the 18-year-old exchange student who was living with my family while my sister lived with his family in France.)

Then came weeks of punishing work, as they pulled up ruined wood floors with crowbars, hauled out moldy furniture, punched holes in sheetrock so the walls would drain, slept on cots. We ate Thanksgiving Dinner that year on a folding table in the living room, on a tarpaper floor.

After our parents died in the 1990s, Chris still wanted that house.

He and Tree bought it from the other three of us. We didn't mind seeing it stay in the family, although none of us wanted to live there. They gradually made it their own, and better.

They raised their daughter, Emily, there.

Before the deluge started Saturday night, they were thinking more about life as empty nesters, after helping Emily set up her first student apartment in Austin. It never occurred to them that the house would flood again. They didn't think about lifting furniture off the floor before they went to bed.

At 3:30 a.m. Sunday, Chris called to tell me the water in the house was shin deep. He and Therese had waded across the street with their dog and cat to shelter with Chris and Kriss Ann Eubanks, whose two sons also had a friend over for the night. The Eubanks' home has a second story. They went out just once, to retrieve another neighbor, the elderly Ollie Stewart.

The Eubanks, Stewarts and Svahns go back more than 50 years as close-knit neighbors on Rosewood Drive. They've been through all kinds of life markers together --hell and high water if you will - not just floods, but births, school, graduations, weddings, grandkids and funerals. Chris Eubanks, like my brother, kept his parents' home. Miss Ollie, as we call her, is the last of our parents' generation.

During the Claudette Flood, Miss Ollie's son Steve was a volunteer fireman, so they were rescued fast and rode out the first few days in relative comfort at the fire station rather than in some big evacuation center.

Chris sounded calm, not panicked, shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday. The water had reached the Eubanks' front door knob, and he had called the Dickinson Police to be added to the rescue list.

"We just need out. But we are safe for now," he texted.

Several hours went by. The huddled families could hear helicopters going back and forth overhead: They figured people in worse straits were being rescued from Bayou Chantilly, a subdivision across Dickinson Bayou.

"Damn. What you need is a dam," I texted.

"What I need now is a bulldozer," he shot back.

"Is there anything you need done from afar?" I asked.

"Pray the damn thing burns down so I don't have to deal with it," he said.

I wanted him to send a picture of them all.

At 12:30, he finally took one: They were on the overpass a few blocks away, waiting for a bus. It was raining, and they were soaked and somber, but still standing.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

United Airlines is closing its hub at Bush Intercontinental Airport and suspending all operations from Houston until at least Thursday at noon, the company said Monday afternoon.

United is offering a travel waiver for customers ticketed on flights to, from or through impacted cities from Aug. 25 through Sept. 5. Customers may reschedule their travel through September 20 with a one-time date or time change, and the airline will waive the change fees and any difference in fare for flights booked in the same cabin and same arrival/destination airports, according to the news release.

Southwest Airlines said that its flights from Hobby will be suspended at least through Tuesday. On Monday, the company said it was working to secure flight crews to relocate the 10 aircraft on the ground at Hobby to other airports.

Southwest is also offering a travel advisory.

RELATED: Southwest, United flights help hundreds of passengers out of Houston's closed airports

Henry Harteveldt, founder of San Francisco-based Atmosphere Research Group, a travel industry research company, applauded United and Southwest for "working to minimize the impact of the Houston airports' closures on their operations and passengers."

However, he added that there is a growing backlog of people destined for Houston or beginning their flights from Houston who have been affected.

"All airlines that serve Houston will face an enormous burden to assist those customers once the area's airports reopen," he said in an email.

Commercial service was suspended at both airports on Sunday.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to airmen saying that Bush Intercontinental Airport is expected to be closed until noon Thursday, though the city of Houston has the ultimate say on how long the airport will be closed.

The notice to airmen regarding Hobby Airport said it is likely to be closed until 8 a.m. Wednesday, the FAA reported.

If the city is ready to resume operations before those timeframes, then the FAA will remove its notice to airmen, FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said.

Houston Airport System spokesman Bill Begley said airport officials are assessing the situation on a daily basis. He said the airports will open when the weather clears, personnel can get to the airport to support flights, and roadways are no longer flooded so passengers can safely get to and from the airport.

"We're not going to put a deadline on this," he said Monday. "It's going to be when it's safe for everyone."
Submitted

The Cleveland Rotary Club Annual Fundraiser has begun for 2017. Starting in 2000, scholarships totaling over $175,000 have been awarded to graduating seniors at both Cleveland and Tarkington High Schools.

The tickets are $20 each, with only 700 sold. This year there are four prizes: first, a 2017 Polaris Sportsman 570 from Martin Powersports, with donations by T. W. & Claire Garrett, Prosperity Bank, and First Bank and Trust; second, a $1000 Furniture Gift Certificate donated by CBS Furniture; third, a $500 Sears Gift Card, donated by Charlie Rice of Sears and Tommy Dunn of Edward Jones; and fourth, a Private Party for 30 donated by Fish Tales, either delivered or pickup.
What Brittney Griner will face inside a Russian penal colony The WNBA star's transition into the Russian prison system will not be an easy one, an expert says.

Montrose's iconic nightclub is ready for its close up A new documentary explores the former epicenter of Houston's queer culture civil rights movement.
Recently, a violent protest occurred over the Charlottesville Virginia statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Some groups asserted this statue needs removal because it symbolizes the inhumane treatment of fellow humans during the Civil War. However, other groups stated it represents an important heritage of American history, and the statue should remain in the public domain because of its legacy.

Among the turmoil, commotion, and confusion, local police arrested three people after embroilments and altercations. One police officer sadly suffered an injury when a thrown object hit him in the head. Furthermore, protests occurred in other cities such as New Orleans where workers removed a statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis.

With reckless behavior, rioters remarked that the statues reminded people of barbarous and cruel behavior toward minorities. Nevertheless, decent citizens must question these tormenting and offensive protesters' behavior. Does screaming at each other, committing vicious acts and howling abusive threats show a cultured and refined humanity?

Yet, many citizens feel the statues only show the United States' history and should stand as part of American culture, showing how humanity can learn from the past. The artists who sculptured these statues do need see the racism, inequality, and injustice that many people have aggressively asserted, but created their art to show historical significance of famous people during a specific time period. Notwithstanding their good intentions, viewers show anger and intolerance toward their work.

Since these statues produce so much controversy, one must question what a statue truly symbolizes. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a symbol as: a mark or character taken as a conventional sign of some object, idea, or process. With this in mind, could a statue merely represent an observer's totally subjective interpretation of an object?

If this last statement stands true, then protestors on both sides fight a futile battle.

When viewed as a process, the statues represent the outcomes of conflicts humanity experienced in a specific time period. Most of these conflicts deal with economic exploitation, deplorable ignorance and arrogant bigotry. Statues only show a step in humanity's march forward, and they should never trigger civil unrest, but only represent a moral lesson for everyone to learn.

Thousands of years ago, a mysterious process called life gave birth to humanity. As far as science can measure, humans represent the highest creation on this planet. Moreover, modern psychology reports that human potentials stand unlimited, which promises an enlightened, grand future.

Humanity must mature and realize that every individual has a right to life, liberty and freedom. No race ranks higher than another, but only differs in qualities, attributes and characteristics. Engaging in violence only creates more violence and escalates more conflict that never ends.

Should local governments transfer these statues to special historical cemeteries instead of keeping them in highly visible areas? Do they honestly represent American history and the nation's heritage for the public to reflect upon? Or should local governments obliterate these statues because they truly represent violence, bigotry, and intolerance?
Liberty County Judge Jay Knight has issued a mandatory evacuation for residents in all low-lying areas in the unincorporated portions of the county that are prone to flooding along the Trinity River.

The judge also has ordered a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew to be in place for all unincorporated areas of the county until further notice.
Mayra Beltran/Staff

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice says it is closely monitoring flooding conditions at the three Dayton prisons, but as of Monday afternoon, prisoners are safe and dry.

"Right now we are not planning on transferring or moving any offenders from those facilities," said Robert Hurst, TDCJ spokesperson. "Everything is status quo."
Now Playing: Crosby resident Tyler Forrest captured a buck crossing through Friendswood floodwaters while rescuing residents with his boat on Saturday, Aug. 27. Video by Tyler Forrest/Facebook Video: Houston Chronicle

In between boat rescues, a volunteer from Crosby captured a buck crossing through Friendswood floodwaters near the intersection of FM 528 and Bay Area Boulevard.

Tyler Forrest and his friend launched his boat at the Jack in the Box restaurant at that intersection at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Katy Mayor Chuck Brawner has instituted a dusk to dawn curfew "to protect our citizens and property from unauthorized individuals entering our city," he said in a statement released Monday.

"Please help us by watching your neighbors' homes and property from individuals you do not recognize," Brawner said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate 3 1 of 3 City of Richmond Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Fort Bend County Fair Association Show More Show Less 3 of 3





Richmond City Commission recently approved the installation of a Second Street gate outfall, which will help protect Wessendorff Park and its trails system from becoming damaged by Brazos River flooding.

"In 2015 and 2016, Wessendorff Park was flooded due to the high levels in the Brazos River back-feeding into the park through the outfall on Second Street," said Public Works Director Howard Christian. "Installing an outfall gate will help prevent the park flooding from the river rising when there is no local flooding."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Thousands of would-be cruise ship passengers have had their dream vacations cancelled due to the devastating hurricane that wracked the Texas coast this week.

With some 20,000 passengers on four cruise ships stuck at sea after Hurricane Harvey's wrath shuttered the Port of Galveston, thousands spent the weekend in limbo as they waited for their ships to come in.

THE LATEST: Get rolling updates, photos on Hurricane Harvey here

But on Monday, Carnival announced the cancellation of three trips on those same ships originally set to push off Saturday and Sunday.

"Based on the uncertainty of when specifically the ships will be able to dock in Galveston, the Aug. 26 sailings of Carnival Valor and Carnival Freedom, and the Aug. 27 voyage of Carnival Breeze, are now cancelled," the company said in a statement. "A full refund will be provided to all guests who were scheduled on these cruises. Additionally, a 25 percent future cruise credit will be applied to their next reservation with Carnival if booked within the next 60 days."

The three Carnival ships prevented from porting were forced to dock in New Orleans to replenish supplies, and guests will be able to either disembark there and return home on their own or else stay on the ship. But the ships still can't come in to Galveston, where thousands of passengers' cars are waiting in lots on the low-lying side of the island.

READER PHOTOS: Here's what Houston Chronicle readers are seeing

Cruising is big business for Galveston, which reported nearly 1.1 million passengers through the first seven months of this year, an increase of 8 percent from the same period last year.

More than 1.7 million passengers set sail in 2016 on cruises from Galveston, and an expanded cruise terminal also opened last year.

The would-be cruisers in Galveston this past weekend traded their tropical vacation for Harvey. Some remain stranded at the island's hotels on Monday.

"We have quite a few people that were hoping to go out on one of those cruise ships over the weekend. Some of them are making the best of it," said Steve Cunningham, complex general manager for Hotel Galvez & Spa, The Tremont House and Harbor House Hotel & Marina.

He bought board games and playing cards for guests, so many are hanging out in the hotel lobbies playing games and enjoying a cocktail. Others would like to go home, but flooded roadways prevent them from leaving.

MORE: Southwest, United flights help hundreds of passengers out of Houston's closed airports

Cunningham said one couple is going to stick around until next weekend to try and catch a cruise scheduled to depart then. Others are taking refunds or rescheduling their vacations.

In the meantime, they're using breaks in the rain to explore Galveston.

"We're hoping more restaurants and attractions down here will get open in the next day or so," he said.

At the San Luis Resort - the erstwhile fort that's now a posh hotel situated on the high side of the island - some of the waiting cruise ships passengers have helped keep business bustling.

"We do have people checking in waiting for cruises," said a front desk worker, who also confirmed that there are still some rooms available.

A San Antonio man and his wife were among the disappointed cruise-goers holed up at the hotel.

The pair initially drove from Bexar County Saturday after Royal Caribbean told them the cruise was still on. Worried about losing the $1,600 they shelled out for the trip, they decided to head to Galveston as planned.

"Right now we're sitting it out waiting," he said, adding that he was annoyed the cruise line had waited till the last minute to cancel. "I understand they are a company and are probably self-insured, but when they put people in harm's way it's a different ballgame."

Now, the thwarted vacationers are stuck.

"All the roads are blocked and we can't get out," he said.

But other groups - including island residents seeking refuge, hotel employees and first responders - are also taking up temporary residence in the ritzy resort.

CAJUN NAVY: Louisiana neighbors come to Houston to help rescue victims

"Everybody knows that these properties are the highest on the island," said one hotel employee.

The Royal Caribbean cruise caught up in the chaos of the storm rerouted to Miami, and the trip scheduled to leave Sunday was also cancelled. A spokesperson said guests will have their fares fully refunded and have been provided with a future cruise credit.

"The safety and well-being of our guests and team members is our foremost priority," Carnival said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by Hurricane Harvey."

The Port of Galveston remains closed Monday and is not expected to open until late this week.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Battered by Harvey, northwest Harris County responded by closing roads, schools and businesses.

Mike Baxter, the director of tourism and marketing, said there are no plans for evacuating residents as of Monday.

A Red Cross shelter has been opened in Tomball at 401 Oxford Street, near downtown. By Monday, officials said it was over capacity at around 100 people.

Due to safety concerns, CHI St. Luke's Hospital also announced on Monday that it would be evacuating about 50 patients from both the Vintage Park and Sugar Land locations to other CHI hospitals in Texas.

"Our facilities will remain on high alert through the duration of this disaster event to ensure we are prepared to continue to provide much-needed healthcare services throughout the area," wrote St. Luke's Hospital spokesman Joshua Snellgrove in an e-mail.

Both Klein and CyFair ISDs opened shelters to accept local residents displaced by the floods. Lone Star College opened its campuses to give people refuge from the storms.

Mike Baxter, the director of marketing and tourism said the water in some areas of Tomball rose over the weekend between three to four feet high or "waist deep," he said.

In response, the independent school districts of Cypress-Fairbanks, Klein, Spring, Tomball announced school closures for the entire week and plan to reopen after Labor Day on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Lone Star College also announced its campuses would be closed until Sept. 5

On Sunday, Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan urged residents not to drive and declared a local state of emergency in a written message.

"Doing this allows us to activate appropriate recovery and rehabilitation aspects of our Emergency Management Plans and initiates all state and federal mutual aid," she posted on the city web site.

On Saturday, Cy-Fair reported multiple tornadoes in the area. Jeff McShan with the Precinct 5 of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the tornadoes touched down along the Northwest Freeway and Fry Road and caused "a little damage," but did not elaborate.

Like the rest of Harris County, the northwest was under numerous tornado and flash flood watches over the past days.

Shelters in Northwest Harris County

While Harvey continues its downpour over the Houston area, school districts and other institutions are lending a hand to residents affected by floods. The following is a list of temporary shelters and embarkment sites in northwest Harris County.

Cypress-Fairbanks School District

Marzke Elementary School  13102 Jones Road, Houston, TX 77070

Morton Rank High School  21000 Franz Rd., Katy, TX 77449

Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center - 8877 Barker Cypress Rd., Cypress, TX 77433

Klein Independent School District

Klein ISD Multi-Purpose Center  7520 FM 2920, Spring, TX 77379

City of Tomball

401 Oxford St., Tomball, TX 77375

(Note: City officials have said this shelter is over capacity at around 100 people.)

Lone Star College

CyFair campus - 9191 Barker Cypress Rd., Cypress, TX 77433

Kingwood campus - 20000 Kingwood Dr., Kingwood, TX 77339

North Harris campus - 2700 WW Thorne Dr., Houston, TX 77073

(Note: College officials have said the North Harris locations is over capacity.)
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

At least eight roads have been deemed impassable in North/Northwest Montgomery County, according to Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador. Meador reported no evacuations, no flooded homes and no down trees.

He said about eight impassable roads, including at Landrum Village in Montgomery where residents are OK but unable leave due to the flooded entrance. He asked residents to stay off the roads and to stop stealing barricade and road signs.

"For goodness sakes, don't run out in that high water," Meador said. "... If you see a barricade and high-water signs, leave them alone. Don't steal or move; you could put people's life in jeopardy."

Despite flooded roads, no major damage to homes or businesses from Tropical Storm Harvey have been reported in Willis, Montgomery, or Panorama Village.

Willis

Willis Police Chief James Nowak confirmed Rogers Road near the ballparks in Willis was blocked and had at least 10 inches or more of water moving across the road. Lincoln Ridge had at least a foot of water as of 10:50 a.m. and is not impassable.

"Things are changing as we get more rain," Nowak said.

Willis City Administrator Hector Forestier estimates about 11-12 inches of rainfall since then-Hurricane Harvey hit the area this week.

"We have had an abnormal amount of rainfall; however, it is draining pretty well. We have had some issues here and there, but other than that, lift stations are working well (but there will be some issues here and there). Now hopefully with this break in the rain hopefully everything will come back to normal for a little while, and get ready for the next 24 hours or so."

He noted there may be some issues although drainage and paving projects have helped.

"With the rainfall with the way it is coming down we may have some issues inside the city limits. However, once it stops the drainage is pretty good because of the work we've done for the last several years. Drainage and paving goes hand in hand. Streets like Longstreet, Paddock, when I drove by there yesterday and this morning, you can tell it is doing its job but it is too much water."

Non-emergency phone calls can be made to the Willis Police Department at 936-856-4039. The call will be forwarded to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office after business hours to a dispatcher who will be able to assist with the call.

Montgomery

Officials reported Harvey caused some temporary road closures on FM 149 before Lone Star Parkway and before Simonton due to high water. However, as of noon he said the roads were reopened. Montgomery Police Chief Jim Napolitano noted the roads are subject to closure again depending on the inclement weather.

A tree was also reported down at Caroline Street. Entergy crews were working on shutting off the electricity to the wires for city officials to move the tree as of noon on Sunday.

Panorama Village

Panorama Village officials reported some flooded streets in the city from an estimated 6 inches of rain. A barricade has been set up on Indian Wells. No homes have been flooded, according to Mayor Lynn Scott. He does not anticipate any evacuations will be needed. City Hall, which has a generator, will be open in the case of power outage for residents to be able to charge batteries and oxygen tanks, according to Scott.

NORTH MONTGOMERY COUNTY WITH HIGH WATER::

This list was last updated at 11 a.m. Sunday.

19200 block of Meadowlake Road - 2 inches of water

Old 105 at South Duck Creek Road - about 1 foot of wawter

Old Highway 105 at Morrell Road and Daw Collins Road- 3 feet of water

North of 15881 Rogers Road - more than 2 feet of water

McRae Lake at South Lake Shore Drive - 3-foot by 1-foot sinkhole reported, may continue to grow

County Line Road east of David Moore - 18 inches of water rising swiftly

Royal Creek Road at Royal Campbell Drive - 2 to 3 feet of water

Interstate 45 northbound feeder at Lincoln Ridge - 12 inches of water

Calvary Road at Amblewood Street - 1 foot of water

FM 1097 at Running Bear Drive - 1 foot of water

County Line Road at Cedar Lane Loop - rushing water, about 1 foot

River Plantation Drive at Stonewall Jackson Drive - 1 foot and rushing

Indian Wells Lane from Westchester Drive to Hanover Lane - unknown how deep

FS 204A to FM 1375 - 8 inches and rushing
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

La Porte firefighters and a Harris County hazmat team have contained a chemical spill Monday after a pipeline ruptured on the northeast side of La Porte in the petrochemical district about 20 miles east of downtown Houston.

Around 4:30 p.m. Monday, residents of La Porte, Baytown and Shoreacres were warned to shelter in place - meaning they should stay inside, shut off air conditioning and close doors and windows.

La Porte police and the city of Shoreacres signaled shortly after 7 p.m. that the incident was resolved. No injuries were reported.

"We have given the all clear," La Porte Police Sgt. Bennie Boles said in a statement. "Roadways are opened."

"The chemical release has been contained," the city of Shoreacres said in a release from the Harris County emergency management office.

The chemical that leaked just north of the interchange between Texas 225 and Texas 146 was anhydrous hydrogen chloride, "which presents symptoms of eye, throat, and nasal irritation," according to a statement issued by the city of La Porte.

A federal safety guide identifies hydrogen chloride as a corrosive poison gas that "can cause serious or permanent injury." The guide describes the chemical as a "colorless gas with a sharp, pungent odor." The non-flammable substance is part of the manufacturing process for "rubber, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and in gasoline refining and metals processing."

Residents were ordered to shelter in place on La Porte's northeast side, in the area contained by Farrington Road on the west, North Avenue H on the south and Texas 146 on the east.

As a result, the city of Baytown said the Fred Hartman Bridge was closed over the Houston Ship Channel.

A hazmat team from the Harris County Fire Marshal's Office was on scene by 6:30 p.m., agency spokeswoman Rachel Moreno said. They worked with local firefighters and the pipeline company, as Harris County pollution control officials monitored air quality.

"Our team has cleared the scene and is headed home," Moreno said about 7:30 p.m.

La Porte residents had started posting on the city's Facebook page about 5 p.m. asking why sirens were going off and seeking information. The city did not post about the shelter-in-place order until after 5:30 p.m.

Amy Martin, a La Porte resident, said she received an automated text message, phone call and email from the city with instructions to shelter in place because of a "chemical emergency."

The outdoor sirens began to sound a few minutes later, Martin said. She added that she shut off her air conditioning, as instructed, and had yet to get the all-clear as of 6:20 p.m.

A local TV station reported that the spill came from a Valero pipeline, but a company spokeswoman said the incident did not involve the company's infrastructure.

"It's not our asset," Valero spokeswoman Lillian Riojas told the Chronicle in an email. "Hopefully the city of La Porte can identify the company."

The La Porte Police Department did not identify the owner but said that "the company responsible for the line and the cause of the leak is being investigated and will be determined at a later date."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ROCKPORT - On Sunday morning, Houston plumber Danny Brown and his companion, Alita Miller, were literally picking up the pieces of the battered house that sheltered them through 14 hours of Hurricane Harvey.

The 108 mph winds that smashed this bayside community when Harvey came ashore Friday night had ripped off a large section of their living-room roof, forcing Brown and Miller to flee from the home set on pilings 12 feet above the ground.

The force of the wind prevented them from opening the front door, so they made their escape from the rear deck of the house, down a ladder and into one of their trucks.

"Everything was crashing, the house next door was getting blown off its foundation, the trees were cracking. The rain was torrential, for hours, and it was still in my head last night when I was trying to sleep," Brown said. "I was just so scared; that noise was 14 hours nonstop, with wind, rain, stuff blowing, metal flying everywhere."

The couple climbed into the back of a Chevy Suburban parked next to the shop behind the house and held on to each other.

At one point, they saw the chimney pipe fly by, ripped from the wood-burning stove they used to heat the home. Then, a thick limb snapped off from one of the trees lining the driveway and out the rear window.

"The scariest moment was looking at Danny's face, and I could see he was scared. I knew we were in trouble," Miller said Sunday.

So they moved again, this time into the sturdy workshop behind the house, where Brown rested in the front seat of the 1938 Ford Coupe he has restored. It, and the more than 600 bobble-head dolls he has displayed on the wall, were unscathed.

On Sunday morning, Brown, Miller and a friend were taking inventory of the damage.

The metal roofing on the deck was gone. Water was still pooled in the living room beneath the gaping holes in the roof. Outside, a carport next to the workshop had collapsed, and a storage shed had been blown open by the winds.

Three years ago, Brown, who owns Pure Plumbing in Houston, bought the house and the 3-acre tract on which it sat after he was told about a "quirky" trailer home that had been installed high on pilings and had a deck wrapped around it.

He and Miller decorated their home with eclectic Mexican folk art and sculptures, and enlarged a room in the carport beneath the deck where Miller - a chef and caterer - dished up smoked meats prepared on a trio of barbecue pits.

Brown, who did not carry insurance on the home, says he will find the money to get the house back in shape.

"We'll be all right," he said. "It is what it is, and we'll rebuild. We lost a little bit, compared to others."

Brown knows the decision to stay will be questioned, but he wasn't overly worried about a storm that for days struggled to become organized. Harvey, in little more than two days, built from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane. Instead of leaving, they bought beer and meat to grill.

"Next time I'll get more beer and steaks," Miller joked before turning serious. "The words thankful and grateful don't come close."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Initially told to stay put through Harvey, Greenspoint-area apartment residents had little time to decide whether to evacuate when Houston police came knocking late Saturday, urging first-floor residents to seek shelter from the rain threatening to inundate their neighborhood for the second time in as many years.

By sunrise Sunday, overflow from Greens Bayou was again gushing into many of the roughly 2,000 area apartments that took on water 16 months ago, with no respite in sight.

Residents met the floodwater with mixed emotions Sunday. Many newcomers dreaded its continued rise or wished they had left sooner; longtime residents accepted Tropical Storm Harvey's wrath with resignation.

"For now, I'm not scared or nervous," 35-year-old Wilmer Pavon said in Spanish, over pounding rain that by afternoon had brought 3 feet of water into the courtyard below his second-floor apartment, where a half-dozen downstairs neighbors had taken refuge.

Pavon had done this before, and if this was God's will, he had thought the day before, there would be no escape.

Indeed, Greenspoint was just one of many communities devastated as Harvey blanketed Houston with the worst flooding in the city's history Sunday.

But, here at least, catastrophe was all too expected.

Flooding has become part of the bargain in this predominantly low-income Houston neighborhood south of Bush Intercontinental Airport, where cheap rent ties many families to living in a flood zone and beckons those who don't know any better.

Last year's flood sparked talks of buying out one of the most vulnerable complexes - a federally subsidized development named Arbor Court - but the city never followed through, and management rebuilt.

So did the owners of the 16 other apartment complexes that flooded last year.

'I regret coming here'

New Greenspoint tenants Passion Johnson and Hytiesse Baugh made sure to ask about flood risk before moving into a first-floor unit at the Royal Phoenician apartments in April and remembered being told it wouldn't be a problem.

But there they were, at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, staring out from their patio at floodwater gushing faster and higher down the street just feet away.

"I remember asking, and I don't feel like it was the truth," Johnson said. "If you're trying to move they'll tell you anything, but I regret coming here."

Little more than an hour earlier, Baugh, Johnson's girlfriend, realized they had made a mistake by not evacuating.

"We should have gone when the police knocked on the door," the 24-year-old cashier at Bush Intercontinental Airport said, eyes fixed on the pounding rain.

Elsewhere in their complex, closer to Greens Bayou, cars and apartments already were inundated, again, and the street out front was impassable.

"I don't know what to do," Baugh said. "I want to leave, but it's raining too hard. Then I don't want to leave my stuff."

Four miles away, occupancy at the Red Cross shelter at M.O. Campbell Education Center ballooned from 350 people midmorning to more than 600 in the early afternoon.

"They're coming in in droves," shelter manager Jerry Fennell said, but street flooding was making it difficult to get food to the shelter. "The logistics of getting supplies is the big problem."

Neighbors offer help

Continued, drenching rain also stymied residents attempting to rescue their neighbors Sunday afternoon.

"A lot of us thought it wasn't going to get this bad," said Dalid Menjivar, 23, who left her nearby mobile home to lend a hand.

Waist-deep water rushing across Greens Road prevented all but a jet ski towing two kayaks from forging deeper into the floodwater engulfing several apartment complexes.

"It's heartbreaking to know there are still people in there who can't come out," Menjivar said. "We try to help as much as we can, but there's only so much you can do."

Security guard Marcus Haywood had been assisting residents for eight hours and was adamant no one would get swept away by the current.

"I will seriously put you in handcuffs," he said to a woman contemplating crossing.

With no police or official rescue vehicles in sight, Haywood was trying to organize more residents to bring jet skis.

"I know how bad it's gonna be," he said, "and this water is not going to go anywhere at all."
If a horrific storm and thousands of rescue missions were not enough to occupy city officials, Houston now is scrambling to keep one of its three key drinking water plants online.

Rising levels in nearby Lake Houston submerged the city's Northeast Water Purification Plant about 6 p.m. Sunday, Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

"What that means is that we're trying to pump it out ... so that it doesn't cause the northeast water plant to go down," Turner said. "If we can't get it out, it will have an impact in our system."

Sources with knowledge of the situation said they expect the plant to go offline Friday, and said they were surprised it had not shut down earlier. If that occurs, residents in north Houston may receive orders to boil their water before using it.

That is because areas close to the northeast plant may have to pull water from distant sources, dropping the pressure in the lines and making it more likely the untreated groundwater or floodwaters could force its way into the pipes.

City spokesman Michael Walter said he could not confirm concerns about the plant's viability and said officials now are focusing on working with area chemical plants to obtain the pumps those facilities use in such incidents.

"We are waiting to hear about the status of the operation and then if there's any action that needs to be taken we'll announce that to the community," he said.

Shortly after 2 p.m., public works sent out an alert saying that "while (the northeast plant) remains operational, we are asking people to minimize water use at this time."

Howard Hilliard, chief administrative officer for the Department of Public Works and Engineering, said a key challenge is successfully pumping flood water far enough away from the facility that it does not simply flow back in.

"The plant is underwater and they can't get to the equipment, the filters, the pumps and such, to be able to do any adjustments or any maintenance on those pieces of equipment," he said. "We are continuing to come up with potential solutions to pump that water out."

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said the plant was "functioning with good pressure and effective treatment" as of 3:30 p.m. and that city officials were communicating frequently with the TCEQ about the facility.

"The operators have taken protective measures against flooding and are working with the state for continued safe operation of the facility," she said.

Wayne Klotz, a Houston civil engineer, said it is not guaranteed that Houstonians will need to boil their water if the plant goes down. The plant has been shuttered before, he added, when floods upstream made the Lake Houston water cloudy with sediment and difficult to treat.

"They have plenty of capacity at their other two water plants, they have water wells across the city they can operate on for a period of time," he said. "The average citizen would never know it changed. They've got so many ways to feed that system I'd be shocked if they had pressure issues at this point."
Now Playing: Drone video provided by Aaron Benzel shows widespread flooding near Tomball and Cypress Creek parkways in Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Video: Houston Chronicle

Large portions of the greater Houston area are now underwater as Hurricane Harvey continues to dump record rainfall on the region.

Drone footage captured by Aaron Benzel shows shows floodwaters covering land in northwest Harris County near Tomball and Cypress Creek parkways. Trunks of trees stories high are completely submerged in some of the flooded area.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

With the Houston area under water for the third straight day, emergency crews rescued thousands of people with boats and helicopters as suburban leaders ordered massive evacuations over fears that levies would give way under the force of flooded waterways.

Much of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties were evacuated as the rain-swollen Brazos River was expected to approach historic flood levels Tuesday, and two subdivisions in northern Harris County were evacuated late Monday amid similar concerns over aging levies.

Rains, sometimes heavy, are expected to continue throughout the area perhaps into next week, reaching up to 50 inches over the upper Texas coast, including the Houston-Galveston area.

"This is a landmark event," said Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long after making a plea for help from the public. "We have not seen an event like this. You could not dream this forecast up."

Across the state, up to 30,000 people may need shelter and perhaps 450,000 could be eligible for federal flood victim assistance, Long said. The other numbers from Monday were equally stunning: 8,000 rescues in the Houston area and 12,000 guardsmen deployed statewide by Monday.

Dramatic rescues across the Houston region stretched from Dickinson near Galveston  where people were pulled by boat then airlifted to safety  across the Houston area and into the northwest Harris County, where officials began releasing water from two reservoirs into Buffalo Bayou.

Up to 200 homes were already flooding upstream from the Barker and Addicks reservoirs in northwest Harris County Flooding was reported late Monday.

At least eight people are believed to have died in Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, and a Houston family of six was reported missing after driving into floodwaters near Greens Bayou.

The days of turmoil took their toll on Houston.

"I'm angry. I'm stressed. I'm outraged," said Luis Morales, who waded through water almost up to his neck pulling a boat carrying his wife and two young sons. "Everything."

RESERVOIRS: Harvey flooding forces release from Addicks and Barker

As the San Jacinto River overflowed into homes and the Brazos River rose, officials from as far north as Humble and as far south as Galveston County cleared out neighborhoods, warning that those who did not heed orders might be on their own as floodwaters deepen in coming days.

In Humble, police went door to door in the Northshire subdivision, urging stunned residents to get out before they opened the floodgates at Lake Conroe, sending water downstream. Conroe cleared out the McDade Estates neighborhood and recommended evacuations for a half-dozen more.

By the afternoon, Brazoria County officials were warning that imminent, widespread flooding expected there Wednesday likely would be significantly worse than in 2016, when the Brazos River spilled over and left swaths of the region under water.

By 3:30 a.m. Monday in Fort Bend County, officials already were sounding the alarms. Voluntary evacuations announced for the Sienna Plantation neighborhood were made mandatory Monday morning.

"If people need to get out, now is definitely the time," said Alan Spears, deputy emergency management coordinator of Fort Bend County. "If the water is down, take that opportunity and leave."

People tried to leave Houston on its vast network of highways, but many ran into floodwaters lingering from days of torrential rains. Although some made it out, others turned back to the homes they abandoned hours earlier, planning to wait out the storm.

Houston's emergency response network remained strapped to the point that officials asked for anyone with a boat to come help people stranded in high water.

"Please don't give up on us," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "None of us will give up."

Harvey hit the Gulf Coast late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and then stalled into a tropical storm, sending bands of heavy rain toward the Houston area. Torrential rains late Saturday into Sunday inundated the city, and brief respites Monday allowed some streets to clear.

Still, more than 130,000 CenterPoint customers were without power by Monday night, with crews unable to get to some affected areas. Houston TranStar was reporting 343 high water locations along major roads in the area, with hundreds more residential streets submerged.

Most rivers, creeks and bayous tracked by regional flood management officials were showing historic water volumes.

Spring Creek, running along north Harris and south Montgomery counties, had reached a major flood stage Sunday evening and was expected to crest late Monday, putting at risk residents of more than two dozen neighborhoods in The Woodlands and Spring areas on either side of Interstate 45. Voluntary evacuations were recommended.

RESOURCES: Stay up-to-date with forecasts, traffic reports, water levels, etc.

No point on the compass was spared. Most everyone in the greater Houston area and points beyond woke up Monday to yet another day of life-threatening conditions.

So many people went to the Greenspoint-area shelter at the M.O. Campbell Education Center that they ran out of space and supplies and started busing them to the larger George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. Shelters in Austin and San Antonio also took in some Houston residents.

Dickinson, in Galveston County, was among the hardest hit.

Debbie Barlow, however, refused to budge from the second floor of her elevated home on Deats Road. The city of Dickinson had put out a mandatory evacuation order but Barlow said she wasn't going anywhere.

"We don't feel invincible, but we feel like we're going to be okay," the 46-year-old said. "We have the third floor."

Pat Deeves, 63, spent Monday cleaning out her four-bedroom home in the Maplewood South neighborhood south of Brays Bayou.

After spending Sunday getting out the 6.5 inches of water she and her husband, Sheldon Bloch got in their home, they spent Monday pulling items out of closets.

"A lot of it is just a wadded up mess," she said.

But it wasn't been all bad. She found two handwritten letters from her grandmother  one from 1979 and the other from 1982  that she didn't know she had. And they were still dry.

The luckier area residents included countless thousands who had to cope with one more round of flooded cars and carpets. Even those for the moment dry or mostly so were not confident they'd been spared.

Whatever happens in the next day or two, Harvey has hit the record books, surpassing Tropical Storm Allison which inundated the city in 2001.

Cody Pendergraft, who lives a few miles west of the Brazos River in West Columbia, fled his home Monday morning for refuge at his aunt's house in Angleton. He packed a camper with clothes and hauled it to the Brazoria County Fairgrounds, where about 50 trailers were parked in an area expected to stay dry.

"It shows no mercy when it starts coming down here," Pendergraft, 31, said. "I don't think anybody really knows how bad it's going to be."

POWER OUTAGES: More problems reported as flooding continues

Reporters Emily Foxhall, Lomi Kriel, Mike Morris, Jacob Carpenter, St. John Barned-Smith, Lydia DePillis, Mike Glenn, Mike Tolson and Lindsay Ellis contributed to this story.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Fort Bend and Brazoria County Monday as the Brazos River rose toward historic heights, putting a string of levees at risk of failure.

The amount of water expected to hit Fort Bend County by late Tuesday could reach levels seen only about once ever 800 years.

"It's a true disaster," County Judge Robert Hebert said.

The coming danger sent ripples across the county southwest of Houston. People fled to friends' homes. Hotels booked. Shelters continued to open to try to keep up with the demand. Those evacuating were urged to head north or west.

The water in the Brazos would carry next toward Brazoria County, where officials likewise warned Monday that imminent, widespread flooding in the central and western part of the county would be significantly worse than had been previously seen.

Projections show the Brazos River will reach roughly the same levels there as 2016, but with a significant difference: In 2016, the county was dry when the river broke its banks. This week, following enormous amounts of rain, the river is expected to flood into areas already inundated with rainwater and runoff from nearby creeks. The San Bernard River is also expected to flood in Brazoria County.

"Waters will rise faster," Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta said. "Rivers will accelerate through the floodplain faster."

FACT CHECKING: Officials debunk rumors about Conroe dam integrity

In a 100-year-flood, the Brazos would carry 56 feet of water at the measurement point in Richmond, the county seat.

Federal law requires that levee systems be built to withstand heights three feet above that. To accommodate for continued development along the watershed, the county requires a fourth foot, making levees legally required to be able to withstand 60 feet.

If water breaches the levees, it could them to break, allowing water to come rushing through into neighboring communities.

County officials ordered emergency evacuations.

"That's the risk we can't take," Hebert said. "The risk to lives."

'A NEW AND DIFFERENT NORMAL': Abbott ups Harvey mobilization to 12,000 National Guard troops

The operations center was in high gear Monday, however, with other protective measures also underway. An emergency berm was built to help protect the jail and other facilities. A bridge that was under construction to be protected against further river damage was being shut down.

Parts of Brazoria County to the south, meanwhile, started to flood in pockets Monday, as county officials made a final plea for residents in the mandatory evacuation zone also to leave the region.

The evacuation zone included virtually all areas west of Highway 288, covering the entire western half of the county.

Sebesta said residents should not expect to be able to leave or return to the area for days once the Brazos River spills over. And unlike last year, when the state sent 300 people to assist, local officials are not expecting significant state help given disaster conditions across the region.

"If you stay and you're caught by rising waters, it may take a while to get to you," Sebesta said.

Officials could only hope people heeded their warnings.

FORECAST: A weary Houston likely to endure catastrophic flooding through Wednesday

In Brazoria, Johnny Penney, 43, said the Brazos River was threatening Monday afternoon when he crossed over on Highway 35 near West Columbia. The river's water had started turning red.

"That's when you know it's going to be bad," Penney said.

AROUND HOUSTON: Pasadena neighborhoods suffer catastrophic flooding, shelters open

Until Monday, Linda Haskovec was hopeful her home in Columbia Lakes, about a mile west of the river, would avoid major damage. Her home didn't take on water in 2016, despite its proximity to the Brazos.

But Haskovec's neighbors reported Monday morning that water had started approaching homes  even before the river flooded its banks. She now worries about Brazoria County struggling to rebuild at the same time Houston is recovering.

"It's not as populated here as a metropolitan area, but this could create a lot of problems," Haskovec, 56, said. "Especially since it's affected Houston so much, we're all going to need so many things, there's no way to know how it's going to go for us."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Major grocers and retailers in the Houston area were forced to close most or all stores Sunday after Harvey slammed the city overnight.

H-E-B operated some Houston-area stores until 3 p.m. Its store at Braeswood and Chimney Rock, however, remained closed as Brays Bayou overflowed, forcing residents to escape in boats and helicopters. It also closed its Central Market store on Westheimer.

READ MORE HERE: Tropical Storm Harvey unleashes historic flooding in Houston area

Fiesta Mart, which has stores in several neighborhoods devastated by flooding, kept some locations open until 3 p.m. Sunday.

Randalls managed to open three Houston locations and one in Cypress until early Sunday evening. Its other local store remained closed.

Other retailers weren't nearly as fortunate. Harvey inundated the city with record-setting intensity, destroying infrastructure, flooding homes and businesses, and forcing residents to flee by any means possible.

Walmart, which mobilized its emergency response center Friday, kept most of its Houston-area stores closed amid flooding, power outages and road closures. The company sent nearly 800 truckloads of water and emergency supplies to Texas as the storm rolled inland, and it expects to send another 1,700 truckloads of water within the next week.

Home Depot closed all of its Houston-area stores. So did Lowes and Target.

WIDESPREAD RESCUES: Emergency crews are busy all over the Texas coast

All Kroger stores in the Houston area remained closed Sunday. Some might reopen Monday if conditions allow, the company said.

Local malls shut down. The Galleria, in an area known to flood, posted an optimistic notice that it will open at 10 a.m. Monday.

Even storefronts in drier neighborhoods such as the Heights flooded as water seeped under doors and pooled on side streets. High water destroyed some gas stations, restaurants and businesses in the most flooded areas.

Grant Pinkerton, however, wouldn't let the threat of a storm keep him from firing up the smokers. In true Texas fashion, he opened the doors to his namesake barbecue joint on Airline Drive in the dark hours of Sunday morning, and people stranded in their cars dried off inside as he cooked what he thought would be enough meat.

At 9:30 a.m., he started dishing up pork, brisket and sausage. A sign on the door read "Come hell or high water, we will have BBQ, liquor and AC."

By evening Sunday, the line pushed past the door. He had nearly run out meat.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A photo of a Texas lawman has gone viral. The image shows Harris County Deputy Sheriff Robert Goerlitz falling asleep while sitting up in uniform following a full day of helping Hurricane Harvey victims.

Goerlitz finally got some well-earned rest after helping people affected by the hurricane on Sunday. Reddit user colby979 - who owns the photo and wished to remain unidentified, put the photo online in a post titled, "This policeman worked countless hours helping victims of Hurricane Harvey until he passed out."

FLOODED: Conroe calls for major evacuations amid record release from Lake Conroe

Not only is Goerlitz in full uniform, he's also wearing waders and using a bag of charcoal to rest his arm. He's surrounded by tools and water containers.

Redditors on the thread responded by thanking officers for their hard work during the hurricane.

"My son is a deputy constable with Harris County Precinct 5. He just got off a 26-hour shift and was told to go home and rest but he is on call," one Redditor said in the thread. "It is mayhem out there. Those guys work so hard. It is not an easy area to work especially under these circumstances but they do a great job."

"Please know that everyone knows how hard you guys are working to mitigate this mess, and we're extremely thankful for it," said another commenter on the thread.

TRACKING HARVEY: Houston area records record rainfall after Harvey hits

Chron.com has reached out to the Harris County Sheriff's Office for comment.

Houston has been hit hard by Hurricane Harvey over the weekend. George Bush Intercontinental Airport recorded 24.79 inches of rain while Hobby airport recorded 15.35 inches of rain since Saturday evening.

See more images from the flooding above.
Harris County's Juvenile Justice Center, an eight-story courthouse in downtown Houston that houses several courtrooms, county offices and a jail with about 200 juveniles is flooding from a roof leak, county officials said Monday.

Officials said the juveniles who are behind bars are not in danger, but the situation is perilous because the courthouse has become the lynchpin in the way suspects, both adults and juveniles, are processed in and out the county's jail complex, the largest jail in Texas.

The courthouse at 1201 Congress became the center of Harris County's criminal justice system over the weekend when it was overtaken by court officials and the district attorney's office to maintain Houston's 24-hour magistrate courts.

Typically, people arrested across the county see a judge before being processed into the jail, which means low-level offenders and those who can bail out, are not jailed. If the magistrate courts stop working, the jail complex, which holds between 8,000 and 10,000 inmates would swell with suspects who are unlikely to get to court until the storm waters start to recede.

The magistrate courts, which usually are housed on the first floor of the 20-story criminal courthouse at 1201 Franklin, were moved over the weekend to the smaller courthouse a block away after the basement and first floor of the main courthouse flooded.

With news that the juvenile courthouse began flooding Monday, there is concern over how to keep the local criminal justice system on track.

Harris County District Clerk Chris Daniel said courtrooms and offices in the smaller courthouse are seeing massive flooding but the juveniles who are behind bars are not in jeopardy because of the way the building was constructed.

"It's bifurcated," he said. "It's one building, but it's split in two."

He said the concrete block construction of the jail has insulated it from flooding, while the less secure roof over the courtrooms and the floors on each of the eight stories are waterlogged with sections breaking off and falling down.

"Floor by floor, the water is coming in and flushing out the tiles of the floors above, letting water flood the next floor," he said. "Because it's collapsed in enough places, water is just free falling from the eighth floor to the rest of the floors."

Daniel said County Judge Ed Emmett has been made aware of the situation and the county's Facilities and Property Management agency is working on the problem.

"If we don't do something soon, it'll be toast," Daniel said.

Daniel also said the county's main chiller is not working so there is no air conditioning in the humid offices and courts. He said the juvenile jail has generators that run air-conditioning for the people behind bars.

Juvenile Judge Mike Schneider confirmed the reports and said county officials are trying to get a handle on how bad the damage is.

"Apparently, parts of the roof collapsed," he said. "And there's flooding on parts of all nine floors."

He confirmed there were about 200 juveniles in the jail at last count.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said early Monday that the main jail complex, which is on the other side of Buffalo Bayou from the courthouses, is operating smoothly.

brian.rogers@chron.com

twitter.com/brianjrogers
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON - Gov. Greg Abbott loaded heavy praise Sunday on President Donald Trump and the federal government for its response to Hurricane Harvey, describing an "A-plus" effort with the storm only just beginning to take its catastrophic toll.

Trump agreed his administration was handling its responsibilities well, approving of the effort in a series of weekend tweets that showcased his personal involvement. He marveled over the size of the storm like a TV host and, in a tangential aside, hawked a book on race and crime in America written by a supporter.

Trump, who spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, promised to travel to Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" and convened a Cabinet meeting by telephone Sunday with Vice President Mike Pence.

The devastating storm has dumped more than 2 feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a "landmark event" that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.

"I've got to tell you, I give FEMA a grade of A&, all the way from the president down," Abbott said. "I've spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of FEMA, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services."

"All across the board, from the White House to the federal administration to FEMA, they've been very helpful," Abbott said.

Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. Abbott said he expected heavy rain "for days to come."

Not in inches, but feet

The governor commended Trump for being "extremely professional, very helpful" in moving quickly to grant his request Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.

Abbott said the focus was on rescue in the Houston area, citing multiple high-level vehicles sent in late Saturday night that were being manned by the National Guard, but that boats and helicopters will be available all across east Texas for swift water rescue. Still, in many areas, Houston officials were reporting flooding so widespread that rescuers were getting too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.

"We're measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet," Abbott said.

In his tweets, Trump praised Long for "doing a great job" and touted the "great coordination between agencies at all levels of government." He also tweeted Sunday morning about his Cabinet meeting to address Harvey. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, is currently without a secretary.

"Major rescue operations underway!" he wrote.

Trump's tweets also had their oddities and non-sequiturs. "Wow - Now experts are calling (hash)Harvey a once in 500 year flood! We have an all out effort going, and going well!" he tweeted.

He also tweeted about the North America Free Trade agreement, the need for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and tax cuts. He also found time to promote a book by Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff David Clarke, a Trump supporter often on television discussing his conservative views of race, crime and law enforcement.

The White House released a summary of the Cabinet conference call, saying Trump "continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives."

Contrasting Katrina

The Trump administration efforts seek to offer a contrast to President George W. Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in August 2005 and left more than 1,500 dead. The mismanaged response of Bush's FEMA administrator, Michael Brown, to that hurricane, as well as Bush's praise of Brown for doing a "heck of a job" in the immediate days after, dogged Bush for the rest of his presidency.

On Sunday, Long said FEMA is now "vastly different" than in 2005 and that he has the power he needs to mobilize forces and coordinate staffing. He said the agency was already preparing to handle the aftermath in Texas for the next couple of years.

"This disaster's going to be a landmark event," Long said. "While we're focused on the response right now and helping Texas respond, we're already pushing forward recovery housing teams, we're already pushing forward forces to be on the ground to implement national flood insurance program polices as well and doing the inspections that we need."

White House homeland security adviser Tom Bossert defended the early compliments between Trump and Abbott for the response to Harvey, citing the quick action to declare a disaster before landfall to get additional resources in place. But Bossert acknowledged the worst was yet to come, estimating "continued rain, upwards of 30 inches."

"I've been around dozens and dozens of major disasters and hurricanes, hundreds of disasters. I've never seen 30 inches of rain," he said. "We're going to posture ourselves for the long-term care of the medical needy, of the elderly, of the weak and then we'll put ourselves in the position to provide the resources to rebuild and recover," he said.

Abbott spoke on ABC's "This Week" and "Fox News Sunday," Long appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press," and Bossert was on ABC and CBS' "Face the Nation."
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson became the latest and highest-ranking administration official to distance himself from President Donald Trump, saying in a Sunday interview that the president "speaks for himself" in his response to racial hatred and violence.

Tillerson was asked on "Fox News Sunday" whether he thought Trump was expressing American values of tolerance and equality in his handling of racially tinged violence during a white-supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month.

"The president speaks for himself," he said.

When host Chris Wallace then asked whether Tillerson was "separating himself" from Trump's remarks, Tillerson answered, "I've made my own comments as to our values."

That was a reference to remarks Tillerson made Aug. 18 about inclusiveness and tolerance in a discussion of racial diversity and American values. His remarks were read as implicit criticism of Trump and his assertion that "both sides" were to blame for violence that killed a woman who was protesting the white-supremacist rally.

Tiller-son's remarks followed harsh criticism of Trump from National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, who said Friday that he nearly quit over the president's handling of the events in Charlottesville.

"Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the KKK," Cohn said.

Cohn, who is Jewish, said that the administration "must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups."

Trump has condemned hate groups in the wake of Charlottesville but twice added equivocation about blame for violence and once said some "fine people" were among the white-supremacist marchers.

Tillerson did not invoke Trump or levy direct criticism then, but his discussion of "hate speech" just days after the Charlottesville rally made his meaning clear.
TOKYO - North Korea launched three ballistic missiles Tuesday morning and at least one of them flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, public broadcaster NHK reported.

It was the second time in four days that the North Korean authorities, defying an escalation in international sanctions and warnings from President Donald Trump, had launched a missile.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Vice President Mike Pence assured Texans Monday morning the federal government was "in for the long haul" in helping rebuild after Hurricane Harvey.

"President Trump has directed the full resources of the federal government to support the people of Texas," he said during an appearance on San Antonio radio station KTSA's The Trey Ware Morning Show. "Just know all of our hearts are in Texas."

Since Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast late Friday, the federal government has put more than 8,000 federal employees "on the ground" in Texas and Louisiana, to aid state and local officials in rescue efforts and distribute more than 1 million meals, as well as water, cots and blankets, Pence said.

And while the vice president assured federal financial assistance would be made available those who lost homes and businesses, he said for now their efforts are "100 percent focused on rescue efforts."

"There will be plenty of time once the floodwaters begin to recede," he said. "We'll get through this and the federal government will be there for the long haul to help rebuild Texas."

Trump is scheduled to visit Texas on Tuesday to tour those areas impacted by Harvey and meet with local officials. Pence said the details of that visit would be made public at a later time.

"The president wants to be there and make sure the families and all of those affected and our first responders know, 'we're with you,'" he said.
AUSTIN -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is already having to push back at critics who are trying to accuse him of wanting Texas to collect federal disaster relief funding for Hurricane Harvey when he voted against a bill four years ago to help New Jersey and New York recover from what became known as Super Storm Sandy.

During two different national television interviews Monday, Cruz, a Republican from Houston, was pressed on his January 2013 vote against a bill to provide relief funding to areas pounded by Sandy. And over the weekend U.S. Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., lobbed shots at Cruz on Twitter.
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
We attempted to send a notification to your email address but we were unable to verify that you provided a valid email address. Please click here to update your email address if you wish to receive notifications. Otherwise, you may click here to disable notifications and hide this message.
The New York State Workers Compensation Board will soon release updated permanent impairment guidelines as part of its 2017 workers comp reform plans, prompting a workers advocacy group to release a survey suggesting many workers believe their benefits are already inadequate.

According to the Boards Chair, Kenneth Munnelly, new permanent impairment guidelines will be adopted by January 1, 2018, and will incorporate advances in medicine that result in better healing and outcomes for injured workers to use in evaluations and determinations for schedule loss of use awards.

The Board did not comment further on the use of the generic term advances in medicine. According to Robert Grey, chairman of the Workers Compensation Alliance, the guidelines in place are based not only on the nature of the injury, but also based on the outcome of treatment  in terms of strength, mobility, etc.  so to him, they already take medical advances into account.

For example, if the modern approach to a surgery leaves the patient with greater mobility and strength than the way it was done 20 years ago, then they would correspondingly get a lower schedule loss rating today than they did then, said Grey. So, it is unclear exactly what medical advances the Board is looking at or what input it has sought or received on the subject. There has been little or no transparency in the process, at least on the injured worker side of the equation.

In response to the proposed reforms, The Workers Compensation Alliance, a coalition of injured workers and attorneys in New York, conducted a survey of 1500 injured workers (847 had a workers comp case involving a schedule loss award) this year, and found that 69 percent of injured workers believed that their schedule loss evaluation was too low under the present guidelines. In addition, 75 percent felt the award did not represent adequate compensation for their injury.

While the survey was offered online, and according to Grey, accessible to anyone who wanted to complete it, it is unknown how many responses came from member clients.

When asked how changes to the permanent impairment guidelines might affect attorneys fees, Grey stated that the coalitions political efforts are directed at preserving benefits and due process rights for injured workers; we have not and do not lobby on attorney fee issues.

According to Grey, workers compensation premiums were recently cut 4.5 percent, resulting in half a billion dollars in savings for New York employers.

The Board is also working to release a formulary for prescription medication that is expected to save another $100 million or more, said Grey. Given that picture, it is difficult to comprehend the argument that employer costs are skyrocketing and that worker benefits must be slashed, yet that is the justification that has been advanced for this project.

The guidelines will be published on September 1, 2017, according to spokesman Brian Keegan, who said the Board looks forward to the publics comments.

If the guidelines, as written, arent adopted by January 1, 2018, interim guidelines will be adopted per statutory requirement.
Texas farmers are assessing damage caused by Hurricane Harvey after it slammed into the coast, knocking over grain storage tanks and damaging cotton crops.

At least 100 cotton storage modules  capable of holding 13 to 15 bales  blew away in the Gregory area, said farmer Jeff McKamey, who owns a cotton gin that suffered minor damage when part of the piping and roof blew away. The storm hit at a time when many producers are storing excess supplies on fields following a bumper harvest. The cotton that was not swept away by the storm may have suffered damage or be too wet to gin, he said.

Weve had the most cotton ever in storage in the history of San Patricio County when the hurricane hit, McKamey said by phone. Its just the worst possible time.

Harvey slammed ashore as a Category 4 hurricane near Rockport, Texas on Friday night. The strongest storm to hit the U.S. since 2004 has since been downgraded to a tropical storm and is threatening to drop several feet of rain. Grain elevators suspended shipments earlier this week as port facilities braced for flooding, storm surges and possible power outages. Cotton and soybean futures climbed on Thursday amid the outlook for heavy rains, which could damage crops from Texas to Mississippi.

A storage tank containing sorghum at a grain elevator in the town of Odem is completely gone and at least three other tanks containing sorghum collapsed at an elevator between Taft and Gregory, McKamey said.

The storm is also striking an area home to thousands of head of cattle. Texas A&M Universitys AgriLife Extension Service is helping to set up animal sheltering sites around the state in case ranchers need to relocate cattle or other animals, said Andy Vestal, a professor and extension specialist. Some livestock owners closest to the coast have already been working to move animals to higher ground via trailers, away from low-lying areas and tributaries, he said.

Damage assessment will start as early as Sunday and teams will be available to deploy to distribute feed and portable water troughs, if necessary, Vestal said.

Weve never experienced 20 to 30 inches of rainfall in a 48-hour period, Vestal said by phone from College Station, Texas.

Elsewhere in the state, agricultural producers unscathed by the worst of the storm are hoping to resume operations. Gulf Coast Cooperative, which has a grain elevator about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside Corpus Christi, hopes to restart cotton ginning operations as early as Sunday, said general manager Chris Yaklin.

We were spared right here, Yaklin said Saturday by phone. We didnt lose power. Were in good shape.

Copyright 2022 Bloomberg.
After more than a century of building levees higher to hold back its rivers, California took another step Friday toward a flood-control policy that aims to give raging rivers more room to spread out instead.

The plan, adopted by the flood-control board for the Central Valley, a 500-mile swathe from Mount Shasta to Bakersfield that includes the states two largest rivers and the United States richest agricultural region, emphasizes flood plains, wetlands and river bypasses as well as levees.

Backers say the changing strategy will better handle the rising seas and heavier rain of climate change, which is projected to send two-thirds more water thundering down the Central Valleys San Joaquin River at times of flooding.

The idea: Spread it out, slow it down, sink it in, give the river more room, said Kris Tjernell, special assistant for water policy at Californias Natural Resources Agency.

Handled right, the effort will allow farmers and wildlife  including native species harmed by the decades of concrete-heavy flood-control projects  to make maximum use of the rivers and adjoining lands as well, supporters say.

They point to Northern Californias Yolo Bypass, which this winter again protected Californias capital, Sacramento, from near-record rains. Wetlands and flood plains in the area allow rice farmers, migratory birds and baby salmon all to thrive there.

For farmers, the plan offers help moving to crops more suitable to seasonally flooded lands along rivers, as well as payments for lending land to flood control and habitat support.

Farmers, environmental leaders and sporting and fishing groups joined in praising the plan Friday, a rarity in Californias fierce water politics. Savor the moment, Justin Fredrickson of the California Farm Bureau joked to the flood board.

Five years in negotiation, the flood proposal moves away from two overarching themes in the history of our flood management. One has been build the levees bigger and get the water out to the ocean. Another theme has been dont talk to each other, said Rene Henery, state science director for the Trout Unlimited conservation organization.

Californias Central Valley before Western settlement annually transformed into an inland sea in the rainy season. Settlers transformed the valley, building levees along the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to create land for farm fields and cities.

The state doesnt have the funding for the nearly $20 billion in projects envisioned by the plan, including thousands of acres of proposed new wetlands along the San Joaquin. But the outline is meant to guide work and funding, including $89 million the state announced for Central Valley wetlands earlier this week.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
AKRON, Ohio - Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan will speak Monday at a news conference, one day after he asked for and received the resignation of the city's police chief.

Police Chief James Nice resigned Sunday at Horrigan's request, a city spokesperson said in a statement. The statement did not say why Horrigan asked Nice to step down.

Horrigan will discuss the matter during a 12:30 p.m. news conference at the Akron Police Department. Cleveland.com will provide live video on Facebook Live.

Akron mayor discusses police chief's resignation Posted by cleveland.com on Monday, August 28, 2017

Nice's resignation comes two days after Xavier McMullen died of a gunshot wound to his head while in police custody. The 17-year-old boy was detained late Friday in connection with a robbery, police said.

Akron police officers heard a gunshot shortly after they placed the teen in a police cruiser. They found a gun near McMullen, police said.

The preliminary investigation revealed McMullen likely shot himself, but it's unclear whether that was intentional or accidental, police said.

Detectives, the police department's office of professional standards and the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the shooting.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- "What number is this piece?" I hastily whisper to my wife. "Is the unagi with fish sauce nine or ten?"



She just shrugs. Of course. She's not keeping track. I'm the one taking notes on the multi-course, omakase meal being whipped up in front of four of us at my dining-room table, courtesy of Chef Taishi Noma and his wife, Asami.



Even before the sauce's umami flavor leaves my tongue, the chef is already torching four pieces of sea bass with a butane flame-thrower.



Is there intermission?



The Kyoto-born chef, late of Ginko, a Tremont sushi bar many diners consider the city's best, had emailed me in early August. He wondered if he could demonstrate his private-dining venture, Kyonoen, launched last fall, in my house. The email didn't mention whether I would have to pay for witnessing his sushi chops.



Private-dining in one's home can be expensive. The meal he served my wife and two friends starts at $730. In end, Noma did not want to be compensated.



I've had chefs in my house before, by the way. I once challenged Claude Rodier, then Executive Chef at Sans Souci, to produce a healthful meal (i.e., no cream or red meat) from the contents of my refrigerator. The award-winning chef grabbed veggies, sauted them in olive oil and turned the shebang into a colorful summer melange, pairing it with fish.





Noma, however, wouldn't be poking around in my fridge. He and Asami hauled six or seven large bins from his car into the kitchen (removing shoes first and slipping into Crocs). Noma also unsheathed two large, custom-made knives -- their gleaming blades engraved with his initials in Japanese -- on the table.



"I sharpen them myself on a stone," he intoned.



The tall, bald chef, who is 56, speaks with a commanding voice. What he lacks in English, he makes up for in volume. He laughs when I remind him he once loudly told me at Ginko, "Sushi is one bite." I was then contemplating how to swallow a large piece of fish and rice.



"The pieces won't be so big tonight," he promised. I'm hoping they will be as good.



Six-year-old Ginko still maintains a 4.5 (out of 5) rating on Yelp a year after Noma's departure. On TripAdvisor, 99 percent rate the restaurant "very good" or "excellent." No surprise given Noma's menu remains in place, said chef and owner Dante Bocuzzi. "So much of it has become staple items that customers ask for it's hard to remove them," he acknowledged.



Though neither chef will talk about Noma's departure last year, Bocuzzi allowed that "he is very good at his craft."



Omakase is what Noma wants his private-dining business to be known for. Roughly translated, "omakase" means you're willing to leave things up to the chef. Think tasting-menu and you get the concept.



Noma launched our dinner with three palate-jolting combinations: a cucumber octopus salad (sunomono), monkfish liver with gold leaf (ankimo) and spicy cod and herring roe (mentai-kazunoko). The four of us looked at each, wondering: "What could follow that?



The chef turns food into Japanese art. A pink ginger spear transverses a wedge of miso-glazed black cod, buttressed by charred shisho peppers. The Japanese have a knack for creating small calming scenarios like this one.



Noma's family operated a family-style restaurant, though he didn't begin chef training until he was 18. He eventually left Japan to work in a South Carolina restaurant when a friend called for help. Noma was making sushi in Columbus, Ohio, when he answered an ad for a chef's job in a new Cleveland eatery called Ginko.



Next, miso (a staple seasoning in Japanese kitchens) turns up in spicy broth speckled with dried chili flakes. Nigiri sushi is Noma's chef-d'oeuvre -- so arranged as to enhance flavor and surprise palates.



He set two wooden boxes containing the fish in front of us. His butane-torch and mis-en-place (spices, garnishes sauces) are within an easy reach. Granted, it's not exactly a sushi-bar experience, but it comes close -- and Noma is merely three feet away.



Noma hands us sushi platforms garnished with bowls of soy sauce and pickled ginger. The nigiri sushi on parade included uni, snapper, maguro otoro, octopus with eel sauce, hamachi, seared mackerel, unagi with fish sauce and snow crab. He instructs us on which pieces require soy sauce -- and the proper way to use pickled ginger to "paint" the sauce on.



Green tea -- hot or cold -- would be quite suitable with the meal. However, we rinsed our tonsils with a dry Prosecco and craft beer. The Italian sparkler is a good the foil for the rich fish. Suds work, too; the best of the three with the fish was Dogfish Head's 60-Minute IPA.



Rolled sushi (the stuff wrapped in nori), incidentally, has no role in tonight's performance, which Noma described as a "very traditional" omakase menu.



"Nigiri has more flavor," he declared.



I'll give you that. I just wish I could tell you how many dang pieces to expect.

For more information on private dining and catering services by Kyoneon by Chef Taishi Noma go to chefnoma.com.

<

David Farkas is a Cleveland freelance writer and a former cleveland.com restaurant critic.
AKRON, Ohio -- The Summit County Prosecutor's Office will investigate misconduct accusations against the now-former Akron police Chief James Nice.

Mayor Dan Horrigan asked Nice to resign Sunday after the unspecified misconduct was brought to his attention, the mayor said Monday at a press conference. The allegations against Nice include conduct unbecoming of an officer, inappropriate contact with a city employee and potential criminal misconduct, Horrigan said.

Nice tendered his resignation Sunday afternoon. The mayor appointed Major Kenneth Ball as interim chief.

The allegation of conduct unbecoming of an officer relates to comments Nice made regarding an investigation into his nephew, Horrigan said. The mayor declined to provide specifics, but he noted that Nice is accused of making disrespectful remarks about other city employees.

"Making derogatory remarks about fellow officers and personnel crosses a line that's easily seen by the public, and I won't stand for it," Horrigan said.

The mayor would not comment on any of the other allegations against Nice.

A spokesman for the prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The allegations were "made casually" to an unnamed member of the police department Friday evening, Ball said during the news conference. The police department employee relayed those accusations to Ball.

Ball notified other police department supervisors, who informed the city's law department and the mayor's office. Horrigan learned of the accusations Saturday evening and asked Nice to resign the next day, the mayor said.

Ball criticized his former boss while saying other members of the department are not accused of misconduct.

"It's an embarrassment," Ball said. "It doesn't meet the standards of the Akron Police Department."

Nice behaved professionally in front of his fellow officers, Ball noted.

The mayor's office notified Akron City Council members of the misconduct allegations on Sunday, Ward 5 council representative Tara Mosley-Samples said after the press conference. The mayor's office did not offer additional details of the allegations, she said.

Mosley-Samples declined to speculate on any potential misconduct, but she said she is eager to learn the results of the investigation.

"We'll need to give the prosecutors an opportunity to do their jobs," she said.

Nice's resignation is not related to the Friday death of Xavier McMullen, Horrigan said during the news conference. The 17-year-old boy died of a gunshot wound to his head while in custody in the back of a police cruiser. The Summit County Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death a suicide on Monday.

McMullen was detained in connection with a robbery, and officers heard a gunshot shortly after they placed the teen in a police cruiser, police said. They found a gun near McMullen, police said.

Detectives, the police department's office of professional standards and the Summit County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the shooting.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit Monday's crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - One of Cleveland's preeminent civil rights attorneys and two of the city's longest serving journalists will come together Tuesday evening for a forum on this year's hotly contested mayoral race and the future of Cleveland.

James Hardiman, first vice president of the Cleveland NAACP, will join Advance Ohio's Editor and President Chris Quinn and Tom Beres, formerly WKYC Channel 3's senior political correspondent, for a discussion on the issues that matter most to Cleveland voters.

As Mayor Frank Jackson seeks an unprecedented fourth four-year term, this year's race is shaping up to be a referendum on his 12 years in office. The next mayor of Cleveland will be determined based on how well Jackson addressed issues such as gun violence, police reform, lead poisoning, and blighted housing -- and whether residents of the most depressed neighborhoods perceive City Hall to prioritize their needs over those of downtown developers.

Where will Cleveland be in four years if Jackson wins re-election? How might the city fare under the tutelage of any of his eight challengers? Join the panelists Tuesday for a discussion on these topics and more.

The forum is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Greater Cleveland, Case Western Reserve University, cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, with corporate sponsorship from First Interstate Properties, Ltd. The event will be held at CWRU's Tinkham Veale University Center.

Cleveland.com reporter Leila Atassi will be moderating the panel, which begins at 7 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

The League of Women Voters will be hosting a candidate's forum the following night at 6 p.m., at the Cleveland Public Library's main branch. So Tuesday's panel also will likely spend a portion of the event discussing the candidates' debate strategies, which were prominently on display during last week's mayoral primary debate sponsored by the City Club of Cleveland.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man was killed and a woman injured in a shooting early Monday morning on the city's East Side, police say.

It was one of the several shootings that occurred in just over 24 hours in the city. Four people were wounded in the other shootings, none fatally.

A 45-year-old man died at the scene of Monday morning's shooting on the 17800 block of Olympia Road, which is between St. Clair and Euclid avenues in the South Collinwood neighborhood.

The woman, whose age was not given, was taken to University Hospitals. Her condition is unknown.

While no further details were released, WEWS Channel 5 reports a car at the scene had several bullet holes.

The shooting remains under investigation.

To comment on this story, go to cleveland.com's comments page.
Notes from Lahainaluna Seminary, a Protestant missionary school established in 1831 in Hawaii, where Hawaiis written language began, are offered in the Sept. 6 Heritage Currency Signature Auction in Long Beach.

A set of six rare Hawaiian notes from 1843 to 1844, the oldest Hawaiian paper currency extant, will be offered in the Sept. 6 Heritage Currency Signature Auction in Long Beach, California.

The most expensive item in a sale is not always the most interesting. That is not to say that an $18,000 opening bid on a $30,000 to $50,000 estimate isnt notable, but sometimes the story is as impressive as the price. A set of six rare Hawaiian notes from 1843 to 1844, the oldest Hawaiian paper currency extant, in the Sept. 6 Heritage Currency Signature Auction in Long Beach, California, is such an example.

They are from the Lahainaluna Seminary, a Protestant missionary school established in 1831. When the founding missionaries landed in Hawaii eight years earlier, they found neither a written language nor an educational system. The language they established is still used, and the seminary is now Lahainaluna High School on Maui. It is the oldest public school west of the Rockies.

The Reverse Proof American Buffalo, a model of marketing: Also in this weeks print issue, we explore a cluster of Lincoln cents found while searching two rolls and ponder their origin.

In 1834, the Hale Pai, (house of printing), was built to house Hawaiis first printing press. It was used to make Bibles in both English and Hawaiian, books and newspapers, and in 1843, says historian Peter Morse, Hawaiis first paper money.

The notes were done by intaglio engraving and six denominations were produced  ekolu keneta (3 cents), hapaumi ($1/16), hapawalu ($1/8), hapaha ($1/4), hapalua ($1/2), and hookahi dala ($1). Their original purpose was to pay students for work done, and the designs reflected the schools curriculum: industry, law, science, geography, and education. The hookahi dala note had a map of the Hawaiian Islands and the kingdoms flag.

Connect with Coin World:

Sign up for our free eNewsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

These notes being offered are actually Hawaiis second series of notes. By May 1844, a student had been expelled for counterfeiting, and Morse assumes that the forgery was actually a further printing from the original plate, created by some individuals for their own use, and indistinguishable from the originals.

The solution was to destroy all the originals that could be found, and re-engrave the original copper plates with a distinctive secret mark, such as a small added line, for each denomination. Morse states that all currently known examples contain the secret marks.

The Lahainaluna Money Forgeries, by Peter Morse (1968) in the Hawaiian Journal of History, offers the full, fascinating story of this historic issue.
The NGC Mint State 65+ 1880 Coronet gold $10 eagle in the sale is the highest graded certified coin for the issue, coming from a family who passed down the heirloom through several generations.

When the coin is rotated on its vertical axis, from obverse to reverse, the two sides will appear as illustrated instead of the reverse being upside down as it would be with normal coin turn die orientation.

The first Proof 1865 Indian Head gold $3 coin struck with dies oriented in medal turn instead of coin turn has been identified.

Centennial Auctions will offer the coin, graded Proof 61 by Numismatic Guaranty Corp., in its Oct. 17 sale in the ballroom of the Holiday Inn at 9 Northeastern Blvd., in Nashua, New Hampshire. The live auction begins at 4:30 p.m. ET.

The Reverse Proof American Buffalo, a model of marketing: Also in this weeks print issue, we explore a cluster of Lincoln cents found while searching two rolls and ponder their origin.

Among other highlights in the auction is an 1880 Coronet gold $10 eagle that was recently certified Mint State 65+, the finest example certified by NGC.

1865 gold $3 coin

Identification of the Proof 1865 Indian Head gold $3 coin struck with medal turn was made recently, by numismatists Julian Leidman and John Dannreuther during the Aug. 1 to 5 American Numismatic Association Worlds Fair of Money in Denver.

According to Steve Schofield from Centennial Auctions, the die orientation is not noted on the grading label insert contained within the NGC encapsulation.

Schofield said he brought a number of the lots to be offered in his firm's Oct. 17 auction to the ANA convention, including the gold $3 coin. Schofield said Leidman, with Bonanza Coins in Silver Spring, Maryland, took particular interest in the Proof $3 coin, spending considerable time examining the coins obverse and reverse. The reason for Leidmans extended evaluation was the orientation of the coins obverse and reverse. Numismatist and gold specialist John Dannreuther from John Dannreuther Rare Coins in Memphis, Tennessee, also examined the coin and concurred with the attribution.

Connect with Coin World:

Sign up for our free eNewsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

With coin turn, when a coin is rotated on its vertical axis, the reverse is oriented 180 degrees opposite to the obverse, so the reverse appears upside down. With medal turn, the reverse appears right side up relative to the obverse.

The reported production in Proof for the 1865 Indian Head gold $3 coin is 25, and, according to Schofield, possibly half that mintage survives.

While there are coins that grade higher  the [Ed] Trompeter Proof 66 piece, sold by Bowers and Merena in 2004 for $60,375, comes to mind  none of this date have ever been identified as a medal strike, Schofield said. Maybe [Mint officials] noticed the die rotation and corrected it. After 150+ years, you would think at least one other would exist, would have been found, and would be known. That is not the case.

1880 gold eagle

What is now the finest known 1880 Coronet gold $10 eagle was consigned to the Centennial Auctions sale after being located in New Hampshire. The coin is graded NGC MS-65+. Before the coin was submitted, the grading service had only graded one example MS-65 and none higher. The highest graded from Professional Coin Grading Service submissions is MS-64+.

The total reported mintage for the 1880 issue from the Philadelphia Mint is 1,644,840 coins.

Schofield said the family that consigned the coin indicated it had been handed down through multiple generations. Its always a good feeling to tell a seller you think one of their coins is special and then find out it is, Schofield said.
Veteran numismatic journalist Ed Reiter passed away at his Pennsylvania residence Aug. 24 at the age of 79.

The following is from a news release issued Aug. 24 by the Numismatic Literary Guild on behalf of the family of Ed Reiter:

Ed Reiter of Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, a one-man institution in coin writing for over half a century, died at the age of 79 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on Aug. 24.

According to his wife, Patricia, the cause was multiple organ failure.

At the time of his death, Mr. Reiter was still a powerful force in journalism for the coin hobby and trade, serving as senior editor of COINage magazine for his 32nd year and as executive director of the prestigious nonprofit Numismatic Literary Guild in his 27th year. He was also an active consultant to a number of numismatic firms including the Certified Acceptance Corporation, Littleton Coin Co., and Universal Coin & Bullion.

Design failures, desirable rarities, or both: Inside Coin World Other topics include how to value unique collectibles, and an outline of the history of what "paper money" is printed on, from mulberry bark to plastics.

For over 50 years, Mr. Reiter opined on all matters numismatic, first as an editor in Iola, Wisconsin, of the hobby publication, Numismatic News. He was later a newspaper columnist for The Asbury Park Press, and then wrote his flagship numismatics column for nearly a decade, from July 1979 to January 1989, which appeared in the weekly Arts and Leisure section of The New York Times.

After his retirement from theTimes, Mr. Reiter continued his coin writings inThe Bergen Record in New Jersey, where he served as an editor for the paper. Between 1998 and 2002, he won four first-place awards (four out of five years) from the New Jersey Press Association for Best Headline Writing, reflecting his penchant for wordplay and puns.

Beyond headline writing, Mr. Reiter received many other awards for his work. The Numismatic Literary Guild presented him with its lifetime achievement Clemy Award in 1986; he was awarded the Burnett Anderson Memorial award in 2014 jointly by three coin hobby organizations (American Numismatic Association, American Numismatic Society and Numismatic Literary Guild); and his writings garnered a cumulative 61 honors, many of them for his monthly COINage column, My Two Cents Worth.

Connect with Coin World:

Sign up for our free eNewsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

In 2002, he authored The New York Times Guide to Coin Collecting, which was published by St. Martins Press.

Mr. Reiter graduated from Aquinas Institute, Rochester, New York, in 1955 and received his bachelors degree from St. Bonaventure University in 1959.

He leaves his wife, Patricia, and her mother, Stella Domski; three daughters: Allison (Amodio), Caroline (Estabrooks) and Jennifer (Merrill); two sons: Christopher and Timothy; two grandchildren: Gavin Estabrooks and Cullen Estabrooks; three-sons-in-law: Michael Amodio, Jason Estabrooks and Lee Merrill; and a brother, Paul. He was predeceased by a sister, Patricia Bongiovanni.

Scott Travers, author of The Coin Collectors Survival Manual and a former vice president of the American Numismatic Association, worked with Mr. Reiter for 37 years and was one of his closest friends. Travers had a recent telephone conversation with him.

Eds voice was uncharacteristically weak, Travers commented.

He understood that his health was failing, but he told me from his hospital bed how a nurse was tugging at his right leg to wrap it in a bandage.

I used Eds own style of humor with him, Travers said. I told Ed that the nurse might be joking about all of this, and that a speedy recovery could be on the horizon. Mr. Reiter curiously asked how Travers would know that.

Because shes pulling your leg, Travers replied.

Ed could hardly contain his laughter, Travers reported. And that was the last time we talked, Travers said.

Travers commented further that the loss of Ed Reiters sense of humor, unique writing style, and strong leadership will leave a void in our hobby and industry, but his spirit and plays on words will live on in perpetuity through his great writings and archived public pronouncements.
So, you're ready to leave your iPhone for greener pastures  specifically, the bright green hue of Google's Android ecosystem.

It's a major move, to be sure, but it doesn't have to be daunting. Beneath the surface-level differences, Android and iOS actually have a lot in common  and with the right steps, you can switch from an iPhone to an Android device without losing anything significant (including your sanity).

Make your way through this easy-to-follow guide, and you'll be happily settled in your new high-tech home in no time.

All-in-one iOS-to-Android switching tools

First things first: Google itself now offers a universal iOS-to-Android switching service that works with any device running 2020's Android 12 software or higher. That's hands-down the simplest way to get everything from your old iPhone onto your new Android device in one fell swoop and with the least amount of hassle possible.

If you're moving into a Samsung-made Android phone, specifically, Samsung also offers its own app for iPhone-to-Android migration that's available as an alternative.

Those two options are generally the smartest places to start  but they aren't available for every phone, and they don't always work flawlessly or across all of the areas relevant to your needs. So next, we'll get into the step-by-step details of how you can get every important category of data moved over on your own, bit by bit, without giving yourself a migraine.

Calendar, contacts, and photos

We'll start with a simple three-for-one special. Believe it or not, the core categories of calendar, contacts, and photos are among the easiest things to migrate from iOS to Android.

All you've gotta do is install the Google One app onto your iPhone, then sign into the app using your primary Google account. (If you don't yet have a Google account, the app will give you the opportunity to create one.)

On your iPhone, open the Google One app and tap the "Set up data backup" option on the screen that comes up. You can then select all of the associated areas and tap the blue button to begin the process.

JR Raphael / IDG The Google One iOS app provides an easy way to move your calendar, contacts, and photos data over to Android.

Your backup may take a while and burn through a fair amount of data  and you have to leave the Google One app open and active the entire time  so you'll probably want to save it for a time when your phone can be plugged in, connected to a reliable Wi-Fi network, and not immediately needed for anything else.

All done? Excellent: Now just sign into your new Android phone with that same Google account. You should be able to find your calendar data in the Google Calendar app, your contacts data in the Google Contacts app, and all of your photos and videos in the Google Photos app. (Depending on your device, those apps may or may not all be preinstalled by default. If you don't see any of them on your home screen or in your app drawer, just head over to the Google Play Store to install it.)

One exception to the rule: If your contacts or calendar data is connected to a Microsoft Exchange account, it won't be moved over as part of this process. In that scenario, you'll need to add your Exchange account into the Gmail app on your Android phone (see the next section for more detail), and your contacts and calendar info should then automatically show up in the appropriate places.

Email

All right  ready to bring all of your email over to your shiny new smartphone? That migration will range from "ridiculously simple" to "relatively hassle-free," depending on the specifics of your setup.

Choose your own adventure:

If you're currently using Gmail: There's nothing to do; just make sure you sign into your Android device with the same Google account associated with your Gmail address, and all your mail will automatically appear in the Android Gmail app and be waiting for you. If you have more than one Gmail address and want to be able to access them all on the phone, open the Gmail app's settings and look for the "Add account" option, then follow the steps to add any additional Google accounts into the mix.

If you're currently using a webmail provider like Outlook.com, Hotmail, or Yahoo: Add the account into the Gmail app on your new phone, using the same steps described above but selecting the appropriate account option on the "Add account" screen.

JR Raphael / IDG The Gmail app provides options for connecting different types of email accounts to your Android device.

If you're currently using Apple Mail: Once again, just add the account into the Gmail app on your Android phone using the "Other" option. If the app doesn't immediately accept your credentials, you might have to do a bit of extra manual setup: After typing in your email address, select "Personal (IMAP)"  then put in the various mail server settings provided on Apple's support site.

If you're currently using Exchange: Same basic deal, but select the option for "Exchange and Office 365" in the "Add account" section of the Gmail app's settings. The app will walk you through the rest of the setup procedure. Of course, you can also opt to use Microsoft's official Outlook Android app if you're accustomed to that program and want a consistent experience.

One final option to consider: If you're using any of the aforementioned non-Gmail account types and want to ditch your old address and move entirely into Gmail, you can import all of your old account's email into Gmail by following the steps on this Google support page. You may also want to instruct your old mail service to forward all new messages to your Gmail address so you don't miss any important missives from people who haven't yet learned about your move.

Messaging

Not surprisingly, Apple's iMessage system doesn't play nicely with non-Apple platforms. (See: the squabble over Android to iPhone texting.) But that doesn't mean it's impossible to leave; you just have to take the right set of steps to avoid missing-message misery.

First, go into Settings on your iPhone, tap "Messages," and then toggle "iMessage" to off. While you're in Settings, you'll probably want to look for the "FaceTime" option and toggle it to off, too, since you presumably won't be active on that platform anymore.

Second, open Apple's "Deregister iMessage" web page and scroll down to the section labeled "No longer have your iPhone?" Put in your phone number, click the link to send a confirmation code, and then type the confirmation code you receive into the page.

Both of these steps are critical; if you don't complete them, Apple will likely intercept at least some of your incoming text messages, and you'll never even know you missed 'em.

JR Raphael/IDG Get your phone number out of the iMessage system or forever wonder if Apple is snatching your messages.

If you want to keep all of your existing text messages and bring them over to your new phone, an app called iSMS2droid can get the job done. The process is a bit gnarly and involves manually backing up your iPhone to a computer, then finding specific files and transferring them onto your Android phone  but if you really need to save all your old messages, it's about the best option you have.

The silver lining is that once you're on Android, keeping your messages synced and available on any device can be thought-free. Just be sure to pick a messaging app that automatically backs up and restores data from the get-go, and you'll be fine as wine.

Files

So long, iCloud Drive  hello, Google Drive. The most direct way to get all your data off of Apple's cloud storage service and onto Google's is to install the desktop apps for both iCloud Drive and Google Drive on your Mac or Windows PC. Then, open Finder or File Explorer windows for both locations, select everything from iCloud Drive, and drag it over to Google Drive.

Wait for the transfer to finish, and that's it: Every one of your precious files is now available via Google Drive on Android (as well as on iOS and the web).

Apps

The bad news: Any apps you've installed on your iPhone won't automatically transfer over to Android, and any apps you've paid for on iOS will likely have to be purchased again.

The good news: These days, most major productivity apps are readily available on both platforms. And once you're all set up with Android, all of your apps and app data will automatically sync with Google's servers and follow you to any future Android devices.

Take a few minutes to go through Google's Play Store  either on your Android phone or via a web browser on any computer  and search for the apps you want. If you install an app onto your phone and it asks you to sign in when you first open it, make sure to use the same username or email address you used on your iPhone so that any data tied to your account will carry over.

After you've settled in, you may want to explore a bit further beyond the apps you already know. Unlike iOS, Android allows you to use all sorts of clever tools for customizing and controlling the core user interface and even completely replacing your home screen environment with something more well-suited to your specific style of working. That opens the door to some intriguing forms of personalization that can enhance your efficiency in pretty interesting ways.

Music

Thank your lucky stars, because bringing music over from iOS to Android is no longer the absolute nightmare it once was.

There's nothing to it if you use a streaming service like Spotify, Pandora, YouTube Music, or even  amazingly  Apple Music: Just download the equivalent app from the Google Play Store, sign in, and your entire collection will be at your fingertips in seconds.

If you have your own personal music collection, you can upload most common file formats directly to the YouTube Music website on a computer. Once you're signed in, just click your profile picture in the upper-right corner and select "Upload music" to get started. The service currently supports MP3 files as well as files saved as FLAC, M4A, OGG, and WMA.

The main area where you'll run into trouble is with music purchased from iTunes prior to 2009, as such songs were encoded into a proprietary and DRM-protected AAC format. Those files, by design, won't be compatible with any other music service.

Your best option there is to find the same songs in YouTube Music and simply add them into your library as part of your cloud-based streaming collection. If that isn't possible, you can always employ the old-school workaround of burning any such tracks to a CD (assuming your computer still has a CD burner, of course), then putting the CD back into the computer and ripping the songs into a standard unlocked format.

That'll result in lower-quality audio than you'd get purchasing the tunes directly from almost any music service nowadays, but  well, it is what it is.

Welcome to Android

Well, wouldya look at that? You've done it! All your important info is now off your iPhone and on your new Android device, and you're ready to start anew as a card-carrying Android phone owner.

Before we bid adieu and send you scampering off on your new adventure, let's take a moment to go over a few things of note as you learn your way around this wild new world.

First, the getting-around basics: No matter where you are in Android, you can always swipe down once from the top of the screen to see any pending notifications and swipe down a second time to see the full Quick Settings panel. And speaking of notifications, Android makes them exceptionally easy to control  so learn the ins and outs of notification management and don't let your phone's alerts control you.

JR Raphael / IDG Android's notifications panel (left) and Quick Settings panel (right) are never more than a swipe away. (Their exact appearance may vary from one phone to the next.)

All reasonably recent Android versions include what's sure to be a somewhat familiar-seeming gesture-driven system for getting around your phone: From anywhere in the operating system, you can flick your finger upward from the bottom of the screen to return to your home screen or swipe upward about an inch from the bottom of the screen and then stop to open the system Overview interface and browse through your recently used apps.

You can also swipe inward from the left or right side of the screen to move back one step in whatever you're doing. And you can find lots of other little tricks for making the most of Android gestures in this quick 'n' simple guide.

On phones with quite old Android versions  or those where gesture navigation isn't enabled by default  you'll find three buttons along the bottom of your screen that provide tap-friendly ways of accessing those same basic functions. If you see that sort of interface setup, it's well worth your while to look in the device's settings to see if gesture navigation is available, as you'll likely find it to be much more intuitive and similar to what you're accustomed to using.

One more thing: You've no doubt seen some scary-seeming stories about Android security. Be aware: Most of that stuff is overly sensationalized and woefully misleading. Malware really isn't a real-world issue on Android, and Google has its own multilayer security system in place to protect you from all sorts of threats  including the most realistic one of all: a lost phone.

Craving even more practical tips and foundational knowledge? My, aren't you a tenacious little monkey! Check out the following Computerworld guides to continue your Android optimization education:

This article was originally published in August 2017 and most recently updated in October 2022.
CORNWALL, Ontario  The Big Brothers/ Big Sisters of Cornwall held their fourth annual Sock Sale this past weekend.

Opening day was crazy, said BBBS Fundraising Coordinator Jillian Hendry.

She explained that on the first day of the sale this year, the auditorium at the Agora Centre was packed with people lined up around their setup tables eager to buy socks.

The socks came in all shapes and colours an were $0.50 a piece. Scotiabank also provided volunteers to help with the sale and matched the funds raised. In all there were around 15 volunteers helping with the sale.

One woman said she stocks up on socks for the entire year and wont buy socks anywhere but here, said Hendry.

The money raised goes to help the backlog of kids waiting to be matched with their Big Brother or Big Sister. The money raised also supports their seven mentoring programs which includes Go Girls, a mentoring program that teaches young girls healthy eating and lifestyle habits.
Channel programs News

Synnex Eyes Greenville Hires After Consumer Electronics Distributor Wynit Shuts Headquarters

Michael Novinson

Share this

Synnex has expressed interest in the 140 employees being laid off by wholesale consumer electronics distributor Wynit.

"We need to keep these IT associates in Greenville," Bob Stegner, Synnex's senior vice president of North American marketing, wrote in a tweet Saturday. "Synnex is always looking for good people."

Fremont, Calif.-based Synnex declined to comment to a request for additional information regarding what, if any, outreach it is doing to the displaced workers.

[RELATED: Synnex CEO Said Meeting The Westcon-Comstor Team Validates Vision, Value Of $830M Acquisition]

Wynit unexpectedly announced the closure its Greenville, S.C.-based headquarters Friday just two years after the distributor moved there from Syracuse, N.Y. The company said in a statement that a disappointing holiday selling season and a number of unexpected financial issues necessitated the facility closure.

Wynit sells photo, wide-format printing, security and drone products from vendors such as HP, Epson, Canon, Microsoft, SanDisk, Fitbit and DJI. The distributor's customers include retail giants such as Best Buy, Target, Walmart, REI and Kohl's.

"This is not what we wanted or expected," Wynit Chief Operating Officer Pete Richichi said in the statement. "Unfortunately, we were unable to adjust fast enough to unforeseen changes. This was purely a financial decision."

The company was founded in 1987 and announced plans to move its headquarters from Syracuse N.Y. to Greenville in November 2015, growing its headcount in the Palmetto State from 36 to 140 employees since then. Wynit will maintain its software publishing and supply chain divisions in Minnesota, according to the company.

Synnex has rapidly expanded its footprint in Greenville in recent years, which serves as the company's North American distribution headquarters. The distributor first came to Greenville in 1998 with just 25 employees.

The company embarked upon $6.5 million expansion of its Greenville distribution headquarters in April 2015 to enhance its sales capabilities around cloud, services and digital signage. The addition increased Synnex's technology services footprint in Greenville to 150,000 square feet, and its base of employees in the area from 1,250 to 1,400.

The expansion houses new demo rooms and 150 new salespeople in its CloudSolv, VisualSolv and ServiceSolv business units, according to the company. The new hires spanned the gamut from sales support to senior-level officials.

One year later, the company's Concentrix customer case business opened a new location in Greenville to serve as its North American base of operations for the healthcare and insurance verticals, as well as its core customer relationship management (CRM) business services. The 143,883-square-foot facility more than doubled Concentrix's footprint at the location.

Concentrix's Greenville operations provide major healthcare and insurance companies with both front-office and back-office capabilities such as claims processing enrollment services and continuous customer support through the client lifecycle.

Greenville has also served as the headquarters for IT distributor ScanSource since its founding in 1992. And CompuCom, No. 23 on the 2014 CRN Solution Provider 500, relocated its corporate headquarters late last year from the Dallas Area to Indian Land, S.C., creating 1,500 corporate and contact center jobs in the Charlotte, N.C suburbs.
Data center News

Hurricane Harvey: Solution Providers Aid Customers With Proactive Services

Joseph F. Kovar

Share this

Solution providers are assisting customers with proactive services aimed at keeping IT operations up and running in the wake of Hurricane Harvey which brought flooding to Houston.

"We designed the data center knowing that these hard storms happen  we've gone through it before and understand the damage it causes," said Faisal Bhutto, vice president of enterprise networking, cloud, and cybersecurity for Computex Technology Solutions - a national cloud and managed services provider within its own data center in Houston.

The solution provider's data center was built 10 feet off the ground. "It's literally elevated  a building inside of a building, so we have no threat of rising waters from a data center perspective," Bhutto told CRN.

Computex also has a failover data center in Minneapolis it tested in June in preparation for the hurricane season to ensure customers will be protected, Bhutto said..

Hurricane Harvey, the most dangerous storm to hit the U.S. in about 12 years, was on Friday classified as a Category 3 storm. It is expected to bring winds with a sustained speed of 120 mph, with up to 3 feet of rain in some areas and a storm surge on the coast of up to 12 feet.

[Related: Silicon Valley: One Earthquake Away From IT Disaster?]

"We can shift anything to Minneapolis and customer data would be protected [and] services will be up and running," Bhutto said. "We're hoping Harvey doesn't cause much damage to the community. But from an IT asset and services standpoint, we're confident that services will be up and running and our customers won't be impacted."

Computex had staff working onsite in both data centers this weekend.

If any customers lose power inside their own facilities during the storm, Computex doors are open for them to walk in, plug in, and work, Bhutto said. During Hurricane Ike in 2008, 250 Computex customers brought their work to Computex's data centers.

"We hosted over 250 people in our facilities during Ike that literally came in and worked out of our offices for two weeks," he said. "They were productive. They were doing payrolls, collecting bills  business as usual, because their buildings did not have power for 20 days. It was massive.  I hope [Harvey] is not as devastating, but that option is open to our customers. We sent out notifications to clients because there's some panic out there. So our doors will be open."

Mike Villa, project manager for Via Technology, a San Antonio, Texas-based solution provider, told CRN that planning for a potential hurricane is paying off with a project the company has in Brownsville, Texas, which is a potential landing zone for Hurricane Harvey.

Villa said the general contractor on the project had a hurricane plan, and ensured all the sub-contractors like Via Technology did so as well. That plan included taking inventory of everything on the site, taking photos of all work that is completed and work-in progress, and tying down everything that could be tossed by the winds.

Manny Villa, president of Villa Technology, said some of the company's customers are already having infrastructure and phone issues.

"We've already been handling this for the last day or two, and the hurricane has not even hit us yet," he said. "Service will be sketchy going forward."

OffsiteDataSync, a Rochester, N.Y.-based global provider of cloud services including disaster recovery as a service and cloud-based data protection, has already been in touch with its Texas-based customers about the pending hurricane, said CEO Matt Chesterton.

Chesterton told CRN via email that the company has taken four steps to help prepare.

First, OffsiteDataSync sent an alert to clients with their last backup date and time it had on record to alert them if a restore point or scheduled was not as current as expected. The alert also included FAQs about how to fail over to OffsiteDataSync and how to declare a disaster, along with the company's guides on what to expect for if they experience a disaster.

Second, OffsiteDataSync has this week been promoting awareness of cloud backup vs. disaster recovery as a service, and offered special pricing this week and next it hopes will motivate its cloud backup customers to add disaster recovery as a service for critical application stacks and services.

OffsiteDataSync also assembled a 10-member Rapid-Response DRaaS team consisting of engineers with experience in disaster recovery failover events. "Weve put this team on-call for the duration of this hurricane and believe it or not they are pretty charged up about saving someones day (they really get into this stuff)," Chesterton wrote.

Finally, the company is offering short-term zero-cost options for getting data out of harms way for new clients, he wrote.

Chris Pace, founder and CEO of Centre Technologies, a Houston-based solution provider, told CRN via email that challenges during a disaster like a hurricane are rarely related to technical execution, but instead come from how well service providers have communicated with and managed the expectations of customers.

"We develop internal teams to review potential disaster outcomes and prepare relevant, unique messages for each category of people," Pace wrote. "In the end, nothing can be left to the imagination. If you dont tell someone what youre going to do, do what you say, and then tell them what you did for them, they will never remember you doing it."

Centre Technologies sent a couple emails to customers to help them prepare for the hurricane.

One of the emails included a list of things customers should do before the hurricane arrives. This includes making a complete inventory of the client's business including photos of IT infrastructures, move paper records to a safe off-site location at least 50 miles away, do final backups and ensure they are replicated off-site, store all equipment in a dry area, and work with Centre Technologies to "gracefully shut down any server and network equipment before evacuating your offices."

RoundTower Technologies, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based solution provider with several clients in the Texas and Louisiana area, has been proactively communicating with and preparing its staff and customers, said Michael Swiencki, director of managed services.

"The customers in these locations are prepared with DR strategies, and we are standing by to assist," Swiencki told CRN via email.

For events like Hurricane Harvey, RoundTower monitors the event from its centralized network operations center in Cincinnati, provides updates to clients, makes sure the RoundTower team has the necessary emergency contact information, provides assistance to customers who choose to proactively failover or shut down services in impact areas, and ensure managers are available to perform internal and external communications and coordination of additional resources, Swiencki wrote.

The arrival of Hurricane Harvey is impacting more than business. "I was planning a Labor Day vacation on the Texas coast," Manny Villa said. "That will change."

Mark Haranas contributed to this story.


Data center News

Partners 'Overjoyed' Whitman Is Staying Put As HPE CEO

Steven Burke

Share this

Hewlett Packard Enterprise partners said they are ecstatic that HPE CEO Meg Whitman is remaining at the helm of the company.

Whitman was reportedly being considered for the CEO job at embattled ride sharing company Uber even as late as yesterday as the Uber board met to select a new CEO.

[Related: HPE Americas Channel VP: SimpliVity Sales Momentum Is Off Charts, Surpassing Initial Aruba, 3Par Sales Strength]

Recode, and other news outlets are now reporting that Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi will become the next CEO Of Uber.

"We are overjoyed that Meg is staying at HPE," said Steve Hilts, a managing partner at Snowcap Technologies, one of HPE's top Platinum partners. "Meg has been great for the channel and great for our business. She has always been there for us and is heavily engaged with the channel."

Whitman has been on the front lines in the sales trenches working with partners to close deals and meeting regularly with partners to drive tighter alignment with HPE, said Hilts.

Whitman strongly refuted reports that she would be the next Uber CEO. "Normally I do not comment on rumors, but the speculation about my future and Uber has become a distraction," Whitman said in a series of tweets on July 31 after reports surfaced that she was on a short list for the Uber CEO job. "So let me make this as clear as I can. I am fully committed to HPE and plan to remain the companys CEO. We have a lot of work still to do at HPE, and I am not going anywhere. Ubers CEO will not be Meg Whitman."

(3/3) We have a lot of work still to do at HPE and I am not going anywhere. Uber's CEO will not be Meg Whitman.

/**/ /**/

HPE partners say Whitman has been responsible for a channel renaissance at the next generation software defined infrastructure provider over the last several years.

In fact, they say Whitman has taken HPE from a debt-ridden company with long-in-the-tooth products and a demoralized partner network and fashioned it into a smaller, more nimble company with a re-ignited innovation engine and a charged up channel.

One recent sign of Whitman's channel impact: a pledge to drive 100 percent of the sales from newly-acquired flash superstar Nimble Storage and hyper-converged powerhouse SimpliVity through partners.

Hilts, for one, is hoping that the 100 percent pledge will trickle into tighter alignment between HP direct sales reps and partners in enterprise accounts. That arrangement would result in a dramatic increase next-generation software-defined infrastructure sales for HPE and its partners, said Hilts.

"If Meg can focus on that 100 percent pledge in enterprise accounts with it could result in a huge increase in sales for HPE and its partners," said Hilts. "We are competing with Dell EMC, and we need a 100 percent focus on the channel."

Raymond Tuchman, CEO of Experis Technology Group, a Potomac, Md., HPE partner, said he was "nervous" on Sunday after hearing reports that Whitman was still in the running for Uber CEO job. "I am real happy Meg is staying," he said.

With Whitman at the helm, Tuchman said he sees a bright future for HPE and its partners. Experis' HPE sales are up 37 percent this year with strong traction across the board and with particular strength in storage and networking with Aruba and Arista, he said.

Chris Case, CEO of Sequel Data Systems, an Austin, Texas-based solution provider and HPE channel partner, said he was also happy to learn that Whitman was staying put at HPE. "Before Meg came to HPE there was a gigantic void and a lot of unknowns in the channel," said Case. "Today because of her leadership we are engaged with HPE at all levels of the company. This is definitely good news for partners."
Mobility News

Samsung B2B Chief Kevin Gilroy Steps Aside In Midst Of Massive Channel Push

Kyle Alspach

Share this

The head of Samsung's B2B organization, Kevin Gilroy, is departing the company this week amid a broad-scale effort that he spearheaded to ramp up Samsung's channel efforts.

Gilroy has spent two years at Samsung as executive vice president and general manager of the commercial division. He joined the company from SAP, and has set about re-inventing Samsung's channel effort on a variety of fronts -- including recruiting new executive leadership, rolling out new channel programs and adding to the company's partner ranks.

[Related: CRN Exclusive: Samsung B2B Chief Discusses Channel Opportunities For The New Galaxy Note8]

Earlier this month, Gilroy told CRN that recent channel investments by Samsung have included the hiring of Mike Coleman, a veteran of SAP and HP, to run the company's mobile channel program.

"We doubled the channel team, and we'll continue to make major investments in the channel team," Gilroy said in the interview this month. "We just rolled out our certifications program for partners, we're making major marketing and enablement investments in the channel, so the channel is a big part of our future."

Gilroy disclosed the upcoming departure in a post on LinkedIn, and described the move as "retiring from Samsung." He will depart as of Sept. 1 and plans to focus on part-time consulting and board advising, he said in the post. Gilroy could not immediately be reached Monday.

In a statement to CRN, Samsung said that Gilroy "has requested to move from full time employment and to begin his next career in [part-time] consultancy to the IT sector."

"To that end, Kevin will be moving from the day to day operation of Samsung B2B effective September 1, 2017 to a consultant to Samsung through the end of the year," Samsung said in the statement.

The departure follows a number of big moves by Samsung, including the launch last week of the Galaxy Note8 smartphone, which Gilroy said includes a number of enterprise-friendly features around multitasking, security and durability.

Also this month, Samsung unveiled the initial launch of a certification program for partners in the U.S. along with other channel program enhancements, such as updated training within the Samsung partner portal.

"We have aggressive goals  double- and triple-digit growth goals. We see the channel business growing at strong double digits, aspirationally, with certain products in the triple digits," Gilroy said in the interview with CRN this month. "We'll reveal more on that shortly. Our ecosystem is broad and growing quickly; channel partners should get on board with us."
Security News

Forcepoint Acquires RedOwl To Add Security Analytics, UEBA Capabilities

Sarah Kuranda

Share this

Forcepoint is continuing its acquisition streak as it looks to build out its security platform, announcing on Monday it has completed the acquisition of security analytics company RedOwl.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

RedOwl offers a user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA) technology that looks to analyze large amounts of data and human behaviors to pinpoint anomalies and threats. The company won the prestigious RSA Innovation Sandbox startup contest in 2014.

[Related: Forcepoint Acquires Skyfence From Imperva, Unveils New Strategy]

Forcepoint CEO Matt Moynahan said in an interview with CRN that RedOwl builds on the Austin, Texas-based company's strategy to build a security platform that brings a new approach to the market. That strategy focuses on users instead of traditional indicators of compromise that he said have failed to hold up as mobile, cloud, and other emerging technologies dissolve the traditional security perimeter. Moynahan calls this a "human-centric" approach to security.

Moynahan said Forcepoint ultimately would look to build a "set of technology tightly integrated together in a complete solution to understand behaviors and the people in it." He said RedOwl's UEBA technology is an "important building block" in this strategy.

"We're on a mission here at Forcepoint to really start a new paradigm of security that focuses on understanding human risk and people. This acquisition of RedOwl is a key part of that strategy," Moynahan said.

While there are other UEBA players in the space, Moynahan said RedOwl follows a similar approach to Forcepoint, focusing on the same elements of human risk that it is building its strategy around. He said RedOwl also has military roots, similar to Forcepoint, as well as a team of high-quality data scientists.

Moynahan said Forcepoint already had a partnership integration with RedOwl, so the two technologies will be integrated immediately, with further plans to integrate it deeper into the full set of Forcepoint products. He said a "large part" of the RedOwl team would remain with Forcepoint as part of its Data and Insider Threat Security business.

"This technology will be foundational for us," Moynahan said. "You can almost think of it being on top of everything we do. It will be a layer in every single product we have." He said partners and customers would be able to buy the technology as a standalone product or as part of the Forcepoint platform.

Jeremy Wittkop, CTO of Greenwood Village, Co.-based InteliSecure, said the acquisition seems like a "good fit" for Forcepoint, given the company's strategy and what technologies they already have in place around insider threat prevention and DLP. He said it should help "fill the gaps" in some of the company's competition against companies like Symantec, Digital Guardian, and Exabeam.

Wittkop said the RedOwl acquisition also helps bring Forcepoint strong capabilities in the critical area of security analytics, saying it provides Forcepoint with a "unique blend of capabilities that you can't get anywhere else." He said integrating the technologies across the Forcepoint portfolio will be key, as it will provide the analytics engine with a rich set of data from across a company's infrastructure.

"The analytics that I have seen across the industry space are all pretty good at what they do, but the output is only as good as the data you're inputting. The wider platform provides a more complete picture that can make great decisions," Wittkop said.

Forcepoint has been formed over the last year and a half through merger and acquisitions. It was originally formed through the merger of a division of Raytheon, Websense and the McAfee Next-Generation Firewall and McAfee Firewall Enterprise businesses from Intel Security (also known as Stonesoft and Sidewinder, respectively). In February, the company acquired cloud access security brokerage solution Skyfence from Imperva to add to that portfolio, as well as reorganized and launched its human-centric security strategy.

Moynahan said the RedOwl acquisition is a significant move for Forcepoint's partners, saying it will allow them to start a new type of security strategy conversation with their customers around a human-centric approach.

"I think for the channel this is a huge step forward," Moynahan said. "It gives them a set of technologies and a company to back their conversation around people's workforces and anomalies in work force behavior That's a very different than just having a conversation about hackers or a bad guy."

Moynahan said Forcepoint would continue to build on its partner strategy, soon announcing the launch of a new partner program and global channel leader. He said Forcepoint would be "doubling down" on its channel strategy.

Moynahan said partners could also expect to see Forcepoint continue to make acquisitions that fit around the company's strategy.

"We will do more acquisitions, but they will be very in-line with our corporate strategy  all will be tied to the human-point strategy," Moynahan said. "We're not trying to get big for big's sake. We're trying to get dangerous and deliver world-class security."
Years ago the typical hacking scenario involved a lone attacker and maybe some buddies working late at night on Mountain Dew, looking for public-facing IP addresses. When they found one, they enumerated the advertising services (Web server, SQL server and so on), broke in using a multitude of vulnerabilities, then explored the compromised company to their heart's content. Often their intent was exploratory. If they did something illegal, it was typically a spur-of-the-moment crime of opportunity.

My, how times have changed.

When describing a typical hacking scenario, these days you must begin well before the hack or even the hacker, with the organization behind the attack. Today, hacking is all crime, all the time, complete with bidding markets for malware, crime syndicates, botnets for hire, state actors, and cyber warfare gone amok.

Here are the nine biggest threats facing today's IT security pros.

Threat No. 1: Cyber crime syndicates

Although the lone criminal mastermind still exists, these days most malicious hacking attacks are the result of organized groups, many of which are professional. Traditional organized crime groups that used to run drugs, gambling, prosecution, and extortion have thrown their hats into the online money grab ring, but competition is fierce, led not by mafiosos but several very large groups of professional criminals aimed specifically at cyber crime.

Many of the most successful organized cyber crime syndicates are businesses that lead large affiliate conglomerate groups, much in the vein of legal distributed marketing hierarchies. In fact, today's cyber criminal probably has more in common with an Avon or Mary Kay rep than either wants to admit.

[Related: FireEye 2.0: Cyberhumans as a Service]

Small groups, with a few members, still hack, but more and more, IT security pros are up against large corporations dedicated to rogue behavior. Think full-time employees, HR departments, project management teams, and team leaders. And it's all criminal, no more funny messages printed to the screen or other teenage antics. Most operate in the open, and some -- like the Russian Business Network -- even have their own Wikipedia entries. Kind of makes you wish for yesteryear, doesn't it?

Specialization and division of labor are at the heart of these organizations. A single mastermind, or an inner circle, will run the collective. Sergeants and subdivisions will specialize in different areas, with an arm dedicated to creating malware, another dedicated to marketing, another that sets up and maintains the distribution channel, and yet another in charge of creating botnets and renting them to other evildoers (see below).

It's little wonder why popular IT security practices just don't work against today's malware, given that cyber crime has evolved into a multilevel, service-oriented industry with the blatant goal of fleecing companies and people out of their money and intellectual property.

Threat No. 2: Small-time cons -- and the money mules and launderers supporting them

Not all cyber criminal organizations are syndicates or corporations. Some are simply entrepreneurial in nature, small businesses after one thing: money.

These malicious mom-and-pop operations may steal identities and passwords, or they may cause nefarious redirection to get it. In the end, they want money. They initiate fraudulent credit card or banking transactions and convert their ill-gotten gains into local currency using money mules, electronic cash distribution, e-banking, or some other sort of money laundering.

It's not hard to find money launderers. There are dozens to hundreds of entities competing to be the one that gets to take a large percentage cut of the illegally procured loot. In fact, you'd be surprised at the competitive and public nature of all the other people begging to do support business with Internet criminals. They advertise "no questions asked," "bulletproof" hosting in countries far from the reaches of legal subpoenas, and they offer public bulletin boards, software specials, 24/7 telephone support, bidding forums, satisfied customer references, anti-malware avoidance skills, and all the servicing that helps others to be better online criminals. A good number of these groups make tens of millions of dollars each year.

Many of these groups and the persons behind them have been identified (and arrested) over the past few years. Their social media profiles show happy people with big houses, expensive cars, and content families taking foreign vacations. If they're the slightest bit guilty from stealing money from others, it doesn't show.

Imagine the neighborhood barbeques where they tell neighbors and friends that they run an "Internet marketing business" -- all the while social engineering their way to millions to the consternation of IT security pros who have done just about everything you can to protect users from themselves.

Threat No. 3: Hacktivists

Whereas exploit bragging was not uncommon in the early days, today's cyber criminal seeks to fly under the radar -- with the exception of the growing legions of hacktivists.

IT security pros have to contend with an increasing number of loose confederations of individuals dedicated to political activism, like the infamous Anonymous group. Politically motivated hackers have existed since hacking was first born. The big change is that more of it is being done in the open, and society is acknowledging it as an accepted form of political activism.

Political hacking groups often communicate, anonymously or not, in open forums announcing their targets and hacking tools ahead of time. They gather more members, take their grievances to the media to drum up public support, and act astonished if they get arrested for their illegal deeds. Their intent is to embarrass and bring negative media attention to the victim as much as possible, whether that includes hacking customer information, committing distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, or simply causing the victim company additional strife.

Political hacktivism is most often intent on causing monetary pain to its victim in an attempt to change the victim's behavior. Individuals can be collateral damage in this fight, and regardless of whether one believes in the hacktivist's political cause, the intent and methodology remain criminal.

Threat No. 4: Intellectual property theft and corporate espionage

Most IT security pros have to contend with the large group of malicious hackers that steal intellectual property from companies or perform straight-up corporate espionage. Their method is to break into a company's IT assets, dump all the passwords, and over time, steal gigabytes of confidential information: patents, new product ideas, military secrets, financial information, business plans and so on. They pass along valuable information to their customers for financial gain, and they stay hidden inside the compromised company's network for as long as possible.

To reap their rewards, they eavesdrop on important emails, raid databases, and gain access to so much information that many have begun to develop their own malicious search engines and query tools to separate the fodder from the more interesting intellectual property.

This sort of attacker is known as an advanced persistent threat (APT) or determined human adversary (DHA). Few large companies have not been successfully compromised by these campaigns.

Threat No. 5: Malware mercenaries

No matter what the intent or group behind the cyber crime, someone has to make the malware. In the past, a single programmer would make malware for his or her own use, or perhaps to sell. Today, there are teams and companies dedicated solely to writing malware to bypass specific security defenses, attack specific customers, and accomplish specific objectives. They're sold on the open market in bidding forums.

Often the malware is multiphased and componentized. A smaller stub program is tasked with the initial exploitation of the victim's computer, and once securely placed to ensure it lives through a reboot, it contacts a "mothership" web server for further instructions. Often the initial stub program sends out DNS queries looking for the mothership, itself often a compromised computer temporarily acting as a mothership. These DNS queries are sent to DNS servers that are just as likely to be innocently infected victim computers. The DNS servers move from computer to computer, just as the mothership web servers do.

Once contacted, the DNS and mothership server often redirect the initiating stub client to other DNS and mothership servers. In this way, the stub client is directed over and over (often more than a dozen times) to newly exploited computers, until eventually the stub program receives its final instructions and the more permanent malicious program is installed. This setup makes it very difficult for IT security pros to defend against their wares.

Threat No. 6: Botnets as a service

Botnets aren't just for their creators anymore. Having more than likely bought the malware program that creates the bot, today's owners will either use the botnet for themselves or rent it to others by the hour or another metric.

[Related: Next-gen IoT botnet Hajime nearly 300K strong]

The methodology is familiar. Each version of the malware program attempts to exploit up to tens of thousands of computers in an effort to create a single botnet that will operate at the creator's bidding. Each bot in the botnet eventually connects back to its command and control (C&C) server(s) to get its latest instructions. Those instructions often include dropping off a ransomware program. Botnets have been found with hundreds of thousands of infected computers.

Now that there are so many active botnets (tens of millions of infected computers each day), botnet rentals are fairly cheap, meaning all the more problems for IT security pros.

Malware fighters will often attempt to take down the C&C servers or take them over so that they can instruct the connecting bots to disinfect their host computers and die.

Threat No. 7: All-in-one malware

Sophisticated malware programs often offer all-in-one, soup-to-nuts functionality. They will not only infect the end-user but also break into websites and modify them to help infect more victims. These all-in-one malware programs often come with management consoles so that their owners and creators can keep track of what the botnet is doing, who they are infecting, and which ones are most successful.

Most malicious programs are Trojan horses. Computer viruses and worms have long since ceased to be the most popular types of malware. In most cases, the end-user is tricked into running a Trojan horse that's advertised as a necessary antivirus scan, disk defragmentation tool or some other seemingly essential or innocuous utility. The user's normal defenses are fooled because most of the time the web page offering the rogue executable is a trusted site they've visited many times. The bad guys simply compromised the site, using a host of tricks, and inserted a few lines of JavaScript that redirect the user's browsers to the Trojan horse program.

Threat No. 8: The increasingly compromised web

At the most basic level, a website is simply a computer, just like a regular end-user workstation. In turn, webmasters are end-users like everyone else. It's not surprising to find the legitimate Web is being littered with malicious JavaScript redirection links.

It's not entirely a matter of webmasters' computers being exploited that's leading to the rise in web server compromises. More often, attackers find a weakness or vulnerability in a website that allows them to bypass admin authentication and write malicious scripts.

Common website vulnerabilities include poor passwords, cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, SQL injection, vulnerable software and insecure permissions. The Open Web Application Security Project Top 10 list is the authority on how most web servers get compromised.

Many times it isn't the web server or its application software but some link or advertisement that gets hacked. It's common for banner ads, which are often placed and rotated by general advertising agencies, to end up infected. Heck, the malware guys sometimes buy ad space on popular Web servers.

Because many of the evildoers present themselves as businessmen from legitimate corporations, complete with corporate headquarters, business cards and expense accounts, it's not always so easy to separate the legitimate ad sources from the bad guys, who often begin advertising a legitimate product only to switch out the link in the ad to a rogue product after the ad campaign is under way. One of the more interesting exploits involved hackers compromising a cartoon syndicate so that every newspaper republishing the affected cartoons ended up pushing malware. You can't even trust a cartoon anymore.

Another problem with hacked websites is that the computers hosting one site can often host multiple sites, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or thousands. One hacked website can quickly lead to thousands more.
Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows bring their tour, A Brief History of Everything to Connecticut. The bands will rock Hartfords Xfinity Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 2.

Counting Crows, fronted by Adam Duritz, and Matchbox Twenty, led by Rob Thomas, toured together last summer as well. Duritz and Thomas are longtime buddies, so its no surprise theyve joined forces again.

Thomas, whose band is marking the 20th anniversary of its breakthrough debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, said he and Duritz share a lot of the same friends, and have a lot of the same sensibilities.

Speaking via email, Thomas said, There is very little drama around us and we just like to play music. I think for fans, Crows and Matchbox are two bands that write songs about people and the human condition. How things that happen to us affect how we feel. We write songs about people and relatable emotions, so I think we share a lot of fans.

Matchbox Twentys debut album sold more than 15 million copies, thanks to such hits as Push and 3AM. But Thomas did not have an easy start in life. His parents split and money was tight. At one point he pretended to be a rock star with a stringless guitar. He struggled to help his mother as she fought cancer and other demons.

Did he always know hed somehow find success?

More Information Xfinity Theatre, 61 Savitt Way, Hartford. Saturday, Sept. 2, 6:45 p.m. $113-$29.50. 800-745-3000, livenation.com See More Collapse

Looking back from this vantage point, its easy to say I always knew. But I guess I didnt. I knew that it was what I wanted no matter what, and I never really gave myself a backup plan. But its a fine line between being a successful, tenacious musician who made it and being 45 years old and sleeping on your friends couch waiting for your band to take off, so I appreciate whatever we have accomplished.

One thing he can count among those accomplishments involves his collaboration with Santana on the 1999 smash, Smooth. Thomas played a huge role in its creation, but wasnt sure at first if it was any good, so he asked his wife, Marisol Maldonado.

Mari did tell me it was a big hit when I wasnt sure, he said, of the tune that won three Grammys. The real funny part is if Itaal (co-writer Itaal Shur) and I hadnt lived a few blocks from each other in SoHo, this may not have happened at all.

Music will reign Saturday. For both bands, this isnt really a storyteller tour. We have 20 years of songs, the Crows have more. Its hard enough to play all we want in the time we have as it is.

That said, fans will see what the title of the tour suggests, A Brief History of Everything. 

Will MB20 and Counting Crows jam together? I got up with those guys last tour, but we havent yet, this one. It certainly could be something we do by Hartford. We arent working on or playing new music this run. This tour is really just a love letter to our fans.

LKoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz
BRIDGEPORT  Sen. Richard Blumenthal on Monday was in the citys South End, flooded out during tropical storm Sandy five years ago, to urge Washington to send whatever it takes to help the people of Houston recover from catastrophic flooding.

We cannot make the Gulf Coast wait as the nation made Connecticut wait, he said, referring to the delays and excessive paperwork experienced in getting help after Sandy in 2012 and tropical storm Irene in 2011. When relief is delayed, its damaging to recovery efforts.

Blumenthal was standing on the corner of Iranistan and South avenues, a spot that was under water during the Sandy storm surge. The Congress has a job to do  we can not tolerate a delay in giving the people of Houston help at this moment of humanitarian crisis to fellow Americans.

He said that that the damage and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey offers an opportunity for Americans to come together to help those in need.

We face an historic opportunity to come together  we are all linked together, Blumenthal said. It could be a turning point and Im going to try to make it a turning point. All of our interests coincide here.

The senator was joined by Mayor Joseph Ganim, City Councilwoman Denese Taylor-Moye and Director of Emergency Management Scott Appleby.

Taylor-Moye said that the people of Houston will need help that goes beyond wallboard and lumber.

Weve been through a lot, but not of the magnitude of what were seeing in Houston, she said. Theyre going to need more than just help with construction  theyre lives are shattered and theyve lost everything. Theyre going to need counseling and all forms of social services.

Mayor Ganim agreed. Hurricanes can wreak havoc in unsuspecting ways.

Rainfall from the storm is projected to surpass four feet in some areas of Texas. Although downgraded to a tropical storm, Harvey is expected to linger for several days bringing more heavy rain to the already flood inundated Houston area.

Blumenthal said that he hoped that Washington would not only come together to help the Gulf Coast of Texas, but also work together to rebuild the nations infrastructure.

The images of their plight is heart-wrenching, the senator said. We need to come together not only to help Houston, but to commit to improved infrastructure on a national basis  to rebuild our highways, bridges and airports.

jburgeson@ctpost.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

FAIRFIELD -

Two Fairfield men were killed in a boating accident on Long Island Sound after a 32-foot boat struck a breakwater in New Haven Harbor.

The two have been identified as Michael Murphy, 53, and Scott Trautman, 46.

The the two were aboard Murphys 2017 Sea Fox power boat heading south in New Haven Harbor during the evening hours Saturday.

At some point, Murphys vessel struck the north side of the west break wall in the harbor area. Both Murphy and Trautman were ejected from the vessel and sustained fatal injuries, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said in a release.

A good Samaritan reported the vessel was found overturned and damaged near the west breakwater in New Haven Harbor at approximately 9:15 a.m. Sunday.

The Coast Guard found Trautman on the rocks of the breakwater.

The search for Murphy ended around 8:30 p.m. Sunday when the Connecticut State Police dive unit located his body.

Both of the victims were Fairfield residents, according to West Haven police spokesman Sgt. David Tammaro, whose department was involved in the search.

The vessel was recovered from the breakwall.

Both Trautman and Murphy were transported to the State Medical Examiners office in Farmington.

EnCon Police are still actively investigating the incident.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Steve Strohmaier said Monday the two men were not wearing life jackets at the time of the accident.

The boat struck the 4,200-foot breakwater on the western side of the harbor. The harbor has three of these stone walls that shelter New Haven Harbor.

Murphy was Vice President of Alinabal group, according to family, LinkedIn, and the company website.

He is survived by his wife Kim and two children, a 17-year-old boy in his senior year at Fairfield Prep and a 21-year-old daughter who studies at Loyola University in Maryland.

Murphy was a seasoned boater, according to friends and family.

Hes always loved the water, said , said brother-in-law Rick Kral, of Greenwich. Very safe person. He kept a clean deck and had the best (navigation) electronics on board.

Murphys home port was South Benson Marina, in Fairfield, had also kept the boat at Captains Cove, in Bridgeport, Kral said.

If you hit a breakwater at, say, 35 mphand I dont know how fast they were goingobviously there are no seat belts on the boat and the people just get catapulted, said Bruce Williams, Vice President of Captains Cove.

Boating accidents occur a couple of times every season, but are usually minor events, like scraping against the Penfield Reef off of Fairfield Beach, according to Williams. In those situations boats grind to a halt, and boaters have time to reacteither calling for help as the boat takes on water or bailing out of the boat.

He knew everybody and led a number of fundraising efforts, Kral said. Murphy served on the board of Goodwill of Western & Northern Connecticut from 2009 until earlier this year.

He was putting together a golf tournament, Kral said, to benefit the family of Chris Huges, 54. He died in a boating accident in Maine on June 1, according to his obituary.

Murphy graduated from Fairfield Prep in 1982.

The Fairfield Prep Community is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Mike Murphy, said spokeswoman Co. We extend our heartfelt sympathy, thoughts, and prayers to all his family and friends.

Kral said, and earned degrees at Marist College and the University of New Haven, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the friends and families of the two men who perished, said Capt. Andrew Tucci, commander Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound. We are grateful to the emergency responders who assisted in the search efforts.

The command center issued an urgent marine information broadcast and launched a 45-foot boat from Coast Guard Station New Haven. West Haven and Milford marine units joined the search.

A Coast Guard HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Cape Cod was involved in the search that covered approximately 61-square nautical miles.
Great Allegheny Passage improvements coming

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 theme has emerged from various interviews that Prince William has given to mark the 20th anniversary of his mothers death.

He feels strongly that Diana did not get the support and advice she needed in the last few years of her life.

And in one such interview he added: I feel very sad and I still feel very angry that we were not old enough to be able to do more to protect her, not wise enough to step in and do something that could have made things better for her.

It is both sad and predictable that William feels that in some way he let her down: children often feel responsibility for disasters that befall a parent, even when objectively they have no reason for any self-reproach, let alone feelings of guilt.

Close: Diana at the christening of Rosa and Dominics daughter Domenica in 1995 with their other daughter, Savannah

It might reassure Dianas elder son to know that, even if he had been able to offer her wise advice during the last few years of her life, it would probably not have altered anything. That was my experience.

My wife, Rosa Monckton, had become a very close friend of the Princess, and in 1995 Diana offered to be godmother to our daughter Domenica  who was born with Downs Syndrome on June 1 that year.

It was after Domenicas second birthday party in 1997, when all the other guests had left, that Diana sought our advice and guidance on an invitation she had received.

She told us that she had been asked by Mohamed Al Fayed to spend a few days with him and his family in the South of France, on his newly-acquired yacht, Jonikal.

Diana told us that she was tempted  in part because she hoped Al Fayeds big security operation would protect her and the boys from the Press  but wanted to know if we thought it would be a good idea.

I urged her not to accept the invitation, pointing out the almost toxically controversial nature of the Egyptian (then owner of Harrods) and the fact that having been condemned eight years earlier in a 752-page Department of Trade report as a serial liar and fantasist, he was not a suitable holiday host either for her or her sons.

What I did not know then was that Al Fayed  a man long obsessed with gaining connections to the British Royal Family  had already conceived this holiday as an opportunity to introduce Diana to his son Dodi, and actually to make them into a couple, with marriage the intended apotheosis of his stunningly audacious scheme.

Anyway, after I had given her the advice (which I think included the words Mohamed Fayed is nothing but trouble) Diana stared at me with those unnervingly beautiful eyes and said: Thank you so much, Im very glad I asked you.

The rest, of course, is history. Diana ignored our advice (Rosa had strongly backed me up) and six weeks later she was aboard Jonikal with Mohamed Al Fayed.

The trap was set, the bird was in the cage: he ordered Dodi (who was completely intimidated by him) to abandon his then girlfriend, Kelly Fisher, and join Diana on the yacht.

Diana had shortly beforehand broken off her relationship with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan, after he rejected her wish that he live with her in Kensington Palace (the resultant media attention would have made it impossible for him to continue his work).

I know Dodis going to give me a ring but its going firmly on my right hand

My wifes view  and that of other close friends  was that Dianas affair with Dodi was chiefly designed to show Hasnat, and perhaps to win him back.

She had laughingly told Rosa, when they went on a weeks holiday, just the two of them, less than a fortnight before her death: I know Dodi is going to give me a ring, but that is going to go firmly on a finger on my right hand.

Obviously, none of us could have had the slightest premonition of the horrible way that summer fling ended: violent death in the Pont de lAlma Tunnel, in flight from the French paparazzi.

In last nights BBC1 documentary Diana, 7 Days, Prince Harry said: One of the hardest things to come to terms with is that those people that caused the accident, instead of helping, were taking pictures of her dying on the back seat.

But while the behaviour of the paparazzi in taking those last pictures was appalling, those men were not the cause of his mothers death.

The French judges Herve Stephan and Marie-Christine Devidal, after prolonged investigation, produced a 6,800-page report concluding that the cause of the fatal accident was that the driver, Henri Paul had been inebriated and under the influence of drugs not compatible with alcohol, a state that did not allow him to maintain control of his vehicle which was travelling at a high speed on a tricky section of the road.

That was an understatement: the Mercedes sped at up to 97mph (three times the local limit) into an 1850s tunnel already notorious for its fatalities.

Paul swerved, having brushed against the rear of a white Fiat Uno and lost control. He never braked.

Henri Paul was no chauffeur, but the deputy head of security at the Al Fayed-owned Paris Ritz hotel, where Diana and Dodi were staying.

He had been off-duty and, as colleagues later confirmed, everyone knew that, when he wasnt at work, he tippled.

But apparently not Dodi, whose crazy idea  which he told the astounded bodyguards had been backed by his father  was to throw the paparazzi off the scent, by leaving not with one of the trained and accredited chauffeurs, but in a second-hand Mercedes S280 driven by the off-duty Henri Paul.

Ambition: Mohamed Al Fayed, pictured at a charity dinner with Princess Diana in 1996, was determined that his son Dodi should marry her

Most crazily of all, the inebriated Ritz deputy security chief wanted a race: just before whizzing off, he taunted the photographers: Dont try to follow us, you will never catch us.

Unsurprisingly, the devastatingly bereaved Mohamed Al Fayed could not come to terms with the fact that his son was responsible for the fatal plan, and that his own employee, Henri Paul, had been shown to have consumed two large measures of Ricard (equivalent to four whiskies).

Over the years that followed Al Fayed built up a body of lies masquerading as a conspiracy theory: that Diana told him she had accepted Dodis offer of marriage, that she was pregnant with Dodis child, and that in full knowledge of this, the Duke of Edinburgh had commissioned MI6 to murder them (disguised as a car crash).

I attended the inquest, as my wife Rosa was one of the witnesses. And I still recall Al Fayeds discomfiture when asked by Richard Horwell QC about the Fiat Unos role in this alleged assassination:

It is an extremely light car, one of the most underpowered cars available in the world. Can you help us as to why, with the might of the Royal Family, MI6 and so on and so on, they chose such a car? Can you assist us?

Intelligible answer came there none.

Partly in order to prove how malevolently absurd were Al Fayeds claims about the murderous intent of the Queens consort, my wife gave the inquest copies she had of some of the letters exchanged by the Duke of Edinburgh and Diana, written in 1992 as her marriage to the Prince of Wales came under terminal pressure.

My wife wanted the inquest to know how much Philip cared about Diana

Rosa wanted to show the inquest how much the Duke clearly cared about Diana: his letters were deeply humane and constructive, always ending with much love, Pa.

Yet when each of Philips letters reached her, Diana would ring Rosa in tears, saying how unfair he had been and how unsympathetic to her.

Rosa would then ask to see it, and would talk Diana through it line by line, explaining how clearly well-intentioned the latest letter was. Diana would then calm down and ask us to help her reply.

I must here confess that I did the drafting of these replies (Youre the writer, Rosa would order me). My drafts would go to Rosas office at Tiffanys (she was then the managing director), to be typed up by her secretary.

They would then be couriered to Kensington Palace, where Diana would write them out in her own hand, presumably altering my drafts in whatever way she wished. But the Dukes replies suggested that Diana had not changed much of what I had drafted.

This, I suppose, was one example where she did take advice: and I think that by keeping a thoughtful line of communication open with Prince Philip, she did begin to calm down a little in that most difficult year and become a little less fraught.

Still, when I look at those letters now, I am reminded of how she hid from us (and indeed everyone) her involvement in the explosive Andrew Morton book which had described in intimate detail both her own misery and her husbands behaviour  the latter in most unflattering terms.

Whenever the Duke referred to the concern at Buckingham Palace at some of the contents of the Morton book, Diana would ask us to make clear in her response that she hadnt even read it, still less assisted its author.

So, little knowing the truth, we did.

But, for all that, she was a wonderful friend to Rosa, and was more than capable of expressing this in her own words and in her own way.

One such letter I have in front of me as I write this: The words thank you are totally inadequate to tell you just how much your advice and friendship have meant, Rosa. One day I pray that I will be given an opportunity to show how dear you are to me . . .
After a long week, it's understandable if the takeaway menu is more appealing than the fridge door.

But, what with all of the oil, saturated fat, sugar and salt poured into making your food delivery more delicious, how can you make sure you're not piling on the weight while enjoying your dinner?

FEMAIL spoke with Australian nutritionist, Susie Burrell, for her top tips on making the healthiest possible takeaway decisions.

Some of what she has to say might surprise you.

Takeaways have become increasingly popular, what with people working harder than ever and not necessarily having the time to cook (pictured: Noodle Box with UberEATS)

But, what with all of the oil, saturated fat, sugar and salt in takeaways, how can you make sure you're not piling on the weight while enjoying your dinner? (stock image)

FEMAIL spoke with Australian nutritionist, Susie Burrell (pictured), for her top tips on making the healthiest possible takeaway decisions

Top of Susie's list of what to look out for is anything that's been fried:

'Think schnitzels (even in sushi), Pad Thai, spring rolls, fried fish, calamari and hot chips,' the nutritionist - who has partnered with UberEATS to create a range of nutritionally-balanced takeaway meals - told Daily Mail Australia.

She also said you need to avoid 'processed white carbs'.

'Noodles, rice and bread are all fillers which do not contain a lot nutritionally and add tonnes of carbs and calories to your takeaway,' Susie explained.

Top of Susie's list of what to look out for is anything that's been fried - this includes sushi, schnitzel, Pad Thai (stock image), calamari and fried fish

Choose roasted vegetable salads over those with noodles and rice - they may look dense, but they will be packed with more nutrition (pictured: Jack Greens)

Lean protein is key to making a healthy decision - and barbecued chicken (stock image) is a surprisingly healthy choice

TAKEAWAY TIPS * Make sure your plate contains a 1/4 of protein, 1/2 of vegetables and salad and 1/4 carbs via brown rice, wholegrain noodles or wholegrain bread. * Be wary of anything that's been fried, including sushi, spring rolls, fried fish, calamari and schnitzels. * Choose barbecue chicken over stir fries and curries, which can be packed with oil. * Indian, Chinese, thick pizza and fried fish and chips are among the worst cuisines you can opt for. * Meanwhile, with Asian and modern Australian food, you can often make good decisions. * Soups and salads are normally good choices, but pick vegetable salads over rice or noodle salads. Advertisement

Instead, you should look for 'lean protein - such as fish' or - surprisingly - barbecue chicken:

'A lot of people think that barbecue chicken isn't healthy, but in general it's a much more nutritionally sound choice than stir fries and curries, which can be packed with oil,' Susie said.

She also said you should be wary around 'rice or noodle salads'.

'A roasted vegetable salad might look calorie dense, but it will be filled with nutrition,' she added.

When it comes to the worst cuisines available, Susie warns against 'Indian, traditional high fat Chinese, thick pizza and fried fish and chips'.

In their place, choose 'Asian, where you can usually make good choices'.

'With modern Australian food, it's also easy to locate lean protein, vegetable and salad options,' Susie continued.

Susie Burrell is currently working with UberEATS on Family Feeds to develop affordable and healthier takeaway options (pictured: Pasta Pantry and Farmer Chicken)

The meals range from a full roast chicken dinner to a Greek mezze platter (pictured: Zambrero)

'Ideally, your takeaway plate will contain a 1/4 of protein, 1/2 of vegetables and salad and 1/4 carbs via brown rice, wholegrain noodles or wholegrain bread,' she said.

'Soups and salads are always good choices.'

Susie Burrell is currently working with UberEATS on Family Feeds to develop affordable and healthier takeaway options.

These include a full roast chicken dinner, Greek mezze platter or mixed grill.

To find out more, download the UberEATS app, type in Family Feeds and select a meal deal from one of your favourite restaurants.
Colin Firths eco-warrior wife Livia is admired by the fashion elite for her ethical clothes campaigning and has even recruited film star Emma Watson to back her cause.

But approval from one of Britains leading designers is harder to come by. Savile Row tailor Patrick Grant, a judge on the BBCs Great British Sewing Bee, has accused her of being blinded by the allure of fame, money, and looking cool.

I dont know how shes being sustainable, I really dont, Patrick, 45, tells me. I dont know what her Green Carpet Challenge [where designers are urged to create eco-friendly outfits fit for the red carpet] is about other than it relies on celebrities to sell more stuff.

Livia Firth (pictured) is admired by the fashion elite for her ethical clothes campaigning

Its difficult because you want to sell a good amount, but if your whole model is predicated on using celebrities to sell stuff, you lose something important. It becomes just about money, rather than the clothes.

Patrick, owner and creative director of stylish menswear label E. Tautz, recently set up the Community Clothing project to help revive the British clothes manufacturing industry by creating jobs.

Livia, 47, has been married to Colin for 20 years and they have two sons. She founded Eco-Age in 2007 to deliver a unique and powerful positioning for brands, which include luxury labels such as Stella McCartney, Gucci and Erdem.

Livia with husband Colin

The firm has since set up the Green Carpet Challenge, which has won the support of Hollywood names including Watson and Bradley Cooper. Its aim is said to pair glamour and ethics to raise the profile of sustainability and social welfare.

Patrick says of his own sustainability endeavours: Were doing something on a proper, large, industrial scale. Its about creating jobs in the UK and as a by-product it ends up being sustainable but we didnt set out to be a green company or an eco company. We set out very specifically to create as many jobs in Britain as we could.

Thats what sustainability is about; its not about looking cool and having celebrities promote your brand.

A spokesman for Livia tells me: Livia actively works against needless consumerism. We absolutely support all companies working to be more sustainable.

A degree ruins actors says Olivia, MA (Cantab)

While Eton continues to churn out some of Britains most in-demand actors, from Damian Lewis to Dominic West, The Sixth Sense star Olivia Williams claims her own world-class education was actually a handicap.

The 49-year-old Londoner, who studied drama at Bristol Old Vic after gaining a degree at Cambridge University, says: I was given a hard time about it and I was resentful of that. You come here with your Oxbridge ways was the underlying tone.

But the truth is that I did go there with my Oxbridge ways, and when I started acting professionally and watching other actors act, I finally realised that a critical approach to the text is a massive handicap.

Amanda hams it up in a roundabout way

Blur bassist turned cheesemaker Alex James hosted his music and food festival in the Cotswolds this weekend, where his famous friends made the most of the last days of summer.

Chirpy TV host Amanda Holden, 46, was happily centre of attention as she straddled a pig on a carousel in a thigh-grazing floral playsuit and brown knee-high boots.

Chirpy TV host Amanda Holden, 46, was happily centre of attention as she straddled a pig on a carousel in a thigh-grazing floral playsuit and brown knee-high boots

Nearby, new Great British Bake Off host Prue Leith, 77, enjoyed the limelight as she walked around with her husband, John Playfair

Nearby, new Great British Bake Off host Prue Leith, 77, enjoyed the limelight in a red tunic with matching trousers and shoes, as she walked around with her husband, John Playfair, 70, whom she wed last October.

But the award for most glowing guests goes to James Bond director Sam Mendes, ex-husband of Kate Winslet, and his new wife, classical trumpeter Alison Balsom, who is pregnant with their first child.

Sam Mendes and his new wife Alison Balsom, who is pregnant with their first child

The Queens former chef Darren McGrady revealed she detests potatoes and profligacy. Now I can disclose more dislikes.

The Queen doesnt like concerts to be longer than 90 minutes and she doesnt like intervals, says Judith Arnold, who managed the late conductor Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, former Master of the Queens Music. Nobody wanted to incur the Queens displeasure.
When Alia Sultana fled her home country of Pakistan, she arrived in Australia as a woman who'd spent the better part of her life confined to her home

But when the 47-year-old, her husband and their youngest daughter fled their homeland as religious refugees in 2011, everything changed.

While the family were relieved to be able to live freely, starting over in Australia wasn't without its challenges, Alia told Daily Mail Australia.

Alia Sultana fled Pakistan with her husband and youngest daughter in 2011

Coming to Australia bought it's fair share of challenges, Alia said, but working hard to overcome these led to great opportunities

Alia (pictured second from left) is a co-founder of SisterWorks, a collective that supports other refugee women to start their own businesses

'When I came here, life wasn't easy. The new country, new culture, new language and new people.'

In Pakistan, Alia was a member of the persecuted Hazara ethnic group and she fled with her husband after their daughter came to Australia as an international student.

Her first hurdle, she explained was to overcome the language barrier so she could connect with her community.

She made learning English a priority by regularly attending classes run by the Brothers of St Laurence in Dandenong, Victoria, where the family was based and 'trying to speak in English with everyone'.

'I had little English at the time, so it was very difficult for me to communicate with the people.'

The SisterWorks family brings together refugee and migrant women from myriad nationalities

Alia said earning her own money gives her a sense of financial freedom

Although she had studied psychology in Pakistan, Alia said, she hadn't pursued a career because it was expected she would care for her family.

'The culture is that women have to live in the house,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'Their duty is to cook and clean and look after the children and to serve their husband and in-laws.'

The newly-created catering business allows Alia to share some of her culture through food

'When your husband gives you permission to go out it's a big shock,' Alia told the Sydney Morning Herald.

'Now he's more confident and I'm more confident about what I can do as a woman.

'In Pakistan I was a housewife and I cooked, cleaned and cared for children but here I am confident I can earn money,' she added.

With her new-found confidence  and some newly forged connections  Alia slowly began to strike out on her own, and with her husband's blessing.

'Back in Pakistan, I never go out to have a job and earn money,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'When we came here, my husband say "you can go out and whatever you want you can do it".'

Luz Restrepo  a political refuge from Columbia  now heads up the SisterWorks collective

The non-profit sells artisan goods from a shop in Richmond. 50 per cent of the profits are returned to the women

English classes didn't just give Alia the skills to communicate, they had also allowed her to forge bonds with other women.

This led Alia along with her friend Luz Restrepo - a political refuge from Columbia - to create SisterWorks, a social enterprise to support migrant and refugee women.

The non-profit organisation allows women to develop business skills through making and selling artisan wares through their Richmond-based store.

The women receive 50 per cent of the profit on sales, the rest is reinvested back into the collective.

As well as delicious food, Alia brings a host of freshly honed business skills to the table

'Earning money it's a good feeling for myself and I think I can support my family. It makes me confident and empowered.'

Alia's catering business, A.M.I, is the organisation's latest venture that allows the accomplished cook to bring a host of newly-honed skills to the table.

Not only can she share a little of her culture with others through food, making extra money gives her a sense of financial freedom.

'As a woman when you earning money it's a good feeling for myself and I think I can support my family. It makes me confident and empowered.'

Alia believes it's important for refugee and migrant women to feel empowered to strike out on their own

It's also part of her belief that it's important to encourage other women to have confidence in themselves.

'I think women should be empowered to help their family,' Alia said.

'When the family is happy the community is happy, and when the community is happy, the whole nation is happy.'
A New Zealand designer has created a collection of chic and 'sustainable' handbags that use an unusual material to help create their unique look.

Lilja Viggosdottir, 25, from Auckland, made the decision to start her own line of handbags after visiting her father's home of Iceland.

But rather than creating a collection purely out of traditional leather, the young entrepreneur had another idea.

A New Zealand designer has created a collection of chic and 'sustainable' handbags (pictured) that use an unusual material to help create their unique look

Lilja Viggosdottir (pictured(, from Auckland, made the decision to start her own line of handbags after visiting her father's home of Iceland

Rather than creating a collection purely out of traditional leather, the young entreprenur had another idea

Her brand, Nordik, uses salmon skin sourced from throughout Scandinavia to create a distinct look.

Prices for the unique pieces - which are handcrafted in Italy - range from NZ$685 for the 'Bjork' wallet to NZ$1620 for the 'Pippa' backpack and NZ$1340 for the 'Greta' tote.

'Salmon skin is a bi-product of the fishing industry, so the leather is created by utilising raw material that would otherwise be discarded,' Lilja wrote on her website.

'The production process uses renewable hydro and geothermal energy and therefore is environmentally friendly and sustainable, perfect for the discerning consumer.

'The texture of salmon leather can vary from a rough 'open scale' finish, to a smoother, more refined 'closed scale' finish.'

The designer's brand, Nordik, uses salmon skin sourced from throughout Scandinavia to create a distinct look

'The texture of salmon leather can vary from a rough 'open scale' finish, to a smoother, more refined 'closed scale' finish,' she said

The designer said that as salmon skin is a bi-product of the fishing industry, the leather is created by utilising raw material that would otherwise be discarded

She added that each bag may have a different finish depending on the colour, stye and treatment of the leather.

'If you look at some of the leather in this collection you can see they've put a foil through that gives it a metallic finish,' Lilja told Stuff.

'They hot press the foil onto the salmon leather, some of it's done by hand as well over in Iceland.'

Nordik launched two weeks ago and the designer said she had learned a lot in the run-up to her enterprise going live

The designer's fledgling business only launched two weeks ago and she said preparing for it had been a steep learning curve.

'It's quite a bit of pressure, but I love the chaos, I thrive,' she told Stuff.

'You would think bags would be easier to design and make than clothing, but no.

'There's a lot of different elements that go into handbag construction - something I didn't actually learn about at university so I sort of had to give myself a crash course in the different things you need to remember when designing a bag; how you use it, how you hold it, pressure points and tension points.'

After researching salmon skin as a material, she found that the process of producing the salmon leather in Iceland was eco-friendly

The designer said she was initially drawn to the 'texture and multiple finishes' that were available in salmon skin

After researching salmon skin as a material, she found that the process of producing the salmon leather in Iceland was eco-friendly and lent itself to being a fashion item without the harsh environmental consequence.

Speaking to The Register about why she loved working with salmon, the designer said she was initially drawn to the 'texture and multiple finishes that were available'.

'But once I did some research and discovered the sustainable properties and unique tanning process I felt really inspired,' she added.

Whilst salmon leather is more expensive than traditional leather, its structure makes it superior, according to the designer

The collection features bags made with salmon and cow hide

'Salmon leather is more expensive as it is a smaller product to produce, the strength and durability surpasses that of a regular hide because of the cross fibre structure,' she said.

'The tannery in Iceland who produce the salmon skins for Nordik are among the best in world, with numerous awards and recognitions for being a leading enterprise in the development of fish leather.

'They are unique in that the process which tans the skins is all powered by renewable hydro and geothermal energy.

'Nordik designs are made with the very best of both salmon and cow hides. I love that there is a balance of both leathers in the designs as the cowhide allows the salmon skin to stand out and provides a beautiful clean minimalist look to the bags.'
Up until two years ago, Jessa O'Brien was like many other yogis.

While she knew the ancient practice was all about connecting mind, body and spirit, the Gold Coast local, 28, also felt something was missing.

Then, on a trip abroad, Jessa discovered nude yoga - something which she hopes to bring to the east coast of Australia via her upcoming naked yoga workshops.

Here, the 28-year-old - who goes by The Nude Blogger online - explains how practising nude yoga helped her to accept her body - 'rolls' and all - and love it more.

She also speaks of what nude yoga can do for you.

Jessa O'Brien, 28, from the Gold Coast (pictured), first took up nude yoga two years ago after a trip abroad led her to try it - she found the experience very empowering

The 28-year-old (pictured) spoke to FEMAIL about how nude yoga encouraged her to accept herself and love her body more; she'll launch nude yoga workshops on the Gold Coast soon

'Yoga is all about connecting mind, body and spirit,' she told FEMAIL. 'Doing it nude in a safe environment only enhances those feelings,' she added (pictured)

According to Jessa, her love of nude yoga first came about when she was travelling in Portugal several years ago.

'I've been doing yoga for about seven years and am now a certified yoga teacher, but it wasn't until I experimented with a bunch of females in Portugal that I found just how empowering nude yoga was,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

While Jessa admitted that one person in the group was 'initially quite uncomfortable' about the idea of stripping off and practising yoga, she also said that 'at the end she came up to me and thanked me for doing the class'.

Jessa (pictured) added that yoga is not necessarily what you see on Instagram - it's more realistic than this

'I'm quite a slim woman, but when I bend over, I have rolls. Nude yoga has helped me to accept myself and love my body more,' she explained

Later this year, in October, Jessa (pictured) will launch her own three-hour workshops in Byron Bay, Brisbane and the Gold Coast

By the time Jessa got back to Australia, she searched far and wide for similar nude yoga workshops - finding very little except those led by her now-friend, Rosie Rees, in Western Australia.

And so, she started practising - both by herself on nudist beaches and with close friends.

Yoga is all about connecting mind, body and spirit

'Yoga is all about connecting mind, body and spirit,' she told FEMAIL. 'Doing it nude in a safe environment only enhances those feelings.'

The 28-year-old confessed how good it is to 'learn to be vulnerable'.

'Learning to accept and love yourself is invaluable,' she said. 'Yoga is not what you see on Instagram - it's not all perfect bodies and downward dogs.

'I'm quite a slim woman, but when I bend over, I have rolls. Nude yoga has helped me to accept myself and love my body more.'

She said the classes will be about self love and body positivity - 'no confronting poses, just facilitating people to be more comfortable with their bodies - whatever their shape or size'

Later this year, in October, Jessa will launch her own three-hour workshops in Byron Bay, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

Aimed at both beginners and those who are more advanced, she said that the classes will not be just about practising yoga naked:

'They are about self love and body positivity. No confronting poses, just facilitating people to be more comfortable with their bodies - whatever their shape or size,' she said.

The classes will move between the physical and the psychological:

'It can be good to delve into feeling vulnerable,' she said. 'It can help you to learn to love yourself.'

Jessa recently came into the news, after her body-positive Instagram profile was 'deactivated' by Instagram (left) - however, the profile was later reinstated (right)

Jessa recently came into the news, after her body-positive Instagram profile, The Nude Blogger, was 'deactivated' without warning by Instagram, because she thought it had breached Instagram's nudity policy.

At the time, Jessa had amassed some 42,000 followers in less than a year - but she was swiftly unable to log in:

'Nearly 10 months in, almost 43,000 followers later, and a hell of a lot of time, energy and effort and they do this Not one notification,' Jessa posted on her blog about the experience.

Just over a week later, and after constant 'pestering' of the support team, Jessa's original Instagram page was re-instated.

'It's a great victory for body positivity,' she told FEMAIL of the return of her profile.

'To those of you who have stood united with me... believed in me... who didn't just sit back on the issue... who fought for something bigger... THANK YOU.'

To follow Jessa O'Brien's blog, click here. You can also find her Instagram profile here.
The father of a three-year-old boy who died from a brain haemorrhage last year has posted a touching letter of the lessons he has learnt since losing his son.

Hughie Pringle, from Hastings, East Sussex, had a brain condition that carried a five per cent chance of bleeding.

His father, Richard Pringle, who has two other young children, posted the list titled 'The 10 most important things I've learnt since losing my son', to Facebook - and the emotional note is sweeping social media.

He reveals how important it is for parents to stop and make time for their children and to remember 'you can never ever kiss and love too much'.

Three-year-old Hughie Pringle, from Hastings, died last year following a brain haemorrhage (pictured with his father Richard). Richard has shared a list of important lessons he's learnt

He told parents to take as many photos and record as many videos as humanly possible because 'one day that might be all you have'.

He also told them to cherish the simplest of things - because these are what he misses the most.

The father also urged families to keep a journal of all the little things their children do.

'Write down everything your little ones do that light up your world,' he said.

'We only started doing this after we lost Hughie. We wanted to remember everything. Now we do it for Hettie and we will for Hennie too.'

Mr Pringle recently took to Facebook to commemorate a year since losing his son with a touching letter (pictured with son Hughie as a baby)

Mr Pringle's post has been shared over 5,000 times on social media, with many supporters commending the father for his words.

His final lesson was for parents to remember how 'blessed' they are if they still have their children.

'If you have your children with you, to kiss goodnight, to have breakfast with, to walk to school, to take to university, to watch get married. You are blessed. Never ever forget that,' he said.

An important lesson: Mr Pringle's final words remind parents to be grateful for their children

Earlier this month, the father-of-three led a charity event to raise money for an MRI scanner at Conquest Hospital in Hughie's honour.

The event, called Hughie's Supercare Saturday, saw a convoy of supercars line the streets of Hastings in memory of the little boy who 'loved cars'.

The event helped raise over 2,000 towards the hospital's appeal, and balloons were released to remember Hughie.

Giving a moving speech at the event, Mr Pringle touched on the tragedy that turned his family's life upside down.

'Its been a tough year for us since losing Hughie. But one key thing for us was to celebrate what he was all about,' he said.

'He was only with us for three years but in those three years he brought us a lifetime of memories and happiness.'
With Harry looking ready to settle down with Meghan Markle a vacancy for the role of Europe's most eligible prince is well and truly open.

And it looks like a contender has been found in the form of Prince Joachim of Denmark who celebrates his 18th birthday today.

The royal is the eldest grandchild of Queen Margarethe and Prince Henrik, and is the child of her younger son Prince Joachim and his ex-wife Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

To celebrate the big day, Queen Margarethe is throwing a party on the royal yacht Dannebrog this evening, attended by members of the Danish royal family and Nicolai's mother Alexandra.

Prince Nikolai of Denmark turns 18 today and will celebrate with family members on board the royal yacht later this evening

Nikolai's father admitted this year that he can't believe how fast his son, pictured aged six, has grown up

With Prince Harry happily settled with Meghan Markle, there's a vacancy for the most eligible Prince in Europe and Nikolai looks ready to step into the spotlight

Earlier this year Prince Joachim spoke about the future of his son, who is seventh in line to the throne, saying he could scarcely believe how time had flown.

'It is terrible, it is amazing that that time can go as fast,' he told Billed Bladet. 'He should not be forced into something, Nicolais future shall be conducted entirely by his own plan.'

The Prince was born at Copenhagen University Hospital on August 28, 1999 to Joachim and his wife Alexandra and was third in line to the throne after his father and uncle Prince Frederik.

The couple met when the prince was visiting her native Hong Kong in 1994 and they married a year later after a whirlwind romance.

Nikolai (right) is the eldest grandchild of Prince Henrik (centre) and Queen Margrethe of Denmark

The seventh in line to the throne will not receive an official position or financial support from the Queen of Denmark

His brother Prince Felix was born three years later, but Joachim, now 47, and Alexandra, now 52, announced they were divorcing after 10 years together in 2004 when their son Prince Nikolai was five and Prince Felix was two - Denmark's first royal split in nearly 160 years.

He has since remarried Marie Cavallier, now Princess Marie and the couple have two children together Prince Henrik, six, and Princess Athena, five.

Alexandra, who lost her title of Princess after the divorce also remarried Martin Jrgensen, but that union also ended last year.

Prince Nikolai with his stepmother Princess Marie (left), brothers Henrik and Felix, sister Princess Athena and father Prince Joachim

Earlier this year, the Danish court announced that only the future King, Prince Christian, would receive an appanage.

The appanage is traditionally given to younger children of Kings and Princes who are unlikely to ever assume the throne, and takes the form of a gift of land, an official office or position, or money.

However, the Prince will continue to be supported by his parents, dividing his time between his father and mother as he completes his education.
Advertisement

Most 18-year-olds celebrate with a debut pint with friends in the pub, but Prince Nikolai of Denmark's coming of age was naturally a more glamorous affair.

The eldest son of Prince Joachim marked the occasion with a dinner party aboard the royal yacht Dannebrog, hosted by his grandmother Queen Margrethe, 77.

He was joined by glamorous Princess Mary who was her usual stylish self in a cream pleated dress with metallic embellishments.

The mother-of-four looked radiant as she boarded the yacht accompanied by her four children Christian, 11, Isabella, 10, and twins Josephine and Vincent, six.

He was also joined by his father and stepmother Princess Marie and mother Alexandra, Countess of Frederiksborg.

A family affair! Back row left to right: Prince Henrik, Prince Felix, Princess Marie, Prince Joachim, Countess Alexandra of Frederiksborg, Crown Princess Mary, Prince Christian and Princess Isabella. Front left to right: Princess Athena, Queen Margrethe, Princess Josephine, Prince Henrik and Prince Vincent

Crown Princess Mary looked elegant in a cream pleated dress, and was joined by her children Isabella, Josephine, Vincent and Christian

The Danish royal court released new official pictures of Prince Nikolai today as he celebrated turning 18

Queen Margrethe, 77, and her husband Prince Henrik, 80, put on a show of togetherness despite recently stating that he refuses to be buried alongside his wife

Queen Margrethe cut a colourful figure in a long red skirt and patterned top, teamed with a black statement necklace.

The monarch looked in excellent spirits and shared a tender moment with her husband Prince Henrik, 80, who placed an arm around his wife's shoulder as they waved to wellwishers from the deck.

His display of affection comes after tensions were revealed last month when he announced that he would not be buried alongside the Queen as he's unhappy that he was never given the title of King.

Since his retirement last year, he's renounced his Prince Consort title and spends much of his time at his vineyard in France.

The youngster was looking every inch the handsome young prince, donning a tuxedo for the smart occasion

Nikolai (centre) was joined by his stepmother Princess Marie (left), father Prince Joachim and their two children Athena and Henrik (left) and his mother Alexandra and brother Felix (right)

There was also no sign of tension between the present and former wife of Prince Joachim who were seen greeting each other warmly before posing for a family photo.

Joachim, now 47, and Alexandra, now 52, announced they were divorcing after 10 years together in 2004 when their son Prince Nikolai was five and Prince Felix was two - Denmark's first royal split in nearly 160 years.

He has since remarried Marie Cavallier, now Princess Marie and the couple have two children together Prince Henrik, six, and Princess Athena, five.

Alexandra, who lost her title of Princess after the divorce also remarried Martin Jrgensen, but that union also ended last year.

Princess Mary looked stylish in a cream dress covered with jewel embellishments

Princess Mary's daughters looked adorable in matching white coats, while her sons were smart in navy suits and dickie bows

Proud mother Alexandra looked delighted to be celebrating with her son (left). Nikolai looked dapper for the occasion in a tux

Princess Marie looked summery in a navy and pink floral dress teamed with gold and nude two tone shoes

The young prince will not receive an estate or money from Queen Margrethe, but will continue to be supported by his parents

Today the Danish royal court released two new portraits of Prince Nikolai to mark his special birthday.

As seventh in line to the throne he will not receive a gift of money, a title or a piece of land from his grandmother now he's come of age.

However, he will continue to be supported by his parents as he completes his education.

Royally cute! Prince Henrik and Princess Athena looked adorable in their party best as they snuggled up to their mother Princess Marie

Prince Nikolai embarks the royal ship Dannebrog located at the dock at Amaliehaven

Prince Joachim (left) and his former wife Alexandra Christina Manley together with Prince Nikolai

Birthday love! The princes gets a big hug from his adorable little sister Athena ahead of his party
An eight-month-old baby living with a two-inch deep crack in the top of his head has been abandoned by his parents and faces a race against time for life-saving treatment.

Simon Sama, from Nong Khai, northeastern Thailand, was born with an abnormally large head in January this year after doctors warned his relatives during the pregnancy to expect complications.

They operated and drained excess fluid, however, the sudden change in pressure caused his skull to collapse and fracture.

Following the deformity, Simon was abandoned by his parents and left with his grandmother, Nooplang, 48, to raise him.

Simon is in a race against time to get life-saving treatment as his head continues to swell, causing him to live 'like a vegetable'.

An eight-month-old has a crack in the top of his head after doctors drained water from his skull

Simon was abandoned by his parents and left with his grandmother, Nooplang, 48, to raise him

He was born with a large head and doctors warned his relatives to expect complications

'Like a vegetable'

His grandmother said: 'Simon is just like a vegetable now. He does not make a lot of noise or crawl like other children start to do at this age.

'We're waiting and waiting to see the doctor again. The crack in his head looks like it gets bigger so we think there could be more water in his skull.'

Nooplang's nephew Fern Warapoll, who also helps look after Simon, added: 'The doctors operated the first time to take out the fluid in his head but it did not work.

'After the operation his head had a hole in it and he was just lifeless.

Simon developed a two-inch cavity in the top of his head, as well as a crack that runs to his ear

He is in a race against time to get medical treatment as his head continues to swell

'We don't know if he'll ever get better'

Mr Warapoll added: 'We don't know if he'll ever get better or if he is going to get worse. The doctors don't know either.

'We want some doctor, somewhere, who can help. We need help to try to make his life better.'

Simon is waiting for his next hospital appointment in November to discover if more water needs draining.
Stainless steel sinks and kitchen taps could increase the risk of contracting deadly Legionnaires' disease, new research reveals.

The growth of bacteria responsible for Legionnaires', which has previously been linked to rust, is highest in stainless steel taps, a study found.

Such taps are thought to encourage bacterial growth as their protective coating typically degrades over time, promoting rusting, according to the researchers.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) recommends people avoid Legionnaires' by keeping hot-water systems heated to between 50 and 60C, as well as running taps regularly to avoid water standing for too long.

Legionnaires disease, which causes headaches, muscle pain, fever and confusion, affected around 7,000 people in Europe in 2015, however, the ECDC believes there may have been many more unreported incidences.

Stainless steel sinks and taps could increase the risk of contracting Legionnaires' disease

WHAT IS LEGIONNAIRES' DISEASE? Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia caused by bacteria. The bacteria are common in natural water systems, such as lakes, as well as cooling towers. However, numbers are typically low. If the water's temperature allows the bacteria to flourish, people can become infected if they inhale contaminated droplets in the air. Symptoms include fever, cough, muscle pain, headache, diarrhoea and mental confusion. It is treated by antibiotics. Source: Health and Safety Executive Advertisement

How the study was carried out

Researchers from the Netherlands, including the Regional Public Health Laboratory Kennemerland, analysed four drinking water systems typically found in homes.

All four systems, which each included stainless steel, brass ceramic and brass thermostatic mixer taps, were filled with unchlorinated drinking water.

The first system was solely filled with drinking water; the second with drinking water and cast iron rust; the third was contaminated with Legionella anisa, which is the most common strain of the bacteria in the Netherlands; and the fourth was contaminated with Legionella and cast iron rust.

Over 34 months, 450 cold water samples were taken from the systems and tested for Legionella.

Stainless steel taps have the highest Legionella concentration

Results reveal that the stainless-steel taps containing contaminated water and added rust had the highest Legionella concentrations, with the bacteria being present in 46.4 per cent of samples.

The same tap, which was contaminated but did not contain rust in a different sample, had the bacteria present in just 14.3 per cent of cases.

The growth of Legionella species is thought to increase when the protective coating on stainless steel fixtures degrades over time. Past research has linked rust to the bacteria's growth.

The researchers wrote: 'These results suggest that the type of faucet used in a drinking water system and the presence or absence of cast iron rust influences the growth of Legionella.'

They add taps should be assessed for their bacterial risk prior to sale.

Yet, Victor Yu from the University of Pittsburgh, who was not involved in the study, argued the link between such taps and Legionnaires' is unclear without assessing the number of people who actually became ill from the disease.
Calorie counts on restaurant menus do not inspire people to live a healthier lifestyle, scientists claim.

New York City is currently marred in a court fight to require all restaurant menus to include calorie counts.

However, the jury is still out on whether giving people the numbers encourages them to eat healthier - and now, a group of scientists have published a damning verdict on the popular health measure.

The city says that by requiring eateries to tell people that their $4 cheeseburger will also cost them about 540 calories, it is helping diners make informed choices in an era of rising obesity.

But scientists are saying there is no conclusive evidence that people will make healthier choices when they see the calorie amounts for the different menu items.

New York City is working on requiring all chain restaurants, grocery and convenience stores to have calorie counts available on the menu. Scientists say the calorie counts don't help people make more healthy decisions when they are buying food

New York City's first-in-the-nation rule took full effect in 2008.

It was copied by other cities and counties and a half-dozen states and became part of President Barack Obama's 2010 health care overhaul.

The repeatedly delayed federal regulation, which extends to grocery and convenience store chain menus, is now set to take effect next year.

But plenty of opponents to the idea remain, including some who question its effectiveness.

Studies to date haven't conclusively shown that restaurant-goers, on the whole, actually order lighter foods when the calorie tally is right there.

It appears to influence some people, in some settings, and possibly restaurants' recipes, researchers say.

'What we haven't seen so far is any sort of dramatic change in the number of calories purchased at the population level,' says Dr. Brian Elbel, a New York University health policy professor who co-authored a 2014 analysis of 31 studies on the subject, some of them his own.

But 'some people are definitely seeing and using this information.'

The National Association of Convenience Stores cited some of that research when it sued to stop New York City from enforcing a retooled rule expanding the calorie labeling requirements to groceries and other small markets, saying the city was forcing businesses to spend thousands of dollars complying with a local rule when a national one is coming.

On Friday, a Manhattan federal judge approved a deal among lawyers on both sides that ensures the city will not enforce the expansion before May.

The agreement also ensures that calorie counts won't disappear from chains that have posted them for years.

'This addresses the most basic of needs - providing us with nutrition information to make healthful decisions at the time of decision-making,' spokeswoman Stephanie Buhle said this week.

About 1 million New Yorkers see calorie data every day, according to Health Department research, and a 2011 Quinnipiac University poll found 79 percent of city voters found the information useful.

But if it's useful, do people use it?

At least three research analyses have said there's no definitive proof it leads to lower-calorie orders for diners and eateries in general, though researchers involved note that they may not have captured small effects.

Some scientists feel the research shows the policy falls short.

Menu labeling 'might not be the proper prescription,' Indiana University medical professor Dr. Aaron Campbell wrote in The New York Times in 2015.

But some individual studies have found effects.

Some Stanford University business professors' 2010 examination of over 100 million Starbucks purchases found that menu postings trimmed the calories in customers' orders by an average of 6 percent, from 247 to 232.

In another example, a 2013 study in Seattle and surrounding King County found some calorie-cutting, though particularly by women and customers who said they took menu postings into account when ordering.

While the overall evidence is mixed, 'I think it's still reasonable to say that among those who see and use the information, it is helpful to them - and why wouldn't you want to give consumers information?' says University of Washington medical professor Jim Krieger, a co-author of the King County study.

He also runs Healthy Food America, a food policy advocacy group.

Krieger and others have also done research that suggests some restaurants offer lower-calorie dishes after labeling requirements.

And researchers note that calorie counts could have hard-to-measure effects, such as helping gradually shift eating norms and expectations.

'It's unreasonable to say, 'If this one policy doesn't reduce obesity, it's a failure,' because the chances any one policy will do that are incredibly small,' says Dr. Christina Roberto, a University of Pennsylvania health policy professor who's worked on several studies on menu calorie counts.

'We don't even have the best data yet. And I think there are a lot of common-sense reasons to do it,' she says.
EDDIE TANAGO

PORT MORESBY - Community advocacy group Act Now! has praised new police minister Jelta Wong, for his commitment to stop the intimidation and harassment of customary landowners by police officers in SABL [special agricultural and business lease] areas.

But Act Now! remains concerned that the ministers instructions may not be followed in all SABL areas.

Mr Wong has said he will ensure the governments decision cancelling all SABL leases will be supported:

The Post-Courier newspaper has quoted him as saying that No members of the police force should be interfering and intimidating affected landowners in SABL areas.
Deaths from overdoses on opioids have nearly doubled in the US since 2009, a new study has revealed.

The study, conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, Harvard Medical School and University of Chicago, outlines the growth of America's opioid epidemic in the past seven years.

It is widely agreed that the epidemic was fueled by over-prescription of highly addictive painkillers, which for some were too expensive, leading them to turn to cheaper alternatives such as heroin and fentanyl.

Now, this new report shows that the crisis is costing taxpayers millions of dollars as rates of hospitalizations and overdose-related deaths skyrocket.

And yet, experts warn this cost barely dents the crisis, since America doesn't have enough centers, staff and anti-addiction drugs to treat the soaring number of addicts.

The paper is believed to be the fist to quantify the impact of opioid abuse on critical care resources in the Untied States.

A study new study conducted by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, Harvard Medical School and University of Chicago, shows that the opioid epidemic has increased acute care costs and that hospitalizations are are taxing health care systems

TRUMP STILL HASN'T DONE ANYTHING TO ADDRESS THE OPIOID CRISIS President Donald Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency at the beginning of August, but has not taken the legal steps to address it. Trump called it 'a serious problem the likes of which we have never had,' and said the administration will 'spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money,' on the crisis. He also made addressing the epidemic one of his campaign promises during the 2016 election. And yet, he has still yet to send a declaration and send it to Congress to formally address the issue. Because he has not yet followed through, millions of dollars the executive branch could direct toward expanding treatment facilities or supplying officers with naloxone are being spent elsewhere. A White House spokesperson said emergency actions are going through 'an expedited legal review'. It's unclear how long that review will take. If the declaration takes effect the administration will be able to waive some federal rules, such as one that restricts where Medication recipients can get treated for their addiction. It will also put pressure on Congress for funding. Advertisement

A team of researchers analyzed nearly 23 million adult hospital admissions at 162 hospitals in 44 states over a seven-year period starting January 1, 2009 and ending September 30, 2015.

Among more than 4 million patients requiring care, 21,705 were admitted to the intensive care units due to opioid overdoses.

Those admissions included overdoses of prescription drugs, methadone or heroin.

'We found a 34 percent increase in overdose-related ICU admissions while ICU opioid deaths nearly doubled during that same period,' according to Dr Lena Novack, who lectures in BGU's School of Public Health.

Patients' mortality rates climbed at roughly the same rate, on average, with a steeper rise in deaths of those admitted to the ICU for overdose after 2012.

Massachusetts and Indiana were found to have the highest opioid admission densities in the nation.

Pennsylvania experienced the sharpest rise in opioid-related hospital admissions during the study period, with critical care overdose admissions nearly doubling since 2009.

'Our findings raise the need for a national approach to developing safe strategies to care for ICU overdose patients, to providing coordinated resources in the hospital for patients and families, and to helping survivors maintain sobriety following discharge,' the researchers concluded.

The average cost of care per ICU overdose admission rose by a significant 58 percent - from $58,517 in 2009 to $92,408 in 2015.

The study indicated that opioid-related ICU admissions increased more than half a percent each year over the seven-year time frame, jumping from seven to 10 percent by the end of the study period.

Patients admitted to the ICU due to an overdose increasingly required intensive care over the study period, including high-cost renal replacement therapy or dialysis.

The team identified the number admissions using the Clinical Data Base and Resource Manager, which is made up of data from urban academic medical centers.

The difference in the number of ICU admissions and the number of overdose related ICU admissions shows how overdoses are driving hospitalization rates

A graph shows the change in the total of deaths related to overdoses per month over the seven-year period to show the huge uptick

Because of that the numbers might not reflect the overdose-related needs in other settings, meaning numbers could be much higher than anticipated.

'Our estimates may actually be on the low side,' Dr Novack says.

'Since our team of researchers analyzed admissions rather than a manual chart review, we may not have captured every admission if opioid-related complications weren't coded as such.'

The study also did not determine whether increased ICU admissions for opioid overdoses resulted from improved community emergency response that may have saved lives but then required critical care, or whether the increased ICU admissions indicated that community emergency response needs improvement so patients require a less intensive hospital care.
President Trump's lack of action on the Affordable Care Act is forcing insurance companies to raise their prices.

During the 2016 presidential campaign Donald Trump promised to repeal and replace the law, which is commonly referred to as Obamacare.

Though he hasn't fulfilled that promise, he has issued further threats to pull funding from the program, which could leave companies unable to insure low-income customers.

The law, which was passed seven years ago, said that tens of millions of people would be required to buy health insurance, and offered subsidies so they could afford the expensive plans.

It was celebrated by insurance companies who anticipated a rush of new customers looking for coverage.

But now it's not clear what will happen with the ACA, leaving insurance companies with two options: pull out of the potential customer goldmine, or wait and raise their prices to cut losses.

The uncertainty has created a debate regarding whether or not insurance companies are taking advantage of the insecurity or are driven by circumstance to do whatever they can to stay afloat.

Scroll down for video

During the 2016 campaign Donald Trump promised to repeal and replace the law commonly referred to as Obamacare

The individual market is estimated to encompass roughly 20 million people and includes those individuals who don't quality for subsidies but choose to buy insurance from a broker.

In comparison about 155 million Americans receive insurance at their job, the New York Times reported.

In order to cut potential losses from pulled government funding, insurance companies have hiked up their premiums.

Each year since the ACA was implemented companies have been raising their prices substantially, with this year seeing the sharpest increase.

Though Trump hasn't lived up to the promise to repeal and replace Obamacare, he has replaced that instead with a new one that threatens to strip the law of any government funding to cover subsidies.

He has also said he will stop reimbursing insurers that waive deductibles and co-payments for low-income Americans.

The Affordable Care Act has allowed some insurers to offer more generous plans to people who cannot afford them under the assumption that the government would cover some of those costs.

Trump has yet to follow through on any of the promises, so at the moment those companies that have raised their prices are making an astounding profit.

One example is Centene, a for-profit company is making a significant amount of money in the individual market. Another, Health Care Service Corp, which operates in multiple states including Texas and Illinois only started turning a profit this year.

And the lack of clarity over the the insurance market's future and the Affordable Care Act could lead to even higher insurance prices in the next year.

Some companies are requesting rate increases of more than 30 percent.

And the lone ACA insurer in Iowa has requested an increase of nearly 60 percent on average for 2018 to cover any potential losses.

'Just as they're getting their footing, they have the worst thing that can happen to an insurance company: uncertainty about the business model,' Dr Stephen Ondra, a former insurance executive who worked in the Obama administration told the New York Times.

Part of the increase is because the administration has threatened to lower or completely end the penalty that people face for not enrolling.

Companies must set their final plans and premiums for the year by late September, and can choose to leave the ACA in following weeks if they cannot handle the confusion.

If something isn't done to address the uncertainty many companies likely will leave the plan because they will not want to lock in prices for the next year without the guarantee of government funding.
One Vishwas Gupta has accused the godman of having regular sex with his wife

Rapist cult leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was sentenced on Monday to 20 years in jail, also had sexual relations with his adopted daughter, the woman's estranged husband has told Mail Today.

Vishwas Gupta had also moved court in 2011, accusing the Baba of having illicit relations with his wife, Honeypreet, and had sought her judicial custody.

The leaders of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect led by Ram Rahim has rejected the allegations, terming them concocted and baseless.

Mail Today tried to speak to Dera spokesperson Dr Aditya Insan, but his phone was switched off. The sect's lawyer SK Garg Narwana did not respond to calls.

'I was staying at the goofa (cave), private room of Baba ji. My wife was with him. He had inadvertently left the door open. They were naked and were having sex. They were shocked when they saw me. Baba had threatened me not to reveal anything and had said that I will be killed,' Gupta, who was previously a Dera follower, told Mail Today.

Honeypreet (left) describes herself as, 'Papa's Angel, philanthropist, director, editor, actress!'

She describes herself on Twitter as, 'Papa's Angel, philanthropist, director, editor, actress!'

Honeypreet Insan has a controversial past. Sources say she married Gupta, a moneyed man, in 1999.

She grew close to Ram Rahim and in 2009 moved a dowry harassment case against her in-laws.

Gupta too went to court but he retracted his charges and settled the matter. The Dera chief adopted Priyanka, and gave her the name Honeypreet.

'Honeypreet was adopted by Baba as he had bad intentions. He sexually exploited her as she was beautiful,' claimed Gupta, who now lives in secrecy, allegedly following threats from members of the sect.

Gupta claimed he and his parents were compelled to leave the Dera and started living in Haryana's Panchkula district. He alleged that earlier he and Honeypreet accompanied Ram Rahim wherever the self-styled godman would go, but the Baba did not let her sleep with Gupta.

Guru - Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh - was found guilty Friday of two rapes committed in 2002

She and Ram Rahim would sleep together in one room, he claimed. Gupta got married to Priyanka, a resident of Fatehabad, on Valentine's Day in 1999.

'Baba had thrown a big party at the goofa the same year and had later announced that he was adopting my wife and I would be his son-in-law,' Gupta claimed.

On her social media accounts, Honeypreet describes herself as, 'Papa's Angel, philanthropist, director, editor, actress! Passionate to transform my Rockstar Papa's directions into actions!'

She has over a million followers on Twitter and more than five lakh (500,000) on Facebook.

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a helicopter in which he was flown from Panchkula to Rohtak town

She drew interest after being pictured accompanying Ram Rahim in a chopper from court to jail after his conviction.

Singh has two biological daughters  Amanpreet and Charanpreet  with his wife Harjeet Kaur, as well as a son, Jasmeet Insan.

Ram Rahim's conviction last week led to deadly riots by his followers, with about three dozen people being killed and hundreds injured.

Indian spiritual guru, who calls himself Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, arrives for a press conference ahead of the release of his new film MSG, The Warrior Lion Heart, in New Delhi, India

The authorities took no chances on the day of his sentencing, deploying thousands of riot police on the streets, closing schools and shutting down internet services in Haryana and parts of neighbouring Punjab.

Ram Rahim faces more trouble as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is probing two cases against him pertaining to conspiring in murders and a third over alleged castration of 400 Dera followers at the sect's headquarters in Haryana's Sirsa.

Singh could be awarded a life sentence in the murder cases, with the trial near completion.

The castration case is still being probed.
India has agreed with China to end a months-long military stand-off at a strategically important disputed area in the Himalayas.

India's foreign ministry said it had reached an 'understanding' after talks with Beijing about the tense confrontation in an area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and Bhutan.

Its statement suggested that both sides had agreed to pull back, although the Chinese foreign ministry said that only the Indian troops were withdrawing.

Scroll down for video

The area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and Bhutan (Indian and Chinese troops file pic)

Modi and Doval (right) have made the break-through in clearing the air without backing down

'India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam,' New Delhi said, referring to the stand-off which began on June 16.

'During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests.

'Expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing.'

India does not claim Doklam for itself but is closely allied with Bhutan, which it regards as a buffer against rival China to the north.

India and China have a long history of mistrust and went to war in 1962 over the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

But analysts had said the latest crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours was the worst in decades.

China said it was 'pleased' that India had agreed to withdraw troops from the flashpoint area.

'I am pleased to confirm that trespassing Indian personnel have all pulled back to the Indian side of the boundary,' foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

'Chinese troops continue to patrol on the Chinese side of the boundary,' she said.

China had repeatedly said India must withdraw its troops before any proper negotiation takes place. India said both sides should withdraw their forces together.

The border trouble began in June when Chinese soldiers started to extend a road through the Doklam territory - known as 'Donglang' in Chinese.

India deployed troops to stop the construction project, prompting Beijing to accuse it of trespassing on Chinese soil.

Indian Home Affairs minister Rajnath Singh (2L) greetis newly promoted officials of the Indo Tibetan Border Pratrol (ITBP) during an event in New Delhi on August 21, 2017

The plateau is strategically significant as it gives China access to the so-called 'chicken's neck' - a thin strip of land connecting India's northeastern states with the rest of the country.

Another incident elsewhere earlier this month, in which Indian and Chinese soldiers fought with rocks and sticks at a high-altitude lake on the disputed border between the two countries, further inflamed tensions.

Dhruva Jaishankar, a foreign policy fellow with Brookings India, said India had achieved its objective by refusing to budge and getting China to step back from its contentious road project.

'The Chinese side is going to focus on the fact that the Indian troops have withdrawn. (But) ultimately the issue is whether this road gets built or not, and it appears that it won't be the case,' Jaishankar told AFP.

India has historically been closely allied to Bhutan, but in recent years China has sought to increase its own engagement with the tiny mountainous kingdom.

That has fed into a broader competition for regional influence between the two Asian powers.

Monday's announcement comes days before India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to China for a summit of BRICS countries - India, China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa.

India and China smoke peace pipe in Doklam

Ajit K Dubey and Manjeet Negi

India and China on Monday withdrew their troops from Doklam, ending the two month standoff between their armies as the two sides agreed to maintain status quo in the area where China wanted to build a road.

The breakthrough in talks was achieved after a series of parleys between the two sides, which started during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brief meeting with Xi Jinping in Hamburg where the two sides decided to hold NSA-level talks to resolve the issue.

However, the standoff at couple of other locations on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is still there, but top level government sources said the two sides would withdraw from these positions after holding flag meeting, scheduled to take place anytime soon.

Photo taken on July 10, 2008 shows a Chinese soldier (L) gesturing next to an Indian soldier at the Nathu La border crossing between India and China in India's northeastern Sikkim state

'As two mature nations, India and China, decided to pull back troops from the Doklam area where the Indian side as a goodwill gesture returned to its positions first. Afterwards, the Chinese also returned to to their locations with all their troops and equipment,' top sources told Mail Today here.

Chinese and Indian troops were engaged in the stand-off since June 16 after New Delhi objected to a road project that Beijing was trying to build which would have brought them close to the Siliguri corridor.

Giving out details of the troop withdrawal, sources said it began after a local level flag meeting between two Colonelrank officers of the two sides and both parties agreed to pull back to the pre-June 15 status in the Doklam area.

Another flag meeting would be held soon after which the two sides would withdraw troops from stand-off positions in the Yatung and Phari Dzong areas on the LAC, sources added.

Highly placed government sources said NSA Ajit Doval held an hour-long meeting with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jeichi to diffuse the situation and continued the discussions during their meeting during the BRICS NSAs meeting in Beijing.

Sources said Prime Minister Modi, who will be meeting Jinping during the BRICS meeting in China early next month, had taken a firm stand on the matter and backed his security team headed by NSA Ajit Doval for a diplomatic solution.

'Despite the pressure from both the Chinese and internal quarters, the Prime Minister maintained his firm stand on the dispute and showed to the world that India and China are two mature democracies which can sort out their issues through dialogue.'

'As per the instructions from the top leadership, the Indian side maintained silence and did not even respond to the claims which sometimes were way too nasty as they wanted a peaceful resolution of the problem,' the sources added.

Sources also stated that Prime Minister Modi, during his visit to China, may hold seperate meetings with Jinping in order to resume engagements that were till now inactive due to the Doklam stand-off.




AstraZeneca has confirmed it will expand its biggest British site in a major vote of confidence amid concerns that Brexit will hit pharmaceutical firms.

Andy Evans, head of Astras Macclesfield operations, told the Sunday Telegraph that the FTSE 100 firm will increase capacity at the site as part of an ongoing multi-million-pound investment in the business.

It has seen a large jump in demand for a prostate and breast cancer drug from Asia.

Brexit worry: Pharmaceutical firms fear drug approval could take longer after UK quits European Union

However, Astra said that chief executive Pascal Soriots warning last month that all new UK investment decisions had been put on hold because of Brexit uncertainty still stood.

Meanwhile, a Government report on Britains strategy for the life sciences sector by Oxford University professor Sir John Bell comes out this week.

It will recommend tax breaks and other incentives to encourage research and drug exports as the UK prepares to exit the European Union.

Pharma firms fear drug approval could take longer after Brexit, with the EU regulator, the European Medicines Agency, relocating from London.
North Korea may be preparing for its sixth nuclear weapon test, South Korean officials have warned.

Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS) told South Korean lawmakers at a closed door parliamentary session that it has detected signs of the secretive state preparing for another nuclear test at its Punggye-ri underground test site.

Kim Byung-kee, a lawmaker of South Korea's ruling Democratic Party (DP) said the NIS reported North Korea 'has completed its preparation to carry out a nuclear test at Tunnel 2 and Tunnel 3 of the Punggye-ri nuclear test site.'

He added the NIS had evidence to suggest Tunnel 4 was being readied for more construction work.

North Korea may be preparing for its sixth nuclear weapon test, South Korean officials have warned

Meanwhile the despotic state has continued to test a variety of missiles, the US military has said.

It fired three short range ballistic missiles which revived tensions with Washington after President Donald Trump had said Pyongyang was starting to show some 'respect'.

The launches come as tens of thousands of South Korean and US troops take part in joint military drills in the south of the peninsula, which the North views as highly provocative.

Following an initial US assessment saying that two of the missiles had 'failed in flight', a spokesman for the US Pacific Command later said the two weapons had not failed but 'flew approximately 250 kilometres (155 miles) in a northeastern direction'.

One of the three missiles blew up 'almost immediately', with none of the weapons posing a threat to either North America or the US territory of Guam, the spokesman said.

North Korea has previously conducted dozens of missile test. Pictured: The launch of a surface-to-surface medium long-range ballistic missile Pukguksong-2 at an undisclosed location

Lee Il-Woo, an analyst at Korea Defence Network, said the launches represented a 'low-level provocative act' carried out in response to the US-South Korea exercises, which are seen by Pyongyang as a rehearsal for an invasion of its own territory.

The joint exercises started on Monday at a time of heightened tensions between Pyongyang and Washington, after two successful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launches carried out by North Korea last month apparently brought most of the United States into range for the first time.

Analyst Yang Uk at the Korea Defence and Security Forum told AFP the latest launches by Pyongyang were 'carefully calibrated... to avoid revving up tensions too high beyond its control'.

The launches, which took place over a span of 30 minutes, came as North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong-Un oversaw a military exercise simulating a special forces assault on South Korean border islands involving aircraft, 'multiple-missile launchers' and howitzers.

A North Korea Scud-B missile (C) is displayed at the Korea War Memorial Museum on Saturday in South Korea

A North Korea Scud-B missile (C) is displayed at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, after ballistic missiles were launched into the East Sea

Neither Japan nor South Korea confirmed the US military's description of the weapons fired by North Korea as 'ballistic missiles'.

South Korea's defence ministry said 'unidentified projectiles', fired at 6:49 am (2149 GMT Friday), flew some 250 kilometres towards the Sea of Japan.

'They could be ballistic missiles but they could be rockets. We are now analysing,' said Japan's Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, adding that they did not fly on a 'lofted' trajectory.

Under Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang has made rapid strides in its ballistic missile technology in violation of UN resolutions, and it has been penalised by seven sets of sanctions.

Trump has called on China to play a more active role to rein in its neighbour, which relies heavily on the Asian giant for its economic survival.

Under Kim Jong-un, Pyongyang has made rapid strides in its ballistic missile technology in violation of UN resolutions
Footage of Secretary of Defense James 'Mad Dog' Mattis giving a motivational speech to a number of enlisted soldiers was posted online this weekend.

The retired general can be seen asking the service to not let recent political divisions inside the United States distract them from their duty.

'Youre a great example for our country right now and its got problems,' Mattis told the servicemen.

Scroll down for video

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis gave a motivational speech to servicemen abroad, it was revealed over the weekend

Wow. "Hold the line until our country gets back to understanding & respecting each other..." Jim Mattis to US troops pic.twitter.com/VMAAXjBWyg  Richard Chambers (@newschambers) August 26, 2017

Earlier this month, one person was killed and 19 were injured when an alleged white supremacist used his vehicle to plow into a crowd of demonstrators protesting hate groups

'You know it and I know it. Its got problems we dont have in the military. And you just hold the line, my fine soldiers, and sailors and airmen and Marines.'

'Just hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it,' he added.

Mattis reportedly made the comments to servicemen at a base in Jordan

Mattis gave the impromptu pep-talk to a platoon at an undisclosed location, where the talk was later posted online by the Facebook page U.S. Army W.T.F! Moments.

According to Mediaite, the speech was shot at a base in Jordan, although that could not be substantiated.

ABC News reported that Matiis gave the talk while President Donald Trump was embroiled in controversy stemming from his remarks on Charlottesville, Virginia.

Earlier this month, one person was killed and 19 were injured when an alleged white supremacist used his vehicle to plow into a crowd of demonstrators protesting hate groups.

Following the incident, the President remarked that there were 'many sides' to blame for the violence, seeming to equate a moral equivalence between neo-Nazis and their anti-hate protesters.
Tropical Storm Harvey, whose torrential downpours have already wreaked havoc on southeast Texas since making landfall late Friday, could dump up to 50 inches of rain in some parts of the Lone Star State by the end of this week.

The precipitation levels could shatter all records, leaving authorities to grapple with some of the most catastrophic flooding ever witnessed in the United States.

As of 4pm local time Sunday in Houston, parts of the city's metropolitan area had received over 25 inches of rain, according to The Weather Channel.

Dayton, a town just northeast of Houston, recorded 27 inches of rain in just 48 hours.

The rainfall totals in the Houston area are expected to easily surpass the figures recorded in 2001, when Tropical Storm Allison dumped nearly 40 inches of rain.

Residents walk through high waters, the remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on Watonga Boulevard in Houston on Sunday

This image made from a video shows a view from U.S. Route 59 of flooding on West Bellfort Avenue in Houston on Sunday

Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden after rescuing them from their home surrounded by floodwaters in Houston

Jeremy Collier points toward a flooded shopping center after rescuing his wife Anna Collier and friend Melissa Merito from flood waters in Pearland, on the outskirts of Houston

This image made from a video shows a view of U.S. Route 59 and flooding along West Bellfort Avenue in Houston

Residents from the Meyerland area walk onto an I-610 overpass for further help during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Houston

A man is seen crossing a flooded street in Houston on Sunday. Harvey left a trail of devastation after the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. mainland in over a decade slammed into Texas on Friday

In this photo provided by the Rosenberg Police Department water rushes from a large sinkhole on Highway FM 762 in Rosenberg, Texas, near Houston

The all-time record for highest rainfall level in the contiguous United States is 48 inches, which was left by Tropical Storm Amelia in 1978.

Volume-wise, this has likely reached the rainfall that fell during Allison in June 2001, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center.

Harvey has also made August 2017 the rainiest month ever for Houston.

So far, 28.43 inches of rain have fallen on America's fourth-largest city, beating the previous record of 19.21 inches from June 2001.

The storm's effects are likely to be even more devastating given the fact that Harvey is expected to linger for at least the next three days.

That means additional rainfall of 25 inches in the Houston metro area.

So far, weather authorities say that the middle and upper Texas coast has seen between 15 and 25 inches of rainfall.

In some isolated areas, precipitation has already reached 50 inches.

'The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,' the National Weather Service said in a statement.

The above weather map shows the areas of intense precipitation, with Houston and Southeast Harris County being the hardest hit

The entire region is on alert for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, and flash floods

As of 4pm local time Sunday in Houston, parts of the city's metropolitan area had received over 25 inches of rain, according to The Weather Channel

Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said, though some areas could see as much as 50 inches

Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.

In Deep South Texas and Texas Hill Country near the Louisiana frontier, between five and 15 inches of rainfall has been recorded.

The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday as rising water left thousands stranded and overwhelmed rescuers.

Helicopters, boats and high-water vehicles swarmed around inundated areas, pulling people from their homes or from the turbid water, which was high enough in some places to gush into second floors.

As the extent of the flooding emerged, President Donald Trump announced he will travel to Texas on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the White House is still coordinating logistics with state and local officials.

She added: 'We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers.'

The flooding from the tropical storm was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas.

They urged people to get on top of their homes to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, said the government expected to conduct a 'mass care mission' and predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require Fema's involvement for years.

In Deep South Texas and Texas Hill Country near the Louisiana frontier, between five and 15 inches of rainfall has been recorded

The flooding from the tropical storm was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas

The remnants of Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday as rising water left thousands stranded and overwhelmed rescuers

The storm's effects are likely to be even more devastating given the fact that Harvey is expected to linger for at least the next three days

'This disaster's going to be a landmark event,' Mr Long said.

Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many displaced families to fend for themselves.

The city's main convention center was quickly opened as a shelter.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez used Twitter to field calls for assistance.

Among those seeking help was a woman who posted: 'I have two children with me and the water is swallowing us up.'

Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety.

Others waded while carrying rubbish bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in pet carriers.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in.

He urged drivers to stay off flooded roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded.

'I don't need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm,' Mr Turner told a news conference.

'We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically.'

The mayor defended his decision not to ask residents to evacuate before the heavy rain from Harvey swamped roads and neighborhoods.

He said there was no way to know which areas were most vulnerable.

'If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare,' he said, citing the risks of sending the city's 2.3 million inhabitants onto the roads at the same time.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the state had activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members to cope with the flooding, along with 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft.

And as a sinkhole opened on a road about 25 miles south west of Houston, Mr Abbott revealed there were now 250 road closures around Texas.

Rainfall of more than four inches per hour resulted in water levels higher than in any recent floods and higher than during Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, said Jeff Linder of flood control district in Harris County, which includes Houston.

The Coast Guard, which received more than 300 requests for help, deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans.

Staff at a Houston television station broadcasting live coverage of the floods had to evacuate after water started to gush into the building.

The anchors and news operations at KHOU moved first to a second floor before finally abandoning the station.
President Trump's Homeland Security Advisor Tom Bossert characterized his boss' controversial pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio as a normal part of the president's job.

'I think the Arpaio pardon is pretty straightforward,' Bossert told ABC's George Stephanopoulos Sunday during an appearance on This Week.

With Hurricane Harvey still dumping water on Houston and other parts of the Texas coast putting millions of people in danger, Bossert said he believed most Americans were focused on something else.

'So, my guess is that not too many people care about this one guy right now,' Bossert said.

Thomas Bossert, President Trump's homeland security adviser, said Sunday that the president's Friday night pardon of Joe Arpaio was 'pretty straightforward'

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos wanted Tom Bossert's reaction to criticism of the pardon from former Vice President Joe Biden and Republicans on Capitol Hill

But it was Trump's timing  conducting a Friday evening news dump that included the Arpaio pardon amid a hurricane  that kicked off the criticism.

Since then, Republicans, including both of Arpaio's home state's senators, Arizonans Jeff Flake and John McCain, along with House Speaker Paul Ryan, as well as Democrats like Joe Biden, who wrote a strongly-worded anti-Trump piece in the Atlantic, have attacked Trump's decision to pardon the former sheriff.

Arpaio had been convicted for defying a judge's order to halt the racial profiling of Latinos in his Phoenix district and faced a maximum sentence of six months in prison.

Biden, in his piece for the Atlantic, said, 'Now [Trump's] pardoned a law-enforcement official who terrorized the Latino community, violated its constitutional rights, defied a federal court order to stop, and ran a prison system so rife with torture and abuse he himself called in a "concentration camp.'"

Stephanopoulos read that passage to Bossert and asked him to respond.

'Well, Vice President Biden is both loved and known for his hyperbole,' Bossert said. 'I think that's another example of it.'

'I think it's pretty straightforward what the president did,' he continued. 'I think there is some disproportionate coverage of it right now as I remain focused on the, as Governor Abbott focuses on the 4.6 million people in the greater Houston area,' Bossert said, name-dropping Texas' governor and trying to pivot the conversation back to the massive flood.

Bossert also characterized the criticism of the pardon as a presidential rite of passage.

'And George, as you know, the president you worked for and just about every modern president ends up with some controversial pardons,' Bossert said. 'But I think the president has been pretty clear on it. And I certainly don't think it's fair to characterize him as not caring about the rule of law.'

Bossert was alluding to President Clinton's pardon of Marc Rich, a wealthy friend of the Clintons, who the president pardoned on his last day in office after going through the official process.

Clinton's move was widely panned.

Trump's pardon of Arpaio didn't go through the official channels, which includes seven layers of review and an FBI background check, according to USA Today.

Because of this, Trump's move disturbed a number of Republicans in Congress.

Bossert argued that the pardon wasn't something 'that is going to threaten our constitutional order.'

'He called him a patriot who kept us safe, also praised his admirable service,' Stephanopoulos then pointed out. 'This is a man who held inmates in brutal conditions, humiliated them, promoted the birther lie about President Obama  how is that admirable service?' the ABC newsman asked.

Bossert replied that he was more focused on the 4.6 million people in the Houston area, in jeopardy from the flooding, than the details of the Arpaio case.

And said he didn't think too many people cared about 'this one guy.'

Stephanopoulos tried one more time, pointing out that Arpaio's actions 'come within the realm of homeland security,' Bossert's specialty, adding that the sheriff has shown no remorse for his actions, which is generally something that has to happen for an individual to receive a pardon.

'I think there's a clemency argument that can be made for the long history of service both in the United States military and in law enforcement for the sheriff,' Bossert answered.

'I think the president's been pretty clear, it's pretty straightforward that he believes that that long history of service merits this clemency and he's acted accordingly,' he continued.

'And so I suspect that what you're doing is disagreeing with that,' the homeland security adviser added. 'And I understand that disagreement and I respect it.'

Stephanopoulos said that's not what he was trying to do.

'I'm asking whether or not you agree with it,' he said and moved on.
President Trump signed an executive order on Monday overturning a ban on law enforcement agencies receiving surplus military equipment.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions said earlier in the day that Trump would rescind 'restrictions from the prior administration that limited [police] agencies' ability to get equipment through federal programs, including life-saving gear like Kevlar vests and helmets and first responder and rescue equipment like they're using in Texas right now.'

His remarks came at a convention of the National Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville, Tennessee. The crowd of thousands burst into applause before Sessions could finish that sentence.

Sessions praised the program, saying it makes equipment available for 'the fight against terrorism, crime, and disaster relief. Equipment like helicopters and armored vehicles are also vitally important to emergency and disaster response efforts.'

Trump's order will also reinstate police departments' ability to obtain camouflage uniforms, firearms, bayonets, bulletproof vests, .50-caliber ammunition, riot shields  and even grenade launchers.

With a stroke of a pen on Monday, President Trump revoked an Obama-era order that put surplus military gear off-limits for state and local police forces

National police organizations have long been pushing Trump to make equipment like this armored vehicle deployed this month in Charlottesville, VA available to cops again

People were rescued from Hurricane Harvey's flood waters on Sunday in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicle in Dickinson, Texas  a product of the program before Barack Obama terminated it

Trump had long promised to restore the program, and followed through on Monday

It will overturn one from Barack Obama that previously blocked that equipment from being repurposed from foreign battlefields to American streets.

Police officials across the nation previously received letters outlining the repeal.

The plan would bring back 'lifesaving gear from the Department of Defense' as well as restore the 'full scope of grants used to purchase this type of equipment from other sources,' the summary read.

Sessions said Monday that more than $5.4 billion in recycled equipment 'that taxpayers had already purchased' had been distributed to civilian police agencies since the program was first launched.

'We will save taxpayer money in the process. There's not a dollar to waste,' he said.

Former President Obama's executive order was first put into place amidst controversy of police brutality following the shooting of 18-year-old black man Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri.

Police on the scene used armored vehicles and tear gas to push back rioters and looters who devastated the town afterward.

Obama released a public statement following the upset event on his administration's plans to take new measures moving forward.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions (left) announced on Monday that Trump would sign the executive order reinstating the program

Trump's order will also reinstate police departments' ability to obtain camouflage uniforms, firearms, bayonets, bulletproof vests, .50-caliber ammunition, riot shields  and even grenade launchers

'Ive already tasked the Department of Justice and the FBI to independently investigate the death of Michael Brown, along with local officials on the ground,' he wrote in the statement.

'The Department of Justice is also consulting with local authorities about ways that they can maintain public safety without restricting the right of peaceful protest and while avoiding unnecessary escalation.

'I made clear to the Attorney General that we should do what is necessary to help determine exactly what happened, and to see that justice is done.'
The first full quarter del Lago Resort & Casino was open for business generated millions in tax revenue for the state and local governments within the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier gaming region.

The total tax revenue shared with local and state governments was $10,890,179, according to records published by the state comptroller's office and the state Gaming Commission.

The state's share in the second quarter of 2017 was $8,712,143. The funding will be split between educational assistance and property tax relief.

Seneca County and the town of Tyre  del Lago's host municipalities  each received $544,508.90. That's higher than the $389,165.20 each government netted in the first quarter.

Broome County collected $584,468.98  the highest total among non-host municipalities. Tompkins County received $295,917.30. Chemung County got $121,205.93.

Wayne and Schuyler counties received $58,321.60 and $29,103.99.

Del Lago, which opened Feb. 1, pays a 37 percent tax on its slot machine revenue and 10 percent on table game revenue.

The casino's second quarter pre-tax revenue was $37,019,624, according to the state Gaming Commission. After taxes, the casino's net revenue was $26,129,445.

The state receives 80 percent of the casino's tax payments. The host municipality and host county each get 10 percent. The remaining 10 percent is divided among the non-host counties on a per capita basis, according to the state Gaming Commission's website.

Del Lago Resort & Casino tax payments

Del Lago First quarter Second quarter State $6,226,643 $8,712,143 Seneca $389,165.20 $544,508.90 Tyre $389,165.20 $544,508.90 Wayne $41,982.96 $58,321.60 Broome $417,725.01 $584,468.98 Tompkins $211,494.64 $295,917.30 Schuyler $20,800.87 $29,103.99 Chemung $86,626.92 $121,205.93 Total $7,783,604 $10,890,179

Sources: New York State Comptroller, New York State Gaming Commission
An image of a Brisbane bus driver who was assaulted by a teenage passenger has revealed the seriousness of his injury.

The boy, who boarded the bus with a female in the suburb of Mount Gravatt East about 6pm Saturday, became involved in an argument with the male driver.

He headbutted the 67-year-old driver, causing a serious facial injury then tried to assault the man further before fleeing on foot with his companion.

An image of a Brisbane bus driver (pictured) who was assaulted by a teenage passenger has revealed the seriousness of his injury

He headbutted the 67-year-old driver, causing the facial injury (stock picture)

In the image clear bruising can be seen beneath a blood-stained cut.

The injured man was taken to Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Hospital where he is being treated.

The alleged assault comes amid ongoing tensions between Brisbane City Council and Brisbane bus drivers who are currently calling for improved safety conditions.

A Rail, Tram and Bus Union spokesman told AAP earlier in the month that safety is a top priority as well as pay increases and better hours, 9 News reported.

'Safety has and always will be the RTBU's number one priority,' he said.

The alleged attacker boarded the bus with a female in the suburb of Mount Gravatt East (pictured) about 6pm Saturday and became involved in an argument with the male driver
Holidaymakers are having to leave deposits of 5,000 (4,623) to hire cars, in the latest evidence of rip-off charges at rental firms.

Many other expensive extras are hidden in terms and conditions that can be 31,000 words long  more than any Shakespeare play.

Consumer group Which? found a variety of catches when it analysed 40 car hire contracts from 18 providers in the UK and abroad.

Car hire firms have been found to be forcing drivers to leave huge deposits before renting

In the worst cases drivers were charged thousands of pounds on top of the hire cost as a result of shock fees and penalties. Many of these were buried in swathes of small print.

The findings follow an undercover Mail investigation last month exposing the underhand tricks used by rental firms to charge customers more. Some firms in Malaga, Spain, charged hugely inflated costs for renting a car in person compared to their website quotations for similar vehicles at the same location.

Flustered tourists at airports were also billed hundreds of pounds for repairs on hire cars which firms later admitted they do not always carry out. In the latest research, Which? found demands for deposits up to 5,000, which some firms hang on to for weeks.

They also uncovered costly admin fees added on to small repair bills, hefty penalties for returning or collecting cars late, extra charges for cleaning, and rip-off rates for fuel.

Flustered tourists at airports were also billed hundreds of pounds for repairs on hire cars which firms later admitted they do not always carry out

The research showed just one in seven customers read the contracts in full, meaning many are unaware of the charges until they are billed.

Rory Boland, travel editor at Which?, said: Few people have the time or inclination to read these lengthy, clunky contracts.

Alarmingly, this could lead to consumers being slapped with steep, unexpected charges that can ruin a trip. The industry must act on these troubling findings and make its contracts as fair and as clear as possible. When hiring a car abroad most firms insist customers either buy extra insurance or leave a huge deposit on a credit card to cover any damage.

The rip-off car finance trick Drivers are being ripped off at the end of deals that allow them to pay for a car in instalments then trade it in for another. When customers come to upgrade their car, salesmen go out of their way to find minor damage in order to give them less towards a new deal, an investigation by Channel 4s Dispatches revealed. The trick is being used on so-called Personal Contract Purchases. Around 2.7million new cars were sold last year and most were bought on PCP. A former salesman said barring the odd exception he would find something wrong with every car. Solicitor Andrew Leakey said: They go round the car with a fine-tooth comb. And some salesmen are failing to inform buyers that some Personal Contract Hire options work out cheaper. Ex-staff said this was because commission was good on PCP. The Society Of Motor Manufacturers & Traders said dealers explain terms and conditions in person and in writing. Advertisement

But deposits have increased in recent years, meaning that unless drivers have a very large credit limit they have to buy the firms insurance. Which? found that Spanish firm Del Paso demands up to 5,000 for a deposit. And Goldcar, also Spanish, charges up to 2,500  up from 1,200 in 2015.

Goldcar also states in its contract that it can keep deposits for up to 30 days after the vehicle is returned. Yet Visa has said there are rules stating merchants should return deposits within five days.

A spokesman for Goldcar said the firm typically refunds deposits within five days but it can take time for funds to show up in customers accounts.

Firms are also charging hefty fees if customers return vehicles without a full tank of fuel.

Goldcar demands an extra 50 on top of the price of the fuel if the tank is left empty. It claims this is because it takes longer to prepare the car for the next customer.

In another example of surprise fees, InterRent charged a customer 200 to repair a wing mirror cover, then added a 42 admin fee. And Avis and Budget both charge 12 plus a whole extra days hire if drivers return a car more than 29 minutes late.

Which? has said it will now submit its findings to the Competitions and Markets Authority as part of a call for the industry to improve its practices.

A spokesman for the BVRLA, trade body for the vehicle rental sector, said: The BVRLA code states that members must explain the full extent of the customers financial responsibility as it relates to damage, theft or loss of the rental vehicle or its keys while it is on hire.
Residents of a flooded Texas nursing home had to be rescued by helicopter from the waist-deep water in the building Sunday.

The 15 residents of La Vita Bella assisted living in Dickinson, Texas, were rescued hours after an alarming photograph of a group of elderly women sitting in the water was posted to Twitter.

Timothy McIntosh, the son-in-law of the woman who owns the nursing home posted the picture just before 10am on Sunday asking for help.

Fifteen residents of La Vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson, Texas, had to be evacuated by helicopter on Sunday because the facility was flooded with waist-deep water. They were rescued after this picture went viral

He tweeted: 'La vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson Texas is almost underwater with nursing home patients.

'Need help asap emergency services please RETWEET'.

The picture shows at least eight people and a cat sitting in the flooded nursing home.

Though some people on the social media site doubted if the picture was real, a woman in Dickinson posted a picture of her flooded street from the second floor of her home nearby.

She wrote: 'This is taken from the second floor of a home that is less than a mile away. And Dickinson Bayou is between them. Very plausible.'

Though some people on the social media site doubted if the picture was real, a woman in Dickinson posted a picture of her flooded street from the second floor of her home nearby

Several hours after McIntosh tweeted the first picture, the residents of the nursing home were rescued by helicopter.

'We were airlifting grandmothers and grandfathers,' Dickinson emergency management coordinator David Popoff told Galveston County's Daily News.

McIntosh tweeted that the residents had been rescued just after 1pm.

He posted: 'RESCUED!! Thank you to the National Guard & the Galveston City Emergency crew for our rescue; @GalvestonOEM #houstonflood @NationalGuard'.

About 20 residents live in La Bella Vita, which is owned by Trudy Lampson, McIntosh's mother-in-law.

Lampson's daughter, Kimberly McIntosh said her mother was told not to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Harvey because flooding had never been an issue before, the New York Daily News reported.

'It's never even flooded past the sidewalk. No one asked her to evacuate, but she has evacuation plans to leave.'
Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has shared some travel advice to people thinking about visiting Bali over the upcoming Christmas break.

The 40-year-old took to Instagram on Sunday with a throwback post marking exactly three months since she signed her parole release papers and flew back home.

Corby, who has built up a huge social media profile since returning to Australia with over 200,000 followers on Instagram alone, was asked about sightseeing in Bali.

'I'm going to Bali in two weeks Schapelle, do you have any sight seeing recommendations?,' one woman wrote.

Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby has shared her travel advice to people thinking about visiting Bali

When asked on Instagram about her sight seeing recommendations, Corby bluntly responded: 'lock you(r) bags'

Corby (pictured with sister Mercedes) was arrested in 2005 after Balinese customs officials discovered 4.1 kilograms of marijuana hidden in her body board bag

Corby bluntly replied: 'Lock you(r) bags.'

'Thanks for the tip xx,' the woman responded.

Corby was arrested in 2005 after Balinese customs officials discovered 4.1 kilograms of marijuana hidden in her body board bag.

She was convicted of importing the drug and jailed for 20 years, but released on parole in 2014. She returned to Australia on May 27th of this year.

Since returning to Queensland's Gold Coast, Corby has tried to regain a sense of normality, keeping a relatively low profile and spending time with family.

The brunette has been snapped doing everyday chores like dropping off paperwork for her driver's license, visiting JB Hi-Fi and road-tripping along the east coast.

Since returning to Queensland's Gold Coast, Corby has tried to regain a sense of normality
Jeremy Corbyn was last night accused of plotting to keep Britain in the EU in all but name after Labour performed a staggering U-turn over Brexit.

Sir Keir Starmer yesterday claimed the party was now committed to staying in both the single market and the customs union for years after Brexit.

The partys Brexit spokesman said Labour policy was to remain in both for the duration of a transition period after Britain formally leaves the EU in March 2019  which he said could be as long as four years.

That would mean Britain having to continue hefty payments to Brussels, as well as accepting open borders.

Last night, Labour leader Mr Corbyn admitted he had no clue how long such a transition period might last.

Last night, Labour leader Mr Corbyn admitted he had no clue how long such a transition period in the single market and customs union might last

And Lord Mandelson, a former trade secretary and European commissioner, tells todays Financial Times that Labour had done Parliament and the public a big favour by adopting a policy which could save Britain from the self-inflicted economic harm of an abrupt departure from the single market and customs union.

Meanwhile, Sir Keir even admitted that Labour was now open to remaining in the single market permanently if the EU was willing to negotiate over free movement. The complete about turn came a few weeks after Mr Corbyn repeatedly pledged to support leaving the single market and sacked three shadow ministers for backing continued membership in a Commons vote.

Sir Keir even admitted that Labour was now open to remaining in the single market permanently if the EU was willing to negotiate over free movement

Eurosceptics within the party last night warned that there would be a backlash if the leadership betrayed the millions of Brexit voters in Labours heartlands simply to pick up the votes of those who voted Remain.

Labour Leave, a group of Brexit-supporting MPs and party members, said the leader needed to honour the referendum.

One U-turn after another April 23 Jeremy Corbyn told the BBC: The single market is intrinsic to membership of the European Union. June 11 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell told ITV: Lets be clear: we are respecting the decision of the referendum. We are democrats. I think people will interpret membership of the single market as not respecting that referendum. June 18 Labour Brexit spokesman Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC: We want to retain the benefits of the single market and the customs union. Formal membership, full membership is only available to EU member states. June 29 Three shadow ministers were sacked by Mr Corbyn and a fourth resigned after they and 45 other Labour MPs defied the party and backed a Queens Speech amendment calling for Britain to remain in the single market and customs union. July 6 The Labour leader told Bloomberg: The single market is a concept that requires membership of the European Union. July 23 Mr Corbyn told the BBC: The single market is dependent on membership of the EU. The two things are inextricably linked. Advertisement

Brendan Chilton, its general secretary, said: Single market membership is EU membership in all but name. This is mission creep for Brussels by people who have not accepted the result of the referendum. There will be millions of voters who came to Labour at the last election who feel let down.

Tory ministers have accepted the need for a time-limited transition period to put in place a new UK-EU relationship after the country leaves on March 29, 2019.

But they insist that the UK must be outside the single market and customs union during this time so it is allowed to control migration and strike new trade deals with non-EU countries.

Writing in The Observer yesterday, Sir Keir said he wanted to be absolutely clear about what Labour wanted, but he put no time frame on the transition.

The period would be as short as possible, but as long as is necessary and would be time-limited in order to prevent it becoming a kind of never-ending purgatory.

He wrote: Labour would seek a transitional deal that maintains the same basic terms that we currently enjoy. That means we would seek to remain in a customs union with the EU and within the single market during this period. It means we would abide by the common rules of both. Sir Keir suggested Labour could remain in the single market and customs union permanently if there was a more effective management of migration.

He wrote: We will always put jobs and the economy first. That means remaining in a form of customs union with the EU is a possible end destination for Labour, but that must be subject to negotiations.

It also means that Labour is flexible as to whether the benefits of the single market are best retained by negotiating a new single market relationship or by working up from a bespoke trade deal. Mr Corbyn yesterday endorsed the plan, while also refusing to say how long the transition period would be. He said: I dont know what the length of it would be. I hear the Government is thinking in terms of two years but were not putting a time limit on it.

The Tories accused Labour of having no idea of what it wanted as it claimed this was the partys tenth Brexit plan in 14 months. A spokesman said: Their leader cant say they would end unlimited freedom of movement, they cant decide whether we are leaving the single market and they have no vision for what Britain should look like outside the EU.

But last night pro-EU Tory MPs claimed Mr Corbyns about turn would put pressure on Theresa May to compromise on her plans for a clean break from Brussels.

Former business minister Anna Soubry told the Financial Times: Everything has now shifted to the arguments we have been making for some considerable time.
More than 80,000 parents who are entitled to extra free childcare have yet to secure a nursery place amid a website meltdown and concerns over funding.

From Friday, working parents of three and four-year-olds are to be given 30 hours of taxpayer-funded nursery time  double the 15 they currently get.

The flagship Tory scheme aims to help women back to work and ease the pressure on family finances.

More than 80,000 parents who are entitled to extra free childcare have yet to secure a nursery place amid a website meltdown and concerns over funding

Ministers have promised to invest an additional 1billion a year in childcare for three and four-year-olds by 2019-20

Ministers have promised to invest an additional 1billion a year in childcare for three and four-year-olds by 2019-20.

But there are fears that many parents could lose out on their entitlement because of problems with signing up and funding issues in nurseries.

Yesterday, a letter emerged from the Department for Education to local authorities which revealed that 82,000 parents entitled to the extra childcare have not yet secured a place.

5m to help mothers return to work MOTHERS who have taken a career break to bring up children will be helped back to work as part of a 5million government project. The help will go to public sector workers and there will be four schemes: for civil servants, social workers, teachers, and health staff such as physiotherapists, podiatrists, dietitians and radiographers. The schemes, funded from 5million earmarked in this years Budget, will offer training and support to help returners refresh their skills, as part of the Governments drive to close the gender pay gap. Many of those taking advantage of the scheme are likely to be women who have taken time out of the workplace to bring up their children. But the programme is open to both genders and could benefit those who have taken a career break for other caring responsibilities. Skills minister Anne Milton said: Millions of us need to take time out from our careers, but it can be really hard to return. This is bad for the people affected, and the businesses who miss out on their talents. Women, in particular, find the routes back into employment closed off after taking time out to start a family. These returner programmes will make it routine for women to go back to the workplace. It ultimately should also help us to tackle the gender pay gap. Advertisement

Those wanting to take up the offer must obtain a code from a website run by HM Revenue & Customs, but many have been hindered by technical glitches. Last week, the Daily Mail revealed how HMRC had admitted that 2,600 families are still waiting for applications to be approved.

In a letter to Treasury select committee chairman Nicky Morgan, HMRC also said it had received 1,507 complaints about the website, more than 90 per cent of which were about IT problems.

The Pre-school Learning Alliance, which represents nurseries, estimates there is a 20 per cent shortfall in the Whitehall funding being given to nurseries for the scheme. Under the existing 15 hours scheme, nurseries can make up the shortfall by charging parents more for the rest of the time.

But when the number of free hours is doubled, nurseries that have signed up to the scheme will be unable to charge extra for additional hours since many families do not require more than 30 hours a week of childcare.

One in five providers surveyed by the National Day Nurseries Association, a childcare charity, are not offering the free 30 hours because they cannot afford it. And more than half of those that are participating in the scheme are having to increase parents costs or restrict the places on offer.

Some nurseries say they have been forced to close because they could not afford to take part.

Carol Medcalf, owner of Carol Jane Montessori Nursery School in Enfield, north London, said yesterday that the scheme was doomed to failure.

Yesterday, a survey of 660 childcare providers by Tracy Brabin, Labours early years spokesman, showed that three-quarters expect the policy to have a negative impact on their business.

Im deeply concerned that many children wont have access to the quality childcare they deserve  and that parents were promised, she told The Observer.

An HMRC spokesman said: More than 200,000 parents have successfully applied for a childcare account. We know that some parents and childcare providers have experienced difficulties accessing the service and we are sorry about the inconvenience.

Weve made significant improvements. Nobody need lose out as a result of the technical issues.

A Department for Education spokesman said: We are determined to support as many families as possible with access to high-quality, affordable childcare.

We are investing an additional 1billion per year by 2019-20 to pay for the free offers and to raise the national hourly rate to local authorities for three and four-year-olds to 4.94. This is far higher than the average hourly cost, which research has found to be 3.72.
The Australian Government has booted out 2,800 foreign-born criminals in just three years in an unprecedented crackdown.

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson is backing the blitz on foreigners who break the law in Australia.

'People need to be responsible for their own actions and I'm sick and tired of people being in this country, who should not be here committing crimes, costing taxpayers thousands if not millions of dollars,' she told Sunrise on Monday.

Scroll down for video

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says Australians are sick of paying for foreign criminals

Rebels bikie gang leader Aaron 'AJ' Graham is appealing his deportation to New Zealand

'If they have a criminal offence, then they're being deported out of this country.

'And I, and I reckon the majority of Australians, will agree with me on this one because they're fed up with it.'

Almost half of the 2,847 foreign-born criminals expelled from Australia since 2014 are violent thugs - with 1,115 people deported for grievous bodily harm or violent crime, the Herald Sun reported.

The Australian Federal Police has worked with their state counterparts, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to track down the foreign-born criminals.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is prepared for a fight with civil libertarians and lawyers.

'We aren't asking much  just that visitors to our country don't kill, rape or rob Australians during their stay,' he told News Corp Australia.

I have no doubt that by deporting convicted paedophiles we are saving children from being future victims. The same goes for rapists and drug dealers.'

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says visitors just have to avoid rape, murder and robbery

The deportation list during the past three years also included 455 drug traffickers and dealers; 223 paedophiles and child pornography collectors; 114 rapists and sex offenders; 54 murderers; 21 convicted of manslaughter; 24 foreigners whose visas were cancelled on national security or organised crime grounds; and 841 white collar criminals.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young repeatedly interrupted Senator Hanson during their Sunrise debate.

'Let the courts do their job, Pauline,' she said.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says Australia has a responsibility for foreign criminals

Sarah Hanson-Young (bottom right) repeatedly interrupted Pauline Hanson (top right) during their Sunrise debate

Earlier, the left-wing senator from Adelaide said Australia had a responsibility for these foreign-born criminals.

'Some of these people have been here pretty much all their life,' she said.

'A lot of New Zealanders who have come here as young children, have grown up in this country, educated in this country, and if they're now committing crimes, in some respects Australia has to take some responsibility.'

Former Tasmanian Rebels bikie gang boss Aaron 'AJ' Graham, who hails from New Zealand, last year appealed to the High Court against Mr Dutton's decision to deport him from Australia, claiming it was 'unconstitutional' to do so.

The court has reserved its decision.
Advertisement

With an annual attendance of around a million people generating more noise than an international airport, the Notting Hill Carnival had never attempted silence  until yesterday.

Results were mixed. The idea had been that yesterdays opening parade would pause respectfully to mark a minutes silence in memory of the victims of Junes horrific inferno at Grenfell Tower, the charred remains of which peer down on Europes biggest street party.

While the silence was recorded in front of the television cameras, I am afraid there was precious little where I was standing on Ladbroke Grove  on the very part of the carnival route designated as a respect zone due to its proximity to the tower.

With an annual attendance of around a million people generating more noise than an international airport, the Notting Hill Carnival had never attempted silence  until yesterday

The idea had been that yesterdays opening parade would pause respectfully to mark a minutes silence in memory of the victims of Junes horrific inferno at Grenfell Tower, the charred remains of which peer down on Europes biggest street party

Some carnival-goers suspended their gyrations and blowing of whistles or vuvuzelas. But many did not

Some carnival-goers suspended their gyrations and blowing of whistles or vuvuzelas. But many did not. A juggernaut carrying dancers and a huge speaker system on the back continued to pump out a head-thumping soundtrack.

The dancers were not being disrespectful. Many wore Grenfell badges and had followed the organisers request to wear something green in honour of the dead. This was not a snub, but nor was it a historic moment of solidarity either. In the mayhem, some had simply not got the message to shut up at the allotted moment on the stroke of 3pm.

The myth and the reality of the Notting Hill Carnival come to blows every August Bank Holiday weekend. To its legion of devoted followers, carnival (never the carnival  use of the definite article is strictly forbidden) remains a vibrant, joyful and unique celebration of Caribbean culture.

To its critics, many of them local residents, it is an irksome festival of litter and crime which should be avoided at all costs.

They do have a point about the litter. I have never seen so many people (of all ages and backgrounds) nonchalantly throwing so much rubbish on to the ground. By mid-afternoon, a large part of London W10 was carpeted with plastic, cans and paper plates.

The dancers were not being disrespectful. Many wore Grenfell badges and had followed the organisers request to wear something green in honour of the dead

This was not a snub, but nor was it a historic moment of solidarity either. In the mayhem, some had simply not got the message to shut up at the allotted moment on the stroke of 3pm

This summers run of terrorist attacks across Europe, together with simmering local fury about the Grenfell tragedy and an alarming rise in acid attacks, had left the police making no apologies about a very visible presence

But any would-be criminals would have found that this was not the year to turn up looking for trouble. This summers run of terrorist attacks across Europe, together with simmering local fury about the Grenfell tragedy and an alarming rise in acid attacks, had left the police making no apologies about a very visible presence.

Though the frontline police were all in shirtsleeves and regular headgear, many sealed-off side streets  labelled as safety zones on the carnival map  were full of vans and reinforcements with heavy-duty kit.

The atmosphere was unquestionably friendly. But it might have been improved if great chunks of the route, and the surrounding area, were not boarded up.

The view down Westbourne Grove yesterday morning was of a war zone, entire blocks entombed in chipboard. I found three graffiti artists hard at work on the panels protecting the Daylesford Organic Cafe. Normally, this place would be packed with a Sunday morning crowd of Euro-bankers and celebs leafing through the weekend papers over a pain au chocolat and a soya latte. Yesterday, it was closed for business while a rather ambitious beach scene was being spray-painted across its facade.

Some places, to their credit, were maintaining business as usual  like the Walmer Castle pub on Ledbury Road. Others were partially open. The Vinyl Cafe on Portobello Road had a large sign welcoming anyone prepared to pay 2 to use the loo.

Yesterdays two-mile, eight-hour, stop-start procession was preceded by a short opening ceremony commemorating the Grenfell disaster and attended by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

The view down Westbourne Grove yesterday morning was of a war zone, entire blocks entombed in chipboard. I found three graffiti artists hard at work on the panels protecting the Daylesford Organic Cafe

Over at the Grenfell Tower itself, police had sealed off all approach roads. The yellowing messages and decaying wreaths accumulated through the summer were still there and seem likely to remain, given the attached signs labelled: Memorial Protection

But most resident businesses were happy to go into lockdown and leave the field wide open to the vast lines of makeshift restaurants erected for miles around.

They smelled magnificent, though some were hardly a bargain. Mr T on Powis Square was charging 10 for a portion of free-range, halal jerk chicken.

Yesterdays two-mile, eight-hour, stop-start procession was preceded by a short opening ceremony commemorating the Grenfell disaster and attended by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.

Announcing a pledge to redouble our efforts to support this community, he then joined in the symbolic release of white doves. While his minders refused to let him talk to the media, Mr Khan toured the area for an hour posing for selfies with all-comers.

It was certainly a kinder reception than the one I witnessed the day after the Grenfell fire when he was pursued down these streets by angry residents and heckled by a seven-year-old boy.

Over at the Grenfell Tower itself, police had sealed off all approach roads. The yellowing messages and decaying wreaths accumulated through the summer were still there and seem likely to remain, given the attached signs labelled: Memorial Protection.

Yesterdays two-mile, eight-hour, stop-start procession was preceded by a short opening ceremony commemorating the Grenfell disaster and attended by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

Announcing a pledge to redouble our efforts to support this community, he then joined in the symbolic release of white doves

On the main route, the truck-mounted bands with their sound systems and scantily-dressed dancers continued to meander and twerk their way around Notting Hill at a snails pace

Grenfells fire was ethnic and social cleansing, declared a letter from someone calling herself Sister Ruth, Missionary Nun. Many messages insist that there has been a monstrous cover-up over the official death toll, currently in the region of 80.

Signs warned passers-by not to take selfies in front of the ruined tower on the grounds that the locals  understandably  find such voyeurism offensive. Passengers arriving at Latimer Road Tube station received an uncompromising recorded message saying the same thing.

With a handful of exceptions, everyone I saw yesterday complied. The only threat to the peace came not from gawpers but from two groups of aggressive young men claiming to represent The Children of the Slave Trade.

Through loudspeakers, they denounced any passing women who were not covered from head to toe as a harlot or porn star  or worse  until the police told them to tone it down or face arrest for public order offences.

On the main route, the truck-mounted bands with their sound systems and scantily-dressed dancers continued to meander and twerk their way around Notting Hill at a snails pace.

Today, they will do it all again with another minutes silence this afternoon. Perhaps, this time, it will be observed.
A Victorian Nationals MP has resigned from the party over mental health and alleged gambling issues.

Member for Morwell Russell Northe exited office Monday, with Nationals leader Peter Walsh announcing the news in a press conference in Melbourne.

Mr Northe had been on leave from parliament since June, with the party supporting him and stating they were 'relieved' he had sought professional help.

Russell Northe (pictured), the Nationals Member for Morwell, resigned from office Monday over mental health and alleged gambling issues

Mr Northe called his resignation 'reluctant' in a statement made to ABC Gippsland and said that he had renounced his membership to the party to 'give myself the best chance of succeeding'.

'This will relieve me of my broader responsibilities to the party, giving me more time to serve the Morwell electorate and address my personal challenges,' he said.

'Thanks to the wonderful support I have received from my family, health professionals and community members, I now feel I am in a better position to address the challenges I face.'

The Nationals confirmed the news in a responding statement and said they had been supporting Mr Northe with his challenges over the last 12 months.

'Russell's statement today has given the Party and his colleagues more clarity on the severity of the issues he is battling,' it read.

'We sincerely hope Russell continues to seek professional assistance and makes his personal well-being his number one priority.'

Nationals leader Peter Walsh confirmed the news of Mr Northe's resignation in a press conference in Melbourne on Monday

Mr Walsh said the Party had been supporting Mr Northe with his challenges over the last 12 months and that he had not been asked to resign

Mr Northe was reportedly not asked to resign by the National Party but had taken it upon himself.

Major events such as the Black Saturday fires and closure of the Hazelwood Power Station had compounded personal issues, Mr Northe had said.

Mr Northe took leave in late June for 'mental health issues,' with an announcement at the time saying his leave of absence came after he received medical advice.

The Nationals Party gave the MP unwavering support in his decision, saying they were 'glad he had recognised these problems and is now getting help.'

Mr Northe had also reportedly struggled with gambling debts, owing a 'substantial amount' of money according to the ABC.

He said he would return to parliament as an independent MP as part of his path to recovery.

Readers seeking support and information about depression can contact Lifeline no 13 11 14.

Mr Northe (pictured centre) cited major events such as the Black Saturday fires and closure of the Hazelwood Power Station in addition to personal issues as having affected him
Planes could be powered by household rubbish under a new government scheme.

Ministers are offering 22million of funding for research to develop low-carbon, waste-based fuels for planes and lorries.

They hope that rather than so much rubbish ending up in landfill, new technologies could be developed to harness its power to fly planes.

The move follows grants to encourage the take-up of ultra-low emission electric vehicles, and plans to ban all new petrol and diesel cars by 2040.

Ministers are offering 22million of funding for research to develop low-carbon, waste-based fuels for planes and lorries

Department for Transport figures show that aircraft and lorries powered by waste fuels could use up to 90 per cent less carbon than traditional fossil fuels.

Trials of sustainable jet fuel made from waste materials have already taken place in Europe and North America. Under these schemes, waste from landfill is heated in a low-oxygen environment producing a gas that can be condensed into a liquid fuel.

Around 70 groups have expressed an interest in bidding for the DfT funding.

Transport minister Jesse Norman said: We are committed to cutting carbon emissions and promoting new environmentally friendly fuels that will help us meet that goal.

We are making funding available to innovative businesses which will lead the way in developing alternative fuels that are efficient, sustainable and clean.

We want every new car and van in the UK to be zero emission by 2040, but we know lorries and aeroplanes will rely on more traditional fuels for years to come so we must promote environmentally friendly alternatives.

The new fuels are chemically very similar to conventional fuels, so can be used in existing aircraft without the need for engine modifications.

It is hoped the Government funding will help develop five new low-carbon fuel plants by 2021.

Transport minister Jesse Norman said: We are committed to cutting carbon emissions and promoting new environmentally friendly fuels that will help us meet that goal

The money is available to projects producing low-carbon waste-based fuels to be used in planes and lorries where it is not currently viable to switch to electric power because the vehicles are too heavy.

Aviation consultant John Strickland said the announcement was a positive step for airlines.

He said: Airlines are always looking to improve their environmental credentials and improve fuel efficiency. This move will be welcomed but widespread adoption would still be some way off in the future.

The DfT claims low-carbon transport fuels made from waste materials could be worth 600million to the British economy by 2030 and support up to 9,800 new jobs.

The governments funding for the schemes would be matched by money from industry.

It is hoped that British experts will conduct pioneering research in the waste fuel sector, outstripping competitors in Europe and the US.

The money is available to projects that will produce low carbon waste-based fuels, to be used in planes and lorries where it is not viable today to switch to electric power, because of the large weight of the vehicles.

The department said that the Future Fuels for Flight and Freight competition is part of the governments Modern Industrial Strategy, which sets out to support evolving industries with the potential to boost the economy.

The government is committed to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent by 2050, and transport emissions must be slashed if we are to meet that target.

Biofuels made from waste products could be even more sustainable than current crop-based biofuels, already used in some road-based vehicles.
Following similar events in Cayuga County, state Sen. Pam Helming announced additional mobile office hours in her district.

Helming, R-Canandaigua, will hold mobile office hours from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 at Lansing Community Library, 27 Auburn Road in Lansing. She will be available for Seneca County constituents from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7 at the Tyre Municipal Building, 1695 Route 318 in Waterloo.

The schedule is capped off with a session from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28 at Clifton Springs Library, 4 Railroad Ave. in Clifton Springs.

Helming's announcement comes after she held mobile office events in two Cayuga County municipalities  Port Byron and Sterling. She said those events generated "terrific feedback" from constituents.

"I look forward to continuing our tour of the 54th district with more of these events in Lansing, Tyre and Clifton Springs, as well as others that will be scheduled later this year," she said. "It is important for me to meet with our constituents so that I can listen to their questions and concerns about state government."

There are other options for contacting Helming if you can't attend one of the mobile office meetups.

Helming's district office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 425 Exchange St. in Geneva. The phone number for the office is (315) 568-9816.

For Wayne County residents, a satellite office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. The office is located at the Wayne County Courthouse, 26 Church St., Room 207 in Lyons. The phone number is (315) 946-6380.

The 54th Senate District is comprised of six counties, including all of Seneca and Wayne counties. Parts of Cayuga, Monroe, Ontario and Tompkins counties are also in the district.
Jurors in the longest criminal trial in UK history have told of their struggle to return to a normal life.

After 20 months of listening to evidence, four of 12 jurors in a complex fraud case say it left them in need of counselling.

Although jurors are legally barred from revealing their deliberations, the quartet wanted to reveal the stress they had suffered and have called for more support for those who have to serve in very long trials.

Named only as Julie, Anne-Marie, Paul and Emma, they said they did not regret performing their civic duty, but admitted that the trial of Edwin McLaren, 52, who ran a 1.6million property fraud scheme, had taken its toll on their careers and their wellbeing.

Jailed: Edwin McLaren, who ran a 1.6million property fraud scheme, and his wife Lorraine

When the 7.5million hearing began in September 2015 they were told it should last six months. But when McLaren was finally found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in jail at the High Court in Glasgow in May, only 12 of the Scots systems original 15-strong jury remained. The rest then faced the additional stress of knowing that if one more dropped out, the whole case would collapse.

McLarens wife Lorraine, 51, got two-and-a-half years after she was found guilty of two charges in what is thought to be the longest criminal case in legal history.

Juror Julie, a travel agent, said that she had always been a people person but had managed only four days back at work since the trial ended.

You were sitting in a room listening to evidence but you didnt communicate. Im really struggling with communication now, she told the BBC.

Civil servant Paul, 51, said he needed retraining to go back to his job and had also struggled with communication after 320 court days of sitting in silence. But he also missed the trial and would sometimes find himself heading towards the High Court

McLaren was finally found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in jail at the High Court in Glasgow

Emma, 26, decided to quit her fast-food job and went to college to study social sciences after the trial gave her time to reflect.

She said she felt lost at times and had often relied on fellow jurors to help her cope, rather than a court system which offered little in the way of support.

Anne Marie, 57, another civil servant, said she now missed being with fellow jurors.

To be on my own now at work, it just feels strange, she said. Ive worked there for many years but I dont feel I belong there.

She said lessons ought to be learned to help future jurors, but no one in the system had even asked about their experiences.
Drunk Australian tourists are terrorising Croatian towns swimming naked, partying all night and having sex in public, locals claim.

Once-sleepy beachside towns and historic cities have been overrun by revellers looking to party with little interest in the small Eastern European country's culture.

This season, which runs from June through to September, is described as the worst ever with boatloads of tourists coming ashore 1,500 at a time and running amok.

Australians party on a boat off Croatia, notoriously for blasting music all night while moorded in harbours of seaside towns

This Australian tourist was fined for passing out half naked in a Croatian public square earlier this year

Locals in the small port town of Makarska said Australian visitors were 'out of control' and forced them to stay indoors and out of public squares.

'They've been drinking since the morning, and loud music from the ships is starting to run for 20 hours. Around midnight, they begin mass descending from the ships,' a hotel worker told Slobodna Dalmacija.

'Young Australians are blatantly performing sex acts on the streets without any shame, p***ing in our swimming pools, climbing our balconies and bathing naked in the harbour.'

A former tour guide on one of the notorious party cruises along Croatia's Mediterranean coast said Australians had developed a poor reputation.

This season, which runs from June through to September, is described as the worst ever with boatloads of tourists coming ashore 1,500 at a time and running amok

She said they drank 'to get wasted' and instead of listening to her talk about history asked every day when they would get to the bars and clubs so they could party.

The problem was so bad there were widespread calls for a crackdown on tour operators with tighter regulations to deter excessive noise and debaucherous behaviour.

Even tourists themselves admitted locals were fed up with their antics and told of drunken revellers smashing up rooms on boats and vandalising cars.

Once-sleepy beachside towns and historic cities have been overrun by revellers looking to party with little interest in the small Eastern European country's culture

The historic city of Dubrovnik has seen hordes of tourists arrive since it was featured on Game of Thrones

'A bartender told me: "I hate Australians, you have no respect". He told me Australian boys have no respect for women and drink too much,' Aisling Colgan, 18, told The Australian.

She said three young Australian men were marched to a police station and forced to pay $400 each for damaging parked cars.

'They smashed a windscreen on a car and dented another car by jumping on them when they were drunk,' she said.
It is the aircraft that became the emblem of British tenacity in the darkest days of 1940 when all that stood between the country and invasion was a handful of RAF fighter pilots.

And now for the first time, the public have a chance to fly in the amazing Spitfire from a Scottish airfield.

But before reaching for the sky, you will have to reach for your wallet  prices for sorties in the warbird are steep.

Now for the first time, the public have a chance to fly in the amazing Spitfire from a Scottish airfield

This weekend, the Boultbee Flight Academy  which normally operates out of airstrips in the south of England  will be basing its two-seater Spitfire at Cumbernauld Airport, Lanarkshire. Prices start at 3,000 for half an hour of airtime, up to 5,100 for 50 minutes of flight, but Boultbee insists it will be a spellbinding experience.

Spitfire pilot, co-founder and managing director of Boultbee Flight Academy Matt Jones said: Weve wanted to offer Spitfire flights in Scotland for a long time and are proud to now be able to do so with a crew of all-Scottish pilots.

Matt Jones said Boultbee Flight Academy has wanted to run Spitfire flights in Scotland for a long time

Whilst flying a Spitfire anywhere is a privilege, taking off from Cumbernauld and heading up Loch Lomond and into the Highlands promises to be truly spellbinding. My only regret is that Ive ruled myself out from flying there by insisting it should only be Scots in command of the aircraft.

Spitfire pilot and airline Captain John Dodd said: I couldnt be more excited.

Flying a Spitfire over the most beautiful scenery in the world, close to where I grew up, promises to be unforgettable.

Whilst any Spitfire flight is a thrill, remembering the incredible risks and sacrifices of the young Scottish men who flew these aircraft in anger will be truly humbling.

Among the cadre of Boultbee pilots is Mark Lewis  current chief test pilot at Rolls-Royce and an ex-RAF fighter pilot. The trip aloft starts with the planes legendary Rolls-Royce Merlin engine bursting in to life.

And since the two-seater version of the fighter is dual control, passengers can even take the joystick.

Prince Harry is one of the lucky ones who has soared with Boultbees Spitfire to get a feel for an aircraft that wrote itself into history in dogfights in every theatre of the war.

The cockpit of a Spitfire, where would-be pilots can take the flight of a lifetime

The first German aircraft shot down over Britain in the war was a Heinkel He.111 bomber. It attacked shipping near the Forth Bridge in October 1939 and was downed near Humbie, East Lothian, by gunfire from Spitfires from 602 (City of Glasgow) and 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadrons.

The Spitfire was designed by engineer RJ Mitchell, who worked for aviation firm Supermarine.

There are now thought to be only 54 airworthy Spitfires left in the world. Two-seat versions, originally designed for pilot training, are rarer still.

The Merlin engine also powered the RAFs other key Battle of Britain fighter, the Hawker Hurricane, as well as the legendary De Havilland Mosquito and the Avro Lancaster bomber.

n For more information visit:boultbeeflightacademy.co.uk
Even by Westminsters current lowly standards, Jeremy Corbyns decision to endorse continued membership of the European Single Market beyond March 2019, when Britain leaves the EU, is an act of grotesque hypocrisy.

It is a betrayal of everything we know the Labour leader believes  dressed up as concern for jobs and the economy  done for calculated political gain and, ultimately, to thwart Brexit.

This is a man who voted against British membership of the EU in 1975. Ten years later, he opposed the introduction of the Single Market.

In fact, Mr Corbyn has never supported any piece of pro-European legislation. He is a Eurosceptic through and through.

Jeremy Corbyn and his Shadow Cabinet have shown that their Labour Party is just as contemptuous of ordinary voters as Tony Blairs New Labour was

So to allow the Shadow Brexit Secretary, Keir Starmer, to write an article in The Observer yesterday making it clear that, under a Labour government, the UK would continue to abide by the EUs free movement rules, accept the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice on trade and economic issues and pay into the EU budget for a transitional period after Brexit is a repudiation of everything he has ever personally believed.

Starmer also outlines an option whereby the UK could remain a member of the Customs Union and Single Market for good, should a Labour government negotiate a special deal on immigration and freedom of movement rules.

Hypocrisy aside, this is a spectacular betrayal of millions of Labour voters, mainly in the Midlands and the North, who voted for Brexit in June last year.

Jeremy Corbyn and his Shadow Cabinet have shown that their Labour Party is just as contemptuous of ordinary voters as Tony Blairs New Labour was.

Its only a month since Corbyn confirmed on The Andrew Marr Show that he would take the UK out of the Single Market. Now we have this U-turn  and what a nauseating spectacle it is.

Under normal circumstances, I would dismiss Mr Corbyns latest stunt as contemptible and ignore it. Sadly, not on this occasion.

Labours timing is perfect. Mr Corbyn is taking advantage of the massive vacuum over Europe created by Theresa Mays dithering.

During the 13 months of her premiership, she has come up with plenty of tough rhetoric, declaring repeatedly that Brexit means Brexit and insisting that no deal is better than a bad deal.

However, these strong words have not been matched by actions. The Prime Minister has failed consistently to spell out her vision for what Britain should look like after we leave the EU.

Keir Starmer outlines an option whereby the UK could remain a member of the Customs Union and Single Market for good, should a Labour government negotiate a special deal on immigration and freedom of movement rules

She has struggled to decide whether she wants a clean departure from the EU, or a departure that leaves our trading relationships intact.

A clean break would mean the UK regains 100 per cent control of our law and our borders  which is exactly what the majority of British people voted for in the referendum.

But the City and businesses have repeatedly warned that a clean break would damage our trade with Europe, with a potential cost in jobs: the so-called cliff-edge argument.

They continue to demand that we stay in the Single Market as part of a soft Brexit deal under which we would remain subject to the rules of European courts, during a transition period, so that trade could flow easily.

Mrs May has been unable to make up her mind between the two approaches. To make matters worse, the Tory Party appears desperately split.

Most of the Cabinet wants a soft Brexit. Chancellor Philip Hammond, Home Secretary Amber Rudd and the man who is effectively Deputy Prime Minister, Damian Green, are all pressing for a version of this.

The only senior voice holding out against this coalition of Remainers appears to be the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson

Well, they would, wouldnt they: all were Remainers during the referendum campaign.

The only senior voice holding out against this coalition of Remainers appears to be the Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson. Though he may be an isolated figure in Cabinet, his position is strongly supported by Tory activists and MPs, as well a majority of opinion out in the country.

Mrs May, a naturally cautious politician, is stuck between two camps  but time is running out for her.

Brexit negotiations restart today; early next month the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill returns to the Commons for its second reading, and its only 18 months before the UK is booked to leave the EU.

There is, understandably, some frustration among European leaders that the Government, for all the position papers and grand-standing by its negotiators in recent weeks, has yet to come clean about what it wants.

Labours shift in position  establishing itself as the party of soft Brexit  plays into the hands of Brussels hardliners who do not want Britain to leave.

I believe that Mrs May must make her choice, and soon.

She can come down on the same side as Philip Hammond, big business, the Remainers  and now Jeremy Corbyn  and opt for a soft Brexit. Or she can support Boris Johnson, Tory activists, and the 17.4 million people who voted for Brexit.

Of course, both choices will put the Prime Ministers political survival at risk.

If Mrs May plumps for clean Brexit, the weight of big business and the political establishment will turn against her.

But if she plumps for a deal with Europe, she faces an explosion of anger and discontent from inside the Conservative Party and the country.

With barely five weeks till the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, its shaping up to be one of the most mutinous and explosive periods in modern political history, with pro-EU Tory MPs under intense pressure to rebel against their own party.

Keir Starmers article has set off a political earthquake. In his defence, that is what the Opposition is supposed to do.

But there is a fascinating paradox here. Jeremy Corbyn, who has dedicated his life to revolutionary socialism, has, in his old age, turned into the voice of the British Establishment.

The Governor of the Bank of England, the Director-General of the CBI, the Civil Service, the Diplomatic Corps, the BBC and Tony Blair are all suddenly on the same side as the ageing revolutionary.

And why? Because all these Establishment figures rightly believe that Labours dramatic shift on Brexit is the best way of sabotaging it.

Under the Corbyn plan, we stay in the EU in all but name, doing what the Brussels commissars and European judges tell us  and continuing to pay vast sums for the privilege. You might very well ask what was the point of leaving in the first place.

I am certain that the latest Labour proposal is part of a carefully thought-out Establishment plan to delay and  finally  to halt Brexit.

Is it a coincidence that arch-European Tony Blair is to meet EC President Jean-Claude Juncker this week?

The Remainers are still too cautious to come out and demand that the referendum result should be reversed. But they want to do everything they can to undermine it  and Corbyns Labour Party is their chosen vehicle.

Soon they will be going further and demanding a second referendum.

These are uncharted political waters in which the future of British democracy is at stake. We are entering extraordinary times.
High school science teacher Nikki Varney, 44, (pictured) from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, was charged by state police on Friday for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a male student

A high school science teacher was accused of having a sexual relationship with a male student.

Nikki Varney, 44, from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, was charged by state police on Friday with institutional sexual assault, statutory sexual assault, corruption of minors and unlawful contact with minors.

Varney is a science teacher at Williamsburg High School.

Police said school officials reported the allegations that Varney was in a sexual relationship with a male student, WJAC TV reported.

Investigators then reportedly discovered that a sexual encounter between the two happened in July.

Williamsburg Community School District Superintendent Lisa Murgas told the outlet that Varney has been placed on administrative leave.

According to the school's website, Varney has been a science teacher since 1997.

The site says she teaches chemistry, physics and two other science courses.

She is also the school district's sponsor for Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, a state-wide organization for middle and high school students.

Varney is currently being arraigned in Blair County.

Varney (pictured) has been a science teacher at Williamsburg High School for the past seven years. According to the school's website, she teaches chemistry, physics and two other science courses

Williamsburg Community School District Superintendent Lisa Murgas said that Varney was placed on administrative leave after she was charged

According to local newspaper, the Altoona Mirror, Varney ran for a seat on the Hollidaysburg school board in April.

The announcement said she has been teaching at Williamsburg High School for the last seven years.

In her candidate announcement, she wrote: 'Being a parent, teacher, and taxpayer gives me a unique perspective into all three stakeholders school directors affect.

'I have children in the school system so I understand the importance that children receive the educational foundation they need to flourish and to become contributing members of society.

'I am a teacher with over two decades of experience so I know the support students and teachers need to be successful. Being a teacher has also given me experience in budgeting a school districts money.

'I have to budget for my classes, making tough decisions about what to purchase and what to cut to give the students the best learning experiences. I tend to be frugal, treating the districts money as I would my own when budgeting.'

The newspaper reported that Varney has a bachelor's degree in secondary education with a concentration in biology and a Master's of Secondary Education in science.
The father of a three-year-old girl who was found dead with a gunshot wound to her neck in a west Sydney home has been charged with a number of firearm offences.

A 43-year-old Arncliffe man was charged on Monday with possession of an unauthorised prohibited firearm, possession of an unregistered and prohibited firearm, not keeping the firearm safely and two counts of breaching an AVO, according to police.

At around 8pm on Sunday, paramedics were called to a property in Lalor Park, near Blacktown, where they discovered the young girl's body.

The father of a three-year-old girl who was found dead with a gunshot wound to her neck in a west Sydney home (pictured) has been charged with a number of firearm offences

Officers confirmed the three-year-old, her mother and three brothers, aged between three and eight, were inside the house at the time of the shooting

The young girl's body was seen being removed from the home around 8am on Monday

Forensic services are pictured at the scene on Monday, less than 24 hours after the girl was shot

It is unknown how she received the fatal wound, which reportedly came from an unlicensed single-barrel sawn off shotgun, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Just moments after the shooting, a man inside the house was heard screaming 'she's dead... she's shot herself,' according to The Daily Telegraph.

During a press conference on Monday, detectives refused to say if the little girl had accidentally shot herself but pressed the importance of firearm safety.

Officers also declined to say who owned the gun that killed the young girl and where it was found inside the home.

Officers have declined to say who owned the gun that killed the young girl and where it was found inside the home

Authorities are seen preparing to enter the property in Sydney's west to remove the girl's body

Police were called to a property in Lalor Park, near Blacktown, where they discovered the child's body at around 8pm on Sunday. Forensic officers were seen at the Danny Road home on Monday morning

A distraught man (pictured) was helped to his feet by police, before he was placed in the back of a van

The three-year-old's father (pictured) was refused bail at Blacktown Local Court on Monday afternoon. He did not appear in court, but stayed in the cell

Detectives and forensic analysts were seen combing through evidence at cordoned off home on Monday morning. The three-year-old's body was removed from the home around 8am.

Officers confirmed the three-year-old, her mother and three brothers, aged between three and eight, were inside the house at the time of the shooting, according to 7News.

Neighbours reported seeing the girl's siblings frantically run from the home while screaming for help.

Danny Road has been blocked off by police and was still closed early on Monday morning

Pictured is a distressed woman being placed into an ambulance on Sunday night after the shooting. Reports suggest the woman is the girl's mother

During a press conference on Monday, detectives refused to say if the little girl had accidentally shot herself but pressed the importance of firearm safety

Detectives and forensic analysts were seen combing through evidence at cordoned off home on Monday morning

The girl's father and uncle were also reportedly in the area at the time but not at the home, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The three-year-old's father was refused bail at Blacktown Local Court on Monday afternoon. He did not appear in court, instead choosing to stay in a cell, according to 9News.

The man was seen crying as he was driven to the court in a police van. It is understood he will undergo a mental health examine.

The 43-year-old was due to face Downing Centre Court today on unrelated matters.

It is believed the three-year-old was at home with her mother and three brothers, aged between three and eight, at the time of the shooting

It is unknown how she received the fatal wound, which reportedly came from an unlicensed single-barrel sawn off shotgun (pictured is evidence collected from the home)

Neighbours reported seeing the girl's siblings frantically run from the home while screaming for help (pictured are forensic analysts at the scene)

During a press conference on Monday, detectives refused to say if the little girl had accidentally shot herself but pressed the importance of firearm safety

Video captured on Sunday night shows two distraught men - believed to be the girl's father and uncle - sitting in a gutter with their heads in their hands shortly after authorities arrived at the scene.

One of the men was later helped to his feet by police, who patted him down before placing him in the back of a van.

A distressed woman, who reports suggest is the child's mother, was seen sitting the back of an ambulance.

'I hate you, I hate you,' the woman inside the van could be heard shouting to an unknown person as the door opened.

'I hate you, he killed my baby girl... rot in hell,' she later screamed.

Clothes can be seen hanging on the line in the backyard (pictured)

A children's toy car is pictured under the clothesline

A heavy police presence remained at the scene in Lalor Park on Monday evening

Next door neighbour Mark Tupua told The Daily Telegraph he ran outside to see what was going on when he saw the three-year-old's father crying in the street.

Mr Tupua said he tried to open the front door of the family's home but it was locked.

About ten minutes later the child's hysterical mother emerged, he said.

'She was just screaming. I seen (sic) another guy leave the house with blood on his hands. She was saying it was his fault that he should not have had a gun in the house,' the young man said.

Mr Tupua told 9News the mother was angry at the bloodied man and told him police 'could take the kids away from [her] because of what hes done.'

A neighbour (not pictured) said he helped take three other children from the home where the girl died into another property

A distraught man is pictured holding his head in his hands at the scene on Sunday night

Police reportedly responded to a report of a domestic at an address they had been called to last year after reports of gunshot sounds and yelling

A member of the forensic team places an evidence marker on the ground

A neighbour said he helped escort three other children from the home where the girl was shot.

'We saw there was chaos and we thought one of the neighbours was in trouble and we went out to help,' he told the paper.

'Our neighbour took all the children into her house... there were three of them, the oldest would have been around eight.

'Then the mum came into the house and it was chaotic and all of that. She was just rambling, she was hysterical.'

The distraught man who was seen sitting in a gutter at the scene is pictured being placed in a police van

Police are said to be investigating whether the girl's gunshot wound may have been self-inflicted.

Emergency services are believed to have arrived at the Danny Road home in response to a report of a domestic.

They had been called to the same address in September last year after reports of gunshot sounds and yelling, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

A crime scene was established and detectives spoke with the girl's family.

Police told Daily Mail Australia there was no one in custody over the death.
The latest scandal comes just days after Eton College dismissed deputy head, Mo Tanweer

Two more schools have been dragged into a cheating scandal amid allegations that students were leaked information about exam questions.

Winchester College suspended head of art history Laurence Wolff after it was alleged that he gave students tips on what would feature in two exam papers.

The school confirmed results from the exams sat by 13 students had since been nullified and based on coursework and previous grades, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Charterhouse School in Surrey has also been investigated by the exam board after it reported concerns that students were given advance warning about questions on the papers.

But exam board Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) said that there was no evidence of wrongdoing by Charterhouse or its students.

Tim Hands, headmaster at 30,000-a-year Winchester College, said the school had treated the matter very seriously.

No boy was to blame for the exam irregularity, and the Board used standard procedures to award final grades, he said.

One teacher was suspended and has now retired from the school, and all those boys holding university offers dependent on a grade in Art History have now had those offers confirmed by their first or second choice university.

A letter has been circulated to parents to inform them of the investigation and its findings.

The latest scandal comes just days after Eton College dismissed deputy head, Mo Tanweer, following allegations that he had shared confidential information about an upcoming economics paper.

Both Wolff, who is the son of scientist Professor Heinz Wolff, and Mr Tanweer were also working as examiners at the exam board.

Winchester College (pictured) suspended head of art history Laurence Wolff after it was alleged that he gave students tips on what would feature in two exam papers

Last night, there were calls for ministers to prevent the dual role with concerns it presented a clear conflict of interest.

The Department for Education said that the exam regulator Ofqual, was now involved in the investigation.

Parents and students must be able to have faith in the exam system. Any suggestion of malpractice is concerning and should be looked into, a spokesman said.

Cambridge International Examinations board are dealing with the incidents and have made the exam regulator Ofqual aware.

Tory MP and chairman of the Education select committee, Robert Halfon, described the development as worrying.

To have one example is bad enough but to have two in some one Britains top private schools is more worrying, he told The Telegraph.

Questions need to be asked about whether this is more widespread and whether there is a conflict of interest over this practice.

Charterhouse School in Surrey has also been investigated by the exam board after it reported concerns that students were given advance warning about questions on the papers

Last week it emerged that Eton pupils studying economics had seen an email that breached exam security.

The Winchester College incident is thought to have come to light after a female student at another independent school, Downe House, claimed to overhear Winchester students discussing the upcoming exam online.

There is no suggestion that any pupils or other members of staff at any of the schools are guilty of any wrongdoing.

A spokesperson for Cambridge International Examinations said: Protecting the integrity of our exams is our priority and we take very seriously our duties to ensure that all of our examinations are fair, and that all students receive an appropriate and valid grade.

We cant provide any detail about the investigation, as this would compromise the privacy and data of individuals, but we can assure you that our investigations are robust and thorough.

We sympathise with the students who have been affected through no fault of their own.

A spokesman for Charterhouse school told the newspaper: Charterhouse staff were made aware of concerns raised by pupils and referred the matter to Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) at the time.

We have been assured by CIE that our pupils have not been affected. All Charterhouse pupils who sat the CIE Pre-U Economics examinations were awarded their marks for the papers in the normal way.
Mexico has insisted it won't fund Trump's border wall in response to the president's tweets that claimed he would force the country to fund it.

While devastating flooding from Hurricane Harvey swept through Texas, Trump turned his attention a bit south of the Lone Star State on Sunday.

Trump accused Mexico of being 'very difficult' at the negotiating table over the North American Free Trade Agreement, and threatening anew to terminate the deal.

He added: 'With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.'

Mexico hit back in a fiery response, saying it would 'not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall' before offering support to Texans hurt by the hurricane.

President Trump declared that Mexico would pay for his promised border wall on Sunday. Mexican officials responded that it would 'not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall'

The lengthy statement (pictured) also snubbed Trump for using social media to discuss the NAFTA deal. Mexico offered support to Texas in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey

Trump maintained on Sunday morning that Mexico would pay for the wall in some form, adding that it was necessary due to the country's high crime rates.

A few hours later, Mexicos Foreign Ministry hit back at Trump's tweet in a lengthy statement that also snubbed the president's frequent use of social media.

The statement read: 'As the Mexican government has always stated, our country will not pay, under any circumstances for a wall or physical barrier built on US territory along the Mexican border.

'With regard to violence generated in Mexico by the illicit drugs, arms and money trafficking between our countries, the Mexican Government reiterates that it is a shared problem that will only end if its root causes are addressed: high demand for drugs in the United States and supply from Mexico.'

Trump wrote: 'With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other'

Trump also accused Mexico of being 'very difficult' at the negotiating table over the North American Free Trade Agreement, and threatening anew to terminate the deal on Sunday

The statement continued: 'Mexico will not negotiate NAFTA nor any other aspect of the bilateral relationship through social media or the media.'

Mexico ended the statement by offering support to Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey, adding: 'The government of Mexico takes this opportunity to express its full solidarity with the people and government of the United States for the damages caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

'We have offered the US government all the help and cooperation that can be provided by the different Mexican governmental agencies to deal with the impacts of this natural disaster, as good neighbors should always do in times of difficulty.'

Trump earlier in the day had accused Mexico and Canada of being 'very difficult' at the negotiating table over the North American Free Trade Agreement, and threatening anew to terminate the deal.

President Enrique Pena Nieto has repeatedly said Mexico would not fund Trump's border wall

'We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?' Trump tweeted Sunday morning.

The tweet echoed comments he made while campaigning in Phoenix last week, as he told the crowd he would 'end up probably terminating NAFTA 'at some point.'

The U.S., Mexico and Canada began formal negotiations earlier this month to rework the 23-year-old trade pact that Trump blames for hundreds of thousands of lost U.S. factory jobs.

The trade agreement was signed by former President Bill Clinton, the husband of Trump's political rival Hillary Clinton, who he beat in the November presidential election last year.
Pauline Hanson has angrily blasted a Greens senator for suggesting Australia has to take responsibility for foreign-born criminals who have grown up locally.

It comes as the government cracks down on foreign-born criminals, with more than 2,800 of them deported in just three years.

However, Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says they are Australia's responsibility, arguing that many New Zealand-born criminals had been in Australia since childhood.

Scroll down for video

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson says Australians are sick of paying for foreign criminals

Pauline Hanson (left) was angry with Sarah Hanson-Young's suggestion foreign-born criminals were Australia's responsibility

'Some of these people have been here pretty much all their life,' she told Sunrise on Monday.

'A lot of New Zealanders who have come here as young children, have grown up in this country, educated in this country, and if they're now committing crimes, in some respects Australia has to take some responsibility.'

Senator Hanson, who leads One Nation, said foreign-born criminals were a drain on taxpayers and needed to be deported.

'Hang on, hang on a minute. No, we dont have to take responsibility for this. Totally disagree,' she said.

'People need to take responsibility for their own actions and Im sick and tired of people being in this country who should not be here committing crimes, costing taxpayers thousands, if not millions of dollars.'

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young says Australia has a responsibility for foreign criminals

Rebels bikie gang leader Aaron 'AJ' Graham is appealing his deportation to New Zealand

Former Tasmanian Rebels bikie gang boss Aaron 'AJ' Graham, who hails from New Zealand, last year appealed to the High Court against Mr Dutton's decision to deport him from Australia, claiming it was 'unconstitutional' to do so.

The court has reserved its decision.

Almost half of the 2,847 foreign-born criminals expelled from Australia since 2014 are violent thugs - with 1,115 people deported for grievous bodily harm or violent crime, the Herald Sun reported.

The deportation list during the past three years also included 455 drug traffickers and dealers; 223 paedophiles and child pornography collectors; 114 rapists and sex offenders; 54 murderers; 21 convicted of manslaughter; 24 foreigners whose visas were cancelled on national security or organised crime grounds; and 841 white collar criminals.

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton says visitors just have to avoid rape, murder and robbery

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton is prepared for a fight with civil libertarians and lawyers.

'We aren't asking much  just that visitors to our country don't kill, rape or rob Australians during their stay,' he told News Corp Australia.

I have no doubt that by deporting convicted paedophiles we are saving children from being future victims. The same goes for rapists and drug dealers.'

The Australian Federal Police has worked with their state counterparts, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection to track down the foreign-born criminals.

Senator Hanson suggested the majority of Australians agreed with her on the need to deport foreign-born criminals who weren't Australian citizens.

'If they have a criminal offence, then they're being deported out of this country,' she said.

'And I, and I reckon the majority of Australians, will agree with me on this one because they're fed up with it.'
A customer has been left shocked by the response of a restaurant owner who launched a brutal attack on him after he left a one-star review on the establishment's Facebook page.

Gideon Marisa, a former MasterChef contestant, visited HeadQuarters Viaduct bar in on a Sunday afternoon with some friends and was unimpressed with the service.

When the restaurant's Facebook page popped up on his Facebook news feed while he was on holiday in Fiji a few weeks later, the food-enthusiast decided to post his review.

Gideon Marisa, a former MasterChef contestant, visited HeadQuarters Viaduct bar on a Sunday afternoon with some friends and was unimpressed with the service so left a review

Shortly after Mr Marisa received a direct message to his private inbox from owner Leo Molloy which was the start of an unpleasant exchange between the two

'It's a pity as the venue has potential but is let down tremendously by pure sloppiness,' he wrote under his Facebook name 'Gidz Khalifa' (pictured Gideon Marisa)

Mr Marisa rated the Auckland restaurant just one star out of five because of the 'terrible service' he experienced and claimed none of the staff 'knew what they were doing'.

'It's a pity as the venue has potential but is let down tremendously by pure sloppiness,' he wrote under his Facebook name 'Gidz Khalifa'.

Shortly after Mr Marisa received a direct message to his private inbox from owner Leo Molloy which was the start of an unpleasant exchange between the two.

Firstly, Mr Molloy asked for more details about the experience to which Mr Marisa replied as he is on holiday he would prefer to offer further insight at a later time.

Respectfully Mr Molloy said 'Roger that.' Hours later Mr Molloy followed up with another message, questioning whether Mr Marisa even visited the bar.

Mr Marisa then offered a full explanation of how he came to post the review while on holiday and outlined his issues

He went through each of the problems he experienced with staff, the seating and the drink

Mr Marisa was on holiday in Fiji when he was contacted by the restaurant owner

The response caused Mr Molloy to defend his establishment

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia Mr Molloy confirmed he had reached out to Mr Marisa following the poor review

He follows up his long message with: 'Try to find something you actually know something about or desist from your toxic drivel'

Mr Marisa responds by saying he tried to be diplomatic and will go to the media

'Gidz can you help me understand why no staff remember you or your bad day at HQ (we've circulated your photo),' he said in a lengthy statement which also questioned what Mr Marisa 'actually does for a living?'

Mr Marisa then offered a full a full explanation of how he came to post the review while on holiday and outlined his issues.

The response caused Mr Molloy to defend his establishment.

He follows up his long message with: 'Try to find something you actually know something about or desist from your toxic drivel.'

Mr Marisa argues he tried to be diplomatic but said: 'If this is actually the way you deal with a bad review I'm left with an odd taste in my mouth.'

Mr Molloy continued to message Mr Marisa despite being told he don't not want to continue in conversation

Mr Marisa sends the bar owner a video of the tropical surroundings in Fiji but is met with an angry response

Mr Molloy went on to send the former MasterChef contestant a steady stream of messages after he had been contacted by media

He then says he has a record of the conversation to be passed on to a New Zealand media outlet. Mr Marisa instead contacted Daily Mail Australia.

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia Mr Molloy confirmed he had reached out to Mr Marisa following the poor review.

'He made a lot of comments that had no basis or facts, clearly there were holes in his story.' Mr Molloy said Mr Marisa had been unable to identify when he actually came in.

He said he did an internet search for the complainants name 'to find out if he was a credible food critic or not' and claims Mr Marisa has between 10 - 20 other reviews for different restaurants, including a Subway.

He acknowledged staff had been made of aware of an issue with which menu he could order from.

Mr Molloy told DMA he did an internet search for the complainants name 'to find out if he was a credible food critic or not'
Paris Jackson has denounced neo-Nazis and white supremacists in a fiery speech at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The 19-year old daughter of Michael Jackson spoke as she she presented the award for Best Pop Video at the glitzy ceremony in Inglewood, California on Sunday night.

'Let's leave here tonight knowing that we must show these Nazi, white-supremacist jerks in Charlottesville and all over the country that as a nation with liberty as our slogan we have zero tolerance for their violence, their hatred and their discrimination,' Jackson said, referencing violent clashes in Virginia earlier this month.

'We must resist,' she continued.

Paris Jackson has denounced neo-Nazis and white supremacists as she she presented the award for Best Pop Video at the glitzy ceremony in Inglewood, California on Sunday night

'You know, if we were all to put our voices together, do you know the difference we could make? If we were to stand up all united as one, our impact it would be "yuge." It would be "yuge." Believe me, "yuge." And thats not fake news,' Jackson said, mocking some of President Donald Trump's well-known verbal tics.

She went on to name girl group Fifth Harmony as winners in the category.

Jackson is just the latest celebrity to denounce white supremacy following violent clashes between antifa and white nationalists at an August 12 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that left one woman, Heather Heyer, dead.

Heyer's mother Susan Bro was in attendance at the awards show, where she was scheduled to present the Best Fight Against the System award, a new category that was added in recognition of 'the audience's passion and activism surrounding environmental justice, immigration, LGBTQ equality, and racial justice.'

Jackson flaunted her trim figure in a see-through dress over a matching Christian Dior bra and tiny shorts combination

'Since my daughter Heather Heyer's death two weeks ago I have committed myself to making her death count,' Bro said in a statement.

'That is why I am launching the Heather Heyer Foundation. I can think of no better platform to promote this foundation to the world than at the MTV's Video Music Awards,' the statement said.

Before the show began, Bro was seen on the red carpet arriving at the festivities alongside country singer Billy Ray Cyrus.
A five-year-old girl suffered a horror injury after her eyelid became impaled on a wire sticking out of a pram.

The girl was walking with her parents along a rock pool at The Strand, in Townsville, about 7.50pm on Sunday when the protruding wire became stuck on her eyelid.

A crew from the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services was called to try and stop any permanent damage being done to the girl's eyeball.

A five-year-old girl suffered a horror injury after her eyelid became impaled on a wire sticking out of a pram (stock image)

The girl was walking with her parents along a rock pool at The Strand (pictured), in Townsville, about 7.50pm on Sunday when the protruding wire became stuck on her eyelid

The crew opted to cut the wire from the pram so the young girl could be taken to hospital in an ambulance with her family.

'The wire was embedded in the lower eyelid of the child which was attached to the pram,' a Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said.

'There was no injury to the eyeball and the child was transported to Townsville Hospital.'

The spokeswoman said it was unusual for paramedics to remove objects attached to patients at the scene of an incident.

A spokeswoman for Townsville Hospital told Daily Mail Australia the girl had since been discharged from hospital. There was no injury to her eyeball.
A Houston TV station was forced to evacuate when its building's first floor was flooded during its live news coverage of Hurricane Harvey.

News anchors were at their desks when water began to seep into the building, forcing them to a second level before the staff fled the building entirely on Sunday.

From the field, one reporter carried on with the hurricane coverage for 30 minutes, with the journalist saving the life of a man who was trapped in his truck.

The station is still abandoned as KHOU continues its broadcast coverage from a makeshift studio in a bank and with the help of another station in Dallas.

Scroll down for video

Houston TV news station KHOU was forced to evacuate on Sunday as its building's first floor became submerged due to flooding during its live news coverage of Hurricane Harvey

UPDATE: Water has risen a foot in 15 min. I'm one of the last in the building. God help us. @FoxNews @CNN @weatherchannel @GaughanSurfing pic.twitter.com/ZyGQlrprDh  Blake Mathews (@KHOUBlake11) August 27, 2017

The Houston station began flooding on Sunday morning, with the managing editor Bill Bishop, arriving to find the floor soaked, reported the Washington Post.

The team moved its operations to a second floor in order to carry on with the day's news, but by 10.30am water was rushing through the door, flooding the first level.

Videos and photos posted to social media by employees show how the station was soaked, with water rising a foot within 15 minutes, one staffer claimed.

The station last flooded during Tropical Storm Allison in 2001, according to KHOU.

While the rest of her coworkers were evacuated, Brandi Smith was the sole anchor left to carry on with the newscast for about 30 minutes.

Anchors were at their desks when water seeped into the building, forcing them to a second level before the staff fled the building entirely, with water rising a foot within 15 minutes

The station is still abandoned as KHOU continues its broadcast coverage from a makeshift studio in a bank and with the help of another station in Dallas

Water coming into studio at #KHOU11... We are moving upstairs. pic.twitter.com/MMEljNatw7  Doug Delony (@DougDelonyKHOU) August 27, 2017

She transmitted coverage from the side of a highway near Beltway 8 and Hardy Toll Road on the north side of Houston.

It was during this time, while her station was underwater, that Smith saved the life of a man.

Smith spotted a tractor-trailer up to its windshield in the still-rising murky brown waters with the driver still stuck inside.

Running into the road, she flagged down a Harris County Sheriffs Office truck that was towing a boat past.

'Are you guys going down to the truck that's right here?' she asked. They weren't - until she said that.

Hero: Brandi Smith (left) turned from KHOU 11 news anchor to on-scene hero when she saved a trapped driver. She was reporting from the Houston beltway when she spotted the truck (right)

In danger: The driver (pictured later, after cops reached him) was up to his shoulders in flood water - and it was still rising. His possessions could be seen floating around him

'There's a truck here that's stuck in about 10 feet of water,' she explained, guiding them to the edge of the bridge.

There, the stricken vehicle could be seen, stopped on a downward ramp heading towards a near-totally-submerged bridge.

The cop saw the man, then said, ruefully: 'This is the same location we had an 18-wheeler go under the bridge, and he died last year. Same place, except it was on the other side of the freeway.'

And so, as the police began guiding the life-saving craft down the freeway's exit ramp - now a boat ramp into the murky water - Smith shouted out at the driver not to panic.

The man - who was already up to his elbows in water, with a book and other objects floating around, shouted the affirmative.
Dallas is prepping a convention center to become a makeshift 'mega-shelter' for 5,000 evacuees who were forced from their homes because of Hurricane Harvey.

As the violent storm walloped the Texas coast, thousands of people fled the region due to the 130mph winds and the 'life-threatening' flooding over the weekend.

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, revealed Sunday it would take the area years to recover from the storm, which is the worst this decade.

To help stranded Texans, Dallas is using the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as a 'mega-shelter' to hold 5,000 evacuees by Tuesday morning.

Dallas is prepping a 'mega-shelter' that can host up to 5,000 evacuees from Hurricane Harvey, the city said Sunday. The shelter should be open by Tuesday morning. Pictured: Evacuees at a shelter in Austin, Texas on Sunday

Dallas will host the evacuees at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center's (pictured) air-conditioned parking garage. This will be the fourth shelter Dallas has opened up

Rocky Vaz, director of the Office of Emergency Management, said he hopes the center will be up and running for the flush of evacuees heading north.

He said in a statement: 'We have been talking to the state, and they have cautioned us that things are getting worse and that we should be prepared.'

They will be housed in the convention center's air-conditioned parking garage, which will not disrupt the planned events taking place at the center.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center will be Dallas' fourth shelter to open.

Tommie Allen and Walnut Hill centers opened earlier in the week and the Samuell Grand Recreation Center opened on Sunday afternoon.

Tommie Allen has 123 evacuees currently and Samuell Grand has space for 200 people.

Walnut Hill was already at capacity with 290 people as of Sunday night, reported the Dallas Morning News.

There isn't an official count of the number of people who evacuated for Hurricane Harvey, but it's estimated to be tens of thousands. Pictured: A family evacuating their home in Houston

FREE PLACES TO STAY FOR HURRICANE HARVEY EVACUEES Some spots in Texas and Louisiana are offering free or discounted places for Hurricane Harvey evacuees to stay. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott opened state parks to hurricane evacuees for free. Several parks on the coast and in South Texas have been closed for the hurricane, but the Texas Parks and Wildlife department posted a map of available camping sites away from the path of the hurricane to its website. There are 12 campgrounds and RV parks with space for Hurricane Harvey evacuees as well and urged people to check www.texascampgrounds.com and www.texascabinrentals.com. Airbnb said it started connecting evacuees and relief workers with short-term lodging with hosts for free. Advertisement

The American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Dallas County and other organizations are working together to have the center up and running in time.

Ahead of the storm, residents were told to head north to cities such as San Antonio, which is a federally and state-designated evacuation center.

Texas state parks are open to hurricane evacuees to camp for free and 12 campgrounds and RV parks were made available for Hurricane Harvey evacuees.

Some have even headed east to evacuation centers in Louisiana.

All seven counties on the Texas coast from Corpus Christi to the western end of Galveston Island were under mandatory evacuations from low-lying areas.

Four counties ordered full evacuations and warned there was no guarantee of rescue for those choosing to stay behind.

Houston has been one of the cities hit hardest by the catastrophic flooding but its mayor Sylvester Turner had told residents they didn't need to evacuate.

As of Sunday, when at least 1,200 people had to be rescued from the floods, Turner stood by his decision.

The official count of evacuations isn't known, but it's estimated to be tens of thousands of people.
Shoeys for the groomsmen and a Bunnings sausage sizzle for the reception - a newlywed couple may have just lived out the most Australian wedding of all time.

Jordan and Chantelle Wilson tied the knot on Saturday on Sydney's northern beaches, before producing some truly unique wedding photos.

The new husband made his friends all perform a shoey on a wharf in Newport before moving the party up the road to the Belrose Bunnings for a wedding feast they will never forget.

'I told my wife for months this is all I wanted. I wouldn't say it was planned, she didn't have a choice,' Jordan told Daily Mail Australia.

Jordan and Chantelle Wilson tied the knot on Saturday in Newport on Sydney's northern beaches, before producing some truly unique wedding photos

The new husband made his friends all perform a shoey on a wharf in Newport before moving the party up the road to the Belrose Bunnings for a wedding feast they will never forget

'I told my wife for months this is all I wanted. I wouldn't say it was planned, she didn't have a choice,' Jordan told Daily Mail Australia

Following their wedding at the Metro Mirage hotel, Jordan quickly rounded up the guests and drove straight to the hardware store

Following their wedding at the Metro Mirage hotel, Jordan quickly rounded up the guests and drove straight to the hardware store.

'We got there and went straight to the snags. No side salad, just straight to the Bunnings stand,' Jordan said.

'We did not even walk inside, but they were all happy to see us, all having a laugh. A staff member came out to take photos with us and the Mrs got her face painted.'

Jordan told Daily Mail Australia there was no need to convince Chantelle of the idea.

'She was all about it,' he said.

'They asked if she wanted onions and she said I do. It was the best. And they say Australians aren't cultured!'

'We got there and went straight to the snags. No side salad, just straight to the Bunnings stand,' Jordan said

Jordan told Daily Mail Australia there was no need to convince Chantelle of the idea. 'She was all about it. They asked if she wanted onions and she said I do. It was the best'

'We did not even walk inside, but they were all happy to see us, all having a laugh. A staff member came out to take photos with us and the Mrs got her face painted'

After throwing down a few sangers and washing them down with a couple of cans of coke, another Bunnings staff member emerged - this time bearing a gift.

'Out of nowhere some long haired dude came from inside and gave a present from inside, a carpet cleaner,' Jordan told Daily Mail Australia.

'We couldn't believe it, we needed one, my Mrs was about to hire one!'

Jordan even revealed he used to work at the same exact sausage sizzle stand.

'I actually worked at that Bunnings sausage sizzle a few years back. My friend's dad was involved in the local rotary club so one weekend I gave them a hand at the snag stand.

'Out of nowhere some long haired dude came from inside and gave a present from inside, a carpet cleaner. We couldn't believe it, we needed one, my Mrs was about to hire one!'

Jordan hopes the idea takes off now and other newlyweds follow their lead. 'It's the backbone of the Australian culture, the Bunnings snag'

Jordan hopes the idea takes off now and other newlyweds follow their lead.

'It's the backbone of the Australian culture, the Bunnings snag.'

He said after fulfilling his Bunnings wedding dream, all he wants to do now is share a snag with his hero, Karl Stefanovic.

'But if not him, I'll settle for Oprah.'

Bunnings told Daily Mail Australia they were glad the Wilsons enjoyed their wedding experience.

'We are always happy to hear stories of people enjoying the Bunnings sausage sizzle. We wish the newlyweds all the best.'
Members of the 'Cajun Navy' have set out from Louisiana with their private boats to help the rescue efforts in Texas after Hurricane Harvey flooded parts of the state.

The 'Cajun Navy' is a volunteer group of hundreds of boat owners who came together to help out their community during the Louisiana flood in the summer of 2016.

On Sunday, the Houston Police Department made a call for volunteers on Twitter asking people with boats to call a number and help the department out.

Members of the 'Cajun Navy', a volunteer group from Louisiana, have set out with their private boats to help the rescue efforts in flooded areas of Texas as thousands of residents ask for help in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Pictured: Residents being helped in Houston

The 'Cajun Navy' is a volunteer group of hundreds of boat owners who came together to help out their community during the Louisiana flood in the summer of 2016

By then, Twitter user @MaeMae posted a picture of a caravan of trucks with boats on their trailer hitches on Sunday, saying: '#Houston Hang on. The CAJUN NAVY is already activated and on the way'.

Jon Bridgers Sr, an organizer for the Cajun Navy 2016 Facebook page, had said the group was planning 'a large push'.

'It's just something we have to play by ear a bit and see how the weather cooperates,' he told WAFB.

Though Bridgers himself tried to make it to Houston, the roads were impassable about 40 miles outside the city.

Other members of the 'Cajun Navy' continued into the city, but Bridgers himself decided to stay in Louisiana to answer calls and manage the Facebook page, which 'is crazy right now with messages' from Texans asking for help, he said.

People use a boat to evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Houston on Sunday

Keith Corder helps evacuate Dickinson, Texas, residents on his boat Sunday. Dickinson is just more than 30 miles south of Houston

Since Thursday some parts of Houston have already received 25 inches of rain and some suburbs have gotten 27 inches.

The National Weather Service issued a forecast saying the city could get as much as 50 inches, which would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.

'The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before,' the National Weather Service said in a statement.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a press conference Sunday that authorities have received more than 2,000 calls for help with more coming in.

Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. And several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.

Kyle Johnston, left, and Toby Phillips help Cindy Miller into a boat in Dickinson Sunday

Neighbors are using their personal boats to rescue flooded Friendswood, Texas, residents Sunday. Friendswood is more than 20 miles south of Houston

A post from 'Cajun Navy' volunteer Gary Davis on a Hurricane Harvey Facebook page called for addresses and phone numbers of people who need to be rescued in Dickinson, Texas.

'This is what we need from YOU ALL. We are here to search and rescue. We are a well oiled machine but we need your help also. What we are looking for is addresses and CONTACT numbers of people who need to be rescued.

'We have multiple boats enroute. We try to avoid going on blind missions so point of contacts and names are a must if you can. Please be patient with us we are here for you all. GOD BLESS TEXAS. We got your backs.'

Bridgers told WAFB that the images and messages coming from the affected areas of Texas bring back memories from flooding in Louisiana last summer.

'Don't give up hope. We're coming as quick as we can,' he said.
The shocking moment a train slammed into a big rig truck that had stalled on the tracks has been caught on video.

Fortunately, nobody was injured in the crash, which occurred on Friday night in College Station, Texas, when a Union Pacific train struck the stationary big rig.

Police were already on the scene, and the driver was out of the truck when it stalled.

A truck is seen stalled on railroad tracks in College Station, Texas on Friday

The driver was out of the stalled truck when the train slammed into it

But there was apparently not enough time to alert rail officials to the hazard before the train came upon the truck in the dark.

The truck appeared to be carrying an empty car hauler.

The train stuck the empty truck and dragged it for some distance before coming to a stop.

Federal data shows Texas saw 80 incidents involving rail crossings of roads in the first five months of 2017.

The state had 33 non-fatal injuries and two fatalities from rail-highway crossing incidents in that time period.
Experts said the aftermath of the catastrophic hurricane could equal the level of destruction Katrina in 2005

Galveston County alone has already rescued up to 1,200 people as of Sunday evening, officials said

Due to the overwhelming number of 911 calls, people are using social media to beg for their rescues

The mayor of Houston, who didn't tell people to evacuate, said the city had more than 6,000 calls for help

The rising waters has caused the nation's fourth largest city's citizens to flee their homes for higher ground

The storm dumped 11 trillion gallons of water on Texas, causing a chunk of Houston to go underwater

Advertisement

Thousands of people are trapped on their rooftops in flooded Houston and are desperately pleading for help after Hurricane Harvey left much of America's fourth largest city underwater.

Many residents have turned to social media with heart-breaking pleas for help as the Houston police department asked any civilians with boats to join them and assist with the more than 6,000 calls for rescues.

The storm has already dumped a historic 11 trillion gallons of water on Texas - with another 27 inches of rain falling so far and another 23 inches expected to come within the next few days.

Experts said the aftermath of the catastrophic hurricane could equal the level of destruction of Katrina in 2005.

The storm has claimed the lives at least five people and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, revealed it would take the area years to recover from the storm which is the worst this decade.

Scroll down for video

Thousands of people are trapped on their rooftops in flooded Houston and are desperately pleading for help after Hurricane Harvey left much of America's fourth largest city underwater

Residents have turned to social media with pleas for help as the Houston police department asked any civilians with boats to join them and assist with the more than 6,000 calls for rescues. Pictured: People in Dickinson, outside of Houston, on Sunday

A woman in Houston pleaded for someone to rescue her friend and the woman's five children (pictured). She wrote: 'Anybody please my friend is losing faith she feels like they running out of time'

The family escaped to their roof due to water filling up their home (pictured). They reportedly waited for some time before they were eventually rescued

A family evacuates their Meyerland home in Houston. Rescuers answered hundreds of calls for help Sunday as floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey rose high enough to begin filling second-story homes

The main street is covered by flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas on Sunday

Survivors cower from the rain under their jackets and life jackets after being rescued on a boat on Sunday in Houston

Experts said the aftermath of the catastrophic hurricane could equal the level of destruction of Katrina in 2005

Evacuees wade down a flooded section of Interstate 610 as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise in Houston Sunday

Desperate people have turned to social media to ask for help as city officials have been bombarded with pleas for help and can't reach everyone

Members of the 'Cajun Navy' have set out from Louisiana with their private boats to help the rescue efforts in Texas after Hurricane Harvey flooded parts of the state (pictured)

The 'Cajun Navy' is a volunteer group of hundreds of boat owners who came together to help out their community during the Louisiana flood in the summer of 2016. They have been posting photos of their successful rescues on Facebook (pictured)

Since Thursday, some parts of Houston have already received 25 inches of rain and some suburbs have gotten 27 inches

Flooded downtown is seen from a high rise along Buffalo Bayou after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast with rain causing widespread flooding in Houston

Galveston County alone estimates that up to 1,200 people had to be rescued from the 'life-threatening' waters on Sunday, as more trapped residents fled to rooftops trying to wave down emergency responders to be saved.

Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, was told by its mayor not to evacuate and thousands were forced to seek higher ground due to the rising waters.

Members of the 'Cajun Navy' have set out from Louisiana with their private boats to help the rescue efforts in Texas after Hurricane Harvey flooded parts of the state.

The 'Cajun Navy' is a volunteer group of hundreds of boat owners who came together to help out their community during the Louisiana flood in the summer of 2016.

On Sunday, the Houston Police Department made a call for volunteers on Twitter asking people with boats to call a number and help the department out.

People frantically used Facebook to post photos of their dire situations and shared their location in hopes that they would be saved. One woman posted on behalf of her friend with five children who were stranded on a roof.

The friend wrote: 'Anybody please my friend is losing faith she feels like they running out of time'.

Since Thursday some parts of Houston have already received 25 inches of rain and some suburbs have gotten 27 inches.

Fifteen residents of La Vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson, Texas, had to be evacuated by helicopter on Sunday because the facility was flooded with waist-deep water. They were rescued after this picture went viral

Children sleep on a counter to avoid the rising water. One of them is said to be on a ventilator (left). A desperate friend said that these girls were stranded on a bridge as the waters rose (right)

Many of those turning to volunteers for rescue were elderly, sick, or children. Houston receive more than 6,000 calls for help

Residents in Houston abandoned their cars after becoming stuck in flood waters on Telephone Road on Sunday afternoon

Houston Police SWAT officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son Aiden to safety after rescuing them from their home

Kyle Johnston, left, and Toby Phillips help Cindy Miller into a boat in Dickinson, as they help evacuate residents trapped in their homes by floodwaters from Harvey

Neighbors are using their personal boats to rescue flooded Friendswood residents. Officials have asked civilians with boats to aid in the rescue mission

Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls, left, helps Mumtaz Kara and her husband, Tarmohamed Kara, far right, from rising waters from Harvey, in the Orchard Lakes subdivision in unincorporated Fort Bend County

The Cajun Navy indicated that they had rescued this elderly bedridden woman (left) while others claimed they couldn't reach emergency responders, turning to social media as a last resort (right)

Jesus Rodriguez rescues Gloria Garcia after rain from Hurricane Harvey flooded Pearland, in the outskirts of Houston

Residents from the Meyerland area walk onto an I-610 overpass for further help during the aftermath of the storm

Two people walk down a flooded section of Interstate 610 in floodwaters on Sunday in Houston, Texas

Thousands of people are trapped on their rooftops in flooded Houston and are desperately pleading for help after Hurricane Harvey left much of America's fourth largest city underwater

Interstate highway 45 is submerged from the effects of Hurricane Harvey seen during widespread flooding in Houston

Houston's tall sky scrapers were among the only buildings that were safe from the devastating flooding on Sunday

The National Weather Service issued a forecast saying the city could get as much as 50 inches, which would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas, adding: 'The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before.'

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said that as of 5pm on Sunday, Houston police and fire departments had received nearly 6,000 calls for rescues and had rescued more than 1,000 people.

Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. And several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.

The destructive path of the hurricane began to take shape on Sunday, with a striking collection of aerial photographs laying bare its damage for the first time.

Highways lay submerged in water where abandoned cars bobbed alongside rescue boats taking residents to safety after 130mph winds and unprecedented floods swept through the southeast pocket of the state on Friday and Saturday.

Harvey has been downgraded from a Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm but its threat is still imminent. Authorities are now fearing its second deadly phase - the floods.

Highways lay submerged in water where abandoned cars bobbed alongside rescue boats taking residents to safety after 130mph winds and unprecedented floods swept through the southeast pocket of the state on Friday and Saturday

Harvey made landfall in the south coast of Texas as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 130mph. Pictured: People being rescued in Houston, the nation's fourth largest city

Texas National Guard soldiers help citizens in heavily flooded areas from the storms of Hurricane Harvey in Houston. The areas in and around Houston and south Texas are experiencing record floods after more than 24 inches of rain

Tyler Kassager helps to move a boat after being picked up in Dickinson on Sunday. Kassager, his wife, three children and two dogs had to evacuate their home after floodwaters from remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey inundated the area

People walk among stalled cars in a Houston neighborhood that was flooded by Harvey on Sunday

Residents use a truck to navigate through flood waters from Harvey in Houston on Sunday

The National Weather Service said: 'The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before. Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days.' Pictured: Rescued people in Houston

Thousands of people evacuated after floods swamped parts of the region, leading Dallas to announce it aims to open a 'mega-shelter' for 5,000 evacuees by Tuesday morning.

There have been five confirmed deaths due to the storm - one was a woman who died Saturday evening after getting out of her car when it drove into a flooded street in Houston.

The Houston Fire Department said a man died in floodwaters overnight Saturday into Sunday. Two people reportedly died in Galveston on County Sunday. There was another death but the location was not made clear.

Mayor Turner said 22 aircrafts were working to help identify people stranded on roofs in Houston. Sixteen of those aircrafts are from U.S. Coast Guard.

In addition, 35 boats and 93 dump trucks were being used by the city for high water rescues.

The mayor also defended his decision not to order an evacuation.

'The decision that we made was a smart one. It was in the best interest of Houstonians. It was the right decision in terms of their safety... absolutely no regrets. We did what was the right thing to do,' Turner said.

Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott had trouble reaching Turner  despite repeated attempts  on Sunday.

Abbott said he'd called Tuner's cell phone 'several times' to 'let him know that, whatever he needs, the state of Texas will provide.' Abbott said he'd yet to hear back.

The governor and mayor clashed before Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday, with Abbott suggesting people in Houston might want to evacuate but Turner saying fleeing unnecessarily would clog highways for those leaving other communities facing bigger threats.

However, despite the massive 'unprecedented' flooding, Turner argued that he stands by his decision not to evacuate, saying that it would have led to a worse outcome.

Turner added in a press conference: 'If you think the situation right now is bad, you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare. Especially when it's not planned,'

'If you do it or attempt to do it and it's not coordinated, not done right, you are literally putting people in harm's way, and you're creating a far worse situation,' Turner said.

A woman is helped out of a Houston Police dive team boat after being rescued from the Meyerland area during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Sunday

A group of young men removed their shirts to push a truck through the flood water in Houston on Sunday

An abandoned Hummer sinks in floodwater on another section of the busy Interstate 610 in Houston on Sunday

An eighteen wheel tractor trailer is stranded on Interstate Highway 45 which is submerged from the effects of Harvey

In residential areas of Houston, 4x4s floated in the flood water as yet more rain pounded the city

A woman carries belongings from an apartment under water on Houston Avenue near Woodland Park after heavy rain from Hurricane Harvey fell overnight on Sunday

Wilford Martinez (bottom) grabs a median as he is rescued from his flooded car in Houston on Sunday. More than 1,000 rescues were made over Saturday and Sunday

As the region braced itself for more devastation in the coming days, the president was upbeat in his analysis of the increasingly dire situation saying the 'good news' was there was 'talent on the ground' and congratulated 'all levels of government' for its strong response to the disaster. Pictured: Aerial image of Rockport

The coastal city was hit hard by the Category 4 hurricane that slammed into land with wind speeds of 130mph

As the region braced itself for more devastation in the coming days, the president was upbeat in his analysis of the increasingly dire situation.

Tweeting from Camp David where he is spending the weekend with his family, President Trump said the 'good news' was there was 'talent on the ground' and congratulated 'all levels of government' for its strong response to the disaster.

The president plans to visit Texas on Tuesday, the White House revealed on Sunday.

'The President will travel to Texas on Tuesday. We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know.

'We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers,' a statement read.

Trump tweeted: 'Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government. Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued.'

Trump continued: 'Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground.

President Trump congratulated the orchestrated response of emergency workers and 'all levels of government' to the hurricane on Sunday

'I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety.'

In the same flurry, he announced he would soon be returning to Missouri for a visit, taking the opportunity to remind followers that he won the state in the 2016 election.

'I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in '16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts. Republican will win S!' he wrote.

Around an hour later, he returned to his account to marvel at the size of the storm.

'Wow - Now experts are calling Harvey a once in 500 year flood! We have an all out effort going, and going well!'

He then complained about Mexico being 'one of the highest crime Nations in the world', pleaded again for 'The Wall' and then threatened to scrap the US's trade deal with the country and Canada.

'We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?' he said.

Later, Trump, who spent the weekend at Camp David with this family, participated in a teleconference call with Cabinet Officials to discuss the matter further.

'President Trump continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives,' a White House statement said.

'He reminded everyone that search and rescue efforts will transition to mass care, restoring power, providing life-sustaining necessities for the population that sheltered in place, and economic recovery.

'Last, he urged survivors impacted by the storm to continue to heed the instructions of their State and local officials.'

A graveyard is seen as it floods during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Pearland, Texas

A knocked over soda machine lies in front of a damaged car and ravaged main street in Port Aransas, one of the worst hit areas

Sterling Broughton was rescued from her home in Dickenson, Texas, in a kayak, and was taken to safety

An elderly woman is rescued by Precinct 6 Deputy Constables Sgt. Paul Fernandez, Sgt. Michael Tran and Sgt. Radha Patel near Brays Bayou

Mikhail Bachynsky hugs her dog Lily after being rescued from their home in Friendswood. Neighbors used their own boats to transport people out of the area

Valerie Cross and her dog Boudreaux survived the storm. They are seen walking down a street strewn with toppled palm trees in Rockport on Sunday

A preacher wades in to the water in Houston to check for trapped motorists inside submerged cars

Interstate highway 45 is submerged from the effects of Hurricane Harvey seen during widespread flooding in Houston, Texas

Men wearing trash bags wade through the waist-deep water in Houston on Sunday

The same two men were later seen dragging suitcases from cars as flood water rose around them in Galveston

A man walks down the center of Interstate 225 after abandoning his car as flood waters rose on the street on Sunday

Residents walk through high waters, the remnants of Hurricane Harvey, on Watonga Boulevard, Sunday, in Houston

A National Guard rescues two puppies from flood water (left) while a man approaches a car as he clutches an umbrella in Houston on Sunday morning (right).

An abandoned car is submerged on water on the Interstate 610 on Sunday as flood waters covered the region

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to begin releasing water into Buffalo Bayou from two flood-control dams on the western outskirts of the city on Monday morning.

Col. Lars Zetterstrom said this was being done very slowly to prevent uncontrollable flooding of downtown Houston and the Houston Ship Channel.

Downtown Houston is 17 miles downstream from the dams, which were built during the 1940s in response to a 1935 flood that inundated much of downtown area.

Zetterstrom says the water contained by the dams is 'unparalleled in the dams' history.' The waters are rising about 4 inches per hour.

Zetterstrom says the dams will impound water for one to three months as water is gradually released. He adds that some neighborhoods on the fringes of the reservoir are likely to see some floods.

Meanwhile, Galveston County officials said they have made up to 1,200 rescues due to the storm.

The area hardest-hit by floods has been Dickinson, a low-lying city of about 20,000 residents along Dickinson Bayou, where crews had to lead to safety 19 residents and five staff members from an assisted-living center flooded with waist-deep water.

Around 90 percent of the county's rescue calls have come from Dickinson, according to officials. An appeal had been made through social media for assistance by private boat owners and their vessels, and 25 to 35 owners responded.

Officials are appealing for volunteers to help staff rescue shelters and see to the needs of the 2,000 to 10,000 people that have sheltered in them.

Grocery stores placed limits on the number of water bottles customers could buy. There were none left int his store in Austin on Sunday

A boat sits half sunk in a harbor in Port Aransas on Sunday where some of the worst damage was seen

A boat sits on a dock after Hurricane Harvey passed through Port Aransas, Texas on Sunday

Hector Castillo helps his wife Gloria escape floodwaters on Interstate 225 as waters rise on Sunday morning

Despite warnings from local authorities, a number of drivers still took to the roads in Houston. Many were diverted at the Hardy Toll Road (above)

Residents in Houston awoke to rising flood water on Sunday. Emergency services were inundated with requests for help and warned that they had reached 'capacity' by early morning

Texan Emanuel Ramirez holds his belongings above water as he swims to safety after becoming trapped in Houston (left). Two other residents in a less flooded area were seen wading along the road (right)

Houston residents Vincente Navas and Alma Barrientos stand outside their home in Cottage Grove where the water was knee deep

Two men push their broken down truck through flood water as law enforcement officers watch on

Local authorities painted a dire picture on Sunday, warning residents not to call for help unless they were immediately in danger because 911 services were overwhelmed

Maritza Willis tweeted for help on Saturday night when her 911 call went unanswered

911 operators were 'at capacity' on Sunday morning and had to choose between pleas for help. Frantic stranded residents turned to social media after having their calls go unanswered and some were rescued from the roofs of their homes where they waved sheets and towels for help.

In Texas, local politicians, police and weather experts in painted a dire picture of the devastation Harvey has brought.

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, are warning that it will take years to recover from the hurricane.

'FEMA is going to be there for years, sir. This disaster recovery  this disaster is going to be a landmark event,' administrator Brock Long said, adding: 'This disaster's going to be a landmark event.'

CBS Science Contributor Michio Kaku said on Sunday: 'If it lingers over the land it could cause massive flooding.

'Then, watch out, if it goes back into the Gulf it could get re-energized and create a second, even a third landfall.

HARVEY AT A GLANCE At least five people reported dead Dozens more injured More than 1,000 rescued overnight 6,000 calls for rescue placed in Houston alone 911 operators 'at capacity' in Houston 50 inches of rain expected 130mph winds Flash flood and tornado warnings in place over parts of the state 'Unprecedented' flooding Major airports closed Apartment complexes evacuated Advertisement

'So the agony has just begun with this hurricane of the decade.'

911 operators in Houston were quickly overwhelmed by the volume of calls for help and had to start choosing between pleas from stranded residents.

One woman turned to social media after having her call for help go unanswered.

'I have 2 children with me and the water is swallowing us up. Please sent help. 911 is not responding!!!' wrote Maritza Willis. She was rescued soon afterwards.

Charles Bujan, the mayor of Port Aransas, said his town had been entirely wiped out by the hurricane.

'To be honest with you, I'm sick to my stomach,' he told The San Antonio Express on Saturday, describing painstakingly how one trailer park in the town had been entirely washed away.

'It's a 100 percent loss,' he said of the Port Aransas' Pioneer Trailer Park.

Huge swathes of Port Aransas are still inaccessible because of the damage. It makes it difficult for authorities to properly assess the extent of the devastation, but Bujan said he feared the worst.

'I can tell you I have a very bad feeling and that's about it,' he said.

Cell phone service was entirely scrambled in Rockport, a coastal town thought to have been among the worst hit.

Residents were left in no doubt of the danger they faced by staying - the town's mayor ominously told them to mark their arms with Sharpie pens in order for search and rescue teams to be able to later identify their corpses.

Andrew White helps his neighbor escape with her dog after rescuing them from their home in his boat in River Oaks

Volunteers and police men rescue dogs from their homes in boats and take them to safety in River Oaks

Bentley, a 10-year-old Maltese, dries off in a towel at a shelter in Rockport after being rescued with his owner

Ruby Young and her husband Claude were rescued from their home and taken to a pickup point in Edgebrook. He suffers medical issues relating to a stroke in May

Jacque McKay shields her dog from the wind as she walks through an apartment complex in Rockport, Texas

A military truck plows through water in Houston on Sunday with a dog watching from the window for anyone in distress

People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vechile

People wait to be evacuated from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas on Sunday

A toppled boat lays on it's side almost completely underwater after Hurricane Harvey hit a harbor in Port Lavaca

Mike Bush, 56, ties a loose boat up at the harbor in Port Lavaca where other many small yachts and sail boats bobbed and swayed uncontrollably in the flood water

Rain continued to hammer the area on Sunday, bringing no respite after a weekend or treacherous conditions

Boats are washed up on shore at the Bayfront Pavilion Park after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Lavaca, Texas

Some defiant residents who stayed behind in Corpus Christi, another coastal town, have not been heard from since the Category 4 hurricane made landfall on Saturday.

While the hurricane itself is over, flooding is bringing fresh concern to emergency services, particularly in Houston where more than 1,000 people have already been rescued from the rising waters.

'There is life-threatening, catastrophic flooding happening now in Southeast Harris County,' Jeff Lindner of the Harris County Flood Control District told The Weather Channel on Sunday.

Louisiana is bracing for rain, with the storm due to travel towards it as it tails off in Texas. No weather warnings are currently in effect for Louisiana.

A flooded park in Houston on Sunday where flood water is rising at a frightening rate

A path was underwater in Houston on Sunday and streets entirely flooded after yet more downpours

Glen Cove Park in Kemah, Texas, was entirely underwater on Sunday. Authorities say the flooding is the worst the region has ever seen

A National Hurricane Center graph shows the dramatic concentration of flooding and rain in coastal Texas on Sunday

A severe weather warning map from The Weather Channel shows the lit-up area of south-east Texas which is the worst affected

Much of the rain is still concentrated in coastal towns but authorities and weather experts are warning that it could move inland throughout the day

The aftermath of Harvey was plainer in some parts of the state including Rockport where, after the rain stopped, residents could survey their destroyed homes

People wait in line at a rescue point in Edgebrook, Houston, on Sunday. Shelters have been set up across the state

Cars power through flood water in Galveston, Texas, on Saturday. Life-threatening floods are expected on Sunday

A boat covered in reeds and branches washed up outside a convenience store in the Coast Bend area of Port Aransas on Saturday

An abandoned car sits in a ditch in Rockport beneath toppled electricity pylons and damaged traffic lights

MORE THAN 4,000 FLIGHTS CANCELLED More than 4,000 flights due to arrive and depart from Houston's two major airports as a result of the havoc wreaked by Harvey. Hundreds of flights scheduled for Monday have already been scrapped at both Houston Bush and Hobby Airport and some as far ahead as Tuesday were also canceled as the region faced yet more unrelenting rain. The rain is expected to carry on for several times and bring unprecedented flooding to the state. Advertisement

In some homes, more than six feet of water has poured over sandbags and makeshift barriers.

Residents fled to their attics to try to escape the rising flood water, a tactic weather and safety experts strongly urged against on Sunday.

'Calls to HCFCD of people climbing into their attics...Do NOT go into attics. Get on your roof if necessary. If calling 911, stay on the line if unanswered,' Lindner tweeted in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The flooding in Houston is expected to go down as the worst in the region's history, surpassing that of Tropical Storm Allison in 2001.

On Sunday, Mayor Sylvester Turner warned that 911 services were 'at capacity'.

Harris County Sheriff's Office told people to remain inside their homes even if they were filling up with water, tweeting: 'Non-life-threatening water inside home is safer than going outside. Difficult & scary, but we'll get to you. Pls shelter in place. Be safe.'

A vessel is spotted listing in a channel from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter during an overflight after Hurricane Harvey passed the area from Port Aransas to Port O'Connor, Texas on Saturday

Housing surrounded by flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey is seen from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter

People stand on a sinking boat awaiting rescue from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, after Hurricane Harvey passed near Port Aransas

A woman sleeps on a cot after she evacuated to a shelter after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area on Saturday in Port Aransas

People stand on a sinking boat awaiting rescue from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter near Port Aransas

Mobile homes are destroyed at an RV park after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area on Saturday in Port Aransas

Members of the National Guard arrive at Port Aransas after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area on Saturday

The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Harvey from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm

A boat is located on land after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area on Saturday

A mobile home lies split open in the Paradise Lagoons RV Resort on Saturday in Aransas Pass

Mobile homes are upended and left sitting in flooded waters in the Paradise Lagoons RV Resort in Aransas Pass

Harvey slammed into Texas, the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry, late Friday.

It ripped off roofs, snapped trees, and triggered tornadoes and flash floods, and cut power to nearly a quarter of a million people.

It also curtailed a large portion of America's oil and fuel production, prompting price hikes at the pumps.

Harvey has since weakened to a tropical storm, but is expected to lash Texas for days as it lumbers inland, bringing as much as 50 inches of rain to some areas, and affecting the heavily populated area.

The National Hurricane Center described the rain forecast for the state as potentially 'catastrophic.'

'Rainfall measured in feet rather than inches can certainly create a catastrophic flood,' spokesman Dennis Feltgen said.

Water rises on a home after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area on Saturday in Port Aransas

Cleaning crews clean debris located on Highway 361 after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area

A boat is located in the middle of the street after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area

Charles Bujan, the mayor of Port Aransas, said that people are being urged to stay away until emergency crews can clean up leftover debris and wreckage

Electric poles are destroyed after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area and wreaked havoc

Bujan said that there are search and rescue operations by emergency services underway to find people trapped by the water

By Saturday evening, a convoy of military vehicles had arrived in the Rockport area with people and equipment to help in the recovery efforts, and town officials announced an overnight curfew for residents.

'It was terrible,' resident Joel Valdez, 57, told Reuters.

The storm ripped part of the roof from his trailer home at around 4am, he said as he sat in a Jeep with windows smashed by the storm.

'I could feel the whole house move.'

Before the storm hit, Rockport's mayor told anyone staying behind to write their names on their arms for identification in case of death or injury.

A high school, hotel, senior housing complex and other buildings suffered structural damage, according to emergency officials and local media. Some were being used as shelters.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Saturday said he was activating 1,800 members of the military to help with the statewide cleanup, while 1,000 people would conduct search-and-rescue operations.

People recover their possessions on Sunday in Aransas, Texas, one of the areas hit by the hurricane

A sunken boat lies submerged in front houses after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, Texas

People seek shelter from the weather during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Sunday in Houston, Texas

Shoppers wait in line for last minute supplies at a grocery store after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast

People walk along the road to board Metro buses to be taken to a shelter at the GRB Convention Center in Houston

Evacuees from Hurricane Harvey take shelter at the Delco Center in east Austin, Texas on Sunday

The Red Cross says they currently have 185 people at this Austin shelter center but if needed, are prepared to handle 350 people at this location

Children play while adults attempt to get some rest while staying at a makeshift shelter for storm evacuees in Austin, Texas

People on a porch watch as rain from Hurricane Harvey inundates the Cottage Grove neighborhood in Houston

People make their way down partially flooded roads following the passage of Hurricane Harvey in Galveston

Rain from Hurricane Harvey inundates the Cottage Grove neighborhood in Houston, as home for sale sits flooded

A truck sits stranded after breaking down on Interstate 10 which has been inundated with flooding from Harvey in Houston

Members of the Texas Task Force 2 search and rescue team work through a destroyed apartment complex trying to find anyone that still may be in the apartment complex after Hurricane Harvey passed through Rockport

A local pastor went around to submerged cars to check if anyone was trapped inside the partially sunken vehicles in Houston

An official climbs through a window as he checks a home damaged by Hurricane Harvey on Sunday in Rockport
Savanna Greywind, 22, was last seen at her apartment on the afternoon of August 19. She was said to be eight months pregnant at the time of her disappearance

The body of a 22-year-old pregnant woman who had been missing for nine days has been found wrapped in plastic in a river, officials said.

Two kayakers found the body of Savanna Greywind around 8.20pm Sunday in the Red River, between Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota.

Fargo Police Chief David Todd said Greywind's body was identified around 9.20pm.

The body had been wrapped in plastic and was caught on a tree or log branch in the river.

Greywind's family has been notified and her body will be brought to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner for an autopsy.

Fargo police said Friday they had arrested William Henry Hoehn, 32, and Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit kidnapping of Greywind, who was last seen at her apartment on the afternoon of August 19.

Hoehn and Crews were said to be Greywind's neighbors and it is believed she had gone to their apartment to help them with a sewing project before she disappeared.

During a press conference on Friday, Todd said that investigators discovered a newborn baby girl in the apartment with Crews.

It's believed that the baby is Greywind's child, but authorities are waiting for DNA testing confirmation.

At the time of her disappearance, Greywind was said to be eight months pregnant.

The newborn is being taken care of at a medical facility.

Scroll down for video

Two kayakers found Greywind's body around 8.20pm Sunday in the Red River, between Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota. The body had been wrapped in plastic and was caught on a tree or log branch in the river

Todd said that Hoehn and Crews were interviewed by detectives at the police station on Thursday and that both suspects were initially cooperative, but when asked about what happened to Greywind, they both asked for lawyers and stopped answering questions.

At that point, Todd said, they were arrested and charged with felony conspiracy to commit kidnapping.

Todd said that specialized search teams were dispatched to search the area and that a cadaver dog pointed towards what appeared to be an abandoned vehicle.

A search of the car did not produce anything, however.

Brooke Lynn Crews, 38, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the disappearance of Greywind. Investigators found Crews in her apartment, alongside a newborn baby believed to be Greywind's daughter

William Henry Hoehn, 32, was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping in Greywind's disappearance. He and Crews were taken into custody on Thursday

Police are asking neighborhood residents to come forward if they saw this Jeep, belonging to Crews and Hoehn, on Saturday or Sunday, the day of and following Greywind's disappearance

Authorities asked area residents on Friday to assist in searching for signs of suspicious activity or evidence in areas that police are not able to search, such as in their garages, sheds, gazebos, dumpsters and vacation properties.

Authorities asked area residents on Friday to assist in searching for signs of suspicious activity or evidence in areas that police are not able to search

Police had also been looking for information from anybody who might have seen a brown 1996 Jeep belonging to Hoehn and Crews on either the day and day after Greywind's disappearance.

When asked if there are any other suspects in Greywind's disappearance, Todd said, 'No, there are not. I think we have the right people.'

Tarita Silk, a sister-in-law of Greywind's mother, had said police informed the family that a 'two-day-old healthy baby girl' was taken from the apartment where Greywind lived with her parents, according to KFGO radio.

Todd had previously said his department was receiving help from outside agencies and that officers used aircraft, watercraft and police dogs in order to try to find her.

Tarita Silk, a sister-in-law of Greywind's mother, said police informed the family that a 'two-day-old healthy baby girl' was taken from the apartment where Greywind lived with her parents

It's believed that the baby is Greywind's child, but authorities are waiting for DNA testing confirmation. The newborn is being taken care of at a medical facility

Silk said some family members were searching an area in Minnesota 30 miles east of Fargo after receiving a tip.

'We just want Savanna to come home. We're prepared for the worst,' Silk said. 'The biggest thing now is for anybody who has any information to come forward.'

The Greywind family was previously offering a $7,000 reward for information that leads to solving the case.

Fargo police said in a statement released on Facebook Thursday that investigators have spoken to Grewywind's family, boyfriend, neighbors, employer, and 'anyone the family has mentioned as a friend.'
The neighbour of an accused baby killer says the man was 'p***ed off' he was left to care for his girlfriend's infant, on the same day the six-month-old boy was found not breathing.

Dwayne Lindsay, 34, allegedly made a frantic call to his girlfriend who was out shopping, to say there was something wrong with baby Chayse Dearing, the Melbourne Magistrates Court heard on Monday.

Emergency crews found Chayse to be a blue-grey colour with marks around his neck consistent with strangulation, a bump on his head, genital injuries and blood around his nose at a Glenroy unit in June 2016.

A neighbour told the court he heard everything that went on inside the unit, including a man talking on the phone.

'He was pissed off because they left the baby with him. He was saying, "hurry up and get home".'

Six-month-old Chayse Dearing was allegedly strangled and bashed to death

Dwayne Lindsay, 34, has been charged with the murder of his girlfriend's baby

The injuries were 'most certainly caused by assault', according to a prosecution summary read in court.

The neighbour said he later heard 'almost like the sound of a dingo howling'.

'I think he ... felt bad about what the situation was,' the witness said.

Chayse's condition was deemed 'incompatible with survival' and he died in hospital.

Michelle Dearing said she is heartbroken and can't believe she will never hear her 'innocent' son's giggle or lay eyes on his beautiful smile again

Lindsay is facing the first day of a committal hearing, charged with murder.

He was arrested the same month Chayse died after police found him at a Sunshine North address, following a plea for him to come forward.

The hearing continues.
Authorities in Colorado are investigating the death of 42-year-old white supremacist Benjamin Davis, whose body was found in a prison on Saturday

Authorities in Colorado are investigating the death of 42-year-old white supremacist Benjamin Davis, whose body was found in a prison on Saturday.

Davis, who headed a white supremacist gang behind bars known as the 211 Crew, may have committed suicide, according to the Denver Post.

He was serving a life sentence for crimes committed during his incarceration.

As head of 211 Crew, he is alleged to have been involved in the murder of Tom Clements, the former head of Colorados Department of Corrections.

Clements was assassinated in his home in March 2013.

The DOC is now investigating.

So far, it has not been forthcoming with information because of fears that news of Davis death could stir unrest among his followers behind bars.

You have a high-ranking member of 211, and issues his death could cause in our facilities - it could cause disruptions for us, DOC public information officer Mark Fairbairn said.

Thats what we are trying to avoid.

The man who killed Clements, Evan Ebel, was released on parole at the time of the 2013 assassination.

Ebel was a member of 211 Crew. Authorities investigated the possibility that Ebel was acting on the orders of Davis and other gang shot callers.

Ebel died in a shootout with Texas law enforcement officials two days after he killed Clements.

Since Ebels death, authorities made numerous arrests of possible co-conspirators in the Clements killing, which officially remains unsolved over four years later.

As head of 211 Crew, he is alleged to have been involved in the 2013 murder of Tom Clements (above), the former head of Colorados Department of Corrections

Investigators have obtained text messages and cell phone records in an attempt to piece together details of the murder and the possible role of the 211 Crew.

Davis was sentenced to 96 years in prison for activities related to 211 Crew.

Authorities said that Davis and other crew members conspired to commit crimes by using coded notes and secret slang in order to evade detection by prison guards.

The 211 Crew, which took its name 211 after Californias penal code for robbery, counted members who would tattoo themselves with Irish shamrocks, Nazi swastikas, and Viking horns.

According to court records, Davis founded 211 Crew after a black inmate broke his jaw in a Denver jail.

Davis is believed to have started the gang out of the belief that it was the only way to gain protection from rival black and Hispanic gangs behind bars.

Colorado officials estimated that by 2005, there were 300 gang members in prison.

Davis first entered prison after convictions for armed robbery and narcotics use.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte told police on Monday they were free to kill 'idiots' who violently resist arrest, two days after the funeral of a boy who was gunned down and left next to a pigsty by anti-drugs officers.

Duterte was delivering a prepared speech at the Hero's Cemetery on the outskirts of Manila and veered off-script to address impromptu comments from Jovie Espenido - the police chief of a town in the south where the mayor was killed in a raid.

In a direct message to his police officers, he said: 'Your duty requires you to overcome the resistance of the person you are arresting. If he resists, and it is a violent one, you are free to kill the idiots. That is my order to you.'

It comes two days after Kian Delos Santos was laid to rest in a service that was hijacked by hundreds to protest against the leader's deadly war on drugs.

Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte aiming a rifle while meeting government troops during a surprise visit in the conflict-torn city of Marawi, southern Philippines, August 24, 2017

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte wears a bulletproof vest and helmet with government troops in Marawi CityPhilippine President Rodrigo Duterte visits troops, Marawi City, Philippines where he visited the government troops in Marawi City on Thursday

Australia's top overseas spy has met with controversial Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte and posed alongside him copying his signature fist-pump hand gesture

Duterte added that 'murder and homicide and unlawful killings' were not allowed and that police had to uphold the rule of law while carrying out their duties.

The Philippines leader unleashed the anti-drugs war after taking office in June last year following an election campaign in which he vowed to use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs.

Thousands of people have been killed and the violence has been criticised by much of the international community.

Domestic opposition has been largely muted but the killing of schoolboy Kian Delos Santos by anti-drugs officers on August 16 has sparked rare public outrage.

Delos Santos was dragged by plain-clothes policemen to a dark, trash-filled alley in northern Manila before he was shot in the head and left next to a pigsty, according to witnesses whose accounts appeared to be backed up by CCTV footage.

Filipino schoolboy Kian Delos Santos (pictured), 17, was shot dead by police last week. They claimed he was a drug courier who fired at them, but CCTV appears to show he was unarmed

The slow-moving procession snaked through narrow streets as participants, many wearing black ribbons, carried posters that read 'Stop Killing the Poor'

Santos' mother Lorenza is pictured weeping as she looks at the body of her slain son

Police say they acted in self defence after delos Santos opened fire on them, and Duterte's spokesman and the justice minister have described the killing of the teenager as an 'isolated' case.

Since Duterte's term began 14 months ago, police have reported killing 3,500 people in anti-drug operations, with thousands more murdered over drug-related crimes and in unexplained circumstances.

Duterte and his drug war are backed by a large majority of Filipinos fed up with high crime and a slow-moving judicial system, according to national polls.

But Delos Santos's murder has dominated the media and sparked public outrage.

After his family held a wake for him at home, around 3,000 people including his classmates, neighbours, nuns, priests and human rights activists marched under cloudy skies to protest his killing.

'Kian is the name and face of the truth. We must not allow the truth to die with Kian's murder,' said Father Robert Reyes, one of several Catholic priests who celebrated a church mass for the boy on Saturday.

Duterte, who had controversially drawn parallels between his drug campaign to Hitler's extermination of Jews and vowed to protect police from prosecution, has promised to bring the boy's killers to justice.

The slow-moving procession snaked through narrow streets as participants, many wearing black ribbons, carried posters that read 'Stop Killing the Poor', 'Justice for Kian', and 'Rehabilitation not Persecution'.

Thousands of people flocked to the teenager's funeral to protest President Rodrigo Duterte's brutal war on drugs (his flower-decked hearse is pictured)

A funeral worker shows media the body of Santos, whose murder has dominated the media and sparked public outrage

Around 3,000 people including Santos' classmates, neighbours, nuns, priests and human rights activists marched under cloudy skies to protest his killing

The cortege stopped briefly for prayers outside a police station where the three officers who had arrested the boy were deployed. They have since been suspended.

Following their claims of Delos Santos being involved in the drugs trade, police told a public enquiry on Thursday that they only read about his alleged narcotics activity on 'social media' after his death.

A police autopsy also concluded the boy was fatally shot in the head twice as he lay prone on the ground.

Amnesty International alleged in a report released in February that Philippine police shot dead defenceless people, fabricated evidence, paid assassins to murder drug addicts, and stole from those they killed or the victims' relatives.

It also said police were being paid by their superiors to kill drug suspects, and documented victims as young as eight years old.
An Indonesian woman who was planning to blow herself up outside Jakarta's presidential palace has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Dian Yulia Novi, 28, was arrested late last year on suspicion of plotting to blow herself up outside the palace during the changing of the guard. She was arrested along with her husband, Muhamad Nur Solikin.

It is the first time a woman has been convicted in Indonesia for planning such an attack.

Indonesian militant Dian Yulia Novi, centre, is flanked by her husband Nur Solihin, right, and her recruiter Tutin as they sit on the defendant's bench during their trial hearing at East Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia

Indonesian militants, left to right; Tutin, Dian Yulia Novi, her husband Nur Solihin, and Agus Supriyadi sit on the defendants bench during their trial hearing in the East Jakarta District Court in Jakarta

Dian Yulia Novi (second left), was arrested last year on suspicion of plotting to blow herself up outside the presidential palace in Jakarta during a changing of the guard ceremony, stands trial along with her husband Muhammad Nur Solihin (second right) and co-defendants Ika Puspita Sari (left), Agus Supriyadi (right) in a court in Jakarta

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has seen a surge in homegrown militancy inspired by Islamic State, and has grappled with a series of small-scale attacks in the past two years.

Prosecutors had demanded a 10-year sentence for Novi, whom they said received instructions to carry out the attack from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant believed to be fighting with Islamic State in Syria.

Novi's lawyer said Monday: 'Her sentence was reduced because she admitted to her actions.'

Judges delivered the verdict earlier than expected because Novi is pregnant and due to give birth in early September, her lawyer said.

She is detained at a Jakarta area facility.

Her husband is on trial for the same plot. His next hearing, at which he is expected to enter a plea, is scheduled for September 6.

Kamsi said Novi, who was believed to be radicalized through social media while employed as a domestic worker in Taiwan, did not intend to appeal her verdict.

An Indonesian Marine tank rolls past the Presidential Palace in central Jakarta (file photo)

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron inspects the honour guards during he visits the State Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, 11 April 2012

Police said they had intercepted a letter that Novi intended to send to her parents stating her intention to carry out jihad.

Later an unexploded bomb was found in a room the woman had rented in Bekasi, about an hour outside Jakarta.

Counter-terrorism forces are worried that militants may be using new and more sophisticated tactics to try and carry out attacks - like recruiting female suicide bombers or using dangerous chemicals to make 'dirty bombs'.
A man who is suspected of firing a gun in the direction of a black man during the Charlottesville rally has been arrested.

Richard Wilson Preston, 52, of Baltimore, Maryland, was charged with discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, which is a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison.

He was arrested Saturday on a fugitive warrant issued in Virginia, the Baltimore Sun reported and was in custody at the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson, Maryland.

Footage from the demonstrations and counter-protests on August 12 show Preston allegedly firing his gun towards a black man.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filmed the original incident, posted the video on its Twitter feed.

Questions abound as to why the man in the video was not arrested immediately after he allegedly discharged his weapon within earshot of about a dozen Virginia State Police troopers, who are seen standing idly by in the video.

We all heard it and ran - I know damn well they heard it, Rosia Parker, a community activist in Charlottesville, told The New York Times. They never moved.

The outlet cited 'an official familiar with the investigation' as saying that a man was in custody.

The shooter appears to fore a single round toward the ground in the vicinity of the black man who was holding an improvised torch.

In response to the criticism over police inaction, Charlottesville authorities insist that officers were not given a 'stand down' order.

Richard Wilson Preston, 52, of Baltimore, Maryland, was charged with discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, which is a felony that carries up to 10 years in prison

He was arrested Saturday on a fugitive warrant issued in Virginia and was in custody at the Baltimore County Detention Center in Towson, Maryland

It is believed that police in Charlottesville were hesitant to use force during the August 12 rally because a month earlier law enforcement came under heavy criticism for spraying tear gas and making numerous arrests at a Ku Klux Klan rally in the same town.

In total, law enforcement, which included 125 local police officers, hundreds of National Guard soldiers, state police, and cops from neighboring municipalities made a total of just eight arrests on August 12.

That was the day of the Unite the Right rally, which brought out counter-demonstrators, one of whom, Heather Heyer, was killed when a suspected neo-Nazi, James Fields, allegedly drove his car into a crowd.

Fields has been charged with murder.

Other counter-demonstrators complained to police that they were assaulted, yet no arrests were made.

Footage from the demonstrations and counter-protests on August 12 show Preston allegedly firing his gun towards a black man

The American Civil Liberties Union, which filmed the original incident, posted the video on its Twitter feed

Kendall, a 25-year-old woman, told the Times that she was chanting in the direction of neo-Nazis when one of them punched her in the face, giving her a bloody nose.

I moved quickly to the police and said: A man attacked me! Please help me! I need your help. Hes right there! she said.

They didnt move a muscle. Only a few of them had the courage to make eye contact with me.

A photographer at the scene also described a similar experience.

Eze Amos, a resident of Charlottesville who is originally from Nigeria, said he was snapping a picture of a white nationalist protester wearing an Adolf Hitler shirt.

As he was taking the picture, the nationalist punched his camera, which then ricocheted into his face.

This happened right in front of the cops, Amos told the Times.

I said, Hey, this man just assaulted me! The officer said, Well I didnt see it. I told him, Everybody just saw it!

The police officer took down Amoss name.

In total, law enforcement, which included 125 local police officers, hundreds of National Guard soldiers, state police, and cops from neighboring municipalities made just a total of eight arrests on August 12

'I am a black man photographing this. I kept telling myself, "If it gets out of hand, the cops will jump in and save me,"' he said.

'I saw a white woman get hit, and they did not do anything. Thats when I actually got really scared of the whole thing.'

Amos said that it was clear from observing the officers that day that they were given specific instructions not to intervene.

'Somebody is not telling us what happened,' Amos said.

'Those cops did not just decide to fold their arms and watch this happen.'

It wasnt just anti-fascists who criticized law enforcement.

Charlottesville police have charged two people in connection to the assault of DeAndre Harris, a 20-year-old African-American who was viciously beaten with a metal pipe and slabs of wood in a parking garage not far from police headquarters (above)

White nationalist planners of the rally said that police reneged on understandings that had been reached weeks prior to the event, such as arrangement for ensuring safe entrance and exit to the park where the statue of Robert E. Lee stands.

They didnt follow through on any part of their plan, an alt-right figure who goes by the name Eli Mosley told the Times.

They threw the whole thing away without telling us.

Looking back, we think it was nefarious, he said. The local government is very left wing, and they didnt want anyone protesting the statue coming down.'

I believe this was somewhat of a trap in some ways, he said.

We went there peacefully and were attacked, because we were forced to get past that gauntlet of counter-protesters.

Daniel Borden, 18, (left) was arrested in Ohio Friday and charged with malicious wounding in connection with the assault on Harris. Charlottesville police have also issued an arrest warrant for Alex Michael Ramos, 33, (right) of Marietta, Georgia, and are also charging Ramos with malicious wounding for the same assault

The city of Charlottesville is denying the accusations that it bore responsibility for the violence that ensued.

It has so far resisted calls to publicize their action plans from that day, saying that it is possible they will use the same plans in the future.

Charlottesville police have charged two people in connection to the assault of DeAndre Harris, a 20-year-old African-American who was viciously beaten with a metal pipe and slabs of wood in a parking garage not far from police headquarters.

Daniel Borden, 18, was arrested in Ohio Friday and charged with malicious wounding. Police have also issued an arrest warrant for Alex Michael Ramos, 33, of Marietta, Georgia, and are also charging Ramos with malicious wounding.
Advertisement

Britons are flocking to the beach as the nation experiences its hottest Bank Holiday since records began with temperatures soaring to 84F.

Thousands of sunworshippers are heading to coast at Bournemouth, Newquay and Lyme Regis, while others soak up the rays in our parks, as Britain sizzles on the hottest day of August so far.

Hot winds from Europe have brought a heatwave, with the south of England enjoying the best of the day's sun.

Temperatures hit 82.8F in Holbeach, southern Lincolnshire, forecaster Oli Claydon said, surpassing the previous record of 81F in East Bergholt, Suffolk, in 1984.

The hot weather is down to a 'ridge of high pressure' bringing still conditions and sweltering sunshine, according to Mr Claydon.

Surfers, swimmers and families flocked to Fistral Beach today as people soaked up the sun on the final day of the Bank Holiday

Two paddle boarders share a joke as they walk through the shallows at Fistral Beach, Newquay, on the Cornish coast

Holidaymakers and sunworshippers pack out Bournemouth beach in Dorset as Britain is hit by a late summer heatwave

A family relax on an inflatable at Fistral Beach as they soak up the sunshine on the south coast of England this afternoon

Thousands of sunworshippers are heading to coast at Bournemouth, Newquay and West Wittering (pictured), while others soak up the rays in our parks, as Britain sizzles on the hottest day of August so far

Natasha Gillingham and Kelsey Rashord splash about at Bournemouth beach as Britain enjoys the hottest day of the month

People top up their tans in Green Park, London, which was among the hottest parts of the country this Bank Holiday Monday

The hot weather is down to a 'ridge of high pressure' bringing still conditions and sweltering sunshine (pictured is West Wittering beach)

In 1965, the August Bank Holiday was moved from the first Monday of the month to the last.

In southern England, temperatures should stay around the mid-20s on Tuesday, but moving into Wednesday a 'front from the North West will bring a fresher feel to things', the meteorologist said.

The cooling wave will bring temperatures down to the mid-teens as the front makes its way south-east - but showers are expected to be sparse.

There was some confusion over the record because of a 'suspect' reading in Cambridgeshire in 1990 - where a temperature of 82.9F was noted.

But that number did not tally with other readings from the area, invalidating the result, Mr Claydon said.

The north of England and Scotland will experience pleasant conditions with temperatures between 68-78F.

However, while the UK is enjoying beaming sunshine, after a fairly soggy summer so far, holidaymakers in Marbella and Madrid are not so lucky.

Those who travelled to the continent in search of sun have been met with grey skies and deserted beaches as showers drench the Spanish holiday hot spots.

While Brits abroad are experiencing miserable weather, forecasters believe that this bank holiday could be a record breaker in the UK.

Bournemouth beach is packed with tents and parasols as crowds make the most of the sun, with temperatures soaring

The River Cam in Cambridge starts to get busy this Bank Holiday Monday with many taking advantage of the hot weather

Tourists enjoy the early morning sunshine as they amble along the River Thames in central London today

Tourists enjoy a punt on the River Cam in Cambridge, as Britain is basked in glorious sunshine on the last day of the Bank Holiday

People enjoy a picnic on the grassy banks of the River Cam in Cambridge as the south of England is basked in sun

Hikers enjoy a pleasant walk in the sun as enjoy they pleasant conditions in the picturesque Brecon Beacons in South Wales

People enjoy the bank holiday sunshine on Brighton beach in Sussex, which was as crowded as ever on a public holiday

On what was the forecast as the hottest August Bank Holiday Monday on record hundreds of visitors took to Punts in Cambridge to make the most of the last public holiday before Christmas

The Met Office said: 'It could be the warmest late August Bank Holiday Monday since it was established in 1965.

'We've not a had a run of several warm days for weeks  so it's good timing for the Bank Holiday weekend.

'High pressure is over the UK, combined with some air arriving from the near continent.' .

Your browser does not support the <code>iframe</code> HTML tag. Try viewing this in a modern browser like Chrome, Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer 9 or later.

 Slide me  Lyme Regis in West Dorset is empty at 8am, but just three hours later it is packed with holiday makers as Britons flock to the beach to make the most of the summer sun

The sun is shining over central London as tourists head out for a stroll by the River Thames on the last day of the Bank Holiday

The scorching weather attracted about 100,000 sun worshippers to the seven miles of sandy beaches in Bournemouth, Dorset.

The seafront car parks were full well before lunchtime and people have been queuing for ice creams throughout the day.

Some beat the queues by getting to the beach by 8am and the resort's 3,000 deckchairs and 1,800 sunbeds were rented out.

A group of young boys and a man hide under umbrellas as they take shelter from the showers in Marbella, Spain, today

A woman soaks up the rays as she reads her book at Fistral Beach, as Cornwall enjoys glorious sunshine today

Tourists plod along rain-soaked roads in the holiday haven of Marbella in Spain, as Spain endures summer showers today

The sun rises over Twickenham in west London today, as temperatures of 86F are set to sizzle in the south of England

The sun rises over a misty landscape at Corfe Castle in Dorset this morning as the hottest Bank Holiday since 1965 sizzles the nation
A 17-year-old boy has been found dead in his tent at Reading Festival in the early hours of this morning.

His death is being treated as unexplained, Thames Valley Police said today.

He was pronounced dead after emergency services were called to a tent in the campsite at the popular music festival shortly before 2am on Monday.

The teenager has not been formally identified but his next of kin have been informed.

A 17-year-old boy has been found dead in his tent at Reading Festival (pictured) in the early hours of this morning

Superintendent Rory Freeman, the festival's police commander, reassured others attending the event that there is 'no cause for concern'.

He added: 'We will continue to provide support to the boy's family at this difficult time.'

Last night a teenager was stabbed as he watched Kasabian during their headline set at Reading festival.

The 18-year-old was attacked with a 'sharp implement' after a fight broke out between several men in the crowd.

A teenager was stabbed as he watched Kasabian play their headline set at Reading Festival

The crowd during the Kasabian gig where a scuffle broke out between several men

He was treated by festival medical staff before being taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital. He has since been discharged.

Tens of thousands of music fans are currently at the event which, along with its sister festival Leeds, traditionally takes place across the August Bank Holiday weekend.

Security has been ramped up at both locations in light of recent terror attacks in Europe with staff conducting rigorous bag checks.

Acts appearing at both festivals include Eminem, Muse, Liam Gallagher and Bastille.
An elderly beekeeper on trial for importing 2.5 kilograms of cocaine was duped out of $200,000 just months earlier in a deceased estate scam.

Roy Arbon unwittingly imported cocaine into Australia after he was tricked by a Nigerian criminal enterprise who targeted him online, a Perth court has heard.

The 68-year-old from New Zealand flew from Brazil, via Dubai, to Perth in February last year.

He was found at the airport with 2.5 kilograms of 79 per cent pure cocaine - with a street value of up to $1.4million - hidden inside the lining of his suitcase.

Roy Arbon (pictured, left) unwittingly imported cocaine into Australia after he was tricked by a Nigerian criminal enterprise who targeted him online, a Perth court has heard

Defence counsel Sarah Oliver told the District Court of WA on Monday her client was a good, innocent man who had fallen victim to online scams and opportunities for loans for his organic honey business in recent years.

A page created by Mr Arbon's supporters on GiveALittle says he had been conned in the past, leaving him penniless.

'Roy was scammed out of $200,000 by people purporting to be lawyers acting for a deceased estate, from which Roy would inherit,' states the page.

'He's a good-hearted, moral, wholesome and clean-living man, and has often helped with dangerous and shocking Search & Rescue operations.'

Defence counsel Sarah Oliver told the District Court of WA (pictured, stock image) on Monday her client was a good, innocent man who had fallen victim to online scams

Ms Oliver said Mr Arbon was told the people who duped him represented international banks or finance organisations, and he didn't know they were involved in drug trafficking.

Prosecutor Edward Fitzpatrick warned the jury about forming an impression of Mr Arbon based on the fact he 'seems a rather grandfatherly man', the ABC reported.

The jury was shown footage of Mr Arbon being questioned by Australian Border Force officer Christopher Brown.

Mr Brown testified the accused replied 'yes' when asked if he packed his bags himself, was fully aware of the contents and everything inside belonged to him.

The ABF officer told the court Mr Arbon said he'd gone to Brazil to visit friends who he'd met when they worked on his New Zealand property.

A page created by Mr Arbon's supporters on GiveALittle says he had been conned in the past, leaving him penniless. He is facing Perth District Court (pictured, stock image) after allegedly being caught at the airport with cocaine in his suitcase

Mr Arbon told Mr Brown he had been given the suitcase in Brazil by a Nigerian man named Anthony Lambert.

He had originally planned to go from Brazil to India but was turned back at the airport because he didn't have a yellow fever certificate.

The footage showed a narcotics detection dog reacted positively when walked past Mr Arbon's suitcase by sitting down in front of it.

Mr Arbon's trial is set down for four days.
Advertisement

Notting Hill Carnival was again awash with eccentric outfits as the world's biggest street festival comes to a colourful climax - but some parade members are not shy of showing a bit of skin.

The streets of west London are packed with people enjoying the Caribbean music and food on a scorching bank holiday Monday, with the mercury soaring to 84F.

And on the main parade day scores of scantily-clad performers are adorned in glitter and feathers, while other revellers have been photographed in the road 'daggering'.

For the second time in two days, the festivities were put on hold to observe a minute's silence in memory of those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire.

Some of the dancers at Notting Hill Carnival were spilling out of their costumes as they paraded through the streets of west London this afternoon

A carnival performer decorated in jewels, glitter and bird feathers poses on the main Parade day of the Notting Hill Carnival on Monday

Another woman in a bikini-style costume basks in the glorious sunlight as she makes her way through the carnival procession

Police arrest a man against a temporary fence during a 'stop and search' operation on the main parade day on Monday afternoon

A samba dancer painted in leopard print takes to street to enjoy tropical weather that blessed partygoers at Notting Hill Carnival today

Several festival-goers 'daggering' - a Jamaican dance similar to twerking which became popular in the mid-2000s with the rise of Caribbean dancehall music

A police officer sits with a group of children on the kerb at the Notting Hill Carnival, keeping them entertained by showing them her baton and hand cuffs

Singer and actor Jason Donovan (right) seen enjoying himself at Notting Hill Carnival earlier today

More people partaking in daggering as spectators and other members of the parade watch on from the pavement

This performer has decked herself out in bright red, yellow and blue feathers for the biggest street festival in the world

A dancer sips a drink at the start of the parade on the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival

A purple-clad dancer sits down to take a break on the pavement in the heat of the day during the parade

Severa women slathered in paint dance to the music as they enjoy themselves at Notting Hill carnival, which saw 155 people arrested yesterday

Police officers happily pose with revellers at the Notting Hill Carnival in London. They will be hoping for a quieter final day than last year

Police officers look through binoculars from a rooftop for any signs of trouble as revellers take part in the Notting Hill Carnival

A man opts for a statue-esque silver body paint as her celebrates at the Notting Hill Carnival in London with thousands of revellers

A woman wearing a sparkly outfit and makeshift wings smiles as the grounds gather on a beautiful bank holiday weekend

Dancers from the Paraiso School of Samba observe their own minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire. An official memorial is due to take place at 3pm, as it did yesterday

These revellers, dressed as members of the animal kingdom, are all smiles ahead of Monday's street party in the west London neighbourhood

This woman in white carries an umbrella above her head as she smiles in the sunshine, with a sign in honour of Grenfell victims visible behind her

At 3pm sound systems stopped blaring and the carnival procession paused for 60 seconds to remember the at least 80 victims of the devastating tower block fire.

Around half a mile away from the charred high-rise, firefighters lined up, removed their helmets and bowed their heads outside North Kensington fire station.

The moment was concluded with a spontaneous round of applause and cheers from the hundreds of thousands of carnivalists celebrating the bank holiday weekend.

The firefighters were then embraced, congratulated and thanked by carnival goers, posing for photos with them.

With 155 arrests made on Sunday - more than double the number on the corresponding day the previous year - police will be hoping for a quieter finale than 12 months ago, when 245 people were detained amid scenes of chaos on the Monday.

And, as of 3.30pm, they appeared to have got their wish with only 27 arrests made by mid-afternoon.

So far this weekend, ten people were detained on suspicion of carrying a blade, 13 for GBH, ABH and assault, a further five for attacking police officers and 17 for public order offences.

The most common crime was drug possession, with 64 arrests for illicit substances, nine for sexual offences, three for criminal damage, six suspected thefts and 17 'other offences'.

Metropolitan Police officials said thousands of officers would be on patrol on each day of the event amid the heightened security concerns.

The London Ambulance Service said it had treated 344 patients on Sunday during the first day of carnival - many for alcohol-related injuries.

Jourdan Dunn attends 'Red Bull Music Academy Soundsystem' at Notting Hill Carnival

Police help Dancers with a plaster as they prepare for the parade on Monday afternoon

Police conduct another 'stop and search' operation on the main Parade day of the Notting Hill Carnival

Several people holding jars and coffee flasks make their way through the tightly-roped parade route, as security guards watch on

Another woman draped in colourful feathers and glitter. The event is expected to attract a million visitors over the Bank holiday weekend

Residents watch on as revellers some zebra-themed dancers make their way down the road during Notting Hill Carnival

More shimmering arrays of blue and pink on display from these two women as they get into the party atmosphere

Dancers in costume dance behind their float at the Notting Hill Carnival - the annual event on the streets of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea over the August bank holiday weekend

A line of police officers walk past as revellers take part in the Notting Hill Carnival some

A view down the crowded street highlights the sheer number of people that flock to Notting Hill to sample the music and food

A man dressed in a Union Jack-themed outfit stands next to another glamorously-dressed member of the parade

More members of the procession re-adjust their costumes to make sure they look the part before they get involved

Despite the party atmosphere, procession members observed their own minutes silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire

Revellers are descending on the colourful climax of Notting Hill Carnival. Drumers are seen here making their way through the streets early this morning

Police officers pass performers during the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival in west London. 155 arrests were made yesterday by officers

A man and a woman draped in white robes at the front of the procession hold up a giant umbrella as the drummers march on behind them

Two colourfully-dressed performers walk passed a piece of Grenfell Tower-inspired artwork. June's tragedy has been a heavy theme of this year's carnival

More drummers perform with a smile on their face as the walk through the sunshine. Today could be the hottest August bank holiday Monday on record

Some dancers decorated with yellow and green feathers go through their final preparations before starting the parade

Partygoers enjoy the sunsine as the streets of Notting Hill begin to fill with guests who have flocked from all over the world for the carnival

Paraiso School of Samba remembers the 80-plus victims who lost their lives in the Grenfell inferno, in the same borough as the carnival takes place in

Samba dancers in colorful costumes arrive as they prepare for a colourful climax to the world's biggest street festival this morning

The two-day west London festival, taking place in the shadow of the burnt-out Grenfell Tower, will see thousands of police officers on the streets.

Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad gave a speech yesterday morning as the celebration opened with a multi-faith prayer and release of doves in remembrance of the Grenfell victims.

Performers near to the high-rise have been asked to keep their music volume low and walk respectively.

Steel barriers, concrete blocks and weapons checks are some of the measures being used to help protect the world-famous carnival from the threat of a Barcelona-style terror incident as well as acid attacks.

Police said there is no specific counter-terrorism intelligence but security plans had been 'thoroughly reviewed' following the attack in the Spanish city earlier this month, in which 15 people died after being hit by a van.

Officers are stationed around the perimeter of the carnival zone, carrying out checks for weapons and corrosive substances, following a controversial three-week crackdown to reduce criminality at the event.

They also plan to use facial recognition technology, which will help the force spot those thought to be likely to cause trouble.

Overall policing numbers will stay the same as last year, with around six to seven thousand officers on duty each day.

A turquoise and purple-themed dancer wearing a very shiny headpiece as she smiles for the camera

Another woman with a flower in her hair during the main procession day of Notting Hill Carnival on Monday

Performers pause to take a selfie and a sip of their cups in the Underground station on their way to the carnival

A reveller proudly shows off her shiny outfit to the camera as fellow performers get ready behind her

Another carnival-goer shows her support for the victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster, which took place not far from the event

Two dancers dressed in pink walking across the streets of west London to reach the start of the parade route, which will be filled in a number of hours

This dancer has to have some last-minute alterations to have costume to make sure it is perfect for the big day

Juliana Campos and her nine-year-old daughter Bella perform in their glittery outfits as they wait for the action to get underway

Some tartan-clad performers make their way to the start of the parade on the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival

Hundreds of hand-drawn tributes, flowers and candles laid in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire will be protected by fencing, while a 'ring of care' will be formed around the tower by police officers to protect the Lancaster West estate from the hundreds of thousands of passing carnival-goers.

Ms Dent Coad, who has said the carnival is needed this year more than ever, will give a speech on Sunday morning as the celebration opens with a multi-faith prayer and release of doves in remembrance of the dead.

But somber overtones have failed to cloud the carnival atmosphere  as one Sky News reporter found out all too well yesterday.

Journalist Joe Tidy was playfully ambushed when reporting from the London festival at around 8am.

He described festival-goers' moods as 'fantastic' before spotting revellers carrying paint.

He joked: 'Hold up, I've been waiting for this!' before he was slathered in colourful paint.'

Performers passing the blackened high-rise have been encouraged to lower their music volume and walk respectfully in memory of those who died in the inferno.

This dancer is a glimmering pink as she dances extravagantly during the Notting Hill Carnival on Monday afternoon

Dancers perform during the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival in west London

Dancers throw their arms up in the air underneath a glorious August sky without a cloud in it

A woman twirls her cape during the parade as mesmerised crowds watch on from behind the safety lines

Two women dressed in eccentric outfits walk down the streets of Notting Hill as stallholders get their areas set up in the background

Samba dancers travelling on the London Underground in their colorful costumes as they make their way to Notting Hill for the carnival

Two revellers walk down the street with some early morning refreshments as festivities got underway early on bank holiday Monday

Some chicken is cooked at one of the many Caribbean food stalls that run all over the carnival site

Samba dancers dressed in their colorful costumes prepare for the carnival parade earlier on day two, as the crowds in the street begin to grow

Organisers are encouraging attendees to wear or accessorise in 'green for Grenfell' in a display of 'reverence and respect amidst the revelry'.

There will be a reflection zone near the tower and posters have been put up asking the public not to take photographs 'at the site of our great loss' - an activity which has distressed locals since the fire two months ago.

Police said a dedicated area would be put in place for people to leave tributes without obstructing the carnival flow.

The carnival is getting underway after the Met Police defended a series of raids carried out in the run-up to the event.

In three-week crackdown by officers, more than 600 people were arrested and large numbers of knives, guns, weapons, drugs and money seized.

The Met also tweeted and image of what they say was a kilogram of uncut heroin found in Catford, southeast London.
Lauren Doyle, 25, from Ealing in west London, was last seen in Hounslow on Wednesday August 23

Concerns are growing for the welfare of a pregnant woman who went missing from her home five days ago.

Lauren Doyle, 25, from Ealing in west London, was last seen in Hounslow on Wednesday August 23.

Police officers are concerned for her safety and well being as she is five months pregnant.

Miss Doyle is described as white with a slim build and shoulder length brown hair.

At the time of her disappearance she was wearing black jeans, trainers and a black body warmer.

Miss Doyle is known to visit central London and information suggests that she might be near Tottenham Court Road.

Anyone who has seen her or who knows of her whereabouts, is urged to call the Metropolitan Police in Ealing via 101 or call the charity Missing People on 116000.
Mark Cuban isn't ready to launch a formal campaign to challenge President Donald Trump.

Yet Cuban, an outspoken Texas billionaire who describes himself as 'fiercely independent' politically, sees an opportunity for someone to take down the Republican president, who is increasingly viewed as divisive and incompetent even within his own party.

'His base won't turn on him, but if there is someone they can connect to and feel confident in, they might turn away from him,' Cuban told The Associated Press. 'The door is wide open. It's just a question of who can pull it off.'

Billionaire Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could be part of a wave of Republicans and right-leaning independents mounting an organized bid to take down President Donald Trump

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has been discussed as another possible Republican primary candidate in 2020

Indeed, just seven months into the Trump presidency, Republicans and right-leaning independents have begun to contemplate the possibility of an organized bid to take down the sitting president in 2020. It is a herculean task, some say a fantasy: No president in the modern era has been defeated by a member of his own party, and significant political and practical barriers stand in the way.

The Republican National Committee, now run by Trump loyalists, owns the rulebook for nominating the party's standard-bearer and is working with the White House to ensure a process favorable to the president.

Yet Trump's muddled response to a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, this month has emboldened his critics to talk about the once unthinkable.

GOP officials from New Hampshire to Arizona have wondered aloud in recent days about the possibility of a 2020 primary challenge from a fellow Republican or right-leaning independent. No one has stepped forward yet, however, and the list of potential prospects remains small.

Trump has drawn criticism from inside the GOP, including for his comments about racial violence in Charlottesville, Virginia

Ohio's GOP Gov. John Kasich has not ruled out a second run in 2020. Another Republican and frequent Trump critic, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, last month visited Iowa, which hosts the nation's first presidential caucuses. And a handful of wealthy outsiders including Cuban and wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, are being encouraged to join the fray.

Trump's comments about Charlottesville 'frightened' many Republicans in New Hampshire, said Tom Rath, a veteran Republican strategist in the state that traditionally hosts the nation's first presidential primary election.

'While he has support from his people, the party itself is not married to him,' Rath said of his party's president.

Trump denounced bigotry after the Virginia protests, but he also said 'very fine people' were on 'both sides' of the demonstrations, which drew neo-Nazis, white nationalists and members of the Ku Klux Klan. One woman was killed when a man drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters.

Even before the divisive remarks, Trump's public approval ratings were bad. Gallup found in mid-August that the president earned the approval of just 34 percent of all adults and 79 percent of Republicans. Both numbers marked personal lows. And as he lashes out at members of his own party with increasing frequency, frustrated Republican officials have raised questions about the first-term president's political future.

On Monday, Maine Sen. Susan Collins said it's 'too early to tell' whether Trump would be the GOP presidential nominee in 2020. On Wednesday, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake said Trump's divisive governing style was 'inviting' a primary challenge. And on Thursday night, former Sen. John Danforth, of Missouri, called Trump 'the most divisive president in our history' in a Washington Post op-ed.

Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse visited Iowa last month  a hint that he could be building support for the first-in-the-nation primary caucuses

Ohio Gov. John Kasich hasn't ruled out another run for president

'There hasn't been a more divisive person in national politics since George Wallace,' Danforth wrote.

Trump has also disappointed 'The Rock,' a former Republican-turned-independent, who told Vanity Fair in May that he'd 'like to see a better leadership' from the Republican president.

Trump's response to Charlottesville 'felt like a turning point' among those thinking about 2020, said Kenton Tilford, a West Virginia political consultant who founded 'Run The Rock 2020.' He said the group has already organized volunteers in Iowa and New Hampshire.

'He's vulnerable,' Tilford said of the president.

Yet there is good reason why no sitting president since Franklin Pierce in 1852 has been defeated by a member of his own party. As is almost always the case, the most passionate voters in the president's party remain loyal. And in Trump's case, activists across the country are starting to come around.

The president has personally installed his own leadership team at the Republican National Committee and in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, where new GOP chairmen are more devout Trump supporters than their predecessors.

As RNC members from across the country gathered in Tennessee this week, leaders had already begun focusing on protecting Trump in 2020.

RNC co-chairman Bob Paduchik, who ran Trump's winning campaign for Ohio last year, was named to lead an RNC effort to review the presidential nominating process in conjunction with White House political advisers.

One possibility, last invoked during President George W. Bush's 2004 re-election, would allow party officials in some states to decide primary contests in closed caucuses without voter input. Such a change could make it all but impossible for another Republican to run a successful nationwide primary challenge.

Two members of the RNC rules committee, Bill Palatucci of New Jersey and Henry Barbour of Mississippi, said they've heard nothing of such an effort.

RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel suggested that the blowback for Trump's Charlottesville comments only reminded his hardcore supporters what they like most about him.

'He's not filtered. He's not poll-testing everything. That's part of the appeal he has,' McDaniel said. 'He has a great understanding of the pulse of the grassroots Republicans right now.'

Other RNC members seemed more concerned about the president's statement that there were 'very fine people' on both sides of the white supremacist rally.

Palatucci said Trump 'got it wrong' in his initial comments, but he stands by the president's agenda, especially business deregulation and his recent decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Barbour said the confusion following Trump's response to Charlottesville was 'a huge distraction.' The president's future will brighten, he said, if the GOP-controlled Congress overhauls the tax code and approves sweeping public building projects.

'If he doesn't get those done, we're going to have trouble,' Barbour said.

Yet few predicted a significant primary challenge in the most important early voting states.

New Hampshire RNC member Steve Duprey said he's heard no serious talk of one. Said Iowa RNC committeewoman Tamara Scott, 'I firmly stand behind my president.'
From a secret island that harbored escaped slaves to a 100-plus-year-old slice of birthday cake, Cayuga County has a variety of weird and wonderful stories to tell about the people, places and events that make up its rich history and culture. To help share these interesting and sometimes amazing stories with both local residents and visitors, the Historical Coalition of Cayuga County, with the assistance of the Cayuga County Office of Tourism, created the Odd, Quirky & Offbeat Cayuga County Heritage Trail brochure for the curious and adventuresome traveler who might want to learn about our history in a slightly less traditional way. Including 15 historic sites and museums, the brochure features Odd, Quirky & Offbeat facts about each stop on the trail that runs along scenic routes from north to south in Cayuga County, allowing history hunters to also enjoy our glistening lakes, rolling farmlands and quaint villages as they explore our heritage.

In northern Cayuga County, the Sterling Little Red Schoolhouse and Heritage Park includes a rare early 1900s signal tower that was built so close to the train tracks that it was known to shake with the passing rhythm of the trains. Moving south to Victory, we learn about survivors from the RMS Titanic who lived quietly in the village with no one knowing their astounding story until their death. And in nearby Port Byron at the Erie Canal Heritage Park, one can see the original Erie House cash register with only one worn key: the 15-cent key that was used to purchase a bottle of beer!

Central Cayuga County is where you can visit the Cayuga Museum to learn about the historic Auburn Correctional Facility, where death by electrocution was first used. You can also ring a 2,000-pound brass bell that once hung in Auburns E.D. Clapp manufacturing plant at the Ward W. OHara Agricultural & Country Living Museum. The Seward House Museum features a metal burr inscribed as being from Gen. Ulysses S. Grants casket, even though the casket was advertised as being ghoul-proof.

Southern Cayuga County was once the home of Americas first millionaire and the great philanthropist John D. Rockefeller, who displayed his entrepreneurship at a young age by raising and selling turkeys to the neighbors from his boyhood home near Moravia. Who knew this young man would grow up to form Standard Oil, once the largest oil refinery in the world? Also in southern Cayuga County, see the remains of a mastodon found by a farmer digging a pond on his property at the Rural Life Museum and Schoolhouse. He certainly dug up more than he bargained for!

As you travel along Route 90, a designated New York State Scenic Byway, you will see Frontenac Island in Union Springs, which served as an ancient burial ground for 159 humans, 18 dogs, one eagle and many funeral ritual artifacts, some from more than 500 miles away. A little further south is Scipio Lodge, a historic Masonic lodge that features a secret "room within a room" replete with symbols of freemasonry still used in todays Masonic rituals.

Scattered throughout the county are other interesting sites that reveal unique and unusual history and lore. Montezuma Heritage Park tells of the conquest of an irate giant mosquito that was killing native Iroquois along the banks of the Seneca River, and how that mosquito got its revenge. The Howland Store Museum has a historical slice of cake from Susan B. Anthonys birthday celebration. Haiti Island, home to abolitionist William O. Duvall near Port Byron, harbored escaped slaves on their way to freedom. The Old Brutus Historical Society features hand-carved decoys that were once advertised as the finest in the world. And Meridian Cemetery has the only cobblestone monument known to exist in the area.

Cayuga Countys Odd, Quirky & Offbeat heritage trail opens the door for new visitors who might not be immediately drawn to history, but are interested in the strange, unusual and sometimes unexplained. The history lessons that they will learn are almost an added bonus, which helps our sites to accomplish their primary educational and historic mission.

The Odd Quirky, & Offbeat Cayuga County Heritage Trail is a cooperative project of the Historical Coalition of Cayuga County and the Cayuga County Office of Tourism and was designed by Coburn Design, of Auburn. To get a copy of the brochure, visit the Cayuga County Office of Tourism at 131 Genesee St. in downtown Auburn, or any of the participating sites.
A British woman has given police a photo of who she has described as the 'male friend who gang-raped her along with two other men' on a Magaluf beach.

The 19-year-old gave detectives the snap after they were called to the scene near the party strip of Punta Ballena where the group had been on a night out.

Local reports have identified her as Scottish, and it is not clear whether or not she is in Spain on holiday or whether she was working there.

The Punta Ballena strip is the most popular part of the tourist resort (file image)

A spokesman for the Civil Guard confirmed this morning they had yet to make any arrests.

A source said they were working with a photo of one of the alleged offenders, thought to have been on a mobile phone the woman was carrying.

He said: 'She had a picture of one of the men she said had raped her and assured officers she could identify him.'

Police were called around 1am on Saturday.

The woman was crying and told officers she agreed to go to the beach with a male friend she knew from nights out in Punta Ballena but was gang-raped by him and two uninvited pals of his.

She said she had called out for help while she was being forced to have sex but no-one came to help her.

DNA tests are being performed on her clothes to try to extract evidence.

The Punta Ballena strip in Magaluf, where a woman says she was raped on a beach (file image)

The nationalities of the alleged offenders has not been revealed, although they are thought to be British.

A police spokesman told the Spanish newspaper that such cases were 'very complicated' and might have involved men who had since left the holiday island.

They were therefore working against the clock to try and find the three suspects.
A terrified British family of four were dramatically saved from a remote South Pacific reef when their catamaran ran aground in heavy seas and began taking on water.

They faced being stranded and were 'very lucky' a sailboat was anchored nearby and saved them, as their vessel was likely to break apart on the reef.

Martin Vogel, who came to their rescue, said the family's catamaran was a wreck after it ran aground in heavy seas at about 2.30am on Beveridge Reef in the South Pacific.

A terrified British family of four were dramatically saved from a remote South Pacific reef

Mr Vogel said he was able to communicate by radio with the family overnight and rescue the boy and girl, aged about 13 and 11, and the adults using a life raft when daylight broke a few hours later.

'They were pretty distressed but they're all sleeping now,' Mr Vogel said from a satellite phone aboard the Dona Catharina.

'Honestly, they're coping remarkably well.'

Geoff Lunt, a senior search and rescue officer from New Zealand's Rescue Coordination Center, said it was very lucky the Dona Catharina happened to be anchored inside the reef's lagoon at the time.

He said the boat was taking shelter as it sailed from New Zealand to the remote island of Niue, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) to the northwest, to help with a study of humpback whales.

Mr Lunt said the family aboard the 15-meter (50-foot) catamaran Avanti activated their distress beacon at just after 2:30am and that New Zealand officials then sent out an alert to ships.

He said the boat was taking shelter as it sailed from New Zealand to the remote island of Niue, about 240 kilometers (150 miles) to the northwest, to help with a study of humpback whales

Search and rescue officials said the family were very lucky that a nearby yacht - the sole vessel in the vicinity - was monitoring the emergency channel and able to assist

By 2:50 am they had received a call from the Dona Catharina, Mr Lunt said.

Vogel said the seven crew members aboard his 18-meter (60-foot) ketch had been intent on completing the rescue and hadn't yet gotten the full story from the family, so he wasn't sure if they were hoping to shelter at the reef or were simply unaware of its existence.

He said the lagoon inside the reef can provide calm water for boats but the Avanti had run aground on the opposite side from the lagoon's narrow entrance.

He said the family was able to gather some clothes, passports and a few treasured items when they rescued them.

He said the weather was still treacherous and he plans to wait it out before attempting to complete the journey to Niue.
Angela Merkel has said harsher measures should be taken against asylum seekers if they take a holiday in their country of origin.

It comes after she insisted she had no regrets about her response to the migrant crisis of 2015.

'Taking holidays in the country in which you are being persecuted is not on,' she said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, adding that it could be a reason to re-examine an asylum case.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said harsher measures should be taken against asylum seekers if they take a holiday in their country of origin

While there is no official data on asylum seekers going back to their home countries on 'holiday', the issue has been a hot topic in Germany.

Newspaper 'Die Welt' first reported last year that it had found cases of recognised asylum seekers who had gone back to countries such as Syria and Afghanistan for a short time.

Martin Retsch, from the UN Refugee Agency, said the practice was not 'widespread'.

However the issue surrounding migrants continues to dominate the upcoming election.

Influx: More than a million people from across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East entered Germany two years ago after Mrs Merkel opened her country's doors to Syrian refugees

In an interview yesterday, discussing her response to the refugee crisis, the Chancellor said she would do everything 'the same way again' if she had the opportunity.

She said: 'It was an extraordinary situation and I made my decision based on what I thought was right from a political and humanitarian standpoint.

'Those kinds of extraordinary situations happen every once in a while in a country's history. The head of government has to act and I did.'

Decider: Mrs Merkel said it 'was an extraordinary situation and I made my decision based on what I thought was right from a political and humanitarian standpoint'

More than a million people from across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East entered Germany two years ago when Mrs Merkel opened her country's doors to Syrian refugees.

Her party's support dropped as a consequence and led to a surge in support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which pollsters say could win up to 10 per cent in next month's election.

Mrs Merkel also attacked EU countries that refused to accept migrants as part of a redistribution plan, explaining that such behaviour is 'not on'.

'That contradicts the spirit of Europe,' she said. 'We'll overcome that.

'It will take time and patience but we will succeed.'

MERKEL WANTS TO WORK CLOSELY WITH LIBYA'S GOVERNMENT Angela Merkel says she wants to work more closely with Libya's government to curtail illegal migration from Africa to Europe. The chancellor said in an interview with public broadcaster ZDF on Sunday that she supports training Libya's coast guard to prevent migrants from risking their lives by trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Mrs Merkel says she also is interested in fostering a 'migration partnership' with Niger to inhibit the smuggling of migrants through African deserts on the way to Libya. She is scheduled to meet in Paris on Monday with her French, Italian and Spanish counterparts, as well as the presidents of Chad, Niger and Libya, for talks on curbing migration. Advertisement

Four weeks before the September 24 election, an Emnid opinion poll showed Merkel's conservatives would win 38 per cent, or 15 points ahead of the center-left Social Democrats (SPD).

That is up from 32 per cent in February but well below the 41.5 per cent her party won in the last election in 2013.

Merkel, seeing a fourth term, has had to contend with loud and sustained heckling from demonstrators strongly opposed to her refugee policies so far on the campaign trail.

The volume and intensity of the protests have been especially strong in her home region in formerly communist eastern Germany.

But the 63-year-chancellor said she would not be kept away from areas where animosity towards her runs high.

'We're a democracy and everyone can freely express themselves in public the way they want,' she said. 'It's important that we don't go out of our way to avoid certain areas only because there are a bunch of people screaming.'

Support for Merkel and her party has recovered somewhat after the influx of refugees slowed in 2016 to 280,000 and fell even further to about 106,000 in the first seven months of this year.

Mrs Merkel said it was unfair that Greece and Italy were left on their own carrying the full burden of the refugee crisis 'simply because of their geography'.

She added she would not stop pushing for a distribution of refugees across the European Union.
Teachers concerned about extremism in schools have logged up to three warnings a day with a Government terrorism hot-line.

Staff have raised 1,180 alerts with the Department of Education in two and a half years, making 741 phone-calls and sending 439 emails.

The concerns included pupils being vulnerable to radicalisation and staff members influencing their classes.

The second highest number of warnings, was 63 in May, the month that Salman Abedi murdered 22 people after an Ariana Grande Concert at the Manchester Arena (pictured)

The issues were logged with the Prevent line, a watchdog set up to protect vulnerable people from being radicalised to supporting terrorism or becoming terrorists themselves.

The highest amount of warnings raised this year was 76 in June, the month of the London Bridge terror attack.

On June 3, Khuram Butt, Rachid Redouane and Youssef Zaghba ploughed a van into pedestrians before going on a stabbing spree, killing eight and injuring 48.

The second highest number of warnings, was 63 in May, the month that Salman Abedi murdered 22 people after an Ariana Grande Concert at the Manchester Arena.

However, this year has seen a drop in the number of concerns logged with Prevent.

In 2015, 390 concerns were raised, the following year saw a significant rise to 517 and as of June this year the figure has dropped to 273.

People flee on streets around London Bridge station and Borough Market during the terror attacks on June 3

A Department for Education spokesperson: 'Extremism and intolerance have no place in our society.

'We established a telephone and email helpline to provide advice and guidance to anyone with questions relating to extremism.

'Contacts with the helpline include requests for advice, resources and information as well as specific concerns about individuals.

'Where concerns are raised we will investigate further and take appropriate action.'
A secretive night time security drill has revealed Parliament could be vulnerable to attackers who breach the defences from the River Thames.

The exercise revealed an attacker could kill as many as 100 MPs in just five minutes if attackers used a boat to breach Parliament's defences.

Security fences are only waist high at one point of the Palace of Westminster's perimeter.

The damning conclusions were reached by Sir Jon Murphy, a former Merseyside chief constable, who was asked to review Parliament's perimeter security after a terror attack on the Palace in March.

A secretive night time security drill has revealed Parliament could be vulnerable to attackers who breach the defences from the River Thames (file image)

The new exercise, revealed in Telegraph, came months after Khalid Masood attacked the Palace through its main gates on Parliament Square.

Masood ran through Carriage Gates, which were open during a vote in the Commons, and was shot dead metres inside the grounds. He was not stopped before he fatally stabbed PC Keith Palmer.

Following Sir Jon's review, an armed police officer will now be stationed on the terrace full time and security officials have recommended installing a new barrier between Parliament and the river.

Parliament's Thames terrace is a famous landmark along the river and is used all year round for functions and events. Several of Parliament's bars have outdoor seating on the terrace.

Following the review, further consideration will also be given to pedestrianising Parliament Square to ensure vehicles cannot approach the gates.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously backed the idea to improve the area for the public.

The new exercise comes months after terrorists Khalid Masood attacked the Palace of Westminster through its main gates on Parliament Square (pictured is the aftermath of the attack)

A spokesman for the Houses of Parliament would not confirm or deny the specific exercise had taken place.

They said: 'The security of members, staff and the visiting public is our highest priority.

'While we cannot comment on the specifics of our security, we work closely with the police, security services and others to ensure that our security measures are effective and meet whatever level of security risk Parliament faces.

'These measures are always, and will continue to be, under constant review.'
It's often described as a couple's worst nightmare.

And this man certainly wasn't making his friends' shopping trip to IKEA any easier as he harassed the couple with terrible puns.

A video clip of the trip shows the man butchering the Swedish language one word at a time as he follows them around the store.

The friend first approaches his friend Bekah with some plastic boxes, before asking her: 'When did you stop being such a Pruta?' But she isn't so amused

'Bekah,' he begins, approaching his friend's girlfriend with some plastic boxes. 'When did you stop being such a Pruta?'

He then approaches his best friend with an extension cord, asking him: 'Do you want a Koppla these?'

To the couple's exasperation, he returns clutching a box of saucepans, saying: 'I hope you like puns because Oumbarlig getting started.'

And he wasn't lying.

Approaching his best friend with an extension cord, he asks him: 'Do you want a Koppla these?'

'Bekah come back,' he says, pointing to a pile of chopping boards. 'Legitim I'm not going to stop.'

Other examples of his wordplay include a pillow that is too 'Gurli' and a 'Ravnso' rug that sounds suspiciously like the Disney show 'That's So Raven'.

Soon, however, his best friend can't resist joining in the fun.

Pointing to a throw, he says: 'You should really find a way to Strimlonn these puns.'

And it doesn't stop there.

Pointing to a box of flat-packed furniture in the warehouse, the friend says: 'There's a severe Lack of puns on these shelves,' before asking the couple when they are going to get 'Maryd'.
A CNN correspondent shadowing a rescue team during Tropical Storm Harvey helped an elderly couple and their daughter out of a home in Texas after it was left completely flooded.

Correspondent Ed Lavandera and producer Jason Morris were on board a boat with volunteer Austin Seth in Dickinson, Texas, when a woman flagged them down asking them to help save her and her elderly parents from a flooded home.

Tropical Storm Harvey was set to dump more rain on Houston on Monday, adding to catastrophic flooding that paralyzed the fourth most populous US city and prompted mass evacuations in nearby counties as rivers hit crests not seen for centuries.

CNN's Ed Lavandera and producer Jason Morris were on a boat in Dickinson, Texas, when a woman asked them to help her and her elderly parents from a flooded home

The water outside the family's home was waist deep, and the family had been stuck inside their house overnight until the rescue team arrived

Several families were left trapped in their homes in waist-deep water overnight as more rain headed their way.

CNN's Lavandera shadowed a volunteer who was helping those trapped on Sunday and bringing them to safety.

The reporting team filmed as Lavandera put his microphone down and helped lift an elderly man into their boat.

The man, initially worried at pooling water inside the boat, appeared to be in shock as he waited for the rest of his family to be carried out.

One of the family's dog was then brought out of the house as Seth worked to rescue the women still inside the home.

The CNN news team put the camera on the floor of the boat as they helped the woman and her mother, who has Alzheimer's, out of their house.

There were rescue efforts takings place across Dickinson, southeast of Houston, over the weekend as water reached as high as the tops of cars.

Harvey came ashore late on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years and has killed at least two people.

It has since sat in the same general area around Texas' Gulf of Mexico Coast where it is forecast to remain for several more days, drenching parts of the region with a year's worth of rainfall in the span of a week.

Several families were left trapped in their homes in waist-deep water overnight as more rain headed their way. CNN's Lavandera shadowed a volunteer who was helping those trapped on Sunday and bringing them to safety

The reporting team filmed as Lavandera put his microphone down and helped lift an elderly man into their boat

Schools, airports and office buildings in Houston were ordered shut on Monday as scores of roads were turned into rivers by floods and chest-high water filled numerous neighborhoods in the low-lying city.

Torrential rain from Harvey hit areas more than 150 miles (240 km) away, swelling rivers upstream and causing a surge that was heading toward the Houston area.

More than 50,000 people were ordered to leave parts of Fort Bend County, about 35 miles (55 km) southwest of Houston, as the Brazos River was set to crest at a record high of 59 feet (18 m) this week, 14 feet (4.3 m) above its flood stage.

Brazos County Judge Robert Hebert told reporters the forecast crest represents a high not seen in at least 800 years.

Steve Bowen, chief meteorologist at reinsurance firm Aon Benfield, said: 'What we're seeing is the most devastating flood event in Houston's recorded history. We're seeing levels of rainfall that are unprecedented.'

Total precipitation could reach 50 inches (127 cm) in some coastal areas of Texas by the end of the week, or the average rainfall for an entire year, forecasters said.

'Water started flooding our house and by last night we were unable to leave,' said Maria Davila, one of about 1,000 people in a makeshift shelter at Houston's sprawling convention center.

The man, initially worried at pooling water inside the boat, appeared to be in shock as he waited for the rest of his family to be carried out

One of the family's dog was then brought out of the house as Seth worked to rescue the women still inside the home. The CNN news team put the camera on the floor of the boat as they helped the woman and her mother, who has Alzheimer's, out of their house

US President Donald Trump plans to go to Texas on Tuesday to survey damage from the storm, a White House spokeswoman said on Sunday.

Trump, facing the first big US natural disaster since he took office in January, signed a disaster proclamation on Friday, triggering federal relief efforts.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday 54 counties had been declared state disaster areas and he plans to add 1,000 more National Guard personnel to the flood battle.

The Harris County Sheriff's Office rescued more than 2,000 people in the greater Houston area using vehicles including motorboats, airboats and humvees on Sunday, a spokesman said.

The US Coast Guard and Houston police rescued hundreds more as residents brought boats to staging centers to help.

The Gulf is home to almost half of the nation's refining capacity, and the reduced supply could affect gasoline supplies across the US Southeast and other parts of the country.

Shutdowns extended across the coast, including Exxon Mobil's Baytown refinery, the second largest US refinery.

Gasoline futures rose as much as 7 percent in early trading on Sunday evening. Heating oil futures, a proxy for distillates like diesel fuel, were up as much as 3 percent, with supplies expected to be curtailed.

Tropical Storm Harvey was set to dump more rain on Houston on Monday, adding to catastrophic flooding that paralyzed the fourth most populous US city and prompted mass evacuations in nearby counties as rivers hit crests not seen for centuries

The outages will limit the availability of US crude, gasoline and other refined products for global consumers and further push up prices, analysts said.

All Houston port facilities will be closed on Monday because of the weather threat, a port spokeswoman said on Sunday night.

More than 220,000 customers in the Houston area were without power on Monday morning, utilities CenterPoint Energy and AEP Texas said.

Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, one of the nation's busiest, and William P. Hobby airport halted all commercial flights on Sunday. The airports remained closed to commercial traffic on Monday.

Forecasters could only draw on a few comparisons to the storm, recalling Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and killed 1,800 people in 2005.

Katrina resulted in more than $15 billion in flood insurance losses in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Flood damage in Texas from Hurricane Harvey may equal that from Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in US history, an insurance research group said on Sunday.
A homeless Polish-born lorry driver accused of killing eight people had stopped in the slow lane of the M1 for 12 minutes before the crash and was almost twice the drink drive limit, a court heard today.

Ryszard Masierak, 31, of Evesham, Worcestershire, sobbed in the dock at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court where he appeared in connection with Britain's most deadly road crash for a generation.

Six men and two women travelling in a minibus including its much-loved driver Cyriac Joseph died in the worst tragedy on Britain's roads for nearly 25 years.

Their vehicle had to swerve to avoid Masierak's stationary Scania lorry, which had been stationary in lane one for nearly quarter of an hour.

But the minibus was 'squashed flat' as it collided with a second lorry in lane two with all three vehicles then smashing into each other near Newport Pagnell at 3.15am on Saturday morning.

Ryszard Masierak, 31, of Evesham, Worcestershire, sobbed in the dock at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court today where he appeared in connection with Britain's most deadly road crash for a generation

M1 crash victim Cyriac Joseph's son Benson, wife Ancy and daughter Bennita (left to right) prayed for him in church yesterday at a special memorial service in his honour in Nottingham yesterday

Cyriac Joseph died in the horror crash where eight people including Vivek Baskaran lost their lives

Eight people died after Mr Joseph's minibus, pictured above, was 'squashed flat' after a crash with two lorries on the M1 on Saturda

Masierak, whose former flatmate said he is living in his car after splitting with his wife, was also charged with cdrink driving after he gave a reading of 55 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of breath - the legal limit for driving is 35.

Mano Ranjan Panneerselvam and his wife Sangeetha were critically injured but have survived

He is accused of eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving, four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed limit.

Minibus driver Cyriac Joseph, 52, was also killed along with three Indian IT workers, Karthikeyan Ramasubramaniyam Pugalur, Rishi Rajeev Kumar and Vivek Bhaskaran.

Mr Joseph's son Benson, wife Ancy and daughter Bennita prayed for him in church yesterday at a special memorial service in his honour in Nottingham yesterday.

Four others, including the orphaned girl, were seriously hurt. She was trapped in the wreckage for more than an hour and was found under a seat.

They were part of group of 11 family and friends travelling from Nottingham to London to go on a holiday to France.

Masierak sobbed in the dock at High Wycombe Magistrates Court as a total of 20 charges were read to him.

In addition to causing death by dangerous driving Masierak of Barnards Close, Evesham, Worcestershire, is accused of four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed limit.

He allegedly gave a reading of 55 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of breath - the legal limit for driving is 35.

His lawyer Sarah Powell handed Masierak, who was dressed in a grey track suit, a tissue as the charges were read. She said no plea would be entered at this stage and did not apply for bail.

The lorry driver, who was aided by an interpreter, had his head bowed for most of the 35 minutes hearing.

Prosecutor Zainab Mohamed said the collision, which happened on the southbound carriageway of the M1 near junction 14 at Newport Pagnell at 3.15am on Saturday morning, involved Masierak's Scania lorry, which was stationary in lane one. The minibus, in which the victims were travelling pulled out of lane one, and was hit by another lorry.

He was remanded in custody and will appear at Aylesbury Crown Court on September 26

Masierak leaves High Wycombe Magistrates Court in a prison van after being was remanded in custody and will appear at Aylesbury Crown Court on September 26

Chief Inspector Henry Parsons, from Thames Valley Police, outside court where he said the four survivors of the horror smash are all in a serious condition in hospital

A former flatmate of the lorry driver in court today said he had recently been divorced and that his transport business had closed down last year.

The man, who asked not to be named, also said Masierak had served in the Polish Army, and had been living in a car for two months since splitting from his wife.

His flatmate, who did not wish to be named, said that he had been trying to help him.

He said: 'He had been living in a car so I wanted to help him, he was practically homeless. I can't believe what has happened.'

Police had called at his house on Saturday night to look at Maseriak's passport and returned on Sunday to ask his flatmate about Maseriak.

The ill-fated minibus trip had been organised by P Manoranjan, who worked at IT firm Wipro in Nottingham with the other three.

His parents, who were visiting from India, were also in the minibus.

Mr Manoranjan, his wife and his mother survived the crash, but his father died along with his aunt and uncle and his three colleagues.

One of the trio was the father of the little girl, whose mother was also killed.

Pictured: The front of a FedEx lorry was completely caved in (bottom right) while a second lorry appeared to have jack-knifed across the M1 carriageway. The minibus was described as 'squashed'. The first victim has been named as father-of-two and minibus driver Cyriac Joseph (bottom left and top right)

Some of those on board the minibus were visiting the UK from India and Thames Valley Police said this evening it's possible all eight people who were killed were from the same family

Bank Holiday horror: The smashed up cab of the FedEx lorry involved in a fatal crash being towed away from the scene as four others remain in hospital

Two lorries collided with the 16-seater minibus in the southbound carriageway, close to junction 15 for Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, at 3.15am.

Tribute to 'cool and caring' IT worker who died in the horror crash A friend of one of the victims of the M1 horror crash has paid tribute to Vivek Baskaran. The 26-year-old senior project engineer had moved to Nottingham from Chennai in India in April. He had planned to come to the UK for two years and was working for a customer on behalf of Indian IT firm Wipro. His friend Praveen J, who lives in India, said: 'A very honest friend I ever had. 'A very cool, caring and courageous guy. 'He was an excellent leader and performer. 'He is liked by many. 'I am totally astonished to hear his demise news in a very tragic way. 'May his soul rest in peace. 'May God bless his parents with all strength, courage and love which they are in need at the moment.' Mr Baskaran was not married and did not have any children. Advertisement

A source close to the family revealed that victim Vivek Bhaskaran, 26, was going to visit old school friends in Germany with a second crash victim Rishi Rajeev Kumar.

They also had plans to visit Belgium, France, and Switzerland.

They joined colleague Mano Ranjan Panneersavlem, who was travelling to France with his family, on an ABC Travels minibus from Nottingham.

All three men were working in the city for IT firm Wipro Ltd, along with a fourth victim, Karthikeyan Ramasubramaniyam Pugalur.

Vivek had come over to the UK in April, having previously lived in Chennai.

The source said the family were hoping for justice after losing their son.

Mano Ranjan had been travelling with his wife Sangeetha, mum and dad, A and Shri Valli Panneersalvem, and his aunt and uncle Tamilmani and Arachelvan Arunachalam. They had planned a last minute trip to France after arriving in the UK on August 18.

Dr Arun Arachelvan, 30, Tamilmani and Arachelvan's son, said: 'I received a call from police at around 8:30 pm IST last night (Saturday). I could not believe what they were saying.

'They told me my parents and other relatives were in an accident and that my parents died on the spot.

'My uncle succumbed to his injuries while on the way to hospital. I have been told that my aunt Valli and sister-in-law are fine but traumatised. My cousin Mano Ranjan is still critical.

'I have applied for a visa but it will take 48-50 hours. I am requesting that the British and Indian High Commission understand the sensitivity of the case and expedite the visa process.

'The police are very helpful. They have told me as it is a medical-legal case, the autopsy can take seven to ten days. They think the truck driver was drunk.

'They have said they will keep in touch with me and tell me a timeline so I can go and retrieve their bodies.

'I am shell shocked. My parents were supposed to be back on September 2.'

Six men and two women have been killed in the M1 collision in Newport Pagnell and one man, one woman and a five-year-old girl are in hospital with life-threatening injuries, Thames Valley Police have said. The remains of the minibus, which is in two pieces, are pictured being removed from scene on the M1 motorway

Pictured: Visible skid marks can be seen in the left-hand lane while the churned up verge shows where vehicles collided with the bank

The accident happened just after 3am on Saturday morning involving two lorries and a minibus, thought to have been travelling from Nottingham

Father of two Cyriac Joseph, who was driving the minibus, was the first person involved to be named.

The 52-year-old's devastated wife Ancy, son Benson and daughter Bennita attended a memorial service at St Paul's Roman Catholic Church, on Lenton Boulevard, on Sunday morning.

His bereaved son Benson said his father had booked the job to take the family visiting from India down to London.

Benson said he missed his father 'so much' already as he heartbreakingly revealed he and his mother and sister had only just returned from holiday.

He said: 'We had not seen dad for a while. He stayed home so he could keep running the company. That's when he agreed to take these clients. We hardly saw him after we got back. I miss him so much already.'

Around 100 people gathered for the near two-hour service, held to remember their friend.

Matthew John - a spokesman for the family and Ancy's cousin - paid tribute to him.

The 41-year-old, also of Sherwood, said: 'He was a great dad and he was always a family-orientated person, and a very loving person.

'He was a great leader, involved in a lot of community activities. He was very active with the local church.

'He was a very hard-working person. He did what he thought was best for his family. When he came from India, he had the courage to start his own business.

'He was successfully doing that and sadly this happened - a great loss for the entire community.'

Mr Joseph moved to Nottingham from India 13 years ago and set up company ABC Travels, which he ran from his home in Linby Close, in 2008.

Father Biju Joseph, of Arnold, had been supporting the family after the horror crash.

The 38-year-old said: 'He was such a wonderful man. He was a very good family man.

'He was hard-working and very generous. He was such a lovely person. That's why we feel this is a great, great loss for all of us.'

Mr Joseph leaves behind wife Ancy - a cardiac nurse at Nottingham City Hospital - son Benson - who had just been offered a place at the University of Birmingham to study Cyber Security - and daughter Bennita - who had just collected her GCSE results, which were all either A*s or As.

Lorry driver Masierak, of Evesham, Worcestershire, appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court today, charged with eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving, four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

A second lorry driver, David Wagstaff, 53, of Stoke-on-Trent, has also been charged with eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving and four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in connection with the smash.

He was bailed to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on September 11.

Pictured: Cyriac Joseph was killed outright when his minibus - carrying eleven passengers - was involved in a crash with two lorries

Mano Ranjan Panneerselvam (pictured) was critically injured in the accident

Witnesses described horrific scenes, and photos of the aftermath show the serious damage caused to the minibus, which was left a mangled wreck.

Other images show a FedEx lorry with its cab crushed and a twisted AIM Logistics truck.

Mr Joseph, owner of ABC Travels, had picked up the group from Nottingham and they were 80 miles into their journey when the crash happened.

Mani Balasubramian, the director of a local news station in Chennai, said his sister, Shri Valli Panneerselvam, and her husband, A Panneerselvam, were on the bus.

They had travelled to the UK to see their son Mr Manoranjan, who had moved to Nottingham six months earlier to work for Wipro.

He said that two days after arriving the family made a last-minute plan to tour France for a week.

Also on the trip was Mr Manoranjan's wife Sangeetha, who also survived. But his uncle Arachelcan Arunachalam and aunt Tamilmani, 55, were killed.

The five-year-old girl was trapped under a seat.

Passer-by Brett Smith, 36, told how he held her hand and promised her a McDonald's as they waited for the emergency services. She was in a critical condition in hospital last night, with two others.

A fourth injured passenger, a woman, was in a serious but stable condition.

Mr Balasubramian, 54, said: 'We learnt about the accident in the morning. My brother-in-law and his sister and her husband died.'

ADHD charity advocate Brett Smith, 36, from Milton Keynes, said the minibus was 'filled with blood' when he reached it, and spoke of his horror as he held a girl's hand to comfort her. Pictured right, Mr Smith showing his injuries

Tributes: Dozens gathered at Cyriac's local church in Sherwood, Nottingham yesterday afternoon for a special memorial service following the tragic news

Friends and family paid tribute to Mr Joseph  known as Benny  and described him as a hard-working family man.

Originally from Kerala in southern India, where he studied botany, he moved with his wife Ancy, 52, and their two children to the UK more than ten years ago. He set up his own business in 2008.

Friend Manu Zachariah, 45, said: 'Cyriac was not like normal fathers.

'He would love to spend his money and time on his children like none of his friends.

'He was always very encouraging of their extra-curricular activities. He was an extraordinary father, and would do anything for his friends. He was always there for us and will be really missed.'

The road was closed for ten hours after the crash. The death toll is the highest from a crash on a British motorway since 1993, when 12 children and their teacher died in a crash on the M40.

Spokesmen for AIM Logistics and FedEx expressed sympathies to those who lost loved ones in the crash, and said they were assisting police with their inquiries. Police have appealed for witnesses.
Vladimir Putin has a new lavish holiday home with gold-plated tiles in the swimming pool just a few miles from Russia's border with the West, according to the Moscow media.

His sumptuous bolt-hole is part of a complex involving a restored tsarist mansion famous as being used in a Soviet movie about Sherlock Holmes.

Villa Sellgren is built on an island in the Vyborg Bay, around 12 miles from the Russian border with Finland.

Officially it belongs to close friends of the Kremlin president but locals say it is the latest prestige home in a stunning property portfolio rumoured to be Putin's.

3D images supposedly highlighting the interior of a 16,150 sq ft Putin dacha show a grandiose indoor swimming pool, a steam sauna, a billiard room and study with the Russian double headed eagle emblem.

Vladimir Putin's has a new lavish holiday home with gold-plated tiles in the swimming pool

Putin's sumptuous bolt-hole is part of a complex involving a restored tsarist mansion famous as being used in a Soviet movie about Sherlock Holmes

Villa Sellgren was originally built before the Russian Revolution in 1913 by famous Finnish architect Uno Ullberg and is well known for scenes in a 1987 Soviet film on Sherlock Holmes

Vladimir Putin has a new lavish holiday home with gold-plated tiles in Russia, it's been reported

Lodochny island and the sea around it is reported to be heavily guarded by Russian Federal Protection Service officers, preventing locals getting close.

Villa Sellgren was originally built before the Russian Revolution in 1913 by famous Finnish architect Uno Ullberg and is well known for scenes in a 1987 Soviet film on Sherlock Holmes.

A source told independent TV Rain in Moscow: 'After 2010 they started building a dacha for Putin there.'

The rundown villa was renovated and either a massive extension has been added to the mansion, or a new separate home is built nearby, it is claimed.

Several other large houses have also appeared on the island.

Locals have posted complaints on the internet saying previous access to the island has been banned and a helicopter pad installed.

There is 'even a radar on the beach so that the enemy divers can't get through', according to one.

The 3D images and a floor plan were also posted online, an evident leak of construction plans for the holiday home

Rus construction company - linked to the 3D images - refused to comment on the development

Another, called Alexander, wrote: 'This is Putin's residence here.'

This latest alleged Putin villa is only 60 miles from another village complex where one home has a grass covered roof on the shore of Lake Ladoga in Karelia region

He normally stays once a year, and locals cannot go fishing from the island as they used to be able to do.

A three miles fence surrounded the supposed Putin villa.

The 3D images and a floor plan were also posted online, an evident leak of construction plans for the holiday home.

This showed the swimming pool, part of an 'underground spa', captioned using Putin's initials: 'Here is where VVP bathes.'

According to Alexander, Putin comes to the property once a year although no official announcement was ever made.

Officially, land on the island was switched some years ago from being protected forest to allow the development of a 'resort'.

Until 2014, the Sellgren complex officially belonged to the head of Baltic Media Group Oleg Rudnov, described as an 'old Putin friend'

Attempting to reach the mansion, security guards told TV Rain it was a 'closed object' with no access

This latest alleged Putin villa is only 60 miles from another village complex where one home has a grass covered roof on the shore of Lake Ladoga in Karelia region

Rus construction company - linked to the 3D images - refused to comment on the development.

Bosses of another company - Adis Group design bureau - failed to answer requests for information on the alleged Putin dacha from TV Rain.

Attempting to reach the mansion, security guards told TV Rain it was a 'closed object' with no access.

Until 2014, the Sellgren complex officially belonged to the head of Baltic Media Group Oleg Rudnov, described as an 'old Putin friend', who also once owned Lindstrem's dacha in St Petersburg, also now alleged to be Putin's.

Rudnov died in 2015, and his son Sergey inherited his empire including Sever company which officially owns the island properties linked by the media to Putin.

This latest alleged Putin villa is only 60 miles from another village complex where one home has a grass covered roof on the shore of Lake Ladoga in Karelia region.

He is also rumoured to own a palace on the Black Sea called Gelendzhik, and a dacha close to St Petersburg, and an Altai Mountains retreat officially belonging to Gazrom.
A furious Pakistani mob burned an effigy of Donald Trump during a rally against the US a week after he slammed Islamabad for harbouring terrorists.

Pictures have emerged of the figure depicting the President engulfed in flames as the cheering crowd hoist Pakistani flags in the air.

Other demonstrators punched the air and held up placards reading, 'US President Donald Trump (is) stupid.'

People burn an effigy of US President Donald Trump during a rally against the US, near the Afghan border in Chaman, Pakistan

A Pakistani man shouts anti-American slogans and another holds up a placard reading, 'US President Donald Trump (is) stupid,' during a rally in Torkham, a border town along the Afghanistan border

People hold an effigy of US President Donald Trump and hoist Pakistani flags skyward during a rally against the US

Pakistani tribal protesters burn an effigy of President Donald Trump during a rally in Torkham. Protesters have rejected President Donald Trump's allegation that Islamabad is harboring militants who battle US forces in Afghanistan

Pakistan has already postponed a visit by a US diplomat who had been due to arrive Monday, a week after President Donald Trump publicly upbraided Islamabad for harbouring militants attacking US and Afghan troops.

The delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Alice Wells was set to be the first major visit by an American official since the president's comments.

'At the request of the Gov't of Pakistan, the visit of the US delegation has been postponed until a mutually convenient time,' the foreign ministry said late Sunday.

In a major speech outlining US policy on Afghanistan Trump slammed Pakistan for offering safe havens to 'agents of chaos' and suggested relations would be adjusted immediately. He offered few details.

Successive US administrations have criticised Pakistan for maintaining links with the Taliban and harbouring leading jihadists - like Osama bin Laden.

In a major speech outlining US policy on Afghanistan President Donald Trump slammed Pakistan for offering safe havens to 'agents of chaos' and suggested relations would be adjusted immediately

Following Trump's remarks, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also cautioned that Pakistan could lose its status as a major US ally and see its US military aid suspended.

Pakistan's powerful military chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in comments after the speech, demanded 'trust' rather than continued financial aid from Washington.

Islamabad has repeatedly denied claims of being soft on militancy, accusing its ally of ignoring the thousands who have been killed in Pakistan and the billions spent fighting extremists.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump's personal lawyer acknowledged Monday that the president's company pursued a Trump Tower in Moscow during the Republican primary, but that the plan was abandoned "for a variety of business reasons." He said that at one point he reached out to the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin about approvals from the Russian government.

The attorney, Michael Cohen, said in a statement to the House intelligence committee that he worked on the real estate proposal with Felix Sater, a Russia-born associate who he said claimed to have deep connections in Moscow. The panel is one of several on Capitol Hill investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The discussions occurred in the fall of 2015, months after Trump had declared his candidacy, and ended early last year when Cohen determined that the project was not feasible, according to the statement from Cohen.

The potential deal shows that the Trump Organization was actively considering doing business in Russia during the presidential election, providing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators considerable fodder for turning their investigation into Russian collusion toward Trump's personal and business finances. Trump has said Mueller would be crossing a red line by delving into his finances.

The negotiations of the possible Trump Tower Moscow deal were first reported Sunday night by The Washington Post. On Monday, The New York Times reported on an email in which Sater appeared to boast that the real estate deal could help Trump get elected.

"Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Sater wrote in an email, according to the Times. "I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

He also said in an another email about a possible ribbon-cutting: "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected."

In the two-page statement obtained by The Associated Press, Cohen said he emailed Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, after Sater suggested that "the proposal would require approvals within the Russian government that had not been issued." Cohen said he did not recall any response to his email, or any other contacts with Peskov or other Russian government officials about the project.

Cohen portrayed the proposal as one of "countless" that the Trump Organization has received for developments around the world, noting that Trump had properties and developments in about a dozen different countries.

Cohen said that the project first came to his attention in September 2015 when he received a proposal for a "Trump Tower Moscow" that would house a luxury hotel, office spaces and condominiums.

Cohen said that he "performed some initial due diligence" to determine whether it was a good fit for the Trump Organization, and Trump ultimately signed a nonbinding letter of intent with the Moscow-based developer, I.C. Expert Investment Co. on Oct. 28, 2015. After the signing of the letter, the Trump Organization sought building designs from architects and held "preliminary discussions regarding potential financing" for the building.

Cohen said he also communicated extensively with Sater, who was brokering the deal and stood to receive payment from the Russian developer if it came to fruition.

In his statement, Cohen downplayed Sater's comments in the emails.

"Over the course of my business dealings with Mr. Sater, he has sometimes used colorful language and has been prone to 'salesmanship'," Cohen said. "As a result, I did not feel that it was necessary to routinely apprise others within the Trump Organization of communications that Mr. Sater sent only to me."

Cohen said that Sater "constantly" invited him to travel to Moscow and encouraged him to bring Trump. But Cohen said he rebuffed the overtures. He said he has never traveled to Russia, and never considered asking Trump to go to Russia, which he said he only would have encouraged if there was a "definitive agreement in place."

Cohen said the proposal, which was contingent upon the developer finding an appropriate property and getting necessary permits, was under consideration until the end of January 2016. At that point, he said that he determined the "proposal was not feasible for a variety of business reasons and should not be pursued further." He said neither the decision to pursue the development nor the decision to abandon it were related to Trump's presidential campaign.
A group of university students have captured the adorable moment a stranded koala was rescued from a raging river using a canoe.

Several La Trobe University Outdoor and Environmental Education students came across the marsupial at Ulupna Island, in the Murray River, on Sunday at the end of their three-day outdoor trip.

They believe the koala had been left stranded there for days before the students found it on a tree top during lunchtime while canoeing on the river.

Scroll down for video

Several university students in Bendigo have captured a moment of an adorable koala rescue

Matt, a student with La Trobe University, is seen helping the koala to safety by using a canoe

Kirra Coventry, who recorded footage, told Daily Mail Australia they believed the koala became stranded after water levels in the river rose too fast for it to come down to safety.

'It could have been up there for days.

'My friend Matt was paddling when he began to noticed this koala, it looked like it wanted to jump in and so we slowed down our boats.

'It was as though we could see the whole thought process, that it wanted to jump so much onto our canoe,' she said laughing.

She said the rescue mission was over in five minutes and the koala was sent to the nearby shore.

'It sat there for five to ten minutes before wandering off again,' she said.

Ms Coventry posted the rescue video onto her personal Facebook page and said that it had been a hit with her friends.

The same video was also re-posted by Bendigo SES, a group which she volunteers for during her spare time.

Koala jumps out as soon as several La Trobe University students complete their rescue mission
An Indian court has sentenced a controversial spiritual leader to 20 years in prison for raping two of his devotees, days after his followers went on a rampage that left 38 dead.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 50, had been convicted on Friday of raping the two women at the sprawling headquarters of his hugely popular Dera Sacha Sauda sect in the northern state of Haryana, in a case dating back more than 15 years.

At least 38 people were killed and more than 200 were injured during intense rioting last week and security was beefed up ahead of his sentencing in Haryana state today.

Such is the worry over tensions escalating, the sentencing judge was flown to the prison in which Singh is locked up and the library was converted into a court. Outside, police officers were ordered to shoot protesters on sight.

The prosecution team are working on two appeals as they believe he is hiding at least 48 other victims who may have been killed to stop them testifying.

Indian spiritual guru, who calls himself Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, arrives for a press conference ahead of the release of his new film MSG, The Warrior Lion Heart, in New Delhi, India

Indian security personnel stand guard along a road near Sonariya jail in Rohtak on August 28

Rapist: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 50, known as 'the guru in bling', has been found guilty of raping two female devotees

Followers of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh throw stones at security forces during clashes after the controversial guru was convicted of rape in Panchkula on August 25, 2017

Supporters of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh throw stones at security forces as they are sprayed with a water cannon in Panchkula

Prosecuting lawyer Utsav Singh Bains said after the sentence was pronounced at a makeshift court at Rohtak in Haryana: 'Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 10 years in jail.'

But it later transpired the sentence was 20 years.

Bains, lawyer for the victims, said he would seek a longer sentence and asked India's federal investigations bureau to investigate dozens more alleged cases of abuse.

'We will file two appeals shortly. One for enhancement of the punishment and another for further investigation into the case,' Bains said.

'We believe there are at least 48 more victims who were sexually abused and who may have been killed or are too scared to come out and testify against Ram Rahim.'

Authorities have clamped intense security on the city of Rohtak where Singh is being held due to fears of a repeat of Friday's violence, when tens of thousands of his supporters set fire to cars and clashed with security forces.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violence but his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also in power in Haryana, was criticised for failing to anticipate the riots.

Police were taking no chances in Rohtak, where mobile internet has been cut, roads barricaded with barbed wire and soldiers deployed to man checkpoints.

But while the national army were kitted out in full riot gear, it appeared the local police officers were armed with nothing but cricket helmets to defend themselves.

A Delhi Transport Corporation bus set on fire by followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim after his conviction in a rape case, in New Delhi on Friday

Dera Sacha Sauda sect members, who support rapist Singh (right) overturn an OB van on the streets of Panchkula, India (left)

Indian security personnel stand guard along a road near Sonariya jail in Rohtak on August 28, 2017

Indian policemen stand guard at a temporary road blockade near Sunaria Jail where Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is lodged in Rohtak, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) from New Delhi, India

Conviction: A follower of Singh pleads for his safety after being hit with a stick during clashes between the controversial guru's followers and security forces

Indian security personnel check vehicles near Sonariya jail in Rohtak in Haryana on August 28

Indian Para-military force soldiers stand guard near Sunaria Jail where Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is locked up in Rohtak

Indian security personnel check vehicles near Sonariya jail in Rohtak in Haryana ahead of the sentencing

Supporters of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh throw stones at security forces next to burning vehicles during clashes in Panchkula

More than 100 of Singh's senior loyalists have been placed in detention as a precautionary measure, said Rohtak police chief Navdeep Singh Virk.

He said his officers would use 'whatever force is required' against the guru's devotees should they again resort to violence.

'If the situation so arises that (we) need to use firearms, my officers have complete authority,' the police chief told broadcaster NDTV.

A judge was flown in by helicopter to sentence the spiritual leader known as the 'guru in bling' for his penchant for bejewelled costumes.

The rape case was brought after an anonymous letter was sent to then-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002, accusing Singh of repeatedly raping the sender and several other women in the sect.

Sex crimes to sieges: India's controversial 'godmen'

India's self-styled 'godmen' have legions of devoted followers but many are dogged by scandal and several have been charged or convicted of crimes. Gurus - often Hindu ascetics - have long played an integral role in the daily lives of many Indians, who believe their teachings provide a pathway to enlightenment. But sceptics say some of the newer 'godmen' are nothing more than confidence tricksters who use their often poor followers to win power, fame and riches. Many lure supporters with free canteens, clinics and other services not provided by the state. But experts point out that among their devotees are wealthy and educated Indians and say they also provide a sense of community and purpose in a rapidly changing country. Gurmeet Ram Rahim singh in a helicopter in which he was flown from Panchkula to Rohtak town to be locked up Here are some of the more famous godmen: Rampal Maharaj Rampal Maharaj, who was wanted for conspiracy to murder back in 2014 In 2014 Rampal Maharaj barricaded himself into his ashram, guarded by devotees armed with stones, petrol bombs and other weapons, after a court issued a warrant for his arrest on a series of charges including conspiracy to murder. It was days before police were finally able to clear the giant complex and arrest the guru, who considered himself an incarnation of a 15th-century mystic Indian poet. Six people died during the siege. Followers said the guru regularly bathed in milk, which was then used to make kheer, a sweet rice pudding that they believed could cure illnesses. Ashutosh Maharaj A cardboard cut-out of Ashutosh Maharaj which devotees still offer prayers to Devotees of Ashutosh Maharaj, who died in January 2014, are preserving his body in a freezer and insist he is in a deep meditative state. The hugely wealthy founder of the multi-million dollar Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission) sect apparently died of cardiac arrest. But his followers say he is in a spiritual state called samadhi and have kept his body in a freezer at his heavily guarded 100-acre (40-hectare) ashram in the northern state of Punjab. One man who claimed to be his former driver has alleged that followers were refusing to release the body because they wanted a share of the guru's assets. Asaram Bapu Suspected child rapist Asaram Bapu is a guru who once condemned Valentine's Day as encouraging young people to engage in 'dirty acts' Asaram Bapu, a white-bearded guru who once condemned Valentine's Day as encouraging young people to engage in 'dirty acts', is charged with several offences including rape, trafficking and sexual crimes against minors. Police arrested him in 2013 after a 16-year-old girl accused him of raping her on the pretext of ridding her of 'evil spirits'. Hundreds of the 76-year-old's supporters clashed with television news crews and police after his arrest. Since then at least three key witnesses have been shot dead. In his preachings, he had urged followers to live a 'pious life' free of sexual desires. Swami Nithyananda Indian guru Swami Nithyananda faces a series of assault and sexual abuse charges Indian guru Swami Nithyananda faces a series of assault and sexual abuse charges, although he has never been convicted. Five women accused the 40-year-old of abusing them at his Hindu religious retreat in the southern state of Karnataka. He was held in jail for 53 days in 2010 after a sex video scandal. When a local television station aired the footage purportedly showing him fondling two women, angry villagers attacked his ashram, where devotees practise yoga and follow spiritual teachings. Nithyananda, who also operates a meditation centre in Los Angeles, has claimed to possess paranormal powers of levitation. Sathya Sai Baba Sathya Sai Baba was one of India's most famous and widely followed gurus, known for his vast charitable empire Sathya Sai Baba was one of India's most famous and widely followed spiritual gurus, known for his vast charitable empire. When he died in 2011, he was given a state funeral attended by tens of thousands of followers, as well as then-prime minister Manmohan Singh and cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar. But his charitable trust was often criticised for lacking transparency. After his death 98 kilos (215 pounds) of gold, 307 kilos of silver and 115 million rupees (around $1.8 million) in cash were found in his private quarters. At public meetings, his showman antics - in which he would miraculously produce gold coins or watches on stage - brought him both fame and notoriety, with critics accusing him of being a fraudster. Advertisement

A judge asked the federal Central Bureau of Investigation to look into the accusations, but it took years to trace the alleged victims and it was not until 2007 that two women came forward and filed charges.

An estimated 200,000 members of Singh's Dera Sacha Sauda movement had gathered in the city of Panchkula in a show of support a day before his guilty verdict.

Violent protests followed across his power base in Haryana which borders New Delhi, with police deploying tear gas and water cannon.

Critics say Haryana state authorities grossly underestimated the risk posed by the army of devotees.

Over the weekend thousands of followers congregated in the spiritual headquarters of his sect at Sirsa, despite calls from police and troops for them to disperse.

Devotees eventually began trickling out one by one from the compound Sunday, under the supervision of hundreds of soldiers and riot police, after a curfew was briefly lifted.

Modi said Sunday it was 'natural to be worried' as the violence even briefly reached the capital New Delhi.

'Violence is not acceptable in the nation, in any form,' he said in his monthly radio address.

'Those who take law in their hands or take to violence will not be spared, whoever they are.'

Followers of the self-styled 'godman' continue to insist upon his innocence.

India has been rocked by numerous scandals involving popular ascetics claiming to possess mystical powers.

Singh's sect describes itself as a social welfare and spiritual organisation but he is no stranger to controversy.

In 2015 he was accused of encouraging 400 followers to undergo castration at his ashram so they could get closer to god.

Singh also stood trial for conspiracy over the murder in 2002 of a journalist investigating the rape allegations. He denied the charge and the case is ongoing.

Vehicles burn in violence following Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim's conviction

The dead body of a follower of Indian religious leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh lays on the street next to burning vehicles following clashes

Authorities imposed curfews in several areas of Haryana and Punjab states, while the capital, Delhi is on alert.

The prison has been transformed into a fortress, with journalists banned from approaching closer than a mile and roads lined with barbed-wire barricades.

'A library in the jail has been converted into a courtroom,' said Rajiv Pant, an official in charge of prisons.

There was also heavy security outside the headquarters of Singh's spiritual cult, Dera Sacha Sauda, a 1,000-acre (400 hectare) compound in Sirsa town in Haryana.

Thousands of his supporters are believed to be inside the compound although many left following a tense stand-off with soldiers.

An Indian guru convicted of rape awaited sentencing on August 28, with authorities ramping up security amid fears of fresh violence days after protests over his guilty verdict left 36 dead

Indian security personnel stand guard behind barbed wired fencing along a road near Sonariya jail in Rohtak

The Haryana state government, controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party, has faced criticism from the opposition and a state court for failing to stop the violence that erupted on Friday.

In a monthly radio address on Sunday, Modi said it was 'natural to be worried' after the violence, that briefly broke out in Delhi.

The rape case against Singh was brought after an anonymous letter was sent to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002.

The author accused Singh of repeatedly raping her.

The case has highlighted the Indian heartland's fascination with spiritual gurus, who enjoy immense influence for their ability to mobilise millions of followers, many of whom are frustrated by the shortcomings of the state.

The 50-year-old Singh is known as the 'guru in bling' for his bejewelled costumes.

In 2015, Singh started a film franchise portraying him as MSG or 'Messenger of God', performing miracles, preaching to thousands and beating up gangsters while singing and dancing.
A friend of the man who dressed in a camouflage suit to sexually assault a 12-year-old schoolgirl says the accused was arrested while taking his kids to McDonald's.

Troy Stephen Johnson from the New South Wales Central Coast will give a DNA sample to police, a court has heard.

The 31-year-old was arrested last week following a three-month police investigation and will now spend two months behind bars as the case against him is prepared.

Scroll down for video

A friend of the man who dressed in a camouflage suit to sexually assault a 12-year-old schoolgirl says the accused (pictured) was arrested while taking his kids to McDonald's

Troy Stephen Johnson (pictured) from the New South Wales Central Coast will give a DNA sample to police, a court has heard

Johnson's friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said he has known the accused since Year 7 and described him as an 'ordinary suburban father', News.com.au reported.

'He was just going back to Maccas because they forgot to put the toys in the Happy Meals for his kids,' he said.

The friend described him as a normal dad who never lost his temper.

'He was always a good bloke. When you needed help he would be the first one to stand up, to give you a hand,' he said.

Johnson's friend, who asked to remain anonymous, said he has known the accused (pictured) since Year 7 and described him as an 'ordinary suburban father'

'He [Johnson] (pictured) was just going back to Maccas because they forgot to put the toys in the Happy Meals for his kids,' said a friend of the accused

Residents of Narara, near Gosford, had been on edge after a 12-year-old girl was attacked on the morning of May 15 as she walked to school.

She was forced into the bushes and sexually assaulted at knifepoint by a man wearing a camouflage outfit, or ghillie suit.

Johnson faces nine charges relating to that attack, including kidnapping, stalking, indecent assault, grooming and producing child abuse material.

He's also been charged with a further four offences relating to a second complainant, an 11-year-old, including an indecent assault on Christmas Day.

He allegedly groomed the girl between New Year's Day and late June.

Police seized a number of items during a search of a Woongarrah home (pictured) on Saturday - including camouflage gear allegedly worn during the attack

The 31-year-old didn't appear in Gosford Local Court on Monday where his case was briefly mentioned.

Solicitor Roland Day did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

'There's a circumstantial case,' Mr Day told the court.

Johnson consented to a forensic order which will allow detectives to collect samples of his DNA as they prepare the prosecution case.

Magistrate David Day ordered a brief of evidence be served by October 9.

Officers also reportedly seized hunting knives (pictured), boots, cable ties and a mask during their search

Several items were seized from a house in Woongarrah following Johnson's arrest on Friday night.

He was taken to hospital after he attempted to take his own life by an insulin overdose.

Weeks after the alleged May attack involving the 12-year-old, an 18-year-old girl also told police a man wearing camouflage gear grabbed her around the neck after she got off a train at Narara Railway Station.

Some residents said they were scared to walk around the area knowing the attacks had taken place.

One parent said there were 'a million places to hide' around the commonly used path where the incidents happened and described the mood in the community as sombre.

The arrest follows a months-long police search for a man in a 'ghillie' suit (pictured left and right)

Others called for better lighting, CCTV and for existing paths to be cleared.

Following news of his arrest, Johnson's Facebook profile was flooded with hateful messages condemning his alleged crimes.

But some users also defended his family and warned vitriol should not be directed at them.

'To the victims, wife, kids and family ... you will get through this,' one woman wrote.

Johnson's matter will return to Gosford Local Court on October 27.
An AeroMexico flight was forced to make an emergency landing during a flight from Mexico City to San Francisco so a passenger could be removed from the fight.

The plane made a detour to the city of Guadalajara, in the western Mexican state of the same name, after the man, who has not been publicly named, reportedly started attacking crew members on Sunday night.

The 144 passengers flying on the Aeromexico flight 664 were delayed after the upheaval, which reportedly began when the man, who was believed to be drunk, started to scream for unknown reasons.

The AeroMexico flight made a detour to the city of Guadalajara, in the western Mexican state of the same name, after the man, who has not been publicly named, started attacking crew members

Passenger Laura Aceves said that about half an hour into the flight, flight attendants began pacing up and down the aisles because a passenger 'was very disruptive'.

'The crew asked him first to be quiet, but the passenger was harassing people on the plane,' the 20-year-old told The Mercury News.

'We landed and you could see (the authorities) through the windows,' she added.

Footage captured by stunned onlooker shows the moment four security guards try to restrain him after the plane made its emergency landing.

The man can be heard growling and shouting furiously as someone says in the background: 'He is biting.'

Footage captured by stunned onlooker shows the moment four security guards try to restrain him after the plane made its emergency landing

The man can be heard growling and shouting furiously as authorities tell him to 'calm down'

One of the guards can be heard saying, 'Calm down, calm down...', but the man shows no signs of doing so.

Aceves said that it took between half an hour and 40 minutes to get the man off of the plane.

'He was hitting and punching other passengers as they were trying to drag him out,' she said. 'He was under the influence, and you could smell the alcohol on him.'

Once the man was removed from the flight by authorities, the plane re-readied and headed for San Francisco.

The flight was delayed by an hour because of the diversion.

It is unknown if the man is still in custody.
The disgusting and ignorant messages included 'P***' and 'Allar Akbar' (sic) and were smeared in black paint all over the front of the terraced property in Speke, Liverpool

Vile racist graffiti has been daubed on the outside of a house just days before a family from Sri Lanka are due to move in.

The disgusting and ignorant messages included 'P***' and 'Allar Akbar' (sic) and were smeared in black paint all over the front of the terraced property in Speke, Liverpool.

Allahu Akbar is an Arabic phrase which translates as 'Allah is Greater'. It is recited by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians as an expression of their faith.

It is believed the racist yobs struck late on Saturday or in the early hours of yesterday.

The house is currently unoccupied, but a Sri Lankan family are due to move in after having moved to the area from London.

The people behind the racist graffiti apparently mistook their new neighbours for Pakistani Muslims, rather than Sri Lankan Hindus.

The family-of-five are due to join other members of the same Sri Lankan family who have already been living in Speke for the past two years.

Yesterday, the racist graffiti had been whitewashed while both the upstairs and downstairs windows, which were also smashed in the attack, were boarded up.

The new owner of the house, who declined to be named, said: 'We have been getting the house ready so I can move in with my family.

'I have been living in London for 11 years and we are moving here to join my brother. I've never seen anything like this before.

'We are not even Muslims, we are Hindus, and we hate the terrorists also.

The house is currently unoccupied, but a Sri Lankan family are due to take up residence

'I am very upset and scared now. I have a wife and three young children but we are still going to move in.'

He said sympathetic neighbours had been bringing gifts, including chocolates, after the racist graffiti was discovered.

A nearby resident said: 'I got the shock of my life when I woke up this morning and saw the outside of the house. It's heartbreaking. I've lived here 15 years and this is the first time anything like this has happened.

'I just hope it hasn't put off the family who are moving in. The vast majority of people in Speke are not like that.'

Detective Inspector Debbie Tipton said: 'We will not tolerate hate crimes being committed against members of our community and everything possible is being done to investigate this incident.

Yesterday, the racist graffiti had been whitewashed while both the upstairs and downstairs windows, which were also smashed in the attack, were boarded up

'We believe the house was probably targeted some time after 10pm last night [Saturday] and the offenders have smashed the windows in the house and daubed offensive graffiti all over the front of the property - it's sickening to think that people think that this kind of behaviour is acceptable.

'Everyone has the right to live peacefully within their community and to go about their daily lives without harrassment from others just because they are perceived to be different.

'We will take the strongest possible action against those who behaved in this unacceptable way.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives on 0151 777 4086, or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
As Tropical Storm Harvey continues to batter Texas with heavy rains and deep flooding, alligators seeking higher ground have infiltrated at least one neighborhood in a Houston suburb.

A woman from Missouri City, southwest of Houston, posted a video on Facebook showing two alligators swimming through her backyard on Sunday.

As the water continued to rise around Arlene Gonzalez Kelsch's home, she showed one alligator swimming close to a nearby road while another made its way toward her patio.

A woman from Missouri City, southwest of Houston, posted a video on Facebook showing alligators swimming through her backyard

As the water continued to rise around Arlene Kelsch's home, she showed one alligator swimming close to a nearby road

Ahead of Harvey's arrival over the weekend, officials across Texas warned residents that unexpected animals and objects could float into neighborhoods hit with floods.

After a weekend of heavy rain and flooding, Harvey is continuing to head back toward the Gulf of Mexico at a slow palce.

Arlene Gonzalez Kelsch shared video of the alligators on her Facebook page on Sunday evening

The National Hurricane Center said in its 4am CDT update that the storm is centered 20 miles east of Victoria, Texas, about 120 miles (193 km) southwest of Houston. It continues to creep to the southeast at 3 mph (6 kmh).

That means it remains virtually stalled near the coast and continues to drop heavy rain on the Houston and Galveston areas.

Harvey made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain in the Houston area still has sustained winds of up to 40 mph (65 kmh).

In the past 48 hours, numerous spots in the region have measured more than 25 inches of rainfall.

The hurricane center said Harvey's center was expected to drift off the middle Texas coast on Monday and meander offshore through Tuesday before beginning 'a slow northeastward motion'.

The center says those in the upper Texas coast and in southwestern Louisiana should continue to monitor Harvey's progress.

Meanwhile, Houston officials are continuing to urge people to shelter in place and stay off flooded roadways.

Public Information Officer Keith Smith said on Sunday night that rescue efforts continue and now are focused on those who feel trapped inside a home or building.

Smith said the city's 911 emergency response system has been challenged by sharply increased call volumes since the tropical storm made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane.

Elsewhere in Texas, a cemetery was flooded because of storms from Harvey. Last year in Louisiana, several coffins were uprooted during storms

A sunken boat lies submerged in front houses after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, Texas, on Sunday

He said during a typical 24-hour period, the emergency response system receives about 8,000 calls. But during a 17-hour period following Harvey's landfall, more than 56,000 911 calls were received.

And as the nation's fourth-largest city braced for more rain and rescues on Monday, officials began releasing even more water from reservoirs overwhelmed by the storm, even though the move aimed at protecting downtown Houston could make already devastating flooding worse around thousands of homes.

The strategic engineering move that officials said was planned for 2am CDT came about 90 minutes early in one instance and a day early in another.

Harvey has chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

Harris and Fort Bend county officials initially said residents should be prepared for the influx of water that was scheduled to happen at Addicks around 2am Monday and a day later at Barker.

Officials warned residents they should pack their cars Sunday night and wait for daylight Monday to leave.
A mother has been left unable to walk after her Achilles tendon was sliced by a bottle of Lambrini that smashed after falling through an 'inadequate' Tesco bag.

Eve Weller, 26, had bought the alcohol just seconds earlier and walking home when the bottle ripped through a carrier bag and shattered on the pavement.

A large shard of glass went straight through the back of her ankle and sliced her tendon and down to the bone.

Eve Weller was walking home from the shops when the bottle ripped through a Tesco carrier bag and shattered on the pavement

Surgeons were able to re-attach the fibres - which connect muscle to a bone - but the mother-of-two has been left in agony and unable to walk.

The sales leader from Plymouth, Devon, has hit out at the supermarket for their 'inadequate' bags.

Eve said: 'When you see the injury you would never expect it was caused by a bag breaking. It's appalling. The wound is really, really deep.

'A bag should be strong enough to hold a single bottle. They should last more than 20 minutes. They should test for this sort of stuff.

'Things could have been a lot worse. Imagine if I'd had the kids with me. They are so little and if it had hit them it could have been terrible.'

Avon sales leader Eve bought the 2 75cl bottle of Lambrini from Tesco Metro in New George Street, Plymouth, to share with her mother Paula Walker, 49, during a planned movie night in.

Ms Weller's leg being tended to in her hospital bed. The bottle's shards cut right down to the tendon

She put it in a single 5p bag - without any other items - and left the store to get the bus home.

But the bag split after she got off the bus causing the bottle to smash to the ground.

'At first I didn't even feel it as I just thought 'oh no I've dropped the wine'.

'I looked down and saw a bit of blood and went to get a plaster out my bag as I always carry them for the kids.

'I went to move my foot and I just couldn't move. I looked down and there was this river of blood.

'I don't really remember everything after that.

'A man stopped to look after me and was trying to keep me conscious while someone rang the ambulance.'

After 30 minutes paramedics still hadn't turned up so a passing police car gave her a lift to Derriford Hospital, on August 1.

The sales leader from Plymouth, Devon, has hit out at the supermarket for their 'inadequate' bags

Her injuries were caused when a bottle of Lambrini smashed

'Initially they thought it was just a really bad cut but they did an x-ray and realised I had cut my achillies tendon. They said it was an 100 per cent laceration.

'A bit of bottle must have bounced up and gone straight in and out. It was unbelievable.

'The cut is so deep. It's right to the bone.'

Eve spent four night sin hospital before she was discharged to recover at home with oral morphine and antibiotics.

But she is trapped in her third floor flat because it does not have a lift and she is only able to shuffle slowly using a zimmer frame.

She has her leg in plaster and soft bandages and doctors said it could be up to a year before the tendon is fully healed.

Eve, whose partner Morgan O'Neill, 36, is a council refuse worker, has complained to Tesco who have sent her an email apologising.

An email from a member of its customer service team said: 'I was shocked to see the extent of your injury and I really do hope everything will be alright and you make a full recovery.

'As explained, as soon as our Head Office in Dundee receive your letter they will be in touch with you within 14 days.

'Once again please accept my sincere apologies.

'If there is anything else I can help you with please let me know.'

Eve is urging them to ensure their bags are up to scratch for carrying the items they sell in the shop.

'When you buy a bag you expect it to at least survive the journey home,' she said.

A Tesco spokesperson said: 'We take great care to ensure our carrier bags are strong and robust so they safely hold our customers' shopping. We are urgently investigating Miss Weller's claim and we will update her with our findings.'
Advertisement

The dangerous lives of RAF pilots during the Second World War have been highlighted through a series of incredible images from a new book.

Featured in 'Flying Into the Storm: RAF Bombers at War 1939 - 1942', by author Chris Sams, pictures show iconic aircraft such as Hampdens and Whitleys soaring high into the skies above Western Europe during the early years of the war.

Further images show the anti-aircraft guns deployed by German forces during RAF bombing raids, while another shows paratroopers dropping out of a British bomber as part of a training exercise.

Incredible images from a new book about the role of British bombers in World War Two have given a rare glimpse into what life was like. Pictured here is the 88 Flak gun, which was deadly when massed in defence of cities and military strong points

A Whitley bomber later in the war that was used for paratrooper training. The images come from the book 'Flying Into the Storm: RAF Bombers at War 1939 - 1942' by author Chris Sams

A crashed Whitley being inspected by Luftwaffe officers. At the start of hostilities in 1939, Britain had five different types of bomber to try and combat the fierce power of the German Luftwaffe

Machine-gun damage from fighters on a Stirling tail gun demonstrates the danger that the position put the men in

At the start of hostilities in 1939, Britain had five different types of bomber to try and combat the fierce power of the German Luftwaffe.

And Sams says that, after the Luftwaffe gained vital experience during the Spanish Civil War prior to the start of World War Two, nobody gave the RAF much of a chance against them.

'The Royal Air Force of 1939 went to war with five staple models of bomber: The Vickers Wellington, Armstrong Whitworth Whitley, Bristol Blenheim, Handley Page Hampden, and the Fairey Battle,' says Sams.

'This was against the threat of the Luftwaffe which had proven itself in Spain, and had been used as a threat to secure Germany's diplomatic aims in Rhineland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia and were considered to be unstoppable.

At the start of hostilities in 1939, Britain had five different types of bomber to try and combat the fierce power of the German Luftwaffe. Short Stirlings (pictured) replaced the Blenheim in Circus operations and joined Wellingtons on night operations

The remains of Dunkirk in June 1940 after it was hit by a heavy and relentless bombing campaign. It would become one of the major battlegrounds during the war

A Blenheim being equipped with a reconnaissance camera on a crisp winter morning

Churchill's Light Cavalry, the Bristol Blenheim, which was commonly seen on every front during the first two years

The Hawker Henley, a close competitor of the Fairey Battle. This model of plane was phased out of use during the war because of low speeds and high rates of engine failures

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 arrived in 1941, and immediately proved superior to the RAFis fighters and a threat to day bombers

Further images show the anti-aircraft guns deployed by German forces to protect the Germany during RAF bombing raids

'The RAF and Government bodies believed that upon the announcement of war there would be a knockout blow of German bombers attacking the capital, and that Britain must be able to retaliate or have a similar deterrent.

'In October 1939, the Air Staff advised that, should Germany turn west after Poland, British bombers must be used '*at all costs in the manner which holds the best hope of obtaining decisive results against Germany'.

'Britain's early bomber's careers have often been overshadowed by the careers of their larger stablemates the Avro Lancaster and Handley Page Halifax, and the Battle has been written off as a complete failure following the Battle of France.

'As the Second World War continued, the bombers of the RAF continued to attack strategic targets to try and destroy the German economy, but were also tied to the Army's whims for tactical support.'

Soft-skinned German convoys were easy targets for Blenheims or Battles, as long as they had no flak defences

The Bf 110 was a heavily armed fighter that was a failure in combat with British fighters, but its four machine guns and two cannons were deadly against bombers by day and night

The Messerschmitt Bf 109 gained superiority over every theatre in the early stage of the war, and took a heavy toll on Blenheims and Battles

The Handley Page Hampden was cramped with a weak defensive armament, but had a good range and bombload

A German propaganda photograph of a crashed Allied bomber on German soil in 1940

The American-built Baltimore bombers quickly formed the backbone of the DAF, replacing the slower and more vulnerable Blenheims

Munitions being prepared and readied to be loaded into one of the planes

In the book, Sams chronicles the evolution of Britain's bombing tactics, from their use in the Battle of Heligoland to the vital role they played in the fall of Burma.

And, despite their early shortcomings, he says the bravery of the pilots flying these aircraft in the early years of the war can-not be understated.

'Although the early bombers were somewhat inferior to the tasks set for them, the crews selflessly and bravely responded to every request, flying into a storm of flak and machine gun fire with many buying a one-way ticket.'
The SNP has mocked Jeremy Corbyn for a gaffe in which he appeared to have no idea Scotland has its own legal system.

Labour's leader wrapped up a campaign tour north of the border with an appearance at the Edinburgh festival.

And he said Labour was 'thinking very hard' about how to extend devolution after Brexit - but appeared stumped over how Britain could work with different sets of laws.

Speaking at the Edinburgh festival (pictured right yesterday) Jeremy Corbyn said Labour was 'thinking very hard' about how to extend devolution after Brexit - but appeared stumped over how Britain could work with different sets of laws

Scotland has had its own legal system and laws since the 1707 Act of the Union. Northern Ireland also has its own processes that are distin

In a question and answer session in Edinburgh, Mr Corbyn had been asked whether Labour's commitment to federalism could allow Scotland to reflect its strong Remain vote in the EU referendum.

He replied: 'We are thinking very hard about what forms devolution would take in the future. Devolution in Scotland has gone a long way.

'We are looking at the way we bring about genuine devolution and particularly economic devolution. Could you have a separate economic and legal system in different parts of the UK?

'I think that becomes difficult and very problematic. I want a Labour government that is going to legislate better working conditions for everybody across the UK.'

Joanna Cherry, the SNP's justice spokeswoman and a QC, said the comments were 'embarrassing and worrying'

Scottish Government minister Michael Matheson also criticised Mr Corbyn, branding the Labour leader 'ill informed'

Joanna Cherry, the SNP's justice spokeswoman and a QC, said the comments were 'embarrassing and worrying'.

She tweeted: 'Odd that Corbyn thinks it ''difficult and problematic'' for Scotland to have a separate legal system given that we already have one.'

Scottish Government minister Michael Matheson also criticised Mr Corbyn.

He added: 'Corbyn is clearly ill informed about Scotland, we already have a separate legal system.'

Scottish Conservative Paul Masterton added to the criticism as he claimed: 'It would appear that Jeremy Corbyn is unaware that there is a ''separate'' legal system in Scotland.'

Mr Corbyn has been targeting marginal seats held by the SNP on his tour of Scotland (pictured in Fisherrow, Musselburgh on Saturday)

Mr Corbyn has been targeting marginal seats held by the SNP on his tour of Scotland.

During the talk at the festival he spoke about his school days, remembering how his school was divided between the better-off children who went out shooting birds at the weekends and those who did the beating of the birds, while he did neither.

He also spoke about his time teaching in Jamaica as a young man and travelling around South America.
Oscar Wilde was in love with his boyfriend Lord Alfred Douglas until the day he died, a previously un-published letter has revealed

Oscar Wilde was in love with his boyfriend Lord Alfred Douglas until the day he died, a previously un-published letter has revealed.

Wilde, who was married with two sons, endured a tempestuous relationship with Douglas, known as a 'Bosie', who was 16 years his junior.

Their affair led to Wilde being jailed for gross indecency, a term behind bars that would eventually lead to the playwright's death.

When Alfred's father, Lord Queensberry, found out about the relationship he accused Wilde of sodomy, incensing the writer - who rashly sued for criminal libel.

However, Wilde lost the case and the revelations in the courtroom led to him being prosecuted for homosexual acts and jailed for two years.

It has been suggested that Wilde and Bosie lived together for a brief time in Naples, Italy, after his release from Reading Gaol in 1857, but their relationship broke down.

However, an account of Wilde's final days has found that the flame between the two burned bright until he passed away in Paris in 1900, reports the Times.

Robert Ross, a former lover of the Irish writer, wrote a letter to More Adey, a mutual friend, just a fortnight after Wilde died, aged just 46.

He explained: 'Suddenly he [Wilde] broke into a violent sobbing and said he would never see me again because he felt that everything was at an end  this very painful incident lasted about three quarters of an hour.'

Experts have previously interpreted this as Wilde declaring his affection for Ross, but an unpublished version of the letter, found in the Clark library at the University of California, has revealed a new possibility.

Laura Lee, a Wilde scholar, said that a 'him' was mentioned a few sentences earlier, in reference to someone having a sent a letter and cheque.

Wilde, who was married with two sons, endured a tempestuous relationship with Douglas, known as a 'Bosie', who was 16 years his junior

She believes that the 'him' in question was Bosie.

In the past it has been believed that Ross writing 'me' may have been a mistake, but Ms Lee does not think this is the case.

The scholar, who is writing a book on Wilde called Oscar's Ghost, said the writer often told loved ones he and Bosie were no longer an item, so that they would send him money.

Ms Lee told the Times: 'Wilde wrote a letter to Ross that claimed that he could not stand to be with Bosie any longer, but this could well have been an attempt to persuade the powers that be that he and Bosie had separated and they could turn the financial tap back on.'

She added: 'My read is that they lost the energy to fight the world to be together, but that they didn't stop loving one another.'
City

 Allyssa M. Hamilton, 25, 19 McMaster St. Apt. 122, Auburn, was picked up Aug. 27 on a bench warrant.

 Michael J. Pidlypchak, 41, 159 Washington St., Auburn, was charged Aug. 25 with endangering the welfare of a child.

 David E. King, 38, Transient, Auburn, was charged Aug. 25 with second-degree criminal contempt.

 Jamie L. Paxhia, 37, 34 Holley St., Auburn, was picked up Aug. 25 on a bench warrant.

 Joshua T. Russell, 25, 123 E. Genesee St., Auburn, was charged Aug. 26 with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, driving while intoxicated and operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of at least .08 of 1 percent.

 Jennifer R. Merola, 32, 15 Grove Ave., Auburn, was picked up Aug. 27 on a bench warrant and charged with two counts of petit larceny.

 David K. Decker, 34, 8526 Wilsey Rd., Montezuma, was charged Aug. 28 with felony driving while intoxicated, operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol content of at least .08 of 1 percent, first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and driving without an ignition interlock device.

State

 Kyle A. Holbert, 27, Moravia, was charged Aug. 25 with endangering the welfare of a child.

 Steven E. Oplinger, 53, Ithaca, was charged Aug. 26 with second-degree criminal contempt.

 Tyler A. Belles, 25, Pennsylvania, was picked up Aug. 26 on a fugitive warrant.
Advertisement

Fascinating images of the Korean War that document American troops heading into battle have been brought to life in vibrant color as tensions between North Korea and the United States continue to rise.

The photographs show the brutal realities of the Korean War, which ravaged the Korean peninsula for more than three years.

The Korean War lasted from 1950 until 1953 and involved UN troops and South Koreans fighting against North Korea and their Soviet and Chinese allies.

The horrors of the Korean War have been brought back to life in a series of colorized images from the conflict, which lasted from 1950 to 1953. Pictured above, a US Marine raised an American Flag at the the American consulate in Seoul, South Korea, during the war

In total America lost 33,686 soldiers during the conflict, with Secretary of Defense Louis A Johnson heavily criticized for sending troops into battle under-equipped, under-supplied and unprepared. Pictured above, Cpl Robert L Sutton of Lawton, Oklahoma tank commander, listens and watches for enemy planes, somewhere in Korea

The Korean War marked the first wide-scale deployment of helicopters by the American military, especially for medical evacuations due to the rough terrain. Gunships were also used for close support of infantry for the first time - a tactic which would be repeated in Vietnam

The images are made all the more poignant as tensions on the Korean peninsula continue to rise between Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump. The United States first engaged with North Korean forces during the Korean War's Battle of Osan on July 5, 1950k

American troops made up 88 per cent of the ground forces used, though 21 nations contributed to the UN effort. Pictured above, Sergeant J M Bragg, Gunner D J Humphries and Gunner D J Kelly operating a 25 pounder during the first major offensive of the 1st British Commonwealth Division

American troops made up 88 per cent of the ground forces used, though 21 nations contributed to the UN effort. In total, more than 33,000 American soldiers lost their lives.

The fighting ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed. The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners.

However, no peace treaty has been signed, and the two Koreas are technically still at war.

In creating the colorized images, Leonard digitally painted over the black and white original image and mixes his colours on screen.

'War is hell, no one really wins at the ground level of the battlefield,' he said. 'The message is already there for all to see in the pictures themselves but I do feel it helps the younger generation to understand that what happened was real.

In total, more than 33,000 American soldiers lost their lives during the three-year Korean War. Pictured above, a military member shares his dinner with a small puppy found on the military base during the conflict

The fighting ended on 27 July 1953, when an armistice was signed. The agreement created the Korean Demilitarized Zone to separate North and South Korea, and allowed the return of prisoners. Pictured above, a military member tends to his comrade's shoulder next to a large tanker

UN forces, largely compromised of American soldiers, suffered early losses in the war and within two months were on the verge of defeat. A reversal of fortunes took place after a counter-attack at Incheon, but UN troops were forced back again after China entered the fray. Eventually an armistice was agreed, but the two countries are technically still at war. Pictured above, three men look into the distance while prepping a gun for battle

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. This prompted the United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, to come to South Korea's aid. North Korea were aided by China while the USSR gave some assistance

Korea was split into two regions with separate governments in 1948 as a product of the Cold War between the Soviet Union and the United States, who operated in North Korea and South Korea respectively. The war became one of attrition and the frontline was close to the 38th parallel, the dividing line between the two countries. Pictured above, right, a Marine tends to a small kitten found during battle

'I love giving more life to the pictures and I think that colour improves the story the photographs tell.'

The images are made all the more poignant as tensions on the Korean peninsula continue to rise.

North Korea fired several rockets into the sea over the weekend in a continuation of its rapid nuclear and missile expansion, prompting South Korea to press ahead with military drills involving US troops that have angered Pyongyang.

The US Pacific Command revised its initial assessment that the first and third short-range missiles failed on Saturday during flight, to say they flew about 155 miles.

It said that the second missile appears to have blown up immediately and that none posed a threat to the US territory of Guam, towards which the North had previously warned it would fire missiles.

South Korea's presidential office and military said North Korea fired 'several' projectiles in what was presumed to be a test of its 300-millimetre rocket artillery system.

One image shows explosive shots being fired from the USS New Jersey, which went on to be the only US battleship providing gunfire support during the Vietnam War. During the Korean War, the ship was involved in raids up and down the North Korean coast

In the build-up to the Korean War, the North and South Korea had their own regions, both with their own governments, and both claimed to be the true government of the entire peninsula

South Korea estimated that the number of civilian deaths in the three-year conflict topped 373,599, and said nearly 138,000 of its troops died in the war. Pictured above, a military member examines the damage in a region of Korea following a battle

More than 5.7million US troops were sent to war in Korea during the three year conflict, and 36,574 were killed, according to official figures. A further 103,000 were wounded during the brutal campaign, which followed the invasion by North Korea of its southern neighbor
This picture shows the horrifying moment a father in the Philippines was crushed to death in his car by a cement mixer.

Ulysses Ramos, 35, had been driving with wife Marife, 34, in the passenger seat and their three children and pet dog in the back.

But a fully-loaded cement mixer truck, which appeared to lose control of its brakes, hit the curb next to the white Honda before toppling over onto it.

Onlookers rushed to help and used bamboo rods and metal poles to try to hold up the truck while the passengers were freed.

This out of control cement mixer crushed a family car killing a Filipino father instantly

Truck driver Jayson Nuay told police he was not speeding but the brakes failed

Dramatic footage showed the wife, Marife, crying for help from inside the wreckage as paramedics arrived to pull her to safety and take her away on a stretcher.

The puppy was the first to escape from the vehicle and was found running around frantically near the scene of the crash.

Marife and the three children Eulariza, 12, Eugene, 8, and Enrico, 4, were all removed from the car and taken to hospital after the accident on Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City, Philippines on August 15.

Truck driver Jayson Nuay told police he was not speeding but the brakes failed.

He said: 'I stepped on the brakes several times but they did not work. I turned towards the island so I didn't hit more people.'

Onlookers rushed to help and used bamboo rods and metal poles to try to hold up the truck while the passengers were freed

The driver of the vehicle was killed while his wife and three children had a miraculous escape

Deputy Officer Ricky Arellano, from the Quezon City Department of Public Order and Safety, said the rescue was 'complicated'.

He said: 'The cement mixer was full and it crushed the car. It was very difficult to get inside.'

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) spokesperson Celine Pialago earlier said: 'The driver was found and had no pulse. The other passengers were seriously injured and taken to hospital.'

Jen Ramirez from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology is now looking after the family's puppy.

He said they will hold onto the dog until the family can claim it back.
President Donald Trump with break bread with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this afternoon.

He's invited Tillerson to his weekly luncheon with the vice president.

The trio will dine at the White House before a separately scheduled meeting between the president and his education secretary, Betsy DeVos.

Trump and Tillerson will hold talks with Finland's president later in the afternoon, a visit that will culminate with the two heads of state taking questions from the press.

Yesterday, Tillerson hinted that he wasn't impressed with Trump's response to the recent racial violence in Charlottesville, which left one young woman dead at the hands of a Nazi sympathizer.

'The president speaks for himself, Chris,' Tillerson told Fox News' Chris Wallace after the Sunday show host asked him if the president's response to the violence made it harder push American values worldwide.

Scroll down for video

President Donald Trump with break bread with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson this afternoon. Tillerson said Sunday that the president 'speaks for himself,' when asked if President Trump's response to Charlottesville has made it harder for the top diplomat to promote American values

'The president speaks for himself, Chris,' Tillerson told Fox News' Chris Wallace after the Sunday show host asked him if the president's response to the violence made it harder push American values worldwide

Rex Tillerson was the second high-profile person in the political world to express frustration over President Trump's Charlottesville response on Sunday. Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke out against Trump in an op-ed

Watch the latest video at <a href="//video.foxnews.com">video.foxnews.com</a>

Wallace had brought up the 'early warning' the United States had received Wednesday from a United Nations committee, in which members expressed concern after seeing the overt signs of racism on display in Charlottesville at the 'Unite the Right' rally.

'We are alarmed by the racist demonstrations, with overtly racist slogans, chants and salutes by white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and the Ku Klus Klan, promoting white supremacy and inciting racial discrimination and hatred,' the committee's chair Anastasia Crickley said.

The early warning puts the U.S. alongside Burundi, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan and Nigeria, countries that also received U.N. rebukes.

Wallace asked Tillerson about the warning and about Trump's most recent response to Charlottesville, which consisted of blaming the media for the coverage of the rallies.

'The only people giving a platform to these hate groups is the media itself and the fake news,' Trump had said in Phoenix on Tuesday night.

Wallace wanted to know if Trump was making it harder for Tillerson to tout American values, when foreign leaders were questioning the president's own values.

'Chris, we express America's values from the State Department,' Tillerson answered. 'We represent the American people. We represent America's values, our commitment to freedom, out commitment to equal treatment to people the world over.'

'And that message has never changed,' he added.

Wallace, however, pointed out that 'when the president gets into the kind of controversy that it does and the U.N committee responds the way it does, it seems to say they begin to doubt our  whether we're living those values.'

'I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values or the commitment of the American government or the government's agencies to advancing those values and defending those values,' Tillerson replied.

Wallace followed up. 'And the president's values?' he asked.

The secretary of state pointedly said that Trump speaks for himself.

He was the second prominent figure in politics to pan the president's Charlottesville response on Sunday, with former Vice President Joe Biden penning an editorial for the Atlantic, lambasting Trump for 'embolden[ing] white supremacists.'

Tillerson is a member of Trump's cabinet, however, not a voice from the opposing political party.

Wallace asked Tillerson if he was separating himself from Trump's comments, and the former ExxonMobil chief executive did not say no.

'I've spoken  I've made my own comments as to our values as well in a speech I gave to the State Department last week,' Tillerson responded, exposing a rift between himself and Trump on the topic.
Holidaymakers have just one day left to take advantage of Jetstar's spring sale, with flights to several popular destinations being sold for less than $300.

Tickets from Sydney to Honolulu start from $299, while those wishing to fly to Bali could pay as little as $239.

For only $10 more than a flight to Denpasar travellers can be on a plane to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Jetstar's spring sale is seeing tickets to Honolulu in Hawaii on sale for $299 (pictured is Waikiki Beach)

Jetstar is offering big savings during its spring sale, those wishing to fly to Bali (pictured, stock image) could pay as little as $239

Those wanting to lie on the beach in Phuket (pictured, stock image) can do so for $259 for a flight from Sydney

Ho Chi Minh City (pictured, stock image) in Vietnam is another destination on sale, with tickets going for $249

Those wanting to lie on the beach in Phuket can do so for an extra $20, with flights from Sydney to the Thai destination beginning at $259.

The Jetstar spring sale ends at 11:59pm on Tuesday August 29, or possibly sooner if sold out.

Travel periods vary, however, with short windows on some routes.

Flights to the Hawaiian capital are available from early to late October.

Ho Chi Minh City tickets can be bought for a period from late October to early December this year.

Some Bali fights from mid-January to mid-March 2018 are covered, and sale flights to Phuket take off between early February and mid-March 2018.
The suspect, identified only as 32-year-old Erik X, has been charged with aggravated rape and predatory blackmail

A Ghanaian asylum seeker has confessed to killing his brother-in-law before migrating to Germany where he is accused of raping a woman at knife point in front of her boyfriend.

The suspect, identified only as 32-year-old Erik X, has been charged with aggravated rape and predatory blackmail.

The sheer brutality of the rape, which happened in April near the city of Bonn, shocked Germany because of its harrowing details.

Erik X., who is in prison in the Ossendorf district of Cologne awaiting trial, has now confessed to another crime to a psychiatrist.

He has claimed he killed his brother-in-law in a dispute about the inheritance of a family member.

This led to him choosing to migrate to Europe in 2014, according to the psychiatric report.

However the psychiatrist found no mental illnesses which means he can be held fully accountable for the rape, if found guilty.

Erik X got a notice from the German authorities 10 days before the rape of the young woman that he would face deportation to Italy where he had originally entered the Schengen zone as his asylum application had been rejected.

His victims, a 23-year-old and her 26-year-old boyfriend, were camping in a meadow in the Siegaue Nature Reserve just to the north of the city of Bonn, where the River Sieg flows into the Rhine.

He allegedly approached the tent, cut the tarpaulin open using a saw and then asked the couple for money.

Threatening the couple with the tree saw, he allegedly yelled at the woman: 'Come you b***h. I want to f*** you.'

His victims, a 23-year-old and her 26-year-old boyfriend, were camping in a meadow in the Siegaue Nature Reserve just to the north of the city of Bonn, where the River Sieg flows into the Rhine

According to the police investigation, he dragged the blonde woman out of the tent, still threatening the couple with the tree saw.

Her boyfriend later managed to alert the police. The Ghanaian migrant then fled towards the Rhine.

Both of the victims are currently undergoing psychological care and are still heavily traumatised.

On 8th April, Erik X was recognised walking along River Rhine in the Bonn neighbourhood of Beuel.

Although his DNA matched with sperm from the crime scene, he insisted he was not guilty.

So far he has not given any statement about the rape, and his lawyer Martin Moersdorf has also refused to comment on the case.

Moersdorf said: 'We discussed the case, discussed the evidence, but at the present time I advised my client not to comment on the allegation.'

He also refused to comment about the psychiatric report and the confession of the murder of a family member in Ghana.

The trial of Erik X is set to start on September 25.
Remain Tories warned their colleagues today Labour's policy shift on the single market meant their 'hard Brexit' plan was going 'down the pan'.

After months of hesitation, the Opposition yesterday moved decisively to back continued single market membership during a transition to Brexit.

The decision would likely mean Britain accepting free movement rules and paying into the EU budget until 2022 - ideas loathed by Brexit supporters.

But after Theresa May's election disaster left her without an outright majority a handful of pro-Remain Tories have the power to join forces with Labour, the SNP and others to block a hard Brexit.

Anna Soubry, Conservative MP for Broxtowe, said that Labour's shift would be troubling for right wing colleagues on her side (file image)

Anna Soubry, Conservative MP for Broxtowe, said that Labour's shift would be troubling for right wing colleagues on her side.

She told The Times: 'If you were a hard Brexiteer you would be very, very nervous because the arguments are shifting.

'You can see that your hard Brexit is going down the pan.'

Ms Soubry played down the prospect of her voting against the Government.

Another leading Tory Remainer told the paper: 'There's no doubt this gives us leverage. The parliamentary consensus is moving and May's best hope is to move too.'

As face to face talks resumed in Brussels, it emerged the French may be about to lead a rebellion against Brussels

Documents seen by the The Daily Telegraph show French plans for a transition under which the UK would be bound by EU law for two or three years and pay 10 billion for that time.

David Davis is expected to use this week's round of meetings to push EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier to show 'flexibility and imagination' to speed up the negotiation process (pictured together at the July talks)

Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, told the paper: 'Many top officials in the EU and governments would welcome an offer of 10 billion a year for three years as part of a transitional deal that would move the talks forward.

'If the British . . . make a serious offer on the money . . . they will not only put the EU on the defensive, they will also expose divisions on how to respond to the money deadlock.'

Former European commissioner Lord Mandelson told the Financial Times that Labour had 'done Parliament and the public a big favour'

Former European commissioner Lord Mandelson told the Financial Times that Labour had 'done Parliament and the public a big favour' by giving opponents of a hard Brexit an opportunity to unite around measures to delay departure from the single market until the shape of the new relationship becomes clear.

Mr Davis is expected to use this week's round of meetings to push EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier to show 'flexibility and imagination' to speed up the negotiation process.

Mr Davis is frustrated at Barnier's insistence that progress must be made on fixing the UK's 'divorce' bill before moving on to talks on future trade. He believes a series of papers produced by his Department for Exiting the EU over the past fortnight have proved that the two issues are inextricably linked.

Meanwhile, Brussels is understood to be infuriated at Britain's refusal even to spell out how it thinks its liabilities to the EU should be calculated, let alone put a figure on the final bill, variously estimated at between 50 billion and 80 billion.

Mr Davis's bargaining hand may have been weakened by Labour's move, which raises the prospect of possible setbacks for the Government in votes on the EU Withdrawal Bill when MPs return to Westminster in September.
Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner were spotted up bright and early Monday as they headed to work at the White House.

The smiling pair were spotted stepping out of their Washington DC home before they were whisked away by waiting secret service agents.

It came just hours after Ivanka and Jared - both advisers to President Trump - returned on Sunday from a weekend getaway at Camp David.

Ivanka Trump was spotted leaving her Washington DC home bright and early on Monday as she was escorted to work by secret service agents

The couple were joined by their three young children, as well as President Trump, First Lady Melania and their son Barron Trump.

Ivanka's shy daughter Arabella was spotted hiding from the cameras as the first family stepped off Marine One onto the White House's South Lawn.

The six-year-old held her father Jared's hand and ducked her head as they walked back towards the White House.

Ivanka had her hands full when she landed, smiling as she carried her one-year-old son Theodore on her hip and holding the hand of her three-year-old son Joseph.

A smiling Jared Kushner left his home with his wife Ivanka before the pair headed into work

Ivanka and Jared were spotted leaving just hours after they returned on Sunday from a weekend getaway at Camp David

They were then whisked away by waiting secret service agents to head into the White House

Despite her cheery yellow frock, Arabella seemed glum after arriving from the brief weekend trip to the Maryland retreat.

Ivanka followed closely behind her husband and daughter, sporting an all white look with a preppy striped cardigan hanging around her shoulders.

Ivanka and her family disembarked with her father, Melania and 11-year-old Barron.

Trump was wearing a 'USA' cap, the same one he was spotted wearing when he was meeting with officials about Hurricane Harvey on Saturday.

Melania looked chic in an all pink ensemble, with a checkered button-down shirt paired with fuchsia jeans and hot pink flats.

Ivanka's shy daughter Arabella, six, hid from cameras when she returned to Washington DC on Sunday from a weekend getaway at Camp David

The little girl held her father Jared Kusher's hand and ducked her head as she walked off Marine One with her siblings and mother Ivanka Trump

Despite her cheery yellow frock, Arabella seemed glum after coming back from the brief weekend trip to the Maryland retreat

Ivanka walked slightly ahead of her husband and daughter, sporting an all white look with a preppy striped cardigan hanging around her shoulders while she carried her son on her hip

President Trump held hands with his granddaughter Arabella as the two waved to the press pool when he and his family prepared to board Marine One for a trip to Camp David on Friday

President Trump, Melania, Barron and Ivanka and her family all boarded Marine One on Friday for the quick getaway.

Trump was holding both Arabella and Joseph's hands as he, Melania, and Barron stepped out of the Oval Office, but he and his granddaughter eventually took off by themselves ahead of the group.

While Trump was with Arabella and waving with his free hand, Barron walked alongside his nephew Joseph, who is turning four in October.

It was Trump's third time visiting the naval support facility that functions as a private retreat for sitting presidents .

However, Camp David, the country retreat located near Thurmont, Maryland, is just 45 minutes away from Washington, D.C., and Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert told reporters during a televised briefing that 'it's not a trip'.

Ivanka had her hands full when she landed, smiling as she carried her one-year-old son Theodore on her hip and held the hand of three-year-old Joseph

Arabella seemed to go shy after waving to the press pool when she initially left for retreat, as she held onto President Trump's hand and gave a meek wave on Friday

Special Advisor to The President Jared Kushner and Special Advisor to The President Ivanka Trump walk across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington with their children

Ivanka Trump, the daughter and assistant to President Donald Trump, walks past Marine One helicopter with her children Joseph and Theodore

Wave! The whole family put on a show of solidarity as they smiled for the cameras

During his stay at Camp David, Trump kept a close eye on monitoring Hurricane Harvey in Texas, tweeting frequently about Harvey and other issues.

He will visit Texas on Tuesday to survey storm damage caused by Harvey, the first major U.S. natural disaster since he took office in January.

Harvey came ashore late on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years and has killed at least two people. The death toll is expected to rise as the storm lashes the state for days, triggering record floods, tidal surges and tornadoes.

'The president will travel to Texas on Tuesday,' White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.

'We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know. We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers.'

Ivanka and her family disembarked with her father, Melania and 11-year-old Barron on Sunday Trump was wearing a 'USA' cap, the same one he was spotted wearing when he was meeting with officials about Hurricane Harvey on Saturday

Melania looked chic in an all pink ensemble, with a checkered button-down paired with fuchsia jeans and hot pink flats

President Trump praised emergency officials for their response to Hurricane Harvey from Camp David on Saturday. The White House said Trump held a video conference with officials about the storm's aftermath (pictured)

The widespread flooding caused by Harvey in Texas, including in Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city, is the first test of how Trump, who never previously held political office, responds to a major storm on his watch.

Since the president travels with a large retinue of Secret Service agents and under a rigorous security protocol, most administrations avoid visiting during the height of natural disasters for fear they will pull resources away from rescue and aid attempts.

During a video conference with his Cabinet on Sunday afternoon, Trump 'reminded everyone that search and rescue efforts will transition to mass care, restoring power, providing life-sustaining necessities for the population that sheltered in place, and economic recovery,' according to a White House statement.
Donald Trump's company was pursuing a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while he was campaigning to become US president in late 2015 and early 2016, it was revealed Sunday.

The Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the proposal and records viewed by Trump Organization lawyers, that investors and the Trump Organization had signed a letter of intent to build a property in the Russian capital but the project, lacking land and permits, was abandoned at the end of January 2016, just before the presidential primaries began, according to several people familiar with the proposal.

Neither White House special counsel Ty Cobb nor the Trump Organization have commented on these claims as of Monday morning.

Russina dealings: Donald Trump's company was reportedly pursuing a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while he was campaigning to become US president in late 2015 and early 2016. The photo above shows Trump on Sunday

The abandonment real estate project was tied to Felix Sater (far right), a Moscow-born, mob-linked real estate developer. Trump is pictured above in 2007 with Sater and former Soviet government apparatchik Tevfik Arif (center)

The Post report comes amid investigations by independent special counsel Robert Mueller and congressional committees into whether Trump campaign aides colluded with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election.

Trump and the government of Vladimir Putin have repeatedly denied any collusion.

In July 2016, Trump denied business connections with Russia and said on Twitter: for the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia.

He told a news conference the next day: I have nothing to do with Russia.

Discussions about the real estate project in Moscow began in earnest in September 2015, the Washington Post said, citing people briefed on the deal.

An unidentified investor planned to build the tower and, under a licensing agreement, put Trumps name on it.

Sater suggested to Trump in 2015 or 2016 he could get Russian President Vladimir Putin to say great things about him. Putin and Trump are pictured at a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7

Trump and the Russian government have denied allegations of collusion to influence the election. In May, Trump met with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russia's Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak at the White House

However, it was unclear how involved or aware the billionaire mogul-turned-presidential candidate was of his company's negotiations, the newspaper reported.

Before the project flatlined, Felix Sater, a Moscow-born, mob-linked real estate developer with a criminal past, had urged Trump to visit Moscow to promote the deal and suggested he could get the Russian president to say great things about Trump, according to the report, which cited people briefed on the correspondence.

Around the same time, Putin publicly praised Trump as a 'colorful and talented' person, and then-candidate Trump said it was an 'honor' to receive the compliment.

There is no evidence that the Russian president flattered Trump at the urging of Felix Sater.

In an email sent to Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen in November 2015, Sater predicted that they would soon be celebrating Trump's election and his Moscow real estate deal, and marveled at the fact that 'two guys from Brooklyn' - meaning himself and Cohen - are going to help elect a president, according to the Post.

Trump, who was elected to the White House in November 2016, never went to Moscow.

Details about the proposed Moscow real estate deal were contained in a batch of emails to be turned over to congressional investigators shortly, the report said.

Trump said during court proceedings that he barely knew Sater, even though the latter had a desk in Trumps offices in Trump Tower.

Sater and Arif's porperty firm, Bayrock, built the Trump SoHo hotel (pictured), completed in 2010

Sater also carried around Trump Organization business cards and the pair often flew together on Trumps private jet.

Court papers alleged that Sater and Trump first met in 2003, though Trump stated in a sworn deposition a decade later not to know him well at all.

In 1993, Sater, a former Wall Street trader, was jailed for a year for stabbing a man in the face with the stem of a margarita glass.

In 1998, he pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering for his role in a $40million stock fraud scheme involving the prominent Genovese and Bonanno crime families.

Sater also worked for Bayrock, a property firm run by Kazakh billionaire and former Soviet government apparatchik Tevfik Arif.

Together with a now-defunct Icelandic investment fund popular among wealthy investors with ties to Putin, they built the Trump SoHo hotel and apartment block in Manhattan. For five years, Sater and Bayrock did licensing deals with the Trump Organization across America.

In an interview with Talking Points Memo this month, Sater said his last real estate deal for the Trump Organization in Moscow took place in October 2015, but that it 'didn't go through because obviously he became president,' he said of Trump.

'Once the campaign was really going-going, it was obvious there were going to be no deals internationally,' Sater said. 'We were still working on it, doing something with it, November-December.'

Trump had been trying to gain a foothold in Moscow's lucrative real estate market for 30 years, beginning in 1987 when he made an attempt to team up with the Soviet government to develop a hotel in the capital.

In a 2007 deposition, Trump was quoted as saying, in reference to investment opportunities in Russia: 'We will be in Moscow at some point.'
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard has directed his staff to sort the matter fast

The parents of a baby boy who died in a hospital gas mix-up 13 months ago still haven't seen a single cent in compensation or received an apology since the tragedy.

The family of the late baby have said the delay made them feel like the government had neglected them.

Parents Sonya and Youssef Ghanem said the delay has come about despite assurances given by former NSW Premier Mike Baird and former NSW Health Minister Jillian Skinner that their compensation would be fast-tracked, reports Nine News.

Scroll down for video

Youssef (left) and Sonya Ghanem lost their baby boy John to a mix-up with gas at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital in Sydney's west last year

Sonya gave birth to their fourth child, John, on July 13 last year.

But John passed away when he was mistakenly given nitrous oxide instead of oxygen because of an incorrectly installed gas dispenser at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

Now, more than one year on, the couple say the only money they've received so far is a $7,500 reimbursement for John's funeral costs.

The family told the television station that Curwood Lawyers, the NSW Government's solicitors, are demanding several documents in order for the compensation to be processed.

They are asking for doctors' records for the couple and their 19-year-old daughter Chantelle, financial records for the the couple's business and three years' worth of tax returns. Youssef, Sonya and Chantelle are also required to see a government-sanctioned psychiatrist.

Chantelle is also required to provide additional information such as five years' worth of detailed work history as well as high school and university academic records.

The television station contacted current NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on behalf of the family. Mr Hazzard said he wasn't aware of the matter.

Mr Hazzard has since contacted the family and gave them an assurance that the compensation would be finalised soon.

Mrs Ghanem (pictured) speaks to the media after losing her son John in July last year

Even the chief executive officer of Bankstown Hospital where John died as a result of the gas mix-up has offered to hand over a personal apology to the grieving family.

When John was born, Mrs Ghanem was told she needed an emergency caesarean. She woke up from the general anaesthetic only to hear her baby boy was dead.

'I held my baby, they brought him to me at the hospital,' Mrs Ghanem told Nine News last year.

'I said: 'I want to see him'. Just looking at him, shaking. 'My son, wake up', I would tell him. 'Wake up, wake up. What did they do to you?''

Youssef Ghanem (pictured) cannot hold back his tears during a media interview last year

Since the tragedy, the family hasn't received a single cent in compensation or an apology
A southern California bakery is under boycott for refusing to make wedding cakes for same-sex couples.

Cathy Miller, the owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, says she doesn't make cakes for same-sex couples due to her Christian beliefs. She said she's had this policy for the past five years with no issue.

But on Saturday, not one but two same sex-couples complained on Facebook about her refusing to make their wedding cakes.

The two couples attended a cake tasting event at the bakery on Saturday.

Scroll down for video

Cathy Miller, the owner of Tastries Bakery in Bakersfield, California, turned down two same-sex couples who wanted to order a wedding cake with her on Saturday

Miller says she doesn't make cakes for same-sex couples because of her Christian faith

The bakery regularly holds these 'cake date' events, where engaged couples can sample cakes, fillings and frostings before sitting down with Miller to design their cake.

When Miller discovered that the weddings were not to be between a man and a woman, she told the couples that she would 'transfer' their order to her competitor, Gimme Some Sugar Cakes.

The two couples were so taken aback by the encounter that they wrote about their experience on Facebook.

Ted Freitas was the first to post about the cake tasting, writing that he and his fiance Adam Ramos went to the event with Ramos' mother.

Lesbian couple Eileen Del Rio (second left) and her fiancee Wendy (left) and gay couple Ted Freitas (second right) and his fiance Adam Ramos (right) were the couples denied service on Saturday

When it came time to talk to Miller about the design they wanted, she asked if Ramos and his mother were the groom and bride.

'When we let her know that it's for us, she quickly (without hesitation) replies "Well I'm going to transfer your order to Stephanie at Gimme Some Sugar Cakes." She stands up, walks away, and calls Stephanie to "transfer" us (I think she meant to say REFUSE SERVICE to us) and refer us for an appointment

'After she leaves a voicemail with Stephanie she comes back to update us and says, "Ok, I've called her and left a message. We can do the design and Stephanie can do the filling. Your welcome to stay and enjoy MY cupcakes...' and walks off.

'Discrimination is alive and well in this f'ed up world,' Freitas wrote.

Eileen Del Rio also attended the Saturday event with her fiancee Wendy and some friends, excited to try the cakes and decide on their reception's centerpiece.

Del Rio says that the owner told them that they would take their order, but only to give it to the other bakery because she doesn't 'condone same sex marriages and will have no part in this process'.

Sam Salazar was with the lesbian couple during the appointment and was just as appalled.

'Apparently they don't "believe" in same sex marriage, so they refused to make the cake,' he wrote on Facebook. 'I'm not even sure how to react or feel right now. So just be aware if you choose to spend your money there.'

These posts quickly went viral online, leading many to start posting negative reviews on the bakery's social media pages. A boycott of the business has also been called.

The couples wrote on Facebook that Miller tried to 'transfer' their order to her competitor

Miller has since taken down the bakery's pages and started setting up new accounts.

She proudly defended her beliefs in two TV interviews about her anti-gay marriage policy.

She says that she doens't make wedding cakes for same-sex couples because she's a Christian and doesn't believe in homosexual marriages.

'Here at Tastries, we love everyone my husband and I our Christians and we know that God created everyone and he created everyone equal so its not that we dont like people of certain groups of people there is just certain things that violate my conscience,' she explained, adding that she referred Salazar to another bakery,' she told KERO.

'My conscience will not allow me to participate in thing that I feel are wrong. Our business is Gods business, we work for him. Participating in the celebration of a same-sex marriage goes against my conscience. I shouldnt be picked because of my beliefs,' she added.

She says she was hurt by all of the negative attention she got for denying the two couples their cake.

'That's what we've been doing for five years. I'm really hurt by this. I don't think we should be picked on because of our beliefs,' she told KGET.

Miller's beliefs apparently don't align with everyone that works for her.

Freitas says that after the incident on Saturday, he was told that two employees walked off the job.

Miller is far from the first baker to refuse to make a wedding cake for same-sex couples.

The Supreme Court is set to rule on one case involving a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a gay couple in 2012.

A state court later ruled that the bakery violated the state's public accommodation law, which bans discrimination by companies that offer their services to the public.
President Donald Trump tore into his own advisors and demanded the U.S. slap tariffs on trade rivals during an August Oval Office tirade.

The lecture, which the White House didn't deny, called out 'globalists' in his administration who had resisted instructions by the president to impose stronger measures on China  who Trump said was 'laughing' at the U.S.

'For the last six months, this same group of geniuses comes in here all the time and I tell them, 'Tariffs. I want tariffs,' Trump said, in a report by Axios on the dramatic exchange.

Trump provided the dressing-down in front of his brand new chief of staff, John Kelly.

President Donald Trump tore into his own advisors and demanded the U.S. slap tariffs on trade rivals during an August Oval Office tirade

'John, you haven't been in a trade discussion before, so I want to share with you my views,' Trump said as he got the ball rolling.

Trump complained that his advisors had only brought him an order to crack down on Chinese intellectual property theft.

'And what do they do? They bring me IP. I can't put a tariff on IP,' Trump said.

'China is laughing at us. Laughing,' the president complained, using language familiar to attendees of his campaign rallies.

Kelly responded, according to the report: 'Yes sir, I understand, you want tariffs.'

In the room were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, senior trade adviser Peter Navarro, economic advisor Gary Cohn, and ousted chief strategist Stephen Bannon.

Trump conducted the Oval Office display in front of his new chief of staff, John Kelly

The president vented about 'globalists' in his administration, in a meeting that included National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn

Cohn recently admonished the administration following Trump's comments about the Charlottesville violence. The former Goldman Sachs chair has been among the forces pushing a restrained approach.

After another advisor asked Trump if he didn't want to sign a memo on intellectual property, Trump responded: 'No, I'll sign it, but it's not what I've asked for the last six months.'

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (C top) attends a press conference during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 23rd Ministers responsible for Trade Meeting in Hanoi on May 21, 2017

Then, turning to Kelly, the president said: 'So, John, I want you to know, this is my view. I want tariffs. And I want someone to bring me some tariffs.'

'Yes sir, understood sir, I have it.'

Trump blamed the inaction on 'globalists' in the room. That is a term of derision favored by Bannon, although it was Bannon who was out of the administration within weeks.

'John, let me tell you why they didn't bring me any tariffs,' Trump reportedly said. 'I know there are some people in the room right now that are upset. I know there are some globalists in the room right now. And they don't want them, John, they don't want the tariffs. But I'm telling you, I want tariffs.'

The president was unsatisfied with a memo that gave U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (above) a green light to investigate Chinese intellectual property theft

Ousted chief strategist Stephen Bannon was part of the meeting

Kelly ended the meeting with instructions for the group to work it out, according to the account.

CNN reported that Kelly, who was brought in to try to stem leaks and instill order on the White House, directed the aides to work out a response away from the president, which would shield him from the factional debate.

Among the trade actions the administration has taken are: the memo on intellectual property and investigations into alleged dumping of steel and aluminum.

Trump said when he signed the executive memorandum: 'The theft of intellectual property by foreign countries costs our nation millions of jobs and billions and billions of dollars each and every year.'

He added: 'For too long, this wealth has been drained from our country while Washington has done nothing ... But Washington will turn a blind eye no longer. It leaves it up to Lighthizer to determine whether to launch an investigation, and would not necessarily result in tariffs.

The terms of access to the Chinese market frequently require western firms to transfer technology over to China.
Lawrence Michael Handley, 49, was arrested on August 11, four days after his estranged wife was kidnapped at gunpoint

A millionaire businessman orchestrated the kidnapping of his estranged wife in the midst of a months-long divorce battle, new court filings detail.

Lawrence Michael Handley, 49, was arrested at a motel in Slidell, Louisiana on August 11, four days after his wife was kidnapped at gunpoint by two men.

On August 15, the wife filed new court documents detailing the horrifying kidnapping, which she says was orchestrated by her husband.

She says her husband hired two kidnappers, 27-year-olds Sylvester Bracey and Arsenio Montreal Haynes, and supplied them with the 'items necessary to kidnap, bind, torture and abuse' her and that he chartered an airplane 'to evade capture for his crimes'.

On August 6, they kidnapped the woman from the couple's home in Lafayette, Louisiana. Another adult and a child were present.

The wife says that the kidnappers handcuffed the other two and then kidnapped her at gunpoint, putting a bag over her head.

Scroll down for video

The unidentified wife says that her husband paid these two men, Arsenio Haynes (left) and Sylvester Bracey (right), to kidnap her and bring her to him

The two men kidnapped her from the victim's home in Lafayette, Louisiana on August 6

They were supposed to bring her to Handley, but the plan was thwarted when police tried to pull them over. They fled from the vehicle (seen on surveillance cameras above)

The two men drowned in the Intracoastal Canal while trying to flee from police

The plan was allegedly for the two men to bring Handley's ex-wife to him, at an undisclosed location.

The wife says the two men 'stripped, tortured and abused' her and threatened to rape and murder while 'in route to their destination where Mr. Handley was waiting.'

The two men were never able to deliver her to Handley though because they attracted the attention of police by driving on the shoulder of the road to get around traffic.

The two men fled on foot when the car became stuck in mud and the unidentified wife was rescued from the back of the car, where she was found bound.

In a fatal turn, the two kidnappers drowned in the Instracoastal Canal while trying to flee from police and their bodies were recovered the next day.

Handley is now being held on $266,000 bail for charges of conspiracy to commit second-degree kidnapping, online impersonation, and violating protective orders.

Following the new filings, a judge granted his wife's request that Handley be banned from their living community. She was also granted access to funds so that she can hire a security team and send her child to therapy.

Handley co-founded Townsend, a Louisiana network for substance abuse treatment centers. He served as CEO before he sold the company in 2015 for $21.25million in cash.

He has a previous criminal record including a 2005 guilty conviction for fraud. The conviction stemmed from an incident in which he hired a private jet using a fake cashier's check worth $22,000.

No court date has been set for his most recent arrest.
The Army Corps of Engineers has started releasing water from two Houston dams in a desperate effort to stop them from overflowing, sending more water rushing down on the drowning city.

The Addicks and Barker reservoirs are both nearly full as a result of the unprecedented downpours brought by the storm. They sit approximately 20 miles to the east of Houston's city center.

If they fail, the water they hold will rush over the already flooded city in an uncontrolled wave, an unthinkable scenario for a city that is already largely underwater.

To avert this disaster, officials began draining them slowly on Sunday night.

Water is being released at a rate of 2600 cubic feet per second from Addicks and 2000 cubic ft from Barker.

They will gradually increase this speed to 8,000 cubic ft per second as the day goes on.

Barker Reservoir (shown above in a file image from June 2015) is being drained before it overflows as a result of the rising water levels brought by Hurricane Harvey. It holds 140,000 acre feet of water

Addicks Reservoir (shown above in a file image taken in June 2015), which is nearby and holds another 140,000 acre feet of water, is also being drained

The rising flood water at Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas, on Monday morning. The water level there will rise by another four to six inches per hour as water from two nearby dams is released

Though better than the alternative wave of water, the release will make water levels in the already swamped area Buffalo Bayou rise even more.

Thousands of people living in homes in close proximity to the dams have been advised to flee. There is no mandatory evacuation in order for them, but authorities are warning residents to remain on high alert.

As a result of the controlled release, the floods in Buffalo Bayou are expected to rise by another four to six inches per hour.

It will immediately flood all of the roads which surround them and will mean that they must remain closed for a while once the storm has passed, Col. Lars Zetterstrom, Galveston District commander, warned in a statement on Sunday night.

'These structures continue to perform as they were designed to do, which is to protect against flooding in downtown Houston and the Houston Ship Channel.

'However, we do expect to release late this evening into early tomorrow morning,' he said on Sunday.

'Structures will be impacted upstream from both locations; the number of structures affected will depend on weather conditions.'

At a press conference on Monday, Mayor Sylvester Turner warned Buffalo Bayou residents that their situation is due to get worse.

'The water is not going to be going down soon. The more they release, it could go up.

'If they don't [release the water], then it will be forced and the situation would be exponentially worse so this is a gradual release.'

The water level at Addicks Reservoir has risen from less than 20,000 acre feet of water to more than 130,000 since Saturday

The water level at Barker Reservoir has risen from almost nothing to 114,000 acre feet

Dramatic water elevation graphs demonstrate how quickly the reservoirs have filled since Harvey made landfall on Friday.

The water level in the Addicks Reservoir has risen from just 20,000 acre feet to 130,700 since Saturday. Its capacity is 140,000.

Barker Reservoir has risen from being almost empty to holding 114, 400 acre feet of water.

More than 20 inches of rain has fallen on the reserves since Saturday.

A water plant in the city's north east is also under threat. It is still operational but if its clean water supply runs below 20 percent of its total capacity, residents may have to start boiling their own water for bathing and drinking.

Another 50 inches of downpours is predicted to land across the city in the coming days. The ongoing catastrophe has prompted harsh warnings from local officials.

'I want to stress that we are not out of the woods yet,' said Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke on Sunday.

Photographs taken on Monday morning show the rising flood water in Buffalo Bayou

A car drives past an overflowing section of the Colorado River in La Grange, Texas on Monday

A herd of cattle tries to navigate its way through the flood water in La Grange, Texas, as the rain continues

With huge swathes of coastal Texas still inaccessible and with limited cell phone service across the state, the official death toll is difficult to confirm.

On Sunday, emergency services confirmed there had been two deaths but another three were feared, bringing the suspected total of fatalities to five. On Monday, the number rose to six.

911 operators across in Houston have been overrun with calls and are now unable to answer them all.

The spike in panic and life-threatening scenarios sent helpless residents to social media where they have been sharing terrifying images of their flooded homes and frightened children.

President Trump is scheduled to visit Texas on Tuesday.

He has stayed away from doomsday rhetoric, focusing instead on the well-organized response of emergency teams and city, state, and federal government agencies.

His up-beatness is of little comfort to those on the ground.

FEMA, the federal emergency management agency, has warned that it will take Houston years to recover from the devastation.

Some warned on Monday that the damage will be as drastic as that left behind by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Nearly 2,000 people died in the disaster which ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi.
A perverted sex sadist in Switzerland who drugged African women and tortured them on camera in his homemade dungeon has been jailed for eight years.

A regional court in Brugg sentenced a 63-year-old man, identified only as Urs W, to eight years imprisonment for drugging and abusing seven women.

The Swiss man, an electrical engineer, contacted the women on an online dating site.

A regional court in Brugg sentenced a 63-year-old man (pictured), identified only as Urs W, to eight years imprisonment for drugging and abusing seven women

He then met them and spiked their drinks with Rohypnol and other drugs.

He also invited them to drink a concoction for a payment of 2,000 CHF (1,758). He described it as medication which would make them enjoy their time together more.

Local media reported that the man beat the women on the breasts with various objects, using vacuum pumps, clothespins, electricity and even a mouth spreader.

They took place in the cellar which he had converted into a torture chamber.

When the women cried out in pain, he forced them to perform sex acts.

Police were alerted, and decided to carry out a full search of the property in which they discovered that sexual abuse was carried out in a converted storage cellar

Urs W. was finally caught when firemen dealing with a flood realised that there was an illegal cannabis plantation in one of the rooms of the industrial property which Urs W. rented in the town of Hausen.

Police were alerted, and decided to carry out a full search of the property in which they discovered that sexual abuse was carried out in a converted storage cellar which had been turned into a torture dungeon after they found extensive video material of the shocking scenes.

An investigation later uncovered details of the victims who were assaulted between November 2010 and December 2013.

In the darkened dungeon the police discovered a bed, lights, a video camera and a television, according to prosecutor Elisabeth Strebel. They also found anaesthesia tablets and Viagra.

Local media have speculated that the location was chosen because it was hard to reach and behind an industrial complex.

A forensic psychiatric analysis gave a report which described Urs W. as exhibiting 'behaviour indicative of sexual sadism and a significant risk of relapse.'

According to the indictment, Urs W. had 48 files with child pornography and 15 with animal pornography on his computer. He also had footage downloaded from the internet depicting women who were tormented and humiliated.

Urs W. did not deny that he filmed various sex acts. According to him, the women knew what they were doing when they took his medication and had agreed to the sexual acts in advance.

He said: 'I have paid for everything and got what I wanted.

'Without video we would not be here. Nothing would have happened to anyone. I had my fun, and the women their money.'
Southwest Airlines airlifted about 500 customers out of Houston's Hobby Airport on Sunday after they became trapped during Hurricane Harvey.

The Federal Aviation Administration closed the airport on Sunday morning, and all roads to and from the airport were closed, leaving hundreds of people stuck at the airport.

It's unclear if customers from other airlines than Southwest were also stranded in Hobby, the smaller of Houston's two commercial airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration closed Houston's Hobby Airport on Sunday morning, and all roads to and from the airport were closed, leaving hundreds of people stuck at the airport. Southwest Airlines used five planes to rescue those stranded in the building

Five Southwest Boeing 737s flew out of the flooded airport on Sunday to evacuate the airline's remaining customers from the airport. The flights took all of the passengers to Love Field in Dallas. Pictured above, the airport from the view of a hotel window

The FAA had given the airline permission to operate out of the closed airport, which will remain shuttered until at least August 30. Pictured above, the airport from the view of a hotel window

Five Southwest Boeing 737s flew out of the flooded airport on Sunday to evacuate the airline's remaining customers from the airport.

The flights took all of the passengers to Love Field in Dallas, a source told CNN.

The FAA had given the airline permission to operate out of the closed airport, which will remain shuttered until at least August 30.

Without working lights on the runway, the aircraft had to work quickly before the sun set in Houston on Sunday.

Before the rescue, Southwest released a statement about Houston's Hobby on its Twitter page.

The statement said: 'Our Hearts are with South Texas, our Southwest Family, and everyone affected by the storm. Flights to/from Houston's Hobby (HOU) have been suspended.

'Safety is paramount, and those unable to leave the airport have been advised to take shelter in place.

Some passengers were taken to a nearby hotel, where there was no food available. Pictured above, people outside the airport hotel

'Please do not attempt to reach HOU until local authorities provide further direction. We will continue monitoring HOU conditions and provide updates as information becomes available.'

Tropical Storm Harvey is dumping more rain on Houston on Monday, swelling rivers to record levels and forcing federal engineers to release water from area reservoirs in hopes of controlling the rushing currents.

Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in more than 50 years, first hit land late on Friday and has killed at least two people.

It has since lingered around Texas' Gulf Coast, where it is forecast to remain for several more days, drenching parts of the region with a year's worth of rain in the span of a week.

Schools, airports and office buildings in the nation's fourth largest city were ordered shut on Monday as scores of roads turned into rivers and chest-high water filled neighborhoods in the low-lying city that is home to about 2.3 million people.

The area's vital petrochemcial industry also was crippled.

Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in more than 50 years, first hit land late on Friday and has killed at least two people

Houston's Hobby Airport (pictured above) is the smaller of Houston's two commercial airports

Torrential rain also hit areas more than 150 miles (240 km) away, swelling rivers upstream and causing a surge that was heading toward the Houston area, where numerous rivers and streams already have been breached.

More flooding is expected as water levels continue to rise, putting more residents at risk. More than 30,000 people are expected to be placed temporarily in shelters, FEMA Administrator Brock Long said at a news conference on Monday.

The National Weather Service said the worst of floods are expected Wednesday and Thursday, although there is still uncertainty over the storm's path.

US emergency management officials said on Monday they were committed to getting federal resources to Texas as quickly as possible to help with the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, with more than 450,000 people likely to seek assistance.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said more than 30,000 people were expected to be placed temporarily in shelters after the storm made landfall over the weekend.

A disaster declaration request from the Louisiana governor would also likely be expedited, he added.
An American father and son, each serving 10-year prison sentences in Iran for allegedly collaborating with a foreign government, have lost their appeals.

Baquer Namazi, 81, and Siamak Namazi, 45, who both have US-Iranian dual citizenship were convicted of 'cooperating with the hostile American government,' according to a Mizan news agency report.

Siamak, a businessman, was arrested in October 2015.

Scroll down for video

Baquer Namazi (left) and Siamak Namazi (right) have lost their court appeal. The father and son were charged for cooperating with the US

His father, Baquer was a UNICEF representative who served as governor of Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan province under the U.S.-backed shah.

He was arrested in February 2016, apparently drawn to Iran over fears about his incarcerated son.

Effie Namazi, Baquer's wife, shared in a post on Facebook in 2016 her distress over her then 80-year-old husband's arrest, according to CNN.

'I must share the shocking and sad news that Baquer was arrested in Tehran late evening of 22 February 2016 and as far as I have been told by those who took him taken to Evin prison,' she wrote.

Both Baquer and Siamak have US-Iran dual citizenship. Siamak was a businessman and his father was a UNICEF representative

'Now both my innocent son Siamak and my Baquer are in prison for no reason. This is a nightmare I can't describe.'

The two were taken to Evin - Tehran's notorious prison, which holds political detainees.

Both Baquer and Siamak have suffered health problems related to their incarceration.

Siamak Namazi has spent much of his time in solitary confinement and 'has been interrogated relentlessly, beaten and tased,' according to the Associated Press.

Evin located in Tehran, Iran. It is known as Iran's most brutal and infamous prison and where Baquer and Siamak are being jailed

'I am deeply worried about the health of both of the Namazis, which has rapidly deteriorated,' Jared Genser said.

They are believed to be among the only U.S. citizens still jailed in Iran following a prisoner exchange in January that saw three Americans released, including Washington Post journalist and dual Iranian national Jason Rezaian, according to the LA Times.



Jared Genser said Monday that Baquer and Siamak Namazi learned the day before that the Tehran Appeals Court denied their request.

Iranian officials and state media did not immediately report the failed appeal.

The Namazis are among a number of dual nationals held in Iran after the 2015 nuclear deal, which in-part, stated that Iran must significantly reduce its nuclear materials necessary to make a weapon.
Shocking mobile phone footage has emerged of a mass brawl at a McDonald's in Dundee.

The 'crazy' footage captures the moment a thug attacked a McDonald's worker with a metal chair and a girl was thrown to the ground.

Chairs and punches were flying as customers and staff got caught up in the fight at the McDonald's on Reform Street.

In the first of two clips filmed last week at a restaurant in Reform Street, two men can be seen throwing punches at each other as two women watch

Bus cleaner Ross Smith, 21, who filmed the scuffle at around 1:30am on Friday, said the incident was typical of a night out in 'brutal' Scotland.

Ross, of Arbroath, Angus, said: 'We were out for the first time in ages but my friend got refused entry to a club so we decided to go and get some food in. I'd just bought my burgers and then this s*** started kicking off.

'It all started because these people were outside the McDonald's with their bike, drinking a litre of vodka and the guy who got attacked asked them to move it.

'I expected there to be a couple of punches but next thing you know everyone was getting thrown about and that girl ended up on the floor.

In a second video, the fight continues out on the street, with the brawlers throwing chairs at each other before a police car arrives

'When that guy picked up the chair, my burger was on that chair and it went flying. I never even got a replacement. I was furious.

'I was a bit shocked it kicked off so much. It was pretty crazy but I'm just used to it where I'm from. After a second I was just like "I am catching some good stuff here". It's just your usual night out.'

Police confirmed a man and a teenage girl were charged in connection with the incident.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: 'A 20-year-old man and 17-year-old woman have been charged over this incident.

'A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.'
Parents of a 13-year-old girl allegedly raped by her father's colleague have faced court in a battle for the right for their daughter to abort her baby.

The teenager's pregnancy was only discovered after her parents took her to a doctor to seek treatment for obesity, the BBC reported.

Now at 30-weeks pregnant, the girl from Mumbai must be granted permission from the Supreme Court, as Indian law only allows terminations after 20-weeks if the mother's life is in danger.

A colleague of the girl's father is alleged to have raped the teenager and has been arrested.

Parents of a 13-year-old girl allegedly raped by her father's colleague have faced court in a battle for the right for their daughter to abort her baby (stock image)

India has a grim record of sexual assaults on minors, with 20,000 cases of rape or sexual assaults reported in 2015, according to government data

Mumbai-based gynaecologist Dr Nikhil Datar told the BBC: '[The girl's parents] suspected she had a thyroid problem or some other medical condition because she was gaining weight.

'The scan showed that she was 27 weeks pregnant so I informed the police.'

The doctor has recommended her child is aborted as her pelvis is not fully developed and having a child will cause her 'physical and mental trauma'.

Her case comes after a ten-year-old girl, who was impregnated after being repeatedly raped by her uncle, gave birth to a child earlier this month.

Pleas for an abortion were rejected by India's Supreme Court late in late July because it was deemed to not be in the interest 'of the child or the live foetus'.

Her baby was delivered through a C-section at a hospital in Chandigarh - in the northern state of Punjab - and weighed 4lbs 8oz, according to NDTV.

The girl was not aware that she was going to hospital to deliver a baby but was instead told by her parents that she needed an operation to remove a stone from her stomach.

The 10-year-old girl was raped in the northern city of Chandigarh in the Punjab

Her father has asked that the child be made available for adoption.

The girl's parents discovered their child was pregnant after she complained to them about stomach pains.

She later told her mother that her maternal uncle had raped her six times over a period of several months when he visited the family in their home.

Chief Justice of India Justice J. S. Khehar

On July 18, the family sought legal permission to have the pregnancy terminated and the uncle was arrested, but their initial appeal to Chandigarh court was refused.

They then went to the supreme court in Delhi but - when the girl was 32-weeks pregnant - that appeal was also refused.

The Chief Justice J S Khehar-headed bench denied the plea of the girl by citing a 'grave threat' to her life.

'The medical board is satisfied that it will neither be in the interest of the child or the live foetus which is approximately 32 weeks old to order abortion,' said the bench. A similar case earlier this year in the northern Indian state of Haryana saw a 10-year-old be granted permission to abort her baby after being allegedly raped by her stepfather.
A New Zealand couple have been left distraught after they were promised a five-star luxury holiday but ended up with a hotel room looking out onto a car park.

Bex Rowling and Stu Koch purchased a $1,500 Air New Zealand Mystery trip in June and were promised a 'great New Zealand destination' for three nights in 'deluxe' four to five star accommodation.

But what was to unfold turned into the holiday from hell for the Hamilton couple.

Bex Rowling (left) and Stu Koch (right) purchased an Air New Zealand Mystery trip in June and were promised a 'great New Zealand destination' for three nights in 'deluxe' four to five star accommodation

The pair splashed out nearly $1,500 on the holiday but were disappointed with the mediocre aspects of their hotel and destination

The first disappointment was their destination - New Zealand's most southern town, Invercargill.

'I said to Stu 'What the F is this?' Ms Rowling told Stuff, revealing her conversation with her partner when arriving in the city.

'I actually burst into tears because I'd been looking forward to [the holiday] since June. Then we got to the accommodation and, looking it from the outside, I said "oh my God'',' she said.

She was distraught with the basic nature of the room, especially after taking a well-earned rest from her duties caring for her disabled son.

The pair took photos of their room detailing its bland and basic decor and also showed off their bedroom view - several industrial buildings and a car park.

Having expected views of rolling hills and spa-like pampering, they immediately called Air New Zealand but said their response was in tune with the mediocre service they had endured with the holiday.

The couple were left distraught after they were promised a five-star luxury holiday but ended up with a hotel room looking out onto a car park (pictured)

In their efforts to make it up to the fed up couple, the airline asked the hotel to upgrade them to another room, but were unable to satisfy their desires

In their efforts to make it up to the fed up couple, the airline asked the hotel to upgrade them to another room, but were unable to satisfy their desires.

The couple packed their bags and instead drove to Queenstown and shelled out a further $210 on another hotel.

'I don't think anybody should be ripped off like that,' Rowling said.

'We could have flown to the Pacific Islands for that price or straight to Queenstown and chosen our own accommodation. The whole thing was a major disappointment.'

A spokeswoman for Air New Zealand said their full payment had been reimbursed following their less than satisfactory trip.

'We're really sorry this Mystery Break didn't meet the customer's expectations and have offered a full refund as a gesture of goodwill,' she said.
A dancing police officer who wowed audiences on Britain's Got Talent has put on another show-stopping performance  right in the middle of Notting Hill Carnival.

PC Daniel Graham delighted carnival-goers at the west London festival with his incredible moves, where he was on duty yesterday.

The dancing policeman was even told 'you must be an undercover raver' while manning barriers at the carnival yesterday.

In a video of PC Graham's crowd-please performance, the MC is heard saying: 'He's not feds, he ain't police, you must be an undercover raver!'

The brilliant video shows PC Daniel Graham delighted carnival-goers at the west London festival with his incredible moves, where he was on duty yesterday

In a video of PC Graham's crowd-please performance, the MC is heard saying: 'He's not feds, he ain't police, you must be an undercover raver!'

An arresting sight: Britain's Got Talent's dancing policeman Daniel Graham when he appeared on the show earlier this year

The PC - who failed to get through to the finals of Britain's Got Talent in May - wowed audiences with his moves throughout the year's series

PC Graham then pats the ID badge to confirm his identity before signalling for the volume to be turned up.

At least 80 carnival-goers are thought to have been hypnotised by the spectacle.

'He really lit the ground up ... he turned it up big time,' Phemmy Nice, who filmed PC Graham's performance, told the Evening Standard.

He added: 'I believe the police are human, so the joy of free mind and socialising should be expressed whenever.'

The PC - who failed to get through to the finals of Britain's Got Talent in May - wowed audiences with his moves throughout the year's series.

He is now using the skills to entertain the masses once again at Notting Hill Carnival, where dozens of spectators watched on as he threw some moves
Advertisement

Harrowing photographs taken in Acapulco, Mexico, shed light on the city's ongoing battle with violent crime.

The city was once a tropical playground for Hollywood stars, where the Kennedys honeymooned and John Wayne basked in breezes on the clifftops.

But for each of the past five years, Acapulco has been the murder capital of Mexico. It is the fourth-deadliest city in the world.

Just 10 minutes from the Pacific beaches and towering palms, bloodshed is rampant.

Photographs show events such as coroners removing a body that was decapitated and dismembered and a community wake for two teenage brothers who were tortured and killed.

Coroners remove a body from the impoverished neighborhood Barranca de la Laja. The body, which had been decapitated and the legs dismembered, was buried in the floor of a residence of the chronically violent neighborhood. Police and military rarely venture into the city's 'colonies,' unless it is to remove bodies

A grandfather weeps outside the city morgue after identifying the bodies of his two teenage grandsons who had been suffocated with wires around their necks and left in the trunk of their own car

Acapulco was a popular getaway for the rich and famous during the 20th century. It is pictured above in May 1954

Two women sit in the surf on paddle boards in Acapulco, Mexico, in August of 1952 when the city was a tropical playground

2017 may become the bloodiest year in Mexico's recent history. There were a record-breaking 12,000 murders in the first six months, compared with just over 9,000 during the first six months of 2016.

June was the deadliest month in the past two decades with over 2,200 murders.

The dominant drug cartel in Acapulco and the state of Guerrero broke up a decade ago.

The criminals here now don't have to hide. The operate in 20 or more neighborhood gangs  intermixed with representatives from larger drug cartels who contract them for jobs.

The gang members are young men with specific skill-sets: extortionists, kidnappers, car thieves, assassins.

A graph (left) shows the number of homicides in violence from 2011 to 2016. There has been a steady increase since 2014. Another graph (right) shows the number of homicides in the first six months of each year since 2011. 2017 is a record high

Locals and tourists play on a popular beach called La Caleta, located just minutes away from the city's crime-riddled Renacimiento neighborhood in July

A taxi driver rides through one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. Many taxi drivers are employed by gangs as lookouts, 'Halcones' (hawk in Spanish), to inform on who is entering their territories

A cross looks over the increasingly violent and dangerous neighborhood of Colonia Santa Cruz in Acapulco, Mexico

The taxi drivers that service tourist areas are often gang targets.

A Washington Post article tells of a convenience store in the Renacimiento neighborhood where taxis drivers pay fees to 'Acapulco's criminal underworld'.

Many taxi driver are employed by gangs as lookouts to inform on who is entering their territories. They are called 'Halcones,' or hawk in Spanish.

These halcones are often the first targets when one group invades another group's territory.

One photo taken in the Barranca de la Laja neighborhood shows coroners from the city of Acapulco removing a body that had been decapitated and the legs dismembered. It was found buried in the floor of a residence of the chronically violent neighborhood.

Impoverished neighborhoods called colonias are the most violent areas.

Relatives and friends gather outside of a funeral home where a wake was held for two teenage brothers who were tortured and murdered during the early morning hours of July 17

Police look for shell casings at the scene of a homicide in the dangerous neighborhood of Colonia Santa Cruz. While homicides are frequent in the once popular seaside resort city, convictions or arrests are nearly non-existent

Police and military rarely venture into the city's 'colonias,' unless it is to remove bodies. Residents complain that there is rarely even an investigation into the murders of their loved ones.

Homicides are frequent but convictions and arrests are nearly non-existent.

Another photograph shows relatives and friends gathering outside of a funeral home for a wake. It was held for two brothers Pablo Ivan Salgado, 18, and Josue Bernal Flores, 17, who were tortured and murdered during the early morning hours of July 17.

The boys had been found in the trunk of their Nissan Sentra with their great-uncle. They had wires cinched around their necks to the point of suffocation, a type of torture known as the 'tourniquet.'

A note left with the bodies said: 'this is what happens to car thieves.' But the Nissan had belonged to the family.

A tattoo artist shows his designs on a beach. The tourist industry in the city is floundering, with hotel vacancies rising with the alarmingly high crime rates. Acapulco was a popular getaway for the rich and famous in the latter half of the 20th century

The 'Zona de Tolerancia,' or Zone of Tolerance was once a thriving nightclub and red light district. It is now nearly abandoned

A photograph taken circa 1970 shows a view of the Hotel Caleta and popular Caleta Beach

Unidentified golfers are pictured in 1959 on the green at Club de Golf. The club overlooks Acapulco Bay

Another photo shows a once lively nightclub and red light district called 'Zona de Tolerancia' (Zone of Tolerance) that now lies nearly abandoned.

Numerous local businesses have been abandoned because their owners were powerless to the gangs.

Residents are desperate to move out of their homes when their neighborhoods are taken over by gangs.

Violence in Mexico dropped for two years after the 2012 election of President Enrique Pena Nieto.

It's been on a steady incline since 2014. One possible reason is competition for domains of kingpins who were captured. Another is the breakdown of secret agreements between criminals and politicians. Also possibly involved, judicial reform requires more evidence to lock up suspected lawbreakers.

One American influence is the country's increased demand for heroin, meth and synthetic opiates.

This trend is not unique to Acapulco.

In Puebla, south of Mexico City, a fights rage over sales of stolen fuel.

Bloody drugs killings are becoming more common in beach towns such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen.

Impoverished neighborhoods called 'colonias' are shown through an iron fence. They are the most violent areas of Acapulco, where the police and army rarely venture

An aerial photograph taken in May 1954 shows Acapulco in its glory days

A photograph taken in August 1952 shows a of a cove with several stylish boats anchored off a beach
The grieving partner of a man who died of cancer has slammed a Melbourne hospital after he was allegedly placed next a dead patient in the final hours of his life.

The 50-year-old woman said her dying partner, 50, was moved to a room which contained a corpse at Northern Hospital in Epping, as staff could be heard discussing a 'body bag shortage,' The Herald Sun reported.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, claimed the room her partner was placed in was littered with rubbish, and also accused nurses and doctors of inconsistently administrating pain-relief.

She has filed an official complaint, claiming staff at the hospital are unprofessional and insufficiently qualified.

The grieving partner of a man who died of cancer has slammed Melbourne's Northern Hospital after he was allegedly placed next a dead patient in the final hours of his life

'I don't want other families to have to go through what we went through,' the woman told the paper.

'(My partner) had an untrained nurse with him and they're saying to us it's a ''staffing issue''. That shouldn't be happening.

'They need to have a stand-alone palliative care unit, they need to move it away directly from the hospital.'

Ryan Brown, Northern Health director of public affairs, told the paper the hospital was taking the complaint seriously.
A clever German Shepherd cross managed to take matters into his own paws when he was spotted strolling the streets of Texas carrying a huge bag of food in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

But in addition to the free bag of food the six-year-old pooch named Otis managed to pick up, he is now also basking in the spotlight after a photo of him quickly went viral.

Otis had somehow gotten loose from his home in Sinton, north of Corpus Christi, after the tropical storm hit on Friday night.

Otis somehow got loose from his home in Sinton, Texas during Hurricane Harvey but returned to his owner Salvador Segovia with a bag of food on Saturday

Owner Salvador Segovia had initially called out in the storm to try and locate Otis before heading out first thing Saturday morning find him.

Meanwhile, fellow resident Tiele Dockens was out checking the damage from the storm when she spotted Otis strolling down a storm-damaged street carrying his bag of food.

She snapped a photo and moments later it was being shared thousands of times on social media. Dockens followed Otis to make sure he wasn't lost and he led her straight back to his home.

Otis apparently walked straight up to his front porch where his owner was, set down the food and laid down.

'I turn around, there comes Otis and he's carrying food,' Segovia told the Washington Post. 'Otis is a smart dog. He knows where to go pick up a treat.'

Tiele Dockens was out checking the damage from the storm when she spotted Otis strolling down a storm-damaged street carrying his bag of food. She snapped a photo and it quickly went viral on Facebook

Otis apparently walked straight up to his front porch where his owner was, set down the food and laid down (above)

The pooch regularly wanders off and knows how to make his way around the town.

He often stops in at the Dairy Queen where he gets a hamburger or the lumber store because it sells dog food.

Segovia thinks on this occasion Otis may have been scared by the storm and took off before making his way to the lumber store.

'I'm thinking he picked up that dog food and he knew where it was. Nobody was there to feed him and he picks up the dog food,' Segovia said.

Otis' family are still in shock over the viral fame the pooch has attracted.

Segovia's son Shane wrote on Facebook: 'First things first people, Otis wasn't in need of help! Second of all, I promise he wasn't looting!

'Lol... He was just out on a stroll through town AFTER the storm and doing what a survivor would do! Salvador Segovia you taught him right!'
Michel Barnier has taunted that Britain faces new vulnerabilities to terrorism after Brexit just hours before new talks officially begin.

The EU chief negotiator claimed in a French newspaper article that Britain quitting the European Union would see it excluded from Europol, the European Defence Agency and the council of defence ministers.

The incendiary intervention emerged just hours after Europol's British chief called for deeper intelligence sharing.

Michel Barnier has taunted that Britain faces new vulnerabilities to terrorism after Brexit just hours before new talks officially begin (file image)

Mr Barnier's comments to Le Monde come after a wave of terror attacks in Europe, including four attacks in three months in Britain.

Mr Barnier is due to sit down with Brexit Secretary David Davis for the third round of talks this week with the formal welcome scheduled later today.

He said Brexit 'will have very practical consequences including on defence and security' and added: 'The British defence minister will no longer be able to sit at the council of defence ministers, London will leave the European Defence Agency and Europol [The EU-wide police force].

Europol chief Rob Wainwright today urged deeper co-operation in order to save lives

'British defence research facilities will not be able to benefit from EU funding, London will not be able to assume command of European operations.'

Theresa May has warned failure to strike a good Brexit deal would endanger security cooperation but has insisted most security cooperation takes place outside EU bodies.

Earlier, Rob Wainwright, who heads the Europol, urged deeper co-operation in order to save lives.

He told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: 'We are dealing with a very diffuse community of thousands of radicalised individuals out of which anyone can become a potential terrorist at short notice.

'And not always is anything known about them in the police records.

'We have to therefore maximise the precious information that we have from all possible sources.'
A 30-year-old man died in upstate New York after lying down on a busy road and getting hit by a car, police said.

In the seconds before being hit in Syracuse, New York, on Saturday, it appeared that the man spread out on the ground to avoid being attacked by three other men, footage filmed by a bystander showed.

He was taken to Upstate University Hospital just after 1am in critical but stable condition but died of his injuries two hours later.

A 30-year-old man died in Syracuse, New York, after lying down on a busy road and getting hit by a car. In the seconds before being hit, it appeared that the man spread out on the ground to avoid being attacked by three other men

The 26-year-old driver of the car that hit him (right edge of the screen), Naquan Palmer, remained at the scene and told police he hadn't seen the pedestrian in the road

The man's name is being withheld until his family is notified.

Video footage filmed from an apartment unit overlooking the street showed three men surround the 30-year-old as he got to the ground.

One man appeared to kick him before the group walked away, leaving him in the middle of the road.

Seconds later, two vehicles slowly drove by to avoid the man, but a third driver saw him so late and struck the man with his vehicle.

The 26-year-old driver, Naquan Palmer, of Syracuse, remained at the scene and told police he hadn't seen the pedestrian in the road.

Although the man sustained several injuries, he was conscious when police arrived and they initially believed he was going to survive.

Hours later, he succumbed to his injured and died in hospital around 3am.

Video footage filmed from an apartment unit overlooking the street showed three men surround the 30-year-old as he got to the ground. One man appeared to kick him before the group walked away, leaving him in the middle of the road

Police are continuing to investigate the incident and are asking anyone who has information about to crash to call (315) 442-5130.

In a statement on Facebook, the Syracuse Police Department said: 'Syracuse Police are continuing to investigate a Pedestrian Crash which resulted in the pedestrian succumbing to those injuries several hours later.

'Police were called to the 300 blk. of N Salina St. shortly before 1:00 am today for reports of a pedestrian struck by a car.

'When police arrived they found a male pedestrian conscious with multiple injuries he had sustained from the crash.

'Emergency personnel tended to the victim and he was transported by American Medical Transport to Upstate University Hospital where he was listed in Critical but stable condition.

'It appeared at that time that those injuries he suffered were nonlife threatening.'
President Donald Trump's split in focus between federal disaster relief for Texas and a host of other issues he delved into last weekend on Twitter are evidence of his ability to multitask, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday.

Trump 'cares about his people greatly' and would have traveled to the storm-battered state today, if he were able, Perry told Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade in a morning interview.

'The president is very, very engaged. He knows exactly what's going on,' Perry, the longest-serving governor in Texas' history, said. 'Interestingly, Brian, he's multitasking at the same time. He's got a lot of other things going on as the President of the United States that he's dealing with halfway around the world, right here in this country.'

Trump and wife Melania, the first lady, are due to arrive in southern Texas on Tuesday along with members of the president's Cabinet. They'll visit an area in the Lone Star State that has already been impacted, Texas' sitting governor said this morning, suggesting in his remarks that the plans involve Corpus Christi.

Scroll down for video

President Donald Trump's split in focus between federal disaster relief for Texas and a host of other issues he delved into last weekend on Twitter are evidence of his ability to multitask, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday

Trump is pictured during a conference call with his Cabinet receiving an update on Hurricane Harvey from the FEMA administrator and other national security officials

Trump and wife Melania, the first lady, are due to arrive in southern Texas on Tuesday along with members of the president's Cabinet

The president will also make a trip to Missouri this week to push his tax reform proposal, the White House has said

The president will also make a trip to Missouri this week to push his tax reform proposal, the White House has said. Plans call for him to fly into Texas on Tuesday and Missouri on Wednesday.

He's hosting the Finnish president today that White House. Their meetings will conclude with a joint press conference where Trump's 'multitasking' is likely to come up.

Under the cover of Hurricane Harvey, Trump pardoned a controversial Arizona sheriff on Friday evening after arriving at Camp David, the official presidential retreat in Maryland, where he spent the weekend with his family while the vice president remained in Washington.

He sent numerous tweets over the weekend boosting the federal government's efforts to assist state and local officials with Harvey and received updates twice from his Cabinet.

After a quiet Saturday, Trump sent a string of tweets Sunday morning on storm rescue efforts and other priorities of his, including tax cuts and the border wall.

'I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety,' Trump said in one of his earlier tweets.

Shortly thereafter, he targeted a Missouri senator facing a tough reelection battle in a tweet that said: 'I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in '16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts. Republican will win S!'

The president's character-limited tweet made reference to Democrat Claire McCaskill, who's seat in the Senate is up for grabs next fall.

Returning to the storm briefly, Trump then said that efforts are 'going well.' His next two tweets were attacks again, though, this time on Mexico.

'With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other,' he said. 'We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?'

After a quiet Saturday, Trump sent a string of tweets Sunday morning on storm rescue efforts and other priorities of his, including tax cuts and the border wall

Perry insisted Monday morning on Fox that Trump is fulfilling his responsibilities to the people of Texas and Louisiana, which was also struck by the tropical storm.

'This president is as engaged in a personal way as any president that I had the privilege to work with. He wants to come to Texas,' he said.

Trump wanted to visit the Lone Star State today, the Texas Republican said, 'but he realizes that this is too early.'

While he did not have definitive details on Trump's trip, Perry said, 'He'll most likely be at one of the evacuation shelters.'

He wants to let people know the federal government is a partner in the state-led efforts, the Cabinet secretary explained.

Bringing up Trump's trip to Missouri the following day, Perry added, 'This is a president who can multitask. This is a president who cares about his people greatly and we're seeing the reflection of that in his actions.'

Texas' sitting governor, Greg Abbott, also a Republican, offered Trump a positive review for his handling of the crisis, as well, on Monday.

'The engagement and response by the president, the White House, by his Cabinet and by FEMA have been actually remarkable,' Abbott said.

Texas' sitting governor, Greg Abbott, also a Republican, offered Trump a positive review for his handling of the crisis, as well on Monday

Trump's administration touched base with him a week or two in advance of the storm, Abbott said, and has been in constant contact ever since.

'And they've provided Texas everything that we need. Whenever Texas asks for anything, the answer has been "yes," ' he said. 'We've been very pleased with their collaborative response.'

Appearing on CBS News on Monday morning, Abbott said that Trump would not be interfering with the state's emergency outreach with his visit.

'The place he will be going to will not be Houston, so he will not be getting into harm's way or interrupting the evacuations or the emergency response in the Houston area,' Abbott said, 'He most likely will be going closer to where the hurricane hit land, and that's where I will be going today to meet with the FEMA administrator Brock Long.'

Abbott's characterization of Trump's trip suggests the president will visit the Corpus Christi area. That's where the hurricane made landfall.

Houston has been hit hit harder than expected by the storm, and Abbott said this morning that Dallas would be opening a mega-shelter that would be able to house 5,000 evacuees.

San Antonio is also operating an evacuee center, and the state today began running airlift operations out of Galveston to remove and relocate evacuees, he said.

'This will be a devastating disaster, probably the worst disaster the state's seen,' Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told The Washington Post yesterday. 'The recovery to this event is going to last many years to be able to help Texas and the people impacted by this event achieve a new normal.'

The state is already hosting 30,000 people in shelters. Another 450,000 will need government assistance.

Officials say 40-50 inches or rain could pile up on Texas' coast. Conditions are expected to get worse over the next few days.

Houston has seen 25 inches already and could see 25 more by Saturday. By comparison the Texas city usually accumulates 50 inches of rain a year.

Vice President Mike Pence said later on Monday morning during an interview on a Houston-area radio show, 'Were saddened by the loss of life, and the President is anxious to come to the region tomorrow. The President and the First Lady will be there, along with a number of other Cabinet officials.'
Advertisement

As Hurricane Harvey ravaged Houston on Monday, the extent of the devastation it has caused started to become clear.

Huge swathes of the city now sit underwater as flood water continues to rush through its streets.

Thousands are without homes, even more have lost power and 11 people are feared dead across the entire state as a result of the storm.

There is no respite on the horizon, with another 50 inches of rain scheduled to land over the course of the week.

Harvey increased slightly in strength Monday as it drifted back over the warm Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters expect the system to stay over water with 45 mph winds for 36 hours and then head back inland east of Houston sometime Wednesday. The system will then head north and lose its tropical strength.

Many residents have been left no choice but to wait in their homes to be rescued but emergency services have been pushed to the limit. 911 operators are having to choose between life-fearing callers and panicked residents are clambering to their roofs to wave towels in the hope that someone will rescue them.

Here, in a collection of photographs taken around the city before and after the storm hit, the scope of the damage is laid bare.

There were 5,500 people in shelters on Monday morning and 911 operators had responded to 75,000 calls alone by 10.30am.

More than 2,000 people have been rescued from the flood water and at any given time, there is a 15 person backlog for 911 calls.

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, estimates that 30,000 will be in need of shelter by the time the storm passes and there is already an estimated $40billion in damage.

 Slide me  Aerial footage shows the floods in Rockport, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey on Sunday (right) and before (left)

 Slide me  Interstate 45 Highway in Houston in 2005 (left) and on Sunday (right) after the Hurricane Harvey floods swept the city

 Slide me  The theater district is shown above in ordinary conditions (left) and on Sunday (right). The total damage of Hurricane Harvey has been estimated as $40billion

 Slide me  Another view of Houston's theater district taken on an ordinary day (left) and on Sunday (right) as water flooded the city

 Slide me  The colorful bridges above highway 59 towered over a bleak scene on Sunday (right), with large portions of the road under water

FEMA has around $3billion in its disaster relief fund but the sum is dwindling.

At a press conference mid-morning, Mayor Sylvester Turner pleaded for help from other cities and plugged charity relief funds to care for the thousands of Houston residents in crisis.

Two major dams which sit to the east of the city are being gradually drained by the army to stop them from overflowing.

The Addicks and Barker Reservoirs are both dangerously close to their capacities. With more rain on the way, US Army experts are racing the storm to release water from each dam.

The controlled release will send more water cascading in to the area of Buffalo Bayou, where freeways are entirely underwater.

It will stop an uncontrollable wave of water from rushing through homes.

The total cost of the damage has been put at $40 billion and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has warned it will be take years for the city and coastal towns to recover.

As the situation became more grave, criticism of Mayor Turner's decision not to evacuate the city grew.

When the storm began on Friday, Houston was not immediately hit. It was safe from the battering winds which tore apart towns on the coast and many felt confident enough to remain in their homes.

However as the storm moved further inland on Saturday and Saturday, floods - the likes of which the city has never before seen - swept through.

 Slide me  Another view of the theater district shows it dry (left) before the storm and completely submerged in water (right) afterwards

 Slide me  An aerial view of downtown Houston (left) and the same view after the Hurricane Harvey floods (right)

 Slide me  A home in the area of Cottage Grove, Houston, before and after the Hurricane Harvey floods swept through on Saturday

 Slide me  The coastal town of Rockport was spared severe flooding but was battered by 130mph winds on Friday night and Saturday morning

 Slide me  A home in Cottage Grove which is among flooded areas in Houston before (left) and after (right). There is still no mandatory evacuation order in place for the city

 Slide me  In Rockport, Texas, 130mph winds removed the dome roof of this building and battered the rest of its shell

The city woke up to a water world and many, with no alternative, swam to safety or climbed in to rescue boats.

Now, many are trapped in their homes with no way out. They have been left to wait for rescue boats but the situation is bleak.

Oliver Simpson, 35, a father of four from west Houston, is stuck in his home with his children. He told DailyMail.com on Monday: 'It's horrible. I feel helpless - sitting with no power and just waiting to see what happens. And we have it so much better than many others.

'I have a neighbor who had a tree fall on his garage, it went across a gas line. There is a gas leak and despite calls to 911 still no one been out. That was at 4am this morning.

'To be clear, authorities are doing everything they can [there are] just many people in far worse situation than us.'

WHY HOUSTON IS PRONE TO FLOODS Though the most severe, Hurricane Harvey's floods are not the first to ever torture the city of Houston. Less extreme flooding was seen in 2001 with Tropical Storm Allison, in 2015 on Memorial Day and on Tax Day last year. The city is predominantly flat and sits little above sea level - 50 feet above in the center and 40 feet above in some downtown suburbs to be exact. This makes it easier for water from heavy rainfall to gather on the ground. When the bayous flood, the freeways act as an unofficial flood control system. Once water spills over them, it pours in to residential streets and rises from there. Advertisement

Mayor Turner is now asking anyone with a boat to help with the rescue efforts. Many Texans responded bravely to his call to arms and were out in force on Saturday saving vulnerable neighbors and strangers from the floods.

'The goal is rescue. That's the major focus for the day. We want to focus on getting them out of their homes or whatever their stressful situation may be,' he said.

With 911 operation centers inundated, panicked residents turned to social media to be saved.

They shared pictures of frightened children cowering on kitchen work tops as water covered the floors of their homes.

Heartbreaking photographs from nursing homes showed elderly residents floating around in their wheelchairs and hospital beds. President Trump is scheduled to visit Texas on Tuesday.

As the devastation continues to unfold, authorities are now turning their attention to fundraising efforts.

The Red Cross has launched a designated relief fund (which can be found here) and there will be a Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund organized by the City of Houston.

Celebrities shared their thoughts and prayers for the city's residents en masse but were taken to task by actor Kevin Hart who, after pledging $25,000 to relief funds, called on a number of stars including Jay Z, Beyonce, Jerry Seinfeld and Justin Timberlake, to make donations.

To donate to the Red Cross Hurricane Harvey relief fund, click here or call 1-800-435-7669.

Good Samaritans have come out in force and, in some cases, from other states.

Alexandre Jorge evacuates Ethan Colman from his home in Houston on Monday

Jose Garcia carries Heidi, his German Shepherd, to safety after fleeing their home in Houston on Monday

The pair hitched a ride on Murphy Fire Department's Todd Herrington's boat on Monday morning

A family uses toys to safely push a young relative through water as they carry umbrellas after fleeing their home in Houston

Residents flee their homes in Houston on Monday as flood waters continue to rise in parts of the city

Residents hitch a ride on a construction vehicle with children hiding inside next to the driver to try to stay warm

Some residents maintained their smiles despite the treacherous conditions and waved for news photographers as they fled their homes

New mother Shardea Harrison watches over her three-week-old baby as she is rescued from her home by Dean Mize and Jason Legnon

Houston Fire Department's Dive Team power through flood water in a motor boat looking for people who need to be saved

Apartment residents flee their home in North Braeswood Boulevard as the flood waters continue to rise on Monday

Two men carry their belongings across a flooded road after fleeing their apartment in North Braeswood Boulevard on Monday

Volunteer Dean Mize holds on to two frightened and soaking children as he and his friend Jason Lengon rescue more stranded residents on their boat

Belinda Penn carries her two dogs from a boat after being rescued from their home in Houston on Sunday

FAMILY OF 6 'DROWNS IN THEIR VAN TRYING TO ESCAPE' Six members of the same family died by drowning in their van as they tried to escape Harvey's floods on Saturday, according to other members of the family. KHOU reports that the victims - four children under the age of 16 and their grandparents - were traveling in a van being driven by their great uncle near Greens Bayou when they ran into trouble. Six members of a family - including Xavier Saldivar (left), 8, and his sister Daisy (right), 6, as well as their siblings and great-grandparents - died in the Hurricane Harvey floods Monday They had just crossed a bridge in Houston when their van was swept away by strong flood-water currents. Devy Saldivar (left), 16, and her brother Dominic (right), 14, also died Their great-grandparents Manuel and Belia Saldivar (pictured), aged 81 and 83, respectively, also drowned. The driver - the children's great-uncle - survived the accident He was able to escape as water rushed in to the vehicle but the others could not and he watched as they perished in the water, other relatives said. The official death toll on Saturday was two - meaning authorities have so far been able to confirm two deaths. They are inundated with crisis situations, however and are therefore redirecting attention to rescuing people who are trapped. This makes it difficult to deliver an exact number but the total was reported as five on Sunday. The family's deaths bring this to 11. Advertisement

As the kind-hearted rushed to save strangers from rising waters, a small crop of evil, opportunist scammers popped up.

One viral social media post for distressed residents advised anyone seeking the help of emergency services to call a phone number DailyMail.com is not publishing. The phone number led vulnerable callers to Foremost, a private insurance company.

There have been four arrests for looting in Houston so far and more disruption is feared.

Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife Barbara, who are Houston residents, escaped the disaster and are in Maine. They released a statement on Monday expressing their gratitude for the emergency services.

'Barbara and I are in Maine but our hearts are in Houston.

'We are praying for all of our fellow Houstonians and Texans affected by Harvey, and truly inspired by the flotilla of volunteers  Points of Light all  who are answering the call to help their neighbors.

'We salute them, the first responders, and the local elected officials for their grit and determination in the face of this extraordinary storm. This we know: Houston, and Texas, will come together and rebuild,' they said.

FEMA has advised that 30,000 people will be displaced and in need of shelter.

At a news conference, administrator Brock Long said: 'The sheltering mission is going to be a very heavy lift.

'We need citizens to be involved. You could not draw this forecast up, you could not dream this forecast up.'

Creative residents used kiddie pools to transport their belongings through the flood water in swamped residential streets
A New Jersey mom has been arrested after she allegedly got high in her parked car, leaving her two-year-old daughter to die in the rear seat.

Deanna J Joseph, 39, of Alloway Township, left her daughter unattended for hours in the car on Saturday, and when she came around she realized the girl was dead, police claim.

'It appeared the child was confined in a car seat for an extended period of time while the mother was under the influence of drugs, and may have injured herself in the car seat,' Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan told NJ.com on Sunday.

Arrested: Deanna Joseph (left in mugshot, right in her car) was arrested Saturday after her daughter was found dead in the back of her car. Joseph was high in the front seat, cops said

Mother: Joseph (pictured with her daughter in a picture uploaded to Facebook in June) has at least three other children and has been convicted of child neglect before

Joseph, who appears to have had at least four children, called 911 at 9:45pm to report that her daughter wasn't responsive.

When first responders arrived at her home on Timberman Road the child was dead, police said.

Police allege that Joseph took heroin before driving around, with her daughter in the back, parking the vehicle and then falling asleep - at which point the infant died.

An autopsy is still pending, but it's believed that she got tangled in the belt trying to escape and was strangled to death.

Joseph has been charged with second-degree child endangerment and could face up to 10 years in prison. This is her third such arrest in nine years.

In 2014, Joseph was convicted of child cruelty and neglect after police found her unconscious alongside her 11-month-old son, who was partially submerged in a bath, NJ.com reported at the time.

Next to Joseph's unconscious body were spoons, envelopes containing heroin residue and two crack rocks.

She received a year in jail and was released just over a year ago.

And in 2008, Joseph was arrested after leaving her other two children, aged 11 and 2, alone at home so she could get high in a parking lot.

Those children were taken into custody, although it's not clear for how long, according to reports at the time.

Over the last 20 years Joseph has also been convicted on charges from seven arrests ranging from possession of heroin and cocaine to resisting arrest or eluding after being told to stop.
Michel Barnier dismissed Britain's raft of Brexit policy papers today as he demanded serious talks on the divorce with the EU.

In a clear sign of the impasse which is leaving the negotiations deadlocked, Mr Barnier warned he was 'concerned' about the failure to make progress.

Brexit Secretary David Davis arrived in Brussels today prepared to deliver a hard-hitting message about what Britain sees as needless delays provoked by the EU's insistence on a two-phase negotiation.

The Government is furious at Mr Barnier's demand for agreement on Britain's exit bill, the Irish border and citizens rights before discussing anything else.

Michel Barnier (pictured today with David Davis in Brussels) dismissed Britain's raft of Brexit policy papers today as he demanded serious talks on the divorce with the EU

Brexit Secretary David Davis arrived in Brussels today (pictured) prepared to deliver a hard-hitting message about what Britain sees as needless delays

In defiance of the Brussels position, Britain has published a raft of policy papers on issues from the European Court to customs controls in recent weeks.

Mr Barnier said he had read the papers but standing alongside Mr Davis today he warned: 'To be honest Im concerned as time passes quickly.

'I welcome the UK Government papers and we have read them very carefully. But we need UK positions on all separation issues.

'This is necessary to make sufficient progress. We must start negotiating seriously.

'The EU27 and the European Parliament stand united. They will not accept that separation issues are not addressed properly.'

The EU chief negotiator said he wanted to 'intensify negotiations' amid fears a deadline of October to resolve the divorce will be missed.

For Britain's side, Mr Davis insisted he was determined to make progress on all issues at this week's talks as he underlined the British demand for work on a broad settlement.

The Brexit Secretary said the raft of policy papers were the result of 'hard work and detailed thinking' and said he hoped for a week of 'constructive' talks.

He said: 'For the UK, the week is about driving forward technical discussions across all the issues - all the issues.

'We are ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work again once more. Let's do it.'

The Brexit Secretary urged Mr Barnier to demonstrate 'flexibility and imagination' in his approach as he reiterated Britain's belief the future trading arrangement must be considered alongside the divorce deal.

The Brexit Secretary will return to London tonight after the initial meeting. Officials then takeover before a crunch meeting on Thursday.

Despite the impasse, both Mr Barnier and Mr Davis still appeared to be on good personal terms as they met in Brussels today

Ahead of today's talks, German business leaders have issued a plea to the European Union to begin work on a trade deal with Britain as they enter the next round of Brexit negotiations in Brussels today.

The EU has repeatedly said talks on a trade agreement cannot begin until sufficient progress is made on the divorce bill, the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Northern Ireland.

Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, said: As Brexit talks continue, its clear that companies in the UK and on the continent all want economic issues to rise to the top of the negotiations agenda

But last night they were under increasing pressure to compromise as the influential Association of German Chambers of Commerce (DIHK) warned it was important for businesses on both sides of the Channel for them to start looking at the future arrangements.

In a joint intervention with the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), the group warned that trade would suffer without clarity.

Adam Marshall, director general of the BCC, said: As Brexit talks continue, its clear that companies in the UK and on the continent all want economic issues to rise to the top of the negotiations agenda.

There is real business appetite from both sides for a focus on practical, day-to-day business concerns, and a desire for clarity on future trading arrangements.

The UK and the EU must begin work on transitional arrangements, particularly on customs, so that firms on both sides of the Channel have the confidence to make investment decisions.

Chambers of commerce in the UK and in Germany want to see thriving trade continue between our firms, both now and into the future. Politicians must do everything in their power to help this happen.

Martin Wansleben, chief executive of the DIHK, said: The first effects of the Brexit vote are already being observed: German exports to the United Kingdom were down by three per cent in the first half of this year compared to the first half of last year.

A transitional period would be helpful for business, but it is important to businesses on both sides that the contours of a future trading relationship are becoming clearer over the next months.

Brexit Secretary David Davis will today say: We want to agree a deal that works in the best interests of both the EU and the UK, and people and businesses right across Europe'

This weeks round of negotiations will concentrate on the rights of EU citizens living in Britain after Brexit and Britons in the EU, as the two sides are in a deadlock over the divorce bill.

Ahead of the talks, Mr Barnier warned that Britain must be ready to set out what it is willing to pay today.

But Mr Davis will snub his request and refuse further discussions on the demand, which is thought to be for around 80 billion euros (74billion), until they show the legal justification for their claim.
A homeless man who drew national attention last year when a stranger asked him to pour hot coffee on himself in exchange for $5 has been killed in a car accident in New Jersey.

The Lakewood Police Department says Ronald Leggatt, 67, was walking in the left lane of Cedarbridge Avenue at 11pm on Friday when he was struck by a 2008 Chevrolet Avalanche.

The driver stayed at the scene of the accident and called for help. It is unclear if he would face any charges.

Sad end: Ronald Leggatt, 67, the New Jersey homeless man who drew national attention last year when a stranger asked him to pour hot coffee on himself in exchange for $5, has been killed in a car accident. The photo on the right shows him after a makeover in 2016

Leggatt was walking in the left lane of Cedarbridge Avenue in Lakewood (pictured) when he was struck by a 2008 Chevrolet

At the time of his death, Leggatt was living at the Lexington Manor - a facility located a mile north of the crash scene that houses people suffering from mental health problems, reported NJ.com.

Until 2014, Leggatt had been living in a homeless encampment in Lakewood known as 'Tent City.'

Leggatt's plight made national headlines in January 2016 when a video emerged on social media showing a man who looked to be in his 20s handing him a $5 bill so he could pour hot coffee on him and videotape his reaction.

Leggatt, who had been living on the streets of Lakewood for years, said at the time that he accepted the offer because he needed the money, even though he sensed that he was being mocked by the stranger.

He poured the scorching-hot beverage on his head, and when the stranger repeated his offer, Leggatt did it a second time, leaving him with burns.

Tough life: Leggatt was a father-of-two who worked as a jockey and horse trainer at Freehold Raceway, but his life was derailed after he was hit by a car and suffered a brain injury

Vagrant: Leggatt was living on the streets after the demolition of a Lakewood homeless encampment when a Hasidic man offered him $5 for the coffee prank. He suffered burned to his face from the hot liquid (right)

Members of the local Hasidic community later forced the prankster to apologize to Leggatt on camera (pictured above)

A bystander who witnessed the interaction confronted the cruel prankster, who purportedly told him it was not uncommon to pull pranks on the homeless, and that there are videos on YouTube that show other people paying vagrants for hurting themselves.

Facebook users who read the bystander's account of the incident on the social media site demanded that the Lakewood Police Department look into the incident.

Soon, cops had located not only Leggatt, but the man who offered him the sick deal as well.

However, police decided that since Leggatt voluntarily poured the coffee on his head, no charges would be filed.

Members of the local Hasidic community, of which the prankster was a member, later forced him to apologize to Leggatt on camera, reported The Lakewood Scoop.

'I'm sorry about what happened,' he said, hugging the homeless man, but kept his back to the camera. He also gave him $20. 'If you want to get me back and pour the coffee on my head, you can do that.'

Leggart looked embarrassed at the offer and turned him down.

The town's Orthodox Jewish leaders also paid for Leggatt to get a haircut and bread trim, bought him clothes and put him up in a hotel for the weekend.

The San Francisco 49ers later learned that Leggatt was wearing an old jacket with the team's insignia on it in the viral video and sent him a box filled with new 49ers clothing and accessories.

Leggatt was a father-of-two who worked as a jockey and horse trainer at Freehold Raceway, but his life was derailed after he was hit by a car and suffered a brain injury, according to Steve Brigham, a New Jersey homeless advocate.

The San Francisco 49ers learned that Leggatt was wearing an old jacket with the team's insignia on it and sent him a box filled with new 49ers clothing and accessories (pictured left and right)

Those who knew him said that despite his financial woes and struggles, Leggatt was remarkbely upbeat and positive.

Cindy Lanouette, who first met Laggett while assisting in the managemtn ofg 'Tent City,' shared some kind words with DailyMail.com about the deceased man.

'He defines the True character of a gentleman,' she wrote in an email. 'And If Ron only know the impact he made on people...'
Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!

Your notification has been saved.

There was a problem saving your notification.

{{description}}

Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
German police on Monday raided the homes and workplaces of a policeman and another person suspected of planning to capture and kill left-wing politicians because of their views on immigration, authorities said.

The suspects - who feared Germany's refugee policies would impoverish the country - had begun to stockpile food and ammunition and plan attacks, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

'The suspects see the crisis they fear taking hold as an opportunity to capture left-wing political representatives and kill them with their weapons,' the statement said.

A target list of names were drawn up by the suspects who planned 'serious violence threatening to the state', the prosecutor's office said.

Scroll down for videos

German prosecutors say authorities have raided the homes and workplaces of two people who apparently opposed the country's policy on migrants and are suspected of drawing up a 'kill list' of left-wingers

No regrets: The raids come after German Chancellor Angela Merkel (pictured) said she would change nothing about her response to the migrant crisis of 2015

A spokesman for the federal prosecutor's office said neither suspect had been arrested and no arrest warrant had been issued yet.

Pictures on the website of the mass-circulation daily Bild showed black-clad police, some in balaclavas, carrying out searches.

The suspected policeman worked in the eastern town of Ludwigslust, some 90 miles northwest of Berlin.

Disciplinary measures had been initiated against him, the state interior ministry of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern said.

Police also carried out raids on the properties of people linked to the two suspects, but who were not themselves suspects, the prosecutor's office added.

One of these was also a policeman, the state interior ministry said.

The suspects had been in contact with other people on chatrooms.

Influx: More than a million people from across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East entered Germany two years ago after Mrs Merkel opened her country's doors to Syrian refugees

The raids come after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a weekend newspaper interview she regrets nothing about her response to the migrant crisis of 2015.

More than a million people from across Asia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East entered Germany two years ago after Merkel opened her country's doors to Syrian refugees.

Her party's support dropped as a consequence and led to a surge in support for the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which pollsters say could win up to 10 per cent in the September election.

But in an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper, the chancellor said she would do everything 'the same way again' if she had the opportunity.

Decider: Merkel said it 'was an extraordinary situation and I made my decision based on what I thought was right from a political and humanitarian standpoint'

Pictured left: A man holds up a sign reading 'No violence against women' as he takes part in a demonstration in front of the cathedral in Cologne. On New Year's Eve 2015, there were sex attacks by migrants in the city. Pictured right: A long line of migrants in Hungary on the journey north during 2015

'It was an extraordinary situation and I made my decision based on what I thought was right from a political and humanitarian standpoint' Merkel said.

'Those kinds of extraordinary situations happen every once in a while in a country's history,' she added. 'The head of government has to act and I did.'

She also attacked EU countries that refused to accept migrants as part of a redistribution plan, explaining that such behaviour is 'not on'.

'That contradicts the spirit of Europe,' she said. 'We'll overcome that.

'It will take time and patience but we will succeed.'

But Merkel added that harsher measures should be taken against asylum seekers if they take a holiday in their country of origin.

'Taking holidays in the country in which you are being persecuted is not on,' she said, adding that it could be a reason to re-examine an asylum case.

While there is no official data on asylum seekers going back to their home countries on 'holiday', the issue has been a hot topic in Germany.

Newspaper 'Die Welt' first reported last year that it had found cases of recognised asylum seekers who had gone back to countries such as Syria and Afghanistan for a short time.

Martin Retsch, from the UN Refugee Agency, said the practice was not 'widespread'.

However the issue surrounding migrants continues to dominate the upcoming election.

Support for Merkel and her party has recovered somewhat after the influx of refugees slowed in 2016 to 280,000 and fell even further to about 106,000 in the first seven months of this year.

Merkel said it was unfair that Greece and Italy were left on their own carrying the full burden of the refugee crisis 'simply because of their geography'.

She added she would not stop pushing for a distribution of refugees across the European Union.
Bill Shorten has called for Hyde Park's Captain Cook statue to be reformed after it was the target of a vandal who scrawled 'change the date' and 'no pride in genocide' across the monument.

Speaking at Hyde Park in Sydney's centre on Monday, Mr Shorten joined a growing number of activists campaigning for the statue to acknowledge and pay respect to Aboriginal people - the country's first Australians.

'This country works best when we work together, so an additional plaque on Captain Cook's statue is fine by me,' Mr Shorten said.

Scroll down for video

Speaking at Hyde Park in Sydney's centre on Monday, Mr Shorten joined a growing number of left-wing activists campaigning for the statue to acknowledge and pay respect to Aboriginal people

'I'm proud of our Aboriginal history, I'm not so proud of the way Aboriginals have been treated since 1770.'

While Mr Shorten welcomed an additional plaque, he did not support the removal of the statue altogether, according to Seven News.

The statue of Captain Cook, which boasts an inscription saying the British explorer 'discovered this territory, 1770', was vandalised about 2am on Saturday.

The words 'change the date' and 'no pride in genocide' were scrawled across the monument in spray paint  political slogans used by people who want the date of Australia Day changed.

Statues of Lachlan Macquarie and Queen Victoria were also defaced with spray paint.

An iconic statue of Captain James Cook (pictured) was the target of vandals early on Saturday morning

The statue (pictured) was spray-painted with political slogans referring to the debate over the date of Australia Day

A statue of former NSW governor Lachlan Macquarie (pictured) was also targeted by vandals

Mr Shorten's views were in stark contrast to those held by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said the statue was 'part of history' and should remain as is.

'All of those statues, all of those monuments, are part of our history and we should respect them and preserve them,' he told 3AW's Neil Mitchell.

'By all means, put up other monuments, put up other signs and sites that explain our history.

'You don't rewrite history by editing stuff out. If you want to write a new chapter of our history, if you want to challenge assumptions in the past, by all means do so.'

Mr Shorten's views were in stark contrast to those held by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said the statue was 'part of history' and should remain as is

Images of a male police believe might be able to assist with inquiries into the malicious damage of a number of public monuments in Sydney's CBD have been released

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison also condemned the vandalism and slammed the anonymous culprit.

'That idiot who did this on the weekend, he's not doing anything to help indigenous young Australians. This was just an act of pure ego and vanity; it's disgraceful,' Mr Morrison said on Monday.

Mr Shorten's support for the change was shared by Sydney councillor Kerryn Phelps.

'I think it's important we don't sanitise history, but I think it's equally important that the inscriptions on our statues are historically accurate,' Ms Phelps said.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore ordered a review of the Captain Cook statue.

Suggestions will be submitted to Mayor Clover Moore (pictured) for consideration

Mr Moore said any potential changes would be the 'result of very considered consultation between city government and state government'.

Aboriginal broadcaster Stan Grant also called for the inscription on the statue to be changed, but said vandalism sent the wrong message.

'That's appalling. It's vandalism. If we can't have this conversation in a country, democratically and respectful, then it is just disgraceful,' he said.

The graffiti attack comes just days after indigenous broadcaster Stan Grant (pictured) called for the inscription on the Cook statue - saying he 'discovered' the territory in 1770 - be changed

'People who do that, they actually reflect badly, not just on themselves, but if they actually care about indigenous people and our cause, they are the ones who damage us.'

The statues were vandalised just days after Mr Grant called for the Cook inscription to be changed.

'The inscription that Cook 'Discovered this territory 1770' maintains a damaging myth, a belief in the superiority of white Christendom that devastated Indigenous peoples everywhere,' he wrote for the ABC.

New South Wales police released CCTV footage on Sunday of a man they wanted to speak to in relation to the vandalism.

He was described as being of Caucasian appearance with a full face beard, wearing black sunglasses, a khaki-coloured jacket, black tracksuit pants and brown boots.
Labor senator Katy Gallager says she 'is not and never been' a citizen of Ecuador after revelations her mother was born in the South American country to British citizens.

She says her citizenship status was investigated as part of the Labor party's vetting when she nominated for the Senate.

'As a result of these investigations it was determined that I had not obtained Ecuadorian citizenship by descent from my mother,' she said in a statement.

Australia's citizenship scandal has rolled on with Senator Katy Gallagher becoming the latest politician embroiled in the ongoing saga

A News Corp report on Tuesday cast doubts on her eligibility to be in the Senate, citing her mother's entry card to Australia that shows she was born in Ecuador.

Under the Ecuadorian constitution established in 2008, anyone born in the country could be a citizen as could their children.

The citizenship issues has caught out several senators and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Under section 44 of the Australian constitution, a person is incapable of being elected to the parliament if they are a 'citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power'.

Mr Joyce and four senators have been referred to the High Court amid concerns they could be in breach of the constitution for being dual citizens.

Despite the former ACT chief minister previously claiming she has denounced her Brtish citizenship, it has been revealed her mother was born in Ecuador meaning another potential case of dual-citizenship

Senator Gallagher said she told the ALP vetting process that her mother had been born in Ecuador to British parents and that was investigated.

'The 2008 Constitution was not in effect when my mother was born,' she said.

'I am not and had never been an Ecuadorian citizen.'

The news has come to light at the same time a Bill Shorten email was leaked revealing the Opposition's intent to highlight the devastating after-effect of the dual-citizenship crisis, most notably Barnaby Joyce's New Zealand citizenship scandal.

He is set to claim power prices, energy security, biosecurity, drought and water security have all been affected by the revelations.

Her case strikes resemblance to that of Barnaby Joyce's as it is citizenship through descent and not one they sought out

The news has come to light at the same time a Bill Shorten email was leaked revealing the Opposition's intent to highlight the devastating after-effect of the dual-citizenship crisis

'Hi all  to continue pressure on Barnaby, can your offices please draft media releases highlighting the key areas in your portfolio that will be at risk from his self-referral to the high court,' the email reads.

'The key targets are probably: gas mechanism, biosecurity, drought declarations, NAID, Water.'

Labor has refused to release documents showing if a handful of Labor MPs and senators are dual citizens and have therefore avoided referral to the High Court.

Ms Gallagher has previously been critical of the Nationals leadership saying they face disqualification from parliament.
Three years after lawmakers endorsed construction of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Atlanta, Georgia, the distinguished sculpture finally made its debut Monday morning at the state Capitol grounds.

The unveiling comes on the 54th anniversary of the monumental 'I Have a Dream' speech in the civil rights activist's quest to one day witness an end to racism in America.

The statue's arrival also comes weeks after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, leaving three dead and dozens injured in an event considered a major setback to previous civil rights efforts.

Scroll down for video

A model of a statue artist Martin Dawe, rear, sculpted paying tribute to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., stands at right as the finished statue is covered at rear left, at Dawe's studio in Atlanta

More than three years after Georgia lawmakers endorsed the project, a statue paying tribute to King was installed on the state Capitol grounds Monday, Aug. 28

The statue's arrival comes weeks after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia

Dawe said the process has been the 'most difficult' project he's encountered throughout his decades-long career

Martin Dawe, the artist of King's portrait sculpture, revealed the process has been the 'most difficult' project he's encountered throughout his decades-long career.

'He has very elusive features. He has a very distinct profile but no over strong characteristic like some historical figures,' Dawe said in a statement to the Associated Press in his Atlanta studio earlier this month.

Aside from the artistic aspects, Dawe said he also faced many setbacks before and after the project was completed.

King's family did not initially approve the use of his image until officials reasoned with them after the estate's attorney said their approval was required before moving forward.

The unveiling is on the 54th anniversary of MLK Jr.'s monumental 'I Have a Dream' speech

King's family did not initially approve the use of his image until officials reasoned with them

Another statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stands outside the Martin Luther King, Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia

'I can understand them wanting to make sure the things that people do that represent their father would be done in good order,' longest-serving member of the House, Calvin Smyre, said in a statement.

The original artist selected to work on the statue reportedly died suddenly in a motorcycle accident, and it took a period of time and a lengthy screening process before Dawe was chosen to take on the assignment.

Several hundreds of dollars and years of careful work later, Dawe said he's 'ecstatic' and 'relieved' for people to see the distinguished creation.

'This is something that's overdue' and 'was well worth the efforts,' he told AP.

Several Confederate monuments stand at the grounds, including that of military general John Brown Gordon and other Ku Klux Klan leaders

A statue of Thomas C. Watson is shown outside the Georgia State Capitol Building

The statue surrounds several Confederate monuments at the Capitol grounds, including that of military general John Brown Gordon and other Ku Klux Klan leaders.

'The King statue will inspire and give hope to generations to come,' Smyre, who helped raise funds for the project, added.

'The day the statue memorializing [King] is unveiled will be a great day in the history of our state and nation.'
Amazon closed its $13.7billion buyout of Whole Foods on Monday and as part of the electronic commerce company's customer loyalty practice, have decided to lower prices on grocery items.

Beyond lowering prices on organic avocados, the Amazon Echo, eggs and kale, it also means Whole Foods brands will be available on Amazon's site.

The company aims to make Amazon Prime the rewards program for Whole Foods customers and offer members special discounts.

Amazon closed its $13.7billion buyout of the organic grocer on Monday

Certain Whole Foods products will also be available through Amazon.com, AmazonFresh, Prime Pantry and Prime Now, according to ABC News.

Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos, announced in June, the deal to buy the grocery store, increasing his net worth by $2 billion.

But despite Amazon's online dominance, Walmart remains the leading retailer overall, with more than three times Amazon's retail revenue.

However, a deal that has brought two competitors together could soon change that.

Whole Foods will be lowering prices on organic avocados, eggs, kale and organic Gala and Fuji apples

With Amazon now having a grocery business, a lot of thing could change for the shoppers, the chain and competition.

Amazon already lowered prices at Whole Foods on a range of kitchen staples, including ground beef and rotisserie chicken.

But soon, shoppers at all stores will be able to tap Amazon's $99-a-year Prime loyalty program to get discounts at stores.

Whole Trade bananas is another item that received a price cut after Amazon closed the deal

Lockers will also be added in some Whole Foods locations so Amazon shoppers can pick up orders or return items they don't want.

Whole Foods, Lower Prices Starting Monday, Whole Foods will offer lower prices on products such as: Whole Trade bananas 79 cents to 49 cents per lbs Organic avocados $2.79 to $1.99 per avocado Organic large brown eggs $4.29 to $3.99 per dozen Organic responsibly-farmed salmon $14.99 to $9.99 per lbs Organic baby kale and baby lettuce $3.99 to $3.49 Animal-welfare-rated 85% lean ground beef $6.99 to $4.99 per lbs Creamy and crunchy almond butter $7.99 to $6.99 a jar Organic Gala and Fuji apples $3.49 to $1.99 per lbs Organic rotisserie chicken $13.99 to $9.99 each 365 Everyday Value organic butter $5.29 to $4.49 Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot $179.99 and $49.99 to $99.99 and $44.99 Advertisement

Amazon said more changes are coming, but didn't give details.

Industry experts expect Amazon to expand where it offers home deliveries, which could include an expansion of ready-to-cook meal packages it's been testing in selected markets.

As for Whole Foods, Amazon now has more than 465 physical stores in the US, Canada and the U.K.

Before the deal, the chain was under intense pressure from shareholders to improve its financial results and figure out how to stop customers from going to lower-priced supermarkets to buy natural foods.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, who will stay in that role, said Amazon's history of innovation could transform Whole Foods from 'the class dunce' to 'valedictorian.'



The deal may also give the Seattle-based company valuable data on how people shop in stores, which could leave rivals struggling to keep up.

Kroger is testing online grocery delivery in several cities. And Walmart, the nation's largest grocer, is expanding its online grocery ordering and store-curb pickup to more stores and joining forces with Google so customers can order items with their voice on Google-run smartphones and other devices.
The last presidential pardon to draw the level of controversy of President Trump's Friday night pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio led to House and Senate hearings and a committee report that stretched to 1,500 pages.

Days after Trump issued his pardon of Arpaio just as Hurricane Harvey approached the Gulf Coast of Texas, it is unclear whether a congressional panel will explore what led to the pardon and how government officials responded to the idea.

Bill Clinton pardoned of financier Marc Rich, who had been indicted on tax evasion and wire fraud charges, in his final hours of office, setting off a wave of controversy.

The Republican-led House Government Reform and Oversight Committee held hearings on the 11th hour pardons of Rich and others.

President Trump's pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio drew immediate criticism from Democrats and some Republicans in Congress. It is not clear whether a congressional panel will hold a hearing on it

Then White House chief of staff John Podesta testified in 2001 that he had been 'strongly opposed' to the Rich pardon and that he didn't believe it would be granted. He said the White House pardon office was also firmly opposed. He testified that Clinton considered the legal arguments, and rendered his judgement, 'wise or unwise.'

Rich's wife, Denise, was a major Democratic contributor, and Israeli officials had raised his case during Clinton's final days in office.

The Senate held its own hearing on the Rich pardon. Former deputy attorney general Eric Holder testified. He said 'there were things I would have done differently on that night' of the Rich Pardon during Clinton's final hours in office.

Senior Judiciary member Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania said at the time: 'There are Department of Justice regulations which require or call for a number of steps to be taken, but President Clinton did not follow those procedures, and in fact, he is not bound to, since he has the absolute power.'

President Trump announced the pardon on Twitter Friday night, calling Arpaio an 'American patriot'

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (R) of Maricopa County, Arizona endorses Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump prior to a rally on January 26, 2016 in Marshalltown, Iowa

The House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight in 2002 produced a report titled:' Justice Undone: Clemency Decisions in the Clinton White House' following the hearings that began in 2001.

The report ran to 1,498 pages with appendices.

'When a pardon appears questionable on the merits, the American people have a right to know why the president made his decision so that the constitutional power to grant pardons will not be abused in the future,' said Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana, who chaired the Government Reform committee at the time.

Panel spokesman Mark Corallo, who later worked as a spokesman for Trump's lawyer regarding Russia probes, said at the time: 'Not a single person involved in the case in law enforcement were in favor of this pardon. We can't override the pardon, but we do think that the American people deserve an explanation.'

The House Government Reform committee produced a lengthy report on the Clinton pardons

Congress explored Bill Clinton's pardon of financier Marc Rich, whose wife was a major contributor, during the president's final day in office

Former chief of staff John Podesta testified that he had been opposed to the pardon

Former White House employees (L-R) Jack Quinn, former Counsel to the President; Beth Nolan, former Counsel to the President; Bruce Lindsey, Former Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President; and John Podesta, former White House Chief of Staff, are sworn in before the House Governmental Affairs Committee on Capitol Hill March 1, 2001. The committee was investigating the pardon granted by former President Clinton to fugitive financier Marc Rich

In the Arpaio pardon, Trump went outside the Justice Department's pardon office.

Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions whether it would be possible for the government to drop the case against Arpaio last spring, the Washington Post reported, but was told it would be inappropriate.

House Intelligence Committee top Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff has called on Congress to 'send a message' the president's pardon power can't be used as a way to thwart the probe of Russian election interference.

'He is telegraphing to anyone involved in his political campaign that as long as they stick with him, the possibility of a pardon is open, just the way it was for Arpaio,' Schiff told the Washington Post Monday.

'When a pardon appears questionable on the merits, the American people have a right to know why the president made his decision so that the constitutional power to grant pardons will not be abused in the future,' said Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana (left), pictured with former Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT)

'I dont think its lost on anyone that the president is sending a message to those who worked on his campaign that he is not beyond using the pardon power to protect them and protect himself, Schiff added.

'People need to send a message to the president that the pardon power cannot be used as a way of preventing the implementation of justice when it comes to the Russia probe or any other,' he continued.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and Judiciary Committee didn't immediately respond to questions about whether they would examine the pardon.
A New Jersey psychic and her son are accused of cheating an elderly man out of more than $147,000 for treatment they said would rid him of evil spirits.

The victim had visited Sally 'Kim' Wando at Village Psychic in Smithville, New Jersey earlier this month where he was offered treatments to cleanse his soul and allow him to live in peace.

He told police that the first visit to the psychic cost him $5,000 but after additional visits Wando had recommended a 14 step Chakra program that would cost $10,500 per step.

New Jersey psychic Sally 'Kim' Wando and her 24-year-old son Frank Marco are accused of cheating a man out of more than $147,000 for treatment they said would rid him of evil spirits

Wando allegedly told the man he had eight evil spirits that only she could eradicate via the 14 step program.

Police say Wando used information she had learned about the man's 'unpleasant childhood' to make him believe she could bring him relief.

She allegedly told him he would endure more torment in his life and the afterlife if he refused to complete the program.

The victim ultimately agreed and was allegedly told to transfer $147,000 from his checking account to the psychic's 24-year-old son Frank Marco's car business, Frank's Classic Carz.

Police said Wando told the victim not to tell anyone about the arrangement or risk more evil spirits.

The victim had visited Sally 'Kim' Wando at Village Psychic in Smithville, New Jersey (above) earlier this month where he was offered treatments to cleanse his soul

He was allegedly told to tell the bank tellers he was buying a car.

The victim reported Wando to police on August 15, saying he believed he was being scammed by the psychic.

Both Wando and her son had tried to tell police the money the victim sent was to buy a car and not for the soul cleansing program.

They were both arrested on Friday and charged with second degree theft by deception and conspiracy to commit theft.

Both were released on summonses pending their court appearances.
Royal Mint bosses fear the deadline to wipe out old pound coins will be missed because shops keep returning the new 12-sided ones by mistake.

The Government push to phase out the old coin is being hampered by firms mistakenly handing in its replacement.

The new coin will ultimately replace the easy to counterfeit old 1 - which has as many as 50 million fakes in circulation.

Pounding headache: Royal Mint bosses are trying to get the deadline for removing the old pound coin (left) from circulation back on track after around half of the coins being delivered to cash centres across the UK have turned out to be the new pound coin (right)

But around half of the coins being delivered to cash centres have turned out to be the new pound coin, slowing efforts to remove the round pound from circulation.

The Treasury has called on businesses and 'front line' cashiers and shopkeepers to be vigilant when sending coins in as the old pound will cease to be legal tender in less than eight weeks' time.

Andrew Jones, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, urged companies to 'maintain the momentum' when it came to returning the old coin.

Visiting Vaultex UK in Dagenham, east London, one of Britain's largest coin storage facilities, Mr Jones said: 'There has been a fantastic effort from both the public and businesses in returning more than one billion old round pounds, and I thank everybody involved in this process so far.

'But there is still more to do before the October 15 deadline.

'Businesses must remain vigilant when returning coins and ensure old and new coins are organised in separate packaging to make the sorting process quicker and easier.

'We also want cashiers and shopkeepers working at till points, who are truly on the front line of the changeover, to play their part to ensure only new pound coins are given to shoppers in their change.'

A joke about the switch was voted the funniest of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Comic and professional poker player Ken Cheng's winning quip was: 'I'm not a fan of the new pound coin, but then again, I hate all change.'
As thousands in Texas are in need of aid in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, several rumors and scams have began circulating on the internet causing officials to shut down the false claims.

One viral social media post for residents in need of help has advised them to seek aid by calling the National Guard. But the wrong phone number has been shared across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as it belongs to the Foremost Insurance Group.

'The National Guard is being deployed to our Texas area. If you find yourself in a state of emergency. Call 1-800-527-3907. Please copy, paste or share!!!!!!!!!' the post reads.

It's not clear how the number started being shared. Officials have advised those in danger not to call that number and instead call 911.

A statement from the insurance company reads: 'Foremost has become aware that a Facebook post was created by an unidentified person not associated with our company that attempted to provide contact information to the Texas National Guard.

Scroll down for video

As thousands in Texas are in need of aid in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, several fake news stories and scams have emerged targeting victims of the powerful storm. Pictured above is flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas on Sunday

The wrong phone number (above in Facebook posts) for aid has been shared across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram mentions the National Guard. The actual phone number belongs to the Foremost Insurance Group and is not the National Guard

This above post showing phone numbers for help has also been shared across social media. All of the numbers are correct except for the National Guard

'Regrettably, this post incorrectly provided the phone number to the Foremost Claims contact center rather than the phone number of the Texas National Guard.

'This post was then subsequently reposted on various social media platforms numerous times by individuals hoping to share helpful information.'

Sadly, a search on Facebook of the company's phone number shows that many people are still sharing it unbeknownst to them.

In addition to calling 911, authorities are also advising people to stay on the telephone line if they are put on hold.

The Foremost Insurance Company shared the above statement to Facebook on Monday in regards to the company's number being shared as if it is the National Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard has also created an emergency line to help residents of Houston.

'Please use 911 for life-threatening emergencies, and 311 or the HPD non-emergency number 713-884-3131 as appropriate.' the Houston Police Department tweeted.

Officials in the Houston also sent a tweet shutting down rumors about drinking water being turned off.

The Houston Office of Emergency Management tweeted: 'RUMOR: @HoustonPWE is NOT Shutting off water. Water is currently safe to drink and meeting 100% of the need. #harvey #houstonflood'.

Officials in the city also sent a tweet 9above) shutting down rumors about drinking water being turned off

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner tweeted a message (above) to debunk that rumor

Corpus Christi city officials shared the above post on social media to shut down another rumor

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also sent a tweet to debunk that rumor.

He wrote: 'Water quality is fine. Water is safe and we are meeting all demands. Most plants are operating at 100%. st'

Hurricane Harvey also hit the city of Corpus Christi really hard on Friday night as the powerful storm caused millions of dollars worth of damage.

Officials there had to dispel a rumor that the city would be turning off utilities in anticipation of Harvey on Twitter.

The tweet reads: 'Rumor control: the City of Corpus Christi will NOT be turning off utilities in anticipation of Hurricane Harvey.'

A note (above) circulated on social media appearing to be from a city official named Lisa Oliver claiming that people have to bring proof of residency to enter the city. The post is false and there were no restrictions on returning to the city that has a population of 325,000

Social media users are also sharing outdated images from past flood rescues, but claiming it happened in Houston. The image in the tweet above appears to show volunteers out of Louisiana deploying to help with relief. The image is real, but it is a year old

Officials also had to shut down another rumor that circulated on Saturday about people being prevented from returning.

A note circulated on social media appearing to be from a city official named Lisa Oliver claiming that people have to bring proof of residency to enter the city.

The post is false and there were no restrictions on returning to the city that has a population of 325,000.

But sadly, a search on Facebook of the post found many people have been copying-and-pasting this false statement.

In addition to fake posts and wrong phone numbers, social media users are also sharing outdated images from past flood rescues, but claiming it happened in Houston.

A third old image also being circulated on social media shows airplanes being completely submerged in flood waters, but the photo is not from the Houston floods. The image in the tweet above is photoshopped, meaning it's not real

The image depicts what LaGuardia International Airport in New York would look like at high tide with 12 feet of sea level rise due to climate change. The doctored photo is also at least four years old

One instance in which this has happened is a photo of the 'Cajun Navy' and the image appears to show volunteers out of Louisiana deploying to help with relief. The image is real, but it is a year old.

The volunteers with the group have started a list of places through Google Maps where help is needed and have also posted updates to their Facebook pages.

Another image showing a man holding a refrigerator with two small children inside of it in flood waters has also seemingly gone viral. But the captivating photo was not taken this year during the storm, but instead when Greenspoint, Texas flooded in 2016.

A third old image also being circulated on social media shows airplanes being completely submerged in flood waters, but the photo is not from the Houston floods.

The image, which is photoshopped, depicts what LaGuardia International Airport in New York would look like at high tide with 12 feet of sea level rise due to climate change. The doctored photo is also at least four years old.

Another image showing a man holding a refrigerator with two small children inside of it in flood waters has also seemingly gone viral. But the captivating photo was not taken this year during the storm, but instead when Greenspoint, Texas flooded in 2016

As the storm hit Houston hard, thousands have flocked to shelters and were forced to be rescued by emergency officials.

There were 5,500 people in shelters on Monday morning and 911 operators had responded to 75,000 calls alone by 10.30am.

More than 2,000 people have been rescued from the flood water and at any given time, there is a 15 person backlog for 911 calls.

At a press conference mid-morning, the mayor pleaded for help from other cities and plugged charity relief funds to care for the thousands of Houston residents in crisis.

Two major dams which sit to the east of the city are being gradually drained by the army to stop them from overflowing.

The Addicks and Barker Reservoirs are both dangerously close to their capacities. With more rain on the way, US Army experts are racing the storm to release water from each dam.

The controlled release will send more water cascading in to the area of Buffalo Bayou, where freeways are entirely underwater.

It will stop an uncontrollable wave of water from rushing through homes.

The total cost of the damage has been put at $40 billion and FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has warned it will be take years for the city and coastal towns to recover.
Several people have been taken to hospital on Jersey after taking what police called a 'potentially lethal' batch of the party drug MDMA.

Detectives on the Channel Island urged the public to seek medical attention if they became concerned, after a number of illnesses linked to the class A substance.

In a message posted on the States of Jersey Police's Facebook page, a spokesman said: 'We have been made aware of a potentially lethal drug, believed to be MDMA or ecstasy circulating in the Island after a number of young persons have been admitted to hospital this weekend.

Police in Jersey are hunting for dealers responsible for supplying potentially killer MDMA

Several young people were rushed to hospital after taking the party pills over the weekend

'Please remember not only are these drugs illegal, they can cause serious illness or even death.

'If you have any concerns, seek medical assistance.'

No other details were given.

In April 2014 Jared Harrison, 17, died in the island's capital St Helier after taking a white powder thought to be MDMA.

Last year, Kent teenager Robert Fraser died after unknowingly taking fentanyl. His dealer told him the deadly opioid - which is up to 50 times stronger than heroin - was similar to MDMA.

On August 19, Amy Vigus, 20, died after she took a pill she mistakenly thought contained MDMA while attending a festival at London's Olympic Park.
A Powell, Wyoming, man was arrested and charged with second-degree murder Saturday morning, after calling police to report the death of his wife from an apparent gunshot wound, according to the Park County Sheriff's Office.

David Eugene Williamson, 64, called 911 on Saturday at 4:42 a.m. and allegedly stated that his "wife is dead, send the cops," the Wyoming sheriff's office stated in a Monday press release.

When deputies arrived at his residence they found Williamson "calmly sitting on the front porch," according to the sheriff's office.

"When asked what was going on, Williamson replied, 'Go inside, you will see. She is in the bedroom,'" the release stated. "A subsequent search of the residence revealed Williamsons wife, Shirley Williamson, age 65, lying dead on a bed in the back bedroom with an apparent gunshot wound to the right side of her head. A semi-automatic handgun was lying on the bed at her feet."

Williamson was subsequently arrested and charged, and is currently being held in the Park County Detention Center without bond, said public affairs officer Lance Mathess.

The alleged murder is the second this month in the Powell area, which had a population of 11,257 as of the 2010 Census. On Aug. 7, county deputies responded to a pair of deaths believed to be a murder-suicide just outside the town.
BBC director Rebecca Harrison has revealed her terror after coming face-to-face with psychopaths in an American prison for a new documentary on what drives them and whether they can be cured.

She sat opposite child molester Mark Moye, murderer Ryan Klug and killer rapist Joshua Wright, who are all serving more than 100 years in Indiana State Jail for numerous horrific offences.

Her BBC Horizon documentary 'What Makes a Psychopath', which will be broadcast tonight, reveals the biological and psychological influences that lead to murder and child abuse.

But it was her discussion with another prisoner called Robert, which revealed the true extent of a psychopath's warped reality as he tried to unsettle her with a Hannibal Lecter-style appraisal of her own state of mind.

He also told her about how he attacked a prison guard aged 17 and left him permanently brain damaged, saying: 'The back of your neck is the weakest spot on your body, so I hit him there'.

BBC director Rebecca Harrison has revealed her terror after coming face-to-face with a series of inmates in a US jail, including Joshua Wright (right), serving 100 years for rape and murder

Her chilling interview with the 17-year-old revealed what she described as a 'charming mannerism' that sucked her in to the avid reader's past.

Robert told Rebecca of his love of books, his dream of joining the US Army and how close he was to his family.

The teenager then started to speak casually of his past offences and boasted about being able to 'read' people just by looking at them.

Describing her experience to the Daily Mirror she said: 'I became terrifyingly aware of just how dangerous this man really was'.

She then agreed to let him appraise he personality based on her appearance.

He told her: 'You're on edge a little bit'  'I'm not a threat.'  'You've got dark pants on; you've got dark boots on.

'Your boots alone are laced all the way tight and your pants are darker of a colour, so you started today with a firm, determined goal.

'Your shirt is  more at ease. It's not a hard colour, its see how the day takes me, I'm going to do this but we're just going to see how it goes.'

Joshua Wright gave a chilling interview to Rebecca Harrison

Mark Moye a child molester sentenced for 30 years was one of the inmates in the prison

Ryan Klug, a murder is serving 60 years at the American prison, also spoke to the BBC

Describing what happened she said: 'When I finally asked Robert if he thought he was a psychopath, he answered: Narcissistic maybe. Not a psychopath.

'And with the American prison system unable to diagnose every inmate, well never know for sure. But I know what I thought'.

Rebecca said the interview certified in her mind what the American prison system struggle to diagnose in 'every inmate'.

The Horizon documentary maker and her camera crew went to Indianapolis prison after 'months of negotiation' to find out the answer to the question; what makes a psychopath?

Her interviewees were all chosen by the prison psychiatrist and she spent weeks in total speaking to them.

Horizon: What Makes a Psychopath will be broadcast tonight at 9pm on BBC2.
Donald Trump used his social media reach on Monday to promote a Fox News star's tweet that blasted his predecessor over his controversial uses of presidential pardons.

Trump last week pardoned former Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who faced sentencing in October following a criminal contempt conviction related to his policy of targeting suspected illegal immigrants for traffic stops.

Obama's former National Security Council spokesman, Ben Rhodes, piped up that the former president 'used his pardon and commutation power to give a second chance to people who deserved empathy, not racists who showed none.'

Katie Pavlich, a frequent panelist on Fox's 'Outnumbered' program, responded on Saturday: 'Your boss pardoned a traitor who gave U.S. enemies state secrets, he also pardoned a terrorist who killed Americans. Spare us the lecture.'

Trump retweeted Pavlich's post on Monday morning.

Scroll down for video

President Donald Trump helped a Fox News personality digitally slap a former Obama aide over his pardon powers on Monday

Trump retweeted a post from Katie Pavlich that took former Obama spokesman Ben Rhodes to task for the January pardons of 'traitor' Chelsea Manning and 'terrorist' Oscar Lopez Rivera

Pavlich's use of the word 'traitor' referred to Chelsea Manning, whose 35-year espionage conviction was commuted by Obama during his last days in office.

Manning, then known as Bradley Manning, was an Army Private who passed millions of classified documents to the anti-privacy WikiLeaks website.

He was convicted in a 2013 Army court-martial and served 7 years in a military prison, beginning with his 2010 arrest, before Obama ended his confinement.

The second half of Pavlich's tweet  'a terrorist who killed Americans'  was likely a reference to Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican guerrilla who helped lead the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), a Marxist paramilitary terror organization.

Chelsea Manning (right), served in the U.S. Army as male 'Bradley' but later became female; she served only one-fifth of her sentence for espionage

Barack Obama let Oscar Lopez Rivera leave federal prison despite his 1981 convictions for seditious conspiracy, armed robbery, interstate transportation of firearms and conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy government property

The FALN was responsible for more than 130 bombings between 1974 and 1983, killing six people and injuring dozens. Its leaders also threatened to blow up nuclear power stations and plotted to kidnap then-President Ronald Reagan's son.

He was convicted in 1981 of seditious conspiracy, armed robbery, interstate transportation of firearms and conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy government property, and drew a 55-year prison term.

Lopez Rivera's indictment listed 24 separate Chicago-area bombings. FBI agents recovered dynamite and detonators, along with a cache of firearms, from his two homes.

Former Obama aide Ben Rhodes (left) started the spat by claiming Obama used his clemency powers to help 'people who deserved empathy'; Fox's Katie Pavlich (right) put that to the test

The online squabble started when Trump pardoned former sheriff Joe Arpaio, pictured at a Nevada presidential campaign event last year

In 1999 President Bill Clinton offered him clemency along with 11 other FALN terrorists, if they renounced violence.

Lopez Rivera refused, complaining that Clinton didn't extend the same offer to another FALN member who had planned to help him escape from the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas.

The plot was to involve landing a helicopter inside the prison yard while passengers strafed guard towers with automatic weapons and threw grenades at prison officers who pursued the escapees.
The forensic scientist in charge of testing human remains linked to missing teenager Natalee Holloway says he hopes his work finally brings 'peace and justice' to her family.

Dr Jason Kolowski tells DailyMail.com he has been working closely with Natalee's father Dave Holloway and regularly communicating with her mother Beth, who are both 'hopeful' that this is the breakthrough they have been waiting for.

He says both parents are desperate to see an end to the case 12 years after their 18-year-old daughter vanished on the island of Aruba while on a trip to celebrate her high school graduation.

Dr Kolowski, who runs his own firm Forensic Insight Consulting LLC, told DailyMail.com: 'Having a chance to be involved directly with TJ Ward and his investigators, Dave Holloway and his family, and getting to know the history and the possibilities of locating some remains for testing, that was of huge excitement for me.

Missing: Natalee Holloway, 18, vanished while on a trip with friends to the Carribean getaway destination in Aruba to celebrate her high school graduation on May 30, 2005 (Pictured right on a night out on the island)

'From the perspective of a father, from the perspective of another human being and seeing what Dave and his family have been through with this, I really do hope that something can be resolved here, not only where he can have some peace but ultimately maybe some justice as well.'

Dr Kolowski, 41, has analyzed the bone fragments on behalf of the Holloway family and has already made significant inroads - discovering that the remains belong to a single individual, Caucasian and of European descent.

He's in the process of conducting further mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tests on the remains.

Dr Jason Kolowski, 41, who runs his own firm Forensic Insight Consulting LLC, is in the process of conducting mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) tests on the remains to see if they match a saliva sample provided by Natalee's mother

The mtDNA test traces a person's matrilineal ancestry using the DNA in his or her mitochondria - a structure that sits inside cells of all body parts.

This type of DNA is passed down by the mother unchanged, to all her children, both male and female.

If the mtDNA inside the bone fragments matches that in the saliva provided by Beth Holloway, that will be conclusive evidence that Natalee's remains have been found.

Dr Kolowski, a former Forensic Laboratory Director of the D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences, said it was a 'perfect storm' of circumstance that has brought everyone to this point.

He said Dave Holloway's team cold-called him earlier this year after reading about his expertise online.

'There was no indication that there was ever going to be possible remains found, yet when they were they happened to be bone samples and my deepest area of expertise is in mitochondrial DNA analysis,' he explains.

'It was almost like these perfect storms came together and said, this was the right place, this was the right time, these are the right people to be involved.'

The scientist says he's using a 'trusted' third party lab for the testing and once the results come through he can begin his expert analysis.

A tip from from an informant named Gabriel, a former roommate of Joran van der Sloot's best friend John Ludwick alleged van der Sloot killed Natalee and his father Paulus helped him dispose of the body (Paulus and Joran in December 2007 after the young man was released from custody)

Suspect: Joran van der Sloot (pictured left with John Ludwick) is now in prison in Peru for murdering another young woman, but the evidence of informant 'Gabriel' (right) could bring new hope of solving the mystery of Natalee Holloway

'We're going to have statistical probability and a confidence level that this is Natalee or not,' he said.

'We're waiting on the lab to finalize the data which they will deliver to me and I will try to turn the data around into results which I will then deliver to Dave and TJ.

'There is a personal hope that this is Natalee, but only because I have met Dave and I have had communications with Beth and I really have become to know the story of what they've been through and the struggles they have been through.

'As a forensic scientist you try not to let your personal emotions become involved with a case, because you don't want to introduce any kind of bias. I really want to put the truth forward.'

The nature of mitachondrial DNA means that there will not be a definitive scientific answer the bones are Natalee's.

Mitachondrial DNA proves that a bone or other material comes from a child of a particular mother because mitachondria are inherited from the mother and are generally identical in all her children.

If there is a match to Natalee's mother's sample, it will show that the remains come from one of her children.

Given that the Holloways know that only one of their children is missing, that will allow them to know that the bones are Natalee's.

'We do have a sample from Beth Holloway and we know mitochondrial DNA is maternally inherited, so Natalee and her brother would both have the same mitochondrial DNA as their mother.

'It tends to be an exact match, but there are times where we see what we call a wobble, which basically means there could be a mixed-base type of scenario, but as long as one of those bases matches the sequences we are targeting then we are still okay.

Previous effort: In 2005 Joran van der Sloot was taken in handcuffs to locations near where Natalee Holloway was last known to have been seen, but was not charged due to lack of evidence

'Unlike normal DNA typing where it's gonna be very black and white, it's a yes or a no, but in mitochondria you are allowed to have one or two differences.'

Dr Kolowski is used to working on major criminal cases like this one.

A career forensic scientist, he worked from 1999 to 2012 for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in New York.

The 9/11 atrocity put the lab at the cutting edge of identifying human remains, and it is still working to identify remains recovered from the site of the Twin Towers.

Just two months after 9/11 he also helped in the identification of victims in the devastating American Airlines Flight 587 crash in Queens, New York.

The commercial jet carrying 251 passengers and nine crew members accidentally crashed shortly after take off into the neighborhood of Belle Harbor, killing everyone on board on November 12, 2001. Only a dog was killed on the ground.

Dr Kolowski was also director of Washington D.C.'s forensic science laboratory from 2012 to 2015, when he set up his own consulting company.

Reconstruction: The new Oxygen documentary follows Dave Holloway's trip to Aruba, which included a dig at a spot on the island where bone fragments were found. It showed footage reconstructing what vand der Sloot and Ludwick were alleged to have done

Source: An informant called Gabriel (right) mat Dave Holloway (left) after making secret recordings of John Luwdick in which he apparently confessed to helping dispose of Natalee's body. The information led to the trip to Aruba and the discovery of the bone fragments

The Cornell and CUNY graduate has also written a textbook on forensic science and in New York, helped set up the city's first mitochondrial DNA lab.

Natalee was last seen on May 30, 2005 by her classmates in Aruba leaving a nightclub with Joran van der Sloot - a 17-year-old Dutch honors student living on the tropical island.

No trace of her body has ever been found.

The new information which led to the discovery of remains came from an informant named Gabriel, a former roommate of Van der Sloot's best friend John Ludwick.

Van der Sloot - who is currently in prison in Peru serving a 28-year sentence for the 2010 murder of 21-year-old business student Stephany Flores Ramirez - has long been a suspect in Natalee's disappearance.

A saliva sample of Natalee's mother Beth Holloway is undergoing tests to see if the remains have a mitochondrial match

Gabriel told Dave Holloway that, according to Ludwick, his daughter was buried in a park near her hotel on the island - a sequence of events that marked one of the biggest breaks in the 12-year history of the case.

Ludwick apparently told Gabriel that Van der Sloot disposed of Natalee's body with help from his father Paulus, a judge on the island, after the teen choked to death on her own vomit soon after she was given a drink that had been spiked with GHB. Paulus has since died.

Van der Sloot revealed his actions to Ludwick, who then repeated the information to Gabriel while the two were living together in recent years.

Dave announced last week while appearing on Today that he followed up on that tip, and soon after remains were found.

But he said he is being careful however to not rush to any conclusions.

According to Aruba Public Prosecutor Dorean Kardol, the discovery never happened.

He told the Huffington Post that 'no human remains were found' in the area Dave pointed out.

'During an investigation by police in an area indicated by Mr. Holloway, we found remains, but they were found to be from animals,' Kardol said.

Dave has long been a critic of the investigation into the disappearance of his daughter conducted by the Aruban authorities and slammed the prosecutor's comments as 'misleading'.

The discovery is being chronicled in a docu-series on Oxygen called: The Disappearance of Natalee Holloway.
North Korean despot Kim Jong-un is preparing his special forces for suicide parachute missions across the border on 70-year-old Stalin era biplanes.

The dictator has a fleet of 300 Antonov An-2 transport aircraft which are capable of flying as slow as 30 miles-per-hour and can even go backwards into a heavy headwind.

Footage has emerged of North Korean paratroops jumping from the aged aircraft from very low levels in a show of force.

Kim Jong-un has around 300 Antonov An-2 aircraft which were designed in 1947

Kim Jong-un, pictured at the controls of one of the ancient aircraft was observing drills involving his elite paratroops who jumped out of the aircraft during a training mission

The Antonov has an incredibly low stalling speed and a very low radar profile meaning it is difficult to spot at night when flown at low level

The aircraft, which were designed in 1947, have an incredibly low radar profile - meaning they are difficult to track using conventional radar. They also fly at such a slow speed that modern anti-aircraft systems are programmed to ignore their limited returns.

Also, the aircraft can hug the earth meaning ground-based missile systems will not pick them up and supersonic attack jets will find difficulty in detecting them from above.

The bottom of the wings and the fuselage of Kim's fleet of aircraft have been painted blue with the top of the wings is green as a form of camouflage to prevent both ground troops and aircraft spotting them.

The images released by North Korean media show the paratroops bailing out of the aircraft at incredibly low levels.

If they attempted their mission at night it could be difficult for defending missile units and air-to-air fighters to successfully intercept the old-fashioned machines.

North Korean paratroops performed for the cameras in a show of force, pictured

According to The Drive, the aircraft could even land on short sections of road, allowing their troops to disembark and begin a sneak attack.

It is feared the old aircraft could even deliver a nuclear bomb - possibly in a suicide attack into a strategically vital location.

It is believed North Korea has at least 1,000 artillery pieces within striking range of Seoul, the South Korean capital, which is home to 25 million people.

Kim has claimed North Korea now has technology to miniaturise its nuclear weapons to fit onto an ballistic missile.

North Korea could potentially load a bomb onto the back of an An-2 - with its one-tonne cargo capacity - and detonate it over the south.
African countries should get extra EU funds so they can assess asylum applications before migrants risk their lives travelling to Europe, Emmanuel Macron said today.

The French president said the transit countries of Niger and Chad had a particularly important role to play in stopping men, women and children dying on flimsy boats in the Mediterranean.

At present thousands cross the border into war-torn Libya before heading for the coast, where people smugglers provide death trap vessels that have claimed some 14000 lives since 2014.

French President Emmanuel Macron greets German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of a meeting of several African and EU leaders to discuss the continuing migration crisis

President Macron claimed states such as Chad and Niger could prevent migrants from crossing into Libya who then risk their lives crossing the Mediterranean in flimsy boats

At a summit between EU and African leaders in Paris, Mr Macron said 'a short-term action plan is the most effective response to the intolerable phenomenon of human traffickers'.

The President said Niger and Chad needed to impose tighter border controls with Libya, with United Nations officials examining asylum applications on the spot.

This would end the need for migrants to cross Libya, and then the Mediterranean, but help from all African countries was essential.

'This is a challenge for everyone, and no one can solve it alone,' said Mr Macron. 'We must all act together  from those in the countries of origin, to those in Europe.'

Among African leaders attending the summit with Mr Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel was the Libyan leader Faiez Al-Sarraj.

His country was reduced to a failed state following regime change in 2011 that saw the RAF and French airforce helping to depose the late dictator Colonel Gaddafi.

Mr Macron wants to deal with asylum claims before people board the deadly small boats

The country is now a hotbed of people smuggler and terrorist activity, with Islamic State among those who have set up operations there.

Mr Al-Sarraj, whose forces control only a small part of the country, used the summit to ask for the lifting of the UN arms embargo on the country.

While bandit groups such as Isis have plenty of weapons, official border and coast guards struggle to get hold of them.

Mr Macron's suggestion of putting more EU money into carrying out asylum checks in Africa has already been criticised by aid groups.

Eva Ottavy, of the French NGO Cimade, said: 'The European border is being pushed back into more and more distant countries, under the guise of saving lives.'
A 66-year-old woman battling cancer died alone inside her Brooklyn apartment that mysteriously caught ablaze Saturday night, officials say.

Edwina Faith Golas was found unconscious inside her home on the third floor of the complex located on 94th street near Shore Road in Bay Ridge.

Firefighters responded to an upstairs neighbor's call on the matter, and a rescue team arrived to scene around 11:30 p.m., when they successfully extinguished the flames, according to the Brooklyn Reporter.

Scroll down for video

Firefighters responded to a fire 94th street near Shore Road in Bay Ridge late Saturday

Edwina Faith Golas, 66, was found unconscious inside her home on the third floor

No other residents inside the building at the time were said to be harmed.

One firefighter on duty required medical treatment at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn and suffered minor injuries.

The team also recovered Golas' cat and were able to revive it to be transferred to a local veterinary clinic for further care.

The New York Daily News spoke to neighbors of Golas, who described the woman as 'a nice person' who was helpful in times of need.

'A couple of times she brought my luggage from the airport when it was on the wrong flight,' said Dewey Cole, who lived next door to Golas for two decades.

Residents of the property say they recently learned of Golas' cancer diagnosis as she had an at-home health aide visit her on a daily basis.

No other residents inside the building at the time were harmed from the fire

The New York City Fire Department is currently investigating the cause of the fire, while the Medical Examiners Office will determine an autopsy for Golas

Neighbor June VonGizycki said several residents sprinted downstairs when they saw smoke surging through the hallways that evening.

'I knew it was bad,' VonGizycki said. When speaking of Golas, she described her as 'quiet' and 'a good neighbor (who) mostly kept to herself.'

The New York City Fire Department is currently investigating the cause of the fire, while the Medical Examiners Office will determine the autopsy for Golas.

On Monday, officials responded to another unusual Brooklyn blaze on 44th street between 12th Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway.

Officials say married couple Chaim Gluck, 61, and his wife, Faigy, 59, were found unconscious on the second floor of their longtime residence.

The pair died at the Maimonides Medical Center. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
While millions of Americans donned special protective sunglasses to safely watch the solar eclipse last week, some Californians apparently turned to sunscreen to protect their eyes from the retina-scorching celestial spectacle.

A health professional based out of Redding, California, told the local station KRCR last week that one of her colleagues in town had patients arrive at a clinic after they had sprayed sunblock on their eyeballs as an ill-advised alternative to proper sun-filtering shades.

Trish Patterson, a nurse practitioner at Prestige Urgent Care, told the station the hapless eclipse watchers were suffering from eye pain and had to be referred to an ophthalmologist for treatment.

Scroll down for video

Bad idea: Some Californians apparently turned to sunscreen to protect their eyes from the retina-scorching solar eclipse last week

Special specs: Millions of Americans donned special protective sunglasses to safelytake in the celestial spectacle on August 21

Those who did not wish to invest in NASA-approved specs had the option of building a solar eclipse viewer out of cereal box

The nurse said so far, she and her fellow medics have not come across any patients suffering from damage to the retina as a result of gazing at the sun during the August 21 solar eclipse.

California was among the states where only a partial eclipse was visible, as if fell out of the narrow path of totality spanning 14 states.

Prior to the hotly anticipated astronomical event, experts urged eclipse watchers to invest in NASA-approved spectacles, or to view the eclipse indirectly by projecting an image of the sun onto a screen.

Rubbing sunblock into one's eyes was not listed among the recommended methods to safely take in the eclipse.

In fact, most sunscreens come with a warning label reminding users to keep the product out of their eyes because the lotion or spray can cause pain or irritation.

Clouds break in time to the cheers of fans who got to briefly see the total eclipse inside Saluki Stadium on the campus of Southern Illinois University Carbondale on August 21

Looking directly at the sun for even a couple of seconds, as President Donald Trump was photographed doing at the White House (pictured), can cause severe damage to the eyes

People who get sunscreen in their eye should immediately rinse their eye with water for 15 to 20 minutes, according to National Capital Poison Center in Washington, DC.

Looking directly at the sun for even a couple of seconds, as President Donald Trump was photographed doing at the White House last week, can cause severe damage to the eyes.
A Gulf War veteran woke up on vacation to the devastating news that Hurricane Harvey had obliterated his trailer home and everything he owns.

Charles Bowman, 70, said it looks like a 'bomb blew up' inside his trailer after a huge tree crashed down on top of it.

The father-of-two, who is visiting friends in the UK, anxiously watched news reports warning that the tropical storm was set to hit largely unpopulated areas.

But when it made landfall on Friday night, the lethal category four hurricane pummeled his small hometown of Rockport, Texas, located 220 miles south of Houston.

Shocking photos show floodwater surrounding what remains of the trailer where Charles lived with his two sons, Erik, 26, and John, 29.

The heartbroken veteran, who served in the US Army for over 20 years largely with the 82nd Airborne Division, retiring as sergeant 1st class, said: 'I was in the Gulf the first time around and I saw a lot of devastation - dead bodies, things like that.'

Scroll down for video

Charles Bowman, a 70-year-old Gulf War veteran, learned his trailer home in Rockport, Texas was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey while he was halfway across the world in the UK

How it was: Bowman, a sergeant in the 82nd Airborne, estimates he lost $4,000 to $5,000 worth of possessions after a tree fell on top of his trailer during the storm

Devastation: Charles Bowman was on vacation in the UK, where he visited Windsor Castle, when he learned of the horror which had unfolded in Texas

'But I really can't think of an equivalent to this. It is like a war zone in the Middle East or something.'

Charles grew up in the Midwest and is accustomed to tornadoes, but he has never witnessed this level of destruction from a storm. The devastation reminds him of the stories he heard from other veterans about when they were deployed to Haiti in the 1990s.

He said: 'People can't find food, water. It is almost 100 degrees.'

'I think I shut things off - being in the military has made me jaded. But even after all those years in the army it is still shocking. It is worse than what I saw in the army.'

Charles and his sons didn't expect for the storm to be this severe. The strongest wind gusts in Rockport clocked-in at 108 mph, according to the Weather Channel.

He said: 'We get the occasional storm but nothing like this. The whole town has been devastated.'

After: Charles was devastated when he saw how a tree fell on top of his home, destroying everything. He told DailyMail.com: 'When I saw the photos my heart just sank'

Because of the damage to his home, Charles is extending his trip from a few months to six months to pick up the pieces of his life in the US

His sons tried to evacuate Rockport with the RV but it had a flat tire. Since there was nowhere to fix it, they had to leave it behind. Then, the storm hit.

Charles said: 'I live on the coast and I'm not a wealthy man. Everything is gone.'

He lost everything, including his motorcycles, clothes and a treasured pool cue that was given to him by a friend.

'It's like a bomb blew up inside and there is this huge puddle around it.'

Charles estimates the storm damaged $4,000 to $5,000 worth of his possessions.

'When I saw the photos my heart just sank. I was devastated. My whole life is there.

'My home has literally just gone, which makes me homeless.'

Charles arrived in the UK in mid-August and had planned to travel around for a few months visiting friends.

Charles is now homeless and so are his two adult sons, Erik and John, who lived with him. He said they are scrambling to find a place to store what is left of what they own

Erik (pictured) and John were planning on riding the hurricane out before it turned deadly. They stayed at an evacuation center once the storm hit

Now he intends to stay for six months while trying to pick up the pieces of his life in the US.

His sons, who work at a landscaping company which was also completely demolished by the bad weather, evacuated the town.

He said: 'They are running around, scrambling together to find a place to get cover and shelter, a place to store their valuables.'

Both of his sons were staying with him before the hurricane hit.

'When the hurricane hit, they were going to ride it out and it approached and became more deadly-looking.

One of Charles's friends convinced Erik and John to evacuate. The two spent the night of the hurricane at an evacuation center after going to Beeville, Texas which is 60 miles inland northwest of Rockport.

'Then they decided to go back into town and discovered what was left, which is basically nothing. We are all devastated.'

Charles said: 'I have never seen anything like it before.'
The torture, depravity and unthinkable sexual violence inside Bashar al-Assad's prisons has been revealed by eight women who were detained there.

Eight courageous women, all of whom have at least two children, spoke of their suffering to Syrian NGO Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights (LDHR), who want to bring the Syrian leader to justice.

One woman said she was stabbed in the leg with a letter opener and had cigarettes stubbed out on her breasts, while another told how she was raped by a man who then spat on her and called her a 'terrorist'.

Every one of them - going by the pseudonyms Rima, Amina, Hayah, Munira, Ayda, Janan, Manar and Zahira - were arrested arbitrarily and many were branded extremists or terrorist sympathisers without evidence.

The torture, depravity and unthinkable sexual violence inside Bashar al-Assad's prisons has been revealed by eight women who were detained there (file photo of entrance to the Adra Prison)

More than 65,000 people are thought to have died in the Syrian regimes prisons over the last six years. Pictured: Abier Farhud (not named in the recent report), who has been victim of torture and abuse in Syrian regime cells

LDHR hopes that by sharing their stories, it can put pressure on the Syrian regime to allow inspectors into the country and its jails.

It also aims to hold Syrian officials responsible for the mistreatment of prisoners - 65,000 of whom have died in regime jails in the last six years - so they can be punished at future war crimes trials.

The Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers, a legal advocacy group that advises LDHR, has gone as far as to say it would 'allow courts to investigate... illegal detention centres' operated by the Assad government, the Independent reported.

If they are successful, the officials named in the LDHR report titled 'Voices From The Dark' could be arrested if they travel abroad.

The eight women interviewed in the report, none of whom know each other, were all medically evaluated by a specially trained LDHR.

Seven of them were subjected to 'extreme physical' pain repeatedly, often for long periods of time, with weapons including wire and hoses.

Ayda had her leg stabbed with full force using a letter opener, had burning cigarettes put out on her breasts and was knocked unconsciousness by a sharp blow to her head.

Munira was suspended upside down, Zahira was beaten with a water hose and Janan's feet and legs were beaten savagely with a broken-ended wooden stick.

Eight courageous women, all of whom have at least two children, spoke of their suffering to Syrian NGO Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights (LDHR) who want to bring Assad (pictured) and his jailers to justice

'She was forced to count the lashes, restarting if she counted wrong,' the report stated.

'And all the time, her interrogator insulted her, shouted at her and threaten sexual violence.'

Janan says she counted more than 100 lashes in two hours and when she got back to her cell, she could not stand.

Only one of the interviewees did not mention being subjected to some form of sexual violence during detention in corridors, bathroom and their cells.

Amina, who has a heart condition and was pregnant at the time, was stripped naked during the initial search where officials grabbed her breasts.

Zahira was tied to a bed and gang raped by five men within hours of her detention at Mezzeh Military Airport, which began with an invasive strip search.

She told of how, during one brutal interrogation, she was stripped naked and penetrated 'in every body cavity'.

Meanwhile Ayda says she was raped underneath a photo of Assad in the Office of the Head of the Republican Guards in Aleppo.

Her attacker then spat on her, called her a terrorist and left her naked on the floor where she was found by soldiers.

Only one of the LDHR interviewees did not mention being subjected to some form of sexual violence during detention in corridors, bathroom and their cell. Pictured: Male prisoners at Adra prison near Damascus

All the women also described startling bad decisions: cells with no lights, no heat in the winter, no fresh air in the summer, and quarters so overcrowded they could barely stand.

Many of the conditions mentioned violated the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (UNSMR) which require adequate air, space, heating, lighting and ventilation.

Three women said lice spread among detainees in the inhumane conditions while two spoke of cockroaches infesting their cells.

Janan was confined to a cell measuring just one metre by two metres while the women in Branch 215, in Damascus, told how 45 of them were packed into one cell.

Even worse in the Political Security Branch in Latakia, where 18 women huddled inside a two by two metre room.

Ayda, who shared a cell with 20 other women, said it was so overcrowded none of them could sit or lie down.

'None of these women are connected,' the report says. 'They were not arrested or detained at the same time or in the same place.

'Rather their experiences range across many of the Syrian government's most notorious detention centres.

Seven of the women interviewed for a new report were subjected to 'extreme physical' pain repeatedly, often for long periods of time, with weapons including wire and hoses

'They have become withdrawn, fearful and anxious. The relationships with their families and children have suffered. Their communities regard them with shame.'

LDHR are hopeful their findings, compiled under the Istanbul Protocol, the UN's methodology on how to recognise and document signs and symptoms of torture so the documentation may serve as valid evidence in court  will be presented as evidence in future cases constructed on the same basis.

Dr Rami Khazi, a neurosurgeon and founding member of LDHR, helped compile the report.

He told the Independent: 'There were too many women to choose from, with horrible stories, when we set about compiling this report.

'I have often felt powerless during the war. This is documenting our history, no matter how terrible it is, and probably the only way the Syrian people will ever have some justice.'
A wildlife expert was forced to board a Eurostar train to remove a Kingfisher which flew onto the cross-channel service in Calais.

The French board was rescued by expert Matt Ford after the train passed through Folkestone.

Mr Ford said it was necessary to send the bird back across the Channel, in a special box on board the train as it was 'breaching UK wildlife regulations'.

The kingfisher, file photograph, boarded a Eurostar service from Calais to Folkestone

The bird was captured by a wildlife expert and returned to France onboard the next service

He said it was far simpler to return the bird to France - and the Kingfisher may have a nest in France so it was far better to return it.

He told The Sun: 'There would have been major problems to have to worry about, like health certificates, to release it here.

'Sending it back avoided potential diseases being transmitted. We couldnt just release it  its a French bird.'

According to Mr Ford, Kingfishers do not normally migrate and they like marshy land which surrounds Calais.
Three of the four Ward 3 candidates campaigning to succeed term-limited Rich McFadden on the Billings City Council said during a forum Sunday theyve learned whats on constituents minds the old-fashioned way: by knocking on doors and visiting with them.

Denise Joy, Tyler Starkweather and Nadja Brown participated in Sunday afternoons candidate forum at Central Park. The fourth candidate, Michael Larson, a former council member, was out of town. Russell Rowland has announced hes dropping out of the race, but his name is on the ballot for the Sept. 12 primary.

The top two vote-getters in the primary will face one another in Nov. 7 general election.

As in previous forums, candidates responded with a quick yes or no on a handful of current issues.

Brown was the only one to turn thumbs down on both a nondiscrimination ordinance and whether climate change is human caused.

All three agreed on whether to add more police to fight human trafficking, the citys complete streets policy and an expansion of public transportation.

All expressed different takes on better engaging people in municipal government.

Starkweather said the public view of the current City Council is not too favorable. Council members need to be reachable, he said, including by phone and email. When millennials do speak up, listen to us, he said. We might not always be right, but allow us that dialogue.

Brown spoke about the importance of voting and contacting council members with whom one disagrees. If theres something you want to see changed, you have to speak up and let us know what you want changed, she said.

Joy thinks the city's social media outreach can be strengthened. She said she wants council members to to pay regular attention to the task forces and the board and commission meetings.

Billings can keep its millennials and attract others, Starkweather said, by focusing on green space and connecting pedestrian and bicycle paths  and by figuring out a way to better utilize the Yellowstone River.

Brown said that the citys complete streets  designed for the safety of motorized and nonmotorized users  are someof the best benefits the city can offer millennials. When our streets are complete, people ride their bikes and walk their dogs, she said.

Joy said the Billings Chamber of Commerce and Big Sky Economic Development do a lot of tremendous work to increase economic opportunities. More can be done, she said, to strengthen startup businesses.

While all three said they support the citys current charter, candidates differed on their assessment of how the council-manager system works in Billings.

The current council, according to Starkweather, routinely goes over the city administrators head, hounding department heads, and thats unprofessional, he said. From what Ive seen, the city administrator (Tina Volek) is doing a heck of a job. We need to go back to the charters original use.

With Volek retiring Sept. 30, we need to find someone transparent and willing to work with the council, said Brown, whos serving on a committee to advise the council on its selection. If we find the right person, we might not have to deal with so many things that are at odds between the two of them.

Joy advised against a strong mayor form of government, citing the example of the machine built by former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. What we have is professional administration, she said. With strong mayors you can have nepotism and corruption that is quite strong.

Both Joy and Starkweather expressed support for the proposed One Big Sky Center, but Brown said shes heard a lot of concern about the project from Ward 3 residents. I cant say Im on board," she said, "until I know all the facts and how the tax dollars will be spent.

Starkweather said that at 150 sworn officers, the Billings Police Department is short by at least 100 officers. Joy said police are too often called upon to solve our social problems. Brown said shed support hiring more police, but only if we can find a way to do that while lowering our property taxes.
President Donald Trump promised on Monday to 'take care' of Texas and Louisiana as they face a 'long and difficult road' to recovery after floods triggered by Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey.

'It's the biggest ever. They are saying it is the biggest, it's historic,' Trump said, addressing reporters a day before traveling to the Lone Star State with First Lady Melania Trump.

He said at a press conference shortly after, 'Nobody has ever seen anything like it.'

'I've heard the words "epic," I've heard "historic." And that's what it is.'

Trump said the nation will emerge bigger, better and stronger than ever after the storm that's ransacking the Gulf.

President Donald Trump declared at a press conference that the nation will emerge bigger, better and stronger than ever after the storm ransacking southern Texas and Louisiana

'We ask God for his wisdom and strength. We will get through this,' Trump said. 'The rebuilding will begin. And in the end it will be something very special.'

The US. president said residents of the region have shown incredible teamwork in a time of tragedy.

'We are one American family. We hurt together, we struggle together. And believe me, we endure together,' Trump proclaimed. 'We are one family. To the people of Texas and Louisiana, we are 100 percent with you. '

Trump and wife Melania, the first lady, are due to arrive in southern Texas on Tuesday along with members of the president's Cabinet.

They'll visit an undeclared area in the Lone Star State that has already been impacted, Texas' sitting governor said this morning, suggesting in his remarks that the plans involve Corpus Christi.

The president told reporters this afternoon during his Oval Office remarks that he he hasn't decide which towns to survey, saying only that he will be 'traveling throughout certain parts.'

At a news conference later, Trump offered his encouragement to those in the tropical storm's path. At least eight people have died since it made landfall.

'We're praying for you, we're working closely with your leaders and officials, and I will be visiting the impact zone tomorrow to ensure that you're receiving full support and cooperation from the federal government,' Trump said.

Trump has been eager to show he is on top of the situation, and that he will not make the same mistakes as previous presidents in botching the federal response.

'Things are being handled really well, the spirit is incredible of the people and the coordination between all of the different services, as you know, has been going very well,' he said.

er, Trump offered his encouragement to those in the tropical storm's path. At least eight people have died since it made landfall

Trump's trip to Texas comes much more quickly than other presidents may have dared. Along with a high-impact presidential trip comes the risk of hampering recovery efforts and tying up resources.

But the recently inaugurated president indicated he may make a return trip to the region this week.

'We may actually go back on Saturday, depending on where the storm goes we may also go to Louisiana on Saturday.'

The road to recovery will be long and difficult, Trump admitted, although he later said to a reporter that he expected Congress to move swiftly on an appropriation of additional disaster relief funds.

Since the crisis began last Friday, Trump has seized on his role marshalling the federal response, issuing a disaster declaration for Texas and neighboring Louisiana and deploying 8,000 officials throughout the flood zone.

During a busy weekend, the White House released photos of the president - decked in a USA cap - huddling with aides, liaising with cabinet secretaries to discuss what he called a 'once in 500 year flood'.

Trump's remarks Monday on Hurricane Harvey were his first, aside from a string of tweets.

His split in focus between federal disaster relief for Texas and a host of other issues he delved into last weekend on Twitter came under scrutiny this weekend, but a senior U.S. official argued Monday morning that the president has the ability to multitask.

'The president is very, very engaged. He knows exactly what's going on,' said Rick Perry, the energy secretary and the longest-serving governor in Texas' history.

Trump 'cares about his people greatly' and would have traveled to the storm-battered state today, if he were able, Perry told Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade.

President Donald Trump's split in focus between federal disaster relief for Texas and a host of other issues he delved into last weekend on Twitter are evidence of his ability to multitask, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Monday

Trump is pictured during a conference call with his Cabinet receiving an update on Hurricane Harvey from the FEMA administrator and other national security officials

Trump and wife Melania, the first lady, are due to arrive in southern Texas on Tuesday along with members of the president's Cabinet

The president will also make a trip to Missouri this week to push his tax reform proposal, the White House has said

'Interestingly, Brian, he's multitasking at the same time. He's got a lot of other things going on as the President of the United States that he's dealing with halfway around the world, right here in this country.'

The president will also make a trip to Missouri this week to push his tax reform proposal, the White House has said. Plans call for him to fly into Texas on Tuesday and Missouri on Wednesday.

He's hosting the Finnish president today that White House. Their meetings concluded with a joint press conference, at which Trump gave his condolences to victims of the hurricane at the top.

Under the cover of Hurricane Harvey, Trump pardoned a controversial Arizona sheriff on Friday evening after arriving at Camp David, the official presidential retreat in Maryland, where he spent the weekend with his family while the vice president remained in Washington.

He sent numerous tweets over the weekend boosting the federal government's efforts to assist state and local officials with Harvey and received updates twice from his Cabinet.

After a quiet Saturday, Trump sent a string of tweets Sunday morning on storm rescue efforts and other priorities of his, including tax cuts and the border wall.

'I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety,' Trump said in one of his earlier tweets.

Shortly thereafter, he targeted a Missouri senator facing a tough reelection battle in a tweet that said: 'I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in '16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts. Republican will win S!'

The president's character-limited tweet made reference to Democrat Claire McCaskill, who's seat in the Senate is up for grabs next fall.

Returning to the storm briefly, Trump then said that efforts are 'going well.' His next two tweets were attacks again, though, this time on Mexico.

'With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other,' he said. 'We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?'

After a quiet Saturday, Trump sent a string of tweets Sunday morning on storm rescue efforts and other priorities of his, including tax cuts and the border wall

Perry insisted Monday morning on Fox that Trump is fulfilling his responsibilities to the people of Texas and Louisiana, which was also struck by the tropical storm.

'This president is as engaged in a personal way as any president that I had the privilege to work with. He wants to come to Texas,' he said.

Trump wanted to visit the Lone Star State today, the Texas Republican said, 'but he realizes that this is too early.'

While he did not have definitive details on Trump's trip, Perry said, 'He'll most likely be at one of the evacuation shelters.'

He wants to let people know the federal government is a partner in the state-led efforts, the Cabinet secretary explained.

Bringing up Trump's trip to Missouri the following day, Perry added, 'This is a president who can multitask. This is a president who cares about his people greatly and we're seeing the reflection of that in his actions.'

Texas' sitting governor, Greg Abbott, also a Republican, offered Trump a positive review for his handling of the crisis, as well, on Monday.

'The engagement and response by the president, the White House, by his Cabinet and by FEMA have been actually remarkable,' Abbott said.

Texas' sitting governor, Greg Abbott, also a Republican, offered Trump a positive review for his handling of the crisis, as well on Monday

Trump's administration touched base with him a week or two in advance of the storm, Abbott said, and has been in constant contact ever since.

'And they've provided Texas everything that we need. Whenever Texas asks for anything, the answer has been 'yes,' ' he said. 'We've been very pleased with their collaborative response.'

Appearing on CBS News on Monday morning, Abbott said that Trump would not be interfering with the state's emergency outreach with his visit.

'The place he will be going to will not be Houston, so he will not be getting into harm's way or interrupting the evacuations or the emergency response in the Houston area,' Abbott said, 'He most likely will be going closer to where the hurricane hit land, and that's where I will be going today to meet with the FEMA administrator Brock Long.'

Abbott's characterization of Trump's trip suggests the president will visit the Corpus Christi area. That's where the hurricane made landfall.

Houston has been hit hit harder than expected by the storm, and Abbott said this morning that Dallas would be opening a mega-shelter that would be able to house 5,000 evacuees.

San Antonio is also operating an evacuee center, and the state today began running airlift operations out of Galveston to remove and relocate evacuees, he said.

'This will be a devastating disaster, probably the worst disaster the state's seen,' Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told The Washington Post yesterday. 'The recovery to this event is going to last many years to be able to help Texas and the people impacted by this event achieve a new normal.'

The state is already hosting 30,000 people in shelters. Another 450,000 will need government assistance.

Officials say 40-50 inches or rain could pile up on Texas' coast. Conditions are expected to get worse over the next few days.

Houston has seen 25 inches already and could see 25 more by Saturday. By comparison the Texas city usually accumulates 50 inches of rain a year.

Vice President Mike Pence said later on Monday morning during an interview on a Houston-area radio show, 'We're saddened by the loss of life, and the President is anxious to come to the region tomorrow. The President and the First Lady will be there, along with a number of other Cabinet officials.'
A young girl in Massachusetts survived being choked and thrown off a bridge after being kidnapped from her grandparent's home by a family friend, a court has heard.

Joshua Hubert, 35, denies taking the young girl - who is not being identified - from the home on Forestdale Road in Worcester and subjecting her to almost two hours of terror early Sunday morning.

But cops say the brave child identified him after swimming out of the 600ft-wide 85ft-deep lake and walking to a nearby home for help, Massachusetts Live reported.

A seven-year-old girl was thrown off a bridge - thought to be this one, which is on the I-290 - into Lake Quinsigamond in Massachusetts at 4:30am on Sunday, police allege

Cops say Joshua Herbert, a family friend, took the girl at 2:30am during a cookout at her grandparent's home nearby, drove her for around an hour, choked her and tried to drown her

Cops say that Hubert was attending a cookout at the home when he snatched the girl, who was sleeping on a chair, at around 2:30am.

He then bundled her into his car and drove off into the night, they claim.

At one point he stopped the car and choked the girl before driving her across a bridge over Lake Quinsigamond and throwing her over, cops say.

But despite her young age, the brave girl survived her fall, and swam out of the lake.

She told police that she then located the first house with lights on and knocked on the door. That home was located in Shrewbury, across the lake from Worcester.

'At approximately 4:30am, about two hours [after she was taken], a woman from Shrewsbury was awoken by knocks at her door and found the seven-year-old victim standing at her door in pajamas soaking wet,' prosecutor Cheryl Riddle said.

The little girl then told police she had been kidnapped by Hubert, choked, and then thrown into Quinsigamond.

She had bruises on her body as well as marks on her neck and other injuries, prosecutors said.

The bridge over which the girl was allegedly thrown was not identified in Hubert's arraignment on Monday.

Investigators believe that it was the Interstate 290 crossing, which spans the north end of the lake, based on where she emerged from the water.

The other crossing connecting Worcester with Shrewsbury, the Kenneth F. Burns Memorial Bridge, is 1.3 miles south of the I-290.

Hubert is now being held without bail until a dangerousness hearing, which is scheduled for Thursday.
President Trump confused two blonde foreign reporters at his Monday press conference alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinisto causing the second journalist to react.

'We have a lot of blonde women in Finland,' she told Trump.

Trump had asked, and then instructed, Niinisto to call on another reporter to ask a question and then scoffed when he thought the Finnish leader had called on someone who had already gone.

Scroll down for video

During Monday's press conference, President Trump (right) confused two Finnish female journalists, as they both had blonde hair

Finnish journalist Maria Annala (left) muttered, 'we have a lot of blonde women in Finland,' after President Trump confused her with Finnish journalist Paula Vilen (right)

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto answered, 'No, she's not the same one,' when President Trump confused one blonde Finnish woman for another

PBS Newshour reporter Lisa Desjardins got a side by side photo of the reporters afterward and identified them as Paula Vilen (left) and Maria Annala (right)

The two Finnish reporters were sitting next to each other during Monday's press conference with President Trump and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto

'Again? You're going to give her the same one?' Trump asked.

'No, she's not the same one,' Niinisto replied.

The first journalist was Paula Vilen of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, who was sporting a pink jacket and white top.

She has blonde hair.

She had asked Trump if he believed Russia was a security threat.

Ten minutes later Maria Annala, a Boston-based Finnish reporter for the Finnish News Agency was called on.

She was wearing a black jacket, paired with a light pink shirt.

She also has blonde hair.

'Go ahead,' Trump instructed.

'They are sitting side by side,' Niinisto noted, as everyone in the room began to laugh.

Annala, however, didn't find it quite as funny, making her comment about Trump not being able to distinguish between the various blondes.

'Mr. President Trump what role do you see as Finland having in U.S.-Russia relations? Do you think Finland could be of assistance helping U.S. get better relations with Russia?' Annala then asked.

PBS Newshour correspondent Lisa Desjardins tracked down the two women after the presser and photographed them side by side.

'THIS,' she tweeted. 'The Finnish journalists @RealDonaldTrump had trouble telling apart.'

'They are def. 2 diff. people,' Desjardins wrote.
President Donald Trump rolled out a new argument in defense of his controversial pardon of Sheriff Joe Arpaio: other drug dealers and 'dangerous criminals' who got presidential pardons were far worse.

Trump got asked about his Friday night pardon of Arpaio at a press conference Monday, and immediately dispatched with the prevailing theory that the Friday night news dump  as Hurricane Harvey bore down on the Texas coast  was a political tactic to avoid scrutiny.

'Actually in the middle of a hurricane even though it was a Friday evening I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally you know the hurricane was just started,' Trump said.

Trump hailed Arpaio as a 'patriot'  but then brought up past pardon recipients, including indicted financier Marc Rich, who got a pardon from President Clinton on Clinton's last day in office.

President Donald Trump helped a Fox News personality digitally slap a former Obama aide over his pardon powers on Monday

'He was pardoned after his wife donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Clintons,' Trump said, in reference to Denise Rich's contributions.

'President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, who was charged with crimes going back decades, including illegally buying oil from Iran while it held 53 American hostages.'

Trump also brought up President Obama's controversial commutation of the sentence of Chelsea Manning, despite Manning's massive intelligence leak, along with others. She had been serving seven years of a 35 year sentence, the longest for an intelligence leak.

Trump retweeted a post from Katie Pavlich that took former Obama spokesman Ben Rhodes to task for the January pardons of 'traitor' Chelsea Manning and 'terrorist' Oscar Lopez Rivera

Scroll down for video

'Then you have dangerous criminals. President Clinton pardoned Susan Rosenberg, a member of the Weather Underground, charged as part of a bank robbery that led to a bank guard and two police officers being killed. Drug dealers. President Clinton commuted the sentence of Carlos Vignali, a central player in a cocaine ring that stretched from California to Minnesota. Criminal leaker!' Trump said.



'You've heard the word "leaker?' Trump continued. 'President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked countless sensitive and classified documents to WikiLeaks, perhaps and others, but horrible, horrible thing that he did, commuted the sentence. And perhaps pardoned,' Trump said (it was a commutation).

'President Obama commuted the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who was charged as part of a violent independence group from Puerto Rico responsible for 28 Chicago-area bombings and many deaths in the 1970s and 1980s.'

Trump said during the Friday night Arpaio pardon he 'assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally you know the hurricane was just started'

Financier Marc Rich is shown in this Nov. 30, 1998, photo in Zug, central Switzerland. Rich has lived in Switzerland since just before he was indicted in the United States in 1983 on charges of evading more than $48 million in taxes, fraud and participating in illegal oil deals with Iran. Former President Clinton pardoned Marc Rich on Jan. 20, 2001

Chelsea Manning (right), served in the U.S. Army as male 'Bradley' but later became female; she served only one-fifth of her sentence for espionage

'Sheriff Joe is a patriot. Sheriff Joe loves our country. Sheriff Joe protected our borders. And Sheriff Joe was very unfairly treated by the Obama administration, especially right before an election, an election that he would have won. And he was elected many times. So I stand by my pardon of Sheriff Joe, and I think the people of Arizona who really know him best would agree with me,' Trump said.

In the wake of Trump's pardon, many critics also argued that he was being excused from serious violations  violations of people's constitutional rights by ignoring a federal judge's order. But Trump argued that Arpaio's past service to the nation was relevant.

Arpaio had yet to be sentenced and hadn't expressed remorse for the crimes he was convicted of committing. He campaigned frequently with Trump in 2016 and endorsed him.

Trump used his social media reach on Monday to promote a Fox News star's tweet that blasted his predecessor over his controversial uses of presidential pardons.

Trump last week pardoned former Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, who faced sentencing in October following a criminal contempt conviction related to his policy of targeting suspected illegal immigrants for traffic stops.

Susan Lisa Rosenberg, 29, a member of the Weather Underground and considered one of the six most wanted on the FBI list of revolutionaries, is escorted from New Jersey State Police Barracks here on her way to arraignment in Camden. Suspected she was involved also with the Brinks' Armored car robbery in New York

Obama's former National Security Council spokesman, Ben Rhodes, piped up that the former president 'used his pardon and commutation power to give a second chance to people who deserved empathy, not racists who showed none.'

Katie Pavlich, a frequent panelist on Fox's 'Outnumbered' program, responded on Saturday: 'Your boss pardoned a traitor who gave U.S. enemies state secrets, he also pardoned a terrorist who killed Americans. Spare us the lecture.'

Trump retweeted Pavlich's post on Monday morning.

Pavlich's use of the word 'traitor' referred to Chelsea Manning, whose 35-year espionage conviction was commuted by Obama during his last days in office.

Manning, then known as Bradley Manning, was an Army Private who passed millions of classified documents to the anti-privacy WikiLeaks website.

He was convicted in a 2013 Army court-martial and served 7 years in a military prison, beginning with his 2010 arrest, before Obama ended his confinement.

The second half of Pavlich's tweet  'a terrorist who killed Americans'  was likely a reference to Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican guerrilla who helped lead the Armed Forces of National Liberation (FALN), a Marxist paramilitary terror organization.

Barack Obama let Oscar Lopez Rivera leave federal prison despite his 1981 convictions for seditious conspiracy, armed robbery, interstate transportation of firearms and conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy government property

The FALN was responsible for more than 130 bombings between 1974 and 1983, killing six people and injuring dozens. Its leaders also threatened to blow up nuclear power stations and plotted to kidnap then-President Ronald Reagan's son.

He was convicted in 1981 of seditious conspiracy, armed robbery, interstate transportation of firearms and conspiracy to transport explosives with intent to destroy government property, and drew a 55-year prison term.

Lopez Rivera's indictment listed 24 separate Chicago-area bombings. FBI agents recovered dynamite and detonators, along with a cache of firearms, from his two homes.

Former Obama aide Ben Rhodes (left) started the spat by claiming Obama used his clemency powers to help 'people who deserved empathy'; Fox's Katie Pavlich (right) put that to the test

The online squabble started when Trump pardoned former sheriff Joe Arpaio, pictured at a Nevada presidential campaign event last year

In 1999 President Bill Clinton offered him clemency along with 11 other FALN terrorists, if they renounced violence.

Lopez Rivera refused, complaining that Clinton didn't extend the same offer to another FALN member who had planned to help him escape from the federal penitentiary at Leavenworth, Kansas.

The plot was to involve landing a helicopter inside the prison yard while passengers strafed guard towers with automatic weapons and threw grenades at prison officers who pursued the escapees.
Sydney nightclub figure John Ibrahim's younger brother Michael has been warned he will be killed if he is extradited from Dubai to Australia.

The 37-year-old has been behind bars since he was arrested on August 8 with his brother Fadi, 43, for their alleged roles in an $810 million drug ring spanning across Sydney, the Netherlands and Dubai.

The 'Dubai Six', which includes Fadi and Michael Ibrahim, Mustapha Dib, Stephen Elmir, Hakan Arif and Koder Jomaa, were reportedly spending the day celebrating on a luxury yacht when they were surprised by Dubai officers.

Sydney nightclub figure John Ibrahim's younger brother Michael, 37, has been warned he will be killed if he is extradited from Dubai to Australia. John Ibrahim (left) is seen with brother Michael (second from right), and friend Margaret Staltaro

Another 10 people, including John Ibrahim's son Daniel and girlfriend Sarah Budge, were arrested in simultaneous raids across almost 30 properties in Sydney.

John Ibrahim has allegedly advised Michael not to return to Australia because some people implicated in the drug ring blame the 37-year-old for introducing them to a witness, according to The Daily Telegraph.

'A few people are angry with Michael and some people have lost a lot of money which they will want back or (they will) want revenge,' a source told the publication.

'He was shot once, so it's not hard to believe someone might try again,' the source said, referencing a shooting in 2015 during which Michael received non-life threatening injuries.

Michael is of Lebanese descent and is reportedly planning on becoming a Lebanese citizen in a bid to escape a possible attempt on his life or lengthy prison sentence.

The 37-year-old has been behind bars since he was arrested on August 8 with his brother Fadi (pictured with his wife Shayda), 43, for their alleged roles in an $810 million drug ring spanning across Sydney, the Netherlands and Dubai

The 'Dubai Six' includes Fadi and Michael Ibrahim, Mustapha Dib, Stephen Elmir, Hakan Arif and Koder Jomaa (pictured)

Mustapha Dib remains behind bars in Dubai

Because there is no extradition treaty in place between Australia and Lebanon, he would not be forced back to Australia.

Five of the six men locked up in Dubai are of Lebanese descent and two others are believed to be applying for dual citizenship, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Migration Institute of Australia's George Lombard said the dual citizenship request was a logical move for the men if they wanted to escape the Australian judicial system.

'Theoretically they could be declared Lebanese citizens, kicked out of Dubai and live anywhere in the world where there is no extradition agreement with Australia or Lebanon to bring them back home,' he said.

It was previously reported that secret plans to extradite the 'Dubai Six' to Australia on private jets will reportedly cost the taxpayer $1 million.

If extradited, the alleged underworld figures would reportedly be flown out of Dubai on several Global Express jets, with the most dangerous of them flown separately because it was considered the 'safest' option. Each Global Express jet would cost $250,000 to charter.

John Ibrahim is not accused of any committing any offence.

Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim, who was not accused of any involvement in the alleged drug ring, was pictured at his Sydney property on Wednesday reading his own book
President Donald Trump blasted North Korea as a 'grave and growing direct threat' to the world following its latest provocation  a ballistic missile launch over Japan.

In a return to the saber-rattling of the last flare up with North Korea, Trump is warning that 'all options are on the table'  an obvious reference to U.S. military might.

'The world has received North Korea's latest message loud and clear: this regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior,' Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

'Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table,' he said.

In a press conference, presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan said South Korean leader Moon Jae-in had wanted 'to showcase a strong punishment capability against the North.'

'The drill reconfirmed South Korea Air Force capability to destroy the enemy's leadership in cases of emergency.'

Show of force: South Korea launched military drills which included dropping eight bombs on a training field near the northern border, within hours of the North's missile test

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump depart the White House in Washington, U.S., on their way to view storm damage in Texas

His tough words came as North Korea's latest launch, this time of a missile over Japan's northern island, terrified Japanese citizens and caused a sudden drop in financial markets.

Weeks ago, Trump had warned that North Korea would face 'fire and fury' if it issued threats to the U.S.

The U.S. led an effort for new sanctions against the rogue regime that were approved by the UN Security Council.

Within hours of Kim's missile launch, South Korea had responded with an 'overwhelming show of force' by bombing a shooting range near its border to the North as part of a military drill, launching footage which contained a stern warning to Kim Jong-Un.

Seoul dropped eight Mark 84 bombs with four F15K fighter jets near Taebaek, Gangwon-do province, and released footage of the drill along with a video of its own ballistic missile tests conducted last week.

Drills: South Korea's F-15K fighter jets drop bombs during a training at the Taebaek Pilsung Firing Range on Tuesday morning in Gangwon-do, South Korea

Warning: Colonel Lee Kuk-no of South Korea made it clear that Seoul would respond with full force is North Korea threatened the South

Response: U.S. President Donald Trump said he had received Kim Jong-un's message 'loud and clear' after North Korea's ballistic missile launch over Japan today

Response: A bomb hits a mock target at the Pilseung Firing Range in Gangwon-do, South Korea near the border to the North after on Tuesday as the South continues military drills

'If North Korea threatens the security of the South Korean people and the South Korea-US alliance with their nuclear weapons and missiles our air forces will exterminate the leadership of North Korea with our strong strike capabilities,' South Korean Colonel Lee Kuk-no warned in the video.

TENSIONS IN KOREA ARE 'AT A TIPPING POINT', WARNS CHINA China warned that tensions on the Korean peninsula have reached 'tipping point' after North Korea Tuesday fired a ballistic missile over Japan, but said the United States and South Korea are partly to blame. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying urged all sides to avoid provocations and repeated Beijing's call for the North to suspend missile tests in return for a halt to US-South Korean military exercises. The situation is 'now at a tipping point approaching a crisis. At the same time there is an opportunity to reopen peace talks,' Hua told a regular news briefing. 'We hope relevant parties can consider how we can de-escalate the situation on the peninsula and realise peace and stability on the peninsula,' she added. Seoul and Washington last week began annual war games which China opposes and are viewed by nuclear-armed Pyongyang as a highly provocative rehearsal for invasion. The North always meets them with threats of strong military counteraction. Hua said the United States and South Korea 'held one round after another of joint military exercises and they exerted military pressure on the DPRK (North Korea)'. 'After so many rounds and vicious cycles, do they feel they are nearer to peaceful settlement of the issue? 'The facts have proven that pressure and sanctions cannot fundamentally solve the issue,' she said, referring to UN sanctions imposed against North Korea. China has backed the sanctions but also called for peace talks. Advertisement

A statement from Seoul later on Tuesday echoed this sentiment, saying South Korea is 'fully ready for any threat from the North'.

'We strongly condemn the North's yet another provocation despite a grave message sent through Resolution 2371 adopted by the international community in the wake of its repeated strategic provocations,' the government said in a statement published by Yonhap news.

'We are fully ready for any threat from the North and will make unwavering efforts to protect the lives of our people and the security of our nation,' it said.

In the wake of the launch, Trump spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

According to a readout released by the White House, 'The two leaders agreed that North Korea poses a grave and growing direct threat to the United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, as well as to countries around the world.'

'President Trump and Prime Minister Abe committed to increasing pressure on North Korea, and doing their utmost to convince the international community to do the same,' according to the statement.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has also condemned the missile launch, ahead of a planned trip to Japan.

May, who is flying to Tokyo tonight, branded the 'illegal' launch of the ballistic rocket from the rogue state 'outrageous'.

She said: 'We will continue to work with our international partners to put pressure on North Korea to stop those illegal tests and of course, I will have the opportunity on my visit to Japan over the next few days to be discussing those issues with Prime Minister Abe.'

Trump and May's comments followed a warning bySouth Korea that it would 'exterminate' Kim Jong-un if his administration continues to risk the safety of its population.

The rocket launched by North Korea this morning broke into three pieces off the coast of Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific Ocean, around 700 miles east of Cape Erimo, after travelling 1,700 miles in eight minutes.

Japanese military did not attempt to shoot down the rocket, reportedly a mid range ballistic missile designed to carry a nuclear payload.

North Korea's UN ambassador has blamed the U.S. for 'driving the peninsula towards an extreme level of explosion' by joining the South for war drills in the Pacific, calling today's missile test 'justified'.

Han Tae Song set to attend a United Nations Security Council meeting in Geneva later today, did not explicitly refer to his country's latest test firing of a ballistic missile that flew over Japan into the sea earlier in the day.

Living in fear: South Koreans watch file footage of a North Korean missile launch, at a railway station in Seoul after the North fired a ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean

Hoping for change: People pray for peace on the Korean Peninsula near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on Tuesday evening

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk from Marine One to board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, ahead of a trip to Texas to get an update on Hurricane Harvey relief efforts

'Now that the U.S. has openly declared its hostile intention towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, by waging aggressive joint military exercises despite repeated warnings.

SHARP DROP: HOW THE FINANCIAL MARKETS RESPONDED Global stock markets and the dollar fell sharply Tuesday, as investors were rattled by the missile launch. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was 1.2 percent lower at 7,314. The pan-European STOXX index fell as much as 1.7 percent to their lowest in six months before paring losses to trade down 1.3 percent, while Wall Street futures pointed to sharp losses at the open. Japan's Nikkei hit a four-month low before paring losses to end 0.5 percent down and South Korea's Kospi KS11 shed as much as 1.6 percent before ending down 0.2 percent. The dollar hit its lowest level since mid-April against the yen and was last down 0.7 percent at 108.55. While stocks were suffering, traditional safe haven assets were in demand, including gold, which was up 0.8 percent at $1,325.30 an ounce. The Swiss franc was also in the ascendant, with the dollar down 1.2 percent at 0.9442 SFr The euro, which breached $1.20 for the first time since January 2015, was one of the major beneficiaries of the risk-averse mood across financial markets. Advertisement

'My country has every reason to respond with tough counter-measures as an exercise of its right to self defence,' Han told the U.N. Conference on Disarmament.

'And the U.S. should be wholly responsible for the catastrophic consequences it will entail.'

Dictator Kim Jong-Un is believed to have fired his rocket over Japan because it is the path towards the US Pacific territory of Guam, which he threatened to attack two weeks ago.

The new missile managed 1,700 miles before it came down in the Pacific Ocean, a distance which is still some 400 miles short of reaching Guam.

Millions of Japanese citizens were woken with texts urging them to move to a 'sturdy building or basement' as the missile passed over its territory at around 6am local time on Tuesday.

Residents took cover, while train services across Japan halted, with early-morning commuters told bluntly: 'All lines are experiencing disruption due to missile launch.'

Japan's chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, said that the missile posed an 'unprecedented, serious and grave threat to our nation', while prime minister Shinzo Abe said that he would do all in his power to protect the Japanese public.

Meanwhile, U.S. experts have called the missile launch 'perfectly calibrated' to cause trouble, but not spark a full-on war.

'The launch shows how Kim Jong Un is weirdly conservative, calibrating tests so that they are difficult to counter, flying just beneath the radar of a required kinetic response,' Stephan Haggard, a political scientist and Korea expert at the University of California at San Diego, told the Washington Post.

The missile broke into three pieces off the coast of Hokkaido and landed in the North Pacific Ocean, around 700 miles east of Cape Erimo

Under Kim Jong-un (pictured on Saturday), Pyongyang has made rapid strides in its ballistic missile technology in violation of UN resolutions and threats of 'fire and fury' from Trump

The missile test was branded 'another provocation' and a big concern, by the U.S. official disarmament ambassador to the UN.

Washington still needs to do 'further analysis' of the missile that flew over Japan's northern Hokkaido island into the sea, but it will be the subject of today's Security Council meeting, U.S. envoy Robert Wood told reporters in Geneva.

How far would missile have to travel from Pyongyang to reach the rest of the world? US Naval Base in Guam: 2,114 miles (3,402 km) Hawaii: 4,727 miles (7,670 km) London (over mainland Europe): 5,379 miles (8,657 km) San Francisco: 5,588 miles (8,993 km) Los Angeles: 5,935 miles (9,551 km) New York: 6,783 miles (10,916 km) Washington, DC: 6,857 miles (11,035 km) Advertisement

'It's another provocation by North Korea, they just seem to continue to happen. This is a big concern of course to my government and to a number of other governments,' Wood said before a session of the U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament where North Korean Ambassador Han Tae Song was to speak.

Dictator Kim Jong-Un ignored the US president's warning and fired the rocket from a region near the capital Pyongyang over Japan - the first time North Korea has done this since 2009.

The South Korean military said Tuesday it conducted three flight tests of two types of new missiles with ranges of 497 miles and 310 miles on August 24 and that the missiles were close to being operationally deployed.

The military released footage of the tests of the longer-range missile that showed the missile being fired from a truck-mounted launcher and hitting a land-based target.

South Korea hasn't officially named the missile yet, but it is tentatively called the Hyunmoo-2C.

The missile is considered a key component to the so-called 'kill chain' pre-emptive strike capability the South is pursuing to cope with the North's growing nuclear and missile threat.

Neighbouring China has responded to the missile launch with a call for restraint from all sides, but warned that tensions have reached a 'tipping point' after U.S. and South Korea went on with their annual military exercises.

Japan within reach: North Korea has fired a missile that passed over northern Japan today (file photo of a test on July 28)

The warning text to citizens said: 'A missile was fired from North Korea. Please evacuate to a sturdy building or basement'

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would do all in his power to protect the Japanese public

Television and radio broadcasters broke into their regular programming with a 'J-Alert' warning citizens of the missile launch in the early hours of the morning.

Bullet train services were temporarily halted and warnings went out over loudspeakers in towns in Hokkaido.

'I was woken by the missile alert on my cellphone,' said Ayaka Nishijima, 41, an office worker from Morioka, the capital of Iwate prefecture, 180 miles south of Cape Erimo.

KIM DID IT FOR MAXIMUM MAYHEM, SAY U.S. EXPERTS Kim Jong-un had perfectly calculated the launch to create as much 'political mischief' as possible, without risking an military response from his foes, a U.S. expert has said today. 'The launch shows how Kim Jong Un is weirdly conservative, calibrating tests so that they are difficult to counter, flying just beneath the radar of a required kinetic response,' Stephan Haggard, a political scientist and Korea expert at the University of California at San Diego, told the Washington Post. North Korea was able to test the technology and push the boundaries, and see how far they can go before the U.S., Japan or South Korea responds, added Michael Elleman, a missile expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. 'There is a technical imperative for conducting this test. They want to be able to look at reentry dynamics and how it performs on a more normal trajectory,' Mr Elleman told the paper.. 'In a way, it's kind of a trial balloon. If we overfly Japan, what happens? If the blowback isn't too significant, they will feel more comfortable with launching a Hwasong-14 to a good distance to validate its performance on a normal trajectory.' Advertisement

'I didn't feel prepared at all. Even if we get these alerts there's nowhere to run. It's not like we have a basement or bomb shelter, all we can do is get away from the window,' she told Reuters.

Hironori Matsuura, an official in the coastal town of Erimo, said people were stunned as this is the first time a North Korea missile is believed to have flown over Hokkaido.

The town, which has about 4,800 residents, is checking on what went wrong with the speaker system.

'We all woke up,' he said. 'But there are no reports of any damage, and no one had to evacuate.'

Hokkaido prefectural official Hirofumi Tsujii said J-Alert was set off throughout the prefecture, and officials were checking on malfunction reports.

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would do all in his power to protect the Japanese public.

'We will make utmost efforts to firmly protect the lives of the people,' Abe told reporters in brief remarks as he entered his office for emergency meetings on the missile firing.

The country's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, described it as an 'unprecedented, grave threat'.

Self-defence forces made no attempt to shoot down the missile as it passed 341 miles above Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, at 6am local time.

The eight-minute flight took the rocket 1,678 miles before it hit the sea, 730 miles east of the coast of Japan.

It follows a month of escalating hostility between the rogue state and the US, with Donald Trump promising 'fire and fury like the world has never seen' if North Korea continued to test missiles.

Last night the Pentagon said it was aware of the launch.

Spokesman Colonel Robert Manning said officials had determined that the missile launch did not pose a risk to North America.

Kim Jong Un has conducted a series of test launches to develop its missile capability and recently threatened to send missiles over western Japan - this time he did it and chose to fire over Japan, which is the route to Guam

Joint Staff Chief of Staff Katsutoshi Kawano (R), Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera (L) arrives at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tokyo

Japan's ground missile defence in Tokyo - but it decided against shooting down North Korea's missile

GUNNING FOR THE U.S. STATES: NORTH KOREAN MISSILE DEVELOPMENTS Here are the key dates in Pyongyang's quest to develop a missile capable of hitting the United States: Late 1970s: North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud-B (range 185 miles). These were later test-fired in 1984. 1987-92: Begins developing variant of Scud-C (range 500 km), Rodong-1 (1,300 km), Taepodong-1 (2,500 km), Musudan-1 (3,000 km) and Taepodong-2 (6,700 km). Aug 1998: Test-fires Taepodong-1 rocket over Japan in what it calls a satellite launch - the US and others say it is a missile. Sept 1999: Declares moratorium on long-range missile tests amid improving ties with US. July 12, 2000: Fifth round of US-North Korean missile talks ends without agreement after North demands $1 billion a year in return for halting missile exports. March 3, 2005: Pyongyang ends moratorium on long-range missile testing, blames Bush administration's 'hostile' policy. July 5, 2006: Test-fires seven missiles, including a long-range Taepodong-2 which explodes after 40 seconds. Oct 9, 2006: Conducts its first ever underground nuclear test. April 5, 2009: Launches long-range rocket which flies over Japan and lands in the Pacific, in what it says is an attempt to put a satellite into orbit. The United States, Japan and South Korea see it as a disguised test of a Taepodong-2. May 25, 2009: Conducts its second underground nuclear test, several times more powerful than the first. April 13, 2012: Launches what it has said is a long-range rocket to put a satellite into orbit, but which disintegrates soon after blast-off. December 12, 2012: Launches a multi-stage rocket and successfully places an Earth observational satellite in orbit. February 12, 2013: Conducts its third underground nuclear test. January 6, 2016: Conducts its fourth underground nuclear test, which it says was a hydrogen bomb - a claim doubted by most experts. March 9, 2016: Kim Jong-Un claims the North has successfully miniaturised a thermo-nuclear warhead. April 23, 2016: Pyongyang test-fires a submarine-launched ballistic missile. July 8, 2016: US and South Korea announce plans to deploy an advanced missile defence system - THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). August 3, 2016: North Korea fires a ballistic missile directly into Japan's maritime economic zone for the first time. September 9, 2016: Conducts fifth nuclear test. March 6, 2017: Fires four ballistic missiles in what it says is an exercise to hit US bases in Japan. March 7, 2017: US begins deploying THAAD missile defence system in South Korea. May 14, 2017: North Korea fires a ballistic missile which flies 700 kilometres before landing in the Sea of Japan. Analysts say it has an imputed range of 4,500 kilometres (2,800 miles) and brings Guam within reach. July 4, 2017: Test-fires a ballistic missile that analysts say brings Alaska within reach. Pyongyang later says it was a 'landmark' test of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). July 28, 2017: Launches a missile with a theoretical range of 10,000 kilometres, meaning it could hit much of the United States. August 26, 2017: Fires three short-range ballistic missiles. August 29, 2017: Fires ballistic missile across Japanese territory. South Korea says it was launched from Sunan, near Pyongyang and flew around 2,700 kilometres at a maximum altitude of around 550 kilometres. Advertisement

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson joined in the condemnations, saying he was 'outraged' by the 'reckless provocation' of North Korea's latest missile launch.

Japan used its J-Alert system to warn citizens, with a text notification reading: 'A missile was fired from North Korea.

'Please evacuate to a sturdy building or basement.'

Local officials said that the missile launch could 'endanger peace and security in the Asia-Pacific region'.

Prime Minister Theresa May was today already scheduled to travel to Tokyo for government talks.

Mr Suga said that Japan will work closely with the US, South Korea and other concerned nations to take a timely and appropriate response.

'It is also very dangerous and problematic in terms of the traffic safety of planes and ships,' he said.

'The launch is an obvious violation of UN resolutions.

'We cannot tolerate these repeated provocations by the North. We condemn this in the strongest possible way.'

Russia on Tuesday said it was 'extremely worried' about the situation in North Korea, hitting out at a 'tendency towards an escalation' after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile over Japan.

'We see a tendency towards an escalation ... and we are extremely concerned by the general developments,' Russia's deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti state news agency.

Tokyo also said the missile overflew Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe describing it as 'an unprecedented, serious and grave threat' to regional security.

Ryabkov said the huge joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, which began on August 21, 'had played their role in provoking Pyongyang into this new firing.'

Tens of thousands of troops are participating in the two-week 'Ulchi Freedom Guardian' exercise on the Korean Peninsula in a move which the North views as highly provocative, seeing it as a rehearsal for an invasion.

North Korea also fired three short-range ballistic missiles on Friday, in apparent retaliation for military exercises involving South Korea, the US and Britain.

Two of the rockets in Friday's test, launched just after 9.30pm UK time, travelled up to 150 miles before crashing into the Sea of Japan, while the third was said to have blown up almost immediately after taking off.

About 30 British servicemen are attending the annual show of strength in South Korea  called Exercise Ulchi Freedom Guardian  which includes about 80,000 troops.

North Korean state media had warned ahead of the exercise that war games would be 'pouring gasoline on fire' with 'reckless behaviour driving the situation into the uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war'.

After Mr Trump's 'fire and fury' comments, Pyongyang had vowed a strike on Guam, the US territory in the Western Pacific.

Kim's regime said missiles would be fired to hit waters surrounding the island, which is home to US air and naval bases.

It followed US intelligence agencies revising their expectations of how soon North Korea would be capable of launching a nuclear attack on other nations.

The Defence Intelligence Agency's assessment said that it believed Pyongyang was already capable of producing a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on a ballistic missile  a key step towards becoming a fully fledged nuclear power  but there was no conclusive proof.

Earlier this month the UN agreed fresh sanctions against North Korea  with the backing of Russia and China  that it was estimated could cost Pyongyang about $1billion (775million) a year.

North Korea previously fired a missile over Japan without permission in 1998.

Some analysts claimed had been set off due to a fault.

It was reported at the time that the missile could have carried 1,000kg chemical, nuclear or conventional warhead.

The United States, Japan and South Korea have requested a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss North Korea's actions, diplomats said. The announcement came after a 40-minute phone call between Mr Abe and US President Donald Trump.

The missile broke into three pieces off the coast of Hokkaido and landed in the North Pacific Ocean, around 700 miles east of Cape Erimo

North Korea has previously conducted dozens of missile test. Pictured: The launch of a surface-to-surface medium long-range ballistic missile Pukguksong-2 at an undisclosed location

North Korea (pictured during a military exercise) may be preparing for its sixth nuclear weapon test, South Korean officials have warned

Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, described it as an 'unprecedented, grave threat' in a televised speech

'DELAYS DUE TO MISSILE': HOW JAPANESE COMMUTERS WERE TOLD OF NORTH KOREAN ROCKET Millions of Japanese awoke to ominous text messages Tuesday warning them to take cover as a North Korean missile flew overhead, with one train operator bluntly explaining its halted service as 'Reason: Ballistic missile launch.' Sirens blared out in northern communities that were on the flight path of the ballistic missile as it soared over Japanese territory for two minutes before crashing into the Pacific. 'Missile passing. Missile passing.' warned an official text message sent to people across the north of Japan. 'A short time ago, a missile apparently passed above this area. 'If you find suspicious objects, please don't go near them and immediately call police or firefighters. 'Please take cover in secure buildings or underground.' Morning commuters in northernmost Hokkaido were greeted by warning signs at train stations - bringing many rail services to a halt. At one metro station in Sapporo, a major city of nearly two million, passengers were warned there would be delays. 'All lines are experiencing disruption,' said one sign. 'Reason: Ballistic missile launch.' Commuters took the government messages to heart. 'Some passengers came down to take cover in a couple of subway stations,' a Sapporo subway spokesman told AFP. Others had little choice but to carry on with their usual schedule, including the crews aboard some 15 fishing vessels that had already left port off southern Hokkaido in an area under the missile's path. 'I was surprised that it went above our area. This has never happened before,' Hiroyuki Iwafune, an official at the local fishery co-op, told AFP. 'I was worried. Everyone felt the same. But what can you do? Hide? But where? 'We called those who were at sea. But then they said, 'Even with this (warning), what are we supposed to do?'' Iwafune added. In Tokyo, more than 435 miles south of the missile's flight path, some train services were temporarily halted. 'Currently, a North Korean missile is flying above Japan,' said announcements at Tokyo stations handling bullet trains, minutes after the launch. 'It is very dangerous. Please take cover at the waiting areas or inside the trains.' Yoshiaki Nakane, a retired government worker, said he feared Pyongyang's provocative launch would aggravate already tense US-North Korea relations. 'North Korea repeatedly launches missiles and don't seem to take any warnings seriously,' the 68-year-old said. 'I'm hoping that the United States will not react too strongly to it and cause trouble. It would be Japan and South Korea that get damaged.' Japan has previously aired public service TV ads and held emergency drills - with schoolchildren ducking on the street, covering their heads and running for cover - to prepare for the ever-present threat from its erratic neighbour. Advertisement

It was not immediately clear when the meeting of the 15-member Security Council would be held.

A statement from South Korea's presidential Blue House added that they had discuss deploying additional 'strategic assets' with the US on the Korean peninsula.

A defiant statement from North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun later said: 'The US should know that it can neither browbeat the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] with any economic sanctions and military threats and blackmails nor make the DPRK flinch from the road chosen by itself.'

As the missile was launched a warning text was to Japanese citizens, which said: 'A missile was fired from North Korea. Please evacuate to a sturdy building or basement.'

A Government statement later read: 'We assess North Korea conducted a missile launch within the last 90 minutes.

'We can confirm that the missile launched by North Korea flew over Japan. We are still in the process of assessing this launch.

'North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America.

'We are working closely with Pacific Command, Strategic Command and NORAD and will provide an update as soon as possible.'

A North Korea Scud-B missile (C) is displayed at the Korea War Memorial Museum on Saturday in South Korea

A North Korea Scud-B missile, centre, is displayed at the Korea War Memorial Museum in Seoul, South Korea, after ballistic missiles were launched into the East Sea

Kim Jong Un was warned by Donald Trump that the US was ready to unleash 'fire and fury' this month as North Korea conducted a series of test launches to develop its missile capability.

They also threatened to send missiles over western Japan and into waters near the US territory of Guam.

Tuesday's launch comes days after the North fired what was assessed as three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and a month after its second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which analysts say could reach deep into the US mainland when perfected.

It was North Korea's 13th launch of ballistic missiles this year, said Roh Jae-cheon, spokesman for Seoul's joint chiefs of staff.

South Korea's foreign ministry warned that the North will face a 'strong response' from the US-South Korean alliance if what it called nuclear and missile provocations continue.

The ministry also urged Pyongyang to accept talks over its nuclear programme and acknowledge that abandoning its nuclear ambitions is the only way to guarantee its security and economic development.

In a rare move, South Korea's military released footage of its own missile tests that were conducted last week.

The videos showed two types of new missiles with ranges of 497 miles and 310 miles being fired from truck-mounted launchers during three tests conducted on Thursday.

South Korea's agency for defence development said the launches represented the last flight test for the longer-range missile before it is operationally deployed.

Such missiles, which would be latest additions to South Korea's Hyumoo family of missiles, are considered key components in the so-called 'kill chain' pre-emptive strike capability the South is pursuing to cope with the North's growing nuclear and missile threat.

North Korea typically reacts with anger to the annual US-South Korean military drills, which are happening now, often testing weapons and threatening Seoul and Washington in its state-controlled media.

But animosity is higher than usual following threats by Mr Trump to unleash 'fire and fury' on the North, and Pyongyang's stated plan to consider firing some of its missiles near Guam.
A photograph of a Texas sheriffs deputy sleeping on the floor after working long hours to help flood victims in Houston has gone viral.

The picture was posted on the Texas Sheriffs Deputies Facebook page.

It shows a deputy from the Harris County Sheriffs Office, Robert Goerlitz, asleep with what appears to be rescue equipment and emergency supplies surrounding him.

This deputy worked 12+ hours thru the night, doing high water rescues. Worked until he couldn't stand anymore. This man and hundreds more just like him are out there, saving Texans! Much respect sir! Texas Sheriffs Deputies posted on its Facebook page.

As of Monday evening, the picture generated over 414,000 likes, 39,000 comments, and 496,000 shares.

Scroll down for video

A photograph of a Texas sheriffs deputy sleeping on the floor after working long hours to help flood victims in Houston has gone viral. It shows a deputy from the Harris County Sheriffs Office, Robert Goerlitz, asleep with what appears to be emergency supplies surrounding him

As of Monday evening, the picture generated over 414,000 likes, 39,000 comments, and 496,000 shares. Goerlitz is seen in the above file photo

Goerlitz was hailed by his former classmates at Stroman High School in Victoria, Texas. 'THANK YOU THANK YOU to our fellow 87' Raider,' the Facebook post read. 'He worked 12 hrs straight helping with the rescue efforts after Hurricane Harvey'

Goerlitz responded to the post, writing: '21 or 22 hours. Lost count'

Goerlitz was hailed by his former classmates at Stroman High School in Victoria, Texas.

'THANK YOU THANK YOU to our fellow 87' Raider,' the Facebook post read. 'He worked 12 hrs straight helping with the rescue efforts after Hurricane Harvey.'

The post ended with the hashtag #OnceARaiderAlwaysARaider.

Goerlitz responded to the post, writing: '21 or 22 hours. Lost count.'

Goerlitz, who has worked with Harris County Sheriffs Office for 27 years, told DailyMail.com: It was actually 21 or 22 hours straight. We lost count of the people. It was pretty scary at times with water coming over the hood of a five ton high water vehicle at times.

'Gotten about 3 hours sleep since then and about to go out again. Our station is surrounded by water and we have to move the command post for the fear of flooding ourselves and better access.'

The 48-year-old added: Please say a prayer for us. We have the worry of looters tonight. Food is getting short.

We are just doing our jobs and a little more with this.

The 48-year-old told DailyMail.com: Please say a prayer for us. We have the worry of looters tonight. Food is getting short'

Historic flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey killed at least seven people in Texas and was expected to drive 30,000 from their homes, as officials on Monday warned that floodwaters would likely rise in the coming days as the storm hovers over the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Thousands of National Guard troops, police, rescue workers and civilians raced in helicopters, boats and special high-water trucks to rescue the hundreds of people still believed trapped in Houston, the nations fourth-largest city.

The storm was the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in more than 50 years when it came ashore on Friday near Corpus Christi, about 220 miles south of Houston.

It is believed to have killed at least six people in Harris County, where Houston is located, according to Tricia Bentley, a spokeswoman for the county coroners office.

A 60-year-old woman died in neighboring Montgomery County when a tree fell on her trailer home while she slept, the local medical examiners letter said on Twitter.

More deaths were suspected in neighboring counties.

As stunned families surveyed the wreckage of destroyed homes along the nearby coast and roads that were not flooded were clogged with debris, Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned Houstonians to brace for a long period of disruption.

Goerlitz, second from left, is pictured with his colleagues at Harris County Sheriffs Office with their 4x4s they have been using for rescues

We need to recognize this is going to be a new and different normal for this entire region, Abbott told reporters after touring the damaged coastal city of Corpus Christi.

Harvey was expected to remain over Texas Gulf Coast for the next few days, dropping another 10 inches to 20 inches of rain, with threats of flooding extending into neighboring Louisiana.

In scenes evoking the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, police and Coast Guard teams have rescued at least 2,000 people so far, plucking many from rooftops by helicopter, as they urged the hundreds believed to be marooned in flooded houses to hang towels or sheets outside to alert rescuers.

Harveys center was 85 miles south-southwest of Houston on Monday afternoon and forecast to arc slowly toward the city through Wednesday, with the worst floods expected later that day and on Thursday.
Naji al-Ali was shot dead outside his Knightsbridge office 30 years ago

Detectives hunting the killer of a Palestinian cartoonist in London 30 years ago could be on the brink of a breakthrough.

Naji al-Ali was shot at point-blank range in the back of the neck as he walked to his Knightsbridge office.

The 51-year-old had been in fear for his life after lampooning Yasser Arafat over a secret girlfriend weeks earlier.

In the hunt for his killer, detectives unravelled an international web of spies and double agents before stumbling across an arms dump.

When they found Israeli security service Mossad knew the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) had been plotting the murder, a political spat broke out.

Then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher expelled Israeli diplomats and shut the country's London spy base.

Yesterday the Metropolitan Police appealed for help almost exactly three decades after Mr al-Ali, a father of five, succumbed to his injuries.

Senior detectives published an artist's impression of how the suspected hit squad gunman could look today.

Senior detectives published an artist's impression of how his suspected killer could look today

And they revealed the murder weapon, a Russian-made 7.62 Tokarev pistol, was found dumped on an estate two years after the killing.

The victim's family said those responsible believed they had carried out the 'perfect crime', but added: 'It's time we had an end to this.'

Mr Al-Ali was shot as he walked to the offices of Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Qabas on July 22, 1987.

Witnesses said he was followed by the gunman, a Middle Eastern man in his mid-20s, for up to 40 seconds.

The man, holding a black handgun, ran away while a suspected getaway driver, in his 50s, was seen concealing another weapon as he got into a silver left-hand-drive Mercedes nearby.

Mr Al-Ali  left in a coma  was kept under armed guard in hospital until his death on August 29.The cartoonist, who had received more than 100 death threats, was a fierce critic of the PLO, the Israeli state and Iran.

His cartoons featured a barefoot ten-year-old refugee child, known as Handala, whom he said symbolised the repression of the Palestinian people.

Detectives also revealed the murder weapon, a Russian-made 7.62 Tokarev pistol, was found dumped on an estate two years after the killing

Investigators found Arafat's henchman Aber Rahman Mustapha had been living in Essex under a false identity before slipping out of the country in the wake of the shooting.

As details of the hit were finalised, he was trailed by Mossad agents who did not warn British authorities of the plot.

Police found a Palestinian research assistant who knew of the killing was a double agent, working for the PLO while feeding intelligence to Israel.

At his Hull home, officers found weapons including seven AK-47 assault rifles, 66lb of explosives, grenades and ammunition. The 28-year-old was convicted of arms and explosives charges and jailed for 15 years.

Mr Al-Ali's family said yesterday he had been killed because of his passion for art, politics and the Palestinian people.

Son Osama said: 'It is very important those responsible are brought to justice.' Commander Dean Haydon, who leads the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said 'there are people somewhere' who could bring the killers to justice.
Authorities in Texas said residents of two small coastal towns east of Houston can return to normal activity after reports of a possible chemical spill earlier Monday evening led them to tell people to remain indoors.

The Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management tweeted on Monday that residents of Shoreacres were being told to shelter in place and remain indoors.

Residents were also being told to close all windows and doors and to turn off air conditioning and ventilation.

Meanwhile, KPRC-TV reported that a chemical spill has occurred in nearby LaPorte.

Scroll down for video

Shaan Estes-Sharma, 2, stands with his father Ray Sharma in LaPorte, Texas as they watch the surf in Galveston Bay just before Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday

Authorities in Texas were urging residents of two small coastal towns east of Houston to remain indoors due to a possible chemical leak, it was learned on Monday. One of those towns is LaPorte (above), home to a number of petrochemical firms

The Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management tweeted on Monday that residents of Shoreacres were being told to shelter in place and remain indoors

Meanwhile, KPRC-TV reported that a chemical spill has taken place in nearby LaPorte. Authorities said later Monday that residents could resume normal activities

A storage facility that took damage from a tornado that spun off of Hurricane Harvey after the storm made landfall on the Texas Gulf coast is seen Sunday in Katy, Texas

Residents there were also being urged to shelter in place.

But a few hours later, Harris County's OHSEM released a statement indicating that the 'shelter in place' order was lifted.

LaPorte and Shoreacres are home to a number of petroleum and petrochemical plants.
Advertisement

When breaking news hits, it's only a matter of time before there's a surge in Google searches for that topic.

Researchers have created an incredible interactive map that uses information from Google's Hot Search Trends, and visualises it on a 3D map of the world.

Users can choose a country from a list and explore the top 10 searches in that area as they happen.

Scroll down to try the interactive map

HOW TO USE THE MAP Users can either browse the map by clicking and dragging, or select a specific country from a drop down list. As well as displaying the top search on the map itself, a box on the left also shows the top ten searches in that country. Clicking on one of these trends will take you through to brief description of the trend, with the option to click through to a website for more information. To make it as clear as possible, the map also allows users to customise the ocean colour, ocean opacity and background colours. Advertisement

The Global Trend Tracker map was created by researchers at NeoMam Studios in Manchester.

Speaking to MailOnline, Gisele Navarro, one of the researchers who worked on the map, said: 'NeoMam's Global Trend Tracker utilises the information provided by Google's Hot SearchTrends and visualises it on a 3D map.'

Users can either browse the map by clicking and dragging, or select a specific country from a drop down list.

As well as displaying the top search on the map itself, a box on the left also shows the top ten searches in that country.

Clicking on one of these trends will take you through to brief description of the trend, with the option to click through to a website for more information.

To make it as clear as possible, the map also allows users to customise the ocean colour, ocean opacity and background colours.

MailOnline tested the map on various countries, including the UK, US and Australia.

Researchers have created an incredible interactive map that uses information from Google's Hot Search Trends, and visualises it on a 3D map of the world

In the UK, Jon Jones was trending, while in the US, Rick and Morty season three was the top search.

Meanwhile in Australia, Les Murray was trending.

When asked whether any clear trends could be seen between countries, Ms Navarro said: 'We don't monitor the trends on a regular basis so we wouldn't know.

The Global Trend Tracker map was created by researchers at NeoMam Studios in Manchester. Users can either browse the map by clicking and dragging, or select a specific country from a drop down list

'Big events normally trend around the world, as it happens with the news.'

The map updates every hour in line with the Google Hot Trends updates.

After breaking news hits, Ms Navarro said it doesn't take long for that topic to start trending.

She added: 'If it's a big event (i.e. Trump becomes president), the Trend Map will be affected within the hour considering that most people will be searching related terms all over the globe.'

MailOnline tested the map on various countries, including the UK, US and Australia. When we checked, Jon Jones was trending in the UK
Residents in the West Boulder area south of Springdale were allowed to return to their homes Sunday after a wildfire prompted a temporary evacuation of about 40 residences the day before.

A pre-evacuation order still remains in place for residents on West Boulder Road.

The Mendenhall Fire, first reported Saturday afternoon, was estimated at 1,850 acres, with about 5 percent containment, as of Sunday evening. Most of the residences under the temporary evacuation order were second homes and unoccupied at the time, according to fire management officer Deana Harms.

Minimal fire growth was reported on Sunday, and no structures have been lost, she added.

An incident management team took over operations Sunday night. Firefighting efforts on Monday are expected to focus on increasing fire lines and using helicopter drops to corral the blaze, which Harms described as burning in rugged terrain.

More information is available online at www.facebook.com/MendenhallFire or by calling (406) 936-0125.
The foetus of an Ichthyosaurus has been discovered still inside the womb 200 million years after its mother died during pregnancy.

The 3.5 metre (11ft) pregnant ichthyosaur lived at the time of the earliest dinosaurs during the early Jurassic period.

Scientists said the incomplete embryo was less than seven centimetres long and consisted of preserved vertebrae, a forefin, ribs and a few other bones.

Scroll down for video

Researchers examining a fossil (pictured) left unidentified for more than 20 years have found that it belonged to the species Ichthyosaurus somersetensis, making it the biggest Ichthyosaur fossil ever found at 3.5 metres (11.5 ft) long

THE ICHTHYOSAURUS Ichthyosaurs were a highly successful group of sea-going reptiles that became extinct about 90 million years ago. Often misidentified as swimming dinosaurs, these reptiles appeared before the first dinosaurs had evolved. They evolved from an as-yet unidentified land reptile that moved back into the water. The huge animals, which remained at the top of the food chain for millions of years, developed a streamlined, fish-like form built for speed. Scientists calculate that one species had a cruising speed of 22 mph (36 kmh). The largest species of ichthyosaur grew to over 20 metres (65 ft) in length. Advertisement

There was evidence the foetus was still developing in the womb when it died.

The find adds to evidence that ichthyosaurs, some of which grew to more than 20 metres (65 ft), gave birth to live young unlike egg-laying dinosaurs.

Dean Lomax, from the University of Manchester, who co-led the UK-German team, said: 'This specimen provides new insights into the size range of the species, but also records only the third example of an ichthyosaurus known with an embryo - that's special.'

The creature, named ichthyosaurus somersetensis, was discovered on the Somerset coast during the 1990s but ended up in the collections of the Lower Saxony State Museum in Hanover, Germany.

The new study also showed that a tail from another ichthyosaur had been added to the skeleton to make it appear more complete and visually appealing for display.

Palaeontologist Dr Sven Sachs, from the Bielefeld Natural History Museum in Germany, who also took part in the research, said: 'It is often important to examine fossils with a very critical eye.

'Sometimes, as in this instance, specimens aren't exactly what they appear to be.

'However, it was not "put together" to represent a fake, but simply for a better display specimen.

They also found incomplete embryo remains within the skeleton, including a 7 cm (2.8 in) string of backbone, a forefin, ribs and a few other unidentified bones. Pictured is an arti'st reconstruction of the pregnant marine reptile

'Specimens like this provide palaeontologists with important information about when these animals lived.

'Many examples of ichthyosaurus are from historical collections and most do not have good geographical or geological records, but this specimen has it all.'

The specimen was the largest of the ichthyosaurus family of ichthyosaurs on record, said the scientists writing in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

Ichthyosaurs were a highly successful group of sea-going reptiles that became extinct about 90 million years ago.

Often misidentified as swimming dinosaurs, these reptiles appeared before the first dinosaurs had evolved.

The creature, named ichthyosaurus somersetensis, was discovered on the Somerset coast during the 1990s

They evolved from an as-yet unidentified land reptile that moved back into the water.

The huge animals, which remained at the top of the food chain for millions of years, developed a streamlined, fish-like form built for speed.

Scientists calculate that one species had a cruising speed of 22 mph (36 kmh).

The largest species of ichthyosaur grew to over 20 metres (65 ft) in length.
Britain's native salmon stocks are under threat thanks to an invasion of Pacific Ocean-dwelling pink salmon.

Hundreds of pink salmon have been reported in the north east of England 10,000 miles (16,000 km) from their natural habitat.

The non-native species originated in Russian commercial net fisheries before self-sustaining populations escaped to rivers in Finland, Norway, and now the UK.

Many organisations and anglers are concerned the invasive species could put more pressure on the endangered native wild Atlantic salmon.

Scroll down for video

Hundreds of Pacific pink salmon have been reported in England as well as rivers in Scotland and Ireland. The non-native species originated in Russian commercial net fisheries before self-sustaining populations escaped to rivers in Finland, Norway, and now the UK

WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? It is thought the non-native species originates from the White Sea region of northern Russia and the Kola Peninsula. The Russians introduced thousands of the fish here between 1950 and 2003 to develop a commercial net fishery. The species has now established self-sustaining populations in rivers in Russia, Finland and Norway. It is believed this is where the specimens caught in the UK have come from. Advertisement

The Pacific pink salmon is usually found in the chilly waters of Canada and Alaska, but have been caught in droves recently from the sea and tidal rivers in Yorkshire and the North East.

The Environment Agency (EA) is advising anglers to kill any pink salmon they capture, and to report all sightings to the agency.

The EA said about 200 Pacific pink salmon were caught in the Yorkshire and North East coastal net fishery and several had been caught by individual anglers in the River Tyne and River Coquet.

There have also been confirmed catches in rivers in Scotland and Western Ireland recently.

An advisory issued by the EA says 'there is a possibility that these fish might be present in other rivers throughout England and Wales'.

It is thought the non-native species originates from the White Sea region of northern Russia and the Kola Peninsula.

The Russians introduced thousands of the fish here between 1950 and 2003 to develop a commercial net fishery.

The species has now established self-sustaining populations in rivers in Russia, Finland and Norway.

Britain's native salmon stocks are under threat thanks to an invasion of Pacific Ocean-dwelling pink salmon. Pictured is a native wild Atlantic salmon, an endangered species

Hundreds of pink salmon (pictured) have been reported in the north east of England 10,000 miles (16,000 km) from their natural habitat

It is believed this is where the specimens caught in the UK have come from.

Mark Lloyd, chief executive of the Angling Trust, said: 'The news is unwelcome - any other species which aren't meant to be around is likely to be bad news.

'They might conflict with Atlantic salmon.

'The Pacific salmon were stocked by the Russians to make a commercial fishery and they did what salmon do - roam around trying to find somewhere else to go.

'I was fishing in Norway recently and they had caught them there too so its affected the whole of the region.

'The advice to anglers is if they are sure it's a Pacific salmon they should kill it when they catch it and report it to the Environment Agency.

The Pacific pink salmon is usually found in the chilly waters of Canada and Alaska, but have been caught in droves recently from the sea and tidal rivers in Yorkshire and the North East. Atlantic salmon have been around for a thousands of years and need to be protected

'Atlantic salmon stocks are facing a whole range of threats at the moment - netting, agricultural pollution and huge numbers of cormorants and goosanders preying on them.

'Stocks are in decline and the last thing we need is another thing to add to the list of threats.

'The lesson is we shouldn't mess with nature. Atlantic salmon has been around for a millennia, we need to protect that habitat.

'If it got worse we would have to look at more serious methods like putting fish traps in the rivers but that could pose a risk to Atlantic salmon and sea trout too.'

If Pacific salmon did colonise British waterways they would be competing with the Atlantic salmon and sea trout for food and could carry viruses and parasites dangerous to the native species.

If Pacific salmon (pictured) did colonise British waterways they would be competing with the Atlantic salmon and sea trout for food and could carry viruses and parasites dangerous to the native species

An Environment Agency spokesman said: 'There have been a small number of verified reports of the non-native northern Pacific humpback salmon in English rivers.

'We continue to monitor the situation and will do practical tests if specimens of this fish are recovered.

'As always, we urge people not to put invasive species back in the river and to help us by reporting any future sightings to the hotline: 0800 807060.'

The EA has issued an advisory notice telling anglers what to look out for and what to do if they find one.

Pacific pink salmon, or Oncorhynchus gorbuscha in Latin, are the smallest and most abundant of the five Pacific salmon species.

Wild Atlantic salmon (pictured) are endangered under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species in the world

The advisory says as a non-native species it has 'the potential to disturb the natural balance of our environment and introduce novel parasites and diseases to our native fish species'.

It continues 'if you are confident that you have caught a pink salmon it should be dispatched and retained. Please do not return it to the river'.

They generally spawn in late August and early September and lay their eggs in the lower reaches of river systems.

The species has a two-year lifecycle and it is possible these fish will appear again in 2019.

In freshwater Pacific salmon (pictured) take on a dark green colouration and the male develops a distinctive hump in front of the dorsal fin

Like Atlantic salmon and sea trout, Pacific pink salmon change their colouration and body shape when they enter rivers and become sexually mature.

In the ocean phase and when they first enter rivers the fish are very silvery and can resemble sea trout, but they have large black spots on the tail and fins with a black gum line and tongue.

They generally weigh 2-6lb (0.9-2.7kg) and are 15-24in (38-61cm) long.

In freshwater they take on a dark green colouration and the male develops a distinctive hump in front of the dorsal fin.

Wild Atlantic salmon are endangered under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's red list of threatened species in the world.
Elon Musks ambitious plans for high-speed transportation systems are now looking closer to reality than ever before.

The tech boss took to social media last night to share progress on his traffic-beating tunnel beneath Los Angeles, revealing it is now big enough to fit a Tesla Model S.

Musk also shared footage from the Hyperloop competition this weekend, with a look at a hair-raising pod test from the winning team, WARR, which hit more than 200 miles per hour in the .8 mile-long tube.

But, while the recent breakthroughs may be promising, Musk will still face a number of challenges before either system can truly come to life.

Scroll down for video

The tech boss took to social media last night to share progress on his traffic-beating tunnel beneath Los Angeles, revealing it is now big enough to fit a Tesla Model S. Musk was given the green light last week to built a two-mile-long test track under the city

MUSK'S BORING PLAN Elon Musk has outlined how his Boring Company will work, claiming: Tunnelling costs must be reduced by a factor of more than 10 Key to this is smaller tunnels that can be dug more quickly Will work to increase the speed of the Tunnel Boring Machine Envisions a new breed of smaller, more powerful TBMs with triple the power of current machines that can tunnel continuously Advertisement

Just last week, city officials revealed the Boring Company was given the green-light to build a two-mile-long test tunnel in Los Angeles, after the City Council voted four to one in favour of the plan.

Now, the CEO has shared a look at the first stages of the system, as it begins to take form.

A Model S in The Boring Company tunnel being dug under Los Angeles (starting in Hawthorne), Musk tweeted on Sunday, alongside a photo of the vehicle in the underground chamber.

Eventually, the tunnel will run 44 feet under public roads around the SpaceX headquarters, stretching outside of the property line for the first time.

The dry run will prove whether the plan will actually work  and, if it doesnt, the city can request the tunnel is filled with concrete or soil.

Musks other radical transportation system made progress this weekend as well, as the firm wrapped up its second Hyperloop competition.

In the tests, the winning team achieved a top speed of 324 km/h (201 mph).

White-knuckle footage from the event shows a pod-view perspective of the run through the test tube, as it accelerates to staggering speeds.

Eventually, Musk says the system could even go supersonic  but, the ride will be much smoother, meaning no spilt drinks.

He also reassured his Twitter followers the strobe lights in the video were only for testing purposes, and said the passenger version would also have more comfortable levels of acceleration.

Musk took to Twitter after many viewers mentioned the uncomfortable strobe lights in the video footage

Just arrived at the @Hyperloop competition final. Student teams have amazing talent, Musk tweeted.

Later, he wrote:

Congratulations to WARR team from Tech Univ Munich for winning 2nd @Hyperloop competition! Peak speed of 324 km/h, which is over 200 mph!!

The footage came from the second Hyperloop competition. The winning team, WARR Hyperloop, managed to hit over 200 miles per hour in the test track

Musks other radical transportation system made progress this weekend as well, as the firm wrapped up its second Hyperloop competition. The winning pod from WARR Hyperloop is shown above

Might be possible to go supersonic in our test Hyperloop tube, even though its only 0.8 miles long. Very high accel/decel needed

Btw, high accel only needed because tube is short. For passenger transport, this can be spread over 20+ miles, so no spilt drinks.

Will run the SpaceX pusher sled later this week and see what it can do, Musk tweeted a few hours later.

Despite these breakthroughs, there are a number of hurdles Musk will still have to overcome.

Might be possible to go supersonic in our test Hyperloop tube, even though its only 0.8 miles long. Very high accel/decel needed Musk tweeted

Eventually, Musk says the system could even go supersonic  but, the ride will be much smoother, meaning no spilt drinks

His Boring Company will be put to the test in Los Angeles, with a two-mile-long track that will determine its fate.

'They won't even know we're there', Brett Horton, senior director of facilities and construction at SpaceX assured members of the council last week.

'This is groundbreaking, this is establishing a precedent, and I think we all agree that we want to make sure that this goes off without a hitch,' Hawthorne's Mayor Alex Vargas said, writes the Verge.

The company assured citizens that if the soil moves by as little as half an inch work will stop immediately.

In the tests, the winning team achieved a top speed of 324 km/h (201 mph). White-knuckle footage from the event shows a pod-view perspective of the run through the test tube, as it accelerates to staggering speeds

On a longer track, Musk says the ride will be much smoother. Despite these breakthroughs, however, there are a number of hurdles Musk will still have to overcome

A few hours later, the tech boss revealed he would test the system out with the SpaceX pusher as well

Earlier this month it appeared Musk would build his own hyperloop tunnel system in a bid to speed up adoption of the radical travel technology he invented.

According to reports from a 'person close to Musk,' it appears Musk will build the whole system himself.

Musk also hinted at it, replying to a tweet about the issues facing the various Hyperloop plans by saying 'I guess a proof of concept is needed.'

Many had thought Musk would simply create the tunnels, using his recently revealed Boring Company.

When he first revealed the plan in a white paper developed with his team at SpaceX, in 2012, he said he would let others build the system.

The extension - which will run 44 feet under public roads around the SpaceX headquarters is the first time the Boring Company has been allowed to dig outside it's property line. Pictured is the first image released of the Boring Company's tunnelling machine

This dry run will make sure plans actually work - if it doesn't the city can request the tunnel is filled with concrete or soil. Pictured is the test tunnel route

'I don't have any plan to execute because I must remain focused on SpaceX and Tesla,' he said in a conference call at the time.

'While we're encouraged that others are making some progress, we would like to accelerate the development of this technology as fast as possible,' Musk's Boring Co., a venture created to build roads that run through underground tunnels, said in a statement.

'We encourage and support all companies that wish to build Hyperloops and we don't intend to stop them from using the Hyperloop name as long as they are truthful.'

Just days earlier, Hyperloop One completed the first successful test of the passenger pod for its radical transport system, marking what the firm says is the debut of 'the dawn of a new era of transportation'.

Several firms including Hyperloop One (pictured) are already building test tracks using Elon Musk's technology. Now, it appears Musk is set to build one himself

THE CHALLENGES MUSK'S 'BORING' PLAN WILL FACE Musk has an uphill battle ahead if he's serious about tunneling under LA. Digging under cities takes a lot of time because the densely packed earth and rock underground is poorly mapped. 'Our recent experience with tunnels in the US is that neighbours worry, you run up against various environmental laws, and you just never know what's underneath the Earth,' Michael Manville, who studies urban planning at the University of California, Los Angeles, told Wired. The hole is legal because it has been dug on private property - and in late August, Musk was given permission for the first time to extend the tunnel outside of these boundaries, and beneath public roads. The City Council voted four to one in favour of two-mile-long test tunnel beneath Los Angeles. At the TED conference in Vancouver, Musk showed off a new video of electric 'skates' transporting cars in a narrow tunnel under a city before raising them back to street level in a space as small as two parking spaces. Behind him a Tesla car can be seen on one of the 'skates' Eventually, the tunnel will run 44 feet under public roads around the SpaceX headquarters, stretching outside of the property line for the first time. The dry run will prove whether the plan will actually work  and, if it doesnt, the city can request the tunnel is filled with concrete or soil. 'They won't even know we're there', Brett Horton, senior director of facilities and construction at SpaceX assured members of the council last week. 'This is groundbreaking, this is establishing a precedent, and I think we all agree that we want to make sure that this goes off without a hitch,' Hawthorne's Mayor Alex Vargas said, writes the Verge. The company assured citizens that if the soil moves by as little as half an inch work will stop immediately. Advertisement

Leading up to this, the firm carried out a low speed test in its tunnel tunnel - but, in August the company loaded the XP-1 passenger pod for its first high speed test.

The Hyperloop One XP-1, the company's first-generation pod, accelerated for 300 meters and glided above the track using magnetic levitation before braking and coming to a gradual stop.

Earlier this summer, Musk tweeted he had 'verbal government approval' to build an underground tunnel to transport passengers between New York and Washington DC in just 29 minutes.

Musk tweeted the tunnel will run via Philadelphia and Baltimore, and use his Hyperloop technology.

If completed, it would become the world's longest tunnel.

During phase 2 on July 29th, Hyperloop One achieved record speeds, in a tube depressurized down to the equivalent of air at 200,000 feet above sea level. Pictured, the view from an on board camera during the test

It would be far longer that the current record holder, the Gotthard Base Tunnel, a railway line that runs through the Swiss Alps and opened in 2016, measuring 35.5 miles.

'Just received verbal govt approval for The Boring Company to build an underground NY-Phil-Balt-DC Hyperloop. NY-DC in 29 mins,' he tweeted last month.

'City centre to city centre in each case, with up to a dozen or more entry/exit elevators in each city.'

While Musk hasn't released any additional details on the proposed East Coast transport system just yet, the plan appears to be a combination of his recent LA tunnelling ventures, and Hyperloop technology.

The tweets in July sparked intrigue on social media, with many wondering how concrete the plans are, and what the system will entail.

But Musk has so far remained cryptic.

In July Musk tweeted a tunnel will run via Philadelphia and Baltimore, and use his Hyperloop technology

In a vague follow-up tweet hours after the announcement in July, Musk explained that there is 'still a lot of work needed' before he can receive formal approval

'Verbal? Not on the dotted line?' BBC reporter Dave Lee tweeted at Musk following the announcement.

'Seems premature to announce  unless you're drumming up support for the project?'

In response, Musk wrote, 'Support would be much appreciated!'

Addressing some of the confusion in a vague follow-up tweet hours after the announcement, Musk wrote:

'Still a lot of work needed to receive formal approval, but am optimistic that will occur rapidly.'

A White House spokesman confirmed that the administration has had 'promising conversations to date' with Musk and Boring Company executives.

However, they would only say the administration is 'committed to transformative infrastructure projects, and believe our greatest solutions have often come from the ingenuity and drive of the private sector.'

Elon Musk says he has 'verbal government approval' to build an underground tunnel to transport passengers between New York and Washington DC in just 29 minutes

In its own statement, The Boring Company said feedback on the proposal has been positive and it has 'received verbal support from key government decision-makers for tunneling plans.'

The company said it expects to secure the formal approvals necessary to break ground later this year.

But some cast doubt on his timeline, pointing out that Musk would have to get approval from dozens of players, including federal, state and local officials.

'This is news to City Hall,' tweeted Eric Phillips, a spokesman for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, in response to Musk's tweets.

Mike Dunn, a spokesman for the city of Philadelphia, said Musk also has not contacted officials there.

'There are numerous hurdles for this unproven hyperloop technology before it can become reality,' Dunn said.

WHAT IS HYPERLOOP? Hyperloop is a proposed method of travel that would transport people at roughly 700mph between distant locations. It was unveiled by Elon Musk in 2013, who at the time said it could take passengers the 380 miles (610km) from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes - half the time it takes a plane. It is essentially a long tube that has had the air removed to create a vacuum. The tube is suspended off the ground to protect against weather and earthquakes. As several firms vie to create the first operational Hyperloop, Elon Musk's vision of a radical transport system that could ferry passengers above land at 760 miles per hour continues to inch closer to reality Advertisement

In the thread, he also revealed the project will coincide with the first set of tunnels set to be built in LA.

And other cities, including a 'Texas loop,' could soon follow.

Responding to a user who asked if Texas could get a Hyperloop as well, Musk wrote:

'For sure. First set of tunnels are to alleviate greater LA urban congestion. Will start NY-DC in parallel. Then prob LA-SF and a TX loop.'

Last month Musk announced the Boring Company's Godot machine has begun its digging operation in the car park of the SpaceX building in LA.

He also revealed the project will coincide with the first set of tunnels set to be built in LA. And other cities, including a 'Texas loop,' could soon follow

'Just installed steel skeleton of the car/pod elevator. Should be operating next week', the SpaceX founder tweeted today, with a five second video of the site.

This marks a major step in Musk's plans to build a transport network beneath the city.

At the same time, Hyperloop One, the firm on track to bring the radical transport system to life,revealed it completed its first successful test this spring.

In a test that lasted just 5.3 seconds, the vehicle managed to hit 70 miles per hour using just 100 feet of the motor at the DevLoop test track in Nevada.

While it's a far cry from the 760 miles per hour proponents of the Hyperloop boast it will one day achieve, the firm says the test marks an important milestone ahead of the completion of the linear motor, as 'the longer the motor, the faster we can go.'

'Just installed steel skeleton of the car/pod elevator. Should be operating next week', the SpaceX founder tweeted, with a five second video of the site

Along with the announcement of the ground-breaking test, the firm has also revealed a look at the XP-1 vehicle  the pod that will soon be used for full systems tests.

Just weeks earlier, Musk claimed he and the mayor of LA had 'promising talks' about his plans to build an underground transportation network.

As well as the news that it would be operating next week, Musk tweeted another video of the site and commented 'Across the road and below the ground'.

He also revealed the location of the tunnel with a tweet that included a picture of the SpaceX headquarters and the comment 'perspective'.

In a previous tweet, the Tesla founder said his 'Godot' machine had 'begun boring and just completed the first segment of tunnel in LA', while at the same time making bizarre declarations about his love of floors and tunnels.

Along with the announcement of the ground-breaking test, the firm has also revealed a look at the XP-1 vehicle  the pod that will soon be used for full systems tests. It has a carbon fiber and aluminium aeroshell with a levitating chassis, for 'suspension, lift, guidance and propulsion'

Musk's mention of 'Godot' appears to reference Samuel Beckett's 1949 play, Waiting for Godot, where two melancholy men old men sit on mounds of Earth waiting for 'Godot' to arrive.

Seemingly excited by the progress of his plans to dig under the city, the billionaire then went on to post a number of other tweets about his love of floors.

On the subject of floors, Musk posted: 'They will never let you down.

'They are so underappreciated.

'Just try one. It's way better than you think.'

He added: 'I love floors. Not as much as tunnels though.'

In June he revealed the location of the tunnel with a tweet that included a picture of the SpaceX headquarters and the comment 'perspective'

His posts come weeks after Musk claimed that he had 'promising conversations' with the Mayor of LA about creating a network of tunnels beneath the city.

The Tesla founder tweeted a video of Eric Garcetti saying that the Boring Company's tunnel could provide a 'quick and direct route from LAX to Union station.'

While this suggests that the Mayor is on board with the tunnelling plans, Musk added that getting permits would be harder than creating the technology itself.

Mr Garcetti spoke about the Boring Company's tunnel during an interview on ABC 7.

The videos of the car park (pictured) come just weeks after Musk claimed he and the mayor of LA had 'promising talks' about his plans to build an underground bus network

And Elon Musk tweeted a link to this video, saying: 'Promising conversations with @MayorOfLA regarding tunnel network that would carry cars, bikes and pedestrians. Permits harder than technology.'

WAITING FOR GODOT 'Waiting for Godot' is a two act play by Samuel Beckett that was published in 1949. It was originally written in French, with the title 'En attendant Godot'. There are two main characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait for the arrival of Godot. Both are old men whose lives have taken a turn for the worst  they are both homeless and often suicidal. They sit on mounds of earth near a country road waiting for Godot and talk about a range of topics, from food to memories and their lives. The two men are left waiting. The original French text was composed between 9 October 1948 and 29 January 1949. Advertisement

This difficulty in gaining permits could explain why discussions with regulators even at this very early stage are so important.

The tweet follows images released in June showing the Boring Company's own underground electric buses that it plans to use in the tunnels.

The vehicles, based on the same 'electric sled' that owners will drive their cars onto, have space for seated and standing passengers.

They are mainly glass - even through they are designed to travel underground.

Musk has come under fire repeatedly from experts claiming the tunnels are impractical and would be impossible to implement.

But in June, the firm published an FAQ on its website outlining how it plans to achieve his vision.

'The key to making this work is increasing tunnelling speed and dropping costs by a factor of 10 or more  this is the goal of the Boring Company,' it says.

'Unlike flying cars, tunnels are weatherproof, out of sight and won't fall on your head,' it explains.

Musk tweeted a video of Eric Garcetti saying that the Boring Company's tunnel could provide a 'quick and direct route from LAX to Union station'

THE FIRST TUNNEL The tunnels will all be named according to a 'poems & plays' theme, Musk said. Boring Machine 1 has now officially been dubbed Godot. According to Musk, it will run from LAX to Culver City, Santa Monica, Westwood, and Sherman Oaks. Advertisement

'A large network of road tunnels many levels deep would fix congestion in any city, no matter how large it grew (just keep adding levels).'

Critics have slammed the plan as completely unrealistic as it would require a mass of permits and huge disruption as hundreds of tunnels and access 'lifts' are dug.

However, Musk says the area is ripe for innovation.

'Currently, tunnels are really expensive to dig, with some projects costing as much as $1 billion per mile,' the new FAQ says.

'In order to make a tunnel network feasible, tunnelling costs must be reduced by a factor of more than 10.'

The key to this is smaller tunnels that can be dug more quickly, the FAQ says.

'To build a one-lane road tunnel, the tunnel diameter must be approximately 28 feet.

'By placing vehicles on a stabilized electric sled, the diameter can be reduced to less than 14 feet.

Reducing the diameter in half reduces tunnelling costs by 3-4 times.

'Secondly, increase the speed of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM).

'TBMs are super slow.

'A snail is effectively 14 times faster than a soft-soil TBM.

'Our goal is to defeat the snail in a race.'

Musk envisions a new breed of smaller, more powerful TBMs with triple the power of current machines that can tunnel continuously.

'In the United States, there is virtually no investment in tunnelling Research and Development (and in many other forms of construction).

'Thus, the construction industry is one of the only sectors in our economy that has not improved its productivity in the last 50 years,' it concludes.
The cliche of a socially-awkward British tourist is nothing new.

But, according to research conducted by language app Babbel, the gaffes we commit in other countries aren't just limited to socks with sandals or references to 'the war'.

According to a study by their 100-strong team of linguists, the cliched phrases we've learnt through pop culture are now some of the biggest faux pas committed on foreign soil.

Scroll down for video

According to research conducted by language app Babbel, the gaffes we commit in other countries aren't just limited to socks with sandals or references to 'the war'. According to a study by their linguists, the cliched phrases we've learnt through pop culture are now some of the biggest faux pas committed on foreign soil

And, although many of them are uttered with the best intentions, many of them are considered naff by fashionable society - while others are deemed rude.

In addition, they found that 73 per cent of Brits feel they have missed out on something while travelling because they didnt speak the local language.

Meanwhile, 96 per cent of respondents found that being able to speak a native language abroad meant locals were more welcoming.

But what are the biggest language gaffes? And why are they so offensive? Here's the top phrases which we should all avoid when travelling through Europe.

Bon appetit

Bon appetit literally invites diners to a good digestion, suggesting that they are so hungry that they are willing to jump at any food offered

This near-universal pre-meal expression is actually taboo in polite French society - and there are lots of French people who don't even realise that.

It literally invites diners to a good digestion, suggesting that they are so hungry that they are willing to jump at any food offered.

In addition, conversation concerning body or bodily functions is deemed highly improper for the dinner table among the well-to-do, as is talking about and touching food, a belief originating in the 19th century.

The younger generation in France often shorten bon appetit to 'bon app'.

Mamma mia!

This cliched Italian exclamation literally means 'my mother' and was once used to express joy, fear or shock.

These days, it's barely used by younger generations across Italy, especially in the big cities such as Rome or Milan.

In fact, the phrase is universally considered to be antiquated and is best used solely for referring to Abba-themed musicals.

Du

This German word translates to you - but it's a common etiquette trap for tourists.

See, there are two words for the pronoun depending on setting: 'Sie' is the formal version reserved for professional or legal settings, while du is the relaxed version.

Failure to understand this can be expensive - calling a government employee by du can actually earn you a fine of upwards of 500.

Garcon

Sometimes misinterpreted by British diners as the standard way to refer to a French waiter, the term garcon actually means 'boy'.

Thus, to be seen addressing a grown man with the term will make you appear patronising and snobbish.

Instead, try replacing it with a simple 'monsieur'.

Wie geht's?

The literal translation of this popular German phrase is 'how goes it', but be careful how you use it.

Rather than a casual whats up, this common expression will often result in a lengthy explanation of what's going on in a person's life. Not least because, in German culture, a detailed response is deemed mandatory.

If you're asked the question, keep responses short and snappy: Sehr gut (very good), ganz gut (really good), es geht (so so) or nicht so gut (not so good).

Zut alors/sacrebleu

You wouldn't dream of wearing a beret, striped top and carrying a baguette in France, so why use these phrases?

Both 'zut alors' and 'sacrebleu' areare considered outdated, and generally only used in British tabloid headlines.

A native French person will find them bemusing, at best.

Hasta la vista!

We've all seen The Terminator, but that doesn't mean we should use it as a way to learn new languages. In this instance, Spanish.

For, while Arnold Schwarzenegger used it as a triumphant victory cry, it's actually a cheery way of telling a Spanish-speaker youre looking forward to seeing them again.

A better alternative is 'hasta luego', although a simple 'adios' is usually sufficient.

Ooh la la!

Although connected with an expression of sexual innuendo here in Britain, this French phrase actually denotes negative surprise.

Specifically, it's France's equivalent of saying 'Oh, crap', thus try to avoid it if you embark on some foreign-soil flirting.

And, if you're going to write it, ensure you include the accents over the a's.

Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?

Yes, you may be able to say it off-by-heart, but that doesn't mean you should.

The term Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? - meaning 'would you like to sleep with me tonight?' - first appeared in A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams.

It was then immortalised in the song Lady Marmalade - but it sounds very strange to the French ear and should be avoided at all costs.

Not least because it has connotations with prostitution.


They say an Englishman's home is his castle.

But, with a dramatic shift in UK architectural styles over the past 500 years, today's 'fortresses' can now take-on a range of different guises.

Fortunately, Made.com has devised a handy module, entitled Brits & Mortar, which skips through the centuries for a pithy presentation on property types.

Starting in the fifteenth century, it opens with the Tudor architectural period (1485-1560), which was largely defined by Henry VIII's reign.

When he founded the Church of England, Britain was largely cut off from the architectural fashions of continental Europe, so 16th century British housing wasn't influenced by trending classical art.

As a result, Tudor houses were small in scale and rather basic: often characterised by their thatched roofs and exposed timber frames.

By the early 1600s, the nation embraced the Stuart period (1603-1714).

With their Catholic leanings, the Stuart Kings were more open to the architectural fashions from Europe, so - once the (then) Royal family embraced this style - it became hugely popular from 1660 onwards.

This mainly involved swapping timber for brick and adding a number of bedrooms on a second floor.

Today: The distinctive Tudor style is likely best defined by London's Hampton Court Palace (R)

However, by 1714, the new British middle-class wanted something even more innovative. Cue: Georgian design. Symmetrical facades became a must for homes in this period and most urban homes and large houses were now double piled (two rooms deep), which was a new housing phenomenon.

That legacy remains to this day, but the popularity of this time eventually made way for Victorian structures (between 1839-1900).

Homes of this era were designed asymmetrically and, as families grew in size and wealth, they sought to display their status with lavish decoration and colourful brickwork.

European influence: The Stuart kings' embraced architectural fashions from the continent. Audley End in Essex, right, is an example of this kind of look

To this day, Victorian homes are frequently considered a defining attribute of British architecture. But, then again, so are the Queen Anne designs, which came to the fore between 1880-1900.

This saw a strong resurgence in Dutch gables - windows with glazing bars and timber hoods over the door. Homes were usually built with rich red brick, with windows and timber work painted white. Terracotta tiles and panels were also popular.

This was followed by the Edwardian period (1900-1918), when the monumental Baroque style of the late 17th century was adapted for grand houses and public buildings.

Popular: Symmetrical facades became a must for UK homes in the 18th century. One of the finest examples of this kind of design is Bath's Royal Crescent (right)

Then, following the First World War of 1914-1918, the government made its first attempt to improve housing for all working class families.

A report in 1917 created plans for cheap housing which could be erected by local authorities. These emulated rural cottages and became known as 'Addison homes'.

This blueprint later spawned 1930s semi-detatched houses: defined by boxy structures with hipped roofs and curved bay windows, which remain one of the most common architectural styles you see in Britain today.

Experimentation: Art deco buildings embraced the structural possibilities of new materials like concrete and steel

Around this time Britain also saw the birth of art deco. Influenced by the discovery of Tutankhamuns tomb in 1922, many architects began experimenting with new materials like concrete and steel.

This created new homes which welcomed in sunlight and opened out the interior. Doors were plain but with a geometric shaped glazed upper section which allowed for light.

After the Second World War, there were thousands of houses to rebuild and a desire to finally provide housing fit for everyone. Step forward the so-called Airey Houses of the 1940s. These could be mass produced in factories and quickly erected on site.

Timeless: Victorian homes are frequently considered a defining attribute of British architecture, thanks to their lavish decoration and displays of colourful brickwork. Manchester's Town Hall (right) is one of the city's most instantly recognisable Victorian builds

Mainstream: After WW1, many homes were affected by depression, so cost-effective, semi-detached houses become the new normal across the UK

Once the late 1950s had arrived, people wanted greater modernity - which took the form of terraced housing. Tall and narrow, they were deemed radically new at the time and reached peak popularity in the 1970s.

Yet, by the 1990s, most home-owners wanted a modern version of the Victorian developments, which saw the trend for 90s new build: defined by mock timber framing, rendered walls and cottage features.

Today, modernist architecture has risen in popularity once again; and this, alongside peoples desire to live in a more sustainable, environmentally-friendly way, has led to the new minimalist style.

Timber cladding and exposed steelwork are common features as are large expanses of glass, which, thanks to new double and triple glazing technology, can be fitted whilst maintaining thermal efficiency.
She has made a career out of showing off her fabulous figure.

And even on holiday Casey Batchelor couldn't resist flaunting her envy-inducing curves as she hits the beach in a sexy yellow bikini in Portugal.

Embracing her hourglass figure, the former Celebrity Big Brother star, 32, struggled to contain her gravity-defying cleavage in the canary yellow two-piece.

Scroll down for video

Holiday vibes: Casey Batchelor couldn't resist flaunting her envy-inducing curves as she hits the beach in a sexy yellow bikini in Portugal

The yoga guru also drew attention to her impressive figure in the matching bottoms, decorated with delicate tassels and silver beads for a hint of sparkle.

For the ultimate holiday vibe, the stunner pulled her raven tresses off her face with chunky sunglasses perfect for the hot summer's day.

Casey looked utterly relaxed and channelled the bevy of Baywatch beauties as she sashayed across the sandy beach barefoot.

But the former reality star dipped her feet in the icy cool sea when she felt the heat of the sweltering climes.

Sensational: The yoga guru also drew attention to her impressive figure in the matching bottoms, decorated with delicate tassels and silver beads for a hint of sparkle

The TV personality had previously admitted to feeling 'insecure' about her former 32GG cup size and underwent surgery to reduce her bra size to a 32E.

However, in December last year fans speculated as to whether the Essex born reality star's assets looked bigger as she shot her 2017 calendar shoot.

At the time Casey's agent denied that she had gone under the knife again - claiming their larger appearance was down to a choice in lingerie.

Feeling hot, hot, hot: She also showcased her peachy derriere in the skimpy bikini bottoms when she hit the beach on holiday

However, the former Big Brother contestant has now confirmed that she has seen some growth but claims it is completely natural.

Speaking to Closer she said: 'Weirdly my boobs have grown again since then (the reduction) and I'm back up to an EE or F.

'Apparently it does happen if that's the way your body wants to be be and large boobs run in my family on both sides so I have to get used to it.'

Casey discussed how pleased she was with the results of her surgery.

She told MailOnline: 'For the first time, I can now go out bra-less. I no longer have to worry about my boobs wibbling and wobbling all over the place.

'My boobs are so much perkier and I love them. They have given me so much more body confidence.'
They recently returned home to Los Angeles following a romantic vacation in Egypt.

And Kourtney Kardashian, 38, proved she is truly inseparable from her beau Tounes Bendjima, 23, as they headed out on a hike at Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Working up a sweat, the fit pair paraded their impressive physiques as they enjoyed a healthy weekend day out.

Fit couple: Kourtney Kardashian, 38, proved she is truly inseparable from her beau Tounes Bendjima, 23, as they headed out on a hike at Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles on Sunday

Kourtney looked incredible in a low-cut white vest top, which revealed a hint of black bra.

The mother-of-three showcased her toned legs in skintight black Nike hotpants, while keeping comfortable in matching running shoes.

Sheltering her eyes from the summer sunshine with a pair of dark shades, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore her raven locks scraped back from her face in a tight ponytail.

Kourtney completed her look with natural make-up to showcase her striking features.

Working up a sweat: Working up a sweat, the fit pair paraded their impressive physiques as they enjoyed a healthy weekend day out

Taking the plunge: Kourtney's bra was faintly visible through her sheer white tank top

Pins on parade: The mother-of-three showcased her toned legs in skintight black Nike hotpants, while keeping comfortable in matching running shoes

Younes set pulses racing by going shirtless to showcase his rippling abs.

The model wore black Nike shorts and matching running shoes with his socks pulled high up his calves.

Kourtney posted an Instagram photo of herself after completing her grueling Runyon hike, simply captioning it: 'sunday'.

The couple's summer has been chockablock with travel, including earlier this month, when the couple were joined by friends on a luxurious vacation to Egypt.

Back in May, Kourtney and her latest man had swung by Cannes during its iconic Film Festival - but it was her ex Scott Disick who attracted more attention.

She's a lucky lady! Younes set pulses racing by going shirtless to showcase his rippling abs

Work it: Sheltering her eyes from the summer sunshine with a pair of dark shades, the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star wore her raven locks scraped back from her face in a ponytail

The 'Lord', 34, was cavorting with a string of women in the South Of France, including such names as Bella Thorne, Chloe Bartoli and Chantel Jeffries.

Kourtney has three children by her on-and-off former flame of 11 years Scott Disick; their first-born Mason's birth was immortalized on Keeping Up With The Kardashians in 2009.

The co-parents welcomed their daughter Penelope, four, into the world in 2012, and Kourtney gave birth to her youngest child, a son called Reign, in 2014.

Kourtney and Scott, who'd been introduced in 2006 by Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis in Mexico, last ended their romantic relationship in July 2015.

Natural beauty: Kourtney completed her workout look with natural make-up to showcase her striking features
She's the A Current Affair host who prefers to stay out of the limelight.

But Tracy Grimshaw has made news, with Woman's Day reporting on Monday that she has found a companion in horse trainer Roger Fitzhardinge.

'He's really good company and they share a great love of horses,' a close friend of the 57-year-old presenter allegedly told the publication.

'He's good company and they share a love of horses': Woman's Day claimed on Monday that Tracy Grimshaw, 57, has found a companion in horse trainer Roger Fitzhardinge

A friend allegedly told Woman's Day the nature of the relationship between Tracy and Roger, saying: 'He's a lovely man and they've become very close, but it's a platonic relationship rather than a romantic one.

'He's really good company and they share a great love of horses.

'They go riding together sometimes. He doesn't live too far away from Tracy and they've attended some horse shows and equestrian events together from time to time,' the source reportedly added.

Tracy and Roger, who are said to have been friends for decades, enjoyed a few days together at Hamilton Island Race Week this month.

Just pals! A friend allegedly told the publication the nature of the relationship between Tracy and Roger, saying: 'He's a lovely man and they've become very close, but it's platonic'

Claims: The report follows claims that Tracy battled 'shyness her entire career', which she subsequently denied

The report follows claims that Tracy suffers from 'shyness'.

A source supposedly told New Idea last year: 'Tracy has battled shyness her entire career... she is so introverted it actually affects her daily life.

'The person you see on TV is not the same person you would meet on the street,' the report stated, before alleging the journalist doesn't like meeting new people.

The source claimed Tracy, who lives on acreage, is in fact happiest when alone with her animals, saying she finds the 'solitude' is 'less daunting'.

Speaking out: Tracy refuted the claims she suffers from shyness, telling Australian Women's Weekly this month that 'sometimes rubbish is written about you'

However Tracy has refuted those claims, telling Australian Women's Weekly this month, that 'sometimes rubbish is written about you'.

In 2011, the TV host confessed she does her best to stay out of the spotlight, telling Good Weekend: 'My instinct is to fly under the radar at all times'.

Tracy became a household name after fronting the Today show alongside Steve Liebmann for 19 years, from 1996 to 2005.

Since then, she has gone on to host A Current Affair.
He's only 13 years old, and reps for Robert Irwin have been forced to slam speculation that the young wildlife warrior has a girlfriend.

The teen sent fans into overdrive recently when he posted a sweet snap of himself on Instagram with a young wildlife photographer, Tess Poyner.

But a representative for Robert from Australia Zoo shut down any rumours of a blossoming relationship to Daily Mail Australia, confirming the teen doesn't have a girlfriend.

Scroll down for video

No puppy love! Robert Irwin, 13, slams speculation he has a girlfriend after fans are sent into overdrive after he posts a sweet snap with a young wildlife photographer (pictured together)

Underneath his post, fans couldn't help but ask: 'Does Mr Robert have himself a girlfriend?'

Another commented: 'Awwww I see a crush.'

In the snap, he and Tess were seen posing next to one of her kangaroo pictures while attending the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Awards.

Sent into overdrive: Underneath his post, fans couldn't help but ask: 'Does Mr Robert have himself a girlfriend?'

Robert wished Tess a happy birthday in his post.

'A big happy birthday to Tess. It was so fun to attend the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards ceremony with you! It is wonderful that you were the runner up in our category with your amazing kangaroo photo. Hope you had the best birthday ever!' he wrote.

Tess commented back, thanking Robert for his support.

'Thank you for your birthday wishes! Had the best time in South Australia, looking forward to getting together again soon,' she wrote.

Robert's older sister, Bindi, 19, is dating American wakeboarder Chandler Powell, 20.

Family:Robert is the youngest child of Terri Irwin and the late Steve Irwin

Young love: Robert's older sister, Bindi, 19, is dating American wakeboarder Chandler Powell, 20 (Pictured R, with Terri)

Bindi recently uploaded a gushing post, writing: 'My love. Today, tomorrow, always,' adding a love heart emoticon.

Last week, New Idea made the bizarre claim that Bindi and Chandler were 'secretly engaged' and plan to 'tie the knot at Russell Crowe's country estate.'

An Australia Zoo spokesperson rubbished the magazine report, citing Bindi's Today appearance last week in which she denied there was any engagement.

'New Idea are running a bit behind on their information sources it seems. Not surprising though, poor things never seem to get it right,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
Caitlyn Jenner was ambushed by a trans woman over her support of Donald Trump.

The reality star, 67 was attending the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles on Saturday night when she was confronted by Ashlee Marie Preston.

The activist and journalist found it 'ridiculous' that Caitlyn - a trans woman herself - allegedly continues to support Trump after he authorized banning trans people from serving in the military on Friday.

'You're a f**king fraud and a fake,' said Preston.

Scroll down for video

Ambushed: Caitlyn Jenner, 67, was ambushed by a trans woman over her support of Donald Trump at the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles performance on Saturday

In the video posted on Preston's Facebook page, Jenner stood in the audience as Preston approached the celebrity formerly known as Bruce Jenner.

As Jenner went in for a hug, Preston began to berate Jenner for what she believes is a wrongdoing to the trans community.

'You continue to support somebody that does everything with the military to erase our community,' Preston argued.

'It's really f**ked up that you continue to support him,' she added.

Confrontation: Ashlee Marie Preston found Jenner's support of Trump 'ridiculous' after he authorized banning trans people from serving in the military on Friday

Truth tea: 'You continue to support somebody that does everything with the military to erase our community,' Preston argued

After remaining silent for a moment, Caitlyn asked: 'Are you done?'

'No I'm not done. I'm not done. It's f**king ridiculous. You're a f**king fraud,' Preston retorted as bystanders tried to diffuse the situation.

'What makes me mad is I supported you... so many of us supported you,' Preston continued as she turned her attention to a friend.

'We are complicit. It goes against the mission. How are we gonna fight if she's giving money to the people who are destroying us.'

Clap back: Caitlyn said: 'You don't know me,' to which Preston replied: 'Oh my god. Yes we do. You're a f**king fraud and a fake.'

Caitlyn has been an outspoken advocate for the President of the United States.

In March 2016, Caitlyn gave her thoughts about Trump on her show I Am Cait explaining: 'I think he would be very good for women's issues.'

She gave a speech at the Republican Convention in Cleveland, OH in July 2016 saying she believed in the party and that it will make progress in LGBT policies.

And after Trump announced via Twitter he would be banning transgender people from serving in the military on July, 26, 2017, Caitlyn was seen the next week wearing the Trump campaign's Make America Great Again red hat.

DailyMail.com has contacted a rep for Caitlyn Jenner regarding this confrontation.

Republican voter: Jenner gave a speech at the Republican Convention in Cleveland, OH in July 2016 saying she believed in the party and that it will make progress in LGBT policies

Meanwhile, at the chorus performance, Preston pressed on as she said: 'As long as we continue to be the ones that are most impacted by the choices that you make... its not ok.'

Caitlyn replied as she walked away: 'You don't know me.'

'Oh my god. Yes we do. You're a f**king fraud and a fake,' Preston called after her.

Preston posted the video hours later with a tagline that read: 'Caitlyn Jenner is trash'
The Montana Veterans Meat Locker, founded by Chris and Kristin Grudzinski in 2016, provides frozen meat to veterans, at no cost. Proof of service is the only requirement for a veteran to receive meat.

Operating as a non-profit organization, the Montana Veterans Meat Locker is reliant on donations to pay for processing of animals donated during the hunting season.

For more information, to donate meat or to make a tax-deductible monetary donation, call Chris Grudzinski at 860-9683.
Presenter Millie Bobby Brown dazzled the MTV Video Music Awards in a Rodarte SS/17 'Metallic Polka-Dot Tulle-Tiered' top and matching skirt at The Forum in Inglewood on Sunday.

The 13-year-old SAG Award winner - who relies on stylist Thomas Carter Phillips - paired black PVC booties with an embellished frilly frock featuring cascading ruffles and a Victorian neckline.

Hairstylist Blake Erik slicked the Spanish-born, Florida-raised Brit's growing locks into a sleek updo and Rachel Goodwin applied her subtle make-up.

Scroll down for video

Back in black: Millie Bobby Brown dazzled the MTV Video Music Awards in a Rodarte SS/17 'Metallic Polka-Dot Tulle-Tiered' top and matching skirt at The Forum in Inglewood on Sunday

Presenter: Hairstylist Blake Erik slicked the Spanish-born, Florida-raised Brit's growing locks into a sleek updo and Rachel Goodwin applied her subtle make-up

Victorian neckline: The 13-year-old SAG Award winner - who relies on stylist Thomas Carter Phillips - paired PVC booties with the frilly frock featuring cascading ruffles

Fans got another glimpse at how much Jane 'Eleven' Ives has grown in new promos for the highly-anticipated second season of Stranger Things that dropped Saturday.

Millie famously shaved her waist-length tresses to more authentically portray the psychokinetic scene stealer (based on E.T.) whose since sprouted curly locks.

But it's unclear how Brown's Eggo Waffle-loving Eleven will return to Hawkins after vanishing into ash with the Demogorgon monster in the finale.

The IMG Model made history last month when she became the youngest minor to ever receive an Emmy Award nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series.

Big smile: The Rodarte creation was also bedazzled with gold embellishments

What a night! Millie later appeared on stage to presented the hotly-coveted Artist Of The Year prize

'He's my favorite': Millie proudly presented the award to Ed Sheeran, who rewarded her with a huge hug as he arrived on stage

Girls' night: Millie posed alongside Miley Cyrus, who performed at the event

Pretty as a picture: The teen actress also posed for a shot with Vanessa Hudgens as they hung out backstage during the awards ceremony

Smile! The not-so-typical teen later took a selfie with Canadian crooner Shawn Mendes, who's up for two trophies and will perform during the MTV broadcast

Millie looked alarmed while wearing a boy's long-sleeved striped shirt on one of the newly-released 12 eighties retro character posters captioned: 'It only gets stranger...'

The Netflix binge-watching favorite earned an eye-popping 18 nominations including nods for Brown's castmates David Harbour (Jim Hopper) and Shannon Purser (Barbara Holland).

Other posters featured Winona Ryder as the still-worried single mother-of-two Joyce Byers, while her teen son Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) was still snapping away at his Pentax camera.

Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo were back in action with their spy gear as the Goonies-style squad - Mike, Lucas, and Dustin.

She's back! Fans got another glimpse at how much Jane 'Eleven' Ives has grown in new promos for the highly-anticipated second season of Stranger Things that dropped Saturday

Wigging out: Millie famously shaved her waist-length tresses to more authentically portray the psychokinetic scene stealer (based on E.T.) whose since sprouted curly locks

Gone baby gone: But it's unclear how Brown's Eggo Waffle-loving Eleven will return to Hawkins after vanishing into ash with the Demogorgon monster in the finale

Will she win? The IMG Model made history last month when she became the youngest minor to ever receive an Emmy Award nomination for outstanding supporting actress in a drama series

Millie looked alarmed while wearing a boy's long-sleeved striped shirt on one of the newly-released 12 eighties retro character posters captioned: 'It only gets stranger...'

And Natalia Dyer looked doe-eyed as ever as girl-next-door Nancy Wheeler alongside her big-haired boyfriend, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).

Flame-haired Sadie Sink and mullet-wigged Dacre Montgomery made their official Stranger Things debut as Mayfield step-siblings, Max and Billy, who just moved from California.

And last but not least was Noah Schnapp as the newly-recovered Will Byers, who just isn't the same since escaping the nightmarish Upside Down.

Congrats! The Netflix binge-watching favorite earned 18 nominations including nods for Brown's castmates David Harbour (pictured) as Jim Hopper and Shannon Purser

Teaser: Other posters featured Winona Ryder as the still-worried single mother-of-two Joyce Byers, while her teen son Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) was still snapping away at his camera

Goonies-style squad: Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, and Gaten Matarazzo were back in action with their spy gear as Mike, Lucas, and Dustin

Still together? And Natalia Dyer looked doe-eyed as ever as girl-next-door Nancy Wheeler alongside her big-haired boyfriend, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery)

'Will Byers is very much at the center of several intersecting challenges, threats in season two,' producer/director Shawn Levy revealed to Gold Derby in May.

'I think overall the forces of evil that are inherent in season two make that Demogorgon look quaint in retrospect.'

The Marc Jacobs-clad 12-year-old spent the weekend in Tokyo and Manila promoting the hit series at Asia Pop ComiCon alongside 25-year-old Joe, 15-year-old Sadie, and 22-year-old Dacre.

Newcomers: Sadie Sink and Dacre Montgomery made their official Stranger Things debut as Mayfield step-siblings, Max and Billy, who just moved from California

'Will is very much at the center': And last but not least was Noah Schnapp as the newly-recovered Will Byers, who just isn't the same since escaping the nightmarish Upside Down

New posters: The Marc Jacobs-clad 12-year-old spent the weekend in Tokyo and Manila at Asia Pop ComiCon alongside 25-year-old Joe, 22-year-old Dacre, and 15-year-old Sadie

Noah wrote: 'Well that's it for me and Asia. Heading back home to NY today and it was so cool to hang with my castmates and friends. Thank you to Tokyo and Manila for being so welcoming!'

'They're freaks, but they're my freaks': Meanwhile, Millie spent her Saturday bonding with her BFF Maddie Ziegler (L) poolside at the home of fellow dancer Lilia Buckingham (R)

Meanwhile, Millie spent her Saturday bonding with her BFF Maddie Ziegler poolside at the home of fellow dancer Lilia Buckingham.

Netflix also premiered their 37-second 'for your consideration' promo, which featured footage from season one as President Ronald Reagan's inaugural address blared in the background.

Directing duo Ross & Matt Duffer's nine-episode second season of Stranger Things - set a year later in fall 1984 - begins streaming October 27 on Netflix.

For your consideration: Netflix also premiered their 37-second promo, which featured footage from season one as President Ronald Reagan's inaugural address blared in the background

Set a year later in fall 1984: Directing duo Ross & Matt Duffer's nine-episode second season of Stranger Things begins streaming October 27 on Netflix
They're the youngest couple on The Block who have proved themselves in the competition.

And on the show on Monday, Elyse Knowles and boyfriend Josh Barker were accused of 'cheating' by foreman Dan.

Josh and Dan clashed over plans for a three tonne concrete floating shelf, with Dan and foreman Keith saying at one point, that they were 'annoyed' with the couple.

Scroll down for video

'These two are getting a bit too big for their boots!' The Block's foreman Dan (R, pictured with foreman Keith) accuses Elyse Knowles and Josh Barker of CHEATING

'These two are getting a bit too big for their boots,' Dan said to camera.

At the start of the episode, Dan found out from a concreter that Josh and Elyse had locked him in weeks ago for their design, with the concreter having started the work as soon as living and dining room commenced.

'I just don't know how they knew we were in the living and dining room was this week. Somehow they've found out and they've advanced by getting plans put through earlier,' Dan said to camera.

'They've advanced': Dan questioned how quickly Josh (pictured) and Elyse started their new space

The plans: Josh and Dan clashed over plans for a three tonne concrete floating shelf (pictured)

Dan and Keith then clashed with Josh and their builder, as the plans hadn't been approved by an engineer.

The engineer wanted steel reinforcements under the floor to support the weight of the shelf.

'He just tries to fight us all the time and is always doing things behind our back and we keep pulling him up so if he just worked with us, it'd be a lot easier for him, but he doesn't see that though,' Dan said to camera about Josh.

He added to Josh and his builder: 'You gave me that bit of paper on Friday to send off...Somehow you knew we were doing this room last week, well that's cheating!'

Unleashing: He added to Josh and his builder: 'You gave me that bit of paper on Friday to send off...Somehow you knew we were doing this room last week, well that's cheating!'

Off-site: Elyse is seen shopping for furniture for their space

Josh insisted that they simply ran through ideas ahead of time and told their tradesman to be on call, for when they know when they would needed to do the shelf.

He then slammed Dan to camera, saying: 'I think for Dan to jump up and down the way he did today in front of everyone, I think is not necessarily the best practice from a foreman, put it that way.'

Dan then get 'annoyed' at Josh and Elyse when they built the frame for the shelf without getting approval from the engineer.

The couple were told they'd have to rip up the frame and the floor for the reinforcements.

Eventually, Josh and his builders came up with a new way build the shelf and lighten the weight of it, using foam in the design.

Success: The engineer by the end of the episode, approved Josh and Elyse's plans for the shelf, and a fireplace for the space

The engineer by the end of the episode, approved Josh and Elyse's plans for the shelf, and a fireplace for the space.

The teams this week began work on the contemporary part of their homes, starting work on the living and dining rooms.

Meanwhile at another point of the show, Josh and Elyse believe Ronnie and Georgia intentionally stole their iPad, which was used as a prop in their 'anything but a bedroom' room.

Georgia was seen inspecting the room and taking it, but the pair insisted it was an accident, as they all have the same iPad, and she thought it was hers.

Elyse said the iPad locked her out after their pin code was incorrectly entered a number of times.
The MTV Video Music Awards are known for their iconic statue.

And it was clear Farrah Abraham was taking cues from the metallic 'Moon Person' as she and daughter Sophia, eight, appeared on the red carpet at The Forum in Inglewood, California, on Sunday night.

The Teen Mom star, 26, turned heads in a pair of shiny gold thigh-high boots, while little Sophia was decked out in a futuristic silver costume.

Scroll down for video

Space girls: Farrah Abraham and her daughter Sophia, eight, opted for futuristic looks as they hit the red carpet at the MTV VMAs in Inglewood, California, on Sunday night

The reality star teamed her zany gold boots with a plunging white top and matching leggings, while wearing her dyed red locks scraped back from her face.

Farrah completed her space cadet look with dramatic make-up and silver eye jewels.

Little Sophia looked cute as a button in a silver tee and leggings, with a skirt layered over the top.

Her silver make-up and high ponytail matched mommy's look and she wore lace up sneakers on her feet while enjoying the high profile ceremony.

Space girls: The Teen Mom star, 26, turned heads in a pair of shiny gold thigh-high boots, while little Sophia was decked out in a futuristic silver costume

Booty-full: The reality star teamed her zany gold boots with a plunging white top and matching leggings, while wearing her dyed red locks scraped back from her face

Farrah shared her excitement for the event prior to arriving on Instagram.

'VMA's with my special guest', she announced in the social media video before letting out an excited scream.

The appearance came just one day after Farrah shared a post on Instagram revealing that she had undergone vaginal rejuvenation, sharing a photo of herself on an operating table.

Farrah shot to fame after appearing on MTV's reality series 16 And Pregnant.

After Sophia's birth, their life was chronicled on the networks follow-up show Teen Mom.

Golden girl: Farrah completed her space cadet look with dramatic make-up and silver eye jewels as she worked her magic in front of the cameras

Big moment: Little Sophia looked cute as a button in a silver tee and leggings, with a skirt layered over the top

She is just back from Sydney, Australia last month to film new MTV series Single AF, where she will travel the world looking for her Mr. Right.

Describing her ideal man on the Kyle and Jackie O radio show, Farrah said she'd like someone who's kid friendly with no tattoos and has 'some Christianity' who will: 'Embrace what I'm about... I just want to be happy.'

'I just want to see if theyre family friendly,' she said. 'I have a daughter thats super important to me.

'Id really love somebody who can travel the world and run businesses like myself, so I just want someone who can reciprocate what I give.

Farrah will co-star with Jedward, Elliott Crawford, Casey Johnson and Marnie Simpson in Single AF.

TMI: The star revealed on Saturday that she had undergone vaginal rejuvenation
Guy Fawkes ill-fated plan to blow up Parliament will be dramatised in a gripping new BBC series starring Liv Tyler and Kit Harington.

In his first outing since Game of Thrones, Kit, 30, will play Robert Catesby, the Warwickshire gentleman who was the Gunpowder plots mastermind and driving force.

While, Liv, 40, plays Lady Anne Vaux, a cousin of Catholic dissident Catesby, who becomes embroiled in the plot.

Scroll down for video

Explosive : Guy Fawkes ill-fated plan to blow up Parliament will be dramatised starring Hollywood beauty Liv Tyler and Kit Harington in his first outing since Game of Thrones series seven

A trailer for the new series shows a trail of gunpowder leading to a cellar where Guy Fawkes, played by Downton Abbeys Tom Cullen, sits in wait.

The camera then pans to reveal Catesby who describes his current situation and outlines his now famous plan to destroy King James I and Parliament on November 5.

The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 was one of the most famous examples of Catholic/Protestant tensions in 17th century Britain.

A List star: Liv Tyler, 40, plays Lady Anne Vaux, a cousin of Catholic dissident Robert Catesby, who becomes embroiled in the plot

Catesby started planning his attack after James I ordered catholic priests to leave the country and continued fining Catholics that wont attend Church of England services.

Guy Fawkes was employed as an explosives expert.

But after his plot was foiled with an anonymous letter and he was sentenced to being hung drawn and quartered.

Face off: Catesby - played by Game of Thrones star - was the Warwickshire gentleman who was the Gunpowder plots mastermind and driving force

American Miss Tyler, a former model, has a film career going back to 1994 including roles in Lord of the Rings, The Incredible Hulk and Armageddon.

Gunpowder will also star Mark Gatiss, from Sherlock), Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake), Shaun Dooley (Broadchurch) and Robert Emms (Happy Valley).

Gunpowder will air on Saturday nights this autumn on BBC One.
It's the series created by talk show queen Ellen DeGeneres, which has taken the world by storm.

And making its Australian debut on Sunday, Little Big Shots, hosted by funnyman Shane Jacobson, didn't disappoint.

From talented young dancers, drummers and sheep shearers, Seven's premiere episode also saw a Rubix's cube genius, who completed three puzzle's simultaneously by using his hands and feet.

Scroll down for video

'That's unbelievable'! Little Big Shots star Jianyu Que leaves host Shane Jacobson speechless after solving three Rubix's cubes simultaneously in under 22 secs with his hands and feet

Hailing from China, twelve-year-old Jianyu Que warmed up the crowd by solving a cube blindfolded in under 12 seconds.

Leaving the crowd in utter shock, the young man revealed via an interpreter that his secret was to solve it by 'remembering the position of every single one and then use the formula.'

'That's unbelievable, I can't even remember how to spell his name and I've seen it written on the wall there about ten times,' said Shane, leaving Jianyu looking less than impressed.

Amazing! Hailing from China, twelve-year-old Jianyu Que warmed up the crowd by solving a cube blindfolded in under 12 seconds

There's more: But completing a Rubix's cube blindfolded was just the beginning of Jianyu's talents

But completing a Rubix's cube blindfolded was just the beginning of Jianyu's talents.

Walking down to another set-up podium, the talented youngster jumbled not one but three cubes simultaneously.

Taking off his shoes, Jianyu used his feet for one puzzle and had the other two in each of his hands.

Jaw dropping: Taking off his shoes, Jianyu used his feet for one puzzle and had the other two in each of his hands

Talent: Walking down to another set-up podium, the talented youngster jumbled not one but three cubes simultaneously

Impressive! Finishing the one with his feet first, all three were completed in under 22 seconds

Finishing the one with his feet first, all three were completed in under 22 seconds.

Raising his hands in the air, Jinanyu celebrated his victory as the crowd cheered and gave him a standing ovation.

The rising star, who says he owns about 500 cubes, only started the sport six years ago.

According to his World Cube Association profile, has solved 377 and competed in 14 world competitions so far.
She launched a successful career in Hollywood on Orange Is The New Black two years ago.

And as Ruby Rose's star profile continues to rise, a new report claims the actress is so exhausted by her busy schedule that she's considering quitting Hollywood.

A source told NW magazine this week that the 31-year-old is planning to leave Los Angeles and return Down Under for some time away from the spotlight.

Exhausted: As Ruby Rose' star profile continues to rise, a new report claims the actress is so exhausted by her busy schedule that she's considering quitting Hollywood

'She's burnt out and wants to head home. Quitting Hollywood is one thing she can smile about right now', a source said.

'She's had some insane money offers, but she's turned them all down. The conditions weren't right and she's tired as hell.

The insider added: 'She's trying to have a fun life, not a busy one, and she loves the idea of hanging out on the beach more than waiting around on set.'

Over it: 'She's burnt out and wants to head home. Quitting Hollywood is one thing she can smile about right now', a source said

In January, the John Wick star told Net-A-Porter's The Edit magazine that she 'hasn't had a day off in forever.'

If Ruby was to return home, it would come after a busy few months for the former Australia's Next Top Model judge.

The acclaimed actress' fame has been on a steady incline for months now, after her much publicised roles in blockbuster Hollywood flicks John Wick: Chapter 2 and the forthcoming Pitch Perfect 3.

Time to themselves: Ruby and girlfriend Jessica Origlasso, 32, both have had busy schedules the past few months, but have still found time to relax as they enjoy their holiday together in Shanghai

Despite her busy schedule, Ruby has been enjoying a romance with Jessica Origliasso, 32.

The couple are currently holidaying together in Shanghai, while Jessica also takes a break from a busy touring schedule with The Veronicas.

The pair recently shared some snaps on social media looking closer and more in love than ever.
Privatium Investigato! The question is, can JK Rowlings magic work outside Hogwarts? The omens looked bad for the creator of Harry Potter after her one-off novel of lust and local politics, The Casual Vacancy, was turned into a dire BBC serial in 2015.

But now, using the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, shes back with a detective story about a damaged Army veteran on the trail of a high-society murderer.

Strike: The Cuckoos Calling is in the classic private-eye genre, but with a twist of romantic interest. Its Humphrey Bogart reinvented for fans of Poldark.

Scroll down for video

Just like Bogart: Tom Burke plays the seedy private eye Cormoran Strike and Holliday Granger is Robin, his sassy secretary

Tom Burke plays Cormoran Strike, a former military policeman down on his luck after losing a leg in Afghanistan. Holliday Grainger is the smart, sassy and ultra-competent secretary who tries not to fall in love with her battered boss, but is unable to resist the seedy glamour of his world.

Its an equal partnership and one that is reflected in their BBC wage packets  though the Beeb infamously pays men more, the two stars are on the same package. They know this because, as Holliday revealed to the Mails Weekend magazine, they were sent each others contracts by mistake.

'Strike: The Cuckoos Calling is in the classic private-eye genre, but with a twist of romantic interest' (pictured: Kevin Fuller and Tara Fitzgerald as Freddie and Tansy Bestigui)

On screen, all the hallmarks of Bogarts film noir mysteries are in place, right down the frosted glass in the detectives office door and his name picked out in peeling letters. Cormoran Strike drinks, chain-smokes, wears an overcoat everywhere but the shower and gets smacked around the head by ex-girlfriends who then phone him tearfully to plead for forgiveness.

In fact, the only clue that this isnt a remake of a period Hollywood movie is his bizarre name, which sounds more appropriate for a wizard, possibly a dark one with a long neck and beak. Ms Rowling never could resist an evocative moniker.

Everything else about Strike is a homage to those films. The credits capture this with a montage of sepia shots that look like the artwork for a timeless rock release  maybe Private Investigations by Dire Straits.

Into this atmosphere, JK breathes a hint of mythology. If there was a single secret to the success of the Harry Potter books, it was the ever-present echo of legend, folklore and fairytales. That same ancient magic is invoked here. In the first scenes on a rainy London street, a fashion model teases the paparazzi then dodges them to slide into a limo. As she escapes, a figure watches her... a figure with a wolfs head.

Returning to her penthouse apartment, the girl admires a lifesize photo of herself wearing angels wings. Moments later, in an apparent suicide, she is lying dead on the pavement three floors below.

Those images of the werewolf and winged being will be familiar to fans of the childrens books. And they are reassuring signs Ms Rowling is working with material that feels natural to her, and not trying to force herself into self-consciously literary styles.

The opening episode (the story resumes tonight) felt uncomfortable only when it tried to be too gritty. Strikes dingy world of smelly pubs and dirty cafes is not alluring, and neither are personal habits such as brushing his teeth with his finger at his desk and spitting into a wastebin.

Given the wrong cast this could have been too grubby to be sympathetic, but Burke  best known as the sad-eyed alcoholic one from The Musketeers  plays the private eye with kindness. Hes unwashed, hes thoughtless, yet hes been hurt too many times to ever want to do anyone harm.

'As the resourceful Robin, Miss Grainger balances his mournful personality with lots of energy and bounce'

As the resourceful Robin, Miss Grainger balances his mournful personality with lots of energy and bounce. Though unshockable, shes still naive enough to think her fiance will welcome the introduction of this mysterious wounded man into her life.

And because JK doesnt do subtlety, Strike really is wounded. We see him without his prosthetic leg in several scenes, though were so accustomed to computer graphics that even the sight of Burke massaging his characters raw stump isnt too convincing.

What works better is old-fashioned acting. Strike walks like a man whose false limb is chafing, and he sometimes winces as though electric twinges are troubling his phantom foot. When he unstraps the prosthetic he talks to it as if its alive, which is a nice touch. In a Harry Potter story, of course, the leg would talk back.

By the end of the hour, clues were piling up, reinforcing the sense that this is firmly in the traditional crime genre. The murdered girls flat is soundproofed, for instance, yet one of the witnesses claims she heard an argument  so why is she lying?

Theres a strong supporting cast too, with Martin Shaw delivering his lines in a theatrical Michael-Gambonesque growl. Maybe he fancies his chances as the next Dumbledore... if JK Rowling ever returns to Hogwarts.
Aasif Mandvi got married Sunday during a multicultural celebration in Atlanta.

The 51-year-old Indian-American actor wed Shaifali Puri in front of about 220 guests, according to an article by People.

The couple were married during an interfaith Hindu/Muslim ceremony officiated by Dr. Bhagirath Majmudar and Rev. Farida Ali.

Multicultural celebration: Aasif Mandvi and Shaifali Puri, shown in December 2015 in Beverly Hills, California, were married on Sunday in Atlanta

'I'm most excited about sharing this incredible moment with so many family members and friends from all the different parts of my life,' Mandvi told the magazine

'I'm so honored they all showed up. After this many years, I think most people had given up on me ever tying the knot,' he added.

The couple's wedding attire was created by Indian designer Anita Dongre and Mandvi wore Sebastien Grey for the reception.

'We included elements of our Indian Hindu and Muslim cultures in every single aspect of our wedding. From the ceremony, to the food, to the music, to the clothes,' Mandvi said.

Family and friends: The couple, shown in April 2016 in Hollywood, got hitched in front of about 220 guests

Mandvi and Prui got engaged last October in Big Sur, California.

They met in 2013 via a mutual friend.

Mandvi portrays Jay Malick on the TV Land comedy-drama series Younger.

TV star: Aasif is shown portraying Jay Malick in a season four still from Younger

Younger was renewed in April for a fifth season.

Puri is the CEO of the Uplift organization that provides aid and support for extreme poverty.

Mandvi was a correspondent on The Daily show for 188 episodes between 2006 and 2015.
She was presented with a $450,000 six-carat diamond engagement ring when her husband Oliver Curtis proposed to her for the second time.

And a month after the event, Roxy Jacenko, 37, proudly showed off the prized bling on Monday's Today Extra.

Co-host Sonia Kruger swooned over the jewellery, stating on-air: 'It's practically blinding me.'

Scroll down for video

'It's practically blinding me': Today Extra's Sonia Kruger, 51, swooned over Roxy Jacenko's $450,000 engagement ring, on Monday's program

Sonia, 51, asked to see Roxy's engagement bling during Monday's episode of the morning program.

Upon close inspection, the mother-of-one said of the prized jewel: 'It's practically blinding me!'

Laughing along with Sonia, Roxy responded playfully: 'Yes, well...If I could get it off, my finger is a bit tight at the moment, I would let you wear it.'

Curious: Sonia asked to see the 37-year-old's second engagement ring, during Monday's episode of the morning program

She's impressed: Upon close inspection, Sonia said of the prized bling: 'It's practically blinding me!'

In good fun: Laughing along with Sonia, Roxy responded playfully: 'Yes, well...If I could get it off, my finger is a bit tight at the moment, I would let you wear it'

Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis, 31, proposed to the publicist for a second time in July, shortly after the couple returned from a luxury family holiday in Bali.

Oliver, who was convicted of insider trading in June 2016 and spent 12 months in prison, surprised her with the gesture at Sydney's Four Seasons hotel.

Roxy, who had been spotted without her wedding ring prior to Oliver's release, happily sported the 'upgraded' diamond engagement ring.

Gesture: Roxy's husband Oliver Curtis, 31, proposed to the publicist for a second time in July, shortly after the couple returned from a luxury family holiday in Bali

Sparkler: The Nicholas Haywood ring is believed to be valued at up to $450,000 by a respected member of the National Council of Jewellery Valuers, which is more than double the $200,000 jewel she received when Oliver first proposed in 2010

The Nicholas Haywood ring is believed to be valued at up to $450,000 by a respected member of the National Council of Jewellery Valuers, which is more than double the $200,000 jewel she received when Oliver first proposed in 2010.

'Wow, lucky Roxy!' gemologist Karen Lindley of Diamonds by Design told Daily Mail Australia, suggesting a likely value of 'between $400,000 and $450,000.'

Roxy and Oliver share two young children, six-year-old daughter Pixie and three-year-old son Hunter.

Before Oliver's release, it was rumoured the couple had decided to quietly end their marriage.

Unexpected: Oliver, who was convicted of insider trading in June 2016 and spent 12 months in prison, surprised Roxy with the gesture at Sydney's Four Seasons hotel
She's the outspoken ex of Kris Jenner, who published an inside account of life inside the reality TV clan earlier this year.

And Caitlyn Jenner has revealed that her relationship with Kris and the Kardashians still remains 'strained' and she hasn't spoken to them for 'months'.

Appearing on Australian radio show, the Kyle and Jackie O show, on Monday, the 67-year old said that despite the fractured relationship she was adamant that her relationship with daughters Kendall and Kylie remained in tact.

Not speaking: Caitlyn Jenner has revealed that her relationship with Kris Jenner and the Kardashians remains 'strained' and that she hasn't spoken to them for 'months'

'How's everything going with the Kardashian family?' host Jackie O Henderson asked the former Olympian.

Caitlyn offered a playful response at first, joking: 'Oh my God, have you heard stuff? What have you heard? All the way Down Under you find out about that stuff.'

She then went on to admit that the relationship with the Kardashians is still strained.

Strained: Appearing on the Kyle and Jackie O show on Monday, the 67-year old said that despite the fractured relationship, she was adamant that her relationship with daughters Kendall and Kylie remained in tact. Pictured are Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner

'The relationship on the Kardashian side has been strained recently,' she revealed.

'To be honest with you, I don't really talk to them. I haven't talked to them in months and months and months.'

When asked by Jackie to divulge the reason behind the fractured relationship, Caitlyn said she was 'disappointed' in Kris and the clan.

No contact: 'To be honest with you, I don't really talk to them. I haven't talked to them in months and months and months,' she said

'I'm just disappointed in a lot of ways,' she said. 'I've tried desperately to make sure that my relationship with my two daughters Kendall and Kylie has stayed strong. Yesterday I saw Kylie and i went to dinner with Kendall last night.'

Caitlyn shares Kendall and Kylie with Kris Jenner and was also step-parent to Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Robert - from Kris' marriage to Robert Kardashian.

Marrying in 1991, Caitlyn, then Bruce, and Kris split in 2015 and she told the radio hosts that she was hopeful of a reconciliation.

Keeping in touch: 'I've tried desperately to make sure that my relationship with my two daughters Kendall and Kylie has stayed strong

Close bond: Kendall (L) and Kylie's (R) relationship with Caitlyn often played out on Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Pictured at the Rodeo Drive Concours d'Elegance on June 18, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California

'Do you think it will smooth over?' Jackie asked to which Caitlyn replied: 'I hope so, I raised those kids. Things will come around.'

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter recently, Kris hit out at Caitlyn over claims in her Secrets Of my Life memoir that she had come up with the concept for Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Kris said: 'It's so absurd. I'm not sure what the motivation was for her to say something like that.

'Maybe somebody should remind her that it's called Keeping Up With The Kardashians.'
JACKSON, Wyo.  A Wyoming judge has ruled local officials can't prohibit fractional ownership of campgrounds.

Teton County District Judge Timothy Day recently struck down a local regulation that prohibited multiple people from owning a campground. The case applied to two campgrounds in the Jackson area with cabins and spaces for motor homes, trailers and tents.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports owner Jamie Mackay sought to sell ownership shares in each campground. Shareholders would be able camp on and rent out their spaces to others.

Complaints from neighbors prompted Teton County officials last year to threaten fines of up to $750 per day for selling the shares. Mackay sued and won.

Teton County officials have filed notice they plan to appeal to the Wyoming Supreme Court.
MTV Video Music Awards presenter Paris Jackson locked lips with Caroline D'Amore in the press room of the politically-charged ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The 33-year-old DJ has a two-year-old daughter Isabella at home with her husband of five years, musician Bobby Alt.

The 19-year-old IMG Model most likely befriended Caroline through Bobby, who founded Street Drum Corps which currently employs her ex-boyfriend Michael Snoddy.

Scroll down for video

Kiss: MTV Video Music Awards presenter Paris Jackson locked lips with Caroline D'Amore in the press room of the politically-charged ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday

Radar Online reported back in April that Paris was messaging ladies on the elite dating app, Raya, after her February split from the 26-year-old drummer (who had a Confederate flag tattoo).

The heavily-tattooed wildchild - who's a hippie at heart - made sure to show off her unshaven armpits in her sleeveless Christian Dior dress.

Jackson - who relies on stylist Sonia Young - bared her feet and her Dior bra and boyshorts beneath the sheer nude tulle dress embroidered with flowers and mythical creatures.

She added a collection of rings to her ensemble, including a rose gold and diamond feather ring from Stephen Webster.

The underage socialite was primped by hairstylist Bridget Brager and make-up artist Jo Baker.

Married mother: The 33-year-old DJ has a two-year-old daughter Isabella at home with her husband of five years, musician Bobby Alt

Gal pals: The 19-year-old IMG Model most likely befriended Caroline through Bobby, who founded Street Drum Corps which currently employs her ex- boyfriend Michael Snoddy

Bisexual? Radar Online reported back in April that Paris was messaging ladies on the elite dating app, Raya, after her February split from the 26-year-old drummer

Girls' night out: Paris and Caroline later headed to the UGG x Jeremy Scott Collaboration launch party at new nightclub Poppy in West Hollywood

The main main: Paris and Caroline posed alongside show host Katy Perry and designer Jeremy Scott inside the star-studded afterparty

It's party time! The duo looked happy and relaxed as they kicked back inside the bash

Meanwhile, the D'Amore's Pizza Connection heiress flaunted her legs in a black floral frock designed by alice + olivia, and her hair and make-up were done by Danni Katz.

Earlier, Paris had tongues wagging as she blasted the alt-right and urged the MTV audience to 'resist' while onstage The Forum in Inglewood.

'If we were all to put our voices together, do you know the difference we could make? If we were to stand up all united as one, our impact, it would be "hyuge." It would be "yuge." Believe me, "yuge." And that's not fake news,' the former Bernie Sanders supporter said.

'So let's leave here tonight remembering that we must show these Nazi, white supremacist jerks in Charlottesville and all over the country...

'With liberty as our slogan, We have zero tolerance for their violence, for their hatred, and their discrimination. We must resist!'

Model behavior: Paris also joined model Jasmine Sanders for a snap with Jeremy

Hairy situation: The heavily-tattooed wildchild - who's a hippie at heart - made sure to show off her unshaven armpits in her sleeveless Christian Dior dress

Eccentric: Jackson - who relies on stylist Sonia Young - bared her feet and her Dior bra and boyshorts beneath the sheer nude tulle dress embroidered with flowers

Ombre locks: The underage socialite was primped by hairstylist Bridget Brager and make-up artist Jo Baker

Hot date: Meanwhile, the D'Amore's Pizza Connection heiress flaunted her legs in a black floral frock designed by alice + olivia, and her hair and make-up were done by Danni Katz

Jackson expressed her political views before presenting the Moon Person trophy for best pop video to girl group Fifth Harmony and their Done rapper Gucci Mane.

'Hope y'all got my speech... also hope mtv doesn't hate me lmao!' the sober stunner - who boasts over 3.1M social media followers - later wrote on Instagram.

'Thank you @mtv for inviting me to present at the @vmas tonight, and giving me a moment on stage to use my platform for something that matters very much to me. i'm sorry for switching the script up on you guys, but i had to listen to my heart.'

She happens to be the only daughter of the late Michael Jackson, who amassed 85 MTV-related honors including the 1990 Artist of The Decade Vanguard Award before his 2009 death at age 50.

i will never stop A post shared by Paris-Michael K. Jackson (@parisjackson) on Aug 27, 2017 at 8:39pm PDT

Rebel: Earlier, Paris had tongues wagging as she blasted the alt-right and urged the MTV audience to 'resist' while onstage The Forum in Inglewood

The former Bernie Sanders supporter said: 'If we were all to put our voices together, do you know the difference we could make? If we were to stand up all united as one, our impact, it would be "hyuge." It would be "yuge." Believe me, "yuge"'

She added: 'Let's leave tonight remembering that we must show these Nazi, white supremacist jerks in Charlottesville and all over the country...With liberty as our slogan, We have zero tolerance for their violence, for their hatred, and their discrimination. We must resist!'

And the winner is...: Jackson expressed her political views before presenting the Moon Person trophy for best pop video to girl group Fifth Harmony and their Done rapper Gucci Mane

MTV was just a fledgling cable channel when the King of Pop was on the rise as a solo artist - courting millions of viewers with his pioneering videos for Billie Jean, Beat It, and Thriller.

Paris later captioned a snap of her 'Michael' nameplate necklace: 'Thank you for the good luck tonight. Hope I made you proud.'

Back in May, Jackson landed her first major seven-figure fashion campaign fronting Calvin Klein underwear.

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.

Later on Instagram, the sober stunner - who boasts over 3.1M social media followers - wrote: 'Hope y'all got my speech... also hope mtv doesn't hate me lmao!'

RIP: She happens to be the daughter of Michael Jackson, who amassed 85 MTV-related honors including the 1990 Artist of The Decade Vanguard Award before his 2009 death at age 50

Courting millions of viewers: MTV was just a fledgling cable channel when the King of Pop was on the rise as a solo artist with his pioneering videos for Billie Jean, Beat It, and Thriller

Paris later captioned a snap of her 'Michael' nameplate necklace: 'Thank you for the good luck tonight. Hope I made you proud'

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.

The homeschooled teen has come along way since allegedly slashing her wrists and overdosing on pills back in 2013, which led to her enrolling in the $10M Diamond Ranch Academy in Utah.

Meanwhile, it's unclear when the goddaughter of Macaulay Culkin last visited her mother, dermatology nurse Debbie Rowe, who's been battling breast cancer.

Dior versus Klein: Back in May, Jackson landed her first major seven-figure fashion campaign fronting Calvin Klein underwear

Post-VMAs selfie: The privileged heiress hardly needs the money with the $8M she receives annually from her estimated $100M inheritance as well as bonuses at ages 33 and 40

First movie! 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
It's the popular renovation show that's been a ratings hit for the Nine Network.

And until now, never has host Scott Cam had to step in and reprimand a competing couple in the show's 11 seasons.

According to New Idea this week, in an upcoming episode the lovable and easy going host 'unleashes' on behalf of the cast and crew with the couple on the receiving end then threatening to walk out.

On Monday, Scott Cam revealed in an upcoming episode he 'unleashes' his temper on one of the couples

'I really unleash on one couple - in a big way,' says Scotty.

'It's a never-before-seen situation. It was actually legitimate like 'this is how it's going to go down'. It didn't get physical, but it was about my rules and what we expect.

'You could have heard a pin drop,' he continued.

His way or the highway: 'It's a never-before-seen situation. It was actually legitimate like 'this is how it's going to go down''

Not good enough: Revealing it left all the contestants terrified, Scotty said the unidentified couple were wasting their time and opportunity on the show

Channel Nine declined to comment when contacted by Daily Mail Australia on Monday.

Revealing it left all the contestants terrified, Scotty said the unidentified couple were wasting their time and opportunity on the show and their actions were affecting the other contestants.

Also on Monday, The Block's most controversial and fiery team Ronnie and Georgia Caceres were accused of cheating on the design of their children's room.

After being accused of drawing more than inspiration from a professional interior design company, on Monday, the Perth couple defended themselves against the claims, strongly denying the cheating allegations.

Caught out! Earlier in the day, The Block's most controversial and fiery team Ronnie and Georgia Caceres were accused of cheating on the design of their children's room

Pack mentality: 'It's Tall Poppy Syndrome,' said Ronnie to Woman's Day with Georgia adding: 'It felt like we were ganged up on!'

'It's Tall Poppy Syndrome,' said Ronnie to Woman's Day with Georgia adding: 'It felt like we were ganged up on!'

The experienced renovators appeared to take inspiration for their children's room from Melbourne-based Norsu Interiors, who thanked them on social media.

'A heartfelt thank you to the gorgeous @ronnieandgeorgia for visiting our store... we're absolutely pinching ourselves. Such a special moment for our Norsu team,' they captioned.
Tammin Sursok just celebrated her sixth wedding anniversary with film director husband Sean McEwen in Bali, Indonesia.

And the couple still had that holiday feeling at Sydney Airport on Sunday.

The lovebirds, who both dressed casually for their flight, packed on the PDA as they made their way out of the terminal.

Still got that holiday feeling! Tammin Sursok packed on the PDA with husband Sean McEwen at Sydney Airport on Sunday, after the couple celebrated their sixth wedding anniversary in Bali

Tammin covered her slender figure in a grey shirt, a blue round-neck jumper and cropped skinny jeans.

The former Young And The Restless actress finished off her look with Adidas trainers and a Louis Vuitton backpack.

Styling her brunette tresses in relaxed waves, Tammin opted to go makeup-free, allowing her natural beauty to shine through.

The look of love! The couple only had eyes for one another as they shared a tender moment

Sweet embrace: Tammin wrapped her arms around film director Sean's muscular body

Content: The lovebirds gazed into one another's eyes and smiled happily

Sean cut a cool and casual figure, wearing a burgundy T-shirt and a beige cardigan with statement buttons.

His look was paired with indigo jeans and tan leather sneakers.

Sporting a black backpack, Sean also carried a Sportscraft garment bag and wheeled a medium-sized suitcase.

Low-key: The former Young And The Restless actress sported a grey shirt, blue round-neck jumper, cropped skinny jeans and white Adidas trainers

She's a natural: Allowing her brunette hair to fall effortlessly, Tammin opted to go makeup-free

Bag lady: The brunette sported a Louis Vuitton backpack and a white medium-sized suitcase

The couple appeared relaxed and at ease as they strolled out of the airport terminal.

While picking up their luggage, Tammin wrapped her arms around her partner's muscular frame.

Sean returned the favour, planting a kiss on his famous wife's forehead.

Prized bling: Tammin's sparkling wedding rings were visible

Cool and casual: Sean wore a burgundy T-shirt, a beige cardigan with statement buttons, indigo jeans and tan leather sneakers

He's got it covered! The entertainment professional carried a Sportscraft garment bag and had a black backpack strapped on, as he wheeled the white suitcase out of the terminal

Tammin and Sean had just flown into Sydney, after celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary at Bali's luxury Mulia Resort.

Tammin, who shares three-year-old daughter Phoenix with Sean, took to Instagram last weekend, gushing over her husband.

After a celebratory lunch, she captioned a holiday snap: 'Happy Anniversary to the love of my life. Let's make more experiences and movies and humans together.'

Flying in: Tammin and Sean had just flown into Sydney, after celebrating their sixth wedding anniversary at Bali's luxury Mulia Resort

Staying connected: Tammin stared intently at her iPhone ahead of her work commitments

Multi-tasking: The mother-of-one was later seen taking a phone call at the airport

She continued: 'I love you more than you know.'

The holiday snap saw Tammin and Sean kissing, while standing in front of a picturesque backdrop at The Sumaya Ubud Resort.

The former Home And Away star married Sean in 2011. The couple welcomed daughter Phoenix in October 2013.
They are both rising stars in the modelling world.

And Bella Hadid and Jordan Barrett shared the spotlight on the cover of Vogue Australia's September issue, in a photo shoot by Jackie Nickerson.

In the accompanying interview, the 'good friends', both 20, also clarified the persistent rumours they were romantically involved.

Scroll down for video

'We're like best friends, which is much better for both of us': Bella Hadid and Jordan Barrett share the spotlight in Vogue Australia's September issue, in a photo shoot by Jackie Nickerson

Bella wraps her long legs around Jordan on the prestigious magazine's cover, and the Australian hunk has his shirt unbuttoned to reveal his tanned chest.

Meanwhile, Jordan explained how the pair met through mutual friend Hailey Baldwin when he first moved to New York City to pursue his modelling career.

He described the twosome as 'such good friends', with Bella also making it clear they have 'never' previously dated.

'We're like best friends, which is much better for both of us. Actually, he's like a brother': Bella clarified that she was close with Jordan, but they were not romantically involved

'We're like best friends, which is much better for both of us. Actually, he's like a brother,' she emphasised.

Bella also said she sympathised with Jordan having to make the move from Australia to the United States for work.

'What I think nobody understands, especially (for) Jordan, is he never gets to see his family,' she said. 'We're basically on a plane every three days. That's probably the hardest part.'

'What I think nobody understands, especially (for) Jordan, is he never gets to see his family': Bella said she sympathised with Jordan having to make the move from Australia to the US

The photogenic friends were photographed lounging together on a luxury yacht in Cannes back in May.

They were then spotted at Bella's NYC apartment in June, where they romped around in their underwear and took selfies on her balcony.

When asked to describe each other in two words, Bella called Jordan, 'The Best'. He returned the favour by saying: 'Energy and vibes'.
Shervin Roohparvar was accused by GG during her birthday party of sleeping with a married woman behind his girlfriend's back on Sunday's episode of Shahs Of Sunset.

Golnesa 'GG' Gharachedaghi and Mercedes 'MJ' Javid both claimed Shervin had been seeing Tara Radcliffe for five months and told friends that Tara's husband Rob had thrown her out of the house.

Shervin, however, denied the allegations, kicking off a furious row at GG's 1980s themed birthday party at a roller skating rink in Los Angeles.

Birthday party: Golnesa 'GG' Gharachedaghi during her birthday party accused Shervin Roohparvar of sleeping with a married woman on Sunday's episode of Shahs Of Sunset

With Tara standing within earshot, he told Reza Farahan: 'I can go anywhere I want and pick up any girl I want. It's not hard. This? It's not even my type.'

MJ called Reza to tell him about Shervin's bedroom activities, just moments before Reza sat down for dinner with him, Mike Shouhed and MJ's fiance Tommy Feight.

As Reza sat in shock, she told him: 'Tara and Shervin have been f***ing for the last five months and finally Robert finds out and kicked her out of the house.'

When the men arrived, a stunned Reza finished his phone call and pointedly asked Shervin how his relationship with Annalise Vanessa Carbone, his Australian girlfriend, was going.

Denied it: Shervin while attending the 1980s themed birthday party denied cheating on his girlfriend with Tara

Right there: Tara was standing right there when Shervin said she wasn't his type

Great timing: Mercedes 'MJ' Jahvid told Reza Farahan about Shervin and Tara over the phone right before Shervin arrived to a hookah joint

'I love her, she's amazing,' Shervin said. 'I'm not going to start putting my time and investing energy on somebody on the other side of the world if I don't think there's something potential future. We've talked about her moving. She's going to come out here soon.'

Reza told the cameras: 'Shervin is a liar and a bad one at that.'

GG confronted Shervin about rumors as the pair shopped for baby clothes for pregnant pal Asa Rahmati, but he denied that anything had happened between him and Tara.

The girlfriend: Annalise was praised by Shervin in her absence

She's amazing: Shervin said that Annalise was amazing and he saw a future with her

'That's almost funny,' he said. 'There's no truth to this.'

He also told MJ the rumors were not true as they sat down to lunch at a cafe and branded Tara a 'sociopath'.

'I didn't hook up with her,' he said. 'She's friends with Golnesa and Sarah and the only time I see her is with them. I'm starting to realize she's got serious problems.'

Almost funny: Shervin denied sleeping with Tara while they shopped for baby clothes

Making sure: GG confronted Shervin about the rumors she heard regarding him and Tara

Flat denial: Shervin also denied the rumors about Tara over lunch with MJ

A skeptical MJ told the cameras: 'He's so knee deep in s***. I know Shervy got swervy with Tara for a fact. Tara told my friend she wants to leave her husband and stay with Shervin and eventually marry Shervin.

'Tara may have set her sights way too high because what she didn't know is that Shervin just wanted to swerve.'

GG told the cameras Shervin had since admitted to sleeping with Tara and she promised to help him cover it up  but her patience ran out as she celebrated her birthday with them both.

Somewhat skeptical: MJ said she knew 'for a fact' that 'Shervy got swervy with Tara'

Owned up: GG also said that Shervin later owned up to sleeping with Tara

'The truth should just f***ing come out,' she said.

Reza added: 'If you had sex with her, why aren't you just keeping it real?'

Shervin insisted: 'Because I didn't.'

New wave: Reza urged Shervin to come clean if he slept with Tara

While Tara begged him to tell the truth, Shervin fired back: 'Are you crazy? Are you that sick?'

He told his friends: 'I've told you 100 times what the truth is, but that's not working, so if it makes everybody feel better, sure.'

While Shervin and Tara were rowing, everyone else had babies on the brain during the one-hour episode titled You Got Sherv'd.

Feel better: Shervin told his friends they weren't accepting the truth

Not working: The rumors about Tara were denied multiple times by Shervin

While pregnant Asa complained to her parents that her friends had failed to properly look after her in Israel, Reza and husband Adam Neely discussed their future over a drink at a cat cafe.

Adam told his other half: 'The compromise was I would go do the adoption agency thing with you and you would go and get your sperm analysed and you haven't done any of that.

'What I would like to see from you is for you to fulfill your promises  the whole sperm thing.'

Family meal: Asa Soltani enjoyed a meal with her parents after returning from Israel

Baby talk: Reza and husband Adam Neely discussed having a child together

Reza told the cameras: 'I'm trying to keep the adoption dream alive. I'm watering that thing, I'm giving it sun. Adam is kind of whipping his d*** out and saying 'mmm mmm'.

'I know we keep saying we're discussing it, but it looks like we're going down the f***ing surrogacy route.'

He told Adam: 'I'll take the f***ing test. I'll have to start tomorrow because I already jacked off once today.'

Adoption dream: The reality star was hoping the couple would go the adoption route

Cat cafe: Adam and Reza discussed their future as parents at a cat cafe

MJ, meanwhile, prepared for a night of passion with fiance Tommy as they checked into the Intercontinental Hotel in the hope of conceiving.

She explained: 'I'm new at the ovulation kit thing and you're supposed to have sex five days inside of that time.

'It's not every day that Tommy and I will check into a five-star hotel to f*** but we need to do something romantic.

Hotel room: MJ and fiance Tommy Feight checked into the Intercontinental Hotel in the hope of conceiving

'I'm not getting any younger and I really have to prioritize family and pregnancy. It's like Nike  just do it,' MJ said.

'Put all of your fears aside, you're going to be a great Mom, he's going to be a great dad, everything will be fine, just get a C-section, your box will be intact,' she added.

Shahs Of Sunset will return September 10 on Bravo.
She's one of Australia's greatest artists and much loved judges on The Voice.

And although known for using her social media to promote happy and positive messages, on Monday, Delta Goodrem had something different to share with her fans.

Taking to Instagram, the 32-year-old revealed that there was a 'FALSE & unauthorised article circulating online from an unsolicited site' regarding her involvement with a face cream.

A scam! On Monday, Delta Goodrem revealed a haux site was claiming she had released a game changing face cream and were scamming people

'The information in this story is untrue so people do NOT believe anything that you may have read, wrote Delta.'

'Do NOT click through to this article. It is a SCAM intended to get your data and/or your money.'

'I have nothing to do with this made up story and wanted to make sure you knew NOT to follow the link,' Delta continued.

Lies! 'The information in this story is untrue so people do NOT believe anything that you may have read'

Stories: The article claimed Delta had broken her Voice contract with Nine to promote her apparent new skincare line on a competing network

According to social media users, the post titled 'Delta Stirs Up Controversy Again', has been featured all around the internet over the past few days including sites about yesterday's Mayweather McGregor fight.

The article claimed Delta had broken her Voice contract with Nine to promote her apparent new skincare line on a competing network - something which they say her rumoured partner Seal wasn't even aware about.

Continuing on, the site named Andi Mitchells claimed her 'mystery line' was called Christie Brinkley Wrinkle Reduction - 'a cutting-edge Wrinkle Reducer And Anti-Ageing Serum.'

New venture? Continuing on, the site named Andi Mitchells claimed her 'mystery line' was called Christie Brinkley Wrinkle Reduction - 'a cutting-edge Wrinkle Reducer And Anti-Ageing Serum'

Gossip: It claimed Delta's rumoured partner Seal was not aware of her supossed legal case

But unfortunately it appears some people have already been caught up in the scam

But unfortunately it appears some people have already been caught up in the scam.

'Thought I was paying only $39.95 and got charged over $200.00,' wrote one customer.

Claiming that Delta had also been served with a lawsuit and Seal had been grated the role of finding her Voice replacement, the article said Delta had quoted the Network were only giving her a hard time because 'her miracle face creme really works, and they want to own a portion of her company.'

Using before an after pictures of individuals with wrinkles, the brand continually plug Delta's name throughout for an added sale push.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to both Delta and her management for further comment.
He's known as the $10 million man, playing for the Sydney Swans.

And now Jesinta Campbell has revealed her husband Lance 'Buddy' Franklin's pre-game ritual.

The 26-year-old WAG and model told The Sydney Morning Herald that every Friday night during season, she cooks him spaghetti and they have breakfast together before a match.

Scroll down for video

'It's a thing we do': Jesinta Campbell reveals her and Buddy Franklin's pre-game ritual saying she cooks him spaghetti and they have breakfast together

'It's a thing we do. I cook spaghetti and we go have breakfast at our favourite place,' Jesinta told the publication.

Sydney-based Jesinta went to a Dior exhibition preview on Friday in Melbourne for a few hours, before jetting back to Sydney to be with her man for their ritual.

On Saturday, she then jetted to Melbourne to attend the gala.

That's commitment! Jesinta went to a Dior exhibition preview on Friday in Melbourne for a few hours, before jetting back to Sydney to be with her man for their ritual. On Saturday, she then jetted to Melbourne to attend the gala (pictured)

She added that she loves being at the match to support her man, 30.

'When I have the means to get there I am always there to support [him],' Jesinta said.

The pair tied the knot in a secret ceremony in the Blue Mountains back in November last year.

During an interview with The Morning Show earlier this month, the model denied they got a 'freebie wedding.'

His number one fan! She added that she loves being at the match to support her man, 30

The pair chose not to make any magazine deals but sharing some stunning images with Vogue Australia.

'A lot of our life is played out in the public eye, obviously both of our careers are very public and for us, keeping that day to ourselves was really important,' she explained.

'We didn't want drones floating around or having to get up and worry about paparazzi in the morning.

'We didn't do a magazine deal, and I said to Bud, "we are a young, Aussie couple, and we are going to save up, work hard and pay for our wedding ourselves, just like every other young couple has to in this country."'

Jesinta added that the couple wanted to have a wedding on their own terms.
Frances Bean Cobain may be getting her claws out during a bitter post-divorce heirloom clash with her ex-husband.

But the 25-year-old daughter of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain appeared calm and demure after touching down at LAX on Thursday.

Dressed head-to-toe in her signature grunge style, the star went braless as she was escorted through the airport by her security personnel.

Getting on with it: Frances Bean Cobain, 25, touched down in LAX on Thursday dressed in 70s flared jeans and a brown cowboy-style jacket amid divorce dramas

Grungy: The model and artist looked every bit the rockstar daughter with chunky black boots and red lipstick

The only child of Cobain and Hole songstress Courtney Love wore a brown-fringed cowboy jacket paired with a simple t-shirt and 70s-style flared jeans as she passed through the Los Angeles terminal.

She also wore her dark brown locks loose and a pop of red lipstick, while compromising plane comfort for fashion with a pair of thick black boots.

The model and artist remains locked in a bitter split from her ex-husband Isaiah Silva, 31, who reportedly refuses to return a guitar previously owned by her father Kurt Cobain.

It is the guitar which the late Cobain used to play during Nirvana's iconic 1993 MTV Unplugged concert, and has been described as a 'priceless family heirloom'.

Rockstar look: Frances wore her brunette locks loose as she was escorted through the Los Angeles airport

Claiming what's hers: The Hole songstress' daughter, 24, has been involved in a bitter split from her ex husband Isaiah Silva, 31, and has been fighting to get him to return her late father's priceless guitar

Claims: A representative for Courtney, who is currently away filming in Canada, told TMZ her 'late husband's guitar is a "treasured heirloom" that belongs within her family'

Silva, who is also a musician in his band The Eeries, claims he was gifted the guitar from Frances after their secret wedding in 2014.

The Martin D-18E, which has the bridge flipped so Kurt could play it left-handed, was once insured for $1 million, but experts predict it is now likely worth several times that amount, reports PageSix.

It is believed to be the last guitar Kurt played before his death in 1994, when Frances was nearly two years old.

The fight to retrieve her father's beloved instrument from her ex has headed into a multi-million dollar court battle.

Frances and Silva split in March 2016 after a whirlwind two-year marriage.

Touching down: The 25-year-old wore a fringed cowboy-style jacket and appeared calm and collected despite being locked in a bitter post-divorce court battle with her musician ex-husband
He ditched his trademark brunette dreads for a simple blond buzz cut.

And Jaden Smith, 19, was pictured kissing his new girlfriend Odessa Adlon, 18, while peddling his own clothing brand at a street-side flea market in LA on Sunday.

Son of famed actor Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith was at the Melrose Trading Post market, where the brunette beauty was keen to show her support.

Where there's a Will there's a way! Blond Jaden Smith enjoyed a passionate kiss with new girlfriend Odessa Adlon as he sold his unique clothing line at a LA flea market on Sunday

Matching style: The loved-up pair held hands as they strolled through the LA flea-market

Jaden, 19, owns gender-neutral brand MSFTSrep and was out and about sporting his own threads with friends.

Sporting his surprising new bright yellow haircut, Jaden wore his own branded t-shirt paired with a heavy denim jacket and a gold chain around his neck.

As Jaden and Odessa sold t-shirts and crystals at their flea-market stall, the pair found time to steal some kisses and pack on the PDA.

The loved-up couple held hands as they wandered through the market and basked in the LA sun.

Stepping out in style: Jaden owns his own street wear brand called MSFTSrep

Buzz cut: Jaden debuted his new haircut earlier this year, ditching his trademark dreads for a bleach blond look

Changes: Jaden recently ditched his trademark dreads (right - pictured in October) for a blond buzz cut (left)

While Jaden showcased his own fashion brand, Odessa opted for an over-sized vintage Tigger t-shirt and 70s-style flared corduroy trousers.

Jaden went public with his new relationship in April after the two were seen cuddling on a Miami beach, following his split from 22-year-old model Sarah Snyder.

But while he was enjoying a Sunday market stall with his new flame, Jaden's father Will was rocking it out on stage in Blackpool for the Livewire Festival.

The 48-year-old actor and rapper closed the festival with hits such as Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It and Men in Black alongside friend and music collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Daddy cool! While Jaden was enjoying a Sunday market stall with his new flame, his father Will was rocking it out on stage in Blackpool for the Livewire Festival

Boom! Shake the Room: The 48-year-old actor and rapper closed the festival with hits such as Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It and Men in Black alongside friend and music collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff

Street cred: Jaden's clothing brand sells t-shirts, jackets and pants - which he was wearing during the market
Advertisement

They're one of the strongest couples in Hollywood, with their loving marriage proving to be relationship inspiration for their legion of fans.

Continuing to be a picture of wedded bliss four years after their wedding day, Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend happily frolicked in the water during their idyllic breakaway to Saleccia Bay, near Saint-Florent, in Corsica on their impressive luxury yacht.

Model Chrissy, 31, showcased her incredible figure as she sported a daring one-piece, also worn by Kourtney Kardashian, which was sure to displayed plenty of ample sideboob as she dipped in and out of the sea.

Cheeky: Chrissy Teigen, 31, showcased her incredible figure as she sported a daring one-piece which was sure to displayed plenty of ample sideboob as she dipped in and out of the sea during her idyllic breakaway to Saleccia Bay, near Saint-Florent, in Corsica with husband John Legend, 38

Looks familiar: Kourtney Kardashian wore the exact same Norma Kamali swimsuit during her July holiday to Saint-Tropez, uploading the picture to her Instagram this week

Putting on a rather busty display, the American beauty's racy Norma Kamali swimsuit featured a daring scooped necklace, equipped with gold penny detailing to draw attention to her sensational appearance.

She continued to up the ante during her time on deck while her swimwear boasted seductive gaping side-panels, teasing at her bust and stylishly featured a daring low-back.

The one-piece oozed a flare for the eighties with its high-thigh cut silhouette that was sure to elongated her already lengthy lean pins and highlight her pert derriere as she climbed in and out of the water.

With her glossy wet locks slicked off her face, the Lip Sync Battle host looked fresh-faced for the sun-soaked outing off the French Riviera, opting to go make-up free as she luxuriated on board with her nearest and dearest.

Seas the day: The one-piece oozed a flare for the eighties with its high-thigh cut silhouette that was sure to elongated her already lengthy lean pins and highlight her pert derriere as she climbed in and out of the water

Water about that: She continued to up the ante during her time on deck while her swimwear boasted seductive gaping side-panels, teasing at her bust and stylishly featured a daring low-back

Chest a glimpse: Putting on a rather busty display, the American beauty's racy swimsuit featured a daring scooped necklace, equipped with gold penny detailing to draw attention to her sensational appearance

Naut a care in the world: With her glossy wet locks slicked off her face, the Lip Sync Battle host looked fresh-faced for the sun-soaked outing off the French Riviera, opting to go make-up free as she luxuriated on board with her John by her side

Shellebrations: The pair appeared in jovial spirits as they enjoyed time together during their activity filled day at sea

Toweling off: Following their dip in the sea, the pair happily dried off on board their incredible yacht

Oh my cod! Grammy winner John sported a pair of floral print swim shorts for the day as he let the Mediterranean sun wash over his shirtless display

Washing off: The Grammy-winning hitmaker went shirtless for the occasion as he showcased his muscular physique while cooling off in the crystal clear sea

Complementing her make-up free love, John slipped on a pair of navy floral swim shorts during his outing to the calm and tranquil Island, just a few hours after leaving Saint-Tropez and the agitated French Riviera.

The Grammy-winning hitmaker went shirtless for the occasion as he showcased his muscular physique while cooling off in the crystal clear sea.

In the midst of their sunbathing sessions, the couple hilariously enjoyed a spot of paddle boarding in the open sea which saw them rib-tickling fail over.

The loved-up pair - who are known for their humour - couldn't contain their laughter at their failed attempt at the water sport.

Chilling out: The couple lounged about on their paddle board in between their action-packed activities

Going: In the midst of their sunbathing sessions, the couple hilariously enjoyed a spot of paddle boarding in the open sea which saw them rib-ticklingly fall over

Laugh a minute: Chrissy hilariously fell off a paddle board with her hubby John and couldn't contain their laughter as the slip-up unfolded

Going: The loved-up pair - who are known for their humour - couldn't contain their laughter at their failed attempt at the water sport

Gone: The two were all smiles as they attempted to compose themselves following the moment

Back to it! Following the brief mishap, the pair managed to get back on the board

What a giggle: Chrissy was left hysterically laughing following the hilarious moment

Whale of a time: Chrissy beamed and giggled while she managed to contain her modesty in the water

All on board! The Hollywood golden couple clambered back onto the board with aplomb and continued their attempt at the water sport

Elsewhere, the frank fashion star recently opened up about her plans to build their family with husband John Legend.

'I used to think it was kind of nutty to have to go totally sober,' the model told Cosmopolitan on Sunday. 'But now I get it. I don't want to be that person I have to fix myself.'

'I was, point blank, just drinking too much,' the Lip Sync Battle host admitted.

'I got used to being in hair and makeup and having a glass of wine. Then that glass of wine would carry over into me having one before the awards show. And then a bunch at the awards show.'

Oh no! It appeared to be an unlucky day on the water for Chrissy as she spectacularly fell off a paddle board later in the day

Making a splash! Chrissy caused a huge splash after she comically fell off her board

Back to it! Following her slip, Chrissy towards her board before getting back on

Haddock enough yet? The catwalk star showcased her enviable figure while trying to paddle board

Beach, please? Chrissy happily paddled around as she luxuriated in the sun

Current situation: She beamed as she bobbed along the water on her board for the luxury day at sea

Stretching it out: Chrissy playfully performed a yoga stretch - the cobra - while chilling out on her board

Cooling off: The TV star chortled throughout her time out at sea

Rested: At one stage, she happily lay strewn across her board, resting in between her attempts

On the same wavelength: John appeared to take the reins later in the day as he paddled for the both of them

Just wet here: The dynamic duo rested amongst the lithe waves

Fun and frolics: Both Chrissy and John appeared in their element during their rigorous outing

Passing the paddle: The pair sat idle as they enjoyed a well deserved break

Ship! Chrissy and John seemed to be in a world of their own as they chatted away to one another

What a pier! The couple comically appeared to headbutt each other when they got onto their board

You got to be squidding me? John slipped on a lifejacket for the occasion while Chrissy showcased plenty of sideboob

Legend and Teigen embarked on a health-reset trip to Bali earlier this year, where the couple abstained from alcohol entirely.

The mother to 16-month-old daughter Luna continued: 'And then I felt bad for making kind of an ass of myself to people that I really respected.

'And that feeling, there's just nothing like that. You feel horrible. It's not a good look for me, for John, for anybody.'

Chrissy went on to say that her family has a history of alcohol abuse and she currently takes medication for postpartum depression and anxiety, both of which conflict with any alcohol intake.

Swim to it! John enjoyed a quick swim in the water with the help of a thruster

Totally oarsome! He later shielded his eyes from the splash as he zipped about the place

Far from crabbie: John took off in a flash with the help of his motorised swimming gadget

Thrilling: Chrissy was all smiles as John bobbed by her

All smiles: Chrissy continued to flaunt her striking frame in her skimpy swimwear

Whalecome onboard! She was left aghast as she attempted to get back on her board

Playful: She kneeled behind her pal as they battled it out on the board

Her need to cleanse her mind, body and soul was sparked by the couple's interest in adding another member to their family.

'A lot of stuff's about to come,' Teigen said. 'We're going to try to have a child.

'This is for us to try to get in the zone of "let's travel, let's be away together, let's see our closest friends," and then we're going to have to do something super hard, which is the IVF process, all over again.'

Born on April 14, 2016, Chrissy and John were very candid about their struggles with conceiving baby Luna Simone.

They used IVF to conceive their child, and also revealed they hand-picked a female embryo to ensure she and John would have a daughter.

Fin-tastic! Nearing the end of their session, John appeared to grasped the paddle boarding
Friends of the Crazy Mountains was formed around a campfire chat involving a few friends. It seems when mankind is in the great outdoors, many issues get resolved. In a way, our spirits are set free because here nobody can judge usthat is why preserving public access to our public land is so important. It give us freedom and a place to escape from everyday struggles. It is a public good.

The Crazy Mountains became a hot topic after Yellowstone District Ranger Alex Sienkiewicz was reassigned after he ran into opposition while trying to work on and maintain historical prescriptive easement trails, leaving public access to these historical public trails vulnerable. Since forming our group, we have shed light on west side public access issues. We are under the impression, from the U.S. Forest Service, there are negotiations going on with some landowners in reference to prescriptive easements on the Lowline Trail. What has gotten us to this point? Growing up in this area, we have always had these prescriptive easement trails. This is no longer the case. We now see "No Access" signs going up on these historical public trails as well as locked gates, creating controversy. This situation that has evolved points to two things: money and greed.

Montana is on the map now. It has some of the best recreational opportunities in the United States. Unfortunately, these opportunities are becoming increasingly unavailable to the public. We realize this comment will create an argument. Some of us who have lived here our whole life have seen and felt the impact to hunting, fishing, or just accessing our public lands to recreate. For example, our big game animals are now sought by trophy hunters, who will pay top dollar for access to harvest them. However, to the average Montanan, they are a means of necessity for food.

Much of the land in our area has been leased out, making our public lands and public access much more critical. We are running out of public places to access and recreate. The Crazy Mountains are unique. Much of the land is in a checkerboard pattern of private and public. When we start losing public access points in these areas, this increases land locking of public land, making it extremely difficult to access.

These issues arising on the trails seems to confuse the public. We are told by the U.S. Forest Service these are public trails, but when we access them, we run into "No Trespassing" signs or locked gates. This creates doubt. These are historical public trails. Many of our children and ancestors have accessed these public trails, which have been in place for a hundred years.

The U.S. Forest Service has put the public in a bad spot by using citizens as a buffer between itself and the property owners. It is apparent negotiations have not worked or seem one-sided. There should be no negotiations pertaining to historical prescriptive easement trails.

The U.S. Forest Service needs to protect the public's right to access public land, even if it means deferring to the court. We wonder will our grandchildren and great-grandchildren get to enjoy the public access many of us have had or will it continue to disappear?

We need to take action. Please contact your federal, state, and local representatives to voice your concerns.
The Samatau tribe has voted Ziggy to compete for the ultimate reward on Australian Survivor.

The show's presenter Jonathan LaPaglia kept the most of the details of the challenge under wraps at tribal council.

He only revealed it would not involve the opposing team and that the choose person can decide whether they want to keep the reward or share it with the team.

Now that's an advantage! The Samatau tribe has voted Ziggy to compete for the ultimate reward on Australian Survivor winning double immunity

Ziggy won the majority of the votes from the team and after the rest of the tribe headed back to camp, she was handed a map to the mangroves.

The task was to search for the Super Idol split in two halves, which could grant her the power to cancel the power of an immunity idol and to provide immunity from elimination.

She had until sunrise to complete the challenge and was successful in finding the object in the deep in the forest.

Tribal council: Jonathan LaPaglia told the tribe the choose person can decide whether they want to keep the reward or share it with the team

Deliberation: The task was to search for the Super Idol split in two halves, which could grant her the power to cancel the power of an immunity idol and to provide immunity from elimination

But earlier in the day, the contestants were sent care gifts from home that brought them to tears after 25 days in Samoa.

Luke Toki was sent a photo frame of his wife and two sons, he said he hopes to use the potential winnings to take his family to the movies and Disneyland.

Odette also received a photo of her late mother to help give her strength and inspire her to carry on for her own young son.

Inspiration: the contestants were sent care gifts from home that brought them to tears after 25 days in Samoa. Luke Toki was sent a photo frame of his wife and two sons, while Odette also received a photo of her late mother

Challenge: The teams then competed in a challenge that saw three tribe members from each team leap off a tall platform reach for a key to jump into the water

The teams then competed in a challenge that saw three tribe members from each team leap off a tall platform reach for a key to jump into the water.

Contestants had to swim to shore and use the key to open a box with the puzzle inside, which they had to piece together.

The Samatau tribe came out on top thanks to the efforts of Peter, Ben, Tessa, Locky and the ultimate reward winner Ziggy.
She was catapulted to fame after flaunting her fabulous figure on MTV's Ex On The Beach.

And Jess Impiazzi almost bared her most famous assets, as she struggled to contain her ample bust in a daring bikini while enjoying a sun-soaked getaway to Spain on Monday.

The 27-year-old glamour model's bikini top consisted of a wraparound feature, which showcased plenty of cleavage and partially revealed the bottom of her breasts.

Scroll down for video

Risky: Jess Impiazzi, 27, almost bared her most famous assets, as she struggled to contain her ample bust in a daring bikini on Monday

She flaunted her incredibly toned midriff in the skimpy two piece, and drew attention to her narrow waist with her navel piercing.

Jess's bikini bottoms were cut in a Brazilian thong style to expose the full extent of her rounded derriere, and she wore them low on her hips to accentuate the slenderness of their shape.

The reality star wore her red-tinged tresses in curls, and unperturbed by the water surrounding her, sported a full face of make up complete with false eyelashes and groomed brows.

Sultry: The glamour model's bikini top consisted of a wraparound feature, which showcased plenty of cleavage and partially revealed the bottom of her breasts

Bottoms up! Jess's bikini bottoms were cut in a Brazilian thong style to expose the full extent of her rounded derriere

Slim as a pin: Jess wore her bikini bottoms low on her hips to accentuate the slenderness of their shape

In February, Jess revealed the terrifying incident in which she escaped a paedophile, who was eventually placed on the sex offender's register.

Talking exclusively to MailOnline she explained that she had suffered the horrific experience as a child, which ultimately made her extremely vigilant in such situations.

Her frank confession comes after she took to Twitter to reveal she had been 'inappropriately touched by a stranger on a train', in an incident which left her terrified to travel alone at night.

Gym-honed: She flaunted her incredibly toned midriff in the skimpy two piece, and drew attention to her narrow waist with her navel piercing

And relax! The reality star was seen to kick back with a novel by the pool

Stylish: Jess shielded her eyes from the sun with a pair of large dark sunglasses

Poolside glamour: The reality star wore her red-tinged tresses in curls, and unperturbed by the water surrounding her, sported a full face of make up complete with false eyelashes and groomed brows

Jess, who soared to fame on the second season of EOTB in 2014, was incensed to speak out after Martine McCutcheon discussed a similar incident on Loose Women.

It seems Martine's revelation inspired her to speak out as she revealed to her 156,000 followers that she had been touched inappropriately by a stranger.

Atop the harrowing experience, she went on to reveal to MailOnline that she had suffered a traumatic incident as a child but thankfully managed to escape.

Narrow escape: In February, Jess revealed the terrifying incident in which she escaped a paedophile, who was eventually placed on the sex offender's register

Vigilant: Talking exclusively to MailOnline she explained that she had suffered the horrific experience as a child, which ultimately made her extremely vigilant in such situations

Incensed: Jess, who soared to fame on the second season of EOTB in 2014, was incensed to speak out after Martine McCutcheon discussed a similar incident on Loose Women

Scary: She said: 'When I was a child, I had a nasty run in with a paedophile. Luckily I was a quick thinker and got away from the man'

Chilling out: Jess was seen to stretch out as she sunbathed by the pool

She said: 'When I was a child, I had a nasty run in with a paedophile. Luckily I was a quick thinker and got away from the man.

'He was then put on to the sex offenders list - but it's made me very vigilant in these situations. My advice to other girls would be to speak up about those situations and get to a place of safety.'

Of her concerns on the train, Jess explained she quickly sought help from her rugby player beau Denny Solomona, who she admits she seeks solace in.

She said of the incident on the train: 'It just really frightened me! It's made me cover up a lot more when I go out alone, because I'm worried about leaches like him.

'If Denny is with me, I'm fine, but I don't like wearing so much revealing clothes when I'm alone. It's sad because I should be free to wear whatever I want!'

Happier than ever: Jess is now engaged to her rugby player beau Denny Solomona

She said of the incident on the train: 'It just really frightened me! It's made me cover up a lot more when I go out alone, because I'm worried about leaches like him'
She bravely revealed she's battling depression after a gym injury forced her to gain a stone in weight.

But former TOWIE star Frankie Essex revealed her sensational curves while topping up her tan while on holiday in Portugal on Sunday.

The 28-year-old looked incredible in a slogan-print swimsuit which appeared to give her a boost with the motivational words: 'Conquer from within' placed on the front.

Scroll down for video

'Conquer from within': Frankie Essex wore a 'motivational' swimsuit in Portugal on Sunday... after revealing depression battle following one stone weight gain

While Frankie might be struggling to accept herself at her new weight, it was fair to say she shone in her get-up as she relaxed poolside.

She added her own touch to her ensemble with a statement necklace and a pair of vintage white sunglasses which drew the eye.

Her long blonde tresses cascaded down past her shoulders as she emerged from the water.

Frankie recently told The Sun that time spent in the gym helps keep her depression at bay, but she has been unable to run since damaging her knee.

She explained: 'I've put on a stone. Not being able to go gym - you eat and it makes me a bit depressed.'

Discussing how her body has changed since her knock, she added: 'It's horrible and it's a bit depressing. I'm swollen. My whole body is swollen.'

Frankie also revealed that a doctor recommended she take anti-depressants.

Looking sensational: She bravely revealed she's battling depression after a gym injury forced her to gain a stone in weight

Transformed: Frankie (pictured in 2016) has yo-yo dieted in the past and has faced cruel comments from trolls on her weight loss journey

Joey Essex's has had to defend herself of late after appalling internet trolls began commenting on her appearance.

She wrote: 'So bored of people trolling me about my weight! Yes I have put a bit on but there are reasons behind it!'

Although taken aback by the commentary, Frankie's spirits were lifted after many of the reality star's followers came to her defence.

One wrote: 'Frankie dont listen to the trolls you are amazing and gorgeous keep your head held up xxxx' (sic).

'Rule 1-never justify yourself to keyboard warriors & definitely not about your weight. You are beautiful inside&,out- unlike those trolls!!

'You look amazing!' a fan added. 'They are only jealous because they aren't achieving what you have done.'

While another shared: 'Who should care. As long as you are healthy and happy who should care.'

The blonde bombshell also revealed what her secret was to shedding the weight in the first place and admitted that she found it difficult to give up ketchup among other sauces to reach her goal weight.

She told the publication: You have to eat clean - food without sauces... I used to love sauces, especially ketchup but i don't have it any more. It's full of sugar.'
He was pictured kissing costar Gwyneth Paltrow on the set of Avengers 4 last week.

But Robert Downey Jr. was with his real life leading lady on Saturday as he joined wife Susan at a screening of the documentary Icarus in New York.

The couple looked coordinated as they posed together at the outdoor Hamptons International Film Festival event.

Robert Downey Jr. was accompanied by his wife Susan at the screening of Icarus in The Hamptons on Saturday

The 52-year-old Iron Man star wore a graphic print t-shirt with jeans and sneakers and finished the outfit with a dark blazer.

Susan, 43, wore a black knee-length dress with summery nude wedges.

The pretty brunette was a producer on the set of Gothika when she met Robert in 2003.

After turning down the actor's romantic advances twice, Susan finally gave in and the duo started dating, with Robert proposing the following year.

Coordinated couple: Robert wore a dark blazer over a graphic print t-shirt while Susan wore a stylish black dress

The couple married in a Jewish ceremony in August 2005 and they have two children together, son Exton five and daughter Avri, two.

Meanwhile, Robert was spotted in character as Tony Stark and smooching Gwyneth (playing Pepper Potts) on the Georgia set of the hotly anticipated Marvel movie on Tuesday.

It came after the 44-year-old actress flashed confirmed that the onscreen couple are engaged with a selfie on Instagram and an engagement ring emoji.

In May, Downey told Howard Stern that he was keen to get Gwyneth back into the Iron man films so they can hook up.

Robert poses alongside (L-R) David Nugent, Jim Swartz, Anne Chaisson, Pat Kaufman, Bryan Fogel, Mary Jane Brock, Alec Baldwin, David Fialkow and Dan Cogan

'My free pass  because her and Susan are such good friends  is Paltrow,' he revealed.

But there is a catch: the cameras have to be 'rolling on a take' for them to legally lock lips.

'I gotta get her back in these movies so I can make out with her onscreen again,' he concluded.

Fans who watched Spider-Man: Homecoming knew the superhero had popped the question to his assistant-turned-lover at a press conference right at the end of the film, but never actually got to hear her answer.

Avengers 4 boasts a long list of Marvel actors, including Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Tom Holland, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Karen Gillan, Anthony Mackie and Jeremy Renner.

Onscreen couple: Gwyneth Paltrow, 44, shared this selfie from the set of Avengers 4 with the actor last week
Georgia Love and Lee Elliott found love on last year's season of The Bachelorette and now it looks like wedding bells could be on the way.

The pair have been on a romantic Italian vacation and whispers of an imminent proposal have followed their every move.

A set of particularly romantic Instagram snaps showing the pair enjoying a rooftop brunch in Rome has tongue wagging.

Is this it? Georgia Love and Lee Elliott found love on last year's season of The Bachelorette and now it looks like wedding bells could be on the way

In the images, the pair, wearing white robes, appear overjoyed as they share pastries and juice on a balcony with a spectacular view.

Georgia, 27, captioned her version of the photo: 'Literally perfection' and added, 'sorry not sorry but we're never coming home'.

Lee, 36, also shared a different angle of the same photo, captioning his post: 'Buongiorno! #cannotesspressohowamazingthisis'

Their tags indicated they were staying at the luxury Lifestyle Suites Rome where a room can run as much as $2500 per night.

Loved up: A set of particularly romantic Instagram snaps showing the pair enjoying a rooftop brunch in Rome has tongue wagging

The pair had put on a particularly amorous display as they left for their holiday on Friday.

Having revealed they were moments away from boarding a flight to Italy for a romantic getaway, fans wondered if engagement was on the cards.

One fan was quick to suggest a possible engagement for the lovebirds, commenting underneath the photo: 'What a perfect place to put a ring on it.'

Engagement on the cards? The pair had put on a particularly amorous display as they left for their holiday on Friday

Gushing: The post came shortly before Lee took to Instagram again, this time gushing over Georgia, as the pair celebrate their one-year anniversary

The post came shortly before Lee took to Instagram again, this time gushing over Georgia, as the pair celebrate their one-year anniversary.

A photo of the couple during last year's grand finale episode of The Bachelorette, was captioned: '1 year ago today you stood across from me with that infectious smile of yours.'

He added: 'In the past year I've managed to fall more in love with you and could not be more excited for the next 50-60!'
She found fame in the 90s as one of the elite original supermodels.

And Claudia Schiffer proved she still looks as fantastic as in her heyday when she holidayed in Italy with her family, showcasing her incredible figure in a polka dot bikini.

The 47-year-old star displayed her toned physique and rock hard abs in the white two-peace during a yacht trip.

Blonde bombshell: Claudia Schiffer proved she still looks as fantastic as in her heyday when she holidayed in Italy with her family, showcasing her incredible figure in a polka dot bikini

Claudia's flattering swimwear boasted ties at the hips, drawing attention to her long legs.

She wore her light blonde locks scraped back in a ponytail and accessorised with a simple necklace and a pair of shades.

The German beauty was seen hopping on board a boat and heading out to the superyacht in the company of her husband, British director Matthew Vaughn.

Looking good: The 47-year-old star displayed her toned physique and rock hard abs in the white two-peace during a yacht trip

Leggy lady: Claudia's flattering swimwear boasted ties at the hips, drawing attention to her long legs

Claudia was spotted bronzing herself on the deck, catching up on a good book.

The blonde bombshell previously discussed being a part of the elite club of the world's most successful and highly-paid catwalk queens.

Speaking in an interview with Marie Claire, she admitted: 'We see each other very occasionally. We're still in contact via email. I might be in LA and email Cindy or see Eva in London.

Low-key: She wore her light blonde locks scraped back in a ponytail and accessorised with a simple necklace and a pair of shades

In good company: The German beauty was seen hopping on board a boat and heading out to the superyacht in the company of her husband, British director Matthew Vaughn

Relaxing in style: Claudia was spotted bronzing herself on the deck, reading good book

'It's very sporadic, but whenever I see them I can still talk to them, we can pick up where we left off.

'That's the kind of bond I don't think will ever break.

'Even though there was a lot of competition, there was also camaraderie and we knew that we were part of a club that was very special.'

Fancy frock: Claudia kept covered up in a patterned dress and a suede belt
He's known for playing powerful roles such as Nelson Mandela and Heimdall in the Marvel movies.

But it seems Idris Elba fancies himself as quite the playboy after he was spotted at the airport accompanied by a mystery woman while wearing a bunny t-shirt.

The 44-year-old hobbled on his injured leg at Manchester Airport and poked his tongue out as he walked alongside the brunette beauty.

Hobbling along: Idris Elba, 44, sported a leg brace as he walked alongside a mystery woman at Manchester Airport, while wearing his Playboy T-shirt

Playboy: The Luther actor seemed rather pleased with his cheeky t-shirt

Idris arrived at the airport after DJing at music festival Creamfields on the Bank Holiday weekend.

Wearing a cheeky playboy-branded t-shirt, Idris had a leg brace still attached to his leg over a pair of jeans.

He also opted for a pair of comfortable Nike shoes - but was fortunately off the crutches he was spotted in earlier this week.

However it seems Idris has not completely recovered from his injury - which the reason behind remains unknown - as he hobbled into the airport.

Who's that girl?: The 44-year-old actor and DJ was spotted with an unknown brunette woman

Helping hand: Idris looked as if he was still hobbling on his injured leg as his companion helped

Up and away: The pair headed into Manchester Airport after the actor-turned-DJ performed at music festival Creamfields

The actor-turned-DJ kept close to his mystery female companion and put his arm around her as they headed inside the terminal.

The Luther star announced on Instagram last week he was unable to attend the Boardmasters surf and music festival in Cornwall after injuring his leg.

Uploading a photo of his hurt leg, the Hollywood star captioned it: '#Boardmasters, regretfully I will not be able to make it down tonight due to an injury. Absolutely gutted! Hopefully catch you next year.'

MailOnline has contacted the actor's reps for comment.

Keeping close: The actor put his arms around his mystery female companion as they headed to the airport

In pain: The Luther star announced on Instagram last week he was unable to attend the Boardmasters surf and music festival in Cornwall after injuring his leg
HBO's upcoming show The Deuce will apparently leave little to the imagination.

New stills from the pilot show Maggie Gyllenhaal, 39, opening her top over no bra while in character as 1970s Times Square prostitute Candy.

A young male character - presumably a client - gapes at blonde-permed Candy, whose real name is Eileen Merrell, as she grabs her own breasts.

Scroll down for video

Incoming: New stills from the pilot of HBO's The Deuce show Maggie Gyllenhaal, 39, opening her top over no bra while in character as 1970s Times Square prostitute Candy

Per a trailer for the series, Candy ventures from prostitution into the newly legal porn business, ultimately making her way behind the camera.

Along with stills of this encounter is one of James Franco, 39, who stars as the crime-scene-embroiled Martino twins Vincent and Frankie.

In that image, one of the mustached twins and a character called Ellen - played by Amber Skye Noyes - look rather alarmed as they lie topless in bed.

Per a trailer for the series, Candy ventures from prostitution into the newly legal porn business, ultimately making her way behind the camera

The Deuce, which will begin airing its eight-episode inaugural season on HBO come September 10, was co-created by The Wire creator David Simon and by George Pelacanos, who was himself a writer and producer on The Wire.

Based largely around Times Square, the show follows the era's burgeoning porn business there, and Maggie's held forth to Vulture about her nude scenes in it.

'Sometimes I do feel a little bit worried about the nudity being out there, but at the same time, I think that Im using my body to make something really interesting, and I like the message that that sends my daughters,' she explained to the site.

Arc: Per a trailer for the series, Candy ventures from prostitution into the newly legal porn business, ultimately making her way behind the camera

The New York City native reminisced that, to her, HBO's acceding to her request for a producer credit 'was a non-explicit way of saying: "This is a feminist project."'

Maggie spoke to 1970s prostitutes while preparing for the role, and told Vulture: 'Theres this fake power structure for prostitutes where you go: "Im in charge, Im going to set the price, Im going to set the boundaries," and yet youre alone in a room with someone that could rape you if they wanted to.'

She went on: 'I think thats troubling, and I think that requires an amount of dissociation that makes it impossible to keep your mind intact,' also discussing the fact filming went on as last year's U.S. election campaigns thundered along.

'We would be watching the debates at lunch. I feel like my sense of sexism in relation to my own life got much clearer.' she's theorized, adding that 'to be playing a prostitute who is dealing with herself in relation to her sexuality, her money, her art, her intellect, was pretty fascinating.'
She recently confirmed she was expecting a baby with her toyboy fiance Alan Thomason, 34.

And Danniella Westbrook, 43, covered up her blossoming bump in a colourful maxidress as she kissed and canoodled with her partner upon arriving in Portugal for yet another holiday.

The former EastEnders actress, who enjoyed a blissful break to Spain with Alan just a few weeks ago, showed off her frame in the paisley print number.

Scroll down for video

Babymoon: Danniella Westbrook, 43, covered up her blossoming bump in a colourful maxidress as she kissed and canoodled with her partner Alan Thomason, 34, upon arriving in Portugal for yet another holiday

Casual: The former EastEnders actress, who enjoyed a blissful break to Spain with Alan just a few weeks ago, showed off her frame in the paisley print number

Danniella's summery attire was set off by a comfy pair of sliders and she carried a Nike holdall containing her minibreak essentials over one arm.

The blonde wore her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and opted for minimal make-up.

She only had eyes for Alan, proving they were still in the first throes of passion as they puckered up in a car park.

Travelling light: Danniella's summery attire was set off by a comfy pair of sliders and she carried a Nike holdall containing her minibreak essentials over one arm

Natural look: The blonde wore her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail and opted for minimal make-up

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, she gushed: 'Its the happiest Ive ever been'

The baby will be the Essex native's third child after Kai, now 21, and Jody, now 15, who she shares with ex-husband Kevin Jenkins.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, she gushed: 'Its the happiest Ive ever been.'

Describing herself as a 'chavvy b***h', the former EastEnders star admitted she was fed up with being judged on her past.

Baby number three: The baby will be the Essex native's third child after Kai, now 21, and Jody, now 15, who she shares with ex-husband Kevin Jenkins

Casual: Alan was clad in a sportswear ensemble for his trip with Danniella

Whirlwind romance: The pair haven't known each other for long, but their relationship has moved at a speedy pace

She explained: 'I could win 12 Oscars and I would still be known as the cokehead girl off Eastenders'

However, she won't be spending time worrying about public opinion as her mind is firmly on her unborn baby and her loving fiance.

She reasoned: 'I think well be good parents together. Hes got a lot of time and patience. I just think this will complete us.'

The pregnancy announcement comes just days after Danniella refuted claims she was expecting on Good Morning Britain.

Steamy: She only had eyes for Alan, proving they were still in the first throes of passion as they puckered up in a car park
Advertisement

This Hollywood couple have got their hands full with two young daughters under the age of three.

But Ryan Reynolds and wife Blake Lively made parenting look a breeze on Saturday as they walked through Toronto airport with tots James, two and Ines, 11 months.

The Deadpool action hero carried the couple's eldest daughter in his arms while Gossip Girl beauty - who turned 30 on Friday - cradled their littlest one.

Making it look easy: Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively carried their daughters James and Ines through Toronto airport on Saturday

Yummy mommy: Fresh off the back of her birthday celebrations, Blake looked effortlessly gorgeous in a plaid shirt and soft blue wide-brim fedora

Fresh off the back of her birthday celebrations, Blake looked effortlessly gorgeous in a plaid shirt, skinny jeans and Gucci embroidered loafers.

The blonde beauty wore barely a scrap of makeup underneath her soft blue wide-brim fedora.

Her handsome beau kept it casual in a navy hooded sweater which clung to his biceps, along with jeans, glasses and a flat cap.

Ryan, 40, jetted into Toronto, where Blake has been filming A Simple Favor, last week to be with his family for Blake's milestone birthday.

And now it seems the family are off to Vancouver together where Ryan is continuing to film Deadpool 2.

Designer darling: Blake teamed Gucci embroidered loafers with skinny jeans for her stylish jet setting look

On the move: Ryan, 40, jetted into Toronto, where Blake has been filming A Simple Favor, last week to be with his family for Blake's milestone birthday

The Canadian action hero carried the couple's eldest daughter James, two, while the Gossip Girl beauty cradled their littlest one Ines, 11 months

Hands-on dad: The Deadpool star kept it casual in a navy hooded sweater which clung to his biceps, along with jeans, glasses and a flat cap

It was a rare public sighting of the family of four, who haven't been photographed out together since March when they were spotted in New York together.

On Friday night Ryan, ever the comedian, paid tribute to his wife of five years with a playful social media post which cropped-out the California-born beauty.

'Happy Birthday to my amazing wife': The Proposal star wrote.

Only half of Blake's face could be seen in the image he shared to Twitter and Instagram which appeared to be a photo of the duo from the 2014 Met Gala.

Paul Feig, who helmed Bridesmaids and the all-female Ghostbusters, directs Blake's latest project A Simple Favor.

Jetting off: The family are supposedly on the way to Vancouver where Ryan is going to be continuing filming Deadpool 2

Assistance: The Hollywood couple had a little help from a nanny who pushed the tots' double stroller

Parenting pros: The couple - who have been married since 2012 - happily chatted away as they carried their young daughters

The movie centers on a mommy blogger Stephanie Ward (Anna Kendrick) who tries to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of her best friend Emily Nelson (Blake).

It's described as a 'post-modern film noir with twists, betrayals, secrets, revelations, murder and revenge'.

The movie - based on the novel with the same name by author Darcey Bell - is set be released in 2018; the exact release date has not yet been announced.

Ryan and Blake met on the set of Green Lantern in 2010 and began dating the following year.

They were married in September 2012 in South Carolina, welcoming their first child James in 2014.

Blue-eyed girl: Little Ines looked adorable in a peasant blouse and white leggings as she sat happily in mom's arms
The efforts of months of planning by a whole host of dedicated organizations came to life last week for the first-ever, statewide Heads Up Camp. A small and diverse group of upperclassman gathered at Shodair Childrens Hospital in Helena to find ways to improve their own resilience, learn leadership skills and discuss suicide prevention strategies.

The mental-health focused camp, spearheaded by the Montana Hospital Association, was a successful partnership between Shodair, the Office of Public Instruction, and a robust list of local and state-wide agencies.

Students from Helena, Polson, Conrad, Shelby and Whitehall participated in increasing self-awareness and teamwork on the ropes course, explored careers of interest and became certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid.

The camp wrapped up with sustainability ideas that the students plan to integrate into their home communities. Students intend to promote self-care, start support groups and be champions of bringing mental health awareness to their peers.

The camp was a collaborative effort in hopes of addressing the crucial shortage of mental-health workers in Montana. The organizations are also committed to a grassroots effort of suicide prevention and pledge to continue this effort into the future by aiding in bringing the camps to other communities around Montana.

When the effort comes to your neck of the woods, we ask that you encourage, promote and support the work of these fine young Montanans.

Craig Aasved, Shodair CEO

Elsie Arntzen, State Superintendent

Victoria Cech, MHA Foundation
Louise Roe has announced she is expecting her first child with husband of 10 months, Mackenzie Hunkin.

The TV presenter, 35, took to her Front Roe blog to share the happy news with her followers, revealing she is over five months pregnant and will welcome the couple's baby in January 2018.

Louise wrote: 'I am excited to announce that my husband Mackenzie and I are expecting our first baby. As my belly grows a bit each day its becoming more and more real. Its been such an amazing journey to this new chapter of our lives.'

Happy news: Louise Roe has announced she is expecting her first child with husband of 10 months, Mackenzie Hunkin

The British star discovered she was pregnant in early May, just as she was about to board a plane to Cannes in the South of France.

As she and director/producer Mackenzie 'weren't actively trying' for a baby, she mistook her morning sickness for illness.

Louise explained: 'We were living as happy newlyweds, remodeling our home, traveling, and just enjoying each other.

'Mackenzie and I had chatted about trying to get pregnant for a few months, and while we werent actively trying yet, I had started to think about getting as healthy as possible should anything happen. So it came as a HUGE surprise.'

Bumping along: The TV presenter, 35, took to her blog to share the happy news with her fans, revealing she is over five months pregnant and will welcome the couple's baby in January 2018

'We were literally an hour away from getting on a plane to France and I was at home with a horrible cold,' she added.

'When I picked up the test, I thought I was hallucinating  there it was PREGNANT! I showed Mackenzie, then frantically sent him out to pick up about 5,000 more tests for me to take.

'Each one came back the same. We looked at each other in shock, which turned into giggles, hugging, freaking out  and turning around to immediately head to the airport for Cannes. It was insane!'

The former The City star revealed she struggled with morning sickness in the early stages of her pregnancy, forcing her to cut back on her jet-set lifestyle of shoots, travel and meetings.

Mama to be: The British star discovered she was pregnant in early May, but as the couple 'weren't actively trying' for a baby, she mistook her morning sickness for illness.

Louise explained: 'The early days of my pregnancy were the hardest. Once I hit about six weeks, I had horrible morning sickness  which in reality was just round-the-clock sickness. I was horribly nauseous and more fatigued than Ive ever been in my life.

'Not being able to tell any friends, family or even coworkers was extremely lonely and difficult during those days. I didnt feel like myself and knew that I wasnt performing to my usual standard, but I couldnt tell anyone why.'

The brunette explained she has now slowed things down work-wise considerably as she prepares for her new arrival in January 2018.

Although Louise and Mackenzie do know the gender of their baby, they have decided to keep it to themselves for now, saying: 'Right now were enjoying these last few moments of having it just between us two.'

Bridal goals: The couple tied the knot in front of 150 friends and family members in a stunning ceremony at Eton College Chapel in Windsor, south-east England, in October 2016

Newlywed bliss: Louise said she and Mackenzie (pictured on honeymoon in Italy's Amalfi Coast) were enjoying the early days of marriage when they discovered she was expecting

Louise and Mackenzie first met while they were working on MTV matchmaking show Plain Jane in 2011.

Four years after they met, friendship turned to romance and the director popped the question during a romantic trip to Aspen, Colorado, in January 2016 after just over two years of dating.

The TV star said of their romance: 'The fact that we spent all those seasons setting up couples, and ended up falling in love ourselves, feels very serendipitous.

'We started out as great friends which was an amazing foundation for our relationship, so when we finally went out on a date, it felt very natural.

'He always has me cracking up, and has the ability to instantly brighten my mood no matter the circumstances of life. I cant wait to see him with our little one!'

'We ended up falling in love ourselves': Louise and Mackenzie first met while they were working on MTV matchmaking show Plain Jane in 2011

The couple tied the knot in front of 150 friends and family members in a stunning ceremony at Eton College Chapel in Windsor, south-east England, in October 2016, before honeymooning on Italy's stunning Amalfi Coast.

Louise started her career as a fashion journalist, writing for the British editions of ELLE and Vogue, among others, before moving to the US in late 2009.

The TV presenter shot to fame on the second season of MTV reality show, The City, alongside fellow fashionista Olivia Palermo, before going on to host Plain Jane, NBC's Fashion Star and the red carpet during awards season for Access Hollywood.

To see Louise's full blog post, visit http://louiseroe.com/2017/08/28/im-pregnant/
She's known for her eclectic sartorial displays on the red carpet and at glitzy events.

And Ella Eyre, 23, upped the style ante as she sizzled in a flesh-flashing ensemble at Red Bull Music Academy Sound System in association with The Duppy Share Rum at London's Notting Hill Carnival on Saturday alongside supermodel Jourdan Dunn and presenter Maya Jama.

The Comeback hitmaker accentuated her ample cleavage as she slipped into a semi-sheer bralet which covered her modesty with cleverly placed pineapple detail.

Scroll down for video

Living it up! Ella Eyre, 23, upped the style ante as she sizzled in a flesh-flashing ensemble at Red Bull Music Academy Sound System at London's Notting Hill Carnival on Saturday

The British artist teamed her boudoir-inspired look with a pair of complementing bright yellow joggers which cinched in her narrow waist as she soaked up the incredible carnival atmosphere.

While showcasing her taut stomach in her skimpy ensemble, she came prepared to move and groove as she navigated the event in a pair of striking Nike trainers and fishnet green socks.

Working her trademark locks into a voluminous ponytail, she shielded her eyes with a pair of orange shades while she posed for photos with Rizzle Kicks' Jordan Stephens.

Adding her personal fashion flare to the festivities, model Jourdan Dunn, 27, worked an eye-catching green crochet coords that highlighted her statuesque frame to perfection.

Party people: Supermodel Jourdan Dunn (L) and presenter Maya Jama also attended the celebrations

Camera ready: The Comeback hitmaker accentuated her ample cleavage as she slipped into a semi-sheer bralet which covered her modesty with cleverly placed pineapple detail alongside Rizzle Kicks' Jordan Stephens

The catwalk star's skintight looked teased at her undergarments while she partied the day away with friend Neelam Gill, 22.

Meanwhile, Maya Jama showcased her toned abs in a red netted vest which flashed her black bra and toned abs as she enjoyed a beverage at the high-energy event.

She donned a pair of camouflage army pants while she navigated the exclusive event in her trendy converse.

Maya's outing comes after she candidly discussed her upbringing with a convict father on ITV's Loose Women.

Chilled: Working her trademark locks into a voluminous ponytail, she shielded her eyes with a pair of orange shades

Fun: Ella looked in the mood to party as she joined all other Carnival go-ers

Super cool: She looked undeniably trendy as her handbag's pink buckle belt was draped around her front

Summer style: Ella donned a pair of baby pink tinted shades as she celebrated the occasion

Model behaviour: The catwalk star's skintight looked teased at her undergarments while she partied the day away with friend Neelam Gill, 22

The presenter revealed on Tuesday that her father had been in jail since she was three - and admitted she stopped talking to him as she was 'fed up' of him doing 'bad things.'

Proving to be a supportive beau, the rapper was quick to praise her bravery - tweeting: 'Maya Jama on Loose Women right now' followed by a crown emoji.

4Music host Maya appeared on Loose Women to talk about her 5STAR documentary, titled When Dad Kills: Murdered in the Family - which explores how children are affected if they have a parent in jail.

Revealing her own experience, she said: 'My dad has been in jail since I was three and I broke contact when I was 10.'

Picture perfect: Jourdann displayed her plump pout for a selfie with the carnival's dancers

Maya, who is of Swedish and Somali descent, added that she was lucky because her dad's sisters supported her, as did her step-dad - who her mother married when she was seven.

'My earliest memory is around five when I was visiting him in prison. It was a bit weird, I had a super supportive family around me, I had a stepdad. I never really felt like I was missing out.'

Maya previously revealed that she felt responsible for her father going to prison, because told police where he was hiding when they came to their house.

'From a young age you blame yourself. The police came and knocked on my door and I told them where my dad was hiding - he was hiding under a bed upstairs or something,' she told The Beat London 103.6FM .

Having fun: Meanwhile, Maya Jama showcased her toned abs in a red netted vest which flashed her black bra and toned abs as she enjoyed a beverage at the high-energy event

Why hello! Nicole Roberts also looked chic for Notting Hill in a striped dress which she teamed with a shiny brown handbag

Gorgeous: The Saturdays star sported a glamorous blow-dry and opted for a pair of leopard print shades

'Then I saw him get arrested and for ages in my child mind I thought it was because of me.'

Speaking about what she learnt while filming the documentary, Maya admitted: 'I learnt that I'm not as strong as I thought I was.

'Especially when it came to my dad, I was like "Doesn't matter, my life's great, didn't need him anyway, don't care".

'As it went on, I started feeling overwhelmingly sorry for him. I learned that I have such a little melty heart like "Oh, I just want to love!"
She will be replacing departing Len Goodman as head judge on the Strictly Come Dancing panel next weekend.

And Shirley Ballas set the tone of what to expect in upcoming weeks as she executed some of her best dance moves for the BBC dance series launch in London on Monday.

The dance pro, 56, utilised her expert knowledge from her 40-year career as a Latin dancer to shimmy along with her co-judge Bruno Tonioli.

Scroll down for video

Paving the way: New head judge Shirley Ballas set the tone of what to expect in upcoming weeks as she executed some of her best dance moves for the BBC dance series launch in London on Monday

Here they come! The dance pro, 56, looked flawless as she stepped out with fellow judges L-R, Craig Revel Horwood, Darcey Bussell and Bruno

After stepping out with the panel including Bruno, Craig Revel Horwood and Darcey Bussell, Shirley immediately got into the spirit of things.

Clearly in the zone, the Merseyside born beauty couldn't help but groove alongside Tonioli.

Oozing glamour in a figure-hugging black gown, Shirley flaunted her confidence as she engaged in a fun display with Bruno.

Bruno, who was clad in a slick fitted suit, was loving the attention from the new head judge as he crouched down to shimmy along.

This is how it's done! After stepping out with the panel, Shirley immediately got into the spirit of things

Having a blast: Oozing glamour in a figure-hugging black gown, Shirley flaunted her confidence as she engaged in a fun display with Bruno

Fun: As they embarked on their sexy dance moves, Craig and Darcey encouraged them as they looked on

As they embarked on their sexy dance moves, Craig and Darcey encouraged them as they looked on.

The surrounding audience didn't seem to put Shirley off as she got more energetic with her moves as time went on.

Shirley was clearly dressed to make an impression in the form-flattering number which boasted a fishtail design at the bottom.

Loving the attention: The surrounding audience didn't seem to put Shirley off as she got more energetic with her moves as time went on

Taking over: She will be replacing departing Len Goodman as head judge on the Strictly Come Dancing panel next weekend

Pals: Darcey looked thrilled with the new addition to the Strictly team as they came out holding hands

Work it! The Italian choreographer showed off his flexibility during the showstopping dance display

The number boasted a daringly plunging neckline - teasing at her assets and showing off her toned arms.

Jazzing up her ensemble, Shirley lavished herself with jewels - including dangling earrings, rings and bangles.

The dance star sported a glamorous brunette blow-dry which framed her heavy, yet striking, make-up application.

Happy: Shirley couldn't wipe the smile from her face

Leading ladies: Shirley showed off her star power, as she arrived alongside returning judge Darcey Bussell, 48, for the Strictly Come Dancing launch in London on Monday

Shirley- who boasts a 40-year career as a Latin dancer - oozed glamour in a figure-hugging black fishtail gown

The number boasted a daringly plunging neckline - teasing at her assets and showing off her toned arms

Jazzing up her ensemble, Shirley lavished herself with jewels - including dangling earrings, rings and bangles

Joining her was Darcey, who looked equally as exquisite in her striking ensemble.

The semi-sheer bodice-inspired top was teamed with a pair of chic wide-leg trousers.

Bussell had her hair styled in a chignon and she shielded herself from the sunny rays with a pair of shades.

Ahead of the show taking to TV for the fifteenth series, Shirley has proved she's a firecracker ahead of the show - giving her very brash opinion on the infamous Strictly Curse - which sees contestants apparently fall for their dance partners and ruin their personal relationships as a result.

'If youre locked up in a room and youre coming out in your little sensual clothing and men are baring chests and youre there every week and you have to do romance, its difficult not to have chemistry,' the 56-year-old told The Sun, not mincing her words.

Gorgeous: Darcey opted for a regal white look which consisted of the semi-sheer bodice-inspired top, teamed with a pair of chic wide-leg trousers

Stunning: Bussell had her hair styled in a chignon and she shielded herself from the sunny rays with a pair of shades

Thrilled: Darcey looked in high spirits as she strutted into the venue in towering sparkling silver heels

'I mean look at the lady in King Kong  she fell in love with that...' she added, despite King Kong not being about a dance pairing in any way.

She also maintained that chemistry is crucial to the show and that there are most likely multiple factors involved when a relationship breaks down after taking part on the show.

'I mean we need chemistry on the show. Whos to say who falls in love with who? I understand life. I wouldnt say particularly its down to Strictly. Maybe they were having problems before. It depends doesnt it? Were not inside those doors to tell or to judge really.'

The so-called Curse has struck dancing couples such as Giovanni Pernice and Georgia May Foote, Rachel Riley and Pasha Kovalev and Matt Di Angelo and Flavia Cacace.

'Whos to say who falls in love with who? Ahead of the show taking to TV for the fifteenth series, Shirley has proved she's a firecracker ahead of the show - giving her very brash opinion on the infamous Strictly Curse

Not mincing her words: She also maintained that chemistry is crucial to the show and that there are most likely multiple factors involved when a relationship breaks down after taking part on the show

Expert: Shirley has had her own experiences with such matters during her 40-year career as a Latin dancer

Passions: Both of Shirley's ex-husbands had, at one time, been her dance partners

Former flame: The first, Sammy Stopford, she fell for when she turned pro at age 17; they then worked together until 1983, during which time they got married

Ex: She met Corky Ballas and inevitably got divorced from Sammy. She re-married him and had a son, Mark, who now performs on the US version of Strictly, Dancing With The Stars

And Shirley has had her own experiences with such matters during her 40-year career as a Latin dancer.

Both of her ex-husbands had, at one time, been her dance partners.

The first, Sammy Stopford, she fell for when she turned pro at age 17; they then worked together until 1983, during which time they got married.

She met Corky Ballas and inevitably got divorced from Sammy. She re-married him and had a son, Mark, who now performs on the US version of Strictly, Dancing With The Stars.

Ready to rumble: Earlier on in the day, confirmed contestants Mollie Kind (L) and Gemma Atkinson (R) put on an incredibly leggy display as they arrived for rehearsals

The full line-up for the 2017 series was confirmed last week - with five names announced in one day, and the final three enjoying a big reveal on The One Show with its former Strictly contestant hosts Matt Baker and Alex Jones.

Journalist and anchor Charlotte Hawkins, 42, first announced that she was competing for the glitterball trophy on her home show of Good Morning Britain.

Contestants competing for the glitterball trophy are Mollie King, Charlotte Hawkins, Chizzy Akudolu, Ruth Langsford, Alexandra Burke, Aston Merrygold and Gemma Atkinson.

Also competing are Jonnie Peacock, Simon Rimmer, Brian Conley, Susan Calman, Joe McFadden, Debbie McGee, Reverend Richard Coles and Davood Ghadami
With Game of Thrones not expected to return until 2019, new film Outlaw King hopes to capture an audience eager for more epic battles and warring kingdoms.

Based on the real life historical tale of Robert the Bruce - the warrior King of Scots - on set pictures show the first day of filming in Linlithgow, Scotland on Monday.

Starring Hollywood star Chris Pine as the king, alongside Monarch of the Glen actor Alastair MacKenzie, the Netflix film hopes to fill the void after the HBO series finally comes to an end.

Scroll down for video

War games: Based on the real life historical tale of Robert the Bruce - the King of Scots - on set pictures show the first day of filming of Outlaw King in Linlithgow, Scotland on Monday with actor Alastair MacKenzie (centre)

Alastair, who played Archie MacDonald on the popular Scottish BBC drama, was spotted riding in on a black steed draped in a black robe surround by his fellow soldiers today.

In another, armour-clad actors were seen riding horseback while Scottish director David Mackenzie gave instructions.

While more on-set pictures show an actor holding a crossbow wearing chain mail preparing for combat.

Horseback: Armour clad actors were seen riding horseback while Scottish director David Mackenzie gave instructions

Preparing for battle: An actor with a shield draped over his shoulder and long bow attached to his horse prepares for another take

Sharp shooter: More on-set pictures show an actor holding a crossbow wearing chain mail preparing for combat

Real life tale: Alastair, who played Monarch of the Glen star Archie MacDonald, was spotted riding in on a black steed draped in a black robe surround by his fellow soldiers today

Another captures an actor with a shield draped over his shoulder and long bow attached to his horse.

Clad in rudimentary battle gear, the Scots were famously grizzled warriors fighting clan and clan against the English invaders.

Robert lived from 1274 until 1329 and the film will cover wars with the English, pacts with the Irish, raids of the North and the conflict with King Edward II.

Taking instructions: Robert lived from 1274 until 1329 and the film will cover wars with the English, pacts with the Irish, raids of the North and the conflict with King Edward II

Real life Game of Thrones: Set in the bitterly cold Scottish highlands, the film tells the story of King Robert who battled against the King of England facing devastating odds

Action! More images show the an actor with sword at his waist preparing to shoot a scene set in a forest

Battle scenes: Clad in rudimentary battle gear, the Scots were famously grizzled warriors fighting clan and clan against the English invaders

Stranger than fiction: The Netflix film will feature the seventh battle where the English king is finally pushed back into his own country

Set in the bitterly cold Scottish highlands, the film tells the story of King Robert who battled against the King of England facing devastating odds.

He is famous for the legend of his encounter with a spider, having been defeated six times on the battle field by the English and forced into retreat.

Hiding in a cave and close to giving up his quest for freedom from English rule, the king watched a spider attempt to spin its web across the mouth of the cave failing six times.

Hectic schedule: Filming at Linlithgow Palace continued on Tuesday

Smoking: A number of extras gathered to film a scene where a car appeared to be on fire

Busy day: The crew went on to gather for a boat scene

Bliss: The summery weather proved to be an added joy for the filming day

When the spider, on the seventh attempt, succeeded in its attempts, Robert took heart and resolved to battle on.

The Netflix film will feature the seventh battle where the English king is finally pushed back into his own country.

More images show the an actor with a sword at his waist preparing to shoot a scene set in a forest.

A-list: Stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chris Pine were not on set

Talented cast: Florence Pugh, Callan Mulvey and Billy Howle are also set to star in the project

Background: A large group of extras were needed during each scene
She is reportedly being comforted by her ex-husband Norman Cook after the tragic death of her boyfriend Billy Yates three months ago.

And Zoe Ball certainly seemed to be in happier spirits on Monday evening, as she flashed a relaxed smile while attending the Strictly Come Dancing launch.

Pulling out all the sartorial stops, the 46-year-old presenter turned heads as arrived at the show in a sharp fuchsia-hued trouser suit.

Scroll down for video

High spirits: Zoe Ball certainly seemed to be in better spirits on Monday evening, as she flashed a relaxed smile while attending the Strictly Come Dancing launch

The mum-of-two added height to her androgynous ensemble with an understated pair of black triple-strap heels.

Styling her blonde hair in a trademark tousled fringe and blunt crop, the Blackpool native framed her eyes with a sweep of kohl.

Letting her statement outfit do all the talking, she accessorised simply with a chic gold pendant necklace and earrings.

Pulling out all the sartorial stops: The 46-year-old presenter turned heads as arrived at the show in a sharp fuchsia-hued trouser suit

Traffic-stopping: The mum-of-two added height to her androgynous ensemble with an understated pair of black triple-strap heels

Her outing comes amid claims she has finding solace with ex-husband Norman Cook following the death of her boyfriend Billy Yates three months ago.

According to The Sun, Norman, who DJs as Fatboy Slim, has supported Zoe through her heartache after Billy committed suicide in May.

Billy, 40, was tragically found hanged in his flat in Putney sending Zoe into a spiral of grief.

The couple were seen last week overcome with emotion as eldest son Woody collected his GCSE exam results outside school.

Looking good: Styling her blonde hair in a trademark tousled fringe and blunt crop, the presenter framed her eyes with a sweep of kohl

Letting her outfit do all the talking: She accessorised simply with a chic gold pendant necklace and earrings

Afterwards Zoe and Norman were said to be enjoying dinner and looked to be getting on great with lots of laughter.

The source said:'Despite their split they looked very happy to be in each other's company.'

They added: 'While they are just good friends, it's an amazing achievement considering they have ended their marriage.

'It's been a very difficult few months for Zoe but Norman has played a massive part in building back up her happiness levels.'

Former flames: Zoe Ball has reportedly been finding solace with ex-husband Norman Cook following the death of her boyfriend Billy Yates three months ago

MailOnline have contacted Zoe and Norman's representatives for comment.

The couple split last September but have remained firm friends and live on the same beachfront esplanade in Hove, East Sussex.

Zoe, who hosts The Big Family Cooking Showdown and also presents her own BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday afternoons, was left devastated earlier this year after the death of her boyfriend, Billy Yates in May.

Cameraman Billy, 40, was found hanged in his flat in Putney, South West London after suffering from depression.

Tragic: Zoe's boyfriend Billy Yates, 40, (pictured) was tragically found hanged in his flat in Putney in May sending Zoe into a spiral of grief
She delighted her fans by confirming she will walk in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai, China, this winter.

And Bella Hadid put her supermodel figure on full display as she attended fittings for the lingerie brand in New York City on Monday.

The catwalk queen, 20, showcased her perky chest as she went braless in a slinky nude bodysuit.

Making her mark: Bella Hadid put her supermodel figure on full display as she attended fittings for Victoria's Secret in New York City on Monday

Dare to bare: The catwalk queen, 20, showcased her perky chest as she went braless in a slinky nude bodysuit

Putting her toned pins on parade as she strolled through Manhattan, the brunette beauty teamed her skimpy top with a denim micro-mini skirt.

Bella added height to her already statuesque frame with a pair of pale pink satin heels with an ankle strap.

The Victoria's Secret bombshell toted her belongings in a blue backpack, while accessorizing with a blingy gold Dior necklace.

Wearing her dark locks scraped back from her face in a tight bun, Bella completed her look with sunglasses, gold hoop earrings and natural make-up.

Cute smile: The statuesque supermodel flashed a cute smile on her way to a fitting

Leggy lady: Putting her toned pins on parade as she strolled through Manhattan, the brunette beauty teamed her skimpy top with a denim micro-mini skirt

Supermodel strut: Bella added height to her already statuesque frame with a pair of pale pink satin heels with an ankle strap

Simple outfit: The supermodel kept it simple in a bodysuit and skirt

Bella's appearance comes just days after she confirmed she is set to appear in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai, China, in November.

Taking to her Instagram page on Saturday, she wrote: '@victoriassecretI am so excited!..!!!!

'Thank you @monica.mitro @10magazine @johndavidpfeiffer and of course the wonderful, incredible @ed_razek + everyone on the team for making this dream come true again..'

She's rhapsodized:'I feel so crazy humbled to get the opportunity to be a part of this show again...Walking into the offices this year i felt so happy, healthy, and honored.

Summer in the city: The Victoria's Secret bombshell toted her belongings in a blue backpack, while accessorizing with a blingy gold Dior necklace

Runway ready: Bella looked ready to walk the runway on the way to her fitting

Faded denim: The model attended her fitting in a faded denim skirt with frayed hem

She's back! Bella's appearance comes just days after she confirmed she is set to appear in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai, China, in November

No wonder she's smiling! Making it a real family affair for a second consecutive year, Bella's sister, Gigi Hadid, 22, also confirmed she will walk in the show on Monday

Top of the crops: The supermodel was pictured leaving the Victoria's Secret offices in New York City after a fitting on Monday morning

She's back! Just moments after her meeting, the model took to her Instagram to reveal it was 'forever and ever a dream come true' to appear in the annual extravaganza

'I can't wait for another incredible experience!!! Congrats to all of the beautiful ladies I will be walking beside. I can't wait! Xx'.

Tagged in the photo were hairstylist and photographer Owen Gould, makeup artist Nina Park, health consultant Joe Holder and Bella's representation, IMG Models.

This will mark Bella's second VS show appearance, after making her debut during last year's extravaganza in Paris, France.

Making it a real family affair for a second consecutive year, Bella's sister, Gigi Hadid, 22, also confirmed she will walk in the show on Monday.

Gigi wrote alongside a video of herself in lingerie and angel wings: 'Forever and ever and ever a dream come true to be asked back to the VS Show !!!

The Angels have landed: Stella Maxwell was seen showing off her white feathered Angel wings as she emerged from the Victoria's Secret offices on Monday

Stepping out in style: Original Angel Adriana Lima ensured all eyes were on her as she left the the Manhattan building

Pins on parade: Adriana looked incredible in a leather mini-skirt and killer heels

'Thank you my friends @ed_razek @10magazine @johndavidpfeiffer @monica.mitro for another unforgettable opportunity; every aspect makes me feel like a dreaming kid again (as shown here at last year's fitting, by @jeromeduran)! @victoriassecret #VSFS2017.'

It was a busy day at the Victoria's Secret offices in New York City.

Stella Maxwell, 27, and Martha Hunt, 28, were both seen parading down the street with Angel wings after their meetings and fittings.

Elsa Hosk, 28, and Sara Sampaio, 26, also dropped by, while one of the original Angels, Adriana Lima, 36, ensured all eyes were on her as she left the the Manhattan building.

Also confirmed to walk in the 2017 Shanghai showcase are long-time VS Angels Alessandra Ambrosio and Lily Aldridge, among others, as well as a whole host of newcomers.

Model mayhem: Sara Sampaio (left) and Elsa Hosk (right) were also seen arriving

Strutting her stuff: Martha Hunt paraded through the streets of Manhattan with her Angel wings after attending a morning of fittings

Back to her best! Candice Swanepoel, 28, was beaming as she stepped out in New York, after enjoying eight months away from modelling, after welcoming her son Anaca in October 2016
Kourtney Kardashian has been sharing several older snaps where she's in a bikini.

The 38-year-old star added two photos from her vacation in St Tropez last week that steamed up social media.

And then on Monday the girlfriend of Younes Bendjima, 23, posted a very fetching image where she was showing off her flat tummy while reclining on a pink flamingo floaty with a friend.

New KK: Kourtney Kardashian started the week off right with this photo of herself in a silver bikini; it is not known when the image was taken

Fun in the sun: Also in the image was a female pal who could have been Larsa Pippen

The reality TV maven looked to be in excellent shape with toned legs and a sculpted torso as she modeled a skimpy silver string bikini.

The sister of Kim and Khloe captioned the image: 'Float photos are so overrated.'

This is not her first float photo this month. In mid August she was belly down on a multi-colored swan floaty in her swimming pool. Her backside was the focus as she wore a small bikini.

Naughty girl in the water: This is not her first float photo this month

More to see: In mid August she was belly down on a multi-colored swan floaty in her swimming pool

Getting attention for this: Her backside was the focus as she wore a small bikini

On Sunday she uploaded a smoldering photo of herself on the water in a backless metallic-studded black one-piece and black sunglasses.

That picture was taken during her July trip to Saint-Tropez with her boyfriend Bendjima, who incidentally happens to be a decade and a half Kourtney's junior.

Earlier on Saturday she'd posted another photo of herself on a boat, lounging in a skimpy black bikini top and pale green miniskirt and resting her head in her hand.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star and mother of three captioned the photo - which offered up a breathtaking view of the sea behind her - simply: 'mood.'

Side view: Ms Kardashian uploaded a couple of swimsuit photos to Instagram on Saturday, including this one taken during her July holiday to Saint-Tropez

'mood': Earlier on Saturday she'd posted another photo of herself on a boat, lounging in a skimpy black bikini top and pale green miniskirt and resting her head in her hand

Her summer's been chockablock with travel, including earlier this month, when she and Algeria-born Younes were joined by a claque of friends on a vacation to Egypt.

Back in May, she and her latest man had swung by Cannes during its iconic film festival - but it was her ex Scott Disick who attracted a bit of infamy around that time.

The 34-year-old soi-disant 'Lord' was cavorting with a string of women in the South Of France, including such names as Bella Thorne, Chloe Bartoli and Chantel Jeffries.

A place in the sun: Her summer's been chockablock with travel, including earlier this month, when she and Algeria-born Younes were joined by a claque of friends on a vacation to Egypt

Kourtney has three children by her on-and-off paramour Scott, their firstborn Mason's 2009 birth having been immortalized on Keeping Up With The Kardashians.

The co-parents welcomed their now four-year-old daughter Penelope into the world in 2012, and Kourtney gave birth to her youngest child, a son called Reign, in 2014.

Kourtney and Scott, who'd been introduced in 2006 by Girls Gone Wild founder Joe Francis in Mexico, last ended their romantic relationship in July of 2015.

Relaxation: Back in May, she swung by Cannes during its iconic film festival - but it was her ex Scott Disick who attracted a bit of infamy around that time; here she is seen with Simon Huck

Keeping it casual: Scott Disick was spotted heading out in Los Angeles on Monday

Low-key: The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star was spotted leaving a restaurant
The cast of ABC's sitcom relocated to the scenic Lake Tahoe in northern California this week.

And on Monday the show's stars Sofia Vergara and Eric Stonestreet were spotted shooting scenes on board a boat on the water.

While Sofia wore a pretty sundress with floppy hat to protect her from the sun's rays, Eric was forced to cover up with what looked to be white sheets in order to protect his very pale skin during breaks in filming.



Bobbing around: Sofia Vergara was spotted in a sun dress and floppy hat Tuesday as she filmed scenes on location on Lake Tahoe for her ABC sitcom Modern Family

The 45-year-old actor, who plays Cameron Tucker on the hit show, was required to be shirtless for the scene.

And that clearly required him to seek out the added protection so as not to get burned by the hot sun and the reflections off the water.

He and Sofia, 45, bobbed about in a red dinghy as crew members stayed nearby on jet skis.

Out on the water: The Colombian actress was filming scenes on board a red dinghy with co-star Eric Stonestreet

Covered up: In-between takes, Eric, 45, donned what looked to be white sheets along with shades and a hat to protect himself from the northern California sun

Sunny day: The scene called for the very pale actor to be shirtless

In between scenes, Sofia was seen bundled up in a puffy jacket that she wrapped close around herself.

Her long hair was wet and she seemed to be feeling the chill in her sleeveless long frock.

Also on location were some of the sitcoms younger stars including Ariel Winter, Sarah Hyland and Nolan Gould.

The trio were also seen out on the lake in a boat as boom microphones captured their dialogue.

Not so warm: In between scenes, Sofia, 45, was seen bundled up in a puffy jacket that she wrapped close around herself. Her long hair was wet and she seemed to be feeling the chill

Casual: In his down time, Eric donned shirts and sandals and a lightweight zipped up hoodie

Gang's all here: Also on location were some of the sitcoms younger stars including Ariel Winter, Sarah Hyland and Nolan Gould

On location: The trio took to the water in a black inflatable as boom microphones captured their dialogue

Ty Burrell and Julie Bowen also joined in the location fun as they filmed on the balcony of a two-story houseboat.

Modern Family is going into its ninth season and will premiere its first new episode the last week of September.
She's the bubbly childcare worker whose laid-back attitude has made her a fast favourite in the Bachelor mansion.

And Tara Pavlovic revealed yet another reason for Matty J to give her a rose this week after spending 30 hours creating an elaborate Bachelor-themed painting.

On Tuesday, Elora Murger took to Instagram to showcase Tara's impressive artwork, uploading a photo of Matty standing next to a group portrait of this year's Bachelor contestants.

What can't she do? Tara Pavlovic revealed yet another reason for Matty Johnson to give her a rose this week after spending 30 hours creating an elaborate Bachelor-themed painting

'@tarapavlovic probably spent 30+ hours on this amazing painting! Can you recognise who's who?' she wrote in the caption.

Fans immediately flooded the post with gushing comments, with one remarking: 'Amazing and another reason to keep Tara.'

'OMG!! that's amazing!! I can recognise a few people!' exclaimed another.

Watch out Matty- Elora's a fan too! On Tuesday, Elora Murger took to Instagram to showcase Tara's impressive artwork, uploading a photo of Matty standing next to a group portrait of this year's Bachelor contestants

Not a fan? Matty reportedly tossed out a portrait that Laura Bynre drew of him on The Bachelor

While Matty looked sufficiently pleased with Tara's artwork, the same cannot be said for the portrait Laura Byrne crafted for Matty during their first single date.

According to Woman's Day, Laura's portrait of Matty was spotted in a pile of rubbish outside his Bondi home.

'I saw Laura's drawing of Matty propped up against a tree next to the council clean-up pile,' an insider said.

Rubbish pile: An insider told Woman's Day this week that it was spotted amongst a pile of rubbish outside of Matty's Bondi home

'I saw a guy and girl cleaning out the garage and there was a whole load of packing boxes too.'

Laura and Matty recently drew portraits of one another during a beachside single date and Sydneysider Laura jokingly called Matty's depiction 'offensive.'

'(It) was possibly the most offensive thing I've ever seen in my entire life,' she gasped.

The pair have enjoyed at least two single dates and both times they enjoyed passionate kisses.

The final two? The report comes as fellow bachelorette Tara Pavlovic (R) sent fans into overdrive last week after sharing a snap of her and Laura (L) together
Commonwealth Bank of Australia was thrown into turmoil by a civil case earlier this month by financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC for alleged 'serious and systemic non-compliance' with anti-money laundering legislation

The woes mounted for Australia's biggest bank Monday with an independent inquiry to be launched into its governance, culture and accountability after it was accused of breaching anti-money laundering legislation.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia was thrown into turmoil by a civil case earlier this month by financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC for alleged "serious and systemic non-compliance" with the laws more than 50,000 times.

It now faces a probe by financial services regulator the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), which said public confidence in the lender had been hurt by the scandal.

"The Australian community's trust in the banking system has been damaged in recent years, and CBA in particular has been negatively impacted by a number of issues that have affected the reputation of the bank," said APRA chairman Wayne Byres.

"Given its position in the Australian financial system, it is critical that community trust is strengthened.

"A key objective of the inquiry will be to provide CBA with a set of recommendations for organisation and cultural change, where that is identified as being necessary."

The bank, Australia's largest firm by market capitalisation, has been marred by a series of recent scandals over poor financial planning advice, insurance payouts and now allegations of money laundering.

"CBA recognises that events over recent years have weakened the community's trust in us. We have been working hard to strengthen trust, and will continue to do so," said the bank's chair Catherine Livingstone.

"We welcome this opportunity for independent parties to review the work we have already undertaken and advise on what more we can do.

"APRA's oversight of this inquiry will ensure the independence and transparency needed to reassure all our stakeholders."

The bank last week posted record annual profits of Aus$9.93 billion (US$7.86 billion) for the year to June 30, while also announcing chief executive Ian Narev would retire following the AUSTRAC allegations.

APRA said the cost of the probe, which is expected to last six months, will be met by the bank with its findings to be made public.
Last year marked the second year of wage declines in the state.

Total wages were down another 8 percent in 2016 after a 2 percent decline in 2015, the first time since, at least, 1990. Average annual wage was also down again, by 3.6 percent, statewide, to $48,891.

Williams County managed to maintain the highest average wage in the state in 2015, but, in 2016, the oil field was edged out by coal country.

Despite a drop in average wages, Oliver County had the highest of any county in the state, according to statistics from North Dakota Job Service. Average wages in Oliver County were $71,719, ahead of second place McKenzie County with $70,061. The county, which had the fifth highest average wages in 2014, jumped to second place in 2015 with average wages of $76,712.

While the oil industrys impact on wages has decreased in the last couple of years, the number of employees in the lignite industry has remained steady and these jobs at the mines and plants reflect some of the highest wages in the state," Steve Van Dyke, vice president of communications for the Lignite Energy Council, said in a statement.

From 1993 until 2010, Oliver County consistently had the highest average wages in the state  thanks primarily to the jobs at BNI Coals Center Mine and the coal-fired Milton R. Young Station, the Lignite Energy Council said in a statement.

In 2016, Williams County fell to third, with an average wage of $69,997, a drop of about 10 percent compared to 2015s average wage of $77,663 in the county. Average wages in the county in 2014 were $82,813 in 2014.

Oil and gas extraction wages in the state slipped 2.7 percent to an average of $120,405. Pipeline transportation average wages were down 1.1 percent to $122,049. Truck transport average wages were down 10.5 percent to $60,950. Petroleum and coal products manufacturing average wages were down 5 percent to $130,516. Despite these drops, North Dakota's energy industry accounts for the highest average wages in the state.

Meanwhile, average mining wages were up statewide to $88,834, helped along by a 7.7 percent increase in Mercer County, home to three coal mines and four power plants and Dakota Gasification Co.s lignite gasification plant, where average mining wages were $110,293.

Mercer County also had the fourth highest average wages in the state at $68,981, followed by Dunn at $65,006, Mountrail at $62,999, Stark at $56,015, Slope at $54,460, McLean at $53,242 and Burke at $53,242. In total, 10 counties had average wages above the state average in 2016.

Average wages in Burleigh County were down .8 percent to $48,775, while Morton County average wages were up .9 percent to $44,965.

The industry to see the largest drop in average wages in Burleigh County was real estate and leasing, down nearly 25 percent to $39,085, followed by the utilities industry, with a 11.1 percent decrease to $93,325. The largest average wage increase was in the agriculture, foresting, fishing and hunting industries, which was up 8 percent to $30,391.

In Morton County, average wage in the educational services industry was down 54.2 percent to $18,056. Health care and social services annual wages were up 12 percent to $36,776. Real estate and leasing were up 6.3 percent to $36,027.
Partially paralysed dog Lulu receives acupuncture treatment at a Shanghai clinic which provides owners an alternative to putting down the beloved family dog or cat, the typical fate of pets immobilised by severe spinal and nervous-system injuries

Looking like a furry brown pincushion, eight-month-old French bulldog "Dan Jiao" whimpers nervously as he waits for the end of a Chinese acupuncture session aimed at curing partial paralysis caused by a puppyhood injury.

"Dan Jiao" ("Egg Dumpling"), would obviously rather be chewing on a bone somewhere than sitting strapped against his will into a harness that resembles a medieval torture device, pricked by several long needles hooked up to a mild electric current.

But the Shanghai clinic of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner Jin Rishan at least provides hopeful owners an alternative to putting down the beloved family dog or cat, the typical fate of pets immobilised by severe spinal and nervous-system injuries.

"We're getting more and more customers," said Jin, 53, whose Shanghai TCM Neurology and Acupuncture Animal Health Centre is operating at full capacity of around 20 patients per day, and growing.

Many dogs suffer from tough-to-treat back injuries or spinal deterioration that can render them unable to walk. A range of breeds including Bulldogs, German Shepherds, Collies, Basset Hounds and Shi Tzus are particularly prone.

"Seventy percent of the animals here suffer from spinal disc herniation, leading to paralysis of the hind legs or all four legs," Jin said, adding that acupuncture is "more effective" than modern medicine.

"Western medical practices can't do much," he said.

- Signs of hope -

It appears to be working for "Dan Jiao," who was completely paralysed when his owner Michael Xu first brought him in for treatment after a fall that broke his back.

Many dogs suffer from tough-to-treat back injuries or spinal deterioration that can render them unable to walk

"After three days of acupuncture, he was slowly able to crawl on his front paws. By the seventh day he was able to limp on all four legs."

On Friday, patients ranging from a gangly black Labrador to a tiny teacup poodle were carried in by their owners or carted in baby prams.

They were eventually strapped into harnesses before the thin acupuncture needles were inserted into their problem spots.

Others sniffed nervously as smoking moxibustion cups -- a form of heat therapy that involves burning aromatic plants -- were applied to their hides.

But the place had not completely gone to the dogs. The day's sole feline patient looked particularly put out, being completely strapped down to prevent it squirming around.

Wang Ping, the owner of "Mei Mei" ("Little Sister"), has fresh hope of getting the five-month-old teacup poodle back on her tiny feet after a paralysing neck injury suffered three months ago.

"I went to traditional clinics with "Mei Mei" but the vets said she was too small for surgery," Wang said.

Teacup poodle Mei Mei gets a check up after treatment for a paralysing neck injury suffered three months ago

Doctors initially recommended euthanasia before referring Wang to Jin's clinic.

"So I came over and she's much better, at least she can lift her head and crawl a bit now."

Jin's practice is based on the feeling that a pet is like a human member of the family, entitled to the same loving care.

"In the past, Chinese people had a very weak notion of what a pet was. But now more and more families treat pets as a companion or family member. So they care so much about their pets, it is not like in the past."
International NGOs have battled accusations that their rescue operations encourage migrants to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing

Leaders from seven African and European countries meet in Paris on Monday for a mini-summit to discuss how to ease the EU's migrant crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited his counterparts from Niger and Chad as well as the head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj, whose countries lie on the main transit route for migrants heading to Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europe's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, will join the talks.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of economic migrants and asylum seekers.

A total of 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year, according to UN figures, with the vast majority arriving in Italy before travelling on to other EU members. An estimated 2,400 have died en route.

France is seeking improved border controls and patrolling of the waters around Libya -- complicated by the country's competing governments and state of lawlessness -- as well as development aid to create jobs in Africa.

"The fight against illegal migration is being led on two fronts: development and security," said a source in the French presidency, asking not to be named.

In July, Macron also proposed -- without consulting his allies -- the creation of so-called "hotspots" in Africa where asylum seekers fleeing persecution or war could lodge a request to travel to the EU.

This would mean they would not need to make the perilous trip across the Mediterranean with the help of people traffickers, who frequently pack too many people onto flimsy boats and often mistreat the migrants.

- Sharp fall in crossings -

Migrant arrivals from Libya have plummeted in recent weeks

The meeting might also provide information on why arrivals have plummeted in recent weeks from Libya, the main route into Europe since a separate pathway from Turkey into Greece was shut down in 2016.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year, leaving experts scrambling for an answer.

Improved action by the Libyan coastguard, tougher border controls in transit countries inland, as well as Libyan militias joining efforts to stop boats leaving have all been touted as possible reasons.

The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, will tell his European counterparts that the number of migrants passing through the transit town of Agadez in his country has fallen by 80 percent thanks to government efforts, a source in his team told AFP.

Libya has also sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean which pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

Italy has also sought to impose a code of conduct on the NGOs, which face accusations from some critics that their operations have encouraged migrants to attempt the crossing, knowing that they will be picked up in an emergency.

The code has been signed by five out of seven NGOs with rescue ships -- only the French organisation Doctors Without Borders and Germany's Sea-Watch have refused out of principle.

The code is set to be approved by all the countries present on Monday, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

After the talks about immigration during the day, the European leaders are set to meet together in the evening to discuss reforming the EU and joint efforts to prevent terror attacks.

burs-cf-adp/kjl/iw
Joey Gibson (black t-shirt), leader of the alt-right Patriot Prayer group, gets pepper sprayed by leftist counter demonstrators in Berkeley, California

Thousands of counter protesters clashed with supporters of President Donald Trump in California on Sunday, leading to more than a dozen arrests, police and witnesses said.

A peaceful protest in Berkeley, outside San Francisco, began turning violent around noon (1900 GMT) as fights broke out with the opposing sides facing off in Martin Luther King Jr Civic Center Park, which was closed to the public.

Hundreds of black-clad leftist "antifa" activists jumped police barricades to confront the small number of Trump supporters who had showed up, despite their "No to Marxism in America" rally having been canceled over fears of violence.

The counter-demonstrators surrounded their outnumbered rivals, chanting: "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" and "Go home Nazi."

A number of demonstrators with their faces covered were escorted out of the park by police, who reported 14 arrests, mostly for violating a ban on masks, sticks and other potential weapons.

Police in riot gear fired a rubber bullet at a demonstrator who attempted to cross a barricade into the park, according to the Los Angeles Times, while protesters set off smoke bombs.

Joey Gibson, leader of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group, was pepper sprayed by leftist counter-protesters, an AFP photographer saw.

Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer tweeted that he had been pepper sprayed and posted a video he said showed anti-fascist protesters stomping on and beating an "alt-right" supporter as he lay in the road.

It was one of a number of videos posted on social media purportedly showing black-clad antifa activists physically attacking both pro-Trump demonstrators and journalists.

City officials had denied at least three requests for permits from demonstrations on both sides at the park, they said.

A Trump supporter (L) is confronted by a counter protester in Berkeley, California

Amber Cummings, a Trump supporter, had organized the "No To Marxism in America" rally but later asked supporters not to show up out of fears of violence.

Police said a crowd which had reached 4,000 at its peak had largely dispersed by 3:30 pm.

The clashes followed racially charged violence earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia at a demonstration called by neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

That rally saw a woman killed after an avowed white supremacist rammed his car into a group of anti-racism counter-protesters.
This long exposure photograph shows Muslim pilgrims circumambulating the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on August 27, 2017, prior to the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage

Two million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime.

This year sees the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and comes with the Gulf mired in political crisis and Islamic State group jihadists squeezed in Iraq and Syria.

"I'm so excited because many people dream of coming to this place," said 47-year-old Eni from Indonesia, her face framed in a sand-coloured veil trimmed with lace.

"We feel more religious when we leave this place," she said.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the hajj.

Eni's compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the hajj every day.

But Eni is almost oblivious to the hubbub that surrounds her as she studies her Koran in the oppressive heat, pearls of sweat beading her face.

"After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him," she said of the Prophet Mohammed before returning her attention to Islam's holy book.

The hajj

The hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in a lifetime if he or she has the means to do so.

"This year we expect around two million pilgrims," Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of hajj and umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs, told AFP.

- Politics and the hajj -

A pilgrim uses her cellphone on arrival at Jeddah airport on August 26, 2017, ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage

Iranians are back after not attending in 2016 following a deadly Mecca stampede the previous year that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims.

It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic republic among the dead.

Following the disaster, Tehran railed against Saudi Arabia's organisation of the pilgrimage.

The two countries then severed diplomatic relations in January 2016 after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was ransacked by a crowd protesting against the execution in the kingdom of a Shiite religious dignitary.

Analysts say that neither Riyadh nor Tehran has any wish to prolong the dispute.

"To politicise an event like this does no good," according to Slimane Zeghidour, author of "La vie quotidienne a La Mecque: De Mahomet a nos jours" (Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today).

Accusations of the hajj being politicised have marred the region for some time.

For nearly three months, the Gulf has been embroiled in its worst ever political crisis, with Saudi Arabia and its allies facing off against Qatar, which they accuse of being too close to Iran and backing extremism.

A boycott imposed on the small but gas-rich emirate since June 5 has resulted in Qatar's land, sea and air links being badly affected.

Worshippers pray outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca on August 27, 2017 ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage

This has also had a knock-on effect on hajj-related travel, although Riyadh announced it was relaxing certain restrictions for pilgrims.

- 'Every time it's different' -

In the arrivals hall at Jeddah airport, determined pilgrims walk hastily to avoid losing contact with other members of their group.

"I'm so happy to be a part of it this year," said 43-year-old Nigerian Mohammed Said, in the seamless two-piece white garment or "ihram" worn by male pilgrims.

"I want to do it every year if I can afford it," added Said who is in Saudi Arabia for his third hajj.

"Every time it's different -- it's like I'm doing it for the first time."

For author Zeghidour, going on the hajj takes pilgrims to another level altogether.

"The pilgrim has to run, move, and perform several stages" of the ritual.

"It is so physically and mentally demanding that he doesn't have time to think about the crisis in the Gulf. For him this is literature.

No caption

"Many pilgrims come from Asia or Africa, far from the Middle East, and they come to a place where they can try to forget their lives back home."

Murderous jihadist attacks across the world in recent years will be on the minds of many pilgrims, especially those from Iraq and Syria where the IS has suffered a series of setbacks.

But the threat from extremists has not put off pilgrims such as Fatima, from Perpignan in southern France.

"I've been waiting to go on this journey for a long time," she said, wearing a red veil like the other people in her group.
A South Korean man has been fined for spreading rumours online that the 94-year-old widow of late president Kim Dae-Jung was going to marry hip-hop legend Dr Dre.

The 73-year-old from Seoul was found guilty of defamation and ordered to pay 3,430 after sharing links to a conspiracy theorist's blog.

It claimed that the nonagenarian former First Lady and the founder of Death Row Records were to unite in holy matrimony in order to launder money left behind by President Kim.

He's on Death Row: A South Korean man was fined over spreading a conspiracy theory that Dr Dre, was going to marry Lee Hee-Ho, the 94-year-old widow of a former president

President Kim is known for his 'sunshine policy' in relation to North Korea, working towards peaceful engagement with Pyongyang.

He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000, is sometimes called the 'Nelson Mandela of Asia'.

His widow, Lee Hee-Ho, remains an influential figure in Korean politics even after her husband's death in 2009.

The bizarre online rumour involving Mrs Lee and Dr Dre emerged on an anonymous blog in January this year.

It claimed that the former first lady was to marry the American rapper to 'launder the late president Kim's slush funds'.

Bizarre: The rumour claimed that the U.S. music mogul and the elderly former first lady were planning on marrying in order to launder money left behind by the late president

The 73-year-old now convicted of defamation is believed to have shared the blog post online.

The Seoul Western District Court on Friday dismissed the rumour as 'groundless' and fined him 5 million won (3,430).

'The defendant violated the honour of the deceased and the bereaved,' Judge Lee Eun-hee said in the ruling, the Korea Times reported Monday.

'The rumour about the slush fund and the marriage between Lee and Dr Dre is groundless,' the judge added.

'Nelson Mandela of Asia': Lee Hee-ho, right, poses with her late husband, former President Kim Dae-jung, and the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2000

Rapper-producer Andre Romelle Young, also known under his stage name Dr Dre, has risen to icon status since pioneering gangsta rap with NWA in the 1980s.

He is the man behind Death Row Records, credited with discovering Snoop Dogg, Tupac, 50 Cent and Eminem, and more recently created the Beats headphone brand, bought by Apple in a multi-million-dollar deal.

It is not known if the Compton-born 52-year-old has been made aware of the South Korean defamation case.

Online South Korean commentators quickly picked up on the fictional wedding as one of the funniest jokes for some time.

'I cracked up just by reading the headline,' posted one online user.

Another asked: 'Will Eminem be singing at their wedding?'
Dian Yulia Novi is the first woman convicted over a suicide bomb plot in Indonesia and highlights the more active role women are taking in violent extremism

An Indonesian woman has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years jail for her involvement in an Islamic State-inspired plot to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the presidential palace in Jakarta, her lawyer said Monday.

Dian Yulia Novi was arrested at her boarding house with a three-kilogram bomb encased in a pressure cooker the night before the planned attack on the palace in December.

Novi, a 28-year-old former migrant worker who is nine months pregnant, was found guilty of committing an act of terrorism by the East Jakarta District Court on Friday, her lawyer confirmed to AFP.

"The judges said what she had committed was counterproductive with the government's efforts to eradicate terrorism and that it has caused public unrest," lawyer Kamsi, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said.

It is the first time a woman has been convicted over a suicide bomb plot in Indonesia and highlights the more active role women are taking in violent extremism.

Novi and her husband were among five militants detained over the planned attack last year.

Another woman alleged to have recruited Novi, named Tutin Sugiarti, was sentenced to three-and-half years in prison on Friday, Kamsi said.

Police believe the group was strongly linked to Bahrun Naim, a leading Indonesian militant currently fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria.

Many from Indonesia -- which has long struggled with Islamic militancy -- have flocked to join IS in the Middle East, while radicals in the country have pledged allegiance to the group and attacks and plots have been linked to the jihadists.

Indonesian women -- often radicalised on social media -- are taking on a more active role in violent extremism, according to recent report from the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict.

Kamsi said judges delivered the verdict earlier than expected because Novi was pregnant. She would not file an appeal.
Former Ocean Bank chairman Ha Van Tham stands trial

A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam Monday over a multi-million dollar fraud at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the sector.

Authorities have vowed to clean up an industry plagued by favouritism and dodgy loans -- part of a broader drive against corruption in the country.

In the latest trial the ex-chairman of Ocean Bank, Ha Van Tham, is accused of illegally approving loans worth $23 million in 2012, ultimately leading to the bank's demise and stripping him of his status as one of the country's richest men.

Tham and 50 other bankers and businessmen, most of whom worked at Ocean Bank, face various charges related to the illegal loan in the 20-day trial that opened Monday.

Some face the death penalty, according to the lengthy indictment.

The trial involves a record 50 defence lawyers and more than 700 witnesses, and is the second time the accused have appeared after a March trial was postponed for further investigation.

Tham is accused of approving the loan to the Trung Dung real estate company without proper collateral.

The head of the real estate company, Pham Cong Danh, is currently in jail after a separate conviction of economic mismanagement.

Ocean Group, which includes real estate and hotel subsidiaries, enjoyed a meteoric rise after its founding in 2007, and was valued at $500 million in 2013 under Tham's stewardship.

But after Tham was arrested in 2014, most bank branches shut and the State Bank of Vietnam, the central bank, acquired Ocean Bank for $0.

Ocean Group is still active in real estate and hotels and services and was valued at about $3.5 million in 2016, according to its website.

Vietnam has already jailed dozens of bankers in other high-profile banking cases, though some say corrupt officials should be targeted as part of the crackdown.

"In economic cases, only enterprise managers and owners are put on trial, not policymakers or state officials... punishment of party and state (officials) is not strong enough," economic law expert Nguyen Viet Khoa told AFP.

In September last year 36 former Vietnam Construction Bank employees were given jail terms of up to 30 years, after they were accused of secretly withdrawing millions of dollars from clients' accounts to use for loans or keep for themselves.

Bad debts have long plagued the banking industry. They make up some eight percent of outstanding loans, according to the state bank, though experts say the real number could be far higher.

Authorities have also targeted other sectors in their anti-corruption drive, though analysts say convictions are often driven by political infighting rather than a genuine commitment to reform.

This month Germany accused Vietnam of kidnapping Trinh Xuan Thanh, a former oil executive accused of corruption, from a Berlin park.

Officials in Vietnam said he turned himself over to police in Hanoi voluntarily.
Ebrahim Yazdi, who was head of Iran's outlawed Iran Freedom Movement party and is shown here in 2002, has died aged 86

Ebrahim Yazdi, Iran's first foreign minister after the 1979 Islamic revolution, who later went on to become an opposition figure, has died aged 86, Iranian media reported Monday.

He died late Sunday in Izmir, Turkey, where he underwent surgery after the United States refused his request for a medical visa.

Yazdi was an old companion of Imam Khomeini, the late founder of the Islamic republic, and became foreign minister in the provisional government of Mehdi Bazargan after the revolution.

He resigned in November 1979 in protest at a group of Islamist students taking American diplomats hostage in Tehran.

The hostage crisis, which lasted 444 days, led to the severing of diplomatic ties with Washington.

Since 1995, he had headed the Freedom Movement of Iran, a small liberal party that is banned and has little influence in Iranian politics.

Yazdi was arrested several times after the re-election of hardline president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009.

Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi, two reformist candidates in that election, claimed widespread fraud and led street protests against the results.

Thousands were arrested and dozens killed during the regime's crackdown on the protests, known as the Green Movement.

Yazdi and his party were close to the reformists, and he endorsed President Hassan Rouhani's bid for presidency in 2013 and this year.

His body will be repatriated to Iran for burial in the coming days, the ISNA news agency reported those close to him as saying.
Peace efforts to end the decades-old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians have been at a standstill since April 2014. In this photo from 2008, a Palestinian man walks past an Israeli border policeman in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres held talks with Israeli leaders Monday on his first visit since taking office, making a forceful argument for a two-state solution with the Palestinians and speaking of his "dream" for peace.

Guterres also spoke of what he called obstacles to peace when meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including Israeli settlement building and the need for Palestinian leaders to condemn "terrorism".

"I dream that I will have the chance to see in the Holy Land two states able to live together in mutual recognition, but also in peace and security," Guterres said in remarks at Netanyahu's office.

He recalled past secret talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at his office when he was Portugal's premier from 1995 to 2002, saying it had exposed him to the difficulties of the peace process.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (L) speaks to Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) on his first visit since taking office

Guterres spoke of improving economic and social conditions for Palestinians to provide them with a "dividend" and incentive for peace.

His meeting with Netanyahu was part of a three-day visit that ends Wednesday.

It came at a time of growing doubt around a two-state solution to the long-running conflict, long the goal of internationally backed peace talks.

Earlier Monday, he met President Reuven Rivlin, and he is due in Ramallah on Tuesday for talks with Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is in Turkey and not expected to meet Guterres during the trip.

Guterres will travel to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with UN officials calling for an end to Israel's blockade of the densely-populated Palestinian coastal enclave in order to ease deteriorating humanitarian conditions.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, including Islamist movement Hamas which runs the territory, have fought three wars since 2008.

On Monday, the head of Hamas in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, said the movement had increased its military capabilities thanks to newly improved relations with Iran, but stressed it was not seeking war.

- Concessions not possible? -

Construction workers build new houses in the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba in the occupied West Bank on August 24

After arriving on Sunday evening, the UN chief met Jason Greenblatt, a top aide to US President Donald Trump charged with pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Greenblatt was part of a US delegation last week, including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, that held talks with Netanyahu and Abbas. He remained in the region for further discussions.

Peace efforts have been at a standstill since April 2014 but Israeli settlement building in the occupied West Bank has continued.

Trump has said he wants to reach the "ultimate deal", but he himself has cast doubt on the two-state solution, saying he could support a single state if it meant peace.

Such statements deeply concern Palestinians but have delighted rightwing Israelis who want their country to annex most of the West Bank.

The two-state solution envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, and has been the focus of international diplomacy since at least the early 1990s.

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to reach the "ultimate deal" -- Israeli-Palestinian peace -- but has himself cast doubt on the two-state solution

At the same time, many analysts say neither Netanyahu nor Abbas are able to make any major concessions for now.

Netanyahu faces pressure from his right-wing base to keep a hard line and to continue settlement building. There is little incentive at the moment for him to change course, analysts say.

The 82-year-old Palestinian leader is unpopular and his Fatah party, based in the West Bank, is in a long-running feud with Hamas in Gaza.

- Iran, Syria -

While Guterres spoke at length in his public comments on Monday on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israeli leaders' interests lie elsewhere for now.

Netanyahu pressed Guterres on the UN peacekeeping force in neighbouring Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, which Israeli officials have accused of "blindness" to what they call an arms buildup by the Shiite group Hezbollah.

The trip comes as the UN Security Council debates renewing the force's mandate for a year, with a vote expected on Wednesday.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed UN chief Antonio Guterres on the United Nations peacekeeping force in neighbouring Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, here shown in May

Guterres told Netanyahu: "I will do everything in my capacity to make sure that UNIFIL fully meets its mandate."

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric has expressed "full confidence" in the force's commander.

Netanyahu also spoke of what he sees as Israel's arch-rival Iran seeking to expand its presence in the Middle East, particularly in neighbouring Syria.

He accused Iran of building sites to produce "precision-guided missiles" in both Syria and Lebanon.

Netanyahu again accused UN bodies of bias against his country, saying they had "an absurd obsession with Israel" and calling on Guterres to address it.

Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, in a separate meeting with the UN chief, issued a firm warning to residents of southern Lebanon across the border from Israel.

"The Lebanese government and residents of southern Lebanon should know that Israel will act with force if missiles are fired at its civilians," he said.
China and India have a number of border disputes and went to war in 1962 over the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh

China said Monday it was "pleased" that India had agreed to withdraw troops from a disputed border area in the Himalayas following a months-long stand-off.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Chinese personnel on the ground verified that Indian troops and equipment had pulled back in the morning from the area, which is disputed between China and Bhutan.

India's foreign ministry announced earlier an "expeditious disengagement" in the Doklam area after reaching an "understanding" with Beijing on the confrontation that began on June 16.

"I am pleased to confirm that trespassing Indian personnel have all pulled back to the Indian side of the boundary," Hua told a regular news briefing.

"Chinese troops continue to patrol on the Chinese side of the boundary," she said.

The stand-off began in mid-June after Chinese troops started building a road on the remote Doklam plateau.

India -- a close ally of Bhutan -- has an army base nearby and moved soldiers into the flashpoint zone to halt the work, prompting Beijing to accuse it of trespassing on Chinese soil.

China had repeatedly said India must withdraw its troops before any proper negotiation takes place. India said both sides should withdraw their forces together.

Monday's announcement comes days before India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to China for a summit of the BRICS group of countries, which also include Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

Hua said China has "friendly relations with India" and hopes its neighbour can "earnestly abide by historical relations and norms governing international law".

"We will, based on mutual respect for sovereignty, uphold peace and tranquility in border areas with India."
Is Google about to become the latest victim of genericide?

Whenever a brand name falls into wide, general public use to the extent that the brand name becomes a generic, descriptive name for the entire product category, the brand name loses its unique trademark status.

For example, Aspirin was once a trademarked name by Bayer AG. At the time, you couldnt call other acetylsalicylic acid tablets by that name because it was a specific brand of tablets. But, thanks in part to World War I and language usage, Aspirin the brand became aspirin the generic term for acetylsalicylic acid.

Other trademarked names that became genercized include Heroin, Escalator, Trampoline, Thermos and Kerosene.

And now, Google is fighting in court to keep its brand name. People have been using the term as a generic name for searching for something online: Did you google that address? and Have you googled yourself yet?

Google, like other companies, jealously guards its trademarked name and has lawyers constantly looking for uses of its name with a lower case g. Official letters are often sent to remind the offenders that Google is spelled with a capital G and is a trademarked name.

But two men have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to strip Google of its trademark, claiming the term has become generic in the digital age (http://bit.ly/2wO9p5O).

David Elliot and Chris Gillespie want the court to recognize Google is a lowercase g verb and not an uppercase G brand name.

Earlier, the Ninth Circuit Court of California found otherwise, forcing the men to stop using Googles name in website URLs, such as googledisney.com or googlebarackobama.com.

The circuit court found while google is, in fact, being used as a generic verb, the brand name Google is still a distinct trademark unique to only one company: Google.

Here are some links you might want to follow if youre interested in this topic:

Is Google Generic?

Generic Trademark

19 Genericized Trademarks

Mobile App Use Grows

The digital media company, comScore, has released its 2017 U.S. Mobile App Report, chronicling the rise and use of mobile devices and apps (http://bit.ly/2xA8Zx0).

No real surprise here: Mobile devices and mobile apps drive the lions share of digital media usage time. Desktop devices account for about 34 percent of digital use, with the rest belonging to mobile.

Mobile, in this case, includes smartphones and tablets.

Also, not surprisingly, the younger you are, the more time you spend using mobile apps than desktop devices.

What is surprising is that this trend extends even to those aged 55 to 64. Only those 65 and older spend more time on a desktop than on a mobile device and mobile apps.

Its worth noting that the time spent using specific apps on mobile devices far outstrips the time spent surfing the Web.

According to comScore, 87 percent of the time spent on mobile devices is through apps, such as Facebooks, Twitter and Instagram.

At this point in the digital age, people just dont browse the Web anymore.
A North Korean soldier watches as Hughes MD-500 helicopters perform a fly-by during the first Wonsan Air Show in September 2016

North Korea has cancelled this year's Wonsan Air Show, travel agents said Monday, with reports suggesting tightened travel restrictions by several countries due to nuclear tensions with Pyongyang could be behind the move.

The first-ever Wonsan International Friendship Air Festival was held in September last year, attracting hundreds of foreigners as the isolated North showcased a line-up of civilian and military aircraft.

The event had been planned to take place every two years, but North Korea said in March the first was so successful that it was bringing forward the second edition.

But the gathering, scheduled for late September, was cancelled by the North Korean Preparatory Committee due to "current geopolitical circumstances", specialist website NK News reported, citing an email from the organisers.

It did not give specific reasons but cited "uncertainty" and "recently upgraded travel warnings" regarding trips to the North, the report said.

A US travel ban issued following the June death of US student Otto Warmbier, who was released in a coma after being held by Pyongyang for more than a year, will come into effect on Friday.

Britain updated its advice at the weekend to urge its citizens against "all but essential travel".

Japan's public broadcaster NHK cited diplomatic sources as saying the reason for the cancellation was unclear. It said there was speculation it could be part of the North's efforts to save fuel in the face of increasingly tough United Nations Security Council sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Last month Pyongyang tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles that appeared to bring much of the US mainland into range.

Oil is not currently subject to sanctions but fuel prices jumped in Pyongyang earlier this year, prompting suggestions that the rise was driven by a fear of restrictions being imposed.

Specialist tour agencies which had scheduled trips to the air show said they had cancelled them.

"We have indeed been informed that the Wonsan Air Festival has been cancelled," Stefan Goossens, a tour organiser at Netherland-based 4Aviation, told AFP.

Rayco Vega at China-based KTG DPRK Tours & Information, said that the agency has scrapped its plans.
Pope Francis addresses the crowd from the window of the apostolic palace overlooking St. Peter's Square during his Angelus prayer at The Vatican on August 15, 2017

Pope Francis will travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh later this year for a landmark visit set to focus international attention on the plight of the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will be in Myanmar November 27-30 and neighbouring Bangladesh November 30-December 2, the Vatican announced on Monday.

The visit to Myanmar will be the first by any pope to the country formerly known as Burma. Former Pope John Paul II visited Bangladesh in 1986.

Francis has regularly spoken out in defence of the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim group in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar.

In his latest comments on Sunday, he bemoaned the latest "sad reports of the persecution of a religious minority, our Rohingya brothers.

"I would like to express my closeness to them and all of us ask the Lord to save them and to prompt men and women of good faith to help them and ensure their full rights."

His comments came after clashes between Myanmar security forces and suspected Rohingya militants on Friday and Saturday left scores of people dead.

The fighting caused hundreds of civilians to flee remote villages in Rakhine state in northern Myanmar with most of them aiming to cross the border into mostly-Muslim Bangladesh.

The Vatican said Francis would visit Yangon and capital Naypyidaw while in Myanmar and Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on the second leg of his trip. The full programme has yet to be finalised.
It is the first time a pope has travelled to Myanmar

Pope Francis will visit Myanmar and Bangladesh later this year, the Vatican announced Monday, hours after the Catholic leader decried the plight of Rohingya Muslims as they flee fresh fighting between the army and militants.

The landmark visit in late November and early December takes in Myanmar-- a largely Buddhist country plagued by inter-religious fighting -- and Muslim-majority Bangladesh which hosts hundreds of thousands of refugees from that conflict.

Francis has frequently lamented the treatment of the Rohingya, a largely stateless Muslim minority who have long lived under apartheid-like restrictions in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine.

Tens of thousands have fled to Bangladesh in recent months to escape fighting between Rohingya militants and Myanmar's army -- with particularly ferocious clashes erupting in the last few days.

Announced simultaneously on Monday in Rome, Yangon and Dhaka, the visit will see Pope Francis travel first to Myanmar on November 27 to 30, taking in Yangon and the capital Naypyidaw.

On November 30 he will travel to the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, leaving on December 2.

It is the first time a pope has travelled to Myanmar and only the second time a papal visit has been made to Bangladesh after Pope John Paul II's trip there in 1986.

Myanmar boasts somewhere between 500-800,000 Catholics while Bangladesh has an even smaller community of some 350,000 adherents.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh in recent months to escape the fighting

Myanmar and the Vatican only established full diplomatic relations in May, shortly after de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Pope Francis during a European tour.

That visit was overshadowed by her country's treatment of the Rohingya.

Only weeks before Francis had described the Muslim minority as "brothers and sisters" who were were being tortured and killed for their faith.

He added they were "good and peaceful people who have suffered for years," and urged Catholics to pray for them.

On Sunday, as fresh fighting raged in Rakhine state, he hit out once more at the "sad news about the persecution of the religious minority of our Rohingya brothers".

"I would like to express my closeness to them and all of us ask the Lord to save them and to prompt men and women of good faith to help them and ensure their full rights," he added.

- Crucible of religious hatred -

Impoverished Rakhine, which neighbours Bangladesh, has become a crucible of religious hatred focused on Rohingya, who are reviled and perceived as illegal immigrants in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Despite years of persecution and government restrictions, the Rohingya largely eschewed violence.

But sporadic armed clashes have erupted since October when a previously unknown Rohingya militant group staged a series of attacks on security forces, sparking a massive crackdown by Myanmar's military which the UN believes may have amounted to ethnic cleansing.

Border Guard Bangladesh personnel stands in a bunker as Rohingya people escape fresh gunfire at the Myanmar frontier

A brutal round of fresh fighting has been raging since Friday when militants staged new coordinated ambushes.

More than 100 people, including some 80 militants, have been confirmed killed.

Thousands of Rohingya civilians have fled towards Bangladesh while local Buddhists and Hindus have sought sanctuary in towns and monasteries away from the clashes.

Both sides have accused each other of committing fresh atrocities in recent days, accusations that are difficult to verify because the fighting is taking place in inaccessible villages.

Suu Kyi's government has dismissed accusations of atrocities and refused visas to UN officials tasked with investigating the allegations -- a stance that has caused dismay overseas.

Analysts say Suu Kyi knows there is little domestic political advantage in supporting the Rohingya while her civilian administration has limited control over the country's notoriously abusive military.

Buddhist nationalist hardliners in Myanmar have previously vowed to protest any papal visit because of the Pope's sympathy for the Rohingya.

While they may not see eye to eye on the Rohingya, the Vatican is keen to court Myanmar's government now that diplomatic ties are established.

A key issue for the Church in Myanmar is its ability to support Catholic education. All Church schools were nationalised in 1965 following the 1962 military coup in the former British colony.

The Church has recently been able to invest in schools again but supported establishments have to be registered in the names of private individuals rather than being officially run by the Church.

Strongly Muslim Brunei and the officially communist regimes of China, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam are the only Asian states not to have full diplomatic relations with the Vatican.
A gunman opened fire in a packed theatre early Sunday in South Africa after his cellphone went missing in the audience, killing one person and injuring eight, police said

A gunman opened fire in a packed theatre early Sunday in South Africa after his cellphone went missing in the audience, killing one person and injuring eight, police said Monday.

The man shot indiscriminately at the crowd in Hillbrow Theatre, in central Johannesburg, demanding his mobile phone.

"The suspect fired randomly at the crowd, and one person died and eight others were wounded," said police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini.

"It is understood that the man had his cellphone stolen. He fled the scene on foot after the incident," he said.

Police were still searching for the assailant.

The theatre caretaker who escaped the violence told The Citizen newspaper that he heard the gunshot and rushed inside to find patrons jostling to escape.

"It seems the man lost his stuff in the crowd and started complaining about his phone. He grabbed the mic and started saying whoever took his cellphone must give it back," said Phanankosi Dube.

Hillbrow is a notorious densely populated inner city suburb, known for violent crimes.

The concert at the theatre has been staged to raise funds to support an organisation that offers safe space for children.
Fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary group raise the Iraqi flag over Tal Afar's historic Ottoman-era citadel after they and Iraqi forces seized it from Islamic State group jihadists

Seizing the city of Tal Afar district by district, Iraqi fighters would take down the Islamic State group's black flags and hang them upside-down as they took "victory selfies".

But of all the areas they reclaimed, it was the historic heart of Tal Afar and its Ottoman-era citadel that was the high point.

Once an integral part of the Assyrian empire, Tal Afar's history goes back thousands of years and the city is dominated by the citadel, which was damaged in 2014 when IS blew up some of its walls.

The citadel "is a pillar of civilisation, it's a major historical monument for all the Iraqi and Arab people," says Abdel Hamid al-Attar, a 49-year-old fighter with the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary units that fought alongside government forces.

Atop a hill overlooking Tal Afar, the citadel weathered the many storms of violence that have shaken Iraq, including the 2003 US invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

After the invasion, it served as the headquarters of the municipal council and the local police.

Two years later American forces set up a base in Tel Afar and launched Operation Restoring Rights to break the hold of Al-Qaeda and other insurgents in the city.

The operation was seen as a major success for the US military and was led by H.R. McMaster, then a colonel and now US President Donald Trump's national security adviser.

Through it all the citadel stood intact, until IS blew up its northern and western walls in 2014, sparking condemnation from UN cultural agency UNESCO.

During their three-year occupation of Tal Afar, the extremist Sunni Muslim jihadists turned the citadel into a prison where they chained men and women whose behaviour they considered "sinful".

"When we retook the citadel we found chains and other things IS used to restrain their prisoners," said Attar.

Islamic State group jihadists blew up some of the walls of the Ottoman-era citadel when they seized Tal Afar in 2014

"I was shocked and sad when I saw the damage caused by IS," he said.

- 'Where are they?' -

Not far from the citadel stands Tal Afar's grand mosque, its minaret damaged during the fighting. Half-way up, Hashed fighters have hoisted the green banner of one of their units, the Abbas Brigade.

Fighters have taken up positions near the top to scout the area, and from up there they have a clear view of the extent of the damage inflicted on Tal Afar.

The offensive was preceded by intensive air strikes on IS targets and huge craters can be seen around the city, where electricity poles have been uprooted, homes and shops destroyed.

Some homes appear undamaged but none of the militiamen dare go inside fearing they could be booby-trapped.

Except for the fighters there is not a soul around; most of the city's 200,000-strong residents were long gone before the offensive was launched last week.

IS graffiti is everywhere, however, with "Property of the Islamic State" or "God is greatest" scrawled on walls and building facades.

Fighters from the Hashed al-Shaabi force pose for a picture in front of the minaret of the grand mosque of Tal Afar with an upside down Islamic State group flag

In the district surrounding the citadel, IS black flags that once flew from every corner have been brought down by the Iraqi forces and turned upside down.

A group of Hashed fighters grab a tattered IS flag as one of their comrades, who calls himself Abu Abbas, takes out his cell phone to snap a "victory selfie".

Turning to an AFP correspondent, Abu Abbas ridicules IS for its boasting that "the Islamic State will stay on and persist".

"Where are they? I don't see any one of them here," said Abbas, who hails from the Shiite shrine city of Karbala in southern Iraq.

As temperatures soar, some fighters find a spring of cool water to wipe away the dust caking their faces and hair, while others simply dive in for a swim.

Suddenly one of the Hashed militiamen shouts out: "Hey guys, do you think the water is booby-trapped?"
Philippines troops have been battling rebel forces in the city of Marawi for almost 100 days, but the gunmen have defied military assaults to drive them out

Ten suspected militants were killed in the Philippines on Monday as they attempted to infiltrate a southern city partly occupied by gunmen loyal to the Islamic State group, officials said.

Government forces have been besieging the militants in the city of Marawi for almost 100 days. But the gunmen, flying the IS black flag, have defied military assaults including airstrikes and artillery barrages.

Before dawn Monday 10 militants aboard two motorboats were caught by soldiers trying to sneak into the lakeside city to reinforce gunmen already there, said regional military chief Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez.

The bodies of five dead men were recovered from one motorboat while the other boat, with five aboard, was sunk, Galvez said.

"Let this be a warning to those who have the intention to escape and to enter (Marawi), our troops are ready for you. We will definitely get you," he added.

Troops have previously intercepted dozens of "reinforcements" and ammunition being brought into the city to help the militants.

Aside from the forces in Marawi, various Muslim outlaw bands are scattered throughout the strife-torn southern Philippines, engaged in kidnappings for ransom, banditry and Islamic separatist guerrilla activities.

The military says that so far, 603 militants, 45 civilians and 130 soldiers have been killed in the fighting, which has left the once-thriving city of Marawi looking like war-torn Aleppo or Mosul.

It says the gunmen, led by the so-called Maute group that has pledged allegiance to IS, have recently been driven out of strategic areas like the city's main mosque and a cathedral, and been reduced to a small band occupying less than a square kilometre of the city.

But their use of improvised explosives and booby traps as well as the difficulty of urban combat has slowed down the military's progress.

Military chief General Eduardo Ano said Monday the remaining militants were "consolidating" and preparing for the military's assault.

"Our enemy has said they will fight it out up to their last breath so with that declaration, we expect they will really do or die," he told reporters in Manila.

The death of patriarch Cayamora Maute in custody on Sunday may demoralise the remaining fighters, he added.

Cayamora Maute was arrested in June and is suspected of having assisted his sons, the leaders of the Maute group, in their illegal activities.

President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law over the entire southern Philippines on May 23 after the fighting broke out in Marawi.

strs-mm/eb/sm
International charities have battled accusations that their rescue operations encourage migrants to make the dangerous Mediterranean crossing

Seven African and European leaders met in Paris on Monday to try to build a "new relationship" aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into Europe from northern Africa in return for aid.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with his counterparts from Niger and Chad, along with the head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj.

Niger and Chad are transit points on the route to Europe through war-torn Libya.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europe's top diplomat Federica Mogherini also joined the talks.

The meeting "may constitute the start of a new relationship between Europe and Africa," the interior ministers of Italy, Chad, Niger, Mali and Libya said in a joint statement after meeting in Rome.

France is seeking improved border controls and patrolling of the waters around Libya -- a mission complicated by the existence of two competing governments and a general sense of lawlessness in the desert state.

European countries have long sought to cut off clandestine immigration routes into the continent.

A controversial accord with Turkey last year stemmed the flow of migrants across the Aegean Sea to Greece, one of the main channels.

But other routes have come back into use, including via Morocco and Spain.

More than 14,000 people have died attempting to reach Europe since 2014.

This year alone, some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat, according to UN figures, with the vast majority landing in Italy.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of migrants and asylum seekers.

Last month the EU offered 10 million euros ($12 million) in aid to Niger to combat clandestine immigration.

Also in July, Macron proposed -- without consulting his allies -- the creation of so-called "hotspots" in Africa where asylum seekers could lodge a request to travel to the EU, avoiding a perilous voyage across the Mediterranean in a smuggler's boat.

Some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year

Charities that help migrants have criticised attempts to stop migration at its source. "We're extending the European border farther and farther away," Eva Ottavy of the French charity Cimade told AFP.

- Sharp fall in crossings -

Monday's meeting might provide insight into why arrivals have plummeted in recent weeks from Libya, the main route into Europe since the pathway from Turkey into Greece was shut down in 2016.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year.

Possible reasons include improved action by the Libyan coastguard and tougher border controls in transit countries, as well as Libyan militias being recruited into efforts to stop boats leaving.

Libyan leader Sarraj, whose government controls only part of the coastline, is expected to ask European leaders to work to lift an arms embargo imposed in 2011 so that he can arm coast guard and customs officers.

The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, will tell his European counterparts that he has managed to reduce the number of migrants passing through the transit town of Agadez in his country by 80 percent, a source in his team told AFP.

Migrant arrivals from Libya have plummeted in recent weeks

Libya has also sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

Some political right-wingers have accused the groups of unintentionally encouraging migrants to attempt the crossing, as they know they will be rescued in the event of an emergency.

An Italian code of conduct that has divided NGOs is set to be approved by all the countries attending Monday's meeting, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

"Above all, we have to save lives, we have to avoid situations where migrants and refugees put their lives in danger to reach protection," said Ralf Gruenert, France's representative of the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

burs-cf-gd/cb/kjl
The Israeli army destroyed the family home of Palestinian Omar al-Abed in the West Bank village of Kobar on August 16 after he stabbed to death three residents of the Halamish Jewish settlement

Israel has jailed five relatives of a Palestinian who stabbed three people to death claiming they knew about his plan and did not try to stop him, the army said Monday.

A military court ruled Sunday that the father, mother, uncle and two brothers of Omar al-Abed "knew he intended to commit a terrorist attack and did nothing to warn the security services to prevent it".

Abed's brothers and uncle were sentenced to eight months in prison, while his father and mother received two and one months respectively, according to court documents seen Monday by AFP.

The mother was also found guilty of inciting violence after defending his actions in Palestinian media, a military source said.

On August 16 the Israeli army destroyed the family home in the village of Kobar near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank.

Omar al-Abed sneaked into the West Bank Jewish settlement of Halamish on July 21 during weekly Shabbat dinner and stabbed four members of the same family, killing three.

Abed was shot during the attack and later arrested.

The attack came with tensions high over the sensitive Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

The army said he had spoken of defending Al-Aqsa and of dying as a martyr in a Facebook post prior to the attack.
Former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri was killed in a massive car bombing in 2005

The daughter of a bystander who lost his life in the massive car bomb that killed former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri spoke Monday of her family's harrowing search to find her father's body.

Lama Ghalayini, 39, is the first victim to testify before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, a UN-backed tribunal set up to prosecute those who murdered Hariri and 21 others in the huge February 14, 2005 suicide car bombing on Beirut's busy seafront.

"In the beginning we always had hope that we would find something," Ghalayini told judges, speaking via video link from the Lebanese capital.

Her voice at times trembling with emotion, Ghalayini described how her father Abdel-Hamid spoke to her the day before going for a walk in the area near the Beirut waterfront.

He was reported missing after news of the suicide bombing -- blamed on five suspected members of the powerful Shiite movement Hezbollah, became known.

- 'Completely lost' -

"We were completely lost, we were in a state of distress and we needed to know exactly what the situation was," Ghalayini told a five-judge bench.

Looking for their relatives, the family was confronted with the scene of carnage at the blast site.

Ghalayini said they received no help from the authorities in their quest to find her father, a businessman and an amateur pilot.

At the scene "I found body parts. There were also pieces of metal and stones. It was complete chaos," said Ghalayini.

The family was so desperate that they even hired their own sniffer dogs but to no avail.

Ghalayini's body was eventually discovered some 17 days after the blast, buried beneath the rubble.

Monday's hearing marks the first time victims were allowed to speak in the long-running trial which started in 2014 against the five suspects indicted by the court, based just outside The Hague.

However, the STL has quashed the case against one of the accused, Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine, who is believed to have died in fighting in Syria in May last year.

Four others, Salim Ayyash, Hussein Oneissi, Assad Sabra and Hassan Habib Merhi are being tried in absentia.

The STL opened its doors in 2009 and is the only international ad-hoc tribunal with the jurisdiction to try an act of terror.

Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah has previously dismissed the tribunal as a US-Israeli plot and vowed none of the defendants will ever be caught.
FARGO  Two suspects police arrested in connection with the disappearance of pregnant Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind will appear in Cass County District Court on charges of conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping after her body was found on Sunday, Aug. 27, in the Red River.

Suspects William Hoehn and Brooke Lynn Crews, who lived in the same Fargo apartment building as LaFontaine-Greywind, will be arraigned on the charges at 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 28, Cass County States Attorney Birch Burdick said during a news conference to update the public on the case.

The couple will face three charges each: conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and providing false information to law enforcement, Burdick said.

The charge of conspiracy to commit murder, a Class AA felony, carries a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole, while conspiracy to commit kidnapping, a Class A felony is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, Burdick said. A false information charge is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison.

No one else is expected to face charges in the case at this time. "We have no indication that there are any other suspects involved in this crime," said Lt. Jason Nelson of the Fargo Police Department.

Although the case may stretch across two states, North Dakota and Minnesota, authorities said it is too early to tell if the case would head to federal court. Burdick said at this time, it will be handled in Cass County District Court, but that he will communicate with other agencies as more information becomes available.

We just need to await facts, Burdick said. If further information comes to us that leads us to believe that other jurisdictions would be appropriate than I will sit down with those jurisdictions.

LaFontaine-Greywinds body was found about 8:20 p.m. in the river near the 90th Avenue Northwest bridge. About the same time, investigators from the Clay County Sheriffs Office were called to a nearby abandoned farmstead after a search party reported finding suspicious items that could indicate criminal activity.

The team that was searching, when they went to the house, they found some things that were very, very suspicious, Clay County Sheriff Bill Bergquist said. Thats what brought us there.

The Clay County Sheriffs Office is handling the search and investigation of the farmstead, Fargo Police Chief David Todd said.

On the property is an abandoned house with barns, and it has not had an official address for years. The owner has been cooperative with investigators, Bergquist said.

LaFontaine-Greywind's body, which was found bound in plastic and duct tape, was sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiners Office in St. Paul for an autopsy.

On Monday, investigators could not say where LaFontaine-Greywind may have died or how. Preliminary information from the autopsy is expected later Monday or early Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Todd said, Savanna was the victim of a cruel and vicious act of depravity.

Lt. Nelson provided additional information about earlier searches of Hoehn and Crews' Fargo apartment. Officers searched that apartment twice for LaFontaine-Greywind on Saturday, Aug. 19, the day she went missing, and a detective searched the apartment on Sunday, Aug. 20. There was no indication of LaFontaine-Greywind or a child during those three searches, Nelson said.

During those searches, the suspects were cooperative and there were no signs of a crime scene, Nelson said.
Members of Libyan naval forces patrol the sea off the coast of Libya's second city Benghazi on November 20, 2016

The Libyan navy said Monday it has seized an oil tanker near the maritime border with Tunisia and detained the 20-member Filipino crew on suspicion of fuel smuggling.

Navy spokesman General Ayoub Kacem said the vessel was intercepted on Sunday off Abu Kamash, 170 kilometres (110 miles) west of Tripoli, and its crew transported to the capital to appear before the prosecutor general.

The Liberian-flagged tanker belonging to a Greek company was loaded with six million litres (1.5 million gallons) of contraband fuel, he said.

Plunged into conflict and political chaos since a 2011 revolution that ousted and killed Libya's longtime leader Colonel Moamer Kadhafi, oil smuggling to Tunisia, Malta and Tunisia has become a lucrative trade.
People fleeing from a conflict area in Myanmar's Rakhine state

Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh told Monday how they fled for their lives from Myanmar's army as the UN refugee agency said more than 3,000 had arrived in the past three days.

The influx follows a fresh outbreak of fighting between Rohingya militants and Myanmar troops in Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has said there are thousands more Rohingya massed on its border with Myanmar, where the stateless minority face persecution.

Dhaka has responded by stepping up border controls and pushing back hundreds of Rohingya who try to enter, although some have still managed to evade the guards.

Those who have got through took refuge in the mostly makeshift camps in the coastal town of Cox's Bazar, where some 400,000 Rohingya are already living after fleeing previous bouts of violence in Rakhine.

Sona Mia said at least 800 had arrived at his Balukhali camp since Friday.

"Police said we can't let them stay or else we would be deported. We helped them enter through several points but are sending them to Kutupalong," said Mia, referring to another camp.

Authorities at the Chittagong Medical College Hospital said they were treating 17 Rohingya. One had died of gunshot wounds on Saturday.

Mohammad Ziabul, a 27-year-old farmer, fled for his life after Myanmar troops shot and killed his brother.

"We started running for cover when Myanmar army started firing indiscriminately on Friday," he said.

"Two bullets hit my body -- one at my left hand and the other one at my head. I fell on the ground. My elder brother Dil Mahmud who was also hit by bullet, died on the spot."

He said around 1,000 Rohingya had fled his village alone to hide out in the forest.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said many of the new arrivals are women and children.

"UNHCR and other UN Agency teams in registered camps estimated that more than 3,000 'newly arrived' individuals were seen in and around the camp," said UNHCR spokesman Joseph Tripura.

"Many of the new arrivals are women and children including some un-accompanied and/or separated children."

Abdur Rashid, another Rohingya farmer, described walking miles with his 10-year-old son to hospital in Bangladesh after the child was hit by a bullet in Myanmar.

"I left my five other children and my wife in Myanmar. I dont know what happened to them," he said.
Photo taken on July 10, 2008 shows a Chinese soldier (L) gesturing next to an Indian soldier at the Nathu La border crossing between India and China in India's northeastern Sikkim state

India said Monday it had agreed with China to end a months-long military stand-off at a strategically important disputed area in the Himalayas and troops were disengaging.

The foreign ministry said it had reached an "understanding" after talks with Beijing about the tense confrontation in an area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and Bhutan.

China's foreign ministry said only that Indian troops were withdrawing. But New Delhi later made clear that both countries were pulling back their border forces.

"We had earlier in the day announced that following diplomatic communications, expeditious disengagement of border personnel of China and India at the face-off site was ongoing," the Indian statement said.

"This process has since been almost completed under verification."

The stand-off at the Doklam plateau began on June 16 and sparked what some analysts said was the worst crisis in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

India does not claim Doklam for itself but is closely allied with Bhutan, which it regards as a buffer against rival China to the north.

India and China have a long history of mistrust and went to war in 1962 over the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

China announced it was "pleased" that India had agreed to withdraw troops from the flashpoint area.

"I am pleased to confirm that trespassing Indian personnel have all pulled back to the Indian side of the boundary," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.

"Chinese troops continue to patrol on the Chinese side of the boundary," she said.

China had repeatedly said India must withdraw its troops before any proper negotiation takes place. India said both sides should withdraw their forces together.

The border trouble began in June when Chinese soldiers started to extend a road through the Doklam territory -- known as "Donglang" in Chinese.

India deployed troops to stop the construction project, prompting Beijing to accuse it of trespassing on Chinese soil.

The plateau is strategically significant as it gives China access to the so-called "chicken's neck" -- a thin strip of land connecting India's northeastern states with the rest of the country.

Another incident elsewhere earlier this month, in which Indian and Chinese soldiers fought with rocks and sticks at a high-altitude lake on the disputed border between the two countries, further inflamed tensions.

Dhruva Jaishankar, a foreign policy fellow with Brookings India, said India had achieved its objective by refusing to budge and getting China to step back from its contentious road project.

"The Chinese side is going to focus on the fact that the Indian troops have withdrawn. (But) ultimately the issue is whether this road gets built or not, and it appears that it won't be the case," Jaishankar told AFP.

India has historically been closely allied to Bhutan, but in recent years China has sought to increase its own engagement with the tiny mountainous kingdom.

That has fed into a broader competition for regional influence between the two Asian powers.

Monday's announcement comes days before India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to China for a summit of BRICS countries -- India, China, Russia, Brazil and South Africa.

burs-cc/eb
People walk through flooded streets in Houston on August 27, 2017 as it battles to cope with the effects of with tropical storm Harvey, which hit Texas late Friday as a hurricane

As monster storm Harvey unleashes catastrophic flooding in Houston, Texas, here is a list of the worst hurricanes and tropical storms to hit the US in the past 25 years, the deadliest of which was Katrina in 2005.

- 2012: Sandy -

On October 29, 2012, "Superstorm Sandy" slams into the state of New Jersey before rolling up through New York City, bringing hurricane-force winds to the densely populated region.

It leaves more than 120 dead, including around 40 in New York and causes massive flooding and ruined infrastructure. Damage is estimated at some $71 billion (59.5 billion euros), making Sandy one of the most costly hurricanes to hit the US.

- 2011: Irene -

Irene kills 43 people across 11 states when it blasts the eastern US seaboard on August 28, 2011.

Map showing major highways hit by flooding in Houston late Sunday

Hardest-hit is the state of Vermont, which experiences its worst flooding for 75 years. In the small state neighboring Canada, Irene drops the equivalent of two months of rain in less than 24 hours.

- 2005: Katrina -

More than 1,800 people are killed across the US Gulf Coast on August 29, when Hurricane Katrina makes landfall across Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama.

Katrina, one of the most violent hurricanes in US history, displaces more than a million people.

The financial toll from the storm tops $150 billion. More than four-fifths of New Orleans is flooded.

The hurricane, with torrential rains and winds racing at more than 240 kilometers per hour (149 miles per hour) causes dams to burst at Lake Pontchartrain which borders the north of the city.

Floodwaters reach the historic city center, which became a deadly trap for hundreds of inhabitants.

- 2005: Rita -

A month after Katrina, the Gulf of Mexico is battered again when Hurricane Rita hits Texas and Mississippi overnight on September 24-25, leaving 10 dead.

The authorities oversee the evacuation of nearly three million people along Rita's path, during which 24 people die.

New Orleans suffers renewed flooding in areas which are deserted after Katrina. In the Florida Keys the sealevel rises by 1.5 meters (4.92 feet).

- 2004: Charley, Frances -

Florida is ravaged in quick succession by hurricanes Charley and Frances in August, 2004. The toll of the two catastrophes comes to around 50 dead and economic losses total more than $20 billion. Water levels rise by 180 centimeters (71 inches) in eastern Florida

- 2001: Allison -

Hurricane Allison makes landfall in Texas on June 5, 2001, before crossing Louisiana, Florida and Pennsylvania over a period of several weeks in which 35 die.

Torrential rains cause water levels to rise to record levels in Houston -- up to 94 centimeters (37 inches) in the port of Houston. The authorities estimate the damage at $5 billion, of which $4.8 billion for the city of Houston alone.

- 1999: Floyd -

Hurricane Floyd on September 16-17 leaves 61 people dead on the eastern seaboard of the United States. Floyd dumps 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain on North Carolina and 13 inches (33 centimeters) in New York state.

- 1994: Alberto -

Tropical storm Alberto hits Florida on July 4, 1994 and moves from from July 5-7 towards Georgia, dumping torrential rains there, as well as in Alabama and the west of Florida.

The rainfall recorded is more than five inches (13 centimeters) in many places with a record of 27 inches (70 centimeters) at Americus in Georgia, of which 21 inches (53 centimeters) pour down in a 24 hour timespan.

The flooding leaves 31 dead in Georgia and leads to the evacuation of around 50,000.

- 1992: Andrew -

Hurricane Andrew is one of just a few storms to hit the US mainland as a category five hurricane -- the highest possible intensity on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

A Houston resident navigates a street inundated with water from Hurricane Harvey, which is expected to dump upwards to 40 inches of rain in areas of Texas over several days

The storm, which leaves 65 people dead, strikes the Bahamas and southern Florida on August 24.

Its 175-mile (280-kilometer) per hour winds tear through southern Florida, leveling entire neighborhoods and leaving millions of people without power for weeks.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres lays a wreath at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial for the six million Jews killed by Nazis during World War II, on August 28, 2017

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres defended the United Nations against accusations of bias against Israel during a visit to Jerusalem on Monday while also condemning what he called "modern anti-Semitism".

Guterres also said he was "shocked" by a recent white supremacist rally in the United States that led to harsh criticism of US President Donald Trump.

Visiting the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem on Monday, Guterres said anti-Semitism was "alive and well".

He also referred to the recent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that ended in bloodshed. Trump triggered outrage when he suggested both sides were at fault after the unrest.

"I was shocked a few years ago to listen to the chant of a group of neo-Nazis in a developed country in the world, chanting 'blood and soil,' a slogan of the Nazis," Guterres said.

His spokesman later clarified that he meant to say days instead of years, referring to the US rally.

"And that is a dramatic demonstration that it is our duty to do everything possible... to fight anti-Semitism in all its expressions."

Guterres made similar pledges to fight anti-Semitism when he met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin.

Netanyahu has frequently accused UN bodies of being biased against Israel and he repeated those allegations when meeting Guterres.

"I think it has an absurd obsession with Israel, flagrantly discriminatory tactics," he said, while saying his country has a "robust democracy" that works toward the "betterment of humanity".

Netanyahu spoke of decisions taken by UNESCO and the UN Human Rights Council that led to outrage in Israel.

Israel is frequently targeted at the United Nations over its occupation of Palestinian territory.

Guterres pledged to act impartially as an honest broker.

"To be an honest broker means that all countries must be treated equally," he said.

Guterres also said: "To express that the right of existence of the state of Israel doesn't exist or the wish to destroy the state of Israel is an unacceptable form of modern anti-Semitism."

However, he made clear that he believed Israeli settlement building was an obstacle to peace, and when meeting Rivlin said disagreements would occur.

"We will always be very frank in dialogue with the state of Israel in trying to find ways for peace to be possible in this region," Guterres said.
Yemenis stand in protest amidst the debris of a house, hit in an air strike on a residential district, in the capital Sanaa on August 26, 2017

An uneasy calm returned to the Yemeni capital on Monday as talks were underway between ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces and Shiite Huthi rebels following unprecedented violence between the two allies.

Cracks have emerged in the rebel alliance between Saleh and Huthi leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi, with tensions spilling over into the streets at the weekend when a colonel with Saleh's forces and two Huthis were killed in a shootout.

Witnesses and a military source in Sanaa, which is jointly controlled by the alliance, said armed rebels and forces loyal to the ex-president have slowly begun to withdraw from the streets, after a heavy deployment following a dispute that led to Saturday's shootout.

A security source, declining to be named, said a mediation committee had been set up to try to restore ties between the two rebel forces.

Saleh's forces are demanding the Huthis hand over responsible for the killing of Colonel Khaled al-Rida, according to the source.

A war of words broke out earlier this month between Saleh and Huthi, with the former president terming his allies "a militia" and the rebels firing back that he was a "back-stabber" and "traitor".

Ties between Saleh and the Huthis had been bitter for decades, with the former cracking down on Yemen's minority community during his two-decade term as president.

Saleh resigned under popular and political pressure in 2012, ceding the presidency to his vice president, Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

Two years later, Saleh and Huthi joined ranks in a shock alliance that drove Hadi's government out of Sanaa.

The two rebel forces have since fought troops loyal to Hadi as well as a Saudi-led Arab military coalition which intervened in the war in 2015 in support of the internationally-recognised Yemeni government.

More than 8,400 civilians have been killed since the intervention, with political deadlock, a blockaded airport and ports, and poverty pushing the country to the brink of famine.

Another 2,000 Yemenis have died of cholera since April and 600,000 more are expected to contract the infection this year.
The Texas coast, home to nearly one-third of the US oil refining capacity, has been ravaged by the most powerful hurricane to hit the state since 1961

Monster storm Harvey slammed into a key US oil-producing region disrupting output amid the devastation, but crude stocks are high enough that the impact on the industry should be short-lived, experts said Monday.

The Texas coast, home to nearly a third of the US oil refining capacity, has been ravaged by the most powerful hurricane to hit the state since 1961.

As a precautionary measure, 105 of the 737 offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated before the storm made landfall on Friday, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE). By Monday, 98 remained closed.

The Gulf of Mexico alone accounts for 20 percent of US production, and the BSEE said about 19 percent of the region's output remained shut down, slightly less than on Sunday.

In addition, about 18 percent of natural gas production was still suspended, down from 25 percent Sunday.

US weather services downgraded Harvey to a tropical storm on Saturday. but torrential rains have continued to drown the area and are expected to continue for most of the week.

Peak flooding is not expected until Wednesday or Thursday, jeopardizing the reopening of refineries.

US oil giant ExxonMobil announced it was shuttering its Baytown complex, one of the largest in the world. The company declined to comment on the potential impact of this closure on its output.

"ExxonMobil's primary focus continues to be the safety of our employees, contractors and the communities in the affected areas," the company said in a statement.

"We are communicating with our employees and their families to ensure they remain safe."

Goldman Sachs analysts said in a report that "information on the extent of the damages incurred by the oil and gas infrastructure remains limited at this point.

"Nonetheless, data available so far point to sizeably larger refining than production disruptions," they added.

The analysts estimated that about three million barrels a day of refinery capacity was offline as of Sunday, or 16.5 percent of the total US capacity.

"At this stage, most of the refining outages are reported as preventive, with only a few comments on minor flooding," the report said.

James Williams of WTRG Economics cautioned that additional refinery shutdowns could occur in the coming days, and that could mean a bigger hit to oil production.

- Short-term shortages -

The impact on crude production is lower than the refinery impact, with about a million barrels per day offline, or about 11 percent of total US output, according to Goldman Sachs.

"The flooding currently taking place is however leading to a greater loss of onshore supply (from the Eagle Ford) than historically has been the case," the analysts said.

And although US oil stocks are at a high level, Williams cautioned that "there may be some short-term shortages of gasoline and diesel."

While most refineries will be able to resume operations a week or two after the rains end, "some may delay restarting and perform their fall maintenance a few weeks early," Williams added.

The BSEE warned that once the storm has passed, the facilities must be inspected before they can restart operations.

The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) issued a warning urging petroleum and petrochemical refineries to exercise extreme caution when restarting their operations, a delicate process that could take longer than expected.

All these uncertainties pushed gasoline futures prices up three percent from Friday's close, to $1.7123, retreating slightly from where it was overnight, when it reached its highest level since June 2015.

The benchmark West Texas Intermediate for delivery in October lost $1.30 Monday to close at $46.57, with the market fearing that demand for crude will be hit by the storm.
An African migrant coming from Ivory Coast rests at Libya's Karareem detention centre near Misrata in 2016

The United Nations called Monday for the immediate release of the most vulnerable migrants held in Libya, many of whom have been subjected to appalling human rights abuses including "extreme violence."

Libya has plunged into chaos since the overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, with dozens of armed factions filling the power vacuum. Things are so bad that Libya now has two competing governments, and migrants by the thousands have been fleeing to Europe.

"Migrants continued to be subjected by smugglers, traffickers, members of armed groups and security forces to extreme violence," UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a report, which also said migrants in Libya are subjected to torture, forced labor and rape. The report covered the period April to August.

Representatives of the small UN mission in Libya visited detention centers for unauthorized migrants in Gharyan, Tripoli, Misrata and Surman.

At these centers, the report said, thousands of migrants have been held arbitrarily for prolonged periods of time with no possibility to challenge the legality of their detention.

"The fundamental rights of migrants must be upheld at all times," Guterres said.

"I call on the Libyan authorities to immediately release the most vulnerable, in particular women at risk, pregnant women, families with children, unaccompanied or separated children and persons with disabilities," he added.

The report was released as the UN Security Council was due to meet later in the day for a meeting on Libya, and as seven African and European leaders met in Paris to talk about how to stem the flow of migrants into Europe from northern Africa in return for aid.

European countries have long sought to cut off clandestine immigration routes across the Mediterranean into the continent, especially from Libya.

In his report Guterres also said that during the period under study, all parties to the fighting in Libya committed human rights violations and violations of international law.

"Armed groups on all sides continued to take hostages, to carry out unlawful killings and to use torture and forced disappearances, including of civilians, in particular women and other persons not involved in the fighting," the report said.
A bus waiting to transport Islamic State group members in the Qara area of Syria's Qalamun region on August 28, 2017

Islamic State group fighters began evacuating a Syrian-Lebanese border region Monday under an unprecedented deal to end three years of jihadist presence there, Syrian state television and Hezbollah said.

The evacuation comes a week into a Lebanese army campaign against the group on the Lebanese side of the border, coinciding with a joint Syrian army and Hezbollah offensive on neighbouring Syrian territory.

Under the evacuation deal, several hundred jihadists and their families on both sides of the border are set to leave by bus for Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, the country's only province still under IS control.

Early Monday evening, Hezbollah and Syrian state television said that "buses transporting IS fighters have left the (Syrian) region of Qara, in western Qalamun, and are heading for the town of Albu Kamal in Deir Ezzor".

Hezbollah said "hundreds of IS fighters" had left the border area of eastern Lebanon, but this was not confirmed by the Lebanese army.

"The objectives (of the operation) have been achieved," Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech broadcast live on the party's Al-Manar television channel.

"IS was expelled from Lebanese territory... the border was secured and the western Qalamun (on the Syrian side) was liberated" from the jihadists," he said.

Nasrallah said the battle had cost Hezbollah 11 fighters and the Syrian army seven soldiers. Lebanon's army has said it lost six soldiers.

Lebanese activists stage a candle-lit vigil in Beirut on August 28, 2017, after authorities said that they located remains they believe to belong to soldiers kidnapped by the Islamic State group

Earlier, a Lebanese army source told AFP that no convoys would leave the area until DNA tests had been carried out on bodies found in the region at the weekend, believed to be the remains of eight Lebanese soldiers IS kidnapped in 2014.

The Lebanese army launched an offensive against IS in the mountainous Jurud Arsal and Jurud Ras Baalbek border regions on August 19.

It said Tuesday it had seized most of the territory formerly held by the jihadists.

At the same time, Hezbollah mounted a parallel offensive to dislodge IS from the Syrian side of the frontier.

Relatives mourn at the funeral on August 28, 2017 of a Hezbollah fighter killed in the mountainous area around the Lebanese town of Arsal

The Lebanese army and Hezbollah announced a ceasefire on both sides of the border after reaching the evacuation deal over the weekend.

On Monday, dozens of Lebanese soldiers were seen manning positions on a string of hilltops in Jurud Ras Baalbek.

Most appeared relaxed, leaning on armoured personnel carriers and waving to journalists embedded with Lebanese troops.

Others manned vehicle-mounted heavy machineguns and looked out over the arid territory they had seized in the nine-day fight.

Smoke could be seen rising behind hilltops along the border.

"Daesh is burning its homes and bases before evacuating," a member of the special forces told AFP, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

Lebanese army General Fadi Daoud said the area had been secured, but that there was still a danger of mines laid by the jihadists.

"Daesh is done, but we may still find caves with bombs in them," he said.

"There are caves and small rooms in the area. If a soldier doesn't go into each room, clear it, and mark it as safe, then we can't say that we're done."

The war ravaging Syria has overflowed into Lebanon on several occasions.

IS has claimed several deadly bombings, clashed with the army and Hezbollah as well as winning a foothold in the mountainous east of the country.
Former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio, shown here in 2010 in front of his infamous tent city jail, is mulling a run for US Senate, he told a conservative newspaper

The former Arizona sheriff who was controversially pardoned by US President Donald Trump after illegally profiling Hispanic immigrants reportedly expressed interest Monday in running for Senate.

According to the Washington Examiner, Joe Arpaio, the longtime sheriff of Maricopa County until his defeat by a Democrat last year, said he could challenge Republican Senator Jeff Flake for his seat in 2018.

"I could run for mayor, I could run for legislator, I could run for Senate," the 85-year-old told the conservative-leaning news outlet.

Arpaio said he was "getting a lot of people around the state asking me" to challenge Flake, who has been a critic of Trump.

Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt last month for illegally profiling Hispanic immigrants.

In pardoning Arpaio, who ignored a 2011 federal court order that he stop detaining illegal migrants, Trump insisted the former sheriff "kept Arizona safe."

But critics were appalled by the move, warning it would only serve to divide a country still reeling from Trump's controversial remarks on racial unrest in Charlottesville, Virginia earlier this month.

Arpaio, who reveled in his reputation as "America's toughest sheriff," had been due to be sentenced in October. Now a political future may lay ahead.

"All I'm saying is the door is open and we'll see what happens," he told the Examiner. "I've got support. I know what support I have."

Flake wrote a candid book this year in which he bluntly warned that Trump is betraying conservative principles, and showing "affection for authoritarians and strongmen."

Flake, who has been on the receiving end of Trump's wrath in tweets and speeches, is already facing a Republican nomination challenge from another conservative Arizonan.
Ashton Matheny is experiencing a deeper hell than most people can imagine.

One week ago, his girlfriend of six years, Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, eight months pregnant with their child, disappeared from her north Fargo apartment building.

Then, on Thursday, police found a newborn baby girl in the very same apartment building and arrested two people suspected of kidnapping LaFontaine-Greywind and the baby, and perhaps much worse.

LaFontaine-Greywind, meanwhile, remains missing. Matheny hasn't been allowed to see the baby girl believed to belong to him and his girlfriend. He hasn't even seen a photo of the girl. The couple named their child Haisley Jo.

Although the two suspects told police that the baby belongs to LaFontaine-Greywind, authorities won't allow family to see the child until DNA testing confirms LaFontaine-Greywind is the mother. The baby remains at Sanford Children's Hospital and in the custody of Cass County Social Services.

"It breaks my heart," Matheny says. "They're admitting it's (our) baby. I guarantee if I saw it I could tell whose child is. It doesn't matter what I think. They have guidelines and procedures. It's frustrating, man."

After the newborn was found Thursday, Fargo police took a toothbrush belonging to LaFontaine-Greywind to collect DNA samples. Matheny said police also took some of her clothing so DNA could be collected from them.

Police didn't collect DNA evidence from Matheny right away, perhaps because the couple is not married.

On Friday morning, Fargo Police asked Matheny to come in so they could collect DNA evidence from him. They took three cotton swabs worth of DNA from the inside of his mouth. Matheny was told results would take about a week to produce.

"It's taking forever," he says. "It's taking too long. This whole thing is taking too long."

'Longest week'

Matheny and LaFontaine-Greywind were scheduled to move into an apartment together in north Fargo on Sept. 1. The baby was due Sept. 20. The apartment is across McKinley Park from the building where the Greywind family lives and the woman disappeared.

A member of the Spirit Lake tribe, like LaFontaine-Greywind, Matheny had been staying with his dad on the reservation near Devils Lake until his girlfriend's disappearance. He was helping with construction on his father's house, "trying to get money for the baby." He has been applying for jobs in Fargo in anticipation of his move.

Until June, Matheny had been living in Minneapolis, working construction, but moved back to North Dakota to be nearer to LaFontaine-Greywind as the due date for their child approached.

He was housesitting for his mom in Grand Forks when he learned of his girlfriend's disappearance. He had last communicated with her about an hour before she went upstairs in her apartment building, supposedly to help a neighbor who needed a model to help pin a dress. That neighbor is believed to be Brooke Lynn Crews, who was arrested with the baby in her possession.

LaFontaine-Greywind's mother called Matheny about 4:30 p.m. last Saturday to ask if he'd heard from her. He told her mother that he had texted her at 1:24 p.m.

"She said, 'Something's wrong  Savanna's gone,'" Matheny recalls. "I started freaking out. That's what I've been doing ever since."

He didn't have a car, so wasn't able to get to Fargo until about 9 p.m. the day she went missing. Since then, he's been staying with a friend in Fargo, trying to cope with the agony of everything that has happened.

"It's been the longest week of my life," he said.

On Friday, while family, friends, and the public searched Trollwood Park for LaFontaine-Greywind, Matheny stood apart from the crowd with friends, his head down. Another public search was Saturday at Oak Grove Park in Fargo

"I almost fainted from watching everyone," he said. "I can't go out there and search. I want so bad to help, but couldn't come to terms (with what would happen) if I found her. It would shatter me. It would break me in half."

'Look at her, man'

Matheny and LaFontaine-Greywind met in 2011 at Devils Lake High School. He was a freshman. She was a sophomore. They were just friends the first two months after they met, but then Matheny mustered up the courage to ask her out.

It took two months for them to have their first kiss, he says, but he knew before long that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

"I was the first one to say 'I love you,'" he says. "It's a hard thing to say to someone. I said, 'I love you. I want to be with you.' She was surprised. She said, 'Wow, I never thought you'd say that. I feel exactly the same way.'"

What was the attraction?

"Look at her, man," Matheny says, before pausing and then explaining why he was drawn to her beyond the physical. "She has a kind soul. She's loving. She cares for everyone. All she does is love and give and care."

Matheny and LaFontaine-Greywind have what her mom described as "a different sort of relationship." They have not always lived in the same place. Matheny's parents split up when he was young and he's lived with various relatives, moving back and forth between the Spirit Lake Reservation, Grand Forks and Minneapolis. His father lives on the reservation, his mother in Grand Forks. He has an aunt in Minneapolis. He's also lived with his paternal grandmother.

The couple lived briefly together on the reservation in Matheny's father's house. They also lived together for a short time in Grand Forks when Matheny was living with his brother, working on the sugar beet harvest.

Matheny has struggled to find his place  he would like to make music, has performed in Minneapolis clubs, and has songs on SoundCloud under the name Ash Groove. He's experienced heartbreak before. His older brother killed himself last year on the reservation.

Matheny and LaFontaine-Greywind's relationship has remained strong despite it all.

"All I wanted was a life with Savanna and my baby," he says. "But they took it from me. My world's gone, man. They took my world from me."
The Zam Zam camp for Internally Displaced People in North Darfur

US aid chief Mark Green said Monday Washington was monitoring Sudan's progress on conditions for a permanent lifting of sanctions, as he visited a camp for the displaced in Darfur.

The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is the first high-ranking official from President Donald Trump's administration to visit Africa.

His trip comes at a time when the Trump administration is planning to cut more than 30 percent in American foreign aid.

It also comes just weeks before Trump decides whether to lift permanently the US trade embargo imposed on Sudan since 1997.

"We will be watching closely for sustained progress on all the five tracks," Green said in a statement.

He was referring to conditions laid down by former president Barack Obama that Khartoum must meet before US sanctions are permanently lifted.

Green said the timing of his visit to Sudan shows the importance Washington attaches to its relations with Khartoum.

"We are at critical point in Sudan," Green said.

The five US conditions include giving more access to humanitarian workers in war zones, counter-terrorism cooperation, an end to hostilities against armed groups in Sudan and halting support for insurgents in neighbouring South Sudan.

"In particular, we are hoping to see progress on humanitarian access right here in North Darfur," Green said as he met the governor of North Darfur state prior to visiting the Zam Zam camp.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese people displaced by the conflict in Darfur live in the camp.

"There is still a need for live-saving humanitarian assistance, and we hope to see a successful resolution to the conflicts in Darfur and the two areas," he said, referring to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

- US committed to Sudan -

On October 12, Trump will decide whether to lift the Sudan embargo after Obama eased it before leaving office in January.

Washington imposed the embargo over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups. The late Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum between 1992 and 1996.

Washington argues that the conflict in Darfur has been a factor in keeping the embargo in place.

The conflict erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, accusing it of marginalising the Darfur region economically and politically.

About 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced by the conflict, the United Nations says.

Bashir himself is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur. He steadfastly denies the charges.

Similar conflicts also erupted in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011.

While assuring that Washington will stand by Khartoum, Green urged other global donors "to do their part" in aiding Sudan.

"We remain committed to engaging with the government of Sudan at a high level on all areas... including improving humanitarian access," he said.

Global aid officials say that in recent months Khartoum has given increased access for aid deliveries.

A US official said Green's visit aims to show that the Trump adminstration "wants to engage and not disengage" with Africa.

After Sudan, Green is scheduled to visit South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Expedia boss Dara Khosrowshahi is likely to accept an offer to lead Uber

Uber appeared on Monday to have found a new hand to steady the wheel at the smartphone-summoned ride service, which has skidded from one controversy to another.

Uber has yet to confirm reports that Dara Khosrowshahi to replace ousted Travis Kalanick as chief at the San Francisco-based startup.

However, Expedia board chairman Barry Diller appeared to confirm the choice in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

"As you probably know by now, Dara Khosrowshahi has been asked to lead Uber," read a copy of a memo from Expedia board chairman Barry Diller to Expedia employees included in an SEC filing.

"Nothing has been yet finalized, but having extensively discussed this with Dara I believe it is his intention to accept."

Uber and Expedia did not respond to AFP requests for comment.

Khosrowshahi is known as an experienced top executive, willing to speak his mind and to advocate for women getting equal pay and leadership opportunities.

His most recent Twitter post criticizes US President Donald Trump for his response to a white supremacist rally that turned deadly in Charlottesville.

"I keep waiting for the moment when our Prez will rise to the expectations of his office and he fails, repeatedly," Khosrowshahi said the tweet, which included a link to a story about the Trump controversy.

Born in Iran, Khosrowshahi immigrated to the United States with his family as a child and became a citizen here.

Expedia shares have climb more than five-fold during the 12 years Khosrowshahi has been in charge of the travel services internet firm.

- Rough road -

Whoever takes charge at Uber will face challenges including conflicts with regulators and taxi operators; a cut-throat company culture, and board members feuding with investors over Kalanick.

Kalanick was the driving force behind Uber, taking a spur-of-moment idea and turning it into the world's most valuable venture-funded tech startup.

But his brash personality and freewheeling management style made him a liability as well as an asset to the global ridesharing giant, and in June he stepped down as chief executive.

Kalanick, who turned 41 this month, frequently recounts how the idea behind Uber was born, when he and a colleague were attending a technology conference in Paris in 2008 and failed to find a taxi on a cold night.

This file photo taken on January 11, 2016 shows Travis Kalanick, former CEO of the global ridesharing service Uber. Despite his resignation, Uber's financial engines are humming

Uber now operates in hundreds of cities and more than 80 countries.

But the hard-charging style that helped Uber succeed also made Kalanick a target for critics.

He has borne responsibility for allegations of nasty workplace tactics and covert use of law enforcement-evading software.

Dents to Uber's image include a visit by executives to a South Korean escort-karaoke bar, an attempt to dig up dirt on journalists covering the company, and the mishandling of medical records from a woman raped in India after hailing an Uber ride.

- Finances humming -

Good news for a new Uber chief will be that the company's financial engine appears to be purring despite its dented image.

Earnings figures confirmed by AFP showed that adjusted net revenue was $1.75 billion in the second quarter, more than doubling from about $800 million in the same period in 2016.

Gross bookings at the leading smartphone-summoned ride service doubled as the number of trips climbed 150 percent from a year earlier.

The company's adjusted net loss fell nearly 14 percent to $645 million from the same quarter last year, Uber confirmed.

Meanwhile, Uber drivers have earned $50 million in tips since a gratuity option was added to the ride-sharing application in June.

Uber has also been investing in autonomous driving technology, and provoked a lawsuit from the former Google car unit now called Waymo that accused Uber of stealing trade secrets.

- Boardroom tumult -

Some mutual funds have reportedly marked down their stakes in Uber in a sign that months of scandal were taking a toll on the private company's value of some $68 billion.

Kalanick is asking for the dismissal of an investor lawsuit against him, calling it part of a personal attack aimed at sidelining him.

The Benchmark lawsuit filed in a Delaware court accused Kalanick of fraud, breach of contract and of plotting to manipulate the board of directors to allow him to return as CEO following his resignation in June.

But in a legal filing, Kalanick claimed that Benchmark "began secretly planning an effort to oust him" and "executed its plan at the most shameful of times" following the death of his mother in a May accident.
US President Donald Trump warned Monday that Texas faces a 'long and difficult road' to recovery after floods triggered by an unprecedented rainstorm, saying there's 'never been anything like it.'

'It's the biggest ever, they are saying it is the biggest, it's historic,' Trump said, addressing a White House press conference a day before he travels to the Lone Star State with First lady Melania Trump.

'There's probably never been anything like this,' Trump said of Tropical Storm Harvey, which hit the Gulf Coast at the weekend and inundated the Houston region.

'I've heard the words 'epic,' I've heard 'historic.' That's what it is,' he added.

President Donald Trump has been eager to show he is on top of the situation as Harvey unleashed devastating flooding in Texas

The US leader earlier indicated his team had already been in contact with Congressional leaders to discuss relief for the millions of people affected by tropical storm Harvey, which is barrelling along the Texan coast toward Louisiana.

'We're dealing with Congress,' Trump said, speaking from the Oval Office, 'as you know it's going to be a very expensive situation. We want to take care of the people of Texas and Louisiana when that happens.'

Since making landfall, Harvey has soaked Houston, America's fourth largest city and the capital of the country's vast energy industry.

Trump has been eager to show he is on top of the situation, and that he will not make the same mistakes as previous presidents in botching the federal response.

'Things are being handled really well, the spirit is incredible of the people and the coordination between all of the different services, as you know, has been going very well,' he said.

Trump's trip to Texas comes much more quickly than other presidents may have dared. Along with a high-impact presidential trip comes the risk of hampering recovery efforts and tying up resources.

But the recently inaugurated president indicated he may make a return trip to the region this week.

'We may actually go back on Saturday, depending on where the storm goes we may also go to Louisiana on Saturday.'

Since the crisis began last Friday, Trump has seized on his role marshalling the federal response, issuing a disaster declaration for Texas and neighboring Louisiana and deploying 8,000 officials throughout the flood zone.

During a busy weekend, the White House released photos of the president -- decked in a USA cap -- huddling with aides, liaising with cabinet secretaries to discuss what he called a 'once in 500 year flood.'

A steady stream of tweets have sought to show that the president, who spent the weekend at the bucolic presidential retreat of Camp David, was well apprised and in control.

The full impact of the ongoing storm is unknown, but up to 30,000 people are expected to need emergency shelter, and up to half a million some form of disaster relief.
Total's management in Equatorial Guinea did not reply to repeated requests for comment on the country's claim for 48 billion CFA francs

Equatorial Guinea said Monday it has demanded 73 million euros from French oil giant Total over "fraud" in fuel sales made between 2010 and 2012.

"Following an investigation, we found a suspicious and fraudulent situation," said Finance Minister Miguel Egonga Obiang as he announced the claim for 48 billion CFA francs.

No further details were immediately available on the alleged fraud, though Equatorial Guinea has also referred the case to its justice system.

The government of the oil-rich, sub-Saharan nation has demanded that Total come up with a proposal for a settlement, state TV reported.

Total's management in Equatorial Guinea did not reply to repeated requests for comment.

The country, Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, has become the continent's number three oil producer but experts say the vast majority of the population has not benefitted from the energy revenue boom.

As the country demands the settlement from Total, French prosecutors are seeking a three-year jail term and a 30 million euro ($34 million) fine for Equatorial Guinea's Vice President Teodorin Obiang, on trial in absentia for embezzlement.

The 48-year-old son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema is charged with using money plundered from his country's state coffers to fund a jet-set lifestyle in France, where he bought a six-storey mansion in an ultra-posh part of Paris.
A television screen displays a map of Japan and the Korean Peninsula, in Tokyo, on August 29, 2017, following a North Korean missile test that passed over Hokkaido island

Nuclear-armed North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday in a major escalation that triggered global alarm and a furious response from the government in Tokyo.

A visibly unsettled Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said it was an "unprecedented, serious and grave threat", while the UN Security Council called an emergency meeting at Tokyo and Washington's request.

Sirens blared out and text messages were fired off across northern Japan warning people in the missile's flight path to take cover.

Trains were delayed as passengers were urged to seek shelter inside stations.

"All lines are experiencing disruption," said one sign on Sapporo's metro system. "Reason: Ballistic missile launch."

The last time a North Korean rocket overflew Japan was in 2009, when Pyongyang said it was a satellite launch. Washington, Seoul and Tokyo believed it was a clandestine test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Map showing the approximate path of a missile launched by North Korea on August 29, 2017

Pyongyang last month carried out two overt ICBM tests that appeared to bring much of the US mainland within reach for the first time and heightened strains in the region.

At the time, US President Donald Trump issued an apocalyptic warning of raining "fire and fury" on the North, while Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam.

South Korea said the latest missile was launched from Sunan, near Pyongyang and flew around 2,700 kilometres (1,700 miles) at a maximum altitude of around 550 kilometres.

Guam is about 3,500 kilometres from North Korea -- although the missile was fired in an easterly direction and not towards the US outpost, home to 160,000 people and host to major military facilities.

Abe said the overflight was an "outrageous act" that "greatly damages regional peace and security".

In a 40-minute telephone call with Trump, he said, the two allies had agreed to "further strengthen pressure against North Korea".

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un waves after a 2016 rally

Robert Wood, US Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament at the UN in Geneva labelled it "another provocation" that was "a big concern".

But China, the North's key ally and main trading partner, urged restraint on all sides, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying saying the situation had reached a "tipping point" but warning pressure and sanctions "cannot fundamentally solve the issue".

Russia, which also has ties to Pyongyang, said it was "extremely worried", hitting out at a "tendency towards escalation".

- 'Not a chicken' -

Any launch towards Guam would have to pass over Japan first and analysts said Tuesday's overflight presents a major challenge to both Tokyo and Washington.

Before 2009, the only time it had traversed Japanese airspace was in 1998, in what it also claimed it was a space launch. The US said it was a Taepodong-1 missile.

Soldiers from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force set up PAC-3 surface-to-air missile launch systems during a temporary deployment drill at US Yokota Air Bace in Tokyo, on August 29, 2017

Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself against the US, and the firing comes during the annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian South Korean-US joint military exercise, which the North always condemns as rehearsals for invasion.

Euan Graham, of the Lowy Institute in Australia, said that a launch towards Guam would have been a "red line" for Washington, and instead Pyongyang selected a "half-way-house option".

"The North Koreans in a way are being quite clever, by asking a difficult question of a key ally in the western Pacific (Japan) but at the same time not ratcheting up tensions to the point where the United States would seriously consider military measures," he told AFP.

They were also "demonstrating they have the control over the cycle of escalation," he added.

After Pyongyang appeared to postpone the Guam scheme, Trump told a rally in Phoenix that Kim was "starting to respect us".

As a result, according to Cha Du-Hyeogn of the Asan Institute of Policy Studies in Seoul: "It looked like North Korea backed off from a game of chicken.

"But Pyongyang is showing that is not how it is," he said. "That it is not a chicken, it has not backed off and that Washington is the one who is bluffing with no concrete plan."

- 'Horrible day' -

Japan has in the past vowed to shoot down North Korean missiles or rockets that threaten to hit its territory.

But it made no attempt to do so on Tuesday -- when the missile flew over the country for two minutes -- with defence minister Itsunori Onodera saying generals believed it posed no risk to the country.

"Today is really quite a horrible day for Japan," security commentator Ankit Panda said on Twitter following Tuesday's overflight.

"If North Korea assesses the costs of overflying Japan to be *anything* but intolerable, we'll see more of these kinds of tests."
The Magee family set out on a mission to rescue a friend and her children from heavy rains caused by Hurricane Harvey near Hamshire, Texas

Monday was supposed to be the first day back at school. Instead the Magee daughters boarded a boat with their parents and floated down a Texas Interstate to rescue friends from dangerously rising flood water.

"Ain't nothing different than us going out on the river," mused Alissa Magee, 34, as she and husband Mike, 37, ferried Carol Brown and her four children to higher ground in Hamshire, Texas.

"I ain't never seen anything like this," said Mike, a construction worker, after plying the I-10 highway in his boat under thick clouds and torrential rain from monster storm Harvey.

In this stretch of Texas, ordinarily just over an hour's drive east of Houston, the small, close-knit farming community came together Monday as Harvey wrought devastation, sending families fleeing for shelter.

Almost a year's rain fell in days, ravaging rice farms, sinking cars and forcing evacuees to wade to safety, as volunteers joined thinly stretched emergency workers to help where they could.

The Magees sped past an elderly man wading up to his waist, abandoned cars submerged to their rooftops, trash cans bobbing on top of floodwaters and mail boxes proving an outline of sorts of the sunken road.

"Their home is drowning," said four-year-old daughter Macee as Carol's mother's home slowly came into view between tree branches and murky waters, where some spoke of seeing wads of floating toilet paper.

- 'We'll lose it all' -

Everybody with a boat, or a canoe who hasn't left already was on their way out. "We were supposed to be there three hours ago," explained Alissa, only other people needed their help on the way.

When Mike jumped out to steer the boat through shallower stretches on the hard shoulder, jokes about snakes and alligators lurking beneath were quickly laughed off.

"It was just crazy," said Carol's son Gabriel Fulenchek, 12, of the speed at which the floodwaters rose from just covering the ground last night. "What the crap happened to my house."

"Everything's pretty much gone," said his step grandfather James Sargent, 71, standing on his flooded wooden porch, his ankles sloshing in the water as chickens run around at his feet.

"Put the life jacket on the chicken, we'll take it too!" cried Alissa.

Sargent and wife Lorena moved from Oklahoma 11 years ago and were four years from paying off the mortgage on the three-bedroom $46,000 property when Harvey struck.

"Before it's over, we'll lose it all," said Sargent. "It's within a half inch of coming within the house and they say it's going to keep rising, so I imagine it's going to be in the house before morning."

He never imagined it would be this bad.

"It's almost five feet deep," he said of the flood waters. "I don't think I'm going to be doing much farming with it now."

- 'God'll take care of us' -

He and Lorena grew flowers and vegetables, and kept chickens. Until last year they were covered, then Sargent says the company abruptly cancelled flood insurance.

"I don't know why," he said. "There's nothing I can do. The main thing is that we're alright, our family's alright and God'll take care of us. One way or another it'll all work out for the best."

Ron Nichols, the emergency medical services coordinator in nearby Winnie and Stowell, said his staff were using everything they could -- from boats to a tractor fitted with a flat bed borrowed from a farmer -- to rescue people.

While Houston -- the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States -- drowned under devastating floods and soaked up the media focus, Nichols said it was also tough for small communities to cope.

"We're pretty much almost like on an island because we don't have any resources that can get in right now," he said.

From Saturday afternoon to Monday morning, his staff responded to 31 emergency calls and plucked 101 people from their homes -- nearly half their monthly average of 77 calls.

By the time the Magees delivered Carol to the dry warmth of a friend's car, torrential rain had soaked everyone to the core. The couple bundled their children into the car, and set back out to rescue the Sargents.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - A crowd estimated at several thousand, including the New Zealand Prime Minister and high-profile rugby players, attended the funeral Monday of All Blacks legend Colin Meads.

Mourners packed the community hall in Meads' tiny hometown of Te Kuiti and spilled over into an adjacent marquee in which the service was shown on large screens. Te Kuiti, with a population of less than 5,000, saw its population increase by almost half as crowds paid tribute to Meads, who played 55 tests among 133 matches for the All Blacks between 1957 and 1971.

He was voted New Zealand's Rugby Player of the Twentieth Century.

The casket of All Blacks legend Colin Meads is carried by family following his funeral service in his home town of Te Kuiti, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A crowd estimated at several thousands, including the New Zealand Prime Minister and a number of rugby greats attended the funeral Monday of Meads who died Aug. 20 aged 81. (Dean Purcell/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Speakers included brother Stan Meads, with whom he played 15 tests, former All Blacks captain Brian Lochore, his daughter and grandchildren.

Meads, known by the nickname Pinetree, died Aug. 20, aged 81.

Lochore, who shared the honor with Meads of being knighted for services to rugby, said "we trusted each other and respected each other.

"No-one ever beat Pinetree over 80 minutes. Pinetree always won the battle," Lochore said. "There was no prize for second as far as he was concerned."

Lochore said Meads had skills which were ahead of his time and would likely have made him a star in the modern game. But he was a man of his time.

"The one massive difference was that modern players hydrate before the game and we hydrated after," he said.

Stan Meads said his brother, Colin, was a humble man who would have been embarrassed by the fuss of Monday's funeral. Meads will be buried in a black casket bearing his All Blacks number, 583, which was conveyed to and from the service in a black 1937 Plymouth hearse.

While Meads was famously rugged and uncompromising, speakers said he had a softer side, shown to his family and friends.

The notes for the service included a quote from Meads, who described himself as "a country hick in the big time."

"It's like everything in life," Meads was quoted as saying, "if you try to be yourself and don't try to be someone else, it all comes right."

The family of All Blacks legend Colin Meads wait for the start of his funeral service in his home town of Te Kuiti, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A crowd estimated at several thousands, including the New Zealand Prime Minister and a number of rugby greats attended the funeral Monday of Meads who died Aug. 20 aged 81. (Dean Purcell/New Zealand Herald via AP)

A hearse carrying the casket of All Blacks legend Colin Meads is driven through the streets of his home town of Te Kuiti, New Zealand, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. A crowd estimated at several thousands, including the New Zealand Prime Minister and a number of rugby greats attended the funeral Monday of Meads who died Aug. 20 aged 81. (Dean Purcell/New Zealand Herald via AP)
ISLAMABAD (AP) - Two Pakistani soldiers were killed when a bomb went off during a military search operation in a tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, the military said Monday. The attack came as Afghan and Pakistan army chiefs met in neighboring Tajikistan.

A military statement said the Pakistani troops were conducting the search in the Angur Adda area, close to the border, when the bomb went off late on Sunday night.

Pakistan has carried out several military operations against militants in South Waziristan and elsewhere in recent years. The army says it's now clearing up remaining pockets in areas once used by militants as sanctuaries.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Pakistan shut down safe havens for the Afghan Taliban - a charge Islamabad dismissed, saying Pakistan has no safe havens for the Taliban. The demand came during Trump's speech announcing a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia.

In a rare meeting, the Pakistani and Afghan army chiefs met on the sidelines of a regional conference in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on Sunday, according to a Pakistani military statement.

Pakistan's Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa proposed the formation of an Afghan-Pakistani working group so the two armies could jointly work and formulate security recommendations for their governments.

Bajwa reportedly reassured his Afghan counterpart, Gen. Sharif Yaftalin, that Islamabad is open to any suggestion that would facilitate peace in Afghanistan. Pakistan has already started unilateral border security measures, including erecting a fence, Bajwa added.

But Afghanistan did not seem enthusiastic about the proposal.

In Kabul, Gen. Dawlat Waziri, spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, said militants along the border were not the only border issue with Pakistan but that the extremists have sanctuaries in big Pakistani cities as well.

"If Pakistan really wants to fight terrorism, first of all they should start fighting them (terrorists) in their big cities and then come down to the borders," Waziri told The Associated Press.

___

Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's official IRNA news agency says one of the country's most influential dissident politicians who once served as foreign minister, Ebrahim Yazdi, has died. He was 85.

Monday's report says Yazdi died in Izmir, Turkey, due to complications from cancer. He was a close ally of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the late leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Yazdi's party, the Freedom Movement of Iran, was part of the revolution but later turned against the clerics as they consolidated power and crushed dissent. He was purged from office in early 1980s; he served as foreign minister in 1979 and a lawmaker until 1983.

He was frequently sentenced to prison over security charges. He supported moderate President Hassan Rouhani.

Yazdi was in Izmir for medical treatment after being denied a U.S. visa.
LONDON (AP) - It was so human. So accessible. So very Diana: Prince William, the heir to the British throne, sprinting down the track at London's Olympic Park with his wife, the Duchess of Cambridge, and his brother, Prince Harry, in a relay race this year promoting mental health.

There was a time when such a scene would not have happened.

Princess Diana, a preschool teacher thrust into the glare of celebrity by her marriage to Prince Charles, dragged Britain's ribbon-cutting royals into the modern world. She made a direct connection with the public -once running her own race in a flowing white skirt and baggy sweater - and promoted causes far from the mainstream at the time, like land mine removal and AIDS research.

FILE - In this April 24, 1991 file photo, Britain's Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales, hugs and plays with an HIV positive baby in Faban Hostel, San Paulo, on the second day of her visit to Brazil. It has been 20 years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of grief that followed the death of the "people's princess." (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File)

That link lives on through her sons, who have adopted their mother's more personal approach to monarchy and in the process reinvigorated the institution.

"She was the first royal who really took the public's heart," said Sandi McDonald, 55, standing outside an exhibit of the late princess' dresses at Kensington Palace. "I think her sons are the same - the public just loves them."

William and Harry are the most obvious reminders of Diana's impact. They have spoken openly about their own mental health issues over losing their mother while so young and broken down taboos just as their mother did by embracing AIDS patients to ease fears about the disease. But the princess' most far-reaching legacy is her popularization of the idea that celebrities can use their ties to millions of people they've never met to bring about change.

Having been swallowed up by the royal machine when she was barely 20, Diana found her way in life after realizing that the public was fascinated by her every thought. She was able to manipulate that interest to promote causes such as land mine clearance and to tell her side of the story when her marriage collapsed amid Prince Charles' relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles, who later became his second wife.

Today's celebrities in every field have adopted that model - created when newspapers and the evening news were the primary sources of information - and pumped it full of steroids in the world of Facebook and Instagram.

"You can sort of trace the molecular chain or genetic chain between Diana and Kim Kardashian," said sociologist Ellis Cashmore, the author of "Elizabeth Taylor: A Private Life for Public Consumption."

"Imagine if Twitter or Facebook had been around in (Diana's) day!"

While every wannabe celebrity today posts their secrets on social media, in the 1990s it was unimaginable that a royal would share personal hopes and fears with the world. But trapped in a loveless marriage, Diana chose to take her message to the people who loved her.

She covertly cooperated with biographer Andrew Morton to get her story out, using an intermediary who recorded tapes of her answers to the author's questions so she could deny ever having spoken with Morton.

"This was a quite remarkable thing that she was doing," Morton told The Associated Press. "Here she was, talking about the most intimate details of her life - about this woman called Camilla, about her eating disorders, about her half-hearted suicide attempts - to me, who was a relative stranger. ... She was talking about things which no princess had ever spoken about before."

The gamble paid off. Diana's story was told, and the public loved her all the more. Her funeral featured an unprecedented outpouring of grief and emotion, with tens of thousands lining the streets and mountains of flowers piled outside Kensington Palace. It was a transformative event for both the royal family and for Britain, Morton said.

"No longer were we seen as the stiff-upper-lip, do-not-touch nation," Morton said. "We were seen as a trembling lower lip (nation), not afraid to emote, to shed our tears in public."

After Diana's death, the royals also learned they had to change.

Queen Elizabeth II returned to the capital from vacation in Scotland and gave a speech from Buckingham Palace that quieted days of headlines accusing her of being indifferent to Diana's death. A more accessible monarchy has followed.

Last year, as Britain celebrated the queen's 90th birthday for months, the queen joked at a street party outside Buckingham Palace that while she appreciated the cards and messages, "how I will feel if people are still singing 'Happy Birthday' to me in December remains to be seen!"

As William and Harry grew up, they inherited Diana's ability to communicate with the public. To the delight of mental health charities, they and the Duchess of Cambridge have fronted a campaign to persuade people to open up about mental health struggles. One charity, Mind, said the day after Harry spoke about his struggles following his mother's death their public inquiry line received a 38 percent increase in calls.

"It shows how far we have come in changing public attitudes to mental health, that someone so high-profile can open up about something so difficult and personal," said Paul Farmer, the chief executive of Mind.

The young royals have also brought other luminaries into the conversation. In one video, Prince William spoke with pop star Lady Gaga, who told of her struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Diana "knew, even from an early age, that she wanted to groom them more in the image of modern princes, that they would be able to reach out to people," said Morton. "She did not want a ... do-not-touch sign over the future of her children."

Diana also changed the public's expectations of national figures, Cashmore said, noting that Britons are no longer satisfied with a distant monarchy. Her sons' common touch is one reason for the often-denied speculation that William will take the throne after the queen's death, skipping his less popular father.

Quite simply, Diana changed the royal family, said Jenny Glossop, a fan from Worcestershire who visited the Kensington Palace dress exhibit.

"The royals were always formal and stuffy and didn't have a connection with the public. Diana came along, joined the family and changed the royals forever, because after that even the queen softened, became more approachable," Glossop said. "Her boys have grown to be Diana's boys. Everything we loved about her carries on in the family."

__

Associated Press writers Caroline Spiezio and Kevin Scott contributed to this report.

FILE- In this Aug. 9, 1987 file photo, Britain's Princess Diana of Wales smiles as she sits with her sons, Princes Harry, front, and William, on the steps of the Royal Palace on the island of Mallorca, Spain, where the British Royal family is on holiday with the Spanish King Juan Carlos and his family. It has been 20 years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of grief that followed the death of the "people's princess." (AP Photo/John Redman, File)

FILE - In this Monday, March 17, 1997 file photo, South African President Nelson Mandela, left, shows the way to Princess Diana, during a meeting in Cape Town. It has been 20 years since the death of Princess Diana in a car crash in Paris and the outpouring of grief that followed the death of the "people's princess." (AP Photo/Sasa Kralj, File)
HOUSTON (AP) - Patricia Cain entered the George R. Brown Convention Center barefoot and carrying two oxygen tanks. The first was empty. The second was given to her by the Houston Fire Department after the Coast Guard rescued her from her flooded home.

She suffers from congestive heart failure, among other illnesses. Her son, William, and 9-year-old grandson were waiting for her inside. Both were barefoot as well.

"I live in a lake where there was once dry land," William Cain said.

People seek shelter from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. Rising floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground Sunday in Houston, overwhelming rescuers who fielded countless desperate calls for help. (Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle via AP)

The Cains were among hundreds of people who arrived Sunday by boat, by bus, and by foot to Houston's showcase convention center downtown, transformed by volunteers with few hours' notice into a shelter as Harvey ravaged Houston.

Weary and carrying little more than what was in their pockets, they prepared for what could be several days inside the convention center. Many of the roads and major highways nearby were impassable. The American Red Cross was expanding the shelter by the hour as more people arrived, including dozens of volunteers and local residents who saw reports on the news or social media and brought bags of donations.

Inside a cavernous hall humming with the sound of hundreds of conversations, volunteers served food, handed out towels and set up tables with donated clothes for a long line of evacuees. Some people huddled around a projection screen showing television coverage of the storm. Others collected bowls of pasta with parmesan cheese and cups of black coffee.

A long line of people carrying blankets and pillows waited to enter a separate space in the convention center serving as the dormitory. Volunteers set out around 1,300 cots and were quickly assembling more in anticipation of other evacuees arriving through the night. They have enough space to house 5,000 people. Police officers and medics stood ready, though there were no reports of arrests or major incidents Sunday.

"We feel that we have the resources and the knowledge not to have this be anything but safe for families, children and others who need support and safety," said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat, who visited the shelter Sunday.

By Monday evening, the shelter had nearly reached its full capacity. It surpassed 4,000 by Monday afternoon, according to Ken Sandy, a shelter manager for the American Red Cross. Hours later, busloads of evacuees were still arriving to check in.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters that other sites for a major shelter were being discussed.

The American Red Cross mobilized at the convention center on a few hours' notice, Sandy said. The city of Houston had publicly announced just two shelters Saturday night, as the worst of the rain that pelted Houston and surrounding Harris County began. One of the shelters had to close because it was too close to high water.

Turner then announced Sunday morning that the convention center would become a shelter. A few hours later, the first group of evacuees arrived.

Most of the people at the shelter were African-American or Latino, and many of their stories reflected how Harvey affected low-income neighborhoods and the homeless.

Many were from the Clayton Homes, a public housing complex bounded on one side by an interstate highway and another by Buffalo Bayou, which flooded heavily along with all of Houston's major waterways. Police used boats to evacuate many of the complex's residents and bring them to the convention center in trucks.

D'Ona Spears and Brandon Polson walked with their five children, bags full of belongings, and their 7-year-old Chihuahua, Missy. They decided to leave once the water in the first story of their home reached their knees. Polson said the management at the complex wouldn't open a community building on site that had stayed dry as the apartments around it were flooding.

"As soon as you step out, a lot of cars are in the water," Spears said.

Alex Cantu Jr. rode out the storm underneath a bus shelter. Cantu, 50, said Sunday that he was waiting for a bus to the Salvation Army shelter where he lives, but buses were canceled. The flooding made it too dangerous for his brother to pick him up. So he and a few other people slept in the bus shelter.

"I was soaked cold," he said.

On Sunday morning, his brother told him he could go to the convention center, where he hoped to stay through the duration of the storm.

"I don't know how long they're going to let people stay," he said, a white towel draped around his shoulders. "My brother said it would be over Wednesday."

Several people told The Associated Press that in hindsight, they wished they had left Houston beforehand. Before Harvey hit, local officials pushed back against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's suggestion that people in Houston should leave and did not order a voluntary or mandatory evacuation.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner stood by that decision Sunday, saying an evacuation would have put many people on roads that eventually flooded and endangered more lives than having residents stay in their homes.

But Desiree Mallard disagreed. As she carried her nearly 2-year-old son in her arms and waited to enter the convention hall, Mallard said she saw on the news not to leave, and so she didn't.

She escaped her apartment by floating her son on an air mattress through floodwaters.

"I could have (left), if I would have known it was going to be this bad, but I didn't know," Mallard said. "And then when it got bad, they said, 'It's too late to evacuate.'"

Walking into the shelter holding his son's hand, William Cain gave a small laugh when a reporter asked if he wished he had evacuated.

"That's a no-brainer, brother," Cain said.

___

Follow Nomaan Merchant on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nomaanmerchant .

D'Ona Spears, center, reacts as she is told that she cannot bring her dog Missy into the shelter for flood evacuees with her daughter Natalie, left, at the convention center in downtown Houston, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. Spears and her family walked to the shelter after her home was flooded with water from the Buffalo Bayou. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
PARIS (AP) - French President Emmanuel Macron says it's too early to surrender to pessimism, even as he faces sinking approval ratings and upcoming protests against a pro-business labor reform.

As France's politicians return from their summer vacations, Macron met with government ministers Monday and told them "I hope that you are well-rested ... and that you have regained your strength to attack this return to work."

While he acknowledged that "some are predicting the worst," he insisted "we shouldn't give in to the pessimists."

France's President Emmanuel Macron, right, poses on the steps of the Elysee Palace with Italian premier Paolo Gentiloni prior to their meeting, in Paris, France, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain are meeting with African counterparts to find ways to curb illegal migration across the Mediterranean to European shores. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)

Macron's popularity quickly tanked after his May election amid a series of domestic bungles. His government is set to unveil changes to labor law later this week that would notably reduce union powers. Unions and far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon plan protests against the changes next month.
CAIRO (AP) - Sudanese authorities are urging people living along the Nile in Khartoum and areas to the south of the capital to take precautions against renewed flooding this week.

A statement late on Sunday by the Ministry of Water Resources, Electricity and Dams warned of "massive floods" later in the week.

Over the past month, flooding damaged some 3,000 homes over in Khartoum and the Al-Jazira region.

Last week, the ministry said water levels in the Blue Nile, the river's main and most voluminous tributary that originates in Ethiopia, has reached its highest level in nearly a century.

Sudan controls the middle reaches of the Nile, whose water levels peak in late summer.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump on Monday prepared to visit Texas to view the federal government's response to Harvey's devastating flooding as his administration vowed to help the millions of residents dealing with the catastrophic storm.

Harvey represented the first major natural disaster of Trump's presidency and a significant test for a White House that is often chaotic and rife with infighting. Attention on Harvey from officials, the public and the news media also allowed Trump to refocus after a turbulent stretch that included his widely criticized response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Vice President Mike Pence said in a series of radio interviews on Monday that the Trump administration would "be there for the long haul to help rebuild Texas and all the affected areas from Hurricane Harvey."

President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, following his return after spending the weekend at nearby Camp David, Md., (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

"The president has been continuously engaged in this. We've all been deeply concerned by the impact of this storm," Pence told KTRH radio in Houston. "We're saddened by the loss of life and the president is anxious to come to the region."

Pence said Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Cabinet officials would visit Tuesday.

Trump spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, and convened his Cabinet by telephone during the weekend. He tweeted on Sunday a promise of a Texas visit "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" - later announced by the White House as Tuesday. Details on the president's itinerary were not yet immediately available.

But by traveling to the region just days after Harvey made landfall, the president raised questions among his critics on whether his presence would complicate efforts by emergency responders to help Texans still in need.

Jennifer Psaki, a former aide to President Barack Obama, tweeted: "It is always a tricky calculation on when to go, but @realDonaldTrump going too early to Texas (tues) would divert significant resources."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and Trump ally, however, loaded heavy praise on the president and the federal government, describing it as an "A-plus" effort.

"I've got to tell you, I give FEMA a grade of A+, all the way from the president down," Abbott said. "I've spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of FEMA, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services."

The devastating storm has dumped more than two feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a "landmark event" that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.

Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. Abbott said he expected heavy rain "for days to come."

The governor commended Trump for being "extremely professional, very helpful" in moving quickly to grant his request Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.

Abbott said the focus was on rescue in the Houston area, citing multiple high-level vehicles sent in late Saturday night that were being manned by the National Guard, but that boats and helicopters will be available all across east Texas for swift water rescue. Still, in many areas, Houston officials were reporting flooding so widespread that rescuers were getting too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.

In his tweets, Trump praised Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long for "doing a great job" and touted the "great coordination between agencies at all levels of government." He also tweeted Sunday morning about his Cabinet meeting to address Harvey. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, is currently without a secretary.

"Major rescue operations underway!" he wrote.

The Trump administration efforts seek to offer a contrast to President George W. Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in August 2005 and left more than 1,500 dead. The mismanaged response of Bush's FEMA administrator, Michael Brown, to that hurricane, as well as Bush's praise of Brown for doing a "heck of a job" in the immediate days after, dogged Bush for the rest of his presidency.

Abbott spoke on ABC's "This Week" and "Fox News Sunday," and Long appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press."

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report.

___

On Twitter, follow Hope Yen at https://twitter.com/hopeyen1 and Ken Thomas at https://twitter.com/KThomasDC

Wilford Martinez, right, is rescued from his flooded car by Harris County Sheriff's Department Richard Wagner along Interstate 610 in floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, in Houston, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
ALLOWAY, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey mom was high on drugs in her car and left her 2-year-old daughter unattended for hours in a car seat, where she fatally injured herself, prosecutors said.

Deanna Joseph called 911 on Saturday night to report her child was unresponsive, NJ.com reported (http://bit.ly/2iCTbH4 ).

The child was found dead in a car parked in the driveway of Joseph's home with the engine running, Salem County Prosecutor John Lenahan said. It appears the child injured herself in the car seat, he said.

The medical examiner's office will determine the exact cause of death.

Joseph was charged with second-degree child endangerment. She did not enter a plea Monday during her initial court appearance, where a judge ordered that she remain in custody until a detention hearing is held Thursday. A message left Monday night for her attorney, Joseph Neal, was not immediately returned.

Court records show it is Joseph's third arrest in nine years on charges related to neglect of a child.

She was arrested in 2008 after her 11-year-old and 2-year-old were found alone at home, according to a Burlington County Times report. The two children were discovered after police found Joseph on drugs in a parking lot.

The newspaper reported the children were temporarily taken into state custody. Joseph was convicted of cruelty and child neglect and sentenced to five years of probation.

Records show the woman was arrested again after being found unresponsive at an apartment in 2014. Her infant son was found bathing in inches of water nearby.

Joseph was again convicted of cruelty and neglect of a child and sentenced to a year in jail. It is unclear if she was being monitored by the child protection division of the state Department of Child and Families.

If convicted of the current charges, Joseph could face up to 10 years in prison.

___

Information from: NJ.com, http://www.nj.com
CHICAGO (AP) - Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a measure Monday allowing automatic voter registration in Illinois, a move that comes a year after he rejected a similar measure over concerns about voter fraud.

Illinois joins more than half a dozen other states with some form of automatic registration, which proponents say boosts civic participation.

"This is good bipartisan legislation and it addresses the fundamental fact that the right to vote is foundational for the rights of Americans in our democracy," Rauner said at a Chicago bill signing ceremony attended by voter rights groups and Democratic lawmakers. "We as a people need to do everything we can to knock down barriers, remove hurdles for all those who are eligible to vote, to be able to vote."

He said the new law addressed his previous concerns about fraud and errors.

Under the Illinois measure, eligible individuals will be automatically registered unless they opt out when they visit Secretary of State offices for drivers' license services and other state agencies. The measure had wide bipartisan support in the Democrat-majority Legislature.

The law takes effect immediately, but will be implemented in phases.

Most of the changes will take place ahead of the November 2018 election when Rauner is seeking a second term, including a major update of voter files and registrations through the Secretary of State's offices. Other agencies will be on board by July 2019.

Legislators approved a previous version of the bill last year, but Rauner vetoed it over concerns it didn't do enough to safeguard against voter fraud.

Supporters, including election officials and public interest groups statewide, said it will modernize the system, save money and improve turnout in elections.

"We'll have more people registered everywhere in Illinois. We'll have less paperwork. We'll have fewer people trying to figure out last-minute registrations in the final weeks before an election," Chicago Election Board Commissioner Jonathan Swain said in a statement. "Everybody wins in this system."

Some opponents had initially raised concerns about it leading to registering ineligible people.

Voting experts have said there isn't widespread election fraud in the country. But the new Illinois law comes as President Donald Trump has appointed a commission to probe the integrity of the voting system, including practices that "could lead to improper voter registrations and improper voting." Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and state election systems prompted concerns about U.S. election security.

Oregon became the first state to automatically register voters with a 2015 law. It led to a surge in new voters last year. Other states including California, Vermont and West Virginia have adopted similar laws, with roughly two dozen other states considering automatic voter registration measures.

___

The legislation is SB1933.

___

Follow Sophia Tareen on Twitter at https://twitter.com/sophiatareen. Sign up for the AP's weekly newsletter showcasing our best reporting from the Midwest and Texas at http://apne.ws/2u1RMfv.
The American Civil Liberties Union is suing Trump over his transgender military ban.

Transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen and other members of the military, along with others who want to enlist, sued President Donald Trump on Monday, hoping the federal courts will stop him from preventing their service.

One federal lawsuit was filed in Baltimore by the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland on behalf of six transgender individuals currently serving in the Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard and Naval Reserve.

Transgender soldiers, sailors, airmen and other members of the military, along with others who want to enlist, sued President Donald Trump on Monday, hoping the federal courts will stop him from preventing their service

Another was filed in Seattle by Lambda Legal, on behalf of a 12-year Army veteran and two young transgender men who hope to enlist, along with Human Rights Campaign and the Gender Justice League.

'President Trump's actions immediately caused the individual plaintiffs and other transgender service members to fear for their careers, the well-being of their family members and dependents, their health care and, in some cases, their safety,' the ACLU lawsuit states.

Trump directed the Pentagon on Friday to implement a ban on transgender individuals from enlisting in or continuing to serve in the military, which he first announced in a tweet.

The ban, which would take effect next year, also orders a halt to the use of Defense Department resources to fund sex-reassignment surgeries for military personnel, except if needed to protect the health of an individual who already has begun a course of sex-reassignment treatment.

People with the Human Rights Campaign hold up equality flags during an event on Capitol Hill in Washington, in support of transgender members of the military

'Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail,' Trump tweeted.

The ACLU plaintiffs, who claim they face immediate and irreparable harm, are asking the court to declare the ban invalid as an unconstitutional violation of their rights to equal treatment and due process.

White House officials said Monday that they do not comment on pending litigation.

Another lawsuit was filed last Wednesday, before Trump formally issued his directive, by GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights sued in Washington, D.C., on behalf of five transgender service members with nearly 60 years of combined military service.

Trump directed the Pentagon on Friday to implement a ban on transgender individuals from enlisting in or continuing to serve in the military, which he first announced in a tweet

Jennifer Levi, director of GLAD's Transgender Rights Project, said Monday that the filing of multiple lawsuits is a good thing. She said Trump's policy is a 'slap in the face to service members who have devoted their lives to protecting the country.'

The ACLU complaint calls the new policy a betrayal to existing service members who came out publicly to military personnel following a directive issued last year by President Barack Obama's defense secretary, Ashton Carter.

That 'open service' directive stated that no otherwise qualified service member could be discharged or denied re-enlistment solely because of his or her gender identity.

Shane Ortega is an openly transgender male in the United States Army with over 10 years of experience in the service. He spends his time fighting discrimination against the transgender community in the military

Nevada Army National Guard Sergeant Sam Hunt, is the first openly transgender soldier of the Nevada National Guard

The ACLU claims the administration has provided no evidence to justify the reversal in policy, which has been criticized by some Republican lawmakers, including Rep. Scott Taylor of Virginia, a former Navy SEAL, and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a former Vietnam prisoner of war.

'News reports indicate that the Secretary of Defense and other military officials were surprised by President Trump' announcement, and that his actual motivations were purely political, reflecting a desire to accommodate legislators and advisers who bear animus and moral disapproval toward men and women who are transgender, with a goal of gaining votes for a spending bill that included money to build a border wall with Mexico,' the lawsuit claims.

The ACLU plaintiffs, who claim they face immediate and irreparable harm, are asking the court to declare the ban invalid as an unconstitutional violation of their rights to equal treatment and due process

The ACLU says an estimated 8,800 or more transgender people currently serve in the military, and asserts that Trump's concerns about military preparedness, unit cohesion and medical costs are baseless.

According to a Rand Corp. study issued last year, there would be 'minimal' impacts on readiness, with only 10 to 130 active-duty members having reduced deployability because of gender transition-related treatments, the ACLU's suit says.

It notes that 18 other countries, including 11 NATO members, allow transgender people to serve openly, and says Rand found no significant effect on operational effectiveness.
OLD SAYBROOK, Conn. (AP) - Actress Glenn Close says she is humbled to receive an award named after Katharine Hepburn, given what an inspiration Hepburn was to her career.

The Day of New London (http://bit.ly/2xrd8V0 ) reports Close received the Spirit of Katharine Hepburn Award on Saturday in Connecticut.

The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center presents the honor to someone who embodies Hepburn's "spirit, independence and character."

Close has earned six Oscar nominations. She says she was inspired to become an actress in college when she saw an interview with Hepburn.

She told Hepburn the story when they finally met in 1990. In response, Hepburn wrote a letter saying she was glad she persuaded Close "to join this terrible profession" and "this delicious way to spend your life."

Hepburn died in 2003 at 96.

___

Information from: The Day, http://www.theday.com
LONDON (AP) - Hundreds of thousands of revelers packed the streets of London for the annual Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, pausing their celebrations to remember the victims of the deadly Grenfell Tower fire.

The Caribbean carnival, billed as Europe's biggest street party, winds through west London streets near the apartment tower block that was gutted by a June blaze that killed at least 80 people.

The carnival's floats, steel bands and sound systems fell silent for a minute on Monday afternoon to remember those who died in the fire at a public housing high-rise.

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Firefighters, many of whom battled the blaze, stood in a line outside the North Kensington fire station, removed their helmets and bowed their heads, before being applauded by carnival-goers.

Many people in attendance wore green, the color chosen as a tribute to the fire victims. Local lawmaker Emma Dent Coad said there was "a really, really lovely atmosphere."

The two-day festival opened Sunday with the release of dozens of white doves to commemorate the victims. Participants also held a minute's silence Sunday for Grenfell.

Launched in 1964 with a few Trinidadian steel bands, the carnival has grown into a major street event that lures partygoers from all over the world with its flamboyant dancers, colorful costumes, rousing steel bands and booming outdoor sound systems.

Security has been tightened this year in the wake of the vehicle and knife attacks across Europe, with steel barriers and concrete blocks around the edge of the route.

Police said they made 106 arrests on the first day of the carnival, more than 40 of them for drug offenses.

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)

Costumed revellers perform in the Notting Hill Carnival in London, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. The carnival has been held every year since 1966 and one of the largest festival celebrations of its kind in Europe. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
PHOENIX (AP) - A medium-security unit of a southern Arizona prison near the U.S.-Mexico border was on lockdown Monday after a huge brawl that injured 17 inmates, with one group of prisoners trying to escape attackers by climbing up onto a building and throwing objects down at them. Six corrections officers who were assaulted in the melee suffered minor wounds.

Movement was restricted and visits were canceled at the state prison complex's 950-inmate Mohave Unit in Douglas while authorities investigate the disturbance that began Sunday night in the prison yard, Arizona Corrections Department spokesman Andrew Wilder said. The inmates in that unit are housed in dormitories rather than cells and under normal conditions are allowed free access to the yard into the evening, he said.

Some of the unit's yard privileges will probably be suspended to some extent, with the inmates confined to housing at least initially and meals brought to them, said Wilder. "It's likely to be lockdown for them through the week, suspended programing" for things such as job training and substance abuse counseling and no visits by family and friends allowed, he said.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office said it was alerted to the riot before 8 p.m. Sunday and the U.S. Border Patrol and the Arizona Department of Public Safety were called in to help secure the area around the complex.

Wilder said the fighting lasted about an hour before corrections officials brought the situation under control. "It was just between the inmates, no breach of the perimeter, no attempt to escape," he said.

The prison complex is located about three miles north of the Mexico border, but Wilder said its proximity to the international line was not an added concern.

The corrections department spokesman said preliminary information indicates the disturbance began when a group of Hispanic inmates and a group of non-Hispanic whites began fighting in the unit's yard. Prisoners from one side clambered up onto a building to escape their attackers and began hurling things down at them. He said it was not immediately clear if the dispute was racially motivated.

"The reasons behind the fighting remain under investigation," said Wilder.

In the coming days, he said, authorities will attempt to identify the instigators and reassign them to other units if necessary.

Wilder said the most seriously wounded prisoner was airlifted to a hospital for treatment of head injuries while the other injured inmates were taken to hospitals by ground ambulances and helicopters for evaluation and treatment. He said 12 of the injured inmates were back at the prison by midday Monday.

The six officers who were hurt suffered only minor injuries and were treated at the prison, Wilder said.
GRAND FORKS -- As the academic year picks up steam, U.S. higher education could see a some overall reduction in its stream of international students as domestic politics translate abroad.

Its too early to tell exactly how student numbers will be affected, said Barmak Nassirian, director of federal relations at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, but theres been significant concern in higher ed since the 2016 national elections that foreign students might decide against coming to the U.S.

Nassirian believed this to be in part due to protectionist rhetoric about visa and immigration policies, most notably the proposed travel ban affecting multiple countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

Its the symbolism, Nassirian said. That travel ban would have really only affected a very narrow group of people  but the nuances of it, those things dont generally quite translate in a legalistic way. So in general, there has been a negative message out to the prospective student population that maybe coming to the U.S. is not in the cards for them.

A recent study conducted by the nonprofit Institute of International Education in cooperation with other academic research groups suggests that might be the case -- but only to a small extent. The IIE report, which was released July 6, surveyed 165 schools and found that interest among international students remains steady overall.

The authors of the study noted that the rates of international undergraduates accepting admissions offers seems to have fallen by about 2 percent for the 2017-18 year, a drop that mirrors patterns among domestic students. The U.S. average for the international rate now stands at 24 percent, with some states proving more popular than others.

As in past years, China and India remain the top two countries of origin for international students coming to the U.S.

The mostly steady nature of international admissions holds true for the University of North Dakota, said Katie Davidson, the universitys director of international programs.

The application numbers are in, and our enrollment numbers about the same as last year, Davidson said. Shed heard about the worries at other institutions, but said we havent seen too much of an effect at UND.

Overall, Davidson said international students make up about 7 percent of the universitys total student population. Most of those foreign students are in graduate programs, she said, with some enrolled as contract students in more specialized flight training courses.

Davidson believed the international tuition rates at UND -- about $9,800 per semester -- worked in the schools favor when it came to attracting students from abroad, as did strong graduate programs in aviation, engineering and business. If there were to be fewer international students coming to the U.S., Davidson added, she believed a lot of it has to do with the different national media and what they tell their students about the country.

Even still, she was skeptical about that influence.

I think that a lot of students, regardless of where theyre from, dont maybe pay that much attention to international news, she said.

Studies done last spring by multiple academic research and advocacy groups suggested international interest in U.S. universities had ebbed compared with past years, as measured by statistics such as student informational inquiries, visits to campus and applications. At least one survey conducted by a host of groups found that nearly 40 percent of U.S. colleges were counting declines in international application numbers while hearing worries from foreign students about finding a less-welcoming nation. As a more general indicator of interest, Nassirian said fewer students from abroad have been taking the TOEFL exam, a test of English language competency required for international admissions.

While young people might not be up on international news, Nassirian believed their parents might be paying closer attention before packing their kids off to a distant land for an often expensive education. He said the ultimate picture of this years international enrollments would be clearer within a few weeks of classes. But in the meantime, he remained concerned about students who accepted admissions offers actually coming to campus.

We are worried that many students may have mapped out alternative options, Nassirian said. Thats bad for them, potentially, but its also bad for the United States. We want the guy or gal that solves the energy crisis or cures AIDS to do it here, rather than in China or Germany or somewhere else. We want to attract the best minds here.
RENO, Nev. (AP) - Nevada has legalized recreational marijuana, but it's still not OK for tens of thousands of Burning Man fans to light up this year.

"The broader public - including those that go to Burning Man - seem to think that at Burning Man, anything goes," said Rebecca Gasca, CEO of the Reno-based cannabis consulting firm Pistil and Stigma.

Voters in the state passed a marijuana legalization measure in 2016, and sales began at retail stores on July 1.

FILE - In this Saturday Aug. 27, 2016, file photo, Anita Vranckx, of Belgium, hangs from the E of an Earth sculpture at Burning Man on a dusty morning on the playa in the Black Rock Desert near Gerlach, Nev. Tens of thousands have braved massive traffic jams to get to the remote stretch of Nevada desert for the 2017 Burning Man festival that runs until Sept. 4, 2017. (Andy Barron/The Reno Gazette-Journal via AP, File)

But consumption is allowed only in private and even possession remains illegal on federal lands, including the stretch of Black Rock Desert managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management where the counter-culture festival began Sunday and continues through the weekend about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Reno.

"You're not exempt from the law at Burning Man, and that is doubly true this year," festival spokeswoman Megan Miller told the Reno Gazette-Journal (http://on.rgj.com/2vy38b7 ).

BLM officials say a pot possession arrest can result in a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. But federal agents made no arrests for any crimes last year at Burning Man, or the year before.

Pershing County sheriff's deputies, who also have legal jurisdiction at the event, arrested approximately four dozen people last year, about three dozen of them on drug-related charges, Sheriff Jerry Allen said. He said the most common drug found at Burning Man last year was marijuana, followed by cocaine, ecstasy and acid.

This year, Allen said his deputies will follow state law letting people possess up to one 1 ounce (28 grams) of pot. He said discovery of more than an ounce of marijuana or more than an eighth-ounce of marijuana concentrate can result in a citation or arrest.

Providing alcohol or drugs to a minor and drug trafficking also are illegal and can carry heavier punishments, he said.

"If they show up with a hay bale of marijuana, it's definitely going to be more than a citation. It's going to be up to the discretion of the officer," Allen told the newspaper.

In addition, due to the danger posed to oneself and others on the road, anyone who is believed to be under the influence of any controlled substance, based on probable cause, is subject to arrest. Some attendees will be subject to vehicle searches, which may be aided by K-9 units from both the BLM and the sheriff's office.

Participants may refuse law enforcement searches of their vehicles, but refusal of searches requested by Burning Man volunteers at the entry gate can result in denied entry.

___

Information from: Reno Gazette-Journal, http://www.rgj.com
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he thinks "many countries" pose a threat to the Baltic region and that the U.S. "will handle them" if it becomes necessary.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto during their joint news conference, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017, in the East Room of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump says he hopes it won't come to that, "but if we do we will handle them."

Trump says the U.S. considers the Baltic region a very important part of the world and that the U.S. is "very protective" of that region.

Trump spoke at a White House news conference alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (SOW'-lih NEE'-nis-tuh) after they met in the Oval Office for talks.

Trump adds that the United States has a great relationship with Finland.

___

4:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the United States stands "in solidarity" with Finland against the threat of terrorism.

Trump is pledging anew to work to cut off finances for terrorism and defeat what he says is a "wicked ideology."

Trump commented at a White House news conference Monday after Oval Office meetings with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (SOW'-lih NEE'-nis-tuh).

Earlier this month, a man stabbed eight people, killing two of them in Finland's western city of Turku. The suspect was later detained.

Finland's top police chief said at the time that it was too early to link the attack to international terrorism.

___

3:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump has welcomed Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (SOW'-lih NEE'-nis-tuh) to the White House for talks.

The White House says the presidents plan to discuss terrorism, Afghanistan, Russia and the Arctic, among other topics.

Niinisto told journalists before leaving Finland that he and Trump would talk about the Baltic Sea.

Trump and Niinisto plan to take questions at a news conference in the White House East Room following their talks.

The White House initially had announced Niinisto's visit for Tuesday, but later moved the meeting to Monday.

Trump is now planning to travel to Texas on Tuesday to survey flood damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.
The senior citizens who appear in a now-viral photo showing them submerged in waist-deep water in a Texas assisted-living center flooded by Hurricane Harvey over the weekend have been relocated to a nearby facility and a hospital.

Tim McIntosh, whose mother-in-law owns the facility in Dickinson, Texas, told The Associated Press Monday the National Guard rescued 20 people Sunday, about three hours after he shared on Twitter the harrowing photo of the living room of the La Vita Bella facility. The photo shows at least six senior citizens waist-deep in murky water, at least one sitting on a rolling walker, in a room with a popcorn machine, a cat and some bottles of water on a table.

"They are all doing fine," said McIntosh, who defended facility owner, Trudy Lampson, who some accused on social media of not evacuating the facility on time. He said Lampson had made arrangements to evacuate the residents, but local authorities told her to stay put.

In this Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, photo provided by Trudy Lampson, residents of the La Vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson, Texas, sit in waist-deep flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey. Authorities said all the residents were safely evacuated from the facility. (Trudy Lampson via AP)

"The nursing home had to follow protocol because it's a big ordeal to evacuate it," he said. "These ladies are on wheelchairs and most of them on oxygen."

On Monday, Harvey continued to pour rain in Houston after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues. The nation's fourth-largest city was still largely paralyzed, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast.

The storm has been blamed for at least three confirmed deaths. Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-story homes, and people could be heard pleading for help from inside. With nearly 2 more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

McIntosh, of Tampa, Florida, contacted several emergency officials on behalf of Lampson until he was able to reach one in Galveston. He then tweeted the photo taken by Lampson along with the message: "La vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson Texas is almost underwater with nursing home patients." A second tweet with the photo read: "Need help asap emergency services please RETWEET."

He said he posted the photo to see if anyone familiar with Dickinson or the nursing home could "maybe go down the street and help them." But the immediate response was not positive, with comments of "fake news" ''fake photo," and "photo edited."

The narrative turned around, he said, after a reporter with a local paper spotted the tweet, interviewed McIntosh and wrote a story about the ordeal.

"All of a sudden, it really started picking up and people actually believed it was a true event and the photo was real," he said. "We are in Tampa, Florida, the only way we could have an impact was by trying to reach out to emergency services and trying to do social media to gain attention to the cause."
WASHINGTON (AP) - A high-ranking political appointee at the Environmental Protection Agency has been cited by federal financial regulators for unspecified violations while serving as the top executive at a community bank in Oklahoma.

Albert "Kell" Kelly was hired earlier this year as a senior adviser to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. Kelly was previously the chairman of Tulsa-based SpiritBank, where he worked as an executive for 34 years.

An order disclosed Friday by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation bars Kelly from working for any U.S. financial institution after regulators determined they had grounds to believe he violated laws or regulations, leading to a financial loss for his bank. The order does not specify what Kelly is alleged to have done. Without admitting wrongdoing, Kelly also agreed to pay a $125,000 penalty.

Both the FDIC and bank declined to comment about the matter on Monday.

Pruitt served as Oklahoma's attorney general prior to his appointment by President Donald Trump. He has long known Kelly, whose bank provided $6.8 million financing when Pruitt and his business partners purchased Oklahoma City's minor league baseball team in 2003, according to public records. Pruitt owned 25 percent of the club before selling the franchise in 2010, another deal SpiritBank helped finance.

In a statement, Pruitt's chief of staff, Ryan Jackson, said the EPA is fortunate to have Kelly on the staff. Pruitt has appointed Kelly to head his effort to restructure EPA's Superfund program, which cleans up toxic waste sites.

"Kell has received full ethics and financial disclosure training as any EPA political appointee and senior official receives," said Jackson, who added that he has known Kelly for many years. "He has already contributed immensely to the administrator's agenda to speed up remediation timelines."

An EPA official told The Associated Press that Kelly disclosed the FDIC probe before he was hired and that he will remain at EPA. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

Kelly is paid an annual salary of $172,100, according to EPA records.

___

Associated Press reporter Kelly Kissel in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed.

___

Follow AP environmental writer Michael Biesecker at www.Twitter.com/mbieseck
WASHINGTON (AP) - The House Ethics Committee on Monday confirmed an investigation of Republican Rep. Chris Collins of New York after an advocacy group complained of possible insider trading.

In January, the advocacy group Public Citizen filed a request for an investigation of possible insider trading and ethics violations with the Office of Congressional Ethics, as well as the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The House panel said it needs more time to review the report submitted last month by that independent ethics office. The panel said the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension, do not indicate that any violation occurred. The committee said in a news release that it would announce its course of action regarding Collins on or before Oct. 12.

Public Citizen said Collins sits on the board of Innate Immuno, a company that is experimenting with a drug to treat multiple sclerosis. The group said Collins in August 2016 purchased millions of shares of the company while also sponsoring legislation that could benefit the company. The group said in its letter that the information available at that time "falls short of evidence" that illegal trading occurred or that ethics rules were violated, but said the circumstances warranted investigation.

Sarah Minkel, a spokeswoman for Collins, said the congressman has followed all ethical and legal guidelines in his personal investments and he looks forward to the review. She also described the complaints as a "partisan witch hunt against Congressman Collins."
The death toll from violence in western Burma which began when insurgents attacked police posts has reached 96.

Most of those killed were alleged Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority attackers but 12 security personnel also died, said the office of the countrys leader.

The government and supporters of the Rohingya have traded charges of killing civilians, burning homes down and planting land mines, with the insurgents reported as having killed six people identified as Hindu.

(AP)

Rohingya supporters suggest many more civilians have died in army attacks on villages and say these caused villagers to flee to the mountains for shelter or to try to cross the border into Bangladesh.

Witnesses and refugees on the border with Bangladesh said thousands were unable to leave Burma after trying to flee. Witnesses said they heard gunshots and Bangladeshi villagers said they could see military helicopters hovering.

Several hundred Rohingya got stuck in a no mans land at a border point in Bangladeshs Bandarban district, barred from moving further by Bangladeshi border guards who cordoned off about 1,000 Rohingya after they tried to enter the country.

But more than 2,000 Rohingya entered Bangladesh overnight through two points at Teknaf in Coxs Bazar district.

A Rohingya insurgent group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, took responsibility for Thursday nights attacks on more than 25 locations, saying they were in defence of Rohingya communities brutalised by government forces.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims are desperately fleeing fresh assaults by Burma's military today. pic.twitter.com/NE9HAVqzni  CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) August 26, 2017

State Counsellor Suu Kyis office accused the insurgents of torching police outposts and monasteries, killing innocent people and planting mines.

ARSA, meanwhile, accused the army of using civilians as human shields.

Clashes continued on Sunday, with witnesses in the northern Rakhine town of Maungdaw saying they could hear gunshots.

Burma is overwhelmingly Buddhist, but about one million Muslim Rohingya live in the northern part of Rakhine state, where the violence is taking place.

The government refuses to recognize Rohingya as a legitimate native ethnic minority, calling them Bengalis to reflect the position that they are mostly illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Most Rohingya are denied citizenship and its rights.

The Rohingya have long faced severe discrimination and were the targets of violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people  mostly Rohingya  from their homes to camps for the internally displaced, where most remain.

Suu Kyi called Thursdays attacks a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine state.

Western nations and rights groups also generally condemned the attacks but warned the government against violent retaliation.
Detectives investigating the murder of a toddler have arrested a woman, police said.

The 30-year-old is being questioned on suspicion of murder after the body of the boy was found at a house in Manchester.

A 31-year-old man has already been arrested and is being questioned on suspicion of murder.

Police tape

Police were called to a semi-detached house in Beaford Road, Wythenshawe, in the early hours of Sunday following reports of a domestic disturbance.

It later emerged officers had already been called to the address on Friday, responding to a similar incident.

When officers arrived on Sunday, they discovered that a man and woman had left and gone to hospital. It was then that they found the body of a young boy, Greater Manchester Police said.

The 31-year-old man remains in police custody for questioning. The woman remains in hospital for treatment.

The force said formal identification of the body and a post mortem examination have not yet taken place.

Police have launched an investigation after a young boy was murdered in Wythenshawe https://t.co/ALOy4O8vcK  Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) August 27, 2017

Detective Inspector Carl Jones, of the Major Incident Team, said: Our investigation is progressing but is still in the early stages. We have made two arrests and officers will remain at the property whilst we investigate. If you have any information to pass on, or you have concerns, please get in touch with one of our officers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

GMP has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission due to officers earlier involvement at the property.

A cordon is in place around the modern house. Also within the cordon was a Volkswagen Polo car, parked in the driveway.

Neighbours said they were woken by the sounds of sirens from police cars and ambulance.
Ousmane Dembele has formally completed his 135.5million move to Barcelona and been paraded on the pitch at the Nou Camp.

Around 17,000 fans attended Barcas official unveiling ceremony for the 20-year-old France winger, whose switch from Borussia Dortmund was announced on Friday.

The fee agreed between the two clubs - an initial 96.8million with add-ons potentially taking it to 135.5million - makes the player the second most expensive in history.

It is eclipsed only by Neymars 200.6million move from Barca to Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.

 Dembele: "It's an honour to play with Leo Messi. He's the best player in the history of football. I am here to learn" #DembeleDay pic.twitter.com/Nkhz2cPqYZ  FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 28, 2017

Dembele was filmed by the club arriving at Barcelonas training ground on Monday and undergoing his medical. He then formally signed his five-year contract before being presented at the Nou Camp.

Dembele said: I am very happy to be here in Barcelona. I have come here to win titles and am looking forward to integrating into the team.

He added at a later press conference: Barcelona is the best club in the world and I am looking forward to playing with some of the best players in the world such as Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi. I will do everything possible to contribute to this team.

Dembele has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence since breaking into the Rennes team in September 2015. He was named Ligue 1 young player of the year in 2016 and moved to Dortmund for 13million just 12 months ago.

The signing of Dembele may not be the last Barcelona transfer activity before Thursdays deadline, according to clubs technical director Robert Fernandez.

The Catalan giants continue to be linked heavily with Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho despite having three bids for the Brazilian rejected, the most recent reportedly worth up to 118million.

Speaking at Dembeles press conference, broadcast live on the clubs website, Fernandez said: We hope to present another player before the end of the month.

My intention is for one player to come or maybe two, if possible. I wont go in to names but I admit that the club is working on the possibility of signing new players.
Staff at Chester Zoo were celebrating after a pygmy marmoset, the worlds smallest species of monkey, gave birth to twins.

Weighing just 15 grammes, the babies were born at the end of July but are only now big enough for visitors to spot.

The month-old pygmy marmosets, born to mum Audrey and dad Gumi, will only be 13cm long when fully grown.
US President Donald Trump said federal cash for storm-ravaged areas in Texas and elsewhere will arrive quickly.

He said to people suffering from Hurricane Harvey and the resulting flooding that youre going to have what you need and its going to go fast.

Mr Trump added that he has spoken with members of Congress and everybody feels for people in the storms path.

The storm has dumped historic amounts of rain on areas in and around Houston, which continues to flood.

Thanks to the Texas National Guard for their help to rescue flooded Texans. #HurricaneHarvey pic.twitter.com/lhpJtAne10  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 27, 2017

It is the first major natural disaster of Mr Trumps presidency.

The president also told flooding victims via a press conference on Monday that we are 100% with you.

Im adding 1,000 more National Guard to Houston tomorrow. https://t.co/ZrVX0LNPC0  Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 28, 2017

He added: We will get through this. We will come out stronger and believe me we will be bigger, better, stronger than ever before.

Mr Trump is expected to visit the Houston region on Tuesday.
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.
By Paulina Duran and Byron Kaye

SYDNEY, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Commonwealth Bank of Australia , the nation's biggest lender, has been hit with a public inquiry into its governance and culture - the second regulatory probe to be launched this month after it was accused of massive breaches of money-laundering rules.

The move represents the first time that the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority will hold a public inquiry into a lender and heightens pressure on the government to hold a broad parliamentary probe - known as a Royal Commission - into the banking sector.

CBA was sued this month by financial intelligence agency AUSTRAC which alleges that criminals and terror financiers laundered millions of dollars through CBA accounts - the first lawsuit of it kind against a major Australian bank and exposing CBA to a fine potentially amounting to billions of dollars.

Since then, the Australian Securities and Investment Commission has launched a separate probe while a class action law firm is planning a suit on behalf of shareholders. The bank has also flagged that CEO Ian Narev will retire by next June.

"The overarching goal of the prudential inquiry is to identify any core organisational and cultural drivers at the heart of these issues," APRA Chairman Wayne Byres said, adding that CBA will pay for the costs of the six-month probe.

Narev, whose tenure as been marked by both record profits and misconduct scandals on the part of the bank, told reporters the bank supported the inquiry and he expected it would address "the way in which financial objectives are balanced by other objectives and assessed in target performance."

Shares in the bank were trading down 1 percent at 9-month lows on Monday afternoon. CBA, which blames a software coding error for its alleged failure to detect nearly 54,000 suspicious transactions, has lost roughly 10 percent or A$12.5 billion ($9.9 billion) of its market value since the AUSTRAC allegations first came to light on Aug. 3.

"For CommBank shareholders there's going to be a real dollar cost to all of this. Also, you can safely say that professional and legal fees for this organisation are not going down," said CLSA banking analyst Brian Johnson.

APRA's announcement immediately fuelled fresh calls for a Royal Commission into Australia's banking system, which would have judicial powers such as calling witnesses and the right to recommend greater regulation or even criminal charges.

"The Govt has done everything it can to protect the banks, but is now out of excuses. We need a Royal Commission," Labor leader Bill Shorten tweeted on Monday.

Treasurer Scott Morrison, whose ruling conservative party opposes a Royal Commission, said the APRA investigation showed Australia's existing regulatory regime had sufficient power to pursue civil penalties.

"The things that a Royal Commission could potentially recommend: we're already doing that," Morrison told reporters.

Judith Fox, the head of the Australian Shareholders' Association which represents retail investors, said the association would prefer to see the outcome of the various probes before assessing whether a Royal Commission was needed.

The money-laundering allegations represent the third misconduct scandal under Narev. Last year, CBA admitted to using unscrupulous practices that cheated people out of life insurance payments, and in 2014 Narev publicly apologised after CBA advisors were found to have given customers poor financial advice.

($1 = 1.2601 Australian dollars)

(Reporting by Paulina Duran and Byron Kaye. Additional reporting by Tom Westbrook; Editing by Richard Pullin and Edwina Gibbs)
By Clyde Russell

LAUNCESTON, Australia, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Hurricane Harvey may achieve in global crude oil markets in a few days what OPEC and its allies have struggled to achieve in months - a tightening of supplies and a rise in prices.

Harvey, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm, hit the coast of Texas on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit the U.S. state in more than 50 years, causing widespread damage and flooding.

The region where the storm struck is home to some 2.2 million barrels per day (bpd) of refining capacity as well as being a major shipment point for both imports and exports of crude oil and fuel products.

The refining capacity that has been idled because of the storm is about 11.2 percent of the U.S. total, and the immediate impact is being felt in gasoline prices.

Benchmark U.S. gasoline futures jumped as much as 6.8 percent in early trade on Monday in Asia to touch $1.7799 a gallon.

Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, rose as much as 0.8 percent in early Asian trade, reaching as high as $52.84 a barrel.

So far, this would imply the crude market is fairly relaxed about the impact of Harvey, but it's possible the effect of the storm will travel far beyond U.S. gasoline prices, given the United States' status as an emerging power in crude and refined product exports.

It has been U.S. shale oil output that has largely frustrated efforts by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their allies to drive crude prices higher this year by restricting their own production.

While much of the offshore crude production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut in ahead of Harvey's passage, the yet to be quantified damage from the storm may lie with the onshore, shale oil output that was in the storm's path.

The Eagle Ford shale basin lies in the path of the storm and producers in the region have idled production.

Among those oil companies that have halted operations in the Eagle Ford are ConocoPhillips, which produced 161,000 bpd of oil equivalent at the end of 2016 in the region, BHP Billiton with 99,000 bpd and Murphy Oil with 46,000 bpd, according to a report from S&P Global Platts.

The risk is that this onshore production takes longer to return than the market may expect, given the apparent widespread damage to infrastructure from flooding in the region and the length of time it may take floodwaters to recede.

If this is the case, customers for U.S. crude and product exports may well find themselves scrambling to line up replacement cargoes.

GLOBAL IMPACT

The fallout from Harvey won't just be limited to the United States and close neighbours.

China imported about 130,000 bpd from the United States in the first seven months of the year, including some 174,000 bpd in July, making it the 15th biggest supplier to the world's top crude buyer, according to customs data.

The United States has been exporting around 1 million bpd of crude in recent months, and while not all of this will be affected by Harvey, as much as three-quarters of this is shipped from the U.S. Gulf Coast region.

It's not only U.S. exports of crude that will be affected, the region is also a hub for imports.

This means that trade flows will be disrupted, with some cargoes likely to be diverted.

Overall, this makes it more likely that prices will rise in the short term as suppliers of crude to the U.S. Gulf Coast seek new buyers, and buyers of U.S. crude seek new supplies.

It's also likely that the spread between various crude grades will be affected, as the U.S. mainly exports light crude but imports heavier grades.

A loss of U.S. exports of light crude may stoke demand for similar grades from suppliers such as Angola and Nigeria, while shippers of heavier crudes may have to offer discounts if cargoes headed for the United States have to be diverted.

While Harvey may have a short-term impact on global crude and product markets, the question is how quickly U.S. production and exports return to normal.

Even assuming it takes no more than a few weeks, Harvey's impact may be somewhat longer lasting.

In effect the storm has given OPEC and its allies, such as Russia, some breathing space.

It does appear that Saudi Arabia, OPEC's leading producer, is shipping less crude as it works to translate production cuts into lower exports.

If other producers can follow suit in the next couple of months, it's possible that any tightness caused by the impact of the hurricane can simply be extended, leading to a sustained price rally.

(Editing by Richard Pullin)
PARIS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Getting Europe's migrant crisis under control will be the main focus of a summit of Europe's 'big four' continental powers hosted on Monday by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has invited three African nations to the talks in Paris.

European countries are at loggerheads over how to deal with the arrival of hundreds of thousands of people fleeing war, poverty and political upheaval in the Middle East and Africa.

Over the summer, Macron sought to take the initiative on trying to manage the influx crossing the Mediterranean from Libya.

He proposed the establishment of hot spots in Africa to handle asylum requests, an idea whose viability was questioned by European and African allies, officials and experts said.

Diplomats said the summit on Monday, which will host Germany, Italy and Spain as well as the leaders of Chad, Niger and Libya, aimed to assess the situation.

"It appears that migration is a priority subject for all these countries," an Elysee official told Reuters, pointing out that Paris wanted to find ways of managing migration at earlier stages.

"They all agree it would be useful to have the three countries .... Chad and Niger which are points of passage to Libya, which is where we have a growing number of refugee camps which is extremely worrying," the official said.

Experts do not expect any breakthroughs.

"The hotspots announcement was nonsense and neither Chad nor Niger were consulted beforehand," a West African official said.

"Macron is trying to make up for that mistake. It will be a meeting on the hotspots and immigration in general, but we don't expect much to come from it," the official said.

Niger would be looking for more financing to help with general security measures, a Niger presidential source said, adding there was nothing necessarily new regarding asylum request hotspots as they already existed, but any further developments on this front from European countries would be welcome.

A French diplomat said a report commissioned to look at the feasibility of such a project could be presented on Monday.

European foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will also attend the meeting and emphasise the importance of an united European front on the matter, the Elysee said.

"We hope to accelerate the dispersal of EU funds that have already been promised to Libya," an Italian government source said.

"More generally, Italy and Germany have pledged funds to Libya and to other African countries to try and get control of immigration, but France and Spain need to do more," the Italian official said.

In the wake of last week's attacks in Spain, Italian and Spanish officials said they also wanted to discuss counter-terrorism cooperation during an evening session between the four European countries.

"I see it more as a four-way meeting with a European focus with immigration and Libya losing a bit of importance to the fight against terrorism," a second Italian government source said.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told a news conference on Friday he wanted EU partners to "analyse the current cooperation mechanisms" on counter-terrorism and look at options to boost them and improve them during Monday's meeting. (Reporting by Marine Pennetier, John Irish and Michel Rose in Paris; Steve Scherer and Massimiliano Di Giorgio in Rome and Sarah White in Madrid; Editing by Andrew Callus)
MOSCOW, Aug 28 - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- Russia and Belarus have no plans to set up military bases on each other's territory, according to their bilateral agreement.

- Moscow city authorities plan to spend up to 50 billion roubles ($852.67 million) on the reconstruction of local parks, the daily writes, adding that this is more than the capital has already invested in the renovation of its streets and roads this summer.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

- Arms exports is a major revenue for Russia, the daily writes in a reference to $15 billion which Moscow earned last year from arms sales abroad.

- Russia will work on keeping its portfolio of military orders at a level of $46-50 billion this year, the head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation which is the Russian arms exporter, Dmitry Shugayev, says in an interview.

IZVESTIA

www.izvestia.ru

- Foreign clothing brands are considering opening their production lines in Russia which could be cheaper than in China, the daily writes referring to brands like Tom Tailor, Finn Flare, BAON and others.

- Russia's central bank has drafted a bill under which commercial banks will be obliged to collect biometric data of their clients.

- The Economy Ministry wants to raise a minimum price for a bottle of vodka to 300 roubles from 205 roubles because it believes this will encourage people to drink less, the daily reports.

ROSSIISKAYA GAZETA

www.rg.ru

- The government could raise by the end of this year export taxes for round logs produced in Russia's Far East, the presidential envoy to the region, Yury Trutnev, says in an interview.

- Prices for Internet access from mobile phones have grown by 15 percent in the last ten months, the daily writes, commenting on the ways mobile operators manage to increase the cost of their services.

NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA

www.ng.ru

- Russia and Ukraine's Donetsk region have agreed to hold an economic forum to discuss cooperation between Moscow and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics, the daily reports, adding that the Kremlin had long cherished the idea of providing Ukraine's restive regions with special economic status. ($1 = 58.6390 roubles) (Reporting by Tatiana Ustinova; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov)
BEIRUT, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The Syrian army and Hezbollah prepared on Monday to transport Islamic State fighters from their enclave on the border with Lebanon to eastern Syria after a week-long offensive against the jihadist group.

It will end any militant presence on the border, an important goal for Lebanon and the Shi'ite Hezbollah group, and is the first time Islamic State has publicly agreed to evacuate territory under force.

Islamic State agreed a ceasefire on Sunday with the Lebanese army on one front and the Syrian army and Hezbollah on the other after losing much of its mountainous enclave straddling the border, paving the way for its evacuation.

Hezbollah, a Lebanese group, has been a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's six-year civil war. The Lebanese army said its offensive against Islamic State did not involve coordination with Hezbollah or the Syrian army.

The militants will move out of their positions to a point on the Syrian side of the border where they will board vehicles along with their families to transport them to Albukamal in east Syria, a Lebanese security source said.

Syria's state-run Ikhbariya news channel reported on Monday that the group was burning its machinery and headquarters.

A witness in Syria at the position where buses are gathering to receive the Islamic State fighters said black smoke was visible in the hills and that Syrian army and Hezbollah vehicles were present.

The deal involved Islamic State revealing the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers it captured when it overran the town of Arsal in Lebanon in 2014.

A senior Lebanese security official said late on Sunday the soldiers were almost certainly dead after recovering six bodies and digging for two others in areas previously held by Islamic State.

Earlier this month, two other pockets straddling the border were recaptured by Lebanon and Syria after other militant groups accepted similar evacuation deals. (Reporting By Angus McDowall; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
By Ellen Francis

BEIRUT, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Abu Yazan has rarely stepped out of his apartment in northern Lebanon since he was beaten up on the street in June.

The 32-year-old father from Syria was leaving a pharmacy around midnight, when two strangers came up to him asking for a light. Then they asked if he was Syrian.

"They both got off the motorcycle and beat me," said Abu Yazan, who lives near the port city of Tripoli. "The second guy took off his belt and hit me with it on my back, my head. I couldn't do anything." His wife cried for help but onlookers did nothing.

For six years, tensions have simmered as 1.5 million Syrians poured into Lebanon, equal to around a quarter of its population. Refugees have faced waves of hostility since the conflict in neighbouring Syria took hold.

But the debate over their presence has taken a harder edge in recent months, fuelled by political leaders who say Lebanon has lost patience with the social and financial burden of the refugee crisis.

As they press demands for refugees to return to Syria, Lebanese politicians have warned of rising public anger.

Like Abu Yazan, other refugees say they have hidden in their homes or camps for fear of assault, arrest, or humiliation.

In recent months, most of Lebanon's main parties have united in pushing for repatriation, a difficult demand as war has ravaged much of Syria. Rights groups have warned against forced return, and refugees often say they fear conscription into the Syrian army.

Calls for refugees to return come as the Syrian government shores up its rule over the main urban centres and ceasefire deals have eased fighting with rebels in parts of western Syria.

POLARISING CLIMATE

The United Nations refugee agency has not seen a growing trend of reported attacks against Syrians, but has voiced concern about mounting tensions. Reports of attacks remain isolated incidents, spokeswoman Lisa Abou Khaled said, but refugees do "feel more anxious" and afraid.

Tensions escalated in June after Lebanon's army arrested hundreds of Syrians in a raid on refugee camps near the border, during which suicide bombers attacked soldiers.

When four detainees later died in custody, the military said it was from chronic illness. Activists and refugees challenged this account, some blaming the deaths on torture.

In this climate, a video circulated widely on social media of three Lebanese men beating up a refugee on the street. Authorities detained the attackers.

Syrians in Lebanon say they have faced widespread harassment. Some of those Reuters interviewed said they felt it deteriorate in recent weeks, but others described it as just part of their daily existence as refugees.

"I don't dare walk down the street," said one refugee living amid makeshift tents in the Akkar region, who declined to be named because of security fears. "I get swear words."

Abu Yazan, who came to Lebanon five years ago, said many people had since extended sympathy to his family, but hostility from strangers and the recent assault scarred him. The attackers threatened to shoot him if they saw him again.

"We hear a lot of talk. 'You Syrians have robbed us. Go back to your country,'" he said. "When we came to Lebanon, it wasn't by choice. We were fleeing a war. We considered them our people, our brothers."

Many Lebanese worry refugees threaten the country's security and burden its sluggish economy, which has been hard-hit by Syria's war. Others say refugees take jobs or strain Lebanon's already dysfunctional public services.

The Lebanese government has long avoided setting up official refugee camps. So, many Syrians live in tented settlements, languishing in poverty and facing restrictions on legal residence or work.

During a mass last month, the head of Lebanon's Maronite Christian church, Patriarch Beshara al-Rai, urged politicians to work on returning Syrians to their own country.

The patriarch accused refugees of "snatching (the Lebanese people's) daily bread from their mouths, throwing them into a state of poverty and deprivation."

WEARY OF REFUGEES

Nasser Yassin, a researcher of refugee policy at the American University of Beirut, said Lebanese communities were growing weary of hosting large numbers of refugees.

While resentment existed before, "things have changed drastically in the last couple of weeks ... mostly fuelled by politicians and other leaders", he said.

Yassin warned against politicians fanning the flames by inflating the actual burden of the refugee crisis.

"Imagine that things go out of control, that's a recipe for civil war," he said. It is an ominous warning in a country whose own 15-year war involved Palestinian refugees.

Politicians fret that any long-term presence of mainly Sunni Syrian refugees could destabilise Lebanon by shifting its delicate sectarian balance.

Syria's conflict has inflamed political rivalries and sectarian divisions that have far from healed since Lebanon's 1975-1990 war.

The United Nations, security forces, and local officials have all mobilised to ease tensions, said Ziad El Sayegh, senior national policy adviser for Lebanon's ministry of displaced.

Rights groups and activists have criticised Lebanon for ignoring the crisis in its early years with no national policy to handle the influx of people. The ministry was now developing a policy to coordinate the work of state agencies, he said.

"The socio-economic strains have crossed the limit," Sayegh added. "All of Lebanon wants returns. There is no dispute over that."

Syrians should go back with the help of the United Nations under the right safety guarantees, he said - an issue that has deeply divided Lebanon's political blocs.

Shi'ite Hezbollah and its allies, who side with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, have pressed the Lebanese state to work with Damascus, which their critics strongly oppose. Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, allied to Sunni Saudi Arabia, and others insist the United Nations must oversee any repatriation.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah has played a major role in driving Sunni militants from the border, and has sent thousands of its fighters into Syria to support Assad's government.

Under evacuation deals that Hezbollah has brokered, thousands of refugees have left Lebanon's northeast border region for Syria since July. Rights groups fear refugees went back because they felt under pressure in Lebanon.

The United Nations says it is still early for safe returns. It took no part in those local deals and raised concerns they did not meet "legal standards and humanitarian principles".

Still, the thousands who have gone back represent a drop in the ocean compared to the scale of Lebanon's refugee crisis. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; additional reporting by Reuters TV; editing by Peter Millership)
By Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo

JOHANNESBURG, Aug 28 (Reuters) - A group of investigative journalists whose slogan is "digging dung, fertilising democracy" is holding South African President Jacob Zuma to account over his widely criticised links to a family of wealthy businessmen.

AmaBhungane, which means dung beetles in the Zulu language, was founded by three veteran reporters to expose wrongdoing in South Africa.

Together with online news site the Daily Maverick, amaBhungane in June released leaked emails and documents that they said showed allegedly improper dealings in government contracts and influence peddling by the Guptas, a family with close ties to Zuma.

Zuma and the Gupta family, which has said the emails were fake, have denied wrongdoing.

Co-founder Stefaans Brummer said amaBhungane, which was founded in 2010, had spent several years probing Zuma's family business dealings, and had verified the authenticity of the leaked documents.

"Our very first stories as amaBhungane was a series called 'Zuma Inc' and we looked at the Zuma family and how its business fortunes had grown since Zuma took the office of president," Brummer said.

He said the Gupta name popped up in several of amaBhungane's inquiries into Zuma's family business links and the organisation was well placed to process the trove of information in more than 100,000 emails and documents.

"You fight hard for every piece of information and when something like this happens it's like Christmas, you suddenly have a lot of information," said Brummer.

Brummer said amaBhungane, which mostly uses external hard drives to store documents for safety reasons, had sent a copy of the leaked Gupta emails to the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project - a global consortium of investigative journalism centres.

Reuters has not independently been able to verify the allegations in the so-called "GuptaLeaks" emails, sent between the Gupta brothers and their associates.

ZUMA IN FOCUS

The allegations, which came after an anti-corruption watchdog report into claims of influence peddling, opened Zuma up to renewed scrutiny and deepened divisions within the ruling African National Congress.

Zuma survived an attempt in parliament to force him from office on Aug. 8, but he was left politically wounded after some ANC members voted with the opposition.

"It's quite amazing that people in South Africa have woken up to 'state capture' now in 2017 when amaBhungane have been exposing this for a decade," said Glenda Daniels, a senior media studies lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand.

"Perhaps the nature of their exposes were rather intense and detailed for people to follow. Maybe they have now let some air into their writing and everyone is getting it."

As a non-profit company, amaBhungane's 8 million rand ($600,000) annual budget is funded by grants from charitable foundations and public donations. It does not sell adverts or accept funds from the government or from companies.

Sam Sole, another amaBhungane co-founder, said his desire to expose society's injustices drove him into journalism.

Both Sole and Brummer started their journalism careers before the end of apartheid in 1994.

"During my subsequent conscription into the defence force I came face to face with the sharp, brutish reality of apartheid - and that was the impetus for my first piece of journalism," said Sole. "Journalism, for me, was a way to fight against injustice."

The third amaBhungane co-founder, Adriaan Basson, is now editor of News24, an online news site.

Sole and Brummer have won numerous journalism awards, including for their reporting on a 30 billion rand ($2.3 billion) deal to buy military equipment in the late 1990s that was plagued by allegations of fraud and corruption.

CRIME, POLITICS AND BUSINESS

Zuma was linked to the deal through his former financial adviser, who was jailed for corruption. The president said last year that an investigation into the deal found no evidence of wrongdoing, but critics denounced the findings as a cover-up.

All charges against Zuma were dropped in 2009, but a court last year ordered a review of the decision. Zuma is appealing the ruling.

"The arms deal scandal lasted much longer and was much slower burning, which gave us time to develop some of the skills we use now," Sole said.

For amaBhungane, the aim was to probe the link between politics and money.

"We set ourselves a target of trying to find that sweet spot of where organised crime, politics and business intersect," Brummer said.

"Politics has its good side but it has its bad side, business has its good side and its bad side, organised crime is all bad, but there is always that intersection where the three come together and that's where you get the worst wrongdoing."

But amaBhungane has been accused by a group called Black First Land First and some on social media of being run by 'racist white men' and not doing enough stories on 'white monopoly capital', a phrase used to describe the fact that the white minority still control much of the economy.

Brummer said the criticism has not deterred amaBhungane.

"We are not going to roll over and die. Investigative journalism is what we do and what we like to do," he said. (Editing by James Macharia and Giles Elgood)
COPENHAGEN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Four Uber drivers were fined by a Danish court on Monday for operating taxis illegally while working for the ride hailing service before it withdrew from the market in April.

The four men, one of whom was fined 486,500 Danish crowns ($78,060), were charged in March for failing to have permits and for violating a law introduced in February that imposed extra rules on taxis operating in Denmark, police said.

Another 1,500 Uber drivers also faced charges of illegally operating taxis, Vibeke Thorkil-Jensen, head of public prosecution for Copenhagen police, told Reuters. She did not give further details about the charges.

After launching its service in Denmark in 2014, Uber was criticised by taxi driver unions, companies and politicians who said the firm posed unfair competition by not meeting legal standards required for established taxi firms.

Parliament passed a law in February 2017 that introduced more stringent requirements on taxis, such as mandatory fare meters and seat sensors. The new rules prompted Uber's withdrawal.

Union officials said Uber had operated illegally even before the new law was passed. In November, a student was fined for failure to have a permit while working for Uber.

In Monday's ruling, one of the four drivers was fined 486,500 crowns for making 5,427 illegal taxi rides with Uber in 2015, Copenhagen district court said in a statement. Three others were fined between 40,000 and 110,000 crowns, it said.

"We are very disappointed for the drivers involved and our top priority is to support them during this difficult time," said an Uber spokeswoman. She said it welcomed regulations in Denmark but there was a "clear need for modern regulations".

A lawyer acting for the drivers said at least three of the men would appeal their conviction, the Danish news agency Ritzau reported.

Reuters could not immediately reach the four drivers or lawyers acting for them.

Uber, whose drivers have faced criticism from traditional taxi operators in other markets around the world, picked Expedia boss Dara Khosrowshahi as its new chief executive replacing co-founder Travis Kalanick.

Kalanick resigned in June, under pressure following accounts of a corporate culture of sexism and bullying, as well as a U.S. Department of Justice federal investigation filed by Alphabet Inc's autonomous car division.

($1 = 6.2324 Danish crowns) (Reporting by Julie Astrid Thomsen; Editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Edmund Blair)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi

GAZA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Hamas and Iran have patched up relations, the Palestinian militant group's new leader in Gaza said on Monday, and Tehran is again its biggest backer after years of tension over the civil war in Syria.

"Relations with Iran are excellent and Iran is the largest supporter of the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades with money and arms," Yehya al-Sinwar, referring to Hamas's armed wing, told reporters.

Neither Hamas nor Iran have disclosed the full scale of Tehran's backing. But regional diplomats have said Iran's financial aid for the Islamist movement was dramatically reduced in recent years and directed to the Qassam Brigades rather than to Hamas's political institutions.

Hamas angered Iran by refusing to support Iran's ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the six-year-old civil war.

"The relationship today is developing and returning to what it was in the old days," Sinwar, who was elected in February, said in his first briefing session with reporters.

"This will be reflected in the resistance (against Israel) and in (Hamas's) agenda to achieve the liberation," he said.

Hamas seeks Israel's destruction. It has fought three wars with Israel since seizing the Gaza Strip from forces loyal to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007.

Sinwar, a former Hamas security chief who had spent 20 years in Israeli jails, said the group is always preparing for a possible war with Israel. But he said such a conflict was not in Hamas's strategic interests at the moment.

"We are not interested in a war, we do not want war and we want to push it backward as much as we could so that our people will relax and take their breath and in the same time we are building our power," he said. "We do not fear war and we are fully ready for it."

Hamas and Abbas's Palestinian Authority (PA), which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, are locked in political dispute over the issue of Palestinian unity.

Abbas's slashing of PA funding for Israeli-supplied electricity to Gaza has led to prolonged daily blackouts in the coastal enclave.

Sinwar, in his remarks, invited Abbas's Fatah movement for talks on forming a new national unity government to administer both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

There was no immediate response from PA officials. Abbas has called on Hamas to first relinqish control of Gaza before he removes economic sanctions and to prepare for the formation of a new unity government that will be tasked with holding presidential and parliament elections.

(Editing by Jeffrey Heller and Richard Balmforth)
BERLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for Russia and Ukraine to increase their efforts to implement a fragile ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine.

The conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it erupted in 2014. Germany and France have tried to convince both sides to implement a peace deal agreed in Minsk in 2015 but with little success so far.

Merkel and Macron said they were concerned that the security situation in eastern Ukraine had not significantly improved since they held a four-way telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in the so-called Normandy format on Aug. 22.

"We urge President Putin and President Poroshenko to fully respect their commitments, to support the ceasefire in a public and clear manner, and to ensure that appropriate instructions have been sent to the military and local forces," they said in a joint statement issued by the chancellery in Berlin.

They said the ceasefire agreement was still violated too often, including with the use of heavy weapons. They called on all parties to provide observers from the OSCE security watchdog with safe and unimpeded access to areas within the battle zones.

"The OSCE observer mission continues to report threats to its staff and restrictions on their freedom of movement, particularly in the areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government," Merkel and Macron said.

Both the European Union and the United States imposed broad economic sanctions on Russia's financial, defence and energy sectors in response to Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and its direct support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Moscow denies direct involvement in the conflict despite NATO's assertions its troops are supporting the rebels. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Alison Williams)
GRAFTON -- A South Dakota man who stole four head of cattle from a Walsh County rancher will avoid jail time if he pays more than $30,000 in restitution.

Jeffrey Frank Fix, 55, of Bath, S.D., was sentenced Aug. 14 in Walsh County District Court for theft of property, a Class B felony, after he failed to pay almost $30,000 for three cows and a bull he purchased from the Jallo Angus Ranch of Fordville, according to a news release Monday from the North Dakota Stockmens Association.

Fix signed a plea agreement saying he took possession of the purebred Angus cattle in March 2015, but he repeatedly asked the ranchers not to cash a check that later bounced.

The Jallo ranch made several attempts to collect their money and eventually found out Fix sold the cows, charging documents state. He also sold semen straws and didnt honor the semen revenue sharing interest agreement with the ranch.

Fix later abandoned the bull in South Dakota, according to the Stockmens Association.

A Class B felony carries a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison and a fine of $20,000, but Fix was sentenced to five years in prison with two years suspended. The remaining three will be stayed if he meets monthly payments of $1,000 to his victims.

He owes the Jallo ranch $29,900, along with $775 in court fees. A $5,000 cash bond was applied to the amount due.

Judge Richard Geiger also prohibited fix from selling or buying livestock for five years.

Theft of livestock is becoming more common, whether through insurance fraud, deception or simply stealing cattle from the pasture, said Fred Frederikson, who has been a Stockmens Association fieldman for 20 years. Cases like Fixs are more rare because buyers typically follow through on deals.

But ranchers still should be cautious, especially in an age where a handshake deal isnt enough, Frederikson said.

Its a lot simpler to get that check before that animal gets on the trailer, he said.

Fix pleaded guilty in 2007 in federal court to crop fraud, embezzlement and forgery in South Dakota, according to court documents.
By Michael Hirtzer

CHICAGO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - U.S. wheat and corn futures dropped to life-of-contract lows on Monday, weighed down by technical selling and abundant global supplies, traders and analysts said.

Chicago Board of Trade September wheat futures fell about 2.4 percent, or 9-3/4 cents, to $3.99-3/4 per bushel, in a bear-spreading decline as some investors dumped spot positions ahead of first notice for deliveries against the contract on Thursday.

More actively traded CBOT December wheat eased 7-3/4 cents to $4.27-1/2 per bushel.

"For the wheat market, once again the path of least resistance is lower," said EFG Group analyst Tom Fritz. "Last week, we tried to get a reversal on the idea the market was oversold and it fizzled."

Wheat prices also eased in Russian cash markets, under pressure from a large crop.

CBOT December corn hit a contract low of $3.50-1/2 per bushel before trimming losses to $3.51-1/4, down $2-1/4 cents at 12:54 p.m. CDT (1754 GMT).

CBOT November soybeans declined 1-1/2 cents to $9.43 per bushel, following losses in grain prices ahead of the harvest of an expected record-large U.S. soy crop.

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission data on Friday showed speculative investors increased their net short, or bearish, positions in wheat, corn and soy.

Advisory service Pro Farmer last week predicted bumper U.S. soy and corn harvests that will begin hitting markets in the next several weeks.

The forecast by Pro Farmer added to a bearish tone in the wake of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's forecast on Aug. 10 for bigger-than-expected harvests.

Analysts surveyed by Reuters expected the USDA after the close of trading to increase good-to-excellent condition ratings for the U.S. corn crop and leave soy ratings unchanged. (Reporting by Michael Hirtzer; Additional reporting by Colin Packham in Sydney and Sybille de La Hamaide in Paris)
BEIRUT, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Eleven Hezbollah fighters and seven Syrian soldiers were killed in an offensive against Islamic State in Syria's western Qalamoun region, the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Monday.

After a week-long battle, a convoy of Islamic State fighters began to depart the Syria-Lebanon border region on Monday under Syrian military escort, leaving for eastern Syria.

A ceasefire had halted the fighting in an Islamic State enclave at the border, where the militants had been battling the Lebanese army on one front and Shi'ite Hezbollah with the Syrian army on the other. (Reporting by Ellen Francis; Editing by Alison Williams)
SAO PAULO, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Bayer AG's Brazil unit has been relying on barter for more of its agrochemical sales, swapping its products with farmers for a portion of their crops to keep business healthy as the country emerges from the harshest recession on record.

With accessible credit lines scarce for Brazilian farmers, Bayer will use the barter operations to raise agrochemical sales to more than $300 million this year, Eduardo Roncaglia, director of structured operations, told Reuters last week.

The volume of sales through barter operations will represent up to 25 percent of the unit's total sales this year, up from a mere 1 percent in 2013, Roncaglia said.

"This is an important tool for producers and distributors to manage risk. And with the credit restrictions in Brazil, we think it is fundamental," he said in giving a reason for using the strategy.

Bartering is a form of exchange that enables producers to reduce reliance on bank loans to finance the crop as they receive inputs such as agrochemicals from Bayer.

The strategy has also proven effective in times of excess production, which has lowered commodity prices. Those who locked in prices through barter exchanges in the last harvest had results 30 percent better, Roncaglia said.

Bayer does not receive the crops physically, but guarantees purchases as an intermediary between producers and trading companies, he said.

Soy and cotton account for about 80 percent of Bayer's agrochemical barter operations, but there are contracts involving other crops such as coffee, sugar, and corn. (Reporting by Roberto Samora; Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and David Gregorio)
DAILY MAIL, 27 August, 2017 - Boko Haram extremists killed at least 27 people by shooting them and slitting their throats as they attacked several villages in northern Nigerias Borno state in the past week, residents said.



Such deadly attacks in recent months have pressured Nigerias government to increase its efforts against a homegrown Islamic extremist group it last year declared to be crushed.Boko Haram fighters entered villages in the Nganzai area on Wednesday, slitting throats and using guns to kill at least 15 people while injuring two others, said Modu Jialta, a member of a local self-defence group. The attackers also burned homes.



Suspected Boko Haram fighters also attacked in the Guzamala local council area on Wednesday, killing 12 people and injuring at least four, said Mai Abatcha Monguno, the commander of the councils citizen defence forces.
On August 22, 2017, the Cabinet approved a proposal submitted by the Minister of Education to introduce an insurance scheme for all school-goers between the ages of 5 and 19 years. The proposed insurance scheme, from last Novembers budget proposals, is expected to cover 4.5 million students from all schools, including government, private (non-aided and aided), pirivena, and international schools, at an annual cost of Rs.2,700 million to the government.

The insurance scheme would be implemented through the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC), subject to an annual premium of Rs. 2,348 million. Benefits will include a maximum of Rs. 100,000 for hospitalization; a maximum of Rs.10,000 for outpatient care, Rs.100,000 for the sudden death of a pupil, Rs.75,000 for the sudden death of a parent, Rs.100,000 for total disability and Rs.50,000 to 100,000 for partial disability (Official Government News Portal of Sri Lanka 2017). In addition, and according to a recent national newspaper report, children with critical illnesses would have coverage extended to Rs.100 million for a range of diseases and procedures.

This means that the govt would pay premiums to SLIC to cover a population that is less likely to make claims on insurance. The health insurance industry is notorious for cherry picking users for coverage, as reflected in the proposed insurance plan

The insurance scheme, which promises to eat up a substantial proportion of the education budget, is being embarked upon with little or no public consultation, and raises questions at multiple levels.

Do we need a health insurance plan for schoolchildren?

Most striking is that this insurance plan is aimed at the most healthy population across the life cycle. Apart from the minority of school-goers who may suffer from chronic and/or critical conditions, the rest will need little inpatient and outpatient care.This means that the government would pay premiums to SLIC to cover a population that is less likely to make claims on insurance. The health insurance industry is notorious for cherry picking users for coverage, as reflected in the proposed

insurance plan.

Are there better ways to promote health among schoolchildren?

Rather than wasting colossal amounts on an insurance scheme, the government could invest these funds in the School Health Programme (SHP) implemented by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. The programme addresses primary prevention and seeks to promote health among school-goers. Most children, apart from a section of (privileged) children in international schools, are covered by the programme. Among its objectives are: promoting a healthy and safe school environment to facilitate learning; protecting children from communicable and non-communicable diseases; screening children for early detection and correction of health problems; improving the nutritional status of schoolchildren; and enhancing community participation in the promotion of school health activities (Ministry of Health 2016).

There is already an effective system in place to implement the programme, albeit under resource constraints. As a whole, the preventive sector receives a paltry allocation from the budget. According to data from the Institute for Health Policy (2015), the share of total health expenditure spent on the preventive health sector, which encompasses the School Health Programme, declined from 10% to 5% between 1990 and 2014. Although the allocation for the proposed insurance scheme is to be drawn from the education budget, it will channel scarce funds from the public sector to private healthcare companies.

Rather than wasting colossal amounts on an insurance scheme, the govt could invest these funds in the School Health Programme (SHP) implemented by Health Ministry in collaboration with the Ministry of Education

Do we agree with principles of health insurance?

Health insurance has its basis in separating the purchasing and providing functions of a health system (or the purchaser-provider split). Drawing on neo-classical economics, this separation is thought to make health systems more cost-efficient as healthcare providers compete for service provision, keeping quality high and costs low. However, information asymmetries and market failures result in just the opposite - high cost services of questionable quality.

The purchaser-provider split converts healthcare into a commodity that could be bought and sold in the market. In this instance, the user (school-goer) will access a private provider whose services would be paid for by the government through the SLIC. The entrance of an insurance company to administer government-funds means that users will be made vulnerable to the vagaries of the health insurance market.

Health insurance schemes almost always involve some level of spending on the part of users in the form of premiums (regular payments to be paid for an insurance contract), co-payments (a fixed amount to be paid for a covered service) or deductibles (part of the claim that is to be paid by the user). These payments are thought to prevent users from abusing the service.

Sri Lankas publicly-financed and-delivered free health system is the antithesis of the health insurance model. The government is both the purchaser and the provider and there are no user-charges at points of delivery. One may argue that the public health system is far from free. Indeed, users do pay out-of-pocket for private services owing to deficits in the public system, a direct consequence of the governments failure to invest in the system.

The proposed health insurance scheme may cover some of the deficit services in the private sector. However, unlike our free health system, health insurance schemes dictate which services will be covered, to what extent, and for which populations.

The entrance of a private insurance company to administer government-financed insurance means that users will be made vulnerable to the vagaries of the health insurance market

As an example, if a child enters a public facility with dengue haemorrhagic fever and then requires intensive care, the parents may need to pay, at most, for tests in the private sector. However, under the health insurance model, when a child enters a private facility, the company will reimburse claims for specified benefits, which may not cover all aspects of care.

Private health insurance companies are well-known for finding loopholes to reject claims from users. Moreover, as we see in the proposed insurance scheme, there are caps on claims. Further, we are not informed about the co-payments and deductibles that may apply. Even if the scheme extends the limit for critical illnesses, it may cover only specified conditions.

Do the experiences of poor countries support introducing private health insurance?

Health insurance has had some success in resource-poor settings where the purchasing function has remained in the hands of government (e.g. Thailand). However, outsourcing administration of the purchasing function to the health insurance industry, as the Sri Lankan government intends to do, will result in rising healthcare costs for the government.

The Maldivian government introduced a health insurance scheme in 2008 to about a quarter of its population and followed this up in 2012 with a comprehensive government-financed health insurance scheme extended to the entire population in the form of a public-private partnership. Per capita expenditure on health increased from an already high US$ 710 in 2012 to US$ 1996 in 2014 as compared with US$ 369 in Sri Lanka in 2014 (WHO 2013; WHO 2016). The World Bank, which supported health insurance expansion in the Maldives, now designates the Maldivian governments healthcare financing strategy as fiscally unsustainable (World Bank 2014).

Where governments have established multiple pooled-funds to cover different populations, for example, India, Nigeria, and numerous Latin American countries, inequitable access has been a major concern. State-subsidized insurances packages for economically disadvantaged users often lack comprehensiveness, leaving swathes of the population uncovered for some conditions. On the other hand, wealthier formal sector workers receive superior health insurance benefits while contributing substantially to their plans.The proposed insurance scheme for school-goers in Sri Lanka may look good on paper, but the government would not be as willing to cover premiums for other populations, which will certainly cost more.

Why the push for health insurance?

Health insurance has been a key element of the health sector reforms backed by the World Bank since the 1980s. At present, the World Bank, World Health Organization, and the United Nations support health insurance as a financing strategy under theUniversal Health Coverage framework. Notably, the latter  now a mantra in global health  elides the question of public or private provision, and confers on governments the limited role of ensuringcoverage.

In Sri Lanka, successive governments of all party hues have supported the introduction of insurance in recent times. The Mahinda Chinthanaya vision for the future anticipated all citizens to be covered by at least one health insurance programme, sponsored by different stakeholders including private employers, government insurance schemes and commercial insurances (Department of National Planning 2010:150-3). The National Health Development Plan 2013-2017, put together when President Sirisena was Minister of Health, contained plans to introduce government-financed health insurance by 2017.

The promotion of health insurance has little to do with advancing access, whether at global or national level. In Sri Lanka, state-supported expansion of private healthcare continues with the health sector identified as a key area for foreign investment. Under pressures of debt-servicing and a balance of payment crisis, the government is keen to please the World Bank and IMF who would like to curb public expenditure. Indeed, the shift toward insurance in domestic policy has run in parallel with two World Bank-supported health sector development projects.

Health insurance receives support from business elites who anticipate a killing if national health insurance is extended to the entire population. Evidently, SLIC embarked upon this venture as part of its corporate social responsibility efforts. However, we all know that CSR projects always go hand in hand with efforts to expand markets for private accumulation. As SLIC Chairperson Hemaka Amarasuriya noted in an interview with a newspaper (August 25), the company is looking to expand this scheme, based on its success, to a nationwide health insurance scheme.

As the health insurance industry gains a foothold, healthcare costs for the government would rise, diverting more funds from the resource-starved public system. As healthcare becomes increasingly commodified, the (manufactured) demand for health services would increase, expanding markets for the multinational healthcare/insurance industry

Dangers ahead

Governments in Sri Lanka have thus far displayed reluctance to undertake outright privatization of the health sector as free health holds wide public appeal. Instead they have (rhetorically) supported the free health policy while adopting an insidious strategy of privatization by investing insufficiently in the public system and providing massive fiscal incentives for private healthcare expansion. Despite these efforts, the out-of-pocket spending associated with private healthcare has restricted private healthcare expansion to rural and remote areas. The introduction of health insurance would remove existing impediments by providing (limited) financial risk protection to those who cannot afford to pay for private healthcare.

As the private sector expands, companies will entice healthcare workers away from the public system, a trend that has already begun in Colombo. As the private health insurance industry gains a foothold, healthcare costs for the government would rise, diverting more funds from the resource-starved public system to the private healthcare/insurance industry. As healthcare becomes increasingly commodified, the (manufactured) demand for health services would increase, expanding markets for the multinational healthcare/insurance industry.

It is clear who stands to gain and lose from this health insurance scheme. Its introduction and the governments broader privatization agenda must be resisted to protect free health and ensure comprehensive healthcare access for coming generations.

(The writer is attached to the Department of Community and Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jaffna)
The President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) U.R. de Silva in an interview with the Daily Mirror spoke on issues related to litigation, dealing with suspects in Police custody and the removal of MP Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from the post of Justice Ministry. The following are excerpts of the interview:

They will provide for a lawyer to meet a particular suspect in police custody which is helpful in obtaining all the details as far as the suspect is considered. It will include the time of his arrest, whether he will be produced before court etc. With the permission of the OIC, we will be able to meet the suspect concerned for legal consultation.

They came out with the difficulties they face when working. They lack even office space. There arent even enough office rooms for senior officials to discharge their duties. Three state counsels, sometimes, serve in one cubicle. Though there are files referred to the Attorney General for advice, there arent enough state counsels.

Q In the aftermath of the removal of Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe from the post of Justice Minister and the appointment of a successor, how do you view this situation?

Before his (Rajapakshe) removal, he was working very hard. We were working together. He extended all the support to Sri Lanka Bar Association. We wanted to enhance the knowledge of members. We wanted to curtail delays in the laws being implemented and to address concerns of litigants. He asked us to submit our proposals. He acted on our proposals. He travelled across the country while working for the Bar Association to help ordinary people involved in legal cases. The establishment of more and more court houses, we thought, would help poor litigants. That was the view of the Minister. We also helped him. We are satisfied with the process of building court houses. The lack of High Court judges is also a problem in our country. Action was taken to increase the cadre. He did it by adding ten more to the cadre in consultation with the Bar Association.

There is another important point. Earlier, we couldnt meet suspects in police custody. We engaged different authorities. It wasnt successful. Thereafter, we made representations. We asked for a special law to be enacted. There are legal provisions being worked out in consultation with the Bar Association. They will provide for a lawyer to meet a particular suspect in police custody which is helpful in obtaining all the details as far as the suspect is considered. It will include the time of his arrest, whether he will be produced before court etc. With the permission of the OIC, we will be able to meet the suspect concerned for legal consultation.

Q As far as the removal of the Minister is concerned, what is the position of the Bar Association?

We arent in a position to say anything. We are very sad that he was removed. Its up to the President to decide. He has the authority to do so. After consulting the Prime Minister, he has taken such a decision. Its a political decision which nobody can challenge. He never resigned. He was removed. The President can take such decision according to the Constitution.

Q But, you are sad about it?

Yes. Thats because he has done a lot for the profession, litigants, and judiciary. The issue or the allegation is that he violated the collective Cabinet responsibility. Thats up to the Cabinet and the Government to decide on. We have no say in that regard. If the new Minister is ready to work with the Bar Association, we will be happy. We have no political agenda. Ours is a non-political body. Earlier, both the President and the Prime Minister assured us that they wouldnt interfere with the work of the Bar Association.

Q However, there were allegations that the former Minister wasnt expediting the legal process against wrongdoers of the former rule. Whats your view?

That allegation was levelled at him before he was removed. We categorically said that the Minister couldnt intervene in this case. The Attorney Generals Department is an independent body. Right throughout, it has worked independently. As such, if somebody interferes, its improper and unacceptable. Its said that a lot of files were handed over to the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID). The FCID says files were referred to the Attorney Generals Department, but no indictment was served. We made representations to the Attorney Generals Department. We discussed. They came out with the difficulties they face when working. They lack even office space. There arent even enough office rooms for senior officials to discharge their duties.

Three state counsels, sometimes, serve in one cubicle. Though there are files referred to the Attorney General for advice, there arent enough state counsels. Interviews are being conducted for recruitment. Another problem is the lack of translators in the Department. We discussed these issues with the Minister then. The Minister, at the time, remedied the situation to some extent. Actually, the Minister was also concerned about the delays. He had complained that some of the State Counsels were lethargic and werent working efficiently.

Q There was the allegation that the then Minister was delaying cases related to the particular members of the previous Government. What do you say about this?

Its incorrect. We know that a lot of people languish in remand prison without indictments being served. Those arent political cases. They are coming under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, emergency regulations or the normal law. These cases should also be expedited. As a whole, we want to expedite all, not a few matters concerning some only. That is what we informed the Attorney General. In some cases, even the police havent submitted files though they claim otherwise. The Attorney General cant openly say these things.

Q Theres a lot of criticism aimed at the Attorney Generals Department and the judiciary by politicians. What is the position of the Bar Association?

The Attorney Generals Department or the Bar Association isnt concerned about political cases. There are delays in litigations in general due to various reasons- the lack of high courts etc. Some are concerned about certain political cases. Some major cases are being heard by the Colombo High Court. We have seven High Courts in Colombo. Some cases have reached the tail end now. Its wrong to say that such cases were delayed by the Minister concerned. The Minister cant certainly interfere in these cases.

Q Its true that the Minister cant interfere in that manner. But, he can improve the efficiency in judicial administration leading to the speedy dispensing with of cases in courts. What is your view?

When we say cases are delayed, what is the action we expect? The Minister only can inform the Attorney General and the Judicial Services Commission to speed up matters. Thats all. Then, he knows the actual problems. Once those were known, he had responded. It doesnt amount to interference.

Q Theres a proposal to dedicate a separate court to hear identified cases. What is your response?

We are totally against it. You cant do it. Earlier also, there was a suggestion to hear drug related cases in one court house. It wasnt successful. There was a proposal to hear bribery cases in the similar fashion. It wasnt successful. Finally, we had a court dedicated to hear cases related to terrorism. It wasnt also successful.

The Colombo High Court has seven court houses. Its very easy to expedite these matters assigning the cases to all the court houses. What they propose is to have a separate court to hear the cases related to the previous rule. Its wrong constitutionally. There arent provisions to have a separate court for separate people.

Bar Association sad about Wijeyadasas removal

Says he did a lot of work for the legal profession, judiciary etc

Ready to work with new Justice Minister

There are delays in dispensing with legal cases in general

It isnt a phenomenon related to some specific cases only

Subject Minister cant interfere with judicial process

Ranjan Ramanayakes remarks detrimental to independent judiciary and dignity of legal profession

Fears whether it will give an impetus to the call for foreign judges

Q Theres also a proposal for trials-at-bar. What is your response?

Of course, the Attorney General has to decide, and the Chief Justice should offer consent. That is a judicial matter. If its a case warranting a trial-at-bar, it should be requested by the Attorney General and considered by the Chief Justice. After that only, the trial-at-bar can be constituted. You cant have Trial at Bar related to each and every case.

Q How does political criticism affect the independence of judiciary?

We are concerned about the criticism made by State Minister Ranjan Ramanayake who called lawyers and judges a corrupt lot. That affects the independence of the judiciary. People will think that the judiciary isnt the proper avenue for redress. If they think the judicial personnel are corrupt, they will lose faith in the system. Then, law and order will collapse. People might take law into their own hands. He should be punished. Politicians cant make haphazard statements without any merit.

There can be one or two persons not doing the job properly. That doesnt mean the whole system is corrupt. We are happy with the current status of the judiciary. We want to improve it.

Q There is strong opposition against the participation of foreign judges in hearing cases here as envisaged in the UNHRC resolution. Now, its said that international judicial personnel and prosecutors will participate as observers. What is the stand of the BASL?

They can observe the situation, certainly. We can seek their views. We dont need those people to conduct the cases or investigations. Today, a Government member levells criticism against the majority of judges and lawyers stating that they are corrupt. We fear whether this will give the international community the impression that there is no independent judiciary here. Foreign countries will justify their position referring to criticism levelled against the judiciary by our own parliamentarians. From the very beginning, we were opposed to foreign judges.
Former parliamentarian M. M. Zuhair PC delivering the Zahira College, Colombo 125th anniversary Founders Day Oration at the College Gaffoor Hall on Monday, August 21, 2017 said that Muslims of Sri Lanka have to be mindful of current developments. Left under the carpet, some of these issues can cause serious harm to the community.



He said, During the past 8 years - following the end of the war, several issues concerning our community have been raised by extremist groups in the country. These groups are a small minority. The issues raised are based on false fears, unfounded utterances, fanciful fabrications and mind-boggling myths. But some of these issues require the careful consideration of the community. Principal of Zahira College Mr. Trizvy Marikkar presided.

Speaking further Mr. Zuhair said Muslims need to recognize two important factors. Firstly, lies and untruths repeatedly uttered by those making the allegations have created a spectrum of prejudices against us, among a wider section of the people. We need to understand the feelings of this wider section, some of whom genuinely believe the allegations to be true. There is a need to address this group differently from those who spread lies and deception. We need for instance, calm and convincing responses. Some responses in the social media are counter-productive and often abusive.

"Appropriate steps must be taken to ensure that the trust and confidence in our loyalty and patriotism to our motherland, meticulously built by our fore-fathers over the past 12 centuries, are not damaged or dented"

Secondly, he said that we need to understand that highly respected members of the Buddhist clergy have, since July 20th that is about a month ago, raised in a dignified manner, some issues that relate to our community as well. Regretfully, sections of the media have reported their views in an anti-minority perspective. We need to be mindful of the genuine concerns of the Buddhist clergy, even though most of them are based on false fears and past prejudices. The issues raised need careful understanding by the Muslim community. Appropriate steps must be taken to ensure that the trust and confidence in our loyalty and patriotism to our motherland, meticulously built by our fore-fathers over the past 12 centuries, are not damaged or dented. There are attempts to damage this bond of friendship and unity with the other communities. Such attempts will be a big blow to national integration and reconciliation. These are originating from vested interests outside our borders. Such attempts must be defeated. There is an eerie feeling of insecurity, Zuhair said further, within the community since the end of the war in May 2009. The initial post-war euphoria shared by all communities, began to evaporate within months of the end of the war. Muslims contributions to the success of the Sri Lankan war on terrorism were soon overlooked. This war was certainly not against any community. It was against terrorism. It was against the division of our country.

The entire country needs to be repeatedly reminded of the patriotic role of the Muslims in firstly not supporting the division of the country, secondly that because the Muslims did not support the division of the country, Muslims of the North and the East had to pay a heavy price, being evicted from the North, murdered in mosques in the East and causing extensive destruction of properties and livelihood; thirdly that Muslims particularly in the intelligence units of the armed forces such as Major Muthalif, Col. Lafir, Col. Nizam and hundreds of others played key roles in the war fronts and fourthly that Muslim countries such as Pakistan, Iran and Libya assisted substantially the government in its war efforts. None can forget these contributions

to the country.

The point is, this war was never won by any single man. We as a community will never allow our patriotism to our country to be ever questioned. Amity is the foundation upon which national reconciliation and integration with respect for diversity could be built, he said.

Principal Trizvy Marikkar, Vice Principals As-Shaikh A M Mihlar, M T A Rauff also addressed the well-attended gathering.
Theresa May is said to have revealed the date she will quit as Prime Minister - giving herself two years to see Brexit through first.



She has chosen Friday August 30th 2019 as the day she will step down from 10 Downing Street, it has been reported.



It comes amid a major charm offensive by Mrs. May in a bid to win the support of her MPs and avoid an awkward leadership challenge.



The Prime Minister has been inviting groups of 15 Tories to her official Chequers country residence - handing them prosecco and homemade chocolates at the door as they arrive, according to the Mirror.

Already more than a dozen Conservative politicians are said to have pledged to sign a letter calling for Mrs May to step down - although that falls far short of the 48 signatures needed to trigger a new leadership vote. One Tory MP said: Its clear she wont lead us into another election and will be gone by September 2019.



She invited MPs to Chequers to ensure there isnt a leadership contest in the meantime. But Downing Street has poured cold water on the reports, telling MailOnline: We have hit peak silly season.

UK, (Daily Mail), 26 August 2017 -
Bernard Botejue Industries (Pvt.) Ltd, Sri Lankas oldest apparel manufacturer and pioneer in the garment sector, is commemorating the 25th anniversary of its Bernard Botejue Kolonna plant today.



The plant, which was established in a remote village in 1992, has made a tremendous impact on the Kolonna locality, uplifting the rural economy by offering successful career opportunities to the youth.

Religious programmes presided by a Pirith sermon will be held at the premises to invoke blessings on the management and employees of the Bernard Botejue Kolonna factory and community.



Upholding the vision of becoming the most renowned branded clothing manufacturer in Sri Lanka, the Bernard Botejue Kolonna plant produces some of the worlds top designer brands such as Victorias Secret  Pink, NEXT and Marks & Spencer.



Furnished with state-of-the-art technology, the plant was founded by Bernard Botejue Industries under the 200 factories programme, an initiative by the then government, to provide employment opportunities to youth in rural areas. Rising from its humble beginnings, Bernard Botejue Kolonna has steadily grown in multifarious aspects and currently has a workforce of 660 employees operating with 300 machines.



Bernard Botejue Kolonna is in the forefront of implementing socially responsible and environmentally-conscious corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives every year. As a result, the company spearheaded Sri Lankas first-ever largest single-day reforestation project in Kolonnain collaboration with ReForest Sri Lanka, a non-profit society committed to protecting and extending the countrys forest cover. This joint initiative saw to the planting of 4000 saplings in seven acres of land with the participation of a large number of volunteers and residents of the area, employees of Bernard Botejue and members of ReForest Sri Lanka.



Being an energy-efficient factory, Bernard Botejue Kolonna has installed LED lighting and eco-friendly air cooling systems in line with its green policies. The plant also maintains stringent regulations to ensure the premises remain plastic and polythene free. Maintaining the highest standards to manufacture world-class apparels, Bernard Botejue Kolonna has earned several globally recognized accreditations including Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), SEDEX and the Joint Apparel Association Federations Garments Without Guilt.



Commenting on the 25th milestone of the Kolonna plant, Bernard Botejue Industries (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director Janaka Botejue said, Bernard Botejue Kolonna will not be where its today without the immense support and strong working relationship created by our dedicated employees and all stakeholders of the company. We feel quite honoured to share our successful journey of 25 years with our employees and customers and we hope to continue this journey for another 25 years and more with the same passion and commitment.



Elaborating his views further, Botejue noted, Being an environmentally-conscious company, we constantly strive towards giving something back to the country. Therefore, we have imposed stringent eco-friendly policies at our Kolonna plant to maintain the company free from non-degradable material. We believe our ongoing initiative will inspire other companies to start their own green initiatives and give something back to the country.



Sharing his thoughts, Bernard Botejue Kolonna Chief Executive Officer Ranjith Koralage said, Bernard Botejue Industries has always strived to offer a holistic development for its employees, giving them in-house training and a secure career with ample opportunities for progressive growth.



I have received tremendous support from the company for personal and career growth, which had helped me to climb the corporate ladder from a mere entry-level position to the current role of the CEO at the Bernard Botejue Kolonna plant. Inspired by its 25 long years of service, I hope to dedicate my time and energy to steer our employees towards a positive growth.
DAILY MAIL, 27 August, 2017-- A bus carrying construction workers drove off a pier in southern Russia on Friday, killing at least 17 people, officials said.



The bus was carrying workers who were building a pier for an oil company on the Black Sea coast not far from Crimea, the Investigative Committee said. Several oil companies are drilling for oil off the Russian Black Sea coast.



Official accounts of how many workers were on the bus that plunged into the sea changed several times Friday morning. In the early afternoon, the Emergency Situations Ministry said 50 people had been on the bus - the 17 people found dead in the water in addition to 33 others who were rescued by divers.



Eight people were hospitalized, five of them in serious condition, emergency officials said.



Investigators didnt immediately say why the bus drove off the pier, but local officials pointed to faulty brakes. The Tass news agency quoted the town hall of the Temryuk district as saying that the bus drove along the pier for nearly a quarter of a mile before the brakes failed.
FARGO  Jewel Azure, a member of the Spirit Lake tribe and a childhood friend of Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, stood in Mickelson Park on Sunday, burning sage, as people lined up nearby to join in the ongoing public search for the missing Fargo woman.

Her mother, Denise Frederick, held a bundle of sage, so others could do the same.

Ruth Buffalo of Fargo, a member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation as well as this citys Native American Commission, rubbed sage between her hands, and then tucked some in her shoes.

Its a source of strength, she said. Its protection for wherever we go. We dont know what we will find. Its also for the family. When you burn sage, you pray 

The burning of sage, added Frederick, lifts the prayer to the creator.

They were among the estimated 400 people who have participated in the public search for LaFontaine-Greywind since it began on Friday, many of them coming on multiple days.

Family and friends of LaFontaine-Greywind  22 years old and 8 month pregnant  and an increasing number of volunteers from across Fargo and beyond, searched from 2 until 9 p.m. on Friday, 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Sunday. Organizers estimated that 30 percent of the searchers came from outside the Fargo-Moorhead area. One man came all the way from Phoenix.

There have been organized groups of searchers who have come from the Turtle Mountain, Spirit Lake, Standing Rock and White Earth reservations. On Sunday, there were three vans emblazoned with the name of the Spirit Lake tribe in the parking lot.

Theres a lot of people who are here to help, so thats a good thing, Buffalo said. Indigenous women go missing and murdered at alarming rates. Im a mother and I have a sense of urgency.

Volunteers have searched Trollwood, Johnson, and Riverside parks. Theyve searched wooded areas along the river. Theyve searched construction sites, gas stations, trailer parks, and homeless camps. Two of the tribes brought ATVs. Searchers on Sunday brought horses. Searches have also been undertaken in Grand Forks and Larimore, as well as Perham and Dilworth in Minnesota.

Weve found a lot of interesting stuff, said M.J. Krough, a local chaplain, who has provided logistics for the search, making sure volunteers have places to sleep, and ample water and food.

The search has an ever-changing group of organizers. Some have been forced to return home, because of child school schedules and for other reasons, but new leaders have stepped up to take their place. Its really more of a collective, said Buffalo, one of the leaders on Sunday.

A non-profit organization specializing in searches, United Legacy Search and Rescue, of Minnesota, took on a key organizing role over the weekend, printing maps, telling searchers where to go, and keeping track of areas already searched.

Police involvement in the public search has evolved. On Friday, a single police officer stood away from the crowd and observed, but there seemed to be little interaction between the searchers and police.

By Sunday, a more collaborative relationship had developed. Now whenever searchers find something that is potentially useful, they take a photo of it, record the location and report it to police at the search command center, who then pass it on to detectives to follow up. Fargo police, meanwhile, reported on Sunday that they have received 150 tips on the police tipline.

Jewel Azure lived across the street from LaFontaine-Greywind on the Spirit Lake Reservation when she was 12. She remembers Savanna walking across the street one day and asking her to go for a walk. They became friends after that, though drifted apart over time because they went to different schools.

She remains Facebook friends with LaFontaine-Greywind and her boyfriend, Ashton Metheny. Thats how she first learned about her disappearance on Aug. 19. She and her mother came to help with the search on Friday and stayed through the weekend

Its shocking because I knew her as a childhood friend, Azure said. Its so sad. It seems like something youd see on a crime show. Everything about it is just horrific.
Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga at the event marks the first export of locally blended Chevron lubricants to Pakistan with Managing Director Kishu Gomes and other Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC officials

From left: Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC Marketing Manager Eenaz Salie, Managing Director Kishu Gomes, Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga and Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC General Manager Supply Chain Wijitha Akmeemana

Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC celebrates another key achievement of exporting the first consignment of Havoline PRO DS ECO 5 OW-20 Synthetic Dexos-1 licensed premium engine oil, designed especially for hybrid vehicles, to Pakistan.



This occasion was ceremonially initiated by Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga.



The first consignment was shipped on August 25, 2017, from Chevrons state-of-the-art lubricant blending facility in Sapugaskanda, which was commissioned in December 2014. This is a good testimony to the technology capabilities of the high-tech blending and modern warehouse facility to be able to generate foreign revenue through non-traditional exports.



This new opportunity will further expand our offshore business that ensures greater economies of scale to be more competitive in the two export markets: Bangladesh and Maldives, coming under the full purview of Chevron Sri Lanka operation. We have grown our export sales volume by double digit on a year-on-year basis over the past several years.



We will continually thrive to create value through exports thus creating real value for the country riding on the strategic partnerships with local business entities such as Hayleys Logiwiz, Phoenix Plastics Ltd and Aitken Spence on logistics and warehousing, packaging and freight handling, respectively, in addition to a long list of other inputs sourced locally to optimize local value addition. The business model we have in place facilitates maximum productivity, efficiency and flexibility to be able to achieve this, said Managing Director/CEO Kishu Gomes.



The Chevron Lubricants manufacturing plant boasts of BS EN ISO 9001; 2008 certification from the British Standard Institute with 45 million-litre production capacity on a single shift with 1.4 million-litre warehouse capacity. The laboratory is equipped with the latest global technology to ensure quality production meeting global standards to offer in-house oil monitoring facilities to industrial customers such as the Ceylon Electricity Board, Sri Lanka Railway, Sri Lanka Transport Board and most private sector manufacturing entities.



As the clear market leader in the local lubricant industry, Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC, as a listed entity with 49 percent public shareholding, delivers maximum shareholder value with an average payout ratio of 90 percent that is considered to be one of the best in terms of returns.



As a socially responsible organisation, Chevron focuses on road safety, vocational education, health and epidemic control to create a better future for all

Sri Lankans.
Former MP Jayarathna Herath, who joined President Maithripala Sirisena following the General Elections, yesterday announced that he would rejoin former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Addressing a Joint Opposition rally in Kurunegala, he said he was disappointed with the government and therefore, he revised his decision.

I will support Mr. Rajapaksa to form a government, he said. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
Elections Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has been quoted by several print and electronic media institutions as saying that there is an unusual drop in the registration of voters this year in Colombo and its suburbs.

He is reported to have said that only 60,000 new names had been registered while 76,000 names were removed from the voters register in areas such as Colombo, Dehiwala, Mt. Lavania, Moratuwa and Kotte because of the failure by the voters to enter their names in the electoral register. In the Colombo suburbs, such as Maharagama, 9,500 names were added while 14,000 names would be deleted owing to the same reason. Mr. Deshapriya said a marginal increase or decrease was normally expected but pointed out that the drop in registration this year was considerable.

This is particularly evident in the case of Maharagama which has a sizable middle class and an upper middle class population. The usual pattern of change in the electoral register thus far had been a regular increase year by year corresponding to the population growth and the migration of people to the Western Province. The number of registered voters in these areas according to media reports had been 1,468,537 and 1,521,854 in 2005 and 2010 presidential elections respectively, and 1,552,734

in 2014.

Mr. Deshapriya has attributed this unprecedented slump in the district where the majority of educated people in the country reside to two reasons  increasing number of luxury apartments and sagging interest among low-income people in registering themselves as voters. The elections chief notes that a change in attitudes among youth and professionals had also contributed to the new trend or mindset.

Some of the reasons mentioned by the Elections Chief to this unusual situation seem to be doubtful or inconclusive. He claims that Grama Niladharis find it difficult to approach some of the people living in luxury apartments to hand over the electoral registration list. But luxury apartments are not something that sprang up in Sri Lanka just last year resulting in Grama Niladharis having to face logistical problems this year.

Visiting every family living in high rise buildings to distribute voter registration forms and to collect them again, no doubt is a daunting task for the Grama Niladharis. If we translate the in-approachability of the residents of luxury apartments into simple language means that Grama Niladharis may not be visiting each and every family in these condominiums. This cannot be justified just because it is strenuous, but the authorities must find some mechanism to ease their workload. Otherwise, as already happened, this inapproachability would deprive the residents of high rise condominiums of their franchise and unscrupulous officials also could use it in a manner that would deprive the members of a particular political party of their right to elect the representative of their choice.

The other two reasons for the decrease in registration of voters -- sagging interest among low-income people and the change in attitude among youth and professionals are serious. There may be various reasons for the dissociation of people from politics or election. However peoples disappointment over the goings on in the country and their understanding that they are repeatedly being cheated by the consecutive governments should be a major reason.

For instance, one of the main reasons for the voters to vote against the previous government was the large-scale corruption that was widely prevalent then and the hope of a corruption free country that was instilled in their minds by the leaders of the present government. However, any right thinking man who had voted this government into office would have felt being taken for a ride, after the Central Bank bond scam came to light.

In the same way people would have been disappointed over the opportunism of the two main parties exposed in issues such as SAITM. In the case of youth, they have been longing for better opportunities for education and employment and might feel being let down by the two main parties.

This is a grave situation as people cannot be immune from the effects  especially the bad effects of politics, in spite of keeping away from politics or elections. If the trend continues, there is a danger of them finally drifting towards other methods of regime change, as happened in the past.
Hayleys PLC, the Grand Slam Winner of the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2016 says that the sustainable way is the only way to operate a successful business.



This was said by Hayleys PLC, when Corporate Communications and Sustainability General Manager Imara De Chickera spoke at the briefing session, conducted by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to launch its Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2017.



Hayleys PLC, which won a total of six awards at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2016 along with the Grand Slam Award, has been a consistent participator of the competition, until it won the most coveted title last year.



Winning the number-one corporate citizen of Sri Lanka, for the fifth time, we were conferred the Grand Slam Award, which definitely gave us the greatest source of joy De Chickera reminisced.

Creating a strong business and building a better world are not conflicting goals  they are both essential ingredients for long-term success, Chickera pointed out while talking about the companys roller-coaster journey in the competition.



Hayleys believes the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award, which is held for the 14th consecutive year has helped transform the sustainability agendas of the Sri Lankan corporate firms.

It has indeed transformed the sustainability and CSR agendas of the business landscape across Sri Lanka and certainly continues to be the most coveted and respected award in the country, Chickera proclaimed.



Hayleys PLC, which has a 32,000 employee base operates a multiple of business ventures, which are sustainable by nature, revealed De Chickera, who heads the conglomerates Communication and Sustainability division.



It operates several sustainably aligned projects such as renewable energy plants, which generates 50MW of energy and purifies four-million litres of raw water, 8.2 million litres of waste water and 14.4 million litres of sewage every single day.



The company also produces activated carbon out of coconut shell waste, which De Chickera says Is a magical, sustainable product with myriad purposes - such as air and water purification and is also an effective poison antidote and detoxifier.



She also advised the potential competitors of the BCCS 2017 to ensure that they account and report every small step taken towards creating a sustainable business environment, and points out that all matters in the final count.



Telling your story is vital. And lastly finding the hidden gems that others may think are not significant enough, could be the biggest advantage that you have, De Chickera said at the conclusion
LEGO Day has once again thrilled children and parents alike with enthralling activities that brought families together and entertained them for hours on end. This completely immersive experience was organised recently by Kiddies & Toys International (KTI) at their latest store Cool Kidz located on Duplication Road. The event attracted 300 people of which over 100 were children.

Commenting on the highly engaging event Ms. Dilsha Ruwanpathirana, Head of Strategic Business Unit  Toys,Kiddies & Toys International,said, Just like the children we look forward to this event every time. It gives us a chance to see the positive effect LEGO has, not only on the children but the entire family. LEGOs undying popularity is a testament to its unique combination of logic and unlimited creativity that makes it a favourite of both parents and children. We have enjoyed bringing these events to the families of Sri Lanka and look forward to many more.

In addition to the usual Best Builder challenge, which allows children the opportunity to showcase their LEGO building skills with an unlimited number of bricks, were two new challenges that tested the childrens creativity and ability to collaborate. The first allowed children to be creative with a limited number of bricks and the second allowed their parents to join in on the fun by having them collaborate with their children on a project.

Winners of the respective challenges took home a LEGO set to continue the adventure at home but everyone who attended received a gift of a miniature C3PO from Star Wars or a LEGO Friends accessory.

We never miss LEGO Day. Its one of our favourite events as a family. This year it became extra exciting with the parents allowed to take part in the building competition. You could really see how the children were enjoying it all. There arent many events where the whole family can not only attend but also participate together. Its a really unique experience that brought us closer as a family and I suggest anyone with a young child to come next year. You wont regret it, said Mr. Pathum Rodrigo,fatherof a child who took part in the LEGO Challenge.

LEGO bricks can be easily combined in innumerable ways allowing for fertile ground for a childs creativity. Based on the underlying philosophy of learning and development through play, LEGO has been a family favourite for decades. Created by the LEGO Group, a privately held, family-owned company with headquarters in Billund, Denmark, and main offices in Enfield, USA, London, UK, Shanghai, China, and Singapore, and guided by the philosophy only the best is good enough the LEGO bricks aim to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through creative play.

Kiddies and Toys International (Pvt) Ltd, Eguardian Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, DCS International (Pvt) Ltd and Digital Engineering Solutions (Pvt) Ltd are the main subsidiaries of LIMRA Holdings. The subsidiaries represent world renowned brands in their respective fields such as Farlin, LEGO, Chicco, Leapfrog, Mattel, ESET, Fortinet, Symentec, HP. LIMRA Holdings which has business interest in industries of ICT, mother care, baby care, toys, and engineering is mandated to identify, invest, acquire and manage business ventures profitably.
Peoples Leasing & Finance PLC relocated its Rathnapura branch (Moragahayata, Colombo Road, Rathanapura) recently.



The new branch was inaugurated by Laksanda Gunawardane, Deputy General Manager (Operations) PLC along with Neil Tushantha, Chief Manager and Vajira Ramanayake, Senior Manager, PLC.

Laksanda Gunawardane, Deputy General Manager (Operations) PLC addressing the gathering said Peoples Leasing Company operating with the motto; Peoples Friendly Leasing has attracted a gamut of prospective customers and converted them as loyal customers over the years.



PLC is in the process of enhancing its branch network and relocating identified branches to bring more convenience to customers. We changed locations of Rathnapura PLC branch to provide customer-friendly, hassle-free and convenient leasing services, said the DGM.



He added, Ours is a one-stop-shop. Hence I humbly invite people in the vicinity of Rathnapura to step into this relocated PLC branch and obtain all financial services pertaining to leasing and finance in a minimum possible time without hassle. I wish their businesses to thrive and personal lives to brighten up by associating with the PLC.



We have been providing an unmatched financial service to all Sri Lankans for 14 consecutive years. Our intent is to enhance our service network to cover the whole island for the benefit of all citizens. A spacious and state-of-the-art branch in their nearest town that offers hassle-free services and convenience is our promise to PLC customers. PLC branches are being commissioned in almost every main city in the island with that object, he said.



Peoples Leasing Company was commissioned in 1995 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the biggest state bank in Sri Lanka, the Peoples Bank. PLC is currently the market leader in the non-bank finance sector in Sri Lanka.
From left: SAPPTA 1st Vice Chairman Yaan La Brooy, Peoples Bank Corporate Banking Head Aruni Goonetilleke, SAPPTA Chairman Vernon Abeyratne, Primary Industries Minister Daya Gamage, SAPPTA 2nd Vice Chairman Prins Gunasekera, SAPPTA AGM Subcommittee Chairman S. A. Cader and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Commodity Associations Assistant Secretary General Gillian Nugara

Pic by Waruna Wanniarachchi

By Chandeepa Wettasinghe

The Primary Industries Ministry will be implementing a computer model to optimize the supply and the distribution of the growth of spices and allied products and increase productivity to reach a US$1.5 billion export target, according to the subject minister Daya Gamage.



We will be setting up computer software, which will allow us to break down regions into clusters, and set up factories and infrastructure in ideal places around which spices should be grown, he said.

He said that land use is already inefficient, which entrepreneurship and value-addition could address.

The owners are in Colombo, visiting their lands once a month and, treating the sale of commodities as a secondary income. If more effort is put in, the land productivity could be increased fourfold, which will reduce the input costs for processing and make our products more competitive, he said.



Gamage further added that the computer model could project what amount of supply would be required from Sri Lanka given the demand for the countrys spice products. We should increase export revenue from spices to US$ 1.5 billion. Revenue from cinnamon should increase to US$ 1 billion, he said.



Sri Lankas spice exports for the first half of 2017 increased 28.2 percent to US$ 160.7 million compared to the first half of 2016. The countrys total exports expanded by 5.2 percent in the same period.

Gamage also noted that compared to other high foreign exchange earners such as apparel which have foreign leakages, the earnings from spices would be retained in the country.

Subsidy for pepper farmers



Sri Lankas pepper farmers are likely to receive a subsidy of Rs. 200 per kilogramme of pepper, until global pepper prices recover, under a cabinet proposal submitted by the Primary Industries Ministry. The minister (Daya Gamage) just told me that a Rs. 200 pepper subsidy has been proposed, Spice & Allied Products Producers & Traders Association (SAPPTA) Chairman Vernon Abeyratne said at the associations Annual General Meeting held last Friday. Speaking to Mirror Business, Primary Industries Ministry Secretary Bandula Wickramarachchi said that the proposal has been submitted to the cabinet for the subsidy to be in effect until global pepper prices reach Rs.900 per kilogramme.

He said that the subsidy is not coming under the 2018 budget. However he also noted that the total amount which will be allocated by the government to spend on the subsidy has not yet been decided.

According to Abeyratne, global pepper prices have fallen down to around Rs.750-800 per kilogramme, from around Rs.1, 000-1,300 this January.



This is in light of increased production of pepper in other countries of origin like Vietnam and Cambodia, he said.

He added that pepper prices face further downward pressure in the future due to new Vietnamese crops which will enter the market in coming December and January.



We have to concentrate on niche market to obtain better prices highlighting our high quality standards, Abeyratne said.



Former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe had alleged that Board of Investment registered export companies were importing cheap Vietnamese pepper for value addition and dumping them in the local market against BOI regulations.
The Collective for Economic Democratisation in Sri Lanka is deeply saddened by the untimely passing away of our comrade Vijay Nagaraj on Friday, August 25.

An erudite and eloquent advocate of redistributive politics and economic democracy, Vijay was an active member of the Collective, leading many initiatives challenging structural inequalities and dispossession of the poor.

He made a significant contribution to an ongoing debate on Economic, Social and Cultural rights within the constitutional reform process.

Vijays engagement with peoples movements in India, principally the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), the breadth of his intellectual interests and a razor-sharp intellect, made a unique contribution to activism in Sri Lanka.

He was ardent in his opposition to neoliberalism, and stood firmly for democratic participation of the marginalised. Among his interactions with progressive trade unions in understanding and responding to contemporary challenges, he was most recently involved in struggles against precarious labour and in evolving a broad campaign against privatisation, particularly Public-Private Partnerships.

Vijay firmly believed in the centrality of class politics, but was never unwilling to engage with civil society organisations and activists of contrary persuasion; constantly sharpening his own analysis and arguments while contributing to theirs. When he disagreed with someone, he was at once candid and graceful.

He was a remarkably affectionate person, who formed many close friendships during his time in Sri Lanka. He had a knack for connecting with different people with gusto, becoming part of their families and lives, and accompanying them in their own trials and joys.

Vijays passing is an irreparable loss to the Collective and to the many other groups and networks in which he was dynamic. We extend our sympathy and solidarity to his family and friends in our shared grief. Rest In Power, Vijay.

Collective for Economic Democratisation in Sri Lanka www.economicdemocratisation.org
In an effort aimed at helping Sri Lankas IT/BPM industry reach the US$ 5 billion mark by 2022, the countrys primary IT/BPO chamber, the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) together with ICT Norway (IKT-Norge) kicked off a fresh initiative to empower startups in the country.



SLASSCOM and ICT Norway have come together to offer Sri Lankan startups the unique opportunity to take part in the Oslo Innovation Week, which is scheduled for September this year.

The event has gained recognition as the most interactive innovation conference in the world.

Startups across Sri Lanka will be given an opportunity at a pitching event organized by both the Sri Lankan and the Norwegian bodies on 30th August. The startups with the most unique and innovative pitches will be shortlisted and the top three winning companies will be sponsored by ICT Norway to take part in the five-day Oslo Innovation Week in Norway from 25th to 29thSeptember.



Eight local startups viz. ShoutOUT Labs, PopuloPvt Ltd, Right Posture, Generation Epsilon (Pvt) Ltd, Veta (Pvt) Ltd, BotFactory, Nurone Labs and ConscientAI are set to take part in the pitching event which will be held in Colombo. They will attempt to sell their ideas to a judging panel comprising of members of the ICT industry at the event.



The Oslo Innovation Week has earned a reputation as an important global event which looks for business solutions to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by combining three important areas - entrepreneurship, technology and innovation. During the pitching event in Colombo, the judging panel will also expect the startups to follow the areas of requirement of the Oslo Innovation Week.



ICT Norway, the trade organization for the Norwegian ICT industry, with the assistance of the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo has been at the forefront to help develop Sri Lankas ICT sector. In fulfilling this objective, ICT Norway and SLASSCOM have also partnered to initiate a unique programme called Kids Can Code which aims to help the younger generation in Sri Lanka to be more technologically creative and become experts in IT. Tiqri organised a briefing session for companies on how they could create their own coding clubs for kids between the ages of 9 to 16 was held on 25th August.



The tie up between SLASSCOM and ICT Norway to strengthen Sri Lankas ICT sector, is also seen as an effort to further enhance the bilateral relationship between the two countries.



The programmes implemented in Sri Lanka, which are a result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between ICT Norway and SLASSCOM in June 2016 are being financed by the Norwegian government. They focus mainly on empowering women and children as well as education and enhancing creativity through innovation.



The MoU also paves the way for both bodies to come together and help modernize the maritime and fish farming industry in Sri Lanka by utilizing technology in an innovative way.
India abounds in Godmen - both genuine and fake. Some of them have had an unblemished record of spiritual and social service while others have sullied their names and even gone to prison for crimes including rape and murder.

There are literally thousands, and perhaps even lakhs of Godmen in India, but not all of them get noticed in the media. Those who do, are generally the ones who have attracted the following of the leading lights of politics and business or those who have indulged in criminal activities or moral transgressions.

Mass curiosity about a Godman is aroused when the myth about him is shattered. People revel in finding out the details, knowledge of which they would have wilfully brushed under the carpet when the myth was alive.

Westerners are now being drawn to Godmen, seeing the limitations of the materialistic Western way to happiness. And this is partly due to advances in psychology

However, myths about the power and potency of Godmen have survived despite frequent exposures of the misdeeds of some of them in the media.

Against this background, it is very unlikely that the era of Godmen will end with the sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the spiritual head of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) sect for rape, and the subsequent violence unleashed by his followers in two states in North India in which 30 people were killed.

Ram Rahim Singh was found guilty of repeatedly raping a female faithful in the DSS campus near Sirsa in Haryana. In addition, he has two murder charges against him, one for allegedly killing journalist Ram Chander Chatrapati in 2001, and the other for killing DSS Manager Ranjit Singh in July 2002.

Ram Rahim Singh is not the first high profile fake Guru to be publicly exposed. Asaram Bapu, preacher of One Supreme Consciousness and Advaita Vedanta was arrested for sexual assault on a minor in 2013. Swami Amrita Chaitanya, also known as Santosh Madhavan, was an accused in several cheating cases. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2009 for raping two minor girls and producing pornographic films featuring underage girls.

Swami Sadachari, the Godman who performed rituals for top Indian dignitaries, was caught running an underground brothel. Sant (Saint) Rampal had a stand-off with paramilitary forces in 2014 as a result which six persons were killed. Rampal was later arrested and jailed for 22 months. Paramahamsa Nithyananda disappeared five days after charges of rape were levelled against him. A leaked video showed him engaging in sexual activities with Tamil actress Ranjitha.

Ichchadhari Sant Swamiji Maharaj Chitrakootwale, whose real name is Shiv Murat Dwivedi, was arrested twice for being involved in a large-scale sex racket in Delhi and Mumbai. Swami Premananda, a Tamil from the Sri Lankan hill-country, was convicted for raping 13 girls.

Roots of Godman phenomenon

In his book Modern Godmen in India: A Sociological Appraisal Prof. Uday Mehta explains why Godmen are so popular in India.

Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, just as it is the spirit of a spiritless situation. It is the opium of the people, he observes. 

Drawing a distinction between the Indian and the Western mind, Mehta says that while the Indian mind sees the inner world as the variable and the outer world as the constant, the Western mind sees it the other way round.

Myths about the power and potency of Godmen have survived despite frequent exposures of the misdeeds of some of them in the media

The Indian emphasis has been on the pursuit of an inner differentiation while keeping the outer world constant. In contrast, the notion of freedom in the West is related to an increase in the potential for acting in the outer world and enlarging the sphere of choices, while keeping the inner state constant, Mehta says.

Be that as it may, it is the premise of every religion that souls, supernatural beings, and supernatural forces exist and Godmen and spiritual potions are believed to help bring about change in the condition of ones life, he adds.

Westerners are now being drawn to Godmen, seeing the limitations of the materialistic Western way to happiness. And this is partly due to advances in psychology, says Mehta.

Large-scale interest in Eastern religions (in the West) coincided with a movement among psychologists in the 1950s who believed that psychology has the potential not just for curing the sick, but also for improving humankind. These psychologists had a serious problem with the common-held belief among Western religions that man is basically sinful and can be saved only by believing in God. This movement came to be called the Human-Potential Movement, and it stressed a belief in the perfectibility of human nature.

Guru-Shishya tradition

According to Indian sociologist A. Bavankar, the phenomenon of Godmen is rooted in the Guru- Shishya (Teacher-Student) tradition in Indian religion, tradition and education.

Gu refers to darkness and ru refers to light. The Guru changes darkness to light. Thus, Gurus are believed to posses super-natural powers with mystic abilities for telepathy, healing and prophesy.

Psychoanalyst Sudhir Kakar states that the swing away from the teacher-guru to the mystic-guru, to the Godman, seems to have received its greatest momentum in the 7th century with the rise of the Bhakti movement in both North and South India.

With the spread of tantric cults around 1000 AD, the Guru not only showed the way to the Lord, but was the Lord. The Guru was now the Godman, an extraordinary figure of divine mystery and power. The Vedas speak of the oral transfer of the most absolute and supreme knowledge (the brahmavidya) from the Guru to the Shishya.

In his book, Saints, Folk and Elites, Dr. Ramchandra Chintaman Dhere, says that the Guru-Shishya Parampara is central and fundamental to the Upanishads (c. 2000 BC). The term Upanishad itself means sitting down near a spiritual Guru/ Sage who imparts knowledge.

The Bhagwad Gita stresses the importance of finding a Guru. Lord Krishna was Arjunas Guru. In the Ramayana, Lord Rama was Hanumans Guru.

During the medieval period in India, the Bhakti and Sufi Saints or Gurus stood for reform of society, emphasized moral values of religion and included all human beings in their fold

Gurus cut across traditional barriers

During the medieval period in India, the Bhakti and Sufi Saints or Gurus stood for reform of society, emphasized moral values of religion and included all human beings in their fold. These Saints stressed equality of all human beings, against all superstitions irrespective of caste and class distinctions.

At the time this occurred in India, the elite enjoyed privileges excluding the others. The ethos of these Saints instantly appealed to the underprivileged and illiterate masses at large, resulting in these Saints becoming mentors and Gurus with mass following, Dhere says.

Therefore, Godmen are here to stay, the charlatans, criminals and rogues among them notwithstanding.
This is Up and Down, where we give a brief thumbs up and thumbs down on the issues from the past week.

Up

The discovery of two large Tyrannosaurus rex teeth has paleontologists encouraged. The fully intact teeth, the largest one from an adult T. rex, were found south of Bismarck-Mandan. Paleontologists hope finding the teeth indicates they are getting closer to uncovering a partial T. rex skeleton. If they find teeth with the roots still attached that would indicate the dinosaur might have died in the area. It would be an exciting discovery not only for the experts, but for the public. The more we learn about the past gives us a better understanding of how life developed.

Down

It was disappointing to read that methamphetamine remains the most popular drug in the region. Its not that we want another drug to surpass it in popularity, we would prefer people lose interest in all drugs. Meth, however, is a nasty drug. It prompted makeshift labs across the state until a crackdown closed them down. Since its affordable it can be imported. Those who use it for a long time discover it can rot your teeth and cause other health problems. Meths popularity reminds us of the staying power of drugs and that law enforcement can never relax.

Up

The Bismarck-Mandan Lutheran churches are taking part in a great idea. They plan to plant a "forest" at Sleepy Hollow Park to mark the anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Twenty-three congregations will get together on Sept. 9 to plant 104 trees. The variety of trees  Scots pine, ponderosa pine, burr oak and quaking aspen  will be a living remembrance of the Reformation. Craig Schweitzer, senior pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, called it a living and growing tribute. Unlike a statue, he noted, the trees are part of Gods creations. The trees should benefit the area for a long time and the churches should be thanked.

Down

Its unfortunate that the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts cant seem to get along on a national level. The Girl Scouts accuse the Boy Scouts of trying to poach girls by offering some coed programs. The Boy Scouts counter that families want activities they can do together. Both organizations have seen membership declines. It would seem beneficial if the two programs could work together to solve some of their problems. At the moment, it doesnt look like they will be able to get along with each other. Thats too bad for two old programs.

Up

For a brief period last Monday all eyes were to the skies. The solar eclipse was a moment of awe for all those watching. Its a reminder that we live in an amazing universe. It gives us an understanding of why we traveled to the moon and dream of exploring Mars. Gateway to Science, the Knife River Indian Villages and other organizations that sponsored viewing events should be thanked. Remember, every time you look at the stars at night you are looking at something unbelievable.
Overviewing the looming crisis of ageing population in Sri Lanka

The phrase Silver Tsunami (also known as The Grey Tsunami or Gray Tsunami) is a metaphor used to describe population ageing. Ageing is inevitable. In the world, the number of people aged 60 years and over has tripled since 1950, reaching 600 million in 2000 and surpassing 700 million in 2006.Its projected that the combined senior and geriatric population will reach 2.1 billion by 2050.

Sri Lanka, with the highest ageing population in the whole South Asia, has around 14.6 million out of a total of 21 million people who over the age of 55 years. Standard population projections indicate that one in every four persons will be aged 60 years or over by the mid 21st century.

Apparently, we will soon have an unprecedented problem that the elderly population will soon outnumber the young population, leading to many social, health and economic problems. Is having more elder people in the country a factor that opens windows for new opportunities or is it a crippling challenge to a less developed country like Sri Lanka?

Can we accompany our elder population to a place where they can contribute more to the development of the country through their experiences and maturity or will they be vulnerable to productivity and be more affected with non-communicable diseases of which costs are skyrocketing in the country at the moment? The Daily Mirror attempts to create an overview of the emerging challenge and how it can be addressed in an effective way.

Reasons For The Rise in Ageing Population

Adopting nuclear family norm

Head of Demography Department of Colombo University Senior Lecturer Dr. E.L.Sunethra J. Perera said the phenomenon of population aging is described as the mature stages of the demographic transitional process.

Sri Lankan families are bound with religious, cultural and traditional norms. From time immemorial, the country has adopted an extended family structure and the fertility ratio was high. The extended families cared for older people in families while a higher number of children was born to families those days. However, as time passed nuclear family norms were adopted, she said.

Decline in fertility and mortality

She outlined that the changing process of the population age-sex structure in Sri Lanka during the past six decades was determined mainly due to the decline in fertility and mortality rates. Supporting her statement, data of the Department of Census and Statistics showed that the fertility rate which was 5.0 in 1963 has declined to 1.9 by 2000. The rate has kept falling even after 2000.

Increase in life expectancy

According to The Census Department, up to around 1960, the life expectancy of males was higher than that of females. However, this pattern reversed thereafter and during the period 1996-2001 females show an increase of 4.7 years compared to males.

The increase in longevity reflected by increasing life expectancy at birth of the Sri Lankan population (for males and females approximately 72 and 78.6 years respectively) indicates a gender disparity of 6.6 years (female live longer than males), Dr. Perera said. These unprecedented demographic transitions caused changes in the population structure, she added.

impact in old-age dependency and labour force

Dr. Perera stated that the change in age structure and an increasing number of older persons in the population would result in a significant shrinking of the labour force and increase in old-age dependency in the country. Thus, the shape of the population pyramid shifting from triangle to narrow based pyramid would increase the old-age dependency ratio.

In 2012, there were 60 total dependents including 40 child dependents and 20 old-age dependents. Its hoped that old-age dependency ratio would increase than the child dependency ratio by 2050, she noted.

Only 62% of the young population is employed. The employment contribution is at a very low level. When it comes to the females, their labour force participation is just 36%. The working population who can be called as young old population should have an employment, so that they will be able to make a living and look after themselves without depending on their families, she remarked.

She also went on to say that eventually, female elders will be more of a burden to the society if they have no way of taking care of themselves financially.

Pressure on health system

Due to the rise in the ageing population in Sri Lanka, demands and the projected costs for health care of the growing number of elders will undoubtedly rise. As a developing country, having free health sector, this poses a huge challenge to the country in terms of public financing.

Alarming risk of NCDs

Deputy Director of Non-Communicable Disease Unit (NCD) of the Health Ministry, Dr. Ananthan said there is an increasing risk of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Ananthans statement was established by the finding of a national household survey carried out by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015.

According to the survey, more than 90% of the Sri Lankan adults were estimated to have at least one of the NCD risk factors (73.5% with 1-2 risk factors, and 18.3% with 3-5 risk factors), with similar prevalence in males and females. Around 70% of the disease burden in Sri Lanka is due to non-communicable diseases. Nearly thirty percent of total hospital deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases which are the first leading cause of death in Sri Lanka during the past few years. Below are a few of NCDs that are spread throughout the country.

Raised Blood Glucose - The survey data showed that overall, 83.9% adults were estimated to be taking medicine for Raised Blood Sugar while 16.6% of them are currently on insulin healers.

Cholesterol - Nearly one fourth of the adults (23.7%) were estimated to either have raised total cholesterol or were currently on medication for raised cholesterol. 75.9% of adults aged between 60 and 69 are on medication for cholesterol.

Cardiovascular disease - Approximately 9% of the adults aged between 40-69 years were estimated to either have 30% or more 10-year CVD risk or an existing CVD. Only half of those (55.6%) had received drug therapy and counseling to prevent heart attack and stroke.

High Blood Pressure - Its estimated that 77.8% of the adults with raised blood pressure were on medication.

Retirement and pension

A report of Human Development Unit of The World Bank on Sri Lankas ageing population issue outlined that the coverage of current retirement and pension schemes is limited to a minority of the working age population, the benefits are inadequate, and the financial sustainability of schemes questionable.

According to the finding of the report, pensions are received by less than one-fifth of the old people and only one-third of the labor force participates in pension scheme, with the vast majority of informal sector workers lacking coverage and considerable evasion among those in the formal sector.

The report also brings focus on the fact that the civil servants are the only group that has reasonable levels of benefits and longevity insurance, but costs may be unsustainable in the long run.

The report suggested that more resources have to be set aside for the support of the aged retired population and investment in pre-retirement preparation. In the informal sector comprising 70% employed, only 26% are covered by social security.

Retirement age likely to be increased up to 65

Assistant Director of National Secretariat for Elders (NSE) P.D.R.Kulatunga said that the increase in life span of Sri Lankans, which is around 72, hasnt apparently been accompanied by an increase in working lives. He pointed out that as a result of it, many elders have to retire at a certain age even if they are physically able to continue working and contribute more to the countrys economy.

Later, at the failure to find an opportunity to utilize their experience and maturity in order to make a living, many retired elders are wasting time following retirement, he said.

Kulatunga said the NSE is currently working on a proposal to increase the retirement age up to 65. The Minister of Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage S.B.Dissanayake had also given his consent to the said proposal. However, it is still in the process of being finalized, he added.

Social caring

As the dependency ratio is expected to increase compared to the child dependency ratio by the year of 2050, the burden on those offering primary care might increase significantly. Despite Sri Lanka being a country which has adopted a culture where senior citizens are looked after by their respective families, recently a considerable number of incidents were reported regarding mistreatment and abuse of elders by their family members.

According to National Charter for Senior Citizens, Sri Lanka, lacks giving adequate attention to senior citizens. This is a matter of grave concern. As possible reasons, the document stated that the decline of traditional care- which derived from religion and culture in Sri Lanka- for senior citizens has diminished. This is due to challenging economic situations, competitive working cultures, changing values and expectations of women; who were originally supposed to look after elders in the respective families now seeking employment. It had underscored middle aged women migrating to The Middle East in search of employment as one of the causes which has severely affected the caring system.

Assistant Director of the NSE Kulatunga said that although it was believed that living in the presence of ageing parents enhanced emotional bond and also provided a great help in managing the family, advances in education, information technology, influence of media and changing lifestyles have now emerged as causes that discourage people from looking after their parents. This is a tragedy, he stated.

Abuse of elderly on the rise

Readers might not forget a heinous act of a daughter who chained her father in a kennel, with three dogs inside, for several years without providing food and other basic requirements, in Kundasale. The incident was reported in 2015 and the daughter was arrested. In April, 2017, a female graduate, who is a development officer, was arrested by the Pallewela Police for allegedly pouring boiling water on her 73-year-old mother. Even recently, a video in which an ageing father was crying and revealing his plight that his children, living in the US, had left him in Sri Lanka went viral in social media. The eyes of anyone with a heart will be wet after watching the video.

The abuse of elders is still largely a taboo topic not only in Sri Lanka, but also in the entire world. Around 1 in 6 older people experience some form of abuse. This figure is higher compared to previous statistics and the prediction are that it will rise as populations age worldwide, the World Health Organization in June, states in 2017.

A new study, supported by WHO and published in the Lancet Global Health, has found that almost 16% of people aged 60 years and older were subjected to either psychological abuse (11.6%), financial abuse (6.8%), neglect (4.2%), physical abuse (2.6%) or sexual abuse (0.9%).

Mushrooming elder care institutions to be regulated

Kulatunga said the NSE is currently working on a National Policy to regulate elder care institutions as many private institutions are mushrooming all over the country to meet the demands.

He said that there are only six elders homes maintained by the Government.

We dont encourage the concept of elders homes. The NSE is promoting day care centres for elders. Elders can come every morning to day care centers, engage in different activities, have a quality time and leave in the evening. Its like a school. They shouldnt be confined to the elders homes. We thoroughly advise that the care for elders should be mainly provided by their families, Kulatunga remarked.

HelpAge to help the aged

Among such regulated and non-regulated private organizations, HelpAge is one of the globally accepted and pioneering organizations engaging in this activity.

The Daily Mirror visited one of day care centres funded by the HelpAge. The H.P. Gooneratne HelpAge Elders Day Care Centre located at Borupana Road, Ratmalana, established in 1988 is one of day care centers funded by the HelpAge.

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, HelAge Executive Director Samantha Liyanawaduge said that the aged should be empowered, so that they will be able to live with pride and confidence.

He said that many programmes are carried out by HelpAge for the betterment of helpless senior citizens.

A strong social pension scheme on contributory basis or non-contributory basis from which the entire ageing population will be covered should be introduced in order to provide them with social security, Liyanawaduge remarked.

The H.P. Gooneratne Day Care Centre provides a great opportunity for elders to involve themselves in diverse activities, enabling them to maintain their physical and mental status. The elders, who come to the centre, every morning, spenf quality time with the other elders. They engage in religious, social, recreational and other income generating projects that helps boost their mental status. Some of the income generating activities include, making lamp wicks, envelopes, paper bags and cement flower pots etc. Around 40 elders visit the centre daily.

Bold steps taken by Japan

Japan is already the oldest society on earth. At 83.4 years, Japan has the longest life expectancy at birth in the world. It created very important changes in several fields in order to face the ageing population challenge and to minimize its negative effects to the country. Below are some of the bold steps taken by Japan, according to an article published in the The Globe and Mail. Japan is already the oldest society on earth. At 83.4 years, Japan has the longest life expectancy at birth in the world. It created very important changes in several fields in order to face the ageing population challenge and to minimize its negative effects to the country. Below are some of the bold steps taken by Japan, according to an article published in the The Globe and Mail.

A revival programme consisting of changes such as getting more women in the workplace, new medical technologies including experimental regenerative medicine and cell therapy.

Supplementing its national pension plan with long-term-care insurance (LTCI), where people pay into the system starting in their 40s and are eligible to receive benefits starting at 65, or earlier in the case of illness.

A care plan, allowing the patient to choose between competing institutions and service providers offering everything from home visits, bathing and help getting groceries to paying for short stays in hospitals or long-term residence in nursing homes and specialized group homes for dementia patients.

A robotic seal called Paro, invented by Takanori Shibata, the chief senior research scientist at Tsukubas National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. The fuzzy seal has been proven in various settings to reduce anxiety, stress, depression and even patients perception of pain during chemotherapy treatments.

What needs to be done

Dr. Sunethra Perera of the Colombo University said that the increase in older people will require policies and programmes that can support employment and retirement, health and longterm care, social welfare and social services, in order to reduce the burden of old-age dependency on the working-age population of the country.

Meanwhile, the World Bank Report on the Sri Lankas Ageing Population underscored that the increase of womens participation by 20 percent could delay the reduction of the labor force by 15 years.

More work is needed to examine the obstacles in the way of employing ageing workers (inflexible labor laws, etc.) and to determine whether other employers have negative perceptions about the adaptability and productivity of older workers. It must also be found out whether employing the aged will create work disincentives and how important an obstacle is weak employability with regard to old workers  and if so, what should be done about it, the report stated.

We want to help abandoned elders to reunite with their families. Those who are physically able should have a means to make a living. A strong social pension scheme on contributory base or non-contributory base from which the entire ageing population will be covered should be introduced in order to provide them with social security.

HelpAge Executive Director

Samantha Liyanawaduge

The NSE is currently working on a proposal to increase the retirement age up to 65. The Minister of Social Empowerment, Welfare and Kandyan Heritage S.B.Dissanayake had also given his consent to the said proposal.

Assistant Director of National Secretariat for Elders (NSE) P.D.R.Kulatunga

The increase in older people will require policies and programmes that can support employment and retirement, health and longterm care, social welfare and social services, in order to reduce the burden of old-age dependency on the working-age population of the country.

Head of Demography Department of Colombo University Senior Lecturer

Dr. E.L.Sunethra J. Perera
So, metaphorically speaking, a pied piper - with an uncanny talent for catching rats (read votes) - is all it takes to drown the BJP in a pail of water?

So, a "king of bling" and his captive cluster of neurotic followers is all that it takes to turn a "party with a difference" into a lump of clay - that can be merrily stomped upon by its electoral patrons and benefactors?

Sure, the party had benefited from a last-minute surge in 2014 when Dera Sacha Sauda - with its offering of Dalit voters - had jumped onto the BJP bandwagon. But how many rapes will it take the BJP to overcome its deep sense of gratitude and indebtedness to someone who is not even fit to be a comic underling of Johnny Lever?

And, mind you, this is the same party that has, over the years, put us to sleep with its mindless drone about minority appeasement; that was crying itself hoarse, until the other day, about Muslim women's empowerment, virtually taking credit for a court decision liberating them from the obnoxious triple talaq practice!

The Panchkula tragedy has turned into a farce!

But, curiously, it has no lurid tales to tell about the two sadhvis who were raped by their repository of trust, whom they reverentially addressed as "pita ji! " The BJP spokespersons are not part of any such brouhaha in the TV studios; rather they scampered for cover when provoked by an anchorperson into calling Ram Rahim a rapist!

Apparently, for the moment, only Muslim women - abused and abandoned - are within the pale of the party's "Aurat bachao" andolan. Because they help wean away a vote from each Muslim household?

How did BJP politics mutate into such rampant and unabashed tribalism? Perhaps, it is a sheer waste of time trying to decode its conduct - One can make rational excuses for politicians going down on their knees and grovelling for votes, but not for turning into a doormat for a grubby rape convict with some even hailing him as an ennobling soul.

If the party has such a fixation - a deep seated psychological need for a rock star rapist as a poster boy - it can kick off its 2019 election campaign from the Tihar jail!

The BJP leadership needs to look hard in the mirror: the party is beginning to be perceived as one without scruples, and it is slipping by the minute deeper into the rabbit hole; if this mindlessness over hooliganism persists - come 2022 - it would have established itself as a retrograde rag-tag party that is a draw only for the lumpen; and which can no longer claim proprietary rights to its traditional urban middle class constituency.

Voters, Mr Prime Minister, care more about actual societal progress than the fortunes of a particular political party.

Not that the empowered rural voter and the aspiring classes cannot see the folly of endorsing a party that is determined to ferry them into the medieval times with its fantastic tales about mythical inventions and the historical suffering and oppression of the cow.

One could have patiently listened to tripe about Lord Rama's arrows having the potency of an anti ballistic missile if one did not have access to modern science and education. This is not to detract from the merit of being rooted in ancient shastras, but one does not feel invigorated when the Prime Minister gives homilies from the ramparts of Red Fort on social cohesiveness and cites instances of the mythical "Banar Sena" or the "Ram Sethu" and makes oblique references to squirrels that helped in building that engineering marvel.

It stands to reason that anybody with a modern outlook or remotely connected with the world of science and technology would not like to languish in the mental ghettos of the BJP's ideological gatekeepers who are incidentally themselves a fugitive from the backwaters of the freedom movement.

And anyone who wishes to catch up with the likes of Sakshi Maharaj - we all have our darlings - can stop the world and disembark in Somalia, a place for which the leadership has a special affection (Remember, the obnoxious analogy given by PM Modi to highlight the plight of street urchins in Kerala?).

Sure, the prime minister took the trouble in his Man Ki Baat to repeat his I-Day tutorial on "violence in the name of faith" and assured the nation that action will be taken against such perpetrators, but what are we going to do about the fringe elements that keep sneaking out of the woodwork and hailing Gurmeet Singh of Sirsa as God's gift to humanity?

One person alleging sexual exploitation but crores stand with him today,why those crores of ppl are not being heard?: Sakshi Maharaj,BJP MP pic.twitter.com/GKEkgwwtRU  ANI (@ANI) August 25, 2017

It would be apparent to even the politically naive that nobody in the BJP has the courage to speak out of turn, least of all the foot soldiers. Sakshi Maharaj, too, does not have a voice of his own: he is like the dummy in the lap of a ventriloquist. The voice is coming from elsewhere: it could be from within the party or emanating from the saffron closet. Anyhow these voices do irreparable harm, reinforcing the notion that we are confronted with half-educated morons steeped in obscurantism and blind faith.

Voters, Mr Prime Minister, care more about actual societal progress than the fortunes of a particular political party. Ironically, the state of Haryana is under ML Khattar's thumb rule and the BJP has a non-Jat social coalition well entrenched until the next election. Where then was the need to fall heads over heels for a rape accused?

And now, to go into an overdrive - showcasing the might of the State - when Gurmeet Singh, alias Love Charger, is safely tucked away, out of harm's way, in a Rohtak "prison" ?
After 73 days, thats almost two and a half months, India and China seem to have reached an understanding and a mature response over the Doklam standoff. MEA has released a press statement saying expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing.

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2017

China, India agree to end over 2-month-long standoff in #Doklam; China confirms India has withdrawn its troops pic.twitter.com/Kwr6pFi2PN  People's Daily,China (@PDChina) August 28, 2017

The nine-week-long Himalayan face-off has finally reached a way out thats both acceptable and mature, and has been received by both sides enthusiastically. While the MEA India is trying its best to go easy on the rhetoric, Chinese media is passing this off as a case of India blinking and withdrawing troops, while Chinese continue to patrol the Doklam tri-junction.

The military border standoff started on June 16 when Indian Army personnel confronted the Peoples Liberation Army of China at the tri-junction over construction of roads. Chinese troops with their road-building equipment were protested by the Indian military and diplomatic sections, while 270 Indian troops stationed themselves at Doklam in retaliation.

There have been heated debates, threats of war looming overhead, with experts saying Beijing is darong New Delhi to enter an armed confrontation which could escalate quickly and turn into a major disaster. About a week back, the troops clashed in Ladakh and stones were thrown around, which made headlines for the high-voltage ambience, on the precipice of a massive showdown.

UPDATE: India and China agree to end border standoff at #Doklam, India says https://t.co/Noq8HXLQEr pic.twitter.com/yyC4MR5Mm8  Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) August 28, 2017

Despite many saying this might become a bigger nightmare, the first time in 73 days, a silver lining of mutual detente has finally been reached today. Both MEA India and the Chinese government have issued press notes saying the disengagement has begun.

Incidentally, the governments of Sikkim and Bhutan also got drawn into the Doklam standoff, in what turned out to be the most serious confrontation between India and China since the 1962 war. While China claimed New Delhi was trespassing into Chinese territory, India maintained that pre-June 2017 status quo should be the normal state of affairs.

The #Doklam stand-off wasn't about Chinese patrols on the plateau, which has been going on for years. The issue was road construction.  Dhruva Jaishankar (@d_jaishankar) August 28, 2017

Obviously, Chinese media putting a positive spin. Some in our media, while rightly questioning India's version, take Beijing at face value.  Dhruva Jaishankar (@d_jaishankar) August 28, 2017

Critics in India are questioning whether its New Delhi that has in fact blinked and decided to withdraw troops.

Assuming the Chinese are withdrawing as well simultaneously. More details awaited https://t.co/5yTtuhFr6M  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 28, 2017

#Doklam: truth which Govt & media hiding. China maintains its position, continue to patrol while our Sarkar chose to bow & chicken-out. ???? pic.twitter.com/guoiqjHeS9  Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) August 28, 2017

We don't have enough data yet to analyse outcome of #Doklam, beyond the fact that this was a peaceful resolution, which is a BIG deal.  Omair Ahmad (@OmairTAhmad) August 28, 2017

Nothing wrong per se with the Indian govt losing face at Doklam. Perhaps they evaluated the threat was too high to continue confrontation.  Mihir Sharma (@mihirssharma) August 28, 2017

China FM on #Doklam: India will withdraw troops, China to continue its sovereignty rights in accordance with the historical border agreement  BBC India (@BBCIndia) August 28, 2017

Need a clear statement from @MEAIndia have we decided to climb down? Blinked in #Doklam clarity is essential. Can't try "packaging"! https://t.co/bMBHAMJXlh  Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) August 28, 2017

While there are those who are saying that this is typical Chinese belligerence and keeping up the pretense of a victory, despite the mutual disengagement.

After >2 months of sandlot mindgames, final proof of a mature relationship. Both sides agree to pull back troops. VERY good news. #Doklam  Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) August 28, 2017

Given stark contrast in tone between India & China, I see this as a victory for Indian diplomacy. Held ground, nerve, didn't get provoked.  Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) August 28, 2017

Hopefully #Doklam is a new chapter in India-China relations. Too much a stake for both big powers to let legacy real-estate issues linger https://t.co/29iuiJDlW1  Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) August 28, 2017

Typically biased @ReutersIndia story. Chinese troops have withdrawn to their side of vast #Doklam "region" which they've always patrolled https://t.co/LUdglYqHEM  Minhaz Merchant (@MinhazMerchant) August 28, 2017

#Doklam standoff over! Troops to disengage. Victory for India both military & diplomatic IMO. pic.twitter.com/fuzswnbaZ5  Yusuf Unjhawala ???????? (@YusufDFI) August 28, 2017

Strategic victory of Bharat at #Doklam .China understood that India is now not that was in 62,both countries moving back. Business matters.  Prashant P. Umrao (@ippatel) August 28, 2017

All in all, that the 73-day standoff has ended amicably and no armed confrontation actually took place, is a great relief for the two neighbours, who share one of the longest borders anywhere in the world. Given the upcoming BRICS summit in September and the UN General Assembly in New York, this is a positive development.
Even if Anthony had a year to analyze and dissect each piece...(he couldn't tell if it would)... stand the harsh light of public exposure.

WUWT insider Willis Eschenbach tells you all you need to know about Anthony Watts and his blog, WattsUpWithThat (WUWT). As part of his scathing commentary , Wondering Willis accuses Anthony Watts of being clueless about the blog articles he posts. To paraphrase: Click here to read more.
Legal notices

1) The material on this blog has been created by W. Blake Gray, is protected under US copyright law and cannot be used without his permission.



2) To the FTC: In the course of my work, I accept free samples, meals and other considerations. I do not trade positive reviews or coverage for money or any financial considerations, unlike certain famous print publications which have for-profit wine clubs but, because they are not classified as "bloggers," are not required by the FTC to post a notice like this.


The two companies did not give the revenue projection for business they will target in the coming years through the alliance. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday announced a partnership with Symantec Corp to provide cyber security solutions to businesses in India.

The strategic alliance comes amid a spike in cyber attacks over the past few months, including incidents like Petya and WannaCry that disrupted systems across the world.

Some of the biggest corporations, including Russia's largest oil company Rosneft, Ukraine's international airport, shipping firm AP Moller-Maersk, and advertising giant WPP had come under the cyberattack in June this year.

Companies, big and small, are now prioritising IT security related investments in a bid to fortify their operations in the current threat landscape.

The prevention of online threats has become even more critical given the increased digitisation and adoption of digital payments in India.

"We are seeing an unprecedented levels of cyber crime and cyber attacks at the moment," Symantec CEO Greg Clark said pointing to "audacity and boldness" of cyber criminals to unleash such attacks.

Through the partnership, the two companies will target the IT security requirements of large enterprises, small and medium businesses, as well as the government.

"We think this is a rising tide...It will have decades of constant recurring revenues. Cybercrime is a new theatre of crime...of warfare...that will be with us for centuries. We think the alliance is well positioned to benefit from that rising tide," Clark told reporters.

As per the agreement, Airtel will be the exclusive cyber security services partner for Symantec in India and distribute the latter's enterprise security software.

Gopal Vittal, the MD and CEO (India and South Asia) of Bharti Airtel, said while the service provider had so far been a customer of Symantec, the alliance now paves the way for two to take the security solutions to the market.

The two companies, however, did not give the revenue projection for business they will target in the coming years through the alliance.

Symantec has blocked over a billion Petya and Wannacry infection attempts since the launch of the two malware platforms and they are an example of the risks, "both financial and mission critical" which organisations are facing, Clark said.

In a joint statement here, the companies said as the Indian enterprises embrace cloud applications and infrastructure, they require security technologies built for the new cloud-based environment.

The partnership leverages Airtel's business to business reach and Symantec's Integrated Cyber Defense Platform, the statement added.

Airtel Business services over 2000 large enterprise accounts, and 2.5 lakh corporate and tech start ups with its integrated telecom solutions, and also addresses requirements of central and state government departments.

Its offerings emcompass areas like voice, data, video network integration, data centres, managed services, and enterprise mobility applications.
Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim Insan, who was convicted in a 15-year-old rape case, had launched his ayurveda FMCG brand 'MSG' last year.

Mumbai: Self-styled godman and rape convict Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim Insan, who faces 10 years of imprisonment, was once the competitor of Baba Ramdevs Patanjali, having launched his FMCG ayurveda inventory MSG in 2016.

The chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, who adorns the many hats of guru, actor, director, philanthropist, rockstar and now a rape convict, was also an entrepreneur, dealing in Indias retail ayurveda industry.

Aimed at capturing the same swadeshi, organic catalogue of products that Patanjali deals in, the spiritual leaders brand boasts of 151 MSG products, to provide organic and healthy food to every citizen.

We don't want to ruin our cars with spurious adulterated fuel, but do we even care about what we eat? Indeed, it is for the reason that day after day we are exposed to shocking stories about food borne diseases, said the 'Spiritual Preceptor' who rides rides huge motorcycles and blows off villains in his MSG films.

His products were made available in December, 2016 in shops across Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi  the same places that witnessed a brutal bloodbath on the day of his verdict, just a few days ago.

The salt-to-shampoo producing company boasts of a catalogue, eerily similar to that offered by the Rs 10,000 crore Patanjali. MSG has claimed international dealership proposals for the following product range: 14 varieties of various pulses, 41 varieties of grocery items, seven varieties of rice and khichri, three varieties of tea, five kinds of sugar, three types of salt, atta, desi ghee, spices, pickles, jams, honey, mineral water and noodles.

Apart from this, the website offers various organic bath and cosmetic products.

According to a report in Business Standard, MSGs chairman, C P Arora had said: Our goal is to introduce healthy, organic products at decent prices in the market. It's almost like a health campaign".

MSG's products, like his own cult following, enjoys vast popularity in Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi areas. The common link between Ramdev and Gurmeet Singh -- of being a spiritual 'Baba' and the growth of ayurveda FMCG products in the country is proof of the popularity of the 'faith-food' industry in India.
However, the government could change its policy in future on aviation, said experts.

New Delhi: The Modi government on Monday indicated that it is unlikely to sell Air India to a foreign carrier in its consolidated Foreign Direct Investment policy.

The commerce ministry in its consolidated FDI policy document has also for the first time included start-ups, which can raise up to 100 per cent of funds from Foreign Venture Capital Investor (FVCI).

The policy mentioned at para (c) above (foreign carriers allowed to own 49 percent in Indian carriers) is not applicable to M/s Air India Limited, Center said in its consolidated FDI policy.

Para(c) said that foreign airlines are allowed to invest in the capital of Indian companies, operating scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services, up to the limit of 49 per cent of their paid-up capital. It said such investment would be subject to conditions like it would be made under the government approval route.

There has been speculation that the Tata Group - in partnership with Singapore Airlines  may be interested in acquiring a majority 51 per cent stake in Air India if it is privatised. But, the FDI policy may mean that Tatas proposal may not go through if it wants to bid for the PSU along with Singapore Airlines.

However, the government could change its policy in future on aviation, said experts.

Union Cabinet in June had given the green signal for disinvestment in national carrier Air India and five of its subsidiaries but left it to the Group of Ministers (GoM) to be headed by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley decide the extent of disinvestment.

Currently, the Union government is the sole owner of the national carrier. GoM will be set up to finalise modalities/details of the disinvestment, including the quantum of stake sale.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/doklam-standoff-china-pm-modi-nsa-ajit-doval/1/1035694.html

Inside story of how India achieved breakthrough in Doklam border standoff with China

A crisis of unprecedented scale, the Doklam standoff which ran for about two-and-a-half months, ended on time today before it could embarrass the leadership of both India and China at the BRICS summit which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

The 9th annual BRICS summit will take place in China's Xiamen on September 3-5.

According to top government sources, the discussion on the breakthrough started when the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met his Chinese counterpart, State Councillor Yang Jiechi, in Beijing during the BRICS meeting in July 27-28.

The parleys continued between the two NSAs quietly away from the public glare over telephone lines along with diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis.

Now the Chinese have agreed to not build the road further in the Doklam area and withdraw its troops from there.

Troops of India and China were locked in a bitter standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

It also appears that the Indian side also made PM Modi's visit to the BRICS summit conditional as India wanted to resolve the issue.

Indian Army's tough stand in the standoff also helped in putting pressure on China which was made to understand that India will not back off so easily without its demands being accepted.

The Chinese have now agreed to completely withdraw their troops from the area.

This is being termed as major victory of Modi's national security team including both civilian and military diplomacy.

The 9th annual BRICS summit, that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will take place in China's Xiamen on September 3-5.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently said both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, and favoured a peaceful resolution of the border standoff.

Relations between the two nations had dipped to a new low over the standoff at Doklam, with the Chinese side refusing to withdraw. Beijing had accused India of transgressing into its territory and demanded immediate withdrawal of Indian troops. The Chinese side, especially the state media, since then had been on an offensive, and on occasions issued veiled threats of war.

India has maintained that both sides should withdraw simultaneously for any dialogue on the issue, and asserted that war was not a solution.

(Inputs from Manjeet Singh Negi)

Also read:
While the GST collected from the entire country for the month of July was Rs 65,000 crore, TS contributed Rs 3,200 crore within the deadline.

Hyderabad: Telangana state has contributed nearly five per cent to the countrys GST kitty when the deadline to file first tax returns under the new tax regime ended on Monday.

While the GST collected from the entire country for the month of July was Rs 65,000 crore, TS contributed Rs 3,200 crore within the deadline. Interestingly, the GST was paid by only 34,000 traders while the total number of GST-registered traders is 2.05 lakh.

Principal secretary, commercial taxes department, Somesh Kumar, said that though there are 2.05 lakh GST registered traders in the state, only 34,236 traders are major traders, who account for 99.05 per cent of the total taxes collected.

Even during the previous VAT regime, the trend was the same. About 32,000 traders out of 1.90 lakh VAT registered traders used to contribute 95 per cent of the total taxes collected.

In the GST regime, over 34,000 traders have filed their first returns, which shows that there is no decrease in tax collection in the GST regime, Mr Kumar added.

He said out of the total amount of the GST collected, the Centre got Rs 444 crore through various cesses. While Rs 781 crore was collected under SGST, Rs 878 crore was collected under IGST.

Another Rs 505 crore was collected under CGST. Mr Kumar said the state will get a share in IGST, which will be credited into the account of the state government later.
Globally gold rose 0.41 per cent to USD 1,296.10 an ounce and silver by 0.44 per cent to USD 17.13 in Singapore.

New Delhi: Gold prices turned soft on Monday down Rs 50 at Rs 29,900 per 10 grams, owing to slack demand from local jewellers despite a positive global trend.

Silver was unchanged at Rs 40,200 per kg in scattered deals from industrial units and coin makers.

Easing demand, traders said, from local jewellers and retailers at the spot market brought about the decline in gold, but a firm trend overseas arrested the fall.

Globally, gold rose 0.41 per cent to USD 1,296.10 an ounce and silver by 0.44 per cent to USD 17.13 in Singapore.

In the national capital, gold of 99.9 per cent and 99.5 per cent purity fell Rs 50 each to Rs 29,900 and Rs 29,750 per 10 grams, respectively.

It had gained Rs 250 on Saturday. Sovereign, however, remained steady at Rs 24,500 per piece of 8 grams.

Silver ready moved in a narrow range in limited deals from industrial units and settled at the last level of Rs 40,200 per kg. Weekly-based delivery rose by Rs 215 to Rs 39,225 on speculative buying.

Silver coins, however, continued to be traded at the previous level of Rs 73,000 for buying and Rs 74,000 for selling of 100 pieces.
Screengrabs from the video posted by Riteish Deshmukh on Twitter.

Mumbai: Actor Riteish Deshmukh created an eco-friendly idol of Lord Ganpati on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and dedicated it to the farmers of the country.

Continuing with the annual tradition, the 38-year-old actor, made a unique planter pot statue of the tusked god, right from scratch.

Deshmukh, who is currently in the US, took to Twitter where he posted almost two-minute-long video of him making the idol.

"Celebrating #GaneshChaturthi in America, made an idol, I humbly dedicate it to our farmers. #ECO #Planter #Visarjan #SonOfAFarmer #Bappa," the 'Bank Chor' actor captioned the clip.

In the video, the subtitles read that "the turban on the head of Lord Ganesh represents every farmer in India. As a son of a farmer, I dedicate this idol to them."

Deshmukh's father was former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, who passed away in 2012.

The actor also thanked his wife actor, Genelia Deshmukh being a source of inspiration.

"I wanna thank Baiko @geneliad for inspiring me to do this and also for shooting this video. God bless you all with happiness prosperity and love," he wrote.

I wanna thank Baiko @geneliad for inspiring me to do this & also 4 shooting this video.

God bless you all with happiness prosperity & love.  Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) August 27, 2017

Several Bollywood stars lauded the actor for his creative and noble initiative.

Genuinely one of the nicest simplest coolest people in our industry !!! https://t.co/xBZsv2XYRW  Arjun Kapoor (@arjunk26) August 27, 2017

Amazing amazing amazing!! My fav one so far  @Riteishd https://t.co/AKsUFc9WKT  Parineeti Chopra (@ParineetiChopra) August 27, 2017

This is superb!!!! Eco friendly all the way  such a lovely video https://t.co/nfqbuLdcuD  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) August 27, 2017

This is so so amazing my dearest Riteish and Genelia! God bless you both!! Incredible..... https://t.co/jiibZLLv0N  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) August 27, 2017
Mumbai: Ali Fazal made headlines last year when he signed on as the lead opposite Dame Judi Dench in the forthcoming Stephen Frears directorial, Victoria and Abdul. The actor will soon be doing the final few days of the shoot and the film is expected to release on 22nd September this year. While the actor has been gushing about the enriching experience of having worked with the most talented bunch of people, it was another mere coincidence that made him feel more pride than anything else.

The actor spent hours discussing his idol with his Hollywood director. And that idol is legendary actor Shashi Kapoor. It so happens that Stephen Frears has worked with Shashi Kapoor in a film called Sammy and Rosie Get Laid back in 1987. Shashi Kapoor has had his own share of working in the west and Stephen, in particular, has had a pleasant working experience with Shashi Kapoor and he expressed the same to Ali.

It was certainly a matter of pride for Ali to be directed by a director who's worked with his idol from Indian films and years later Ali is working in a film as a lead being directed by Stephen himself.

Ali said, Its one of the best compliments that I received during the making of Victoria & Abdul being compared with one of the legendary actors Shashi Kapoor. I grew up watching his films; one of the best talents our country has ever produced. This statement coming from my director Stephen Frears was truly rewarding".
Study provides a very encouraging indication that reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes would help vulnerable populations (Photo: Pixabay)

Washington: Reducing nicotine content in cigarettes may decrease their addiction potential in vulnerable populations, a study suggests.

Researchers at University of Vermont in the US examined the addiction potential of cigarettes with reduced nicotine content in two vulnerable populations of smokers - individuals with psychiatric disorders and socio-economically disadvantaged women.

"Evidence in relatively healthy and socially stable smokers indicates that reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes reduces their addictiveness," said Stephen Higgins, Professor at University of Vermont in the US.

"Whether that same effect would be seen in populations highly vulnerable to tobacco addiction was unknown," Higgins added.

The team studied 169 daily smokers, including 120 women and 49 men. A total of 56 of the participants were diagnosed with affective disorders, 60 with opioid dependence, and 53 were socio-economically disadvantaged women.

Each study participant completed 14 two to four hour sessions, abstaining from smoking for six to eight hours before each of the sessions, which were organised in three phases.

Phase 1 included sampling of the research cigarettes in double-blind conditions, beginning with the smoking of the participant's regular brand cigarette and then smoking one research cigarette of identical appearance, but varying doses of nicotine in sessions two to five.

A Cigarette Purchase Task (CPR) was completed after each smoking session to measure the effects of cost on the participant's rate of smoking. Additional questionnaires assessed research cigarette evaluation, nicotine withdrawal, smoking urges, and nicotine dependence.

Phase 2 sessions asked participants to select which cigarette they preferred to smoke among six different dose combinations and used a computer programme, which recorded which of the two cigarettes participants preferred for that session and whether they wanted to continue to smoke after two puffs or abstain.

The final phase 3 followed the same protocol, but measured only the highest and lowest doses of nicotine.

While participants tended to prefer the higher nicotine dose content research cigarettes, the team found that the low-nicotine dose cigarettes could serve as economic substitutes for higher-dose commercial-level nicotine cigarettes when the cost of the latter was greater.

"This study provides a very encouraging indication that reducing the nicotine content of cigarettes would help vulnerable populations," Higgins said.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.
For the past two years, many plastic surgery doctors have honed in on a new social media trend where they live stream operations to millions on Snapchat.

Since the rise of the 'Snapchat Surgeon', according to Daily Mail, there a growing number of patients, allowing people on the site to watch their procedure.

The unusual approach was created by Dr Michael Salzhauer, known as Dr Miami, the report revealed. He is so popular that he was even nominated for a Shorty Award as Snapchatter of the year. In the past year, his viewership has increased and he is booked solid until 2019.

While the new trend is certainly controversial, many believed he went too far when he started dressing up in costumes, playing hip hop music and holding up a patient's fat to the camera during surgery.

That is when the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) decided to publish strict guidelines when using social media in a operating theatre. Many professionals do not understand the benefit of Snapchat in this way other than it giving the doctor's business a promotional boost.

However, Dr Matthew Schulman, another very successful plastic surgeon has a different approach. He currently has five million viewers on his Snapchat account, the report revealed.

Dr Schulman argues these videos help people know the kind of work a surgeon can do. "Most of the patients that come to see me now are already actively following me on Snapchat, so theyve already seen me do the surgery that theyre interested in," Dr Schulman told the Daily Mail. "Theyve seen the results, they know my team. So theyre coming in confident, and theyre coming in already having me pre-selected as their surgeon," he added.

Henny, one of his patients told the Daily Mail, she felt confident picking him to get a Brazilian butt lift because of his videos. "He was exactly the same in person as he was on his Snapchat. He knew what he was doing, and Id seen him do it. I felt like I was in safe hands, and he was familiar," she said.
The city witnessed floods on August 14, which wreaked havoc at different slum pockets in the city, leaving the residents looking for food and clothes.

Bengaluru: During the horrific Chennai floods, all it took was a few like-minded people to start sending messages and opening a Facebook group, requesting people to contribute toiletries, dry food, dry clothes, mats and other necessities. What the team expected was to just send a truckload of items to Chennai flood victims, but it grew into something bigger and finally, five to six truckloads were dispatched to Chennai. The immense support received made Madhumita Kalauny start a humane movement by reaching out to like-minded to people to help the needy, and it led to H.U.G  Humane Universal Good Deed Network. She registered it as an NGO only recently, but the work to help and bring smiles on many faces began two-and-half years ago.

Whenever there is a calamity or sudden event throwing the normal routine out of gear for the needy, we try to help by connecting to various wellwishers and mobilising freshly cooked meals or other items needed, says Mr Ajith Anirudhan, an active member of HUG.

The city witnessed floods on August 14, which wreaked havoc at different slum pockets in the city, leaving the residents looking for food and clothes.

During the recent floods, we raised 200 freshly cooked hot meals for three days for the slum dwellers at NGV in Koramangala. People there did not even have dry clothes and we managed to facilitate that as well. All through, we reached out through simple SMS and other social media platforms. It was extremely nice to see people willing to help and coming forward to lend a hand whichever way possible,says Anirudh.

Another heart-warming incident was when volunteers of HUG tried to facilitate rice and rasam for the displaced people of Ambedkar Nagar in Bellandur and distributed food at 10 in the night.

To reach out to more people, the team has started a GiftaMeal programme, where people can feed someone every day by contributing just `30 for a hot meal every time they eat out or by using the PAYTM code.

Under the programme, we are feeding 300 people every day and the numbers are growing every day as people do have this desire to help. It's just that they don't know whom to reach out and who is genuine. The GiftaMeal initiative has been providing mid-morning meals to the destitute at L.R. Nagar, D.J. Halli and Tannery Road and other slum pockets in the city, he says.

Luckily, since the Chennai flood programme, we have seen that each Facebook post that we share asking for help and other items goes viral and people share it across platforms. That is the power of social media and that is the power of kindness, he adds.

Under the GiftaMeal programme, they have opened satellite kitchens across the city, and also many restaurants and hotels have partnered with them to cook fresh meals for that amount.
In this Tuesday Sept. 24, 1996 file photo, Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales, arrives for dinner in Washington. (Photo: AP)

A Japanese man claiming to be a psychic reveals he made contact with Princess Diana's "lonely" spirit and has released the entire transcript of their conversation, The Mirror reported.

In his country, Ryuho Okawa is known as "renowned spiritual leader", the report revealed. Okawa released a book on their conversation entitled Spiritual Interview, just prior to her 20th death anniversary. It is currently sold on Amazon

While there are many tributes to Diana on her death anniversary, this is for sure the strangest. Okawa claims he summoned the princess earlier in August at a lecture hall in Japan. According to him, Diana was "invited by the International Division of Happy Science to speak to Okawa and his fellow psychics," The Mirror reported.

He claims they talked about Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and the night she died where she was killed in a car accident in Paris.

Okawa also claims Diana's "spirit" believes the British Royal family could soon come to an end and face a revolution. Speaking about Kate Middleton, her son William's wife, Diana "said" she is kind to her.

However, the biggest claim was about Prince Charles. When Okawa asked if she could forgive him, the spirit reportedly said: "No, definitely no. No, no, no. I don't hate him, but I believe that he's a devil."

The interview takes an even more dark twist when he asked her if someone killed her. According to the report, in the book the spirit is quoted as saying: "I'm not sure, but I felt some kind of evil intention."

"Maybe secret service or... Someone was aiming to deprive me of my life after I got a divorce. It's from Charles or..."

"He can send some messenger of death."

Okawa founded Happy Science in 1989, a movement dedicated to bringing "happiness to humankind". He has also reportedly sold more than 100 million books on a range of topics.
The trials, which will cost around $25million, are funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) (Photo: Pixabay)

Ecstasy could very well be used once day for treatment in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The illegal party drug has been awarded breakthrough status by the FDA for treatment of mental health conditions.

This means that there is evidence that the medication may benefit PTSD sufferers and should therefore be developed faster as a treatment option.

PTSD symptoms are triggered by sounds or smells that cause sufferers' memories to come flooding back. MDMA is thought to dampen this response and allow people to overcome their trauma.

FDA has approved two Phase II trails investigating MDMA in PTSD. Phase II studies assess drug efficacy, safety and dosing.

The trials, which will cost around $25million, are funded by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) and could finish as soon as 2021.

MDMAs potential in PTSD was first demonstrated in 2011 in US. The results since then have been reviewed by the FDA and are very good according to MAPS executive director Rick Doblin.

In the future, MAPS hopes to conduct MDMA-PTSD trials in Europe, as well as investigating the illegal party drug for alcohol addiction.
According to police and the local media in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, the student mixed the poison into rivals water bottle and then watched her drink it. (Photo: Pixabay)

In a shocking incident involving school kids, a 13-year-old girl poisoned her classmate with mosquito repellent in a fit of jealousy over her exams.

According to police and the local media in Satna, Madhya Pradesh, the student mixed the poison into rivals water bottle and then watched her drink it.

Police say she was angry over being beaten by her victim in a school test.

The victim began vomiting and was rushed to hospital where her condition is said to be stable.

The girl later tried to commit suicide by the same method fearing that she will get caught and is being treated in the hospital.

According to a report published in The Daily Mail, hospital spokesperson Dr Sudhir Singh said that the girl is under control

Police investigating the case say the poisoner was caught when police viewed CCTV footage from the classroom's security camera.

Police spokesman Bhupendra Singh explained that after drinking the water the girl felt uneasy and the school informed her parents who took her to a hospital.

He further added that the CCTV footage of the classroom showed the girl pouring the mosquito repellent.

The victim told police she believes her classmate was jealous of her exam marks.
Despite mostly every other model being confirmed on Thursday, the world was waiting to see if sisters Bella and Gigi Hadid, alongside Kendall Jenner, would return to walk in the 2017 Victorias Secret show  and now, finally, we have some answers.

Posting to Instagram on Sunday, Bella Hadid has confirmed she will be returning for a second year.

Posting a photo of herself in black lingerie standing on a balcony overlooking New York, Hadid thanked the Victorias Secret team for having her back.

I feel so crazy humbled to get the opportunity to be a part of this show again...Walking into the offices this year I felt so happy, healthy, and honored.. I can't wait for another incredible experience!!! Congrats to all of the beautiful ladies I will be walking beside. I can't wait! she wrote.

Theres still no word on whether or not Gigi or Kendall will be walking, but heres guessing well be finding out soon.

See all the newcomers confirmed for the 2017 show, including Australias own Victoria Lee, here.

Read more at: http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk/black-bridesmaid-dresses-online

http://www.queeniebridesmaid.co.uk/green-bridesmaid-dresses
The voltage converter, and some personal articles were kept in a carton and it was handed over to the man without revealing anything (Representational Image)

Hyderabad: Customs officers of the Air Intelligence Unit nabbed a man who was carrying 1,233 grams of 24K gold worth Rs 36,86,60 on Saturday night. The passenger, Gosala Syam Babu, had arrived from Dubai on Indigo airlines and is claiming to have been duped by some people in Dubai and made to carry the gold.

The arrest was made based on profiling of passengers by customs officials at the RGI Airport. The gold bars were concealed by replacing the copper wiring inside a voltage converter.

The operator from Dubai had sent the gold bars concealed in a voltage converter, through a passenger who was deceived by an agent who promised employment in Dubai.

The voltage converter, and some personal articles were kept in a carton and it was handed over to the man without revealing anything. The passenger was requested to deliver the carton at Hyderabad to a person who would be coming to receive him outside the international arrivals terminal, officials at the Air Intelligence Unit said.
BENGALURU: In a grisly incident, a mother threw her seven-year-old daughter from a building twice to ensure that she is dead! The only fault of the child was that she was speech impaired and mentally unstable.

The accused mother, Swathi (36), first threw her daughter Ishika alias Shreya from the third floor of the building, but when she found that the child was still alive, she climbed down, took her to the third floor and threw her again. The incident happened at around 3 pm on Sunday in Jaraganahalli in JP Nagar.

While nobody witnessed Shreya falling for the first time, Swathis neighbors claimed that they have seen Swathi taking her daughter and throwing her from the third floor of her building. We thought she was taking her home which was on the third floor as she was bleeding. She instead threw her from atop the building, the eyewitnesses recounted the horror.

Swathi then went inside her house and changed clothes and came down when the neighbors caught her, tied her to a pole and beat her black and blue before handing her over to the Puttenahalli police. During the time of incident Shreya was naked and some neighbours covered her using a piece of cloth.

According to police, Swathi had a love marriage with one Kanchan Sarkar, a senior business analyst at a reputed MNC, in 2005.

The couple hailed from West Bengal and had eloped and came to Bengaluru. Everything was fine between them till Shreya was born. They realised that she couldnt speak properly and was mentally unstable. Though Sarkar treated his daughter well, Swathi used to frequently beat her and even fought with Sarkar over petty issues.

Not able to bear his wifes behaviour, Sarkar had rented a house for himself in Indiranagar and moved there seven months ago, leaving his wife and daughter. He, however, visited his wife and paid money for the expenses.

It is learnt that Swathi went into severe depression after her husband left her and her anger towards their daughter increased. She used to blame her for the separation.

On Sunday noon, Swathi again picked a fight with Shreya while giving her a bath. In a fit of anger she threw her from the building. When she found her alive, fearing she might inform the neighbours, she took her atop the building and threw her again, making it appear as an accidental fall.

Puttenahalli police have arrested Swathi and are interrogating her. A police source said that she would be sent to Nimhans for treatment as she was showing signs of depression.
Bhopal: The Chhattisgarh government on Monday ordered a judicial probe into death of cows in goshalas, run by a local BJP leader, due to starvation. The one-man commission headed by retired judge A.K. Samantray would probe the matter and submit its report to the state government within three months.

The government ordered the probe into the large-scale deaths of cows in the three goshalas in Durg and Bemetera district in the state run by local BP leader Harish Verma, in the wake of demand by Opposition Congress to get the matter investigated by the CBI.

Mr Verma was arrested on August 11 in connection with death of over 200 cows in his shelter in Durg district.
The BCG sought ICGs help during the regional commanders-level meeting at ICG North East (NE) regional headquarters in New Town, Kolkata on Monday. (Photo: DC/Rajib Chowdhuri)

Kolkata: The Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) on Monday sought assistance from the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) for training its force for the operation and maintenance of hovercrafts.

The BCG sought ICGs help during the regional commanders-level meeting at ICG North East (NE) regional headquarters in New Town, Kolkata on Monday.

The BCG does not have any hovercraft, used for amphibious operation.

"The BCG delegation will visit ICG Hovercraft port on August 29. They will witness the hovercraft operation. They have intimated that they are planning to procure hovercrafts and requested assistance from the ICG for training about operation and maintenance of their hovercrafts," ICG (NE) spokesperson Avinandan Mitra said.

The ICG has been providing training to BCG officers and sailors on various fields since 2014. Trainings are held twice a year for the BCG officers and sailors, Mitra added.

The BCG delegation, led by West Zonal commander Captain Mohammed Ali Chowdhury, met Inspector General Kuldip Singh Sheoran, ICG (NE) regional commander, and his staff. The regional commanders-level meeting will conclude on August 30.

Various common maritime issues  sensitisation of fishermen on cross border fishing, bilateral table top exercise, real time information sharing, capacity building of BCG through training and exercise  were discussed at a staff-level meeting.

"Both sides have expressed their desire to cooperate with each other in order to jointly tackle the maritime challenges across the mutually shared international maritime boundary line. The BCG delegation was given a balanced understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the ICG NE region in general and search and rescue of fishermen at sea in particular, Mitra said.

"They were also provided an overview on the measures taken to provide maritime safety and security in the states of West Bengal and Odisha. The BCG delegation will visit Haldia where it will be briefed on the coastal surveillance network along the Indian coast of mainland and island territories, he added.
Chennai: On his maiden visit to Chennai after becoming Vice President, M. Venkaiah Naidu said on Sunday evening that despite seven decades of independence the nation is still battling with demons of corruption, poverty, illiteracy, atrocities against women and other challenges. The need of the hour is for the people to understand these challenges and fight the evils together.

Quoting from Gandhijis Quit India speech (Aug. 8, 1942) that in the democracy which I have envisaged, a democracy established by non-violence, there will be equal freedom for all. Everybody will be his own master. It is to join a struggle for such democracy that I invite you today. Once you realise this you will forget the differences between Hindus and Muslims and think of yourselves as Indians only engaged in the common struggle for independence, Venkaiah said this was still relevant.

Jayalalitha

I Miss Madam Jayalalithaa

Venkaiah who turned emotional, said that he missed late Chief Minister Jayalalithaa during his Chennai visit. When I have come to Tamil Nadu for the first time as Vice President of India, I miss one wonderful, charismatic and most popular political leader of this state: Madam Jayalalithaa. I miss her. Really, I miss her, he said. Earlier, upon his arrival, he was given a warm reception by Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, BJP State unit chief Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan and Rajya Sabha MP L. Ganesan. The Governor presented a copy of the Telugu version of Tirukkural to Mr Venkaiah who later went to the Raj Bhavan here and visited the recently unveiled statues of Tamil saint poet Tiruvalluvar and poetess Avaiyyar on the premises. Governor, fisheries minister

D. Jayakumar and top officials accompanied him.

The time has come for every citizen to display similar missionary zeal to establish a new India in the next five years an India, which is free of black money, corruption, poverty, casteism, communalism, terrorism, illiteracy and gender discrimination, he said.

As these challenges have crept into the system, the historic occasion of the 75th anniversary of Quit India, is an appropriate time for Indians to think of the sacrifices made by the people for independence; and resolve the crisis together, he said and urged the people to rededicate themselves for the unity and integrity of the country.

Inaugurating the exhibition New India  resolve to achieve organised by Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs to mark 75 years of the Quit India movement at Anna University here on Sunday evening, Venkaiah said there was no place for violence in a democratic society and that it must be curbed. He said people should have to stand united against terrorism in any form. Describing the Supreme Court verdict on triple talaq as historic one he said it would go a long way in ending gender discrimination.
Chennai: Hours after TTV Dhinakarans surgical strike hit Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy as he was removed from party post, the latters colleagues in the AIADMK and the cabinet hit back at the embattled nephew of V.K. Sasikala, saying he had no power to remove anyone since he has already been demonetised.

Dhinakaran, who still claims to be the deputy general secretary of the AIADMK since general secretary V.K. Sasikala named him to the post, issued a statement on Sunday morning removing Palanisamy from the post of partys Salem (suburban) district secretary and appointed former Veerapandi MLA S.K. Selvam in his place.

The embattled AIADMK leader, whose appointment was declared illegal in the way of a resolution by party office-bearers, has been removing his opponents from their party posts and naming his followers in their place.

Dhinakarans action against Palanisamy is being seen as a move to keep his flock together. Political analysts say the action against AIADMK seniors by Dhinakaran would not create instability in the EPS-OPS camp since everyone knows his position has already been challenged in party forums as well as in the Election Commission.

The announcement is aimed just at creating enthusiasm among his supporters. This is nothing but a desperate move to keep his flock together, a senior AIADMK leader said, requesting anonymity.

Reacting to the removal of Palanisamy, tourism minister Vellamandi Natarajan said Dhinakaran has no powers to remove anyone from the AIADMK.

I think he has lost his mind and he should be admitted to Kilpauk. How can he remove district secretaries and who gave him the power? Dhinakaran should remember that he was removed from the party by late Amma (Jayalalithaa) and that he had even ditched Chinamma (Sasikala) during the RK Nagar by-polls by not displaying her picture in the campaign, he said.

Dhinakaran is after power. His greed to capture power is resulting in his behaviour. Let him remove me from the post of Tiruchy district secretary? he asked.

Trichy MP P. Kumar went a step ahead calling Dhinakaran demonetised currency. He is a valueless currency. How can he remove people? If he removes people, there is no value or meaning to it, Kumar told reporters in Trichy.

Sasi gave me powers, says Dhinakaran

Chennai: Even as AIADMK ministers and leaders decried his move of removing the Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy from his party post, TTV Dhinakaran put up a brave face maintaining that Sasikala, in her capacity as General Secretary, has permitted him to take any action in the interests of the party.

We are not after any posts. I would have become the Chief Minister if I had wanted (in February after Sasikala went to jail). The battle is between sacrifice and betrayal. 90 per cent of the ministers and MLAs were identified by us and the legislators who are at Puducherry are supporting our sacrifice (Sasikala familys) to the AIADMK, Dhinakaran said.

He also claimed all 122 MLAs are with me and only a few people are acting against me for political reasons. The embattled leader maintained that the 19 legislators are staying in Puducherry only awaiting action from Tamil Nadu Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao. There is no other reason for their stay. They will come (to Chennai) once Governor takes any action. We are sincerely hoping that the Governor will take a quick decision on the issue, he told reporters.
Honeypreet Insan is the adopted daughter of Ram Rahim Singh and his likely successor. (Photo: honeypreetinsan.me)

Chandigarh: She likes to describe herself as "Papa's angel, philanthropist, director, editor and actress" on social media. Honeypreet Insan is the adopted daughter of Ram Rahim Singh whose conviction in a rape case triggered mob violence that killed 36 people across Haryana.

Considered a confidant of the Dera chief, she has also emerged as his likely successor to head the controversial sect. Honeypreet, in her thirties, accompanied Ram Rahim Singh when he was brought to the special CBI court in Panchkula for the pronouncement of the verdict in the 14-year-old rape case on Friday.

Honeypreet was seen accompanying Ram Rahim Singh in the chopper in which he was flown to Rohtak. (Photo: PTI)

On her Twitter and Facebook accounts, she mentions herself as "PAPA's ANGEL, Philanthropist, Director, Editor, Actress!! Passionate to transform my Rockstar Papa's directions into actions!"

She has over one million followers on Twitter and more than five lakh on Facebook.

In one of her tweets, she congratulated her father on his 50th birthday on August 15.

"#HappyBirthDayGuruPa Congrats for d phenomenal 50 yrs! Thanx for turning every darkest hour into a brightest moment," she wrote.

On her Twitter and Facebook accounts, she mentions herself as PAPA's ANGEL. (Photo: honeypreetinsan.me)

A website -www.HoneypreetInsan.me, also introduces herself as "a great Daughter of an amazing Father."

The site also mentions Honeypreet's philanthropic activities and working for the welfare of the poor and needy.

"As the daughter of Revered Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insan, you will find her working for the welfare of others, just like her Dad," it says.

She has also acted, edited and directed movies on Ram Rahim Singh.

Honeypreet acted in 'MSG 2 -The Messenger' and later had a special appearance in 'MSG-The Warrior Lion Heart'.

Ram Rahim Singh is married to Harjeet Kaur. They have two daughters, Charanpreet and Amanpreet, both of whom are married, and a son Jasmeet.
New Delhi: Three days after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was found guilty of raping two women in 2002, the Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Gujarat government for slow trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now, reported PTI.

The Supreme Court also asked the Gujarat government to file an affidavit in this regard.

The apex court had on April 12 asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against the self-styled godman, the report added.

The court had then asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses including the alleged rape victims.

The top court earlier refused to grant bail to the rape convict on various grounds including his poor health.

There are two separate sexual assault cases against him lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

While dismissing his bail plea on January 30, the court observed that Asaram had placed 'fake documents' in order for the court to grant him bail, following which the court ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing him of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges, the report said.

The elder sister had accused him of sexually assaulting her during her stay in his ashram between 2001 and 2006.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl, a student living in his ashram, had accused him of sexual assault at the ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.
Security personnel keeping strict vigil near Sunaria Jail in which Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Ram Rahims quantum of punishment be awarded in Rohtak on Monday. (Photo: PTI)

Sirsa: Security was on Monday strengthened in Haryana and neighbouring areas to avoid any untoward incident as self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted of rape, will be sentenced in the case.

Panchkula-based judge Jagdeep Singh was flown to Rohtak on Monday morning to read out the sentence to the convict in a makeshift prison created within the jail.

The 50-year-old Dera Sacha Sauda chief was, on Friday, found guilty of raping two of his women followers in 2002.

Though many of Gurmeet's followers have started leaving Sirsa, where the Dera headquarters is located, several are still present in and around the premises, PTI reported.

A three-tier security ring is in place around Rohtak's Sunaria district jail where Ram Rahim is awaiting his sentence.

Local police spokesman Surjeet Singh said that some people were still inside the compound, but that it was impossible to know how many.

He said about 4,000 government troops, including Army and paramilitary soldiers, were patrolling the tiny town and the area outside the ashram.

The deputy commissioner of Rohtak, Atul Kumar, said those creating trouble will have to face bullets. "We will not allow anyone to create any sort of trouble in Rohtak. Anyone breaking law or indulging in acts of violence or arson will himself be responsible for his fate. Anyone creating trouble will be given a warning first and if he still pays no heed, then he will have to face the bullet," Kumar said in Rohtak, where the Army has been kept on standby.

While complete curfew is in place in Sirsa, locals have also been asked to stay indoors as a preventive measure. The statewide suspension of mobile Internet services remains till 11.30 am on Tuesday.

"We have made appropriate arrangements to maintain law and order in the district," a senior police official said.

The district administration is also providing buses to facilitate the departure of Dera followers, PTI added.

ADGP (law and order) Mohd Akil, who today took stock of the situation in Rohtak, also warned potential troublemakers. "Anyone who creates trouble will be taught a lesson, like in Panchkula and Sirsa, he said.

The Rohtak Deputy Commissioner, meanwhile, asked people to not enter the district without any specific reason.

Atul Kumar also said that prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), prohibiting assembly of five or more persons, and carrying of firearms and other weapons, were already in place in the district.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge will be flown to Rohtak to pronounce the quantum of sentence against the rape convict on Monday.

The high level security comes in the wake of violence that was created by Dera followers which killed 38 people and left over 269 injured.
Chennai: Opposition DMK, Congress and IUML, which have a combined strength of 98 MLAs in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, on Sunday met Governor Ch Vidyasagar and demanded that he direct Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to prove his majority on the floor of the House.

Opposition Leader M K Stalin, who could not meet the Governor as he was in Tiruvarur, said the party would be forced to knock at the doors of the judiciary if the Governor did not announce his decision in a "time-bound" manner.

A week after Stalin wrote to Rao asking him to direct Palaniswami to prove his strength in the Assembly following withdrawal of support to him by 19 MLAs owing allegiance to T T V Dhinakaran, a delegation led by DMK deputy floor leader Durai Murugan met the Governor seeking immediate steps to end the political imbroglio.

Will approach Prez, court if Rao doesnt act in time: Duraimurugan

In the letter submitted to Rao by the delegation on Sunday, Stalin said the Palaniswami government enjoys the support of only 113 MLAs including the Speaker and that the number of MLAs opposed to the government stood at 120 including the "22 dissenting ruling party MLAs" in the 234-member House with one vacancy.

"It is now abundantly clear that the Council of Ministers headed by Palaniswami has lost confidence of the majority MLAs," Stalin claimed and sought action from Rao. Speaking at a function in Tiruvarur, the Opposition leader said there was no need for him to destabilize the AIADMK Government since it would fall on its own.

"The AIADMK Government is in minority. We have asked the governor to take steps to ensure that the Chief Minister proves his majority in the House. If the Governor takes long time to react, we will have no option other than to knock at the doors of the court," he said.

After meeting Rao, Durai Murugan also said the Opposition bloc would be constrained to move President Ram Nath Kovind, and if needed the court, if action was not initiated by Rao within a stipulated time frame. "We have told the Governor that this government has lost its majority and a minority government should not be allowed (to function) in democracy. We have explained him the legalities and he said he would consult and take a decision," Durai Murugan told reporters after the meeting.

In the letter, Stalin cited the landmark SR Bommai case and said allowing the Palaniswami regime to continue would tantamount to violation of the Supreme Court judgement in that case. The top court had held in the Bommai case that the only place to determine a government's majority was the legislative assembly.
Former Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., an Every Student Succeeds Act architect, was one of the most prominent voices clamoring for more local control over K-12 when the law was wending its way through Congress.

But now Kline is worried that at least two statesArizona and New Hampshirehave passed laws that skirt key guardrails in the law aimed holding schools accountable and protecting students civil rights.

Congress, Kline writes in a commentary for Education Week, made the conscious decision to stick with statewide tests so that parents could compare results from one school district to the next. But new laws in both states seem to fly in the face of that rule, which is a key part of the balance lawmakers were going for in writing ESSA.

Kline pointed to a legal brief written by Dennis M. Cariello, a former top lawyer for the Education Department under President George W. Bush, which examined both states laws and how they relate to ESSA. (More in this blog post by the Michael Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. )

Arizonas law would give schools a choice of tests to use from grade 3 on, beginning in the 2019-20 school year. And New Hampshires law calls for districts to give tests once in elementary school, once in middle school, and once in high school.

To be sure, New Hampshire has a special waiver to try out new kinds of performance assessments in a handful of districts. But the Granite State is supposed to shoot for making those tests statewide.

In his commentary, Kline called on the U.S. Department of Education to enforce the fundamental requirement that the same annual tests be given to all students.

And he added, I backed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos when President Donald Trump originally nominated her, and I still believe that she will succeed in her pledge to defend ESSA. I am confident she will be a champion for states as they implement the lawincluding the necessity that all students take the same annual tests.

Follow us on Twitter at @PoliticsK12 .
Both sentences will run consecutively for a total of 20 years in jail for the flamboyant guru who has millions of followers. (Photo: PTI)

Chandigarh/Rohtak: Amidst high drama, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced by a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court to 20 years in jail  two sentences of 10 years each for two separate rapes that will run one after the other.

As the punishment was announced by CBI special judge Jagdeep Singh in a makeshift court at Rohtaks Sunaria prison, the 50-year-old self-styled godman broke down, sought forgiveness with folded hands and squatted on the floor, refusing to leave, said sources who witnessed the proceedings.

The Dera chief has been punished for rape and criminal intimidation. He is also facing a separate trial in two separate murder cases in 2002 in which a Dera manager and Sirsa-based journalist were killed.

The CBI special judge, who handed down the punishment to Ram Rahim, was flown by helicopter to Rohtak from Panchkula.

The court announced the sentence against the cult guru at around 4 pm and slapped on him a fine of Rs 30 lakh  Rs 15 lakh for each of the two cases.

Out of this, Rs 14 lakh each will go to the two victims who were part of Ram Rahims sect and were coerced into having sex with him, 15 years ago.

The CBI has successfully kept the identity of the two victims under wraps since 2002 when the rapes came to light through an anonymous letter by two women, residing in the Dera as sadhvis, alleging rape by the Dera chief.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had ordered a CBI probe after taking cognisance of the letter.

The verdict on Monday was followed by hours of confusion over the quantum of sentence as the initial reports indicated that Ram Rahim had been handed down a combined punishment of 10 years in the two rape cases.

Tight security arrangements in Rohtak and other parts of Haryana and Punjab ensured that there were no violent protests by Ram Rahims followers after the verdict.

No leniency to Ram Rahim, says special Judge

CBI spokesman Abhishek Dayal clarified that Ram rahim had been sentenced to two consecutive 10-year jail terms.

Meanwhile, a luxury car was allegedly set on fire on Monday evening at Kotli village near Sirsa around the time the Dera chiefs sentence was announced in court, the police said, adding they were probing if the incident involved Dera followers.

All eyes now are on Hisar where a judicial magistrate, Mukesh Kumar, is likely to deliver a verdict on Tuesday in two criminal cases slapped against another controversial godman, Sant Rampal, who is in judicial custody since his arrest from his fortified Satlok Ashram near Barwala in Hisar in 2014.

Six people were killed when his followers attacked the police at the time of his arrest.

During arguments before sentencing in the Dera case, the prosecution said no leniency should be shown to the convict and demanded a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for him.

The defence sought leniency on the ground that the Dera chief was a social worker who had worked for the welfare of people.

The victims revered Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on the pedestal of God but he committed breach of the gravest nature, the special court said while refusing any leniency.

The situation remained calm in contrast to the violence unleashed by his followers in Panchkula and Sira, among other areas, on Friday after he was held guilty.

A total of 38 people were killed in the rioting and arson.

Meanwhile, a victim of violence, arson and looting by the supporters of Ram Rahim, involved in a rape case, filed a PIL in the Supreme Court for a direction to the Centre and States of Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi to take steps to protect public properties from violence.

The petition filed by Mohd Sakil, a Delhi resident, through his lawyer Vijay Panjwani wanted the court to frame a mechanism and issue guidelines to all the states fixing responsibility on the Chief Minister and other ministers as well as the bureaucrats to maintain law and order and to take steps to protect public properties.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday sanctioned Rs 25 lakh from the CMs Relief Fund for the liver transplant of an 11-month-old baby from Gajwel.

After learning of the the plight of boys parents who could not afford the costly transplant, Mr Rao issued orders sanctioning the amount on humanitarian grounds,

Devasani Sriman, son of Hanuman Das of Gajwel town, has been ailing since his birth. Doctors attending on him said that a liver transplant was the only solution. His parents were worried over arranging a huge amount for treatment.

When the issue came to the notice of Mr Rao, he directed Siddipet collector Venkatram Reddy to take steps for Srimans treatment. The collector reported back that the doctors had stated the bill would be Rs 25 lakh. Responding to this, Mr Rao released the money from the CMs Relief Fund immediately.

The collectors handed over the cheque for the amount to Srirams parents at a corporate hospital where Sriman he is undergoing the treatment.
Mumbai: The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the setting up of an committee comprising doctors, including gynecologists and psychologists, to look into whether the 24-week-old foetus of a 12-year-old Mumbai rape survivor should be aborted.

Earlier, the girls parents filed a petition in the apex court, seeking its permission for abortion as abortion of foetuses over 20 weeks old is illegal.
Jaipur: BJP legislator from Mandalgarh and member of erstwhile royal family of Bijolia, Kirti Kumari on Monday succumbed to influenza A strain (H1N1) virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Jaipur.

She was active in politics for many years and defeated her Congress rival by a large margin in the 2013 Assembly elections.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje expressed grief at her untimely death.

Dr Man Prakash who is the superintendent of the states biggest government hospital, SMS hospital, said that Kirti Kumari was brought to Jaipur in serious condition on August 26. She was later shifted to a private hospital on the insistence of her family members as there was no ECMO machine there.
New Delhi: Ahead of Diwali, the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre as to what steps it had taken to stop import of crackers from China which is said to be one of the major factors of air pollution.

A bench sought the response of the additional solicitor general even as it reserved verdict on a bunch of petitions filed by, Arjun Gopal, Aaray Bhandari and Zoya Rao Bhasin seeking ban on the Chinese crackers.

Acting on these petitions which complained of pollution, the bench early this month had asked firecracker manufacturers not to use heavy metals like lithium, antimony, mercury, arsenic and lead and chemical elements like antimony in any form whatsoever in their products.

On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers Association, Sivakasi it was submitted that bursting of firecrackers during Diwali is not the only cause of air pollution.

Air pollution is dependent on several factors like industries, aviation, railways, shipping, construction activities, geo-climatic conditions, burning of crop remnants, emission from vehicles, increasing number of vehicles and other like factors.
Hyderabad: The TS and AP governments have reached consensus on resolving bifurcation-related issues by dialogue.

TS Chief Secretary S.P. Singh and his AP counterpart Dinesh Kumar on Monday met at the Secretariat to resolve the pending bifurcation of staff.

The Kamalnathan Committee appointed by the Centre had completed bifurcation of 55,870 state-cadre employees before its term expired earlier this year. The bifurcation of 1,302 employees was kept pending due to legal issues.

Of these 1,302 employees, 536 are deputy collectors/ special grade collectors, 683 DSPs/ additional SPs and 62 excise superintendents.

Their bifurcation was put on hold by the High Court on the ground that the states had failed to finalise their seniority list. Both governments have agreed to finalise the list by September 30 and bifurcate staff in October.

Besides, bifurcation of another 21 employees working in medical education and health, AP Special Police Force and labour departments, which are also pending due to legal issues, was discussed at the meeting.

Both governments identified nine posts which are free of litigation, and five of these were were allotted to AP and the other four to TS.

Sources said no other issue such as bifurcation of institutions listed under Schedules IX and X of the bifurcation Act, and handing over of AP buildings in Hyderabad to TS were discussed in Mondays meeting.
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday termed the latest political developments in Tamil Nadus ruling AIADMK as low comedy turning into farce, and asked why was the Governor not taking any action?

The Tamil Nadu Assembly has 233 members and the governor should not allow time to artificially alter strength, he said in an apparent reference to the tug of war between AIADMK factions.

AIADMK politics is low comedy turning into farce. Where is TN Governor? he tweeted.

There have been demands for a trust vote in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by the DMK, Congress and the AIADMK faction led by TTV Dhinakaran.

In the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, the AIADMK has 134 MLAs. There is no one representing the RK Nagar constituency in the House, which late AIADMK supremo and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa had represented.

The DMK has 89 seats, Congress eight and IUML one.

Nineteen AIADMK MLAs loyal to Dhinakaran revolted against chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami. The 19 MLAs have been staying in a resort in Puducherry. Later, two more MLAs jointed the Dhinakaran camp.

The AIADMK will soon join the NDA and be a part of the Modi government at the Centre, a senior BJP leader has said.

The AIADMK will certainly join the NDA. It is only a matter of time. And when it joins the NDA, then it is natural that it will also join the government, the leader, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.

He also played down the rebellion by a group of AIADMK MLAs, who owe allegiance to Dhinakaran, claiming that it was more an internal matter of the regional party and not a threat to the state government.

Following the recent merger of two AIADMK factions headed by Palaniswami and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, the party has been hit by fresh dissent with a group of MLAs rallying behind Dhinakaran, whose aunt, V K Sasikala, is the AIADMK chief and in jail on a corruption case.

The two factions decision to remove Sasikala from the post of party general secretary triggered the unrest.
Anjanya, a farmer from Raichur, gifts a goat to CM Siddaramaiah at Prathibha Puraskar and felicitation function organised by Karnataka Pradesh Kurubara Sangha in Bengaluru on Sunday (Photo:DC)

Bengaluru: Flaying the Union government's decision to examine the issue of sub-categorisation of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday charged that the Centre is trying to break the unity among OBCs by trying to raise the bogey of sub-categorisation.

At the Prathibha Puraskar and felicitation function, organised by the Karnataka Pradesh Kurubara Sangha here, Mr Siddaramaiah said, The proposed sub-categorisation of OBCs is another political gimmick by the BJP, which aims nothing but to divide the OBCs on a mere hearsay. If at all they are committed to sub-categorisation, they could have ordered a caste census, instead of ordering to form a commission to look into the issue.

Within a federal system, the central government should not snatch the rights of state governments. State governments must have the right to sub-categorise within OBCs. We will decide which community should get reservation, he retorted.

He wondered why the BJP, which has never spoken about reservation and had opposed the Mandal Commission report and moves by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi to bring in reservation, is now trying to divide the OBCs. The BJP is against social justice, he thundered.

Accusing the BJP of being anti-poor, he said that there is a stiff opposition to the Anna Bhagya scheme which reflected their feudal mentality. If the poor get food, they will not be available to work as labourers. There is even opposition to Indira Canteens. The rich can have clubs in Cubbon Park but they make a hue and cry about Indira Canteens. Is a playground more important or food, Mr Siddaramaiah asked.

He sought to know how many times BJP president Amit Shah has spoken in favour of reservation.
New Delhi: Peeved over the feedback he got during visits to the BJP state units, including states where the party is in power, BJP president Amit Shah has asked the state leadership, including chief ministers, that party leaders (including ministers) must spend at least three days each month in villages in their respective constituencies and submit a report about their pravas.

Shah is on a nationwide tour of state units ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to gauge the BJPs real organisational strength and to identify and rectify problems ahead of the key battle. Also, with an eye on the numerically-dominant OBC votebank, Shah asked the chief ministers of states that will go to the polls this year and next year to focus more on the community and build more trust with the poor. Shah, who recently met the chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, told them that all ministers must spend at least three days each month in the villages, and send a report to the BJP presidents office.

Shah also plans to seek feedback from the ground level about these efforts by ministers and senior leaders in their village visits.

The BJP leadership has asked its leaders and supporters to highlight how the Opposition, led by the Congress, had stalled a key government measure to grant the OBC Commission constitutional status during the just-ended Monsoon Session of Parliament.

The Centres decision to raise the creamy layer ceiling to `8 lakhs per annum and the proposed commission to examine the sub-categorisation of OBCs were also seen as a political move in several quarters.
Bengaluru: The ministerial aspirants have to wait for some more days as the much-awaited cabinet expansion is likely to be held next week.

Sources in the chief minister's office told Deccan Chronicle that the expansion, probably last one of the present government, was supposed to be held before the Gowri Ganesha festival, but put off by some days due to last minute pressure from legislators. Initially, names of Mr H.M. Revanna, Mr R.B. Timmapura and Mr Shadakshari were doing rounds. But now, there is pressure to induct Malavalli MLA P.M. Narendra Swamy and MLC Motamma into the cabinet. In fact, both of them had worked as ministers in the previous Congress government.

Sources said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is batting for the inclusion of former Union minister and MLC C.M. Ibrahim instead of Mr Shadakshari. Both Mr Siddaramaiah and Mr Ibrahim belonged to the Janata Pariwar and enjoy a good relationship. To honour this long friendship, the CM has persuaded the party high command to not only make Mr Ibrahim an MLC, but is also pushing hard now for a ministers post for him. This was discussed with AICC general secretary and in-charge of Karnataka affairs, Mr K.C. Venugopal, last week. The party high command is learnt to have given the green signal for Mr Ibrahim's inclusion in the ministry, keeping in view the Muslim votes in the 2018 Assembly polls.

The sources said the state government is yet to write to the Raj Bhavan to know the itinerary of Governor Vajubhai Vala to administer the oath to the new ministers. This procedure to keep the governor informed is likely to be done after Monday. Besides, Mr Venugopal and KPCC president Dr G. Parameshwar were planning to meet all the ministers on August 31 to review their work and also to give directions to focus on the completion of all pending projects in their respective departments. If everything goes as per schedule, the cabinet reshuffle may take place either on September 1 or 2.

The sources said the CM has decided bank on Ahinda votes heavily in the coming polls to ensure that the Congress comes back to power. Mr Siddaramaiah had already announced a slew of programmes for backward classes, Dalits and minorities. The CM knew well that it was a herculean task to attract the Veerashaiva-Lingayat voters towards Congress despite having a sizeable number of those community leaders. The issue of giving a separate religion tag for Lingayats has not gone down well among the people of north Karnataka and Hyderabad-Karnataka region, where they were in majority in at least 90-100 Assembly constituencies. The CM, who wants to safeguard the party traditional votes of Dalits, Muslims and backward classes, has favoured Mr Ibrahim over Mr Shadakshari. It may not be surprising if Mr Shadakshari misses the bus again.

Mr Ibrahim's nomination to the Upper House came as surprise not only for many original Congressmen, but also Dr G. Parameshwar, who had suggested Mr Chandrashekar. But the CM went ahead with his choice and got it approved from the party high command. In case Mr Revanna and Mr Ibrahim get into the cabinet, it would be an upper hand for Mr Siddaramaiah and indicate his close proximity to AICC president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi than Dr Parameshwar, sources said.
The vast majority of students who may end up temporarily or permanently displaced by Hurricane Harvey are entitled to full protections under the federal McKinney-Vento Act that covers homeless students.

That could also end up placing extra financial and logistical weight on school districts serving students in and outside the area affected by the disaster.

The law, which was renewed in 2015 along with the Every Student Succeeds Act, categorizes as homeless any student who lives in temporary shelters and those who use places not designed for sleeping as their regular nighttime residence, such as a car, park, abandoned building, bus, train station, airport or camping ground. It also qualifies as homeless students who double up during financial hardships or natural disasters, meaning those living with relatives or family friends.

Homeless students under the act, no matter what their economic background, have a number of rights, including to free lunch and transportation to either their new school or to their school of origin. It falls on the homeless coordinator in each district to ensure students get whats required under the law.

After Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of students were displaced and it took months, if not longer, for them to get back to their school of origin.

Over the weekend, advocates for the homeless dispatched liaisons to the areas affected by the Harvey to field calls from parents and to provide district officials with technical assistance, said George Hancock, the director of the SERVE Center at the National Center for Homeless Education. The Texas Education Agency, meanwhile, posted on its website guidance for school officials regarding the homeless law.

The disaster is traumatic, and homelessness is traumatic, Hancock said. As theyre displaced, we wouldnt want to then further exacerbate the situation. We want them to get back into their schools as quickly as they can so they can be in a stable and nurturing environment. The hope is to get at least one part of their lives back to normal.

Considering that its at the beginning of a new school year and many school officials are still familiarizing themselves with their new enrollment, theres bound to be technical confusion and a financial hurdle for districts that either lost or gained students due to the flooding, Hancock said.

Its difficult to tell how many students will qualify as homeless, but Hancock said the number typically skyrockets after a flood such as the one in Houston.

The McKinney-Vento Act was first enacted in 1987 and requires districts to, among other things, hire a coordinator and make special accommodations to homeless students. Its primary goal is to create as much educational stability as possible for homeless students.

Under the law, school officials must enroll homeless students immediately, even if they dont have all of the necessary paperwork, such as immunization shots, identification cards or transfer records.

They also must provide the special needs, language, or gifted services students were being provided at their prior school.

Regardless of a students economic background, the school can use Title I funding for disadvantaged students to provide things such as eyeglasses, clothing to meet a schools uniform requirements, medical and dental services, and other health and social services.

Advocates say theyre pushing the state and federal governments to open up funding streams in addition to Title I to pay for services, especially transportation costs, which can skyrocket in the months after natural disasters. Otherwise the costs would fall on the districts.

In crisis situations, Hancock said, federal, state and district officials can coordinate their services to accommodate homeless students.

Right now, with the volume of students impacted and realizing that there are a limited number of staff, were trying to send as many brains and bodies down to help with homeless identification, Hancock said.

He provided these links to assist district officials:

https://nche.ed.gov/downloads/briefs/csds_admin.pdf

https://nche.ed.gov/downloads/briefs/csds_youth.pdf

https://nche.ed.gov/downloads/briefs/csds_relief.pdf

Related:
Kurnool / Vijayawada: YSRC president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, who called the Nandyal byelection a Kurukshetra Maha Sangramam admitted after the results were declared on Monday that the party had received a punch from the Telugu Desam.

Today we were punched and we will await our turn to punch. He socked us today. We have the capacity to take it. You must have the guts, be man enough to take the hit. We will await our turn, he said in Hyderabad while speaking along with party MP Y.V. Subba Reddy and his political strategist Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy.

He said AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu would be foolish to count the bypoll outcome as his success.

He alleged that the TD had spent Rs 200 crore to lure the public and had used the police to threaten the public.

Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy said such success could not be considered a referendum. He expressed his confidence in winning the next time, while accepting the temporary success of Mr Naidu.

Reacting in Hyderabad to the Nandyal bypoll outcome, he asked, How can a single Assembly election outcome, where all ministers and over 100 MLAs were deployed and over `200 crore was spent to influence the voters, be considered a referendum.

Let him ask all the defected MLAs to resign and get them re-elected on the TD symbol in the bypolls. That alone can be considered a referendum. The result in one constituency, where the byelection was held in extraordinary circumstances, cannot be a referendum, he said.

The YSRC chief thanked all those who voted for the party in Nandyal, despite the intimidation, threats and allurements from the TD.

He thanked party leaders who had braved all threats to work for the party against heavy odds. He congratulated party candidate Shilpa Mohan Reddy and his brother Chakrapani Reddy for bravely standing up for political morality and fighting the battle of right against might.

Mr Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged that the TD had resorted to utter misuse of power to win the bypoll. The administration was fully used to threaten and influence the voters, he claimed.

If Chandrababu thinks he has won in Nandyal, it is utterly wrong. The victory at best is pyrrhic. He has duped the people.

Development turned tide

Poll pundits said the magic of development activities in Nandyal and peoples sympathy towards the Bhuma family had turned the tide in favour of the TD in the August 23 byelection.

Speaking to this newspaper, YSRC candidate Shilpa Mohan Reddy said his absence from public activities due to viral fever for 25 days during the poll campaign cost him a lot.

He said the sympathy for Bhuma Nagi Reddy was clearly visible in the voting pattern, even in areas where he (Mr Shilpa Mohan Reddy) was strong.

He alleged that the ruling party had threatened the people that if they did not vote for the TD, the development work that was already initiated would be stalled. This could have caused apprehension in the voters mind, he claimed. YSRC district convener Gouru Venkat Reddy said: Nandyal town was neglected for the past 30 years. Now, the CMs new initiatives have given them some hope of development.
There are gurus and gurus in the world  so many of them. Sometimes the people who are searching for a guru become really confused about who would be a right guru for them. On the other side, the gurus are also searching disciples. And this is the reason some gurus prefer to declare themselves as sadguru or their disciples declare their master as sadguru. The word Sadguru means the true guru. The amazing thing is that every disciple considers his master as sadguru. This happens out of love for the guru or it could happen because of ignorance or blind faith. It could also happen out of the feeling of pride or the feeling of ego, that my guru has to be the greatest, he cannot be lesser than any guru. Generally speaking, this is the way we see the world of gurus and their disciples or followers.

But there is another world of gurus, which is very unknown, secret and mysterious  the world of Sufi gurus. Osho, in one of his discourses on Unio Mystica, talks about this phenomenon with an interesting story: An American seeker came to Dhaka, Bangladesh. He had heard about a great Sufi master. He was in a hurry to meet the master. He enquired from many people, but nobody had heard of this master. At the airport he went from one person to another but nobody had heard of him. He became suspicious and very depressed. He had come from so far, and he had heard so much about the Sufi master who lives in Dhaka, Bangladesh and nobody even knows his name! But as the last try, he asked a taxi driver. The taxi driver said, Come, sit in the taxi and I will take you to him. He could not believe it, so suddenly because nobody knew about the master the other moment.

The taxi driver said, Dont be worried, I know him. In fact, I am him. And thats how it turned out to be. He himself was the Sufi master, but he was working as a taxi driver  just an ordinary life. The Sufis function that way. Somebody is a weaver, somebody may be a potter, somebody may be making carpets. Do you know what Gurdjieff used to do in the West? His business was carpet selling He was a carpet salesman, that was his business. If you had seen him you would have never recognised that a great master was there. Thats how the Sufis have existed, down the ages. They dont stand out, there is no need.

The same is the case with Zen. The Zen masters also are ordinary people and teach ordinariness. It is the ego which is always hankering to be extraordinary. The ego is always discontented with being ordinary; it wants to be extraordinary at any cost. It hurts to be ordinary. But once we learn to be happy being ordinary, we accept ourselves as we are, it stops hurting, we experience a certain joy in just being ordinary. Osho reminds us: Once you have accepted the ordinariness, in your very ordinariness arises an extraordinariness. Your ordinariness becomes luminous, radiant. Then each moment is a gift, and each moment brings its own joy, its own peace, its own beautitude.
The detailed report on the cyber spying comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region.

Symantec Corp, a digital security company, says it has identified a sustained cyber spying campaign, likely state-sponsored, against Indian and Pakistani entities involved in regional security issues.

In a threat intelligence report that was sent to clients in July, Symantec said the online espionage effort dated back to October 2016.

The campaign appeared to be the work of several groups, but tactics and techniques used suggest that the groups were operating with similar goals or under the same sponsor, probably a nation state, according to the threat report, which was reviewed by Reuters. It did not name a state.

The detailed report on the cyber spying comes at a time of heightened tensions in the region.

India's military has raised operational readiness along its border with China following a face-off in Bhutan near their disputed frontier, while Indo-Pakistan tensions are also simmering over the disputed Kashmir region.

A spokesman for Symantec said the company does not comment publicly on the malware analysis, investigations and incident response services it provides clients.

Symantec did not identify the likely sponsor of the attack. But it said that governments and militaries with operations in South Asia and interests in regional security issues would likely be at risk from the malware. The malware utilizes the so-called "Ehdoor" backdoor to access files on computers.

"There was a similar campaign that targeted Qatar using programs called Spynote and Revokery," said a security expert, who requested anonymity. "They were backdoors just like Ehdoor, which is a targeted effort for South Asia."

CLICKBAIT

To install the malware, Symantec found, the attackers used decoy documents related to security issues in South Asia. The documents included reports from Reuters, Zee News, and the Hindu, and were related to military issues, Kashmir, and an Indian secessionist movement.

The malware allows spies to upload and download files, carry out processes, log keystrokes, identify the target's location, steal personal data, and take screenshots, Symantec said, adding that the malware was also being used to target Android devices.

In response to frequent cyber-security incidents, India in February established a center to help companies and individuals detect and remove malware. The center is operated by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

Gulshan Rai, the director general of CERT-In, declined to comment specifically on the attack cited in the Symantec report, but added: "We took prompt action when we discovered a backdoor last October after a group in Singapore alerted us." He did not elaborate.

Symantec's report said an investigation into the backdoor showed that it was constantly being modified to provide "additional capabilities" for spying operations.

A senior official with Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency said it had not received any reports of malware incidents from government information technology departments. He asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.

A spokesman for FireEye, another cybersecurity company, said that based on an initial review of the malware, it had concluded that an internet protocol address in Pakistan had submitted the malware to a testing service. The spokesman requested anonymity, citing company policy.

Another FireEye official said the attack reported by Symantec was not surprising.

"South Asia is a hotbed of geopolitical tensions, and wherever we find heightened tensions we expect to see elevated levels of cyber espionage activity," said Tim Wellsmore, FireEye's director of threat intelligence for the Asia Pacific region.

The Symantec report said the 'Ehdoor' backdoor was initially used in late 2016 to target government, military and military-affiliated targets in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
The device was leaked just days before the launch. It is said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor backed by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.

Lenovo-owned Motorola is expected to launch its Moto G5S Plus smartphone on August 29. The smartphone is touted to be companys first smartphone to pack a dual camera setup.

The device was leaked just days before the launch. It is said to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor backed by 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It is tipped to sport a 5.5-inch display with same resolution as the Moto G5 Plus.

The main highlight of the smartphone is the dual camera setup, which comprises of two 13MP sensors  one coloured while the other one being a Black and White sensor. For selfies, the users will get an 8MP front facing camera. The smartphone is rumoured to run on the Android 7.0 Nougat.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Boko Haram is blamed for killing more than 20,000 people in their eight-year existence. (Photo: Representational/File)

Yaounde: Residents say suspected Boko Haram extremists killed at least 16 people and burned homes in two villages in Cameroon's north, near the border with Nigeria.

Iya Gana, whose husband was killed in the attack Thursday night, said the rebels entered her village and killed her husband and others. She said they burned down homes and stole vehicles and cattle after killing people in two villages near Mora, in Cameroon's Far North province, about 20 kilometers from the border with Nigeria.

Boko Haram extremists have been crossing into and attacking towns in neighboring countries, including Cameroon, that contribute to a regional military force trying to eliminate the insurgency.

Boko Haram is blamed for killing more than 20,000 people in their eight-year existence.
US President Trump repeatedly insisted that the multi-billion-dollar cost of the wall would be borne by Mexico (Photo: AP)

Washington: President Donald Trump insisted Sunday that the US Congress must find a way to pay for his promised border wall, branding Mexico a hotbed of violent crime. And he warned both Mexico and Canada that if they continue to be "difficult" in trade talks, he make have to break off attempts to reform the NAFTA free trade pact.

Both positions put Trump on a collision course with both skeptical US lawmakers and neighboring capitals, but remain popular with his electoral base.

"With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other," Trump tweeted.

"We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada. Both being very difficult, may have to terminate?"

Trump's positions on the wall and trade are well-known, and both were centerpieces of his campaign for the White House, but they may now run afoul of political reality.

US lawmakers return from their summer recess on September 5 needing to come up with a deal to fund the government and raise the federal debt ceiling.

The Republican majority wants to cut taxes and pass a costly infrastructure bill, but Trump has threatened to trigger a government shutdown unless it funds his wall.

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly insisted that the multi-billion-dollar cost of the wall would be borne by Mexico, an idea scornfully dismissed by Mexican officials.

Now -- while this remains a centerpiece of his populist speeches -- he accepts US funds will pay for construction, and Mexico will be forced to re-pay in some way later on.

But Democrats oppose including the wall in the spending bill, and Republican leaders will struggle to pass it, while also opposing a government shutdown.

Trump's homeland security adviser Tom Bossert attempted to explain the contradiction in an interview with ABC News.

"What we'll do here is go through the mechanism of getting the original initial money that we need for that capital project from Congress through an appropriations process and we'll responsibly construct the barrier on the border," he said.

"As we work with the Mexicans in other policies and trade policies and such, we'll determine ways for us to make that right."

At Trump's instigation, the United States, Mexico and Canada began renegotiating the 23-year-old trade deal earlier this month.

Trump has repeatedly called the agreement a "disaster" that exported US jobs to Mexico, while Mexico has dismissed his rhetoric as a negotiating tactic playing to his US base.

Mexico -- which sells 80 percent of its exports to the US -- is not interested in sweeping changes, and Canada is wary.

Later Sunday, Mexico City reiterated it will not be paying for Trump's dream wall.

"As it has said consistently, our government will not pay for a wall in any way, shape or form; this is not a Mexican negotiating strategy. It's an issue of sovereignty and national dignity," a foreign ministry statement said.
Washington: Seven members of Donald Trump's cybersecurity team, including an Indian-origin data scientist, have resigned, accusing the US President of ignoring the pressing national security matters.

In a group resignation letter, the members of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council or NIAC, whose purview includes national cybersecurity, cited both specific shortfalls in the administration's approach to cybersecurity, and broader concerns that have undermined the "moral infrastructure" of the US, Fortune reported.

"You have given insufficient attention to the growing threats to the cybersecurity of the critical systems upon which all Americans depend, including those impacting the systems supporting our democratic election process," the letter reads.

They also cited his failure "to denounce intolerance and violence of hate groups" when asked about the "horrific violence in Charlottesville" as one of the reasons why they left.

'Unite the Right' march was organised on August 12 to protest against the proposed removal of a statue of General Robert E Lee, who commanded the pro-slavery Confederate forces during the American Civil War. Violence broke out after they were confronted by anti-racism groups and later a car ploughed into one group of anti-racism protesters in Charlottesville.

Donald Trump had blamed both sides including the "alt-left" for the deadly violence.

The members, who were appointed under the previous administration, resigned just before the panel was supposed to hold its quarterly business meeting.

They include Obama-era officials: the first ever White House Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil, Office of Science and Technology Policy Chief of Staff Cristin Dorgelo and White House Council on Environmental Quality Managing Director Christy Goldfuss.

The president recently lost two other panels before the NIAC members resigned. His administration dissolved the Manufacturing Council and the Strategic and Policy Forum, but not before a good number of their members already left.
US President Trump took to Twitter Sunday to indicate he was monitoring Tropical Storm Harvey, which continues to wreak havoc on the Texas Gulf Coast after being downgraded from a hurricane. (Photo: File)

Houston/Washington: US President Donald Trump will visit storm-ravaged Texas on Tuesday, the White House said on Monday, even as the administration ramps up its response to the most powerful hurricane to hit America in 13 years.

Hurricane Harvey left a trail of destruction as it sept through Texas on Sunday, pummelling the region with heavy rains and claiming at least 5 lives since making landfall on the US' Gulf Coast.

"We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalised, we will let you know," press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

"We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers," she added.

US President Trump took to Twitter Sunday to indicate he was monitoring Tropical Storm Harvey, which continues to wreak havoc on the Texas Gulf Coast after being downgraded from a hurricane.

The US president praised the "great coordination between all levels of government" and "great talent on the ground". He also said he will visit Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" to the ongoing emergency response. He continued to closely monitor the situation in Texas and held a video teleconference with top officials from Camp David, where he is spending the weekend.

Participants in the call included the Vice President Mike Pence and Chief of Staff John Kelly. "President Trump continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives," said a read out of the video conference.

"The President and Vice President continue to extend their thoughts and prayers to those affected and recognise the many volunteer and faith-based organisations dedicating time and efforts to helping fellow Americans," it said.

Trump has already declared major disaster in the state of Texas. Meanwhile the National Weather Service called the flooding in Texas unprecedented as the State experienced a record breaking 50 inches of rain in parts of Texas. "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before.

"Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days," the service said in a statement. Later on Sunday, Trump held a second Cabinet meeting on Hurricane Harvey to shore up response and recovery efforts, according to the White House.

The storm has hammered Texas since Friday, when it first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. The federal government has 5,000 people on site in Texas

and Louisiana, where the storm continues to bring torrential rains and flooding.

Trump, who spent Sunday morning praising the federal government's response to Harvey in a series of tweets, "continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives," the statement reads.

Vice President Mike Pence in a tweet on Sunday emphasised the White House statement that Trump's top priority is saving lives. "@POTUS stressed all depts & agencies stay committed to supporting Govs of Texas & Louisiana & his number one priority of saving lives," Pence wrote on Twitter, including a readout of the teleconference the two held earlier.

The statement adds that Trump "reminded everyone that search and rescue efforts will transition to mass care, restoring power, providing life-sustaining necessities for the population that sheltered in place, and economic recovery.

He also urged those impacted by the storm to continue to heed the instructions of State and local officials. Earlier Sunday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott heaped praise on the federal government's response to Hurricane Harvey, and Trump convened administration leaders to discuss the recovery from the storm that battered the Texas coast over the weekend.

Their efforts came as it became clear that the situation was bad and could possibly get much worse. Amid dire warnings, Abbott praised the response to the

crisis. The monster storm has claimed 10 lives so far.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said recovery efforts would take years.
After helping the driver of the submerged truck get to safety, a man floats on the freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday, near downtown Houston. (Photo: AP)

Houston: Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit the US in 13 years, left a trail of destruction as it swept through Texas on Sunday, pummelling the region with heavy rains and claiming at least five lives since making landfall on the US' Gulf Coast.

After a night of flash flood and tornado watch, Texas' largest city Houston woke up to a catastrophic morning, more life-threatening flash flooding, and non-stop heavy downpour as rescuers answered desperate calls for help all along the ravaged coastline.

The actual toll from Harvey remains unclear as rescuers were still trying to reach people stranded across the region.

But the National Weather Service (NWS) said five people lost their lives in the Houston area in unconfirmed flood-related deaths. Fourteen people have also been injured.

The NWS said that the severe weather conditions were "beyond anything experienced." "This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety. #Harvey," it tweeted.

Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport announced it has cancelled all commercial flights today. The city's only other airport earlier stopped all flights due to flooded runways.

With winds topping 130 mph, Harvey is the first Category 4 storm to make landfall in the US on Saturday since Hurricane Charley struck Florida in 2004. Harvey is also the first powerful storm to hit Texas since Hurricane Carla in 1961.

It dumped more than 20 inches of rain in the Houston area, causing "life-threatening catastrophic flooding" in southeastern Texas, The National Hurricane Centre reported.

President Donald Trump this morning tweeted his support for the rescue workers. "Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government," he said. "Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued."

"I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety," he said in another tweet.

Earlier, authorities had reported two deaths that appeared to be related to the storm, one in the hart-hit coastal city of Rockport and another in Houston. The first fatality in Rockport was due to a house fire during the storm.

Though there were multiple hazards present across the area, the greatest threat to life and property remained the ongoing extreme rainfall and subsequent flash flooding.

Tornadoes spawned by Harvey damaged more than 50 homes in Fort Bend County, struck a commercial centre near Katy and tore through Cypress, while parts of the Houston region were evacuated ahead of record river floods.

"It's catastrophic, unprecedented, epic  whatever adjective you want to use," said Patrick Blood, a NWS meteorologist. "It's pretty horrible right now."

Forecasters said Harvey's onslaught was just the beginning. The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) in Miami warned "catastrophic flooding" was likely to occur in the days ahead.

Harvey bombarded the stretch of the Texas Gulf Coast with home-ripping winds and torrential rains. More than 300,000 people were without power after utility poles were knocked to the ground.

Parts of Harris County, which includes Houston, have seen more than 20 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. The streets in Houston were drenched and deserted last night, and houses crushed, gas stations torn to shreds, road signs blown away.

Emergency responders completed more than 1,000 high-water rescues during the night. "Travel across the area is severely hampered, if not impossible," said an announcement from the Weather Service.

"This is serious... It is important that people stay off the roads," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. He said the city is prepared for a "major water event".

Some areas could get up to 100 centimetres of rain.

"Rainfall of this magnitude will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flooding," the NHC said.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said he would activate 1,800 members of the military to help with the state-wide clean-up while 1,000 people would conduct search-and-rescue operations.

At a recreational vehicle sales outlet in Rockport city, a dozen vehicles were flipped over and one had been blown to the middle of the street.

As many as six million people were believed to be in Harvey's path as it is the heart of America's oil-refining operations. The storm's impact on refineries has already pushed up gasoline prices.

The US Environmental Protection Agency eased rules on gasoline specifications late on Friday to reduce shortages.

Utilities American Electric Power Company Inc and CenterPoint Energy Inc reported a combined total of around 300,000 customers without power.

While thousands fled the expected devastating flooding and destruction, many residents stayed put in imperilled towns and stocked up on food, fuel and sandbags.

Francisco Sanchez, of the Harris County Emergency Management Office, said the storm would be around for a while.

South of the city, about 4,500 inmates were evacuated from three state prisons in Brazoria County in the wake of the water level rising in the nearby Brazos River.

The turbulent weather extended into southern Louisiana, where motorists were cautioned about high water, road hazards, high winds and tornadoes.
Dian Yulia Novi is the first woman convicted over a suicide bomb plot in Indonesia and highlights the more active role women are taking in violent extremism. (Photo: AFP)

Jakarta: An Indonesian woman has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years jail for her involvement in an Islamic State-inspired plot to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the presidential palace in Jakarta, her lawyer said Monday.

Dian Yulia Novi was arrested at her boarding house with a three-kilogram bomb encased in a pressure cooker the night before the planned attack on the palace in December.

Novi, a 28-year-old former migrant worker who is nine months pregnant, was found guilty of committing an act of terrorism by the East Jakarta District Court on Friday, her lawyer confirmed to AFP.

"The judges said what she had committed was counterproductive with the government's efforts to eradicate terrorism and that it has caused public unrest," lawyer Kamsi, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said.

It is the first time a woman has been convicted over a suicide bomb plot in Indonesia and highlights the more active role women are taking in violent extremism.

Novi and her husband were among five militants detained over the planned attack last year.

Another woman alleged to have recruited Novi, named Tutin Sugiarti, was sentenced to three-and-half years in prison on Friday, Kamsi said.

Police believe the group was strongly linked to Bahrun Naim, a leading Indonesian militant currently fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria.

Many from Indonesia which has long struggled with Islamic militancy have flocked to join ISIS in the Middle East, while radicals in the country have pledged allegiance to the group and attacks and plots have been linked to the jihadists.

Indonesian women often radicalised on social media are taking on a more active role in violent extremism, according to recent report from the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict.

Kamsi said judges delivered the verdict earlier than expected because Novi was pregnant. She would not file an appeal.
Updated.

President Donald Trump rescinded Obama-era restrictions on local police agencies ability to acquire surplus equipment from the Department of Defense Monday, a change that clears the way for school police to once again obtain military equipment like grenade launchers and mine-resistant armored vehicles through the program, known as 1033.

School district police agencies in at least 22 states used 1033 to acquire such equipment before the rules went into effect, public records show.

Those rules prohibited the transfer of tracked armored vehicles, bayonets, grenade launchers, large-caliber weapons, and ammunition to local law-enforcement agencies. While they allowed qualifying local agencies to acquire certain other equipment from the Pentagon, they prohibited such aquisitions by police departments that exclusively serve K-12 schools.

President Barack Obama implemented the restrictions in 2015 at the recommendation of an interagency task force after concerns that St. Louis-area police agencies equipped with military gear were too heavy handed in their response to protesters in Ferguson, Mo. Trump rescinded those restrictions in an executive order Monday that was originally announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a speech to the Fraternal Order of Police.

Those restrictions went too far, Sessions said. We will not put superficial concerns above public safety.

Sessions did not mention public schools in his address.

Public records requests show that, before the rules went into place, school police agencies around the country had used the 1033 program to obtain equipment like powerful rifles and armored vehicles , which raised concerns from civil rights groups whove long questioned the role of law enforcement in schools, Education Week reported in 2014:

A database from the Defense Department shows that tactical gear and weapons from the 1033 program have been provided to school police departments in at least 22 districts in eight statesCalifornia, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. Surplus equipment provided to police in districts as large as the 654,000-student Los Angeles school system includes M-14 and M-16 rifles, extended magazines, automatic pistols, armored plating, tactical vests, SWAT gear, Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, or MRAP, vehicles, and grenade launchers, which are used by police agencies to deploy tear gas and smoke in crowd-control situations. School-based police agencies that received equipment from the Defense Department said most of it would only be used in the event of a mass shooting. A spokesman for the Defense Department said some school agencies may have acquired equipment they would likely only use in cooperation with other law-enforcement agencies outside of the school environment."

The revelations that the Los Angeles Unified districts police department had used 1033 to acquire grenade launchers, semi-automatic rifles, and a mine-resistant vehicle sparked protests from community activists, leading the agency to return its equipment.

And many school districts without their own agencies staff school resource officers who are licensed through local police and sheriffs departments, which may give them access to such equipment.

Lifesaving Gear

Sessions told police gathered at the Fraternal Order of Police event that Trumps executive order will ensure that you can get the lifesaving gear that you need to do your job and send a strong message that we will not allow criminal activity, violence, and lawlessness to become the new normal.

One sheriff told me earlier this year about how, due to the prior administrations restrictions, the federal government made his department return an armored vehicle that can change the dynamics of an active shooter situation, Sessions said. These are the types of helmets and gear that stopped a bullet and saved the life of an officer during the Orlando nightclub shooting. This is the type of equipment officers needed when they pursued and ultimately killed terrorists in San Bernardino.

Photo: A Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, or MRAP, sits in front of police headquarters in Watertown, Conn. The Los Angeles school district police department is among those that previously acquired such vehicles through a Pentagon surplus equipment program.--Steven Valenti/The Republican-American/AP-File

Related reading about school police:





Policing America's Schools: An Education Week Analysis



Follow @evieblad on Twitter or subscribe to Rules for Engagement to get blog posts delivered directly to your inbox.
Britain says it would be best to negotiate the two in parallel and that settling trade issues may even help with other problems such as the future EU-UK border between Northern Ireland and the Republic. (Photo: File)

Brussels: Britain and the EU kick off a third round of Brexit talks on Monday, with London impatient to agree its future relationship with the bloc while Brussels insists the divorce settlement comes first.

The European Union's chief negotiator Michel Barnier will meet his British counterpart David Davis late afternoon in Brussels for a first exchange, followed by three days of discussions and a joint press conference.

The EU says there has to be "sufficient progress" in three key areas EU citizen rights, Northern Ireland's border and the exit bill before it can consider London's demand for talks on future ties in October.

Britain says it would be best to negotiate the two in parallel and that settling trade issues may even help with other problems such as the future EU-UK border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

That is a complete no-go for Brussels which made no secret of the fact that it expects little progress in bridging what officials last week called a "very big gap".

They also blamed Britain for a "lack of substance" despite a flurry of position papers they said were strong on aspiration but short on detail. Barnier last week listed on Twitter the EU's own negotiating documents, noting: "EU positions clear and transparent since day one."

Davis said Monday the British papers were "products of the hard work and detailed thinking that has been going on behind the scenes and should form the basis of what I hope will be a constructive week of talks". "We're ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work once more," he added.

Both sides have repeatedly warned that the clock is ticking down to the March 2019 Brexit deadline and that they are the ones doing their best to make progress.

The situation is complicated by sharp divisions within Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government after a June election gamble backfired and she lost her parliamentary majority.

May remains in office thanks to a deal with Northern Ireland's ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party which views the Republic with deep suspicion. EU officials warned last week that the hard-won Northern Ireland peace process could not be used as a bargaining chip.

As for London's suggestion that technology could help prevent the border becoming a barrier to trade and the peace process, that was just "a lot of magical thinking," one EU official said.

In another position paper, Britain said the European Court of Justice might continue to have an indirect influence, softening its position that the EU's top court would not have any say in the country at all. But again this was not enough, EU officials said.

The rights of more than three million EU citizens in Britain and one million Britons in Europe arose from EU law which is the remit of the ECJ, they added.

"There is no other possibility," one official said. As for Britain's divorce settlement estimated at up to 100 billion euros in Brussels but much less at 40 billion according to reports in London the EU officials said the talks were not about fixing a number but about agreeing how to work out the bill.

"We have to have a methodology sufficiently detailed so that commitments made to various beneficiaries of the EU budget will be honoured," one of the EU officials said. In what the European Commission insisted was "absolutely nothing extraordinary," former British premier Tony Blair is due to meet Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker on Thursday as the Brexit talks wind up.

The British press made much of the visit as Blair is staunchly pro-EU and anti-Brexit, and has campaigned for a second referendum in the hope of reversing the June 2016 outcome.
Labour MP Jess Phillips said the practice was among "lots of cases" she had dealt with. (Photo: Jess Phillips | Twitter)

London: A UK MP has criticised some British-Pakistanis for reportedly "going and getting a wife from abroad" for their disabled sons.

Labour MP Jess Phillips said the practice was among "lots of cases" she dealt with where people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities behaved "unacceptably" towards women.

"Well, sorry, the British Pakistani-Bangladeshi community, certainly where I am, has issues about women's roles in a family, in society," she was quoted as saying by The Times.

"That's the truth. Not all of them, obviously. But I have lots of cases on my books. The acceptability of going and getting a wife from abroad if your son is disabled, for example. As if he deserves to have a wife and we'll just get one from Pakistan. That's not okay in my book," she said.

She made the comment in reference to her Labour party colleague, Sarah Champion, who quit as shadow equalities minister after writing in The Sun about Pakisani Muslim men abusing white girls.

Phillips believes Champion's piece was crudely phrased: "I can understand why Naz Shah [a fellow Labour MP] was like, 'Hang on a minute, you're talking about my sons here'".

But she laments that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn did not broker a deal so that Champion could stay because "it makes it look like we sweep this stuff under the carpet and it gives more power to people who go, 'It's political correctness gone mad' and that people like me are trying to protect the perpetrators".

The Ann Craft Trust, which works with the learning- disabled, said there was a "serious problem" of British Asian people with learning disabilities being forced into marriage without giving their proper consent.

Around 10 per cent of cases reported to the government's forced marriage unit, 140 a year, concern people with learning disabilities.

Research for the trust found that the vast majority involved people of Pakistani, Bangladeshi and also Indian origin.

Rachael Clawson, assistant professor of social work at Nottingham University, who is studying the issue, said: "We will see people trying to use this to get people in as a loophole. But the most common situation is that families really think they are doing their best for their [disabled] son or daughter by getting them a carer".
Islamabad : The visit of a top US official overseeing South Asian affairs to Pakistan has been postponed, the Foreign Office said on Sunday, amid indications that Islamabad was still evolving a response to Trump administration's new Afghan strategy.

Alice Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs and acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan , was scheduled to visit Islamabad next week, but the visit has been put off by the Pakistan government "until a mutually convenient time."

The Foreign Office did not give any reason for postponing the visit.

But government sources said Islamabad was still evolving a response to the US accusations that Pakistan was providing safe havens to militants and prolonging the US 16-year Afghan war.

It would be "premature" to interact with the senior US State Department official at this time, they added.

Wells's visit would have been the first by any US official after US President Donald Trump unveiled the new policy for Afghanistan and the larger South Asian region.

The Pakistan government has tasked Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to garner support from friendly countries. He is expected to visit China , Russia and Turkey next week in the first phase of the countrys regional diplomatic outreach.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday visited Saudi Arabia and held talks with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

News reports in Pakistan said he was accompanied by Asif on the trip and discussed the US new Afghan strategy there.

The Pakistan-US ties received a fresh jolt yesterday when Gen John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan , claimed in a TV interview that his country was aware of Afghan Taliban leaderships presence in Peshawar and Quetta .

Pakistan has repeatedly denied it hosts the Taliban.

Today, Asif said the Afghan Taliban were the US and Afghanistan s problem, not Pakistan s.
Islamabad: The Pakistan visit of a top US diplomat overseeing South Asian affairs has been postponed, the Foreign Office said on Sunday, amid indications that Islamabad was still evolving a response to Trump administration's new Afghan strategy.

Alice Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian Affairs and acting special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was scheduled to visit Islamabad next week, but her visit has been put off by the Pakistan government "until a mutually convenient time".

The Foreign Office did not give any reason for postponing the visit.

But government sources said Islamabad was still evolving a response to the US accusations that Pakistan was providing safe havens to militants and prolonging the US' 16-year Afghan war.

It would be "premature" to interact with the senior US state department official at this time, they added.

In Washington, the state department confirmed Well's trip has been postponed at Pakistan government's "request", but it too did not provide any reason for delaying the visit.

Wells's visit would have been the first by any US official to Pakistan after President Donald Trump unveiled the new policy for Afghanistan and the larger South Asian region.

It was scheduled as part of her three-nation South Asia tour. She would continue with her trip to Dhaka and Colombo beginning tomorrow, according to the state department.

The Pakistan government has tasked Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to garner support from friendly countries. He is expected to visit China, Russia and Turkey next week in the first phase of the country's regional diplomatic outreach.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Wednesday visited Saudi Arabia and held talks with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

News reports in Pakistan said he was accompanied by Asif on the trip and discussed the US' new Afghan strategy there.

The Pakistan-US ties received a fresh jolt yesterday when Gen John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan, claimed in a TV interview that his country was aware of Afghan Taliban leadership's presence in Peshawar and Quetta.

Pakistan has repeatedly denied it hosts the Taliban.

Today, Asif said the Afghan Taliban were the US and Afghanistan's problem, not Pakistan's.

He told reporters in Sialkot that Pakistan has been hosting the Afghan refugees for decades and the US "should help to repatriate them back to Afghanistan if they do not trust us."
Ruling parties BJP in Goa, AAP in Delhi and TDP in Andhra Pradesh, on Monday won all the four Assembly seats that went to bypolls, bringing huge relief to the respective chief ministers of these states.



In Goa, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar himself was a winner-contestant, while the BJP also ensured the victory of Vishwajeet Rane, who quit to join the saffron party soon after winning on a Congress ticket earlier this year.

The AAP tasted victory in Bawana bypoll after a series of electoral setbacks that put a question mark on the popularity of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

TDPs Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy, a political greenhorn, overcame the YSR Congress tough challenge to add another feather to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidus cap.

Parrikar, who had returned to Goa after resigning as Defence Minister, was elected from Panaji defeating Congress Girish Chodankar by 4,803 votes.

BJPs Sidharth Kuncolienkar had won the seat in 2014 bypoll and also in the 2017 election, but stepped down to make way for Parrikars election from Panaji, which the chief minister represented from 1994 to November 2014.

Rane retained Valpoi seat defeating his Congress opponent Roy Naik by 10,087 votes, taking the saffron partys tally in the 40-member House to 14.

In Delhi, AAP managed to retain the seat, which fell vacant after its MLA Ved Prakash switched sides to join BJP. It was revenge for AAP as its candidate Ram Chander trounced Prakash by a margin of 24,052 votes.



Congress Surender Kumar, a three-time MLA, finished third though the party sought to find solace in doubling its votes from around 14,000 to 31,919 votes.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea by lobby group Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) for scrapping e-auction system for selling iron ore in Karnataka.



A bench presided over by Justice Ranjan Gogoi saw no reason to change the prevailing system, even though Karnataka and Central Empowered Committee has supported the application.



The FIMI has asked for an alternative mechanism for e-auction of iron ore extracted from Ballari, Tumakuru and Chitradurga mines, saying it was introduced as temporary system.



FIMI claimed that instead of e-auction, there should be long term agreement between the producers and buyers as part of the new mechanism. It has relied upon a report by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in this regard on April 28, 2016.



The plea was opposed by NGO Samaj Parivartan Samudaya which stated the e-auction was meant to provide the best price and royalty to the state government.
Haryana and Punjab were on high alert today ahead of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's sentencing, as officials warned that violent miscreants will be shot at sight, and described the security situation as "challenging."



A multi-layer security cordon manned by police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces has been thrown in and around Rohtak and also around the Sunaria Jail where the sect leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is lodged. The Army has been kept on standby.



CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh will be flown to Rohtak where he will pronounce the sentence in the jail, expected to be handed out at around 2:30 pm.



Authorities are geared up to prevent a repeat of the mayhem on Friday by the followers of the 50-year-old sect chief after he was convicted of rape. The violence claimed 32 lives in Panchkula and six in Sirsa, besides leaving over 260 injured. Most of the dead were shot dead by police trying to quell the protesters who set fire to many vehicles and buildings.



Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Atul Kumar said police will not hesitate to open fire again at those spreading violence.



"It is a challenging situation, but we are prepared", Kumar told reporters.



"We are prepared to deal with any unscrupulous element who may try to create trouble ... if there is any such element who indulges in any act of violence endangering innocent lives, if he does not pay heed to warnings then shoot-at-sight will be used against him. Action will be taken as the situation demands," he asserted.



He said the Rohtak administration and security personnel were dealing with a "dynamic and challenging situation".



"We have clarity of thought, we are not confused. If we feel any person is endangering lives of innocent people and is causing damage to property, then shoot-at-sight will be used (to deal in such a situation)," he said.



Haryana DGP B S Sandhu also said that "maintaining law and order is the top priority for the Haryana Police today."



A special court room has been made within the Sunaria jail, Rohtak Range IG, Navdeep Singh Virk said.



"The judge will be flown in by a special helicopter and will land in the helipad near the Sunaria jail" on the outskirts of Rohtak city, Virk said.



He said the Haryana Police was fully geared to deal with any situation and police from neighbouring districts too has been deployed.



"We have also been provided 23 companies of paramilitary forces by the Central government. We have sufficient forces and we have deployed them. We are on our toes 24x7 and we are 100 per cent certain that there will be no untoward incident," he said, adding the Army, however, will be on standby.



He said it will be ensured that no Dera follower is allowed to enter Rohtak district or come near the jail.



"For that we have set up special barricades across the entire Rohtak district," he said.



The police have sealed 10 congregation centres of the Dera in Rohtak police range. In all, 103 such centres have been searched across Haryana. A sedition case has been filed against two close aides of the sect head after the violence in Panchkula on Friday.



Appealing to the people not to enter the district without any specific and urgent reason, Kumar, the Rohtak DC, said every person entering Rohtak was being checked.



If during checking, any person fails to produce proof of identity or specify reason for visiting the district, then he would be taken into custody, he said.



He said prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), prohibiting assembly of five or more persons, and carrying of firearms and other weapons, were already in place in the district.



All routes to the Sunaria jail in Rohtak, where the sect chief has been lodged, have been sealed.

The Dera head wields considerable political influence and counts political leaders from various parties among his fans, particularly during elections because of the vote bank he controls.



He has lakhs of followers in northern India. Enraged by his conviction, which took place in Panchkula on Friday, the followers who had camped there for days went on a rampage, at first attacking media crews and their vehicles.



Police said a designated place has been earmarked for the media today to allow them to cover the court proceedings today. However, they will not be allowed into the special court in the jail where the sentencing will take place.



Sirsa, the sect headquarters, meanwhile continues to be under curfew.



Police have registered 52 cases in connection with Friday's violence which left a trail of destruction, particularly in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, and arrested 926 people.



As a precautionary measure, schools and other educational institutions will remain shut in Haryana today while these will also remain closed in sensitive districts in Punjab.



In Haryana, curfew now remains clamped in Sirsa only, and has been lifted from other places including Panchkula and Kaithal.



Train operations in Punjab and Haryana, severely affected by violence in two states, have been restored, except for the Delhi-Rohtak-Bathinda section, a railway ministry statement said in New Delhi.



The security clearance for the section is awaited from state authorities, it said.



Mobile Internet services will remain suspended in Haryana and Punjab till 11:30 am on Tuesday. Internet leased lines on the premises of the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa will also be suspended till then, officials said.



At many sensitive places in Punjab too, security forces conducted flag marches and kept a tight vigil in sensitive areas.



Punjab was maintaining a vigil in sensitive districts falling in the Malwa region including Bathinda, Sangrur, Moga and Patiala, where there is sizeable presence of Dera followers.



Meanwhile, authorities in Punjab and Haryana have started identifying movable and immovable assets of the cult on the directions of the high court, officials said.



Banks have been asked to provide details of accounts of the dera. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the two states to submit by Tuesday a list of dera's properties and assets which can be attached in case it is found that they were responsible for property damage after Singh's conviction.
A Wisconsin school district is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether school policies that require transgender students to use the restrooms corresponding to their biological sex violate Title IX or the U.S. Constitution.

This is a matter of national importance, says the appeal filed Aug. 25 by the Kenosha Unified School District. School districts, students, and parents across the country need guidance on this issue given the conflicting decisions by various courts, guidance which has been issued and withdrawn by the [U.S.] Department of Education, and the lack of any other definitive answers.

The district is appealing a May 30 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, in Chicago, that upheld an injunction requiring school officials to allow a transgender high school student to use the boys restroom.

The appeals court said the districts policy likely violated 17-year-old Ashton Whitakers rights under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the 14th Amendments equal-protection clause.

Whitaker, who graduated from Tremper High School in Kenosha in June, was born a girl but began identifying as a boy in 2013. School administrators refused his requests to use the boys restroom.

In its appeal in Kenosha Unified School District v. Whitaker , the district says, This case is a clean vehicle for the court to clarify whether requiring boys and girls to use school bathrooms that correspond with their biological sex, rather than their gender identity, is sex-based discrimination under Title IX and whether this classification is entitled to heightened scrutiny in an equal-protection analysis.

The appeal doesnt mention that Whitaker has graduated, but the school district apparently concedes that the students lawsuit sought monetary damages as well as other forms of relief and thus is likely not moot.

This case presents an opportunity for this court to make one ruling that will definitively settle this issue for all similarly situated parties across the country, the districts appeal says.

The Supreme Court granted review of a case last term, in Gloucester County School Board v. G.G. , involving a transgender students fight with a Virginia school district. But it sent the case back to a federal appeals court after President Donald Trumps administration rescinded guidance issued by President Barack Obamas administration that had interpreted Title IX as requiring schools to allow transgender students to use the restrooms that correspond to their gender identity.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, in Richmond, Va., has, in turn, sent the case involving Gavin Grimm back to a federal district court to weigh whether Grimms graduation from high school had made his case moot.
The Supreme Court on Monday pulled up the BJP government in Gujarat on tardy trial in a rape case involving godman Asaram Bapu. It asked the Gujarat government to file a progress report on it.



The apex court, which has earlier rejected several bail pleas by Asaram, and was hearing one more moved by him, also questioned the state government on why the victim in the case has not yet been examined.

"Why is there a delay despite the earlier direction for expeditious trial? Why has the victim not been examined so far," a bench of Justices N V Ramana and Amitava Roy asked Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Gujarat government.

The court reminded him that directions for expediting recording of evidence were given in April. He said two crucial witnesses have been killed, one is missing and 17 others were injured in attacks.

The woman will be examined by the court after ensuring her safety, he said, adding that out of 92 material witnesses, over 45 of them have been examined so far.

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing the victim, sought speedy trial of the case and said that the court should issue a direction to examine the prosecutrix before September 23, which is the next date of hearing of the case before trial court. The court put the matter for consideration after Diwali vacations.
At least 20 persons were killed and over 25 others injured in different accidents in Pune and Nashik districts of Maharashtra in the last 24 hours.



The back-to-back accidents had raised serious issues over road safety and driving during monsoon. While nine persons were killed in a pile up of vehicles at Babhulgaon-Shivar near Yeola town in Nashik district at 6.30 PM on Sunday, nine persons were killed and over 10 others were injured when a state transport bus rammed into a stationary mini-truck in Junnar in Pune district at 1.30 AM on Monday, reports reaching here said.



As far as the Pune incident is concerned, it involved as bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC)which was travelling from Trimbakeshwar to Pune. It is suspected that becuase of the heavy rains, the driver could not spot the stationary truck loaded with onions. Eye-witnesses said that the impact was so severe that one side of the bus has been ripped off. The injured passengers had been admitted to hospitals in Ale Phata area.



The Nashik incident took place when the tempo-trax returning to Dhule from Ahmednagar collided with a van and seconds later a motorcyle and a bus of the MSRTC crashed. Passengers in the car were returning to Dhule after attending an engagement function. The victims reportedly had come from Etawah in Uttar Pradesh and Dhule.



In another incident at Malegaon in Nashik district, an undenitied vehicle hit a Activa killing an onion trader and his employee. Meanwhile, around 15 others were injured in an accident involving a container, a car, a MSRTC bus and a motorcycle near Shindewadi on Pune-Satara Highway on Sunday evening. The truck's brakes apparantly failed and the driver lost control over its wheel, colliding first with a car, then hit a two-wheeler and hit another car.



It is to be mentioned here that, Shipping, Highways and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Sunday - speaking at an event - had expressed concern over the delay in repairs of roads.
Fearing violence after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing in a rape case today, a village close to the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters readied itself to face angry followers with a stockpile of stones, sticks, bricks and iron rods.



Villagers in Shahpur Beghu, 500 metres from the sprawling headquarters of the Dera, said they were fully prepared to face violent followers of the self-styled godman who was convicted of rape on August 25.



The verdict by a special CBI court in Panchkula led to widespread violence with at least 38 people being killed, including six in Sirsa.



Villagers in Beghu, which has a population of about 9,000, most of them non-supporters of the sect chief, fear a rerun of the violence.



Though their village is just 500 metres away from the sect headquarters, police had put up barricades three kilometres away from the complex, they say.



Santosh Soni is amongst those worried for the safety of her family and neighbours.



Before the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim on August 25, villagers had started collecting iron roads, stones, bricks and wooden sticks on their rooftops to deal with violent Dera followers if they entered their village. But they did not do so, she said.



We are again fully prepared and have stored weapons in case we have to deal with enraged followers," added another villager, Amit Singh.



Villagers will use them if violent Dera followers enter the village and damage property following the pronouncement of Gurmeet's sentence, he warned.



The Dera chief has been kept in Rohtak's Sunaira jail. CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh is being flown to Rohtak for the sentencing.



Security has been tightened in Sirsa and curfew continues in the town.



A large number of Dera followers are leaving the sect headquarters. The Haryana Roadways is providing bus facility to those supporters willing to leave the area.



Police said the situation is under control in and around Dera headquarters.


Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar summoned an emergency meeting today of top officials of the state after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted in a 2002 rape case, was sentenced to 10 years in jail, a senior official said.



Khattar also appealed to the people, especially Dera followers, to maintain peace, the official added.



"The chief minister summoned an emergency meet of the chief secretary, home secretary, Haryana DGP and other senior officials to take stock of the situation after the CBI court awarded the jail term to the Dera chief," the official said.



The conviction on Friday of the Dera head by a CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, triggered violent protests by Dera followers. At least 38 people were killed and 260 injured in Haryana, mostly in Panchkula.



To prevent any further trouble, CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh today pronounced the sentence in a makeshift court in Sunaria jail, where Ram Rahim, 50, had been lodged since his conviction.



CM Khattar said all possible arrangements had been taken to deal with "any situation that may arise" after the sentencing.



He directed the administration to deal strictly under the law with anyone found stirring up trouble or indulging in violence or arson.



Neighbouring Punjab has also been put on high alert, with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh closely monitoring the situation, officials said.



The Punjab CM will meet Punjab Governor and UT Chandigarh Administrator V P Singh Badnore later today to brief him about the situation in the state.



Punjab has been maintaining a vigil in sensitive districts falling in the Malwa region, including Bathinda, Sangrur, Moga and Patiala, where there is a sizable presence of Dera followers.



Schools and colleges stayed shut across Haryana and parts of Punjab today. Mobile Internet services will remain suspended in the two states till Tuesday.



Sensitive areas such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Kaithal, Patiala, Bathinda, Moga, Ferozepur and Malout in Haryana and Punjab are on high alert, the officials said.



The Punjab and Haryana High Court came down heavily on the Khattar government after Friday's large-scale violence.



Khattar was also attacked by the opposition, which accused him of failing to handle the situation.



Authorities in Haryana said they were braced up for any eventuality and would prevent a re-run of the events that broke out in Panchkula on Friday.
The research team whose work runs counter to conventional wisdom about minority enrollment in special education has released a new study that looks at a different, larger data set and comes to the same conclusion as its previous work: black and Hispanic children, as well as children of other races, are enrolled in special education at rates significantly lower than those of their white peers.

Federal policy, including a new set of regulations set to take effect in the 2018-19 school year , are built around the idea that minority students are at particular risk of being pushed into special education, and that states and school districts should be aware of such disparities and take efforts to fix them.

Researchers Paul L. Morgan, an education professor at Pennsylvania State University, and George Farkas, an education professor at University of California-Irvine, have argued that when comparing minority children to otherwise similar white peers, it is the white children who are getting services at a higher rate while minorities may be missing out on the help they need. Their 2015 New York Times commentary, Is Special Education Racist?  prompted a flurry of responses and counterreponses .

New Study Analyzes NAEP Test-Takers

In the latest study , published online Aug. 28 in the journal Educational Researcher, they come to the same conclusion, this time looking at students who took the National Assessment for Educational Progress, also known as the Nations Report Card. The test is given to a nationally representative sample of students every few years in reading, math, and other subjects; for this analysis, Morgan and Farkas looked at reading, which included nearly 400,000 scores of students in 4th, 8th and 12th grades.

An initial analysis showed that in some cases, black students who took the NAEP were more likely than white students to be enrolled in special education. But that was only the case when the researchers did not consider factors that allow for contrasts between students who are otherwise similar except for race.

For example, among 4th grade students whose reading achievement was in the lowest 10 percent nationally, 74 percent of White students were receiving special education services, compared to 44 percent of black students with similar reading achievement.

Other racial and ethnic groups with low reading achievement were also less likely than White students to receive special education services. For Hispanics, 43 percent were enrolled in special education, 34 percent of Asians, 48 percent of American Indians, 43 percent of Pacific Islanders and 66 percent of students of multiple races.

Morgan and Farkas also observed under-identification in 8th grade and 12th grade reading, and across the several disability categories that NAEP tracks, including such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, specific learning disability, and speech and language impairment, as well as more low-prevalence disabilities.

Special Education Identification Findings Mirror Other Studies

These findings are particularly significant, not only because they replicate the earlier study, but because the new study was designed to address what critics called out as a weakness of their earlier research, Morgan said. In 2015, Morgan and Farkas found similar results , using a national sample of young children. Critics said that national sample didnt reflect the known prevalence of students with disabilities , so it wasnt possible to draw conclusions from that data.

The NAEP data, in contrast, is much broader, includes older children, different disability categories, and a wider range of racial and ethnic backgrounds. This new study also allows for contrasts between students attending the same schools.

With these new findings, its more difficult to discount what weve reported previously as just the result of some kind of flawed sampling, Morgan said in an interview.

For Morgan, these findings are no different than other studies that have shown higher rates of asthma among black children.

We have to acknowledge there are many societal inequities that children are exposed to, he said, such as low birth weight, prematurity and lead exposure. All those factors could contribute to the fact that black students may be at greater risk for disabilities.

Its very important to make sure that children are not inappropriately identified as having disabilities based on their race. But equally so, we shouldnt be keeping children from appropriately being identified based on race, he said.

Federal Policy Focuses on Overrepresentation

Federal policy, however, is still focused on making sure special education programs are not enrolling too many minority students.

Starting in the next school year, districts will be poised to take a closer look at the race and ethnicity of students identified for special education. They are also supposed to examine placement decisions and suspensions and expulsions. Districts found to have what the law calls significant disproportionality will be required to take 15 percent of their special education funds and use that money to identify and address the root causes of the problem.

Even though the calculation would be standardized, states would retain the authority to determine just what risk ratio is significant. That threshold must be reasonable, however.

In early 2016, Education Department released an analysis that offers a hint about what it thinks would be reasonable risk ratios . For example, identifying minority students with emotional disturbance at three times the rate of nonminority students over three years would meet the disproportionality threshold. States dont have to use the Education Departments analysis. But if all of them chose to do so, about 8,100 school districtsclose to half of the nations districtswould have significant disproportionality in at least one monitored area.

Its not about identifying bad actors. Its an opportunity to check practices and supports, said Michael K. Yudin, the assistant secretary for special education and rehabilitative services, in a February 2016 press call introducing the policy. We cant begin this hard work unless were honest and forthright about the disparities that we see.
A 'youth brigade' was formed several days ahead of the verdict in the rape case against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief to "trigger violence" in Punjab if the judgement goes against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a senior Punjab Police official said today.



The plan to "indulge in arson and rioting" in Punjab was found during an investigation conducted by the Punjab Police.



Following the conviction of Ram Rahim, there were 28 incidents of arson, besides damage to the state, central government offices or properties in seven districts of the Malwa region in Punjab.



"Almost 15 days ahead of the court verdict, a youth brigade which was to be called 'A team' was formed to trigger violence in Punjab if the court judgement goes against Dera Sacha Sauda chief. It was decided in a meeting," Sangrur SSP Mandeep Singh Sidhu told PTI today.



The police have also identified the main accused allegedly involved in arson and rioting in Sangrur.



They have been identified as Duni Chand, Prithi Chand and Bittu, the SSP said adding that they were absconding.



As many as 12 incidents of violence were reported from Sangrur district only following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda sect head, police said.



"We have arrested 23 persons including a woman in connection with arson and rioting," SSP said.



Sangrur Police assessed property damage of worth Rs 23.72 lakh during violence in Sangrur district.



The property damaged included power grid, telephone exchange and Sewa Kendra, he said.



Sangrur Police has also assessed an expenditure of Rs 85.17 lakh for making security arrangements which included expenses related to paramilitary forces and police force in the district.



"We shall submit the detail of expenditure to the state government in order to recover from the Dera," SSP said.



Minutes after the sect head was convicted on Friday, his followers who had gathered in thousands over past few days in Panchkula, unleashed mayhem. 38 people died and over 250 were injured in the violence which broke out at Panchkula and Sirsa after Ram Rahim was convicted.


The security has been tightened in Uttar Pradesh's Shamli district, bordering Haryana, in view of the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, police said today.



The Shamli district authorities had sealed roads connecting the district with Haryana.



The police are checking all vehicles on Panipat-Kairana highway and Karnal-Meerut highway before letting them enter or leave the district, SP Ajaypal Sharma said.



Additional forces have also been deployed in the district to prevent any untoward incident, he said.

Police are keeping an eye on activities of followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, which has two Ashrams in Shamli district, he said.



Also all the schools in the district are closed today, an official said.



Prohibitory orders barring assembly more than five people were in force in the district.



The hearing on quantum of sentence against the 50-year- old self-styled godman, now lodged in Rohtak jail, will be held today.



After the Dera chief was convicted by a CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, his followers went on rampage setting fire to vehicles and railway stations, and damaging public and private properties. Thirty-eight people were killed and more than 250 injured in violence in Panchkula and Sirsa.
With security forces increasingly using communication tools to trace ultras, Hizb-ul-Mujahideen outfit has reportedly asked its cadres not to use cell phones, that over the years have proved fatal for militants operating in Kashmir.



A local newspaper reported that Riyaz Naikoo, operational commander of indigenous Hizbul has asked militants of the outfit to surrender their cell phones citing many instances in which security forces used these devices to track them.

Quoting some social media pages, the newspaper reported that surrendering process has already started and it will take few days to complete.



Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kashmir, Muneer Khan said they don't have any authentic confirmation about it but police was trying to verify the reports. Earlier, it was reported that Hizbul wanted Naikoo to use the social networking sites to galvanise support for militancy in Kashmir but it seems he has realised the perils of technology.

The development comes in the backdrop of reports that security forces have increased online surveillance amid fears that Kashmir youth were getting radicalised through widespread online militant propaganda.



With militancy, especially home grown, on rise, security forces have launched a massive operation to flush out the ultras. Nearly 140 militants have been killed so far this year across the Valley, which is highest in the last eight years. The security forces are going after militants as part of operation "hunt down" and on the basis of a hit list of militants.



Sources said besides human intelligence, security forces were tracking the movement of militants by keeping the cell phones of militant handlers on surveillance. "Several encounters, especially in southern districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag, were carried out by the security forces after tracking the movement of militants, who were using cell phones. security forces are getting help from national agencies such as National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) in tracking the activities of militants," they said.



"The technical cells of the Jammu and Kashmir police, which have the capability and permission to track suspected mobile phones in the valley, have also been revived. It has yielded good results," sources revealed.



After Burhan Wanis killings, several videos surfaced on the internet featuring new entrants of militant outfits. Breaking convention, militants would frequently appear in the videos mostly shot with mobile phones without bothering to hide their identities.



Jammu and Kashmir Police in March this year claimed to have traced connections of some 10,000 Facebook profiles to Pakistan and said militant groups control some 300 groups on WhatsApp. This increased police online surveillance amid fears that Kashmir youth are getting radicalised through widespread online militant propaganda.








A car was set on fire by unknown persons in the Kotli village near Sirsa today after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to ten years in prison for rape, the police said.



A luxury car, was torched by some unknown persons near the Kotli village which is 10 Km from Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters, a police official said. It appears that followers of Dera Sacha Sauda were involved, the official said.



"We are probing the matter. The statement of the village sarpanch is being recorded. Prima facie it appears to be an act of arson by Dera followers, who are irked over the court judgement," the police official said.



According to some villagers, a group of people arrived in two cars near Kotli village. Occupants of one of the cars came out, torched the vehicle and then went away in the other car, the villagers said. Police officials said that all angles were being investigated.
Ten days before he was convicted in a rape case, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh celebrated his 50th birthday - also Independence Day - in typical ostentatious style.



The self-proclaimed godman cut a 500 kg birthday cake which was 18 feet wide and 6 feet high. The cake was ferried towards him in a camouflaged vehicle at the birthday bash in the Dera's Sirsa headquarters.

Ram Rahim pulled out a sword and cut the cake as his followers burst out in delirium.

Hordes of VIPs bowed before Ram Rahim on his birthday, dubbed the golden jubilee celebrations.

Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma went down on his knees, then lay on the floor with folded hands and stretched towards him, as if paying obeisance to a deity. A Rs 51 lakh cheque followed.

That clout and more appears to have vanished for the now prisoner No 1997. On Monday, Ram Rahim was in tears as he begged for forgiveness.

A source said, soon after the CBI judge pronounced the quantum of punishment, Ram Rahim broke down. With folded hands, he asked the judge to forgive him.

Some reports stated that Ram Rahim, whose Dera is worth several hundred crores, squatted in the area assigned for him to stand during the sentencing. The Dera has multiple sources of revenue, including from movies and FMCG products.

Ram Rahim then refused to leave and the jail wardens had to be called in. He showed signs of failing health inside the library-turned courtroom. Doctors from the PGI, Rohtak, were on stand-by.

The "godman" has lost his bling attire and Z-plus security. He will now have to live with two sets of jail clothing and earn a meagre daily wage through the work he is told to perform like any other prisoner.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today accused the BJP of dividing people on religious lines and called for ousting the party in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.



She also alleged that the central government was trying to infringe on the right to privacy by imposing Aadhaar on 'everything'.



"The BJP wants to divide people on religious lines. They are trying the same trick in West Bengal. We will never allow it. The youths and students are the future of the country and they have to lead the fight for 'poriborton' (change) at the Centre in 2019," Banerjee said.



"Bengal will show the way. Bengal will give the slogan of 'BJP Hatao, Desh Bachao, Communalism Hatao, Desh Bachao'," she added.



Addressing a rally organised by the Trinamool Chatra Parishad, students' wing of the TMC, Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of trying to infringe on the personal rights.



"The Centre wants to impose Aadhaar on everything. They will have access to your personal details  what you say, what you do, where you go, what you eat  by linking Aadhaar with phone. What will happen if the data is hacked? What about the individual's right to privacy?



"In Bengal, they are trying to divide Ram and Rahim. Ram never fought Rahim, Ram had fought Ravan. Fake Ram has come from Delhi and Bam (Left) have joined them. They are trying to incite communal passion over Durga idol immersion and Muharram," she said.



Reacting to the RSS-BJP's charge of appeasement politics being pursued by the state government by deciding not to allow immersion of Durga idols on the day of Muharram on October 1, she said, "What is harm in it? The immersion will be allowed on October 2, 3, and 4."



"Don't we have any duty towards the minority community? We don't believe in pursuing the politics of divide and rule. In our culture, immersion never happens on Ekadoshi. Why is the BJP so insistent on having immersion on that day?" she said.



Banerjee also took a jibe at the BJP government in Haryana for its failure to tackle the violence in Panchkula following conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeer Ram Rahim Singh, saying "They can't tackle the incidents in Panchkula and they are giving us lecture on law and order. They can't manage crib deaths in Uttar Pradesh either."
In an apparent bid to remove doubts and confusion on the issue of 'talaq' (divorce), the prestigious Dargah Ala Hazrat (a famous spiritual centre for Sufi Sunni Muslims) has decided to include it in the curriculum of the madrasas (Islamic Schools) affiliated to it.



According to sources in the dargah, talaq will become part of the syllabus in madrasas from the next academic session.



A senior cleric of an Islamic seminary associated with the dargah in Bareilly said there was a "lot of confusion" among Muslims on the issue of talaq.

"A majority of Muslims do not know about the real position of talaq in the Sharia (Islamic Law)," he said.

"We often witness problems as a result of lack of knowledge about talaq. Wrong way of giving talaq often invites criticism from the media ," the cleric added.

He said the students of the madrasas will be taught about the ways in which talaq can be given in accordance with the Sharia law.

"The parents of the students will also be apprised of the true Islamic meaning of talaq," he added.

The cleric also asked religious scholars and clergy to include the issue of talaq in their sermons.

The decision comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court judgement declaring the practice of 'triple talaq' (giving divorce by pronouncing the word talaq three times in one go) "unconstitutional".





Both the Ala Hazrat and Darul Uloom had asked the Centre not to make any law with regard to talaq. The Ala Hazrat had made it clear that the apex court's judgement was not in line with provisions of the Sharia law.
Their statement says they absolutely do not accept terrorist attacks and they cannot accept terrorist acts in the name of Islam.

The statement further says that they, Myanmar Muslims, are ready to help the State in ending these terrorist acts in any possible way.

The statement mentions anti-terrorism campaigns and area clearing operations being launched as the just war of the State.

The statement says they hope that the State will take into consideration the safety and security of the civilian communities in this just war.

The statement says that what is currently happening in Rakhine State is a racial issue and they do not believe them to be concerned with religion.

A Director from Twe Let Myanmar, Aung Ko Ko, said, We see this issue as a racial and humanitarian issue. The State Counsellor Office uses the term terrorists in referring to them. So, we wish to resolve this issue as a domestic issue and want to cooperate with the government in tackling it.
The Karnataka government today approved the 'Arogya Bhagya' scheme for universal health coverage under which all 1.40 crore eligible households in the state would be beneficiaries.



Under the scheme, all facilities will be provided through 'Aadhar linked Universal Health Card' to beneficiaries categorised into A and B sections, Parliamentary Affairs Minister T B Jayachandra told reporters after a cabinet meeting.



Category A, with no contribution, include about 105 lakh priority households like-farmer households, teachers from aided schools, Anganwadi workers, hot mid-day meal workers, categories of unorganized labor, SC/ST; animal bite victims, mediapersons, members of co-operative societies and public servants.



The remaining households would be enrolled online with Aadhar details with Rs 300 contribution per person for rural areas and Rs 700 for urban areas, he said.



The scheme will be operational from November 1, 2017.



Jayachandra said the scheme calls for universal health care by way of primary health care, drugs and diagnostics, primary, secondary and tertiary health procedure in government hospitals, medical colleges, centers of excellence and private empanelled hospitals as per packaged rates.



Stating that all seven different health programmes of the government would be clubbed into one, he said merger of these programmes amounts to a total Rs 869.4 crore.



As doubts have been expressed over the scheme, the Health Minister has been directed to speak to departments concerned, including Finance, before issuing the order, he said.



Noting that in emergencies defined for both accidents, and medical/surgical emergencies, treatment can be provided at the nearest facility available, irrespective of Government or Private to ensure "Treatment first and Payment next", he said the rates would be applicable as per defined packages.



Further after stabilization of 48 hours the patient can be transferred to government/private hospital with required facilities for continued treatment.



The average expenditure is Rs 25,000, the minister added.



He also said that in addition 108, 104 helpline would support further free diagnostics, free drugs and dialysis, free blood units, platelets and components will be provided in government hospitals.



The cabinet today also approved creation of 49 new taluks that was proposed in the 2017-18 budget.
No untoward incident was reported from Sirsa after the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who has been convicted in a rape case, a senior Haryana government official said today.



Speaking to reporters here, IAS officer V Umashankar also said that the district authorities had ordered the attachment of the Sirsa-based Dera's accounts and compensation to those affected in the violence earlier could be given from these.



"There was no report of any untoward incident and I hope that peace will be maintained," Umashankar said.



He said excluding the permanent residents of the area, many of whom were also Dera followers, the number of other supporters in the sect's headquarters in Sirsa was not more than a thousand.



Umashankar said that the deputy commissioner of Sirsa had ordered the attachment of the accounts of Dera Sacha Sauda and compensation to the people affected by violence during the episode may be given from these as per court orders.



A senior IAS officer, Umashankar is posted as the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), but has been assigned special duty to assist the Sirsa administration, which is on a high alert keeping in view the Dera chief's conviction.



Talking about the possibility of firearms being there in the sect headquarters, Umashankar said that some weapons were in the name of Dera and some were registered in the names of individuals.



He said that from the day of Ram Rahim Singh's conviction by a court in Panchkula on August 25, the state authorities had worked to ensure that the violent mob doesn't move towards Sirsa.



We were conscious that if such a mob comes towards the city and indulges in violence and arson, then it would have been very difficult to control and we had accordingly deployed our forces, he said.



Our second objective was that if the violence takes place, we have to contain it in a specific area and prevent it from spreading, he said.



The third objective was to exercise maximum restraint, which was not entirely possible in this kind of situation, but still we had to exercise it and not allow it to escalate, Umashankar added.



I am happy to tell you that due to the alertness of our forces, with the support of Army, personal leadership of Sirsa DC and SP, incidents of arson and looting were prevented, he said.
Many of the universities and technical institutes, mostly private ones, have refused to admit Kashmiri students under the Prime Minister's special scholarship scheme, drawing ire from the Centre.



Taking a serious note of such complaints, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has directed the heads of all technical institutes to ensure that students from the Jammu and Kashmir do not face any difficulty in getting admission under the scheme.



The Council has cracked the whip as the denial of admissions to Kashmiri students by many of the universities and colleges was seen as causing hindrance to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's special focus on the implementation of the scholarship scheme, according to sources.



Such feed back reports have been viewed seriously at the AICTE and the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry. To say the least, this attitude of such colleges smacks of callous attitude towards the Government of India sponsored scheme but also towards a matter of national importance, the council's vice chairman MP Punia said in a strongly worded letter to the technical institutes.



The Council has also written to the principal secretaries of the States, requesting them to issue a clear advisory to the colleges and universities under them for admission of Kashmiri students under the special scholarship scheme.



Under the Prime Minister's special scholarship scheme, the Central government offers the scholarship to 5,000 Kashmiri students to enable them to pursue higher education in professional, general and medical streams outside the Jammu and Kashmir.



Out of 5000, 250 scholarships each are marked for funding the students undergraduate programme in engineering and medical streams while the remaining 4,500 scholarships are meant for non-technical degree courses. The government has earmarked an annual budget of Rs 74.50 crore for the scheme.



After several months of exercise, the AICTE has completed short-listing of the candidates for admission to under graduate programmes under the scheme, allocated them seats at various universities and colleges through a central counselling.



Unfortunately, number of instances have been brought to our notice not only by the candidates themselves but also from other quarters including government departments that quite a number of colleges have refused admission on flimsy grounds, such as non-awareness of the scheme, seats not being available in the college, outright refusal for unknown reasons etc, Punia noted.



A senior official of the Council told DH that many of the institutions have refused to admit students selected under the scheme, demanding payment of hostel charges and other fees (non-academic) in advance.



We have asked these institutions to support the students, instead of harassing them. These students will pay all the charges once they get the money in their bank accounts. It will take a months time to transfer the money to the student's accounts, he added.
It is up to the court to take a decision on fast-tracking the rape case against Asaram, and the Gujarat government has no role in it, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today said, after the Supreme Court questioned the state over the tardy pace of progress in the case involving the self-styled godman.



"Trial is going on in the court, which is independent. It is for the court to take a decision (on expediting the trial). The government has no role in the matter," Rupani told reporters while replying to queries on the sidelines of a function in Rajkot.



He rejected the Congress' allegations that the ruling party was trying "shield the accused".



"The Congress is only seeking to take mileage by making false political allegations against the government. People will teach it a lesson in the upcoming assembly elections," the chief minister said.



Senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil welcome the Supreme Court's observations and voiced hope that the BJP government will act to ensure that the guilty are punished.



"Law and order is a state subject. This is not the first time it has happened. Ever since the BJP came to power, it had to repeatedly face the ire of the Supreme Court," he said.



"It's the government's responsibility to ensure the accused get punished as early as possible. We welcome what the Supreme Court said and hope this will make the government act."



Earlier in the day, the apex court asked the state government to file a progress report in the case. It also directed the government to explain why the victim in the case has not yet been examined.



After giving directions, a bench, comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy, posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.



Two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.



Also, in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused Asaram of sexual assault at his ashram near Jodhpur.



The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.



Asaram was arrested by the Jodhpur police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah today lauded Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his team for getting "the better of China" in the Dokalam standoff.



"India getting the better of China is all the more remarkable because it was done without any chest thumping & (and) bluster. Kudos PM Modi & team," Omar wrote on Twitter following an agreement between New Delhi and Beijing on disengagement in the area.



Omar said the return to status quo was a victory for India and the prime minister.



"But isn't the return to status quo a victory for India & PM Modi? It was China that wanted to alter the ground position with the road work," he said responding to a tweet on the issue.



Troops of the two countries had been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the disputed area.
At least two 11-year-old students were killed and nearly 20 others were injured when the roof of a school caved in Ahmednagar district on Monday.



The incident took place around 17:30 hrs at the Zilla Parishad school at Nimbodi in Nagar taluka of Ahmednagar district, that has been receiving heavy rainfall since the weekend.



The deceased were identified as Shreyas Rahane and Vaishali Pote, both 11-year-old. The injured persons have been rushed to different hospitals of the Nagar.



Senior police and administration officials visited the spot to supervise the rescue operations and ensure that the injured students are given proper treatment.



Eye-witnesses said that the building structure was old and caved in because of the heavy rainfall that the district has been receiving.

DH News Service
rrawaddy journalist Lawi Weng, who was detained in Shan State on Jun 28 of this year (Photo: Steve Tickner/Facebook)

Personal reflection and perspective

The fact that I can be considered a public intellectual now is a small wonder. As a Mon child born into a rural family during the Burman chauvinist socialist government, there was a lot conspiring to deny me an education. Yet at nine I was lucky enough to be admitted to the local monastic school where I learned Mon, Burmese, Pali and basic English. I had the privilege to continue learning these languages for many years after.

Writing now from Australia, I feel the difficulty of contributing to national debate with little access to information and few resources in Myanmar. Journalism is without value if does not offer new information or insights to the reader. But I am committed to the task of sharing my thoughts and experiences of the last 25 years of citizen journalism.

I left my rural Mon village in 1984 for the Burman-dominated Irrawaddy delta, where I was to continue my monastic education. I was fifteen when I left and had grown up in a Mon village, surrounded by Mon culture and language. In 1987 I headed to Yangon (then called Rangoon) to continue my monastic education. When in 1988 massive pro-democracy protests shook the country, I went back to my village where, still a monk, I taught Mon. It was only in 1992 that I was able to return to Yangon to get my certificate. I spent a total of ten years reading the leading scholars of the day, almost all of whom were Burman. And although the voices were ethnically narrow, I continue to appreciate what I learned from those thinkers.

After reading the history of Myanmar in Mon, Burmese and English texts for the past 25 years, I have reached the conclusion that freedom of thought and personal liberty always come with a price. In my Yangon years from 1987 to 1994 I continued to read the Burman intellectuals, always aware of the price that so many of them paid. Anyone who didnt toe the line or dance to the tune, as the Burmese literature would say, faced intimidation and persecution. The Burman-dominated military government that came to power in a 1962 coup did not tolerate differences of opinion in any publication. The government controlled the press, and with it the national narrative, through a mix of shutting down publications, censoring those that remained and establishing its own propaganda imprints.

Independent presses only survived underground, where intellectuals risked their lives in the name of sharing a liberal political literature. And yet even with the advent of an aboveground independent media in 2010, prominent newspaper editors and journalists continue to be arrested for articles deemed insulting or challenging to those with power. While the laws may have changed, the effect is the same: a culture of intimidation and harassment that precludes honest national conversation. I have deep admiration for the journalists and writers who risk their freedom in the name of liberty and unfettered press, including my friend Ko Lawi Weng of the Irrawaddy, who sits in a Shan State jail cell for his pursuit of the truth.

The culture of censorship that exists in Myanmar is but a continuation of the decades-old instinct towards authoritarianism. In 1988 I was a monk, teaching Mon in the village where I was born. By 1992 I was aware that the local militia official, appointed by the government, had filed a report with the military saying that I was operating an unauthorised Mon language school, and I was not surprised to be summoned for questioning. I was verbally interrogated for three hours by the senior military officer for Mudon Township. I was eventually released, though only, I believe, because I was a monk, I spoke Burmese well and my father, a former village administrator, served as my guarantor. For the military government, something as innocuous as language classes were threatening because they challenged the Burman hegemony that they thought gave their regime legitimacy.

I left for Thailand in 1994, hoping to find liberty and freedom outside of my home country. What followed were years of hardship and isolation as I struggled in a new country. In 1995 I began working as a writer for the Mon News Group in Bangkok. It was empowering to work with the Mon CSOs that were active in Bangkok but I found that the exile community was dominated by Burman activists, who had little patience for Mon or Karen news groups. They wanted to organize all the exile groups under the banner of Burmese students or Burmese democratic alliance, leaving little room for ethnic voices. Even as they fought political tyranny at home, they were blind to the ethnic tyranny that they engendered. I engaged with this Burman-dominated struggle for a few years until 1997, when I migrated to Australia.

Throughout the history of Myanmar, a significant part of the official effort to control the national narrative and suppress dissent was the sidelining of minority ethnic scholars from public life. For half a century, non-Burman professors were denied appointments at public universities or removed from existing posts. While Burman intellectuals were oppressed for their views, non-Burmans were oppressed for their very existencefor who they were. Most non-Burman public intellectuals therefor struggled to live and work without ministerial appointments or positions in university departments. Still, many were able to make their voice heard.

I have never believed that one ethnic group could be assimilated to another by force. But, I have found that the political institutions of Myanmar seem to have been designed to do just that. Journalists and other public intellectuals therefor have a responsibility to continue their work in the new political structures developing in Myanmar, and to confront the institutional mechanisms of forced assimilation. The public discourse will be more dynamic for its diversity, with thousands of individuals contributing richness, rather than one artificial but official narrative.

It is time that the government of the Myanmar, under the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi acknowledges the role of public intellectuals and foster trust between the rulers and the people.

Freedom of expression is one among many basic rights that must be protected, but the publics right to know often informs those other basic freedoms. The workand safetyof public intellectuals is therefore a part of the national interest writ large. Importantly, while it is important that the government stop persecuting intellectuals, it is also important that Burmans of all stripes acknowledge and correct their impulse to sideline and exclude ethnic voices from the national discourse.

Public intellectuals are among the nations greatest assets. They should be able to live without fear, so they can continue to do their important work for the peace, progress and the safety of all people of Myanmar.

This article dedicated to my close friend, Irrawaddy journalist Ko Lawi Weng, who was detained in Shan State on Jun 28 of this year. He sits in a jail cell as I write this article.

-- By Mon News Agency (MNA)
A policeman ran with a 10-kg artillery shell, found at a school in Chitora village of Sagar district, for about a kilometre to save the lives of 400 students, officials said today.



Head constable Abhishek Patel, posted at Surkhi police station in Sagar district, was honoured by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan this morning as a video of the cop's action went viral on the social media.



A state public relations department official said the incident had taken place on August 25.



An anonymous caller informed the 'Dial -100' service of the state police at around 12.50 pm on August 25 that an unexploded artillery shell was lying in the backyard of the Middle School at Chitora village of Sagar district, the official said.



After reaching the spot, Patel got the school evacuated, as over 400 students were present there at that time. In the meantime, he picked up the shell, weighing around 10 kilograms, and ran for about a kilometre before dumping it into a nullah, the official added.



The army personnel of Mahar Regiment Centre at Sagar finally defused the shell on Sunday. The Madhya Pradesh government today presented a cash reward of Rs 50,000 to Patel here for his brave act.



"Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan honoured the constable this morning with the cash prize at the CM's residence in the state capital," the official said.



R S Bagir, in-charge of Surkhi police station, under whose jurisdiction the school is located, said it is yet to be confirmed from where the shell reached the school.



"It is not yet known from where it landed in the school backyard. This was an unexploded and old. It is possible that a villager might have brought it from a nearby army shooting range. We are investigating it," Bagri said.




Ahead of the sentencing, more than 1,500 police officials were deployed in Sriganganagar and Hanumangarh districts, bordering Punjab and Haryana, to keep a tight vigil on the activities inciting violence.





Sriganganagar Collector Gyana Ram told DH, " Additional director general of police (ADGP), law and order has issued an alert in both districts. Police are recording phones numbers of people and details of all vehicles entering Rajasthan. The administration is in contact with police to maintain peace".





In view of the tension prevailing after the Dera chief's conviction the mobile internet services have been blocked for 48 hours in the two districts.





Additional director general of police (ADGP), law and order N R K Reddy said, "To avoid any sort of violence several companies of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) have been deployed in Bikaner, Hanumangarh, and Sriganganagar". According to the sources, Dera supporters have been asked not to carry out any procession or stage dharnas.





On Friday following the conviction of Ram Rahim violence broke out in both these districts. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Cr.P.C. were also imposed in both the districts.





Gurusar Modiya village in Surtagarh tehsil, which falls in Sriganganagar is the birthplace of Ram Rahim Singh. There are 25 'Deras' in Sriganganagar and Hunumangarh districts, where a large number of Dera followers reside.

Security was beefed up in the two districts of Rajasthan after a special CBI court on Monday sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment.
Congress on Monday welcomed the moves by India and China to de-escalate the tension in the Doklam region and expected the Modi government to brief opposition parties on the nitty-gritty of the agreement that led to the end of the two-month standoff with Beijing.



Congress also asked the government and the ruling BJP to refrain from resorting to jingoism and euphoria over the peace moves with China as it could lead to complications.



Senior Congress leader Anand Sharma said both India and China had displayed maturity in reaching the agreement over disengagement in Doklam region. We have been saying from the beginning that the two sides should avoid confrontation and find a solution through dialogue, he said.



At the same time, Sharma said he expected the Modi government to call leaders of opposition parties to share the broad contours of the agreement reached with China.



Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who chairs the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, wanted to know who blinked first and whether the disengagement in Doklam would be simultaneous or sequential.



The trigger for the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops was over Beijing's moves to build a road in the Doklam plateau located near the tri-junction of the international border of India, Bhutan, and China.



Any undertaking that they will not build the road next month, Tharoor said on Twitter in his preliminary reaction on the Doklam announcement.



Sharma, a former Union Minister, also counseled the BJP and the Modi government against going overboard on the de-escalation of tensions with China.



We are happy that a conflict has been prevented. At the same time, jingoism and euphoria can be counter-productive and can create complications, Sharma cautioned.



Sharma said he had expected a solution to the stand-off in Doklam before the BRICS summit scheduled for September 3-5 in Xiamen in China.



Good sense appears to be prevailing and diplomatic channels have been functioning. ... It was but expected that prior to the BRICS Summit in September first week, there will be a serious attempt to end the standoff. We will await the details of what understanding has been reached, Sharma said.



The senior Congress leader was also dismissive of China's assertions that its troops would continue to patrol the Doklam region. China has been patrolling that areahistorically. One should not read too much into it, Sharma said.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has instructed CID officials to fast track the probe into the killing of rationalist and Kannada writer M M Kalburgi at Dharwad in August 2015.



"On August 30, as people in the state hold meeting to mark the second anniversary of the sad killing of Dr M M Kalburgi, I would like to assure the people of Karnataka that my government will make all efforts to bring the criminals to book."



"The Karnataka police team has been given instructions to increase cooperation between the investigating team in Maharashtra and the investigating team in Karnataka and to examine all inputs closely," Siddaramaiah said.



"I would like to assure the people of Karnataka that our investigating team is close to solving the crime and appropriate action shall follow soon. I am determined to put the investigation on a fast track," he was quoted in a statement released by his office.



The 77-year-old Kalburgi fell to the bullets of two unidentified men at his residence at Dharwad in north Karnataka, considered the state's cultural capital, in August 30, 2015.



The state CID is probing the killing, which has led to national outrage with several writers returning their Sahitya Akademi awards over "rising intolerance", citing the murder of Kalburgi as one of the reasons for their action.



Explaining about the investigation so far, the Chief Minister said during the investigations, the probe team has analysed all inputs and has been in constant touch with the teams investigating similar killings of Dr Narendra Dabholkar and Comrade Govind Pansare in Maharashtra.



He said both teams have found close links between the crimes committed in Maharashtra and the crime committed in Karnataka.



Anti-superstition crusader Dabholkar was shot dead in Pune on August 20, 2013, while Pansare, a prominent anti-toll activist and rationalist, was shot-at in Kolhapur on 16 February 2015. He died in Mumbai four days later.



Pointing out that during the last year several delegations of concerned citizens had expressed their anguish to him about the investigation, Siddaramaiah said taking cognisance of their sentiment, the Karnataka government has moved ahead in the matter with full commitment to bringing the criminals to book.



"Karnataka has a long tradition of thinkers and social reformers. It enjoys the reputation as a State with peace and order.The people of Karnataka have held their writers and thinkers in high esteem and that has helped literature and the arts to flourish in the State," he said.



"Considering the importance of our pluralistic cultural traditions, our Government is firmly committed to root out any attempt at spreading intolerance in the state and all fanatic fringes spreading fear among the community of writers and intellectuals," he said.
Dr Edmond Fernandes, the founder and CEO of the Center for Health and Development (CHD) Group and also a guest faculty at the Department of Public Health, Nitte University has been invited as a resource person to address the regional forum on translating global frameworks into practice.



This is being organised by United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in collaboration with other global independent bodies like the GIZ, IFRC, ADPC and UNDP.

A release said that Asian countries are being brought together into this dialogue on what is said to be the way forward to optimise and translate global policies into grass-root actions.



Dr Edmond Fernandes will be deliberating on how frameworks on disaster risk reduction can be strengthened by mainstreaming health in all policies across different sectors and agencies.

He will also be highlighting the path of South cooperation at the ASEAN level which will help create a new world order to strengthen international development and achieve disaster resilience and bring meaningful climate change adaptation practices.



Different countries will also share their experience and methods of handling a disaster response and share the best practices at this Asia level dialogue.

The coherence approach is emphasised in the various global, regional and national frameworks pertaining to disaster risk reduction and the United Nations member States in Asia and the Pacific have called for enhancing regional co-operation to build resilience to disasters in the region.



Besides, Dr Edmond Fernandes will be holding parallel meetings with Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University and other Institutes in Thailand to further the public health agenda for Asia.

The three landmark frameworks- the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, have all called upon member States to mainstream disaster resilience in the context of sustainable development.



The role of local governments in decentralising the risk informed development and adapting the global agendas to local milieu and constraints involved in doing so is in the process of being fully operationalised, Dr Edmond said.



Dr Fernandes is also a member of Health Task Force, DDMA, Government of Karnataka.
Mulinja Narayanan, retired joint director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who filed the charge sheet against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in two murder and rape cases, in which Baba has been convicted, says the imprisonment for Babas crimes is too less.



Narayanan, was serving as Deputy Inspector General (DIG), CBI, Special Crime Region, Delhi, when he was assigned Babas case. Narayanan, who was in the city on a trip, told Deccan Herald that Baba has a huge crime record and the punishment is very less.

According to Narayanan, Baba has spoiled the life of many girls, but many victims have now settled in life and would not recall the torment.

Narayanan, who retired in 2009 as CBI JD, recalling his experience of investigating Babas case, said, in 2007, the then CBI director handed him over Babas case following a directive of the Punjab High Court. But, two senior officials exerted pressure on him to close it. Four to five MPs visited the CBI Director, asking him to exert pressure on me to close the case for which I refused, Narayanan said.

Though the case was filed in 2002, there was no progress till 2007. Due to the lapses, the high court issued a notice to the director to report on the progress in the case. When there was no progress, the court directed to appoint a senior officer to investigate and set a deadline of 57 days to submit the report.

Narayanan and his team submitted the report (164 CrPC statement), in all the three cases, before the CBI Special Court, in Ambala, in 56 days. On the 57th day, the same was produced before the High Court by the CBI Director.

We prepared and submitted 28 pages of charge sheet and 1,000 pages of supporting documents against Baba in three cases, Narayanan said.

When we were assigned the task, we first listed out the missing girls from Dera. In two years, nearly 200 girls were missing and we managed to find out 10 of them. During investigation, only two girls revealed that they were raped. We faced a huge difficulty in recording their statements as the girls were married and their husbands were unaware of the crime. Some girls even approached the National Womens Commission (NWC), alleging that we were harassing them, he said.

According to Narayanan, the anonymous complaint by Sadvi reached the high court and then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee via courier. It had been posted from Hoshiarpur in Punjab.

Baba used to live in a cave, enjoying all modern facilities. He used to sexually assault the girls staying in the Dera hostel. There was a direct entry to the ladies hostel from the cave and Baba used to call the girls at 10 pm everyday. All the guards and supervisers of the cave were women, the retired officer explained.

During investigation, the officer used to get threats from several quarters. Baba had maintained a gang of goons to snub the people, who raise voice against him.

Narayanan has been part of several high profile cases and has also been honored with the President Police and Indian Police awards for his service. The high profile cases include Rajiv Gandhi assassination, Babri Masjid demolition, Kandahar plane hijacking, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir terrorist cases.
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deubas five-day visit to India was productive. The two sides signed eight agreements covering post-earthquake reconstruction, hydropower infrastructure and co-operation in tackling drug trafficking. India had promised Nepal $1 billion toward post-earthquake reconstruction but work had not taken off so far as Nepal needed to set up a nodal body to handle the reconstruction. That has been done finally, and India set the reconstruction ball rolling by signing four Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) worth $250 million. This should provide relief to Nepal. Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Deuba also inaugurated the Kataiya-Kusaha and Raxaul-Parwanipur cross-border power transmission lines. The two sides also reiterated the importance of defence and security co-operation in their relationship.



Deubas visit to India came amidst an India-China standoff over Bhutans Doklam plateau. Like Bhutan, Nepal, too, lies between the two Asian giants. What position it takes in the event of a Sino-Indian military face-off is a matter of immense importance to India. Prior to Deubas visit, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj was in Nepal. Close on the heels of her interaction with Nepali officials was the visit of Chinas Vice-Premier, Wang Yang, to woo Kathmandu. Deubas visit to Delhi came soon after. That he chose Delhi and not Beijing as the destination of his first official visit abroad since becoming prime minister in June is significant. His statements that his government would never allow anti-India activities on Nepali soil is heartening. However, India cannot take Nepals support for granted. The Nepali government has said it will not take sides. Balancing between its two neighbours has been its policy for decades. Nepal may be hugely dependent on India but Chinas influence in that country has grown in recent years. Foreign Secretary Jaishankar has said that the Doklam standoff did not figure in talks. If it indeed did not, India lost an important opportunity to put forward its case on the issue to the Nepali leadership.



Anti-India sentiment in Nepal remains problematic. That it can be ratcheted up even on non-issues was demonstrated when Deubas remarks in New Delhi on Nepals constitution raised hackles at home. He was attacked for surrendering to India. Nepal goes to the polls in a few months, and Nepali parties and politicians can be expected to stir anti-India feelings. That would work in Chinas favour. India must not be seen to be supporting one party or another. Its position in the Himalayas will be severely weakened if anti-India feeling there grows.
A 36-year-old married man allegedly raped the 13-year-old daughter of his neighbour after finding out that she was alone at home. The incident occurred in North Bengaluru's Basaveshwaranagar police station limits around 3 pm on Sunday.

Srinivas went to the victim's house on the pretext of watching television after her parents went out. Since he is a neighbour, the unsuspecting girl let him in. Her parents had left home on some errand.

Srinivas learnt from the girl that her parents will not be coming anytime soon. He then sexually abused her and left the house. In the evening, when the girls parents returned, they found her perturbed. She seemed anxious and did not eat dinner properly. When the mother asked her what was the matter, she revealed it all.

The family later filed a complaint at the Basaveshwaranagar police station. Srinivas was arrested from his house on Monday.

Srinivas has been booked for rape under the IPC, sections 4, 6, 8, and 12 of the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, and the Atrocities Act, a senior police officer said.

Both the suspect and the victim were subjected to medical examination. Since the suspect is a neighbour, police are investigating if he had sexually assaulted the girl or other women in the locality previously. Preliminary investigation shows that he has no criminal record.

Srinivas works as an office assistant at a photo studio in Majestic. He has been married for 12 years and has a 10-year-old daughter who is in the fourth standard, police said.
The Supreme Court on Monday expressed its disinclination to interfere with the conviction and life term sentence awarded to four people in the Indian Institute Science (IISc) attack case of 2005.

A bench of Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara, which had earlier sought a report from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to ascertain antecedents of the convicts, told their counsel, We can't help you.

Representing the convicts, advocates Nitya Ramakrishnan, Sidharth Dave, Farrukh Rasheed and others, however, contended the trial court has sentenced them to seven years imprisonment but the High Court of Karnataka had enhanced it to life imprisonment by holding them guilty of conspiracy for waging war against the country.

The trial court's conviction for criminal conspiracy was set aside by the high court, they said.



The state government, represented by Additional Advocate General Devdutt Kamat, opposed their plea for enlargement by reducing their prison term to the period already served by them.



The counsel for the convicts sought to know the stand of the NIA and if it was being held against them. But, the bench declined to part with the NIA report, saying, This was for our consideration. It is not held against you. We wanted to know some more information.



On insistence by the counsel that they wanted to argue the matter on quantum of sentence, the bench agreed to put the matter for consideration after four weeks.

The convicts are Mohammed Razhur Rehman alias Umesh, a native of Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh, Afsar Pasha alias Basheeruddin, a resident of Lakkasandra in Bengaluru, Mohammed Irfan of Mulbagal in Kolar district and Nazmuddin alias Munna from Chintamani in Chikkaballapur district.

All the four are lodged in central prison, Vijaynagar. The Bengaluru police claimed all of them belonged to the banned terror outfit, Lashkar-e-Taiba.

In their appeal filed by advocate Rasheed, the petitioners contended the high court as well as the trial court had categorically found that there was no evidence to hold them guilty of the offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.



Among other grounds, they submitted that the police had failed to provide any material to connect them to the banned organisation, except the statements recorded by them, which could not be relied upon as evidence.
A 21-year-old man was stabbed to death for staring at a group of men during Ganesh Chaturthi festivities in Hanumanthnagar on Sunday evening.

The deceased, identified as Ganesh, was a resident of Kalappa Block and a car driver, the police said.

According to the police, around 5 pm near Udaya Ravi studio in Srinagar, Ganesh stared at a gang and confronted them for teasing him. The gang of six to seven, headed by one Prithvi, had gathered in the locality for Ganesh Chathurthi festivities.

It was a petty argument and the group of youths, who were drunk, left the spot. Later, at around 7.30 pm, the gang returned to the spot and picked a quarrel with Ganesh and stabbed him before fleeing from the spot.

Neighbours and passersby rushed to Ganeshs help and informed the police. They initially shifted him to Srinagar Nursing Home from where he was taken to Shekar Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 8.50 pm, the police said.



Hanumanthnagar police registered a case ofmurder and picked up seven men for questioning.
Bhutan on Monday kept mum even as India and China ended the more-than-two-month-long military face-off at Doklam Plateau, an area the Himalayan Kingdom claimed as its own.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutanese Government in Thimphu did not issue any statement even after New Delhi confirmed that both Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army had withdrawn the soldiers from the scene of the face-off at Doklam Plateau.

The trouble started in Doklam Plateau on June 16, when Chinese PLA soldiers came to the area with heavy earth-moving machinery and started building a motorable road towards a camp of the Royal Bhutanese Army.

Thimphu has always been claiming Doklam Plateau as an integral part of Bhutan. Beijing, however, has been contesting the claim of Thimphu.

The PLA soldiers brushed aside protests by the personnel of the Royal Bhutan Army and moved ahead with the construction of the road.

Indian Army soldiers posted in nearby Doka La post in Sikkim went to the scene on June 18 and stopped construction of the road by the Chinese PLA personnel. This resulted in the face-off which continued for weeks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bhutanese Government on June 29 issued a press-release stating that Thimphu had conveyed it to Beijing that the construction of the road by the Chinese PLA personnel in the territory of Bhutan was a direct violation of the agreements and affects the process of demarcating the boundary between our two countries.



Thimphu also stated that it hoped that the status quo in the Doklam Plateau would be restored as before the Chinese PLA soldiers' arrival in the area to build the road.

A day after the press-release was issued in Thimphu, New Delhi stated that Indian Army soldiers had gone to Doklam Plateau in close coordination with Royal Government of Bhutan to stop the Chinese PLA personnel from building the road.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping will next month discuss ways to settle the tri-junction boundary points where India and China have territorial disputes involving third countries.

Modi and Xi will hold a bilateral meeting on the sideline of the BRICS (a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit, which is likely to take place from September 3 to 5 at Xiamen in south-eastern China.



With the military face-off in Doklam Plateau near India-China-Bhutan boundary point now over, Prime Minister and Chinese President are likely to discuss ways to work with governments of the third countries to settle disputes in the tri-junction areas, sources told the DH in New Delhi.

New Delhi is keen to have a trilateral arrangement led by senior officials of India, China and Bhutan for settling dispute over the tri-junction boundary point.

Apart from Bhutan, India and China share tri-junction boundary points with Myanmar and Nepal  at Diphu Pass and Lipulekh Pass respectively.

New Delhi and Beijing had in 2012 agreed that the tri-junction boundary points among India, China and third countries would be finalized in consultation with the third countries.

Xi is also expected to nudge Modi to fast-track the settlement of bilateral dispute over the Sikkim Sector of the China-India boundary, sources in New Delhi said.

Beijing has been prodding New Delhi to agree on an early-harvest agreement to settle the dispute on this stretch, while continuing the negotiations on the rest of the boundary.



New Delhi, however, has so far been cautious about the proposal and maintained that it would prefer a comprehensive settlement over the entire India-China boundary, rather than resolving it in piecemeal manner.

New Delhi and Beijing already have a bilateral mechanism for dialogue to resolve the dispute over India-China boundary. The Special Representatives of India and China represent the governments of the respective countries in the dialogue.



Modi's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China's State Counsellor Yang Jiechi currently lead the mechanism as Special Representatives of the two governments.

Beijing, however, insists that since the boundary between the two neighbours at Sikkim Sector had already been delimited by the 1890 convention between UK and China, the mandate of the Special Representatives exclude this stretch of the boundary.



New Delhi argues that while the status of Sikkim as an integral part of India has been settled and accepted by Beijing long back, China-India boundary in the Sikkim Sector remained unsettled and must be negotiated by the two governments' Special Representatives.
The 72-day long military standoff between India and China came to an end on Monday with both sides withdrawing troops from the Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan.

Neither New Delhi, nor Beijing divulged the details of the understanding they arrived at to end the standoff. Sources, however, said that the Indian Army had withdrawn its soldiers after Chinese People's Liberation Army had agreed to suspend the construction of a road in Doklam Plateau for now.

Sources in New Delhi also said that the Chinese PLA had pulled out its troops from the scene after the withdrawal of the Indian Army soldiers.

The standoff ended just about a week before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Xiamen in south-eastern China to attend the BRICS (a bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit from September 3 to 5. He is likely to have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the summit.

The Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi announced around noon on Monday that India and China had agreed on "expeditious disengagement" of border personnel at the Doklam Plateau on the basis of "diplomatic communication" between the two nations. It also said that New Delhi had been able to express its "views" and convey its "concerns and interests" to Beijing over the recent weeks.

After the MEA issued the statement in New Delhi, Beijing confirmed withdrawal of India Army soldiers from Doklam, but declined to clarify if Chinese PLA had also pulled out troops from the scene.

"On the afternoon on August 28 (Monday), India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary," Hua Chunying, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese government, was quoted by PTI in a report from Beijing. "Chinese personnel on the ground have verified this." She indicated that the Chinese PLA soldiers would keep on conducting patrolling in the area.

By evening, New Delhi, however, clarified that withdrawal of border personnel of both India and China had almost completed.

Beijing, however, did not budge from its stand that Doklam Plateau was an integral part of China and it had no dispute over the area with Bhutan. "The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions," Hua said in Beijing.

The standoff

The standoff started on June 18 when soldiers from Indian Army's forward post at Doka La in Sikkim went to the Doklam Plateau to stop personnel of the Chinese PLA from constructing a road.



The PLA soldiers had started building the road along the disputed border between Bhutan and China on June 16, brushing aside protests from the Royal Bhutanese Army personnel deployed nearby. The intervention by Indian Army soldiers two days later resulted in the standoff, which went on for weeks.

New Delhi has been arguing that the Indian Army had to intervene as the road the Chinese PLA had been building would have a serious security implication for India and would have unilaterally changed the status quo on India-China-Bhutan tri-junction boundary.

Beijing maintained that it was well within its sovereign rights to build the road as the area was an indisputable part of China.
Business / Companies

by Staff reporter

Sacked Air Zimbabwe (AirZim) workers have rejected the parastatal's retrenchment package, saying it had been imposed on them in violation of the Labour Act.The Daily News on Sunday can exclusively reveal that a meeting which was held between AirZim management and the fired employees on Thursday last week ended in a stalemate after workers turned down the package.The airline, which was represented by its human resources officials and an independent consultant, refused to budge and stuck to its offer, saying it was in terms of Section 12(28:1) of the Labour Act.The troubled State-run airline, which dismissed the 200 workers on three months' notice, said it was willing to pay retrenchment packages of at least two weeks' salary for every year served.Officials from the National Employment Council (NEC) then walked out of the meeting after being told by AirZim management that they were not supposed to make any contributions to discussions, rendering them mere spectators.Transport and Infrastructural Development minister Joram Gumbo said the funds to bankroll the retrenchment packages were available."The board approached me with a retrenchment request which I accepted given the troubles at Air Zimbabwe. I then set out to look for funds so that these people do not go empty-handed. I can confirm that the funds are now in place and the distribution will start soon," Gumbo said.He, however, declined to state the amount he raised and the source of the funds, referring further questions to AirZim board chair Chipo Dyanda.Dyanda said: "I prefer not to discuss these matters through papers until the process is complete. I can only confirm the retrenchment is on course and a plan exists to deal with their packages."An ex-AirZim worker said: "There was a meeting with all the employees who were fired last week who are covered under NEC, but there was no progress in that meeting."AirZim is just offering two weeks for every year served and are not willing to budge. There are other outstanding issues that need to be ironed out."We asked them (management) about other pending dues such as outstanding salaries, pensions, housing allowances, bonuses and long service awards."We also demanded that a letter be written to each of the affected employees stating respective individual packages and how they are going to be paid, which they said would be done in two weeks' time," the worker said.The loss-making national carrier, saddled with a $300 million debt, had its biggest head-count reduction in almost two decades last month when it cut 200 jobs as it seeks to return to profitability.Gumbo has said the airline was posting a colossal loss of $2 million monthly.
By Phuong Le

28 August 2017

SEATTLE (Associated Press)  A marine net pen holding 305,000 farmed Atlantic salmon collapsed recently, releasing thousands of fish into Puget Sound and renewing concerns that a new proposed salmon farm could harm wild salmon stock and cause other environmental damage.

The release at Cooke Aquacultures facility comes as the company is proposing new expanded commercial facility in the Strait of Juan de Fuca in Washington state.Canada-based Cooke, which operates five salmon farms in Washington that it acquired last year, would build 14 floating circular net pens about 1  miles (1.61 kilometers) offshore. It would move current operations from Port Angeles Harbor and increase production by 20 percent. The project is in the permitting phase.

Critics say the recent fish escape highlights potential risks of open-sea fish farming. They worry about water pollution from fish feed and the potential for farmed fish to spread of diseases and parasites to wild fish.

These are open net pens. Theyre not isolated from surrounding environment, said Chris Wilke, executive director of the Puget Soundkeeper Alliance, which opposes the project. []Theyre trying to imply that this was some unnatural natural event. This was absolute negligence on their part, said Kurt Beardslee, executive director of the Wild Conservancy. Fish farms are polluting every single day a massive amount of phosphorous and nitrogen into the waters that were trying to clean up. []The Lummi Nation has been so concerned about the fish escapes that tribal anglers have been trying to catch the Atlantic salmon before they enter local rivers. The tribe declared a state of emergency Thursday, saying the fish spill needs to be addressed immediately. Tribal officials are worried that farmed salmon will eat native fish or disturb its spawning grounds. [more]
News / Africa

by CPJ

New York - Congolese authorities should immediately drop all charges against Jean Pierre Tshibitshabu, a reporter for the independent broadcaster Radio Television KADEKAS, and investigate claims that the journalist was assaulted in custody, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.Security forces arrested Tshibitshabu in Lubumbashi on July 31, while he was covering protests calling for elections, according to the journalist's lawyer, David Ilunga Sheria, and the Congolese press freedom advocacy organization Journalistes en Danger. The Democratic Republic of Congo has experienced unrest since December last year, when President Joseph Kabila failed to hold scheduled elections at the end of his term.Tshibitshabu, who was arrested alongside four activists, has been charged with "incitement and provocation," Ilunga told CPJ. The lawyer told CPJ that when he was leaving Kasapa Central Prison after visiting the journalist on August 18, he witnessed prison inmates repeatedly slap and hit Tshibitshabu, and said that the prison guards did not intervene. The journalist sustained multiple cuts and bruises in the attack. Ilunga said that the prison failed to provide adequate medical treatment and that Tshibitshabu is still suffering from multiple injuries.CPJ's repeated phone calls to Justin Kutule, the director of Kasapa prison, went unanswered."Congolese authorities should immediately release Jean PierreTshibitshabu, drop all charges against the journalist, and take action against those who attacked him in prison," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal. "Journalists must be permitted to operate freely without fear of harassment or detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo, especially during times of tension."On the day of his arrest, police confiscated Tshibitshabu's phone and seized about 30,000 Congolese francs (US$19) as well as US$20 in cash, Ilunga told CPJ, adding that the Tshibitshabu planned to file a complaint against the security forces.When CPJ contacted the Lubumbashi police, a person who identified himself only as Major Paul refused to comment.Chaertk Ntamdwe, the director of Radio Television KADEKAS, told CPJ the station is contacting international organizations to highlight Tshibitshabu's case and secure his release. The journalist is due to appear in a Lubumbashi court on August 29, his lawyer told CPJ.CPJ is aware of at least 18 other journalists detained or harassed by Congolese security forces on the same day Tshibitshabu was arrested. The other arrested journalists were released without charge.
News / Africa

by Staff reporter

DA leader Mmusi Maimane was the butt of jeers among FNB employees in e-mails as his wife, Natalie, is white.A negative comment about DA leader Mmusi Maimane on WhatsApp is among the many political comments that led to the sacking of four young FNB ANC-supporting employees.Siphesihle Jele, Simon Masimula, Sipho Coke and Xolani Nkosi, who were employed as premium bankers at FNB in Inanda, Sandton, were fired for "political talk and using insulting language" after the bank monitored their business e-mails and WhatsApp group conversations for several months last year.In one of the e-mails another employee, Linda Mahaye, said: "I'm shocked Mmusi Maimane's wife is white," to which Jele responded: "White voice, white party, white wife, very soon he will be a Michael Jackson and bleach his skin."In his response to an e-mail from Masimula, Jele wrote: "If we don't want white people to look down at us, we then should stop the notion that everything white is beautiful."Luck or anything good and everything black is associated with ugliness, black sheep, etc, cos (sic) that simply means if you're almost white then almost beautiful and if you're darker then you're far from being beautiful."Jele was also accused of inciting fellow employees after he forwarded a WhatsApp message stating: "Leaders, as we wake up even on a Saturday and going to slavery, let us also not forget that a black employee cannot afford to buy a house, cannot afford to buy a car and also cannot afford to provide basic commodities for his/her family. Leaders, it is upon us to fight for equality and to transform that untransformed FNB. Leaders, it is also true that the time is now."Another e-mail that landed Jele in hot water was his response to a colleague, Sbusiso Nyembe, in which he wrote: "The imperialists are the ones we should be using our energy and resources cos (sic) they are milking our country and continent and they are not remorseful about that. They brutally ruined our land, killing them, our forefathers, and they are still not remorseful about that. Instead they want us to think they are mentally superior."These comments saw Jele and his three colleagues being accused by the bank of "making (a) racially-based and motivated statement which is generalised, which constitutes discriminatory sloganism and which is racist and bigoted in nature".They were subsequently slapped with 10 charges including "gross misconduct and breach of your duty of good faith towards the bank". The four were also accused of causing "an irretrievable breakdown of the trust and working relationships between yourself and the bank, to the extent that the bank and its managers no longer believe that they can exercise confidence in you to exercise your duties as a premier banker or in any other capacity at the bank".In response to e-mailed questions on the matter, FNB spokesperson Shamala Moodley said the bank "respects every employee's constitutional right to privacy and freedom of association". She confirmed the four employees were dismissed "following a thorough and vigorous internal disciplinary and Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration process".Moodley said the bank considered the matter closed. However, the employees believed their dismissal was politically motivated.Jele, 30, said he and his colleagues would still have been employed by FNB if, in their intercepted conversations, they had said something negative about the ANC or President Jacob Zuma.Jele said his "unfair" dismissal made it virtually impossible for him to find a new job. "Life has become a living nightmare for me. I can't provide for my three daughters and my family back home in KwaZulu-Natal."I paid a heavy price for exercising my constitutionally guaranteed right to freely express myself I doubt we would have been dismissed if we had heaped praise on Mmusi Maimane and the DA."Our dismissal was also racially motivated because we had a grievance against a senior white colleague who was victimising us as we were advocates of transformation within the bank," claimed Jele."Clearly, that did not go down well with the bank management, which started, without alerting us, monitoring our e-mails, an act which was a gross violation of our privacy."Masimula, 36, also said he was the breadwinner and it would be extremely difficult to take care of his three children and his family."I was also taking care of my parents and extended family. Our reputation has been seriously damaged and has made it virtually impossible for us to get new jobs."I have been submitting several job applications and haven't received a single call," he added.Masimula called on employers not to punish their staff for freely expressing themselves on issues they felt strongly about."What we found strange, once disciplinary processes started, was that our employer started beefing up security."How do you unleash armed security guards on young employees who are privately expressing themselves on e-mail and social media?" Masimula asked.
The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has been confirmed by its CEO and will be designed by French designer Philippe Starck. The handset is expected to use Samsung's Super AMOLED display and thinner bezels than its predecessor.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, the second generation bezel-less display smartphone, is expected to debut on September 12. According to a new leak originating from China, the Mi Mix 2 will be announced on the same date as Apple's rumoured 2017 iPhone lineup.

Back in February, Xiaomi CEO confirmed that the company is working on the Mi Mix 2 and that it will also be designed by French designer Philippe Starck. The original Mi Mix ditched the bezels on three sides surrounding the display and Starck has posted design renders on his official Facebook page indicating that the handset will sport a thinner bottom bezel this time around. The smartphone is expected to use Samsung made Super AMOLED display and sport a taller 18:9 aspect ratio, also seen on smartphones like Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+, Galaxy Note 8 and LG G6 and Q6.

The images of the handset that leaked early this month also suggest an all-screen design similar to one found on Andy Rubin's Essential Phone. The Mi Mix 2 is expected to be thinner than its predecessor and a new leak seems to show the back panel of the device. The leaked image reveals a ceramic back panel with two circular cutouts on the top. The cutouts could be meant for either a dual camera setup or a single camera and fingerprint sensor placed below the camera. The image also suggests a dual stereo speaker setup and USB Type-C port at the bottom.

Xiaomi is likely to follow Samsung and LG to adopt a facial recognition feature and leaked benchmarks suggest the use of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chipset coupled with 6GB RAM and a beefy 4500mAh battery. The handset is also tipped to feature a 19MP primary camera and retail at 4,999 Yuan (around Rs 50,000).
Under this partnership, Airtel will be the exclusive cyber security services partner for Symantec in India and will distribute Symantecs enterprise security software mainly targeting the business to business sector.

Airtel and Symantec have announced a strategic partnership with the goal of tackling cyber threats and providing top of the line cyber security solutions to businesses in India. The partnership aims to address the challenges of the cloud generation with Symantecs Integrated Cyber Defense Platform. It also aims to provide their customers with greater visibility, stronger protection and prevention, and better control of critical assets, users and data.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO, Bharti Airtel said, Increasingly sophisticated cyber threats with a potential to disrupt business continuity are the new normal in todays digitally connected world. Enterprises need to guard against these emerging threats and Airtel, with its experience in serving businesses with integrated connectivity solutions, is uniquely positioned to serve them. We are delighted to partner with Symantec and offer its world-class Integrated Cyber Defense Platform and solutions to customers in India. It will help us add value to our existing enterprise relationships and further consolidate our leadership position in the B2B space.

Symantecs CEO Greg Clark noted that there is an increasing threat in the cyber space and this partnership between Airtel and Symantec will prove beneficial for the businesses in India. He added, The alliance is directed towards empowering businesses in order to protect their on-premise as well as fast growing cloud environment through every stage of an attack lifecycle by combining the broadest and deepest set of threat intelligence in the industry.

This strategic partnership comes amidst the increased incidents of cyber attacks over the past few months. This includes the Petya and WannaCry ransomware incidents, which affected multiple systems all around the globe. Combating online threats is even more important now given the increased digitization through digital India.




Article by Matt S.

Hi all, just a quick note to say that its that time of year again! Im heading over to Japan for a month or so to go to Hatsune Miku concerts, TGS, and go discover new things about the country I havent experienced yet.

As always, Ill do doing daily posts about my time over there, complete with plenty of photos that Ill take along the way. I even have a new camera and stuff, so it should be fun!

And of course, if you have any questions about Japan, or what I get up to, please do speak up. One of the things I care about a great deal is highlighting that Japan has an impossibly deep history that goes far further than Samurai Warriors, and offers so much to do that doesnt involve eating sushi and hitting up Akihabara. Ill be doing plenty of the touristy stuff too, but I always try and visit new and different locations within the country why I stay there, away from the beaten track and tourist trail, and I hope that side of things is interesting to you.

Of course, while Im there, there will be a little disruption to the usual flow of what we do at DDNet. Dont worry  along with the daily journal, weve got plenty of interesting stuff planned, but if reviews are slower than normal or less frequent, apologies in advance. Of course, weve got a great team of writers at DDNet who will be covering all the big stuff, but as Ill be out and about, my capacity as editor will be a little more limited than Id like.

But anyway, its going to be a great month. Japan is the best.

P.S: These trips to Japan are incredibly expensive, and while they in part a holiday for me  the only holiday I really take  , I also do try and make them a value-add for all our wonderful readers, because I know how much Japan interests many of you, and I know some of you have found interesting places to visit and things to do in your own trips to Japan from these journals. If you feel like Im doing a good job  or that the site in general have been useful to you with its often fierce independence, please do consider supporting me on my Patreon. Even a dollar a month is really appreciated; it shows people care enough about what Ive dedicated so much of my professional career to doing, and really does make it all worthwhile. The links just below here.

 Matt S.

Editor-in-Chief








Save my User ID and Password

Some subscribers prefer to save their log-in information so they do not have to enter their User ID and Password each time they visit the site. To activate this function, check the 'Save my User ID and Password' box in the log-in section. This will save the password on the computer you're using to access the site.

Note: If you choose to use the log-out feature, you will lose your saved information. This means you will be required to log-in the next time you visit our site.
Subscriber content preview

By KEN THOMAS and CATHERINE LUCEY

Associated Press

WASHINGTON  Fanning the flames of GOP discord, President Donald Trump is accusing Republican congressional leaders of botching efforts to avoid an unprecedented default on the national debt. Could have been so easy-now a mess! Trump tweeted.

The president's sharp words underscored the perilous state of play as Congress heads into the fall without a clear plan to take care of its most important piece of business: If it does not increase the nation's $19.9 trillion borrowing limit, the government could be unable to pay its bills, jarring financial markets and leading to other harsh consequences.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

SEATTLE (AP)  Seattle has agreed to pay a law firm up to $250,000 to help defend the city's new income tax on wealthy households.

The Seattle Times reported Thursday that City Attorney Pete Holmes has turned to Seattle-based Pacifica Law Group, agreeing to pay three Pacifica attorneys rates of $495, $285 and $265 per hour with the firm agreeing to charge no more than $250,000 in total.





. . .
News / National

by Staff Reporter

The Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa says the Muzenda family played a critical role during the liberation struggle.He said this when he offered his condolences to the Muzenda family following the death of Mbuya Maud Muzenda on Tuesday.Mnangagwa who visited the Muzenda family this evening at their Chispite home in Harare said he is one of the many cadres who got support from Mbuya Muzenda during the liberation struggle.He paid tribute to both Mbuya Muzenda and her husband the late Vice President Simon Vengai Muzenda for being a rare and loving couple.He expressed his gratitude at visiting the Muzenda family as he said that he has not been feeling well.From the Muzenda homestead, Vice President Mnangagwa proceeded to Belvedere to console the Rutanhire family following the death of Peter Clever George Rutanhire on Saturday.
Subscriber content preview

SEATTLE  A warehouse property at 801 S. Fidalgo St. sold for $5.66 million, according to King County records.

The seller was Michigan Street Buildings LLC, which acquired the property in 2006 for $10.1 million. That prior sale included two other parcels that were not part of this transaction.





. . .
Subscriber content preview

CLEVELAND (AP)  E-commerce giant Amazon plans to build a massive warehouse outside Cleveland on the site of a closed shopping mall.

The Plain Dealer reports Amazon finalized a lease deal Thursday to build an 855,000-square-foot (79,431-sq. meter) warehouse in North Randall, a village of just over 1,000 people.





. . .
Tinnitus, a chronic ringing or buzzing in the ears, has eluded medical treatment and scientific understanding. A new study by University of Illinois researchers found that chronic tinnitus is associated with changes in certain networks in the brain, and furthermore, those changes cause the brain to stay more at attention and less at rest. The finding provides patients with validation of their experiences and hope for future treatment options. "Tinnitus is invisible. It cannot be measured by any device we have, the way we can measure diabetes or hypertension," says study leader Fatima Husain, a professor of speech and hearing science at the University of Illinois. "So you can have this constant sound in your head, but nobody else can hear it and they may not believe you. They may think it's all in your imagination. Medically, we can only manage some symptoms, not cure it, because we don't understand what's causing it." One factor that has complicated tinnitus research is the variability in the patient population. There are a lot of variables - for example, duration, cause, severity, concurrent hearing loss, age, type of sound, which ear and more - which have led to inconsistent study results. "We have been so swamped by variability that finding anything that is consistent, that gives us one objective metric for tinnitus, is very exciting," said Husain, who also is affiliated with the neuroscience program and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois. Using functional MRI to look for patterns across brain function and structure, the new study found that tinnitus is, in fact, in the hearers' heads -- in a region of the brain called the precuneus, to be precise. The precuneus is connected to two inversely related networks in the brain: the dorsal attention network, which is active when something holds a person's attention; and the default mode network, which are the "background" functions of the brain when the person is at rest and not thinking of anything in particular. "When the default mode network is on, the dorsal attention network is off, and vice versa. We found that the precuneus in tinnitus patients seems to be playing a role in that relationship," said Sara Schmidt, a graduate student in the neuroscience program and the first author of the paper. The researchers found that, in patients with chronic tinnitus, the precuneus is more connected to the dorsal attention network and less connected to the default mode network. Additionally, as severity of the tinnitus increased, so did the observed effects on the neural networks. The results were published in the journal NeuroImage: Clinical. "For patients, this is validating. Here is something related to tinnitus which is objective and invariant," Husain says. "It also implies that tinnitus patients are not truly at rest, even when resting. This could explain why many report being tired more often. Additionally, their attention may be engaged more with their tinnitus than necessary, and that may lessen their attention to other things. If you have bothersome tinnitus, this may be why you have concentration issues." However, patients with recent-onset tinnitus did not show the differences in precuneus connectivity. Their scans looked more like the control groups, which begs the question of when and how changes in brain connectivity begin and whether they can be prevented or lessened. "We don't know what's going to happen to the recent-onset patients later, so the next step is to do a longitudinal study to follow people after developing tinnitus and see if we can spot when these types of changes with the precuneus start to happen," Schmidt said. The researchers hope their findings generate new paths for future research, providing one invariant metric to look for and guidelines for patient groupings. "Knowing that duration and severity are factors is important, and can help guide future study design. We can look at subgroups and see differences," Schmidt said. Husain's group currently is conducting a study to look at tinnitus across military and civilian populations. More information, including how to participate, is available at http://www.acnlab.com.








News / National

by Staff Reporter

PEOPLE who abuse social media face 10 years in jail in terms of the refined Cyber Crime and Cyber Security Bill which goes to Parliament soon.Foreign-based Zimbabweans who cause harm back home using social media or any other computer-based system will be extradited and prosecuted.Among the targeted crimes are inciting violence, revenge p*rn, racist/xenophobic material, bullying, causing "substantial" emotional stress, communicating falsehoods and degrading other people.Phony websites that thrive on pilfering content from reputable publications and other intellectual property rights violators will be imprisoned for five years. Originally dubbed Computer Crime and Cyber Crime Bill, the proposed law has been re-engineered and renamed to give greater bite to enforcement. The Bill is with the Attorney-General's Office and could come into force before year-end as legislators have undertaken to fast-track its enactment.ICT, Postal and Courier Services Minister Supa Mandiwanzira told our Sunday Mail: "We have upgraded the Bill in a number of ways, and it is currently with the Office of the Attorney-General for further scrutiny. The changes are in line with Sadc guidelines to harmonise cyber security laws.Numerous crimes are being committed in cyber space. It is now time to take action against perpetrators of these offences. We are waiting for the AG's Office to scrutinise the Bill so that it goes to Parliament as soon as possible. We have done all the necessary consultations to push ahead with the Bill, and now await due process to follow."Part IV of the Bill says, "Any person who unlawfully and intentionally, by means of a computer or information system, generates and sends any data or message to another person, or posts any material whatsoever on any electronic medium accessible by any person, with the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, threaten, bully or cause substantial emotional distress, or to degrade, humiliate, harass, threaten or demean the person of another or to encourage a person to harm himself, shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine not exceeding level 10 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 10 years or both such a fine and imprisonment."The Bill provides for establishment of a Cyber Security Centre that will "advise Government and implement Government policy on cyber crime and cyber security".
The Minister for Financial Services, Michael D'Arcy, is in the Northwest today to discuss increasing investment and employment into regional hubs.

The Minister will be discussing forging closer links between Dublin and regional hubs with officials throughout the county.

Minister D'Arcy said: "The Northwest is an area of great potential for expansion in financial services. Not only home to leading IDA financial services client companies, it also benefits from a stream of talent from both sides of the border in terms of the excellent training and research programmes in the Letterkenny Institute of Technology and Magee College, University of Ulster."

He alluded to Brexit adding: "I look forward to exploring how we can address these challenges and further support the Northwest developing as a leading regional hub."

In October, the Minister will convene a dedicated forum aimed at identifying those measures that can best support the development of regional hubs for this sector.

He said: "Now, mid-way through the governments five year strategy for the sector, is the right time to review and consolidate the information and intelligence gathered from the regional programmes undertaken to date. In October I will convene a dedicated forum aimed at identifying those measures that can best support the development of regional hubs for this sector."
Daniel ODonnell, Nathan Carter and a host of country stars will take to the stage on Sunday for a concert to benefit Inishowen people affected by last week's devastating flooding.

"Flood Aid for Inishowen" is set for 3pm on Sunday, September 3rd, at the Aura Leisure Centre in Letterkenny.

Im sure like myself you are all shocked and horrified but thank God nobody lost their lives, Daniel said, in a video posted to social media. Nevertheless, he said, a lot of people have suffered.

Daniel said that they hope the concert will not only raise money to assist people in Inishowen, but also show Inishowen people the support that is out there for them, and that they are being heard.

Daniel will be joined on stage by Declan Nearney, Johnny Brady, Dominic and Barry Kirwan, and Nathan Carter with the house band.

During Daniel's current sold-out Irish tour, he saw reports of the devastation in Donegal unfold on television news and immediately responded to a call from local woman Deirdre Grant, who was putting together a fundraising event.

A few phone calls later and a line-up of stars emerged for Flood Aid for Inishowen.

TV3 television personality Noel Cunningham will host the show, assisted by Phil Mack from the Keep it Country Music Channel.

The organisers have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the many people who have already contacted them offering help.

Tickets are 30 and available through local outlets and at the Aura, and will be available through Ticketmaster from midweek.

All proceeds, after costs, are going to the Red Cross and all artists have offered their services free of charge.
Editor's Note: This story originally appeared in Wiregrass Pride, a special print section of the Dothan Eagle, Aug. 25, 2017.

While Christy Keyton talked about her North Foster Street home decor and gift store recently, visitors from New Mexico stopped in to look around.

It wasnt a rare occurrence, Keyton said. Since opening Naomi & Olive two years ago, she has had a number of customers from out of town come by to shop in her store. She said people tell her that her store is exactly what they are looking for  a locally-owned shop that offers something unique.

They enjoy that cozy feeling, that homey feeling, she said. I think people just like that feeling rather than being in a sterile mall.

Keyton is one of several small business owners who have located in downtown Dothan in recent years. The 100 block of North Foster Street where Keytons shop is located was all but abandoned 20 years ago. Now there is a restaurant, a new boutique, a yoga studio, Keytons store, and several other businesses that draw a steady flow of customers.

After 20 years operating a business from home Keyton retired, but her husband said she needed something else to do. Her booth at an antique mall turned into three booths at three malls and eventually turned into Naomi & Olive (named after Keytons two grandmothers) when the owner of Vintage Chic decided to close her store. Keyton bought the building and hasnt looked back.

I just love it down here  I love the people down here, she said. My husband and I have a real vision for this street.

Part of her vision included the vacant building next to her store, which came up for sale a while back. She bought it, had it renovated, and connected it to Naomi & Olive through a large roll-up door. Now Keytons small business includes a coffee shop called Bird and Bean, which is located in the newly renovated building. Though another coffee shop is set to open a couple blocks away in 2018, Keyton is not worried about competition from other businesses. "The more, the better," is her philosophy.

We really try to help each other because thats only going to benefit all of us, she said.

That cooperative spirit helped Terri Fortner feel more at home when she recently opened Odonata, a womens boutique, a few doors up from Keyton in what used to be the Foster Street Coffee House.

People are very friendly. Theyve come in and introduced themselves to me, Fortner said. Everybody seems very receptive.

Odonata is Fortners first business. She managed a store in Texas, but decided to open her own business after relocating to Dothan. Being downtown was a priority.

I do like the feel of older buildings and just the uniqueness of it, she said. I like unique things, so the thought of a strip mall didnt appeal.

Gretchen Schulz has watched the transformation along Foster Street since she opened Nature Gallery in December of 2006. Along the way, some of the transformation has occurred inside her own building.

What was originally an art gallery and gift shop has changed focus and now operates as a yoga and massage studio. Though the business model is completely different, Schulz has stuck with downtown.

I just love downtown, theres a charm to it, she said. I appreciate the history of the downtown and the charm.

Schulz originally saw the building when she was eating across the street and spotted a for sale sign in the window. She took a look inside and, despite the condition, she decided she wanted to open a business there.

This was the first and only building I looked at, she said. It was in total disarray. It was like a deep, dark cave. My daughters were like what are you thinking but it was fun to watch the transformation.

It took a year, but Schulz brought back to life one of the streets long-vacant buildings.

Downtown has really come a long way since we opened, she said. Im glad to see the growth,

Jessica Parker, director of merchants and marketing for the Dothan Downtown Redevelopment Authority, said the DDRA is trying hard to help businesses downtown and promote foot traffic so they can all do well.

Small business, that is downtown, she said. Thats the heart of our downtown area, is small businesses. Over the last couple of years weve had a lot of new small businesses come in and they do really well.

They also support each other, Parker said. In most cases there are only a handful of employees at each business downtown, but that can be a plus for regular customers.

Im always going to see the same faces, and I think that is important, Parker said.
A Dothan woman died Sunday in a three-vehicle crash when the car she was driving collided with a car apparently traveling in the wrong direction on U.S. 431 in Henry County.

Kelli Marie Trammell, 41, of Dothan, was killed when the 2016 Honda Civic she was driving collided head-on with a 2009 Nissan Murano driven by Lawrence L. Whitehurst, 70, of Enterprise.

Trammell was pronounced dead at the scene. Whitehurst and a second occupant were transported to Southeast Alabama Medical Center for minor injuries.

A 2017 Chevrolet Silverado was involved and the driver of that vehicle was transported to Southeast Alabama Medical Center for minor injuries.

Coroner Derek Wright said it appears the Murano turned onto the four-lane divided highway from a county road headed south in the northbound lanes. When Trammell attempted to miss it, she struck the pickup truck traveling on the same side of the road then struck the car.

The crash occurred about 10:45 a.m. about five miles south of Abbeville near the County Road 107 intersection.

Wright said Trammell was headed to church in Abbeville to join family who planned to celebrate her birthday  which was Sunday  afterwards. She was the stepdaughter of Abbeville Herald publisher Eddie Dodd.
Founders often ask me how do you know when is the right time to leave a corporate role and start your own business? Despite the fact I have a strong accounting background and am very much a numbers person, life experience has taught me this initial decision often needs to be based more on a gut feeling than any hard metrics.

[Editors note: This is the second in a 12-part series, by serial entrepreneur Tanya Titman, on the secrets to building and scaling a successful SME]

When I left my secure role with an accounting firm to branch out on my own, close to a decade ago, it was based on a feeling this was the most important next step for me. I had fallen out of love with my existing role. I felt a yearning for a bigger challenge and the freedom to take a fresh approach to the services I wanted to bring to market. On a practical level, I also craved a lifestyle change so I could have more control over how I spent time with my young family. (This last point is a common factor with female founders and can be a dangerous assessment around the work/lifestyle balance elements of running your own small to medium size business. More on that later.)

There is no magic moment to make the leap. Like many of lifes milestone decisions, if you wait for the right time or the perfect time, it will probably never happen. The key element that prompts most founders to cross the line is passion about what it is you plan to create. This is very important  it should be passion, and not fear or anger, which fuels your move from employee to employer.

1. Crunch the numbers

Whilst the commitment to make the decision often comes down to the passion, this must of course be grounded in some kind of commercial reality. Its important to sit down and make some projections around the revenue that may flow from your new business venture. Sounds simple, yet research demonstrates not enough people take this important step before they start. Here are a few questions to get you started:

What types of revenue streams can you attach to your services or products?

What is the benchmark  or price range  currently for these sorts of figures? (Do research if you dont know this already)

Is there scope to make more than a market-based salary from your new business and how will you achieve this?

What foundation revenue can you generate from day one?

What is your plan for replacing the salary you are currently on and how quickly can you do this?

Do you have enough cash in the bank to allow yourself the time and space to build towards this goal?

2. Test the idea

In the startup world, rigorous testing of a product takes place at the early stage of building a business and certainly prior to launching. It should be the same with an SME concept. How can you road test your business idea before you make the change? Assuming you are staying in a similar space professionally to the role you are leaving, can you test your assumed product or service structure on some trusted industry experts or stakeholders? If you are planning to launch an entirely separate business, you need to consider testing the idea on your end user or target audience in formal or informal focus groups  extending feedback beyond friends and families into your potential target markets to make sure this product or service is genuinely of interest and something people are willing to pay for. Just because people like the idea, doesnt mean you can commercialise it as many have learned only too painfully.

3. Plan a good exit

It is important to understand contractually what your commitments are to your existing employer before you start to communicate your exit process. Trying to do the right thing by your employer, however you may feel about them, ensures you have a base of goodwill when you start rather than an unpleasant vibe or nasty legal battle. Keep in mind, the person you are working for has gone to great lengths to build that business  often at great sacrifice and risk. Breaching your employee obligations or unethically poaching clients is like stealing. At some point in the future, you will be in a situation where you have employees exiting to start their own venture and it is fair to say that what goes around, comes around in these scenarios. Put yourself in their shoes and operate as you would hope your employees will operate in the future. Whilst you cannot always control every element, a respectful, goodwill exit is worth striving for.

In my situation, I had to buy into the partnership where I was working. This meant I had two options on exiting  either to get paid out, or to take my client base. I negotiated this on my terms and said I would like to take staff and clients. It was a grown up discussion and left us on good terms.

4. Communicate clearly

When you are ready to communicate your move to your employer, be as clear and transparent as possible about your intentions so you maintain trust in the relationship and they can work with you. Like any relationship break up, the breaker is often seen as having the upper hand while the breakee can feel jilted and blindsided. This is human nature and often what can start out as an intense initial emotional response will settle into a calm and pragmatic set of dialogue once that person has time to adjust. A few tips:

Do resign in person, and have a written follow up notice containing all the important details including dates and any response to contractual obligations.

Allow as much time as possible for the employer to adjust their own business so your departure is smooth.

Work with the employer when it comes to communicating your exit to staff and clients, but have the key messages ready that you would like to convey and negotiate the use of these so everyone looks honest and unified. This is in both parties interest.

It may not be possible in all instances, but do explore whether there is a way you could work together. It is often possible to use your existing employer as a stepping stone to building a business  for example, taking clients across with you with their agreement.

5. Set up financial safety nets

Aside from evaluating the safety nets of your family or partner if things go wrong, there are a number of other protections you should consider before you start.

Income protection insurance: Particularly where a business is solely reliant on your time in the first instance.

Part-time employment: You might be able to come up with an arrangement of working 2  3 days a week with your existing employer so you arent fully cutting off the salary in the first instance. My former Personal Assistant set up a party planning business as a side-hustle for several years and cut back to four days a week  taking the ultimate leap of shifting to a full time focus when she had the faith to do so. As someone with a low risk profile, this was the best exit plan for her.

6. Build an appropriate legal structure

Working through what is the best legal structure for your new business venture is an entire conversation in itself. The key thing is that it really does matter how you start out  dont leave this step as something you can figure out later, or change on the run. Without proper consideration, as your business grows you may find yourself needing to restructure. Consult an accountant in the first instance and potentially a lawyer, before you decide on your business structure. Another important pre-launch legal document when you have a business partner or investors is a shareholders agreement and partnership agreement, which are like pre-nuptial documents. Taking sound advice around how to appropriately and practically divide shares and salary is critical before you start  rather than when you fall into dispute.

7. Keep your significant family and friends informed

Support from friends and family is critical when building and managing a new venture  they are your cheer squad and often the financial and personal support structure beneath you. Talking to them should really happen early on in the planning stages. Involving them too late could damage the trust and support in the relationship. Having said that, it is important that whilst there is no better group to place your faith in when it comes to emotional support  its important to listen to proven experts in the field when it comes to taking advice on how you go about setting up and operating your business.

About the author
In the wake of their $1.1 million capital raise, property management startup MadeComfy has built out its senior team with three high-profile recruits to help sustain its growth rate in the short-term rentals market.

MadeComfy currently manages over 300 properties across Sydney and has seen its revenue increase by more than 500% over the last 12 months. According to Quirin Schwaighofer (COO), who co-founded MadeComfy with Sabrina Bethunin (CEO) in 2015, three positions  Chief Sales Officer (CSO), Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO)  were created and filled to enable the startup to meet its objective of managing 1000 properties across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane by the end of 2017.

Schwaighofer spoke to Dynamic Business about onboarding Tom Jowitt, former Head of Engineering at Expert360 as CTO; Nina Jung, ex-Delivery Hero International Marketing Director as CMO; and Mike Johnson, who served as Rackspace Sales and Marketing Director (APAC) as CSO.

DB: Can you give a sense of the recruitment process and criteria?

Schwaighofer: We wanted to find passionate and experienced leaders who are experts in their field, who are capable of building new company infrastructure and who strongly believe in MadeComfys values  Agility, Empowerment, Trust and Wow. Nina, Tom and Mike are all well regarded in their respective industries and have built and led successful and high performing teams in their past roles.

We screened a lot of candidates and were happy to have had incredible talent applying for the advertised roles. We also had great support from our recruitment partner TalentPool which has previously supported fast-growing startups like ZipMoney with headhunting talent. We were especially looking for people with experience working in startups as operating in a startup is a completely different situation to running an established department in a large company. We also looked for a track record of building teams, overcoming a range of challenges, and for professionals with strong passion, empathy and who would fit naturally with our values. And, of course, being fun to work with is key for the MadeComfy team.

DB: What growth will your CTO, CMO and CSO help you unlock?

Schwaighofer: Tom started at MadeComfy earlier this year and has already had his first major success with our new Home Owner platform, where our customers have full access to the past, current and future performance of their properties. This is important as financial data and transparency are so important to property investors. Tom and his team are now working on further advancing our business intelligence platform which enables us to continuously generate the highest net returns and occupancy rates. They team is also working on upgrading our operations platform to continuously increase our operational efficiency.

Nina is focusing on tailored marketing campaigns to ensure our brand and value-adding services are recognised by property investors as well as the easy-to-use MadeComfy Short Term Rental Management solution.

Mike is building our Sales and Host Experience team here in Sydney and Melbourne to ensure we are always accessible our current and future MadeComfy property owners.

DB: Did the $1.1m raise fund the hires or were they already locked in?

Schwaighofer: It is a combination. We are already operating well in terms of revenue side which helps us to grow the business organically. Our other intention from the capital raise was to get highly successful entrepreneurs and business leaders to join and support MadeComfy in our growth. It has enabled us to welcome to MadeComfys advisory board Cliff Rosenberg (former Managing Director of LinkedIn), Rolf Hansen (cofounder and former CEO of Amaysim) Peter OConnell (cofounder and former Chairman of Amaysim), Hein Vogel (Managing Director of Investec Australia) and Manfred Hasseler (early investor and advisor at Airtasker).

DB: How are you approaching competitors in the short-term rental space?

Schwaighofer: We think its great to have competition as it proves were operating in a hot market and its also a sign that more and more property owners are considering buying an investment property or sharing their home. We consider our main competitors to be the traditional real estate agents for property rentals and hotels for guests, as both are currently servicing the established markets we are disrupting. Looking at the other Airbnb management businesses, the essential difference is that MadeComfy offers a performance-based, end-to-end management service with the aim to maximise net returns for property owners and to provide a quality guest experience at the same time. Its really a winning solution for both property investors and guests. Were confident that MadeComfys culture and diverse, highly experienced team will continue to innovate and ultimately drive the professional short-term rental market in Australia.

See also: Shareconomy startup MadeComfy secures $1.1m for its short-term rental management service and Hometime scores $1.5m in funds to consolidate its position in the short-term rental market.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Government has given traditional healers the green light to start their own medical aid societies after revelations that over 80 percent of Zimbabweans prefer their services.Speaking during the Ministry of Health and Child Care public consultations for the Medical Aid Societies Bill last week, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry Dr Gerald Gwinji said traditionalhealers had a right to start their own medical insurance schemes.Mr Shooter Ngwenya from the International Traditional Healers Association had said medical aid schemes should consider covering traditional healers' patients."We have clients who do not have cash given the current crisis that we all know about," he said."They come and we offer our services and they normally ask us to go to their medical aid societies and claim our dues."We also need our payments as our services have restored a life to many. More than 80 percent of people may seek medical services, but the truth is they also come to us."According to a study conducted by the Ministry of Health and Child Care, up to 85 percent of Zimbabweans are shunning doctors and consulting prophets, faith and traditional healers for illnesses.In response, Dr Gwinji said: "Just as much as they (traditional healers) have their own associations, they have got this right to form a fund, of course. We have burial societies that people have. It is some form of insurance, which is created by communities outside the registered service providers."You cannot stop them from forming such, it's not a formal registered insurance, but it exists to serve these groups' clients as people do consult traditional healers."Dr Gwinji said Government was not in a position to ask medical aid societies to pay for the services of traditional healers."However, you cannot go to Cimas, for example, and force it to take certain sectors, which it has not defined on its own and the generality of the membership has not been notified, he said. Medical aid societies can consider that option if their members bring it up."Dr Gwinji added: "If at the AGM (Annual General Meeting) all members stand up and say we now want to pay fees to registered traditional practitioners, it is an issue that Cimas must consider as it comes through the general meeting of its own membership."He said the new Bill was meant to ensure that medical aid societies were regulated."The law cannot prescribe and force that," Dr Gwinji said. "Right now if all medical aid societies decide that business is not worth it, we cannot force any to continue doing medical aid business."It is their own free choice to say I want to run this business or not."Dr Gwinji said Government had consulted a number of stakeholders on the proposed Bill and hoped to conclude the consultations by September."We met the practitioners," he said. "Today we were meeting with stakeholders from the southern part of the country. We will hold the final consultation with medical aid societies and then conclude the discussions."This is a consultation in the development of a new law. We are currently regulated under a statutory instrument admitted by the ministry and it's a subsidiary of the Medical Services Act."We, therefore, need a regulatory framework that assures people, who are insured, that their insurance can be used for the services that they want to get. That has been one of the major challenges and the current Act does not give us enough room to manoeuvre to solve those challenges."
News / National

by Staff reporter

MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora said the MDC Alliance to challenge President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF in the 2018 elections would also be unveiled in Bulawayo on Saturday, barring any last-minute cancellations.The MDC Alliance was launched in the capital recently, bringing together the MDC-T, MDC led by Welshman Ncube, the Tendai Biti-led People's Democratic Party, Transform Zimbabwe under Jacob Ngarivhume, Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) and the Multi-Racial Christian Democratic Party.Tsvangirai's deputy Khupe and other senior party officials such as the suspended Bhebhe and Moyo have been against the opposition party engaging in a blanket coalition deal with other parties. They argue the MDC-T needs a coalition in areas where it has lost to Zanu-PF in past elections.
News / National

by Staff reporter

A POLITICAL time bomb is ticking in the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T, with his deputy, Thokozani Khupe, writing a stinging letter last week accusing the former Prime Minister of being "unapproachable and unilaterally" signing the MDC Alliance deal, which gave him excessive powers, NewsDay reported.In a letter in our possession dated August 21 and co-signed by Khupe, party chairman Lovemore Moyo and suspended organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe, they claimed that they decided to write instead of visiting Tsvangirai to register their concerns for fear of further attacks.The move by the trio emerged hardly a day after Tsvangirai suspended Bhebhe following a three-hour extraordinary national executive meeting in which Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo was reinstated to her position, while deputy treasurer-general Charlton Hwende remained suspended.The three were recently severely bashed at the party's Bulawayo provincial offices by party youths allegedly sent by Tsvangirai after they spurned the MDC Alliance signing ceremony in Harare.They added that they boycotted the MDC-T national executive council meeting held in Harare on Friday over the same security concerns.The latest move, which comes less than a week before Tsvangirai's scheduled trip to Bulawayo to officially launch the MDC Alliance, is likely to further derail the envisaged coalition pact.Part of the letter read: "We write this memorandum to reiterate our concerns about the MDC Alliance co-operation agreement you signed with other alliance partners on August 5, 2017 . . ."We are, however, concerned about the seemingly centralisation of power in one person, and method that was employed, which gave birth to the alliance agreement, which is fraught with inconsistencies, as we were never consulted regarding the substantive contents of the alliance agreement."Tsvangirai's lieutenants said while they supported the coalition pact, they were, however, concerned over the uneven distribution of constituencies in the Matabeleland region and Bulawayo, among parties to the MDC Alliance."In terms of Clause 3(c) of the Composite Political Co-operation Agreement, the party which is strongest electorally in a given constituency must field the candidate for the coalition. It is for this reason that we are against the allocation of the seats that have been allocated to other coalition partners from Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North. We are certain that the party is strongest electorally in these provinces . . . ," the top MDC-T officials said."More specifically, we are concerned about the formula or method that has been used to come up with the distribution. Precisely, because mathematically, the party has given away 45,7% of the parliamentary seats and remained with 54%."Our concern is that even if the party is to win all the contested seats, it may not achieve outright majority presidential victory."Efforts to contact Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka, Khupe and Moyo were fruitless as their mobile phones were switched off yesterday.Bhebhe refused to comment, saying: "Why do you have to call me when you have the letter?"The three also raised concern about the party only having to nominate the Speaker of Parliament with other legislative leadership positions being given to coalition partners.Khupe, Moyo and Bhebhe were also not happy with a clause giving the post of deputy mayor for Harare and Bulawayo to the Tendai Biti-led People's Democratic Party.Part of the contentious clause read: "The alliance party with the second highest elected councillors shall nominate the deputy."The MDC-T bigwigs also raised concern over the distribution of posts for chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of provincial councils and also the setting-up of a Coalition Principals' Forum and Coalition Liaison Committee, arguing "in our view these committees usurp the functions of the organs of the party".
Blog Archive June 2021 (1) May 2021 (77) April 2021 (77) March 2021 (82) February 2021 (68) January 2021 (64) December 2020 (67) November 2020 (66) October 2020 (66) September 2020 (67) August 2020 (74) July 2020 (83) June 2020 (92) May 2020 (86) April 2020 (104) March 2020 (105) February 2020 (74) January 2020 (75) December 2019 (75) November 2019 (70) October 2019 (89) September 2019 (69) August 2019 (81) July 2019 (77) June 2019 (73) May 2019 (110) April 2019 (110) March 2019 (102) February 2019 (85) January 2019 (123) December 2018 (116) November 2018 (112) October 2018 (121) September 2018 (107) August 2018 (150) July 2018 (163) June 2018 (190) May 2018 (145) April 2018 (112) March 2018 (124) February 2018 (113) January 2018 (164) December 2017 (150) November 2017 (144) October 2017 (169) September 2017 (171) August 2017 (135) July 2017 (131) June 2017 (147) May 2017 (160) April 2017 (138) March 2017 (156) February 2017 (143) January 2017 (203) December 2016 (208) November 2016 (185) October 2016 (173) September 2016 (194) August 2016 (232) July 2016 (225) June 2016 (238) May 2016 (231) April 2016 (215) March 2016 (246) February 2016 (226) January 2016 (252) December 2015 (230) November 2015 (250) October 2015 (234) September 2015 (222) August 2015 (253) July 2015 (275) June 2015 (279) May 2015 (223) April 2015 (226) March 2015 (243) February 2015 (258) January 2015 (281) December 2014 (292) November 2014 (296) October 2014 (413) September 2014 (472) August 2014 (506) July 2014 (483) June 2014 (488) May 2014 (512) April 2014 (497) March 2014 (531) February 2014 (482) January 2014 (535) December 2013 (482) November 2013 (441) October 2013 (416) September 2013 (491) August 2013 (521) July 2013 (491) June 2013 (470) May 2013 (457) April 2013 (426) March 2013 (420) February 2013 (414) January 2013 (489) December 2012 (433) November 2012 (504) October 2012 (469) September 2012 (430) August 2012 (427) July 2012 (360) June 2012 (336) May 2012 (362) April 2012 (322) March 2012 (263) February 2012 (224) January 2012 (291) December 2011 (295) November 2011 (325) October 2011 (330) September 2011 (319) August 2011 (333) July 2011 (318) June 2011 (387) May 2011 (373) April 2011 (389) March 2011 (375) February 2011 (335) January 2011 (400) December 2010 (445) November 2010 (395) October 2010 (312) September 2010 (262) August 2010 (277) July 2010 (323) June 2010 (386) May 2010 (360) April 2010 (333) March 2010 (351) February 2010 (336) January 2010 (384) December 2009 (353) November 2009 (300) October 2009 (308) September 2009 (350) August 2009 (298) July 2009 (255) June 2009 (203) May 2009 (193) April 2009 (186) March 2009 (197) February 2009 (173) January 2009 (148) December 2008 (181) November 2008 (197) October 2008 (236) September 2008 (304) August 2008 (314) July 2008 (273) June 2008 (27) May 2008 (1) April 2008 (6) October 2007 (1) May 2007 (1) April 2007 (6) March 2007 (2) February 2007 (1) October 2006 (1) September 2006 (1) August 2006 (4) July 2006 (4) June 2006 (1) July 2005 (1) May 2005 (2) March 2005 (1) June 2004 (2) May 2004 (1) April 2004 (4) March 2004 (2) February 2004 (2) July 2003 (2) June 2003 (5)
Congress in December 2015 passed the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal law that supports K-12 education in schools across the country and, in doing so, replaced the outdated No Child Left Behind Act of 2002. As the chairman of the U.S. House Education & Workforce Committee at the time, I co-authored the new law alongside the Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.; its ranking member, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; the ranking member of the House committee, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va.; and many of our colleagues.

During the eight long years our team spent working to pass this bill, no topic was more hotly debated than that of annual testing. We listened carefully as parents, teachers, students, and school administrators explained their concerns about overtesting and using state math and reading assessments as essentially the only factors in determining if schools were succeeding or failing. On the other hand, we heard from researchers and the civil rights and business communities about their concerns that eliminating annual testing requirements would reduce the focus on improving outcomes for disadvantaged and minority children across America and disguise important information about their achievement.

In the end, we arrived at a fair and sensible compromise in the law: Keep the requirement that the same academic assessments [be] used to measure the achievement of all public elementary school and secondary school students in the state beginning in 3rd grade. However, we made it clear that statesnot the U.S. Department of Educationwould decide how to use the testing results to measure and improve school performance. Tests would still be an important part of assessing school quality but not the only significant factor. And the tests are important so that students and parents can compare the progress of their school with that of other schools across the state. However, Arizona and New Hampshire recently passed laws that violate ESSA by permitting individual school districts to choose which assessments to administer, according to an analysis by Dennis M. Cariello, a former top lawyer for the Education Department under President George W. Bush. Such violations undermine ESSA in its entirety.

The U.S. Department of Education must enforce the fundamental requirement that the same annual tests be given to all students."

Since the passage of ESSA a year and a half ago, states and districts have been working hard to implement the new law. Those of us who had a hand in crafting the law are all paying very close attention to ensure that states and the Education Department do this in a way that is consistent with the law and the principles to which we all agreedstate and local flexibility but with important federal guardrails. In Arizona and New Hampshire, state policymakers and Education Department officials must work together to fix the discrepancy so that every public school student is measured by the same testswhatever tests those state administrators decide are best.

With respect to testing, we expect the new law will result in a more balanced use of state tests that keeps the focus on student achievement and limits classroom time spent on testing while scaling back some of the high-stakes uses that have been so controversial in recent years.

Ultimately, states are required to follow this law and, simply put, the U.S. Department of Education must enforce the fundamental requirement that the same annual tests be given to all students. After all, 359 members of the U.S. House, 85 U.S. senators, and President Barack Obama all supported ESSA, ushering in a new era of innovation combined with state-based accountability.

I backed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos when President Donald Trump originally nominated her, and I still believe that she will succeed in her pledge to defend ESSA. I am confident she will be a champion for states as they implement the lawincluding the necessity that all students take the same annual tests.
A little-noticed change in the countrys main federal education law could force many states to lower their high school graduation rates, a politically explosive move no state would relish.

Indiana is the first state to be caught in the crosshairs of the laws new language, but other states are likely to be affected soon. The resulting debate could throw a sharp spotlight on a topic thats been lurking in the wings: the wildly varying levels of accomplishment signified by a high school diploma.

This is about to become a national issue, said Phillip Lovell, the policy director of the Alliance for Excellent Education, an advocacy group that focuses on high school issues.

In Indiana, the state faces the prospect of having to lower its graduation rate from 89 percent to 76 percent, a move its state superintendent fears could harm its economy and reputation.

The states in a bind because it offers several types of high school diplomas, and some are easier to earn than others . Half of Indianas students earn the default college-prep diploma, known as the Core 40. Thirty-eight percent earn the Core 40 with honors, and 12 percent earn the general diploma, which has lesser requirements.

Diplomas with less-rigorous requirements are the target of new language in the Every Student Succeeds Act . The law requires states to calculate their graduation rates by including only standard diplomas awarded to a preponderance of students, or diplomas with tougher requirements.

For Indiana, that means the state might not be able to count its general diplomas. State officials are in talks with the U.S. Department of Education about that prospect. Indiana Superintendent of Schools Jennifer McCormick also reached out to Indianas congressional delegation for help, saying in a letter last month that the lower graduation rate will put Indiana at a national disadvantage and would not reflect well upon our state and could negatively impact our economy.

Officials from the federal Education Department declined to discuss how they would interpret the ESSA language. In an email to Education Week, a spokesman said only that the department would provide technical assistance to states as they complied with the law, and that states can consult federal guidance issued in January on the laws graduation-rate provisions.

The preponderance language in ESSA is only now beginning to creep onto states radars. The exact number that could be affected isnt clear, although a recent report found that 23 states offer multiple pathways to a diploma. Many states offer multiple types of high school diplomas, though most dont trackor publicly reporthow many students earn each type.

In Arkansas, two-thirds of students graduate with the states smart core diploma, and one-third earn its less-rigorous core diploma.

In New York state, 4 percent of graduates get a local diploma, which isnt as rigorous as its regents and advanced diplomas. In Oregon, 3.7 percent of students earn a modified diploma, which is intended for students with a demonstrated inability to meet all the states academic expectations.

The idea is to create a pathway toward a diploma for students with significant challenges, Jennell Ives, a program specialist with Oregons department of education, explained in an email.

Diplomas that signify less-than-rigorous academic preparation, however, were the express target of the new requirement in ESSA. No such language was in the previous version of the law, the No Child Left Behind Act.

We were trying to address concerns about those weaker diplomas, to put a signal in there to drive states to make sure that diplomas were really preparing students for success, said a Senate aide who helped draft the Every Student Succeeds Act.

Make the Most Difference

Advocates for lower-income and minority students, and those with disabilities, were key voices at the table when that section of the bill was being drafted. Those students tend to earn disproportionate shares of the lower-level diplomas.

We wanted the language in ESSA to make the most difference for those students, said Laura Kaloi, who participated in the talks on behalf of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a special-education advocacy group.

By inserting the preponderance language into ESSA, its authors pushed federal law into a new area: linking graduation rates to the quality of the diplomas, not just to how many diplomas are awarded.

A 2008 regulation broke new ground by requiring all states to calculate graduation rates the same way: by counting the proportion of entering freshmen who completed school four years later.

That regulation also ventured into new territory by tackling the related idea of which diplomas should be counted. It said states could count only regular diplomas, not alternative or equivalency credentials.

The concept of diploma quality was on policymakers minds as they sat down to write the accountability section of the Every Student Succeeds Act. There was a lot of bipartisan agreement that the idea of counting only regular diplomas should finally be written into federal law, the Senate aide said.

You could see this as being about states that have to lower their graduation rates, or about trying to be honest about our graduation rates."

This is new. For a long time, federal officials have been focusing on graduation rates without caring what a diploma actually means, said Michael Cohen, who was the assistant secretary of elementary and secondary education under President Bill Clinton and now heads Achieve, a group that has researched the wide variety in states diploma requirements.

Allowing states to report graduation rates based only on regular diplomas, and diplomas that require more rigorous study, is long overdue, according to Lovell of the Alliance for Excellent Education.

States could well feel the sting of public disapproval if they have to revise their graduation rates downward, but the resulting shift in message justifies the discomfort, he said.

The statute calls for honesty, he said. Were finally being honest about what a diploma means.

But Lovell also worries that an unintended consequence of the law is that states could lower their regular-diploma requirements to keep their graduation-rate numbers high.

Perverse Incentives?

Other consequences are already unfolding, showing up first in Indiana.

The state has long been recognized as a leader in getting students to complete college-prep courses of study: 88 percent take the four years of English and three years of maththrough Algebra 2that are widely viewed as a college-ready curricula.

Yet Indiana might have to pay the price of lowering its graduation rate because it chose not to require college-prep study for all. That situation strikes Cohen as creating perverse incentives for states to award less-rigorous diplomas to a preponderance of their students.

States that do the best job of getting kids to take advanced coursework could be the ones at greatest risk under this policy, he said. Theyve succeeded their way into trouble.

Lovell begs to differ. You could see this as being about states that have to lower their graduation rates or about trying to be honest about our graduation rates, he said. Indiana is stepping up and being honest.

Activists may differ on whether the preponderance requirements in ESSA are a step in the right direction. But they agree on another, more ironic truth, which is that the law will fall short of ensuring that all high school diplomas mean students are ready to do well in college.

Even among the many states that offer only one type of diploma, what students achieved to earn that diploma can vary wildly. Still, those states are unlikely to be affected by the preponderance requirement of ESSA, since all students earn the same diploma.

In Massachusetts, for instance, 77 percent of students complete a course of study that reflects the expectations of the University of Massachusetts. The rest finish high school with other assortments of courses. Yet all students earn the same diploma, said state education department spokeswoman Jacqueline Reis.

The same situation holds true in Maryland, where most students finish coursework geared to state university requirements, and the rest dont, but all walk across the graduation stage with the same type of diploma.

In Oklahoma, students are automatically placed in the college-ready curriculum and remain there unless they opt into a less-rigorous one. But only the tougher course of study requires three years of maththrough Algebra 2. And all Oklahoma students earn the same high school diploma, a state education department spokeswoman said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

President Robert Mugabe's speech at the National Heroes Acre on Saturday completely ignored the diplomatic immunity granted to his wife by South Africa that enabled her to leave the neighbouring country after being accused of assaulting a model.Accusations that the First Lady attacked model Gabriella Engels, 20, who needed 14 stitches did not find a place in Mugabe's long speech during the joint burial of George Rutanhire and Moudy Aloisia Muzenda on Saturday.Engels accused Grace of whipping her with an electric extension cable as she waited with two friends in a luxury hotel suite to meet one of the Mugabes' adult sons.But South Africa's opposition is challenging International Relations minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane's decision to grant Grace immunity  a move that could in theory affect any future plans to travel to the country.Since the incident that attracted international headlines, Mugabe has made two public appearances at the Harare Agricultural Show and at the National Heroes Acre but completely ignored the issue.In his Heroes Acre eulogy, Mugabe spoke of how children are spending time partying with girls.Mugabe's two sons are back in town from South Africa.Both 25-year-old Robert Mugabe Jnr and his younger sibling Chatunga, 21, returned home with their dad and mom Grace from South Africa last Sunday.Speaking on the late Rutanhire, Mugabe said: "You could see he (Rutanhire) was not that very well. But still, he was coming to meetings, all our meetings at the politburo."To add to that, we still wanted him to head the Chitepo School of Ideology, which we had revived, for the benefit of our children to understand the ideals of the war of liberation."Many of our kids, oh no, they go to parties with girls. We want to redirect our youth. They should know," Mugabe said.Opposition political parties are having a field day over Mugabe's woes.Kurauone Chihwayi, the Welshman Ncube-led MDC spokesperson said: "The Zanu-PF leader has lost control of his party and family."Instead of talking about the (Vice President Emmerson) Mnangagwa's illness, Mugabe should tell the nation about his social life including the behaviour of his wife and the naughty children."Tendai Biti's People's Democratic Party spokesperson Jacob Mafume said he feels sorry for Mugabe because of the situation that he finds himself in, owing to Grace's actions in South Africa."What he is feeling is beyond shame. I now understand why my mother used to say it's important to marry well."The man has married a wife who is so unlike him. If she can do this in public, imagine what she must do at home, in private."He has a family that does not want to live and work in a country he supposedly fought for, named and created."He has done such a bad job that his family would rather live in the Diaspora," Mafume said.




APA18 to be held in Taiwan in April

Press release

Following up the success of the APA17 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia which was attended by more than 2,800 people, the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) and the Asian Pacific Chapter (APC) have agreed to organise the next APA conference (APA18) from April 23-26 at Taipei International Convention Centre (TICC), Taiwan together with the help of National Taiwan Ocean University (NTOU) and local partners: Taiwan Fisheries Agency, Council of Agriculture (FA), National Pingtung University, FBAT, and Fisheries Research Institute.



The Steering Committee chaired by Prof. Ching-Fong Chang (President of NTOU) and Dr. Guillaume Drillet (President of WAS-APC) has hold its first meeting during APA17 event. We are now 8 months ahead from the conference and therefore the activity of the steering committee is increasing every day to ensure a very successful event both for scientists and industry partners.

The program committee led by Prof. Ming-Wei Lu (NTOU) and A/Prof. PhamQuoc Hung (Nha Trang University) have a deadline for abstract submission on January 31, and online abstract submission is encouraged at www.was.org. The theme of the conference has been chosen to be "Innovation for aquaculture sustainability and food safety".

The three-day conference program offers special sessions and workshops covering all aspects of Aquaculture in Taiwan and Southeast Asia on marine and freshwater fish culture, production system, seaweed and algae, food safety, and many more. Plenary topics will include trends and prospects of Taiwanese Aquaculture and biotechnology application in the aquaculture industry.

The three-day exhibition featuring international and Taiwanese companies will showcase the latest products, services, instruments and equipment for aquaculture management and all aquaculture related information to encourage sustainable aquaculture practices within the industry.

We are looking forward to meeting you at the APA18 in Wonderful Taiwan.

Please register early to benefit on early bird rates.

Find more information on the event on www.was.org for the registration, exhibition, farm tour, hotel information, and more.

For conference and registration contact John Cooksey: worldaqua@was.org

More information on the trade show and sponsorship contact Mario: mario@marevent.com
News / National

by Staff reporter

Zimbabwe has been urged to embrace genetically modified (GM) crops to improve harvests and reduce crop production costs.This comes as government has remained rigidly averse to GM crops, commonly known as GMOs, despite genetic engineering making a rapid entry into agriculture in other African countries such as South Africa and Botswana over the past decade.Eminent Zimbabwean scientist Christopher Chetsanga, who is a member of the African Academy of Sciences, told a Non-Aligned Movement (Nam) Science and Technology technical meeting on industrial biotechnology last week that government's tough anti-GMO policy was not based on any scientific study and therefore erroneous."I encourage the government to adopt GMOs. They are the answer to the world's hunger crisis and they are the future of food production everywhere," said the leading biochemist, who is the key speaker at the conference, which brought together the sharpest biotechnology minds from Nam's 121 member states."I have been told several times that the ban on GMOs is on health grounds, but I have worked in the United States before in this field and I can safely tell you that US people have been eating GMOs for over 20 years and there are no such health fears."Instead, there has been significant interest in making GMO plants more nutritious, to help combat nutritional deficiencies and to help ensure that people are healthy."This means that GMOs manipulated in this way could be significantly healthier than their non-GMO counterparts," Chetsanga said.The call comes at a time when campaigning against the technology is at its most strident, with the most adamant critic of GMO products being Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development minister Joseph Made."The position of the government is very clear, we do not accept GMOs," he recently told the National Assembly.Deputy minister in the ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and Technology Development Godfrey Gandawa emphasised the government's position in an immediate response to Chetsanga while officially opening the conference."The government's position remains the same; GMOs are not allowed in the country. We challenge scientists to prove us wrong on health issues. There is need for a thorough research if that policy is to change in future," he said.Proponents of genetically modified crops argue that the new transgenic crops improve yields, reduce pesticide use and increase food security, especially in developing countries, a promise that most countries facing food shortages want to believe."With so much hunger out there, this potential is one of the most heavily promoted arguments for the use of GMOs, and with good reason," Chetsanga said.He said the GMO regime is just a new agriculture revolution, equating it to major revolutions in agriculture and in the way that people produce food."While GMOs may seem extreme, they are simply the next major change to agricultural processes," he said.The most popular biotech crops currently being grown in Africa include potatoes, sugarcane, maize, cotton cassava, rice, bananas, and cucumber, wheat, sorghum and water melons.
Mauricio Funes... was very familiar with the gang truce from the moment that then-Public Security Minister Munguia Payes proposed it to him as a state policy. From the start, including after El Faro revealed the pact, the Funes administration began lying in an attempt to avoid the political costs associated with a negotiation of this kind. Today we know that the main goal of the truce was to transfer leaders of Barrio 18 and MS13 to lower-security prisons and to give them access to more direct communication with their criminal colleagues outside of prison. In exchange, these gang leaders promised to reduce homicides, which they did....

Funes continues to say via his Twitter account that he was unaware of the details of the gang truce. When Munguia testified in court last week, he again rejected Funes' claim. The president was informed of everything, he said.

In 2009, voters made Mauricio Funes the first president of El Salvador from the Left. His election was a cause of great celebration for those on the left, and throughout most of his presidency, Funes was one of the most popular presidents in all of Latin America.But the years since have not not been kind to Funes' reputation. A series of investigations and scandals have dogged the ex-president who now lives in self-imposed exile in Nicaragua:. The now-discredited gang truce arose during Funes' presidency, but he always tried to maintain plausible deniability about his role in it. In the trial of various government officials for granting benefits to gang leaders in prison, then-minister of security David Munguia Payes testified that Funes had authorized and was kept informed of the elements of the truce as it unfolded:From Hector Silva Avalos, writing at Insight Crime . Mauricio Funes and Vanda Pignato were always close to former president Lula of Brazil. And Lula was always close to the mega-construction firm Odebrecht. That firm is at the center of one of the largest bribery and corruption scandals stretching from Brazil throughout much of Latin America. Persons close to Lula and Odebrecht have described how a quantity of $2-3 million was funneled into the presidential campaign of Funes from the office of Odebrecht used to pay bribes. It was dirty money flowing in to fund the campaign of the ex-investigative reporter turned presidential candidate.. Like his predecessors in office, Funes administration paid out secretive cash bonuses to officials working for his government. Those officials never reported or paid taxes on the "bonuses" which they were receiving.. The public integrity arm of El Salvador's Supreme Court has found that Funes has been unable to establish the source of some $700,000 in his increased wealth over the course of his presidency. Funes must now face trial for return of the funds.One year ago, Funes sought and received political asylum in Nicaragua where he has remained until now. From the neighboring country, Funes is constantly defending himself and commenting on Salvadoran events through his Twitter account . He aims his most vitriolic attacks at the office of El Salvador's Attorney General, Douglas Melendez.If Funes wants to resurrect his image in the face of these scandals, he will need to return to El Salvador and not just tweet from afar. But since his two immediate predecessors ended up in jail awaiting their trials, I doubt we will see Funes leaving the protection of Nicaragua any time soon.
Search All categories Advertising General Aerospace General Agriculture General Airlines General America - Post 9/11 General Apparel General Apple Products General Architectural General Architecture Architecture Art & Entertainments Books Celebrities Country Music Dance Magazines Movies Museums Music Music Downloads News & Talk Shows Performing Arts Photography Television Web Sites Arts/Culture General Auction General Automotive Aftermarket Classic Autos Consumer Publications General Motorcycle & Bike Racing Recreational Vehicle Repair & Service Trade Publications Blogging & Social Media Blogging & Social Media Business Advertising / Marketing Books Consumer Research Direct Marketing e-Commerce Entrepreneurs Finance Franchise Human Resources Insurance Investment Management Markets Network Marketing Online Marketing / SEO Payday Loans Public Relations Publications Real Estate Retail Stocks Supermarkets Women in Business Careers/HR General Chemical General Coaching / Mentoring Coaching / Mentoring Computers Apple Products Databases Games & Entertainment General Hosting Instruction Linux / GNU "Open Source" Macintosh Microsoft Windows PC Operating Systems Programming Security Software Tablet PCs Utilities Construction General Consumer Gifts and Collectibles Hobbies Web sites / Internet Design Graphic Design Industrial Web E-Cigarette General eCommerce General Economy General Education College / University General Home Schooling K-12 Post Graduate Technical Electronics General Email Marketing General EmailWire Press Releases Press Release Tips Employment/Careers General Engineering General Entertainment General Environment General Events / Trade Shows General Finance General Food General Franchise General Fraud / Identity Theft General Gaming General Government General Judicial Law Enforcement Legislative Local National Public Services Security State Transportation Healthcare General Home and Family Banking / Personal Finance Bereavement / Loss Home Furnishings / Interiors Landscaping & Gardening Marriage / Relationships Money Parenting Payday Loans Pets Taxes Wedding / Bridal Home Schooling General Hotels/Resorts General Household General Industry Aerospace / Defense Agriculture Apparel / Textiles Broadcast Construction / Building Electrical Food Funeral Healthcare Leisure / Hospitality Logistics / Shipping Manufacturing / Production Mining / Metals Oil / Energy Paper / Forest Products Plumbing, Heating & AC Print Media Printing Publishing Radio Restaurants Tobacco Toy Insurance General Internet/Online General Legal General Leisure General Lifestyle Beauty Dating / Singles Diet / Weight Loss Fashion Food / Beverage Health & Fitness Hotel / Resorts Pastimes Restaurants Retirement Travel & Tourism Machinery General Maritime General Medical Addiction Allergies Alternative Medicine Asthma Cancer Cardiology Chiropractic Dental Dermatology Diabetes Emergency Family Medicine General General Geriatrics Hospitals Infectious Diseases Internal Medicine Managed Care / HMO Medical Products Mental Health Neurology Nursing Nutrition OB / GYN Pediatrics Pharmaceuticals Physical Therapy Plastic Surgery Psychology Radiology / Imaging Research Sports Medicine Surgery Vision Military General Mining/Metals General Miscellaneous General Nanotechnology Nanotechnology Non-profit General Occupational Safety Occupational Safety Oil/Energy General Opinion / Editorial Opinion / Editorial Paper Products General Paper/Forest General Pharmaceuticals General Podcasting Announce Tools and Services Politics Politics Print Media General Public Utilities Public Utilities Publishing General Radio General Real Estate General Religion Christian General Islam Jewish Other Restaurants General Retail General RSS & Content Syndication RSS & Content Syndication Science and Research Science and Research Self-Help / Personal Growth Self-Help / Personal Growth Shipbuilding General Society African American Interests Asian Interests Childrens Issues Disabled Issues / Disabilities Gay / Lesbian Hispanic Mens Interests Native American Senior Citizens Social Services Teen Issues/Interests Womens Interest Software General Sports Baseball Basketball Bicycling Boating / Maritime Bowling Boxing Fishing Football Golf Hockey Hunting Martial Arts Outdoors Rugby Soccer Tennis Water Winter/Snow Sports/Fitness General Stocks General Supermarkets General Technology Biotechnology Computer Electronics Enterprise Software Games Graphics/Printing/CAD Hardware / Peripherals Industrial Information Internet Multimedia Networking Public Sector/Government Robotics Semiconductor Software Telecommunications Webmasters Telecom General Wireless Television General Tobacco General Trade General Transportation General Travel General Utilities General Volunteer Volunteer Weather Weather
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) has said it is disturbed by developments on the licencing of KWESE TV owned by Strive Masiyiwa by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe.ZCTU secretary general Japhet Moyo said the banning of KWESE TV was a clear denial of alternative voices for Zimbabweans by authorities and should be condemned to the core."The move deprives the country of a variety of media outlets, the much needed and investment and jobs to jumpstart the ailing economy. After 37 years of independence, it's high time airwaves are opened up for local to have an opportunity to enjoy diversity just like other democratic societies," he said."While the ZCTU commiserates with Masiyiwa over the bad treatment which he has continuously received from the state authorities on his ventures to establish his business, labour is concerned with his treatment of workers at the same business ventures. Masiyiwa's businesses are characterised with alarming work deficits, depriving workers of their fundamental rights. The nature of contracts that these companies are dangling to employees smacks of cold-blooded capitalism. They have introduced precarious VOLUNTEER contracts, in clear disregard of the sanctity of work relations where they treat workers as 'HELPERS' instead of stakeholders in the employment relationship."He said these companies, Steward Bank and Econet Wireless are leading the revolt against labour rights by refusing to pay compensation to workers who were dismissed following the infamous Zuva judgement."Econet is also challenging the retrospective application of Labour Amendment Number 5 which seeks among other provisions, to compensate the affected workers. Workers' freedoms are severely stifled at these establishments with unrelenting of dismissals to employees who join trade unions against the fundamental right to association and to freely organize and participate in trade unions," Moyo said."The ZCTU believes that Masiyiwa learnt nothing and forgot nothing from his 1990s ordeal at the hands of government and has continued to be selfish in pursuit of his own rights while trashing those of his employees. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are not inferior to the rights Masiyiwa is clamouring for and those which were affirmed to him by the Supreme Court leading to the establishment of ECONET."He said while while the ZCTU feels for Masiyiwa on the injustices that he is being subjected to we also ask him to take a deep introspection of his conduct of union busting, threats and dismissal of workers who attempt to organize and defend their rights and take corrective measures before seeking empathy and preaching the gospel which he does not practice.
Muslim women in India have won a small victory. They have no one to thank for it except themselves and the judiciary and certainly not the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has jumped to claim credit for it. It is the efforts of these women that ultimately led to a case in the Supreme Court. It has responded positively to their plea by declaring as illegal the practice of talaq-e-biddat, or triple talaq where a man can divorce his wife merely by uttering the word talaq thrice.

The apex court had before it petitions by five divorced Muslim women and the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan seeking abolition of triple talaq and other discriminatory practices such as polygamy. The Court, however, restricted itself to looking only at talaq-e-biddat. The voluminous 395-page judgment is far from straightforward; the five judges delivered three separate judgments. As the rulings of two of the judges, Justices R F Nariman and U U Lalit, and another judge, Justice Kurian Joseph concurred that the practice of triple talaq should be set aside, that now holds. One needs to note, however, that the Supreme Court had already ruled in 2002 in Shamim Ara v State of UP that this practice is illegal. Surprisingly, that judgment appears to have received little attention from the media, political parties and civil society.
Something went wrong, please try again later.

Invalid email Something went wrong, please try again later.

For daily updates and all the latest breaking news sent straight to your inbox sign up to our daily newsletter

A Brentwood mum is set to conquer her fear of heights by throwing herself out of plane to raise money for a premature and sick baby charity.

Diana Stringer, 40, is planning to skydive from 10,000ft as part of a fundraising effort for Bliss, a charity which champions the rights of every baby born premature or sick to receive the best care.

Bliss is particularly close to Diana's heart as her daughter, Vivi, was born 13 weeks early in 2015.

Vivi was so premature she weighed little more than two pounds and needed intensive medical care for two months at UCLH in Euston and Queen's Hospital in Romford .

Diana, who is also mother to seven-year-old Jasmine, said: "90,000 babies are born early in the UK every year.

"Having a premature or sick baby can be one of the most traumatic and frightening times of your life.

"Bliss was there to support me and give me advice when I needed it most.

"Now I would like to give back so that they can help families like mine in the future."

Diana and her husband John were just one of the 60,000 sets of parents that deal with a premature birth each year in the UK.

Thankfully, Vivi was able to be brought home a whole month before her due date and is now a happy and healthy one-year-old .

"We saw the tears and utter devastation of other parents who dealt with switching off life support or having a baby with a 50 per cent or less chance of survival," said Diana.

"Having a baby early or sick pushes you to the brink, every day is a battle and the right support is vital for baby, mum, dad and siblings."

Diana's skydive is set for September 2 and the Just Giving page has already smashed its initial 1,000 target.

Caroline Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss, said: "It is thanks to fundraisers like Diana that we can continue to provide vital support and advice to premature and sick babies and their families."

You can show your support by donating here.

For more information about Bliss, see here.
As the foreign policy divide between the European Union and the United States is widening, Brussels is looking into ways to protect European businesses from American sanctions. The EU has been for years against those American sanctions that it considers extraterritorial  laws allowing the White House to sanction foreign companies for doing business with third countries such as Iran, Russia or Cuba. The issue reappeared this summer when Brussels threatened and later retreated from retaliation against the US sanctions on Russia. The White House included possible sanctions against European energy firms doing business with Moscow.

While Brussels has been by and large in line with the US position on the trio of countries, the EU has imposed its own punitive measures against the Kremlin but its rules only apply to member states. Moreover, the growing uncertainty around Washingtons position on the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran is worrying Europeans since the agreement led the White House to scrap most of its sanctions targeting foreign banks and firms for doing businesses with Tehran. If the US administration changes its mind on the deal, European companies could end up paying the heaviest price.

The EU does not have many safe options for countering US pressure, facing limited effectiveness and risk, which is why Brussels looks for fresh ideas. We need to adapt our national mechanisms and update European mechanisms against US extraterritorial sanctions, the French foreign ministry said recently. The EU generally opposes US extraterritorial measures but privately admits that they can be effective, for example, as they pushed Tehran back to the negotiating table over its nuclear program. While normally both sides of the Atlantic would coordinate their policy, this has too changed since Donald Trump took office  foreign-policy coordination has weakened and sanctions decisions diverged.
Poland and Hungary are still sticking to their unwillingness to accept any refugees despite the busy migrant relocations going on in the rest of the bloc. Both countries are still refusing to take part in the EU-mandated resettlement despite the fact that the European Commission has initiated an infringement procedure against Warsaw, Budapest and Prague for non-compliance with their legal obligations on relocation. Polish Minister of the Interior and Administration, Mariusz Blaszczak, informed Brussels that Poland has applied for cancellation of the infringement procedure.

Mr Blaszczak reiterated his countrys position when he said that stating that the relocation system will heal the refugee problem is false, its a lie. EU policy is harmful, not to say suicidal, as regards open borders, adding that Poland will not accept any refugees. He also said that Poland did not agree that the Treaty grants the Commission rights to interfere in the national powers with regard to security, integration and social issues.

Paris, Stockholm, Brussels, Berlin, Manchester, Barcelona. How many more European cities must be still attacked by terrorists to make European Union wake up? To make the European Commission finally admit that blindly accepting everyone who reaches Europes coast is like looping a rope around Europes neck, Mr. Blaszczak pointed out.

All four Visegrad countries  Hungary, Poland and the Czech and Slovak Republics  have joined their forces against the EUs 2015 migrant resettlement program that sought to resettle 160,000 refugees across EU states. Slovakias Prime Minister, for example, proclaimed at the peak of the migrant crisis that there was no place for Islam in Slovakia and that the country would only accept Christian refugees.

Czech President Milos Zeman, in contrast, was among very few European leaders supporting Donald Trump in his run for US President and hailed his subsequent ban on refugees from the Muslim countries. Hungarys Viktor Orban, another European Trump supporter, on his part, calls the refugee crisis an invasion and is in favor of keeping asylum-seekers in detention in metal shipping containers.
AMSTERDAM and REDWOOD CITY, California, August 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Global collaboration aims to accelerate access to tools to determine extent of coronary artery disease and improve patient care

Royal Philips [http://www.usa.philips.com ] and HeartFlow, Inc. [http://www.heartflow.com ] announced today that they have entered into a collaboration agreement with the goal of improving access to diagnostic and planning tools for interventional cardiologists evaluating and treating patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Under the agreement, Philips will promote the use of the HeartFlow(R) FFRct Analysis in conjunction with Philips' advanced catheters for imaging and assessing measurements of the inside of a patient's coronary arteries. The advanced catheters from Philips that will be promoted in conjunction with HeartFlow's technology include Philips' coronary fractional flow reserve (FFR), instant wave-free ratio (iFR) and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) solutions.

Philips and HeartFlow's commercial collaboration will initially focus on the United States, with the intention to expand joint efforts globally in the near term. The two companies are also exploring further collaborations in diagnostic imaging and advanced informatics.

First and only

The HeartFlow FFRct Analysis is the first and only commercially available non-invasive technology to provide insight into both the extent of CAD and the impact of the disease on blood flow to the heart. Data from a patient's non-invasive coronary CT angiogram are securely uploaded from the hospital's system to the cloud. HeartFlow leverages deep learning to create a personalized, digital 3D model of a patient's coronary arteries, which is then analyzed by powerful computer algorithms to evaluate millions of complex equations to simulate blood flow in the model and assess the impact of blockages on coronary blood flow. The HeartFlow FFRct Analysis technology provides results to the clinician via a secure web interface. To date, more than 13,000 patients have benefitted from the HeartFlow FFRct Analysis [1].

In the United States, 16.8 million people are affected by CAD, which develops when the coronary arteries narrow, reducing blood flow to the heart [2]. CAD causes chest pain and heart attack and can lead to death. As part of a standard protocol, many of these patients are referred to the cardiac cath-lab where more than half are discharged on medicines or non-treatment. Improvements in the non-invasive space have the potential to allow physicians to safely defer invasive testing, reducing risks to the patient and the overall cost of care for all.

"Our commitment is to transform the patient experience and identify pathways that are personalized, high quality and at a lower price point," said Christopher Barys, Business Leader of Philips Image Guided Therapy Devices. "To address the burden that CAD is placing on healthcare systems and to transform the patient experience, hospitals are focused on adopting new technology that can improve the diagnosis and care of these patients while reducing unnecessary invasive procedures. HeartFlow shares our mission of improving clinical outcomes and, through collaboration, we can advance our goal of helping healthcare providers decide, guide, treat and confirm the right therapy at the point of care."

Exclusive agreement to co-develop

In addition to the commercial collaboration agreement between Philips and HeartFlow, the two companies have entered into an exclusive agreement to co-develop an improved cath-lab x-ray image derived FFR or iFR solution, to significantly enhance workflow while improving the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of patients with CAD.

"Our collaboration agreement with Philips, which has an integrated solution within cath-labs, will help bring HeartFlow's technology to more patients with suspected and potentially life-threatening CAD," said John H. Stevens, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of HeartFlow. "We look forward to continuing to address unmet needs in cardiology in collaboration with Philips to further support our goal of improving patient lives and reducing the total cost of care."

Philips' seamlessly integrated solutions, such as CORE IVUS and SyncVision, are valuable tools in the diagnosis of CAD. The HeartFlow FFRct Analysis, is an additional diagnostic tool that expands clinicians' capabilities.

About Royal Philips

Royal Philips is a leading health technology company focused on improving people's health and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum from healthy living and prevention, to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips' health technology portfolio generated 2016 sales of EUR 17.4 billion and employs approximately 71,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. News about Philips can be found at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.

About HeartFlow, Inc.

HeartFlow, Inc. is transforming the way cardiovascular disease is diagnosed and treated. The company's HeartFlow(R) FFRct Analysis is the first available non-invasive solution that enables a physician to more appropriately evaluate whether an individual has significant coronary artery disease (CAD) based on both anatomy and physiology. The HeartFlow FFRct Analysis, which leverages deep learning to create a personalized 3D model of the patient's arteries, is well positioned to become an integral part of the standard of care for patients who are at risk for CAD because of its potential to improve both clinical outcomes and the patient experience while reducing the cost of care. The HeartFlow FFRct Analysis is commercially available in the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. For more information visit http://www.heartflow.com.

[1] Douglas PS, DeBruyne B, Pontone G., Patel MR, et al. One-year outcomes of FFRCT-guided care in patients with suspected coronary disease: The PLATFORM Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;68(5),435-45.

[2] enlace [enlace ] .

For more information, please contact: Philips: Alicia Cafardi Philips Group Press Office Tel: +1 412-523-9616 E-mail: Alicia.Cafardi@philips.com HeartFlow: Chris B. Ernst HeartFlow, Inc. Tel: +1 415-710-9445 E-mail: cernst@heartflow.com
Opinion / Columnist

I did not ask Uncle Bernard if he was a happy man in his living years. I loved him so much but could never quite connect with him on the fatherly level I should have. Yet I always watched him carefully and wondered what exactly made him happy when he had no money and no job and no property in his mid-40s.He had spent his whole life working as a mine labourer and had nothing but a small shabby place of residence in rural Manicaland to show for it. He had spent his entire adulthood away from home and away from his family and when life could have rewarded him with a loving family and extended happiness: he fell terminally ill.Uncle Bernard and I would habitually share a laugh and a warm moment in his trying times. But he remained very ill and absolutely anxious for miraculous energy and priceless life. I could see the mental anguish congregate on his face when we had meals together. I could see wrinkly frustration coalesce around his eyes when he could not do the things he wanted to. I could appreciate his humanly fears when his small and slender form could not match the illness that had consumed him.I could feel his simmering annoyance release real rough energy when he could not break free from the illness that had afflicted him. I felt for him. The doctors could not do anything for him. The medication did not help much and I could not do anything for him. Neither could his elder brothers or wife: she had left their matrimonial home and returned to live among her relatives.So this colourless situation became loaded with broken dreams and lost hopes and the illness he had formed one small measure of an extremely painful matrix that had overwhelmed him and crushed his once-fun-loving spirit into a heap of fearful and ailing rubble. He had arrived home very ill and lacking full mobility and beleaguered by socio-economic complications and needs. His marital and monetary misfortunes had been passed on to his children and that had evolved into an excruciatingly slow-moving catastrophe: only one child did well in school.The other children laboured endlessly and hopelessly through high school but failed Ordinary Level examinations rather dismally and casually drifted from the wider family. A lesser being would have poured scorn on Uncle Bernard and blamed his multidimensional demise on the conceivably questionable choices that he had made in life but that would have been awful and harsh and imprecise.Uncle Bernard had worked hard for the nation as a low paid miner and common worker. Yet he had nothing to show for his strenuous and selfless efforts. Perhaps he had a few old colourful photographs of himself and a shortwave radio and a small bed and cheap blankets. Yet he really had nothing. His earthly belongings would hardly have occupied the back of a small truck. So he clearly had very few worldly possessions and limited options in life.He could not sit on a wooden chair and desk and apply for work: he had no employable competence for the wider commercial world. So nothingness consumed his long and uncertain days and nights and the powerful medication he survived on wore him down and exacerbated his mental impoverishment.The small pension he had earned from the mine had hardly lasted long. Yet the mining industry had made millions of dollars in profit on the back of his hard labour and that of thousands of low ranked miners around the country  and the socialist state that has ruled Zimbabwe since day one of independence had happily collected millions of dollars in taxes from large scale mining operations.That money hardly helped Uncle Bernard when he needed social and medical assistance the most. The best doctors in the land had left Zimbabwe and the stable deterioration in health care had begun. But the sloganeering comrades remained relaxed as medical experts emigrated in massive numbers. Even Eddison Zvobgo sought medical care in South Africa when he fell seriously ill in 2003. So lowly Uncle Bernard never stood a chance of prolonging his life amid incredibly difficult circumstances: neither he nor the nation had the means to alleviate his unfathomable pain and mammoth anguish. However: he deserved better.He had not squandered a national fortune on bad economic policy and impoverished an entire nation. He drank alcohol though: but sparingly. His single vice had been the titanic faith he placed in traditional healers who often blamed close relatives and colleagues for the ceaseless woes he had encountered in life. So although Uncle Bernard had unwillingly relinquished his being to illness  an inadequate social assistance structure and an unbalanced and discriminating monetary dispensation had annihilated his lifelong hopes. The nation has never really cared for poor people beyond enthusiastic public pretentiousness when elections loom large on the horizon.Uncle Bernard could barely speak after illness had ravaged his physicality. But nobody lent him the platform him to speak when he had dark red life flowing through his veins. He had no say in the social and economic affairs of the country beyond the vote he cast every four years. So Uncle Bernard never had a chance of rising above the profitable hardships sculpted by an egocentric and dishonest capitalist state since the dawn of our African Uhuru. So while the politicians feign empathy with all and sundry on public podiums: people do truly perish because of a multitude of social and economic shortfalls.Zimbabwe has no honourable social safety net for the benefit of marginalised sections of society, such as the social welfare system South Africa has in place: people who earn less than R3 500 per month and have never owned a home qualify for cheap and subsidised housing. This is in addition to a praiseworthy bouquet of social welfare payments that include financial support for disadvantaged children and elderly folks. (South Africa is rich in mineral and natural resources. And, so is Zimbabwe.)I once visited a rural homestead in Murehwa for a brand research exercise and came eye to eye with frightening and unquantifiable destitution. A frail looking woman welcomed me into her humble household for half a day. My lone takeaway from that leisurely and warm-hearted experience was profound bitterness at how substantial and debilitating poverty has become in Zimbabwe. Perhaps this seemingly institutionalised deficiency is larger than politics? What kind of civilisation have we built so far when a few distinguished people have so much property and money and the majority have inconsequential material and monetary assets?Zimbabwe has not established ample skills training facilities and occupations for the less intellectually skilled among us. Zimbabwe has not cared for the underprivileged as well as the nation should have since our first Independence Day. But the comrades like General Chiwenga have become increasingly richer and richer with time. Maybe Uncle Bernard simply did not do enough to improve his lot. But I had another uncle whose trajectory and fall followed an eerily similar and destructive path.So common neediness is hardly worth celebratory defiance on an international platform like the World Economic Forum held in Durban last May. Zimbabwe may be more sophisticated than Malawi and Mali and DR Congo combined - nonetheless: that is cold comfort for the millions of people who cannot afford three basic meals a day and decent accommodation and education.Zimbabwe may have superior infrastructure to Senegal and Liberia and Equatorial Guinea combined - however: infrastructure alone does not secure foreign investment and sustain a national currency. And although Zimbabwe had larger dreams than Mozambique and Angola at Independence - still: those embryonic hopes and erstwhile socialist moralities remain raw recollections.And the circle of scarceness that spun an ugly web around Uncle Bernard and tied him down knows no boundaries: I look at his children now and understand that they hardly stood a reasonable chance of making it in life without external help. Many rural schools simply lack books and facilities and equipment and specialised mentors and socialist interventions that can prop up pupils from poor households.And everybody - teachers and headmasters included - has problems of their own to grapple with after school hours. So this unhealthy situation is a far cry from the reckless optimism of the last century when our shared morality championed commendable intent and equality and excellent quality of life for all citizens.The World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that serious social and economic challenges for nearly a decade have shaped an uncontrollable decline in the quality of health care services and infrastructure for the whole population. So Uncle Bernard cannot be the only person who perished in an unbearably unprofessional hotchpotch of substandard health care.Parents should bequeath love and possibly cash and property to their children and not pass on huge and close-fitting shackles of manufactured impoverishment and cumbersome despair. The economic and social revolution anticipated through the constitution of Zimbabwe is well and truly dead when Grace Mugabe has seemingly bought herself a R45-million mansion in Johannesburg but common Zimbabweans cannot simply live happily and die with dignity.
We're in a similar position and I've been doing a bit of research. I'm not an expert though, so I stand ready to be corrected by someone who knows more! (I think some things are going to change too - eg some proposal to limit wealth tax to property.)



With regards to capital gains on the sale of your UK home then I don't think you have to pay it (in the UK) as long as it's your primary residence at the time you sell it, and it shouldn't be liable to French tax as long as you're not resident in France for tax purposes at that time. (Broadly speaking, once you move to France and are spending more than half the year there, you're considered resident for tax purposes.) Once you're resident in France, you're taxed in France rather than the UK. Interest from UK bank accounts etc is treated as income in France...



If the proceeds from the sale of your UK house are what you're going to live off, then there are tax advantages in France to getting the money into an "assurance vie" policy sooner rather than later (as the full tax benefits only come once you've had the policy for 8 years. If it's enough money to take you over the wealth tax threshold then you might want a Luxembourg "assurance vie" as there's a wealth tax exemption for the first five years for new immigrants for assets outside France.



Assurance vie is a bit like an stocks-and-shares ISA or a SIPP. You can put your money in different funds - including "fonds en euros" which have a guaranteed, but not massive, return. Compared with British investment products, the choice of investments is generally much worse (eg good luck finding a Vanguard fund) and the assurance vie fees (over and above fees charged by the funds you invest in) are higher (typically minimum of 0.6% of your investment per year). Investor protection is not as good in France either. (It's excellent in Luxembourg, but the fees tend to be higher there.)



You probably want to speak to a financial adviser who understands both the UK and French tax systems. Beware however that a lot of people who advertise themselves as this will be earning quite substantial commission on the policies they recommend - so they might not be entirely impartial.
Good day

i would like assistance in my case , my issue goes as follows:



i am a zimbabwean based in south Africa .In 2015 i applied for a critical skills permit which was a renewal of my quota work permit , and it was rejected on the basis of a fraudulent iitpsa document( i had an agent asist me with this and i did not know he provided a fake document but NB i am a genuine member of the iitpsa board ).

i then appealed against the outcome in January 2016 with a letter stating that , thats the only document i got from the board . .

Today i got the outcome of that appeal and was still rejected on the basis of the fraudulent document and i am a prohibited person with in the country , but i can apply for a waiver of the prohibition before i make further represetantion in terms of section 8(6).

i am currently in sa and have not travelled anyway as i was just waiting for the outcome .



i would like to know how to go about this application for waiver in my case , do i write an affidavit?and should i apply for the correct critical skills confirmation and attached reciept of appliction (as this takes 6-8 weeks )?

if they are any immigration attorneys that can assist me in this regards please inbox me details (and hopefully they dont break an arm and a leg )



regards
Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd has been a regular in the headlines lately, whether it be for the conversations at his town halls at a time when some of his GOP colleagues are accused of avoiding them, or proposing the U.S. focus on creating a smart wall to secure the border, instead of a physical one.

Hurd can talk technology too, with a computer science degree from Texas A&M, and time as a senior adviser helping to build the cybersecurity company FusionX. That experience, as well as time as an undercover officer in the CIA, landed him committee duties on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and a chairmanship of the House Committee of Oversight and Government Reforms Subcommittee on Information Technology.

And while all that keeps him busy (just listing the commitments is a mouthful), hes also working to maintain a tenuous hold on the most competitive district in Texas, the sprawling 23rd congressional district that stretches from San Antonio to El Paso. Travel, then, is a familiar constant.

His day typically starts about 90 minutes before he has to leave his house for a 7, or 8 a.m. meeting, and stretches until about 10:30 p.m. with about 10 or 12 events a day that could be anything from a phone call to a meeting, he said to the Express-News in an interview at his San Antonio North Side office.

More Information Quick facts on Rep. Will Hurd What's your morning routine: I wake up 90 minutes before I have to leave my house. And my first appointment is somewhere between 7 and 8. So I usually read. I wake up, I read my different news that I like to consume. And then when I'm getting ready, I have my morning playlist that I listen to every day. What book are you reading right now: "Red Notice," by Bill Browder, and "Einstein: His Life and Universe," by Walter Isaacson What's your favorite restaurant: Botika What's your passion/hobby outside of work: Playing basketball, or watching movies. I love going to the theater. If you could pick a career in an entirely different industry and there were no limitations to what you could do what would it be: The first thing that came to my head was being a physicist. I am totally enthralled in how our understanding of the universe has changed so drastically since I was in high school. And some of that is going on right here in my district. See More Collapse

Hurd said he reads the news in the morning and plays a 30-minute playlist that starts with My Love is 4 U, by Henry + The Invisibles and ends with Robert Earl Keens I Gotta Go, he said, and when that songs playing its like, OK, I gotta go.

On Friday nights he used to play at Rebar, Hurd said of Henry + the Invisibles. I loved him. And so I start with Henry + the Invisibles and then end with Robert Earl, and sometimes stuff in the middle gets changed.

But despite that hectic schedule (he just finished up his DC to DQ tour the Saturday before the Express-News interviewed him) Hurd still makes time to read.

I read a lot, and I usually intersperse fiction, I just downloaded a new fiction book from an author I dont know, he said. Fiction kind of lets me turn my head off. But when Im on my plane, I read a lot. And Im on planes a lot, he said.

Now Playing: Business reporter Samantha Ehlinger at down and spoke with Rep. Will Hurd. Video: San Antonio Express-News

The Express-News sat down with Hurd on Aug. 14, to talk Texas business, the tech industry in the state and his past and future career. Heres an edited transcript of the interview:

Q: Theres been a lot of talk about your SMART wall legislation. I read an article that quoted a man who lived on the border, and he said your wall involved pie in the sky technology. You talk a lot about how government is actually pretty bad at buying technology. Do you worry a little bit that a proposal like that could turn into another failed government tech project?

A: We should be concerned, right? Because you had SBI-Net from about 15 years ago, a billion dollars spent and then nothing came of it. And one of the problems was, the people designing the system did not engage or interact with the border patrol agents. So the first step is, our bill doesnt propose where a piece of technology goes. You know, at mile marker 181 put this. Thats not up to Congress to decide that. We should allow the folks on the ground to decide that, with the advice and guidance of technologists.

The difference between where we are now versus where we were 15 years ago: The technology is significantly cheaper, and there is enough people that have used this technology for consumer products. And why I like people that deal with consumer products is because its designed to be intuitive, and work quickly. You shouldnt have to have a Ph.D. in computer science to use these tools.

So I think we can get there. But the critical piece is making sure border patrol, the men and women in border patrol, are involved in the development all the way, at every step in the process is probably a better way to put it.

If I had to characterize the technology that were using now on the border, its stuffed in fixed towers. We dont need the Hubble Telescope along the border, all right? We need some basic technology thats off-the-shelf, and currently available.

Q: Do you think Texas is competitive in the tech industry, and what do you think we need to do to get there compared to other states?

A: Texas is definitely competitive in the tech industry, just look at the movement of folks from California to Texas. Right? A lot of that is coming to San Antonio and Austin, dealing with technology. Im going to be a little bit more specific and answer that for San Antonio.

I think the most exciting thing happening in San Antonio, or the thing that could help accelerate San Antonio becoming Cybersecurity City U.S.A., is the Cyber Proving Ground within the 24th Air Force. The Cyber Proving Ground was designed to elicit private sector help on the most important challenges the Air Force is facing when it comes to cybersecurity. The way were going to build an ecosystem of startup companies around cybersecurity is to have a set of problems that need to be solved, that nobody else is solving and that are unique to the challenges here.

So with the Cyber Proving Ground, being able to articulate current problems that need to be solved, and then you have a talent pool. So the folks coming out of 24th, 25th Air Force, NSA Texas, Rackspace, USAA, you have some talent here. As well as young people coming out of UT San Antonio, UIW, Texas A&M San Antonio, so you have the talent. Making sure that the Cyber Proving Ground gets to operating in the way it was originally designed, to me, is a high priority for me here in San Antonio. Because I think that is whats going to create this ecosystem.

And also we cant forget, around biomedical sciences. You have a lot of companies in the biomedical tech space being created here in San Antonio. I think those are those hubs thats going to drive an entrepreneur system here in San Antonio. Oh and by the way great place to live, the cost of living is low. All those things. Those are the ingredients for San Antonio to see that tech rise.

Q: When you talk about where San Antonio is with tech, whats your role in boosting San Antonio in the eyes of people as a place where cybersecurity work is happening? What can you do as a representative here to improve that?

A: Well first and foremost be a cheerleader for whats really going on here in San Antonio and educate folks outside of Texas on whats really happening. Which is going on. I was in Seattle a couple of months ago and some of the executives I was meeting there said, do you know that San Antonio has more cybersecurity professionals than any place outside the national capitol region? And I laughed and said yeah I do, and so that message is getting out there.

But when it comes to a lot of the growth thats happening within the tech industry and around cybersecurity specifically, its driven by 24th, 25th Air Force and NSA Texas. And my role as the chairman of the IT Subcommittee and being on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, those are two platforms to which we can continue to drive this focus on cybersecurity in San Antonio.

Q: The uncertainty around NAFTA, some people are worried, is going to hurt Texas farmers. And some reported earlier this year that Mexico is seeking alternatives to U.S. food because of this market uncertainty around NAFTA. Are you concerned about that at all? And what should be done?

A: When NAFTA was first negotiated agriculture almost blew up the negotiations. But the difference is now the U.S., Mexico and Canada have similar views on the agriculture sector. Farmers, ranchers, are all saying just: do no harm to this. And thats something that our colleagues and interlocutors on the Mexico side are saying. So I think were going to be able to go forward and not worsen what is already happening within agriculture. We view this  the U.S., Mexico and Canada have similar views on how to protect our food supply and improve trade here. So this is not one of the topics, I think, will be problematic.

Q: Toyota and Mazda recently announced they were building a $1.6 billion plant in the U.S. And I heard a lot of different states are trying to bid on that. Do you think Texas should try to get in the mix on that, and why? And also, what can you do as a congressman? Do you have a hand in talking to people or trying to encourage them?

A: Texas should try to compete for this Toyota and Mazda plant. Weve seen how the Toyota facility in San Antonio has changed the south side of the landscape in San Antonio for the better. And having additional opportunities like that would be great. These are good jobs, theyre high-paying jobs, and if were able to bring that to Texas, lets do it. And what my role could be? I think it would be to support our local and state officials, who would be kind of negotiating and providing a package to try to attract that here to Texas.

Q: And do you have to do that? In big deals like that do you support local and state officials? What does that look like? Do you meet with them and try to figure out how you can support them?

A: I always ask to figure out: is there something I could do to be helpful, right? And so Im always looking for different ways to provide help to the community. And you know, if were going to be able to grow jobs in San Antonio or Texas, then Im going to do whatever I can to make that happen.

Q: Ive always wondered about your transition into the private sector. Did you bring to that your experience (from) while you were in the CIA? Was the work you did in the CIA very tech-related?

A: My job when I was in the national clandestine service was to collect intelligence on threats to our homeland. So I was the guy spotting, assessing, developing and recruiting foreign agents to give us classified information to help policymakers.

And so a lot of that was on terrorist organizations. A lot of that was on nuclear weapons proliferators. A lot of that was on intelligence services hostile to the United States. But the process of collecting intelligence, understanding the particular issue, is important. And thats a skill-set I did bring to the private sector, when we were helping to answer strategic questions for our clients.

And when it came to cybersecurity, you have to be cognizant of protecting your digital infrastructure, or how other people are trying to break into your systems or learn more information about you. So the counter-intelligence environment within the CIA forces you to be aware of technology. And I had worked with our NSA and the technical branches of the CIA on a couple of operations, so I had some exposure to that, but it was really relying on my degree in computer science, and working with Matt Devost, the CEO of FusionX, was where that knowledge base really grew.

Q: How many languages do you speak?

Voter Guide: What to know for the midterm election Your guide to the Texas and San Antonio races and candidates on the Nov. 8 ballot.

A: I had some training. So I speak Spanish, I speak English, obviously, and I had, I would call it survival Urdu. I had some basic understanding of reading and writing Urdu. And my Urdu was good enough, when I was in Pakistan wearing local dress and I had my beard grown out, my Urdu was good enough to get the locals discount at the Bazaar. So everybody wanted to come buy rugs with me. But I have forgotten so much of it.

Q: Turning to something completely different... Have you ever had to fire somebody? And if so, how did you handle it and what did it feel like?

A: Yeah, Ive had to fire people. I had to reassign people when I was in the agency, Ive had to fire people on the campaign. And look, being firm, final and fair is important in that. And you also have to recognize that you have a responsibility to the organization that if there is someone not pulling their weight, thats a disservice to everybody else within the organization.

A manager should be focusing the majority of their time on helping good employees become great, versus trying to get a bad employee to become mediocre. And oftentimes, when youre spending a lot of time trying to get a bad employee to become mediocre, thats a misuse. Your time is an organizational tool, right, and commodity, and so thats a misuse of the organizational commodity. Look, I always tell people youre not a manager unless youve ever had to fire somebody. And so, thats something Ive had to do before.

Q: In reading the Politico story, I noticed your mom said recently she expects you would be president in 10 to 15 years.

A: (laughed) Yeah, good ole mom. All moms have high expectations.

Q: What are your personal aspirations? Where do you see yourself in 10 to 15 years?

A: Its hard for me to see beyond the next election, to be frank. Im focused on being a leader on national security, and the gold standard when it comes to constituent relations here, in the 23rd district of Texas. Im focused on using my platform as the chairman of the IT subcommittee to really make some big changes. And so for us, getting MGT (the Modernizing Government Technology Act) across the finish line is going to be a big deal. And then were going to move on to the cyber national guard. So thats where my time and attention is.

And look, I have other interests as well too, so its hard to think. Its hard to think. Its funny the older I get  I turn 40 this week. The older I get, the harder it is to do long-term planning. And part of it is, if an opportunity provides itself then you evaluate it there. But Im happy doing this job. We just finished DC to DQ, which is one of my most favorite things to do. I love this district and I still have a lot more I want to do here.

Q: What was the most surprising question you got on DC to DQ?

A: I was surprised with how at every stop, North Korea came up. And this was, people are concerned with it, and a lot of the follow up questions were on kind of my response to North Korea, and people wanted a little bit more. So I am always intrigued at how, every time I do events, theres always a major foreign policy, national security issue, and this is one of the top issues in this district. But I always learn something. There was a question about engineers in the federal government with their, something to deal with their certifications. It was a very specific thing that I had never heard of. You get a lot of those kinds of questions. El Paso is dealing with some significant flooding issues and the week that we were there there was a community flooded for the first time. So you learn a lot of specific local issues.

Q: I noticed you mentioned coming up next: cyber national guard. Is that something that is coalescing into a concrete plan of what you want to do next? I know weve talked about it before in very broad terms.

A: Yeah it is. Were at a point where were starting to work on legislative text for it. Theres still a couple of things that, in order to get this working, I think weve talked about this, theres not commonly accepted job descriptions within the IT space in the federal government. And so I was hoping that by the time we started drafting legislation for the cyber national guard we would have had a federal CIO by now, because this would be an initiative that I would want to work with the federal CIO on to do kind of like a 90-day sprint on standardizing the job descriptions across the IT space.

Because thats a critical piece in order to understand where the need is. What are those (open) positions? And if were going to try to fill them with kids straight out of university, weve gotta make sure those kids have right qualifications in order to go into that job. Thats a critical component that I would like to get done prior to the cyber national guard becoming legislation.

SEhlinger@express-news.net

Twitter: @samehlinger
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

From the outside, Yolandas could pass for brand new, with pebbled orange paint and cerulean blue trim. Inside, its a spartan room with Saltillo tile floors and a striking Aztec mural, the kind you see on calendars at, well, Mexican restaurants.

The mural came in 1999. The new paint job outside happened in February.

But Yolanda Vasquez and her husband, Perfecto, opened the cafe in 1989. He does all the cooking; she takes care of the customers. Its a formula that works for food and familiarity alike.

Yolandas calendar is always set to taco time, with all 25 of its tacos available all through breakfast and lunch, from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Bonus: From 7 to 10 a.m. on weekdays, most two-ingredient breakfast tacos are just 99 cents.

Tacos: A bean and cheese taco will never be glamorous. That doesnt mean it cant be artfully done. At Yolandas, it starts with one of the best flour tortillas in this series, then builds with beans the color and texture of vintage velour, with just enough bacon grease for flavor and a generous blanket of melted American cheese ($1.35).

A plate with two puffy tacos and rice and beans costs just $5.50 at Yolandas. Ask for one beef picadillo and one chicken to get a sense of how Perfecto Vasquez stews chicken with tomatoes, using dark meat to give it some juice. The picadillos fine if you want a classic taco taste, but the chickens something special.

Instead of a masa cake for the base, Vasquez fries a corn tortilla until it puffs in the oil. The result is more like parchment, less craggy and crispy than the puffy tacos from places like Rays Drive Inn or Oscars Taco House. Itd be more accurate to call it a soft-fried taco, and it succeeds on that level.

Yolanda Vasquez herself recommended the carne guisada taco, and with good reason. With thick brown gravy, tender roast beef and strong cumin and chile flavors, it fits the classic model of good carne guisada ($2.25).

This isnt a showboat of a place, but it does the simple things extraordinarily well.

Tortillas: Thick, dusty, hot and flexible, these handmade flour tortillas make every taco they touch a hundred percent better. The corns good, too, with a nice toasting on the grill and an almost floral corn flavor.

Salsa: A simple chop of onions, fresh jalapenos, tomatoes and cilantro with all the liquid left in is a solid formula for salsa fresca. This ones hot enough to make your cheeks flush.

Location: 615 Fredericksburg Road, 210-732-2633, no web presence

Rating: Worth a drive

Follow the complete 365 Days of Tacos series at ExpressNews.com/Tacos. Get 365 Days of Tacos sent to your inbox. Sign up here.

msutter@express-news.net

Twitter: @fedmanwalking
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

In a lofty downtown apartment filled with paintings and sculpture by a Whos Who of San Antonio artists, perhaps the greatest artwork is the view.

Framed by 6-foot windows facing north, it features a nightly light show at nearby Bank of America Plaza (Bill FitzGibbons light sculpture Kinetic Skyline) and glimpses of historic churches, Travis Park, even The Pearl off in the distance.

In a word, the view is awesome, said the resident of a 12th-floor, 1,100-square-foot, two-bedroom, two-bath apartment above the Majestic Theatre. She is a single professional woman who asked that her name not be used.

But she did open her door to reveal a warm, inviting, one-of-a-kind space with a big-city vibe a la Chicago, maybe, or New York City.

Modern furniture  including a matching pair of bright red Barcelona chairs (I splurged; they were a birthday present to myself, she said) and a white leather couch inspired by Le Corbusier  sets a tasteful tone and fits the feel and scale of the living room. Contemporary art elbows for space  look at me, look at me!  on every inch of just about every wall.

Art, she said, makes her happy, brings her joy: People think that buying art has to be scholarly. But its really about knowing yourself and what you like and what delights you. It doesnt have to be that complicated.

Ranging from neon sculpture to large-scale photography, the apartment houses work by a range of local artists, including Franco Mondini-Ruiz, James Hetherington, Lionel and Cathy Sosa, Brianna Burnet, Henry Stein, Robert Tatum, Larry Graeber, Sean FitzGibbons, Mark Hogensen, Robert Wurzbach, Alberto Mijangos, Waddy Armstrong, Lloyd Walsh, Fritz Ozuna, Justin Parr, Giselle Diaz and Beck Whitehead.

But that view is like a panoramic movie screening 24/7. From her big Majestic windows, shes even had a birds eye view of recent protests over the Confederate soldier statue in Travis Park.

She loves the vista, but her apartment is still low enough to catch the sights and sounds (and smells) of the cattle parade up Houston Street, which annually kicks off the San Antonio Stock & Rodeo.

The apartment is very unassuming as you approach from the elevator to the front door, assistant city manager Lori Houston, a close friend, wrote in an email. I am always shocked at how shallow and wide the apartment is and how many windows it has. The view of downtown San Antonio is magnificent, and the natural light and shadows complement the amazing art collection in her apartment. The sounds of downtown also fill her apartment, and somehow she makes it feel like the most welcoming and safe place in San Antonio.

Downtown living suits the Majestic resident. She said she feels like Im part of the city. Youre literally on the street, where theres a vibrancy and electric energy. Living in the suburbs to me is almost like you are bubble-wrapped.

That vibrancy is what attracts most of the 150-or so residents to the Towers of the Majestic, which features 98 units, from studios that start at $800 a month to two-bedrooms that range from $1,450 to $3,500 for a large 2,000-square-foot apartment.

What were offices above the 1929 Majestic Theatre and the adjacent 1914 Brady Building above the Empire Theatre were gutted in the 90s and opened as apartments in 1999.

Our residents like being in the heart of San Antonio, said Dru Van Steenberg, business manager of the Majestic Development Co., which owns the buildings. We have symphony musicians, people with the San Antonio Ballet, military, students, quite a few fracking people who come in on weekends from South Texas and a lot of retirees  some whove lived there for 15-plus years. Its a really interesting mix.

For Majestic residents, its all about urban living, Van Steenberg said.

Our absolute, No. 1 amenity is location, she said. You can walk out your front door and the River Walk is right there, or all these restaurants. The Tobin a short walk away, and of course the Majestics right there. We dont have the rooftop swimming pools or other things that some of the new apartment buildings have, but we are right in the thick of things. And we really started the rebirth of downtown along Houston Street.

The 12th-floor apartment, with 9-foot ceilings, warm wood floors and sand-colored walls, is laid out in a rectangle, with a central living room flanked by good-size bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms on each side.

The master bedroom is a feminine sanctuary, with girlish white bedding, creamy wall colors, a plush gray headboard and a big mid-century modern reading chair.

The bedroom artwork is soothing: abstract works in a neutral palette by Mijangos and Armstrong, antique French architectural lithographs, one of Hogensenss chair drawings, and, as a focal point, a dreamy, otherworldly color photograph by Justin Parr shot inside an abandoned building at the old Hot Wells Hotel and Resort.

By contrast, the guest bedroom  the residents sons room when hes home from college  is a burst of color, with an electric blue bedspread and a vibrant painting by artist Susie Ingram over the bed.

The room is dominated by a grouping of poster-size photographic portraits from Sarah Brooke Lyons 2013 project 1005 Faces, dealing with the citys diversity. The resident shares the room with a grouping of closeups that includes two mayors  Hardberger and Nirenberg  as well as a political wife, Erica Castro, and a state congressman, Diego Bernal.

A small galley kitchen is off the living area; even it has a 3-foot-by-6-foot window that floods light into the room.

Conversation pieces are everywhere. Set in a corner is a chair made of old steel tractor parts, which rocks on four bouncy springs. The resident both rocked her son to sleep in it when he was a baby and sent him to the bad-boy chair for time-outs when he got older. (He loved it, she said.)

Shes creative as well: she made the colorful tile mosaic coffee table as a project at the Southwest School of Art; a sculptural work featuring spoons attached to a swirling spiral rod, each stamped with a Hebrew symbol for dignity, was inspired by a trip to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.; the mirror in the guest bathroom features lettering in the frame, a Latin phrase Fronti Nulla Fides (Place no trust in appearances); and she made a shower curtain from old plastic, patterned wall coverings.

For the Majestic resident, it is about location. Her doctor and dentist are right around the corner. She plays in a downtown kickball league. She walks over to the H-E-B South Flores Market for groceries, or in a pinch, the nearby Walgreens or the Market on Houston Street. She takes her car out of the city garage next to the Majestic about four times a week, to go to work. Otherwise, shes on foot or bicycle.

Living downtown can require a certain amount of patience, she said, but the good things far outweigh the bad. Its so gratifying because of all the people you meet. Its how people have been living for thousands of years.

SBennett@express-news.net
With the Houston area under water for the third straight day, emergency crews rescued thousands of people with boats and helicopters as suburban leaders ordered massive evacuations over fears that levies would give way under the force of flooded waterways.

Much of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties were evacuated as the rain-swollen Brazos River was expected to approach historic flood levels Tuesday, and two subdivisions in northern Harris County were evacuated late Monday amid similar concerns over aging levies.

Rains, sometimes heavy, are expected to continue throughout the area perhaps into next week, reaching up to 50 inches over the upper Texas coast, including the Houston-Galveston area.

"This is a landmark event," said Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long after making a plea for help from the public. "We have not seen an event like this. You could not dream this forecast up."

Across the state, up to 30,000 people may need shelter and perhaps 450,000 could be eligible for federal flood victim assistance, Long said. The other numbers from Monday were equally stunning: 8,000 rescues in the Houston area and 12,000 guardsmen deployed statewide by Monday.

Dramatic rescues across the Houston region stretched from Dickinson near Galveston  where people were pulled by boat then airlifted to safety  across the Houston area and into the northwest Harris County, where officials began releasing water from two reservoirs into Buffalo Bayou.

Up to 200 homes were already flooding upstream from the Barker and Addicks reservoirs in northwest Harris County Flooding was reported late Monday.

At least eight people are believed to have died in Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, and a Houston family of six was reported missing after driving into floodwaters near Greens Bayou.

The days of turmoil took their toll on Houston.

"I'm angry. I'm stressed. I'm outraged," said Luis Morales, who waded through water almost up to his neck pulling a boat carrying his wife and two young sons. "Everything."

RESERVOIRS: Harvey flooding forces release from Addicks and Barker

As the San Jacinto River overflowed into homes and the Brazos River rose, officials from as far north as Humble and as far south as Galveston County cleared out neighborhoods, warning that those who did not heed orders might be on their own as floodwaters deepen in coming days.

In Humble, police went door to door in the Northshire subdivision, urging stunned residents to get out before they opened the floodgates at Lake Conroe, sending water downstream. Conroe cleared out the McDade Estates neighborhood and recommended evacuations for a half-dozen more.

By the afternoon, Brazoria County officials were warning that imminent, widespread flooding expected there Wednesday likely would be significantly worse than in 2016, when the Brazos River spilled over and left swaths of the region under water.

By 3:30 a.m. Monday in Fort Bend County, officials already were sounding the alarms. Voluntary evacuations announced for the Sienna Plantation neighborhood were made mandatory Monday morning.

"If people need to get out, now is definitely the time," said Alan Spears, deputy emergency management coordinator of Fort Bend County. "If the water is down, take that opportunity and leave."

People tried to leave Houston on its vast network of highways, but many ran into floodwaters lingering from days of torrential rains. Although some made it out, others turned back to the homes they abandoned hours earlier, planning to wait out the storm.

Houston's emergency response network remained strapped to the point that officials asked for anyone with a boat to come help people stranded in high water.

"Please don't give up on us," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "None of us will give up."

Harvey hit the Gulf Coast late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and then stalled into a tropical storm, sending bands of heavy rain toward the Houston area. Torrential rains late Saturday into Sunday inundated the city, and brief respites Monday allowed some streets to clear.

Still, more than 130,000 CenterPoint customers were without power by Monday night, with crews unable to get to some affected areas. Houston TranStar was reporting 343 high water locations along major roads in the area, with hundreds more residential streets submerged.

Most rivers, creeks and bayous tracked by regional flood management officials were showing historic water volumes.

Spring Creek, running along north Harris and south Montgomery counties, had reached a major flood stage Sunday evening and was expected to crest late Monday, putting at risk residents of more than two dozen neighborhoods in The Woodlands and Spring areas on either side of Interstate 45. Voluntary evacuations were recommended.

RESOURCES: Stay up-to-date with forecasts, traffic reports, water levels, etc.

No point on the compass was spared. Most everyone in the greater Houston area and points beyond woke up Monday to yet another day of life-threatening conditions.

So many people went to the Greenspoint-area shelter at the M.O. Campbell Education Center that they ran out of space and supplies and started busing them to the larger George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. Shelters in Austin and San Antonio also took in some Houston residents.

Dickinson, in Galveston County, was among the hardest hit.

Debbie Barlow, however, refused to budge from the second floor of her elevated home on Deats Road. The city of Dickinson had put out a mandatory evacuation order but Barlow said she wasn't going anywhere.

"We don't feel invincible, but we feel like we're going to be okay," the 46-year-old said. "We have the third floor."

Pat Deeves, 63, spent Monday cleaning out her four-bedroom home in the Maplewood South neighborhood south of Brays Bayou.

After spending Sunday getting out the 6.5 inches of water she and her husband, Sheldon Bloch got in their home, they spent Monday pulling items out of closets.

"A lot of it is just a wadded up mess," she said.

But it wasn't been all bad. She found two handwritten letters from her grandmother  one from 1979 and the other from 1982  that she didn't know she had. And they were still dry.

The luckier area residents included countless thousands who had to cope with one more round of flooded cars and carpets. Even those for the moment dry or mostly so were not confident they'd been spared.

Whatever happens in the next day or two, Harvey has hit the record books, surpassing Tropical Storm Allison which inundated the city in 2001.

Cody Pendergraft, who lives a few miles west of the Brazos River in West Columbia, fled his home Monday morning for refuge at his aunt's house in Angleton. He packed a camper with clothes and hauled it to the Brazoria County Fairgrounds, where about 50 trailers were parked in an area expected to stay dry.

"It shows no mercy when it starts coming down here," Pendergraft, 31, said. "I don't think anybody really knows how bad it's going to be."

POWER OUTAGES: More problems reported as flooding continues

Reporters Emily Foxhall, Lomi Kriel, Mike Morris, Jacob Carpenter, St. John Barned-Smith, Lydia DePillis, Mike Glenn, Mike Tolson and Lindsay Ellis contributed to this story.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Blinking furiously from the rain outside, firefighters in Bastrop County set up caution tape on Shiloh Road off Highway 21.

In an attempt to cross a low-lying bridge, a pickup truck was swept up and submerged in flood waters. The occupants attempted to pull it out with a towline but had no luck.

Ive been here 10 years and I havent see it this bad, said Ellen Wilford, who lives near the bridge. (The water level) has never come up that far.

Earlier Sunday morning, Randi Fishbeck, Bastrop Countys public information officer, reported nine inches of rain in the Western side and more than 19 inches on the South East side.

And it has continued to rain so Im sure those totals have gone up, she said. Were still preparing for flooding and treating it as the important event it is.

The air in the city was thick and dank on Sunday, with frequent gusts of wind and a continuous drizzling rain. The mildly stormy weather could have been deceiving if you looked at it through a window in your home, but take to the streets and the fields are flooded, and several streets are blocked from high water levels.

The countys Twitter page advised all residents to avoid the roads, due to extremely hazardous life-threatening conditions.

The county currently has two shelters open, at the First United Church in Bastrop and the Smithville Recreation Center in Smithville. The county was expecting to open a third shelter at 3 p.m. today at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Elgin.

School is canceled Monday at all of the countys school districts. Fishbeck said its still important for residents to take the storm very seriously, and try to avoid going outside as much as possible.

Wilford said her neighbors, whose pickup was flooded, should have heeded that advice.

They think theyre infallible, she said.

She hasnt left her home since word got out about the hurricane, dubbed Harvey, which is now a tropical storm.

Its like, if were going to be stuck here, we might as well stock-up on food and be stuck, she said.

Bastrop County was added Sunday night to the list of state disaster declarations, Sen. Kirk Watson said Sunday at a Bastrop County press briefing.

The announcement came after what County Judge Paul Pape called record numbers of rainfall for the county.

Through Saturday night, the county received between nine to 18 inches of rainfall, said county officials.

Evidence of the deluge was just feet away from the 5 p.m. press briefing, where the Colorado River had swelled up over the banks and inundated Fishermans Park, submerging the playground and trees. The view from the bridge made for a lonely scene in Bastrop, where scant people were seen and a dismal heaviness hung in the air.

This monster has done enormous damage to our state and the people of our state. And its not over, said Watson. This is something were going to be dealing with for a while. So lets hold our family members, Texans, in our thoughts and prayers.

Some areas were worse than others. More than 20 inches of rainfall fell over the city of Smithville, and staff measured more than 24 inches in their own homes, Pape said. Cedar Creek experienced over 19 inches, he said.

The county barricaded 120 roads because of storm-related damages, and officials urged citizens to take heed of these closures.

Were encouraging our citizens to honor those barricades and not do anything that would impinge their own health or anyone elses, Pape said.

Bastrop County Sheriff Maurice Cook said eight people were arrested on Sunday for ignoring the barricades. Its considered a Class B misdemeanor, he said, punishable by up to 6 months in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Whenever people violate the barricades, they put themselves in jeopardy and they put first responders in jeopardy, he said. We want to emphasize were there for their safety.

This is not a video game, this is real life, emphasized Pape. And you really do drown, and you die, if you get into these flood situations.

Overall, Sunday was a good day for Bastrop County. Only one to two inches of rain were added throughout the day and no new evacuations had been listed as of Sunday evening.

Things have improved since this morning, said James Gabriel, emergency operations coordinator for the county. Weve significantly reduced the amount of power outages in Bastrop County.

As of 5 p.m. he said there were about 15 power outages county-wide, affecting 100 residential customers.

Emergency operations received seven calls during the day and two of them were water rescues, saidFishbeck, Bastrops public information officer.

Gabriel cautioned about getting too optimisticfurther flooding and damages could still be on the horizon for Bastrop County.

We still have threats of bad weather for our county, rain is still falling and its troublesome, Gabriel said.

The Colorado River is expected to crest at 1 p.m. Monday at 28.9 feet, or 41,900 cubic feet per second, Pape said. And in Smithfield, the river is expected to crest at 2 a.m. with 31.7 feet of water at a rate of 73,500 cubic feet per second.

It is in situations like this that I believe Texans show the best in themselves, Watson said. And we are seeing that right here.

sfosterfrau@express-news.net

Twitter: @SilviaElenaFF
- T. S. Eliot

Thoughts After Lambeth

"The World is trying the experiment of attempting to form a civilized but non-Christian mentality. The experiment will fail; but we must be very patient in awaiting its collapse; meanwhile redeeming the time: so that the Faith may be preserved alive through the dark ages before us; to renew and rebuild civilization, and save the World from suicide."
Godofredo A. Vasquez/Staff

AUSTIN  Plaintiff's attorneys and a consumer watchdog group are urging victims of Hurricane and Tropical Storm Harvey to file written notice of insurance claims before a new law takes effect Friday that they say will make it more difficult to sue insurers.

"If it is safe to return to your property and inspect damage, file written notice of your claim with your insurance company before September 1st to try to preserve at least some of your legal rights," said Ware Wendell, executive director of Texas Watch, a nonprofit consumer group with ties to the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.
At the annual awards ceremony at the Oregon State Fair, families from across the state will receive recognition for operating as Century or Sesquicentennial (150-year) Farm or Ranch. The 2017 ceremony will be held on Saturday, August 26, 2017, at 11:00 am at the Oregon State Fair. The public recognition ceremony and awards celebration will be held in the Picnic Grove Area. Please join us for this special event that celebrates Oregons agricultural heritage.

Nineteen farms and ranches from 10 different counties will be honored this year as Century Farms or Ranches, and one farm from Clackamas County reached Sesquicentennial status, bringing the total number of Oregon Century Farms and Ranches to 1,200 and Sesquicentennial to 39.

> Get the family narratives of all honorees here: http://bit.ly/2g2jCVP

The Century Farm and Ranch families being honored in 2017 are:

Iwasaki Bros. Inc.-Jim Iwasaki

Haskin Heritage Farm -David McCready

Kranberry Acres -David Cranick & Marci Murray

Sievers Farm -Diana Arvieux, Rosemary Wood, Trudy Stenger

Haselbacher Farms -Raymond & Mary Haselbacher

Four Ridge Orchards -David & Bonnie Brown

Cattrall Brothers Vineyard -William & Thomas Cattrall

Shady Brook Farm -Tom & Lona Bunn

Stubblefield Ranch -Lucian & Margot Turner

Belshe Ranch -James Belshe

Oak Creek Farm -Alton Coyle

Misner Family Farm -Michael & Therese Misner

Bar M Ranch -Gary & Ingrid Margason

Kee/Crofoot Ranch -Dell & Nikki Squire

Basil & Mary Stupfel -Mark Stupfel

Herring Farm -Lea Herring

Charles M. Colton & Sons -Robert, Lorene & Michael Colton

Nicholson Investments LLC -Larry Nicholson

C & S Waterman Ranch LLC -Charlie & Sharon Waterman

The Sesquicentennial Award program began in 2008 in honor of Oregons 150th birthday celebration. Sesquicentennial awards recognize Oregon families who have continuously farmed

portions of their original family acreage for 150 years or more. Thirty-nine families have now received this prestigious sesquicentennial award.

This years family being honored is: Voss Farms -Jeannette Voss & Julie Edy

> See the 2017 family narratives here: http://bit.ly/2g2jCVP

Every Oregon farm and ranch has a unique history and special family story. The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch program encourages agriculture families to share, with a broader audience, these stories. By promoting family stories, rich cultural heritage is passed down to future generations while educating Oregonians about the social and economic impact of Oregon agriculture.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program began in 1958 to honor farm and ranch families with century-long connections to the land. To qualify for a century or sesquicentennial award, interested families must follow a formal application process. Members of the Application Review Committee review each application against the qualifications, which include continuous family operation of the farm or ranch; a gross income from farm use of not less than $1,000 per year for at least three years out of five prior to application; and family members must live on or actively manage the farm or ranch activities. Application documentation may include photos, original deeds, personal stories, or other historic records. These records help support Oregons agricultural history by providing valuable information about settlement patterns or statistics on livestock and crop cycles. All documents are archived for public access.

Award winners receive a certificate signed by the Governor and Director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Historic roadside signs are imprinted with the founders name and the year the ranch or farm was established.

The Oregon Century Farm & Ranch Program is administered by the Oregon Farm Bureau Foundation for Education. It is supported by a partnership among the Oregon Farm Bureau, the State Historic Preservation Office, OSU University Archives, and by generous donations of Oregonians.

The application deadline for 2018 is May 1.
A New York banker who served as mining minister of the West African country of Guinea was jailed seven years Friday for laundering bribes from Chinese companies.

Mahmoud Thiam, 50, an American citizen, took $8.5 million from executives of China Sonangol International Ltd. and China International Fund SA (CIF) in exchange for valuable mining rights.

He was convicted in May by a federl jury in Manhattan of one count of dealing in criminally derived property and one count of money laundering.

Thiam, a resident of New York, was Guineas minister of mines from early 2009 until late 2010.

He faced up to ten years in prison.

Todays sentence sends a strong message to corrupt individuals like Thiam that if they attempt to use the U.S. financial system to hide their bribe money they will be investigated, held accountable, and punished, the DOJs Kenneth Blanco said Friday.

Blanco called corruption a cancer on society that destabilizes institutions, inhibits fair and free competition, and imposes significant burdens on ordinary law-abiding people just trying to live their everyday lives.

Thiam came to the United States when he was seven. His father, a banker, had been tortured and killed by Guineas dictator.

Thiam was granted U.S. citizenship and eventually studied at Cornell University. He worked for Merrill Lynch and later for UBS in its New York office.

He left to serve in the Guinea government as the Minister of Mines and Geology in 2009 and 2010 before returning to New York.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon Kim said Thiam enriched himself at the expense of one Africas poorest countries.

He used some of the Chinese bribe money to pay his childrens Manhattan private school tuition and to buy a $3.75 million estate in Dutchess County, Kim said.

Thiam went to Hong Kong in 2009 and opened a bank account there to launder bribe money. China Sonangol and CIF paid $8.5 into the account.

The China companies signed a series of agreements with Guinea that gave them valuable mining rights.

Thiam influenced the Guinean governments decision to enter into those agreements while serving as Guineas Minister of Mines and Geology from 2009 to 2010, the DOJ said.

To hide the bribes, Thiam told banks in Hong Kong and the United States he worked as a consultant. He also said the money was income from the sale of land which he earned before he was a minister, the DOJ said.

During his trial, Thiam said he lied to the banks not to conceal bribes but to avoid being designated as a PEP  a politically exposed person.

My primary concern was to be treated as Mahmoud Thiam, private citizen, he testified.

Banks are sometimes reluctant to deal with PEPs because of money-laundering concerns.

China Sonangol  a Chinese joint venture with Angolas state oil company  and CIF landed exclusive and valuable rights to conduct business operations in a broad range of sectors of the Guinean economy, including mining, according to the trial evidence, the DOJ said.

___

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) has urged its 600 members to invest in the latest technology and machinery to increase efficiency, save electricity and turn more competitive by producing better-quality products as the country shifts from producing labour-intensive products to value-added manufacturing to attract more global clients.GMAC operation manager Ly Tek Heng told the annual Cambodia International Textile and Garment Industry Exhibition and the Cambodia International Machinery Industry Fair last week that producing high-value garment products had become a necessity.

The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) has urged its 600 members to invest in the latest technology and machinery to increase efficiency, save electricity and turn more competitive by producing better-quality products as the country shifts from producing labour-intensive products to value-added manufacturing to attract more global clients.#

About 175 exhibitors from 17 countries showcased a broad range of products from key industrial sectors such as garments and textiles, plastics, packaging, printing, food processing, agriculture, auto parts and accessories, machine tools, energy and electrical engineering at the four-day fairs held in Koh Pich.The grand event is jointly organized by GMAC, Yorkers Trade & Marketing Service Co Ltd, the ministry of industry and handicrafts and the Cambodia Chamber of Commerce (CCC).To upgrade technology and machinery, GMAC also recently inaugurated the Cambodia Garment Training Centre Institute (CGTI), which it has set up with a soft loan from the French Development Agency. The centre will help workers in the garment and textile sector to equip themselves with more intensive skills to boost productivity. (DS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.

In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.#

Following two weeks of consecutive rises and seeing the EMI go into record territory, the market finally hit a price point where the price hurt the prompt demand, and the market reacted accordingly. And over 18% per cent of the Melbourne merino fleece and 12 per cent of the Sydney merino fleece failed to reach growers expectations.

In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.#

Given the prices being offered were just off a record high level, this was a paradoxical figure to most exporter buyers, but perhaps it was more to do with the speed of the market adjustment rather the actual price level that caused such high passed in rates, the Australian Wool Innovation said in its Wool Market weekly report for sales week 8 of the current season.

In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.#

The large orders emanating out of China in the previous week, seemingly dried up almost immediately at the start of last week. Buyers approached the sales with extreme caution, and as soon as weakness became the trend, most buyers retreated steadily to levels that were more reflective of where the buying demand has appeared the previous week. Those locally based exporters that had written forward orders also withdrew, and bought sparingly, waiting to achieve price levels that were more representative of where they had sold.

In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.#

Merino qualities broader than 19 micron sold 60ac lower whilst the average and good top making types finer than 18.5 micron were sold to levels 30 to 40ac cheaper. Significantly though, very strong buying from Italy ensured a different market direction on the spinners and best top making sale lots. Very few bales were allowed to go to their competition and this led to a slight escalation in prices, bucking the trend of all other wool sectors.

In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.#

Merino skirtings sold similarly to their fleece counterparts, with only the better pieces and broken types with less than 3 per cent vegetable matter (vm) holding onto their established prices.

The strong rally that gratefully appeared on the crossbred segment of the wool auction was seemingly short lived, as all of these crossbred qualities (26 to 30 micron) sold cheaper to varying margins of between 5 and 25ac clean/kg.

In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.#

Carding types continued to soften as the largest buyers of these types were giving off weak signals of strength. Most traders were quoting cardings at levels which were 10 to 20ac cheaper by the close of selling for the week.

In complete contrast to the impressive gains of the previous week, Australian wool auction sales adjusted heavily downwards last week ending August 24. By the close of selling, the AWEX eastern market indicator (EMI) settled at 1572ac clean/kg, eliminating 42ac from the record level set in the previous week. The EMI in USD fell similarly by 40usc clean/kg.#

At this weeks auction in Australia, around 45,000 bales are on offer. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Avantex Paris, the show for technical and technological products and services that provide added value for the textile industry, has chosen a group of 30 exhibitors who are representatives of the international scene. The event that merges high-tech with every sector of the fashion industry, will be held in Le Bourget, Paris from September 18-21.

The exhibitors at the show will present a panoramic view of the key segments that are linked with the amalgamation of high-tech and fashion: materials & components, prototype studio, clothing & accessories, smart retail.

The show will emphasise made in France and textile innovation and will set the tone at its trends forum with the materials library from MateriO. Avantex Paris, a place to meet, trade ideas and discuss promising subjects for the development of the industry, is also been expanded with a series of targeted workshops, lectures and videos from experts in order to provide visitors with the keys and essential tools for designing and creating fashion for the future, said Michael Scherpe, president of Messe Frankfurt France.

Avantex Paris, the show for technical and technological products and services that provide added value for the textile industry, has chosen a group of 30 exhibitors who are representatives of the international scene. The event that merges high-tech with every sector of the fashion industry, will be held in Le Bourget, Paris from September 18-21.#

Buoyed by the success they experienced last February, Euveka, Techtera and TO & GUY are returning for the September show full of enthusiasm. An offer that is totally made in France, enhanced by the presence of CETI and the FashionTech association, said the organiser in a press release.

About 10 Taiwanese firms will present their entire collections of functional textiles in all their variety. Ecolot Textile, Her Ching Knitting, Hone-Strong, Wisher Industrial, Texxar, Excelassoc, Taiwan Taffeta Fabric, Handseltex Industrial Corporation and Liou Long Tai, La Mode Textile and Universal Textile. TTF, the organisation that is responsible for promoting eco textiles in Taiwan, will also be exhibiting. There is also Advance Hitech Textile International Corporation, the research centre that assists both Taiwanese and international business in developing extremely lightweight, green fabrics.

South Korea, a very active player when it comes to fabrics with high added value, is extremely well positioned and the Korea Textile Development Institute, which concentrates on R&D into technical textiles in Korea, from polymers to the yarns, from functionalities to market applications, is attending to demonstrate this expertise.

Three Chinese companies are returning to the show: Suhou Tianzhuo Textile with memory shape fabrics, Shaoxing Ruisheng Textile, whose breathable laminates are windproof and rainproof and insulate against the cold, and Xiamen Eight Unita, which produces fabrics with enhanced features. The Irish firm of Glowtex and its high-intensity, long-lasting, light-emitting technology.

In keeping with its role as a beacon for innovative fashion, Avantex Paris has launched Avantex Fashion Pitch, which aims to reward ground-breaking projects from start-up businesses in the fashion, textiles and clothing industry. A major competition via the WiRATE platform aimed at start-up businesses from the textiles, clothing and fashion sector, has also been launched.

The twelve projects to obtain the best ranking will be chosen and in the next step have to present their work in the form of a pitch during Avantex. The audience and members of the WIRATE platform will be able to vote for the project that is most closely related to the show. The project with the most votes will be awarded the prize and included as an exhibitor at the February 2018 show as well as being able to record a teaser video worth 1,200. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Directorate General of Anti Dumping & Allied Duties, ministry of commerce and industry, Government of India, has initiated anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of Nylon Filament Yarn (Multi Filament) originating in or exported from EU and Vietnam. The product under consideration is Synthetic Filament Yarn of Nylon also called polyamide yarns.

The investigation has been initiated following an application filed by JCT Limited, Gujarat Polyfilms Pvt Ltd, Gujarat State Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd, Prafful Overseas Pvt Ltd, and AYM Syntex (formerly known as Welspun Syntex). There are five other Indian producers of the product, namely, Salasar, JPB Fiber, Gupta Sythetics Limited, Century Enka, and Oriilon India Pvt Ltd. All the other producers have supported the application.

DGAD found sufficient prima facie evidence of dumping of Nylon Filament Yarn (NFY) originating in or exported from the European Union and Vietnam, causing injury to the domestic industry. Causal link between the dumping and injury exists to justify initiation of an anti dumping investigation, an official notification said.

Directorate General of Anti Dumping & Allied Duties, ministry of commerce and industry, Government of India, has initiated anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of Nylon Filament Yarn (Multi Filament) originating in or exported from EU and Vietnam. The product under consideration is Synthetic Filament Yarn of Nylon also called polyamide yarns.#

The investigation will determine the existence, degree and effect of any alleged dumping and recommend the amount of antidumping duty, which if levied, would be adequate to remove the injury to the domestic industry.

The period of investigation proposed by the applicants was April 2015  September 2016, however, DGAD has taken the period of investigation as October 2015  March 2017 (18 Months). The injury investigation period shall cover the periods 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 and the period of investigation.

NFY is a synthetic filament yarn 2 produced by polymerisation of organic monomers. The product under consideration is multifilament, and includes all kinds of synthetic filament yarns of nylon or polyamides, such as flat yarn - twisted and/or untwisted, fully drawn yarn (FDY), spin drawn yarn (SDY), fully oriented yarn (FOY), high oriented yarn (HOY), partially oriented yarn (POY), textured yarn  twisted and/or untwisted, and dyed yarn, single, double, multiple, folded or cabled, classifiable within Chapter 54 under customs subheading no. 5402.

The product includes all variants of nylon filament yarn or polyamide yarns such as flat/ textured/ twisted/ untwisted, bright/semi-dull/full-dull (or variants thereof), grey/ coloured/ dyed (or variants thereof), single/double/ multiple/folded/cabled (or variants thereof), whether or not sized, but excludes high tenacity yarn of nylon classifiable under customs subheading 5402.

The major end uses of NFY are in home furnishing and industrial application areas such as curtains, sewing and embroidery thread, upholstery, fishnets etc. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) will establish a Textile Testing Research Centre (TTRC) in Faisalabad, Pakistan at an estimated cost of Rs 429 million. The project is expected to boost the textile exports by the SME sector, according to the head of PCSIR. It has officially been approved by the countrys government.

Dr Shahzad Alam, chairman of PCSIR spoke about the centre while attending a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) in Faisalabad. His was visiting to consult stakeholders to make the project more productive and beneficial for the textile industry.

He also informed that Rs 745 million will be provided for the Certification Incentive Programme (CIP) of PCSIR. A special desk will also be set up at FCCI to act as a link between industrialists and PCSIR R&D labs.

The Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) will establish a Textile Testing Research Centre (TTRC) in Faisalabad, Pakistan at an estimated cost of Rs 429 million. The project is expected to boost the textile exports by the SME sector, according to the head of PCSIR. It has officially been approved by the country's government.#

PCSIR has 9 labs and 7 academic institutes in different parts of Pakistan. (KD)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
HON MINISTER KOYA AT THE MSBG DISBURSEMENT, NAUSORI





Hon. Ministers;Permanent Secretaries;Commissioner Central;Distinguished Guests;Ladies and GentlemenBula Vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.Today marks yet another exciting chapter not only for our fellow Fijians present here but also the Fijian Government as we continue with the disbursement of the Fijian Governments Micro and Small Business Grant disbursement to our well-deserved 2,331 Grant recipients here in Nausori.Ladies and GentlemenIt has always been the Governments vision to ensure that all ordinary Fijians have accessible to sustainable living, hence, initiatives such as the Micro and Small Business Grant are implemented to ensure that we meet that objective.The scheme is to allow you to kick  start your business or provide a leg up to your existing business through the provision of grants that will contribute to improved livelihoods and reduction in poverty through the generation of economic activities.Ladies and Gentlemen,The scheme also sets out a platform that drives our Micro, Small and Medium Sector, the engine of economic growth and you the recipients here today will assist us in seeing that we do achieve that objective.In recognizing your various talents and capabilities, the Fijian Government has invested $2.29m in your various business ventures with the hope that you all will take advantage of this opportunity and make a difference in your various communities.Ladies and GentlemenSince its inception, I am proud to say that we have assisted a total of 9,748 grant recipients with an investment to the tune of $9.3m to date. Following todays event, Government would have invested a total of $11.59m to assist 12,079 micro-entrepreneurs, and directly impacting the livelihoods of 60,395 ordinary Fijians. I am also pleased to announce that the programme has been allocated with a $6.4m budget for this 2017/2018 financial year.Ladies and GentlemenThe continuation of the programme has been greatly supported through the positive feedback received during the completion of the initial monitoring exercise by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism which shows that we have a 60% success rate thus far in terms of businesses that have being monitored to date.We, however will continue to monitor the impact of this important MSME initiative and Government to this end has allocated additional resources to ensure that the monitoring, evaluation, mentoring, and business development support services continue to be provided for past and new grant recipients.At this juncture, I would like to share some interesting stories on some of the grant recipients that generated positive results on the grant assistance initiative:i. Mrs. Lusiana Ucakereilagi of Lautoka was assisted with $1,000 to expand her handicraft business. This has further improved her business which was realized through the increase in the number of sales from $70 to $100 a day.ii. Ms. Sainimere Niasa of Suvavou Village was assisted with $1,000 to start  up her canteen business. The grant assistance has allowed her to purchase the needed stock that allows her to generate a profit of $100 per week. This has further contributed to improved standard of living for her family.iii. Mr. Vilakesa Kalou of Korovou, Tailevu was provided with $859.42 for her farming business. With the additional boost of farming implements, he now has extended his farming business. He is currently planting dalo and other root crops and vegetable produce and has experienced increase in earnings from $100 to $150 per week.Ladies and GentlemenThe success stories highlighted are to encourage you to work smart and be innovative in your various business ventures and take advantage of business opportunities that are available. One good example is the opportunity presented through the introduction of the plastic bag levy, which those of you engaged in the tailoring businesses may take advantage of, by sewing eco-friendly shopping bags to substitute plastic shopping bags.Ladies and GentlemenThe Fijian Government has placed its trust in you that you will put into proper use the investment that has been made into your various business ventures with the hope that we will all work towards the common goal of making Fijis MSME sector the engine of Economic Growth.I wish you well in your business ventures.Vinaka Vakalevu. Thank You.
United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Plaintiff - Appellee, v. KEVIN SMITH, Defendant - Appellant. No. 16-4120 Decided: August 14, 2017

Before WILKINSON, KEENAN, and WYNN, Circuit Judges. James P. McLoughlin, Jr., MOORE & VAN ALLEN, PLLC, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellant. Jill Westmoreland Rose, United States Attorney, Elizabeth Greenough, Assistant United States Attorney, Charlotte, North Carolina, for Appellee.

Kevin Smith appeals his conviction and sentence for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, in violation of 18 U.S.C.  922(g)(1), 924(e)(1) (2012). Finding no reversible error, we affirm.

I.

Smith first claims that the district court erred in admitting witness testimony that he had previously possessed a firearm matching the description of one of the firearms listed in the indictment. We review a district court's rulings as to the admissibility of evidence for abuse of discretion. United States v. Williams, 740 F.3d 308, 314 (4th Cir. 2014).

Evidence of other wrongful conduct cannot be used to establish a defendant's character; however, evidence of other wrongs may be admissible to prove motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, absence of mistake, or lack of accident. Fed. R. Evid. 404(b). Such evidence also may be introduced if it concerns acts intrinsic to the alleged crime because evidence of such acts does not fall under Rule 404(b)'s limitations to begin with. United States v. Otuya, 720 F.3d 183, 188 (4th Cir. 2013) (alteration and internal quotation marks omitted). We have held that evidence of other bad acts is considered intrinsic if it arose out of the same series of transactions as the charged offense, or if it is necessary to complete the story of the crime on trial. United States v. Kennedy, 32 F.3d 876, 885 (4th Cir. 1994) (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted). Evidence is also intrinsic if it is necessary to provide context relevant to the criminal charges. United States v. Basham, 561 F.3d 302, 326 (4th Cir. 2009) (internal quotation marks omitted).

The district court admitted the witness testimony as intrinsic to the charged offenses or, in the alternative, pursuant to Rule 404(b). Upon review, we find the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the evidence that Smith possessed a firearm matching the description of one of the firearms found in his house. See United States v. Brown, 151 F. App'x 286, 28788 (4th Cir. 2005) (finding district court did not err, under Rule 404(b), in admitting evidence that defendant was observed shooting the same firearm a week before the incident at issue in felon-in-possession conviction); United States v. Holmes, 376 F.3d 270, 273 n.1 (4th Cir. 2004) (finding no reversible error where district court admitted evidence that defendant had used a pistol in several past robberies, and district court found evidence was intrinsic to the charged offenses of being a felon in possession of a weapon and therefore did not fall under Rule 404(b)); see also United States v. Brooks, 715 F.3d 1069, 107677 (8th Cir. 2013) (finding that admission of cell phone photos and videos of defendant posing with firearm were admissible as evidence intrinsic to charges, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon).

II.

Smith also claims that the evidence at trial was insufficient as a matter of law to support his conviction. We will uphold a jury's guilty verdict if it is supported by substantial evidence, defined as evidence that a reasonable finder of fact could accept as adequate and sufficient to support a conclusion of a defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. United States v. Louthian, 756 F.3d 295, 303 (4th Cir. 2014) (internal quotation marks omitted). In making this determination, we view the evidence and draw all reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the Government. United States v. McNeal, 818 F.3d 141, 148 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 137 S. Ct. 164 (2016). We defer to the jury's credibility determinations and resolutions of conflicting evidence, as those decisions are within the sole province of the jury and are not susceptible to judicial review. Louthian, 756 F.3d at 303 (internal quotation marks omitted). We also must consider the evidence in cumulative context rather than in a piecemeal fashion. United States v. Strayhorn, 743 F.3d 917, 922 (4th Cir. 2014) (internal quotation marks omitted). Appellate reversal on grounds of insufficient evidence will be confined to cases where the prosecution's failure is clear. United States v. Fuertes, 805 F.3d 485, 502 (4th Cir. 2015) (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted), cert. denied, 136 S. Ct. 1220 (2016).

After viewing the evidence as a whole and in the light most favorable to the Government, we conclude that there was sufficient evidence to establish that Smith intentionally exercised dominion and control over the firearms in question. See United States v. Moye, 454 F.3d 390, 395 (4th Cir.2006) (setting forth elements for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon); United States v. Al Sabahi, 719 F.3d 305, 311 (4th Cir. 2013) (providing that the government can prove constructive possession by showing that [the defendant] intentionally exercised dominion and control over the firearm, or had the power and the intention to exercise dominion and control over the firearm (internal quotation marks omitted)). Because the jury's verdict was supported by substantial evidence, we affirm Smith's conviction.

III.

Smith next challenges both 18 U.S.C.  922(g)(1) and 18 U.S.C.  924(e)(1) as unconstitutionally void for vagueness. Specifically, he claims that constructive possession is an abstraction as to which [ 922(g)(1)] gives neither sufficient notice nor guidance. He further claims that the phrase committed on occasions different from one another in 18 U.S.C.  924(e)(1) is void for vagueness. Because Smith failed to raise these challenges below, we review for plain error. United States v. Moore, 810 F.3d 932, 939 (4th Cir. 2016). [W]e may reverse only on a finding that (1) there was error, (2) that was plain, (3) that affected substantial rights, and (4) that seriously affected the fairness, integrity, or public reputation of judicial proceedings. Id. (alterations and internal quotation marks omitted).

The void-for-vagueness doctrine requires that penal statutes define crimes so that ordinary people can understand the conduct prohibited and so that arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement is not encouraged. United States v. Klecker, 348 F.3d 69, 71 (4th Cir. 2003) (internal quotation marks omitted). [A] court considering a vagueness challenge must determine if the statutory prohibitions are set out in terms that the ordinary person exercising ordinary common sense can sufficiently understand and comply with. United States v. Whorley, 550 F.3d 326, 333 (4th Cir. 2008) (internal quotation marks omitted). In evaluating whether a statute is vague, a court must consider both whether it provides notice to the public and whether it adequately curtails arbitrary enforcement. Klecker, 348 F.3d at 71; accord United States v. Saunders, 828 F.3d 198, 206 (4th Cir. 2016).

Upon review, we conclude that Smith has failed to establish plain error. See United States v. Michel, 446 F.3d 1122, 1136 (10th Cir. 2006) (holding that the language of 18 U.S.C.  924(e)(1) is sufficiently definite to let a person of ordinary intelligence  know that if he committed  separate crimes on the same day against separate victims at separate locations, his sentence would be enhanced under the ACCA); United States v. Rogers, 41 F.3d 25, 29 (1st Cir. 1994) (rejecting claim that 18 U.S.C.  922(g) is void for vagueness and finding that the term  possession concretely describes the conduct proscribed by the statute).

IV.

Smith also contends that the district court erred in determining that his predicate convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon were committed on occasions different from one another. 18 U.S.C.  924(e)(1).

We have come to rely on five factors [ (the Letterlough 2 factors) ] to determine whether predicate ACCA offenses were committed on different occasions: (1) whether the offenses arose in different geographic locations; (2) whether the nature of each offense was substantively different; (3) whether each offense involved different victims; (4) whether each offense involved different criminal objectives; and (5) whether the defendant had the opportunity after committing the first-in-time offense to make a conscious and knowing decision to engage in the next-in-time offense.

United States v. Linney, 819 F.3d 747, 751 (4th Cir. 2016) (internal quotation marks omitted). Importantly, these five factors may be considered together or independently and the strong presence of any one factor can dispositively segregate an extended criminal episode into a series of separate and distinct episodes. Id. (internal quotation marks omitted). In undertaking this five-factor analysis, courts rely on Shepard-approved sources [,]  such as the indictment, judgment, any plea agreement, the plea transcript or other comparable record confirming the factual basis for the plea, and any document explicitly incorporated into one of the foregoing. Id. at 75152 (internal quotation marks omitted); see also Shepard v. United States, 544 U.S. 13 (2005).

Smith does not contest that his January 3, 1997, robbery was committed on a different occasion than his other three robberies. Even if we assume that the two offenses that occurred on January 21, 1997, were part of a continuing offense, the indictment indicates that Smith proceeded to use a firearm to steal a car from Gerald Wayne McClamrock on January 22, 1997. This offense occurred on the following day, involved a different victim, had a different criminal objective, and occurred after Smith had an opportunity to rethink his previous criminal behavior. See United States v. Carr, 592 F.3d 636, 645 (4th Cir. 2010) (finding 13 prior convictions for breaking and entering 13 storage units housed in the same building on the same date were separate and distinct episodes, as the crimes had 10 different victims and, as he committed each crime, defendant had the opportunity to make a conscious and knowing decision to cease and desist his criminal behavior or engage in yet another crime (internal quotation marks omitted)). Thus, applying the Letterlough factors, we find no error in the district court's conclusion that at least three of Smith's convictions occurred on different occasions.

V.

Smith also claims that the district court violated his due process rights in violation of Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000), and United States v. Booker, 543 U.S. 220 (2005), in deciding that his predicate offenses were committed on occasions different from one another. 18 U.S.C.  924(e)(1). He contends that the application of this provision is a factual determination that should be submitted to a jury. Because Smith failed to raise this claim below, we review for plain error. Moore, 810 F.3d at 939.

We have rejected claims that the  separateness' of the occasions inquiry must be submitted to a jury. See United States v. Thompson, 421 F.3d 278, 28586 (4th Cir. 2005) (The line between facts that are inherent in a conviction and facts that are about a conviction is a common-sensical one, and there is no way that our conclusion as to the separateness of the occasions here can be seen to represent impermissible judicial factfinding.). Accordingly, we conclude that Smith fails to establish error, much less plain error, in this regard.

VI.

Finally, Smith argues that the district court erred in determining that his prior North Carolina convictions for robbery with a dangerous weapon are crime[s] of violence for purposes of 18 U.S.C.  924(e). Smith's argument is squarely foreclosed by our recent decision in United States v. Burns-Johnson, __ F.3d __, 2017 WL 3027872 (4th Cir. July 18, 2017), in which we held that a North Carolina conviction for robbery with a dangerous weapon categorically qualifies as a violent felony under the force clause of the ACCA. See 18 U.S.C.  924(e)(2)(B)(i). Because Smith committed a felony that has as an element the use, attempted use, or threatened use of physical force against the person of another, see id., we likewise reject Smith's related argument that his convictions are not crimes of violence under the identical force clause set forth in U.S. Sentencing Guidelines Manual  4B1.2(a)(1) (2014), as well as his objection to the inclusion of two additional criminal history points assigned to him pursuant to U.S.S.G.  4A1.1(e).

Accordingly, we affirm Smith's conviction and sentence. We dispense with oral argument because the facts and legal contentions are adequately presented in the materials before this court and argument would not aid the decisional process.

AFFIRMED

FOOTNOTES

. Moreover, although Smith claims that these statutes are void for vagueness under Johnson v. United States, 135 S. Ct. 2551 (2015), the holding in Johnson has no direct relevance to Smith's argument, as  922(g)(1) and  924(e)(1) do not contain a provision resembling the residual clause of the Armed Career Criminal Act (ACCA).

. United States v. Letterlough, 63 F.3d 332 (4th Cir. 1995).

PER CURIAM:
COMPASS STUDY PRESENTED AT ESC CONGRESS 2017 LARGEST RIVAROXABAN STUDY TO DATE, ENROLLED 27,395 PATIENTS TO INVESTIGATE CAD AND PAD

Bayer's data shows Xarelto (rivaroxaban) significantly lowers the combined risk of stroke, cardiovascular death and heart attack in patients with chronic coronary or peripheral artery disease

The highly anticipated COMPASS study, halted early due to highly significant efficacy, reveals clear and consistent clinical benefit

Rivaroxaban vascular dose, 2.5 mg twice daily, plus aspirin 100 mg once daily showed a 22% relative risk reduction (absolute risk reduction (ARR): 0.47%) in cardiovascular death compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone (current standard of care)

Additionally, results showed an unprecedented 42% relative risk reduction (ARR: 0.65%) in stroke

Bayer and its cooperation partner Janssen Research Development, LLC, today announced results at The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress that are set to change clinical practice in the UK for cardiologists treating patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD)1

Highly anticipated Phase III COMPASS study data announced during two hot line presentations at ESC in Barcelona, and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed Bayer's Factor Xa inhibitor, rivaroxaban (Xarelto) vascular dose, (2.5 mg twice daily), plus aspirin 100 mg once daily, reduced the risk of the composite endpoint of stroke, cardiovascular (CV) death and heart attack by 24% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 1.3%) in patients with CAD and PAD1. The study compared this combined approach with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone. Patients included in the study already received guideline recommended therapy for hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. A 5 mg twice daily dose of rivaroxaban was also investigated but did not reach statistical significance.

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily:

Was superior to aspirin 100 mg once daily alone for the prevention of the composite endpoint of stroke, CV death and MI (primary efficacy outcome) 1

Significantly reduced the risk of stroke by 42% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 0.65%), and CV death by 22% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 0.47%) 1

Demonstrated a 20% improvement (relative risk reduction, ARR: 1.14%) in net clinical benefit (defined as the reduction in stroke, CV death, and heart attack balanced against the most serious bleeding events) providing clinicians with the first evidence that rivaroxaban not only has a more favourable risk-benefit profile than current best practice, but also offers protective benefits in patients with the high risk conditions of CAD and PAD 1

Reduced the risk of heart attack by 14% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 0.31%) however this result was not statistically significant1

Overall bleeding incidence rates were low, and while there was an increase in major bleeding, notably there was no significant increase in fatal or intracranial bleeding. Importantly, in the PAD patient population, the combination of major adverse limb events plus all major amputations of a vascular cause were reduced significantly.

Dr Derek Connolly, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Birmingham City Hospital and COMPASS trial investigator commented: "The results of the COMPASS trial exceeded all expectations, demonstrating efficacy in reducing serious cardiovascular events that was so compelling we offered the treatment to study participants in an open-label extension trial. This study further builds on rivaroxaban's role in a wide range of complex conditions including atrial fibrillation. This was the biggest study of rivaroxaban to date, and when licensed for these conditions, it will provide cardiologists with a new option for treating CAD and PAD."

Dr Luis Felipe Graterol, UK Medical Director, Bayer, said: "The results from COMPASS have important implications for daily clinical practice, demonstrating the broader protective benefits of Xarelto across multiple indications. Bayer has a robust heritage in addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular health, and a strong pipeline of new indications that we hope will make a real difference for patients now and in the future. While Xarelto is already widely used by cardiologists across a spectrum of cardiovascular indications, Bayer is committed to investigating its wider benefits across new indications, as well as building on and refining current evidence to guide prescribing decisions."

The COMPASS study is the largest clinical study of rivaroxaban to date. The study was stopped approximately one year ahead of schedule due to highly significant efficacy and Bayer, Janssen and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) are working towards offering rivaroxaban to study participants in an open-label extension trial. Rivaroxaban is the only non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) investigated in secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease.

The results, along with Bayer's ongoing research into AF and concomitant conditions, have significant implications for how UK cardiologists will respond to high-risk patients now and in the future. Rivaroxaban's extensive clinical development programme makes it the most studied novel OAC in the world. Since it was first approved in the orthopaedic setting in 2008, 23 million patients worldwide have received it in daily clinical practice2

Reporting of side effects:

This medicine is subject to additional monitoring ?. This will allow quick identification of new safety information. You can help by reporting any side effects you may get. See www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard for how to report side effects.

About CAD and PAD

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of cardiovascular disease and is estimated to occur in up to 20-30% of patients with AF3. It is responsible for approximately 7.3 million deaths worldwide every year4, with up to half of all middle-aged men and women at risk of developing CAD during their lifetime5. The number of patients with AF and CAD that will have to undergo coronary revascularisation has doubled in the last decade6

Peripheral artery disease (PAD), while often undiagnosed, affects over 27 million people in Europe and North America and is an important risk marker of cardiovascular disease7

About COMPASS1

The Phase III randomised controlled COMPASS study is the largest clinical study of rivaroxaban to date with 27,395 patients. COMPASS was conducted in collaboration with the PHRI in more than 600 research sites across more than 30 countries worldwide8

The COMPASS study evaluated the use of rivaroxaban for the prevention of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including CV death, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in patients with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease or both.

Patients received a run-in of aspirin 100 mg once daily for 30 days, and were then randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive (with or without pantoprazole):

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily

Rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily

Aspirin 100 mg once daily

Patients who were being treated with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prior to enrollment continued with their existing medication. Patients without a continued need for PPI treatment were randomised to pantoprazole or its placebo.

Efficacy Outcomes1

For the primary efficacy outcome, rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily was superior to aspirin 100 mg once daily alone for the prevention of the composite endpoint of stroke, CV death and MI (hazard ratio [HR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.86; P<0.001). Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily reduced the risk of stroke by 42% (HR 0.58; 95% CI 0.44-0.76; P<0.001, CV death by 22% (HR 0.78; 95% CI 0.64-0.96; P=0.02) and heart attack by 14% (HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.70-1.05; P=0.14). Rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily also reduced the composite outcome of stroke, CV death and MI but these results were not statistically significant.

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone improved the net clinical benefit defined as the composite of stroke, CV death, MI, fatal bleeding or symptomatic bleeding in a critical organ (HR 0.80; 95% CI 0.70-0.91; P<0.001). Rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily did not improve the net clinical benefit.

Safety Outcomes1

The main safety outcome was a modification of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) criteria for major bleeding, and included fatal bleeding, symptomatic bleeding in a critical organ, bleeding into a surgical site requiring reoperation, and bleeding leading to hospitalisation (including presentation to an acute care facility without overnight stay). Unlike the ISTH criteria, all bleeding leading to presentation to an acute care facility or hospitalisation was considered as major.

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone increased the risk of major bleeding (HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.40-2.05, P<0.001). Most of the major bleeding was into the gastrointestinal tract, with no significant increase in fatal bleeds, intracranial bleeds or symptomatic bleeds into a critical organ.

Although there was also a significant increase in major bleeding as defined using the non-modified ISTH scale, incidence rates using this definition were approximately one-third lower when compared to those obtained when using modified ISTH criteria.

About Xarelto (Rivaroxaban)

The extensive clinical development programme for rivaroxaban evaluating/ investigating the protection of different patient populations at risk of venous and arterial thromboembolism (VAT) makes it the most studied novel OAC in the world. To date, Xarelto has been approved for use in more than 125 countries, across all indications, and in the UK specifically to date across the following indications9

The prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adult patients with non-valvular AF with one or more risk factors

The treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and prevention of recurrent DVT and PE in adults

The prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement surgery

The prevention of atherothrombotic events in adult patients after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with elevated cardiac biomarkers, co-administered with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) alone or with ASA plus clopidogrel or ticlopidine

Rivaroxaban was discovered by Bayer, and is being jointly developed with Janssen Research Development, LLC. Xarelto is marketed outside the U.S. by Bayer and in the U.S. by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (a Johnson Johnson Company). Anticoagulant medicines are potent therapies used to prevent and treat blood clots the consequences of which may be serious, or to treat serious illnesses and potentially life-threatening conditions. Before initiating therapy with anticoagulant medicines, physicians should carefully assess the benefit and risk for the individual patient.

Responsible use of Xarelto is a very high priority for Bayer, and the company has developed a 'Prescriber's Guide' for physicians and a 'Xarelto Patient Card' for patients to support best practice.

Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2015, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 46.3 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.3 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.co.uk

Forward Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

1 Eikelboom, J.W., Connolly, S.J., Bosch, J., et al. Rivaroxaban With and Without Aspirin in Stable Coronary or Peripheral Artery Disease. New England Journal of Medicine 2017

2 Data on file, Bayer UK

3 Capodanno, D., et al. Management of Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Therapy in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in the Setting of Acute Coronary Syndromes or Percutaneous Coronary Interventions. Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. 2014; 7:113-24

4 Zaromitidou, M., et al. Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease: from basics to genetics. 2016. UK: Elsevier.

5 Lloyd-Jones, D., et al. Lifetime risk of developing coronary artery heart disease. Lancet. 1999; 353(9147): 89-92

6 Bhatnagar, P., et al. The epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in the UK 2014. Heart. 2015;101(15): 1182-9

7 Belch, J., et al. Critical issues in peripheral arterial disease detection and management: a call to action. Arch Intern Med. 2003; 163(8): 884-92

8 Cappato, R., et al. COMPASS PAD study design. Exploring unmet needs in venous and arterial thromboembolism with rivaroxaban. Thromb Haemost. 2016; 116(2): 2-12

9 eMC. 2017. Xarelto SPC. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/25586 [Last accessed: August 2017]

UKXAR07170353a

Date of Preparation: August 2017

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170827005029/en/

Contacts:

Bayer

Hayley Knight, Tel. 0118 206 3523

hayley.knight@bayer.com
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - CBS Corp. (CBS.A, CBS) has agreed to acquire Network Ten, one of three major commercial broadcast networks in Australia. This transaction adds Network Ten to CBS Corporation's global content and distribution portfolios. In addition to core linear channel TEN, the deal includes digital terrestrial television channel (DTT) ELEVEN, which CBS already owns a 33 per cent stake, the DTT channel ONE and Network Ten's rapidly growing digital platform, TENPLAY. CBS will also launch CBS All Access, the Company's digital subscription video on-demand service, in the Australian market. This marks another international territory announced for CBS All Access this month. The Company recently unveiled plans to make the service available in Canada next year. The transaction will be completed in accordance with the Australian voluntary administration process and is subject to certain regulatory approvals. 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.
Additional data from metabolic syndrome model support protective effects of Imeglimin on diabetic cardiomyopathy, a significant cardiovascular complication in diabetic patients

POXEL SA (Euronext POXEL FR0012432516), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, announced today that preclinical Imeglimin data showed a benefit in peripheral and coronary vascular function that was associated with an improvement of cardiac function (diastolic dysfunction), in a rat model of metabolic syndrome. Over the weekend, these data were presented in poster P577 in the chronic heart failure session at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress at the Fira Gran Via Conference Center in Barcelona, Spain. These results positively reinforce the data recently presented at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Scientific Session and further strengthen Imeglimin's profile as a novel treatment for type 2 diabetes.

"This is the first time Imeglimin has shown a benefit on peripheral and coronary vascular function in addition to a concomitant protective effect for diabetic cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, the reduced oxidative stress and the increase in nitric oxide bioavailability, two key components involved in vasodilation of coronary and peripheral arteries, may contribute to Imeglimin's protective effect on cardiac function," said Thomas Kuhn, CEO of Poxel. "Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a significant cardiovascular complication with limited treatment options. It affects approximately 40 percent of the type 2 diabetic patients and is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality1. These exciting data demonstrate that Imeglimin may have the potential to reduce the burden of this prominent cardiovascular complication in type 2 diabetes patients."

Imeglimin Results

The preclinical study in a rat model of metabolic syndrome was designed to investigate Imeglimin's protective effects on diabetic cardiomyopathy. Obese Zucker fa/fa rats, which are known to develop cardiac dysfunction very similar to cardiomyopathy observed in type 2 diabetes patients, were treated with150 mg/kg Imeglimin twice-daily for 9 and 90 days. The effects of Imeglimin were evaluated through key parameters of both left ventricular (LV) function (echocardiography, MRI) and hemodynamics (LV catheterization). Endothelium-dependent relaxation of coronary and peripheral arteries was also evaluated. The study demonstrated that very early in the course of treatment, Imeglimin significantly improved vascular function, which was strongly impaired in this rat model. Concomitantly, all the parameters of LV diastolic dysfunction as well as myocardial perfusion were improved compared to the untreated controls, suggesting a clear beneficial effect on the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy. In addition, Imeglimin was also shown to improve glucose tolerance in this model.

These demonstrated effects on diastolic dysfunction, in a model of metabolic syndrome, further strengthen Imeglimin's therapeutic profile in type 2 diabetes, where heart failure remains a key complication with limited therapeutic options. The results are consistent with Imeglimin's mechanism of action and with previous data in another diabetic model showing protective effects on endothelial dysfunction, an early sign of diabetic cardiovascular complication (EASD 2016).

The poster presented at the ESC Congress titled, "Short- and long-term Imeglimin treatment reduces metabolic syndrome-related diabetic cardiomyopathy,is available on the Company's website under "Scientific Publications" or by using the following link http://www.poxelpharma.com/en_us/product-pipeline/posters.

Imeglimin has successfully completed Phase 1 and Phase 2 development in over 1,200 subjects in the U.S., EU and Japan.

About Imeglimin

Imeglimin is the first clinical candidate in a new chemical class of oral agents called the Glimins. Imeglimin has a unique mechanism of action (MOA) that targets mitochondrial bioenergetics. Imeglimin acts on the three main target organs involved in glucose homeostasis: the liver, muscle, and the pancreas. This MOA has the potential for glucose lowering benefits, as well as the potential to prevent endothelial dysfunction, which can provide protective effects on micro- and macro-vascular defects induced by diabetes. The additional protective effect on beta-cell survival and function may lead to a delay in disease progression. This unique mode of action, compared to existing treatments for type 2 diabetes, makes Imeglimin a prime candidate in all stages of the current anti-diabetic treatment paradigm, including monotherapy or as an add-on to other glucose lowering therapies for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.

About Poxel SA

Poxel uses its development expertise in metabolism to advance a pipeline of drug candidates focused on the treatment of metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes. We have successfully completed our Phase 2 clinical program for our first-in-class lead product, Imeglimin, which targets mitochondrial dysfunction, in the U.S., EU and Japan. Our second program, PXL770, a direct AMPK activator, is in Phase 1 development. We intend to generate further growth through strategic partnerships and pipeline development. (Euronext: POXEL, www.poxel.com)

1 Fitchett et al. European Journal of Heart Failure (2017)

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170827005015/en/

Contacts:

Poxel SA

Jonae R. Barnes, +1-617-818-2985

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations and Public Relations

jonae.barnes@poxelpharma.com

or

Investor relations Media EU/US

MacDougall Biomedical Communications

Gretchen Schweitzer or Stephanie May, +49 89 2424 3494 or +49 175 571 1562

smay@macbiocom.com

or

Investor relations Media France

NewCap

Florent Alba/Nicolas Merigeau, 33 1 44 71 98 55

poxel@newcap.fr
Held in Bogota, the Regional Event Will Convene Technology Industry Experts and Policymakers to Discuss Key Drivers for Innovation.

The GSMA today outlined the first details of the 2017 Mobile 360 Series - Latin America conference, which will take place 31 October 2 November in Bogota, Colombia. The thought leadership conference, which forms part of the 2017 GSMA Mobile 360 Series of events, will highlight the latest innovations in the region and will feature experts from leading mobile operators, ecosystem players, internet companies and organisations in adjacent industry sectors, as well as regional policymakers.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005046/en/

GSMA Mobile 360 Latin America Will Showcase Mobile Ecosystem Innovation across the Region (Photo: Business Wire)

"For Latin America, mobile is a key foundation supporting the innovation that businesses, startups and small and medium enterprises are generating in the region," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. "Mobile can boost Latin American economies and help tackle the social challenges facing underserved populations. Mobile 360 Latin America will convene key industry leaders and decision makers from across the ecosystem to discuss the key role that mobile will play in Latin America's future."

Mobile 360 Latin America will address the main opportunities and challenges facing the mobile industry today. Delegates will have the opportunity to explore key drivers of innovation in the region, including the Internet of Things, financial inclusion and mobile money, connected cars, mobile identity, future networks and 5G, network security, media and advertising, and mobile's contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, among others.

Industry Leaders Confirmed to Speak

The Mobile 360 Latin America conference programme will offer perspectives from across the mobile industry and broader technology landscape. Held 31 October 1 November, the conference programme will feature a series of high-level presentations and panel discussions on the most pressing trends and issues in mobile.

Speakers confirmed to date include:

Edgar Salas, CEO, AZ Logica

Paulo Cesar Teixeira, CEO, Claro Brasil

Elizabeth McQuerry, Partner, Glenbrook Partners

Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA

Sebastian Cabello, Head of Latin America, GSMA

Mauricio Ramos, CEO, Millicom

Marcelo Cataldo, CEO, Tigo Colombia

Bibiana Aido, Permanent Representative, UN Women Ecuador and Former Minister for Equality in Spain

David Salamanca, Director General, URF

Alongside the conference, the regional event will also feature several themed seminars and workshops including the "GSMA Latam Strategy Innovation Forum", the "Mobile Ecosystem Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals" seminar, and the "5G Spectrum and Policy Forum", among others.

Expert Working Groups to Meet

GSMA Latin America has four operator-led Working Groups that provide GSMA regional members the opportunity to get engaged in GSMA activities and programmes, exchange information, provide training and network, as well as establishing regional industry positions. On 2 November, four Working Groups will meet, including the Regulatory Working Group (REGU), the Security Fraud Working Group (SEGF), the Technical Terminals Working Group (TECT), and the Wholesale Agreements and Solutions LATAM Group (WASL). Participants at these invitation-only sessions will have the opportunity to discuss in greater depth the many technical, regulatory and commercial aspects of new and existing services.

Calling All Startups

Mobile 360 Latin America will again offer the "Innovation Showcase", where entrepreneurs from across the region will have the opportunity to spotlight their companies. In this session, a panel of venture capitalists, investors and industry experts will share their views on what makes a successful telecommunications venture today. A select group of Latin American startups will then pitch their companies to the expert panel and audience, with the winner being granted the exciting opportunity to speak at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona. Companies interested in participating in the Innovation Showcase should submit a proposal at www.mobile360series.com/latin-america/agenda/startups/

Mobile 360 Latin America Event Sponsors

Sponsors for the event include TigoUne (Host Sponsor) and Amdocs (Silver Sponsor). Huawei is the Global Industry Supporter for the full Mobile 360 Series of conferences taking place throughout 2017.

Registration for Mobile 360 Latin America

Registration for Mobile 360 Latin America is now open; individuals wishing to attend should visit www.mobile360series.com/latin-america/attend/attendee-registration/. For a limited period, attendees can purchase a conference pass at a 25 per cent discount.

Get Involved at Mobile 360 Latin America

For more information on Mobile 360 Latin America, including how to attend or sponsor, visit www.mobile360series.com/latin-america/. Follow the latest developments and updates on Mobile 360 Latin America on Twitter, using the M360LATAM hashtag or following @GSMALatam and @GSMAEvents, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Mobile360Series and LinkedIn on www.linkedin.com/company/gsma-mobile-360-series.

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005046/en/

Contacts:

For the GSMA

Mauro Accurso

+54 (9)11 3251 9811

maccurso@gsma.com

or

Clare Fenny

+44 20 7067 0749

CFenny@webershandwick.com

or

GSMA Press Office

pressoffice@gsma.com
The study evaluates the efficacy of Echopulse in the treatment of Graves' disease

Published in "Radiology", the study reports the treatment and follow up of 30 patients. It concludes:

A remission rate at 12 months equal to 73.3% (suppression of hyperthyroidism),

A significant decrease in the titers of autoantibodies (anti TSHr),

No alteration of other anti-thyroid antibody levels nor ophthalmic parameters,

The feasibility and probably favorable cost effectiveness compared to surgery for all patients who received the single session, bilateral procedure (one patient required two sessions).

Regulatory News:

THERACLION (Paris:ALTHE) (Alternext, FR0010120402 ALTHE, PEA PME eligible), a company specialized in leading-edge medical equipment for echotherapy, today announces the results published in the  Radiology  journal on Graves' disease treatment by echotherapy using Echopulse. The study is entitled: "Single-Session High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Treatment for Persistent or Relapsed Graves' Disease: Preliminary Experience in a Prospective Study" and is available online on PubMed.

Graves' disease (GD) is an autoimmune thyroid disorder caused by the presence of autoantibodies stimulating the TSH receptor. It is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism and approximately 3% of women and 0.5% of men develop GD in their lifetime. In many parts of the world, anti-thyroid drugs (ATD) have been the preferred initial treatment for GD. However, once a patient remains or continues to be hyperthyroid after an 18-month or longer course of ATDs, definitive treatments such as surgery or radioactive iodine therapy are generally recommended. Nevertheless, a substantial proportion of patients prefer to continue receiving ATDs instead of proceeding to surgery or RAI therapy because of surgical risks and radiation fear. Theraclion estimates that the availability of a non-surgical, non-radioactive approach to treat persistent or recurrent hyperthyroidism has the potential to expand volume of thyroid procedure by 40% compared to current indication to treat benign thyroid nodules.

This series of cases was performed and assessed by Dr. Brian Hung-Hin LANG, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Chief of the Endocrine Surgery Division at the Queen Mary University Hospital in Hong Kong.

A group of thirty consecutive patients with persistent or relapsed GD treated between November 2015 and February 2016 was examined for thyroid function at baseline, at 2 and 4 weeks and 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 months following the treatment performed by Echopulse and clinically assessed at the same time.

The article published in the prestigious US journal "Radiology" demonstrates very promising Echopulse post-treatment results confirmed by hormonal profile and clinical assessment. The patients treated with Echopulse showed at 12 months follow-up:

An overall remission rate of 73,3%, which means a relief from hyperthyroidism,

A significant decrease in the autoantibodies (anti TSHr),

Absence of complications in terms of ophthalmic parameters and anti-thyroid antibody levels evolution.

In 96,7% of the cases, patients completed the echotherapy treatment within one session and were discharged on the day of the treatment. This would imply superiority in terms of cost effectiveness compared to surgery.

Pr Brian LANG, MD, principal investigator, comments: "US-guided HIFU ablation of the thyroid may be a safe and efficacious treatment in patients with persistent or relapsed GD, offering patients an alternative to invasive surgery or radioactive iodine, a treatment which many patients refuse, especially in Asia

Sylvain Yon, Deputy CEO VP Research Development of Theraclion, concludes: "Theraclion continues the development of new indications, pioneering non-invasive ultrasound treatment as an alternative to surgical procedures and radioactive iodine treatment. Just as the breast cancer FDA trial authorization, these first results are extremely encouraging, and could add another indication to the panel of indications Echopulse can treat, which would be welcomed by our current as well as future Echopulse users."

About Theraclion

Theraclion is a French company specializing in high-tech medical equipment using therapeutic ultrasound. Drawing on leading-edge technologies, Theraclion has designed and manufactured an innovative solution for echotherapy, the Echopulse, allowing non-invasive tumor treatment through ultrasound-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound. Theraclion is ISO 13485 certified and has received the CE mark for non-invasive ablation of breast fibroadenomas and thyroid nodules. Based in Malakoff, near Paris, France Theraclion has brought together a team of 34 people, half of it are dedicated to R&D and clinical trials. For more information, please visit Theraclion's website: www.theraclion.com.

Theraclion is listed on Alternext Paris

PEA-PME eligible

Mnemonic: ALTHE ISIN Code: FR0010120402

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005591/en/

Contacts:

Theraclion

David Caumartin

Chief Executive Officer

Tel.: +33 (0)1 55 48 90 70

david.caumartin@theraclion.com

or

Kalima

Press Relations

Florence Calba, Tel.: 33 (0)1 44 90 82 54

fcalba@kalima-rp.fr

or

The Ruth Group (U.S.)

Investor Relations Public Relations

Robert Flamm Kirsten Thomas

+1 646-536-7017 +1 508-280-6592

rflamm@theruthgroup.com / kthomas@theruthgroup.com
QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC -- (Marketwired) -- 08/28/17 -- Petrolia Inc. (TSX VENTURE:PEA ) ("Petrolia" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that Pieridae Energy Limited ("Pieridae") closed its previously announced private placement earlier today through a syndicate of agents co-led by Laurentian Bank Securities Inc. and National Bank Financial Inc. and including Desjardins Securities Inc. (the "Pieridae Private Placement") for gross proceeds of $25,651,625, which included the issuance of 1,970,600 subscription receipts at a subscription price of $12.50 per subscription receipt which, immediately prior to the completion of the previously announced planned amalgamation between Pieridae and Petrolia by way of a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") under section 192 of the Canada Business Corporations Act, will be converted into Pieridae common shares ("Pieridae Shares") and exchanged for common shares ("Amalco Shares") of the amalgamated company ("Amalco") as part of the Arrangement and commission of $1,019,125 to be satisfied by the issuance of 81,530 Pieridae Shares to the agents. In addition, the full amount of the USD $5,000,000 debenture held by Alfred Sorensen Holdings Ltd. (the "Pieridae Debenture") will be converted into Pieridae Shares immediately prior to closing of the Arrangement. The reduction of the Pieridae Private Placement amount from the initially announced $50,000,000 (less the amount of the Pieridae Debenture) to approximately $31,700,000 (less the amount of the Pieridae Debenture) will be entirely offset by the inclusion of $10,250,000 of the amount of the Anticosti Settlement (as defined below) as part of the working capital to be used by Amalco, and by the transformation of certain accounts payable by Pieridae to creditors into long term liabilities.

Third Amendment to Arrangement Agreement

Petrolia also announces that it has entered into an agreement with Pieridae (the "Third Amendment") to amend certain provisions of the arrangement agreement executed on May 15, 2017, as amended on June 28, 2017 and July 21, 2017, with Pieridae (the "Arrangement Agreement"). Considering (i) the reduced amount of the Pieridae Private Placement and (ii) the $20,500,000 compensation to be received by Petrolia further to the previously announced settlement with the Government of Quebec with respect to the cessation of oil and gas exploration and development activities on Anticosti Island (the "Anticosti Settlement"), Pieridae and Petrolia agreed to lower the exchange ratio by which each Pieridae Share will be exchanged for Amalco Shares from 2.74123 to 2.2057526 as part of the Arrangement. Accordingly, it is expected that the holders of Petrolia common shares will hold approximately 18.40%, and the holders of Pieridae Shares will hold approximately 81.60%, of the outstanding Amalco Shares after completion of the Arrangement. Based on the foregoing amendment, the value to be paid for the Petrolia common shares has been increased to $0.4723 per share, being 286% of the closing price of Petrolia's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange on May 12, 2017.

Further to the Anticosti Settlement, Petrolia and Pieridae agreed to modify the first step of the Arrangement so that the dividend that is to be declared by Petrolia on a pro rata basis on the total of Petrolia common shares held by non-dissenting Petrolia shareholders at the time of the Arrangement be paid in cash instead of in preferred shares, as was previously announced. Such dividend will be of an aggregate amount of $9,012,002, equal to $0.0831 per Petrolia common share, and will be paid out by Petrolia on the closing date of the Arrangement to its transfer agent for distribution to Petrolia shareholders thereafter. This amount is equal to 50% of the Anticosti Settlement amount less the amount of taxes that would be payable on such amounts prior to the use of any existing tax pools of Petrolia. The Arrangement Agreement is also amended in order for the completion of the Arrangement to be conditional on the reception by Petrolia of the Anticosti Settlement funds. It is expected that Ressources Quebec Inc., which holds 15,047,254 common shares and 4,002,500 warrants of Petrolia will enter into a support agreement, pooling agreement and an escrow agreement pursuant to which it will vote its Petrolia common shares in favour of the Arrangement and will be subject to certain resale restrictions. Following completion of the Arrangement, it is expected that Ressources Quebec Inc. will hold approximately 2.55% of the total issued and outstanding Amalco Shares.

All terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, as previously amended, not modified by the Third 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 the First Amendment dated June 28, 2017, the Second Amendment dated July 21, 2017 and the Third 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 TSX Venture Exchange Inc. (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, the Exchange's 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 management information 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 that is a leader in Quebec oil and gas prospection and its vision is to develop hydrocarbons, by people here, for here. The social and environmental dimensions are a major concern of Petrolia and its exploration process. 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:

Petrolia Inc.

Martin Belanger, P. Eng.

Interim President and Chief Executive Officer

418 657-1966

www.petrolia-inc.com




TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 28, 2017 / Pool Safe Inc. (TSXV: POOL) ("Pool Safe" or the "Company") is pleased to announce the signing of an Exclusive Distribution Agreement (the "Agreement") with Alawwal Properties Corp. ("Alawwal"). On April 4, 2017, Pool Safe and Alawwal signed the previously-announced preliminary distribution agreement, which set forth the terms of the engagement that have now been formalized in the Agreement. Under the terms of the Agreement, Pool Safe has granted Alawwal the exclusive right within the Middle East and North Africa Region ("MENA" or the "MENA Region") to market and sell the PoolSafe product, and to form revenue share partnerships with its clients and relationships.

"We are extremely proud to announce this collaboration," said David Berger, CEO of Pool Safe. "To have Alawwal as our distribution partner is an important step in enabling the Company to expand its market presence in addition to new customers having greater access to the PoolSafe product."

The Agreement sets forth the terms of the distribution arrangement and the geographical regions for a sales and marketing presence. The Company will manufacture and deliver PoolSafes for installation at hotels, resorts, and water parks in the MENA Region.

"Our team is excited to represent and sell the PoolSafe product into the MENA Region; an area that is home to some of the most beautiful and most visited vacation spots in the world," said Mohammed Alhadi, CEO and Regional Director, North America. "We will be able to offer scale, infrastructure and our reputation, which will help make the PoolSafe a sought after amenity within the hospitality community in MENA."

Alawwal intends to build-out sales offices throughout the region under the brand "PSI MENA."

About Pool Safe Inc.

Pool Safe Inc. designs, develops and distributes a product known as the "PoolSafe", which functions as a multi-purpose personal poolside attendant. The PoolSafe is designed to provide safety, convenience and peace of mind for hotels, resorts, water parks and cruise ship guests. Functions include lockable safe, solar-powered charger for USB compatible electronic devices including phones, cameras and tablets in addition to beverage or server call-buttons, a beverage cooler and holders. Conveniently located alongside pool or beach lounge chairs, the PoolSafe is a unique way of providing vacationers with a comforting sense of security for their belongings, while they enjoy their vacation.

For more information please visit www.poolsafeinc.com.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSXV) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statements

Certain statements contained in this press release constitute forward-looking information. These statements relate to future events or future performance. The use of any of the words "could", "intend", "expect", "believe", "will", "projected", "estimated" and similar expressions and statements relating to matters that are not historical facts are intended to identify forward-looking information and are based on the Company's current belief or assumptions as to the outcome and timing of such future events. In particular, this release contains forward-looking information relating to the ability of the Agreement to expand the Company's market and to turn the PoolSafe into a sought after commodity within the MENA hospitality community. The forward looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Because of the risks, uncertainties, and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

For further information:

Pool Safe Inc.

Steven Glaser, C.O.O.

T: 416-630-2444

E: sglaser@poolsafeinc.com

SOURCE: Pool Safe Inc.
MURRIETA, CALIFORNIA -- (Marketwired) -- 08/28/17 -- IGEN Networks Corporation (OTCQB: IGEN)(CSE: IGN)(CSE: IGN.CN)(CNSX: IGN), a Company that offers peace-of-mind to automotive consumers and their families through the protection and management of their mobile assets, is pleased to announce several management changes to bolster its growth and support from corporate headquarters in Murrieta, CA.

Abel I. Sierra has accepted the promotion to Vice President and General Manager of Nimbo Tracking LLC., IGEN's wholly owned subsidiary. Mr. Sierra has been a key driving force behind sales growth over the past 18 months. It is noted that Mr. Sierra has served as President of the Antelope Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (AVHCC) - the first President elected to a second term in the organization's 20 year history. AVHCC's mission is to provide Hispanic entrepreneurship, community growth, and development, by supporting economic programs designed to strengthen and expand the potential of all business. As President of AVHCC, Mr. Sierra has been officially commended by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ex-Governor of California, James C. Ledford, Mayor of the City of Palmdale, and R. Rex Parris, Mayor of Lancaster for his efforts on behalf of fellow Californians.

Prior and concurrent to Mr. Sierra's role with AVHCC was his position as Agency Vice President of HBW Insurance and Financial Services. Mr. Sierra served as an Independent Associate with Legal Shield, Regional Vice President for Primerica Financial Services, marketing Representative for 21st Century/AIG direct, community Representative for Palmdale School District and Palmdale Head Start. Mr. Sierra also served 14 years as a Counter Intelligence Specialist with the United States Marine Corps.

Mr. Cameron Wills has been promoted to Director of Product Marketing at Nimbo Tracking which aligns with his passion for product innovation, marketing, and business development. Mr. Willis joined Nimbo Tracking in 2014 and provided technical support and software development expertise during his first two years at the Company. He was subsequently promoted to Director of Operations where he was instrumental in streamlining and improving Nimbo Tracking's processes and customer experiences.

Mr. Richard Freeman, has tendered his resignation as Chief Operating Officer effective September 15, 2017. Mr. Freeman will remain as a Director of the Company. As previously reported, to reduce costs and streamline its financial reporting, IGEN has closed its Vancouver, B.C., office and will shift financial duties to staff at its Murrieta, CA office.

About IGEN Networks Corporation

IGEN Networks Corporation provides peace-of-mind to automotive consumers and their families through direct access to Internet-of-Things (IoT) cloud-based services that include Stolen Vehicle Protection, Real-time updates on asset health and Driver Behavior.

IGEN is a fully reporting company in both Canada and the United States. It is publicly traded on the OTCQB under the symbol IGEN, and listed on the CSE under the symbol IGN. For more information, please visit http://igen-networks.com and www.NimboTracking.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain forward-looking statements or forward looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities law. The terms and phrases "goal", "commitment", "guidance", "expects", "would", "will", "continuing", "drive", "believes", "indicate", "look forward", "grow", "outlook", "forecasts", "intend", and similar terms and phrases are intended to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions made by IGEN in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors that IGEN believes are appropriate in the circumstances, including but not limited to statements regarding investment liquidity, financing options and long term goals of the Company, general economic conditions, IGEN's expectations regarding its business, customer base, strategy and prospects, and IGEN's confidence in the cash flow generation of its business. Many factors could cause IGEN's actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to competition; IGEN's reliance on key personnel; IGEN's ability to maintain and enhance its brand; and difficulties in forecasting IGEN's financial results, particularly over longer periods given the rapid technological changes, competition and short product life cycles that characterize the mobile application industry. These risk factors and others relating to IGEN that may cause actual results to differ are set forth in the under the heading "Risk Factors" in IGEN's periodic filings with the British Columbia Securities Commission and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (copies of which filings may be obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov. These factors should be considered carefully, and readers should not place undue reliance on IGEN's forward-looking statements. IGEN has no intention and undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contacts:

Corporate Inquiries:

IGEN Networks Corporation

Neil Chan

1 (888) 244-3650

neilchan@igen-networks.com

www.igen-networks.com



Investor Relations:

Green Chip IR

Matt Chipman, President

1 (818) 923-5302

matt@greenchipir.com




WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A District Court judge has dismissed a case against Zillow Group that challenged the accuracy of the company's home-value estimating tool 'Zestimate.' The class-action suit filed by homeowners claimed that the website's pricing feature sharply undervalued their properties. Zestimates place a market value on homes that are for sale. The complaint says that interested home buyers looked at the estimate as an appraisal despite it not being an official appraisal and tried to negotiate accordingly. The judge dismissed the suit and said, 'Zestimates are not false, misleading, or likely to confuse. The word 'Zestimate - an obvious portmanteau of 'Zillow' and 'estimate' - itself indicates that Zestimates are merely an estimate of the market value of a property.' Nationwide, Zillow Zestimates are within 5% of the actual sale price 53.9% of the time, within 10% of the sale price 75.6% of the time and within 20% of the closing price 89.7% of the time, according to company data, reports WSJ. 'The Zestimate has proven itself to be a sought-after and valuable free tool for consumers,' Zillow spokeswoman said. 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.
Astrocast (FKA Else), a Switzerland-based startup developing a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) nanosatellite constellation, closed $3M in seed funding.

Backers included Airbus Ventures, as well as additional Swiss and internationally-based private investors.

The company which had previously raised $3m in public funding, intends to use the funds to expand operations through mid-2018, when the first two nanosatellites are expected to be launched into LEO.

Led by Fabien Jordan, Co-Founder, CEO & Chairman, Astrocast is currently developing a network of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) nanosatellites (named Astrocast) that will provide IoT and machine-to-machine services to global enterprises across numerous sectors including retail, agriculture, automotive, transportation & logistics, utilities, maritime, oil and gas, among others.

Astrocast is designed to provide unlimited coverage all over the planet, with no geographical limitations. The constellation will comprise a total of 64 nanosatellites with the company projecting all to be in orbit by 2021. The satellites will collect data, which will be delivered to ground stations, then distributed for access by customers through a secure Internet gateway.

Astrocast will now transition into funding its Series A round, which is expected to close in 2018.

FinSMEs

28/08/2017
Proactively From the Sea; an agent of change leveraging the littoral best practices for a paradigm breaking six-sigma best business case to synergize a consistent design in the global commons, rightsizing the core values supporting our mission statement via the 5-vector model through cultural diversity.
Brella, a Jyvaskyla, Finland-based developer of a networking application for business events, raised 1.2m in private equity funding.

The round was led by Vendep Capital with participation from a team of international angel investors, including from the USA, France and Finland.

The company intends to use the funds to expand its operations in the USA, its important market, to hire over a dozen product developers, as well as sales and marketing staff, in Finland.

Founded in 2016 and led by Markus Kauppinen, CEO, and Jyrki Paananen, COO, Brella provides a networking application for business events. The service allows event visitors to grow their business network and meet relevant people by means of an intelligent matchmaking algorithm.

The mobile and web application has hundreds of thousands of users who have found jobs, colleagues, investors, and other business contacts.

Customers include Slush, Samsung, Microsoft and TechCrunch.

FinSMEs

28/08/2017
Sherpa, a Naxxar, Malta-based insurtech startup, raised $2.3m in funding.

Backers included Mehrdad Piroozram, and other unnamed angel investors.

The company intends to use the funds to expand the team and invest further in proprietary IP.

Led by Chris Kaye, CEO, Greg McCafferty, CFO, and Lachlan Gillies, COO, Sherpa is building an interface that offers a single personalized insurance account for connected consumers covering all their personal risks coupled with a solution for personal risk management.

The solution will be launched in the UK later this year.

FinSMEs

28/08/2017
Money Dashboard, an Edinburgh, UK-based personal finance management app, raised 1.33M in equity crowdfunding.

1708 investors have participated in the campaign via Crowdcube acquiring an equity stake of 9.55% in the company.

The company had a target of 1m at a pre-money valuation of 12.6m.

Money Dashboard provides a personal financial management app, serving over 100k consumers. It pulls in bank statement data from any account across any UK bank and then automatically organizes the spending data, gives insight, budgeting and forecasting tools.

The company, which generates revenue by creating market research from anonymized bank statement data, is backed by Calculus Capital and former executives at Deutsche Bank and Barclays Wealth.

FinSMEs

28/08/2017
Waterland Private Equity Investments, a Dutch private equity firm, closed its seventh fund at 2 billion.

Limited Partners include several investors from Europe (40%), the United States (42%), Middle East (6%) and Asia Pacific (12%). Public pension plans represent the largest proportion of the investor base.

WPEF VII expects to make control investments in medium-sized quality companies in fragmented growth markets in Northern Europe (Benelux, DACH, Poland, UK/Ireland and Nordics) to finance organic and acquisitive growth.

Founded in 1999 and led by Frank Vlayen, CEO, Waterland is a fund manager in the register maintained by the Dutch regulator, the AFM (Autoriteit Financiele Markten). The firm recently opened offices in the UK (Manchester) and Denmark (Copenhagen) to expand its geographic presence to the UK/Ireland and the Nordics. Other offices include the Netherlands (Bussum), Belgium (Antwerp), Germany (Munich and Dusseldorf) and Poland (Warsaw).

As of today, Waterland has invested in 80 platform companies and has made an additional 330 add-on acquisitions to expand those platforms.

With this latest fund, the firm manages 6 billion of investor commitments.

FinSMEs

28/08/2017
New Delhi: If the government were to indeed bar foreign airlines participation in the disinvestment process for Air India, then it can immediately rule out participation of its favourite bidder, the Tatas. Sources close to developments said on Monday that unless the Tatas are allowed to partner with Singapore Airlines in any prospective bid for the ailing Air India, they may choose not to put in a bid at all. Indeed, the much-hyped disinvestment process for the ailing Air India would receive a huge setback if the government bars foreign airlines from participating in the process.

When the government publicly expressed its intent to disinvest Air India for the first time earlier this year, it had approached the Tatas before anyone else to ascertain interest  since Air India was a Tata airline in its earlier avatar and JRD Tata had helmed it to remarkable for years before the government took over. So now, if it indeed rules out foreign airline investment in Air India, the Tatas may well say bye bye.

In the consolidated FDI circular published this afternoon, the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) has said that foreign airlines are also allowed to invest in the capital of Indian companies, operating scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services, up to the limit of 49 percent of their paid-up capital, subject to some riders. But it has clarified that this part of the policy is not applicable to Air India. While this has been the governments stated position all along  the FDI circular of 2016 uses the exact same words when dealing with FDI caps in the civil aviation sector  the continued emphasis on keeping Air India out of the purview of any investment by foreign airlines has surprised industry veterans.

They hope that the bar on foreign airlines investing in Air India is lifted, if and when the disinvestment process gets started. But as of now, the statement vis-a-vis Air India shows the governments aversion to foreign airlines  it could also mean that the government may want to retain majority control even if after it puts the airline through the disinvestment process. Why else would Air India be treated any separately from other Indian airlines even after disinvestment, unless the government continues to exercise control over the airline?

So the two inferences  that foreign airlines cannot bid for Air Indias equity and the government may not relinquish majority control  from Mondays policy circular show why the disinvestment process for AI has probably already lost steam.

Apart from IndiGo, no other domestic airline or investors has yet publicly expressed interest in the process. And even IndiGo, the largest domestic airline by passengers, has made it clear that its primary interest lies in Air Indias overseas assets. The private airline wants to launch low cost, international long haul operations using the Air India infrastructure.

The source close to developments quoted earlier said there seemed to be no more any urgency within the government to push Air India disinvestment, despite the emphasis the government had earlier laid on this reformist move. This person also indicated that the aversion to foreign airlines may stem from the PMO itself which is believed to have made it clear from day one that the disinvestment process wont be open to foreign airlines and this condition was included in the Cabinet note on the subject. According to existing government regulations, domestic airlines can accept foreign direct investments of up to 49 percent from a foreign airline.

Besides the hurdle of foreign airline participation in Air Indias disinvestment, many other obstacles abound too. For one, the government may have to write off a significant portion of the airlines debt pile, in a bid to make it attractive for prospective suitors. The total debt on the airlines books is Rs 48,887 crore as on 31 March this year, which is bigger than Indias health budget this fiscal.

Should the government be writing off such a large amount, when this money and the separate equity infusion into this loss making airline could have instead been used for larger public good? Well, one view is that such a one-time write off will stave off future investments into the bleeding airline. Another, and a diametrically opposite point of view, is: why should the airline be privatised if the government has already decided to swallow the bitter pill and write off a significant portion of the debt? Shouldnt induction of professionals on the airlines board help turn it around, instead of the government ceding control through disinvestment?

Not just a large hair cut, the government may also have to hive off real estate and other land assets besides loss making subsidiaries into a separate entity - not every investor would be interested in these. Also, operations like the ground handling subsidiary may not be of interest to an airline bidder. These assets would have be set off against the aircraft-related debt to unlock value .

Anyway, fresh data presented in Parliament last month showed Air Indias annual debt servicing obligations alone come to about Rs 6,000 crore, which is 50 percent more than previously thought. This translates to about Rs 500 crore each month in interest payments or about Rs 16.5 crore each day of the year. IndiGo has already said it does not plan to take on the airlines debt. One doubts if other serious bidders would, either.

Of the total debt, about Rs 32,000 crore is due to working capital requirements. This is specifically the portion aviation analysts have said needs to be written off before any serious buyers will come forward for the loss laden Air India. Remember, Air India had piled up losses totaling Rs 41,380.45 crore by March end last year, according to the governments own figures. So should even the working capital part of the Air India debt pile should be written off? If the government does do this, wouldnt this set a precedent for future disinvestment of loss making PSUs? Why should the tax payer first pump money into the loss making Air India and then also fund a one-time write off of debt which was anyway a consequence of poor management and piling losses of the national carrier?

It seems buyers  not many have evinced interest openly till now  may not find the airline particularly lucrative if the entire working capital portion or a significant part of it is waived off. The debt writeoff seems to be virtually a pre-condition to the sale of the airline. If disinvestment had to proceed in any meaningful manner, the government must take a significant haircut.

Air India comprises the main airline company and five subsidiaries. Along with debt write off, the government must also bundle the profit making subsidiaries to make the sale more attractive, seems to be the collective view.
Nearly 99 percent of the demonetised Rs 1,000 notes came back to the banking system at the end of March, 2017, according to a report in the Times of India, which cites Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data.

To be precise, there was Rs 8,925 crore worth of Rs 1,000 notes in 'circulation' at the end of March. Considering that Rs 6.86 lakh crore worth of Rs 1,000 notes was in circulation at the time of demonetisation (the ToI report cites a statement made by Santosh Kumar Gangwar, minister of state for finance, in the Lok Sabha on 3 February 2017), this means only a little over a percent of Rs 1,000 notes were not returned to the banking system at the end of the demonetisation exercise. In other words, as far as Rs 1,000 notes are concerned, the expectations of unaccounted money getting perished outside the formal system, has fallen flat.

Now, what about the Rs 500 notes? As the ToI report rightly mentions, a similar calculation is not possible in the case of Rs 500 notes since unlike Rs 1,000 notes, new Rs 500 notes were introduced to the system shortly after note ban and the RBIs data doesnt offer a break-up between the old and new Rs 500 notes. Hence, the circulation numbers of Rs 500 notes can be misleading. Remember, more than half of the Rs 15.4 lakh crore demonetised notes were Rs 500 notes. For the same reason, one will have to wait for the RBI numbers on the break-up of Rs 500 notes to arrive at the final figure. The Rs 1,000 notes data is at best an indicative figure of what could finally emerge.

If indeed the Rs 500 notes follow the Rs 1,000 notes trend and all Rs 15.4 lakh crore returns to bank counters, then again the theory of black money stashed in cash outside the formal system that isnt accounted in any manner getting extinguished falls flat. That leaves us with only two possibilities. First, there was no significant black money in cash in India.

Second, the crooks took all their black money (in cash) to the banks in an attempt to whiten it, either directly or through benamis or in other ways (purchases/refunds/political donations etc). They now face the risk of getting caught by the taxman and possible punitive actions. But, the tax cheats would have thought that it is anyway better to face the risk of paying penalty rather than burning the loot or throwing it down the sewage. Besides, the hopes that an over-burdened tax department would take ages to lay their hands on the guilty, too, would have emboldened the crooks.

Data on Rs 500 notes, however, holds the key before one can arrive at a final conclusion on all this. And here is where the RBI comes across as a spoilsport. Even after nine months of demonetisation, the central bank is yet to give the data on how much money came back to the system in old notes post-demonetisation. The Urjit Patel-headed RBI is still counting the notes that have returned to the banking system. The last update on this came just a month after the demonetisation announcement, i.e., in the second week of December, when the RBI said the banking system received Rs 12.44 lakh crore in invalidated high value notes until 10 December, 2016. After that, there is no information and only the excuse that the counting process is still on.

Have the RBI and government already got the provisional number and are re-counting the notes because they are not happy with what they have seen? We dont know. The excuses so far given by the central banknot enough counting machines, tiring process of identifying fake notes, etc,---are surprising. Post-demonetisation, each bank branch accepted the money from the public after issuing receipts, entering the value on core banking systems and also using fake note detectors. Hence, there is already an estimate of what amount came in. Why does it take so long for the central bank then to finish the process even if, one assumes, that it has gone for re-counting of the notes?

According to R Gandhi, a former RBI deputy governor, it will not be before March 2018 when the RBI completes the counting of old demonetised notes that returns to the banking system (Read his interview to CNBC TV18 here.

How did Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence day speech, say that Rs 3 lakh crore that had never come into the banking system before, has been brought into the system after demonetisation even before RBI finished counting banned notes?

Certainly, there are some positives of demonetisation. For instance, the increase in number of taxpayers vulnerable to taxmens scrutiny. Also, high value cash transactions are now being monitored which will act as a disincentive to tax evaders. But, it is doubtful whether the main stated objectives of demonetisation, tackling black money and corruption have been achieved (read a report on demonetisation impact on corruption here). Even former top officials of the RBI have questioned the lack of transparency in the way the central bank has carried out the implementation of the demonetisation excercise. The delay in releasing the count of old Rs 500, Rs 1,000 notes would only add to the embarrassment.
New Delhi: The new Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be applicable on any non-monetary fringe benefit an employee gets from his employer, the government said on Monday.

Monetary compensation paid to employees is not considered supply and will not attract GST, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) said in the latest round of clarification issued in form of frequently asked questions (FAQ).

The monetary income will, however, continue to attract the relevant income tax.

"The compensation to employees in the form of money is not a supply. However, fringe benefits are a supply of goods or services and are liable to tax if not exempted," the CBEC said.

The fringe benefits are transactions in furtherance of business. "Even if supplied without consideration, the same are deemed supply" and will attract GST, it said.

On rental income, it said GST will not be levied on the rental income of less than Rs 20 lakh in a year.

"That said, where the rental income from a single property is less than Rs 20 lakh but the aggregate rental income from various properties exceed Rs 20 lakh, the requirement for registration and GST payment will be there," it said.

According to the FAQ, no GST is chargeable if free replacement is provided by a business to customers without consideration under warranty.

Also, goods sent for a demonstration on returnable basis would not be considered supply as there is no transfer of title involved.

But, if some element of service is involved, the same will be a taxable supply, it said.

Equipment and instruments sent to manufacturers' factory for repairs and calibration within India on returnable basis would mean no sale has taken place. And challan for movement of goods without supply is to be issued for such items.

On penalties levied on late or delayed payment of loans and advances, the FAQ said penal interest is a consideration for tolerating an act and it is a supply of service and will be taxable.

It prescribed that GST has to be paid by a job worker on job work charges only.

Also, GST would be charged on labour charges in an invoice.

Illustrating on how GST is to be levied, the FAQ said if laptop bag is supplied along with the laptop in the ordinary course of business, the principal supply is that of the laptop and the bag is an ancillary.

"Therefore, it is a composite supply and the rate of tax would be that as applicable to the laptop," it said.

Recipient of online database access services from a company abroad over the net would have to pay the applicable Integrated-GST (IGST) tax on reverse charge basis.

In case the recipient is not registered, "the matter is treated as an online transaction and database access or retrieval services (OIDAR) and the OIDAR service provider is liable to take registration and pay tax," it added.
Infosys has a temporary arrangement with Nandan Nilekani as its non-executive chairman after R Seshasayee and Ravi Venkatesan resigned from their posts of chairman and co-chairman last week. Nilekani was one of the companys seven founders who was its chief executive between 2002 and 2007. The new CEO to be roped in by Nilekani has a tall order. There are issues to be fixed internally between co-founders and other stakeholders while at the same time continue the struggle to stay relevant in the global market where technology is changing fast.

The task for the new CEO is onerous, to say the least. The first task for the new chief executive officer (CEO) would be to ensure that there is no more noise from NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder of the IT bellwether, says JN Gupta, former Executive Director of Securities and Exchange Board of India. Do we accept what Murthy is complaining about, he asks, adding that investors were jittery about the bickering that has been covered in the media as it affects morale of staff, clients and everyone involved in the company.

The noise being referred to by Gupta is the long list of issues that Murthy had been publicly raising against former CEO and managing director Vishal Sikka. These include the acquisition of Israeli company Panaya for $200 million, which is alleged to be an over valuation. Murthy also opposed the severance for former CFO Rajiv Bansal, which he said was not in keeping with the standards of the company. Raising these issues, Murthy has alleged corporate governance lapses at the company.

Sikka, while resigning from the company on 18 August, did not name Murthy directly as the reason for his exit but said he faced "false, baseless, malicious and increasingly personal attacks". The company's board, however, said Sikka and the company was undermined by "Mr Murthys continuous assault ..., is the primary reason that the CEO, Dr. Vishal Sikka, has resigned despite strong board support."

Whatever the reality of the allegations, the companys performance in the three-year tenure of Sikka has been good. Its revenue grew by 28 percent from Rs 13,342 crore in Jul-Sep 2014 quarter to Rs 17,078 crore in Apr-Jun 2017 quarter. Infosys posted the highest profit of Rs 3,708 crore in Oct-Dec 2016 quarter under Sikka's leadership.

Sikkas resignation letter makes it clear that he was looking for more active support and some level of stronger, proactive endorsement from the board which was not forthcoming, points out Kavil Ramachandran, executive director of the Thomas Schmidheiny Centre for Family Enterprise at Indian School of Business.

As mentioned by him in his letter, there is an opportunity cost for his time, and he thought it should be better utilised in the absence of sufficient board support. He inherited an organisation that was rapidly losing its relevance. While the targets were too ambitious, the strategy was so sound. Figures quoted in his resignation letter look impressive, Ramachandran said.

Reiterating that the issues that brought Infosys to a boil had nothing to do with Sikkas leadership, Manoj Kumar, founder  Hammurabi & Solomon and visiting fellow at Observer Research Foundation, said they just pertained to promoters's issues with the management and board. When Infosys appoints a new CEO, the appointee should insist on a priority basis a resetting of the code of conduct that will allow for coordination and coexistence of promoters, senior management and board. More importantly, it should say who should have a say and how much, he said. Kumar reasons that when co-founders and promoters go for the overkill, then that is not corporate governance.

After Murthy stepped down as CEO in 2002, three co-founders succeeded him -- mostly unsuccessful in maintaining the company's growth trajectory. Murthy's vocal interference in the company's workings and Nilekani's return following Sikka's exit points to an utter unwillingness of handing over control to an 'outsider'. Founders assuming control anytime they feel uncomfortable with operations undermines decisive leadership and puts the stability of the company under threat, says Amit Kapoor, Chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India, to IANS.

With Infosys putting up an impressive performance under Sikka, the battle for the new CEO is anything but business-related. The new CEO should continue from where Sikka has left since the reason for the latters departure was not about any business strategy. In fact, he has done very well on the business side, said Ramachandran of ISB.

The new CEO has his work cut out for him. Creating an advisory board consisting of founders and independent experts could be a way forward, ensuring that there will be no interference on day-to-day matters, Gupta had told Firstpost earlier. Founders may be preferably nominated on boards, subject to their meeting all criteria and ability to contribute and board composition complying with law as well as organisational needs. Developing mutual respect rather than a falsely assumed sense of superiority or importance by either side is important, he said.

Technical and functional issues leave no scope for debate simply because the companys results would speak for itself as it has done in the past. However, what is important is for promoters to lay off some areas that are important for the daily functioning of the firm. Unless this is agree upon, the kind of ambiguity that has arisen in the past will recur, says Manoj Kumar.
By Amit Kapoor

Infosys is yet again in the news for all the wrong reasons. The poster child of the Indian IT industry just cannot seem to stabilise its ship even after a decade of consistently losing market share under different leaders, mostly comprising of its co-founders. In fact, Vishal Sikka was the first non-founder Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the company and was the first one successful in bringing stability to the company's market performance vis-a-vis rivals like Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) since it had begun deteriorating almost a decade ago.

The real story in the Infosys saga, however, does not lie in the intricacies of the company's boardroom battles but the larger malaise that it highlights within the Indian corporates as a whole.

First, the succession planning of Indian corporates seems to be a serious issue. While the concept of succession planning exists in India, bluechip corporates have been struggling to successfully put it into practice. Sikka's abrupt exit puts the company in a state of disarray. The Indian system of succession planning within corporates differs largely from their global counterparts, which begin to hunt for a successor quite a few months in advance.

Second, there seems to be a lack of clarity on the role that different stakeholders play in a company. Promoters in companies need to define their roles as executives, board members and shareholders. Problems like the one in Infosys arise when promoters overstep their roles and assume different responsibilities at different points of time. The founders at Infosys seem to be having a tough time letting go of their control over the company and often cross-jurisdiction is the result. After NR Narayana Murthy stepped down as CEO in 2002, three co-founders succeeded him -- mostly unsuccessfully in maintaining the company's growth trajectory. Murthy's vocal interference in the company's workings and Nandan Nilekani's return following Sikka's exit points to an utter unwillingness of handing over control to an 'outsider'. Founders assuming control anytime they feel uncomfortable with operations undermines decisive leadership and puts the stability of the company under threat.

Third, corporate governance seems to be quite problematic among Indian firms. The fact that the issue has arisen in a firm that made the concept popular in India is especially concerning. When the acquisition of Israeli solutions provider Panaya was questioned by Murthy, a shareholder in the company, it behoved the board to address the concerns to the satisfaction of its shareholders. Transparency is the key to ensuring the highest standards of corporate governance. In the board's defence, they did call for an independent inquiry into the matter and found no wrongdoing. However, it fell short of releasing the complete report of the investigation as demanded by Murthy.

All these factors -- succession planning, clarity of roles and corporate governance -- play a crucial role in determining the sustainability of large firms and if they become a ubiquitous problem, among Indian corporates, their survival might come under threat. There is also a much larger problem that springs out of the tendency of the old guard to not let go of their companies - the ability to innovate.

Infosys was slowly becoming irrelevant with back office processing and IT support work due to large scale automation. Rapid automation calls for a move into emerging sectors like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics for IT firms and Infosys was losing ground here. Sikka attempted venturing into these disruptive sectors and the founders who were accustomed to making profits through labour arbitrage did not feel comfortable with such moves.

This is a typical problem with large firms. Innovation does not come easy to them. In most industries, innovators are usually 'outsiders' in some sense. Either it comes from a new company whose founder has a non-traditional background or from existing companies through senior managers who are new and unfamiliar to the industry. Such sets of people are usually more able to identify new opportunities and are bolder in pursuing them as well. This is the biggest problem with Infosys and results in slow-paced innovation within the company, which is hurting the company itself in the long run. An innovation handicap will mark the company for its slow demise in an industry as fast-paced as IT. On a larger scale, it also damages the country's ability to innovate as a whole, which is quite worrying for its relevance on the world stage.

Therefore, the crisis in Infosys isn't just limited to the company itself. The Indian corporate sector needs to take copious notes as it unfolds and learns what not to do in order to ensure its sustainability. Also, it must learn not to fall into the trap of sticking to old ideas at the cost of innovation.

(The writer is Chair, Institute for Competitiveness, India. Views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at amit.kapoor@competitiveness.in and tweets @kautiliya. Chirag Yadav, senior researcher, Institute for Competitiveness, India has contributed to the article)
The ninth week of Bigg Boss Tamil has concluded with the eviction of Raiza, a devil-may-care contestant who was always in high spirits and carried a freewheeling attitude that impressed viewers. She's also one of the very few contestants who never had any negativity attached to her image among the hyperactive meme-warriors on the web.

Another unexpected instance of the weekend's episode was the comeback of ex-contestants Sakthi, Bharani, Julie, Harathi, and Gayathri, who genuinely shared their life-after-Bigg Boss experiences with host Kamal Haasan in the studio.

"Ganesh is the most competent inmate, and Julie was the most deceptive."

The charming and effervescent Raiza said Bigg Boss was an excellent experience for her. "I feel fortunate to have been part of this priceless experiment. And, I'm also happy that I got to meet and interact with you through the show. It took me some time initially to warm up in the house, especially to learn the knack of speaking fluent Tamil. Now, I've changed a lot. And my life has now changed a lot in many ways. I will cherish these memories forever," said Raiza.

Raiza said Snehan and Ganesh are the most competent contestants inside the house right now and Julie was the most deceptive inmate. She also stated that she agreed to participate in the show to earn a name for herself. "Since I'm a model, no one used to call me by my name Raiza. Even during some ad shoots, they would just call me 'model.' So, I wanted everyone to recognize me by my name."

"I'm not acting like Oviya," says Suja Varunee

When the Bigg Boss house was converted into a courtroom for a task, one of the significant complaints raised against Suja Varunee was her pretentious behavior. Confronted by Kaajal, who played the role of an advocate, Suja said, "This is my natural behaviour. That's how I used to be in my home. I'm not acting like Oviya, and I don't need to do that to garner attention. May be since I share some of my character traits with Oviya, some of you think like that. But I'm not deliberately behaving like Oviya. I have washed all the vessels and broomed the house religiously every day. Did Oviya do that?"

Suja Varunee also lamented to Bigg Boss about being part of a bevy of item songs in Kollywood during the formative days of her career. "Now, I've been longing to do a variety of good roles. But some people still perceive me as an 'item dancer.' It's not okay. Please don't do that. I came from very a struggling family, and there was a lot of pressing circumstances that pushed me to do those songs to gain a foothold in the industry," said Suja.

Ex-contestant Harathi shaves head in solidarity with cancer patients

When I was evicted, I wanted to go home and not shed a tear. But my father later made me realize that my remarks in the house were not brutal but it was the way I conveyed it that made it sound so. "I went and read the audience's comments about me on the internet. A lot of viewers asked me why I was so arrogant and condescending. So I wanted to prove something when I enter the house again," said Harathi, who removed her wig to show her shaved head in solidarity with the cancer patients.

"Beauty doesn't lie in our hair. It's the personality that defines us. A lot of working women, who are undergoing chemo and have lost their hair, have confined themselves to their homes fearing that their beauty is lost. Please throw away all those thoughts and come out boldly," said Harathi.

'Trigger' Sakthi said he went inside the Bigg Boss house as a 'Virumaandi Kamal Haasan' and came outside like a 'Papanasam Kamal Haasan.' "I have learned so many things after I came out and started watching the show regularly. I've earned a lot of maturity and exposure now after being part of Bigg Boss. I'm enjoying life more now," said Sakthi.

Gayathri said her mom was feeling sad that everyone always scolded her. "But, I remember your (Kamal Haasan's) words during my eviction. I learned to smile. Now, I just smile as a reply when someone asks any provocative questions that test my patience," said Gayathri.

"Time will arise soon when you will have to unleash your pent-up anger," says Kamal Haasan

When Kamal Haasan asked Julie to share her experience, fans collectively let out a loud boo. Haasan immediately censured audiences and said, "You need not be so furious. A small 'lie' in a game is not a crime. Then, why didn't you bother about all the politicians who lied? Why are unleashing all your pent-up anger on a small girl? Store this anger. Time will arise soon when you will have to release it. Don't dissipate your anger on Julie and Gayathri and waste it."

Kamal Haasan's sarcastic dig at the current political crisis in Tamil Nadu received a thunderous applause from the viewers. "Your anger is really needed. But make sure you unleash it at the right time. Don't think that I'm using this stage to deliver sermons," said Haasan.
Bill Nye, whose Bill Nye the Science Guy live-action science show ran from 1993 to 1998, has filed a massive lawsuit claiming Disney owes him $9 million.

According to Vanity Fair, in the lawsuit, Nye has stated that he was entitled to 16.5% of the profits from the show. However, Disney's Buena Vista Television allegedly withheld profits amounting to a whopping $28 million from Nye.

In the 28 page suit, posted online by Deadline, Nye has alleged breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and fraudulent concealment among other charges.

According to the documents, Nye had received a cheque of $585,000, as part of the profits. However, Buena Vista Television, withdrew its previous compensation, citing an accounting mistake.

They went on to ask for another $496,111 from the presenter, in return, for apparently having over-compensated him.

Disney has deemed the action a "publicity ploy" in a statement given to Deadline and announced plans to engage in vehement defense of their organisation. Nye has further claimed that he stopped receiving his share after 2008 because the book-keepers of Buena Vista TV insisted he pay up the amount that was wrongly credited to him.

Nye has claimed that he was supposed to get $9.4 million as his fare share from the proceeds of his popular show. However, Disney allegedly managed to conceal the actual profits from him, so as to, escape paying him.
Earlier this year, the Ministry of External Affairs, led by Sushma Swaraj, rescued Indian national Uzma Ahmed from a forced marriage to Pakistani national Tahir Ali and brought her back to India.

Now, this real life story has caught the attention of a couple of filmmakers who are keen on turning it into a biopic. Pune Mirror reports that Shivam Nair, who made his directorial debut with the action thriller Naam Shabana earlier this year, has already started writing the script along with Ritesh Shah, who wrote the National Award-winning film, Aniruddha Roy Choudhary's courtroom drama Pink, last year.

The same report quotes Nair as saying, "It is a story that needs to be told in todays times. Her journey from Malaysia to Pakistan and finally to India is inspirational and courageous." Uzma has given her nod to the project and has agreed to be involved in every stage of the film production. The same report quotes her as saying, "Its been a long journey and Im involved in every aspect of the story because I have faced all this for real."

The Indian Express reports that filmmaker Dhiraj Kumar is also planning a biopic on Ahmed and even announced that Tabu will play the role of Swaraj in the film. However, the same report quotes Tabu, who has denied being a part of the project, as saying, "I have no idea why filmmakers who have not approached me give out false news of my being approached for their movies when I have not even been contacted or made aware of a certain project. This has also happened in the past. In fact, in some cases, some really big and established production houses have taken the liberty of using my name for a project without as much as my consent."
Mumbai: Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam on Sunday said he was stopped by the police from taking a delegation of striking cine workers to meet Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

"Early this morning, the police came to my home and prevented me from going out. Later in the afternoon, I was taken to Versova Police Station and made to sit there till 6.30 pm before they allowed me to leave," Nirupam told IANS.

In the adjoining suburb of Juhu, Amitabh's Jalsa Bungalow resembled a fortress with several hundred policemen on guard ostensibly to prevent any untoward incident arising out of the cine-workers delegation.

"The delegation, comprising representatives of the striking Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) - an umbrella organisation of more than 22 different unions - was planning to meet the megastar and request him to support their cause since they have been working with him for nearly five decades and he is the industry's 'role model'," Nirupam added.

"However, Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) is attempting to break the legitimate agitation of FWICE, and despite their pleas, Amitabh Bachchan continues the shooting of the upcoming Kaun Banega Crorepati show in Film City with police security. This is shocking and we will continue our protest," Nirupam said.

Later, the police asked him to submit the memorandum, which would be duly forwarded to Amitabh.

Nirupam contended that a majority of the 1,50,000 cine-workers are on strike since 15 August but they are being threatened and intimidated by a few members of a splinter group led by a BJP leader, who is supporting the filmmakers and trampling on the rights of the cine-workers.

The FWICE launched the indefinite strike 13 days ago demanding eight-hour shifts, safety at work, job security, health insurance and on-time payments among other things.

Accordingly, all shootings in studios in and around Mumbai and elsewhere in the country, besides on-locale shoots have been stopped.
In what is a major victory for Sofia Vergara, a Louisiana court has granted her motion to dismiss the case against her for lack of personal jurisdiction. This case was filed by her ex-husband Nick Loeb, who alleged that the Modern Family actress had undergone IVF treatment and had created embryos out of her eggs and his sperm, which she then froze, reports E! Online.

Loeb filed the lawsuit in 2015, a year after they broke up. Two of the eggs were frozen for a potential pregnancy in the future, which he claimed she wanted destroyed. Denying this, Vergara said that they had signed an agreement, and according to its terms, no unilateral decision could be taken about the eggs.

Vergara requested that Loeb name his two ex-girlfriends who terminated their own pregnancies over 20 years ago in order for the case to continue, and the court order Loeb to do so. He appealed against it, but his appeal was denied.

Later, a lawsuit was filed against Vergara on behalf of the embryos regarding their right to live. It asked for the embryos to be given to Loeb who could look for a surrogate to give them birth, so that they may inherit a trust created in their name in the future. They were named as plaintiffs "Emma" and "Isabella" in the lawsuit. The lawsuit also stated that she had "chronically neglected" the embryos" by refusing to "consent to their development or care".

In February 2017, Vergara filed papers requesting for a permanent injunction, which would effectively prevent Loeb from using the embryos without her consent. She and Loeb were engaged for roughly two years.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. A bench comprising justices NV Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now. It asked the state government to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

The apex court had on 12 April asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against the self-styled godman. The court had asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses including the alleged rape victims.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a "fictitious document" to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges. The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses. The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on ten witnesses in the Asaram rape cases.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on 31 August, 2013 and has been in jail since then.
The results of by-elections to four Assembly seats in three states is expected to be announced on Monday, which will decide the fate of those who contested for the Nandyal constituency of Andhra Pradesh, two seats in Goa, and Delhi's Bawana seat.

According to Zee News, the counting of votes, which was to start from 8 am on Monday, has begun. The results will be declared within three hours.

The focus on Mondays results is on the high-stakes Bawana by-election in Delhi, and crucial Panaji bypolls in Goa.

The result of Panaji seat will seal the deal for Goa chief minister Manohar Parrikar and Vishwajit Rane, a former Congress leader who is now a minister in the state Cabinet. Political observers believe that the two BJP ministers hold a clear advantage over their Congress rivals.

While Girish Chodankar of the Congress and Anand Shirodkar of the Goa Suraksha Manch are the other significant candidates in the Panaji bypoll, in Valpoi, Rane's key opponent is Roy Naik of the Congress. The bypoll in Panaji was necessitated after former Defence Minister Parrikar's return to state politics in March this year, as Chief Minister.

The Delhi bypoll result will decide the fate of candidates of the three major political parties  the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the BJP and the Congress, all of whom have exuded confidence about winning the Assembly seat reserved for the SC category. Eight candidates are in the fray but essentially the AAP, the BJP and the Congress are locked in a triangular contest. In the 70-member Delhi Assembly, the AAP has 65 MLAs and the BJP four, while the Congress is hoping to open its account in the House by winning this seat.

For the Bawana bypoll, the BJP has fielded Ved Prakash who had won from the constituency in the 2015 elections as an AAP candidate. He had resigned from Assembly membership and joined the BJP in March this year, necessitating the bypoll. The AAP's candidate is Ram Chandra, while the Congress has placed its bet on former three-time MLA from Bawana, Surendra Kumar.

Meanwhile, the Nandyal Assembly constituency in Andhra Pradesh has become a battle of prestige for TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and YSRC head Jagan Mohan Reddy. The by-election in the constituency was held following the death of sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy in March. Reddy had won the seat in 2014 as YSR Congress candidate, but jumped over to the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 2016. Though there are 15 candidates in the fray, the main fight is between the TDP and the YSRC.

The by-elections for the four seats were held on 23 August.

While a turnout of about 80 percent was recorded in Nandyal, polling for the by-election for Bawana constituency, one of the largest in Delhi in terms of number of electors, saw 45 percent voter turnout, much lower than during the 2015 Assembly elections which had recorded 61.83 polling.

Nearly 75 percent polling was recorded during Goa bypolls in Panaji and Valpoi Assembly constituency.

There are 2.94 lakh voters in Bawana, including 1,64,114 males, 1,30,143 females and 25 third gender voters. Voting was held in 379 polling stations across the Assembly constituency.

For the first time, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) was used in the by-election in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.

According to officials, an EVM and 17 VVPAT devices had malfunctioned during polling, and were replaced without any hindrance to voting. The officials had conjectured that multiple elections taking place in the city in quick succession could be a factor for the low turnout in Bawana, adding that voter turnout is "generally low" in bypolls.

With inputs from agencies
Bengaluru: Karnataka BJP President BS Yeddyurappa on Monday hosted 33 Dalit families from across the state at his residence in Bengaluru, as a mark of gratitude to their hospitality during his state wide tour.

Considered as an attempt to woo Dalit votes, the families were served with lunch along with gifts besides taking them for sightseeing in the city.

Several BJP leaders including Govinda Karajola, CM Udasi, Shobha Karandlaje and Madara Chennaya Swamiji, a seer from the Dalit community participated in the event, BJP in a statement said.

As part of his 'Janasamparka yatra' and drought study tour across the state in May, Yeddyurappa along with other leaders partook of breakfast at dalits houses across the state.

The former chief minister also quoted controversy during this state wide tour as it was alleged that he had breakfast brought from a nearby hotel instead of what was homemade, which drew flak from both the Congress and JD(S).

Refuting the charge, Yeddyurappa had termed it as a malicious campaign by the Congress unable to resist his visit to dalit mohallas.

"Felicitated and hosted lunch for Dalit families who provided me hospitality during BJP's Janasamparka Yatra," Yeddyurappa tweeted with pictures of him serving food to Dalit families.

"I have seen your situation when I visited you. I can never forget the the richness of your heart, despite poverty," he was quoted as saying to Dalit families in the release.

Promising to work for their upliftment, he said "those who want to criticise me, let them criticise. I will keep visiting Dalit houses and continue to work for their upliftment," he said.
Almost like cameos in films, Chief Justices of India (CJIs) appear and disappear rapidly from the very apex of the country's judicial system.

Justice Dipak Misra takes oath as the Chief Justice of India (CJI). pic.twitter.com/r4aeTlftsd  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

The latest in this quick procession is Justice Dipak Misra, who took over on Monday as the 45th Chief Justice of India (CJI). By virtue of being the senior-most judge after the retiring CJI, Justice JS Khehar, Justice Misra has become the automatic choice to succeed him. But he will stay in office only for 13 months, till he retires on 2 October 2018 on attaining the age of 65 years.

Yet Justice Misra is luckier. Justice Khehar, whom he succeeds, stayed in office for only seven and a half months. And Justice TS Thakur, who preceded Justice Khehar, lasted 11 months. And before Justice Thakur, Justice HL Dattu had been the CJI for, again, 13 months.

Besides causing ripples of instability in the administration of judicial system, the short tenures of CJIs leave them little time to execute any ideas they have to deal with the twin problems of filling judges' vacancies and clearing the mounting heaps of pending cases.

In the 67 years since 1950, when India's Constitution and the Supreme Court came into existence, we have had 45 CJIs, which works out to an average tenure of 18 months for the country's highest judicial post. The CJI who has had the longest term was Justice YV Chandrachud, who was in office for close to seven years and five months till July 1985. Justice Kamal Narain Singh, the 22nd CJI, had the dubious honour of having the shortest stint of 17 days in 1991.

In contrast, against the 45 Chief Justices, India has had 14 Presidents, 14 Prime Ministers and 16 Lok Sabha Speakers between 1950 and now.

How to ensure longer terms for chief justices?

In the first place, how did we get into the current mess of short-lived chief justices? That's because of the system of choosing the senior-most judge to replace the outgoing CJI. And how did that system come in? Blame Article 124(2) of the Constitution for it. It has flummoxed even the most hard-boiled Constitutional wizards. It states:

"Every Judge of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President by warrant under his hand and seal after consultation with such of the Judges of the Supreme Court and of the High Courts in the States as the President may deem necessary for the purpose and shall hold office until he attains the age of sixty five years: Provided that in the case of appointment of a Judge other than the chief Justice, the chief Justice of India shall always be consulted. (a) a Judge may, by writing under his hand addressed to the President, resign his office; (b) a Judge may be removed from his office in the manner provided in clause (4)."

This leaves unsaid a lot more than it says. While the article lays down the process of appointing judges, and even removing them, it is disconcertingly silent on how to go about choosing the Chief Justice of India.

Not surprisingly, Article 124(2) has led to much hair-pulling, leading to at least two possible interpretations in legal circles.

1) The Constitution's authors perhaps wanted the post of the CJI to be considered no more than that of a judge and expected the government to follow the same process for filling the two posts.

2) Or was the government expected to invent an altogether new system beyond the purview of Article 124(2) to appoint the CJI, probably someone other than an SC judge, after consultation with the incumbent in office-or more likely without it?

This confusion led to the convenient "convention" of the outgoing Chief Justice recommending the name of the senior-most judge after him in the SC as his successor, and then the President, in effect the Prime Minister, accepting it.

In 1954, Jawaharlal Nehru tried to break the convention by appointing Justice BK Mukherjea as the CJI after the retirement of Justice Patanjali Sastri. However, Nehru relented and stuck to the seniority rule when all the judges of the court, including Mr Mukherjea, offered to resign.

But Indira Gandhi suffered no such qualms of conscience-she rarely did-when she broke the seniority convention with impunity twice. In 1973, she appointed Justice AN Ray as the CJI, bypassing three judges-Justices Manilal Shelat, AN Grover and KS Hegde-senior to him, throwing judiciary into a turmoil and leading to widespread protests across India. Indira outdid herself in 1977 when Justice Ray retired. She chose Justice MH Beg as his successor, bypassing his senior, Justice HR Khanna, who then resigned from the court.

Chief Justice Ray was one of the four judges of the five-judge bench that, in its infamous 28 April 1976 judgement during the emergency, upheld Indira Gandhi's right to throw anyone into prison at her whim, denying them the chance to even question their detention in a court. While Justice Ray repaid a debt for the services rendered a year ago, Justice Khanna, the lone dissenting judge in the 1976 verdict, was punished.

At least, twice in the past  once in 1993 (the case of judges' appointments) and again in 2015 (case related to the National Judicial Appointments Commission)  the Supreme Court backed the seniority convention, leaving the government with little choice in finding an alternative system.

Remedy worse than disease

In general, appointments made solely on the basis of seniority possibly carry an inherent bias against merit and so are questionable, especially if they mean very short terms for those appointed. But in the case of picking CJIs, breaking the seniority rule seems like the perfect case of a remedy being worse than the disease-if it's a disease.

Breaking this convention could lead to questionable appointments and flagrant misuse of power, like the Indira Gandhi regime's 1973 and 1977 examples. It could also end up in controversies of the kind that flare up over appointment of directors-general-of police (DGPs) in states.

With the ruse of picking meritorious officers who will have reasonably long terms, several chief ministers routinely hand-pick yes-men as state police chiefs, ignoring their seniors. Ironically, in this case, the Supreme Court came up with a solution in a landmark judgment on 22 September 2006. The remedy involved the chief minister making a choice from three senior-most officers, empanelled by the UPSC with the considerations of length of service and record, and then ensuring that the new police chief would have a minimum term of two years, irrespective of the date of his superannuation.

But no solution that could be even remotely interpreted as executive interference is workable in the case of selecting the Chief Justice of India. Nor is it acceptable to the Supreme Court for good reasons. A change of status quo could mean the judiciary making itself vulnerable to browbeating by the executive, whichever party is in power.

Allegations against Misra ignored

Some questioned the choice of Justice Misra in view of the allegations against him related to a 1979 land allotment in Odisha and the suicide note of former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul. But both, the outgoing CJI and the Narendra Modi government, went ahead with the appointment and stuck to the seniority rule, perhaps in their respective best interests.

The Supreme Court has often been criticised for favouring what is ridiculed as the system of "judges appointing judges". In fact, the court, again for good reasons, also favours the present system of what effectively means the Chief Justice appointing the next Chief Justice. For the time being, or at least till a massive structural overhaul happens in future, that seems to be the best bet to ensure that India's judiciary stays robust and independent.

Till then, the country has to make do with short-lived chief justices.
The disengagement of Chinese and Indian troops at Doka La, where they had been engaged in a faceoff for almost three months, is a welcome move. It is no reason to rest easy though. It would be best to step up infrastructure and other preparations for any sort of renewed belligerence from China.

India's long Himalayan border with China is not mutually agreed. The biggest problem areas are Arunachal Pradesh, which China calls southern Tibet, and Jammu and Kashmir  China occupies a third of that state.

A strategic analysis must be based on how to respond to the China-Pakistan axis. With regard to their agendas and strategies towards India, neither country should be viewed as independent of the other. They operate in tandem.

1965 war parallels

Given China's extraordinary belligerence over the past couple of months, one should analyse what might lie ahead in light of what happened in 1965, when Pakistan waged war against India. Pakistan had stepped up border shelling from July 1964, and engaged in skirmishes with the Indian Army in Kutch in April 1965 before trying to take over Jammu and Kashmir.

Regular Pakistani troops in disguise were among the large numbers of infiltrators who entered the Valley in July that year. Then, the Pakistan Army tried to cut off the highway near Samba in the first week of September. It was only after the Indian Army struck at the heart of Pakistan near Lahore that a ceasefire was agreed.

One might view the Doka La standoff over the past three months as a parallel to the Kutch incursions of 1965. In that light, India should be prepared for bigger operations from the China-Pakistan axis.

Given China's preoccupation with the BRICS summit next week, and the onset of winter soon after, an attempt by China to take over more territory across the Himalayas is unlikely this year. But India should make the best preparations possible for next spring. China and Pakistan could target Jammu and Kashmir next summer.

Test of nerves

The disengagement marks a success for the nerves of India's security managers. In back-channel talks, Chinese interlocutors have made this proposal for a simultaneous withdrawal since July. The proposal included a promise not to continue to build a road in Doka La.

The Indian government did well to hold out until the weather would make it impossible for the Chinese to resume road construction at Doka La this year  even if it wanted to break its promise. Supply lines to Chinese troops posted there will also be increasingly strained after mid-September.

Chinese posturing

Not surprisingly, the Chinese have projected the disengagement, which was announced on Monday morning, as withdrawal by India. President Xi Jinping is focused on winning support for his re-election, and the election to various posts of his loyalists, when the Chinese ruling party Congress meets a couple of months later.

The Congress meets once every five years. Xi wants to use this Congress to strengthen himself even more, both domestically and globally.

Part of the global domination he seeks is an acknowledgement that China is an economic and military superpower. He might calculate that humiliating a major international power such as India would be a major feather in his cap, ensuring his place in Chinese history.



CPEC focus

The China-Pakistan axis has another priority, to seal their control over the areas of Jammu and Kashmir through which the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) passes  if not expand those areas.

The Chinese media, academics, and government spokespersons have used the standoff in Doka La to make specific arguments backing Chinese interference in Kashmir  possibly at the invitation of Pakistan. These threats should be taken seriously.

This winter will be a crucial opportunity to make full-out preparations to show the China-Pakistan axis that further belligerence next year would be costly. It is also an opportunity to step up diplomatic efforts to counter the axis in chanceries across the world.
A statement released by India's Ministry of External Affairs has triggered feverish speculation that the two-month long faceoff between India and China is nearing an end in the tri-junction area in Doka La, a barren patch of land more than 14,000 feet above sea-level.

Since 16 June, when Indian troops with bulldozers in tow moved into the strategic location to physically stop a PLA-led road-building party from changing the status quo at an area claimed both by China and Bhutan, Asia's largest neighbours have been locked in a calm but increasingly tense standoff.

Not a day has passed during the duration of these 60 days that China, either officially or through its state-controlled media, has not threatened war against India. As strategic affairs expert Brahma Chellaney wrote in The Japan Times, the standoff showed "how China blends psychological warfare (psywar), media warfare and the manipulation of legal arguments (lawfare) to undermine the opponents information-control capabilities and to buttress its strategic game plan. Disinformation and deceit are among the tools China is employing in its psywar to tame India without military combat, in Sun Tzu style."

For instance, while India's external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced on the floor of the Parliament that India has no wish to enter into a military conflict with China and would like to solve it diplomatically, she was answered with an impatient sneer and a slur from Beijing. Meanwhile, tiny Bhutan was sucked into the vortex of conflict between two of the most powerful nations and has tried its best to pull off a precarious balancing act.

However, we must be careful about jumping to conclusions about the modalities of disengagement. The MEA statement, released at noon today from the Twitter handle of MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar, does not specify whether this a one-sided withdrawal on India or China's part, or a synchronised pulling out of troops.

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2017

In the absence of the mechanism of withdrawal, it is impossible to speculate whether this marks as the end, or if some sort of a calibrated understanding has been reached. Crucially, Reuters India has quoted Chinese foreign ministry as saying that the troop withdrawal has been "unilateral" from India's side.

JUST IN: China foreign ministry says Indian forces have already withdrawn to the Indian side of border pic.twitter.com/6kZSAWGqip  Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) August 28, 2017

And in a later Twitter post, Reuters India indicated that Chinese troops will "continue to patrol Doklam".

MORE: China foreign ministry says Chinese forces will continue to patrol in Doklam region pic.twitter.com/gFylVqfRxV  Reuters India (@ReutersIndia) August 28, 2017

Meanwhile, Chinese news outlets started tweeting that India had "unconditionally withdrawn its troops".

India, following its intrusion into Chinas Donglang area, removed all its personnel and facilities back to its side of China-India border. pic.twitter.com/aLeMuX6RUU  China Daily (@ChinaDailyUSA) August 28, 2017

Most importantly, however, in claiming that its troops will "continue to patrol in Doklam", China has not mentioned whether its road-building exercise  which was the bone of contention  will resume. That China will "patrol Doklam" is nothing new, and PLA has been touring the strategic location for decades. This has resulted in 24 rounds of talks so far between China and Bhutan so far. The issue still remains unresolved.

So while the Chinese side will "continue to patrol in Doklam", they may refrain from activities such as motorable road-building. This at least seems to be the formula of extrication.

#BREAKING: Sources tell Republic that Chinese have agreed not to build the road #DoklamStandoffEnds https://t.co/lpnVZxoMbs  Republic (@republic) August 28, 2017

What emerges from this stage-managed media tango is that both China and India are actively engaged in disengaging from Doka La ahead of the BRICS Summit, because none of the sides want the conflict to overshadow the summit. Obviously, both countries would have worked out a face-saver, and that is exactly what we are witnessing right now.

If indeed this is the end of the standoff, this will qualify as a win for India which had placed its faith all along in quiet diplomacy. But that call should wait for now.
New Delhi: As part of the disengagement, the Chinese troops have left the dispute area of Doka La along with bulldozers and removed the tents which they had pitched, according to a top Indian government official. The official, on the condition of anonymity, said there were about 1700-1800 Chinese troops in the area where they proposed to build a road and all of them have left.

The Indian troops, whose number was in a "few hundreds", have also moved out of the stand-off area, the official told PTI tonight, adding it is a "demilitarised" area now. The stand-off had begun in June when the Indian troops objected to the Chinese building the road there. "The bulldozers have been taken away, tents have been removed and even a flag which they (Chinese) had hoisted there has been removed," the official said.

Earlier, in the morning, the External Affairs Ministry said "expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Dokalam has been agreed to and is on-going."

Later, in the evening, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said the process of disengagement had almost been completed under verification, reflecting an end to the nearly two-and-half-month long standoff.

"This process has since been almost completed under verification," Kumar said, referring to the disengagement. An official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the process of resolving the matter started after a brief interaction between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg in July.

Subsequently, the Special Representatives of the two countries  National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi  were in touch, the official said.

The breakthrough came just days ahead of the BRICS Summit to be held in Chinese city of Xiamen from September 3-5, which Modi is expected to attend.
Ahmedabad: Gujarat deputy chief minister and BJP leader Nitin Patel Monday dubbed quota spearhead Hardik Patel as an "agent of the Congress", even as the Opposition said the comments were an indication of the ruling party "losing its ground" in the poll-bound state.

As a fresh war of words broke out between Hardik and the ruling BJP, which is trying to keep the influential Patidar community in good stead, the former hit back by saying Nitin Patel was an "agent of Amit Shah".

This is perhaps for the first time that a prominent leader of the BJP has publicly criticised Hardik, who enjoys a considerable support among the Patidar community  a formidable vote bank considered loyal to the saffron outfit.

The trigger for Nitin Patel's outburst was the Patidar rally held in Patan on Saturday, wherein Hardik accused the BJP of "using" the community for achieving political goals. Though he did not appeal directly to vote for the Congress, the quota spearhead's remarks are perceived as a call for rallying behind the party in the polls scheduled later in 2017.

In an indication that Hardik's message was not lost out on the party, the Congress Monday criticised the Gujarat minister for using such language against the Patidar leader "who is fighting for the cause of his community".

Meanwhile, the deputy chief minister told reporters in Patan, "Hardik has now shown his true colours. I think he should join the Congress now. We have been saying since long that he was a Congress agent. We now stand vindicated as Hardik himself spoke in support of the Congress. We are happy that the truth has finally come out".

Referring to the BJP and its loyal vote bank at the rally, Hardik said Patidars had been supporting the BJP for lack of any option. "These people (BJP) used us too much. It happened so because, I assume, we did not have any option. You may still think that we do not have any option as we still do not want to go with the Congress because they did nothing for us," Hardik said. "At the same time, I believe that we should also do something which makes the Congress trust us ... I want you to give me a promise to uproot this rule of fear and hooliganism," he said.

Reacting to Nitin Patel's remarks, Hardik said on Monday, "He (Nitin Patel) is an agent of BJP president Amit Shah".

The quota spearhead also said he was ready to become the "agent of the BJP" if the state government takes decisions in favour of Patidars. "If Nitin Patel takes decisions in favour of Patel community, I am ready to become his agent. Do not try to deviate from the main issue. He (Nitin) should have introspected before calling me an agent. I believe that Nitin Patel is an agent of Amit Shah," Hardik told reporters.

Latching onto the comments of Patel, state Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil hailed Hardik's work for the Patidar community. "Hardik is a true Gujarati Patidar leader fighting for his community. Despite various pressure tactics from the BJP, he did not bow down. After Hardik's Patan rally, the BJP now feels that they are losing their ground. Nonetheless, being a deputy chief minister, Nitin Patel should not have used such words for Hardik," he said.
What is the reason behind the massive fan following of a self-proclaimed godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh? Blind faith certainly is one of the reasons. But the social status, sense of power and financial security his organisation Dera Sacha Sauda provided to the followers seem to have had caused a multiplying affect in his following.

Many of the followers rampaged across Haryana destroying properties, both public and private, causing a total break-down of the state government's administrative mechanism. The police had to carry out flag march to re-prove the state's dominance over the town of Sirsa.

There is no denying the fact that blind faith on Ram Rahim binds most of the followers with the Dera. A powerful publicity machinery wielded by the Dera had constantly published stories of Ram Rahim's superhuman feats through films, digital platforms and word of mouth. The impact of this machinery on his follower's mind was felt on the streets of Haryana, hours after pitaji, as he is popularly known as among his followers, was convicted of rape.

However, recovery of AK-47 rifles and pistols from the followers indicate the reality that behind curtains of faith exists another set of factors which have given Dera's popularity a boost and made it what it is now. Status, power and financial security seems to be the few of them.

India, through ages, has seen rise of godmen. Most of the sects and that these godmen propounded, deny the caste system prevalent in Indian society aiming at providing the followers from the lower rungs of the caste hierarchy with a sense of liberation.

Ram Rahim, who is seen as a new age guru, too crafted his so-called spirituality to fit among the people disgruntled with the caste hierarchy. Vikram Khatri, who was a follower of the Dera Sacha Sauda till before the conviction of it's chief , said that in some mainstream religions, people from the so-called lower castes are not given due respect as devotees in places of worship which becomes the reason for their search for another source of spiritual solace.

"In many temples, people from these so-called lower castes are told to wait outside, until the others have offered their pujas. Sometimes they have to wait for hours. But this is not the case with Dera. Everyone was seen as an equal in the religious programmes. In Dera, we would all sit in the same place for satsang or to listen to the guru. There was always a sense of equality in it," he says.

The Dera also insisted the followers to change their surnames to 'insan'. It was seen as a rule devised to spread across the message that the 'Dera' was more respectful of humanity than any other quality. No wonder then that the Dera had a substantial following among the people from the lower rungs of the much abhorred caste hierarchy. Apart from a liberal atmosphere, the Dera also seemed to have the promise of a new social status to its followers.

"A follower who successfully convinces a good number of followers from his caste or village was seen as their leader. That enhances his social status to a spiritual leader in a group of 400 to 500 people. Many came to the Dera to attain this status" he said. The leader would be the contact person between the Dera and the followers. He would pass all the messages of the Dera to its followers and would also ensure that the followers meet the guru in their time of need.

The Dera chief's kinship with political leaders also seemed to have helped him increase his number of following. Political leaders from across all the parties stooped before him in public places.

It was only possible for the long-ignored masses to deem Ram Rahim as a power centre only parallel to the state government in Haryana. It is likely that many saw him as the route to the power structure. Another Dera follower, who requested anonymity, said that 'pitaji' was seen as an all powerful man in Haryana because of his proximity with politicians. This particular follower told Firstpost that his interests in the organisation soared after several followers said that being part of Dera can get work done.

"It was often said in Dera that a phone call from 'Pitaji' was enough to get a work done in any of the government offices in Haryana. Many flocked around him only to get their official work done," he said. Apart from this, the Dera is said to have provided best medical facilities to its devotees. In India, where out-of-pocket expenditure on health is as high as 89.2%, any help extended in this front is seen as a big relief for the poor.

Like this Firstpost article argues the Dera chief fills the gap where the state has practically abdicated it's responsibility. "With the collapse of the health system all across the country, his disciples in millions find it quite reassuring to avail best medical facilities in Gurmeet Ram Rahim's ashram," the article noted.
Chandigarh: The son of a journalist, who had first exposed sexual exploitation of female disciples of Dera Sacha Sauda by its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in 2002, on Monday said that their stand against him had been vindicated following his conviction and imprisonment for 20 years in two rape cases for the rape of two woman followers.

Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of murdered Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati welcomed the CBI special court judgment awarding 10 years imprisonment to the Dera chief.

His father was shot dead, allegedly by sect supporters at the behest of the sect chief, in October 2002 after he wrote about shady activities inside the sect headquarters near Sirsa in his vernacular newspaper Poora Sach in 2002.

The murder case is pending before the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula and hearing of final arguments is likely to be held next month.

The anonymous complaint from one of the female disciples (sadhvi) exposing the sexual exploitation and rape by the sect chief inside the Dera headquarters was also made in 2002. The complaint was sent to the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"Though he should have got more imprisonment, I am satisfied with the order of the court (10 years imprisonment). He had done a heinous crime. This has given strength to our fight against the might of this fraud saint," Anshul said while reacting to the conviction and sentencing of the Dera chief by the court.

The quantum of sentence was announced by special CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh at a specially set up court inside the library of the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak town in Haryana where the sect chief was brought after his conviction on Friday.

The complaint in the case was filed in 2002. While the defence counsel had argued for minimum punishment for the disgraced sect chief saying that he was a social worker and had health issues, the prosecution side sought maximum punishment for the rape convict given his conduct.

There was drama inside the special court near Rohtak as the convicted sect chief broke down and pleaded with folded hands before the judge. After the sentence was announced, he sat down on the floor and wept. He was taken away by jail wardens.

The sect chief was also examined by doctors and found to be fine.
Chandigarh: Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) followers allegedly set two cars on fire near the sect headquarters on the outskirts of Sirsa town on Monday, just minutes before its chief was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in two rape cases.

Security forces rushed to Phulkan village to control the situation.

Security deployment, including army and para-military forces, continued around the two campuses of the sect near Sirsa and curfew continued in affected areas of the district on Monday.

"We are in control of the situation. We have shown restraint so far. Some Dera followers are still present inside the sect headquarters," V Umashankar, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon, told media in Chandigarh.

He said that a couple of thousand Dera followers were still inside the sect campus.

Rape convict DSS chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 10 years in jail for the rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples.

The quantum of sentence was announced by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh at a specially set up court inside the library of the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The CBI judge had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The complaint in the case was filed in 2002.

Click here to follow LIVE updates
Authorities in Haryana on Monday issued shoot at sight orders in and around the District Jail near Rohtak ahead of rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing.

The quantum of punishment was expected to be out by 2.30 p.m. at a CBI court specially set up inside the jail premises in Sunaria, about 70 km from Delhi, where Ram Rahim has been lodged after his conviction on Friday.

Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) of Police Navdeep Singh Virk said: "We are on top of the situation. Adequate security arrangements are in place. If anyone tries to disobey the law, he will be shot at."

Virk said 28 companies of paramilitary forces, along with Haryana Police personnel, have been deployed in Rohtak.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of two of his female disciples in 2002, was being flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years, respectively.

The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, have been completely cordoned off by security forces, including the paramilitary and Haryana Police.

The Army has been kept on stand-by. No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

"We are fully prepared for any situation. The Army has been kept on stand-by," Haryana Director General of police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said.

The security forces in Haryana and Punjab were again on high alert on Monday as both states braced for the sentencing.

Curfew continued to be in place on Monday in Haryana's Sirsa town, where the sect's headquarters are located. The sect has lakhs of followers in the two states.

Click here for LIVE updates.
New Delhi: The Home Ministry said on Monday the situation in Haryana three days after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was still tense but under control.

"As per report dated 28 August, of DGP Control Room, Haryana, total casualties have been 35 with 17 in Panchkula, six in Sirsa and 12 in Chandigarh and total number of injured is 204," the Ministry said in a statement.

It said Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) remained imposed in all districts of Haryana. "Columns of Army are doing flag march continuously," it added.

The Ministry also said that there was a proper vigil in Panchkula, which bore the maximum brunt after the 25 August verdict, and at Sirsa that headquartered the Dera, as well as other parts of Punjab and Haryana.

Around 2.30 pm, a special CBI court's judge will begin hearing arguments on the quantum of punishment of the Dera chief in a 2002 rape case, inside the District Jail at Sunaria near Rohtak where Ram Rahim was lodged since Friday.

His punishment could range from seven years to life imprisonment.

Click here for LIVE updates on Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing.
On Monday, Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sentenced to two terms of 10 years in jail by CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh. The judge held the self-proclaimed godman guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples in 2002.

The sentencing could be said to be a judicial victory, simply because the self-styled godman got what he deserved. Or did he? According to NDTV, the CBI has "already moved an application for a longer prison term for the Dera chief and will press other charges against him."

However, citing his philanthropic work, Ram Rahim Singh's lawyers pleaded for a lighter sentence and have said that they will appeal to a higher court.

Dera Sacha Sauda followers were in tears over the verdict. Richa Sharma of 101Reporters said in a report that Raghu Insan (name changed), 29, a lecturer in a private college in Sirsa, respected the court order, but she still feels that injustice has been done to their guru. Insan said further: "We will challenge this in the high court and wait for a decision in favour of Pitaji."

Do 20 years suffice the crimes of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh?

Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal welcomed the verdict; however, she said that the punishment is less:

Finally, punished for his crime. Though his crime is so heinous, even death penalty is less for him. https://t.co/pyYAZtAr25  Swati Jai Hind (@SwatiJaiHind) August 28, 2017

According to CNN-News18, the strict laws on raping minors did not apply to the Dera chief. "Singh was charged under the Indian Penal Code since the offence was committed before the harsher Prevention of Children From Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act came into effect in February 2013. He was not tried under the new law, where the maximum sentence is life term, as it cannot be applied retrospectively," the news channel said.

The full text of the verdict can be read here:

Whether or not the 20 years of jail may suffice Ram Rahim, the punishment needs to be examined along with other allegations of crime against the self-proclaimed godman.

Times Now reported that several more sadhvis were raped. The channel then revealed seven tapes of the Dera chief's crimes.

TAPE 1: The cave of carnal sin: 90% of 300 Sadhvis raped. Watch Beant Singh, as he lifts the veil on the cave of carnal sins #RamRahimTapes pic.twitter.com/o7iZABZPoE  TIMES NOW (@TimesNow) August 28, 2017

Castration of men: Besides rape, Singh has been accused of encouraging his followers to undergo castrations to gain proximity with God. According to an NDTV article, "In 2015, he (Ram Rahim Singh) was accused of encouraging 400 followers to undergo castration at his ashram so they could get closer to God. He also stood trial for conspiracy to the murder of a journalist in 2002. In 2007, he infuriated Sikhs by appearing to impersonate Guru Gobind Singh."

Murder of Ram Chander Chhatrapati: There are also questions over the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati who exposed Singh's wrongdoings way back in 2002. The 25 August verdict gave some hope to Chhatrapati's kin who have said that the police refused to enter Singh's name in the FIR, as reported by Hindustan Times.

According to the article, Chhatrapati's son Anshul received threats, and there was immense pressure to run the newspaper Poora Sacch (which belongs to Chhatrapati).

Murder of Ranjit Singh: In another case, on 10 July, 2002, Ranjit Singh was shot dead in his fields. Ranjit was exposing the ways in which the Dera chief was allegedly exploiting women, including one of Ranjits relatives.

Ranjit's family members remember how they were offered money by dera supporters to withdraw the complain against their chief. But the family stood against the threats. They would come armed in the courtroom. Id tell them they could eat us alive if they wanted, a family member was quoted by Hindustan Times.

Illegal arms and ammunition: Dera Sacha Sauda, as a sect, also came under the scanner in 2010, when the Haryana government sought details on the presence of ammunition, illegal arms, and weapons training inside the complex, as reported by The Times of India. The sect was given a clean chit by the government.

It remains to be seen whether all these cases against Ram Rahim Singh will be probed and whether he will be reprimanded for them. A plethora of cases seems to be trailing the self-proclaimed godman with an uncertain future.

Ahead of the 25 August verdict, one of the rape survivors had told The Indian Express that she was hopeful about Singh being punished: Hamney to suna hai, ye India hai, yahan aasani se nyay nahi milta hai. Aur woh bhi jab ladai ek powerful ke khilaf ho. Paise wala kuch bhi kar sakta hai yahan. (We have heard its not easy to get justice in India, especially when the fight is against a powerful person. A person who has money can do anything here).

She further added: Fortunately, this case was handled by honest officers from CBI. They have tried their best to ensure justice to us. Thats why we have hope.

However, she was worried about her own life and her family's safety: My life has changed after I gave the statement. I cant move freely. There is a danger to my life. I am also apprehensive about lives of my family members.

The worst thing is that Ram Rahim is not the only self-styled godman against whom criminal cases have been registered in India. And with Singh now being locked up for 20 years, it might well warrant an anti-superstition bill for the entire nation. A bill that criminalises the existence of such self-proclaimed godmen who spread farcical ideas. A pragmatic bill that eliminates blind faith. One that was visioned by practical minds like Narendra Dabholkar and Govind Pansare.
Rohtak (Haryana): Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 20 years in jail in two rape cases for the rape and sexual exploitation of two female disciples and fined Rs 30 lakh.

The rapist sect chief has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in each of the two cases of rape. The rape victims will get Rs 14 lakh each as compensation from the fine. Both the sentences will run consecutively, the sect chief's counsel SK Garg Narwana said after the special CBI judge pronounced the sentence in the District Jail in Sunaria, which was brought under extraordinary security following Friday's violence.

Earlier, there was confusion over the term of the sentence, with reports that Ram Rahim was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Later, his counsel clarified the position.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who announced the sentence, had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999.

The conviction of the Dera chief in the CBI court in Panchkula on Friday had sparked off large-scale violence by his followers which left 38 people dead and 264 others injured.

The hearing to decide the quantum of sentence started at 2.30 pm on Monday and the judge gave 10 minutes each to the defence and prosecution sides to make their submission, court sources said.

While Ram Rahim's counsel argued for leniency and minimum punishment saying that he was a social worker and had health issues, the CBI counsel sought maximum punishment given his conduct. The prosecution wanted the case to be treated as "rarest of the rare".

Following the announcement of his sentence, the Dera chief broke down and wept as he dropped down to the floor, according to media reports.

The self-styled godman had to be forcibly removed from the court as he refused to accompany the cops escorting him for medical checkups and further formalities while his lawyers tried to seek leniency in prison rules for the sect chief who is used to a life of ultra luxury. Ram Rahim was medically examined by doctors, led by the Rohtak chief medical officer (CMO), and found to be fine.

Ram Rahim's lawyers also confirmed they would move the Punjab and Haryana High Court to challenge his jail sentence, reported CNN-News18.

The sect chief has been convicted of two counts of rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). Here is a copy of the CBI court's judgment on the quantum of sentence:

The Dera chief was held in Rohtak jail (Prisoner No. 1997) after he was found guilty by the special CBI court on Friday. CBI judge Jagdeep Singh was flown to Rohtak on Monday to announce the sentence. The special courtroom within the jail was set up on the instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

A multilayer security cordon manned by police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces were deployed in and around Rohtak and also around the jail. The army had been kept on standby while all routes to the jail were sealed.

The CBI filed the chargesheet against the Dera head in Ambala court in July 2007 about five years after the registration of the rape case. The chargesheet mentions sexual exploitation of two 'Sadhvis' (women followers) between 1999 and 2001.

The special CBI court framed charges against Ram Rahim under sections 376 (rape) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC in September 2008.

Between 2009 and 2010, the two complainants recorded their statements before the court.

The special CBI court shifted from Ambala to Panchkula and the case against Dera chief was also transferred to the Panchkula CBI Court.

In July 2017, the court ordered daily hearing and arguments of prosecution and defence were concluded on 17 August, 2017. It held Ram Rahim guilty of rape on 25 August.

Authorities are geared up to prevent a repeat of the mayhem on Friday by the followers of the Dera chief.

Prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), prohibiting assembly of five or more persons, and carrying of firearms and other weapons, are already in place in Rohtak district.

On Monday, Dera Sacha Sauda followers set two vehicles on fire at Phulkan village near the sect headquarters on the outskirts of Sirsa town, minutes before the sentencing. Security forces rushed to the area to control the situation. Security deployment, including army and para-military forces, continued around the two campuses of the sect near Sirsa.

"We are in control of the situation. We have shown restraint so far. Some dera followers are still present inside the sect headquarters," V Umashamkar, special commissioner, told the media. Curfew continued in affected areas of Sirsa district.

Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of murdered Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati who had first exposed sexual exploitation of female disciples by the sect chief in 2002, on Monday said that their stand against Ram Rahim has been vindicated following his conviction and imprisonment.

He welcomed the CBI special court judgment. His father was shot dead, allegedly by sect supporters at the behest of the sect chief, in October 2002 after he wrote about shady activities inside the sect headquarters near Sirsa in his vernacular newspaper Poora Sach in 2002.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh appealed to the people accept the court verdict. He said that the Punjab government would continue to maintain constant vigil to ensure that peace is maintained in the state, with curfew to remain in force till needed.

As a precautionary measure, schools and other educational institutions remained shut in Haryana while these will also remain closed in sensitive districts in Punjab.

With inputs from PTI and IANS

Click here to follow LIVE updates
Chandigarh: A special courtroom has been set up in the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, where Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged since his rape conviction, for the pronouncement of the quantum of punishment on Monday.

Special CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh, who delivered the guilty verdict in the 2002 rape case against the Dera chief on Friday, will be flown in by a special helicopter for the sentencing.

The helicopter will land on the helipad near the jail on the outskirts of the Rohtak city, IG (Rohtak Range), Navdeep Singh Virk said on Sunday.

"A special courtroom has been set up on the instructions of the high court within the jail and proceedings will be carried out there, which are expected to be conducted at around 2.30 in the afternoon on Sunday," he said.

The Dera chief was convicted by the CBI court in Panchkula on Friday in the 15-year-old rape case. After his conviction, his followers went berserk in Panchkula and Sirsa. In the violence and arson that ensued, 38 people lost their lives while over 260 were injured.

The administration has made tight security arrangements before the sentencing.

"We have ensured that there is no crowd build-up in and around Rohtak city or Sunaria Jail. For that, special arrangements have been made. We have been provided forces from neighbouring districts and other units of Haryana police too," Virk said.

He said 23 companies of paramilitary forces have been provided by the Centre. "We have sufficient forces and we have deployed them. We are on our toes 24x7 and we are 100 percent certain that there will be no untoward incident on Monday," he said.

Asked if the Army will be deployed, Virk said, "As of now, the Haryana and the district police, assisted by paramilitary forces, are in action. As of now, we have not called in the Army and I don't think we will require their help".

"However, the Army has been alerted. Army officers conducted a recee of the area (around the jail complex). We have requested them to be on standby if the situation goes out of hands, but that is a mere part of the preparation, and I don't see the situation going out of hand," the IG said.

Virk also said the "Sunaria jail premises are quite far away from the city and I do not foresee any problem for local people."

The forces also conducted flag march in Rohtak on Sunday, where prohibitory orders under Section 144 are already in place, he added.

Click here for LIVE updates on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing.
Haryana government's deputy advocate-general, Gurdas Singh Salwara, who was captured on camera carrying a suit case that belonged to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim after his conviction in a rape case on Friday, was sacked a day later, according to media reports.

In the incident outside the CBI court in Panchkula, Salwara is seen rushing to the Dera chief's help and lifting the orange-coloured bag. Rape-accused Ram Rahim was walking out of the court with his daughter after being found guilty.

NDTV reported that Salwara accompanied Ram Rahim, claiming to be his relative. The deputy advocate-general was fired on the recommendation of his senior, Haryana's advocate-general Baldev Raj Mahajan, the report said.

The move comes at a time when the Haryana administration is being accused of providing VIP treatment to the influential godman.

"He (Ram Rahim) is being treated like any other inmate. He is being provided with the same food and facilities and has not been provided with an air-conditioned cell. His Z-Plus security was withdrawn automatically after his arrest," Chief Secretary DS Dhesi told PTI.

The Haryana government also suspended Panchkula's Deputy Commissioner of Police, alleging that a "defective" order by him allowed the crowd build-up in the district, Financial Express reported.
In a development which could lead to the de-escalation of tensions at Doka La, the Ministry of External Affairs has released a statement saying that expeditious disengagement of border personnel at Doka La has been agreed to and is ongoing.

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2017

The statement is as follows: "In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going."

This move is surprising as only on Thursday, China had said that India had "slapped its own face" by deciding to build a road near Pangong Lake in Ladakh and it would only worsen the Doka La dispute. Beijing had warned that the move was not "conducive" to peace in the region.

The move also comes just days before the BRICS Summit which will be held in China in September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to China for the summit.

China on Thursday had also issued a safety advisory to its citizens living in India. This was the second such notice amid the border row dispute between the two countries. The advisory had asked them to be alert and its validity is till 31 December. The last one-month advisory was issued on 8 July.

Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a standoff at Doka La in the Sikkim section for the past three months, which has led to escalation in bilateral tensions.

The dispute began when India stalled the construction of a Chinese road in Doka La, which lies in the tri-junction of India, China and Bhutan. Bhutan has also protested China's road building activity in its territory. New Delhi perceives the Chinese road in Doka La a threat as the region is very close to its Siliguri corridor which connects India's North East with rest of the country.

The 3,488-kilometre de facto India-China border is divided into three sectors: West, middle and east.
Srinagar: On 21 August, a young Shahid Bashir Mir left his home for an evening stroll. A day later, his body was handed over to his family by the police, riddled with bullets and badly disfigured. The youth's father, Bashir Ahmad Mir, refused to bury him until action was taken against the army unit stationed at the border area of Handwara, whom he blamed for killing the boy in a fake encounter.

Following strong protests by the locals, in which they torched government vehicles, an inquiry has been ordered to probe the involvement of the army in Shahid's death.

But human rights activists are pessimistic of any action against the security personnel concerned because of the immunity enjoyed by the army and paramilitary forces operating in Kashmir under the armed forces special powers act (AFSPA). Under AFSPA, the state government has to seek a sanction for prosecution against security officials deployed for anti-militancy operations from the Central government, which has denied permission to initiate trials in civil courts in most of the cases.

Mir said that his son had left home at around six pm when he was picked up by personnel of a local army unit and later killed in 'a fake encounter'. While the investigations are still on, in many of the cases in which the complicity of the army and paramilitary forces have been proved by the police and judicial authorities, the accused personnel have not been subjected to trial due to lack of sanction for prosecution.

Even as the number of human rights violations has come down compared to the early 1990s, when militancy was at its peak in Kashmir, the custodial killings continue in the Valley. This year, Kashmir has remained relatively calm compared to 2016, when a widespread unrest was triggered after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Muzafar Wani.

As per the data of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in 2012-13, the number of complaints of human rights violations against the armed forces was 30; it declined to 21 in 2013-14; 17 in 2014-15; and 12 from 1 April, 2015, to 31 January, 2016. While the first half of 2016 was relatively peacefully, at least 77 people died in action by government forces from July to December.

Though the Kashmir Valley has remained relatively peaceful this year, complaints of human rights violations continue to pour in. In the last five months, the army and paramilitary forces have faced at least six cases of human rights violations, ranging from kidnapping to death in a fake encounter.

Human rights activist Mohammad Ehsan Untoo said that the involvement of government forces in rights violations continues unabated. "Even this year, many youths have died in direct firing by the force personnel and this latest case of rights violation against the army  the fake encounter case in Handwara  is among the many which have been registered here," he said.

Untoo has filed a petition with the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC), seeking action against the army and police officials responsible for the killing of the youth in the alleged fake encounter at Handwara.

Mir said that his son was killed brutally and the complicity of the army was also admitted by the concerned state government. "We have been assured of a probe by deputy commissioner Kupwara, who certified that my son was innocent. He was a student and had no role in militancy," he said.

However, the human rights activists have argued that even as the police have been filing cases against the army for involvement in human rights violations, they are not being arrested in the wake of the immunity that is granted to them under AFSPA. The Central government has been maintaining that the complaints levelled against the armed forces have proven to be incorrect.

Both in the current NDA rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the UPA government of Manmohan Singh, the position maintained by the Central government has been in support of the armed forces. The Centre's reasoning for long has been that the conditions in Kashmir are not conducive to the withdrawal of AFSPA.

In 2011, the then defence minister AK Antony in a statement in Parliament said that from 2007 to 15 December, 2011, 24 cases seeking sanction for prosecution under AFSPA were received from Jammu and Kashmir Home Department out of which five cases were under examination and in the remaining 19 cases, the requests for prosecution sanction were rejected as "it was found on examination that no prima facie case was made out against the accused army personnel."

Legal practitioners said that the sanction for prosecutions was delayed in many of the cases and after the armed force personnel were found involved in cases of rights violations, they were transferred from Kashmir to evade arrests or trial.

Under the AFSPA Act, which came into force on 5 July, 1990, armed forces personnel can fire upon a person or a group of people if they suspect that they may cause a law and order problem. As per the Act, the armed forces are also empowered to "arrest, without a warrant, any persons who have committed a cognisable offence or against whom a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed or is about to commit a cognisable offence and may use such force as may be necessary to effect the arrest."

The Act further reads, "no prosecution, suit or other legal proceedings shall be instituted, except with the previous sanction of the Central government, against any person in respect of anything done or purported to be done in exercise of the powers conferred by this act."

Advocate Mir Shafaqat Hussain said that the AFSPA is used to protect the armed forces by the Central government. In a case that he is handling, the Union Ministry of Defence has denied the sanction to prosecute the personnel of an army unit based in Bemina area of Srinagar on the custodial killing of a youth.

"We had submitted the file in 2015 for sanction to prosecute the two officials of an army battalion which was based in Bemina, but no sanction has been received. The case pertains to the disappearance of a 22-year-old boy in 1996 and sanction is awaited even as the judicial inquiry has established the complicity of the personnel," Hussain said.

He said that in another case, of the custodial killing of a Baramulla youth, while trial has started against two government-backed gunmen, the lack of prosecution sanction against an army major has ensured that no trial was started against him.

Venkatesh Nayak, the coordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), an international human rights group, has noted in a recent report on the implementation of AFSPA that most of the complaints of human rights violations from states under AFSPA have been from Jammu and Kashmir.

Quoting government figures, the report reveals that 186 complaints of human rights violations were received against armed forces (defence forces and paramilitary forces) deployed in the states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura during the period from 2012 to January 2016. Out of these, 49 percent of the complaints were from Jammu and Kashmir.
Eighty years have passed since the Maharajah of Travancore threw open the doors of the temples to lower castes through his historic Temple Entry Proclamation but the Dalits had to wait until 2002 to enter the sanctum sanctorum of temples in Kerala.

Even after the Supreme Court ended the age-long injustice of denying priestly duties to the Dalits 15 years ago, several temples in the state  including many under the control of the state-run devaswom boards  are unwilling to appoint non-Brahmins as priests.

The latest case is that of S Sudhikumar, a member of Ezhava community who was not allowed to join duty as keezh shanthi (assistant priest) in the famous Chettikulangara Devi Temple at Mavelikkara in Alappuzha district under the administrative control of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB).

Sudhikumar, who was serving as keezh shanthi at Puthiyidam Sree Krishna Swamy Temple, Kayamkulam, was transferred by the assistant commissioner of Mavelikara Devaswam on 14 June. The temple administrative committee, which is dominated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), did not even allow him to enter the temple when he went there to assume duty.

The devaswom commissioner quashed the order after the temple tantri took the stand that the rituals in the temple should be carried out by Malayali Brahmins well-versed in shodasha samkara, and if not it would invite the wrath of the deity.

TDB president Prayer Gopalakrishnan, who had kicked off a controversy by asking women to wait till a machine is invented to check their purity for entering the famous Sabarimala temple, has backed the commissioner saying that priests can be appointed only based on the customs followed by the temples.

He told Firstpost that the priestly duties were bound to be performed by chosen people. Though there was a movement of non-Brahmin priests in 2002, it had lost its relevance now. Nobody is talking about the Supreme Court verdict that paved the way for appointment of non-Brahmins in temples these days, he claimed.

I cannot take a unilateral decision on the affairs of the temples. Different temples have different customs and traditions. Our board will meet in a couple of days and take a decision on the appointment of Sudhikumar based on the opinion given by the Thantri, he added.

Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran has termed the stand a violation of the Supreme Court order. The court had ruled that caste should not be considered while recruiting employees, including pujaris, to various posts in devaswom boards and its temples.

The landmark apex court order in October 2012 came on a petition filed by Rakesh KS, who was not allowed to take up the post of the priest at the Neerikodu Siva Temple in Ernakulam on the ground of his Ezhava origin. The court disposed the petition with the observation that eligibility for priesthood should be the knowledge of rites and traditions, not caste.

On the basis of this, the state government had issued directions to all devaswom boards to carry out their recruitment process without discrimination on the basis of caste and had subsequently left the appointment of priests to the State Public Service Commission.

Sudhikumar, who had also faced similar resistance when he was appointed as priest at a temple in Aluva earlier, said none of the devaswom boards were implementing the apex court in its true spirit. He said they were denying the Dalits their right upheld by the court citing temple customs.

He told Firstpost that TDB had only about 300 non-Brahmin priests in its more than 1000 temples across southern district even though Dalits constituted majority of the Hindus in Kerala. He claimed that more than 75 percent of the devotees under the Chettikulangara temple were Dalits.

Chettikulangara Devi Temple is the second largest temple in terms of income under the control of TDB, next only to Sabarimala shrine, which is thronged by millions of devotees from across the country. The bulk of crores of rupees earned by the temple every year comes from the Dalits. Yet, temple authorities who belong to upper castes, are not willing to appoint a Dalit as the priest, Sudhikumar said.

Local MLA U Prathibha Hari alleged that the trouble had started after RSS started taking control of temple committees. She told Firstpost that the Sreedevi Vilasam Hindumatha Convention that controls the Chettikulangara temple was implementing the RSS agenda after the Hindutva organisation captured the organisation.

The RSS is trying to bring back the untouchability what was eradicated from the state long ago under the guise of temple customs. This cannot be allowed in a state with high literacy and political consciousness, she added.

The Devaswom minister had promised stringent action against those violating the court directive when the MLA raised the issue in the state Assembly last week. However, the TDB authorities have been sticking to their position.

The Chettikulangara case is not an isolated one. A non-Brahmin priest was thrown out from a temple in Kottayam district last week when he went there with his appointment order citing local temple customs. There have been several such cases since the apex court order.

Interestingly, even temples that are finding difficulty in getting qualified Brahmins to serve as priests are not willing to appoint non-Brahmins. Kerala has been facing acute shortage of Brahmin priests with the new generation of the upper caste community preferring modern professions, according to a report in Hinduism Today.

The report said the priest shortage existed because the present generation of Brahmins has not been finding the traditional profession attractive. The youth complain about lower remuneration, demanding routines, such as waking up early to bathe and spending long hours each day in the temple.

According to the report, another reason was the lack of respectability Hindu priests enjoy in the Kerala society. The report quoted Brahmasri Rajiveru, a former chief priest at the famous Sabarimala hill temple, as saying that the pay of the priests was the lowest for any temple employee.

The devaswom authorities have been justifying the pay on the ground that they are eligible to receive dakshina (gifts of money) from devotees for performing various rites. However, Rajiveru said majority of the 2,500 temples under various devaswom boards were not getting enough funds to conduct the mandatory rituals.

Few devotees attend small temples, and not everyone gives dakshina. A priest cannot maintain a family on such meagre salary. Rajiveru said.

However, leaders of the non-Brahmin communities hope that the situation will change when temples face closures for want of qualified Brahmin priests. Curiously, many non-Brahmin communities have been establishing priests training centres eying the emerging opportunity.
New Delhi: Union minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday slammed human rights groups for criticising the Centre's move to deport Rohingya refugees, saying India has given shelter to maximum number of migrants, more than any other nation, and advised them not to "lecture".

He asked the rights groups not to "demonise" India as a country hostile to refugees and said New Delhi is not going to "throw" the Rohingyas into the "ocean" or "shoot" them but will follow due process of law before their identification and deportation.

"India is the most humane nation in the world. Millions of refugees live in India. There is no other country in the world which hosts so many refugees. So, don't demonise us, don't give us lecture," he told reporters.

He was referring to the criticism by some human rights organisation to the government's move.

The minister of state for home said all those who had entered India were liable to be deported after following a proper process of law.

"We are not going to shoot them nor we are planning to throw them in the ocean. India is not a signatory to UN human rights convention but still the country has been hosting millions of refugees," he said.

However, Rijiju said, these continuous influx cannot go indefinitely, there has to be an end to it.

"Please don't accuse us as intolerant. We value human rights, we act as per law," he said.

Early this month, the Centre had said illegal immigrants like the Rohingyas pose grave security challenges as they may be recruited by terror groups, and asked state governments to identify and deport them.

In a communication to all states, the Union home ministry had said the rise of terrorism in last few decades has become a serious concern for most nations as illegal migrants are more vulnerable to getting recruited by terrorist organisations.

"These illegal immigrants not only infringe on the rights of Indian citizens but also pose grave security challenges," the communication said.

The infiltration of (the Rohingyas) from Rakhine state of Myanmar into Indian territory, especially in recent years, besides being a burden on the limited resources of the country also aggravates security challenges posed to India, the home ministry said.

Rijiju had said in Parliament on 9 August that according to available data, more than 14,000 Rohingyas, registered with the UNHCR, are presently staying in India.

"However, some inputs indicate that around 40,000 Rohingyas are staying in India illegally and the Rohingyas are largely located in Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan," he had said.

On 16 November, 2016, the government had informed the Parliament that according to available inputs, there were around 20 million (two crore) illegal Bangladeshi migrants staying in India.
Srinagar: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who heads the Congress's policy planning group on Kashmir, will lead a team of party leaders to Jammu and Kashmir next month for discussion on current situation in the state with party workers and "like-minded" groups.

"Singh, who is likely to be accompanied by the Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni, will visit Jammu on 10 September and Kashmir on 16 September," Congress state president GA Mir told PTI .

Mir said Singh and other members of the team would meet party leaders and workers.

"The idea is to get inputs from the grassroots. The current issues that the state is facing will also be discussed," he said.

He said the Singh-led team would also meet "like-minded opposition groups" in the state.

Mir said the team would also visit Ladakh region at a later date.

The Congress set up the policy planning group, headed by the former prime minister, on Jammu and Kashmir in April this year following worsening situation in the Valley due to widespread street protests in the wake of eight deaths in security forces firing on 9 April during bypolls to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
On Sunday, Lalu Prasad Yadav gathered political bigwigs such as West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav his 'BJP bhagao desh bachao' rally in Patna.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief's intent was to put up a show of force against Narendra Modi, the BJP and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar in the aftermath of the collapse of the Grand Alliance.

By bringing Akhilesh and Mayawati, arch political rivals in Uttar Pradesh, together, Lalu hoped to send a signal to the Modi government: That the Opposition would not roll over quietly in the upcoming general election.

If Akhilesh and Mayawati come together, which is very possible, then the BJP game is over, Lalu said, according to a report in TheNewIndianExpress.

But it seems that Lalu's grand ambitions are faltering at the outset, even as experts say that the Samajwadi Party-Bharatiya Janata Party combine in Uttar Pradesh could consolidate the Dalit and backward votes and would checkmate the BJP.

Both Rahul and Sonia deigned not to attend the meet, sending Congress general secretary CP Joshi in their stead.

But the person most conspicuous by her absence was Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Mayawati. In fact, her party had no presence at Lalu's rally.

According to a report in NDTV, Lalu's failure to gather all the A-listers from Opposition parties, serves as a prime example of the challenge it takes to corral more than a dozen different parties together. Forget getting them on the same page, Lalu couldn't even get them on the same stage.

And Mayawati has been the classic example of this.

The BSP chief has repeatedly rebuffed the RJD chief's repeated attempts to woo her for an electoral tie-up.

Mayawati steadfastly refused to attend the rally, saying she would not put in an appearance while Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was abroad.

RJD has been told that BSP wll share stage with a party only if it's decided in advance which party will contest on how many seats: Mayawati pic.twitter.com/IZf9sluJ5l  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 24, 2017

BSP will not participate in Patna rally: BSP chief Mayawati pic.twitter.com/DdErdRaMj4  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) August 24, 2017

Earlier, Mayawati gave every indication that she would not attend the rally, distancing herself from posters showing her with non-BJP leaders and condemning posters that surfaced on social media sites showing her in one frame with top non-BJP leaders as "mischievous and wrong."

This also isn't the first time Mayawati has publicly rebuffed Lalu.

According to a report in India Today, in July, she turned down his rather public offer of a Rajya Sabha seat from Bihar after she resigned from the Upper House in protest over allegedly not being allowed to speak on atrocities faced by Dalits,

Despite Mayawati's recent defeat in the recent 2017 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election, where her party won only 19 seats  down from 80 in 2012 and the lowest tally for the party since 1991 (12 seats)  she is still popular with a large number of Dalits and could help boost Opposition outreach to the group, according to a report in The Indian Express.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, Mayawati, who has made played nice with both the SP and BJP in the past, is perhaps keeping her distance from Lalu because of a pending Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case against her.

Who needs whom?

However, some argue that it is in fact Mayawati who needs Lalu more than he needs her.

According to a report in Livemint, analysts say that time is running out for Mayawati and the lack of a political decision any time soon could cost her dear.

The resignation itself was made to gain public sympathy and show that she cares about the Dalit cause. However with the fast dwindling Dalit support base, Mayawati needs to work on party outreach. For this, she has to have a public platform in the form of a Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha seat given that the next UP Assembly election will only happen after five years, SK Dwivedi, political analyst and professor of political science, Lucknow University, told the newspaper.

According to a News18 report, the NDA mocked the rally as 'Parivar bachao, rajniti chamkao' and criticised Lalu for putting on a rally at a time when so many in the state are reeling under a spate of severe floods.
Mumbai University finally released the results of the fifth and sixth semester of three-year integrated Bachelor of Commerce examination after much delay, media reports said. Students can check their results on mu.ac.in .

A report by India Today said as of now, the university has declared 432 results out of the total 477.

According to NDTV, around 80,000 students had appeared for both the semesters. The results of BSc IT Semester-VI, TYBSc Semester-V, TYBSc Semester-V, TYBSc Semester-VI and TYBSc Semester-VI have so far been published on the official website of Mumbai University.

India Express said around 384 students of semester VI achieved outstanding (O) grades while 7,868 students achieved the A grade and 19,397 students failed to clear the exam. Among those who appeared for the Semester V exams, three achieved outstanding grades, 119 achieved an A grade while 5,359 students failed the semester.

The varsity, which had already missed two earlier deadlines  on 31 July and 5 August  had missed its third deadline on 15 August as well. Out of a total of 4.77 lakh students who appeared for various exams at the university, results of only 3.31 lakh students were announced by 14 August.

In July, sources within the Mumbai University had said checking of the remaining exam papers would take another two weeks. Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao had set the initial 31 July deadline, following which the university claimed they would declare all results by 5 August.

"Mostly all results will be declared by 5 August. The process of declaring results is on continually," AM Khan, registrar, Mumbai University, had told PTI.

Steps to check the results

1) Go to the Mumbai University website, mu.ac.in

2) Click on the results page link

3) Follow the link for your semester results

4) Enter registration number and other details in prescribed format

5) Click to submit

6) Download the results and take a print out for further reference.

With inputs from agencies
Saturdays 20-hour attack at the Pulwama police lines, in which eight police and paramilitary men were killed, has unsettled the impression that the forces had gained control over south Kashmir. As a militant operation, it was much more severe than the attack against Amarnath yatris in July.

It showed that militants remain poised to attack strategically vital targets, have excellent intelligence, and possibly some well-placed operatives  not to speak of boldness and stealth.

The attack could also put a question mark over just how successful the ongoing investigations into the funding of unrest and militancy have been. Over the past three months, the National Investigation Agencys probe into funding has been viewed as a parallel success story, giving the Centre much confidence about controlling the situation on the ground. If any investigators were present at the Pulwama police lines last week, it would make the attack that much more disturbing.

Some NIA investigators are said to have questioned some of the young men and boys who were caught pelting stones last year. Their questions presumably focus on whether they were paid and, if so, by whom. Answers to those questions could add to charges against the 'leaders' under investigation.

The highlight of the probe was the arrest of seven prominent figures, including the son-in-law of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, on 25 July. Others have been arrested since, and lists of the properties of prominent Kashmiri figures have been doing the rounds.

Local resentment

The attackers are said to have entered the heavily fenced police lines from near the adjacent CRPF camp. In fact, the CRPF took the lead role to combat them. Four CRPF men and four policemen were killed, as were the three attackers. The two camps are right on the main highway from Srinagar to Shopian, next to the offices of the Pulwama district administrators.

As the funerals of the killed policemen were performed, some neighbours held angrily that not enough was done to save the lives of two policemen who were apparently trapped on the fourth floor of the building from which the militants fired.

The encounter took place on the same day as the mayhem in Haryana. The unstated resentment was that tactics extending to a helicopter were not put into operation for those policemen.

Most disturbed area

Pulwama has been the most disturbed district since Burhan Wani was killed on 8 July last year. It was where the college agitations began, spreading across Kashmir in mid-April this year. And militants killed the district president of the PDP in late April.

The NIA will likely be interested to discover money trails that might point to how the violence and unrest in Pulwama has been sustained.

Pulwama is one of the main centres of the Jamaat-e-Islami, of which Zakir Musas family has been an adherent. The Jamaat has been a bulwark of Pakistans efforts to promote and sustain militancy in Kashmir since 1990. Pakistans former military dictator Zia-ul Haq too was an adherent.

Successes reversed

The police and the army have notched up a string of successes against militants, killing a number of top commanders over the past three months. The DIG south Kashmir, SP Pani, and the GOC there, Major-General BS Raju, have earned much credit.

Raju had stated that the army wanted to unsettle the militants in the areas where they felt safe. That has been achieved to some extent, but Saturdays attack was sobering.

It was in the heart of south Kashmir, which has already been the focus of militancy for the past few years. Caution is required. The situation could become even more dangerous in north Kashmir, where a large number of foreign militants have been ensconsed in places like Hajin and Sonawari.
Indore: The Congress on Monday said the violence by supporters of the sect leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in Haryana last week was "state sponsored".

All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Oza also condemned the "clean chit" given by the ruling BJP to the Haryana government in the aftermath of the 25 August violence erupted after the conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief in a rape case.

"According to legal experts, President's Rule should have been imposed following the violence by Dera supporters. However, instead of taking such a step, the Centre gave a clean chit to the Manohar Lal Khattar government which failed to control the violence," Oza told PTI in Indore.

Terming the rampage and violence as the "government sponsored", Oza said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had repeatedly exhorted the government to take steps to maintain the law and order ahead of Singh's conviction.

"Despite section 144 of CrPC being in place, more than 1.5 lakh Dera supporters gathered in Panchkula and took law into their hands," she said referring to 25 August violence that left scores dead.

Referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat' programme in which he stated that violence in the name of faith won't be tolerated in the country, Oza said Congress wanted to know who was supposed to stop the rampage in name of faith in Haryana.

Oza also accused the BJP of "failing" to keep its electoral promise to enact a law granting reservation for women in the country.

"It is the responsibility of the Narendra Modi government to present the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament and get it passed. Congress would extend full support to this bill," the Congress leader said.

The BJP on Saturday ruled out removal of the Haryana chief minister, saying the government controlled the situation within three hours with "minimum possible damage".

A special CBI court on Monday sentenced the Dera chief to 20 years in prison after his conviction in two rape cases.

Click here for LIVE updates on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing
As the judge pronounced the quantum of sentence to a teary-eyed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh inside the Rohtak's Sonaria jail on Monday afternoon, a collective sense of catharsis exploded through social media with people expressing their views ranging from satisfaction to triumph.

Well done Justice Singh; the CBI; the lawyers and more importantly the brave women who stood up to this rascal Ram Rahim. India salutes you!  SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) August 28, 2017

In the course of four days, especially after experiencing the violence wrecked by followers of Ram Rahim in north India on Friday, people were particularly merciless in their reactions with some even going as far as describing the punishment not enough for the crime which the self-styled 'godman' has committed.

Learn your law. I can. And, so can the CBI by asking the HC to increase the prison term. #RamRahimRapist https://t.co/ukDjXbcZQE  Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) August 28, 2017

The Dera Sacha Sauda chief was on Friday pronounced guilty by the special CBI judge of raping two women from his Dera for over three to four years. An episode of incessant violence took place in parts of Haryana, Punjab and the National Capital Region following the verdict claiming lives of at least 38 people. The unexpected number of high death toll after the verdict amplified the anger among the people, which on Monday erupted on Twitter and other social media platforms following the sentencing of 20-year rigorous punishment.

Revolver by his side, porn on TV, raped a woman repeatedly by her own account. She says scores of women abused;Deserves harshest sentence. https://t.co/LSsYti2aeA  barkha dutt (@BDUTT) August 28, 2017

                        ...   #RamRahimKaFaisala  geeta phogat (@geeta_phogat) August 28, 2017

People were also miffed at the alleged "VIP" treatment that Ram Rahim received throughout this four days in the custody, and hoped that he would be treated like any other prisoner in jail after his sentencing.

Done. Finally, 18 yrs after rape, 10 yrs of trial.

Now ensure that he serves his sentence as a prisoner, not as VIP in hospital & on parole. https://t.co/BM8dqqjvLY  Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) August 28, 2017

The only way to implement this is to shift Gurmeet Singh to a jail outside Haryana & Punjab, in a non-BJP ruled state, demands @_SwarajIndia https://t.co/vUTZFbOln5  Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) August 28, 2017

Surprisingly, not a single political leader reacted on the sentencing, which was pointed out by the Twitterati.

Surprisingly not one political leader has welcomed the punishment meted out to Rapist Baba. Shows the kind of sloth we have.  SUHEL SETH (@suhelseth) August 28, 2017

He should be hung !!!!!! https://t.co/kKddAVY0Y0  kanika kapoor (@TheKanikakapoor) August 28, 2017

According to some media reports, during the course of his sentencing, Ram Rahim Singh was rapped by the jail warden for weeping and sitting on court's floor which gave Twitter users more fodder to mock him.

He lacked morals; but even lacks basic courage. He's behaving like an obese school kid whose candy has been snatched away. https://t.co/Q5thYbFbYV  K. C. Singh (@ambkcsingh) August 28, 2017

Click here for live updates
New Delhi: A 23-year-old man was arrested for allegedly making a hoax call about supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh creating a nuisance in northeast Delhi's Harsh Vihar, police said on Monday.

The police on Sunday was informed by a caller around 10 pm that some women followers of the Dera chief were trying to set ablaze vehicles and were saying that "Baba is innocent", said AK Singla, deputy commissioner of police (northeast).

Since the information pertained to a sensitive matter, the police went into a tizzy and reserve police forces were rushed to the spot. However, it was revealed that the caller had given fake information, said the officer.

The police obtained the name and address of the caller and he was identified as Dharmender, a resident of a slum area near Karkardooma Court.

When the police team reached his house, he was not found there and his phone was also switched off. He was nabbed Sunday night from Mandoli where he sold coal for a living, the police said.

During interrogation, he said that he was drunk when he made the call. Dera Sacha Sauda chief was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison in two rape cases.

Security forces in Haryana and Punjab were on high alert as 36 people had died in the violence by Dera followers following his conviction on Friday.
Auto refresh feeds

With the arrival of Dera followers, including women, in Chandigarh's neighbouring city Panchkula, the Union Territory has been declared "sensitive".

Two states, Haryana and Punjab have been put on high alert and prohibitory orders are imposed, due to the hearing of a rape case on self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. The authorities have not ruled out taking Army's help to maintain law and order as lakhs of Ram Rahim's supporters have thronged Panchkula to show solidarity to their guru.

"I have always respected the law. Despite pain in my back, I will obey the law and must visit the court," Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh tweeted. The court has asked the sect chief to appear in the court in person, in a case relating to sexual harassment which has been going on since 2007.

Dera chief announces he will appear on court

The sect management has been refuting all charges against Singh.

The allegations against the self-styled godman surfaced in 2006 as anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two former female follower. The victim accused the Dera chief of raping her more than once inside the sprawling Dera campus, on the outskirts of Sirsa town in Haryana, 260 km from Chandigarh, leading to a CBI investigation.

What is the case against Ram Rahim Singh?

The clout of the godman is such that despite murder, conspiracy and rape charges against him, he enjoys Z-category security from the Haryana Police and moves around in a fleet of bullet-proof luxury SUVs.

He enjoys considerable influence in Punjab and Haryana amid lakhs of supporters who call themselves 'premis'. Over the years, Ram Rahim has built an image of a social reformer and a 'messemger of peace' by doling out funds for various cleanliness drives and blood donation camps, Hindustan Times reported.

'Saint Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan', aka 'Messenger of God,' is a self-styled godman, who took over as the chief of a spiritual sect called Dera Sacha Sauda in 1990.

As Dera supporters threaten of repercussions, Ram Rahim appeals to followers to maintain calm

Anticipating the worst, an indictment of the Dera chief, both sides  the police and the devotees  are preparing for a confrontation. The devotees say an adverse verdict is "out of question". Women devotees of the charismatic leader are a raucous lot, brandishing lathis and warning that "somebody will pay" if the chief is indicted.

The flamboyant Dera Sacha Sauda chief's followers, who are no different than Rampal's army, are getting ready for a showdown with the security forces of Punjab and Haryana.

Someone will pay if our guru is indicted: Dera supporters

In order to rule in rumour mongers ahead of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's verdict, Punjab and Haryana administration has suspended mobile internet services. Government bus service has also been temporarily suspended to rein in the number of people pouring in Panchkula.

Firstpost author Ajay Singh recalls a previous interview with Dera Sacha Sauda . " Gurmeet Ram Rahims sartorial style, his antics, his expensive cars, motorcycles and his idiosyncrasies in movies and music can hardly be called impressive. Yet he has an impressive following of underdogs and a section of elites as well."

High court peshi jatt di, seal ho gaya Chandigarh saara (All of Chandigarh had to be sealed as Jatt was to appear in court), a video parodying the self-styled godman is circulating on Whatsapp, according to Hindustan Times

Security personnel have cordoned off approaches to the CBI special court in Panchkula as a precaution.

"Hospitals have also been put on alert for the next three days. The Haryana health department has reserved 100 beds and have also deputed additional at the Panchkula civil hospital. Apart from this, 30 ambulances have also been stationed in Panchkula," The Indian Express reported.

Security forces use drones for surveillance os over 2.5 lakh Dera followers gather in Panchkula

India Today TV reported that the national Highway 9 has been barricaded by the police since Thursday afternoon and no more vehiles are being allowed to enter Sirsa, the seat of the Dera Sacha Sauda cult. The police has also deployed an ambulance near the highway as a precautionary measure.

Sirsa cordoned off: Police barricades NH-9 in Sirsa to curtail flow of mob; only emergency cars allowed

In pictures: Dera followers out on streets in Sirsa; security tightened

Haryana Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) has suspended all government buses on 150 bus routes to neighbouring states from today midnight till tomorrow, ANI reported.

As many as 150 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed in the two states to assist the police forces in maintaining law and order, he said.

More than 15,000 paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Punjab and Haryana ahead tomorrow's verdict by a Panchkula court verdict in a sexual exploitation case against Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a Union home Mministry official said today.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan is no strager to controversies. The flamboyant godman dressed in flashy, taut clothes has kicked up severl storms as his following swelled by the thousands. From rape charges to murder conspiracy to forced castration of followers, the so called spiritual guru has been in news for all the wrong reasons.

"Anticipating trouble, Haryana Government has declared the Chaudhary Tau Devi Lal Stadium Complex, Sector-3, Panchkula in district Panchkula and Dalbir Singh Indoor Stadium, Sirsa in district Sirsa as Speical Jails with immediate effect, till further orders. A notification to this effect was issued by Haryana Additional Chief Secretary, Jails Department, Mr Ram Niwas," News 18 reported.

Punjab govt blames Centre for unpreparedness, says BJP govt didn't send enough force: Times Now

Over one lakh dera supporters have so far arrived at the sect headquarters at Sirsa, about 260 km from Chandigarh. The police has shut off the roads leading to the city since afternoon and no more vehicles are being allowed to enter Sirsa. There is some relaxation for emergency vehicles. In Panchkula, news reports say that over 1.5 lakh people, including women have gathered and they are taking shelter on roadsides and public parks.

A court in Haryana on Thursday deferred its verdict on two criminal cases slapped against self-styled godman Rampal till 29 August, in view of the verdict in a rape case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday.

Though the court asked followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief to leave, they have said they will continue being there.

With the Haryana police urging the court to defer its verdict in the rape trial against self-styled godman Rampal in view of the upcoming verdict in a similar case involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Panchkula has deferred the case hearing until 29 August.

"Curfew will be clamped from 10 pm tonight till further orders in Sirsa city urban area and three villages  Nazia Khera, Shahpur Begu and Bajekan," Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh told PTI on Thursday.

Indefinite curfew was imposed in Sirsa town and three nearby villages on Thursday as a "precautionary measure" to maintain law and order ahead of Friday's court verdict in Panchkula involving Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters are situated in Sirsa, about 260 kms from Chandigarh.

Sirsa Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh said the step has been taken as a "precautionary measure" to ensure that law and order is maintained.

"I came to Dera three days ago with my husband to support guru ji. We will not sleep tonight as with the guru's blessing, my family has progressed," said Surmeet Kaur, a resident of Haryana's Hisar district.

According to a report in PTI, outside the gates of the sprawling complex, just on the outskirts of the city, a battalion of women stands, wooden sticks in hand. They are among the many followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh who have gathered there to voice their support for the leader of the sect.

Like a stream, thousands of men and women -- children in tow -- have been flowing into the Haryana city, the headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda, whose chief is expected to face a verdict on a rape case on Friday.

Sleepless in Sirsa: Followers keep vigil as district on high alert

Dera followers, who are called "premis", are gathered in Panchkula, at the headquarters of the sect in Sirsa, and at its deras in Punjab and Haryana.

Dera has a massive base of followers in both the states and most of them are Dalits. The Dera draws its support from Dalit Sikhs who feel discriminated against by upper-caste Sikhs.

Both, Punjab and Haryana, where a large number of Dera followers reside, fear violence if the court verdict on Friday goes against the organisation's chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

Why are Punjab and Haryana put on high alert

However, mobile internet services have been suspended in Haryana and Punjab.

"The Dera premis (followers) who have gone to Panchkula should return to their homes," Ram Rahim said in the video message. "I have to listen to the verdict. I will myself go and listen to the verdict. All of us should respect the law and maintain peace."

A Northern Railway official told IANS: "At least 201 trains heading to Haryana on Friday have been cancelled in view of the law and order situation in the state." These included 92 express and 109 passenger trains.  IANS

The railways cancelled over 200 Haryana-bound trains as security concerns mounted ahead of the CBI court's verdict.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday pulled up Haryana government over lax in security leading up to the verdict of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's rape case. Today, the petition for the same will be heard in court.

As Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's convoy crossed, several followers tried to stop it, failing to do which they even fainted, reports have said.

In photos: Dera followers try to stop Ram Rahim's convoy, faint in the process

According to this report in India Today, supporters of Gurmeet Ram Rahim argued with the police when the former were removed from the highway near Ambala

As chaos and frenzy rules in Punjab and Haryana, Dera followers are out of control. One such follower said, "someone please kill me," according to News18.

Dera follower says, "someone please kill me"

Some of the cancelled trains were Jaipur-Chandigarh Intercity Express, Barmer-Kalka Express, Barmer Haridwar Link Express, Firozpur-Chandigarh Express, Kalka Himalyan Queen.

Here are some of the cancelled trains

Combining entrepreneurial skills with his job as the spiritual head of the sect, he launched his 'MSG' range of "swadeshi and organic" products about two years ago.  PTI

The story also goes that he loved butter and ghee and took part in several sport activities.

The Dera chief, who completed his high school, is married to Harjeet Kaur. They have two daughters, Charanpreet and Amanpreet, both of whom are married, and a son Jasmeet. He also adopted a girl.

Sixteen years later, in 1990, Satnam Singh invited his disciples from all over the country for a grand satsang where 23-year-old Gurmeet Ram Rahim was chosen as his successor.

Gurmeet, it is said, was always spiritual. When he was seven, he was picked out by Shah Satnam Singh, then head of the Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa, who anointed him Ram Rahim.

He was born in Sri Gurusar Modia village in Rajasthan's Sri Ganganagar district on 15 August, 1967, to a landlord father. An only child, Gurmeet helped his father in the farm in his early years.

For his followers, their leader is all this and more. The bejewelled head of the Sirsa headquartered sect, who turned 50 this Independence Day, holds sway over millions in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim, head of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect who has two state governments on the edge as he awaits a verdict on a rape case, is not the regular godman in saffron but a curious amalgam of reel and real defying easy description.

He glides through the air dressed in pink robes in his promotional videos and in real life is known to ride powerful, souped up bikes to congregations, the persona as flashy as the vehicle itself.

The court has also warned against the use of provocative language by religious leaders. News18 also reported that the court lauded the role of the media in reporting about the situation in Haryana, adding that the court got to know much about the situation through the media reports.

According to news reports, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has told the Haryana government that force can be used against the protesters if and when required.

Use force against protesters when required: Punjab and Haryana High Court tells Haryana govt

Sarabjeet Insan, 26-year-old LLM student from Mohali says he'll stand by Gurmeet Ram Rahim till hell freezes over. "I am here (Sirsa) for the last 10 days. I'll stay on till as long as long our 'Pitaji' doesn't get justice. I respect the court but will not tolerate disrespect to Pitaji," she said, swinging her lathi menacingly in the air.

'Jo hum say takrayega, wo chur chur ho jayega' and 'Ek duki chak deyangay, load payi to chak devangay' (Those who fight with us will be crushed into pieces/ Those who dare to come in our way will be eliminated) are just two of the slogans that are heard all over.

'Those who fight us will be crushed'

"The victim has been very disturbed in the last few days. We feel that a trial is not practical in an atmosphere like this (if Ram Rahim is acquitted). We may appeal for this case to be shifted to some other state," lawyer of the victim in the rape case against Ram Rahim told CNN-News18.

Victim has been very disturbed in the last few days: Lawyer

News18 reported that to ensure a safe atmosphere and to make sure that Ram Rahim was shifted to a safe and secure location after the verdict, the judgment may not be disclosed for an hour after the actual verdict is pronounced.

Verdict may not be disclosed for an hour after judgment

These visuals speak a lot about the situation in Haryana, in which a convoy of over 100 cars was moving around at a time when Section 144 has been imposed at a very tense time.

In case you were wondering what a convoy of over 100 cars looks like...

"We are prepared for any possible situation arising out of the verdict," Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said.

Judgment being read out with Ram Rahim in attendance

'Jo hum say takrayega, wo chur chur ho jayega' and 'Ek duki chak deyangay, load payi to chak devangay' (Those who fight with us will be crushed into pieces/ Those who dare to come in our way will be eliminated) are just two of the slogans that are heard all over.

The youth brigade of Dera Sacha Sauda, the spiritual organisation, is out in force to protect the revered saint Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's "honour" at any cost. They do not want the special CBI court to pronounce that their 'Pitaji', as he is fondly referred to, is a rapist. They expect the court to give him a clean chit in the rape against him, the verdict on which is likely to be announced at 2.30 pm on Friday.

'Ram Rahim better get favourable verdict': Dera's youth brigade vows to stand by 'pitaji' till hell freezes over

This apparently is a normal practice in high profile cases as the court waits for all the legal and administrative formalities to be completed. The final verdict is revealed only at the last moment.

CNN-News 18 ground reporter said that unnamed sources have confirmed that the high court has decided to keep the verdict secret for the next 45 - 60 minutes.

However, diesel generators and inverters aren't really a rarety in Panchkula, and the information is likely to get out, one way or another.

After recieveing flak from the high court over the lack of preparations, the Haryana government has apparently decided to go on an overdrive. The administration has now reportedly decided to cut off power supply in Panchkula district, apparently to keep a check on rumour mongerers and ensure an information black out.

Dera supporters have already begun celebrating, even as the high court has kept the order reserved for another 45 minutes now. Apparently, rumours are doing rounds that the Dera chief has been aqcuitted. There is, however, no official confirmation on the verdict and this is merely a rumour doing rumours amid Ram Rahim's followers.

Stay tuned to our LIVE blog as we bring in lates updates

Even as their is no official confirmation yet, India Today and Times Now are reporting that the special CBI court has convicted the self-styled godman in the rape case. CNN-news 18 reported that the quantum of punishment to be announced on 28 August.

Dera supporters received false rumours that their guru has been acquitted. The crowds broke into loud cheers and celebrations began. However, it remains to be seen how the 2 to 3 lakh supporters will react once the news of Ram Rahim's conviction spreads out, as emotions run high.

Army takes Ram Rahim Singh into preventive custody, Dera chief to be lodged in Ambala Central prison

In Sirsa, media personnel reporting from Dera headquarters have been moved at least one km away from the Dera ashrams. Rioyt control vehicles and paramilitary has been parked around media cavalcades to protect the reporters in the area while curfew remains imposed in the area. The situation remains highly charged.

Media moved out of Dera headquarters as news of Ram Rahim's conviction spread

Dera supporters spread out in Sirsa to try and stop supporters from running amok

In unprecdented security beef up, power has been switched off across Haryana even as mobile data was already under suspension and police and paramilitary forces were deployed heavily.

All the supporters heading out from the Dera headquarters are reportedly carrying freshly made batons and bats. Three layers of security has been deployed outside the Dera headquarters. Tier one contitutes of paramilitary personnel, tier two is manned by Haryana police and tier three is the horse squad of the Haryana police.

As news of Ram rahim's conviction spread, violence broke out in Panchkula. Violent clashes are underway, less than a kilometre away from the Panchkula special court. Around five to six hundred supporters have tried to break the paramilitary barricading.

Three media OB vans have been completely turned oround and one OB van has even been set on fire. Several journalists have been caught between the clashes and reporters, including CNN-News18 crew has also been attacked.

The mob was reportedly allowed in the cordoned area after the dera supporters assured the administration that they want to observe the situation in a peaceful manner. All along, the Dera sect management has been reiterating that peace will not be interrupted. However, soon after the news broke out stone pelting started and media vans were torched.

Despite massive security deployment, 50,000 people were reportedly allowed to gather up around the court premises. Violent clashes broke out barely two kilometres away from the court premises.

Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh said curfew has been imposed in Firozpur, Bhatinda, Mansa and Malout. He said nothing untoward has happened and the step was taken as a matter of precaution.

Curfew was imposed in four towns of Punjab on Friday after violence broke out following the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case by a CBI court in Panchkula.

Trouble in some parts of Punjab, situation under control: Times Now

This is a developing story and we will add more updates as and when confirmation and more news streams in.

CNN-News18 reported that two Railway stations in Punjab have been set on fire while NDTV said that curfew has been imposed in Bathinda. However, Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab chief minister, has denied any incidents of violence, while speaking to News18.

Two Railway stations in Punjab have been set on fire - CNN-News18

In December 2014, Punjab & Haryana High Court ordered CBI investigation into castration of over 400 hermits in the Sacha Sauda ashram on the petition of one Hansraj Chauhan.

The investigative agency had filed the closure report citing lack of evidence. Singh was shot dead in July 2002 while Chhatrapati was alleged gunned by Dera supporters in October 2002. Both the murders were performed because Dera Sacha Sauda allegedly feared that the duo were behind an anonymous letter by the Sadhvi, which is the basis of the rape case in question.

In the case of murders of journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, editor of Poora Sach, a local daily in Sirsa, and Ranjit Singh, a resident of Kurukshetra, ram rahim has been chargesheeted and is under trial. In the case of Faqir Chand, a former manager of the dera who has been missing for long, Ram Kumar Bishnoi, a petitioner, has challenged CBI's closure report.

The conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case may be the beginning of his end as he is facing investigation, trials or court battles in four other cases.

Is Dera Chief's conviction the beginning of his end

"I appeal to all Punjabis to maintain peace and harmony in the state. We won't allow anyone to disturb the peace and tranquility of our state," Amarinder Singh said in a tweet.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Friday appealed to people of the state to maintain calm after a court held Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh guilty of rape and said the state government will not allow anyone to disturb peace.

Violence broke out in Panchkula leaving at least five persons dead and 50 others injured as situation worsened in some parts of Haryana and Punjab after Dera Sacha Sauda followers went berserk following CBI court Friday convicting sect chief in a rape case.

A video-journalist of a TV channel was injured when his crew was attacked by followers of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, moments after a CBI court convicted him in a rape case on Friday.

Delhi was Friday put on high alert in the wake of incidents of violence in Haryana following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, police said on Friday.

A Hindustan Times report, however, claimed that at least five people have lost their lives.

Chaotic visuals emerge from Panchkula as media reprots say that three Dera supporters have been killed in the clashes police.

An alert was sounded in Uttar Pradesh on Friday in the aftermath of a CBI court convicting Dera Sacha Sauda sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case and subsequent incidents of violence reported from Haryana.

Security beefed up in Western Uttar Pradesh, Jammu, Rajasthan, Delhi as violence spill out in Haryana, Punjab

Panchkula hospitals swamped with injured as more than 150 injured; situation escalates quickly

Death toll shoots up to 11; more than 150 injured

Watch latest visuals of mob rampage in Haryana as 60,000 strong security force deployment fails to curb violence

Fire engine torched; more than 200 people injured in Panchkula alone

Army was kept on standby and unprecedented force deployment was in place. Police administration repeatedly told the media that each ingoing and outgoing vehicle, all dera supporters were being frisked to ensure no one is armed. Yet, today's violence tells a different tale. The scale at which, government offices, vehicles and emergency service vehicles are being attacked and torched, it is safe to assume that the mob assembled included elements that were armed with a predetermined intent to trigger violence.

Despite heavy force deployment and Centres support, the administration for whatever reason allowed lakhs of Dera supporters to gather up in sensitive spots, like Dera's seat Sirsa and Panchkula, where the hearing was to take place. The fact that more than 50,000 people were allowed within 2 km of the Panchkula special court on the day of the hearing is yet to be explained by the Haryana administration.

As Dera followers run amok, causing damage to life and property across haryana, the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and administration has some tough questions to answer.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh shifted to undisclosed location as Dera supporters bring down law and order in Haryana: India Today

This is the second time that violent mobs have brought down Haryana administration on its knees. The Jat agitation of 2016 is yet to fade away from people's memory. Today's violence bears strong resemblance to the massive agitation.

As violence spirals out of control, Home Minister Raj Nath Singh stepped in. Singh spoke to Punjab and Haryana chief ministers and police chiefs and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also briefed.

A look at the deras and their famous political visitors

The Home Minister must, however, answer why Section 144 was not imposed in time and in entirety. Media reports until yesterday indicated that supporters continued to stream in to Panchkula and Sirsa despite 'the curfew-like restrictions' until Thursday afternoon.

According to CNN-News18, Home minister Rajnath Singh has tried to defend the Haryana cheif minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Singh has reportedly said that in a democracy a state government cant really restrict the movement of people who are unarmed and peaceful. It was only later that the mob turned violence and the state administration can't be blamed.

Rajnath Singh comes to rescue of Manohar Lal Khattar as media blames Haryana CM

The violence in haryana has spilled over to the national capital despite the administration's claim that ample arrangements were in place. Two traincoaches have been torched at Anand Vihar railway station, buses have been gutted in Loni, a border area between Ghaziabad and Haryana, and petrol bombs were hurled in Shahadra area of New Delhi.

Dera supporters on rampage in Delhi too; violence reported from Mangolpuri, Shahadra, Loni

Army columns were also on stand-by in Sirsa, where the sect's headquarters is located, for "quick reaction", the sources said.

Six army columns were deployed in Haryana's Panchkula on Friday after violence erupted following the verdict convicting Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, said army sources.

Six army columns deployed in Panchkula, forces on standby in Sirsa

The mob of Dera Sacha Sauda supporters torched around 300 cars and two wheelers in Sector 2 and Sector 17 of Panchkula. The violent mob also torched an LIC building and vandalised an Income Tax office. These sectors are near the High Court located in the vicinity of 1 km. This video shows the devastation that this angry mob has left behind.

A fire also engulfed two coaches of the Rewa Express stationed at the Anand Vihar Railway Station. Railway officials said it was not clear if it was a case of arson and investigations were underway.

A bus was torched allegedly by followers of Dera Sacha Sauda in northeast Delhi's Loni Chowk on Friday, the police said.

States of Punjab, Haryana to submit report in HC by 11 am on Saturday

Manohar lal Khattar has assured that strict action will be taken against the 'anti-social' elements, as he appealed to people to stay vary of such elements.

Haryana CM appeals to people to avoid anti-social elements, says no one is above the law

Three people detained in Delhi after incidents of violence in national capital

"Protesters have been identified. We have video footage of the incident and strict action will be taken against them. Most of the protesters have been ousted from city. I appeal Dera supporters to stay calm and deter the protesters. It is their duty too to maintain law and order," Ram Niwas, Additional Chief Secretary to Haryana Govt

Protesters identified in video footage, strict action will be taken: Haryana govt

Police personnel posted inside college campuses in Sonepat area. Students in Jindal University have een asked not to step out of the college campus, a student from inside Jindal college hostel told 101Reportes.

Sriganganagar district collector Gyana Ram said that it was yet to be ascertain whether the incident was in reaction to the conviction of the self-styled godman.

A vehicle was set on fire by a group of unidentified people in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar, the birthplace of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh who was convicted in a rape case by a CBI court in Haryana on Friday.

"This is unjust. We will appeal against the judgment," the statement said.

In a statement in Hindi, signed by spokesperson Dilawar Insaan, the Dera also appealed for peace amid widespread violence that has already claimed 17 lives after the verdict was pronounced earlier on Friday.

The Dera Sacha Sauda on Friday described as "unjust" a special CBI court's verdict against its guru, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted in a 2002 rape case, and said it would appeal against it.

Dera sect to challenge 'unjust' verdict against its chief in higher court

Railways says all trains to Rohtak in Haryana cancelled: PTI

Home minister has called for a high-level meet. Intelligence bureau chief, top paramilitary officials are likely to attend the meeting scheduled at 11 am tomorrow.

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj has said that the court only listened to the victim but it overlooked 4 crore devotees. Sakshi Maharaj said that Ram Rahim is revered by crores of people as a god, whereas only one person has complained against him.

Reports from Fatehabad say that five people attempted suicide over the Ram Rahim Singh verdict. Four people committed suicide in the urban area while one died in the Sohana sub-division. A curfew will be imposed tonight in the district in Haryana. A mob of Dera Sacha Sauda supporters also tried to torch the Sohana municipal corporation building. Seven persons have been detained by the police in connection with this incident.

All petrol pumps shut in Delhi in the wake of Haryana violence

Dera Sacha Sauda's head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case that was going on since 2002. The victim, who was a minor at the time, has stood up against the might of the self-styled godman on whose command lakhs of people gathered outside the court and amob went on frenzy.

The victim in Ram Rahim Singh rape case was a minor at the time of incident

He assured the people that the loss of private property, inluding media vans, will be compenated by the state government.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the violence flared up because the mob was too large to control. The chief minister said that some mistakes have been made, however, the matter was complicated by the fact that the Dera chief commands large support in the state.

BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj. justifying rape convict Dera chief, said that only one person has complained against Ram Rahim, while crores of people rever him. He said that it could also be a part of conspiracy. The BJP MP also said that the responsibility of the mob rampage lies with the courts too and not just the Dera supporters. He said that is somene's faith is assaulted, it is not surprising that the people will react.

Not just Dera, Courts too responsible for rampage: Sakhsi Maharaj

Nobody can take responsibility when mob goes on rampage: Haryana BJP leader

Tech-savvy, social media friendly BJP leaders were in complete silence today as Haryana management failed to control violence. No Union Minister, barring one has tweeted anything on the matter. This is likely to give the Opposition a ripe chance to corner the BJP-led central government.

As law and order situation breaks down in Haryana, radio silence from BJP top-brass

Army units spreads across Haryana and Punjab, to remain in force till Monday

Baba is kept at rest house in Police Training center in Rohtak, confirmed rohtak jail superintendent Sunil Sangwan

Deputy Commissioner, Sonepat, K Makrand Pandurang said that a control room had been established in the district where people could provide information of any kind at the telephone number 0130-2221500, Sunnu Malik from 101Reporters told Firstpost.

Modi also urged officials to work round the clock to restore normalcy and provide all possible assistance that is required.

"The instances of violence today are deeply distressing. I strongly condemn the violence & urge everyone to maintain peace. The law & order situation is being closely monitored. I reviewed the situation with the NSA & Home Secretary," the prime minister tweeted.

At least five casualties suspected in Dera premises after they tried to torch milk plant in Sirsa due to a cylinder blast. The casualties, however, are yet to be confirmed by Dera official channel, Satpal Singh, from 101reporters reported.

At least 5 people killed in Sirsa as mob tried to torch milk plant

District Administration, Kaithal, has imposed curfew with immediate effect in Kaithal and Kalayat cities till further orders

District Administration, Ambala, has issued precautionary orders that all educational institutions in the district would remain closed on 26 August, 2017. District Magistrate, Mrs. Sharandeep Kaur Brar, assured that the law and order situation in the district was under control, and appealed to the people to maintain peace, harmony and fraternity.

Minister of State for Cooperation, Mr. Manish Kumar Grover, today met senior officers of the District Administration and sought information regarding security arrangements. He also directed the Commissioner, Inspector General of Police, Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police to ensure that there was no laxity in security arrangements.

Security beefed up in Rohtak, where Dera chief is kept in police guest house

Minister of State for Cooperation, Mr. Manish Kumar Grover, today met senior officers of the District Administration and sought information regarding security arrangements. He also directed the Commissioner, Inspector General of Police, Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police to ensure that there was no laxity in security arrangements.

Security beefed up in Rohtak, where Dera chief is kept in police rest room

The state education minister, Ram Bilas Sharma, who publicly defended Ram Rahims followers that have brought three states to a standstill, had made a public spectacle by gifting Rahim a cheque of Rs 51 lakh recently," News18 reported

"At least three senior state ministers in the BJP government in Haryana - Ram Bilas Sharma, Anil Vij and Grover - have together gifted the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Rs 1.12 crore.

Of this, 16 patients suffered orthopedic injuries, five cardiovascular injuries, two have limb injuries and rest have multiple injuries. Two patients are critical.

59 patients (Dera supporters and civilians) had been admitted to PGI Advanced Trauma Centre, out of which 7 people are dead, Anil Kakkar form 101Reporters reported.

The report also said that the victim, a minor at the time of the sexual assault, broke down after Ram Rahim was convicted.

The chargesheet further stated that Ram Rahim raped the women on the pretext of purifying them of all impurities.

India Today TV reported that the CBI has named total nine rape victims in its chargesheet against Ram Rahim Singh. Quoting the CBI chargesheet, the news channel said that at least 24 sadhvis had left Dera ashram after claiming that they were raped. However, fearing backlash only two victims came forward to complain against the self-styled godman.

"I wanted to ensure that no one plays dirty and weakens the case later. Therefore, I got the statement of the girl recorded before a magistrate so that retracting it becomes nearly impossible," he added.

"The girl, who had been sexually abused in 1999, had since left Dera and got married. It was a daunting task to convince her as well as her family members. Thankfully, I played the role of a father for her and ensured that she not only gives her statement but also testifies before a magistrate," he said.

He also spoke about the difficulties in investigating the case.

"As the investigations carried on, many powerful politicians and business persons walked into the CBI headquarters and put lot of pressure to close the case. But thanks to the judiciary, we could manage to complete our investigation," he said.

With a senior directing them to close the case and the woman who alleged sexual abuse getting married, it was a "game of wits" for the CBI team that probed the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim, recalled a retired officer on Friday.

A retired CBI official reveals the 'challanges' he faced in probing the high profile case

Section 144 imposed in all districts of Delhi except Central and North Delhi

Mapping the areas affected by the violence perpetrated by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's followers

ANI reported that a person injured in Sirsa has succumbed to injuries. The death toll in Haryana now stands at 31.

Death toll rises to 31 as person injured in Sirsa succumbs to injuries

Dismissing media reports that the Dera chief is getting special treatment, KP Singh, DG of Prisons (Haryana), clarified that Ram Rahim Singh is being treated as a normal prisoner. There is no attendant or AC in his cell, he added.

CNN-News18 reported that peace is slowly returning to Rohtak. The army knows that nothing has happened yet and they are just on standby. People are coming out of their homes on Saturday, unlike Friday. The police has been dispersed from Rohtak as the situation goes back to normal.

The chief minister kept talking of devotion and devotees, not of the deaths of people, the arson, or the mayhem. His government had allowed Dera mobilisation despite warnings by courts and the media. His ministers then blamed the media, which was also attacked by Ram Rahim's followers, for going to the mob.

The Haryana administration has decided to seal the Kurukshetra office of the Dera chief after the high court ordered the government to seize the properties of the sect to for damages incurred in the violence after the verdict, CNN-News18 reported.

For these followers, the guru's word is cast in stone and must be upheld. Insiders in the Sirsa ashram cite auction of vegetable and fruit baskets as an example. Followers from different regions are invited for these auctions, which take place frequently. Fruit baskets, which otherwise cost a few hundred rupees, are auctioned for lakhs of rupees.

These followers have been taught never to question the guru, and to always fight for his honour at all cost. They easily turn to violence when the Dera head is questioned.

Despite the verdict, followers still have unquestioning faith in Ram Rahim

Haryana DGP told CNN-News18 that the state is now peaceful but there are over 10,000 supporters still inside the ashram in Sirsa and efforts are on to evacuate them.

The Haryana high court slammed the state government and said that it seems the Mahohar lal Khattar administration allowed the situation to deteriorate. HC said that the government allowed the city to burn for political reasons.

He further said that the buck stops at the chief minister and he should have the moral courage to own up to it.

Congress spokesperson Sachin Pilot told CNN-News18 that the Manohar Lal Khattar government had a week to prepare before the verdict. "There is rampage and rioting which is spreading to other states, he added.

Manohar Lal Khattar should own up to his mistake: Congress spokesperson

It is also heartening to see the Punjab and Haryana high court order attachment of Dera Sacha Sauda assets to pay for the massive damage to public property during the arson and violence. The Centre, which has also been slow to react and appeared to initially indulging the inept conduct of Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, has taken a commendable step in ordering tight security for judge Jagdeep Singh. There is every possibility that DSS goons might target him for passing the verdict.

In convicting the controversial godman for raping his followers, Jagdeep Singh, the special CBI judge, has broken the aura of invincibility around these self-styled gurus and shown that nobody is above law. Of course, there have been many precedents of godmen being convicted for their crimes, but such affirmative action needs to be repeated from time to time because the executive has once too often been guilty of abdicating its responsibilities.

Amid criminal negligence and widespread dereliction of duty by the administration, the judiciary has once again emerged as a beacon of hope to keep alive the India story. Close on the heels of two landmark judgements on triple talaq and right to privacy, the judiciary once again rose to the occasion to bring down the force of law on a criminal who has enjoyed state indulgence for decades under every government of myriad political hues.

Army advisory: Army issued advisory in December 2010 about weapons training to Dera activists at Sirsa. High court issued notice to Haryana government and sought details

Ram Chander Chatterpati murder case: Sirsa-based journalist Chatterpati was killed on 23 October, 2002, for reporting about illegal activities inside the Dera headquarters and Ram Rahim was booked for alleged involvement in the murder conspiracy.

Ranjit Singh murder case: Ram Rahim is charged with involvement in the murder conspiracy of Dera manager Ranjit Singh in July 2002, allegedly killed by the Dera chief's supporters, according to a The Times of India report.

A look at some cases against the Dera chief

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is more interested in saving the seat of his 'friend' Khattar, the party said. We appeal for peace again and we hope that the Central government will abide by rajdharma and impose President's rule in Haryana.

Congress on Saturday lashed out at the BJP government for the violence following the verdict. Ina press conference, the party said that there was a notice of one week at least before the verdict then why wasn't the paramilitary informed and prepared.

Important points on internal security were discussed in the meeting, one being violence post Ram Rahim's conviction, said home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi after meeting Rajnath Singh along with NSA Ajit Doval and others. He added that the district magistrate of Haryana has assured that situation is under control.

After the announcement of the verdict, his supports started protesting and damaging public property, the DGP said.

DGP Haryana said that one of the main things was getting Ram Rahim Singh to Panchkula from Sirsa and it wasn't our responsibilty. The cars and whatever security was there on the way was arranged by the Dera chief, he added.

No reports of violence till the announcement of verdict: DGP Haryana

Former CBI joint director Mulinja Narayanan told PTI, "It was a game of wits. Sometimes we won and sometimes we lost but, at the end, today's verdict showed that no one can escape the law of the land." - PTI

A retired CBI officer who headed the investigations against Ram Rahim Singh revealed that he was under pressure to close the case and described it as a "game of wits".

There was pressure to drop Ram Rahim case: Ex-CBI official

Haryana DGP told reporters that the top priority for the police was to maintain peace from 3 pm Friday. Home secretary, while responding to a question about the Dera's assets, said that the high court has ordered the lawyers of the Dera to present the details of the sect's properties in court and then something will be decided.

It was not that the police and government were unaware of the extent of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs massive following. (prefixing Baba will be an insult to this word) in and across Haryana, providing him with money and muscle power.. What was public knowledge too was that Ram Rahim had close links with the high-ups, notably BJP which is in power in Haryana and at the Centre. Ram Rahim was apparently invincible. That the judgment will be delivered on 25 August was known from before. What should have been anticipated was what happened yesterday.

I too remained glued to TV for hours on Friday. As a former career cop, I was assaulted by fleeting emotions ranging from disbelief to shame to anger to anguish and again to anger. The DGP showing his back and the force fleeing the scene was too much for me. The mayhem that was being telecasted live before my eyes was predictable and therefore preventable. So what went wrong?

'What happened yesterday should have been anticipated'

The violence and this mayhem wouldn't have happened if the state government had abided by its responsibilities, said former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. He also demanded Khattar's resignation and President's rule in Haryana.

Haryana's chief secretary said Ram Rahim's 'Z plus' security was withdrawn after his conviction in the rape case.

The army on Saturday said that law and order is the priority while adding that there are no plans yet to enter the Dera's headquarters in Sirsa.

With their superior wisdom the higher ups in police and government should have forewarned the neighbouring states and ensured that reinforcements reached the SP well in advance.

SHO, SP and DGP are the main figures on whom the maintenance of law and order hinges. SP and DM acting in tandem have all the legal powers and public support to deal with normal law and order situations. However, this day was going to call for massive reinforcements and not only inter-district but also inter-state coordination and exchange of intelligence on day to day and even hour to hour basis.

It was very obvious, for experienced cops like me, that the political establishment kept vacillating, thus keeping the police administration confused and uncertain. Not a word was heard from Khattar until precious lives were lost and crores worth of property damaged. Such large scale arson and vandalism bear ample testimony to the paralysis of decision making.

The Haryana government had the opportunity to prevent the violence that followed Ram Rahim's conviction but they allowed it to happen, said Congress leader Sanjay Jha while asking for Manohar Lal Khattar's resignation.

In a statement, she expressed deep anguish over the loss of lives in the state after the frenzied followers of Ram Rahim Singh went on a rampage. "The Khattar government should be immediately dismissed for its absolute laxity and involvement leading to large-scale violence after the conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief on rape charges," Mayawati said.

BSP president Mayawati has demanded immediate dismissal of the Khattar government over the violence in Haryana, saying such "shameful surrender" to votebank politics needed to be condemned.

Rajnath Singh reviewed the situation in Haryana today in a high-level meet with NSA Ajit Doval and others. The home ministry said in a statement that the situation in Haryana is under control, CNN-News18 reported.

Union minister Rajnath Singh chaired a high-level meeting to review the security situation in the country, particularly Haryana, and was told that the situation in the state was under control, officials said. Emerging from the high-level meeting, Union home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi said the director general of Haryana Police had assured the Central government that the situation was under control now. - PTI

"They have horribly failed. So, Khattar should not continue as the chief minister of Haryana," he told reporters. "This is Khattar's second failure. He had earlier failed to maintain law and order during the Jat reservation stir," Reddy said.

The CPI has sought the resignation of Manohar Lal Khattar, saying the BJP government in the state has "horribly failed" to deal with the violence following the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case. CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy also demanded tough measures by the Centre to bring the situation back to normal in Punjab and Haryana.

It was only possible because the entire governement was doing its job properly. Punjab government and our forces were on the ground and I am proud of it, the chief minister said.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh told reporters on Saturday that althought there have been 52 incidents in Punjab, all of them were minor incidents. Barring the incident when a railway station was burnt, others were all minor in nature, he added. Police has already taken cognisance of the railway station incident as well.

No major incident in Punjab has been reported: Amarinder Singh

However, the chief minister refused to comment on Haryana or Manohar Lal Khattar. The mistake, he said, was letting people to concentrate,

Amarinder Singh said that they have lost seven people from Punjab and out of the total 250 injured, 42 were from the state. He added that Punjab has no objection if train services are resumed.

Seven people from Punjab died in the clashes: Amarinder Singh

The chief minister, while dismissing reports that there has been no lathi-charge in Punjab, said that if any damages are reported in the state, he will make sure that Dera pays for it. "I will not allow violence of any form in Punjab," he added.

Dera will have to pay for any damages in Punjab: Amarinder Singh

Amarinder Singh said that the fault in this mayhem lies with allowing people to gather. He added that the Haryana government never asked him to stop vehicles from Punjab from entering Panchkula. "If there is conviction, there will be reaction and this sort of reaction was anticipated," he added,

He said prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC were already in place in the district. The administration has also directed all gram panchayats in the district to deploy youth to carry out night vigil for maintenance of peace and law and order in their villages, he said. PTI

Appealing to people not to enter the district without any specific and urgent reason, he said checking of every person who enters Rohtak was being carried out in several places. If during checking, any person fails to produce proof of identity or specify reason for visiting the district, then he would be taken into custody, Kumar said. Police have so far taken seven persons into custody, he added.

A paramilitary company comprises around 100 troops, while an Army column consists of 80-100 soldiers. Check posts have been set up at borders of the district and duty magistrate has also been deputed, Rohtak Deputy Commissioner Atul Kumar said.

Ten companies of paramilitary forces were on Saturday deployed in Haryana's Rohtak district and 18 columns of the Army requisitioned as Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is lodged in a jail the city after his conviction by a CBI court in a rape case.

In terms of individuals affected, Sandhu said that 36 people have been killed and 269 people have been injured. Out of the injured, 212 people were civilians. Property damage was also noted at 18 public and private locations in Haryana. He also said that about 3,000 to 4,000 people were at the Dera Sacha Sauda ahram in Sirsa and they are vacating gradually. He added that 24 vehicles were impounded by police in Panchkula. Also, five pistols (79 rounds), two rifles (52 rounds), an AK 47, three petrol bombs, iron rods and hockey sticks were also recovered.

BS Sandhu, Haryana Police Chief, said that 552 arrests have been made in relation to the violence in Haryana so far. He added that no violence has occurred in past 24 hours. Considering this, buses will now ply on limited routes in the state. He said that the probe is still on to capture perpetrators.

Curfew to be relaxed in Haryana's Sirsa from 6 am to 11 am tomorrow, reports ANI

The police on Saturday have recovered one AK47 rifle and one Mauser from a vehicle of a Dera follower, and two rifles and five pistols from another vehicle during the operations. As many as 524 persons have been arrested under eight different FIRs registered against the Dera followers in Sirsa

The Deputy Commissioner said that the situation in the district was completely under control and the police was fully prepared to tackle any situation.

Rohtak Deputy Commissioner, Atul Kumar, said that Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is being treated as an ordinary inmate in Sunaria Jail and is being provided the same food that is being provided to other inmates.

Ban on mobile internet services to continue until Tuesday in Haryana, sources reveal

Captain Amarinder Singh will be visiting Malout, Bhatinda and other riot affected areas of Punjab to take stock of the situation there, reports CNN News18.

The Sirsa district administration relaxed the curfew for five hours in and around Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa on Sunday, after restrictions were imposed on 24 August. PTI reported that Petrol pumps, shops and other commercial establishments were allowed to open in the area.

Curfew relaxed for 5 hours around Dera headquarters in Sirsa as violence subsides

Section 144 was imposed in the entire city except for North and Central police districts on Friday night after multiple incidents of arson in the city following the conviction of the rape accused self-styled godman in Panchkula in Haryana.

The day-to-day life of the citizens would, however, not be affected, police said.

Prohibitory orders imposed in 11 of the 13 police districts in the national capital in the wake of the violence following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim Singh will continue for now, police said on Saturday.

Section 144 to remain in force in Delhi, for now

Anshul, the son of Ram Chander Chhatrapati, the journalist who was killed after he exposed Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's rape case, is now waiting for justice in the 15-year-old murder case. After several delay tactics by Dera Sacha Sauda, the case is expected to be heard in the near future.

He said about 3,000 to 4,000 persons in the Dera Sacha Sauda centre in Sirsa are gradually leaving the place, adding no untoward incident has been reported during this movement.

The rail services from Delhi to Katra via Ambala have been resumed and an approval has been granted to start bus services to certain places in Haryana, PTI quoted DGP BS Sandhu as saying on Saturday.

Schools and colleges in Chandigarh, which were closed in anticipation of violence after Ram Rahim Singh's conviction, will reopen tomorrow. However, the Chandigarh administration is taking adequate security measures as the city has been put on high alert.

The answer takes us into the heart of India's dysfunctional democracy where the writ of State is often overruled by criminals, godmen and criminal godmen who enter into an unofficial power-sharing contract with politicians. They command multitudes, often by administering pop spirituality and filling up the vacuum left by poor institutions of the State, is a lucrative prospect for politicians.

It's easy to blame his followers for violence but State is culpable too

Through his sect Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS), Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan (a moniker to reflect his secular credentials) claims to have 50 million global followers. From Akali Dal, National Lok Dal to Congress and BJP, his massive and loyal fan base made all parties pay obeisance to him for electoral salvation.

Meanwhile, the death toll in the violence has risen to 36. As many as 30 persons died in Panchkula and six were killed in Sirsa town. Over 250 people were injured in the violence that also left properties worth crores of rupees damaged.

Curfew was withdrawn in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh and Kaithal, while it was was relaxed in Sirsa, 260 km the joint capital of the two states.

While joint capital Chandigarh will be put on high alert next week too, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's lawyers will file appeals in High Court challenging the conviction in the Panchkula CBI court, reports News18.

The situation in Rohtak town, where rape convict is kept, is normal. Being Sunday, the shops are closed and roads wear a deserted look. Police have set up barricades on Rohtak-Delhi National Highway bypass near Sunaria village. Only media persons and security forces are allowed to stand near barricades. Civilians are being told to remain at home.

Parveen Kumar, a resident of Sunaria village, where Ram Rahim is jailed, said that his village has only one or two families who follow the Dera. Kumar says that this is the reason why the question of lawlessness in Rohtak does not arise. Kumar said that people in Rohtak would support the administration in the hour of crises.

Police have setup barricades on roads, highways leading to Rohtak and not permitting vehicles entry trying to enter Rohtak. Only government vehicles and emergency vehicles are permitted.

An estimated 50,000 people are still stuck inside the DSS campus in Sirsa. As the transportation services are suspended, many have not left the campus and are taking shelter inside. A few are walking by foot and taking shelters on the national highways, with a hope of getting some transport services to reach their destination.

Rohtak jail is the same jail, where BJP patriarch LK Advani was lodged during the early days of The Emergency. Late Sardar Tirlok Singh Mann was the jail superintendent at that point of time.

Panchkula is limping back to normalcy. All focus is now on the government hospital where all the injured have been admitted. Treatment of the injured is now being prioritised.

At Rohtak jail, all routine meeting of inmates with their relatives have been suspended for three days by the jail administration. Phone calls, which are permitted daily to inmates, have also been suspended for three days.

SP, Rohtak Police says that intelligence reports revealed that there may be 15-20 thousand Dera supporters in Rohtak. However, the Rohtak Police promised to keep situation under control and said, "We have inputs to identify Dera supporters. More followers may come but we are prepared to handle the situation."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed violence by followers of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim, and said, violence in the name of faith is unacceptable. Modi also asserted that any person or group taking law in own hands will not be spared.

Curfew reimposed in Sirsa after being relaxed for a few hours

NDTV quoted Navdeep Singh Virk of Rohtak Police as saying, "A total of 28 paramilitary companies have been requested for security in the city ahead of Ram Rahim's sentencing and 23 have already been stationed; 5 are on their way."

Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be sentenced inside the Rohtak jail on Monday. Keeping this in mind, the Rohtak Police has made thorough security arrangements to tackle any untoward incident.

"I want to assure the country that no country, no government can tolerate anybody taking law into their hands, whether it is an individual or a group. Everybody will have to bow before the law. The law will determine accountability and the guilty will be punished," he asserted. - PTI

"I had said it from the Red Fort (in Independence Day speech) that in the name of faith, violence will not be tolerated. Whether the faith is religious, political or in favour of a individual or a tradition, nobody has the right to take the law into his own hands in the name of faith," the prime minister declared.

In his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi said everybody will have to bow before the law. He said the Constitution provides scope for redressal of all kinds of grievances.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the two state governments to declare their strategies to prevent such incidents of mob violence in future. Over 30 people have been killed and 250 injured after Fridays rampage by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's followers, - News18

How will you stop mob violence in future: HC asks Punjab, Haryana govts

According to officials at the govt hospital in Panchkula, of the 28 dead, 15 bodies have been claimed by their respective family members while the rest still remains unidentified.

According to The Indian Express , Deras are sects which came out of the failure of the Sikh religion to guarantee social equality. This is the reason why most of the members of the Deras belong to the Scheduled Caste community in Punjab. According to the The border state has the highest percentage of Dalit population in India: 29 percent.

A bit of the idea of Deras in Punjab

The attackers tried to snatch the camera of the team and damaged it. The media team got minor injuries in the attack before they were rescued by security forces in the vicinity. However, the miscreants took away the car of the media team. The car, which contained equipment, was later recovered by the police.

A media team from a national news channel was attacked by followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) on Sunday as the area around the sect headquarters remained tense. The Dera followers, numbering five to six, chased the media team and assaulted them after stopping them near the sect headquarters, about eight kilometres from Sirsa town.

"Time and again, Khattar government has witch-hunted me, questioned me and my integrity, harassed me, without basis. Today, I ask them to prove their integrity and take responsibility of a glaring massacre, which happened under their nose. The whole country is shocked. India's image across the world has taken a setback. Citizens need to unite and protect each other. I request the central government to give us our basic right of feeling safe and secure, ensuring such incidents of rioting do not occur again," he said.

He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state of questioning his integrity and harassing him. Vadra said it was the time for the state government to prove its integrity and take responsibility for the "massacre".

"I appreciate the Punjab and Haryana High Court for pulling up Khattar government (for) letting the situation escalate," he said.

Vadra lauded the Punjab and Haryana High Court order to compensate for the losses suffered in the violence by auctioning the Dera chief's property.

"Panchkula is burning with 36 dead and 250 injured. My heartfelt condolences to the families of those affected... Khattar, the CM of Haryana, the nation wants you to take responsibility of security lapses and resign," Vadra tweeted.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar should resign taking responsibility for the violence that followed the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra said on Sunday.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's lawyers will be seeking a shorter sentence for him. Senior Advocate SK Garg Narwana told News18 that he believes the self-styled godman is innocent and he will seek legal remedies to prove the same.Senior Advocate SK Garg Narwana also reiterated Narwana's stance.

Media entry has been restricted to about 1.5 kilometres away from Rohtak jail. Paramilitary forces have taken charge of vicinity around the jail. No visuals or videos are being allowed to be taken.

Ahead of the sentencing on Monday, Rohtak Police has warned Dera supporters to not indulge in any kind of violence. "Anyone trying to disturb peace in Rohtak on Monday will have to face the bullet. There will be no compromise on this. Its loud and clear," said Rohtak DC Atul Kumar.

The Fatehabad district administration has warned the Dera Sacha Sauda supporters from indulging any violence ahead of the sentencing on Monday. According to a press release, the authorities will seal properties linked to the outfit and take strict legal action against supporters if they indulge in any kind of violence. In view of the security threat, schools and colleges will be shut on Monday. Moreover, the district has been put under Section 144 until 18 September 2017.

Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Ram Niwas told News18, "Schools and colleges will not be open tomorrow. Internet services restriction extended for 48 hours. 552 arrests have been made so far in connection with massive violence in the state following Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's conviction in a rape case. We have requested media not to go without security."

According to The Indian Express, 24 columns have been deployed in Panchkula(12), Sirsa (12), while four are deployed in Punjab's Mansa (02) and Malaut (02).

According to Amar Ujala , the Jain monk, who was controversially called for delivering a lecture in the Haryana Assembly last year, said that people like Ram Rahim kill the faith of crores of people.

Haryana Director General of Police BS Sandhu will address a press conference at Police Headquarter, Sector 6, Panchkula at 5 pm.

India Today TV is reporting that various banks are now set to seal the accounts belonging to the Dera Sacha Sauda. This development comes a day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court asked the government to seal Dera assets to compensate for the loss of property due to arson by supporters of the sect.

Sources said that the CBI court judge will arrive in Rohtak jail by chopper on Sunday evening. He would stay in the rest house and announce the quantum of punishment at 11 am on Monday.

Quantum of punishment likely at 11 am

While Khattar chose to remain silent for several hours before and after the violence, his chosen officers, comprising Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sandhu, Chief Secretary DS Dhesi, Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Ram Niwas, Advocate General BR Mahajan and others, continued to mislead the Punjab and Haryana High Court, media and the public with unabashed lies and half-truths.

In the past over 100 hours of the Dera Sacha Sauda mayhem, the BJP government in Haryana led by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar relied on lies, half-truths and secrecy to defend itself in the face of the mayhem which left 36 people dead and over 250 injured.

Manohar Lal Khattar, Haryana Police come under attack for 'mishandling the situation'

Thirty paramilitary companies have been deployed in the city to avoid any untoward incident after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is sentenced on Monday.

In view of the sentencing, Rohtak DC Atul Kumar said on Sunday that all schools and colleges in the district will be shut on Monday.

Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Ram Niwas, said that the orders had been issued under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in the State in view of quantum of punishment to be announced for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday.

Besides, internet lease lines in the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa have been suspended till 29 August. Any person found guilty for violation of these orders would be liable for legal action.

Haryana Government has extended the suspension of mobile internet services, including 2G, 3G, 4G, CDMA and GPRS, all SMS services and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls, in the state till 11.30 am. on 29 August.

These coins, engraved with the words 'Dhan Dhan Satguru Tera hi Asara, Dera Sacha Sauda Sirsa', can then be used by the customer to buy items at the 'Sach' shops later.

Located in and around Dera premises, these shops have the word 'Sach' (truth) prefixed to their respective names and give out plastic 'coins' or tokens of Rs 10 and Rs five to customers if they are unable to tender change in Indian currency.

In the town of Sirsa, home to the sprawling headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda, shops owned by followers of the sect's flamboyant head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh run a separate monetary system to tender change to customers.

On Sunday, the number of army columns deployed in Sirsa went up to 12, from eight deployed on Saturday, an army official said. A flag march was also taken out by the army in Sirsa, the official said, adding that area domination patrol has been carried out and the situation is in control.

Four more army columns deployed in Sirsa ahead of Dera chief's sentencing

Throughout the day, a group of people serve snacks, tea, lassi and food to security and Army personnel on motorbikes, gypsy cars and tractors.People have also constructed a long wall called "Neki ki diwar" on the Dabwali road where locals keep items they do not need so that the needy could use them. Also, a "Roti Bank", which works on the principle of collecting food from do-gooders and distributing it among the poor, was launched here recently.

Directions have also been issued to Haryana telecom service providers and those providing internet lease lines in the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa to ensure compliance with these orders.

Besides, internet lease lines in the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa have been suspended until 29 August. Any person found guilty of violation of these orders would be liable for legal action. While stating this in Chandigarh on Sunday, Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Ram Niwas, said that the orders had been issued under the Temporary Suspension of Telecom Services (Public Emergency or Public Safety) Rules, 2017, to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in the State in view of quantum of punishment to be announced by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in the case of Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, on 28 August. The orders have been taken considering the critical law and order situation and to maintain peace and communal harmony in the State, and to prevent any loss of life or further damage to public and private property. It has been reported by IG/CID that the situation is tense and violence may again continue for several days, especially on 28 August, when the quantum of punishment will be announced. Besides, it has been reported by Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa and Superintendent of Police, Sirsa that the devotees may resort to breach of peace and tranquillity, and arson leading to damage to public and private properties, Sirsa being the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda. Since the environment is tense, rumours of different kinds may be spread through broadband and internet lease lines in the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda, he added.

Haryana Government has extended the suspension of mobile internet services, including 2G, 3G, 4G, CDMA and GPRS, all SMS services and all dongle services provided on mobile networks, except voice calls, in the State till 11.30 am on 29 August, 2017.

Haryana Home Department orders suspension of mobile internet and SMS services in state until 29 August

Sat Singh from 101 reporters , adds that authorities have recovered 14 motorcycles, one tractor, four other two-wheelers and one car, besides, a large number of weapons and other objectionable items.

Of the 250 injured, Sandhu claims that only 17 people are admitted, out of which 14 are civilians and 3 are policemen.

He said that 52 cases have been registered so far and 926 people have been arrested. As for casualties, 38 people have died in the violence. 6 casualties are from Sirsa and 32 are from Panchkula. He added that all bodies in Sirsa have been identified, but in Panchkula, 24 have been identified through post-mortem, the rest are yet to be identified.

He stated that police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Rohtak and army personnel are also on standby. Dera ashrams have been searched and 103 deras have been sanitized, he added. In terms of transportation, bus and railway services, especially from Delhi to Katra have been resumed. Trains towards Hisra and Rohtak have a few restrictions in place and schools will have a holiday in the state.

Sandhu also assured that police protection will be provided to the media and the police is prepared to handle any mob situations. I assure you that the media is safe, we are part of the same system, he said at the presser.

BS Sandhu, Haryana DGP said that a curfew has only been implemented in Sirsa and that no other location has a curfew in place now. He added that there is peace across the state and the top priority of the Haryana police is maintaining peace in the state. "The top priority now is to ensure that law and order is maintained when the sentencing of convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief takes place in Rohtak tomorrow," he said.

Haryana DGP addresses media, says 52 cases have been registered so far and 926 arrests have been made

Court proceedings will be around 2:30 pm, says Haryana ADGP (Law and Order) Mohammad Akil

He said that the court proceedings will be around 2:30 pm give or take. He added that provisions in Sunaria jail have been completed and that force are confident that any disruption of peace shouldnt occur. He said that if any anti-social element tries to disrupt peace, strict measures will be taken depending on the occasion. He also said that 33 companies of paramilitary have been deployed. Anti-riot equipment has also been provided. He also mentioned an FIR filed in Panchkula police station that was initiated due to a Dainik Bhaskar report. The FIRs impose sedition charges on two Dera followers.

Haryana ADGP (Law and Order) Mohammad Akil said that he visited Rohtak today and reviewed the restrictions imposed by the authorities. He said that the paramilitary and police forces have made good provisions and he has suggested improvements that will be implemented today night.

Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said that after Ram Rahim Singh's conviction, Honeypreet Insan expressed her desire to go with him "as an attendant" stating he is unwell. "She was in the chopper with the court's permission," he said, adding that the judge said that having her as an attendant in Rohtak is "jail department and government's prerogative." Sandhu added that she didn't get permission to be in Sunaria jail so she is not in the prison.

Honeypreet Insan was in chopper with the permission of court, says Haryana DGP

He added that Section 144 has been imposed but no curfew is in place in Rohtak and that authorities have made sure that daily life will not be interrupted in the city. He added that the court premises and the residence of the judges are protected and flag marches have also been held in the area.

Regarding the involvement of the Army, he said that the forces have not been called in and will mostly "not be required." He added that the Army conducted a recce of the area around the prison and that the forces are on standby.

Navdeep Singh added that entire police service in the city has been deployed and 23 paramilitary companies will be active in Rohtak. He also said that police personnel from nearby districts have been supplied to Rohtak. "We are 100 percent certain that no untoward incident will happen during the proceeding," he said. Regarding media reports that 10,000 to 15,000 Dera forces have allegedly snuck into Rohtak, he said that intelligence forces deny theses reports.

Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range, Navdeep Singh Virk addressed the press and said that a helicopter will land at a helipad near Sunaria jail. A special courtroom has been made in the prison to deliver the quantum of sentence. He corroborated the details that Haryana ADGP Mohammad Akil provided and said that the judgment will be announced at 2.30. When asked how the media will find out about the judgment, he said that arrangements have been made so that judges can give a byte to the press after the proceedings.

IG Police Rohtak, Navdeep Singh Virk says special courtroom has been made in Rohtak jail for sentencing

Post-mortem examination have been conducted on 19 casualties and the bodies have been handed over to their kin.

These include Gurpal Singh of district Patiala (Punjab), Aman of district Fazilika (Punjab), Vikram Singh of district Kaithal, Lovepreet alias Bagga of district Malot (Punjab), Jagroop Singh of Barnala (Punjab), Jai Bhagwan of district Jind, Nembo of district Jind, Sube Singh of district Jind, Ramesh of district Jind, Vinit of district Ambala, Gurdeep Singh of district Karnal, Hari Singh of Bathinda (Punjab), Manish Sharma of Patiala (Punjab), Manish of Karnal, Uggarsen of Mansa (Punjab), Mukesh Kumar of district Hanumangarh (Rajasthan), Naveen of district Jind, Ranjeet Singh of district Sangrur (Punjab), Virender of district Moga (Punjab), Gurpyar Singh of district Muktsar (Punjab), Darwara Singh of district Patiala (Punjab), Chander Pal of district Dehradun (Uttarakhand), Piyare Lal of district Jind and Sanjeev of Kalayat district Kaithal.

These include 11 each from Punjab and Haryana and one each from Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

The Haryana Government has released list of 24 persons who were killed during violence in Panchkula and Sirsa, after the delivery of verdict against Dera Sacha Sauda Chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, by CBI court on 25 August, 2017.

Honeypreet, in her thirties, accompanied Ram Rahim Singh when he was brought to the special CBI court in Panchkula for the pronouncement of the verdict in the 15-year-old rape case on Friday.

Considered a confidant of the Dera chief, she has also emerged as his likely successor to head the controversial sect.

Honeypreet Insan is the adopted daughter of Ram Rahim Singh whose conviction in a rape case triggered mob violence that killed 36 people across Haryana.

Ram Rahim Singh's daughter Honeypreet describes herself as 'Papa's angel', likely to be next Dera chief

IG Police, Rohtak Range, Navdeep Singh Virk speaks to the media, watch the complete presser here

Following the special CBI court's verdict on 25 August which convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape, the details of those who died in the violence is are as follows:

The top cop said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the state police to verify the report carried by a Hindi daily regarding alleged instigation of Dera supporters by its five leaders. "An FIR has been lodged in Panchkula police station following a statement by a newspaper reporter against two key functionaries of the Dera, namely Aditya Insan and Dhiman Insaan. The duo have been booked for sedition," he said.

Two key Dera functionaries have been booked for sedition on the basis of a news report, Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said in a press conference on Sunday.

The chief minister said it was for the Centre to take any decision on ordering a probe into the collapse of law and order that led to the anarchy and violence in Panchkula and other parts of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi on Friday.

The chief minister stated this while interacting with mediapersons during his tour of nearly a dozen areas in some of the sensitive districts in Malwa region of Punjab, which witnessed sporadic incidents of violence in the wake of the court verdict against the Dera Sacha Sauda chief on Friday.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday said no compensation would be granted to victims from the state who are found to have violated the law during the Panchkula violence in the wake of the court verdict against self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

"It has been reported by IG/CID that the situation is tense and violence may again continue for several days, especially on 28 August, when the quantum of punishment will be announced," an official statement quoting Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Ram Niwas, said. PTI

Violence may erupt in Haryana on Monday after the quantum of sentence is pronounced against Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, state's intelligence agency cautioned on Sunday.

Violence may erupt in Haryana after quantum of sentence is pronounced, says CID

PTI reported that the Special CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh, who delivered the guilty verdict in the 2002 rape case against the Dera chief on Friday, will be flown in by a special helicopter for the sentencing. The helicopter will land on the helipad near the jail on the outskirts of the Rohtak city, IG (Rohtak Range), Navdeep Singh Virk said on Sunday.

A special courtroom has been set up in the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak, where Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged since his rape-conviction, for the pronouncement of the quantum of punishment on Monday.

The Dera in Jheenjhana of Shamli in Uttar Pradesh has been fully evacuated by the district police. According to the district police, around three thousand devotees had gathered here. Heavy police force has been deployed in the Dera.

Rohtak deputy commissioner Atul Kumar told Firstpost that those who dare take the law into their hands should be prepared to face bullets. He said that those committing arson would be issued one warning, after which security forces would be ordered to shoot at the protesters.

Rohtak Police warns of bullets if Dera supporters go on rampage

Two days after tens of thousands of Dera followers went berserk and vandalised vehicles and government buildings, Rohtak seemed calm on Sunday. Except the presence of paramilitary personnel on the roads, it was like any other regular, lazy Sunday morning. Vehicles were plying and shops were open as usual.

She opined that the two women whose rape complaint has landed the Dera chief behind bars must be only the tip of the iceberg and that the list of Singh's victims must be longer.

"We don't want to see Rohtak burning again after the 2016 reservation stir," said anxious Sangwan, hoping that law would prevail on Monday.

Rohtak-based activist and member of the central committee of All India Democratic Women's Association, Jagmati Sangwan, too found the recent turmoil reminiscent of last year's violence.

Vinod, a local, compared the current situation in Rohtak with last year's violent protests by Jats for reservation. He said that security forces were on the ground last year too, but a mob would appear out of nowhere and tear the place down in no time. "Even recalling those scenes gives me a shudder," the apprehensive shopkeeper said.

The Rohtak jail, where Singh is lodged has, in 2006, confined controversial 'godman' Sant Rampalji Maharaj of Satlok Ashram. Former jail superintendent Shish Pal said he was put behind bars after violence had broken out in the aftermath of his comments against the Arya Samaj.

The Dera chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman). IANS reports that the minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years respectively.

Ram Rahim may be jailed for seven years

However, according to the police roughly 5,000 followers are still inside the headquarters and the Army and paramilitary forces are appealing to them to vacate the place.

Women and children, who were also inside the sect's headquarters, are leaving for their homes. District authorities are hopeful that no untoward incident would take place tomorrow after pronouncement of the quantum of punishment since the followers are vacating the premises.

A day before sentencing of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case, the Haryana Roadways deployed over 50 buses for transporting the followers.

The exodus of Dera Sacha Sauda followers from the sect's headquarters in Sirsa, which began on Saturday, continued on Sunday too, with the district administration providing buses to facilitate their departure.

"We have made appropriate arrangements to maintain law and order in the district," a senior police official said. The district administration is also providing buses to facilitate the departure of Dera followers.

Locals have been asked to stay indoors as a preventive measure.

Though the exodus of Dera followers from the sect's headquarters in Sirsa started Saturday, several supporters of the self-styled godman are still present in and around the sprawling premises.

Security has been beefed up to prevent any untoward incident in Sirsa, hours before the pronouncement of quantum of sentence against convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday.

"I want to assure my countrymen that people who take law into their own hands and are on the path of violent suppression whether it is a person or a group, neither this country nor any government will tolerate it. Each and every person will have to abide by the law; the law will fix accountability and the guilty will unquestionably be punished," Modi said.

Without naming any state, the prime minister said that when news of violence comes from a "part of the country, it is only natural to be concerned".

His remarks came during his 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on All India Radio, two days after violence in Haryana and elsewhere following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh led to the death of 36 persons.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said violence in the name of faith will not be tolerated and the guilty definitely punished.

Recap: Narendra Modi condemns Haryana violence, says killing in the name of faith not acceptable

The development comes after sedition and attempt to murder charges were slapped against seven persons, including five Haryana police personnel, who were part of the Dera Sacha.

"An FIR has been lodged in Panchkula police station following a statement by a newspaper reporter against two key functionaries of the Dera, namely Aditya Insan and Dhiman Insaan. The duo have been booked for sedition," he said.

Two key Dera functionaries have been booked for sedition on the basis of a news report, PTI quoted Haryana DGP B S Sandhu as saying. Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, the top cop said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the state police to verify the report carried by a Hindi daily regarding alleged instigation of Dera supporters by its five leaders.

The chairperson of Dera Sacha Sauda has appealed for peace and requested followers not to take law into their hand. They have posted the message on behalf of Gurmeet Ram Rahim in its mouthpiece publication SachKahoon.

Schools in Shamli to remain close on Monday as per the directions of district administration to maintain law and order in the district.

No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises, IANS reported.

The district jail premises, about 10 kilometres from Rohtak town, has been completely cordoned off by security forces, including para-military forces and Haryana Police. The Army has been kept on stand-by.

"There were two large tanks in the fire engine. A foul smell was emanating from the tanks. We have sent the substance recovered from the tanks to the Forensic Sciences Laboratory," Panchkula DCP Manbir Singh said.

A number of vehicles belonging to the sect head, including the fire tender, were impounded by the police on Friday.

A special investigation team has been set up to examine the substance recovered from a fire tender which was part of the motorcade of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, police said.

Political patronage of godmen has not begun with the BJP, as Modi-baiters imagine and would like us to believe. India has seen it since the days of Jawaharlal Nehru. Faith and even superstition are far too important for a politician to crack down on them. That was what stopped Nehru from making good the threat he heroically made in 1951 to ban astrologers after one of them "predicted" an India-Pakistan war.

Patronising godmen is not something unique to BJP

Despite her "socialist" and "progressive" pretensions, Indira Gandhi befriended godmen and godwomen. She wore a rosary of rudraksha beads for good luck, presented to her  as her personal physician KP Mathur disclosed in his book The Unseen Indira Gandhi  by her "spiritual guru" Anandmayi Ma. Indiras association with fraudster Dhirendra Bhrahmachari and PV Narasimha Raos soft corner for godman Chandraswami are too well known.

Situation remains calm and under control along the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway. While IT companies located in Gurugram are closely monitoring the situation, they are expecting business as usual. Rohtak, where the sentencing is going to take place, is also reprtedly calm.

The condition in Sirsa, where the Dera headquarters is located, is now peaceful. There is heavy deployment of forces in every corner of the city.

An alert has been sounded in Baghpat and Shamli. The leaves of policemen have been cancelled. Heavy police force has been deployed on Haryana border. However, the situation in Muzaffarnagar remains peaceful.

Jagdeep Singh will be accompnaied by his reader and writer. CBI counsel HPS Verma and Ram Rahim's counsel Senior Advocate SK Garg Narwana will also be present during the sentencing.

Who will accompany Jagdeep Singh into the court?

According to News18, arguments on the quantum of sentencing may last for at least 60 to 90 minutes. As per the law, a minimum of 10 years jail sentence is likely for Ram Rahim Singh as the rape victim was a minor at the time of the incident. According to IANS, the sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

What is likely to happen during the sentencing?

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) remains imposed in all districts of Haryana. Columns of Army are doing flag march continuously," the statement added.

"As per report dated 28 August, of DGP Control Room, Haryana, total casualties have been 35 with 17 in Panchkula, six in Sirsa and 12 in Chandigarh and total number of injured is 204," the Ministry said in a statement.

The Home Ministry said on Monday the situation in Haryana three days after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was still tense but under control.

ANI is reporting that home minister Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, home secretary, director, Intelligence Bureau and other home ministry officials are present at a meeting to discuss the security situation in Haryana.

Meeting under way in North Block over Haryana crisis

Media has been stopped from entering the Dera campus in Sirsa. While curfew has been imposed in the city, the situation remains calm. Out of fear of a police action at the Dera campus later in the afternoon, many are leaving the campus since morning. An estimated 10,000-12,000 people are still stuck inside the Ashram.

News18 reports that dozens of children were released from Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa. The report also notes that primary treatment was provided to the kids with the help of Child Protection team. The children are now shifted to an unknown location.

News18 reported that curfew will be imposed in Punjab's Malota town from 1 pm to 7 pm on Monday, while prohibitory orders will be issued in Faridakot.

While BSF has set up bunkers outside the prison, about 2,400 personnel, have been deployed in the vicinity of the jail. About 1,800 soldiers of the Army are also on standby, reports NDTV.

Ram Rahim's Sirsa ashram likely to be raided after his sentencing, reports NDTV

"It was in 2007 that this case was handed over to me by two senior officials and I was asked to close it," Narayanan said. The former CBI officer said for him it was just like any other case.

Speaking to IANS, now 67-year-old M. Narayanan, who retired in 2009 as joint director of the Central Bureau of Investigation, said he was lucky to be away from Delhi when the Dera chief's conviction was finally taking place.

A former CBI officer who nailed Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh said on Monday that two senior officials a decade back handed him the case with specific orders "to close it".

Haryana ADGP ( Law & Order) Muhammad Akil told reporters that the judge Jagdeep Singh is expected to arrive around 2 pm and not before. "The situation in Rohtak is under control and we expect the same even after the court order today," Akil added.

Gurdas Singh Salwara, who was captured on camera carrying a suit case that belonged to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim after his conviction in a rape case on Friday, was sacked a day later, according to media reports.

The Dera also insisted the followers to change their surnames to 'insan'. It was seen as a rule devised to spread across the message that the 'Dera' was more respectful of humanity than any other quality. No wonder then that the Dera had a substantial following among the people from the lower rungs of the much abhorred caste hierarchy. Apart from a liberal atmosphere, the Dera also seemed to have the promise of a new social status to its followers.

Honeypreet was not allowed to be with Ram Rahim after conviction, says journalist

The Senior Superintendents of Police in these districts have also been given a free hand in promulgating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in case they felt the situation on the ground demanded it, the official added.

A police spokesman said on Monday that directives have been issued to all concerned district police chiefs to ensure that there was no breach in law and order and peace was maintained in the region.

An alert has been sounded in all districts of western Uttar Pradesh ahead of the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday.

Just hours before the sentencing, Dera, a diabetic, has complained of uneasiness, News18 reported. According to the report, vivil surgeon Deepa has gone into Rohtak jail premises followed by an ambulance.

PTI reported that villagers in Shahpur Beghu, 500 metres from the sprawling headquarters of the Dera, said they were fully prepared to face violent followers of the self-styled godman who was convicted of rape on 25 August.

Fearing violence after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing in a rape case on Monday, a village close to the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters readied itself to face angry followers with a stockpile of stones, sticks, bricks and iron rods.

In India, Baba-dom is like a ponzi scheme. It thrives on the simple formula of everybody trying to benefit at the cost of others down the multi-level chain. Babas benefit from the fear, superstition and blind faith of the followers, disciples benefit from the influence and power of the Baba, and politicians, the ones expected to stop this rotten chain, benefit from it by using the Baba and his captive base for electoral gains.

SK Garg Narwana, the counsel of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh arrived at the Sunaria jail along with six other lawyers. They have reached the destination by road with police security.

Except media, other people are not allowed near the jail premises. Nevertheless, the media is stopped 1.5 kiolmetres away from the jail. So, not much of a hullabaloo. Additionally, mobile internet has also been banned.

The Indian Express quoted a senior Punjab Police official saying that ayouth brigade was formed several days before the 25 August verdict to trigger violence in Punjab if the judgment goes against Dera Sacha Sauda chief.

"Our village will stand like a wall; if Dera supporters come near the jail. Even if the administration fails, we will not let Dera supporters come near our village. We don't know who this Baba is." Prakash Budhwar told News18.

Head of Sonaria gaon says they are ready to defend village

CBI Special Court judge Jagdeep Singh has arrived in a chopper. He will reach the special court inside the jail premises in a few minutes.

News18 reports that the hearing has begun. Counsels from both sides are already present in the makeshift court inside Rohtak jail.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim breaks down in court as the quantum of punishment is being read out

Meanwhile, Haryana Police will file a status report on the violence, reports India Today.

Just moments before the quantum of punishment will be out, violence has broken out in Sirsa. NDTV is reporting that two vehicles have been set on fire by Dera supporters.

Ram Rahim to be sent for medical examination

Ram Rahim Singh breaks down in tears after verdict, refuses to leave court

Apparently, the Dera chief broke down after hearing the verdict and wept as he dropped down to the floor. He had to be forcefully removed from the court as the Dera chief refused to accompany the cops escorting him for medical checkups and further formalities.

Punjab CM says people must accept court order, appeals for peace from Dera followers

After breaking down in tears and refusing to leave the court premises, Gurmeet Ram Rahim has now reportedly complained of chest pain. Medical tests are already underway and if the Dera chief is declared fit, he will be handed the prison uniform and taken to the cell allocated to him.

Singh hails from Haryana and was designated as the judge of the CBI special court last year.

In September last year, Jagdeep Singh was hailed as a Good Samaritan when he saved the lives of four people who had been seriously injured in a road accident.

The judge was flown in especially for the sentencing wherein his chopper was made to land inside the jail premises. But this is not the judges first brush with fame.

No reports from violence so far since quantum of sentence announced; Dera supporters being ferried out of Sirsa HQ

Then there is a case of disappearance of a Dera manager named Fakir Chand. Another case against him is of forcing some sewadars in Dera to undergo castration. Now that Ram Rahim is in jail, there is a possibility that more eyewitnesses may come forward to testify against him in the ongoing cases.

Ram Rahim Singh is a suspect in the murder of Ranjit Singh, which is being investigated by the CBI. Singh too was murdered in 2002. In both these cases trial is in advance stage.

Ram Rahim Singhs problems are going to compound in weeks and months to come. He is accused in serious crime cases. Two such cases are of his alleged complicity in the murder of journalist Ramchandra Chatrapati, who ran a local newspaper in Sirsa called `Poora Sach.Chatrapati was killed in October 2002 after he had published a series of reports on rape of a woman follower by the Dera chief.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and the slew of cases against self-styled godman

Within the Dera, Jasmeet is called shehzada and is regarded as a good person. But for his appointment, Ram Rahim will have to break a convention which specifies succession outside the family.

Insider sources in the Sirsa Dera told Firstpost that Ram Rahim's son Jasmeet, who is married to former Punjab Congress legislator Harminder Singh Jassi's daughter, has an advantage with the Dera chief having anointed him successor in 2007.

Who will succeed Gurmeet Ram Rahim? Will it be his son Jasmeet Singh, the so-called daughter Honeypreet Insaan, who is part of the coterie in the Sirsa ashram or a dark horse from the management which takes care of day-to-day affairs of the Dera?

"Turbo charged cars moved in top speed, doors opened like lightning, armed guards at regular interval changed swipe cards for further journey. I was driven in pitch dark tunnels lighting up from the friction of car tyres. And eventually, I was ushered into a room where he sat on the throne like Jabba the Hut (of Star Wars fame)."

The Dera leader, said Amit Sehgal, a farmer, who lost his 20 acres of land to Singhs sect, deliberately created an image of invincibility around himself and lived in his specially made Kali Goofa (Black Cave). Sehgal said he could enter the cave (read home) only once. The place resembled like the fabled Xanadu of Mandrake the Magician.

Verdict a setback to Dera chief but blind faith in godmen hard to end

Many of those gathered are also from th
Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be sentenced on Monday at 2.30 p.m. at a special court near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The quantum of sentence will be done in a court being specially set up inside the District Jail premises in Sunaria near Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, where Ram Rahim was brought and lodged after his conviction.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, will be flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years respectively.

The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, has been completely cordoned off by security forces, including para-military forces and Haryana Police. The Army has been kept on stand-by.

No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

"We are fully prepared for any situation. The Army has been kept on stand-by," Haryana Director General of police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said.

Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) Navdeep Singh Virk said that 28 companies of para-military forces, along with Haryana Police, have been deployed in Rohtak.

Security forces were on high alert again on Monday in Haryana and Punjab as both states braced for the announcement of quantum of punishment to the disgraced sect chief.

Curfew was reimposed in Haryana's Sirsa town, where the sect's headquarters are located, on Sunday. The curfew will continue on Monday.

The sect has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana.

Click here for LIVE updates on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing.
The euphoric reaction of the Congress to the Supreme Courts historic verdict on Right to Privacy on Thursday is the latest instance in Indias pot-calling-the-kettle-black politics.

Take a look at what Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Twitter: "Welcome the SC verdict upholding #RightToPrivacy as an intrinsic part of individual's liberty, freedom and dignity. A victory for every Indian."

SC decision marks a major blow to fascist forces.A sound rejection of the BJP's ideology of suppression through surveillance#RightToPrivacy  Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) August 24, 2017

Rahuls mother and Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the verdict is a "blow to the governments arrogant attempts at curbing individual liberties."

Rahul and Sonia have either not read the 547-page verdict of the nine-judge bench or missed what amounts to the highest courts repudiation of the abuse of power during the Emergency. The judgment is as unequivocal in its assertion of privacy as a fundamental right as it is in its denunciation of the subversion of the citizens right to liberty and life by Indira Gandhis Emergency regime.

In his desperate haste and over reacting to the Supreme Court verdict, Rahul has inadvertently included his own grandmother among the "fascist forces" that he talks of in his tweet. A striking feature of the privacy verdict is that the court has, officially and formally for the first time, rubbished the infamous 28 April, 1976 judgment of the Supreme Court in the "ADM Jabalpur Vs Shukla case", also known as the habeas corpus case. The 1976 judgment had not only upheld Indira Gandhis right to toss anyone into prison and deny them the right to even question it in a court of law but also agreed that a citizens right to life stood abrogated during the Emergency.

ADM Jabalpur Vs Shukla case

It all began when on 12 June, 1975 when Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad High Court held Indira Gandhi guilty of electoral malpractice.

He invalidated her election to the Lok Sabha from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, a seat she had won against Socialist leader Raj Narain in 1971.

On her appeal, the Supreme Court on 24 June, 1975 granted her a conditional stay, allowing her to continue as prime minister but barring her from participating in parliamentary proceedings.

The very next day, Indira Gandhi imposed on India a state of Emergency, which meant, among other things, suspension of a citizens Fundamental Right to Life and Liberty (Article 21) and Equality (Article 14). She threw behind bars political opponents including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Jayaprakash Narayan, Morarji Desai and LK Advani under the dreaded MISA (Maintenance of Internal Security Act), denying them the right to even move courts to question their detention.

Many of the arrested filed a flurry of habeas corpus petitions under Article 226 in high courts across India. As many as nine high courts  the high courts of Allahabad, Andhra Pradesh, Bombay, Delhi, Karnataka, Madras, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan  ruled in favour of the petitioners, despite the governments argument that a presidential order had denied them that right.

On appeal by the government, the Supreme Court constituted a five-judge Constitution Bench comprising Chief Justice AN Ray, Justices MH Beg, YV Chandrachud, PN Bhagwati and HR Khanna. In a 4-1 majority judgment that was universally condemned for its blatant illegality, the apex court upheld the governments contention.

It concluded that Article 21 was the "sole repository" of all rights to life and personal liberty and, when suspended, denied citizens those rights. Justice Khanna dissented. As punishment, he was superseded and his junior, Justice Beg, was appointed the Chief Justice of India on 28 January, 1977.

After Justice Khannas death in 2008, senior Supreme Court lawyer Anil Divan wrote in The Hindu: "His (Justice Khannas) dissent does the Indian judiciary and the legal profession proud. The doctrine of basic structure which is now firmly rooted in our constitutional jurisprudence is his great gift to posterity."

In a 30 April, 1976 editorial, The New York Times said: "If India ever finds its way back to the freedom and democracy that were proud hallmarks of its first 18 years as an independent nation, someone will surely erect a monument to Justice HR Khanna..."

What the privacy verdict says

In the course of its verdict on the Right to Privacy, the apex court upheld the stand of Justice Khanna, who is seen as one of the bravest and fearless judges that India has ever seen. Justice Nariman said in Thursday's verdict that Justice Khanna's stand was the "correct enunciation of law".

Chief Justice Khehar, Justices RK Agrawal, DY Chandrachud (the son of Justice YV Chandrachud, who had been party to the 1976 judgment) and Abdul Nazeer observed: "...the judgements rendered by all the four judges constituting the majority in ADM Jabalpur (case) are seriously flawed. Life and personal liberty are inalienable to human existence (Page 118) ... When histories of nations are written and critiqued, there are judicial decisions at the forefront of liberty. Yet others have to be consigned to the archives...(Page 119).

Justice Khanna had said in his dissent: A dissent in a court of last resort is an appeal to the brooding spirit of the law, to the intelligence of a future day, when a later decision may possibly correct the error into which the dissenting judge believes the court to have been betrayed.

For the two judges of the Supreme Court, that future day arrived in January 2011. They admitted that the 1976 verdict was "erroneous".

And 35 years after the case, Justice Bhagwati said in an interview to The Indian Express he was "sorry" that he had been party to the judgment which ruled that even the right to life stood abrogated during the Emergency.

And Congress takes pride?

But the Congress, of course, takes "pride" in the Supreme Courts latest privacy verdict, which punches holes in the 1976 case and which, in other words, indicts the partys erstwhile government for making a mockery of the citizens rights during the Emergency.

Congress takes pride in the Supreme Court's judgment thar Privacy's a Fundamental Right & not dependent on gov benevolence: @PChidambaram_IN  INC Live (@INCIndiaLive) August 24, 2017

And in the words of Congress leader P Chidambaram, the Supreme Courts privacy verdict has rendered Article 21 a new magnificence.

Privacy is the core of personal liberty. Article 21 has acquired a new magnificence.  P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) August 24, 2017

During the privacy case proceedings, the Supreme Court chided Attorney-General KK Venugopal for having described the right to privacy as an elitist construct that concerned only a few.

But lets recall what the Congress government had said in 1976 about Article 21 in the 1976 case.

During the course of the Jabalpur case arguments, Justice Khanna had famously asked: Life is also mentioned in Article 21, and would the governments argument extend to it also?

To this, Niren De, who was then the attorney-general, had come up with a hair-raising answer: "Even if life was taken away illegally, courts are helpless."

The questions that arise now are: What does the Congress take pride in?

And what happened to the magnificence of Article 21 in 1976?

The author tweets @sprasadindia
China claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area and said India had withdrawn its troops on Monday after downplaying India's announcement of a mutual agreement to disengage in Doka La. China also remained silent on its plans to build a road, which sparked the prolonged standoff in the Doka La area near Sikkim, and said it would "make adjustments" with the ground situation. This is the full text of the press conference held by China's foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying on Doka La disengagement.

Q: We have learned that on the afternoon of August 28, the Indian border troops and equipment that illegally crossed the Sikkim sector of the China-India border have all been withdrawn to the Indian side, marking an end to the trespassing incident. Do you have more information?

A: On June 18, the Indian border troops illegally crossed the well-delimited China-India border in the Sikkim Sector into China's Dong Lang area. China has lodged representations with the Indian side many times through diplomatic channels, made the facts and truth of this situation known to the international community, clarified China's solemn position and explicit demands, and urged India to immediately pull back its border troops to India's side. In the meantime, the Chinese military has taken effective countermeasures to ensure the territorial sovereignty and legitimate rights and interests of the state.

At about 2:30 pm of 28 August, the Indian side withdrew all its border personnel and equipment that were illegally on the Chinese territory to the Indian side. The Chinese personnel onsite have verified this situation. China will continue fulfilling its sovereign rights to safeguard territorial sovereignty in compliance with the stipulations of the border-related historical treaty.

The Chinese government attaches importance to developing good neighborly and friendly relations with India. We hope that India could earnestly honour the border-related historical treaty as well as the basic principles of international law and work with China to preserve peace and stability in the border area and promote the sound development of bilateral relations on the basis of mutual respect for each other's territorial sovereignty.

Q: It is reported that on 26 August, the DPRK fired three short-range projectiles into the eastern waters of the Korean Peninsula. China has been urging the DPRK to stop launching activities, so how do you comment on this latest move by the DPRK?

A: The situation on the Korean Peninsula at the moment is very complex and sensitive. All relevant parties shall exercise restraint, refrain from provoking each other and heightening tensions, and make joint efforts to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The suspension-for-suspension proposal and the dual-track approach raised by China gives a balanced consideration to the legitimate security concerns of all sides and represents a practical and feasible way to properly settle the Korean Peninsula issue. We hope that relevant parties could respond positively and work with China to seek an effective way out of the Korean Peninsula issue.

Q: Can you confirm that the Indian personnels have already left or they are in the process of leaving?

A: I am pleased to confirm that the Indian border personnel and equipment have all been withdrawn to the Indian side of the border.

Q: The Indian government's announcement is that there is a "mutual disengagement" of the troops between the two countries. You haven't mentioned the pullback of the Chinese troops. You mentioned only the pullback of the Indian troops. How do you explain?

A: The Chinese side has made it clear that the Indian border personnel and equipment that trespassed into China's territory have all been withdrawn to the Indian side of the border. The Chinese border troops continue with their patrols in the Dong Lang area. China will continue with its exercise of sovereign rights to protect territorial sovereignty in accordance with the stipulations of the border-related historical treaty.

Q: The US imposed financial sanctions on Venezuela on August 25, prohibiting US citizens or an individual or entity within the US from buying some new short-term bonds as well as previously-issued bonds by the government of Venezuela and its state oil company. Equity trading is also prohibited with the Government of Venezuela as well as any entity owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Government of Venezuela. What is your comment?

A: We have noted relevant reports. China always advocates the principle of respect for other countries' sovereignty and independence and non-interference in other countries' domestic affairs. The issue arisen in Venezuela shall be independently resolved by the Venezuelan government and people. The past experience has shown that external interference or unilateral sanctions will only complicate the situation and help in no way resolve the practical problem.

Q: There are some press reports saying that several Venezuelan high-ranking officials are now in China trying to obtain more financial support from China. Can you confirm it?

A: I am not aware of what you said. We have been following the situation inside Venezuela, and we believe that the issue of Venezuela shall be worked out independently by the Venezuelan government and people. China maintains friendly and cooperative relations with a majority of the Latin American countries, including Venezuela, on the basis of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation. Financial institutions and corporations from the two sides carry out cooperation in accordance with commercial principles. We hope that Venezuela and other Latin American countries could maintain stability and development.

Q: The Indian side said that it is a "mutual disengagement". Do you agree with that?

A: What I want to stress is that the Indian side withdrew all its border personnel and equipment that were illegally on the Chinese territory to the Indian side. The Chinese personnel onsite have verified this situation. The Chinese border troops continue patrolling the Dong Lang area. China will continue fulfilling its sovereign rights to safeguard territorial sovereignty in compliance with the stipulations of the border-related historical treaty. In the meantime, in light of the changing landscape on the ground, China will make necessary adjustments and deployment as it sees fit.

Q: According to the Kyodo News, the follow-up meeting of the Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD) Ministerial Meeting wrapped up on August 25 with the adoption of a chair's statement in which the foreign ministers of Japan and African countries stressed the importance of adhering to maritime rules based on international law. The Japanese Foreign Minister said at the meeting that the preservation of maritime order on the basis of the principles of international law, including navigation freedom, is the prerequisite for world peace, stability and prosperity. What is your response?

A: As far as we know, the aforementioned press report and the statements by the Japanese Foreign Minister severely deviate from the facts. The follow-up meeting of the TICAD Ministerial Meeting never passed the so-called chair's statement. It only reflected what's transpired amid discussions in a conference minutes. The maritime-related contents, completely and unilaterally cooked up by the Japanese side, got no endorsement from any African countries. In fact, many African countries have spoken out against those contents. The Foreign Minister of Mozambique, the host country of the follow-up meeting of the TICAD Ministerial Meeting, while jointly meeting the press with the Japanese Foreign Minister, said that TICAD, as a platform to discuss development and cooperation, shall not be politicized, and stressed that the maritime-related contents are only applied to the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean.

I want to stress that TICAD is a venue for multilateral exchanges and cooperation on African development. African countries expect this meeting to play its due role in supporting Africa's development and oppose politicizing TICAD. We welcome greater attention and input to Africa from the international community. We also hope that when promoting Africa's development, Japan could show its utmost respect for African countries and extend its help with heartfelt sincerity. It should not impose its wills on Africa or attempt to drive a wedge between African countries and others.

Q: You said that India has unilaterally pulled back from the Dong Lang area, as was asked by the Chinese side. Then you said that the Chinese side will make adjustments accordingly. Could you clarify what do you mean by that?

A: I have made myself very clear. In light of the changes on the ground, China will accordingly make necessary adjustments and deployment. I also stressed that the Chinese border troops will continue fulfilling the sovereignty rights to safeguard territorial sovereignty in compliance with the stipulations of the border-related historical treaty.

Q: Do you mean that the standoff has been amicably settled between the two countries after India's withdrawal?

A: The Indian side has withdrawn all its trespassing border personnel and equipment to the Indian side. The Chinese personnel onsite have verified this situation. China will continue fulfilling its sovereign rights to safeguard territorial sovereignty in compliance with the stipulations of the border-related historical treaty. In light of the changes on the ground, China will accordingly make necessary adjustments and deployment.

We believe that it serves the interests of China and India to resolve this incident peacefully via diplomatic means. It also demonstrates China's sincerity and attitude in preserving regional peace and stability as a responsible major country. The Chinese government values its good neighborly and friendly relations with India. We hope that India could earnestly abide by the border-related historical treaty and basic norms of international law and work with China to ensure peace and stability in the border area on the basis of mutual respect for each other's territorial sovereignty, and to promote the healthy development of bilateral relations.

Q: In Ecuador, a crew of Chinese fishermen were sentenced to jail for illegal fishing in the Galapagos Islands, which was followed by several demonstrations in that country against Chinese fishermen. Ecuador is a very good friend of China. Has the Ministry been in contact with Ecuador?

A: China has noted the relevant situation. We've said many times that the Chinese government opposes all forms of illegal fishing. On the issue of protecting endangered wildlife, the Chinese government adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards illegal trading in endangered wildlife and the products derived from them. The Chinese government always instructs its fishing businesses to operate in accordance with laws and regulations and protect the marine eco-environment. China believes that relevant departments in Ecuador will deal with this case in accordance with law and guarantee the lawful rights and interests of the Chinese personnel and enterprises.

The entire text of the conference has been produced exactly as provided by the Chinese foreign ministry on its website and has not been edited by Firstpost.

With inputs from PTI
Editor's note: It's ironic that 70 years after India became an Independent country and a democracy, the invocation of aazadi evokes bitter conflicts. Whether it is on university campuses or in the midst of the conflict in the Kashmir Valley  both calling for aazadi and challenging that call as anti-national arouses mighty passions. By comparison, swaraj is hardly ever invoked in the public discourse. It almost seems like a historical artefact, a fragment of fading memories of the Freedom Struggle. This is the eleventh and the concluding part of a series titled Swaraj at 70 that seeks to take a closer look at this dichotomy.

Mahesh Sharma describes himself as a technologist with a mission for 'gram-udaya' (rural uplift). In keeping with India's syncretic traditions, he simultaneously embraces the legacies of MK Gandhi, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Ram Manohar Lohia.

Associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from his childhood, the 68-year-old has served as general secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) and was also a member of the National Committee formed by Jayaprakash Narayan during the students' movement of the mid-1970s. After being jailed during the Emergency, Sharma did a PhD on the technology systems of tribal societies from IIT Delhi.

Firstpost spoke to Sharma, who from 1998 to 2004 (during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure) served as chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). He has also worked as the director general of the Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology.

Edited excerpts follow:

In this day and age, what feelings does Swaraj evoke in you?

My understanding of Swaraj starts with that clarion call given by Lokmanya Tilak, 'Swaraj mera janma sidh adhikar hai (Swaraj is my birth right'. And then it extends to what Mahatma Gandhi taught us regarding Swaraj. To me, the feeling today is that the task of Swaraj is still incomplete and unfinished and we need to go much further.

Can you enumerate in what ways we need to go further?

We started on a wrong footing in the Constitution itself. I remember a story narrated by Jayaprakash Narayan that he told Rajendra Prasad (President of Indias Constituent Assembly) that the basic spirit of gram-Swaraj is totally missing from the framework of the Constitution. Basic powers are granted to the bureaucracy but not to the common people or to the gram-sabhas.

We started on a wrong footing and (thus) the present scenario of extreme disparities. How do we explain that one percent of Indias people hold 58 percent of its total wealth? This is higher than the global average of what the one percent holds. Fifty-seven billionaires in India have the same wealth as the bottom 70 percent of the nation. Our democratic foundations have suffered very badly.

In this context, could you say something from the perspective of the legacy of Deendayal Upadhyaya?

Deen Dayalji firstly wanted our leadership, our society to come out of the Western pressure  of both the United States and Europe. We in India have a rich legacy and we have to have our own foundations, our own systems. That calls for strong swadeshi and so far as governance system is concerned it calls for a strong vikendrit raj, or decentralised system.

But even Panchayati Raj waited for almost four decades to be formally recognised. The district administration is still being run autocratically and we (the people) are petitioners, beggars. Democracy at the grassroots has suffered. There has to be direct democracy. Of course, the Centre has to be strong. We can seek inspiration from the Chaukhamba Raj concept (four pillar state of village, district, state and centre) of Lohia and Panchvalayee Shashan (in which Central, District and Panchayat are constitutional tiers while State and Blocks levels are administrative tiers) of Deen Dayalji which are very close to each other.

Deen Dayalji said very emphatically that, 'decentralised agro-industry of rural communities is the backbone of India's economy'. So he advocated that employment has to be the first phase of our planning and only employment can ensure basics at the grassroots  not Delhi or state capitals delivering basic things like food and shelter.

Those have to be ensured at the lowest level and ensured through meaningful productive employment for all. There would be a case for large industries but only to the extent required for defence and production of heavy machinery  not for manufacturing of soap in Mumbai or Ahmedabad or Kanpur.

We are talking a lot about our competition with China these days but we simply forget that in the 1950s and 1960s they focused on agriculture, then they focused on town and village enterprises and only then on special economic zones for exports. In India, we have been on a wrong footing since Jawaharlal Nehru's time.

The farmer community has to be strong, agro-based and forestry-based industries have to be strong  and we have the basis for it even though there has been a lot of turmoil. Our artisan community is today not what it used to be 50 years back. It is losing every day in the markets and there is no way (to solve this) except to follow what Deen Dayalji said.

What are some of the creative energies that you see manifesting today? For example, there is the Swadeshi Jagran Manch...

I have my roots in Sarvodaya and Gandhian work and I am a trained RSS worker. What we are doing today is a big experiment in rural culture called Gram Sankul Yojana inspired by our Gandhian roots and by Deen Dayalji. We are working on eight dimensions  from the environment to energy to education, health care and all aspects of the industry.

Our villages were not just agriculture based, along with that we had a strong industrial base. I have worked with tribal communities that do an excellent job of iron smelting and making different kinds of tools. Having been chairman of KVIC, I have seen how strong Khadi was a hundred years back. The great muslin Khadi of Dacca or parts of Andhra was not because of IITs and Tatas. In Gram Sankul Yojana, we are focusing on artisans coming up as the backbone of the economy.

Do you feel that the larger currents that are flowing in the global and national economy will allow these energies to take root and grow?

Europe and America are not learning even from their own experiences. And our leadership across the political spectrum is still following the same route. The Monteks (Singh Ahluwalia) and (Arvind) Panagariyas (former heads of Planning Commission and the Niti Aayog respectively) trained in the United States and Europe are trying to dictate our policies, that is the problem. It (policies) should come from within, from below.

But there is another issue which Dalit groups are raising strongly. That within the Indian agrarian village life, there are traditional inequities and injustices that are persisting and they fear that a revival of traditional industries will also mean a persistence of those injustices.

I share and appreciate this concern but they originate from a wrong understanding of our society. To me, the inequalities and disparities created by the industrial economy are far worse than what we had earlier. In a typical village, the farming community and the artisan class were interdependent.

This socio political, typically Marxist, understanding of our society is not fair to the realities that existed. I know the Ambedkar-Gandhi debate but who can say that the urban divide between south Delhi and east Delhi is any better... not at all. It was much better in our rural country side, where the farmers and others were interdependent.

One counter argument of the advocates of the modern industrial and globalised system is that these give people a greater sense of individual agency and are therefore more conducive to Swaraj...

That is partly correct but what they have to understand simultaneously is that the typical urban industrial economy is so energy intensive and capital intensive that the capital will dominate. Technology does have many options, where we have choices. But what sort of technology we chose depends on the system of society  an enlightened society chooses technology as per its parameters. So, in a typical rural setup, we have choices and can have a good material life there as well.

Where does the question of women empowerment and gender equality fit into this formulation?

It has to be taken into account through further economic facilities.

Is there a tension at the moment between those segments of the RSS that understand Swaraj in this manner and the government in power?

I am not competent to comment because I am not in RSS leadership nor am I in BJP as such. But my understanding is that the ruling elite in Delhi, whether it is this or that party (is the same). how else do you explain that both Congress and BJP top leadership are involved so much in the IPL (Indian Premier League)?

India has been a diversely plural society in term of identities. How do you see the prospect for Swaraj at a time when ethnic and religious identities seem to be becoming more and more sharply defined? Rather than the tradition of overlapping identities, there are now boxed-in identities. So, how do you see this process of change and how does it connect with our aspiration for Swaraj?

To me, the problem lies with our compartmental thinking about the society. We need to think of the complete personality of the person or the totality of the society in an integral and balanced way instead of looking at caste and class, which is the typical Marxist and materialist thinking of the West.

In India, with Gandhi, Upadhyaya and Lohia as our thought leaders, we have a strong foundation from which we can show the world that there is a better, more sociable way.

Even on the question of identity?

When we look at the society and community in an integral and holistic fashion then, instead of highlighting the differences, we need to stress on the common bonds. That is how Gandhi thought when he set up the Harijan Sevak Sangh (and inspired the establishment of ) the Adim Jati Sevak Sangh. Our approach to the problem will be more like how Gandhi thought about it.

How do we contend with the fact that there are groups in societies, globally, which are determined to convince people of a narrower definition of their identity?

There has always been such a section in the society  for centuries and even today. They have to be accommodated and some solution has to be found out. But they cannot dictate to the whole society on the basis of their sectional agenda. They cant go beyond a limit, there are genuine limits to that.

Given the recent cases of mob lynching, are we becoming a more violent society or are we becoming more conscious of violence?

My limited understanding says that this is not specific to India and this is not specific just to our times. This has been so earlier and in other parts of the world as well. Tribals in Africa and Australia were totally eliminated... and look at how the colonies were set up in America.

What hope do you have for building Swaraj with such a sense of agency and self-empowerment that citizens themselves are able to prevent such (violence) from happening?

As we progress over the next few decades, I am hopeful that 2047 will be much better than 2017 and 2022  that we will learn from our experiences and India will move forward as compared to where we stand today.

Swaraj at 70: The concept of aazadi is no longer enough

Part 1: Past 25 years are a matter of pride, but there's a long way to go, says Baijayant 'Jay' Panda

Part 2: Not being able to disagree without causing upheaval is dangerous, says Sushobha Barve

Part 3: Alternative brand of politics has disappeared from India, says Piyush Mishra

Part 4: Youth can play a significant role in solving farm crisis, says Kavitha Kuruganti

Part 5: For true freedom, we need to end oppression of handouts and subsidies, says Arun Maira

Part 6: People's aspirations are no longer limited by age and class, says Ashni Biyani

Part 7: India needs a more inclusive model of development, says Vijay Mahajan

Part 8: Politicising of human rights issues has pushed liberal discourse into corner, says Kalyani Menon-Sen

Part 9: Technology has the potential to redefine social fabric of India, says Siddharth Sthalekar

Part 10: Food sovereignty should be ultimate goal of democracy, says Jean Dreze
New Delhi: A court in Delhi on Monday extended the NIA custody of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmad Shah Watali, arrested on charge of receiving funds from Pakistan to sponsor terror activities and stone-pelting in Kashmir, for five more days.

During the in-camera proceedings, District Judge Poonam Bamba remanded Watali in National Investigation Agency's custody till 2 September.

Arrested on 17 August, Watali is accused of acting as a conduit for channelling funds for separatists and terror activities in the Kashmir Valley and was presented before court on expiry of an earlier 10-day custody.

He was allegedly collecting funds from Pakistan and banned terrorist organisations and transferring the same to various Hurriyat leaders.

Watali is known to be friends with Pakistani leaders as well as separatists, besides mainstream politicians in Kashmir, the NIA said.

Informed sources said NIA has sought extension of Watali's custody so as to unearth his connection with foreign countries.

The NIA also told the court that it is analysing and scrutinising certain suspicious documents related to properties, bank accounts, financial transactions and names of people who received large cash payments which were seized during the investigation.

The defence opposed the NIA plea, saying that he had joined investigation and was cooperating in the probe.

Meanwhile, the court on Monday has also extended judicial custody of other four Kashmiri separatists  Nayeem Khan, Altaf Ahmad Shah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Bashir Ahmad Bhat alias Peer Saifullah  till 27 September.

They were presented before the court after their 14-day judicial custody expired.

Altaf Ahmad Shah is the son-in-law of Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who advocates Jammu and Kashmir's merger with Pakistan.

In July, the agency arrested seven separatist leaders for their alleged involvement in Pakistan-funded unrest in the Kashmir Valley.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday questioned Naeem and Naseem Geelani, sons of hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in connection with its ongoing probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based terrorist groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir valley.

An NIA official, requesting anonymity, told IANS that the brothers appeared at the NIA headquarters in central Delhi past 10 am.

Besides Geelani's sons, Ghulam Nabi Bhatt, a separatist leader, was also being questioned by the counter-terror agency.

On Saturday, the NIA had summoned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Noor Muhammad Kalwal to appear before it on Monday.

Kalwal, a close aide of JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, was one of the five militants released after the abduction of then home minister Mufti Sayeed's daughter in 1989.

On Thursday and Friday also, the NIA had questioned Geelani's sons for over seven hours.

This is the second time in a fortnight that the counter terror probe agency is grilling Geelani's sons. The agency had asked them to bring certain documents related to financial transactions that have come under its scanner.

Naeem, a doctor by profession, is seen as Geelani's natural heir while Naseem, the younger son, works at an agricultural university in Srinagar.

On Saturday, the NIA also carried out searches at the office of the company owned by Zahoor Watali, who was arrested on 17 August in Srinagar.

During the searches, the NIA recovered several incriminating documents pertaining to Watali's financial transactions.

Watali was arrested from Srinagar, a day after the NIA searched multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley, including the businessman's office and houses of his close relatives.

Watali, a prominent businessman close to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested on charges of acting as a conduit for passing money received from Pakistan to militants, separatists and stone-pelters in the Kashmir Valley.

On 24 July, the agency arrested seven separatist leaders in connection with its probe into terror funding from Pakistan and militant groups based there.

The arrested separatists include Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Shah and Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.

They have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.

The NIA alleges that separatist leaders were receiving money from militant leaders in Pakistan including Hafiz Saeed, who heads the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa and banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Joel Eisenberg and Steve Hillards Council Tree Productions (The Chronicles of Ara, Then Again with Herbie J Pilato) has acquired Greg Wilkeys The Life and Undeath of Mortimer Drake to develop as a weekly one-hour YA series. The deal was shepherded by Mr. Wilkeys publisher and manager, Todd Barselow of Auspicious Apparatus Press, and Forbes West.Mr. Barselow and Forbes are, separately, under contract to Council Tree for their proposed original series, Strange War, an allegory set in the French West Indies during World War II, that explores the conflicts and repercussions of political resistance at the cost of assimilating within a hostile power.Council Tree Productions is jointly-owned by Mr.Eisenberg and Mr. Hillard, the latter owner of Council Tree Investors, a private equity firm responsible for developing, or advising on, several billion dollars in telecom investments, including Telemundo.Says Mr. Eisenberg: We are thrilled to be working with Greg, Todd and Forbes. As one of Council Tree Productions mandates is to discover such bold new voices who may not have the connections necessary to break in to film or television, we look forward to leading the way. Eisenberg credits Ryan Murphy, writer-director of FXs Feud, for a shot of inspiration. Ryan proactively hires women and minorities for his projects when far too many producers turn the other way, he explains. Our doors are open to all, including diverse independent content creators.Mr. Wilkeys Mortimer Drake series focuses on the titular teen who comes to discover the source of his mounting angst: he is the product of a supernatural mixed-marriage. His mother is human and his father is a 925-year-old vampire. Mortimers life is turned upside-down as he struggles with this knowledge, and his own emerging vampiric nature. Further complications ensue when the truth behind the myths and legends of the vampire are unveiled, a gradual discovery that includes all manner of supernatural entity, and Mortimer enters into a centuries old war with his undead brethren.Interview with the Vampire author Anne Rice is a longtime supporter of the Mortimer Drake series. Greg Wilkey is a writer to watch, she wrote. Gregs imagination and storytelling have enchanted fans young and old. I applaud Gregs immense talent and his willingness to go it alone as an indie published author.In his daylight hours, Mr. Wilkey works as an assistant principal at East Side Elementary, in Chattanooga. His nights are reserved for his favorite vampire. When I write, he says, time disappears. My worries, fears, and doubts fade away. He dedicates his collective efforts to his late wife, Alicyn Wilkey, who passed away unexpectedly in 2014.Both The Life and Undeath of Mortimer Drake and Strange War will be developed and packaged in-house with Council Tree Productions, and set for network or streaming pitch meetings in the first quarter of 2018.
Islamabad: Pakistan's leadership has slammed the top US commander in Afghanistan, General John W Nicholson, a day after he claimed that Washington "knows the Afghan Taliban leadership is in Quetta and Peshawar".

Turning the tables, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal told Dawn newspaper that the "Taliban were using Afghanistan as the launch pad for their operations, both inside and outside Pakistan".

He said the Taliban had no need to hide in Pakistan, since they held more than 40 percent of Afghanistan, the daily reported on Monday.

"If they have control over so much land and resources in Afghanistan, it means they have hideouts there, not in Pakistan," Iqbal said.

Nicholson told Kabul's Tolo News on Saturday that Washington was aware of the Afghan Taliban leadership's presence in the two Pakistani cities, adding that the US military would continue to put pressure on Taliban sanctuaries inside and outside Afghanistan.

"The Quetta shura, Peshawar shura  these shuras are identified by cities inside Pakistan. We know Afghan Taliban leaders are in these areas. Support for terrorists and insurgents has to be reduced - (it) has to be stopped," Gen. Nicholson said.

The general's comments elicited a sharp reaction from Islamabad, which has already been fuming over US President Donald Trump's harsh remarks, with government ministers calling upon the US to stop blaming Pakistan for its failure in Afghanistan.

Iqbal said Pakistani authorities had been conducting comprehensive security operations in different parts of the country for four years and had cleared a large area, including North Waziristan.

"Pakistan is fully committed to rooting out terrorism and no other country can match us in terms of the number of sacrifices made in the war on terror," he added.

Separately, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif said the US should refrain from blaming its 16 years of failures in Afghanistan on Pakistan.

"America used Pakistan as its ally, but Pakistan suffered unbearable losses in the war on terror. If the US doesn't trust Pakistan, it should make preparations to repatriate the Afghan refugees Pakistan has been hosting for nearly 35 years," he told Geo News on Sunday.

Asif claimed that over 90 percent of the attacks in Pakistan were carried out from Afghanistan and also said that Afghan soldiers were selling American arms and ammunition to the Taliban, the report said.

Pakistan People's Party spokesperson Farhatullah Babar said that both Trump and Gen. Nicholson's statements indicated that the US wanted to blame all its failed policies on Pakistan.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Shireen Mazari said: "So now General Nicholson targets Pakistan again as ground is being readied for attack on Pakistan. Why are we hosting a middle-rank State Department official?" she tweeted, referring to the planned visit of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells.

The visit was postponed at Islamabad's request.
Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda and its chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh turned violent after Singh was found guilty of rape by a CBI court in Panchkula on Friday. The sect that boasts of over 60 million followers worldwide spread violence in Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. They set vehicles on fire, attacked security personnel and media persons. It is believed that a fire engine carrying petrol in its tanks was part of the 150 car cavalcade that accompanied Singh from Sirsa to Panchkula. Police has also seized rifles, pistols and narcotics from the cars.

According to media reports 38 people have been killed and around 250 injured. But the Home Ministry in a statement today said 35 people have been killed and 204 injured

Singh's sentence will be delivered today by a court in Rohtak.

With video inputs from Yogesh Bhardwaj of 101 Reporters and AFP.
Chennai: Amid the continued rebellion by 21 MLAs loyal to sidelined party deputy chief TTV Dhinakaran, a meeting of the AIADMK (Amma), headed by Tamil Nadu chief minister K Palaniswamy, on Monday decided to convene the party's general council, where a decision to remove jailed party general secretary VK Sasikala from the post could be taken. According to The Hindu, the general council and executive meeting will take place on 12 September as per a media release.

The media release stated that the meeting will be held at Sri Varu Venkatachalapathy Palace Mahal in Vanagaram in Chennai.

Monday's meeting, which some of the party MLAs and MPs did not attend, also discussed the validity of the appointments made by Sasikala before going to jail in the Rs 66.6 crore disproportionate assets case, AIADMK sources said.

Steps would be taken to consider removing Sasikala as the chief of the party at the meeting of the general council, the apex body of the AIADMK, they added.

Sasikala was appointed the interim general secretary of the party by the general council at a meeting held on 29 December last year, days after the demise of late chief minister and party supremo J Jayalalithaa.

Earlier, on 20 August, when the two factions of the AIADMK, led respectively by Palaniswamy and current deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, merged, party MP R Vaithilingam had said steps would be taken to sack Sasikala from the party, a demand raised by the Panneerselvam faction for the unification.

Monday's meeting, convened by Palaniswamy and attended by senior party functionaries, ministers, MPs and MLAs, also discussed Dhinakaran's recent shuffling of the party ranks, the sources said.

Dhinakaran had on Sunday removed Palaniswamy as the party's Salem (Suburban) district secretary, besides sacking some other ministers from party posts.

Asked about the absence of certain MLAs and MPs from Monday's meeting, the sources said some of the MPs were members of parliamentary standing committees and hence, could be in other states as part of their work.

They though claimed that most of the MLAs were present.

It was not immediately clear as to how many MLAs and MPs attended the Monday meeting, chaired by the chief minister, to discuss the way forward to tackle the crisis in the ruling party of Tamil Nadu.

The AIADMK has 134 MLAs in the 234-member state Assembly with one vacancy.

Currently, 21 AIADMK MLAs have sided with Dhinakaran and are camping at the neighbouring union territory of Puducherry after meeting Tamil Nadu governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and expressing lack of confidence in the chief minister.

Monday's meeting also dwelled upon "retrieving" AIADMK mouthpiece 'Namathu Dr MGR' and news channel 'Jaya TV', both of which have been publishing and airing anti-state government reports, following the tussle between Dhinakaran and Palaniswamy.

With inputs from PTI
Chennai: Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran on Monday removed electricity minister P Thangamani from the post of the party's Namakkal district secretary.

He replaced him with S Anbazhagan.

The post of district secretary is an important one in the Dravidian parties' hierarchy.

Dhinakaran, engaged in a bitter tussle for power with chief minister K Palaniswami, had on Sunday removed the latter from a party post.

The combative Dhinakaran has already removed a number of ministers and other functionaries from various positions in the AIADMK and gave them to his supporters.

He has effected a number of changes in the party structure since the merger of the factions led by Palaniswami and former chief minister O Panneerselvam on 21 August.

After the merger, it was announced that steps would be taken to expel jailed AIADMK general secretary and Dhinakaran's aunt VK Sasikala from the party.

Dhinakaran had on Saturday removed government chief whip S Rajendran from the post of the party's Ariyalur district secretary days after he wrote to Assembly speaker P Dhanapal seeking action against 19 MLAs loyal to him.

The MLAs had last week met governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and expressed their lack of confidence in Palaniswami, triggering demands by Opposition parties, including the DMK, for a direction to the chief minister to prove his majority in the

Assembly.
Chennai: Unfazed by the attack from Chief Minister K Palaniswami's camp, who questioned the validity of several appointments made by him, sidelined AIADMK (Amma) deputy chief TTV Dhinakaran today continued to reshuffle party ranks.

The combative Dhinakaran removed a number of senior party functionaries, including senior ministers, from various posts. Among others, Dhinakaran sacked senior cabinet ministers P Thangamani and SP Velumani as district secretaries of Namakkal and Coimbatore (suburban), respectively. He also removed their colleague M Natarajan as the district secretary of Tiruchirapally City unit.

Further, Dhinakaran sacked Tiruchirappally (suburban) Secretary T Rathinavel, MP. Tiruchirapally City and Tiruchirapally suburban units will henceforth function as Tiruchirapally City, North and South districts, he added. Thangamani and Velumani, besides former Ministers V Murthy, T K M Chinnaiah, BV Ramana and Mukkur N Subramanian were also removed by Dhinakaran as AIADMK Organisation Secretary.

Further, Tirupur City district secretary and former Minister MSM Anandan was also booted out. He was replaced by former MP C Sivasamy.

Dhinakaran also removed MPs KR Arjunan and SR Vijayakumar as secretaries of Nilgiris and students's wing secretaries.

He also announced reshuffling of various other party units. All the changes were being made with the approval of party chief VK Sasikala, he said in a statement. Earlier in the day, thePalaniswami camp had hit out at Dhinakaran, saying he had been removed as Deputy General Secretary on August 10 itself and that the sackings and appointments made by him were not valid.

Dhinakaran had "no authority or qualification" to remove those appointed by late AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa from party posts and his announcements in this regard were not binding on party affairs, a resolution adopted at the meeting said.

The meeting, among others, had also decided to convene the party's General Council, which could possibly take a call on removing Sasikala from the AIADMK.
New Delhi: Ruling parties on Monday won the assembly bypolls with the BJP retaining both seats in Goa while AAP retained the Bawana seat in Delhi by defeating the BJP by a huge margin and the TDP snatching the Nandyal seat from YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh.

In Goa, where BJP retained power in the assembly earlier this year, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar won from Panaji with a margin of 4,803 votes while Health Minister Vishwajit Rane won the Valpoi seat with a margin of 10,066 votes. Parrikar, who was defence minister at the Centre, was dispatched to Goa amidst government formation in the state. Parrikar said he would resign his seat in the Rajya Sabha shortly.

Winning the seat for the sixth time from Panaji, Parrikar polled 9,862 votes beating his nearest rival Congress' Girish Chodankar, who netted 5,059 votes. Anand Shirodkar of the Goa Suraksha Manch came a distant third with 220 votes.

In Valpoi, the winning BJP candidate Rane got 16,167 votes, while his rival from the Congress, Roy Naik netted 6,101 votes.

"I was expecting to win," Parrikar told reporters after the victory.

Chodankar said he may have lost the polls, but he was touched by the manner in which Panaji voters had interacted with him.

Nearly 75 percent voting was recorded during the 23 August bypolls in Goa.

The bypoll in Panaji was necessitated by the resignation of sitting BJP MLA Sidarth Kuncolienkar to enable Parrikar contest the seat as required under law to become an MLA in six months of taking over as chief minister.

In Valpoi, the bypoll was held following the resignation of Rane as a Congress MLA. He subsequently joined the BJP and joined the cabinet as Health Minister.

In Delhi, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) retained the Bawana seat by winning the bypoll with a margin of over 24,000 votes, defeating former party legislator Ved Prakash, who had defected to the BJP amd resigned the seat causing the by election.

AAP candidate Ram Chandra got 59,886 votes against 35,834 votes of the BJP's Ved Prakash. Congress candidate Surender Kumar finished third with 31,919 votes.

The AAP candidate received 45.39 percent of the total votes cast, while the BJP and Congress candidates got 27.16 and 24.19 percent of the remaining votes.

Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) snatched the Nandyal Assembly seat by defeating YSR candidate with a huge margin.

TDP's Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy defeated his nearest rival Silpa Mohan Reddy of YSR Congress party by over 27,000 votes. Brahmananda Reddy polled 97,076 votes while Silpa Mohan Reddy secured 69,610 votes. The Congress finished far behind with just 1,382 votes.

In what was considered a prestige battle for both the parties, Brahmananda Reddy took the lead from the very first round of counting. Except in the 16th round, the TDP candidate maintained the majority till the completion of counting in 19 rounds.

About 80 percent of the 2.16 lakh voters had cast their votes in the bypoll held on 23 August.

In 2014, Bhuma Nagi Reddy of the YSR Congress had won the seat by a majority of just 3,604 votes over Silpa Mohan Reddy, who had then contested as a TDP candidate. Nagi Reddy, who crossed over to the TDP last year, died in April, causing the vacancy.
For the past couple of years, the National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) had been trying to nudge the central government towards relaxing the annual income bar for OBC reservations from Rs six lakh to Rs 10.5 lakh and to split the 27 percent OBC quota into sub-quotas, namely backward, more backward and extremely backward, so that the relatively powerful castes among the OBCs don't corner all the benefits.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 23 August, agreed to meet both the demands. It decided to raise the ceiling of the "creamy layer"  annual income bar for quota  from Rs six to Rs eight lakh (but not Rs 10.5 lakh, as the commission had suggested). It also gave the go-ahead to set up a Commission under article 340 of the Constitution, to examine the issue of sub-categorisation of the OBCs.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah hailed his party's decision to raise the ceiling. "A big section of backward classes will now benefit from reservation and other schemes," he said in a statement. On sub-categorisation, he tweeted:

                       Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 23, 2017

Modi government's decision to give priority to extremely backward castes in reservation and other schemes by the provision of sub-categorisation is a just initiative. "Castes" and not "extremely backward" being the keyword here. If the latter was truly a concern, the government wouldn't have hiked the income ceiling.

The real purpose of increasing "creamy layer"

The new 'creamy layer' ceiling makes one wonder: Is this not a mockery of social justice? The annual income of Rs eight lakh means that the person would be in a tax paying bracket of 20 percent. Last year's data shows that about 20 lakh individuals earn between Rs 5.5 to 9.5 lakh. Clearly, they are relatively affluent and do not need reservation. So what gives?

Here is why: Sub-categorisation of the OBC quota wouldn't succeed without raising the income ceiling. This was perhaps the main reason that NCBC wanted the government to implement both its suggestions together "because of their strong inter-linkage in ensuring social justice for weaker sections among backwards."

Ensuring social justice for weaker sections among backwards, however, is not the overarching concern behind raising the ceiling. The Rs 10.5 lakh income ceiling, as suggested by NCBC, was found to be too conservative by the parliamentary committee on welfare of OBCs because the share of OBCs in central government jobs remained less than 27 percent. Hence, it recommended raising the creamy layer criteria to Rs 20 lakh.

Justice V Eswaraiah, who heads NCBC, wrote a letter to the ministry of social justice and said, "In spite of three revisions of income criteria, the 27 percent vacancies reserved for OBCs have not been filled up because of the elimination of OBCs having income above the prescribed income limit."

If the current setup  under which relatively stronger OBCs like Yadavs, Kurmis, Meenas etc are supposedly cornering majority of the 27 percent quota  has failed to ensure them 27 percent share in central jobs, sub-categorisation would further make it difficult unless the income ceiling is raised.

Let's assume that the government were to split the 27 percent quota into three categories of nine percent each. In that case, stronger OBCs would easily fill their quotas but more backward and extremely backward ones would find it hard to do so. Hence, a raise in the ceiling.

Two things are clear from this: First, the system is not about providing social justice but to somehow make sure that OBCs' share in central jobs become 27 percent. Second, the idea is not to give priority to extremely backward but to the affluent among the extremely backward castes.

Sub-categorisation is BJP's panacea

The 'creamy layer', which was fixed at Rs one lakh in 1993, has been revised three times so far  to Rs 2.5 lakh in 2004, to Rs 4.5 lakh in 2008 and to Rs six lakh in 2013. But OBCs still remain underrepresented, according to NCBC. Only time will tell whether the latest revision makes things better.

However, one thing is certain: It will rile up some strong castes like Jats, Marathas and Patels, who lie outside the ambit of quota system but are trying to get inside. Their movements are likely to get stronger in the coming months.

Interestingly, the BJP's politics doesn't revolve around these dominant castes. Far from it. In Haryana, it champions non-Jat politics which has become more entrenched after statewide riots last year. In Maharashtra, it has appointed a Brahmin as the chief minister though the relationship between Marathas and the BJP is not caustic, as is the case with Jats in Haryana.

In Gujarat too, instead of going with Nitinbhai Patel, the party chose Vijay Rupani as the chief minister. The party swept Uttar Pradesh by consolidating the support of non-Yadav OBCs and non-Jatav Dalits and appointed a casteless Yogi Adityanath as the chief minister. Similarly, a non-tribal leader Raghubar Das leads Jharkhand.

This doesn't mean that the party won't woo castes like Jats, Marathas or Patels. Their respective state governments have already given them reservations only to be struck down by courts later. However, with the new OBC commission on the verge of formation, these castes will be able to jump on the reservation bandwagon.

Under the proposed commission, which will be a constitutional body, the Parliament can pass a law declaring a caste backward. It is highly unlikely that the Opposition would oppose an inclusion of the aforementioned castes. Many have already voiced their support.

However, the real opposition to their inclusion came from other OBCs, who felt that they would corner all the quota benefits. BJP was also feeling the heat as these castes comprised its vote-bank. It was finding it hard to balance the two. But not anymore. With sub-categorisation of OBC quota, even if Jats, Maratha and Patels are included, they would be competing with only stronger castes like Yadavs, Kurmis, Meenas, Gurjars, etc.

Sub-categorisation coupled with new OBC commission is BJP's Mandal, a political panacea that will deal a fatal blow to the Opposition, especially parties like Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party and Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The BJP, it seems, is out-Mandaling the champions of the Mandal movement. And it is doing so on a national scale, which makes it that more powerful.
New Delhi: Leaders from various political parties on Monday welcomed the 20-year prison term given to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh even as some Opposition leaders lashed out at the Haryana government for the violence that preceded the pronouncement of the sentence.

"We have seen this callous insensitivity, coupled with the mulish obstinacy in the face of the most unprecedented structures in the high court of the state. In any responsible sensitive form of governance, comments, not strictures of far less severity than we have heard in Haryana would have led to apologies, resignations and complete unconditional acceptance. Here it has had the opposite effect, that's the interesting part of it" said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

"Because of worldwide condemnation, because of the high court strictures, because of our comments calling for the resignation, the reverse has happened, there is a hardening of positions," he said.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the law of the land must be implemented, but expressed concerns over the violence after the court on 25 August held Ram Rahim guilty of rape.

"It is strange that despite the high court's directions, no stringent measures were taken to ensure there was no violence," he said.

The verdict on Friday had led to widespread violence in Punjab, Haryana, parts of Uttar Pradesh and even Delhi leading to the deaths of more than 30 people.

"The law has taken its course. It is a verdict on the charges of serious nature. One should respect the verdict. Somebody must be held responsible for the violence which preceded the verdict. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar should have resigned by this time. His position has become untenable and he must quit," said CPI national secretary D Raja.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the court has found Ram Rahim guilty and sentenced him.

"There is nothing for us to say other than asking people to maintain peace," he said.

"There is curfew in one or two places in Punjab and we have left it to the district administration to decide in a day or two when the time is right to lift the curfew," he added.

Both Haryana and Punjab are on high alert with elaborate security arrangements in place. Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh passed the sentence in a makeshift court in the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, had been lodged since his conviction.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that Ram Rahim's conviction was a message that no one is too big to be prosecuted.

He also said that it was unlikely that Rahim's 10-year term would be reduced on appeal. This was before the CBI court clarified the Ram Rahim has to serve two 10-year sentences in two rape cases thus making it 20 years in jail.

Swamy also lauded the CBI judge, who he said wasn't "cowered" by the magnitude of the case.

"I think it is a major victory after the triple talaq verdict and is a message for women's safety. Ultimately the public reaction was so strong that the government also had to move in," he said.

"We want to demonstrate that no matter how high you are the law is above you and we have seen victory of the law both in sessions court and in the high court. Now let him appeal and I don't think he will get any relief, he has to serve 10 years."

Swamy, however, said that in terms of "quantum of lawlessness" both Punjab and Haryana were equal, but as a BJP ruled state, it was the latter that faced the brunt of the criticisms.

Click here to follow LIVE updates
tech2 News Staff

The next generation iPhone or the iPhone 8 is rumored to be unveiled on 12 September. A number of new features have been speculated to arrive on the new iPhone including a bezel-less display and 3D face recognition in addition to wireless charging.

According to rumors, the iPhone will sport a glass back rather than a metal body design which will enable wireless charging. Japanese tech blog MacOtakara claims that the iPhone will, in fact, have a 1.2 standard Qi wireless charging made by Wireless Power consortium. However, the blog claims that the iPhone 8 will employ a 7.5W (5V/1.5A) wireless charging option rather than a faster 15W wireless charging option.

The iPhone 8 is speculated to pack a 3,000 mAh battery which means that using 7.5 W wireless charger may not power the phone quickly. Users may have to fall back to wired charging to ensure faster-charging speeds. The blog has also speculated that Apple may employ an MFi chip which means that wireless charging Qi pad by other companies may not work on the new iPhone. MFi (Made for iPod) is a licensing program for developers to build hardware and software accessories that are compatible with the iPhone, iPad or iPod.

As per previous reports, Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 8 along with iPhone 7s and 7s Plus. iPhone 8 is expected come in 64 GB and 256 GB storage variants. However, another leak on Chinese micro-blogging website Weibo suggests that Apple will also launch a 512 GB storage variant for the iPhone 8.
Cleveland State Ambassadors ready to give tours to incoming freshmen at Saturdays Freshmen Connection The Baptist Collegiate Ministries gave out free Cup O Noodles, the college staple food, to each participant at the Connection Each student was required to attend a career community session according to their area of interest. Pictured: Dr. Mitchell Rhea, Dean of Math and Science, welcomes the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) career community to campus. Previous Next

Cleveland State hosted its seventh annual Freshmen Connection on Saturday.

First-time freshmen and their family and friends were invited to take advantage of this day devoted entirely to new freshmen.

Students were encouraged to take a tour of campus, purchase books, and visit the academic and resource fair in the L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium.
tech2 News Staff

Apple's second phase for manufacturing iPhones in India is still pending approvals and tax exemptions from the government according to a report in Mint.

The report claims that if Wistron Corp, Apple's manufacturing partner in India, doesn't find the Indian governments proposition financially viable, then Apple may discontinue phase one in the country.

Phase one of Apple's plan of manufacturing in India was the assembling of iPhone SE in Bengaluru. Apple had begun talks with the Indian government since May 2016 for producing Apple products in India. According to Reuters, Apple (though not disclosing exact numbers) said the sales revenue in India had increased by strong double digits" in the latest quarter. This comes at a time when Apple sales in China have declined by as much as 14 percent.

Both Apple and Wistron have not officially commented on the matter of the second phase of iPhone assembling in India.

Earlier this month, Apple's demands for a custom duty rebate on imported equipment for making iPhones in India had been rejected by the government. According to written reply to the Lok Sabha, commerce and industry minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said that "requests regarding rebates were examined and not accepted."

Apple India had sought concessions, including duty exemptions on manufacturing and repair units, components and capital equipment for smartphones for 15 years. Apple has also been asking for a concession on the 30 per cent compulsory local sourcing of components. The Indian government had earlier in May this year had offered to allow Apple Inc to import mobile handset components intended for use in local manufacturing tax-free.

Apple had also sought a 15 year tax holiday for all imported components, a demand which was rejected. A panel of ministries instead offered concessions on the components that could not be manufactured in India.

Apple had started selling iPhones at select stores in the country that were assembled in India as part of its trial run. The phone officially went on sale on 29 June with the 32 GB variant selling for Rs 27,000 and the 128 GB variant for Rs 37,200.

In its recent quarterly earnings call with investors, Tim Cook had said, "I'm very, very bullish and very, very optimistic about India."
IANS

China and Russia are set to sign a milestone agreement on joint space exploration from 2018 to 2022, the media reported on 28 August.

The deal is expected to be signed in October and will bring significant benefits to both nations, particularly in manned and future missions to the moon, the People's Daily reported.

The bilateral agreement will cover five areas including lunar and deep space exploration, developing special materials, collaboration in the area of satellite systems, Earth remote sensing, and space debris research, according to informed sources.

This is not the first space agreement between China and Russia, but it is the first to cover a partnership spanning five years. China also plans to launch a mission to collect samples from the moon to the Earth, and in 2018 Beijing is expected to launch the first module of its own space station, scheduled to be completed in 2022, reports Efe News.

In 2020, China plans to send a mission to Mars with a robot vehicle for scientific research, and last year inaugurated the world's largest radio telescope, half a kilometre in diameter.

However, China's launch of a new heavy-lift rocket, the Long March-5 Y2, carrying what the government said was its heaviest ever satellite, failed on 2 July. China's space programme has largely operated without many major hitches, though it still has a way to go to catch up with the United States and Russia.
tech2 News Staff

Google has marked the 118th birthday of innovative Chinese American cinematographer James Wong Howe with the help of a Google Doodle. The company has used an oil painting canvas to portray the use of frames and dramatic lighting to convey the innovative camera work that Wong employed in his work. He rose to fame for his filming techniques despite the racial adversity present at that time in the United States.

He was known for minimal camera movement to express emotions in the scene and accidentally discovered how dark backdrops could be used to create color nuances in the black and white film. This meant that he could fine tune the shade of the colours on black and white film to display a wide gradient of black and white to make the scene more dynamic.

In addition to the color nuances, he also pioneered the use of wide-angle lenses, colour lighting, and low-key lighting. Other innovations included the use of a crab dolly, camera dolly with four wheels and a movable arm to support the camera.

Howe retired with two Oscar awards including one of the most celebrated cinematographers of his time to mark his achievements. Despite all the success, he was subjected to racial discrimination.

Google has posted two early concepts for the doodle in addition to the current one where a monochrome oil painting depicts Howe looking on as Google is in the background.
IANS

Iran's minister of telecommunication and information technology said on 27 August that Apple's ban on the Iranian apps will result in the developments of domestic technologies.

Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi described recent decision of Apple Inc to remove Iranian apps from its store in alleged compliance with US economic sanctions as a testimony to Iran's right path and success to develop local start-ups, Tasnim news agency reported, Xinhua reported.

Azari-Jahromi said when an arch enemy like the US places such embargoes on Iranian technologies, Iran should grow investment on domestic technologies.

What the US company did lately attest to Iran's movement in the right direction, he said, adding that "the US never imposes sanctions on our weak points, but does on our strong points."

On 25 August, the Iranian minister said his country would legally sue a recent decision by Apple for removing Iranian apps from its app store.

Apple holds 11 percent share of the Iranian cellphone market, however, it has not observed the Iranian consumer rights, said Azari-Jahromi.

"We will legally sue (the issue of) removing of the apps," he said. Pursuant to the US sanctions, Apple has no official presence in Iran. Millions of Iranians use iPhones smuggled in from different countries and thousands of apps have been created for Iranians in Apple's app store.

On 24 August, Apple removed Snapp, a ride-hailing app similar to Uber that is popular in Iran, from its app stores. That was followed by the removal in recent weeks of apps for food delivery, shopping and other services.

In a message to Iranian developers whose apps were affected by the ban, Apple said, "under the US sanctions regulations, the app store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries."

In January, Apple shut down a number of Iran-based iOS apps from the app store, including online e-commerce service Digikala.

"Since Apple takes a cut of all app store purchases, sales from Iranian apps generate revenue and are thus in violation of US law," Apple said.
tech2 News Staff

LG V30 has been spotted in the wild days before the official launch is set to take place in Berlin. According to a report by Android Headlines, real world image of the upcoming LG V30 was spotted on Weibo. The image shows the device fully powered with the usual LG UI and rounded corners.

One thing to note here that the smartphone is not bezel-less and it still comes with thick bezels. We can see the USB Type-C along with microphone and the speaker grill at the bottom of the smartphone. The front of the device is likely to be 2.5D Gorilla Glass with metal frame around the device.

This picture has leaked days before the official launch event of the device scheduled to take place on 31 August right before IFA 2017 kicks off. This new report comes days after LG has released a new video with the title 'The next V: Immersive sound' on its YouTube channel to tease the audio capabilities of its upcoming V30.

V30 is rumored to sport a dedicated quad digital to audio converter (DAC). This is not the first time when an LG flagship device will sport a dedicated DAC. LG V20 also packed a quad DAC and it managed to reduce about 50 percent of ambient noise.

LG will launch V30 and V30 Plus on 31 August in Germany. The smartphones are expected to be priced at $700 and $875 respectively. These smartphones will release on 15 September in South Korea, which is the same day as the release date of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

LG recently announced that the upcoming phone LG V30 will feature a f/1.6 aperture that helps in low light photography. The LG V30 is also expected to come with a 16 MP primary and 12 MP secondary camera.

As reported earlier, the LG V30 is expected to feature a 5.7-inch OLED bezel-less design display and will be powered by a 3,200 mAh battery. It is expected to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. We're also expecting the devices to come with an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.
Aditya Madanapalle

Well made watches can keep ticking for decades, and keep working even after being exposed to extreme conditions. NASA is prototyping a rover to check if the same technologies can be used for a rover on Venus. The Automaton Rover for Extreme Environments (AREE) program hopes to avoid using electronics completely, so that the rover can continue to beam back observations from one of the most hellish environments in the solar system.

The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Venus can crush most submarines, and the temperature is hot enough to melt lead. Electronics would melt on the surface of Venus, if they are not corroded by the high amount of sulfur in the atmosphere. Jonathan Sauder, a mechanotronics engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) first proposed the clockwork rover in 2015. Sauder says, "Venus is too inhospitable for kind of complex control systems you have on a Mars rover. But with a fully mechanical rover, you might be able to survive as long as a year."

No lander on the Venusian surface has survived for more than a few hours. The Russian Vega and Venera landers were the last man made objects to visit the surface of Venus. To tackle the extreme environment, AREE will have a clockwork computer on board, similar Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, and the Antikythera mechanism, a mysterious object widely believed to be the earliest known mechanical computer.

To traverse the rugged terrain of Venus, AREE will have treads inspired by World War I tanks. In order to communicate with the Earth, the researchers are planning to use another technology considered outdated, morse code. An orbiter can beam down images to the clockwork rover, which can adjust or cover an antenna to reflect back a yes no signal, which can send back information in morse code. The approach shows the continued relevance of clockwork computers, widely considered to be an outdated technology after the advent of electronics.
IANS

US technology firm Nvidia Corporation has continued to block Iranian internet users from accessing its website, the authorities said on Monday.

The software download page of Nvidia.com does not allow Iranian IP addresses to access updated software. The site now says "403  Forbidden", reports Xinhua news agency.

Another Nvidia website, geforce.com, has also blocked Iranian users. That website says "access denied" followed by a message saying "the request was blocked by security rules".

When users contacted the company's online customer service to ask why they were suddenly banned, Nvidia responded that "we regret to inform you that Geforce NOW and Geforce Experience is not available in embargoed nations".

Prior to Tehran's international nuclear deal in 2015, several software companies in the US and Europe blocked Iranians from accessing downloads. Nvidia's measure comes just days after Apple began removing Iranian applications from its iOS application store.

on August 23, Apple removed Snapp, a ride-hailing app similar to Uber that is popular in Iran, from its app stores. it was followed by the removal in recent weeks of apps for food delivery, shopping and other services.

In a message to Iranian developers whose apps were affected by the ban, Apple said: "Under the US sanctions regulations, the app store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries."

In response, Iran's minister of telecommunication and information technology has said that his country would legally sue the decision by Apple for removing the apps.

Apple holds 11 per cent share of the Iranian cellphone market.
tech2 News Staff

Telecom operators across the country will continue to link mobile numbers with Aadhaar numbers for e-KYC verification to ensure that all the details of the subscribers are valid. According to a report by MediaNama, Cellular Operators of India (COAI) issued the statement despite the judgment by Supreme Court regarding the Right to Privacy. COAI went on to add that the telecom operators will continue the practice till the time Department of Telecom issues instructions stating otherwise.

The statement pointed out that the judgment by the Supreme Court will not have any impact on the mandatory practices that have been laid down by the government. This statement comes days after a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court pronounced that Right to Privacy is a fundamental right on Thursday morning. The constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar ruled that "right to privacy is an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 and entire Part III of the Constitution."

The ruling was meant to deal with a batch of petitions that challenged the Centre's move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of various social welfare schemes. While the Centre said that the right to privacy wasn't a fundamental right, the petitioners contended that the commercial use of citizens' biometrics and personal data was a breach of privacy.
tech2 News Staff

Chinese smartphone brands Oppo and Vivo are planning to move their cloud service locations to India.

According to a report by The Economic Times, a senior executive, said, Oppo and Vivo have their cloud services and data server providers like Amazon. They are now asking them to change the location of these clouds to Indian territory.

However, both the leading cloud servers, Amazon and Azure Cloud did not comment whether the Chinese smartphone makers are asking them to change their remote data storage locations to India.

According to ET, Chinese brands are inclined to comply with the government rules before it strikes a deal with the app developers, which has been kept on hold. However, both the Chinese companies refused to comment.

According to previous reports, Chinese brands Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Gionee, collectively account for half of Indias $10 billion market. The recent developments in the Doklam standoff have raised issues over a possible cyberattack from these corners.

Recently at Coolpads launch, CEO James Du said, I believe that there won't be any major conflict and businesses would not be influenced."

However, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has sent notices to 21 smartphone makers which includes Chinese ones as well. They have been asked to share the steps they are taking in order to ensure data security in mobile phone devices.

The companies have been asked to reply to notices by 28 August.
tech2 News Staff

Amid the Doklam standoff issue, Oppo and Vivo, two Chinese smartphone makers have recalled around 400 expats to China, since the two companies have seen a steep fall in sales owing to anti-Chinese sentiment.

As per a report in The Economic Times, there has been a 30 percent decline in the sale of Oppo and Vivo smartphones in July and August. One reason cited is Xiaomi opening up offline stores in India. Another reason is the duration of visas granted to these Chinese nationals which have become shorter due to the standoff.

According to the report, due to buyer resistance in some parts of north India as well as in Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal, both the companies are cutting down on front-office roles for Chinese expats.

The latest CMR India smartphone market share numbers show that Samsung has 18.7 percent share, Xiaomi has 16.2 percent share followed by Vivo at 13.2 percent and Oppo at 9.2 percent share.

A few days ago, China had issued a travel advisory to its citizens living in or considering travelling to India.

Also, there have been talks of local reshuffling in the management at the district level to revive the brands image in the Indian market.

According to an ET source, this reshuffling would give the Indian executives some autonomy to increase sales, which used to be denied to them, previously. Oppo India spokesperson has declined to comment to specific questions on the matter claiming that 2017 has been a great year for Oppo India.

Meanwhile, Oppo and Vivo are also planning to open a cloud service location in India and are willing to comply with the Indian government rules. So much so that they have kept deals with app developers on hold to make their native apps. Fearing a

Fearing a cyber attack and data theft, the government had sent notices to 21 smartphone brands, which included Chinese ones as well. They are to reply to the notices by 28 August.
Star Line Books will host a fifth Tuesday event, "Celebrate Summer With Reading," this Tuesday



This event will feature readings by Deborah Levine, Finn Bille, Ray Zimmerman, and possibly a surprise guest reader.



Bio on readers:

Award-winning author Deborah J. Levine launches her historical memoir, The Liberators Daughter. Rising from their Eastern European Jewish immigrant roots, her family of Swigs, Levines, and Malloys left a legacy of tikkun olam, repairing the world. Estelle and Aaron Levine met as students at Harvard University, fell in love and married during World War II. As a US military intelligence officer, Aaron was deployed to France and Germany. He witnessed the death camps and interrogated Nazi prisoners of war. His letters to Estelle expressed the horrors of the Holocaust while her love letters kept him going. Both were dedicated to Jewish advocacy and education for the rest of their lives. Aaron and Estelle inspired their daughter to dedicate her life to the Jewish community, Holocaust projects, interfaith collaboration, and cross-cultural understanding.



Finn Bille is a poet and storyteller, and writer of stories and articles. His poetry collections are Waking Dream, 1986; Rites of the Earth, 1994; and Fire Poems, 2011. His poems have appeared in several local anthologies, as well as Southern Light: Twelve Contemporary Southern Poets.

His CD, Marzipan: Stories with Music with Rick Davis on the hammered ducimer, contains Finn's performance of his original stories. His articles have appeared in local publications, including The Pulse, and in the national Storytelling magazine. Finn lives with his wife Jeanne in North Chattanooga, rides his bicycle around the city, and paddles his sea kayak on the Tennessee River.



Ray Zimmerman has spent a lifetime observing, photographing, and writing about the natural world. His nonfiction and poetry have appeared in The Hellbender Press (Knoxville), 2nd and Church (Nashville), Photo Traveler (Los Angeles), Legacy: The Journal of Interpretation (Fort Collins), The Avocet (Fountain Hills, AZ), and The Southern Poetry Anthology (Texas Review Press). He lives in Chattanooga, where he works in tourism and spends as much time writing and reading as possible.






Nimish Sawant

A nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court pronounced that right to privacy is a fundamental right in a verdict on 21 August. It was a unanimous decision with all the nine judges in favour of the right to privacy. The constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar ruled that "right to privacy is an intrinsic part of Right to Life and Personal Liberty under Article 21 and entire Part III of the Constitution."

A lot of analysts we have spoken to have said that this decision will go a long way in ensuring stronger data protection laws in India.

The ruling has also raised a lot of questions around Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identification number, which is slowly but surely touching up on a lot of aspects of our lives. The right to privacy judgement does not directly talk about the Aadhaar privacy debates as they are being dealt with by a separate five-judge bench, which has been hearing petitions since 2015.

Aadhaar identity was initially only mandatory for availing benefits of government schemes such as the public distribution system, direct transfer of subsidies and so on. But over the last couple of years, that ambit has extended to services such as filing for tax returns, operating bank accounts, vehicle registrations in certain states and so on. This has led to a lot of petitions being filed with the Supreme Court on the aspect of violation of privacy.

According to Raju Rajagopal, Aadhaar does not violate your privacy in the current format. Rajagopal was associated with the unique identification authority of India (UIDAI) and led its early outreach initiatives with civil society groups. "Aadhaar Act already goes out of its way to accommodate some of the key aspects of privacy in it. Unless governments are trying to mandate Aadhaar for services that are not essential government services, then maybe there is a case for concern," says Rajagopal.

The ruling will certainly give an advantage to the critics of Aadhaar, who have filed petitions in the courts, citing privacy concerns.

"I don't think the fundamental services for which Aadhaar is required, such as subsidies, will be affected much by the ruling. Smaller Supreme Court benches have already recognised the public good that Aadhaar does, for example, with PDS, MNREGA, direct transfer of subsidies and so on," points out Rajagopal.

In its ruling, the SC bench has made it clear that the reasonable restrictions will remain despite the ruling. The term is open to interpretation and should definitely lead to healthy debates as to what constitutes as reasonable.

Prashant Bhushan, who is a party to the case, said that this decision by the Supreme Court is a setback for the government. "Any law which is made to restrict this fundamental right will have to be examined keeping Article 21 in mind. For example, if the government tomorrow says that your Aadhaar card will be required for your travel and income tax filings, that will be an unreasonable restriction," he told Firstpost.

Rajagopal feels that the government will have to prove that any service they link with Aadhaar serves the public good, thereby justifying the reasonable restriction caveat.

"There will certainly be challenges, but the government is well prepared to face them. Sure, it will make life difficult. But it provides a greater impetus for the formation of a data privacy law that goes beyond Aadhaar. Right now Aadhaar is the only law that is based around privacy principles in a very clear manner. But Aadhaar is just one aspect of privacy, there has to be a more comprehensive privacy law covering other aspects as well," says Rajagopal.

There is no doubt that the right to privacy ruling would accelerate the process of coming up with a data protection and data privacy laws for the country. In fact, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has claimed that India will get a data protection bill by the end of the year.

"My only hope is that the government involves a wide range of opinions and involve multiple stakeholders during the formation of the privacy laws. This will help in minimising challenges going forward. This ruling urges the government to come up with strong data protection laws," says Rajagopal.
tech2 News Staff

It has been more than two months since Uber's former CEO Travis Kalanick had resigned after being forced to step down by five of Uber's major investors. However, the search for his replacement as the head of the $70 billion company has been finally concluded. According to The New York Times (NYT), the next CEO for Uber is going to be Expedia's chief Dara Khosrowshahi.

The report claims that Khosrowshahi was the leading candidate among three finalists who had been scrutinised by the Uber board over meetings during the weekend. One of the finalists Jeffrey R Immelt who is the ex-CEO of General Electric had withdrawn from the candidacy as it became apparent that he was not getting the required support, claimed NYT.

HP CEO Meg Whitman was the other strong contender. However, she and the Uber board of directors could not agree to the terms of taking over the mantle of Uber's CEO and thus the board was left with the third candidate which was Dara Khosrowshahi.

Khosrowshahi is the CEO of Expedia which is online travel company and has previously been a board member of the The New York Times company and has previous work experience with InterActive Corp.

It has been a tough year for Uber after being embroiled in problems such as a sexual assault scandal, lawsuits filed by Waymo over intellectual property and allegations that it used a phony version of its app to thwart authorities in cities where it was operating illegally.

In the month of August, its services were banned in the Philippines. Matters got worse after major Uber investor Benchmark Capital filed a lawsuit against Travis Kalanick after the latter had allegedly tried to oust Benchmark's seat from the board.

It remains to be seen how Dara Khosrowshahi manages the situation at the world's largest cab-hailing company.
Reuters

A consortium led by Western Digital Corp is close to an agreement to buy Toshiba Corps $17.4 billion chip business, with the US firms CEO in Tokyo to finalize the long and contentious talks, a person familiar with the matter said.

The consortium and Toshiba aim to announce a deal on Thursday when the board of the embattled Japanese conglomerate is due to meet, separate people familiar with the matter also said.

A deal would mark an end to months of uncertainty for Toshiba, which is scrambling to sell its flash memory unit - the worlds No. 2 producer of NAND chips - to cover billions in losses at its bankrupt US nuclear business Westinghouse.

It would also be a remarkable victory for Western Digital, Toshibas joint venture partner for its chip business, after relations with the Japanese firm frayed to point where other bidders were chosen first and the US firm initiated legal action that threatened to derail any deal.

Sources declined to be identified as the discussions were private.

Western Digital, Toshiba and a state-backed fund, the Innovation Network of Japan, which is a member of the consortium declined to comment. Representatives for US private equity firm KKR & Co and the Development Bank of Japan, also members, were not immediately available for comment.

While Western Digital is very much in the drivers seat in talks, it has made several key concessions to secure a deal that Toshiba is willing to accept and that will keep the unit out of the hands of rival chip firms, sources have said.

Its financial participation in the deal is limited to 150 billion yen ($1.4 billion) through convertible bonds, and its stake will be no more than a third when those bonds are converted, they said. A stake of more than a third would allow Western Digital to veto board decisions.

The US firm will also not seek a management role, they said.

Other members of group, which is offering 1.9 trillion yen ($17.4 billion), will include the Innovation Network Corp of Japan and the Development Bank of Japan as well as KKR, with each putting up 300 billion yen, they said. Japanese banks and companies will also provide financing.

But it remains to be seen if a deal will be concluded by Thursday. Some senior executives at Toshiba Memory have threatened to quit if a deal with Western Digital is struck, sources say.

Both sides, however, have reason to cooperate.

Toshiba wants to close the sale by the end of the financial year in March to ensure it is not in negative net worth, where its liabilities exceed assets, for the second year running. This could result in a delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Given regulatory approvals could take more than six months, Toshiba has been hoping to reach a deal by the end of the month to ensure it can close the sale in time.

For its part, Western Digital is eager to keep investing in their joint venture to keep up with industry leader Samsung Electronics, which recently announced 20.4 trillion won ($18.2 billion) of new investments into NAND production lines.

The US firm, which has taken legal action against Toshiba arguing that any deal will need its consent, only appeared to gain the upper hand in talks over the past month.

Before that, Toshiba had picked a consortium of Japanese government-backed funds, US private equity firm Bain Capital LP and South Korean chip maker SK Hynix Inc as its preferred bidder.

Shares in Toshiba ended trade on Monday up 0.6 percent. It has lost around 30 percent in market value since late last year when the company flagged that its Westinghouse division was facing billions in losses.
Lupin warns of more pricing pressure as fourth-quarter profit halves | Reuters By Zeba Siddiqui | MUMBAI MUMBAI Indian drugmaker Lupin Ltd expects to launch over 30 products in the United States this year, but warned revenue growth would remain muted due to growing pricing pressure and competition in the world's largest healthcare market."We've talked about medium single digits of price erosion in the past and I think we are now (seeing) high single digits," Managing Director Nilesh Gupta told Reuters after Lupin reported a quarterly profit that halved from a year earlier.The country's third-largest drugmaker has been working on building a pipeline of high-value complex generic drugs in the United States to offset growing competition in plain generics. But a consolidation among drug distributors has hit generic companies' ability to negotiate on prices, and price hikes have also become harder to justify amid regulatory scrutiny."Competition is increasing and (distributors) are getting more powerful than ever before," Gupta said. The company expects to launch more than 30 drugs this year, most of which would be small to medium-sized opportunities, with bigger, more lucrative launches planned for 2019, he added
Houston: Widespread flooding unleashed by deadly storm Harvey left Houston  the fourth-largest US city  increasingly isolated Monday, with airports and highways closed and residents being rescued from their inundated homes by boat and helicopter.

The city's two main airports suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station also was knocked off the air.

At least three people have been killed so far, with reports of other fatalities still unconfirmed.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) called the flooding "unprecedented" and said the storm, which crashed ashore late Friday as a huge Category 4 hurricane, would move into the Gulf before doubling back midweek, bringing even more rain.

The storm on early Monday remained almost stationary, inching towards the southeast at just three miles (six kilometers) per hour, the NHC said in its 0900 GMT bulletin.

President Donald Trump, who had said he did not want to disrupt emergency efforts with a visit, plans to go to the disaster zone on Tuesday.

Roads completely submerged

Rising waters from Harvey inundated roads throughout the Houston area, affecting every major freeway and hamstringing efforts to move people to safety.

"It's crazy to see the roads you're driving on every day just completely under water," Houston resident John Travis told AFP.

Overwhelmed emergency services warned residents to head for high ground or climb onto rooftops  not into attics  so they could be seen by rescue helicopters. More than 2,000 rescues had been made so far.

Emergency 911 operators in Houston received 56,000 calls in a 15-hour span - seven times more than in a usual full day.

"We are going on fumes and our hearts ache for community we serve, but we will not stop!" said Houston police chief Art Acevedo.

Texas governor Greg Abbott warned the operation was far from over, given the foreboding forecasts.

"The number of evacuees is increasing. The number in harm's way will increase also with the rain that is forecast to come," Abbott said, adding that the storm had already inflicted billions of dollars in damage.

Houston mayor Sylvester Turner dismissed the idea that evacuations should have been ordered sooner.

"You issue an evacuation order and put everybody on the highway - you really are asking for a major calamity," Turner told reporters.

Houston proper has a population of 2.3 million people, but the greater metropolitan area has more than six million.

'Life and safety'

"The focus must be on life and safety," Trump wrote in a series of tweets about the disaster, his first major domestic challenge since taking office in January.

At least three deaths have been blamed on Harvey, which has spawned tornadoes and lashed east and central Texas with torrential rains.

"The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," the National Weather Service said.

The NWS said that between 1 June and Sunday, Houston received 46 inches (117 centimeters) of rain. "Annual average rainfall is 49.77... Almost a yr of rain in 3 months," it wrote on Twitter.

Houston opened community centers to shelter people forced out of their homes.

"Even if there's a lull today, don't assume the storm is over," Turner said.

'I might have left sooner'

The National Weather Service said more than two feet (60 centimeters) of rain fell in Houston and nearby Galveston in a 24-hour period. Another 20 inches were expected.

Flooding was expected to worsen as Harvey, the most powerful storm to hit the United States mainland since 2005, lingers over the area.

Harvey ripped off roofs, flipped mobile homes and left hundreds of thousands of people in the dark on the Gulf Coast, home to some of the country's most important oil refineries.

Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby International, the city's two airports, also stopped all commercial flights. However the hard-hit city of Corpus Christi reopened its airport Sunday afternoon.

Thousands of National Guard troops joined local police and emergency workers to help with rescues in inundated areas of Houston.

Boats also were being deployed, but more were needed - Harris County Judge Ed Emmett appealed to residents to use their own vessels.

"I'm not even thinking about myself right now," Bryan Curtis, who came to Houston with his jet ski to rescue people, told AFP. "I'm here to help, I want to do my part."

'Landmark' disaster

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said there should be no illusions about the long-term impact.

"This disaster will be a landmark event," FEMA director Brock Long told CNN, adding it would take "years" to recover.

Coastal Texas is home to a large number of oil refineries and a number of major ports.

ExxonMobil said Sunday it had closed its massive Baytown refining complex - the second-largest in the country.

US authorities said about 22 percent of crude production in the Gulf of Mexico, accounting for more than 375,000 barrels a day, was shut down.

But Abbott said the oil industry was well prepared.

"They have the ability to ratchet up back up there quickly," he said on Fox News on Sunday, predicting a "one- or two-week downturn."

US neighbors Mexico and Canada offered solidarity and aid.

Mexico's foreign ministry said it offered help to deal with Harvey, "as good neighbors should always do in trying times."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted that Canadians "are keeping the people of Texas in our thoughts - we're ready to offer any assistance needed to help recover from this disaster."
A top US official's visit to Islamabad has been postponed at the request of the Pakistan government amid anti-American protests in Karachi, according to media reports.

Pakistan's Dawn daily on Sunday quoted US Embassy spokesman Rick Sinelsine as saying that the trip by Alice Wells, the Acting Assistant Secretary of State in-charge of South and Central Asia, was "postponed until a mutually convenient time" at the request of the Pakistani government.

Wells would have been the first high-level official to visit Pakistan after Donald Trump last week issued the bluntest warning so far by a US President that "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists".

Samaa TV reported that police baton-charged and tear-gassed a protest rally by Imamia Student Organisation (ISO) in Karachi on Sunday "to condemn recent US allegations on Pakistan" as it tried to move towards the American consulate in the port city.

Wells, was slated to meet government and civil society leaders in Pakistan during the visit that was to begin on Monday.

According to the US State Department, Wells was also scheduled to visit Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The News International characterised Islamabad's demand to postpone the visit as an act of defiance.

"It is not often that the Pakistani government has shown spine in the face of threats from Washington and by telling the State Department that officials concerned are not available, a clear message has gone through that enough is enough," it wrote.

The Daily Times reported that Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters in Sialkot that the Taliban were the problem of the US and Afghanistan and not of Pakistan.

"If the US doesn't trust us, it should repatriate Afghan immigrants in Pakistan itself," the daily quoted him as saying.

Pakistani media reported that China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi "reaffirmed its continuing support to Pakistan and vowed to further strengthen strategic friendship with it" during a meeting with Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua in Beijing.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa met with General Li Zuocheng, Chief of Staff of China's People's Liberation Army, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Radio Pakistan reported.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Quadrilateral Counter Terrorism Coordination Mechanism (QCCM) meeting.
Beijing: Downplaying India's announcement of a mutual agreement to disengage in Doka La, China claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area and said India had withdrawn its troops on Monday.

China also remained silent on its plans to build a road, which sparked the prolonged standoff in the Doka La area near Sikkim, and said it would "make adjustments" with the situation on the ground.

As the Indian statement on mutual "expeditious disengagement went viral on social media and among Chinese journalists, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel impressions of a climbdown by Beijing.

On the afternoon on 28th August, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary, she said.

Chinese personnel on the ground have verified this. The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions," she said, stonewalling questions about Indias announcement of mutual disengagement of troops.

The Chinese side, Hua added, continues to patrol the Doka La area.

She also declined to go into questions on whether there was any mutual understanding between the two countries to resolve the standoff.

However, after repeated questions, she said, I can tell you that China will make adjustments with the situation on the ground. She did not elaborate.

Hua was also conspicuously silent about whether China would proceed with the building of the road in Doka La, which was the prime reason for the standoff.

India wanted the status quo to be restored to withdraw its troops.

Bhutan, which claimed sovereignty over the area, had lodged a diplomatic protest to China on 28 June.

Troops of the two countries have been locked in a standoff in Doka La since 16 June after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

India wanted the status quo to be restored to withdraw its troops.

Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese troops from building the road close to the strategic Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting Indias mainland with its North East.

India said Chinas road building also violated the 2012 agreement between the Special Representatives of India and China to resolve the boundary issue. The agreement referred to the strategic tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan.

Developments in Doka La come days of ahead of the 3-5 September BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen.

So far, none of the leaders of the five-member bloc, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have announced their visits.


Kandahar: A Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 13 people and wounded several more in an attack on a convoy of Afghan soldiers in Helmand province on Sunday, an official said.

It was the latest in a series of deadly blows to Afghanistan's beleaguered security forces and yet again underlined spiralling insecurity in the war-torn nation.

"A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-filled car as the Afghan National Army convoy passed a small market in Nawa District of Helmand," Omar Zwak, a spokesman for the provincial governor told AFP.

He added that civilians and forces personnel were among the dead while more than a dozen others had been wounded.

A source working at a nearby hospital told AFP on condition of anonymity that the bodies of 15 victims had been brought to the hospital. Another 19 injured were also admitted, he added.

"The majority of the dead belong to Afghan forces and most of the wounded are civilians," the source said.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a WhatsApp message sent to journalists.

The deadly assault came days after a Taliban suicide bomber killed five civilians and wounded dozens of others, mainly children, when he detonated a car filled with explosives at a police headquarters in Lashkar Gah, Helmand's capital.

That attack was the insurgents' first major one since US President Donald Trump announced he was committing American troops to Afghanistan indefinitely.

The resurgent Taliban are at the peak of their summer fighting season and have been ramping up their campaign against government forces. Afghan police and troops  beset by a high death toll, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll  have been struggling to beat back the insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.

Casualties among Afghan security forces soared by 35 percent in 2016, with 6,800 soldiers and police killed, according to US watchdog SIGAR.

More than 2,500 Afghan police and troops were killed from 1 January to 8 May.

Ordinary Afghans have also paid a heavy price for the 16 -year US-led war.

Civilian deaths are at their worst since records began in 2009. In the first half of the year, 1,662 civilians were killed and more than 3,500 injured, according to the United Nations.

Analysts have warned that Trump's commitment to sending thousands more American troops to Afghanistan  reversing earlier pledges to pull out  could fuel the insurgency and lead to more casualties.

The Taliban had called for a complete withdrawal of foreign forces and, following Trump's announcement, vowed to make the country a "graveyard" for US forces.
Lahore: Ten Taliban and Jamat-ul-Ahrar militants have been arrested by Pakistani authorities along with a huge cache arms during a raid in Punjab province.

The suspects have been taken into custody in Chak 330 JB Seowal, Toba Tek Singh district, some 200 kilometres from Lahore.

A joint operation of Pakistan Rangers, local police, Elite Force and personnel of intelligence agencies was launched early in the morning on Sunday in Seowal. The personnel did not allow anyone to enter or exit the village, the police said.

"During the operation which continued for several hours the personnel arrested 10 suspects and recovered 86 pistols of 30-bore, three 12-bore rifles, 19 pistols of 12-bore, one 7-MM rifle, a carbine and hundreds of bullets and cartridges from their custody," a police spokesman said.

He said a carton of 116 old model of mobile phones was also recovered. The suspects have been shifted to an undisclosed place for interrogation. He said the suspects belong to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Jamat-ul-Ahrar (JuA)

Meanwhile, the interior ministry has extended the stay of Rangers in Punjab province for two more months. The Rangers have been deployed in the province which has the population of nearly 100 million people to combat terrorism.
Beijing: Chinese president Xi Jinping has appointed 63-year-old decorated General Li Zuocheng, a veteran of the China-Vietnamese war, as the new chief of the Joint Staff Department of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

The Chinese defence ministry did not directly announce Li's appointment, but simply identified him with his new designation during a meeting with Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan on Saturday.

He replaces General Fang Fenghui. The ministry didn't reveal which position Fang is transferred to.

General Li was awarded a first-class merit for his role in China's conflict with Vietnam in 1979. The Central Military Commission later honoured him as a "war hero". His combat unit was also awarded a collective order of merit.

Li has been seen as one of President Xi Jinpings rising stars since 2013, when he was named chief of the former Chengdu Military Region, which also looks after the border region with India. He was promoted to full general in 2015 and his new role is crucial to Xi's military reforms.

Xi has launched an overhaul of the military to shape the 2.3 million-strong PLA into a modern force that can "win and fight wars".

Li's promotion as the new military chief of staff demonstrates China's determination to improve the military's combat capability, Chinese analysts said.

President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, ordered PLA troops during the military parade, held in July, to uphold its combat effectiveness and modernise the national defence and armed forces.
ArtsBuild, the Southeast Development District and the Tennessee Arts Commission will hold a joint presentation to announce the results of the recent Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study that measured the cumulative economic impact of the non-profit arts sector in the region and across the state. The presentation will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 6, at 5 p.m. at ArtsBuild, 301 E. 11th St., Second Floor. Presenters include Anne Pope, executive director of the Tennessee Arts Commission; Beth Jones, executive director of the Southeast Development District; and Dan Bowers, president of ArtsBuild. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 was the most comprehensive economic impact study of the nonprofit arts and culture industry ever conducted in the United States. The study was conducted by Americans for the Arts, the countrys leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. AEP5 examined annual economic activity generated by non-profit arts organizations as well as the number of full-time equivalent jobs supported and government revenues.

Hamilton County participated in the last Arts & Economic Prosperity study in 2012 that showed a cumulative $106 million impact on the local economy including the support of 3,880 full-time jobs and the generation of $12 million in state and local government revenue.

By every measure, the results of Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 prove that the arts are an industrya generator of government revenue, a cornerstone of tourism, and an employment powerhouse both locally and across the nation, said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. Leaders who care about community and economic vitality, growing tourism, attracting an innovative workforce, and community engagement can feel good about choosing to invest in the arts.

We were thrilled to partner with Americans for the Arts and the Tennessee Arts Commission and participate in the Arts & Economic Prosperity study, said Mr. Bowers. The arts play a significant role in strengthening our community. The information gathered will help us identify the impact of the arts on our local economy and how that compares to other communities across the country.

The Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study was conducted by Americans for the Arts and supported by The Ruth Lilly Fund of Americans for the Arts. Americans for the Arts local, regional, and statewide project partners contributed both time and financial support to the study. Financial information from organizations was collected in partnership with DataArts, using a new online survey interface. For a full list of the communities who participated in the Arts & Economic Prosperity 5 study, visit www.AmericansForTheArts.org/AEP5Partners.

For additional information contact ArtsBuild, 756-2787 or artsbuild@artsbuild.com
Sony is all set to announce new smartphones at the upcoming IFA 2017 in Berlin next month. Now, official press renders of the Xperia XZ1 and XZ1 Compact smartphones have surfaced thanks to tipster Roland Quandt and Xperia Blog.



[HTML1]

The renders offer a clear look at both the phones from all angles. Sony Xperia XZ1 has slim bezels on the sides but large bezels at the top and bottom. It has a design similar to phones from the Xperia XZ series. Earpiece, Sony branding and camera is preset at the front while another speaker is present at the bottom. The ride side houses a power button that is baked with a fingerprint sensor, volume rockers and dedicated camera shutter. The SIM tray is situated on the left side of the phone, while a 3.5 mm audio jack and a noise-canceling microphone is present on the top. There is a single camera at the back with LED flash.

Sony Xperia XZ1 rumored specifications

5.2-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) HDR TRILUMINOS Display with X-Reality and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection

Octa-Core Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform with Adreno 540 GPU

4GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD card

Android 7.1 (Nougat)

Hybird Dual SIM (nano + nano/microSD)

Water Resistant (IP65/IP68)

19MP rear camera with Exmos RS sensor, 1/2.3 sensor, f/2.0 lens, Predictive capture, 5-axis stabilizatio, 4K video recording, 960fps slow-motion video

13MP front-facing camera with 1/3 Exmor RS sensor, 22mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens, 1080p video recording

DSEE HX, LDAC, Digital Noise Cancelling

Fingerprint sensor

Moving on, the Xperia XZ1 Compact is said to be the lighter version of XZ1. It is expected to sport a 4.6-inch HD display and will also be powered by Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB RAM. Battery on XZ1 Compact is said to be 2,800mAh battery. The design of the Xperia XZ1 Compact is similar to the Xperia XZ1. According to Quandt, the Xperia XZ1 will be priced at 599 GBP ($772 approx.) while the Xperia XZ1 Compact will cost 499 GBP ($643 approx.)

Source
One of the important roles Tennessee Aquarium volunteer SCUBA diver Bill Godsey plays is chef. He helps prepare diet for some of the fish. photo by Tennessee Aquarium Keith Sanford, TN Aquarium president and CEO, Volunteer SCUBA Diver Bill Godsey, and Chris Bowman, the Aquariums Manager of Volunteer Services photo by Tennessee Aquarium Only two volunteers have given 10,000 hours of volunteer service in the Tennessee Aquariums 25-year history. Bill Godsey and Fran Hiestand. photo by Tennessee Aquarium Previous Next

When Bill Godsey fell in love with SCUBA diving in 1956, the sport was still very much in its infancy. And as best friends tend to do, theyve grown older together.

Mr. Godsey became hooked on diving after dipping beneath the surface of a quarry in Hixson, Tenn., using equipment brought back by a friend who had served in the Navy. That experience sparked a passion for the sport that has defined Godseys life and helped him experience aquatic wonders at sites from Hawaii to the Red Sea.



People ask me which is my favorite place to dive, and I say it depends on what youre looking for, said Mr. Godsey, now 82. Whenever you dive, theres always something different. Its different everywhere you go.



Despite his globetrotting experiences, Mr. Godsey has spent the bulk of his time underwater as a volunteer at the Tennessee Aquarium. In 1992, he was among the first group of five divers to volunteer at the Aquarium, where he has used his skills to train others and to educate the public about the aquatic world.



Today, Mr. Godsey received a commemorative pin and congratulations from Aquarium President and CEO Keith Sanford for exceeding 10,000 hours as a volunteer.



In all, the Aquarium has an active pool of more than 495 volunteers, including 184 volunteer divers. Volunteers roles range from interacting with the public during dive programs or as docents to preparing food for the animals. In 2016, the Aquariums volunteers devoted almost 64,000 hours of their time, the equivalent to more than 30 full-time positions.



Its amazing what our volunteers do, Mr. Sanford said. These folks contribute the equivalent of more than $1.5 million a year in volunteer labor for us and a whole lot of their heart in coming here every day. For Bill to achieve 10,000 hours, especially diving, is amazing. Im just thankful and full of praise that someone can do that.



This amount of service  equivalent to five years as a salaried employee  has been matched by only one other person in the Aquariums 25-year history. In 2015, volunteer Fran Hiestand was the first to pass this milestone.



The next closest volunteer has about 5,600 hours of service, said Manager of Volunteer Services Chris Bowman. Its hard to imagine anyone else reaching 10,000 hours again.



The efforts of the Aquariums volunteer force have a tremendous impact on both the aquariums budget and the visitors experience. Clearly, it also has a positive impact on the volunteers as well, he adds. Anyone who is approaching that 10,000-hour milestone is truly dedicated to the Aquarium. Obviously, Bill loves what he does. And whats not to love? He gets to dive in a great environment.



Mr. Godsey was among the first group of five divers to volunteer at the Aquarium when it opened on May 1, 1992. In his years of service, he has instructed aquatic safety courses, helped maintain dive equipment, overseen dive tests for other volunteers and served on the Aquariums dive safety control board.



Having someone with Mr. Godseys level of experience as a volunteer is a huge benefit, says Aquarium Dive Safety Officer Mark Craven.



Bill brings an incredible amount of knowledge about all aspects of diving, Mr. Craven said. When hes serving as topside dive support, I dont have to worry about whats going on with the in-water team. Their safety is in good hands.



But Mr. Godsey said that, for his part, having one more pin to add to his badge isnt a measure of the value of his years of service. Thats a sentiment thats best presented in even simpler terms.



Ive loved SCUBA diving and helping people, he said. Ive enjoyed all my time there and hope to continue.


As the dangers of Tropical Storm Harvey continue to threaten residents in areas of the Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana, local administrators warn this could be a landmark national disaster for the United States.

Harvey made landfall on Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and stalled out over the coastal areas of Texas this weekend, bringing dangerously high winds and dumping catastrophic amounts of rain.

As local communities and response teams across the nation seek to mitigate damages from the storm, heres a look at Harvey by the numbers so far.

Rainfall

This month has officially been deemed the wettest on record for Houston, Texas, according to the U.S. Department of Commerces National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. On Sunday, Houston established a new daily rainfall record with just over 16 inches.

Between Friday and Sunday, some areas along the Texas gulf coast received as much as 30 inches of rain. But the dangers are not over just yet. Weather services warn that before the storm clears out, some areas could cumulatively receive as many as 50 inches of rain. Continuing rainfall will worsen already grave flooding conditions.

Fatalities

At least 5 people have died as a result of Harvey. Rescue efforts are still ongoing and that number could increase over the coming days.

Disaster assistance

On Monday morning, FEMA Administrator Brock Long said more than 450,000 Texans will need disaster assistance relief in the wake of the storm.

President Donald Trump has approved a federal emergency disaster declaration, directing government aid toward the relief and recovery efforts. Under this declaration, the U.S. government will cover about 75% of some of the relief costs.

Rescue efforts

Rising water levels have made rescue efforts challenging. As many as 346 roads are closed due to high water, according to local traffic aggregator. At least 15 states are sending first response teams to Texas, including New York and California.

Gas prices

Because many of the United States oil refineries are located in Texas, outages have already caused gas prices to hit a 2-year high. Texas boasts a refining capacity of more than 5.6 million barrels per day, according to the EIA. About 16% of that capacity has been taken out due to the storm.

Some experts predict gas prices could rise by as much as 25 cents, The Associated Press reported. Gas prices averaged $2.38 a gallon as of Monday morning, up two pennies from Sunday, according to GasBuddy.

Rescue effort costs

While wind damage insurance claims alone could reach as high as $6 billion, according to The Associated Press, flooding costs could be even larger.

FEMA already owes the U.S. Treasury more than $24 billion, which was provided for previous disaster relief efforts, as reported by Reuters.

Small business fate

The longer the recovery effort takes, the less likely it is the areas small businesses will survive the economic damage, Former Joint Task Force Katrina Commander Russel Honore told FOX Business. Honore said Monday that about 40% of small businesses wont survive this type of natural disaster.
When it comes to the nation's most important social programs for seniors, Social Security is arguably at the top of the list. The guaranteed monthly income it provides to eligible retirees will prove critical in helping millions of retired workers, and perhaps even their families, meet their financial obligations.

Yet one of the biggest issues with Social Security, year in and year out, is a lack of understanding of the program. The Social Security Administration (SSA) tries to curb this lack of knowledge with the publication of fact sheets twice yearly, as well as general Q&A-styled pages that help spell out who qualifies, and how much the average American can be expected to receive. Recently, based on December 2016 statistics, the SSA published its first 2017 fact sheet, and it's packed with statistics that current and future retirees should be aware of. Following are 12 facts the SSA wants you to know about Social Security.

1. Over 62 million Americans will receive $955 billion in benefits in 2017

To begin with, understand that around a quarter of the federal budget ($955 billion) is being diverted to Social Security on an annual basis. This $955 billion is predominantly generated from a 12.4% payroll tax on earned income (87.3% of all revenue came from payroll tax income in 2016), while interest income on the programs' $2.85 trillion in asset reserves and the taxation of benefits make up the remainder.

2. 171 million workers are covered by Social Security

The SSA wants you to know that the Social Security program covers a lot of working Americans. To qualify for Social Security benefits, you only need to collect 40 lifetime work credits. You can earn up to four credits annually, with each credit being valued at $1,300 in earned income in 2017. In other words, working part-time for 10 years could ensure that you'll be receiving Social Security benefits when you retire.

3. Retired workers account for 71% of benefits paid

As you might have rightly expected, Social Security is primarily designed to provide a financial foundation for lower-income seniors during retirement. This year, an estimated 71% of the $955 billion being paid out will be headed to retired workers. Social Security payouts accrue by 8% per year beginning at age 62 and continuing until age 70, meaning a smart way to boost your payout, if you're nearing retirement, is to wait to enroll. Working at least 35 years and earning as much as you can annually when you are working, can also boost your benefit.

4. Disabled workers and survivors comprise the remainder

However, you should fully understand that the disabled and survivors of deceased workers also receive a pretty sizable component of this $955 billion pie. As of this past June, the disabled accounted for 10.5 million beneficiaries, while survivors tallied another 6 million. The disabled will receive about 16% of the $955 billion in 2017, with survivors getting the remaining 13%.

5. Approximately 90% of workers are protected in the event of a long-term disability

According to the SSA, a little more than a quarter of today's 20 year-olds will become disabled before they reach their 67th birthday. What's more, 67% of the private workforce has no long-term disability insurance in place. Thus, it's probably a godsend that Social Security is currently covering about 90% of workers ages 21 to 64 in the event of a long-term disability. If you have 40 lifetime work credits, you're taken care of. For younger folks who may not have hit that mark, a staggered lifetime work credit total, based on your age, may allow you to qualify.

6. Roughly 96% of those aged 20 to 49 have survivors insurance protection

In addition, about one in eight 20-year-olds won't live to see their 67th birthday. However, the SSA notes that practically all workers (96%) between 20 and 49 who worked in covered employment as of 2016 had survivors protection insurance for their young children and surviving spouse in case of an untimely death. Survivor benefits can be especially useful for widows, since women are far more likely to stay home to raise their children and take care of sick friends and family. Rather than rely on their own work benefits, which may be adversely affected from taking time off from their career, they may be able to take survivor benefits based on their spouse's income, assuming the survivor benefit is higher.

7. 61% of seniors rely on Social Security for half their income

It's no secret that retired workers are exceptionally reliant on Social Security income to make ends meet. According to the latest fact sheet from the SSA, 48% of married couples and 71% of unmarried elderly folks count on their benefits check for at least half of their monthly income. That's 61% of all senior citizens leaning on Social Security for half of their income, if not more.

8. 43% of unmarried seniors are almost wholly reliant on Social Security

Speaking of those who are "more" reliant, some 21% of married couples and 43% of unmarried seniors rely on Social Security for at least 90% of their monthly income. That's an astoundingly high figure, and it's increasingly worrisome given that the 2017 Board of Trustees report estimates that a benefits cut of up to 23% may be needed by 2034 should Congress fail to pass new revenue-generating legislation.

9. The average 65-year old will live about 20 years

Another worrisome issue for retirees is that many may be failing to factor in increased longevity. Back in 1960, the average American's life expectancy was less than 70 years. Today, it's nearly 79 years. In fact, if you make it to age 65, you have a pretty good chance of living nearly 20 extra years. Will you have the income necessary to take care of your financial obligations if you live until age 85? Social Security may simply not offer enough income to ensure you can, since it's only designed to replace about 40% of your working wages.

10. The elderly population is set to grow by 65% in 18 years

Making matters even more precarious, the elderly American population in this country is set to explode, given the retirement of baby boomers and an improvement in medical care, medicines, and medical care access. Right now, there are approximately 48 million people aged 65 and up, but by 2035 that figure is expected to climb to 79 million. That's a 65% increase in 18 years, and it's going to be a major strain on the Social Security program.

11. The worker-to-beneficiary ratio will decline by 21% by 2035

As the number of mouths to feed increases for Social Security, the number of workers providing that all-important payroll-tax revenue won't be growing by nearly enough to offset the baby boomer exodus from the workforce. Between 2017 and 2035, the SSA is estimating that the worker-to-beneficiary ratio, which currently sits at 2.8-to-1, could fall by 21% to 2.2-to-1. Raising payroll taxes on the wealthy, or all workers, is one solution that could help hedge against this beneficiary ratio decline.

12. 31% of workers report having no money set aside for retirement

Lastly, and this just adds fuel to an already burning fire, the SSA reports that nearly a third of all workers (31%) don't have a red cent saved for retirement, meaning they're on track to be wholly reliant on Social Security once they retire. Once again, Social Security could be just 17 years away from a 23% across-the-board cut in benefits if Congress doesn't get its act together. That's scary for these folks who aren't saving and creating a secondary channel of income for retirement.

Long story short: Social Security probably covers a lot more than you thought, but it was never designed to be your primary source of income during retirement.

The $16,122 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook If you're like most Americans, you're a few years (or more) behind on your retirement savings. But a handful of little-known "Social Security secrets" could help ensure a boost in your retirement income. For example: one easy trick could pay you as much as $16,122 more... each year! Once you learn how to maximize your Social Security benefits, we think you could retire confidently with the peace of mind we're all after. Simply click here to discover how to learn more about these strategies.

The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Updated Aug. 31

A long list of American companies have already pledged millions of dollars to help Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

The American Red Cross and other organizations are asking for donations to support their response to the storm, which caused massive amounts of flooding and left thousands stranded in Houston and nearby cities. CoreLogic estimated last week that Harvey could create more than $40 billion in damage.

Here are some of the companies that announced donations as of Monday:

Abbott

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) and its foundation are providing a total of $1 million in grants and healthcare and nutrition products. The company said it will send $900,000 in grants to the American Red Cross, AmeriCares and Direct Relief.

Academy Sports + Outdoors

The sporting goods retailer, which is based in the Houston suburbs, is looking to donate $1 million in clothing and shoes, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Academy opened the doors to Houston-area stores so first responders could grab life jackets, boats and other supplies for rescue operations. It's also using its headquarters as a temporary residence for police, EMTs and National Guardsmen.

Aetna

The health insurer is donating $100,000 apiece to the Red Cross and the Community Foundation of Greater Houston through its Aetna Foundation. Another $50,000 will go to Team Rubicon, a group consisting of military veterans.

Aetna (NYSE:AET) also said insurance holders affected by the storm can refill prescriptions early.

Allstate

Allstate (NYSE:ALL) will donate $1.5 million and match up to $250,000 in employee and agency owner contributions to Feeding America and the Red Cross.

Amazon

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Whole Foods, which the e-commerce giant recently acquired, will match up to $1 million in donations to the Red Cross through Amazon.com.

American Airlines

Members of American Airlines (NYSE:AAL) loyalty program can receive 10 miles for every dollar they donate to the Red Cross, with a minimum donation of $25.

Bass Pro

The fishing and outdoors retailer is providing 80 boats for rescue efforts and donating $40,000 in supplies, including protein-rich foods.

Bayer

Bayer (OTC:BAYRY) will provide a total of $200,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The German pharmaceutical company will donate $100,000 to the Red Cross and $100,000 to Direct Relief, a non-profit. Bayer also said it's working with non-profits to determine the need for product donations.

Boeing

Boeing (NYSE:BA) announced a $1 million donation to the Red Cross.

Caterpillar

The Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) Foundation is donating $300,000 to the Red Cross. The company also said its preparing equipment for the cleanup effort and working with local dealers to make generators available. Caterpillar has begun shipping power generation equipment from other parts of the country to Texas and other affected areas.

Cheniere Energy

Houston-based Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) announced a $1 million donation to the Red Cross.

While Cheniere has been lucky to avoid any major impacts from Harvey, many in our communities have a long road ahead to assess the damage and recover from this storm, CEO Jack Fusco said.

Del Frisco's Restaurant Group

The Texas-based restaurant chain will donate 20% of daily sales during Labor Day weekend with a goal of raising $1 million. Del Frisco's has 53 restaurants under the Double Eagle Steak House, Del Frisco's Grille and Sullivan's Steakhouse brands.

Exxon Mobil

Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) is allocating $500,000 for contributions to regional Red Cross organizations along the U.S. Gulf Coast, the company announced.

We are monitoring the storm and working with the Red Cross to determine where best we can direct these resources to assist with preparation and relief efforts in the Gulf region, CEO Darren Woods said.

Ford

The Ford (NYSE:F) Fund is contributing $100,000 to disaster relief efforts in Texas. In addition, the company will match up to $50,000 in Red Cross donations from employees and dealerships.

Gallery Furniture

Gallery Furniture is using its showrooms as makeshift shelters. Owner Jim McIngvale said the stores sent out delivery trucks to pick up residents stranded in the flood.

Google

Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) will make a $250,000 Google.org grant to the Red Cross and match up to $250,000 in donations from employees.

Home Depot

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) pledged $1 million that will go to the non-profits including the Red Cross, Salvation Army, Convoy of Hope, Operation Blessing and Team Rubicon.

The home-improvement retailer, along with Lowes (NYSE:LOW), activated their command centers and began sending supplies into the area in anticipation of Harveys impact.

Humana

Humanas (NYSE:HUM) foundation provided a $250,000 grant to the Red Cross.

Jefferies

Jefferies, the investment bank, will donate net trading commissions on Wednesday, Aug. 30, from U.S., European and Asia equity, fixed income and foreign exchange trading. The firm is making a $1 million contribution as well.

Kendra Scott

The Austin-based jewelry brand said it will donate 50% of all online sales Tuesday, Aug. 29, to the American Red Cross. Kendra Scott has 16 retail locations in Texas, including two in Houston.

Were donating $380k to support hurricane Harvey rescue & relief. Please consider giving: https://t.co/JIDk95gGxQ or https://t.co/NilzPnhwno pic.twitter.com/5tebQglitQ  Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) August 29, 2017

Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) made a $380,000 commitment to Harvey relief efforts.

Lowes

Lowes donated $500,000 to the Red Cross and activated its customer donation program in Texas stores. Customers can also donate online.

Mattress Firm

Houston-based Mattress Firm said it will provide $1 million worth of products, such as pillows, blankets and mattresses. The company, which has more than 3,500 stores nationwide, will also donate a percentage of purchases made through Sept. 5 to send up to an additional $1 million in products to Texas.

Mazda

The Japanese automaker and its foundation are giving the Red Cross Harvey relief fund a $100,000 donation.

Microsoft

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) gave an initial grant of $100,000 to the Red Cross, according to a tweet by Jane Meseck, senior director of global programs for Microsoft Philanthropies.

MyPillow

Mike Lindell, founder of MyPillow, told Sean Hannity of Fox News that the company will donate an initial 60,000 pillows to the affected region starting Friday.

PepsiCo

PepsiCo (NYSE:PEP) and its foundation announced a $1 million grant for the Red Cross.

Range Resources

Range Resources (NYSE:RRC), a natural gas producer, said Monday it will donate $100,000 to the Red Cross.

Ready Pac Foods

Ready Pac Foods has shipped 24,000 Chicken Caesar Bistro Bowl pre-packaged salads to Texas.

Starbucks

The Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Foundation gave the Red Cross $250,000, and customers can donate to Harvey relief efforts at one of the coffee chains stores.

Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) Motor North America, working with its dealers and other partners, will provide a combined relief effort of $3 million. Donations will go to the St. Bernard Project and the Red Cross, among others. Toyota will also donate pre-owned vehicles to help move people and property during recovery operations.

Dan Friedkin, chairman of Houston-based Gulf States Toyota, created the Friedkin Disaster Relief Fund and has guaranteed at least $1 million from the Friedkin family, The Friedkin Group and Gulf States Toyota. The relief fund will support Toyota and Lexus dealers, associates and individuals across the region impacted by Harvey. The fund is accepting donations at www.friedkinrelieffund.com.

United Airlines

United Continental (NYSE:UAL) has offered 1,000 bonus miles to customers who make a contribution of $50 or more. The airline will match the first $200,000 raised, up from an intial $100,000 pledge.

Valero

Valero is contributing $1 million to the Red Cross.

Verizon

Verizon (NYSE:VZ) pledged $10 million to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts. The money will go to four non-profits.

Walmart

Walmart (NYSE:WMT) and its foundation substantially increased its committment to Harvey relief, saying it would provide up to $20 million in product and cash donations to the Red Cross and other groups.

Western Union

Western Union (NYSE:WU) is matching a combined total of $200,000 in grants to the Red Cross.
Maine's Republican governor reassured Canadian leaders Monday that President Donald Trump "truly believes" in having free trade and they shouldn't read too much into what they hear.

Gov. Paul LePage and other New England governors met with Eastern Canadian premiers in Charlottetown, in Canada's Prince Edward Island province, to discuss Canadian-U.S. trade relations, days after Trump threatened to abandon the North American Free Trade Agreement. Republican Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, a Democrat, also attended.

NAFTA did away with most barriers, including tariffs, on trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Trump and other NAFTA critics say the agreement encouraged manufacturers to move south of the border to take advantage of lower-wage Mexican labor.

Trump, a Republican, drew cheers at a campaign-style rally last week after he said he believes Mexico and Canada are coming out ahead in the 23-year-old NAFTA agreement. Trump said on Twitter on Sunday that the North American Free Trade Agreement should be terminated and that both Canada and Mexico are being "very difficult."

But the Maine governor, who campaigned several times with Trump, said he believes Canada has little to worry about.

"I don't really believe he's concerned as much over Canada as much as maybe Mexico," LePage said, referring to the president.

LePage said he's spoken with Trump about free trade and advised Canadians against reading "too much in what you sometimes hear."

"He really truly believes in having free trade and good, honest trade between the two countries," LePage said. "He really does believe that."

NAFTA was among the topics for Monday's meeting, along with softwood lumber, climate change and energy. The conference includes tours of renewable energy facilities and food companies on Tuesday.
U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wants to speed up a proposal to block new gold mining claims on forested public lands in Montana near Yellowstone National Park and will also consider blocking other types of mining, agency officials said Monday.

Federal officials are undergoing a two-year review of mining on more than 30,000 acres among the towering peaks of the Absaroka mountains just north of the park.

The review was launched last year by Zinke's predecessor, former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, in response to local concerns that two proposed gold mines could profoundly alter the character of a region heavily dependent on hikers, hunters and tourists.

Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift said Monday that Zinke wants to move forward as quickly as possible with a proposed 20-year withdrawal of future mining claims in the area north of the park, known as Paradise Valley. The review of that withdrawal was scheduled to be completed by the U.S. Forest Service and Interior's Bureau of Land Management by November, 2018.

Zinke had voiced support for the withdrawal effort as Montana's sole member of the U.S. House but had not publicly addressed the issue since joining the Trump administration in March.

"He is fully in the corner of protecting the Paradise Valley and is putting forward Interior Department assets to support the U.S. Forest Service in that mission," Swift said. "Some places are too precious to mine...This is very much a final decision."

Mining opponents have argued the proposed gold mines would industrialize wild areas populated by grizzly bears, bighorn sheep and other wildlife and harm streams that drain into the Yellowstone River, a popular trout fishing destination that draws anglers from around the world.

Montana U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, a Republican, said in a statement released by his office that he appreciated Zinke's effort to advance the mining ban. The other two members of the state's Congressional delegation  Democrat Sen. Jon Tester and Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte  said a long-term solution was still needed.

Tester has introduced legislation to make the mining ban permanent, but Gianforte and Daines have said the measure will not get through the Republican-controlled Congress.

Zinke also has asked his staff to expand the agency's review to include other minerals such as oil and gas, coal, and phosphate, according to Aug. 23 letter from Zinke to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who oversees the Forest Service.

Of those minerals, only phosphate is found in the Yellowstone region in volumes that could support mining, according to studies by the U.S. Geological Survey.

A Canadian company, Lucky Minerals, wants to explore for gold and other minerals north of Yellowstone near Emigrant. Another company, Spokane, Washington-based Crevice Mining Group, is seeking permission to explore for gold near Jardine, just over Yellowstone's northern boundary.

Former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell ordered a two-year prohibition on new mining claims last year that would not explicitly block the pending exploration proposals, both of which involve private lands.

Yet a withdrawal would make it more difficult to pursue large-scale mining by limiting the ability of the two companies to expand their operations in the future, according to federal officials and Michael Werner with Crevice Mining.

The proposed exploration sites have a history of mining. However, in recent decades they've become more closely associated with the natural amenities of Yellowstone and the surrounding Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.

Local business owner Bryan Wells said the potential mines have left people in the Paradise Valley anxious about their future. He said a 20-year ban on mining "would put smiles on a lot of faces."

"It affects property prices and it affects whether someone's going to invest a lot into a business not knowing if there's going to be an industrial-sized gold mine," said Wells, who rents cabins to tourists in the Emigrant Creek area not far from one of the gold exploration sites.

___

Follow Matthew Brown on Twitter at www.twitter.com/matthewbrownap .
The rescue operations are underway as rainfall pounds southern Texas from Hurricane Harvey. Former Joint Task Force Katrina Commander Russel Honore told the FOX Business Networks Dagen McDowell, of Mornings with Maria, Its going to get worse before it gets better. At the same time the good Samaritans, what we call in Louisiana the Cajun Navy, citizens have stepped up and after every disaster, regardless of what people tell you, more people are saved by neighbors and citizens than they are by first responders.

When asked if he was in touch with federal officials about the response to Hurricane Harvey, he said his response is to scale it up.

In terms of scale, we had 40,000 National Guard troops in Katrinawe had 20,000 federal troops, over 245 helicopters and B-5sright now this is a lot bigger area, a lot more people than Katrina and the challenge is going to be bigger.

According to Honore getting the electrical grid back quickly is key to rebuilding in Houston and getting the infrastructure supporting the citys energy sector up and running.

A lot of these small, rural areas did not take the grid down, so you watched over the weekend and transformers popping and when that happens that entire system has to be built.

The speed in getting electricity back is key to the areas small businesses and economy as well.

You know the old numbers, 40% of small businesses dont survive these events because the grid doesnt come up, they dont have the workers and the people that they used to work for are not open. So the quicker they can find a model to get businesses up, the quicker people can get back and get the schools up. But weve got to find a different way of doing it.
While President Donald Trump renewed threats to completely withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement over the weekend, negotiating partners Mexico and Canada started the week by downplaying the U.S. presidents words.

"We have heard such comments before," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday, when asked about Trumps comments.

This is the second time within the past week President Trump has tweeted about terminating the NAFTA agreement completely.

Trump put slightly more pressure on Mexico Sunday, adding a tweet about having the country pay for the U.S. wall along its southern border, saying Mexico is one of the highest crime nations in the world.

With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

In response, Mexicos Foreign Ministry of Affairs said in a statement that it will not pay, under any circumstances, for a wall and that it is incumbent on both the U.S. and Mexico to stem the illicit flow of drugs between the two countries. Mexico also indicated it refused to engage President Trump in a Twitter war, saying it will not negotiate NAFTA, nor any other aspect of the bilateral relationship, through social media or any other news platform.

Trump has publicly indicated that, so far, NAFTA talks have been difficult. The first round concluded in the United States earlier this month and Mexico is scheduled to host the second round of NAFTA renegotiation talks in September.
Let it never be said that Season 7 of HBOs Game of Thrones didnt pack a wallop in the end. When the finale was said and done, nearly every character was together, the house was cleaned of the most vile of bad guys and the tide of the war against the dead shifted in perils favor.

[SPOILER ALERT: The remainder of this article will discuss Game of Thrones Season 7, Episode 7]

There is a lot to cover with this episode, but its worth mentioning that it started off as one of the slower outings for this season. For a while there, it almost looked like fans would be disappointed. However, the highly teased armistice negotiations ended up being the worst part of an all-around great episode.

We open in Kings Landing, where every leader of every faction is on the scene to convince Cersei Lannister to agree to a truce and help fight the ever-growing army of the dead. While it was grim business, it allowed Tyrion to reunite with Podrick, The Hound to show Brienne of Tarth that theres no hard feelings for well, killing him and much more.

They all met at an old Targaryen fighting pit in Kings Landing, and out of all the important people there, it was The Hound that spoke first. For the first time in years, he was in the same location as his brother, the newly zombified Mountain. He goads his brother, joking that he looks better than him for the first time in their lives. However, in what was surely a disappointment for those hoping for an epic throw-down amongst the Clegane brothers, The Hound told The Mountain that he wasnt there for him, and that he knows who is coming for him. Sadly, that mystery doesnt get an answer as the younger sibling storms off to fetch Jon Snow and Daenerys big bargaining chip.

Cersei and the rest are reluctant to even consider a truce since they dont trust the foreign invader, but having a member of the army of the dead rush headlong at her really seemed to change her tune. That wasnt the case for her husband-to-be, though. Euron Greyjoy took one look at the wight and asked if they can swim. When Jon responded in the negative, he told everyone that he was done and would be sailing back to the Iron Islands to wait out whatever was to come. He stormed off, and took his offer to free Yara Greyjoy if Theon submitted with him.

Cersei, on the other hand, agrees to the truce assuming Jon Snow will remain neutral and lead the north to do the same. It would have been simple, and even smart, for him to lie. Instead, he confesses that hes pledged himself to Daenerys already.

When enough people make false promises, words stop meaning anything, he says. Then there are no answers just better and better lies.

While the action was noble, it kind of shot all the negotiations in the foot, as Cersei said she wouldnt agree to a truce and would rather see the north fall to the army of the dead than fight them on two fronts. This forces Tyrion to make a bold move and have a one-on-one with his sister.

Escorted by The Mountain, he joins her and removes the elephant from the room. He brings up their father, her fallen children and every other grievance she may have with him before directly shouting for The Mountain to cut him down. However, his sister never gives the order, prompting Tyrion to take a hearty gulp of the wine nearby. In what soon became one of the most tense moments in the show, he realizes what hes done and offers Cersei a glass, which she does not accept. Could the hero of Blackwater Bay and countless other, smaller, victories have been poisoned? -- No.

Instead, Cersei tells him that her goal is not necessarily sitting on the Iron Throne, but ensuring that her loved ones are safe. Between that and the wine, Tyrion pieces together that shes pregnant. The group returns to the fighting pit, where Cersei agrees to fight alongside the living against the dead in a temporary truce. Despite the tension, it all felt a little too easy, which it was, but lets put a pin in that.

In Winterfell, things are finally coming to a head between Arya and Sansa. All season-long, Littlefinger has been driving a wedge between the two sisters. So far, neither of them has been clever enough to figure him out -- or so it seems. While counseling Sansa about Aryas strange behavior, he walks her down a line of reasoning that suggests shes out to steal the title of Lady of Winterfell from Sansa. After some consideration, Sansa tells a guard to summon Arya to the hall.

When she arrives, it looks like Arya has shown up to her own execution -- and likely that of a few guards as well. However, with Brandon in the room, things take a turn. She tells Arya that theyre there for a matter of honor, to stop any that would seek to betray her family or home. With that, she lays charges of treason and murder against Petyr Baelish. Boom!

Thats right, after skulking behind every major event thats happened in Westeros this past decade, Littlefinger is finally on trial for his ascent up the ladder of chaos. Thanks to Brans powers as the Three-Eyed Raven, the remaining Stark children know everything about his betrayal of their father, the plot to kill Joffrey, how he betrayed Jon Arryn and their aunt Lysa Arryn -- everything.

He makes a half-hearted attempt to defend himself, but with all the evidence stacked against him, his goose is cooked. He falls to his knees to cry and beg. He tells Sansa that he loved her mother and her, but she reminds him that he betrayed them both nonetheless. At long last, after a lifetime of using other people in Westeros as pawns in his larger game, his throat was mercilessly cut by Arya Stark in Winterfell, the last great bastion of honor left in the realm. It seems the animosity between the Stark sisters is over. Executing old family enemies has a way of doing that.

Goodbye Littlefinger, you had no redeeming qualities in the end.

Meanwhile, with a truce at hand, Jon, Daenerys and their respective courts return to Dragonstone, where they begin drafting battle plans. Jon and his queen will sail together to Winterfell and prep the front lines against the army of the dead. As he leaves, hes confronted by Theon. After all his many screw-ups, he asks how Jon managed to have so much of Ned Stark in him, while he had so little. Jon tells him to embrace the part of him that was raised to be honor bound, and apply it to the part of him thats a Greyjoy. Funny enough, it was Jon giving someone advice on embracing a diverse background of family heritage -- but more on that later.

Theon, emboldened by Jons advice, confronts the Iron Born that followed him and Yara. He tells them that theyre going to go rescue her, but they dont seem interested. One calls him a coward, spits in his face and decks him right in the head. Despite taking a severe beating, Theon gets up. After all, whats a few cracks to the skull compared to the years he spent with Ramsay Bolton? His opponent tries to knee him in the crotch to finish him off, but that doesnt work on Theon anymore. He bests him in combat and, just like that, the fleet is ready to follow him against his crazed uncle. Having said that, itll take a lot more than a failed kick to the groin to stop Euron, especially since they dont even know where he is.

Yes, he said hed be going back to the Iron Islands, but thats revealed to be an elaborate -- and were talking really elaborate --plan hatched by he and Cersei.

Back in Kings Landing, as Jaime prepares the Lannister forces to march north and combat the dead, Cersei puts a stop to all that. She makes it clear that she was doing exactly what Jon wouldnt do, lying through her teeth. Cersei tells her brother that shes got an ace in the hole. Now that shes secured favor with the Iron Bank, shes got access to the Golden Company. It turns out, the Iron Bank has access to 20,000 soldiers, and Euron has just gone to pick them up.

"No one walks away from me," she says.

Whoever wins, the dead or Daenerys, Cersei plans to fight whatever is left with the Golden Company. Jaime, however, is not on board. After starting out the series as a guy who would push a kid out of a window to protect his relationship with his sister, she proves that shes now more loyal to her unborn child than him. Meanwhile, he proves that hes more loyal to his word than he used to be.

He attempts to leave but she has The Mountain block his path. He tells her that she can give the order to kill him if she has to. In a moment way more tense than anything else thats happened this season, possibly in the series in general, she gives the order. The Mountain draws his sword, but Jaime calls her bluff, and leaves anyway without incident. Stripped of his Lannister garb, Jaime rides north just as snow starts to fall over Kings Landing for the first time in the series. Cersei is alone, and Jaime might just get to join the cool people in the fight to save the world. Perhaps it's time to start forgiving that whole King Slayer boy-crippling guy we met in Season 1?

Back at Winterfell, Sam Tarly arrives to help out Jon. Since hes not there yet, he drops in on his other favorite Stark, Bran. The new Three-Eyed Raven then proved that his powers of insight dont make him significantly smarter than the bookish Sam. Brandon believes that Jon is actually Jon Sand, a bastard born between Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark in Dorn. However, Sam reveals what he (mostly Gilly) learned at the Citadel. Lyanna and Rhaegar were married in a secret ceremony. Roberts Rebellion was, therefore, built on a lie and Jon Snows real name is revealed to be Aegon Targaryen but well keep calling him Jon for now.

In a moment that carried a heavy ick factor, as all of this is being revealed, Jon knocks on the door to Daenerys chambers and the two have sex. Theyre technically aunt and nephew, but maybe we can give them a pass for not knowing this bit of information about each other? Then again, Jaime and Cerseis incestous relationship started literally all of this, maybe we cant pass pardons for incest willy-nilly?

In any case, the politics of family in Westeros are hardly the biggest concern. At The Wall, the army of the dead made its biggest move yet. After securing a dragon last week, the Night King rode it headlong at the magical structure, specifically designed to keep him from passing, and burns it with blue fire. Thats right, with just his dragon, he manages to take out an entire section of The Wall. The Nights Watch is utterly powerless to do anything about it, and the episode ends with the army marching unencumbered, and without taking a single casualty, south.

Perhaps well find that Arya and Sansa did Littlefinger a mercy when Season 8 rolls around. Its not a great time to be a resident of Winterfell.

With that, as quickly as it began, the penultimate Season of Game of Thrones finished. What will happen next? When will it happen? Who will survive? With just six episodes left, the floor is open to wild speculation.
Director of Cleveland City Schools Dr. Russell Dyer Ed.D. will be the featured speaker for the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce September Food for Thought membership luncheon. Dr. Dyer will be speaking on the recent developments and upcoming plans for the BLADE (Blended Learning and Digital Enhancement) project. The third-quarter Food for Thought noon membership luncheon will be held at the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Sept. 21 at noon.Dr.Dyer started as the Cleveland City director of schools on July 1, 2016. Before coming to Cleveland, Dr. Dyer was chief of staff for Collierville Schools in Collierville, Tennessee for two years, a school system similar to Cleveland with eight schools and 8,000 students. He was instrumental in the formation of Collierville Schools which began in 2014, after splitting from Shelby County Schools.Prior to opening the Collierville School system, Dr. Dyer was a high school principal, middle school principal, human resource specialist, assistant principal, and teacher in Shelby County Schools. He was awarded the Tennessee PTA Outstanding Principal of the Year in 2011 and Rotary Club Teacher of the Year in 1999. Dr. Dyer holds a doctorate of education from Trevecca Nazarene University, a masters degree in education from FreedHardeman University and a bachelors degree from Lambuth University.The Chambers Small Business Committee offers the Food for Thought programs to provide a menu of diverse topics of interest to the community, officials said. The Food for Thought Dutch-treat luncheon requires reservations to facilitate room setup and food. Chamber members who would like to use admission credits to attend should call the Chamber office to register.To make your reservation call the Chamber office at 423-472-6587 or use the event calendar online at www.clevelandchamber.com , by noon on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
The mother of a woman killed while protesting at the now infamous rally in Charlottesville, Virginia will present a brand new award at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards.

MTV announced Sunday that Heather Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, will present the award for "Best Fight Against the System," an award added to this year's ceremony to highlight the work of activists. Nominated in the inaugural category are artists like Alessia Cara, Big Sean, John Legend and more.

Heyer was killed earlier this month when a driver rammed a car through a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Bro announced on Saturday that she had created the Heather Heyer Foundation to provide scholarships to social activists.

Bro's presentation won't be the only political element to the VMAs. A group of transgender service members and veterans are planning to walk the arrivals line and do interviews to highlight their service. Their high profile appearance comes in the wake of a directive from President Donald Trump to ban new transgender military recruits and re-assess what to do with current transgender military members.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Ryen Russillo will be back.

The ESPN Radio and ESPN News host has not been on the airwaves since his Wednesday arrest and will not be heard again until Sept. 5 as he serves a suspension, a source told The New York Post.

But he will return to The Ryen Russillo Show, ESPN said in a statement, after a highly intoxicated Russillo entered a Wyoming condo and refused to leave, according to the police report.

Russillo was found naked, with just his pants around his ankles and bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, Jackson police said after arresting him for criminal entry.

He was obviously intoxicated and the only thing he said was that he was getting his stuff, police told the Jackson Hole News & Guide.

ESPN will be giving another chance to Russillo, a popular radio host formerly teamed with Danny Kanell and once part of Scott Van Pelts SVP and Russillo Show. The 42-year-old has been a radio host with the Worldwide Leader since 2009.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post.
If this theater company thought their patrons wouldn't give a damn, they were wrong.

A historic Memphis, Tennessee, theater, which has shown "Gone With the Wind" screenings for 34 years, has decided to remove the classic film from its schedule due to its racially "insensitive" content.

The move comes after violence erupted at a rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month. The president of the Orpheum Theatre said the decision to remove the 1939 film was not directly related to the recent headlines.

"The Orpheum appreciates feedback on its programming from all members of the mid-south community," Orpheum president Bret Batterson said in a statement to Vulture. "As an organization whose stated mission is to 'entertain, educate and enlighten the communities it serves,' the Orpheum cannot show a film that is insensitive to a large segment of its local population."

His statement continued, "This is something that's been questioned every year, but the social media storm this year really brought it home.

Batterson also noted the popularity of the film has "leveled off" in recent years.

Movie-goers took to the Orpheum's Facebook page to blast the theater's decision.

"This is the stupidest thing I have heard lately and believe me there have been some really stupid things done lately in the name of 'racism' - How ignorant are you people - Never will I go to this theater or any other one that promotes this BS," one person wrote.

Another wrote, "So now we r censoring art...come on it's just a movie if u don't like it don't watch it."

Many people called for a boycott on the theater's Facebook page.

"Gone With The Wind" won eight Academy Awards including Best Picture. Hattie McDaniel, who played "Mammy" was the first African-American actress to win an Academy Award.
Following accusations of Hollywood whitewashing, one actor has decided to reject his casting in the upcoming Hellboy movie so that someone "appropriate" can be put in his place.

Controversy arose last week when Deadpool actor Ed Skrein joined the cast of the upcoming reboot Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen. The character rose to fame thanks to the Guillermo del Toro movies that came out several years ago. However, the character is based on Mike Mignolas comic books. Skrein was cast as the comic book character Ben Daimio, who is a Japanese-American in the written source material. Soon, many in the Asian-American community accused Skrein and the producers of "Hellboy" of whitewashing because the role went to a white man instead of a Japanese actor. Now, Skrein seems to have sided with his critics and announced that hes stepping down from the role.

I accepted the role unaware that the character in the original comics was of mixed Asian heritage. There has been intense conversation and understandable upset since that announcement, and I must do what I feel is right, Skrein wrote in a statement on social media. It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the Arts. I feel it is important to honour and respect that. Therefore I have decided to step down so the role can be cast appropriately.

According to Deadline, there seems to be no hard feelings between Skrein and the studio. Producers Larry Gordon and Lloyd Levin made a statement to the outlet saying, Ed came to us and felt very strongly about this. We fully support his unselfish decision. It was not our intent to be insensitive to issues of authenticity and ethnicity, and we will look to recast the part with an actor more consistent with the character in the source material.

Theres currently no word on who will replace Skrein in the role of Daimio.
Rehab Addict star Nicole Curtis has taken her advocacy of normalizing breastfeeding to new heights. In a lengthy post on social media, the HGTV celebrity shared her difficult journey with breastfeeding, motherhood and the legal system.

In a post designed to celebrate Womens Equality Day, the mother of one had some blunt things to say about her recent custody battle with her ex, Shane Maguire, and how its made her private life go very public.

Did my great-grandmother ever think we'd be in a position having to fight for our rights as mothers ? Our world is turning backwards, she wrote in a post on her Instagram. People ask me what it's like to work in a male-dominated industry -piece of cake. Now ask me about the struggle of having my breasts discussed in an open court room, my child's name sold to tabloids, being court ordered to pump rather than feed my baby the only way he knows how.

Curtis went on to explain that shes been forced to pump her breasts in front of a court supervisor to prove, legally, that she cannot produce an adequate amount of milk from breast-pumping, and how that information was then shared with strangers throughout her custody hearing.

According to People, Curtis took up the cause of being a breastfeeding advocate thanks to her custody battle. Maguire sued for joint custody in 2016 and won. However, Maguire lives in Michigan, while Curtis and their son live in Minnesota. This proved a problem when Curtis was exclusively breastfeeding their son. Mcguire's lawyers and the court thought pumping would be an easy solution to their long-distance problem, but she maintained that the human body doesnt just allow for that. Now, the star seems to have had enough and is taking to her social media to speak out.

As E! News notes, this isnt the first time that shes used her social media presence and following to share her motherhood and custody struggles with her fans.

The worst part of all this? I'm not the only one, she writes. I never intended for my story to be public. I wanted my privacy, I asked for records to be sealed-I was laughed at. Now that its public, not by my doing, I'm berated for speaking out.
There is, arguably, no more quotable person in the travel sphere than Anthony Bourdain.

Whether hes proclaiming his disgusting, shameful love of fast food macaroni and cheese or shocking whiskey purists, the travel T.V. host has a proclamation for almost everything.

In an interview with Maxim  conducted while he was getting a tattoo, of course  Bourdain declared the one city that he could live in forever: Tokyo.

RELATED: THE LONGEST FLIGHT IN THE WORLD COULD GET WAY LONGER

If I had to agree to live in one country, or even one city, for the rest of my life, never leaving it, I'd pick Tokyo in a second, Bourdain told the magazine. He likened his first Tokyo trip to his first acid trip in that afterwards nothing was ever the same.

Bourdain then went on to wax poetic about Japanese minimalism, pedagogy and principles of beauty.

Bourdains fascination with Tokyo and Japanese culture is well-documented. Not only does he avidly practice the Japanese martial art jiu-jitsu, he wrote a graphic novel about a sushi chef who beheads customers ordering California rolls.

RELATED: ANTHONY BOURDAIN SAYS THIS IS HOW YOU SHOULD BE DRINKING WHISKY

However Bourdain is unlikely to stay in one place for too long. In a Reddit AMA, he revealed that hes been considering places for retirement. And while previously Bourdain had long considered the idea of retiring to Vietnam, he recently said that hes leaning very much toward Italy, despite all the dangerous carbs there. We suspect his change of heart may have something to do with his Italian girlfriend, actress Asia Argento.

This article originally appeared on Travel and Leisure
Its a sentence no family wants to hear: Your child has cancer.

However, it may be a reality for many, with thousands of new cases expected to be diagnosed this year.

Sept. 1 marks the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Below are some key figures.

10,270: The number of new childhood cancer cases expected to be diagnosed in the U.S. this year for kids ages 0 to 14, according to the National Cancer Institute.

1,190: The estimate for how many children are expected to die from cancer this year, per the NCI.

1: For children, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease, the National Cancer Institute says.

3: The major types of cancers in children ages 0 to 14 years are acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), brain and other central nervous system (CNS) tumors, and neuroblastoma, the institute says online.

WHAT ITS REALLY LIKE TO HAVE A CHILD WITH CANCER

29%: The percent of childhood cancers that are leukemia, the American Cancer Society (ACS) says in a report. The next largest cases of cancer are brain and CNS tumors making up 26 percent, and neuroblastoma 6 percent, the ACS says. The report indicates that childhood cancer refers to ages 0 to 14.

$485,000: This is a general, ballpark figure for the cost of treating acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) over two to three years, Dr. Charles Roberts with St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital told Fox News.

He emphasized that the exact figure for an individual depends on the medical center where a patient receives treatment and the sort of treatment that they get.

The number refers to the cost of providing a patients medical care, and isnt what would be billed, Roberts explained in an email.

86%: This is the 5-year survival rate for childhood leukemia cases, the ACS report said. For ALL, it said that the 5-year rate is slightly higher, at 90 percent.

80%: The 5-year survival rate for neuroblastoma, according to the ACS.

$625,000: This is a general figure for the cost of treating neuroblastoma, Roberts told Fox News. This figure can also vary based on where a patient receives care and their individual treatment. This number, too, refers to the cost of providing care for the patient and is not the amount billed, according to Roberts.

73%: This is the 5-year survival rate for brain and central nervous system tumors when benign brain tumors arent included, the ACS report says.

CHILDHOOD CANCER SURVIVORS HAVE LASTING HEALTH PROBLEMS EVEN WITH NEWER TREATMENTS

1: The rank held by St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital on US News and World Reports list of Best Hospitals for Pediatric Cancer.

Rounding out the top five in descending order are Dana-Farber/Boston Childrens Cancer and Blood Disorders Centers, Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Texas Childrens Hospital, and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center.
New research holds out hope for those suffering from an insidious and debilitating illness known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

The primary symptom is difficult to prove and sometimes impossible to get health care providers to take seriously  chronic, disabling fatigue that doesnt improve after rest. Fatigue tends to worsen after any type of exertion, physical or mental, and other symptoms can include sleep disturbances, brain fog, pain, and dizziness.

Less common symptoms like indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, and heart problems complicate the diagnostic process, leaving many physicians baffled. Its most commonly diagnosed in middle-aged white women, but it can strike people of any age, sex, or ethnic background.

IS WAXING DURING PREGNANCY SAFE?

According to the CDC, chronic fatigue syndrome affects somewhere between 836,000 and 2.5 million people in the United States, and they predict that a shocking 90 percent of cases go undiagnosed. This is probably because education for care providers about CFS can be practically non-existent. In many medical schools across the country, CFS isnt included as part of their physician training, and since the symptoms are invisible, they can be easily dismissed by caregivers.

Many people eventually diagnosed with CFS live for years without a diagnosis, and some are referred to a psychiatrist instead of being treated for their physical symptoms. Part of the difficulty for care providers is that, up until very recently, there has been no reliable way to test for CFS  no conclusive physical exam findings, no unique symptoms, and no blood test. Physicians are often left to rule out all other conditions that can cause chronic fatigue and other symptoms before turning to a CFS diagnosis when nothing else fits. Even after diagnosis, many are left to wonder if their diagnosis is correct without any way to confirm it.

Research published last month, however, may change the face of chronic fatigue syndrome for those who suffer from it and those yet to be diagnosed. Researchers at Stanford have found 17 immune-signaling proteins (cytokines) associated with the illness. Their concentrations in patients blood seem to directly relate to the severity of symptoms, offering the first hint that a diagnostic blood test may be possible in the near future.

BEWARE OF DRINKING ALCOHOL ABROAD

A reliable blood test would be a revolution in care for patients with CFS. There are few reliable treatments, but patients may begin to have access to them earlier in the diseases progression. And those who have spent years questioning their diagnosis, some under the care of physicians who doubt the legitimacy of the illness, may be able to gain some peace of mind, reassurance that their symptoms are real and not necessarily indicators of another underlying disease or of a psychological condition.

Not only does this research lay the foundations for a blood test that could give care providers a very good indication of whether or not a patient has CFS, but it also supports the idea that the disease is inflammation-driven, something physicians have long suspected.

The studys lead author, Jose Montoya, MD, professor of infectious diseases, oversees the Stanford ME/CFS Initiative. His first encounter with the disease was with a patient in 2004, and since then he has worked with hundreds of patients with CFS.

To uncover this groundbreaking new information, he and the studys other authors added a unique spin to a classic study design. Instead of simply comparing the bloodwork of individuals diagnosed with CFS to that of healthy individuals, they took into account the severity of symptoms in the CFS patients and examined the data for patients with severe disease progression separately.

This allowed them to identify disease markers that would have been missed if they had simply compared averages of the results from both groups.

HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR WITH DOWN SYNDROME SCORES FIRST TOUCHDOWN

The authors anticipate that their findings will be used to improve the diagnosis and treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome and even hope that their study design may help researchers examining other diseases.

For decades, the case vs. healthy controls study design has served well to advance our understanding of many diseases, Montoya said. However, its possible that for certain pathologies in humans, analysis by disease severity or duration would be likely to provide further insights.

Until a blood test is available, the most important step you can take if you suspect you may have CFS is to work with a physician who takes CFS seriously and has treated other patients with the disease.

This article first appeared on AskDrManny.com.
If any millennials out there are interested in half-priced apps, they might wanna get em before theyre gone.

Despite earnest attempts to keep pace with millennial consumers, casual dining chain Applebees recently announced that they are done trying to appeal to the food-trend-obsessed group, and will instead be refocusing marketing efforts on appealing to its "routine traditionalists."

CHUCK E. CHEESE BIDS FAREWELL TO ANIMATRONIC BAND AMID RENOVATIONS

Dine Equity, Applebee's parent company and also the owner of IHOP, said the closures are rooted in failed attempts by Applebee's to attract millennial diners.

"Over the past few years, the brand [has] set out to reposition or reinvent Applebee's as a modern bar and grill in overt pursuit of a more youthful and affluent demographic with a more independent or even sophisticated dining mindset, including a clear pendulum swing towards millennials," said John Cywinski, Applebee's brand president, in a recent statement.

"In my perspective, this pursuit led to decisions that created confusion among core guests, as Applebee's intentionally drifted from its what Ill call its Middle America roots and its abundant value position," he added. "While we certainly hope to extend our reach, we cant alienate Boomers or Gen-Xers in the process."

CHICK-FIL-A FAN AND PREGNANT WIFE STOP AT DRIVE-THROUGH WHILE SHE'S IN LABOR

Last year, the chain spent $40 million installing fire grills in all of its 2,000-plus locations across the country in hopes of drawing in a younger crowd, but apparently will little luck.

The "Neighborhood Grill + Bar" wasn't alone in its efforts to attract younger crowds. Fellow casual dining chains including TGI Fridays, Chilis, Ruby Tuesday and Buffalo Wild Wings have all seen sales slip through the last year.

"Millennial consumers are more attracted than their elders to cooking at home, ordering delivery from restaurants, and eating quickly, in fast-casual or quick-serve restaurants," said Buffalo Wild Wings CEO Sally Smith in a letter to investors back in May, according to Business Insider.

Such statements point to a bigger elephant in the room: Casual-dining might not be as cool as it used to be.

"When you look at the alternatives out there in the marketplace today and who's creating buzz and creating excitement, it's gone away from chain casual dining," John Antioco, the former CEO of TGI Friday's, told Business Insider.

In the race for millennial dining dollars, casual dining restaurants are now forced to complete with wildly popular fast casual eateries like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Panera Bread, as well as the rising popularity of meal-delivery kits.

Over the last few year, studies have also shown that millennials value experiences over material goods. Consequentially, their meals outside the home reflect the desire to capture the most Instagrammable moments the restaurant industry has to offer.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Executives from Dine Equity announced earlier this month that they plan to shutter between 105 and 135 Applebee's locations before the end of 2017. The chain also closed 46 locations in 2016 alone, reports Business Insider.
Australian blogger Jessa OBrien has had her Instagram account reinstated after it was shut down earlier this month.

Known as The Nude Blogger, the 28-year-old says regaining control of her account is a huge win for body positivity.

The Geelong woman frequently posts nude photos of herself on social media and says she encounters lots of ill-informed judgments and criticism about her lifestyle.

She started her account in October last year and has since amassed more than 50,000 followers.

But earlier this month, she woke up to find her Instagram page had been deactivated.

My Instagram account ... was abruptly, and without any warning whatsoever, deactivated over three weeks ago now, she wrote on her blog.

Not even a heads up. Not so much as a peep from the Instagram support team within that time, even after countless attempts at making contact and reaching out.

When my account was deactivated, of course I was upset and disappointed.

Instagram has since reactivated her account after the story was reported around the world.

I believe the story has spread like it has because body image is a matter that strongly resonates with most humansas we ALL have a naked body beneath the layers, OBrien said.

It is a topic that is relevant to each and every one of us (plus, nudity is still so taboo and scandalous when it really shouldnt be).

The deactivation of my account proved to be one of the best things to happen for my message.

This is a HUGE win for body positivity, and most definitely a step in the right direction for Instagram, social media and society!

This article originally appeared on news.com.au
CPS Unveils Lesson Plans To Teach Kids About Jon Burge Police Torture Scandal

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 28, 2017 6:55PM



Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

The ugly history and of Jon Burgethe former Chicago Police Department commander who was accused of torture by more than 100 African-Americanswon't be swept under the rug in Chicago public schools. CPS unveiled on Monday the new curriculum that educators will use to teach eighth- and tenth-grade students about the awful, extended moment in Chicago history.

The curriculum was established in 2015 as a corollary component of a measure that delivered $5.5 million in reparations, related to the extensive charges of torture and coerced-confession attempts that Burge and officers under his command conducted. Disbursement of the those reparations started early last year.



Jon Burge / AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast The police pension board in 2011 voted to allow Burge to draw a pension.

The Burge education curriculum was put together with the input of local black leaders, civil rights advocates, law enforcement, researchers and the Chicago Teachers Union, according to CPS. The lessons were "created thoughtfully and collaboratively," Mayor Rahm Emanuel said in a release. "I am confident it will be a meaningful, impactful and educational experience for students across Chicago Public Schools," he said.

The announcement follows a pilot run last year, which include guest-speaker visits by survivors of police torture. As part of the lesson plans, tenth-grade students are asked to crete a torture memorial, and eight-graders compose an opinion piece about how relations between police and the communities they serve can be improved.

"Confronting the sins of the past is critical to building a better future together," said Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool. "It's vital for students to closely examine past wrongs so that as future leaders they can make their community better."

Supt. Eddie Johnson spoke about Burge and the lesson in the video below.

Read the full eight-grade curriculum here and the tenth-grade curriculum here.
Corporate America will do almost anything to stay on the safe side of public opinionat least as its defined by the media. CEOs will apologize, grovel, resign, settle. They will even, as of this month, legitimize and fund an outfit that exists to smear conservatives.

The press is still obsessing over President Trumps incompetent handling of the violence in Charlottesville, Va., and that has suited some profiteers just fine. The notorious Southern Poverty Law Center is quietly cashing in on the tragedy, raking in millions on its spun-up reputation as a group that fights hate. Apple CEO Tim Cook informed employees that his company is giving $1 million to SPLC and matching employee donations. J.P. Morgan Chase is pitching in $500,000, specifically to further the SPLCs work in tracking, exposing and fighting hate groups and other extremist organizations, in the words of Peter Scher, the banks head of corporate responsibility.

An honest outfit tracking violent groups would keep to straightforward descriptions and facts. Instead, the SPLCs descriptions of people are brutally partisan, full of half-truths and vitriol designed to inspire fury.

What Mr. Scher is referring to is the SPLCs Hate Map, its online list of 917 American hate groups. The SPLC alone decides who goes on the list, but its criteria are purposely vague. Since the SPLC is a far-left activist group, the map comes down to this: If the SPLC doesnt agree with your views, it tags you as a hater.

Lets not mince words: By funding this list, J.P. Morgan and Apple are saying they support labeling Christian organizations that oppose gay marriage as hate groups. That may come as a sour revelation to any bank customers who have donated to the Family Research Council (a mainstream Christian outfit on the SPLCs list) or whose rights are protected by the Alliance Defending Freedom (which litigates for religious freedom and is also on the list).

To continue reading Kimberley Strassel's column in the Wall Street Journal, click here.
Common sense has gone with the wind in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

The famed Orpheum Theatre has announced it will no longer show summertime screenings of "Gone With the Wind" -- ending a 34-year Mid-South tradition.

Click here for a free subscription to Todd's newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!

The Orepheum Theatre Group told me they made the decision to exclude the classic film from its 2018 summer movie series over "specific inquiries from patrons."

"As an organization whose stated mission is to 'entertain, educate and enlighten the communities it serves', the Orpheum cannot show a film that is insensitive to a large segment of its local population," the theatre company said in a statement to the Todd Starnes Show.

Television station WREG noted in its coverage that African-American population of Memphis is about 64 percent.

"While title selections for the series are typically made in the spring of each year, the Orpheum has made this determination early in response to specific inquiries from patrons," the statement read.

It's bad enough that Memphis leaders wanted to dig up the dead body of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest from a local park, but now they want to ban Prissy and Scarlett and Rhett and Aunt Pittypat. This cultural cleansing of my hometown has gone too far.

Brett Batterson, the president of the Orpheum Theatre Group, told the Commercial Appeal the decision was made before the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

"This is about the Orpheum wanting to be inclusive and welcoming to all of Memphis," he told the newspaper.

Frankly, Mr. Batterson, I don't give a damn.

But since the Orpheum is all about inclusiveness -- perhaps Mr. Batterson could explain why the theatre company is run by a white man? And why is it that an overwhelming number of board members are white? It smacks of white privilege if you ask me.

Sadly, I predicted several weeks ago that it would be only a matter of time before the culture jihadists targeted Tara.

And now our beloved film is gone with the wind -- done in by a bunch of meddling, no-account thespian carpetbaggers (to be fair, I am not sure where Mr. Batterson's people are from, but I don't think they're from around the Mid-South).

Many Memphians must be wondering what has come over this here town. To borrow a phrase from "Gone With the Wind," Liberals have come over it. Same as they've come over all of us.

But there's no use crying in our sweet tea, Southerners.

We must stand up to the scourge of the intolerant liberals.

We must stand up and fight.

In the words of Scarlett O'Hara, as God is my witness -- we're not gonna let them lick us.
Sometimes it takes something catastrophic to bring Americans back together -- to remind us we don't have to be divided by our politics or the color of our skin.

As we learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the flood waters did not discriminate.

Click here for a free subscription to Todds newsletter: a must-read for Conservatives!

The dirty brown deluge submerged beautiful mansions on tree-lined avenues as well as rundown houses in the inner city. The wealthy shared rescue boats with those on welfare.

But in the face of great suffering -- black and white, yellow and brown Texans pulled each other from the waters.

Southern Baptists arrived to feed the hungry armed with giant cast iron skillets  filling bellies with meals  home-cooked with a dash of tender love and care.

There was the black law enforcement officer trudging through murky water saving two white children and the white fisherman lifting an elderly black woman into his fishing boat.

One of my readers sent me a Facebook video posted by Jim McIngvale, the owner of Gallery Furniture in Houston.

Mr. McIngvale told locals if they needed a place to spend the night  just come on down to his furniture store.

We have lots of beds, we have lots of food, lots of water and you can even bring your pets, he said.

Louisiana's Cajun Navy, an all-volunteer armada, showed up in shallow water outboards and air boats  more than 150 strong.

Hang on, Houston  the Cajun Navy is on the way, spokesperson Katie Pechon told me. This is not a government operation  we are all volunteer citizens.

Southern Baptists arrived to feed the hungry armed with giant cast iron skillets  filling bellies with meals  home-cooked with a dash of tender love and care.

And deputies in Liberty County even helped lead a cattle drive -- down Highway 90 -- making sure the livestock had safe refuge. You can watch the video on ToddStarnes.com.

Those are the stories and the images and the sounds that we should remember from Hurricane Harvey. Those are the moments that demonstrate the true heartbeat of the home of the brave.

Yes -- it's true the great storm washed away homes and belongings -- but there was one thing the floodwaters could not destroy -- the spirit of this great nation.
Editors Note: To support the Humane Society of the United States disaster response efforts, go to www.humanesociety.org.

The struggles and despair in Houston and in dozens of surrounding counties remind us of how fundamentally, how poignantly, our lives are linked with animals. When it comes to grabbing what they can, Texans are hoisting their dogs on their shoulders and putting their cats in carriers and pulling themselves from flooded homes and streets, leaving behind the ephemera of material possessions and holding on to what really counts.

If you have spent your life as a champion of the human-animal bond, as I have, these hours have been as moving as anything Ive ever imagined.

There is more to do. Much more, as we all know.

For every high-water rescue that brings forth cheers, we must also recognize the certainty of unseen tragedies ahead, or unfolding out of sight in these destructive and perilous moments. America should know that The Humane Society of the United States has moved into help. Out to save our pets, to help animal shelters and wildlife rehabilitation centers in the path of the storm, and to keep our communities whole.

Well rejoice at every success story, and we wont stop  first-responders, animal welfare organizations, neighbors and Americans everywhere. Animals bind people together. They are at the center of the human story, and they should also be at the center of our thinking as we respond to this crisis.

A merciless, long-running weather event stretching over 50 counties is enough to overwhelm any single organization, or any established network of organizations. So to build our ranks and rise to the occasion, were partnering with local and national groups, with other first-responders, and with state and local disaster agencies, to make sure that the animals remain a priority concern. And thats just the beginning.

On Monday alone, we brought resources to evacuate 200 animals from one shelter to make room for others who are being displaced. Well be transporting animals, with partners like Wings of Rescue to states as far off as Washington and New Jersey. And well rely on like-minded sheltering organizations in nearby states, especially in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

I mention these specifics because they illustrate something significant. The larger disaster-response community is showing us that it understands the essential, unbreakable human-animal bond must be considered from the get-go. Animals are not being overlooked even in the early going.

This is a big change, and a valuable one, since 2005 and Hurricane Katrina. This time, we see Good Samaritans out reminding people to be on the lookout for animals as they go house to house. We see private rescue boats loaded with people and with dogs  families weathering this storm, together and intact, in terms of what really matters.

We see local news stories celebrating the fortitude of Texans and Texas animals too. Indeed in advance of landfall, local news media emphasized over and over again that pets must be considered in family emergency plans.

Hopefully, well prove that animal welfare organizations have learned the lessons of the recent past too. There is no time now for back-patting or self-congratulations, but were oriented properly and the masses of the American public are behind us  having learned the lessons of Katrina a dozen years ago.

Even before the storm hit, we were evacuating animals from the impact area, working with the SPCA of Texas in Dallas to handle large shipments of animals to keep them out of harms way. Support for animals in emergency shelters is underway.

Well keep after it. Well rejoice at every success story, and we wont stop. And when I say we, I mean all of us  first-responders, animal welfare organizations, neighbors and Americans everywhere. Animals bind people together. They are at the center of the human story, and they should also be at the center of our thinking as we respond to this crisis.
Police have a tough and dangerous job. Armored military vehicles and military-grade body armor arent just useful for soldiers, they make it possible for police to protect Americans.

During his address Monday to the annual meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union with 330,000 members, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that President Trump is overturning Obamas ban on supplying surplus military equipment to police.

It is an issue that the Fraternal Order of Police and other police organizations cared about deeply during the campaign last year. Indeed, they based their endorsement of Trump during the election on his promise to overturn this ban.

Obama first ordered a review of the Clinton-era program after heavily armored police confronted rioters in August 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri. Obama worried that the armored vehicles and heavily-armored police only exacerbated tensions and led to more violence, but Obama never seemed to understand that with rocks, bottles, and tent poles being thrown at the police -- and even bullets being fired at them -- the police couldnt have stood between the protestors and those who they were protecting without this gear. And that without the police, the violence would have been much worse.

If there are any doubts what would have happened without such protection, just remember how much worse the riots were when Governor Nixon (D-Missouri) temporarily kept the police and national guard out of Ferguson. As one newspaper wrote: A show of force by police and the U.S. National Guard in Ferguson, Missouri, prevented a second night of widespread rioting by early on Wednesday. Nixon might have been well motivated by the fear that police would only antagonize the rioters, but his decision meant that the demonstrators ran wild, destroying businesses and harming people.

Obama never seemed to understand that with rocks, bottles, and tent poles being thrown at the police -- and even bullets being fired at them -- the police couldnt have stood between the protesters and those who they were protecting without this gear.

With businesses destroyed and leaving the area, it is the loss of jobs and higher prices that leave long-term scars on minority communities such as Ferguson.

The vast majority of the military surplus equipment provided the police is purely defensive. Still, even the more extreme sounding weapons, such as flashbang grenades and sniper rifles, have important uses. Some police departments face well-armed and vicious drug gangs. Flashbang grenades may be the safest option to immobilize criminals before police enter a room. Sniper rifles might be necessary to save innocent lives when hostage situations exist.

With violent crime increasing during the last couple of years during the Obama administration, President Trumps approach of protecting police and make it easier for them to protect Americans couldnt come sooner.
Programming alert: Watch "Varney & Co." hosted by Stuart Varney weekdays from 9 am - 12pm ET on the Fox Business Network.

Can Texas handle this catastrophe?

How will President Trump handle this first disaster of his young presidency?

The state of Texas and the president will not want a repeat of Katrina, which was a physical and public relations disaster for New Orleans and President Bush.

First, Texas: going into this, it had a reputation as a "can-do" state. Dynamic, efficient, booming. So far, Governor Abbot has clearly been in charge, and on top of the growing problem. He has marshalled resources, and liased directly with the feds.

So far, Texas is living up to its reputation as a state that can do what has to be done. And the president has been front and center, getting together all the federal help the Lone Star state requires.

Texas is a Republican state. The Democrats will be eager to find fault.

Next, the president. Donald Trump has announced his intention to visit Texas on Tuesday. That carries risk. He could easily be criticized for getting in the way by bringing all the baggage of the presidency right into the heart of the rescue and recovery operation. And if he does a fly-over, he risks looking like President Bush, who was savaged for "looking down" on the stricken New Orleans.

Again, no matter what he does, the left will surely find fault.

But the president does have an advantage. His chief of staff is General John Kelly, who was, until a few weeks ago, in charge of FEMA, which will be handling displaced people. And he's a general, who knows how to deploy the military.

So far, Texas is living up to its reputation as a state that can do what has to be done. And the president has been front and center, getting together all the federal help the Lone Star state requires.

Of course, there is political risk, but if this situation in Houston is a demonstration of how America responds to disaster, we're doing OK.

Adapted from Stuart Varneys My Takes on August 28, 2017.
The Trump administration will bring back the movement of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement.

Documents obtained by Fox News reveal President Trump will sign an executive order reversing an Obama-era policy which restricted local police agencies' ability to get access to gear such as armored personnel carriers, grenade launchers and other military-grade equipment.

Trump's executive order will restore "The full scope of a longstanding program for recycling surplus, lifesaving gear from the Department of Defense."

WITH TRUMP, POLICE HOPE TO DEPLOY MILITARY GEAR BANNED UNDER OBAMA

The document continues, "The gear recycled through the Department of Defenses 1033 program includes everything from ammunition and vehicles to office supplies... Under that program, assets that would otherwise be scrapped can be repurposed to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement better protect public safety and reduce crime."

The policy change will be announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions during a speech to the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville, according to a source familiar with the plan.

National police groups had been pushing for Trump to rescind the previous executive ban, to ensure that local and state police departments aren't put in danger when responding to active shooter calls or terrorist attacks.

OBAMA ANNOUNCES RESTRICTIONS ON DISTRIBUTION OF MILITARY-STYLE EQUIPMENT TO POLICE

An armored vehicle played a key role in the police response to the December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California.

Obama's executive order was established amid outcry over the use of military gear that law enforcement officials used during the Ferguson, Missouri, unrest after 18-year-old Michael Brown was fatally shot. Police responded in riot gear and deployed tear gas, dogs and armored vehicles. At times, they also pointed assault rifles at protesters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who received the first presidential pardon of the Trump administration last week, is considering getting back into the political field, he told Fox News on Monday.

When I left office, I said Im probably going to be done with politics, but Im back in the political field againwhatever that means, I dont know, Arpaio, 85, told Fox News.

Early Monday, the Washington Examiner reported that Arpaio may challenge Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, who has been in a public feud with Trump for weeks.

But Arpaio clarified to Fox News that he's not sure what office he might seek or if he'll even run again, claiming he didnt specifically mention Flake by name.

I dont know what office I would run for if I even decided to run for officeIm undecided on the issue, he said.

Flake was unsupportive of President Trumps Arpaio pardon, tweeting late Friday: Regarding the Arpaio pardon, I would have preferred that the President honor the judicial process and let it take its course.

Arpaio, the former Maricopa County, Ariz., sheriff, had been found guilty of criminal contempt for defying a judges order to stop traffic patrols that allegedly targeted immigrants.

The White House announced Trumps pardon late Friday, saying that after more than 50 years of admirable service to our nation, he is a worthy candidate for a Presidential pardon.

Trump went on to post his announcement on Twitter.

I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85 year old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Trump tweeted Friday night. He kept Arizona safe!

SHERIFF JOE ARPAIO WINS PARDON FROM TRUMP

Arpaio thanked the president, while saying in an earlier tweet that his conviction was the result of a political witch hunt by holdovers in the Obama justice department.
Former Arizona lawman, Joe Arpaio, said Sunday that Republicans should rally around President Trump after several voiced their objection to Trumps decision to pardon the controversial sheriff.

Theyre trying to go after the president. Hes a great guy and Im with him and will always be with him, Arpaio, a longtime sheriff in Maricopa County said in an interview, according to The Wall Street Journal. Im sad what theyre doing to him. Its sad.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Arizona GOP Sen. John McCain said they opposed Trump's pardoning.

"The speaker does not agree with this decision, said Doug Andres, a spokesman for 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."

Trump on Friday spared Arpaio, from the Phoenix area, the prospect of serving jail time in granting the first presidential pardon of his turbulent tenure, wiping away the lawman's recent federal conviction stemming from his immigration patrols that focused on Latinos.

The president has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions, McCain said after the Friday pardon announcement.

Arpaio said McCain likely took that position because he campaigned for McCains opponent in both of his presidential bids.

Its probably payback time, Arpaio, an early supporter of Trump, said.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson raised eyebrows Sunday with his curt reply that President Trump speaks for himself, when asked about his boss's values.

But Tillerson is just the latest Cabinet member or top adviser appearing to put distance between himself and the commander-in-chief  complicating the president's task as he tries to unify both his own team and Republicans in Congress behind his agenda.

The response from Tillerson reflects how the president's handling of the violence in Charlottesville continues to reverberate weeks later.

America's top diplomat was asked on "Fox News Sunday" whether he has a tougher time pushing American values when some foreign leaders question Trump's values. When he said nobody doubts the American people's values, host Chris Wallace pointedly asked about the president's.

"The president speaks for himself, Chris," Tillerson said.

Asked whether he was separating himself from the presidents comments, he answered, I have spoken. Tillerson pointed to post-Charlottesville comments he made earlier this month at the State Department in which he said, I want Americans to know we stand in solidarity against this racist hatred.

TILLERSON SAYS TRUMP 'SPEAKS FOR HIMSELF' ON CHARLOTTESVILLE PROTESTS

Tillerson is not alone.

Just last week, Trumps top economic adviser Gary Cohn said he has faced pressure to leave the administration and went so far as to draft a resignation letter, a source with knowledge of the situation told Fox News. Cohn subsequently met with the president and decided to stay -- but sounded off in an interview with the Financial Times.

As a Jewish American, I will not allow neo-Nazis ranting Jews will no replace us to cause this Jew to leave his job, Cohn told the newspaper, adding that the Trump administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities.

TRUMP ECONOMIC ADVISER GARY COHN DRAFTED RESIGNATION LETTER, SOURCE SAYS

Trump came under fire for blaming "both sides" for the violence in Charlottesville, Va., where a counter-protester was killed during a white supremacist rally. The president also specifically condemned neo-Nazis and has since argued that the media have ignored that rebuke.

"Did they report that I said that racism is evil? Trump asked of the media, during a rally last week in Phoenix, Ariz. The crowd yelled, No!

You know why? Trump asked. Because they are very dishonest people.

Meanwhile, another Cabinet members comments about tolerance surged across social media over the weekend -- when a video clip surfaced of Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis speaking to a group of U.S. troops.

Our country right now, its got problems we dont have in the military, Mattis said in the clip. You just hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it.

It is unclear whether Mattis was referring to Trump in any way, or simply referring to the country as a whole. But some Trump critics have drawn parallels between the comments and Tillerson's.

Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia under then-President Barack Obama, tweeted of the Tillerson comments: "Wow. Add this to Mattis tape a few days ago & Cohn resignation letter you get the feeling that few in Trump admin admire their boss."

Others have closed ranks behind the president. Trumps Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin defended himself and Trump after coming under pressure earlier this month from members of his graduating class at Yale University to resign.

While I find it hard to believe I should have to defend myself on this, or the president, I feel compelled to let you know that the president in no way, shape or form, believes that neo-Nazi and other hate groups who endorse violence are equivalent to groups that demonstrate in peaceful and lawful ways, Mnuchin responded on Aug. 19.

TREASURY'S MNUCHIN ISSUES STRONG DEFENSE OF TRUMP ON CHARLOTTESVILLE, SLAMS GOP OPPONENTS IN 'PRIMARIES'

Karl Rove, former senior adviser to President George W. Bush and now a Fox News contributor, said he doesnt necessarily think Cabinet officials are trying to put distance between themselves and Trump.

Rather, he suggested those officials speaking out were in the tough position of being asked to defend comments equating neo-Nazis to protesters -- and would not oblige.

The president does speak for himself. You cant ask these people to defend the indefensible, Rove said.

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao also has been placed in an awkward positionin the middle of a feud between the president and her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

I stand by my man  both of them, Chao told reporters last week, when asked by reporters about the ongoing scuffle between Trump and McConnell.

TRUMP TAUNTS HILL REPUBLICANS, CLAIMS HANDFUL OF DEMS 'CONTROL THE SENATE'

The feud between McConnell and Trump began when McConnell criticized the president for having excessive expectations about the legislative process, after Congress failed to deliver the votes on a plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare ahead of their August recess. Trump repeatedly said he was very disappointed in Mitch, and reportedly had a profane shouting match over the phone on Aug. 9.

Both the White House and McConnell have attempted to portray unity between the two.

The president has not publicly commented on the remarks made by Tillerson, Cohn or Mattis. The president was scheduled to have lunch with Tillerson on Monday.
13 Of Our Favorite Events In Chicago This Week



Fifth Star Awards image courtesy of DCASE.

Summer days are drifting away as we approach Labor Day weekend. Here are several excellent ways to get out there and make the most of those summer nights.



MONDAY AUGUST 28

FIFTH STAR AWARDS: This year marks the 4th Annual Fifth Star Awards show honoring Chicago arts institutions worthy of another star on the citys flag. This years honorees include hip hop musician Common, architect Jeanne Gang, Civil Rights era painter Kerry James Marshall and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. The free public event in Millennium Park will feature music, acting, poetry and a live concert with Rhymefest, Dee Alexander, JC Brooks, Sam Trump, Nora OConnor, Toronzo Cannon and Kelly Hogan.



TUESDAY AUGUST 29

MILLENNIUM PARK SUMMER FILM: Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the fairytale film The Princess Bride at this weeks Millennium Park Summer Film Series screening. The film begins at 6:30 p.m. on Pritzker Pavilions state-of-the-art outdoor LED screen. Admission, as always, is free.



WEDNESDAY AUGUST 30

FRINGE FESTIVAL: The Chicago Fringe Festival showcases 50 performance groups specializing in the un-tried and the weird in 200 performances at venues across Jefferson Park. The 11 day festival also includes a fest for the kids, with performances from local acts Barrel of Monkeys, Tiffany Lawson Dance and others. Visit their website for performance schedules and ticket information.

ROCKIN LOBSTER BASH: More than 30 local chefs and mixologists join XRTs Lin Brehmer for the 6th Annual XRT/Supreme Lobster Rockin Lobster Bash at Aragon Ballroom this Wednesday. Enjoy a full seafood tasting menu and specialty cocktails from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $70.



Image courtesy of Daybreaker.

DAYBREAKER: This months early-morning dance party is out of this world with an Intergalactic Getdown at Adler Planetarium. Daybreaker starts the morning with yoga at 5:30 a.m. followed by a breakfast dance party with DJs, live music and custom space light show from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. Tickets are $40 for both yoga and dancing, or $30 for the dance party portion only.

POWWFUL: Chicagos ladies are invited to sign up for POWER HOUR, a free introductory self-defense class for women. Trained Mixed Martial Arts instructors will teach risk awareness, verbal resistance skills and basics of hands-on street-smart self-defense techniques. The event will take place at WeWorks Kinzie location from 6 to 8 p.m. RSVP here.

NERDETTE GOT WRAP PARTY: Dissect the bonkers Game of Thrones season finale with the Nerdette team at DANK Haus from 7 to 9 p.m. Theyll record a live version of the podcast with Peter Sagal and of course, cosplay is welcome. Tickets are $25.



THURSDAY AUGUST 31



Image courtesy of AVP.

AVP BEACH VOLLEYBALL: Check out the pros for free when the AVP Beach Volleyball Gold Series tour hits Oak Street Beach this weekend. General Admission viewing is free and seating is first come first serve. For an elevated view with shade and food, Club AVP VIP tickets are for sale.

JAZZ FEST: The Chicago Jazz Festival is a Labor Day-weekend tradition in the city, this being the events 39th year downtown. Millennium Park and the Chicago Cultural Center will play host to performances from local musician Jon Faddis, pianist Jason Moran, The Rebirth Brass Band from New Orleans and more, plus tributes to legends Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonius Monk and Ella Fitzgerald. Admission to all Jazz Fest events is free. Visit the event website for the full schedule.

BOWIE BALL: "Summer of Glam" is here with another Bowie Ball at Berlin Nightclub at 10 p.m. Celebrate the life of the legendary musician who reinvented himself so many times, from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke. There will be DJs, live performances and "Glitter and Glam Makeovers" by Sky Cubacub (Rebirth Garments). RSVP for reduced cover until 11 p.m.

LOST FESTIVAL: The creative maker space Lost Arts is moving our of their Goose Island space in search of something more permanent, but before they do they're throwing a party to celebrate the work created there over the last year and the community around it. As you wander around the projects, you can sip on beers from Goose Island, snack on treats from Jerk Food Truck and take in experimental music performances from Red Stripe Down and Shortwave. Take it all in between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday night.



FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 1

TASTE OF POLONIA: Get your pierogi on at Taste of Polonia this Friday through Monday in Jefferson Park. Theyve got four stages with live music going and a variety of Polish food and beer from locales like Alexs Deli, Smakowski Deli and Home Bakery & Dumpling House. Tickets start at $5.

DANCE THE WEEKEND AWAY: North Coast Music Festival returns to Union Park from Sept. 1 - 3, bringing back its unique mixture of electronic (Deadmau5) and organic (Lettuce) dance music with a few outliers (Ween!) that still manage to fit the weekend's vibe. Tickets are available through the North Coast Music Festival website.
Gary Cohn just cant win.

He was under enormous pressure to speak out about Charlottesville. And when he did, he got hammered for it.

Cohn is a key figure as the head of the presidents National Economic Council, a former Goldman Sachs executive trusted by Wall Street. The markets had dropped on a rumor that he might quit.

And that rumor wasnt far off the mark. The New York Times reports that Cohn drafted a resignation letter after the violence in Charlottesville but decided not to submit it.

There was a media drumbeat for anyone working for the president to bail on him. Its typified by this New Republic headline: Every Trump official with a Conscience Must Resign.

To say this is driven by an ideological distaste for this president would be an understatement. Trump critics dont want to hear the argument that good people should stay in government to make things work, even if they dont agree with some of what Trump does. The presidents media detractors would welcome the sense of crisis that multiple resignations would bring.

After Charlottesville, the Times ran this headline: Jewish Trump Staff Silent on His Defense of Rally with Anti-Semitic Marchers.

That wasnt entirely true. As the story noted, Ivanka Trump had tweeted: There should be no place in society for racism, white supremacy and neo-nazis. Cohn was described by several people close to him as disgusted and very upset by the presidents remarks.

But do Jewish Americans have a special responsibility to speak out? Believe me, I get the special sensitivity when dealing with torch-bearing marchers shouting anti-Semitic slogans. But shouldnt all Americans be offended by white supremacists who preach racism, and the violence that left a 32-year-old woman dead?

Well, Cohn has now addressed Charlottesville in an interview with Financial Times: Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and the K.K.K. I believe this administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities.

While he didnt mention Trump by name, Cohn made himself clear.

At the same time he said: As a Jewish American, I will not allow neo-Nazis ranting Jews will not replace us to cause this Jew to leave his job.

Gary Cohn made a decision: He felt compelled to speak out, but hes not being driven out of his job, despite what he said was enormous pressure.

The result: Trump supporters are trashing him, and some pundits are saying he didnt go far enough and should have resigned.

The critics love to get on Ivanka and Jared Kushner when the president does anything they disagree with, as if they should denounce Donald Trump (who happens to be her dad and his father-in-law) or just plain quit.

Such unrealistic sniping is all too easy from the outside, and resignations in principle are rare in the media and corporate worlds as well. Cohn may have chosen his words carefully, but he did let his voice be heard rather than just sending signals through anonymous leaks.
Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation on Monday that would limit cooperation with federal immigration officials, angering members of his own party who say the law creates a "sanctuary state."

The Illinois TRUST Act -- a bill that was passed by the states General Assembly in May -- bans local law enforcement from stopping, arresting, searching or detaining anyone based solely on immigration status. More controversially, it bars local officials from detaining anyone solely on the basis of a federal immigration detainer, unless federal officials have a criminal warrant.

The governors office and other supporters say the law does not constitute a sanctuary policy; one provision makes clear that the TRUST Act does not prohibit communication between federal and local officials.

Illinois has been welcoming of immigrants for a long time, and this bill will continue that tradition, Rauner said in a statement Monday. It also makes clear that stopping violent crime will be law enforcements mission rather than working on federal prerogatives that a federal court has found illegal.

The governors office pointed to a decision made by an Illinois-based federal court that immigration detainer orders from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are illegal.

A spokesperson from Rauners office told Fox News that the law coincides with that ruling.

The TRUST Act makes clear that Illinois will be a good partner with the federal government, and law enforcement officials will continue communicating with federal immigration and law enforcement officials, Rauners spokesperson told Fox News.

But fellow Republicans are calling the bill another "sanctuary" measure -- the kind the Trump administration has been fighting in cities across the country.

Asked for comment about the new Illinois law on Monday, a Justice Department official was critical.

As the Attorney General has said, when cities and states refuse to help enforce immigration laws, our nation is less safe," DOJ spokesman Devin O'Malley told Fox News. "Failure to deport aliens who are convicted for criminal offenses puts whole communities at risk  especially immigrant communities in the very sanctuary jurisdictions that seek to protect the perpetrators.

Several other states including California are considering sanctuary policies, but no other governor has enacted a statewide policy since Oregon in 1977.

I said this could be the last straw, and every day I'm feeling it worse, Republican state Sen. Kyle McCarter told The Chicago Tribune. And this isn't just the 'right wing' that's angry. These are union members too, loyal union men trying to protect American jobs, and the last thing they need to see is a Republican governor making Illinois a sanctuary state.

McCarter told the Tribune that by signing the Sanctuary State thing, Rauner is complicating the message Republicans can use in future elections.

Republican leadership in the Illinois legislature did not respond to Fox News' request for comment on Monday.

But an aide in Rauners office told Fox News that they dont believe this will make Illinois a sanctuary state.

Rauners office said the new law will improve connectivity between immigrants and law enforcement and make Illinois safer for all residents.

DOJ FIRES BACK AT CHICAGO'S SANCTUARY-CITY LAWSUIT THREAT

Illinois State Police Director Leo P. Schmitz also said the law does not prohibit state and local law enforcement from working with federal law enforcement, and does nothing to change law enforcements ability to arrest and detain individuals who commit criminal acts.

Democrats cheered the new policy.

Immigrants in our community should not have to feel unsafe when they go to work or take their children to school, Illinois Democratic Rep. Emanuel "Chris" Welch, who was the primary sponsor of the bill, said in a statement.

In an interview on Fox News Special Report earlier this month, Rauner said that the immigration system is broken.

We have to put priority on keeping the people of America safe and making sure that we have laws that we enforce and that the laws are rational and enforced everywhere, Rauner said. Immigration in America is broken. We make illegal immigration in America easy, and we make legal immigration almost impossible.

Rauners decision to sign the law comes just weeks after Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for vowing to block federal grants to cities that do not cooperate with federal immigration agents.

Chicago will not let our residents have their fundamental rights ... violated, Emanuel said earlier this month.

The Justice Department fired back, with Attorney General Jeff Sessions saying that no amount of federal money will help a city that wont help its own residents.

Advocates of tough immigration enforcement slammed the new Illinois law as dangerous on Monday, saying it creates the first sanctuary state since President Trump took office.

We think it is a dangerous bill that puts public safety at risk in order to accommodate some very narrow political interests, the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) told Fox News. The governor was absolutely wrong to sign this bill.

SESSIONS BLASTS CHICAGO OVER SANCTUARY POLICIES, TOUTS MIAMI-DADE REVERSAL

There are currently an estimated 200 to 608 local and state governments with some sort of sanctuary policy in place, though they vary. Some work with federal authorities on felony convictions while others only comply in civil investigations.

California and New York currently have pending legislation that would prohibit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal authorities. Marylands legislature was debating a similar bill this year, but it failed in the House in April.
The rain is still falling in Texas from Tropical Storm Harvey, but congressional lawmakers already are staking their positions on billions in emergency relief money and calling out those who balked at aid for Superstorm Sandy five years ago.

New York Rep. Peter King over the weekend criticized fellow Republican and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz for opposing the billion-dollar aid package for East Coast states hammered by Sandy in 2012. At the same time, he pledged to support aid for Harvey recovery.

Ted Cruz & Texas cohorts voted vs NY/NJ aid after Sandy but I'll vote 4 Harvey aid, King tweeted Saturday. NY wont abandon Texas. 1 bad turn doesnt deserve another.

Sandy was considered among the largest and most devastating hurricanes in U.S. history. The super-storm hit the New Jersey coast in October 2012, causing an estimated $75 billion in damage and killing hundreds in its path.

TRUMP TO VISIT TEXAS AMID HARVEY RESPONSE

Cruz and senior Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn voted against a final, roughly $50 billion Sandy relief package approved by the Senate, after failing to get the funding offset by cuts to domestic spending.

Both senators complained at the time that unrelated spending items were attached to the aid package. A Cornyn spokesman noted to Bloomberg News that the senator voted for a Sandy aid package without the unrelated spending, which included things like repairing fisheries in the Pacific."

Cruzs Capitol Hill office did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment on King's latest criticism.

As lifelong NYer w/ NY values I will vote for emergency Harvey $ for Ted Cruz's constituents, King also tweeted Saturday. Above all, true Americans must stand together.

King has been one of Cruz's fiercest critics in Congress. The tweets, though, preview what could be a contentious aid battle when Congress returns next week from August recess -- with an already jam-packed schedule that includes approving a spending resolution to keep the government fully operational past Sept. 30.

Members will have less than four weeks to pass 12 spending bills to avoid at least a partial government shutdown.

Their passage already is overdue. And negotiations could be complicated by the need to draft another bill to provide potentially billions in Harvey relief money.

In addition, Congress must agree to increase the federal debt ceiling or default on its financial obligations.

The battle over Sandy funding almost cost then-House Speaker John Boehner his post and undoubtedly contributed to his ouster in 2015.

Boehner, R-Ohio, allowed a vote in January 2013 for a roughly $60 billion spending package, despite not having enough support from Republican members in the GOP-controlled chamber, who also wanted spending offsets.

The measure, called a supplemental appropriations bill, passed with just 49 GOP members saying yea and 179 of 180 House Democrats voting in favor.

Fox News Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
President Trump fired back Monday at critics of his decision to pardon former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, claiming the clemency decisions made by his two most recent Democratic predecessors were far more problematic.

I stand by my pardon of Sheriff Joe, Trump said at a White House press conference.

Clearly anticipating a question about the pardon, Trump read from prepared notes as he countered the bipartisan criticism by rattling off the controversial commutations and pardons issued by former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

President Obama commuted the sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked countless sensitive and classified documents, Trump said, calling Manning a criminal leaker.

He also criticized Obama for commuting the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, who had been serving a 55-year federal prison sentence for being a leader of the Puerto Rican terrorist group FALN.

ARPAIO OPENS DOOR TO RETURN TO PUBLIC OFFICE

Trump also reached back to the Clinton administration, invoking the infamous pardon of the late financier Marc Rich, who was charged with crimes going back decades, and Clintons clemency for Susan Rosenberg, a far-left radical and member of the Weather Underground.

He sought to draw a distinction between their histories and Arpaios.

Sheriff Joe is a patriot. Sheriff Joe loves our country. Sheriff Joe protected our borders, Trump said, alleging the Obama administration treated him unbelievably unfairly and the case cost him an election in Maricopa County, Ariz.

Arpaio had been found guilty of criminal contempt for defying a judges order to stop his controversial immigration patrols. Arpaio has long been accused of profiling and using inhumane tactics, and the decision to pardon him drew bipartisan criticism, including from Arizonas two Republican senators.

Mr. Arpaio was found guilty of criminal contempt for continuing to illegally profile Latinos living in Arizona based on their perceived immigration status in violation of a judges orders, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said in a statement. The President has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions.

Trump addressed the pardon controversy during a joint press conference with the visiting president of Finland. Asked about the backlash by Fox News John Roberts, Trump also seemed to defend the timing of the announcement  and push back on claims that he was trying to bury the news late Friday during coverage of Hurricane Harvey.

To the contrary, Trump said, in the middle of a hurricane, even though it was a Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally.
President Trump vowed 100 percent support Monday to the victims of the massive storm known as Harvey, while predicting he and Congress will be able to quickly approve emergency aid to help the region recover.

Weve pledged our full support as Texas and Louisiana battle and recover from this very devastating and historic storm, Trump said, during a joint White House press conference with the visiting president of Finland. Theres probably never been anything like this.

The president plans to visit what he called the impact zone in Texas on Tuesday.

He praised local officials like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for doing a fantastic job, saying protecting lives is the highest priority in the near-term. But the next step is the recovery effort, and Trump dismissed the suggestion Monday that requests for aid could get caught up in budget discussions on Capitol Hill and even increase the possibility of a government shutdown.

Trump said the storm recovery aid has nothing to do with that issue.

Youre going to get your funding, Trump told a Texas reporter. I think youll be up and running very, very quickly.

While saying lives have been totally upended by the storm, Trump praised the unbreakable spirit of residents in both states.

The rebuilding will begin, Trump said.

The president met with Finlands President Sauli Niinisto in between overseeing the federal response to the disastrous Hurricane Harvey, which was downgraded over the weekend to a tropical storm as the storm and massive flooding it caused inflicted heavy damage across Texas and Louisiana.

Hes handling the storm response as his administration simultaneously deals with questions over several major developments in Washington  including the presidents transgender military ban directive, Trumps pardon of former sheriff Joe Arpaio and more resignations at the White House. Further, the president is looking to jump-start his legislative agenda  especially on tax reform  when Congress returns from the August recess.

But the Harvey response is taking the front seat, with the storm being the strongest to hit Texas in decades, and the fiercest to hit the U.S. in 13 years.

On Sunday, incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.

The storm also has posed the first test for Trumps leadership in a disaster response. The president has touted those efforts via Twitter, and did so again at the press conference.

At the local level, officials on Monday were releasing water from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey, trying to release pressure on two dams that were at risk of failing from the immense floodwaters that have filled the city. The move aimed at protecting the downtown business district risked flooding thousands more homes, and the nation's fourth-largest city expected to get still more rain after a chaotic weekend of rain, rising water and rescues.

As many as 50 counties are affected by the flooding, Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long said Monday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
10 Images

Take 'em all down? 10 of the world's iconic statues and why they could be removed

In the wake of the violent clashes between white supremacists and counter-protestors over the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, seemingly every memorial and monument around the globe is now under fire. While tearing down tributes to slave-owners and secessionists is one thing, Fox News takes a look at how far this frenzied fad could go.
NASA believes the Yellowstone super volcano is a greater threat to life on Earth than any asteroid. So its come up with a plan to defuse its explosive potential.

Yellowstone National Park is the pride of the United States. It's an untouched wilderness. Its overflowing with scenic landscapes. And its colourful hot pools and geysers attract tens of thousands of visitors every year.

But underneath this beautiful  but thin  skin is a lurking monster. An enormous pool of magma sits high in the Earths crust.

I was a member of the NASA Advisory Council on Planetary Defense which studied ways for NASA to defend the planet from asteroids and comets, Brian Wilcox of NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) told the BBC. I came to the conclusion during that study that the super volcano threat is substantially greater than the asteroid or comet threat.

There are about 20 known super volcanoes on Earth, NASA says. A major eruption occurs about once every 100,000 years. And these odds are much higher than a repeat of an Earth-changing comet impact of the type that wiped out the dinosaurs.

So NASA tasked a team with figuring out how to prevent one.

EARTH-CHANGING IMPACT

A super volcano is very different from the common conception of tall cones of rock and ash that occasionally catastrophically erupt.

Instead, its a vast space of collapsed crust that can cover hundreds of square kilometers.

Instead, vast quantities of searing magma and clouds of fumes would slowly crawl across the landscape  burying much of the United States under a thick coat of ash and lava.

In the case of Yellowstone, its enough to change the climate of the world for several centuries.

Its happened before.

An event in Indonesia, about 75,000 years ago, named the Toba catastrophe, pumped some 4000 tons of hydrogen sulphide gas into the atmosphere along with about 2800 cubic kilometres of ejecta. This produced a global volcanic winter that lasted a decade.

Yellowstone isnt expected to erupt any time soon. It appears to burst roughly once every 700,000 years. The most recent was 640,000 years ago, with other events 1.3 million years ago and 2.1 million years ago.

This is much more regular than cataclysmic comet impacts.

When people first considered the idea of defending the Earth from an asteroid impact, they reacted in a similar way to the super volcano threat, Wilcox said. People thought, As puny as we are, how can humans possibly prevent an asteroid from hitting the Earth.

NASA, however, has an idea.

LETTING OFF STEAM

NASAs researchers have told the BBC they have explored what it would take to avert a super volcano catastrophe.

The answer: find a way to cool the magma down.

Supervolcanos only spill over when the molten rock is hot enough to become highly fluid.

In a slightly cooler state, it gets thicker. Stickier.

Its not going anywhere fast.

To achieve this, the Jet Propulsion Labs team calculated a super volcano on the brink of eruption would have to be cooled some 35 per cent.

They propose to do this by pricking the supervolcanos surface, to let off steam.

But this in itself poses risks.

Drill too deep, and the vent could cause an explosive depressurization that may set off the exact kind of eruption the scientists were trying to avoid.

Instead, the NASA scientists propose, a 10km deep hole into the hydrothermal water below and to the sides of the magma chamber. These fluids, which form Yellowstones famous heat pools and geysers, already drain some 60-70 per cent of the heat from the magma chamber below.

NASA proposes that, in an emergency, this enormous body of heated water can be injected with cooler water, extracting yet more heat.

This could prevent the super volcanos magma from reaching the temperature at which it would erupt.

Such a project could cost in excess of $3.5 billion. But its nothing like the reconstruction cost of digging two thirds of the continental United States out from under mountains of volcanic ash.

And it could even help pay for itself.

Steam from the superheated water could be used to drive power turbines.

You would pay back your initial investment, and get electricity which can power the surrounding area for a period of potentially tens of thousands of years, NASAs Brian Wilcox says.

This story originally appeared in news.com.au.
Amid the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, an island of fire ants has been spotted floating on floodwaters in Houston.

CBS National Correspondent Omar Villafranca tweeted the picture of fire ants formed into a protective island floating on flood waters in the city. The image has been retweeted more than 5,000 times.

Guidelines provided by the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension service urge people to use caution around floating fire ant islands. Avoid contact with floating mats of fire ants. If you are in a row boat, do not touch the ants with the oars since they can climb aboard via the oars, explained Texas A&M Agrilife Extension specialist Paul Nester, in the guidance note. Occasionally, floating ant masses are encountered even indoors in flooded structures.

BEWARE FIRE ANT COLONIES FLOATING ON FLOODWATERS, ALABAMA RESIDENTS WARNED

Nester also advises people to dress appropriately when working in floodwater. Cuffed gloves, rain gear, and rubber boots help prevent the ants from reaching the skin. If they do, they will bite and sting, he wrote. Remove them immediately by rubbing them off. If submerged, ants will cling to the skin and even a high-pressure water spray may not dislodge them. However, a spray made of diluted biodegradable dishwashing liquid may help immobilize and drown them.

The strange phenomenon of floating fire ants was also seen during floods in South Carolina in 2015. A FOX Carolina reporter witnessed the unusual sight while covering flood conditions in Greenville County.

Earlier this year, residents in Alabama were warned of the risks posed by floating colonies of red imported fire ants when Tropical Storm Cindy entered the state.
30+ Of Our Favorite Signs From Sunday's Rally Against White Supremacy & Fascism

By aaroncynic in News on Aug 28, 2017 4:29PM

More than a thousand people rallied at Federal Plaza and later marched to Trump Tower Sunday to take a stand against white supremacy and fasicsm, as well as show solidarity with those protesting fascists and other white supremacists on the West Coast.

Late Friday, knowing they would face massive opposition, neo-fascists in the Bay Area cancelled their planned events, organizers said in a statement. Counter-protesters in the Bay Area decided to continue the plan to take their opposition to the bigots to the streets, and we will be doing the same here in Chicago.

A coalition of than 40 groups came together to put the rally and march together, including religious, activist, labor, and other organizations.





More than 40 groups came together to organize today's #nohateChi rally. Lots of talk about using solidarity to defeat white supremacy pic.twitter.com/piPvfxR0w7  Aaron Cynic (@aaroncynic) August 27, 2017





Were here because in recent months, open Nazis, the Klu Klux Klan and other violent racists have emerged from the sewers of the internet to show their face in public, said Anton Ford of the International Socialist Organization. We know that people like that cannot be ignored. They must be confronted.

The murder of Heather Heyer earlier this month by a white supremacist who drove a car through a crowd of demonstrators in Charlottesville was one of the most publicized attacks by white nationalist and fascist groups in recent memory, but not the first by far. Organizers say that as far right groups have become more public and brazen, so have attacks on marginalized people their organizations target. In May, a student at Bowie State University in Maryland was murdered by a neo-Nazi, and in June, two people were murdered in Portland, Oregon after intervening to stop two African-American women from being murdered. Here in Chicago, a man accused of being a white supremacist stabbed two people at a punk concert earlier this month, and white supremacist graffiti was found in Logan Square Saturday, prompting its own rally later Sunday evening.





"The past 2 weeks show that the liberal idea of 'just ignore them and they'll go away' doesn't work" #nohateChi pic.twitter.com/Ev23IKj3Jx  Aaron Cynic (@aaroncynic) August 27, 2017

"Chicago is not immune from racist violence" pic.twitter.com/7Dh41lGbRX  Aaron Cynic (@aaroncynic) August 27, 2017

White supremacy and the systems of racism, bigotry, prejudice, and privilege that support it hurts us all...it is a strategy to divide and conquer, to divide and rule for the benefit of those who think they should own and rule this planet, said Michael Brunson of the Chicago Teachers Union. We will never have a nation based on democracy or society based on equity until we come together and relegate white supremacy and its violent offspringthe KKK, Nazis, fascists, white nationalists, and the so-called alt -right to the garbage bin of history.
Rescue efforts in natural disasters have traditionally started with a 911 call. But now as the state of Texas deals with the devastation of Tropical Storm Harvey, live-saving situations are often being handled in 140 characters or less.



Houston-area residents have turned to social media, specifically Twitter, to often post that they are in need of help.

Tagging the posts with #HoustonRescue or #HoustonSOS, a large number of users tweeted that they need help to escape the life-threatening dangers from the flooding.

Several users have have tweeted they are stranded, posting their addresses in the message.

GIRL MISSING FOR 33 YEARS TWEETS THROUGH SHERIFF'S ACCOUNT

A recent report from Weather.com indicates that Harvey could drop as much as 50 inches of rain in Texas, with Louisiana also sufferiing damage from the rainfall.

Others have taken to Facebook as well, organizing rescue missions on Facebook Groups, while posting pictures to show the damage. But it's been the openness of Twitter, where anyone can see a tweet or search through hashtags, that has attracted much of the attention.

Helping with Harvey

Twitter has acted as a conduit for Houston's 911 service, which has been inundated with calls. Officials in the city said that they had received more than 50,000 calls between Saturday and Sunday night, or more than six times the average daily volume for that time span. Many of the calls were for high-water rescues.

A Twitter account, Harvey Flood Rescue, has been set up to detail logging requests for rescues seen on social media. The account, which has over 600 followers, has created a Google Doc, detailing information about people who need help or which Twitter accounts to follow for updates, including the City of Houston Office of Emergency Management (@HoustonOEM), as well as local ABC and Fox affiliates.

HARVEY TO PUT DAMPER ON REGION'S ECONOMY

Help coming from both sides

But it's not just users taking to the service asking for help  authorities are using it to get the message out.

The Houston Police Depmartment has been active, asking anyone who has a boat if they can help.

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina ravaged the state of Louisiana and in particular New Orleans, social media was in its infancy. Facebook was still only available to college kids and Twitter would not be created until March 2006.

U.S. Coast Guard officials warned that social media should not be a 911 replacement. "Do not report your information on social media sites," the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement on Sunday. However, it's helped aid in recovery, due in part to the functioning cell phone networks in the area.

The nation's largest carriers by subscribers, both AT&T and Verizon issued statements that their networks were ready to handle the storm.

"As Hurricane Harvey continues its path toward the Texas coast, Verizon Wireless is well-prepared to serve customers in Corpus Christi and across the region with the nation's largest and most reliable 4G LTE network," Verizon wrote in a Aug. 25 statement.

In addition to providing disaster response equipment and personnel, AT&T said it had "improved the network redundancy in storm-prone areas," adding, "It has installed more generators at critical cell towers and switching facilities, and moved electronics essential to network operations above expected flood levels," in a similarly-worded statement.

TWITTER IS TRYING TO BOOST ITS BUSINESS, BUT IS IT TOO LITTLE TOO LATE?

Other instances

This is not the first time that Twitter hashtags have been used as emergency tools.

Residents of Paris used the hashtag #PorteOuverte or Open Door, to offer support and shelter to people affected by the terror attacks in the city in November 2015.

Earlier this year, people in Manchester used the hashtag #RoomforManchester to provide shelter to people stranded after the terror attack on the citys Manchester Arena.

Follow Chris Ciaccia on Twitter @chris_ciaccia. Fox News' James Rogers contributed to this report.
From finding gates to checking bags to trudging through security, flight preparations get many travelers wound up before they even step on the plane. And now, mans best friend is easing a whole lot of airport anxiety.

More and more American airports are bringing in therapy dogs to improve the passenger experience, according to a report from Travel Pulse. And many say that our four-legged friends are critical reducing stress and starting the journey off right.

These highly popular pet programs can now be found at over 30 airports across the country, according to San Diego Airport, whose own Ready, Pet, Go program has dogs socializing with roughly 200 passengers during two-hour shifts.

HARVEY STRANDS ABOUT 20,000 CRUISE SHIP PASSENGERS AT SEA

Typically found in a kerchief or vest labeled Pet Me, the pups pad around airport terminals with trained handlers, spreading love to travelers from all walks of life.

Like animal visits to hospitals, nursing homes, offices or prisons, pet therapy has serious power to decrease tensions and boost morale. Human-animal interaction studies have long supported the notion that dogs and other pets have enormous health benefits for people, states Harvard Health Publications.

Another pet program partnering with the Erie County S.P.C.A., Paws for Love, frequents Buffalo's Niagara International Airport, and is one of the oldest pet therapy programs: founded in 2005, it now has over 300 volunteers.

"When you're here at the airport, they're not always traveling for a good reason and the dogs seem to relax them and make them feel good, Debbie Braun of Paws for Love told WKBW in July.

THE WAY WE BOARD PLANES COULD ACTUALLY BE SPREADING DISEASES

Vancouver International Airport and Rochester International Airport are among the latest airports to follow the trend, bringing in therapy dogs earlier this month. Two RIA travelers in particular were delighted to meet the pup.

"I had a procedure on my arm yesterday, and we had a stressful flight coming out on Monday," said Julie Cocozziello on the new Caring Tails program to the Post Bulletin. "This was a great thing by the airport, to relieve those tensions, she said. Cocozziello added that it was the first time her daughter Amanda, who has autism spectrum disorder, got to meet a therapy dog, too.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

Travelers shouldn't be surprised if they see a barnyard critter in cahoots with the canines, too. Bacon Bits, of the Albany International Airport, and Lilou, of the San Francisco International Airport, are miniature pigs who work to spread smiles as rightful members of the AIAs Canine Ambassador team and SFIAs Wag Brigade.
A three-ton concrete slab in a Pennsylvania duplex may contain the remains of a young mother who disappeared in 1989, according to police.

Sunbury Police Chief Tim Miller said earlier this month that preliminary results from tests run on the concrete showed that the slab contained wood chips  a clue that might prove the woman's body was run through a wood chipper before being entombed into concrete.

A forensic pathologist is "dissecting the walls, so to speak, piece by piece, hammer-and-chisel type, looking for the smallest of clues," Miller said last week. He called it "mere speculation if a wood chipper was or wasn't used. Obviously the presence of wood chips in a concrete wall is highly suspicious."

Investigators believe the woman, Barbara Elizabeth Miller, may have been murdered by her ex-boyfriend, a onetime Sunbury police officer named Mike Egan.

Egan "is and has been the lead suspect in this case since 1989," Tim Miller, who has no relation to Barbara, wrote in an affidavit that was used to obtain a search warrant to investigate the Milton home where the concrete slab was found.

Egan said Friday he had nothing to do with Barbara Millers disappearance.

The police affidavit said that throughout the years, several people have said Egan would talk about driving past his sisters home in Milton to "visit" his "old lady"  located in the same building where the cement currently is being examined.

Egan, now 59, was paroled in 1988 after serving six years in state prison for receiving stolen property and other offenses  a crime he committed as a police officer. He reported Barbara Miller missing five days after she disappeared, then moved into her home.

The affidavit says that Barbara Miller, then 30, complained to police about Egan during the months leading up to her disappearance. Days before she vanished, she told friends that she feared for her life.

Barbara Miller's teenage son, Eddie Miller Jr., said his mother and Egan had a fight on June 30, 1989  the night she disappeared  over her plans to attend a friend's wedding without him. Eddie Miller also said that the morning after the wedding, he was driving Barbara Miller's car when he noticed the tires were covered with yellow clay that he thought was related to concrete work.

PENNSYLVANIA TEACHER, 44, ACCUSED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING MALE STUDENT

Seventeen years later, a judge declared Barbara Miller dead.

Within recent years, a local news outlet, The Sunbury Daily Item, began looking at the case again, and encouraged Tim Miller to take up the case after he became police chief last year.

An informant told Tim Miller that Egans sister, Cathy Reitenbach, who  in 1989, lived in the Milton home where the concrete slab was discovered  had been one of the last people to see Barbara Miller alive. Reitenbach died in January.

The chief found a tip within a department report in 2009 that said Barbara Miller's remains were found inside the Milton home, but apparently the tip was not pursued. There was also a 2004 report that said, "Egan put a body inside the wall of a home," and three people have said Egan would "get high on cocaine and drive by a home in Milton to 'check on his old lady,'" Tim Miller wrote in the affidavit.

The Milton home's current owners let investigators into the basement, where they found "highly suspicious construction," including a concrete floor that was added on, with portions of what appeared to be hand-mixed concrete. A small room in the basement, Tim Miller wrote, "was very peculiar," with thick concrete walls and an exhaust fan.

Another informant, according to the affidavit, told the police chief that Reitenbach's close friend, Harry Catherman, once told someone that if they did not pay a drug debt, they would "end up just like Barbara Miller did in Cathy's basement."

Catherman hung up when contacted for comment.

POLICE ARREST 2ND MAN IN BUCKINGHAM PALACE TERROR INCIDENT

Law enforcement officials brought more than a half-dozen cadaver-smelling dogs to the duplex in early June, where they all separately alerted the human remains may be present in the basement or in material taken from the basement.

In a weeklong dig after that search, police hauled the cement chunk from the basement, which led to last week's announcement that it contained wood chips.

Investigators are keeping quiet about what they found in a metal barrel recovered during an Aug. 10 search of a pond near Barbara Millers former home.

Barbara Miller last was seen by friends around 8 p.m. the night of her disappearance.

She was putting flowers from the wedding into her car, and said she was going to change at home before meeting them at a bar later.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
An Al Qaeda suspect  the first foreign terror suspect to be brought in for trial under the Trump administration  was arraigned in federal court in Philadelphia Monday.

Ali Charaf Damache, 52, of Algeria, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists and attempted identity theft to facilitate act of international terrorism.

Fox News previously reported that a 2011 indictment implicated Damache  who is believed to be a member of an Ireland-based cell and went by the name Black Flag  of backing terrorism. He also is accused of taking part in a thwarted scheme to murder Swedish cartoonist Lars Vilks because he illustrated the Prophet Muhammad as a dog.

Damache, brought to Philadelphia from Spain in July, faces up to 45 years in prison.

No trial date has been set yet. Lawyers have 14 days for pre-trial motions.

His court-appointed attorney Joe Mancano would not comment on this case.

Damache will continue to be detained at the federal correctional facility in Philadelphia.

The Trump administrations decision to bring Damache to the United States marked a break from Attorney General Jeff Sessions oft-stated belief that Guantanamo Bay is the best place for these kinds of dangerous criminals.

During his campaign, President 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.

Sessions and other Republicans often have 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 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.

Damache initially was arrested in Ireland in 2010, but released with only the charge of sending a threatening text message. At the request of American officials, he was jailed in Spain in 2015 and had been fighting extradition to the U.S.

His female co-conspirators in the Irish cell included Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a Colorado woman who married Damache in 2009 the day she arrived in Ireland to meet him in-person for the first time. She went on to assist the FBI in uncovering the Internet terrorist group that enlisted women with Western passports to champion the violent extremism and men to commit violent jihadist attacks in South Asia and Europe.

Paulin-Ramirez pleaded guilty to providing material aid to terrorists and now is serving eight years behind bars. Pennsylvania woman Colleen R. LaRose, who used the online persona Jihadi Jane also was exposed as a cell member. In 2011, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy and terrorism-associated charges and now is serving a 10-year sentence.

Fox News' Tamara Gitt and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel says he's heading to Washington for face-to-face talks with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson amid multiple urgent issues.

Gabriel said before his scheduled departure Monday that North Korea's nuclear program, the situation in Afghanistan, the crisis in Qatar, the Iran nuclear agreement and U.S. sanctions on Russia are among the topics on his agenda.

Germany has been critical of the Trump administration's climate policy and escalating rhetoric on North Korea, while the U.S. has questioned Germany's large trade surplus, among other issues.

Gabriel said: ""America's the most important European ally and even though important issues currently separate us, we need to seek dialogue with those willing to cooperate."

Other details of the Tuesday meeting haven't been released.
A 3-year-old girl in Florida was hospitalized on Sunday after a shark bit her leg, leading to the beach being closed for the rest of the day, police said.

The girl was at Bathtub Reef Beach in Martin County about 1:20 p.m. when she was bitten, the Sun Sentinel reported.

The beach was closed for the rest of the day.

SHARK BITES BOTH LEGS OF SWIMMER OFF POPULAR FLORIDA NUDE BEACH

At least two other shark biting incidents were reported last month. Bull sharks also have been named the culprit for several recent attacks in south Florida.

A bull shark bit both legs of a man at Haulover Beach, a popular clothing-optional waterfront area in Florida. The man was able to get out of the water and receive aid from lifeguards.

Florida was named the state with the most shark attacks last year, according to the International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida.


You can't blame beachgoers on Cape Cod for being jittery after a spate of recent shark sightings, some just a bit too close for comfort but all part of a natural ecosystem that scientists say humans must accept.

Last Wednesday, just off Marconi Beach in Wellfleet, a white shark took a bite out of a paddleboard, throwing its rider into the water. Cleveland Bigelow wasn't injured but compared the impact to that of a motorcycle being hit by a truck.

Two days earlier at Nauset Beach in Orleans -- also just feet from shore -- a white shark fed on a seal, turning the sea red with blood. Terrified swimmers and surfers fled the water.

On Thursday, shark sightings prompted the closure of Race Point Beach in Provincetown to swimming for about two hours.

Shark experts preach vigilance and respect. After all, it's their habitat, not ours.

"We are the interloper in the ocean," said Marie Levine, executive director of the Princeton, New Jersey-based Shark Research Institute, the nation's oldest shark conservation organization.

"White sharks prey on seals. Seals come ashore," said Levine. "So if seals are coming ashore on any beach, people should stay out of the water there. It's just common sense."

White sharks, often called great whites, were around millions of years before humans but only recently have the fearsome creatures been catalogued in large numbers off Cape Cod during the summer months. Researchers say they're likely attracted by a seal population that has exploded since the 1972 federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, though additional factors could include changes in ocean currents and the depletion of other food sources by overfishing.

Statistically, risks to people from sharks remain low. The last fatal attack recorded in Massachusetts was in 1936.

No fatal shark attacks were reported in the U.S. in 2016, or so far in 2017. The most recent unprovoked attack of any kind prior to last week's paddleboard incident occurred Aug. 10 off Hilton Head, South Carolina. A 13-year-old swimmer suffered minor cuts to his foot, possibly from a blacktip shark, according to an incident log kept by the Global Shark Attack File.

"I know people are perceiving this as a banner year and that sharks are increasing and everything, but when we look at the hard numbers that's not the case," said Greg Skomal, a state biologist in Massachusetts who has studied white sharks closely.

July saw far fewer shark sightings than a year ago, possibly due to a cooler spring in the Northeast, he said. Shark activity has since picked up in August.

Skomal spoke recently while boarding a research vessel in Chatham for a twice weekly shark survey, aided by a spotter plane. Dozens of animals have been tagged with electronic tracking devices so their migratory behavior can be studied.

Skomal's team identified 80 sharks off Cape Cod in 2014, 141 the following year and 146 in 2016. A current year tally won't be available until fall, but he said there was evidence that great whites were spreading out to cover most of the Cape's eastern coast.

Ronald Beaty, a county commissioner, cited "a clear and present danger to human life," while suggesting last week that baited drum lines be used to capture and then kill great whites. The suggestion drew swift and widespread condemnation from scientists and conservationists. The Barnstable County Commission has no plans to discuss such an idea.

In 2015, the state Division of Marine Fisheries issued regulations prohibiting people without special permits from attracting or capturing white sharks through activities such as cage diving, baiting or feeding. Shark advisory signs are posted at some beaches and shark brochures are available at visitor centers.

Skomal noted one possibly reassuring aspect to the blood-in-the-water incident at Nauset Beach.

"We had people who were surfing, we had swimmers, and we had a shark attack a seal among them all," he said. "That's a level of selection that we need to realize. The shark decided the seal was the prey item."

"But sharks do make mistakes," he added.
New evacuations were ordered Monday in the nation's fourth-largest city, as rising floodwaters that turned Houston streets into rivers navigable only by boat now threaten dams across the region -- while rescuers pleaded for more boats to reach residents trapped in their homes.

Tropical Storm Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday. The rising gray-green water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground, and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam. The death toll from the storm is at five.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett asked that anyone who has a boat or a high water vehicle to help out with rescue efforts in the Houston area.

"We desperately need boats and high water vehicles," Emmett said. "We can't wait for assets to come from outside."

'WE'LL REBUILD'  ROCKPORT RESIDENTS HANG OLD GLORY ON COLLAPSED BUILDINGS TO SHOW STRENGTH AFTER HARVEY

In a new round of evacuations, residents living near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs  that were designed to prevent flooding in downtown Houston  were warned Sunday that a controlled release from both reservoirs would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes.

"The idea is to prepare ... pack up what you need and put it in your vehicle and when the sun comes up, get out," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District told the Associated Press. "And you don't have to go far, you just need to get out of this area."

The Army Corps of Engineers started the reservoir releases before 2 a.m. Monday  ahead of schedule  because water levels were increasing dramatically at a rate of more than six inches per hour, a Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said.

Houston fire officials told Fox News there were over 5,000 rescue runs were made Sunday.

"I've been here my whole life. Lived through a couple hurricanes. It's insane," Chris Sillman, Senior Captain of the Houston Fire Department, told Fox News. "This flood over the past 27 months we had historical floods and now this. This is by far the worst, most catastrophic thing that has ever happened to this city."

Meanwhile, officials in Fort Bend County, located in Houston's southwestern suburbs, late Sunday issued widespread mandatory evacuation orders along the Brazos River levee districts. County Judge Robert Herbert said at a news conference that National Weather Service officials were predicting that the water could rise to 59 feet, three feet above 2016 records and what Herbert called an "800-year flood level."

Several hundred people arrived Sunday night at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston, which officials are using as a shelter as floodwaters have inundated much of the city. The center was also used as a shelter for Hurricane Katrina refugees in 2005.

Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet, telling the Associated Press she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She tried to move some belongings upstairs, then grabbed her grandchildren.

"When they told us the current was getting high, we had to bust a window to get out," Leho said.

Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers.

HOUSTON FATHER: 'HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO GET FIVE SMALL CHILDREN UP ON MY ROOF?'

D'Ona Spears and Brandon Polson walked with their five children, bags full of belongings, and their 7-year-old Chihuahua, Missy. They decided to leave once the water in the first story of their home reached their knees. Polson said the management at the complex wouldn't open a community building on site that had stayed dry as the apartments around it were flooding.

"As soon as you step out, a lot of cars are in the water," Spears said.

In the Galleria area west of downtown, Tom Schlueter told Fox News his new black 2017 Mercedes convertible, which has 25 miles on it, was under water.

Schlueter, who is 6 feet tall and lives in the Galleria area of Houston, said the water outside his house is up to his chin.

"I'm soaked and freaking out," he said.

Schlueter and his wife had to be water rescued by the fire department from their home, after their living room, bedroom and kitchen were all at the mercy of Harvey.

Schlueter walked two blocks to the Granduca Hotel carrying only two pairs of clothes. The hotel supplied him with toiletries and other items.

The hotel, along with others in the area, are serving as makeshift shelters for their neighbors in need.The staff at the hotel have been stuck at the hotel too - many since Friday.

"We're a family. Of course we are going to help our neighbors," the front desk staff told Fox News.

In southeast Houston, Jesse Gonzalez, and his son, also named Jesse, used their boat to rescue people. When asked what he had seen, the younger Gonzalez replied: "A lot of people walking and a lot of dogs swimming."

"It's chest- to shoulder-deep out there in certain areas," he told television station KTRK as the pair grabbed a gasoline can to refill their boat.

As of Monday, The Coast Guard deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans.

FEMA Administrator Brock Long, who called the flooding a "landmark event," said Monday morning officials are anticipating over 30,000 people being placed in shelters temporarily.

"This is still an ongoing situation," Long said at a news conference. "We're not at recovery yet."

Acting United States Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke said the need for help is great, and the agency is working to provide it.

"We are not out of the woods yet, not by a long slot," she said.

The White House announced that President Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday. He met Sunday by teleconference with top administration officials to discuss federal support for response and recovery efforts.

The rescues unfolded a day after Harvey settled over the Texas coastline. The system weakened Saturday to a tropical storm. By early Monday, Harvey had shifted a little closer to Texas, hovering about 20 miles east of Victoria, with sustained winds of about 40 mph. The National Hurricane Center said it continued to edge in a southeasterly direction at 3 mph.

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

Checks and money orders can be mailed to the Greater Houston Community Foundation, while online credit card donations can be made at www.ghcf.org. Online credit card donations will be assessed a small fee by the credit card companies. Donors have the option of increasing their credit card donations to cover this fee.

Fox News' Barnini Chakraborty, Matt Finn, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Houston was again pummeled by rain Monday after a brief respite as the catastrophic storm known as Harvey stalled over the region  submerging countless homes and businesses, turning freeways into rivers and prompting thousands to plead for help.

According to the National Weather Service, residents can expect another 24 inches of rain, the return of tropical storm force winds and high flood waters. The NWS has issued flood watches and warnings from near San Antonio to New Orleans, an area that is home to more than 13 million people.

The unprecedented storm is likely to displace at least 30,000 people, has cut power to 300,000 residents, led to five reported deaths and 2,000 rescues, while inundating the nations fourth-largest city with over 11 trillion gallons of water.

Schools, airports and office buildings remain closed on Monday as city officials asked residents to remain calm in the face of disaster.

This is a landmark event for Texas, Brock Long, FEMA's administrator, told reporters, noting that his agency expects at least 450,000 people to file for disaster assitance. Texas has never seen an event like this.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said Monday that there are already 5,500 people in shelters and that number is expected to rise  with Dallas readying the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center to hold up to another 5,000 evacuees.

Long said Monday that 30 to 50 counties are possibly impacted by the storm and flooding in Texas, beyond Houston, and that southwest Louisiana, which President Trump approved a declaration of emergency for, will also see a tremendous amount of rainfall.

It is a historic amount of water. Theres never been anything like it," the president said on Monday afternoon ahead of a planned Tuesday visit to the state. Well be leaving tomorrow around 8:30 in the morning.

Rainfall totals already range from 20 to 39 inches across southeast Texas. Harveys onslaught is predicted to continue for the next few days, as the storm swirls around the southeastern U.S. coast, briefly heads offshore and then makes another landfall. Some communities in the Houston area will likely see 50 inches of rain by the time its over.

Although mandatory evacuations were announced for some smaller cities and counties along the coast, no such order came through for the Houston 2.3 million residents  a decision that some have questioned  and most roads into the city are now impassable, littered with abandoned cars and trucks.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott activated his state's entire National Guard, deploying 12,000 servicemembers to respond to the devastation. In addition, 16 aircraft are conducting day and night wide area search and rescue missions along the Texas coast from Corpus Christi to Houson.

The governor toured Rockport and the Coastal Bend region, which the storm hit especially hard. During the tour, a veteran gave the governor an American flag that reportedly was recovered from Rockport City Hall -- and asked Abbott to deliver it to the mayor.

During a live press conference Monday afternoon, Abbott thanked the immeasurable, courageous, heroic first responders.

They were able to evacuate so many people and minimize loss of life, he said, noting its remarkable they were able to save so many lives.

He expressed gratitude to local leaders for their unparalleled leadership as well as to Texans looking out and rescuing their friends and neighbors.

We are just beginning the process of responding to this storm, Abbott said. We are still involved in the search and rescue process.

He noted Texas and FEMA was especially prevalent in helping Aransas County.

He noted next steps are protecting and preserving life and rescuing every life we can find, helping Texans get access to necessities: food, water, supplies, and power.

We have points of distribution that are set up in every county, Abbott said. Texas is at the early stages of turning back on power  restoration of power is one of its biggest needs.

He gave out a website to help citizens in need: Disasterassistance.gov.

Abbott said, We need to recognize that there will be a new normal, a new and different normal, and we wont stop until we get as far as we can.

Desperate residents have taken to social media to plead for help, posting images of their families stranded at home as flood waters quickly rise.

Long said Monday that we need citizens to be involved, because the storm and resulting flooding is greater than the government can handle.

People need help, and we are working to provide it, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, said on Monday morning during a news conference. Harvey is still a dangerous and historic storm.

Ken Sandy, a shelter manager for the American Red Cross, said Monday that more than 2,600 people took shelter in the George R. Brown Convention Center. Organizers with the Red Cross estimate the convention center can accommodate roughly 5,000 people.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday began releasing water into Buffalo Bayou from two flood control dams to prevent uncontrollable flooding downtown and near the crucial Houston Ship Channel.

If we dont begin releasing now, the volume of uncontrolled water around the dams will be higher and have a greater impact on the surrounding communities, said Col. Lars Zetterstrom, Galveston District commander of the Corps, in a statement.

Tropical Storm Harvey became a hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico last week and made landfall northeast of Corpus Christi, Tex., on Friday night. It was a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 miles per hour. It later moved offshore before making a second landfall near Copano Bay as a Category 3 hurricane.

Fox News' Frank Miles, Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
You are here: Home

Over 140 items, including 83 antiques and about 60 replicas, are on exhibition in the Shanghai Lu Xun museum, showing the late literary master's friendship with over 100 foreigners.

Lu Xun is the pen name of Zhou Shuren (1881-1936). His works, including "The True Story of Ah Q" and "A Madman's Diary," put him the league of leading Chinese writers that ushered Chinese literature into the modern era.

During his stay in Shanghai from 1927 to 1936, the writer maintained close contact with many foreign people, including American journalist Edgar Snow, Japanese social activist Uchiyama Kanzo and Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw.

The items on display, including items with Lu Xun's handwriting and many precious photos, showcases the writer's effort to encourage communication between China and other countries through art and literature.

The exhibition started last week and will last until November 20.
Riding on a rescue boat through a neighborhood in Houston flooded after a nearby reservoir released water from Hurricane Harvey, Fox Business Networks Jeff Flock got a first-hand perspective Monday of the challenges that came with trying to save lives.

As the boat, provided by a local resident, rode through a western Houston neighborhood, a Harris County constable explained that rescue crews have passed through the area several times, shouting for anyone who might be in need of help.

Just making sure that if anybody wants to get out, were gonna get them out, the constable said.

Some residents in the neighborhood  which has been engulfed by water that was released from the nearby Barker Reservoir, in addition to rain pouring down from the storm  decided to stay put and ride out the storm as it passed.

HARVEY FLOODING FORCES NEW EVACUATIONS, AS HOUSTON BRACES FOR MORE RAIN

Residents in one newly renovated home gave a thumbs up when rescuers had previously passed, which meant they wanted to stay in their home.

Everybodys alike, Flock said of flooded homes  some in wealthy areas, some in poor areas. Everybodys got the same problem.

Some of the people who decided to stay put during the storm, found a small patch of grass where they walked their dog while holding an umbrella.

This is what Houston has been doing, Flock said, describing the rescue efforts. Flock said many residents have donated their time and gear to help, because its been difficult for emergency crews to reach some of the flood-stricken areas in time.

FAMILY OF 6 FEARED DROWNED WHILE TRYING TO ESCAPE HARVEY, REPORTS SAY

Most hurricanes  wed be done with it by now. Wed be cleaning up and wed be thinking about heading home, and saying good luck on the rebuild, but right now, I mean were still right in the throes of this, Flock said.

Water from the reservoir, which was built to prevent flooding in downtown Houston, was part of a controlled release, which triggered additional flooding in nearby neighborhoods.

The releases began before 2 a.m. Monday because water levels were increasing dramatically at a rate of more than six inches per hour, according to an Army Corps of Engineers spokesman.

Houston fire officials told Fox News that over 5,000 rescue runs were made on Sunday alone.
The Latest on President Donald Trump and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (all times local):

5:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he thinks "many countries" pose a threat to the Baltic region and that the U.S. "will handle them" if it becomes necessary.

Trump says he hopes it won't come to that, "but if we do we will handle them."

Trump says the U.S. considers the Baltic region a very important part of the world and that the U.S. is "very protective" of that region.

Trump spoke at a White House news conference alongside Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (SOW'-lih NEE'-nis-tuh) after they met in the Oval Office for talks.

Trump adds that the United States has a great relationship with Finland.

___

4:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump says the United States stands "in solidarity" with Finland against the threat of terrorism.

Trump is pledging anew to work to cut off finances for terrorism and defeat what he says is a "wicked ideology."

Trump commented at a White House news conference Monday after Oval Office meetings with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (SOW'-lih NEE'-nis-tuh).

Earlier this month, a man stabbed eight people, killing two of them in Finland's western city of Turku. The suspect was later detained.

Finland's top police chief said at the time that it was too early to link the attack to international terrorism.

___

3:45 p.m.

President Donald Trump has welcomed Finnish President Sauli Niinisto (SOW'-lih NEE'-nis-tuh) to the White House for talks.

The White House says the presidents plan to discuss terrorism, Afghanistan, Russia and the Arctic, among other topics.

Niinisto told journalists before leaving Finland that he and Trump would talk about the Baltic Sea.

Trump and Niinisto plan to take questions at a news conference in the White House East Room following their talks.

The White House initially had announced Niinisto's visit for Tuesday, but later moved the meeting to Monday.

Trump is now planning to travel to Texas on Tuesday to survey flood damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.
A Michigan woman has been sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of her husband in a crime apparently witnessed by the man's pet parrot.

Forty-nine-year-old Glenna Duram of Sand Lake learned her sentence Monday after a jury found her guilty of first-degree murder and a felony firearm charge last month.

Forty-six-year-old Martin Duram was shot five times in May 2015. Glenna Duram suffered a head wound in what prosecutors said was a suicide attempt, but survived.

Martin Duram's ex-wife, Christina Keller, has said that after the slaying, the pet parrot, Bud, repeated "don't (expletive) shoot" in Martin Duram's voice. Keller took ownership of the bird after Martin Duram's death.

Glenna Duram's attorney plans to appeal.
Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nations fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

The dire situation prompted Gov. Greg Abbott to order another 1,000 National Guard members to Houston. Abbott said the state activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members as a result of the storm damage. He also said 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft had been put into service.

The death toll from the storm is at five.

TRACK STORM | PHOTOS | HOW TO HELP

FOX BUSINESS: Texas flood damage from Harvey may match Katrina: insurance group | U.S. gasoline futures surge

COMING UP ON FOX NEWS CHANNEL: 7:15 AM ET: Department of Homeland Security press conference on Hurricane Harvey outside of the FEMA Building in Washington. Watch live on Fox News Channel and FoxNews.com

RIGHT-WING DEMONSTRATORS TARGETED

Protesters from the poles of the U.S. political spectrum converged on another American city Sunday as violence erupted when left-wing protesters surrounded and attacked at least five right-wing demonstrators in Berkeley.

The group of more than 100 hooded protesters, with shields emblazoned with the words no hate and waving a flag identifying themselves as anarchists, busted through police lines, avoiding security checks by officers to take away possible weapons.

ARPAIO: RALLY AROUND TRUMP

Former Arizona lawman, Joe Arpaio, said Sunday that Republicans should rally around President Trump after several voiced their objection to Trumps decision to pardon the controversial sheriff.

Theyre trying to go after the president. Hes a great guy and Im with him and will always be with him, Arpaio, a longtime sheriff in Maricopa County said in an interview, according to The Wall Street Journal. Im sad what theyre doing to him. Its sad.

DUTERTE: OK TO KILL IDIOTS WHO RESIST

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday ordered police in his country that it is OK to kill "idiots" who violently resist arrest, just two days after hundreds turned a funeral of a slain teenager into a protest against his deadly war on drugs.

Duterte made the comments during a speech in a cemetery on the outskirts of Manila. He was addressing a police chief in a town in the southern part of the country where the mayor was killed in an anti-drugs raid, Reuters reported.

FOX BUSINESS: Uber board picks Expedia's Dara Khosrowshahi as new CEO

COMING UP ON FOX BUSINESS

6 AM ET: Russel Honore, Former Hurricane Katrina Joint task Force Commander, to be on 'Morningsm with Maria'

7 AM ET: Brad Gair, former FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer, to be on 'Mornings with Maria'

8 AM ET: Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney general, to be on 'Mornings with Maria'

8:30 AM ET: Sean Strawbridge, Port of Corpus Christi port director, to be on 'Mornings with Maria'
Monuments to Confederate generals have sparked a divisive debate, but not so a park and a statue in the Southwest that honor Pancho Villa-- the enigmatic historical figure who made a name for himself attacking the U.S. a century ago.

Now, Richard Dean, president of the historical society in Columbus, N.M., wants to see that change.

He told Fox News that he remains frustrated that the state park in Columbus--scene of Villas foreign invasion and the worst such attack on U.S. soil until 9/11is named after the notorious figure whom he considers a terrorist.

Is there a park in lower Manhattan named after Usama bin Laden? asked Dean, whose great-grandfather was killed in the attack. Of course not.

Many Mexicans on either side of the border revere Villa as a Robin Hood-like figure. To pop culture he is a icon and and to the Mexican government a hero, which may explain why his image has avoided controversy.

Columbus was a remote border hamlet when Pancho Villa and his band of more than 1,000 soldiers invaded on March 9, 1916 and killed 18 Americans. During the raid, the hotel was looted and most of the town was burned to the ground. Two months later Villa supporters raided two small Texas villages, killing three soldiers and a civilian.

The Columbus attack spurred President Woodrow Wilson to send General John Black Jack Pershing and 6,000 troops to Mexico to look for Villa to bring him to justice. As part of the Punitive Expedition, Pershing pursued Villa some 400 miles into the mountains of Chihuahua but never caught him, fueling Villas outlaw reputation. Assassins killed him in Mexico in 1923.

New Mexico opened Pancho Villa Park in Columbus in 1965 on the grounds of the former Army Camp Furlong which housed Pershings troops.

Dean told Fox News he confronted the late State Senator Ike Smalley about naming the park for Villa on what he considers sacred ground.

He would never answer me but close his eyes and smile, he said.

Dean said he believes a majority of the towns 1,600 residents agree that the parks name should be changed. But he said that the towns proximity to Mexico has made it difficult to garner support. Columbus is so close to the border that children from nearby Palomas, Mexico, cross the border to attend the elementary school.

Dean said that more than 30 years ago the town balked at installing a Pancho Villa statue in the park that was a gift from a group of Mexican journalists.

There were a few little old ladies who survived the raid who said if the statue was put up in the park they would blow it up, Dean said. I know they would have done it, too.

Instead, the 14-foot-tall, five-ton bronze statue of Villa riding a horse and brandishing a pistol was presented to the city of Tucson in Arizona. It sits in a downtown park where it remains today.

The statue's arrival wasnt without controversy.

Tucsons mayor at the time, Lew Murphy, refused to attend the unveiling ceremony. Others who stayed away complained that the city was honoring a figure who not only murdered Americans but his own people.

Still, the cremony drew a crowd of 600 people, including many Mexicans. They cheered the statues unveiling with cries of Viva Villa!

Lane Mandle, spokeswoman for the city of Tucson said a handful of people have complained about the statue both pre and post-Charlottesville.

The statue is considered a work of art and would have to go through a public process before it could be removed, she said.

The deaccession of any piece of city art must go through a process as outlined in city Administrative Directive 7.01-7, Mandle told Fox News. That process has not currently been initiated for the Pancho Villa statue.
Harvey has drenched Houston, forcing tens of thousands of people from their homes -- and the feeling of helplessness on Monday was palpable.

FEMA says 30,000 people will be displaced. Another 13 million more remain under flood watches and warnings Monday night.

"We had to get water rescued, he said. They came to the door and everything."  Tom Schlveter

In Montgomery County, the New Katy area is more like a river than a road. People who live there tell Fox News they aren't leaving -- and that, emergency personnel say, is the problem.

In the Grand Vista subdivision, the only way in or out is by boat. But those evacuations will stop as night falls. Capt. Brian Carlisle of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office says he's been conducting water rescues all day but says that will end soon once it gets darker, citing the risk of injuries during nighttime boat rescues.

In northeast Houston, the "Cajun Army" has come to town. Ben Paderick and his pal from Galveston brought their boat and has rescued about "20 or so" people.

"It's a sad situation," he said.

Paderick's been working alongside first responders and other civilians like Robert Flickman trying to rescue people.

"I got tired of seeing people suffering," Flickman, a lawyer, said. "This is our city."

In my hotel on the west side, weary lodgers felt the uneasy resignation that comes from surviving an early battle in a long war. We were all grateful to have done so in relatively comfortable conditions.

Not everyone landed in a hotel lobby: Thousands of evacuees were whisked to schools, stadiums and the George R. Brown Convention Center, on Avenida de las Americas.

As rescue efforts played out around the city, folks on higher ground fought for some semblance of normalcy. No amount of rain was stopping the manicurists at Nail'Ori, on San Felipe Street, from coming in. Kimberly Quang said she came to work because its better than sitting at home. And there were customers to attend to, after all.

"Oh lord, can you wait 30 min before putting it on the news? one patron said. The minute people hear this place is open, they're going to flood this place."

William Staib, owner of Unit Cargo Container, summed up the feelings of a city as he surveyed falling rain and rising floodwaters.

"The worst might be over, but the water levels are rising," said Staib, who has a condo in Houston that has not flooded but a house in hard-hit Katy that he's concerned about.

In between fording vast bodies of water where roads once stood, I spotted a giant white truck with the words "Rain for Rent" emblazoned on the back. One would not think there is much of a market for their services in Houston right about now, but it turns out the company "is a leading provider of temporary liquid handling solutions including pumps, tanks, filtration and spill containment.

San Antonio resident Penn Riche, waiting in a 30-minute line that snaked past a Burger King drive-thru, said he was visiting friends in Houston when Harvey hit. He's not sure how his house is doing and hasn't been able to speak to his neighbors. As he waited for his meal, he was resolute about a whopper of a storm that so far has had its way with Houston.

"Look, at the end of the day, I'm alive, he said. Harvey packed a punch but Texas will punch back harder."
The teenage boy who died in police custody on Friday night took his own life, the Akron Police Department said.

Xavier McMullen, 17, of Akron died of a gunshot wound to the head after he allegedly shot himself, according to Fox8.com. The Akron Police Detective Bureau has launched an investigation into the incident.

Police officials said that the incident began when two women who were sitting in their van on 10th street when they were robbed at gunpoint by three males around 10 p.m. Friday. The suspects fled from the scene.

Police later went to a home on 7th street and arrested all three suspects.

They were all placed in separate patrol cars. Soon after, a shot was heard by officers at the scene from one of the vehicles. They rushed to the car to find McMullen mortally wounded with a gun next to him, according to a news release from police officials. Police haven't said how the gun ended up inside the cruiser.

The Akron Police Detective Bureau, Office of Professional Standards and Summit County Medical Examiner's Office are investigating the incident.

The two other suspects, Matthew Allen, 18, and Anthony Criss, 18, have been charged with aggravated robbery and are currently being held pending arraignment next week.

Click here for more from Fox8 Cleveland
Three people, including a 16-month-old boy, were hurt Sunday when a large tree fell and struck a group of hikers in Washington state.

A man, his toddler son and a woman were hiking along a trail at Twin Falls State Park in North Bend, Wash., when a 100-foot cedar tree toppled and hit them, police told Q13FOX.

The toddler was airlifted from the scene with critical injuries. He is now recovering at Harborview Medical Center and his condition has been upgraded to serious.

14-YEAR-OLD DIES AFTER TREE FALLS ON CAR

First responders rescued the two adults and carried them away in ambulances. They are both in serious condition.

Witnesses who were on the trail when the tree fell said they heard a loud crash and saw the tree falling, police said. A rock slide followed, but what caused the tree to fall is still unclear.

Kings County Sheriffs Office spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West called it an absolute miracle that more people werent hurt given the large number of people on the trail that day. She said the injured hikers were lucky other people were there to help.

Good Samaritans actually grabbed the baby from the father and ran it to the trail head, West said.

The trail was blocked from public access Sunday while the tree was being cleared.
The U.S. Navy is facing some tough questions following two deadly collisions during the summer of 2017.

More than a dozen sailors died in the separate accidents. The destroyer USS Fitzgerald struck a commercial ship off the waters of Japan in June, killing seven U.S. sailors. The destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with an oil tanker in coastal waters off Singapore in August, killing 10 U.S. sailors.

Five officers involved with those two collisions have been charged with negligent homicide, the Navy said Tuesday.

Read on for a look at other recent U.S. military incidents in the Pacific.

C-2A Greyhound

Three sailors were lost after a Navy plane crashed in the Philippine Sea shortly after takeoff from Japan in November 2017.

Eight other crewmembers on board the plane were rescued and listed in good condition at the time of the crash.

Deep water salvage experts located the plane in early January 2018 and efforts are underway to recover the aircraft and sailors, the Navy said.

USS John S. McCain

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with the merchant vessel Alnic MC on Aug. 21, 2017, according to the Navy report.

Five sailors were injured, and 10 sailors died.

No one onboard the 600-foot oil and chemical tanker was injured, the Singapore government has said, although the ship did sustain damage to a compartment at its front.

Singapore, at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula, is one of the world's busiest ports and a U.S. ally, with its naval base regularly visited by American warships.

The Navy said in a release that the crash could have been avoided, adding that it "resulted primarily from complacency, over-confidence and lack of procedural compliance."

UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

An Army Black Hawk helicopter crashed in the ocean off the coast of Hawaii on Aug. 15, 2017.

Two Black Hawk aircrews were participating in training exercises when communications were lost.

Crews from the Army, Coast Guard, Navy and local agencies in Hawaii searched around the clock as strong currents moved the wreckage into a deep-water search area that spanned 72,000 nautical miles.

The five soldiers who went missing ranged in age from 26 to 41. The crew did have life vests and devices to assist with underwater breathing on the helicopter, officials said.

But while officials recovered significant debris from the crash, Army and Coast Guard officials said that they found no signs of life and ended the search-and-rescue operation.

All five missing soldiers have been declared dead.

MV-22 Osprey

Three U.S. Marines were declared dead in August 2017 after their MV-22 Osprey crashed off the coast of Australia.

The MV-22 Osprey  part helicopter, part plane  crashed into the back of the USS Green Bay, a Navy amphibious ship, and fell into the sea on Aug. 5.

USS Fitzgerald

Seven sailors  ranging in ages from 19 to 37  died in June 2017 when the USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship in waters off Japan.

The captain of the ACX Crystal, a Philippine-flagged container ship, accused the Navy destroyer of failing to heed warning signs before the crash on June 17.

"The collision between Fitzgerald and Crystal was avoidable and resulted from an accumulation of smaller errors over time, ultimately resulting in a lack of adherence to sound navigational practices," the Navy said in the release.

"Specifically, Fitzgerald's watch teams disregarded established norms of basic contact management and, more importantly, leadership failed to adhere to well-established protocols put in place to prevent collisions," it added.

USS Lake Champlain

The USS Lake Champlain, a guided-missile cruiser part of the U.S. Navys 7th fleet, collided with a South Korean fishing vessel in the Sea of Japan in May 2017.

No injuries were reported following the May 9 crash.

The naval ship was conducting routine operations in international waters at the time of the incident, according to the U.S. Navy. A defense official said visibility was limited at the time.

USS Louisiana

The ballistic-missile submarine USS Louisiana collided with a U.S. Navy Offshore Support Vessel off the coast of Washington state on Aug. 18, 2016, according to the U.S. Navy.

The crash occurred during routine operations in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

While both vessels were damaged, no one was injured in the collision.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
When an electrical fire ravaged three Texas homes during Hurricane Harvey, one family found an unexpected survivor among the rubble: a statue of the Virgin Mary.

Three homes located on the Rojas family property in Robstown  less than 20 miles west of Corpus Christi  were destroyed by an electrical fire as Harvey was hitting the area. But a stunning photo shows a Virgin Mary statue still standing, unscathed by the devastation.

Some may blame God and some may blame the hurricane but the only thing standing were holy things, homeowner Natali Rojas told KRIS. As you can see this statue is the only thing that survived. I dug in there for things and all I found is a Virgin Mary.

Natalis father, Jesus Rojas, told the station hes grateful no one died in the fire.

"I believe that throughout my life I've suffered a lot, we were migrants. We worked all of our lives in fields and trying to show our families how to stay strong, how to believe in God and keep everybody together as a family," Jesus said.

The Rojas family thanked the Robstown Fire Department for fighting the flames during the storm.

"Appreciate what you have, listen to the warnings, hug your children and thank God for today and yesterday, and pray for a better tomorrow," Natali said.
Novel The Dream of the Red Chamber, written by Cao Xueqin during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is considered one of China's greatest classical novels, and its latest rendition is set to thrill opera lovers in the country.

The opera The Dream of the Red Chamber will tour Beijing, Changsha and Wuhan in September. It premiered in the United States last year. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The San Francisco Opera rolled out the world premiere of its operatic production based on the novel in September.

A year later, the production is scheduled to tour three Chinese citiesBeijing, Hunan province's capital Changsha and Hubei province's capital Wuhanto present six performances between Sept 8 and 23.

The Dream of the Red Chamber chronicles the downfall of the wealthy and influential Jia family during the imperial era, against the backdrop of the country's social and political upheavals.

Apart from its intricate portrayals of hundreds of characters and settings, it also offers a look at China in the philosophical context of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism.
next Image 1 of 3

prev next Image 2 of 3

prev Image 3 of 3

Former dictator Efrain Rios Montt's conviction of genocide is a historic moment in a country still healing from a brutal, three-decade civil war and his trial offered Guatemala's oppressed indigenous communities their first chance to be heard, human rights activists said.

Relatives of those killed and activists celebrated the 80-year sentence handed down by a tribunal to Rios Montt on Friday, a sweet moment in their long struggle to punish the former dictator who presided over one of the bloodiest chapters of a war that killed some 200,000 people, mainly indigenous Mayans.

During the trial Ixil Mayans, who have long suffered discrimination, stood up and testified about mass rapes, the killings of women and children, and other atrocities that authorities had often denied took place.

"It's important that victims were given a voice, that they were given an opportunity to be heard, to feel vindicated, to show they are not crazy and that what they went through did happen," said human rights activist Helen Mack, whose sister Mirna was killed in 1990 while documenting abuses against indigenous communities during the war.

"It's a painful process for Guatemala but we need go through it if we want to heal our wounds as a society," said Mack.

But she warned that it remains to be seen if justice will be served in the case, despite the conviction of the 86-year-old ex-general for genocide and crimes against humanity.

"This sentence is still not firm because Rios Montt's lawyers have already said they will work to nullify it," she added.

The ruling was the state's first official acknowledgment that genocide occurred during the 36-year civil war that ended with peace accords in 1996. It was also the first time such a sentence for genocide was ever handed down against a former Latin American leader in his own country.

For Guatemalan Nobel Peace laureate Rigoberta Menchu the unprecedented trial was an opportunity for Ixil Mayans to show other indigenous communities how to exercise their rights.

"This was achieved by the Ixil people. This could mean that everyone, all indigenous people all over the planet who have been treated with hatred, who have been branded as liars, could hopefully start living in harmony," Menchu said.

When the guilty verdict was announced, the crowded courtroom erupted in cheers. Some women who lost relatives in the massacres wept.

Indians from ethnic Mayan groups broke into song after the verdict, singing "We only want to be human beings ... to live life, not die it."

"This is a verdict that is just. This brings justice for the victims, justice for the people of Guatemala," said Edgar Perez of the Association for Justice and Reconciliation, one of the groups that originally brought the criminal complaint against the ex-dictator a dozen years ago.

"Judge, Judge! Restore order!" Rios Montt shouted as cameramen and photographers swarmed him after the verdict was announced.

In delivering the verdict by the three-judge tribunal, Presiding Judge Yassmin Barrios said "he knew about everything that was going on and he did not stop it, despite having the power to stop it from being carried out."

The proceedings suffered ups and downs as the trial was suspended for 12 days amid appeals and at times appeared headed for annulment.

Prosecutors argued that Rios Montt must have had knowledge of the massacres of Mayan Indians when he ruled Guatemala from March 1982 to August 1983. The three-judge panel essentially concluded that the massacres followed the same pattern, showing they had been planned, something that would not be possible without the approval of the military command, which Rios Montt headed.

Rios Montt had said he never knew of or ordered the massacres while in power. A co-defendant, Jose Mauricio Rodriguez Sanchez, a 68-year-old former general who was a high-ranking member of the military chiefs of staff during Rios Montt's administration, was acquitted.

The 80-year sentence was somewhat symbolic, given Rios Montt's age and the fact that Guatemala's maximum sentence is 50 years. His lawyers vowed to appeal the ruling.

"This is an unjust verdict. We already knew they were going to convict him, the general (Rios Montt) even came with his suitcase packed," said defense lawyer Francisco Palomo.

Dozens of victims testified of atrocities. A former soldier directly accused President Perez Molina of ordering pillaging and executions while serving in the military during the Rios Montt regime. Perez Molina called the testimony "lies."

Rios Montt seized power in a March 23, 1982, coup, and ruled until he himself was overthrown just over a year later. Prosecutors say that while in power he was aware of, and thus responsible for, the slaughter by subordinates of at least 1,771 Ixil Mayas in San Juan Cotzal, San Gaspar Chajul and Santa Maria Nebaj, towns in the Quiche department of Guatemala's western highlands.

Those military offensives were part of a brutal, decades-long counterinsurgency against a leftist uprising that brought massacres in the Mayan heartland where the guerrillas were based.

A U.N. truth commission said state forces and related paramilitary groups were responsible for 93 percent of the killings and human rights violations that it documented, committed mostly against indigenous Maya. Yet until now, only low or middle-level officials have been prosecuted for war atrocities.

____

Associated Press Writer Olga R. Rodriguez contributed to this report
An anti-bullfighting activist protesting the gory sport on Sunday was attacked by a bull when he jumped into a French arena in an attempt to protect the animal, police said.

A man in his 30s and a woman attending the event in Carcassone in southern France sneaked their way into the main ring, AFP News Agency reported. The incident happened during the "novillada," when younger bulls are placed in the ring.

A bull charged toward the man, stabbing him with its horns and causing "a long but not deep" injury, police said. The woman was not injured.

A source told AFP the man "was very lucky" and was not "properly gored."

MATADOR GORED TO DEATH DURING BULLFIGHT

The man was rushed to the hospital and treated for his injuries.

Two other protesters hung a banner that read, "Stop Bullfighting" at the event earlier in the day. Bullfighting is banned in most parts of France except in some towns in the southern part of the country where it is part of the local traditions, AFP reported.

A LOOK AT SOME OF THE WORST BULLFIGHTING GORINGS

In August, a vegan activist jumped into a bullfighting ring at a French festival to urge French President Emmanuel Macron to ban the sport in the country, according to The Local.

The protester ran through the ring with a sign that read: "No to the Corrida, save the bulls -- Vegan strike group."
next Image 1 of 2

prev Image 2 of 2

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain are meeting with African counterparts to find ways to curb illegal migration across the Mediterranean to European shores.

As a key transit point, troubled Libya is expected to be a key subject of Monday's discussions convened by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The leader of Libya's internationally-backed government, Fayez Serraj, is taking part, along with Germany's chancellor, the prime ministers of Italy and Spain, the EU foreign policy chief and presidents of Niger and Chad.

Merkel said ahead of the meeting that she wants more support for Libya's coast guard and a "migration partnership" with Niger to inhibit migrant smuggling.

The leaders will also discuss security cooperation, and the European leaders will then hold separate talks focused on EU matters.
North Korea fired a missile over Japan for the first time in eight years, the Pentagon confirmed on Monday, as the rogue nation sent a message of defiance to the U.S. and its allies in the region.

"We are still in the process of assessing this launch. North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America. We are working closely with Pacific Command, Strategic Command and NORAD and will provide an update as soon as possible," the Pentagon said.

A senior U.S. official said that there had been some movement suggesting an intermediate missile was being prepped.

The South Korean military said the missile flew about 1,700 miles with a height of 341 miles. That's lower than the 2,300 miles into space an intercontinental ballistic missile traveled in late July. North Koreas July 4 ICBM traveled some 1,700 miles into space.

The missile was fired from the area of Sunan in Pyongyang shortly before 6 a.m. and flew east, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, according to Yonhap News Agency. It traveled over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and appeared to be the first to soar over the country since 2009, South Korean officials added.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga labeled it an "unprecedented grave threat."

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency said that the Japanese government alerted the public to take cover in northern areas of Japan but that the Japanese military did not attempt to intercept it.

South Korea's presidential office convened a National Security Council (NSC) session quickly after the missile was fired.

The move came after North Korea fired three short-range missiles on Saturday -- all deemed successful despite initial reports suggesting failure, according to the U.S. military.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles fired during the weekend from North Korea's eastern coast flew about 155 miles. North Korean missile launches have been happening at an unusually fast pace this year, and some analysts have said the North could have viable long-range nuclear missiles before the end of President Donald Trump's first term in early 2021.

U.S. and South Korean forces began annual military exercises last week, an effort that Pyongyang claimed was a rehearsal for war.

Japan's military has been practicing deploying anti-missile batteries at three U.S. bases in Japan. The U.S. military says the drills will test the ability of Japanese and U.S. forces to work together and assess firing locations at the bases. They will also allow Japan to practice rapid deployment of its PAC-3 anti-missile system.

Earlier this month, Trump claimed that the North would be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen" if threats from the rogue regime continued.

North Korea has conducted a series of test launches to develop its missile capability and recently threatened to send missiles over western Japan and into waters near the U.S. territory of Guam.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had recently said that he was "pleased to see that the regime in Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint that we've not seen in the past."

Asked to address those comments on Fox News Sunday, Tillerson said he wanted to continue a "peaceful pressure campaign."

The missile was the 18th to be launched this year by North Korea. This is the third time North Korea has fired a missile over Japan. The last time was in 2009.

A missile was also fired over Japan in the 1990s.

Japan will deploy Patriot missile systems to several U.S. military installations in the next few days, the U.S. military said.

Fox News' Jennifer Griffin, Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Pakistan's army says a bomb has killed two soldiers during a search operation in the South Waziristan tribal region near the border with Afghanistan.

A military statement says the troops were conducting the search in the Angur Adda area close to the border late on Sunday night, when the bomb went off.

Pakistan has carried out several military operations against militants in South Waziristan and elsewhere in recent years. The army says it's now clearing up remaining pockets in areas once used by militants as sanctuaries.

Last week, President Donald Trump demanded that Pakistan shut down safe havens for the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan says it has no safe havens for the Taliban. The demand came during Trump's speech announcing a new strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday ordered police in his country that it is OK to kill "idiots" who violently resist arrest, just two days after hundreds turned a funeral of a slain teenager into a protest against his deadly war on drugs.

Duterte made the comments during a speech in a cemetery on the outskirts of Manila. He was addressing a police chief in a town in the southern part of the country where the mayor was killed in an anti-drugs raid, according to Reuters.

Your duty requires you to overcome the resistance of the person you are arresting... (if) he resists, and it is a violent one... you are free to kill the idiots, that is my order to you, Duterte told Chief Jovie Espenido.

He added that murder and homicide and unlawful killings were forbidden and that the police is obligated to uphold the rule of law.

Later in the day, Duterte met the parents of the schoolboy, 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos, at the presidential palace in Manila, officials said.

Details of the meeting were not immediately available.

The killing of delos Santos by anti-drugs officers on Aug. 16 has sparked rare public outrage since Duterte has unleashed his anti-drugs war when he took office last June. Thousands have been killed as the international community has criticized much of the violence.

Over a 1,000 people  which included nuns, priests and hundreds of children -- joined the funeral procession on Saturday, turning it into one of the biggest protests yet against Dutertes anti-drugs campaign.

Delos Santos was dragged by plain-clothes policemen to a dark alley in a northern Manila neighborhood before he was shot in the head and left next to a pig pen, according to witnesses. CCTV footage from the scene appears to support their accounts.

Police say they acted in self-defense and Duterte's spokesman and the justice minister have described the killing as an "isolated" case.
An early-morning snack stop Saturday at a Stafford County 7Eleven turned into a police chase on Interstate 95 that led to a crash and a trip to jail for a Maryland man.

The incident started around 3:45 a.m. when a clerk at the 7Eleven on U.S. 1 near Courthouse Road reported that two men had stolen two baskets full of merchandise and left in a silver SUV heading north, according to a release from Maj. Don Lenhart with the Stafford Sheriffs Office.

Sgt. Greg Haney saw the 2016 Kia Sorrento on U.S. 1 and tried to stop it, but the driver sped up and eventually got onto northbound I95.

The officer pursued the vehicle from Garrisonville to Dumfries, but stopped because traffic became too heavy. A short time later, a Virginia State Police trooper spotted the suspect vehicle on the interstate in Occoquan and pursued it.

The SUV crashed at the 169 exit in Springfield, with the vehicle running through a wooded area and a fence before coming to rest in the parking lot of a Barnes & Noble.

The trooper found only the driver in the totaled Kia, along with Skittles, chips, sweet tea and soap, among other items, Lenhart said. A search with K-9 dogs and a helicopter failed to turn up the other man.

The driver was initially identified by a New Jersey license with one name on it, but after police officially arrested him and got fingerprints, his true identity was revealed.

Carlton Morris Paige Jr., 19, of Sabillasville, Md., faces charges in Stafford of shoplifting, possessing a stolen vehicle, speeding to elude, reckless driving and other traffic offenses. The state police filed numerous other charges against Paige, who was incarcerated at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
The Laos-China Railway Company announced on Sunday that the China-Laos railway project has entered the phase of comprehensive construction in an orderly and effective way.

The announcement was made by Zhao Xiang, director general of the Laos-China Railway Company, at a gathering to commend the progress achieved so far in the project.

The construction of the railway officially started on Dec. 25, 2016 in northern Laos' Luang Prabang province. In March this year, a campaign of 100-day dry season working competition was launched to speed up the construction process.

According to Zhao, since the launching of the competition, construction units of the project have overcome various difficulties to actively promote the implementation of the project.

In less than six months, site preparation has been completed for the construction of four stations; foundation construction of nine bridge piles have finished; 86 holes for construction of 46 tunnels have been prepared, of which 15 are key tunnels, he said.

Lattanamany Khounnyvong, Lao vice minister of public works and transport and team leader of the railway project working group, said in his speech that the China-Laos railway is a project of strategic significance which will benefit peoples of the two countries.

Besides promoting interconnectivity between China and Southeast Asia, the railway is also an important project under the Belt and Road Initiative, he said.

Proposed by China in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, aiming at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes of Silk Road.

Huang Difu, general manager of China Railway International Co., Ltd and chairman of the Laos-China Railway Company, said the construction of the railway has achieved substantive results.

Since the railway runs along the scenic spots of Laos including world cultural heritage protection area, the construction units will make the greatest efforts to reduce the impact of construction on the environment and protect the beautiful scenery of Laos, Huang said.

The China-Laos railway has a total length of 414.332 kilometers with over 62.7 percent of bridges and tunnels, linking Mohan-Boten border gate in northern Laos and capital Vientiane. Operating speed on the route is designed at 160 km per hour.

Construction of the project is scheduled for five years with investment of some 40 billion Chinese yuan (5.8 billion U.S. dollars), 70 percent of which comes from Chinese investment and the rest from the Lao side.

China-Laos railway is the first overseas route connecting with the railway system in China, using Chinese technology, equipment and investment.
Doug Duncan experienced a shock when he first ran into his old classmate Bill Aitcheson at a reunion of their Catholic high school in the District of Columbia years ago.

Aitcheson had been an exceptionally angry young man in high school in the early 1970s - downright hateful, recalled Duncan, a former county executive in Montgomery County, Maryland. "He was a very bad guy - a skinhead, a racist. You stayed away from him."

And yet, he had returned to the button-down campus of St. John's College High School as a priest - the very last person his classmates imagined would have become one. The fair-skinned, bespectacled Aitcheson's demeanor had changed dramatically, too, as he related affably with his classmates, Duncan recalled. At another reunion, Aitcheson even celebrated Mass for his classmates in the chapel.

"He had a conversion, that's the only way I can say it," Duncan said. "Something happened to him, and he just gave up everything he was before."

In an essay published last Monday, the 62-year-old priest at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia, addressed this apparent transformation, revealing his college days in the Ku Klux Klan in the mid-1970s and proclaiming himself saved by his faith.

"Racists have polluted minds," Aitcheson wrote in the Arlington (Virginia) Catholic Herald. He referenced the recent deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and opined that for former racists who have repented as he did, "the images should bring us to our knees."

Aitcheson's account of his racist past and conversion at first seemed like a straightforward tale of good overcoming evil. But as more details emerged, the story grew more complicated.

It turned out that he wasn't just "a member" of the KKK, as his essay said, but a violent ringleader in Maryland who served time after burning crosses, threatening to kill Coretta Scott King and plotting to take down water systems, military installations and launch an armed revolution for which he'd stockpiled bombs and guns, according to authorities and published accounts. And while he wrote Monday that God had forgiven him, the African-American family and Jewish groups he had terrorized said he never apologized to them directly nor paid them the $26,000 in damages a court had ordered decades ago.

The reason behind Aitcheson's revelation also has been called into question. Maria Santos Bier, a freelance journalist and member of the Arlington (Virginia) Diocese, had contacted the diocese a few days before Aitcheson wrote the essay to ask about Aitcheson's KKK history - and told them she might write about it.

In an essay published in The Washington Post, Santos Bier described her experience as a history student of Aitcheson's while she was home-schooled in the early 2000s in Woodstock, Virginia. Aitcheson was a "fervent advocate of the Confederacy" who would joke about "Saint Robert E. Lee" in homilies at the church, and seemed so knowledgeable about history, Santos Bier wrote, that "I trusted him when he taught us that the Civil War was fought for states' rights, not slavery; that the South's cause was noble and just."

Through all the revelations, Aitcheson has been publicly silent, declining daily interview requests through the diocese. Efforts to find him were unsuccessful. Church officials in Arlington and Renothe two dioceses where he has worked since his ordination in 1988declined to speak at any length about him. Priests and lay leaders in the eight parishes and many congregants where Aitcheson has worked also declined to speak about him.

Aitcheson was associate pastor at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Spotsylvania County from July 1997 until June 2000. He was associate pastor at St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Colonial Beach from October 1993 until moving to St. Patrick.

---

William M. Aitcheson grew up in Howard and Prince George's counties in Maryland, one of four sons in a prominent, devoutly Catholic family before enrolling at the University of Maryland, where he studied television and film. He was still a student there at 22 when he was arrested as the "exalted cyclops" - or leader - of a Klan group in 1977. Police searching Aitcheson's belongings found a publication titled "How to Kill," along with a cache of weaponry and extensive survival gear.

By that point, Aitcheson had been deemed "too radical and violent" for the main KKK branch, which threw him out, according to FBI files. An undercover agent testified that the Aitcheson-led group, the "Klan Beret," was readying to blow up a power plant and communications center at Fort Meade, Maryland, the local branch of the NAACP and private homes. Aitcheson was arrested after he gave the undercover agent a fully-built bomb intended for the NAACP, according to the FBI.

The group had burned six crosses in Prince George's, including at two Jewish institutions and on the front lawn of a black couple, Barbara and Phillip Butler, newlyweds who had just moved into what was then a mostly white neighborhood in College Park.

In July 1977, Aitcheson was sentenced to 90 days in a federal medical prison with four years probation by a judge who told him, "I don't believe you are a bad person."

After serving his time, Aitcheson kept a low profile. He relocated to the church-run King's College in Pennsylvania and graduated in 1979 with a degree in politics and government before teaching elementary and high schools in Missouri for two years, according to a 2013 bio by the diocese. An attorney for the Butlers at that time said it took two years after the couple filed their civil suit against Aitcheson in 1978 to find him. The suit was resolved in 1982 with $23,000 in damages awarded to the Butlers and the rest to his Jewish victims.

"I don't see what purpose it would serve to rehash this business all over again," Aitcheson's father, William W. Aitcheson, a lumber company executive who is now deceased, told a columnist for the Baltimore Sun that year. "There are so many other groups that are just as bad, if you want to call it that. . . . Billy just wants to forget about it all now."

The young Aitcheson soon made the dramatic decision to become a priest. He attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome and received a bachelor's degree in sacred theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the diocese bio reads. Officials at King's College, the seminary and St. Thomas declined to comment. Aitcheson's mother, Ann D. Aitcheson, declined to comment. Numerous attempts to reach other relatives by phone were unsuccessful.

Aitcheson was ordained for what was then the diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in 1988 at age 33. In brief comments early this week, Reno diocesan spokesman, the Rev. Robert Chorey, said church leaders "understood at least part of his background" when they hired Aitcheson. ". . . I have no record of their thought process."

In 1992, Aitcheson was arrested on charges of trespassing on the property of the West End Women's Medical Group clinic in Reno. On Friday, Damon Stutes, the doctor who still runs the clinic, recalled the priest as a regular protester, who "yelled at" people coming in and acted "like a caged lion that was just holding himself back," Stutes told The Post.

Aitcheson was convicted of trespass, fined $155 and ordered to remain at least 100 feet from the clinic. Later that year, he was transferred to the Arlington Diocese, one of the most traditional in the country.

The diocese declined to offer any details about what then-Bishop John Keating knew or asked about Aitcheson. "At the time he began ministry here in 1993, the Diocese learned of his past as well as his sincere conversion of heart," the diocese said in a statement.

---

In northern Virginia, Aitcheson began a tour of at least six parishes. In interviews and in comments left last week on the Facebook pages of the Arlington Diocese and its Arlington Catholic Herald newspaper, Aitcheson was described by some as stern and bookish, while others viewed him as deeply empathetic in the confessional and a capable preacher.

Aitcheson was highly outspoken in favor of the death penalty, and preached and taught often about wars, including the Civil War, some parishioners recalled.

He referred to the latter as "the war of Northern aggression or "the war against the states," said Chris Peer, 31, who was an altar boy under Aitcheson at St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Woodstock. The priest never talked explicitly about race, Peer said.

Aitcheson was a history buff in a region passionate about its history, displaying Civil War memorabilia he'd collected "since his youth" at St. John Bosco rectory, the parish said on its website.

The priest participated in a Memorial Day ceremony reenacting Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson's final days and the Battle of Chancellorsville, a decisive victory for the Confederates, according to a 2004 story in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Aitcheson, who had worked in a Fredericksburg, Virginia, parish a few years earlier, offered a prayer. "Then Aitcheson turned to the crowd," the newspaper reported, "and said 'Let's sing the old national anthem.' He raised his voice, and soon, everyone joined in," singing Dixie.

In 2005, Aitcheson took a medical leave, moving between parishes upon his return. In June 2014, he came to St. Leo the Great in Fairfax.

Last week, some parishioners were struggling to reconcile the priest they knew with his violent past and failure over decades to make amends to his victims, actions the diocese has now offered to broker and says Aitcheson is willing to do.

St. Leo parishioner Mark Krajewski at first praised Aitcheson as a "deep scriptural thinker" and said he felt unconflicted. But as he learned more about his priest's KKK past, and his lack of apology and payment to his victims, Krajewski grew more ambivalent.

"I try to think good things about our priests and it's difficult to learn of this information and think good things. . . . This will always be in my mind," he said.

Others greeted Aitcheson's account of conversion with empathy and praise for the priest and the diocese for coming out with a healing story during a time of racial division.

"I'd have no problem going to confession or getting spiritual direction from this guy - in fact, maybe more now," said Ryan Ellis, 39, a parishioner at St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia. "This guy has seen hell and the other side."

---

Magda Jean-Louis and Tom Jackman contributed to this report.
China has appointed a war hero as chief of staff of the People's Liberation Army, according to the Defense Ministry.

General Li Zuocheng, 63, a native of Hunan province, met top-ranking military officers of Pakistan and Afghanistan over the weekend in Dushanbe, capital of Tajikistan, in his new capacity as chief of the PLA Joint Staff Department, a news release from the ministry said.

This means Li, who was commander of the PLA Ground Force, is slated to become a member of the Central Military Commission, the top military ruling body in China, with President Xi Jinping as its chairman, because all of Li's predecessors were included in the commission after they became the PLA's chief of staff.

It remains unknown when Li received his new appointment, as the PLA does not publish detailed information about its personnel reshuffles.

However, the move had to be within this past week because General Fang Fenghui, Li's predecessor, was reportedwhile still as chief of the PLA Joint Staff Departmentto have had talks with a top Thai military commander on Aug 21 in Beijing.

Fang was named chief of staff of the PLA in October 2012. After transferring the post to Li, he remains a member of the Central Military Commission.

Born in October 1953, Li joined the PLA Ground Force in 1970. He became nationally known in 1979 after he led his company to victory through a fierce battle that lasted 26 consecutive days during Sino-Vietnamese border conflicts that year. Li later was awarded the title "Combat Hero" for his command of the company and the fact he remained at the front line of the battle despite multiple injuries.

After the war, he continued to move up through the ranks. In 1997, Li was promoted to major general. In 2009, he was advanced to lieutenant general in the office of the deputy chief of the former Chengdu Military Command. In 2013, he was named chief of the command. Two years later, he was given the PLA's top rankgeneraland was appointed as the first commander of the PLA Ground Force Headquarters, which was established on the last day of 2015.

The last time Li appeared in news reports as the Ground Force commander was on July 31, when he signed a letter to members of the service to mark PLA Day on Aug 1.
A local tech company has been fined 15,000 yuan (US$2,260) and suspended for two months for releasing emoticon of "comfort women," Shanghai police said yesterday.

A local tech company has been fined 15,000 yuan (US$2,260) and suspended for two months for releasing emoticon of "comfort women," Shanghai police said yesterday.

Police said "frivolous" captions of photographs of comfort women were shown in a recent documentary film about their lives in World War II appeared on the Internet on August 18. The captions came under fire from both online users and the media.

"Comfort women" were women and girls forced into sex slavery by Japanese soldiers during World War II.

Police said the company, called Siyanhui, was punished according to Internet regulations for ignoring social morality in pursuit of business profit.

Responsible people from the company was made to write letters of apology.

In its letter of apology published on its website, the firm put the blame on "a young editor" on the team, who was "ignorant of knowledge on history and politics" and created five emoticons from the trailer of the documentary "Twenty-two" and added words to three of them.
A Dorset farmer was given a six-month suspended prison sentence after reneging on an agreement with authorities to stop burning waste on his farm.

Environment Agency officers visited Frenchs Farm, Watery Lane, Upton, on 17 August 2015 to check whether David House had complied with a formal notice to remove illegal waste from the site.

Earlier checks had revealed the farm was being used for the illegal storage and disposal of domestic and commercial waste.

See also: Farmers urged to re-register for ag waste exemptions

Inquiries revealed Mr House, a tenant farmer, had been disposing of waste by burning at the site since 2013.

Ongoing issue

In fact, the agency had evidence from reports of 64 fires during a five-year period at the site  11 fires within six months were so serious they had to be put out by Dorset Fire and Rescue.

During interview, Mr House claimed he had given permission to others to dump and burn waste and promised to clear the site within a month.

But this was not done.

Because Mr House was suffering ill health, officials decided he would be given a caution as long as he removed the waste by a set deadline.

But waste fires began again and, despite being told not to, Mr House spread the ash across his land.

Tests revealed the ash contained toxic deposits including arsenic, cadmium and lead.

During a second interview, Mr House stoked the officials ire by introducing himself as former Coronation Street character Ena Sharples and then blaming others for the waste on his land.

Guilty plea

Appearing at Bournemouth Magistrates Court on 11 August, Mr House pleaded guilty to knowingly causing the operation of a regulated facility without authority and disposing of controlled special waste in a manner likely to cause harm to human health.

He was given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 15 months, and made the subject of a Criminal Behaviour Order that prevents him from being involved in the collection, transportation or disposal of waste from any premises.

Under the order, Mr House is banned from setting or lighting any fire in the open for the purpose of burning controlled waste without obtaining permission, in advance and in writing, from the Environment Agency.

He is also prohibited from importing or allowing any person in a vehicle to import or bring any waste onto any land, business premises or residential premises of which he has control or is the occupier.

The ban runs for five years.

An Environment Agency spokesperson said: While the vast majority of waste sites we regulate are well run and provide a much-needed waste management service, we recognise theres an issue with a small number of operators who break the rule of their permit.

We tried to work with Mr House to rectify issues and to ensure he was operating within the law but to no avail.

We will prosecute those willingly found flouting the law by undertaking illegal activity and causing harm to the environment and human health.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  Nevada's gambling regulators are grappling with how to deal with the state's latest legal vice  recreational marijuana and they've made it clear that pot doesn't belong in casinos.

<p><a href="http://www.aceperhead.com/?CMPID=RzkxMQ%3D%3D" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="http://www.gambling911.com/files/images/AcePerHeadLong.gif" style="width: 728px; height: 90px;" /></a></p>

In the first of a series of policy discussions on Thursday, the Nevada Gaming Commission reiterated that as long as marijuana consumption and possession is viewed as a felony by federal authorities, it will have no place in Nevada casinos.

Commissioners said the reputation of the gaming industry is at stake and there needs to be clear separation.

"On one hand you have the gaming industry and on the other hand you have the marijuana industry ... The two shall not meet," Commission Chairman Tony Alamo said.

Commissioners did, however, spend more than an hour discussing what Alamo said would be the least controversial aspects of potentially bringing marijuana into casino resorts  third-party and business associations between licensees and individuals and companies involved in the marijuana industry.

That aspect was shot down, though. No votes were taken, but commissioners unanimously concluded that licensees should be discouraged from hosting shows or conferences that promote the use, sale, cultivation or distribution of marijuana.

Licensees also shouldn't maintain business relationships with marijuana companies, including landlord-tenant arrangements.

Commissioners also said licensees should not receive financing from or provide financing to an individual, entity or establishment that sells, cultivates or distributes marijuana.

In that discussion, commissioners agreed that there is not enough separation in spousal relationships for a gaming company to be allowed to conduct business with the wife or husband of anyone involved in the marijuana business.

Marijuana policy will be discussed over a series of commission meetings in future months, Alamo said.
Sydney Law School [File photo]

Recently I attended an important conference organized by the Australian Academy of Law on the "Future of Australian Legal Education." While the focus was on Australian legal education, most of the themes discussed reflected challenges facing legal education in most countries.

For some, law schools should be almost exclusively focused on educating professionals for legal practice. To that end, accrediting bodies often prescribe certain subjects that the profession regard as essential knowledge, skills and value sets required in legal practice.

In Australia, to qualify as a lawyer, one must undertake 11 core subjects that focus on particular areas related to general practice, such as contracts, civil obligations, civil procedure, evidence, criminal law and procedure, property, constitutional and administrative law and legal ethics.

Surveys, however, indicate that today less than half of the students attending law school ever intend to practice law. This creates a tension within law schools between educating for legal practice and legal education generally to prepare students for a wide range of future roles, many yet to be invented.

A second challenge relates to the level of education required for entry to law school. There is a move in Australia and elsewhere to follow American model (the Juris Doctorate (JD) degree) and see law school as a post-graduate qualification following a first undergraduate degree in any field.

A third challenge relates to diversity. Unfortunately, law school enrolment in most countries is over-represented by those students from higher socio-economic backgrounds. Significantly underrepresented are Indigenous peoples and other minorities.

A fourth challenge is the reality that in todays increasingly complex and conflict-laden world, legal literacy is important for everyone. Yet, law schools have traditionally done little to advance the cause for people generally. Too often ignored are the needs of non-legal professionals who find themselves working in a compliance-driven environment, but who cannot afford to invest three years in getting a law degree.

A fifth challenge involves the character of todays modern students. They want to be engaged. They are hungry to learn about international and comparative law developments. They have grown up in a world of computer games and extensive networking and collaboration. Thus, traditional models of lectures and tutorials need to change and new models of education emerge.

The issue of whom law schools are for also impacts the regulation of law schools, whether it should be local, national or international? If law schools today have many purposes, perhaps the linkage between schools and professional accreditation should be cut. An example is the U.K. that plans to move to a competency-based model tested by a national exam and many pathways available to qualify for the exam, only one of which will be a traditional law school preparation.

Traditionally law school curricula were largely theoretical. However, today, there is greater focus on skills (advocacy, negotiation, research, writing, interviewing, etc., as well as inherent values, for example, in the lawyer-client relationship.

Some schools are focusing on other "soft" skills such as time management, collaboration, leadership, and resiliency. As the consumers of legal education change, the content should change. Also, forces of globalization, internationalization and technology also impact the curriculum offerings.

In many countries, there is great concern about the escalating costs of legal education and spiralling student debt. This has led to calls to shorten the length of the degree, increase competition, make greater use of technology and re-examine current models in order to put pressure on schools to reduce costs.

Law schools and the legal profession are also experiencing significant technology disruption. Schools have been slow to adopt technology or to provide students with the technology skills required for legal practice.

Schools will have to take into account the reality that tomorrows lawyers will be able to use technology to do much more. Moreover, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) will see machines taking over many tasks traditionally undertaken by junior lawyers.

Internationalization and globalization have also had an impact on both law and legal education. International and comparative law perspectives need to have an increased presence in the law curriculum. As human activity flows increasingly across national borders, lawyers must be aware of international developments. Top China programs, such as the College of Comparative Law at China University of Political Science and Law, are leading the way in this area.

In todays legal environment those who hire young lawyers increasingly require them to add value from day one and to have an appreciation and understanding of the business model underlying the provision of legal services, whether in public or private sector. This in turn requires law schools to think about a range of different skills such as project/contract/financial/record/data/knowledge management, marketing, social media, data analysis and more.

Law schools should also be inspiring their students to understand how to use technology and innovation to come up with new business models that enable new forms of legal service to be provided in new and affordable ways.

Eugene Clark is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/eugeneclark.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors only, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
Philomath Fire & Rescue continues to stay busy contributing to the fight against wildfires. The local district sent personnel to two different fires last week. On Aug. 21, we learned that Fire & Rescue sent three people to what was called the "Milli Fire" near Sisters. Deputy chief Doug Lilja along with Lt. Bryan Crocker and volunteer Bobby Bueche all headed up to help out. A social media post revealed that they were headed back home Friday.

The most recent info available Sunday showed the Milli Fire at around 14,000 acres and 32 percent contained.

On Aug. 22, Philomath sent four more of its team to the "Chetco Bar Fire" in southern Oregon. This group included firefighter Levi Schell, volunteer assistant chief Marty Thurer and volunteer firefighters Dan Kearl and Brandon Leavitt. I haven't heard if they're back or not. Hopefully, everybody is staying safe.

This morning, the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office sent out an update that showed the Chetco Bar Fire, located about five miles northeast of Brookings, could be in danger of spreading because of expected conditions such as gusty winds and low humidity. Firefighters worked on the firelines and continued structure protection efforts. Through Saturday, the fire had burned 107,993 acres.
The legal proceedings against a Corvallis man accused of murdering a Russian woman were put on hold until at least October at a court hearing Monday morning.

Mike Flinn, the lawyer defending William Chase Hargrove against a charge of murder, said in a status check hearing that the case is still in the discovery phase, with results from a federal crime lab still pending.

Judge David Connell scheduled the next hearing in the case, another status check, for Oct. 16.

Hargrove is accused of killing 27-year-old Anna Alekseyevna Repkina, who had moved to Corvallis just weeks before her death. Repkinas body was found in April alongside a logging road near Alsea, and officers arrested Hargrove three days later.

In May, Assistant District Attorney Amie Mutusko told the Gazette-Times that the states case against Hargrove is that he and Repkina were part of a love triangle and Hargrove killed Repkina to appease another girlfriend who wanted Hargrove to pick between them. The case has drawn international attention.
 Flash

Britain's main opposition Labour Party opened up a clear divide with Theresa May's ruling Conservatives Sunday by announcing a dramatic shift in its Brexit policy.

The party's Brexit shadow secretary Sir Keir Starmer said Labour would seek a transitional deal that maintains the same basic terms that Britain currently enjoy with the European Union.

"That means we would seek to remain in a customs union with the EU and within the single market during this period. It means we would abide by the common rules of both," said Starmer in a keynote article published in the Observer newspaper.

Starmer said a transitional continuation of membership beyond the March 2019 departure date would be as short as possible but as long as necessary, but would also mean accepting the free movement of labour, possibly until around 2023.

Starmer said prime minister May's "ideological obsession with leaving the European customs union and the European single market during a transitional period means the options to deliver a good deal for Britain are diminishing fast.

He said "The fanciful and unachievable proposals put forward in the government's recent customs paper show the colossal risks it is willing to take with British jobs and the economy."

Labour says its new Brexit policy is in stark contrast to what the International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond explicitly ruled out a fortnight ago when they stated that Britain would be outside the customs union and the single market in any transitional phase.

"Labour rejects that as an unnecessary and highly risky path to take," said Starmer whose intervention comes just 24 hours before Britain and the EU open their new round of Brexit negotiations Monday.

Starmer said that by remaining inside a customs union and the single market in a transitional phase Britain would be certain that goods and services could continue to flow between the EU and the UK without tariffs, customs checks or additional red tape.

"There would be no need to set up complex alternative customs or trading relations. Given that UK-EU combined import/export trade totaled 553 billion pounds (713 billion U.S. dollars) last year, this certainty would be hugely advantageous for British businesses and consumers," said Starmer.

He said it would not provide a durable or acceptable long-term settlement for Britain or the EU and would not provide certainty for either party. It would also leave unresolved some of the central issues the referendum exposed, in particular the need for more effective management of migration, which Labour said it recognised must be addressed in the final deal.

"That is why a transitional period under Labour will be as short as possible, but as long as is necessary. It cannot become a kind of never-ending purgatory. That would simply create its own uncertainty and ambiguity," said Starmer.

The general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Frances O'Grady welcomed Starmer's announcement.

She said: "Labour are clearly the grown-ups in the room. This is a sensible and reasonable approach to take. Sticking with our current deal during the transition will give working people certainty on their jobs and rights at work. Keeping all options on the table is the best negotiating strategy. The government were wrong to rule out staying in the single market, it's time for them to reverse gear."

Reports in the media quoted Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's office as saying the proposals had been agreed with Corbyn and were official party policy.
Parking fines : Only the driver must pay supermarket parking fines

Bonn Parking tickets can legally be given in supermarket car parks, but producing a till receipt can avoid fines.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

You finish your shopping to find you have been given a parking ticket in the supermarket car park. More and more customers in Bonn are getting upset about the increasingly common practice by retailers to employ private companies to patrol their car parks and to hand out fines when parking discs are not on display or customers have parked for longer than is allowed.

When asked by the General Anzeiger, a company spokesperson for fair parken said the company was currently monitoring eight premises, namely supermarket car parks, in Bonn. But who has to pay when a private fine is attached to the windscreen? The head of Bonns lawyers association, Ralf Schweigerer, says the legal position and case law are clear on this: only the driver must pay.

While some are upset over such fines, others welcome the practice of monitoring and checking, as heated debates on social media networks show. There is no denying that, particularly in built-up areas short of parking spaces, supermarket car parks are being used more and more regularly by non-customers and even long-term parkers, to the detriment of customers, as an employee of a Rewe supermarket in Duisdorf explained. A spokesperson for Rewe said this had even led to considerable falls in turnover. To prevent this, fair parken also looks after outlets in Bonn.

Employees of fair parken check whether those parking are obeying the rules and if not, hand out tickets with fines generally of Euro 19,90, although they can be more. However, lawyer Ralf Schweigerer says such fines are different to civic fines. A contract leading to such fines only comes into effect with the driver of the vehicle in question. He is the sole contractual partner because he drives into the car park and uses it under the relevant conditions. However, these conditions must have been made clear to him on signs that must be clearly visible.

The Berlin lawyer Thomas Hollweck, who is a consumer law specialist, addresses this problem on his blog: the crux of the matter is the visibility of the sign at the entrance to the car park. This must be large and obvious enough, that it cannot be overlooked.

However, as it is generally only the owner of a vehicle who can be traced, recovering the fines has its pitfalls, says Schweigerer. The owner of the car park has to prove that the car owner was also the driver who parked incorrectly. If the car owner refuses to pay, he can, in extreme cases, expect to be sued by the company. Schweigerer says the burden of proof in court is on the car park owner.

It need not come to this, if a customer of the business in question genuinely forgets to display his parking disc. If he has a till receipt as proof of purchase, we will cancel the fine, the spokesperson for fair parken told the GA and added: In such cases, we are very accommodating.

The courts are aware of how much this topic concerns drivers as more and more disputes over such fines are being contested.
Bonn museum exhibition : Rare cars on show at Bonns Haus der Geschichte

Bonn Germans love their cars and the Haus der Geschichte currently has a special exhibition of rare cars entitled Loved. Needed. Hated.

Teilen

Teilen Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Tweeten

Tweeten Weiterleiten

Weiterleiten Drucken

Germans have a very special relationship with their cars. The vehicles are symbols of freedom, dreams, lifestyle and power. They have long been an indispensable means of transport and are also often a luxury good. The Haus der Geschichte has dedicated an entire exhibition to the topic, entitled Loved. Needed. Hated, and it has already had more than 130,000 visitors. Last Sunday, the museum teamed up with the Dresden Transport Museum to show several Oldtimers, which are rarely on show.

Just in front of the entrance, a Hillman Minx catches the eye. It is the only car in the exhibition that was not made in Germany. You could get this in East Germany, but only with a ration coupon, explains Joachim Brenninger, director of the Transport Museum. He and Professor Hans Walter Hutter, President of the Haus der Geschichte Foundation, were giving lively short presentations and he had something to say about every vehicle. They tried to use it to keep certain people in the east, but it didnt really work. We were able to find this example and we take part in the Saxony rally in it every year.

Cars with character

However, in terms of German history, other exhibits are much more interesting. The Zundapp-Janus has doors that open to the front and back and has rear seats facing away from the direction of travel. The superb Opel Kapitan is a true luxury vehicle with baroque shapes. At that time, Opel had a completely different reputation than later in the times of the Manta, said Brenninger.

Other cars were merely functional, such as the modest Lloyd 400, which Hutter found in a barn in Westerwald. It looked exactly as it does today in the exhibition, he said. The owner only used it to drive to church each Sunday and then only if the sun was shining. If it was raining, he preferred to take his bike.

Such anecdotes give the vehicles character. We are always looking for exhibits that can tell a story, says Hutter, such as the Kempe motor scooter from 1949, that a blacksmith designed himself after the war and built from scrap parts. Or the Mercedes Benz 300, which was Konrad Adenauers first official car. It had an adventurous journey to get here: We found it in Memphis, Tennessee, says Hutter. The owner got it sometime in exchange for diamonds. We were in negotiations with him for more than two years until Mercedes finally offered him a brand new Mercedes 300E in exchange and we funded a European trip for him and his wife.

These sorts of stories make history come alive. They also bridge the time between now and the middle of December, during which the roof of the museum is being repaired and so the permanent exhibition is closed.
 Flash

A police officer patrols within the grounds of Buckingham Palace in London, Britain August 26, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

A second man was arrested on Sunday after three police officers were injured by a man wielding a 1.2-meter sword near Buckingham Palace in central London on Friday.

The 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences, and a search of a property in west London is being carried out, the police said.

"The man was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of terrorism," and "he has been taken into custody," a police statement said.

The arrest was made after a 26-year-old man drove a car in front of a police van in a restricted area near Queen's official residence on Friday evening. The man, who comes from Luton some 50 kilometers north of London, had repeatedly shouted "Allahu Akbar", meaning in Arabic "God is great".

The man was arrested at the scene and remains in custody. Three police officers were slightly injured in a struggle to arrest the sword-brandishing man.

The police force on Sunday obtained a warrant to detain him until Sept. 1.

"This is a timely reminder that the threat from terrorism in the UK (United Kingdom) remains severe," Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Dean Hayton said.

The British police on Saturday opened a counterterrorism investigation into the incident, which came as police across Europe are on high alert following a spate of terrorist attacks this year.

In the Britain alone, three attacks claimed the lives of dozens of people, while police in Spain are probing a suspected terrorist network after twin assaults in the northeastern region of the country earlier this month.
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy.
 Flash

Map of China-India border [Photo: CGTN]

China on Monday confirmed via on-site checks that India has withdrawn personnel and equipment from Dong Lang (Doklam) after a military stand-off lasting more than two months.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that Chinese personnel completed the on-site check around 2:30 p.m., adding that China will continue to safeguard its territorial sovereignty according to historical boundary treaties.

The Chinese government values its neighborly friendship with India, Hua said. It expects India to respect historical boundary treaties and basic principles of international law, and to work with China to safeguard peace and stability in the border area on the basis of mutual respect of each other's territorial sovereignty.

On June 18, more than 270 armed Indian troops with two bulldozers crossed the boundary in the Sikkim sector and advanced more than 100 meters into Chinese territory to obstruct routine road construction in the Dong Lang area of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Hua said since the Indian trespass occurred, China has lodged representations to India through diplomatic means on multiple instances. It has explained the situation to the international community, and urged India to immediately withdraw its border troops to the Indian side of the boundary. Meanwhile, Chinese troops have taken effective measures to safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and lawful interests.

Dong Lang, which borders India's Sikkim state to the west and the Kingdom of Bhutan to the south, is part of Chinese territory and has been under Chinese rule for a very long time.

According to the Convention between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet (1890), the area undoubtedly belongs to China. The agreement was inherited by India after its independence and has been repeatedly confirmed in writing by successive governments of the former British colony.
All Good Things Come to An End: Ukraine's Vast Soviet Tank Reserves Running Out

Sputnik News

26.08.2017

Military observer Gennady Nechaev reveals the bitter truth about the sorry state of Ukraine's tank forces, presenting details about how the former tank-manufacturing superpower has been turned into little more than a storehouse for obsolete equipment. Last week, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko boasted on his Facebook page about the production of a new, modernized version of the Soviet-designed T-72 main battle tank.

"The Ukrainian Army is getting stronger every day," the president wrote, his Facebook post designed to provoke a surge of patriotic pride among the population. However, according to military observer and Vzglyad contributor Gennady Nechaev, a closer examination of the true state of Ukraine's tank park reveals that there is little for Ukrainians to be proud of in today's circumstances when it comes to the country's tank-building legacy.

For starters, the analyst explained that the fact that Ukraine is starting to employ a new version of the T-72, the Soviet-era tank manufactured in Russia-based factories, is an indication that the T-64, the country's main battle tank produced by Kharkov's legendary Malyshev Factory, faces problems with modernization and maintenance. Otherwise, why else would Kiev spend its scant resources on the modernization of an inferior platform?

At the same time, Nechaev noted that while today's Ukraine has essentially lost its former ability to produce new, modern tanks in large quantities, the nation's industry does retain significant capabilities in the fields of repair and modernization.

"With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian state received a very diverse park of combat vehicles, most of it quite modern. The T-54/55/62 line, the conceptual heirs to the T-34, were poorly represented in the USSR's western military districts [including in Ukraine], and used mainly in training units Uralmash's T-72 was considered by the Soviet military as a 'mobilization' tank, meant for second-tier divisions. Accordingly, the territories of Ukraine and Crimea were equipped with only four divisions featuring the latter tank; instead, the foundation of Soviet tank units in Soviet Ukraine was made up by T-64s."

In the early 1990s, the newly formed Ukrainian armed forces, which inherited a total of over 4,000 MBTs, only adopted T-64s into service; T-72s were sent to the reserves, or used as training units. The country also inherited between 200 and 500 cutting-edge T-80s, another Kharkov design. Over half of these were sold off to other countries in the 1990s.

Nechaev noted that "according to the most reliable estimates, at the time of the collapse of the USSR, not counting T-54s, T-55s and T-62s, Ukraine's tank park included 2,340 T-64s, about 1,300 T-72s, and 260 T-80s, 12 of the latter with diesel engines."

"The Ukrainian military, together with local businessmen, quickly realized what was what, and the T-72 became a popular export commodity," the analyst added. "Between 1992 and 2014, Ukraine sold 863 T-72s of various modifications to various, mostly third world countries. The last delivery of 14 tanks to Nigeria took place after the outbreak of hostilities in the Donbass."

Furthermore, among its armory of T-64s, 227 were from the first generation  the T-64R, which required modernization and upgrades to prepare it for modern combat conditions. However, only two tanks of this series ended up receiving the necessary upgrades.

"In addition," Nechaev noted, "within the balance of the Ministry of Defense are about 500 T-64s in storage, most of them in the so-called 'fourth tier' of equipment, i.e. complete junk."

Furthermore, during the hot phase of the civil war in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and early 2015, over 50 T-64s were captured by the militia, with another 200 destroyed or damaged beyond repair.

This, according to the observer, means that at the moment, there are about 500-550 combat-ready T-64s remaining in Ukraine's Armed Forces. "Accounting for the cannibalization for spare parts of stored vehicles and in the absence of serious losses, it is possible to maintain this park in combat-ready condition for a relatively long time. However, replenishment is out of the question."

"And here Ukraine's generals also remembered another component of the not yet totally squandered Soviet legacy: the gas turbine T-80. In terms of components, these tanks have a lot in common with the T-64 Restored T-80s are earmarked for the highly mobile assault forces. Each of the seven brigades of Ukraine's Airborne Troops is assigned a company of 10 such tanks. To date, about 60 T-80s have been restored and transferred to the troops by the Kharkov tank repair plant."

Between 20-40 more modernized T-80s may be delivered to the Ukrainian army in the coming months and years. One caveat to the tank, however, is its use of a gas turbine engine, a finicky design requiring support from weapons maintenance specialists which are becoming increasingly difficult to find in the country.

That leaves the remaining reserve of T-72s. Nechaev recalled that "miraculously, according to experts, these tanks, even the ones in storage, remain for the most part in tier two (i.e. suitable for factory repair) The idea of army command is to equip tank companies and battalions of mechanized infantry which lack T-64s with these tanks."

"According to rough estimates, by the end of 2016, Ukraine has about 300 T-72s, mostly obsolete modifications. Only a small number of these vehicles took part in combat [in the Donbass]; two were captured by the militia. One, a T-72B1 (the most modern T-72 in the country's arsenal) was made out to be a Russian T-72B3 by Ukrainian media and presented as 'evidence of Russian intervention'" in the armed conflict in the country's east.

Ultimately, Nechaev noted that "in conditions of a complete breakdown of relations with Russia in the field of military-technical cooperation, the squandering of the Soviet legacy and losses incurred during fighting, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have found themselves returning to the situation from which they have attempted to escape: they remain armed with the same three basic tank models. At the same time, unlike Russia, where money has been allocated in recent years for the modernization of the country's tank park in Ukraine this program is stalled."

US Would Be Mad to Supply 'Unreliable' Ukraine With Lethal Weapons

The same applies even to the T-72AMT which President Poroshenko boasted about last week, the analyst noted, with the 'modernized tank' really a hopelessly obsolete budget design expected to provide "only a slight increase in combat effectiveness."

Nechaev noted that for the military's punitive operations in the Donbass, this may be enough. In any possible conflict with Russia, however, Ukraine's tank forces would be immediately and hopelessly outmatched.

In any case, "however the current conflict in Ukraine may end, the end result will be that the country's entire modern tank fleet is turned to junk. Everything possible is being done to squeeze the last remaining operational life out of the tanks. After that, the once mighty industrial power will find itself at the same level as an average country in Africa not only in terms of income, but also in terms of its military power," the analyst concluded.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Strikes Continue in Effort to Defeat ISIS in Syria, Iraq

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Aug. 27, 2017  U.S. and coalition military forces continued to attack the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria yesterday, conducting 24 strikes consisting of 40 engagements, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

Officials reported details of yesterday's strikes, noting that assessments of results are based on initial reports.

Strikes in Syria

In Syria, coalition military forces conducted 20 strikes consisting of 27 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed four pieces of ISIS oil equipment and damaged an ISIS bridge.

-- Near Raqqah, 18 strikes engaged four ISIS tactical units and destroyed 14 fighting positions, six logistics nodes, and three vehicles.

Strikes in Iraq, Earlier Strikes

In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted four strikes consisting of 13 engagements against ISIS targets:

-- Near Rawah, a strike destroyed a vehicle-borne-bomb factory.

-- Near Tal Afar, three strikes destroyed three ISIS-held buildings, two vehicles and a fighting position.

Officials also announced details today from 58 strikes consisting of 85 engagements conducted July 13-Aug. 25 in Syria and Iraq for which the information was not yet available in time for yesterday's report:

-- On July 13 near Raqqah, Syria, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a fighting position.

-- On July 16 near Raqqah, Syria, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a fighting position.

-- On July 19 near Raqqah, Syria, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit.

-- On July 21 near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a vehicle, an anti-air artillery system, and a fighting position.

-- On July 22 near Raqqah, Syria, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions and a mortar system.

-- On July 23 near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, a strike destroyed two ISIS wellheads.

-- On Aug. 24 near Raqqah, Syria, 11 strikes engaged seven ISIS tactical units and destroyed five fighting positions, two command and control nodes, and a heavy machine gun.

-- On Aug. 25 near Dayr Az Zawr, Syria, a strike destroyed ISIS oil equipment.

-- On Aug. 25 near Raqqah, Syria, 31 strikes engaged 18 ISIS tactical units and destroyed 11 fighting positions, two command and control nodes, five vehicles, and three heavy machine guns.

-- On Aug. 25 near Al Huwayjah, Iraq, two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed a command and control node and an ISIS oil still.

-- On Aug. 25 near Tal Afar, Iraq, two strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit, destroyed a staging area, and damaged three supply routes.

Part of Operation Inherent Resolve

These strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to destroy ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The destruction of ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria also further limits the group's ability to project terror and conduct external operations throughout the region and the rest of the world, task force officials said.

The list above contains all strikes conducted by fighter, attack, bomber, rotary-wing or remotely piloted aircraft; rocket-propelled artillery; and some ground-based tactical artillery when fired on planned targets, officials noted.

Ground-based artillery fired in counterfire or in fire support to maneuver roles is not classified as a strike, they added. A strike, as defined by the coalition, refers to one or more kinetic engagements that occur in roughly the same geographic location to produce a single or cumulative effect.

For example, task force officials explained, a single aircraft delivering a single weapon against a lone ISIS vehicle is one strike, but so is multiple aircraft delivering dozens of weapons against a group of ISIS-held buildings and weapon systems in a compound, having the cumulative effect of making that facility harder or impossible to use. Strike assessments are based on initial reports and may be refined, officials said.

The task force does not report the number or type of aircraft employed in a strike, the number of munitions dropped in each strike, or the number of individual munition impact points against a target.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






US military retracts claim that North Korea missile test failed

Iran Press TV

Sun Aug 27, 2017 1:58PM

The US military has confirmed that two of the three missiles test-launched by North Korea on Saturday flew successfully, revising an earlier claim that at least two of them had failed.

The US Pacific Command confirmed Saturday that North Korea had fired three missiles over a span of 30 minutes near Kittaeryong area and the first and third missile did not fail in flight.

It said earlier that the third missile appears to have blown up immediately.

The official said none of the missiles posed a threat to Guam, the Pacific US territory that Pyongyang threatened to attack in response to a threat amid a heated war of words over the Norths recurrent tests this summer.

The unprecedented threat came after US President Donald Trump warned the North earlier this month that it would be met with fire and fury if it continues nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The Republican president has yet to respond directly to the new test as he was preoccupied with tracking Hurricane Harvey ripping through Texas.

The White House said US military commanders briefed the president on the test and we are monitoring the situation.

The US military says North Korea launches three short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off its eastern coast. Guam Homeland Security Advisor George Charfauros said the island territory was going to keep a close eye on the situation.

Although the launches were no threat to Guam, it reminds us that we cannot be complacent, Charfauros said. We place confidence in our US Department of Defense capabilities and continue open communications with our federal and military partners."

Earlier in the day, South Korea's military said North Korea had fired several short-range projectiles from its Kangwon province that landed in the sea off its eastern coast.

Saturday's launch was the first the North has conducted since July 28, when it test-fired a missile that could have been designed to travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles) to be capable of targeting parts of the US soil.

On Wednesday, North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un ordered the production of more rocket warheads and engines, shortly after the United States suggested that its threats of military action and sanctions were having an impact on Pyongyangs behavior.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Iraqi forces inches away from Tal Afar liberation

Iran Press TV

Sun Aug 27, 2017 12:59PM

Iraqi army soldiers and allied fighters from Popular Mobilization Units have dislodged the Daesh Takfiri militants from almost all neighborhoods of Tal Afar and its surrounding areas after an eight-day offensive to drive out the extremists from the northern city.

The spokesman for Iraqs Joint Operations Command (JOC), Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, announced in a statement on Sunday that army soldiers and volunteer fighters, commonly known by their Arabic name as Hashd al-Sha'abi, had liberated all 29 neighborhoods in the city, located 63 kilometers west of Mosul.

He added that fighting was only going on in al-Ayadiya district, which lies 11 kilometers northwest of Tal Afar, and militants who have fled the city center are holed-up there.

The commander of the Tal Afar liberation operation, Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, also said soldiers from the army's 9th Armored Division and Hashd al-Shaabi fighters had reclaimed full control over al-Askari neighborhood, the industrial area and adjacent al-Rahma village.

Earlier, the Iraqi military said in a statement that Iraqi rapid response forces had ended their part in Tal Afar offensive, after recapture of three neighborhoods west of the city center.

Iraqi cameraman slain covering Tal Afar battle

Meanwhile, an Iraqi cameraman has lost his life while covering fierce battles between Iraqi government forces and the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in the run-up to complete liberation of Tal Afar.

Sajjad Najm Abdul Ajil of the Arabic-language Karbala satellite television network, seen above, died on Saturday, while accompanying government troops and Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters during battles in Tal Afar and reporting on the skirmishes.

The Iraqi cameraman was killed after he stepped on an improvised explosive device.

On August 20, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to retake control of Tal Afar and nearby areas from Daesh terrorists.

Tal Afar is the last Daesh stronghold in Iraqs northern province of Nineveh.

Khaled al-Obaidi, the head of Nineveh provincial department of the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement, told al-Ghad Press news agency on Saturday that 10,000 people had fled Tal Afar to refugee camps south of Mosul.

Obaidi added that most of Tal Afar residents had fled towards Turkey, noting that many districts in the city had been deserted.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






'Bloodthirsty Policies': US Consecutively Loses Southeast Asian Allies

Sputnik News

27 August 2017

Following the fall out with the Philippines, the United States now has another sharp critic in Southeast Asia. The authorities of Cambodia have accused the US of "brutal and bloodthirsty" policies and "interference in others affairs."

The conflict is linked to aid that Washington is providing to the Cambodian opposition on the eve of the nationwide elections, RIA Novosti contributor Igor Gashkov wrote.

Relations between Cambodia and the United States have been deteriorating rapidly throughout 2017, as the nationwide elections scheduled for June next year are approaching.

The Cambodian authorities believe that Washington is betting on the opposition, The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which enjoys significant support in the cities. The municipal elections held a few months earlier brought success to opponents of the current government.

However, the majority of voters in Cambodia live in rural areas, where the heir of the former communist party, Prime Minister Hun Sen, enjoys wide support.

The question arises why would the US want to support the Cambodian opposition?

One reason could be that the current prime minister of Cambodia, who supports China, is working toward building better relations with Beijing.

Both Cambodia and China continue on the path of transition from a conditionally socialist model of society to an equally conditional capitalist system, while not abandoning the institutions of strong power.

However, it seems like the US plans to hinder this developing alliance between Cambodia and China, Gashkov wrote.

In the second half of the 20th century, Cambodia was influenced by Vietnam, which is now balanced by friendship with China. However, the Cambodian CNRP has recently proposed that the country align itself with the West instead and boycott China; but such a dynamic is unacceptable to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Since the election of US President Donald Trump, US-Chinese relations have been going through some hard times. Washington is considering the possibility of imposing economic sanctions against Beijing, and US planes have been flying over the islands of the Spratly archipelago, which China considers part of its territory.

In this scenario, it looks like Cambodia and its leader inevitably have to make a choice.

According to Dmitry Mosyakov, head of the Center for the Study of Southeast Asia, Australia and Oceania of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, China provides financial assistance to Cambodia, and Hun Sen in these conditions is forced to be clearer about his position.

He cannot choose the US, because he is under constant pressure from this country. This prime minister [Hun Sen] has been in power for more than 30 years, and the US calls his regime semi-totalitarian. Nevertheless, elections are held in Cambodia, the party of power may lose them, and this time before the nationwide vote there is a very tense situation, Mosyakov said.

He further said that the opposition party receives grants from the US and currently the two parties are at odds with each other.

In the bipartisan system that has developed in Cambodia, there is a dead end. The opposition accuses the authorities of manipulating the elections, but it exacerbates the situation by using discontent, not necessarily related to its own agenda, the expert concluded.

The director of the ASEAN Center at MGIMO, Victor Sumsky, said that Hun Sen is sending a signal to the opposition.

It is hard to imagine that in preparing such tough statements about the US political course, the Cambodian authorities did not discuss their tone and content with their Chinese partners, Sumsky said.

According to him, the Cambodian authorities are clearly letting the US know that if the opposition crosses a red line during the elections of 2018, the Cambodian government is not going to tolerate that.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Orbital Warrior: What to Expect From Russia's Next Gen Interceptor MiG-41

Sputnik News

14:58 27.08.2017(updated 15:17 27.08.2017) Sputnik

The Russian MiG-31 interceptors are famous for their ability to accelerate to an incredible speed of 3,000 kilometers per hour and operate at altitudes of more than 20 kilometers. In the next ten years, even more advanced MiG-41 long-range intercept aircraft, which are set to destroy targets in outer space, will replace them.

The Russian MiG-31 interceptors, dubbed 'Foxhound' in the West, are unique in all respects and still have no competitors in the world. They will cover Russia's air borders for the next ten years up until their decommissioning. The next generation MiG-41 will replace them as Russia's main interceptor aircraft.

RIA Novosti's Andrei Stanavov explored the new features of the MiG-41 interceptor, comparing them to the MiG-31 aircraft.

The issue of resuming the production of the MiG-31 or developing a new high-altitude interceptor to replace it was discussed in the Russian parliament in 2013. This was the first time in history that the Russian lower house of parliament devoted an entire session to the fate of a specific weapon amid NATO's eastward expansion.

MiG-31 is indeed a very interesting aircraft, despite it being developed in the early 1970s. Its motors accelerate the 40-ton machine to close to hypersonic speeds. The aircraft is equipped with a six-barrel 23-millimeter gun and six mounting points for a variety of air-to-air missiles. Its maximum combat load is nine tons.

The upgraded MiG-31BM locates targets at a distance of 320 kilometers and reaches them with missiles at a range of 280 kilometers. Four interceptors in a group are capable of taking control of the skies with a length of up to 1,200 kilometers along a front. The aircraft can intercept ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as low-flying orbiting satellites.

Production of the MiG-31 ended in 1994; Russia currently possesses more than 250 aircraft of different modifications.

Russian Aerospace Forces Commander Viktor Bondarev rejected the idea of ??resuming interceptor production, saying that it's better to invest in a new project than to restore the old one. It was decided to upgrade existing aircraft to the version to MiG-31BM and look for new solutions. Then, talks concerning a possible successor to the MiG-31  a long-range intercept aircraft PAK DP began.

Earlier reports suggested that the aircraft of the PAK DP project would be called MiG-41. At the same time, the interceptor will not be the product of the complete modernization of the MiG-31, but will be a "completely new aircraft."

Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG Director General Ilya Tarasenko said on Tuesday that supplies of Russia's MiG-41 interceptor aircraft, known earlier as the PAK DP, will begin in the mid-2020s.

"The PAK DP is the logical development of our MiG-31 aircraft. Once contacted by the Defense Ministry, we will take up this project closely and I think that its deliveries will begin in the mid-2020s," Tarasenko said.

There is not very much known about the MiG-41 because everything about this plane, just like with all top modern military projects, remains classified.

Even though the MiG-31 is the fastest military aircraft around, it will eventually have to make way for newer and more advanced types of aircraft.

The MiG-41 will be hypersonic (reported speed  4,500 km) and will be able to carry hypersonic missiles. It is also designed for the Arctic and could possibly be turned into a drone.

The MiG director general told earlier the Russian Zvezda TV channel that the aircraft will have unique combat capabilities, in particular, it will be invisible to enemy radars and even be able to work in outer space. He provided no further details. It is only known that some modifications of the MiG-31 are already capable of launching small satellites into near-Earth orbit.

According to the veteran test pilot of the USSR, Hero of Russia Anatoly Kvochur, speed and range of action, not maneuverability, are the main features of a high-altitude interceptor. He said that such aircraft could be also used for peaceful purposes, for example, eliminating space debris in low orbits.

"These planes are not designed to maneuver [ ], they are needed to give huge impetus to objects that they carry. It's their feature. Reaching high altitudes is important. There are hundreds of different satellites around the planet, some of them are no longer controlled and are considered to be space debris. In particular, such aircraft can be used to collect and destroy space debris," Kvochur told RIA Novosti.

It should be also noted that, in addition to eliminating reconnaissance aircraft and enemy bombers, high-altitude interceptors' goals remain to be the search and destruction of ballistic and cruise missiles as part of an air defense system. They have already proved their effectiveness in performing the task. In the summer, the MiG-31 successfully shot down a missile flying at an altitude of 12 kilometers at a speed three times the speed of sound.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Some crave ice cream, pie or cake for dessert after a summer barbecue or grill night. River Bend Winery hopes to tempt Chippewa Falls to sip some wine instead.

River Bend Winery of Chippewa Falls debuted Night Cap on Saturday, a sweet red dessert wine that proved a hit with locals in the tasting room over the weekend  despite the rain and chilly temperatures.

Its the perfect dessert with dark chocolate, owner and winemaker Donna Sachs said.

Sachs recommends Night Cap not with a meal, but after it, and said the small bottle can easily be split between 8 or more people. Its very decadent, meant to be a small-glass wine, she said.

However, she emphasizes that food-wine pairings depend on the individuals taste buds. Eat what you like, drink what you like. Thats the only rule. (Pairing food and wine) doesnt need to be intimidating or pretentious, she said.

Sachs described Chippewa Falls as a relatively sweet wine market, and said River Bends best-selling wine of its eight years in Chippewa Falls is Sunset. Sunset is similar to Night Cap, but more food-friendly, less sweet, Sachs said.

A few miles outside of Chippewa Falls on 10439 33rd Ave., River Bend opened in 2009 and has won critical acclaim for previous offerings. Most notably, red wine Magenta won a gold medal and Best Wisconsin Rose at the Wisconsin State Fair Professional Wine Competition in 2014.

In 2015, Sachs and her husband, Al, added a distillery. River Bend now produces gin, vodka and white whiskey, which the distillerys website describes as whiskey that hasnt been barrel-aged.

Night Cap is only available via the River Bend tasting room; many other wines are available at grocery stores throughout Chippewa Valley and the state. Tasting room hours and more information about its wines are available at www.riverbendvineyard.com.
Russia's Souped-Up Admiral Nakhimov Missile Cruiser is Full of Surprises

Sputnik News

Sputnik 17:37 27.08.2017(updated 21:21 27.08.2017)

The Project 11442M Admiral Nakhimov nuclear-powered heavy missile cruiser, slated to rejoin the Russian Navy in 2021, will become the second Orlan-class cruiser after the Northern Fleets flagship the Pyotr Veliky to rule the waves, RIA Novosti contributor Andrei Kots wrote.

Even a single ship of this class can be a big boost to any strategic naval force, even more so with the new weapons systems that are being installed on the Admiral Nakhimov.

The vessel is currently being re-fitted at the Sevmash shipyard in the city of Severodvinsk.

A Floating Fortress

The Orlan-class heavy missile cruisers are the second biggest warships afloat after aircraft carriers. Each ship has a displacement of 25,800 tons, is 250 meters long, almost 30 meters wide and is manned by a crew of 760.

These cruisers are essentially armed-to-the-teeth mobile platforms capable of engaging any type of enemy ship.

Each cruiser carries 20 launchers of P-700 Granit anti-ship missiles, OSA-M, Kinzhal cannon and missile systems, S-300F long-range missiles, Kortik and AK-630 artillery systems, Metel and Vodopad torpedo missiles, anti-submarine mortars and AK-130 double-barreled automatic cannons.

The Admiral Nakhimov has a full power of 140,000 hp, a speed of 31 knots and carries a Kamov Ka-27 helicopter or versions thereof.

It has almost limitless endurance and is capable of operating in the Arctic, seen by many as a potential battleground for the natural riches of the Far North.

A Considerable Deterrent

Even though its exterior wont drastically change, the new-look Admiral Nakhimov will be chock-full of state-of-the art electronics, digital communications and life-support systems and much more.

The nuclear reactors will not be replaced, but the systems ensuring their stable operation will be upgraded.

In terms of armament, the Admiral Nakhimov and then the Pyotr Veliky will have their Granit anti-ship missiles replaced with Onix and Kalibr missiles.

Because the latter can also be used against land targets, the Orlan-class cruisers will be a potent element of ground support operations.

Moreover, the Admiral Nakhimov will also be armed with modern Poliment-Redut air defense systems with a maximum range of up to 150 kilometers [93 miles].

Viktor Murakhovsky, the editor-in-chief of the journal, Arsenal Otechestva, told RIA that the Admiral Nakhimov and the Pyotr Veliky should be turned into carriers of long-range high-precision weapons against ground targets.

This would effectively make them a potent means of non-nuclear strategic deterrence, Murakhgovsky said.

Looking to the Future

The Admiral Nakhimov could also be used to launch the Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missiles currently being developed in Russia. The Times newspaper earlier described the Onix and Zircon missiles as the most serious threat to the Royal Navy.

The British newspapers experts underscored the water-skimming missiles ability to sneak up on a ship at twice the speed of sound, making them virtually immune to the ships onboard artillery.

The Zircon hypersonic missiles are absolutely invisible to existing and future missile defense systems as they fly inside a plasma cloud.

Both missiles are scheduled to enter service with the Russian Navy in 2018.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






96 Dead in Ongoing Clashes in Myanmars Rakhine State

August 27, 2017 7:38 AM VOA News

The death toll in ongoing clashes in Myanmars northwestern Rakhine State has climbed to at least 96, as thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been trying to cross into neighboring Bangladesh. The total includes at least 80 insurgents and 12 members of the security forces.

Fighting between the military and hundreds of Rohingya militants continued Saturday with the fiercest clashes near the major town of Maungdaw, according to locals and the government sources.

Myanmar's government said it evacuated at least 4,000 non-Muslim villagers in Rakhine state, as thousands of Rohingya, mostly women and children, sought to flee the violence.

Nearly 2,000 people have reached Bangladesh since Friday when Rohingya insurgents ambushed more than 20 police posts in Rakhine.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh detained and forcibly returned 70 Rohingya to Myanmar, within hours after Myanmar troops opened fire on villagers fleeing the country, Bangladesh police sources said Sunday.



The treatment of approximately 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims in mainly Buddhist Myanmar has been presented as the biggest challenge for national leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate has been accused by some Western critics of not speaking out for the long-persecuted Muslim minority.

The most recent flare up followed a report by a commission led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on the conditions inside Rakhine.

The report urged immediate actions to heal the divide and abolish the restrictions of movement and citizenship imposed on the about one million-strong Rohingya community in Rakhine.

Deadly attacks by the militants on border police have prompted a military response that left scores dead and forced tens of thousands to flee to Bangladesh.

The UN believes that the 'clearances' operations by government security forces have amounted to ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority living in Buddhist Myanmar.

The army and the Myanmars civilian government have vehemently deny allegations of widespread abuses including rapes and murders.

The area of Rakhine closest to Bangladesh has been in lockdown since October 2016.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






China remains silent on road construction near Doklam

28 Aug 2017 RSTV Bureau Downplaying Indias announcement of a mutual agreement to disengage in Dokalam, China claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area and said India had withdrawn its troops on Monday.

China also remained silent on its plans to build a road, which sparked the prolonged standoff in the Dokalam area near Sikkim, and said it would make adjustments with the situation on the ground.

As the Indian statement on mutual expeditious disengagement went viral on social media and among Chinese journalists, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel impressions of a climbdown by Beijing.

On the afternoon on August 28th, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary, she said.

"Chinese personnel on the ground have verified this. The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions, she said, stonewalling questions about India?s announcement of mutual disengagement of troops.

The Chinese side, Hua added, continues to patrol the Dokalam area.

She also declined to go into questions on whether there was any mutual understanding between the two countries to resolve the standoff.

However, after repeated questions, she said, I can tell you that China will make adjustments with the situation on the ground. She did not elaborate.

Hua was also conspicuously silent about whether China would proceed with the building of the road in Dokalam, which was the prime reason for the standoff. India wanted the status quo to be restored to withdraw its troops.

Bhutan, which claimed sovereignty over the area, had lodged a diplomatic protest to China on June 28.

Troops of the two countries have been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

India wanted the status quo to be restored to withdraw its troops.

Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese troops from building the road close to the strategic Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting Indias mainland with its North East.

India said Chinas road building also violated the 2012 agreement between the Special Representatives of India and China to resolve the boundary issue. The agreement referred to the strategic tri-junction between India, China, and Bhutan.

Developments in Dokalam come days of ahead of the September 3-5 BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen.

So far, none of the leaders of the five-member bloc, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have announced their visits.

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






Monkey See: Scheduled Russian Military Border Drills Get Matching NATO Maneuvers

Sputnik News

00:37 28.08.2017(updated 01:07 28.08.2017)

An upcoming series of regularly-scheduled large-scale Russian military drills in the Baltic and elsewhere in the country has NATO scrambling to respond to what it says could be threatening gestures.

A regularly-scheduled series of large-scale military exercises, called Zapad-2017, has gotten the focused attention of NATO brass, who have suggested that similar drills by the west set to coincide with Moscow's established September exercises could create a dangerous situation involving possible military miscalculations, according to military.com.

"It will be getting crowded, especially in the Baltic Sea area," according to the Polish European Leadership Network security analyst Lukasz Kulesa.

"We will be watching each others' exercises," Kulesa said, adding, "so there's always a risk of an incident or accident."

Taking place primarily in Belarus, the most recent Zapad exercise took place in 2013, according to sources.

Although recent claims by NATO officials put Moscow's Zapad-2017 soldier count at an eye-opening 100,000, the Kremlin has announced that only an estimated 13,000 will participate in mid-September's maneuvers.

But NATO intelligence asserts that Russia will be hosting a massive military presence in the Baltic, and the bloc has scheduled its own Rapid Trident exercises in September to coincide with those of the Kremlin, according to military.com.

The September US Army exercises will take place primarily in western Ukraine, and an estimated 10 nations will participate, while, in the Baltics, other NATO brigades will conduct concurrent exercises and surveil Russian military movements.

Scandinavia will also see a heightened US and NATO military presence in September as an estimated 20,000 troops will travel to Sweden, along with a US Patriot mobile missile battery and a unit of National Guard tanks.

NATO's move to implement widespread military drills throughout its bailiwick has resulted in increasing calls for calm in the region.

"It is a big change from 2009, 2010," acknowledged former Estonian President Toomas Ilves regarding the enhanced NATO presence, adding that previously, "NATO allies were pressuring not to have any contingency plans for the Baltics, let alone any troop presence."

The Kremlin has consistently pointed out that the long-planned Russian Army drills occur regularly and are part of the Russian military's ordinary training and preparedness programs.

In discussing the potential for Russian aggression during the 2017-Zapad exercises, Frants Klintsevich, the first deputy chairman of Russia's upper house Committee on Defense and Security, offered that Europe, the US and NATO have "nothing to worry about," cited by Sputniknews.com. "I can only recommend [NATO] leadership avoid any provocations during the exercise," Klintsevich added.

 Sputnik

NEWS LETTER Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list Enter Your Email Address






A tropical storm may spin up along the coastline of North Carolina on Tuesday, but the heaviest rain and strongest gusts will stay well to the east of Richmond.

The National Hurricane Center expects an area of low pressure currently along the Georgia coast to develop into Tropical Storm Irma by Tuesday morning and move northeast along the North Carolina coastline through the day.

Coastal Virginia may experience some 30 to 50 mph gusts, rough waves and minor coastal flooding on Tuesday afternoon as the storm makes its closest approach.

Tropical Storm Warnings are in effect for the North Carolina coast from Surf City to Duck including the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound.

The storm is unlikely to bring high-end or long-lasting impacts to Virginia; instead it will be a glancing blow.

For Richmond, the effects will be limited to some periods of moderate rain tonight and Tuesday.

Current storm details

On Tuesday morning, the National Hurricane Center was monitoring a slow-moving and poorly-organized area of low pressure in the waters just off of Savannah, Georgia.

The water is warm enough to allow it to strengthen into a tropical storm, but it won't spend enough time over that water to intensify into a hurricane.

If it does ramp up with sustained winds above 39 mph later today or tomorrow, it would get the name 'Irma.'

Regardless of whether we call it 'Irma' or not, the coastal low will still bring rain and gusts to the Carolinas and eastern Virginia as if it were a weak Nor'easter.

An Air Force reconnaissance plane is scheduled to fly to the storm later today to gather more details about its structure and motion.

Forecast track

The center of possible Tropical Storm Irma would be located near Cape Lookout by 8 a.m. on Tuesday.

An upper-level trough moving east across the Midwestern states will steer Irma to the northeast, so there's no danger of it moving directly into Virginia or stalling out.

It will gradually pick up forward speed, which will limit the amount of time it spends in our region to just one day: Tuesday.

By Tuesday evening, the storm will be centered about 125 miles east of Virginia Beach.

It will accelerate to the northeast on Wednesday and Thursday and track a few hundred miles east of New England and the Canadian Maritimes as it becomes a non-tropical area of low pressure.

Rainfall

For the Richmond area and surrounding counties, rain showers will start to move in late Monday evening, then clear out by early Tuesday evening.

It won't rain constantly during that time, but the highest chance and the steadiest rate should occur in the late morning or early afternoon of Tuesday.

The heaviest totals from this storm will be kept well to the east of Richmond, towards northeast North Carolina and Hampton Roads.

There, totals could range from 2 inches to 6 inches depending on the exact strength, speed and motion of the storm.

Richmond is more likely to have some modest rain amounts on the order of 0.5-inch to 1 inch.

If the rain happens to push farther inland, Richmond could end up with 1.5 or 2 inches of rain on Tuesday.

Even that scenario wouldn't be enough to trigger flooding here.

On the lower end of the possibilities, the system might pass by with only 0.25 inches or so.

Otherwise, expect a mostly cloudy Tuesday with mild temperatures in the upper 60s and lower 70s.

Wind and Tides

Wind will sweep into the developing storm on Tuesday, but this far inland it will not be disruptive.

Richmond can expect a steady breeze from the northeast on Tuesday with some gusts to 20 or 25 mph.

Along the immediate Atlantic coastline of Virginia, the gusts could be as high as 40 or 50 mph on Tuesday afternoon.

That steady push of winds from the northeast will kick up 5 to 7 foot waves in the Chesapeake Bay and raise water levels around the peninsulas and lower James River.

The high tide on Tuesday afternoon is expected to bring moderate coastal flooding to places like Sewell's Point, Fort Monroe and Yorktown.
Expanded Exploration and Continued Infill Drilling Program Planned for 2018

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 28, 2017) - Osisko Mining Inc. (TSX:OSK) ("Osisko" or the "Corporation") is pleased to announce it is increasing the scale of the ongoing drill program at its 100% owned Windfall Lake gold project located in Urban Township, Abitibi, Quebec. Osisko plans to add 400,000 metres of drilling to the current drill program, for a global total of 800,000 metres. The current drill program will be completed within two months, with 24 drills active on site producing approximately 40,000 metres per month.

The expanded work program will continue to focus on infill drilling of existing mineralized zones and exploring the new discoveries and extensions in the immediate area of the Windfall and Lynx deposits. New exploration drilling is also planned for 2018 in the northeast and southwest Windfall / Lynx trend and to explore the recently defined Bank Fault.

Osisko's work on the Windfall Project commenced 22 months ago and has greatly advanced the understanding of the Windfall mineralized system. New drilling lead to a reinterpretation of the existing deposit and the discovery of significant new mineralized zones, including the Lynx deposit and the northeast extension of the Windfall deposit. The Corporation continues to advance work on its initial resource estimate for the Windfall project which will also include a portion of the new Lynx deposit. Osisko's pending initial resource estimate will be based on the pre-existing data base and analyses of the initial 400,000 metres of drilling.

Windfall Project Highlights

Acquisition of the Windfall Project in August 2015, Osisko began drilling October 2015

Re-logging of approximately 180,000 metres of previously drilled core completed

Reinterpretation of Windfall as an intrusion-hosted gold system and a new type of mineralized deposit in the Abitibi Greenstone Belt

Completion of 330,000 metres of drilling in 22 months

Expansion of Zone 27, Caribou and Underdog zones

Discovery of the NE extension of Caribou zone

Discovery of the Lynx deposit

Discovery of the Bank Fault as controlling element of mineralized corridor

Extension of the known Windfall/Lynx mineralized system to its current strike length of over three kilometres

Discovery of Fox and Black Dog zones

Consolidation of over 3,300 square kilometres of claims in the Urban-Barry and Quevillon areas and acquisition of the Osborne-Bell deposit

Permitting and dewatering of existing exploration ramp on schedule, commencement of exploration ramp rehabilitation and preparation for advancing exploration ramp into Lynx and Windfall deposits

Project description filed

Camp expansion permitted and completed to accommodate 300 exploration and engineering personnel

President and Chief Executive Officer of Osisko John Burzynski commented: "We are greatly encouraged by the continued flow of solid results we are receiving from Windfall and Lynx. Our exploration team has worked very hard over the past 22 months to advance the Windfall project, and have been successful in reinterpreting the geology and making a number of significant new discoveries. While we have directed much of our drill work towards the resource update, we are equally focused on expansion and discovery. Windfall is proving to be a well-endowed gold system, with the principal gold zones remaining open down plunge to the NE and at depth. The Windfall project is growing towards what we believe will be world class status in an emerging new gold mining camp. Our first 400,000 metres of drilling will be completed in October, on schedule. The exploration ramp is also on schedule, and we expect to begin advancing towards the Lynx and Windfall deposits in October.

Resource work is progressing on Zone 27, Caribou, Underdog and a portion of our Lynx discovery. The initial resource estimate planned for the end of this year will most likely be moved back to the first quarter of 2018, as we are experiencing industry-wide delays in analytical sample turn-around times. The drill program is currently over 200 holes in advance of our receipt of analytical results, slowing the work on the initial resource estimate. Despite this delay we will continue to work as quickly as possible. Through 2018 we will continue to explore the down-plunge and depth extensions of the known zones, as well as commence exploring for new zones of mineralization in the northeast - southwest Windfall / Lynx trend and the Bank Fault area."

About the Windfall Lake Gold Deposit

The Windfall Lake gold deposit is located between Val-d'Or and Chibougamau in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada. The mineral resource defined by the previous operator comprises 2,762,000 tonnes at 8.42 g/t Au (748,000 ounces) in the indicated category and 3,512,000 tonnes at 7.62 g/t Au (860,000 ounces) in the inferred category (sourced from a technical report dated June 10, 2015 entitled "Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Windfall Lake Gold Property, Quebec, Canada" with an effective date of April 28, 2015, prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). The Windfall Lake gold deposit is currently one of the highest grade resource-stage gold projects in Canada. The bulk of the mineralization occurs in the Main Zone, a southwest/northeast trending zone of stacked mineralized lenses, measuring approximately 600 metres wide and at least 1,400 metres long. The deposit is well defined from surface to a depth of 500 metres, and remains open along strike and at depth. Mineralization has been identified only 30 metres from surface in some areas and as deep as 870 metres in others, with significant potential to extend mineralization up and down-plunge and at depth.

About Osisko Mining Inc.

Osisko is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition, exploration, and development of precious metal resource properties in Canada. Osisko holds a 100% in the high-grade Windfall Lake gold deposit located between Val-d'Or and Chibougamau in Quebec and holds a 100% undivided interest in a large area of claims in the surrounding Urban Barry area and nearby Quevillon area (over 3,300 square kilometres), a 100% interest in the Marban project located in the heart of Quebec's prolific Abitibi gold mining district, and properties in the Larder Lake Mining Division in northeast Ontario, including the Jonpol and Garrcon deposits on the Garrison property, the Buffonta past producing mine and the Gold Pike mine property. The Corporation also holds interests and options in a number of additional properties in northern Quebec and Ontario. Osisko continues to be well financed with approximately $190 million in cash and investments.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation that is based on expectations, estimates, projections and interpretations as at the date of this news release. The information in this news release about the Windfall Lake gold deposit being one of the highest grade resource-stage gold projects in Canada; the Windfall project growing towards "world class status" in an emerging new gold mining camp; the results of the current 400,000 metre drill program; the timing to complete the current 400,000 metre drill program; the expansion of the current drill program by 400,000 metres of drilling; the timing to complete the initial resource estimate for the Windfall deposit, if at all; the industry-wide delays vis-a-vis turn-around times for analytical samples; the scope of the initial resource estimate for the Windfall deposit, including the deposits to be included in such initial resource estimate; the basis of the initial resource estimate being pre-existing data and analysis of the current 400,000 metre drill program; the number of drills active on site and the approximate metres of drilling per month; the scope and focus of the expanded work program; exploration planned for 2018 in the northeast and southwest Windfall / Lynx trend and to explore the Bank Fault; the significance of new results from the ongoing drill program at the Windfall Lake gold project, including the reinterpretation of the existing deposit and the discovery of significant new mineralized zones; the type of drilling included in the current and expanded drill programs; the significance of new discoveries; the endowment of the Windfall gold system, including principal gold zones remaining open down plunge to the northeast and at depth; the status and advancement of the exploration ramp; potential mineralization; the potential to extend mineralization up and down-plunge and at depth at the Windfall Lake gold deposit; the ability to realize upon any mineralization in a manner that is economic; the ability to complete any proposed exploration activities and the results of such activities, including the continuity or extension of any mineralization; and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward-looking information".

Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, interpretations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "interpreted", "management's view", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information and are intended to identify forward-looking information. This "forward-looking information" is based on the reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Corporation at the time such assumptions and estimates were made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Osisko to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such "forward-looking information". Such factors include, among others, risks relating to the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; the ability of Osisko to complete further exploration activities, including the current and expanded drill program; property interests in the Windfall Lake gold project; the ability of the Corporation to obtain required approvals and complete transactions on terms announced; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to mining activities; the global economic climate; metal prices; dilution; environmental risks; and community and non-governmental actions. Although the forward-looking information contained in this news release is based upon what management believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions. Osisko cannot assure shareholders and prospective purchasers of securities of the Corporation that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, and neither Osisko nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of any such forward-looking information, Osisko does not undertake, and assumes no obligation, to update or revise any such forward-looking statements or forward-looking information contained herein to reflect new events or circumstances, except as may be required by law.
In July, the legislative committee of Dunn County approved a referendum question that is unprecedented in rural America. The question asked Congress and the U.S. president to nationalize health care.

Its chances of success looked good ahead of the Nov. 8 referendum. Results of this referendum could make waves in Wisconsin.
Throughout this spring and summer, a debate over partisan attempts to take health care away from millions of Americans and raise costs for too many families consumed Washington.

In response, Wisconsinites joined people across our country in speaking out and fighting back against a number of Republican repeal plans that would have increased the number of people who are uninsured and forced many families to pay more for less care. Wisconsinites across our state made sure their voices were heard when Congressional Republicans advanced a plan with an age tax that would have priced many older Americans out of the individual market.

The people of Wisconsin did not send me to Washington to take peoples health care away. They have sent a clear message that they want us to work across party lines to make things better, not worse.

Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and six other Ssenators to introduce the Medicare at 55 Act, which would provide the option for people between the ages of 55 and 64 to buy into Medicare.

Here is why I am supporting this reform. There are 41 million Americans between 55 and 64 years old, 3.6 million of whom lack any insurance coverage. Millions more are burdened by high insurance premiums, unaffordable deductibles and limited options.

These friends, family members and neighbors face unique health challenges and especially high health care costs. The average person in this age group pays more than $1,200 in annual out-of-pocket costs and is at a greater risk of suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes or arthritis and medical emergencies such as heart attack and stroke. In addition, according to AARP, about four in 10 have a pre-existing condition.

Fewer and fewer employers offer coverage for workers who retire before 55. According to a recent study, in 2015 only 23 percent of large employers offered retiree coverage. The lack of affordable health insurance can have especially severe consequences for this populations health and retirement savings. We should work together to change this.

Our new legislation gives millions of older Americans another choice to buy affordable, quality health care coverage. For people between the ages of 55 and 64, the Medicare at 55 Act is a high-quality option that can help reduce health insurance costs and increase competition.

Medicare is an efficient, affordable health-care program that is already serving millions of Americans. With the Medicare at 55 Act, an individual between the ages of 55 and 64 who buys into Medicare would be entitled to the same benefits and protections as an individual enrolled under parts A, B and D, including the ability to enroll in a Medicare Advantage plan.

Individuals who choose to buy into Medicare would be eligible for the same tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies they would otherwise receive selecting a private plan through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

By giving 55 to 64 year-olds this new option, we may be able to strengthen the individual market, lower premiums and help make coverage more affordable for younger and healthier individuals.

At the same time, our legislation protects our current generation of Medicare beneficiaries by ensuring that it wont impact their benefits or the solvency of the Medicare program.

If our goal is to lower health-care costs, which both parties agree we must address, then our legislation merits consideration as a critical piece of the solution.

Medicare is an essential pillar of our health-care system that has served Wisconsin families well for more than 50 years. Since 1965, Medicare has been a trusted source of affordable health care for millions of older and disabled Americans.

As we move forward to provide more Americans with more health-care choices, our Medicare at 55 Act can offer a quality option for people to get the affordable health care they need and deserve.

I strongly believe that if both parties look past the partisan debate in Washington, we can work together to find solutions that make health care more affordable and work for the American people.
The fair, the market, the bazaar -- all have a long and rich history, stretching back thousands of years and featuring prominently in the life of a community.Governments have always been integral to such markets, designating where they happen, who can sell there and what the rules of exchange should be. In the old days, it was a king or baron. Now its a mayor or city council.Until not too long ago, just about every city had a market, a publicly built structure where local sellers of vegetables, fish and meat peddled their wares. Some still survive and thrive, like Seattles Pike Place Market and Washington, D.C.s Eastern Market. Just about every city also has a more specialized type of bazaar: the trade show, with its own long history that includes the medieval craft guilds. Today often held in city-owned convention centers, these events provide an opportunity for makers and dealers to show off their wares.Such thoughts were on my mind this spring as I wandered around the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York Citys Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. I go to this high-end trade show every year, and its always stimulating to see how the things we sit on, look at and generally use in our homes and offices are being continually reworked and reshaped. The 700-plus participants from more than 30 countries ranged from huge global firms, with fancy pavilions showcasing their products, to booths set up by just a person or two. These small firms might be from Bushwick, one of Brooklyns hip hoods for artists and craftspeople, or they might be from places like Lawrence, Kan.Thats where Jennifer Hunt and Ben Koehn hail from. The couple were there to showcase their chief product: wallpaper, which Hunt designs and both of them then make and sell to retailers and designers. This was their first time at the furniture fair; earlier, they had been at one in Los Angeles. As I spoke with them, I realized that the couple might be an example of how individuals and the towns and cities they call home can thrive in parts of the country left out of the largely bicoastal, big-city boom. The trick is to make the rootless nature of the contemporary economy work in ones favor.Hunt and Koehns Lawrence-based company, Poppy Print Studio, is competitive, they say, with businesses from Milan, New York and Paris. While Lawrence may not have the cachet of those centers of art and creative commerce, its real estate is by comparison outrageously cheap. Hunt and Koehn can afford to own a 2,800-square-foot shop and their own home. I can have the life I want, Hunt said. In the past, someone like her might have had to relocate to New York City, but she and Koehn seem to be doing fine in Lawrence. The internet, she said, has changed everything.And its not just the internet. Although she has a background in physical textiles, Hunt draws her designs directly on a Macintosh computer using Adobe Photoshop. She and Koehn print the designs to wallpaper on a key piece of machinery that occupies a good chunk of their workshop, an industrial Hewlett-Packard latex printer. They then ship the product to distributors or customers around the country. It is these tools that have created the possibility of new jobs in what is sometimes derogatorily called flyover country.Of course, Lawrence is not just any midsized city on the prairie. Its the home of the University of Kansas, with about 30,000 students and faculty, and all the ancillary benefits a college town usually provides. While the population of most towns and cities in Kansas has stayed flat or declined, Lawrence has grown. Its county, Douglas, was one of only two of Kansas 105 counties that voted for Hillary Clinton last year.So while Hunt and Koehns entrepreneurial skills and attitudes may have emerged from a particular local culture, there is nothing that theyre doing in Lawrence that couldnt be done just about anywhere these days. Decades ago, the technology that enabled entrepreneurs like them to thrive just wasnt there; today it fuels a new kind of bazaar. If small companies like Poppy Print Studio cant save the world, or save the country, they are at least rays of light in a changing economy, examples that suggest a way forward for some people and the places where they want to live.
Bad news arrives slowly to some U.S. political circles. The failure of the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program to achieve its policy goals over the past decade is one of the slowest awakenings in recent memory.First authorized by Congress in 2005 and then expanded in 2007, RFS mandates that oil refiners quadruple the amount of biofuels -- primarily ethanol -- blended into transportation fuels by 2022 as a way to wean the United States off what's so often been decried as its "addiction to oil."But the security of U.S. fuel supplies is no longer a pressing problem, thanks to the development of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in places like North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Texas. As a result, no one is very happy with the federal government's continuing attempt to manage what is already a broken ethanol market.At an Aug. 1 public hearing regarding what level the Environmental Protection Agency should set for its proposed volume requirements of biofuels in 2018, critics of the ethanol mandate -- including refiners, livestock producers and consumers -- argued against the market-distorting program. On the other side, the ethanol and biofuels industries complained that the EPA is unlawfully constraining the industry's growth by refusing to expand the mandate as directed by Congress.Is it any surprise that a centralized industrial program designed in direct opposition to free-market principles would disappoint everyone involved, especially when the problem of fuel scarcity has been solved by other means?What is really going on is a gasoline market under serious duress, with no political will to stop the madness by doing away with the RFS mandate. It's not just the fracking revolution that is bypassing the biofuels industry; the growth of electric-powered automobiles will only serve to further depress demand for the industry's products. This leaves RFS as nothing more than a subsidy program for ethanol makers, corn farmers and the multinational oil companies that own ethanol-blending facilities.Meanwhile, governors from the major corn- and ethanol-producing states of Iowa and Nebraska promote ethanol blending as a way to prop up their states' economies during economic slowdowns while downplaying the original national-security arguments that no longer apply. In Iowa's case, 3.5 percent of its gross domestic product -- about $4.6 billion a year -- can be tied directly to its renewable-fuels industry. "As the current agriculture economy experiences a downturn, sustainable and predictable renewable-fuels markets are helpful to the bottom line for farmers and rural Iowa," Gov. Kim Reynolds said during a news conference after the EPA's Aug. 1 hearing.In hindsight, President George W. Bush was trying to find his way out of a serious jam when he said in his 2006 State of the Union speech that the country was "addicted to oil" and needed biofuels as a way to wean itself from that dependency. Like many a government program, the RFS started as a strategic investment, only to develop a political constituency strong enough to protect its future existence, regardless of its future value.From 2005 to 2007, when the United States imported roughly 60 percent of its oil, prices were rising dramatically and the country's oil production was seen to be in permanent decline. Out of desperation, the federal government picked biofuels as a savior, using economic and scientific assumptions that have since proven woefully inaccurate.The first mistake was to believe the rosy predictions that development of cellulosic ethanol that uses inedible parts of the corn stalk and abundant switch grass would advance rapidly. But the science didn't pan out. A decade later, the cost to convert corn stocks into fuel remains too high -- as much as $120 a barrel for its crude-oil equivalent, according to some estimates.The second mistaken assumption was lawmakers' failure to account for a possible economic downturn's impact on gasoline demand. Following the recession of 2008 to 2009, gasoline demand flatlined. Meanwhile, annual increases in the ethanol-blending mandate pushed up the quantity of ethanol in the U.S. gasoline pool much faster than anticipated. This meant reaching the so-called "blend wall" for the U.S. automotive fleet, at which point car companies void the warranties on older car engines if more than 10 percent ethanol is used. Thus, there really is no way to get around the EPA decision to effectively freeze annual ethanol production at its current 18 billion gallons.These facts concerning the RFS have been clear in scientific literature and public-policy circles for years. Nevertheless, farm-state governors and other proponents continue to demonstrate their tin ears regarding how counterproductive the ethanol mandate has become.This isn't how energy and agricultural policy is supposed to operate. Let hope the truth about the RFS program can finally start to seep into the ears of those most prone to exaggerate its benefits to the larger American electorate.
Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed a bill Friday that would have raised Illinois' minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2022, arguing it would hurt businesses and ultimately reduce jobs.Advocates for the wage hike had been anticipating a veto by the pro-business Republican governor. The veto kept Illinois from becoming the third state, after California and New York, to adopt a $15 minimum wage.Illinois' minimum wage has been $8.25 an hour since 2010. Rauner has previously expressed support for a more modest raise.The bill would have increased the minimum wage to $9 in January and gradually stepped it up to $15 by 2022. For part-time or seasonal workers under 18 years old, the raise would have been to $12 an hour. To give small businesses time to adjust, the law offered employers with 50 or fewer workers a credit toward their income tax liability that is proportional to the wage increase.Lawmakers could attempt to override the veto, but it passed both the House and Senate on May 30 with fewer votes than would be needed. The bill was approved 61-53 in the House and 30-23 in the Senate, and each chamber had two members voting present. A veto override would require 71 votes in the House and 36 in the Senate."Knowing this was wrong for Illinois he waited to the last minute and, with this veto, Gov. Rauner showed us once again who he is and what his vision is for Illinois: A permanent low-wage economy, where services and infrastructure are slashed, where workers are deprived of dignity and rights and where corporations call all the shots," SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Greg Kelley said in a statement.Rauner said in a veto message that "helping low-income families and individuals get out of poverty is a top priority," but that economic evidence suggests such a big wage hike would hurt workers more than help.He cited a University of Washington study, published earlier this year, on the impact of Seattle raising its minimum wage to $13 an hour, as it steps toward $15. That study found the average low-wage worker lost money as employers faced with higher labor costs reduced hours, put off hiring or laid off people. By that study's measures, the hike would cause Illinois low-wage workers to see a net reduction in earnings of $1,500 per year, Rauner said.The University of Washington study was criticized by some economists and advocates for methodological problems. Other research has found minimum wage increases lift pay without little or no impact on jobs. Advocates said the minimum wage hike could have increased the pay of 2.3 million people in Illinois.The Illinois Chamber of Commerce, which opposed the bill for being a "job killer," applauded the veto."Thanks to the governor's veto of SB 81, Illinois employers can breathe a little easier today," president and CEO Todd Maisch said. "This keeps Illinois in competition with our neighbors by helping to maintain our jobs and to recruit prospective employers."States and cities have increasingly moved to raise their minimum wages in the absence of federal action on the issue. The federal minimum wage has been $7.25 since 2009.Chicago's minimum wage, currently at $11 an hour, is rising to $13 by 2019, and Cook County is one year behind it, though many suburbs have opted out.Minneapolis recently became the first city in the Midwest to adopt a $15 minimum wage, which it will reach by 2024. But other cities have rolled hikes back. St. Louis, which recently adopted a wage hike to $10 an hour, must lower it to $7.70 to match the state minimum after the passage of a new Missouri law.Rauner's veto comes as the Service Employees International Union, which is behind the Fight for $15 campaign driving many of the wage laws, plans a voter engagement effort to unseat politicians across the Midwest who don't support labor-friendly priorities like a $15 minimum wage, union rights and universal health care."The millions of underpaid workers in this state will remember Rauner taking food off our families' tables when we go to the polls in 2018," Adriana Alvarez, a Chicago McDonald's worker and organizer with the Fight for $15, said in a statement.
Just a few months ago, Republican attorneys general were aggressively taking the Obama administration to court, notching significant victories that blocked executive actions on immigration and the environment.Now that Donald Trump sits in the Oval Office, it's Democrats' turn to wage legal battles over some of the very same issues. But while it's true Republican AGs have been less active -- figuring out how best to retrench -- they haven't entirely yielded the national policy stage to Democrats.Most notably, Texas AG Ken Paxton and nine other Republican AGs have told the Trump administration that it needs to get rid of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which defers deportation of undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. If it doesn't act, the nine AGs have warned, they will challenge the administration in court, despite their shared party affiliation.They've also been busy playing defense. Eleven Republican AGs, for instance, filed a brief to support a request by oil and gas giant, Exxon, to stop an investigation spearheaded by Democratic AGs into its decades-long history of climate denial.And, perhaps most noteworthy, the Republican Attorneys General Association has decided to abandon a "hands-off" agreement it struck with Democrats not to target the other party's incumbent officeholders in elections. The association has already raised $7.4 million through the first half of 2017 compared to the Democrats' 3.1 million."As state attorneys general have grown more political in recent decades, we've seen the same polarization and balkanization we've seen elsewhere in the political system," says David Freeman Engstrom, a Stanford University law professor.All this comes as Democratic AGs have assumed lead roles in opposing some of President Trump's policies. The list of current legal efforts by Democratic AGs is long and substantive: There has been an average of one lawsuit or legal motion every five days since Trump's inauguration, according to the Associated Press Democratic officials say the party's AG ranks are more active than they were under the last Republican president, George W. Bush. And in solidly blue states where Democrats have control over all the levers of government, money is flowing to the AG office, says former Maine Attorney General James Tierney, who is now a Harvard Law School lecturer focusing on state AGs.Recent actions by Democratic AGs include challenging Trump's immigration restrictions from certain Muslim-majority nations, confronting the weakening of environmental regulations, insisting that the U.S. Department of Education follow through on rules to curb predatory lending affecting student loan borrowers and siding with Planned Parenthood -- 16 AGs filed a brief to oppose Ohio's efforts to curb Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers.Democratic AGs are also taking Trump to court over "emoluments." The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia are among those arguing that foreign-government payments to Trump-owned businesses qualify as emoluments, something banned by the Constitution. Separately, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has been looking into the practices of Trump's businesses, many of which operate in his state."There's no question that Democratic AGs are suing and threatening to sue the administration, and they're having some success," says Tierney. He adds that one of the biggest impacts for rank-and-file lawyers working in AG offices across the country is the need to respond to an upsurge in Freedom of Information Act requests related to these legal efforts.Despite partisan tensions, there have been fleeting signs of bipartisan cooperation.AGs from both parties are working together through the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) on amending the Communications Decency Act to fight sex trafficking, as well as tackling elder abuse and working to secure federal assistance to fight opioid addiction.Scott Harshbarger, who served as Massachusetts' Democratic attorney general in the 1990s, says it was much more common back then for AGs to work across party lines on such issues as the tobacco industry settlement and antitrust actions. While he supports many of today's initiatives by Democratic AGs against Trump, he also mourns the loss of the ability to work on a wide variety of issues where common ground exists between the two parties."One of the concerns we had was that if people came to see AGs as being as political as governors, it would weaken us in our states," he says. "That's begun to happen. Now they're seen as political animals. I think it's a very unfortunate outcome."
At a time when allegations of and videos showing police brutality regularly appear in the news, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Monday that the Trump administration will reinstate a program that provides surplus military equipment to local police departments.Speaking at the 63rd Fraternal Order of Police Conference in Nashville, Sessions said President Trump will issue an executive order that will "[rescind] restrictions from the prior administration that limited your agencies' ability to get equipment  including life-saving gear." It was signed later that day.This marks the Trump administration's latest departure from Obama-era policing policies. In June, Sessions signed an order to reverse limits on civil asset forfeiture, a widely criticized practice in which police officers seize cash and property from citizens who have not been charged with crimes.The Obama administration limited the military surplus program in 2015 after the high-profile shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, by a white police officer. When protests against the fatal shooting erupted in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Mo., many inside and outside the community criticized what they saw as an outsized, heavily militarized police response Obama's executive order blocked the military from passing armored vehicles, large-caliber weapons, explosives, battering rams and other heavy-duty military hardware onto police."We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like [the police] are an occupying force, as opposed to a force that is protecting them and serving them," Obama said when he announced the new restrictions in 2015. "It can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message."Sessions, however, stressed in his speech that military surplus transfers, as they're called, are crucial for officer safety and the execution of police work."These are the types of helmets and gear that stopped a bullet and saved the life of an officer during the Orlando night club shooting," Sessions said. "This is the type of equipment officers needed when they pursued and ultimately killed terrorists in San Bernardino."Some experts in the law enforcement community appear to concur with the attorney general."It's never been more clear, with all these events in Europe, Orlando and San Bernardino. Police have to be on high alert more than ever before," says Eugene O'Donnell, a former NYPD officer and professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York. "Police are the first line of defense against terrorism."But O'Donnell also disagrees with the Trump administration's posturing on law enforcement issues so far."Policing is starved for a rational conversation in this country. Not point-scoring, not trying to advance a political party," he says. "This [announcement today] forces people to take sides: You're either with police or you're against police. And that's an absurd formulation."Rather than a highly publicized executive order, O'Donnell would have preferred carefully planned legislation that compromises between opposing sides of the debate."We need bipartisan, nuanced policymaking, and this is the exact opposite of that," he says.For their part, community policing advocates agree with Obama's assessment."This [new policy] is signaling to law enforcement that they can police in a heavy-handed way, no questions asked," says Kanya Bennett, legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). "It's just going to further strain an already very tense relationship between law enforcement and communities."It's not just the relationship between law enforcement and communities that's strained. Last month, police chiefs across the country quickly condemned Trump for remarks he made that encouraged police to be "rough" with people who have been arrested."When you see these thugs being thrown into the back of a paddy wagon. You see them thrown in rough. I said, 'Please don't be too nice,'" Trump said , referring to police protecting convicts' heads with their hands.The executive order will also get rid of the Obama administration's previous requirements that county governments sign off on use of military equipment by local police departments. States and counties concerned about the use of such equipment should institute their own requirements, Bennett says, as New Jersey and Montana have already done.In a document obtained byahead of Monday's announcement, the Trump administration cited two academic articles arguing that use of military equipment keeps officers safe and does not increase the number of deaths involving police. But critics like Bennett take issue with the widespread use of military equipment.A previous ACLU report points out that SWAT teams in militarized gear are often deployed for routine operations, like drug busts and search warrants. It highlights a specific case from Atlanta, Ga., in which a SWAT team severely injured a baby when agents threw a flashbang grenade into his crib. The agents were searching for someone suspected of making a $50 drug deal. The baby suffered severe burns and potential brain damage from the explosion."I don't think that's something most people in the community would call an appropriate [policing] reaction to a drug deal," says Bennett.The military surplus transfer program began in the 1990s. Since then, more than $5 billion in surplus military gear has been transferred to local law enforcement agencies, according to
The California Supreme Court largely upheld a measure Thursday passed by voters to speed up executions but severely diluted a key provision aimed at ending a backlog of appeals.The majority decision, signed by five of the seven justices, is likely to have the biggest effect on more than 15 death row inmates who have exhausted their appeals.Backers of Proposition 66, sponsored by prosecutors and passed with 51% of the vote in November, predicted executions would resume in months unless Gov. Jerry Brown decides to commute death sentences.There has not been an execution in California in more than 10 years, primarily because of court challenges."This is going to put some heat on Jerry Brown, whether he allows the law to be enforced or gets in there to try to change things," said Michael Rushford, president of the pro-death penalty Criminal Justice Legal Foundation, which helped write the ballot measure. "Is the governor going to step up on his way out the door and commute these guys' sentences as the governor of Illinois did some years ago?"As state attorney general, Brown enforced the death penalty. As governor, he did not take a public position on Proposition 66 or on measures to end capital punishment.His office did not comment on Thursday's ruling.A federal court order blocking executions remains in force, but Rushford said the state's new proposed single-drug protocol for lethal injection renders the federal challenge moot.Once the California Supreme Court decision is final, in 30 days, prosecutors around the state will go to judges to obtain execution dates, he said.Challengers tried to persuade the court to throw out all of Proposition 66, which was intended to remove several hurdles to restarting the death chamber at San Quentin.Instead, the ruling upended only one provision, a requirement that all state death penalty appeals be decided within five years.The court construed the deadline as a mere "directive," not a requirement.That deadline is only "an exhortation to the parties and the courts to handle cases as expeditiously as is consistent with the fair and principled administration of justice," Justice Carol A. Corrigan wrote for the majority.Because of a huge backlog of appeals, the California Supreme Court would have to spend 90% of its time on death penalty cases for at least the next five years to meet the five-year deadlines, legal analysts said.But without a strict timetable, appeals can take decades to resolve.Six of the justices agreed that the measure's time limits on resolving appeals have no legal force and that judicial leaders need not devise new rules to implement them.Rushford said inmates who have exhausted their appeals "don't have much time left.""I think months is a reasonable estimate" of when the next execution will occur, he said.Kent Scheidegger, legal counsel for Rushford's group and an author of Proposition 66, said that if the court decides appeals more quickly, "we should see a very substantial speedup."But Christina Von der Ahe Rayburn, who represented the challengers, said federal courts could still delay the resumption of executions."Nobody is going to be executed tomorrow, thank goodness," she said. "But it does make executions more possible in the short term."She disagreed with Rushford that the federal case that has blocked executions could be resolved within months.Thursday's ruling surprised and disappointed her, she said, though she was heartened by language in the decision that indicated the justices "won't make much effort to honor the deadlines."UC Berkeley law professor Elisabeth Semel, who runs a clinic for defending death row inmates, said Thursday's decision does not help those who have exhausted their appeals, but called it a "major victory" for hundreds of other death row inmates with appeals pending in the state system.By interpreting the deadline on deciding appeals to be flexible, those inmates may be many years away from the execution chamber.Santa Clara University law professor Gerald Uelmen, who ran a state commission several years that examined the state's death penalty system, said several of the measure's provisions may actually increase delays."It is just going to boggle up the system even more," Uelmen said.Corrigan, writing for the majority, said "it remains to be seen" how effective Proposition 66 will be in expediting death penalty appeals. Much will depend on whether the Legislature provides more funds for the courts, she said."The time limits reflect the voters' will, which we respect," Corrigan wrote. "However, they were presented to the voters by the proponents of Proposition 66 without the benefit of hearings or research exploring their feasibility or their impact on the rest of the courts' work."Opponents of Proposition 66 challenged the measure the day after the November election, contending the initiative usurped the authority of the courts.The court put the new law on hold while considering the challenge.The court's decision left in place several contentious requirements of the new death penalty law.Criminal defense lawyers who have done appeals will be required to take death row cases if they want to continue to receive appointments from the courts to represent indigent defendants.There has been a shortage of qualified lawyers willing to handle death penalty appeals because many attorneys consider the pay inadequate and the emotional toll high.Thursday's decision also did not overturn a part of the measure that transfers review of habeas corpus capital challenges to the lower courts.In the past, only the California Supreme Court reviewed those challenges in the state system.Proposition 66 further ended public review of execution methods, a requirement under the old law that was blamed for the dearth of executions. The ruling left that provision in place.California law gives each person convicted of the death penalty an automatic appeal and a separate habeas corpus challenge to the California Supreme Court.It now can take a decade or longer for the California Supreme Court to rule on an automatic appeal.Afterward, the court considers the inmate's habeas challenge. That is based on events that were not reflected in the trial transcript, such as newly discovered evidence of juror misconduct.Once state courts have completed their reviews, death row inmates can challenge their verdicts and sentences in federal court. Proposition 66 did not affect federal courts.Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye and Justice Ming W. Chin did not participate in the Proposition 66 case because they serve on the Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the courts and a defendant in the lawsuit.They were replaced by two members of the Courts of Appeal: Santa Ana-based Justice Raymond J. Ikola, an appointee of Gov. Gray Davis, and Sacramento-based Justice Andrea L. Hoch, an appointee of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.Corrigan, a conservative, was joined in the majority ruling by Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar -- a Republican appointee who has voted frequently with the liberals -- Hoch and Justices Goodwin Liu and Leondra Kruger, both appointees of Gov. Jerry Brown.Liu wrote separately to stress that the deadlines set in Proposition 66 need not be enforced. Hoch, Kruger and Werdegar joined him."The five-year limit, construed as directive or simply unconstitutional, has no binding effect and provides no guidance for responsible actors charged with the fair and efficient administration of justice," Liu wrote.Corrigan and Kruger face voters next year in a routine retention election.Justices have been ousted at the ballot only once. Voters rejected the late Chief Justice Rose Bird and her liberal colleagues after a campaign that accused them of refusing to enforce the death penalty.Justice Mariano-Florentino Cuellar, in a dissent joined by Ikola, said the majority should simply have struck down the deadline for deciding appeals as unconstitutional rather than engage in a "novel reinterpretation" and "neutering" of the initiative.The majority's decision to simply construe the deadlines as flexible was "at odds -- entirely -- with what the initiative says, how it was designed to work, and how it was sold," wrote Cuellar, a Brown appointee."Courts do not have the power to disregard a clear statement that a judicial deadline is mandatory, nor to construe a mandatory deadline to be something other than what it is," Cuellar said.Cuellar and Ikola also would have struck down a provision in the measure that shifted review of habeas corpus challenges to the lower courts.California has more than 740 inmates on death row, the most of any state.
The Defense Department will let California National Guard members keep more than $190 million in disputed enlistment bonuses and other payments _ far more than previously acknowledged _ after the military spent six years trying to recover the money from veterans who had served at the height of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.In all, repayments were waived for 17,092 California Guard soldiers who were given what were later deemed questionable bonuses, according to a Defense Department report obtained by the Los Angeles Times/Tribune Washington Bureau. Those who already repaid their bonuses are being reimbursed.The report, which was sent to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees this month, concludes that the overwhelming majority of California Guard soldiers did nothing wrong in accepting bonuses of $15,000 to $80,000 each. Only 393 soldiers have been ordered to return the money, chiefly due to disciplinary or criminal conduct.The sweeping forgiveness represents an almost total retreat by the Pentagon and the California Guard, which drove the aggressive recoupment effort against thousands of military veterans _ including some who were wounded in combat _ and has yet to publicly apologize to them.The California Guard used tax liens, wage garnishments and other heavy-handed tactics to try to recover the bonuses it paid to soldiers chiefly to enlist or re-enlist between 2004 to 2010, a period when the Pentagon was desperate for troops it could send to war.The scandal offers a dark perspective on the Pentagon's use of hefty cash incentives to fill its all-volunteer force during the longest era of warfare in the nation's history."The overwhelming majority" of cases "were resolved in favor of the individual soldier," the 26-page report by the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness concludes. "In these cases, the soldier received a full grant of relief."Many of the waivers were granted because files "lacked adequate documentation" or because "the soldier had deployed" to a combat zone, had "completed his/her service," or 'would not be expected to have known that he/she was ineligible for a bonus," the report said.The report also carved out exceptions if a soldier who got a bonus "was deceased, a Purple Heart recipient, receiving combat disability compensation" or met other conditions.Last October, The Times first disclosed the California Guard's aggressive campaign to force nearly 17,500 veterans to repay their bonuses.In response, then-Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter suspended the recoupment effort. Two months later, Congress passed legislation that gave the Defense Department until July 30 to review every case with a goal of waiving the debts unless the soldier "knew or reasonably should have known" that he or she was ineligible for the bonus.Pentagon officials said at the time they did not know how much money was involved, although they estimated it could be in the tens of millions of dollars. The total was far higher.According to the report, the California Guard paid more than $233 million in bonuses and student loan repayments to fill its enlistment goals from 2004 to 2015.For most of that time, the California Guard relied on a single enlisted soldier, Master Sgt. Toni Jaffe, to issue the bonuses with virtually no controls. Jaffe later said she faced intense pressure from higher-ups to approve the payments to meet enlistment goals.After a federal and state investigation, Jaffe pleaded guilty in 2011 to charges of approving payments that she knew were fraudulent, and served 30 months in prison. The Guard simultaneously launched its aggressive recoupment effort, targeting soldiers who it said were ineligible for the bonuses, or whose cases lacked proper paperwork.The Times found that most of the soldiers had taken the money in good faith, had served honorably and had fulfilled their enlistment contracts, often serving in war zones.They were ordered to repay their bonuses years later. Many had left the military and had spent the money long ago on homes, cars and other expenses.The Pentagon report backed those findings.It said that "17,092 of these cases _ the overwhelming majority _ were resolved in favor of the individual soldier." In an additional 393 cases, it said, the available evidence did not support a full grant of relief.Most of those in the latter cases were ordered to repay their bonus because they did not complete their enlistment contracts, either because they went absent without leave or were kicked out of the service due to drug abuse or other disciplinary problems."These cases typically involved a soldier's receipt of an incentive in exchange for an enlistment of a certain length, which was subsequently curtailed by the soldier's own misconduct _ most frequently Absence without Leave or substance abuse," the report said.Though Congress ordered the Pentagon to finish the review last month, appeals are ongoing for 191 of those soldiers, the report said. An additional 202 have exhausted their appeals and have repaid the money or still must do so.Two soldiers who were ordered to pay back the money after their cases were reviewed were granted full forgiveness on appeal, the report said.The report gives only a brief flavor of the tactics used by the Pentagon to go after soldiers that it formerly had accused of taking money improperly. Many soldiers ordered to repay the large sums were slapped with interest charges, wage garnishments and tax liens if they refused or could not.After the scandal came to light last fall, the Defense Finance Accounting Service, the department unit responsible for collecting debts, "withdrew the existing debt collection actions from its own accounts," the report said.The office also "requested that the Treasury Department, private debt collection agencies and credit reporting bureaus immediately expunge from their databases all collections records and other adverse information pertaining to these debts," the report said.The California Guard did not respond to a request for comment.The report shows that $80.9 million of the questionable bonuses went to newly recruited soldiers, while $73.5 million went to soldiers already in uniform. Many have said they were summoned to mass meetings and promised the money if they reenlisted for an additional six years.An additional $3.27 million in recruiting bonuses went to officers.In response to the bonus scandal, the National Guard has put in place new computer software that is intended to ensure that bonuses are not given out improperly, and California has adopted the system, the report said.Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., who helped craft the legislative language that ordered the Pentagon to examine all the cases by this month, said he doubted the military would have acted without prodding from Congress."It shouldn't have taken an act of Congress to have the (Defense Department) admit their mistake and fulfill the contracts made to our California National Guard," Denham said. "The men and women who wear the cloth of this nation deserve the security of knowing that the country they swore an oath to protect has their back at the end of their service."
To President Donald Trump and many of his supporters, Joe Arpaio is a national hero whose aggressive pursuit of people in the country illegally and cooperation with federal immigration authorities should be a model for cities and counties around the country."Was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job?" Trump asked at a raucous campaign-style rally in Phoenix last week, three days before pardoning the 85-year-old former Arizona sheriff.The pardon of Arpaio _ who was convicted of criminal contempt in July for flouting a court order to stop racial profiling of Latinos while he was sheriff _ has galvanized Trump's political base around an issue that was at the center of his presidential campaign.But for civil rights advocates, who believe that local authorities should not enforce federal immigration laws, the pardon was an endorsement of illegal tactics and will only serve to deepen racial tensions."Arpaio built his work on terror and fear," said Alejandra Gomez, co-executive director of the Arizona-based Living United for Change in Arizona, or LUCHA, an immigrant rights group. "Arpaio targeted the immigrant community, separating thousands of families. Arpaio built the foundation for Trump's agenda."The issue of how to combat illegal immigration has become a major dispute between the Trump administration and left-leaning cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, Denver, San Francisco and Austin, Texas.The president's threats to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities _ which refuse to cooperate with federal immigration agents _ by withholding federal money have spurred little cooperation and several lawsuits.Arpaio has long been a divisive figure at the center of the debate over illegal immigration.During his more than two decades as Maricopa County sheriff, which came to end after he failed to win re-election in November, he ordered his officers to stop drivers simply on the suspicion that they were in the country illegally, sometimes leading to the detention of Latinos who were citizens.In 2011, a federal judge ordered Arpaio and his deputies not to racially profile Latinos. A year later the Justice Department sued Arpaio, alleging a pattern of illegal discrimination against Latinos.That only elevated his stature in the movement against illegal immigration.Trump understood that as well as any politician, and early in his campaign he called Arpaio a friend and ally in fighting illegal immigration.Arpaio became one of the first major figures to endorse Trump, urging voters to back the billionaire businessman because of his hard-line immigration positions.When Trump suggested a pardon last week _ "I'll make a prediction. I think he's going to be just fine," he said to cheers at the Phoenix rally _ Arpaio was facing the prospect of up to six months in jail.To 72-year-old Daniel Magos, seeing Arpaio convicted of criminal contempt last month felt like justice.One morning in December 2009, Magos was driving his rusted Ford pickup on his way to a drywall restoration job near his home when one of Arpaio's deputies turned on his patrol lights."I'm just trying to earn a living, and all of a sudden I'm being stopped _ you know, for what?" said Magos, who was born in Mexico and became a U.S. citizen in 1967. "The deputy is just staring at me, very angry, like I shouldn't be here in this country trying to make a living."After a 10-minute interrogation, the deputy sent him on his way."It was profiling, no doubt about it," said Magos, who joined a 2012 lawsuit against the sheriff. "To this day it's stuck with me."On Friday, as Magos prepared dinner at his Phoenix home _ about 35 miles from where Arpaio lives _ he learned that Trump had issued the pardon."I thought, why, how could this be?" he said. "But then I just thought how Trump and Arpaio are the same."In an interview Saturday, Arpaio denied that he or his officers had ever profiled anybody."I was doing my job and combating illegal immigration," he said by phone from his home in a Phoenix suburb. "I didn't ask for a pardon, but it is greatly appreciated."It was also appreciated by Trump supporters, as the president by some measures has fallen short in his attempt to curb illegal immigration.In January, Trump signed an executive order that called for the hiring of 5,000 more Border Patrol agents, the increased deportation of undocumented migrants and funding for the immediate construction of a massive wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.But seven moths later, the number of new Border Patrol agents has dropped by 220 instead of risen. Immigration officials are on pace to deport 10,000 fewer people this year than during President Barack Obama's last year in office. And Congress has not made a border wall a priority, prompting Trump to threaten a government shutdown if funding for it is not authorized.Given those shortcomings, some of his advisers have been urging the president to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program started by Obama to offer legal residency to people who were brought to the country illegally as children and grew up here.On the issue of sanctuary cities, Arpaio said he remains confident that Trump will triumph over local authorities."What he's doing will work. ... It really will help out a lot," Arpaio said. "Are there sanctuary cities for bank robbers? No. There needs to be action taken against these mayors and police chiefs that are just allowing safe havens."To civil rights activists, Arpaio provided the worst kind of model for dealing with illegal immigration."For more than two decades, Sheriff Arpaio terrorized and profiled Arizona's Latino citizens, was finally voted out of office, and was convicted for failing to follow a court order to cease his unlawful, racist policing," Vanita Gupta, president of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said in a statement. "This pardon sends a dangerous message that a law enforcement officer who abused his position of power and defied a court order can simply be excused by a president who himself clearly does not respect the law."Arpaio said Saturday that he'll take the criticism."It's expected," he said. "I've been talked about my whole career."
(TNS) -- WORCESTER - Sometimes, inspiration takes off when you least expect it.Kathleen Manning, dean of the Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education at Quinsigamond Community College, was watching the ABC television show "Shark Tank" last February, in which budding entrepreneur and Babson College MBA graduate Abby Speicher pitched to investors her national drone-training company, DARTdrones."Right away I could see the workforce implications," Ms. Manning said.She envisioned a need for trained drone pilots, programmers, mechanics, aerial photographers and other specialists around the burgeoning field of what the Federal Aviation Administration calls unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS.Ms. Manning contacted DARTdrones and partnered with the company to develop a drone certificate program, which she said was the first among Massachusetts community colleges.The course, which will be offered in two full-day weekend sessions, Sept. 23 - Sept. 24 or Oct. 14 - Oct. 15, prepares students to take the exam for remote pilot certification under FAA regulations known as Part 107. It provides in-person flight training and covers the basics of getting started with drones, safety guidelines, models and types of drones and industry trends. Additional classes will include aerial photography, test-preparation classes and learning how to start a drone business. Tuition is $1,250."This is not geared toward hobbyists," Ms. Manning said. "This is a workforce class for people to use in the workforce."The distinction between recreational or hobby users of drones and nonrecreational or commercial users became significant a year ago when the FAA issued regulations outlining requirements for both types of UAS uses. The agency considers any professional use, whether by a for-profit company, an academic or nonprofit institution, or a public safety search-and-rescue mission to be commercial use.Under commercial use, outlined in Part 107, operators must take an exam to be certified as remote pilots and have to follow rules including keeping drones below 400 feet, not flying over people, flying only in daytime, flying only where the operator can see the drone and, of course, staying away from other aircraft and airports. Certain exceptions are allowed by waivers.Simon Ngotho, who runs Sky-view Consultants in Worcester, a training program for drone pilots, was introduced to commercial applications for drones at a conference in Las Vegas when he was in the real estate business. Mr. Ngotho is an instructor in QCC's upcoming class and also has a background as an engineer and a licensed practical nurse.Aerial photography taken with drones for real estate is one of the most popular uses of the technology, according to Mr. Ngotho. He said about half his students are in real estate and want to be able to show a property's surroundings better."With a drone, you get exposed to other views," he said.Others flocking to drone technology include photographers and filmmakers, people in utilities and construction industries, farmers, surveyors, news media, law enforcement and public safety personnel.But with high-end drones costing thousands of dollars, Mr. Ngotho said, students need to know how to fly safely and properly.Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School in Charlton also began offering drone pilot preparation classes in its night school last semester."There's a lot of interest," said Christopher Faucher, associate vocational director and director of cooperative and adult education at Bay Path. "I think what it is, is an addition to a lot of career areas. We do see this as an added tool."The 32  hour class at Bay Path runs for 13 weeks on Tuesday nights. Mr. Faucher said the spring class focused only on preparing for the remote pilot exam, although the fall course may include four hours of flight training on a Saturday. The cost for the Bay Path class, which is taught by the AeroVenture Institute, is $499.The demand for skilled drone pilots is growing rapidly. A study commissioned in 2013 by the FAA forecast that the drone industry was expected to generate $2.3 billion in spending in 2016, growing to $5.1 billion in 2025. Employment was expected to be 22,800 in 2016 and 50,529 in 2025. Over the 10-year period 2015-2025, drones were expected to generate 100,000 jobs and $82 billion in direct and indirect economic activity.An FAA spokesman reported in an email that as of Aug. 18, more than 79,000 drones were registered for nonhobby use, primarily commercial. The agency had issued more than 59,000 remote pilot certificates, which are required to operate a drone commercially.The number of remote pilots is forecast to increase to 281,300 in 2021, an average annual growth rate from 2016 of 69.1 percent, according to an FAA fact sheet.FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, speaking at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Xponential conference in Dallas in May, described the pace of development: "In the traditional aircraft industry, new jetliners are introduced maybe once every 10 or 15 years. In the world of unmanned aircraft, 10 or 15 new products might be introduced every year."But that rapid growth means "we have to grapple with new and complex questions that affect a broad spectrum of the many stakeholders we have in this industry," Mr. Huerta said."We absolutely see great value in using drones to inspect our networks in addition to the foot and helicopter patrols we currently do to keep them running safely and reliably," Terron Hill, director of network strategy for National Grid's New England transmission system, said in an email. "Drones can be particularly useful in areas that are difficult to access, or for damage inspections in bad weather when it's unsafe to use helicopters."National Grid is developing a companywide policy to ensure employees who use drones are properly certified and trained.Mr. Hill noted that the utility has also tested a transmission line inspection robot that was developed by a subsidiary of Hydro Quebec in collaboration with National Grid's United Kingdom colleagues. The device attaches to a transmission line to do close-up inspections and can make minor repairs on the spot. He said robotics and drone technology were part of its continuing effort to improve value and performance.Keolis Commuter Services, the MBTA's partner which operates and maintains the commuter rail network, has three certified commercial drone pilots and uses drones to help maintain the rail-system network and target efficient use of manpower and equipment when inspecting and maintaining the system, according to Tory Mazzola, director of public affairs."It's a cost saver for us. It's a piece of technology that can cover a very wide area," he said.According to a statement from Massachusetts Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jacquelyn Goddard, MassDOT's Aeronautics Division purchased a drone system in 2016.This year the agency began drafting a drone policy and demonstrated the system's capabilities, including bridge inspections for highway and rail divisions, tunnel inspection for the MBTA, runway inspections for the Aeronautics Division, simulated aircraft accident investigation and simulated emergency management exercise.A drone pilot training program is under development at MassDOT.The potential for public safety use of drones is broad, but local officials say the new Part 107 rules raised new questions and, with the certification requirement, a costly obstacle.Uxbridge Fire Chief William Kessler said his department purchased a drone more than a year ago with money from a donation. Before the new rules went into effect in late August 2016, his department used the drone to locate people whose boat had swamped on the Blackstone River and to pinpoint the source of a brush fire.The Uxbridge Police Department had requested drone assistance to search for missing persons on three occasions.Police "called us out two weeks ago (to find swamped canoeists) and I said, 'Sorry, we can't fly. I can't risk it.' "The problem? No one in the Fire Department is certified as a remote pilot, and the chief said the cost of sending firefighters to training would be prohibitive.Chief Kessler shared an email exchange he had last August with the FAA requesting guidance for his small fire department. The response he received said that looking for lost or capsized people, or brush fires, would not constitute a recreational/hobby event. Therefore, the department could only operate a drone if the operator passed the remote pilot certificate requirements or operated as a public aircraft operator, another expensive and time-consuming avenue.Even the requirements to apply for a waiver, which include extensive analysis of plans, costs and benefits, alternative options and legal documentation would be too costly, according to Chief Kessler."To me, it's another one of those unfunded mandates," he said.Uxbridge Police Chief Jeffrey A. Lourie said questions about restrictions such as not flying over people and other privacy laws have held police departments back from adopting drones."I would love to (use it); it would make sense and be cost-effective," Chief Lourie said. "But the last thing I want to do is lose a case because we didn't follow proper procedure."Grafton Police Chief Normand A. Crepeau Jr. said his department is hosting a training session on drones for police officers from around the region on Oct. 4."That's why we're going to have the training: so people know what they can and can't do," he said.
(TNS)  At least eight people are now dead in Tropical Storm Harveys assault on southeast Texas, authorities said Monday, as the nations fourth largest city remained awash in murky brown water that submerged highways, houses, shopping plazas and entire neighborhoods.More than 30,000 people in Houston and across the Gulf Coast were likely to seek temporary shelter as Harvey continued to drench southeastern Texas and Louisiana with heavy rains and surging floodwaters.Were not at recovery yet, William Brock Long, head of FEMA, said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday, noting that the storm was a landmark event that had affected as many as 50 Texas counties, and that more than 450,000 people could end up seeking disaster assistance. This shelter mission is going to be a very heavy lift.As the rain kept pouring, as many as 13 million people, from Houston to New Orleans, were under flood watches and warnings.The death toll by midday Monday had risen to eight. Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, have reported six potentially storm-related fatalities. One person died in the small coastal town of Rockport, near where Harvey made landfall. A 52-year-old homeless man was also found in the La Marque, a small city near Galveston.Its the hurricane that wont die, said William Patzert, an oceanographer at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The trap is close enough to the Gulf that it keeps siphoning off energy and moisture from the very, very warm waters of the Gulf. Until the large-scale pattern changes, it will continue to soak Texas.The National Weather Service said Monday that parts of Harris County, which includes Houston, had seen 30 inches of rain. An additional 15 to 25 inches are expected across the upper Texas coast, with isolated storm totals as high as 50 inches.By Monday morning, 911 operators had received 56,000 calls, but the backlog that left residents hanging on the telephone, calls unanswered, was almost resolved, city officials said. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said officers had rescued 2,000 people from flooding in the city and 185 critical requests for help remained pending.Our goal is to complete the rescues of all critical missions today, Acevedo said.Its still a very dangerous situation out there, Houston Fire Dept. Chief Samuel Pena said, noting that there had been 290 water rescues since midnight and his department also had pending calls. Were expecting more rain. Were expecting the demand for our services is going to increase.Already, more than 5,500 residents are in Houston-area shelters. Local officials expect that number to rise, along with the flood water.We need to get people to shelters and make sure they are good and have what they need, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said at a Monday news briefing, noting that the American Red Cross has had trouble getting supplies to its shelters.Houston braced for yet more water as the Army Corps of Engineers opened two swollen flood-control reservoirs early Monday. The Corps said it needed to undertake a controlled release of water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs to limit the scope of the disaster.Even with the controlled release, the reservoirs were rising at a rate of 4 inches an hour, said Edmund Russo, deputy district engineer for programs and project management for the Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District.It could create additional problems, additional flooding, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a news conference Monday. People who were not in a crisis state yesterday may find themselves in a crisis state today.Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. But the hurricane scale is based on wind speed, not volume of water, and Harvey has continued to funnel tremendous amounts of moisture into Texas.As homes across the metro region filled with waist-deep water, rescuers scoured flooded inner-city streets and subdivisions in kayaks, fishing boats and inflatable rafts, plucking families to safety.Hurricane Harvey has effectively turned south and central Texas into a lake the size of Michigan, Brad Kieserman, vice president of disaster operations and logistics for the Red Cross, told NPR. This is as catastrophic as you could possibly imagine from a Category 4 storm.Strong currents proved a challenge Monday morning as half a dozen volunteers with a pontoon boot tried to save 20 people, including children and the elderly, trapped in a flooded neighborhood in Spring, Texas, at the northern edge of Houston.People called out for help from the upper levels of two-story homes. Yet the 40-foot boat could save only a dozen at a time. After they launched to attempt the rescue, a Harris County deputy constable ran up to the crew, frantic. Authorities planned to release more water from Lake Conroe to the north that would overwhelm the creek, he said.The boat retreated without saving anyone.We couldnt get them, Mandi Davis, 36, of Spring, said when she landed. The current was too strong and the water was too deep. Theyre going to have to get airlifted out.Genesis Rivas, 20, and her family were disappointed to see the volunteers return empty-handed. Seven of her relatives were stranded, including her grandmother and two children ages 4 and 2. She estimated that 200 people were trapped on their street.Were worried about the kids, she said as the group huddled under an umbrella near the would-be rescuers. Hay mucha agua  the water is too strong, she told a relative in a mix of Spanish and English. Her sister watched astonished as an Austin special operations rescue crew arrived, checked the water and departed.Theyre just going to leave the people there? said Odaly Ticas, 23. Its more than 200 people. There was a cop with a boat just here. I dont know why they left.With forecasters predicting that the Brazos River, which runs southwest of Houston, would crest at 59 feet  topping its historical record of 54.7 feet  local city and county officials on Sunday urged residents in low-lying areas to leave their homes to find safer ground.Evacuate immediately, the city of Rosenberg urged residents on Twitter.On Sunday night, Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert issued mandatory evacuation orders for more districts.Fifty-nine feet represents at least an 800-year flood event, and theres no levee designed to prevent an 800-year flood, he said at a news conference.More than 100,000 residents in Fort Bend  roughly 20 percent of the countys population  were under voluntary and mandatory evacuations, he said.By early Monday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Harveys center was 40 miles east-northeast of Port OConnor and drifting erratically east-southeast toward the mid-Texas coast at 3 mph. On Tuesday, it is expected to gradually turn northeast toward the shore of the middle and upper Texas coasts.In Houston, the police chief urged residents to be patient, saying it was still extremely difficult to reach those who were stranded in flooded homes.You know, the dams are about to open and thats not music to my ears, I can tell you that much, Acevedo said on a livestream video late Sunday as he cruised the citys southwest freeway in the dark amid torrential rain.Its amazing, he said. They said it was going to be a five-day event, and Im telling you, Harveys going to make us sweat every single day. Just continue to pray for our city and the people that were serving and the men and women that are trying to save them.Meanwhile, the National Weather Service warned the flood threat is spreading east into neighboring Louisiana, bringing up to 25 inches of rain in the southwest part of the state.President Donald Trump declared emergency conditions in Louisiana on Monday after Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter requesting an emergency disaster declaration for the state. Trump is planning to visit flooded areas of Texas on Tuesday.Just a few inches of rain could cause serious problems in New Orleans, which is still recovering from flooding after thunderstorms this month overwhelmed the citys drainage system.Hundreds of people who were stranded at Houstons Hobby Airport arrived in Dallas late Sunday on specially approved rescue flights.David Best, 60, of Cedar Hill outside Dallas, got stuck after a weeklong vacation with friends in Belize. He slept on the floor, ate rationed burritos from the only restaurant open  Pappasitos  and hoped for relief.I felt sorry for the airport employees who were there and got trapped, he said after his Southwest flight arrived at Dallas Love Field. It doesnt look like its going to be over for some time. Theyre talking about that storm coming right up through the center of Houston again.(Times staff writers Pearce and Hennessy-Fiske reported from Houston and special correspondent Jarvie from Atlanta. Times graphics and data visualization journalist Paul Duginski in Los Angeles contributed to this report.)2017 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Calif. Bill Threatens Religious Liberty

Contact: Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, 212-371-3191, pr@catholicleague.org

NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2017 /Christian Newswire/ -- Catholic League president Bill Donohue (photo) today sent the following letter to all members of the California State Senate:

Dear Senator:

I write to express the Catholic League's opposition to Assembly Bill 569.

Under the guise of "anti-discrimination," this bill is a blatant assault on religious freedom. It would bar religious organizations from establishing faith-based codes of conduct for their employees. So, for example, a Catholic school could not require that its teachers adhere to public and workplace rules of conduct that would model the principles of the Catholic faith to Catholic schoolchildren.

This bill specifically targets codes of conduct involving employees' "reproductive health care decisions." That, and its full-throated endorsement by groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice California, make clear the bill's true intent: to undermine Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life, by forcing the Church to employ people who publicly reject that teaching. It is a thinly disguised attempt to impose radical pro-abortion policies on religious organizations.

I urge you to defend religious liberty by voting against AB 569.

Sincerely,

William A. Donohue, Ph.D.

President
(TNS) - More than 30,000 people across the Gulf Coast are likely to seek temporary shelter as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to drench southeastern Texas and Louisiana with heavy rains and surging floodwaters.Were not at recovery yet, FEMA Administrator William Brock Long said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday, noting that the storm was a landmark event that had affected as many as 50 Texas counties, and that more than 450,000 people could end up seeking disaster assistance. This shelter mission is going to be a very heavy lift.As the rain kept pouring, as many as 13 million people, from Houston to New Orleans, were under flood watches and warnings.Its the hurricane that wont die, said William Patzert, an oceanographer at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The trap is close enough to the Gulf that it keeps siphoning off energy and moisture from the very, very warm waters of the Gulf. Until the large-scale pattern changes, it will continue to soak Texas.The National Weather Service said Monday that parts of Harris County, which includes Houston, had seen 30 inches of rain. An additional 15 to 25 inches are expected across the upper Texas coast, with isolated storm totals as high as 50 inches.We need to get people to shelters and make sure they are good and have what they need, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said at a Monday press briefing, noting the Red Cross has had trouble getting supplies to their shelters.Already flooded, Houston, the nations fourth-largest city, braced for yet more water as the Army Corps of Engineers opened two swollen flood-control reservoirs early Monday. The Corps said it needed to undertake a controlled release of water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs to limit the scope of the disaster.Even with the controlled release, the reservoirs were rising at a rate of 4 inches an hour, said Edmund Russo, deputy district engineer for Programs and Project Management for the Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District.Hurricane Harvey has effectively turned South and Central Texas into a lake the size of Michigan, Brad Kieserman, vice president of disaster operations and logistics for the Red Cross, told NPR. This is as catastrophic as you could possibly imagine from a Category 4 storm.Harvey was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak. It has since been downgraded to a tropical storm. But the hurricane scale is based on wind speed, not volume of water, and Harvey has continued to funnel tremendous amounts of moisture into Texas.As homes across the metro region filled with waist-deep water, rescuers scoured flooded inner city streets and subdivisions in kayaks, fishing boats and inflatable rafts, plucking families to safety.At a Sunday evening news conference, Mayor Sylvester Turner said that 911 operators had received 56,000 calls since 10 p.m. Saturday. Police and fire departments had received nearly 6,000 calls for rescues and rescued more than 1,000 people.With forecasters predicting that the Brazos River, which runs southwest of Houston, would crest at 59 feet  topping its historical record of 54.7 feet local city and county officials on Sunday urged residents in low-lying areas to leave their homes to find safer ground.Evacuate immediately, the city of Rosenberg urged residents on Twitter.On Sunday night, Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert issued mandatory evacuations orders for more districts.Fifty-nine feet represents at least an 800 year flood event and theres no levee designed to prevent an 800 year flood, he said at a news conference.More than 100,000 residents in Fort Bend  roughly 20 percent of the countys population  were under voluntary and mandatory evacuations, he said.By early Monday, Harveys center was 25 miles northeast of Port OConnor and moving slowly southeast towards the mid-Texas coast at 3 mph. On Tuesday, it is expected to turn and move slowly northeast.In Houston, Police Chief Art Acevedo urged residents to be patient, saying it was still extremely difficult to reach those who were stranded in flooded homes.You know, the dams are about to open and thats not music to my ears, I can tell you that much, Acevedo said on a livestream video late Sunday as he cruised the citys southwest freeway in the dark amid torrential rain.Its amazing, he said. They said it was going to be a five-day event, and Im telling you, Harveys going to make us sweat every single day. Just continue to pray for our city and the people that were serving and the men and women that are trying to save them.Meanwhile, the National Weather Service warned the flood threat is spreading east into neighboring Louisiana, bringing up to 25 inches of rain in the southwest part of the state.President Donald Trump declared emergency conditions in Louisiana on Monday after Gov. John Bel Edwards sent a letter requesting an emergency disaster declaration for the state. Trump is planning to visit flooded areas of Texas on Tuesday.Just a few inches of rain could cause serious problems in New Orleans, which is still recovering from flooding after thunderstorms earlier this month overwhelmed the citys drainage systemHundreds of people who were stranded at Houstons Hobby Airport arrived in Dallas late Sunday on specially approved rescue flights.David Best, 60, of Cedar Hill outside Dallas, got stuck after a week-long vacation with friends in Belize. He slept on the floor, ate rationed burritos from the only restaurant open  Pappasitos  and hoped for relief.I felt sorry for the airport employees who were there and got trapped, he said after his Southwest flight arrived at Dallass Love Field. It doesnt look like its going to be over for some time. Theyre talking about that storm coming right up through the center of Houston again.2017 Los Angeles TimesVisit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) - Bobby Lopez first tried calling 911 at about 3 a.m. Sunday.The floodwaters that had gushed into his parents Houston garage were rising. The table where his mother, a partially blind and diabetic 60-year-old, sat with Lopezs father and their 3-year-old grandchild would soon be engulfed.Hed tried driving to them in his truck, but the roads were impassable.Lopez said he tried calling again, and each time, he was told that dozens of people were ahead in line for help. His parents, too, had dialed 911.So Lopez did what countless others have done in the wake of a storm that has devastated a region and overwhelmed emergency dispatchers: He took to social media in hopes that someone  anyone  would see the plea and come to his familys rescue.My mom is stuck in Songwood! he tweeted, tagging, among others, an unofficial Houston Fire Department rescue account and the Houston Police Department. Mom elderly and disabled and have my nephew.As Harvey ripped through the Houston area Saturday night into Sunday, leaving much of the nations fourth-most populous city under feet of water, scores of residents who had been told to shelter in place were left stranded.Thats when frantic tweets, Facebook messages and videos with captions imploring readers to pass them along began to flood the internet in a kind of improvised emergency dispatch system.The flooding comes as public agencies around the state grapple with tight budgets and overworked staff. In Dallas, high-profile problems with the citys 911 dispatch system have eroded trust.Officials like Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez spent the day retweeting messages with the locations of a cancer patient and a pregnant woman in need of transport.In Dickinson, a photo of nursing home residents waist-deep in murky water was retweeted 207 times. Not much later, 15 seniors were evacuated from the home, according to the Galveston County Daily News.Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, whose office oversees emergency management, said emergency response agencies have a growing array of tools to help them harness social media during a major event.We can use word cloud technology to follow whats happening, he said. A few years ago, we were testing a Salvation Army system [to track tornado damage] and they knew it before the weather stations did.If residents lose power, they may not have access to the news, but their phones may have battery and cell service.Of course, Jenkins said, theres always the potential for rumors to find extra life online.But, ultimately, I think its a net positive on helping people.Still, the catastrophic flooding in Houston may test social medias limits as a way of pinpointing those in most need.By midday Sunday, the Houston Police Department had put out its own message on various social media channels: Stop using those channels to make formal rescue requests. And dont call 911 asking about flooded roads or power outages.Lt. Craig Cummings, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety stationed at the Houston emergency center, said that early on, emergency dispatchers tried to keep track of the requests for help.For a while, we were doing our best, he said. We just couldnt do it all.Instead, he said, the alphabet soup of agencies responding to emergencies were asking residents to call 911 and just wait.We have several hundred calls backed up  they think theyre not going to get answered, he said. If someone has an emergency, they need to call 911 and just know that ... it may take a while to get an answer, but the call takers are working through those calls.For Lopez, a lifelong Houston resident, Wait your turn, wasnt good enough when his parents safety was on the line.They took care of you; youre supposed to take care of them, he said.Eventually, a neighbor with a boat ferried the family to safety.Lopezs brother then contacted another kid who was online offering people rides to relatives homes  a kid who Lopez described as a damn angel.With his parents, brother, nephew now asleep at his house near Lake Houston, the father of three said he hopes to help out however he can. If he comes across any pleas for help online, he said, hell be sure to retweet.Staff writer Eline de Bruijn contributed to this report.2017 The Dallas Morning NewsVisit The Dallas Morning News at www.dallasnews.comDistributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
(TNS) -- By all accounts, Visa Inc. seems to be a well-running machine.The San Francisco financial giant far outpaces Mastercard, its largest competitor, in everything from payments volume to total transactions and cards issued. Last year, Visa generated $15.1 billion in revenue, a 9 percent jump from 2015.But as ubiquitous as Visa cards have become, the company is preparing for a future without them.Visa has been giving a lot of thought to what it calls a cashless future. But in truth, it sounds a lot like a cardless future.For example, Visa recently unveiled a new technology that allows people to pay for goods and services by scanning a QR code on a mobile device. Visa is eyeing the technology for developing countries like India that lack the infrastructure to process card transactions.But given the growing ubiquity of smartphones in the United States, it wouldnt be hard to picture a time when we wont even have to carry plastic cards because all payments will be done mobile device to mobile device.Were already seeing that happen with the gig economy. Thanks to companies like Uber and Lyft, people pay for rides and even tip drivers just by tapping a button on smartphones. No cash. No cards.I recently spoke with Sam Shrauger, head of digital products at Visa, at the companys new innovation center in San Franciscos Financial District. Before joining Visa, Shrauger worked briefly at Yahoo and for eight years at PayPal. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.A: When we originally started Visa in 1958, the technology was essentially running a card through and then sending in paper drafts. When landline connectivity became reasonably inexpensive in the early 1970s, we actually started the process of digitizing cash: Present a card in a store, send some data over to us as a payment network and then we would return the approval from the bank that you were good for the transaction.Since then, cards have become more and more pervasive, whether theyre debit cards, credit cards  people have become very used to not having to walk around with cash. You add on top of that the sort of pervasive growth in all of these connected devices like computers, mobile devices and tablets. Now refrigerators and cars that are connected to the Internet are going to become points from which you could initiate a transaction.A: Theres an evolution certainly toward more and more card-free forms of payment. Even if you look at the growth rate of e-commerce, its all card-based but not with actual cards, and thats growing much faster than the rate of retail where people maybe actually swiping or dipping a card.What the time horizon is for a cardless future I dont know, but ultimately we are going to be in a position where you dont need a physical element to carry around with you to provide the information you need to pay. That information is stored on a mobile phone or a wearable device, or some combination of all of those things. Its going to take time just because people are very used to cards. But thats going to change pretty dramatically.Uber is an entirely cashless business in that I can pay the driver without a card.A: At the end of the day, theres a lot of efficiency to be gained by electronifying payments, and thats what we do. The gig economy has been a very good catalyst for a new category of transactions that, you know, nobody had really thought about 10 years ago, but theyre upon us now.A: Depending on geography, there are different behaviors around cash. In the United States, the cash in circulation and cash as a percentage of gross domestic product has actually been going up. But there are other countries where the opposite has happened. If you look at some of the Nordic countries, theyve driven cash down to 2.5 or 3 percent of the economy.Those governments actually took very proactive measures to drive toward a cashless society. A lot of other countries have looked at India and said, We should start thinking about our futures as well. They really want to migrate away from cash. Ultimately, going cashless generates economic efficiency both for the merchants themselves, as well as ease and simplicity for consumers.
How does it work?

Against the law

(TNS) -- Every gun tells a story.Its a popular catchphrase used by law enforcement to describe how to trace a firearm, from manufacturer to distributor to point of sale to customer.But a new crop of guns bear no markings of their origin.They are hand-built in homes and shared workshops, using mail-order parts and drilling machines that range from the rudimentary to the complex. They dont bear the serial numbers of licensed manufacturers. They are untraceable, hence their nickname: ghost guns.In just the past few years, the advancement and availability of milling and 3-D printing technology has made it easier than ever to build your own guns.While not illegal on the face of it, authorities have grown increasingly concerned about the potential for a growing black market that sidesteps state and federal gun laws regulating everything from background checks to banned weapons.The build-your-own-gun movement took off a few years ago in California, home to some of the strictest gun laws in the nation, and has more recently been spreading to other part of the country, said Paul Ware, counsel for the Los Angeles division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The division spans Southern California, from the Mexico border north to San Luis Obispo.Ware first heard of the practice a few years ago when an investigator forwarded him a clip from San Diegos 10 News. A local business was inviting people to make their own AR-15-type weapons around Christmastime. While state law prohibits the sale of the completed rifles, it is not illegal to posses them in specific configurations. A new state law also requires AR-15 owners to register their weapons.I watched the video and said Thats interesting, Ware said. He researched further and determined the business didnt have a firearms manufacturing license, which is needed to make guns for sale legally.They are no longer in business, he said. We told them they needed a license, and they decided not to get a license.By law, licensed gun manufacturers are required to engrave identifying information on the weapons lower receiver. Its the hollow metal frame that by legal definition makes a gun a gun. The manufacturer name and unique serial number are marked on the piece, and the guns path to a distributor is recorded in its company records.The distributor and gun dealer must also record their possession of the weapon, ending with to whom the gun is ultimately sold.ATF is prohibited by law from keeping a national register of firearms, so when a gun pops up at a crime scene, it is this process of checking through private corporate records that traces the gun to potential suspects.When a ghost gun shows up at a crime scene, that presents a problem.The most important component to building an untraceable gun is the lower receiver. The easiest way to get one without the markings of a licensed manufacturer is to buy an unfinished lower receiver online.Called ULR for short, the unfinished piece can be sold legally without a license as long as it is missing key components that make it a firearm. The gun industry has attached a threshold to this, typically describing an unfinished lower receiver as 80 percent done. But ATF says that there is no 80 percent rule  it either is a gun or isnt a gun, Ware said.Once at home, the buyer can easily drill a few remaining holes in the unfinished metal shell. The now-finished lower receiver is then ready for its other parts  such as barrel, trigger mechanism, upper receiver and stock  all readily available online. Assemble it and youve got a working gun.Lower receivers can also be milled from scratch at shared workshops that rent expensive machinery to the public.It is not illegal to make or own these kinds of guns, and gun enthusiasts make up much of the fanbase for this do-it-yourself method.Its not as nefarious as it sounds, said Steve Herrick, owner of MakerPlace in Morena, a workshop that rents everything from metalworking tools to 3-D printers to industrial sewing machines.He said customers bring in their own computer software for the Computer Numeric Control, or CNC, machines, where they can make anything from a Barbie to a lower receiver.The work required is not that hard. You dont have to be a skilled craftsman to do those things, he said.He added: We try not to stick our nose in our customers business.The one rule he asks gunmakers to follow is to not ever assemble the firearm at the workshop. They can make individual parts, most of which are not recognizable, Herrick said.The guns are a far cry from the first models that were milled this way, Ware said.People laughed off the first versions of 3-D guns, they were terrible, he said. They shot a few rounds, blew up in your hand. Its not that anymore. They are nearly as good as ones you can buy.What is illegal is to make these kinds of guns for sale, or to sell as a middleman. And a felon is prohibited from owning any kind of gun.A black market for these untraceable guns  from Glock pistols to fully-automatic machine guns  has emerged, selling to customers without background checks.Prohibited people have easy access to these guns, Ware said. They can make them themselves or buy from someone who makes it for them. It subverts the whole Gun Control Act. Most people think its hard to get a gun without a background check. Its not.It was easy for Rolando Magana.Prior convictions for domestic violence and making threats using a gun made him ineligible to own a firearm. So he went to ROHG Industries.They were inviting the public to come in, you pick the parts you want, like a smorgasbord, a buffet, Ware said. They put it into the CNC machines and ask the customer to press the button. Believe it or not, they could manufacture and fully assemble a gun, in an hour, you walk out with a rifle.The La Habra business kept records of its sales and photos of customers, but did not perform background checks, authorities allege. When the warehouse was searched in 2014, agents culled through about 520 customer profiles and learned 20 were convicted felons and another person was deemed mentally unfit to possess a gun, according to court documents.One of those customers, Magana, admitted that hed bought guns and gun parts from the business and trafficked them in carloads to Michoacan, Mexico, according to the criminal complaint. A search of his house turned up an arsenal of guns marked with serial numbers, as well as unfinished lower receivers and plastic human restraints.The warehouse owner, Joseph Roh, is set to go to trial in October in Orange County on a charge of manufacturing guns without a license.Paul Joseph Holdy, a convicted felon with a history of drug offenses, was running a less sophisticated operation in San Diego.Using drill presses and small CNC machine at his University City home, as well as the fancier machines at MakerPlace, Holdy made lower receivers and then assembled guns using component parts. He sold at least 18 guns to undercover ATF agents from June 2016 to May 2017, including short-barrel machine guns, assault rifles and handguns, according to his plea agreement and other court records.The deals were often made in parking lots, and a few times the agents were invited to the house that he shared with his parents, according to court records.Another local ring ran out of North County. A young mechanic, Christian Romero, was accused of making assault-style weapons from unfinished lower receivers and then selling the assembled weapons with help from friends for more than $1,000 each.While federal authorities went after these operations criminally, ATFs Ware said the agency tries to first educate those in the industry about what is and isnt allowed. Most comply, he said.ATF does not specifically track cases involving unfinished lower receivers, therefore it is unknown how frequently such guns are showing up at crime scenes or are seized. Local law enforcement are more likely to come across such weapons, Ware said.San Diego police said officers rarely come across such guns.An AR-15-style rifle pieced together from various parts was used in the 2013 rampage shooting in Santa Monica. John Zawahri, 23, killed five people, starting at his fathers home and ending at Santa Monica College. Police shot him in the schools library. Zawahri was also carrying a .44-caliber pistol.The rifle appeared to have been modified to fire more rounds.
(TNS)-- NISKAYUNA, N.Y.  General Electric researchers are testing a new system designed to enable electric power plants to self-react to computer hacks that get past traditional cybersecurity barriers.The idea was inspired by the way the human immune system identifies and fights harmful micro-organisms.Were trying to create the worlds first industrial immune system, said Justin John, the controls engineer leading a team of GE Global Research and GE Power researchers on the project.Its not an academic exercise for a hypothetical future situation: Federal officials last month warned that hackers had penetrated the computer systems of companies that operate nuclear power plants and other energy facilities in the United States, The New York Times reported In cyberwarfare, the power grid would be a tempting target.Digital Ghost, as the new GE security system is called, uses the massive library of performance data GE has accumulated for its turbines, generators and controls to instantly detect changes that might be the result of hacking.John, who works at Global Research but has experience setting up new power plants, said the idea for Digital Ghost grew from a conversation he had with two GE Power engineers after the head of the National Security Agency told an industrial controls system conference last year that the nations critical infrastructure is under attack.But the real watershed moment came several years earlier, when a computer program  now called Stuxnet  was unleashed as a cyberattack on the Iranian nuclear program, causing its key centrifuge equipment to start breaking down.Here was a facility, John said, that was utterly off the grid, and hackers were able to infect it with programming changes so subtle that its own engineers wouldnt notice them.These attackers knew how to fake feedback from the system, he said. It was a whole other level of complexity nobody thought was possible.Stuxnet, widely believed to be the brainchild of the U.S. and Israeli governments, provided hackers worldwide with a blueprint for similar attacks.A cyberattack on the power grid resulting in an immediate shutdown would be bad enough, but it would be recognizable for what it was. A subtle hack over the course of months or years  pushing components back and forth over their operational limits until they started failing, as was the case with the Iranian centrifuges  might be much harder to identify and much more expensive and time-consuming to fix.The U.S. Department of Energy is providing about $3 million of the roughly $4.1 million budget for the Digital Ghost project, according to GE Global Research spokesman Todd Alhart.At GEs Niskayuna campus, Digital Ghost is undergoing internal testing using customer data now, and discussions are underway with customers to begin field testing later this year.Development of Digital Ghost is focused on power generation and control systems because thats where Johns 12-person team has its expertise. But when complete, it will be adaptable for other GE products, such as locomotives or jet engines or any big industrial asset with a control system, he said. Eventually, it will be adaptable to other manufacturers products.A modern electric power plant has multiple and redundant sensors for every component and every aspect of its performance  as many as 1,000 in total  and none of them are used for cybersecurity.So Johns team is taking GEs rapidly growing army of Digital Twins  computer models of its products and their performance characteristics  to create algorithms that measure the output of those power plant sensors and tell Digital Ghost if something is wrong  and how to correct it.Digital Ghost has three stages: Detect the problem, locate it and neutralize it. And it will be autonomous, making the corrections without human activation, because it must be: The newest gas turbines adjust every 40 milliseconds, or 1,500 times a minute, which is far beyond the speed at which humans can react.The issue is pressing enough that John expects GE to roll out Digital Ghost in two phases: Able to detect and locate problems in 2018, and able to neutralize problems in 2019.It will be a new layer in a multilayered cybersecurity system, rather than a replacement for other layers, John said. GE has and will continue a vigorous defense against hacking of its industrial control systems; Digital Ghost aims at the viruses that get through.It's sort of like the human immune system.John himself has no cybersecurity expertise, and the other members of the team are experts in control systems, machine learning and optimization, not computer security.We are not currently working on finding a virus; we are trying to find the effect of it, he explained. We actually simulated hundreds of different attacks. We mapped out what normal looks like.There has not been a Stuxnet-type attack on a GE power system, John said, but GE products provide power all over the world, including 50 percent of total U.S. electric consumption. So a cyberattack on a power grid might well involve GE components.
Force India is not ruling out imposing race bans on its drivers.

At Spa, weeks of tension between Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon spilled over as the pair collided twice during the Belgian grand prix.

"We have to look back to Baku where he put me in the wall," said Perez.

"I'm not saying I did it because of that, but tension started back then."

Frenchman Ocon was furious.

"He's about to have a child but does he want to die?" he asked.

In a statement, team owner Vijay Mallya reacted by saying a standing 'team order' would now be applied, forbidding the pair from racing one another.

But sporting director Otmar Szafnauer takes it a step further, threatening the duo with race bans if the series of collisions does not stop.

"If it happens again, we would have to think about who we will put in the car instead," he said.

(GMM)
This domain was recently registered at Namecheap.com. Please check back later!
Under the agreement, Magnis will supply raw materials to the TerraE Gigafactories. TerraE plans to build 34GWh of production capacity across two locations in Germany. First stage production is expected to commence in late 2019.

Magnis Resources Limited, part of a consortium aspiring to build a Li-ion gigafactory in Australia ( earlier post ), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with German Lithium-ion battery consortium TerraE-Holding GmbH (TerraE) for the supply of raw materials. TerraE-Holding GmbH has organized 17 major companies and research institutions into a consortium to handle planning for building large-scale lithium ion battery cell manufacturing in Germany. ( Earlier post .)

Magnis says that the agreement further strengthens its position in the rapidly growing Lithium-ion battery market, building on its involvement in Gigafactories in Townsville and New York.

We are excited to involve Magnis with our project. It is important for TerraE to secure material supply long-term with strategic partners. CEO of TerraE Holger Gritzka

Magnis is quickly becoming a major player in the Lithium- ion battery revolution that is in its early stages. Our technology is being recognized by major players in this space and todays announcement is further confirmation of this. With involvement and ownership in future production currently at 64GWh and quickly growing our aim is to be one of the leading players in the industry. Chairman of Magnis Frank Poullas

TerraE was recently established with the target to setup mass production of Lithium-ion battery cells of 34 GWh in Germany. TerraE leads a project made up of 18 German companies and research institutes, which is planning the construction, development and fit-out of the Gigafactories during the next two years.

The consortium includes companies throughout the supply chain including infrastructure, manufacturing planners, material producers, machine engineering groups, cell manufacturers and industrial consumers.

Target markets that have been identified are power tools, electric vehicles, utility electric vehicles, energy storage systems and industrial sectors.

Magnis also provided an update on the Townsville Lithium-ion battery Gigafactory. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has publicly expressed support for the project following the submission of a scoping study that demonstrates the projects positive economic impact.

The consortium is also receiving strong support and assistance from local government and State Members of Parliament.
Toyota Motor North America is forming a new group focused on delivering industry-leading user experiences and new technologies for its Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

Leveraging the companys new One Toyota structure, the newly formed Connected Technologies group will have approximately 100 positions and will include members from Toyotas existing teams working on connected vehicles, information systems, and research and development. Combining Toyotas various strategy, planning, development, engineering and operations for connected service and hardware systems, will help advance and personalize the in-car technology experience for customers. The transition to the new group will start immediately.

Connected Technologies will be based in Plano and report to Zack Hicks. Hicks will continue in his two current roles, as both CIO of Toyota Motor North America and as the CEO of Toyota Connected North America, while adding this new responsibility.

Connected vehicle technology includes one or more connections to the Internet, such as via smartphone or satellite. There are two areas of experience that are focused on: driver-centric and car-centric. Driver-centric content, like internet-connected radio, cloud-based content, and apps, help personalize the drivers car ownership experience. The other, car-centric content, offers companies like Toyota the opportunity for remote diagnostics, over-the-air software updates, cyber-security, and vehicle relationship management. The market for connected vehicles is growing rapidly as increased Internet speeds and products become more widely available.
GREENSBORO  Bennett College has a new tool to attract top students: a full-ride scholarship.

The Illustrious Belle Award covers the full cost of attendance for top first-year students. The private womens college awarded two of these new scholarships this semester.

This new scholarship comes as Bennett looks for ways to increase enrollment and shore up its finances so it can hold onto its accreditation. In December, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges put Bennett on probation for unspecified financial issues after the college ran deficits for two prior years.

Earlier this year, President Phyllis Worthy Dawkins ordered Bennett administrators to find out why Bennett was losing prospective students to other colleges.

The big reason was money, said Gisele Abron, the colleges registrar and interim associate vice president for enrollment management. Some students interested in Bennett ended up going to another school that dangled more scholarship dollars.

We put pen to paper and started looking at what we could do to attract those high-performing students, Abron said.

Bennett already had three full scholarships, but two are limited to students from Georgia or certain South Carolina counties. Just one of these full scholarships has no geographic restriction, but Bennett can award only one each year.

So Bennett did two things: It created the Illustrious Belle Award and it increased the amounts of existing scholarships.

The Illustrious Belle Award  Bennett students are known informally as Belles  covers tuition, fees, room and board for a year and is valued at about $28,000 annually. Students must have a straight-A average in high school to apply for the award. The merit scholarship is renewable for up to four years if an Illustrious Belle Scholar maintains a 3.7 average.

Scholars also must live on campus, perform at least 10 hours of community service each semester and serve as student ambassadors during selected events during the school year.

The college also increased by several thousand dollars the amounts of its existing Presidential, Excellence and other merit scholarships.

Bennetts revamped scholarship program seems to have had a positive effect. Abron said the college is expecting about 170 new freshwomen this fall  an increase of about 30 percent over last years first-year class.

Bennetts only problem with the new scholarship, Abron said, is were not offering enough of them.

The college eventually hopes to be able to give out 10 to 15 each year, she added.
GREENSBORO  Monday was the debut for the new Hunter Elementary School building  but hardly the first time around for the schools crew.

You know youve been here awhile when youve got former students dropping off their siblings, literacy specialist Jeanna Hawkins said.

As most Guilford County students went back to school on Monday, Hunter opened its doors for the first time to show off high ceilings and sparkling floors.

The $16 million replacement came from the $457 million in school bonds approved by Guilford County voters in 2008. As of last week, more than $385 million of that has been spent or is under contract.

On Monday, students filed past brick columns outside the building into a cafeteria that still smelled like a toy fresh out of its packaging.

After breakfast, fourth- grader Zamaria Rankin took her brothers hand and led him down the hall to kindergarten. The kindergarten teacher seemed a little amazed Zamaria could be a fourth-grader already. Nonetheless, wearing her Wonder Woman T-shirt, she calmly headed off to her own classroom once the transfer was complete.

The old Hunter had an assortment of buildings  the very first dated back to 1929  so traveling between classes was more about traveling outside. Now, the whole 88,000-square-foot school is one structure.

Principal Michelle Wolverton said one of the biggest changes with the new building is improved security. Doors are hooked up to a single system rather than a multitude of different locks with different keys.

Greeting students outside the school with Superintendent Sharon Contreras, Wolverton said she was excited for students to see their new classrooms and the work her staff has done to prepare for them.

It looks like something out of Teachers R Us magazine, said Wolverton, who started asking county commissioners for a new building about a decade ago.

Teacher Amber Fitts told Zamaria and her other students that this was her first time breaking in a new classroom. Its about twice a big as her previous classroom and shes gone from teaching with an overhead projector to an LCD screen.

Workers will continue to fix odds and ends around the new school. The old Hunter has been completely demolished.

Meanwhile, for Hunters students, the work is just getting started.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Several southwestern Connecticut restaurants land among Connecticut's best, according to a new guide released by Thrillist.

The lifestyle site named the state's top restaurant in several categories ranging from ramen and sushi to Polish food and modern Italian cuisine.

"Connecticut is responsible for gifting the world a number of important foods: the hamburger, the lobster roll, and New Haven-style pizza," the site writes. "And while you'll still find excellent versions of all of these in the Nutmeg State, its dining culture has also expanded well beyond them."

The site named The Green Grunion as the best food truck in the state. The truck is based in Danbury, but often travels around to local breweries.

"Connecticut may be more than 2,000 miles from California, but you can still get a proper San Diego-style burrito here," Thrillist said. "(The Green Grunion) doles out tightly wrapped, house-made tortillas filled with ingredients like chicken, beef, chorizo, and the requisite French fries."

With area locations in Fairfield, New Haven and Norwalk, Mecha Noodle Bar ranked number one in the noodle category.

The site writes, "While you'll find ramen and plenty of other noodle varieties at this local chain, the main focus here is pho, served with both traditional ingredients (like chicken, beef, and shrimp) and not-so-traditional ones (like beef meatballs)."

Click through the slideshow above for a look at the local restaurants named among the best in Connecticut by Thrillist, and here for the full list.

If you're looking for the best barbecue the state has to offer, Hoodoo Brown BBQ in Ridgefield is the place for you, according to the list. The site said the "Texas-style barbecue joint" opened in 2015, and quickly saw lines out the door.

Cody Sperry, owner of Hoodoo Brown BBQ, said in a recent interview, "Connecticut isn't exactly a barbecue mecca, but we are definitely a unique dining experience in the area."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GREENWICH  In the space after breakfast but before sausage and peppers and kielbasa for lunch, Fred Intrieri reminisced about his long ago childhood on Harold Street in Cos Cob as the second-youngest of nine children.

My mother raised us, the 91-year-old Italian American and World War II veteran said. My father was a landscaper. The contractors would hire immigrants to work for them on big estates.

Dozens of men, most of them middle-aged or older, milled around Greenwich Points clambake pavilion Sunday morning for the 33rd Cos Cob Mianus Dug Out Old Timers Picnic. The picnic is an annual late August ritual, bringing together a group of mostly Italian American men whohave lived in Greenwichs Cos Cob section to eat, drink and recall the past.

Admission standards to the 33-year-old mens-only event have loosened considerably over the years, said Doc Orrico, an 81-year-old Cos Cob native. At the outset, it was limited to native-born Cos Cobbers over a certain age  which some event regulars believed was 40, while others insisted the minimum age was 50.

We didnt want anybody too young, said Intrieri, who co-founded the event.

But the age restriction is gone and, with many of the World War II veterans who founded the event having passed away, the event is, to a large degree, open to friends of friends, said Orrico.

Its changed and thats fine, Orrico said. Were glad to keep it going.

The picnic began in 1984 at the Montgomery Pinetum, Intrieri said, as a way to bring together a group of longtime residents mostly of Italian descent.

On top of the ample buffet, which includes a steak dinner, the event is a chance to break out the homemade wine, home-cured peppers and other homemade Italian delicacies provided by members, 88-year-old Anthony Marzullo said.

Anthony Marzullo, 88, a Korean War veteran said said the descendants of the generation Rose, Italian immigrants who arrived in the late 19th-century, remain a large presence in the Cos Cob neighborhood.

Cos Cob was totally Italian and it still remains that way, Marzullo said. Today is all about tradition and celebrating our past.

Today, Intrieri still lives near his childhood home on Intrieri Lane, a six house cul-de-sac developed by his family decades ago. Intrieri said he has resided in Cos Cob continually except for the four years he served in the U.S. Air Force from 1941 to 1945.

I was born and raised here and I know all the families, Intrieri said. It has always felt like home.
GREENWICH  Greenwich Public School teachers returned to their classrooms Monday after a gathering featuring experts urging them to take pride in their work, step out of their comfort zones and makes classrooms places of innovation and caring.

New Superintendent of Schools Jill Gildea stood before her full teaching staff for the first day at the traditional convocation ceremony.

I am just absolutely honored, pleased and thrilled to serve as your superintendent of schools and to join this amazing learning community, she told teachers in the nearly full Greenwich High School Performing Arts Center. That work that you do is known nationally, and I am really looking forward to us building on your strengths and all of the work youve done to date.

The mornings keynote speaker was Thomas Murray, director of Innovation for Future Ready Schools, a project of the Alliance for Excellent Education in Washington, D.C., and co-author of Learning Transformed. In his 90-minute presentation, evoking many laughs and even a few teary eyes, Murray urged educators to think about how they can bring their teaching to the next level.

Weve got to create innovation in our schools, he said. We absolutely have to.

Murray called Greenwich Public Schools Vision of the Graduate, a document that describes the skills and capacities of students upon leaving Greenwich High, brilliant. Still, he asked teachers to continue to update their practices to keep pace with a world that is using technology and automation to transform every industry.

You will have kids sitting in your classroom this coming year who are going to find cures to things that we never could, he said. Theyre going to solve problems that we could never figure out. That is the power you have when you teach every day.

Greenwichs 2017 Teacher of the Year Bridget Suvansri, an Eastern Middle School language arts teacher, challenged her peers to be the example for their students of how to try new things even in the face of fear.

When our students see us putting ourselves in vulnerable positions and negotiating our way through them, like through a new approach or a new project, they rise up and are more likely to take risks, too, she said.

Carol Sutton, president of the Greenwich Education Association, the teachers union, told educators never to let their important work be undervalued or treated dismissively.

You shape the minds and spirits of children and in so doing create the future, our future, their future, she said. What we do is not easy, but it is always good. Good for students, good for our families, good for our town, our state, our nation and good for our interconnected world.

Student Body President Greg Goldstein, a Greenwich High School senior, opened convocation by thanking teachers  students other family  for the hard work they do each day.

I want to take this opportunity on behalf of every student in the district to let you know how much we appreciate all that youve done for us, he said. Thank you for showing up every day filled with enthusiasm, encouragement and wisdom. Thank you for helping us reach just a little further than we thought we could. But most of all, thank you for sharing a little piece of yourself to help mold us into the best people we can be.

All eight of Greenwichs Board of Education members attended the ceremony, as well as members of the PTA Council, Board of Estimate and Taxation, Representative Town Meeting and Board of Selectmen.

emunson@greenwichtime.com; Twitter: @emiliemunson
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A Westchester County real estate executive who killed his wife and daughter, a Greenwich private-school student, was involved in legal troubles at the time of the killings.

We are aware of the financial issue, New York State Trooper A.J. Hicks said Monday. The investigation is ongoing.

Steven Dym, 56, murdered his wife, Loretta, 50, and daughter Caroline, 18, with a 12-gauge shotgun at their residence in Pound Ridge, N.Y., Friday. He then killed himself.

As mourners prepare to eulogize the Dym family at a funeral on Wednesday in Bedford, N.Y., authorities are piecing together the factors that may have been behind the shooting rampage.

Trooper Hicks said there had been no recent incidents involving law enforcement at the Dyms spacious suburban home.

Financial issues are being explored, including a lawsuit charging Steven Dym with misappropriation of funds. Dym ran a real management company with a number of clients in New York City.

More News Sacred Heart Greenwich student dies in murder suicide

According to a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court, Dym took part in an unauthorized transaction while representing Alto Property. The lawsuit contends he withdrew $22,000 from an account to which he had access. The money was later returned. The lawsuit sought records and book-keeping materials from Dym and his company, Gabriel Management, but he did not provide them.

The company suing Dym is still looking for answers, an attorney said Monday.

The inadvertent withdrawal was refunded to our client a few months after the lawsuit was commenced. We are doing an accounting proceeding to determine if any monies are still owed to our clients by Gabriel Management and or Mr. Dym, said the attorney representing Alto Property, Richard Walsh.

The Dym home was put up for sale and listed at $1.7 million. The family residence for three generations, it measures 4,661 square feet and has a pool in the backyard, according to real-estate listings.

A local Realtor, Chris Shaffer, told the New York Post that Steven Dym acted very weird when he asked where he was moving to. Not only did he not know where he was going, but he didnt even know if he was going, Shaffer told the Post.

New York State Police said Steven Dym killed his wife and daughter with a single shot-gun blast each to the torso. He then fired a blast at his head, according to police.

Loretta Dym, who worked for a company that provides lodgings for business travelers, was on the board at the Rockrimmon Country Club in Stamford.

Caroline Dym excelled in science at Sacred Heart Greenwich, where she was due to enter her senior year. Her brother, William, a Brunswick School graduate, attends the University of Southern California.

Its heart breaking, said Pound Ridge Police Chief David Ryan. Imagine the trauma for the family.

According to the Journal News of Westchester, police were called to the residence in 1992. Steven Dyms mother, Paula, attacked her husband, Lawrence Dym, with a hatchet handle inside the home. The newspaper said the mother was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation. She died in 1994, and the case was sealed.

The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick's Church in Bedford.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
The smokehouses famous blue-and-white exterior. Photo: Google Maps

Like salt in poor Texans storm-battered wounds, Franklin Barbecue, the Austin brisket joint where the waits so long (seven hours, at times) that not even Kanye West is permitted to cut in line, caught fire early Saturday morning. The restaurant says nobody was injured, but the damage was unfortunately extensive.

BREAKING: @FranklinBbq goes up in flames this morning. Fire crews are worling to put it out. pic.twitter.com/khsbIVMYwG  Tania Ortega (@thetaniaortega) August 26, 2017

UPDATE FRANKLIN BBQ FIRE: this is the first video shot, we were on scene before fire crews at @FranklinBbq fire. Fire is out, no injuries. pic.twitter.com/40IVjRRNgs  Tania Ortega (@thetaniaortega) August 26, 2017

Franklin BBQ final, cause accidental, wind blown ember from fire pit ignited combustible surroundings. $200k structure $150 content damage.  Austin Fire Info (@AustinFireInfo) August 26, 2017

The restaurant isnt sure when its doors will reopen:

A fire in our smokehouse this morning has forced us to close. We are not sure when we will reopen but everyone is safe here.  Franklin Barbecue (@franklinbbq) August 26, 2017

Owner and James Beard Awardwinning pit master Aaron Franklin told the Washington Post that Tropical Storm Harvey was at least partly to blame. Wind just kind of swept through the smokehouse a lot more than were used to and carried an ember from a cooker and caught a wall on fire, he said. It went up real quick.

Big flames arent exactly unusual for them, so Franklin says the news didnt cause an instant freak-out. But he says it quickly became clear they were in trouble once he arrived at the scene. Austin 360 reports the smokehouse in back got almost completely destroyed, though by sheer luck, the pits themselves were unharmed, and the dining area in front is untouched and perfect. Portions of the roof collapsed, and the walk-in coolers are in bad shape. Franklin says with the amount of fire they create every day, it was inevitable something would eventually go wrong, but the upside is, theres not as much property loss as most restaurants would have.

He told Austin 360 theyll probably have to rebuild the entire smokehouse from the frame up, and estimated they might be able to reopen in a few weeks. The rain coming down right now is no help  they cant fully assess the damages yet  but he adds, If there was a part to the building thats easiest to rebuild, that was the one, so its not the end of the world.
Flood victims receiving food. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

In the wake of Houstons catastrophic flooding, emergency responders have asked people to donate their boats to help in rescue missions, and photos show a city whose freeways have been turned to rivers. Tropical Storm Harvey dumped an enormous amount of rain on the city, and more is expected to come, as forecasts say the city could see 50 inches of rainfall before this is all over. That expected accumulation, The New Yorker points out, would be equal to the citys annual rainfall.

According to CNN, early reports say at least 5,500 people are in Houston shelters and another 1,000 are in shelters in neighboring Friendswood. More than 104,000 people are reportedly without electricity, as well. The continued rainfall means those numbers will climb, with more than 30,000 people in Houston and across the Gulf Coast expected to head to temporary shelters. Those people will need food.

Second Servings of Houston, a food rescue organization that picks up excess prepared food and delivers it to nonprofit hunger-relief operations, is one local organization primed to help feed those displaced people. On Friday, according to founder Barbara Bronstein, the agency delivered over a ton of food to shelters and soup kitchens in advance of the storm. We will be rescuing food for the emergency shelters, where food supplies are in big demand due to the huge amount of displaced people, she writes in an email to Grub Street.

Bronstein says Second Servings will be back in business as soon as the roads are passable, and that its accepting donations to help fuel its refrigerated truck, as well as renting additional vehicles so they can deliver as much food as possible in the coming weeks.

Restaurants and other local businesses will inevitably step in, too, as helping becomes viable. A representative for Underbelly, one of the citys better-known restaurants, says theyre determining the best way to help, and currently, cooking for their neighborhood firehouse, but there may be more plans coming. Gourmet-market mini-chain Phoenicia Specialty Foods donated prepared foods and other items to the George R. Brown Convention Center, which Houston mayor Sylvester Turner has declared an emergency shelter.

Along with Second Servings, the Houston Food Bank is another local hunger-relief organization accepting donations. The city also has a branch of Rise Against Hunger, an international nonprofit that, among other things, responds to environmental disasters like Harvey. For those who would like to immediately help the citys homeless population, the Coalition for the Homeless suggests donating to partners of the Way Home.
abcV. Photo: Jemma Hinkly

With its roster of soul-cleansing juices; its breakfast muffins with uplifting names like Morning Glory; and its clean, white, vaguely medicinal decor, Jean-Georges Vongerichtens much-praised new veggie palace abcV looks like its been almost willfully designed by the great chef to set off alarm bells deep in the heart of even the most modest carnivore. Nearly everything in the open, light-filled space (tables, chairs, wall decorations) is brushed with the kind of pale, soothing colors that you might see in the cafeteria of a first-class rehab facility. The menus are filled with all sorts of ominous-sounding items (steamed broccoli, lettuce cups, restorative tonics containing ashwagandha, whatever that is), and the friendly wait staff tend to exude the kind of toothy, wide-eyed well-being that you see among the ranks of what the late great carnivore Josh Ozersky used to refer to suspiciously as the Veggie Army.

But never fear, carnivores. The ranks of the Veggie Army have grown in stature and confidence since Ozerskys time, and Jean-Georges, who spent the early part of his career creating culinary fads (molten-chocolate cake, anyone?), is in the business, these days, of perfecting them. His abcV is not a vegan restaurant (although there are many vegan options on the menu), but if you feel like a helping of gluten-free pancakes in the morning, it has an excellent version with almonds, topped with a puff of banana whipped cream. If you wish to sample state-of-the-art cold pressed juices, it has those, too (try the Root Renewal, spiked with turmeric and ginger, among many other edifying things), along with a decent Martini touched with raw coconut water, and a clean, Jean-Georges-approved version of avocado toast sliced over fresh-baked polenta bread and touched with cumin and lime.

The tomato sandwich at this department-store cafe costs $16, its true, but the heirloom tomatoes are foraged from the famous Greenmarket down the street. The bread is thick slices of sourdough, layered with basil leaves and a faintly spicy tomato-and-olive tapenade that you can complement with dabs of the fine housemade chile sauce, which is set on the table in a tasteful little silver pot. The wontons in the wonton soup I ordered one evening for dinner (now replaced, briefly for tomato season, with a cold tomato-and-miso-tinged soba dish) were stuffed with a mash of savory, vaguely beefy-tasting morel mushrooms, and if Middle Eastern cooking is your particular addiction, you can put together a wholesome feast of labneh (made with shallots and fava beans), hummus (green chickpeas), and pureed pine nuts (speckled with harissa and bits of dried apricot) for roughly what it costs to buy a cut of beef in midtown.

Green-chickpea hummus with Thai basil, pita, and crudites. Photo: Liz Clayman

abcV dosa. Photo: Liz Clayman

If you grow weary of inventive twirls of spinach-spiked spaghetti (dusted with saffron crumbs) or perfectly steamed spears of broccoli (next to creamy beds of farmer cheese), then go at breakfast, which begins at 8 a.m. sharp and features the kind of elegant morning delicacies that even a bilious, meat-deprived restaurant critic can love. You can get your farm eggs perfectly poached (with a medley of buttery wild mushrooms) or scrambled (with dill and a folding of Rupert cheese), or over easy and nestled (with a seasoning of zaatar and some sauteed Swiss chard) in a great flap of dosa. The much-Instagrammed abcV dosa isnt quite as crispy-fresh as the classic southern-Indian variety, it turns out, but its a decent vehicle for soft slices of avocado, or maple syrup mingled with gouts of melted butter, and it works just fine as a toast substitute to mop up the yolk.

While perfecting these refined dosas, juices, and sprout recipes, Jean-Georges and his industrious kitchen technicians have also found time to roll out a more familiar kind of meat-and-potatoes operation, called Public Kitchen, on the ground floor of Ian Schragers new Public hotel on the Lower East Side. The chef is no stranger to hotel restaurants (its his tenth), and this one seems to be designed as a kind of downtown bookend to his popular Continentally themed restaurant at the Mark hotel uptown. Instead of Grand Marnier souffles and caviar-topped eggs, however, the specialties here are posh reimaginings of local-terroir favorites like matzo-ball soup (available at a Slow Food takeout counter up front called Louis), Chinatown pot stickers (stuffed with basil and summer corn), and even an elevated version of chopped chicken liver decked with chives and flattened bits of chicken crackling.

Many of these iconic dishes (crisp-edged latkes topped with folds of lox and sour cream, the stacked burger oozing with Russian dressing and frizzled onions, a classic tartufo served on a bed of stewed cherries) might actually be met with gasps of wonder in slightly less random surroundings. But unlike the pink-hued, resolutely Upper East Side space at the Mark, the large, modish room here feels like its landed in this most local of all New York dining neighborhoods from some generic, vacantly glitzy precinct of Vegas or L.A. The flat, toneless atmosphere takes a toll on the professionally executed cooking  and as the bouncy, downtown tunes (hello, Madonna) loop endlessly on the house soundtrack, dinner feels less like a satisfying, carefully composed meal than a grab bag of neatly executed parlor tricks.

Pomegranate Martini: Comb vodka, pomegranate, and raw coconut water. Photo: Liz Clayman

Rating: 2 stars

abcV

38 E. 19th St., nr. Broadway; 212-475-5829; abchome.com

Open: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch.

Prices: $8 to $35.

Ideal Meal: Pine nut and lemon with harissa, wonton soup (dinner), tomato sandwich (lunch), dosa with Swiss chard, egg and zaatar (breakfast).

Note: The $58 tasting option is one of the better deals in this omakase-ridden town.

Scratchpad: One star for the inventive veggie cooking and another for one of the best new breakfast menus in town.

Rating: 1 star

Public Kitchen

215 Chrystie St., nr. Stanton St.; 212-735-6000; publichotels.com

Open: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch.

Prices: Appetizers, $8 to $22; entrees, $17 to $39.

Ideal Meal: Chopped chicken liver, three-cheese pizza, lobster with corn, tartufo.

Note: If the smoked beef rib is on the menu, order it.

Scratchpad: Two stars for technique, minus a star for the grab-bag menu and generic setting.

*This article appears in the September 4, 2017, issue of New York Magazine.
The Nokia 8 was finally announced this month, following many rumors and leaks. The phone has so far gone up for pre-order in a few countries, surprisingly costing less than the officially unveiled price of 599 in a lot of places. And now there's another surprise regarding the handset: it's actually in stock already in Nokia's home country of Finland, despite the fact that its release was supposedly happening in early September.

That's probably still going to be the case for other territories, but Finland got it first. You can buy a SIM-free and unlocked unit for 579 or you can pick a contract from your favorite carrier.

The Nokia 8 is available online from Elisa, DNA, Telia, Gigantti, and Verkkokauppa. The availability is online only at the moment, with the device making its debut in brick and mortar stores on September 8 (how fitting!).

If you want to learn more about the Nokia 8, don't miss our in-depth review.

Source
As you might already know, Jolla and Sony have partnered to bring the Sailfish OS to Xperia devices. A heads up related to the progress was given last month. And now, Jolla has announced that Sailfish OS for Sony Xperia X - or Sailfish X, as it's officially called - will be available on September 27.

The company notes that some of the features aren't officially supported yet, including Bluetooth, new sensors (e.g. barometer, step counter), fingerprint, and FM-radio. It's not that these aren't included - they are there, but expect issues and beta level experience.

Installation isn't going to be easy as well (at least for this release). Jolla says a Linux PC as well as some knowledge of the command line is required to install Sailfish OS on your Xperia device.

Availability will be initially restricted to EU, Norway, and Switzerland (US & CA are still to be confirmed). Oh, and yes, the software is paid - it costs 49.90.

Source | Via
While Google is busy releasing Android 8.0 Oreo to its supported devices, Samsung keeps on outing Android 7.0 Nougat updates for its smartphones. The latest model to be graced with such a feat is the Galaxy S5 Neo, a handset released exactly two years ago. That makes this certainly the last big software update it will ever see - considering its age, but also the fact that it launched running Lollipop and was then upgraded to Marshmallow too.

The Galaxy S5 Neo was produced in two versions, one for Europe and one for Canada. It's the latter (with the model number G903W) that is currently getting a taste of Nougat. The rollout is fully under way, but as usual it might take a few days for it to reach all the units out there. Once you apply the update, your phone will be on firmware version G903WVLU1CQH4.

We're hoping that the other S5 Neo variant (with the model number G903F) won't be forgotten by Samsung either, and it will get this new software too at some point in the near future. The S5 Neo was recently spotted in a benchmark's online database running Nougat, but even so the Korean company could have chosen not to release the new version. Thankfully though it did.

Source
Job Archive July 2021 (524) June 2021 (681) May 2021 (698) April 2021 (659) March 2021 (688) February 2021 (615) January 2021 (698) December 2020 (714) November 2020 (671) October 2020 (631) September 2020 (690) August 2020 (713) July 2020 (713) June 2020 (690) May 2020 (713) April 2020 (690) March 2020 (713) February 2020 (667) January 2020 (713) December 2019 (713) November 2019 (687) October 2019 (711) September 2019 (689) August 2019 (711) July 2019 (707) June 2019 (688) May 2019 (2002) April 2019 (1978) March 2019 (2039) February 2019 (1688) January 2019 (2251) December 2018 (2095) November 2018 (1932) October 2018 (1984) September 2018 (1914) August 2018 (39) July 2018 (72) June 2018 (44) May 2018 (76) April 2018 (65) March 2018 (16) February 2018 (32) January 2018 (201) December 2017 (352) November 2017 (381) October 2017 (600) September 2017 (1211) August 2017 (1655) July 2017 (1590) June 2017 (1506) May 2017 (1902) April 2017 (1965) March 2017 (1417) February 2017 (1808) January 2017 (1807) December 2016 (1593) November 2016 (1376) October 2016 (1408) September 2016 (1317) August 2016 (1499) July 2016 (1504) June 2016 (1421) May 2016 (1391) April 2016 (1340) March 2016 (1476) February 2016 (1396) January 2016 (1474) December 2015 (1409) November 2015 (1367) October 2015 (1478) September 2015 (1441) August 2015 (1467) July 2015 (1465) June 2015 (1410) May 2015 (1057) April 2015 (1269) March 2015 (1132) February 2015 (1151) January 2015 (1152) December 2014 (1156) November 2014 (1267) October 2014 (81)
Sport

Mukesh Ambani again shows interest in buying English football club Liverpool: Report

They are understood to be willing to sell for 4 billion and that would not be an issue for Ambani, who has a net worth of around 90b, although he is likely to face huge competition.


The passage of the 14th tropical wave of the season, will continue to influence the meteorological situation in Haiti this weekend. The Directorate of Civil Protection (DPC) of the Ministry of Interior call on the population to be more cautious...




Haiti - FLASH : An American shot dead in Petion-ville





Saturday in Petion-ville, a US citizen was shot dead by unidentified individuals as he was about to enter his vehicle, police sources confirmed on Sunday.



The police said that the murder took place on Saturday evening around 8 pm in Petion-ville. A Haitian resident who was close to the scene was also shot in the attack. He receives police protection in a local hospital waiting to be interrogated. No arrest in this case has been reported so far.



The US Embassy in Haiti said it was aware of the event, but had no comment to make, because of the investigation and of US privacy rules...



A source for the forensic unit said the American whose identity was not revealed, died on the spot, in what could be a deliberate assassination.



At the scene of the crime were found handgun bullets sleeves of two different calibres 9 mm and 11,43 mm (ammunition of colt 45).



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Agriculture : Strengthening climate change, positive impacts





Since 2013, the Ministries of Environment and Agriculture, with the support of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), have implemented the project "Strengthening Resilience to Change Climate and Disaster Risk Reduction in Agriculture to Improve Food Security in Haiti after the earthquake", funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).



This project spread over 4 Communes of the departments of the West (Grand-Goave) and the South-East (Bainet, Belle-Anse and Anse-a-Pitres) reached more than 2,500 producers and produced the following results :



1. Identification and multiplication of seeds and climatic-resilient plant material: 12 Groupings of Artisanal Seed Producers (GPAS) have been set up. Various seed varieties were distributed: nearly 70 tons of chicken corn, 77.5 tons of ti kamyon, 65 tons of DPC 40 / Xrav bean, 15.6 tons of besebas peas, 8 tons Sorghum, 8 tons of unknown peas, 9.3 tons of peas and 20.4 tons of congo peas.



Cuttings were also distributed (cassava, potato, banana suckers, yam minisets). In addition, 260 farmers and 187 seed growers / multipliers were trained in agricultural seed multiplication techniques. Not to mention the distribution of vegetable seeds and / or agricultural implements (pickaxes, hoes, pruners) to beneficiary farmers during each crop year.



2. Establishment of 18 Champs Schools Peasants (CEP) for learning and replication of Good Agricultural and Environmental Practices (BPAE): 43 trainers and 23 CEP facilitators were trained. 10 Local Agricultural Risk Management Plans (GRDA) were produced; 120 members of the GRDA Committees were trained in basic concepts in risk management and climate change, as well as 130 community leaders. 126 people were trained in the Early Warning System (SAP).



3. Identification, application and dissemination of good practices and establishment of sustainable production systems: This project has promoted the dissemination and replication of Good Agricultural and Environmental Practices (BPAE) (corridor cultivation, agroforestry, grass strips, Mulching, cropping association, ridging, live ramps, minimal plowing, among others); Training of leading technicians and planters; The setting up of model plots as well as nurseries; The distribution of fruit and forest seedlings.



The Departmental Directors of the Environment and Agriculture of the South-East expressed their satisfaction with the positive impact of the project, in particular in terms of popularization of BPAEs, of training for farmers, and without forgetting the introduction of the Champ Ecole Paysan approach.



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - USA : Senator Nelson asks the Trump administration to extend the TPS





In a letter sent to Elaine Duke, Acting Secretary of Homeland of Security, US Democrat Senator Bill Nelson (Florida) requested that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 60,000 Haitians living in the United States be extended by 18 months after the current expiry date of January 22, 2018.



"Given Haitis continued recovery from the 2010 earthquake and last falls Category 4 hurricane, I strongly urge you to grant a full, 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status for the roughly 60,000 Haitian nationals living here in the U.S.," Nelson wrote.



"Hurricane Matthew has significantly set back Haitis ongoing recovery efforts" Nelson added. "As you consider this request to extend TPS beyond its current expiration date of January 22, I encourage you to visit Haiti to assess the conditions on the ground there for yourself. I also encourage you to meet with Haitian leaders in Florida to discuss the importance of extending protections for those already living here."



Its not the first time the Florida Democrat has weighed in on the issue. Nelson sent a similar letter to then-Sec. John Kelly in May calling for a full, 18 month extension.



Kelly announced that DHS had granted only a six month extension https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21016-haiti-flash-tps-extension-for-6-months-official.html instead of the full 18, meaning the nearly 60,000 Haitian nationals who have been living in the U.S. since 2011 may soon be forced to return to their homeland.



Nelson argues the U.S. should be focused on helping the island nation recover from two devastating natural disasters, instead of sending people home to a country that cant support them.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21131-haiti-politics-congresswoman-mia-love-wishes-12-additional-months-to-tps.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21092-haiti-flash-visit-of-secretary-of-homeland-security-john-kelly.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21044-haiti-diaspora-extension-of-tps-us-senator-campbell-alarmed.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20727-haiti-flash-us-immigration-service-recommends-the-end-of-tps.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21017-haiti-usa-tps-congresswoman-wilson-continues-the-fight.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21016-haiti-flash-tps-extension-for-6-months-official.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20927-haiti-usa-renewal-of-the-tps-congress-maintains-pressure.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20895-haiti-flash-tps-the-trump-administration-investigates-the-criminal-record-of-haitians.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20859-haiti-flash-tps-2-senators-and-8-members-of-congress-write-to-john-kelly.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20727-haiti-flash-us-immigration-service-recommends-the-end-of-tps.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Petit-Goave : Resumption of the criminal Assizes

On Saturday, 26 August, the Director of Judicial Affairs of the Ministry of Justice, Me Kebreau, the Dean of the Court of First Instance (TPI) of Petit-Goave, Me Emmanuel Tataille and the Chief of the Procuratorate of the city, carried out a working session on the continuation of the criminal Assizes interrupted in Petit Goave because of the unending strike by clerks. After several hours of discussions, the three men agreed that the Assizes would resume on Monday, August 28, 2017, following the lifting of the clerks' strike. According to Dean Tataille, nearly 20 cases will be heard. HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave)



10th Annual Congress of Haitian Educators

The National Confederation of Haitian Educators (CNEH) will organize its 10th Annual Congress on 30 and 31 August 2017, on the theme "Education for the Republic, Democracy and Citizenship".



Appointments to the Electoral Council of the UEH

At the last Council of the State University of Haiti (UEH) Elie Meus, Dean of the Faculty of Law and Economics (FDSE) and Junior Altidor student representative of the Faculty of Dentistry (FO) were chosen to supplement the electoral commission of this entity. With respect to the Institute of African Studies and Research (IERAH) Renauld Govain, and Fritz Gerald Richelieu, respectively Dean of the Faculty of Applied Linguistics (FLA) and representative of the students of the Faculty Of Science (FDS) are appointed to serve on the electoral commission of this faculty.



Towards the vaccination of all children

The international organization "GAVI Alliance" and partners have reiterated their firm commitment to support the health system and the immunization program in Haiti. They will support Haiti with a strategy of community health workers to enable the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) to reach all children in Haiti.



Different around the PSUGO

A meeting was held between the President of the Education Commission of the Lower House and the Heads of schools affiliated to the Universal Free and Compulsory Education Program (PSUGO), about the differences between them and the Ministry of Education.



PNH and the multidimensional challenges

Michel-Ange Gedeon in order to mark his first year as Director General of the Haitian Nastion Police (PNH) organized an awareness-raising day for the members of the police institution at the Oasis Hotel on the theme "The PNH and the multi-dimensional challenges of security".



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Login or sign up to follow actresses, movies & dramas and get specific updates and news

Login Sign Up

 New Ad-free Subscriber Login

Email

Password

Password Username Your E-mail will only be used to retrieve a lost password.

Stay logged in

Help
UPDATE 2: NO MORE BAILOUTS FOR RAIL!

Key Take Aways :

1. Senate Committee on Ways and Means to hold hearing Monday, August 28th beginning at 3pm. Testimony due by 3pm tomorrow (Sunday).

2. Honolulu County Republicans will be sign waving in front of Party Headquarters beginning Monday, August 28th at 3:30pm to 6pm.

3. Honolulu County Republicans from Laie to Mililani sign waved in opposition to rail bailout last Friday.

Dear Patriots,

As you know on Thursday, State Senate Leader Kouchi and State House Speaker Saiki announced their proclamation that the 29th Legislature of the State of Hawaii will convene in a Special Session beginning Monday, August 28th.

The Senate Committee on Ways and Means has announced their hearing for this coming Monday, August 28th, the time was originally set for 11am, however it has been changed to 3:00 pm !

There was also a change to the bill number; originally SB1 changed (good idea for those of you who remember SB1 (Hawaii Marriage Equality Act of 2013)) to SB4 (Relating to Government) . Additionally SB4 only deals with the GET extension ( Bill text here ), which most likely means the House will propose another bill to address the TAT increase and distribution. SB4 key points include:

Establishes Mass Transit Special Fund State skim cut from 10% to 1%. GET extended to 2030. Calls for an annual audit by the State Auditor. HART must provide a Certification Statement to the State Comptroller before release of any funds. Four new full time hires by the State Finance Director. Gives State Comptroller authority to contract with outside agencies to effectuate the purpose of SB4.

Testimony for the Senate Committee on Ways and Means hearing may be submitted up to 24 hours prior to the start of the hearing (which would be by 3:00pm tomorrow Sunday, August 27th). Persons wishing to testify should submit testimony in one of the following ways:

Email :

WAM-WrittenOnly@capitol.hawaii.gov if you are ONLY submitting written comments and will NOT be testifying in person;

WAM-InPerson@capitol.hawaii.gov if you are ALSO going to testify at the hearing in person;

In person: Deliver 1 copy of your testimony to the committee clerk, Room 208, State Capitol.

Via Fax: Testimony may be faxed if less than 5 pages in length, to 586-6951 or 1-800-586-6659 (toll free for neighbor islands).

It also looks like the hearing may be viewed on Olelo, Channel 49 for those unable to make it down to the State Capitol (a.k.a. The Beretania Swamp).

Check out our new video which sets the record straight about this boondoggle.

Then, please sign our petition to tell State lawmakers NO MORE BAILOUTS FOR RAIL!

Thank you for your support and welcome to the fight!

Respectfully,

Brett Kulbis
The treaty comprehensively prohibits every type of activity related to nuclear weapons or nuclear explosive devices. This ranges from development to possession, transfer or stationing on the territory of those states that have signed the treaty.

In July 2017, the total of 122 member states to the United Nations (UN) voiced their support for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, or the Nuclear Ban Treaty. The Treaty will be open for signatures on September 20th, 2017. It will enter into force 90 days after 50 states have ratified it.

This last prohibition is tricky, as it illegalises the nuclear deterrence on which many states, such as NATO-member states, rely on for their defence. In fact, this was the reason the Netherlands, the only NATO-member having participated in the work on the treaty, felt obliged to vote against it.

The treaty itself has its roots in the frustration of most of the member states, a significant number of civil society organizations, the Red Cross, the Red Crescent and the Academia regarding the slow pace of nuclear disarmament, which has practically stalled nowadays. Nuclear weapons are back in states defence strategies and discourse, as latest exemplified by nuclear threats issued in the context of North Koreas missile tests. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT, signed 1968), regardless of its comprehensive participation by 190 States, has not succeeded in enhancing disarmament significantly. Swedish Research Institute SIPRIs World Nuclear Forces report from 2016 indicates clearly the lack of disarmament: most nuclear states, especially the US and Russia, have significant modernisation programmes underway; Pakistan is constantly producing fissile material for nuclear weapons and the initiative regarding the Middle East Nuclear Weapons Free Zones has stalled, mainly because of Israel.

In addition, the worlds attention has been excessively focused on Irans nuclear program and North Koreas missile tests in a context in which nuclear States themselves are not disarming and possess over 15,000 nuclear weapons, of which over 4,000 are kept in immediate operational readiness for strike.

In these conditions it is no wonder that the majority of member states and other actors are frustrated. The approach chosen to advance disarmament became humanitarian: in 2013 and 2014 three major conferences were organised on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons caused by nuclear weapon explosions. Therein, the representatives of the Red Cross, who were the first in the field after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings in 1945, have attempted to convey the message that nuclear weapons are illegal from the point-of-view of international humanitarian law. It will not be possible to prevent the immense humanitarian, ecological and societal destruction resulting from a nuclear explosion. This work has served as a background for the present Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

However, a nuclear free world is not yet realistic. The US, together with the UK and France, have issued a statement in which they decline to sign the treaty. They consider the treaty flawed as it does not take security risks into account, which are covered by the nuclear deterrent (e.g. Russia, probably China, too). They also consider that the treaty is detrimental to the NPT. Undoubtedly, other nuclear weapon states concur with these arguments.

However, the concept of deterrence is at best a suicidal concept, if one departs from the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons. For instance, a nuclear explosion of 200 Kt at NATOs military base in Aviano in Italy (where most of the US nuclear weapons in Europe are stationed, in addition to the Incirlick base in Turkey) would lead to a radioactive fallout that within a few days would contaminate large parts of Europe. Deterrence becomes a deadly security concept. Secondly, the NPTs non-proliferation dimension is not weakened but strengthened by states signing the Nuclear Ban Treaty. The NPTs stance on disarmament is also stalling since the nuclear weapon states do not have any intention to disarm yet.

The proponents of the comprehensive ban of nuclear weapons aim to contest the legitimacy and, in time, the legality of nuclear weapons by changing public opinion. This is not going to be easy, but it is not impossible either. Prior treaties, like those on land mines, cluster munitions and biological and chemical weapons have managed to make these formerly accepted weapons illegitimate and illegal in the eyes of the world.

In the 1960s, Finland was actively working with Sweden to promote a comprehensive ban on nuclear weapons. Finland also participated in the work on the humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons and has, in general, a long track-record of supporting the UNs disarmament goals. Today, this has been forgotten and the justifications of nuclear weapon states are blindly accepted. Some officials even went so far as to compare the future Nuclear Ban Treaty to the first treaty on the prohibition of war, the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928), considering both treaties as failures. The Kellogg-Briand Pact is the first universal treaty still in force, setting restraints on warfare and having contributed to the adoption of the UN Charter and especially its Article 2.4, which made illegal all unilateral uses of force.

If Finland supports disarmament in earnest, should it not participate in the work which aims to make nuclear weapons illegal, instead of supporting the position of nuclear weapon states?

The Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs is an organisation founded in 1995 by eminent scientists, like Albert Einstein, to promote disarmament, non-proliferation and peaceful conflict resolution. It is a network of scientists and high-level policymakers all over the world. Pugwash received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1995 for its efforts in creating the Convention for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Photo: Lehtikuva / AFP / Getty Images North America / Mark Wilson
KRP on Sunday announced it has confirmed the identity of the man with the help of international police co-operation, revealing that the man was born in 1994.

The Moroccan man who is suspected of killing two and wounding eight in what is treated as a terror attack in Turku on 18 August provided a false name and date of birth upon his arrival in Finland, indicates a press release from the National Bureau of Investigation (KRP) .

The man had claimed to be an 18-year-old Moroccan named Abderrahman Mechkah.

KRP also said the man has been willing to co-operate in interrogations but refrained from disclosing the contents of the interrogations due to operational reasons. The man, who has been detained for probable cause of two murders and eight attempted murders committed with terrorist intent, confessed last week to having killed two and wounded eight but denied allegations that the act had been premeditated and committed with terrorist intent.

KRP on Thursday revealed that it has arrested one and released the other of the two men who were taken into custody in connection with the killings on Wednesday, 23 August. The man released from custody, it added, is no longer suspected of involvement in any criminal activity.

Both of the men had been taken into custody on reasonable suspicion of preparing an offence to be committed with terrorist intent.

A total of four suspects have been detained in connection with the stabbing spree, the main suspect for probable cause of two murders and eight attempted murders committed with terrorist intent and the three others on suspicion of being accomplices to the offences. The suspected accomplices have all denied their involvement in the knife attack.

The identities of all of the suspects linked to the spree are known to the authorities, Crista Granroth, the detective chief inspector in charge of the pre-trial investigation at KRP, told Helsingin Sanomat on Sunday.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Roni Lehti  Lehtikuva
In their own words: We will pick a book, read it and discuss it in a cozy and relaxed atmosphere. Sounds good, right? The Book Club is the perfect space for the reader to be part of a community that grows all the time, picks their own books, and reads and discusses them in many languages.In this way, they aim at introducing participants to Finnish-Swedish literature, both with classic and contemporary books.This autumn the club will be reading two books. The first one is The Love Story of the Century , by Marta Tikkanen. The second one will be chosen by the group itself.The club meets for the first time on 14th September, to get to know each other and set some points for the upcoming book discussions. Afterwards, the discussions will be held on 26th October for the first book, and 7th December for the second. Interested participants can sign up by sending an email to

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Metal bollards for some of the capital's busiest areas, including shopping districts Grafton Street and Henry Street, are among measures being considered following the recent terror attacks across Europe.

Dublin City Council has met with gardai in recent weeks to discuss introducing the retractable bollards in some of the city's most popular areas.

It is believed these measures could help prevent attacks similar to those which have taken place in Europe in recent months, including this month's attack in Barcelona, in which 16 people died and more than 130 were injured.

A spokesperson for the council confirmed that a risk analysis was under way to determine vulnerable areas.

"Meetings have taken place between Dublin City Council and An Garda Sio- chana on the issue of retractable bollards and a risk analysis of areas in the city centre is being undertaken," said the spokesperson.

INSTALLED

It is understood that both Grafton Street and Henry Street - the most popular areas for shopping in the city centre - are among the locations where retractable bollards may be installed.

Retractable bollards are designed to prevent the possibility of a vehicle being driven into pedestrians.

Authorities have now raised the death toll in the van attack in Barcelona's popular Las Ramblas boulevard on August 17 to 14, after a German woman died from her injuries.

The woman (51) died yesterday in the intensive care unit of Barcelona's Hospital del Mar, health authorities in Catalonia said.

A man was stabbed to death in a carjacking as the van driver fled, and a woman died in an attack in nearby Cambrils, bringing the overall toll to 16.

Around 500,000 people marched on Saturday in Barcelona to condemn the attacks.

The Ramblas atrocity was the latest incident in which terrorists have used vehicles to run over pedestrians.

A man drove a truck into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in Nice in the south of France last year, killing 86 people.

Last December, another truck driver mowed down shoppers attending a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and wounding dozens more.

In June, seven people were killed and dozens more injured when knife-wielding terrorists drove across London Bridge, running over pedestrians before getting out and attacking people in the crowded Borough Market area.
A father-of-three threw two knives at his ex-wife's new partner after he himself was stabbed in a row outside her home, it has been alleged.

Samuel Peprah (34) is acc-used of throwing the knives after he was injured during a confrontation at his ex-wife's front door.

He is facing trial on a weapons charge after Judge Alan Mitchell said the case was too serious to be dealt with at district court level.

Mr Peprah, of Wood Avens, Clondalkin, is charged with unlawful possession of two knives.

The offence is alleged to have happened at Elmfield Court, Clondalkin, on July 4.

A garda sergeant said the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed summary disposal of the case at district court level.

Outlining the prosecution's case, she told Dublin District Court it was alleged that a row developed between the accused and the other man, who was in a relationship with Mr Peprah's ex-wife.

Unclear

During this, a knife was produced, it was alleged. The sergeant said it was unclear who started the row or who produced the knife, but the allegation was that Mr Peprah was stabbed a number of times at the apartment door.

According to gardai, he got up, went inside and got two large knives which he brought out and threw at the other man.

"Based on that description, that was given to me, it is not a minor offence and I am refusing jurisdiction," said Judge Mitchell.

The court heard Mr Peprah was on garda station bail and the judge said he would adjourn the case for six weeks for the preparation of a book of evidence.

Defence solicitor Brian Keenan asked the judge to transfer the case to Blanchardstown District Court. Judge Mitchell said the defence could always mention the issue of jurisdiction to the presiding judge in Blanchardstown "to see does he take a different view".

Mr Keenan applied for free legal aid, saying the accused was working but had three dependants. Judge Mitchell said he would grant this, based on the gravity of the alleged offence.
A burglar was caught after he failed to hide his face from CCTV cameras in a crime that was described as "not sophisticated".

David Cummins (27) stole a laptop after getting into an office at a pub and restaurant in north Dublin.

Judge Victor Blake gave him a 10-month prison sentence when he admitted a theft charge.

Cloverhill District Court heard the incident happened at Jade Palace Restaurant in Applewood Village, Swords, last February 25.

The court heard Cummins was seen on CCTV in the stairwell leading to the restaurant.

He went into the offices of the Orchard Pub, then left the building. Less than an hour later he re-entered the offices and was seen leaving the first floor window with an Acer laptop.

ADDICTION

Gardai found the lock had been slipped and the laptop was not recovered.

The court heard Cummins, of Cherry Park, Rivervalley, Swords, had 120 previous convictions.

He apologised for the latest incident, which related to his drug addiction, his barrister Jane Horgan Jones said.

"It is clear from the facts that it wasn't a particularly sophisticated incident," she said. "Mr Cummins made no attempt to hide his face from the CCTV and was arrested as a result."

He had served a prison sentence and was released while he was still in the grip of an addiction to alcohol and tablets.

Judge Blake said he appreciated that Cummins had apologised, but a computer was an important item, not alone for its monetary value but for the data that was stored on it.

He backdated the sentence to February.
Children's Minister Katherine Zappone has said she hopes the verdict in the Ibrahim Halawa case will pave the way for his "swift return home".

A major diplomatic effort to secure the Dublin student's return to Ireland will swing into action if, as expected, the final verdict is delivered by an Egyptian court today.

Ibrahim (21), from Tallaght, was jailed after he was arrested during the 2013 protests against the ousting of former president Mohammed Morsi.

Since then, numerous court hearings have been adjourned, prompting widespread criticism of the length of time he has been held without trial.

There have been concerns for his health, especially during several hunger strikes.

A verdict in the case is expected today.

Ms Zappone was in touch with Ibrahim's family over the weekend.

"My thoughts, prayers and solidarity are with Ibrahim, his family and the thousands who have campaigned on his behalf," she said.

She praised the resilience of the Halawa family in their campaign of vigils and meetings with senior government figures.

"As their local TD, I will be watching and hoping that the verdict will pave the way for Ibrahim's swift return home," said Ms Zappone.

She said she will work with his family, legal team and government colleagues to ensure that supports are put in place for his return.

Priority

"His health, psychological and social requirements must be assessed as a priority and support offered," said the minister.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will speak with Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi by phone to ask that Ibrahim be allowed to return to Ireland after the trial.

Speaking at the weekend, Mr Varadkar said it is his hope and expectation that Ibrahim will be sent home when the court proceedings end.

"Certainly, the Government is very keen to ensure that Ibrahim Halawa can return to Ireland as soon as possible," he said.

"The Egyptian government has always said that it cannot interfere in a trial in the same way that an Irish government cannot interfere in the court process.

"We will do everything we can to enable him to come home."

It is hoped that Ibrahim could be back in Ireland "within weeks".
The girlfriend of a man left fighting for his life after a violent stabbing has revealed that the couple were lured to a party by men who then launched the vicious assault.

Jessie Connell (20) dragged partner Jamie Hennessy (22) from a house in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, while two men repeatedly knifed him in the neck and head on Saturday, August 19.

She was hit during the terrifying ordeal but managed to save Mr Hennessy's life by wrapping her jacket around his neck and shielding him from the assailants.

Scumbags

Describing the moments after the assault, Ms Connell said: "We were in a pool of Jamie's blood.

"The people who did this didn't even try run from the scene. I'll stand in court if I have to pin those scumbags to a wall."

Mr Hennessy has confounded medics and his family by waking from a coma, despite being left in a critical condition.

His mother Sandra had been keeping a vigil by his bedside, and last week said his life was hanging in the balance.

She asked for friends and family to pray for his recovery, fearing he may die following the death of his brother John, who was killed in a car crash in 1998.

Doctors fought for more than 24 hours to stop the bleeding from his neck and Mr Hennessy remained on a ventilator at the Mater Hospital in Dublin over the weekend. "Jamie woke up tonight on his own. Still on life support but he is awake and he knows us. So happy right now," Sandra wrote on her Facebook page.

Ms Connell, who is still traumatised by the events of nine days ago, has visited Jamie a number of times in the capital and says he is "improving day by day".

However, the Laois man faces a long road to recovery.

Ms Connell said, before the attack, they wanted to return to their home in Athy, Co Kildare, after visiting Mr Hennessy's mother in Crettyard, Co Laois.

They were struggling to find a lift and "meanwhile these boys were ringing Jamie to go out to Castlecomer for a few drinks", she said.

Cider

Not realising that they were in any danger, the couple walked 8km from Crettyard to the house on Love Lane in the Kilkenny town, where they shared a two-litre bottle of cider.

They left to buy more drink and returned to the house some time later. "Little did we know they were planning on taking Jamie's life," said Ms Connell.

"We got back with our drink and sat there, drank a bottle or two, and that's when it happened. I never saw so much blood in my life.

"They didn't just stab him, they slit his throat and left him to die. I pulled Jamie out of the house away from them. There were two attacking him while the other one was trying to help.

"I got hit myself but I knew if I didn't get Jamie out he was dead."

Three men were arrested in connection with the stabbing but all were released without charge. One of the men was previously arrested for the cold case murder of Gerry Nolan, while a second man was arrested over the fatal stabbing of Kieran Monahan in 2012.
Rachel Carson's expose shocked the world. And we're better for it
This domain has expired. If you owned this domain, contact your domain registration service provider for further assistance. If you need help identifying your provider, visit https://www.tucowsdomains.com/
The corporate world revels in stretch targets. The CEO sets an extremely high goal  a pole vault height for a high jumper for the top executives. These men or women then give the middle managers their own stretch targets. The middle managers do likewise to their underlings.

Lets say the companys current revenue is Rs 50. The CEO sets a target for the next financial year at Rs 100. The top managers tell their executives to generate Rs 140. These people in turn ask their subordinates to yank revenues up to Rs 180. All of these seem impossible targets, but everyone tries their hardest, because there are huge performance bonuses to be gained if they can indeed get revenues up to this level.

Ultimately, revenues end up at Rs 85, which is possibly what the CEO actually had in mind when he set the target. But sometimes, depending on how bright or motivated the executives are, and how weak or stupid the competitors, the revenues actually hit Rs 100.

Some days ago, at a meeting of party leaders, BJP president Amit Shah set a target of 350 seats for the 2019 general elections. The party has 282 seats in the current Lok Sabha. To attain 350, the party has to increase its tally by 68 seats, or a full 24 per cent.

Its a very tough task. In 2014, the BJP won 190 out of a total of 207 seats in nine states, including all seats in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttarakhand. It cant do any better in these four states. In Uttar Pradesh, it won a phenomenal 71 out of 80 seats. It may be difficult to hold on to this number. Even if there is no grand united opposition alliance, 71 is a hard number to defend. Though its not beyond the realm of possibility, given the results of the UP assembly polls.

In 2014, the BJP won 27 out of the 29 seats in Madhya Pradesh, and 12 out of 14 in Chhattisgarh. Both states have had BJP governments for more than a decade. According to news reports, Shah asked the assembled party leaders to study if there are anti-incumbency factors at play in these states, and if so, suggest how to counter them.

On the positive side for the BJP, since 2014, the party has made deep inroads into the North East. It will definitely gain seats in the region. It will also raise its tally in Karnataka (17 out of 28 in 2014), Odisha (one out of 21), Maharashtra (28 out of 43), and Andhra Pradesh (two out of 25). Blatant minority appeasement in Telangana and West Bengal will help the BJP, though more in Telangana than in the eastern state where Mamata Didi seems set to rule till retirement  and politicians never retire. In Bengal, BJP is now the principal opposition party; Congress and the Left Front have been decimated, as the results of the recent civic polls in the state indicate.

While we were sipping our single malts, massive Hindu consolidation has been taking place across the nation. The SLOB (Secular Leftist Outrage Brigade) may rave and rant, but the truth is out there, if you care to look for it. We are living through some watershed moments. You may not like it, but you cannot but acknowledge.

The opposition has no coherent narrative, and remains stuck in its secular speechifying, when the BJP has made the cynical Muslim vote bank strategy irrelevant. For evidence, look at Assam, where the party could not have got a three-fourth majority in the assembly without a large number of indigenous Muslims (as opposed to the Bangladeshi migrants) voting for it. And every time Rahul Gandhi opens his mouth, he wins a few more thousand votes for the BJP.

By my amateur calculations, in the best-case scenario, the BJP can get a maximum of 305-310 seats in 2019. Which itself will be an outstanding achievement, and should satisfy the stretch target-setting CEO, Amit Shah. But the Modi-Shah combine is an election-winning machine and that machine can never be underestimated. Also, a day is a long time in politics, and anything can happen. Anything at all, in the next 500 days. The pendulum could swing either way.

Sandipan Deb is Editorial Director, Swarajya (swarajyamag.com)

The views expressed are personal
Indias Patent Office has dealt a major setback to hopes for improved access to an affordable pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) by granting a patent to the US pharmaceutical corporation, Pfizer, for its PCV13 product, marketed as Prevnar 13. The monopoly granted to Pfizer allows it to control the PCV13 market in India until 2026 and blocks Indian manufacturers from supplying a competing lower-priced version of this vaccine.

Pneumonia causes more than a quarter of deaths in children under the age of five  nearly one million young lives lost per year  whilst India, which carries the worlds highest burden of pneumonia, accounts for nearly 20% of these global infant pneumonia deaths. The PCV, which safeguards against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria, also lowers antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by significantly reducing common childhood infections and decreasing antibiotic use in infants and children.

Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) presently control a duopoly market for PCV, the worlds best-selling vaccine that has brought in a whopping $39 billion in sales in the last 8 years to the two pharmaceutical corporations. The high price tag and absence of competition has allowed these corporations to quickly capture over 50% of the private vaccine market in India.

Pfizer and GSK have both been building so-called patent thickets restricting development and competition in the area of PCV. One study identified 106 applications potentially relevant to the manufacturing of pneumococcal vaccines. GSK, which markets PCV10 (Synflorix), and Pfizer (previously Wyeth), have filed the most number of patents in India, China and Brazil, in an attempt to create barriers in the development of less-expensive versions of PCV.

Meanwhile, about one third of countries around the world ( about 60 countries), predominantly low-and middle-income countries where millions of children risk getting pneumonia, have not yet been able to introduce the PCV in their national immunisation systems due to the exorbitant prices the two corporations charge  despite a 2007 World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation.

Over 50 governments  among them Angola, Botswana, Jordan, India, Iraq, Philippines and others  have voiced their concerns regarding inflated vaccine prices at the WHOs annual World Health Assembly in 2015.

In 2016, with the aim of enabling and accelerating production of more affordable versions of PCV, MSF challenged Pfizers unmerited patent claims on the vaccine in India after the European Patent Office revoked the same patent judging it to be non-inventive. The patent is also under dispute in South Korea and before the US Patent Trademark Appeal Board. The patent claim is a mere addition of serotypes to the already established 7-valent vaccine and does not involve a technical advancement; it is just a way to preserve Pfizers monopoly for many more years.

The decision granting Pfizer a monopoly on the PCV13 has cemented Pfizers ongoing monopoly on the PCV market and could prove to have a deadly impact on public health. Manoeuvring to figure out new routes to develop a non-infringing PCV vaccine could delay the availability of cheaper drugs from Indian companies who are the cornerstone of the developing country vaccine manufacturers (DCVM). In the absence of competition in the market, the price of the pneumonia vaccine will remain inflated and out of reach for many parents and developing governments. At the lowest global price of nearly $10 a child, which isnt accessible to most countries, it is now 68 times more expensive to vaccinate a child than in 2001.

In India, Pfizers PCV had until recently been available solely in the private market with an out-of-pocket price tag of over Rs.10,000, reducing the impact of the vaccine as it fails to reach the most vulnerable children.

To enable a broader dissemination, the vaccine is now being introduced into Indias Universal Immunisation Program (UIP) with financial support from the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI). Despite Gavi funding, the roll-out remains limited to just three states: Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh due to the high price and limited availability of the vaccine. The cost of vaccinating a child with Pfizers PCV could more than double the Health Ministrys expenditure on vaccines in India. At this juncture, a lower-priced PCV is critically important to increase vaccine coverage across the entire country in the coming years.

Leena Menghaney is the South-Asia head of the Access Campaign at Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)

The views expressed are personal
The ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh won the by-election to the Nandyal assembly constituency in Kurnool district by a huge margin of 27,466 votes over the YSR Congress, its closest rival.

While TDP candidate Bhuma Brahmanand Reddy polled 97,066 votes, his YSR Congress counterpart  Silpa Mohan Reddy  managed just 69,610. Congress candidate Abdul Khader lost his deposit by garnering a paltry 1,382 votes.

The by-election, necessitated by the sudden death of sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy in March this year, was held on August 23. The votes were counted on Monday.

While the TDP went with Brahmanand, who happens to be Nagi Reddys nephew, the YSR Congress threw its lot behind Mohan Reddy  who defected from the ruling partys ranks after being denied a ticket at the eleventh hour.

Both the parties put up a bitter fight for the seat because the bypoll was considered a referendum on the Chandrababu Naidu governments performance in the state, besides a prelude to the assembly elections slated for April 2019. Both Naidu and YSR Congress chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy campaigned extensively for their respective party candidates.

Reddy even camped at Nandyal for 13 days, and launched a scathing attack against Naidu. The YSR Congress chiefs controversial comment that the chief minister be shot dead on the streets landed him in trouble with the Election Commission, which ordered that criminal cases be filed against him.

The TDP cadre celebrated their partys victory in the bypoll by bursting crackers and distributing sweets. When asked to comment on the results of the Nandyal bypoll, Naidu said the people had once again shown confidence in his promise of development, public welfare and good governance. Voters have rejected the Oppositions vicious hate-speech politics. Muslims, along with all sections, voted for the TDP in large numbers, he added.

The chief minister said similar results will be witnessed in the future, as long as his government continues to take the country ahead on the development plank.

Akhila Priya, Nagi Reddys daughter and Andhra tourism minister, said there was nothing unexpected about the electoral results. We were sure of victory right from the start. We thank the people of Nandyal for reposing faith on the ruling party. This is a vote for the development activities taken up by the Chandrababu Naidu government, she added.

However, Mohan Reddy termed it as the victory of money power. The TDP leadership pumped in money to lure voters. Sympathy for Bhumas family also worked in their favour. Nevertheless, I respect the peoples verdict, he said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Ever since his birth, Kareena Kapoor Khans son Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi has been built up as a celeb by fans and media alike. A new photo of Taimur clad in a black kurta is going viral online and every one is comparing the kid with his parents, Kareena and Saif Ali Khan.

Fans are sharing collages of Saif in a black kurta, along side little Taimur, dressed in a black kurta as well. Some have also compared the little munchkin with Kareena looking hot in a black kurta!

Taimur is quite a celebrity in his own right. He is not even a year old and gets clicked wherever he goes and the photos often go viral.

Checkout some of the posts:

My Adorable Family saif,bebo & taimur in b/w  Love you. #kareenakapoor #saifakpataudi#taimur #family#love A post shared by kareena kapoor khan fan club (@kareena_kapoors_world_fc) on Aug 26, 2017 at 1:10am PDT

The king of the house! A post shared by Kareena Kapoor Khan (@realkareenakapoorkhan) on Aug 27, 2017 at 4:56pm PDT

Recently, Taimur was on a vacation along with his mom Kareena and dad Saif in Gstaad, Switzerland. If you hold a gun to my head and ask for my last wish, Id want one last holiday in Gstaad. Its the most beautiful and romantic place in the world, Kareena had earlier told Mirror.

Speaking about all the attention Taimur gets, grandpa Randhir Kapoor had earlier told HT, We all love Taimur so much and we are very being cautious that he doesnt get spoiled by all the attention that hes getting [from the media].

Saif Ali Khan is gearing up for the release of Kaalakaandi while Kareena is working on her next with Sonam Kapoor, Veere Di Wedding.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Actor Priyanka Chopra may be a worldwide star during the day, this weekend she became a regular person by night. Priyanka did everything you expect your average Mumbaikar to do during Ganesh Chaturthi: She visited Lalbaugcha Raja, paid her obesiance to Lord Ganesh and then headed to Marine Drive with friends to do a bit of tafree and topped it all with piping hot pizza.

And mind you, this was not a gourmet pizza but the one doled out by Amar Juice Corner. She did it all during the pouring Mumbai rain, making the night-out even more special.

Priyanka shared her tafree with her fans on Instagram as well. She began her evening dressed in a blue salwar kameez at Lal Baug. Amazing darshan #lalbaugcharaja #ganpatibappamorya #midnightDarshan thank you everyone for making it so simple @madhuchopra @shaina_nc, she wrote.

Amazing darshan #lalbaugcharaja #ganpatibappamorya #midnightDarshan thank you everyone for making it so simple @madhuchopra @shaina_nc A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on Aug 27, 2017 at 1:36pm PDT

Marine Drive was her destination no. 2. Its been years since Ive just sat by the ocean at Marine drive.. used to be one of my favourite things to do when I modelled.. I guess In the hustle bustle of life we just dont pause to feel the breeze..the beautiful #queensnecklace Just .. #simplepleasures #PostDarshanChill #incognito #midnightTafree #mumbairomance @tam2cul @sudeepdutt @mushtaqshiekh #mumbaijourney #17yearsandcounting #nostalgic.

Late night hunger pangs were warded off with a hot pizza at Amar Juice Centre. She also got to enjoy the Mumbai rains that must have worked as an added bonus.

The actor is currently on a break from her Hollywood shooting schedule. Priyanka is shooting for two Hollywood films -- A Kid Like Jake and Isnt It Romantic. She was supposed to announce her next Bollywood project while in India but nothing has been forthcoming as of now.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan and his former wife Sussanne Khan have made sure that their 2014 divorce does not affect their kids at all and have maintained a cordial relationship ever since. Recently, Sussanne visited Hrithiks house for Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations and posted a picture online.

While Sussanne posted a photo of Ganpati, a few others were doing the rounds of internet in which Sussanne can be seen with her sons, Hrehaan and Hridhaan, as well as Hrithiks mother, Pinky Roshan.Trolls, however, could not take it and started slamming her for posting the pic.

Roshan Family ! #hrithikroshan #hrithik #ganpati #bollywood #love A post shared by Hrithik Roshan World (@hrithikroshanworld) on Aug 26, 2017 at 11:42am PDT

All smiles- the Roshan boys celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi . #Hrithik #HrithikRoshan #Bollywood #Ganpati #hrehaanroshan #hridaanroshan #festivals A post shared by Hrithikrules (Hrithik Roshan) (@hrithikrules_official) on Aug 26, 2017 at 8:21pm PDT

 #SussanneKhan #hrithikroshan #hrithik A post shared by Sussanne&Hrithik (@sussannehrithik) on Aug 27, 2017 at 1:03pm PDT

A user wrote, U r not moslim (sic)?, while another wrote, Wow youre so educative lol. I thought you were Muslim, anyway its your decision May the almighty ALLAH guide you all to the straight path. Feel sad for you All seriously (sic)!

The duo has often been spotted together at dinner and lunches. They even went for holidays together with Hridhaan and Hrehaan.

Elaborating on his friendly relationship with Sussanne, Hrithik had earlier told Hindustan Times, Sussanne and I are not trying to set any example. This is how we are. This is the kind of person I am, and I dont think I can have anything that is not peaceful. Relationships should be healthy, mutually beneficial and adding growth to both the parties.

In May 2017, reports claimed Hrithik even bought a house for Sussanne. Even after they got separated, Hrithiks prime concern has been the welfare of his ex-wife and their sons. The apartment that he has bought for Sussanne is located in upper Juhu, about 15 minutes away from his own residence. His parents, Rakesh and Pinkie Roshan, live close by too, so do Susannes parents, Sanjay and Zarine Khan, Mumbai Mirror quoted a source as saying.

Follow @htshowbiz for more
The second phase of Apple Inc.s plan to make the iPhone in India is hanging in the balance as the firm awaits government approvals and tax breaks that it says are key to making a profit, a person aware of Apples plans for the market said.

Else, it doesnt make sense for Apple to import components by paying heavy duties from other parts of the world to assemble and sell here, the person said on condition of anonymity.

In the first phase of its India plan, Apple started working with Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron Corp. to assemble the iPhone SE in Bengaluru.

If Wistron doesnt find it a profitable proposition and decides to stop manufacturing, Apple will discontinue phase one, said the person cited above.

Wistron declined to respond to a detailed questionnaire seeking comments on the duration of its contract with California-based Apple and the sustainability of the business model.

Apple has been in talks with the Indian government since May 2016, when its chief executive Tim Cook and Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed to set up an Apple production and export base in India that goes beyond just assembling iPhones.

The company is looking to India after sales in China, once a major growth driver, started sliding. China sales fell 14% from a year earlier to $10.7 billion in the three months ended April. Apple has not disclosed how much revenue it generates in India but said that sales grew by strong double digits in the country in the most recent quarter, Reuters reported.

Reuters on August 1 had reported that Apple has asked the government to extend tax breaks to its suppliers if India seeks to become a manufacturing hub for iPhones and its components.

We are very happy that Apple has started their phase one manufacturing of mobile phones in India, said Ajay Kumar, additional secretary in the ministry of electronics and information technology. We look forward to them expanding their manufacturing footprint in India. We also welcome if the ecosystem of component manufacturing units of Apple also move with them. Discussions are being held with Apple by government. Given the market opportunities and favourable ecosystem which India offers, we think there is win-win opportunity here.

In response to a Lok Sabha question on 9 August, minister of state for electronics and information technology P.P. Chaudhary said that to assess the impact of concessions being sought by Apple India Pvt. Ltd (AIPL), the government had sought information on installed capacity and production of Apple iPhones from the first phase set up in Bengaluru by AIPL, including the investment made and employment generated by the manufacturing facility.

The government also sought information on the scale of the proposed investment in the second phase for manufacture of Apple iPhones in India, the proposed capacity and likely employment to be generated, Chaudhary said in his response.

Apple did not answer a detailed email from Mint on AIPLs response to governments queries and its next steps in India.

The person cited in the first instance said that Apple could not answer that question as they are not directly making any investment here in India.

The company has tried to explain to the government in discussions earlier that if the company manufactures (not just assembles) the iPhones in India, it can say it is investing in India, this person said.

Right now, the company is only paying others to get the services. So, for instance, it has paid Wistron to set up the plant in Bangalore on their behalf. Today, Wistron is manufacturing for Apple Inc., tomorrow they can manufacture for someone else there. So, this cannot be termed as direct investment by Apple Inc. in India. It is just a payment. Similarly, a component manufacturer can put up a plant and say that a team of a certain number of people has been hired to focus only on Apple Inc. But, that is not employment that Apple Inc. is creating in India.

Importing components by paying heavy duties is not a viable option for Apple, he said. Use of local content, however, is.

If India is set to become the largest smartphone manufacturing hub in the world, attracting component manufacturers here with good rebates, deduction of duties and tax breaks makes sense. Not just Apple Inc., other companies too will benefit, the person said.

In the companys third quarter earnings call, Apples Cook reaffirmed his firms commitment to the India market. Im very, very bullish and very, very optimistic about India, he said.

(Published in association with Livemint)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Securities market regulator Sebi has cautioned the youth against falling for any scheme promising abnormal returns, especially ponzi ones.

Instead of going through allurement, investors are advised to go through terms and conditions of the scheme carefully before investing, Sebi DGM Surya Kant Sharma said on Monday while delivering his keynote address at a seminar in Amar Nath Girls Degree college in Mathura.

At the regional seminar titled Investors education, organised jointly by BSE and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) here, he stressed on proper investment and protection of investors from frauds.

He advised the students to keep details of schemes and agents for future reference, cautioning them against ponzi offerings to avert any financial loss.

The official also explained various government programmes, including Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojna, Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojna and Sukanya Samridhi Scheme. He asked participants of the seminar to opt for Atal Pension Scheme.

Sharma made out a case for educating the poor to avail of benefits from government schemes.

Summing up the seminar, Rekha Verma, Manager IDC, Sebi, advised investors, not to keep unused funds and rather develop the habit of investing money in saving and recurring schemes.
The commerce ministry in its consolidated FDI policy document released today has for the first time included start-ups, which can raise up to 100% of funds from Foreign Venture Capital Investor (FVCI).

Start-ups can issue equity or equity linked instruments or debt instruments to FVCI against receipt of foreign remittance, said the document which incorporates all the changes made in FDI policy over the past year.

In addition, startups can issue convertible notes to person resident outside India (subject to certain conditions), it said.

A person resident outside India (other than citizens/ entities of Pakistan and Bangladesh) will be permitted to purchase convertible notes issued by an Indian startup company for an amount of Rs 25 lakh or more in a single tranche.

NRIs can also acquire convertible notes on non- repatriation basis , said the document of Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce.

A startup company engaged in a sector where foreign investment requires Government approval may issue convertible notes to a non-resident only with approval of the Government, it said, adding that the startup issuing convertible notes would be required to furnish reports as prescribed by the RBI.

The government is focusing on startup companies to promote job creation and innovation.

The DIPP, which deals with FDI related matters, compiles all policies related to foreign investment regime into a single document to make it simple and easy for investors to understand.

Investors would otherwise have to go through various press notes issued by the department, and the RBI regulations to understand the policy. The government updates the policy every year.

The whole exercise is aimed at providing an investor friendly climate to foreign players and, in turn, attract more FDI to boost economic growth and create jobs.

During the last one year, the government has liberalised FDI policy in over a dozen sectors, including defence, civil aviation, construction and development, private security agencies and news broadcasting.

Foreign investments are considered crucial for India, which needs around USD 1 trillion for overhauling its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and highways to boost growth.

Foreign investments will help improve the countrys balance of payments situation and strengthen the rupee value against other global currencies, especially the US dollar.
Indian shares rose on Monday, heading for a fourth consecutive session of gains, as Infosys Ltd surged on the first day of trading since the appointment of co-founder Nandan Nilekani as chairman on hopes that the move would help defuse a months-long row between the founders and the board.

Infosys shares were up 3.8% after earlier rising as much as 4.6% on hopes that the appointment would provide some much needed stability to the company that has been reeling since the shock resignation of Chief Executive Vishal Sikka, who waged an acrimonious battle with the founders for months over alleged corporate governance lapses.

Analysts warned markets could see some volatility in the days ahead as monthly derivatives contracts are due to expire on Thursday.

There is some sort of relief rally in Infosys, said Krish Subramanyam, co-head - equity adviser at Altamount Capital Management, adding there will be some volatility (ahead) as this is the expiry week.

As of Thursdays close, Infosys shares had shed 10.6% since August. 18, the day Sikka resigned.

The Nifty was up 0.50% at 9,906.55 as of 0617 GMT, while the Sensex rose 0.49% at 31,752.12.

Markets were closed on Friday for a public holiday.

IT stocks led the gains. The Nifty IT index rose as much as 1.3% and was on track for a fourth straight session.

Among other gainers, Adani Enterprises Ltd rose as much as 9.3% in its biggest intraday percentage gain since June 6 after it said it plans to begin work on the controversial Carmichael coal project in Australia in October.

Nestle India Ltd touched a one-month high after it reassured investors that it would focus on driving volume growth through new product launches, and Credit Suisse upgraded it to outperform.

But Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd dropped as much as 2.9% after it said that a law firm representing an investor filed a class action lawsuit in New Jersey against the company, its CEO and CFO.
Adani Group plans to start work on its $16.5 billion Carmichael coal project in Australia in October, chairman Gautam Adani said, buoyed by the dismissal of appeals filed against the project by Australian activists.

We will start construction of the project by October and first coal will come out in March 2020, Adani, 55, said in an interview on Friday night.

The remarks followed a boost received by the group on two different fronts last week.

First, a full bench of the federal court in Brisbane dismissed challenges from the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) and native title objections from a central Queensland resident, Adrian Burragubba, according to a PTI report. Burragubba was also involved in an action dismissed earlier by the Queensland Court of Appeal relating to the granting of a mining lease covering the Carmichael resource. Adani, in a statement last week, said the court rulings had reinforced its legal right to develop its Carmichael thermal coal resource.

Second, the group has received a clean chit from the adjudicating authority of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on allegations that it inflated the declared value of goods imported under the power and infrastructure heads, which attract zero or less than 5% duty, The Indian Express reported on 25 August.

Adani, who ranked 250 in the Forbes Worlds Billionaire List 2017 with a net worth of $5.8 billion, linked the controversies to the Carmichael project.

Everything that we have done is in the ambit of laweither in India or in Australia, which is an OECD country with stronger rules and laws, Adani said. What needs to be looked at is that the timing of the controversies coincides with commencement of the project in Australia.

After battling environmental protests and legal and regulatory hurdles for seven years, Adani Enterprises Ltd said in June that it was finally ready to proceed with the Carmichael coal and rail project in central Queensland, Australia. The companys board gave its final go-ahead to the project, Adani said.

We are committed to the larger purpose, to make India energy secure, Adani said in the interview. All these controversies have vested interests and go against Indias interest of providing electricity to 100 million people. The DRI clean-chit vindicates our stand, Adani said.

Adani Group has faced opposition from environmental groups concerned that the coal project will result in higher pollution levels and damage the Great Barrier Reef marine park in northern Queensland.

Adani plans to spend $16.5 billion in Australia of which an investment of $3.5 billion has already been made. Adani said $7 billion will be invested in the first phase by 2020 and $9 billion over the next 10 years.

Once it is built, the Carmichael mine will be one of the biggest in the world. It will include six open-cut pits and five underground mines across an area five times the size of Sydney Harbour. The coal will be transported to India, travelling from the mine via a new 189 km rail link, to a waterfront coal terminal at Abbot Point in North Queensland. The giant mine will generate so much coal that the terminal swill need to be expanded to accommodate it.

Adani said the project will create 10,000 direct and indirect jobs in regional areas of Queensland, and inject A$22 billion in royalties and charges into the Queensland governments coffers.

The project envisages phase one production of 25 million tonne per annum (mtpa). Peak mine production in later phases will rise to 60 mtpa. Adani Group will expand the capacity of its owned and operated bulk coal port facility at Abbot Point from 50 mtpa to 120 mtpa.

The project may also rely on the Queensland government giving the company a $1 billion concessional loan to help it build the rail link. The government is currently assessing whether to give Adani the loan through its $5 billion Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF).

Adani is confident that he will tie up the funds to complete the project.

The project will be funded by internal accruals, NAIF and foreign banks. Talks have already started with the banks, he added.

As part of the groups target of commissioning 10,000 megawatt of solar power capacity by 2020, 1,500 MW of solar power installations are being planned in Australia.

(Published in association with Livemint)
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

A bench comprising justices NV Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now. It asked the state to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013, and has been in jail since then.

On April 12, the apex court asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against Asaram. The court asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses, including the alleged rape victims.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds, including his poor health, in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a fictitious document to persuade the court to grant him bail and ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

The elder sister, in her complaint, had accused Asaram of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.

The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on ten witnesses in the Asaram rape cases.
The Aam Aadmi Party retained north Delhis Bawana seat by winning the bypoll with 59,886 votes on Monday, in a verdict that comes as a setback for the BJP that had hoped to wrest the constituency after an impressive show in civic polls this year.

Though the Congress once again failed to open its account in Delhi assembly, the result is being seen by the party cadre as a boost for the organisation, which has lost a string of elections in the city over the past years and saw a steady decline in the number of votes polled.

The by-election to Bawana was necessitated after the AAPs sitting MLA Ved Parkash quit the party and become the BJPs candidate this time.

After the final round of counting, the AAP won by a margin of almost 24,000 votes. The BJP garnered 35,834 votes while the Congress got 31,919 votes. This means the Congress has more than doubled its tally of votes over the 2015 assembly elections while the BJP saw its number of votes plummet almost by half.

The AAP fielded party volunteer Ram Chandra, who had contested assembly polls from Bawana in 2008 on a BSP ticket. The Congress fielded party veteran and three-time MLA from Bawana Surender Kumar.

Delhi chief minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal attributed the victory to clean politics and his governments performance in the Capital.

                           Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) August 28, 2017

AAP (Delhi) convener Gopal Rai, who led the partys campaign in the Bawana, thanked the voters and the volunteers for the victory.

Delhi Congress said its performance in the election was quite satisfactory as its vote share has increased drastically since the last election.

We will further consolidate our efforts. The election result proves that the Congress is an important player in Delhi. Our vote share has increased while that of both AAP and BJP has gone down, said Ajay Maken, chief, Delhi Congress.

SETBACK FOR BJP

Though the BJP emerged a distant second, the outcome is a setback for the saffron party because it was resignation of its candidate, turncoat Ved Parkash, from the Delhi assembly as AAP legislator that necessitated the by-election.

The BJP fielded turncoat Parkash despite opposition from within the saffron ranks, hoping it would continue its winning streak riding the Modi wave as it did in Rajouri Garden bypoll besides a consecutive third term in the municipal corporations earlier this year.

The party insiders feel the liability of explaining why the party fielded Ved Parkash who quit midway proved decisive in the end.

It is almost a repeat of the Rajouri Garden bypoll when the AAP failed to explain the voters why Jarnail Singh quit. The decision of the party to field Parkash split the party cadre on the ground, which also gets reflected in the number of votes its candidate got, said a Delhi BJP leader.

BJP leader Gugan Singh, who won the seat in 2013 assembly election and emerged runner up in 2015, quit the party and joined AAP days ahead of the bypoll. Former BJP councillor Narayan Singh also switched sides to join AAP in the last leg of the campaign.

The outcome is also a reversal for the party from the civic elections as the saffron party won three of the six municipal wards. While one each went to AAP, Congress the sixth was won by an independent.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari said its time to analyse why the party failed to win the election. The fact is that AAP has managed to retain the seat. We made every possible effort to snatch it but could not succeed. We will look into the issues and take corrective measures. We should learn from our failures and we will certainly take it as a lesson, he said.

CONGRESS FAILS TO OPEN ACCOUNT

The Congress, which was approaching the election as a window of opportunity, once again failed to open its account in Delhi assembly.

The only solace that the grand old party could derive is that its number of votes increased from 14,000 odd votes in 2015 assembly elections to 31,919 votes in the bypoll.

The vote share has been increasing for the party. It increased from 12% to 38% in Rajouri Garden bypoll. Similarly, the vote share of the party also increased in municipal elections as compared to 2015 assembly. Its a positive sign for the party, a Delhi Congress leader said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The border trade and travel via Chakan-da-Bagh in Poonch remain suspended on Monday as well, despite a battalion commander level flag meeting on August 23, between Indian and Pakistani armies to restore sanity on the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri and Poonch districts.

On Sunday Pakistan opened heavy fire in Shahpur Kerni area of Poonch, injuring five civilians including a woman and two minor boys.

The trans-LoC bus service didnt take place on Monday. Even the lists (of passengers) were not exchanged this morning. There was heavy firing in the area on Sunday, said Tanvir Ahmed Choudhary, custodian of the Chakan-da-Bagh Trade Facilitation Centre.

Cross LoC bus service takes place on Mondays.

The official expressed apprehensions that going by the tense situation on the LoC, the trans-border trade may also not take place from Tuesday to Friday.

Pawan Anand, president of the Chakan-da-Bagh LoC Traders Association, said chances of trade from Tuesday looked bleak.

No lists were exchanged on Monday and the district administration has maintained silence. The traders are worried, Pawan added.

A total of 303 Indian traders do business with their counterpart via Chakan-da-Bagh.

The trade and travel had come to a grinding halt on July 10 and July 11, due to unprovoked firing by Pak army troops in the twin border districts.

To de-escalate tension prevailing along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts, Indian and Pakistani armies had held a commander level meeting at Chakkan Da Bagh on Wednesday and agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity along the borders.

At the battalion commander level meeting both the sides had mutually agreed to the importance of exercising restraint on the LoC and keeping the channels of communication open between local commanders.

Minister of state for home affairs Hansraj Gangaram Ahir had visited Chamliyal border outpost in Ramgarh area of Samba sector on August 24, to take stock of the prevailing security scenario on the border.

Significantly, on July 17, the BSF and the Pakistan Rangers had held a commandant-level flag meeting in Samba sector along the International Border and "committed" themselves to maintaining peace.

In the flag meeting, the two sides had agreed to re- energise instant communication between field commanders, whenever required, to resolve petty matters, a BSF official had said.
Three villagers were arrested on Monday for allegedly lynching two men on suspicion of cattle smuggling a day earlier in north Bengals Jalpaiguri district, police said.

The killings were not linked to cow vigilantism, police said, who were yet to ascertain if the two victims, both Muslims, were cattle smugglers or traders.

Hafizul Sheikh, a resident of Dhubri in Assam, and Anwar Hussain, a resident of Cooch Behar in Bengal, were travelling in a van with seven cows when they were attacked by a group of villagers in Dadon early on Sunday.

Jalpaiguri shares the border with Bangladesh and cattle-smuggling across the porous frontier is rampant in several districts on the Indian side. Cattle thefts, too, are common as the animals can be easily sold across the border.

The suspects, including a Muslin youth, were picked up from Barohalia village, police said.

The men who were killed on Sunday wanted to avoid a police check post and lost their way while taking a detour, locals said. They were looking for a way out when a group of villagers stopped them. Sheikh and Hussain were killed but the van driver, who was injured, managed to flee.

This is the second time in three months that someone has been killed on suspicion of cow theft in Bengal. Three Muslim men were beaten to death in June in North Dinajpur district when they were allegedly trying to steal a cow.

There has been a rise in incidents of violence in the name of cow protection across the country, as BJP-ruled states draw up stringent rules and punishments for cattle and beef smuggling. Critics accuse the BJP of encouraging the lynch mobs.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
DEHRADUN: BJP chief Amit Shah will be here on a two-day visit on September 19 during which he will monitor the Trivendra Singh Rawat governments performance and scrutinise the ruling partys organisational preparedness for the next general elections, according to insiders.

Shahs visit coincides with the completion of the Rawat governments six months in power. Besides reviewing its performance, he will scrutinise the organisational preparedness of the partys state unit in view of the next years local body elections and the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, a BJP leader said.

Party insiders said Shah would try and reconcile the growing friction between BJP veterans and some 15 of its new entrants. Formerly with the Congress, Cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj and BJP veteran Madan Kaushik are said to be not in the best of terms especially after the recent clashes between their supporters in Haridwar. Days later, the town saw clashes between the supporters of former chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and BJP legislator Kunwar Pranab Singh Champion. Nishank is a parliamentarian from Haridwar whereas Champion represents the Khanpur assembly segment of the Lok Sabha constituency.

Officially, the BJP downplayed the frictions saying that would not require Shahs intervention. They (frictions) have got nothing to do with factionalism within the party as they are petty ego clashes. Thats normal in a democratic party, which is being joined by so many people from other parties, BJP state president Ajay Bhatt said. So, such squabbles do not merit his intervention.

But BJP state general secretary Naresh Bansal said the frictions were a challenging task. Our party chief during his visit will definitely provide us guidance, but it is for the state leaders to resolve the squabbles among some of the party leaders.

Bansal said the BJP chief would have a hectic schedule packed with back-to-back meetings. During his hectic schedule, he will preside over 15-20 meetings a day, he said, adding Shah would meet the chief minister, his Cabinet ministers and the BJP legislators to assess their performance. Shah would also have an organisational assessment to check whether it is properly publicising a number of pro-people schemes and development projects introduced by the Rawat government and the Centre.

The BJP chief was expected to provide valuable tips to expedite delivery, if needed, and strengthen the organisational capability.

Bhatt said the party might organise an intellectuals meet where Shah would share with them the achievements of the BJP-led Centre and the state government. We may also organise his (Shah) interaction with our partys district heads or our grassroots level workers from areas falling in nearly 11,000 polling booths.

Bansal said Shahs interaction with party workers would boost their morale, which would brighten the partys prospects in all coming elections.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
KARATPUR (HARIDWAR) : Sipping tea outside his house in Katarpur village, Chandresekhar Chauhan is worried about the plight of farmers. The 60-year-old is not excited by the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sanghs suggestion to develop the village into a pilgrimage centre since some Hindus laid down lives in 1918 protesting cow slaughter.

Chauhan says what happened in the past is all history and no one is interested in recalling the painful episode. He underlines cow politics will serve no purpose. We dont want politics. We are okay with the cow pilgrimage, if it helps our boys to get a decent opportunity for livelihood. Youths are migrating to semi-urban and urban areas in search of employment, he says.

Mohammed Hamid, a 70-year-old farmer, echoes similar sentiments. Hamid, who owns four cattle, says cow is no less than a family member for the Muslims in Katarpur. Pilgrimage is a welcome step but the government should see who it is going to help - us or village, he underlines. The village has some 4,000 people, including nearly 1,000 Muslims.

A Gaurakshak Shaheed Smarak (memorial) already exists in the middle of the village. In 1918, the Britishers permitted some Muslim families to slaughter cow on the occasion of Eid. It led to communal tension among Hindus and Muslims, resulting in four deaths and more than 100 people going to jail.

Like other BJP-ruled states, Uttararkhand under chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is slowly seeing the politics surrounding the cow make inroads. Popularly known as Devbhoomi, Uttarakhand is home to the Char Dhams revered by the Hindus. In June, Rawat himself welcomed a cow and its calf to his official residence. The significance is not lost on the people. The Sanghs suggestion finds favour with a BJP minister. We endorse the idea of the Sangh for having a cow pilgrimage and the government will work into it, animal husbandry minister Rekha Arya says.

For more than a decade after the 1918 unrest, the village saw both the Hindus and the Muslims leave for other places. A police post came up just opposite to the spot of violence, where the memorial exists. Around 1955, philanthropist Meetha Ram Bali arrived from Punjab to Haridwar and visited Katarpur when he heard about the communal violence. Ram went on to motivate villagers to return to their ancestral homes, old timers say. It was in this period when Ram gave donations to set up a cow memorial as a tribute to those who gave up their lives.

Every year on February 8, a function is held in memory of cow martyrs at the Gauraksha Shaheed Smarak. We take pledge to protect the cow, which we regard as mother, and to ensure sacrifice of our forefathers doesnt go waste. Cow can be found in every second household of Katarpur, though the number is getting dwindling as younger generation is not interested in cattle rearing, village head Nootan Kumar asserts.
A row has erupted over a piece of land on which the Uttar Pradesh government has proposed to construct a Kailash Mansarovar pilgrim centre.

Environmentalists say a major chunk of the land is jheel (a water body) as per Fasli records 1360 (English year 1953) and its nature cannot be altered but the authorities say it is barren land.

The Ghaziabad district administration now is going through revenue records to confirm the nature of the land in Arthala village, where the facility will come up.

Officials are also in a fix as chief minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to arrive on August 31 to lay the foundation stone for the facility proposed to come up near Ala Hazrat Haj House, which is also caught in litigation.

Environmentalist Sushil Raghav had earlier filed a petition against the construction of the Haj House near the Hindon floodplains after which the state government had withheld its opening.

Officials are trying to find out the base records of Fasli 1359 in order to ascertain the exact nature of the land slotted for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrim house, bearing khasra number 1330 (a land record number).

Activists Raghav and Akash Vashistha, who have filed different petitions at the National Green Tribunal over environmental issues, had earlier filed a complaint with the administration, claiming that land chunk 1330 was a water body.

We have records that show it was a jheel but municipal corporation officials claim it is banjar (barren land). After our petition with NGT, the authorities are restoring water bodies. Land chunk 1330 should also be restored. The nature of this land cannot be altered for any other use as provided in the Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act and as per the Supreme Courts directions, Raghav said.

In one of their reports to the administration against the complaint filed by Vashistha, municipal corporation officials said that land chunk 1330, spread over .672 hectares, was banjar.

Our records and the property register show it as banjar. The government has the power to give this land to a department and it was allotted for a charitable/community facility. Land chunk 1330 is a bigger plot and it may comprise different kinds of lands in it, said CP Singh, municipal commissioner, Ghaziabad.

Vashishtha said, The land chunk is a water body and I will take legal recourse if its nature is altered. The facility can be taken up for construction at some other location.

The 1360 Fasli record shows the land chunk as jheel. The 1359 record is the base record and we are trying to find out its nature on its basis. But this record is in custody of the court in connection with a land dispute case. We will take its permission and scan the record at the earliest, said Prem Ranjan Singh, joint magistrate.

In an earlier order in January 2011, the apex court in a case, Jagpal Singh & others versus State of Punjab & others, had stated,The present is a case of land recorded as a village pond. This court in Hinch Lal Tiwari vs. Kamala Devi, AIR 2001 SC 3215 (followed by the Madras High Court in L. Krishnan vs. State of Tamil Nadu, 2005(4) 8 CTC 1 Madras) held that land recorded as a pond must not be allowed to be allotted to anybody for construction of a house or any allied purpose. The court ordered the respondents to vacate the land they had illegally occupied, after taking away the material of the house. We pass a similar order in this case (sic).

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday won the Bawana assembly bypoll on its home turf, halting the trend of electoral losses that followed its big victory in the 2015 Delhi assembly elections.

The party emerged victorious with a sizeable lead in a three-corner contest that witnessed a low turnout of 45 per cent on August 23. This was a reflection of AAPs success in holding on to its core vote bank of JJ cluster residents.

The JJ (jhuggi jhopri) cluster is one of seven types of unplanned settlements designated by the Delhi government.

The bypoll result also reversed the political history of the assembly seat. AAPs Ram Chander has become the first Bawana MLA who hails from a JJ cluster and not one of the 26 rural villages that have dictated the constituencys political fortunes in the past.

Bawana election result 2017 Highlights: Kejriwal thanks Delhi for stamp of approval after big win

All the six MLAs who have represented the constituency since 1993, when the Delhi assembly was reconstituted, belonged to one of these villages. Even in this bypoll, the Congress and BJP had opted to play safe by picking their candidates from there.

Bawana, one of the largest constituencies in Delhi, is home to some of its most expansive JJ clusters  including Shahbad Dairy and Bawana JJ Colony. Chander hails from Shahbad Dairy.

The fact that the AAP candidate hailed from a JJ cluster worked in his favour. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also did door-to-door campaigning in the area, making many promises that seem to have worked for the AAP, said Congress candidate Surender Kumar, a three-time former legislator from the constituency. Kumar conceded defeat after 20 of the 28 rounds of counting were completed.

Hard-earned win

According to AAP sources, the political course correction undertaken by the party after back-to-back electoral losses tilted the balance in its favour. The development pitch raised by the Kejriwal-led party in the run-up to the poll campaign also seemed to have impressed the electorate.

Earlier this year: AAP puts Gujarat plans on hold after debacle in MCD elections

Being in power, the AAPs poll pitch that its MLA can ensure better development in the area than a Congress or BJP councillor may have helped Ram Chander, said a Delhi Congress leader.

The bypoll in Bawana was necessitated after former AAP MLA Ved Prakash resigned from the party and the Delhi assembly to join the BJP in March, ahead of the municipal corporation elections. He had alleged that the Kejriwal government was not allowing him to work in the area.

However, Prakash  who contested the bypoll on a BJP ticket  was defeated by Chander with a margin of 24,052 votes.

Campaign diary: Only AAP can ensure development, says Kejriwal

AAPs triumph is also being attributed by party insiders to the fact that the party leadership went back to the drawing board after the setback in the MCD elections. It re-established its connect with the people and energised party cadre  two aspects that were reportedly found lacking in the partys previous electoral efforts.

The party launched its poll preparations soon after the MCD elections. Introspection at various levels helped the party identify the areas where course correction was required, said a party leader.

Soon after the MCD election results were declared, the reins of the partys state unit were handed over to Delhi labour minister Gopal Rai. After naming the candidate early, Rai and his team stationed themselves in Bawana for over two-and-a-half months.

The presence of the Delhi government in Bawana also increased in the last few months, with even Kejriwal taking time out from his busy schedule to make several rounds of the constituency. The chief minister participated in a series of padyatras and public meetings in the run-up to the election, during which he promised speedy completion of all pending development work.

Going rural for victory

AAP also made inroads into rural villages that have traditionally backed the BJP and Congress to expand its political presence in Bawana. In a symbolic message to the Delhi dehat (rural belt), Kejriwal inducted Najafgarh legislator Kailash Gahlot into his government  giving him important portfolios such as transport and revenue.

Campaign diary: AAP says anti-incumbency burden on BJP candidate

After former chief ministers Chaudhary Brahma Prakash and Shahib Singh Verma, Gahlot was the third legislator from the rural belt to be made a member of the Delhi cabinet.

Placing special emphasis on the development of non-urban zones, the Kejriwal government had announced the smart village project in March  under which an annual fund of Rs 2 crore was pledged to each rural village. Party leaders made it a point to repeatedly remind rural voters of this initiative during the election campaign.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) won the Bawana bypoll in a performance it was so desperate to pull off after a series of losses since its landslide victory in Delhi assembly elections in 2015.

After closing in on Congress in the initial rounds, AAP raced ahead by a wide margin making it possible for the party to retain its seat in Bawana. Though the Congress seemed to be leading in the initial rounds it was pushed back to the third spot in the latter half of the counting by BJP, which had swept the municipal polls in April this year and scored an easy second spot last time.

Bawana bypoll: Development focus, course correction did the trick for AAP

Bypoll in Bawana became necessary after AAP candidate Ved Parkash returned to BJP just before the municipal polls. Parkash, a former vice-president of BJP Youth Wing, is contesting Bawana bypoll on a BJP ticket.

The AAP has fielded party volunteer Ram Chandra, who had contested assembly poll from Bawana in 2008 on a BSP ticket. The Congress fielded party veteran and three-time MLA from Bawana Surender Kumar.



Bawana election result: AAP wins Delhi bypoll in blow to BJP, Congress doubles votes

Here are Live updates:

2.40pm: EVMs equipped with VVPAT (Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail) were used for the first time during elections in Bawana.

2.30pm: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee congratulates Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party for victory in Bawana bypoll. The Delhi CM responded to her tweet with Thank u Didi.

2.20pm: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal takes to Twitter to thank people of Bawana for putting their stamp of approval on clean politics and performance of AAP government over two-and-a-half years.

2.15pm: Responding after the partys defeat, Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari says he would analyse why the party failed to win the election.  The fact is that AAP has managed to retain the seat. We tried every possible effort to snatch it but could not succeed. We will look into the issues and take corrective measures. We should learn from our failures and we will certainly take it as a lesson, he said.

AAPs Ram Chandra celebrates his victory with supporters. (HT Photo)

2pm: For the BJP, the loss of Bawana seat comes barely four months into its total domination in the municipal polls and a sweep of the Rajouri Garden bypolls.

1.50pm: Ajay Maken, Delhi Congress chief: We will further consolidate our efforts. The election result proves that the Congress is an important player in Delhi. Our vote share has increased while that of both AAP and BJP has gone down.

1.40pm: AAP candidate and winner Ram Chander says he will take development in Bawana to the next level.

1.30pm: BJP candidate Ved Parkash takes a dig at Arvind Kejriwal after results, says the election is not a reflection of Modis popularity in any way.

1.15pm: FINAL TALLY: AAP 59886, BJP 35834, Congress 31919.

1.10pm: Ram Chandra of AAP wins Bawana assembly polls. He defeats BJPs Ved Parkash by around 24,00 votes.

1pm: Tally after 27th round: AAP 59844, BJP 35782, Congress 31881.

12.50pm: Tally after 24th round: AAP 53465, BJP 31064, Congress 28634.

12.40pm: AAP tweets a congratulatory message to supporters.

12.35pm: Tally after 23rd round: AAP 51070, BJP 29595 and Congress 28126. Only five more rounds to go.

12.30pm: AAP supporters chant Arvind Kejriwal zindabad as party takes a lead of about 20,000 votes.

12.20pm: Tally after 22nd round: AAP 48366, BJP 28236, Congress 27596. Congress which had started with a lead is now at the third position.

12.15pm: Tally after 21st round: AAP 47554, Congress 27090, BJP 26406.

12.05pm: Congress candidate Surender Kumar says Congress had put in its best efforts. The fact that the AAP candidate was a resident of JJ Colony worked in his favour. The CM also did door-to-door campaign in the area and made many promises which worked for AAP.

11.50am: Anticipating victory, AAP supporters begin to gather outside the counting venue to celebrate.

#BawanaByPoll Cong candidate Surender Kumar talks to media after coming out of counting station as trend shows AAP win @htTweets @htdelhi pic.twitter.com/nDiwCLpiHV  Abhinav Rajput (@Abhinavrt) August 28, 2017

11.40am:Tally after 19th round: AAP 42942, Congress 25885, BJP 23949.

11.30am: Tally after 18th round: AAP 40402, Congress 25187, BJP 22750. With 15,000 lead AAP looks very strong now.

11.25am: Tally after 17th round: AAP 36878, Congress 24648, BJP 21992, AAP continues to widen its lead.

11.15am: Tally after 16th round: AAP 34653, Congress 23736 and BJP 21378.

11.10am: Tally after 15th round: AAP 30770, Congress 23327 BJP 20545. BJP has made a comeback in this round. 825 votes for NOTA so far.

11am: Tally after 14th round: AAP 27647, Congress 22936, BJP 19542. 14 more rounds to go.

Campaign diaries: AAP says anti-incumbency burden on BJP candidate

10.50am: Tally after 13th round: AAP 25374, Congress 22465 and BJP 18041.

10.40am: Tally after 12th round: AAP 23216, Congress 21848 and BJP 16561. AAP getting stronger with this round. Smaller parties and Independents have not touched the four digit mark.

Read: AAP, Cong, BJP locked in battle of prestige in Delhi

10.30am: Tally after 11th round: AAP 20785, Congress 20194 and BJP 15346.Congress has lost its slim lead over AAP which is again leading.

10.20am: Vote difference between AAP and Congress just around 300 after 10 rounds.

10.10am: After 10th round: AAP which was leading since past three rounds now pushed to second position. Congress takes lead yet again.

10am: The by-election became necessary after AAP legislator Ved Parkash quit the Delhi assembly and went back to the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the municipal elections. Parkash, a former vice-president of BJPs youth wing, had defected to AAP just ahead of the 2015 assembly elections. Parkash is in the fray on a BJP ticket this time.

9.50am: Congress candidate Surendra Kumar has an early lead of around 2,000 votes over his BJP rival. Three key contestants locked in the poll battle in Bawana are: AAPs Ram Chandra, Congresss Surendra Kumar, BJPs Ved Prakash

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Delhi Police raided a casino in a GK-1 flat last week, arresting a former model who ran it and 14 alleged gamblers in the second such bust in recent days.

According to police sources, the casino at Pamposh Enclave in Greater Kailash-1 was being run by a 50-year-old woman who identified herself as a former model and the owner of an event management company.

After the bust late on Saturday, she told investigators that the casino was operating for 10-15 days, and that she and her son had moved into the flat a year ago. Besides her, 10 others who assisted in the operations were detained, said the sources on condition of anonymity.

Gambling is illegal in Delhi and Saturdays bust comes less than a week after police found a casino in a south Delhi farmhouse from where 30 people were arrested.

When police raided the facility in GK-1, 14 businessmen were nabbed. Cops also retrieved Rs 8.5 lakh in cash and chips. The alleged gamblers were mostly businessmen and property dealers from Pitampura, Noida and Gurgaon.

Sources said Saturdays raid was their second attempt to bust the casino. Last week, they received a tip-off but a raid was postponed at the last minute when a police informer told them that the flat was locked.

DCP south-east Romil Baaniya was not available for comments despite being sent several text.
A self-styled godman, earlier arrested from south Delhi in 2010 for allegedly running a high-profile sex racket, has landed in police net again. This time, however, he is accused of cheating people and duping them of money to fight his court cases.

Shiv Murat Dwivedi, alias Ichadhari Baba, allegedly duped people of lakhs of rupees by promising them jobs in government organisations such as Indian Railways, Indian armed forces, paramilitary services, Food Corporation of India and Public Works Department, said Romil Baaniya, DCP (south-east).

Southeast district police arrested the 46-year-old godman for allegedly promising a south Delhi woman and her two siblings jobs with the IRCTC in lieu of Rs 30 lakh.

To convince the woman that it was a real offer, the man even called her to New Delhi Railway Station to show her the future workplace and gave her an appointment letter that turned out to be fake. The woman filed an FIR at Amar Colony police station soon after realising that she had been duped.

The police caught Dwivedi and realised that he was the infamous Ichadhari Baba involved in the sensational sex racket seven years ago. To this victim, the godman had been posing as Shiva, a resident of East of Kailash.

The man revealed that after coming out of jail on bail in the sex racket case, he decided to cheat people to earn his livelihood as well as fight the stringent MCOCA case registered against him in the previous crime, said the DCP.

Dwivedi had been in news earlier after his arrest from the PVR Multiplex in Saket on February 26, 2010. Six alleged sex workers, aged between 19 and 30, were among those arrested with him.

Back then, police had said that Dwivedi had been involved in the racket for 10 years, allegedly with the help of political patrons. Over 200 women, including students, air hostesses and housewives, allegedly worked for him.

The phoney spiritual guru would allegedly send sex workers to five star hotels. He owned expensive cars and properties across the city. A dozen bank accounts and two cars belonging to him have already been attached by the Enforcement Directorate in the ongoing case.

A resident of Chitrakoot in UP, Dwivedi had come to Delhi in 1988. After working as a security guard at a hotel, he had landed a job in a massage parlour where he built his contacts to begin the alleged sex racket.
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a strange plea by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal against the decision of a single judge bench to expedite hearing of a civil defamation suit filed by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley against him and five other AAP leaders.

We are constrained to observe, much against our will, that the present appeals essentially impugn a decision which is clearly aimed solely at ensuring orderly and dignified conducting of the trial proceedings, the court said.

Such appeals do disservice to the cause of justice in the long run, and we would request counsel to be more circumspect in raising such challenges. We say no more.

The court was of the opinion that the pleas against the single judge benchs direction was totally misconceived, and only serve to protract proceedings which, in the interests of the parties to the lis (suit), deserve to be brought to a quietus as soon as possible.

On July 26, the single judge had directed the joint registrar to expedite the recording of evidence in the civil defamation suit while disposing of an application filed by Jaitley.

Jaitley had filed the suit against Kejriwal, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh, Raghav Chadha and Deepak Bajpayee, claiming they made false and defamatory statements in the case involving the DDCA, harming his reputation.

Jaitley rubbishes claim

Jaitley rubbished in the high court Kejriwals claim that he spared Congress leaders and only targeted him in a defamation suit, even though similar allegations relating to the irregularities in DDCA were made by both parties.

Jaitley said a person accused of malicious falsehood and defamation cannot claim any dilution in his guilt on the ground that other offenders have been spared.

The BJP leader, appearing before joint registrar Pankaj Gupta, objected to the CMs question and said it was for him to assess as to which statement made by which person had caused significant damage to his reputation.

His response came after senior counsel Anoop George Chaudhari and advocate Anupam Srivastav, appearing for Kejriwal, put to him that though Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken had made allegations of irregularities against him at a press conference in December 2015, but the union minister chose to sue only the AAP chief.

Jaitley was present in the court for the fifth round of cross-examination in a civil defamation suit of Rs 10 crore filed by him against Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders.
August 18, 1937August 23, 2017

James Allan Wingert

NEW BLOOMFIELDJames Allan Wingert (Jim), 80, beloved Son, Husband, Father, Grandfather, Brother, Cousin and Friend, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Wednesday, August 23, 2017.

Jim was born on August 18, 1937, in Chambersburg, PA and was the son of James C. and Barbara L. Wingert of Middletown, PA.

Jim is survived by his six adoring children: David (Laura) Wingert, Cindy Goodyear, Lori (Dave) Ulsh, Linda Sawtell (Mark), Diana (Dave) Stum, and Kathie (Jared) Zullinger. Continuing this legacy of love are his precious grandchildren, whom he cherished: Devin and Eric Wingert, Crystal and Shawna Goodyear, Aaron Ulsh, Amanda and Janey Stum, Kristen and Lexi Glassel and Riley Zullinger. He is also survived by his doting and loving sisters, Karla Wingert and Barbara (Dan) Zimmerman, his Mother-in-Law, Mary Langdon, several cousins, nieces and nephews, and many, many good friends.

Jim resided at his Middletown home until August 24, 1957, when he married the love of his life, Mary D. Langdon, with whom he resided at their Perry County farm until her death in November of 2012.

He graduated from Elizabethtown College in 1959 with a Bachelors degree in Business Administration and also attended Temple University. After working at several jobs during his younger years, Jim began his career at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA and ultimately retired after serving 27 years as Deputy Comptroller.

From the day he said I do, this man of immeasurable talents spent the next 61 years providing for, guiding, and building a rock-solid foundation for his loving family.

Jim loved working on the family farm (Bubbling Springs), especially on his John Deere tractors. In addition to his position as Deputy Comptroller, he also labored tirelessly in the farm fields side-by-side with his family enjoying the fresh country air. He was known for his unequivocal work ethic, which he passed on and instilled in his six children. The farm was his pride and his sanctuaryfor working, hunting, playing and for creating an irreplaceable homestead. His beloved farm was also home to the legendary Wingert Birthday Party Pig Roasts which spanned over 25 years and were celebrated with his family and many friends. Some of lifes greatest moments happened at these yearly events.

Jim was a born leader. He spent many years mentoring Boy Scouts, hosting jamborees on the farm and organizing numerous adventures with them. He also loved to travel and took great joy in planning trips through their own special travel company, Faraway Places. Along with family vacations to Nantucket Island and the Outer Banks, he also traveled extensively all over the world with his loving wife. Cruises to tropical islands and the Mediterranean, trips to Alaska, Paris, Tahiti and numerous landmarks throughout the United States were just some of the many places he visited.

Jim was a true and kind friend to all, generous to a fault, and had a sense of humor that knew no bounds. He enjoyed being the center of attention wherever he wenteven when he didnt try to be (which was rare!). He engaged everyone with his warmth, his quick wit, charisma and countless stories. That is how he was and how he will be remembered.

There is so much more we could say about Jim (and he would want us to!). This extraordinary and memorable manSon, Husband, Daddy, Papa, Brother, Cousin and Friend  will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him. He will live in our hearts forever...

Calling hours for friends and family will be held at the Nickel Funeral Home, 3626 Shermans Valley Road, Loysville, PA 17047 on Tuesday, September 5, 2017 beginning at 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM. On Wednesday, September 6, 2017, there will be a Celebration of Life Service for Jim at the family homestead where it all began, Bubbling Springs Farm, beginning at 11:00 AM.

Memorial donations in his name may be made to either The Boy Scouts of America, or the American Cancer Society.
Over 1,000 Delhi government schools will hold a parent teacher meeting (PTM) on Friday in which parents will be informed about the changes in the examination scheme for Class 9.

The PTM will be held between 8am and 12 noon at morning shift schools and 2pm-6pm at evening shift schools. Teachers have to brief the parents of each student individually for at least 5-10 minutes.

On Monday, the Directorate of Education (DoE) issued a circular to all schools about the guidelines to be followed on the PTM day.

For class 9-12, schools have been asked to inform parents about the changes notified by CBSE in the examination scheme like requirement of 33% marks (27 marks out of 80 marks) for passing and inclusion of complete syllabus in end term/final examination.

Importance of attendance shall also be explained to the parents. 75% attendance is compulsory for appearing in final examination. Attendance of classes held during summer vacation/winter break is also to be counted in the total attendance, the circular read.

The first and second term examinations are scheduled to be held from September 12 to October 3 and February 19, 2018 to March 24, 2018 respectively. Results for the first term will be declared on October 10.

Parents shall be briefed about the importance of terminal examinations. They shall also be requested to help their wards to prepare well and to ensure that their wards appear in terminal examinations without fail, the circular said.

Schools have been asked to advise parents to avoid long absence of students from schools during summer vacation and winter break.

Schools have been asked to retain the notebooks of all subjects and unit test answer sheets of the students to show to the parents.

All parents are to be shown well-maintained exemplary class work and home work notebooks of students. However, incomplete and ill-maintained notebooks of the students shall be brought to notice of their parents only, said the circular.

Schools have been advised to take help of local police for traffic and crowd management to avoid any inconvenience to parents and students.
Whether you like it or not, ABVPs Ankiv Baisoya and NSUIs Rocky Tushir will greet you as soon as you take the flyovers towards Lajpat Nagar or Moolchand.

With the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections scheduled to be held in September, candidates of student wings of political parties and their supporters have taken up the task of making a mark in the city quite literally.

Names of BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Congress- affiliated National Students Union of India (NSUI) candidates can be seen scribbled on walls in huge bold letters and on posters pasted across metro stations walls, college campuses, under bridges and even hospital buildings in different parts of the city.

Among the rules that govern students union elections is the Delhi Prevention of Defacement of Property Act 2007, which says anyone who defaces any property in public view by writing or marking with ink, chalk, paint or any other material, except for purposes of indicating the name of the property owner, will be punished.

The act says that the guilty will be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to Rs 50,000, or with both.

Last year, the National Green Tribunal directed the Delhi University to ensure that no paper is used for campaigning on campuses, but littering continues - not only in the campus but at public places in different parts of the city too.

The campaign

When approached by HT, both the parties said the candidates themselves resort to using graffiti and pasting posters but this practice does not get official backing from the political party itself.

We dont support any acts of defacing public property. Whatever graffiti was found in the city was made by the candidates or their supporters. Personally, we snub such acts and have asked the candidates not to resort to such measures of campaigning, ABVPs Delhi state secretary Bharat Khatana told HT.

He also alleged that other parties sometimes write the names of ABVPs candidates on the walls to malign the partys as well as the candidates image.

Other parties also paste posters or write on the walls to defame us sometimes. In such cases, we have made police complaints to stop them. Meanwhile, our candidates have been strictly asked to only use the wall of democracy in the Delhi University campus for campaigning, Khatana added.

The candidates also get sponsors and supporters on board in different areas to help them write their names on the walls. We have asked them to discontinue this practise since it is illegal, he said.

The ABVP member said they had asked the candidates to start the process of removing their names and posters from the walls they had spoiled.

The party started campaigning for the polls from Friday. We will approach students in all the colleges in DU and use social media to promote the candidates this year, Khatana said.

The NSUI, which on Thursday released its manifesto, however, said they had no knowledge of allegations made by the ABVP blaming other parties of defamation.

We have taken a firm stand against defacement of public property and writing on the walls. However, it is difficult to control each and every candidate of our party. We cannot impose but we do dissuade them from making such graffiti, AICC in-charge for NSUI Ruchi Gupta told HT.

For example, if I do approach our party candidate Rocky Tushir and ask him about the graffiti and the posters, he is likely to blame his workers and supporters. Sometimes, our candidates also cannot help themselves when they see names of other parties on the walls. It makes them promote themselves too by resorting to such behaviour, she added.

She said the NSUI was taking steps to put an end to this practice but it will happen over time and not overnight.

The Congress-affiliated party will distribute pamphlets, approach students individually, perform street plays and use social media to campaign for the upcoming elections.

Voices of disapproval

DU students are among those annoyed by such graffiti and posters defacing public property, especially the ones inside their campus.

A group of students came together last year and launched the No Poster Party (NPP) campaign to ensure that the elections are paperless and clean.

Due to our campaigning, this year there are less papers and posters lying around the campus. The ABVP has started using flags while the NSUI members are hanging posters on ropes. However, names of candidates can still be seen scribbled on the walls across the North campus and across the city in spray paint, said Marya, one of the co-founders of NPP.

We approached the authorities asking them to allow us to make murals on the walls to cover the posters and names to beautify the campus, but we were denied the opportunity, said Swastika, another co-founder of NPP.

The authorities keep saying they will take action against those vandalising the property but nothing has been done till now. They also stop short of doing anything since both the parties have strong political affiliations and a lot of manpower which deters anyone from saying anything against these people she added.

The spellings of the candidates names are also different in different areas, they said. It is likely done to brush off the blame from themselves when authorities or the police come calling, said Marya.

While left-wing student organisation All India Students Association (AISA) is also in the fray for the elections, students say they have not yet seen any posters and graffiti by them.

Last year, the NSUI managed to win one of four seats in the DUSU panel  that of the joint secretary -- while the ABVP has been in power for the past four years.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Supreme Court asked the Centre what steps it had taken to implement the two-year-old Madras high court order of banning China-made firecrackers.

A bench headed by Justice MB Lokur sought to know the details from additional solicitor general Pinky Anand, while it was hearing an application filed by firecrackers manufacturers who have implored the court to lift a ban on sale of crackers.

Senior advocate CA Sundaram, appearing for the companies, said there was no quality control on the crackers imported from China. He said not only were they much cheaper but a lot of materials banned by the court were used to manufacture them. He then pointed to the Madras HC order that had asked the Centre to take steps to stop the sale.

What have you (Centre) done about banning Chinese firecrackers, the bench asked Anand, who said she would revert to the court within two days. Meanwhile, the bench reserved its order on the manufacturers application.

The bench was also surprised to learn that around 50 lakh kilograms was stocked in and around the National Capital Region (NCR). Diwali is celebrated for around five days. In those five days, 10 lakh kg of firecrackers are used per day, the bench remarked, shockingly.

The manufacturers clarified that the weight was not just of the explosive element in the crackers but also included the boxes in which they were packed.

The SC had in November 2016 ordered suspension of all licences permitting wholesale and retail sale of fireworks within the NCR and said that it will continue till further orders.

During the arguments, the manufacturers said the rise in air pollution in the Delhi-NCR during the Diwali season was due to several reasons, including crop burning in neighbouring states, and not entirely due to the firecrackers.

The Delhi Police informed the court that in 2016, they had given 968 temporary licences to sell firecrackers out of a total of 1,068 applications. It said last year, these licences were given for a period of 24 days during the festive seasons of Dussehra and Diwali.

Senior counsel Ajit Sinha said the court could consider the issue of curtailing the period as well as limiting the number of temporary licences.

This court can rationalise it and if needed, reduce the number of licences. The time period can further be curtailed. Also the time limit for burning the crackers can also be brought down, he said.
The Doklam border crisis has ended as suddenly as it began. India announced both countries had agreed to mutually disengage their troops from the plateau along the Sino-Bhutan border. Beijing, in keeping with its recent tendency to speak in nationalistic hyperbole, said Indian troops were retreating and that it would continue to patrol the area. The two statements are not contradictory. China does not speak of what its troops will do. Patrolling upto a countrys claims area is allowed under the various Sino-Indian border management agreements and will now de facto be applied to the Sino-Bhutanese border as well. In effect, both governments seem to have agreed to go back to a status quo that existed before crisis began.

Chinas original sin was the decision to extend a road up to the Doklam plateau in violation of the 2012 trilateral agreement on the border. The proof of the pudding, however, will be in the eating. In other words, whether Beijing will seek to change the Doklam status quo in a substantial way over the coming months remains to be seen. One will expect aggressive patrolling in the immediate future by both sides. There may even be verbal brickbats from Beijing, in keeping with the unusually harsh language that has come from the Chinese foreign ministry and media over the past few months. Sound and fury signify nothing. Keeping its troops and workers indoors is what will be the real measure of Chinas intentions.

Doklam deserves some introspection on the part of India. Beijing seems to have assumed a passive Indian response to its initial construction efforts. Possibly New Delhis failure to respond to the initial Chinese action of demolishing two vacant Indian bunkers was misread. Or Beijing concluded that India would feel constrained about interceding on behalf of the territorial claims of a third country. Either way, there was a miscalculation that was potentially dangerous. The announcement of a withdrawal indicates neither side is interested in a wider conflict. But there needs to be some thought about the growing regional footprints of both countries and that their spheres of influence will brush against each other in third countries with increasing frequency. India and China should not see Doklam in terms of point-scoring but rather as a warning of the need for extending their border management framework across other borders as well.
The Himachal Pradesh Board of School Education (HPBOSE) released the admit card for the JBT and SHASTRI Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2017 on Wednesday. The exam will be held from September 3 to September 17.

The Junior Basic Teacher (JBT) TET and Shastri TET examination will be held on September 3.

Candidates can download the admit card by clicking here.

The admit card will not be sent to candidates separately by post. It will be issued to only those candidates who have submitted their complete application form in time and fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria.

It will contain candidates name, roll number, photograph, signature, address of the examination centre, and test schedule. Candidate should carefully check the admit card and, if there is any discrepancy, bring it to the notice of the board.

It must be brought to the exam hall. If a candidate does not find the admit card on boards website they should inform its office with a record of submission of online application form.

If a candidate cannot get the admit card before the exam begins, they should meet the centre superintendent at least one hour before the exam at the centre with a print out of the computer generated online last confirmation page.

Candidates must bring hard card board, blue or black ball point pen, and reach the exam hall 30 minutes before the commencement of the test.

Exam pattern

The question paper will consist of 150 objective type questions carrying one mark each and candidates will get a maximum of 150 minutes to solve them. There shall be no negative marking.

The minimum qualifying marks will be 60%.

The TET qualifying certificate would remain valid for an appointment for seven years from the date of issuance.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Lucknow: At a time when most government school teachers blame lack of resources for the poor quality of education in rural areas, three primary school teachers from the state have set an example using technology to transform the education scenario in their respective schools.

To recognise their contribution, Sushil Kumar, Sampanna Kumar Nigam and Alpa Nigam will be felicitated by president Ram Nath Kovind at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on September 5. They have been selected for the Government of Indias National ICT Award for School Teachers, 2016.

Kumar and Sampanna are headmasters of schools in Harak and Fatehpur block, respectively, both in Barabanki. Alpa Nigam is the headmistress of a primary school in Tilauli, Gorakhpur.

Alpa Nigam has been using technology to make the learning process more interesting for children. (Sourced)

Thirty-four-old Sampanna Kumar Nigam says, When I joined in 2011, very few students were enrolled and most of them ran away after lunch time. The biggest challenge was to make education interesting for them. I started using my mobile phone and tablet to teach rhymes and realised that they were showing interest. As the attendance began to improve drastically I began using audio-visual mode of communication to teach other subjects as well. Today, the students dont want to miss any class.

Impressed with Nigams dedication, a well-wisher recently donated a projector to the school to screen educational movies for students.

Unlike most students in rural areas, children of Tilauli village in Gorakhpur look forward to school and the credit goes to the headmistress of the Prathamik Vidyalaya, Alpa Nigam. Since she joined in 2010, she has been using technology to make the learning process more interesting for children.

Sushil Kumar encourages use of laptops in his classes. (Sourced)

Thirty-eight-year-old Sushil Kumar in Barabanki district also left no stone unturned to give his students a bright future. Ive been using my laptop to teach students since July 2007. I also ask the students who pass out to share their laptops with their juniors. As children love to use gadgets like these, the strength has gone up from 130 to 170, says Kumar.

Sushil also ensures that the children come well-dressed to school. Ive taught them that if they say their daily prayer without taking a bath, it will make God unhappy. I also show them videos emphasising personal hygiene, adds Kumar.

A total of 108 teachers from across the country made presentations in Bhopal between December 19 and December 23 in 2016. After the award committee assessed their work, 24 teachers were selected for the award.
With news out this week that a new game-changing malaria treatment may be on its way, and many travellers heading off to malaria transmission areas for summer vacations, the mosquito-spread disease is once again in the spotlight. Although global rates of malaria have fallen, the disease remains a major public health threat around the world, with nearly half of the of the worlds population at risk. The problem is particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where an estimated 43% of people do not have access to the tools needed to prevent malaria.

Here we round up some of the facts to keep you informed, as well as what the new treatment could mean for millions around the world.

What is malaria?

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites transmitted to people through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. Five species of parasites cause malaria in humans, with Plasmodium falciparum the deadliest and the most prevalent malaria parasite on the African continent.

Who is at risk?

In 2015, nearly half of the worlds population was at risk of malaria, although some are at a higher risk than others, including children under 5 years of age, pregnant women and patients with HIV/AIDS, as well as non-immune migrants, mobile populations and travellers. Most malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, although South-East Asia, Latin America and the Middle East are also at risk.

Symptoms usually appear 10-15 days after the infective mosquito bite, and start with fever, headache, and chills. (Shutterstock)

How can malaria be prevented?

Controlling mosquitoes is the main way to prevent and reduce malaria transmission, with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommending two forms of control  insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying (IRS). Long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) are the preferred form of ITNs, with WHO recommending all people at risk of malaria sleep under a LLIN every night.

IRS with insecticides is a powerful way to rapidly reduce malaria transmission and works best when at least 80% of houses in targeted areas are sprayed. It is effective for 3-6 months, depending on insecticide used and type of surface sprayed.

Are there vaccines?

Antimalarial medicines can be used to prevent malaria, and for those travelling, taking the drug chemoprophylaxis can prevent the disease. For those at a high risk and living in a malaria transmission area, WHO recommends alternative preventative drugs, with more information provided on their website.

What are the symptoms of an infection?

Symptoms usually appear 10-15 days after the infective mosquito bite, and start with fever, headache, and chills. However, symptoms may be mild and hence difficult to recognise as malaria, but early diagnosis and treatment is the best way to reduce the disease, its transmission, and prevent deaths.

What are the treatments currently available?

The best available medication to treat malaria, particularly for the deadlier P. falciparum malaria, is artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT).

How is the new treatment different?

According to the Financial Times, the treatment is the first new potential medication for malaria for 20 years, with clinical trials now starting in nine countries across Africa and Asia. Known as KAF156 and developed by Swiss drug company Novartis, the new treatment has been described as a game changer, with research suggesting that the medication not only rapidly cures the infection, but also works on resistant strains and blocks transmission of the parasite. If the promising drug lives up to researchers hopes it wont be available for a few years yet, but it could mean we are one step closer to a powerful life-saving treatment.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
Given the unrest in the state post the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and in anticipation of more trouble when the special CBI court in Panchkula is to pronounce the quantum of sentence, all private schools in the city will stay closed on Monday.

The decision, said officials, has been taken to ensure the safety and security of schoolchildren.

Confusion prevailed among residents on whether schools and colleges will stay open on Monday, even as the Gurgaon district administration announced that there are no worries on the security front and all educational institutions and offices will stay open on sentencing day.

Many private schools in Gurgaon, however, declared day off while some decided to send students of up to class 5 home. However, there was more confusion when the state government announced in Chandigarh that all educational institutions in Haryana will remain closed on Monday in anticipation of unrest due to the sentencing of the Dera chief.

Several parents took to social media platforms for a word on confirmation on whether the schools will be closed on Monday.

Deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh said, The administration has issued no direction to keep schools and colleges closed on Monday. If some private schools have decided to stay closed, it is a call taken by the respective school authorities. We have not issued any such direction at all. In fact, colleges which were closed, will be open on Monday.

I have spoken with schools which have planned to shut down on Monday and urged them to revisit their decision, as the situation is normal in Gurgaon. The schools have decided to stay closed as the parents are anxious about the safety of their children, Singh said.

The schools sent out messages to parents and the staff members on Sunday, clarifying that the school will remain closed only for the students and the staff will report as usual.

Some schools will remain open and will operate as per their scheduled timings. Some of the schools sent out advisories asking students of up to class 5 to stay home. The schools that will remain closed on Monday include Scottish High International School, The Shri Ram School, The Heritage, GEMS International School, Shikshantar, GD Goenka, Summer Fields.

Delhi Public School-45, Salwan Public School, and Lotus Valley School will remain closed for students of up to classes 4 and 5. Some others schools were also sending out advisories to parents till Sunday late evening.

Its a pity how educational institutions are forced to bow down to goons, Tripti Singh, administrator of the Facebook forum, Gurgaon Parents for Better Education, said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The fate of Dera Sacha Sauda ashram in Gurgaon is in the balance after the Punjab and Haryana high court sought details of all Dera assets from the Gurgaon administration and also other districts in the state.

Following large-scale violence by Dera followers after the conviction of Ram Rahim Singh in a 15-year-old rape case by a special CBI court on August 25 in Panchkula, in which public property was damaged and more than 30 were killed, the high court directed the state government to evaluate Deras assets to compensate the damages.

The ashram,  Naam Charcha Ghar in South City-2 in Sector 50 is wearing a deserted look for the last four days. The facility, spread over 1,155 sq yards, was alloted to Dera by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) in June 2006.

Huda also gave possession of the plot to Dera Sacha Sauda in 2008 and submitted the land details, with current market value, to Gurgaon district administration.

An official told Hindustan Times that the property is currently valued from Rs4 crore to Rs5 crore, roughly.

We cannot reveal the exact calculation done by the competent officials but roughly, as per current collector rate, it will definitely not cost less than Rs4.5 crore as a well-furnished three-storey building has also come up on the land. Since the high court is monitoring the issue, we cannot reveal details of the matter to the media, the official said.

A contingent of the Gurgaon police continues to monitor the area and the ashram, the main gate of which continues to remain locked.

The outer wall of the ashram still has a large hoarding of Ram Rahim Singhs latest movie Jattu Engineer, also produced and directed by him. The police have evacuated the ashram and have strictly prohibited the entry of public.

Residents of the area said that the hoarding has turned into a joke among the locals. Baba Ram Rahim looks so funny on the Enfield Bullet. He used to come here in luxury car with his cavalcade. The entire area used to turn high-profile with his presence but now, all is gone and the police have taken custody of the ashram, said Diler Singh of Jharsa.

Vinay Pratap Singh, deputy commissioner (DC) of Gurgaon, said, We have assessed Deras assets and sent the details to the Haryana government. We will not reveal any particulars in this regard.

Our duty magistrates and police have done a tremendous job in ensuring peace across the city, said Singh.

The CBI court on Monday sentenced Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years imprisonment.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Fearing unrest in Gurgaon on Monday, as Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was sentenced, employees of most corporate firms and organisations in the city chose to work from home. Many even took the day off.

The self-styled godmans conviction last Friday for raping two women triggered violence by his supporters in Haryana and Delhi. At least 30 people were killed in Panchkula and a train and two buses were torched in Delhi. Though Gurgaon remained calm, many offices had shut by 4pm and had advised employees to leave.

Anticipating similar incidents on Monday, due to the announcement of the quantum of punishment for the Dera chief, residents put their safety first. It only takes one person to lead a mob. I chose to work from home today (Monday) rather than put my life at risk, Aarti Periwal, who works with a software company in CyberHub, said.

Respected Mam, we are on each and every point. No need to worry. You can move freely. Citizen safety is our first priority & responsibility  Gurugram Police (@gurgaonpolice) August 28, 2017

Nikhil Bishnoi, who works with an MNC in Cyber City, said he is not taking any chances. During the Jat agitation in Rohtak, the citizens were sitting ducks for the mob. There was practically no order in the city. Police and armed forces were nowhere to be found. If a similar situation arose in Gurgaon after the sentencing, being out there on the street is not a good idea.

Managements of most offices reported a low turnout of employees and said they were monitoring the situation throughout the day. No work-from-home advisory was issued for the employees but the developments in the case were monitored closely and colleagues had been told to check their emails for updates or an advisory. Colleagues were allowed to bring their children to work instead of keeping them in a day care, Manas Fuloria, CEO of Nagarro said.

Sources in OLA, the cab aggregator, said that they were allowed to work from home on Friday on the day of the verdict but operations functioned as usual on Monday.

Employees of Airtel, the telecom company, also reiterated that operations continued as usual and no notice or advisory was issued.

The Gurgaon police had installed barricades and deployed police officials at the entry/exit points along its borders with New Delhi and Faridabad to keep a check on law and order.

The checking process resulted in snarls on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway as vehicles were being allowed to enter the city one by one, on the service lane near Ambience Mall.

As a precautionary measure, most private schools in Gurgaon had declared an off day on Monday.

Despite this, residents were worried and the Gurgaon police, through its Twitter handle, reassured them.

@gurgaonpolice safe to go out around gurgaon today afternoon ? (sic) Aishwarya Tandon tweeted.

In reply, Gurgaon police tweeted. Respected Mam, we are on each and every point. No need to worry. You can move freely. Citizen safety is our first priority & responsibility (sic)

We have deployed force from the police stations and from the police lines. About 1,500 police personnel are on constant vigil, Deepak Gahlawat, deputy commissioner of police (headquarters) Gurgaon, said.

Gurgaon deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh maintained that the situation is peaceful. Buses, metro and train services are running as per schedule in the district. The internet and cellular services are operational, Singh said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Hollywood star Matt Damon and Bollywood star Akshay Kumar have something in common  apart from their global fan following. Akshays recent hit, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha deals with open defecation in India, an issue that Damons non-profit organisation, Water.org, has been addressing for years now.

In an exclusive chat with us, Damon says hes delighted that Akshay decided to highlight this issue in a film. Its great to have stars like Akshay and films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha spotlighting the open defecation crisis, as it helps to drive more awareness of not only the issues but also what can be done to tackle this and create change. Our organisation, Water.org, is dedicated to ending open defecation globally.

I have seen first-hand the devastating effects on health, the threat to women and children, and the contamination of safe drinking water from open defecation. Its clear to me that a person cannot thrive and reach their full potential without first having access to safe water to drink, and the dignity of a sanitary toilet, says Damon, who last visited India in 2013 to monitor the Water.org projects here.

Hollywood star Matt Damon has appreciated Akshay Kumar for raising awareness about the open defecation crisis

During that India trip, the actor was apparently fascinated by the massive influence of Indian movie stars, and he quite enjoyed the typical spicy Indian food, too. But what he remembers most clearly from that trip is his interaction with people, and hes looking forward to coming back.

Damon says, The people Ive met in the cities and villages of India were gracious and welcoming. Meeting with people from various communities in Chennai, Mumbai, and Bangalore, I listened to them tell me [about] their wish to have toilets.

The actor also met the people who had been helped by Water.org with building their own toilets. [They] were very proud to show them to us, says Damon. This is what sticks out for me people want to have their own bathrooms; to feel safe, clean, and to have their privacy protected. While I do not have a date scheduled for my next trip, I am looking forward to visiting India again soon.

Follow @htshowbiz for more

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The government is looking up to China to give a fillip to Indias economy.

Or so it seems. There are 67 references to China and Chinese in the Three-Year Action Agenda: 2017-18 to 2019-20 prepared by the government think tank Niti Aayog.

The agenda, released by finance minister Arun Jaitley on August 24, not only hails and acknowledges Chinas economic muscle but also highlights how India comes up short.

China may not be the most neighbourly neighbour  Doklam standoff is in its third month  but it is the worlds second biggest economy and has a lot going for it.

From special economic zones to job creation, from world-class universities to modern cities, from communication technology to soft power  the Niti Aayog, which is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has taken note of it all.

The agenda underscores the need to replicate Chinas very large special economic zones along its coasts by developing two employment zones on Indias east and west coasts.

For Make in India to succeed, the country would have to manufacture for a global market, as China and some other countries do. But for that, Indian products have to be competitive, it says.

The Shenzhen model of urbanisation could inspire smart cities. Shenzhen used to be an unremarkable town until 40 years ago but an urbanisation push transformed it into a megacity, one of Chinas wealthiest.

Highlighting the role exports play in increasing productivity, employment and wages, the document says there are only four developing countries  China, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea  that successfully transformed themselves within three decades. But China, with a population similar to India, is most comparable.

In 2015, the world merchandise exports amounted to $16.6 trillion. China accounted for 13.72% of these exports and India only 1.67%, says the report.

The Aayogs governing council, including Modi, many Union ministers and chief ministers, deliberated on the draft document in April.

Their comments were incorporated in the agenda, commissioned by the prime ministers office in May 2016.

The action agenda wants India to harness its soft power by setting up centres similar to Confucius Institutes of China, Alliance Francaise of France and Goethe institutes of Germany.

It also talks about creating world-class universities by learning from China and Singapore. China follows a tiered system where the top-rung institutes  Beijing and Qinghua  receive significantly higher funding. We too should be careful that we do not spread available funds too thin. Instead, we should adopt the tiered funding model for public universities, says the agenda.

It also sees an opportunity in rising wages in China. Many multinational firms, especially in labour-intensive sectors, are turning uncompetitive and are looking for alternative low-wage locations. India could be a natural home for such firms, it says.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Nine children drowned in Bhagalpur during idol immersion on Sunday even as the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued five people, precariously perched on trees, after their countrymade boat sank in Musahri block of Bihars flood-hit Muzaffarpur district last Friday.

The children had gone for idol immersion as culmination of Ganesh Chaturthi festivities on Sunday when nine of them drowned at a pond in Marhwa village under Jhandapur police station area of Bhagalpur. The children had travelled nearly 4 kms from their adjoining village Korchakka under Bihpur police station area for the idol immersion.

Naugachchia superintendent of police Pankaj Sinha said all the bodies had been recovered and the rescue operation called off. The bodies were fished out by divers, who were requisitioned from adjoining Khagaria district.

The deceased have bene identified as Niranjan Yadav (14), Chhotu Kumar (10), Pintu Kumar (13), Rahul Kumar (12), Saurabh Kumar (15), Vishal Kumar (13), Pantesh Kumar (14), Saurabh Kumar-II (13) and Nanku Kumar (14).

Angry villagers on Monday blocked road connecting the two villages, demanding compensation for the next of kin of the deceased.

Meanwhile, the NDRF successfully rescued five precious lives after a civilian boat they were travelling in sank in flood-hit Muzaffarpur on Friday.

Commandant of NDRF 9th battalion, Vijay Sinha, said his men, positioned in Musahri block of Muzaffarpur, rushed as soon as they got information about a boat tragedy in the area at about 8.25am on August 25. The country boat was going from Narauli to Mainkya village when it met with an accident, before reaching the mainstream of Burhi Gandak river, which is in spate.

The lives of the victims hung by a thread, as they managed to latch on to branches of two trees. Their village inundated, they were moving to safer places with some of their household belongings, including livestock, when tragedy struck. One of the youths balanced himself on the overturned boat as the NDRF squad, led by team leader Deepak Kumar Pandey, rescued them in the nick of time.

Those rescued were identified as Mohammad Habib (60), Jamila Khatoon (57), Md Gulab (30), Md Saddam (27) and Md Ayub (19). The NDRF also rescued two goats with them.

As many as 1.71 crore people in 19 districts of Bihar were still affected by the deluge, which had so far claimed 482 lives.

A total of 187 blocks and 2,371 panchayats were affected by flood, a communique by the Bihar State Disaster Management department said. With flood water receding, the number of relief camps had come down to 222, where 1.44 lakh people had taken shelter.

Araria district alone accounted for 95 deaths, followed by Sitamarhi (46), Purnea (44), Katihar (40), West Champaran (36), East Champaran (32), Darbhanga (30), Madhubani (28), Madhepura (25), Kishanganj (24), Gopalganj (20), Supaul (16), Saran (13), Muzaffarpur (9), Saharsa (8), Khagaria (8), Sheohar (6) and Samastipur (2).
Tamil Nadus ruling AIADMK convened on Monday to take a decision on the ouster of party chief VK Sasikala, whose nephew TTV Dinakaran is leading a rebellion that could potentially unseat the state government.

All MPs, MLAs and office bearers of the AIADMK huddled at the party headquarters in Chennai for the meeting, led by chief minister Edapaddi Palaniswami, days after two factions merged.

But the rebel MLAs threatened violence if Sasikala was ousted. Dinakaran supporter Thanga Tamilselvan said that there will be violence in the party office if such a resolution was passed. This group of rebel MLAs has also given the governor a two-day deadline to take a decision on their demand of a trust vote as they had withdrawn support to chief minister Edapaddi Palanisami.

Dinakaran maintained that the sleeper cells in AIADMK will get more active at an appropriate time. His MLAs continued to stay in Puducherry and will remain there for another week.

Dinakaran claims the support of 21 MLAs, which means that the government of Palaniswami will be in a minority in the 234-member assembly. The opposition DMK has urged the governor C Vidyasagar Rao to call for a floor test. A no-confidence motion against the chief minister can be called only by October, as per rules.

Dinakaran has maintained that the sleeper cells in AIADMK will get more active at an appropriate time. His MLAs continued to stay in Puducherry and will remain there for another week.

The opposition DMK, taking steps in tandem with the rebel group, called on the governor in a delegation led by its senior leader Durai Murugan and sought the immediate convening of the assembly for a floor test.

DMK working president MK Stalin, addressing a gathering at Thiruvarur, his fathers constituency, said, If the governor does not convene a session immediately, the DMK will move the courts for justice. The government has lost legitimacy and has no right to stay in office even for a second.

Rao has assured the DMK delegation that he would act in the best interests of the Constitution and only after examining all legal aspects of the situation. The DMK delegation spent 15 minutes with him.

Stalin maintained that the AIADMK government would fall on its own. The DMK has nothing to do with it, he said, rebuffing allegations that his party was trying to grab power through the backdoor.

Dinakaran has continued his sacking spree and removed several AIADMK leaders from party posts. Prominent among the leaders Dinakaran ousted from party posts are Palanisami as Salem district chief, a position where Jayalalithaa had appointed him. On Saturday, Dinakaran carried out several sackings and appointments to the party posts.

G Venkatachalam, a supporter of the chief minister, said, Dinakaran did not have the power to remove anyone from anywhere. These appointments were made by Amma and so these would continue.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Amid the rebellion by 23 MLAs loyal to sidelined deputy general secretary TTV Dinakaran, the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu on Monday decided to convene a meeting of its general council on September 12 during which they are likely to oust jailed party general secretary V K Sasikala from the post.

As per party laws, fifteen days notice has to be given to general council members for the meeting. Individual invitations will be sent to some 1,400 general council members.

The party also declared as invalid the appointment of Dinakaran as its deputy chief, consequently nullified all his decisions and appointments.

Observers feel that Dinarkarans rebellion may have forced the party to delay Sasikalas expulsion.

According to unconfirmed reports, apart from the rebels, many MLAs were also missing from the meeting which may have unnerved the reunified factions led by chief minister E Palanisami, party co-convener, and his deputy O Panneerselvam, party convener.

This is perhaps an indication that the EPS-OPS combine is not sure of itself as the Dinakaran camp is slowly gaining in strength, said political analyst Prof Ramu Manivannan.

AIADMK sources maintained that though none of the four resolutions adopted at Mondays meeting mentioned Sasikalas removal, the fact that general council meeting is being convened was indication that her days are numbered.

Either that or they will hope that the election commission takes a decision on the case filed by Panneerselvam faction seeking annulment of Sasikalas appointment, Prof Manivannan said.

A senior AIADMK leader told reporters that she will certainly be ousted. In one of the resolutions, the AIADMK maintained that the appointment of Sasikala was a temporary arrangement.

Read more: DMK meets governor, presses for floor test as AIADMK factional feud deepens

Palanisami and Panneerselvam are scheduled to visit Delhi on Tuesday and are expected to call on the election commission officials, sources said, adding that the commission would be formally informed of the merger of the two factions.

So far the election commission has not acknowledged the appointment of Sasikala as general secretary and hence the appointment of Dinakaran as deputy general secretary is also not valid, one of the resolutions said.

All the executive members appointed by Jayalalithaa as general secretary of the party continue to be members of the executive committee, the resolution maintained.

To Take Over Media Outlets

In another resolution, the party resolved to retrieve the management of the two mouthpieces  Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV, privately owned by Sasikala now.

We will take legal steps to take over these two media outlets, fisheries minister D Jayakumar told reporters after the meeting.

Dinakaran Camp Mocks Resolution

The Dinakaran camp was quick to dismiss the AIADMK resolution. Nanjil Sampath, a supporter of Dinakaran described the resolutions as jokes.

We have 25 MLAs with us here and more are in touch with us. This government has lost its strength and EPS is not the chief minister, the real chief minster is RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, Sampath claimed.

He even dared the chief minister to try and enter the premises of Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV. Let him try and do it, we will show, Sampath warned, adding that these two are private properties and no one can just take them over.

Another rebel MLA, Thanga Tamilselvan also rubbished the resolutions. We have general secretary and deputy general secretary with us, who have the power to convene such meetings. The meeting itself is not valid.

Why were we not invited for the meeting? Tamilsevan questioned. These resolutions would not have been passed if we were invited. Which is why they conducted the meeting without inviting us. This meeting is not valid at all, he told reporters at Puducherry where 23 rebel MLAs are holed up in a resort.

Meanwhile, Dinakaran continued his sacking spree and removed another minister from party post on Monday. On Sunday, Dinakaran removed chief minister Palaniswami as the partys Salem suburban district secretary. Before that Dinakaran sacked several party officials including former minister S Gokula Indira, chief whip S Rajendran, Rajya Sabha member R Vaithialingam.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Self-styled spiritual guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh convicted of rape was sentenced to 10 year in jail in Rohtak Monday, with authorities ramping up security amid fears of fresh violence days after protests over his guilty verdict left 36 dead.

Singhs conviction has led to newspaper editorials and social media debate on why people have cult-like faith in godmen accused of rape and sexual harassment. Here is a look at some godmen who have been charged with sexual assault.

Asaram Bapu

The 76-year-old, white-bearded guru preaches chastity and worshipping ones parents. The guru who once declared that Valentines Day was a form of western cultural invasion in India was arrested in 2013 after a teenage devotee accused him of raping her at a religious retreat. Another female follower later also accused him of rape, according to an AFP profile.

He has been in jail since 2013 on charges of rape and criminal I intimidation. His son Narayan Sai, who was a senior functionary in his spiritual empire, is also in prison on rape charges.

Yet the guru continues to inspire devotion and thousands of supporters flock to court when he appears for hearings.

He may be in more trouble still after several local newspapers reported on the mysterious killings of three witnesses in the criminal cases he faces.

Narayan Sai

Asarams son Narayan Sai is in jail for allegedly raping a Surat-based woman disciple of his father between 2002 and 2005. She was allegedly raped when she was living at Asarams ashram in Surat. Sai, 40, is also accused of having physical relations with eight other girls.

Gangananda Theerthapatha

Theerthapatha, a self-styled godman of an ashram in Kollam, was allegedly sexually exploiting a law student for five years on the pretext of conducting pooja (rituals). The woman took revenge on him by chopping off his penis, says this report in May. Theerthapatha allegedly exploited the woman for five years during visits to her familys home in Thiruvananthapuram. Theerthapatha says he cut off his own penis as penance.

Mehndi Kasim

A Mumbai court in April 2016 convicted the 43-year-old self-styled godman for raping seven girls and sentenced him to life imprisonment. Kasim knew four sisters who had mentally challenged sons and healthy daughters. He promised to cure the boys and asked their mothers to send to him their daughters to him as well for treatment that would ensure they dont give birth to mentally challenged children.

Santhosh Madhavan, alias Swami Amritha Chaitanya

A Kerala court in May 2009 found Madhavan guilty of raping three minor girls. He lured the minor girls hailing from poor families, confined them and assaulted them. He was sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 2,10,000 in 2009. Madhavan is also accused of cheating a Dubai-based Indian woman of Rs. 40 lakh.

Swami Premananda

Premananda left war-ravaged Sri Lanka and moved to India in 1984 to set up an ashram in Tiruchirappalli. But in 1994, a young girl from the ashram alleged that she was pregnant after being raped by Premanand. In August 1997, Premananda and six of his accomplices were convicted of raping 13 minor girls.

Gnyanachaitanya

He spent 14 years in jail for three murders. After his release, he met a British family and convinced them that their daughter was his wife in a previous birth. He then sexually abused and tortured the woman years. After she escaped and complained to her parents and the police, Gnyanachaitanya was arrested again.
Bangladesh Navy chief Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed arrived in India on Monday on a three-day visit and met Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.

The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation, Indian Navy said in a statement. He will be in India till August 30.

Admiral Ahmed is also scheduled to visit Visakhapatnam, where the Eastern Naval Command is headquartered. He will be visiting various naval establishments, including INS Kalinga, INS Karna and INS Satavahana.

Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through training, port calls, passage exercises along with Capability Building and Capacity Augmentation initiatives

Bangladesh Navy is also the present Chair of the Indian Ocean Symposium (IONS), which is a Multilateral Maritime Cooperation platform, launched by the Indian Navy.

It is also scheduled to conduct an International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise titled IMMSAREX in November 2017, which is being held under the IONS construct.
A woman killed her seven-year-old daughter by flinging her twice off the terrace of her four-storey residential building in the JP Nagar area here on Sunday, allegedly out of frustration, police said.

According to the police, eye witnesses said, the woman, Swathi Sarkar (34), pushed the child off the terrace once and upon seeing her daughter breathe, carried her back to the terrace to throw her down for a second time.

Enraged onlookers then took matters into their own hands and tied Swathi to an electric pole and beat her up before calling the police, who arrested her.

Confirming the incident, Deputy Commissioner of Police, South, D Sharanappa, said investigations were on. "It appears that the accused was frustrated with her child and hence took this drastic measure," he said.

Meanwhile, another police officer, who did not wish to be named, said the girl, Ishika, was differently abled, based on the statement of Swathi. The officer said Swathi was living separately from her husband for around seven months.

"According to the initial investigation, the girl was allegedly screaming and being stubborn. This was used as justification by the accused to kill the child," the officer said.

Statements from neighbours about Swathi's state of mind did not reveal much as they too were shocked by the incident and said she appeared normal till before the incident. Even when we questioned her there were no signs of depression or any other kind of distress," the officer said.

Swathi and her husband hail from West Bengal and moved to the city about 10 years ago.
In the latest twist in the two-month long Doklam stand-off, India on Monday said it had agreed with China on a mutual disengagement of troops. However, a statement from Beijing stated that while India had withdrawn troops, China would continue to patrol the border.

The difference in the wording of statements from both sides suggest that the Doklam stand-off is far from over.

Here is a timeline of events recapping the Doklam impasse:

June 16: Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) attempts to build a motorable road in Chickens Neck, a thin stretch that connects mainland India to rest of the north-east.

June 28: Chinese military accuses Indian army of halting the construction of the road in what it claims to be Chinas sovereign territory in the Sikkim section of the India-China border. Foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang justifies Beijings construction citing the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.

July 5: Bhutan issues a demarche to the Chinese envoy, asking Beijing to restore status quo in the Doklam area where Chinese soldiers tried to unilaterally build a road towards its Army camp in Zomplri area.

July 6: China calls off Xi Jinping-Narendra Modi G20 meeting citing that the atmosphere was not right, but the two leaders have a brief informal chat on the sidelines of the summit.

July 11: Indias foreign secretary S Jaishankar expresses confidence that India can handle the Doklam stand-off the way border rows have been handled in the past. When such situations arise, I see no reason, when having handled so many situations in the past, we would not be able to handle it, he says.

July 12: Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang rejects Jaishankars comments, saying Doklam is different from frictions that have happened in undefined sections of boundary.

July 15: In a briefing to opposition parties on the issue, the government says it engaged in negotiations with China to ease the tension in the Doklam region of the Sikkim sector.

July 16: Chinas Peoples Liberation Army holds live-fire drills in Tibet, close to the Indias border in Arunachal, to practice quick movement of troops and destroy enemy aircraft. Chinese media reports say that it moved tens of thousands of tonnes of military equipment, including army vehicles, and troops to Tibet in late June.

July 19: Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tells Rajya Sabha If China unilaterally changes status quo of tri-junction point between China, India and Bhutan, then it poses a challenge to our security.

July 24: Chinas foreign minister Wang Yi blames India for triggering the military standoff in Doklam, calling on New Delhi to withdraw its border troops to resolve the crisis.

July 29: Chinese president Xi Jinping addresses a military parade, saying that the PLA has the capability to defeat invading enemies and protect the countrys sovereignty. We will never allow any people, organisation or political party to split any part of Chinese territory out of the country at any time, in any form, he says.

August 2: India rejects Beijings claim the number of its troops deployed at Doklam had decreased. Chinas foreign ministry had issued a 15-page statement which said Indian troop numbers in the Donglang or Doklam region had fallen from a peak of more than 400 to about 40 at the end of July.

August 8: Beijing rejects Indias suggestion for a simultaneous withdrawal of troops to end the standoff at Doklam, asks what New Delhi would do if it enters Kalapani region in Uttarakhand or Kashmir.

Wang Wenli, deputy director general of the Boundary and Ocean Affairs of Chinas ministry of foreign affairs, tells a delegation of Indian media, The Indian side has also many tri-junctions. What if we use the same excuse and enter the Kalapani region between China, India and Nepal or even into the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan.

August 10: External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj meets her Bhutanese counterpart Damcho Dorji. Bhutan hopes that the Doklam stand-off can be solved peacefully. India pours in more troops along the entire stretch of its border with China in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh, say senior officials.

August 15: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his Independence Day speech, says India is capable of thwarting any challenge to its security, praising the countrys security forces for sacrificing their lives to protect this land.

On the same day, Indian troops foil two Chinese incursion bids in Jammu and Kashmirs Ladakh region. Both sides pelt stones at other and soldiers are injured. China later denies scuffle, saying it has no information of any such fight, while the Indian government confirmed the skirmish.

August 16: US urges India-China to sit down and have a direct dialogue to resolve their issues, says would favour a return to status quo.

Chinas official Xinhua news agency releases a video with racist overtones, mocking and parodying Indians and accusing India of propagating Seven Sins in the Doklam standoff

August 17: Japan signals support to India, saying no country should use unilateral forces to alter the status of Doklam.

August 20: Amid the continuing Doklam stand-off, China conducts a military drill in the western part of the country. The drill was meant to strike awe in India, a Chinese military expert is quoted as saying by the Lianhe Zaobao daily.

August 28: In Mondays development, India says it has agreed with China on an expeditious disengagement of their troops in the disputed Doklam region, but Beijing insists its forces would continue to patrol the disputed region.
Bodo groups in Assam resumed their stir for the creation of a separate Bodoland state by blocking national highways in the state for 10 hours on Monday.

The blockade from 5am prevented movement of vehicles in several places in eight districts where Bodo people are in majority.

Rail connectivity to Assam and the northeast is already disrupted for over a fortnight now and is expected to continue for some time due to damage to rail tracks by flood waters in West Bengal and Bihar.

Thousands of slogan-shouting protesters with placards saying No Bodoland, No Rest blocked NH-31 at Kajalgaon in Chirang district of lower Assam since Monday morning.

National highway-31, which connects the northeast to the rest of the country, passes through Bodo-dominated areas in lower Assam.

Bodo groups are unhappy that despite assurances by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the 2014 general elections to address the demand for a separate state by carving parts of Assam, nothing has happened.

Prior to last years assembly election, the BJP had reiterated its commitment to solving the three-decade-old issue. But nothing concrete apart from some informal talks has taken place.

This is a historic day as Bodo women have come out for the first time in such large numbers to block highways. We have been forced to do so as the BJP governments at the Centre and in Assam have failed us, said Pramod Bodo, president of the All Bodo Students Union.

The demand for a separate state in areas of lower Assam where indigenous Bodo people, the states biggest tribal group, are mostly concentrated has been continuing since the late 1980s.

But it was put on hold in 2014 after the BJPs promise.

Over three dozen Bodo organisations under banner of the Peoples Joint Action Committee for Bodoland Movement (PJACBM) have decided to intensify their stir if tripartite talks between the Centre, Assam government and Bodo groups arent held soon.

Mondays blockade would be followed by a 12-hour general strike across Assam on September 12 and a mass hunger strike on October 1. Indefinite rail blockade and economic blockade are also being planned.

The highway blockade by women protesters is a clear message to the Centre and Assam government to start tripartite talks. If that doesnt happen we will be forced to intensify our agitation, said Pramod Bodo.

In 2003, the Bodoland Territorial Council comprising four districts was created to protect the rights of indigenous communities. The Bodo Peoples Front, which is in power in the autonomous administrative council, is part of the BJP-led coalition in Assam.

Despite creation of the BTC, the demand for a separate state continues.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Internal Revenue Service Monday warned people to avoid a new phishing scam that impersonates the IRS and the FBI, as part of a ransomware scam to take the computer data hostage.

The IRS said the scam email uses the emblem of both the IRS and the FBI and tries to entice users to select a here link to download a fake FBI questionnaire.

Instead, the link downloads a certain type of malware called ransomware that prevents users from accessing data stored on their device unless they pay money to the scammers.

This is a new twist on an old scheme, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said in a news release. People should stay vigilant against email scams that try to impersonate the IRS and other agencies that try to lure you into clicking a link or opening an attachment. People with a tax issue wont get their first contact from the IRS with a threatening email or phone call.

The IRS said victims of such scams should not pay a ransom. Paying it will only further encourage the perpetrators, and frequently the scammers will not provide the decryption key even after the ransom is paid.

Those who are victims of a ransomware attack should report it to the FBI at the Internet Crime Complaint Center, www.IC3.gov, and forward any IRS-themed scams to phishing@irs.gov.
The opposition Congress on Monday laid charges of culpable homicide against Jharkhand chief minister Raghubar Das, health minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi and four officials over the alleged death of at least 164 children in the past four months at a government-run hospital in the state.

Former MP and Congress spokesperson Ajoy Kumar in a complaint lodged with a police station in Jamshedpur accused Das, Chandravanshi, and four health department officials of deliberately trying to hide evidences of gross negligence that led to the demise of the children at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH) in the steel city.

The four officials named in the complaint are health secretary Sudhir Tripathy, principal of the MGMMCH Dr A C Akhouri, superintendent of the hospital, Dr Bhartendu Bhushan and East Singhbhum district civil surgeon Dr K C Munda.

The MGMMCH is a premier health institute of the state, which also caters to patients from neighbouring West Bengal and Odisha. As per a government data around 2900 children up to 12 years of age were admitted to the hospital from January to July 2017.

Questions were raised over the health-care facilities in the institute after a survey conducted by Jharkhand Human Rights Conference (JHRC) found that 223 children died in the hospital in the last six months.

The National Human Rights Commission too issued notice to the state government on the reported deaths of 52 infants in 30 days at the hospital.

A high level inquiry into the cause of childrens death is required, said president of the JHRC Manoj Mishra . Doctors and officials responsible for the deaths of innocent children should be put behind bars and government should give due compensation to the bereaved families, he added.

The Congress now finds a major weapon in the JHRC report to target the states BJP government.

The Congress spokesperson alleged that the chief minister and others named by him embezzled crores of tax payers money by purchasing substandard machines and equipment meant for treatment of infants.

The machines and equipment are now lying unutilised on the hospital campus, he added.

He claimed that during an inspection of the hospital they found that a modular operation built at a cost of Rs. 1.5 crore and a lifesaving machine worth Rs 36 lakh were defunct.

The police complaint, a copy of which is in the possession of HT, further says that parents of the deceased were never given correct information about the nature of their childrens illness and cause of their death.

Whenever the hapless parents sought a clarification, the hospital authorities as well as the civil surgeon rebuked and threatened them and drove them away, it says.

Several NGOs raised question about the hospital authorities highhandedness and highlighted the gross lapses, but the state government did not take notice, Kumar said.

Doctors in the hospital, however, denied the charges of lapses claiming that with the limited resources available with them, they try to provide best treatment to the patients, but at times fail to save some lives.

Neither the ministers nor the officials were available for comments on charges against them.

Police also declined to comment on the action being initiated on the basis of the complaint. We will take appropriate action, said the officer-in-charge of the Bistupur police station where the complaint was filed.

Advocate Sudhir Kumar Pappu, who accompanied the former MP to the police station, said, We will move the court if the police do not act.
Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju on Monday took on the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) stating that the international rights body did not have a right to criticise the BJP government for its stand on deporting illegal migrants.

Is there any country in the world which has given shelter to as many refugees as India has given? So United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights or any other organisation do not have a right to criticise me or our government, Rijiju said.

He was referring to the flak by some human rights organisation, including the UNHCR, to the governments move to deport Rohingyas.

The minister had said in Parliament on August 9 that according to available data, more than 14,000 Rohingyas.

What I said in the parliament was about illegal immigrants whether or not they are registered with UN. We are not shooting anyone or throwing anyone into the ocean. We only said that anyone coming to India illegally should leave the country through legal means and procedures, Rijiju said on Monday.

We have directed that every district should have a task force especially in those areas where illegal immigrants are living the task force will identify illegal immigrants. The deportation process should start, Rijiju added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Rajasthan police closed an investigation into the alleged kidnapping of a 24-year-old woman after the security team of controversial cult leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh denied them access to the ashram in Haryana where the victim was last seen.

Court documents accessed by Hindustan Times show that Singhs staff refused to cooperate with police, citing his Z-plus security privileges to refuse access to the cult leaders personal accommodation.

The findings suggest the Dera Sacha Sauda cult and its leader Singh have remained beyond the reach of law enforcement agencies for some time now. Last week, the cults followers ran riot in Haryana and Punjab after their leader was convicted of rape. The unrest led to the deaths of 36 people as police opened fire to stop rampaging mobs that burned down government and private property, including railways stations.

Guddi Devi has been missing since she disappeared at the Sirsa ashram in March, 2015. Her husband first approached the local police station in Sirsa, which denied his request to file a case.

Her husband then filed a case in Rajasthan, alleging that Devi had been ushered inside by associates of Singh and never seen again.

Guddi Devi, 24, was ushered into the ashram by Singhs followers in March 2015 after which she was never seen again. (HT photo)

In August 2015, a team from Jaipur police went to the ashram in Haryana.

When the staff of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was asked to show his personal accommodation, they expressed their inability to let us inspect it on pretext of Z-plus security cover given to Singh, the official progress report of the investigation, submitted by the police in court, reads.

The godmans men denied the team entry to his personal accommodations for inspection purposes... During our search at the Ashram premises, we also felt that the staff didnt fully cooperate with us, a senior police official told HT on condition of anonymity.

The team had also questioned Singh himself, who denied having any knowledge of the whereabouts of the missing woman.

The staff knew that we will come to search the premises and it appeared that they might have done some tampering, the official added.

The police report states the ashram staff didnt show the officials many of their official records claiming that they were too old.

Since then, the police have submitted a final report in the case citing its inability to carry out the investigation because of jurisdiction issues.

Currently, the counsel of Devis husband has challenged the final report in the court asking for the investigation to be reopened.

Babulal Bairwa, the advocate of Devis husband Kamlesh Kumar, told HT that after the woman went missing, Kumar had gone to the police in Sirsa but they refused to lodge an FIR.

The Jaipur police too, didnt make any efforts to grant permission from authorities to search the personal accommodation of the godman and conceded defeat after their first attempt was thwarted by Singhs men.

We analysed the CCTV footages of the ashram but couldnt find any sign of the missing woman. She wasnt seen going to the personal accommodation of Singh and thats why we didnt make further efforts to search the personal area, said deputy commissioner of police, east, Kunwar Rashtradeep.

Devis two little children still wait for their mother.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad landed in a controversy on Sunday when an image he tweeted from his rally at Patnas historic Gandhi Maidan was called out by the BJP as well as social media for being doctored.

Lalu, whose BJP bhagao, Desh Bachao rally was intended as a show of opposition strength and unity and was attended by Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, had tweeted a photo of the large turnout at Gandhi Maidan.

The caption with the image read, No Face will stand in front of Lalus Base. Come & Count as much as u can in Gandhi Maidan, Patna #DeshBachao.

No "Face" will stand in front of Lalu's "Base". Come & Count as much as u can in Gandhi Maidan, Patna #DeshBachao pic.twitter.com/sXoAcpwNKw  Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) August 27, 2017

Minutes later, Bihars deputy chief minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted a photo of a relatively empty Maidan and questioned Lalus claim.

        ? pic.twitter.com/d2zqMMl6Yh  Sushil Kumar Modi (@SushilModi) August 27, 2017

HTs designers closely analysed the image tweeted by Lalu, to ascertain if there are any anomalies or discrepancies to suggest it could have been doctored.

Here is our frame-by-frame analysis, which compares the photos tweeted by Lalu, Sushil Kumar Modi and news agency PTI :

Photojournalists clicked the rally from different angles, but none of their photographs show the huge crowd visible in Lalus tweet. This is the first sign that the photograph in Lalus tweet may have been morphed to make the crowd appear bigger.

Second, a group of trees in the middle of Gandhi Maidan is missing from the tweeted image. The trees appear to have been removed when the crowds image was apparently morphed for the tweet.

Third, parts of Lalus photo, for example a yellow patch of land, look too similar to each other. This suggests that they are the same cloned area.

Fourth, other images of the rally clearly show white placards dotting the Maidan. But these placards are not visible in the crowd shown in the photo Lalu tweeted.

Fifth, the hard lines at the edges in Lalus photos are way too clean, suggesting the use of Photoshop to straighten them out.

Despite all of this, it is worth noting that the image tweeted by Sushil Kumar Modi shows an early scene from the rally. Later photos from the same angle show a much larger crowd.

You can see this from the other images of the rally taken by press photographers at the event. Here are a few images taken by HTs photographers at the spot:

Which begs the question, why did Lalu Prasad feel the need to inflate the crowds?
Panchkula Police have found two cans of petrol and some unknown chemical from a fire tender that was part of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahims cavalcade, which accompanied him from Haryanas Sirsa before Fridays verdict in a rape case against him. (Ram Rahim sentencing Live coverage)

The 50-year-old Dera Sacha Sauda leader was found guilty of raping two of his disciples 15-year-old ago.

The cans were found after police impounded nearly 30 vehicles, most of them SUVs, from Mansa Devi Complex on Saturday night. In the crackdown following the violence on Friday, police have also seized several weapons, including an AK-47 rifle, from these vehicles and arrested their drivers.

The Dera followers torched a bank, hotel, and government offices in the city with petrol and kerosene-fuelled bottle bombs soon after clashes began on Friday afternoon. At least 38 people were killed and 250 injured in the violence following the verdict.

Police commissioner AS Chawla confirmed that the two petrol cans were found in the fire tender. The department has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the matter and find the motive behind carrying the fuel.

Haryana director general of police BS Sandhu told reporters on Sunday that forensic teams have also been called in to identify the unknown chemical. Although the substance does not seem inflammatory in nature but we are taking no chances, he said.

Police have also arrested six men, most of whom were part of Dera Sacha Sauda chiefs private security force, after they were trying to enter Chandigarh following the Panchkula violence. They said the men were sent by a sect worker from Sirsa with 1,000 each and 30-litre can of petrol.

While the Dera chief was flown to Rohtak soon after his conviction on Friday, many vehicles of the 300-strong cavalcade Sirsa are still in the city.

Sources said police are also looking for other vehicles that could have been left behind after the violence.

The special CBI court will begin hearing arguments at 2.30pm on Monday on the quantum of punishment, which could range from seven years to life imprisonment, in the district jail at Sunaria where the flamboyant self-styled godman is lodged.

Panchkula gears up for sentencing

Soldiers of the Indian Army conducted a flag march several times in Panchkula on the eve of the announcement of sentence against the Dera chief in Rohtak.

Police commissioner Chawla said six columns of the army have been deployed in the sensitive parts of the city. Paramilitary forces and the state police are also on vigil.

We have reviewed the security arrangements several times during the day and are taking no chances ahead of the judgment, he said.

He also appealed to the people to stay alert and inform the police if they find anything suspicious.

Chawla said additional forces have been deployed in border areas and sensitive locations such as bus stands and there will be regular patrolling throughout the day. He said the decision about decommissioning the army will be taken after the Mondays sentencing.

Government offices will remain open on Monday but the administration has declared a holiday in schools and colleges.

Panchkula Public School Association spokesperson Jivtesh Garg said the decision about opening schools on Tuesday will be taken on Monday evening, as security forces are staying in six private schools in the city.

We may have to extend the holiday by a day if the security forces decide to stay, he said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Supreme Court judge Dipak Misra was sworn in as the chief justice of India on Monday at a small ceremony in Rashtrapati Bhawan. He was administered the oath by President Ram Nath Kovind.

His famous rulings include the one on the December 16 gang-rape case and the trial of Yakub Memon, instances where he rejected the defendants appeal against the death penalty.

Misra, who often quotes extempore from Shakespeare and ancient texts, has a unique style of writing judgments, one that relies heavily on literary sources and complex word play. His writing often harks back to the verbose style of justice VK Krishna Iyer, who wrote many path-breaking judgments.

Following is a list of five judgments/orders authored by Justice Misra where comprehension is a casualty:

Case: Priyanka Srivastava and Anr vs State of UP (2015)

Almost 200 words long, this sentence could rank as the longest sentence ever written by a judge in India:

The present appeal projects and frescoes a scenario which is not only disturbing but also has the potentiality to create a stir compelling one to ponder in a perturbed state how some unscrupulous, unprincipled and deviant litigants can ingeniously and innovatively design in a nonchalant manner to knock at the doors of the Court, as if, it is a laboratory where multifarious experiments can take place and such skillful persons can adroitly abuse the process of the Court at their own will and desire by painting a canvas of agony by assiduous assertions made in the application though the real intention is to harass the statutory authorities, without any remote remorse, with the inventive design primarily to create a mental pressure on the said officials as individuals, for they would not like to be dragged to a court of law to face in criminal cases, and further pressurize in such a fashion so that financial institution which they represent would ultimately be constrained to accept the request for one- time settlement with the fond hope that the obstinate defaulters who had borrowed money from it would withdraw the cases instituted against them.

Case: Subramanian Swamy vs Union of India (defamation case)

The following passage is a formidable challenge for the best of comprehension and intellectual abilities:

Reputation being an inherent component of Article 21, we do not think it should be allowed to be sullied solely because another individual can have its freedom. It is not a restriction that has an inevitable consequence which impairs circulation of thought and ideas. In fact, it is control regard being had to another persons right to go to Court and state that he has been wronged and abused. He can take recourse to a procedure recognized and accepted in law to retrieve and redeem his reputation.Therefore, the balance between the two rights needs to be struck. Reputation of one cannot be allowed to be crucified at the altar of the others right of free speech. The legislature in its wisdom has not thought it appropriate to abolish criminality of defamation in the obtaining social climate.

Case: NEET order

Another instance of complex wordplay:

The present litigation exposits a sad, sad scenario. It is sad because a chaos has crept in the lives of some students and it is further sad as the State of Goa and its functionaries have allowed ingress of systemic anarchy throwing propriety to the winds possibly harbouring the attitude of utter indifference and nurturing an incurable propensity to pave the path of deviancy.

Case: Order on the national anthem, 2003

Here, Justice Misra explains the importance of respect for the national anthem:

National Anthem is to be sung with magna cum laude and nobody can ostracize the concept of summa cum laude. [] The national anthem is pivotal and centri-podal to the basic conception of sovereignty and integrity of India. It is the marrow of nationalism, hypostasis of patriotism, nucleus of national heritage, substratum of culture and epitome of national honour.

Case: Voluntary health association of Punjab vs State of Punjb

Justice Misra stresses on the importance for creating awareness on female foeticide:

They must understand and accept that it is an art as well as a science and not simple arithmetic. It cannot take the colour of a routine speech. The awareness camps should not be founded on the theory of Euclidian geometry. It must engulf the concept of social vigilance with an analytical mind and radiate into the marrows of the society. If awareness campaigns are not appositely conducted, the needed guidance for the people would be without meaning and things shall fall apart and everyone would try to take shelter in cynical escapism.
Justice Dipak Misra was sworn in on Monday as the 45th chief justice of India. He was administered the oath of office by President Ram Nath Kovind at a brief ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Misra (64), who takes over from JS Khehar, began his career on February 14, 1977, when he was enrolled as an advocate. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Orissa High Court in 1996, and transferred to Madhya Pradesh a year later. In 2009, he became the chief justice of the Patna High Court before moving to head Delhi HC in 2010.

On October 10, 2011, Misra was appointed to the Supreme Court.

With a tenure of nearly 14 months, Justice Misra will have an unenviable task of filling up vacancies in High Courts and the Supreme Court. High courts in India are working with 56% strength, and the shortfall in the Supreme Court will widen to 6 when PC Pant retires on Tuesday to leave only 25 judges in Indias apex court.

The contentious MOP (Memorandum of Procedure) continues to remain an unresolved issue between the government and the SC collegiums, which has rejected the idea of including a security clearance clause that would allow the executive to veto superior court appointments in case of a negative remark against a proposed candidate.

Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi & Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at the oath taking ceremony of Justice Dipak Misra as CJI pic.twitter.com/tTPnXZjmUT  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

Soft-spoken but a man with steely resolve, Misra has issued far-reaching orders, some of which have drawn criticism. His order making national anthem mandatory in movie halls ignited a debate whether an increasingly aggressive brand of nationalist fervour was stifling civil liberties. His verdict in a defamation case was similarly termed as regressive by advocates of free-speech.

But, the astuteness with which he got the NDA government to withdraw Presidents rule in Uttarakhand speaks to his wisdom as a judge.

Misras stature grew when he agreed to give a early morning hearing when Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memons lawyers rushed to the court on the night of July 29, making a last ditch effort to delay his next days hanging.

The bench presided by him refused mercy to Memon, who was executed on July 30 morning. He also headed the three-judge bench that handed down death sentences to the convicts in the December 16 gangrape-cum-murder case in which a 23-year-old girl was brutally assaulted and killed.

Besides the challenge to appoint judges, Misra has work cut out for him on the judicial side. He will be hearing contentious cases such as the Babri-Masjid dispute, Cauvery water dispute, womens right to enter the Sabrimala temple in Kerala, and the legal challenge to Article 35A that gives special status Kashmir.

As chairman of National Legal Services Authority, he has introduced several measures to provide legal aid to poor litigants. He is the mastermind behind the idea of introducing Legal Assistance Establishments in states to streamline the NALSAs activities.

In court Justice Misra is often seen quoting poetry and verse. He often engages himself in conversation with senior advocates on literary works.

There have been times when he has stump well-known jurists with his knowledge on classics and literature, and his passion is reflected in his judgements.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Justice Dipak Misra took oath as India 45th Chief Justice on Monday following the retirement JS Khehar a day earlier.

At a brief ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office to Justice Misra took the oath in English.

The eloquent Justice Misra, known for quoting from Shakespeare and the Vedas in his orders, will remain in office till October 2, 2018.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several Union ministers were present at the ceremony. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also attended the oath ceremony.

Prime Minister Modi congratulated the new CJI in a tweet:

I congratulate Justice Dipak Misra on taking oath as the Chief Justice of India. I wish him the very best & a fruitful tenure.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 28, 2017

Here are 10 things to know about Indias 45th Chief Justice:

1. Justice Misra has served as the chief justice of the Patna high court and the Delhi high court before being elevated to the apex court in October 2011.

2. After his enrolment as an advocate in 1977, he started his practice in constitutional, civil, criminal, revenue, service and sales tax matters in the Orissa high court.

3. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Orissa high court on January 17, 1996. He was later transferred to the Madhya Pradesh high court. He became a permanent judge on December 19, 1997.

4. He is the third CJI from Odisha, after Justices Ranganath Misra and G B Pattanaik.

5. He was part of the bench that confirmed the four convicts in the December 16 gang rape. The brutal, barbaric and diabolic nature of the crime could create a tsunami of shock to destroy a civilised society, the verdict, penned by Justice Misra, had said.

6. He headed the bench which, in an unprecedented pre-dawn hearing in 2015 when the doors of the apex court were opened at 1am, rejected last-ditch efforts by Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon to stay his execution.

7. He headed the bench that passed the order for mandatory singing of the national anthem in cinema halls across the country.

8. Another significant judgment by Justice Misra was the one directing states and Union Territories to upload FIRs on websites within 24 hours of their registration for enabling accused and others to file appropriate pleas in the courts for redress.

9. Justice Misra, along with Justice P C Pant, had in May, declined to de-criminalise defamation -- an offence punishable with two years in jail apart from fine -- saying the right to free speech cannot mean that a citizen can defame anybody.

10. Justice Misra is currently presiding over a bench hearing the Cauvery and Krishna river water disputes, BCCI reforms and Sahara case among others.
A CBI court on Monday sentenced self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail and fined him Rs 30 lakh for raping two disciples, saying he acted like a wild beast and didnt even spare his pious followers.

CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh, who was flown to the district jail in Haryanas Rohtak where the Dera Sacha Sauda chief is lodged to pronounce the punishment, said the sect leader did not deserve leniency as he had sexually exploited and intimidated his disciples.

The convict did not even spare his own pious disciples and acted like a wild beast, the judge said. Both the victims put the accused on the pedestal of God and revered him like that only. However, the convict committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting such gullible and blind followers.

The flamboyant dera leader, who prefers bicep-baring T-shirts and takes on gangsters and aliens in his Messenger of God series of films, was in tears and pleaded with folded hands for mercy as the judge read out the verdict.

There were no reports of violence or arson after the sentencing, a contrast to August 25 when dera followers ran riot after he was found guilty in the 15-year-old case, leading to 38 deaths.

HT was the first to report that Ram Rahim faces prospects of harsher punishment. (Read the story here)

It is 20 years in jail for Singh as two sentences will run consecutively with fine of Rs 30 lakh, his lawyer SK Garg Narwana told HT.

The court set aside the defence teams plea that Singh should be shown leniency because he was a social worker and was suffering from hyper-tension, acute diabetes and severe backache.

 a man who has no concern for humanity, nor has any mercy in his nature, does not deserve leniency from the court, it said, ordering both the victims be paid Rs 14 lakh each. Failure to pay would lead to two more years in jail. The remaining Rs 2 lakh will towards legal services authority.

During the proceedings that lasted for about four-and-a half hours, Singh said he was unwell and three ambulances were seen moving towards the jail complex. He was examined by a group of doctors, led by the Rohtak chief medical officer, and found to be fine.

After the sentence was announced, the 50-year-old Singh, who enjoys immense political clout on the back of millions of followers, sat down on the floor and wept. The burly leader had to be dragged to his barrack.

Singh would be lodged in a high-security cell and would have to do at least five hours of work in jail though it is not clear where he will serve the sentence.

He was flown to Rohtak as his followers rioted in Panchkula, where the case was heard, and other parts of Haryana and four other states.

The Punjab and Haryana high court had ordered that the judge be flown to the district jail to ensure his safety and that of his staff. The library was turned into a court room with a five-tier security cordon thrown around the jail.

The verdict was followed by hours of confusion with little information trickling out of the jail, where media wasnt allowed.

Police had kept mediapersons a little more than a kilometer outside the jail. Initial reports said Singh would serve 10 years but later, lawyers clarified he had been handed two consecutive 10-year terms.

Stray incidents of arson were reported minutes before the verdict in Haryanas Sirsa, where the sect is headquartered, but the presence of thousands of security personnel across the state and neighbouring Punjab staved off the violence that was witnessed on August 25.

We will appeal the verdict in the high court, Narwana said.

Singh could be staring at more trouble. Trial in two cases of plotting murder is in final stages and the CBI is probing accusations that he ordered castration of 400 of his followers.

(With inputs from Prawesh Lama, agencies)
Two 10-year prison terms given to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh by a special CBI court on Monday in a rape case could just be the beginning of a trail of troubles for the self-styled godman.

There are three more cases pending against the 50-year-old head of the quasi-religious sect. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is investigating the three cases. Two of the cases pertain to conspiring murders, while the third is over alleged castration of 400 Dera followers at the sects headquarters in Haryanas Sirsa.

In the two murder cases, which are in the final stages of trial before a special CBI court in Panchkula, Singh could be awarded life sentence. The castration case is still under investigation.

The flamboyant guru, who starred in pop videos and his own Messenger of God movie franchise, is accused of plotting the killing of a Sirsa-based journalist and one of his followers for trying to expose his wrongdoings and sexual exploitations.

Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, editor of a Hindi evening newspaper Poora Sach, was killed in July 2002 for publishing stories on unlawful activities inside Dera premises, including rape allegations.

The Dera chief, who is reverently referred to as Baba by his legions of followers, is also linked to the murder of one of his disgruntled devotees Ranjit Singh.

The Punjab and Haryana high court ordered the CBI probe into both the cases.

Arguments are in final stages in both the cases and trial could be over by year end, a lawyer associated with the cases said.

The CBI started investigation into the castration case at the behest of the high court in 2014 after Haryana police, who were initially investigating the case, drew the courts ire for shoddy probe.

The investigation is still on and the CBI is submitting its status reports before the high court.

The investigation into the case started after a Fatehabad resident, Hansraj, accused Dera had of castrating the followers, including him, promising that it would lead to realisation of god.

The matter had reached court in 2012.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
HARRISBURG  Pennsylvania will be handling those who are convicted of their first driving under the influence offense differently.

On Friday, the states new ignition interlock law went into effect.

The law says that first-time DUI offenders with a blood-alcohol content of 0.10 or higher will have an ignition interlock system installed in their vehicle.

Act 33 is smart on crime and is a life-saving measure, said Sen. John Rafferty, R-Montgomery County.

Previously, DUI laws in Pennsylvania called for a one-year license suspension for a first-time DUI offender with a BAC over 0.10.

Rafferty, who introduced the legislation, said that did little to stop offenders from driving.

On Thursday, some people who lost loved ones because of a DUI crash stood with Rafferty as he talked about the legislation. Chris Demkos daughter, Meredith, was killed when she was 18 years old.

She was driving home from the YMCA at about 2 in the afternoon when an individual who was drunk, high on heroin, a repeat DUI offender, and driving on a suspended license, crashed into her and killed her, Demko said.

Demko, who is from Lancaster County, has been pushing for tougher DUI laws since the death of his daughter.

Anytime someone is prevented via the interlock from driving while drunk, another potential death or injury is prevented, Demko said.

Those who have to use the interlock system can expect to pay about $1,000.

Lancaster County District Attorney Craig Stedman said other states that have used similar systems have seen a decrease in DUIs by about 40 percent.

Last year there was an average of almost 10 lockouts for every ignition interlock installed in Pennsylvania, he said. That is crazy. Its offensive, but it works and this will work.
Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, on Monday appeared before the CBI for the second time for questioning in a matter related to alleged irregularities in FIPB clearance to INX Media in 2007.

He arrived at the Central Bureau of Investigation headquarters on Lodhi Road here a little after 10am.

On August 23, he was questioned by the agencys officials for over eight hours. CBI sources said that Karti, who was accompanied by his lawyers, faced over 100 questions prepared by the agency.

On August 18, the Supreme Court had directed the former finance ministers son to appear before the CBI which examined him in a case related to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to INX Media for allegedly receiving funds from Mauritius when his father was in office.

As per the apex court order, the CBI will also question four more persons -- Ravi Vishwanathan, Mohnan Rajesh, Bhaskar Raman and CVN Reddy on August 28. Vishwanathan, Rajesh and Raman will be questioned in Delhi, while Reddy will be questioned at the CBIs Chennai office, said sources.

On May 15, the CBI had registered an FIR against Karti on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, accepting gratification by corrupt or illegal means, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct.

Karti is said to have received Rs 3.5 crore from the Mumbai-based INX media, now 9X Media, for helping it in getting the FIPB clearance when it was run by Peter and Indrani Mukherjea, both accused in the Sheena Bora murder case.

The FIR does not mention the name Chidambaram senior, though it said he cleared the FIPB approval for Rs 4.62 crore Foreign Direct Investment in the FIPB meeting on May 18, 2007.

Earlier, the CBI had issued three notices to Chidambaram junior, but he did not depose before the probe agency.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday questioned Naeem and Naseem Geelani, the sons of hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, for nine hours in connection with the ongoing probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based terrorist groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir valley.

A NIA official, requesting anonymity, told IANS that the brothers appeared at the agency headquarters in central Delhi past 10 a.m.

Beside Geelanis sons, Ghulam Mohammad Bhatt, the cashier of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watalis company, Devinder Singh Behl, a close aide of Syed Ali Shah Geelani, and Noor Muhammad Kalwal were also questioned by the counter-terror agency.

Kalwal, a close aide of JKLF chief Yasin Malik, was summoned by the agencys officials on Saturday to appear before it on Monday. Kalwal was one of the five militants released after the abduction of then Home Minister Mufti Sayeeds daughter in 1989.

The agency has asked them to appear before it on Tuesday again.

On Thursday and Friday last week, the NIA had questioned Geelanis sons for over seven hours.

This is the second time in a fortnight that the counter terror probe agency is grilling Geelanis sons. The agency had asked them to bring certain documents related to financial transactions that have come under its scanner.

Naeem, a doctor by profession, is seen as Geelanis natural heir, while Naseem, the younger son, works at an agricultural university in Srinagar.

On Saturday, the NIA had carried out searches at the office of the company owned by Zahoor Watali, who was arrested on August 17 in Srinagar.

During the searches, the NIA recovered several incriminating documents pertaining to Watalis financial transactions.

Watali was arrested from Srinagar, a day after the NIA searched multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley, including the businessmans office and houses of his close relatives.

Watali, a prominent businessman close to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested on charges of acting as a conduit for passing money received from Pakistan to militants, separatists and stone-pelters in the Kashmir Valley.

On July 24, the agency arrested seven separatist leaders in connection with its probe into terror funding from Pakistan and militant groups based there.

The arrested separatists include Geelanis son-in-law Altaf Shah and Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.

They have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.

The NIA alleges that separatist leaders were receiving money from militant leaders in Pakistan including Hafiz Saeed, who heads the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa and banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has not had any Dalit or tribal member in the last thirty years, even as the country has gone through much upheaval over reservation during the period.

The CBDT is the statutory authority that handles matters of levy and collection of income tax and other direct taxes and has a chairperson and six members.

As per the records available in the revenue (headquarters), no member from the SC/ST community has been appointed as member of CBDT since 1987. Information prior to 1987 is not available, the tax panel said in its written reply to the parliamentary committee on Welfare of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

With the Mandal Commission report in the early 1980s changing the face of reservation in the country, representation of Dalits and tribals increased manifold in several government bodies, smoothening the roads for an inclusive growth.

The government, from time to time, has also called for affirmative action for greater participation of backward communities in jobs and education facilities. There have been demands to extend the quota policy in areas like private sector and judiciary.

However, the CBDT has remained untouched by all that.

This is not a healthy trend, a member of the parliamentary panel told HT, also noting that there is no representation of SC/ST members in many PSUs and other government boards.

Another member pointed out that the panel is not concerned about the nature of work of the CBDT but the focus is on welfare and empowerment of SC/STs.

Sources in the income tax department told HT that members of the CBDT are picked by the government from a panel of senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) prepares a list of senior officers and the finance ministry, in consultation with other departments, pick members for the board. Its an ex-officio post, said a source.

Once selected, the officer has to resign from his or her parent cadre before joining the new role.

A commissioner of income tax, however, explained that as many SC, ST candidates join the services late, they retire much before attaining a senior position, and so, may lose out in empanelment for the top tax body.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Pakistani police say Indian troops have fired across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region, killing three civilians.

Police official Ashfaq Hussain said Monday that shelling by Indian troops overnight hit a house in the Fatehpur area in Haveli district in Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir, causing the casualties.

Hussain says the shelling also wounded two other people who were inside the house.

He says Pakistani forces returned the fire.

Muhammad Shabbir, a resident in the Chakoti area, says both sides exchanged fire.

The two sides frequently trade fire across the heavily militarized Line of Control and blame each other for violating a 2003 cease-fire agreement. Kashmir is split between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan. Both claim it in its entirety and have fought two wars over Kashmir.
Political parties lashed out at the Haryana government over the recent violence in Panchkula after the court sent Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to twenty years in prison.

We have seen this callous insensitivity, coupled with the mulish obstinacy in the face of the most unprecedented structures in the high court of the state, said Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi

In any responsible sensitive form of governance, comments, not strictures of far less severity than we have heard in Haryana would have led to apologies, resignations and complete unconditional acceptance, he said.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury emphasised that the law of the land should prevail but questioned the violence on August 25. It is strange that despite the high courts directions, no stringent measures were taken to ensure there was no violence, he said.

Haryana and parts of neighbouring Punjab had witnessed violence and major loss of public properties on Friday which saw the death of more than 30 people.

Different parties slammed the state government in Haryana for not being able to handle the situation.

The law has taken its course. It is a verdict on the charges of serious nature. One should respect the verdict. Somebody must be held responsible for the violence which preceded the verdict, said CPI(M) national secretary D Raja.

Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh maintained that, There is nothing for us to say other than asking people to maintain peace.

There is curfew in one or two places in Punjab and we have left it to the district administration to decide in a day or two when the time is right to lift the curfew, he added.

Singh, however, also steered clear of any analysis of the verdict saying it was not a thing to be either welcomed or rejected.

The Punjab chief minister ruled out any compensation to Punjab residents who were killed in Panchkula violence.

The government provides compensation to martyrs and to those killed in road mishaps, but not to those who break the law, he said.
Investigations into the rape charges against Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh were triggered by an anonymous letter written in 2002, addressed to then prime minister AB Vajpayee and several top institutions, including the Panjab and Haryana high court.

Nearly 15 years on, the Dera chief on Monday was handed a 10-year jail term in the case, even as he and his supporters continue to question the authenticity of the letter all these years. (LIVE updates)

The three-page letter typed in Hindi, a copy of which is in possession of HT, narrates the ordeal of a dera sadhvi (woman follower) who charged Ram Rahim with sexual exploitation of the sadhvis in the dera. Sources said the investigating authorities once attributed the letter to a former sadhvi in Bathinda but she refuted their claim.

The letter, which was received by the high court by post on May 5, was also addressed to Union home ministry, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) besides media offices seeking intervention into wrongdoings in the dera.

HC SET THE BALL ROLLING

While most of the recipients did not react, the high court took cognisance of the matter and directed the then district and sessions judge in Sirsa, MS Sular, to conduct an inquiry into the matter.

In his report to high court, Sular did not rule out the possibility of such acts in the dera but said nobody there was prepared to speak about the sexual abuse, and there was no way to access the hostel where sadhvis were living, without the permission of Ram Rahim or the dera authorities.

As the judge recommended that the matter be investigated through a central agency, the high court converted the complaint into a criminal petition, and passed an order dated September 24, 2002, directing the CBI to investigate the allegations. That marked the beginning of the formal investigations against the dera chief.

CBI Chandigarh registered a case on December 12, 2002, under Section 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 509 (insult to the modesty of woman) of the Indian Penal Code and began formal investigations.

TWO VICTIMS TRACED

During the course of the investigation, the CBI faced many legal challenges, including stay orders on conducting the probe for one and half years between 2003 and 2004, which was later lifted.

Sources said the CBIs main challenge was to find the sadhvis who had left the dera allegedly due to physical exploitation and convince them to depose against Ram Rahim.

Finally, they managed to trace two victims and file a chargesheet against him in 2007 in the special CBI court, which was then in the Ambala district courts before being shifted to Panchkula.

CONTENT OF THE COMPLAINT

Claiming to be a resident of Punjab, the anonymous sadhvi said she was an arts graduate who had been inspired by her parents to become a sadhvi. She said she along with 40-45 other girls was doing service in the dera for years.

Two years after she had become a sadhvi, Ram Rahim called her into his gufa, his residence inside the dera, where he was watching television with a revolver by his side. She alleged that she was threatened and then raped by him.

The woman alleged she was then repeatedly raped by the dera chief, who told her that no authority could proceed against him. She wrote that she was shattered and later came to know that other women followers were also exploited before and after her.

She also recounted how a girl from Sangrur was threatened after she shared her ordeal in her neighbourhood after leaving the dera.

The woman concluded the letter by seeking intervention of the then prime minister and the courts. She said she could not share her name as it would then invite trouble for her and her family members.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Security forces surrounded six villages in Jammu and Kashmirs Shopian district on Monday following information about the presence of militants, police said.

Searches have begun to locate the militants...So far, there has been no exchange of fire, the police said.

As part of an all-out operation against militants in south Kashmir, the security forces have launched search operations in Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama districts during the last two months.
Violence erupted in Haryana and neighbouring states on Friday, when Dera Sacha Sauda supporters clashed with security forces after sect head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs conviction in a rape case. With the sentencing likely to be carried out on Monday, the authorities do not want to leave anything to chance.

Although the situation seems to be under control, the Haryana government has mobilised Army and paramilitary personnel in Panchkula and other vulnerable places to ensure that Dera followers do not go on a rampage again. The priority, for now, is to secure the area surrounding Rohtak Jail because the court judgement on quantum of punishment will be delivered there.

Singh was held guilty of raping two women followers in a case that dates back to 2002. Heres what happened after the verdict:

1) Violence erupts, Army deployed

Large scale violence erupted in Haryana and Punjab minutes after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was held guilty of raping two women disciples on Friday. At least 36 people died in the clashes between Dera supporters and security forces.

Apart from the Army, seven companies of paramilitary forces, including the Central Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Force and Sashastra Seema Bal were deployed in Haryanas Sirsa town.

2) Curfew imposed in Haryana and Punjab

Tens of thousands of Dera followers took to the streets in Haryana and Punjab, attacked television vans and set fire to dozens of vehicles, prompting authorities to call in the Army and impose a curfew.

3) Section 144 in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad

The spiral of violence triggered by Singhs conviction engulfed Delhi too, throwing police into a tizzy. Ten buses were burnt in the Capital, and Delhi Police imposed prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC  prohibiting assembly of more than four people  across 11 districts. Incidents of arson were reported from at least 12 places across the city.

Section 144 was also imposed on adjoining Noida and Ghaziabad as a precautionary measure.

4) VIP treatment for Baba?

Reports said Singh, who was taken from Panchkula to Rohtak jail in a chopper due to security concerns, received VIP treatment from the Haryana government in prison.

The Dera head was allegedly provided an air-conditioned room in the prison. Haryana police, however, have issued a denial in this regard.

Singh  designated as Qaidi No 1997  was reportedly accompanied by his daughter, Honeypreet, in the helicopter.

5) Haryana deputy AG sacked for carrying Babas luggage

On Saturday, the Haryana government sacked its deputy advocate general for accompanying Singh after his conviction. The action against Gurdas Salwara came after a video clip purportedly showed the government official  dressed in lawyers robes  carrying a suitcase of the Dera head after his conviction by the CBI court in Panchkula.

6) Centres clean chit to CM Manohar Lal Khattar

Despite the Haryana government admitting to security lapses, the BJP leadership on Sunday ruled out the removal of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. Denying the allegations levelled against Khattar, they said his government had managed to control the situation in just three hours with minimum possible damage.

There is no such consideration, BJP general secretary Anil Jain replied, when asked if the party was planning to take action against the chief minister. The Haryana government had earlier come under fire for allegedly botching up an investigation into the Jat quota agitation.

7) Punjab and Haryana HC pulls up government, Centre

On Saturday, the Punjab and Haryana high court took both Khattar and the central government to task for failing to contain the violence in the state. The Prime Minister is of the nation, and not the BJP, the high court said, wondering why the Centre is treating the region as colonies.

The court also criticised the BJP government in Haryana for politically surrendering to the Dera Sacha Sauda, which claims to have 50 million followers across northern India and is understood to wield considerable political clout.

8) PM Modi condemns violence

A day after tweeting about the Haryana violence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his monthly radio address Mann Ki Baat on Sunday that violence in the name of faith will not be tolerated and everyone will have to bow before the law.

Instances of violence today are deeply distressing. I strongly condemn the violence & urge everyone to maintain peace, he had tweeted on Saturday.

9) Dera supporters arrested for sedition charges

Some Dera Sacha Sauda supporters who resorted to violence in Panchkula after Singhs conviction have been booked under two cases of sedition.

The state government said an AK-47, six pistols and two rifles were also recovered from a vehicle in the Dera heads motorcade.

10) Dera followers trickle out of headquarters

Thousands of Dera followers who had congregated at the sects headquarters in Sirsa began trickling out under Army guard on Sunday.

Hundreds of soldiers and riot police personnel had blocked the approach routes to the premises, spread over 1,000 acres, and were urging those holed up inside to surrender peacefully.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to grant any relief to Bihar liquor manufacturers, who had knocked its doors seeking permission to take the remaining stock of alcohol outside the state.

The Bihar government had told the top court that old liquor stock worth approximately Rs 200 crore was destroyed.

Earlier on July 31, the Supreme Court refused to extend the deadline for Bihar liquor traders to shift their stock of alcohol outside the state.

The court said that the traders remaining alcohol stock will have to be destroyed after July 31.

A bench headed by justice A.K. Sikri had allowed the plea filed by the manufacturers to extend the deadline from May 31 to July 31.

Earlier, the court had extended till May 31 the deadline of April 30, which was fixed after the Nitish Kumar government imposed a ban on liquor in the state from April 5 last year.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies, submitted before the bench that the firms would be incurring huge losses if they are not allowed to dispose the existing stocks.

On October 7, 2016, the Supreme Court had stayed the operation of Patna high court judgment nullifying the state law prohibiting sale and consumption of all types of liquor in the state.

The order came on Bihar governments appeal against the high court verdict quashing the prohibitory order.

The Bihar government then came out with a new law against sale and drinking of alcohol within a month of the high court order.
Swiss president Doris Leuthard will pay a three-day visit to India beginning Wednesday during which both sides will hold extensive talks on entire gamut of bilateral relationship including on ways to ramp up trade and investment ties.

Leuthard will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the ministry of external affairs (MEA) said.

In the talks, the Indian side may raise the issue of black money stashed by Indians in Swiss banks.

India and Switzerland enjoy robust economic ties, with Switzerland being seventh largest trading partner and eleventh largest foreign investor for India.

Both countries share common views on many major global issues. The upcoming visit will provide an opportunity to both sides for holding wide-ranging discussions on bilateral, global and regional issues of mutual interest, the MEA said in a statement.

Leuthard will be accompanied by senior government officials and a large business delegation of leading Swiss companies.

Swiss Presidents have visited India on three occasions earlier in 1998, 2003 and 2007.

Besides Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, members of the council of ministers including the minister for external affairs will also call on the Swiss president separately.

Modi had visited Switzerland in June last year during which the country had announced its support to Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

The two countries had also resolved to strengthen cooperation in combating tax evasion and black money.

Modi, then, had said combating the menace of black money and tax evasion was shared priority for both the countries.
The Farmington City Council and the Leadwood Board of Alderpersons will hold meetings tonight while the Desloge Board of Alderman will have a special meeting.

The Farmington City Council meets for a public hearing and regular session beginning at 6:30 p.m. in council chambers, located at 110 W. Columbia St. in Farmington.

The public hearing is for the proposed property tax rates for the city, which will go into effect on Oct. 1. The proposed rate is $0.4481 on each $100. The matter will be up for a first and second reading and council action during regular session.

A first and second reading and council action are also on the tentative legislative agenda for amendment with the development agreement with Stetty Properties, LLC for property located at 3 N. Jefferson St.

Other items on the tentative agenda for regular session include second readings and council action on an application for rezoning to C-2 Commercial from R-3 Residential for property at 606 KREI Blvd. as well as a proposed amendment to the section of subdivision regulations regarding minimum design and development standards.

Items up for council action under the consent agenda include three resolutions  a real estate contract with John Forrester for property located at 826 Potosi St., a contract with Visu-Sewer for 2017 manhole rehabilitation and a contract with the Farmington R-7 School District pertaining to the use of the Farmington Civic Center and Centene Center.

The council will also take action on appointing members to the Maple Valley CID Board.

The public hearing and regular session are open to the public.

The Leadwood Board of Alderpersons will meet at 6 p.m. tonight to discuss upcoming events and city work.

The board will discuss bids received for financial audits, potholes reports and the bridge at Leadwood City Park. The board will also receive an update on a water project and vehicle transfers between city departments.

Police vehicles will be discussed, as well as matters regarding the municipal court clerk and judge.

The meeting is open to the public.

The Desloge Board of Aldermen is holding a special meeting at 7 p.m. tonight in city hall, located at 300 N. Lincoln Drive. The meeting is open to the public.

According to the tentative agenda, the board will be holding a public hearing regarding the city's 2017 real estate tax rate, after which the board will vote to set the rate.

The board will also consider bids for park bleachers and security cameras; appoint Deion Christopher to replace Alderman Mara Westbrooks; and set the September meeting date.

Discussion will held regarding Court Amnesty Week and procuring a replacement vehicle for the police department.

The meeting is open to the public.
The need for stronger UN action against terrorism and the reform of the world body were among the issues discussed when President-elect of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday.

The prime minister congratulated Lajcak on his election to the post and assured him of Indias full and constructive cooperation in discharging his new responsibilities, a PMO statement said.

During the meeting, Lajcak shared his priorities for the upcoming 72nd UN General Assembly.

They discussed the need for stronger UN action on major global challenges including terrorism, United Nations reform, implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, and climate change, the statement said.

India has been pressing the UN to take an early decision on Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), a proposal which has been pending for nearly two decades.

Once adopted, the CCIT would make it binding on all member countries to deny safe havens and funds to terrorists and terror groups.
A whistleblower in the multi-crore Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh has alleged that his father was injuerd in hit-and-run incident involving a car in Gwalior.

Ashish Chaturvedi, who brought to light a widespread scam in examination and recruitment by the government board -- alleged that his father Om Prakash cried for help for 35 minutes lying in a subconscious state on road but didnt receive help from police on Saturday.

When I reached the spot after 35 minutes, police personnel were present on the spot. I took him to the hospital. My fathers right arm got broken in the accident, he told HT.

I am not aware about it but I am sure that police personnel cant do such thing. The response time and rate of police to help the accident victims is very good in the city, Gwalior superintendent of police Ashish said.

Vyapam  the Hindi acronym of the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board  is a multi-layer scam that came to light in 2015 and involved thousands of students, teachers and officials. It is alleged that officials took money to allow impersonation of candidates and leaked question papers  a scandal that allegedly involved many top politicians. The scam garnered national attention after more than 40 people connected to the case  some accused, some witnesses, among others  died under mysterious circumstances.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari, who succumbed to swine flu on Monday, had been careless about getting tested.

Sawai Man Singh hospital medical superintendent Dr DS Meena said that Kumari was suffering from cold, cough and fever. Doctors had advised her to get a test done for swine flu, but she delayed it.

He said that the 50-year-old MLA was admitted to SMS Hospital on Saturday evening at the specialty medical ICU with complaints of bilateral pneumonia H1N1.

Kumari was being treated at Mandalgarh/Bhilwara and later doctors sent her to Kota and from there she was referred to Jaipur.

The MLA was put on ventilator on Saturday and treatment was started immediately under the supervision of a board of doctors, including Dr Raman Sharma, Dr Pradeep Mittal and Dr CK Vyas, Dr Meena said.

The family members contacted doctors at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram looking at her serious condition. Doctors from Medanta Hospital had a discussion with the board of doctors at SMS hospital and her line of treatment was discussed. The doctors at Medanta expressed satisfaction and advised the use Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machine.

The ECMO machine an advanced technique ventilator which drains the blood from the vein, adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide, warms the blood and then returns the blood to the artery and pumps the blood through the body. This method allows the blood to bypass the heart and lungs, allowing them to rest and get better.

As the SMS Hospital does not have an ECMO machine, Kumari was referred to Fortis hospital on Sunday evening, said Dr Meena.

Kumari was brought to the hospital on Sunday around 8pm in a serious condition. The medical team did their best, but could not save her and Kumari died of swine flu, said Fortis Hospital medical director Dr Shrikant Swami.

He said the ECMO machine was required as it is used when lungs do not function and through this machine the oxygen level in the blood is increased.

Dr Meena and health minister have requested the general public not to ignore symptoms such as cold, cough, pain in the throat, running nose, high fever, headache etc and immediately contact doctor as these symptoms could be swine flu.
A madarsa in Rajasthans Dholpur district runs in the open in a graveyard, forcing students to drop out.

Enrolment at the school up to Class 5, set up at Saipau town on August 8, 2003, has declined over the years, leaving it with 50 students now.

It is very inconvenient for teachers and students to be in a class when a body is buried a few furlongs away, said madarsa committee member Akbar Khan Usman. The committee, he said, has written to the Madarsa Board to allot it a building but in vain.

We have requested the Saipau sub-divisional officer (SDO), Dholpur district collector, MP Manoj Rajoria, transport minister Yunus Khan and even chief minister Vasundhara Raje for a better place for the madarsa, but our plea has not been addressed, Usman said.

The CM and the transport minister assured us to provide a building for the school and solve all problems if we voted for BJP candidate Shobha Rani Kushwaha in the assembly by-election in April.

The Muslims of the town, Usman said, voted for the party but the government forgot its assurance. We met Yunus Khan in Jaipur recently but nothing has been done for the madarsa.

Girraj Singh Malinga, Congress legislator from Badi, said, It is shameful that children of the minority community are being forced to study in the open in a graveyard. I will meet the minister concerned to demand a building for the madarsa.

Enrolment is decreasing every year because parents avoid sending their children to the madarsa running on a burial ground, said Aslam Khan, a contractual teacher at the school since 2008.

Urdu teacher Ruvina Khan said, I have been teaching here since 2013. Students eat midday meal sitting near graves. The atmosphere turns worse when a body is brought for burial.

Akali Khan, local resident, said, My three kids study in the madarsa because I cannot send them to a private school because of my poor financial condition.

Harna Khan, father of three students at the school, said, We are forcing our children to go to the school. Fear of graves makes kids reluctant to go to the school.

Saipau SDO Vinod Kumar Meena said he has not got any complaint about the school running in a graveyard. I will forward their complaint to the education department if they give it to me.

Locals have copies of the complaint given to the SDO and other officials.
The Harmara police on Sunday arrested a 70-year-old man who has been eluding the police for the last 12 years.

According to the police, at the time of his arrest, Brijmohan Prajapat, was living at a temple near Jobner as a priest.

Prajapat was wanted in a case of forgery for the past 12 years. He was finally arrested on Sunday after we kept on scouring various areas for the accused, said Lakhan Singh, station house officer, Harmara police station.

The police said that Prajapat had registered a false case and had also forged documents to pass them off as genuine, for which an arrest warrant had been issued in his name.

During investigation, we came to know that Prajapat was a resident of Jobner but wasnt living with his family for a long time. One of his two sons is currently in jail and has a criminal record, said constable Sunil Kumar of Harmara police station.

Kumar added that around five months ago, the police got a tip-off that Prajapat was living at a temple near the west side of the Jaipur city.

We started a manhunt for him and searched around 20 temples to locate Prajapat. It was during this time that we got information that a priest at the Hanuman Temple near Jobner could be the accused, said Kumar.

The police added that after visiting the temple, their suspicions turned out to be true.

We found Prajapat living at the temple as its priest and also giving divine solutions to the grievances of many of the devotees. However, when we confronted him, he denied and gave us a different name, said the constable.

He said that the police then brought several people from his village who knew the accused and they identified him.

Thereafter we arrested him and he was sent to jail, said the police.
The polling for students union polls in the government universities and colleges across state concluded peacefully Monday even as the voting percentage registered a sharp dip at Rajasthan University (RU). The counting of votes will take place on September 4.

The elections to the student bodies in the universities and government colleges in the Udaipur division were postponed due to Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled visit Tuesday. Voting will take place in Udaipur on September 4 and the results will be declared the same day, a higher education department spokesperson said

There was a heavy deployment of police personnel in the RU campus and its constituent colleges to ensure peaceful voting. As per the officials, about 1000 police personnel and three battalions of Rajasthan Armed Constabulary (RAC) were deployed for the smooth conduct of the democratic exercise.

The additional chief secretary, higher education, issued instructions to the respective districts administration to keep the ballot boxes at the treasury.

As per the officials, the voter turnout at RU this year was lower compared to last year. Of nearly 23,600 registered voters, only 51.5% came out to exercise their franchise. Last year, RU student body polls had recorded 58.8% voting. The total number of registered voters then was close to 25,000.

Students cheer on the polling day for Rajasthan University's student union elections at Maharani's College, in Jaipur, on Monday. (Himanshu Vyas/HT Photo)

Students blamed doing away of department elections from this year as one of the main reasons behind low voter turnout. The candidates in departmental elections would cajole the students of their respective departments to come out and vote. Those who came to exercise franchise in the departmental polls would also vote in the university or college level elections leading to a better overall turnout, said Giriraj Choudhary, who is pursuing masters degree in Museology.

Also, the elections were held on a Monday, which was preceded by an extended weekend. Sevaral outstation students had left for their respective home bty late Thursday as Friday was a holiday on account of Ganesh Chaturthi. Light rains on Monday also played spoilsport.

All through the day, policemen were seen in large numbers moving across the RU campus, managing crowds. The university administration had arranged e-rickshaws and mini-buses to ferry students from the main gate to the polling booths. Outside the campus, firefighters and police forces remained stationed throughout.

Police try to disperse students in Kota. (HT Photo)

Of nine student leaders contesting for the post of students union president in the RU, four --- Sanjay Macheri, Deepak Kumar Meena, Pawan Yadav and Rahul Bhakar --- have emerged as the frontrunners.

Deepak, the National Students Union of India (NSUI) candidate, has locked horns with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishads (ABVP) Sanjay. However, Pawan, an ABVP dissident, who entered the fray as an Independent candidate, may emerge the dark horse. Pawan enjoys the reputation of being a committed and hard working student leader, and most students feel that it was unfair on the part of the ABVP to deny him ticket. Bhakar, too, is NSUI dissident.

For the post of general secretary, NSUIs Manvendra Budaniya seems to have an edge over ABVPs Rakesh Yadav.
Uttar Pradesh has been put on high alert in view of the pronouncement of quantum of sentence to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim whose supporters had run riot after his conviction in a rape case on Friday.

Police believe the self-styled godmans followers are spread across several states and may resort to violence again after the sentencing.

In UP, Ram Rahim has followers in Saharanpur, Shamli, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Hapur.

Additional forces have been deployed in nine districts under Meerut zone due to its proximity with Haryana, additional director general of police Anand Kumar told HT.

Section 144, which prohibits the assembly of four or more people, has been imposed in these districts. Restrictions have also been imposed in Bijnor, Rampur, Agra, Mathura, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etah and Kasganj.

The Dera has set up charcha ghars (discussion centres) in west UP where its followers assemble every morning. Since the Dera supporters have a presence in UP, we need to be on guard. The fact that several districts share borders with Harayana is another reason to be on our toes, a police official said.

Dera Sacha Sauda has a big establishment in Barnawa town of Baghpat district and charcha ghar in Mawana, Modinagar and other places.

A few days ago, intelligence agencies had received inputs that hundreds of Dera followers from Aligarh had left for Panchkula in private cars and hired buses.

A large number of the followers are from Tappal, Pisawan, Chandaus, Atrauli, Gangeri, Charra, Harduaganj, Jalali, Akrabad, Iglas, Gonda and Aligarh. Police said the followers were being identified by the police stations concerned.

With police going after Dera followers in Haryana, many of them are expected to try and cross over to UP.

Senior superintendent of police, Aligarh, Rajesh Pandey said all station officers had been directed to stay alert.

Since Friday, additional director general, law and order, Anand Kumar has sent several missives to state police chiefs to ensure that Ram Rahims sympathisers or followers are not allowed to hold any protest in the state.

Anti-riot police force has been asked to be in a state of readiness and the police are also keeping a watch on social media. Any attempt to foment mischief through social media will be strongly dealt with, Kumar said.

Read more| Ram Rahim case sentencing today: Rohtak turned into a fortress, schools and colleges to remain shut

To stop any infiltration attempts at night, directions have been issued to ensure adequate lighting arrangements in districts adjoining Haryana.

A Dera follower, on condition of anonymity, told HT on phone, Fearing police action, we are pretending to be ordinary travellers.

(Inputs from S Raju, Meerut/Pradeep Saxena Aligarh and Hemendra Chaturvedi Agra)

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The office of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in Rae Bareli was vandalised on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. The Yogi Adityanath government could order a high-level probe into the attack.

The attack on the RSS office has come a few days before Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat is to arrive in Uttar Pradesh for an RSS camp in Mathura.

The police have rounded up some suspects, sources said.

Miscreants even set the kitchen at the Sangh office afire, besides damaging furniture.

We are looking into all possible angles, said Shiv Hari Meena, the superintendent of police, Rae Bareli, admitting so far there werent any ready explanations for the attack.

A team of forensic experts has begun investigation into the incident that came to light after the locals called the police.

UPs rural development minister Mahendra Singh, considered close to the RSS, rushed to Rae Bareli and directed the police to expedite the probe.

As of now, its difficult to say anything but whosoever has done it wont be spared, Singh said, adding a high- level probe will be ordered.

After taking stock of the damage, a police team, led by city circle officer Sheshmani Upadhyay, city magistrate Alok Kumar and inspector kotwali Ashok Kumar Tripathi raided the Gandhi dharmshala situated alongside the RSS office. They took about a dozen people, staying there without any ID, for questioning. Later, they released eight people. The remaining four are still in police custody for further interrogation.

Some people from west UP were among those interrogated, sources said. The police officials and district administration officers were tight-lipped on the issue. Calls to their mobile phones went unanswered.

The RSS office bearers in Lucknow and Rae Bareli told HT said that if the attack was intended to terrorise them, it had failed in the objective. Its clear that the attack was deliberate. But whosoever attacked our office probably isnt aware of the Sanghs ideology and resolve, a senior Sangh official said.
The Sir Sundar Lal (SSL) Hospital here, the premier medical institution of eastern Uttar Pradesh, is battling an acute shortage of nurses and other support staff.

This is the situation just two weeks after over 30 children died at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur, about 200 kilometres from Varanasi, within 48 hours due to alleged disruption in oxygen supply and other causes.

Locals refer to the Sir Sundar Lal Hospital as the AIIMS of the region though it does not have the tag officially. Rather, AIIMS is coming up at Gorakhpur.

OVERBURDENED A senior professor at the hospital claims that the shortage of staff is taking a toll on the health of the paramedical staff, especially nurses, as they are overburdened and have to work for additional hours. The hospital also faces a shortage of other support (OS) staff including ward boy, ward assistant, technicians, and OPD assistants. Against the requirement of 2,500 other support staff, the hospital has just 1,000. The hospital authorities have taken the outsourcing route to bridge the gap between demand and supply but it cannot be a permanent solution.

The SSL hospital is part of the Institute of Medical Sciences-Banaras Hindu University, a central government institution, in Prime Minister Narendra Modis parliamentary constituency Varanasi.

The hospital was founded in 1924 with 96 beds. It has 1565 beds now. The hospital requires 2365 nurses but has only 425 of them. They look after patients who come from eastern UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. About 3,000 to 5,000 patients visit the outpatient department (OPD) daily.

A few months ago, experts at the University Grants Commission (UGC) sanctioned recruitment of 500 nurses after the hospitals medical superintendent Dr OP Upadhyaya wrote to the union ministry of health, highlighting the acute lack of nurses, considered the backbone of patient care. A copy of the letter was also sent to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO).

Taking note of the letter, the PMO called a meeting in February. The PMs principal secretary Nripendra Mishra chaired the meeting in which medical experts of the UGC, top officials from the union health ministry, Sir Sundar Lal Hospital medical superintendent Dr OP Upadhyaya and IMS director Dr VK Shukla participated.

Hospital sources told HT after the discussion, the UGC experts gave their go-ahead to the appointment of 500 nurses. They also assured approval to recruit more nurses in the near future.

The process to recruit 500 nurses is in progress. Hopefully, we will complete it by October. But over 1400 more nurses are needed to meet the requirement of the 1565-bed hospital receiving patients from five states, Dr Upadhyay told HT.

He admitted that looking after patients with the existing number of nurses was a bit difficult.

But we are doing it successfully, he said.

The hospital also faces a shortage of other support (OS) staff including ward boy, ward assistant, technicians, and OPD assistants. Against the requirement of 2,500 other support staff, the hospital has just 1,000.

The hospital authorities have taken the outsourcing route to bridge the gap between demand and supply but it cannot be a permanent solution.

The SSL Hospital faces a shortage of other support staff. We need 1,500 more other support staff to meet our hospitals requirement. We are working to improve things, Dr Upadhyay said, adding the shortage will be overcome through outsourcing.

Around 350 skilled youths have been hired through outsourcing around two months back. Half of them have formal training as OT technicians, lab technicians and lab assistants. The rest will be engaged as stretcher bearers, ward boys and ward assistants.

Confirming the figure, the medical superintendent said: This is an effort to improve patient care.

A senior professor at the hospital, who does not wish to be named, claims that the shortage of staff is taking a toll on the health of the paramedical staff, especially nurses, as they are overburdened and have to work for additional hours.

This is a major challenge in providing suitable care to the patients, the professor says.

The hospital has a sanctioned strength of 750 doctors. At present, 500 resident and senior resident doctors and 250 senior doctors are serving the hospital.

Funding for the hospital has gone up. The central government made a budgetary allocation of Rs 30 crore for the hospital for the financial year 2017-18. In 2016-17, the Centre had allocated Rs 12.05 crore to the hospital.

The hospital has 23 major operating theatres, an emergency OT and two minor OTs.Twenty-two OTs were upgraded to modular ones in the last eight years. Five are being upgraded currently and will turn into modular OTs in the near future, Dr Upadhyay said.

The hospital takes around two months to clear bills for oxygen and nitrous oxide after taking their delivery. The hospital, which always has a months stock of the two gases, spends around Rs 12 lakh to Rs 14 lakh every month on the two gases.

It pays Rs 10 lakh for oxygen and around Rs 2 lakh for nitrous oxide every month. The annual bill comes to around Rs 1.4 crore.

Dr Upadhyay said, As soon as the supplier submits the bill for the gases, the process to clear it begins. We ensure that the bills are cleared as soon as possible. We always keep a surplus stock of oxygen for about a month so that we can meet the requirement in case of an urgency.

There were no reports of medicine shortage or defunct medical equipment in any department of the hospital.

However, Guddu Yadav, an attendant of a patient at paediatric surgery department, complained: The doctors gave us an appointment for an operation on Monday, but they postponed it. Now they say surgery will take place on Friday. He did not specify the reason for the postponement but hinted at an attitude problem.

The last expansion of the hospital was done in 2016 in accordance with the Medical Council of India requirement. The number of beds increased to 1565 from 1205 here due to growing pressure of patients. In all, 360 beds were added.

The hospital authorities write to the union HRD ministry and the union health ministry, in case of any requirement, Dr Upadhyay said, adding that free lunch and dinner to the poor patients resumed as the centre provided funds for the same following a communication.

Dr Upadhyay says the centre should provide AIIMS status to the IMS-BHU and provide funds on par with the premier medical institute so that the patients can get the best possible care here. He thanks the centre for increasing per bed treatment fund from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per year. This will help in improving the services, he says.

Meanwhile, construction of the Mahamana Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya Cancer Centre, a 250-bed-hospital, is likely to start at Sundar Baghiya on the BHU premises from September. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the centre during his visit to Varanasi on December 22 last year before assembly elections. The estimated cost of the hospital is Rs 500 crore. It will be of global standards.

In addition, a centenary super specialty complex worth Rs 200 crore will come up on the premises of the Sir Sundar Lal Hospital, BHU, in a couple of years.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Smeared in ashes and holding tridents, damrus (small two-headed drums) and kamandals (water pots used by ascetics) in their hands, a group of sadhus on Monday demanded hanging of rape convict Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

The sadhus held placards and shouted slogans against Ram Rahim at Rajendra Prasad and said he should be awarded capital punishment for his misdeeds.

Ram Rahim should be given strict punishment and should be hanged.

A sadhu Dhuni Baba said Ram Rahim had lust for money and power and lived a luxurious life. A true sadhu gives up all worldly pleasures and luxuries and leads a simple life, he said.

Ram Rahim should be given strict punishment and should be hanged, he demanded.

The 50-year-old Dera Sacha Sauda chief was on Friday found guilty in a 15-year-old rape case. Within minutes of the verdict, his followers ran riot and clashed with security forces, leaving 38 people dead and 250 injured. While 32 people died in Panchkula, where the case was heard, six died in Sirsa, the headquarters of the sect.
The West County Board of Education met for its regular meeting Thursday night to receive beginning of the year reports and to approve the 2017-2018 tax levy.

Before getting into the agenda, the board heard from FCCLA students and faculty advisor Tiffany Miller regarding their trip to the 2017 National Leadership Conference in Nashville. The students competed in a LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl and placed third, losing only one round.

Jacob Briley, Garrett Knox and LillyAnn Swyers described the trip to the board and received awards for their performance and representation of West County School District.

The board heard reports from the principals of the elementary, middle and high school, each saying the school year had gotten off to a great start. This year, there are 314 students enrolled in high school, 241 enrolled in middle school and 450 enrolled in elementary.

High School Principal Eric Moyers noted the cross country team will compete for the first time next Wednesday at Perryville.

Superintendent Stacy Stevens said the year got off to a good start from his perspective as well, and noted that the district had heard a lot of good feedback after calling off class for the Aug. 21 eclipse. He also thanked Belgrade State Bank for donating eclipse glasses for students.

He also thanked First State Community Bank for their program that allows new and existing account holders to obtain a debit card with a West County mascot on the face. For each debit card issued, the bank is donating $5 to the school district.

The board approved the reports from the principals, Stevens and Director of Special Education Sheri Price.

The board then voted to approve the property tax rate for 2017-2018 at $4.05 per $100 assessed valuation, a rate which Stevens said has remained the same for 19 years. Of the total levied monies, $2.9143 will go to Fund 1, $0.9857 will go to Fund 3 and 15 cents will go to Fund 4.

We did deficit spend a little bit, Stevens said. But when you talk about the things we were able to accomplish over the course of the year and still have the balances that we have, were still in a very strong position still yet. And I think that you, the board, continue to be good stewards of the districts money.

The board then approved the adoption of a 152-page special education compliance plan, which states the districts agreement to abide by state recommended standards rather than draft a plan of its own, which would then have to be submitted for approval to the state.

The board also approved increasing the pay of substitute nurses to match that of substitute teachers. The amount was increased by $5, the new pay amount coming to $75 per day.

The board then considered two facility usage requests, approving one for Our American Hero Foundations request to use school property to hold a trivia night.

The second request was extensively discussed, as the request came from a for-profit cause, which brought several factors into play, according to Stevens. The board weighed its options and ultimately denied the request, with several board members saying approving it would have regrettably set a dangerous precedent for the future.

The board then approved a bid from Red Rock Supply in Leadington for two HVAC units, coming in at $8,462.

The board approved the qualifications of substitute teacher applicants and also approved several fundraisers. The school calendar was also adjusted to allow for a makeup day resulting from classes being cancelled for the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.

Lastly, the board approved a plan for students to transition from the Rocky Creek Ranch to the main school campus. The plan lays out the steps a student must go through to be considered for transition. Stevens said the plan is ultimately formulated to create the best learning environment for as many students as possible.

We hope that we get some kids coming into the regular school setting and they have a great deal of success, he said. Thats what we hope for those kids.
Shrawan Kumar Yadav, 29, is on a unique mission to cover 40,000 km on bike.

In the process, he will be touching 100 cities and the life of over 75,000 youth and children, motivating them on the importance of emotional well-being and handling stress.

Presently passing through Uttar Pradesh, he took a stopover in Allahabad on Friday.

Suicide by a second-year engineering student studying at my sisters college in Etawah shook me to my core and I realized that so many youth were ending lives over trivial things. I decided to talk about issues haunting teens and motivate them to take the problems head on, said Shrawan, founder of the campaign Connecting Youth on Wheels (CYW).

As he realized that the youth seemed ill-prepared to face the real challenges of the world, Shrawan started educating them on ways to handle issues such as peer pressure, low self-esteem, lack of communication skills, bullying and confusion on their sense of direction.

Having already passed through Noida, Ghaziabad, Etawah, Bulandshahr, Kanpur and Lucknow, Shrawans next stop is Varanasi.

He believes that emotional well-being is the missing link which can bridge the gap in the holistic development of Indian youth.

So with an aim to reach out to as many students as possible, I set off on my favourite bike from New Delhi in third week of January 2017 visiting different cities across the country talking to youngsters wherever possible. I have already covered 11,000 km across Delhi, MP, Rajasthan and UPs 16 cities holding 40 seminars attended by than 9,000 students. Next I plan to head to West Bengal and follow it up with Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh among other states, he says.

The aim is to reach out to over 75000 youngsters across 100 cities by January 20-18 when I conclude my yearlong mission, added Shrawan, who is an MBA from Ajmers Bhagwant University.

At the seminars wherever he goes, Shrawan talks about how to manage emotional state, coping with an addiction, what makes them frustrated, depressed, angry, sad or even happy, loved etc besides topics like how to handle negative emotions, peer pressure and academic pressure, bullying and criticism, self-esteem issues, tendency to seek validation from others and craving for social media followers, etc.

The CYW campaign is designed with an idea to raise awareness about the importance of emotional wellbeing; which is also the least discussed topic usually during college and school life. The seminars are of around two hour duration. There is no cost for the meet as the campaign is running on contributions by people from all walks of life, he adds with a smile.

Photo caption:

Photo caption: Shrawan during one of his seminars at a college (File pix)

====

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
After the Shah family was killed in an accident near Tagdi village in Ahmedabad on Sunday, neighbours said they are still in a state of shock. They told police that Kiran, 45, and her two children visited a temple inside their building on Saturday, to seek blessings for a safe journey before leaving for Palitana, a pilgrimage town for Jains in Gujarat.

They asked us to keep a watch on their house as they would not be back for a few days.They were like family to us. We shared everything. It was shocking to find out that the whole family had been killed, said Manoj Mehta, Kirans neighbour.

Kiran had been living in the Nishigndh Building near Kasturi plaza for the past 22 years. The area has a predominantly Jain population.

As Kiran lost her husband seven years ago, neighbours said they do not know who will manage the familys property now. The familys flat is currently locked.

No one from the family has approached us yet. As the accident took place in Gujarat, a case has been registered with the Dhandhuka police station, said an officer from the Dombivli police station.

In accordance with relatives wishes, all 11 bodies were created in Gujarat on Monday morning.

On Sunday morning, the jeep the family was travelling in collided head on with a truck carrying LPG cylinders. Police said a preliminary probe indicates that the jeep driver lost control of the vehicle after he fell asleep at the wheel and veered on to the wrong side of the road.

Shashikant Shah, 54; his wife Rita, 50; daughter Dhara, 24; sister-in-law Kiran, 45; her daughter Jinali, 20; son Namil, 17; sister-in-law Bharti, 52; cousin Hitesh, 50; his wife Vibha, 45;, nephew Nandish, 18; and driver Mohammed Malik, 50, were killed. Malik was from Vadodara and Bharti from Surat.

I got a call that morning and reached the spot around 6 am. I was shocked to see the bloodstained and mangled remains of the jeep. I found out about the deaths when I went to the hospital. I didnt have the courage to face my friends relatives and so called my family for support, said Rajesh Kumar, a family friend who lives in Gujarat.

An officer from the Dhandhuka police station said a case has been registered against Malik as he had been driving at the time of the accident. He has been booked under section 304(a) (causing death by negligence), 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code. Both vehicles were sent to a regional transport office, where they will be examined to ascertain if the brakes of either had failed, he said.

Jainam Shah, 17, the lone survivor, is currently critical after having suffered severe head and body injuries, said police. He is a Class 12 student at a Ghatkopar college. His father had moved to Nilkanth Pooja building in the area just two months ago.

Jainam is so young and has lost his entire family. He will return to fetch his belongings after he recuperates. We pray that he recovers from the pain soon, said a neighbour.

Kumar said doctors told him that Jainam was responding to the medication.

An officer said that as Jainam was the only eye witness, police will record his statement once he is discharged. Police are also talking to locals and trying to find other eye witnesses to the accident.

Jainams father Shashikant was a supplier of tailoring materials, while his wife was a homemaker.

Shashikants cousin brother Hitesh lived in Vina building at Rajajipath Road. He and his wife, Vibha, did not have children. They looked after Nandish who lost his parents in an accident a few years ago.

Neighbours have decided to hold a condolence meet this week.  We will arrange to meet at our community temple this week and pray that the family rests in peace, said Pankaj Shah, 44, a resident of Nilkanth building.

Neighbours added that 11 people were killed in an accident on the same stretch 11 years ago.
An 18-month-old girl died after she accidentally slipped from the mothers arms while she was holding her near a window on a buildings 10th floor in Andheri (East) on Thursday night. The police said its an accident and there is no foul play.

According to the MIDC police, the incident took place at around 7pm on Thursday in Rihab Kanakiya building in Mulgaon Dongri in Andheri (East). The woman  Aarti Yadav, 27  was holding her daughter Anu in her arms near the staircase window. The window has a boundary wall of three and a half feet and two rods above it. The girl was standing on the window and had held one of the rods. The mother had held the girl. Suddenly the mothers phone slipped from her hands and she tried to pick it up. At the same time, the girl took a jerk and slipped out of the window, said a police official from MIDC police station.

The girl was rushed to nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival. Yadavs husband works for a real estate developer and said he did not suspect any foul play. A woman police sub inspector investigating the accidental death said she ascertained the sequence of events, it was an unfortunate mishap and nobody is to blame for it. The couple has another daughter.
Even as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visit to Congress leader Narayan Ranes house during Ganeshotsav sparked fresh rumours of Ranes induction into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the shift is unlikely to take place soon.

BJP president Amit Shah visited two Ganpati pandals on Monday, including Mumbais famed Lalbaugcha Raja, which he had prayed at last year too. He later attended the launch of a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BJP chief, however, neither formally met Rane nor visited his Juhu residence to participate in festivities.

There was never any official meeting scheduled between the two leaders. There was no casual communication either, said Ranes son, Nitesh.

Fadnavis visited Ranes house on Friday night. While Nitesh tweeted pictures of the CMs visit, Rane told reporters that Lord Ganesha has always given him whatever he has asked for, indicating that he was likely to make an announcement soon.

Rane, a former Shiv Sena leader, has influence in the Konkan belt, where the BJP is yet to make a dent.

During his visit to Mumbai, Shah visited the Ganpati mandal at Bandra, headed by BJPs city chief Ashish Shelar on Sunday. He was accompanied by Union minister Piyush Goyal, BJP Maharashtra president Raosaheb Danve and state minister Vinod Tawde.

The BJP has been trying to strengthen its political clout in Mumbai, through locally popular festivals such as Ganeshotsav and Dahi Handi. Currently, a large number of the Ganpati mandalsare supported by the Shiv Sena, the BJPs warring ally and prime competitor.

Nobody knew who PM was during Cong rule

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Amit Shah took a dig at the Congress party, while launching a book on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying it was only after Modi came to power that people realised the presence and power of the prime ministerial chair.

Shah said that during the Congress rule, nobody knew who the Prime Minister was as all the ministers acted like power centers.

Shah launched Hamare Narendra Bhai, a book depicting Modis journey, at a function held at YB Chavan Centre on Sunday.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and other state BJP leaders were present at the event.

Shah said that not a single allegation of corruption was levelled against the Modi government in its three-year rule.

We have brought transparency in the government and even the opposition could not question us. Modiji ended vote bank politics and focused on performance. This has led to the development of the country, he said.
Four months after the schools were ordered to stop selling books and other stationery items to students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has softened its stance. It has now allowed the affiliated schools to open tuck shops to sell books and stationery on its premises.

In a circular issued on August 25, the CBSE amended its order issued on April 19 asking the schools to refrain from indulging in commercial activities and not to force parents to buy books and stationery items from them. The latest decision was taken to augment the availability of NCERT books across all CBSE affiliated schools.

The latest circular issued by deputy secretary K Srinivasan reads: Schools are allowed to place indent for purchase of books directly through NCERT website for distribution among their students and for this purpose a tuck shop- small stores- may be opened inside the premises of the schools.

Besides books, stationery and other materials required by the students will also be sold at the tuck shops. Earlier this month, the CBSE asked its schools to place order for NCERT books for the next academic year through the councils website.

Parents groups, however, said that lifting the ban will encourage schools to go back to selling books at higher prices and enter commercial alliances with vendors.

Schools ask for payments only in cash and most of them do not issue receipts. They get up to 60% discount for the materials they sell. But the benefit is never passed on to the parents, Jayant Jain, president, Forum For Fairness in Education (FFE).

The NGO now plans to move Bombay high court against schools selling books and stationery to their students.

The NGO said they have received complaints from parents that schools were making it compulsory for them to purchase textbooks, notebooks and uniforms from them at prices higher than the market rate. A school in Borivli sold a book for Rs1,700 against the market price of Rs600, said Jain.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
After 11 members of a Dombivli family were killed in an accident near Tagdi village in Ahmedabad on Sunday, police said their last rites will be carried out in Gujarat.

The family was heading towards Palitana, a pilgrimage town for Jains in Gujarat, when the jeep they were travelling in collided head on with a truck.

Shashikant Shah, 54; his wife Rita, 50; daughter Dhara, 24; sister-in-law Kiran, 45; her daughter Jinali, 20; son Namil, 17; sister-in-law Bharti, 52; cousin Hitesh, 50; his wife Vibha, 45; nephew Nandish, 18; and driver Mohammed Malik, 50 were killed. Malik was from Vadodara and Bharti from Surat. The rest were Dombivli residents.

Shashikant was a supplier of tailoring materials, while his wife was a homemaker. Dhara had just completed her graduation, said police.

Jainam Shah, 17, the lone survivor, is currently critical after having suffered severe head and body injuries, said police. He is a Class 12 student at a Ghatkopar college.

Police said a preliminary probe indicates that the jeep driver lost control of the vehicle after he fell asleep at the wheel.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The controversy surrounding the Blue Whale challenge, an online game that provokes children to harm themselves and eventually end their lives, has spurred discussions about the use of social media in city schools. Educationists and technology experts said the schools should discuss pros and cons of social media it with students and parents instead of turning a blind eye and it should become part of school curriculum.

Social media have become an integral part of how todays generation communicates. Even if a school bans it from the classrooms, the child is going to access it outside the school premises, said Swati Popat Vats, director, Podar Education Network and Early Childhood Association (ECA), a group of 2,000 pre-schools.

Speaking during a panel discussion at The School Leaders Network, she said, When educationists point fingers at parents or kids for misusing social media, it means they too have failed because they have not been able to explain how to use the medium correctly.

Although parents and schools might have succeeded in keeping children safe physically, children are vulnerable on social media, said Munavira Pillai, director, Pillai Centre for Innovation and Research. Depression rate has shot up due to trolling and cyber bullying. They [children] are physically safe, but they are not safe from the virtual world, Pillai added .

Experts said this is the reason why schools must include social media in their curriculum. Institutes must educate children and their parents on how to use social media. If that is done, we can keep them safe from dangers such as the Blue Whale challenge and others, said Imran Kapadia, chief digital officer, DICE ecosystems.

Ruchira Ghosh, regional director, Cambridge International Examinations, said that schools need to get acquainted with all forms of social media platforms as it is beneficial for students and parents.

Social media helps students to relieve stress during and after exams. For teachers, they provide barrier-free access to professional development resources, said Ghosh.

She said while most schools use social media groups to communicate with parents, it is restricted only to sending circulars and complaints related to school fees.

Discussion of sensitive issues, dialogue is not happening. The current generation of parents are responsive and active on social media. The schools need to make the most of it,Ghosh added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
As many as five people were injured after a state transport bus hit three vehicles on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway on Monday.

Police said all the vehicles were heading from Pune to Mumbai. There was a traffic jam near Khalapur around 10.30 am. A bus hit three of the vehicles stuck in traffic from behind, said an officer from the Khalapur police station.

The injured people were taken to a nearby hospital. The bus driver is yet to be arrested, he added.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Family members of Nagpur resident Zanesh Dwaine, 49, gave a lease of life to two patients suffering from end-stage organ failure. Doctors from Global Hospital, Parel, performed both the surgeries on August 24.

Dr Zainulabedin Hamdulay, director of cardiothoracic and vascular surgery, Global Hospitals, Mumbai, performed the heart transplant surgery on a 34-year-old patient suffering from heart failure.

Dr Ravi Mohanka, chief liver transplant surgeon, Global Hospitals, performed the liver surgery at Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital in Pune on a 66-years-old lady suffering from liver failure.

Doctors said the donor was rushed to Orange City Hospital in Nagpur after he suffered an intracranial bleeding last week. But was declared brain-dead soon after. They said the family volunteered to donate his heart and liver after initial councilling.

The Mumbai hospital received the information about the available organs from Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) at 1:30 am on August 24. The team of doctors reached Nagpur at 10am to harvest the organs and left at 2:15 pm in a chartered air ambulance.

Both the organs reached Mumbai at 3:40pm. From here, the liver was sent to Pune.

The Mumbai traffic police create a green corridor and helped the ambulance deliver the heart from the airport to the Parel hospital in 17 minutes.
The police, who raided a Mephedrone (MD) manufacturing unit in Palghar on Friday and seized MD worth Rs18 lakh, said they are interrogating the four men they arrested to find out who taught them how to make MD and who gave them funds.

The police got a tip-off about the unit when they arrested Nadeem Nasir Shaikh, 27, from Andheri on August 21. The man was nabbed with 1kg MD worth Rs20 lakh. Based on his interrogation, three men were arrested in a joint operation by the Amboli and Dahanu police. The police seized 900g of MD worth Rs18 lakh and equipment and chemicals worth Rs41.02 lakh.

A police official said, We are interrogating the accused to find out who taught them how to make the drugs, who funded their criminal activities and if they supplied MD out of Maharashtra too. One of the accused  Sanyal Bane alias Sunny, 33  is a Dahanu resident and a science graduate but a police official said they suspect he has received training from someone on how to make the drugs.

Police said Bane, Anwar Gafoor Chowdhary, 37, and Sultan Ahmed Abdul Rauf, 41, started manufacturing the drug five months ago. While Rauf has a case of extortion registered against him at Manor police station in Palghar, Chowdhary is a realtor and has a fabric business.

Police said the unit, was in a residential area, which belongs to one of Chowdharys friends, who lived with her children in a room adjacent to the one where the drug was being made. Police found a 50-metre-long pipe in the room, which released smoke into the field. We found Rs65,000 in cash and large quantities of raw materials and chemicals including acetone, hydrochrolic acid, aluminum chloride, sulphuric acid and plastic soda. The seized materials could have been used to create 65 kg of MD worth Rs13 crore, said Manjunath Singe, superintendent of police, Palghar.
Country

Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Canada Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cuba, Republic of Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Dominican Republic Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Haiti, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Jamaica Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Mexico, United Mexican States Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu US Virgin Islands Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
After heavy rain lashed most parts of the suburbs over the weekend, within a span of nine hours, south Mumbai on Monday recorded its highest rainfall this year.

Between 8.30am and 5.30pm, the Colaba weather station, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 124.6 mm of rain, but the Santacruz weather station, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, received only 33.2 mm of rain. The second highest rainful in South Mumbai was recorded between June 12 and on June 13 (24 hours). The previous highest nine-hour rainfall was 63.4mm on June 25.

Between 8.30am on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday, both Santacruz and Colaba recorded 60mm of rainfall.

Under the weather departments classification, 15.6mm to 64.4mm of rain is considered moderate, 64.5mm to 115.5mm heavy, 115.6mm to 204.4mm very heavy, and more than 204.5mm extreme.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said part of north Konkan, including Mumbai, will receive very heavy to extremely heavy rain until Wednesday. Our weather models have shown that Mumbai and surrounding areas can expect almost 200mm of rainfall between Tuesday and Wednesday, said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head, weather forecasting services, IMD. Owing to various factors, the entire Konkan coast can expect very heavy to extremely heavy rain.

He added that Vidarbha, Marathwada, central Maharashtra, south Gujarat and south Konkan can expect heavy rain.

Heavy rain over the weekend and through the day on Monday helped Mumbai surpass its August average rainfall. The city recorded 550.7mm rain till 5.30pm on Monday compared to 529.7mm received in the same period last year.

Mumbai is just 314.5mm short of its annual average rainfall of 2,258 mm.

While night temperatures in the city and suburbs were close to the normal mark, the day temperature at Colaba was 28 degrees Celsius, almost 2 degree below normal.

The maximum temperature at Santacruz was 28.7 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degree Celsius below normal.

Expect bumpier rides, train delays over next 2 days

Heavy rain over the past two days caused water-logging at several location in the city, complained citizens and corporators. Commuters were also hassled as locals, including that of Western Railway, were running with a delay of 10-15 minutes. With weathermen predicting heavy to very heavy rain over the next two days, train disruptions and inundation are likely to get worse. Officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said that they did not receive any no water-logging complaints on Monday.

Sion, Matunga, Parel, Wadala, Andheri and Ghatkopar witnessed water-logging on Monday, citizens said.

Nikhil Desai, a resident of Matunga, said, For three days, there has been water-logging at Gandhi market despite six pumps in operation. Vehicles were stuck in traffic. The only excuse the BMC can give is that the area is shaped like a saucer which is why it is prone to water-logging.

Explaining why the BMC has not received any complaints, Ravi Raja, a Congress corporator from Antop Hill, said people had got used to the phenomenon.

James John, an activist from Andheri, said that commuters had a bumpy ride on Andheri-Sahar Road and parts of the Western Express Highway owing to water-logging. A saving grace among the chaos is that the lakes supplying water to the city are 96.26% full.

Navi Mumbai gets moderate rainfall in three days

Navi Mumbai received moderate rainfall in the past three days.

It recorded 46.30mm of rain on Saturday, 58.55 mm on

Sunday and 14.07 mm on Monday. Rainfall between 15.6mm and 64.4mm is considered moderate.

Between 8.30 am on Sunday and 8.30 am on Monday, Nerul received the highest rainfall at 77.4 mm, followed by Belapur (72.6 mm), Vashi (45 mm) and Airoli (39.2 mm).

Rainfall in Airoli and Vashi was pegged at 8.2mm and 6.3 mm.

Navi Mumbai witnessed an unprecedented water crisis last year as the water level in Morbe dam was insufficient.

Now, the dam, the only source of drinking water in Navi Mumbai, is almost full, said an official of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on condition of anonymity.

The catchment area of Morbe dam received 36 mm of rainfall. The height of the dam is 88 meters. The dam is almost full now and the NMMC has started releasing water from it, said the official.

The NMMC has deployed officials who are at ready to help people in rain-related incidents.

The city reported two tree falls and a short circuit case on Saturday and Sunday. But no one was injured in these accidents.

Meanwhile, rain has failed to affect devotees.

There was incessant rain in the first half of Saturday and people faced trouble during darshan. In the evening too, rain made a comeback. But that could not resist people from pandal hopping, said a senior officer from the NMMCs disaster management cell.

Two children step out to play, drown in Panvel river

Two children from New Panvel drowned in Gadi river near Panvel on Sunday. While rescue teams fished out one body on Monday morning, the other is yet to be traced.

According to the police, Mayank Patil, 3, and Prathamesh Adsul, 6, lived in the same building at Sukhapur. They had gone out to play in the afternoon, but did not return home in the evening. So their families approached the police.

No one saw the children slipping into the river; therefore, we had registered a kidnapping case under section 363 of the Indian Penal Code, said an officer from Khandeshwar police station.

In the evening, a few local residents said that they had seen two kids playing near the river. We then suspected that they might have fallen into the river and informed fire brigade officials to search for them, the officer said.

Around 11am on Monday, the rescue teams found Patils body in the river around a kilometer from the spot.

Patils body was handed over to his family after a post-mortem was conducted in a rural hospital at Panvel. We have registered a accidental death case, the officer said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
After part of a building collapsed in Chandivli on Saturday, the body of Naval Naik, 22, was pulled out late on Sunday, taking the toll to two.

Rescue operations are still ongoing even after more than 36 hours. Fire brigade officials said incessant rain delayed work.

On Saturday, three people were pulled out from under the debris  Gaurav, 32, Tivandas, 19 and Bablu, 25. While Gaurav died, the other two suffered injuries.

A part of the building collapsed, then a poclain machine crashed through seventh floor leaving the rest of the building in a precarious state. We are trying to cut down the machine. This will take time, said Prabhat Rahangdale, chief fire officer.

Mumbai fire brigade officials said the building was vacant and in the process of being demolished when the incident occurred.

There is still no clarity on how many people are trapped under the debris. Eye witnesses said they suspect at least four or five people are yet to be rescued.

The civic and fire brigade officials do not have information on how many labourers were working on the site.
Bandra and Andheri residents, who do not want the elevated DN Nagar-Mankhurd 2B Metro line to disrupt their open spaces and buildings, have formed a committee to oppose it.

A federation of citizen groups has initiated a Mumbai Jodo campaign to ask for an underground Metro instead. The steering committee under this campaign comprises 12 activists and experts.

Anandini Thakoor, trustee of H/W Federation, said a general committee was working towards creating mass awareness by holding meetings at the local level. Different citizen groups have filed petitions, said Thakoor.

Activists said the 2B line will disrup open spaces and buildings in Bandra, Khar and Santacruz (West) and congest the arterial SV Road. Citizens and schoolchildren had staged a protest against it on August 11.

Architects Nitin Killawala and Jaffer Jhaveri have proposed that the Metro 2A line (Dahisar-D N Nagar) be connected to the underground Metro line 3 (Seepz-Colaba) at the domestic airport.

Connecting the Metro lines will save up to Rs10,000 crore and provide seamless connectivity from Dahisar to Colaba. Later, there can be an extension to Mankhurd if ridership is high, said Hansel Dsouza, an activist and a member of the committee.

Next, citizens plan to meet authorities and discuss the issue with stakeholders. The committees next meeting is scheduled for September 10.
After the National Investigation Agency (NIA) asked a special court for permission to attach all properties belonging to televangelist Zakir Naik, the court asked the agency to submit proofs that Naik owns those properties.

On July 28, the NIA had sought permission to attach Naiks five properties  a flat in Jasmine Apartments in Mazagaon, two flats in Maria Heights in Mazagaon, share in the property at Crystal Apartments in Mazagaon, land at Pezari and a shop at Rukaiya Manzil in Dongri.

As per the procedure the agency now has to prove that the properties belong to Naik. The court has now scheduled the hearing in the first week of September and till then the agency has to submit all the relevant documents.

The agency had, on April 20, obtained a non bailable warrant against Naik after he was accused of inciting youth to take up terror activities. The NIA had alleged that, Naik has been promoting enmity between different religious groups in India through his public speeches and lectures on various platforms and inciting Muslim youth and terrorist in India and abroad to commit unlawful activities and terror acts.

On November 18, 2016, the agency had registered a criminal case against the controversial preacher under various sections of the IPC and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. His organisation, the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), was declared an unlawful association by the government a day before the NIA registered the case.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The celebrations that followed Sundays announcement of BCom results by the University of Mumbai (MU) was short-lived as technical glitches on Monday prevented students from accessing their mark sheets on the varsitys website. Similarly, the MU was unable to upload results for law and BMM, despite announcing them on Monday .

The university said it had announced results for 90% third-year BCom students, who had appeared for the final exams four months ago.

The entire Kalina campus is facing a technical problem, which has affected the internet services. Since results of more than 70,000 students need to be uploaded, the website keeps crashing. We are working on the error. Results are ready and we just have to upload them so students need not panic, said an MU official.

Despite the promise, the varsity failed to upload the results online till Monday evening. However, it did mange to upload a BCom few results by 9pm on its website.

We uploaded results in batches to prevent the website from crashing, added the MU official.

Panic-stricken students who called their respective colleges for updates were asked by the staff to keep checking the varsity website for results.

Even though the college is supposed to stay shut for Ganpati holidays, the staff is working because several students are coming to us with complaints. We havent received any word from the university over the delay in uploading the results, said Nupur Mehrotra, vice-principal of the Mithibai College, Vile Parle.

To avoid more confusion, MU has also shared consolidated mark lists to individual colleges on Monday.

If the technical problem persists, students will have the option of checking their full result at their respective colleges on Tuesday, added theofficial.

As per university data, 65,992 students appeared for the TYBCom exams in April. While the varsity claims to have released results for about 58,000 students, close to 8,000 students will have to wait for their results.

Though the university officials said the results will be released soon, students grievances related to results are mounting at individual colleges and at MUs help desk in Kalina campus.

I waited for two hours at the university to meet a help desk representative, only to be told that they are not sure why our results havent been uploaded on the universitys website. Later, an announcement was made that results will be uploaded soon. The university is doing nothing apart from aggravating our anxiety, said Rahul Pereira, 21, a student.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
A full bench of the Bombay High Court is set to hear two public interest litigations (PIL) that question Maharashtra not having silence zones, an issue over which there was a lot of noise last week. From August 24 onwards, the court had seen unprecedented scenes after the Maharashtra government accused a sitting senior judge, Abhay Oka, of being biased against it on the issue of noise norms and said he should recuse himself.

The bench of Justice Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla, while hearing two PILs, had told the state that it could not accept Mumbai having no silence zones.

This was after the Maharashtra government informed the bench that there was no silence zones across the state. It also meant that Mumbai stood to loose 1,537 silence zones. It also meant that there would be no silence zones near schools, colleges, hospitals, courts and religious shrines.

The central government brought into force an amendment to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000, which made individual states responsible for specifically notifying these zones on August 10. The Maharashtra government had failed to notify silent zones in the state.

Justice Oka who refused to recuse himself from the case and instead said We are glad that the state acted like an ordinary litigant. But the states representation saw the Chief Justice Manjula Chellur transfer the litigation to a different bench.

The Advocates Associations condemned the tactics of Maharashtra government. The Chief Justice has now constituted a full bench with Justice Oka, Justice Chagla and Justice Anoop Mohta to hear the petitions.
The ongoing mess surrounding the assessment of answer sheets at the University of Mumbai (MU) will not affect the examinations that will be held in the second half of the year, said the university officials.

Speaking to HT, Arjun Ghatule, in-charge director, board of examination and evaluation, said the exams will be conducted as per the schedule and the timetable will be declared in the next two days.

During a meeting held last Thursday, the board of examination and evaluation formed several committees comprising faculty members and varsity officials to fix dates for the exams. We will soon have a meeting of all the faculty deans to finalise the schedule, Ghatule said.

While colleges lack clarity on the examination dates for the current batch, students are worried that they might be forced to wait till Diwali holidays.

Diwali is just two months away and the MU is still announcing results for the exams held in the previous semester. We are worried that the university will push our fifth semester exams to November, which will be unfair to us, said a BMM student from a suburban college.

Usha Mukundan, principal, Ramniranjan Jhunjhunwala College, Ghatkopar, is hopeful that the assessment mess will not affect the academic calendar any further.

If the varsity has faltered once, it shouldn't mean that it will keep faltering. Im sure that the MU will bounce back from the ongoing crisis. The students have already started preparing for the upcoming exams.

This year, the MU has been plagued by massive delays in declaring results for exams held in the first half of the year. This happened after it switched from manual to on-screen assessment system (OSM) for checking answer sheets. The delay has affected thousands of students aspiring for higher education and job opportunities.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Police arrested Congress city chief Sanjay Nirupam and his party workers to prevent them from meeting actor Amitabh Bachchan and urging him to support Federation of Western India Cine Employees workers, who have been on strike for the past two weeks.

The Congress has supported the strike and has called for other actors to speak up too.

Nirupam was meant to visit the actors Juhu bungalow, but police served him a notice preventing him from doing so. He said he would request Bachchan to cancel the shoot of his reality show Kaun Banega Crorepati in support of the strike. Party workers said they would hand over a memorandum to the superstar to apprise him about the strike and the demands raised by workers.

My party workers and I were arrested outside my house. Police took me to the Versova police station, where I was asked to hand over the memorandum. They assured me that they would give it to Bachchan. I will wait for a response from the superstar for two days and then decide on a further course of action, said Nirupam. He also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was trying to divide the cine workers with the help of a newly set up union headed by a party leader.

Joint commissioner of police, law and order, Deven Bharti clarified that the police had served Nirupam a notice under section 149 of the criminal procedure code, preventing him from meeting the actor.

Congress state president Ashok Chavan criticised the BJP for resorting to all means, including misuse of power, administration, anti social elements to win elections.
Union minister Sushma Swaraj said the functioning of the ministry of external affairs had undergone a massive change since 2014, when the Narendra Modi-led government took over.

The speed of work is now supersonic. There were just 77 passport service centres in India in 2014. But in the past six months, we have created 235 new ones, she said, speaking at an event in Bandra-Kurla Complex on Sunday.

Swaraj inaugurated the countrys first Videsh Bhavan  an establishment set up to bring all of the ministrys local offices under one roof. It is expected to cater to 12 of Maharashtras districts and the Union territories of Daman, Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

Swaraj said it will also counsel Indians seeking jobs abroad and help them steer clear of fraudulent recruiting agents who take advantage of peoples lack of knowledge and dupe them.

Like her party chief Amit Shah, the external affairs minister set the tone for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Shah boasted about the BJP-led governments performance over the past three years, comparing it to that of the Congress government. He and Swaraj were in Mumbai to chair two functions.

In the presence of minister of state VK Singh and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Swaraj spoke about her ministrys efforts to rescue Indians stuck in crisis situations on foreign soil, and the need to do away with archaic passport application rules.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the cabinet about cooperative federalism. The perception is that the external affairs ministry works only with the Centre, but I decided to take foreign affairs to the states by starting a Videsh Bhavan in every state capital, she said.

Fadnavis spoke about Maharashtras efforts to ensure that passports are issued within 24 to 48 hours by simplifying the police verification process and enabling it to be done online.
The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has sent out an alert to banks asking them to closely verify deposits of foreign currency after it recently unearthed a scam involving misuse of the currency declaration forms that passengers coming into the country have to fill at airports. The scam, which is apparently more profitable than hawala, could involve Rs1,000 crore over five years and could have links with crime syndicates in Dubai and Africa.

The DRI had arrested eight people, including textile exporters, for claiming excise duty drawbacks from the government by showing fake CDFs. This way, the agency suspects, black money was converted into white.

Filling in CDFs is mandatory if the value of foreign currency notes a passenger has exceeds US $5,000 and if the aggregate of the foreign exchange (in the form of currency notes, bank notes, traveller cheques etc.) with a passenger exceeds US $10,000.

Passengers need to produce this form at a bank authorised to deal in foreign exchange or at a money changers at the time of conversion of foreign exchange into Indian rupees or reconversion of rupees into foreign exchange.

The forms were filled by these exporters under the name of fictitious passengers -- say a Nigerian travelling to the city to purchase garments from them. The signatures of the customs officials on the forms were forged, said a source.

These forms were then submitted to the banks. The foreign currency declared in the CDF is purchased from the grey market and deposited in the bank account. The accused showed the money as earnings from exports, as money paid by those who came to India to purchase garments from them.

Investigations revealed that the scam gathered momentum as it was more profitable than the hawala system. Under hawala , money is paid to a middleman in one country who then instructs his associate in another country to pay the final recipient after taking a commission. While the commission is Rs4 per dollar for a hawala transaction, through this CDF fraud it is a mere Rs1 per dollar, said a source in the DRI.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Dera Sacha Saudas (DSS) Ghaziabad ashram in Karhera wore a deserted look as followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh stayed away from the facility following his conviction on Friday.

The ashram came up around two years ago on the banks of river Hindon. Ram Rahim had also held an event to promote his movie Messenger of God at the Karhera ashram.

As per an estimate, there were nearly 40,000 followers of Singh in Ghaziabad district till the afternoon of August 25, prior to the CBI court holding him guilty in the rape case.

A Hindustan Times team visited the ashram on Monday afternoon when the CBI court sentenced Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years of imprisonment for raping two women 15 years ago. Besides the PCR vans, only a single caretaker was present at the ashram, which is spread over nearly five bighas. Apart from organising satsangs, the caretakers also grow vegetables in the remaining area.

None of the followers or the coordinators have come to the ashram since August 25. We generally hold Ram Charcha (a form of satsang) here and hundreds of people attend but the last assembly took place on August 19 and I dont know when it will be held again, said Bhoora, the caretaker, who is from Aligarh and earns Rs6,000 as monthly salary.

The Karhera ashram is under the scanner since the court held the self-styled godman guilty and large-scale violence broke out in Haryana and parts of NCR. In Loni, a UP Roadways bus was torched by unidentified men and two DTC buses were also set afire.

We found dozens of spades and grass cutters at the ashram. As a precautionary measure, the equipment was seized. Who knows if these could have been used as weapons, a police personnel deployed at the facility said.

The ashram has come up on the floodplains but has temporary structures, apart from the small, permanent structures of toilets.

During assemblies, DSS books and food items are sold to people. Followers who come to attend satsang purchase these items, which are costlier than the items available in the market. But our followers like to purchase these items, Bhoora said.

The ashram area was peaceful as police camped on the Karhera road and inside the facility since Monday morning. There has been a regular deployment of police since the violence on August 25. DSS coordinator for Ghaziabad, Jitendra Kasana, was not reachable as his mobile phone remained switched off.

The situation on Monday remained peaceful but we are taking extra precautions for the night. It is because of vandals who could use items such as petrol bombs to flare up violence. Petrol pump owners have been strictly told not to sell petrol in bottles or cans. A majority of DSS members or followers have been put under surveillance and they have been strictly told to abstain from any act that could escalate law and order in the district, said Akash Tomar, superintendent of police (city).

The Ghaziabad police have deployed all PCR vans for crucial night duty and have assigned areas to circle officers, who will be accompanied by provincial armed constabulary personnel.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
To enable direct admission in private affiliated colleges of Dr Abdul Kalam Technical University, students have been given a breather till August 31 to register themselves on the universitys website.

The affiliated colleges of AKTU have been given clear directive to enrol students via direct admission process only after they register themselves online providing their educational and residential details along with their Aadhaar card numbers. The move is being seen as a step to avoid fake admissions, as the university, in May 2017, had released a list of 450 colleges found to have submitted irregular documents of students during their admission process in academic session 2016-17. A total of 50 colleges in Ghaziabad and 35 in Gautam Budh Nagar were also issued notices over the issue in May.

In the wake of colleges being found with irregular documents of new students and reducing the number of candidates applying for the counselling process, the university administration had decided to avail direct admission for the vacant seats. For the academic session 20171-18, the university administration had decided to monitor the direct admission process of private unaided affiliated colleges.

It is hereby requested to all directors of affiliated institutes to inform all students applying for vacant seats in their respective institutes to first register themselves on the universitys portal. The last date to register themselves on the portal has been extended till midnight of August 31, AK Shukla, deputy registrar, AKTU, said.

The earlier date of direct admission and the submission of the list of allotted students was July 29. However, only 14% institutes had sent the details of students to the university by that time.

Even in this academic session, the private affiliated colleges had fared poorly in the counselling process as over 300 colleges across UP couldnt find a single student to enrol in the counselling process. A total of 1.42 lakh students had appeared for Uttar Pradesh State Entrance Examination (UPSEE) and 19,636 students took admission through the online process.

Till now, the university has facilitated the direct admission process of over 50,000 students post the counselling process. The admission to vacant seats will continue till August 31, said Professor Kuldeep Sahay, registrar, AKTU.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
The Noida authority additional chief executive officer Rakesh Kumar Mishra, along with a team of health department officials, on Monday inspected Jama Masjid in Sector 8 to ensure cleanliness of its premises ahead of Eid on September 1.

Officials also conducted an inspection to check the level of cleanliness in many Muslim-dominated areas, including sector 6, 7, 8, 31 and Nithari village, ahead of Eid festivities.

They also interacted with residents in these areas and discussed civic issues faced by them.

Residents in Nithari village complained that the unauthorised vendors outside the mosque have made a mess of the neighbourhood.

I have directed my staff to ensure that all unauthorised vendors are removed immediately from outside the mosque as it creates problems to the faithful. Apart from removing unauthorised vendors, the health department will also clean the area properly, Mishra said.

The Noida authority officer on special duty RK Singh, health department senior project engineer Raghunandan Yadav and other officials were also present during the inspection.

The objective of the authority is to ensure that roads, drains and other public spaces are cleaned properly in areas near mosques ahead of Eid.

I have asked the staff to collect municipal waste on time in the morning and evening and transport it to the landfill site. Our idea is that the waste should not rot on roads and at other public places as it creates an unhygienic condition, Mishra said.

The Noida authority has created primary garbage collection centres outside residential and industrial areas. The authority appointed sweepers clean the garbage in their respective areas and collect the waste at one point. Subsequently, the waste is dumped at the primary garbage collection points. From there, the waste is transported to landfill sites by the authority.

I have instructed the health department that the standard which is set for garbage disposal should be followed properly so that all areas remain clean and residents do not face any problem of sanitation, Mishra said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
On Monday, the ministry of external affairs in a two-point statement on the Doklam disengagement understanding announced an expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site. Typically, Chinas official Xinhua News Agency confirmed the news as Indias withdrawal of troops, without mentioning if its own troops would also back off. As India prepares for the 9th BRICS summit to be held at Xiamen, China, from September 3 to 5, this could decrease tension between the two nations.

But if the Indian Army chiefs comments are anything to go by, we should not be too optimistic, let alone be lulled into complacency. Delivering the General BC Joshi Memorial Lecture at Savitribai Phule Pune University on August 27, General Bipin Rawat warned that China is trying to change the status quo on our border and incidents like Doklam are likely to increase in future.

Chinas belligerence towards India is nothing new. In the last few years, we have been unable to move even an inch towards resolving our disputes along the 3,488-kilometre border we share with China.

Thumbing its nose over Indias concerns, China has powered ahead with its $46 billion corridor through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This amounts to a refusal to accept that even PoK is a disputed area, let alone Balochistan, where the Gwadar port, the terminus of its uber-ambitious One Belt, One Road project, is located.

China has not only repeatedly blocked Indias membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group or vetoed United Nations resolutions to label Masood Azhar a global terrorist, but has also cozied up considerably to Pakistan in the last few years. No wonder that when the 14th Dalai Lama visited the Tawang monastery in Arunachal Pradesh in April, China threated to intervene in Kashmir. Of course, there was no mention that Chinas claims over Arunachal Pradesh arise out of its takeover of Tibet, which the Tibetan Government in Exile views as illegitimate and illegal.

How does one make sense of Chinas all-round bellicosity and muscle-flexing? According to defence analyst Brahma Chellaney, the roots of Chinas imperial overreach lie in the Chinese dream. This is the Communist Party of Chinas ambition to make the country the worlds leading power by 2049, the centenary of communist rule in that country. Its current general secretary, Chinese President Xi Jinping, is merely carrying out this mandate. In the upcoming 19th Party Congress, Xi is expected to be cleared to lead China for another five years.

Given that the US seems to be sliding from its pre-eminent position, this may seem, on the surface, to be a logical and realisable goal. After all, China may become the worlds leading economic power before 2049. Its military ambitions, it appears, is to supplant the US over the next couple of decades. But economic and military power is not enough. China will also need cultural and political legitimacy, which it lacks now. Instead, China is becoming increasingly unpopular the world over, especially in Asia because of its intimidation of its smaller neighbours. By standing up for Bhutan at Doklam, it is India, which has behaved with surprising firmness in thwarting Chinese designs.

Given the recent appointment of the much-decorated and battle-tested 63-year-old General Li Zuocheng as head of the joint staff department, China wants to send the message that it will continue to act tough. Li has already met Pakistani army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. With the Peoples Liberation Army primed up over the past few months for hostility, India must also prepare for any eventuality, not taking lightly Chinas threat to teach it a lesson.

Ideally, however, India and China should declare a 1,000-year cessation of hostilities. Though, we have no idea what the world will look like 1,000 years from now, if our past record is anything to go by, our two civilisations have probably the best chance of surviving into the next millennium. Whatever the immediate differences, both India and China must recognise and regard each other not just as nations, but as great civilisations.

Chinese mandarins know that Indias hegemony in the subcontinent is a given. India too accepts China as an international superpower. Given our deep, historical, cultural ties and on-going geopolitical proximity, it is in the interests of both to build a stable and lasting friendship, based on mutual trust and respect. How to achieve this is a diplomatic and strategic challenge that both powers must embrace.

The forthcoming BRICS summit is yet another opportunity to move forward. If so, the de-escalation at Doklam is a welcome step.

Makarand Paranjape is a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University

The views expressed are personal
The political import of the BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao call seen at the Opposition unity rally organised by RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday in Patna is limited.

The spectacle of Lalu hugging JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav showed that the challenges to Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumars decision to share power with the BJP, which he had fought during the 2015 assembly elections, will persist. The absence of BSP chief Mayawati from the show, however, puts a question mark over the potential of this Opposition unity being extended to neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. This is despite the presence of former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, whose Samajwadi Party continues to face challenges from within as well as an aggressive poaching from the BJP.

That said, the potential for widening the opposition to the BJPs predatory politics is there. The participation of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, CPI secretary D Raja, former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, senior NCP functionary Tariq Anwar was a clear pointer to the possibility.

However, that apart from Mayawati the CPI(M) also kept away indicates that Opposition parties have miles to go before they can put up a viable alternative to the BJP, which is aggressively expanding its social and political constituency in eastern and southern India, and co-opting winnable influential politicians from rival outfits.

Projecting a single party as the common enemy to forge an Opposition unity has been problematic in Indias multi-party democracy since Independence. During the one-party dominance of the Congress in the electoral arena, it took socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia years before a split Congress could be viably challenged in many states through installation of short-lived Sanyukta Vidhayak Dal governments in the late 60s. That experiment co-opted elements of the Left and Right, the erstwhile socialists and the splinter group of the Congress that broke away from the Indira Congress.

The second major anti-Congress opposition was forged under duress after the 1975 Emergency. Here jailed Opposition leaders put together another short-lived coalition, christened the Janata Party, only to lead to a resurgence of the Congress.

During the eighties, though the Congress decline continued in many states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in the north and Andhra Pradesh in the south, the challengers were regional outfits. It was only after the 1989 Lok Sabha elections that the VP Singhs Third Front government could be installed on the clutches of the BJP and Left. It was brought down when the BJP withdrew support to it.

In the nineties the Congress decline was evident. The corresponding political ascendance of the BJP was changing the political dynamics.

Post the 2014 landside victory in the Lok Sabha elections, this dynamics underwent a radical change. The BJPs aggressive expanding corresponds with the aggressive stand taken by many Right-wing groups, like the RSS.

The unbridled rise of militant Hindutva, with a tacit endorsement by the BJP governments at the Centre and states and their inability to address issues like farmers distress have created objective conditions for another political revolution. It is here that hopes of Opposition unity arise. The only factor inhibiting the non-BJP forces from capitalising the situation is their inability to provide a viable and capable alternative.

To be able to do so, the Congress and other political parties opposed to the BJP brand of politics will have to put their own houses in order. Individual egos will have to be submerged to forge an effective united Opposition to the BJP.

More important, the constituents of this front will have to convince the masses that they have a viable alternative action plan of better governance. The first test of this will be the coming state elections in Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

Yogesh Vajpeyi is a freelance journalist and media consultant

The views expressed are personal
Way back in 1843 Karl Marx in an introduction to a book that criticised GWF Hegels Elements of the Philosophy of the Right wrote: Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. Marx thus saw in religion a utility to the State by creating illusions to mitigate the immediate suffering of people. It made them dull to oppression and induced a sense of fatalism. Hegel saw in the State the presence of God upon the earth. Both would now be turning in their graves, seeing how their postulations shaped up in India. Far from becoming the opiate, religion has now metastasised into a pernicious thought process that threatens to destroy the State.

Thats because of the proliferation of cults within religions. Religiosity is being displaced by veneration and devotion directed towards a particular figure or object. Ironically it is not the veneration of inanimate idols that is worrisome but increasingly the cults around living figures that tend to pose challenges to authority.

All the major religions have seen the emergence of outsized cult figures who themselves become objects of veneration superseding the divinities they represent. From being objects of veneration to claiming divinity is just a small leap. The late Satya Saibaba of Puttaparthi, a much venerated cult figure, was probably the most successful of the godmen in terms of market size and revenues.

They might be interceding for many gods but one commonality is that godmen have mesmerising control over their devotees. Finding togetherness in cults is a common human condition. The level of education and wealth of a society has little relationship with the incidence of credulousness.

Otherwise America would not have a David Koresh of the Branch Davidians who led 77 followers to a death after a confrontation with the FBI in Texas or Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple who persuaded 900 followers to drink poison-laced Kool Aid in Guyana. The perceived power of televangelists like Billy Graham, Jim Bakker and Jerry Falwell made politicians like Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan assiduously court them and espouse policies favored by the religious right. In Japan, Shoji Asaharas mesmeric message to his Aum Shinrikyo cult into attacking Tokyo metro in rush hour with Sarin gas. So why should India be an exception? Credulity is inbuilt into the human condition.

What should, however, cause us concern is the proliferation of deras in Punjab and Haryana. By some counts there are as many as 9,000 now. A dera, as its name suggests is more a militant encampment rather than a benign monastery. The most notorious cult figure in recent times was Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale whose temporal journey ended only by an army assault to free the Golden Temple. In 2014 the followers of a Hindu Godman, Rampal, dared the state to enter his dera in Hissar and pick him up for trial for murder, sedition and conspiracy. It took over five thousand Haryana policemen take him in.

Last year a cult centred on the return of Subhaschandra Bose that had taken control of the Jawahar Bagh in Mathura had to be stormed by the UP armed police and 29 followers of their leader Ram Vriksh Yadav had to be killed.

The Dera Sacha Sauda of Ram Rahim Singh is the cult in the news now.

August 25, 2017 is red-letter day for Indias judiciary, which asserted itself by ignoring political connections and the cupidity of the authorities. It is not surprising that the criticism of the entire political spectrum about the activities of this bizarre guru of bling is uniformly anodyne, very unlike the vitriol they routinely pour over each other.

After all politics is not about rationality or good sense or decency, but just about votes.

Mohan Guruswamy is an economics and policy analyst. The views expressed are personal
A court in north Bihars East Champaran district has convicted a man found guilty of selling toddy, a banned alcoholic beverage in the state.

Special public prosecutor Anil Kumar Singh said the court at Motihari, headquarters of East Champaran district, 153 km north of Patna, sentenced Raza Sahni to undergo 10-year imprisonment after finding him guilty under section 30 (a) of the Bihar Prohibition and Excise Act, 2016.

This is the first conviction in Bihar for selling the fermented version of palm tree juice since the prohibition law was enforced in the state on April 5, 2016, Singh said.

Additional district and sessions judge Rama Rang Tiwari, who passed the verdict on Saturday, also slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Sahni, a native of Dumarighar village in the district. Sahni was caught with two jerrycans containing 30 litres of toddy near state highway 74 at Bhawanipur in Sangrampur police station area on November 15, 2016.

Lawyer Ranjit Prasad, who assisted Singh in the trial, said Sahni would have to undergo additional jail term of six months if he failed to pay the fine.
Jailed for 20 years on Tuesday in a rape case, Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) head Gurmeet Ram Rahims fall is as dramatic as was his rise, particularly in Punjab, the hub of his sects activities. Up to 1994  besides the Sirsa headquarters in Haryana  in Punjab the dera had only one naam charcha ghar (preaching centre) of five acres at Malout in Muktsar district in 1994. That too had been set up in the time of Shah Satnam  Gurmeets predecessor and the second dera chief after its founder Shah Mastana  who had died in 1990 soon after handing over the gaddi (seat).

By 2007, the DSS empire had grown to 98 centres spread over 800 acres. That was also the year that Gurmeet Ram Rahim got into crosshairs with the Sikh community after he allegedly committed blasphemy by dressing up as the tenth Sikh master, Guru Gobind Singh, at the deras state headquarters at Salabatpura near Bathinda. That led to clashes, and the baba never came to Punjab for any activity since. The case has, though, been cancelled by the Punjab police during the previous regime of the SAD-BJP combine.

Gurmeet had shown his talents early on, as he started expansion plans within a couple of years of taking over at the age of 23. In 1994, he bought 50 acres of land at Salabatpura purportedly from the money collected by disciples. This centre now has more than 100 acres.

Baba disliked Malouts geographical location as it is close to the border with Rajasthan, part of the region on the tri-junction of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. He decided to shift the dera base to Salabatpura in Rampura Phul region of Bathinda as the area was more easily accessible to followers even from Moga, Barnala, Faridkot and Mansa districts, said a political leader who was once close to the dera. This forms the Malwa region of Punjab, largest of the three cultural divisions of the state.

He gathered followers during a time when Punjab had barely come out of militancy, and several dominated classes and Dalits were searching for social space. Soon, naam charcha ghars came up in Mansa, Barnala and Sangrur. The number was up to 20 by 2002 in Malwa alone. He still had a large following Haryana.

Boom in the Noughties

The period between 2000 and 2007 is called golden time by followers, when the dera chief used the ladder of politics to establish himself as a parallel power centre.

Already, by 1996, the dera had a sizeable vote bank in Malwa, and the dera head had decided to secretly extend his support to SADs Sukhbir Singh Badal when he fought the Lok Sabha poll for Faridkot seat . Sukhbir defeated Congress candidate Jagmeet Singh Brar.

Political experts in Malwa opined that this was the time when even the effluent classes, seeing the increasing political clout, started getting attracted towards DSS.

In 1997, the dera supported SAD-BJP in the assembly polls and the alliance formed the government. Then, in 2002 Capt Amarinder Singh-led Congress formed the government and also enjoyed full support of the dera, albeit secretly, said a Bathinda-based veteran journalist. This sent the message fast and loud among political classes in villages that joining the dera would provide them space as well as vote bank of the suppressed classes. Apart from politicians, even administrative and police officers start visiting the dera for good postings, and this period saw many landed Jat Sikhs and rich Bania community members in prime grain-market towns of Malwa got attracted too.

And the dera ended up with as many as 98 prayer centres by 2007. That year, he again supported the Congress which swept the Malwa region but could not form the government because of losses in Doaba and Majha.

Then the row over reported imitation of Guru Gobind Singh made followers from the Sikh community alienating themselves. Gurmeet Ram Rahim, born a Sikh, was excommunicated and boycotted by the Akal Takht, the highest Sikh temporal institution, and banned from preaching in Punjab.

However, he continued to have a say in politics, switching support as per convenience. Until law caught up with him last week in a 15-year-old case.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Chandigarh Press Club is organising a march on Tuesday to protest against the attack on journalists in the aftermath of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs conviction by a CBI court in Panchkula on August 25. The march will start from the press clubs premises in Sector 27 to the Haryana governors house near Sukhna Lake.

It is also alleged that Haryana police misbehaved with journalists who were reporting the court proceedings of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the rape case against him. The dera chief was awarded 20 years in jail on Monday. The club has also condemned the lax security arrangements by the Haryana government.

Chandigarh Press Club has demanded compensation and an inquiry from the Haryana government for losses borne by journalists during the attack. The vehicles of around 40 journalists were torched and equipment was also damaged during the violence. Many were injured. The OB vans of many electronic news channels were toppled and burnt.
In view of the prevailing tension, schools and colleges in Haryana and parts of Punjab will remain closed on Monday, senior officials said.

However, in Union Territory Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states, schools and colleges will function normally.

All educational institutions, including government and private schools, colleges and other institutions in the entire state, will remain closed tomorrow, Haryanas additional chief secretary (home) Ram Niwas said in an official release.

Haryana is on a high alert after violence in Panchkula and Sirsa on Friday left 38 people dead and over 250 injured following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case. The quantum of sentence in the case will be pronounced in Rohtak on Monday.

As a precautionary measure, the Punjab government also ordered closure of all educational institutions, including government and private schools and colleges, besides technical institutions, in the 13 sensitive Malwa belt districts. The decision was taken by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh in view of the sensitivity of the matter and the heightened tension in the wake of the conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief, an official spokesperson said.

He said the deputy commissioners of all 13 sensitive districts of the Malwa region Muktsar, Bathinda, Barnala, Mansa, Sangrur, Patiala, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Moga, Faridkot, Ludhiana, Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib have been asked to announce that the educational institutions in their respective districts will remain closed.
Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will appeal against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judgement sentencing him to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and Rs 30 lakh fine in two rape cases, his lawyer said on Monday.

Talking to reporters here, the dera chiefs lawyer S K Garg said they had pleaded with the court to take a lenient view in awarding the sentence as the rape cases were old.

We urged the court that a lenient view should be taken as the case was 18 years old and there was no other case during the period, Garg said.

He said they also urged the court to give minimum sentence in consideration of the social work done by him.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 20 years jail for the rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples.

The sect chief has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in each of the two cases of rape. Both sentences will run consecutively.

CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh announced the sentences at Rohtak on Monday. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on the sect chief.

The court had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The complaint in the cases was filed in 2002.
In their list of top 10 neighbourhoods around the world, Lonely Planet helped spotlight some of the trendiest areas in their city at the moment  neighbourhoods that dont necessarily make the cut in generic travel guides. They represent areas that have either been steadily developing over the years, or that are currently in the midst of a rapid transformation, ripe for exploration right now. For travellers looking to experience a destination like a local, here are a few highlights:

*Seongsu-dong, Seoul

Labelled the Williamsburg of Seoul, Seongsu-Dong is an industrial hub, home to abandoned warehouses and factories that have been salvaged and revitalised into trendy cafes, restaurants, galleries and independent shops. Some of the trendiest cafes include Cafe Onion, Zagmachi and OR.ER.

Sunset Park is located below Park Slope, on one of the highest hills in Brooklyn. (Shutterstock)

*Sunset Park, New York City

Located below Park Slope, on one of the highest hills in Brooklyn, Sunset Park has become a popular gathering place for locals looking to savour the last rays of the summer this season. With Chinatown bordering the park on the east, and the Latin American community to the west, the park is described as a heady mix of cultures and traditions. Its prime location offers sweeping views of lower Manhattan.

*Tooting, London

Curry lovers will want to bookmark a trip to South Londons Tooting neighbourhood, where restaurants like Dosa n Chutny and Apollo Banana Leaf helped make its high street one of the best curry corridors in the country. Tooting Market has been selling arts and crafts, apparel, and multicultural fare for 80 years. Punters can also grab a pint at quirky watering holes like The Castle, The Antelope and The Little Bar.

Tooting has some of the best curry restaurants and shops selling arts and crafts. (Shutterstock)

* Damansara Heights, Kuala Lumpur

Its one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Kuala Lumpur that has seen an uptick of shiny shops, community-focused eateries and cosmopolitan conveniences. Look no further than the cafe-bakery Huckleberry, speakeasy Skullduggery and Flour, a North Indian restaurant that serves a knockout biryani for proof.

Follow @htlifeandstyle for more
The red phone booth is as much a British icon as Queen Elizabeth, Big Ben and Shakespeare  you can see many tourists snapping themselves against them every day  but in the mobile and digital age, thousands are due to scrapped.

At one time, there were 92,000 booths across the United Kingdom and queues were a familiar sight, with some impatient customers tapping the glass, urging callers to get on with it. Now they are no longer cost effective to its owner, British Telecom.

Many remain unused for the purposes they were created, now increasingly home to the original messengers: pigeons, gathering junk and worse. Some entrepreneurs have adopted them and turned them into libraries and places to charge mobile phones.

But some have turned into unofficial public urinals, particularly frequented during heady weekends. Nearly a third are only used once a month, and many are never used at all.

The cost of maintaining them has reportedly gone up to 6 million a year. BT has decided to scrap 20,000 booths, even though nearly 33,000 calls a day are still made from them (minimum cost is 60 pence for a call, enough for several minutes and texts on a mobile).

A BT spokeswoman told The Guardian: BT is committed to providing a public payphone service, but with usage declining by over 90% in the last decade, we continue to review and remove payphones which are no longer used.

The boxes will need to be removed according to communications regulator Ofcoms guidelines. If there is no other payphone within 400 metres, the local authority must be notified, and the box would only be removed if there were no objections.

BT hopes to encourage communities to adopt some booths by paying 1. As many as 4,300 have already been converted into art centres, sites for lifesaving defibrillation equipment and local information points.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Chinese academics have cautiously welcomed the resolution of the two-month-long military standoff with India in the Donglang (Doklam) region near the Sikkim border, with one expert warning that the pullback of troops is just a temporary solution.

It may be just a pause. I dont think it is over, a South Asian authority with a leading Chinese think-tank told Hindustan Times on Monday.

There continues to be a big gap between the two countries on the issue, the academic said, referring to the differences in perception of the strategic China-India-Bhutan tri-junction, close to where the standoff began in mid-June.

The disengagement of troops began on Monday, with no clarity yet on whether China will stop building a road in an area controlled by Beijing but claimed by Thimphu. Indian troops acted in coordination with the Bhutan government to block the construction of the road, with New Delhi saying it would alter the status quo.

I dont think China would have stopped building the road, the academic said, indicating potential conflicts of similar nature in the future. According to the expert, the details of the agreement to defuse the situation would be the key to whether the impasse has actually been resolved.

The academics argument centred on the fact that India and China have a 3,500-km boundary dispute, divided into the western, middle and eastern sectors  Beijings argument in the current standoff was that India had illegally trespassed into Chinese territory because the Sikkim boundary had been decided in an 1890 treaty with the British Indian government.

Other experts were more optimistic.

It is very good news, said Long Xingchun, director of the Center for Indian Studies at China West Normal University.

Wang Dehua from the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies told Hindustan Times: This (resolution) has created a good atmosphere for both countries to resolve problems left over from history. Historical problems can be solved through dialogue.

This will prevent China and India from confronting each other. The unity of the two nations will upgrade the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) mechanisms, Wang said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the BRICS Summit in Xiamen, China, next week. India became a member of the China-led SCO in June, days before the standoff began.

Wang was among the many Chinese experts who had made aggressive statements against India during the standoff. His turn of opinion could be an indicator that the aggressive posturing by most experts would now be toned down.
US President Donald Trump is preparing to lift restrictions on surplus military equipment that can be passed on to local law enforcement agencies in spite of past concerns that armoured vehicles and other gear were escalating confrontations with protesters.

Documents obtained by The Associated Press indicate Trump was preparing to sign an executive order undoing an Obama administration directive that restricted police agencies access to grenade launchers, bullet-proof vests, riot shields, firearms, ammunition and other surplus military equipment.

Trumps order would fully restore the programme under which assets that would otherwise be scrapped can be repurposed to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement better protect public safety and reduce crime, according to the documents.

US attorney general Jeff Sessions could outline the changes during a Monday speech to the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville, Tennessee, a person familiar with the matter said. The person insisted on anonymity to discuss the plan ahead of an official announcement.

The changes would be another way in which Trump and Sessions are enacting a law-and-order agenda that views federal support of local police as a way to drive down violent crime.

National police organisations have long been pushing Trump to hold to his promise to once again make the equipment available to local and state police departments, many of which see it as needed to ensure officers arent put in danger when responding to active shooter calls and terrorist attacks. An armoured vehicle played a key role in the police response to the December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California.

In 1990, Congress authorised the Pentagon to give surplus equipment to police to help fight drugs, which then gave way to the fight against terrorism.

Groups across the political spectrum have expressed concern about the militarisation of police, arguing that the equipment encourages and escalates confrontations with officers. President Barack Obama issued an executive order in 2015 that severely limited the surplus programme, partly triggered by public outrage over the use of military gear during protests in Ferguson, Missouri, following the shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Police responded in riot gear and deployed tear gas, dogs and armoured vehicles. At times they also pointed assault rifles at protesters.

Obamas order prohibited the federal government from providing grenade launchers, bayonets, tracked armoured vehicles, weaponised aircraft and vehicles, and firearms and ammunition of .50-caliber or greater to police. As of December, the agency overseeing the program had recalled at least 100 grenade launchers, more than 1,600 bayonets and 126 tracked vehicles  those that run on continuous, tank-like tracks instead of wheels  that were provided through the program.

Trump vowed to rescind the executive order in a written response to a Fraternal Order of Police questionnaire that helped him win an endorsement from the organization of rank-and-file officers. He reiterated his promise during a gathering of police officers in July, saying the equipment still on the streets is being put to good use.

In fact, that stuff is disappearing so fast we have none left, Trump said.

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund said in a statement Sunday night that it is exceptionally dangerous and irresponsible for the administration to lift the ban.

Just a few summers ago, our nation watched as Ferguson raised the specter of increased police militarization. The law enforcement response there and in too many places across the country demonstrated how perilous, especially for Black and Brown communities, a militarized police force can be, the LDF said.

The Presidents decision to make this change in the wake of the tragedy in Charlottesville and against a backdrop of frayed relations between police and communities of color further reflects this administrations now open effort to escalate racial tensions in our country, the organization said.

The documents, first reported by USA Today, say Trumps order would emphasize public safety over the appearance of the heavily equipment. They describe much of the gear as defensive in nature, intended to protect officers from danger.

The Justice Department declined to comment on the expected move.

Most police agencies rarely require military equipment for daily use but see a need to have it available, said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

It is hard to imagine any situation where a grenade launcher or bayonet would be something that a major police department would need, but defensive shields and armored vehicles kept on reserve will be welcome, he said.

Sessions has said he believes improving morale for local law enforcement is key to curbing spikes in violence in some cities. The plan to restore access to military equipment comes after Sessions has said he intends to pull back on court-enforceable improvement plans with troubled police departments, which he says can malign entire agencies and make officers less aggressive on the street. Consent decrees were a hallmark of the Obama administrations efforts to overhaul certain law enforcement agencies, sometimes after racially charged encounters like the one in Ferguson.
A gunman opened fire in a packed theatre early Sunday in South Africa after his cellphone went missing in the audience, killing one person and injuring eight, police said Monday.

The man shot indiscriminately at the crowd in Hillbrow Theatre, in central Johannesburg, demanding his mobile phone.

The suspect fired randomly at the crowd, and one person died and eight others were wounded, said police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini.

It is understood that the man had his cellphone stolen. He fled the scene on foot after the incident, he said.

Police were still searching for the assailant.

The theatre caretaker who escaped the violence told The Citizen newspaper that he heard the gunshot and rushed inside to find patrons jostling to escape.

It seems the man lost his stuff in the crowd and started complaining about his phone. He grabbed the mic and started saying whoever took his cellphone must give it back, said Phanankosi Dube.

Hillbrow is a notorious densely populated inner city suburb, known for violent crimes.

The concert at the theatre has been staged to raise funds to support an organisation that offers safe space for children.
An Indonesian woman has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years jail for her involvement in an Islamic State-inspired plot to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the presidential palace in Jakarta, her lawyer said on Monday.

Dian Yulia Novi was arrested at her boarding house with a three-kilogram bomb encased in a pressure cooker the night before the planned attack on the palace in December.

Novi, a 28-year-old former migrant worker who is nine months pregnant, was found guilty of committing an act of terrorism by the East Jakarta District Court on Friday, her lawyer confirmed to AFP.

The judges said what she had committed was counterproductive with the governments efforts to eradicate terrorism and that it has caused public unrest, lawyer Kamsi, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said.

It is the first time a woman has been convicted over a suicide bomb plot in Indonesia and highlights the more active role women are taking in violent extremism.

Novi and her husband were among five militants detained over the planned attack last year.

Another woman alleged to have recruited Novi, named Tutin Sugiarti, was sentenced to three-and-half years in prison on Friday, Kamsi said.

Police believe the group was strongly linked to Bahrun Naim, a leading Indonesian militant currently fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria.

Many from Indonesia -- which has long struggled with Islamic militancy -- have flocked to join IS in the Middle East, while radicals in the country have pledged allegiance to the group and attacks and plots have been linked to the jihadists.

Indonesian women -- often radicalised on social media -- are taking on a more active role in violent extremism, according to recent report from the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict.

Kamsi said judges delivered the verdict earlier than expected because Novi was pregnant. She would not file an appeal.
A car bomb ripped through a busy market area in eastern Baghdad Monday morning, killing at least nine people, Iraqi officials said.

The explosives-laden car went off at the wholesale Jamila market in Baghdads Shiite district of Sadr City, a police officer said. The explosion also wounded 25 other people, he added, saying the death toll was expected to rise further.

A medical official confirmed the casualty figures. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they arent authorised to talk to journalists.

A plume of thick black smoke was billowing from the area and people were running away in panic. At the site, twisted metal and shards of glass littered the pavement, along with vegetables and other goods sold at the market.

At least one soldier was seen being evacuated from the scene, which was sealed off by security forces.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, though the attack had all the hallmarks of the Islamic State group, which often claims responsibility for large-scale attacks targeting Shiite civilians in Iraqs capital.

The bombing came as US-backed Iraqi forces are in final stages of recapturing the northern town of Tal Afar from IS, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) from Syrias border.

Yesterday, Iraqi military said it had fully liberated Tal Afars town center from IS militants. On Monday, the troops fought at the outskirts of al-Ayadia district, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Tal Afar, where most of the militants fled.

Tal Afar was one of the few remaining towns in Iraq still in IS hands following the liberation of Mosul in July from the Islamic State group. The Sunni militant group still controls the northern town of Hawija, as well as Qaim, Rawa and Ana, in western Iraq near the Syrian border.
A male nurse jailed for life two years ago, for killing two hospital patients with lethal drug overdoses, murdered at least 90 patients in total and possibly twice as many, police said on Monday, calling it post-war Germanys worst killing spree.

Niels Hoegel, 40, was jailed in February 2015 for two murders and four counts of attempted murder or causing bodily harm on intensive care patients at the Delmenhorst hospital near the northern city of Bremen.

Police said forensics experts had since exhumed and analysed more than 130 additional bodies and found evidence of a vastly higher death toll at two hospitals where Hoegel had worked between 1999 and 2005.

The insights we were able to gain are terrifying, they surpass what we could have imagined, said Johann Kuehme, police chief in the city of Oldenburg, where the other hospital is located.

The death toll is unique in the history of the German republic, said the chief police investigator in the case, Arne Schmidt, adding that Hoegel killed without a discernable pattern and preyed especially on those in critical condition.

There was evidence for at least 90 murders, and at least as many (suspected) cases again that can no longer be proven, he told a news conference, declaring himself speechless at the outcome.

Oldenburg police choef Johann Kuehme speaks about the current investigations into the former nurse Niels Hoegel in Oldenburg, Germany, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. (AP)

Hoegel has admitted to injecting patients with drugs that can cause heart failure or circulatory collapse so he could then try to revive them and, when successful, shine as a saviour before his medical peers.

He earlier testified that at times he acted out of boredom, that he felt euphoric when he managed to bring a patient back to life, and devastated when he failed.

Murderous obsession

After the revelations, police and prosecutors three years ago launched a special forensic commission dubbed Kardio (Cardio) to look into other patient deaths.

Presenting their findings, police said on Monday that 134 bodies had been exhumed and tested for traces of the deadly drugs, and that police also reviewed scores of medical records and questioned hundreds of witnesses.

The cause of death in many cases could not be determined because the bodily remains had been cremated, said Kuehme.

The grisly revelations date back to June 2005, when a female nurse witnessed Hoegel trying to inject a patient at the Delmenhorst hospital.

The patient survived and Hoegel was arrested. In June 2008, he was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in jail for several cases of attempted murder.

Amid the media publicity, a woman then contacted police, voicing suspicion that her deceased mother had fallen victim to the killer nurse. The authorities exhumed several patients bodies and detected traces of the drug in five of them, declaring it either the definitive or possible contributing cause.

Hoegel was jailed for life in 2015, but at the time it was clear he had murdered many more patients, with investigators admitting they may never know the true number.

Several senior medical staff at Delmenhorst also face separate trials for having failed to act speedily over the high number of suspicious deaths when Hoegel was on duty, while investigations continue at the Oldenburg clinic.

The murders could have been prevented, said Kuehme.
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Top Pakistani ministers have rejected a US generals assertion that the Afghan Taliban leadership is based in Peshawar and Quetta, saying the militants were using neighbouring Afghanistan as the launch pad for their operations.

Gen John W Nicholson, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, told Afghan media outlet Tolo News that Washington was aware of the Afghan Taliban leaderships presence in the Pakistani cities.

This issue is being addressed in private by the US and Pakistani governments and support for terrorists and insurgents has to be reduced, has to be stopped, he was quoted as saying by Tolo News.

Pakistan interior minister Ahsan Iqbal responded to Nicholsons accusations by telling Dawn newspaper that the Taliban were using Afghanistan as their launch pad. He said the Taliban had no need to hide in Pakistan since they held more than 40% of Afghanistan.

If they have control over so much land and resources in Afghanistan, it means they have hideouts there, not in Pakistan, he said.

Pakistani authorities had been conducting comprehensive security operations in different parts of the country for four years and had cleared a large area, including North Waziristan tribal region, Iqbal said.

Foreign minister Khawaja Asif said the US should refrain from blaming Pakistan for its 16 years of failures in Afghanistan. Asif, who put off a planned visit to Washington following President Donald Trumps criticism of Pakistans counter-terror efforts, said more than 90% of attacks in Pakistan were carried out from Afghanistan.

America used Pakistan as its ally, but Pakistan suffered unbearable losses in the war on terror. If the US doesnt trust Pakistan, it should make preparations to repatriate the Afghan refugees Pakistan has been hosting for nearly 35 years, he told Geo News.

We want to clear misunderstandings with the US by maintaining this relationship, Asif said. Peace in Afghanistan is important for Pakistan, which was why Islamabad is helping Washington in trying to find a solution to the Afghan issue, he added.

In a related development, Pakistan has postponed a visit by a top US diplomat who had been due to arrive in Islamabad on Monday, days after Trump rebuked the country for providing safe havens to terrorist groups.

Alice Wells, the acting assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs and acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, was set to be the first major US official to visit Pakistan since Trumps comments.

Her visit was put off by Pakistan until a mutually convenient time, with the Foreign Office giving no reason for the decision.

Official sources said Pakistan is still evolving a response to the US accusations and it would be premature to interact with the senior US official at this time.

The state department confirmed Wells trip had been postponed at the Pakistan governments request but it too did not give details.
Italian police are investigating the suspected gang rape of a Polish tourist and the savage beating of her partner on Italys popular Rimini beach.

Italian news reports said the man passed out after being beaten on the head and robbed and his partner was repeatedly raped by four men early Saturday on a secluded stretch of beach in the Adriatic town on Italys eastern coast.

Media reports said the 26-year-old Poles were hospitalised with injuries. Passers-by called police after seeing the couple, bloodied and dazed, on the beach. Italian police have described the attack as brutal and bestial, according to a report.

It wasnt immediately clear if any suspects had been detained.

A teenage British tourist was raped on the same beach last year, The Daily Mail reported on Sunday. The girl had gone to the beach with a man who attacked and raped her. A 19-year-old man was arrested later.
Pope Francis will travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh later this year for a landmark visit set to focus international attention on the plight of the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority.

The leader of the worlds 1.2 billion Catholics will be in Myanmar during November 27-30 and in neighbouring Bangladesh during November 30-December 2, the Vatican announced on Monday.

The visit to Myanmar will be the first by any pope to the country formerly known as Burma. Former Pope John Paul II visited Bangladesh in 1986.

Francis has regularly spoken out in defence of the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim group in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar.

Pope Francis waves to faithful as he delivers Angelus prayer from the window of his study overlooking St Peter's Square at the Vatican on August 27, 2017. (AFP)

In his latest comments on Sunday, he bemoaned the latest sad reports of the persecution of a religious minority, our Rohingya brothers.

He said, I would like to express my closeness to them and all of us ask the Lord to save them and to prompt men and women of good faith to help them and ensure their full rights.

His comments came after clashes between Myanmar security forces and suspected Rohingya militants on Friday and Saturday left scores of people dead.

The fighting caused hundreds of civilians to flee remote villages in Rakhine state in northern Myanmar, with most of them aiming to cross the border into mostly Muslim Bangladesh.

The Vatican said Francis would visit Yangon and capital Naypyidaw while in Myanmar, and Bangladeshs capital Dhaka on the second leg of his trip. The full programme has yet to be finalised.
As a horrified India watched Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahims followers go on a violent rampage post his conviction in a rape case, the spotlight zoomed in on cults and their devotees.

Cults arent unique to India. Theres an inherent human need to identify and explore spirituality, and religion is often the answer, irrespective of ones geographical location or cultural inclination.

As the court sentences Dera Sacha Sauda chief in Haryana on Monday, here are a few controversial cults across the world:

Aum Shinrikyo

Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese doomsday cult which was behind the deadly sarin gas attack at a Tokyo subway in 1995. It began in the 1980s and its leader Shoko Asahara declared himself to be both Christ and the first enlightened one since Buddha, says a BBC report. Much like Dera Sacha Sauda, Aum Shinrikyo translated into the supreme truth. Students from elite Japanese universities were among the thousands of followers of the cult.

Members of the cult released nerve agent sarin in the Tokyo subway in March 1995, in an attack that killed 13. Several followers, including Asahara, were arrested and the sect was driven underground.

Subway passengers affected by sarin gas planted in central Tokyo subways are carried into St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo. (AP File Photo)

Scientology

Scientology, a religious movement started by LR Hubbard, is known to have popular actors such as Tom Cruise and John Travolta as its followers. The groups official website states scientology is a religion that offers complete understanding of ones true spiritual nature. It is based out of California but has branches all across the world.

The cult, The Telegraph says, is influential because it claims to give meaning to lives. It also claims to cure drug addicts and reportedly has rehabilitation centres in 40 countries. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch had in 2012 tweeted: Scientology back in news. Very weird cult, but big, big money involved with Tom Cruise either number two or three in hierarchy.

There are allegations of human trafficking and holding people against their will.

The Church of Scientology's site was hacked by Anonymous. The hacking group posted criticism of Scientology on its site and released secret documents. (File Photo)

Children of God

The Children of God was started in 1968 by a group of teens and hippies led by evangelical preacher David Berg in California. It attracted the attention of the FBI and Interpol over allegations of child rape, incest and kidnapping, reports The Guardian.

It is said that child rape was used to increase the tribe and the groups leader Berg believed in the Law of Love -- where a devotee gives up ones body to the world.

The Peoples Temple

Jim Jones established the Christian sect in the 1950s in Indianapolis, US. After allegations of financial irregularities, physical abuse and child abuse, Jones moved the sect to Guayana where the group promised to build a socialist utopia, called Jonestown.

In 1978, more than 900 members of The Peoples Temple committed mass suicide after drinking poisoned punch in Jonestown, in what Jones termed the revolutionary act. Authorities found a carpet of bodies, with many seen hugging each other, in Americas largest single loss of civilian life in a non-natural disaster until September 11 terror attacks, the Huffington Post says.

Raelism

Perhaps the most unique of the lot, the UFO religion propagated the idea that life was created by aliens called Elohim. The cult was started in 1974 by Claude Vorilhon, a French retired motor racing journalist, the Daily Mail says.

Among other controversial claims, Raelism claimed to have created the first human clone in 2002. A decade later, they organised a Go Topless protest in Toronto so women can go braless in public.

But most of all, they are waiting for Elohim to arrive on Judgement Day -- when the aliens will return to Earth and resurrect the dead through cloning.
Two Indian students enrolled at a university in Texas were in an intensive care unit after tropical storm Harvey pummelled and flooded the state since Friday, with 200 others marooned at another university being moved to a safer place, according to Indian officials in the US.

Efforts were on to ensure relatives of the hospitalised Texas A&M University students  identified as Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia  were able to reach them at the earliest. They had gone swimming and were overwhelmed by the rapidly rising water level on Sunday, officials said.

Those marooned were at the University of Houston. Their apartments on the university campus had been submerged in neck-deep water. The water level has since receded, and they are safe.

At this point things are fine, an office-bearer of the Organization of Indian Student at the University of Houston said. Water near the apartment have drained. University police have been speaking to all the students to make sure everyone is safe.

A team of Indian diplomats was on its way to A&M University by road, while those marooned were being evacuated with the help of officials led by university president Renu Khator  an Indian American  and local authorities, according to consul general in Houston Anupam Ray.

The students had reached out for help to Ray  himself stranded at home with his family  via a Facebook post on Sunday. Efforts were made to rescue them and reach food to them, but US coast guards needed boats for rescue work.

They are being evacuated today, Ray told Hindustan Times over the phone on Monday, adding that he planned to reach them later in the day. He said Khator was personally supervising efforts to rescue the Indian students and local Indian Americans had helped with food supplies.

The staff of the Indian mission in Houston had also been impacted by the flood. Some of them have taken shelter with their families at the consulate, and Ray said water had entered his home forcing him and the family to move to a higher floor in their house.

But no one at the mission or in our families is hurt, he said.

At least five people have died because of the storm that made landfall on the gulf coast of Texas on Friday as a category 4 hurricane. Despite being downgraded as a tropical storm, Harvey has flooded thousands of homes and businesses and has caused such havoc that it is drawing comparisons to 2005s Hurricane Katrina, which claimed more than 1,800 lives.

The official twitter account of the National Weather Service posted: This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced. Follow orders from officials to ensure safety. #Harvey

Flood concerns are still growing with heavy rain spreading into parts of (the adjoining state of) Louisiana.

President Donald Trump plans to tour affected areas on Tuesday.
Five South African men charged over suspected cannibalism appeared briefly in court on Monday as scores of angry protesters gathered outside, police said.

The men from the rural town of Escourt, in KwaZulu-Natal province, were arrested over a week ago after one handed himself in to a police station, telling officers he was tired of eating human flesh.

His confession led to the arrest of his four co-accused.

All the five men appeared in court on Monday for a bail hearing but opted to abandon their bail application, police spokeswoman Thembeka Mbhele told AFP.

The accused, all in their 30s, are charged with murder, conspiracy to commit murder and possession of human parts.

The grisly case, which has rocked the small town, has raised concerns about witchcraft and traditional medicine, as one of the arrested is reported to be a witch doctor.

According to the police, the first suspect walked into Escourt police station on August 18 with a bag containing a human leg and a hand.

He told officers on duty that he had eaten human flesh and he led them to a house where more human remains were found.

At this stage we dont know who these body parts belong to. We are still awaiting DNA results, said Mbhele.

We are also investigating how long has this been going on for and how many people have been killed, she said.

Local media reported that police have linked the case to the killing of at least one woman in the area.

Some local people have also suggested that the men had dug up dead bodies from graves.

Outside Estcourt Magistrates court where the men appeared, a crowd waved placards condemning the alleged crimes.

South African media reported that one of the men wept uncontrollably in court.

South Africa has no direct law against cannibalism, but mutilating a corpse and being in possession of human tissue are criminal offences.

The case will resume on September 28.
A transgender Singaporean and her friend facing a year in prison in the United Arab Emirates for dressing in a feminine way have seen their sentences reduced to a fine and deportation, an official said Monday.

Nur Qistina Fitriah Ibrahim, a transgender woman who has not undergone a sex-change operation, and her friend, freelance fashion photographer Muhammad Fadli Bin Abdul Rahman, will pay a fine of 10,000 dirhams  about $2,270  and be immediately deported, the official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, declined to elaborate further about the case as the process of freeing the two was ongoing.

A separate report on Monday in The National, a state-linked newspaper in Abu Dhabi, quoted an unnamed official as also saying the two would merely face a fine and deportation.

Their families and the Singaporean Embassy in Abu Dhabi declined to comment.

The two Singaporeans were arrested in Abu Dhabi, the oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates, on Aug. 9. Police stopped them at Yas Mall as they tried to eat at a food court, said Radha Stirling, CEO of the advocacy group Detained in Dubai.

Abu Dhabi advertises itself as a tourism destination and is home to the long-haul air carrier Etihad Airways. However, the emirate bordering Saudi Arabia is more conservative than Dubai, the UAEs commercial heart.

Even trips to Dubai can pose risks to LGBT travelers and others as laws sometimes contradict social attitudes.

Alcohol possession for foreigners is technically illegal without a government-issued license obtainable only after gaining their employers permission, though liquor and beer is widely available in bars and clubs in both cities. Foreigners also have faced charges in the past for having sex outside of marriage.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Sunday that the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan would determine the number of American troops in the war-torn country and the new US strategy was intended to send a strong message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere.

Tillerson told Fox News that US President Donald Trump had been very clear that the policy he announced this week was a dramatic shift from a time-based military strategy to a conditions-based strategy, which means it will be dictated by conditions on the ground informed by battlefield commanders.

He has delegated significant authority to Defence Secretary (James) Mattis to set troop levels, but also has been able to delegate for the military commanders in the field, decision-making, to begin to turn the tide against the Taliban, he said.

Now, all of this is directed at sending a message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere. Were going to be here, Tillerson said.

According to the secretary of state, Afghanistan has a history of being a refuge for some of the most devastating attacks carried out.

As we all know, the attack of 9/11 was organised and carried out from Afghanistan. So, in Afghanistan, we have to secure Afghanistan in a way that that can never occur again because theres no territory available to organisations to do so, he said.

Tillerson asserted that Trump was clear in his speech the US was not undertaking nation-building in Afghanistan.

So, we will be shifting our diplomatic and aid and development programs as well to coincide with the presidents view that the Afghan government and that Afghan people must own their form of government, he said.

They must come to some reconciliation with all ethnic groups, including the Taliban, as to how they can secure their country, as a peaceful country, one that does not support terrorism, does not provide safe havens for terrorists and does not align itself with any terrorist organisations or countries that do. Thats what winning looks like, he said.

He also strongly refuted the allegation of former White House official Sebastian Gorka on the absence of word radical Islamic terrorism in Trumps Afghan policy speech.

Gorka was fired by the White House on Friday.

I think hes completely wrong. I think it shows a lack of understanding of the presidents broader policy when it comes to protecting Americans at home and abroad from all acts of terrorism. Terrorism, as weve said, manifests itself in many types of organisation, he said.

The president has charged us to develop policies and tactics both diplomatically and militarily to attack terrorism in as many forms, wherever it exists in the world and wherever it might present a threat to the homeland or to Americans anywhere. This means that we have to develop techniques that are global in their nature, Tillerson said.
Hartmannswillerkopf is a 3,136-foot rocky spur on the eastern ridge of the Vosges Mountains in Frances Alsace region. Site of one of the least known of the major World War I battles, it is also one of the most impressive and remarkably well-preserved battlefields of any period. Some 30,000 French and German soldiers fell here during several fierce battles, among the very few World War I engagements fought on what at the time was German territory.

Following the 187071 Franco-Prussian War, Germany annexed the regions of Alsace, along the west bank of the upper Rhine, and Lorraine to the north. Recapture of the two lost provinces had been a burning objective for the French ever since. It became a central element of their operational Plan XVII.

At the onset of World War I in August 1914, the French Army pushed rapidly into Alsace and sought to capture the city of Mulhouse (Mulhausen in German). The city sits a few miles back from the Rhine, on the broad plain between the river and the Vosges Mountains to the west. The Germans prevailed at Mulhouse, however, and the French withdrew to the eastern slopes of the Vosges, still just inside German territory. From their commanding position on the ridge, the French could observe the entire plain on both sides of the upper Rhine. Hartmannswillerkopf, which the French called Vieil Armand, was an especially key piece of high ground from which the French could direct long-range artillery fire against both the vital north-south Mulhouse-to-Colmar rail line and the eastwest roads the Germans used to move troops and supplies to the front.

As the French dug into the rocky ground along the crest, the Germans burrowed into the face of the steep eastern slope. The Germans did not wait long to assault the summit. On Jan. 19, 1915, troops from the Mecklenburg 14th Jager Battalion and the 11th and 15th Uhlan Regiments attacked, taking the crest the following day. The Germans wasted no time reinforcing their positions, and the French counterattacked unsuccessfully five times over the following two months. Finally, on March 26, French mountain troops of the 66th Infantry Division under the command of General Marcel Serret retook the summit.

The Germans struck back immediately. On April 1 Major Hans Schenk zu Schweinsbergs 14th Jager Battalion pushed the French out of their newly gained front lines, which faced straight down the eastern slope, and by April 26 the summit was again in German hands. The Germans succeeded in part by using gas, which they had deployed only four days earlier at Ypres for the first time in the war. The Germans beat back another French attack on September 9.

The French attacked again in force on December 21, using flamethrowers to retake the summit and annihilate the 14th Jager Battalion. Only Schenk zu Schweinsberg and 80 of his soldiers survived the battle. The following day, however, the 8th Jager Battalion, accompanied by the major and his remaining men, took Hartmannswillerkopf yet again. On December 29 Serret was mortally wounded in the struggle for the heights. He died in a French military hospital eight days later. The fighting, known as the Weinachtskampfen (Christmas battles), raged back and forth until January 8, 1916, with the Germans holding the summit.

From late January through wars end the situation on Hartmannswillerkopf settled down into a stalemate, with the exception of two abortive French attacks in September 1916. The French still had a toehold in what was officially German territory, but the Germans retained control of the critical heights.

About 15 miles northwest of Mulhouse and 20 miles west of the German border, Hartmannswillerkopf today is a French national monument. During the almost four-year standoff both sides dug bunker complexes and carved extensive trench works into the solid rock, which accounts largely for their excellent state of preservation. In places the opposing trench lines are within a hand grenades toss of each other. A museum and French military cemetery stand on the French side of the line. A German military cemetery sits farther downslope, on the winding mountain road that approaches the summit from the south.

Originally published in the November 2012 issue of Military History. To subscribe, click here.
The British Labour Party has announced it wants a soft Brexit that will allow for continued UK membership of the EU single market and customs union during a transition period from March 2019 onwards.

Fianna Fail Leader Micheal Martin TD has welcomed the decision taken by Jeremy Corbyn to commit Labour to a soft Brexit stance.

The decision taken by the Labour Party is a positive development. It is a sensible decision and one, which my colleagues and I welcome," Martin tells Hot Press.

The leader of the Opposition says that there is now an onus on all Governments across Europe to prevent a hard Brexit from occurring and to look at all options that would ensure Britains continued membership of the customs union during an extended transitional period.

Keeping Britain in the single market and customs union is essential for Ireland, Deputy Martin continues. The Government must do everything it can to help make this a reality.

A hard Brexit would be disastrous for Ireland and would cause serious damage to our strong relationship with Britain.

It is also in Irelands interest to see the UK and Northern Ireland remain in the customs union in order to prevent the imposition of border controls on the island of Ireland.

The Government needs to ensure that Irelands voice is heard at the negotiation table and that the real dangers of a hard Brexit are set out in no uncertain terms.

He concludes:The decision taken by the Labour Party to shift its policy position shows us that a hard Brexit is far from inevitable.

Now is the time for the Irish Government to step up its effort to convince the British Government of the enormous benefits of continued membership of the single market and customs union, concluded Deputy Martin.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Senator and spokesman on EU affairs, Neale Richmond has said sensible solutions - as outlined by MP Keir Starmar - can lessen the impact of Brexit.

"Ultimately the ideal solution would be the UK abandoning Brexit and remaining in the EU but in the absence of that we must take every opportunity to minimise the damage that Brexit will cause, Senator Richmond said last night.

"The announcement by Keir Starmer that the British Labour Party will seek for the UK to remain in both the Single Market and Customs Union is a very welcome shift in his party's Brexit policy.

"This announcement is the type of imaginative solution referenced by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in his recent speech at Queen's University and it would be a very welcome outcome for Ireland.

"If the UK where to remain in both the single market and customs union much of the problems highlighted relating to the return of a border in Ireland or impact on the export industry would be removed.

Advertisement

"The suggestion of a timely transition period is also eminently sensible, avoiding the so called 'cliff edge', giving all those that will be impacted the time to prepare and adjust for Brexit.

"I am hopeful that Mr Starmer's proposals will be looked at seriously and positively by other UK parties, particularly the more reasonable elements of the Conservative Party, Senator Richmond said.

"Serious scrutiny needs to be put on the UK Government by their opposition and by the EU through the negotiations to ensure the damage of Brexit is minimised as much as possible.

"I look forward to working with Lords and MPs from all parties and none on an inter parliamentary level to help this process, Senator Richmond concluded.
A 73-year-old man in South Korea has been fined for circulating a rumour online that the widow of late President Kim Dae-jung had planned to marry rapper Dr Dre.

The man had alleged the former president's widow, Lee Hee-ho, intended to marry Dr Dre so the pair could launder the deceased president's slush funds.

The Seoul district court ruled that the comments "violated the honour of the deceased and bereaved."

Judge Lee Eun-hee said The rumour about the slush fund and the marriage between Lee and Dr. Dre is groundless.

The man was fined five million Korean won (3,689) for " cyber defamation" and "defamation against the deceased".

Lee Hee-ho, age 95, remains an influential figure in South Korea. It is unclear how widespread the rumour about her alleged romance with Dr Dre was.

Advertisement

Dr Dre, real name Andre Romelle Young, is a founding member of rap group NWA and founder of a record company which has signed the likes of Snoop Dog, Tupac Shakur and Young Soldierz.

His is one of the world's wealthiest music celebrities after the sale of Beats Electronics to Apple for $3 billion in 2015.

Lee was the first lady of South Korea from 1998 to 2003. Her late husband won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 for his policies while in office.
The shortlisted graduates have been invited to a stunning ceremony at the prestigious Millennium Hotel London Mayfair, on Thursday, 16th November, where the winners of each category will be announced.

Entries for the Awards must be published, designed, typeset, printed or bound by the entrant in the UK or Ireland.

The winner of the Best Student Book category will be given the opportunity to gain work experience with a designer, publisher or printer. The winner will also receive a cheque for 500 along with a trophy which will be presented at the awards evening.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to airmen saying that Bush Intercontinental Airport is expected to be closed until noon Thursday, though the city of Houston has the ultimate say on how long the airport will be closed.

The notice to airmen regarding Hobby Airport said it is likely to be closed until 8 a.m. Wednesday, the FAA reported.
Southwest and United airlines helped hundreds of stranded passengers fly out of Houston on Sunday after commercial service had been suspended earlier in the day.

The six flights were approved by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Houston Airport System. The flights moved most of the 900 stranded passengers out of Houston, airport system spokesman Bill Begley said.
Jeena Lee

Houston chambers of commerce have encouraged their business members to volunteer and donate to Harvey relief efforts.

The Greater Houston Black Chamber of Commerce has been collecting donations from its member organizations that will benefit the city's Hurricane Harvey disaster relief fund, a spokeswoman said.
The information in this column is intended to provide a general understanding of the law, not as legal advice. Readers with legal problems, including those whose questions are addressed here, should consult attorneys for advice on their particular circumstances.

Q: I have a deceased uncle who has money in the Texas unclaimed property fund. The only surviving heirs are nieces and nephews, one of which is me. I am writing to ask if you know what we have to do to claim this money.

A: Go to comptroller.texas.gov and click on "unclaimed property." From there, you will find everything you need to do to claim the money.

Q: My stepfather was married to my mother for 60 years. He died last year and my sister (his stepdaughter) was named executor. She has not probated the will and will not let our mother see it. What can be done to get a copy of that will?

A: Your mother needs to hire an attorney.

That attorney should be instructed to put pressure on your sister to begin the probate. Once probate has been started, you mother can obtain a copy of the will.

Of course, it is possible that your stepfather owned no properties that require probate, and that could explain why your sister has not started the probate.

Q: My mother left mineral interests to her 11 children, three of whom have died (two with children). If we feel one of the adult grandchildren is not deserving of any royalties, can her share be withheld? Also, how can the remaining siblings opt out of getting any future royalties?

A: You can't deny a grandchild a share of the royalties if that grandchild legally owns the interest in his or her name.

To stop receiving royalty payments, an owner would need to give away or sell the mineral interest to someone else who wants the royalties. A gift of the interest would be easiest, as no money would need to change hands (although the person making the gift might need to file a gift tax return if the value of the gift is large enough).

Q: I am responsible for sorting through complete files of paperwork from several deceased family members. What guidelines can I use to determine what should be retained and for how long?

A: You should retain originals of deeds, releases of liens, promissory notes, etc., for any properties the decedents owned at death.

It would also be a good idea to keep the last few years of their tax returns as well as bank and brokerage statements. All of these documents can be scanned and stored digitally. With cloud storage, you can easily save hundreds of documents that you deem important and retain them indefinitely.

Everything else can be shredded, including the forms you scan, preferably using a professional shredding company.
AUSTIN -- The state has deployed 20 helicopters, 60 boats, 92 ambulances and "countless" high water vehicles to respond to devastating flooding inundating Houston, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday.

"Everything they've asked for has been provided and we stand ready to provide even more on top of hat," Abbott told reporters after he was briefed on rescue operations at the Texas emergency operations center in Austin.

But Abbott acknowledged he still has not talked to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner personally.

"I have a called the mayor several times, I have his cell number," Abbott said. "I've left messages for him repeatedly to let him know that whatever he needs the state of Texas will provide."

Abbott says there has been no trouble getting emergency assistance into Houston.

"Not at all," Abbott said.

Abbott and Houston officials have already differed on whether to start evacuations days earlier. While Abbott called on people to leave, Turner gave opposite directions.

Asked about the conflicting messages Sunday, Abbott said he was focused on the emergency at hand.

"Now is not the time to second-guess the decisions that were made," Abbott said.

Abbott said the federal government has already provided an emergency declaration for 19 counties and is now preparing to expand that list to cover Harris County, which was not on the original disaster declaration.

Statewide, Abbott said that state has responded aggressively with 3,000 members of the National Guard and State Guard deployed, 1,750 Department of Public Safety workers in the field, 400 Texas Department of Transportation workers helping clear roads and 400 people the Department of Emergency Management doing search and rescue operations.

"Our top priority is to protect human life," Abbott said during a 25 minute press conference. "We are working with local officials to do everything we can to protect our fellow Texans."

Abbott said more than 250 highways are closed because of flooding and more than 300,000 homes are out of power without even with complete reports from the Houston area.

Officials said there have been so many rescues that they haven't been able to track them all.

Abbott repeatedly praised the cooperation he is getting from the federal government and President Donald Trump. Before speaking with reporters, Abbott said he received call from both Brock Long, the administration for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Elaine Duke, the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

"We have a very effective federal partner working with the state of Texas," Abbott said. "One thing that I am very proud of is that the federal government has so quickly responded to all of the aid the state of Texas has needed."
A blessing ceremony was held on August 17 at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital for its 'Jesus  the Great Physician' statue. Adorning the first floor atrium of the hospital, the sculpture, created by artist Willy Wang, was made possible by contributions from Reverend Mark Klein and his family. In 2013, Klein was a heart transplant recipient at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

When Klein was healing from his transplant in a hospital bed, he remembered seeing the 'Jesus  the Great Physician' statue in the hospital lobby and asked his nurses to bring him to see it.

"I've always looked toward the Lord for leadership and guidance and strength, and since I knew that statue was down there, I told the nurses 'hey, I want to go down there and see the statue of Jesus healing the lame,'" explained Klein. "It was kind of a process because you've got to get your heart balloon pump and your IV pole and all that. I hobbled down there and it would just touch me. It perfectly crystalized what Jesus did when he was here, and he still is here. It really supercharged my faith and meant so much to me."

When Klein was released from the hospital he and his family knew they wanted to do something for Houston Methodist and decided the most appropriate way to show their gratitude was to give a gift for the fabrication of a replica statue at another Houston Methodist hospital. In 2015, they gave the gift of Wang's statue to Houston Methodist St. Catherine's Hospital in Katy, and now, they have done the same for Houston Methodist The Woodlands.

"I just felt like if it was such a blessing to me, then it's got to be a blessing to others. I'm so thankful to the Lord to see it here at Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, and I give him all the credit for being able to do it! It just tickles me pink all over again to be able to see it and to know that it's going to be a blessing to other people," he said.

Debbie Sukin, CEO of Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital, added, "We are so thankful for the Klein family's contribution of this inspirational statue, 'Jesus  the Great Physician,' created by the talented artist Willy Wang. It is most certainly a welcome addition to our hospital's healing environment. We encourage the local community to stop by and experience its inspiration."

During the blessing and unveiling ceremony, Bishop Bob Hayes gave the blessing for the statue and Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

While Donald Trump was running for president in late 2015 and early 2016, his company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow, according to several people familiar with the proposal and new records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.

As part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested that he could get President Vladimir Putin to say "great things" about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence.

The developer, Felix Sater, predicted in a November 2015 email that he and Trump Organization leaders would soon be celebrating - both one of the biggest residential projects in real estate history and Donald Trump's election as president, according to two of the people with knowledge of the exchange.

Sater wrote to Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen "something to the effect of, 'Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president?' " said one person briefed on the email exchange. Sater emigrated from what was then the Soviet Union when he was 6 and grew up in Brooklyn.

Trump never went to Moscow as Sater proposed. And although investors and Trump's company signed a letter of intent, they lacked the land and permits to proceed and the project was abandoned at the end of January 2016, just before the presidential primaries began, several people familiar with the proposal said.

Nevertheless, the details of the deal, which have not previously been disclosed, provide evidence that Trump's business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president - and in a position to determine U.S.-Russia relations. The new details from the emails, which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon, also point to the likelihood of additional contacts between Russia-connected individuals and Trump associates during his presidential bid.

White House officials declined to comment for this report. Cohen, a longtime Trump legal adviser, declined to comment, but his attorney, Stephen Ryan, said his client "has been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with both the House and Senate intelligence committees, including providing them with documents and information and answering any questions they may have about the Moscow building proposal."

In recent months, contacts between high-ranking and lower- level Trump aides and Russians have emerged. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a U.S. senator and campaign adviser, twice met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Donald Trump Jr. organized a June 2016 meeting with campaign aide Jared Kushner, campaign manager Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer after the president's eldest son was promised that the lawyer would bring damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help the campaign.

Internal emails also show campaign adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly sought to organize meetings with campaign officials, including Trump, and Putin or other Russians. His efforts were rebuffed.

The negotiations for the Moscow project ended before Trump's business ties to Russia had become a major issue in the campaign. Trump denied having any business connections to Russia in July 2016, tweeting, "for the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia" and then insisting at a news conference the following day, "I have nothing to do with Russia."

Discussions about the Moscow project began in earnest in September 2015, according to people briefed on the deal. An unidentified investor planned to build the project and, under a licensing agreement, put Trump's name on it. Cohen acted as a lead negotiator for the Trump Organization. It is unclear how involved or aware Trump was of the negotiations.

As the talks progressed, Trump voiced numerous supportive comments about Putin, setting himself apart from his Republican rivals for the nomination.

By the end of 2015, Putin began offering praise in return.

"He says that he wants to move to another, closer level of relations. Can we really not welcome that? Of course, we welcome that," Putin told reporters during his annual end-of-the year news conference. He called Trump a "colorful and talented" person. Trump said afterward that the compliment was an "honor."

Though Putin's comments came shortly after Sater suggested that the Russian president would speak favorably about Trump, there is no indication that the two are connected.

There is no public record that Trump has ever spoken about the effort to build a Trump Tower in 2015 and 2016.

Trump's interests in building in Moscow, however, are long-standing. He had attempted to build a Trump property for three decades, starting with a failed effort in 1987 to partner with the Soviet government on a hotel project.

"Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment," he said in a 2007 court deposition.

"We will be in Moscow at some point," he promised in the deposition.

Sater was involved in at least one of those previous efforts. In 2005, the Trump Organization gave his development company, the Bayrock Group, an exclusive one-year deal to attempt to build a Moscow Trump Tower. Sater located a site for the project - an abandoned pencil factory - and worked closely with Trump on the deal, which did not come to fruition.

In an unrelated court case in 2008, Sater said in a deposition that he would personally provide Trump "verbal updates" on the deal.

"When I'd come back, pop my head into Mr. Trump's office and tell him, you know, 'Moving forward on the Moscow deal.' And he would say, 'All right,' " Sater said.

In the same testimony, Sater described traveling with Trump's children, including joining Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. on a trip to Moscow at their father's request.

"They were on their way by themselves, and he was all concerned," Sater said. "He asked if I wouldn't mind joining them and looking after them while they were in Moscow."

Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told The Washington Post last year that Sater happened to be in Moscow at the same time as Trump's two adult children. "There was no accompanying them to Moscow," he said.

Neither Sater nor his attorney responded to requests for comment.

Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Sater, who served time in jail after assaulting a man with the stem of a broken margarita glass during a 1991 bar fight and then pleaded guilty in 1998 to his role in an organized- crime-linked stock fraud. Sater's sentencing was delayed for years while he cooperated with the federal government on a series of criminal and national security-related investigations, federal officials have said.

During that time, Sater worked as an executive with Bayrock, whose offices were in Trump Tower, and brokered deals to license Trump's name for developments in multiple U.S. and foreign cities. In 2010, Trump allowed Sater to briefly work out of Trump Organization office space and use a business card that identified him as a "senior adviser to Donald Trump."

Still, when asked about Sater in 2013 court deposition, Trump said: "If he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldn't know what he looked like." He added that he had spoken with Sater "not many" times.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began releasing water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs early Monday morning, hours before officials planned to release rainfall from the two dams, according to the Harris County Flood Control District.

The flood control district reported almost an hour later that storm water has started rising in the neighborhoods adjacent to Addicks and Barker. Heavy rainfall forced reservoir officials to begin releasing water from the dams sooner than previously planned.

Col. Lars N. Zetterstrom with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had announced late Sunday afternoon that rising levels in the two reservoirs would force authorities to release water from both dams.

The rising tides within the dams are forcing the water to swell and spill upstream into neighboring communities that sit against the dams.

RESOURCES: Stay up-to-date with forecasts, traffic reports, water levels, etc.

Based on the corps data, the rising waters could place residents in low-lying homes in dangerous situations. He said the measures were necessary to prevent uncontrolled releases.

"We will have to release water to reduce the risk flooding in the Houston metropolitan area," he said. "Until we realize the actual rise we can't predict how many homes would be impacted."

Several thousand homes sit in the voluntary evacuation zone. Homeowners near the reservoirs will likely have water seep into their homes prior to the release as the swell continues through the night.

Residents upstream of the dam will begin seeing street flooding first. Then low-lying homes could begin taking in water.

Both Addicks and Barker collect water from streams and rivers that flow through Harris and Fort Bend counties. The surge of water created by Tropical Storm Harvey has resulted in the dams filling up quickly to the point of failure if water isn't released.





Michael Ciaglo/Staff

The water released from the dam will flow into an already bulging Buffalo Bayou and then eventually drain into the Houston Ship Channel.

This could lead to additional damage to structures along the bayou. Officials have not issued a voluntary evacuation for people living along the bayou, but residents should be cautious.

Fort Bend County issued the evacuation for portions of the county later Sunday.

Each dam will be set to release about 4,000 cubic feet of water per second, about double what they release during normal operations, and they will stay open for several weeks, Zetterstrom said. But even that release won't be enough to ease the dam because water flowing in from northern Harris County and Fort Bend is greater than the water released.

Officials are hoping the dying storm system will provide some relief and allow for greater releases and the week progresses.

All roads around the dams will be closed prior to releases.

Zetterstrom said the water taken in by the dam from the storms is unparalleled and will exceed records set in 2015 and 2016.

He said weather models shows that water would begin rising 4 to 6 inches an hour by early Monday morning.

VITAL LINE OF DEFENSE: Addicks and Barker were built to protect the heart of the city by controlling the flow of water along Buffalo Bayou. Things haven't gone as planned. What's at stake is the safety of the nation's fourth-largest city. If the dams failed, half of Houston would be underwater. Under the worst scenario at Addicks, property damages could reach $22.7 billion and 6,928 people could die. Read our story on the dams here.
Harris County officials confirmed 18 helicopters were rescuing people stranded on rooftops across metro Houston.

Marilyn Fajardo, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard in Houston, said the helicopters are being flown by the U.S. Coast Guard, the Texas Department of Public Safety and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

If you are trapped by floodwaters and cannot get through to 911, the Coast Guard is accepting calls for help through the following phone numbers:

281-464-4851

281-464-4852

281-464-4853

281-464-4854

281-464-4855

Witnesses said at least one person appeared to have been plucked from Brays Bayou by a black military-style utility helicopter.

That helicopter and another hovered over the bayou and part of the Maplewood South/North neighborhood just south of the Brays for nearly two hours Sunday afternoon to rescue residents from their rooftops.

Most of the streets of the neighborhood just south of the bayou on both sides of Hillcroft were swamped with water. Some area residents reported on social media that their homes had taken on water, including some who said their houses had been inundated with as much as four feet of water.

As of noon, Brays Bayou had spilled out of its north bank, flooding the neighborhoods north of Braeswood.

South of the bayou some residents broke out canoes, kayaks and pool floats to explore their neighborhood. Others slogged through flooded streets to take pictures or simply view Brays Bayou, which had swollen to three times its normal size.

Fajardo said the Coast Guard is currently flying rescue missions, but did not know if DPS or Customs was also flying.

Emergency workers have responded to more than 2,000 cases by land, water and air over the past 24 hours, according to Fajardo.

No other information was immediately available.
Carolyn Kaster/STF

President Donald Trump will come to Texas on Tuesday, the White House announced Sunday as the state reeled from Harvey's damage and flooding.

"We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know," Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said to reporters. "We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers."
Two deadly collisions between high-tech destroyers and easy-to-spot, slow moving cargo ships in a little over two months have stunned many in the Navy and sent top leaders scrambling for answers.

But shipboard veterans had long seen signs of trouble. Factor in a shrinking Navy performing the same duties as a larger fleet did a decade ago, constant deployments that leave little time to train and relentless duties that require sailors driving 9,000 ton vessels to endure sleepless stretches that would be illegal for bus drivers and avoidable accidents can happen, current and former officers say.

"What seems impossible - that two ships could hit in the middle of the ocean - becomes very real," said Robert McFall, a former Navy lieutenant commander who served as the operations officer of the destroyer USS Fitzgerald in 2014. "If you are not at your best, events can start that lead to a disaster."

Since the loss of 17 sailors after the Fitzgerald collided with a freighter near Tokyo in June, and a second destroyer, the USS John S. McCain, collided with a tanker on Aug. 21 while approaching Singapore, Navy investigators are piecing together the causes of the fatal crashes. Congress has scheduled hearings next month.

While there could be some surprising findings, officers say the accidents are almost certainly influenced by systemic problems that persist despite repeated alarms from congressional watchdogs and the Navy's own experts.

Strain on fleet

In interviews, more than a dozen current and former ship commanders who served in the western Pacific said the strain on the Navy's fleet there had caused maintenance gaps and training shortfalls that were not remedied or received only cursory attention as leaders were focused on immediate missions.

Compounding the stress, the officers and crew say, the Navy allows ships to rely on grueling watch schedules that leave captains and crews exhausted, even though the service ordered submarines to abandon similar schedules two years ago.

Recognizing that safety problems may go beyond what occurred on the two destroyers, the Navy intends that its examination of whether systemic issues contributed to the accidents will also review ship operations and incidents at sea over the past decade.

"This is truly a shock to the Navy's system," Adm. James G. Stavridis, a retired four-star admiral who commanded destroyers, said of the recent crashes. "It's hard to believe it is simply coincidental."

Readiness frayed

Vice Adm. William Douglas Crowder, a retired commander of the 7th Fleet and a former deputy chief of naval operations, agreed. "As the Navy conducts this broad look in its mirror, I suspect it will recognize many blemishes that are neither new nor previously unknown," he said.

"The key issue is whether the Navy will commit to the fundamental changes required to actually cure those shortfalls."

In the past two decades, the number of Navy ships has decreased about 20 percent, though the time they are deployed has remained the same, according to a 2015 report by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington research group funded by the Defense Department. The increased burden has fallen disproportionately on the 7th Fleet.

"There are very few ships there but the operational demands are enormous," said Kevin Eyer, a former Navy captain who commanded cruisers in the western Pacific.

That tempo, current and former Navy officers say, has frayed readiness. Government and military investigators drew similar conclusions, warning that the mission pace was leaving crews unprepared. A 2015 study by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, found that the high demands of Navy fleets based overseas, like the 7th in Japan, affects maintenance and training.

Investigators found that ships spend so much time at sea that there was not enough time for routine preventive repairs. And they said that while crews based in the United States were almost always completely qualified before deploying from their U.S. ports, ships based overseas and juggling multiple missions relied on a "train on the margins" approach.

"In Japan, there are no dedicated training periods built into these ships' operational schedules," the GAO report found. "As a result, these crews do not have all needed training and certifications."

The bridge of each Navy destroyer is controlled by a round-the-clock shift of young officers, who must pass written and oral exams to qualify for the positions. They typically are younger than 25 and may have little shipboard experience. Junior officers also move on to other assignments after limited tours.

"Are we shortchanging their basic training, especially as we rotate our junior officers whose tours aboard ship are nominally 24 months?" Crowder asked.
Wonders are us

The headline "Cosmic Wonder" (Page A1, Aug. 21), referred to last week's solar eclipse and the magic it was stirring in the lives of so many Americans. The celestial experience seemed to unite and inspire us just enough to consider that forces greater than us are at work holding the Universe together through its gravitational dances in deep space. We are truly a small speck in an ineffable unknown.

As I started my 20th year teaching psychology at the University of Houston, I looked forward to the new semester's first-day with the thrill of meeting old and new students. Of course, the noontime eclipse was on everyone's mind.

As I stood before a class of 200 unknown, but friendly faces, something came to me. These are the cosmic wonders! Each student is a unique expression of a mysteriously manifested being, never to be repeated again. Through DNA, cultural influences, fate and personal choices, each face seemed to shout Cosmic Wonder!, as in Wordworth's poetic line "from trailing clouds of glory do we come."

Here for some yet-to-be-revealed purpose and filled with gifts and talents, passion and purpose, these young adults are recipients of parental funds, family blessings and society's hope. They are like all humans at all levels, seeking to live fully and find meaning.

Our hope in eclipsing the strife, divisions, differences and walls between us may be in honoring and respecting the Cosmic Wonder that lies at the center of the human soul. My hope is that we get new eyes and, perhaps, a new heart to recognize these wonders in our midst and in the mirror.

Herb Agan, Houston

Detractors

Regarding "Trump supporters, he's doing fine" (Page A1, Aug. 20), the story appeared to be an attempt to provide some balance in reporting on President Trump and how the majority of Republicans approve of his responses to recent events. The reporter did a fair job of giving his supporters a fair shake of their opinions. But she spoiled it when she asked, "Is there anything Trump could do that would change the minds of his supporters? Probably not."

The other side of that coin we've seen in the news is there's nothing Trump could do or say that would change the minds of his detractors. He has called out the white supremacists as evil and haters. But the media continued their cacophony against him.

Phil Chapman, Spring

Bestowing honor

Regarding "Let's rid ourselves of Confederate statue" (Page A15, Aug. 21), symbols are powerful. They can unite people behind a goal, they can divide people. Statues and memorials are not simply historical curiosities remembering people and events - they can and have in many cases become symbols, pointing to something larger than the person they represent.

In the case of Confederate statues, for many people, they point to segregation and slavery. Racists revere them for this symbology; people of color despise them for the same reason. The debate should be about what symbols we as a society want to honor. Do we honor symbols of inhumanity and suppression, or do we reject those symbols and remove them from places of prominence?

Alan Jackson, Houston
Two Texas County Memorial Hospital Youth Ambassadors have received scholarships to assist with their academic expenses for the upcoming school year.

Shaniah Phillips, of Houston, was awarded $500 and Alexis Fuwell, of Mountain Grove, received $250. Both girls are 2017 graduates of the high schools in their hometowns.

Phillips and Fuwell are students at Missouri State University-West Plains. Phillips is pursuing a teaching degree and certification. Fuwell is seeking a bachelors degree in child and family development.

Phillips has accumulated 106 volunteer hours the past two years through the TCMH Youth Ambassador program. Fuwell has volunteered 54 hours her one year in the program.

A committee of TCMH employees from various hospital departments chose Phillips and Fuwell as the scholarship recipients based on their applications and essays for the scholarships.

Funds came from an endowed scholarship fund administered by the TCMH Healthcare Foundation. The organization set up the fund in 2015 with local community partners and Community Foundation of the Ozarks through the annual Give Ozarks day fundraising effort.

Jay Gentry, healthcare foundation director, noted that the foundation is continuing to grow the endowment fund with hopes of giving away two $750 scholarships to Youth Ambassadors each year. The fund sits at $34,647.

The 2017 fund level only allowed us to give out $750 in scholarship funds, but that is also greatly appreciated by the recipients, Gentry said,

According to Gentry, the Youth Ambassador endowment will need to reach $40,000 to allow two annual $750 scholarships. He said in 2018, the fund levels should allow one $750 and one $500 scholarship.

TCMH Youth Ambassadors are area high school juniors or seniors as well as college students who chosen for the program each fall. Youth Ambassadors are required to volunteer a minimum of four hours each month to remain active in the program. As volunteers, the students do a variety of services in the hospital and in patient care areas.

These scholarships are a great way to reward students that have been faithful volunteers at their local hospital, said Wes Murray, TCMH chief executive officer. Shaniah and Alexis are very deserving of this honor, and we wish them the best as they pursue a college education.

Additional information about the Youth Ambassador volunteer program or the foundation can be found at www.tcmh.org.
Joyce Herington Cole, 95, passed away Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, at Houston House.

She was born Sept. 18, 1921, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, daughter of Clark and Hazel Leach Herington. She and Henry D. Cole were married Oct. 6, 1939.

She graduated from high school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 1939.

She and her husband, Henry, were ordained ministers of the Church of God. She was a speaker, teacher and wrote childrens Sunday School curriculum while serving as a board member of the Church of God publishing, Warner Press. She and Henry pastored congregations in Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Colorado.

In their retirement years, they were managers of the Genesis Pointe senior adult condominiums in Lake Wales, Fla. They returned to Houston in 2007 to due Henrys failing health to be near their oldest daughter. They attended the First Church of God in Houston.

She was an avid reader and writer.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Henry; four sisters; and a brother.

Survivors include a son, Dennis Cole of Atlanta, Ga.; two daughters, Mary Kaye Miller of Hubertus, Wisc., and Judith Powell of Houston; five grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and two great-great grandchildren.

Graveside services were Tuesday Aug. 29, in Pine Lawn Cemetery under the direction of Evans Funeral Home.
As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content.

When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to.

After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS!

OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK

The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those.
Robot workers should rejoice as demand for AI-powered labour has never been higher. Development and adoption of this tech has been so exponential, artificial intelligence experts in Asia have predicted that robots will outperform human workers in every way in the next 30 years.



Today, there is a global average of 69 robots to every 10,000 human workers. By 2020, China hopes to more than double that number.



Shipments to China accounted for one-third of the global demand for industrial robots in 2016, and are estimated to account for 40% in 2019.



As it is, China only averages 49 robots per 10,000 human workers, subpar by global standards. But the industrial giant is aiming to increase that figure to 150 within the next three years, which will put it right up with the US among the top nations for industrial robotics.



According to the International Federation of Robotics, China increased its installation of robot technology in the labour force by 27% in 2015. By 2019, that number will go up by another 75%.



Focusing on food, electronics, and car manufacturing  Beijings efforts to automate its labour force stands to threaten a lot of jobs. Latest reports put Chinas manufacturing workforce at nearly 114 million human workers.



But as of yet, this shift to robotics hasnt negatively impacted human wages. In fact, wages have gone up over 50% between 2010 and 2014, according to Chinese Household Finance Data.



Governments all over the world are growing wary of job losses due to the rapid adoption of new technologies. Responses range from wide-scale reskilling efforts of human workers to keep up with the changing times, and proposed levies on robot workers.



If experts are to be believed, there are still a few decades to go before AI takes over the workplace completely. But with the worlds largest human labour force moving full speed ahead with robot hires, 30 years may just have been too optimistic a figure.






How do we recognize them? Typically, the shelf-life of their decisions is short: They could say white one day, gray the next, and black the day after. They praise one day and express doubts another. It is hard to make sense of the sequence of their decision-making. The same situation may elicit different responses from them at different times, often without proactive explanation. They might say one thing to one person, and could have a divergent version for someone else. VUCA leaders are not always explicit in their instructions and in defining who is responsible; they sometimes expect deliverables without necessarily providing the means to succeed. They tend to avoid communicating to the team together, preferring one-on-one interactions. When they give credit for success, it is at times ambiguous, yet they can be quick to blame publicly. You have the impression that they took a position on a given problem, but on reflection, you realize that they did not entirely and you are left with dilemmas and uncertainty. Sound familiar?

Obviously there are different positions along the VUCA leader scale. At the top, we find toxic leaders. They consciously manipulate; they are dangerous not only for the individuals who report to them but also for the entire organization. But the scale covers a whole range, and to some extent all leaders have their VUCA moments. The issue is, they do not necessarily realize that they are hurting themselves when they trigger what can be described as the triple switch-off effect. This is when their own behaviour starts working against their interests by negatively impacting what they most need from others:

Execution

If there is a culture of fear in the organization, if there is no trust that it is safe to apply the maxim when in doubt, do the right thing, then employees will end-up only doing what is asked, and will require details on how to execute. In the same way as websites stop functioning when flooded by multiple simultaneous service requests (Denial-of-Service), this dynamic can paralyze leaders. In a successful setting, leaders are supported by wise and autonomous execution in the organization. They have empowered colleagues who can adapt their actions to the context, while keeping the overarching direction.

Information

If employees are not acknowledged when they provide input, if they are not told which data are useful and why, if they do not understand how decisions are made, then at some point they will no longer know how to contribute and will stop providing information. By doing so, they make their leaders blind. In a successful setting, leaders will receive the right information at the right time in order to make the right decisions. They have colleagues who proactively gather and deliver insightful data, which are modulated according to changes in context.

Feedback

The fire is burning but theres no smoke! This is a pretty common situation; everyone talks about how bad the leader is, but no one dares to help. Often leaders only receive positive feedback on their actions and decisions because this is what they unconsciously reward. If leaders are rude or dismissive when supporters try to provide input, these colleagues will switch off on feedback  why bother? De facto, the leaders become deaf. In a successful setting, leaders receive timely warning. They have colleagues who are not afraid to provide direct  and sometimes tough  input to address a situation long before it becomes critical.
STRINGER via Getty Images

As Morocco appears to be rocked by the latest sex attack, where six men sexually assaulted a young woman on a public bus in Casablanca, in the middle of the day, in front of other passengers, I was not overly surprised.

Detailed media reports and a video released on YouTube show six shirtless men laughing, as they groped a young woman and attempted to pull off her clothes, while the bus driver and the other passengers on board, did nothing.

Advertisement

The blatant nature in which this sex attack was carried out in public, is demonstrative of a very deep rooted problem that is found not only in Morocco, but in many countries throughout the world.

It is a problem of very disturbing and very unsettling attitudes towards women.

These attitudes come from the idea, that it is somehow acceptable to harass, taunt, leer at or physically assault a woman.

They come from the idea that it is somehow acceptable for men to make excuses for why they are allowed to perpetrate disgraceful acts of disrespect and violence towards women, which are usually based around claims that they are unable to stop themselves from doing so.

Having spent five weeks travelling through Morocco, I can certainly attest to the presence of such attitudes in Morocco. I can attest that there are very blatant attitudes where it is deemed acceptable for men to force their very disgusting and unwanted sexual thoughts on you.

Advertisement

I was daily and relentlessly subject to aggressive leering and sexual comments from men on the street. I became so uncomfortable with the relentless harassment, that by the time I reached Fes, one of the country's biggest cities, I locked myself into a hotel room for 11 days and didn't leave, because I could just not stand the harassment anymore.

Yet, even in the hotel, I was subject to disparaging remarks and condescending behaviour from the hotel's male staff workers.

The widespread nature of these attitudes towards women in Morocco also became apparent during two talks I conducted as part of the work that I do with my foundation Project Monma, which aims to raise awareness about violence and discrimination against women around the world. At both talks, I brought up sexual harassment and during both talks, no one in the room, man or woman, denied that sexual harassment was a serious problem in Morocco.

One man even explained how whilst he had decided to not sexually harass women, he was criticised by his friends for not doing so. To be a man in Morocco, he explained, you were expected to sexually harass women.

Indeed, all of the women who I met in Morocco, complained about the relentless nature of sexual harassment in the country.

Advertisement

One woman explained how she would always try to take taxis, rather than walk on the street, just to avoid the harassment. Another woman explained how she had bought a car to avoid having to walk on the street, because the harassment was just too bad.

There is no doubt in my mind that Morocco undoubtedly has a serious problem with the way that its men treats its women.

And the sexual assault of this young woman on a Moroccan bus is demonstrative on this.

These young men obviously felt that they would face no repercussions for their actions because they carried out this sexual assault in a public place, in front of others.

They obviously felt that it was something acceptable to do.

What those boys did to that young girl on the bus that day in Morocco, is a consequence of such attitudes.

Violence.

What those young boys have clearly understood from their society, is that it is acceptable to treat women and girls as sexual objects who are open to be harassed and assaulted for fun.

Advertisement

It is absolutely essential that as a global community we speak up loudly, in whatever way we can, to condemn and criticise not only the men who behave in such a way but to also criticise societies and cultures that promote such discriminatory attitudes towards women. As migration flows increase, particularly into Europe and others parts of this world, this problem is going to become everybody's problem. If there are men in Morocco who believe it is tolerable to sexually assault and harass a woman in Morocco, they will believe that it is tolerable to sexually assault and harass a woman elsewhere.

We need to take immediate action in Morocco and everywhere else where such disgraceful behaviour occurs, to ensure that the men who behave in this way learn that at no times, ever, anywhere, is it acceptable to sexually intimidate, degrade, humiliate or physically assault women. Ever.
SEYLLOU via Getty Images

It was a strange thing to be supporting Street Child's response to the mudslides in Sierra Leone from Maiduguri, the epicenter of the Boko Haram crisis in North-East Nigeria.

As head of programmes for West Africa, I am normally based in Sierra Leone, in Freetown, where mudslides and floods killed at least 500 people in the early hours of Monday 14th August when an entire mountain side collapsed during heavy rains.

Advertisement

Returning a week later, via a typically long-winded trans-African route through Abuja and Abidjan, I've been rushing to catch up on the response we launched the day after the mudslides occurred with our local partner.

Photo credit: Dr Sally Wright

On visiting the mountain site in the Regent area of Freetown, just by one of Street Child's five food distribution centres for survivors, it struck me how high Sugar Loaf mountain really is. At the top, where the mountain sheared away, you could see eagles circling.

Huge boulders, dislodged by rain, gained velocity down the steep drop, causing a visible trail of destruction for two miles - like giant bowling balls which flattened large concrete houses just as easily as tin shacks.

Advertisement

Houses are not supposed to be built at the foot of the mountain, which is part of a conservation area, but deforestation and excavation has left the soil exposed, turning into liquid mud in the rains.

For now, the mud has become a makeshift graveyard; only unidentifiable body parts are being found, which are taken straight to the mass grave built during Ebola. The smell of decomposing bodies turns up in unexpected places on the car journey down to Regent.

Arriving a week after the mudslides, the government and third sector coordination system has shifted into gear. Banners are springing up at the five distribution centres and all around the Regent area in particular - a bit of an NGO free-for-all.

I am proud that our partner Street Child of Sierra Leone is delivering daily food to the survivors who lost their homes. We're feeding 4000 people a day with funds from a generously supported public appeal we launched last Monday, and funds from UK AID.

In a slightly British fashion, I feel terribly embarrassed when a community representative ushers me in to the darkened building of the Regent shelter, and coordinates a vote of thanks for Street Child and our supporters from the tightly packed survivors sitting there.

Advertisement

The young man thanks us for the food we are supplying each day, every day, on which the survivors are relying. He is a bit teary, and so am I. He doesn't ask for anything else, but I feel very much like what we are supplying is both terribly needed and not enough.

With all the agencies present at the endless coordination meetings, you might get the impression that survivors are OK, their needs are being met sufficiently. But funds and concrete action for survivors are slow to mobilise.

Photo credit: Dr Sally Wright

So for now, Street Child's small bag of sardines, bread, cheese and fruit is all that many of the thousands of people living in makeshift shelters can count on eating each day.

I don't hesitate to promote our national NGO partner, Street Child of Sierra Leone, whose 70 national staff have been working 12-hour days for the past eight days now. Their hard-won experience of emergency food distribution from the height of Ebola and social work expertise has been indispensable.

Advertisement

More expensive non-food items including bedding and toiletries are next on the list, once funds arrive. I'm painfully aware of the dirty, hard concrete floor that survivors are sleeping on when I visit the centre in Regent.

Now that the food operation is efficiently up and running, in the last few days, trained social workers have started to go out into the field to conduct psycho-social counselling and hear from affected communities.

Photo credit: Dr Sally Wright

Many people they meet are unsurprisingly traumatised - weeping, refusing to eat. I met the eight-year-old Ibrahim, who lost both his parents in the mudslide at Regent. He was crying constantly this morning, but Street Child's social workers have helped calm him down. This afternoon, the neighbour who is looking after him seems more distressed, and can't stop trembling.

At the same time, in typical resilient fashion, Sierra Leone's survivors are looking to the future too. School starts back up in a couple of weeks, and it's one of the first things on people's minds. How will school fees be paid, children are asking, who will provide books and uniform that were lost. Others are casting further ahead, wanting to get their livelihoods back up and running.

Advertisement

Recovery plans continue to evolve for the survivors, and there's an undeniable political overtone to the flood response, with national elections just around the corner. My faith is in our national partner Street Child of Sierra Leone.

Their staff's insistence that we respond immediately to the crisis mobilised us all to ask for the global community's help. Whilst their staff are out in the field, I feel confident that the voices of survivors are being heard, their interests at heart. As their funder and partner, our international staff in the field and around the world continue to do our best to support them.
Sounds Great, But Sounds Familiar: Where To Draw The Line With Digital Sampling Of Sound Recordings?

Here Stephen Carlisle breaks down the legal complexities behind digital sampling, looking at what it is, its history, how the Ninth Circuit Court changed everything, and where digital sampling stands today.

__________________________

Guest post by Stephen Carlisle of Nova Southeastern University

In the middle of 2016, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals muddied the waters on the legality of digital sampling of sound recordings through its opinion in VMG Salsoul, LLC v. Ciccone. There, for the first time, an appellate court held that the rule of de minimis non curat lex applied to digital sampling, in direct conflict with the ruling of the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on precisely the same point. The Sixth Circuit, in Bridgeport Music, Inc. v. Dimension Films, had adopted a bright-line rule: Get a license or do not sample. Notably the ruling of the Sixth Circuit (which covers Nashville) had been on the books for over 10 years, without causing undue disruption for the rather large music industry within the courts jurisdiction. Now the landscape for the practicing attorney in advising clients in the music business has shifted. The answer to the question of can I sample this? will depend in large part on where you live (or where youre sued) and how likely your court of appeals is going to follow the reasoning on either side.

What Is Sampling?

Sampling can be best understood as making an audio copy of a musical fragment or phrase that is then placed into a new recording where it can be rearranged or manipulated. This practice in effect makes the resulting new recording a derivative work, subject to the authors permission under 17 U.S.C.  106(2), which applies not only to the musical work, but also to the sound recording.

The legal issues surrounding sampling are as old as rap itself. The very first mainstream rap hit, the Sugarhill Gangs Rappers Delight, also spawned the first legal dispute. The three rappers used as the musical bed for their raps the instrumental introduction of Chics Good Times, composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. After threatening a lawsuit, the Good Times composers were granted the complete copyright in Rappers Delight. Chic were not the only persons ripped off in the making of Rappers Delight. MC Grandmaster Caz claims the Superman section of Rappers Delight was copied from him by Sugarhills Big Bank Hank, a long-simmering dispute that as late as 2014 threatened to result in a formal lawsuit.

The fact that trouble started right away is not surprising. In a live performance context, the rapping DJ is free to use recordings as the bed or underpinning for his or her raps (presuming of course that the main performance itself has been properly licensed). But taking this same DJ, placing him or her in a recording studio, and having him or her recreate the performance for fixation in a new recording violates the copyright laws by making copies of the musical compositions and the sound recordings. In a street art form such as rap, this distinction is easily misunderstood, and also easily disregarded.

As rap grew in popularity, the sampling lawsuits started piling up. Usually these were brought by music publishing companies, not record labels. One could easily guess that this was due to an honor among thieves mentality. Every record label had rappers on it. Suing another record company over a sound recording sample was sure to invite getting one back rather quickly. Universally these sampling cases were settled, because no one was sure on which side of the issue the courts would come down.

This reasoning persisted until the District Court for the Southern District of New York dropped the hammer on rapper Biz Markie. The case, Grand Upright Music Ltd. v. Warner Bros. Records, Inc., laid out in no uncertain terms the proposition that sampling was out and out copyright infringement. Indeed, the very first words of the opinion are Thou shalt not steal. But the court did not stop there. The final lines of the opinion are:

This callous disregard for the law and for the rights of others requires not only the preliminary injunction sought by the plaintiff but also sterner measures. . . . This matter is respectfully referred to the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York for consideration of prosecution of these defendants under 17 U.S.C.  506(a) and 18 U.S.C.  2319.

Needless to say, Warner Bros. Records was probably chastened by being called a criminal in a published opinion by a federal judge. The case was quickly settled for a substantial sum. The album was recalled, and subsequent pressings deleted the song (Alone Again). For his part, rapper Biz Markie took the decision with some degree of humor. His next album was titled All Samples Cleared.

For the rap community, the choice was either pay up or hope not to get caught. Sometimes the latter approach worked. Yet, oddly enough if an artist does not pay up and then gets his or her most fervent wish, namely that the record is ultimately successful, someone is bound to notice the similarities.

Case in point, Vanilla Ices Ice Ice Baby. This rap song contained a highly recognizable sample of Queen and David Bowies Under Pressure. For unknown reasons (the most likely reason being a lack of finances), Queen and David Bowies sample went uncredited, and the song instead just credits Vanilla Ice, Earthquake, and Mr. Smooth. So when Ice Ice Baby hit the jackpot and went to #1 on the Billboard charts (the first song by a rapper to do so), there was no place to hide. Well, they tried to hide. In an interview, Mr. Ice first tried to contend that adding an extra bass note changed the riff into something totally different. He later contended he was joking. The case was settled out of court; the members of Queen and David Bowie were given their writing credit and, according to Mr. Ice, $4 million.

In my own music law practice, I got tipped off that a famous rapper had sampled one of my clients songs. It was a brief sample: two bars of music, lasting perhaps four seconds. Yet it formed the chorus of the new song, being repeated over 40 times. Further, to my utter surprise, the rappers song had three other samples on it, some of which they had cleared. There was literally no defense they could present. They knew they had to clear the samples, they just did not, and probably hoped my client would not notice. Again the reason for this was probably economic. They had to give writing credit on the samples they did clear and probably wanted to keep some of the copyright for themselves. Unfortunately (for them) their gamble did not pay off and they had to give my client 50 percent of the copyright in order to settle the case.

Ninth Circuit Turns the Tables

On the larger stage, the Grand Upright case continued to be the gold standard. Its sweeping language and curt dismissal of the ethos of were rappers, sampling is part of the culture made for a rather large club in ones litigation arsenal.

But the Ninth Circuit undercut this legal certainty with its opinion in the case of Newton v. Diamond. The court held that the principle of de minimis non curat lex applied to issues of sampling. At issue was a three-note ostinato (a constantly repeated sequence of notes) sampled by the Beastie Boys and placed into their song Pass the Mic. The sample lasted for approximately six seconds, and consisted of the notes CD-flatC, over a held C note. Curiously enough, the Beastie Boys cleared the sample for the sound recording, but not the musical composition.

The district court held that the sampled material was insufficiently original to warrant copyright protection, and even if it did qualify for copyright, the copying was too insignificant to be actionable. The Ninth Circuit concluded that (1) the amount of the sample was too small as compared to the entirety of the song (two percent of the four-and-a-half-minute . . . sound recording) to be actionable, and (2) an average audience would not discern Newtons hand as a composer, apart from his talent as a performer, from Beastie Boys use of the sample.

One might question the logic of the opinion by focusing on the use made by the Beastie Boys. Though the sample was indeed small, it proved to be qualitatively important to the song Pass the Mic as a whole. The sample plays continuously throughout Pass the Mic so that it appears over forty times, i.e., the Beastie Boys found the sample important enough to include it repeatedly in their song. It seems contradictory for a court to then conclude that the sample is so trivial and unimportant to not merit legal protection.

Up to the point of the Ninth Circuits decision in Newton, sampling cases had featured claims brought by music publishers over the use of the songs, not the owners of the sound recordings. This changed with the decision of the Sixth Circuit in Bridgeport. To my knowledge this is the first time a court of appeals ruled on the sampling of a sound recording. The court realized that it was making a bright-line rule of no sampling, and primarily reasoned that the ease of courts in enforcing the rule had readily foreseeable benefits. Further the court makes this trenchant point:

[S]ampling is never accidental. It is not like the case of a composer who has a melody in his head, perhaps not even realizing that the reason he hears this melody is that it is the work of another which he had heard before. When you sample a sound recording you know you are taking anothers work product.

And further:

[E]ven when a small part of a sound recording is sampled, the part taken is something of value. No further proof of that is necessary than the fact that the producer of the record or the artist on the record intentionally sampled because it would (1) save costs, or (2) add something to the new recording, or (3) both. For the sound recording copyright holder, it is not the song but the sounds that are fixed in the medium of his choice. When those sounds are sampled they are taken directly from that fixed medium. It is a physical taking rather than an intellectual one.

Some courts located outside the Sixth Circuit that have taken up the issue in the wake of Bridgeport have declined to follow its expansive ruling. A Florida district court declined to follow the ruling, citing an Eleventh Circuit opinion that it felt mandated a consideration of substantial similarity even when copying was undoubtedly proven.

Similarly as recounted at the outset, the Ninth Circuit has declined to follow the lead of the Sixth Circuit as well. In the Ciccone case, the fact of whether there was a sample at all was contested. Yet to the court this was of no import.

After listening to the audio recordings submitted by the parties, we conclude that a reasonable juror could not conclude that an average audience would recognize the appropriation of the horn hit. That common-sense conclusion is borne out by dry analysis. The horn hit is very shortless than a second. The horn hit occurs only a few times in Vogue. Without careful attention, the horn hits are easy to miss. Moreover, the horn hits in Vogue do not sound identical to the horn hits from Love Break. As noted above, assuming that the sampling occurred, Pettibone truncated the horn hit, transposed it to a different key, and added other sounds and effects to the horn hit itself. The horn hit then was added to Vogue along with many other instrument tracks. Even if one grants the dubious proposition that a listener recognized some similarities between the horn hits in the two songs, it is hard to imagine that he or she would conclude that sampling had occurred.

The Ninth Circuit distances itself from the Sixth Circuit opinion largely by patting itself on the back that noted copyright expert David Nimmer agrees with it and cites to numerous unpublished opinions of other district courts that declined to follow Bridgeport, which, depending on the rule in your circuit, have little or no precedential value.

The point the court never takes up is that, as the Sixth Circuit observed, sampling is never accidentalit is always intentional. The fact that a music producer can digitally alter the sample so that it now sounds worlds different does not change the fact that the sound started out as exactly the same sound fixed in anothers sound recording.

And sampling is largely unnecessary. The electronic synthesizer is over 40 years old. There are literally thousands of sounds stored in sound banks, waiting to be used. There is no real need to sample someone elses sounds when they can be precisely, and legally, imitated through the use of modern digital synthesizer technology. Especially in the case of Ciccone, where the sound is something as mundane as a brass horn hit.

Conclusion

So now we have two rules. And if you practice law outside the Ninth or Sixth Circuit, which rule applies is anyones guess, a point not lost on the dissenting opinion in Ciccone:

Equally compelling is, I think, Congresss silence in the wake of Bridgeport, especially in light of the fact that the Sixth Circuit explicitly invited Congress to clarify or change the law if Bridgeports bright-line rule was not what Congress intended. While its true that congressional inaction in the face of judicial interpretation is not ironclad evidence of Congressional approval, its not chopped liver either. In this case Bridgeport has not been hiding out in the woods, waiting to be found: it has been governing the music industry in Nashville and elsewhere for eleven years. The majority now proposes to introduce a different rule for this circuit, creating a circuit split, and providing a lower level of protection for copyright holders in a different area of the country. This inconsistent approach is plainly in contravention of Congressional intent that copyright laws be predictable and uniform, yet the majority defends its rogue path on the ground that Congress must have intended something other than what the Sixth Circuit has concluded, even though weve heard not a peep from Congress, or for that matter the Supreme Court, in the eleven years since Bridgeport has been on the books.

Published in Landslide Magazine, Volume 9, Number 5,  2017 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.

Share on:




iciHaiti - CARIFESTA XIII : Tabou Combo vibrated the scene in Barbados





As part of the 13th edition of the Caribbean Festival of the Arts (CARIFESTA XIII), which ended on Sunday August 27th in Bridgetown (Barbados), the Haitian group Tabou Combo has made the scene vibrate. Limond Toussaint, the Minister of Culture, hailed the band's long career in Soubou to be one of these musical formations to haul the Haitian flag to the planetary scale. The Minister took the opportunity to thank the people of Barbados for their warm welcome and congratulate the members of the Haitian delegation for the quality of their performances.



During his stay, the Minister visited the exhibition of Haitian artisans and designers at the Grand Market.



In an interview for CBC channel Limond Toussaint said "My country's participation in the largest Caribbean intercultural festival, Carifesta, was an opportunity to share our real tangible and intangible heritage with Barbados and all the other member countries of the Caribbean Common Market, CARICOM and the rest of the world."



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-21871-icihaiti-xiii-carifesta-d-1-before-the-opening-of-the-exhibition-haiti-nouvelle-vague.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21870-haiti-xiii-carifesta-haitian-dance-troupes-have-seduced-the-public.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21833-haiti-culture-our-artists-at-the-13th-edition-of-the-carifesta-festival.html



IH/ iciHaiti






















iciHaiti - Social : TNH broadcasts again over the department of Grand-Anse





Since last weekend, the National Television of Haiti (TNH) once again broadcasts its programs over the department of Grand-Anse, as part of the national coverage project. Now, as of this weekend, the metropolis of Jeremie as well as the other cities of the department receive, signals from the Public Service Channel.



Thus, Grand-Anse residents will be fully informed of what is happening across the country and around the world. The Grand-Anse coverage will also enable this population to participate fully in the public communication process of the Government. TNH correspondents and partners in the region will assist in the production, formatting and dissemination of messages from the department https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21473-haiti-politics-tnh-makes-production-partnerships-in-the-south.html



TNH General Management reiterates its determination to gradually achieve the National Coverage Project and indicates that all other departments and regions will soon be served.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21473-haiti-politics-tnh-makes-production-partnerships-in-the-south.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21407-haiti-politic-the-tnh-broadcast-again-in-the-south-department.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21000-haiti-politics-tnh-national-coverage-within-60-days.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20937-haiti-politics-towards-a-national-coverage-of-the-tnh.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20809-haiti-politics-towards-the-modernization-of-the-national-radio-of-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20628-haiti-flash-roadmap-of-the-minister-of-culture.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20554-haiti-news-zapping.html



IH/ iciHaiti


















In his interview with Bild Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Angelino Alfano said that Europe had abandoned Italy on the refugee crisis. Yet he refused to criticize the "open-door" policy, declared by Angela Merkel in 2015.MEPs from Italy sitting on the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs put it more clearly and sharply in their open letter to the Chancellor of Germany.The letter explicitly stated that Germany failed to honor the obligations it had assumed back in 2015 to provide additional finding for migrants and exceed the established quotas of accepting refugees. The MEPs have demanded that Germany pay financial compensation for it.By opening the EU doors Merkel has not only made profuse promises aiming to involve the whole EU in this process, by hook or by crook, but also roped her own people in without any consultations with them. No one in Germany has ever heard they should host refugees in excess of the quotas let alone cover the expenses of neighboring countries.But these stories are not made up of nothing. As far back as a year ago, despaired of ever receiving the promised assistance from Germany, Italy demanded that the immigration policy be financed with Eurobonds. Merkel rejected the idea then. Germany's Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere only adds fuel to the flame. One day he accuses Italian authorities of sending migrants to the north, another day he blames them for deliberate human trafficking by sea. At the same time, human rights activists also put pressure on Italy demanding that its ports stay open and protesting against repatriation of the refugees, who failed to undergo the special control.And so it should come as no surprise that Italian officials have started to resent it and openly blackmail Germany by threatening time and again to 'issue provisional permits for all arriving refugees enabling them to move freely within the EU'.Now, that the European Court of Justice has rejected the 'open-door' policy, quite a few questions remain unanswered. For instance, there is one to Mrs. Merkel. Who in Germany is going to pay compensation to Italy, if the EU court finds its claims legal? And it would be quite interesting to ask the Germans whether they are happy with the leader who plays around with their EU neighbors and disgraces the entire nation? One unsuccessful PR stunt of Germany's Chancellor can cost millions of euros and lead to the breakup of the European Union.
TNVolunteer73 said: I don't know it was YOU and people that have the same beliefs as you that were UPSET with the build up of police forces to fight a terrorist threat.



The Right Wing had no problem with it.



So why do you ask him to answer something that is part of YOUR belief system not his. Click to expand...

You really are dumb as box of ******* rocks. I have NEVER supported the militarization of our police departments !!!!!!!!!!I FIRMLY believe in the the quote "those that trade freedom for security will wind up with NEITHER !!!!!!!"I believe the patriot act was the single worst piece of legislation ever passed. It stripped away more rights than any legislation before or since.Giving military grade weapons to the police is just an extremely bad idea. Boy will be boys and they WILL find a reason to use their shiny new toys.15 years ago less than 10% of warrants were "no knock" and were almost exclusively arrest warrants for KNOWN VIOLENT offenders.Today it's over 60%. This is for ALL warrants NOT just arrest warrants. Cities all over the nation are sending in SWAT teams with no knock SEARCH warrants. And in 60% of the cases NO DRUGS OR WEAPONS were found. 10% of those warrants were served on THE WRONG ADDRESS !!!!!How are YOU going to feel when some local yokal good old boy sheriff's deputy get the address wrong and 10 men in black uniforms smash in YOUR FRONT DOOR terrorizing YOU, YOUR WIFE, YOUR DAUGHTERS and what ever grand kids happen to be around ??And don't say it'll never happen, IT ALREADY HAS !!!Then police have a tough job and I very much respect those that do it well. But the last thing we need is to give them military grade weapons to use on a CIVILIAN population.




This Isnt Our Last Love Letter



Dear Don Don,

Way back in 92



I walked into the room and knew



Never felt this way before



I shook your hand while gazing into your eyes



And the feeling grew



As I took a seat I knew



A love that would have my heart



Forever



I knew



Way back in 92





They say love at first sight doesnt always last or isnt true



We were the exception to that rule



Our love had no where to hide



A spark set fire



As if this is how the universe started





I never doubted our love or what we could do



Together we grew



Forming a bond everlasting



That became our glue



My euphoria was YOU



Im eternally grateful for the love and life we shared



For how fortunate we were :



to have and to hold

through sickness and in health

Til death do us part



Until we are together again



This isnt our last love letter



I love you with all my heart and soul



Yours forever,



Deirdre (Mrs. Hank Snow)





Im fortunate to have fallen in love with, marry and make a life with the sharpest, coolest, funniest, most rare, bad ass, tender loving, loyal man on the planet, my husband Don Imus.









A True American Hero

I dont know why it has been so hard for me to write about my dear friend Don Imus.



I certainly know what he meant to me, my family, my charity, my hospital and the millions of fans that listened and loved him for so many years.



I keep reading all the beautiful condolences that people are writing about how much a part of their lives were effected by listening to him over the years.

But what most people dont talk enough about is what he did for all of us.

In every sense of the word, he was an American Hero. His work with children with so many different illnesses and his dedication to their future was unmatched by anyone I have ever known or heard about.



Besides raising over $100,000,000 for so many causes, he took care of young people for over 20 years in a state where he could not breathe. Along with his incredible wife Deirdre, he created a world where children were not defined by their disease. That was a miracle! He was a miracle.

I will miss him ever day for the rest of my life.

I was blessed to be a part of his and Deirdes life.

No one will ever do what he did.

I love you Don Imus - A TRUE AMERICAN HERO





David Jurist

IMUS IN THE MORNING

FIRST DAY BACK!
Sign up to Roisin OConnors free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Roisin OConnors email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Last week, Donald Trump made an executive order demanding the Department of Defense stop allowing transgender individuals to serve in the US military.

As a result, no transgender person can be accepted, the army currently coming up with a plan to withdraw serving transgender troops within the next six months.

Huge numbers of people, including military members, have criticised the move, finding no reason for the executive order to be made.

On Sunday (27 August), just two days after the order, the MTV Video Music Awards took a stand, inviting six transgender military members to the event, all of whom walked the blue carpet.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

"Any patriot who is putting their own life at risk to fight for our freedom and stand for equality is a hero at MTV, and to young people everywhere," said MTV president Chris McCarthy in a statement, according to Billboard.

Brynn Tannehill, Laila Ireland, Akira Wyatt, Jennifer Peace, Logan Ireland and Sterling James Crutcher were those in attendance, alongside GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis.

"Historically, the VMAs have been a huge platform for social issues that are currently happening, so being able to have that platform and share our stories is important to us," Ireland told the publication before the ceremony began.

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, recently spoke out against the ban, saying it is "going to create this situation where there is a complete inequality in how transgender troops are treated."
Trump reverses Obama-era ban on military gear for cops

President Trump is rolling back an Obama-era law that limited the amount of surplus military equipment that was passed on to local law enforcement agencies. The order was announced Monday, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a speech to the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police in Tennessee.Trump has vowed on several occasions to lift the Obama-era ban. It's in keeping with Trump and Sessions' law-and-order agenda that aims to curb violent crimes by providing government support to local police.Critics argue that the timing of the move could escalate the racial tension that has grown out of the violence in Charlottesville, and further exacerbate the outrage that followed Trump's controversial response.Since 1990, the Defense Department allowed the transfer of surplus military equipment and supplies to federal, state, and local law enforcement, per NBC. The program was initially established to aid police in drug investigations, but it was later expanded to include all police missions.In 2014, the Justice Department concluded that the military-grade equipment, such as riot gear and tear gas, used by law enforcement in the Ferguson, Missouri protests of 18-year-old Michael Brown's death only escalated the unrest.As a result, Obama issued an executive order that made some gear off-limits, such as bayonets and grenade launchers, while other equipment required proof of the police agency's need."We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like they're an occupying force, as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them," Obama said in announcing the ban in 2015.Many police organizations across the country have been pushing Trump for the reversal of the Obama-era ban, as they feel the equipment provides protection when responding to active shooter calls and terrorist attacks, per USA Today.Some law enforcement officials have also pointed to the use of an armored vehicle that played an important role in the police response to the December 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, per AP.As Jeff Sessions noted Monday, reinstating the program has economic advantages, such as saving billions of taxpayer dollars by recycling gear that has already purchased.
Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Most late-night Proms are sparsely attended, but this one  which went on until the small hours  was impressively full, its audience drawn equally from Europe and the South Asian sub-continent. The peg was the 70th anniversary of the partition of India, which had its sad musical equivalent. In 1947 Muslim musicians had to flee to the safety of the new Pakistan, while their Hindu and Sikh counterparts fled in the opposite direction. And the new states respective musics were seen as rallying-points: Delhi promoted raga, while the Pakistani government looked to the ghazal and qawwali song-forms as the musical badge of their new nation.

This well-amplified Prom came in three parts  North Indian raga, South Indias version of that art-form, and Pakistani qawwali. Sitar-player Pandit Budhaditya Mukherjees raga, underpinned by Soumen Nandys tabla, was superbly sustained, and Jayanthi Kumareshs saraswati veena  partnered by Kumaresh Rajagopalan with eloquent versatility on the violin  made a vivid and full-blooded contrast; Fareed Ayaz, Abu Muhamamd Qawwal and Brothers lit up the hall with their intoxicating brand of Sufi chant.

The only problem was the absence of any musical context from the BBC  particularly striking when you consider the solid hour theyd spent doing so with Dvoraks New World Symphony two days before. Western audiences need to get a handle on the purpose and structure of raga, on how Carnatic music works, and on the poetry of qawwali, but the Proms leaflet squandered much of its space on promotional guff. This was a big chance missed.
Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

IndyArts email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Game of Thrones seventh season has very quickly come to an end, leaving us with a few fewer of the main players still alive in Westeros.

**Spoilers for The Dragon and the Wolf below**

As with every good season finale, there were numerous resolutions, but also a lot of game-changing moments that will no doubt lead to a turbulent eighth season.

Here we attempt to explain what happened, and what it all means for the final six episodes of Game of Thrones.

Jon Snow, heir to the Iron Throne

Jon Snow in Game of Thrones (HBO)

As Bran and Sam now know, Jon Snows real name is Aegon Targaryen, the character being the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Of course, we already knew about Jons real parents. What we didnt know (although it was teased earlier this season by Gilly) was that his Targaryen father and Stark mother were legally bonded.

With Jon no longer being a bastard, that makes him heir to the Iron Throne. Why? Because Rhaegar was son of Aerys Targaryen  better known as the Mad King.

When Aerys died, the crown should have fallen to Rhaegar, who himself died in battle against Robert Baratheon. The next monarch should have been Rhaegars other son, Aegon (not Jon Snow, the other son named Aegon [yes, Rhaegar has two sons called Aegon and well explain why later]).

Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Show all 8 1 /8 Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Danny and Tyrion brooding Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Cersei sitting on her bed, brooding Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Jon Snow upon the Dragonstone cliffs, brooding Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Tyrion and Varys talking, sly smiling Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Tyrion wandering the scorched battlefield, worried Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Varys making plans, manipulating Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Sam getting a good telling off by Gilly Game of Thrones S7E5 'Eastwatch' - in photos Jon and Danny, brooding

Due to no one in Westeros knowing Rhaegar had a legitimate other son, the crown fell to Viserys  Daenerys and Rhaegars brother who we met during the first season  who died, leaving Dany believing herself to be the next Queen. Now Jon Snow stands in her way.

How that will play out next season is anyones guess, but no doubt discovering theyre related will put a dampener on their honeymoon.

Access unlimited streaming of movies and TV shows with Amazon Prime Video Sign up now for a 30-day free trial Sign up

Roberts Rebellion was built on a lie

Thanks to Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark being legitimately married, we now know Roberts Rebellion was built upon a lie.

Robert started the war against the Targaryens because he believed Rhaegar had captured Lyanna, the Stark being betrothed to Robert.

However, the opposite has now been proven to be true. The pair were really in love but couldnt reveal as much to the world as Rhaegar was married to a Martell and Lyanna intended to marry a Baratheon. Learning as much will do little to affect the story going forwards, but thats one huge detail thats finally been confirmed.

Aegon Targaryen

Were talking about Jon Snow here, not his half-brother. For many, the name reveal would have come as a massive shock. To realise the name's significance, it's worth reading the below passage from A Clash of Kings, in which Daenerys has a vision featuring someone who we suspect to be Rhaegar, Elia Martell (Rhaegars former wife), and the first baby Aegon.

Viserys, was her first thought the next time she paused, but a second glance told her otherwise. The man had her brother's hair, but he was taller, and his eyes were a dark indigo rather than lilac. "Aegon," he said to a woman nursing a newborn babe in a great wooden bed. "What better name for a king?

"Will you make a song for him?" the woman asked.

"He has a song," the man replied. "He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door.

"There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." He went to the window seat, picked up a harp, and ran his fingers lightly over its silvery strings.

 Who is Azor Ahai?

Now, Rhaegar  who shares Danys brothers hair in the show  was obsessed with prophecies, believing Aegon to be the Prince that was Promised. What if his faith was in the wrong Aegon and Jon Snow is Azor Ahai? And the three headed dragon would then be Jon, Dany, and The Night King/Bran (or perhaps Tyrion)? Theories upon theories upon theories, but were getting closer than ever.

A deathly love triangle

Jon Snow and Dany finally got together and it led to some cringing from viewers who knew the truth about their relationship.

However, there was also something else remarkably weird about the scene; a lurking Tyrion. Was the Lannister worried about the effects their relationship would have on Danys desire to rule Westeros or is he actually in love with the Mother of Dragons.

In George RR Martins original outline for the A Song of Ice and Fire series, the author detailed a love triangle between Arya, Jon Snow, and Tyrion.

Exiled, Tyrion will change sides, making common cause with the surviving Starks to bring his brother down, and falling helplessly in love with Arya Stark while hes at it.

His passion is, alas, unreciprocated, but no less intense for that, and it will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow.

Could the deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon happen over Dany rather than Arya? Seeing as nearly all the other plot threads from the letter have come true, why would this not?

Tyrions love for Dany has been hinted at before, clues being placed throughout the series. Just look to last season, when the Hand tells Dany to leave Daario behind in Mereen: He wasnt the first to love you, and he wont be the last. Was he referring to himself?

Last episode, before Dany flew off to save Jon, Tyrion attempts to stop her going (probably a wise move seeing as theres now an ice dragon), calling her the most important person in the world. Sounds like something one lover would say to another.

Whether Tyrion loves Dany or not (apparently every man does), come next season, when Bran or Sam reveals Jons true name and heritage, chances are Tyrion will be able to drive Dany and her nephew apart.

Cerseis new army/Jaime switches side

Another surprise twist came when Cersei revealed to Jaime she had absolutely no intention of sending troops North to help with the battle against the undead.

Instead, the Mad Queen plans to use her huge amount of wealth gathered from the Iron Bank in order to employ an army of mercenaries, the Golden Company. Euron Greyjoy, it transpires, isnt heading back home, but instead to take out a huge load on behalf of the Queen.

Upon revealing her plan to Jaime, the Lannister brother has a somewhat existential crisis; to stay and protect only Cersei, or leave and protect the realm from a greater threat than man. Jaime, having gone through some major character development throughout the series, finally leaves Cersei behind.

There are a few major questions this raises. First, has Jaime truly swapped sides? It certainly seems so, especially when you consider how she threatened to kill him.

Second, will the Iron Bank back Cerseis claim to the Iron Throne? They no longer have any investment in the Lannisters, so they could easily refuse to lend money and instead support Dany against the White Walkers. Whos to say at this stage, but we dont think anything will be simple, especially when you consider Euron Greyjoy has a huge role to play here.

Littlefingers death

Finally, the master manipulator met his inevitable fate. And what a shame; Petyr Baelish was a truly great villain who kickstarted the entire War of the Five Kings.

How did Littlefinger do so? First, Baelish persuaded Lyssa Arryn (Catelyn Starks sister) to poison her own husband, Jon. The pair then blamed the murder on the Lannisters, portraying them as plotting the Norths downfall.

What also helped was Littlefinger sending an assassin to kill Bran, saying the dagger  which was seen numerous times throughout this season  belonged to the Lannisters when it was his.

Finally, the cunning character betrayed Ned Stark, allowing the honourable father to claim Joffrey had no right to the Throne to Cersei without proper backup.

Now that the truth has caught up with Littlefinger, the character has finally died. However, could we be seeing him again soon? After all, Arya needs a few more faces and Littlefingers connections could help her get close to Cersei.

The Wall falls

The final shot of the season was not focussed on any man or woman, but the Wall crumbling down thanks to the Night Kings Ice Dragon.

Some fans previously believed the Narrow Sea would freeze over, allowing the White Walkers to walk past the magical Wall, but instead the White Walkers just used their own magic to tear it down.

Dragon flame has been known to have magical qualities, justifying why the Wall was destroyed. However, the bigger question remains whether the Night King knew a dragon was required to do so, therefore explaining why the villain used Jon and Jorah as bait to bring Dany North of the Wall.

Whether you agree thats the case, or whether it was just coincidental, whos to say just yet. Hopefully, when season eight finished, there wont be too many questions left to answer.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

One of the internet's oldest and most popular major white supremacist sites has been shut down by its website host.

Stormfront went offline on Friday, with a web service tracking site ownership reporting the site's domain status as "under hold".

The category suggests the website is under legal dispute or lined up for deletion, the USA Today network reported.

 Nazi shouts "Hey n****" and fires gunshot at counter-protester in Charlottesville

Network Solutions, the site's host, has also prohibited the web forum from being updated, transferred or deleted.

The prohibition will prevent the site's owners from re-creating it on another domain, meaning if it is deleted, they would have to start from the beginning.

Before it disappeared, the site hosted a series of discussion boards used by white supremacists and neo-Nazis, and boasted more than 300,000 registered members in 2015.

It was established by a former Ku Klux Klan leader in 1996.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law claimed responsibility for the site's removal after it had "taken action against Stormfront."

The committee's executive director, Kristen Clarke, told USA Today: "Their website is a vehicle used to promote racially-motivated violence and hate.

"Following our efforts, Network Solutions has pulled the site," Mr Clarke added. "And while bringing down one site won't terminate their efforts, it will make it a little more difficult for white supremacists to sow hatred."

It comes two weeks after the white supremacist website Daily Stormer was also shut down and forced to retreat onto the dark web.

The site had praised the death of Heather Heyer, an anti-racist protester killed at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
Sign up for a full digest of all the best opinions of the week in our Voices Dispatches email Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Voices Dispatches email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Three of the UKs top public schools have become embroiled in an exams cheating scandal, following claims pupils were given advanced knowledge about upcoming papers.

Laurence Wolff, head of art history at independent boys boarding school Winchester College, is said to have been suspended for reportedly giving pupils prior information on exam questions on two exam papers.

Results for two exams sat by around 13 of the schools students have been disregarded, with grades given using estimations from previous coursework instead.

Headmaster Tim Hands told the Daily Telegraph: The college has treated this matter very seriously, and has worked closely with the examination board throughout. It greatly regrets what has happened.

No boy was to blame, and the board used standard procedures to award final grades. One teacher was suspended and has now retired from the school.

The revelation comes days after reports that Mo Tanweer, deputy headmaster of academics at Eton College, has left the prestigious private school following accusations he had circulated questions from an upcoming economics exam to other teachers.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA 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

The discovery came after an investigation by the Cambridge International Exams board (CIE), which is also said to be investigating Charterhouse School, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Charterhouse, which charges up to 36,000 per year for boarding pupils, also faces allegations pupils were able to share questions ahead of an upcoming exam.

In both the Eton and Winchester cases, the teachers were also reportedly working as examiners at CIE.

The CIE said in a statement to the Telegraph: We take very seriously our duties to ensure that all of our examinations are fair and that all students receive an appropriate and valid grade. We sympathise with the students who have been affected through no fault of their own.

The controversy at Winchester College was revealed after pupils from the school were found to be discussing the contents of the upcoming exam online.

There is no suggestion pupils or other members of staff at any of the schools are responsible for any wrongdoing.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: Parents and students must be able to have faith in the exam system. Any suggestion of malpractice is concerning and should be looked into.

Cambridge International Examinations board are dealing with the incidents and have made the exam regulator Ofqual aware.


Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check 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

Health Check email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Scientists have invented a pioneering new drug that prevents heart attacks and certain types of cancer by lessening inflammation in the body.

Unlike other treatments that tend to focus on lowering cholesterol, Canakinumab targets inflammation that can cause clogged arteries and the growth of certain cancers.

Doctors, who called the drug the "new frontier" in treating heart conditions, found it cuts the risk of a heart attack by 25 per cent, as well as halving the chances of dying from cancer and protecting against inflammatory conditions such as gout and arthritis.

The findings came after scientists discovered heart attacks often occur in people whose cholesterol is normal and whose main risk is chronic inflammation.

Inflammation, and its effects on the body, has been gaining more widespread attention in recent years with scientists finding increasing evidence to suggest it plays a role in many life-altering conditions such as dementia.

People on the drug also had lower cancer death rates, especially from lung cancer. An anti-tumour effect is an "exciting" possibility, researchers said, but warned further studies needed to be conducted as the experiment was not designed to test the drug's effect on tumours.

"We suddenly know we can address the inflammation itself, the same way we learned almost 25 years ago that we could address cholesterol. It's very exciting," said the study's leader, Dr Paul Ridker of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA 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

Doctors do not believe the drug prevents new cancers from developing, but believe it might slow the growth of tumours that have already occurred, based on other research.

The cancer results were unexpected, but not consistent across all types of tumours, said Dr Barnett Kramer, prevention chief at the National Cancer Institute.

He called the lower risk for lung cancer "a promising lead" for future research, but said it comes with concern about the drug's side effects.

Canakinumab raised the risk of fatal infections in about 1 in every 1,000 patients treated, researchers found, with older people and diabetics most vulnerable.

Additional reporting by agencies
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Four of the longest-serving jurors in British history have spoken out about the impact sitting on a 20-month trial has had on their lives.

The group, identified as Julie, Anne-Marie, Paul and Emma, said they struggled to go back to normality after deliberating on the trial of Edwin McLaren and his wife Lorraine for property fraud.

The trial, which began in September 2015 at the High Court in Glasgow, finally ended in May after nearly two years. Edwin McLaren was found guilty and handed an 11-year prison sentence.

Speaking to the BBC, 37-year-old Julie said the trial had a significant impact on her life and she struggled to return to her work at a travel agency when it finished.

I went back and did two days training and then I went two days into the shop. Ive never been back since, she said.

Ive not given it up yet. I am going through the doctor and trying to get back into it, she continued, adding she was still struggling several months on.

Im really struggling with communication now. There should be more psychological support made available for jurors who sit through long trials.

Anne-Marie said she found it difficult to return to her job as a civil servant.

It was a totally different way of life for 20 months, and then the day it finished you are back to what is supposed to be normal and it is difficult to adjust.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

The Jury Central Summoning Bureau selects names at random from the electoral register to do jury service, which normally lasts 10 working days but can be longer.

People aged 18 to 75 can be called to sit on a jury, as the age limit was raised from 70 last year.

During jury service, a juror may sit on more than one trial.

Jurors who find a trial distressing can speak to court staff for advice and are urged to contact the Samaritans if necessary.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Police are investigating a suspected acid attack on revellers at Notting Hill Carnival in London.

The Metropolitan Police said a mild acidic liquid was thrown over a number of people in Ladbroke Grove, west London, during the carnival just before 8pm on Sunday.

A spokesman said: Some of the crowd in the area then quickly dispersed, causing injuries to two people, who have since received treatment from the London Ambulance Service at the scene.

Three people have also reported skin irritation injuries, although these are not thought to be serious.

There have been no arrests, and police are working to identify who was responsible, the force said.

The Met said there had been 122 arrests on Sunday, a fall of about 20 per cent on last year.

The carnival, which takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend, has seen thousands to take to the streets of west London over two days to celebrate Afro-Caribbean culture with the parade of bright colours and the bang of steel drums.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

This year the festival held a minutes silence for the 80 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, when the sound systems were turned off.

Many of the festivals colourful floats pass within half a mile of the blackened tower.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A veterinary nurse described as attention seeking has been found guilty of poisoning her dog on multiple occasions.

Georgina Bretman, 28, repeatedly injected her cocker spaniel Florence with insulin which caused the animal to suffer seizures and convulsions.

The animal was so badly injured she was lucky to live.

Bretman, who worked at the out-of-hours veterinary clinic Pet A&E in Glasgow, raised suspicions when she repeatedly brought Florence in for emergency treatment.

Lesley Herd, who runs the practice, noticed the dog had low blood glucose every time, leading her to suspect it was being given insulin.

She also correctly anticipated the dog would be taken into the clinic on Bretmans day off.

Ms Herd told the court: The dog was fine between episodes so I really didnt know what was going on with the dog at all, we couldnt understand why she was having these episodes.

Because of the pattern of collapse and low blood glucose on each occasion, and the fact that the dog was normal between episodes, I was suspicious insulin had been administered to the dog."

Although Bretman initially did not want to sent off blood samples to a vet school for testing, she eventually agreed to it.

Yet after volunteering to send the samples off herself, they never arrived at the institution.

Ms Herd alerted animal protection officers about Florences treatment.

Bretman was charged with causing the animal unnecessary suffering in 2013 at Glasgow Sheriff Court under the Animal Health and Welfare Scotland Act.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA 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

Bretman denied taking a dislike to the dog and although no reason was given for her behaviour, the court heard she was an attention seeker.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of 20,000 or up to one year in prison. Bretmans sentence will be determined next month.

Florence was re-homed in 2013 and has been healthy since.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Co-op has announced it will cut the cost of more than 70 womens sanitary products, becoming the third major high-street retailer to make the pledge.

The supermarket will cover the cost of the tampon tax VAT charge itself and pass the savings onto customers, meaning a five per cent fall in prices on 71 own label and branded products.

It comes weeks after Tesco and Waitrose announced they would be cutting prices of sanitary products.

Recommended Waitrose becomes second major UK supermarket to drop price of tampons

Andy Phelps, Co-Ops director of trading, said: As a community retailer we feel its important to do right by our customers. Thats why we are covering the cost of the five per cent VAT on sanitary products for women who shop with us.

The move is likely to place further pressure on other supermarkets that are still charging customers VAT on sanitary products.

It comes ahead of changes, expected in 2018, that will remove VAT from sanitary products entirely. As a gesture to customers, some supermarkets have committed to covering the cost of the charge themselves until the new policy comes into effect.

Campaigners have long called for VAT to be removed from tampons and similar products, saying they are essential items for women and should therefore be exempt from the levy, as other non-luxury products are.

The Government has already reduced the charge from the usual 20 per cent VAT to 5 per cent but says it cannot go further because of EU competition rules.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA 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

In 2016, then Prime Minister David Cameron convinced the European Council to introduce regulations that would allow member states to remove VAT on sanitary products, but the change will not come into effect until 2018 at the earliest.

While the EU Commission has promised to put forward proposals for increased flexibility for member states with respect to reduced rates of VAT, which will provide that option to member states of VAT zero-rating sanitary products, the details of the change are still to be decided.

The move followed an online petition that attracted more than 320,000 signatures and a campaign in Parliament led by Labour MP Paula Sherriff.

Speaking in March 2016, Mr Cameron said: Britain will be able to have a zero rate for sanitary products, meaning the end of the tampon tax. The European Commission will publish a proposal in the next few days to allow countries to extend the number of zero rates for VAT.

However, almost 18 months later, the proposal has still not been published. EU officials say it will be by the end of 2017.

Until the levy is removed, ministers have committed to donating the proceeds of the tax to womens charities.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Fighting Isis was the only thing that was ever going to get me to pick up a rifle, says Macer Gifford*, a 30-year-old former finance worker.

A group that kills women and children, butchers gay people by throwing them off buildings and does the most horrible and unspeakable things ... I had to fight them.

Mr Gifford, who uses a pseudonym to protect his identity, is speaking to The Independent from the frontline of the battle for Raqqa, Isis de-facto capital and largest remaining stronghold in Syria.

He is on a brief three-day break from fierce fighting alongside the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), the group he joined almost three years ago.

Mr Gifford is on Raqqas western front, where troops are launching surprise attacks during the day or in the night.

Isis doesnt know where the next attack is going to strike and they cant put together that much of a coherent defence, he adds.

For the past 40 to 50 days Ive only spent four or five days off the front, so my world is just my position and the people in my unit.

 US backed fighters make progress in driving Isis out of Raqqa

Mr Gifford has posted footage online showing Isis mortars falling just metres away from his position.

It is a long way from his former life as a high-flying currency broker in London and one-time Conservative candidate in a regional council election.

Mr Gifford left the UK in December 2014, telling his parents he was going to Turkey but travelling onwards to join Kurdish forces fighting Isis after its brutal advance through Syria and Iraq shocked the world.

Coming out here was just something I wanted to do, that I felt had to be done, he says.

I wanted to fight Isis, I wanted to show that the people who are going to destroy Isis and heal the country already existed inside Syria, because at the time I went there was a lot of talk of raising armies by the Americans and Brits.

By me coming I wanted to show there was a local group that believed in secular values, democracy, gender equality, with very unique and interesting ideas.

He has since fought alongside the YPG in several bloody campaigns to drive Isis out of strongholds including the Syrian city of Manbij.

The YPGs military success has earned the support of the US-led coalition and other factions in the Syrian Defence Forces (SDF) coalition, who have pushed Isis back through northern Syria to the doorstep of its de-facto capital.

In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Women and children celebrating after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A man cuts the beard of a civilian who was freed from Isis by the SDF in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Women carry newborn babies while running after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman freed from Isis hugs an SDF fighter in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman adding her veil to a pile of niqabs burning in Manbij, Syria, after being freed from Isis on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Children celebrating on top of a lorry after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A man and child freed from Isis by the SDF in Manbij on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman carrying her children walks towards SDF fighters after being freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij A woman and child freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij An SDF fighter kisses a crying man who was freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters In pictures: Civilians freed from Isis in Manbij Hundreds of civilians freed from Isis in Manbij, Syria, on 12 August Reuters

Following the eight-month battle for Mosul, military experts expect the fight for Raqqa to be protracted and bloody  despite the fact Isis is vastly outnumbered and under-equipped.

Since June, the SDF has completely surrounded the city and taken towns and villages at speed with help from the US-led coalitions firepower, but the advance is slowing as troops hit the city centre, which Isis has been fortifying for years with a network of tunnels, roadblocks and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

Im under no illusions whatsoever that the next one month, two months, three months, however long it takes is going to be incredibly difficult and I am genuinely nervous, says Mr Gifford, who is fighting with the Christian-majority Syriac Military Council faction.

But at the same time, Ive been doing this for three years. Its a very long time and if I had any significant doubts, I came to terms with them a long time ago.

Isis used the most recent edition of its propaganda magazine to threaten the Crusaders and their murtadd [apostate] proxies, while apparently admitting that Raqqa would fall.

A militant said to be Isis commander in the city said his militants would fight down to their last drop of blood and described death as a good outcome.

The unnamed leader said jihadis have booby-trapped areas where the SDF is expected to advance with explosives and mines  particularly any strategic locations  and deployed sniper units and car bombs while manufacturing their own drones, mortars and bombs.

Mr Gifford has been urging members of his squadron to fight in the day rather than using surprise night attacks because theres less risk of standing on an IED.

Macer Gifford with a drone modified by Isis found in Raqqa, Syria, in July (Supplied)

He is acutely aware of the danger facing him, having seen numerous friends including fellow volunteers from the UK killed in battle, sometimes watching them die in his arms.

A least four British men have so far been killed while fighting alongside the YPG and there is mounting concern for those who remain, including members of the former Bob Crow Brigade and the first female volunteer from the UK, Kimmie Taylor.

Konstandinos Erik Scurfield, a former Royal Marine from Barnsley, became the first British national to be killed fighting for the YPG in Syria in March 2015.

Dean Carl Evans, a 22-year-old from Reading, was killed four months later in the battle for Manbij, and 20-year-old Ryan Lock, from Chichester, killed himself to avoid capture when his unit was surrounded by Isis fighters in December last year.

The fourth to die was Luke Rutter, 22, from Birkenhead, who was killed during an ambush by Isis fighters in a suburb of Raqqa in July.

In Mr Giffords most recent update from the offensive, he described hard fighting involving hundreds of Isis jihadis using suicide car bombs, mortars and anti-aircraft guns, but claimed all failed.

He expressed frustration at the fact the US-led coalition had not bombed one key piece of weaponry but suspected it could be surrounded by civilians deployed as human shields by Isis.

Around 300,000 civilians were living in Raqqa at the start of the offensive and the UN estimates that at least 20,000 remain  half of them children.

Fran Equiza, Unicefs representative for Syria, said children were trapped in the direct line of fire, with the ongoing siege depriving them of food, clean water and aid.

Children trapped in Raqqa city are at increasing risk of death and injury, she added. Parties to the conflict must protect them and facilitate safe passage for civilians.

Womens emancipation is at the forefront of the Kurdish sociopolitical agenda, and the YPJ, or womens fighting units, have a frontline role in taking on Isis (International Revolutionary Peoples Guerrilla Forces) (International Revolutionary People's Guerrilla Forces)

Humanitarian groups including Amnesty International have also raised concern over the YPGs alleged human rights abuses and use of child soldiers  both of which the group denies  as well as accusing the US-led coalition of disproportionate bombardment.

Coalition commanders have vowed to take every possible measure to limit civilian casualties, but US envoy Brett McGurk has said around 2,000 remaining Isis fighters most likely will die and it is unclear how civilians will be protected.

Isis fighters in the city are dead men walking  theres no way they can escape, Mr Gifford says.

Raqqa is taken, its now just a matter of time.

He believes that the citys symbolism will drive intense resistance from a hard core of international Isis militants, adding: Many of them will choose to die rather than surrender.

Mr Gifford says he is massively concerned for the safety of civilians but claims to have seen few families in Raqqa compared to previously retaken strongholds.

In the area I was in for a long time there were no civilians whatsoever, you just didnt see them, he adds.

Ive seen only one case of a huge amount of civilians coming past my position, which was maybe four families with a lot of children  they must have bribed one of the Isis fighters to let them go.

Mr Gifford expects to encounter more civilians during house-to-house fighting in the inner city and believes the YPG can do little while Isis itself is killing anyone found attempting to escape.

Theres not a huge amount we can do except make sure that if we identify civilians, were not the ones shooting, he says.

Smoke rises after an air strike during fighting between members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Isis in Raqqa on 20 August 2017 (Reuters)

In Manbij I saw Isis shooting civilians just as a means of punishing them for leaving  its abhorrent.

He says the SDF is screening anyone attempting to cross frontlines to identify them and find out key information including their country of origin to gauge any possible threat, adding: It makes me lose sleep that Isis guys are possibly slipping through the net, particularly foreigners who have come here to murder people.

The idea that they will find their way to Turkey is really upsetting.

Non-Syrians are detained immediately if found trying to leave Raqqa, which was once the home of so many British jihadis that one district became known as little Britain.

Mr Gifford says anyone suspected of committing crimes is put through the SDFs judicial process, which includes a police force with intelligence from across northern Syria used to identify named Isis members and stolen property.

Turkey classes the YPG as a terrorist group because of its ambition to establish a separatist Kurdish state, with Recep Tayyip Erdogan sending his forces into Syria last year to drive the group back from border areas and attacking the US for backing its fighters.

But Mr Gifford characterises the YPG and wider SDF coalition, which includes Muslims, Christians and Yazidis, as ordinary Syrians who are liberating their country.

The Home Office has warned that anyone joining the Syrian conflict  on whatever side  can be prosecuted for crimes committed abroad and police have investigated several returning YPG volunteers.

Mr Gifford has himself been interviewed by counter-terror police during visits to the UK, which included a controversial speech at University College London.

He is not too concerned about how he will be greeted by authorities after leaving Syria, claiming he has not broken any law and has been transparent with police.

Macer Gifford, a British volunteer fighting against Isis in Syria, joined the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) (Supplied)

If they were to arrest me, I would take it all the way to the Supreme Court and well fight it out there, he says.

I think the British police have got bigger things to worry about than someone who has been doing this for three years.

A report by right-wing think tank the Henry Jackson Society claimed returning YPG volunteers could present a security risk to the UK, prompting anger from the family of killed British fighters.

Mr Gifford says the group, which has a socialist foundation, simply wants a federal, democratic Syria and hopes they will become the democratic opposition to Bashar al-Assad, while retaining territory east of the Euphrates River.

Assad is not going to fight both the Free Syrian Army and the SDF, I just dont believe it, he adds.

SDF has also been able to sail the turbulent waters between Russia and America incredibly well, keeping them both on-sideI hope to see the SDF and regime negotiating in Geneva.

Mr Gifford does not plan to be in Syria for much longer, vowing to lay down weapons as soon as Raqqa is retaken.

Theres no other group in this world I would pick up arms against in the way that Ive done so now theyre pretty much done, Im done too, he says.

I was 27 when I came, Im 30 now. I have changed as a person definitely. Ive learnt a lot more about the human character and the strength within people, and also the brutality.

Ive certainly changed in some respects but the only reason Im taking a step back is only because Isis is losing.

Macer Gifford, a British volunteer fighting against Isis in Syria, joined the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) (Supplied)

Mr Gifford acknowledges that Isis still controls smaller strongholds in Iraq and Syria, as well as operating affiliates elsewhere in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, but believes Raqqa will be the death knell for the physical Islamic State.

The next fight for the communities of Iraq and Syria is the ideological fight of thousands if not millions of children who have been indoctrinated, he adds.

Many lives have been ruined and apart from the physical rebuilding of communities, theres got to be a rebuilding of peoples character and a sense of justice in society.

Mr Gifford plans to move into the political arena to work on behalf of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in Europe, while raising money for the reconstruction of Syria.

I had a financial job before I went to Syria and over the past few years Ive been hammering through my savings like you wouldnt believe, he adds.

So Ill be coming back to the UK to get a job, to get on with my life, but also to evolve what Ive been doing.

He says his family and friends will be very relieved, adding: They were initially confused when I first came out because I gave up a lot to be here.

Particularly my family struggled to understand me working so hard in an industry and then giving it all up to come to Syria  it seemed a bit crazy.

But at the same time they also understand that this really is a passion for me and respect my wishes, so Im sure theyre very relieved that I survived for so long, especially after knowing so many people who didnt survive.

Mr Gifford plans to leave Raqqa after the offensive ends, give out his remaining money at refugee camps and come back to the UK in a matter of weeks.

After Raqqa is finished it will be the last time I wear a uniform, he says. Ill never, ever pick up a rifle again.

But in the meantime, the battle is far from over.

*Macer Gifford is a pseudonym
Midwife joins Samaritan

Certified Nurse Midwife Emily Zeno Yeast has joined Samaritan Obstetrics & Gynecology  Corvallis.

Yeast earned a bachelors degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a masters degree in nurse midwifery from Yale University. She was motivated to become a nurse midwife through her work with pregnant and parenting women in a residential substance abuse and mental health treatment program.

Samaritan Obstetrics & Gynecology  Corvallis offers doctors and nurse-midwives who provide gynecological and obstetric care. Call 541-768-5300 or visit samhealth.org.

Regent Court has new owners

Regent Court Senior Living in Corvallis is under new ownership and management.

Compass Senior Living, based in Eugene, now operates Regent Court, a 48-unit memory care community. The sale took place last November.

Compass Senior Living representatives met with residents and employees of Regent Court to welcome them to the Compass Senior Living family, and discuss the operations transition. Although office forms and operational processes may change, employees, families and residents were told that Compass desires to make the transitions as smooth as possible.

All employees were invited to continue to work at Regent Court, including administrator Becca Hosner.

Regent Court was purchased by affiliates of Summit Healthcare REIT, Inc., and affiliates of Compass Senior Living will operate the community under a long-term lease. Previously, Regent Court was operated by Blue Harbor Senior Living of Portland.

Longtime senior housing operators Dennis Garboden and Will Forsyth of Eugene founded Compass Senior Living in 2013. Compass operates 13 independent, assisted living and memory care communities in five states.

Dispatcher gets state training

Dispatcher Lindsay Burbey of the Albany Police Department graduated March 24 as part of the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Trainings 103rd Basic Telecommunications Class.

The two-week course includes emergency call-handling techniques, stress management, civil liability, ethics, criminal law, overview of fire-rescue and law enforcement operations and other topics. Upon completion of the course, students return to their employing agency to continue their training for a number of months with a field training officer.

Broker joins real estate team

Heritage NW Real Estate, Inc., recently announced the addition of broker Sharon Burnett to its Sweet Home office.

Burnett has joined the Jacki Nicklous Team. She can be reached at 541-915-5211 or 541-367-6889, or by stopping by the office at 1913 Main St.

Heritage NW Real Estate, Inc., is a locally owned and operated brokerage celebrating 25 years of operation.

LBCC moves departments

The Linn-Benton Community College Small Business Development Center and the Community Education department have moved to a new location on the Albany campus.

The departments are now in Room WH-120 on the first floor of Willamette Hall, directly across from the Campus Store (formerly the bookstore).

The move brings LBCC Extended Learning programs into one location. This includes Customized Training and Professional Development, which already were located in Willamette Hall.

Further information is available from LBCC Extended Learning at 541-917-4840.

Magazine features Adair restaurant

Farm Food Restaurant in Adair Village is featured in the August edition of Oregon Wine Press Magazine.

The monthly publication is dedicated to Oregon wine, vineyards and food.

Furniture store adds specialists

Blackledge Furniture in downtown Corvallis has announced the addition of Kay Ponstein and Beth Morgan to its team as certified home furnishings specialists.

Ponstein most recently worked in management at Alta Beauty in Corvallis. Morgan previously worked at Kellys Fine Furniture in Salem.

Both provide interior advice on space planning, room arrangement, color coordination and furniture selection.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right, said F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wasnt a doctor.

But that was the early 20th Century, and today many British people cant afford to follow his advice to the letter, so have spurned pricier Champagne and turned to drinking too much prosecco instead.

Britains roaring love affair with the Italian sparkling wine began about five years ago, and has accelerated at an astonishing rate. From 2013- 2014, prosecco consumption in the UK doubled. In 2016 the market grew by another third and we quaffed-up 40 million litres of it.

But are we all about to pay a terrible price?

Drinking excessive quantities of prosecco may be bad for your health, a doctor has now claimed.

In particular, the combination of carbonic acid, sugar and alcohol present in the drink could do damage to your teeth if drunk in sufficient amounts.

Dr Mervyn Druian, of the London Centre for Cosmetic Dentistry, singled out women as being most at risk from the horror of what the calls prosecco smile.

He said: Women especially enjoy prosecco, but unlike wine, which you often have with a meal, it is very easy to just keep sipping prosecco and have a few glasses without noticing.

It is acidic and it has sugar in it so, while a few glasses are fine, if you drink too much of it you are going to have a problem.

He added: The signs of prosecco smile are where the teeth come out of the gum. It starts with a white line just below the gum, which if you probe it is a little bit soft, and that is the beginning of tooth decay which can lead to fillings and dental work.

Professor Damien Walmsley, scientific adviser for the British Dental Association, said: Prosecco offers a triple whammy of carbonation, sweetness and alcohol, which can put your teeth at risk, leading to sensitivity and enamel erosion.

Recommended How prosecco came out on top

He added: Carbonated beverages get their fizz from the release of carbon dioxide, which dissolves into carbonic acid.

This provides a refreshing taste but also makes these drinks more acidic. Added to that, prosecco comes with about one teaspoon of sugar per flute.

The horrible news comes two days after thousands of shoppers queued outside Lidl early on Saturday to get their hands on a super-cheap prosecco deal which sold out in minutes, causing untold rage.

The budget supermarket sparked chaos after selling a box of six bottles of its own-brand Allini Prosecco for 20, which works out at just 3.33 a bottle.

The car park was packed at 7am, rammed way before opening time, one person told Devon Online.

The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol Show all 10 1 /10 The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 10. Poland Results from an OECD report The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 9. Germany The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 8. Luxembourg Rex Features The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 7. France The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 6. Hungary Rex Features The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 5. Russia AFP/Getty Images The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 4. Czech Republic The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 3. Estonia Rex Features The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 2. Austria Getty Images The 10 countries that drink the most alcohol 1. Lithuania AFP/Getty Images

There was a long queue in the shop and 50 cases were gone in five minutes.

Perhaps those who missed out on the deal can take solace in having sparkling teeth, if not sparkling wine.
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Morning Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A chemical cloud that forced coastline evacuations from across East Sussex on Sunday is very unlikely to have floated over from northern France, authorities said.

Some 150 people required treatment for stinging eyes, sore throats and vomiting, but the effects of the unknown substance were mostly minor, Sussex police said.

Despite the incident, thousands are expected to flock to beaches along the coastline on bank holiday Monday as temperatures reach up to 25C (75F).

In the past, chemicals have drifted across from European industrial units, but weather models indicate this was not the case on Sunday, according to the Met Office.

Forecaster Jay Merrell suggested a vessel in the English Channel may have been responsible for the noxious haze, but stressed nothing conclusive had been proven and that inquiries continue.

Bob Jefferey, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Eastbourne division, said it would be business as usual.

He said: Whatever it was, it smelled like burnt plastic. It hung about and didnt move yesterday because there was no wind. The cloud seems to have dispersed today though.

The hospital has downgraded the threat to pretty much non-existent now.

Mr Jefferey added that five people had to be rescued from rapidly rising tides yesterday, and urged beach-goers to watch sea levels.

People along the shoreline from Eastbourne to Birling Gap, near Beachy Head, were advised to close windows and doors on Sunday, but have been told it is now safe to open them.

Kyle Crickmore, who had been enjoying the bank holiday weekend sunshine at the beach at Birling Gap with his family, tweeted: Some sort of chemical incident at Birling Gap, eyes are streaming and theres a strong smell of chlorine in the air.

Dan Sankey added: Beautiful afternoon at Birling Gap cut short by some weird mist, burning everyones eyes which led to the beach and cliff being evacuated.

Sussex police said: Neither the gas nor its source have been established, but agencies are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out either on-shore or off-shore locations, although it does appear that it did sweep in from the sea driven by on-shore breezes.

However, weather models suggest that an onshore source in northern France is very unlikely.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 12 November 2022 The City of London Pride Group take part in the parade during the Lord Mayor's Show PA 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

Public Health England said anyone still suffering effects from the fumes should wash irritated areas with soap and water.

The fire service has now stopped dealing with the incident and inquiries continue into the cause of the cloud.

PA
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A man accused of child sex trafficking has said he is a good man in a misunderstood situation in a letter to a judge pleading for his freedom.

Malik McCaster, 21, has also been charged with child exploitation and possessing or producing child pornography.

His 15-year-old alleged victim was a runaway from home and met Mr McCaster at a firework display, police said.

After offering her a lift home, he is said to have thrown away her mobile phone and kidnapped her.

It is alleged Mr McCaster held the victim at a Michigan hotel and coerced her into sex and sold her body to other men through an online classifieds service.

He was arrested after the alleged victim escaped and alerted a motel guest, who called the police.

Mr McCaster has been held without bond since being charged on 31 July, according to local reports.

In a letter to the judge, Mr McCaster pleaded with him to allow him to be released from jail.

"I am no saint neither am I perfect," he wrote. I ask that you judge me as a innocent man until proven guilty.

Mr McCaster said he had no criminal record and was studying digital media and computer software. He also wrote about his family responsibilities and roofing job.

"I ask that you can find it in your heart to give me a bond so that I can get back to my job, school and my family.

I have a lot of responsibility on the outside life that I cannot keep under control while I am here."

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

He added: I just ask that you try to understand a good man in a misunderstood situation.

Police said evidence was found on Mr McCasters phone that the victim had been advertised on Craigslist.

There were also intimate recordings of her performing sex acts on him, police said.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Tens of thousands took to the streets of San Francisco to dance and sing peace songs after a so-called Freedom Rally was cancelled amid fears of violence.

Hip-hop star MC Hammer entertained the crowds as anti-riot police watched from the sidelines  geared up for clashes between demonstrators and counter-protestors.

Organisers of the Freedom Rally had billed the event as a gathering to spread a message of love and had banned extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan.

But critics including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi described it as a white supremacist demonstration, while city leaders tried to block permits for the demonstration.

Main organiser Joey Gibson called off the rally just 24 hours before it was due to start in Crissy Field Beach.

He said: It doesnt seem safe, a lot of peoples lives are going to be in danger tomorrow,

Police arrested him a day later for charging at officers amid trouble in a separate rally in Berkeley park, reports say, while demonstrating with his right-wing Patriot Prayer group.

Freedom Rally had been planned to occur a week after thousands of counter-protestors squared off against demonstrators who marched in a so-called Free Speech rally in Boston.

Police in San Francisco had prepared for trouble ahead of the planned protest there and had banned weapons  including guns, pepper spray and items such as selfie sticks. Police Chief Bill Scott warned: Violence isnt going to be tolerated.

A Facebook page for Freedom Rally had warned right-wing radicals to steer clear of the planned demonstration.

No extremists will be allowed in, it read. No Nazis, Communist, KKK, Antifa, white supremacists ... This is an opportunity for moderate Americans to come in with opposing views. We will not allow the extremists to tear apart this country.

Mr Gibson gave a press conference on Facebook from a darkened room after he called off the event, complaining he and his co-organisers hadnt been given a chance to stage their protest.

Everywhere we go, the police, the city, they wanna shut it down, he said.

Hundreds instead turned out in Crissy Field Beach, where the event was planned to take place, and dressed in red and pink and sang songs including John Lennons Give Peace a Chance.

Tens of thousands of other counter-protestors also took to the streets of San Francisco on Saturday and marched amid banners that read: Fascist Scum Your Time is Done.

MC Hammer also performed outside City Hall to entertain the counter-protestors. He later tweeted: Love is Infectious!. Shouts from a handful of protestors were drowned out by the crowds.

Meanwhile, tensions flared when protestors yesterday turned out in Berkeley park in California in a counter-protest against a planned far-right rally branded 'No Marxism in America', which was called off.

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

Images show counter-protestors charging at Mr Gibson and attacked him with pepper spray, images suggest.

Police wearing riot gear set off smoke bombs to thwart the black-clad counter-protesters efforts before the trouble eventually fizzled out.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Officials in Texas are planning a controlled release of reservoir waters, a decision that is expected to flood at least two neighbourhoods and submerge roadways.

The Army Corps of Engineers began controlled release of reservoir water over the weekend, as communities in Houston and along the Texan Gulf Coast struggled to respond to the fallout of tropical storm Harvey  which made landfall as a powerful hurricane. Houston has seen heavy flooding, and has left thousands stranded.

Rescue workers and emergency teams have been rushing to help people stranded by the devastating and historic flooding following Harveys landfall, which has seen a swell of rising rivers and floodwaters that have submerged homes and cars.

Recommended Seven ways to help victims of Hurricane Harvey

President Donald Trump has issued a state of emergency in both Texas and Louisiana, which may see flooding related to the storm that has drenched Houston and its surrounding areas. Vice President Mike Pence, in a radio interview, said that he expects Congress to approve a funding package to assist in recovery efforts to respond to Harvey, and noted that more than 8,000 federal officials were in the area, and that they had shipped more than 1.2 million meals and one million liters of water to the area.

At least five people have been reported dead because of Harvey, though officials in the hardest hit areas expected the number of fatalities to rise once floodwaters receive.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, during a press conference Monday, said that his emergency response services have received about 6,000 calls for emergencies and rescues. At least 2,000 people have already been rescued from flooding in Houston, he said. Other Houston officials indicated that there were about 185 critical rescue requests.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

But, even days after the official landfall of the hurricane, the city and entire region is still getting drenched by rainfall related to the storm. That continued rainfall has forced the US Army Corps of Engineers to move up the planned release of water from the reservoirs, saying that they were hoping to do so in order to prevent more homes from being damaged by the flooding.

Shelters have been opened up all around Texas in order to help the expected 30,000 people who may be forced into shelter as a result of the flooding. There were about 5,500 people in shelters as of Monday afternoon, according to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

The goal is rescue, Mr Turner said during a briefing. Thats the focus of the day.

Several police departments have responded to help in that effort, and officials have asked private citizens with high-water vehicles and boats to assist in rescue efforts. Reports have indicated that private citizens have responded to those calls, taking their boats onto flooded residential streets in search of people stranded by the waters.

Still, while floodwaters appeared to let up in parts of Houston, and some streets were dry Monday morning, the floodwaters have left behind abandoned cars on roadways and intersections.

The National Weather Service has predicted that some parts of Texas may see as much as 50 inches of rain, which would be the highest recorded total in the states history.

We have not seen an event like this, William Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in a press briefing. You could not draw this forecast up. You could not dream this forecast up.

The state had mobilised more than 3,000 national and state guard troops to help with relief efforts, according to Governor Greg Abbott. Mr Abbott later announced that he would moblise the entire Texas National Guard - roughly 12,000 troops to help the response.

Officials are expecting recovery in Houston  the important centre for Americas energy industry  had suffered billions of dollars in damages. It would take years for the city to fully recovery, they said, and indicated that gas prices were likely to spike in the next few days.

Texas National Guard troops are serving distressed communities all over southern Texas, and search-and-rescue teams have been deployed in Lockport. Engineers have responded in Corpus Christie. Another search-and-rescue unit was also being staged in San Antonio, and was expected to be deployed shortly, officials said.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Volunteers with boats are pouring into Houston from across the region to join the official rescue effort, bringing an Armada of vessels and  very often  powerful memories of when the people of this city once helped them.

People from across Texas, and from neighbouring states such as Louisiana, have been coming with bass boat and flat-bottomed fan boats that can pass shallow water, helping pluck people stuck in their homes for up to 48 hours since Harvey first struck.

Steve, from Louisiana, was among several volunteer crews who were working the flooded streets of the Meyerland neighbourhood, passing vehicles that were covered in water and street signs barely still showing.

Recommended Houston may be about to flood the city even more to protect a dam

You cant just sit at home and do nothing. You have to try and help, he said.

Another team member, Mike, a Texan, said the day before they had rescued dozens of stranded people; on Monday, following an easing of rain, water levels appeared to have dropped several feet from the previous day.

That was good, for now. But officials from the US Army Corps of Engineers opened damns on the Addicks and Barker reservoirs, because water was rising so high.

They said they were opening the water to flow into Buffalo Bayou, which runs through the city, in an effort to control the flow of the water, rather than have it seep out. But locals fear it will add to their worries.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

Adam Brackman, who owns a bar and who has been coordinating volunteers efforts in liaison with the authorities, said people were desperate to help. He pointed out that in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans in 2005 and killed up to 1,250 people, many of those who were evacuated came to Houston, where the city welcomed them with open arms.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edward pointed to this when he announced he was sending rescue boats  the so-called Cajun Navy  to help the people of Houston.

Nearly 12 years ago, Texans opened its doors to the people of Louisiana when Hurricane Katrina devastated our state, he said. Since then, we've turned to them for assistance time and again.

Indeed, many people from New Orleans have made new lives here. One young girl told local media that she had been evacuated from New Orleans, now had to be rescued from Harvey, and was was wondering what shed done to upset the weather Gods.

 People stranded on rafts as floods swamp Texas after Hurricane Harvey

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said his officers had received 6,000 emergency calls and rescued 2,000 people in the past day but more Houstonians still need help amid widespread flooding. Mr Acevedo said were there are about 185 requests outstanding for critical rescues.

Among those to be rescued as The Independent accompanied Mike, Steve and Eric in Meryerland was a family of four  a father, mother and two young children who were lifted into the boat, wrapped in black bin-liners.

The oldest girl, who was eight, said her father had been out helping rescue people with his kayak and at one point there were 17 in their home. She was cold, but otherwise fine. My dad is very brave, she said.

Their mother said they had been in their home since Friday night. We had no power, she said. We saw the rescue boats and we shouted out.

Another person to be saved was Phillip Whittaker, a middle-aged man who had sent his family out before the storm struck but did not believe the water would trouble his home.

I had to swim down the street to my neighbours house  that is what I have those floats, he said. Ive been there since Friday night and the water just kept getting higher and higher.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Days of flooding have left an alligator rescue and adventure park in Southeast Texas at risk of seeing gators silly swim over fences if the heavy rains dont let up.

The park has more than 350 alligators in its facilities outside of Beaumont, and the owners of the establishment say theyve never seen flooding as bad as what theyve seen following the landfall of tropical storm Harvey. That storm first hit Texas as a hurricane.

Were less than a foot a foot from [water] going over the fences, Gary Saurage, an owner, told Fox News. All of these re certified, high fences, but when it wont quit, it wont quit. Weve worked around the clock and I dont know what else to do. Were truly tired. Everybodys at the end of it, man. We dont know what to do.

Recommended Houston may be about to flood the city even more to protect a dam

Ive never seen [the water] stay anywhere near this before, he continued. The staying power of this storm is just unbelievable.

Mr Saurage said that the parks largest alligators are in trailers, and that the parks crocodiles, venomous snakes, and other creatures have been captured and stowed away at high enough ground that they wont be able to escape.

Everything that is not from here, weve put up and we have in a safe place, but we live with alligators, Mr Saurage said.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

Southeastern Texas has seen catastrophic flooding that is expected to leave as many as 30,000 people without access to their homes, and forced to stay in shelters provided by state and local authorities. Those floods have come as a result of tropical storm Harvey, which first made landfall over the weekend, and has been followed up by intense raining that did not let up through the weekend.

Rescue crews are working to find and to save stranded victims of the storm, and the entire Texas National Guard has been deployed by Governor Greg Abbott to help with that effort. Private citizens, too, have been asked to help in that effort if they have high water vehicles or boats.

At least five people have died as a result of the storm, however the death toll is expected to rise.
Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate 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

Independent Climate email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The main shelter set up in Houston for people evacuated after Storm Harvey, is already getting full, with officials warning that up to 30,000 people may need emergency accommodation. Close to 6,000 are already in one shelter or another in the besieged city.

The facility established by the Red Cross inside the George Brown Convention Centre is designed to hold 5,000 people. Yet there are already more than 2,600 people taking shelter there from the torrential rain, having either been rescued from their homes or walked to safety themselves.

We are not out of the woods yet, Elaine Duke, the acting Homeland Security secretary said, with President Donald Trump later promising  ahead of a visit to Texas on Tuesday  that the region would get the money and services required to deal with damage and the flooding caused by the "historic" rain that continues to fall.

More than 5,000 people are already in shelters (AP)

The storm is said to have caused a number of deaths, with the death toll expected to rise. A spokeswoman for Harris County coroner's office  where Houston is located  said there were at least six deaths there, while a woman in neighbouring Montgomery County was apparently killed after a tree fell onto her trailer home.

On Monday lunchtime, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said his officers had received 6,000 emergency calls and rescued 2,000 people in the past day.

Yet, he said there were still more people who still needed to be rescued, and he said there were about 185 requests still outstanding for critical rescues. The Independent accompanied one volunteer team that rescued a family of three, among them two young children. The little girl told how her father had help lots of people in their neighbourhood using a kayak. "My dad's very brave," he said.

While rain eased overnight and flood levels dropped dramatically, emergency teams  joined by hundreds of volunteers and an Armada of boats, were back on those streets that were still flooded and where they believed people still needed to be rescued.

 Andrew Buncombe speaks to rescuers amid Hurricane Harvey on Facebook Live

Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned Houstonians to brace for a long period of disruption.

We need to recognise this is going to be a new and different normal for this entire region, Mr Abbott said after touring the damaged coastal city of Corpus Christi.

Harvey was expected to remain over Texas' Gulf Coast for the next few days, dropping another 15 to 25 inches (38-64 cm) of rain, with threats of flooding extending into neighbouring Louisiana.

Harvey's centre was 137 kilometres (85 miles) south-southwest of Houston on Monday afternoon and forecast to arc slowly toward the city through Wednesday, with the worst floods expected later that day and on Thursday.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

In some of the citys neighbourhoods, floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-story homes and people could be heard pleading for help from inside. While much of Houston has electricity and while several areas have escaped any damage, Americas fourth largest was barely moving. With nearly two feet of rain still expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

The Army Corps of Engineers said it had been forced to open reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey. The move was aimed at protecting the city centre business district, but risked flooding thousands more homes.

In a sign of the ongoing concern, Mr Abbott, who was among those who had suggested Houston residents be told to evacuate before the storm hit, said he was activating all of the the national guard  nearly 12,000 in total.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told the media: The goal is rescue. Thats the major focus for today.

At the White House, Mr Trump told people suffering through Harvey and the resulting flooding that you're going to have what you need and it's going to go fast.

Mr Trump added that he has spoken with members of Congress and everybody feels for people in the storm's path. The President also told flooding victims via a press conference on Monday that we are 100% with you.

He added: We will get through this. We will come out stronger and believe me we will be bigger, better, stronger than ever before.

With the Red Cross scrambling to set up more emergency shelters and appealing to restaurants who were able to spare any food to make it available, it is not just Houston and the surrounding areas that have been impacted.

Wendy Rom, 24, was among those taking refuge at the centre with her husband and her 18-month old daughter.

The water was high, entering our house, so we moved to the second floor but they started evacuating the neighbourhood so I came with my whole family, she told Reuters.

With Harvey shifting course all of the them, creating bands of weather that frustratingly turn from rain to sun in a matter of minutes, the heavy rain has also moved eastwards and moved into neighbouring Louisiana.

The worst is yet to come, said Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, with Mr Trump having approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana  as he did for Texas on Friday  to help with releasing funds.

We're dealing with Congress. As you know it's going to be a very expensive situation, Mr Trump said.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A picture showing a Houston police office passed out from exhaustion after working around the clock to help victims of Hurricane Harvey has emerged as devastating floods swamped the city.

The image, which was initially shared on Reddit, shows an officer lying against a cabinet, with his head down.

This policeman worked countless hours helping victims of Hurricane Harvey until he passed out from exhaustion, the poster wrote.

Recommended Hundreds rescued from epic floods as Houston braces for worse to come

Social media users have identified the officer as Deputy Sheriff Bob Goerlitz, who has been on the force since June 1990, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The Harris County Sheriffs Office has not yet responded to a request for comment.

People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas (Reuters)

Many have shared and commented on the image, offering words of support for the Deputy Sheriff and fellow first responders who have worked tirelessly to bring thousands of victims affected by the disaster in the Texan city to safety.

In a time where cops are despised, treated like sh*t, accused of being bad apples grown from a rotten tree, being reminded that there are still heroes out there brings a genuine smile to my face, one user wrote. I hope he and all officers involved receive the recognition they deserve.

Another, identifying themselves as a Houston resident, wrote: Please know that everyone knows how hard you guys are working to mitigate this mess, and were extremely thankful for it.

At least five people have died in the disaster and thousands of residents have been forced to climb onto their rooftops, waiting to be rescued.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

Emergency services have been inundated with calls since Hurricane Harvey, which has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, left swathes of Americas fourth largest city under several metres of water.

While the storm has died down since making landfall on the south-east coast of Texas, officials say the danger Houston residents now face is from the rising water levels, with most of the citys drains and bayous already at record levels.

Officials have started releasing water from reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey, even though the move aimed at protecting downtown Houston could make flooding worse around thousands of already-damaged homes.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A massive sinkhole has opened up on a Texas motorway after the road collapsed due to extreme flooding from Hurricane Harvey.

Police in Rosenberg, a city about 25 miles southwest of Houston, warned residents to steer clear of the road.

AVOID THE AREA! they tweeted, posting a photo of the gaping hole that spread across more than half of the two-lane highway, which has been blocked off by police vehicles.

Recommended Houston residents told to climb on their roofs and wait to be rescued

Water could be seen filling the sinkhole as pieces of asphalt hung from its edges.

Its dangerous, Rosenberg Assistant Police Chief Tracie Dunn told the Houston Chronicle. [Residents] dont need to get anywhere near it... They just need to stay away.

Police also warned of a second road being at risk of collapsing.

They ordered a mandatory evacuation for residents living on Huntington Road after concerns that the bridge into the area may not hold as river levels continue to rise. The bridge is the only way out of the area, they warned.

The areas county judge Robert Herbert said at a news conference that National Weather Service officials were predicting water levels could rise as high as 59 feet, three feet above 2016 records and, which Mr Herbert called an 800-year flood level.

The judge also warned that the amount of water would top local levees, carrying a threat of levee failure.

At least five people have died in the disaster, while thousands of others have been forced to climb to their rooftops to escape widespread flooding, with many still awaiting rescue from emergency services.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said on Sunday that 18 counties have been declared federal disaster areas in the wake of the storm and its aftermath, while 50 counties have been marked as state disaster zones.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

Officials from Harris and Fort Bend counties, which include Houston and Rosenberg respectively, warned residents on Sunday to be prepared for an influx of flooding expected in the early hours of Monday morning. They recommended that people pack their cars on Sunday evening and wait for daylight on Monday to leave the area.

The idea is to prepare... pack up what you need and put it in your vehicle and when the sun comes up, get out, said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District. And you dont have to go far, you just need to get out of this area.

Additional reporting by AP
WASHINGTON  And so, on one day, we had an unhinged and divisive rant by Donald Trump in Phoenix. Then, the next day in Reno, a call for national unity and reconciliation. Multiple political personality disorder. Rhetorical schizophrenia.

The gap between Trump extemporaneous and Trump scripted is canyon-like. The normal role of a speechwriter is to find, refine and elevate the voice of a leader. The greatest professional victory comes when a president thinks: This is the way I would sound if I had more time to write and more talent with language. In these circumstances, speechwriting is not deception; it is amplification.

But what about speechwriting that is designed to give a leader a different voice? Here moral issues begin to lurk. Is it ethical to make a cynical leader appear principled? A violent leader seem pacific? A cruel leader seem compassionate? This calculation is difficult, because most of us have an incongruous mix of such traits. Or maybe a speechwriter can hope a president will eventually rise to the level of his teleprompter.

My purpose is not to indict the president's speechwriters. It is to point out that, in Trump's case, there is no doubt which is his authentic voice, because he leaves no room for doubt. In rambling stemwinders such as the one in Phoenix, he plays rhetorical games with the artificial (for him) constraints of being presidential. "Nobody wants me to talk about your other senator  who's weak on borders, weak on crime," he said of (conservative Republican) Jeff Flake. "Now everybody's happy." Here the "nobody" clearly included his own concerned advisers. Trump often uses speeches (and Twitter) to cut the strings of their counsel.

Trump deserves a patent on the idea that political authenticity means spontaneity. So it was the real voice that we heard in Phoenix, attacking a man with brain cancer  Sen. John McCain  without any wish for his recovery. The real voice defending a supporter who had been fired by CNN for writing "Sieg Heil" on Twitter. The real voice making fun of a TV anchor's height. The real voice again widening racial divisions by defending Confederate monuments as "our history and our heritage." (Instead of the royal "we," the white "we.") It was the real voice expressing greater passion in criticizing journalists than white supremacists.

Trump dares us to take him at face value. His self-revelation comes unbidden, even involuntarily. And his transparency reveals a disordered personality.

Why does this matter? For one thing, his Phoenix remarks indicate a loose connection to reality. His response to the violence in Charlottesville was, in his view, "perfect." The North Koreans, he claimed, are learning to "respect" America (for which there is no evidence). "I don't believe that any president has accomplished as much as this president in the first six or seven months," Trump claimed of himself. "I really do not believe it."

What if Trump really does believe what he claims? Then he would be, not deceptive, but deluded. A deluded man in charge of North Korean policy. A deluded man who could employ nuclear weapons at a moment's notice (actually two to three minutes to order a launch). This appears to be the reason that national security professionals such as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin have been particularly disturbed of late. Trump is not merely acting unpresidential; he is erratic and grandiose.

This also matters in a domestic context. On the evidence of the Phoenix speech, Trump believes that a government shutdown is preferable to giving up on funding for the southern border wall. This involves a different type of delusion. Poll after poll demonstrates that about 35 percent of Americans support Trump's wall. You can't hold national parks and veterans' payments hostage over an issue like this and expect to win. Adds one Republican budget expert I spoke with: "It also takes careful management of the levers available to the administration in a shutdown to keep it from becoming a nightmare immediately, and OMB [Office of Management and Budget] is not doing the work to prepare. Incompetence is the death of these guys over and over."

Both Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan know a shutdown would not turn out well. But Trump's version of reality appears to make another Republican legislative and political disaster inevitable. The unified control of House, Senate and presidency means little when the president lives in a reality of his own.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey is already apparent, even though forecasters say the storm may be only half done dumping rainfall totals measured in feet over the Texas and Louisiana coasts. In possibly the most starkly worded National Weather Service announcement imaginable, the agency said on Sunday that "this event is unprecedented" and "beyond anything experienced."

For many Americans, Harvey is bringing back memories of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Nearly 2,000 people died in the aftermath of that storm. The US government and Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to Katrina was widely criticised, but Americans came together to offer housing, clothing, meals and monetary help to the affected. President George W. Bush even accepted a huge offer of aid from Mexico.

The aid Mexico sent was no small thing - it was an extraordinary gesture, and it may have saved many lives. Marking the first time that Mexican troops had set foot on US soil since the Mexican-American War in 1846, President Vicente Fox sent an army convoy and a naval vessel laden with food, water and medicine. By the end of their three-week operation in Louisiana and Mississippi, the Mexicans had served 170,000 meals, helped distribute more than 184,000 tonnes of supplies and conducted more than 500 medical consultations.

Recommended Houston residents told to climb on their roofs and wait to be rescued

"Mexico and the United States are nations which are neighbours and friends which should always have solidarity in moments of difficulty," Fox told NBC News at the time.

Fast forward to now, as deadly Hurricane Harvey pummels the greater Houston area. The United States now has a president who kicked off his election campaign with a speech that denigrated Mexicans. A president who has been vociferously assailed by Fox. And, as his tweets on Sunday revealed, a president who will take time to bully and belittle Mexicans while a catastrophe unfolds in his own country.

Here are Trump's tweets from Sunday morning, as Texas woke up to calamity.

The way things are looking with Harvey, Texans are going to be reeling for a long time. FEMA's director said Harvey could be the worst storm in Texas's history. With the long border and historic ties between Texas and Mexico, one might expect a similar offer of aid from Mexico this time around. But would Trump ever accept Mexican aid? Would Mexico even want to offer it?

The Mexican government has not directly addressed the situation in Texas - with the storm underway, US allies around the world may be waiting for the full extent of the disaster to be known before offering help. The Mexican Embassy in Washington was unable to comment for this report.

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

With Trump portraying Mexicans as criminals and their government as cheating Americans through the North American Free Trade Agreement, or Nafta, a trade deal many in both countries support, it is hard to imagine that we'd see a replay of Mexico's post-Katrina compassion. But if Harvey ultimately displaces tens or hundreds of thousands of people, FEMA may need help.

If Mexico does offer aid, it will have an opportunity to "be the bigger man." And such an offer would put Trump in a bind. Should he accept the generosity, which, to some of his supporters, might ring of hypocrisy and weakness? Or should he deny it, while Texans cope with a nightmare?

The Washington Post
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Senior citizens at a flooded nursing home in Texas were airlifted to safety after their plea for rescue in the wake of Hurricane Harvey went viral on social media.

A photo showing residents of the La Vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson, a city around 33 miles southeast of Houston, trapped waist-deep in water was posted to Twitter with a plea for emergency assistance.

La Vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson Texas is almost underwater with nursing home patients, Timothy J Mcintosh posted on Sunday morning, alongside the shocking image.

This is a real and life-threatening situation, Mr Mcintosh, who is reported to be the son-in-law of the owner of the nursing home, later added.

The image immediately went viral and within a matter of hours Mr McIntosh shared that the 15 residents had been airlifted to safety by Galveston County emergency services and The National Guard.

RESCUED!! he wrote on Twitter. Thank you to the National Guard & the Galveston City Emergency crew for our rescue.

Thanks to all the true believers that re-tweeted and got the news organizations involved. It pushed La Vita Bella to #1 on the priority list, Mr McIntosh added.

The National Guard tweeted in response to the story: When the community we serve is in need, we are always ready to respond.

The image of La Vita Bella nursing home residents waiting to be saved was so shocking to some social media users that many believed it was fake when it was initially posted.

That photo had me laughing. Thought it was completely fake. Some were casually knitting, one Twitter user wrote.

What we need is help not doubters. This involves our own family, Mr McIntosh had posted earlier, in response to social media backlash to his requests for help.

At least five people have died in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm, with thousands of others still waiting to be rescued.

Houston officials have warned that if water is approaching the outlets of flooding victims homes, they should immediately turn off the electricity from the main breaker  only if it is possible without standing in the water.

Otherwise, residents affected by widespread flooding have been advised to seek safety by climbing to their rooftops and awaiting aid.

The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Show all 19 1 /19 The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A tattered U.S. flag damaged in Hurricane Harvey, flies in Conroe, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People line up for food as others rest at the George R. Brown Convention Center AP Photo/LM Otero The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Volunteers with The American Red Cross register evacuees at the George R. Brown Convention Center Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Soldiers with the Texas Army National Guard help the residents of Cyprus Creek Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents wade through floodwater Reuters/Nick Oxford The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents walk along the flooded roadway of Texas 249 as they evacuate their adjacent neighborhoods EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A man floats past a truck submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey on Sunday AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey James Archiable carries his bike through the flooded intersection at Taylor and Usenet near downtown Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey A massive sinkhole opened up on a motorway in Rosenburg, a city 25 miles southwest of Houston, Texas Rosenberg Police The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in an armored police mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on a boat in Dickinson, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees are airlifted in a US Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Evacuees leave a US Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas Reuters The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Residents look on at a submerged motorway during a break in the rain in Houston, Texas EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey People photograph the submerged motorway interchange EPA The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Debris lies on the ground after a building was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey in Aransas Pass, Texas AP The aftermath of Hurricane Harvey Dominic Dominguez searches for his boat in a boat storage facility that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Harvey near Rockport, Texas EPA

Houston Public Information Officer Keith Smith has said rescue efforts are still underway, with emergency services now focused on rescuing those who are trapped inside a home or building.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A bride has been praised after she was photographed breastfeeding her baby during her wedding.

Danielly Katsue, 24, was pictured feeding three-month-old son Kaua as she exchanged her vows with partner Kale Rios, 26.

Photographer Monica Carvalho captured "beautiful" moment during the ceremony in Cuiaba, Brazil.

She was initially concerned about what reaction the pictures would get as she shared them on social media.

"I was scared at first but I was pretty sure people would find it as beautiful as I did," Ms Carvalho, who runs a wedding photography company, told Mail Online.

"Fortunately the majority of people loved the images. Many said they were moved by the images, which is enough to know that I did a beautiful job."

Although some people criticised the couple, the photographer said she hoped the largely positive reaction to the pictures would make other mothers feel they could breastfeed anywhere and at any time.

Ms Katsue said she "loved our baby being present right at the moment" she married her husband, adding it made her son feel like part of the wedding.
Sign up to our Evening Headlines email for your daily guide to the latest news Sign up to our free US Evening Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Evening Headlines email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Malia Obama may no longer be the daughter of the US President but she is still having to cope with determined fans.

The 19-year-old has just started at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where her father Barack and mother Michelle studied law.

She was with a friend in Harvard Square when she was approached by a stranger who asked for a photograph for her grandchild, TMZ reported.

Ms Obama declined politely, according to the celebrity news website, and went into a salad shop.

However when she emerged from the shop, she discovered the woman had waited for her outside and was simply going to take the picture without permission.

Are you gonna take it in my face like an animal in a cage? she says in a video of the encounter which appeared to have been taken by a third person.

The woman replies, no, I need to take a  and then the video cuts off.

An eyewitness told TMZ that Ms Obama relented and allowed the woman to get a picture.

Ms Obama was 10 when her father first became US President.

After leaving Sidwell Friends School in Washington DC, she took a gap year before starting her studies at Harvard.

She worked as an intern at the US Embassy in Madrid, Spain, and for Harvey Weinstein, the Hollywood producer. She also spent three months in Bolivia and Peru.


Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Rex Tillerson, the USs top diplomat, has said Donald Trump speaks for himself on his values, but that there should be no doubts about the governments commitment to long-held American principles in the wake of violence in Charlottesville.

During an interview on Fox News Sunday, Mr Tillerson, the US Secretary of State, told host Chris Wallace that the State Department expresses Americas values.

We represent the American people, we represent Americas values, our commitment to freedom, our commitment to the equal treatment of people the world over, and that message has never changed, Mr Tillerson said.

Mr Wallace then suggested that people may begin to doubt whether were living those values following Mr Trumps response to violence that broke out at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and the United Nations reaction to the Presidents comments.

I dont believe anyone doubts the American peoples values, or the commitment of the American government, or the governments agencies to advancing those values and defending those values, Mr Tillerson said.

And the Presidents values? Mr Wallace asked, to which the Secretary of State replied: The President speaks for himself, Chris.

Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images

Are you separating yourself from that, sir? Mr Wallace followed up.

Ive spoken  Ive made my own comments as to our values as well in a speech I gave to the State Department this past week, Mr Tillerson said.

In response to Mr Tillersons comments, Eliot Cohen, a former counsellor at the State Department, wrote on Twitter that he believed the Secretary of State just tossed the President of the United States under the bus.

The UN last week criticised the President for failing to unequivocally and unconditionally reject and condemn racist hate speech and crimes in Charlottesville.

Mr Trump has received widespread bipartisan backlash for his comments appearing to equate white supremacists and new-Nazis with the left-wing demonstrators who opposed them at the rally. One Democrat even launched an effort to impeach the President over his response to the violence.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has said the state has activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members to aid rescue efforts for flood victims of Tropical Storm Harvey.

Harvey, which was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm over the weekend, has brought unprecedented and catastrophic flooding to the southeastern region of Texas, according to the National Weather Service and state officials.

We are dealing with a triangle of ongoing rain, including Houston, Victoria and Corpus Christi cities. We will continue receiving incredibly heavy rain, Mr Abbott said at a news conference in Austin. Along with the guard, he said 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft have been put into service.

Recommended Houston residents told to climb on their roofs and wait to be rescued

He added that the federal government has quickly responded to provide all of the aid that Texas has needed.

Mr Abbott has made a state disaster declaration for 50 counties, and a federal disaster declaration for 18 counties. He said he expects these numbers to rise.

The National Weather Service has said that some parts of Houston may receive a Texas record of 50 inches (1,270 millimeters) of rain.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett asked members of the public who have a boat or a high water vehicle to help with efforts to rescue Houston residents whose homes have flooded in the torrential rains.

Rising floodwaters from Harvey have forced thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground in Houston, overwhelming rescuers.

Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images

Mr Emmett, who oversees government operations in Harris County, where Houston is located, said the additional boats and vehicles that Texas is sending to the Houston area are not able to get to the area due to flooded roadways. He added that vehicles the state previously sent are already being used to help rescue individuals.

We desperately need boats and high water vehicles ... We can't wait for assets to come from outside, Mr Emmett said.

Both major airports in Houston have been closed amid the severe flooding.

Donald Trump met by teleconference on Sunday with top administration officials to discuss federal support for response and recovery efforts.

President Trump continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives, the White House said.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters that Mr Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesday.

We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalised, we will let you know, Ms Sanders said. We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr Trump tweeted multiple times on Sunday morning about the storm and the government's response.

Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government, Mr Trump wrote. Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued.

Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen, he said in another post. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground.

Agencies contributed to this report
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trump is allowing the darkest forces of America to take over the country, Joe Biden has said.

The former US Vice President joined criticism of the billionaire businessman over his response to far-right protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Mr Trump was widely condemned for saying white supremacist groups and anti-racism campaigners protesting against them were both to blame for the violence. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and several others injured when a car was driven into crowds of anti-hate protesters. 20-year-old James Fields, who had reportedly attended the far-right rally, has been charged with her murder.

The US President initially refused to directly condemn white supremacist groups and later said there was blame on both sides for the clashes.

Writing in The Atlantic, Mr Biden said Mr Trump risked undoing decades of work on civil rights.

He wrote: The giant forward steps we have taken in recent years on civil liberties and civil rights and human rights are being met by a ferocious pushback from the oldest and darkest forces in America.

Asking whether it was really surprising that [the far right] rose up, Mr Biden said: Today we have an American president who has publicly proclaimed a moral equivalency between neo-Nazis and Klansmen and those who would oppose their venom and hate.

We have an American president who has emboldened white supremacists with messages of comfort and support.

Calling Mr Trumps stance on race issues a special challenge, the former Democrat senator called on Americans to declare what the President cant with any clarity, consistency, or conviction: There is no place for these hate groups in America. Hatred of blacks, Jews, immigrantsall who are seen as the otherwont be accepted or tolerated or given safe harbour anywhere in this nation.

Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Show all 9 1 /9 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Protesters clash and several are injured White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia. A state of emergency is declared, August 12 2017 Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Trump supporters at the protest A white nationalist demonstrator walks into Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. Hundreds of people chanted, threw punches, hurled water bottles and unleashed chemical sprays on each other Saturday after violence erupted at a white nationalist rally in Virginia. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville State police stand ready in riot gear Virginia State Police cordon off an area around the site where a car ran into a group of protesters after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Militia armed with assault rifles White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' with body armor and combat weapons evacuate comrades who were pepper sprayed after the 'Unite the Right' rally was declared a unlawful gathering by Virginia State Police. Militia members marched through the city earlier in the day, armed with assault rifles. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Statue of Confederate General Robert E Lee The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee stands behind a crowd of hundreds of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' during the 'Unite the Right' rally 12 August 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia. They are protesting the removal of the statue from Emancipation Park in the city. Getty Images Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Racial tensions sparked the violence White nationalists, neo-Nazis and members of the 'alt-right' exchange insults with counter-protesters as they attempt to guard the entrance to Lee Park during the 'Unite the Right' rally Getty Violence on the streets of Charlottesville A car plows through protesters A vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The incident resulted in multiple injuries, some life-threatening, and one death. AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville Rescue personnel help injured people after a car ran into a large group of protesters after an white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia AP Photo Violence on the streets of Charlottesville President Donald Trump speaks about the ongoing situation in Charlottesville, Virginia from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. He spoke about "loyalty" and "healing wounds" left by decades of racism.

Mr Biden said the US is living through a battle for the soul of this nation.

Of Mr Trump he said: He wont stop. His contempt for the US Constitution and willingness to divide this nation knows no bounds. Now hes pardoned a law enforcement official who terrorised the Latino community, violated its constitutional rights, defied a federal court order to stop, and ran a prison system so rife with torture and abuse he himself called it a concentration camp.

That was a reference to the US Presidents decision to formally pardon Joe Arpaio, a former Arizona sheriff who was prosecuted over his treatment of undocumented immigrants. Mr Trump was widely criticised for the decision, including by many in his own party.

Mr Biden has been tipped to run for president in 2020, despite having said he will not stand for elected office again.

He had been considered likely to stand in 2016 but decided not to because his son, Beau, was dying of cancer at the time. The former Vice President has since said he regrets that decision.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Donald Trump has endorsed a Twitter post that appears to blame leftist demonstrators for the violence that has shocked the nation in recent weeks, and has seen at least one death.

Mr Trump retweeted a post made by Dinesh DSouza, a conservative commentator and prominent critic of former President Barack Obama, that implied that the media has purposefully downplayed violence from left-wing demonstrators and blaming the right.

Finally, as if by accident, the Washington Post breaks down & admits the truth about where the violence is coming from, Mr DSouza wrote in that post.

Recommended ACLU sues Donald Trump over transgender military ban

Mr DSouza linked to a Washington Post article that cited the Associated Press, noting that black-clad antifa - short for anti-fascist - demonstrators had stormed into what had been a largely peaceful Berkeley protest against hate and attacked at least five people.

Mr Trump has been criticised recently for his response following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, when a counter protester was killed after a suspected white supremacist drove his car through a group of peaceful protesters. Those demonstrations had also seen clashes between neo-Nazis and counter-protesters, some of who were dressed in all black with their faces covered in the style of antifa protesters.

The President, after initially condemning violence and racism, commented several other times on the violence. After several days, Mr Trump said that there had been violence coming from both sides in Charlottesville, and seemed to avoid condemning white supremacy.

The emergence of antifa protesters has coincided with a surge in white supremacist rallies, and alongside the rise of Mr Trump on the national political scene. Clashes between those two groups have been seen at demonstrations throughout the country, including previous clashes in Berkeley before a planned speech by right wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. Clashes have been seen repeatedly in Portland, Oregon, as well.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

An associate of Donald Trump advocated enlisting Vladimir Putin to strike a Moscow real estate deal that would help Mr Trump get elected president, reports say.

An investigation led by former FBI director Robert Mueller is examining potential links between the Trump campaign and Russia, which American intelligence officials say directed a concerted effort to influence the election under Mr Putins orders.

In emails seen by the New York Times, Felix Sater - whom the paper describes as a business associate of Mr Trump - wrote to Mr Trumps attorney Michael Cohen to trumpet building a "Trump Tower" in Moscow, writing: I will get Putin in on this program and we will get Donald elected."

Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it, Mr Sater wrote. I will get all of Putin's team to buy in on this.

According to a report in The Washington Post, Mr Trump did not travel to Moscow, as Mr Sater urged, and plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow were shelved before the presidential campaign began in earnest.

I ultimately determined that the proposal was not feasible and never agreed to make a trip to Russia, Mr Cohen is reported to have said in the obtained email.

 Ex-MI6 agent behind Trump Russia dossier breaks silence

But Mr Cohen sought the Russian government's help in advancing the project, according to a Washington Post story that cited an email in which Mr Cohen allegedly contacted a Kremlin press aide seeking assistance with the development of a Trump Tower - Moscow project in Moscow City, which Mr Cohen deemed too important to neglect. According to the Post, Mr Cohen told Congressional investigators that he sent the email at Mr Sater's recommendation.

In statements to CNN published after the Post's article went online, Mr Cohen said he discussed the project with Mr Trump three times but denied that those conversations were in any way connected to the presidential campaign.

In late January 2016, I abandoned the Moscow proposal because I lost confidence that the prospective licensee would be able to obtain the real estate, financing and government approvals necessary to bring the proposal to fruition, Mr Cohen said.

Mr Sater's emails extend a lengthening list of contacts between the campaign and people with apparent connections to Russian leadership.

It emerged earlier this year that Mr Trumps son Donald Jr, his son-in-law Jared Kushner, and then-campaign chairman Paul Manafort, met with a Russian lawyer named Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was said to have had information that could hurt Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton - something Ms Veselnitskaya denied.

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

From the start of Mr Trumps presidency, ethics experts have raised alarms about potential conflicts of interest arising out of Mr Trumps international business empire.

Mr Trump has consistently denied he has significant business interests in Russia, writing on Twitter in early January that I HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH RUSSIA - NO DEALS, NO LOANS, NO NOTHING!

But Mr Trump and his organisation have had something to do with Russia in the past. The President travelled to Moscow in 2013 for the Miss Universe pageant, before which Mr Trump mused about Mr Putin becoming his new best friend. The pageant came to Moscow with the help of Russian oligarch Aras Agalarov, whose son Emin was cited in a June 2016 email from publicist Rob Goldstone to Donald Trump Jr as an intermediary for sharing damaging information on Ms Clinton.

After the 2013 visit to Moscow, Mr Trump told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he met the top level people, both oligarchs and generals, and top of the government people.

I cant go further than that, but I will tell you that I met the top people, and the relationship was extraordinary, Mr Trump told Mr Hewitt.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the Trump administration over the President's ban on transgender people in the military.

The ACLU claims the ban, which Mr Trump first announced via Twitter, is unconstitutional and "based on uninformed speculation, myths and stereotypes, and a desire to harm transgender people".

Men and women who are transgender with the courage and capacity to serve deserve more from their commander-in-chief," ACLU attorney Joshua Block said in a statement.

Mr Trump's tweets sparked outcry and confusion last month, as it seemed the Pentagon had not been briefed on the decision. The announcement appeared to roll back an Obama-era decision that allowed current transgender service members to serve openly, and permitted new transgender recruits to enlist.

Mr Trump codified his decision last week, directing the Pentagon to bar all transgender individuals from joining the military indefinitely. White House officials would not say whether those currently enlisted could continue to serve.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

Now, the ACLU has filed a suit claiming that the policy discriminates based on sex and transgender status, and violates constitutional rights to equal protection and substantive due process.

The suit is one of two legal complaints filed against Mr Trump's ban. The Lambda Legal and OutServe-Service Members Legal Defense Network also filed suit on Monday, claiming the ban is "unsupported by any compelling, important, or even rational justification".

Mr Trump has claimed transgender service must be banned due to the "tremendous medical costs and disruption" that it would entail. A 2016 study commissioned by the Department of Defence, however, found that allowing transgender troops to serve openly would have little to no impact on military readiness, and would increase health care expenditures by less than half a per cent.

Each and every claim made by the President Trump to justify this ban can be easily debunked by the conclusions drawn from the Department of Defenses own review process," Mr Block said.

The ACLU filed suit on behalf of five transgender members of the military. One of the members served in the US military for nine years, including a tour in Afghanistan, according to the ACLU. Another was previously named "Airman of the Year". Lamnda Legal is representing one transgender person currently serving in the military and two who want to enlist.

It is estimated that more than 15,000 transgender people are actively serving in the US military. Another 134,000 are veterans.

We promised that we would sue if the president took this action," said Peter Perkowski, Legal Director for OutServe-SLDN. "...We are on the side of every single transgender service member and those who want to serve."

He added: "The nations courts exist to protect the people whom tyrants would otherwise abuse. Trump cant tweet his way out of this one.
The state last week released its biannual count of Oregon's homeless, and although the numbers are interesting, they come with a batch of caveats that are worth keeping in mind.

Overall, the numbers released by Oregon Housing and Community Services, a state government agency, suggest that homelessness in the state increased 6 percent between January 2017 and the 2015 count.

This is the so-called "point in time" count, in which volunteers fan out across the state and try to determine the number of homeless people on one particular day in January. The report itself cautions that it is not necessarily meant to "tell the full story of homelessness in our communities."

By all accounts, this year's count worked to improve some of the methodology flaws of the previous counts, but you can easily see some of the issues that go hand-in-hand with this count: For one thing, areas with more resources to go out into the field on that particular day obviously will have more accurate counts. For another (and this is a point that's worth keeping in mind whenever we talk about homelessness), there are entire populations of the homeless who won't show up in this count. For example, people who are couch-surfing or crashing with friends or relatives won't be included in the count. People who are living in their cars won't get counted unless someone working with the effort swings by their parking spots. And the count doesn't do anything (nor can it) to illuminate a big factor in homelessness: It does not shed any light on people who may be at immediate risk of losing their homes.

All this helps explain why people who work with the homeless take this particular count with a big grain of salt. And, indeed, this year's count featured at least one puzzling result: It seems extremely unlikely that the actual number of homeless people in Linn County has declined over the last two years, as the count suggests. For one thing, that decline would fly in the face of the experience in neighboring counties, every one of which reported an increase.

For another, the decline doesn't jibe with the experience of people who work every day with the homeless in Linn County. Pastor John Leon, the executive director of the Helping Hands shelter in Albany, notes that the 106 beds at the facility have been full most days this summer, and that's a new development.

With all that said, the point in time count can be one useful tool in terms of trying to get a grasp on the extent of the homelessness problem in the mid-valley and beyond.

The report comes at a time when there is good news to report about our efforts to curb homelessness. We've already noted that a building has been found for a men's cold weather shelter in Corvallis, although it's worth remembering that this location only will be available for this season: The search for a permanent site must continue, with urgency.

Also in Corvallis, Community Outreach Inc. has received a $75,000 infusion of donations and will be able to reopen its emergency family shelter later this week. The organization was forced to close its shelter after it lost $100,000 in government funding.

And the Benton County Foundation has launched an effort to combat homelessness, the Homeless to Housing Community Initiative. The foundation, which provided more than $82,000 in funding this year to help the homeless, hopes to increase the amount of money available each year.

It's good news in an area that hasn't seen a lot of that lately. And it serves as a reminder that there won't be one single solution to homelessness, but rather a mixture of answers, with this in common: They will rely on the compassion and resourcefulness of our communities. (mm)
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Sentiment in Washington is turning against Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, with political veterans deeming them irrelevant, according to a report.

Some insiders believe Donald Trumps daughter and son-in-law - currently the most favoured members of his chaotic administration  could be out within a year.

The couple, formerly working in real estate and retail, joined the Trump administration after his inauguration last year. While neither receives a salary, Ms Trump works as an adviser to her father and Mr Kushner as a senior aide.

Their appointments were criticised as an unprecedented display of nepotism, but the couple were seen by some liberals as a potentially moderating force in a strongly conservative White House.

 Donald Trump challenges, and cherry-picks, coverage of his Charlottesville statements at rally

However, their failure to influence key areas of policy, and rein in the Presidents most bullish instincts, has lowered them in the eyes of influential staff and political operators, according to Vanity Fair.

What is off-putting about them is they do not grasp their essential irrelevance, an unnamed long-time Washington insider said to the magazine. They think they are special.

Another added: Theres nothing more obstructive and distracting and unhelpful than to have a bunch of stupid apolitical family members calling all the shots.

The couple are reportedly seen as untouchable within the White House because of their closeness to the President, who relies on them for emotional support.

Recommended Ivanka Trump shows off her fan mail and many Americans ask why

But despite having campaigned hard for the Paris climate deal, Ms Trump was unable to stop her father with withdrawing the US from the landmark agreement.

She also failed to protect Planned Parenthood from being targeted for defunding by conservative politicians in the failed replacement bill for the Affordable Healthcare Act, also known as Obamacare.

While the pair have gained prominence for their access to the President, it has disappointed former allies.

A political consultant told the magazine: You cant prevent him from trying to de-fund Planned Parenthood or getting out of the Paris agreement? What are you good for?

Some of the couples former friends in New Yorks Democratic leaning elite have also reportedly rejected them because of their political career and relationship to the President, particularly after he failed to condemn far right protesters in Charlottesville.

I havent had anything to do with them since they moved, a former friend told the magazine.

And it is because the day that man [Mr Trump] gave an inaugural speech, what am I going to say? What the f*** is wrong with you?

Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Show all 22 1 /22 Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump talk as they leave the Army Museum at Les Invalides in Paris AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily in May 2017 Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Mr Trump was pressed on the subject at the G7 summit in Italy Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump gives a speeech at the Warsaw Uprising Monument on Krasinski Square Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May during a ceremony at the NATO headquarters before the start of a summit in Brussels, Belgium Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic is seen to the right of Donald Trump at a Nato summit in Brussels REUTERS Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis meeting with US President Donald J. Trump EPA Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Pope Francis poses with US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump arrives at Palazzo del Quirinale ahead of the meeting with Italian President Sergio Mattarella Ufficio Stampa Presidenza della via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is seen during a joint press conference with the Palestinian leader at the presidential palace in the West Bank city of Bethlehem AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets US President Donald Trump PPO via Getty Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks with US President Donald Trump prior to the President's departure GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands after delivering a speech at the Israel Museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump lay a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance as White House senior advisor Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump watch on during a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem accompanied by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu GPO via Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump takes his seat before his speech to the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia Reuters Donald Trump's international Presidential trips Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, US President Donald Trump and US First Lady Melania Trump look at a display of Saudi modern art at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips King Salman presents Donald Trump with The Collar of Abdulaziz al-Saud Medal at the Royal Court Palace on 20 May AP Donald Trump's international Presidential trips US President Donald Trump is welcomed by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud upon arrival at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh AFP/Getty Images Donald Trump's international Presidential trips U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk on the South Lawn prior to their first foreign trip Getty Images

The report also revealed that the consensus opinion in Washington is that Ms Trump and Mr Kushners days in the White House are numbered.

There is reportedly speculation they are already preparing an exit plan, to be enacted in summer 2018.

This is likely to be dressed up as family concerns but would likely come amid further problems in the White House, it is predicted.

A Republican donor said: When they decide its more important to protect their own and their childrens reputations than it is to defend their indefensible fathers, thats a sign the end is near.
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Inside Washington email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Former White House aide Sebastian Gorka has said he will return to Breitbart, joining ex-White House chief strategist and ally Steve Bannon.

I will be working with you, with Steve, with the Breitbart crew, Mr Gorka said during an interview on SiriusXM with Breitbart editor Matthew Boyle.

Mr Bannon, a self-proclaimed nationalist, returned as executive chairman of Breitbart less than a day after he was ousted from the White House earlier this month.

Mr Gorka announced on Friday that he was resigning from his position as special assistant to Donald Trump, although a White House official disputed the report and said Mr Gorka did not resign.

Sebastian Gorka did not resign, but I can confirm he no longer works at the White House, the official said.

[G]iven recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA [Make America Great Again] promise are  for now  ascendant within the White House, Mr Gorka reportedly wrote in a resignation letter published by The Federalist. As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr President, is from outside the Peoples House.

The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Show all 9 1 /9 The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the media White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer takes questions during the daily press briefing Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Union leaders applaud US President Donald Trump for signing an executive order withdrawing the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations during a meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington DC. Mr Trump issued a presidential memorandum in January announcing that the US would withdraw from the trade deal Getty The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Mexico wall A US Border Patrol vehicle sits waiting for illegal immigrants at a fence opening near the US-Mexico border near McAllen, Texas. The number of incoming immigrants has surged ahead of the upcoming Presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who has pledged to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. A signature campaign promise, Mr Trump outlined his intention to build a border wall on the US-Mexico border days after taking office Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and abortion US President Donald Trump signs an executive order as Chief of Staff Reince Priebus looks on in the Oval Office of the White House. Mr Trump reinstated a ban on American financial aide being granted to non-governmental organizations that provide abortion counseling, provide abortion referrals, or advocate for abortion access outside of the United States Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the Dakota Access pipeline Opponents of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines hold a rally as they protest US President Donald Trump's executive orders advancing their construction, at Columbus Circle in New York. US President Donald Trump signed executive orders reviving the construction of two controversial oil pipelines, but said the projects would be subject to renegotiation Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and 'Obamacare' Nancy Pelosi who is the minority leader of the House of Representatives speaks beside House Democrats at an event to protect the Affordable Care Act in Los Angeles, California. US President Donald Trump's effort to make good on his campaign promise to repeal and replace the healthcare law failed when Republicans failed to get enough votes. Mr Trump has promised to revisit the matter Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Donald Trump and 'sanctuary cities' US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January threatening to pull funding for so-called "sanctuary cities" if they do not comply with federal immigration law AP The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and the travel ban US President Donald Trump has attempted twice to restrict travel into the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries. The first attempt, in February, was met with swift opposition from protesters who flocked to airports around the country. That travel ban was later blocked by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The second ban was blocked by a federal judge a day before it was scheduled to be implemented in mid-March SANDY HUFFAKER/AFP/Getty Images The controversial orders Donald Trump has already issued Trump and climate change US President Donald Trump sought to dismantle several of his predecessor's actions on climate change in March. His order instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to reevaluate the Clean Power Plan, which would cap power plant emissions Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

Mr Trump was facing increased pressure to get rid of the nationalist wing of his White House following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville that led to deadly violence.

In an interview with Breitbart News Daily three days before the violence in Charlottesville, Mr Gorka accused the media of focusing too much on white supremacists.

Its this constant, Oh, its the white man. Its the white supremacists. Thats the problem. No, it isnt, Maggie Haberman, Mr Gorka said, referring to the prominent New York Times reporter.

Go to Sinjar. Go to the Middle East and tell me what the real problem is today. Go to Manchester, he added, suggesting that the real threat to the US is radical Islamic terror.

A US citizen born in Britain with Hungarian parents, Mr Gorka worked as national security editor at Breitbart, where he frequently warned of Islamist terrorism.

The news website, which Mr Bannon has called a platform for the alt-right, has recently increased its attacks on the Trump administration, particularly Mr Trumps decision to carry on the USs involvement in Afghanistan. Mr Bannon and Mr Gorka were said to have opposed an escalation of the 16-year-old conflict.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Burmese army has been accused of carrying out extra-judicial killings of Rohingya Muslims in response to clashes with insurgents.

Soldiers have allegedly shot indiscriminately at unwarmed men, women and children during their intensified operations against Rohingya insurgents after three days of clashes with militants in the worst violence involving Burma's Muslim minority in five years.

The fighting - triggered by coordinated attacks on Friday by insurgents wielding sticks, knives and crude bombs on 30 police posts and an army base - has killed 104 people and led to the flight of large numbers of Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist civilians from the northern part of Rakhine state.

 Aung San Suu Kyi pushes back against criticism of handling of Rohingya abuses

The violence marks a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered in the region since October, when a similar but much smaller series of Rohingya attacks on security posts prompted a brutal military response dogged by allegations of rights abuses.

One witness told Al Jazeera the army stormed his village in Maungdaw and began "firing indiscriminately at people's cars and homes," killing women, children and even a baby.

He said government forces were "shooting at everything that moved" and accused them of carrying out arson attacks.

"Women and children were among the dead," he added. "Even a baby wasn't spared."

Rohingya mothers face persecution Show all 10 1 /10 Rohingya mothers face persecution Rohingya mothers face persecution Ramida Begum holds her 10-day-old daughter in their shelter in Kutupalang, an unregistered refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. 'The military caught my husband and burnt our house down a week before I left Myanmar. Since then I don't know whether my husband is dead or alive' Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Minara Begum sits inside the shelter, cradling her one-month-old son Ayub. Minara fled to Bangladesh from Nasha Phuru village in Myanmar with her husband and mother-in-law. 'My child doesn't get enough breast milk as I don't eat enough nutritious food. I have to buy milk powder from local market though it's not very good for my son' Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Amina, pictured with her 16-day-old daughter Sumaiyin, is in a refugee camp Balukhali that neighbours Ramida and Minara's. 'One and a half months ago the military came to our village and kept firing their guns. I ran away with my neighbours to save our lives. You see us alive here only because the God was so kind. They caught my uncle and my younger brother and we don't know whether they are dead or alive' Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Fatema sits beside her one-day-old daughter Aasma in Kutupalang. Fatema fled to Bangladesh from Jambuinna village in Myanmar two months ago after her house was burnt down by the military. She crossed Naf River by boat during the night. 'Our situation is better than many other refugees as my husband Mohammad Alom works here as a day labourer. Many of the new refugees have no work here, so they have to rely on relief' Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Jamalida cradles her two-month-old daughter Shahida. Jamalida came to Bangladesh with her husband from Nasha Phuru village in Myanmar Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Rehana Begum lays her one-day-old daughter in front of her inside their tarpaulin shelter. Rehana fled her village of Jambuinna in Myanmar three months ago. 'We were in our home and suddenly the military came to our village and started shooting. When we heard the sound of gun shots we immediately went to our relatives. We walked for four hours without any food and water to reach the border at 1 a.m. We paid 25,000 Myanmar kyat (14) to a broker to cross.' Intercepted by Bangladesh border guards, Rehana's family narrowly escaped being sent home. 'They wanted to send us back, but then we heard gunshots from the Myanmar side and the guards released us, saying, "Stay in Bangladesh and save your lives"' Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Noor Begum sits next to her one-day-old daughter Sumaiya as she stares into the camera. Noor came to the camp one-and-a-half months ago from Nagpura village with her husband Jahangir Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Rajuma Begum observes her one-month-old son Raihan. 'I fled to Bangladesh because of fear, because I needed to save my children. I was pregnant and suffering from fever while crossing the border. I also have an 11-month-old boy, so it was very difficult to reach the border from our village Wabek in Myanmar. I had to rest frequently. After six hours of horrible walking we finally reached the border at 2am and crossed after paying a broker' Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution Eighteen-year-old Asmot Ara rests her newly born daughter on her lap. Asmot said she came to the camp one month ago with neighbours from Nagpura village. In Myanmar her father-in-law was killed and their home burnt down by the Myanmar military Reuters Rohingya mothers face persecution As Marijaan holds her 25-day-old daughter Noor Habi, her son peers over her shoulder. Marijaan fled to Bangladesh from Khyeri Prang village in Myanmar one month ago after her house was burnt down by the Myanmar military. 'I reached the border at night and crossed by the boat. I paid the boatman to cross the Naf River' Reuters

Thousands of Rohingya have attempted to flee the violence across the border to Bangladesh, where border guards tried to push them back, leaving many refugees stranded.

Rohingya have been fleeing Burma since the early 1990s and there are now about 400,000 in Bangladesh, which has said no new refugees will be allowed in.

Nevertheless, an estimated 3,000 people have crossed into Bangladesh in the past few days, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told Reuters.

The Burmese government has evacuated thousands of non-Muslim villagers from the north of Rakhine state to towns, monasteries and police stations.

An Islamist group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, which Burma has declared a terrorist organisation, claimed responsibility for the recent attacks. It was also behind the violence in October.

The group has said in statements it has to fight to protect the rights of Rohingya Muslims.

The Rohingya are denied citizenship in Burma and classified as illegal immigrants, despite claiming roots there that go back centuries, with communities marginalised and occasionally subjected to communal violence.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A self-styled Indian godman has been sentenced to 20 years in jail after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting two female followers.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singhs followers went on a deadly rampage after he was convicted of rape last week, with at least 38 killed and more than 200 injured in protests in Haryana state.

The Dera Sacha Sauda cult has a vast rural following in the states of Punjab and Haryana.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

As a result, a curfew has been imposed in several areas of the states, and the capital Delhi has been placed on alert.

The army is on standby and police have been given shoot on sight orders, the BBC reports.

The flamboyant and controversial spiritual gurus sentence was pronounced amid intense security at a prison in the northern town of Rohtak, where the guru, who calls himself Dr Saint Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim Insan, has been detained since his conviction.

The prison has been transformed into a fortress, with journalists banned from approaching within a mile and roads lined with barbed-wire barricades.

Initial reports said Singh was handed a 10-year sentence, but it emerged he had been jailed for 10 years for each rape consecutively.

In 2015, Singh started a film franchise portraying him as MSG or Messenger of God, performing miracles, preaching to thousands and beating up gangsters while singing and dancing.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

North Korea's missile test over Japan is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat to the east Asian archipelago, the country's government has said.

Yoshihide Suga, Japans Chief Cabinet Secretary, made the comments after a missile soared over the Japanese island of Hokkaido, travelling about 2,700 kilometres before plunging in the sea. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he would urge the United Nations to convene an emergency meeting to discuss bolstering its pressure on North Korea.

We will make utmost efforts to firmly protect the lives of the people, Reuters quoted Mr Abe as telling reporters. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono similarly called for intensified pressure on North Korea, according to the Associated Press.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning said the launch posed no threat to North America. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he was outraged by the attack, according to Press Association.

The test promised to further exacerbate a geopolitical standoff over North Korea's military ambitions.

The isolated nation has been displaying its advances in missile technology with a series of missile tests over the last month, prompting a war of words with Donald Trump.

 Trump tells Guam governor that NK threat will boost tourism

After Mr Trump warned that further provocations would incur fire and fury from the United States, North Korea responded that it was formulating plans to obliterate the small Pacific island of Guam, an American territory that hosts a military base.

Tension eased somewhat after North Korean state media reported that leader Kim Jong Un would wait on plans to launch a missile strike, which Mr Trump praised as very wise and well reasoned.

In pictures: North Korea military drill Show all 8 1 /8 In pictures: North Korea military drill In pictures: North Korea military drill North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un watches a military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) is seen in this handout photo by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill A military drill marking the 85th anniversary of the establishment of the Korean People's Army (KPA) KCNA/Handout via REUTERS In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video In pictures: North Korea military drill This image made from video of still images broadcast in a news bulletin by North Korea's KRT, shows what was said to be a 'Combined Fire Demonstration' held to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the North Korean army, in Wonsan, North Korea. KRT via AP Video

But hopes of a significant de-escalation dimmed as North Korea launched multiple short-range missiles over the weekend.

The country has kept up its bellicose rhetoric, casting ongoing joint war games between American and South Korea as an act of aggression.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Police in Spanish holiday resort Magaluf are on the hunt for three suspects after a British teenager said she was gang-raped on a beach.

The 19-year-old, from Scotland, gave detectives a picture that she had taken on her phone of the one of the suspects after they were called to the scene near Punta Ballena, a popular party strip.

A source told the Daily Express: She had a picture of one of the men she said had raped her and assured officers she could identify him.

It is not clear whether the teenager was on holiday in Magaluf or lived in the area.

Police say they were called to Punta Ballena at around 1am on Saturday.

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

They arrived to find the young woman crying. She told officers she had agreed to go to the beach with a male friend that she had known previously from nights out in the area, the Daily Express reports.

She said the man then attacked her, gang-raping her with two other men who appeared to be his friends.

The 19-year-old said she called out for help, but no one responded to her pleas.

Police have yet to make any arrests in the case.

The nationalities of the suspects have not yet been revealed but they are believed to be British.

News of the assault comes following reports of a tourist gang-raped on a beach at the Rimini holiday resort in Italy.

An investigation is underway after a Polish tourist said she was gang-raped as her boyfriend was brutally beaten at the popular resort.

Italian police are still searching for the suspects of what they have called a brutal and bestial attack.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Police in northern Germany have raided homes and businesses belonging to two men suspected of stockpiling weapons and plotting to kill left-wing leaders.

The two men, one of whom is reported to be a policeman, are said to have created a hit list of names of left-leaning figures.

According to German newspaper Die Zeit, the men are thought to have extreme right-wing views, and were planning a series of murders.

The police said the men had been using web forums where they had mainly spoken about Germanys refugee policy.

The men were arrested in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, a federal state in northeast Germany.

The policeman is believed to have worked in the small castle town of Ludwigslust, which is 40km south of the states capital Schwerin.

But the men are not currently in custody, CNN reports.

In a statement on Monday the German federal prosecutor said: "According to the results of the investigation so far, the two accused were in contact with different chat groups with other people," the statement said.

Recommended German minister lashes out at English speaking waiters in Berlin

"The focus of the discussion was the political development of the Federal Republic of Germany, especially the refugee and immigration policy, which they considered inadequate.

"As a result, the accused feared impoverishment of private and public budgets as well as an increase in attacks and other crimes that they believed would lead to a collapse of the state order."

According to Die Zeit, the Schwerin Ministry of the Interior has announced further searches relating to people said to be non-suspected third parties. Among them was another police officer from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

The federal prosecutor's office is now investigating the case which it says could have caused serious state-threatening violence.

German politicians have demanded to know the names on the pairs hit list.

Martina Renner, a left-wing member of the Bundestag, who has previously campaigned against racism and neo-Nazism, addressed a written question to the Federal Government asking for information on when the authorities knew about the list of targets.

She asked: "How many of the people who are on this list have been informed [by] the Federal Government?"

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

Dietmar Bartsch, who is also a left-leaning politician and who has his constituency in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, called for clarification: "I want to know who is on the list," he said.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A male nurse who was convicted of killing patients in Germany with overdoses of heart medication is now believed to have killed at least 84 people  and the true scale of the killings could be even larger, investigators said on Monday.

Niels Hoegel was convicted in 2015 of two murders and two attempted murders at a clinic in the northwestern town of Delmenhorst. But prosecutors have long said they believe he killed more people, last year putting the figure at 43 at least.

The crimes came to light after Hoegel was convicted of attempted murder in another case. Authorities subsequently investigated hundreds of deaths, exhuming bodies of former patients in Delmenhorst and nearby Oldenburg.

Oldenburg police chief Johann Kuehme said on Monday authorities have now unearthed evidence of 84 killings in addition to the ones for which Hoegel was convicted. The number of actual killings is likely higher because some victims were cremated, making it impossible to gather evidence, Mr Kuehme added.

Eighty-four killings  leave us speechless, Mr Kuehme told reporters. And as if all that were not enough, we must realise that the real dimension of the killings by Niels H is likely many times worse.

The fact that the cases go back many years and people may struggle to remember also is a factor, Mr Kuehme said.

He said many of the deaths could have possibly been prevented.

The Healthcare Serial Killers dubbed the 'Angels of death' Show all 5 1 /5 The Healthcare Serial Killers dubbed the 'Angels of death' The Healthcare Serial Killers dubbed the 'Angels of death' Colin Norris Colin Norris used insulin to kill patients, targeting frail elderly women in 2002 while working at two Leeds hospitals. He was jailed for life in March 2008, when he was 32, after he was found guilty of four counts of murder along with attempting to kill another woman at Leeds General Infirmary and the city's St James's Hospital. Detectives said he showed no remorse and he has always protested his innocence and denied injecting patients with insulin. PA The Healthcare Serial Killers dubbed the 'Angels of death' Benjamin Green In 2006 Geen, who was then 25, was given 17 life sentences after he was found guilty of murdering two of his patients and attacking 15 others. His trial heard that Geen gave them injections of drugs such as muscle relaxants, insulin and sedatives to stop them breathing while working at the Horton Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire. The court also heard of his thrill at attempting to revive these patients. pa The Healthcare Serial Killers dubbed the 'Angels of death' Anne Grigg-Booth The 52-year-old was found dead at home after taking a drug overdose in 2005, eight months before she was due to go on trial accused of murdering three elderly women at Airedale General Hospital, near Keighley, and the attempted murder of a middle-aged man. She had worked at the hospital for 25 years and was also facing 13 counts of unlawfully administering poison to 12 other patients. The charges related to her injecting patients with high doses of painkilling drugs such as morphine and diamorphine while she worked on the night shift. PA The Healthcare Serial Killers dubbed the 'Angels of death' Harold Shipman Dr Harold Shipman, one of the most prolific serial killers the UK has known, was convicted at Preston Crown Court in 2000 of the murder of 15 of his patients while he was a general practitioner in Hyde, near Manchester. Police also investigated allegations that he might have murdered many more patients while he was working in Hyde, Todmorden and Pontefract. A major inquiry into his activities concluded the doctor killed about 250 patients between 1971 and 1998. PA The Healthcare Serial Killers dubbed the 'Angels of death' Victorino Chua Victorino Chua was found guilty of murdering two patients and poisoning 19 others at the Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport. He killed and poisoned his victims using insulin. He wrote a 13-page letter discovered by police that stated: "They thought I'm a nice person but there a devil in me. I know if I go, I go straight to hell no question ask." Rex Features

If the people responsible at the time, particularly at the Oldenburg clinic but also later in Delmenhorst, hadnt hesitated to alert authorities  for example police, prosecutors, he could have been stopped earlier, Mr Kuehme said.

Authorities are pursuing criminal cases against former staff at the two clinics.

AP
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Romania is aiming to adopt the European single currency in 2022, the countrys government has said.

The countrys Foreign Minister said Romanias economy had already met the requirements to join the currency, but it was waiting five years to protect the incomes of pensioners.

Romania would be the first country to join the euro since Lithuania adopted the currency in 2015.

Nineteen of the EUs 28 members currently use the currency, though Montenegro, which is not currently a member state, has also unilaterally adopted it.

Already today we meet all the formal requirements, we could join the currency union even tomorrow, Teodor Melescanu told the Polish publication Rzeczpospolita.

But were afraid that it will have a negative effect on the poorest, pensioners incomes.

He added: I think that we will adopt the euro in five years, in 2022.

Mr Melescanus comments come after a run of good economic data from the eurozone, suggesting that the currency area is completing its recovery from the crisis that has dogged it since 2008.

The European Commission and European Central Banks latest assessment of the Romanian economy, published in June 2016, however, said that the country did not meet the criteria for joining the euro.

Romania was wracked by anti-corruption protests earlier this year (EPA)

If Britain were to leave the bloc and Romania were to adopt the euro, 20 of 27 countries in the EU would be using the euro, shifting the balance of power within the bloc significantly towards countries that use it.

Protections within the single market for countries that are not members of the eurozone are a significant matter of debate within the EU.

Under the terms of EU treaties, member states are bound to adopt the euro eventually, once their economies have met certain economic criteria.

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 United Kingdom and Denmark, however, both have officially negotiated opt-outs, and, in practice, there is currently no real compulsion for other abstainers  such as Sweden  to join the currency.

The Independent has contacted the European Commission for comment on this story.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Zahira (not her real name) was 45 when she was arrested at her workplace in a suburb of Damascus in 2013. As soon as she arrived at Al Mezzeh Military Airport, she was strip searched, tied to a bed and gang raped by five soldiers.

For the next 14 days, she was raped, or threatened with rape, again and again and again.

During one interrogation, in which she says she was sexually penetrated in every body cavity, a soldier filmed what was happening and threatened to show it to her family and community.

Shunted from facility to facility over the course of five months, in addition to repeated brutal sexual violence Zahira was also regularly beaten. One one occasion she was electrocuted and beaten with a hose pipe; on another, tied upside down for over an hour and hit in the face.

Between interrogations at Al Mezzeh she was held in solitary confinement, in a cell no bigger than one metre by one metre, with no natural light.

In Military Intelligence Branch 235, she slept in a three by four metre cell with up to 48 other women that was so cramped the prisoners had to sleep in shifts. They were allowed to use the toilet once every 12 hours, and to wash once in every 40 days.

Zahira was only released from the notorious Adra prison when the conditions affected her health so severely she lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, her jailers fearing theyd killed her.

On arrival at a medical facility doctors found she had hepatitis, pneumonia and anaemia. She had to stay in hospital for four months for corrective surgeries for faecal-urinary incontinence caused by her repeated rapes.

The womans story is not easy to read. Experiencing what she went through is beyond the imagination of most of us.

 'Dozens killed' in suspected chemical attack in Syrian province

But Zahira, and dozens of other brave women, have shared their stories with a network of exiled Syrian doctors and lawyers, who have documented what happened to them in Syrian President Bashar al-Assads prisons in a new report.

One pregnant woman, arrested because the government suspected her husband of supplying medicine to rebel forces, describes seeing dead bodies dragged through corridors, leaving them slick with blood. The screams of those being tortured still haunt her.

Another former detainee described being locked in a pitch black cell for six days with a dead body. A razor blade had also been purposefully left there, and she used it to try and kill herself.

The physical and mental scars from detention will affect these women for the rest of their lives. Many feel shame, and their relationships with their families and communities has changed because of the stigma attached to sexual assault and rape.

Their hope is that shedding a light on what happens in Assads detention centres will amount to international pressure to allow inspectors into the country and thus stop the government acting with impunity.

What their testimony also means, however, is that officials in Syrias government, police and military could be held accountable for their actions in potential future war crimes trials.

In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Show all 30 1 /30 In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian family arrives at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian woman, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, reacts as she stands with her children in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past resident fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood , after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-regime fighters, gesture as they drive past residents fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood, after regime troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian residents, fleeing violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood, arrive in Aleppo's Fardos neighbourhood Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-regime fighter speaks with a child, as residents flee violence in the restive Bustan al-Qasr neighbourhood. Syrian rebels withdrew from six more neighbourhoods in their one-time bastion of east Aleppo in the face of advancing government troops AFP/Getty Images In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Smoke rises as seen from a governement-held area of Aleppo, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers targeting rebels-held areas in the eastern neighborhoods in Aleppo, Syria. According to media reports, the army is now holding on 99 percent of Aleppois eastern neighborhoods EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian pro-government forces patrol Aleppo's eastern al-Salihin neighbourhood after troops retook the area from rebel fighters Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian soldiers rest following the battle at al-Sheik Saeed neighborhood in Aleppo, Syria EPA In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian pro-government fighter walking past closed shops in the Bab al-Nasr district of Aleppo's Old City. Once renowned for its bustling souks, grand citadel and historic gates, Aleppo's Old City has been rendered virtually unrecognisable by some of the worst violence of Syria's war Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The crucial battle for Aleppo entered its 'final phase' after Syrian rebels retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The retreat leaves opposition fighters confined to just a handful of neighbourhoods in southeast Aleppo, the largest of them Sukkari and Mashhad Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilans arrive at a checkpoint, manned by pro-government forces, at the al-Hawoz street roundabout, after leaving Aleppo's eastern neighbourhoods. Syria's government has retaken at least 85 percent of east Aleppo, which fell to rebels in 2012, since beginning its operation Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian civilians flee the Sukkari neighbourhood towards safer rebel-held areas in southeastern Aleppo Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrians celebrate in the government-held Mogambo neighbourhood of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, after rebel fighters retreated into a small pocket of their former bastion in the face of new army advances. The fall of Aleppo would be the worst rebel defeat since Syria's conflict began in 2011, and leave the government in control of the country's five major cities Getty In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee Aliya inside the tent where she lives with her husband and ten children in a camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Syrian refugee women and children outside the entrance to their tents in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA Wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A Syrian refugee woman outside the entrance to the tent where her family live, in the refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, close to the Syrian border PA wire In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria A vehicle drives past a mosque at night in Idlib, Syria. Picture taken with a long exposure Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria The night sky is seen through damaged windows in the rebel-controlled town of Binnish in Idlib province, Syria Reuters In Pictures: The crisis unfolding in Syria Damaged buildings stand in the rebel-controlled area of Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, Syria Reuters

This might be the most powerful evidence we have, the international lawyers say, one neurosurgeon and founding member of Syrian NGO Lawyers and Doctors for Human Rights (LDHR) said on the phone from Gaziantep, on the Turkish-Syrian border.

This is one of our best chances to get justice for these crimes against humanity.

There has been precious little in the way of legal redress for any of the victims of Syrias complex six-year-old war so far. There are few avenues open to them.

Carla del Ponte, a distinguished international war crimes prosecutor, resigned from her position on the UNs investigative panel into human rights abuses in the civil war earlier this month because she was so frustrated with its inability to hold criminals to account.

I give up. The states in the [UN] Security Council dont want justice, she told media when it emerged she had quit.

The Security Council, she said, should have appointed a court similar to those for the Rwanda and Yugoslavian conflicts  a decision vetoed by permanent member Russia, which is a key backer of the Assad government.

While the investigative panel has compiled thousands of interviews and other documentation of possible war crimes committed by all sides in Syria, the work was pointless without a tribunal, she added.

We have had absolutely no success holding perpetrators of war crimes in Syria to account, the prosecutor said. For five years weve been running up against walls.

Faced with a powerless UN and no prospect of an International Criminal Court tribunal, transitional justice and human rights lawyers have begun trying new tactics.

In March, a Spanish court agreed to hear the case of the torture and death of a 43-year-old truck driver at the hands of the Syrian government, because the mans sister, a Spanish citizen, was the plaintiff.

Under international law relatives of victims of crimes against humanity committed elsewhere are also counted as victims  so the Spanish judges decision to hear it was viewed as an important landmark for potentially prosecuting high-level Syrian officials.

Guernica 37 International Justice Chambers, the Madrid-based legal advocacy group that bought the case, said in a statement it would specifically allow the courts to investigate the torture and execution of thousands of civilians in the illegal detention centres operated by the Assad government.

It could also mean international arrest warrants could be issued for the nine Syrian officials named in the complaint  meaning their assets could be seized or they could be charged if they travel abroad.

While the decision was reversed due to a split panel of Spanish judges last month, the case has been appealed. Stephen J Rapp, a former United States ambassador at large for the Office of Global Criminal Justice and current nonresident fellow at The Hague Institute for Global Justice, who helped to file the preceedings, told The Independent if necessary they would fight it to the Spanish Supreme Court.

The attorneys of Guernica 37 are quite confident regarding the law and of eventual success, he said.

Given the years of pain that has been visited on tens of thousands family members of persons who have been forcibly disappeared into Syrian government custody this is also a very important issue of principle.

Buoyed by the progress in Spain, Syrian victims and survivors now living in Germany have also filed a prosecution case based on an investigation by the NGO the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR).

This represents another type of case  one based on the concept of universal jurisdiction, which allows states to claim criminal jurisdiction over an accused person regardless of where their crimes were committed because of the severity of the allegations.

 Muslim women raped by Hindu gang 'for eating beef'

More than 65,000 people are thought to have died in the Syrian regimes prisons over the last six years, and thousands and thousands more have faced abhorrent treatment in detention. The allegations are crimes against humanity - and are thus too serious to tolerate jurisdictional arbitrage, the prosecutor will argue.

LDHRs activists are hopeful that their findings  compiled under the Istanbul Protocol, the UNs methodology on how to recognise and document signs and symptoms of torture so the documentation may serve as valid evidence in court  will be presented as evidence in future cases constructed on the same basis.

There were too many women to choose from, with horrible stories, when we set about compiling this report," the LDHR doctor said.

I have often felt powerless during the war. This is documenting our history, no matter how terrible it is, and probably the only way the Syrian people will ever have some justice.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

A five-year-old Gazan boy has died after swimming in seawater contaminated by the raw and minimally-treated sewage that is flowing into the Mediterranean thanks to the Gaza Strips escalating power crisis.

Mohammad al-Sayis died last month a few days after being admitted to hospital after swimming at the beach in Sheikh Ijlin, a statement from the Gaza Health Ministry said on Sunday.

Mohammad and his siblings had pestered their father to take them to the beach to cool down during the stifling Middle Eastern summer - the only respite for many of Gazas two million inhabitants, who are dealing with a burgeoning water and electricity crisis.

Gaza blackout Show all 10 1 /10 Gaza blackout Gaza blackout A Palestinian man works at his workshop as he fixes mobile power generators in Gaza City, July 9, 2017. REUTERS Gaza blackout Palestinians pray in a makeshift mosque lit by battery-powered lights during a power cut in Gaza City, July 18, 2017. REUTERS Gaza blackout A Palestinian vendor sells fruits and vegetables during a power cut in a makeshift shop lit by battery-powered light in Beit Lahiya town, in the northern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2017. REUTERS Gaza blackout A Palestinian woman is seen from the window of her kitchen as she uses a candle light to prepare food during a power cut in Beit Lahiya town, in the northern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2017. REUTERS Gaza blackout Buildings are seen at night in Gaza City, July 18, 2017. REUTERS Gaza blackout Buildings are seen at night during a power cut in Gaza City, July 18 REUTERS Gaza blackout A Palestinian woman washes dishes in her kitchen as she uses a candle light during a power cut in Beit Lahiya town, in the northern Gaza Strip, July 13, 2017. REUTERS Gaza blackout Members of a Palestinian family prepare food on a fire on a beach during a power cut in the northern Gaza Strip, July 12, 2017. REUTERS Gaza blackout Palestinians make food during a hot weather on a beach during a power cut in the northern Gaza Strip, July 12, 2017 REUTERS Gaza blackout A Palestinian woman holds her child as she walks out of her house lit by a torch during a power cut in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, July 3, 2017. REUTERS

Its hot and humid and there is no power, water or fans in the house, Mohammeds father Ahmad told local media. The sea is our only outlet.

Mohammed died from poison ingested during his swim, the health ministry said. His brothers were also hospitalised, but recovered from their illnesses.

The little boys death has drawn more attention to the deteriorating living conditions in the Gaza Strip; dozens of people have been hospitalised in recent months after swimming off the increasingly polluted coastline.

While Palestinians have been told for years that swimming in the seas off Gaza is not safe - and power shortages have been a fact of life since militant organisation Hamas took over the area a decade ago - in recent months the situation has reached crisis levels.

 "I am that girl": Huda Ali Ghalia, who was filmed after family was killed on Gaza beach, graduates

The West Banks rival Palestinian Authority (PA) has hiked fuel delivery tariffs for Gazas only power plant since April in an effort to weaken Hamas grip on the coastal enclave, meaning that at times the Strip only has three hours of electricity a day.

Hospitals have warned the blackouts endanger patients lives, and the sewage treatment system has broken down, pumping 110 million litres a day of raw waste into the sea and polluting two thirds of the coastline, according to the UN.

Since many households rely on electric pumps for their water, millions have difficulty washing, cooking and doing laundry.

Gazas only aquifer and three desalination plants are offline, meaning that 96 per cent of the regions water is unsafe to drink or wash in.

A July report from the UN found that 10 years into Israeli land and sea blockades, three short wars with Israel and the slow PA squeeze, the Gaza Strip is now unlivable, and de-developing quicker than expected.

Of all the issues we deal with  the peace process, Palestinian institution building, the region  [the electricity crisis] is the one issue that keeps me up at night, Nickolay Mladenov, the UNs special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said recently.

The effects of the crisis are devastating, he added. And all of this, at the end of the day, will come back to Israels doorstep.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Troops from both the Syrian army and Hezbollah have escorted Isis militants out of their territory on the border with Lebanon in the first ever publicly agreed evacuation deal the Sunni jihadists have ever struck.

A pause in a week-old offensive by the Lebanese armed forces as well as Hezbollah to drive Isis from towns it has held on the Lebanese-Syrian border since 2014 saw 25 injured Isis fighters moved in ambulances to a marshalling point for an evacuation convoy, the Hezbollah-run War Media Centre said on Monday.

An eyewitness told the AP that buses were being prepared to also carry the fighters families back to Isis last remaining strongholds in Eastern Syria.

 Liberated from Isis, women burn their burqas and men shave off their beards

The incident - which marks the first time Isis has ever publicly agreed to an evacuation deal, instead of fighting to the death - has been hailed as a dramatic surrender by Lebanese and Hezbollah officials.

We do not bargain. We are in the position of the victor and are imposing conditions, Lebanese Internal Security General Abbas Ibrahim told reporters on Sunday.

Isis agreed to a ceasefire on Sunday after fighting the Lebanese army on one front and Hezbollah and the Syrian army on another, losing much of the territory in the mountainous enclave it holds on the border.

Part of the evacuation deal was supposed to ensure the safe return of nine Lebanese soldiers kidnapped when Isis overran the area in 2014.

In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Show all 11 1 /11 In pictures: Isis' weapons factories In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A mortar round fin manufactured by Isis in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis rocket components discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, Iraq in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortars discovered near Karamlais, Iraq, in November 2016 CAR In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis rocket launch frame in Qaraqosh, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A memo from Isis' COSQC on quality control at a manufacturing facility in Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Electrically-operated initiators manufactured by Isis in forces Gogjali, Mosul, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Isis mortar tubes at a manufacturing facility in Karamlais, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis mortar production facility discovered in Gogjali, Mosul, in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories An Isis weapons manufacturing facilities near Mosul in November 2016 Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories Stocks of French-manufactured Sorbitol, Latvian potassium nitrate and Lebanese sugar at an Isis weapons factory in Iraq Conflict Armament Research In pictures: Isis' weapons factories A destroyed Isis weapons facility in Qaraqosh, Iraq, November 2016 Conflict Armament Research

The victory has been bittersweet, however, as an army statement confirmed that eight bodies found near the town of Arsal had been identified as the missing servicemen.

The news was greeted with the tears of family members who have staged a tented protest outside government offices in Beirut since their loved ones went missing three years ago.

The families of those who lost relatives in suicide bomb attacks in nearby al-Qaa in 2016 condemned the deal, Lebanese state-run National News Agency reported.

So far dozens of militants and six Lebanese soldiers have been killed in the drive to oust Isis from Lebanese territory.

Two Hezbollah offensives against other Sunni militant groups in Syrias north earlier this year proved successful.

There is no official coordination between the militant Shia group and the Syrian army with the Lebanese armed forces.

Hezbollah, an important Syrian government ally, has maintained a strong presence in the parts of Syria near the border with Lebanon for several years, helping President Bashar al-Assad to recapture several rebel-held towns and villages there.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

An Israeli settler has reportedly been questioned by police after running over and killing an eight-year-old Palestinian girl.

Aseel Abu Oun was killed near her village of Furush Beit Dajan in the occupied West Bank.

She was leaving a supermarket with a friend when she was hit by the car, Al Jazeera reported.

Paramedics tried to resuscitate the girl and took her to hospital, but she was pronounced dead on arrival, an Israeli police spokeswoman told local media.

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

Police detained the driver for questioning and had opened an investigation, Haaretz reported.

Micky Rose, a spokesman for Israeli police, said the event was "unfortunately a regular road accident."

Members of Aseel's family told Al Jazeera they had asked for an independent actor to oversee the investigation.

"We are used to the Israeli police and their ways of dealing with settler aggression or attacks on Palestinians," Jawdat Abu Oun, one of Aseel's relatives said.

He said he believed it was likely the Israeli settler had already been released.

Tareq Abu Oun, Aseel's father, said he saw his daughter being run over and managed to stop the car from speeding away with the help of other men.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Languages not seen since the Dark Ages have come to light after scientists used a new method to inspect a trove of ancient manuscripts found in a monastery in Egypt.

They turned up extremely rare tongues, including Caucasian Albanian, on documents they found in Saint Catherines monastery on the Sinai peninsula that date back 1,500 years.

Monks originally wrote their texts down on parchments which were later scrubbed off and used to write the Bible by future generations who spoke in more modern languages.

Recommended Fighting addiction at a Thai monastery

But a new technique developed by researchers allows them to see the original text hidden from the naked eye in a development hailed as new golden age of discovery.

Researchers took photographs of the material using different parts of the light spectrum and put the electronic images through a computer algorithm.

The method allows them to see the first writing laid down on the parchments, which at the time were highly valuable, before they were re-used in later years.

It comes as the chances of finding further ancient documents in St Catherines monastery comes under threat by Muslim extremists, including Isis, who are known to destroy Christian sites.

The age of discovery is not over, Michael Phelps from the Early Manuscripts Electronic Library in California told The Times.

In the 20th century new manuscripts were discovered in caves. In the 21st century, we will apply new techniques to manuscripts that have been under our noses. We will recover lost voices from our history.

The site beneath the mountain where God is said to have revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses has collected thousands of manuscripts since it was built in the 6th century.

I dont know of any library in the world that parallels it, said Mr Phelps. The monastery is an institution from the Roman Empire that continues operating according to its original mission.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

He added that although the site stored ancient knowledge for future generations the practice by monks of re-using parchments meant they were also to blame for erasing it.

At some point the material the manuscript was on became more valuable than what was written on it, Mr Phelps said. So it was deemed worthy of being recycled.

But scientists are now busy digging out the original texts found in the recent trove of manuscripts discovered in St Catherines, which was announced by the Ministry of Antiquities in Cairo.

The find includes the first-known copy of the gospels in Arabic and the earliest examples of known works from the Greek physician Hippocrates.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

The Saudi-led military coalition operating in the Yemeni civil war has said that a bombing of the capital Sanaa that killed at least 14 civilians  including six children  was the result of a technical mistake.

The 25 August strike was accidental and unintentional and the authorities expressed sincere sympathy for the loss of civilian life, a statement from coalition spokesperson Colonel Turki al-Malki told Saudi state news agency SPA on Sunday.

Targeted Houthi rebels had set up a command and communications centre in the middle of this residential area to use civilians as human shields, he added.

 Michael Fallon claims Saudi Arabia is only 'defending itself' when attacking Yemen

Three families who lived in the targeted three-storey building in the Faj Attan neighbourhood of Sanaa lost loved ones in the overnight attack, which also destroyed several nearby houses.

The incident came just two days after the bombing of a hotel just outside the capital, which killed an estimated 45 people, many of whom were civilians, and over which the UN has called for an investigation and issued a sharp rebuke to Saudi Arabia and its military partners.

Riyadh and its allies have used Irans influence over Yemens Houthi rebels to justify an extensive bombing campaign since March 2015, carried out at the request of the exiled, internationally-recognised Yemeni president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

The campaign has been repeatedly criticised for causing an excessive loss of civilian life.

A report authored by several international aid agencies released earlier this month said Yemen suffered more air strikes in the first half of this year than in the whole of 2016, increasing the number of civilian deaths and forcing more people to flee their homes.

Western governments have also faced criticism for their role in the war: arms sold to Saudi Arabia are destined for use in the Yemeni war, rights groups say.

Officials within former US President Barack Obamas administration worried the sales could amount to complicity in war crimes.

Yemens conflict has left around 70 per cent of the 27-million strong population now reliant on some form of humanitarian aid. A total of 14.5 million people dont have regular access to clean water, 7.3 million live on the brink of famine and more than 500,000 people have been infected by the worst cholera outbreak in modern history.

Saudi blockades on Yemens ports and airspace have been blamed for adding to the misery by holding up desperately needed food, medicine and other supplies from entering the country.

Air strikes have on several occasions hit hospitals and other vital civilian infrastructure.

On Saturday, a coalition of civil society groups in Yemen called on the UN to establish an international independent and joint commission for investigating alleged human rights violations and abuses inside the country.
Sign up to Simon Calders free travel email for weekly expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calders Travel email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Simon Calders Travel email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

In a lakeside sauna in Finnish Lapland, I am learning about the local tradition of mokki. Sara Jantti, a seasoned sauna-goer, casually tosses more water on the fire, forcing the steam to rise. Through a small glass window, I can see the glassine lake cast in dusky pink hues by the midnight sun, which in this part of Finland, just south of the Arctic Circle, sets only briefly in June.

Everybody in Finland has a mokki, Sara explains. We go there for weekend escapes. Its a basic cottage, normally a few hours away, often without electricity, heating or television. You spend time listening to the radio, chopping wood and heating the sauna, which becomes the focus.

As I sit back and relax in the heat, I can certainly see the appeal. But perhaps not quite as much as the next Finnish tradition: kalsarikannit, which basically means cracking open a bottle at home alone and drinking it in your long johns.

The Danish concept of hygge has nothing on this, but the Finnish are not ones to brag about their culture. Reserved and stoical, with an appreciation of dry humour, they prefer to keep things discreet. This year, however, the country will break away from its default shy-and-retiring position as it celebrates 100 years since Finnish independence, marking the occasion when the country claimed sovereignty from Russia, during the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

After much fanfare about Denmarks food and Nordic noirs in recent years, its now Finlands turn to take the spotlight. And, fittingly for a country that created forest schools, where outdoor pursuits are championed from an early age, the headline centennial event this year is the opening of a new national park, Hossa.

This 27,000-acre patch of wilderness started as an age-old hunting ground for the indigenous Sami people, who named it Hossa, meaning a place far away. In 1979, it became an official hiking area, but in June its status was cemented when it was inaugurated as Finlands 40th national park.

When the sun goes down, the Finns cosy up with a drink (Laura Holt)

After my sauna and cosy night at Martinselkosen Erakeskus, a collection of family run cabins in the Kainuu wilderness area, its time to head north. On a map, Finland is said to resemble a woman with one arm raised defiantly into Sweden and Norway and a billowing skirt flowing out into the Baltic Sea. Midway down the country, close to the eastern border with Russia, Hossa stands at Finlands very heart, a maze of interconnected lakes and pristine forests which have long given locals space to reconnect with nature.

Rows of pine, spruce and birch trees whisper the first signs of summer as I drive in, though snow still cloaks the roadsides and ice lingers on the lakes. It gives some indication of the park in winter, when it opens up as a playground for husky sledding, snowmobiling and ice fishing.

Today, though, the skies are blue and cloudless, perfect for summers arrival of hikers, bikers and campers. Outdoor activities form the backbone of Hossas appeal, so I head off with Jani Maatta, the owner of Martinselkosen Erakeskus, on a fat-biking tour. These specially adapted mountain bikes come with extra-thick tyres that can be used even in deep snow. We weave our way through one of Hossas newly waymarked trails, opting for an easy 10km route, which takes us over wild lingonberry and crowberry bushes, past trees laden with lichen. Navigating the fat tyres through the narrow tracks takes some getting used to, but eventually we reach a clearing, where a flock of black-throated divers bob on a lake.

Hossa national park offers plentiful outdoor pursuits such as canoeing (Laura Holt)

Hossa is a birders paradise, with greater-spotted woodpeckers and golden eagles both common sightings, as well as capercaillie, whose males use the forests for an elaborate courting display, known as lekking. For those interested in larger creatures, there are moose, wolves and brown bears.

Reindeer are also abundant, all of which are owned and rounded up twice a year by herders. Some, such as the Hossa Reindeer Park, have developed a sideline in tourism, inviting visitors to learn about farm life or have dinner. The farms traditional Lappish hut, illuminated by candles and lit by open fires, is very welcome after a day outdoors.

Many of the parks activities gravitate towards its tangled network of lakes and rivers, which once formed trading routes between Finland and Russia. On the shores of Hossanjarvi lake, I make my first foray into stand-up paddle boarding. After some initial shakiness, it proves blissful and serene, the surrounding pine trees mirrored in the lakes crystalline surface. I also join Finlands answer to Bear Grylls, Janne Autere, for an afternoon of exhale-inducing canoeing, gliding over Hossas waters while his white-coated husky Pena waits patiently by the shore.

Fat biking is a popular activity (Laura Holt)

I save the parks key attraction until last, visiting Varikallio with local nature guide Saija Taivalmaki, who specialises in wilderness walks and forest yoga. After limbering up amid the trees, we emerge at Finlands most northerly pre-historic rock paintings, which date back some 3,500-4,500 years to the Stone Age, to cast our eyes over a reddened depiction of ancient hunting and shamanic rituals. When Varikallio was discovered in 1977, a local hermit took it upon himself to smear the paintings with tar, fearing the fuss that too much publicity would bring. Luckily, they were saved, and Finlands days of hiding its light under a bushel seem to be over. With the centenary on the horizon and a new national park to shout about, this wild-at-heart nation is poised for a moment. Time to dig out the long johns.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Finnair (finnair.com) flies to Helsinki from Heathrow and Manchester and connects to Hossa via flights to Kajaani in the south and Kuusamo in the north. Norwegian (norwegian.com) also serves Helsinki from Gatwick; BA (ba.com) flies from Heathrow.

Staying there

Martinselkosen Erakeskus (martinselkonen.fi) has doubles from 70 (65). Fat-biking from 15.

Hossan Lomakeskus (hossanlomakeskus.com) has new lakeside chalets from 85.

Hossan Limo (hossanlumo.fi) has camping pitches and cottages from 14-35.

More information

Jooga Taival (joogataival.fi) offers forest yoga and wilderness walks from 65.

Lazydog SUP (lazydogsup.fi) runs stand-up paddle boarding from 50.

Hikesn Trails (hikesntrails.com) offers canoeing and kayaking from 95.

Hossa Reindeer Park (hossanporopuisto.fi) lays on three-course dinners from 34.

hossa.fi

suomifinland100.fi

visitfinland.com
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Brexit and beyond email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Emmanuel Macron hosts his German, Spanish and Italian counterparts in Paris on Monday after a morale-boosting few weeks for the EU. Both the political and economic news for the continent has improved driving up the Euro this week to eight year highs against the pound.

Following the failure of far-right populists to win key electoral contests in France and the Netherlands, leaders sense that the current Eurosceptic wave may have reached its peak. This political fillip has been reinforced by stronger economic data too. After several years of slow growth, the Eurozone economies are performing better.

While only time will reveal if the tide is truly turning beyond the immediate-term, the victories of liberal, centrists Emmanuel Macron in France, and Mark Rutte in the Netherlands, is a significant change in fortunes for those forces championing European unity and integration across the continent. It was Macrons victory that proved most decisive here given the potentially existential threat to the EU project that the election of anti-Brussels National Front leader Marine Le Pen would have signalled.

 Brexit Secretary: UK wants temporary EU customs deal

That these political and economic developments have, collectively, changed sentiment is shown by Italys Europe Minister Sandro Gozi. She remarked recently that we now have a possibility of launching a new phasewe have to make the best of Brexit negotiations, we have to limit the damageon the other hand it is essential that there will be a parallel process of relaunch and deepening of European integration.

The contrast here with the mood music of key European leaders from only a few months ago is striking. For instance, European Council President Donald Tusk said in February that the threats facing the EU were then more dangerous than ever. He identified three key challenges which have previously not occurred, at least not on such a scale that the EU must tackle.

The first two dangers related to the rise of anti-EU, nationalist sentiment across the continent, plus the state of mind of pro-European elites which Tusk then feared was too subservient to populist arguments as well as doubting in the fundamental values of liberal democracy. At that stage, it was feared by some not only that Le Pen could pull off an upset victory, but also that the anti-establishment conservative Freedom Party, led by so-called Dutch Trump Geert Wilders, could top the poll in the Netherlands.

While the salience of these two issues has subsided, perhaps only temporarily, the third threat cited by Tusk remains. That is what he called the new geopolitical reality that has witnessed an increasing assertive Russia and China, and instability in the Middle East and Africa which has driven the migration crisis impacting Europe. And intensifying this is uncertainty from Washington with Donald Trump openly calling for more Brexits across the continent.

Nevertheless, numerous European leaders believe recent economic and political news has brought in at least a temporary respite and potentially a window of opportunity to move forward with a new agenda. And leaders from Macron to Angela Merkel believe that a key item is how best to improve the internal and external security of Europe, while enhancing the socio-economic welfare of citizens through a jobs, growth and competitiveness agenda.

Brexit: the deciders Show all 8 1 /8 Brexit: the deciders Brexit: the deciders European Union's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier Getty Brexit: the deciders French President Emmanuel Macron Getty Brexit: the deciders German Chancellor Angela Merkel Reuters Brexit: the deciders Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker EPA Brexit: the deciders The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt Getty Brexit: the deciders Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May Getty Images Brexit: the deciders Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Hammond PA Brexit: the deciders After the first and second appointed Brexit secretaries resigned (David Davis and Dominic Raab respectively), Stephen Barclay is currently heading up the position PA

Here there is growing consensus around what several European leaders have called a new, Twenty First Century European security pact comprising measures to enhance security and border protection; and greater EU intelligence cooperation to emphasise the resilience of the EU project. Indeed, given current disagreements within Europe on the wisdom of wider integration initiatives, including in the economics area, security issues are one of the few areas where there is significant consensus across the member states and Brussels on the continents best way forward.

Impetus for movement forward on this security agenda has been provided by recent terrorist attacks, the ongoing migration crisis, and the launch last year by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, of a new global strategy on foreign and security policy, the first such European document since 2003. Reflecting this, Tusk has asserted that people expect that the EU...will again be a guarantor of stability, security and protection.

Moreover, on a related theme, Brussels also now senses a potential window of opportunity to push forward a proposed European Defence Action Plan that advocates greater military cooperation between the EU member states. This is being driven, in part, by the new geopolitical reality cited by Tusk that includes Russian assertiveness post-Crimea; plus the threat of Trump to scale down the US security commitment to Nato, and his campaign rhetoric that Washington should not defend European allies that are perceived not to be paying their fair share of contributions to the military alliance. And Brexit too could now also eliminate a longstanding obstacle to greater European cooperation in this area given that successive UK governments have been opposed to deeper defence integration at the EU level.

One signal of potential direction of travel came last year when European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker asserted the EU needs its own army, a proposal welcomed by German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen, so Europe can react more credibly to the threat to peace in a member state or in a neighbouring state. While such a force is at best a longer-term aspiration, however, the European Defence Action Plan has a goal of reversing around a decade of defence spending cuts by EU states, totalling more than 10 per cent in real terms.

Taken overall, a growing number of European leaders sense that the Eurosceptic wave may now have passed its peak and that at least a temporary window of opportunity may now exist to move forward with a new integration agenda. Decisions taken in coming months will help define the longer-term political and economic character of the EU in the face of the continuing threats still facing the continent.

Andrew Hammond is an Associate at LSE IDEAS at the London School of Economics
Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

View from Westminster email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

Images of Americas fourth largest city under several feet of water are a reminder that not even the richest country on Earth is immune to the effects of extreme weather. Nearly half a million of Houstons residents have been directly affected, with at least 30,000 of those in need of emergency accommodation. A handful have died in the rising floods. The cost of clearing up the mess will be immense.

Whenever natural disasters strike, wherever they may occur, their impact on real people is grim and lasting. The flooding this weekend in Texas is of a magnitude that America has not witnessed since Hurricane Katrina left a trail of destruction in its wake, most notably in New Orleans. The failure of flood defences on that occasion resulted in over 100 lives being lost. There may be fewer fatalities this time but many people will find the road to recovery a difficult one.

Plainly, it is difficult to predict with precision the exact amount of rainfall that a storm of this kind will deposit. Nevertheless, Hurricane Harvey was widely forecast to be at least the match of any of its predecessors and in that regard the apparent inability of Houstons authorities to cope with the consequences is a matter that will require close examination.

Questions are already being asked about the advice to residents of the city to take shelter in their own homes, rather than to evacuate to places of safety. Many who did so were unable to escape by the time the full extent of the flooding started to become apparent  at least 2,000 have had to be plucked to safety by emergency services. Boat owners are being asked to assist official rescuers. On Sunday, 3,000 national and state guard troops were mobilised to help with relief and rescue efforts.

Houstons mayor, Sylvester Turner, said he had no regrets about deciding against an evacuation order  and he rightly pointed out that such an undertaking in a city of 6.6 million people would be nigh on impossible anyway. Still, the outcome has been that the state authorities simply do not have the resources to respond with requisite speed to every emergency call they receive: that has led to anger among those residents in need of help.

President Trump indicated earlier in the weekend that he would visit the affected area on Tuesday, although with rain still falling it remains to be seen where he will reach landfall. He will need to bring with him more than bombastic platitudes: Texans want hard promises of federal aid and will want those promises swiftly realised. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has already made plain that he expects his organisation to be working in Houston and its environs for years to come, which speaks volumes about the scale of the disaster.

Of course, the President is the worlds most influential climate-change sceptic and it will be interesting to see if his view is blown off course by what he sees in Texas. Hurricanes are nothing new but the US has seen two of its worst storms ever in a little over a decade. And it is such extreme weather events which are  to those who believe  the hallmark of climatic change. Trump is fond of building walls, but weather of this sort tends to find a way through.

All that is to follow. For now, it is imperative that Texas receives the money and resources from central government it needs to rehouse the homeless, feed and clothe the needy, and begin the big clear-up. But even before that, Houston needs a break in the rain. Until then, its problem remains.
Texas suffers under the worst tropical storm in decades (Marie D De Jesus/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

An Irish teenager who captured hearts in a fundraising drive for specialist cancer treatment in the US has become stranded by Hurricane Harvey.

Shauntelle Tynan has been holding out for an airlift or water rescue in Houston, Texas, as she needs a blood transfusion to cope with the side-effects of her last round of intensive chemotherapy.

The 19-year-old is with her mother Leona and a grandmother four floors up on the top of the apartment complex as the state suffers under the worst tropical storm in decades.

The building is surrounded by at least five feet of water and more catastrophic flooding is being forecast to overwhelm more of the city of Houston.

Ms Tynan's mother said: "We are in a situation now where we need to get her to the hospital and we don't know how we are going to do that."

She was diagnosed nearly two years ago with a rare form of multi-system Histiocytosis X/Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).

Since her diagnosis the cancer has spread to her gastrointestinal system, colon and skin.

The teenager set a record for the most successful appeal for money for cancer treatment earlier this year after online posts went viral.

She raised more than 700,000 euro (594,000) to allow her family to cover at least a year's potentially life-saving care in Houston.

Ms Tynan, from Co Carlow in the Irish Republic, has been told by her Texas-based doctor that her chances of recovery depended on how long she could spend in the US.

Her mother told Today with Sean O'Rourke on RTE Radio that her condition deteriorated last Thursday and Friday but once they had decided to move the weather had become too bad.

She is suffering infection and fever.

"By the time we decided we should go in early, we were in a situation where we couldn't get out. And nobody could get in," the mother said.

The apartment complex is being battered by incessant rain and tornado warnings are repeatedly being issued.

"We have got an email from our apartment complex that they're expecting a lot more water to enter the building today and in the coming hours we could be without power," the mother said.

The family phoned 911 three times after being in touch with the hospital.

It is understood they are on a waiting list to be rescued with thousands of other people in Houston stranded by unprecedented floods.

Mrs Tynan said her 11-year-old son Stephen and six-year-old daughter Sophie are also holed up in the apartment.

They thought the worst of the storm would pass by Monday night.

"When we lose power - and we could be without power for four to five days - we have no idea what we're going to do with them or how we are going to survive if we can't get out and people can't get in," she said.

"We were really told that we should be over the storm by Monday evening. That's not the case."

Schools have been closed until September 5.

"We have enough water for another few days. We got enough supplies to last us through for a few days," Mrs Tynan said.
Solicitor and property developer Noel Smyth has submitted plans for a nine-storey hotel in Dublin city centre.

His company, Fitzwilliam Real Estate Properties, plans to demolish several building on Liffey Street and Middle Abbey Street on the north side of the city.

Motel One, a leading budget hotel chain in Europe, would be the operator of the 365-room hotel. The chain provides high quality and affordable hotel accommodation. It operates 57 hotels with more than 15,000 bedrooms in cities such as London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Brussels, Prague, Vienna and Zurich. It offers a flat rate all year around.

According to documents submitted to Dublin City Council last week, there will also be a retail element to the development.

Alannah Smyth, Director of Fitzwilliam Real Estate Properties said: "This proposed development would ensure the regeneration of an underutilised brownfield urban site in the heart of the city, in an area which has suffered from dereliction.

"It will be operated by a company that operates several hotel developments across Europe and internationally and will comprise a high-quality design." She said that footfall in the area would increase significantly as a result.

Stefan Lenze, Motel One's head of development said: "We would love to open our first hotel in Dublin soon. It is one of the most exciting cities in Europe and this is the perfect location for our brand."

Smyth has been involved in the Middle Abbey Street area for some time, having won control of Arnotts, which opens out on to both Middle Abbey Street and Henry Street, in 2015. The business was later bought outright by Selfridges which also owns Brown Thomas in Dublin.

In recent weeks, a section of Arnotts known as the Blue Building has been blocked off. It was not part of the store's original footprint and is now being developed by Smyth.
Farmers and landowners across some border counties, in the Republic and the North, are considering strong-arm tactics to block a huge electricity scheme.

They are furious over a recent Dublin High Court ruling which approved plans for the scheme, after it was challenged by the North East Anti-pylon Campaign Committee.

Locals labelled the decision to refuse an objection against the construction of the electricity connector as "outrageous".

Farmers are claiming the pylons, with overhead power lines, proposed by EirGrid, would pose a huge environmental threat, and present other problems as well as causing devaluation to their property.

While the recent decision by the High Court to reject a challenge by the North East group, against An Bord Pleanalas decision to provide planning permission for the 380m overhead North-South scheme, is to be appealed, it has now emerged that several landowners in counties Meath, Monaghan, and Cavan have held private talks aimed at disrupting the scheme and preventing it from going ahead.

It is understood they are planning to act independently, and are not connected to any political organisation or group, although it is believed they may have the support of some 'militant' Irish Farmers Association members in the region.

The landowners have already declared they are not opposed to the scheme, but are demanding that the power lines should go underground.

Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy has declared his support for the opposition to the erection of the pylons and overhead power-lines.

He said he felt the North South Interconnector cannot proceed unless it is underground, and he added he was not in favour of the High Court court ruling.

The North-South Interconnector is a project of significant importance for the whole island and its energy market. However, it will never go ahead unless it is underground.

Communities across Cavan, Monaghan, Meath, Armagh, and Tyrone, have fought the plan to overground this project for a decade, and they will not give up now.

Since this project was first mentioned, the costs of undergrounding the project have fallen dramatically to the point where it is arguably more efficient that constructing massive pylons while the technology that would allow undergrounding has been hugely advanced.

Next month I will be hosting a delegation from all the counties involved in the anti-pylon campaign, including elected representatives and energy experts, to visit the Aachen-Liege project, which runs between Germany and Belgium.

This project is comparable in many ways to the proposed EirGrid line but it is underground.

He also said that the Government needs to understand how fiercely opposed local landowners and communities are to the project, as it currently stands, and their resolve to resist it.
It's the middle of our harvest and apart from the usual discussions about yield and quality, I also find myself discussing another issue, that may be badly affecting grain farmers - imports of lower quality grain.

I have heard several reports about lower grade imports coming into the grain market.

As a sector we don't produce enough grain for the feed industry so we need to import. I don't have a problem with that. I do, however, have a problem if merchants are importing lower grade grain which pushes down the price of higher quality home grown grain.

Farmers have led the field in our agri food industry. Our Department of Agriculture and other statutory bodies are leading the way in traceability and transparency.

They detected the horse meat in beef products long before many other countries.

The 'farm to fork' policy is not only a positive one for the consumer; it also gives farmers the support of a heavily scrutinised system.

This scrutiny is important to create a benchmark for quality. This has also led to a healthy food industry that can follow ingredients right back to the source.

The majority of farmers in Ireland are in assurance schemes. Grain farmers do not receive any financial bonus for joining the scheme, but a majority are members as most buyers look for this standard when buying.

So I have a few questions. Is the Department checking the standard of all grain imports? Is the IFA checking the imports? If not, why not? If we in Ireland, have to grow a crop to rigorous standards, surely imports should be held to these standards?

If not, I believe the real losers in this scenario could be the farmers that are buying grain for feed. Are they testing the quality of grain in the rations and feed mixes? I doubt it. If they buy a premium feed they expect a premium grain to be used.

Winter barley and wheat

Meanwhile, back in the fields the winter barley is finished and averaged slightly over 4 mt per acre, which we were happy with.

It was cut at low moistures of 13-16pc and this is a great help when it comes to drying and storing it. The oilseed rape was also cut at low moistures of 6-11pc and averaged at just over the 2 mt per acre.

We struggled to get the oilseed rape up from the tram lines and into the header, as they were bent over so far.

I wonder would our yield be slightly better if we included all the losses from that. It looked well and very clean compared to other years.

I think cutting it at such low moistures meant that the combine could trash it better than it normally does.

The winter wheat crop looks very mixed with some much larger seed than others. Hopefully we can get these in with low moistures too. However the recent heavy rain is making that a real challenge.

The JB Diego in continuous fields was cut first at 16-18pc moisture and did just over the 4 mt per acre.

We have heard reports in our area that JB Diego hasn't done as well as other years. Some of the newer varieties like Garrus and Costello have done far better. We haven't cut our Costello yet so it will be interesting to see what the difference is.

The stop start nature of this years harvest is making it more difficult for anyone waiting for a contractor. The price of straw seemed to have calmed down and then took another jump. I have heard anything from 12-18 for a 4x4 round bale leaving the field.

Philip and Helen Harris are tillage farmers in Co Kildare. Follow them on Twitter: P&H Harris @kildarefarmer
What's more gruelling - a 12-hour round trip from Dublin to New York, with just two nights in Manhattan, or an overnight in Italy, with under five hours' total flying time?

I did both in the space of a week on business, and the contrast was startling. Pre-clearance in T2 was a five-minute affair of fingers and thumbs on the scanner, then arrival into a domestic terminal in Newark Airport, and fast passport lines on arrival home.

Meanwhile, a quick turnaround to Trieste, the elegant and largely unvisited former home of James Joyce, revealed just how true those complaints of long summer lines around Europe are.

Tiny Treviso, a secondary airport for the Venice area, is a breeze to arrive into, but flying back out is a different matter. Chaotic, with massive queues for security, it's a nightmarish vision for departing passengers - and made worse by the fact that it's in Italy, a country where queue-skipping is an Olympic sport. Treviso is a place so bad that passengers with soon-to-depart flights are directed to longer lines, while the security personnel alternate between charming and rudely inefficient.

A popular choice with Irish business and leisure passengers, it handled just under 287,000 passengers in June - up 24pc on last year - but, to me, it looks woefully ill-equipped to handle crowds.

It's hugely reliant on Ryanair, and the irony is that the frequently unloved carrier is actually getting better. Much better. Despite the pushing of scratch cards and the grim tootle at the end for on-time flights, it's efficient and, yes, friendlier. The baggage Gestapo are nowhere to be seen, and Ryanair's latest Boeing 737-800s, despite their wafer-thin new seats, are bright, comfortable and even offer a welcome touch of legroom.

Whatever about Treviso, a small fish in a small pond, the passport queues at Dublin's T1 arrivals are as bad as has been made out on social media of late. Long lines way beyond the passport hall into the walkways beyond aren't the nicest of welcomes - and it's baffling that despite having a decent number (half-dozen plus) of passport officers, keeping EU and non-EU passport together in an initial, snaking queue is nuts.

So strangely, despite the awful west-east return jetlag, New York is a doddle compared to a trip to a fellow EU nation.

n Speaking of New York, I caught up with veteran Irish hotelier, John Fitzpatrick, who's celebrating a quarter-century in business on Lexington Avenue.

Fitzpatrick and his association of New York hoteliers have survived the worst of times - 9/11, the economic crash, Trump in power - but there's an unwelcome game-changer in town: Airbnb.

Fitzpatrick and co argue that while all hoteliers are tightly regulated on fire safety and standards, and pay a whack in rates, it's not a level playing field with the online operators. Small-time room-letters aren't the problem, he says, rather it's entire condo blocks being used as hotels in all but name, and without the same rules and regulations to force down their bottom line.

And while Irish business travellers might welcome that kind of competition, Fitzpatrick argues that the Big Apple has added plenty of new hotel stock in recent years, pushing down prices. So much so that he says his own price comparisons have revealed that under-supplied Dublin has often been more expensive for overnight stays than similar hotels in Manhattan this year.

n Midwestern businesses were left out of sorts recently with the announcement that United Airlines would be suspending its Shannon-Newark service during the winter. But it's better news for connectivity on the western seaboard this week, with American Airlines to expand its service to Philadelphia next year. More than 38,000 passengers use the daily Boeing 757 service each year, and capacity on the route is to jump by 18pc.

n Meanwhile, American Airlines has warned passengers at Dublin that it's now closing its check-in counters 75 minutes before flight departure times. The move is designed to give intending passengers enough time to get through security and pre-clearance in time for boarding at Europe's fifth-biggest gateway to North America.

n It's still a waiting game for that much talked-of direct route from Ireland to China. Suggested frontrunner Hainan Airlines hasn't included Dublin in its plans to open six international routes despite reports of ongoing talks. Getting the go-ahead first are Shanghai-Tel Aviv, Beijing-Prague-Belgrade, Shenzhen-Brisbane, Chongqing-JFK, Chengdu-JFK and Shanghai to Brussels.
Up to 70 Central Bank staff members are on secondment at any one time to international bodies, such as the European Central Bank.

The regulator is looking for a relocation specialist to provide assistance to staff taking up or returning from temporary transfers at the institutions, which can also include the European Banking Authority, the European Securities and Markets Authority, the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, as well as those taking up or returning to their own country from a secondment in Dublin.

"The Central Bank of Ireland attaches great importance to both inward and outward secondment and is committed to supporting mobility within the Eurosystem," the bank said in a tender document. "At any time, there can be up to 70 individuals on secondment to the European Central Bank, other national central banks or relevant international institutions."

The figure is roughly equivalent to 4pc of the Central Bank's near 1,800 headcount. The Central Bank said it was also committed to supporting incoming employees.

"In some circumstances, incoming individuals may need to relocate to Ireland from overseas to assume their new role. The Central Bank provides appropriate relocation assistance."
'The report noted that retail sales growth slowed to 3pc in the first half of this year.' (Stock image)

Almost all retail sectors are enjoying strong sales growth, but for most this is coming at the expense of discounted prices, a report claims.

Bars are an exception, however, with both volume sales and average prices rising, according to the study from Savills.

"While sales volumes are up by one third since January 2013, deflation has been a consistent theme across Irish retail for nearly five years," said John McCartney, director of research at Savills Ireland.

"In fact, in eight out of 10 sectors where prices are falling, the extent of discounting has deepened over the last 24 months. One reason is an ongoing compositional shift in the Irish retail landscape towards mid-market and value offerings such as Penneys and the discount supermarkets.

"It also reflects lower input costs for retailers due to lower oil prices since mid-2013 and, more recently, weak sterling."

The report noted that retail sales growth slowed to 3pc in the first half of this year. "However, this slowdown was almost entirely due to a leakage of motor sales to the UK, with consumers taking advantage of the more favourable EUR/GBP exchange rate," it noted.

Furniture stores continue to enjoy the most rapid growth in volume sales. This, the report said, reflects improved disposable incomes, a strong trend in household formations, sharply rising house prices and the introduction of the Government-sponsored Home Renovation Incentive - the latter of which has encouraged people to invest more in their homes.

Overall, the Savills report said the outlook is positive.

"Despite some external headwinds, we are continuing to see international brands enter Ireland with more waiting in the wings."
Kiltyclogher in Co Leitrim  the birthplace of Sean Mac Diarmada, one of the seven signatories of the 1916 Proclamation of Irish independence  recently started a campaign to attract new residents

Amid soaring property prices and rents that are once again skewing the cost of living in urban centres, there's always the option of moving to the country where things seem considerably cheaper.

So instead of despairing at not being able to find a three-bed home in Dublin city for less than 400,000, or one to rent for less than 1,500 a month, you could move to an area where such a property could be bought for less than 100,000 or rented for less than a 100 a week.

In other words, perhaps a place like Kiltyclogher, Co Leitrim, a picturesque rural village with a population of 233 that recently started a campaign to attract new residents. The central purpose behind the KiltyLive campaign is to help prevent the loss of one of the two teachers at the local school, which has just 14 pupils registered for the coming year.

But while it's too early to say how successful the campaign will be, it could well spark off some serious thinking among those who, for whatever reason, are finding the financial pressures of city life just a bit much.

However, it can be difficult to find reliable data comparing the cost of living in urban vs rural areas. The CSO used to release figures comparing the cost of grocery shopping in Dublin vs outside Dublin, but this was stopped in 2009.

Property

At least as far as property prices and rents are concerned, there's no argument. According to figures from the monthly rental report of property website Daft.ie, the average mortgage repayment on a three-bed property in Co Leitrim during the first three months of this year was 310 a month compared with 2,015 for South Co Dublin.

In Co Kerry, a mortgage on a three-bed is averaging 446 while they can expect an average rental yield of 638. In Waterford city and county, three-bed homeowners pay an average of 515, while they could rent it out for between 680 and 764 a month.

It's only when you survey Ireland's fifth-largest city - Galway - that average rents start to hit the 1,000 mark, while the monthly mortgage on a three-bed will be around 830. Even the rebel city can't compete with the average rental yields or property prices in any part of Dublin city and county.

However, transport costs may well eat into some of the savings made by buying or renting outside the Pale. Decent public transport will be lacking in many regional towns, meaning a greater reliance on cars to get around. Many rural dwellers with school-going kids may not be able to benefit from the State's School Bus scheme because they are not close to any of the pick-up points.

On the plus side, you can still find some of the cheapest petrol stations in places like Dundalk, Waterford and Tralee, according to Pumps.ie, which lists the cheapest stations around the country. And car insurance is likely to be cheaper if you live in a rural area in Co Donegal or Cork, according to a survey by this newspaper a few years back.

But it's no surprise to find that childcare is cheaper outside Dublin, according to the CSO, which released figures last month showing that the average weekly cost of pre-school childcare in July to September last year was 150 in Dublin compared with 83 in the south-east and the mid-west regions. The national average cost per week is 118. Dublin also figured as the most expensive for non-parental childcare for pre-schoolers at 4.90 per hour compared with 3.50 for the mid-west and south-east.

In terms of utilities, rural dwellers can expect to pay as much as 54 a year more in electricity standing charges than their urban counterparts. Energia, for instance, charges rural customers with nightsaver meters 251.88 in standing charges, compared with 197.99 for urban-based dwellers.

Read More

Subjective

But, of course, what constitutes value depends on who you ask, so all this data may only provide part of the picture for those looking for the cheapest places to live in Ireland. One website that has been collecting ratings and comments since 2009 about the cost of living in different parts of the country is Likeplace.ie.

Run by brothers Shane and Ronan Difily, it has a ranking of the cheapest to the most expensive places to live based on submissions from its users. Number one on the list is Letterkenny, Co Donegal, with a score of 3.4 out of five. "The higher the score the happier people are," said Shane. In other words, low costs equates to higher happiness and a high score, he adds.

Also in the top 10 for cost of living are Tuam, Dundalk, Youghal, Longford town, Carlingford, Bray, Schull, and Tralee. Not surprisingly, the place with the highest cost of living is Dublin city at 2.9 out of five, but there are quite a few urban places that rank quite highly.

"There is a good mix of rural-vs-urban in-between. In general though, you'll see that the spread is now very wide. All these scores come in at between 2.9 to 3.4-out-of-five," said Shane.

While these user ratings are entirely subjective (there are other ratings for things like law and order, sense of community, local services, and schools), the widening chasm in the cost of housing between and Dublin and almost everywhere else remains undoubtedly the biggest single factor that is prompting many a worker to up sticks to the country.

Unaffordable

Tralee man Shaun O'Shea used to live and work in Dublin before returning to live in his home town a few years ago, where he now heads up the local office of Sigmar Recruitment. Part of his motivation for moving home was the extent to which house prices and rents in Dublin were becoming unaffordable.

"A friend of mine bought a one-bed apartment in Dublin for 400k, but that would buy you sea views, and five bedrooms on an acre of land in Tralee."

While smaller towns like Tralee won't attract the numbers of regional urban centres like Waterford and Galway, it is definitely seeing an influx. "Up until 12 months ago, you wouldn't have been working in areas like Tralee or Waterford unless you're from that area. They don't have a natural pull but in the last year that has changed."

He says at least part of this is down to the growth in numbers of workers - many of them IT contractors - who are choosing to telecommute or become remote workers. One indication of this is the recently opening of a new shared office space with both one-person offices and a series of hot desks called HQ Tralee.

Lots of people living in Dublin are looking to return to places where they grew up," said O'Shea.

"With salaries, definitely in areas like IT, engineering and sales and marketing, there's not that much of a drop."

According to Sigmar Recruitment's salary guide, a Java software developer with three-five years' experience can expect to earn between 40,000 and 60,000 in Dublin, compared with 35,000 to 50,000 in the rest of the country. There seems little difference per region in the grades for sought-after jobs like a building site engineer, while a sales manager might only expect to earn a 5-10,000 premium in earnings if he or she is based in Dublin.

But while swapping Kilmainham for Kiltyclogher might be a step too far for most of us, it is hoped that the new National Planning Framework will be more successful than the National Spatial Strategy in encouraging more Dublin-based families to consider migrating to other cities and regional towns.
If your game is technology, it seems to me that these days you can nod off after a nice lunch and before you get your thoughts together again, your world could have changed. That certainly has been the case with the company we once knew as Philips of Eindhoven.

At any time since the 1930s, Philips was the ever-present name on the shelves of the electronics stores. It was the company that invented fluorescent tubular lighting, which brightened our lives; it gave us the Philishave, the product that kept Europe beardless until recently. It was also the first with audio cassettes and as the name suggests it was responsible for Philips Records, whose first big hit was the immortal Frankie Laine's 'I Believe'. But having made such an outstanding contribution to popular culture, it has now divested itself of its electronics empire and has refocused on healthcare technology.

It is still a significant company. Even in its current slimmed down form it boasts a market capitalisation of 30bn with production plants around the globe, service outlets in 100 countries, and holds 54,000 patents, 39,000 trademarks and 4,400 domain names.

The Dutch company earned its iconic status in its remarkable century-and-a-quarter of existence. You lose count of its breakthrough products. It even got lucky with a tip-off that the Germans were about to invade the Netherlands and spirited its senior family management to America and secured the business from the Dutch Antilles during WWII.

Back in Eindhoven post-war, the group concentrated on brown and white goods. For a period it dominated the European white goods market, but following intense competition from Italian companies it threw in the towel, selling to the US concern Whirlpool in 1991. Three years later it offloaded its semiconductor business NXP and by the end of the century it also exited the record business (a business that produced the work of great artists like The Singing Nun, and Val Doonican).

Its retreat from the brown goods business was long and tortuous.

Its dominance had been challenged by the Japanese with brands like Sony, Sanyo and Panasonic only to be replaced by the Korean's Samsung and LG. Philips, in the face of depleted margins, finally gave up the ghost in 2012.

To show that business has little sentiment, in the middle of last year its lighting business was listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, so ending its long history as a light bulb producer. After the stock exchange listing it retained 70pc of the stock of Philips Lighting (which it intends reducing) and continues to consolidate its results in the group accounts.

To complete its exit from the electrical business, it sold 80pc of its US-based car lighting business to a private equity group, Apollo. The deal worth $2bn (1.7bn) was at a 40pc discount to a Chinese bid that was blocked by US authorities.

Last year was a defining moment for Philips as it completed its de-conglomeration and transformed itself into a focused leader in the healthcare sector.

This pleased investors, driving up its share price to 33, the highest in the last five years. However, its price earnings multiple is an elevated 27. Sales last year were 24.5bn, of which its healthcare portfolio contributed 17bn, up 5pc on the year, with profitability increasing significantly.

Philips management has been working hard to address its legacy liabilities of pensions, contingent liabilities and is buying back expensive debt. Today it has a strong balance sheet and surplus cash which could be used to buy back its shares.

The group's recent acquisition of Volcano has been a success, although some are warning that the current high valuations of targets could be an issue, but the share is worth having.

It is rumoured that the aggressive activist shareholder Third Point, run by Daniel Loeb, is buying Philips shares.

The size of the stake is unknown, but if the gossip has any foundation, expect some bellowing at the gates of Philips' headquarters in Amsterdam.

Nothing in this section should be taken as a recommendation, either explicit or implicit to buy any of the shares mentioned.
US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen with Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, at the Jackson Hole economic symposium in Wyoming on Friday (Bloomberg)

Mario Draghi's appearance alongside Janet Yellen and Haruhiko Kuroda last week at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, would make a great photo for the history books. It may be the trio's last Fed retreat together.

The guessing game on Fed leadership has received plenty of attention, but less explored has been succession at the European Central Bank (ECB). For now Europe's eyes are on Brexit negotiations and on Germany's election next month.

Some time after that race, attention will begin to turn to the selection of Mr Draghi's successor as the central bank's president.

Rightly so, given that the ECB and the 19 countries sharing the euro are such a vital part of the global economy.

As the IMF noted in updated forecasts last month, the world expansion is on increasingly firmer ground thanks to the contribution from - among others - the euro region.

With the ECB likely to soon start winding back its huge stimulus, decisions announced in Frankfurt's euro tower have enormous consequence for capital markets.

If, as expected, Angela Merkel wins re-election in Germany, a slew of top EU positions will come increasingly into play, culminating in the presidency of the ECB.

The monetary chalice has been out of reach for Berlin for reasons that have little to do with merit. Since the world wars, there has been a taboo in Europe against giving that sort of power to Germany. That's a pity, and it's surely time to reconsider that taboo. The Eurozone might not have survived without the commitment of Mrs Merkel and the German political class.

Mr Draghi, an Italian, is not eligible to serve again after his eight-year term, which ends in late 2019. If you think that's a long way off, think again.

Top jobs tend to be settled by European leaders, mostly on the basis of diplomatic horse trading, quite some time in advance. By this time next year, we may well have a sense who will lead the euro into its third decade.

The ECB president is nominally selected by a vote of the European Council. In practice, it's by a majority of the subgroup that uses the euro. Ducks are lined up in advance through a mix of consensus and trading of top EU jobs.

The front-runners are seen to be Jens Weidmann, president of the German Bundesbank, and Francois Villeroy de Galhau of the Bank of France. France and Germany are the two biggest economies in the region, so that should be easy, right?

Far from it. Germany's partners have traditionally been squeamish about giving it too much influence, especially because the central bank is already headquartered in Frankfurt and was developed to resemble the Bundesbank.

That counts against Weidmann. But France had its turn recently; Draghi's predecessor was Jean-Claude Trichet. That will count against Villeroy.

Politics will never be far away, and regional compromise has been key to post-1945 Europe's success. That said, the EU should keep its eye on the future, not the past.

The biggest single factor shaping the selection of the ECB's next president should be merit. ( Bloomberg)
'The day I left drama school," Pandora McCormick says, "my tutor called me over, and I thought, 'Here we go! He's going to say it!' And he looked at me and he said, 'You'll get work'. I was devastated! I was thinking, 'Excuse me, I'm going to be a star, baby!'" She laughs, adding, "Little did I realise, that was actually one of the greatest compliments you could get; literally the nicest thing anyone could say to an actor."

The road to that pragmatic realisation has, I suspect, been paved the hard way for Pandora, who knew she wanted to act from the time she was a child, but took an indirect route "because I was kind of scared".

She moved to Kenya from Dublin with her mother when she was four, then came back when she was nearly 13, in what was clearly a kind of perfect storm of 'firsts'. She hit puberty, having been "a late bloomer", started boarding school, and met her father, Constantine Phipps, fifth Marquess of Normanby, along with her stepmother and three younger siblings. For years, she kept that relationship out of the spotlight as far as possible, and even now she is clearly uncomfortable being asked about it, for what seem to be the right reasons - independence of mind and professional pride.

The first time I met Pandora was about a year ago, when she was just about to get married, to boyfriend Killian Burke, also an actor, and she was busy filming the second series of Red Rock for TV3, in which she played solicitor Claire Hennessy.

At the time, Pandora told me that she had been on the point of giving up acting when the call for Red Rock came, because she hadn't really been getting work. Instead, she had been biding her time, and making her rent through the peripheral activities that live tangentially, almost parasitically, to the proper world of acting: corporate exercises, medical role-play, hostessing. "I hated that. These companies want girls in short dresses, and the customers treat you that way. You're not there for a huge amount of pay, you've been in heels for 10 or 12 hours, and someone starts talking to you a certain way".

At the time, she said rather wistfully, "Acting is not like another job where, if you put the work in, you will progress, and you can plan your life. As an actor, it's frustrating, because no matter how hard you work, no matter how talented you are, sometimes it just doesn't happen."

Since then, things have happened for Pandora. Does it all feel a bit different now, I ask? "Things have changed," she agrees. "I think at the time I was having a little bit of a kind of crisis," she laughs. "It might sound ridiculous to say I was about to hit 30, but I was like every time you hit a big birthday, you kind of re-evaluate yourself - 'Am I on track?' When you're 24, you think when you're 30, you'll be married and you'll have a family, and you'll have a wonderful career, and everything will be sorted out, because 30 is so old, when it's really not. So I was thinking, 'Is this really working, what I'm doing?'"

What a difference a year makes. She is also now a wife, rather than a bride-to-be. How is married life? "It's great." Not that being married to an actor is easy, especially when there are two of you in it. "We have to just, at the moment, play life by ear. When I finished Red Rock, we moved back to our flat in London and we were there for five days, and he got Anna Karenina in the Abbey, and had to move back. And we hate being apart because we're ridiculously close, but you just have to deal with it. We've said, until we want to start a family, we're going to go where the work is, fly wherever we have to fly, do as much as we can, and explore and work and have adventures, and if that means being apart, we'll do it."

Does the being apart mean there is pressure on the time when they are together? "No," she smiles, undoubtedly thinking, 'we're not that dumb'.

The two met in London, five or so years ago, in a move that brought Pandora both a best friend and a boyfriend. "I was doing Much Ado About Nothing, and I met this girl called Umba, and we just hit it off. We fell in love, me and Umba; we became best friends and moved in together. She kept saying to me, 'You've got to meet my friend Killian, he's Irish,' and I was like, 'For God's sake, just because he's Irish doesn't mean I'm going to find him attractive, or even like him'. Then she showed him a picture of me and said, 'We're having a party, you should come'. He met me, and he asked me out."

At the time, Pandora had sworn off dating. "I'd had some really bad dates, and I was like, 'That's it, I'm not dating any more'." What kind of bad dates? "Men just trying to get you drunk and sleep with you, basically, and then there was this really sweet Irish guy, who couldn't stay very long because he had work the next day, and was at the door saying, 'Uh, can I maybe, like, take you out for dinner sometime?' I just instinctively said yes, immediately, and then I was like, 'Wait, didn't I say I wasn't going to do this?'" She smiles happily. "The rest is history."

The couple married last year, at Pandora's father's estate, Mulgrave Castle, in Yorkshire, a 16,000-acre estate where supermodel Elle Macpherson lived for a time in 2003.

Video of the Day

Pandora's father - his mother was Grania Guinness, whose brother, Bryan, married Diana Mitford - is an author, poet, businessman and philanthropist who has supported both Trinity College and Oxford, among other projects. He is married to Nicola Shulman, also an author, and sister of former British Vogue editor Alexandra. They have three children. Pandora is his eldest child (and his only child with Sophie McCormick), and furiously resists talking about him.

Thorny business

Rather, she is very happy to talk about him as a writer. She tells me enthusiastically, "He's a very good writer. His most recent book, What You Want, is about the meaning of life using the allegory of a theme park. Each chapter is a different ride - love, sex, money, power - kind of like a Dante-esque Inferno, led by a guide. And, stick with me here, it's all in verse! It's really entertaining and very funny."

But when it comes to the thorny business of talking about his role in her life, that's different.

Pandora, who was raised by her mother, portrait painter Sophie McCormick, met her father when she was 13 and had moved back from Kenya, where she had been living, with her mother, from the age of four. "He's my dad and I'm lucky to have him," she says cautiously. "With meeting him came, not only a wonderful relationship, but also the blessing of an incredible new family with mountains of love and support."

It is this, clearly, that means so much to her - a father, a stepmother, three siblings - and not the rest: the money, titles or connections.

"I don't want to be defined by either of my parents. It frustrates me when people assume I've got where I have due to my dad. Not only is it untrue, but it's also sexist! Acting is not an easy path, and I work extremely hard."

As for the money side of things, when I am crass enough to suggest that she maybe didn't have to work so hard at the secondary acting jobs, the corporate and medical role-plays, she says, with dignity, "I didn't grow up with money, and I don't take it for granted. It's always been important to me that I'm taken on my own merit. As an actor, you don't want to be put in a box - you want to be able to play all the roles and to be seen as somebody who can have many faces."

The fact that she means this, with all her heart, is very obvious.

Pandora has a strong sense of what's right, and a correspondingly strong sense of what's wrong. Part of this must be innate, part of it due perhaps to her mother's influence, but part of it seems also to have come via the difficult transition from Kenya to Ireland when she was a young teenager.

"We came back when I was about 12-and-a-half, just on the cusp of puberty. I was a late bloomer, going from Africa to Ireland in winter and turning 13 and going to boarding school in St Columba's I was a mess. Before term started, I would have nightmares for a week about the bed. It was really important what bed you got, because that was the bed you had for the year, and if you didn't get the good bed, you were stuck with it." So what was a 'good' bed? "The one by the heater, because I was permanently cold!"

Although she was ultimately happy at boarding school, it was a rough transition. "It seemed dark and cold and grim. I think for the first year-and-a-half or two years, I literally read every book in the library, in the bed, by the heater. I would go out to classes, and the dining room, and that was it. I don't think anyone saw me for the first year."

In Kenya, Pandora had been home-schooled by her mother until she was six, then went to school in Nairobi, where there was more freedom. On her return to Ireland, she didn't just struggle with the Irish climate, she seems to have had to adjust to rules, too. "I felt very like, 'Oh come on, why can't you walk on the grass? Why can't you climb the trees?' When I was in school, you weren't allowed to wear a jacket in the younger years, only when you were in Sixth Form. I used to ask, 'But why are small people not cold? Why do you allow warmth privilege when you get to 18 and you're more robust? Surely this is opposite?'"

She's laughing, but there is an unmistakable core of indignation there, and I hear it again when we find ourselves discussing politics, and, in particular, the Eighth Amendment. "I was thinking about women's bodies in the acting industry, where the pressure to size down is constant, especially in America, and, to an extent, in London. And I was thinking actually, that in Ireland, generally, there is a much healthier attitude towards a woman's healthy body, and yet at the same time she can't have autonomy over her own body. It's such a weird contradiction. It drives me absolutely crazy."

Pandora can see the many great things about her upbringing - the excitement, the opportunity to see different cultures, the wonder that was Kenya - but she is aware of the downside, too. "It has other consequences," she says. "I now get itchy feet, and my husband is like, 'How many holidays do you need?' You never quite feel like you belong. You end up kind of wishing you were that kid who knew everyone on their street, and that you had the security of always being in the same house. I used to really envy people who had that. I didn't belong in Ireland because of Kenya, and then I got used to it a bit, and then I moved to England, and thought 'God, the humour here is so different'. You do feel a little bit lost. So you learn to assimilate, like a chameleon, and I think actors do that anyway."

Better actor

Not belonging bothered her in her 20s - "the 'who am I and what am I about?' which you have anyway at that age, but I had more of it" - but she has learned to see the strengths of it. "I'm not sure if my upbringing has made me a better actor, but you never know," she says.

She has also, I suspect, learned to belong where it matters - to herself, and to the people who love her, irrespective of country or culture.

Pandora has also been chosen as style ambassador for the Longines Irish Champions Weekend, because, as the organisers put it: "She exudes style and sophistication. In addition, she personifies the prestige, excitement and elegance of Irish Champions Weekend, both on and off the racecourse." So did she go racing much as a child? "My mum took me and a friend to Leopardstown when I was about 15 as a big treat. The atmosphere was amazing, and I was very excited because I won 20, which I immediately frittered away on lip glosses in Boots!"

There have recently been 'meetings' in New York, which have gone well, but it is too soon, in the wildly precarious world of acting, for her to say anything more than "I would love to work there. The meetings went really well, so I'm hoping"

Right now, Pandora is writing short-film scripts, and would love to do production, too. Does she talk to her dad about writing? "I do talk to him about it. Writing is great, but really hard. You write with your heart first, and then you have to go back and write with your head"

Heart, head, Pandora has plenty of both.

The Longines Irish Champions Weekend returns to Leopardstown and the Curragh on Saturday 9 and Sunday, September 10.The weekend champions the best in style with the Longines Prize for Elegance, and 25,000 in luxury prizes on offer across both days. See irishchampionsweekend.ie

Photography by Kip Carroll
The Department of Justice is looking at strengthening the law to clamp down on people lying for cash in personal injuries claims.

Proposals include bolstering the legal status of the insurance claims form so that lying would amount to perjury - which could ultimately result in a fine or jail sentence for perjurers.

The department is doing an analysis of the need for a new statutory offence of perjury - currently it is a common law offence - and it is very difficult to prosecute insurance fraudsters who lie.

But pressure is growing on Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan to rapidly introduce a statutory offence of perjury.

Mr Flanagan's department is examining whether the law needs to be strengthened to create the statutory offence of perjury, something that is in place in other common law jurisdictions.

It comes after pressure from small and medium-sized business group Isme, which claims that strengthening the laws around perjury would make it easier to prosecute professional claimants who make up injury claims for cash.

Expand Close Isme chief executive Neil McDonnell. Photo: ISME / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Isme chief executive Neil McDonnell. Photo: ISME

Isme chief executive Neil McDonnell said he was disappointed Mr Flanagan's officials were only examining the option of creating a offence, instead of committing to it.

Isme made a detailed submission to the department in a bid to tackle false and exaggerated injury claims.

Mr McDonnell said Ireland was the only common law jurisdiction that did not have a statutory offence of perjury.

"The claims situation is running out of control and needs to be addressed," Mr McDonnell said.

"We have to have the bottle to call a lie a lie. It is completely unacceptable that Irish law facilitates the rip-off of Irish businesses and Irish motorists through false and exaggerated claims."

The absence of a statutory offence of perjury means prosecutions for perjury are very rare. If perjury was categorised as a statutory offence, it would mean that on conviction a person could face jail time or at the very least a hefty fine.

Flag

Legal researchers employed by Isme could only find one case of a person being prosecuted for perjury. "We want to flag to judges that it is not acceptable to tell lies to extract money," Mr McDonnell said.

A spokesman for Mr Flanagan said that an offence of perjury was already in common law, and there have been prosecutions under it.

"Notwithstanding this, Minister Flanagan has asked officials to examine the case made by Isme for a statutory offence of perjury, in consultation with relevant authorities," the spokesman said.

The call comes after recent market research carried out by Amarach and commissioned by Insurance Ireland found half of those surveyed believed there were few downsides to making a false or exaggerated claim.

Fraudulent activity costs the general insurance industry 200m a year. This costs the average motorist 50 a year.

Some put the cost at a higher level. It is cited as one of the key reasons that motor insurance premiums have shot up by a combined 70pc in the past three years, according to Department of Finance figures.

The pressure to come down harder on career claimants and those who exaggerate personal injuries comes as fast-food chain Supermac's has advertised for a claims manager. Owner Pat McDonagh said he supported the call for a statutory law of perjury.

"There are around 35 claims a year in the 120 Supermac's outlets in this country. That is up 20pc in the last two years," he added.
A CRIMINAL who was jailed for stamping on a man and threatening to kill a garda has been given another two months in prison for using a mobile phone in his cell.

Leroy Dumbrell (30), who is serving a seven-year sentence for violent disorder, had the phone hidden behind a toilet in his cell at Mountjoy prison when it was searched, a court heard.

Judge Alan Mitchell gave him a two-month consecutive sentence after hearing it was his third time being caught with a phone in jail.

Dublin District Court heard he had already been disciplined by being put in solitary confinement for 40 days and transferred to Cork.

Dumbrell, from Emmet Road, Inchicore, pleaded guilty to unlawfully having a mobile phone in the prison on June 6 last.

Dublin District Court heard gardai carried out a planned search of the single-occupancy cell at 10am and found the black phone down the back of the toilet.

Expand Close Leroy Dumbrell / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Leroy Dumbrell

Dumbrell, who is due for release in July 2019, had 71 previous convictions, the court heard.

The most recent was in January this year, which was his second conviction for having a mobile phone in prison.

He was sentenced to seven years for violent disorder and four for a threat to kill charge.

Dumbrell pleaded guilty to the latest charge at the earliest first opportunity, his solicitor Kate McGhee said. He had two children with his partner and needed to keep in contact with them, she said.

Read More

However, he knew having a mobile phone was a breach of prison rules and he had already suffered the harshest punishment for this, having spent 40 days in solitary confinement and having been moved to Cork prison, away from his family.

Judge Mitchell said in relation to the prior convictions for the same offence that Dumbrell "hadn't learned his lesson."

The judge said he understood that prisoners were allowed a certain number of calls and if their wives and children were on the list, they could ring them.

Dumbrell had been fined 99 for his last conviction. The judge said he was lucky he had not lost remission from his sentence.

Asked if he was from Dublin originally, Dumbrell replied: "yes."

Judge Mitchell said some people would like to be moved to Cork but Dublin people tended not to.

Passing sentence, he said he would have given a longer term but was taking into account the fact that Dumbrell had "suffered to some degree."

However, he added that he had to "send out a strong message."

Read More

Last year, Dumbrell pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to one count of violent disorder on November 27th, 2013.

He also pleaded guilty to threatening to kill or cause serious harm to Detective Garda Ronan McMorrow on May 5th, 2015.

The circuit court heard at the time that Det Garda McMorrow had phoned Dumbrell on to advise him he was in danger of breaching his bail conditions after gardai called to his home and found he was not there.

Dumbrell told the detective You bring me back to court and youll regret it. Mark my words you c*** and Ill come after you one way or another.

In the violent disorder incident, Dumbrell was one of a group of men who took part in an assault on another man on a street in Ballymun.

A number of children witnessed the assault, during which Dumbrell stamped on the victims leg as he lay prone on the ground.
A DOCTOR charged with murdering her three year old son at their home has been further remanded in custody after she was too ill to attend court for her latest scheduled appearance.

Maha Al-Adheem (42) had been due to appear in Dublin District Court today but Judge Alan Mitchell adjourned the case in her absence due to illness.

It was the fourth time her case was before the court since she was arrested last month and charged over the death of her son Omar Omran, who was found stabbed to death at their Dublin apartment.

Ms Al-Adheem, a qualified GP from Iraq, is charged with murdering her son at their home at Riverside Apartments, Poddle Park, Kimmage on July 10.

Today, Judge Mitchell was given a note about the accused and asked Detective Sergeant Brendan OHalloran of Sundrive Road Station if he had seen it.

The garda said he had not so the judge showed it to him.

Defence solicitor Richard Young confirmed that Ms Al Adheem was in custody.

He said there was consent to an adjournment.

Judge Mitchell said he could put the case back for four weeks "on illness grounds."

He remanded the defendant in custody, to appear in court again on September 5.

"It will be a matter for the State to organise for the accused to be brought before the court, unless there are medical reasons," the judge added.

Ms Al Adheem had been present at her first court appearance but absent for the last two.

On the first day she was in court, Det Sgt OHalloran said he arrested the accused at 12.40am that day for the offence of murder, contrary to Common Law.

She made no reply to the caution after arrest, he said.

The accused was subsequently charged in his presence by another garda sergeant.

In reply to the charge she said It was my knife, it was my hand. It wasnt me, it was the power, Det Sgt OHalloran told the court.

Gardai found the child in the apartment with multiple stab wounds to his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Retired solicitor Brian O'Donnell formally exited bankruptcy today Monday.

He was formally discharged from bankruptcy at a sitting of the High Court.

Both Mr O'Donnell and his wife Mary Patricia formally of Gorse Hill, Vico Road, Killiney Co Dublin, but now living in the UK were adjudicated bankrupt by the High Court in August of 2013.

That finding was confirmed by the Supreme Court in February 2015.

Expand Close Brian O'Donnell and his son Blake / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Brian O'Donnell and his son Blake

In July 2016 the O'Donnell's bankruptcy was extended following an application by the official in charge of his bankruptcy, the Official Assignee (OA) in Bankruptcy Mr Chris Lehane for alleged non co-operation.

The O'Donnell's had opposed the move and denied the allegations.

Read More

Today Ms Justice Costello was informed by barrister Eddie Farrelly for the Official Assignee that his client no longer wished to extend Mr O'Donnell's bankruptcy.

He said Mr Lehane was satisfied that all outstanding and historical issues in relation to the bankruptcy had been addressed.

Mr O'Donnell was not at court for the brief hearing, but was represented by his solicitor and son Mr. Blake O'Donnell. Mrs O'Donnell had exited bankruptcy in December 2016.

Bank of Ireland applied to have the couple declared bankrupt after they failed to satisfy a judgment for 71.57m obtained against them.

The judgment was obtained by BOI in December 2011 after they failed to repay loans advanced by the bank.

Expand Close Gorse Hill / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Gorse Hill
A man arrested after 1.2m was found in the car he was driving has been refused bail.

At a special sitting of Kilkenny District Court, Judge John Cheatle said because of the seriousness of the offence and quantity of cash involved he was satisfied the State had successfully shown John Fitzgerald might flee the country.

Mr Fitzgerald, with an address at Woodbrook Place, Green Lane, Co Carlow, and aged in his mid-fifties, is originally from Tullow, Co Carlow.

Garda Sylvia Ryan had set out the objections to Mr Fitzgerald being freed pending the trial.

The court heard Mr Fitzgerald had, allegedly, intended shipping the cash - which amounted to 1,212,120 - out of Ireland today.

Mr Fitzgerald was stopped at a checkpoint at Ballyvergal, Co Carlow, on August 25.

Mr Fitzgerald made no reply when he was charged while in custody by Gda Ryan under Section 7(1) of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010.

Judge Cheatle remanded the accused to Clover Hill prison to appear at the district court there on Friday.
A father-of-three threw two knives at his ex-wife's new partner after he himself was stabbed in a row outside her home, it has been alleged.

Samuel Peprah (34) is accused of throwing the knives after he was injured during a confrontation at his ex-wife's front door.

He is facing trial on a weapons charge after Judge Alan Mitchell said the case was too serious to be dealt with at district court level.

Mr Peprah, of Wood Avens, Clondalkin, is charged with unlawful possession of two knives.

The offence is alleged to have happened at Elmfield Court, Clondalkin, on July 4.

A garda sergeant said the Director of Public Prosecutions had directed summary disposal of the case at district court level.

Outlining the prosecution's case, she told Dublin District Court it was alleged that a row developed between the accused and the other man, who was in a relationship with Mr Peprah's ex-wife.

During this, a knife was produced, it was alleged. The sergeant said it was unclear who started the row or who produced the knife, but the allegation was that Mr Peprah was stabbed a number of times at the apartment door.

According to gardai, he got up, went inside and got two large knives which he brought out and threw at the other man.

"Based on that description, that was given to me, it is not a minor offence and I am refusing jurisdiction," said Judge Mitchell.

The court heard Mr Peprah was on garda station bail and the judge said he would adjourn the case for six weeks for the preparation of a book of evidence.

Defence solicitor Brian Keenan asked the judge to transfer the case to Blanchardstown District Court. Judge Mitchell said the defence could always mention the issue of jurisdiction to the presiding judge in Blanchardstown "to see does he take a different view".

Mr Keenan applied for free legal aid, saying the accused was working but had three dependants. Judge Mitchell said he would grant this, based on the gravity of the alleged offence.
The girlfriend of a man who was stabbed and left fighting for his life says they were lured to a party by men who then launched the vicious assault.

Jessie Connell (20) dragged partner Jamie Hennessy (22) from a house in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, while two men repeatedly knifed him in the neck and head last Saturday, August 19. She was hit during the terrifying ordeal but managed to save Mr Hennessy's life by wrapping her jacket around his neck and shielding him from the assailants.

Ms Connell has revealed she intends to stand up to those who carried out the attack.

Ms Connell said: "We were in a pool of Jamie's blood. Them dogs that did this didn't even try run from the scene. They're all a bunch of sick creeps out there."

"I'll stand in court if I have to pin them scumbags to a wall," she added.

Ms Connell said she was still shaking eight days after the incident. Despite this, she is determined to tell her story in a bid to get "justice for Jamie".

Ms Connell explained that on the evening they were returning to their home in Athy, Co Kildare, after visiting Mr Hennessy's mother Sandra in Crettyard, Co Laois.

On their way, Jamie received multiple calls asking him to come to a party in Castlecomer. It was there that Jamie was brutally attacked.

"I never saw so much blood in my life. They didn't just stab him, they slit his throat and left him to die," she said.

Mr Hennessy was taken by ambulance to St Luke's Hospital in Kilkenny city where he was resuscitated twice after his heart stopped beating.

Doctors fought for over 24 hours to stop the bleeding in his neck and Mr Hennessy remains on a ventilator at the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

Three men were arrested in connection with the stabbing on Saturday but all were subsequently released without charge.
The alcohol and cigarettes that were seized at Dublin Airport

Revenue officers seized more than 19,000 worth of smuggled alcohol, tobacco and cigarettes over the last three days.

Officers at Dublin Airport and Port seized more than 29,000 cigarettes, 4 kilos of tobacco and 155 litres of alcohol in recent days.

The products represent a loss of over 15,000 to the exchequer.

Revenue staff at Dublin Airport confiscated more than 28,000 contraband cigarettes from passengers who were arriving from Dubai and Moldova.

Read More

A haul of the contraband alcohol, tobacco and 1600 cigarettes was discovered in a van arriving at Dublin Port this morning from France.

Two Polish men were questioned in connection with the seizure.

If businesses or members of the public have any information regarding the smuggling or sale of illegal alcohol or tobacco products, they can contact Revenue in confidence on free phone number 1800 295 295.
Independent Alliance Minister Shane Ross has moved to shut down a Government controversy over teachers' pay.

The Transport Minbster says the State cannot afford to introduce a system of equal pay for teachers. But Mr Ross told the Irish Independent that the Government must make efforts to bridge the pay gap in the teaching profession through a series of phased payments.

The controversy surrounding the pay gap between teachers was reignited last week by Super Junior Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor, who said there should be equal pay for equal work.

"Everyone that does the same job deserves the same pay," the Fine Gael minister said.

Sources close to the minister insisted that she was standing by the remarks - despite the headache it had created for the Government.

However, Mr Ross fuelled the controversy further last night by warning that any moves towards bridging the pay gap can only happen over a phased basis.

Expand Close Super Junior Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor. Photo: David Conachy / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Super Junior Minister Mary Mitchell O'Connor. Photo: David Conachy

"The contribution made by teachers, junior or senior, should be fully recognised by the State," Mr Ross told the Irish Independent. "Sadly we do not yet have sufficient resources.

"We should aim to progress a solution by phasing in further payments in future agreements."

The comments by ministers about pay have been seized upon by teachers' unions as the Dail prepares to return following the summer recess next month.

Unions said there was a "deep sense of injustice" about changes made to the pay structure for new entrants to the profession at the height of the recession. But Government figures fear a "domino effect" involving other groups if teachers were prioritised.

Teachers starting work this September will earn 32,294, down from the 40,730 that was paid to a typical new entrant before 2011. Young teachers are on a lower salary scale, which means a loss of 100,000 over the course of a career when compared with senior colleagues.

The Government is now under growing pressure to do a deal with teachers' unions to reverse the cuts as it already faces the threat of industrial action amid claims that there's a 'yellow pack' system. This would cost in the region of 70m for teachers and 209m a year for the entire public service.

The INTO has seen members already reject a draft deal to extend the Lansdowne Road Agreement until 2020 in protest at its failure to address the "discriminatory" pay rates, and the ASTI and TUI are expected to follow suit.

The TUI is set to ballot for industrial action.
The parents of as many as 2,000 children are still waiting to see if they will get seats on school buses this year amid claims that the system is in "chaos".

As schools begin the new term this week, Junior Education Minister John Halligan said he was powerless to solve the issue this year.

Mr Halligan said legislative change and substantial funding would be needed to provide more buses to provide extra seats for pupils who weren't automatically eligible.

"You hold your head in your hands sometimes as a minister. You get in there and you find it's so difficult to change things," he said.

Mr Halligan is to hold talks with affected families from Tipperary and Laois. "I'm not going to bring people up to an office and pretend I can do things that I can't," he told the Irish Independent. "I just can't change it and I wish I could."

The issue of bus places has become fraught in recent years after a 2011 change in how they're allocated. The previous arrangement involved school catchment areas. Now seats are allocated based on the nearest school to a pupil's home.

In total, more than 114,000 children avail of school transport in rural areas, with some 24,000 travelling on a concessionary basis at an overall cost of 182m last year.

Concessionary passengers are those who are accommodated on buses if there are spare seats once all "eligible" students get their place.

They are allocated tickets at random and pay for their passage. To date in 2017, there are 25,345 applicants who have paid for concessionary places in the hope they will secure seats.

Of these, 23,275 had received tickets, according to figures released late last week, leaving more than 2,000 applicants still unsure if they will get a place.

Unsuccessful applicants - of which there were 759 last year - get refunds and must make alternative arrangements.

Bus Eireann provides the service. A spokeswoman said the availability of concessionary tickets may vary each year and cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child's secondary education.

Fianna Fail's education spokesman Thomas Byrne said the current system left parents "in limbo" just days before the start of the school term.

"What we're seeing is organised chaos," he said, arguing that the rules based on distance to the nearest school were "splitting up" rural communities and families, with parents sending younger siblings to different schools and children being separated from primary school friends. Mr Byrne has sought a meeting with Mr Halligan to discuss the situation, but said that ultimately Fianna Fail wanted a return to allocating school bus places by school catchment area.

Mr Halligan insisted the school transport system worked for "99.9pc of people" and every eligible child gets a seat but said it was not set up to cater for concessionary passengers.

"I'm very uncomfortable if a child can't get on the scheme. It comes down to money. It's a huge cost," he said, adding that he had been "inundated" with correspondence on the issue in the last two weeks, personally replying to many letters.

He said 187m was due to be spent this year and he would seek an increased budget if he was still in government next year. Mr Halligan said he believed there was scope to review the distance a child must live from the school to be considered eligible.

He said that, "against advice" from his officials, he had stopped buses being taken off routes this year where the number of eligible children had fallen below the minimum threshold for the route.

Q&A: Concessionary tickets issue explained

Who is automatically eligible for the school transport scheme?

For primary school children it's those who live at least 3.2km from their nearest school. For secondary school students the minimum distance is at 4.8km from their nearest school. Ethos and language are taken into account.

What is a concessionary ticket?

If there are spare seats on a school bus when all of the eligible students are catered for, Bus Eireann uses a random selection process to allocate seats to children whose parents sign up to pay an annual charge. Payment of the charge does not guarantee a seat and the sum is refunded if the application is unsuccessful. Bus Eireann says routes won't be extended or altered, nor will larger vehicles be introduced, or extra trips take place, to provide more concessionary seats. According to the rules: "No additional State cost will be incurred to cater for ineligible children." Bus Eireann also says that the availability of concessionary transport may vary from year to year and cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child's education.

How many students get concessionary tickets?

The total for last year was around 24,000 out of approximately 116,000 children using the school transport service. Parents must apply for concessionary tickets by the last Friday in April each year.

Why is it an issue now?

Parents who have made unsuccessful applications for concessionary tickets are learning that they will have to make alternative arrangements. In recent years, TDs around rural Ireland have reported being inundated with contacts from parents who are concerned that their children have been refused seats at the end of August.

How many people does this affect?

Figures provided to the Irish Independent show that 759 students were refused concessionary seats in 2016 after all of the spares were allocated. More than 2,000 applicants have yet to learn if they will get school bus seats for this year.

Do parents have any options if their child is refused a concessionary seat?

Yes. They can appeal to the independent School Transport Appeals Board. The appeals must be made within 28 days of the date on the decision letter from Bus Eireann.
Selfie culture is breeding an unexpected social problem in schools  the spread of head lice, according to a leading pharmacist

The 'selfie' culture is breeding an unexpected social problem in schools - the spread of head lice, according to a leading pharmacist.

As children return to school this week, the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) is urging parents to screen their children for lice every week as the resumption of class and close contact between students typically leads to a surge in infestation.

While this is a perennial problem in which an estimated one in 10 children between the ages of four and 16 will contract head lice at some point, the 'selfie' phenomenon appears to be making matters worse, according to pharmacist Tomas Conefrey.

"With the whole selfie culture, it's causing them to spread," he told the Irish Independent.

Some parents of school-aged children have already called into his CarePlus pharmacy on Dublin's Pearse Street and are blaming selfies - which require subjects to squeeze tightly together for a photograph - for spreading the unwanted pests.

"The penny dropped in my brain when I heard this," he said.

Schools typically see a surge in lice infestation when they resume classes after the summer and Christmas holidays. But with the proliferation of mobile phones among school children, it's another reason for parents to be vigilant and check their children for lice, he added.

IPU executive Caitriona O'Riordan said: "There is no foolproof way of preventing head lice but the earlier their presence on the head is detected, the easier it is to get rid of the lice."
A court is expected to deliver its verdict in the four year mass trial involving Irishman Ibrahim Halawa over Muslim Brotherhood protests in Cairo.

Why was the Irishman arrested in Cairo?

Mr Halawa (21) from Firhouse in Dublin was one of hundreds arrested in Cairo in August 2013, during anti-government protests.

He was protesting in support of the Muslim Brotherhoods Mohamed Morsi who had been ousted from power in a military coup.

Why has he been in jail since 2013?

Mr Halawa's trial was delayed 28 times before his legal team were finally allowed to defend him in a mass trial.

Did the Irish Government intervene?

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has arranged a call with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to ask that Mr Halawa be allowed to return to Ireland after the trial.

Speaking about the case previously Mr Varadkar said: "Certainly the Government is very keen to ensure that Ibrahim Halawa can return to Ireland as soon as possible," he said.

"The Egyptian government has always said that they cannot interfere in a trial in the same way an Irish Government cannot interfere in the court process. We will do everything we can to enable him to come home."

What is a mass trial?

Mr Halawa is being tried with 492 other prisoners.

Colm O'Gorman from Amnesty International said that mass trials can be very "unpredictable" as mass punishments can be handed down.

Read More

Will Mr Halawa return home?

The Government has drawn up contingency plans for three broad outcomes: an acquittal, a conviction on relatively minor charges, and a conviction for more serious offences.

If he is acquitted and the Egyptians fulfil their commitment, senior sources believe Mr Halawa could return to Ireland within two weeks. His formal release from prison would take three days.

If he is convicted on relatively minor charges, and sentenced to time already served, Irish sources believe he could be returned with minimal intervention.

A conviction of more serious offences, described by one source as the worst-case scenario, would require more political involvement.

Will the Taoiseach be in contact with Egyptian authorities today?

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney confirmed this morning that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar will be speaking to the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at 5pm today.

Speaking to RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland, Minister Coveney said the Irish Government are in "close contact" with the Halawa family.

"There are a few possible outcomes. Hopefully, Ibrahim Halawa will be found innocent and therefore won't require any intervention by the Irish government to get home, although obviously we want to help him and his family to get him home as soon as possible and we're working with the families," Minister Coveney said.

"He may be found guilty of something but may have already served his time for that, because he has been in prison for four years.

"Ibrahim may be found guilty of something serious that has a significant jail sentence attached to it.

"If that is the case, then we will contact the Egyptian president to follow through on his presidential power once the court case ends," he continued.

"The Taoiseach is speaking to the Egyptian president at 5pm today to talk about the Halawa case once we get an idea of what that verdict is.

"We'll have clarity between 11am this morning and the afternoon.

"We are in close contact with his family to try and bring an end to the four-year ordeal today."
The HSE paid GPs and co-ops 540 million last year for State health schemes, such as treating medical card patients.

Figures obtained by RTE News under the Freedom Of Information Act found that 2,900 GPS or their practices were paid on average more than 186,000 each.

More than 40 GP practices and co-ops earned an average of over 500,000 each in payments.

The highest earning GP co-op was Care-Doc in Carlow/Kilkenny, which received a gross payment on 3.3 million.

Expand Close Health Minister Simon Harris Photo: Julien Behal / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Health Minister Simon Harris Photo: Julien Behal

This gross payment includes expenses such as the wages of doctors, nurses and clerical staff, insurance and technology.

The highest paid named doctor was Dr Andy Jordan, who earned over 952,000 at his Dublin South West practice in 2016.

Health Minister Simon Harris told RTE News that the Government in negotiating a new contract with GPs.

The GP Committee of the Irish Medical Organisation has called the publication of these payments "misleading and unhelpful."

Dr Padraig McGarry, Chairman of the IMO GP Committee, said: "The figures are gross figures which take no account of the substantial costs incurred by GPs in providing services including cost of premises, staff, technology, insurance and every other business cost for which they are liable.

Dr McGarry said in a statement that GPs engage in more than 25 million clinical consultations each year and more than 160m has been cut from GP services since the economic downturn.

He said that GP services here are under-resourced compared to our European counterparts and this is having a negative impact on our health service.
As I told Howie, I went to thesite looking for (cat) cartoons. But I never got that far, because almost immediately I discovered some fascinating investigative articles written by Adam Davidson. Two are worthy of particular note, given Robert Muellers brief to investigate the business dealings of Donald Trump. The first, published on March 13, 2017, is titled Donald Trump's Worst Deal . The subtitle is The President helped build a hotel in Azerbaijan that appears to be a corrupt operation engineered by oligarchs tied to Irans Revolutionary Guard. Ill summarize that here. The second will appear in a separate post here atlater this evening... Yes, probably your first ever whole night in the Caucuses.

Some background about Azerbaijan- from wiki:

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence in 1918 and became the first democratic state in the Muslim-oriented world. The country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920 as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991, prior to the official dissolution of the USSR in December 1991.

In summarizing Davidsons ~7000 word article, I pared it down to the essence, but didnt change his (very careful) wording. Note these when reading: The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Mammadov familys corruption, The Corleones of the Caspian.

And, before or after you read the summary, watch: This CNN video interview is excellent, but not embeddable, alas: The's Adam Davidson speaks to Christiane Amanpour about his piece on Donald Trump's business with oligarchs tied to Iran's Revolutionary Guard . Its a "must watch," and the information jumps out at you in a way that it just doesnt on the written page.

The Trump Tower Baku never opened. Trump partnered with an Azerbaijani family that U.S. officials called notoriously unethical.





Heydar Aliyev Prospekti, a broad avenue in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, connects the airport to the city. The road is meant to highlight Bakus recent modernization, and it is lined with sleek new buildings.





As you approach the city center, a tower at the end of the avenue looms in front of you. The building, a five-star hotel and residence called the Trump International Hotel & Tower Baku, has never opened, though from the road it looks ready to welcome the public.





The more time I spent in the neighborhood, the more I wondered how the hotel could have been imagined as a viable business. The development was conceived, in 2008, as a high-end apartment building. In 2012, after Donald Trumps company, the Trump Organization, signed multiple contracts with the Azerbaijani developers behind the project, plans were made to transform the tower into an ultra-luxury property. According to a Trump Organization press release, a hotel with expansive guest rooms would occupy the first thirteen floors; higher stories would feature residences with spectacular views of the city and Caspian Sea. For an expensive hotel, the Trump Tower Baku is in an oddly unglamorous location: the underdeveloped eastern end of downtown, which is dominated by train tracks and is miles from the main business district, on the west side of the city. Across the street from the hotel is a discount shopping center; the area is filled with narrow, dingy shops and hookah bars. Other hotels nearby are low-budget options: at the AYF Palace, most rooms are forty-two dollars a night. There are no upscale restaurants or shops. Any guests of the Trump Tower Baku would likely feel marooned.





The timing of the project was also curious. By 2014, when the Trump Organization publicly announced that it was helping to turn the tower into a hotel, a construction boom in Baku had ended, and the occupancy rate for luxury hotels in the city hovered around thirty-five per cent.





A former top official in Azerbaijans Ministry of Tourism says that, when he learned of the Trump hotel project, he asked himself, Why would someone put a luxury hotel there? Nobody who can afford to stay there would want to be in that neighborhood.





The Azerbaijanis behind the project were close relatives of Ziya Mammadov, the Transportation Minister and one of the countrys wealthiest and most powerful oligarchs. According to the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Azerbaijan is among the most corrupt nations in the world.





After Donald Trump became a candidate for President, in 2015, (several) publications  raised questions about his involvement in the Baku project... a U.S. diplomat described Ziya Mammadov as notoriously corrupt even for Azerbaijan. The Trump Organizations chief legal officer, Alan Garten, told reporters that the Baku hotel project raised no ethical issues for Donald Trump, because his company had never engaged directly with Mammadov.





A month after Trump was elected President, Garten announced that the Trump Organization had severed its ties with the hotel project, describing the decision to CNN as little more than housecleaning. I was in Baku at the time, and it had become clear that the Trump Organizations story of the hotel was incomplete and inaccurate.





Ivanka in Baku

An Azerbaijani lawyer who worked on the project revealed to me that the Trump Organization had not just licensed the family name; it also had signed a technical-services agreement in which it promised to help its partner meet Trump design standards. Technical-services agreements are often nominal addenda to licensing deals... The Azerbaijani lawyer told me, We were always following their instructions. We were in constant contact with the Trump Organization. They approved the smallest details.





Ivanka Trump was the most senior Trump Organization official on the Baku project. In October, 2014, she visited the city to tour the site and offer advice... The Azerbaijani lawyer said, Ivanka personally approved everything.





The sustained back-and-forth between the Trump Organization and the Mammadovs has legal significance... Tom Fox, a Houston lawyer who specializes in anti-corruption compliance, said, Its a problem if youre making a profit off of someone elses corrupt conduct.





Before signing a deal with a foreign partner, American companies, including major hotel chains, conduct risk assessments and background checks that take a close look at the country, the prospective partner, and the people involved... A senior executive at one of the largest American hotel chains, who asked for anonymity because he feared reprisal from the Trump Administration, said, We wouldnt look at due diligence as a burden. There certainly is a cost to doing it, especially in higher-risk places. But its as much an investment in the protection of that brand. Its money well spent.





Alan Garten told me that the Trump Organization had commissioned a risk assessment for the Baku deal, but declined to name the company that had performed it. according to Garten, the Trump Organization had undertaken extensive due diligence before making the hotel deal and had not discovered any red flags.





But the Mammadov family, in addition to its reputation for corruption, has a troubling connection that any proper risk assessment should have unearthed: for years, it has been financially entangled with an Iranian family tied to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, the ideologically driven military force.





I asked Garten how deeply the Trump Organization had looked into the Mammadov familys political connections. When I asked him to provide documentation of due diligence, he said that he couldnt share it with me, because its confidential and privileged.





(But) the Trump Organization may have broken the law in its work with the Mammadov family. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, passed in 1977, forbade American companies from participating in a scheme to reward a foreign government official in exchange for material benefit or preferential treatment. The law even made it a crime for an American company to unknowingly benefit from a partners corruption if it could have discovered illicit activity but avoided doing so. This closed what was known as the head in the sand loophole.





Even a cursory look at the Mammadovs suggests that they are not ideal partners for an American business. Four years before the Trump Organization announced the Baku deal, WikiLeaks released the U.S. diplomatic cables indicating that the family was corrupt; one cable mentioned the Mammadovs link to Irans Revolutionary Guard. In 2013, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project investigated the Mammadov familys corruption and published well-documented exposes. Six months before the hotel announcement, Foreign Policy ran an article titled The Corleones of the Caspian, which suggested that the Mammadovs had exploited Ziyas position as Transportation Minister to make their fortunes.





Alan Garten, the Trump Organization lawyer, did not deny that there was corruption involved in the project. Im not going to sit here and defend the Mammadovs, he said. But, from a legal standpoint, he argued, the Trump Organization was blameless. In his opinion, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act doesnt apply to the Baku deal, even if corruption occurred. We didnt own it, he said of the hotel. We had no equity. We didnt control the project. The flow of funds is in the wrong direction. He added, We did not pay any money to anyone. Therefore, it could not be a violation of the F.C.P.A.





No, thats just wrong, Jessica Tillipman, an assistant dean at George Washington University Law School, who specializes in the F.C.P.A., said. You cant go into business deals in Azerbaijan assuming that you are immune from the F.C.P.A. She added, Nor can you escape liability by looking the other way. The entire Baku deal is a giant red flagthe direct involvement of foreign government officials and their relatives in Azerbaijan with ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Corruption warning signs are rarely more obvious.





Tillipman explained that the F.C.P.A. defines corruption as the payment of money or anything of value to a foreign official... Tillipman, along with several other F.C.P.A. experts, told me that the Trump Organization had clearly provided things of value in the Baku deal: its famous brand, its command of the luxury market, its extensive technical advice.





American companies must insure that they are not receiving funds that originated with any sanctioned entity. Ignorance is not a defense, especially if there is ample warning that a foreign partner could have a link to such an entity. Most firms, upon hearing of even a slight chance of Iranian involvement, conduct due diligence that is much more extensive than what is typical for F.C.P.A. compliance. Erich Ferrari, an attorney who specializes in sanctions-related legal cases, said that before the Trump Organization cashed any checks it should have been certain of the source of the fundsnot only the bank it was remitted from but how the Mammadovs actually earned the money they paid. He said of the Baku deal, It takes a lot to shock a lawyer, but Ive had very few clients do so little due diligence.





To this day, the Trump Organization has not provided satisfying answers to the most basic questions about the Baku deal: (including) whether the Mammadovs used their political power to benefit themselves and the Trump Organization; and whether the Mammadovs used money obtained from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to fund the Trump Tower Baku.





More than a dozen lawyers with experience in F.C.P.A. prosecution expressed surprise at the Trump Organizations seemingly lax approach to vetting its foreign partners. But, when I asked a former Trump Organization executive if the Baku deal had seemed unusual, he laughed. No deal there seems unusual, as long as a check is attached, he said.
A nine-year-old boy with cerebral palsy who is homeless is to have an access ramp installed at a B&B where he has been living since last January.

The plight of the Dublin boy was highlighted by a new campaign designed to raise awareness about the challenges faced by more than 2,000 children who are homeless across the country.

The video has been viewed more than half a million times.

David (9) - a pseudonym - has been living for more than 18 months in a B&B with his mother and sister.

The accommodation has no disability access and footage was posted online showed the youngster inching up steps.

Their one room is not big enough for him to maneuver his walking frame and he often has to resort to crawling.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

His mother told RTE Six One news that she has to lift her son down the steps.

In May, he had actually fallen off the fourth step and fell down and split his head open on the stairs," she said.

The broadcaster is reporting that a ramp will now be installed at his B&B while his family continue to wait for a permanent home.

The Department of Housing said it could not comment on the case highlighted by the campaign but said:

"Resources and funding are not an issues and will not be an obstacle to the urgent delivery and heavy lifting that is now required".

Dublin based charity Inner City Helping the Homeless (ICHH) is behind the #MyNameIs campaign, which was launched today.

In recent weeks newly appointed Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy was forced to deny releasing a series of reports into homelessness ahead of the August Bank Holiday weekend.

A series of reports highlighted the problem is getting worse despite Government promises.

The department was criticised for releasing its own statistics for June on Friday, August 4 - as much of the country was winding down for the bank holiday weekend.

The figures showed there were 5,036 homeless adults, up from 4,922 in May. The number of homeless families also rose to 1,365, including an extra 118 children.

In a statement, the minister said the Government was "currently dealing with unprecedented levels of homelessness".

"The idea that the Government might try to hide this from the general public, seek to downplay the scale or turn away from it, does not take account of the huge amount of time and resources already being dedicated to this crisis."

Mr Murphy outlined a number of initiatives he had undertaken in recent weeks, noting that 5.3bn had been ring-fenced for housing and homelessness plans up to 2021.
The verdict in the trial of an Irishman who has been imprisoned in Egypt for the past four years has been postponed until September 18.

Ibrahim Halawa (21) has been in jail for the last four years after he was arrested along with hundreds of other individuals during 2013 protests against the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi.

There have been numerous court hearings, which have all been adjourned, prompting widespread criticism here of the length of time he has been held without trial. There was much anticipation among Irish officials for the verdict today.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, has expressed disappointment and frustration at the news from Cairo.

Confirmed from Cairo - No verdict today on Ibrahim Halawa case. Judges have adjourned until 18 September - v frustrating but we keep working  Simon Coveney (@simoncoveney) August 28, 2017

I am frustrated at the news that the final hearing in the court case involving Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa was today deferred. The Irish Ambassador was in court for this mornings proceedings, and our understanding now is that the verdicts in the case will be announced on Monday, 18 September.

"This is very frustrating for Ibrahim Halawa and for his family, who were expecting some definitive news today, and I fully share that sense of disappointment and frustration at yet another delay in this long-running case.

"Nonetheless, we will be continuing to work in support of Ibrahim and his family and doing everything we can to ensure that he is able to return to Ireland as soon as possible once the trial ends.

Children's Minister Katherine Zappone said she shares the "deep disappointment" of the Halawa family.

Expand Close Ibrahim Halawa is still in jail / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Ibrahim Halawa is still in jail

I share the deep disappointment felt by the family of Ibrahim Halawa following the postponement of a verdict," Minister Zappone said.

"Ibrahim and his family are in my thoughts and prayers during this enormously difficult time.

Expand Close Pauline McLynn with fellow campaigners calling for the release of Ibrahim Halawa, inset below. Photo: Doug OConnor / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Pauline McLynn with fellow campaigners calling for the release of Ibrahim Halawa, inset below. Photo: Doug OConnor

"As Ibrahims local TD I remain in continuous contact with the family, his legal team as well as Government colleagues. This is a very difficult consular case for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the officials working behind the scenes have my full support.

"Ireland has respected the legal process and we expect it to deliver.

Expand Close Dubliner Ibrahim Halawa has been in jail in Egypt awaiting a mass trial since August 2013, when he was aged just 17 / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Dubliner Ibrahim Halawa has been in jail in Egypt awaiting a mass trial since August 2013, when he was aged just 17

"At a time when hopes are high this further delay is very frustrating. Nevertheless we must continue to put in place the supports necessary to ensure Ibrahims health and well-being when he is allowed home to be reunited with his loved ones."

Read More

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is to speak to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi by phone at 5pm today.

Speaking about the case over the weekend, Mr Varadkar said: "Certainly the Government is very keen to ensure that Ibrahim Halawa can return to Ireland as soon as possible," he said.

"The Egyptian government has always said that they cannot interfere in a trial in the same way an Irish Government cannot interfere in the court process. We will do everything we can to enable him to come home."

Speaking to RTE Radio One's Morning Ireland earlier this morning, Minister Coveney said the Irish Government are in "close contact" with the Halawa family.

"The Taoiseach is speaking to the Egyptian president at 5pm today to talk about the Halawa case once we get an idea of what that verdict is," he said.

"We'll have clarity between 11am this morning and the afternoon.

"We are in close contact with his family to try and bring an end to the four-year ordeal today."
An Irish teenager who raised more than 700,000 to receive specialist cancer treatment in Texas is stranded in an apartment as Hurricane Harvey takes hold.

Carlow teenager Shauntelle (Shan) Tynan (19) is living in Houston, Texas with her family as she receives treatment in her battle against rare cancer, multi-system Langherans cell histiocytosis.

However, Shauntelle is now stranded in their apartment and is in desperate need of a blood transfusion.

Speaking on RTE Radio One's Today with Sean O'Rourke, Shan's mother Leona said: "We've been here a few months now and everything was going well as expected.

Expand Close Shauntelle Tynan with her family in Texas / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Shauntelle Tynan with her family in Texas

"Shauntelle underwent her last bout of chemo, ending August 18, so this is the week that her blood counts are dropping by the hour, by the day.

"She's really unwell... She is in need of a blood transfusion and we're trying to get her to the hospital.

Expand Close Teenager Shauntelle Tynan told her siblings that the public raised more than 700k for her cancer-treatment / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Teenager Shauntelle Tynan told her siblings that the public raised more than 700k for her cancer-treatment

"Texas Children's Hospital are waiting for us, but our apartment complex is surrounded by five feet of water and nobody can get in or out."

Leona explained that they are expecting an air-lift in about eight hours, but the family are growing nervous about the situation.

"We're on the fourth floor, thankfully, but we're getting fairly battered. It's noisy, it's loud, there's alarms going off every few minutes.

"We're holding onto power," she continued.

"We have no wifi or cable but we're happy to be holding onto power.

"We got an email from our apartment complex that they're expecting a lot of more water to enter the building today and we could be without power in the coming hours."

Expand Close Shan Tynan (17) with her mum Leona / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Shan Tynan (17) with her mum Leona

Read More

Leona speaks as Hurricane Harvey, dubbed the '800-year storm', has deluged America's fourth-largest city with devastating floods, with rising water forcing thousands on to rooftops and overwhelming rescuers receiving constant calls for help.

The incessant rain covered much of Houston, Texas, in dirty grey-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat.

Rescue services have urged people to get on top of their houses to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.

"We're on the top floor, the fourth floor, so we just need to get onto the roof [for the airlift]," Leona said.

"But we don't know if they're going to come in by air or water until they make contact with us.

"We're getting more and more anxious because obviously we knew Shauntelle would need bloods by Monday, it's still Sunday night here, we've been talking to the hospital and everything.

"By the time we decided we should go in early, we were in a situation where we couldn't get out of. And nobody could get in."

The family are currently nursing the teenager themselves and Leona has credited her mother-in-law, who is a retired nurse, as being a "blessing."

Shauntelle currently has a bad infection and has had neutropenic fevers over the last few days, according to her mother.

"We need to get her to hospital and we don't know how we're going to do that.

"We've called 911 three times and they said we really need to keep them updated.

"They said realistically they could be calling us in 10 minutes, or 10 hours.

Read More

"They are dealing with thousands upon thousands of people who need to be rescued and they have limited resources."

Leona said Shan's younger brother, Stephen (11), and sister, Sophie (6) are also in the apartment and they are trying to keep them positive and occupied.

"If we go without power, we've been told it could be four or five days, and we have no idea what we're going to do with them," Leona said.

"We have enough water for another few days, we do still have water coming in but we don't know how long that will last."

Leona said she struggled to gather enough food supplies for their Texas home as the supermarkets had been emptied.

Forecast

Now as water is rising, the National Weather Service issued another ominous forecast, saying before the storm is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50ins of rain - the highest amount recorded in Texas.

Some areas have already received about half that amount.

Read More

Since Thursday, South Houston recorded nearly 25ins and the suburbs of Santa Fe and Dayton had 27ins.

"The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before," the National Weather Service said.

Additional reporting: PA
Nosayba (left) and Somaia Halawa, sisters of Ibrahim Halawa, in Dublin, where family members and supporters held an awareness day

The sister of Ibrahim Halawa described it as "truly upsetting and heart-breaking" to hear her brother's verdict has been postponed for another three weeks.

Ibrahim Halawa has been imprisoned in Egypt for the past four years.

He was arrested along with hundreds of other individuals during 2013 protests against the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi.

There was no reason given today for the postponing of the trial verdict.

Expand Close Somaia Halawa, sister of Ibrahim Halawa, campaigns for his release on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Somaia Halawa, sister of Ibrahim Halawa, campaigns for his release on O'Connell Street in Dublin city centre

There have been numerous court hearings, which have all been adjourned, prompting widespread criticism here of the length of time he has been held without trial. There was much anticipation among Irish officials for the verdict today.

In a statement released by the family, Somaia Halawa, sister of Ibrahim Halawa said; "It is truly upsetting and heart-breaking to constantly keep having our expectations and hopes shattered into a million pieces.

"It is not just Ibrahims life that is being played around with but also the entire familys life. We would ask that our family are allowed some time to ourselves during this difficult period."

The family solicitor Darragh Mackin added; "Todays news is truly devastating for our client and his family. Regrettably, this is not the first time the case has been due to conclude when a last minute - unexpected and unjustified decision is taken to delay the case further. We are now four years on, with each day and each false dawn having a hugely significant mental and physical impact on our clients health.

It is not known when this case will ever end. Such irrational and unpredictable decisions cannot be allowed to continue, and in particular when they operate in a vacuum of lawfulness depriving our client of his basic rights."

Maya Foa, Reprieve director, said; "Ibrahim was arrested as a child for the 'crime' of attending a protest and brutally tortured.

"His shockingly unfair mass trial of nearly 500 people, all facing potential death sentences, has dragged on for more than four years.

"This mockery of justice demonstrates that there is no longer any semblance of due process in Egypt," she continued.

"The international community  including the EU, which helps to fund Egypts courts  must urge President el-Sisi to return Ibrahim back home to Ireland without delay.

"They must also call on his government to end its patently illegal use of mass trials and the death penalty for protesting."

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, has expressed disappointment and frustration at the news from Cairo.

I am frustrated at the news that the final hearing in the court case involving Irish citizen Ibrahim Halawa was today deferred. The Irish Ambassador was in court for this mornings proceedings, and our understanding now is that the verdicts in the case will be announced on Monday, 18 September.

"This is very frustrating for Ibrahim Halawa and for his family, who were expecting some definitive news today, and I fully share that sense of disappointment and frustration at yet another delay in this long-running case.

"Nonetheless, we will be continuing to work in support of Ibrahim and his family and doing everything we can to ensure that he is able to return to Ireland as soon as possible once the trial ends.

Children's Minister Katherine Zappone said she shares the "deep disappointment" of the Halawa family.

I share the deep disappointment felt by the family of Ibrahim Halawa following the postponement of a verdict," Minister Zappone said.

"Ibrahim and his family are in my thoughts and prayers during this enormously difficult time.

"As Ibrahims local TD I remain in continuous contact with the family, his legal team as well as Government colleagues. This is a very difficult consular case for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the officials working behind the scenes have my full support.

"Ireland has respected the legal process and we expect it to deliver.

"At a time when hopes are high this further delay is very frustrating. Nevertheless we must continue to put in place the supports necessary to ensure Ibrahims health and well-being when he is allowed home to be reunited with his loved ones."
Junior Minister Patrick ODonovan: Fianna Fail people who dont want any truck with Sinn Fein are worried

The "ordinary, decent Fianna Fail voters" - from farmers to fishermen - are deeply alarmed at recent manoeuvres within the party towards a coalition deal with Sinn Fein.

That's according to the new Junior Minister at the Department of Finance, Patrick O'Donovan, who warned of what he described as a "rush" within political circles to "find Sinn Fein respectable".

In his first interview since being appointed by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Mr O'Donovan said he and others within Fine Gael perceive Sinn Fein as a party that espouses "back of the fag box economics", and one which is associated with those who have "blown children to smithereens".

In a move reminiscent of Phil Hogan's 'lend us your vote' intervention in 2011, Mr O'Donovan said Fianna Fail voters are worried about recent remarks made by senior front-bench figures.

"The people I have met during the summer, at agricultural shows and other events - the farmers and fishermen and ordinary decent Fianna Fail people - this is something that has really concerned them.

"It has worried Fianna Fail people who don't want to have any truck with Sinn Fein," Mr O'Donovan said.

"It was (Fianna Fail's finance spokesperson) Michael McGrath who said recently that the centre must hold.

"But there appears to be a shift away from that now within the Fianna Fail party. Doing a deal with Sinn Fein wouldn't be an example of the centre holding."

Mr O'Donovan was referring to Mr McGrath's Budget day speech last year, during which he warned that the centre is "under attack".

In his contribution, Mr McGrath said that after considering the proposals put forward by alternative parties, he came to the conclusion that the "centre must hold".

Speaking from his constituency office in Newcastle West, Mr O'Donovan said this contrasts starkly with remarks made recently by a number of Fianna Fail TDs that have appeared favourable towards the idea of a coalition with Sinn Fein.

He also said that before Sinn Fein can be considered as potential party in government, it must deal with issues of the past.

"I, and so many other people in Limerick, will always remember where we were the day Jerry McCabe was murdered.

"But I also think about another garda, Seamus Quaid, whose brothers and sisters live here in Newcastle West.

"This was a man lured to his death in a quarry in Wexford.

"His family have had to bear that cross.

"Have they or the McCabes ever had proper reconciliation? I don't think so," Mr O'Donovan said.

"They are just two victims. What about Brian Stack? What about the innocent children blown to smithereens indiscriminately in the likes of the Dublin-Monaghan bombings? That was not done in my name or in the name of any right-minded person.

"So when I hear senior people of a political party talk about 'legitimate combatants', in whose eyes? Who voted for that? I certainly didn't."

As the Government prepares to deliver its first Budget under Leo Varadkar, Mr O'Donovan said that the focus will be on ensuring that there is no repeat of the mistakes of the past.

The minister enjoys a close bond with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe, who he says is determined to improve the lives of working families.

"We won't put families and communities back into the mess they found themselves in through no fault of themselves, through bad leadership," he said.

Mr O'Donovan said, however, that the Government must focus on securing the best possible deal for Ireland post-Brexit. The Limerick TD said this should include seeking special conditions in relation to spending on infrastructure.

"If you look towards the Shannon estuary and the west coast of Ireland, we are talking about the most peripheral part of the most peripheral country in the EU.

"The SME sector is deeply concerned about the impact Brexit will have on how they will export. Will they have to avoid the UK and go directly from Rosslare Europort into France? They want capacity on routes into Zeebrugge and Rotterdam," Mr O'Donovan said.

"In relation to spending on ports, roads and aviation, we are going to need the EU to look at Ireland more favourably and that may require a relaxing of the EU state aid rules."

Mr O'Donovan's move from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport came amid various reports of a rocky relationship with Shane Ross.

There was even speculation within political circles that former Taoiseach Enda Kenny was to be drafted in to mediate between the pair.

Mr O'Donovan said this was never the case.

"There was a lot of difference of opinions. We are two totally different people.

"There were major differences but we always came to an agreed settlement."

One of the first challenges Mr O'Donovan did face as a minister were the alleged Olympic ticket touting and doping controversies last summer.

Mr O'Donovan said he was "blown away" by the negative reaction he received from certain representatives in Olympic circles after he personally backed proposals from his counterpart in Denmark to reform doping rules.

Without citing any individual, Mr O'Donovan said it was made clear to him that he was perceived as "trouble" prior to him travelling to Rio last summer.

"It was relayed to me that my support for these proposals was going to make me unpopular," he said.

"But if your gut tells you reform is upsetting them, it's probably the right thing to do."
The UK Labour Party's call for a soft Brexit transition period, with access to the single market, would give more time to resolve Ireland's "complex" Border question, the party has said.

In what is being regarded as a dramatic shift in policy for Jeremy Corbyn, Labour has come out fighting as the supporters of a 'soft Brexit', insisting the UK should remain wedded to the EU for a lengthy period after March 2019, in which the same basic terms of membership are maintained.

That's in contrast to the UK government's stated intention to leave the customs union and single market in just over 18 months' time.

The Labour move has been welcomed in political circles here, with Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath describing it as a potential "game changer".

He predicted "many twists and turns" in the Brexit talks ahead, but said the move is particularly significant given the fragile nature of Theresa May's parliamentary majority.

His party leader Micheal Martin said the Labour Party decision to shift its policy position shows us that a hard Brexit is far from inevitable.

"Now is the time for the Irish Government to step up its effort to convince the British government of the enormous benefits of continued membership of the single market and customs union," he said.

The proposal, which would mean no additional customs or migration controls in March 2019, would allow more time to finalise details of the UK's departure, and give government and business time to prepare, Labour's Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said, in an article penned for the 'Observer' newspaper.

"There would be no need to set up complex alternative customs or trading relations," Mr Starmer wrote.

"It is a grown-up acknowledgment that bespoke transitional arrangements are highly unlikely to be negotiated, agreed and established in the next 18 months."

He also listed the advantages of such a proposal, including providing more time to deal with the issue of the Border.

"Labour is clear this extremely serious issue must not be rushed and a considered agreement needs to be reached that prevents a hard Border and has support from all communities," Mr Starmer wrote.

"The government's policy paper on this was incredibly light on detail and gave precious little reason to believe this will be resolved satisfactorily by March 2019."

The shift in Labour's policy comes as the UK prepares for another round of negotiations in Brussels today, which EU officials have signalled are unlikely to yield much progress.

Brexit Secretary David Davis will ask his EU counterpart Michel Barnier to use "imagination" and flexibility to allow talks to move on.

Labour's proposal is in contrast to that proposed by the UK government in a policy paper just weeks ago, in which it called for a transition period that would mirror the customs union, but allow the UK to negotiate its own trade deals with the rest of the world. That was quickly dismissed as "fantasy" by one EU figure.

Mr Starmer was clear that Labour remains committed to implementing Brexit. He also said his party wanted to see a final settlement that allowed the UK "more effective management of migration" - something that would make permanent membership of the single market difficult.

The leader of the Labour Party here, Brendan Howlin, said the "debacle" of Brexit is a "creation" of the Conservative Party. He said a change of government in Britain would be "in the best interests of Ireland".
James Gately (inset) and (background) the scene of May's botched murder attempt on Gately

A senior member of the Kinahan cartel was in custody last night after being arrested at Dublin Airport over an alleged plot to kill a rival Hutch gang member.

He was arrested in the arrivals area of Dublin Airport at around 6pm yesterday by members of the gardai's elite Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau.

The suspect is alleged to have been a key part of a major cartel plot to murder Hutch mobster James 'Mago' Gately earlier this year.

The alleged cartel member was being questioned last night at Irishtown Garda Station, where he can be held for up to a week.

Expand Close James 'Mago' Gately / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp James 'Mago' Gately

Senior sources said last night that the arrest was part of a separate garda investigation than the probe into the attempted murder of Gately in May.

A Co Meath-based man has been arrested in relation to that botched hit, but no one has been charged.

Last night's arrest is linked to a separate investigation, in which three other suspects have previously been arrested.

'Mago' is believed to be still hiding out in Northern Ireland after he survived a murder attempt on the afternoon of May 10 outside the Topaz Garage in Clonshaugh, north Dublin.

Gately was shot up to five times, including once in the neck.

However, four shots were lodged in his bullet-proof vest, saving his life.

Gately was driving a Ford Mondeo with northern registration plates when he was shot.

He had walked out of the busy filling station only moments before.

Gardai believe that a Lexus pulled up beside Gately as he got into his car.

He spent a number of days being treated in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital.

Such were the fears of another attack that members of the Armed Support Unit patrolled the Beaumont area until Gately was discharged.

Since his release, he has been keeping a low profile.

See the full story in today's Herald
Ibrahim Halawa was imprisoned after being detained in a mosque in Cairo during protests over the removal of elected president Mohamed Morsi in 2013 (Family handout/PA)

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar spoke by phone with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi this evening after the trail of an Irishman detained in Egypt was further delayed.

Ibrahim Halawa has been imprisoned in Egypt for the past four years.

He was arrested along with hundreds of other individuals during 2013 protests against the ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi.

His trial, where he is being tried in mass proceedings, have been delayed or postponed a number of times, however there was much anticipation among Irish officials for the verdict today.

There was no reason given today for the postponing of the trial verdict.

It is expected the young man will be returned to Ireland within weeks of the verdict being handed down.

This evening the Taoiseach spoke with the Egyptian president by phone and discussed the case.

According to a statement Mr Varadkar "expressed his disappointment at the further adjournment of the trial at todays hearing, until 18 September" during a 25-minute phone call.

"He made clear to President Al-Sisi that his priority was to secure the return of Ibrahim Halawa to Ireland as soon as possible," the statement said.

"President Al-Sisi emphasised that his Government could not interfere in a judicial process but gave the Taoiseach his word that he would resolve the matter swiftly within the Egyptian constitutional and legal framework once the trial concludes and the verdict is known."

Meanwhile, in an earlier statement released by the family, Somaia Halawa, sister of Ibrahim Halawa said; "It is truly upsetting and heart-breaking to constantly keep having our expectations and hopes shattered into a million pieces.

"It is not just Ibrahims life that is being played around with but also the entire familys life. We would ask that our family are allowed some time to ourselves during this difficult period."
You might hate Monday, but you'll love our pick of the week's best travel offers...

189pp: Christmas Markets in Budapest

ClickAndGo.com has several Christmas Markets on sale, including Budapest from 189pp departing December 10. The package includes Ryanair flights and a 4-star hotel (a Saturday departure starts at 210pp). 01 539-7723; clickandgo.com.

549pp: Topflights September Savers!

Topflight has a host of September offers for Italy, including a 3-star Lake Garda break from 549pp (reduced from 799pp), and a 3-star Sorrento package from 569pp (down from 1,029pp). 01 240-1700; topflight.ie.

599pp: Fly to Japan return

Always wanted to visit Japan? Finnair has a sale on flights from Dublin (via Helsinki), with return fares to Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya or Fukuoka from just 599pp. The promo prices must be booked by September 12, and are valid on select dates in 2017 and 2018. finnair.com.

879pp: Seven nights in Thailand

Tropical Sky has savings of up to 200pp on weeklong stays at the 4-star Evason Hua Hin, overlooking Thailand's Gulf of Siam. A seven-night stay (including flights, transfers and a free room upgrade) costs from 879pp, departing October 1-31. 01 664-9999; tropicalsky.ie.

PS. Flynn Hotels September Sale

Flynn Hotels has a seven-day End of Summer Sale from September 1st to 8th. It will see 15pc reductions on room rates in all four of the group's hotels. See flynnhotels.com.

NB: All travel deals subject to availability/change.
The Swiss canton of Valais is a region of breathtaking beauty and is home to many of Switzerland's highest peaks, including the iconic Matterhorn, inspiration for the Toblerone's shape

It's not often a Portaloo merits mention, but this was no ordinary latrine.

The July sun was at its zenith as I eyed up the plastic structure that sat somewhat incongruously on the Swiss slope. I'd just climbed the equivalent of 127 floors, and taken 13,088 steps, traversing 4.9 miles of the Binntal's Landschaftspark to picnic at the glorious Lake Massersee, which is fed by mountain streams that run to the mighty Rhone. I'd impressed myself, ascending to 2,300 metres in the thin air and summer heat, but the wine enjoyed lakeside had nature calling on speed dial, and the blue loo's appearance seemed like heaven-sent salvation. Despite my pressing need, I hesitated; past super-stinky encounters had left their scars. But needs must, so I flung open the door and, like Dorothy arriving in Oz, entered a place so fragrant, so beautiful, it seemed like a dream. That's Switzerland for you; even the loos are in another league.

Coming in to land at Geneva a few days previously, I'd been struck by the robin's-egg blue of the snaking rivers below; the crystal-clear waters of this landlocked nation are but one point of difference among many that mark Switzerland out as special. Drinking fountains of thirst-quenching mountain water dot this nation, from Zurich's cosmopolitan streets to the peaks of the gorgeous Goms district in the canton of Valais, my destination for the weekend. The region is a breeze to access with the famously efficient Swiss transport system; I had a Swiss Pass, which made matters even easier, as it allowed me to jump aboard the first train out of the airport, which sped through the Swiss Riviera's lacustrine landscape. I was heading to the village of Ernen, justifiably famous for its annual week-long festival of piano, jazz and Baroque music.

My lodgings for the duration were high above Ernen: hotel Chaserstatt - a wooden-chalet type structure with additional accommodation in a converted cable-car engine room - is set at 1,777 metres. Run by the ebullient German duo of Jan and Georg, the hotel is a mix of traditional and understated luxe - my quarters had an austere aesthetic, but fine finishes and designer lighting added sass, while the peerless view of the valley served as an ever-changing live-action nature movie. Dinner that night was a celebration of traditional Swiss fare, the main course being the hearty, unfortunately named cholera - a potato, veg and cheese pie; followed by apricot cheesecake and a chaser (or two!) of local liqueur Abricotine. The Valais is famous for its luscious apricots, although the aforementioned liqueur is, shall we say, a tad rough around the edges.

Next morning, the restorative mountain air lessened the effects of any Abricotine over-indulgence, and we set off to the Binntal (tal means 'valley'), located perpendicular to the hotel valley. Our guide was Richard Gere-lookalike Rene In-Albon, a renowned mineral expert, whose vigour and Ibex-like sure-footedness on the precipitous mountainside belied his 65 years. Rene began searching for crystals as a boy, while herding cattle in the valley. The area's geological history means that there are vast mineral deposits here, ranging from rare fluorite, to amethyst, to fool's gold, known locally as cat's gold. Rene's daughter, Daniela, who came along to translate, helped with the mountain ascent as we searched for Binntal's buried treasure. Rene located a promising cleft (we were now at 2,000-odd metres, and I was forced to climb on all fours, such was the sheerness of the gradient) and began to dig in the sandy crevasse. I watched as he selected, inspected and discarded material from the unearthed rubble. Suddenly, he smiled, nodded, and handed me an exquisite quartz that sparkled in the noonday sun like the treasure that it was. I thanked Rene and the mountain for their generosity and descended to a plateau to eat apricots among the alpine blooms, and admire the panorama of peaks, with the Albrun Pass, a smugglers' route of old, visible in the far-off distance.

The route home took in the mineral museum in nearby Fald, which showcases the diversity of the minerals and crystals found in the area.

Expand Close Gemma hunting for cystals in the VAlais / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Gemma hunting for cystals in the VAlais

Treasure hunting inevitably results in a raging appetite, and it was with delicious anticipation that we headed to recently opened ErnerGarten, in Ernen. It's fine dining from chef Klaus Leuenberger, but the atmosphere is neither stuffy nor formal; indeed, I was greeted with licks and wags by a diner's dog. I'm veggie, but there was plenty to delight my herbivorous palate, not least the smoked potato sausage with nettle-semolina dumplings and Swiss chard, and to finish, flambeed local apricots, soused in Abricotine. A powerful pudding, it was unanimously agreed. The local wine is fine indeed, but another hike was on the cards for the morning, so it was back up the mountain to bed. As we ascended, a wild deer appeared out of the descending gloom. He momentarily turned his antlered head our way, then vanished down the mountainside, leaving us wide-eyed with wonder.

The next day dawned bright, and we headed off with our guide, Andreas Weissen (a past president of Commission Internationale pour la Protection des Alpes) in the direction of Lake Massersee, the smallest of four mountain lakes in the region, and famed for its loveliness. As we walk - or rather huff and puff up the slope - Andreas points out flora along the path, among them the 'wild man' or sulphur anemone, and glockenblumen, aka bluebells. Andreas explains we are on the shadow side of the valley, home to the famous black fighting cows of the Valais (thankfully, we don't encounter any), while the far slopes, the sunny side, are the pastures of the fawn-coloured dairy cows, whose tinkling neck bells can be heard across the valley. As in other Alpine regions, the cows ascend the mountain in summer (our trail was a cow path) to graze on the sweet grass, flowers and herbs, and they don't descend until September. Known as the desalpe, this centuries-old tradition culminates in the crowning of Queen of the Valley - won by the cow that has produced the most milk - although all of the cows wear colourful flower crowns for their parade home.

On our decent, we pass (near the aforementioned legendary loo) the famous Lengenback Quarry dolomite mine, the rocks from which are interspersed with pyrite, creating a carpet of sparkles beneath our feet. This mine is part of a mineral trail, and as you go down the mountain, you can learn about the rocks of the region, which include the mysterious black-speckled green serpentine stone, which is said to awaken the kundalini; the swirling snake energy at the base of the spine that's associated with tantric sex and enlightenment.

I prefer my enlightenment from a wine bottle, and back at Chaserstatt I savour a sublime sundowner on the hotel's terrace-with-a-view, before devouring chef Janos Schweizer's fabulous fare - while the others dine on (female) cow steaks, a prized local delicacy, I enjoyed a specially prepared dish which Georg christened 'extreme vegetable'. Extremely delicious.

It was almost home time, but first we had a whistlestop tour of Ernen, which is picture-postcard in its loveliness, with many of the perfectly preserved 15th-century buildings decorated with colourful frescoes, including one of William Tell. But there's a dark side: the troika of white pillars on the hill outside the village, aka the Galgehubel, or gallows, the only one remaining in Switzerland featuring all three original pillars. Witch hunts peaked in this part of Europe between the 15th and 17th centuries; 10,000 witch trials were conducted in Switzerland alone, and Ernen had its share. The 'witch' was first tortured, then dragged to the Galgehubel, where she (it was generally a she) was burned at the stake; the burning was considered an act of kindness, to purge the convicted witch's soul and ensure her salvation.

Our last morning's walk was brief, but no less a delight for that. We met the genial Peter Mangold and his dog Bo (almost everyone has a dog in Switzerland) for a walk on the sunny side of the Binn valley along Twingi Gorge, an important pilgrim way. Peter pointed out rare flora and fauna, and educated us on the habits of the ibex, chamois and deer that live on the mountainside. Peter's family have lived in Twingi since the 15th century. A cross on our route marks the place his grandfather fell to his death while trying to bring post during winter. Peter relates how his grandmother, not having heard the tragic news, noticed icicles on the window frame beginning to melt, an impossibility in the sub-zero temperatures. She knew instantly that she was a widow, and her six children were fatherless.

Our walk ends at Twingi Stubji, a tiny restaurant and Peter's home, where we taste raclette, a divine, simple dish of melted cheese, potato, gherkins and pearl onions. The sun sparkles on the turquoise waters of the adjacent lagoon, which is braceleted by forest, snow-capped peaks and mossy meadows dotted with ancient log cabins. I am almost overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. In my bliss, the words of Johanna Spyri's Heidi come to mind: "It was so lovely, Heidi stood with tears pouring down her cheeks, and thanked God for letting her come home to it again. She could find no words to express her feelings, but lingered until the light began to fade and then ran on."

Get there

For more information on Switzerland, see MySwitzerland.com or email info.uk@myswitzerland.com; for packages, trains and air tickets sales, see stc.co.uk.

SWISS operates weekly flights to Switzerland from Dublin from as little as 55 one-way. All-inclusive fares start from 71 one-way. For reservations, see swiss.com.

The Swiss Travel System provides a dedicated range of travel passes and tickets exclusively for visitors from abroad.

The Swiss Transfer Ticket covers a round trip between the airport/Swiss border and destination. Prices are 136 in second class and 217 in first class.

The Swiss Travel Pass is the all-in-one ticket to travel by train, bus and boat on an all-inclusive basis from 3-15 days. Prices from 200 in second class. Each ticket offers free admission to more than 500 museums nationwide and half-price on the most scenic Swiss mountain railways.

For the ultimate Swiss rail specialist, see Switzerland Travel Centre, swisstravelsystem.co.uk.
Sheena O'Buachalla and Jamie Heaslip at the launch of Kronenbourg BLANC. Picture: Kieran Harnett

He might be one of Ireland's most recognisable athletes, but Jamie Heaslip doesn't seek out the spotlight.

The Irish rugby star, however, was on hand to support his wife Sheena, a brand manager, who masterminded the launch of Kronenbourg BLANC in Ireland, just days after they celebrated their one year wedding anniversary.

The couple, clad in matching white outfits, beamed as they posed arm in arm at the new product launch at Haddington House in Dun Laoghaire, which saw a host of familiar faces in attendance, including Xpose's Cassie Stokes and model nutritionist Jodie Wood.

While Sheena unsurprisingly didn't dish about married life at the event, the brand manager did say she was "delighted" to be introducing the drink to the market.

Expand Close Sheena O'Buachalla and Jamie Heaslip at the launch of Kronenbourg BLANC. Picture: Kieran Harnett / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp Sheena O'Buachalla and Jamie Heaslip at the launch of Kronenbourg BLANC. Picture: Kieran Harnett

The pair, who have been together for seven years, wed last summer in a lavish affair in Dublin city centre attended by 200 friends and family.
Kim Kardashian West has shared adorable images of her and daughter North West from a new magazine shoot.

Channeling style-icon and former first lady Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Kim is pictured in tailored white dress and elbow length gloves for the cover photo.

The headline on the cover reads:

"America's New First Lady Kim Kardashian West and her daughter North West."

Her daughter (4) is pictured alongside her famous mum in the photos by photographer Steven Klein.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

In the interview the mum-of-two spoke candidly about protecting her children from the spotlight.

"We have strict rules about the kids [on KUWTK]," she said. "Some seasons they're not on at all. Some seasons they're on a little bit, just to show a bit of personality, although there are never story lines about them. But then there's social media, on which I've always been really open. When I'm out and people call North's name, that's when it's weird for me. She lives such a normal life, believe it or not, at home," she said.

She also hit out at critics who describe her as talentless.

Read More

I used to say, I love being underestimated. But now when I hear, Theyre so not talented,ten years into itIm kind of like, Okay, give a girl a little respect. If Im so not talented, if I do nothing, then how is my career my reality? And I poke fun at it, like when I was on the cover of Forbes I posted the hashtag #NotBadForAGirlWithNoTalent. I dont mind being underestimated because it does fuel me. But after a while, I do feel like, Cmon, you can recognize a little bit....You can say a lot of things about me, but you cannot say I dont work hard. I dont sing. I dont dance. I dont act. But I am not lazy."
After helping the driver of the submerged truck get to safety, a man floats on the flooded road

Volunteers use their boat to help evacuate residents as floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey rise (AP)

Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-storey homes on Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Hurricane Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day.

The US's fourth-largest city was still largely paralysed by one of the largest downpours in American history.

And there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast.

With nearly two more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

Harvey has been blamed for at least two confirmed deaths.

A Houston television station reported on Monday that six family members were believed to have drowned when their van was swept away by floodwaters.

The KHOU report was attributed to three family members the station did not identify. No bodies have been recovered.

Police Chief Art Acevedo told The Associated Press that he had no information about the report but said he's "really worried about how many bodies we're going to find".

According to the station, four children and their grandparents were feared dead after the van hit high water on Sunday when crossing a bridge in the Greens Bayou area.

The driver of the vehicle, the children's great-uncle, reportedly escaped before the van sank by grabbing a tree limb.

He told the children to try to escape through the back door, but they were unable to get out.

The disaster unfolded on an epic scale in one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centres.

The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles.

It is crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles to the south-east from the city centre.

The flooding was so widespread that the levels of city waterways have either equalled or surpassed those of Tropical Storm Allison from 2001, and no major highway has been spared some overflow.

The city's normally bustling business district was virtually deserted on Monday, with emergency vehicles making up most of the traffic.

Most traffic signals were out and most businesses closed.

Elsewhere, water gushed from two reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey as officials sought to release pressure on a pair of dams where floodwaters were at risk of spilling around the sides of the barriers.

The move aimed at protecting the central business district risked flooding thousands more homes.

Meanwhile, rescuers continued plucking people from the floodwaters - at least 2,000 so far, according to Mr Acevedo.

At least 185 critical rescue requests were still pending on Monday morning, he said.

Rescuers were giving priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many people to fend for themselves.

Houston's 911 system has received 75,000 calls since Harvey inundated the city, including 20,000 just since late Sunday.

The city normally averages 8,000 to 9,000 calls per day.

The Red Cross quickly set up Houston's George R Brown Convention Centre and other venues as shelters.

The centre, which was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005, can accommodate roughly 5,000 people.

By Monday morning, it was already half full.

Up to 20 more inches (51cm) of rain could fall in the coming days, on top of the more than 30 inches (76cm) some places have already seen, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said on Monday.

That means the flooding will get worse in the days ahead and the floodwaters will be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on, the weather service said.

The amount of water was so unprecedented that meteorologists had to update the colour charts on the weather service's official rainfall maps.

In Washington, President Donald Trump's administration assured Congress that the three billion dollar (2.3 billion) balance in the Federal Emergency Management Authority's disaster fund was enough to handle immediate needs, such as debris removal and temporary shelter for thousands of displaced residents.

When lawmakers return next week, a multibillion-dollar aid package is likely to be added to their already packed agenda.

Mr Trump planned to visit Texas on Tuesday, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump.

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the US in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

AP
The deal will have to be approved by Australian regulators

Troubled TV broadcaster Ten Network is to be sold to US giant CBS, the Australian company's administrator has announced.

New York-based CBS had "entered into binding transaction documents" to buy the Sydney-based network's owner, Ten Network Holdings, administrator KordaMentha said.

CBS is the biggest creditor of Australia's third most popular free-to-air commercial TV network that went into voluntary administration in June.

The sale is subject to conditions including approval by Australia's Foreign Investment Review Board, KordaMentha said.

The sale price will be revealed in a report to creditors within days.

Armando Nunez, president and chief executive of CBS Studios International, said CBS recognised the significance of Ten to Australian broadcasting.

"We are committed to the efficient, reliable and successful turnaround, operation and development of Ten to support continued growth in Australian media," he said.

CBS chairman and chief executive Leslie Moonves said the sale added Ten to CBS's global content and distribution portfolios.

"We have been able to acquire it at a valuation that gives us confidence we will grow this asset by applying our programming expertise in a market with which we are already familiar," he said.

Ten chief executive Paul Anderson said his network and CBS had a strong relationship.

"We are very excited about further developing that relationship with CBS as an owner and strength that they will provide to the company at this critical time," he said.

Ten appointed administrators after its billionaire backers, Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon, refused to guarantee a new 250 million-Australian dollar (154m) bank loan when a current 200 million-dollar loan is due to expire in December.

Mr Murdoch, who co-chairs News Corp with his father Rupert, and Mr Gordon, who owns regional network WIN Television, each want to buy a 50% share in Ten.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the competition watchdog, said last week it would not oppose the joint bid, saying it was unlikely to result in a "substantial lessening of competition in any relevant market".

But the deal is blocked by laws passed in the 1980s to ensure diversity of media ownership.

The Australian government is currently negotiating with the Senate to relax those laws and allow Mr Murdoch and Mr Gordon to buy the network.

AP
US military divers have recovered the bodies of all 10 sailors killed in a collision between an American destroyer and an oil tanker near Singapore.

The navy and marine corps divers had been searching in flooded compartments of the USS John S McCain after the damaged ship docked in Singapore. The victims, aged between 20 and 39, were from eight US states.

The August 21 collision, which ripped a gash in the McCain's hull, flooding crew berths and machinery and communications rooms, is being investigated .

Last week the commander of the US Navy's Japan-based 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin, was sacked after a series of accidents this year raised questions about its operations.

The three-star admiral's removal was a rare dismissal of a high-ranking officer.

Navy chiefs also ordered a worldwide operational pause for its fleets to make sure all steps were being taken to ensure safe and effective operations.

The Pacific Fleet will be carrying out out a ship-by-ship review of its vessels, looking at navigation, mechanical systems, bridge resource management and training.

AP
3rd Annual Commemoration of the World Alliance of Religions Peace (WARP) Summit

The 3rd Annual Commemoration of the World Alliance of Religions Peace (WARP) Summit will be held in Seoul, South Korea to seek global cooperation for global peace-building. Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), a peace NGO under the UN Department of Public Information (DPI) hosts this event on September 17-19 in association with International Peace Youth Group (IPYG) and International Womens Peace Group (IWPG).

This annual peace summit since 2014 brings together political and religious leaders, heads of women



s and youth groups, civil society, and the press from around the world and provides a platform for discussion and cooperation for peace. This year, more than

1,000

global figures from 120 countries are expected to participate in to discuss establishing collaborative governance between governments and civil societies for implementation of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW), development of education as a culture of peace, and promotion of interfaith harmony.

Former presidents, ministers, UN officials, justices, heads of civic groups, leaders of women, youth, and religions, and journalists will have in-depth discussions in groups on the topics: the direction of peace education for sustainable peace, the role of media in spreading a culture of peace and ways to build a global media network, and the way to foster peaceful harmony amongst religions.

The

Chairman of HWPL, Mr. Man Hee Lee, emphasizes the significance of the peace education by saying, "In order for everyone to become a messenger of peace, spreading a culture of peace and peace education by the development of peace materials and training of peace leaders are important.



Region-specific meetings are also planned for the implementation of peace projects in collaboration between governments and civil society groups. Each representative from each sector discusses ways to develop action plans for peace-building that can best reflect the cultural and social environment in the region.

The Chairwoman of IWPG, Mrs. Nam Hee Kim, highlights the power of women for achieving peace saying



3.6 billion of women, half of the world



s population, have the power to lead humanity to the world of peace. If we cannot use our potential, we can never achieve a peaceful world."

The world women leaders are expected to make one voice to transform the DPCW into a legally binding form for the cessation of war in



2017 IWPG Network Forum



.

Along with sessions, a peace festival with 100,000 participants and local citizens will also be held on the second day of the summit. With the slogan



Together for Peace as Messenger of Peace



, cultural performances by 8,000 youth will be shown to convey the core messages of peace as a culture in the global community.
Police in Spanish holiday resort Magaluf are on the hunt for three suspects after a teenager said she was gang-raped on a beach.

The 19-year-old, from Scotland, gave detectives a picture that she had taken on her phone of the one of the suspects after they were called to the scene near Punta Ballena, a popular party strip.

A source told the Daily Express: She had a picture of one of the men she said had raped her and assured officers she could identify him.

It is not clear whether the teenager was on holiday in Magaluf or lived in the area.

Police say they were called to Punta Ballena at around 1am on Saturday.

They arrived to find the young woman crying. She told officers she had agreed to go to the beach with a male friend that she had known previously from nights out in the area, the Daily Express reports.

She said the man then attacked her, gang-raping her with two other men who appeared to be his friends.

The 19-year-old said she called out for help, but no one responded to her pleas.

Police have yet to make any arrests in the case.

The nationalities of the suspects have not yet been revealed but they are believed to be British.

Read More

News of the assault comes following reports of a tourist gang-raped on a beach at the Rimini holiday resort in Italy.

An investigation is underway after a Polish tourist said she was gang-raped as her boyfriend was brutally beaten at the popular resort.

Italian police are still searching for the suspects of what they have called a brutal and bestial attack.
Texas suffers under the worst tropical storm in decades (Marie D De Jesus/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Larry Keller and his wife Lisa Keller exit a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that rescued them from their home after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf coast with rain causing widespread flooding, in Houston, Texas, U.S. August 27, 2017. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

Evacuees leave a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from flooding due to Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, August 27, 2017. Picture taken August 27, 2017. U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 3rd Class Johanna Strickland/Handout via REUTERS.

This enhanced satellite image made available by the NOAA GOES Project shows Harvey, upper left, over Texas on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. The remnants of the hurricane spun deeper into Texas and unloaded extraordinary amounts of rain. (NASA/NOAA via AP)

Evacuees are airlifted in a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas, August 27, 2017. Picture taken August 27, 2017. U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 3rd Class Johanna Strickland/Handout via REUTERS

Evacuees are airlifted in a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after flooding due to Hurricane Harvey inundated neighborhoods in Houston, Texas, August 27, 2017. Picture taken August 27, 2017. U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 3rd Class Johanna Strickland/Handout via REUTERS.

Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas, U.S. August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

A dead dog lies out of the passenger window of an overturned pickup truck after Hurricane Harvey landed in the Coast Bend area in Port Aransas, Texas, on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017. Harvey came ashore Friday along the Texas Gulf Coast as a Category 4 storm with 130 mph winds, the most powerful hurricane to hit the U.S. in more than a decade. (Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

An eighteen wheel tractor trailer is stranded on Interstate highway 45 which is submerged from the effects of Hurricane Harvey seen during widespread flooding in Houston, Texas, U.S. August 27, 2017. REUTERS/Richard Carson

Jesus Rodriguez rescues Gloria Garcia after rain from Hurricane Harvey flooded Pearland, in the outskirts of Houston, Texas, U.S. August 27, 2017. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

People are rescued from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey on an air boat in Dickinson, Texas August 27, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

The end wall of the Fairfield Inn is seen partially missing after Hurricane Harvey struck in Rockport, Texas, August 26, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Texas National Guard soldiers aid residents in heavily flooded areas from the storms of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, U.S., August 27, 2017 Lt. Zachary West, 100th MPAD/Texas Military Department/Handout via REUTERS

President Donald Trump is preparing to visit Texas to view the federal government's response to Harvey's devastating flooding as his administration vowed to help the millions of residents dealing with the catastrophic storm.

Harvey represented the first major natural disaster of the Trump presidency and a significant test for a White House that is often chaotic and rife with infighting.

Attention on Harvey from officials, the public and the news media also allowed President Trump to refocus after a turbulent stretch that included his widely criticised response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Vice President Mike Pence said in a series of radio interviews on Monday that the Trump administration would "be there for the long haul to help rebuild Texas and all the affected areas from Hurricane Harvey".

He estimated 500,000 Americans could be eligible for disaster assistance.

"The president has been continuously engaged in this. We've all been deeply concerned by the impact of this storm," Mr Pence told KTRH radio in Houston.

"We're saddened by the loss of life and the president is anxious to come to the region."

Mr Pence said President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Cabinet officials would visit on Tuesday.

President Trump spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, and convened his Cabinet by telephone during the weekend.

He tweeted on Sunday a promise of a Texas visit "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" - later announced by the White House as Tuesday.

Read More

Details on the president's itinerary were not yet immediately available.

But by traveling to the region just days after Harvey made landfall, the president raised questions among his critics on whether his presence would complicate efforts by emergency responders to help Texans still in need.

Jennifer Psaki, a former aide to President Barack Obama, tweeted: "It is always a tricky calculation on when to go, but @realDonaldTrump going too early to Texas (tues) would divert significant resources."

Texas Gov Greg Abbott, a Republican and Trump ally, however, loaded heavy praise on the president and the federal government, describing it as an "A-plus" effort.

"I've got to tell you, I give Fema a grade of A+, all the way from the president down," Mr Abbott said.

"I've spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of Fema, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services."

The devastating storm has dumped more than two feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a "landmark event" that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.

Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved north east along the Texas coast over Houston.

Mr Abbott said he expected heavy rain "for days to come".

The governor commended President Trump for being "extremely professional, very helpful" in moving quickly to grant his request on Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.

Meanwhile, a group of pensioners who were caught in the extreme flooding after an image of their almost submerged nursing home went viral on social media.

We need your consent to load this Social Media content We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preference

The distressing image was posted alongside an appeal for help.

It was later confirmed that 15 people were rescued from La Vita Bella, an assisted living facility in Dickinson, about 30 miles south of Houston.
North Korea fired a ballistic from its capital Pyongyang towards the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, South Korea's military has said.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the South Korean and US militaries were analysing the launch and did not immediately confirm how far the projectile travelled and where it landed.

The launch comes days after the North fired what was assessed as three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and a month after its second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which analysts say could reach deep into the US mainland when perfected.

The North has also threatened to fire some of its missiles towards Guam and expressed anger over the ongoing annual war games between the United States and South Korea.

The new missile launch comes as North Korea wants to take its complaints about the war games to the UN Security Council, saying the annual manoeuvres are recklessly provocative at a time of tension.

The letter, dated Friday, asks Egypt as Security Council president to schedule a discussion urgently.

The Egyptian mission did not have any immediate comment on Monday.

Pyongyang regularly argues that the US-South Korean military exercises are an invasion rehearsal.

This year, they come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump of the US traded warlike threats.

North Korea's UN ambassador, Ja Song Nam, writes in the letter that the exercises are "provocative and aggressive" when the Korean peninsula is "like a time bomb".

A spokeswoman for the US state department disputed that, saying the only purpose of the manoeuvres is to improve readiness to defend South Korea.

"Our annual joint military exercises are transparent, defence-oriented, andhave been carried out regularly and openly under the Combined Forces Command for roughly 40 years," said Grace Choi of the department's East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau.

Japanese officials said the missile flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific Ocean. There was no damage to ships or anything else reported. Japan's NHK TV said the missile separated into three parts.

South Korea's military said the missile flew 1,678 miles, with a height of 341 miles.

In the US, the Pentagon said it was still in the process of assessing the launch.

It said the North American Aerospace Defence Command had determined the missile launch did not pose a threat to North America.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un waving from a balcony of the Grand People's Study House to participants of a military parade and mass rally on Kim Il-Sung square in Pyongyang. (AP photo, May 10 2016)

North Korea fired a missile early on Tuesday from near Pyongyang that flew over northern Japan, the South Korean and Japanese governments said, in a sharp escalation of tensions on the Korean peninsula.

The last North Korean projectile to fly over Japan was in 2009. The United States, Japan and South Korea considered that launch to have been a ballistic missile test while North Korea said it was a rocket carrying a communications satellite into orbit.

Public broadcaster NHK reported that the missile broke into three pieces and fell into the waters off Japan's Hokkaido.

The Japanese government's J-Alert warning system advised people in the area to take precautions.

The Japanese military did not attempt to shoot down the missile, which passed over Japanese territory around 6.06am (9.06pm GMT).

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the North Korean missile fell into the sea 1,180 km (733 miles) east of the Cape of Erimo on Hokkaido.

"It is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat to our nation," Suga told a briefing, adding the government had protested the move in the strongest terms.

Suga said the launch was a clear violation of United Nations resolutions and Japan will work closely with the United States, South Korea and other concerned nations on a response, he said.

South Korea's military said the projectile was fired from the Sunan region near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang just before 6.00am.

The missile flew about 2,700 km (1,677 miles) and reached an altitude of about 550 km, South Korea's military said. The US military is currently analyzing more information.

Tensions had eased between North Korea and the United States after weeks of threats.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to fire missiles into the sea near the US Pacific territory of Guam and US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States.

The North has also expressed anger over the ongoing annual war games between the United States and South Korea.

Following the latest launch the Pentagon said there was no threat to North America due to the missile and added that the military was in the process of gathering more information.

North Korea launched a missile that flew over Japan, but did not pose a threat to North America, the Pentagon said on Monday.

"We can confirm that the missile launched by North Korea flew over Japan," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Robert Manning told reporters. He said that the U.S. military was gathering further information.

"North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America," Manning said.

Read More

The new missile launch comes as North Korea wants to take its complaints about the war games to the UN Security Council, saying the annual manoeuvres are recklessly provocative at a time of tension.

The letter, dated Friday, asks Egypt as Security Council president to schedule a discussion urgently.

The Egyptian mission did not have any immediate comment on Monday.

Pyongyang regularly argues that the US-South Korean military exercises are an invasion rehearsal.

This year, they come after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump of the US traded warlike threats.

North Korea's UN ambassador, Ja Song Nam, writes in the letter that the exercises are "provocative and aggressive" when the Korean peninsula is "like a time bomb".

A spokeswoman for the US state department disputed that, saying the only purpose of the manoeuvres is to improve readiness to defend South Korea.

"Our annual joint military exercises are transparent, defence-oriented, andhave been carried out regularly and openly under the Combined Forces Command for roughly 40 years," said Grace Choi of the department's East Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau.
Daur Kove is in Artsakh

On August 28, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic) Karen Mirzoyan met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia Daur Kove who had arrived in Stepanakert on an official visit. Karen Mirzoyan welcomed the guest and expressed confidence that Daur Koves visit, as a manifestation of close practical and professional ties formed between the two Ministries, will also give a new impetus to the friendly relations between Artsakh and Abkhazia. In this context the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh highlighted the importance of maintaining regular political consultations. During the meeting, the sides discussed steps to be taken for the development of cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of the two states, as well as exchanged views on various points of the bilateral agenda, international and regional issues. Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the current stage of the settlement process of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and efforts exerted by Artsakh aimed at achieving progress in the negotiations. The meeting was followed by the ceremony of signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Ministries of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Abkhazia. Within the framework of the Memorandum, the sides agreed, in particular, to hold consultations on collaboration in the areas of information and public expertise, on development of co-operation on interstate, inter-governmental and interagency level as well as in the fields of youth policy and diplomacy and other urgent issues. The Memorandum also envisages implementation of programs on experience exchange and trainings for diplomats. At the end of the ceremony, the Foreign Ministers held a joint press conference.
Parkinsons support group to meet

Parkinsons Forward, a support group for people with Parkinsons disease and their caregivers, will meet at 1 p.m. Monday at Senior Services Inc., 2895 Shorefair Drive.

The program will be Show and Tell or Ask. Participants can bring devices or other things that make life with Parkinsons easier. Also, they will be encouraged to talk about exercises, experiences and other ways they have found to cope with the disease or ask questions about living with Parkinsons.

For more information, contact Jim Nottke at 336-972-7091 or nottke1@yahoo.com.

Faith in Action needs help with homebound

Faith in Action, a program of the Shepherds Center of Greater Winston-Salem, needs volunteers to make home visits, provide respite care for caregivers, make minor home repairs and provide transportation for homebound seniors.

Mileage reimbursement and training are provided.

For more, contact Drea Parker at 336-748-0217 or dparker@shepherdscenter.org.

Emotions Anonymous meets Wednesdays

Emotions Anonymous meets at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Augsburg Lutheran Church, 845 W. Fifth St.

Emotions Anonymous is a 12-step program that helps people with emotional difficulties gain knowledge and support from others who have had similar experiences.

For more information, go to www.triadea.org.

This veterans coffee

to be an adventure

A special veterans coffee will be held at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 6 at the Richard Childress Racing facilities, 425 Industrial Drive in Welcome.

Veterans are invited for a free breakfast. The special guest will be retired Army Col. Walter Joe Marm, a Medal of Honor recipient.

The Hospice & Palliative CareCenter, UNC-TV and PBS have collaborated to present a preview of the new Ken Burns documentary, The Vietnam War.

The Richard Childress Racing Museum will be open for free visits for the participants after the coffee.

For more information, call Don Timmons at 336-331-1309 or email Don.timmons@hospicecarecenter.org.

Lunch and Learn

Workshop on Medicare to be held Sept. 11

Compass Financial Services will hold a Lunch and Learn: Medicare workshop at Bleu Restaurant & Bar, 3425 Frontis St.

The workshop will begin at 11:15 a.m. Sept. 11, but participants are asked to arrive 15 minutes early.

Topics will include Medicare Part A and B benefits and enrollment rules; Medicare Advantage plans versus Medicare supplement plans; how Part D and the doughnut hole work.

The workshop is recommended for people who will turn 65 soon. It is educational only, and no solicitations will be made.

The workshop and lunch are free, but registration is recommended. For more information or to register, call 336-768-5111.

Kernersville Shepherds

Center sets talent night

The Shepherds Center of Kernersville will have its annual A Night of Talent fundraiser at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at Main Street United Methodist Church, 306 S. Main St., Kernersville.

Groups that will be featured include The Eastwind Band, Nice & Easy, and EC Stars, a Special Olympics cheerleading squad.

Admission is $10 in advance for adults, $7 for seniors and children. All tickets at the door are $12. Tickets are available at the Shepherds Center of Kernersville, 431 W. Bodenhamer St., or the Kernersville Senior Enrichment Center, 130 E. Mountain St.

Proceeds will benefit the Shepherds Centers programs.

Davidson agency needs volunteers

Davidson County Senior Services needs volunteers for its Meals-on-Wheels program in the Wallburg area.

Most volunteers deliver once every other week. Meals are picked up from a local church at 10:30 a.m. weekdays.

People interested in riding along to learn more about the program should contact Jacob Gordon, the agencys volunteer coordinator, at 336-242-2948 or jacob.gordon@ davidsoncountync.gov.

Dementia caregivers can get support

Senior Services Inc. offers support groups for families and caregivers of people suffering from Alzheimers disease or other memory impairment.

The free meetings are held at various times at the Williams Adult Day Center, 231 Melrose St. in Winston-Salem.

For more information, call 336-724-2155.

Program helps areas elderly population

Connections, the Aging with Purpose initiative of Senior Services Inc., has volunteer opportunities for Forsyth County residents interested in friendship with an area senior citizen.

For more information or to volunteer, call Melissa Smith at 336-721-6954.

Donate a vehicle, get tax break, help others

Senior Services Inc. is accepting donations of used cars, trucks or boats.

The proceeds from their sale help provide food and care to homebound seniors, and the donors will get a tax deduction.

To get the process started, call 855-500-7433 or go to http://bit.ly/2pYmRxD.

Vehicle donations will help seniors in the community through such programs as Meals-on-Wheels, Home Care, the Williams Center and the Help Line.

For more information, call Patty Mead at 336-721-6908.

Meals-on-Wheels needs volunteers

Senior Services Inc. has openings on its Exodus route to deliver food in eastern Winston-Salem each Tuesday.

Meal pickup is at Senior Services, 2895 Shorefair Drive.

To learn more or to volunteer, call Heather Livengood at 336-721-6910. Online sign-ups are available at www.bit.ly/1RoZZRg.

Compiled by Melissa Hall
A body has been found in a field in Caswell County and authorities are working to determine if its linked to the disappearance of a missing 84-year-old Burlington man.

Authorities also have found evidence that a couple charged in a Virginia shooting may have been in possession of the missing man's vehicle.

Harold Dean Simpson was reported missing Aug. 19 by family members and his Chevrolet Cobalt was found abandoned in Nelson County, Virginia, on Monday, near the scene of a later shooting that seriously injured a 60-year-old woman.

Simpson was last was seen by his family at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 18 and has no history of dementia or other cognitive impairments, Virginia State Police said, citing Burlington police.

After the Virginia shooting on Tuesday, Sean D. Castorina, 42, and Penny M. Dawson, 40, both of Burlington, fled the scene in a Dodge Dakota taken from the residence, Virginia State Police said in a release.

Items found in the abandoned Cobalt link Castorina and Dawson to the vehicle, Burlington police said.

Castorina and Dawson, who police warned were considered armed and dangerous, were apprehended in Fergus Falls, Minn., without incident on Thursday and will be extradited to Virginia. They face charges of malicious wounding, use of a firearm and grand larceny of a vehicle, Virginia State Police said.

On Friday, authorities received information that led investigators to the area of Totten Road in Caswell County, according to a Burlington police press release.

The unidentified body found there will be taken to the North Carolina Medical Examiners Office for examination and identification, Burlington police said.

Castorina was convicted of felony second-degree murder in Johnston County, North Carolina, more than a decade ago, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported citing online court records, and was released Aug. 17 after spending more than 12 years in prison.

Dawson also has a criminal record in North Carolina with several felony and misdemeanor convictions, none of which resulted in jail time, the newspaper reported.

Anyone with any information about the case is asked to call Burlington police at (336) 229-3500, Alamance County-Wide Crimestoppers at (336) 229-7100 or text 8398 to 274637 for a text-a-tip method, with possible cash rewards.
The Statesville Police Department is looking for residents who want to learn more about how the agency works.

The 13th Citizens Police Academy will begin on Sept. 21. Applications are due Sept. 15.

We hope to provide a behind the badge view of the officers and various divisions that work within the department and give class members a better understanding of police operations, Officer Chan Austin said.

The free program also gives us an opportunity to open lines of communication and cooperation between our department and the community we serve, he said.

Austin said the academy also will show class members what employment opportunities are available at the department.

Topics will include criminal law, domestic violence, use of force, community policing, traffic enforcement and criminal investigations, among others. Participants will participate in a ride along with an officer.

The class will meet Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. at the Statesville Police Department, 330 S. Tradd Street. The eight-week course ends Nov. 9.

WANT TO APPLY?

To be considered, you must be 18, sign a waiver, live in Iredell County with preference given to Statesville residents and have no history of misdemeanor or felony convictions or current indictments.

Interested class members need to fill out an application and include a drivers license or ID card. Applications can be found at the police department or at http://bit.ly/2xm9Fab

For more information contact Officer Chan Austin at 704-878-3442 or email spd@statesvillenc.net
Supreme Court rules individual privacy as fundamental right

On August 24, the nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) of India upheld the right to individual privacy as a fundamental right under the Constitution.

The landmark verdict came on an array of petitions challenging the federal governments move to make Aadhaar mandatory for availing benefits of various government schemes, and extending its provisions for several other essential activities, such as opening bank accounts, making financial transactions above US$780 (RS 50,000), securing loans, and filing tax returns.

Though the SC ruling does not overturn the constitutional validity of Aadhaar Act, it will play an important role in a separate court hearing that will examine the validity of Aadhaar on the principles of the right to privacy. Separately, the judgment does not have a direct or immediate effect on data sharing as India does not have a data privacy law. However, the decision does provide solid grounding for any future data privacy policies in India.

The impact of the SC ruling is evolving. Businesses should monitor the issue closely to understand how it impacts Aadhaar-related transactions, as well as data privacy rules.

RELATED: Business Strategy & Operation Advisory

India bans gold exports above 22 carats

The government announced a ban on gold exports above 22-carat purity level in a bid to check illegal trade practices, such as round-tripping. Round -tripping allows a trader to import gold products at a lower import tax from countries that have trade agreements with India, and re-export the same without any value addition. The announcement came in form of an amendment to 2015-2020 foreign trade policy.

The notification states that export of gold jewelry, plain or studded, and articles containing gold of eight carats and above, up to a maximum limit of 22 carats, would be allowed only from certain areas. These areas include domestic tariff areas and export-oriented units, electronics hardware technology parks, software technology parks and bio-technology parks. The ban will affect prices of gold products, including partly processed jewelry, coins, and medals in India.

RELATED: Establishing a Business in India: Offices, Partnerships, and Companies

India tightens FDI rules for power, telecom

The Indian government has announced stricter provisions for businesses invested in power and telecommunications.

According to new provisions, companies must detail their source of raw materials for transmission systems in the power sector. If the material sourced to India is found to contain any form of malware, the government can restrict its operations in the country. Chinese firms such as Harbin Electric, Dongfang Electronics, Shanghai Electric and Sifang Automation either supply equipment or manage power distribution networks in 18 cities in India.

Similar steps have been taken on the telecom sector, demanding high-security standards in areas that are dominated by Chinese makers of equipment and smartphones. Last week, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asked 21 smartphone makers, mostly Chinese, to provide details about the safety and security practices, guidelines, and standards followed in their product or services sold in India.

About Us

Related Reading:

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 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.

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we discuss payroll processing and reporting in India, and the various regulations and tax norms that impact salary and wage computation. Further, we explain Indias complex social security system and gratuity law, and how it applies to companies. Finally, we describe the importance of IT infrastructure, compliance, and confidentiality when processing payroll in India.
A day heavy in green Indian equity markets saw a day, heavy in green, today. Nifty 50 ended, up by 321.5 points. Sensex ended, up by 1181.34 points. Top Gainers today were HDFC, HDFC Bank, Infosys. Top Losers ... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 3:43 pm

In early trade, Rupee rises 71 paise to 80.69 / $ Early on Friday, the rupee strengthened 71 paise to 80.69 against the dollar as investors' attitudes were bolstered by easing US CPI data and a decline in the dollar index. Forex traders claime... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 2:24 pm

Sensex zooms over 1,100 pts; Nifty above 18,300; IT index top contributor Domestic benchmark indices in the fast lane today led by IT and Metal stocks outperforming. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks were nearly 2% higher amid positive global cues. On the se... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 2:00 pm

NIBE receives order of Rs11.88 crore from Goa Shipyard; Stock slips 1% Nibe Limited stocks in focus as the company announced the receipt of purchase orders. As per the regulatory filing, it has received two purchase orders dated November 08, 2022 from G... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 12:53 pm

Ashoka Buildcon receives provisional certificate for NHAI road project; Stock up 2% Ashoka Buildcon Limited has informed the declaration of October 26, 2021 as the Commercial Operation Date (CoD) for its Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) Project of National Highways Authority of ... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 12:26 pm
Al. Iskandaryan: EU document is ready and agreed (video)

Political expert Alexander Iskandaryan can see nothing interesting and extraordinary in the recent meeting of Sargsyan and Putin. It was an ordinary working visit, he told today the journalists. Touching upon the visit of the President of Turkmenistan to Armenia, the political expert noted, Turkmenistan is interested in the free economic zone of Armenia with Iran, which relates to the whole EEU. Armenia will try to undertake the cooperation with Iran involving other EEU countries. It isnt easy to work with Iranians. According to Alexander Iskandaryan, we shouldnt overestimate the chances of transit of Turkmen energy carriers through the territory of Armenia, Armenian-Turkmen cooperation is possible, but it is the issue of economists. And the political issues will be overcome. The pending document with the EU, according to the political expert, is ready, it is agreed, now technical corrections are being done, and the political contradictions cannot be seen, so, we can assume that it will be signed in November. Nothing has changed in the NKR issue, summed up Alexander Iskandaryan. Watch more in the video!
It all started when I saw the trailer of the first MSG film and being quite a horror movie buff, I was hooked.

I began asking people to join my MSG club and come with me to catch the first day, first show of the good Babas cinematic outing. I urged them to meet me at PVR Juhu wearing special T-shirts emblazoned with the good Babas face that you could buy online for Rs 375.

BCCL

Since I am no godman, conman, or for that matter any sort of man at all, I got no applicants till finally, three of my friends decided to help me save face and joined the MSG club.

As a staunch member, I began writing letters to Maggi to put MSG (also known as monosodium glutamate) back into their noodles, despite my breaking into nasty hives upon ingesting the rather toxic substance.

I also regularly listened to his songs with lyrics like, You are the Love Charger, billions battery when goes down you charged up with love so strong.

Time passed and my dream of meeting my idol almost turned into a reality. One day, I was at the Marriott when I discovered that Dr Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan had taken over the presidential suite, as well as dozens of rooms for a fortnight. I guess he probably needed the extra space even if it was to just store his mammoth name.

My Parsi assistant rather spitefully refused to let me linger in the lobby waiting for a glimpse of my idol. But after I cursed her with I hope vultures eat you alive soon! before realising that there werent any left to eat even the dead, she grudgingly let me take a picture with MSGs lurid green convertible parked right outside.

BCCL

A year later, while I was on my daily walk around the neighbourhood, and in the midst of arguing with people who were competing in what seemed like a long-distance betel juice spitting contest, I saw a convoy of cars and heavy police security. The Love Charger had moved into my neighbourhood. I feverishly posted about my new neighbour along with pictures of garlanded bottles of Chinese seasoning. Soon enough, his top aide got hold of my number and, politely, asked me to shut the hell up.

Its not the first time Ive been at the receiving end. I had once written a satirical column about a godwoman and her friends in high places called up my mother telling her that it would be safer for me to zip my lip.

I had also been made to feel like a gigantic dartboard when observing a few connections between two godmen  namely, their common grouse with the Nobel Prize, beards and yoga  I posted a satirical one-liner on Twitter that led to the enlightened folk threatening that they would make sure that millions of their followers boycott the man of the houses next film.

BCCL

But the realisation of what a godmans followers are really capable of sunk in only on Friday after MSG was convicted of rape. Mayhem spread across parts of Punjab and Haryana as his followers, who call themselves Insan, forgot about their humanity and went about threatening to wipe out India. The violence led to at least 30 deaths and 250 people being injured. The ministers, who had taken blessings from the same godman looking at these very followers as a votebank, were busy announcing their helplessness to control the mob.

The ruling partys Sakshi Maharaj, who once famously said, We are ready to kill and get killed to protect our mother  cow, now seemed to want to protect another member of the animal species  rapists. He proclaimed, One person has complained of rape against Ram Rahim. Crores others believe he is God. Who do you think is right?

Babas and their kind are as common in India as potholes. But I think we are more to blame than them as they exist only because of us. As I wrote earlier, when our current idol falls off his pedestal, we simply call him or her a fraud and go off on a quest to find the next godman.

It is time that we gullible fools stop turning towards them like a bunch of silly sunflowers looking for the sun, forgetting that a halo is just a trick of the light.

BCCL

There are times when I find myself pondering on pointless issues, like how much money these babas make off all their spiritual empires or how much time they must spend grooming their long hair, and equally long beards. First, they probably need to oil, shampoo and condition both, with products that they are selling to the public at large. Then, of course, there are the monthly hair and beard dye jobs, unless their god-like powers also prevent them from greying, though most are past the 50 mark.

But ultimately that is their business both literally and figuratively speaking, and I am fine with it. What really bothers me is how we cut open our skulls and hand them our minds on a plate like the legendary delicacy, monkey brains.

Anyway, all this monkey business reminds me of a certain cheeky monkey and old colleague, Kiku Sharda who was jailed for mimicking the Love Charger. I think he should immediately go to the nearest Chinese restaurant to celebrate, order a beer and tell the waiter, I dont want any monosodium glutamate in my Schezwan chicken, you people should lock away your MSG too. Cheers!
The deadly Bihar flood has claimed at least 482 lives so far, after 42 deaths in the flood-related incidents were reported from the state in the last 24 hours. Five persons lost their lives in Uttar Pradesh, pushing the flood toll in that state to 101.

As many as 1.71 crore people in 19 districts of Bihar were still affected by the floods, officials said.

Reuters

Here's a breakdown of the death and destruction in every district of the state of Bihar alone:

afp

Araria district alone accounted for 95 deaths, followed by Sitamarhi (46), Purnea (44), Katihar (40), West Champaran (36), East Champaran (32), Darbhanga (30), Madhubani (28), Madhepura (25), Kishanganj (24), Gopalganj (20), Supual (16), Saran (13), Muzaffarpur (9), Saharsa (8), Khagaria (8), Sheohar (6) and Samastipur (2).

A total of 28 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 1,152 personnel with 118 boats, 16 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 630 Army personnel, divided into seven teams, were taking part in the rescue-and relief operations, they added.

ap

Five deaths in flood-related incidents were reported from Uttar Pradesh in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 101, the flood control room at the relief commissioner's office told news agency PTI.

Four deaths were reported from Gorakhpur district, while the other one was reported from Lakhimpur Kheri, it added.
Were Dera Sacha Sauda followers given arms training inside its Sirsa headquarters? The question has lingered in the minds of many ever since Army intelligence red-flagged the issue in December 2010.

PTI

They said ex-servicemen might have been used for the training and an advisory had been issued to troops to stay away from the Dera. The police, however, did not find any evidence of weapons being stored or followers being trained when it searched the Dera. It is only since the Panchkula violence that Dera followers have been held with weapons, including rifles and pistols.

The arms training issue came up again in late 2014 when followers of another controversial godman, Rampal, tried to stop the police from arresting him from Satlok Ashram in Hisar in a contempt of court case. Six people were killed in the clash.

ALSO READ: When Panchkula Burned & Cops Ran For Cover, This Woman DC Brought Rioting Dera Supporters Under Control

PTI

The Punjab and Haryana HC had taken suo motu cognisance of reports of arms training inside Satlok Ashram and on December 4, 2014, issued a notice to the Haryana government. Advocate Anupam Gupta, who was amicus curiae in the Rampal case, had produced the army advisory.

ALSO READ: Court Sticks Up For What Is Right, Tears Through Govt For Doing Nothing To Control Violent Dera Crowds

PTI

Justice M Jeyapaul had observed monitoring Dera activities were much needed to avoid any flare-up. "Casualty will be more in dimension compared to the one we had faced while executing a warrant for arrest as against contemnor Rampal," the HC had observed. But giving a clean chit to the Dera, the Haryana government had in 2015 told the court that an inquiry did not find any arms training or weapons. Haryana advocate general Baldev Raj Mahajan told TOI the Army advisory was an old one. "The previous government had found nothing in the Dera."
Taking a leaf out of cab aggregators who use GPS-based mobile apps to reach customers within just a few minutes, the Tamil Nadu government has installed an app-based system in its ambulances to keep response time short. Because in emergency situations, even a 10 to 12 minute delay in the arrival of ambulance may mean death!

The '108' ambulance service will now have the app, which can track the accident spot in no time, helping reduce the average response time to three minutes, say Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project (TNHSP) officials.

Representational Image

The system works almost like the app-centered system that cab aggregators use. "The person on duty in the control room will relay the exact location (latitude and longitude) to the nearest ambulance drivers, even if the number from which the emergency call was made does not have high-speed internet connectivity," a TNHSP official said. There are currently more than 100 ambulances in and around Chennai.

Most of the accident-related emergency calls received through the government's 247 helplines were either during the early hours of the day or between 7pm and 9pm.

The control room's task would be restricted to receiving calls and confirming the total number of ambulances to be dispatched based on preliminary information they have received over phone, he said.

Officials say nearly 70% of calls that 108 emergency services receive are 'ineffective' calls -meaning they are wrong, prank, disconnected, missed or no-response calls.

Representational Image

Only half the total calls received are emergency in nature. It has now been decided not to use ambulances in accident-prone zones for non-emergency cases during this time.

However, the need to finetune ambulance services was felt because hospitals in Chennai's suburbs operate with skeletal staff on weekends, and there are not many health centres in these areas to stabil ise accident victims before staff refer them to the nearest tertiary care centre.

During a recent road safety review meeting, the state health department proposed to increase the number of Tamil Nadu Accident and Emergency Care Initiatives (TAEI) centres in the three districts -Chennai, Tiruvallur and Kanchepuram -to 65. Besides, a model TAEI hospital in Tambaram has also been set up.

A protocol-based trauma care has been made available at this centre and it works on the lines of similar facilities at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

These health centres will have trained staff and specialised equipment to handle road accident patients, TAEI officials say.
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
The Annual Inter Brigade Combat Proficiency competition on Monday in Benin by the 2 Division of the Nigeria Army, this was released in a statement by the Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Capt. Mohammed Maidawa, on Sunday in Benin, said the event was designed to improve leadership qualities of Junior Commanders.

Maidawa said the competition which would be hosted by the headquarters of the 4 Brigade, Ekehuan Military Cantonement, Benin, was also meant to prepare the junior commanders for higher responsibilities.

He said the competition which would feature five events, is expected to have all the formations and units under the 2 Brigade as participants in the four-days event.

He listed some of the competing events to include; Map Reading, Combat Swimming, Physical fitness, Obstacles crossing, Skills at arm shooting competition and Communication skills.

The assistant director, army public relations, also listed the participating formations and units to include; The 4 Brigade, 22 Brigade, 32 Brigade, The Headquarters Engineer Construction Command, 42 Engineer Brigade, 52 Division Signals and 2 Division Garrison.

Maidawa advised the general public not to panic on hearing the sound of gunshots within the general area as gun shots were routine military training in the Nigeria Army.

Source:( PM News )
The Olubadan of Ibadanland , Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji Aje-Ogungunniso 1, and the former Governor of the state, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, the Osi Olubadan, were absent at trhe coronation of the new Obas in Oyo State.

The new staffs of office of different colours, heights and shapes emerged at the event while the new monarchs filed in and paraded at exactly 2:42pm. Quite conspicuous were two types of crowns: pure white crowns and multi-colour crowns.

Ajimobi assured Olubadan that the elevation of some of his high chiefs would not affect his entitlements which he referred to as Isakole, warning him against being used and misguided by some disgruntled politicians.

After this event, I will pay a visit to Olubadan to greet him and explain things to him. He is a good father. But let me tell him to be weary of some politicians who have surrounded him with the aim of misleading him. We beat him in politics and this time around, we have beaten him again.

Performing the official presentation of the staff of office to the new monarch, Ajimobi said, On this note, in the exercise of the powers conferred on me by Section 28(i) Cap. 28 Vol. 1 of the Chiefs Law of Oyo State of Nigeria 2000, I have promoted 33 Chiefs to Obas in Ibadanland today August 27, 2017. This is in line with the provisions of the recently amended 1959 Declaration of Olubadan and other related Chieftainship in Ibadanland, and the Government White Paper as conveyed in Government Gazette No 14, Notice 27 Vol.42 of 23rdAugust, 2017 and Gazette No 15 Notice 28 Vol. 42 of August 24, 2017 respectively.

The governor charged the new obas to use their elevated royal positions to promote peace and unity of the citizenry, urging them to desist from anything capable of tarnishing their esteemed position.

He added, We also congratulate the Olubadan of Ibadanland and advise that Kaabiyesi should remain the father of all Ibadan citizens and not allow himself to be used by disgruntled politicians as observed in his recent utterances which tend towards the political. It should be noted that Obas are not expected to play politics.

The governor, who declared that he was overwhelmed by a deep sense of history, culture, and tradition, noted that the event marked a turning point in the history and cultural heritage of Ibadanland, saying, It is a day that great sons and daughters of Ibadanland have come together with a strong sense of patriotism, assembled in the historical, cultural and symbolic Mapo Hall to elevate, to uplift, to transform, to reposition the chieftaincy Institution of Ibadanland. Our resolve to reposition the Ibadan Chieftaincy institution is substantiated by the words of the famous author, Henry James when he said A tradition is kept alive only by something being added to it.

He said, I am therefore highly delighted to be here at this momentous occasion where history is being made in Ibadanland. Today, we are all gathered to witness the crowning ceremony, presentation of certificates and staff of office to the high chiefs who are members of the Olubadan  in Council and 13 Baales in Ibadanland who have been elevated to the position of obas. This is an epoch making event in the annals of the history of Ibadanland and a practical demonstration of our administrations commitment to the enhancement of dignity and honour of the chieftaincy institution in Ibadanland and Oyo State in general.

He stated categorically that his administration was not changing history, tradition and culture of Ibadanland, rather, elevating and consolidating traditional institution, the exalted position of the Olubadan of Ibadan as the Imperial Majesty in Ibadanland, the Olubadan-in-Council and the chieftaincy institution without altering or tinkering with the traditional succession and ascendancy system of the Olubadan Chieftaincy Structure.

Source: ( PM News )
No fewer than 13 suspects have also been arrested by the Nigerian Navy for allegedly stealing 1.1 million litres of diesel from pipelines belonging to multinational oil companies in Rivers State.

This was disclosed to journalist on Sunday in Port Harcourt by the Executive Officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship Pathfinder (NNS), Port Harcourt, Capt. Victor Choji,

Choji said the seizure and arrest was sequel to the intensified mop-up operation in the Niger Delta ordered by naval authorities to stamp out oil theft and illegal refining in the region.

He said that a vessel, a tug boat, a barge and five large wooden boats were also seized at different locations during the operation.

The seized items and suspects were handed over to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for further action.

In line with strategic directives to rid Rivers State of oil theft and illegal bunkering, troops of NNS Pathfinder under Operation Delta Safe, made some arrests and seizures at different locations.

On May 6, troops intercepted and seized a vessel, MT Preye I and five very large wooden boats with about 409,399 litres of suspected refined diesel at Eagle Island.

Eleven crew members on board the vessel were subsequently arrested and had been in our custody undergoing investigation, he said.

Choji said the suspects were caught while loading the petroleum product from five wooden boats in the late hours of the night.

Similarly, on June 19, troops impounded a tug boat, PK II, and a barge, Naomi 03, laden with about 700,000 litres of suspected illegally refined diesel.

Two suspects were arrested over their involvement in the illegal shipment of the petroleum product, he added.

He said that a large number of troops had been deployed in the region in line with a harmonised standard operating procedure aimed at enforcing law and order in the area.

The executive officer of the NNS assured that the navy would not rest in its bid to stop all forms of illegalities in the maritime environment.

Receiving the items and the suspects, Mr Micheal Adukwu, a senior official of the EFCC, commended the navy and said that there was a synergy in the operations of the two security outfits.

Adukwu assured that EFCC would carry out further investigations and prosecute the suspects.

Source: ( PM News )
A 70-year-old widow, Mrs Maria Oko, of Amauzu Nkpoghoro in Afikpo North council area of Ebonyi State, who was recently banished from the community for allegedly having s*x with her 30-year-old boyfriend, Mr Okpanu Nwachi popularly known as Odoodo; a mechanic has given her account of the incident.

Her 19-year-old granddaughter, Uriaoma Abani, caught the woman while she was allegedly having s*x with the man in her matrimonial bed. The act, according to the residents, was sacrilegious in the community.

Marias granddaughter, Saturday Sun gathered, had been noticing nocturnal movements of the young man in her grannys room every night. She was said to have laid ambush for the two lovebirds and on that fateful night, caught the duo smooching.

Displeased by that lewd scene, she was said to have immediately raised the alarm, which prompted the villagers to storm the widows home. Some of the villagers, who converged at the scene, it was gathered, invaded her room and dragged the two lovers out of the house and locked the man in their cell. The duo was paraded around the village the following morning with scornful songs as punishment for their act. She was subsequently banished from the community after the parade.

As expected, reactions trailed the incidence. While some commentators threw their weight behind her, citing human rights, some others passed a damning judgement on her based on religious and cultural reasons.

My story

However, the widow at the centre of the storm has stepped forward to absolve herself of any wrongdoing. She explained that the man was just a family friend who assists her financially. When Saturday Sun visited her residence in Amauzu Nkpoghoro, which is about two hours drive from Abakaliki, the state capital, she was seen carrying out some home chores.

The light-skinned granny who was not straight with answers when asked to tell her stories, however, accused her granddaughter of being mischievous.

I wouldnt say whether I committed that crime or not. It is my bad granddaughter who caused this public embarrassment to me because if she did not report to the community, I wouldnt have suffered this type of public disgrace.

If she was a good granddaughter, the youths wouldnt have rung the community bell which caused my disgrace; my granddaughter would have shielded me if she was a good child, she said.

Maria, who trades on local gin told Saturday Sun that she was attending to her customer (the alleged lover boy) at about 11:30pm when her granddaughter ran into her room and started shouting that she was having sex with the young man.

My cell phone light was on and if I was having intercourse with the man, I would have switched off the phone but the light was on. So, my granddaughter shouted and reported to her uncle that she saw a man having intercourse with me. From there, the matter was reported to the youths and to the entire community and I was sanctioned.

I have no problem with my granddaughter as to warrant her to report me to the community that I was having s*x with a man. This is a year and three months I took her to my house to stay with me. She gave birth and I took her to my house to stay with me so as to take care of her and I didnt know that doing so will cause me problem by monitoring me and every step I took.

Ever since I adopted my granddaughter, her husband doesnt care how we are faring. It is even the man they said had sex with me that is taking care of her; at times, the man will buy uncooked foods including rice and some noodles and gave her to cook for him.

The man will just eat a little from the food and leave the rest for her. When my granddaughters baby was sick, it was the man who went into the bush and got herbs used in curing the baby, she explained.

Midnight affair

The septuagenarian, however, agreed that the young man often visited her in the night and sometimes stayed into the midnight. But she was quick to clarify that he only comes to buy alcoholic beverages.

Yes, the man actually visits our house regularly. He stays till 12 midnight at times. That fateful Sunday they said he had sex with me, he came with his friend from Ozziza community and left at about 10:30pm after drinking some bottles of beer.

The man later came back to buy local gin which I was selling him when my granddaughter barged into my room with her own cell phone light and shouted that I was having intercourse with the man and started asking the man what he was doing with me, she added.

Goat as a fine

She told Saturday Sun that she had paid a fine of one goat imposed on her by the community. I have actually offered the goat the community asked me to bring for what they said I did. I have to give the goat since it is what they said I should give according to tradition.



What the culture says

A community leader, Elder Nwachi Oko, told Saturday Sun that If a woman stays in her husbands house and commits adultery, she must offer goat to our community as custom demands. Once she does this, the case will be over; nobody will touch her, nobody will blame her and nobody will pursue her.

If she refuses to offer the goat, she will stay in pains and it will now be between her and the husband. It will be a case between her and the husband. If the woman continues, refusing to offer the goat to cleanse the land according to our custom, some elders of the community will be dying.

The women folk will sing disgraceful songs and parade the woman round the community to tell her that she defiled the land by committing adultery in her husbands home. The women will carry rubbish from wastes bins and heap on the womans house. The rubbish will block the entrance to the womans house and the house will be sealed with palm fronds.



How the lover boy escaped punishment

The man caught with Maria was not punished. He was only sent out from the town as he was not an indigene of the community.

According to tradition, nothing concerns the man. He is free. The punishment we gave him was that we sent him out of our community because he is not an indigene. If he was an indigene, he would have been fined a goat as well, explained Agha Michael Chukwuemeka.
Foreign Ministry lied about Turkey opportunity to join EAEU: SUT.am

On 18 August Minister of Economy of Turkey Nihat Zeybekci stated that Turkey intends to sign a customs agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. We have a proposal to start negotiations on signing of the customs agreement with the EEU, without violating the relevant agreement with the European Union. Turkey also wants to cooperate with the EEU in a different form, zaid Zeybekci, as quoted by Novosti information agency. Though it is not the first statement by the Turkish official about the possibility of creation of similar format for cooperation between Turkey and EEU, and after the meeting between Erdogan and Putin in Sochi in May this year, the minister expressed the hope that it will contribute to a more rapid development of relations between Turkey and the EEU, nevertheless, Zeybekcis latest statement caused another wave of discontent in Armenia. A day after the statement RA Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, in his comment to one of the Armenian news agencies, described such intention of Turkey as absurd. Firstly, the possibility of accession to the customs territory of the EEU is not envisaged by the treaty on EEU. Moreover, it is absurd when Turkey says about accession to the customs territory of the EEU, the country, which unilaterally closed the Armenian-Turkish border, the only land border between Turkey and the customs territory of the EEU, said Kocharyan. This statement was used by other media, including the program Agenda of the Public Television Company, stressing that Turkey cannot join the EEU. However, Kocharyans statement, which clearly contains false information, is no less absurd. The treaty on EEU not only provides for the creation of a free trade zone between the union and third countries, the so-called signing of a customs agreement (Article 35 of the treaty on Eurasian Economic Union), but there is already a country with which the EEU signed the corresponding agreement. On October 5, 2016, the free trade agreement between the EEU and Vietnam came into effect, according to which Vietnam received privileged access to the common market of the five member countries. Moreover, in the near future similar consultations will begin with Egypt. A few days ago in Moscow, after a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov expressed the hope that these consultations would be followed by full-fledged negotiations. According to the same logic, if the corresponding agreement is reached, any other country may have a free trade zone with this union, including Turkey, if the parliaments of the EEU member states approve it. Consequently, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan, allegedly trying to express a tough stance, disseminated misinformation about the treaty on the EEU. Perhaps official Yerevan will not sign or ratify the free trade agreement between Turkey and the EEU, but the treaty on the EEU, in spite of Kocharyans statement, provides for the signing of similar agreements.
Nollywood actors Ibinabo Fiberesima and Emeka Ike have reconciled after years of being rivals in struggle for the position of president of the Actors Guild of Nigeria. (AGN)

The crisis was resolved at the 2017 Peace and Reconciliation Conference held in Enugu, which had representatives from 29 AGN state chapters in attendance.

Addressing the media, Ibinabo and Emeka agreed that peace was now very necessary as their division has stagnated the Guild and it has also rubbed off on the nations movie Industry.

Ibinabo said, The division was not about I, Ibinabo, but about the BOT of the Guild whose tenure has longed expired and has refused to allow fresh ideas and innovations and I said NO, because Nollywood is a global phenomenon and the idea of life BOT will not just work.

Emeka added that, As you know this agitation has cost me a lot but today because of the youths I have embraced peace so we can build the future generation together. This reconciliation is for the young Actors in Nollywood.

She also disclosed that her immediate plan was to take out her appeal in the court and call for a proper joint congress of both factions where the process to conduct a national free, fair and transparent election that will herald a new dawn in Actors Guild of Nigeria would be held.

She said, Today is one of the happiest days of my life because we can now say Peace at last in AGN. Our members should be allowed to choose their leaders in a peaceful manner and by tricks and ambushing.

This division has not helped us in any way. I thank Emeka Ike who has made this day possible.

Source: Linda Ikejis blog
The outspoken and controversial leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Sunday, boasted that nobody could re-arrest him, as the Buhari-led federal government plans to re-arrest him.

While speaking at Boys Technical College (BTC) in Aba, Abia state on Sunday, leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, reacted to the call of the federal government that his bail should be revoked, saying that anyone who tries to arrest him will die.

Kanu who paid tribute to those reportedly killed at National High School, by security agencies, said the quest for Biafra was unstoppable, adding that the call is a message from heaven.

According to TheCable News, Kanu also insisted that the Anambra gubernatorial election will be boycotted except a referendum which the group has been clamoring, is conducted.

Where we are, is Biafra Land. Aba is the spiritual capital of Biafra land. We started in Aba in 2015 at CKC (Christ the King Catholic Cathedral), Kanu said.

That day, heaven authenticated our move that IPOB will restore Biafra and thats what weve come to do. We died in Aba; at National High School.

They shot and killed us in other places in Biafra land when they were protesting for my release. As our people rest in the grave, well never rest until Biafra is restored. I dont care what they say in Abuja. I dont give a damn what they say in Lagos.

Im a Biafran and we are going to crumble the zoo. Some idiots who are not educated said that theyll arrest me, and I ask them to come. Im in Biafra land. If any of them leaves Biafra land alive know that this is not IPOB. Tell them thats what I said. Nnamdi Kanu in Aba

Tell Buhari that Im in Aba and any person who comes to arrest Nnamdi Kanu in Biafra land will die here. Ill never go on exile I assure you.

Some people talk about restructuring, are we doing the restructuring of Nigeria now? Are we doing fiscal federalism? Are we doing devolution? What we want is Biafra!

Forget all the nonsense they write about us. We are not slowing down and no man born of a woman can stop us.

They thought we are joking and God gave us a simple message that no one can stop us. The movement to restore Biafra is unstoppable.

The message of heaven is what I bring to you. Dont be afraid. The plans of our enemies are not going to be actualized. The enemies are planning, but we are formidable.

We are going to boycott Anambra state election. After Anambra 2017, in 2019, therell be no elections in Biafra land. Signed and sealed. My message is that therell not be an election in Biafra land ever again until they give us a date for a referendum.
A top commander of the Boko Haram sect who played a major role in the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls at the Government Secondary School, Chibok on April 14, 2014 Auwal Ismaeela, has surrendered to the military in Borno State.

Auwal is among over 100 members of the sect who have surrendered recently to the military.

An Abuja-based public relations outfit to the military and security agencies, the PR Nigeria, stated in a report on Sunday that the Boko Haram commander now undergoing interrogation also confessed to have participated in the killings of youths in Madagali, Adamawa State and other parts of the North-East.

He was said to have denounced the atrocious acts he committed against humanity while speaking at a special military programme for surrendered and repentant members of the deadly group.

Ismaeela was said to have confessed that he and one Abu Hafsat led the Boko Haram commanders to carry out the abduction of the Chibok girls.

He was also said to have confessed to the killing of some students of the Central Secondary School in Sabon Garin, Madagali in 2014.

He said that he regretted his actions which, he said, were against Islamic junctions and urged his colleagues to give up the fight and surrender to the military authorities.

It was stated that Ismaeela was helping the security agencies with useful information on the location of commanders of the sect.

He said that he lost his right leg in an attack at Konduga, Borno State but continued with the Boko Haram because he was brainwashed.

Abu Hafsat, a Boko Haram commander, and I led other fighters to abduct the Chibok girls. We led the operations to invade Gwoza, Bama, Limankara Mobile Barracks, Bita, Bosso, Madagali, Chibok, Pulka, Firgi, and Mubi. In Madagali which was my home town, Adam Vitiri, Abu Adam and Habu Kudama, some high ranking Boko Haram commanders and I led an operation in 2014 where we killed some students and youths at the Central Secondary School in Sabon Garin, Madagali. In one of the operations, I abducted my wife named Maryam who had two kids for me in Sambisa Forest. It is unfortunate that I was brainwashed and misled not only on some abductions but in the killings of my own people that were innocent. I wholeheartedly regret my actions. During a battle in Konduga, Boko Haram commanders and I led the operations; I lost my right leg and almost got burnt. Even at that, I did not stop fighting for the cause. Sheikh Shekau ordered that I should be given a tricycle which I continued to use for various operations before I eventually surrendered, he was quoted as having said.

Ismaeela said that he had to surrender to the military because he was tired of the senseless killings with the members and stealing and acts opposed to the teachings of Islam.

Auwal recalled that women were being raped in public, children starved to death and many dying daily.

He added, I will continue to cooperate with the security agencies in providing useful information on our mode of operations and to disclose top-secret hideouts of our commanders.

Meanwhile, two factions of the Boko Haram insurgency group may be ready for talks with the Federal Government, Abdulkadir Abubakar, a former commander of the group, has claimed.

Abubakar, also known as Abu Muhammad, was the chief intelligence officer of the Boko Haram group and one of its top commanders, until his arrest in June by the military in Buni Yadi in Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.

Abubakar told the News Agency of Nigeria at his cell in Maiduguri that Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions of Boko Haram were willing to negotiate and cooperate with the government to defeat the most visible leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau.

According to him, Shekau, whose capture, dead or alive, the military high command has ordered, has been the major obstacle to peace, since the insurgency began in 2009.

Shekau is not willing to surrender due to his highhandedness. Unfortunately, the government and military authorities accorded priority to dealing with Shekau, who is blood-thirsty. Albarnawi has indicated interest to negotiate with the government to end insurgency and provide a lasting solution to the crisis. Albarnawi discusses this with members of his circle. And I can assure the government that he would cooperate to achieve peace. The two factions are willing to cooperate with the Nigerian Government to defeat Shekau, he said.

Abubakars claim about the readiness of the factions to negotiate with the Nigerian authorities could not be verified as he had been incarcerated since June. But he insisted that the groups were predisposed to a peaceful resolution of the eight-year-old crisis.

Abubakar claimed to have undertaken various espionage missions and provided intelligence to the insurgents, which enabled them to hit a long list of targets, among which were the abduction of 275 students at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok and the massacre of students at the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi. Over 20 students were murdered at Buni Yadi.

He also claimed to have been involved in other attacks on schools in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Postikum and Mamudo. (PUNCH)
The leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB),Nnamdi Kanu has promised anyone who tries to arrest him death, he said this in reaction to the call of the federal government that his bail should be revoked.

Speaking on Sunday at Boys Technical College (BTC) in Aba, Abia state, Kanu paid tribute to those reportedly killed at National High School, by security agencies.

He said the quest for Biafra was unstoppable, adding that the call is a message from heaven.

He also insisted that the Anambra gubernatorial election will be boycotted except a referendum which the group has been clamouring, is conducted.

Where we are, is Biafra Land. Aba is the spiritual capital of Biafra land. We started in Aba in 2015 at CKC (Christ the King Catholic Cathedral), Kanu said.

That day, heaven authenticated our move that IPOB will restore Biafra and thats what weve come to do. We died in Aba; at National High School.

They shot and killed us in other places in Biafra land when they were protesting for my release. As our people rest in the grave, well never rest until Biafra is restored. I dont care what they say in Abuja. I dont give a damn what they say in Lagos.

Im a Biafran and we are going to crumble the zoo. Some idiots who are not educated said that theyll arrest me, and I ask them to come. Im in Biafra land. If any of them leaves Biafra land alive know that this is not IPOB. Tell them thats what I said.

Tell Buhari that Im in Aba and any person who comes to arrest Nnamdi Kanu in Biafra land will die here. Ill never go on exile I assure you.

Some people talk about restructuring, are we doing restructuring of Nigeria now? Are we doing fiscal federalism? Are we doing devolution? What we want is Biafra!

Forget all the nonsense they write about us. We are not slowing down and no man born of a woman can stop us.

They thought we are joking and God gave us a simple message that no one can stop us. The movement to restore Biafra is unstoppable.

The message of heaven is what I bring to you. Dont be afraid. The plans of our enemies are not going to be actualized. The enemies are planning, but we are formidable.

We are going to boycott Anambra state election. After Anambra 2017, in 2019, therell be no elections in Biafra land. Signed and sealed. My message is that therell not be election in Biafra land ever again until they give us date for referendum.

Source: ( PM News )
Following the call by the Federal Government for the re-arrest of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, his family has dared the Federal Government on the call.

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had last Friday filed an application through Loveme Odubo of the Department of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Federal Ministry of Justice, averring that the IPOB leader had flouted all his bail conditions.

Speaking in Umuahia on behalf of the family, Nnamdi Kanus younger brother, Prince Emmanuel Kanu said, In fact that will facilitate and fast track the coming of Biafra.

On a more serious note, any attempt to re-arrest Nnamdi Kanu will spell doom for Nigeria, the nation will never be the same again.

Re-arresting the IPOB leader means re-arresting over 70 million Biafrans. Nnamdi Kanu is not the target, he is the symbol of Biafra today, arresting him is like arresting the whole Biafrans.

In fact, Nnamdi Kanu remains resolute and very committed to the struggle.

Whatever you do in terms of intimidation spurs him on the more.These are the type of things he likes so much.

So, re-arresting him will make him stronger and quicken the realization of Biafra and will also spell doom for the nation.

The Federal Governments current threat will never make Nnamdi Kanu to be afraid to stand trial for whatever reason. Any day, anytime, he is ready to stand trial because he is a man who has committed no crime.

He is more than happy to stand trial and challenge whosoever that comes up. He is not afraid of going to court, he is not also afraid of going to prison.

He was in prison and issued the sit-at-home order and people obeyed, so, his going back to prison will make things worse for the Federal Government.

Nnamdi Kanu and Arewa youths that gave the Igbo in the North quit notice, who between the two committed treasonable felony? It was the Arewa youths and since then, nothing has happened to them.
Toyin Lawani has taken to Instagram to slam people who have no respect for single mums.

Toyin, who herself is single mum of two, penned a lengthy post on how single mums are to be praised by all.

She wrote:

Single Mums Are super humans put some Respect on their Names, They Are Queens and kings you couldnt Be

They are to Be worshiped ,you can be single By Death, divorce or other personal Reasons, two kids from different Dads? That doesnt mean society should put you down,you didnt kill anyone, live your life, when you die, you die Alone, They wont Go with you, Your situation doesnt mean that a married woman is even Better than you? No, Dont forget most of them Are suffering and smiling and most Are Happy cause of their maturity to make it work or Guidance from Gods words, life will always throw its curve balls, just dodge the ball and throw it back, thats doesnt mean you cant find love again or shouldnt try again, just set your Rules from then onset and know how to Hide it from the peering Eyes of the world, stand up for your Kids and never lose your voice, Remember what Rocks your Boat, might not Rock mine, from life lessons, have learnt to put all my hopes in God not man, I trust only my kids, Single Mums Are more than someone thats been handed bread daily, Parenting can Be so crazy, Not to Talk of mixing it with work, that Alone makes me Respect Any mom?? most men Go off and leave you to care for the kids, comes back at night and kiss them while sleeping already, that woman went through hell all day, strike a balance,most people like to take, but dont want to give you Are strong enough to Rule your own world,nah dont let them Beat you down, Nothing should distract you From your mission in life, Always Double up your hustle and Never ever lose focus of The Goals, Remember you have a King or Queen To Raise, work for your future now, we never know when tommorrow comes, The LEGACY IS KEY???? TALKING FOR ALL THE VOICELESS REAL HARDWORKING BADDASS MOMS OUT THERE, I LOVE YOU ALL KEEP PUSHING , YOU WILL GET THERE
Pastor Dolapo Osinbajo, wife of the Vice President of Nigeria, Yemi Osinbajo, has recounted how she spent about 10 years with street urchins under several notorious Lagos bridges in a bid to reshape their lives.

Speaking at a Teens Career Conference organized by The Everlasting Arms Parish TEAP of the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG, Garki, Abuja, Mrs Osinbajo said;

When I became a worker in the church, the first place I worked was the Teenage Church and for 10 years I was in the Childrens Church. For 10 years, I was under the bridge; under the bridge in Lagos with Area Boys. So, every kind of drug that there is, I know about it. I have seen it before and I have seen the effects as well and I will like you to know that the ones that use it are not different from you. Some of them too have parents in the church. Some of them have parents with very big names.

There are some streets in Lagos that the names of the streets are names of people, some of which have their children under the bridge. There were people whose parents lived in America and yet their children were under the bridge. So, do not even imagine that it cannot happen to you, but you must be an example in your conduct.

Dr Oby Ezekwesili who was also at the conference urged the participants to use their teenage years to decide on what they want to be in life.

She said:

If we do not reform education in this country, the 65 per cent of the children in the public school system that are failing are usually the children of the poorer segment of the society. So, what it means is double jeopardy.

You are going to create what I call inter-generational poverty, dynasties in families simply because you have failed to make public education effective and productive and able to grow the competitive skills that they need in order to move from one level of society to the next level of society.
Bagrat Asatryan: Serzh must be changed (video)

Economist Bagrat Asatryan isnt impressed by one year activity of Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, Yes, he was a fresh figure, very attractive. Practically nothing significant has been done so far, and in essence, which I consider to be the most horrible, he proved by his steps and actions that he serves this system. Mr. Asatryan first cannot understand why Prime Minister participated in the campaign of the parliamentary elections; he should have understood that after it there would be despair in the society. Though, the economist isnt in despair, but first the political system should be changed. With the current system Armenia has nowhere to go, Should be changed. This political system is leading to decomposition Look, Serzh Sargsyans government resulted in the migration of 388 thousand 900 people. Serzh should be changed. It will become even worse, says the economist. Sound political competition field must be created, where district authorities have no place. He notes that after the last parliamentary elections, all the forces having political mind were eliminated from the parliament. He cannot trust the assurance by the Republican Party that without them the Karabakh issue wont be solved, They cannot solve the Karabakh issue. Never. What have they proposed in these 20 years? The biggest guilt of the Republican Party is that Armenians, who registered territorial achievements, dont have the confidence they had in the 90s. April four day events showed other picture. Serzh Sargsyan, he says, first must answer the question how in 20 years we appeared in the situation that the world demands from Armenians 7 regions, which are under the supervision of Karabakh forces. Of course, there is no alternative to peace, but it wont be done by Serzh Sargsyan, but by someone having a political team.
Update 9/29/17  The Ridgecrest Planning Commission on Tuesday was scheduled to discuss the site plan submitted by A-American Self-Storage for its Norma Street facility expansion. The project is expected to add four new structures comprising 18,316 square feet and 54,462 square feet designated for the vehicle-parking area, according to the source.

The 3.6-acre parcel is owned by KBM Properties LLC and Norma-Ridgecrest Storage Partners LLC of Los Angeles, the source reported.

8/28/17  The Ridgecrest, CA, Planning Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved an expansion for A-American Self-Storage at 1430 Norma St. The operator plans to add 107 new storage units and a large central area for vehicle parking.

In his application, A-American Vice President Josh Paterson requested to complete the facilitys third phase, according to Gary Parsons, the outgoing city planner. The property is zoned commercial.

Prior to the vote, chairman Warren Cox asked about dust mitigation. A representative for A-American who attended the public meeting was unable to provide an answer, the source reported. Cox also said he wanted to ensure the conditions for approval were met.

The city council requested that planning commissioner Solomon Rajaratnam abstain from the discussion because he works in the building adjacent to the site. No one from the public commented on the proposal.

Founded in 1973 by owner Edmund C. Olson, A-American operates 19 properties in California, Hawaii, Missouri and Nevada.
Update 8/19/21  Janus ranked 4,911 on the Inc. 5000 list this year. Its the eighth time in 12 years the company has placed. Janus achieved three-year revenue growth of 24 percent as of June, according to a press release.

Were delighted once againand since Janus is now a public company for the last timethat Janus was recognized as one of Americas 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies by Inc. Magazine, Jackson said. This has certainly been a pivotal year for our company but also for our industry and the world. While successfully navigating the uncharted operating environment the pandemic created, were very proud that our exceptional team masterfully leveraged the industrys strong tailwinds, and our firm as a whole; the shift to additional service, manufacturing and technology offerings to grow our business into the industry leader Janus is today.

8/21/20  Janus made the Inc. 5000 list again in 2020, this time at No. 3,859. The company experienced a three-year revenue growth of 92 percent, according to a press release.

Its an honor and a privilege to see our company grow by leaps and bounds over the years, and being a seven-time Inc. 5000 honoree is a tribute to the hard work and tireless effort put forth by our entire team, said CEO Ramey Jackson. The Janus family is committed to providing innovative solutions to the self-storage industry on a global scale. Its very exciting to see where our company is headed and watching our team continually grow.

9/4/18  Janus has been named to Inc. Magazines Inc. 5000 list for the fifth time in the last 10 years. The company ranked No. 2,749 on the 2018 list, 358 spots lower than last year. The self-storage roll-up door and building-component supplier has tallied 151 percent revenue growth during the last three years, according to a press release. It hired 140 full-time and 413 part-time employees last year.

"It's an honor and a privilege to see our company grow by leaps and bounds over the years, and being included on the Inc. 5000 list at this ranking is a tribute to our invaluable employees and top-notch leadership team, Curtis said. Our success is a direct product of the hard work and tireless effort put forth by our entire team, and we're proud to be making leaps and bounds as the industry leader with new products like the SecurGuard Smart Entry System and R3 (Restore, Rebuild, Replace) program."

8/27/17  Janus International Group LLC, a manufacturer of self-storage roll-up doors and building components, has been named to Inc. Magazines Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies for the fourth time in the last nine years. Janus ranked No. 2,391 on the 2017 list, nearly 2,000 positions higher than when it first appeared on the list in 2008, according to a press release.

Companies that made the top 5,000 have grown six-fold on average since 2013. During the same period, the U.S. economy grew 6.7 percent, according to Inc. Just 10 percent of ranked companies have appeared on the list four times.

Janus reported revenue of $293.9 million, a 151 percent increase since its listing last year. It also added 120 jobs, the release stated.

"This significant achievement is a testament to the commitment of our leadership team and the strong network of employees that make our company great," said David Curtis, president and CEO of Janus. "To be included in this prestigious list of companies for the fourth time is a great honor. We are driven to lead the industry by developing solutions that continue to meet the needs of our customers, who we believe are instrumental to our continued success."

Skillz Inc., a San Francisco-based software company specializing in mobile gaming, ranked No. 1 on the list. It reported revenue of $54.2 million, a 50,059 percent increase from the previous year, according to the ranking.

To be eligible for the list, companies must be for-profit, independent, privately held and based in the United States. Inc. first published its top 5,000 list in 1982.

Headquartered in Temple, Ga., Janus has six U.S. locations as well as manufacturing facilities in Europe and Mexico. The company is owned by Saw Mill Capital Partners LP, a New York-based private equity investment fund managed by Saw Mill Capital LLC.

Sources:

Markets Insider, The Self-Storage Building Experts at Janus International Achieve Ranking on Annual Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Inc., Inc. 5000 2017: The Full List

Markets Insider, Janus International Named to Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies List for the Fourth Time

Janus International, Janus Awarded Eight Time Ranking on Inc. 5000 List
PETERBOROUGH, ON (August 28, 2017)- Canadas Toughest 1/3-Mile Paved Oval has been very good to Matt Haufe. Since the 2016 running of the Autumn Colours Classic, no other Legends car racer had won a main event at the popular Central Ontario raceway. After his performance Saturday, August 26 at Peterborough Speedway, that streak remains intact. In fact, other than victories by Kevin Foisy and Robin Jongen Saturday, July 22 and August 5 at Sunset Speedway, the Stittsville, Ontario speedster has been the only winner on this years inaugural Trailers Plus Eastern Ontario Legends Series schedule.

The 25-lap feature event came to the green flag with former Legends champion and Peterborough Speedway Late Model regular Adam Cuthbertson and Jamie Riberdy on the front row. Cuthbertson led through the early stages, with Haufe, who had started outside the third row, taking third with only a pair of laps on the scoreboard. He set his sights on stealing the runner-up spot from Riberdy with seven complete and had the lead just a couple of laps later.

Riberdy held onto second, as the #88 machine took control of the show. The leader closed on the tail-end of the field and started lapping slower traffic less than a handful of laps from halfway and built-up a five car length advantage on the #6J while working through traffic. An incident in the second turn with 20 laps complete slowed the pace and created a five-lap trophy dash.

Haufe kept control of the field on the restart and claimed the win over Riberdy, Adam Cuthbertson, Parker Traves and Terry McClelland. Miles Tyson, Jeff Drimmie, Mark Griffin, Rick Eades, Dawson Drimmie, Rob Murray, Wes Cuthbertson and Don Arnott completed the running order.

Trailers Plus Eastern Ontario Legends Series notes: Adam Cuthbertson had a pair of heat race wins, with Haufe and Riberdy taking the othersNext on the schedule will be the years only appearance at Grand Bend Speedway, Saturday September 9th. The tour returns to Peterborough Speedway October 6-8 as part of the 25th Annual Autumn Colours Classic.

Like the Eastern Ontario Legends Series page on www.facebook.com and look for the exciting, new web-site www.ontariolegendseries.ca. Learn more about Trailers Plus by visiting www.trailersplus.net. Clarke Motorsports Communications is proud to represent the Trailers Plus Eastern Ontario Legends Series 2017 season.

Prepared by: Jim Clarke, Clarke Motorsports Communications/First Draft Media

clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com, www.facebook.com/clarkemotorsports

613.968.6410
MERLIN, ON (August 26, 2017)- The Thunder Stock Crates were back at South Buxton Raceway Saturday night. John Lynch #04 took a quick lead at the start of the Feature Race. Veteran South Buxton Racer Steve Shaw #96 was quick to claim the lead for a few laps before Ryan Dinning #8 took home the Feature Win. Dinning, who raced at Oshweken Raceway Friday night, brought home first place. He was excited for his feature win at South Buxton Raceway. He was hopeful for a three -peat as he was headed to Humberstone Raceway Sunday afternoon. Shaw, who said South Buxton Raceway is the fastest race track in Canada brought home second place and Mike Miller #73 who said this place is awesome, its totally different from what Im used too, brought home third.

It was a battle of the Swartz cars during the West Side Performance Plus Late Model Feature Race. Dale Glassford #60 and Gregg Haskell #RH21 put on a show for their fans racing neck and neck for the entire feature race. Glassford, who has been suffering from bad luck all season, said he and crew went over the car from end to end. He was thankful he finally saw Victory Lane.

He thanked his crew, family, sponsors and fans for all of their support saying  I never know when Ill be back here again, but I enjoy looking at all of your faces .

After an incredible battle with Glassford, Gregg Haskell was passed by his brother Jason RH94 moments before crossing the finish line. Jason Haskell brought home second and Gregg Haskell finished third.

It was a Chatham Pro Shop Mini Mod Feature Win four and a half years in the making. Elliot Wilton #1 brought home his first ever Feature Win. After seeing Andrew Pfahler #7x car starting to smoke and eventually catching fire, Wilton made sure to keep his distance. After the red flag caution and he maintained his lead to collect a Feature win. Wilton thanked his crew, family, sponsors and fans for all of their support. Tim MacKenzie #81 brought home second and Dylan

Wolters #54 brought home third.

Now, Im no car guy, But I dont think brakes are supposed to glow that red, Track Announcer Dean Outhouse said to Brad Bloomfield #11 following the Sun Parlour Trailer Sport Stock Feature Win.

It was shortly after this comment was made Bloomfields car began to spark and ignited the brake. Thankfully, the South Buxton Fire Team was quick to respond and put the fire out before there was any serious damage. Bloomfield, began the race in third and quickly maneuvered the track to gain and maintain a first place lead. Bloomfield thanked his sponsors, his crew and his fans. Tyler Lozon #66 brought home second and Doris Lajeunesse #38 brought home third.

After a neck and neck race to start off the Schinkels Gourmet Meats Modified Race, Eugene Hoekstra #36 and Denis Deserrano #69 gave fans a show as they battled hard for the lead position. Hoekstra overtook Desserrano and a second battle ensued as Jim Dale #00 was hot on the leaders tail. Beginning the race in fifth position, Dale drove a patient race and waited for just the right moment to overtake the track and battle the race leader. Dale finished the race in second and Brad McLeod #43 brought home third.

After starting the race in the lead position during the Auto Tech Sales and Service Bomber Feature, Bob Hill #02 avoided two red flag cautions and collected his first ever Feature Win. An emotional Hill , thanked his girl friend and fans for all of their support . Chuck Stuart #09 brought home second and Carter Coles #2EZ brought home third. Kyle Gill #87 was involved in a red flag caution Saturday night. After driving up a hill and colliding with a light pole, Gill ended up on the roof of his car. Thankfully, he was unharmed. South Buxton Raceway would like to thank the quick response of the fire crew Saturday night.

By Kerri Wright
(River Glade, NB- August 27, 2017) Dylan Blenkhorn (Truro, NS) took the lead for the final time on Lap 180 from Darren MacKinnon (Charlottetown, PE) and held on to win the Cummins 200. The extended lap Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour race was the culmination of the 53rd River Glade International weekend at Petty International Raceway. Blenkhorn was pressured late by Shawn Turple (Enfield, NS) and the two-time Series champion shadowed Blenkhorn to the checkered flag. Dylan Gosbee (Cornwall, PE) stormed back to the front after a rear end part failure to finish third. Russell Smith Jr (Lakeside, NS), substituting in for two-time International winner Craig Slaunwhite (Terence Bay, NS), was fourth, followed by Greg Proude (Springvale, PE).

Starting positions for the Cummins 200 were determined by Atlantic Tiltload Heat Races. Jonathan Hicken (Brudenell, PE), Blenkhorn and Mike Rodgers (Moncton, NB) picked up victories in their respective heats. For Rodgers, it was his first career Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour heat race victory and best starting position of his career as he rolled off third in the 200-lap affair. Brudenell, PEs Jonathan Hicken led 84 laps of the 200 lap feature to take home the Linde Most Laps led.

Nicholas Naugle (Dartmouth, NS) receives the Exide Batteries Rookie of the Race with a sixth place finish. The King Freight Lines Future Winner Award, which goes to any driver in the field who has never won a Series race, was awarded to Smith Jr.

The Maritime League of Legends and Bandoleros kicked off the days festivities. Braden Langille (Shubenacadie, NS) won the Seaside Chevrolet 50, followed by Cory Hall (Jolicure, NB) and Waylon Farrell (Conception Bay South, NL). Austin MacDonald (Pictou, NS) won the 20 lap Leisure Days RV Bandolero contest on his 14th birthday.

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is off for the weekend but returns September 9th with the penultimate Lucas Oil 150 at Riverside International located just outside of Antigonish, NS. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour Season Finale takes place September 16th with the Dartmouth Dodge 200 at Scotia Speedworld.

About Cummins:

Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA), Cummins currently employs approximately 48,000 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 6,800 dealer locations.

Cummins provides sales, parts and service support across an integrated network of branches throughout North America including 3 maritime locations; Dartmouth, NS, Fredericton, NB and Montrose, PEI. Depend on Cummins to get you the help you need whenever you need it  day or night.

About Petty International Raceway:

Petty International Raceway is located on Highway 106, just 40 km west of Moncton, New Brunswick. To learn more about Petty International Raceway, its location, admission, policies, history, and more, please visit www.pettyraceway.com. To get current updates delivered to you directly please follow us on Twitter.

About the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour:

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST) is considered the highest level of stock car racing in Canada. The Tour is recognized in the industry as one of the healthiest stock car racing series in North America. PST visits five tracks throughout the Maritimes during its May through September season. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is owned and operated by Maritime Pro Stock Tour Limited. For more information, call our administration office at 902.481.2531 or click www.maritimeprostocktour.com . You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/prostocktour and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prostocktour
David Packard, the man who brought computing power to the masses, made an empire and a fortune selling smart machines. He built the first one an oscillator with William Hewlett in the late 1930s, in the garage behind his and Lucile Packard's rented house in Palo Alto. Thus, Hewlett-Packard was born in 1939. Officially, so was Silicon Valley. The Packards' garage is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the birthplace of the U.S. tech industry. Their foundation also had humble beginnings.



Starting with $100,000 of the Packards own money in 1964, the nonprofit was small in scale but radical in mission for the time, supporting reproductive rights, early childhood education, and the environment. David Packard died in 1996, and the foundation inherited roughly $4 billion of HP shares. In 1999 it became a two-stock portfolio when HP spun off its measurement and components businesses to form Agilent Technologies.

The dot-com bust proved why its a terrible idea to have a ten-figure portfolio invested in just two companies.

The philanthropys trustees decided to cash out of HP and computers, putting their faith in human intellect. In 2007 the David and Lucile Packard Foundation hired its first chief investment officer, John Moehling, and gave him license to diversify. Moehling then hired Kimberly Sargent, who earned an MBA from Stanford Universitys Graduate School of Business after working for Yale Universitys endowment. Together they built a nonprofit portfolio that is admired by peers and reputed to be a strong performer, though Packard, like many foundations, does not disclose investment returns.

Moehling plans to retire at the end of the year, and Sargent will succeed him as CIO.

She belongs to a cadre  some jokingly call it a mafia  of young leaders at elite U.S. nonprofits who learned from the godfather of endowment investing, David Swensen, the CIO at Yale Universitys endowment. In addition to professional roots in New Haven, Connecticut, these second-generation Swensenites have largely rejected the biggest institutional trend since the Yale model popularized private assets: quantitative investing.

Everyone hates black-box quant, remarks one investor. But a lot of people have quasi-black-box quant in their portfolios. I think they are being intellectually dishonest and performance chasers.

Sargent is not one of those investors. It may be that the only black boxes contributing to Packards portfolio came filled with office supplies and stamped with the initials HP. Sargent spoke to Institutional Investors Alphas Leanna Orr about man versus machine in financial markets, and why shes betting $7.2 billion on man.

Alpha: What does the term quant investing mean to you?

Kimberly Sargent: Youd probably get different answers from different folks, but Id say it is any strategy that attempts to take real-time human judgment out of the investment process, replacing it with a model that makes decisions based on preordained rules.

Theres a reason this whole issue of the magazine is about quant investing: Its the hot topic du jour. Some see it as a trend, 2017s portable alpha. Others argue that what constitutes investment skill has forever changed: Building a great portfolio will mean building a great algorithm to do it for you. Where do you fall in this debate? Are we in the midst of a fad, a revolution, or both?

Theres no doubt that quantitative strategies are on the rise and having an increasing influence on market behavior and asset prices. A recent study I saw showed that fully 60 percent of the U.S. market is now held by quant strategies (including passive funds, which are arguably one type of quant investing). And given the growing role machines are playing in all aspects of our lives, I have a hard time believing quant investing is just a passing fad. However, I dont think it means there is no place for human judgment in investing. On the contrary, it may be that the more machines are dominating short-term price movements, the more valuable and influential human judgment can be over a long-term horizon; especially if quant strategies end up generating new kinds of inefficiencies in the market. Im actually optimistic about what the rise of quant investing might mean for patient, long-term investors who can stomach some interim volatility.

What portion of Packards portfolio would fall under your definition of quant investing?

None of our portfolio is invested in active pure quant strategies, though many of our partners make use of data and quantitative tools in their processes. Passive strategies are about 4 percent of our portfolio, if you count those as quant.

This is an excerpt. To read the entire piece, click here.
A recently fired New Jersey Transit compliance officer told lawmakers on Friday that he was terminated for raising safety and other concerns and that the agency is a runaway train.

Todd Barretta told a joint Assembly and Senate oversight committee that he catalogued the agencys inadequate staffing levels, failures to update outdated policies and testing practices that included giving workers answers to tests.

NJ Transit in and of itself is one giant, runaway train, Barretta said.

Barretta detailed his experiences at one of the countrys largest transit agencies as it deals with service changes because of track work at New Yorks Penn Station this summer and after recent derailments and other problems, including a fatal rail accident that killed a woman last year.

His testimony grabbed lawmakers attention. Democratic Assemblyman John McKeon said it was huge, and Democratic state Sen. Bob Gordon called it a big deal, adding that he had believed the agencys biggest issue was underfunding but now believes there are bigger problems at play.

NJ Transit executive director Steve Santoro, who also testified before the committee, did not offer a broad response to Barrettas comments but said that based on his testimony I wonder how were operating at all.

Later, NJ Transit said that Barrettas characterization of the agency was uninformed, grossly and completely inaccurate.

Nothing Mr. Barretta told the Committees today adds any meaningful facts to the voluminous body of information NJ Transit has already provided the Committees, the agency said in a statement.

Barretta said he catalogued a number of issues that he sought to update but was rebuffed by Santoro and was told we dont need a gotcha guy and not to document his findings because they could be subject to the states open records laws.

He said the agency had dozen-year-old policies related to drug and alcohol testing of workers and administered certain safety tests in a planned, rather than random, manner while giving answers to test-takers.

Santoro, asked after the hearing whether he ordered Barretta not to document his findings and whether he commented about not wanting a gotcha guy, said, No. He declined to answer further questions.

Barretta, who was hired this year and was fired in August, also took aim at what he called a patronage system at the agency that thrived on political connections.

Although my tenure was extremely short in terms of time I witnessed more occurrences of agency-wide mismanagement fueled by ignorance, arrogance, hypocrisy, incompetence, patronage, covering up and corruption than one could reasonably expect to experience throughout an entire career, he said.

Lawmakers called for sweeping changes at the agency and said the next governor should conduct a nationwide search for new leadership. Its Republican Gov. Chris Christies final year in office.

Barretta told lawmakers he was fired specifically for failing to return an agency computer but has a receipt showing he dropped it off. Santoro told the Democrat-led panel that Barretta misused a company car.

NJ Transit said Barretta brazenly violated the agencys vehicle policy but said it wouldnt comment on the reason for his ultimate termination because of pending litigation.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Legislation New Jersey
The destruction that heavy rain and floods from Hurricane Harvey could inflict on Texas would add to the pile of debt owed by a federal flood insurance program that is due to expire in September, advocacy groups said.

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) owes $24.6 billion to the Treasury. Most of it covered claims from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and floods in 2016, the programs third most severe loss-year on record with losses exceeding $4 billion, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which manages it.

The NFIP was extended 17 times between 2008 and 2012 and lapsed four times in that period. A 2012 law extended the program to September.

The only source of flood insurance for most Americans, it will be in place for homeowners and businesses in Harveys path along the central Texas coast.

But Harvey-related claims covered under the program could push it deeper into the red and possibly toward its borrowing limit of just over $30 billion, said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan budget watchdog in Washington, D.C.

Federal law requires that homes in flood-risk areas have flood insurance before a mortgage can be completed. The program is the only flood insurance available to the vast majority of Americans, although a small market for private flood insurance is sprouting in flood-prone states such as Florida.

Homebuilders, the real estate industry, and property owners in coastal communities have also long favored the program, which offers subsidized rates to many policyholders.

Advocates for reforming the program, which is administered by FEMA, said that Harveys arrival so close to the programs Sept. 30 expiration date could move lawmakers to action.

It would be our hope that this storm lights a fire under Congress to make reforms to the program, said Laura Lightbody, project director for flood preparedness at the Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-partisan public policy group.

Right now, its not on a sustainable path and carries a lot of other problems with it, Lightbody said. For example, she said, the program encourages development in flood-prone areas by making it easier to get insurance.

There are about 435,000 NFIP policyholders in shoreline communities of Texas, according to a Pew analysis of flood exposure data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The NFIP would have to pay claims from premiums it receives, if it exhausts its current borrowing limit, Ellis said. That could slow down processing, unless Congress agreed to an increase. But it is unlikely that Harvey claims would wipe out NFIPs borrowing authority, Ellis said.

The FEMA spokeswoman declined to comment on the NFIP borrowing limit or what would happen if it was exceeded.

POLITICAL FIX?

U.S. lawmakers have been considering legislative actions to reform the NFIP, including updating U.S. government flood zone maps, making more coverage available through private insurers and limiting or excluding coverage through the program for certain high risk properties.

The government has said it is impossible for the NFIP to repay its debt.

There is bipartisan support to modernize the program and Senate and House lawmakers have held at least six hearings this year about ways to do it. At the same time, many groups have been lobbying for special interests.

The National Association of Homebuilders said in June that it had worked with lawmakers to eliminate a provision from one bill that would have ended NFIP coverage for new homes constructed in so-called 100-year flood zones, areas estimated to have a one percent chance of flooding each year.

Professional risk managers are among those pushing Congress to extend the program beyond September to buy time for reforms.

Many businesses and institutions have building loans and leases that require NFIP flood policies, which would not be in effect if the program lapses, said Elizabeth Guimaraes, risk management director at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Were talking all across the board, people not being in compliance with loans and leases. Its a huge problem, said Guimaraes, who is also a spokeswoman for the Risk Management Society (RIMS).

Harveys timing may hasten congressional response. These disasters do clarify the mind about the program, Ellis said.

(Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh)

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Legislation Texas Flood Hurricane
Cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers were stranded in the Gulf last Friday as Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm, came ashore in the middle of the Texas coast, closing the Port of Galveston.

Carnival Corp. said that three of its ships were unable to return Galveston as scheduled and that two of them would be forced to divert instead to New Orleans, where they would pick up fresh supplies.

The cruise line said passengers could get off those two ships in New Orleans but advised against that in a statement posted on its Facebook page.

Given the severity and projected path of the storm along with potential challenges guests may encounter attempting to travel back to Galveston independently, we are strongly encouraging them to remain on board as we intend to return the ships to Galveston as soon as feasible, Carnival said .

A third ship, the Carnival Breeze, will extend its stay in Cozumel, Mexico, and begin sailing back to Galveston this weekend, the company said.

The next scheduled cruises on all three ships will be shortened and customers will receive refunds, the company said.

We will continue to remain in close contact with port officials regarding their plans to re-open once the storm has passed, spokeswoman Christine de la Huerta said.

Royal Caribbean International said that its Liberty of the Seas cruise ship had departed Cozumel, Mexico on time on Friday and was still scheduled to return to Galveston on Sunday.

However, we will return to Galveston only when it is safe to do so, Royal Caribbean spokesman Owen Torres said.

The ports interim director, Peter Simons, told the Houston Chronicle newspaper that officials there were still trying to determine if ships could safely return on Sunday.

Were working with the cruise lines, the Coast Guard and the pilots to see what can be done to bring the cruise ships in as quickly but as safely as possible, Simons told the paper.

The Chronicle reported that a total of 1.73 million passengers left on cruises in 2016 from the port at Galveston, where an expanded cruise terminal opened last year.

(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder in Houston; Additional reporting by Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Sandra Maler)
An Arkansas task force has advised the state to bar sprayings after April 15 next year of agricultural herbicides containing the chemical dicamba, which has been linked to crop damage across the U.S. farm belt, a state spokeswoman said.

The recommendation aims to protect plants vulnerable to the chemical and, if adopted, would prevent most Arkansas farmers from spraying dicamba weed killers on growing soybeans, a key selling point for products manufactured by Monsanto Co, BASF and DuPont.

Dicamba has long been used in the United States to kill weeds before fields were planted. Its use spiked, though, after regulators last year approved a new formulation that allowed farmers to apply it to soybeans that have emerged from the ground and are engineered by Monsanto to resist the chemical.

Last month, Arkansas temporarily banned the use and sale of dicamba after farmers complained the herbicide was drifting away from where it was sprayed and damaging crops.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing label instructions for dicamba weed killers following reports of crop damage in states from Arkansas to North Dakota.

I think Arkansas has decided what the solution to this problem is, Andrew Thostenson, a pesticide specialist for North Dakota State University, said about the spraying deadline.

I think everybody in the United States, including the EPA, is going to be looking at what Arkansas did.

Arkansas previously blocked Monsantos dicamba herbicide, XtendiMax with VaporGrip, because the company did not provide testing data that state officials wanted. The state approved BASFs herbicide.

Thirty-three other states approved both products.

Monsanto said the task forces recommendation will put Arkansas farmers at a disadvantage to those in other states. The company is in talks with the EPA, which is interested in achieving national uniformity with dicamba regulation in order to avoid a state patchwork, Monsanto spokeswoman Charla Lord said.

BASF had no immediate comment. DuPont did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The task force also advised Arkansas to request more independent and university testing on new seeds and chemicals before they come to market, said Adriane Barnes, spokeswoman for the Arkansas Agriculture Department.

The recommendation will be reviewed by the governor and state agencies before a decision is made. No timeline has been disclosed.

They said products intended to be used together, such as Monsantos dicamba-resistant Xtend soybeans and XtendiMax herbcide, should be ready to use at the same time.

Monsanto sold Xtend soybeans to growers in 2016, a year before they were able to apply XtendiMax over growing crops. That led some farmers to spray dicamba illegally, causing damage to plants, according to weed specialists.

Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by Sandra Maler and Cynthia Osterman

Related:

Topics USA Agribusiness Pollution Arkansas Chemicals
Though Florida hasnt suffered a category 5 storm since Hurricane Andrew hit the north Miami area on Aug. 24 1992, the risk of such a storm has not gone away or even declined. In fact, the states risk of destruction may be even greater today.

Not only has Floridas population grown 35 percent since Andrew, but also building, especially along the coast, has been booming since the 1990s.

According to a Swiss Re report Hurricane Andrew: The 20 miles that saved Miami, the total insured losses of an Andrew-type storm with the exact intensity and track would be significantly higher than the $15.5 billion loss in 1992  totaling about $50 to $60 billion, due to the combination of increased development and asset values.

If a major cat 5 storm makes landfall in downtown Miami, 20 miles north of where Andrew hit, losses to the insurance industry could range from $60 billion to $180 billion, according to Swiss Re models.

Catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide estimated that if an Andrew-like hurricane were to strike just south of Miami and just 8 miles north of Andrews landfall in the city of Homestead, total insured losses would exceed $138 billion, with losses in Florida exceeding $127 billion.

While these numbers are merely speculative, two of the authors of the Swiss Re report say the worst-case scenario should be kept in mind, especially since hurricane risk in Florida has not decreased in the last 25 years.

Its more important than ever before to assess present day hurricane risk and to really think deeply about if current insurance purchasing decisions are sufficient for if there was another Andrew, said Megan Linkin, Swiss Re Natural Hazards expert.

Many in the industry also fear that history could repeat itself when it comes to the industrys ability to survive a catastrophic event like Andrew.

Hurricane Andrew was the costliest disaster in U.S. history, according to the Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.), and the industry was not prepared to pay the large number of claims. Andrew was responsible for the failure of at least 16 insurers between 1992 and 1993.

Before Andrew, insurers writing in Florida were not looking closely at their exposure in hurricane prone regions. It was the first cat 5 hurricane in Florida since the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, and only the third cat 5 storm to make landfall in the U.S., giving everyone who lived there and insurance companies a false sense of security.

I cant tell you how many companies told me they were driving street by street to count how many homes they insured because they didnt know  it was a free-for-all, said Robert Reynolds, owner of the Morris & Reynolds Agency in Miami.

His agency office was completely destroyed by Andrew and as many as 2,000 of his clients were affected.

Industry experts have expressed concern that Floridas young crop of domestic insurers would not be able to survive another Andrew. Just last week, one of them, Sawgrass Mutual, was placed under administrative supervision by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation and will begin winding down its operation, which includes 20,000 homeowners policies.

That announcement during peak hurricane season fuels concerns about whether Florida insurers are adequately assessing their risk.

The industry has come a long way and is doing a much better job than they were doing before Andrew, but some companies still ignore other facts around them, said Karen Clark, founder and CEO of Karen Clark & Co.

Clark says catastrophe models, which became widely used after Andrew, are a reliable way of assessing an insurers exposure, but the probable maximum loss (PML) models insurers rely on dont always tell the whole story.

Models cant prevent events from happening, but they are supposed to prepare companies for what could happen. Unfortunately, people are using models like they are this magic box and putting out this magic PML number and all they have to do is manage [exposures] to the PML. Thats not correct, she said.

Clark says the 1-in-100-year PML model can underestimate an insurers exposure because it does not tell the whole story of a companys potential losses. She said one big piece that is missing from this metric is a companys exposure concentration. She worries about some of the newer Florida domestic companies in particular.

The insurance industry has gotten into this mode where as long as they are managing to their PML the world is fine and they dont have to do anything elsesmall domestics form who dont have a lot of capital but they are buying reinsurance up to this PML, she said.

KCC developed the Characteristic Event methodology back in 2012 that provides insurers with information on what size losses different return period events could cause, and where losses from 100-year events could exceed an insurers 100-year PML.

Traditional cat modelers are very stuck in the original model paradigm of this is what we provide versus thinking about what additional types of information might be useful to model users, Clark said. The more info the models can give the better.

Clark says carriers should look at more than just a PML model in assessing their exposure, but it may take some disruption to get widespread industry adoption.

Joe Petrelli, president of Demotech, which rates most of the Florida domestic insurers, says it reviewed the characteristic event model from KCC, as well as conditional probable maximum losses calculated by JLT Re and peak loss scenarios calculated by Aon, among others, prior to assigning its 2017 ratings.

Keep in mind that a PML of one in 100 years attempts to measure a 1 percent probability of exceedance over the portfolio of an insurer, Petrelli said. In contrast, peak loss scenarios, characteristic events, conditional PMLs and other measures focus on the reality that the probability of exceedance is not uniform across the portfolio of an insurer.

In rating its companies, Demotech follows at least 19 criteria in reviewing a companys reinsurance backing, including identifying and confirming each companys utilized model currently approved by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology.

Petrelli added that Florida OIR performs catastrophic stress test analysis annually on all Florida insurers, utilizing the final reinsurance program purchased by the carrier as the baseline.

In each year that the OIR has performed its independent analysis, carriers reviewed and rated by Demotech have passed the catastrophic simulations utilized by OIR, he said.

This said, Petrelli said that Demotech believes that the raw dollar damages associated with such a catastrophic event should be viewed in conjunction with the likelihood of the selected event.

For example, in 2017, JLT Re indicated that the annual probability of a Category 5 event hitting Miami-Dade area was 0.2 percent; two chances in 1,000 that it could happen and 998 chances in a thousand that it would not happen, he said. Putting this annual probability into human terms, an 82-year-old person is more likely to live to be 83 years old than a category 5 event is likely to strike Miami-Dade.

Marla Schwartz, an atmospheric perils specialist for Swiss Re, said insurers should stick to the one common theme when using models  no model is perfect but they are still a very useful and important tool to the industry.

It is hard to say if they are sophisticated enough or what they are missing, she said. Thats where risk assessment and underwriting experience comes into play and the human component.

Roger L. Desjadon, chief executive officer of Florida Peninsula Insurance and chairman of the Florida Property Casualty Association, said rating agencies and regulators are very aware of what the industry needs to do and how it needs to do it, to remain financially stable.

He added that with the experience of past storms, those who regulate and rate the industry understand the importance of securing an environment where companies are at their best.

They work very hard to make sure the market is what people expect it to be, he said. And they give companies opportunities to make whatever adoptions they need to make in order to perform in stressful situations.

A.M. Best, which also rates many Florida insurers, said in a recent A.M. Best TV spot on Hurricane Andrew that its insurers with A.M. Best ratings possess the financial strength to honor policyholders claims, in the event of another catastrophe.

Still, Reynolds said with what he witnessed after Andrew 25 years ago, the worry about insurer solvency is always in the back of his mind.

Using what was then state of the art technology many in our industry thought their predictions would protect their firms and clients but unfortunately in many cases we learned that they got it wrong and it was a real awakening, he said. We cant have that happen today, the values and risk is exponentially larger now.

Reynolds said he hopes he doesnt see a storm like Andrew happen again in his lifetime, but to me it is a real concern  is the industry prepared? Insurers and reinsurers say they are and we have to trust that they know what they are doing, but with loss projections in the hundreds of millions the industry cant afford to get it wrong.

Swiss Res Linkin says a big hurricane hitting the Miami area is only a matter of if, not when.

It has happened before, and one will hit Miami again, she said. Its imperative that anyone who does business or lives in the area is financially and physically prepared for major hurricanes to strike.

Topics Carriers Catastrophe Florida Profit Loss Windstorm Reinsurance Hurricane Swiss Re
Nevadas gambling regulators are grappling with how to deal with the states latest legal vice  recreational marijuana  and theyve made it clear that pot doesnt belong in casinos.

In the first of a series of policy discussions, the Nevada Gaming Commission reiterated that as long as marijuana consumption and possession is viewed as a felony by federal authorities, it will have no place in Nevada casinos.

Commissioners said the reputation of the gaming industry is at stake and there needs to be clear separation.

On one hand you have the gaming industry and on the other hand you have the marijuana industry  The two shall not meet, Commission Chairman Tony Alamo said.

Commissioners did, however, spend more than an hour discussing what Alamo said would be the least controversial aspects of potentially bringing marijuana into casino resorts  third-party and business associations between licensees and individuals and companies involved in the marijuana industry.

That aspect was shot down, though. No votes were taken, but commissioners unanimously concluded that licensees should be discouraged from hosting shows or conferences that promote the use, sale, cultivation or distribution of marijuana.

Licensees also shouldnt maintain business relationships with marijuana companies, including landlord-tenant arrangements.

Commissioners also said licensees should not receive financing from or provide financing to an individual, entity or establishment that sells, cultivates or distributes marijuana.

In that discussion, commissioners agreed that there is not enough separation in spousal relationships for a gaming company to be allowed to conduct business with the wife or husband of anyone involved in the marijuana business.

Marijuana policy will be discussed over a series of commission meetings in future months, Alamo said.

Related:

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Cannabis
Siete genitori e vi capita di vedere la tv insieme ai vostri figli? Ebbene, sappiate che gia da domenica 20 agosto, potreste incappare in una pubblicita sui sex toys, ossia i giocattoli erotici.

Tabu rotto

Si tratta della prima volta che la tv italiana sdogana questi oggetti in vendita solitamente in locali specializzati nel settore. Lo spot di unazienda nazionale che produce e vende su internet sex toys sta circolando su Mediaset e La7, mentre era gia in onda dal 23 luglio su Cielo, Real Time, Nove e Dmax. Mentre scorrono immagini che lasciano spazio a bollenti fantasie, con protagoniste donne che cercano e poi trovano i loro strumenti di piacere dalle forme inequivocabili, si ode una voce in sottofondo che sussurra con sensualita: Vogliamo un mondo in cui le donne non sono oggetti sessuali, ma possono averli tutti.

Volume daffari in crescita

Si stima che dal 2014 duecentomila oggetti di tal risma siano stati venduti. Il volume daffari cresce ogni anno e coinvolge entrambi i sessi: nel 2017 il 40% dei sex toys acquistati sono dedicati alle donne, il 25% agli uomini e il 35% alla coppia. Le grandi citta fanno da capofila: le maggiori vendite a Milano (20%), seguita da Roma (15%) e Torino (5%). Sono le donne tra i venti e i trenta anni quelle che acquistano di piu.

E linteresse verso il mercato delleros sembrerebbe destinato ad espandersi ancora. Dopo la messa in onda dello spot, lazienda produttrice ha fatto sapere che le visite del sito sono cresciute del 300%.

Spot erotici davanti agli occhi dei bambini

La bonta di uno spot pubblicitario, tuttavia, non si pesa soltanto sulla bilancia degli affari delle aziende. Ce un variegato pubblico di telespettatori, molti dei quali minorenni, di cui bisogna tener conto. E per questo che esistono organi di controllo per tutelare la sensibilita dei piu piccoli, vigilando sul rispetto delle norme in materia.

Faro in tal senso e il decreto legislativo 177/05 sulla radiotelevisione, che allarticolo 4 vieta le trasmissioni che possono nuocere allo sviluppo fisico, psichico o morale dei minori.

Il Moige e la fascia protetta

Lintroduzione di questo spot erotico e passata sottotraccia, poiche nel periodo estivo lopinione pubblica e solitamente piu disattenta a quanto avviene al di la dello schermo.

In Terris ha sollecitato un parere di Elisabetta Scala, vicepresidente del Moige  Movimento Italiano Genitori Onlus, di cui e anche responsabile dellOsservatorio Media, che ha lo scopo di salvaguardare i bambini da programmi a loro inadatti.

Il Moige ha ricevuto da alcune famiglie segnalazioni che lo spot sta andando in onda in fascia protetta. Stiamo verificando  spiega la Scala  perche il fatto che una pubblicita di prodotti riservati al solo pubblico adulto passi anche in fascia protetta (dalle 7.30 alle 22.30), rappresenta una violazione del codice di autoregolamentazione tv e minori.

Controllore assente

La vicepresidente del Moige solleva pero un problema: in questo momento manca lautorita in grado di far rispettare il codice in questione. Da quasi due anni e inattivo il Comitato media e minori  spiega  perche sono scadute le cariche e il Ministero delle Infrastrutture (che comprende anche le Comunicazioni, ndr) non le ha ancora rinnovate. Nomine che invece gli altri organismi che compongono questo Comitato istituzionale, compreso quello degli utenti, hanno rinnovato da tempo.

Le mancate nomine ministeriali  lamenta la Scala  creano un varco di permissivismo allinterno del tubo catodico. Non ce solo la pubblicita dei sex toys, la tv e invasa di programmi che parlano esplicitamente di sesso o che propongono immagini violente.

Le battaglie del passato

Il Moige, grazie alla sponda del Comitato media e minori, in passato e riuscito a intervenire piu volte per spostare in fascia non protetta film e trailer violenti o a sfondo erotico e pubblicita di preservativi oppure che lanciassero messaggi allusivi.

Ebbe risonanza sui media la battaglia vinta nel 2006 contro lo spot delle patatine che aveva come protagonista Rocco Siffredi. Dopo lintervento del Moige, lIstituto di Autodisciplina Pubblicitaria blocco i passaggi in tv del noto pornoattore.

LAgcom come alternativa

Erano altri tempi. In dieci anni gli argini del pudore pubblico si sono notevolmente abbassati, e forse gli indugi del Ministero nel nominare i membri di sua competenza del Comitato media e minori sono un eloquente segnale di conferma.

La speranza del Moige e che alla paralisi del Comitato supplisca lAgcom, benche questa autorita si occupi soprattutto di pluralismo dellinformazione e corretta competizione tra media. Ci rivolgeremo a loro, promette la Scala. Non resta che aspettare e vedere. Intanto le immagini di donne impegnate a maneggiare i loro sex toys continuano ad andare in onda.
Top News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) Facial and Body Recognition Patent Application Received a Notice of Allowance

San Diego, CA - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) with GBT Tokenize Corp. ("GBT/Tokenize") received a notice of allowance for its facial and body recognition non-provisional patent application.

Top EV Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking EV Stock News: Mullen (NASDAQ: MULN) Enters into Agreement with Newgate Motor Group, one of Ireland's most Recognized Auto Groups, to Distribute the Mullen I-GOTM in Ireland and United Kingdom

BREA, Calif. - November 9, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Mullen Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: MULN), an emerging electric vehicle manufacturer, announces today that it has entered into an agreement to appoint Newgate Motor Group, one of Ireland's most recognized dealership groups, as marketing, sales, distribution and servicing agent for the Mullen I-GO in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: GBT's (OTCPK: GTCH) AI Driven Financial Technology Patent Application Received a Notice of Publication

San Diego, CA - November 3, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) GBT Technologies Inc. (OTC PINK: GTCH) received a notice of publication for its financial software patent application.

Top AI Stock News - Investor Idea

Breaking AI Stock News: Intellagents, a FatBrain AI (OTCQB: LZGI) Company, Announces Hiring of Insurtech Industry Veteran as Chief Revenue Officer

NEW YORK, NY - November 2, 2022 (Investorideas.com Newswire) FatBrain AI (LZG International, Inc.) (OTCQB: LZGI), the leader in powerful and easy-to-use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for star enterprises of tomorrow, announces the hiring of Euan King, an experienced and respected Insurtech industry leader as Chief Revenue Officer for insurance technology-focused subsidiary Intellagents.

Check out our Podcasts for great investor ideas:

Get new posts by email: Subscribe Powered by

Investorideas.com Newswire:

Subscribe to Investor Ideas Newswire
President Donald Trump's values should be considered separate from America's when it comes to race, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Mr Tillerson was asked to comment on Mr Trump's seesawing response to violence at a white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia, this month and the criticism that he had morally equated neo-Nazis with the individuals protesting against them.
Failte Ireland decision makers will, this week, forensically explore a West Cork peninsula tourist route with the aim of possibly adding it to the Wild Atlantic Way.

Fiona Monaghan, head of Failte Irelands Wild Atlantic Way project, and other executive staff will travel a proposed route on Thursday along the Seven Heads peninsula, located between Kinsale and Clonakilty.

The new route, which encompasses villages from Ring, just outside Clonakilty to Lislevane, Butlerstown, and Courtmacsherry, has been planned by a local campaign group.

Ms Monaghan, along with tourism minister of state Brendan Griffin, met with the group in Courtmacsherry last month and gave a commitment to return to West Cork and travel the proposed route.

The Bord Failte team will determine the routes suitability for inclusion on the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches from Donegal to Kinsale. The existing Wild Atlantic Way runs through the village of Timoleague, 3km from Courtmacsherry, but it excludes the entire Seven Heads peninsula which offers access to sandy beaches, magnificent coastal walks and rugged cliffs.

Cork county councillor John OSullivan, a campaign committee member, said: Failte Ireland was committed to returning on August 31 in response to Minister Griffins request for them to engage with the action group and Cork County Council, and to examine the proposed route, its advantages and highlight any issues to overcome before a review  to include the route  would occur.

The minister has assured us of his complete support and hopes this engagement will result in the Seven Heads peninsula being added to the Wild Atlantic Way, said Cllr OSullivan.

At the late July meeting with the campaign committee, Mr Griffin acknowledged that the Seven Heads was a spectacular part of the country and the peninsulas inclusion on the Wild Atlantic Way route would enhance the locality as well as the visitor experience.

Ms Monaghan, at the same meeting, said she was very heartened by the energy and enthusiasm of the representatives of the campaign committee to include the Seven Heads on the WAW and by the facilities and attractions the peninsula had to offer.

Failte Ireland, meanwhile, is running a massive home holiday campaign to encourage Irish people to experience the Wild Atlantic Way route off-season.

Chief executive Paul Kelly said: The domestic market is an important element of Irelands overall tourism sector and our home holiday marketing activity is geared at boosting visitor numbers outside of the busy summer months to allow businesses to sustain activity throughout the year, therefore increasing revenue and generating local employment.

Domestic performance along the Wild Atlantic Way, according to businesses on the ground, has been positive so far this year and it is our hope that this campaign will further bolster this performance as we head out of the summer months into the shoulder season, he said.

The Seven Heads campaign committee said it is determined to work with Failte Ireland in achieving its objective of boosting domestic tourism on the route.
EMOJIS have come a long way since their creator, Shigetaka Kurita, unveiled the alphabets first 200 characters back in 1999. Today there are no fewer than 6,666 separate characters officially recognised by UNICODE  the emoji world governing body  (who knew?).

Emoji are all over the globe, says Keith Broni of Today Translations.

Facebook released some data recently which showed that on its Messenger platform alone, 5bn emoji icons are sent every day. Messenger has a 1.2bn user base. So if you take that and you add Whats App, another billion, and WeChat in China, which is another billion, youre talking at least tens of billions of emoji being sent in interpersonal contexts each and every day.

Naturally enough, businesses are looking at ways to tap into that conversation and thats exactly where Keiths skills come into play. The Dubliner is an emoji translator. Though translator is in his title, he is at pains to point out that he does not sit down and transcribe reams of emoji chats and it is unlikely he will be working as an interpreter for the United Nations any time soon. His role is somewhat more nuanced than that.

Its a project based consultancy position, says Keith.

A lot of what well do is look at some slogans and look at what emojis would work best around those slogans in different contexts. So country, culture, language, these are really important because if you look at the data, and this is completely data driven, we have the Twitter API so we can pull down tens of thousands of tweets and run an analysis on particular emoji icons and see what are the words most closely associated with a certain icon and the ways people are using the icon. We look at what the best emojis are out there to compliment the text we are given or maybe add more to the message thats not necessarily in the text itself. And we want to do it without overdoing it and making it look too contrived. So I advise on the best icons to augment text or replace it if necessary, based around the audience and I provide training to staff too so they can avoid pitfalls.

And there are quite a few pitfalls. Keith explains that in France, for example, the heart icon is much more popular as an expression than any facial emojis. He also points to research that recently discovered only 7% of the peach emoji was used to reference an actual peach, in the other 93% it referenced the posterior. The humble aubergine has suffered a similar if more upright fate.

Like any language, things can get lost in translation. So what might be A-OK in Ireland, is, in South America, a uncomplimentary reference to an entrance in the posterior. The same place in fact that a raised thumb would go in the middle east should you be thinking of giving any of your Arab friends the thumbs up anytime soon.

Meaning is use with these icons, says Keith. Its like slang really. And its my responsibility to know this so companies avoid embarrassment. Any business has their social media now and of course, they want to engage with their audience more and use emoji but they dont want to be known as the one who hit an emoji faux pas. As well as avoiding thumbs and vegetables making it into places they are not wanted, there is the question of clarity. Because it is based around the writing of code points, the emoji alphabet is in fact strictly regulated by the aforementioned Unicode and new emojis, though created every day and usable on some devices are not legible on all devices until they have been registered and signed off on. Even then some mobile phones just dont get the rendering correct and it can have unwanted results.

It was International Cookie Day recently, says Keith, and the Cookie Monster sent out a tweet with lots of cookie emojis. The problem was that on the Samsung devices it looks like two salted crackers and it looked bizarre but in this instance, the blame has been leveled at Samsungs particularly interesting rendering of the emoji icons. So thats another area you can have problems.

But used effectively the emoji can help add nuance to a message. With emojis we can send a text saying I hate you, insert a little winky face, and expect to hear back from our sensitive friend within minutes rather than an awkwardly long two weeks of anxious jumper wringing.

The exclamation mark and question mark are hardly enough to convey the breadth of emotional context that we have at our disposal in face-to-face conversation, says Keith. In many contexts, emoji are replicating that hand gesture, that facial expression, even that posture. According to Keith, emojis have their place however and thus far are generally used only in certain registers.

People tend to use emojis when they are pleased or happy. There is a sense of joyousness around them and people use them to create a sense of excitement in their messaging. Whats interesting is, they are so popular now that people not using them is a sign of solemnity almost. So if they hear about the death of a celebrity it is more likely youll see the heartbreak emoji or the crying face emoji, whereas if someone tells you some personal heartbreaking news they are unlikely to use an icon at all.

Australian artist Lucy Barker clearly did not got that particular memo. At a recent art exhibition held, bizarrely, at the oldest graveyard in Australia, she decided to sculpt a tombstone with a smiling Sign Off emoji motif. A sign  or an emoji  of things to come perhaps.
Now, to be perfectly honest with you, I never actually met the Arizona Sheriff of Maricopa County. It just felt as if I had, because for a while there, maybe 10 or more years ago, he was a classic recurring interviewee on drivetime programmes in Ireland. Great talker who knew he was a great talker. Unexpected points being made. Outrageous points, and well come back to that. But of course the interviewer would always strive for balance by putting the negative questions to Joe about his thesis.

The phraseology was a dead giveaway. Joe would grind to a halt, having made a particular point, maybe about how he dresses criminals in the prison he runs. He dresses them in pink underwear. The men, anyway. Not sure about the underthings he inflicts on his female prisoners. The men arent allowed to wear normal tighty whities. They have to wear tighty pinkies, in order to set them on the path of rectitude and redemption. As you know, pink underwear has a great track record in making evildoers see the error of their ways and turn towards reformation and redemption.

Anyway, when Sheriff Joe, on air, would make a strong point about, say, his banning of tighty whities, the Irish radio interviewer, resolute in his determination to be fair-minded, would ask a question presaged with a phrase like: Some people would suggest or But couldnt that have the reverse effect? You know the kind of question. The one that says to the broadcasting regulator that the presenter hasnt bought into a fascist prisoner-abuser at all at all, but, contrariwise, is fearlessly putting to him the converse of the points he is making. In this ostensible exercise in balance and fairness, it doesnt matter that Sheriff Joe is so used to these soft hardballs, he could knock them out of the park in his sleep.

It doesnt and didnt matter because, you know what? Sheriff Joe gave great radio. Anytime a presenter had him on the end of the line, you could hear the ratings ratcheting up as listeners texted each other or tweeted, saying: Listen right now to X station, you wont believe the guy whos on. Sheriff Joe was the ratings equivalent of a snowball on the side of an Alp. All you had to do was get him rolling and the listeners gathered around him, same as soft snow.

Listeners loved him. I know this because I did. I did unpaid publicity for him by telling people he was outrageous but a hell of a talker.

He was the Deep South lawman equivalent of Michael OLeary, although, to give Michael OLeary his due, the Ryanair boss has never tried to make passengers wear pink underwear. Nor has he ever singled out any group of passengers on race or gender and discriminated against them. Michael is an equal opportunities insulter. You push your luck with the take-on bag, he doesnt care if youre Conor McGregor or the Pope, hes going to have it in for you.

Joe Arpaio is more selective, as a federal judge found a few weeks back when he convicted him of criminal contempt because Arpaio wouldnt lay off his habit of racial profiling.

Racial profiling is a technical term for: You look and sound Hispanic. Therefore youre probably Mexican. Therefore you probably dont have the right papers. Therefore, gotcha, and howdja like that, hombre?

Arpaio had been told to stop jailing people simply because he suspected them of being in the country illegally. He kept doing it. The judge found him guilty and he stood a good chance of spending time in jail himself.

That just was the sort of setback in Joes life nobody should have to put up with when theyve reached 85 years of age and been elected and re-elected six times by the good citizens of Maricopa County. I mean, come on, a popular guy with his finger on the pulse like Joes always had his finger on the pulse should be allowed to enjoy their golden years without the judiciary making bits of his great tradition, right? Bad enough that his successor as sheriff hardly had the decency to let the ink dry on his contract of employment before

pulling tent pegs out of the ground, that being the simplest way to do away with another great Arpaio tradition, that of housing prisoners in tents  more than 70 of them  pitched on land near the prison.

Perfectly good prison available, but putting bad guys out in the tropics at night with only leftover Korean War tents between them and the elements is going to be much more cost-effective and lead those bad guys to learn a serious lesson and make themselves a firm purpose of amendment. Stands to reason.

Doesnt stand up to fact-checking, though. What his successor described as the circus of tents, starting in 1993, may have made for great pictures in TV footage, but thats all they achieved. The prisoners who were supposed to be made miserable by bedding down in them found they quite liked being out of doors, even in great heat and on nights when it rained heavily. The people who did not like the tent approach to prisoner accommodation were the wardens, who had to wear heavy protective clothing in the exterior heat. More of them were required, also, to police the unorthodox tented prison. So the approach, while fascinating to media which never dug deeper than the Arpaio claims, cost the community more while achieving less.

Its ending, according to a former attorney general for the state, meant the days of Arizona being a place where people are humiliated or abused or ridiculed for the self-aggrandising of others are over.

It might be assumed that the Arpaio days were over, too. He was out of a job since the voters of Maricopa had decided enough, already, and finally declined to re-elect him. Hed been found guilty of criminal contempt. His tents had come down and the prisoner underwear replaced.

The reign of a man who had operated on prejudice and contempt was over and, after hed served a brief sentence, his fame would be over, too. The American justice system, with its traditional dislike of cruel and unusual punishment, would have reasserted itself.

But it takes one to know one. And it takes one to protect one. In this case, in pardoning Arpaio, a TV-created president rubbished the rule of law, preferring the rule of ratings.

The rule of ratings applies, with bells on, in Ireland just as it does in the US. Where were more fortunate is that neither our President nor our Taoiseach has the right to pardon wrongdoers. How blessed we are.
New York plans to bring broadband service to all residents of the state by the end of next year.

The $50 million New York Broadband for All program recently extended its grant deadline for provisioning of services to rural areas to August 31, according to StateScoop. Empire State Development, which is managing the grant process, told the site that the extension was not because there are too few entrants.

The state is already almost there, according to the FCCs definition of broadband as 25 Megabits per second (Mbps) download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. BroadbandNow says that 98 percent of the states residents  19.7 million people  have such access. That makes it the fourth most connected state in the country.

AT&T Makes G.fast, Fiber Moves

AT&T has extended both the slowest and fastest technology it has.

G.fast is one of a family of approaches being used by telcos to extend the life of copper. It is the latest to be widely deployed. Others are in the pipeline. AT&T said that it has completed a trial in Minneapolis and is set to deploy there and in Boston, Denver, New York City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle and Tampa. The telco has plans to deploy in 14 other metros.

The move is significant in that the metros are outside its 21-state footprint. The press release suggests that the service can support its DIRECTV service in addition to broadband.

AT&T also made fiber announcements. It is offering its 100 percent fiber network to Biloxi-Gulfport, Mississippi, and Savannah, Georgia. It expanded the all-fiber capabilities in 20 cities, including Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco.

Is the Term Computer Virus Merely a Metaphor? Hopefully Not in This Case

The term virus has long been used to describe certain types of malware. Researchers are taking the virus metaphor literally and attempting to combat the problem in the same way that real viruses are fought.

After studying the Mirai worm and its command and control system, several academic institutions in Denmark, Sweden and Russia came up with the idea of creat(ing) immunity with a vaccine by exposing the immune system to a weakened form of the disease, according to Network World.

Its a very cool idea:

The white worm project, called AntibIoTic, uses the Mirai bot design to gain access and control of these poorly secured devices and inject them with antibiotic-like code. AntibIoTic exploits the efficient spreading capabilities of the Mirai malware. Once in control, this white worm tries to notify the owner or remedy the problem on the owners behalf by changing credentials, patching software or updating firmware. Compared to the malicious Mirai that ISPs and carriers have taken proactive measures to stop, AntbIoTic would not be detected because once in control, it does not behave maliciously.

Hopefully, at least in this case, the metaphorical and real world will meet.

5G Fixed Wireless Access: $40B in Service Revenue by 2025

5G fixed wireless access (FWA) is set to expand aggressively once rollouts begin, according to SNS Telecom. The firm says that the first commercial deployments will roll out in 2019, when subscription revenue will be $1 billion. Subscription service revenues will grow to more than $40 billion by 2025. That is a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 84 percent.

AT&T and Verizon are pushing the technology in the United States. It is seen as a way to fill in gaps in existing LTE deployments and bring services to rural areas. The firm says that 5G services can be deployed more quickly and costs cut by 40 percent compared to fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP) approaches. The market will lean toward 28 GHz spectrum for the service.

Oreo 8.0 Ready to Roll for Pixel and Nexus Betas

The beat goes on for Googles operating system as Android 8.0 Oreo begins beta release for Pixel and Nexus devices.

The program is still accepting beta participants, according to ZDNet. There are single images for the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, the Nexus Player and Pixel C. There are two images for the Pixel and Pixel XL. One is for devices on Telstra, Rogers, TMO, Sprint, ISCC and Project Fi networks. The other is for all other carriers.

Android Oreo 8.0 features include notification dots that are akin to Apple IOSs red notification badges, picture-in-picture and techniques to extend memory and battery life. Oreo 8.0 also includes Project Treble, which is aimed at easing transition between Android versions and an autofill framework for easier logging into apps and filling in of credit cards.

Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at [email protected] and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.
Get unlimited access to all content and features at ivpressonline.com with our Full Online Access Subscription. Read our E-Edition, the digital replica of the print newspaper online, access content in exclusive sections including Family, Teen, Business, Databases, Farm and more. This option does not include daily home delivery of the Imperial Valley Press newspaper. For home delivery service, please select Premium or Premium Plus.
By continuing to browse or by clicking "Accept," you agree to our site's privacy policy.
RALEIGH  North Carolina rescue crews are making their way to Texas as waters continue to rise from Tropical Storm Harvey.

Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news release Sunday night that Two Helo-Aquatic Rescue teams, two UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters, eight U.S. National Guard airmen, six rescue technicians and two N.C. Emergency Management area coordinators will spend the next 10 days supporting rescue missions in San Antonio.

Our state knows from experience with hurricanes how devastating flooding can be, Cooper said. Our hearts go out to the people of Texas, and we have two seasoned search and rescue teams with vast experience on their way to help.

North Carolina area coordinators left for Texas Sunday night.

The storm, which arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane, has affected 6.8 million people in 18 counties.

Texas requested help from North Carolina through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which helps coordinate relief for disaster-stricken states.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The speaker in a local church introduced his remarks by saying, flatly but with a degree of pride, that he is actively involved in Antifa, which is short for Anti-Fascist. It is a broad term that encompasses various groups whose political beliefs lean left  often the far left  and who see their role as being a counterweight to the far-right.

When you see counter-demonstrators battling neo-Nazi demonstrators, they are likely to be associated with Anifa. A former organizer explained on CNN, There is a place for violence. Is that the world that we want to live in? No. ... But will we push back? Yes.

The local speaker explained with passion, conviction and intelligence and without so much as a nod to his quiescent, peaceful religious tradition, why physical force is justified when opposing evil. He claimed that violence must be left on the table because nonviolence doesnt work.

I suppose you can make that case if you dont count the role Gandhis concept of satyagraha played in freeing India from Englands colonial rule and the part non-violent resistance played in the civil rights movement that moved America one step closer to being a more perfect union. Non-violence freed a people and created a democratic nation.

Violence, which has been humanitys knee-jerk reaction to problems since Cain picked up a rock and killed Abel, has given us, what, the beatific, peaceful world we live in today?

Im not buying it. Perhaps it is just a matter of temperament. I find violence in any form  physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual  offensive and deeply disturbing. To suggest that violence is an acceptable means to an end would introduce an internal contradiction that I would not begin to know how to resolve.

Perhaps the problem I have with the attempt to justify violence by people who often support positions I hold has to do with the fact that I desire to be, though I dont claim to be, a Sermon on the Mount Christian: a Blessed are the peacemakers, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, Go the second mile, Give him your cloak as well follower of Jesus.

Is that idealistic? For sure. Naive? Maybe. Impossible to put into practice consistently? Probably.

One thing Im sure of: when Jesus said, Turn the other cheek, that wasnt code for, Hit em with a stick. As far as I can tell, Jesus meant every word he said, as evidenced by his refusal to allow his followers to defend him with violence when the police came to arrest him. Those who live by the sword die by the sword, he told them.

Then again, maybe my revulsion with the recent effort to normalize violence on the left is my conviction that there are other, better ways to resist evil.

On the Friday night before the violence in Charlottesville on Saturday, members of Congregation Beth Israel gathered to worship. Outside the temple thugs dressed in fatigues and carrying semiautomatic weapons, chanted Nazi slogans, resurrecting horrific images from Nazi Germanys genocidal treatment of Jews. It was a despicable, hate-filled attempt to terrorize American citizens exercising their guaranteed right to worship freely.

A week later, fears arose locally that there might be a similar attempt to intimidate members of Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem as they came to worship. A call went out for people who were not members of the congregation to stand on the sidewalk and welcome congregants and if necessary be a protective barrier between them and the venom that might be directed at them.

Dozens of people showed up, prepared to face off with evil armed only with poster board signs that spoke of peace, love and unity.

The evening passed quietly. There were no drive-by vulgarities. Rabbi Mark Strauss-Cohn gathered his flock outside the Temple and invited us to join them in initiating worship.

What would I have done if angry passersby started throwing rocks? Got hit, probably. Im not as quick on my feet as I used to be. But better to be hit than to hit.

I understand that many people, perhaps most people would not agree with that. But I think Martin Luther King Jr. was spot on when he said, If we do an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, we will be a blind and toothless nation.
This year's Nov. 8 election didn't present any unforeseen outcomes, at least as it pertains to Dorchester County Council races. However, the competition between Republican Rita May Ranck and Democrat Carlisle Harrison was one of the more thrilling ones in the State, as the latter temporarily Read moreNewly elected Councilmember Rita May Ranck ready to 'work' and 'listen'
Since the Kenyan presidential election on August 8, more than 12 people have been killed and more than 100 have been badly injured due to serious human rights violations [HRW report], Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Monday. Following the announcement of Uhuru Kenyattas [official twitter] reelection, protests broke out in Nairobi, Coast, and the western counties of Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, and Homabay, which HRW says led to unlawful killings and beatings and house-to-house operations by police. In western Kenya, protesters threw stones at the police, to which the police responded with teargas canisters and water cannons to disperse the protesters. According to the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms [text], law enforcement is only to use force in proportion to the seriousness of the offense and intentional use of lethal force is permitted only when unavoidable to protect life. HRW urged the Kenyan government to publicly acknowledge and condemn the unlawful actions by the police, to investigate the crimes committed by police, to hold the police accountable for their excessive force, and to protect the right to peacefully protest.

This is not the first time Kenya has been plagued with accusations of human rights violations. In March Privacy International [advocacy website] urged investigation [JURIST report] into the practices and surveillance techniques of police officers after releasing a report documenting the serious human rights abuses that have allegedly resulted. In February a group of UN human rights experts urged [JURIST report] Kenya to stop crackdowns on human rights group to protect the integrity of this upcoming election. In November a group of UN human rights experts condemned reported violence [JURIST report] against anti-corruption protesters and journalists in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Last year the International Criminal Court [official website] withdrew charges [JURIST report] against Kenyatta, who was accused of crimes against humanity for post-election violence, but indicated it would renew the charges if presented with enough evidence
Kenya Supreme Court ordered the election commission on Monday to allow Raila Odingas National Super Alliance (NASA) and Uhuru Kenyattas Jubilee Party limited access to its computer servers and electronic devices to assess the vote-count for themselves to verify the elections integrity. According to the election commission, Kenyatta won a second five-year term, which was substantiated by independent monitors of a sampling of 2,000 polling stations. Odingas supporters allege that the results from more than one-third of the polling stations are fatally flawed. According to the oppositions lawyer, some of the tally sheets were missing security features and an official stamp, which were designed to ensure the election process was conducted fairly, especially if the electronic systems were to fail. The court must provide a ruling by September 1 and if the opposition succeeds a new election must be held within 60 days.

The election has sparked violent protests, resulting [JURIST report] in at least 24 people dead, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights [official website]. UN HIgh Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein has called on Kenyan leaders [JURIST report] to take the responsible path and exercise their leadership to avoid violence after these deadly protests. Protests the following Kenyas 2007 election, which Odinga also lost, resulted in more than 1,200 deaths, triggering an International Criminal Court investigation and charges that were ultimately dropped [JURIST report] against Kenyatta.
Dallas, Texas, 08/28/2017 /SubmitPressRelease123/

Many people hear that a crime is aggravated and wonder what that means. What distinguishes a robbery from an aggravated robbery, for example? Is one worse than the other?

The short answer is that, yes, an aggravated crime is a more serious charge that carries more severe penalties upon conviction. Generally speaking, to be charged with an aggravated crime, a defendant must have done something that made the offense more dangerous. For example, breaking into someones house is likely to result in a burglary charge. But breaking into a house with a loaded gun in your jacket will probably result in an aggravated burglary charge, even if you didnt use the gun or threaten anyone with it during the break-in. In many cases, simply having a dangerous and deadly weapon with you at the time of a crime is enough for police or prosecutors to bump up the charge.

Aggravated Crimes Have More Serious Penalties

Although what constitutes an aggravated crime varies from state to state, the law generally imposes enhanced penalties on crimes that involve specific factors. These factors make the crimes more serious and more dangerous, which is why theyre considered aggravated versions of the basic offensesometimes called a simple version of the same crime.

Using or Possessing a Weapon  In most cases, just carrying a weapon with you while you commit a crime is enough to generate an aggravated charge.

Causing Bodily Injury  The law takes it seriously when people get hurt during a crime. For example, getting into a shoving match at a bar might result in a simple assault charge. This could easily get bumped up to aggravated assault, however, if one person punches the other, causing bodily injury.

Crimes Against Certain Individuals  Crimes can also be aggravated if they are carried out against individuals in certain careers, or those deemed especially vulnerable by society. For example, crimes against children and the elderly may be charged as aggravated. The same is true for offenses that victimize the disabled or mentally challenged. Many statutes also include aggravated charges for crimes carried out against police officers and rescue personnel, such as EMS workers and firefighters.

Just because a criminal charge is classified as aggravated, however, does not mean it cant be lowered to a regular offense at some point during the case. In some situations, prosecutors will agree to drop the charge to a lower charge in exchange for the defendant pleading guilty to a lesser charge. In other cases, the prosecution doesnt have adequate evidence to establish a case for an aggravated crime.

Speak to a Texas Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Have you been charged with an aggravated crime in Texas? A lawyer can help you protect your important legal rights. Get in touch with an experienced Texas criminal defense lawyer to discuss the options in your case.

Sources:

Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers in Dallas

http://www.brodenmickelsen.com/

Broden & Mickelsen, LLP

2600 State St Dallas, Texas 75204

Main Phone: (214) 720-9552

source: http://www.brodenmickelsen.com/blog/aggravated-crime-texas/

Social Media Tags:Aggravated Crime in Texas, Aggravated Crimes, Aggravated Crimes Texas, Dallas Criminal Defense Lawyers in Dallas, Texas criminal defense lawyer

Newsroom powered by Online Press Release Distribution  SubmitMyPressRelease.com

Like Us on Facebook

It's only fair to share... Pinterest Linkedin email Print
HOLDREGE  Giving back runs in Bruce Hendricksons family.

His father, Carl Hendrickson, was one of the founders of the Phelps County Community Foundation and its first board president.

He was a doer, Hendrickson said about his father. I got a thrill out of seeing him do these things, and I would decide that would be a good thing for Bruce to do (too).

Hendrickson followed in his fathers footsteps and was board president of PCCF from 1987-89. His work to help others didnt stop there, and for his efforts, he will be honored with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Nebraska Chapters Outstanding Philanthropist Award Nov. 9 in Omaha.

Bruce, in his late 80s, continues to be a local collaborator by bringing people to the table to help address community needs. He brought the Phelps County Community Foundation, the YMCA of the Prairie, our local hospital, the ministerial association and the Salvation Army together to brainstorm about the feasibility of a summer lunch program, said PCCF Executive Director Vickie Klein in her nomination letter. You would be hard pressed to find a worthy need or initiative in Phelps County that has not been supported by the Hendricksons.

There are many projects Hendrickson has been a part of over the years, but it was something small yet effective, such as the lunch program, that Klein felt was worth mentioning in her nomination.

That was just an example I used in that nomination because I thought we are little Holdrege, Nebraska. You can really see things like that, that everybody can see impacts and makes a difference to people, and thats what inspired me when Bruce took this by the horn and said, We want to do this, she said.

One of the bigger projects Hendrickson implanted in Holdrege was bringing the Tassel to the community.

For years, and literally years, the people of Holdrege and Phelps County had a vision for and an interest in having a state-of-the-art performing arts center. People here, they like the arts, whether its visual arts or performing arts, Hendrickson said.

The city auditorium served the community for many years but it didnt have high-quality acoustics and accommodations for patrons to enjoy. After 15 years of fundraising, the Tassel opened in 1999.

Thats my pride and joy, Hendrickson said about the facility.

Throughout his years in Phelps County, Hendrickson helped provide a new bus and trailer for the Boy Scouts, helped send Korean War veterans to Washington, D.C., on an Honor Flight and has raised money for Phelps Memorial Health Center, the YMCA and the Presbyterian Church in Holdrege, among other things.

Giving back and helping others has always been part of Hendricksons life since his youth, and when an idea comes to him, he is eager to see it come to fruition.

If you have an idea that is burning inside you, then its easy to go and ask people to join with you. I guess I have that, he said.

While working with PCCF on many of these projects, Hendrickson has formed a close bond with Klein.

Ive been here 14 years, but Ive known Bruce a long time. Ive really got to know him better in my position here. ... He was actually kind of my mentor when I started, she said.

When Klein found out Hendrickson won the award, she called him for an impromptu visit, and she brought coffee and breakfast rolls.

So, she came up to the house, and we kind of let the tears flow, both of us. I was totally shocked that I was even considered and quite happy to have been considered. It was kind of an emotional event, Hendrickson said.

Hendrickson doesnt have any new projects in the works that he is ready to talk about, but when a new idea comes to him, he is always willing to go after it.

If something comes up, we will get involved. A community or a person never stands still. You are either moving forward or moving backward. This community of Holdrege loves to move forward. Its very progressive as a town, he said.
Body-worn cameras hold everyone accountable. The officers and the public, Holdrege Police Chief Dennis DaMoude said in the press release. Although body-worn cameras are not going to solve every issue, they can go a long way in documenting the officers contact with the public, interviewing suspects on the street, the documenting of evidence and will be used on serving arrest and search warrants, which will help the officer and public alike.
Ha Van Tham, former chairman of Ocean Bank, appears in a court in Hanoi, Vietnam, Monday, Aug. 28, 2017. Tham and 50 bankers and business executives were put on trial Monday for alleged graft and mismanagement causing $69 million in losses to the bank. (Doan Tan/Vietnam News Agency via AP)
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

Go to form
Hillary Clinton speaks during the Book Expo event in New York, Thursday, June 1, 2017. Clinton is stopping in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver to promote her upcoming book "What Happened." THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Craig Ruttle
A rocky mudslide rushes towards the village of Bondo, Graubuenden in southern Switzerland, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, after it was already hit by one on Wednesday. The village that was already cleaning up from a devastating one earlier that has left eight people missing. (Gian Ehrenzeller/Keystone via AP)
FILE - In this Aug. 3, 2017, file photo, Kevin Hart poses at Kevin Hart's "Laugh Out Loud" new streaming video network launch event at the Goldstein Residence in Beverly Hills, Calif. Hart pledged $25,000 to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, and called on fellow celebrities to do the same. (Photo by Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP, File)
In this Aug. 24, 2017 photo, a shark advisory is posted at Marconi Beach in Wellfleet, Mass. The beach was temporarily closed to swimmers after a shark bit into a paddleboard on Wednesday. Though there was a spate of recent shark sightings on Cape Cod, scientists said it is part of a natural ecosystem that humans must accept. Statistically, risks to people from sharks remain low. The last shark fatality recorded in Massachusetts was in 1936. (Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via AP)
A performance at the event (Photo: VNA)

Speaking at the festival, Vietnamese Ambassador to RoK Nguyen Vu Tu highly appreciated the efforts of the organizers and expressed sincere thanks to the government of Seoul city for the organization of the festival, as it became a significant event in contributing to the promotion of Vietnamese culture in RoK and continuing to promote exchanges between the two countries.

The Ambassador said that RoKs culture has strongly penetrated and become very popular in Vietnam, while Vietnams culture are also gradually known in RoK; exchange activities on culture and people between the two countries are growing in both scale and form, thus contributing to further strengthening the friendly relationship and deep understanding between the two countries.

Ms. Kim Hae-ryon, representative of the Seoul city Council, highly appreciated the efforts and enthusiasm of the organizers, and praised the great efforts of the Vietnamese community in RoK in their lives and work, becoming a valuable asset in the local society.

According to her, the Vietnamese community in RoK has made great contributions to the local people, to build RoK to become a beautiful and prosperous country.

She desired to more often attend similar activities, and pledged her utmost efforts to help and accompany the Vietnamese community to foster the development of the relationship between the two countries.

On behalf of the organizing committee, Head of Vietnamese Women's Association in RoK Mai Thi Hong Ngoc emphasized that the festival was to introduce and promote the beauty of Vietnamese culture and people to Korean people and international friends.

She hopes that through art performances as well as dishes from the regions of Vietnam, this year's festival will become one of practical meaningful activities to further strengthen the friendship between the two countries.

Head of the Overseas Vietnamese Association in RoK Nguyen Ngoc Cam said that activities aiming to maintain and promote Vietnamese culture to Korean people have great significance and importance, contributing to further tightening the solidarity and understanding between the two peoples.

During the festival, various special art performances, praising the beauty of people and country of Vietnam, were held.

Children from VN-RoK multicultural families performed a number of items in both two peoples, creating a cosy, engaging and happy atmosphere.

In addition, the participants also enjoyed Vietnams traditional dishes and tropical fruits./.
SOMERS  Village officials are urging the Wisconsin Legislature to close the dark stores loophole.

The Village Board sent a letter to the state Rep. John Macco, chairman of the Assemblys Ways and Means Committee, urging the committee to hear and act on AB 386, which specifies that a vacant or dark property cannot be used as comparable property for determining the assessed value of a fully operational and occupied property.

Put it on the agenda this September to get passed, Village Board president George Stoner said. Ive been pushing this thing for almost a year and half.

Stoner said Indiana and Michigan have enacted laws to close such loopholes.

The state legislators that Ive been in contact with, they were all excited, and then it died. Then, all of the sudden Foxconn comes here, and within weeks ... everybodys passing these bills, and everything is just going lightning fast because they need this thing done by September.

Stoner said the dark store legislation affects every single taxpayer in the state of Wisconsin.

Every time a box store gets a tax break, we lose money, he said. We have to take up that difference.

In late July, the village received formal notification filed in civil court that Walmart, 3500 Brumback Blvd., and Sams Club, 3300 Brumback Blvd., would be challenging the stores 2017 assessments.

According to the documents, Walmart is valued at $13,476,000 and Sams Club at $9,908,200. The real estate trusts are asking the courts for lowered valuations of $8,848,900 and $7,384,850, respectively.

Walmart and Sams Club officials did not return calls seeking comment.

Village Board Trustee David Geertsen, citing a study published by the Wisconsin Counties Association, said that if dark store methods continue, most homeowners in the state would see an increase of 8 percent on their tax bills, according to a survey of assessors.

Pleasant Prairie could take a 17 percent hit if retailers continued to take advantage of the loophole, the report said.

Thats how dramatic it would be, said Trustee David Geertsen. It would be right in our backyard.
352 Shares Share

Recently, there have been many times when you may have gotten a news alert on your phone or checked the latest Twitter hashtag and wanted to scream. Or you were too busy to even check until later that day and did not know what to say other than to lurk and watch a train wreck in progress. You may have thought about saying something, but paused and wondered, Is this professional? What will this say about me as a doctor? What would my colleagues/supervisors think? What would my patients think?

You are not alone. I get stopped, emailed, and messaged frequently by others wondering if they should enter the fray.

Something interesting happened with the recent repeal and replace or repeal and delay or repeal and whatever roller coaster: Doctors did speak up! One group that was truly impressive was the pediatricians on Twitter, known as tweetiatricians who all recorded short videos about the importance of Medicaid for their most vulnerable population.

After acclaimed author and New York Times columnist Danielle Ofri advocated for a Doctors March on Washington, she encouraged her followers to join the House Calls Campaign to call Congress. I was lucky to be part of a group of doctors who joined together with Esther Choos leadership to start #DoctorsSpeakOut which included a video of several of us describing what the importance of coverage for our patients.

Perhaps not surprisingly, things have gotten quieter since the repeal efforts died on the Senate floor. But, that does not mean the fate of our nations health is in good shape. First and foremost, the ACA is still in need of repair to keep it from unraveling. However, health does not end with being able to afford it. We are seeing escalating threats about nuclear war or the tragic, unnecessary loss of life, fighting white supremacy and race-related hate speech and crimes, escalating gun violence, and a continued assault on science  in particular, womens health.

While these issues are not explicitly about health, it is easy to shy away from saying anything in this political landmine. Hence the paralyzed feeling watching your Facebook or Twitter feed. However, there are things you can do within reason:

Lead from where you stand. Can you use your influence on a group to take a stand on a particular issue? SHM sent out a grassroots call to action for the AHCA in March, so during the BCRA debacle, the SHM Care of Vulnerable Populations Special Interest Group, spearheaded by Sumant Ranji, Jack Chase, and Gabriel Ortiz, led a petition of over 60 hospitalists to ask SHM to make a statement opposing the BCRA. While SHMs Public Policy Committee was already drafting a statement, these voices provided support for SHM to not only release a strong statement, but also put a huge banner on its website with the language, SHM Opposes Senate Health Reform Bill. By working with our professional society, we were able to highlight that an organization representing 57,000 physicians was opposed to critical health care legislation that would harm our patients and our hospitals. Members sent SHMs BCRA message to 82 Senate office, with nearly 500 messages sent  ensuring hospitalists voices were loud and clear. SHM Advocacy is also on Twitter @SHMAdvocacy.

Speak about the health impact of the issues. Racism is a health issue. So is nuclear war. So is climate change. All of these things harm peoples health. Period. So, often times, the key is to find the health angle and amplify it. A recent example was the travel ban, which left numerous international medical graduates, many of whom are actively training in our safety net hospitals, without a way to visit their homeland.

In the words of a resident in southern Illinois, I take care of your mom, but I cant go visit mine. I recall looking at this photo and wondering how many trainees were in this predicament. The American Board of Internal Medicine estimated 1,200 residents in our medicine programs alone were affected. Shortly after, researchers estimated 14 million visits per year would be affected. So, while it may not have seemed it at first glance, the travel ban became a health issue.

Use your voice to promote the medical truths. In todays culture of fake news and alternative facts, doctors must use their voices to speak out against quackery. Jen Gunter recently made headlines by simply calling out the truth: jade eggs are not a way to improve vaginal health and, in fact, could be harmful. Gwyneth Paltrow and her fellow GOOP team members were not all pleased, but of course, they made things worse for themselves by veiled attacks on Dr. Gunters strangely confident assertion. Clearly, #teamjen here.

Support the medical heroes during times of distress. What happened recently in Charlottesville was not pretty for America. As a mom to a half-Jewish, half-Indian daughter, I cannot see these images without personal distress. There are no shades of grey or many sides to racism and hate crimes. There is only one side: choosing humanity. In the midst of despair and anger, I saw a photo on Twitter that gave me great hope  not just for people but also for our profession. It was a simple but poignant photo: fellow health professionals rising above. After all, we swore an oath as doctors, May I never see in my patient anything but a fellow human in pain. Although news about one bad doctor spreads like wildfire, we need to celebrate all the amazing things the medical profession does.

It is crucial that each of us remain informed about what is going on in our country and across the globe  about health care and the issues that impact it. Only then will be able to speak out and fight for policies that allow for the best possible care for our patients. Speaking out comes in many shapes, sizes, and forms. Use your medical society. Use your Twitter account. Use your voice to make the difference. It might not always come without repercussions. But the future of health care  and humanity  depends on us to take a stand.

Vineet Arora is an internal medicine physician who blogs at FutureDocs. This article originally appeared in the Hospital Leader.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
766 Shares Share

A white coat ceremony address to the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine, August 4, 2017.

It takes a village is one of my favorite proverbs, an African proverb, that resonates with each of us on this monumental day. There is without a doubt that every one of you worked very hard to get into medical school. However, this difficult journey was supported by dozens of important individuals: teachers, professors, counselors, advisors, mentors, family members and loved ones. Let us also remember our communities and thank the countless strangers who shaped who we have become. Let us bring our village, pueblo, or city and these great individuals into the room for todays white coat celebration.

Congratulations to each of you on accomplishing such an exciting milestone in your medical careers! Those trying pre-medical years are over; and as each of you walks across the stage to receive your white coat today, your journey as a medical student and doctor in training begins.

I began medical school in 2002 and completed my medical training, including residency and fellowship, in 2014. More than a decade of medical training. I mention this because my parents are in the audience and like many of our family members- they began to ask me to diagnose and treat their medical problems well before I become a real doctor.

But mom and pop, Im only a first year  then second year  and so on  and they soon lost track of all the years I was in school. They did, however, keep track of all the loans piling up. They also began to ask me when I would finish. When I would get a real job? When I would pay my bills? Are you really going to be in school forever? I mean no offense to my family or anyone who will ask you these questions.

As the first in my family to go to college, medical school and beyond, I learned to appreciate the journey, not only as mine, but instead as us. A family journey where are we there yet? can at times be annoying, funny, and just a great reminder of how special of a journey we are on. As I reflect more on my life and the privileges we receive in becoming physicians, I better appreciate the need to embrace a growth mindset, one where you truly believe you can grow, improve and continue to learn no matter what. Sharing this growth mindset with friends, loved ones and our community has allowed us to grow stronger together. This growth mindset will allow you to stay focused and not lose sight of the investments needed in cultivating great physicians for our communities.

As a physician and physicians in training, we share and will continue to share so many life experiences. It is an honor and privilege to welcome you to this demanding, humbling and greatly rewarding journey.

The white coat ceremony officially began in 1993 by Dr. Arnold P. Gold at the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons to introduce medical students to the Hippocratic Oath before beginning medical school. The white coat ceremony is an important ritual that welcomes students, families and their mentors to the practice of medicine, and elevates the value of humanism as the core of health care. The white coat ceremony is a rite of passage. This rite of passage is symbolic and a constant reminder of our professional duties to our patients and communities. Your white coat is a constant reminder, as prescribed by Hippocrates, to lead honorable and righteous lives.

Our white coats symbolizes the:

Transition to a scientific approach to medicine

Commitment to our patients

Commitment to each other, as colleagues

Commitment to our faculty, staff, advisors and mentors

Commitment to our families

Commitment to our communities

Commitment to ourselves

Today, I will focus on two of these critically important commitments.

Commitment to our patients

While the short length of the white coat is a long-standing tradition used to identify the role of a medical student, our patients will remind us otherwise. You will play a vital role in the care of your patients. Your team and patients will depend on you.

This reminds me of my time in medical school when I was on-call late into the night caring for Maria. Maria had advanced breast cancer with many complications, and we would care for her until she took her last breath. When I first began to care for her, I was afraid to tell her I was a medical student. She sensed my lack of self-confidence. I would nervously share with her after every encounter that I was just a medical student. Maria was gentle. I went on to form a special bond with Maria and her family. And they made it a point to let me know that I was not just a medical student, but a doctor, a great doctor in training. As a professor in medicine, this is an early lesson I share with my students. You must embrace your role as a medical student in the classroom, and one of a student doctor when caring for patients.

Commitment to each other

Your white coat will signal to your colleagues the path you have chosen. Its a symbol of togetherness in the struggle to improve health and to prevent, treat and cure disease. But you must not forget the togetherness in this journey. Your commitment to each other will seem impossible when you begin to study, and study more, and then study some more. I ask all of you to always remember your commitment to each other every time you wear your white coat. Support each other through times of struggle and success.

One of my mentors, Dr. Jorge Garcia, during residency helped me better appreciate the limitations of our white coat. As we cared for patients, he would ask if our white coat made us invincible to the challenges that our patients face. He would make it clear that while we had the privilege of caring for others, and we also had to care for ourselves. So, do not feel bad when your loved ones ask you if you had enough to eat. Or they check on you to make sure you are doing OK. Cherish this care and seek out support regularly.

Our white coats are not only symbols but also have some important practical uses. For example, carrying your diagnostic equipment: stethoscope, penlight, reflex hammer. They also serve as a repository for all your notes and important information- your time capsule for each patient, each rotation. Most importantly, these white coats will get increasingly soiled and will need to be washed, a good washing and good pressing.

While at first, you may not want your loved ones to wash your white coat, I am sure some of you will be more resistant than others. The washing of our white coats can be an opportunity for our loved ones to catch a glimpse of our lives. It may not be the best opportunity, but nonetheless and opportunity for your loved ones to wash your coat and relive your commitment to human kind and to relive todays celebration. The washing of your white coat can also be an opportunity to ask you questions about your journey, and most importantly share in your struggles, challenges, and growth.

As we profess todays oath, in front of our families and communities, we acknowledge our central obligation of always caring for patients with compassion and excellence.

Let me leave you with an important reflection adapted from one of my favorite writers, Junot Diaz:

Everyone is telling you to hurry, while our patients are telling us to take our time. Always listen to our patient.

Efrain Talamantes is an internal medicine physician. He can be reached on Twitter @TalamantesDr.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
1 of 4

FIR against Rishi Kapoor for an offensive post on twitter



A case was filed against actor Rishi Kapoor on Saturday for posting pornographic material on his Twitter account. Advocate Adil Khatri, who is also the general secretary of Jai Ho Foundation, has lodged a police complaint against the actor for posting an offensive picture of a child on his Twitter handle.



When indianexpress.com got in touch with Adil Khatri, he said, "We have filed a complaint with Mumbai Police Commissioner, Mumbai Cyber Cell and Ministry of Woman and Child Development against actor Rishi Kapoor for posting nude and pornographic image of a child on his Twitter account @chintskap." Read More...


A celebration of the Irish and in particular the Kilkenny connection to Washington DC is scheduled for the US city on Saturday, September 30. It is the last in a series of 'mini-summer-schools' that has already taken place in Callan and Killarney and will include a number of presentations with Kilkenny associations.

Under the title Green Hills, White Houses, the day-long presentation organised by the James Hoban Societies of the United States and Ireland will feature speakers from both countries as part of a commemoration of the 200th. Anniversary of the completion of the rebuilding of The White House after its destruction by the British in the War of 1812.

That rebuilding was supervised by James Hoban, the Kilkenny-born architect who designed and built the original, as well as supervising work on the US Capitol and several of the other principal public buildings in the early phase of the citys development.

The second rebuilding, from 1948 to 1952, was carried out by John McShain, the son of a Derry immigrant, whose Killarney home has recently been opened as a heritage attraction. McShains other Washington projects include The Pentagon, the Jefferson Memorial and the Kennedy Center.

The Washington DC event will take place from 10.00 am to 4.30 pm at the First Congregational Community Hall on G Street at 10th, adjacent to the Martin Luther King Public Library and opposite St. Patricks Church, which is on the site of an earlier building provided by Hoban as a place of worship for his immigrant workforce.

The scope of the presentations will range widely across Irish influences on Americas Constitution and Washington public buildings; early settlement patterns in the area by Irish immigrants; biographical studies of Irish employees of the first household and the early DC public sector; an interesting design variation in the 1817 reconstruction and a personal reminiscence of the 1952 rebuilding of the White House; political strategies in presidential visits to Ireland; and the creation of a DC-inspired global network of installations evoking a spirit of place.

The speaker panel includes well-known Washington historians Don Hawkins and Pamela Scott, leading Irish architect and conservationist Brian OConnell; DC architect and environmentalist Travis Price; Irish-born American historian David Kilroy, whose father came from Callan; authors Robert Klara and Kathy Wycoff (who will speak on her Kilkenny-born great-great-grandfather, Martin Renehan), and architectural historian Andrew McCarthy.

The event is dedicated to the memory of William Brian Bushong (1953-2016), White House historian, and will also honor William Seale, the eminent authority on The White House.

The program is made possible by sponsorship from the family of the late Charles E. Greef, honouring his Kilkenny-born grandmother, Veronica Agnes Brennan; and from Brenock Inc. of Miami, Florida, a software company led by Manus Walsh, who, like James Hoban, is a native of Desart, near Callan in Co. Kilkenny.
Two cardiac emergencies both from the South Kilkenny area presented within the past seven days at University Hospital Waterford during out of hours of the Waterford Cardiac Service.

One patient arrived by road ambulance and the other was brought by family members who feared the consequences of delay waiting on an ambulance arrival into South Kilkenny late at night. Patients are both from rural areas of south Kilkenny. The patients were assessed in UHW and considered acute cardiac emergencies, but as the UHW Cath lab was closed the decision was taken to immediately transfer by road ambulance to Cork University Hospital. Both patients thankfully survived and are understood to be continuing to receive care in CUH. These emergency road transfers are in addition to three helicopter transfers which have occurred in the past month due to patients arriving into UHW when the Cath Lab is not operational and therefore no emergency percutaneous coronary intervention is available!

The Taoiseach when visiting the Iverk Show in Piltown last Saturday commented to members of from the group, Health Equlaity for the Southeast (HEFSE) that the numbers requiring the cardiac service in the south east region 'was still to be debated'.

In a statement issued to the Kilkenny People the group stated that what is beyond debate at this point in the opinion of HEFSE is that the current situation is placing patient lives at risk and it can only be a matter of time before another patient transfer ends in tragedy.

"HEFSE is continuing to call on all politicians and local elected members to continue to press for the right of every person in the south-east to receive timely and properly resourced cardiac health care in the regional centre in University Hospital Waterford. The Government continues to say they are listening to the concerns of people in the region  considering the lack of action to date one has to question exactly what it is that they are hearing?," remarked a group spokesperson.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman has announced his intention to increase funding for the program ofpartial compensation of the cost of Ukrainian agricultural machinery to UAH 1 billion in 2018.

According to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, the government program to receive a 20% reimbursement for the cost of agricultural machinery and equipment of Ukrainian production should be an effective mechanism of aid to both farmers who will try to upgrade their equipment and producers specializing in agricultural machinery building.

According to the government, first deals under the program will be formalized in the near future.

"This year UAH 550 million has been allocated for the program of partial compensation of the cost of agricultural equipment. This is only the beginning of a large-scale program to support national producers of agricultural machinery. Next year the initiative will be continued and funding will be increased. The amount of financing rill rise to UAH 1 billion," the prime minister said.

Groysman stressed he is interested in the fact that Ukrainian plants produce competitive goods and expand their production, while Ukrainians have jobs.
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) - Gold prices were largely unchanged after newly released data showed that orders for long-lasting U.S. factory goods fell in July after soaring in the previous month.

Orders for durable goods fell 6.8% last month after jumping 6.4% in June, the Commerce Department said on Friday. Market consensus called for durables to decline 6%.

Gold was fairly subdued Friday morning, as investors awaited key speeches from Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi at the annual world central bankers symposium in Jackson Hole.

Immediately following the release December Comex gold was last trading at $1,291.10, down 0.07% on the day.

The monthly decline in durable-goods orders was largely led by the 19% drop in transportation equipment, which was down three of the last four months, the government said. Excluding transportation, new orders were up 0.5%. Excluding defense, new orders dropped 7.8%.

The governments durables report covers items with an expected life of at least three years, such as kitchen appliances, computers, furniture, autos and airplanes.

Even though spending on durable goods represents a small part of American economic output, economists carefully watch for any changes as a sign of where the economy might be heading.

Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC Capital Markets, described the July figure as shockingly bad with some bright lights.

Overall, not enough of a surprise for markets to react, but reasonably good news once the aircraft noise is stripped out, Shenfeld said referencing Junes massive huge swing in aircraft orders.
(Updates to close)

Aug 28 (Reuters) - Australian shares slipped on Monday, with the financial sector leading broad-based losses after a financial regulator said it would establish an inquiry into Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA).

The S&P/ASX 200 index dropped 0.6 percent, or 33.961 points at 5,709.9. on Monday, the benchmark was marginally lower on Friday.

The financial index fell 0.9 percent to its lowest in two months as Australia's four biggest banks lost between 0.5 percent and 1.8 percent. CBA slid 1.3 percent.

Sentiment in the sector turned sour after Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) said on Monday it would establish an inquiry into CBA following the bank's alleged breaches of money-laundering and counter-terrorism finance rules. Material stocks ended lower on the back of weak metal prices, as iron ore and coking coal were on track for their biggest one-day fall in about three months. Miner Rio Tinto Ltd ended 1.2 percent down while BHP shares were 0.8 percent higher on support from oil prices. Brent futures were pushed up by pipeline blockades in Libya, while gasoline prices hit two-year highs as floods caused by Hurricane Harvey forced refineries across the U.S. Gulf Coast to shut. Energy stocks ended higher with Santos Ltd up 2.2 percent and Woodside Petroleum up 0.5 percent. Transport fuel supplier Caltex Australia Ltd gained 1.7 percent.

New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell for a third straight day, shedding 0.4 percent, or 30.94 points to 7,826.87.

The index was pulled down by telecom and consumer staple stocks.

A2 Milk Company Ltd , down 2.8 percent while communications services firm Chorus Ltd , off 5.6 percent, were the biggest drags on the index.

Chorus fell after its full-year profit after tax of NZ$113 million ($81.8 million) missed analysts' estimates. (Reporting by Nicole Pinto; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
FRANKFURT, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has fined Irish bank Permanent tsb Group Holdings 2.5 million euros for falling short of the ECB's liquidity requirements, it said on Monday, in the first such announcement since taking over banking supervision in 2014.

"The European Central Bank (ECB) has imposed on Permanent tsb Group Holdings plc administrative penalties in an overall amount of 2,500,000 euros," the ECB said in a statement.

It added that the two breaches, which date back to 2015 and 2016, did not change the liquidity position of the bank and have since been fully remedied.

(Reporting By Francesco Canepa; Editing by Balazs Koranyi)
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) - Gold prices are moderately higher and have pushed back above the key $1,300.00 level in early U.S. trading Monday. A slumping U.S. dollar index that hit a 15-month low overnight is working in favor of the precious metals market bulls. Importantly, the bullish near-term technical posture for gold suggests still more upside price action in the near term. December Comex gold was last up $4.90 an ounce at $1,302.90. December Comex silver was last up $0.163 at $17.295 an ounce.

World stock markets were mostly lower to start the trading week, and thats also working in favor of the precious metals market bulls. Traders and investors were disappointed last weeks Jackson Hole, Wyoming central bankers meeting did not offer any new guidance on the monetary policies of the worlds major central banks.

The key outside markets early Monday see the U.S. dollar index lower and hitting a 15-month low. The greenback bears remain in firm near-term technical control to suggest still more downside pressure on the U.S. currency.

The Euro currency rose to a 2.5-year high overnight as ECB president Mario Draghi last Friday at his Jackson Hole speech failed to mention the Euros strength. Traders took that to mean Draghi must not be that worried about the Euros recent appreciation.

Nymex crude oil futures are weaker Monday. A hurricane has flooded a Houston, Texas and surrounding areas, including major gasoline refineries. This will impact supplies of U.S. gasoline, and demand for crude oil, in the coming weeks.

U.S. economic data due for release Monday includes the advance economic indicators report and the Texas manufacturing outlook survey. The major U.S. data point of the week is Fridays employment situation report from the Labor Department.

Technically, December gold futures bulls have the firm overall near-term technical advantage. A steep six-week-old uptrend is in place on the daily bar chart. Bulls next upside technical objective is pushing prices above chart resistance at the April high of $1,307.00. Bears' next near-term downside price breakout objective is closing prices below solid technical support at last weeks low of $1,281.30. First resistance is seen at the overnight high of $1,304.70 and then at $1,307.00. First support is seen at the overnight low of $1,297.00 and then at $1,290.00. Wyckoffs Market Rating: 7.0

December silver bulls have the overall near-term technical advantage. Silver prices are in a six-week-old uptrend on the daily bar chart. The next upside price breakout objective is closing futures prices above solid technical resistance at $18.00 an ounce. The next downside price breakout objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at the August low of $16.19. First resistance is seen at the August high of $17.405 and then at $17.50. Next support is seen at the overnight low of $17.10 and then at $17.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 6.0.
ATHENS, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Greek private sector bank deposits rose in July for the third month in a row, central bank data showed on Monday, but they remain at 14-year lows.

Business and household deposits rose to 121.25 billion euros ($144.72 billion) from 120.42 billion in June, their lowest level since July 2003.

Greek banks have seen small deposit inflows over the space of more than two years after the country clinched a third bailout to stay in the euro zone.

While they remain dependent on central bank borrowing to plug their funding gaps, banks have reduced their exposure.

"In July, deposits of the private sector increased by 927 million euros compared with an increase of 1.09 billion euros in the previous month while the annual growth rate was 4.3 percent from 3.4 percent in the previous month," the Bank of Greece said. ($1 = 0.8378 euros)

(Reporting by George Georgiopoulos)
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Monday. All times are in GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

PKO Poland's largest lender, PKO BP, on Monday reported an almost 2 percent fall in second-quarter net profit to 857 million zlotys ($240 million), slightly above analysts' expectation of 831 million zlotys.

TAXES

Poland's Deputy Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the state-run PAP news agency that the tax-free amount on personal income will be increased next year to 8,000 zlotys ($2,234.32) from 6,600 zlotys currently.

PKL

Mid Europa Partners fund, owner of PKL, which operates cable cars in the Polish mountains, hopes to list the company by the end of next year, Mid Europa Chief Executive Officer told Rzeczpospolita daily.

NORD STREAM 2

Poland is seeking political measures aimed at blocking the construction of Nord Stream 2, a pipeline carrying Russian gas to Europe across the Baltic, Polish energy minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski told Sieci weekly.

****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****

For other related news, double click on: Polish equities E.Europe equities Polish money Polish debt Eastern Europe All emerging markets Hot stocks Stock markets Market debt news Forex news For real-time index quotes, double click on: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ($1 = 3.5655 zlotys)

(Reporting by Warsaw Bureau; Editing by Susan Fenton)
Aug 28 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Monday.

DEBT TENDER

Romanian debt managers tender 500 million lei ($129.73 million) worth of Feb. 2019 treasury bonds.

PRIVATE PENSIONS

Romania was analysing whether to cut contributions to mandatory private pension schemes from next year and redirect some of the funds into state coffers, the prime minster said on Friday. BUDGET

Romania's consolidated budget recorded a deficit of 0.6 percent of gross domestic product at the end of July, compared with a shortfall of 0.2 percent in the same period of last year, finance ministry data showed on Friday. Romania's government will present both a budget plan for 2018 and a revision for this year in September, which would also clarify tax plans, Prime Minister Mihai Tudose said on Friday. FRENCH PRESIDENT

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday Poland was isolating itself within the European Union and Polish citizens "deserve better" than a government at odds with the bloc's democratic values and economic reform plans. CEE MARKETS

The leu hit two-month lows on Friday after Romania's government said it may downsize private pension fund contributions from next year, which could hurt demand for Romanian assets. STREET PROTESTS

An estimated 2,000 Romanians protested outside government headquarters on Sunday against a planned overhaul of the juustice system that critics say would lead to political interference and set Romanian reform efforts back.

ANTI-CORRUPTION

Romanian anti-corruption prosecutors have asked parliament to approve a criminal investigation against Viorel Ilie, the minister in charge of overseeing cooperation between the cabinet and lawmakers on suspicion of trying to rig a tender for a public sector job.

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on For emerging markets economic events, click on For an index of all diaries, click on For other related news, double click on: --------------------------------------------------------------- Romanian equities RO-E E.Europe equities .CEE Romanian money RO-M Romanian debt RO-D Eastern Europe EEU All emerging markets EMRG Hot stocks HOT Stock markets STX Market debt news DBT Forex news FRX For real-time index quotes, double click on: Bucharest BETI Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX --------------------------------------------------------------- ($1 = 3.8541 lei)
BRATISLAVA, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Slovak financial markets on Monday.

ALL TIMES GMT (Slovak Republic: GMT + 2 hours) =========================ECONOMIC DATA========================

Real-time economic data releases.................. Summary of economic data and forecasts......... Recently released economic data................ Previous stories on Slovak data.......... **For a schedule of corporate and economic events: =======================NEWS=====================================

COALITION: Slovak government leaders agreed on Friday to amend a coalition agreement to lure back a junior party which withdrew its support for the alliance three weeks ago, provoking a political crisis. Story: Related stories: FRANCE-POLAND DIPLOMACY: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday Poland was isolating itself within the European Union and Polish citizens "deserve better" than a government at odds with the bloc's democratic values and economic reform plans.

Story: Related stories: POSTED WORKERS: Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said on Friday he believed European Union member states could find a compromise on contested labour regulation by the end of the year.

Story: Related stories: For real-time stock market index quotes click in brackets: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX Main currency report TOP NEWS -- Emerging markets News editor of the day: Jan Lopatka +420 224 190 474

E-mail: prague.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com

(Reporting by Prague Newsroom)
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Stepan Kubiv has stated the draftnational budget for 2018 would be presented on September 15, and at present the ministries have already agreed on its balance.

"At the moment the budget has been coordinated with the ministries, a joint meeting of the president of Ukraine, the prime minister, the head of the Verkhovna Rada and representatives of the factions has been held so that we could submit the budget on time on September 15, 2017," he said at the Economic Forum "Supporting the Economic Development of Ukraine: Cooperation between the Government and the Diaspora" in Kyiv.

According to Kubiv, within the budget it is planned to select ten priorities, among which there is carrying out reforms, however it will be possible to speak in detail about the priorities of the draft national budget after its coordination.
HANOI, Aug 28 (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 0813 GMT.

August 28 USD/VND mid-point 22,443 USD/VND interbank 22,732/22,733 USD/VND unofficial 22,720/22,740 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.33/36.55

Interbank offered rates Overnight 0.5-1.1

1 week 0.7-1.2

1 month 1.4-2.0

3 months 3.0-3.7

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)
ISTANBUL, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Here are news, reports and events that may affect Turkish financial markets on Monday.

The lira stood at 3.4430 against the U.S. dollar at 0456 GMT, little changed from 3.4395 at Friday's close.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year bond was at 10.66 percent in spot trade on Friday and fell to 10.64 percent in Monday-dated trade.

The main BIST 100 share index rose 0.55 percent to 109,755.14 points on Friday.

GLOBAL MARKETS

U.S. gasoline futures hit a two-year high on Monday as Tropical Storm Harvey pummeled the heart of America's energy industry, while the euro hit a 2-1/2-year peak after the European Central Bank President refrained from talking down the single currency. Gasoline futures soared as much as 6.8 percent at one point as the storm, which came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years, continued to batter the state. ERDOGAN

President Tayyip Erdogan will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential palace in Ankara (1200 GMT). Erdogan was also set to appear in a programme on state broadcaster TRT to mark the third anniversary of him becoming president (1500 GMT).

FRANCE'S MACRON

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Sunday with Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan about efforts to free a French journalist detained in the country, and the two leaders also discussed the Syrian crisis. For other related news, double click on:

Turkish politics Turkish equities Turkish money Turkish debt Turkish hot stocks Forex news All emerging market news All Turkish news For real-time quotes, double click on:

Istanbul National-100 stock index , interbank lira trading , lira bond trading (Writing by Daren Butler)
* Fine equals 5 pct of half-year profit

* PTSB says breach due to rule misinterpretation

(Adds PTSB's reaction, writes through)

By Francesco Canepa and Padraic Halpin

FRANKFURT/DUBLIN, Aug 28 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank has fined bailed-out Irish bank permanent tsb (PTSB) for falling short of cash requirements, it said on Monday, the first such move since taking over banking supervision in 2014.

The 2.5 million euro ($2.98 million) fine adds to PTSB's woes as the mortgage lender is still battling with the aftermath of a ten-year old property crash in Ireland that left the sector saddled with unpaid loans, forcing government rescues.

Regulatory costs have been more onerous on PTSB than its rivals and Monday's fine equates to 5 percent of the 53 million euro profit it made in the first six months of the year.

"The European Central Bank (ECB) has imposed on Permanent tsb Group Holdings plc administrative penalties in an overall amount of 2,500,000 euros," the ECB said in a statement.

It added that the two breaches, which date back to 2015 and 2016, "did not change the liquidity position" of the bank and have since been fully remedied.

Monday's fine also suggested the ECB, tasked with cleaning up the banking sector after the financial crisis, was keen to establish itself as a tough supervisors after being criticised for failing to act quickly or assertively enough in other cases .

PTSB said the breaches related to the treatment of funding received from the ECB and were caused by a "misinterpretation" of European rules, which the bank itself reported to Frankfurt's supervisors.

"At no point during this period did the Group's actual liquidity position deteriorate," it said in a statement, adding it has been fully compliant since April 2016.

Irish lenders have staged a strong recovery from a banking crisis almost a decade ago, when a massive property crash exposed years of reckless lending during the "Celtic Tiger" boom and required the costliest state rescue in the euro zone.

But PTSB, the smallest of Ireland's three remaining domestically owned lenders, has been lagging rivals and said last month it was highly unlikely to resume dividend payments from 2019 due to a high proportion of bad loans. Like all Irish banks, the 75 percent state-owned firm has weaned itself off emergency ECB funding which it relied upon when Ireland entered a three-year international bailout in 2010.

PTSB had cut its ECB funding by 83 percent to 230 million euros by the end of June, solely comprising of the ultra cheap Targeted Longer-Term Refinancing Operations (TLTRO) designed by Frankfurt to help revive the euro zone's economy. ($1 = 0.8386 euros)

(Reporting By Francesco Canepa; Editing by Balazs Koranyi and Toby Chopra)
You can now donate to Kiwiblog
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Moldova for European Integration Daniela Morari has announced the speedy launch of the road traffic across the Bronnytsia- Unguri Bridge on the Ukrainian-Moldovan border, and also stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries in establishing joint customs and border control.

"We are working together with Ukraine in cooperation with EUBAM on the joint control of the Moldova-Ukraine border. It is very important to continue this cooperation Soon we should launch the joint bridge in Bronnytsia. This will have a direct impact on citizens, for traffic and for trade," Morari said in an exclusive rapid-fire interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

She recalled that in mid-July the Pervomaisc-Kuchurhan joint border crossing point was launched in Odesa region.

The deputy minister said she was satisfied with the level of bilateral border cooperation between the two countries and expressed the hope for enhancing it even more.

"We are looking forward to have the next meeting of the intergovernmental committee for economic cooperation where we will discuss many, many sectoral and economic projects and initiatives of cooperation," Morari said.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Sunday he is willing to have talks with North Korea even after its latest missile provocation.



Tillerson made the remark on "Fox News Sunday," a day after Pyongyang fired three missiles into waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. South Korea said the projectiles appeared to be artillery rockets from a multiple-rocket launcher. The U.S. characterized them as short-range ballistic missiles.



"The firing of any ballistic missile is a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions," the secretary said. "We do view it as a provocative act against the United States and our allies."



He said the launches sent a signal that Pyongyang is still not prepared to back away from its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.



"Having said that, we're going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign, as I have described it, working with allies and working with China as well to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table with a view to begin a dialogue on a different future for Korean Peninsula and for North Korea," he said.



Tillerson last week noted that North Korea has exercised "restraint" since the U.N. Security Council sanctioned it on Aug. 5 for testing two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July.



U.S. President Donald Trump later said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was "starting to respect us."



Tillerson denied they were wrong to say that.



"I think it's going to take some time to tell," he said.



Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang escalated after North Korea's two ICBM tests. Trump threatened to unleash "fire and fury" on Pyongyang if it continued to threaten the U.S. or its allies, while the communist regime hit back with threats to launch ballistic missiles toward Guam.



The war of words subsided after Kim put his plan on hold.



"We continue to want the Kim regime to understand there is a different path he can choose," Tillerson said. "There is also a unified international voice echoing our messages that no one wants to see a nuclear Korean Peninsula. We hope for the opportunity to engage with them as to how we might achieve that."



The latest provocation came as South Korean and U.S. troops have been conducting joint annual drills against a possible North Korean attack. While the allies insist the command post exercise is purely defensive in nature, Pyongyang has long viewed it as an invasion rehearsal.



South Korea's presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, played down the missile launch as a typical response to the drills.



"It seems that North Korea is trying not to aggravate the situation," a presidential official said on the customary condition of anonymity. "This kind of low-intensity provocation can be read as a signal that a mood for dialogue can follow the allies' military exercises." (Yonhap)




Ukraine to lodge lawsuit with WTO against Russia over agricultural products by end of 2017

Ukraine may file a lawsuit to the World Trade Organization against the Russian Federation by the end of 2017concerning the supply of agricultural products, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade  Ukraine's Trade Representative Natalia Mykolska has said.

"We are finishing the work on filing a lawsuit to the WTO over agricultural products," Natalia Mykolska told journalists during an economic forum on the support for Ukraine's economic development through cooperation between the government of Ukraine and the Diaspora in Kyiv on Friday.

According to her, the lawsuit may be filed before the end of 2017 and will concern those commodity groups where Ukraine has strong evidence and for those items where Ukrainian producers are ready to provide concrete facts.

The deputy minister noted that this is Ukraine's fourth lawsuit against Russia. "The one concerning the railway equipment is in progress. We are waiting for a decision of the WTO before the end of this year," Mykolska added.
North Korea on Monday condemned President Moon Jae-in's recent "red-line" warning over its weapons programs, calling it "silly" talk.

Moon said on Aug. 17 that North Korea would be crossing a red line if it weaponizes a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). It marked the first time that South Korea's president clarified what the red line means.

"It is presumptuous of South Korea's leader to talk about a red line even as its master (the United States) does not dare to bring about," the Rodong Sinmun, the country's main newspaper, said in a commentary.

North Korea test-fired two ICBMs in July, which analysts say may put much of the U.S. mainland within range, including Los Angeles and Chicago.

"North Korea is getting closer to the threshold of the red line," Moon said.

Tensions somewhat eased after exchanges of bellicose rhetoric between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leadership.

North Korea held off on its threat to fire missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam. Trump said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is "starting to respect" America. (Yonhap)
/ Captured from Will Ripley's Instagram



By Chyung Eun-ju, Park Si-soo

A group of American travelers  probably the last before the U.S. government bans its citizens from visiting the reclusive state from Sept. 1  landed in North Korea on Saturday.

The eight travelers  include CNN correspondent Will Ripley on his 14th trip  were undeterred by possible arrest, imprisonment or nuclear war.

Details about the other tourists, including their itinerary, are unknown. Beijing-based Koryo Tours organized the visit, which general manager Simon Cockerell is leading on his 165th trip to the North.

"It [the ban] is a pity for anyone curious who wants to go, but especially for North Koreans who might want to know what American visitors are really like," Cockerell told CNN.





/ Captured from Will Ripley's Instagram



Ripley posted on his Instagram story the song "Where are you, dear general?" which is played hourly across the country to remind people of their late leaders' sacrifices.

"With the upcoming travel ban, I felt like it was now or never," said Nicholas Burkhead from Virginia, expressing regret that he had not learned Korean before the ban.

The U.S. State Department will invalidate passports for travel to, through and in North Korea from Sept. 1. U.S. citizens will have to obtain a passport with a special validation for travel to or within North Korea.

The ban is in retaliation for the death of American Otto Warmbier, who was jailed in the North, but sent home to die.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile over Japan, Tuesday, which flew more than 2,700 kilometers before falling into North Pacific Ocean. Some analysts presume the missile is Hwasung 12 ballistic missile. Seen is the Hwasung 12 the North test-fired in May.

/ Yonhap



By Park Si-soo



North Korea fired a ballistic missile eastward over Japan, at around 5:57 a.m., Tuesday missile flew more than 2,700 kilometers at a maximum altitude of around 550 kilometers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.

The missile, fired from near Sunan in Pyongyang, flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido before falling into the north Pacific Ocean.

Cheong Wa Dae immediately convened a National Security Council (NSC) session to discuss the latest "grave" provocation. Chung Eui-yong, head of the National Security Office and a top security adviser to President Moon Jae-in, presided over the session.

The North fired the long-range missile three days after it fired three short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea.

The Kim Jong-un regime's latest provocation is expected to reignite tensions on the Korean Peninsula, making it harder for the Moon administration to push its campaign to resolve the North Korean nuclear and missile issues through dialogue.

The United States and Japan also confirmed that the North's missile flew over Japan.
By Park Si-soo



North Korea appears to be putting the finishing touches on its next nuclear test, South Korea's spy agency said.

"With regards to the Nos. 2 and 3 shafts at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear site, (activity indicates) preparations have been completed for a nuclear test," Rep. Kim Byung-ki of the ruling Minjoo Party of Korea said on Monday after attending a closed-door parliamentary briefing by Seoul's National Intelligence Service (NIS).

The lawmaker said the national intelligence service was preparing for the possibility of North Korea's continued provocation within the period of joint Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercises, especially around Sept. 9, the Day of the Foundation of North Korean. The joint drills will continue through Thursday.

The NIS said the main reason North Korea continues to engage in missile provocations is to "establish a relationship" with the United States, according to Kim.












By Park Si-soo



North Korea's launch of a missile over Japanese territory was an "unprecedented, serious and grave threat, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Tuesday"

"Their outrageous act of firing a missile over our country is an unprecedented, serious and grave threat and greatly damages the regional peace and security," he told reporters as he entered his office early Tuesday for emergency meetings.



"We will do our utmost to protect the lives of our people."

The Japanese government confirmed that a North Korean ballistic missile passed over the northern island of Hokkaido early hours on Tuesday morning.














By Lee Kyung-min

Kleannara, the local manufacturer of controversial disposable sanitary pads, said it started refunding customers from 2 p.m, Monday.

Those who bought products can file a refund request by visiting http://www.thelilian.com/refund/ or calling 080-082-2100. The manufacturer already halted production of all sanitary pads after major retailers pulled its Lilian products off their shelves.

The company initially dismissed customer complaints that they experienced numerous side effects after using its products.

But it decided to give them a full refund following a public outcry coupled with efforts by thousands of women who organized to mount a collective action suit against the "faulty" product.

Law firm Bubjungwon, which represents more than 4,000 women who claim to have suffered from side effects after using the company's pads, said it will soon file a complaint with a district court seeking damages.

They are among more than 26,000 women who signed up with an online community comprised of women who claim they experienced changes in their menstrual cycles, had significantly light menstrual flow and their period duration reduced. Some said they developed greater menstrual pain as well as skin rashes.

Meanwhile, conflict is ongoing between the besieged Kleannara and a women's group after the former claimed that the latter unfairly disclosed its name out of ten manufacturers whose products were also found to be problematic.

Kleannara said it plans to take legal action against the Korean Women's Environmental Network (KWEN), the civic group that first disclosed the names of harmful substances found in 10 types of pads of 22 domestic manufacturers.

The company said that the group disclosed only its name and withheld the remaining nine.

In response, the women's group said it already handed the list containing the names of problematic manufacturers to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety saying it no longer wishes to be involved in the controversy by making the names public.

Meanwhile, criticism is ongoing over the drug safety ministry's belated inspection of the disposable pads.

The ministry said it began looking into 896 types of pads from 56 manufacturers, including imported products, to check whether they contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). It will announce the findings by the end of next month.

VOCs are organic compounds that easily become vapors or gases and they are released from burning fuel, gasoline, wood and coal.

Examples of such compounds are gasoline, benzene and formaldehyde, the last two of which are listed as human carcinogens.

Meanwhile, criticism has been raised over the validity of the ministry-conducted study.

Currently, sanitary pads are not categorized as medical devices, and therefore manufacturers are not required to disclose all materials used in the products.

Under the current regulation, the products have to only list a few main components.

A bill is pending at the National Assembly under which pad manufacturers must disclose all components on its packaging.
By Yi Whan-woo



The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the foreign aid organization under the wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is in trouble over a series of allegations regarding sexual abuse involving its senior officials.



The allegations further raise concerns over lax discipline at KOICA after its president, Kim In-shik, resigned in April over his alleged ties to former President Park Geun-hye's corrupt confidante Choi Soon-sil.



KOICA has not found anyone to replace Kim since then.



"It apparently faces the worst management crisis since its establishment in 1991," a diplomatic source said. "Moral laxity is prevalent at KOICA, partly because of the leadership vacuum caused by the scandal surrounding Choi."



On Monday, the agency said it has been conducting an internal investigation in accordance with help sought by a female staffer at its branch office in a Middle East country.



The staffer claimed that the branch chief, whose private information has not been disclosed, sexually abused her several times and that she called the foreign ministry to look into the matter.



The suspect has been on leave in Seoul and was relieved of his post immediately.



He denied the allegations against him, however, claiming he "only put his hand on the victim's shoulder often when talking to her."



KOICA said it will send a team of internal inspectors to the suspect's office this week for a thorough investigation.



The foreign ministry said it will decide whether to punish him based on KOICA's findings.



On Aug. 24, the foreign ministry asked the prosecution to investigate a senior KOICA official over alleged sexual abuse.



The official, who has only been identified as a staff member from KOICA headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, molested a female KOICA intern while visiting Costa Rica in March.



The suspect was visiting there to check on volunteer projects.



He allegedly took the victim to his room after having dinner and drinks with her and other KOICA staff.



He spent about 30 minutes with the victim, who was intoxicated, in his room and did not let anyone come inside although the victim's colleagues knocked on the door several times while looking for her.



"The suspect even lied that the victim was not there," a foreign ministry official said.



The lax discipline in KOICA was triggered by the resignation of its president, who took office in May 2016.



He repeatedly denied allegations that he had connections with Choi and that she used her influence on his behalf so he could get appointed to lead KOICA.



He admitted allegations against him after the prosecution looked into his actions, and then stepped down from the post in March.












Another South Korean woman who was forced into sexual servitude by Japan during World War II died Monday, a civic group said, reducing the total number of the country's surviving victims to 36.

The Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan said that Ha Sang-sook died of sepsis at 9:10 a.m. at the age of 89. Her memorial altar is set up at Kyung Hee University Hospital in eastern Seoul.

Ha was forced to serve at an overseas military brothel in 1944 when she was only 16. After Korea was liberated from Japan's 36-year colonial rule in 1945, she lived in China for some six decades. She returned to South Korea only in 2003.

A native of Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Ha has actively participated in street rallies and other activities to shed light on Tokyo's wartime atrocities and demand its sincere apology.

Historians estimate that up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea, were forced to work in front-line brothels for Japanese troops during wartime.

In December 2015, Seoul and Tokyo reached a landmark deal in which Tokyo expressed an apology for its colonial-era atrocities and agreed to provide 1 billion yen ($9.16 million) for a foundation aimed at supporting the victims, euphemistically called comfort women.

Many victims, however, rejected the deal, saying it was forged without sufficient consultation with them. President Moon Jae-in has acknowledged that most Korean citizens cannot accept the deal "emotionally," raising the prospects of a renegotiation. (Yonhap)
Eight Chinese and two Myanmar sailors have been staying in a Togo ship that has been docked at Busan Namhang Harbor since February because of their unpaid wages amounting to over 90 million won. / Courtesy of Busan Foreign Workers Support Center



By Ko Dong-hwan

Korean fishery authorities have stepped in to help migrant Chinese and Myanmar sailors who have not been paid for months and have been living aboard their vessel in Busan.

The Korea Seafarer's Welfare and Employment Center (KSWEC) and the Federation of Korean Seafarers' Unions have agreed to provide legal support and money for food and daily necessities to the eight Chinese and two Myanmar sailors on the ship from Togo.

Officials from KSWEC and Busan Foreign Workers Support Center (BFC) visited the ship on Aug. 23 and met the sailors and a Korean captain.

According to Korean daily Kookje Shimmun, the captain was "very worried" that the sailors, who do not have permits to disembark, and were growing impatient, might harm him.

While the sailors have been stuck on the ship, one has missed his wife giving birth and another's marine technician license has expired.

The ship's owner, a paper company in Panama, has not fulfilled its tax duties to Togo, causing the ship to lose its legal nationality.

A Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries official said the sailors were owed more than 90 million won ($83,500) in unpaid wages, which they badly needed.

While the unnamed captain had not proposed any specific solutions, the sailors' predicament could only be solved in a civil affairs court using a certificate evincing the unpaid wages, the official said.

Even if the ship were confiscated and auctioned, the value would be only 30 million won.

"As a country actively engaged in international sea trade, South Korea abides by the international agreements and domestic seafarers' laws to protect the lives of their sailors regardless of their nationalities, and financially supports them when extraditing them," a Korea Maritime and Ocean University professor said.

"The situation in question, if handled improperly, may destroy the country's global image big time."

The 422-ton ship, which carried goods between Busan and China, has been docked in Namhang Harbor since February.

The sailors have spent a scorching summer aboard the ship, which had been without electricity after running out of fuel a long time ago.

In June, the sailors contacted a Chinese Consulate in Korea for help, but were told to contact the BFC.

The agency, together with the city's Christian maritime association called BADASEA, helped the sailors with food and amenities, but these were limited.
By Jun Ji-hye

The military has begun reviewing a plan to build domestic nuclear-powered submarines to better counter threats from North Korean submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), officials said Sunday.

"The Navy will commission a study soon on whether South Korea can develop nuclear submarines," a naval official said, asking not to be named.

The move is in line with President Moon Jae-in's willingness as he vowed during the presidential campaign to develop such weapons, saying, "We need nuclear submarines in this era."

Supporters say having made-in-Korea nuclear submarines is the only way to respond to the North's evolving SLBM threats.

But skeptics cite a nuclear cooperation deal between South Korea and the U.S. that allows Seoul to enrich uranium to a level of 20 percent when using U.S. ingredients, but disallows uranium enrichment for military purposes.

When Moon held a phone conversation with his counterpart President Donald Trump earlier this month to discuss the mounting military tensions here, he also broadly mentioned the need for the nation to have these subs.

Defense Minister Song Young-moo, who will visit Washington this week, is also expected to discuss the issue during talks with his U.S. counterpart James Mattis.
Ukraine has increased gas inventories in underground storage 80% or 6.478 billion cubic meters (bcm) since the end of the heating season, according to operational data from Ukrtransgaz.

The inventories amounted to 14.578 bcm on August 26, up from 8.1 bcm on March 22.

The current inventories are 19.6% more than on August 26, 2016 (12.193 bcm), 2.6% more than on August 26, 2015 (14.209 bcm) and 6.5% less than on August 26, 2014 (15.592 bcm), according to Interfax-Ukraine calculations.

Ukraine injected 1.401 bcm of gas into underground storage from August 1 through August 26, 2017 (52.88 million cubic meters (mcm) a day on average), compared with 52.82 mcm a day on average in July, 49.88 mcm a day on average in June and 51.86 mcm a day on average in May.

If Ukraine injects about 50 mcm a day into underground storage in August-September 2017, it would enter the 2017/2018 heating season with about 16 bcm in storage. It had 14.7 bcm in storage when the 2016/2017 heating season began in mid-October 2016.

The action plan to prepare the energy complex to the autumn and winter period 2017-2018 approved by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine envisages that Ukraine by November 1, 2017 will accumulate 17 bcm of gas in underground storage facilities.
Ministry rapped for stalling on structural reform

By Jun Ji-hye

President Moon Jae-in called on the nation's armed forces Monday to undertake strong structural reform so they can immediately carry out offensive operations in the case of a North Korean attack.

Moon said defense reform is necessary to better accommodate a paradigm shift to modern warfare amid evolving threats from North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

"I call on the military to strongly push for structural reform to accommodate the modern warfare environment in which the military can immediately shift to the offense if North Korea conducts a provocation that crosses a line or attacks Seoul and its surrounding areas," Moon said while being briefed on policy plans from the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs.

Calling for enhancing capabilities of amphibious and airborne operations, the President also asked the defense ministry to draw up a detailed timeline for establishing a three-pronged defense system  the Kill Chain preemptive strike system, the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Korea Massive Punishment and Retaliation (KMPR) plan.

The Kill Chain is a system to carry out a preemptive strike against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile facilities if Seoul is faced with an imminent threat, while the KAMD would track and shoot down North Korean ballistic missiles heading for South Korea. The KMPR would be used to punish and retaliate against the North if it strikes the South. The ministry initially planned to deploy the three systems in the mid-2020s.

According to Moon's top press secretary Yoon Young-chan, Moon reprimanded the military during the briefing, claiming the South has been investing far more than the impoverished North but military officials are still lacking in confidence about whether Seoul can overwhelm Pyongyang in military power.

"South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) is 45 times larger than that of North Korea," Moon said. "Considering the figure, our defense power must be able to overwhelm that of the North, but when comparing our defense capabilities, military officials talks as if our abilities fall short of those of the North."

Moon stressed the government will make every effort to financially support defense reform even in tough economic times, but more importantly, the military should try to reform itself by breaking down its outdated culture.

The comments were in line with Moon's determination expressed throughout his presidential campaign to reform the Army-dominated armed forces to achieve a better balance between the Army, Navy and Air Force. Moon raised the need to move the conventional Army-orientated military toward a future-oriented one with the most advanced weapons systems, at a time when the North is bolstering its so-called asymmetric warfare capabilities by developing nuclear weapons and missiles.

The move is also in line with the President's wish to take back wartime operational control (OPCON) of South Korean forces from the U.S. at the earliest possible date.

As part of efforts to achieve his vision for defense reform, Moon earlier picked retired Navy Admiral Song Young-moo as defense minister and Air Force General Jeong Kyeong-doo as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Suh Choo-suk, a reform-minded researcher, was named as vice defense minister.












Officials conduct an on-site inspection into the collapse of a bridge under construction in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Four deck plates of the bridge and a bridge support collapsed a day earlier. / Yonhap



By Kim Bo-eun

A committee has launched an investigation into the collapse of a bridge under construction in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, the land ministry said Monday.

The 12-member committee led by Yonsei University professor Kim Sang-hyo will conduct on-site inspections as well as review documents over two months.

On Sunday at 3:20 p.m., four steel plates forming the deck of the bridge over Pyeongtaek Lake collapsed. The plates measuring 240 meters in length fell 20 meters to the lakebed below. There were no casualties.

One of the five bridge supports also collapsed, pointing to the possibility it caused the collapse of the deck plates.

However, the order of events has not been clarified yet.

Some pointed to the fact the construction had taken place amid heavy rain.

However, Kim was quoted as dismissing any relationship between the accident and the rain.

Meanwhile, attention is being drawn to the bridge's construction techniques.

Construction had been underway using the incremental launching method (ILM), in which the deck is created on land and pushed onto the bridge posts with compression equipment.

The bridge would be the widest yet built in Korea with the technique.

The 1.35-kilometer-long bridge had been designed to be 27.7 meters wide with four lanes.

Although ILM is a safe technique widely used globally, this was the first attempt in Korea to use it for construction of such a wide bridge, and this may have increased safety risks, Kim said.

"The bridge was wide considering ILM was applied," he was quoted as telling Yonhap News Agency. "We will have to conduct an on-site inspection to determine whether this had anything to do with the cause of the accident."

Construction was 58.7 percent completed at the time of the accident. The Pyeongtaek city government began the 242.7 billion won construction project in June 2013.

Daelim is conducting the construction.

Authorities put a section of national road number 43 under control following the collapse, which created congestion for surrounding roads on Monday morning. The section leading to Seoul and cities in Gyeonggi Province from the cities of Sejong and Asan is usually busy.
Ahn Cheol-soo, the newly-elected chairman of the People's Party, writes in a visitors' book after arriving at Seoul National Cemetery to pay his respects to deceased national leaders, Monday. He wrote, "I will go my way for political reform and for the future of the Republic of Korea." / Yonhap



By Kim Hyo-jin



Ahn Cheol-soo, the newly-elected chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, vowed Monday that he will build a strong opposition party that plays an active role in checks and balances against the Moon Jae-in government.



"The People's Party should be an opposition party that strongly stands up to the government when it divides the people and goes against the national interest," Ahn said during the first party meeting with new Supreme Council members. "We will criticize the government based on clear principles and with specific alternatives."



Ahn kicked off his official duties as party leader by visiting the National Cemetery earlier in the day.



His political comeback comes only 110 days after he suffered a humiliating defeat in the May 9 presidential election as the candidate of the People's Party.



On the visit to the cemetery, Ahn paid tribute at the gravesites of four conservative and liberal presidents, Kim Dae-jung, Syngman Rhee, Kim Young-sam, and Park Chung-hee.



He laid wreaths at the gravesites after he launched a presidential bid in 2012 and in April this year. But it was the first time for the politician to visit the conservative Presidents' gravesites as the leader of a party. The move was construed as his intention of promoting a centrist position.



On his first day, Ahn stressed that he will push for reform of the party, mindful of his foremost task of resuscitating the party before the local elections slated for June next year.



His party has suffered a dismal support rate since it was found out in June that a party member fabricated a tip-off used to smear then ruling party candidate Moon Jae-in's son during the presidential campaign.



"I will show the public our reformative move by launching a panel playing a similar role to the preparatory committee for the establishment of a party," he said.



"I will establish more communication platforms in the party so the leaders can actively reflect opinions of rank-and-file members."



He reiterated his vision to stabilize the multiparty system, saying, "I will channel the party's focus into revising the current electoral system and the Constitution in a way to reduce presidential power, and strengthen local governments and the people's basic rights."



Later in the day, he met Jun Byung-hun, chief presidential secretary for political affairs, and Bae Jae-jung, chief secretary for the Prime Minister, who visited Ahn to congratulate him on his inauguration.



Ahn told Jun, "I will actively cooperate if Moon pushes for policies benefiting the national interest and the people's livelihood. I hope Jun will engage in talks with opposition parties more than with the ruling party," and told Bae, "I will show what cooperative politics are."



The software mogul-turned-politician came back to the party's driver's seat Sunday with the majority of votes in the leadership election, 14 months after he quit the post to take responsibility for a scandal in June 2016, where party members were accused of taking money from public relations firms during the general election.



He launched his leadership bid in early August, breaking a three months-long silence after the crushing defeat in the presidential poll, appealing for a sense of urgency to prop up the embattled party amid plummeting public support.



Ahn's priority is to glue the divided party together. People's Party lawmakers whose constituencies are in the Jeolla provinces and those who follow the legacy of the late-President Kim Dae-jung had opposed Ahn's candidacy, calling for him to keep a low profile.



"Our competitors are outside the party. I will bring one by one to my side by apologizing if needed and doing my utmost for the party," he stressed in an apparent bid to ease their dubious views on his leadership.
Protesters against the military junta of then Army general Chun Doo-hwan gather at a fountain in front of the provincial government building of South Jeolla Province in Gwangju, May 18, 1980, the day after he declared martial law. / Courtesy of the May 18 Memorial Foundation



Investigation seeks to find who's behind bloody crackdown



By Kim Hyo-jin



Will it be different this time?



President Moon Jae-in last week ordered a new investigation into the military junta's bloody crackdown on Gwangju citizens during their pro-democracy movement in May 1980 reopened.



Moon particularly ordered the investigators to look into two allegations that the military led by Chun Doo-hwan, then an Army general, shot at citizens from helicopters and had fighter jets ready to bomb the city. This was recently brought to light by a former pilot who testified he was awaiting orders for such a mission.



The defense ministry said it will begin its three-month special investigation into the allegations in September.



This is the fourth official government probe during the past 37 years  10 years since the last probe in 2007.

What to look at



On May 21, 1980, the army opened fire on citizens gathered in front of the South Jeolla provincial government building, killing 54 and wounding about 500. Through May 27, when it brought the city under control, the army killed 165 citizens and injured around 1,600 citizens, according to government estimates.



Chun and military officials denied they ordered soldiers to fire on Gwangju citizens. Who first gave the order to fire at unarmed citizens and when and why still remains unanswered.



A parliamentary hearing in 1988 ended with the related figures repeating "I don't remember."



In 1997, following the prosecution's probe under the Kim Young-sam administration, Chun was sentenced to life in prison and his successor Roh Tae-woo was sentenced to 17 years, though they were later pardoned by President Kim.



They were found guilty of treason and murder for their leadership in the massacre. But their order to fire by the army was not proven by any evidence or through witness statements.



In 2007, the Roh Moo-hyun government set up a special investigative panel at the defense ministry, but its conclusion was that "no army documents about the shooting on May 21 exist."



The defense ministry vowed this time to find and access what were then confidential documents and acquire testimonies of the persons concerned.



Pundits say comprehensive military operations at the time including the Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines should be made public this time.



There have been multiple allegations about shooting from helicopters and a standby call for an air strike. Recently, a military document was found showing a Marine unit in Masan was ordered to move to Mokpo to suppress any expanded protest, and that it had permission to open fire on protesters.





Bereaved families of those killed during the suppression of the pro-democracy movement mourn in front of coffins in Gwangju in May 1980. / Courtesy of the May 18 Memorial Foundation



Civic groups say the government should recount the number of missing people and look for places where they could have been secretly buried, possibly by the military.



"There are tombstones for 69 missing people in the May 18th National Cemetery. Their bereaved family members have been in agony, waiting to find at least the remains of their bodies," said Chung Choon-shik, the chairman of a May 18th bereaved family group.



"The number of the missing jumps to 409 including those who have not been officially recognized as missing related to the crackdown by the authorities. The bereaved families only wish that someone would step forward and tell them the whereabouts of the bodies."



Tim Shorrock, a Washington-based investigative journalist who studied more than 3,500 confidential U.S. documents about the event, advised the Moon administration to request more U.S. documents if it really wants to get to the bottom of the military junta's actions. Shorrock unveiled a document, codenamed "Cherokee" which he said shows U.S. approval of South Korean troop mobilization into Gwangju.



Shorrock noted that many parts of the acquired documents, such as the part containing the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's assessment or identity of its sources, are erased so no further information can be found from the existing ones.



"Any investigation must include searching through secret U.S. documents to determine what the U.S. government knew of Chun's actions," he said.



Prospects



There are mixed views on the prospects of the fourth investigation. Some believe, with the President showing strong determination, the probe is likely to draw out new findings. The social atmosphere has also changed in the direction of channeling state resources into a deeper probe, they point out.



"In the past, investigations into Gwangju were often driven by political purposes. This time should be different as there is the support and aspirations of many people to find out exactly what happened during that time," Kim Hee-song, a professor at the May 18 Institute of Chonnam National University, said, referring to the great interest in the box-office hit, "A Taxi Driver."



"Their interest is more focused on the savagery of state violence, a different aspect from the previous days when the issue was distorted with ideological interpretations."



What makes the prospect brighter this time is that the influence of Chun and Roh's associates and subordinates in the military has faded greatly, Kim added.



"The previous investigation had to have been sabotaged by the remaining forces of Chun and Roh who had been in power for 12 years," he said. "Our institute's study, despite its limited extent, found that the military had fabricated, concealed, and even scrapped some of the internal data."





A soldier, right, beats a citizen with a stick during a crackdown on the Gwangju pro-democracy movement in May 1980. / Courtesy of the May 18 Memorial Foundation

However, Kim Yang-rae, the executive director of the May 18 Memorial Foundation, a Gwangju-based fact-finding civic group, says he still has doubts about the military taking the initiative in the investigation.



"It's crazy to believe them. Many things should have been unveiled by now if they had looked into their past sincerely. For 37 years, the military kept silent and looked away from groundless rumors such as a possible involvement of North Korean soldiers in the Gwangju Uprising," he said. "We should pay close attention. Otherwise, the military could just repeat this pattern."



Kim suggests that the National Assembly pass a special law to set up an independent panel and provide it with the right to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the killings. "It is the only way to take the probe to its core," he said.



The Assembly has a high chance of passing the special law on the Gwangju crackdown in a regular parliamentary session in September. One proposed by Choi Gyung-hwan, a People's Party lawmaker whose constituency is in Gwangju, awaits a review at the parliamentary defense committee. Ruling and opposition parties agreed on the need for further investigation into the violent suppression amid growing public interest.





A child holds a picture of his father who presumably went missing during the pro-democracy movement in Gwangju in May 1980. / Courtesy of the May 18 Memorial Foundation

"For the aim of writing a sound historic record, no one, regardless of their being a leftist or a rightist, conservative or progressive, should have an objection," Rep. Khang Hyo-shang, a spokesman of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, said.



What the bereaved families of the Gwangju victims want from the investigation is the recovering of tarnished reputations, civic activist Kim said.



"There are people who still have a misunderstanding of the Gwangju uprising. We need to find someone responsible so we can hear the truth. Punishment for them is the next issue," he said.



During an interview with The Korea Times, Kim read part of a diary written in May 1980 by an archbishop of the Catholic Church, Yoon Gong-hee, whose office was on Geumnam Street, the epicenter of the bloody suppression.



"Even if they are soldiers, how could they commit such cruel acts? Who on earth made an order to do this? Whoever it was, the responsibility is truly heavy. It's just impossible to understand who ordered indiscriminate murder, that can't even be done to the enemy, on the mere excuse of suppressing a demonstration," he quoted Yoon as saying.



"We only want the answer to this question."
By Kim Se-jeong



Opponents of eating dog meat now have an additional reason to make their case against the controversial cultural practice: the meat is tainted with antibiotics.



According to the Korean Animal Welfare Association (KAWA), a Seoul-based NGO, and veterinarians at the Konkuk University, 65.4 percent of dog meat sold in markets is tainted with at least one type of antibiotic.



The NGO said out of 93 dog meat samples taken from 25 traditional markets across the country, 60 were found to contain antibiotics. Twenty-nine samples had more than two types of antibiotics.



Troubling is not the amount of antibiotics found  it didn't exceed the permitted level for meats  but the high number of samples containing these amounts.



"Our findings mean you can run into bad dog meat pretty often. If you eat that often, antibiotics will accumulate in your body," Chae Il-paek, an activist, said during a press conference held in Seoul, Monday. "This will disturb your immune system."



Chae also said the results demonstrate the poor environment in which the dogs are raised. "The study findings demonstrate how much antibiotics are used on dogs. The environment in which they are raised is very poor to begin with, and this shows the farmers rely heavily on antibiotics. As far as animal welfare is concerned, it is worrisome," the activist said.



It wasn't just antibiotics that were found in the meat.



The team also discovered harmful bacteria, such as e. coli, in some meat. E. coli was mentioned during a recent scandal involving hamburger meat.



"We call for urgent action by the government to monitor dog farms and curb this practice," Chae said.



Eating dog meat is a Korean culinary tradition. It was especially popular during the summertime for strengthening stamina.



Dog meat consumption continues to wane, and these days most Koreans opt for samgyetang, chicken ginseng soup, over dog for their stamina food.



Now, fewer restaurants serve dog meat and fewer people sell dog meat in the market. People say it is only a matter of time before dog meat consumption disappears.



Growing criticism, especially coming from abroad, is one reason, and another reason is the increasing domestication of dogs for companion animals whose number reportedly reaches 10 million here.




A passer-by stops in front of a brothel near Cheongnyangni Station in Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul. / Korea Times file



By Ko Dong-hwan

A couple in their 20s has been jailed for forcing a homeless teenage girl into prostitution and sadistically punishing her when she refused.

Daegu District Court on Monday sentenced the couple to three years and six months jail on charges of forcing prostitution, intimidation and inflicting critical injuries.

The judges said the crime was "immoral and extremely grievous in its sadism," causing the victim "indelible trauma."

The court heard that the man, 25, and the woman, 21, met the girl in January after she ran away from home. They abused the girl for 16 days, forced her into prostitution 50 times and took the money she earned.

When the victim refused to offer sex services, the couple burned her with a cigarette and forced her to eat dog food mixed with their saliva.

On other occasions, they tied her hands with wire and beat her with a wooden rod.

"We decided to punish the criminals heavily to let the public know that the nation lacks social safety nets for young people on the streets being threatened by those with criminal purposes," the court said.
By Heejung Park





What makes a good society?

According to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, "God gave us the good and loving conscience, and reason to recognize the good and liberty to choose the good."

In 1965, the law firm Lewis & Loca accepted the pro bono case of 24-year-old Ernesto Miranda, who was accused of kidnapping and rape in Arizona. The Arizona State Supreme Court sentenced Miranda to 20-30 years, but the Federal Supreme Court set aside the sentence owing to illegitimate interrogation, which involved forced confessions. In 1966, the U.S. Federal Constitution included the Miranda Rule in Fifth Amendment. The law pursues justice and truth and must be based on legitimately collected evidence.

The Constitution is the supreme law of a nation and aims to protect the citizens' democratic values of life, freedom, equality and pursuit of happiness. It aims to ensure equal protection, due process, fundamental individual rights and the separation of powers related to the government's legislative, administrative and judicial branches, together with governance structure. This is because an individual's life is worth more than the Earth.

A community needs constant restoration to resolve the problems of the entire nation; to build a socioeconomically and culturally strong and beautiful nation, every citizen must work and live together. Abraham Lincoln suggested the following solution to social conflicts: "malice toward none, charity for all, and firmness in the right." This quotation indicates that law is our society's ethical minimum and emphasizes harmony before principles. Harmony can be pursued through advocating fundamental rights in companies, agency and trust, through mediation/arbitration in settlement in alternative dispute resolution, restorative justice, punitive damages from torts and expansion of fiduciary duties and social responsibilities of social enterprises and B corporations.

I remember a question of a fellow lawyer, whom I respect, from a few days ago. He asked me which among the values of justice, truth, harmony and love I consider the most important. In his book "What Men Live By," Leo Tolstoy's wrote people live by love, while poet Yun Dong-Ju stated "I must love all dying things like I am singing the songs of stars." Helen Keller overcame her handicap with the love of her teacher. What changes men is neither system nor culture, but love. The law that ensures fundamental rights also promotes love. There is no doubt that today's times call for harmony, and only when we accompany justice and truth can we achieve harmony. However, if there is no love at the core of law, law becomes nothing. Mother Teresa's prayer "Love Them Anyway" tells us love is the ultimate key.





Heejung Park is an international legal affairs team leader at Law Firm Hyunwoo and the international director-general at the International IP ADR Center. He can be reached at heejung1009@gmail.com.
By Charles K. Park





There is a prevailing myth among some "experts" that the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea or North Korea) wants a peace treaty with the U.S. in order to militarily invade ROK (Republic of Korea or South Korea) again.

Now there is nothing new about the occasional shows of threats and counter threats that characterize the ongoing Korean War. But this year, the risk of war and its tragic consequences may have seemed more imminent due to the reputation of the new U.S. President Donald Trump as untested, unpredictable and under threat politically at home. So after President Trump ordered two aircraft carriers to Korea, many people called for a peace treaty to avert a war which may end up killing thousands to millions of Koreans or worse, lead to WWIII.

But several familiar names among academics, journalists, authors, and think tanks (like B.R. Meyers, Donald Kirk, Bradley K. Martin, Michael Breen, and Rand Corp. Bruce Bennett) responded by arguing that a peace treaty is really a Trojan Horse. The basic argument goes: A peace treaty means the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Without the U.S., the ROK is helpless. Once the U.S. withdraws, it turns its back on the ROK forever. The DPRK then replays 1950 except it will be more like South Vietnam in 1973. They say now that the DPRK has nukes, the ROK or the U.S. won't be able to resist.

Aside from the intriguing tautology of arguing that peace inevitably will lead to war and so we need to continue the war and forget peace, the argument does not stand the test of time, reality, or logic.

First, the myth demonizes the DPRK as some irrational warmonger hell bent on a forceful reunification at all costs. But since the Armistice, the DPRK has neither imploded nor restarted the war. Instead of a blind obsession for unification at all cost, it is more plausible that their priority is survival, especially that of the elite and the Kim family. Besides, they are in no position to force anything on anyone. They lack food, fuel, modern conventional weaponry, and likely also support from China and Russia for such an endeavor. Rather, any military engagement is suicide for the DPRK or at least the current regime. Instead, they may actually want peace and coexistence, which they have been asking for since 1972. Despite being a martial law state and having a personality cult, they may see a better chance for survival in a future of peace and coexistence. Nukes? You can't invade and occupy a country with nukes but they are a great deterrence: Libya and Iraq lacked nukes.

Second, the contention that if the U.S. withdraws, the ROK will be so isolated and helpless is also problematic. The ROK is not a sitting duck. It is a thriving democracy and a major trading partner of the U.S., China, and the rest of the world. The international community would not sit by if the ROK was attacked by any foreign power let alone a "pariah" autocracy like the DPRK. Further, the ROK GDP is exponentially larger than the DPRK's. The ROK's military is not only better fed and better equipped, it is also more technologically advanced and likely far superior than the show piece DPRK military. Without restrictions imposed by the U.S. on ROK weapons development, it would not be too difficult to overwhelm North Korea using all of the ROK's economic, technical, and human resources. The ROK is likely more than match for the DPRK.

Thirdly, there is something strange about the myth. There is a kind of in-built blackmail in the story. It seems to say, "Peace Treaty? The U.S. will have to pull out and we may not be there to save you again. So don't think about it." It really sounds like propaganda designed to instill fear in order to preserve the status quo and the U.S.-ROK Alliance. While this may have been true into the 1970s, the ROK today is hardly so vulnerable.

Anyway, in the end, the myth that a peace treaty invites a replay of 1950 or South Vietnam 1973 quickly loses validity. Militarily and economically, it is impossible for the DPRK to attempt unification by force and survive.

So go ahead, give a peace treaty a try. But only a comprehensive and well thought out treaty that will untie the Gordion Knot that is the ongoing Korean War.





Charles K. Park is a Korean-American blogger on Facebook's North Korea Study Group and Barriers to Development  North Korea. He has a BA in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from UC Berkeley and an MA in International Affairs from UC San Diego's School of International Relations and Pacific Studies.
The rapidly aging Korea will soon join the "super-aged" club of 34 countries where more than one in five is 65 or older.



The rapid increase in the number of elderly citizens, coupled with the lowest birthrate among major advanced nations, is posing a lot of social and economic problems, including a worsening labor shortage and snowballing welfare costs.



People in their 60s or even 70s are no longer considered "old" and are still physically capable of earning a paycheck and contributing to society. But our situation does not meet this new reality facing people defined as "senior citizens."



The drastically rising average life expectancy of Koreans proves this, with men's currently set at 77.2 and women's at 84.1, and an average of 82.1 as of the end of last year. However, the law defines the age of 65 for senior citizens to become eligible for welfare benefits.



People who are 65 or older are entitled to a basic pension and other perks, such as free rides on the subway and buses. This policy was set by the Welfare Law of the Aged legislated in 1981 when the aged accounted for less than 4 percent of the population. The portion is expected to reach 15 percent by the end of this year.



What matters, in particular, is the poverty rate of our senior citizens reached 49.5 percent, the highest among member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).



The budget of the Ministry of Health and Welfare just for improving the quality of life for elderly people this year is double that of five years ago at 9.5 trillion won (approximately $8.51 billion).



The snowballing welfare costs are inflicting a serious financial burden on the government and various social organizations working for the promotion of senior citizens' welfare.



The Korea Senior Citizens Association proposed two years ago that the age of entitlement for senior citizen benefits be raised to 70 from the present 65. The government is still examining the proposal. There is no reason for the administration to delay its decision.








Government should respond proportionately







North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has recently threatened to take over Seoul and his military fired three missiles into the East Sea; but our government remained reluctant to respond strongly. This attitude is part of the government's effort to lure the North to the dialogue table, though its effectiveness is highly questionable. It is important to respond proportionally to the enemy's provocations or it risks encouraging it to step them up.



The North's Korean Central Television showed Kim Jong-un with a broad smile Saturday watching landing exercises to take over the South's islands in the West Sea. It quoted Kim as saying, "On order, the troops should mop up opposing forces, take over Seoul at once and conquer the entire South." The report dubbed President Moon Jae-in a "follower" of U.S. President Donald Trump and ridiculed Moon for acting as an agent of peace when in fact he led from a war chariot with Trump.



The South Korean government opted not to respond.



Then, regarding the three North Korean missiles, Cheong Wa Dae hosted an emergency national security meeting hosted by Moon's security official Chung Eui-yong but hurriedly claimed they were not intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), therefore they posed no threat.



Kim's threat came as the South and the U.S. have been conducting their annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) joint exercise, which the North condemns as war preparations for invading it. The missiles are seen as a show of force to impress Seoul that Pyongyang can attack the South anytime it wants, after a confrontation with the U.S. over its two ICBM tests in July.



Now, it is understandable that the Moon government moderates its reactions. Ahead of UFG, Cheong Wa Dae expressed hope for dialogue with the North, if it didn't stage provocations. This comes amid President Moon's vow to prevent war on the Korean Peninsula and avoid escalating tension. Moon has repeatedly offered help to the North but is ignored by Pyongyang that insists on dealing directly with the U.S.



The government is laudable for its sense of restraint but it should consider the people's view that Moon's North Korea policy is not his strongest. His detractors criticize it for being conciliatory and lacking backbone. This also helps strengthen the public's sense of hopelessness, being reduced to a bystander in the ongoing crisis that will determine their fate.



The situation has become so much so that it is long a matter of our collective pride. President Moon should address this concern and bring proportionality to our response to the North's provocations. That would be the first step to make the North and our ally, the U.S., take us as seriously as we deserve.




The World Bank jointly with the transport, communications and road traffic organization department of Odesa City Council is drawing up recommendations to optimize the transport system of Odesa City and determining the top priority segments for investment as part of the Stable Mobility for Odesa Project, authorized official of Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee Ahiya Zahrebelska has said.

"Based on the first results of the study regarding Euroterminal, the following is noted: in order to reduce the negative impact, it is recommended building a new entrance to the port bypassing the city in order to avoid the monopoly of Euroterminal, or to make this entrance public, combining port and customs formalities," she wrote on her Facebook page.

In addition, it is recommended to reconsider the advantages and disadvantages of current arrangements with Euroterminal, including the advantages of concentrating the entire truck traffic through Euroterminal. This can lead to additional costs.

Zahrebelska said that Euroterminal is aware of the aggravation of the negative attitude of the residents towards them; it plans to further reduce tariffs in the next five years. The company proposes to build a new road that will connect their gates and main route and ensure that prices will be affordable. The company has plans to build a line connected to the state-owned railway system to help reducing delays in peak seasons that reach 3,000 wagons daily.

"We are continuing the investigation. The Odesa City Council has not implemented the committee's recommendations. The case has been launched. The investigation is underway. In the case concerning Euroterminal LLC regarding the abuse of monopoly, the investigation is in its final stage. We are drawing up the report with preliminary conclusions, and we plan to present the results to the members of the committee next month," she said.
Kim Jun-il, CEO of Lock&Lock / Korea Times file







By Park Jae-hyuk

Lock&Lock founder and CEO Kim Jun-il has come under fire over his recent decision to sell the 39-year-old Korean company to Affinity Equity Partners (AEP), one of Asia's largest private equity firms (PEF) based in Hong Kong.

The Seoul-based plastic container maker announced last Friday it signed a contract with the PEF to sell a 63.56 percent share held by the CEO and his family for 629.3 billion won ($558 million).

After the disposal, Kim sent an email to company employees explaining his decision.

"When our businesses in China were in crisis, I spent harder days than when I founded the company," he said. "Although we recovered our businesses there, I had to undergo a dangerous surgery for my cardiovascular disorder. Since then, I've tried not to disturb the company over my health."

Kim has also said he will not hand over Lock&Lock to his sons.

Most Korean news outlets have praised him for his decision, regarding the email as "a tearful farewell address."

Observers are split into two opposing camps.

Proponents praise his decision as a symbol of good corporate practices compared to many Korean chaebol groups, which have committed dubious acts for father-to-son ownership transfer.

Kim's two sons, who have worked for Lock&Lock as rank-and-file employees, are expected to leave the firm soon.

The CEO will also continue to take part in the company's management for a while, with a 6 percent share through re-investment.

By contrast, critics point out Kim is trying to dump his responsibility as an owner CEO at a time when the company faces a downfall, which might cause trouble for employees.

Although Kim said the deal guarantees their job security, Lock&Lock's 400 workers fear they will face restructuring by the global PEF, sooner or later.

Since 2014, Lock&Lock has suffered from declining sales in the Chinese market, the company's most lucrative market where the company has made almost half its sales.

It has taken blows from a few factors like the emergence of fake Lock&Lock products there, the slowdown of China's economic growth and President Xi Jinping's anticorruption drive.

Although Kim finished restructuring the China businesses last year, a political dispute between Seoul and Beijing over the U.S. anti-missile defense system has weighed on the company once again.

As it canceled a large-scale promotional event earlier this year, its sales and operating profit in the second-quarter respectively dropped 3.62 percent and 2.86 percent from the previous year. In particular, its sales in China dropped 19.1 percent during the same period.

Lock&Lock targets Southeast Asia as an alternative to China, but some observers say the former's plastic container market also nears the saturation mark.

"It is true small Korean companies have recently struggled due to fierce competition with foreign firms," a retail industry official said. "Despite such difficulties, employees may regard the founder's sudden divestment as irresponsible behavior."
By Andrew Salmon





Ho hum. Another corporate royal has been convicted of multiple crimes. Last week, a court found Samsung prince Lee Jae-yong guilty of bribery, embezzlement, hiding assets overseas and perjury. So, he did the crime(s). Will he do the time?

Don't bet on it. Again and again, breathless media have described judicial proceedings against Korean corporate criminals as "landmarks," assuming that  at long last  the country has "lost patience" with endless chaebol malfeasances, and is finally "getting tough" with its hitherto bulletproof tycoons. But again and again, the big bosses escape justice  either through light sentences, suspended sentences, overturned sentences or presidential pardons.

One of the most ludicrous  even comedic  sentences in judicial history was handed down to Hanwha Chairman Kim Seung-youn in 2007. After marshalling his bodyguards and reinforcing them with gangsters, Kim led this mob in the kidnap and torture of several bar staff who had turfed his son out of a nightspot. While Kim's hired muscle was jailed, Kim, who orchestrated the thuggery, got 200 hours community service.

In what looks like a chip off the old block, two of Kim's sons have subsequently been involved in violent affrays: One went on a rampage in a luxury hotel bar, another resisted arrest and smashed up a police car. I never read of either facing justice.

In 2012, Kim senior went down for four years for embezzlement. After turning up for his appeal trial on a stretcher  a step up from the "wheel-chairman" theatrics previous chaebol heads indulged in to gain judges' sympathy  Kim spent some months in hospital before his sentence was overturned. Since being freed, he has appeared to be in rude good health.

Defrauding your company and being in pokey is no reason to remain out of the managerial loop. In 2003, SK Chairman Chey Tae-won was found guilty of accounting fraud and insider trading and jailed. He was behind bars again in 2013 for misappropriating funds. In his second term  he served half the four-years  he reportedly received 1,800 visitors to his cell. After getting out, he resumed group leadership.

And should a superboss actually find himself in durance vile? No problem! Intense behind-the-scenes lobbying will whisk your man out of trouble, courtesy of political power broking.

In 1996, Lee Kun-hee, Jae-yong's father, was convicted of bribery, but was saved the following year with a presidential pardon. As it often does in these cases, history repeated itself. Lee was convicted again in 2008, this time for tax evasion. His three-year sentence was suspended and the following year he received  can you guess?  another presidential pardon.

Still, things are a bit different this time. Lee is central to the case against dethroned ex-president Park Geun-hye. Were Lee found innocent of bribery, then one of the two key pillars of the case that led to her impeachment would dissolve.

Moreover, the most common grounds for letting a chaebol royal escape justice  "Justice is important, but the economy is more important"  holds little water in Lee's case. Samsung's stock has risen over 20 percent since he has been in detention, and it posted record profits in the last quarter.

So  for any appeal court judges who may be reading this  let me be clear. If you are really concerned about the economy and want Samsung to prosper, the numbers suggest it would be wise to keep Lee as far away from Samsung as possible.

More critically, it is high time for Korea's quavering judicial authorities to man up. Stop caving before rich, powerful elites! Do your jobs! Place justice to the fore!

Samsung is a critical benchmark. It is Korea's biggest, most powerful brand. Where it leads, others follow. Punishing the prince of this mighty beast presents other chaebol with a powerful precedent "Tread warily. You, too, are accountable."

Yet, on all past experience, I cannot believe Lee will serve out his full term behind bars.

Even if he does, there is no precedent in Korea, Inc, barring him from the managerial suite once he walks free.

Think I am being overly cynical? Okay. Check this space one year hence and see if I am wrong.





Andrew Salmon is a Seoul-based reporter and author. Reach him at andrewcsalmon@yahoo.co.uk.
Dongwha Group Chairman Seung Myung-ho, sixth from left, and guests clap during a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday to commemorate the second production line for medium density fiberboard (MDF) at VRG Dongwha's factory in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam. / Courtesy of Dongwha Group



By Park Jae-hyuk

Dongwha Enterprise held a ceremony Monday to commemorate the second production line for medium density fiberboard (MDF) at VRG Dongwha's factory in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam.

VRG Dongwha, which was set up in 2008 with a $140 million investment, is a joint venture between state-owned timber company Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) and Dongwha Enterprise, an Incheon-based wood panel manufacturer specializing in MDF and particle board.

Since the first production line began its operation in May 2012 on 380,000 square meters of land, VRG Dongwha has annually produced 300,000 cubic meters of MDF, which is mainly used as furniture material.

With Asia's longest press machine at 47 meters, the first production line has recorded the highest output on the continent.

Vietnam's rapid growth in recent years made it difficult for VRG Dongwha to meet the greatly increased domestic demand for MDF, creating a need to expand production facilities. The fact that imported MDF occupies over 30 percent of the market share was another reason for the expansion.

The company therefore invested $66 million in the establishment of the additional production line.

The new line will roll out 180,000 cubic meters of MDF a year with a 26-meter-long press machine.

In particular, it will specialize in thin boards, while the first production line concentrates on thick boards. Synergy between the two lines is expected to enhance VRG Dongwha's market share for thin boards.

"The establishment of the second production line allows us to diversify the portfolio of our products and maximize the efficiency of production," VRG Dongwha CEO Lee Dong-ho said.

"VRG Dongwha's stable supply of MDF and Dongwha Vietnam's supply of floor laminate to Ho Chi Minh City's apartments will create a synergy in Dongwha's businesses in Vietnam, enabling vertical integration of our overall timber businesses."

The new facility will likely help Vietnam build up the basis of its own MDF production as well.

Although the Southeast Asian country has an abundant supply of forest resources, its demand for MDF has depended on imports, due to the lack of manufacturing facilities and technologies. Of the 1.2 million cubic meters of the country's market demand for MDF, imported products account for 400,000.

Given that VRG has a 410,000-hectare-large rubber tree plantation near the factory, VRG Dongwha has had a 30 percent market share of the country's overall MDF market.

More than 95 percent of MDF made by VRG Dongwha has been consumed in Vietnam's domestic market.

China- and Taiwan-based furniture firms in Vietnam also prefer VRG Dongwha's MDF, as the wood paneling it produces meets U.S. quality standards. Vietnam's furniture exports to the United States this year rose 15 percent from the previous year.

Based on its popularity, VRG Dongwha posted 36 percent in its operating profit ratio in 2015, three years after the first line began operations. The second line is expected to make the company's sales for this year rise to over 20 percent from 113.8 billion won ($100 million) last year.

In addition, VRG Dongwha began producing melamine-faced board this month. It also plans to open a laminate floor factory in Vietnam as soon as possible.
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun delivered an official statement to staff on Monday on the latest verdict on the firm's heir-apparent Lee Jae-yong, urging workers to continue giving best efforts at their respective positions.

"Although this situation of uncertainties is regrettable, we should all steadily wait until the truth is revealed," Kwon said in a statement sent to employees.

On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court found Lee guilty of bribery, embezzlement and other charges in a massive corruption scandal that led to the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye, slapping him with a jail term of five years.

Lee's legal representatives said they will immediately appeal the case. Prosecutors earlier sought 12 years against the Samsung heir.
Vice Chairman Kwon says truth will unveil



By Yoon Sung-won





Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun said Monday that management will take all steps to overcome the current crisis and called for employees to muster unity against upcoming challenges.

In a rare intranet message to all Samsung Electronics employees Monday, Kwon said, "The business environment that the company faces is so competitive that we cannot remain shocked and embarrassed for long," he said.

His message came after Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong was sentenced to five years in prison for bribery and other charges.

"We all need to join our strengths and wisdom to emerge from this unprecedented challenge," Kwon said.

Kwon, the interim leader of Korea's largest company by any measure, also revealed his hope that the guilty verdict at the trial may be changed through an appellate hearing.

"The defense counsel cannot agree with the legal judgment and fact finding in the trial and has decided to appeal," Kwon said.

"I believe all of you must be devastated about the Seoul Central District Court's ruling. The executives also feel distressed. Though the current uncertainty is regrettable, let's stay steady until the truth is revealed."

The message from Kwon came amid growing concerns both from inside and outside the company that the leadership void may undermine employee morale. The message has drawn more than 1,000 recommendations from Samsung employees after it was posted on the intranet at 7 a.m., according to company officials.

As Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee has been bed-ridden since collapsing in 2014 due to a heart attack, his son, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong, headed Samsung Electronics. As he is behind bars now, observers point out Vice Chairman Kwon now plays the role of acting leader of Samsung Electronics.

Kwon is also the chairman of Samsung Electronics' board of directors and the head of the company's semiconductor business division, which continues to chalk up record profits.

While all Samsung affiliates have pledged to seek for greater autonomy under the leadership of their respective CEOs, Kwon is expected to play a bigger role not just at Samsung Electronics but also throughout Samsung affiliates, according to sources.
Lee In-young

Hanon Systems CEO

By Lee Hyo-sik

Securities firms are rushing to raise their outlook for Hanon Systems as the air-conditioning and heating systems for vehicles manufacturer is riding high on the booming electric and other eco-friendly car markets.

Eugene Investment & Securities issued a report Monday, saying it is increasing its target price for Hanon Systems, headed by CEO Lee In-young, to 15,000 won per share from the previous 13,000 won, citing its robust sales growth in the eco-friendly vehicle segment.

"The firm's sales of air-conditioning and heating systems for electric and other environment-friendly cars will jump by an annual average of 52 percent from this year through 2020," Eugene analyst Lee Jae-il said. "Now, Hanon Systems generates only 7 percent of its sales from the eco-friendly vehicle segment. But the ratio will increase to 20 percent by 2020."

With the global electric car market projected to grow 45 percent annually, Hanon Systems plans to raise the production of e-compressors, a key component of air-conditioning systems for electric vehicles, to 1.5 million from the current 400,000.

The firm, which manufactures most of its e-compressors at its plant in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, plans to expand its plants in Portugal, China and the United States. It employs 16,500 people at its four research centers and 40 manufacturing sites in 19 countries.

"The global air-conditioning market for electric vehicles is dominated by Hanon Systems and a few other auto parts makers, equipped with technological prowess and price competitiveness," Lee said. "The company has an extensive track record of supplying air-conditioning systems for Ioniq and other electric vehicles manufactured by Hyundai and Kia. It is also better positioned than Denso, Toyota's auto parts affiliate, to secure new orders globally."

With Hyundai and Kia scheduled to introduce more electric vehicle models in the coming months, Hanon System's sales from this booming segment will continue to head upward.

"We have partnered with Hyundai and Kia, enabling them to develop electric and other eco-friendly cars," a Hanon Systems official said. "We will also work hard to expand our partnership with other carmakers here and abroad."

On Monday, Hanon Systems stock rose 1.67 percent, or 200 won, to 12,200 won per share from last Friday, while the benchmark KOSPI fell 8.21 points, or 0.35 percent, to close at 2,370.3.

In the second quarter of this year, the company earned 1.37 trillion won in sales, down 7.9 percent from the previous year. But its operating profit rose 8.1 percent to 103 billion won, thanks to soaring sales of air-conditioning systems and other auto parts for electric and other energy-efficient cars.

Hanon Systems, formerly known as Halla Visteon Climate Control Corp. is controlled by Hahn & Company, a private equity fund, which holds a 50.5 percent stake. Hankook Tire also holds a 19.49 percent stake, with the remaining shares being floated on the main KOSPI market.

In December 2014, the two domestic companies acquired their stakes from Visteon for 4 trillion won. Hanon Systems is Korea's largest air-conditioning and heating systems maker and the world's third-largest, after Denso and Valeo.
Oriental Brewery (OB) CEO Frederico Freire, second from right, performs a ceremony with elementary school students to raise awareness of preserving clean water at the Seoul Global Center, June 4. Korea's largest brewer has launched a campaign with the Korea Water Forum to educate young students about the importance of clean water. / Courtesy of OB



By Lee Hyo-sik

Oriental Brewery (OB) has been mobilizing substantial resources to raise public awareness about the importance of preserving clean water as its signature corporate social responsibility (CSR) campaign.

Over the years, Korea's largest brewer has actively funded and participated in a range of activities to clean rivers and improve water quality, as well as staging a water conservation campaign.

This year, the company has decided to place top priority on educating young students about the significance of clean water.

In April, it signed an agreement with the Korea Water Forum (KWF), an organization dedicated to preserving water resources, to launch a nationwide initiative to raise awareness of the importance of clean water among young minds.

Based on Project Water Education for Teachers (WET) Korea, OB and KWF have introduced a range of educational programs where elementary students learn firsthand about how to help protect water resources. WET is a water education program adopted by more than 50 countries across the globe.

On June 4, a day before the World Environment Day, OB organized an environment educational session at the Seoul Global Center, inviting more than 60 young students from schools in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.

In addition to listening to lectures, students played games and took part in pop quizzes learning about the importance of clean water for humans and other living organisms.

They also had opportunities to think about what they can do to help preserve water resources, according to OB officials.

The organizers held a similar session in Daejeon in July and plan to have others in Incheon, Daegu and other large cities through the remainder of the year.

"Through our saving the water' campaign, we would like to see young children better understand the importance of clean water and know what they can do to conserve water," an OB official said. "OB, which has been pitching environment protection as its key corporate value, will continue to do everything to make the world a better place for people and all other living creatures."

On Aug. 17, OB also sponsored the Asia Pacific Youth Parliament for Water conference in Seoul and shared its water treatment and other environment-related technologies and knowhow with university students from 26 countries.
Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin turns the lights on for the sign reading "New Lotte" during the group's 50th anniversary ceremony at Lotte Hotel in Jamsil, Seoul, in this April 3 file photo. Shareholders of Lotte's four affiliates will vote today on the conglomerate's plan to establish a holding company in October. / Courtesy of Lotte Group



Shareholders to vote on holding firm system Tuesday



By Park Jae-hyuk

Shareholders of Lotte Group units will convene Tuesday to vote on the conglomerate's plan to establish a holding company in October.

The shareholders of the group's four listed affiliates will decide whether to put all four companies into the one holding company, Lotte Confectionery. They are Lotte Shopping, Lotte Confectionery, Lotte Chilsung Beverage and Lotte Foods.

Observers said that the unique division and merger plan is highly likely to win approval  the participants' combined stake should be more than 50 percent of the total and among those attendees, two thirds should agree to the plan.

Latest data from the Financial Supervisory Service showed that stockholders are in favor of Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin owning more than half the shares in each of the four affiliates.

The National Pension Service (NPS), which has been regarded as a key player in the deal, decided last week to support the reorganization.

The state-run pension fund holds a 6.07 percent stake in Lotte Shopping, 4.03 percent in Lotte Confectionery, 10.54 percent in Lotte Chilsung Beverage and 12.3 percent in Lotte Foods.

Although its decision does not necessarily mean the approval of the merger, analysts say the decision will greatly influence other shareholders who have yet to make up their minds.

In addition, institutional investors inside and outside of the country said that Lotte establishing a holding company will yield positive results.

Institutional Shareholder Services, the world's largest proxy advisory firm, expects Lotte's governance restructuring plan will offer opportunities to enhance potential value of invested assets and the interest of shareholders. It expects Lotte will be able to simplify its complex ownership and resolve most of its cross-shareholding structure.

Lotte has reduced the number of cross-shareholding loops to 67 this year from 416 in 2015. The number will decrease to 18 after the division and merger.

Such changes will likely raise the group's stock price as well, according to analysts.

"The market capitalization of Lotte's holding company is estimated to reach between 4.1 trillion won ($3.6 billion) and 4.8 trillion won," analyst Jeong Dae-ro at Mirae Asset Daewoo said. "The aggregated market capitalization of the four affiliates is also expected to slightly increase after the division and merger."

However, there still remain challenges, including Chairman Shin's upcoming trial on charges of bribing former President Park Geun-hye.

After donating 4.5 billion won to shady foundations practically owned by Park's confidant Choi Soon-sil, who is alleged to have meddled in state affairs, Lotte additionally gave 7 billion won to the foundations, but got the money back afterwards.

Given that Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was found guilty last week, Lotte worries that Shin may be convicted on the charges as well.

Lotte Shopping's slump after China's retaliation over the U.S. anti-missile system is another obstacle.

Plus, minority shareholders of the three affiliates, except those of Lotte Shopping, have opposed the holding company plan.

Joining hands with the minority stockholders is Shin Dong-joo, older brother of the chairman who fought with him over control of the group. Dong-joo and the minority stockholders filed petitions with Cheong Wa Dae, the Fair Trade Commission and the NPS.

Although the amount of stocks owned by the minority shareholders and the older Shin are not enough to stop Lotte's plan, industry officials said they will continue the seemingly hopeless battle ahead of the court's ruling in favor of the chairman.

They seem to expect Japanese executives in the company will raise questions about the chairman's management, if he is found guilty on the bribery charge.
The free trade agreement (FTA) between Ukraine and Israel could have some exceptions for some groups of agricultural products, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Ukraine's Trade Representative Natalia Mykolska has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"Israel did not propose the exclusion of agrarian products from the free trade agreement. For Ukraine, which exports 40% of agricultural products, any agreements should and will take into account the interests of producers and exporters of this important sector of the economy of our country. Our agreement will have some exceptions for agricultural goods from both sides," she said.

According to Mykolska, the options for introducing tariff quotas on certain agricultural products groups, as stipulated in the FTA agreements with Canada and the EU, as well as the possibility of establishing transitional periods with a possibility of gradually reducing duties on these groups of goods are discussed during negotiations.

"At all negotiations the Ukrainian delegation pays special attention to the access of domestic agrarian products and products with high added value to the markets of other countries," she said.

As reported, earlier Minister for Environmental Protection, for Jerusalem Affairs and Israeli Heritage Zeev Elkin said that Israel is ready not to include agricultural products in the FTA with Ukraine.

He said that the issue of supplies of agricultural products could be regulated in agreements signed by economy ministries of the two countries and supplying companies.
Mr. BBQ is a unique eatery located in Englewood Cliff, New Jersey. The Korean restaurant serves Korean BBQ in an all you can eat buffet style. Mr. BBQ, named for its desire to be the "king of BBQ" encourages customers to eat as much as their heart desires.

"'Eat as much as you want'," the owner Paul Kwak says to his customers. "'Don't hesitate like you would do in a normal BBQ restaurant.'" Most Korean BBQ's offer tasty delicacies for a high price. But Kwak prides himself in Mr. BBQs inexpensive, unlimited meat selections that don't compromise in quality. The style of this Korean BBQ eatery is a change in the market presentation, however, they still serve their customers the very best.

"People may think the meat quality would not be the best because it's buffet-style," Kwak shared. "However, we don't play around with quality of meat." Mr. BBQ offers the best in quality and quantity to keep their customers satisfied and to invite them into the world of Korean culture.

"We want to share the experience of Korean culture, especially with our banquet."

Kwak shared that it is rude if there is not enough food in a Korean festival. There should always be an abundance so that everyone can eat a lot.

"I am promoting the spirit of Korean fest. At our restaurant, you can eat as much as you want like a fest in Korea."

Mr. BBQ serves a variety of Korean dishes. They also serve a great selection of meat including L.A. Galbi, which is one of their most famous selections. Koreans and non-Koreans alike really enjoy the full flavors and the festival atmosphere of Mr. BBQ.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved a strategy for preventing illicit production and turnover of tobacco goods until 2021.

The decision was made at a government meeting on August 23, an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent reported.

According to an explanatory note to the resolution, the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM) proposed to create the strategy. The strategy is intended to prevent unlawful movement of tobacco goods across the Ukrainian border.
U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations Kurt Volker said he believes Ukraine is not ready to join NATO and the alliance is not ready to admit the country.

Volker said in an interview with the Ukrainian Pryamyi TV channel that he has a lot of respect for Ukraine, but he does not think yet that Ukraine is ready to join NATO and NATO is ready to admit the country in the existing situation.

A country's preparations for the accession to the alliance take a lot of time, he said. Volker also said that the decision on joining NATO rests with the Ukrainian side.

The United States, the European Union, and Russia, all parties must understand that Ukraine is an independent country, and no one could actually say when Ukraine becomes a NATO member, as this decision fully rests with Ukraine, but it does not mean Ukraine is close to receiving an invitation to NATO, Volker said.

Ukraine is not ready to join NATO in terms of security as well, he said.
First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, head of Ukraine's mission to NATO Vadym Prystaiko has said Russia is blocking the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) zone in Donbas.

"The Minsk agreements haven't resulted in peace over these three years. There may be some additional mechanisms that we could adopt to ensure peace for our people. That is why we are talking about peacekeeping forces in any format... There are various formats. We discussed the option of arming the OSCE mission, the current mission or a new one with light weapons, so that they should feel more confident and be able to visit those places that they should visit. The deployment of UN peacekeepers is blocked by Russia, which is behind the militants," Prystaiko said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

Kyiv is also entitled to use foreign lethal weapon to defend the Ukrainian sovereignty and integrity, he said.

"We lack weapons to make up for the amount of tanks and armored vehicles which Russia pumped, and continues stuffing, into our territories. This is exactly why we ask to be given a possibility to stop the aggression. I know Russia's nervous reaction to this. But every state, including Ukraine, has the right to defend itself and has the right to use the weapon it needs," Ukraine's envoy to NATO said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

Commenting on the Kyiv visit of United States Special Representative on Ukraine Kurt Volker, Prystaiko noted that, after the recent talks with Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov the American "arrived so that we could determine in what way to work further," Prystaiko said.

"We want to know in what way the Americans can help with the Normandy process, the Minsk process. There is progress. We leave it outside the parentheses," Prystaiko said.

On August 24 U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, after meeting with the Ukrainian president in Kyiv, said that the talks focused, among other topics, on lethal weapon supplies to Ukraine.
No decision has been made in the U.S. on the delivery of lethal weapons to Ukraine, however this issue is being discussed at a high level, Special U.S. Representative on Ukraine Kurt Volker has said.

"There isn't any new decision yet, but at very senior levels people are taking that very seriously," Volker said to the Financial Times in an interview, adding, "Of course, it has to be a decision from the president."

Volker said the situation in Ukraine is worsening and "it is going to continue to get worse unless we do something." He added that U.S. President Donald Trump was working on the issue with Germany and France.
The European Business Association (EBA) is alarmed with the situation in the medical products market in Ukraine, in particular, the lack of market surveillance rules.

Executive Director of the EBA Health Care Committee Natalia Serhienko told Interfax-Ukraine that the main concern is the development, use and adjustment of rules regarding market surveillance of medical products in the country's market.

"Despite the fact that most of the rules are only being created, the market surveillance agency (the State Service for Medicinal Products of Ukraine) is conducting inspections now. However, there is no unambiguous understanding of the rules by all parties to the process," she said, noting that at present legislation in the field of market surveillance of medicines is not fully harmonized with EU legislation.

In particular, the bylaws do not contain provisions that would provide full and transparent information on all possible items of inspections by market surveillance authorities and their compliance or inconsistency with law.

According to Serhienko, the lack of clear regulation, in particular, caused the problem of stopping part of the market and fines in connection with the discrepancies in the issues of labeling the numbers of the conformity assessment bodies (CABs).

In general, Serhienko said that the continuation of duplication of the EU procedures on the Ukrainian market, which is much smaller than the EU market, as well as the lack of simplification in the conformity assessment procedure for manufacturers that already have EU certificates, "hinders and will continue to impede the achievement of success in providing patients with innovative medical products and creating more competition in the market of the country."

She also said that the association expects that its representatives will be included in the working group for medical products under the Ministry of Health.
The Embassy of Ukraine in Belarus has sent a note to the Belarusian Foreign Ministry inquiring about the whereabouts of 19-year-old Pavlo Hryb, the son of a Ukrainian officer, who went missing in Gomel on August 24, First Secretary of the Ukrainian embassy Mariya Hutsalo has said.

"The consul of Ukraine's embassy in Belarus is monitoring this issue closely. On August 28 Ukraine's embassy sent the Belarusian Foreign Ministry a note asking for clarification about the whereabouts of Pavlo Hryb," she said on Monday in an interview with the Kyiv-based 112.ukraine TV channel.

Earlier in the day former Ukrainian State Border Control Service employee Ihor Hryb said Russian secret services had kidnapped his son during his visit to Belarus.

"My 19-year-old son Pavlo on August 24, 2017 travelled to Gomel to meet with a girl with whom he became acquainted through social media, at first through the VKontakte social platform, and then via Skype. Pavlo was supposed to return the same day, but did not, and I travelled to Gomel to look for him," Hryb said on his Facebook page on Monday.

Ihor Hryb said he learned in Belarus that his son was wanted for violating Article 205 of the Russian Criminal Code (terrorism) and that this charge was filed by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) in Sochi, Krasnodar Krai.

"At the Gomel border security group (the same as our border security squad) [I] asked the duty officer to help find my son, because according to instructions border troops detain wanted persons as soon as they are identified and convoy them to the agency that issued the wanted notice. They even asked me for personal information about Pavlo and promised to take care of the situation. They told me about 90 minutes later that they had no information about my son," Hryb said.
If you're working in corporate America, chances are you've experienced your fair share of stress. Whether it's meeting deadlines, managing projects, or dealing with difficult co-workers, the workplace can be a breeding ground for stress. reducing stress from completing a project Once you've identified your triggers, it's important to take a step back and assess the situation objectively. LewiLink.com provides an in-depth article on reducing the stress from meeting deadlines at work. Bong a la noi ma ta co the hoa nhip ban than vao, noi ma nhung cam xuc uoc dang trao, that tuyet voi khi xem bong a cung ban be va xem tai nhung kenh truc tiep tuyet voi nhat cakhiatv Chung toi noi khong voi quang cao, luon ua trai nghiem cua nguoi dung len hang au, truc tiep nhung tran bong kich tinh nhat e phuc vu cho tat ca fan bong a .
The art of compromise, otherwise known as you-scratch-my-back-Ill-scratch-yours, has all but disappeared from the halls of Congress in recent years. And that may put more than 20 members of the Texas congressional delegation in a bind when relief for the victims of Hurricane Harvey comes up for a vote.

The representatives, and Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, all voted against a $50.5-billion relief package for victims of 2012s Superstorm Sandy when it came before them in January 2013. (The measure passed anyway.) Although the shape and size of a relief package for victims of Harvey wont emerge for at least several months, its clear that a big one will be needed. Damage estimates from the storm still pummeling the Gulf Coast around Houston have reached $40 billion, and are likely to rise.

Texas is almost certain to pose a drain on federal emergency resources for the indefinite future. FEMA is going to be there for years, Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Sunday on CNN.

Advertisement

I wont abandon Texas the way Ted Cruz did New York.  Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y.

Texas lawmakers havent yet been asked how they will vote on the inevitable package. But on Friday, even before Harveys landfall, Cruz and Cornyn sent a letter to President Trump asking him for a major disaster declaration. Trump issued the declaration that evening.

Lawmakers and others from the New York-New Jersey region that sustained the heaviest damage from Sandy, moreover, have signaled that theyll be on hypocrite watch when it comes time to vote on Harvey aid. 1 bad turn doesnt deserve another, Republican Rep. Peter King of New York wrote in a tweet directed at Cruz. In a second tweet he pledged, I wont abandon Texas the way Ted Cruz did New York.

Sources: FEMA, Mapzen, OpenStreetMap, population image Copyright, 2013, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (Dustin A. Cable, creator) (Ally Levine / @latimesgraphics)

On Saturday, the New York Daily News was quick to underscore the irony in Cruz and Cornyn scurrying to secure emergency assistance for their home state after voting against Sandy relief. The devastation of Hurricane Harvey has two-faced Texas politicians looking for the same sort of relief funding they flatly opposed five years ago, the newspaper reported.

Of the 24 GOP members of the Texas House delegation in 2013, all but one voted against the Sandy relief package in 2013. The one yea vote was Rep. John Culberson, whose district includes Houston. But seven other Houston-area congressmen voted the package down. All 12 Democratic members of the delegation voted in favor of Sandy relief with the exception of Sheila Jackson Lee, who represents central Houston and didnt cast a vote. Three Republicans and two Democrats in office at the time of the vote are no longer serving in Congress.

Most of the lawmakers who commented on the 2013 Sandy appropriation couched their opposition in terms of fiscal responsibility. The issue, they said, was that the Sandy bill had been larded down with non-Sandy and non-emergency spending. Emergency relief for the families who are suffering from this natural disaster should not be used as a Christmas tree for billions in unrelated spending, Cruz said then.

Others demanded that every dollar spent on Sandy relief be balanced by a dollar cut somewhere else in the federal budget. As I wrote last year, when Louisiana congressmen who voted against Sandy were tasked with securing relief for victims of Hurricane Matthew, this position elevated the ideology of the balanced budget to an article of faith. Notably, the lawmakers insisting on a one-for-one trade-off against Sandy aid were never specific about where the cuts should come from.

A second ideology undergirding hostility to Sandy aid was climate change denial; virtually every lawmaker who voted against the package had also denied or expressed extreme skepticism about climate change, even though it may well have magnified the impact of of the storm on low-lying districts, and may well have contributed to the devastating potency of Hurricane Harvey. As I reported then, tying climate change to specific weather events is difficult, but climatologists say that among the likely consequences of climate change is an increase in the frequency of Category 4 and 5 storms like Matthew and Harvey.

The biggest factor influencing the Sandy vote, however, may have been the disappearance of bipartisan comity from the halls of Congress. The process may be denigrated as logrolling, but the idea that every legislator is going to need something from his or her colleagues at one point or another is ingrained in history. When a Mississippi flood displaced 600,000 residents of the Delta in 1927, for instance, Rep. Phil Swing personally led a congressional tour of the region. Swing represented California, 1,800 miles away, so what was he up to? Simple, he was preparing the ground for a flood control project for his home district, the Imperial Valley. He sponsored the Delta restoration bill and got his wish  congressional funding for what we know today as Hoover Dam. Both regions reaped decades of benefits.

The breakdown of partisan and regional cooperation has been compounded by the substitution of ideology for foresight. Thats a particular danger today, when the possibility  nay, probability  of future devastation from climate change, not to mention other natural occurrences, is staring us in the face. As Rep. Frank LoBiondo, (R-N.J.), called to GOP holdouts after their 2013 vote against Sandy relief: Florida, good luck with no more hurricanes. California, congratulations, did you get rid of the Andreas fault? The Mississippis in a drought. Do you think youre not going to have a flood again? Who are you going to come to when you have these things?

Well know soon enough. The bills for Harvey will be coming due very, very soon.

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.

ALSO

In Houston, pleas for help go out over social media: Please send help. 911 is not responding

Harveys toll: 30,000 expected in Houston shelters, 450,000 may need disaster help

Trump is ending restrictions that limit the military from giving surplus gear to police

David Horsey: Republicans are asking a horrific question: Is our president insane?
The showdown between President Trump and North Koreas Kim Jong Un has once again raised the specter of nuclear annihilation.

That has done wonders for the bomb-shelter industry.

Sales and inquiries have soared, according to several of the U.S. companies that make money from doomsday fears.

The increase in demand is everywhere. We are getting hundreds of calls, said Ron Hubbard, president of Atlas Survival Shelters, based in Montebello. Hubbard said he expects to have a banner year, selling 1,000 shelters at an average price of $25,000 each.

Advertisement

Bomb shelters are a cyclical industry, booming during crises and waning during periods of peace and predictability. North Koreas nuclear weapons advancements and Trumps responses have helped boost sales, and not just in the United States.

Hubbard reports there is intensified demand in Japan, where he has opened a sales office in Osaka. Hes also opening a 400,000-square-foot plant in Dallas, largely to serve the Japanese market.

We are back in the 1960s again, said Hubbard, referring to the Cold War demand for bomb shelters. Weve got a crazy man on one side and Donald Trump on the other.

Gary Lynch, general manager of Rising S Shelters in Murchison, Texas, has also seen a rise in demand for his products, both in Japan and the United States. It is all due to the rhetoric on what is going on in North Korea, said Lynch, who noted that he has sold 67 bomb shelters internationally this year, mostly to customers in Japan, compared with just nine for all of 2016.

In the United States, bomb-shelter customers run the gamut. Some are homeowners recently alarmed about the threat of a nuclear strike. They also include survivalists and preppers  people preparing for man-made or natural disasters.

After Barack Obama was elected president, Lynch said, Rising S was contacted by customers worried about the government coming after their guns. After Trump was elected, a different clientele started calling: Democrats. People are worried that Trump would start a war, he said.

People shopping for a family bomb shelter have a world of options. At Rising S, the most popular model is a 500-square-foot, steel-encased bunker that can accommodate a single family. The price: $120,000. That price does not include underground installation or overseas shipping. But it does include a nuclear, biological and chemical filtration system, essential for surviving after an attack.

Atlas markets 15 types of shelters, Hubbard said, but focuses on a corrugated steel pipe model, which can be decked out with luxuries or kept as a simple man cave. He said hes brought his average price down from $100,000 to about $25,000 in the last six years.

I think of myself as a modern-day Henry Ford, coming out with a shelter that everyone can afford, Hubbard said.

Vivos, based in Del Mar, Calif., offers a completely different shelter experience. It sells shares in underground bunker complexes  a sort of doomsday condominium. Vivos says its 80-person Indiana complex is completely sold out, with shares going for $35,000 per adult.

U.S. shelter makers have learned that paranoia can be a potent marketing pitch, especially when trust in government is on the wane.

Vivos, for example, has a website with images of viral pandemics, asteroid strikes, nuclear mushroom clouds and other calamities.

People are sensing that a global life-changing event is just ahead. Millions of people believe that we are living in the end times. The governments of the world know something and have been bunkering up for decades. Why is nobody telling you to prepare? the company says.

Owners of shelters generally say they dont want their neighbors to know they have one, Hubbard said. They would all be freaking out and banging on your door, he said. It is kind of like when a ship sinks  everyone swims to the floating life raft.

Its a roller-coaster business. In 2014, Vivos scrapped plans for a 5,000-person shelter in Atchison, Kan., after saying it was about to build the worlds largest doomsday bunker.

Atlas Survival Shelters began in Sacramento in the 1950s. It was then named Atlas Bomb Shelter Distributing and had ominous ads warning about the danger of a nuclear war. But the company went out of business as the Cold War cooled and people started joking about Duck and Cover, the early-1950s civil defense film that featured Bert the Turtle.

Not all preparedness advocates are fans of private bunkers. Anyone buying a shelter should first vet it carefully with someone knowledgeable about exposure to nuclear fallout, said Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura Countys public health officer.

Levin, who has recently urged communities to more seriously prepare for a nuclear emergency, said there are other precautions people can take. One, he said, is for people to identify secure places in their homes or offices  or along their commute routes  where they can take cover during an emergency.

Hubbard, however, said theres a growing segment of homeowners who want the ultimate protection. That includes people in Japan, where developers are building new communities with bomb shelters installed and marketed to attract customers.

Theres even increased interest in South Korea, he said.

South Koreans generally dont buy shelters because they are numb to the rhetoric coming out of North Korea, he said. But apparently Kim Jong Un has struck a chord.

Leavenworth writes for the McClatchy Washington Bureau.
Cancer patients were given an unapproved and potentially dangerous treatment from a San Diego stem cell company that contained smallpox vaccine, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Monday.

The FDA announced a broader nationwide crackdown on unscrupulous clinics using illicit treatments after federal agents took action against San Diegos StemImmune.

I will not allow these activities to go unchecked, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

Advertisement

Five vials of the vaccine were seized from StemImmune by the U.S. Marshals Service on behalf of the FDA. The vials, one partially used and four intact, originally contained 100 doses each of vaccine.

The action and an FDA warning given to a Florida stem cell clinic were welcomed by researchers who had warned for years of dangers from a proliferation of unregulated stem cell clinics.

The vaccine contains live vaccinia virus, related to cowpox and smallpox. Its safe when given to healthy people. But since vaccination eradicated smallpox in nature decades ago, the vaccine is no longer used except for those at risk to exposure to bioweapons.

California Stem Cell Treatment Centers gave the vaccine-containing treatment to cancer patients with potentially compromised immune systems at its locations in Rancho Mirage and Beverly Hills, the FDA said in a statement.

Recent inspections at both StemImmune and California Stem Cell Treatment Centers confirmed the vaccine was combined with fat-derived cells called stromal vascular fraction to create the unapproved treatment, the agency said.

The unproven and potentially dangerous treatment was being injected intravenously and directly into patients tumors, the FDA said.

The vaccine is not commercially available, the agency said, so it has serious concerns about how StemImmune got the vaccine.

StemImmune was called and emailed for comment Monday morning, but as of early Monday afternoon has not replied.

Also Monday, the FDA posted a warning letter to US Stem Cell Clinic of Sunrise, Fla., and its Chief Scientific Officer Kristin Comella for marketing stem cell products without FDA approval and for significant deviations from current good manufacturing practice requirements, including some that could impact the sterility of their products, putting patients at risk.

Three elderly patients with macular degeneration were left blind after getting treatment from the company, according to an article in the New England Journal of Medicine. Stem cells were extracted their from fat, mixed with blood plasma and injected into their eyes.

The actions are part of a new FDA policy to ensure proper oversight of stem cell clinics, Commissioner Gottlieb said in a statement. Gottlieb was confirmed as commissioner earlier this year after being nominated by President Donald Trump.

Ive directed the FDA to launch a new working group to pursue unscrupulous clinics through whatever legally enforceable means are necessary to protect the public health, Gottlieb said in his policy statement.

Hundreds of stem cell clinics offering unapproved or questionable therapies operate around the country, according to a 2016 study published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.

While these clinics have proliferated in recent years, federal oversight has been lax, the study said. Unauthorized treatments are even being marketed on a web site operated by the National Institutes of Health, according to another study published earlier this year in the journal Regenerative Medicine.

The FDAs response after years of lax enforcement is encouraging, said bioethicist Leigh Turner, a co-author of the 2016 study and author of the newer study.

I think its a striking development, said Turner, associate professor at the University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics. This seems to be a sign the FDA is increasing enforcement in this area, dedicating resources, putting together a working group. And then we have two examples of action being taken.

Stem cell researcher Paul Knoepfler, the other co-author of the 2016 study, likewise praised the FDAs stepped-up oversight of stem cell therapy.

This is pretty historic, said Knoepfler, a professor at UC Davis School of Medicines Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy. Weve never really seen strong action and words from the FDA, all at once.

The FDA said any harm from treatments at California Stem Cell Treatment Centers should be reported to the agencys MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.

To file a report, use the MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form, available at bit.ly/medwatchfda. The completed form can be submitted online or faxed to 1-800-FDA-0178.

For further reading

Statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb

FDA acts to remove unproven, potentially harmful treatment used in stem cell centers targeting vulnerable patients

Dubious stem cell clinical trials marketed on NIH website

Unapproved stem cell therapies multiply

Science Playlist  On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds

bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1020
Donetsk region police in a preventative operation lasting from August 18 to August 28 connected with state holidays arrested 20 militants, according to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's database.

The website of the Donetsk regional police says an additional seven persons, wanted criminals, were also arrested, along with three illegal migrants.

In addition, police found in Pokrovsky region a large hideout of saboteurs and thwarted diversionary acts.

"There were 15 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines, 16 fuses for mortar mines, 20 grenades and about 6,000 rounds, as well as 20 kilograms of plastic explosives. Police also seized weapons at checkpoints, including a RPG round and a rifle," the police reported.

According to law-enforcers, eight drug-related criminal acts were prevented over 10 days and two stolen automobiles were located.

Some 2,000 police and National Guard members took part, increasing the number of armed patrols, strengthening checkpoints.

"Donetsk region police  did not allow the situation to be destabilized in the region and ensured security for residents and guests of the pre-front region. Some 160 events visited by more than 60,000 people took place without violations of public order," the police said.
Uber has chosen Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of travel booking website Expedia, to be its new chief executive, according to a source unauthorized to comment publicly.

Khosrowshahis reported appointment ends Ubers hunt to replace the companys controversial co-founder and former chief executive, Travis Kalanick, who was pressured to resign in June.

Representatives for Uber, its board of directors and Expedia did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Advertisement

The search was a bumpy ride for the ride-hailing firm, with rumors of Kalanick angling for a return to the leadership role and a lawsuit from Uber investor Benchmark aiming to bar him from interfering with the hiring of a new CEO.

Ubers board of directors interviewed dozens of potential candidates and narrowed the search to three people, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

It might sound like one of the tech industrys most coveted positions: leading the worlds most valuable start-up toward its much-ancitipated initial public offering, expanding its forays into self-driving technology, and continuing to upend the transportation industry across the globe.

But candidates were reportedly reluctant to inherit the companys mounting list of problems, such as allegations about a culture of sexism, a high-profile lawsuit from Googles self-driving vehicle arm, Waymo, and mounting driver dissatisfaction.

Promising candidates such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman and departing GE chief Jeff Immelt were widely known to be among the final three candidates, but both took to Twitter to announce they didnt want the job.

Khosrowshahi was the mysterious third candidate, who managed to dodge the leaks that have plagued the company and its board since Kalanicks resignation.

He is exactly the kind of leader Uber needs right now, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research who has followed Khosrowshahis exploits.

Hes adult enough to face the cultural issues at Uber, and hes not stodgy or from a legacy technology company.

Analysts and entrepreneurs who have worked with Khosrowshahi described him as a fair leader who does more listening than talking.

In the lead-up to his appointment, Ubers investors were embroiled in disagreements as to what kind of CEO Uber needed.

Investors and corporate governance experts had framed the CEO search as something of a quagmire because the board was looking for one person to perform two very different tasks.

As a company that has more than 12,000 employees, a $70-billion valuation, and a looming expectation to go public sooner rather than later, Uber needs a leader with vast management experience who can help the company correct its course and prepare for an IPO, business experts said.

But if Uber wants to remain a disruptive force in the transportation industry a decade from now, some investors believe it needs a visionary CEO who isnt afraid of taking risks.

Its rare to find both those qualities in one person, investors said. Even some of the most successful technology companies dont have CEOs who can do it all.

Mark Zuckerberg may be considered a product visionary, but Facebooks chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, is widely credited for helping grow the companys moneymaking business. Larry Page and Sergey Brin were the co-founders of Google, but it was outsider Eric Schmidt who was brought on as CEO to grow the companys operations.

Until Kalanick resigned, some investors and management experts believed that appointing an experienced chief operating officer to work alongside the brash-but-forward-thinking CEO would offer the balance Ubers executive leadership needed. But in lieu of that, business experts believe an experienced manager is the best bet.

A lot of start-ups get going on the energy of the founders, but now they have to really professionalize, said Lynn Isabella, an associate professor at the University of Virginias Darden School of Business. They have to think about the systems and processes and the values they want to systemically infuse across thousands of people. So its not surprising that the search committee would turn to individuals with a track record of managing large organizations.

Khosrowshahi appears to fall somewhere in the middle, having been the CEO of the publicly-traded Expedia since 2005, but also having a reputation as an innovator who turned the company from a travel agency into a global brand that now has its foot in the so-called sharing economy, of which Uber is a part.

Prior to joining the online travel booking site, the Iranian American entrepreneur served as chief financial officer of Barry Dillers IAC. Matt Cohler, a partner at Benchmark who recently took a seat on Ubers board, worked closely with IAC to steward the development of the dating app Tinder in recent years. That relationship may have helped in identifying Khosrowshahi as a candidate. IAC founder and Chairman Barry Diller is Expedias chairman.

Before IAC, Khosrowshahi  who has a degree from Brown University in electrical engineering  served as a vice president of investment banking firm Allen & Co. His financial background could prove useful for Uber, which is currently without a chief financial officer.

Khosrowshahi shares some similarities with his predecessor, including a fascination with self-driving cars (he tweeted in 2014 his enthusiasm for Googles autonomous vehicle) and an interest in on-demand transportation (he personally invested in on-demand trucking company Convoy in July).

His experience at Expedia also mirrors some of the challenges Uber has come up against. In the U.S. and abroad, Uber faces fierce competition from the likes of Lyft, Grab and Ola. Expedia has so far fended off Priceline, Airbnb and Google, which have increasingly encroached on its travel and lodging booking business.

Like Kalanick, Khosrowshahi has in his capacity as CEO opted for an offensive strategy. Two years ago Expedia paid $3.9 billion for HomeAway, a U.S. vacation rental company that competes with Airbnb. Expedia also owns travel brands Orbitz, Travelocity and Egencia.

But there are also significant differences, both between Khosrowshahi and Kalanick, and Uber and Expedias businesses.

Although both Uber and Expedia fall under the travel and transportation banner, Uber relies on hundreds of thousands of independent contractors to perform its core function: offering rides to passengers. Expedia, meanwhile, predominantly plays the role of a middleman in connecting customers with hotels and airlines.

Expedia is also a publicly-traded company that is already profitable, whereas Uber is privately held, with a lofty valuation and staggering financial losses.

In matters of politics, Kalanick faced scrutiny when he joined President Trumps now-dissolved economic advisory council in December, and has largely kept his views on the current administration close to his chest. Khosrowshahi has openly criticized the Trump administration, supporting a lawsuit Washington state filed this year against the president over his travel ban.

He is not the female CEO Uber had hoped to hire to remedy its image as a workplace hostile toward women, but as a vocal advocate for immigrants his hiring is likely to hit the right note with many in the predominantly liberal-leaning technology community. (Khosrowshahi has donated to both Democratic and Republican candidates; during the 2016 presidential election he made donations to Hillary Clintons campaign.)

His hiring by Uber was first reported by the New York Times.

As CEO, Khosrowshahi will be tasked with helping Uber pick up the pieces after a tumultuous year defined by scandal, departures and lawsuits.

But hes no stranger to starting at companies during trying times. In a July interview with the Financial Times, Khosrowshahi recounted that after joining Expedia in 2005, the company was hit hard by the financial crisis. Rather than capitulating, Expedia doubled down on its technology, investing heavily to compete with other travel search engines. Its a move that has since paid off.

Desperation sometimes drives innovation, he told the publication.

Times staff writer Paresh Dave contributed to this report.

tracey.lien@latimes.com

Twitter: @traceylien

UPDATES:

9:10 p.m.: This article was updated to include additional reporting about Dara Khosrowshahi and Uber.

This article was originally published at 6:05 p.m.
Ubers board of directors on Sunday chose Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of online travel booking website Expedia, to be the new CEO of the embattled on-demand transportation company.

The 48-year-old executive beat out the likes of Hewlett Packard Enterprises CEO Meg Whitman and outgoing GE Chief Executive Jeff Immelt for the top spot, surprising industry watchers and some investors, who didnt even know he was a finalist. Unlike Whitman and Immelt, who were for weeks known to be in the running, Khosrowshahis candidacy was something of a secret.

If he accepts the role (neither Uber nor Expedia have responded to requests for comment confirming his appointment), he will become the head of the most valuable privately held company in the U.S.

So who is Dara Khosrowshahi?

Born in Tehran, Khosrowshahi and his family fled Iran on the eve of the Iranian Revolution in 1978 when he was 9 years old.

He grew up in New York state, and he later attended Brown University , where he studied electrical engineering.

Dara Khosrowshahi, president and chief executive officer of Expedia, shown in 2014, has been chose to lead Uber. (Andrew Gombert / European Pressphoto Agency) (Andrew Gombert / European Pressphoto Agency)

Whats his background?

Unlike many tech CEOs who dive straight into launching their own businesses out of college, Khosrowshahi got his start in finance. He spent seven years as an analyst at investment banking firm Allen & Company, and then spent another seven years as chief financial officer at Barry Diller s IAC, a media and Internet conglomerate that owns brands such as Tinder, Ask.com and Vimeo.

In 2005, he became the chief executive of Seattle-based Expedia, a travel company that was owned by IAC and spun off that same year.

He also sits on the boards of the New York Times, Hotels.com, Expedia and has in the past been a board member of TripAdvisor and Fanatics.

What kind of CEO is he?

Expedia is a well-known brand, but Khosrowshahi doesnt boast huge name recognition. Hes spent much of his career out of headlines and out of trouble  at least, when compared to his former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick , for whom combativeness was a calling card.

Among analysts and peers, he appears to be respected leader.

I saw that Dara was super smart, super effective, and a really great person to work with, said Bill Gross, who run the Idealab start-up incubator in Pasadena and sat on Ticketmasters board with Khosrowshahi.

During his 12 years at Expedia, Khosrowshahi more than quintupled the companys share price from around $24 in 2005 to $142.90 today. He was behind the companys expansion into the so-called sharing economy with the $3.9-billion acquisition of HomeAway, a short-term home-rental platform that competes with Airbnb.

Hes been very successful in ensuring Expedia remains a leader, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research. He got Expedia into the sharing economy with the HomeAway acquisition. He made sure brands were built out for international expansion. Hes repeatedly overcome the hotel industry. Dara has won far more battles than hes lost."

About that $94.6-million payday...

In 2015, Expedias board of directors was so happy with Khosrowshahis performance that it granted him nearly $91 million in stock options. This made Khosrowshahis on-paper compensation for the year $94.6 million, putting him near the top of CEO salaries in 2015.

However, his cash salary that year was only $1 million, according to Factset, with a bonus of $2.7 million. The stock options vest over five years and come with strings attached, such as getting Expedias stock to hit a certain number.

Dara Khosrowshahi has been a transformational CEO, a company spokeswoman said at the time of the stock option grant. His leadership has elevated the company into a global leader in the online-travel market, and he continues to guide the organization along a growth trajectory that provides extraordinary value to investors and suppliers, as well as to customers and employees and the wider travel marketplace.

Hes made missteps, too

It hasn't been all strawberries and whipped cream, said Harteveldt. [Expedia hasnt] been as successful in China as they'd hoped. That's one of the places where they might have bet on the wrong horse. They haven't invested as much as they need to do in personalization technology, and Dara would be the first admit it.

The right temperament

A common criticism lobbed at Kalanick was that he was hot-headed and quick to argue. Khosrowshahi has been described by peers as the opposite.

Hes an extremely calm person, said Hadi Partovi, CEO of education nonprofit Code.org and an Uber investor who grew up with Khosrowshahi. Hes so hard to rattle and get angry. Ive never seen him angry. I think he gets that from his father, whos extremely calm.

Harteveldt described him as an extremely fair guy.

He does a lot more listening than talking, Harteveldt said. Dara will come in as the tiebreaker, but he backs things on merit.

"If you ask, what do I think of when you say Dara?" said Philip Wolf, founder of travel and tourism market research firm Phocuswright, who has known Khosrowshahi since he took up the helm at Expedia. "I always see that beaming smile on his face."

Hes big on tech

Analysts that monitor Expedia have said that Khosrowshahi helped transform the travel booking company into a digital powerhouse, and that Khosrowshahi has been bullish on investing in technology.

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, he said his latest obsession is with voice search, and he imagines that one day voice search could replace the current system of booking travel.

You are going to get into a world where people are going to ask questions and we will be able to answer any question about travel, he told the publication.

He is also a personal investor in Convoy, an on-demand trucking service that has been describe as the Uber for long-haul trucking.

His politics

Khosrowshahi has been a political donor to Democrats and Republicans, but he has an been an outspoken critic of President Trump , which could help endear him to the largely liberal Silicon Valley tech community.

When the president signed an executive order that banned travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations, including Iran, from entering the U.S. for 90 days, Khosrowshahi wrote in an email to employees that he thought the president reverted to a short game, describing the move as reactionary versus visionary."

He also joined the likes of Amazon in supporting a Washington state lawsuit challenging the executive order.

In February, shortly after the travel ban was announced, he ended an earnings call with analysts, saying: Hopefully we will all be alive to see the end of next year."

And after the president blamed both sides for the violence that occurred at a far-right rally in Charlottesville, Va., Khosrowshahi tweeted: "I keep waiting for the moment when our Prez will rise to the expectations of his office and he fails, repeatedly."

He has also a prominent supporter of same-sex marriage.

Aside from work

When Khosrowshahi got married in 2012, his wife, Sydney Shapiro, reportedly wore a Slayer shirt down the aisle. That tells you what kind of woman Im lucky enough to be with, the father of four told Bloomberg.

Growing up, Khosrowshahi was the captain of his high school soccer and lacrosse teams, Partovi said. If the accounts he chooses to follow on Twitter are any indication, Khoswrowshahi remains an avid European soccer fan.

Hes also not shy about sporting a Halloween costume around the office.

UPDATES:

11 a.m.: This article was updated to include more description of Khosrowshahis personality and a tweet showing him dressed as a condiment.

This article was originally published at 9:55 a.m.
The Fowler at UCLA has rolled out "Lineage Through Landscape: Tracing Egun in Brazil by Fran Siegel"  one of the early offerings for Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA, the Getty-led series of exhibitions and events exploring Latino and Latin American art.

Inspired by a cloth, bead, shell and mirror ensemble in the Fowler collection, Siegel's installation has only a satisfying gloss of relevance. Situating her work among the Fowlers objects of exquisite formal integrity and deep cultural significance makes the weaknesses of this new installation more glaring. Here the journey, not the destination, must spur the imagination.

The L.A.-based Siegel traveled to Brazil on a Fulbright Fellowship to study Candomble, a religion derived from the beliefs and practices of the Yoruba peoples of West Africa. Yoruba who had been enslaved by the Portuguese and brought to Brazil to harvest sugar and to mine gold adapted traditional rituals, including the worship of ancestral spirits, called Egun. (The clothing ensemble at the Fowler that first intrigued Siegel was worn during such ceremonies.) Siegel conducted further studies on the island of Itaparica, where two Candomble congregations remain and continue to grow plants attributed with sacred, protective properties.

Porcelain sprigs of plants on one wall of the Fowler gallery. (Fowler Museum at UCLA)

A 35-foot suspended weaving made of fabric and paper. (Fowler Museum at UCLA)

SIGN UP for the free Essential Arts & Culture newsletter 

Sprigs of such plants rendered in unglazed porcelain are mounted in a wide band across one wall of the Fowler gallery. Siegel sculpted the specimens with sketch-like informality, rather than botanical precision.

Spanning the adjacent space is a 35-foot-wide suspended weaving made from strips of fabric and paper that Siegel has drawn and painted on, cut into and stitched. The milky translucency of drafting film layers with cyanotype photograms on cloth. Maps with islands excised alternate with drawings of ornamental ironwork patterns. Impressions neighbor traces. Throughout, representations of foliage dominate.

As with the porcelain leaves, the images in the woven installation occupy a middle ground between detailed specificity and generalized memory. Siegel's format is promising: The piece's voids and irregular edges make literal the provisionality of her records, and the weave itself speaks acutely of the layering of time, culture and belief central to her subject. There is much texture here, to the touch, but not as much visual richness or density as the material merits.

Fowler Museum at UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North. Through Dec. 10; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. (310) 825-4361, www.fowler.ucla.edu

Support coverage of the arts. Share this article.

MORE ART:

Composer John Luther Adams' new campus 'Wind Garden' art installation

Free museum admission day for Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA

Where the chisel hits the marble: Zarouhie Abdalian seeks the moment nature becomes art
True Detective season three, starring Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, is officially confirmed at HBO By Sarah Rodman Mahershala Ali accepting his Oscar for Moonlight. The actor will star in the third season of the HBO drama True Detective (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) During the HBO executive session at the summer edition of the Television Critics Assn. press tour, programming president Casey Bloys confirmed reports that Moonlight Oscar winner Mahershala Ali would star in a third season of True Detective. Although he was mum at the time on when it might happen, he did say that he had read five scripts and thought they were terrific. Thursday night, the premium pay cabler released a statement officially confirming that the series will indeed return for a third installment. While no episode count or premiere date was included in the release, an enclosed synopsis stated that the next iteration of the show tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods. Ali will star as Wayne Hays, a state police detective from northwest Arkansas. (Ali follows in the footsteps of season one stars, and continuing executive producers, Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and season twos Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn. No word yet on whether hell have a partner.) The show will once again be helmed by creator Nic Pizzolatto, who penned all the episodes of the upcoming series, save the fourth, which he co-wrote with David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue). He will share directing duties with fellow executive producer Jeremy Saulnier (Blue Ruin.) Im tremendously thrilled to be working with artists at the level of Mahershala and Jeremy, said Pizzolatto in a statement. I hope the material can do justice to their talents, and were all very excited to tell this story. Bloys noted that Nic has written truly remarkable scripts. With his ambitious vision and Mahershala Ali and Jeremy Saulnier aboard, we are excited to embark on the next installment of True Detective.  Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Newly reopened Angels Flight has long been a popular L.A. shooting location By Mark Olsen Its among the more unusual landmarks in Los Angeles, a short, steep railway that gets people up and down a single hill. So it makes sense that Angels Flight has been featured in many movies and television shows over the years. Angels Flight resumed regular service Thursday after being closed since 2013 (it did operate for one day of shooting on La La Land). It remains to be seen if it starts to appear again in movies and television shows. (Not that it ever really stopped.) Speaking to The Times at last years Toronto International Film Festival, La La Land star Ryan Gosling reflected on the use of historic locations in the movie. This was an opportunity to show an L.A. thats still there.... Youve got to squint your eyes a little, but there are still places in L.A. that are still part of the golden years of Los Angeles when Hollywood was in its heyday, Gosling said. I lived around the corner for a long time from Angels Flight and Grand Central Market, although I never got to ride Angels Flight because it had been shut down, Gosling added. Those places are still there... these gems that are there, and we were able to shoot them one by one. Angels Flight reopened on Thursday. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times) The small piece of land next to the top of Angels Flight, known as Angels Knoll, was also prominently featured in (500) Days of Summer. The location has appeared in a wide variety of movies over the years, as early as 1916s Good Night, Nurse, 1918s Up She Goes and 1920s All Jazzed Up. It has also had high-profile cameos in Act of Violence (1949), M (1951), Kiss Me Deadly (1955), The Exiles (1961), The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies (1963) -- all the way up to to 2011s The Muppets and last years La La Land. And on television, Angels Flight has been seen on Perry Mason, Dragnet and the recent series Bosch. READ MORE: Angels Flight: How it works and what its been through in its 100-year history Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Jamie Foxx announces telethon for Harvey relief By Libby Hill (Andrew Krech / News & Record via Associated Press) A new stream of celebrity support for victims of Hurricane Harvey opened Wednesday, as Jamie Foxx announced that a telethon fundraiser is in the works. In an Instagram post where the actor revealed his own donation of $25,000 to GlobalGiving, Foxx also shared preliminary plans for the upcoming benefit. From a fellow Texan, my heart goes out. My prayers go out, Foxx, from Terrell east of Dallas, said. September 12 we have a telethon that were doing. Well give you more details, so we can raise as much money as we can for everybody down there. View Instagram post Scooter Braun, talent manager and mastermind of One Love Manchester, is helming the event along with rapper and Houston native Bun B. TMZ reported that Foxx, Reese Witherspoon, Blake Shelton, Hilary Duff and Michael Strahan are all involved with the project, with commitments from the four major broadcast networks to air the special for an hour on Sept. 12. In an interview with TMZ, Bun B said that fellow Houston natives Beyonce and Jim Parsons are high on his wish list for the telethon. The outlet also reported that Bun B would only want President Trumps presence if it was via a show of unity with other former presidents. Solange also announced Wednesday that she will be holding a benefit show at Bostons Orpheum Theatre on Sept. 28. Featuring the Sun Ra Arkestra, the performance is titled Orions Rise and all proceeds will go to Hurricane Harvey relief. View Instagram post Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Gwyneth Paltrows love life? Yeah, she admits shes screwed up plenty of relationships By Libby Hill Gwyneth Paltrow takes full responsibility for her romantic failings. She admitted as much in a recent interview with the podcast Girlboss Radio, during which Paltrow went deep on some of her lost loves. Oh, my god, Ive [screwed] up so many relationships, so many, Paltrow said. Im actually a pretty good friend and a good sister and a daughter and a mother, but I am at my potentially most vulnerable  in the romantic slice of the pie. So its taken me a lot of work to get to the place where I have a good romantic relationship. Paltrow consciously uncoupled from ex-husband Chris Martin in 2014 after 10 years of marriage and has been romantically linked to American Horror Story creator Brad Falchuk for the past three years. On Girlboss Radio, Paltrow sent a shout-out to former beau Brad Pitt, whom she dated from 1994 through 1997, and was at one point engaged to. I [screwed] that up, Brad, Paltrow said. Paltrow also delved into her experiences as founder and CEO of her lifestyle brand Goop, sharing that once shes in the boardroom with investors, no one cares if shes a celebrity. I go into the room, and for the first 90 seconds, Im Gwyneth Paltrow, she said. And theyre like, Oh, my god, my wife loves you .... And then, about 90 seconds later, Im just getting grilled like anyone else. But she doesnt get offended; she relishes the challenge. It was such a beautiful chapter of my life when I started raising [venture capital financing], because it knocked me down so many pegs. I was like, Oh, Im, like, no one. Im nothing. This [stuff] is real. I have to know the most granular aspects of my business and be able to defend it. The celebrity just completely drains out of the room. Its irrelevant, she said. Paltrows full conversation with Sophia Amoruso can be streamed at Girlboss. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Longtime Simpsons composer Alf Clausen fired from the show after 27 years By Randall Roberts When the 29th season of The Simpsons premieres in the fall, it will, for the first time in decades, be doing so without its longtime musical contributor, Alf Clausen. Clausen, who composed the Fox animated shows incidental music, was told that the show was looking for a different kind of music moving forward, according to Variety. Clausen confirmed his firing via Twitter. Thank you for all of the support...unfortunately, the news is true... https://t.co/jBQH0b40cz  Alf Clausen (@TheAlfClausen) August 31, 2017 The composers orchestral scores supported the familys foibles since the shows primitively drawn early days. And although The Simpsons theme song was penned by Danny Elfman, the sonic feel of the series has been defined by Clausens grandiose, often epic productions. Hes responsible for scoring Mr. Burns breakout See My Vest moment and crafted the tunes for the Springfield musical theater companys A Streetcar Named Desire adaptation. Ditto The Planet of the Apes musical. In short, nearly every classic music moment of The Simpsons has featured Clausens fingerprints. On Twitter, fans thanked Clausen for his work while expressing outrage at the circumstances surrounding his departure. Fired over the phone, yet, wrote one user. Clausen quickly corrected him with a one-word reply: Email ... On Thursday, producers for The Simpsons issued a statement to Variety. It stressed that Clausen will continue to contribute to the series: We tremendously value Alf Clausens contributions to The Simpsons and he will continue to have an ongoing role in the show. We remain committed to the finest in music for The Simpsons, absolutely including orchestral. The statement concluded: This is the part where we would make a joke but neither Alfs work nor the music of The Simpsons is treated as anything but seriously by us. Update, 1:16 p.m.: This story was updated with a statement from The Simpsons. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Instead of statues, Trevor Noah and Roy Wood Jr. have another idea for honoring Confederate history By Chris Barton With the country still reeling from the harrowing impact of Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Wednesday nights Daily Show looked at one of the summers ongoing controversies: Confederate monuments. Occasionally setting aside the shows usual comedic tone, Trevor Noah enlisted correspondent Roy Wood Jr. to consider whether these statues honor Southern heritage, as their supporters claim, or the nations history and lingering problem with racism. After showing a montage of guests on network news shows who reminded viewers that these statues were erected during the Jim Crow era, decades after the Civil War, Wood equated slavery to another tragedy. Its like if a woman got out of an abusive relationship and then she had to keep pictures of her ex up in her house to remember the time, a straight-faced Wood explained. No, I dont need pictures to remember pain. People say, We want to remember the history of the Civil War, Noah added. Theres an easier way to remember what happened in the Civil War: Just walk around in the South. And if you see free black people, then you know what happened. Watch the segment above. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Gloria Gaynor sings to Texas Harvey victims: You will survive By Christie DZurilla (Astrid Stawiarz / Getty Images) Gloria Gaynor wants people affected by Harvey to know they will survive, and shes communicating that message through a new version of the song that has defined her career. Gaynor, whose I Will Survive became an anthem over the years, rewrote the 1978 disco hit to reach out to victims in Texas and posted her rendition on social media Wednesday. Hi, my neighbors in Texas, she said in a video shot while she sat at a piano she was about to play. This is Gloria Gaynor with a song that hopefully will cheer you up just a little bit. @SylvesterTurner @rashivats @SallyMacFox26 @TheRitaGarcia @kaitlinmonte @ChrisdyannUribe @MsCoCoDominguez @JMartinFOX26 TX WILL SURVIVE  pic.twitter.com/FCNOnDr85o  Gloria Gaynor (@gloriagaynor) August 30, 2017 Here are the tweaked lyrics, for those who dont want to hit play with the sound on. First we were afraid

We were petrified

Thinking Texas couldnt live

With floodwaters this high

We know you spent plenty of time

Preparing for this hurricane

Who couldve known that it would come

With so much devastating rain

But we will strive

And youll survive

With all our love and help and prayers

We will stay strongly by your side

We are your neighbors tried and true

Well do all we can for you

And youll survive

You will survive, you will survive Similarly on Monday night, Coldplay unleashed a new original song written after the band was forced to cancel its Friday show in Houston with Hurricane Harvey bearing down. This is a new song, and well never play it again, frontman Chris Martin told an audience in Miami. Its a once-off. Its called Houston. Were going to sing it in Miami for everybody here, and then were going to send it over there to everyone who missed the show. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation donates $1 million to Harvey recovery By Christie DZurilla (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) Leonardo DiCaprio has stepped up with a $1-million donation to aid the victims of Hurricane Harvey, now a tropical storm, which has dumped historic levels of rain on the Gulf Coast over the last several days. United Way Worldwide announced Wednesday that it has started the United Way Harvey Recovery Fund with a seven-figure donation from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. The money  100% of it, according to the charity  will go to help victims of flooding with mid- and long-term recovery over the coming years. There are 23 United Ways that operate in the path of the storm, which made landfall Aug. 24. We are incredibly grateful for the generosity of Leonardo DiCaprio and his foundation, United Way Worldwide President and CEO Brian Gallagher said in a statement. Responding to Hurricane Harvey requires the best of all of us  and thats what this gift represents. DiCaprio has been urging support of the United Way and American Red Cross this week on his Twitter account and retweeting stories talking about Harvey and climate change. Di Caprios foundation has been committed to climate-related issues and environmental projects since 1998, Terry Tamminen, president and CEO of the foundation, said in a statement. We support efforts to build climate resilient communities and protect vulnerable wildlife and ecosystems across the planet, and have supported disaster relief and victim funds in the past. We hope others will step up and support the United Way and other organizations. Earlier this week, Sandra Bullock, who has a home in Texas, gave $1 million to the American Red Cross, repeating the lump-sum generosity she showed after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Ellen DeGeneres was also in the seven-figure donation tier. The comic and talk-show host dropped $1 million in the relief bucket on Wednesday via J.J. Watts foundation. The effort by the Houston Texans star player topped $10 million on Thursday, with Watt chronicling its progress all week via videos on social media. Update, 8:50 a.m.: This post was updated with information about DeGeneres donation to Watts fund. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

A Star Is Born: Chris Tucker turns 45 today By Los Angeles Times Staff (Iris Schneider / Los Angeles Times) I had a dream as a kid: I wanted to be big, big like Richard [Pryor] and Eddie [Murphy]. I imagined it. I studied it. I had a passion.  Chris Tucker, 2001 FROM THE ARCHIVES: In a Big Rush Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Springsteen on Broadway was born to run, is extended through February By Libby Hill Bruce Springsteens solo shows on Broadway have been extended through February, just hours after the original run sold out. (Greg Allen / Invision/Associated Press) Good news for Bruce Springsteen fans who were locked out of purchasing tickets Wednesday morning for his upcoming run of shows on Broadway. Ticketmaster announced that Springsteen on Broadway, an intimate stage experience that launches in October and features the rock legend performing solo, will be extending for 10 additional weeks. Originally scheduled to close in November, the show was extended through February after the original block of tickets sold out in a matter of minutes Wednesday. "#SpringsteenBroadway has been EXTENDED! the ticket outlet tweeted, with a follow-up tweet explaining that fans who had previously registered to purchase tickets will not have to register again. #SpringsteenBroadway has been EXTENDED!

More information coming today.

There will NOT be any additional codes released for today's onsale. pic.twitter.com/xGY3rj3Yrl  Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) August 30, 2017 #SpringsteenBroadway extended run information 

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER AGAIN!

NEW #VerifiedFan registration: https://t.co/2xNBBhcVES pic.twitter.com/FT3mLaTLPV  Ticketmaster (@Ticketmaster) August 30, 2017 Springsteen will be performing at New York Citys Walter Kerr Theater, which houses fewer than 1,000 seats. To curtail ticket scalping, Ticketmaster relied on its Verified Fan program. The program forces fans to register to even have an opportunity to purchase tickets and are limited to two tickets per purchase. For all of Ticketmasters efforts, resale sites already are flooded with Springsteen on Broadway tickets, with some reaching $10,000 apiece. Fans interested in trying their luck for the second batch of performance dates will need to register with Ticketmaster Verified Fan by Sept. 3 (at 7 p.m. Pacific). Tickets will be available for purchase 10 a.m. Pacific on Sept. 7. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Sandra Bullock donates $1 million to Harvey relief efforts By Libby Hill Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the American Red Cross for storm relief. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) With the Gulf Coast still battling the aftereffects of Tropical Storm Harvey, celebrities continue to come forward to help with relief efforts for the humanitarian crisis. Sandra Bullock, who has a home in Texas, donated $1 million to the American Red Cross emergency efforts, the organization confirmed to The Times on Wednesday. We are so thankful for the overwhelming and generous response from those who want to help those affected by this devastating storm, Elizabeth Penniman, vice president of communications for American Red Cross national headquarters, said in an email. Massive disasters like Hurricane Harvey create many critical and immediate needs, so we are heartened by donations like this  which allow us to provide immediate shelter, food and comfort to thousands in need, Penniman continued. The entertainment community has been so supportive to the Red Cross in response to this devastating disaster, and we are so grateful. Bullock is just the latest star who has donated to recovery efforts in Texas. The Kardashian family pledged $500,000 to the Salvation Army and Red Cross on Tuesday. Kevin Hart also spearheaded a celebrity-driven fundraising campaign on Crowdrise that has brought in more than $1 million for the Red Cross. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Corinne Olympios wants DeMario Jackson to know she doesnt blame him for anything By Christie DZurilla Corinne Olympios doesnt have any hard feelings toward DeMario Jackson, the fellow Bachelor in Paradise cast member who was with her at the center of a scandal that shut down production on the reality TV series in June. I dont blame DeMario. I never pointed fingers at DeMario. I never said a bad word about DeMario, the 25-year-old told host Chris Harrison in an early-August taped interview that aired Tuesday night on ABC. She and Jackson havent spoken since production was halted after allegations of misconduct were made by a producer, leading to an investigation of what happened during a period when, Olympios now says, she was blacked out. I was almost a little bit nervous to talk to [DeMario], because he did run to the media and I didnt want to add fuel to the fire, she said. Before she had a chance to collect her thoughts, he was out there and so on the defensive, she said. He was doing his thing and I didnt want to get messed up in that. ... I cant help but feel like maybe he felt like I thought he did something to me. Jackson did not do anything bad, she insisted. Seeing him start crying in a clip from his own interview with Harrison, which had aired on the show last week, Olympios welled up a bit too. It was hard for me to go through something like that. I know exactly how he feels. The media wants to paint you a certain way that you know youre just not, she said. Olympios told Harrison the same things she had said in a Tuesday morning interview with Good Morning America about blacking out from drinking too much and mixing alcohol with medication. However, she didnt directly address her I am a victim statement that was released at the height of the scandal. On GMA, she said she meant she was a victim of the media. Regarding Bachelor in Paradise with Harrison, she simply talked about how awful it was to have so many people acting like they had been there or were suddenly experts on her life. To even get up and go get eggs at the grocery store ... my face was all over every magazine and I had to check out and everyones staring, Olympios said. Youre looking at them and its like, Im not what youre thinking right now. Then, near the end of the interview, she shared one big wish. Obviously hindsight is 20/20, she said, and I wish it could have been handled differently. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Tomi Lahren finds new home at Fox News By Libby Hill Conservative firebrand Tomi Lahren is again gainfully employed after being fired from Glenn Becks The Blaze in March. On Wednesday, Lahren announced via her Facebook page that she is joining the Fox News team as a contributor. This exciting new step will allow me to give voice to all the America-loving patriots who have had my back since day one, Lahren wrote. I will remain a solid and passionate advocate for you. Though 25-year-old Lahren has made television appearances before -- including a contentious appearance on The Daily Show With Trevor Noah -- much of her career has been in digital media. She hosted On Point With Tomi Lahren for One America News Network, and her Final Thought videos have garnered her over 4.4 million Facebook followers. In addition to her role as a contributor, Lahren will also have a signature role on a Fox News digital product in development, according to a press release issued by the network. Lahren makes her debut on Wednesdays edition of Hannity at 7 p.m. PDT. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Trevor Noah is shocked  shocked  by the latest revelations about Trump and Moscow By Robert Lloyd Even as the Earth offers humanity another taste of its weather future  and President Trump keeps Sheriff Joe Arpaio out of jail and North Korean missiles fly over Japan  late-night TV hosts have disappeared from their chairs as if it were August in France. Trevor Noah is on the job, though, hosting The Daily Show. Tuesday night, he had some mirthful words about the ongoing investigation into the Trump campaigns Russian affairs. Specifically, he reflected on the revelation of a letter of intent, signed by POTUS himself, to build a Trump Tower skyscraper in Moscow  and make it the tallest building in the world  despite Trumps repeated claims to have no business, no interests, no nothing in Russia. How can one person lie so big? HOW? Noah asked, amazedly. Its like if your friend said he had never heard of Mumford and Sons and then one day you see the album cover and youre like, wait a minute, youre Mumford. Were those connections strictly business, or were they getting out on the votey-votey action? Thats not clear yet, he said. What was clear is that a typically dubious character was at the center of it  namely Felix Sater, a Russian-born real estate developer once convicted of stabbing a man in the neck and face with the stem of a broken margarita glass. Of all the glasses to stab someone with, a margarita glass is the worst, Noah said. Youre literally putting salt into the wounds. There was also a conviction for Saters involvement in a $40-million stock fraud, Noah added, which came as no surprise to the host. You never trust someone with a cat name. If a human goes by Felix or Whiskers or Mittens, you should probably just stay away. There were emails, of course; there are always emails. Buddy, our boy can become President of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, Sater wrote to Trumps personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen. This buddy boy email may not be the smoking gun for Trump, Noah concluded, but what it could end up being is the broken taillight  the thing that gives law enforcement the excuse they need to look into Trumps trunk. And we all know, he said, as a picture of the golfing presidents derriere appeared over his shoulder, hes got a lot of junk in that trunk. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Jury president Annette Bening addresses lack of female representation at Venice Film Festival By Nardine Saad (Claudio Onorati / Associated Press) Though there arent as many women represented at this years Venice Film Festival as she would like, jury president Annette Bening believes things are changing. The four-time Oscar nominee, whose film credits include American Beauty, The Kids Are All Right, 20th Century Women and Bugsy, addressed the lack of female directors Wednesday during the 74th annual Venice Film Festivals opening press conference. (Only one of the 21 films in competition is directed by a woman this year.) As women, we have to be sharp, shrewd and creative in what we choose to make. Sexism does exist and there is no question about it. But things are changing, the actress said at the opening press conference, according to Variety. The more we can make films that speak to everybody, the more we will be regarded as filmmakers, she added. Bening, the first woman to chair the jury in more than a decade, said she knew of both veteran and rookie filmmakers struggling to get their movies made whether they are men or women. She said the industry has a long way to go, in terms of parity but was confident that the direction were going is positive. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

A Star Is Born: Lisa Ling turns 44 today By Los Angeles Times Staff (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) [People have said to me], When you were in the worlds largest slum [in India], you could almost smell what it was like by your expression.' Its not that Im trying to force myself on the viewer. Im just their eyes and ears. I think our work is quite pure.  Lisa Ling, 1997 FROM THE ARCHIVES: Taking news personally Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

In wake of Charlottesville strife, Virginia Film Festival to host director Spike Lee as special guest By Josh Rottenberg Director Spike Lee photographed in 2015. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times) As the city of Charlottesville, Va., and the nation as a whole continues to grapple with the violent racial strife that erupted earlier this month, the Virginia Film Festival announced on Tuesday that it will host filmmaker Spike Lee as a special guest at the upcoming festival as part of a program around the legacy of slavery. Lee, who has tackled thorny issues of race throughout his career, will present his Oscar-nominated documentary 4 Little Girls about the 1963 bombing of a Baptist church in Birmingham, Ala., that claimed the lives of four African American girls, an act of white supremacist terrorism that marked a pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. We have for many years been interested in bringing Spike Lee to the Virginia Film Festival as he remains one of the most talented, innovative, and socially conscious filmmakers in our world today, said Jody Kielbasa, director of the film festival and vice provost for the arts at the University of Virginia. We first reached out to Mr. Lee in the spring to include him in our upcoming collaboration with Montpelier, and of course, the recent events in Charlottesville have made his participation more compelling, relevant and vital. The festival program will also include a short film titled I Cant Breathe that combines footage of the 2014 chokehold death of Eric Garner during his arrest by a New York City police officer with footage of the death of Radio Raheem under similar circumstances in Lees 1989 film Do the Right Thing. The program is part of a larger collaboration with Montpelier, the Virginia plantation of President James Madison, who owned more than 100 slaves, that will explore both how the legacy of slavery continues to affect the lives of African Americans and how they are depicted in film and other media. The 30th annual Virginia Film Festival will run from Nov. 9 to 12 in Charlottesville. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Jerry Seinfeld recaps childhood in Netflixs first Jerry Before Seinfeld trailer By Nardine Saad The first trailer for Netflixs stand-up special Jerry Before Seinfeld has arrived, and its a madcap recap of Jerry Seinfelds humble beginnings, quirky family dynamics and bits of everyday observations. The teaser opens with Johnny Carson introducing the iconic comic in 1981 during his debut on The Tonight Show. Then it showcases the sitcom star back at the mike at the Comic Strip, the famous New York comedy club where he launched his career. Throwback photos, videos and interviews with Seinfeld are woven throughout. Hes back where he began, the title reads, doing what he loves. The original comedy special is the first of two stand-up specials Seinfeld will deliver in his massive deal with the streaming giant. (The deal also includes the entirety of his Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee catalog and 24 new episodes of the Emmy-nominated talk show, which will launch later this year.) Seinfeld and Netflix teased to the special last week with several clips posted on Instagram and a close-up look at the numerous legal pads scrawled with handwritten jokes hes kept from the 1970s. Jerry Before Seinfeld begins streaming Sept. 19. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Kermit the Frog finds his new voice in Matt Vogel By Nardine Saad The new Kermit the Frog has arrived and hes following his dreams -- literally. New Muppeteer Matt Vogel made his vocal debut as the iconic frog on Monday in a Muppet Thought of the Week video posted on YouTube. Dreams are how we figure out where we want to go. Life is how we get there, he says in the brief clip. Im headed this way. The veteran voice actor has worked on Sesame Street and also operates the Muppets Floyd, Constantine and Sweetums. He is only the third puppeteer to take on Kermit the Frog full time since the character was created in 1955. He replaced former puppeteer Steve Whitmire, who began work on The Muppet Show in 1978 and inherited the role of Kermit when creator Jim Henson died in 1990. Whitmire was dismissed over concerns about his repeated unacceptable business conduct over a period of many years and he consistently failed to address the feedback, the Muppets Studio said at the time. Whitmire claimed he was fired in October 2016 and kept quiet about it until Vogel was announced as his replacement in July. It was his opinionated communication style that earned him his walking papers, he said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Trevor Noah says Trumps pardon of Sheriff Arpaio renders courts powerless By Nardine Saad The Daily Show host Trevor Noah broke down former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaios presidential pardon on Monday, explaining how President Trumps decision undermines the judicial branch of government. The controversial Maricopa County lawman, who was convicted of criminal contempt of court for violating Latinos rights, earned himself a thuggish reputation as a sheriff, Noah said, citing his agencys use of tent cities, stun guns, jail overcrowding and numerous cases of inmate deaths and police brutality. But those were just his extracurriculars, Noah said. It turns out his full-time job is racism. The 85-year-old Arpaio was found guilty in July of defying a 2011 court order barring officers from stopping and detaining Latino motorists to check their immigration status. As much as Sheriff Arpaio presented himself as anti-illegal immigrants, it turned out really he was just anti being a decent human being, Noah said. When the president of the United States steps in and pardons someones contempt conviction, hes essentially rendering the courts powerless.  Daily Show host Trevor Noah His abuses hurt inmates and taxpayers, costing the state $142 million in legal fees, settlements and compliance costs, Noah said. Other things they could have spent that money on? Schools, roads or they could have just paid Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather to just punch Arpaio in the face. But Noah made the point that Trumps decision completely undercut the judiciary. Remember how the three branches of government are supposed to be equal? Well, convicting someone of contempt is the one and only way the judicial branch can put muscle behind its decisions. So when the president of the United States steps in and pardons someones contempt conviction, hes essentially rendering the courts powerless, he said. Watch the full segment above. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch Coldplay dedicate new song to Harvey victims -- and vow never to play it again By Randall Roberts (Jens Meyer / Associated Press) On Monday night in Miami, Coldplays Chris Martin drew attention to the victims of Tropical Storm Harvey by unveiling a new song called Houston -- and then vowed never to play it again. The band, which was forced to cancel its Houston show days earlier due to the storm, wrote the song as the region was enduring historic flooding. After acknowledging that he and the band all grew up loving country music, and, of course, thats kind of what we think of when we go to Texas, Martin asked the crowd to bear with them. This is a new song, and well never play it again, Martin said. Its a once-off. Its called Houston. Were going to sing it in Miami for everybody here and then were going to send it over there to everyone who missed the show. Vowing to return to Houston, Martin and band huddled and tentatively started a twangy little number. Im dreaming of when I get back to Houston, sang Martin, replete with a touch of Johnny Cash-ian twang. Describing it as that city where they send you into space, Martin crooned of Corpus Christi, Harris County, Galveston, of a harmony that hums down there in Houston, and urged the region to keep on keeping on. Merle Haggard it wasnt (and everyones a critic), but the performance drew huge applause from fans and went viral on Tuesday morning. Coldplays quick-turnaround ditty is hardly the first to document such deluges. Johnny Cashs Three Feet High and Rising occurred in real time as a family struggled to keep dry. In Charley Pattons High Water Everywhere, the country blues singer recalled the lives lost in the Great Flood of 1927, which consumed the Mississippi Delta and spawned dozens of songs: Oh, Lordy, women is groaning down / Oh, Lordy, women and children sinking down, Patton sang. I couldnt see nobody home, and was no one to be found. Below is another song about the flood of 27: Bessie Smiths Backwater Blues. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Corinne Olympios on Bachelor in Paradise scandal: I was really a victim of the media By Christie DZurilla (Frazer Harrison / Getty Images) Corinne Olympios says medication, the booze and the media were key players in Junes production-stopping Bachelor in Paradise scandal and its aftermath. Calling the situation just really unfortunate, she said Tuesday on Good Morning America that she doesnt remember anything that happened. Seeing video of what transpired on the first day of production on the looking-for-love reality show was like watching not-me, she said. Im watching someone else. On that day, Olympios and fellow cast member DeMario Jackson allegedly wound up in the pool or hot tub together in a situation that a producer thought went too far. Allegations of misconduct were made, and production shut down the next day for an investigation that ultimately determined nothing untoward had happened. The show, sans Corinne and DeMario, premiered its fourth season Aug. 14, a week later than originally planned. I did drink, too much, I definitely understand that, Olympios said. But I was also on a medication that severely blacks you out and impairs your judgment and messes with your balance, that I didnt know you were not supposed to not drink on, and so it really just caused a horrible, horrible blackout. It was like I went under like anesthesia and then just like woke up. Shes now weaning off the medication, she said, and cutting down on her drinking. But in explaining her provocative official statement that she was a victim living out her worst nightmare, Olympios revealed her specific definition of victimhood, which had little or nothing to do with consent, which was a hot topic throughout the scandal. I was really a victim of the media, Olympios said. It was just, all of a sudden people became an expert on the situation and on what happened, and it was like, Im still trying to figure out exactly what happened. It was just horrible to deal with. It got really, really bad. ..., she added. The things people say are just insane. When the remaining Paradise cast met as a whole on the first episode of the season, their sympathies seemed to lie with Jackson as they worried about the long-term effects the scandal would have on him and any future career opportunities, especially given the lingering racial issues of alleged misconduct between a white woman and a black man. However, they were quick to say they were not slut-shaming Olympios either. Jackson spoke last week on Bachelor in Paradise, sitting down with host Chris Harrison to give his take on what happened. Heres a taste of that, courtesy of GMA: Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Victorias Secret Fashion Show heads to Shanghai this year By Nardine Saad Angels will fly over the Great Wall of China in November as the Victorias Secret Fashion Show heads to Shanghai for the first time. Supermodels Adriana Lima, Alessandra Ambrosio, Behati Prinsloo, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge and more will strut their stuff for the annual lingerie extravaganza, Victorias Secret and CBS said in a statement on Tuesday. The iconic pre-holiday show  replete with teensy underwear and massive angel wings  is usually filmed in New York, but Miami, Los Angeles and London have also hosted the scantily clad runway walk. The broadcast will air on CBS on Nov. 28 and will be shown in more than 190 countries. Models Elsa Hosk, Jasmine Tookes, Josephine Skriver, Lais Ribeiro, Martha Hunt, Romee Strijd, Sara Sampaio, Stella Maxwell and Taylor Hill will also walk in this years show. Musical performers will be announced at a later date, the statement said. Ni hao, China! This year's #VSFashionShow is headed to Shanghai. Watch it Nov 28, 10/9C on @CBS. Learn more: https://t.co/AHWHWjKOCI pic.twitter.com/tgIVJs7Lsr  Victoria's Secret (@VictoriasSecret) August 29, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

A Star Is Born: William Friedkin turns 82 today By Los Angeles Times Staff (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times) I love the experience of making films. I love the mud. I love the dirt. I love all the inconveniences. Thats why you do it. If you do it because youre looking to be the Great American film maker, youre liable to experience disappointment.  William Friedkin, 1989 FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Exorcisms of William Friedkin Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do video bashes another YouTube record By Randy Lewis Taylor Swifts official video for her first new music in three years, Look What You Made Me Do, has blasted through the existing YouTube record for most views tallied during its first 24 hours of release. The clip logged 43.2 million views since the video was posted Sunday evening. That far surpasses the record set in 2013 by Korean pop star Psys Gentleman, which racked up 36 million views in its first day. It also hasnt slowed interest in Swifts previously released lyric video for the same song, which set a record for lyric video viewership by drawing 19 million views in the first 24 hours. That version has now surpassed 47 million views in less than four days. Both videos have generated flurries of debate and analysis among Swifts fans and her dissenters, the former seemingly outnumbering the latter by a margin of nearly 5 to 1. Likes have surpassed the 1 million mark, while dislikes stood at 232,000 at the 24-hour mark. The song is the first single from her forthcoming album Reputation, due Nov. 10. It will be Swifts sixth studio album. Each of her last three albums sold more than 1 million copies during the first week of release. Swift is the only artist with that achievement to her credit. Update Aug. 29, 10:30 a.m.: This post has been updated with the finalized 24-hour viewer total. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Watch the Game of Thrones cast and crew break down some of Season 7s best scenes By Tracy Brown Game of Thrones Season 7 may have concluded Sunday, but there is still plenty left for fans to unpack before Thrones"-withdrawal sets in. Along with all the burning questions left in the wake of the season finale, HBO has left us with some behind-the-scenes videos from this seasons most epic moments. The production magic of Game of Thrones is undeniable and it extends to beyond special effects dragons. From Arya donning Walder Freys face to dole out her brand of vengeance to Daenerys walking into Dragonstone for the first time, there is plenty to explore from just the first episode alone. The video above dives deep into what it took to craft the Season 7 premiere, including how Cerseis fancy new giant map came to be. Of course, plenty of fans are probably still contemplating the latest episode and what Jon and Danys new level of intimacy means going into the final season. Can this be how the actual prince that was promised is conceived? And if you were a bit squicked out by the pairs developing relationship, youre not alone. Unlike Jon and Daenerys, Emilia Clarke and Kit Harington are definitely aware that they are both Targaryens. For us as actors its just weird, said Clarke in a video about the coupling. The reality of what they are to each other. In fact, the actors had more facial expressions and sound effects to convey their feelings about this union than words. Watch in the video below. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Ed Skrein leaves Hellboy after whitewashing furor By Christie DZurilla (Jordan Strauss / Associated Press) Ed Skrein will not play Maj. Ben Daimio in a reboot of Hellboy, the English actor said Monday, noting that when he accepted the role he didnt know that in the comics the character was of mixed Asian descent. Just a week ago, Skrein had tweeted his excitement over taking on the role. Backlash  in the form of whitewashing allegations  ensued. It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people, and that to neglect this responsibility would continue a worrying tendency to obscure ethnic minority stories and voices in the Arts, the 34-year-old Deadpool actor said in a statement announcing that he had changed his mind about portraying Daimio. Calling it a moral decision, he said he was sad to leave the movie but hoped his action would make a difference in making equal representation in the arts a reality. David Harbour, the Stranger Things actor slated to play Hellboy, tweeted, Hey internet. Thank you for your voices. An injustice was done and will be corrected. Many thanks to @edskrein for doing what is right. Mike Mignola, who created the Hellboy comics, also thanked Skrein on Monday and said the move was very nicely done. Hey internet. Thank you for your voices.



An injustice was done and will be corrected.



Many thanks to @edskrein for doing what is right. https://t.co/tUvP6YibgG  David Harbour (@DavidKHarbour) August 28, 2017 In addition to Harbour, the 2018 version of the story so far stars Milla Jovovich as Nimue, Ian McShane as Professor Broom and Alice Monaghan as Sasha Lane, according to IMDb. Neil Marshall, who among other things has helmed episodes of Game of Thrones and Westworld, is set to direct. The Daimio character didnt appear in the 2004 or 2008 Guillermo del Toro films based on the Hellboy comics. Heres Skreins full explanation: pic.twitter.com/8WoSsHXDFO  Ed Skrein (@edskrein) August 28, 2017 Updated, 2:39 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from Harbour and Mignola. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Kathy Griffin and Anderson Cooper are super-friends no more By Libby Hill Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin (Rob Kim / Getty Images) What began as a tasteless joke at the expense of President Trump continues to have real-life consequences for comedian Kathy Griffin. In an extensive interview with The Cut, Griffin admitted that her 17-year friendship with Anderson Cooper, with whom she co-hosted CNNs New Years Eve gig for a decade, ended in the wake of the Trump controversy. In May, Griffin publicized a photo shoot that featured her holding a bloodied imitation severed head bearing a strong resemblance to the president. The backlash was immediate and largely bipartisan, as many saw the images as glorifying violence and furthering political division. Griffin quickly apologized for the misstep but the damage had been done, with condemnation from the White House, investigation by the Secret Service and the loss of several jobs, including her CNN gig. On May 30, Cooper tweeted his disapproval of Griffins artistic expression, calling it disgusting and completely inappropriate, and Griffin admitted at a June 2 news conference that Coopers comments hurt her. For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.  Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) May 31, 2017 In July, Cooper appeared on Bravos Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen and stated that he and Griffin were still friends. Yeah, were still friends, and look I said what I said about  I didnt think what she said was appropriate, but I wish her the best and I hope she bounces back, he stated. But Griffin claimed that at that point, nearly two months after the fact, she had yet to hear from Cooper privately. In reality, it wasnt until Aug. 10 that Cooper finally reached out to Griffin in a series of text messages, CNN confirmed to The Cut  at which point Griffin informed him that their friendship was over. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

In One Mississippi Season 2 trailer, Tig Notaro prays for the gay to stay By Christie DZurilla Tig Notaros One Mississippi is coming back for a second season, one in which her character is getting used to life back in her small Mississippi hometown. Season 1 of the Amazon Prime Video series took viewers through a fictionalized series of events that echoed Notaros own life: a potentially deadly intestinal illness, breast cancer, a double mastectomy, the unexpected death of her beloved mother and a romantic breakup. Yup, its a dark comedy. In Season 2, L.A. transplant Tig is navigating her new environs, including strategizing about how to proceed with a crush on Straight Kate and dealing with some well-meaning, pray-the-gay-away critics of her radio show. Plus, theres her stepfathers whole dishwasher drill to contend with, not to mention the story line that has to do with sexual assault. The new season of One Mississippi starts streaming Sept. 8. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Watch Frank Oceans lyric video for new song Provider By Randall Roberts As is his wont these days, R&B superstar Frank Ocean unveiled a new song, Provider, his own way: during the newest installment of Blonded Radio, the Apple Music/Beats 1 radio show he hosts and curates. The ballads a meditation that name-checks Aphex Twin, shoegaze, Talking Heads, Jaws, Patagonia sportswear and Stanley Kubrick, and moves through verses without much regard for structure. Immediately following the Sunday premiere, Ocean dropped the lyric video on his website. Featuring a souped-up mini-boombox retrofitted with bigger speaker cones and a Velcro-attached machete, the clip suggests an owner getting ready to hunt prey while using Provider as the lure. Ocean hasnt uploaded the clip to YouTube, but you can listen and watch on his blonded.co website. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Gone With the Wind, deemed insensitive, has been pulled from a Memphis theater By Christie DZurilla Gone With the Wind will not be shown in the future by a Tennessee theater that decided it was insensitive to many in the local community. The 1939 movie, which marked the first Oscar win by a black actor, depicts a romanticized view of slavery and life on a Southern plantation before, during and after the Civil War. Gone With the Wind, which won 10 Academy Awards in 1940, including for best picture, had been shown by the Orpheum Theatre Group for years as part of an annual Summer Movie Series, according to Memphis Commercial-Appeal. At times, it was screened more than once a year, the paper said. This year, however, a different climate prevailed. The recent screening of Gone With the Wind at the Orpheum on Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, generated numerous comments, Brett Batterson, president of the theater group, said Friday in a statement (via the New York Times). The Orpheum carefully reviewed all of them. As an organization whose stated mission is to entertain, educate and enlighten the communities it serves, the Orpheum cannot show a film that is insensitive to a large segment of its local population. The majority of Memphis residents are black, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The screening happened, coincidentally, on the day before a rally of white nationalists that turned violent in Charlottesville, Va.  a rally that has been followed by a national conversation about whether to purge monuments to Civil War generals and soldiers from public spaces. In an interview with the Commercial-Appeal, Batterson said the appropriateness of screening Gone With the Wind had been discussed every year, but the social media storm this year really brought it home. By Monday, comments on social media, including on the Facebook post announcing the screening, had shifted in large part to defense of Gone With the Wind as a product of its time that, despite its romanticized portrayal of the Old South and of slavery, was still part of movie history and worth showing on a big screen. The Orpheum did not respond Monday to The Times requests for comment. Hattie McDaniels Oscar win for supporting actress was a significant first but was also loaded with a lot of political and racial issues given that the film was the classic archetype of the Mammy, said Adilifu Nama, associate professor of African American Studies at Loyola Marymount University, speaking to The Times in 2014. McDaniels role of Mammy is fundamentally a subservient role and is part of a film that is a Southern racial fantasy, Nama said. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Taylor Swift gets petty and Pink talks pretty in the must-see moments from MTVs Video Music Awards By Libby Hill Were you too busy watching [spoiler] revealed as [spoiler] on Sunday nights Game of Thrones finale to watch MTVs Video Music Awards? Fear not! Weve gathered up four must-see moments from the socially conscious affair (and one lackluster video debut from Taylor Swift) to keep you in the loop. Pinks PowerPoint presentation It was a banner night for singer Pink, who received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for her body of work and used the occasion to share an anecdote about her daughter Willow. Recently, Pink stated, her daughter referred to herself as the ugliest person she knew and complained that she looked like a boy with long hair. At first, the Raise Your Glass singer was taken aback by her daughters words but soon swung into action, compiling an elaborate PowerPoint presentation about the history of androgynous rock stars, including Michael Jackson, David Bowie and Annie Lennox. Pink relayed a simple sentiment that most of us could learn a lot from: So, baby, girl, we dont change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. Logic talks emotions Plenty of artists used the VMAs stage to speak passionately about issues they care about, but few did so as extensively as rapper Logic. After his performance of 1-800-273-8255" with Khalid and Alessia Cara, the title of which is the phone number of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, Logic talked about mental health and equality. Beginning at 3:50 in the above video, Logic first thanked the audience for giving him a platform to discuss the important issue of mental health. He then quickly pivoted to other pressing social issues including discrimination, sexism and domestic violence. I dont give a damn if youre black, white or any color in between, Logic said. I dont care if youre Christian, youre Muslim, youre gay, youre straight, I am gonna fight for your equality because I believe that we are all born equal, but we are not treated equally and that is why we must fight. Jared Leto honors Chester Bennington Logics performance and subsequent speech were particularly moving given the past years loss of two rock musicians to suicide  Linkin Parks Chester Bennington and Soundgardens Chris Cornell. Jared Leto, an Academy Award winner and frontman of Thirty Seconds to Mars, spoke about both men at Sundays ceremony. MTV asked me to come here to say a few words about Chester and the late, great, Chris Cornell, two artists I had the absolute pleasure of touring with, Leto said of the two singers who were also close friends. Chester said of Chris, Your voice was joy and pain and anger and forgiveness, love and heartache, all wrapped up into one, Leto recalled. Leto also recounted his own memories of Bennington. I think about his heart, Leto said. And I remember his voice. At once ferocious and delicate, that voice will live forever. Fifth Harmony gets shady Despite the pleas for equality and the heartfelt speeches, there was still plenty of time for pettiness at the VMAs, as evidenced by Fifth Harmonys performance. As the group took the stage to perform its latest single, Angel, a mystery fifth member appeared in the lineup before being unceremoniously yanked offstage as the song began. What appeared as an inexplicable stunt to the uninitiated was likely a shady reference to former Fifth Harmony frontwoman Camila Cabello, who exited the group in December to pursue a solo career. It wasnt so much that Cabellos departure stung her former colleagues but that she reportedly failed to inform them of her decision before announcing it to the world. Oops. Also Taylor Swift Unless you were in a coma for the whole of last week, you probably heard that Taylor Swift announced the release date for her upcoming album, Reputation, as well as releasing the first single, Look What You Made Me Do. Its fine. Sunday night, Swift debuted the video for Look What You Made Me Do. It is also fine. This has been your daily Taylor Swift update. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Kevin Hart, Beyonce and Drake lead charge for Hurricane Harvey flood relief By Nardine Saad (Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times) As Harvey lashed southeastern Texas over the weekend, celebrities rallied for the relief effort. Comedian Kevin Hart led the charge Sunday night, donating $25,000 and challenging his celebrity friends to donate to the Red Cross amid catastrophic flooding in the Lone Star State. I think weve participated in a lot of challenges on the Internet, some meaningful, some meaningless, but weve all done them. Ive been a person thats partaken in several of them, Hart said in an Instagram video. At this point, this is a serious matter, he continued. I think the people are in bad shape and they need help. Im going to lead the charge and step up in this way. The Jumanji star called on his co-star Dwayne Johnson, comics Steve Harvey, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Jerry Seinfeld, as well as musicians Jay-Z, Beyonce and Justin Timberlake to make donations and tag someone else to do the same. At that point, Houston native Beyonce and Kelly Rowland of Destinys Child had already posted notes about their hometown on Instagram, sending thoughts and prayers to the state that launched their careers. View Instagram post View Instagram post The deluge of support continued with country star Chris Young. The Man I Want to Be singer posted an emotional YouTube video about his certainty that his Texas home was destroyed and concern for his friends and family in the state. He donated $100,000 to relief efforts to a GoFundMe campaign to benefit the Red Cross. Harvey, one of the worst natural disasters in the states history, slammed onshore Friday as a Category 4 hurricane, then weakened to a tropical storm on Saturday, dropping up to 24 inches of rain on Houston in 24 hours. The National Weather Service reported that at least five people had died as of Sunday evening, but that number was expected to increase as the floodwaters recede. More than 30,000 people across the Gulf Coast are likely to seek temporary shelter as the tropical storm continues to drench southeastern Texas and Louisiana with heavy rains and surging floodwaters, The Times reported. Toronto native Drake, who has lived in Houston for the last eight years, said that he and DJ Future the Prince are working with local relief groups to aid and assist the people of Texas in anyway we can and in the most immediate way possible. I also want to thank all the men and women of service and volunteers for their courageous efforts to help people in need, the rapper said on Instagram. I encourage everyone to do what they can to assist the people of Texas knowing whatever effort you can make to help will go a long way. View Instagram post Also, during the MTV Video Music Awards Awards on Sunday, host Katy Perry touched upon the catastrophic event. She too urged viewers to donate to the Red Cross. All of us here at the VMAs are sending love to the people of southeastern Texas and everyone affected by Hurricane Harvey right now, Perry said onstage. Were praying for your safety in the days to come and we stand with you as you rebuild because were all in this together. According to the Houston Chronicle, more than 15 inches of rain could fall on several more southeastern Texas cities. Corpus Christi, where Harvey first made landfall, saw upward of 20 inches of rain in two days. By Monday morning, up to 40 inches of rain had fallen on northeast Houston. Another 20 inches were expected Monday before Tropical Storm Harvey travels farther east. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Susan Bro, mother of slain Charlottesville protester Heather Heyer, announces anti-hate foundation at the MTV VMAs By Randall Roberts (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) During an evening filled with defiant messages against racism, homophobia and body shaming, the mother of Heather Heyer announced some concrete actions to further the cause. Susan Bro, whose daughter was killed two weeks ago during protests in Charlottesville, Va., has worked through her grief by speaking out against racism, and took a further step by creating the Heather Heyer Foundation. Describing it as a nonprofit organization that will provide scholarships to help more people to join Heathers fight against hatred, Bro requested that viewers visit the new site to help me make Heathers death count. Added Bro: Heather never marched alone. She was always joined by people from every race and every background in this country. Bro was introduced by Robert Lee IV -- a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee -- who said his ancestor has became of idol of white supremacy and hate. Lee went on to describe racism as Americas original sin. He went on to ask all of those with privilege to confront white supremacy and racism head-on. Watch his speech below. I call on all of us with privilege and power to confront racism and white supremacy head-on" - Robert Lee IV #VMAs pic.twitter.com/ko4SM9VnaU  MTV (@MTV) August 28, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch Pinks inspiring MTV VMA speech to individuality By Randall Roberts In receiving her Video Vanguard award at the MTV VMAs on Sunday at the Forum -- the shows equivalent of a lifetime achievement trophy -- the pop star Pink told a story about a conversation shed recently had with her young daughter. They were driving to school and her daughter said, Mama, Im the ugliest girl I know. Pink replied, Huh? And she was like, Yeah, I look like a boy with long hair. Pink said that she immediately thought, My god, youre 6. Where is this coming from? The artist and mom didnt lecture her daughter. Instead, said Pink: I went home and made a PowerPoint presentation for her, and in that presentation were androgynous rock stars and artists that live their truth; are probably made fun of every day of their lives and carry on and wave their flag; and inspire the rest of us. These are artists like Michael Jackson and David Bowie and Freddie Mercury and Annie Lennox and Prince and Janis Joplin and George Michael, Elton John, so many artists. Pink said that her daughters eyes glazed over, but Pink pressed her about why she felt that way about herself. What do you think I look like? She said, Youre beautiful. The pop singer explained that she gets critiqued, too. They say I look like a boy or Im too masculine or Im too -- I have too many opinions. My body is too strong. I said to her, Do you see me growing my hair? She said No Mama. I said, Do you see me changing my body? She said, No Mama. Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world? No Mama. Do you see me selling out arenas all over the world. Yes Mama. OK baby girl. We dont change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl. And we help other people to change so that they can see more kinds of beauty. Added Pink in closing: To all the artists here, Im so inspired by you. Thank you for being your true selves and for lighting the way for us. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch Jared Leto offer touching tribute to Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington at the MTV VMAs By Randall Roberts In a moving tribute to two fallen musicians, the actor and musician Jared Leto honored the lives of Chris Cornell of Soundgarden and Chester Bennington of Linkin Park at the MTV VMAs on Sunday. Cornell and Bennington committed suicide in 2017, and Leto was friends with both. In 1976 in Phoenix, Ariz., a child was born. He was precocious, full of life, and determined, and grew up to become the singer of one of the greatest rock bands in the history of music, Leto said. His name was Chester Bennington, and the band is Linkin Park. Leto added that MTV asked him to say a few words about Bennington and Cornell, who he described as two artists that I had the absolute pleasure of touring with. They were close friends with one another -- Chester even singing the cover of the classic Hallelujah at Chris funeral. Recalling Benningtons words at Cornells funeral service, Leto said: Chester said of Chris, Your voice was joy and pain and anger and forgiveness, love and heartache all wrapped up into one. Just weeks later, Chester himself was gone. Chester was my friend. As he was to so many. Witnessing his life taught me important things -- especially about working relentlessly, pursuing dreams and being kind and caring while doing it. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert and more steal the MTV VMA spotlight By Gerrick Kennedy Kodak Black arriving at the MTV VMAs. (Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press) The line near a concession stand inside the Forum minutes before the MTV VMAs kicked off on Sunday was lengthy, but no one was waiting on food or drinks. Instead, a dozen or so folks waited patiently to get a selfie with Kodak Black, who high-fived and posed with as fans fumbled with smartphones. The VMAs are typically rife with heavyweights (Kendrick Lamar, Katy Perry, etc.) but this years ceremony looked to tap into the wide scene of rising acts that have been dominating streaming services and social media all summer. Before the telecast even began Lil Uzi Vert clinched a major win, taking the trophy for song of summer for XO Tour Llif3" and he later joined Ed Sheeran for the tune, no doubt the nights most surprising collaboration. Meanwhile, Khalids pre-show medley could have easily anchored the main show while reality star turned breakout rap sensation Cardi B was another highlight of the pre-show festivities. Her viral hit Bodak Yellow rattled throughout the Forum during nearly every commercial break. Fifth Harmony later made its debut at the VMAs with an explosive main stage performance of Down, a song that also won the award for pop video. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Jack Antonoff is living his best life at the MTV VMAs By Mikael Wood Jack Antonoff performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards pre-show. (Joshua Blanchard / Getty Images) Has anyone at MTVs Video Music Awards had more screen time so far than Jack Antonoff? First the A-list producer and songwriter turned up on the nights pre-show ceremony for a performance with his band Bleachers. Then he introduced Lorde by noting that hed seen her eat gas-station sushi during the two years they spent together working on her album Melodrama. He also accepted the award for best collaboration  for Taylor Swift and Zayns I Dont Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker), which he helped create  because the singers couldnt be there. But Antonoffs best moment? Obviously the candid reaction shot in which he was shown casually eating a banana, as his girlfriend, Lena Dunham, described it on Twitter. My boyfriend just casually eating a banana at the VMAs is a good reminder of why we've been at it half a decade  Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 28, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Watch Taylor Swifts bold Look What You Made Me Do video, which premiered during the MTV VMAs By Randall Roberts Taylor Swifts new video for Look What You Made Me Do, which premiered during the 2017 MTV VMAs on Sunday night, features her dressed as a zombie, a diamond-drenched queen, a red-dressed seductress, a car-crash victim, a bird in a cage, a kitty-masked thief with a baseball bat, a biker chick wearing studded leather and a whip-snapping dominatrix. As she poses and pretends, Swift makes a not-so-veiled reference to her ongoing feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, getting all combative behind the microphone as a feather-light melody jumps behind her. The video premiered during a ceremony hosted by pop star and avowed Swift nemesis Katy Perry. Perry didnt introduce the clip, a hint that the two probably still arent besties. Inside the Forum, the video premiered on multiple big screen TVs rose that from the stage, and Perry was nowhere in sight. As the clip seems to be winding down, the music fades. But Swift hasnt fully made her point. In its final moments arrive a dozen-odd versions of Swift standing in front of a black private jet with the name of her new album, Reputation, scrawled on it. The many Swifts start bickering and referencing the various criticisms that have been lobbied at her over the years. Stop making that face, its so annoying, the zombie Swift says, a nod to what some believe is the exaggerated excitement the artist shows when she wins awards. A young version of Swift interrupts with an innocent Yall! but is shot down by an embittered Swift: Oh stop acting like youre so nice. Youre so fake! Standing in the center of the line is Swift seemingly dressed as she was at the 2009 VMAs, when West interrupted her victory speech to decry Beyonce's loss. Holding her VMA trophy, she says, Id like very much to be excluded from this narrative, both a nod to to the musical Hamilton and a repeat of a phrase Swift posted on social media in wake of controversy resulting from Wests song Famous. In that 2016 tune, he he boasted that I made that [profanity] famous and, therefore, that he and Swift might still have sex. The other Swifts reply in unison: Oh shut up! Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Kendrick Lamar opens 2017 VMAs with fiery performances of DNA and Humble By Randall Roberts Wearing a red scarf on his head and a poofy winter coat onstage, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar opened the 2017 MTV VMAs needing neither. Within a few minutes of launching with DNA a dancer center stage burst into flames. You could almost feel the heat simmering through the screen. I was born like this, since one like this, Lamar rapped. Immaculate conception/I transform like this, perform like this. Perform he did, moving into a second track, Humble, from his recent album Damn. Shedding the coat, he stood in front of a fiery backdrop grid that burned as dancers scaled it. As they did so, Lamar rapped, My left stroke just went viral/Right stroke put lil baby in a spiral. It was the opening shot of a VMAs in which politics and protest may end up taking center stage. Indeed, moments later presenter Paris Jackson drew a rousing applause when she denounced the racism and hatred propogated by white supremacists and neo-Nazis. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Heidi Klum, Jack Antonoff and others stand in support of transgender military service members at VMAs By Randall Roberts View Instagram post As the 2017 Video Music Awards were approaching, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) was out in full force at the Forum. Its president and CEO, Sarah Kate Ellis, walked the red carpet along with her invited guests: six transgender members of the military. The action came in the wake of President Donald Trumps direction to the Pentagon on Friday, as reported in The Times, to return to the long-standing policy and practice barring military service by transgender individuals. Praising MTV as a pioneering advocate for the LGBTQ community, Ellis said in a statement, Throughout all the tweets, memos, and speculation, brave transgender Americans are still serving their country and defending the freedoms of this nation while meeting the same rigorous standards of their peers. We are proud to stand with them. Posing in support: musicians and celebrities including Jack Antonoff (Bleachers), supermodel Heidi Klum, actor-comedian Billy Eichner and others, who stood alongside transgender service members including Jennifer Peace, Logan Ireland, Sterling James Crutcher and Akira Wyatt, as well as trans veterans Laila Ireland and Brynn Tannehil. Also joining them was LGBTQ philanthropist August Getty, who in his other life is a fashion designer responsible for Miley Cyruss red carpet dress. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

MTV VMAs return to Southern California with an overwhelmingly impressive setup By Gerrick Kennedy Cardi B performing at the pre-show for the MTV VMAs. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press) After heading to the East Coast last year, the MTV VMAs have returned to Southern California. And tonight at the Forum in Inglewood, it was clear that the network decided to go big  huge really. Upon arrival to the venue it appeared that the scale of this years show was unlike anything MTV had done in recent history. A structure that looked like a space shuttle swallowed the lot in front of the venue, and stars such as Cardi B and Big Freedia could be seen pumping through the red carpet (its a deep shade of blue this year). Inside the Forum, the stage took up the entirety of the venues ground floor. The imprint of the stage was impressive, even overwhelming in size as a maze of catwalks and secondary stages traced the floor, all of which was outlined by hundreds of glowing triangles and projection screens. It made for a futuristic playground of geometric glowing shapes that show opener Kendrick Lamar put to use immediately as he emerged from the center of the venue for the explosive DNA, strutting through half of the venue before making it to the main stage. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Taylor Swift breaks YouTube record with Look What You Made Me Do video By Randy Lewis Taylor Swift set a YouTube record with the lyric video for her new single Look What You Made Me Do, tallying 19 million views in just the first 24 hours. Thats more than double the previous first-day record for a lyric video, which was set in February by the lyric video for the Chainsmokers Something Just Like This featuring Coldplay, which registered 9 million views upon its release. Its also the best 24-hour figure Swift has logged, besting the first-day result for her 2015 official video for Bad Blood, which attracted 17 million views, and has since totaled more than 1.1 billion views. As of Sunday morning, the tally for Look What You Made Me Do had surpassed 35 million. It sets the stage for the premiere tonight of Swifts official video for the new single, which will be introduced during the MTV Video Music Awards Ceremony, taking place at the Forum in Inglewood. The overall record for viewership in the first 24 hours for any music video belongs to Adele, who registered 27.7 million views in 2015 at the premiere of the official video for her song Hello. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Why William Friedkin called Tobe Hoopers Texas Chain Saw Massacre an Umami Burger of a movie By Mark Olsen Director Tobe Hooper, who died in Los Angeles on Saturday at age 74, created many movies and TV shows during his long career  including stepping to helm the filming of Poltergeist when Steven Spielberg was contractually banned from directing other films during the production of ET: The Extra Terrestrial. Hoopers most admired film, of course, was 1974s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. In 2014, on the occasion of the films 40th anniversary, The Exorcist director William Friedkin interviewed Hooper before an overflow audience at Los Angeles Vista theater. During the engaging conversation, Friedkin called Hooper one of the sweetest, nicest guys Ive ever known. And then added, So I often wonder where this stuff comes from. Hooper talked about purposely pitting his actors against each other to keep the on-screen tension high, how an unlikely pair of albums  Elton Johns Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Lou Reeds Berlin  inspired him during the writing of the screenplay, and about how damn strong women are, referring to the resilent character played by Marilyn Burns. Shes just not going to die. At one point, Friedkin provocatively asked, Do you think this is a work of art? Hooper first asked, Should I be modest? before responding with a salty confirmation, Its a ... work of art. The Times Mark Olsen was there for the interview. At the end of his article, theres this affirmation of the film from Friedkin: No 3-D, no CGI, welcome to this Umami Burger of a movie. Read on to find his reasoning. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Cinefamily suspends all activities in wake of sexual misconduct allegations By Sonaiya Kelley The Cinefamily on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times) Following the resignations Tuesday of two leadership figures at Cinefamily, the Los Angeles independent film venue has announced that it is temporarily suspending all activities to allow for the investigation and necessary restructure of management and the board. Recently, claims were made alleging improper behavior by one of more members of the organization, reads a release posted on the organizations website and social media pages. The Board of Directors of The Cinefamily has no tolerance for any form of behavior that does not conform to the high standards demanded by our members and staff and that of common human decency. The letter also says that Cinefamily is bringing on an independent third party, Giles Miller at Lynx Insights & Investigations, to conduct a thorough investigation into the allegations. View Twitter post A spokesperson for the theater could not immediately be reached for comment. The announcement comes in the wake of two high profile exits: co-founder and executive creative director, Hadrian Belove, and vice president of its board of directors, Shadie Elnashai, resigned on Tuesday following allegations of sexual misconduct. The exits were announced in postings on Cinefamilys social media accounts. In light of recent events, Shadie Elnashai has resigned from Cinefamilys Board of Directors and Hadrian Belove has resigned as the Executive Creative Director of Cinefamily, read the statement. Addressing the anonymous allegations in a post to his personal Facebook account following his resignation, Belove described the emails contents as demonstrable lies and half-truths, and allegations without known victims. It is not clear whether screenings currently scheduled will still run, and there has been grumbling by monthly billed members as to whether or not automated charges will be suspended or cancelled. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre director Tobe Hooper dies in Los Angeles at 74 By Associated Press Tobe Hooper, the horror-movie pioneer whose low-budget sensation The Texas Chain Saw Massacre took a buzz saw to audiences with its brutally frightful vision, has died. He was 74. The Los Angeles County coroners office says Hooper died Saturday in Sherman Oaks. It was reported as a natural death. Hooper and contemporaries like George Romero crafted some of the scariest nightmares that ever haunted moviegoers. He directed 1982s Poltergeist from a script by Steven Spielberg and was behind the 1979 miniseries Salems Lot, based on the Stephen King novel. Read More Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Is Taylor Swift trying to turn off her listeners? By Mikael Wood We can skip the rundown of Taylor Swifts feud with Kanye West, right? Less than 24 hours after the worlds biggest pop star unleashed her new single on a waiting commentariat, Im already exhausted by the idea of having to read (let alone write) yet another rehash of this deeply tiresome conflict. But you know whos not over it? Taylor Swift. In Look What You Made Me Do  released online Thursday night as the lead single from a new album, Reputation, due in November  the singer sounds positively fired up as she takes whack after brutal whack at the rapper who once interrupted her at an awards show. (Swift doesnt name West, to be clear, but with her reference to a tilted stage, she doesnt need to.) I dont like your perfect crime / How you laugh when you lie, she seethes over a throbbing electronic groove, You said the gun was mine / Isnt cool  no, I dont like you. Later in the tune, which Swift created with Jack Antonoff, she pretends to answer a phone call from someone evidently looking for the old Taylor  the sucker, you presume, who mightve let bygones be bygones. But she cant come to the phone, Swift tells the caller. Why? she adds. Oh, cause shes dead. Whats surprising about Look What You Made Me Do  beyond the harsh industrial production that makes it feel like Swifts response to her enemys Yeezus  is that it suggests the singer no longer cares (or is no longer able to tell) what pop fans want. Swift rose to superstardom by anticipating listeners desires; she knew just when to pivot from acoustic guitars to sleek synthesizers, from the fairy-tale romance of early hits like Love Story to the more grown-up depiction found on her last album, 2014s smash 1989. On tour behind that record, she spent a good portion of her show every night telling the members of her audience how closely shed been paying attention to them. But dredging up Taylor v. Kanye again? I mean, I cant be the only one whos sick of this topic  something Swift wouldve known a few years ago without even having to think about it. OK, so she hardly lacks for company among A-listers eager to cook expired beef. Earlier this summer Katy Perry revived her ancient tussle with Swift  I believe it had something to do with backup dancers?  for Swish Swish. But Perrys song takes delight in its own pettiness, whereas Look What You Made Me Do just makes me think of President Trump whining endlessly about fake news. (Crediting Right Said Fred for the songs supposed debt to Im Too Sexy is funny in writing, but the inspiration adds little humor to the dour music.) Maybe Swift isnt aiming for me, though. Maybe this polarizing song is meant to galvanize her base  which, sure enough, is rhapsodizing about the track on social media  even at the expense of the wider world shes dominated for much of the last decade. If thats her play, its a wild one, especially coming after her powerful testimony during the recent trial regarding her alleged sexual assault at the hands of a Denver radio DJ. In court, Swift appeared driven to speak with a voice loud enough for others. Now, just days later, she seems uninterested in that job. Have we ever seen a pop star so happily give up a portion of her following? Thats an idea Im not tired of considering. Maybe Reputation will take it up. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Concerts by Coldplay, other acts canceled as Hurricane Harvey nears Texas By August Brown Coldplay performs at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena in 2016. (Michael Owen Baker / For The Times) As the potentially devastating Hurricane Harvey approaches the Texas coast, major acts including Coldplay, Lady Antebellum and Mary J. Blige have canceled or rescheduled their Houston-area concerts. Coldplay on Friday postponed a show scheduled for NRG Stadium in Houston. We really wanted to play tonight, but sitting here all together watching the news about the storm, we feel that we cant ask anyone to put their safety at risk. So, sadly, we will have to postpone, the band wrote. Live Nation Houston said ticket-holders would be updated when there was further information. We urge all fans in the area to stay safe, it said. A makeup date has not yet been scheduled. The country trio Lady Antebellum canceled its Sunday show at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in the Woodlands, citing the storm. Blige postponed her Friday show at the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land. The venue announced that the concert had been rescheduled to Sept. 19. The Category 3 storm, which would be the first major hurricane to hit the United States since 2005, is expected to make landfall in coastal Texas on Saturday morning, bringing 100-mph winds and up to 35 inches of rain in some areas. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Bachelor couple Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi break off their engagement By Christie DZurilla (Leon Bennett / Getty Images) Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi, who got engaged on the most recent season of The Bachelor, have  with a great amount of heartbreak  called the whole thing off. We gave this relationship our all and we are saddened that we did not get the fairytale ending we hoped for, they said Friday in a statement to E! News. The relationship lasted five months after the proposal aired on the Season 21 finale of The Bachelor in March. The two said in their statement that theyre parting with love and admiration for one another. The silver lining to what they called a difficult decision? This means Nick is potentially available for yet another TV stint in the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise. That as-yet-imaginary gig would be his fifth ride on the looking-for-love roller coaster. In Bachelor Nation, its always good to dream. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher settle lawsuit over websites photos of their kids By Nardine Saad (Michael Nelson / EPA) Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis legal battle with British website MailOnline has been settled. The Two and a Half Men actor, the Bad Moms actress and the outlet have reached a satisfactory resolution of their legal action regarding the publication of photos of their children, their legal representatives said in a joint statement to The Times on Friday. The couple, who starred in That 70s Show together years before they began dating, took the websites publisher, Associated Newspapers, to Londons High Court in July 2015 over two articles featuring their daughter, who was 1 at the time. The U.K.'s MailOnline.com published images of Wyatt taken during a private family outing to the beach. A paparazzo used a long-lens camera to obtain the images, and the couple said they were unaware the photos were being taken. They claimed that the photos breached the Data Protection Act and were used for the unauthorized promotion of clothing on the website. [T]hey have reached a satisfactory resolution of their legal action, which includes an agreement to pixelate photographs of their daughter, Wyatt, their son, Dimitri, and any future children they should have together.  Joint statement from Kutcher, Kunis and the MailOnline announcing their lawsuit settlement Per the agreement announced Friday, the outlet will pixelate photographs of Kutchers and Kunis daughter, Wyatt, their son, Dimitri, and any future children they should have together. The settlement is the latest legal blow to MailOnline and its associated newspaper, the Daily Mail. (The U.S. version of the website, DailyMail.com, is run by a separate news team.) In April, the tabloids parent company settled a libel suit with First Lady Melania Trump over an article it ran in the paper and online that suggested she may have once worked as an escort. In July 2014, George Clooney lambasted the Daily Mail in a USA Today op-ed that accused it of making up stories in the wake of an article it published about his mother-in-law. He got an apology and an acknowledgement that the story was inaccurate. That same month, Angelina Jolie reportedly threatened to take legal action after it published a video that claimed to show her under the influence of heroin in the 1990s. Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Taylor Swifts Look What You Made Me Do lyrics: Let the analysis begin By Randy Lewis As if there were any doubt as to the level of interest in Taylor Swifts first new music in three years, her first single from her forthcoming album, Reputation, has been blowing up since it premiered Thursday night. The lyric video for Look What You Made Me Do had logged more than 7 million views as of 9:30 a.m. Friday. Additionally, Swift tweeted that the official video for the song will premiere Sunday during the MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. For those who want to dig in and attempt to decode what and to whom the I dont like you references might refer, here are the full lyrics to the song: Look What You Made Me Do FIRST VERSE I dont like your little games Dont like your tilted stage The role you made me play Of the fool, no, I dont like you I dont like your perfect crime How you laugh when you lie You said the gun was mine Isnt cool, no, I dont like you PRE-CHORUS But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time Ive got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once, then I check it twice, oh! CHORUS Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look What you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do SECOND VERSE I dont like your kingdom keys They once belonged to me You ask for a place to sleep Locked me out and threw a feast (what?) The world goes on, another day, another drama, drama But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma And then the world moves on, but one things for sure Baby, I got mine, but youll all get yours PRE CHORUS REPEATS But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time Ive got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once, then I check it twice, oh! CHORUS REPEATS Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do THIRD VERSE I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me Ill be the actress starring in your bad dreams (Look what you made me do) (Look what you made me do) ANSWERING MACHINE INTERLUDE Im sorry, the old Taylor cant come to the phone right now. Why? Oh cause shes dead! CHORUS REPEATS Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Ooh, look what you made me do Look what you made me do Look what you just made me do Look what you just made me do Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Patty Jenkins isnt surprised James Cameron doesnt get Wonder Woman By Tracy Brown Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has some words about James Camerons comments on the Amazonian warrior goddess: Of course he doesnt get it. Following the Avatar directors claims that Wonder Woman is a step backwards for women, Jenkins responded in a tweet that Camerons thoughts are unsurprising because he is not a woman. In an interview with the Guardian, Cameron threw some shade on Wonder Womans success by trying to compare Diana Prince to Sarah Connor from his Terminator franchise. "[Sarah Connor] was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit, Cameron said. Nothing like the objectified beauty icon he considers Wonder Woman to be. Jenkins points out that Camerons narrow qualifications for what makes a good female hero are restrictive and not at all progressive. If women have to always be hard, tough and troubled to be strong, and we arent free to be multidimensional or celebrate an icon of women everywhere because she is attractive and loving, then we havent come very far have we, Jenkins wrote. Jenkins also insisted that there should be room for all types of female lead characters and that women themselves should be the judge of these icons of progress. There is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman, she wrote. Read Jenkins full statement below. pic.twitter.com/8zkJXHLCJW  Patty Jenkins (@PattyJenks) August 25, 2017 Facebook

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

James Cameron thinks Wonder Womans success is misguided: Shes an objectified icon By Nardine Saad (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times) James Cameron isnt here for Wonder Womans blockbuster success. In fact, the moviemaker calls the much-loved superhero flick (Wonder Woman is currently at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes) a step back from the female heroes he created in the 80s and 90s. It appears that the Titanic and Terminator 2" director, whose films often put tough women at the center of the action, doesnt think that Gal Gadots character was complicated or groundbreaking enough to merit so much acclaim -- $800 million at the worldwide box office aside. All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywoods been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. Shes an objectified icon, and its just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! Cameron said in an interview with the Guardian. All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywoods been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. Shes an objectified icon, and its just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!  Filmmaker James Cameron on Wonder Woman The director, who was cast in the article as softened and evolved from his bone-crushing early movie-making days, believes that Wonder Woman was a step backwards. (Dont get him wrong, he did like Patty Jenkins summer blockbuster -- the first-ever feature-film incarnation of the DC Comics heroine and the highest-grossing live-action film directed by a woman -- just not enough to let it pass without throwing a little shade Diana Princes way.) Backwards in comparison with Camerons complex Sarah Connor character from the Terminator franchise. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female! Cameron said. The three-time Oscar wi
The avant-pop band Sparks has been making curiously brilliant music for over four decades, and for a lot of that time theyve done so in proximity to Sunset Boulevard.

Founded by brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who were raised in Pacific Palisades, the band earned early attention for gigs at the Whisky a Go Go, and learned the ropes by watching such bands as the Move, Tyrannosaurus Rex, the Doors and the Beach Boys.

It was really our education, said Russell Mael during a recent interview with him and Ron.

Advertisement

On Sept. 8, the band will release a new album, Hippopotamus, and in early 2018 (tentatively), shooting will begin on Annette, the Leo Carax-directed adaptation of a Sparks musical. Adam Driver and Michelle Williams are committed to the project.

FULL COVERAGE: Mapping Sunset Boulevards musical history 

You were raised in Pacific Palisades, so you must have relied on Sunset Boulevard a lot.

Ron Mael: When we started commuting, at least for me, I had a commute along Sunset Boulevard to get to UCLA, so the Dead Mans Curve area and all that, that was something that was really special to me.

And then when we were in school and going to listen to music, it was always going to places like the Whisky and seeing British bands, just getting turned on by so many of those people coming to Los Angeles. The Whisky became so comfortable for us.

Our band got banned from staying at the Hyatt House not for anything glamorous, but for a bagel being tossed out the window.  Ron Mael, Sparks

Why do you think that was?

Ron: It was kind of seedy, and that kind of gave it even a better atmosphere than the wholesome venues. At the time, there were like 12 people in audience when we were playing  maybe six waitresses and six groupies.

Its just such an important artery for me. I got my first speeding ticket on Sunset Boulevard, too, so it was memorable for that.

What kind of car were you driving?

Ron: It doesnt sound like a car that would be speeding, but it was a 1958 Volkswagen and I was doing 53 in a 35.

Did you buy your records at Wallichs Music City?

Ron: That was the most amazing place. What was that, Sunset and Vine? We would go down there, and it was the place where you could try out any record. You go into a little booth and listen to Beach Boys records to decide whether you wanted to buy them.

We ended up buying a lot of records  it was before the Internet and you could discover things that you didnt know about. There would be all these people in booths and there would be a kind of overlap in sounds and you could hear 12 different styles of music.

Aside from the clubs, do you have specific memories of Sparks hanging on the Strip?

Ron: Well, the other thing on Sunset was the Hyatt House, and it had the reputation of bands driving through the lobby on motorcycles and throwing televisions out the windows. That wasnt really our style.

When we moved to London in the mid-70s, we came back to Los Angeles and we stayed at the Hyatt. After our show  we played at the Santa Monica Civic  Rodney [Bingenheimer] was there as part of a little party. But it was such a wholesome party, more in keeping with our general ethos. So we had bagels instead of anything more [garbled].

Somebody threw a bagel out the window and the hotel got really furious. Our band got banned from staying at the Hyatt House not for anything glamorous, but for a bagel being tossed out the window.

Russell: Keith Moon is driving motorcycles down corridors but were the ones that get kicked out for a bagel.

For tips, records, snapshots and stories on Los Angeles music culture, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter and Instagram: @liledit. Email: randall.roberts@latimes.com.
What do Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Eva Herzigova, Fedez, Carine Roitfeld and Nicolas Ouchenir all have in common? Theyre among the numerous high-profile people in Diors online charitable initiative, called the Dior Love Chain.

It comprises a three-minute spot airing on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Sina Weibo, in which each person responds to the question: And you, what would you do for love? Individuals  in the real world  are then meant to post their video answers  that can come in any creative form  with the hashtag #diorlovechain. Theyre also meant to nominate others in their personal circle to answer the same question.

For each post put online, Dior is donating $1 to the WE Charity (known formerly as Free The Children)  specifically its WE Schools program in Kenya, which aims to give education to young girls there. Its an initiative backed by Portman.

Advertisement

The idea of the Dior Love Chain, according to Claude Martinez, president and chief executive officer of Parfums Christian Dior, is to give the floor to people to talk about the universal and timeless theme of love, and what they would do for love.

The executive told WWD that the goal is to make a global chain thats absolutely incredible  and viral.

Martinez said the celebrities and ambassadors really rose to the challenge. Its rather moving, he said, adding: What is interesting is to see how we can try to communicate differently, and I think its a theme of the future. People often speak of top-down communication, which is classical. And here, we have communication thats more horizontal, more [participatory].

I think [people] will have 100 times more creativity in their response, and its this creativity we are after, Martinez continued. Its in the spirit of the times [to] give people a voice.

To help back the campaign, three hand-painted wallscapes in the U.S.  in New Yorks SoHo, and Los Angeles Venice neighborhood and Melrose Avenue  have just been put up saying And You, What Would You Do for Love? Another is to be unveiled in Brooklyn on Sept. 11.

Also starting in September, some of the Love Chains posts will be selected to be shown on Dior.com, and a number are to be chosen to form a traveling exhibition in 2018 that will debut in Shanghai.

ALSO

Reality TV star Lisa Vanderpumps latest L.A. venture is simply for the dogs

Hollywood stylist Tara Swennen adds a new family member to her life  a pet pig

Netflix promotes Disjointed with show-inspired marijuana strains and a pop-up pot dispensary
The Stalking Horse brewpub, scheduled to open in West Pico in September, is the first in a pack of new beer destinations from Golden Road Brewing founder Tony Yanow. Inspired by the laid-back vibes of Cornwall, England, the reworked space, previously home to Steingarten LA, offers a mix of indoor and outdoor seating, and theres a veteran Southern California brewer running the on-site brewing system.

Brewer Brandon Edwards earned a reputation as a skilled technical brewer while working in the Pizza Port brewpub chains, and he has returned to California after a stint in the Midwest at Columbus Brewing Co.

Edwards wouldnt share details on specific beers hes planning for Stalking Horse, but he did say hell start with a variety of brews inspired by English traditions. Yanow and Edwards agree that a strict adherence to style is less important than creating beer thats balanced, clean and connects with customers. Were not forcing the British thing, but we want the beer to start conversations about the English brewing aesthetic, said Yanow. Expect plenty of flavorful, but lower-alcohol styles such as traditional biters and Irish dry stouts.

Advertisement

Im more into making beer that you want to drink, not just beer that you want to taste, said Edwards.

The menu of British pub fare gets the typical Yanow vegan-friendly slant thats proved successful at his other venues -- Mohawk Bend in Echo Park and Tonys Darts Away in Burbank -- and like the perogies served up at Golden Roads Grand Central Market counter, the offerings at the Stalking Horse are inspired by Yanows travels. The brewpub will feature traditional (meat and potatoes) and inventive takes (vegan curry) on the most Cornish of dishes: the pastie. A savory meat pie, the pastie fueled Cornwalls workforce of miners for centuries, and theyre just as suited for fueling a long nights drinking in the pub.

While the on-site brewing operations wont get underway for another month or two, the pub plans to open on Sept. 5 with a lineup of guest taps leaning toward the English styles and a bar program featuring gin, whiskey and cocktails showcasing fresh herbs and botanicals.

The nearly 4,000-square-foot space is divided into dueling dining rooms: the pub side is full of dark woods and provides a view of the stainless steel brewhouse, while two patios and a retractable roof give the dining room an open and airy feel.

In the years since Golden Road Brewing sold to Anheuser Busch, Yanow has organized a cadre of like-minded craft beer enthusiasts and hospitality professionals into the Artisanal Brewers Collective, and the ABC is developing new beer bars and brewpubs across Los Angeles, from Sherman Oaks to Pasadena. Earlier this year, the restaurant group also acquired four popular bars in Downtown Los Angeles from the ACME Hospitality Group, and Library Bar,

Spring Street Bar, Sixth Street Tavern, and Beelmans Pub join Tonys Darts Away and Mohawk Bend under the ABC umbrella. The Stalking Horse is the first of several brewpub concepts in development, the Artisanal Brewers Collective shows no signs of slowing their spread across the Southern California beer landscape.

10543 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, thestalkinghorsepub.com/.

food@latimes.com

@latimesfood

ALSO:

10 of the best new cookbooks of 2017

Forget the drive-thru: 28 easy weeknight dinner ideas

Three great L.A. chefs and what they feed their dogs and cats
It doesnt seem safe, organizer says in canceling San Francisco far-right rally

(Eric Risberg / AP)

Organizers said they canceled Saturdays planned right-wing rally in San Francisco because of safety concerns.

Joey Gibson, founder of the Patriot Prayer group, in a Facebook Live post said that his group had been working with police and decided that tomorrow really seems like a setup.

It doesnt seem safe, a lot of peoples lives are going to be in danger tomorrow, he said during an interview with Unite America First. The rhetoric from Nancy Pelosi, Mayor [Ed] Lee, the media  all these people are saying we are white supremacists and its bringing in tons of extremists. It just seems like a huge setup, so we just decided that we are going to take the opportunity and not fall into that trap and we are not going to go down there. We are not going to have a rally at Crissy Field.

Instead, Gibson said, the group would hold a news conference at 2 p.m. Saturday at Alamo Square Park in San Francisco to talk about some of the rhetoric in the city.

We have a lot of respect for the citizens in San Francisco and at the end of the day, we want people to be safe, he said.

The park was supposed to be closed off, Gibson said, so organizers could control the event, search people who were entering and turn others away.

But he said that it appeared that wasnt going to happen.

Anyone could have come in and it would have been mingling [anti-fascist groups]. Also white supremacists could have shown up, Gibson said.

Honest, in our opinion, it seem like it would have been a huge riot, he said.

Law enforcement has spent weeks planning for the events in San Francisco and Berkeley. At the center of the campaign will be a huge police presence, perhaps more than a thousand officers who intend to crack down at the first sign of trouble.

The San Francisco Police Department planned to have its entire roster on duty for Saturday afternoons rally. Officials said they could not immediately comment Friday on if theyre plans would change for the following day in light of Gibsons announcement.

In Berkeley, the site of Sundays rally, city officials have expressly banned weapons, sticks, projectiles and even soda cans from gatherings of more than 100 people within the city limits. The National Park Service, which operates the land where Saturdays protest was to take place, has established similar rules.

Organizers for both rallies this weekend have said that the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who surfaced in Charlottesville are not welcome at their events. Gibson had demanded that white nationalist figures such as Richard Spencer and Nathan Damigo stay away.

Last week, Gibson told The Times he was concerned that some extreme or racist figures might try to co-opt his rally, a fear shared by experts who track hate groups. He has repeatedly denied the assertion that his event is a white supremacist demonstration and criticized politicians who branded it as such.

Youve got two different people in this world right now. You have people that are trying to change hearts and minds of people, and you have people who are trying to divide the country, he said.

The need for stronger crowd control became clear in the wake of the violent clashes this month between white supremacists and counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Va., where demonstrators on each side complained of lax law enforcement.

But hands-off policing can also allow events to spiral out of control. Anaheim police drew criticism last year after a violent Ku Klux Klan rally. Uniformed officers were nowhere to be found when Klansmen arrived in Pearson Park, and several people were stabbed during a series of brawls between Klan members and anti-racist protesters.

One of the most difficult things we do in our profession is policing 1st Amendment activity, said LAPD Deputy Chief Bob Green, who has served as a commander at dozens of protest scenes during his 30-year career.

Sundays rally in Berkeley, branded by organizers as an anti-Marxism demonstration, has drawn additional concern. Berkeley has been home to a number of violent clashes between political opponents this year. Violent protests on the UC Berkeley campus shut down an appearance by Milo Yiannopoulos in February, and subsequent demonstrations in support of Trump collapsed into roving street fights.

Those opposed to the rallies, including San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, have called on counter-demonstrators to stage their events several blocks from the proposed far-right events. Some activists have also said they are hoping to avoid the violent exchanges that have marred Berkeley in recent months. One woman affiliated with Pastel Bloc in Berkeley, who would only speak on condition of anonymity, said she hopes the number of counter-protesters will swell because of the planned nonviolence.

By not directly confronting the white supremacists, who have brought weapons and started fights before, maybe people who have been hesitant to come show solidarity will feel more empowered to do so, she said, adding that Pastel Bloc itself will not take part in Sundays events.

Even with vows of nonviolence on both sides, law enforcement leaders said they are well aware that it would only take a few agitators to cause a fracas. The issue with policing protests, they say, is that it becomes hard to isolate violent individuals in crowds that often number in the thousands.

Green said preparation is critical to minimizing violence at any large-scale demonstration, adding that the move to disarm protesters in the Bay Area is a good idea.
An agreement has been reached to coordinate the work of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) in Donbas, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said.

"We have agreed on more coordinated work of the OSCE SMM. We are not satisfied when OSCE monitors arrive at 9 a.m., leave at 6 p.m. and shelling then [continues] all night long," Poroshenko said while visiting the town of Pokrovsk, where he attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony at three schools in Pokrovsk, Chasiv Yar and Druzhkivka, all in Donetsk region.

He recalled the Ukrainian initiative, the so-called school-year truce beginning on August 25, declaring a "tough ceasefire." The Ukrainian armed forces have not sustained combat losses for three straight days, the president said.

"We have not had heavy weaponry attacks for three days now," Poroshenko said.
Less than a year ago, President Obamas designation of a new national monument in the eastern Mojave Desert  featuring a row of jagged peaks rising above native grasslands and Joshua trees  was hailed as a compromise that served the goals of conservationists and the mining industry.

The 20,920-acre monument surrounded, but did not include, an open-pit gold mining operation at the southern end of the Castle Mountains. That allowed Newcastle Gold Ltd. of Canada to proceed with plans to excavate 10 million tons of ore from its 8,300-acre parcel through 2025.

The company appreciates that it has been consulted throughout this process, Newcastle said at the time. The new land designation reflects a compromise position that meets our needs as well as respecting the interests of other stakeholders in the area.

Advertisement

So, conservationists said, they were caught off guard to learn Newcastles position shifted after the Trump administration moved to roll back federal protections on many of the monuments created by previous administrations.

Castle Mountains National Monument was not on the list of 27 sites proposed for status modification or elimination. In a plan delivered Thursday to the White House, but not released to the public, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he has suggested the president make changes at a handful of those monuments.

Yet letters obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Newcastle and Rep. Paul Cook (R-Yucca Valley) have told Zinke the designation was made without adequate public outreach or input from the company.

The firms recommended solution: Reduce the size of Castle Mountains National Monument by 50%.

Joshua trees are silhouetted against the setting sun in Castle Mountains National Monument in Southern Californias eastern Mojave Desert. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The company gave its word that the deal we struck nearly a year ago was good, David Lamfrom, director of California and desert wildlife programs for the National Parks Conservation Assn., said last week. So were  furious to learn that the company and its supporters have been secretly complaining that the process was unjust.

In an interview, Gerald Panneton, chief executive of Newcastle, confirmed that the company met with Interior Department officials in June to discuss shrinking the monument. He dismissed the companys initial cheery assessment of Obamas designation as words used to calm investors.

There were never adequate consultations with us, said Panneton, who joined the company after the designation was made. Thats a problem because we need room to explore and grow.

In an opinion piece published Wednesday in the Desert Dispatch newspaper, Cook accused Obama of creating the Castle Mountains monument under the Antiquities Act without a public meeting or public comment as part of a backroom deal with conservationists. He also said Trump has specifically asked Zinke to modify the monument.

Alex Hinson, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of the Interior, declined to comment.

The area where the monument is located, about 100 miles south of Las Vegas, has a long history of battles pitting preservationists against mining, grazing and recreational interests.

In the late 1980s, plans to use a controversial gold-mining technology came under attack by environmentalists, who claimed it would dry up a perennial spring and attract wildlife to cyanide-laced water.

In 1994, the mineral-rich portion of land was carved out of the adjacent Mojave National Preserve at the request of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who recognized the economic value of its gold mining operations. The then-Viceroy Mine produced more than 1 million ounces of gold by the time its main pits  dubbed Leslie Ann, Oro Bell and Jumbo  were shuttered in 2001 due to low gold prices.

Standing one recent day at the edge of a mining pit dug into the mountains, Newcastle environmental manager Aren Hall smiled and said, Impressive, isnt it?

Panneton said Newcastle aims to resume production next year.

Were more than happy to sit down with environmental groups and work out our differences, he said. For example, the mine could help subsidize the monument and Mojave National Preserve once its up and running and making a profit.

Lamfrom, however, has his doubts.

The companys word is not as good as gold, he said

Here are the national monuments being reviewed under Trumps order 

louis.sahagun@latimes.com

Twitter: @LouisSahagun

ALSO

Interior Department identifies a handful of national monuments to shrink in its report to Trump

Farmed Atlantic salmon escape into Washington state waters. Heres why fishermen are worried

A new gold rush is on, sparked by Californias post-drought snowmelt
Qatar interview: In the Aug. 27 Section A, an article about an interview with Qatars director of government communications said that he was asked a question about Egypts Mohamed Morsi coming to power in a coup. Morsi was ousted in a coup.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Deirdre Edgar, readers representative, by email at readers.representative@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep.
Should the Los Angeles Unified School District oversee the education of the citys disadvantaged students? Or are those students better off when others step in to do the job?

With the growth of charter schools backed by some of the citys most prominent people, such questions have long been a hot topic.

Last week they found a new focus, in a debate over a proposed science and math school sponsored and overseen by the state.

Advertisement

Discussion of whether or not to back it caused the first major divide on the newly configured L.A. Board of Education, at its first public meeting of substance. The debate also suggested that the politics of a divisive May school board election will continue to play out in the nations second-largest school system.

A bill to create a new school focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) currently is before the state Legislature. The sponsor of the legislation, Assembly Bill 1217, is Raul Bocanegra (D-San Fernando).

Supporters say the state-sponsored school model has proven successful elsewhere, with 15 such schools in 14 other states. They envision a new state-of-the-art campus in downtown L.A. and have collected endorsements from Cal Tech, UCLA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Negro College Fund and four of five L.A. County supervisors.

A notable backer is local philanthropist and major charter-school funder Eli Broad, who has pledged to help pay for the project.

The school will particularly seek to serve low-income students and other high-need students, Broad said in a statement to The Times.

Critics say the new school, as described in the bill, looks very much like an independent charter school. They are concerned that the campus proposal amounts to an end run around the local school district and another effort to lessen local school boards authority to approve and monitor public schools within their boundaries.

At last weeks Board of Education meeting, board member George McKenna put forward a resolution to let legislators know that L.A. Unified thinks the proposed school is a bad idea. The board vigorously debated the resolution for more than an hour.

In the end, three board members wanted to state the boards opposition to the idea. All are retired educators who once were L.A. school principals.

The four members against the resolution form the boards new, first-of-its-kind majority backed by charter supporters. Three of the four  incumbent Monica Garcia and newcomers Nick Melvoin and Kelly Gonez  got pivotal financial support from charter backers in the May election. The fourth, board president Ref Rodriguez, received similar backing two years ago.

The resolution to oppose the state STEM school failed by a 4-3 tally.

Charters are independently managed, with greater freedoms than most traditional public schools. In L.A., most are nonprofit and nonunion, which is how the proposed school would be set up. Charter proponents often argue that union contracts and school district bureaucracy get in the way of improving students education.

L.A. Unified has more charters than any other school system, serving about 16% of district students. Some charter advocates have long wanted to spur even faster charter growth by making it easier for other entities to approve them.

Like a charter school, the proposed STEM campus would operate independently under an appointed board of directors and would be up for renewal in five years. Unlike the typical charter, it would not be authorized and supervised by the local school board.

McKenna saw that lack of local oversight as a fatal flaw, and he said L.A. Unified already has scores of math and science programs, including many excellent ones, that could benefit from philanthropists help. Board members, he added, have a responsibility to oppose a school that, like charters, would drain students, state funding and other resources away from district schools that need them. District schools already are underenrolled, and allowing this project and others like it, he said, would speed up the exodus of students.

The board majority did not share McKennas concern.

Garcia, the longest-serving board member, said there are not enough effective district-run schools. Melvoin said parents deserve more choice and L.A. schools should compete for students by offering stronger programs. Gonez tried unsuccessfully to craft a compromise before voting against McKennas resolution.

Rodriguez cast the deciding vote. After mostly remaining silent, he said he objected to wording in sections of the resolution. He did not suggest alternative language or express a view about the proposed school.

Speakers before the board split along a fault line familiar from the school board race.

Although the California Charter Schools Assn. said it has no position because the school isnt a charter, it strongly urged the board to reject McKennas resolution. (Broad gave $1.9 million to CCSAs political wing in April and May, which helped fuel L.A.s most expensive board elections ever.)

United Teachers Los Angeles  second to charter backers in school board election spending (and on the losing side)  argued against the school, which also is opposed by the California Teachers Assn. and the California School Boards Assn.

In a rare stand on a politically divisive issue, Supt. Michelle King said she opposed the bill. King said shed been unable to get the bills author to explain how this school really was different from a charter and why it should not have similar local oversight. She also said she didnt see a need.

Im uncomfortable with the narrative that something else has to be set up because we are not doing something in LAUSD, she said.

howard.blume@latimes.com

@howardblume
Worried about Republican efforts to eliminate a program that protects people who were brought into the country illegally at a young age, Itzel Guillen struggled to control her nerves as she recently sat in a car waiting to cross back into the U.S. from Mexico.

Guillen, a San Diego resident who first came to the U.S. without authorization at age 5 from Mexico City with her family, is a beneficiary of former President Obamas program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.

Though she had permission to leave the U.S. for a short work trip to Tijuana, Guillen knew that she still risked being turned away if border officials did not find her trip credible. She took that risk, she said, because with the DACA program in limbo, Guillen hoped that her journey would shed light on the kinds of opportunities that it has given to people like her.

Advertisement

The DACA program works, she said. This is giving me a light to where my roots are. It grounds me.

DACA does not give Guillen legal status in the U.S., but it does give her work authorization and a promise from the federal government that she wont be deported as long as she is part of the program.

When President Trump was on the campaign trail last year, he promised that he would end the DACA program. He later seemed to change his mind.

Some news agencies reported that White House officials intend to use the program as a bargaining chip to get Congress to pass legislation funding Trumps other immigration proposals such as a border wall or additional deportation officers. Rumors began to circulate last week that Trump is leaning toward ending the program this week.

In late June, a coalition led by Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton informed the Trump administration that it would have to get rid of DACA or the 10 Republican-led states involved would pursue a lawsuit challenging the program. The coalitions letter gave Trump until Sept. 5 to decide. Attorneys general of several Southern states as well as Idaho signed the letter. California is not one of the states pushing to end the program.

I feel like I cannot make a decision about my life because it could go either way, Guillen said. Its difficult to live in that uncertainty every day.

DACA does not enable recipients to come back to the U.S. if they leave. They can apply before they travel for permission to reenter the U.S. through another legal process called advance parole. The federal government grants advance parole in a handful of circumstances  humanitarian reasons such as getting medical treatment or going to a family members funeral, educational reasons such as study abroad programs or work-related reasons including conferences or meeting with overseas clients.

Guillen, who, as an activist and organizer at Alliance San Diego, specializes in issues in San Diegos immigrant communities, got advance parole to meet with community leaders at migrant shelters in Tijuana. She also attended a conference for a study abroad program that caters to dreamers with advance parole.

Children in Mexico working as street vendors made her realize what her life could have been like, she said.

Seeing the children working, trying to make a living, it makes me feel privileged, Guillen said. I understand why my family made the decision to come to the U.S.

During her trip, she reunited with Sergio Rene, a cousin who is like an older brother to her, and met his two children, ages 6 and 4, for the first time. The differences in opportunity that Rene and Guillen have had in life illustrate the importance of the DACA program, Guillen said.

They crossed the border together in 1999 and were raised together until Rene graduated from high school and realized that as an unauthorized immigrant, he wouldnt be able to go to college in the U.S.

He moved back to Mexico when Guillen was 15. He went to a university for a while, he said, and now works in Mexico Citys tourism industry.

One of their last memories together is dancing a tango at Guillens quinceanera. Rene, now 34, still keeps a photo of the moment on his phone.

Right after Guillen graduated from high school in 2012, Obama introduced the DACA program. With the ability to work legally to pay for her education, Guillen, now 23, recently graduated with a bachelors degree from San Diego State.

Had he stayed in the U.S., Rene would have qualified for DACA as well, Guillen said.

I think that mostly sucks, Guillen said. The opportunities that were given to me were not given to him. I know we had the same potential.

When he looks at his cousins life, Rene said, he feels proud.

I never thought I would see her doing what shes doing, he said.

The most important thing Guillen gained from the trip, she said, was a fuller sense of self. Before her journey, she felt disconnected from Mexico, an important part of her identity.

What resonates most is to embrace the fact that I am from both, Guillen said. I am binational. I am bicultural.

Growing up in San Diego, she said, she avoided going too far south for fear of making a wrong turn and ending up on the other side of a line she could not recross. When she passed the Last USA exit sign on purpose last week, she said, reality hit her.

On Monday morning, as she ate her last meal in Mexico, chilaquiles with salsa verde, Guillens nerves took away her appetite.

Christian Ramirez and Andrea Guerrero, who both work with Guillen at Alliance San Diego, accompanied her across the border. Ramirez made jokes to distract her and took her through deep-breathing exercises as they waited for about an hour and 45 minutes to get to the front of the line. Because of Guillens advance parole, a border official sent the car to secondary inspection, where Guillen was taken inside a building for questioning.

While she was inside, another official searched the hood and trunk of Ramirezs car. He rapped his knuckles against the doors to listen for signs that something might be stashed there.

When Guillen returned about 15 minutes later, she was glowing with happiness and relief. As Ramirez drove his car toward San Diego, Guillen called her mother to tell her that she was home.

She hopes that one day she will be able to visit Mexico again, as long as she can still come back.

kate.morrisey@sduniontribune.com
One of the last known people to see writer Susan Berman alive in 2000 testified Monday that he had suspected her manager in the slaying, which prosecutors say was committed by her best friend, New York real estate scion Robert Durst.

Richard Markey said that Berman, his friend, had a turbulent relationship with her manager, Nyle Brenner. After the killing, Brenner told him he didnt plan to cooperate with authorities, Markey said.

The testimony came during a hearing in a Los Angeles courtroom during which several witnesses, including Dursts high school classmate turned personal attorney, are scheduled to testify for the prosecution.

Advertisement

Prosecutors say the 74-year-old multimillionaire  whose navy suit jacket hung from his frail frame Monday  shot Berman inside her Benedict Canyon home in 2000 to silence her for knowing too much about the 1982 disappearance of his wife, Kathleen.

Berman, who was the daughter of a Las Vegas mob boss, met Durst in the 1960s while both attended UCLA and had acted as his unofficial spokeswoman after the disappearance.

Durst has pleaded not guilty and says he doesnt know who killed Berman. Because his trial is unlikely to start before at least 2018, prosecutors have called several elderly witnesses ahead of time to preserve their testimony. Mondays proceeding began the fourth round of such hearings  called conditional examinations  in which witnesses are videotaped while testifying.

Markey, 69, described Berman  whom he met while picketing at a writers strike in 1988  as someone with an insatiable curiosity, vast knowledge of esoteric historical facts and a lot of phobias. Berman, he said, was extremely security-conscious, adding that even when she knew he had plans to visit her, shed always peek out the window and then ask, through the door, who was there.

When Deputy Dist. Atty. Habib Balian asked Markey if he thought Berman  who was shot inside her home  wouldve unlocked the door for a stranger, Markey said no.

She had a phobia about things like that, he said.

Markey also testified that Berman told him that Durst had sent her two checks  each, he thought, for $25,000  in the month or so before her death.

On Dec. 22, 2000, Markey said, he went to dinner and a movie with Berman at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Over the meal, they spoke about a lot of things, including Bermans frustrations with her landlord.

Susan had been essentially at war with her, Markey said, adding that Berman had been overdue on rent. But the problem had been resolved, Markey said, noting that he thought Berman had used the money from Durst to pay her rent.

After watching Best in Show that evening, Markey said, Berman took him home. And since she knew he was headed to Las Vegas for a family reunion, she gave him the address of a home shed once lived in and told him to drop by if he had the time. She then drove off, he said, and he never saw her again.

When he returned from his trip, Markey said he had a phone message from Brenner, the manager, saying Berman was dead and that the police would probably be contacting him.

Under cross-examination by Chip Lewis, one of Dursts attorneys, Markey said Berman and her manager had a love-hate relationship, adding that Brenner was often frustrated by Bermans demands.

He certainly carried the brunt of her anxieties, the witness said.

Markey said he eventually returned Brenners call and said his friends manager told him to expect the police to pry into his life, warning Markey to protect himself.

Did Brenners comment seem strange, the defense attorney asked? Yes, Markey responded.

When the defense attorney asked Markey if Brenner had ever told him that hed sneaked into Bermans home after the killing, Markey initially said he didnt recall, but then added that he did remember the manager saying something about seeing fingerprint dust inside Bermans home. The manager also told him, Markey testified, that police wanted his phone records, but that he didnt plan to cooperate.

Is it fair to say, Lewis asked, you were suspicious of Mr. Brenners involvement in Susans death?

Yes, Markey said. (Authorities once considered Brenner a potential suspect.)

Markey also testified that after Bermans memorial service hed gone to lunch with Durst  who didnt attend the service  and a mutual friend. Durst, he recalled, said he hadnt attended because he didnt want to create a media circus. Over lunch, Markey said, Durst didnt seem concerned about what happened to Berman, focusing instead on how he was being hounded by a prosecutor in Westchester County, N.Y., who had reopened an investigation into his wifes disappearance years earlier.

After Markeys testimony, prosecutors began questioning Bermans former boyfriend, Paul Kaufman, who described Berman as an extremely generous person, who became a surrogate mother of sorts to his two children.

Kaufman, 74, testified that on a plane ride to New York years ago with Berman, she told him that Durst killed his wife. The topic came up, Kaufman testified, because he and Berman were discussing murder scripts and mobster ideas.

She said, By the way, you know, Mr. Durst killed his wife, Kaufman testified. He said he wasnt sure if what shed said was true as it had come up while theyd been talking about imaginary circumstances.

When the prosecutor asked him if hed asked Berman how she knew this, he said, No, I did not at the time. I did not particularly believe it or disbelieve it.

Asked by another of Dursts attorneys, David Chesnoff, whether it would be true to say that he took the comment with a grain of salt, the witness responded: This is true.

She was capable of saying all kinds of things  that was part of her charm, Kaufman said, adding that Berman sometimes embellished facts.

Kaufman also testified that when he heard about her death, his first thought was that she might have been killed by a Las Vegas mobster.

After Chesnoff finished questioning the witness and returned to his seat, Durst extended his arm.

Thank you, the defendant said, shaking his attorneys hand. That was very good.

On Tuesday prosecutors plan to question Stewart Altman, a labor lawyer who went to high school with Durst in Scarsdale, N.Y.

Prosecutors will probably question Altman about a phone call he had with the defendant years ago. During a hearing last month, prosecutors played a clip of a Dateline television episode, which featured Altman talking about a call he received from Durst, who at the time was jailed in Galveston, Texas, pending trial in the killing of his neighbor, Morris Black. (Durst admitted shooting Black and then chopping up his body, but argued that hed accidentally shot him in self-defense during an argument. He was ultimately acquitted.)

He said he went to a fugue state, Altman told the reporter, quoting Durst. Its hard to understand.

Last month, Altmans wife, Emily, testified that Durst once told her that hed been in Los Angeles around the time of his best friends murder. She said she believed hed stayed at the Beverly Hilton. The hotel, a prosecutor told the judge, is less than three miles from Bermans home. Her testimony provided a key piece of evidence, as investigators had struggled to put the millionaire in L.A. at the time Berman was killed.

But under cross-examination, Emily Altman ultimately backtracked, saying that she couldnt recall if shed heard the information directly from Durst or from her husband and that she wasnt sure if Durst had been in Los Angeles or merely in California. She testified that after giving her initial testimony she spoke with her husband, who told her that he believed she was mistaken about the conversation.

Defense attorneys, as well as Stewart Altmans personal attorneys, have objected to the questioning, citing attorney-client privilege for himself and his wife, who is the sole employee at her husbands law firm.

In a letter to prosecutors late last year, Altmans attorney, John Macklin, said that his client began working as a personal lawyer for Durst in 1969 and any communication theyd had since then was protected. Emily Altman testified last month that although her husband wasnt part of the trial team in Galveston, he had been retained as Dursts attorney at that time and often spoke with members of the trial team.

The hearing is expected to last several days.

marisa.gerber@latimes.com

For more news from the Los Angeles County courts, follow me on Twitter: @marisagerber

UPDATES:

4:30 p.m.: This article was updated with more details from Mondays testimony.

2:25 p.m.: This article was updated with details from Mondays testimony.

This article was originally published at 5 a.m.
For more than a decade and a half, Los Angeles has banned the sale of ultracompact guns, which lawmakers feared could be more easily hidden by criminals.

Now the city is poised to eliminate that rule in the face of legal warnings from the National Rifle Assn. and the California Rifle & Pistol Assn., which say that the city restrictions have been preempted by state law.

L.A.s longstanding ban prohibits firearm dealers in the city from selling smaller guns that measure up to 6.75 inches in length and 4.5 inches in height, as well as holsters to carry them.

Advertisement

It also requires dealers to keep records of any sales of ultracompact guns to police officers and other buyers who are not covered by the ban.

Banning sales of ultracompact guns was championed by gun control groups such as Women Against Gun Violence and City Atty. Mike Feuer, who was serving as a city councilman when the law was passed in 2001.

These concealable, compact weapons are the weapons of choice for criminals, Feuer said when the council voted to back the law.

The Violence Policy Center, a research group focused on preventing gun violence, also warned that the portability of pocket rockets raised the risk that previously lawful gun owners could misuse them in moments of anger, depression, or other emotional instability. Oakland and San Francisco had already passed similar rules when L.A. lawmakers adopted their ban.

Gun rights groups opposed the ban, arguing that the law would hurt women and disabled gun owners who need smaller weapons to defend themselves from attackers. One gun owner told city lawmakers that the measure should be renamed the Criminal Home Invasion Protection Ordinance.

Since then, the NRA and the California Rifle & Pistol Assn. have repeatedly demanded that L.A. abolish the ban.

We asked them to repeal this because its preempted by state law that says specifically which handguns gun dealers can and cannot sell in the state of California, said Chuck Michel, attorney for the California Rifle & Pistol Assn. This local ordinance conflicts with the state law, which allows a few of these handguns to be sold.

The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to vote on repealing the ban Tuesday.

In response to questions, Feuer spokesman Rob Wilcox said that nobody had ever been prosecuted for breaking the city law. Other jurisdictions have already repealed similar bans, he said.

Wilcox declined to make Feuer available for an interview and said the office could not comment further as this issue may be subject to litigation.

California law restricts what kind of guns can be sold in the state based on testing and micro-stamping requirements. Fewer than 800 models of handguns are currently allowed to be sold in California, according to a state roster. Wilcox said he did not have information on how many guns on that list would become legal for purchase in L.A. if the city ban were removed.

Although the L.A. ban may be reversed, Women Against Gun Violence Executive Director Margot Bennett said in an emailed statement that we are confident that Los Angeles is protected by state law, which has significant restrictions around the types of guns that can be purchased.

This is not the first time that gun rights groups have argued that California state law should preempt local restrictions. After L.A. banned the possession of firearm magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition, the California Rifle & Pistol Assn. and dozens of county sheriffs from elsewhere in California sued the city, arguing that its ban was preempted by state law.

Since then, however, California voters have passed a ballot measure that outlaws the possession of such ammunition magazines across the state.

That law has also been challenged by gun rights groups, which succeeded in June in getting a federal judge to block the magazine restrictions from going into effect while the court challenges continue.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Twitter: @LATimesEmily

ALSO

Mother killed, father wounded in car-to-car shooting in L.A.

Violence by far-left protesters in Berkeley sparks alarm

Trump is ending restrictions that limit the military from giving surplus gear to police

UPDATES:

3:40 p.m.: This article was updated with additional reaction and background.

11:30 a.m.: This article was updated with a response from City Atty. Mike Feuers spokesman.

This article was originally published at 10:25 a.m.
Tropical Storm Harvey continued to pummel southeast Texas on Monday, leaving at least nine people dead and vast swaths of the nations fourth-largest city unrecognizable as murky brown water submerged highways, houses, shopping plazas and entire neighborhoods.

Federal officials said more than 30,000 people in Houston and across the Gulf Coast were likely to seek temporary shelter as Harvey, which initially made landfall as a hurricane, continued to drench parts of Texas and Louisiana with heavy rain and surging floodwaters.

Parts of Harris County have seen 30 inches of rain  and an additional 15 to 25 inches are still on the way as Harvey regains strength, the National Weather Service said.

Advertisement

It has to be categorized as one of the largest disasters America has ever faced, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters.

But the precise toll of the brutal storm remained unknown. Emergency officials had no way of knowing how many people might be dead and not yet discovered, or how many others were trapped in their homes.

As the rain kept pouring, as many as 13 million people from Houston to New Orleans were under flood watches and warnings. Many residents climbed to the upper stories of their homes. Some even pitched tents on roofs, waiting it out until a boat or helicopter swooped in.

Harvey has in many ways turned southeast Texas into an inland lake  the size of Lake Michigan, said Brad Kieserman, vice president of disaster operations and logistics for the American Red Cross.

By Monday evening, the death toll had risen to nine. Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, reported at least six potentially storm-related fatalities. A 60-year-old woman died Monday in Porter, a small community north of Houston, when a large oak fell on her mobile home. Another person died in the small coastal town of Rockport, near where Harvey made landfall. A 52-year-old homeless man was found in La Marque, a small city near Galveston.

Local officials were looking into reports that a family of six  four children and their great-grandparents  drowned Sunday near Greens Bayou in east Houston. Virginia Saldivar, 59, said her brother-in-law, Sam, crossed a bridge over the bayou as he was driving her grandchildren and her husbands parents to higher ground when the current swept up the van.

As the van nosedived into the water, Sam climbed out of the front seat and urged the children to open the back doors. But the current moved too swiftly. As he grabbed on to a tree limb, he watched the van disappear into the water.

I just want my babies, said Saldivar, who is at her sons house in Humble, Texas. We dont have the bodies. We dont know where the van is, if its down in the bayou.

I just want my babies.  Virginia Saldivar, whose grandchildren died in the flood

Across the region, a navy of amateurs in kayaks, motorboats, airboats and circular pool floats searched for stranded survivors, sometimes persuading hardheaded homeowners that they needed to leave their flooded homes.

Men and women, with grief and relief written on their faces, waded out from the water with whole families in tow, holding what belongings they could carry  sometimes babies and pets, which they held delicately over the water. Lives depended on it.

In Washington, President Trump, who planned to visit southern Texas on Tuesday, predicted that federal aid would be delivered quickly.

Youre going to see very rapid action from Congress, certainly from the president. We think youre going to have what you need and its going to go fast, Trump said at a news conference with the Finnish president in Washington.

But he cautioned that the extent of the disaster was still unknown.

Its a long road. Still pouring. Nobodys ever seen anything like it. Ive heard the word epic. Ive heard historic. Thats what it is, he said.

At a news conference in Corpus Christi on Monday, Gov. Abbott emphasized that the regions journey to recovery was just beginning.

There is much to do, he said. This is a place that Texas and FEMA will be involved in for a long, long time We need to recognize its going to be a new normal  a new and different normal for this entire region.

By Monday morning, 911 operators had received 56,000 calls, but the backlog that left residents hanging on the telephone, calls unanswered, was almost resolved, city officials said. Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said officers had rescued 2,000 people from flooding in the city and 185 critical requests for help remained pending.

Our goal is to complete the rescues of all critical missions today, Acevedo said.

Its still a very dangerous situation out there, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena said, noting that there had been 290 water rescues since midnight and his department also had pending calls. Were expecting more rain. Were expecting the demand for our services is going to increase.

By Monday afternoon, nearly 7,000 people filled the two main Houston-area shelters, and local officials were looking for another major shelter to house the streams of displaced residents.

Houston braced for yet more water as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers opened two swollen flood-control reservoirs early Monday. The corps said it needed to undertake a controlled release of water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs to limit the scope of the disaster.

Even with the controlled release, the reservoirs were rising at a rate of 4 inches an hour, said Edmund Russo, deputy district engineer for programs and project management for the Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District.

It could create additional problems, additional flooding, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at a news conference Monday. People who were not in a crisis state yesterday may find themselves in a crisis state today.

Strong currents proved a challenge Monday morning as half a dozen volunteers with a pontoon boot tried to save 20 people, including children and the elderly, trapped in a flooded neighborhood in Spring, at the northern edge of Houston.

People called out for help from the upper levels of two-story homes. But the 40-foot boat could save only a dozen at a time. After they launched to attempt the rescue, a Harris County deputy constable ran up to the crew, frantic. Authorities planned to release more water from Lake Conroe to the north that would overwhelm the creek, he said.

The boat retreated without saving anyone.

We couldnt get them, Mandi Davis, 36, of Spring said when she landed. The current was too strong and the water was too deep. Theyre going to have to get airlifted out.

Genesis Rivas, 20, and her family were disappointed to see the volunteers return empty-handed. Seven of her relatives were stranded, including her grandmother and two children, ages 4 and 2. She estimated 200 people were trapped on her street.

Were worried about the kids, she said as the group huddled under an umbrella near the would-be rescuers. Hay mucha agua  the water is too strong, she told a relative in a mix of Spanish and English. Her sister watched astonished as an Austin special operations rescue crew arrived, checked the water and departed.

Theyre just going to leave the people there? said Odaly Ticas, 23. Its more than 200 people. There was a cop with a boat just here. I dont know why they left.

1 / 87 Samir Novruzov wades through water to get to a vehicle after spending the day clearing out his flooded home in Katy, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 87 Melissa Teague, right, instructs her children Andrew and Emily as they clear out their flooded home in Katy, Texas, on Monday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 87 People ride through floodwaters in Katy, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 87 People hop off Chris Ginters truck as he helps ferry residents around Katy, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 87 Two men collect a disposed mattress as residents in the Trinity/Houston Garden area of northeast Houston gut their flooded homes. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 87 Wayne Christopher, center, weeps as his wife, Helen, looks on during a Sunday service at First United Methodist Church in Dickinson, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 87 Hurricane Harvey severely damaged the First Baptist Church in Rockport, Texas. Worshipers on Sunday brought their own chairs to take part in an outdoor service. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 87 Ken Garrett, right, hugs Pastor Jordan Mims after they both delivered prayers on the grounds of the First Baptist Church in Rockport, Texas. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 87 University of Houston law professor Johnny Buckles props up an American flag on the debris pile from his flood-damaged home in the Kingwood area of north Houston. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 87 Jose Esquivel flags down motorists to visit a parking lot full of donated clothes, supples, water and brisket in Refugio, Texas. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 87 Despite heavy damage and no electricity, a homeowner displays his patriotism while clean up and recovery efforts continue in his devastated neighborhood of Rockport. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 87 Volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, Yusuf Seager, from left, Rahib Ahmed, Rahman Nasir, and Khalil Nasir help tear out drywall damaged by floodwater in the Westbury neighborhood in Houston. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 87 Volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association help residents of the Westbury neighborhood in Houston clear debris from their homes. It is also the Islamic holiday of Eid-ul-Adha. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 87 Many roads and Interstates in Texas remain flooded, including this one in west Houston. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 87 Jenna Fountain and her father Kevin carry a bucket down Regency Drive to try to recover items from their flooded home in Port Arthur, Texas on Thursday. (Emily Kask / AFP / Getty Images) 16 / 87 Lillie Roberts talks with family members as contractor Jerry Garza begins the process of repairing her Houston home on Friday. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) 17 / 87 Volunteers from the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association to perform holy prayer as they help local residents in the Kashmere Gardens area of Houston clean out their flooded homes. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 87 Volunteers assist Cornell Beasley with repairs to his damaged home in Houston on Friday. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) 19 / 87 Katie Estridge organizes hundreds of soaked family photographs on the front lawn of her fathers home in northeast Houston. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 87 Wes Higgins wipes sweat from his face after spending five days patrolling flooded Houston neighborhoods in his boat. Higgins, from Knott, Texas, organized a volunteer team of 10 boats to help Houston residents. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 87 Members of the California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wing, Senior Airman George McKenzie, left, and Master Sgt. Adam Vanhaaster, right, help a man carry his infant, who has a serious medical condition, to a hospital in Orange, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 87 A search-and-rescue crew speeds along Maple Rock Drive in west Houston looking for flood victims. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 87 A woman and a child are among those rescued by California Air National Guardsmen in Lumberton, north of Beaumont. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 87 California Air National Guard 129th Rescue Wings Master Sgt. Adam Vanhaaster searches for people in need of help near Lumberton. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 87 A man prepares his dinner at home near Lumberton. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 87 Boys sit on a damaged railroad track near Lumberton. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 87 A woman waves to a California Air National Guard helicopter from her neighborhood near Lumberton. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 87 A drop-off point for boat rescues in Lumberton. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 87 Baseball fields in Lumberton are inundated. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 87 Coca-Cola delivery trucks are trapped by floodwater in Lumberton, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 87 A military search and rescue helicopter refuels mid-flight before resuming nighttime missions over areas flooded in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 87 Houston police search a flooded home after hearing that an elderly couple lived there. The house was empty. Police later learned the couple had safely evacuated. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 87 West Houston resident Pedro Albiso uses trash bags to protect his shoes and pants as he prepares to cross a flooded street. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 87 Patients are evacuated from Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas after the city of Beaumont lost its water supply. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 87 Fatima Flores, 12, gets her hair done by cousins Shelly Flores, 7, left, and Ashley Flores, 7, as their family takes shelter at Max Bowl, a bowling alley in Port Arthur, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 87 James Benoit, left, and George Clipton sought refuge at Max Bowl in Port Arthur, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 87 June Ayrow spent the night with his oxygen tanks underneath a table at Max Bowl in Port Arthur, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 87 Floodwaters surround homes Thursday in Port Arthur, Texas. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) 39 / 87 Volunteers rescue patients from the Cypress Glen nursing home where floodwaters trapped dozens of elderly patients in Port Arthur, Texas on Wednesday. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 87 Residents lie on sofas as they wait to be evacuated from the Cypress Glen senior care facility in Port Arthur, Texas, which was inundated with floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Wednesday. (Matt Pearce / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 87 Emergency crews help rescue elderly residents from the Golden Years Assisted Living home in Orange, Texas, on Wednesday. (Gerald Herbert / Associated Press) 42 / 87 Rescuer workers help a woman from her flooded home n Port Arthur, Texas. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 43 / 87 Evacuees ride on a truck after they were driven from their homes by the flooding in Port Arthur, Texas. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 44 / 87 People wait in line to buy groceries at a Food Town during the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images) 45 / 87 Juan Figueroa removes damaged furniture from his mothers northeast Houston home where residents begin rebuilding from the devastating effects of the storm. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 87 Rafael Minor, left, and Miguel Ramirez remove the contents from a flooded home in northeast Houston on Wednesday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 87 A construction crew cleans out a home that was flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey in Spring, Texas. (Brett Coomer / Associated Press) 48 / 87 A flooded residential neighborhood near Interstate 10 in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 87 A flooded residential neighborhood near Interstate 10 in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 87 People come out to view the flooded areas near their homes in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 87 CaroLine Kirkpatrick of Salt Lake City, Utah, is evacuated from the Omni Hotel by rescue worker Adam Caballero in Addicks, a suburb of Houston, Texas. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 52 / 87 People displaced by flooding fill the shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. (LM Otero / Associated Press) 53 / 87 Mark Ocosta and his baby, Aubrey, take shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 54 / 87 Frantzy Thenor receives an embrace from a fellow evacuee after he helped her leave from the flooded Omni Hotel, in the Addicks area of Houston, Texas. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 55 / 87 Storm clouds over Houston skyline. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 56 / 87 Recreational vehicles sit on their sides in flood water in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 57 / 87 A woman carries a dog above the rising floodwaters near Addicks Reservoir. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 58 / 87 Eduardo Retiz, 21, drives his elevated pickup truck through a flooded street near Addicks Reservoir. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 59 / 87 Mike Hoskovec, left, walks to a boat after helping friend Ben Berg, behind, move some photo albums to the second floor of his Nottingham Woods home. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 60 / 87 Matthew Koser looks for important papers and heirlooms inside his grandfathers house after it was flooded by heavy rains. (Erich Schlegel / Getty Images) 61 / 87 Residents wade through floodwaters as they evacuate their homes near the Addicks Reservoir Tuesday. (David J. Phillip / Associated Press) 62 / 87 Larry Koser Jr., left and his son Matthew look for important papers and heirlooms inside Larry Koser Sr.'s house after it was flooded by heavy rains. (Erich Schlegel / Getty Images) 63 / 87 Portions of Interstate 10 remain flooded in Houston, Texas. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times) 64 / 87 Rising flood waters stranded hundreds of residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 65 / 87 Comfort Morgan is helped to dry land after being rescued from her flooded home in Twin Oaks Village in Clodine. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 66 / 87 Rising flood waters stranded hundreds of residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine, where a collection of small boat owners, including some with pool toys, coordinated to bring most to dry ground. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 67 / 87 Rising flood waters stranded hundreds of residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine, where an collection of small boat owners coordinated to bring most to dry ground. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 68 / 87 Hundreds of residents of Twin Oaks Village are evacuated in Clodine Monday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 69 / 87 Residents are stranded at Twin Oaks Village in Clodine due to rising flood water. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 70 / 87 Stranded residents of Twin Oaks Village in Clodine are evacuated from the rising flood water. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 71 / 87 Jan Tullos, 32, searches a flooded home for an injured woman who was reportedly stranded inside in Clodine, Texas. The home was empty. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 72 / 87 People walk down a flooded Houston street as they evacuate their homes after the area was inundated with rains from Tropical Storm Harvey. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 73 / 87 Dean Mize holds children as he and Jason Legnon use an airboat to rescue people from flooded homes in Houston on Monday. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 74 / 87 Dean Mize, left and Jason Legnon carry a person to an airboat as they rescue people in Houston. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 75 / 87 Evacuees walk down a flooded street after leaaving their homes Monday in Houston. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 76 / 87 Dean Mize holds a child as he helps evacuate people in Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to drench southeastern Texas and Louisiana with heavy rains and surging floodwaters. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 77 / 87 People evacuate their flooded homes on Monday in Houston. By Monday morning, 911 operators had received 56,000 calls, city officials said. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 78 / 87 Adults use a kiddie pool to transport children as they evacuate on Monday. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 79 / 87 People catch a ride on a construction vehicle down a flooded Houston street. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) 80 / 87 Alexendre Jorge evacuates Ethan Colman, 4, from a Houston neighborhood inundated by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey. (Charlie Riedel / AP) 81 / 87 People push a stalled pickup to through a flooded street in Houston on Sunday, as Tropical Storm Harvey dumped heavy rains. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press) 82 / 87 A Houston police officer helps Frank Andrews, 74, into his walking chair after rescuing him from his flooded home in the Braeswood Place neighborhood, southwest of Houston, on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 83 / 87 Wilford Martinez, right, is rescued from his flooded car by Harris County Sheriffs Department Richard Wagner along Interstate 610 in Houston, Texas. (David J. Phillip / Associated Press) 84 / 87 Daniel Gross, 15, is rescued by Houston police after he was stranded on top of his car in southwest Houston. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times) 85 / 87 Andrew White, left, helps a neighbor down a street after rescuing her from her home in his boat in the upscale River Oaks neighborhood after it was inundated with flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) 86 / 87 Volunteers and officers from the neighborhood security patrol help rescue residents in Houstons River Oaks neighborhood Sunday. (Scott Olson / Getty Images) 87 / 87 Jesus Nunez carries his daughter Genesis, 6, as he and numerous family members flee their flooded home, walking nearly four hours to the safety of a relatives house on Sunday. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

With forecasters predicting that the Brazos River, which runs southwest of Houston, would crest at 59 feet  topping its record of 54.7 feet  local officials on Sunday urged residents in low-lying areas to leave their homes to find safer ground.

Evacuate immediately, the city of Rosenberg urged residents on Twitter.

On Sunday night, Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert issued mandatory evacuation orders for more districts.

Fifty-nine feet represents at least an 800-year flood event, and theres no levee designed to prevent an 800-year flood, he said at a news conference.

As many as 100,000 residents in Fort Bend  about 20% of the countys population  were under voluntary and mandatory evacuations, he said.

In Houston, the police chief urged residents to be patient, saying it was still extremely difficult to reach those who were stranded in flooded homes.

You know, the dams are about to open and thats not music to my ears, I can tell you that much, Acevedo said on a livestream video late Sunday as he cruised the citys southwest freeway in the dark amid torrential rain.

Its amazing, he said. They said it was going to be a five-day event, and Im telling you, Harveys going to make us sweat every single day.

By Monday evening, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Harveys center was 55 miles east of Port OConnor and slowly moving east-southeast at 3 mph. On Tuesday, it is expected to gradually turn northeast toward the shore of the middle and upper Texas coasts.

As Harvey moved closer to neighboring Louisiana, bringing up to 25 inches of rain in the southwest part of the state, Trump declared emergency conditions in the state.

Just a few inches of rain could cause serious problems in New Orleans, which is still recovering from flooding after thunderstorms this month overwhelmed the citys drainage system.

Hundreds of people who were stranded at Houstons Hobby Airport arrived in Dallas late Sunday on specially approved rescue flights.

David Best, 60, of Cedar Hill, outside Dallas, got stuck after a weeklong vacation with friends in Belize. He slept on the floor, ate rationed burritos from the only restaurant open  Pappasitos  and hoped for relief.

I felt sorry for the airport employees who were there and got trapped, he said after his Southwest flight arrived at Dallas Love Field. It doesnt look like its going to be over for some time. Theyre talking about that storm coming right up through the center of Houston again.

ALSO

How to help the victims of Tropical Storm Harvey

Heres what we know about Tropical Storm Harvey: Rain, flooding and people needing rescue

In Houston, pleas for help go out over social media: Please send help. 911 is not responding

Times staff writers Pearce and Hennessy-Fiske reported from Houston and special correspondent Jarvie from Atlanta. Times graphics and data visualization journalist Paul Duginski and staff writer Ann M. Simmons in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

matt.pearce@latimes.com

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com

More national headlines

UPDATES:

7:35 p.m.: The story was updated with additional details on rescues and deaths.

1:35 p.m.: The story was updated with a comment from President Trump.

1:20 p.m.: The story was updated with comments from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

12:30 p.m.: The story was updated with a revised death toll.

11:10 a.m.: The story was updated with more on 911 calls, death toll, position of storm.

10:15 a.m.: The story was updated with new figures for 911 calls and other details.

9:20 a.m.: The story was updated with the number of rescues and details from the scene of an attempted rescue in Spring, Texas.

The story was originally published at 8:10 a.m.
President Trump pledged his full support Monday to the tens of thousands of Americans displaced by the epic hurricane and flooding that has devastated parts of coastal Texas and Louisiana, warning that recovery from Harvey will be a long and difficult road.

In the short term, he told reporters in the East Room, protecting the lives of our people is my highest priority. Every asset of my command is at the disposal of local officials.

We will get through this, Trump added during a joint appearance with Finlands visiting president, Sauli Niinisto. We will come out stronger.

Advertisement

He promised that Congress would move swiftly to approve long-term recovery funding. We think youre going to have what you need and its going to go fast, he said.

Trump will visit the waterlogged city of Corpus Christi and other parts of Texas on Tuesday to witness the destruction from Tropical Storm Harvey, which was initially a hurricane. He said he may return to Texas and visit Louisiana later this week.

Trump almost certainly has visions of Hurricane Katrina, which overwhelmed New Orleans and the Gulf Coast 12 Augusts ago. President George W. Bush was seen as slow to react and his administration never recovered from the criticism.

Trump hopes to show himself as a leader of action and efficiency. But his visit poses its own potential problems. Law enforcement, medical and other emergency officials are often wary of diverting critical resources to presidential security and logistics while major relief operations are still underway.

Presidential visits require ordering hospitals on stand-by, closing air space and supplementing federal security detail with state and local officers.

Bush justified his Air Force 1 flyover inspection of the Katrina floods in 2005 by insisting that he did not want to distract from response and recovery efforts. He was pummeled for it.

Trumps visit also may come under fire since his budget proposal to Congress has sought to slash funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency that takes the lead role in responding to natural disasters like Harvey.

Asked whether it was wise to try to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for FEMA grants that help cities and states prepare for natural disasters, Trump estimated the rebuilding task from Harvey would cost billions of dollars, insisting that FEMA had little role in the long-term effort.

Sources: FEMA, Mapzen, OpenStreetMap, population image Copyright, 2013, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia (Dustin A. Cable, creator) (Ally Levine / @latimesgraphics)

The timing of a presidential visit to a disaster zone is always subject to debate, according to Craig Fugate, the FEMA administrator under President Obama.

You dont want to get there too early and you dont want to get there too late, Fugate said in a telephone interview.

When a president comes in, it does several things: It sends a message to the survivors and the nation that this is a large-scale event and the commitment of the administration is there to support the government response, Fugate said.

Bushs political plunge after Katrina demonstrates the degree to which Americans who might tune out other aspects of governing pay very close attention to a presidents behavior during a disaster.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott told CBS that by going to Corpus Christi and steering clear of Houston, the worst-hit city, Trump will not be getting into harms way or interrupting the evacuations or emergency response.

Abbott praised the federal governments swift response, grading it an A plus at a news briefing Monday. He said he had spoken with Trump several times, as well as with members of the Cabinet and administration, including the current FEMA head, William B. Brock Long, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, and top officials at the departments of health and human services, transportation and energy.

Trumps administration is still riddled with vacancies, including key positions related to responding to natural disasters. Trump has yet to name a new secretary of Homeland Security since John F. Kelly left the post to become White House chief of staff. Elaine Duke is the acting secretary.

No one has been nominated to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Hurricane Center is searching for a director, and two nominees for deputy director at FEMA are awaiting confirmation.

You know what? I dont even have time to worry about it right now, Long said Sunday on CNNs State of the Union when asked about the empty offices. FEMA has great lines of communications with Trump, Long said, adding that the president is extremely concerned, incredibly engaged.

Just because theres not a leader in some of these areas, you have got some dedicated, highly knowledgeable, experienced workforce in each one of these agencies, and they know this mission, Long said.

Trump also has faced criticism for announcing a series of controversial actions Friday night as the monster hurricane bore down on Texas.

Critics saw the timing as an attempt to bury debate over his pardon for Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., who violated a federal court order against racial profiling; new restrictions on service by transgender individuals in the military; and the ousting of Sebastian Gorka, a hard-right national security advisor who appears often on television defending Trump.

Those issues were dwarfed by live images from Texas.

Trumps appearance in Texas will guarantee he is a central part of the recovery as it progresses. The administrations response in the months ahead will further define his tenure in a period in which one influential Republican, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee, has already questioned his competence for the job.

So far, Harvey does not look as if it will leave an effect on the scale of Hurricane Katrina. But the Trump administration will nonetheless benefit from lessons learned.

After Katrina, local and federal officials blamed each other for the botched response. FEMA directors had previously waited until a governor requested help before sending personnel and resources. That changed after Congress passed the Emergency Management Reform Act in 2006.

Now FEMA officials are free to start sending relief supplies and placing emergency personnel before a storm hits.

But when Texans begin rebuilding and evaluating Harveys impact, Trump could face scrutiny for his decision two weeks ago to revoke an Obama order that would have forced roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects to meet new flood-protection standards to meet the challenge of climate change.

Trumps order was part of a broader push to reduce the time it takes to build such projects. Proponents of such regulations will point to the flooding in Texas in making the case that environmental regulations have real-world consequences.

Trump was conscious that his trip to Texas could cause disruption, tweeting Sunday morning that he would go only when he knew it would not alter the focus on life and safety.

But the storm also served as another test for Trump.

On Monday, Trump retweeted Abbotts praise of the Texas National Guard. But earlier, Trump used his account to wade into controversies over the Arpaio pardon, retweeting a supporter who accused Obama of pardoning a traitor and a terrorist, and the racial violence in Charlottesville, Va., retweeting another supporter who argued that the left is fueling the unrest.

noah.bierman@latimes.com

Twitter: @noahbierman

brian.bennett@latimes.com

Twitter: @ByBrianBennett

ALSO

As death toll from Harvey continues to rise, Trump retweets take aim at Obama and the news media

How to help the victims of Tropical Storm Harvey

Red Cross braces for weeks of relief effort in the face of colossal storm disaster
Tropical Storm Harveys assault on southwest Texas has displaced thousands of residents and killed at least five people  and officials have cautioned that the devastation is far from over.

But already, the chaos of the storm has created a series of memorable moments. Here are three.

The reporter who rescued a truck driver

As they moved through Houston on Sunday, covering the flooding, TV reporter Brandi Smith and cameraman Mario Sandoval spotted an 18-wheeler submerged in water near George W. Bush International Airport.

The water on the freeway ramp nearly touched the clearance sign on a nearby overpass, which was nearly 17 feet high. Items floated inside the trucks cab. The driver was barely visible.

Moments later, a pickup truck with the Harris County Sheriffs Department logo appeared in the distance, and it was towing a boat. Smith perked up and ran across the rain-pelted highway.

We have a boat coming! We have a boat coming! Smith told viewers.

Drawing even with the sheriffs vehicle, she asked: Are you guys headed down to the truck? Theres a truck driver stuck here in about 10 feet of water.

As rescuers began to assess the situation, the signal from their station, KHOU-TV, cut out. The CBS affiliates newsroom near downtown Houston had flooded, and the station's signal went dead for nearly seven hours.

But Smith and Sandoval continued filming and later posted the video on Facebook. It shows the rescue team guiding a small boat toward the truck and pulling up next to the passenger window.

I feel like I can finally breathe, Smith said as the driver wriggled out. He is OK.

The flooded nursing home

A photo that went viral Sunday showed at least eight elderly people submerged in murky water in an assisted living home.

One woman sat on her walker, staring at the water. Another reclined in an overstuffed chair, knitting or doing needlework. A black-and-white cat perched on a couch against a far wall, out of the waters reach.

The facility, La Vita Bella, is in Dickinson, Texas, between Houston and Galveston. Kim McIntosh, the daughter of the facilitys owner, told CNN that officials had instructed them not to evacuate.

Most of these people are in wheelchairs and [on] oxygen, McIntosh said.

The photo sparked outrage from hundreds of Twitter and Facebook users, who called and contacted officials to demand that the residents be rescued before something more dire happened.

More than a dozen residents were evacuated from the nursing home around noon, about three hours after the photo was first posted, an official with the Galveston County Emergency Operations Center said.

The dog who packed his own food

As the small town of Sinton, Texas, picked up Saturday morning after the storm, resident Tiele Dockens noticed something unexpected: a dog trotting down the street, carrying a bag of dog food in its mouth.

Dockens snapped a photo and posted it to Facebook. By Sunday afternoon, it had been shared more than 30,000 times.

The dog, Otis, had been left on a screened-in porch on Friday night but sneaked away during the storm, his caretaker told the Houston Chronicle. He came home Saturday, still carrying the bag of food, said Salvador Segovia, 65.

Otis, a German shepherd mix, belongs to Segovias 5-year-old grandson, and hes something of a local celebrity.

"Otis can go to Dairy Queen and he can get a hamburger, Segovia said. He's the only dog allowed to lie down in front of the county courthouse.

He added, He's a good dog.
Tropical Storm Harvey, a Category 4 hurricane at its peak, continues to drench the Gulf Coast. As many as 13 million people are under flood watches and warnings.

Houston had already received 30 inches of rain and braced for more water early Monday.

The flood threat is spreading into neighboring Louisiana, the National Weather Service warned, and will bring up to 25 inches of rain in the southwest part of that state.

Advertisement

Rescue and assistance efforts are underway, but residents still need help as an estimated 30,000 people will seek temporary shelter.

Heres are organizations providing on-the-ground services and accepting donations:

American Red Cross  The organization has shelters open, and is shipping truckloads of supplies for distribution. Volunteers are also in place.

Help those affected by #HurricaneHarvey. Visit https://t.co/IwTsENcx2z, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation. pic.twitter.com/r4qSn8byXj  American Red Cross (@RedCross) August 26, 2017

Salvation Army The Salvation Army is deploying 42 mobile kitchens  each of which can serve an average of 1,500 meals per day  to staging areas in Dallas and San Antonio. Theyll also distribute supplies of water, cleanup kits, food, and shelter supplies.

Give relief to those affected by #HurricaneHarvey

 Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY

 Text "STORM" to 51555

 Donate online at https://t.co/Tr6pwCDM4n pic.twitter.com/KYkx87gOBU  Salvation Army USA (@SalvationArmyUS) August 25, 2017

United Way  United Way of Greater Houston has established a Flood Relief Fund. Donations will be used to help with both immediate, basic needs and long-term recovery services such as case management and minor home repair.

Houston Food Bank  Donations to the Houston Food Bank provide meals in emergencies and throughout the year.

 Donations to the Houston Food Bank provide meals in emergencies and throughout the year. San Antonio Food Bank  The San Antonio Food Bank is collecting monetary donations, along with nonperishable goods and supplies like water, baby food, diapers, flashlights and new batteries.

 The San Antonio Food Bank is collecting monetary donations, along with nonperishable goods and supplies like water, baby food, diapers, flashlights and new batteries. Feeding Texas and local food banks  Feeding Texas is coordinating with partner agencies to provide donation coordination and distribution of food to the public.

Read about how we're mobilizing for #HurricaneHarvey relief and how you can help! https://t.co/YKpjHfQvkR pic.twitter.com/f5uhzc9iB8  Feeding Texas (@FeedingTexas) August 25, 2017

Houston SPCA and SPCA of Texas  These organizations conduct rescues of pets and farm animals, and provide equipment and shelter in emergencies.

 These organizations conduct rescues of pets and farm animals, and provide equipment and shelter in emergencies. Humane Society of Louisiana  The Humane Society of Louisiana has so far rescued 162 animals from shelters in the hurricanes path or at risk of flooding.

Times staff writers Matt Pearce, Molly Hennessy-Fiske and Jenny Jarvie contributed to this article.

ALSO

30,000 expected in shelters, 450,000 may need disaster help

Texans J.J. Watt raises nearly $400,000 to help hurricane relief efforts in Houston

Heres what we know about Tropical Storm Harvey: Rain, flooding and people needing rescue

UPDATES:

1:10 p.m.: This post has been updated with United Way.

10:30 a.m.: This post was updated with descriptions of the aid agencies.

This post was originally published at 9 a.m.
On Wednesday, August 30, at 13.00, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference dated to the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The participants will include Director of Amnesty International Ukraine Oksana Pokalchuk and coordinator of CrimeaSOS NGO Tamila Tasheva. Representatives of the Crimean Prosecutor's Office and the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry are expected to participate in the press conference (8/5a Reitarska Street). Admission requires press accreditation. More information by phone: (093) 004 2851 (Dzhemil Mamutov).
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Monday, Aug. 28, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Another ugly protest in Berkeley

San Francisco saw tame protests Saturday. But on Sunday, things got ugly in Berkeley, where a few Trump supporters faced overwhelming numbers of counter-protesters, some of whom turned to violence. More than a dozen arrests were made as videos captured the scene of violence. Police, and in some cases other counter-protesters, stepped in to halt the violence or escort the victims away from the area. Los Angeles Times

Advertisement

Plus: The quieter scene in San Francisco. Los Angeles Times

And: How did the Bay Area become such an epicenter of dissent? Chicago, New York and Los Angeles have their natural histories of political movement, but the Bay Area has a special place as one of dissent, said one expert. One of the misinterpretations is that the Bay Area is a liberal place, but it has become liberal by what it opposed. Los Angeles Times

Ubers new CEO

Uber has chosen Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of travel booking website Expedia, to be its new chief executive, according to a source unauthorized to comment publicly. Khosrowshahis reported appointment to the top job ends Ubers search for a CEO, which started when the companys co-founder and former chief executive, Travis Kalanick, was pressured to resign June 20. Los Angeles Times

A different kind of housing sticker shock

Youd assume the rental rates for these Playa Vista apartments are in the $2,500 to $5,000-plus range. You are in a trendy coastal village that sits in the heart of Silicon Beach. But the prices run from the low $400s to about $1,100 a month. There is a lesson in this about how we can ease Californias housing crisis, writes columnist Steve Lopez. Los Angeles Times

California homeowners could be hit hard

For decades, the ability to deduct the interest on a home mortgage has been one of the most untouchable sacred cows of the tax code. It is particularly revered in Los Angeles and other areas with high real estate prices, where the annual tax savings can be the difference between being able to afford a house or continuing to rent. Now, Republicans crafting legislation to overhaul the federal tax system, and thousands of Californians could feel the pain. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Hopes and dreams: The magic of one doughnut shop in Glendale. Los Angeles Times

LAX boom: The big expansion of LAX has made it the fastest-growing airport in the U.S. But will all these cheap new flights bring more gridlock? Wall Street Journal

Heat wave: You think the weekend was hot? A new heat wave is likely to bring records this week across Southern California, lasting at least through Thursday. Los Angeles Times

Worlds away: Remember the rural Hollywood of the old days. Curbed Los Angeles

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

Not dead: The dream of some in California for a single-payer healthcare system is not going away. In fact, its likely to be a big issue in the governors race and in the Legislature. Said one backer: People are literally dying because of a lack of healthcare. Its not a matter of waiting until somebody high enough in the power structure decides its time. The time is now. Los Angeles Times

Paying more: California has spent $449 million on consumer rebates to boost sales of zero-emission vehicles. So far, the subsidies havent moved the needle much. Now the Legislature is pushing forward a bill that would double down on the rebate program. Sextuple down, in fact. Will it work? Los Angeles Times

Facebook comments: A council member in the Bay Area town of Piedmont has stepped down after posting comments about transgender people, Black Lives Matter and other liberal figures on Facebook. SF Gate

Voice of calm: The mayor of Oroville said all was well during the dam crisis of this winter. Now she is under fire for her comments, and what was behind them. Sacramento Bee

CRIME AND COURTS

Stolen goods: Knock knock burglars have been hitting homes across L.A. Where do they take their loot? Much of it ends up at secondhand jewelry stores, police say. L.A. Daily News

Naked guns: Every gun tells a story. Its a popular catchphrase used by law enforcement to describe how to trace a firearm, from manufacturer to distributor to point of sale to customer. But a new crop of guns bears no markings of their origin. San Diego Union-Tribune

Burn suit: A Palos Verdes Peninsula student burned by flaming hand sanitizer is suing the school district. Daily Breeze

Matter of life and death: How Sacramento neighborhoods are trying to prevent the deaths of black children. Sacramento Bee

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Indie controversy: After the resignations of two leadership figures, the Los Angeles independent film venue Cinefamily has announced that it is temporarily suspending all activities to allow for the investigation and necessary restructure of management and the board. At issue are allegations of sexual misconduct. Los Angeles Times

Sci-fi twist: In Riverside, Latino artists are dreaming up their own version of science fiction. New York Times

Saleswoman: The bottom of Dena Edwards business card still reads, Call me for a complimentary facial. Look back on the life of the queen of Mary Kay cosmetics. Orange County Register

Dig time: Elon Musk has been given permission from the city of Hawthorne to start digging his futuristic transportation invention. Curbed Los Angeles

Politics and music: Not surprisingly, the MTV Video Music Awards got political. Paris Jackson drew rousing applause when she denounced the racism and hatred propagated by white supremacists and neo-Nazis. And that was just the beginning. Los Angeles Times

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

Los Angeles area: sunny and 93. San Diego: sunny and 82. San Francisco area: sunny and 74. Sacramento: sunny and 109. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

This weeks birthdays for those who made a mark in California: Rep. Julia Brownley (Aug. 28, 1952), actress Cameron Diaz (Aug. 30, 1972), L.A. Police Commissioner Steve Soboroff (Aug. 31, 1948) and lawyer Robert Shapiro (Sept. 2, 1942).

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
When Los Angeles County voted last November to increase the sales tax again to pay for more rail lines, buses and highway improvements, one of the selling points was that the revenue would fund a transportation building boom and create lots and lots of new jobs  more than 465,000 of them, by one estimate.

For the last several years, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority has sought to steer more of the jobs created by local taxpayer-funded projects to local residents who need them. Taking advantage of a pilot program created by the Obama administration, Metro required contractors to hire at least 40% of their workers from low-income areas within five miles of the project, and an additional 10% from the ranks of disadvantaged workers, including men and women on public assistance, Iraq or Afghanistan war veterans, felons, and young people leaving the foster care system.

The idea was to maximize the return on the taxpayers investment: Build a modern transportation system, create lots of solid middle-class jobs for residents and provide career opportunities for people who have struggled to find work.

Advertisement

But now President Trump is looking to roll back local-hire programs nationwide and return to the days when the federal government banned geographical hiring targets.

President Trump is looking to roll back local-hire programs nationwide and return to the days when the federal government banned geographical hiring targets.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it will withdraw a rule proposed by the Obama administration to allow local hiring preferences in more federally funded transportation projects. The proposal was based on the pilot program, which was created in 2015 to test whether local hiring edicts hurt competition. The pilot is set to run until 2022, but Metro and local hire advocates fear the Trump administration may terminate that too.

The federal government has long barred cities and states from imposing local-hire mandates on projects that receive federal funds. The rationale was that if taxpayers nationwide paid for the project, workers nationwide should have a chance at being hired to build it.

The ban made more sense when the federal government covered 80% of the cost of building highways and rail lines. But thats not the case anymore  especially not in urban areas such as L.A. County, where voters have raised their local taxes to build more infrastructure. Now the federal government is just a contributor, not the primary funder, and it shouldnt be able to bar local transportation agencies from favoring the taxpayers who are footing the majority of the bill.

Take, for example, the $2-billion Crenshaw light rail line, which is 90% funded by local tax dollars. The line runs through South Los Angeles communities with low incomes and high unemployment; community leaders pushed Metro to put those residents to work on the project. So far, the contractor building the line has exceeded Metros goals  59% of those hired have been local, and 12% have been disadvantaged workers.

Ending local hiring mandates could make it much harder for people like Jason Taylor to get a foothold on a career ladder. With a felony conviction on his record, Taylor, 39, struggled to find a stable, good-paying job. The customer service and sales gigs he landed paid $11 or $12 an hour  hardly enough to cover the cost of housing and other expenses in his mid-city neighborhood. With the help of nonprofits, he entered a carpentry training program and got hired as an apprentice by the contractor building the Crenshaw Line. Now he has a full-time job helping build the project. He has healthcare and retirement benefits and is one year away from becoming a journeyman carpenter, which pays $42 an hour.

Critics of local hire argue that the regulations are burdensome, hinder competition for jobs and raise taxpayers costs. The Obama administrations pilot was designed to test those arguments, exploring whether local hiring preferences and efforts to create career pathways in impoverished communities are ultimately a net benefit or a waste of taxpayer dollars. Like California, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota and other states all have projects underway testing the effects of geographic, economic and social hiring preferences.

Given the encouraging results from Metro, cities and states  which are increasingly picking up the lions share of the cost of transportation projects  should be allowed to continue experimenting with local hire. Using infrastructure dollars to build badly needed transportation improvements and a new middle class would truly help make America great again.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Coming from anybody but Donald Trump, the pardon issued to rogue cop Joe Arpaio would be shocking. The former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz., which includes Phoenix, was found guilty of criminal contempt of court for ignoring a federal judges order not to arrest Latinos solely because he suspected them of being in the country illegally.

Arpaio has also been accused of a horrifying litany of other misconduct. He housed inmates in such inhumane conditions  an outdoor tent city that was an inferno in the summer and a freezer in the winter  that he himself described it as a concentration camp. He overlooked routine brutality by his deputies, which led to legal settlements costing taxpayers at least $140 million. He arrested the owners of a newspaper, the Phoenix New Times, which ran critical coverage of him, leading to a $3.75-million settlement. He was so busy pursuing immigrants that he neglected to investigate cases of rape and child abuse.

Yet President Trump has had nothing but praise for Sheriff Joe, who joined him in a racist, crackpot attempt to prove that President Obama had forged his birth certificate. The Washington Post reported Saturday that Trump asked Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions to drop the criminal case against Arpaio but the attorney general would not agree to obstruct justice. Trump went ahead and pardoned Sheriff Joe.

Advertisement

The presidents contemptuous treatment of people of color is matched by his disdain for the rule of law.

The president is well within his legal rights to do so  the pardon power is nearly unlimited  but he did not follow the normal procedures of allowing the appeals process to play out, waiting for a recommendation from the pardon office of the Justice Department and demanding that the subject of the pardon show contrition for his actions. Arpaio is utterly unrepentant and his case is far from fully adjudicated. But Trump pardoned him anyway.

It is far from the worst thing the president has done, but it is emblematic of two defining characteristics of his administration: racism and lawlessness.

Trumps history of racism is well-documented and long predates his appalling comments on the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., when he blamed both sides for the violence initiated by the far right and said there were fine people on both sides.

Trump and his father settled charges brought by the Justice Department in 1973 that their firm had refused to rent to African Americans; in 1989, he quickly called for the death penalty for five black youths who were ultimately shown to have been falsely charged with raping a white woman in New Yorks Central Park; he refused to accept the legitimacy of the first African American president; he launched his presidential campaign by denouncing Mexican immigrants as rapists and criminals; he hesitated to disavow former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke; and he attacked a Latino judge overseeing a case involving him, saying the judge was Mexican and could not possibly be fair. As president, Trump has banned newcomers from six Muslim-majority countries, sought to repeal affirmative action, stepped up deportations of largely Latino undocumented immigrants, and defended Confederate monuments. News media report he is likely to undo the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which could lead to the deportation of hundreds of thousands of law-abiding young people brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

Trumps defenders point out that he has palled around with black celebrities such as Jay Z and Mike Tyson, and that his daughter converted to Judaism when she married Jared Kushner. But at most this shows that Trump is not a doctrinaire neo-Nazi. The evidence suggests he is a more casual bigot along the lines of Archie Bunker, the fictional All in the Family TV character from the New York borough of Queens, where Trump was born. That Trump may like particular individuals does not prevent him from stereotyping and stigmatizing entire minority groups.

The presidents contemptuous treatment of people of color is matched by his disdain for the rule of law. He attacked judges who ruled against his immigration ban in vitriolic terms, leading his own Supreme Court appointment, Justice Neil Gorsuch, to denounce his statements as demoralizing and disheartening. He asked FBI Director James Comey to let go of his probe of former national security advisor Mike Flynn, and, when Comey refused, fired him to stop the investigation of the Russia thing. He subjected Sessions to unprecedented vilification for following Department of Justice rules and legal ethics by recusing himself from the investigation of the Trump campaign because the recusal led to the appointment of a special counsel. He has threatened to fire that special counsel, Robert Mueller, at a time when his investigation, which Trump calls a witch hunt, has barely begun. And now his willingness to pardon Arpaio signals that he may also pardon underlings who are accused of wrongdoing by Mueller, thereby undermining the investigation of his campaigns Kremlin connections.

No wonder Trump loves Sheriff Joe: The two men are united by similar, equally repugnant belief systems and a similar willingness to run roughshod over the Constitution to enhance their own power. Arpaio lost his reelection campaign in fall 2016, but he now has the satisfaction of watching a kindred spirit rule the entire country.

Max Boot is a contributing writer to Opinion and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
In a classic Washington news dump, the White House announced Friday night that President Trump had pardoned controversial ex-Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whose crusade against illegal immigration in Maricopa County, Ariz., led to racial profiling and a criminal contempt conviction. Since then, some pundits and scholars have argued that, with this decision, Trump crossed the line and upended the Constitution. Some have even suggested that he should be impeached.

Sorry, but its not going to happen. While highly inappropriate, Arpaios pardon is not all that different from other recent controversial clemency decisions, and, like them, falls well short of making the president impeachable. Heres why.

The framers of our Constitution vested the ability to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States in the president as a check on the federal judiciary. They debated whether to force the president to share the clemency power with the Senate, whether the power should apply only after conviction of a crime, and whether there should be an exception made to exclude treason from eligibility for presidential mercy.

Advertisement

Ultimately, they decided that the president alone should be able to exercise a wide-ranging clemency power and then take responsibility for those decisions.

The Arpaio pardon upended a judicial ruling, but thats precisely what clemency decisions do.

Clemency is a kingly power that allows the president to offer official forgiveness as an act of grace. The vast majority of pardons by recent presidents have gone to nonviolent offenders who have served their time. Presidents can also use clemency for the benefit of the public welfare  to defuse insurrections, as George Washington did in the Whiskey Rebellion, or to bring the country back together again after a trying time, as the Civil War amnesties did.

Not all pardons fit neatly into these categories, of course. Presidents have also granted clemency to murderers, terrorists and spies. They have pardoned for political gain, to get themselves out of trouble and to help out family members.

All of which is to say, presidents have a broad power to pardon. The only textual limits in the Constitution are that the crime must be a federal (not state-level) offense, and that the president may not act in Cases of Impeachment. For various reasons, thats the way the framers wanted it. There is certainly nothing in the Constitution that excludes or makes distinctions based on whether the offender was a law enforcement officer or violated a court order, for example.

That Arpaio was in law enforcement is pretty much irrelevant, and is nothing new when it comes to clemency. For example, Ronald Reagan pardoned two FBI officials who allowed agents to conduct illegal searches in order to locate fugitives who belonged to the Weather Underground. Granted, the Arpaio pardon upended a judicial ruling, but thats precisely what clemency decisions do.

Going forward, the White House would be well advised to consider how other politically charged clemency decisions have played out in the not-so-distant past. Gerald Ford made a controversial pardon early in his presidency when he granted one to his predecessor, Richard Nixon. The GOP suffered a bloodletting for Watergate in 1974, and Fords reputation took decades to recover.

More recently  and much less honorably than Ford  presidents of both parties have used pardons or commutations to assist their political allies (George H.W. Bush and Iran-Contra, George W. Bush and Scooter Libby) or their supporters (Clinton and Marc Rich). These acts are failures of judgment that stained the records of each of these presidents.

Jeffrey Crouch is an assistant professor of American politics at American University. He is the author of The Presidential Pardon Power. He is Editor-in-Chief of Congress & the Presidency.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
Even hurricanes have a silver lining: The downpour washes away a lot of bull.

Dont get me wrong. This is a tragedy for untold thousands of people. And no upside could possibly balance the scale against the downsides. The full human toll of Harvey, now a tropical storm, remains to be determined, but its already steep. As of this writing, the official count of fatalities held at eight, but that number will probably rise. The economic cost will take a long time to calculate. And the emotional price  lost homes, heirlooms, pictures, worry, stress  can never be calculated.

And yet, I couldnt help but notice that there is a feel good aspect to the whole catastrophe. The best example is the hyper-viral story of two men loading up their boat and driving into the storm. CNNs Ed Lavandera found them under a highway overpass readying the vessel.

Advertisement

You guys just jumping in to help out? Lavandera asked.

Yes, sir, says one of the men.

What are you going to do? Lavandera asks him.

Go try to save some lives.

That man was African American. His partner appeared to be Caucasian or maybe Latino. But it doesnt matter at all. We dont know if theyre Republican or Democrat, pro-Trump or anti-Trump, NRA members or fans of gun control (though lets be honest: This is Texas so we can guess on that one). All they wanted to do was help. While it was a journalistic faux pas not to get the mens names, it almost made the story more endearing because it reinforced the idea that they were just normal Americans.

Floodwaters washed away the nonsense and revealed the decency of the American people.

All weekend, TV and social media highlighted stories like this. Granted, there were plenty of attempts to politicize the storm. Some had superficial legitimacy. Did Texas officials  particularly the Democratic mayor of Houston and the Republican governor of Texas  drop the ball in not ordering a mandatory evacuation? But even these debates lacked the bitter vitriol that marked coverage of Hurricane Katrina or even Hurricane and Superstorm Sandy.

Other attempts to bend an apolitical event to a preferred political narrative were more desperate and despicable. The Twitter account for an outfit called Charitable Humans unleashed a Cat-5 gale of schadenfreude at Houstons woes. Over a satellite image of Harvey: Texas has been bitten by Karma, but they still have a huge debt to the bank of Karma. I just cant bring myself to even consider providing aid to any red state, let them clean up their own mess.

To its credit, the organization later deleted its account and released an apologetic statement saying its leaders were horrified by their social media coordinators actions.

But the point was already made. We live in an ugly, tribal moment in American history. Indeed, the more representative story of the weekend came out of Berkeley, where antifa goons beat up nonviolent protesters and even a mere onlooker the mob mistook for a fascist.

By comparison, despite the terrible plight of Harveys victims, Harvey was the happy story, at least in one narrow respect. Politics is becoming a substitute for identity, even religion, for millions of Americans. How you vote, what team you root for on the cable shout shows, is becoming a signifier of who you are. The media fuel this attitude, in large ways and small, by turning the news into narratives of good people and bad people. This is an unhealthy development, regardless of which ideological uniform you wear.

But politics and ideology are, or should be, downstream from all of the most important things in life, at least in America (its a different matter in places like Venezuela or North Korea). Under normal circumstances this can be hard to see, never mind appreciate, because we are lucky to live in a fabulously rich and free society where people can afford to make politics into a sport or fashion statement.

Most of us can see this within our own networks of friends and family, where political differences rarely trump more meaningful bonds. But on a mass scale, it becomes apparent only in dire circumstances, like when floodwaters wash away the nonsense and reveal the decency of the American people.

jgoldberg@latimescolumnists.com

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
After a poor performance in the 2016 state election, California Republicans are looking to an age-old device to regain some semblance of power: the recall. They have targeted state Sen. Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), who won office in an almost evenly split district by less than 2,500 votes. While the recall leaders have publicly focused on Newmans vote to raise the gas tax, their real motive is most likely to strip Democrats of their two-thirds majority in the state Senate.

This controversial use of the recall has led Democrats to push through legislation changing recall rules. They complain that anti-Newman signature gatherers tricked some signers into thinking the petition was just about repealing the gas tax. The new rules give signers time to remove their signatures, which will at least delay a recall vote by months. Newmans opponents, however, can continue to gather signatures, and they already had more than enough to trigger a vote.

Most recalls that manage to get on the ballot are successful. Still, it depends on the nature of the campaign and voter perceptions: The results of recalls apparently based on purely partisan motives suggest Democrats may have reason for hope.

Advertisement

Neither party has been shy about using the recall for naked legislative gain in California. In 2008, we saw a mirror image of the Newman recall, as the Democrats unsuccessfully targeted then-state Sen. Jeffrey Denham (R-Atwater), ostensibly because he voted against the budget. Democrats clearly had hoped that with Denham ousted, they could win in another try at his Democratic-majority district, and thereby gain a supermajority in the Senate.

To fight back, Democrats should make sure voters understand the stark political nature of the recall.

In 1995, the Republicans in the Assembly went to the recall three times, after one Republican member flipped and deprived the party of its first majority and speakership in 25 years. The Republicans were successful in recalls against two of their members: the original flipper, Paul Horcher, and Doris Allen, who voted against the Republican speaker after Horcher was removed. But a GOP recall attempt against Assemblyman Michael Machado (D-Linden), who had promised to be an independent voice, was unsuccessful.

This use of the recall to gain legislative control has been on display in other states in recent years as well. In Wisconsin in 1996, a state legislator was kicked out for voting for a stadium tax, resulting in a switch of majority control in the state Senate from Republican to Democratic. Then in 2011-12, Wisconsin saw 13 recalls against legislators (as well as against the governor), with the Democrats, who initiated nine of the recalls, finally winning the three seats necessary to gain control  though only for a few months time.

Republicans almost had the same success in Colorado in 2013, when they cast out two Democratic senators who voted in favor of gun control, including the Senate majority leader. A third Democrat resigned and, due to a quirk in Colorado law, was replaced by another Democrat to preserve what was then a one-vote majority.

A similar attempt is now gaining traction in Nevada, with attacks on three Democratic or Democratic-leaning independent state senators  exactly the number needed to give the Republicans a majority. These campaigns dont as yet have a specific issue to hang on, but the fact that the law firm of the Republican lieutenant governor is representing the recall proponents suggests how significant the partisan motivation is behind the attempt.

For Newman and the Democrats, this history, and Gov. Gray Davis removal in 2003, shows that voters will sometimes turn out an elected official even if it means handing over political control to the other party. But the history also shows that recalls are most likely to be successful when there is either a single issue to rally around, such as gun control in Colorado, or when voters feel politicians betrayed them.

The California recalls in 1995 are a perfect example of the latter phenomenon. The two Assembly members who were removed from office lost because they were elected Republicans who voted to prevent the Republican leader from being elected speaker. The third recall, against an elected Democrat, failed as voters rejected the idea of punishing a Democrat for voting in line with his party.

Newman is another Democrat targeted for voting like a Democrat, which may be why the leaders of the push to remove him are focusing on the gas tax instead of the wider partisan implications of their efforts. To fight back, Democrats should make sure voters understand the stark political nature of the recall. Even in an evenly split district that has regularly elected Republicans, it may help Newman retain his seat  and help the Democrats keep their two-thirds majority in Sacramento.

Joshua Spivak is a senior fellow at the Hugh L. Carey Institute for Government Reform at Wagner College in New York. He writes the Recall Election Blog.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinionand Facebook
To the editor: I read with dismay, but not surprise, that President Trump had pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Ariz. (Trump sends message with Arpaio pardon: The federal government expects local help enforcing immigration laws, Aug. 26)

Not only does the pardon send the wrong message about immigration enforcement, but it is yet another slap in the face to the federal judiciary by this president. Recall Arpaios history of blatantly discriminatory arrest and detention practices, culminating in his being ordered by a federal judge to cease and desist such conduct. His conviction was for disregarding and routinely violating the order.

Trumps pardon says Arpaio was continuing his lifes work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration  work that the federal judge found unlawfully discriminatory.

Advertisement

By pardoning the former sheriff, Trump is saying there is no need to obey a federal judges orders if this president disagrees with them. This is a serious erosion of the authority of the federal judiciary and a dangerous precedent.

Jim Stiven, Cardiff, Calif.

The writer is a retired federal magistrate judge for the Southern District of California.

..

To the editor: Arpaio was not convicted for doing his job in the conventional sense of that term. He was convicted for refusing to obey a court order to discontinue his patently racist and unconstitutional practice of racial profiling and illegal arrests.

The level of nausea and disgust that Trump keeps generating seems to have no limit.  Alan Rachins, Los Angeles

Arpaio abused and humiliated prisoners in what he himself described as a concentration camp. For Trump, that illegal behavior was Arpaios job.

Trumps contempt for the law must be checked by his immediate removal from office. But the Republicans, who control the White House and both houses of Congress, refuse to end this shredding of our Constitution and the expanding hate and violence this unleashes to preserve their longed-for legislative agenda.

Since Republicans have so far refused to act in the national interest to remove Trump, we must use nonviolent means to convince them to do so.

Ken Levy, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: The most consistent aspect of Trump is his contempt for decency, the latest example of which is his pardoning of Arpaio. Its not a surprise that Trump should be drawn to support Arpaio, who repeatedly abused his power and violated the 4th Amendment to the Constitution. To Trump, Arpaio is a hero.

The level of nausea and disgust that Trump keeps generating seems to have no limit. (Recall allegations that he hung around the dressing room watching beauty contestants change for the contest, his boasting of fondling women and his promotion of the racist lie that President Obama is not a natural-born citizen.)

Whether this rises to the level of an impeachable offense, Ill leave that for the lawyers. But I can say confidently that Trump is repulsive.

Alan Rachins, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: Arpaio deserved not only a pardon but a Medal of Freedom for his courageous efforts to protect his constituents from illegal immigrants despite the efforts of the criminal alien lobby to demonize him.

Kemp Richardson, Santa Clarita

..

To the editor: How does U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions feel about this pardon?

On another issue, he feels it is perfectly fine to go after people who use marijuana, as they violate federal law by doing so. Isnt racial discrimination by law enforcement officers also against the law?

Arpaio was convicted in a federal court of law. If he can be pardoned, why cant we pardon anyone convicted for a marijuana offense?

Roberta Goodfried, Valley Village

..

To the editor: There isnt much that I would agree on with David Duke, former leader of the Ku Klux Klan, but I would have to agree with him that the people who share his worldview were important in getting Trump elected.

In pardoning Arpaio, Trump acknowledges and partially pays the debt that he owes for that support.

Ron Stearns, Westminster

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook.
To the editor: There is a collateral benefit to the horrendous, devastating storm in Texas. This should be appreciated by President Trump on Tuesday when he visits the affected areas. (In Houston, pleas for help go out over social media: Please send help. 911 is not responding, Aug. 27)

He should notice that women and men of Hispanic heritage and others of all colors and races have come to the rescue of the victims of this major disaster. All this is being done independent of the immigration status of the population.

What they do have in common is this: strength of purpose and a willingness to sacrifice their own safety in order to save others. Solidarity, dignity and national unity should now emerge intact with no stains.

Advertisement

We are all Texans.

David S. Cantor, Los Angeles

..

To the editor: With an unprecedented storm in Texas it is astonishing that the loss of life is not higher. Stories abound of heroes everywhere, bringing out the best in human nature.

Yet there are people who criticized Houston for having no plan at all. How do you plan for a storm that hasnt told you in advance where it would hit? Evacuate the entire state?

How about mentioning the plan that we really need? How about the Paris climate agreement?

Now theres a plan. It tries to counteract the global warming that is causing these horrendous climate changes.

The men controlling our government continue to have their heads in the sand so that they and the interests they serve can profit from drilling and fracking. Its time to get with a real plan.

Patricia LoVerme, South Pasadena

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
On his 92nd birthday, March 8, 1933, retired Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes was paid a surprise visit by the newly inaugurated president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The two men chatted for half an hour and, after Roosevelt departed, a young clerk asked Holmes what he thought of the new man in the White House.

A second-class intellect, Holmes said. But a first-class temperament.

A good temperament has generally proved to be more important than brains in an American commander in chief. That is why Ronald Reagan, a man of modest intellect but sunny disposition, proved to be a very successful president, while the presidency of the brainy but brooding and paranoid Richard Nixon ended in scandal and shame. A first-class temperament guided John F. Kennedy through the Cuban missile crisis, while the intellectual Woodrow Wilson wound up a broken man after the failure of his grand plan to forge a peaceful, democratic international order following the First World War.

Advertisement

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)

If the great Holmes were alive to render judgment on the current president of the United States, he would almost certainly sign on to the opinion being reached by more and more people, including many Republicans and conservatives: Donald Trump has a third-class intellect paired with a temperament that borders on mental instability.

Last week, the wild swings in mood and rhetoric displayed by Trump in a series of public appearances seems to have tilted public assessment of the president even more substantially toward this highly alarming view. Last Monday night, he read stiffly from a script as he outlined a rather undramatic but reasonably coherent shift in American engagement in Afghanistan, but, the next night, Trump ranted for well over an hour at a campaign rally in Phoenix, attacking the free press and members of his own political party, baying and barking like a wounded hound as he defended his contradictory comments about neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville, Va.

After Trumps Phoenix tirade, former Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper went on CNN to question Trumps fitness for office, calling the speech downright scary and disturbing and saying, I worry about the access to nuclear codes.

In a Sunday New York Times opinion piece, Peter Wehner, a veteran of the Reagan and the two Bush administrations, urged congressional Republicans to think of themselves as a shadow government to compensate for Trumps moral ugliness and intellectual incoherence. He said Republican members of Congress acknowledge the rolling disaster that is the Trump administration. Those Republicans, Wehner said, are privately declaring the president a child king who is incompetent and unfit for office.

A few of those Republicans have gone public with their disdain. Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake have both offered tough critiques of Trump  and have been slammed by Trump in response.

The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful, Corker said in a TV interview. He has not demonstrated that he understands what has made this nation great and what it is today.

Flake put his own thoughts in a book, Conscience of a Conservative, that calls out Trump for his reckless tweets, his disturbing attraction to bogus conspiracy theories and his wild bursts of anger. He also decries Trumps extreme anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim rhetoric, as well as his betrayal of the Republican Partys long-standing commitment to vigorously oppose oppressive regimes around the world.

Flake may well pay a price for his bold critique of Trumps instability when he runs for reelection next year. The president has already given encouragement to three possible right-wing challengers who want to go after Flake in the primary. But Flake says he could not, in good conscience, keep quiet.

The stakes, for the future of conservatism and for the future of our country, are simply too high, Flake wrote in his book.

When even members of the presidents own party begin to ask themselves if the man they have put in the White House is borderline insane, it is hard to imagine the stakes being any higher.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter

ALSO

Doyle McManus: Trump is shedding supporters like no other president in modern history

Editorial Series: Enough is Enough

Trump foes, questioning his mental fitness, want to oust him from office using the 25th Amendment. How would that work?

Trump aides appear to distance themselves from his Charlottesville remarks, but defend Arpaio pardon
May you die in pain: California GOP congressman gets an earful at town hall

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) kicks off his Monday morning town hall in Chico. (Phil Willon / Los Angeles Times)

May you die in pain.

That was the nastiest moment of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfas early morning town hall in the Northern California town of Chico on Monday.

The wish was uttered by an older man who criticized LaMalfa for voting for the House GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act. He was also holding a pink sign that read Lackey for the Rich!

ALSO: LaMalfa says the Russia investigation is a bunch of crap

The open hostility and intransigence inside the Chico Elks Lodge came as the political divide in the country has grown more inflamed, with Trumps election unleashing a wave of both liberal activism and conservative empowerment.

As a result, Washingtons deeply partisan fights over issues such as health care, immigration and environmental protections have followed members of Congress home, turning once sedate town halls into in-your-face venting sessions that in left-leaning California have Republican House members on the defensive.

LaMalfa stood his ground on stage as person after person ripped into him for his votes and positions on healthcare and climate change, as well as for his unyielding support for President Trump.

A few speakers asked LaMalfa to resign, including one dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West Coast.

Heather Calun dressed up as the Wicked Witch of the West Coast in protest. She wants LaMalfa to resign over his vote to repeal Obamacare. pic.twitter.com/rBZXAnjd2l  Phil Willon (@philwillon) August 7, 2017

Most comments and questions during the hour-long town hall were fairly cordial, although they were laced with plenty of boos and catcalls.

Norma Wilcox, a retired nurse who lives in Chico, also questioned LaMalfas healthcare vote. Wilcox told LaMalfa the House plan would take away healthcare for millions of Americans while providing tax breaks to the rich.

I am open to new ideas, LaMalfa told her, describing the House GOP bill as a placeholder that everyone expected to be improved during negotiations with the Senate. (The Senates healthcare efforts now appear dead.)

But the Richvale congressman, who represents Californias massive 1st Congressional District in the northeast corner of the state, said he will support only a new healthcare program that provides affordable coverage to middle-class Americans.

LaMalfa said Obamacare is quickly become unaffordable and unsustainable, with premium costs rising and the number of insurance companies offering coverage declining.

People across the board are being hurt by this, LaMalfa said.

When shouts and boos rained down on him, he chastised the crowd saying, I have the mic folks. Yep, boo away.

Ann Sisney of Chico told LaMalfa that her son, William, died of an opioid overdose two years ago. She held up a picture of the 19-year-old, asked the congressman to take it, and told him more people will die if GOP leadership in Congress gets its way on healthcare.

These are life-and-death decisions that you are making, Sisney told him.

LaMalfa assured her that Congress was working to find funds to address the nationwide opioid epidemic.

The Republican congressman also raised the ire of the crowd when he was asked about climate change and the degraded air quality in this stretch of Northern California.

I dont buy the idea that man-made activity is responsible, LaMalfa said bluntly.

The crowd of several hundred did include some LaMalfa supporters, though most stayed silent.

Ron Jones, 67, of Paradise said hes been to a few of LaMalfas town halls and all have been dominated by his critics.

Most of the time people want to ... complain, said Jones, a self-described conservative, after the event ended. The people who support him are quietly in the background.

LaMalfa does indeed have a lot of support in the district that also overwhelmingly voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton in last years presidential election. LaMalfa won his last election by almost 15%, and though he has attracted a few Democratic challengers, the district is not considered a battleground for 2018.

Unlike many California Republican members of Congress, LaMalfa hasnt shied away from holding town halls, though its rarely a pleasant experience for him. He held one in Nevada City in March and another in April in Oroville. No other California Republicans are scheduled to hold town halls during their August recess.

Near the end of Mondays town hall, a woman criticized LaMalfa for inviting only Christian pastors to provide invocations at his town halls and other events, and urged him to include religious leaders of all faiths.

If you want to have your own town hall, you can invite whoever you like, LaMalfa told her.
Chardonnay Madkins knows firsthand the pressures African American women can face when reporting campus sexual assaults.

She says she was assaulted in two separate incidents, once at a mostly white college and another time at a historically black college.

In reporting the assaults, Madkins says she endured similar efforts  some subtle and some overt  to persuade her to back down rather than lodge a complaint against a fellow black student.

Advertisement

Now as project manager for the advocacy organization End Rape on Campus, Madkins, 25, is working to bring more attention to the role race can play in the handling of campus sexual assaults, and the distinct difficulties black women can face.

She is also preparing to launch Centering the Margin, a program that will help school officials and students recognize how sexual assaults can affect members of marginalized communities differently.

The Los Angeles Times spoke to Madkins about her work. Her responses to The Times questions have been edited for length and clarity.

Do black women have a harder time dealing with and reporting sexual assault than white women?

Yes. Part of that is because [of] where black women are, compared to white women, in terms of being accepted into college and accessing resources and stuff like that.

Another thing is the narrative around sexual violence largely focuses around straight, cisgender [non-transgender], white women. So if you dont really fall into that category, you dont really have as much knowledge about sexual violence against your particular community.

Another barrier is that most likely their perpetrators are men of color, specifically black men. Especially on college campuses and historically black colleges and universities, there are subtle pressures from the [black] community.

It tells these black women to remain silent because the education of their perpetrator is essentially more important than their education, and that [they] cant be another person who sends a black man to jail. [Women are told:] These are the few black men who were able to make it to college and you trying to report them is going to hinder their success.

So when you stack all of that on top of the great disconnect between the black community and law enforcement, thats enough for black survivors to not feel comfortable reporting their sexual assault.

Where does that pressure to stay silent come from?

That comes from not only the overall black community, but also these individual campuses [and students]. ... Theyll tell you to not really speak out about it, to keep it a secret. Theyll say: Well, it doesnt mean you have to necessarily tell the school or tell the police or do one or the other. Or maybe youre the one that misinterpreted what happened.

When it comes to ... sexual violence that is perpetuated against them by black men, thats a very hard case to prove. Other people might not know that [black men] essentially have the help and support of the overall black community because of how black men are placed. Theyre the highest part of the social hierarchy within the black community. They already know that everything is going to be twisted and turned into their favor.

How does that make a black woman survivor feel?

I think that makes them feel really isolated.

So black women often receive less support than others?

At least in my experience, being a survivor on campus, I kind of lost all of my community there when I did come forward.

I think that depends on what environment your campus is going through. I know when I was assaulted, these conversations [about sexual assault] were not happening on my campus at all, so I believe that is one of the reasons I didnt have as much support from  not only the general campus overall  but especially from the black community.

But once I was at the historically black campus, [after the second assault], I still saw that same kind of reaction from all the black women on campus.

What was their reaction?

Theres this kind of negative, I guess, stereotype or idea that black women are just super strong and they can be super resilient. And sometimes that can be empowering. But when were talking about kinds of trauma and being able to have the space and ability to heal from that, black women arent really given that because they are seen as so strong. So on both campuses, and this is from people who Ive regarded as very close, best friends of mine, they had that same reaction of, Youll get over it. Youre strong.

Sexual violence and rape isnt something to get over. Thats trauma. Thats something I have to live with and wake up to every single day.

Do you see a difference in how sexual assault reports are handled on historically black colleges versus predominantly white campuses?

On historically black colleges and universities, race does play a major part, just like how race plays a major part on predominantly white campuses. The only thing is that theres this idea that if you come from the same kind of racial background or if youre another person of color, that you cant technically discriminate against somebody based on their race.

Its very clear if youre on a predominantly white campus and someone dismisses your claim because they say that youre a black woman and sexually promiscuous, you can say easily OK, that probably plays into the kind of stereotypes.

On a historically black college or university, we have usually very conservative older black people who dont say the same things. But because that kind of sentiment is coming from another black person, thats when people have a hard time being able to wrap their heads around [it], still perpetuating this ultimate discrimination.

So even black campuses perpetuate some of these racial stereotypes?

Right, right. These are just microcosms of the larger society, so because we have sexism, racism, classism, etc., in overall society, were seeing this on a smaller scale on these campuses. Historically black colleges and universities are not different and theyre not immune to that. If anything, to a certain extent, when it comes to their reputation and image, they try to overcompensate in the sense of covering up all negative kind of publicity from coming out because of the overall systemic racism.

How does an incident of sexual assault being reported affect their reputation?

Just the negative publicity. Thats going to perpetuate the idea  or this is what they say  that all black men are rapists and you cant really send your children to a school that is predominantly black because these are all the bad things that are happening on these campuses [or] its not safe. I think that schools are really, really scared of that.

How does that affect the way they handle sexual assault cases?

In some instances, that means that they will discourage survivors from reporting, or doing things to discourage survivors to continue forward with their report.

What do you think is the solution for this?

Just start having these conversations at younger ages. And within the black community.

When were talking about things like police violence or other kinds of inequalities within our community, that we are also inclusive of the inequalities more marginalized black people experience, like black women  black cis[gender] and transgender women  black LGBTQ, black incarcerated folks and black people with disabilities, because those people are just as equally important to our community and important to ending the problem.

Because it deals with sensitive racial issues, do you think that makes it harder to have a conversation?

I dont think it makes it harder. I think it makes it so people dont want to listen.

We understand that when were saying these things that it makes some people uncomfortable. What we hear a lot, or at least previously heard a lot, is that if were talking about sexual violence, then we just want to talk about sexual violence and we dont want to talk about racial issues or gay rights issues or anything else because this is the topic were focusing on and everything else is divisive.

I think those responses are the reason why were still where we are today. These issues dont happen in a vacuum and when there are people who live at these intersections, it is most important to not only talk about these issues, but center them.

lauren.rosenblatt@latimes.com

Twitter: @LRosenblatt_

ALSO

Violence breaks out at Berkeley protest

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos kicks off emotional battle over campus sexual assault rules

Editorial: Hey, Betsy DeVos, keep your hands off campus sexual assault standards
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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

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

Twitter

Show more sharing options Share Close extra sharing options Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Email

Copy Link URL Copied!

Print

Advertisement

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
How many false statements did Trump make in his interview with the Wall Street Journal? We count at least five

(Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

The Wall Street Journal didnt release the full transcript of the interview its reporters and editors had last week with President Trump, but when Politico obtained a copy and published it, the interview quickly drew attention for several false statements Trump made.

The one that immediately gained notoriety was Trumps claim that after his speech at the Boy Scout Jamboree last week, I got a call from the head of the Boy Scouts saying it was the greatest speech that was ever made to them.

On Wednesday, the Boy Scouts of America released a statement saying we are unaware of any such call. The Scouts specifically said that neither the organizations president, AT&T chairman Randall Stephenson, nor its chief executive, Mike Surbaugh, had made such a call.

In fact, Surbaugh last week issued an unprecedented apology for a presidential speech  Scouts have heard from presidents back to Franklin D. Roosevelt  saying he was sorry that some members of the scouting community had been offended by Trumps partisanship, language and tone.

In the daily White House press briefing, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that other Boy Scout leaders, whom she did not name, had complimented Trump after his speech.

That wasnt the only call to come into question recently. A few days after the Journal interview, Trump said that Mexicos president, Enrique Pena Nieto, had paid him the ultimate compliment by calling and telling him that their southern border, very few people are coming because they know theyre not going to get through our border.

The Mexican government press office issued a statement Wednesday denying that.

Pena Nieto has not had recent telephone communication with President Donald Trump, the statement said.

Sanders said that Pena Nieto did compliment Trump, but in a personal conversation, not a telephone call.

I wouldnt say it was a lie, she said of Trumps statements.

Other false statements involved broader factual matters.

Were the highest-taxed nation in the world, Trump said  a statement that he has repeatedly made and which has repeatedly been debunked. Whether measured by the top tax rate or the overall percentage of national income which is taxed, the U.S. has lower taxes than most of its chief economic competitors.

Trump may have been thinking about the U.S. corporate tax rate, which is higher than most developed countries, although not the highest. Yet few companies actually pay that top rate given various tax deductions, credits and exemptions.

Trump also said I honestly believe for six months, I have done more than just about any other president when you look at all of the bills that were passed, 42, 43.

Thats untrue. Many of Trumps predecessors had signed more legislation, and nearly all recent ones had signed more significant measures by this point in their tenures.

Jimmy Carter had signed 70 bills into law by this point, Bill Clinton 50. Franklin D. Roosevelt had 76 in just his first 100 days.

About one-third of the bills Trump has signed have been ceremonial measures, such as renaming courthouses.

Referring to his top economic advisor, Gary Cohn, Trump said Gary wrote a check for $200 million when he entered the government. He had to pay $200 million in tax.

Trump has said that before, including in a speech in June. Its false.

Cohn owned about $220 million in Goldman Sachs stock when he resigned as the banks president to become the head of Trumps National Economic Council. He sold the stock to minimize conflicts of interest, as most appointees do. But he certainly didnt have to pay $200 million in tax on that sale.

In fact, its likely Cohn hasnt paid any tax so far. He may never have to.

Federal law allows appointees to government positions to defer any tax they owe on assets that they sell to avoid conflicts. The law requires that they put the proceeds of the sale into neutral investments such as Treasury securities. If his securities go up in value, Cohn might have to pay tax on that gain. The top tax rate on capital gains is 20%.

Trump also repeated a false claim about his defeated rival from the election, Hillary Clinton.

Real crimes are what Hillary did with 33,000 emails, where she deleted them and bleached them after getting a subpoena.

Trump made that claim more than once during the campaign, and more recently on Twitter.

He is correct that Clinton deleted 33,000 emails from the private server she used for her messages while she was secretary of State. She says that all of those deleted emails were personal and that she had no obligation to keep them. No one has come up with evidence to the contrary.

The evidence from the FBIs investigation of the emails shows that in December 2014, after she turned over about 30,000 work-related emails to the State Department, Clintons aides told the company that managed the server to delete the rest of the emails. The emails were subpoenaed about three months later, on March 4.

The company didnt actually do the deletion until later in March, but theres been no evidence that Clinton knew about the delay at the time or that the company knew the messages were under subpoena.

In any case, the FBI declined to recommend prosecution, contrary to Trumps assertion that Clinton committed real crimes.

A poll released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University asked Americans if they believe Trump is honest. By 62% to 34%, a majority said no.

12:30 p.m.: This article was updated with comments by White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
If we care about the future of Orange County families and the economic engine of our county, we need to start asking a tough question about the mental health of mothers.

Instead of wondering why a new mom is depressed or not feeling herself, we need to ask, Whats keeping you from getting the treatment you need?

The answer to this question has changed over the past 25 years, as has the prevalence of treatment options that affect Orange County public health.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, up to 20% of women who give birth each year experience maternal mental health (MMH) disorders, such as depression, anxiety and other mood disorders during pregnancy, as well as postpartum depression. In Orange County, this rate translates to close to 8,000 women, as well as their children, who are impacted each year.

Despite the prevalence, women battle not only the symptoms of MMH disorders, but also the stigma around this misunderstood issue that affects the health of both the woman and her child, even throughout adulthood, as new research suggests.

Maternal mental health goes far beyond the so-called baby blues, the typical stress, fatigue, worry and anxiety that almost every new mother feels. Instead, maternal mental health disorders begin to surface during pregnancy and can continue as postpartum depression if not treated.

The disorders associated with MMH cut a wide swath across all Orange County demographics. We see mental health disorders affecting women who had difficult pregnancies, as well as easy ones. Women with more than one child are just as likely to experience depression as first-time mothers, and MMH disorders surface among every income, age, race, ethnicity and educational bracket.

In the summer of 1989, the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation commissioned a perinatal needs assessment and program plan for its Orange County chapter. Many of the ideas and concepts developed to address some of the most compelling needs identified in 1989 created the seeds that became the Maternal Outreach Management System, which since 2008 has been known as MOMS Orange County.

As part of celebrating its 25 years of service, MOMS just commissioned a retrospective review of the environment out of which MOMS was born and the changes Orange County has experienced since then. The 1989 March of Dimes Perinatal Needs Assessment focused over three-quarters of its report on one crucial area: the availability and accessibility of perinatal health care services.

The MOMS-commissioned retrospective combined with outcomes of two focus groups comprised of local perinatal experts is providing a starting look at the current state of perinatal needs. As in 1989, early prenatal care and substance-exposed infants are critical areas of perinatal health requiring concentrated attention. However, three other areas surfaced this year  breastfeeding, maternal morbidity and maternal mental health  zooming ahead and requiring prioritization, according to the perinatal experts surveyed.

Why has maternal mental health become such a priority in 2017? The answer is a question of socio-economics and the result threatens public health. Although income doesnt preclude a woman from developing maternal mental health disorders, her access to mental health care largely depends on her income, and this presents a growing gap in how Orange County approaches maternal mental health.

Untreated MMH disorders significantly and negatively impact the short-and long-term health and well-being of affected women and their children. Symptoms lead to adverse birth outcomes, impaired maternal-infant bonding, poor infant growth, childhood emotional and behavioral problems and significant medical and economic costs. Despite these consequences, screening for MMH disorders is not routine.

Some work has been done to increase the services and resources in Orange County. At Hoag, for example, a peripartum mental health program is being developed in recognition of the great need. The program includes screenings for all women who deliver at the hospital , as well as assessments, consultations and linkage to services for women who require them.

Currently, Hoag offers a maternal mental health support line to help connect both physicians and families with a mental health specialist. Additionally, a postpartum adjustment support group is offered weekly to new mothers experiencing the baby blues, or having difficulty adjusting to motherhood. Moms who gave birth at any hospital in Orange County are encouraged to attend.

Despite the abundance of wealth in Orange County, the lack of maternal mental health services disproportionally affects lower-income women  and this is creating a near public health crisis. Women in families whose income is below 100% percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) experience depression at over double the rate of women in families with income higher than 300% of FPL.

With advancements in science and a deepening understanding of the connection between perinatal mental health, we now understand that the offspring of mothers who experience postpartum depression and other mental health disorders suffer well past infancy. These children grow into adults who often exhibit increased impulsivity, maladaptive social interactions and depression.

Backed by this new investment in data, its time to act before another 25 years of inadequate perinatal health care services affects the next generation of families. MOMS is taking a stand by implementing strategies to improve maternal mental health in Orange County, and you, too, can contribute to the future of Orange County.

If you have the opportunity to influence pregnant women, encourage them to participate in maternal mental health screenings and seek treatment for disorders. If you are pregnant or are considering becoming pregnant, avail yourself of maternal mental health screenings and services offered through MOMS or other health care providers. We welcome your efforts to empower mothers and strong families throughout Orange County.

PAMELA PIMENTEL, a registered nurse, is CEO of MOMS Orange County. PATRICIA DE MARCO CENTENO, a physician, is director of consultation-liaison psychiatry and Womens Mental Health at Hoag Hospital.
As a Newport Beach taxpayer, I was outraged by Councilman Scott Peotters recent commentary in the Daily Pilot (Newport Beach rejected gas tax revenue on principle and hope of repeal, Aug. 24).

Our council representative, in protest of the gas tax, is willing to allow $480,000 in gas tax revenue  money generated by the taxes paid by Newport Beach residents  to be lost to other cities.

Peotters foolish protest of the gas tax does not reduce the tax by one penny, but it would deny the benefit of this revenue for the improvement of our streets and reduction of traffic impacts.

Just as outrageous was the mailer we recently received from Councilman Marshall Duffy Duffield threatening service cutbacks, including street paving, due to the cost of a recall election of Peotter.

Duffield and Peotter are willing to lose $480,000 in available street-improvement revenue, but threaten to reduce street improvements to pay for the $300,000 recall!

Remember, it was Peotter who strongly advocated a special election, and its attendant cost of $300,000, rather than vote for a rescission of the Museum House approvals. The hypocrisy of these two Newport Beach council persons is breathtaking.

Councilman Jeff Herdman recognized the folly of rejecting the gas tax revenue as a protest measure, and has decided to seek reconsideration on this decision. That is what responsible leadership looks like.

Peotter, in contrast, has weirdly called these street improvement revenues blood money and free money. No, Councilman Peotter, these revenues are not free; we will pay for them at the pump, and we expect you to spend it to improve our streets.

According to the Orange County Transportation Authority, ours would be the only city in California to affirmatively reject gas tax revenue due our city. That is a truly dubious distinction and an embarrassment. Like his embrace of high-rise development, this shows that Councilman Peotter is out of touch with the values of our community.

Peotters only defense to the ongoing recall campaign against him has been to misrepresent the cost of the special election, encourage voters to avoid this cost and to totally obfuscate and confuse the issue by calling it the Bunny Tax. The cost of the recall is neither a tax, nor does it have to do with the statues of bunnies in the Civic Center.

Peotter characterizes the $480,000 loss of gas tax revenue and $1.9 million in annual revenue each year after that as being insignificant sums but perversely complains about the cost of a recall. We cannot afford any more of Peotters irresponsible political games. Go to recallscottpeotter.com for more information.

KRISTIN M. CANO lives in Corona del Mar.
On the night of Saturday, Aug. 19, thousands of music lovers gathered at the Arboretum in Arcadia for a concert by the Pasadena Pops orchestra, led by conductor Michael Feinstein.

The evenings program was a tribute to George and Ira Gershwin and their collaborative song, SWonderful.

Feinstein, a Gershwin scholar, worked for many years with Ira cataloging and preserving the unpublished sheet music and rare recordings in the lyricists collection.

Throughout the evening Feinstein generously seasoned the dinnertime concert with amusing stories about the Gershwin brothers and their family.

Vocalists for the evening were spectacular: Jordan Donica, who is appearing in the roles of the Marquise de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the national tour of the musical Hamilton now showing at the Pantages, and Rachel York, who often appears with Feinstein and is an accomplished actress in film and TV. She was outstanding in her sultry rendition of the Gershwins song, The Man I Love.

I was happy to see La Canada Flintridge resident Jim Thatcher, principal French horn player for the Pops. He is such a fine musician and wonderful man that I did a feature story on him several years ago.

While at the concert I saw and had a chat with audience members and La Canadans Wendy and Phil Wyatt and caught a glimpse of Annsley Strong. In the crowd it is hard to find our local folks but this is truly a favorite summer season event for our valleyites.

The last concert of the Pasadena Pops summer season is scheduled for Sept. 9 and will feature film music from Universal Studios favorites.

***

The partial solar eclipse we experienced here on Aug. 21 was mesmerizing on so many levels that I continue thinking about it.

It may sound silly, but that Monday morning I pulled up a chair in my driveway, put on my special glasses (playfully patterned with bright yellow flames around the edges) and caught every nuance of the spectacular celestial show.

It was fascinating to watch the light fade until it looked like it was almost seven oclock in the evening. The morning birds that usually are all atwitter with their songs grew silent.

My dog Lola was looking at me like I had forgotten to feed her, since it was darkish outside.

I invited several of my neighbors who didnt have the eclipse glasses to come take a look through mine. In all cases, there was always an intake of breath from them as they put the glasses on, followed by them saying, Wow!

I tried to take a photograph with both my phone and my big Nikon, but my attempts were not up to NASA standards.

What really excited me was that a large portion of the people in our nation had bonded together to share in this experience.

It was so amazing!

JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Canada Flintridge social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.
If there is one variety of pet owner that Kaley Cuoco absolutely cannot stand, its the indifferent type. The ones who, unlike their furry companions, lack loyalty. The ones whose commitment to their animals is conditional.

Cuoco knows firsthand how this brand of apathy plays out in real time. And it looks a lot like dumping your 11-year-old German shepherd in the entryway of an animal shelter the way you might toss a sack of musty clothes off at your local Goodwill.

It makes me sick, Cuoco said. They act like dogs are trash. They act like dogs are a water bottle that you just throw away.

Advertisement

More from L.A. Times pets 

Cuoco, 31, certainly heeds her own command  and when she commits, shes not messing around.

Shes always been an animal lover and is an accomplished equestrian. But it wasnt until about 10 years ago that Cuoco took her first steps toward animal rescue work. It started with pit bulls, after she learned about the dangerous stereotypes that damage their reputation and contribute to their widespread mistreatment.

Cuoco was hooked.

I was like, Oh, my God. Im obsessed with this kind of dog, she said. I just found them to be so incredible. I realized what great dogs they were, and how horribly they were seen. And I just didnt want that to happen anymore. So it became a passion.

Actress Kaley Cuoco jumps into her pool with Shirley, in air, and Norman, who stopped at the edge, on Aug. 7. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Not long after, Cuoco adopted her first rescue animal: A 2-year-old (give or take) pit bull mix with a broken leg. She named him Norman.

I knew right away, Cuoco said. I wanted this dog to be in my life.

Norman  the goofy-grinned, handkerchief-clad tail-wagger  has been steadily climbing the ranks of social-media stardom by way of Cuocos Instagram account, named after Norman. Thats him in the profile thumbnail, wearing a handkerchief and looking impossibly earnest.

Norman isnt the only Cuoco household pet to gain a fan following. (Cuoco has joked that her horses were becoming more famous than she was.) Her Instagram account  with 3.2 million followers  can probably be best described as a visual, patchwork ode to each of her pets.

Theres Shirley, another pit bull mix and Normans dusky-coated counterpart; Ruby, an almost pocket-sized shaggy terrier mix, and seven professional show horses.

Her love for Norman drove her to animal rescue. She found her philanthropic home base in Paw Works, a nonprofit rescue organization that partners with shelters across Los Angeles to place abandoned animals in foster and adoptive homes.

So between filming the upcoming season of The Big Bang Theory (or playing pretend, as Cuoco calls it), doubling as a certified (and incredibly well-manicured) equestrian on the side and turning each of her 10 pets into social-media personalities in her spare time, Cuoco also acts as a makeshift halfway house for discarded animals in search of a permanent home.

You know, an animal is so innocent, she said. They have no voice. ... I want to kind of be a voice for them, and speak up for them.

Thats why Cuoco is intent on spotlighting the plight of animals whove been relegated to one of L.A.s severely overpopulated, under-resourced shelters.

Its because theyre old, she said. So many people come in and drop off dogs theyve had for years that they dont want anymore because theyre old.

She suspects that at least part of the toss it mentality is rooted in Angelenos relentless inclination to turn necessities into accessories. And a once-sprightly, now-lethargic 14-year-old canine probably doesnt fit the bill.

Most of the time, Cuoco said, owners cite the cost of care for an elderly animal as the No. 1 motive behind this kind of rollback. For many families, the added expense slingshots household pet straight through their budgets ceiling.

Thats a tough one for me to understand, she said. And of course it is  because unlike Cuoco, your run-of-the-mill dog owner is probably not raking in a steady $1 million per episode.

Actress Kaley Cuoco is shown with her three dogs, Ruby, in arms, Norman, left, and Shirley, in background, in her Tarzana pool on Aug. 7. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

But perhaps even more than that, Cuoco prioritizes the thoughts, feelings and overall well-being of animals the way most people prioritize humans.

Thats largely because for Cuoco, her pets have been just as much a refuge for her as she has been for them.

I live by this saying, she said, I dont know who quoted it, but its like: Who rescued who?

She paused for a moment.

And I just think its the sweetest thing, she continued, Because its true. It changes your life.

Pet videos  On Now In goat yoga, the point isn't to sweat. It's to have a baby goat climb on your shoulders during your plank On Now Pearl the tortoise On Now Hanging out with Instagram's famous cats Nala, Coffee and Luna On Now Poolside with Kaley Cuoco, Norman, Shirley, Rose and friends On Now Watch a pet therapy dog at work On Now Visit the Pug Nation Rescue On Now Visiting the dog beach with Shari Sandberg On Now Video: The scene at CatConLA 1:53

Updated 5:56 p.m.: This story has been updated throughout.
A reader writes that shes about to send her 19-year-old daughter to Italy for college-related studies and wonders whats the best way to manage money and communications.

Note to parents: Coursework? Living arrangements? Logistics? Those are important concerns. But these money and staying-in-touch questions should be addressed first, I would argue, so you dont have a kid who runs out of money in, say, Barcelona, Spain, about 220 miles and 24 hours from her final destination. That kid was me, and those were the dark ages when there were fewer options and a financial rescue took much longer.

Today, the issue isnt scarcity or speed. Its the multiplicity of choices. Heres what two experts suggested as solutions.

Even if youre not a parent, you will find information  and, I think, at least one big surprise  in here that will help you manage your money abroad.

Plus youll find some nag notes that moms and dads should reinforce.

So, to the questions.

Should a student have:

Cash?

Yes. But not a lot.

Carrying significant amounts of cash is not a good idea, said Kimberly Palmer, credit card and banking expert for NerdWallet.com, a personal finance site.

Cash you lose  whether you drop it or its taken from you  is cash thats gone for good.

Palmer cited emergencies as one reason for cash, suggesting a stash equivalent to about $500 (but carried on ones person only in small amounts).

Jennifer McDermott, consumer advocate for Finder.com, a personal finance comparison website, noted that in her recent travels she found that Europe is still very much a cash society, perhaps even more so with economic uncertainty of recent times.

While [credit] cards are widely accepted, [she] will need to carry at least small amounts of cash when visiting regional towns, markets and for making small purchases such as an espresso or gelato, McDermott said in an email.

If meals are not included in the students program, she suggested a stash of about $30 a day on top of walking-around money.

The key here is to secure your cash when you have it with you and when you leave it behind.

To carry money with you: I like under-clothing money belts and clothing (socks, T-shirts, even underwear) with hidden compartments.

Money left behind: Leave it in a safe, if there is one, and if not, use a portable safe. These bag-like portables come in different sizes, but a small one, usually embedded with steel mesh that cant be slashed open, should protect cash and, perhaps, small electronics. It can be secured to something solid (sometimes a bed will work) with a steel cable and a lock.

Parent nag note: Remind your child to make sure he or she doesnt leave the safe behind after a hotel stay or when heading for home.

A debit card?

Yes, for those times when cash is running low or you have unexpected expenses.

Both experts emphasized that you need to call the issuing institution to alert it to your travel plans.

Further, Palmer suggested asking whether the bank could fill you in on any unusual processes or procedures abroad.

Parent nag note: Make sure you know whether you incur fees for using a debit card and how much. They can add up. Counsel your student to use the card in safe places  a bank, not a roadside ATM.

RELATED: The five words you never want to say when you're paying by credit card in a foreign country 

A credit card?

Yes. You have many choices, and the good news is that with competition, many no longer charge foreign transaction fees.

The recent move in the U.S. to chipped credit cards was a halfway step. Most of our chipped cards are chip and signature cards. They still provide protection, especially from cloning.

But a signature isnt necessarily the most secure way to verify identity.

The other variation is a chip and PIN card, which means that you have a chipped card, but it takes a PIN to complete your purchase. It is said to provide a higher standard of security.

Chip and PIN cards arent common in the U.S., but you can find them, including the easily obtainable Barclaycard Arrival Plus World Elite MasterCard, which I carry.

Having one isnt imperative, unless you must pay for something at a kiosk, such as a train or subway ticket or gasoline for your rental car.

But, both experts said, before you go hunting for a PIN card, check with the issuing bank of a card you already have and see whether a PIN can be issued.

Its impossible to say that this can be done with all cards  It varies so much by country and card type, Palmer said  but its worth asking.

Its important to note that were not talking about cash-advance credit cards, which allow you to get money from ATMs. Those can be helpful in emergencies, but the fees can be high.

Parent nag note: Dont wait until the last minute to check on a possible PIN issuance. If your card can be equipped with a PIN, that number will not be given to you over the phone, Palmer said; it most likely will be mailed to you, and we dont mean email.

A second credit card?

Maybe. Many travelers take more than one card in case one is lost or shut down for whatever reason. A second card is a nice option, especially in an emergency.

Parent nag note: Make sure your students account numbers and contact information for the issuer are written down and kept secure. That might be in an encrypted file; it might be something that you, Mom and Dad, keep at home in a safe place. Make sure you monitor purchases too; tell your student to keep track of any expenditures, no blame, no shame, just sound financial practice to ensure you (or your student) is getting what he/she paid for.

One final note: We touched on this in a column called The Five Words You Never Want to Say When Youre Paying by Credit Card in a Foreign Country, but please instruct your child, when paying with a credit card, to ask to have the purchase charged in euros (or whatever the currency is of the country he or she is in), not dollars.

The conversion rate will be set by the bank, not by a third party, and will likely be more favorable to the buyer than the seller.

And what about staying in touch? Hold the phone. Well cover that next week.

Have a travel dilemma? Write to travel@latimes.com. We regret we cannot answer every inquiry.

travel@latimes.com

@latimestravel
On the eighth day after his son disappeared, Mohammad Munawar Dars phone rang. It was an Indian army officer with news that Dar couldnt bring himself to believe.

The officer said he had information that Dars son Shakoor, 21, had joined the anti-Indian insurgency in Kashmir, the long-disputed Himalayan territory enduring its worst outbreak of violence in years.

Dar never thought that Shakoor, who was studying to be an Islamic preacher, would take up arms. After Shakoor went missing, Dar had searched for him in seminaries and mosques, police stations and bus stops, markets and friends houses. Still doubting the army officers news, he later sent a friend to file a missing persons report with police.

A few days later, a boy from the neighborhood walked into Dars kitchen in Sopat Tangpora, a village of apple orchards, brandishing his cellphone. He pulled up a photo showing Shakoor, with his thick black hair and neatly trimmed beard, leaning against a tree and holding a battered rifle.

Shakoor Ahmad Dar is seen in a photo posted on Facebook.

The photo had been posted on Facebook  the way young Kashmiri men typically announce they have become fighters.

I was crushed, Dar said. I had thought of him being anything but a militant.

Shakoor, like dozens of young men over the last year, joined the armed separatists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, the rugged territory that India and Pakistan have fought over for 70 years.

Faced with one of the most prolonged popular uprisings here in recent memory, Indian soldiers and police have responded with overwhelming force, killing at least 135 suspected militants across the state of Jammu and Kashmir this year, on pace to be the highest one-year total since 2010, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, which tracks the fatalities.

As the body count rises, parents across the Kashmir valley are searching desperately for sons who have joined the militancy, hoping to bring them home before they end up dead at the hands of security forces. The grim task has added to the suffering in a territory that seems to be drifting further from its goal of self-determination.

Dar and his wife have rushed to the sites of gunfire and combed mosques and towns hunting for any sign of Shakoor, the youngest of their three sons. Every day that passes, Dar acknowledged, the chances that Shakoor will survive grow more remote.

The clock is ticking, he said.

Inside their four-room house of mud and brick, set amid walnut and apple trees, Shakoors family watched with worry last year as violence spread across the valley.

In July 2016, after Indian forces killed a well-known Kashmiri militant, 21-year-old Burhan Wani, protesters poured into the streets, beginning months of clashes with soldiers and police that would leave more than 100 civilians dead, hundreds blinded by lead pellets and thousands arrested.

Shakoor frequently joined the demonstrators, angering his father, who said it was not appropriate for a seminary student  who had designs on becoming an imam  to engage in violence.

I knew he would not listen to me, but I am a father, said Dar, 68, sitting inside his small tailoring shop in the village.

Dar would often send Shakoor to work in the apple orchards to distract him. But one day last September, he didnt return.

Indian security operations have ground down an insurgency that included some 1,700 fighters a decade ago to fewer than 200 last year, most of them Pakistani, according to official estimates. But Wanis death attracted a new generation of local recruits.

Most joined Wanis group, Hizbul Mujahideen, a Kashmiri organization that arms itself primarily with weapons stolen from security forces. In August, the U.S. State Department formally designated the group a foreign terrorist organization.

Shakoors parents learned that he had joined Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based militant group that has waged attacks inside India for three decades. It is widely seen as a more radical organization with links to international terrorists.

Mohammad Munawar Dar and his wife, Raja Begam, outside their house in Sopat Tangpora, in southern Kashmir. (Sameer Yasir / For The Times) (Sameer Yasir / For The Times)

Until recently, few disaffected young Kashmiris would have considered joining Lashkar, analysts say. But Indias failure to find a political solution to Kashmiris desire for self-government has raised the appeal of hard-line groups.

In recent months, Indian forces have quelled the protests in southern Kashmir and intensified the hunt for militants in villages, triggering bloody firefights. Last Saturday, three militants stormed a police compound in Pulwama district, killing eight security personnel before they were shot dead after an hours-long gun battle.

These are not terrorist organizations but gangs, said Swayam Prakash Pani, deputy police inspector in southern Kashmir. By the end of this year we should have neutralized all of them.

Shakoors decision to fight India made his parents celebrities in Sopat Tangpora. Children would cross the street to shake hands with his father. Villagers greeted his mother, Raja Begam, with a respectful salaam.

But his parents just wanted their son back.

One morning in February, Begam dashed out of the house barefoot. A short 63-year-old with sunken brown eyes, she ran for several hundred yards before climbing into the back of a truck.

As she caught her breath, her lips trembled. She had heard of a gun battle unfolding about seven miles away in the village of Yaripora and wondered whether Shakoor was involved.

When she got down outside Yaripora, gunfire crackled in the cool air. Indian soldiers and police had surrounded a house where four separatists were holed up. Scores of anti-Indian demonstrators were hurling stones at the security forces.

Begam kept her distance from the mob, watching nervously. A man from the village asked what she was doing there.

Im looking for my son, she said.

For the first time, women and girls had begun to join the stone-throwing demonstrators in some areas, their photos going viral as a sign of the growing anti-Indian sentiment. Begam said she had never participated. But she knew this generation of Kashmiris was more politically conscious than hers.

As she watched the crowd, she felt a glimmer of pride.

When you see this kind of support, she said, it means the path my son has chosen is not wrong.

It was almost dusk when the gunfire quieted. The house was destroyed, the four militants inside dead. Two soldiers and a civilian also were killed.

A teenage boy ran up to Begam. She had introduced herself earlier, and now he had some news. Shakoor was not inside the house. It was not too late to find him.

No mother in this world, including that of a soldier or a policeman, would want to see her son wrapped in a white shroud, she said.

A few miles away in Habilishi, a village surrounded by green paddy fields, Mehmooda Wani was also locked in anguish. Her stepson, Yawar Bashir Wani, who is no relation to Burhan Wani, left home in January, stole a weapon from a police officer and joined Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to Kashmir police.

In a letter delivered to their house days later, Yawar, 21, asked his father for forgiveness: I am sorry that I could not do what a son is supposed to do for his father.

Now the parents of Yawar and Shakoor are united in a quest to find their sons.

Yawars father, Bashir Ahmad Wani, a civil servant in the forestry department, sat on the veranda of his house one morning in August, holding his head in his hand. Spread before him was a newspaper article in which police blamed Lashkar-e-Taiba militants for an attack on Hindu pilgrims outside Anantnag that killed eight civilians.

Among the four attackers, officials said, was Yawar Bashir Wani.

Bashir Ahmad Wani and his wife, Mehmooda Wani, learned their son was accused in a deadly attack on Hindu pilgrims in July 2017. (Sameer Yasir / For The Times) (Sameer Yasir / For The Times)

If the police are telling the truth, then he deserves the fate of those innocent pilgrims because Islam doesnt teach the killing of innocent people, his father said.

A week later, Indian forces cordoned off a small village 35 miles away where a group of militants were reportedly meeting. Mehmooda Wanis phone rang with the news that a young man had been killed.

I hope Yawar is fine, the caller said. You must check.

The next morning both she and Shakoors father, Dar, rode to the village of Awneera, where a gunfight was raging. Stopped a mile outside town, they asked a local man the names of the militants inside, and he said neither Shakoor nor Yawar were believed to be there.

The militant who was killed was Yasin Yatoo, one of the leaders of Hizbul Mujahideen. His body was brought to his house, wrapped in a green flag bearing the Islamic crescent and star.

His mother sat before him, weeping in front of dozens of mourners.

All these years I waited for you to come home, she murmured. Now that you are here for such a short time, they already want to take you away from me.

Wani and Dar shared a taxi back to their village. Their search would continue.

Thank God, Dar said, my son has some more days to live.

Special correspondent Yasir reported from Kashmir and Times staff writer Bengali from Mumbai, India.

shashank.bengali@latimes.com

Follow @SBengali on Twitter for more news from South Asia

ALSO

Indian guru gets 10-year prison sentence in rape case; police brace for violence from followers

In India, you can no longer divorce a woman simply by saying (or texting) it three times

With the battle for Mosul finished, Islamic State families present a conundrum

Islamic State's latest video features what it says is a child of a U.S. soldier
A German nurse convicted in 2015 of killing two people with heart medication overdoses is now suspected in the deaths of dozens more during a grisly spree more than a decade ago, police said Monday.

Niels Hoegel, who is serving a life sentence, is now believed by police to have killed 84 patients and possibly many more who died under mysterious circumstances during his shifts at two hospitals in the northwestern towns of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst. He worked there between 1999 and 2005.

If convicted of the additional deaths, Hoegel, 40, would be Germanys worst mass murderer in postwar history  a claim that he reportedly boasted about in prison.

Advertisement

Theres no end in sight to the horror, said Oldenburg police chief Johann Kuehme at a news conference, adding that the three-year investigation into additional suspicious deaths would continue. The evidence that weve collected so far is shocking enough, indeed it is beyond imagination. The killings weve been able to confirm are only the tip of the iceberg.

Kuehme said the corpses of about 100 patients found dead on Hoegels watch at the two hospitals near Bremen were exhumed from different cemeteries and traces of the medications were found  leading to 84 additional suspected cases.

Hoegel was finally stopped in 2005 when another nurse caught him injecting a patient with an overdose of a drug that can cause heart failure or circulatory collapse. The patient survived.

He was arrested and first convicted in 2008 of attempted murder in that case  and sentenced to 7  years. Media coverage of that trial prompted a woman to tell police she suspected her mother may have also fallen victim to Hoegel. Police exhumed several corpses and found traces of the drug in five of them, including the womans mother.

Hoegel said during his second trial in 2015 that he had injected the overdoses into about 90 patients at the Delmenhorst hospital because he enjoyed the euphoric feeling of sometimes being able to resuscitate them and being seen as a hero at his intensive care station.

In 2015 he was convicted of two murders, two attempted murders and bodily harm. He told the court then that he thought he was responsible for 30 deaths. Prosecutors in 2016 estimated the total to be at least 33.

Fellow inmates told authorities that Hoegel had told them that he started killing patients to relieve them of their suffering and, later, out of boredom. One inmate said Hoegel had said he stopped counting after the list reached 50. State prosecutor Daniela Schiereck-Bohlemann said Hoegel had admitted to 30 cases, naming the patients he killed.

Im the greatest mass murderer in postwar history, Hoegel once reportedly told a fellow inmate, according to German media reports.

A total of 411 patients died at the two hospitals during the years that Hoegel worked there, including 321 who were found dead during his shifts or right after. Many were elderly; some were in their 40s and 50s.

There is no capital punishment in Germany. Prosecutors are expected to put Hoegel on trial again for the additional killings, but there is no provision under German law for consecutive sentences so there will not be any change to his life sentence.

Kuehme, the Oldenburg police chief, criticized hospital authorities for failing to take any action against Hoegel, who was even given a letter of reference from the Oldenburg hospital when he left. Prosecutors are pursuing criminal charges of negligence against two former senior doctors at the hospitals.

If the people in charge at the time, especially at the Oldenburg hospital but also later at the Delmenhorst hospital, had not been so reluctant to alert the authorities, murders could have been prevented, Kuehme said. He added that officials at the Oldenburg hospital in particular had been aware of the irregularities on Hoegels shifts.

Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.

As China and India tussle in South Asia, a pristine mountain kingdom is caught in the middle

Mexico says it wont renegotiate NAFTA with President Trump via Twitter

Finding a life partner is hard enough. For those of the Druze faith, their future depends on it
Marusya climbed the concrete platform to Josef Stalins feet, followed by her younger sister, Lilia. Ducking behind the former Soviet dictators red granite leg, Marusya initiated a game of hide-and-seek with her sister, and the two began chasing each other around the statues base.

Marusya, dont do that! Come down. Someone is going to fall! her mother yelled from the sidewalk where she was pushing a baby carriage and chatting with another young mother. The two sisters continued to giggle as they circled the statues feet.



For the record: An earlier version of this article said the statue known as Iron Felix weighed 11 tons. It is 14 tons.

The girls didnt seem to notice that the statue of the man responsible for some of the former Soviet Unions greatest atrocities  the Great Terror political purges of the 1930s, an engineered famine in Soviet Ukraine, and the deportation of millions to Siberia  was missing a nose. The facial feature was probably chipped off in 1991 during its transfer from its original home in front of Moscows famed Bolshoi Theater to this sculpture park on the Crimean embankment of the Moscow River.

Advertisement

After a few turns around Stalins boots, the children jumped down and scurried over to the next object in their climbing adventure: Yakov Sverdlov, a Soviet Communist Party leader notable for giving the order to assassinate the Russian czar and his family in 1918.

As the debate in the United States over Confederate and other historic monuments rages on, Russians have, for the time being, laid to rest their own debate about statues here in the Muzeon sculpture park.

Its our history! Of course they shouldnt be thrown away in a trash bin, said Marina Skokova, 61, a Moscow pensioner who was taking advantage of the summers remaining warm days to stroll through the park with her two nephews. We shouldnt forget our history, both the good and the bad times.

In 1991, when the Soviet Union was breaking up and the promise of democracy was in the air, Moscow and other cities across the former U.S.S.R. rushed to change the names of streets and squares bearing Soviet-era names. Hundreds of statues of Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, came down, some by force and some by a democratic vote.

You should do what we did here. You cant try to hide from the past.  Marina Skokova, a Moscow retiree

So did monuments to many other Soviet luminaries.

A statue of Felix Dzerzhinsky, the founder of the Soviet secret police agency that was the precursor to the KGB, once stood prominently in front of the agencys headquarters in central Moscow, a notorious place known for detainment and torture in its basement cells.

The Moscow City Council voted in October 1991 to dismantle the Dzerzhinsky statue, which was toppled by demonstrators two months earlier, as Russia made efforts to come to terms with its totalitarian past. In 1994, the 14-ton bronze figure was moved to its current perch in the sculpture park.

This work is historically and culturally significant, being the memorial construction of the Soviet era on the themes of politics and ideology, the sign in front of the statue says.

Standing in the shadow of Iron Felix, as he was known, Skokova had advice for Americans conflicted over what to do about monuments to Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

You should do what we did here, she said. You cant try to hide from the past.

The statement likely had little meaning to the young girls, who were taking full advantage of the August sunshine in Moscows biggest sculpture park, home to more than 700 pieces, including modern works of art. But the parks collection of former Soviet memorials is the big draw for tourists seeking a taste of what life looked like in communist Russia before the breakup of the Soviet Union.

1 / 10 A sculpture of the founder of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin, next to a state emblem of the USSR at the Muzeon Sculpture Park in Moscow. (Mladen Antonov / AFP/Getty Images) 2 / 10 People walk past a huge statue emblem of the former Soviet Union at Muzeon Sculpture Park in Moscow. Statues of Soviet leaders were dismantled and brought to this riverside park in the mid-1990s by the decree of the Moscow government. (Yuri Kadobnov / AFP/Getty Images) 3 / 10 Children walk near sculptures of Vladimir Lenin, leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, at the Muzeon Sculpture Park in Moscow. (Mladen Antonov / AFP/Getty Images) 4 / 10 Visitors take pictures among the statues at Muzeon park. The parks collection of former Soviet memorials is the big draw for tourists seeking a taste of what life looked like in Communist Russia before the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. (Yuri Kadobnov / AFP/Getty Images) 5 / 10 A woman stands by a statue at the park in Moscow known as Fallen Monument Park. (Yuri Kadobnov / AFP/Getty Images) 6 / 10 A woman walks past sculptures at Muzeon Sculpture Park in Moscow. (Yuri Kadobnov / AFP/Getty Images) 7 / 10 A modern sculpture next to a statue of Lenin at Muzeon. Moscows biggest sculpture park is home to more than 700 pieces, including modern works. (Mladen Antonov / AFP/Getty Images) 8 / 10 Visitors to the popular park rest near a bust of Lenin. (Mladen Antonov / AFP/Getty Images) 9 / 10 A man skates past statues at Muzeon Sculpture Park in Moscow. (Yuri Kadobnov / AFP/Getty Images) 10 / 10 Looking for Lenin? Hes everywhere at the park along the Moscow River. When the Soviet Union was breaking up, hundreds of Lenin statues came down. But less than a kilometer away from Muzeon, another Lenin stands at October Square with his hand stretched out toward the Kremlin. (Mladen Antonov / AFP/Getty Images)

When the Lenin busts and statues of Soviet leaders were dismantled and brought to this riverside park in the mid-1990s by the decree of the Moscow government, many were placed arbitrarily in the grassy field behind the modern art collection of the Tretyakov Gallery and Central House of Artists exhibition halls, a massive Soviet piece of architecture that today is host to some of Russias top art exhibitions.

But the Muzeon park received a substantial renovation in 2012, transforming it into one of Moscows most popular spots for strolling with friends or walking dogs. Hip cafes serving espresso concoctions  flat whites, iced lattes  are scattered among the parks collection of sculptures, both Soviet and modern collections. Lovers sit on park benches overlooking the Moscow River, where cruise boats ply its waters on their way toward the red brick walls of the Kremlin.

Pingpong tables host spontaneous battles between rowdy groups of young men, while pensioners read their papers from benches lining the paved walkways. Across the park from Stalins stern gaze, a teenage rock band practiced on a concert stand for an evening performance, one of the last before the start of the school year on Sept. 1.

Today, the Soviet relics have been propped up and, like the Dzerzhinsky statue, given brief descriptions listing the subject, the artist and where the monuments once stood. There are no mentions of the estimated tens of millions killed by the secret police during the 70 years of Soviet rule.

To Stalins right shoulder there is a wooden walkway that winds about 25 feet through various sizes and shapes of Lenins and Stalins. At one end of the walkway, two shiny, black granite busts  one of Lenin and one of Karl Marx  have become popular spots for tourists to pose for the essential selfie to complete any Moscow visit.

There are still plenty of communist leaders busts and statues around the Russian capital and, indeed, the country. In the last year, several cities have erected or, rather, re-erected statues of Stalin as part of a resurgence of admiration for the Soviet leader in Russia.

Less than a mile away from Muzeon, Vladimir Lenin stands at October Square with his hand stretched out toward the Kremlin. Its now a popular spot for skateboarders. The preserved remains of the Soviet leader, of course, remain on display in his mausoleum at Red Square.

Meanwhile, in neighboring Ukraine, a nationwide de-communization program has removed 1,320 Lenin statues across the country. Although many Ukrainians have rejoiced in the tear-down of memorials to a man who embodied Soviet domination and repression, the de-communization program has not been without its critics.

I think its wrong, they shouldnt have done it the way they did, said Maxim Skokov, 17, who was wandering around the Soviet statues in Moscow with his aunt, Marina. The teen, who came to Moscow from central Ukraine, sees the movement there to tear down the Lenin statues as an attempt to hide our history.

His aunt nodded in agreement.

If you try to forget your history, you will forget who you are and where you came from, Skokova said. And if you forget who you are and where you came from, it will be easy for them to just forget you!

sabra.ayres@latimes.com

Twitter: @sabraayres

Ayres is a special correspondent.

ALSO

Revered Russian theater director placed under house arrest, raising fears of a crackdown on dissent

An outspoken researcher of Stalins crimes fights for his own fate and freedom in Russia

What? Britains Big Ben expected to stay (mostly) silent for at least four years
North Korea launched a ballistic missile over Japan on Tuesday, demonstrating its commitment to advancing its missile program despite international sanctions and other pressure to halt it.

The missile traveled hundreds of miles over Sea of Japan and Hokkaido, an island prefecture in northern Japan.

President Trump said the U.S. heard Pyongyangs message loud and clear.

Advertisement

This regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior, Trump said Tuesday in a statement.

Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regimes isolation in the region and among all nations of the world, he said. All options are on the table.

The Pentagon reported it detected and tracked the launch at 5:27 a.m. local time just outside Pyongyang, near Sunan Air Base, in North Korea, flying east over northern Japan before landing in the Pacific Ocean about 500 nautical miles east of Japan. The launch was the first to cross over Japan since 2009.

Initial assessments by the U.S. military indicated it was an intermediate-range ballistic missile and that it did not pose a threat to North America nor to Guam, a U.S. territory.

We are working with our interagency partners on a more detailed assessment and we will provide a public update if warranted, the Pentagon said in a statement. Our commitment to the defense of our allies, including the Republic of Korea and Japan, in the face of these threats, remains ironclad. We remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies from any attack or provocation.

Four of South Koreas F-15 fighter jets conducted an exercise in which they dropped a total of eight bombs at a military field near their eastern coast.

The United Nations Security Council met to discuss further actions against North Koreas nuclear and missile programs. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called the launch absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible.

North Korea has fired 21 missiles during 14 tests since February, including three on Saturday, with many landing in the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, a wide area of ocean separating the two countries.

Such launches have prompted alarm in Japan, especially when missiles landed in its economic zone for shipping and fishing. Tuesdays launch reportedly prompted the government to issue a take-cover warning to residents.

The apparent test from North Korea comes amid continued war exercises by United States and South Korean forces. The drills are defensive, U.S. officials say, but they have angered the North and caused provocations in the past.

The UN Security Council has banned such tests by North Korea, but its efforts continue. Last month, North Korea successfully test launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles  weapons in theory capable of striking the U.S. mainland, including California.

Special correspondent Stiles reported from Seoul and Times staff writer Hennigan from Washington.

ALSO

Singapore has an idea to transform city life  but there may be a privacy cost

As China and India tussle in South Asia, a pristine mountain kingdom is caught in the middle

Russia had its own version of the Confederate monument problem. The solution: a sculpture park in Moscow

UPDATES:

2:35 p.m.: August 29: This article was updated to include comments by U.S. officials.

4:10 p.m.: This article was updated with background on North Koreas missile program.

3:10 p.m.: This article was updated with officials saying North Korea fired an unidentified projectile.

This article was originally published at 2:45 p.m., August 28.
Mexico will not renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement or any other aspect of its relationship with the United States via social media or the press, the Mexican government declared Sunday.

Mexico City released the statement in an apparent response to a series of provocative tweets by President Trump on Sunday in which he called NAFTA the worst trade deal ever made, argued that Mexico and Canada were being very difficult and concluded that he may have to terminate the tri-nation trade pact.

We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

Advertisement

During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly assailed NAFTA, which went into effect on Jan. 1, 1994, greatly easing trade barriers between the United States, Mexico and Canada. The trade deal, Trump charged, had caused the loss of U.S. jobs to Mexico and the closure of manufacturing plants in the United States.

But, once in office, Trump declined to move quickly to cancel the deal and instead agreed to a complex, tri-national renegotiation process.

Many here dismissed Trumps latest Twitter barrage as a negotiating ploy in advance of a second round of NAFTA talks, which are scheduled to take place in Mexico City on Sept. 1-5.

Various U.S. economic sectors, including agriculture and auto manufacturing, have benefited considerably from NAFTA and have expressed concern to the Trump administration about a prospective demise of the trade deal. Still, the president has continued to threaten to cancel NAFTA.

In another Sunday morning Twitter message, Trump labeled Mexico one of the highest crime Nations in the world, adding: we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.

With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

The vow to build a border wall  and to have Mexico foot the multibillion-dollar bill  was among Trumps central campaign pledges, extremely popular with many of his supporters. But the plan was widely condemned in Mexico.

In its news release on Sunday, Mexico City reiterated that it has no intention of financing Trumps proposed wall across the almost 2,000-mile-long boundary between Mexico and the U.S.

Our country will not pay, in no way and under no circumstances, [for] a wall or physical barrier that is constructed on United States territory along the border with Mexico, the Mexican government stated. This determination is not part of a Mexican negotiating strategy, but is a principle of sovereignty and national dignity.

As for violence in Mexico, the Mexican government cited the high demand for drugs in the U.S. as key to the ongoing drug-related turmoil south of the border.

Large amounts of cocaine, heroin and other drugs are smuggled north to the U.S. via Mexican territory. The two nations must work jointly to reduce criminal activity, Mexico City said.

The international criminal organizations have caused the deaths of thousands of Mexicans, including members of the armed forces and police officers, and of thousands of United States citizens, the Mexican government said. Only with a base of principles of shared responsibility, working as a team and mutual confidence, will we be able to meet this challenge.

To read the article in Spanish, click here

patrick.mcdonnell@latimes.com

twitter: @mcdneville

ALSO

Trump aides appear to distance themselves from his Charlottesville remarks, but defend Arpaio pardon

Trump promotes book by controversial sheriff and campaign supporter

In between tweets on Harvey, Trump takes aim at Democratic senator
Seized by Islamic State in the summer of 2014, Mosul became the terrorist groups top prize in Iraq. But it was the much smaller city of Tall Afar, 60 miles from the border with Syria, where the group had its deepest roots.

The hometown of some of Islamic States top figures, it fell to the extremists five days after Mosul and became an essential outpost for the militants between their territories in Iraq and Syria.

The astonishingly brutal nature of the sectarian conflict that had raged there since the U.S. invasion in 2003, a researcher at the Wilson Center wrote last year, had given Tall Afar the reputation of being Islamic States very own heart of darkness.

Advertisement

Yet it took only eight days this month for Iraqs military to end the extremists reign there, with different branches of the armed forces breaching Tall Afar from three sides before racing to the citys center.

By Sunday, commanders had announced their complete control of the city and were chasing fleeing militants seven miles away in the village of Ayadhiyah. Clashes there were ongoing Monday, local news outlets reported.

In the run-up to the campaign, military planners had feared a repeat of the fight for Mosul, considered to be the largest urban conflict since World War II. That offensive, which ended in July, was a grueling close-quarters brawl in which troops flushed out the extremists from among civilians cowering in their homes.

The fighting leveled wide swaths of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq with a prewar population of more than 2 million, and tens of thousands of civilians and soldiers were killed and wounded.

Tall Afar is a smaller city, but was thought to have anywhere from 10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants still inside, according to the U.S.-led coalition that provided air support. The United Nations said they were living in horrific conditions under a crippling siege by government forces that had surrounded the city.

The estimated 1,000 militants had been given no choice but to surrender or die, according to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi in a speech at the start of the offensive, and were expected to put up a fierce resistance.

It was to be a politically complicated battle as well. Tall Afars population was dominated by Sunni and Shiite Turkmens, an ethnic minority.

Islamic State espouses an extreme form of Sunni Islam that views Shiites as apostates who are to be killed, and the terrorist group did just that after it took over the city.

That raised fears that a Shiite group known as Hashd al Shaabi, or Popular Mobilization Forces, would kill Sunni civilians trapped in the city and draw surrounding nations deeper into the conflict.

The Turkish government, which dispatched troops to the area last year to help train local fighters for the Mosul campaign, threatened to intervene to protect Sunnis. Saudi Arabia and Jordan expressed concern that Hashds participation in the battle would cement Iranian influence in the region and give Tehran another waypoint along a supposed land corridor stretching to Lebanon.

But the fight to take back Tall Afar proved far easier than expected.

Iraqs elite Counter-Terrorism Service, the U.S.-trained force that spearheaded the offensive, killed 225 militants, while the federal police killed 17, officials said.

The enemys morale is low  because of the speed of operations, Brig. Gen. Haidar Obeidi, a commander in charge of airstrikes, said in an interview with local media on Sunday, echoing statements by other soldiers who said the operation had been relatively easy.

Military intelligence sources said they had received information of a deal arranged beforehand in which some of the forces besieging the city had given the extremists safe passage into Turkey before the offensive.

But the most important factor affecting the pace of operations was the small number of civilians in the city, Obeidi said in a phone interview Monday.

Unlike Mosul, where residents had been told by the government to remain in the city, Tall Afar had largely been emptied beforehand, with the government reporting that more than 40,000 people had left the city since April.

One mystery was the fate of hundreds of Yazidi women who had been kidnapped by Islamic State in August 2014 and used as sex slaves. They were not in the city as activists had hoped

Douglas A. Silliman, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, congratulated Iraqi forces for the very quick progress in Tall Afar as well as the great victories they had achieved in removing Islamic State from 90% of the country.

We are deeply thankful, as the United States and the rest of the world, for the sacrifices of the Iraqis in this battle, he said in an interview with a media representative of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense broadcast on social media on Monday.

With the campaign finished, troops are expected to continue their march southeast toward the town of Hawija, which is still in the hands of Islamic State, as well as Anbar, where it maintains a presence near the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Bulos is a special correspondent.

Twitter: @nabihbulos
MEXICO CITY -- Gunmen in El Salvador early Thursday burst into the offices of a human rights agency that focuses on children missing from the countrys civil war, torching documents and taking away computers, activists said.

The attack was a major blow against a group that had reunited numerous children with families from which they were wrenched in the 1980s. It follows by less than six weeks the abrupt closure of another human rights organization, one connected to the Roman Catholic Church, which had documented massacres and other egregious abuses over several decades.

Both incidents come as the Salvadoran judiciary reviews an amnesty law that prevented the prosecutions of army officers, right-wing political leaders and leftist guerrillas for crimes committed during the 1980-92 civil war, which killed 75,000 people in that tiny country. The U.S.-backed government at the time used brutal tactics to put down a Marxist-inspired insurgency.

Advertisement

If all or part of the amnesty law is overturned, those prosecutions could be opened. It is believed much of the evidence would come from the files in a number of grass-roots human rights organizations that work in El Salvador.

Thursdays incident involved the Pro-Busqueda (search) Assn. for Missing Children (link in Spanish), which since 1994 has attempted to find the 1,000 or more children who disappeared in the war.

This is a clear sabotage of our work, Pro-Busqueda Director Ester Alvarenga said in a news conference.

Gunmen tied up a guard, removed computers and other equipment, then doused the files with gasoline and set them on fire, the organization said on its website. Someone with a radio stood outside, giving the assailants instructions, according to a person briefed by investigators.

About 80% of crucial documentation is believed to have been destroyed, said Abraham Abrego, a representative of the Studies Foundation for the Application of Law (link in Spanish), a left-leaning legal rights organization that was one of several groups denouncing the attack.

This sends a message of terror, Abrego said by telephone from the capital, San Salvador.

Pro-Busqueda was the subject of a 2011 Times article recounting the difficult task of reuniting families and long-lost children nearly two decades after the war ended.

Children during the conflict vanished when they fled army incursions or strayed when their guerrilla parents were killed in firefights. Some ended up in orphanages and were adopted, either by corrupt lawyers or through well-meaning applications.

Pro-Busqueda, using DNA testing and old-fashioned detective work, has pored through adoption records and interviewed survivors of massacres to track down missing children. Leads have taken them mostly to cities in the United States but also Europe.

The organization says it has put about 175 people in contact with families; the bodies of at least 50 children, found in unmarked or clandestine graves, have also served as the sad end to some cases.

Last month, the archbishop of San Salvador abruptly shut down another important human rights office, Tutela Legal, which had served as the preeminent chronicler of massacres, killings and other war crimes throughout the civil war and afterward. Bishop Jose Luis Escobar argued that with the war over, the office no longer had a purpose; human rights organizations the world over protested the decision and demanded that Tutela Legals enormous archive of more than 50,000 cases be preserved.

Given both incidents, all human rights archives in the country are really at risk, said Geoff Thale, programs director for the Washington Office on Latin America, a U.S.-based human rights group. He was in San Salvador.

The human rights community, victims and the government need to think about systematic strategies to protect these archives, he said.

ALSO:

China increases aid to Philippines after drawing fire

Obama cautions Congress against fresh sanctions on Iran

Nervous mafia could target Pope Francis, prosecutor warns
All material is subject to strictly enforced copyright terms & conditions and cannot be repurposed or reproduced.  19882022 Latin American Financial Publications Inc.
A 35-year-old one-time Easton man was jailed Monday for allegedly stealing a bicycle and living in a vacant house for four days.

Patrick J. Fantasia Jr. (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Patrick J. Fantasia Jr. came to the attention of authorities Aug. 21, when Colonial Regional police began investigating the theft of a bicycle from the Hanover Township Community Center at 3660 Jacksonville Road.

Police reviewed surveillance video showing the theft that afternoon and that the perpetrator had come into the community center just prior, about 2:10 p.m., to use the telephone, court records say.

Officer John Harmon determined the number that had been called and learned from a woman who answered that a Patrick had called there.

Police said they called the same number later that evening and asked for Patrick, and Fantasia answered. He gave his name but allegedly provided a false date of birth and an address in Whitehall Township; court records list his address as in the 300 block of Vista Drive in Easton.

Fantasia admitted to the officer to having been at the community center and using the phone that day but denied any knowledge about the stolen bike, a 21-speed Trek, according to court records.

Police determined Fantasia stole the bike by comparing the video footage to his driver's license, court records say.

In a separate incident that led to Fantasia being taken into custody, Colonial Regional police on Sunday morning investigated a possibly burglary reported at a shed to the rear of a home in the 1100 block of Claire Street in Hanover Township.

A 911 caller reported a section of the wooden shed had been removed and that items from inside were stacked outside the shed. The house was vacant, but the caller noticed items placed on the rear porch and in the back yard.

Police found the rear sliding door open with a pair of sneakers just outside. As officer Gary Young was checking the home, a man identified as Fantasia ran out the sliding door into nearby Hanover Park, court records say.

Once caught, Fantasia reportedly told police he is homeless and had been staying in the home for four days without permission.

Fantasia was arraigned in both cases on Monday before District Judge Jacqueline Taschner, on theft and receiving stolen property charges for the bicycle and felony trespass for allegedly staying in the home.

He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of a combined $30,000 bail and faces preliminary hearings tentatively scheduled Sept. 11 before Taschner.

If released, Fantasia would need to remain under the supervision of Northampton County Pretrial Services, undergo a drug-and-alcohol evaluation and submit to random urine screens, provide a verifiable address and stay out of both the community center and Claire Street home.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Two Bethlehem police officers were back at work Monday after both were bitten by a suspicious man going door to door with a baby squirrel Sunday, according to the city police chief.

Angelo Louis Vasquez (Courtesy photo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Angelo Louis Vasquez, 25, of North Fourth Street in Allentown, was arraigned Sunday afternoon on felony assault and related charges in the incident along the 3200 block of East Boulevard in Bethlehem.

Vasquez was knocking on doors in the neighborhood late Sunday morning, asking for help with the squirrel he was carrying around in a pink washcloth, according to police. It may have been a flimflam burglary ploy, police Chief Mark DiLuzio said.

"In my 37 years of being a cop, I would say the squirrel was a ploy so he could get access to people's homes," DiLuzio said Monday morning, adding later: "Basically what this was is a decoy burglary and that's what we think he was trying to set up here. ...

"You tie up a homeowner with a baby squirrel and, 'I have to use the bathroom.' And you wind up finding your jewelry missing or cash missing from your wallet."

A resident approached by Vasquez, who was wearing an Emoji-print pajama outfit, called police Sunday to report his behavior as suspicious, and police officers Michael Koblish and Paul Ramsden responded, DiLuzio said.

DiLuzio credited the caller with doing the right thing, and possibly preventing a burglary. The charges against Vasquez do not include burglary. The proper thing for Vasquez to do had he actually been seeking help for orphaned wildlife would have been to dial 911 for assistance, police said.

Vasquez, the police learned as they responded to speak with him, was wanted on a warrant in Indiana for burglaries, DiLuzio said.

"It had full extradition, meaning they wanted him back," the police chief said.

As the officers attempted to take him into custody on the warrant, Vasquez immediately began to fight back, police said.

The officers took him to the ground, and Vasquez bit both of them on the arms, breaking the skin, DiLuzio said. He was finally subdued with a shock from a Taser and taken by Bethlehem EMS for treatment.

Koblish and Ramsden were also taken for treatment to have their wounds cleaned and receive tetanus booster shots, police said.

Both were treated and released but told DiLuzio they must return for followup care, the chief said.

"The human mouth is actually very dirty," DiLuzio said. "Any doctor will tell you that. ...

"They're both back at work today," he continued later, saying both look at their wounds as part of the job. "They were happy to get somebody like this off the street."

Police on Sunday placed the squirrel into a box for animal control to retrieve. DiLuzio said Monday, "It was motionless and believed dead when being carried around. It was checked and found to be dead already."

Vasquez was arraigned before District Judge John Capobianco on two felony counts of aggravated assault, in addition to misdemeanor charges of simple assault (two counts), disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $50,000 bail and faces a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled Sept. 11 before District Judge James Narlesky.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @KurtBresswein. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A phoned-in threat of an attack against Dorney Park drew a large emergency response on Thursday afternoon in South Whitehall Township, authorities said.

Investigators eventually concluded there was no evidence that an attack was developing, South Whitehall police said Friday.

The call was received just before 4 p.m. by Allentown's emergency dispatch center and relayed to the Lehigh County communications center, police said.

South Whitehall officers were joined by "multiple agencies," including the Allentown Fire Department's bomb squad and K-9 units from the Palmer Township and Reading police departments.

Fire department Capt. John Christopher confirmed the bomb squad deployment but said members stood by and had no active role in the probe.

The on-site investigation lasted about three hours, police said.

"The park was secured by (7 p.m.) with no threats being found," police said.

The probe was continuing, police said, but nothing was new by Monday morning.

Dorney Park remained open during the investigation, as park staff cooperated with law enforcement officers, park spokeswoman Kristen Hager said Monday.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
An 18-year-old Lower Nazareth Township man faces drug and theft charges after his arrest early Thursday morning, Colonial Regional police report.

Jordan Brandon Schwoyer, of the 4500 block of Newburg Road, was found in a vehicle with a 17-year-old girl in the parking lot of a closed business, police said.

Upper Nazareth police first noticed the vehicle and notified Colonial Regional because it was in their jurisdiction, court records say.

Schwoyer told the girl to hide a brown plastic tray containing crack cocaine under the passenger seat, police said. But it was partially showing when an officer looked in the vehicle, police said.

Schwoyer's wallet also contained a small plastic bag containing crack, police said.

Drug paraphernalia was also found in the car, police said.

Police discovered a reusable bag in the rear seat containing $883 in razors, Flonase and whitening strips, police said. The girl told officers that Scywoyer took the items from the Giant supermarket at 859 Nazareth Pike and didn't pay for them, police said.

The drugs field tested for cocaine, police said. They were turned over to Pennsylvania State Police for further testing, court papers say.

Schwoyer was arraigned at 8:15 a.m. before District Judge Richard Yetter III on charges of retail theft, receiving stolen property, corruption of a minor, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, court records show. He was sent to Northampton County Prison in lieu of $45,000 bail and remained there on Monday morning, records show.

His preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled 10 a.m. Sept. 5 before District Judge John Capobianco.

Court records don't show an attorney for Schwoyer.

Tony Rhodin may be reached at arhodin@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyRhodin. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
Portarlington man, Kevin McCormack came up with a novel way to celebrate his 60th birthday recently by donating 3,735 to the Liver Transplant Unit in St Vincents Hospital in Dublin.

Kevin explained, that having been the recipient of a liver transplant last year he felt that he had won the Lotto when a donor liver became available. When his family held a party to celebrate his 60th birthday recently he decided, that, instead of receiving presents he would ask family, friends, and former business associates to donate money to the Transplant Unit in St Vincents Hospital who gave him a Second chance at life.

Kevins health problems began in 2013 when he was diagnosed with autoImmune hepatitis and he developed cirrhosis of the liver. Over the next two years despite receiving intensive treatment at the Beacon Clinic and St Vincents Hospital his health deteriorated. He was placed on a transplant list in December 2015 and in February 2016 he got a call from the transplant team to say that a suitable donor liver had become available. Kevin underwent the successful eight-hour transplant operation under Professor Diarmuid Houlihan and his team and remained in hospital for a further two weeks post-surgery.

Kevin returned to his home in Kilbride where under the watchful eye of his wife Una he has made a full recovery. Kevin says he has many people to thank especially the family of the donor who despite their own terrible loss phoned the hospital on four occasions the day of the operation to ascertain how the operation was going, he was very moved by their generosity and concern for his wellbeing. He also thanked all who contributed to his collection for the hospital.

As Kevin continues the road back to full health he made an appeal to all to sign and carry organ donor cards with them as it gave him a second chance at life. He concluded by saying: I have my Lotto inside of me thanks to a very generous family who I do not know and never met.
The Irish Cancer Society is inviting anyone affected by cancer in Laois to its annual free conference for cancer survivors and their families entitled Living Well with Cancer, which will take place during Cancer Week 2017 this September.

Up to 150,000 people are now living with or beyond cancer in Ireland and there is a growing need to understand the life changing implications a cancer diagnosis can bring. The two day event will see up to 800 cancer patients, survivors and their supporters travelling to Dublin from all over Ireland to attend the conference

For the first time, as part of the overall conference, the Society will also offer a dedicated seminar aimed exclusively at those who have secondary or metastatic cancer called Living with Secondary Cancer  What Happens Now That Its Back?

This tailor-made programme will address the specific psychological and quality of life needs of those with secondary cancer as well as offering an update on treatments and an overview of clinical trials.

The conference takes place in the Aviva Stadium, Dublin on September 29/30.

For more information or to register to attend go to www.cancer.ie/livingwell2017 or call the Irish Cancer Society on 01 2310500.
Have you ever wanted to buy or sell items at a farmers market or car boot sale?

You will be able to do just that in the heart of Portlaoise from October onwards.

Local man Seamus Holland made it his mission to organise a car boot sale in what he calls "one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland".

The new market will be based in a wide open space in the heart of Portlaoise on a three acre site with indoor facilities, indoor 50,000 ft. of indoor parking and extensive outdoor parking.

The location is known nationwide as Portlaoise Livestock Market and is on the Timahoe Road, Portlaoise.

This will now be home to a regular car boot sale/farmers market.

The idea has received great feedback so far with 22 stalls already booked in for the first market day on October 14.

The gates of the market will open at 7.30am on the day and there is still space for more stalls to book in.

To book in send your name and details to Seamus Holland (0872513094) Cars are 15, vans are 20.
A family, who originate from Kildare, were part of a majorly significant event held in the US over the weekend.

A special granite Celtic cross, shipped from Co. Wicklow, was erected in Jacksonville on Friday (August 25) to remember adults missing in Florida.

Margaret Rowan, emigrated with her family to America in the 1990s.

Her son, John Rowan Jr., went missing as he left for work in Jacksonville in February 2001.

The Rowan family worked tirelessly to find out what happened to their son, but to this day havent had any answers.

Since thousands go missing in Forida every year, Margaret set up the John Rowan Jr. Foundation to raise funds for a Celtic Cross to be erected in downtown Jacksonville.

The granite cross was shipped from Wicklow, through ports in England, New York City and New Jersey before arriving in Jacksonville.

The special ceremony was host to guests like the Mayor of Jacksonville, city policy officers and sheriffs, and the state attorney.

At the event, Margaret thanked everyone who helped her make this happen:

"This memorial is a place for the families of missing adults in the state of Florida. Not having a resting place to visit is heartbreaking.

"Like I said, most families have nowhere to put a flower or kneel a pray for the their loved one on anniversaries, holidays birthdays or any occasion. I couldnt stand this for my son so I have one for him.

"And my passion was to erect one for all of the missing adults in the state of Florida. I hope this memorial will bring comfort to

all of their families. I feel all of the missing loved ones memories are embedded in this memorial today and need to be

remembered.

"A little bit of Ireland landed in Jacksonville for this very special day as a memorial state wide for all of our missing adults in

Florida.

I know this memorial will not replace what most people have lost, but I hope it will be a place where we can all come to say

hello, a prayer, or spend a special moment when you want to reconnect with your lost loved one or simple take a moment to

pray for a loved one."

The Rowan family are over the moon with the Cross, which is now a point where families of those missing can come together.
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.

Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.

If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .

Support our mission and join our community now.
The second round of CAO offers are this week. For some students this will bring the relief of being offered a place, but if you aren't one those receiving an offer, what options are open to you?

While there still will be a small number of offers as students who previously accepted places change their mind before registration, there are still options open to students who don't receive an offer of a place.

Post Leaving Cert (PLC) courses

These courses comprise eight modules and are an ideal way to get experience and grounding in an area of interest. Many students seeking to enter nursing, for example, who don't qualify for an offer in the first and second rounds, opt for a pre-nursing PLC course which will help them gain important first aid skills as well as introducing them to many of the subjects they will study at college. Best of all, courses like this give you a new entry route for college as places for high achieving PLC graduates are kept open for the next academic year. For more information see www.careersportal.ie.

Apprenticeships

During the boom years apprenticeships - save those for the construction industry - were often overlooked for a college degree, despite the fact they offer excellent education and experience and in many cases, qualifications which lead to more employment opportunities outside of Ireland than some degrees will. Best of all, for students taking on an apprenticeship there is the opportunity to 'earn as you learn'. Some websites worth looking at include www.apprentices.ie - for construction based opportunities and www.accountingtechnicianapprenticship.ie - for those looking at careers in accounting.

Private colleges

The private education sector still has a wide range of courses available, either through vacant places on the CAO or by direct application to the college. Fees are a higher than the usual university registration costs but there is some tax relief available.

Repeating the Leaving Cert

This is never really a popular option but, if repeating will allow you to gain those vital points you need and, most importantly, you are prepared to work to achieve this, then this is an option worth considering.

Taking a gap year

For some students the reality is that they really don't know what they want to pursue as a career. Some students are very young finishing their Leaving Cert while others genuinely haven't any idea what they want to do. While not ideal for every student, sometimes taking a gap year to travel or volunteer, gives you a chance to think about interest you, leading to an area of study you may never have considered before. It also gives you experience in the workforce which can also lead to different career paths so it can be a very valuable opportunity. Be warned, taking a year out and not working or volunteering will not only waste time, it will also make it much harder to return to study or work in the future.
I think it is always important to remember those people who built strong foundations for the party during the exceptionally lean times of the 50s and 60s  and look to what we can learn from them right now.

This weekend, Facebook reminded me that it was 5 years since Donald Gorrie died. A councillor for quarter of a century, then MP and MSP, he built the foundations for our strength in Edinburgh West today.

At the time, I wrote this on my own blog:

Sadly, I never knew him that well, although, of course, I admired from afar his work on issues like sectarianism, alcohol, third party right of appeal in planning decisions and showing how STV would work in the Scottish Parliament. He was a good role model of how to behave when youre in a coalition youre not really happy with. He was never destructive, but he spoke up when he wasnt happy and spent his time developing ideas. He had that winning combination of the sharpest of minds, the most liberal of hearts and the most determined of mindsets.

There are many other tributes to him in that post as well.

I put some of them into a Storify thingy.

Donalds wife Astrid has helped to get Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP, Cllr Gillian Gloyer and Christine Jardine MP elected in Edinburgh West.

On polling day in June, I handed over a shift at a polling station to Donalds grandson.

People still come in to the office and say how fantastic Donald was, 10 years after he left public office.

Thats some legacy.

If you have memories of Donald, please feel free to share them in the comments.

* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
A CALL has gone out to keen cyclists across Limerick to join in a fundraiser for Pieta House next month.

For the third year in a row, Pieta House will hold a 100 Cycle to mark World Suicide Prevention Day on Sunday, September 10.

The first ever Pieta 100 cycle started in Limerick, and it is now taking place in six locations across the state.

Here in Limerick, the start point will once again be Mungret GAA Club.

The chief executive of Pieta House Brian Higgins has called on people to join in, and raise money for Pieta House, which has its local centre at Mungret.

He said: In the same way that someone out on a cycle can put a supportive hand on your back to help push you up a hill, thats really the job of Pieta house too.

He also added, I know just how much commitment and effort goes into a big cycle. There is a personal achievement that comes out of it, there is the achievement of meeting new people and having a good days craic. There is also the achievement of having raised money to keep our services free for anyone in our community who needs them.

There will be two cycles taking place  a 53km circuit, and a more challenging 100km route.

The 53km ride will take in Patrickswell, Rathkeale and Kildimo, while the 100km cycle will also call at Newcastle West, Adare, Ardagh and Loughill.

Places on the cycle are limited to just 500 riders, so people are being asked to sign up as soon as possible.

For more information and to register, either telephone Pieta House in Limerick at 061-484444, or visit www.pieta100cycle.com.

The cycle is one of two major Pieta House fundraisers, the other being Mays Darkness into Light.
ONE brave Limerick lad managed to blag his way into one of the best seats in the house at the Conor McGregor fight against Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas at the weekend.

Brian Grace, 19, who is a student in Limerick Institute of Technology, told Joe.ie that, despite not having a ticket for the fight, he managed to blag his way in through a combination of sheer brazeness and luck.

The Limerickman, who is in Vegas for a week with two of his mates, made it through two different security check-points at the T-Mobile arena.

There were two different security check-points. The first one was metal detectors and sniffer dogs. I hung around for a bit and then I noticed that Conor's family - not his close family, maybe his extended family, like his cousins or something - they all turned up. I was well dressed, so I just walked in with them, and there was so many of them that it wasn't a problem."

"Then I got to the second security check-point, and there was no way of getting passed without a ticket, plus I think Conor's family had noticed me so I just kind of separated myself from them."

"I was walking around a bit and I noticed this ladder just lying there by a door, so I picked it up and walked in, no security pass or anything, just straight through this door. Then I put the ladder down, found my mates inside and we played the waiting game."

After hooking up with his buddies, the trio saw three front row seats that were empty and plonked themselves down. They have become infamous in their own right, as the video below shows, at about 13 seconds in:
LAUREL Hill Colaiste FCJ in Limerick is the top secondary school in Ireland for the fourth year in a row, according to The Sunday Times Best Schools Guide.

The annual Sunday Times survey measures the progression of all second-level students over a three-year period  from 2014 to 2016  to universities and institutes of technology.

It found that in Laurel Hill Colaiste FCJ 93.7% of girls progressed to university, and it is also the only non-fee-paying school to top the Sunday Times league table over the past 12 years.

In 2014, it was the first Gaelcholaiste to become top of The Sunday Times Best Schools Guide since the papers annual Parent Power survey began in 2003.

The 422-pupil girls Gaelcholaiste has also been the top school in Munster (excluding Cork) for seven out of the past 14 years.

Glenstal Abbey in Murroe was ranked as the sixth best in the country, with 84.6% of the all-boys fee-paying school progressing to university.

It also topped the national league of the boys schools.

Ardscoil Ris on the North Circular Road ranked at 24th nationally in the guide, with 74.4% of students progressing to university.

Four Limerick schools made the list of the top 20 mixed schools in the country.

Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh ranked fourth in this list, and 27th overall nationally, with a progression rate of 73.2%.

Crescent College Comprehensive in Dooradoyle was ranked fifth nationally for mixed schools, 28th overall, with a 72.9% progression rate.

Castletroy College ranked 64th overall in the league table, but was placed as the 15th best mixed school in the country, with a progression rate of 64.3%.

Villiers Secondary School on the North Circular Road ranked 70th overall, but 19th in the list of mixed schools, with a progression rate of 63.3%.
DANCE Limerick is gearing up to host a new show which takes its inspiration from 90s rave culture.

Ravenous, a performance as part of the Step Up Dance Project, opens in Dance Limerick on August 30 at 6pm.

Choreographed by the award winning UK choreographer Gary Clarke, the dance theatre show uses rave culture, derelict warehouses and industrial dark-lands that became a gathering community for youths and music by The Prodigy and Mogwai for a head first dive into a hedonistic landscape of politics and partying.

It is performed by Sarah Greene, Celina Jaffe, Niamh Kelly, Oran Leong and Bianca Paige Smith, all taking part in Step Up, an intensive programme for newly graduated dancers that aims to bridge the gap between dance education and professional contemporary dance practice.

Now into its seventh year, the programme is a partnership between the Arts Council, Dance Limerick, Dance Ireland and the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance at UL.

Jenny Traynor, Director of Dance Limerick and Producer of Step Up, says of the project: The participants of this years Step Up Dance programme come from a wide range of dance backgrounds.

It is wonderful to give them the opportunity to develop their technical and performance skills under the direction of a world class choreographer such as Gary Clarke.

Ravenous is an unmissable high energy show like nothing youve seen. It is a free event and all are welcome.

Booking is essential, contact stepupdanceproject@gmail.com.
Aug 28, 2017, 4 AM

Both of the International Day of Peace stamps for use from the United Nations Postal Administrations post office at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria, feature hands. The designs represent the breaking down of barriers (68) and a peace o

The two International Day of Peace stamps for use from the United Nations Postal Administrations post office at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, include the word peace in Arabic (1 franc) and French (2fr).

The U.N. Postal Administration will also issue three souvenir sheets for the International Day of Peace. The sheet for the U.N./Geneva post office shows a design that is similar to, but not quite the same as, the other 2-franc stamp.

By Denise McCarty

The United Nations Postal Administration will celebrate the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21, by issuing nine stamps representing this years theme: Together for Peace: Respect, Safety and Dignity for All.

In particular, the theme focuses on the plight of refugees and migrants throughout the world.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said: Our obligation as an international community is to ensure that everyone forced to flee their homes receives the protection to which they are entitled under international law. Our duty as a human family is to replace fear with kindness.

Connect with Linns Stamp News:

Sign up for our newsletter

Like us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Stranger & Stranger, a packaging design and branding company that specializes in alcoholic drinks, designed the International Day of Peace stamps. Established in 1994, the company has studios in London, New York, and San Francisco.

UNPA Chief Thanawat Amnajanan said, The design firm Stranger & Stranger has created unique artwork for this stamp series which illustrates how peace can be a powerful force in uniting people around the world.

The set includes three stamps for each of the three UNPA post offices: one in U.N. headquarters in New York City, one in the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland; and the third in the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria.

For each post office, there are two stamps that will be issued in separate sheets of 20 and a third stamp in a souvenir sheet of one.

The denominations are 49 and $1.15 for the two stamps for use from the post office at U.N. headquarters in New York City. In addition, the single stamp in the souvenir sheet has a $1.15 denomination.

Similarly, the two stamps for use from the Palais des Nations are denominated 1 franc and 2fr, and the souvenir sheet 2fr; and the stamps for use from the Vienna International Center are denominated 68 and 1.70, and the souvenir sheet is 1.70.

The 49 stamp shows two symbolic doves in different colors. UNPA has named this design Equality/Doves, according to the report about the new stamps in Fascination (No. 123), the UNPAs bulletin for stamp collectors.

The UNPA said, Symmetry is all about balance. Balance is a measure of equality. And true equality is the harbinger of peace.

In addition to inscriptions in English, the stamp includes the Chinese characters that translate to peace in the bottom center of the design.

The design for the $1.15 stamp in the souvenir sheet is similar to that of the 49 stamp, also showing two multicolor doves facing each other. In this design, the Chinese inscription appears above the doves, and the word Peace is in English below them.

The illustration on the $1.15 stamp in sheets of 20 represents the saying moths to a flame.

The UNPA said, The beauty of civility and decency serves as humanitys guiding flame  a light to gravitate around even in the darkest of nights.

The word Peace is written in English downward on the left side of this stamp.

The 1fr stamp features a fox and hare. Their shadows form a peace dove.

The design represents the unity of enemies. The UNPA reported the fox and hare symbolize the twin urges of fear and anger, and the rest of the design represents the power of enemies who join forces to overcome them. An Arabic inscription meaning peace is included in the lower right.

The designs of both of the 2fr stamps (one in sheets of 20 and the other in a souvenir sheet) are called Duality. Each design depicts two figures tete-beche, or upside-down in relation to each other.

On the stamp in sheets of 20, one figure is in tan and the other black; both are holding a bouquet of flowers. The inscription on the right side reads Paix, French for peace.

The figures on the stamp in the souvenir sheet are in tan and pink, and their arms are not shown. The floral bouquets are placed at the nape of their necks. The peace inscriptions are in Arabic and French on either side of the main design.

The UNPA explained the concept of the Duality design, There is a reason that polar opposites attract: because you can only see the full picture when complementary parts combine.

Hands and arms symbolize the breaking down of barriers on the 68 stamp and a peace offering on the 1.70. The former design pictures two blue arms, one handing a flower to the other, while the latter shows a handshake.

The Russian word for peace is repeated in a circle in the center of the design of the 68 stamp.

On the 1.70 stamp, one hand is magenta, and the other a golden yellow. Flowers decorate the left and right sides of the design. The Spanish word for peace, Paz, is in the center above the handshake.

The handshake design plus a few additional flowers are featured on the souvenir sheet. The Spanish word for peace is above the handshake, and the Russian is below it.

Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands printed the stamps by offset lithography, plus gold foil.

The stamps in sheets of 20 are 50 millimeters by 35mm each, while those in the souvenir sheets are 43mm by 43mm. The souvenir sheets also are square, 81mm by 81mm.

The quantities printed are 110,000 each of the U.N./New York stamps; 80,000 each of the U.N./Geneva stamps; and 90,000 each of the U.N./Vienna stamps. The souvenir sheet quantities are 27,000 of the $1.15; 25,000 of the 2fr; and 33,000 of the 1.70.

The International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by U.N. resolution A/Res/36/67, which passed unanimously, and called for a day to strengthen the ideals of peace and to alleviating the tensions and causes of conflict, both within and among nations and peoples.

A second resolution in 2001 (55/282) fixed the date of Sept. 21 for the International Day of Peace and also called for it to be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence, an invitation to all nations and people to honour a cessation of hostilities.

For ordering information for the International Day of Peace stamps, visit the UNPA website, email the UNPA; pick up the telephone and dial 800-234-8672; fax 212-963-9854; or write to UNPA, Box 5900, Grand Central Station, New York, NY 10163-5900.
The Consulate-general of China in Sapporo, Japan has requested confirmation from local police whether a body found in Hokkaido is that of missing Chinese teacher Wei Qiujie, reports Xinhua News Agency.

Meanwhile, the consulate-general has contacted the family of the missing Chinese teacher to inform them of the developments in the case.

Fishermen in Hokkaido said they found the body of a young woman by the sea on Sunday morning. She was wearing white clothes and had long hair, and bore a similarity to the missing Chinese teacher, according to Hokkaido Cultural Broadcasting.

Further police investigation is underway at the moment.

27-year-old Wei Qiujie from Fujian province went missing from a hotel in Sapporo on July 23. Her family feared that she had been kidnapped and was being held hostage.

Also, in early July, two Chinese sisters were found dead in a forest in Kanagawa, southwest Japan, after being reported missing.
As Liberians gear up for presidential and representative polls on October 10, 2017, politicians have been warned not to reverse the One-China Policy.

Civil Servant Associations President, Mr. Moibah Keller Johnson, reiterated the warning on August 22, 2017, during a symposium at the farewell reception for 2017/2018 Chinese Government scholarship students and trainees hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Monrovia.

Let it be made clear that to all presidential candidates in the 2017 elections, that reversal the One China Policy is not option, Johnson sounded.

Johnson, also a product of the Chinas bilateral scholarship and former President of the Liberian Association of Chinese-Trained Scholars (LACTS), reminded politicians that the policy is the diplomatic acknowledgment of Chinas position that there is only one government for all Chinese people.

Under the policy, Johnson indicated that Liberia recognizes and has formal ties with the Peoples Republic of China.

In fact, in adherence to this policy, the 52nd Legislature passed Resolution No. 001 confirming and reaffirming Liberias total unwavering commitment to the One China Policy, he said.

The Civil Servant Association President informed Liberians that, as the country transitions in January 2018, our collective urge is for the continuous adherence to the policy.

Johnson said the mutual relationship between Liberia and China is positively impacting Liberia. He named the ongoing construction of the Ministerial Complex, Roberts International Airport, annexes of the Capitol Building as some of the many interventions by the Chinese Government.

Besides, Johnson noted that Liberia and China have begun appreciating each others cultures, adding, To this end, thousands of Liberians that have been trained as professionals in China are currently contributing their quota in the rebuilding of Liberia in all spheres of national life.

He further recognized the introduction of Chinese Language teaching at the University of Liberia and warm reception by Liberians as an indication of the countrys overwhelming desire for Chinese culture.

Johnson then admonished the 2017/2018 Chinese scholarship beneficiaries to remain commitment in their educational sojourn in China. Sharing his Chinas experience, he told the beneficiaries to pursuit academic excellence and at the same time maintain the image of Liberia at all times.

He used the occasion to commend the Chinese Government, through its Embassy, for the immense contributions towards the rebuilding of Liberia.

On his part, the Charge dAffaires Ad Interim at the Chinese Embassy, Mr. Li Zhuang, said the comprehensive cooperative partnership between his country and Liberia is developing both in scope and in depth with encouraging momentum.

Li said China has put education as one of the priorities in the China-Liberia cooperation. In this direction, he said, China has provided modern infrastructures, such as Fendell Campus of the University of Liberia, laboratories at the University of Liberia, three primary schools in Montserrado and Bomi Counties as well as the extension of the Monrovia Vocational Training Center (MVTC).

Since the resumption of the diplomatic ties between China and Liberia in 2003, Li recounted that his country has provided more than 400 government scholarships to Liberian students for undergraduate, masters and doctorate degrees and trained over 3,000 Liberian personnel in various sectors in China.

In 2017 only, China provided 27 slots of Chinese Government Scholarship, 16 slots of one-year Master Scholarship and about 200 training opportunities for Liberian students, professionals and military officials, he stated.

By direct contacts with Chinese universities, Li revealed that several students have successfully obtained Chinese Government special scholarship; six Confucius Institute students have obtained the Confucius Institute Scholarship and 16 students of the University of Liberia Confucius Institute are expected to go to China for summer vacation camp this September.

Li then encouraged the 2017/2018 scholarship beneficiaries to overcome difficulties they may encounter in China and embrace the new environment with courage and open-mindedness. He reminded that they may come across a series of challenges such as language barriers and cultural differences.

Also gracing the occasion were government officials, officials and members of the Liberian Association of Chinese-Trained Scholars (LACTS) as well as the 2017/2018 Chinese Government Scholarship beneficiaries with their relatives, friends and workmates. Deputy Education Minister, Mr. Aagon Tingba, Deputy Agriculture Minister and representative of the scholarship beneficiaries, Mr. Thomas Gbokie, Assistant Defense Minister for Public Affairs and Mr. David Dahn, Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister, Emmanuel Munyeneh, made remarks outlining Chinas contributions to Liberia. They also advised beneficiaries to take their studies serious. The government officials then commended China for the efforts and reaffirmed Liberias commitment strengthening the countrys ties with China.

LACTS President, Mr. Clifton Garpeh and other panelists shared their experiences during the symposium, aimed at enlightening the scholarship beneficiaries who are leaving for China.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Dozens of H-E-B and Walmart stores remain closed in Houston and the Gulf Coast area as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to pound Texas with a torrent of rainfall.

At least 30 H-E-B stores  including 25 in Houston  and 87 Walmart locations and distribution centers, with 31 stores in Houston, had closed throughout the state as of Monday afternoon, the companies said.

Retailers have struggled to get emergency services and supplies into Houston, which has seen almost 33 inches of rainfall since Friday, according to the National Weather Service. But the companies have mobilized emergency response units and stock of emergency products to other areas affected by the storm.

H-E-B has deployed more than 15 disaster response vehicles including the companys two mobile kitchens, water and fuel tankers, trailers and direct response units  which include mobile pharmacies and business services that allow users to cash checks and pay bills.

More Information Store closures in Texas as of Monday afternoon H-E-B Greater Houston Area Central Market Joe V's Smart Shop Bay Town Joe V's Smart Shop U.S. 290/43rd Joe V's Smart Shop N./ Shepherd Mi Tienda 2 Bay Colony Blackhawk Braeswood & Chimney Rock OST & Scott TC Jester Memorial Dr. and Dairy Ashford Pasadena 3 Fry Road Gulfgate Woodlands 1 Woodlands Market Grand Parkway Buffalo Speedway Summerwood Market Pin Oak Woodlands 5 San Felipe Clear Lake Market Kingwood Aliana Market Beaumont area Beaumont 6 Orange Port Arthur East Texas Bay City West Columbia Gulf Coast area Aransas Pass Edna Ingleside Port Lavaca Refugio Rockport Mathis Walmart Aransas Pass (one Supercenter) Bay City (one Supercenter) Baytown (two Supercenters, one distribution center) Beaumont (Sam's Club) Cleveland (one Supercenter) Conroe (Sam's Club) Cypress (three Neighborhood Markets) Dayton (one distribution center) Edna (one store) Friendswood (one Supercenter, one Sam's Club location) Houston (four Neighborhood Markets, eight Sam's Club locations, 17 Supercenters, one Walmart location) Humble (three Supercenters, one Sam's Club, one Neighborhood Market) Katy (two Neighborhood Markets, one Sam's Club, one Supercenter) Kemah (Supercenter) Kingwood (Neighborhood Market) La Marque (Supercenter, Sam's Club) La Porte (Supercenter) League City (Neighborhood Market, Supercenter) Liberty (Supercenter) New Caney (Supercenter) Pasadena (Two Supercenters) Pearland (Three Supercenters, Sam's Club, Neighborhood Market) Port Lavaca (Supercenter) Porter (Supercenter) Portland (Supercenter) Richmond (two Supercenters, Sam's Club) Rockport (Supercenter) Sealy (distribution center) Spring (standalone pharmacy, Neighborhood Market, Supercenter) Stafford (Supercenter) Sugar Land (Neighborhood Market) Tomball (Supercenter) West Columbia (Walmart) The Woodlands (Supercenter) See More Collapse

The San Antonio supermarket chain has served meals to about 4,000 people through its mobile kitchen and filled 35 prescriptions using its mobile pharmacy when the companys emergency response unit arrived Sunday at the companys store at 1505 E. Rio Grande St. in Victoria, company spokeswoman Julie Bedingfield said. The company expected to serve a total of 6,000 meals by Monday evening.

H-E-B is waiting for road conditions to improve before sending a mobile kitchen to Houston, said Dya Campos, another H-E-B spokeswoman. The company said on Twitter that it was sending its mobile kitchens Tuesday to Rockport and Aransas Pass  areas along the Gulf Coast that were hit particularly hard. Sixty stores in the Houston area were operating, but were scheduled to close by 8 p.m. Monday, the company said.

H-E-Bs entire executive team along with employees at the companys headquarters in downtown San Antonio were dispatched to stores in the San Antonio area last week to bag groceries, stock shelves and collect shopping carts as shoppers prepared for the storm to potentially hit the Alamo City.

The companys executive team book-ended a meeting scheduled for Saturday with shifts at area stores weathering heavy crowds, said Tina James, H-E-Bs senior vice president of human resources. James bagged groceries at the San Antonio supermarket chains Lincoln Heights and Brook Hollow locations Friday and Saturday, she said.

While we didnt close any stores (in San Antonio), we were wiped out, James said. San Antonio customers got really excited.

Bill Anderson  vice president of H-E-Bs San Antonio food and drug retail division  headed to Corpus Christi Sunday to reopen the companys 10 stores there, which had closed Friday in anticipation of the hurricane but were up-and-running by Monday afternoon.

Walmart has shipped 795 trucks of emergency supplies to the companys stores in the South Texas region with 478 having already reached their destination, Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield said Monday. So far, 927 of 1,700 truckloads of water scheduled to be sent to the companys stores there arrived, Hatfield said.

Walmart is focusing on stocking stores in cities along the evacuation route including Waco, Temple and College Station with goods, company spokesman Reagan Dickens said. The company is also trying set up supply distribution points for flood victims at George R. Brown Convention Center and throughout the city, Dickens said.

Theyre looking to see how they can get supplies to folks that are inside those flooded areas, Dickens said.

Keeping shelves full isnt the only hurdle grocers impacted by the storm are facing. Kroger Co. opened 60 of its 110 stores in the Houston area Monday with about 10 percent of the workforce typically needed to run those stores because many employees were unable to reach the stores at which they normally work, company spokeswoman Joy Partain said.

The storm hasnt just impacted brick-and-mortar retail. Amazon has temporarily shut down operations at its Houston-area facilities and told customers to expect shipping delays on their orders, spokeswoman Ashley Robinson said.

Retailers also are mounting donation drives to put toward Harvey relief efforts. H-E-B has pledged $100,000 to aid Harvey victims and has begun accepting donations from customers at H-E-B, Central Market and Joe Vs Smart Shop to benefit American Red Cross for Texas Flood and Hurricane Relief, The Salvation Army and Feeding Texas, the company said in a statement. The Kroger Co. Foundation pledged the same amount to the Houston Food Bank, the Cincinnati-based grocer announced Monday.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have pledged at least $1 million to the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Convoy of Hope and other organizations in connection with Harvey relief efforts, the company said in statement.

Amazon Inc. and Whole Foods Market, which completed a $13.7 billion merger, will match cash donations up to $1 million to benefit the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, Whole Foods spokeswoman Betsy Harden said. Whole Foods customers will also be able to donate at the organic grocery chains registers starting Tuesday.

Amazons order fulfillment teams in North and Central Texas are delivering donated items  including phone chargers, power strips and sheets  from a wish list on the companys website to American Red Cross distribution centers, Robinson said.

And, The Home Depot Foundation is distributing $1 million in donations to American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Convoy of Hope, Operation Blessing and Team Rubicon to bolster Hurricane Harvey relief, the company said in a statement.

jfechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports
Glass Houses

By Louise Penny

Minotaur. 400 pp. $28.99

---

Every August for the past few years I've read the latest Armand Gamache detective novel by Louise Penny. And, every August for the past few years, I've been ruined for reading other books until the spell of Gamache dissipates a bit. It's not that all of Penny's mysteries are great; some are merely good. All of them, however, are infused with an idiosyncratic tone and worldview - fiercely moral though sometimes cruel and filled with poetry, eccentric characters and a reassuring sense of community. Finishing a Gamache novel always feels to me like being expelled from a somewhat more shadowy incarnation of Winnie-the-Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood.

That feeling is intensified whenever a story takes place, as "Glass Houses" does, in Three Pines, the remote Canadian village where Gamache and his wife, Reine-Marie, have a house. "Glass Houses," the 13th in the series, is one of the great Gamaches. Along with the usual attractions, this latest entry offers an intricately braided plot and a near apocalyptic climax. (How many times can Penny conjure up such boffo endings for her novels? By my count, she's come up with three, but I may be forgetting an apocalypse or two.)

On the first page of "Glass Houses," Gamache is already in the hot seat - in more ways than one. It's high summer in Old Montreal and Gamache, who is now the chief superintendent of the Surete du Quebec, is sweating in the witness box in the stifling Palais de Justice. He's being questioned about a murder that took place in Three Pines the previous autumn. Under interrogation by the chief crown prosecutor, Gamache describes a Halloween costume party held in the village's Bistro (the scene of many a meal of boeuf bourguignon and red wine shared among the Gamaches and village regulars such as Myrna the bookstore owner and Ruth the mad poet and her companion, Rosa the duck).

Reminiscent of the climactic scene of Edgar Allan Poe's immortal tale "The Masque of the Red Death," the Bistro Halloween party comes to a hushed halt when a macabre figure appears, cloaked in heavy black wool robes, black mask, gloves, boots and a hood. At first, some of the villagers think the stranger is dressed as Darth Vader. Then, Gamache recalls, "a space opened up around the dark figure. It was as though he occupied his own world. His own universe. Where there was no Halloween party. No revelers. No laughter. No friendship." When asked what he thought it was, Gamache replies: "I thought it was Death."

Of course, Gamache was right.

Before "Glass Houses" concludes - with that aforementioned near apocalyptic finish - that stranger will be identified as wearing the costume of "The Cobrador," or debt collector. The Cobrador is a centuries-old Spanish figure whose job it is to follow deadbeats and silently intimidate them into settling their bills. The Cobrador who materializes in Three Pines, however, is a more sinister version of the traditional character: He collects debts of conscience, not cash. Another intersecting story line deals with both the current opioid epidemic and a disturbing role that the otherwise tranquil village of Three Pines played during Prohibition.

Enough. Any plot summary of Penny's novels inevitably falls short of conveying the dark magic of this series.

No other writer, no matter what genre they work in, writes like Penny. Her sentences are usually short and her paragraphs often a few brief sentences long. Her characters are distilled to their essences. The stylistic result is that a Gamache mystery reads a bit like an incantatory epic poem. Here, for instance, is a passage introducing Isabelle Lacoste, whom Gamache has promoted to be his successor as head of homicide:

"Gamache had hired Lacoste a few years earlier, at the very moment she was about to be let go from the Surete. For being different. For not taking part in the bravado of crime scenes. For trying to understand suspects and not just break them.

"For kneeling down beside the corpse of a recently dead woman and promising, within earshot of other agents, to help her find peace. ...

"Instead of responding to the critics, as some within her division had begged her to do, Lacoste had simply gone about her job.

"And that job, she knew with crystalline clarity, was indeed simple though not easy.

"Find murderers.

"The rest was just noise."

It takes nerve and skill - as well as heart - to write mysteries like this. "Glass Houses," along with many of the other Gamache books, is so compelling that, for the space of reading it, you may well feel that much of what's going on in the world outside the novel is "just noise."

---

Corrigan, who is the book critic for NPR's "Fresh Air," teaches literature at Georgetown University.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

There was no shortage of memorable TV coverage of the catastrophic Hurricane Harvey, but one San Antonio anchorwoman got to viewers in a special way when she broke down during the news.

A tearful Delaine Mathieu of WOAI-TV couldnt finish the 6 p.m. broadcast Friday because of personal connections to the deadly and destructive storm.

Her anchor partner Randy Beamer quickly handled the situation, escorting her off the set and suggesting she might want to go home to recover.

The reason for her tears? Her dad, whos 77, and stepmother live in Corpus Christi. And as she explained to viewers in a post on Facebook, my dad is stubborn and decided to stay.

When the storm was upgraded to a Category 4, my heart sank and I broke down. It just hit me and I couldnt even read my scripts, Mathieu said in a text on Saturday.

She also was worried about her mom and sister, who live in Rockport.

Instead of leaving work, however, Mathieu checked on her family then resumed her night at the station.

I got ahold of them and stayed in contact, she said via text.

However, she wanted to keep working, she added. This is my job and as stressful as it was for me personally, I needed to be there to help out.

She returned to her co-anchor post at 10 p.m. and seemed fine, her composure intact.

Mathieu returned on Saturday, in fact, and anchored the hurricane coverage with Beamer at 5 and 10 p.m.

As for Beamer, he apologized after the incident for what some may have interpreted as an abrupt reaction to Mathieus pain.

It turns out, however, that the anchorman was her rescuer, not her detractor.

I think some viewers may have thought he was being insensitive but he wasnt at all! Mathieu said of Beamer in another text on Saturday.

When I knew I wasnt going to be able to read, I grabbed his arm for help. He jumped right in and helped me get off the set to go check on my family. It may have seemed abrupt, but we were in the middle of breaking news and the show must go on.

In her own social media apology to viewers about her show of emotions, she characterized it as unexpected, to say the least.

She also wrote of her dad in Corpus: The good news is he and my stepmom are able to text me and my sisters  and we couldnt be more relieved! Theres still quite a ways to go, but theyre hanging in there.

On Saturday, she texted an update, which wasnt as cheery. My mothers and sisters homes may be gone. We wont know for sure till we can get in there.

As of Sunday night, Mathieu still didnt know the fate of their residences. My sister tried to get down there  but I-37 is a parking lot. They had to turn around. We still have no idea how bad it is.

One thing she didnt have to worry about was viewers reactions to her on-air tears. Her Facebook post on her station fan page received overwhelmingly positive feedback  more than 800 likes as well as hundreds of supportive comments.

A sampling: Dont apologize for crying  your worry was a completely human reaction. San Antonio is sending you and yours all the love and good thoughts, Rachael Jeannette wrote.

No need to apologize, my lady. We were watching when you teared up a little. Id rather have someone like you report the news to me than a robotic person just reading a teleprompter, posted Michael Davenport.

Its a side people that watch how stoic our news anchors are sometimes forget. You have a tough job and its appreciated. Dont apologize for being human, wrote Scott Inocente.

During her long tenure at WOAI, Mathieu has showed her human side several times, in fact, and viewers always have been appreciative.

In 2014, she was sidelined because of a tailbone injury she suffered during a grueling, obstacle course-filled run, and she was candid about how much it hurt. Sitting is definitely an issue, she said. Im on pain meds right now so reading is an issue as well  not to mention driving!

That same year, Mathieu exhibited her compassion for others when she helped save the life of a man who was severely injured in a car accident.

Heading home from work, she noticed a cluster of brake lights and pulled over to see what was happening. She was shocked to see that the hurt motorists lower leg was barely attached and bleeding profusely. Someone gave her a scarf and, recalling something shed seen on Shark Week, she used it to tie a tourniquet around the leg.

Needless to say, her good deed won over the hearts of many a WOAI viewer.

Other San Antonio anchors who have exhibited similar human sides also have been greeted with similar support.

Three years ago, when KSAT anchorwoman Isis Romero was pregnant with her first child, the newscaster wasnt able to finish reading a couple of stories on the air because she became so overcome by emotion.

My apologies everyone, she explained in a Facebook post. We did a story about a 4-month-old baby that got burned by fireworks, and then a story about another baby who was left abandoned on a subway platform, and I just couldnt get through it. As a mommy-to-be, my heart just couldnt take it. Those poor, precious babies. Thanks to Steve (Spriester) for jumping in for me.

Fans immediately posted empathetic reactions. Within a day, they amounted to more than 7,000 likes and nearly 600 comments.

That same year, Evy Ramos, while still an anchor on WOAI, also struggled to hold back tears on the air and was unable to finish a story about two young children seriously injured in an auto accident.

Just as he did in Mathieus case, Beamer came to her rescue and finished the report.

Viewers who saw the TV moment wrote on Ramos Facebook page that her very human reaction only endeared them more to the anchorwoman.

jjakle@express-news.net
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

THE CONCEPT

Shawn Virene, former managing partner of Brasserie 19, has turned the old Harwood Grill space in River Oaks into a wine-happy and champagne-fueled playground for a see-and-be-scene crowd. There are more than 1,000 wines on the list, including a whopping 250 sparkling varieties, all priced with a low markup.

THE SPACE

Reimagined with a new bar, glassed-in raw bar and generous patio facing Westheimer. The design involves whitewashed brick walls, wood floors, navy accents and a dining-room ceiling hung with a thousand hand-blown glass balls suggesting champagne bubbles.

THE FOOD

Co-executive chefs Freddy Gonzaga (formerly with Clark Cooper Concepts) and Jose Ruiz (previously with Liberty Kitchen restaurants) collaborated with Virene on a menu that is heavy on starter dishes - mushrooms marinated in black truffle oil; marinated Spanish white anchovies; ahi tuna and watermelon sashimi; steak tartare with Dijon mustard and quail egg; pork belly with pickled vegetables; baked oysters; Gulf head-on shrimp with garlic butter; and roasted tomato and burrata salad. The raw bar turns out oysters on the half shell, Alaskan King crab and scallop crudo. For dinner, there's seared diver scallops; lemon sole with brown butter and crispy capers; wild Alaskan salmon with Pernod citrus butter; and butter roasted Maine lobster with Texas sweet corn puree.

THE DRINKS

There's a proper full bar, but with so much champers at your fingertips, it's best to blow the day into a million tiny bubbles with bottles of Dom, Perrier Jouet, Krug, Cristal and Veuve.

THE WORD

The name comes from the French village Bouzy, where the best pinot noir grapes are grown. "I wanted it to feel like a Mediterranean beach that makes you want to drink champagne," Virene said.

ONE MORE THING

During weekend brunch you'll find heirloom tomato galette, egg white crab omelet and champagne buttermilk fried chicken.

THE DETAILS

2300 Westheimer, 713-722-6899; abouzy.com. Open 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sundays.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A man who was punched during a get-together this week in Laredo has died in a San Antonio hospital, police said Friday.

It marked the Laredo Police Department's seventh recorded homicide of 2017.

Juan Pablo Sanchez allegedly knocked out Ricardo Rangel Jr., 57, and left him on the ground following an altercation Sunday, according to LPD. Rangel was taken to a local hospital and later transported to San Antonio Military Medical Center. Police said Rangel died at the hospital Tuesday.

Sanchez, 40, was first arrested and charged with aggravated assault for the alleged attack on Rangel. He was also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly stabbing Rangel's brother-in-law, Oscar Baldomero Ortiz, 60.

READ MORE: Man accused of fatally stabbing Laredo teen girl pleads not guilty to rape charge

Investigator Joe E. Baeza, LPD spokesman, said Sanchez is expected to face a manslaughter charge following Rangel's death. LPD recorded it as the city's seventh homicide based on the ruling from the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office.

LPD said the case unfolded shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday in the 2700 block of San Agustin Avenue.

An investigation revealed Rangel made a rude or lewd comment to Sanchez's spouse, police said. A physical altercation ensued and Sanchez knocked Rangel unconscious, according to LPD. Ortiz tried to defend Rangel and allegedly attacked Sanchez with a cane.

RELATED: Jury selection to begin in trial of man accused of fatally shooting 53-year-old Laredoan

Sanchez then pulled out a knife and stabbed Ortiz, according to police.

Rangel had a blow to the head while Ortiz had multiple stab wounds, according to the Laredo Fire Department.
A Laredo woman was arrested recently for allegedly embezzling more than $200,000 from her former employer, according to court documents.

Arianne Isabel Lopez, 24, was served with an arrest warrant charging her with felony theft. On Tuesday, she was released on bond.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A man charged in Laredo's first homicide of the year is facing new charges after being indicted for a 2015 shooting incident.

Guillermo Capetillo is scheduled to appear Friday for an arraignment hearing following a grand jury indictment on a charge of deadly conduct, discharge of a firearm.

The case dates back to June 6, 2015, when officers responded to the 2300 block of San Salvador Street for a deadly conduct report. A woman stated she was inside her home when she heard several shots fired, police said.

Authorities recovered nine .22-caliber casings at the scene. Police said they also found 13 bullet holes on the residence, which was occupied by four people. No one was harmed.

Witnesses told police they saw a black four-door vehicle speeding away from the scene. An investigation revealed Capetillo, 27, as a suspect, according to police.

READ MORE: Man accused of fatally stabbing Laredo teen girl pleads not guilty to rape charge

Capetillo was on bond for the 2015 shooting when he allegedly shot and killed Sergio Ramirez Jr., 27, and injured Leonel Maldonado Jr., 21, on Jan. 9.

He has been in custody since January. A grand jury indicted him in April on charges of murder and aggravated assault.

49th District Court Judge Jose Lopez denied a reduction to Capetillo's $250,000 bond for the homicide case in May. At that time, the District Attorney's Office said there is evidence in police reports from both the 2015 and 2017 shooting incidents that indicate Capetillo is a member of the Texas Syndicate.

Capetillo is no stranger to run-ins with the law.

He has been arrested 14 times on charges of drug possession, deadly conduct, assault, aggravated assault, burglary and reckless driving, according to Laredo police arrest records.

RELATED: Jury selection to begin in trial of man accused of fatally shooting 53-year-old Laredoan

Not all cases made it to court. Also, a majority that made it to court were not accepted for prosecution. Capetillo has at least one conviction for misdemeanor assault, for which he received a probated sentence, records show.

He also pleaded guilty to burglary, criminal mischief and criminal trespass in 2009. He served 100 days behind bars, according to court documents.

His next appearance for the homicide case is scheduled for Oct. 6.
Bursting with humanity and insight, the brilliant documentary Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992 couldnt be more timely, reconstructing the events that led to the Rodney King verdict and to the racial conflagrations that shook Los Angeles and the rest of the country.

Director John Ridley, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of 12 Years a Slave, begins his film a decade before a jury acquitted four police officers who had been captured on video repeatedly beating a defenseless King.

Its 1982, and South Central Los Angeles is rife with gangs and drugs, a dire situation thats killing many innocent people, a horror show that seems to go unnoticed in the rest of the city. The police respond with a sketchy choke-hold policy designed to combat violent suspects, but that only leads to more unnecessary deaths. Meanwhile, tensions between the Korean and African American communities are coming to a boil, with multiple slayings of Korean store owners and the fatal shooting of an African American girl over a bottle of orange juice, a case that results only in probation for a Korean shop owner.

By the time we get to the Rodney King beating in 1991, its no wonder that the city has become a racial tinderbox, though its no less tragic and haunting when all hell breaks loose in the streets after the four police officers are exonerated.

What makes the astoundingly edited Let It Fall so powerful is that its an oral history, told through many angles: residents, police officers, victims, families of the victims, witnesses, jurors and a host of others. In another clever stroke, Ridley doesnt specify the historical role of these folks until its absolutely necessary  a move that often challenges our assumptions about where everyone is coming from.

Most important, Ridley allows all his interview subjects to come off as human beings, whatever their flaws and strengths. There are no judgments or easy answers here, just a complex racial dialogue that remains eerily resonant today. Its one of the best films of the year.

David Lewis is a Bay Area freelance writer.

Let It Fall:

Los Angeles 1982-1992

Documentary. Directed by John Ridley. (Not rated. 145 minutes)
Kemah city leaders hope the Miss Texas USA crown isn't going anywhere, as Miss Kemah 2017, Stephanie Ludwig, will compete to follow in the footsteps of her predecessor.

The event had been scheduled for Sept. 2-3 but will be at a later date because of Hurricane Harvey.

Ludwig, 22, is a model who attends Sam Houston State University. She became only the sixth Miss Kemah when she was crowned July 11 in a pageant at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. Last year, as Miss Bayou City, Ludwig won Miss Photogenic at the state pageant, which is held each year in Houston.

Five other Bay Area women are among the 94 contestants who will compete for the title of Miss Texas USA 2018.

As Miss Kemah 2016, Nancy Gonzalez won the state title and represented the Lone Star State at Miss USA, which was televised May 14 from Las Vegas.

"That was just a dream come true," said pageant co-director Kelly Williams, who attended the national pageant. "The City of Kemah received national publicity for our local pageant and our winners."

"The Miss Kemah Pageant has really put Kemah on the map," said Mayor Carl Joiner. The Miss Kemah pageant "is unlike any other," said co-director Kelly Williams, who was a Kemah City Council member for 11 years (2001-2012) and mayor pro tempore for two years.

"During the pageant weekend, the Kemah Boardwalk hosts a swimsuit preview on their beautiful FantaSea Yacht, and then they host a VIP post-pageant party at Landry's Seafood House on the Boardwalk," said Williams.

"Our newly crowned queens and their families, the mayor, city council, pageant judges, media and sponsors all get to visit with each other and enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres."

Joiner noted that Miss Kemah 2015, Karlie Hay, won both Miss Texas Teen USA and Miss Teen USA titles for 2016. Williams, 51, was Mrs. Galveston County in 2005 and first runner-up at Mrs. Texas.

"I also knew that a topnotch pageant with the City of Kemah's name on it would take a lot of hard work, but this was something that not many cities are blessed to have - their own pageant."

"We chose the Miss USA system because our Miss Kemah could possibly go on to become Miss Universe," said Williams, "and that would give us a bigger opportunity to promote our city, our community and our sponsors.

"We decided on the USA system, and ended up partnering with Denise O'Brian, a long-time recruiter and director for several Miss Texas USA pageants."

Williams added, "I honestly felt like God was giving me the opportunity to use my experience to help others, and with the support of my husband and children, I was going to surround myself with smart, talented people, and just go for it!"

For more on Miss Texas USA, call 281-493-4100 or www.misstexasusa.
Submitted

Cleveland Rotary Club welcomed our own Rotarian Eisha Jones, who spoke about TUFF Kids (Trained Unwavering Focused & Fit), a program she helped to start in Cleveland and serves as the financial advisor.

This year's summer camp program was held at Samuel Wiley Park, with challenging programs emphasizing exposure to the many different choices available in life and well as sports, nutrition, behavior improvement, and teamwork. Eisha was supported by Cleveland Rotarian Amanda Brooks, County Extension Agent for 4-H and Youth Development at Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service for Liberty County.
Police on Monday defended their handling of a weekend protest in Berkeley, California, as videos of violent skirmishes between black-clad antifa members and right-wing demonstrators circulated on the internet.

Around 400 officers were deployed to a park in downtown Berkeley Sunday to separate "No to Marxism in America" demonstrators and "Rally Against Hate" counter-protesters, but police withdrew shortly after the arrival of a group of antifa, or "anti-fascists."

As officers retreated, the antifa chased down rally-goers and Trump supporters, in some cases surrounded them and beating them while they were on the ground, according to video footage and an Associated Press reporter who witnessed the clashes.

Police said they withdrew because they could no longer tell the two sides apart.

"There were no distinct groups to keep separate," said Berkeley police spokeswoman Jennifer Coates. "The vast amount of force needed to keep demonstrators out of the park would have been unreasonable."

Coates blamed the antifa for setting off the skirmishes. "Antifa wanted to provoke a confrontation," she said.

Police said they had arrested 13 people. Those arrested appeared to include both left-leaning counter-protesters and right-leaning rally-goers.

But half of those arrested were charged with minor offenses such as violating park rules, raising the possibility that those responsible for the mob-like attacks had escaped.

Brittany Moorman, 26, said they had come to Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park to protest against white supremacists they expected to attend the "No to Marxism" rally.

"There is an unprecedented level of hatred and violence in this country that has been escalating over the past couple of years," Moorman said. "I won't stand for it. Neither will my friends."

Moorman said they don't belong to the antifa and didn't dress in black. Moorman said they were arrested for pulling a blue bandanna up over their face before the violence began. Moorman was charged with violating park rules and security rules for city buildings.

Moorman, who lives in Oakland and works for a nonprofit devoted to racial justice, said they were placed in a paddywagon with other counter-protesters and several people they described as "white supremacists."

A friend, Yesenia Mendez, was also arrested. Mendez, 22, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, resisting police and wearing a mask to evade recognition in the commission of any public offense. Videos on social media showed a handcuffed Mendez screaming for her service dog, which was taken from her by police.

Mendez, who remained in jail Monday, could not be reached for comment. It wasn't clear if she had an attorney.

Police declined to provide details on any of the arrests.

James Dominic, 23, was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a crime. His father said Dominic had gone to the protest to serve as a medic and had been arrested for handing out surgical masks to help people breath amid the smoke and pepper spray.

"He was there to help," Phil Dominic said. "He wasn't there as part of the black box or bloc or whatever they call it."

"He's non violent, he's got absolutely no police record," he added. "I think he only ever got one speeding ticket."

Before the violence broke out, a crowd of around 2,000 that had marched peacefully throughout the sunny afternoon at the "Rally Against Hate" gathering. About 100 anarchists and antifa- their faces hidden behind black bandannas and hoodies - jumped over plastic and concrete barriers.

A pepper-spray-wielding Trump supporter was smacked to the ground with homemade shields. Another was attacked by five black-clad antifa members, each windmilling kicks and punches into a man desperately trying to protect himself. A conservative group leader retreated for safety behind a line of riot police as marchers chucked water bottles, shot off pepper spray and screamed, "Fascist go home!"

Sunday's confrontation marked another street brawl between opposing ends of the political spectrum that comes in the wake of the violence in Charlottesville earlier this month.

"I applaud the more than 7,000 people who came out today to peacefully oppose bigotry, hatred and racism that we saw on display in Charlottesville," Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said in a statement Sunday. " . . . However, the violence that small group of protesters engaged in against residents and the police, including throwing smoke bombs, is unacceptable. Fighting hate with hate does not work and only makes each side more entrenched in their ideological camps."

In February, 150 similarly black-clad agitators caused $100,000 worth of damage when they smashed through Berkeley protesting a University of California at Berkeley speech by right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. Portland, Ore., has been the scene of street battles between antifa members and white nationalists this summer. And Trump's Inauguration Day in Washington was marked by violence when masked protesters burned vehicles, smashed windows and clashed with police, leading to 231 arrests.

On Sunday, police in Berkeley maintained a strict perimeter around the area in the beginning of the afternoon, including enforcing an emergency city rule outlawing sticks and other potential weapons from the park. Fifty officers were spread out at the area's four entrances, according to the Daily Californian.

But antifa protesters - armed with sticks and shields and clad in shin pads and gloves - largely evaded the security checks and by 1:30 p.m. police reportedly left the security line at the Center Street and Milvaia Street entrance to the park. Berkeley Police Chief Andrew Greenwood told the AP the decision was strategic - a confrontation was sure to spark more violence between the protesters and police.

"No need for a confrontation over a grass patch," Greenwood said.

--

Ian Shapira, Alice Crites, Julie Tate and Abbie VanSickle also contributed to this story. VanSickle reported from Berkeley.
Doug Duncan experienced a shock when he first ran into his old classmate Bill Aitcheson at a reunion of their Catholic high school in the District of Columbia years ago.

Aitcheson had been an exceptionally angry young man in high school in the early 1970s - downright hateful, recalled Duncan, a former county executive in Montgomery County, Maryland. "He was a very bad guy - a skinhead, a racist. You stayed away from him."

And yet, he had returned to the button-down campus of St. John's College High School as a priest - the very last person his classmates imagined would have become one. The fair-skinned, bespectacled Aitcheson's demeanor had changed dramatically, too, as he related affably with his classmates, Duncan recalled. At another reunion, Aitcheson even celebrated Mass for his classmates in the chapel.

"He had a conversion, that's the only way I can say it," Duncan said. "Something happened to him, and he just gave up everything he was before."

In an essay published last Monday, the 62-year-old priest at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax, Virginia, addressed this apparent transformation, revealing his college days in the Ku Klux Klan in the mid-1970s and proclaiming himself saved by his faith.

"Racists have polluted minds," Aitcheson wrote in the Arlington (Virginia) Catholic Herald. He referenced the recent deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, and opined that for former racists who have repented as he did, "the images should bring us to our knees."

Aitcheson's account of his racist past and conversion at first seemed like a straightforward tale of good overcoming evil. But as more details emerged, the story grew more complicated.

It turned out that he wasn't just "a member" of the KKK, as his essay said, but a violent ringleader in Maryland who served time after burning crosses, threatening to kill Coretta Scott King and plotting to take down water systems, military installations and launch an armed revolution for which he'd stockpiled bombs and guns, according to authorities and published accounts. And while he wrote Monday that God had forgiven him, the African-American family and Jewish groups he had terrorized said he never apologized to them directly nor paid them the $26,000 in damages a court had ordered decades ago.

The reason behind Aitcheson's revelation also has been called into question. Maria Santos Bier, a freelance journalist and member of the Arlington (Virginia) Diocese, had contacted the diocese a few days before Aitcheson wrote the essay to ask about Aitcheson's KKK history - and told them she might write about it.

In an essay published in The Washington Post, Santos Bier described her experience as a history student of Aitcheson's while she was home-schooled in the early 2000s in Woodstock, Virginia. Aitcheson was a "fervent advocate of the Confederacy" who would joke about "Saint Robert E. Lee" in homilies at the church, and seemed so knowledgeable about history, Santos Bier wrote, that "I trusted him when he taught us that the Civil War was fought for states' rights, not slavery; that the South's cause was noble and just."

Through all the revelations, Aitcheson has been publicly silent, declining daily interview requests through the diocese. Efforts to find him were unsuccessful. Church officials in Arlington and Reno - the two dioceses where he has worked since his ordination in 1988 - declined to speak at any length about him. Priests and lay leaders in the eight parishes and many congregants where Aitcheson has worked also declined to speak about him.

---

William M. Aitcheson grew up in Howard and Prince George's counties in Maryland, one of four sons in a prominent, devoutly Catholic family before enrolling at the University of Maryland, where he studied television and film. He was still a student there at 22 when he was arrested as the "exalted cyclops" - or leader - of a Klan group in 1977. Police searching Aitcheson's belongings found a publication titled "How to Kill," along with a cache of weaponry and extensive survival gear.

By that point, Aitcheson had been deemed "too radical and violent" for the main KKK branch, which threw him out, according to FBI files. An undercover agent testified that the Aitcheson-led group, the "Klan Beret," was readying to blow up a power plant and communications center at Fort Meade, Maryland, the local branch of the NAACP and private homes. Aitcheson was arrested after he gave the undercover agent a fully-built bomb intended for the NAACP, according to the FBI.

The group had burned six crosses in Prince George's, including at two Jewish institutions and on the front lawn of a black couple, Barbara and Phillip Butler, newlyweds who had just moved into what was then a mostly white neighborhood in College Park.

In July 1977, Aitcheson was sentenced to 90 days in a federal medical prison with four years probation by a judge who told him, "I don't believe you are a bad person."

After serving his time, Aitcheson kept a low profile. He relocated to the church-run King's College in Pennsylvania and graduated in 1979 with a degree in politics and government before teaching elementary and high schools in Missouri for two years, according to a 2013 bio by the diocese. An attorney for the Butlers at that time said it took two years after the couple filed their civil suit against Aitcheson in 1978 to find him. The suit was resolved in 1982 with $23,000 in damages awarded to the Butlers and the rest to his Jewish victims.

"I don't see what purpose it would serve to rehash this business all over again," Aitcheson's father, William W. Aitcheson, a lumber company executive who is now deceased, told a columnist for the Baltimore Sun that year. "There are so many other groups that are just as bad, if you want to call it that. . . . Billy just wants to forget about it all now."

The young Aitcheson soon made the dramatic decision to become a priest. He attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome and received a bachelor's degree in sacred theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the diocese bio reads. Officials at King's College, the seminary and St. Thomas declined to comment. Aitcheson's mother, Ann D. Aitcheson, declined to comment. Numerous attempts to reach other relatives by phone were unsuccessful.

Aitcheson was ordained for what was then the diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in 1988 at age 33. In brief comments early this week, Reno diocesan spokesman, the Rev. Robert Chorey, said church leaders "understood at least part of his background" when they hired Aitcheson. ". . . I have no record of their thought process."

In 1992, Aitcheson was arrested on charges of trespassing on the property of the West End Women's Medical Group clinic in Reno. On Friday, Damon Stutes, the doctor who still runs the clinic, recalled the priest as a regular protester, who "yelled at" people coming in and acted "like a caged lion that was just holding himself back," Stutes told The Post.

Aitcheson was convicted of trespass, fined $155 and ordered to remain at least 100 feet from the clinic. Later that year, he was transferred to the Arlington Diocese, one of the most traditional in the country.

The diocese declined to offer any details about what then-Bishop John Keating knew or asked about Aitcheson. "At the time he began ministry here in 1993, the Diocese learned of his past as well as his sincere conversion of heart," the diocese said in a statement.

---

In northern Virginia, Aitcheson began a tour of at least six parishes. In interviews and in comments left last week on the Facebook pages of the Arlington Diocese and its Arlington Catholic Herald newspaper, Aitcheson was described by some as stern and bookish, while others viewed him as deeply empathetic in the confessional and a capable preacher.

Aitcheson was highly outspoken in favor of the death penalty, and preached and taught often about wars, including the Civil War, some parishioners recalled.

He referred to the latter as "the war of Northern aggression or "the war against the states," said Chris Peer, 31, who was an altar boy under Aitcheson at St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Woodstock. The priest never talked explicitly about race, Peer said.

Aitcheson was a history buff in a region passionate about its history, displaying Civil War memorabilia he'd collected "since his youth" at St. John Bosco rectory, the parish said on its website.

The priest participated in a Memorial Day ceremony reenacting Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson's final days and the Battle of Chancellorsville, a decisive victory for the Confederates, according to a 2004 story in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Aitcheson, who had worked in a Fredericksburg, Virginia, parish a few years earlier, offered a prayer. "Then Aitcheson turned to the crowd," the newspaper reported, "and said 'Let's sing the old national anthem.' He raised his voice, and soon, everyone joined in," singing Dixie.

In 2005, Aitcheson took a medical leave, moving between parishes upon his return. In June 2014, he came to St. Leo the Great in Fairfax.

Last week, some parishioners were struggling to reconcile the priest they knew with his violent past and failure over decades to make amends to his victims, actions the diocese has now offered to broker and says Aitcheson is willing to do.

St. Leo parishioner Mark Krajewski at first praised Aitcheson as a "deep scriptural thinker" and said he felt unconflicted. But as he learned more about his priest's KKK past, and his lack of apology and payment to his victims, Krajewski grew more ambivalent.

"I try to think good things about our priests and it's difficult to learn of this information and think good things. . . . This will always be in my mind," he said.

Others greeted Aitcheson's account of conversion with empathy and praise for the priest and the diocese for coming out with a healing story during a time of racial division.

"I'd have no problem going to confession or getting spiritual direction from this guy - in fact, maybe more now," said Ryan Ellis, 39, a parishioner at St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria, Virginia. "This guy has seen hell and the other side."

---

Magda Jean-Louis and Tom Jackman contributed to this report.
A deluge of rain and rising floodwaters left Houston immersed and helpless, crippling a global center of the oil industry and testing the economic resiliency of a state that's home to almost one in 12 U.S. workers.

Tropical Storm Harvey, which made landfall as a category 4 hurricane, has drifted back toward the Gulf of Mexico and is poised to regain strength before crashing ashore again, this time on the Texas-Louisiana border. The full extent of Harvey's toll won't be known for days, with downpours forecast that are measured in feet rather than inches.

"The damage will be horrific," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, said Monday morning in an ABC television interview. "This is going to take years for us to be able to build out the repairs that are going to be needed to overcome this flooding and hurricane disaster."

Harvey, which has killed at least two people, will displace more than 30,000 residents, a number sure to climb now that the Army Corps of Engineers has begun to release water from two dams west of the nation's fourth-largest city, flooding more neighborhoods. More than 450,000 residents will require assistance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which said it will be at work in Houston for years.

About one quarter of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico and more than 10 percent of U.S. refining capacity has been shuttered. Crops, livestock and drinking water are under threat, and rail shipments near Houston have been delayed.

The recovery will challenge a politically torn nation's capacity to rebuild and represents the Trump administration's first externally inflicted crisis. The U.S. can draw on the lessons of hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012, which ravaged New Orleans and New York and tested the resiliency of the nation's response.

Harvey's costs may mount to $30 billion when including expenses tied to business interruption, infrastructure, the power grid and labor force, according to Chuck Watson, a risk modeler with Enki Research. He expects less than a third of that sum will be covered by the insurance industry. Katrina, the most expensive hurricane to hit the U.S., cost about $118 billion, while Sandy in 2012 cost about $75 billion.

The White House has taken pains to demonstrate that Trump is engaged in marshaling the resources for the disaster in the region of about 6.8 million people, and the president plans to travel to Texas on Tuesday. Vice President Mike Pence was the administration's public voice on the storm Monday morning, calling into Texas radio stations and conservative host Rush Limbaugh's national show to say that Trump and his team were doing all they could.

"The president has been continuously updated, fully engaged," he told San Antonio radio station KTSA.

The disaster isn't done. Though Harvey drenched Houston with as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain, downpours will last through the week and an additional 15 to 25 inches could fall, the National Hurricane Center said.

The greater Houston area, which includes eight counties, covers 8,778 square miles, an area larger than New Jersey. It's a loosely organized city with multiple centers of commerce, defined by vast and looping highways, strip malls and subdivisions. While the city has battled some of the nation's worst deluges, elected officials, meteorologists and emergency managers say it's never faced anything like the current floods, which turned freeways into rivers and neighborhoods into lakes.

The city's fire department responded to more than 5,500 calls over the past 24 hours, Mayor Sylvester Turner said, and the emergency center received 75,000 calls as of 9 a.m. Monday, with 10,000 more pending.

The state's 12,000-strong National Guard was activated, and volunteers joined emergency teams as thousands of people fled to rooftops and higher ground. Houston Police rescued 2,000 people, Chief Art Acevedo said in a televised press conference.

Turner said about 5,500 people were in shelters and that figure would rise exponentially.

"The emotional cost that this storm is having, that's hard to measure," he said. "For people in the shelters and people at home, the emotional cost -- that's what we have to be sensitive to and respond to."

The nation's most diverse city, Houston's economy has boomed even as the price of oil has lagged. The number of people employed in the greater metropolitan area has increased by more than 20 percent since the end of 2009 to 3.1 million people, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. If Houston were its own country, its economy would be the world's 30th largest, according to city statistics.

In addition to being an international energy capital, Houston is a locus for other industries, with 18 Fortune 500 companies.

Houston-based Texas Medical Center, for instance, is the world's largest medical complex, employing more than 106,000 people. It has hospitals with 9,200 patient beds that do 180,000 surgeries a year. But the sprawling campus sits next to the now-flooding Brays Bayou.

The storm promises to test the region's economy.

The Texas labor market is already tight, and rebuilding probably will require tens of thousands of workers. That's going to require incentives -- usually in the form of higher wages -- to pull engineers, tradesman and laborers from around the region. The Federal Reserve district banks in Dallas, Atlanta and St. Louis have already reported hiring difficulties that are putting upward pressure on wages.

When floodwaters recede, the national economic fallout will likely be seen first in weekly jobless-claims data, and also in monthly retail sales and industrial-production figures. If gasoline prices stay elevated, that could put upward pressure on the consumer price index.

Gasoline futures scored their biggest advance in almost six months Monday as more than a million barrels of fuel-making capacity was knocked offline. Refineries, natural gas fields and offshore drilling rigs were shut down. As Harvey barreled back toward the sea and threatened to intensify anew, analysts at Tudor Pickering Holt & Co. estimated that as much as 30 percent of the nation's refining power was imperiled.

Ports along a 250-mile stretch of Texas coast were shut to tankers. Fourteen vessels laden with a combined 7 million barrels of crude from as far afield as Brazil and Colombia were drifting off the coastline, waiting for the all clear.

Now threatened by a hurricane, Houston was forged by one. In 1900, a storm hit nearby rival Galveston, then a boom city and one of the country's busiest ports. That hurricane remains the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, causing more than 8,000 deaths.

After that storm, local officials pushed to open a deepwater inland port in Houston to serve Texas's burgeoning oil and agricultural exports. The Port of Houston opened in 1914, with then-President Woodrow Wilson celebrating by firing a cannon via remote control from Washington. Houston's population took off, far outpacing its former rival to become the leading city of Texas by 1930. From the bayous and marshes rose a metropolis.

Its new challenge unfolded Sunday as floodwaters began sloshing into the downtown business district from three directions. Before nightfall, electrical systems beneath the streets had become saturated, knocking out power on block after block. By evening, the skyline was mostly dark, save for the steady, urgent flicker of emergency exit lights in the corridors of a few glass-walled high-rises.

A Spaghetti Warehouse restaurant on the north end of downtown was engulfed in several feet of violently rushing water, causing a large chunk of outer wall to calve off. In the business district, water swamped the the 91-year-old Lancaster Hotel, prompting the evacuation of guests four blocks east to the Magnolia Hotel. Guests there were advised to fill their bathtubs with water in case potable supplies failed.

Mayor Turner said the city that has weathered oil's boom-and-bust cycles for decades will prove resilient.

"We'll do whatever we need to do to address this situation," he said. "We'll worry about the cost and all of that later."

- With assistance from Brian K. Sullivan Jennifer Epstein Amanda Albright Sonali Basak Sheela Tobben Christopher Condon and Arit John
On a hot summer morning, Mayor Muriel Bowser stood on a sidewalk in Northwest Washington to promote her administration's war on rats, an effort she said exemplified "the basics of our government operations" and her team's "incredible contributions."

"One . . . two . . . three . . . rat-free!" the mayor said, smiling for a photo.

Over the years, D.C. mayors have defined their reigns through ambitious initiatives, whether it was Marion Barry's summer jobs program, Anthony Williams's repairs to the city's finances or Adrian Fenty's public education reforms.

On the brink of her reelection campaign, Bowser, 45, resists any such shorthand definition. Instead, the city's seventh mayor views herself as the "balanced" manager of an ever-safer and more prosperous city, untainted by the dramas that engulfed her predecessors, including the incumbent she ousted, Vincent Gray.

Her tenure has not been without embarrassment - charges of cronyism, campaign finance violations and contract steering have cropped up - but little seems to have captivated a public largely fixated on the city's main political ringmaster, President Donald Trump.

A June Washington Post poll showed 67 percent of D.C. residents approve of Bowser, though only 20 percent voiced strong support. Her political prowess seemed especially tenuous after three of the four D.C. Council members she backed in last year's election lost their seats.

Yet, in a city known for rejecting incumbents after a single term, including the two men who preceded her, Bowser is well-positioned to become the District's first mayor in 15 years to win reelection next year.

"She's not exciting, but in some ways we've had enough excitement in District government," said Tony Bullock, Williams's former press secretary. "She's a calming influence, she's businesslike, and she's not prone to off-the-wall comments."

Yet Bowser's measured approach can repel those seeking an impassioned leader to wrangle with Washington's challenges, including soaring costs that have created two cities - one for the rich, another for the poor.

"It's hard to be enthusiastic about someone who isn't enthusiastic," said China Dickerson, executive director of DC Young Democrats. "It's apparent to me that she's a Democrat and she's progressive, but I'm not sure what issue she champions."

A centerpiece of Bowser's agenda is replacing D.C. General, the District's primary shelter for homeless families, with a citywide network of six smaller facilities, a plan the D.C. Council eviscerated before approving a modified version.

At a July groundbreaking for one of those new shelters, Bowser appeared to wipe away tears after invoking Relisha Rudd, the homeless youngster whose 2014 disappearance from D.C. General spurred calls for its closure.

The moment was unusual for a mayor who rarely allows herself to seem vulnerable in public.

"That little baby gets to me," Bowser explained later, as her security detail whisked her to city hall in her black, city-issued SUV.

The mayor spoke during an expansive interview in which she trumpeted accomplishments, answered criticism and weighed her political prospects. Studiously guarded, she also revealed details about her private life, including a long-term boyfriend she had at the time, a man whom she had named to a District commission and who has what can only be described as a unique flair for invention.

Bowser said her political strength is rooted in her appeal to a broad spectrum of constituencies. Advocates may "want to attack us for being pro-development," she said, but can't square that against her determination to overhaul homeless services.

"They can't put their finger on me," the mayor said, her smile back in place.

---

In her city hall office, the mayor keeps an orderly desk, which is adorned with several framed photos, including one of her and former mayor Fenty, a testimonial to the allegiance she still feels to her political mentor despite his mixed reputation among many District voters.

Nearby was a magazine entitled "Easy Home Makeovers" and a copy of "Confidence: How Winning Streaks & Losing Streaks Begin & End."

A self-help book may seem unnecessary for a politician who has never lost a campaign, but Bowser said the book adds to "my toolbox for how to approach situations."

"I've always been confident," she said. "I don't lack confidence. You think I lack confidence?"

After nearly three years as mayor and a decade in public office, she said she still encounters skeptics.

"They always underestimate me - young, female and black. Well, I'm not as young as I used to be." Sometimes, she said, "I think some people think I can't string a sentence or something, so they're surprised."

Bowser displayed no self-doubt during a spate of summer appearances, stressing balanced budgets, a declining unemployment rate and devoting $100 million annually to affordable housing.

At a meeting of the Ward 4 Democrats, she fielded a query about her aides' "lapses in judgment," an apparent reference to the former schools chancellor placing children of Bowser appointees into coveted public schools, allowing them to bypass the school lottery. A second embarrassment was a D.C. Council member's investigation alleging that her aides showed favoritism toward a top political donor.

"Anybody know what season we're in?" the mayor asked the audience. "It's called silly season. . . . The period right before an election. You all know things get dredged up." She asked voters to "trust my judgment."

Christopher Alexander, 44, a database engineer in the audience, said he was taken with the mayor's presentation even if "I couldn't tell you two or three accomplishments or point to anything really impressive. At the same time, it seems like there's no big trouble."

Across town, Sandra Seegars, a Ward 8 activist, said she had expected Bowser to be an "uppity" reincarnation of Fenty, who alienated African Americans by appearing to cater to affluent Washingtonians and by rarely showing up in predominately black neighborhoods on the city's east side.

But Bowser won over Seegars with her plan to open neighborhood homeless shelters, including in affluent Ward 3, and by closing a deal for a Washington Wizards practice facility in Ward 8.

"The message is: 'I'm trying to treat everyone equally. I'm trying to spread the wealth and poverty,' " Seegars said.

The mayor's supporters describe Bowser as personable, citing invitations to informal Sunday teas at her home for LGBT leaders, small-business owners and other groups, where she can be found cleaning up amid the festivities.

"It was great to see the mayor walking around picking up after people," recalled Philip Pannell, an activist who has been a guest.

---

The mayor's detractors say she's reaping the benefits of a booming economy and is devoid of original initiatives. They mock her team's constant branding - the rat initiative was accompanied by a #BackToBasics hashtag on social media.

"D.C. government is on automatic pilot," said Dorothy Brizill, an activist. "She is largely implementing policies and plans developed by her predecessors."

Activists fault Bowser for not fully funding the city's long-term plan to end homelessness or reducing the waiting list of 40,000 families seeking rent vouchers. They say she's too close to developers, citing her original plan to lease homeless shelter space from builders who were her campaign donors.

"She wants to develop every inch of the city with high-end condos and with the bare minimum of affordable housing," said Parisa Norouzi of Empower DC, a housing advocacy group. Norouzi dismissed Bowser's annual pledge of $100 million for low-cost housing as insufficient.

"You read the headlines and you think this mayor is the most progressive mayor you've heard of, but you have to do your homework - the housing isn't really affordable," Norouzi said. "If she really wanted to lead, she'd say $200 million for affordable housing and at least 50 percent would be for the lowest income."

Bowser and the council have an often fractious relationship, laid bare last year when the mayor cursed out council Chairman Phil Mendelson after he accused her of "obfuscation and misinformation" during negotiations over replacing D.C. General.

Council members revised her plan to require that the new shelters be constructed on public property. Mendelson, in an interview, declined to revisit their clash but said Bowser undermines her effectiveness when she "picks fights" with council members.

The mayor also faced criticism over FreshPAC, a political action committee her operatives created and were forced to shut down amid criticism. Several donors accompanied Bowser on a trip to China, triggering complaints she was fostering a pay-to-play culture that has long shrouded D.C. politics.

"Given the position that the mayor took when she was on the council around government ethics and campaign finance . . . I'm surprised she has not exhibited stronger leadership in that area," said D.C. Attorney General Karl A. Racine, a possible Bowser challenger.

Bowser said her decisions are driven by the city's "best interests" - not political allies - and no evidence exists to the contrary.

"Won't be able to find it," she said.

Asked about the 2018 race, the mayor wondered aloud about who would challenge her.

She expressed no concern about a rematch with Gray, saying, " Maybe he doesn't want another round with Muriel Bowser."

Gray declined to comment.

---

One aspect of her mayoralty that Bowser is still adjusting to is curiosity about her personal life.

"People always want to know more," she said before describing a daily routine that includes going to sleep at 10 p.m. sharp and awakening at 5 a.m., when she reads Twitter and does household chores. In her down time, she said she enjoys HGTV and magazines with headlines like "21 Ways to Tame Your Closet." A favorite restaurant is RPM, an Italian eatery she described as "sexy" and where she drinks Manhattans and eats spicy crab.

The mayor, who has never married, reluctantly identified her boyfriend as Jason Turner, 49, a former Parks Department official under Fenty, who is a divorced father of two. He escorted her to a 2016 White House state dinner.

Turner earned a measure of fame in 2010 with his then-spouse, Stacie, on the reality television show "Real Housewives of DC." During one episode, he boasted about his patented invention - the "Penile Volumetric Measuring Device," which quantifies the size of the male sex organ.

In the application for the patent, which Turner got in 2006, the inventor lamented the "remarkable lack of convenient and accurate methods for measuring the penis." His patent expired in 2015 because of nonpayment of fees, a U.S. Patent and Trademark official said.

Turner, who did not return calls, and his former wife hosted at least one fundraiser for Bowser before their 2012 separation. The mayor said she and Turner had been involved for "a number of years," beginning before she became mayor, but declined to elaborate.

"Let's move on," she said.

Around the time of the July interview, Bowser appointed Turner to an unpaid seat on the Commission on Climate Change and Resiliency, an eight-member panel established to "assess the impacts of the changing climate."

On Friday, John Falcicchio, Bowser's chief of staff, said Turner's interest in environmental issues and his background in facilities management qualified him. Falcicchio also said the nature of the relationship between the mayor and Turner had changed since his appointment.

"To the best of my understanding, they're not together anymore," he said.
BEIJING - India and China have withdrawn troops from a disputed Himalayan region on the border with China, foreign ministries from the two countries announced Monday, defusing a tense standoff that had threatened to provoke armed conflict between the nuclear-armed Asian rivals.

For the past two months, Indian and Chinese troops had faced off on a plateau in the Doklam area in the Himalayas, after Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese military building a road into territory claimed by India's close ally, Bhutan.

China had repeatedly and furiously denounced the Indian move as a direct infringement of its sovereignty, demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and warned that conflict was a real possibility if that didn't happen.

On Monday, the two sides announced they had reached an agreement, with India saying its troops were disengaging, and China saying it would redeploy forces in response. By the evening, India said both sides had almost completed their withdrawal.

But it was not clear from both sides' public statements if Beijing had offered any concessions in return for the Indian withdrawal, such as agreeing to halt the construction of the road.

China said it would continue to patrol and garrison the area - as well as exercise its sovereign rights.

In a short statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries had maintained diplomatic communication over the dispute in recent weeks.

"During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests," it said. "On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going."

Later, it confirmed that forces from both sides were pulling back, adding that this process was "almost completed under verification."

China's Foreign Ministry said it was happy to confirm that all Indian "individuals and facilities" have withdrawn to the India side of the border. It also implied it would be reducing troop numbers in response to the Indian redeployment.

"The Chinese frontier defense force will continue to patrol and garrison in the Doklam area," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference. "The situation at the spot has changed, and China will adjust and deploy according to current situation."

Hua said China will "exercise its sovereign rights according to the historical treaty and guard its territorial sovereignty."

China maintains the area in question was listed as on its side of the border under the 1890 "Convention Between Great Britain and China Concerning Sikkim and Tibet."

Neither side, though, was willing to admit to having backed down.

"We remind India to learn the lessons from this incident, tangibly abide by the historical treaties and the basic principles of international law, and to meet China halfway, jointly guard the peace and tranquility of the border areas, and promote a healthy development of bilateral military relations," Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement.

India said it had always insisted on resolving the dispute through diplomatic channels. "Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

An Indian foreign ministry official also told the Associated Press that the two sides had agreed to return to the "status quo," while cable news channel NDTV reported that Chinese bulldozers had been moved away, and road construction stopped, according to its sources - implying in other words that India's demand had been met.

Earlier on Monday, the state-owned China Daily newspaper had warned India stood "to face retribution" over the incident, arguing that New Delhi was complacent if it thought China was not prepared for military conflict if necessary.

But Beijing will also have wanted to resolve the dispute ahead of a meeting of heads of state from "BRICS" countries due to take place in China this weekend, a bloc composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"It's hugely good news," said Wang Dehua, an Indian studies expert at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

"We have avoided falling into the situation where two major countries with ancient civilizations become hostile enemies," Wang said, while cautioning against declaring the incident a diplomatic victory for China.

He said China would try to address India's security concerns when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits for the summit, but would continue building roads in border areas.

Mao Siwei, former consul general of China in the Indian city of Kolkata, said the statements were deliberately "vague" because of the sensitivity of the issue, and the reluctance of either side to show weakness.

"Judging from experience and common sense, I guess both sides have come to the following agreement: firstly, on principle, China would stop its road building and India would withdraw its troops; secondly, regarding the timing, India would withdraw first and China would withdraw later."

In India, some experts also interpreted the statements - and New Delhi's comments about having raised its security concerns - to mean that China had quietly agreed to stop building the road in question, but would not say so publicly.

"I very much doubt that India would have agreed to withdraw unless it involved, at the very least, a commitment from Beijing that it would halt construction of the disputed road," said Shashank Joshi, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"In these cases, clarity is the enemy of face-saving," he added. "India will probably be comfortable with China spinning the agreement, because New Delhi is likely to have met its objectives: restoring the pre-June status quo. However, I imagine that India will now be vigilant, as China is likely to conduct more aggressive patrolling in Doklam in the future, having had its claims challenged in such serious fashion."

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan was inadvertently swept up into the dispute when Indian soldiers moved from a nearby garrison into territory Bhutan contests with China, to block a crew from China's People's Liberation Army that was preparing to build a "motorable" road in the area.

A few hundred troops from India and China were eventually deployed in a standoff that has produced harsh rhetoric - mostly from the Chinese side - and sparked a period of tension between the neighbors not seen for decades, analysts have said.

Although India and China have often sparred over the disputed areas along their estimated 2,200-mile border - and fought a brief war over it in 1962 - this clash was unusual because it involved a third country and came at a time when relations between India and China were at a low ebb.

Whether India - long a great patron of Bhutan - moved after coordinating with Bhutanese forces, as the Indians have said, or moved in on their own, as China claims, is the subject of much debate.

The Bhutan government was careful not to make comments and inflame tensions, and, aside from one brief statement from their Foreign Ministry, maintained a calculated silence throughout the dispute.

---

Gowen reported from New Delhi. The Washington Post's Shirley Feng and Luna Lin in Beijing contributed to this report.
Rejecting a plea from manufacturers that the production of plastic bags creates jobs, Kenya's high court on Monday paved the way for the world's strongest ban on plastic bags to come into full effect.

The law, representing Kenya's third attempt at a ban in the past decade, comes with harsh penalties. For now, they are aimed mostly at manufacturers and suppliers, but police are allowed to go after people who are simply carrying them. The highest penalties could include four years in prison and up to $40,000 in fines.
WINCHESTER, Ind. -- The worker's message for Sen. Joe Donnelly was blunt: "President Trump, I think, has got a long road ahead of him," he said, "and I hope you can back him on some things, because I think he has the country's best interest at heart."

Donnelly assured the man that he is working with Trump on creating jobs and combating opioid abuse. Looking out on the construction of a railroad underpass in this rural heartland town, he said, "Anywhere we've got some common-sense stuff, count me in."

"I hope so," said the worker, who declined to give his name to a reporter. "Because if not, then I'm going to be voting for someone else."

It's a message that Donnelly, a burly Indiana Democrat, is hearing a lot this year. And it's one that he and other Democrats seeking reelection next year in states that Trump won are responding to in a way that puts them at odds with the leadership and base of their own party: by promising to work with this president.

Donnelly is one of 10 such Democratic senators - and one of five in states where Trump's margin entered the double digits (in Indiana, Trump won by 19 points). They face a seemingly impossible challenge: to appeal to Trump voters while retaining the support of anti-Trump Democrats. They must do so not only for their own political futures but also for their party to win back control of the Senate and compete in states rich with the white working-class voters who drifted to Trump last year.

Key congressional forecasters consider Donnelly's race a toss-up, even without a clear Republican opponent. The same goes for the races of Democratic senators in Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia and other states - all caught between their constituents' support for Trump and a national Democratic brand increasingly centered on resistance to the president.

It's a delicate dance for many of them. Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., described her approach at a recent town hall: "My job isn't to fight the president. My job is to fight for you." And it was on full display last week as Donnelly kicked off his reelection campaign, touring the state in an Indiana-built RV.

At the highway project, Donnelly basked in the praise of the local mayor, who said that if Donnelly hadn't made a phone call to the railroad, the project might still be entangled in red tape.

That's the kind of prudent, results-oriented governing Donnelly ran on when he pulled off his unlikely 2012 victory, and it's the image he hopes voters will have in mind when they cast their ballots next year. But he is frequently reminded that his reelection isn't just going to be about roads and bridges.

A few hours before inspecting the underpass, Donnelly rose in a union hall in the factory burg of Anderson and denounced the violent white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia - and, by implication, the president's tepid response to it.

"There is no place for white supremacy, for neo-Nazis, for KKK in the United States of America," Donnelly declared to a standing ovation. He later told reporters that Trump's remarks were "way off the mark" and that he hoped the president "might choose his words more wisely on those types of issues."

That's as far as Donnelly went - and he otherwise steered clear of open conflict with Trump, touting instead his own bipartisan initiatives to crack down on corporate outsourcing, address the opioid epidemic and beef up military readiness and services for veterans.

In an interview, Donnelly relayed what he's heard from Indiana voters over the past eight months: " 'Be with him, and don't try to give him a hard time just because he's the president.' That's pretty universal."

As much as any congressional Democrat, Donnelly has complied with those wishes. He has voted for more Trump Cabinet nominees than all but four other Democratic senators and was one of three Democrats to vote to confirm Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court justice. He also has sided with Republicans on some efforts to overturn environmental regulations.

Donnelly has kept his Washington profile low, ignoring reporters in the Capitol hallways and eschewing the cable news circuit, preferring instead a robust schedule of local TV and radio appearances back in Indiana.

But he also has been a team player for Democrats on most key issues - including preserving the Affordable Care Act. And that gives GOP leaders in both Washington and Indiana what they claim is a clear path to reclaiming his seat in 2018 by tying him to the national party.

"We know the Trump voters, and they are not Donnelly voters," said Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. "The reality is, he's not supportive of the president, and voters in Indiana are going to know that."

Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita are giving up their safe House seats to take on Donnelly, and five other Republicans have also declared their candidacies.

Donnelly's air of vulnerability is partially rooted in the circumstances of his 2012 victory. He won comfortably against Republican Richard Mourdock, the incumbent state treasurer, whose campaign imploded after he suggested in a debate that a pregnancy resulting from a rape was "something that God intended to happen."

But political observers in Indiana say it would be a mistake to dismiss Donnelly's victory. They credited a skillful campaign that positioned the Democrat as a bipartisan problem-solver - including TV spots where he literally stood in the middle of a road to play up his centrist outlook. Current public polling is scarce, but strategists cite past surveys and anecdotal evidence indicating Donnelly has built a genuine bipartisan following.

"Donnelly won by six points because of the rape comment, but he didn't win because of the rape comment," said Christine Matthews, who polled the 2012 race and has worked for numerous Republican candidates in Indiana.

Donnelly's message is well calibrated to a state that is 85 percent white, that has seen a decline in low-skill manufacturing jobs, and where three-quarters of the population have no more than a high school degree. It involves a major focus on the effects of foreign trade, highlighting his work on the Armed Services and Agriculture committees, and a hefty dose of reverence for service members and veterans.

In Winchester, he visited a facility for homeless veterans, where he pressed administrators and local officials on how the federal government could do more to help them and quizzed its residents on the challenges they faced.

Greg Beumer, a Republican state lawmaker, attended the event and had little ill to say about Donnelly. Many Republicans were "scratching their heads," he said, at why Messer and Rokita would risk safe seats to take on Donnelly, "who by and large has done a very good job of being that moderate voice in the Senate."

Beumer wouldn't say whether he would vote for the Democrat, but he said moderate Republican voters will be "up for grabs" next year. "I would say if I were in his shoes, he's done exactly what I would have done," Beumer said.

Donnelly has been most outspoken on economic issues, introducing an "End Outsourcing Act" and waging war against Carrier Corp.'s decision to move hundreds of jobs from an Indianapolis furnace factory to Mexico - a crusade that Trump later joined, culminating in a dramatic announcement in November that the then-president-elect had brokered a deal to keep most of the jobs intact.

Those bombastic promises did not completely pan out - Carrier began laying off more than 600 workers last month - but while other Democrats have lambasted Trump for a bait-and-switch, Donnelly doesn't. "There's more jobs that stayed after he got involved than there was before he got involved," he said.

Donnelly has taken a recent bruising on the outsourcing issue, thanks to a July Associated Press report revealing that an arts-and-crafts company owned by the Donnelly family uses Mexican labor for some of its products. The senator owns a minority stake in the company.

Donnelly has moved to sell his share of the company, Stewart Superior Corp., but the political toll has come swiftly: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already started trying to brand Donnelly as "Mexico Joe." It hired a mariachi band to play outside his campaign kickoff in Anderson last week.

In an interview, Donnelly said that he has had no active role in the company in two decades and that he learned of the outsourcing only when he was contacted for the AP report. "The subject never came up" in conversations with family, he said, adding, "I was disappointed when I found out."

Donnelly said the sale of his stake remains pending, and he declined to say whether he would keep the proceeds. He noted that a company facility in Indiana has added jobs in recent years and that his record on trade speaks for itself: "I'm more than happy to have this discussion any place, any time."

For now, it is Trump - not outsourcing - that appears to weigh more heavily on many Hoosiers' minds. Kaye Whitehead, a farmer and former Republican county party chairman, attended a Donnelly campaign event on a Hartford City farm to hear his thoughts on the upcoming farm bill - and on Trump.

"We need to support the president of the United States no matter who it is," Whitehead said. "I really think he's got some good ideas, but nobody gets on board."

As the sun beat down on the cornfield outside, Donnelly stood inside a pole barn and rattled through his efforts to maintain crop insurance programs and his opposition to an Obama administration regulation that applied Clean Water Act protections to small streams.

Whitehead listened closely and said afterward that she was willing to give Donnelly a chance. But she said she would be watching closely, with a particular eye on health care and taxes.

"There's a lot of issues on the table that the senator will have to vote for or against, and I'm interested in seeing how he proceeds."
Ten Midland Police Department officers and nine Midland Fire Department personnel are traveling to Houston with fire department vehicles, boats and four-wheelers in-tow, according to MPD communications specialist Rachel Walker.

Midlands first responders often go above and beyond the call of duty to help citizens in need. Following the devastation along the Texas coast, Midlands police and fire personnel have stepped up to lend a hand to those affected by Hurricane Harvey, Walker said.
President Donald Trump's controversial decision to pardon former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio came at a particularly controversial time. On Friday night, as the massive hurricane that would later make landfall as a Category 4 storm headed toward the Texas coast, Trump chose to make the first pardon of his presidency a man known for the brutal conditions of his jails and accusations of racially profiling Latinos in Arizona.

The decision, which The Post reported was made without consulting the Justice Department, was quickly labeled in media reports as an effort to bury the news - or in this case, drown it - on a Friday evening when most eyes were focused on Hurricane Harvey. And it wasn't the only contentious news from Friday night, either: The end-of-the-week news also included the exit of adviser Sebastian Gorka, a member of the Stephen Bannon-led nationalist faction of Trump's White House, as well as the issuance of guidelines for a ban on transgender people serving in the military.

The gush of news was not the leadership optics most people expect from a U.S. president who has a hurricane barreling toward the U.S. coast. A member of his own party sent warning signals to Trump: Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa) tweeted that Trump should "keep on top of hurricane Harvey dont mke same mistake Pres Bush made w Katrina." Some Democrats called out the disconnect explicitly: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted that "the only reason to do these right now is to use the cover of Hurricane Harvey to avoid scrutiny."

Trump did repeatedly tweet on Friday and Saturday about the storm and the response of federal and local governments to it, announcing he was providing federal aid and closely monitoring the situation. But ti did not erase questions of the timing of the news. As The Post's Dan Balz wrote Saturday, "at a time when the public would expect the president to stay fully focused on the well-being of people in harm's way of a powerful storm, he chose to divert the country's attention by stirring controversy elsewhere."

There are few moments in a presidency that more clearly test a president's ability to play the part of the reassuring, focused, prepared leader than when facing an impending national disaster and later responding to it. Hurricanes come with at least some advance warning; they offer an example of the help government leaders can provide and an opportunity to put politics aside and unite the country in response to fellow Americans' suffering. President Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, as Grassley noted, made a permanent stain on his presidency.

Yet for Trump's administration, the need for a keenly focused response is even more critical than usual. Trump himself has no prior governing experience handling a national disaster as a governor or mayor. And many relevant agencies for disaster response face a leadership vacuum, The Post reported: The National Hurricane Center is being led by an acting director, there is not yet a nominee to head the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and the new director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency only took office in June.

Meanwhile, distractibility has become a hallmark of Trump's leadership, making it even more important for the White House to have appeared laser-focused amid the encroaching storm. Trump lashes out at critics even when it's politically inadvisable, commonly veers off script and goes off message, and is often described as being influenced by whomever he spoke with last. Releasing highly controversial news at a time when most would expect all eyes on Texas does little to counter that impression.

It it is too soon to know what kind of impact the Friday night news dump will have on how people ultimately view Trump's handling of a storm the National Weather Service has described as "beyond anything experienced." Feet of rain have already fallen, the massive flooding is only expected to worsen, and it will be days before the rain of this record-setting storm ends.

Trump's focus on the storm has intensified, and on Sunday, he continued tweeting about the historic nature of the storm, saying the "spirit of the people is incredible" and that he would make a trip to Texas as soon as he could "without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety." Yet he also tweeted Sunday about Mexico paying for a wall on the southern border ("through reimbursement/other"), NAFTA ("worst trade deal ever made"), a trip to Missouri (which he "won by a lot in '16") and a book by Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke ("highly recommended!").

If the government's overall response is ultimately deemed ineffective to the historic, catastrophic storm, those distracting Friday night announcements could come back to haunt him. Certainly, people now expect presidents to show up after the storm. But many would also like to see their attention as focused as possible on it before it hits.
An international forum on tourism culture for the Shibuya area was held at Tokyo's Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre on Monday, in anticipation of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

It was the fifth such gathering to be held, following related events in Gero, Gifu Prefecture; Kusatsu, Gunma Prefecture; and other popular tourist locations. The aim was to convey Japan's unique culture in cuisine, hot springs and its famous hospitality, as well as the charms of various regional locales to overseas.
CGTN photo

The Qixi Festival celebrates the annual rendezvous between a fairy and a human whose love was forbidden in Chinese mythology. Also known as the Double Seventh Festival, it encapsulates the meanings of great romance and steadfast love  notions that are equivalent to Valentine's Day in Western countries.

Falling on the seventh day of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar, Qixi is the only Chinese festival devoted to love. The legend of the two separated Chinese lovers has been celebrated since the Han Dynasty (202 BC  220 AD).

The Qixi Festival celebrates the annual rendezvous between a fairy and a human whose love was forbidden in Chinese mythology. /CGTN Photo

In 2016, the State Council added Qixi to Chinas Intangible Cultural Heritage list along with the Spring Festival and Dragon Boat Festival.

A fairy tale: The cowherd and weaver maiden

The folklore story, which dates back to over 2,000 years, speaks of the romantic but tragic love between a cowherd on Earth, Niu Lang, and a weaver maiden Zhi Nu, who is the seventh daughter of the Jade Emperor and Mother Queen of the Heaven. The two fell in love at first sight and soon got married against the rules of the Heaven.

Zhi Nu was finally called to ascend back to the sky, but her husband followed after.

Chinese traditional paintings showing the story of The Cowherd and Weaver Maiden /Photo via Global Times

The infuriated Mother Queen slashed her hairpin, creating a billowy river up in the sky, known today as the Milky Way, to separate the two.

But all was not lost. Years later, a flock of magpies moved by their love and devotion formed a celestial bridge across the Milky Way, and the couple was permitted to see each other from across the river once a year  the seventh day of the seventh month. Instead of physical attraction and desire, faith and emotional connection are emphasized in the story  a common theme in many other Chinese tales about love.

Traditional customs based on celestial twist

In old times, stargazing on the night of Qixi used to be a traditional custom since the two star-crossed lovers were seen as representing the alignment of the stars Altair and Vega, which shine on opposite sides of the Milky Way.

Traditionally, Qixi was not only a special day for lovers, but also girls, as it was named the "Begging for Skills Festival" or "Daughters' Festival."

During the festival, girls attempted to display their domestic skills. In rural regions, they would prepare offerings of fruits and pray to Zhi Nu  a heavenly being deft at weaving  in the hope of improving their needlework abilities and finding a satisfactory husband.

Couples also celebrated their loyal love on this day by heading to temples hoping to get pregnant or begin a relationship with happiness and prosperity.

Girls pray to the Weaver Maiden Zhi Nu at a temple on the night of the Qixi Festival in China. /Photo via thnet.gov.cn

How is Qixi Festival celebrated now?

Nowadays, many modern Chinese, particularly youngsters, view Qixi as the Chinese equivalent of Valentines Day and interpret it as more of a commercial occasion than an emotional one.

The festival, which now goes hand in hand with special offers, is heavily marketed towards young, hip and trendy urban dwellers, regardless of their relationship status, with the aim of convincing couples to prove their love by buying gifts and singles to profess their love by doing the same. Those who are yet to find their significant others can benefit from matchmaking events as finding a partner is still an important tradition to mark the day.

Posters of ads announcing sales during Qixi Festival / Photo via 5tu.cn

Annual shopping extravaganza

From overly-priced flowers and unneeded plush toys to redundant ads about romantic escapades and candlelight dinners, Qixi now speaks to Chinese urbanites wallets rather than hearts. The legendary pair's annual reunion has become a shopping holiday for lovers, with women receiving the lions share of gifts purchased.

Last year, China's biggest search engine Baidu reported that during Qixi festival the highest number of searches contributed to the topic: What gift would you buy for [your] girlfriend on Qixi?

Qixi is a gift holiday for women in particular based on the comparison of search terms on JD.com. /CGTN Graphics

Festival of love a global phenomenon

Valentines Day was originally dedicated to the memory of St. Valentine of Rome, whose name was connected with courtly love. However, the scope of the occasion widened to express gratitude and love to not only partners, but also parents, friends, teachers, or other acquaintances. While customs associated with the "festival of love" vary across different regions, the same hope is cherished by all.

The Qixi Festival is part of China's culture, inspiring the Tanabata Festival (Star Festival) in Japan and Chilseok Festival in South Korea which are both based on the very similar mythology and background of the ancient Chinese folktale.

Today, fewer people will gaze at the night sky on Qixi to look at the two brightly shining stars and a shrinking number of young women will take part in worshipping Zhi Nu and wishing for dexterity in embroidery and more wisdom. These ancient traditions and customs have disappeared, but the story of the loyal lovers still lives on, being passed down from generation to another and told with passion and pain time and again.

Qin Guan's poem Immortals at the Magpie Bridge from the Song Dynasty. /CGTN Graphics
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Bexar Countys roughly 350,000 public school students were back in the classroom as of Monday as school districts shrugged off Tropical Storm Harveys halfhearted wallop to the San Antonio area over the weekend.

Thousands of students packed the halls of the areas two newest high schools, built to accommodate the fast population growth of western Bexar County.

Northside Independent School District welcomed students who live in the far West Side to its new Harlan High School and Kallison Elementary School, while Southwest ISD opened Southwest Legacy High School, the first comprehensive high school in 55 years established in a traditional school district on the South Side.

RELATED: Niche: These are 25 best public high schools in San Antonio for the 2017-2018 school year

Aliyah Manrique, 16, danced up the walkway to the cafeteria Monday morning to begin her sophomore year at Southwest Legacy. Last year she attended Southwest High School, which had been the districts only high school for 64 years.

Manrique and her friend Denise Vargas, 15 and also a sophomore, live in the Indian Creek neighborhood and were re-zoned to attend the new school. They said the new school could provide them some relief from the crowding at Southwest High, which enrolled about 3,700 students.

Its kind of scary, though, because we dont know the hallways, Manrique said.

RELATED: For second time, NEISD board to consider Lee High School name

Legacy High opened with about 1,400 students in ninth through 11th grades, but in the years to come it could grow to hold as many as 3,200 students, said Rafael Barajas, its construction supervisor.

Alex Calderon, 16, wore her new cheerleading uniform for her first day at Harlan High School, which has enrolled about 1,500 freshman, sophomore and juniors from Taft, Brennan and OConnor high schools in Northside ISD. The incoming junior previously attended Taft, where the hallways had been overcrowded with students, she said.

It was hard to get to class, Calderon said.

Calderon was glad to see many of her classmates had moved schools with her. It was comforting to see familiar faces, she said.

RELATED: Lamar Elementary teacher is finalist for Texas Teacher of the Year

Harlan Principal Robert Harris watched as students formed a line to ascend a wide, curved staircase that overlooks the cafeteria, where round tables bear the schools logo. In his nearly two decades with Northside ISD, Harris said hes seen the district open almost a half-dozen schools as it has experienced a surge in residential growth. The area around Harlan remains somewhat secluded  cows grazed in adjacent fields  but Harris said its only a matter of time before the area is developed further. Across the street, the wooden framework of a new house was visible.

Theres just so much growth in this area that it was vital this school was open, said Harris, who was previously principal at John Jay High School.

Upstairs, a brand-new library was ready for students, complete with a multipurpose classroom, conference and study rooms, four 3-D printers, large whiteboards, a dock of computers and a variety of study areas. Most of the furniture has wheels so things can be rearranged by students as needed. Librarian Virginia Bigler said the space was modeled off of college libraries, part of an effort to bridge the gap between high school and college studies.

This year, several Bexar County school districts started classes before the fourth Monday in August. San Antonio ISD, which went back to school Aug. 14, opened CAST Tech High School, a technology and entrepreneurship early-college school on the Fox Tech High School campus. SAISD also converted the former Mark Twain Middle School into the Twain Dual Language Academy, which will grow to enroll pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Check back to ExpressNews.com and Tuesdays paper for more coverage of the first day of school.

amalik@express-news.net

Twitter: @AliaAtSAEN
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The water started bubbling up out of the nursing-home toilets around 3 a.m. It seemed like a bad sign - but not dire.

So when the overnight staff at La Vita Bella in Dickinson called owner Trudy Lampson early Sunday, she thought they had time to carry out carefully laid hurricane plans designed to ensure the safety of their 15 elderly patients battling dementia.

"We were so well-prepared," Lampson said. "We even had containers for the charts."

But by the time she arrived at the home on Oak Drive, water was already a foot deep. Half an hour later it was chest-high, and the meticulously curated medical notes floated atop a mess of debris and muck brought in with the floodwaters from the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey.

And, despite frantic phone calls from staff - some at the home, some trapped in their own residences - help did not come.

"I was on the phone with anybody except for God," said employee Tina Davis.

God didn't answer the phone, but in the end it was the Army National Guard that showed up to save the day, floating the wet, half-clothed residents out on mattresses to waiting trucks - massive light-medium tactical vehicles well-equipped for such conditions.

"The house was pretty much underwater," said an Army National Guard captain who asked not to be named.

Nine years ago, Lampson had evacuated the residents for Hurricane Ike. But this time, they stayed put.

First calls for help

David Popoff, emergency management coordinator for the City of Dickinson, located 30 miles southeast of downtown Houston, couldn't understand why.

"The mayor issued an evacuation warning for low-lying areas and people that were medically fragile and for some reason they didn't evacuate," he said.

The staff made their first calls for help in the early-morning hours, they later recalled. They tried 911, state officials, the fire marshal, and the mayor of a nearby town.

At one point, Lampson said, she was on the phone with a state official who said there was help at the scene - even though there was no one in sight.

Eventually, Lampson snapped a picture of the inundated house and sent it to her daughter, Kimberly McIntosh.

When McIntosh's husband shared the picture on Twitter, it went viral.

"Need help ASAP emergency services please," he wrote.

Still, they waited.

As the hours wore on, workers tried to placate the residents with Gatorade and cookies.

One asked repeatedly for her son. Another insisted they call a firefighter who'd helped her once, towns away.

"I was so scared," said Shantell Woodruff, a 17-year-old who works at La Vita Bella with her mother.

"I didn't know if I was going to get out or not."

Finally, around noon, help came.

Two patients were airlifted from the home, according to Popoff. Staffers said some were rescued by a friend with a boat.

And the Army National Guard pulled up with massive trucks to rescue the remaining 11 residents and five staff.

"It was about waist-deep water," the captain recalled. "And we were evacuating them out on mattresses."

'I need to go back'

Early Sunday afternoon, the wet and tired workers and their charges arrived at Santa Fe Elementary School, where some transferred to a bus headed for a church shelter in Alvin. Others went to the hospital as a precaution.

Pelted by a steady drizzle in the elementary school parking lot, Lampson reflected on the rescue effort: "I thought people would come quickly." And on the flood: "I thought we would have a couple hours."

Popoff offered sympathy.

"I don't blame her," he said. "We have made over 600 rescues today and I guarantee that for every one you talked to, we didn't come soon enough."

Even as Woodruff dried her tears and was loaded on the bus, Lampson, the owner, planned a return.

"I need to go back," she said. "We have like seven cats."
If you do not have a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, but want to view unlimited articles for the month, please choose this option.
Local News, Crime, Community, Charity & Cause, Health & Wellness, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 28 2017

Governor Signs Legislation on Sunday, August 27 - Anniversary of Death of Briana Ojeda.

Albany, NY - August 28, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation, known as Briana's Law, that requires State Police and New York Police Department candidates and officers to receive CPR training prior to graduation and every two years after.

"This common-sense law will give law enforcement the training and the tools that will help save lives," Governor Cuomo said. "CPR is a critical skill and by requiring law enforcement candidates and officers to become certified, we can create a safer New York for all."

The bill (A2115 /S3165) changes the requirement and practice for the NYPD, which is not currently required to complete CPR training and recertification. The new law reinforces the current practice of State Troopers, who are currently required to complete CPR training and recertification every two years.

On August 27, 2010, Briana Ojeda suffered an asthma attack while playing at a local playground. On the way to the hospital, Briana's mother was stopped by a police officer who was unable to perform CPR. Briana died shortly after she got to the hospital.

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, or CPR, is a life-saving technique administered when a person's breathing or heartbeat has stopped. CPR keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs, which can keep someone alive until medical assistance can be provided.

The new law will go into effect 60 days from today.

Senator Jesse Hamilton said, "Briana Ojeda and her family have given the gift of life to New Yorkers who turn to help from police. Briana's Law ensures our police officers have the training to provide life-saving assistance in an emergency. Thanks to my colleagues for seeing the wisdom of this measure, thanks to Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz for his leadership on this issue, and thanks to Carmen and Michael Ojeda, Briana's parents, whose strength, advocacy, and sense of purpose has seen this measure through to legislative passage. Governor Cuomo's signing Briana's Law vindicates a seven-year effort to make communities across New York safer, with police who are more capable of delivering aid in emergencies. This is a legacy truly worthy of Briana Ojeda's memory."
Man Shot in Face, Arm While Standing on Street in Uniondale, Authorities Say

Local News, Crime

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 28 2017

NCPD investigating incident that occurred on Sunday, August 27 outside of the Classico Bar on Jerusalem Avenue, police say.

NCPD investigating an Assault that occurred on Sunday, August 27 in Uniondale.

Uniondale, NY - August 28, 2017 - The First Squad is investigating an Assault that occurred on Sunday, August 27, 2017 at 2:38 am in The First Squad is investigating an Assault that occurred on Sunday, August 27, 2017 at 2:38 am in Uniondale

According to detectives, a 23 year old male victim was standing outside of the Classico Bar  462 Jerusalem Avenue, when an unknown male subject armed with a handgun fired several shots striking the victim in the arm and face.

The victim was transported to a local hospital and is listed in stable condition. The subject who fled on foot eastbound on Jerusalem Avenue is described as a male Hispanic, wearing a green shirt, a green backpack and dark colored pants.
Local News, Crime

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 28 2017

Shatera Williams, 24, left her 1-year-old son alone in a vehicle for 10 to 15 minutes while she was in Walmart, cops say.

SCPD arrested Shatera Williams of Wyandanch, 24, after she left her 1-year-old son unattended in a car while shopping on Saturday, August 26.

Islandia , NY - August 28, 2017 - Suffolk County Police arrested a Suffolk County Police arrested a Wyandanch woman after she left her 1-year-old son unattended in a car while shopping in an Islandia , New York store on Saturday, August 26, 2017.

A Fourth Precinct police officer responded to the parking lot of Walmart, located at 1850 Veterans Memorial Highway, at approximately 2:15 p.m., after a person reported that a child was left unattended in a 2015 Toyota Camry parked in the stores fire zone.

When the childs mother, Shatera Williams, 24, Wyandanch, New York, returned to the car, she was arrested and charged with Endangering the Welfare of a Child. The child was alone in the car for 10 to 15 minutes. The child was placed in the custody of a relative.

Williams will be held overnight at the Fourth Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on August 27, 2017.

A notification was made to Suffolk County Child Protective Services.
Local News, Crime

By Long Island News & PR Published: August 28 2017

William Adragna of Smithtown, 51, followed a woman while she was jogging in Ronkonkoma on several dates since April, cops say.

SCPD arrested William Adragna of Smithtown, 51, for stalking a jogger in Ronkonkoma on multiple occasions.

Ronkonkoma, NY - August 28, 2017 - Suffolk County Police on Saturday, August 26, 2017 arrested a man for stalking a jogger in Suffolk County Police on Saturday, August 26, 2017 arrested a man for stalking a jogger in Ronkonkoma, New York , on multiple occasions this year.

A 32-year-old woman noticed a man following her while she was jogging in Ronkonkoma on several dates since April. She reported the incident to police on August 25. The woman was jogging on Motor Parkway and Edgewood Avenue in Ronkonkoma today at approximately 9:40 a.m. and noticed the same man. The victim called police and provided a description of the vehicle.

A short time later, responding Fourth Precinct Officer Carol Tappen located the vehicle, a 2003 Ford Taurus, on Motor Parkway and Rosevale Avenue in Ronkonkoma, and arrested the driver, William Adragna.

Adragna, 51, of Smithtown , was charged with Stalking 3rd Degree, Harassment 2nd Degree and Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle 3rd Degree. He is scheduled for arraignment at First District Court in Central Islip on August 27.

The investigation is continuing. Anyone who believes they may be a victim is asked to contact the Fourth Precinct at 631-854-8426.
Chandigarh : Ahead of the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the deputy commissioner of Rohtak has said that those creating trouble should expect bullets if they defy warnings. The 50-year-old Dera chief, who was convicted in a 15- year-old rape case, has been lodged in a jail in Sunaria on the outskirts of Rohtak, where a CBI judge will be flown tomorrow to pronounce his sentence. "We will not allow anyone to create any sort of trouble in Rohtak. Anyone breaking law or indulging in acts of violence or arson will himself be responsible for his fate. Anyone creating trouble will be given a warning first and if he still pays no heed, then he will have to face the bullet," Atul Kumar told reporters in Rohtak, where the Army has been kept on standby.

The DCs stern warning comes in the wake of the mayhem in Panchkula on Friday where the Dera followers went on the rampage after their sect chiefs conviction in a rape case. The violence at Panchkula and sect headquarters at Sirsa has left 38 dead and over 250 injured. People do not have any reason to be afraid as stringent security measures have been taken," the DC said. The situation in the district was "completely under control", he said adding that police was fully prepared to tackle any situation. ADGP (law and order) Mohd Akil, who today took stock of the situation in Rohtak, also warned potential troublemakers.

"

Anyone who creates trouble will be taught a lesson, like in Panchkula and Sirsa," he told reporters in Rohtak. Step will be taken as per the needs of the situation to deal with troublemakers, Akil said. The Rohtak DC, meanwhile, appealed to people to not enter the district without any specific or urgent reason. He said every person entering Rohtak was being checked. If any person fails to produce proof of identity or specify reason for visiting the district during checking, then he would be taken into custody, the official said. PTI
Interview with Stephen Debre, Consultant at Ghana Agribusiness Center

Can you give us your overall evaluation of the agriculture sector and agribusiness in Ghana? What are the trends? What needs to be done? Now that there is a new government, what are your expectations?

As you know, agriculture is a key sector and is a sector that can really change livelihoods and improve our economy. We think government needs a very focused, strategic policy. Currently they have come out with a policy called Planting for Food and Jobs and if you look at it, although it has not been well spelt out, we think it is a campaign that can really generate a lot of interest, especially with women and youth in the sector. In general, we expect the government to put in more effort. From the African Union (AU) point of view, at least 10% of the national budget must be committed to agriculture annually as this is likely to result in about 6% growth of the economy. We want government to do this. We want this money to be spent very strategically, particularly on areas that need extra support, for example on infrastructure. We need various irrigation schemes, dams, energy for our processing etc. Over the last few years we have suffered some energy setbacks and so I believe it will be really good for the government to solve this problem once and for all. There have been some improvements now but the costs of electricity need to come down and it has to be more efficient. Agricultural infrastructure is definitely one thing we would like the government to focus on, especially irrigation and roads, markets etc. Aside these, we want government to focus on the soft aspects as well, by this I mean things like knowledge, skills and finance. If you have the finance without the necessary skills, you have nothing, and if you have the knowledge but no finance it equally amounts to waste of time. Government should introduce more programs to encourage youth to get into agriculture. That is where we come in as a centre. Our target sector is mainly the youth. Each year about 3,500 students come out from agriculture related programs, but where do they go? How many jobs are being created? The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) will tell you that not many jobs are being created in the agricultural sector. We want to encourage the youth to take the initiative themselves, they shouldnt just wait for someone to employ them but they can be employers themselves.

Government should introduce more programs to encourage youth to get into agriculture. That is where we come in as a centre. Our target sector is mainly the youth.

We look at four areas: individuals, platforms, community and policy. We can't do much in terms of policy except advocate and we can't do too much in terms of community. We can however work on the individuals and the platforms. We make sure we provide all the necessary information required to go into the agricultural business. We start by giving all the information and news of what is happening in the sector. We also have a market section where you can also trade some of your products. Once you produce something you can sell using our platform. We also have a mentorship program especially for young women. We have had about 30 mentors who were women willing to help any young woman to come into the agribusiness sector and to help them grow. We also have an internship placement option on our platform, so if you are a graduate and you are interested in a particular field, you can go on our site, enter you details and then you will be linked to potential placements. This is free of charge. We have links with many of the companies around here. We also have a discussion forum for discussing issues to do with agribusiness. The site provides all the necessary tools for encouraging people to invest in the agribusiness in Ghana.

FAIR USE POLICY

This material (including media content) may not be published, broadcasted, rewritten, or redistributed. However, linking directly to the page (including the source, i.e. Marcopolis.net) is permitted and encouraged.
French luxury atelier Moynat will be launching its iconic Rejane bag in a design exclusive to Singapore, to celebrate the opening of its first boutique here. Inspired by the ancient glazing of Asian ceramics, the Rejane in Crocodile Ceramique is the embodiment of all the luxury and savoir-faire of the design house.

East Meets West

The Rejane, arguably Moynats most coveted model, was born from the lifelong friendship between founder Pauline Moynat and Gabrielle Rejane, a renowned French stage actress towards the end of the 19th century. (A little known fact is that the Rejane is actually the first handbag ever to be named after a celebrity, paving the way for the future Alexas and Birkins.)

The attention to detail in the construction of the Rejane is outstanding. It takes an experienced artisan over 20 hours to construct the Rejane  a delicate process that entails various sophisticated dyeing and polishing techniques developed by Ramesh Nair, the artistic director behind the atelier, inspired by ancient Asian ceramic art.

To achieve the desired finish, its edges are meticulously painted and waxed eight times. Three to four colours, starting from light to dark, are then applied to the crocodile skins. After each layer of colour is applied, the skins are hand polished to reveal the underlying coat of colour. Because the crocodile scales are gently rounded, the polishing is crucial in determining how the colours are retained and revealed on each scale.

The final result? An intricate, delicate and layered hue that is truly unique to each skin, and beautifully mirrors the layered colours and unique crackling effect on ancient traditional Asian porcelains. The intricacy behind every step is testament to the houses philosophy and aesthetic of deceptively simple designs that are intricate and delicate in execution.

Located in the heart of Takashimaya Shopping Centre, the newly-opened Moynat Gallery in Singapore carries mens and womens leather goods and accessories, trunks and textiles. Moynats first gallery at Ngee Ann City also marks the first boutique in Southeast Asia.

Sarah Khan

Photos: Moynat

Read More:

Arm candy 101: Investing in an It-bag for less

Care 101: How to protect and care for your leather bags?
When disaster strikes, it often reveals the very best in people: Their fortitude, resilience and ability to overcome is inspiring. So is the desire in many others to help those impacted. So it is once again in South Texas, as volunteers are scrambling in boats of all types to rescue stranded Houstonians and others. Godspeed to them.

For others unable to physically contribute, there is often a strong desire to support a charity. This, too, is a tremendously commendable exercise, but any time money is involved, you can be sure charlatans come with the territory. In that vein, here is a brief roundup of resources we came across today that can help ensure the financial aid you intend to support Harvey victims actually gets there.

The Federal Trade Commission offers tips on avoiding scams here. A key, according to the FTC, is to avoid organizations that "spring up too suddenly in response to current events and natural disasters. Even if they are legitimate, they probably don't have the infrastructure to get the donations to the affected area or people." Seems sensible to us. The Better Business Bureau also cautions would-be donors about crowdfunding posts seeking disaster aid. They warn that "some crowdfunding sites do very little vetting of individuals who decide to post for assistance after a disaster, and it is often difficult for donors to verify the trustworthiness of crowdfunding requests for support." The BBB says crowdfunding is probably best used to give money to people you personally know-not necessarily for general charitable purposes.

In terms of targeting a charity able to help Houstonians, there are resources here, too. The Better Business Bureau vets charities according to 20 criteria (which you can read about here) and published a press release this morning containing a list of organizations offering assistance in South Texas that met their criteria. Here is that press release. Furthermore, CharityNavigator.org ranks and rates charities based mostly on transparency, financial health and accountability. You can learn more about their ratings here. And they, too, have a list of rated charities helping in South Texas, which you can view here. This article from The Wall Street Journal, published a couple of years ago, provides even more resources, should you need them.

Finally, some general advice about entering financial data online: Don't click on links in emails sent to you requesting donations and financial information. Fisher Investments' Information Security folks frequently warn that most email scams start from unsolicited communication that requests some kind of action from you. They may look very real, too! It's better to go to the website yourself by googling or typing the web address of the charity into the address bar of your browser.

Just remember: While disasters motivate 99.9995% of humans to do good and help, there is a tiny segment of the population that sees it as a different kind of opportunity. That shouldn't forestall you from offering financial help to those imperiled, of course. Just maybe take a couple minutes to make sure you're dealing with a sound charity capable of helping out first.
EURGBP Is Facing 0.9305 Resistance

EURGBP formed a double bottom pattern on its daily chart, with neckline at 0.8851 and measured move target at around 0.9400. After breaking above the neckline resistance, the pair extended its bullish movement to as high as 0.9270, facing the resistance at the October 2016 high of 0.9305.





The EURGBP pair stays in a bullish price channel on its 4-hour chart, with support at the bottom trend line now at around 0.9150, indicting that the price remains in the uptrend from 0.8891. As long as the channel support holds, the bullish move could be expected to continue and next target would be at 0.9305 previous high, followed by 0.9400 area.





On the downside, a clear break below the bottom support trend line of the price channel on the 4-hour chart could take price back towards the bullish trend line on the daily chart now at 0.8970. Only a clear break below the trend line support could confirm that the upside movement from 0.8313 is compete, then the pair would find next support level at 0.8851.

The 0.8851 level is a resistance-turned-support which acted as the neckline of the double bottom pattern on the daily chart. If the price moves and settles below this level, the following downside movement could bring price into 0.8300 zone.

Technical levels

Support levels: 0.9150 (the bullish price channel on the 4-hour chart), 0.8970 (the bullish trend line on the daily chart), 0.8851 (the neckline of the double bottom pattern), 0.8304 (the December 2016 low).

Resistance levels: 0.9305 (the October 2016 high), 0.9400 (the measured move target).

This article is written by Franco Shao, a senior analyst at ForexCycle.

 2017 Copyright Franco Shao - All Rights Reserved Disclaimer: The above is a matter of opinion provided for general information purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Information and analysis above are derived from sources and utilising methods believed to be reliable, but we cannot accept responsibility for any losses you may incur as a result of this analysis. Individuals should consult with their personal financial advisors.

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Trumps Decision On North Korea Will Define His Administration

BY GEORGE FRIEDMAN AND JACOB L. SHAPIRO : Most US presidencies are defined by their foreign policies, and most foreign policies are defined by warsthose that were fought and those that werent.

The biggest decision an American president faces is whether to send the nations soldiers into certain danger to protect and defend the national interest.

Donald Trump is coming to that point with North Korea. And his decision will define his presidency more than any of his infamous tweets or off-the-cuff remarks.

Mixed US Messages

The US has been sending mixed messages for months now.

It briefly stationed three carrier battle groups within striking distance of the Korean Peninsula, before relocating them. One minute, the president is threatening to bring fire and fury to Pyongyang. The next minute, the US secretary of defense is saying diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the situation are working.

This cannot go on indefinitely.

Eventually, the United States inaction will turn into a decision not to strike. Rarely are decisions such as this black and white, but if the administration believes its own intelligence, it has a fairly stark choice: accept a nuclear North Korea and the attendant consequences, or attack North Korea and accept the attendant consequences.

Trump has sought to differentiate himself from Obama, but ironically, he finds himself in a situation similar to that of his predecessorexcept with much higher stakes.

In August 2012, as the civil war in Syria was escalating, Obama said the US would see any use of chemical weapons by the Bashar Assad regime as crossing a red line. There was no fire and fury in Obamas comments, but his statement set up a situation in which Obama either had to act on the threat or back off.

A year later, the Assad regime used chemical weaponsand Obama backed off. It damaged US credibility in the world and made Obama look like a president who wouldnt follow through on a threat.

It was one of those moments when words made a difference.

It changed the perception of the global superpower in the eyes of others who might seek to challenge it. And in the two years that followed, Russia annexed Crimea, and the Islamic State became a formidable force in the Middle East. These events may not have been a direct result of Obamas inaction, but it is without doubt that many took notice.

High Stakes

The US is inching perilously close to such a moment again.

Both sides have issued threats, and while there remains a sliver of hope for a diplomatic solution, they still have imperatives so diametrically opposed that it is hard to imagine either side will capitulate.

And so the question is, now that Trump has threatened to destroy North Korea if it continues its nuclear program, will the US speak loudly and carry a big stick, or just speak loudly?

A North Korea with nuclear weapons is dangerousbut so is a nuclear-armed Pakistan and India, and the US didnt stop them (or a host of other nations) from attaining nuclear weapons.

North Korea wants nukes as a deterrent to ensure its survival, but using them would ensure its annihilation. The chances, therefore, that Pyongyang will use nukes are very slim. But when losing means the devastation of Los Angeles or Seattle, even betting on long odds is dangerous.

Having staked this much on the North Korea issue, the US risks being seen as weak if its threats turn out to be empty. That may seem like a hollow concern, especially in a world where the US is without peer in terms of its power but it does have would-be peers.

Chinas Interests

China still faces many internal issues, but it also has significant long-term ambitions, and the US is standing in its way.

There is already a sense in China that Trump is a paper tiger whose threats carry little meaning, and failing to follow through on North Korea would do much to solidify that opinion and embolden Beijing.

And should Trumps threats turn out to have some teeth, China might even benefit if the US, which is seen as an imperial power in most of Asia, initiates another war on the Korean Peninsula.

What China (and especially President Xi Jinpings government) needs mostmore than control over the South China Sea or a policy to spread wealth equally among disparate social classes in Chinais a way to hold Chinese society together through the economic and demographic challenges that are coming its way.

Chinese nationalism is a powerful adhesive, and a formidable and looming enemy in the form of the US would make it that much stronger. It is often assumed China wouldnt risk conflict with the US because it cant beat the US, but perhaps China doesnt need to win so much as it needs unity. And perhaps a limited conflict with the USeven if China looks weak in the immediate termis not such a bad outcome.

The Lesser of Two Evils

The Korean War ultimately wasnt about Korea; it was about great powers needing to fight battles in faraway places to show how powerful they are. That hasnt changed.

The US has a decision to make, and then China, Japan, and Russia will also have decisions to make. Koreans on both sides of the DMZ will bear the costs of those decisions once more.

The next step, however, in this unfolding drama is for the US to decide which is the lesser of two evils: a nuclear North Korea or another land war in Asia.

That choice will define how this administration is remembered far more than the political melodrama polluting our airwaves daily.

Grab George Friedman's Exclusive eBook, The World Explained in Maps

The World Explained in Maps reveals the panorama of geopolitical landscapes influencing today's governments and global financial systems. Don't miss this chance to prepare for the year ahead with the straight facts about every major countrys and region's current geopolitical climate. You won't find political rhetoric or media hype here.

The World Explained in Maps is an essential guide for every investor as 2017 takes shape. Get your copy nowfree!

John Mauldin Archive

 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication.




Expect the Cleveland Cavaliers to push their luck.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, speaking on SportsCenter, the Cavaliers -- who are claiming to be surprised by the condition of Isaiah Thomas' hip -- are expected to inquire about Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum, hoping to add one of the Boston Celtics' young stud prospects to the deal that would send Kyrie Irving to the Celtics in exchange for Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and the Brooklyn Nets' unprotected 2018 first-round pick.

Wojnarowski called the Cavaliers' requests "very unlikely," but he added that the Celtics' collection of draft picks could be Cleveland's real target. Wojnarowski said Boston is resisting giving up anything else, believing that they were transparent about Thomas' injury from the start, and that the showdown between the two teams could last a few days.

The Celtics are understandably upset.

Per @ChrisMannixYS on @CSNNE, #Celtics will draw line in sand. May part with a 2nd Rd pick to complete #Cavs deal. No firsts/Brown/Tatum.  Adam Kaufman (@AdamMKaufman) August 28, 2017

Although neither team would admit it, both sides should be highly motivated to complete this deal.

The Cavaliers, for all their posturing, are extremely unlikely to come up with an asset as valuable as the unprotected 2018 Nets pick in any other trade for Irving, especially given his now extremely public displeasure with the franchise. New general manager Koby Altman would be widely acclaimed for pulling off such a profitable deal for his team, both building for the future and giving the Cavaliers a chance to win in its current iteration. Even if Thomas missed significant time, Cleveland would have a chance to put the versatile Crowder next to LeBron James as the Cavaliers try to compete with the Golden State Warriors. Meanwhile, they could start looking ahead to the top-heavy 2018 draft, where at least five stud prospects (and as many as seven) are expected to be available in the lottery.

The Celtics, meanwhile, need Irving. They burned their bridges already with Thomas and Crowder, and rebuilding those bridges would require wood and rope that simply might not be available at this point. Irving is a 25-year-old star -- a transcendent offensive talent who gives certain production and potential growth in the future.

This trade likely makes too much sense on both ends to fall through at this point. Cleveland's attempt to pull a fast one might earn them an extra small asset of some kind, but the Celtics almost certainly aren't going to budge on Brown and Tatum. As noted by Chris Mannix of The Vertical, it's difficult to imagine Cleveland even asking.

I can't even imagine that ask without a laugh track.  Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) August 28, 2017

We will see how deep the Celtics draw that line in the sand. "No firsts" is quite a statement given Boston's bevy of firsts -- it would be a relatively small concession, for example, to offer the Celtics' own 2019 first since the team could realistically have as many as four firsts that year.

But at this point, neither team will want to look like they caved. These negotiations will be incredibly contentious.
BELCHERTOWN - To show their unity after the white supremacist newspaper known as The Crusader showed up in local mailboxes, Belchertown came together on Sunday.

Organized by the activist group Belchertown Voices for Justice, the picnic demonstrated the town is united against racism, as instances of the white supremacist newspaper appearing in mailboxes across the commonwealth are on the rise.

"BVJ stands against the politics of hate that seek to divide and redouble their commitment to the values of freedom, justice, and equality that bind people together," the group said in a statement. "(We)are committed to creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive community and supporting the values of freedom, justice, and equality."

Police are still investigating complaints that copies of a white supremacist newspaper known as The Crusader were left in some residential mailboxes.
EASTHAMPTON -- The office of Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey on Friday concluded its months-long civil rights investigation and issued a strongly worded report detailing problems with bias and intolerance at Easthampton High School.

Accompanying the report was a seven-page "memorandum of agreement" between the AG's civil rights division and the Easthampton Public School District.

The state-level investigation began in late March, and was resolved Thursday when Superintendent Nancy Follansbee, in a closed-door session of the School Committee, signed the agreement, which contains 11 requirements for change.

"We thank the Easthampton School Committee, Mayor Cadieux, Superintendent Follansbee and other school leaders for their cooperation with our investigation and shared commitment to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students at Easthampton High School," Healey said in a statement.

Read the full report and "memorandum of agreement" below:
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,...
SPRINGFIELD -- A 51-year-old Enfield man was killed in a crash involving a motorcycle and SUV Sunday afternoon on Cooley Street.

Sgt. John Delaney told Western Mass News the crash occurred shortly after 2 p.m. The motorcyclist, heading north on Cooley Street, collided with the Toyota SUV as its driver attempted to exit onto Fair Oak Road.

The victim was pronounced dead at Baystate Medical Center, Delaney, public information officer for the department, said. Police have not released his name.

The crash remains under investigation. Western Mass News is television partner to The Republican and MassLive.com.

This is a developing story. Additional information will be posted as soon as it is available.
SPRINGFIELD -- With a pending gun charged dropped because police conducted search without a warrant, Joshua Andrew Tanner on Monday pleaded guilty to possession of heroin and was sentenced to time served.

Tanner, 34, spent 542 days in jail awaiting trial. The former Holyoke resident had been charged with having an illegal gun and ammunition -- but a judge previously ruled West Springfield police did not have the right to search Tanner's hotel room without a warrant.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Michael Callan on Monday accepted the recommendation by the prosecution and Tanner's attorney, Stephen E. Shea, that Tanner serve no additional jail time.

Assistant District Attorney Christopher F. Bourbeau said the agreement was because of "the state of the evidence." Tanner had also been charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, but testing showed the substance in question was not actually a narcotic.

Bourbeau said West Springfield police followed Tanner on March 4, 2016, when he drove a van into the parking lot of the Express Inn on Riverdale Street, because they knew he did not have a driver's license.

Tanner went into a room. Police knocked on the door and arrested him on the suspended license charge, Bourbeau said.

Inside the room police found a .32-caliber revolver and six rounds of .32-caliber ammunition. Hampden Superior Court Judge Mark D. Mason ruled after an earlier hearing that West Springfield police had no legal right to search the room without getting a warrant.

Police five baggies of heroin in Tanner's van, leading to the possession of heroin charge, Bourbeau said.
Federal emergency and Coast Guard personnel stationed in Massachusetts have been mobilized and sent to Houston, Texas, to assist in the response to devastating flooding brought on by Harvey, reports CBS Boston.



A 16-person, Beverly-based Federal Emergency Management Agency contingent departed Sunday evening for the nation's fourth largest city, where rising flood waters earlier in the day sent thousands scrambling onto rooftops, calling for help.



With only more rain in the immediate forecast and city officials overseeing controlled releases of more water from swollen Houston-area reservoirs in an attempt to protect the downtown, the Massachusetts responders should find no shortage of work to be done.



Former State Public Safety Commissioner Tom Gatzunis described a simple mission to the television station: "Get people who are trapped, get them into the boat, get them off to safety and then they'll be transported by other members, whether it's different task force or other local responders."



The trip is expected to last around two weeks.



Meanwhile, nearly 30 Massachusetts U.S. Coast Guard members based on Cape Cod left for Houston a day earlier, on Saturday, bringing several rescue helicopters along with them.



According to CBS Boston, the Bay Staters had already conducted 14 rescues as of Sunday morning.



Gov. Charlie Baker's office released a statement saying his "thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by Hurricane Harvey and the first responders and volunteers working to assist them. The administration has been in communication with emergency management officials in Texas and Louisiana to offer support and resources as needed."



Harvey made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and continues to drop heavy rain after having since been downgraded to a tropical storm.



The images out of the city Sunday recalled New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, with highways and neighborhoods underwater and people floating in canoes and kayaks and on rooftops as emergency responders made rescues using power boats and helicopters.



The storm has been the cause of multiple deaths and affected more than 6.8 million people in Texas, according to The Associated Press.



Average rainfall totals will add up to about 50 inches in Houston, according to meteorologists.



"The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before," the National Weather Service said in a statement.
SPRINGFIELD -- Detectives continue to investigate two shootings that took the lives of two city men this past weekend.

James Leydon, spokesman for Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni, said Monday afternoon that he was not aware of any arrests being made in wake of the late Friday and early Sunday shootings.

"Investigators continue to work both cases day and night," Leydon said.

Mark Mayweather, 29, was shot multiple times in the area of 82 Albemarle St. at about 11:45 p.m. on Friday. He died at Baystate Medical Center.

William Allen, 37, was shot near Reed Village Apartments shortly after 3 a.m. on Sunday. He was found in a parking lot at the corner of Bay and Aster streets and pronounced dead at the scene.

Springfield police could not be reached for comment Monday. It's not clear if the two shootings are believed to be related.

Mayor Domenic Sarno said Sunday, however, the two shootings were not random and they appear to be isolated incidents. Police are not getting much cooperation as they continue to investigate, he said.

Anyone with information about either homicide is asked to call the Springfield Police Major Crimes Unit at 413-787-6355. Anonymous text message tips can be sent to "CRIMES," or "274637," and should begin with the word "SOLVE."
SPRINGFIELD -- A full courtroom of about 80 prospective jurors at the start of Monday ended with the selection of 12 people to sit on the jury for the murder trial of Ricardo Valentin.

Hampden Superior Court Judge Constance M. Sweeney and lawyers will select two more jurors Tuesday for the trial of Valentin, who is charged with fatally stabbing David Guasp on High Street in Springfield on Aug. 29, 2015.

Jurors will be taken on a view of the crime scene and then the trial will begin with opening statements.

Guasp, 21, of Byers Street, was found on a rear porch at 92 High St. at around 7 p.m. suffering from a serious stab wound. He was rushed to the hospital and died about an hour later.

Valentin, 26, of Springfield, was arrested in early September 2015 in New London, Connecticut.

Valentin is represented by Nikolas Andreopoulos in the case prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew W. Green.

Valentin was arrested in the area of Connecticut Avenue by New London police and detectives and members of the U.S. Marshal's Service, according to police. His arrest came after a brief foot chase and resulted in two nearby schools being locked down for about 30 minutes until after he was in custody.
SPRINGFIELD - Investigators identified the man shot and killed on Aster Street early Sunday morning as William Allen, 37, of Springfield.

Allen was shot near the Reed Village Apartments, which is operated by the Springfield Housing Authority, at around 3:07 a.m., according to the office of Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni.

He was found suffering from a gunshot wound in the parking lot at the corner of Bay and Aster streets and pronounced dead at the scene.

"Both (Gulluni) and Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri express their sympathies to the victim's family during this difficult time," said the district attorney's office in a statement Sunday evening.

Allen's murder was the city's second in just over 24 hours.

At about 11:45 p.m. Friday, Mark Mayweather, 29, of Springfield, was shot multiple times in the area of 82 Albemarle St. and died later at Baystate Medical Center.

It is not known yet if the two killings are related, but Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said neither was random.

Anyone with information about either crime is asked to call the Springfield Police Major Crimes Unit at 413-787-6355. Anonymous text message tips can be sent to "CRIMES," or "274637," and should begin with the word "SOLVE."
BELCHERTOWN -- Thomas Estes, first justice of Eastern Hampshire District Court, is no longer serving in that role. Estes has been reassigned to Holyoke District Court --where "he is not presiding over cases," a spokesperson for the state's Supreme Judicial Court confirmed in an email late on Monday.

The Massachusetts Trial Court system has appointed another judge to serve as the "Acting First Justice" at the Belchertown court without explaining why.

In response to requests from The Republican, the court confirmed that the district court's Regional Administrative Justice, Maureen E. Walsh, was appointed to fill Estes' role in Belchertown on Aug. 17.

Estes, who owns a home in Northampton, was sworn in as a judge at Northmapton District Court back in 2014. He had been the first justice at Eastern Hampshire District Court since Feb. 26, 2016.

Estes was the judge in the case last summer of David Becker, a then-18-year-old former East Longmeadow star athlete, accused of sexually assaulting two women as they were unconscious at a house party. Estes ordered Becker to serve two years probation after Becker admitted to two counts of indecent sexual assault on a person over age 14.

The sentence prompted criticism and an online petition calling for Estes to be removed as a judge.

"Judge Thomas Estes is currently on administrative assignment at Holyoke District Court," a spokeswoman for the state Supreme Judicial Court said in an email statement, but did not elaborate.

Manuel A. Moutinho III, clerk-magistrate of Holyoke District Court, on Monday said Estes is not scheduled to hear any cases this week.

The SJC spokeswoman did not respond to the newspaper's request for an explanation of why the change took place and whether any type of administrative review is underway, planned or has been completed.

The spokeswoman's email statement said, "on August 17, 2017, Judge Maureen Walsh was appointed as Acting First Justice."

This is a developing story; The Republican / MassLive will publish updates as our reporting continues
A SWAT team converged on a Blackstone home Sunday night after a 71-year-old man displayed a gun to police then barricaded himself inside the residence.

Blackstone Police headed to a Gaskill Street home around 7:15 p.m. for a well-being check on Edward Curtis Chandler, the 71-year-old man living there.

"As police approached the residence, Chandler displayed a handgun," police said. "Officers retreated to a safe position and called for additional units, and Chandler shut the door and barricaded himself inside the residence."

The Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council SWAT Team, Woonsocket Police, and the Worcester County Sheriff's Office Crisis Negotiation Team and command vehicle responded to the scene for assistance.

After several hours, the SWAT team was able to enter Chandler's home and take him into custody without incident. The arrest occurred around midnight.

Police said they found multiple weapons and ammunition inside the home. Chandler was taken to an area hospital for evaluation.

"This was a tense situation and I commend our officers for falling back on their training to ensure that the scene remained as safe as possible throughout this incident," Police Chief Ross A. Atstupenas said. "I would like thank all agencies involved for their assistance in bringing this situation to a peaceful end."

Chandler has been charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, four counts of firearm possession without a license, ammunition possession without an FID card and drug possession.
The Friday night document dump is a longstanding Washington tradition. An official looking to deal with something unpleasant releases the information late on a Friday in the hopes that the details will get lost over the weekend.

This is the likely reason that the White House moved to codify its needless ban on transgender individuals serving in the military on Friday afternoon. And to do so as Hurricane Harvey was bearing down on the Texas Gulf Coast.

The thinking, put plain: Get the news out while people are focused on something else, and then look to move beyond it.

President Donald Trump created the whole mess late last month during one of his morning tweet storms, effectively making policy via Twitter. His announcement, such as it was, appeared to catch nearly everyone in the Pentagon completely off guard.

Friday's move was an effort to clean things up as much as possible.

Since it bars new transgender recruits but doesn't necessarily remove transgender individuals already in the military, the best that can be said of the rule is that it could have been even worse.

But it is still needless, destructive, foolhardy.

While the transgender ban is bad news all around, those who tend to be eternally optimistic may be able to take at least a bit of solace from knowing that the new rule will apparently allow transgender individuals currently serving to remain on the job, pending review. Otherwise, though, the ban is a fool's errand.

If a man who identifies as a woman or a woman who identifies as a man wants to serve in our nation's armed forces, there's just one question that should be asked: Does the individual have what it takes to make it in the military? It's exactly the same question that should be asked of any recruit.

Those who wish to serve and are able to serve should be allowed to serve. No more, and no less. Nothing whatsoever is gained by needlessly discriminating against a particular group.

When you hear some suggest that allowing transgender individuals to serve will lessen unit cohesion, it's important to remember that that same lame argument was once used to keep military units segregated by race. Or to keep women on the sidelines, first outside the military entirely, and later from serving in specific roles. Or to try to prevent gay men and lesbians from serving.

All of these arguments, of course, have long been proven false.

Eventually, it'll be the same with transgender individuals. Once Trump is no longer commander in chief and someone whose thinking on such matters isn't intended to appeal to a certain crowd of folk who are badly behind the times, our nation's armed services will be open to all. And those who wish to serve will be welcome, no matter their sexual orientation.

That's as it should be, and must be.
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's ban on transgender individuals joining the military.

The federal lawsuit was filed in Maryland on Monday by the ACLU of Maryland on behalf of several service members who are transgender.

Trump directed the Pentagon on Friday to implement the ban on transgender individuals joining the military, which he first announced in a tweet. He also gave to the Pentagon the authority to decide the future of openly transgender people already serving.

The lawsuit says Trump's policy violates the equal protection rights of transgender service members who now have "grave reason to fear for their careers."
The Protectors of Friendship exercise will involve military manoeuvres and the capture of a mountainous area

Egyptian and Russian paratroopers will take part in a joint military exercise on Russian territory in August, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.

The "Protectors of Friendship" exercise will take place in Krasnodar, 148 kilometres northeast of the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

It will include the deployment of troops, joint paratroop operations, military manoeuvres and exercises to capture a mountainous area.

In October 2016, the two nations' airborne forces held a similar exercise close to Al-Alamein, a coastal city 100 miles west of Alexandria.

Egypt and Russia have been stepping up military cooperation in recent years.

Last Month, Egypt's Defense Minister Sedqi Sobhi and Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu meet in Cairo, discussing ways of boosting military cooperation.

In 2015, Russia and Egypt held a joint naval exercise off the coast of Alexandria, including supply and communication exercises, search operations, and defence and live-firing exercises.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Through the early 1800s, the meetinghouse was the center of both religious and civic life in Massachusetts. Boston's famous Freedom Trail includes four historic churches, and hundreds of the state's historically significant houses of worship have been preserved through public funding.

But can public grants for historic preservation legally be given to a church? Or does that constitute illegal taxpayer support of a religious institution under the Massachusetts Constitution, which contains an "anti-aid" amendment, which prohibits the use of public money to aid a church or religious institution?

The Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments on Sept. 7 in a case, George Caplan v. Town of Acton, that could have implications for the use of public money for church renovation projects around Massachusetts.

The case has attracted the attention of national groups on both sides of the issue.

One side argues that public money should not be going to subsidize a house of worship. "We understand that historical preservation is valued in Massachusetts," said Eric Rothschild, senior litigation attorney at Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs. "But the commonwealth was also very emphatic when it passed this amendment that it was not going to require people who are not members of congregations to have to set aside the dictates of own conscience to fund churches they're not a part of."

On the other side is the argument that a public grant program cannot favor or disfavor a religious institution. "You can't keep a church out of a generally accessible grant program just because it's a church," said Eric Rassbach, deputy general counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which filed an amicus brief in the case. "The religious status of a church cannot disqualify it from that. It shouldn't give them an extra edge, but they also shouldn't be treated worse than other organizations."

The case centers on two historic preservation grants totaling $100,000 that the town of Acton awarded the Acton Congregational Church under the state's Community Preservation Act. The grants were to create a master plan for preserving the church and two historic houses it owns, and to restore the church's stained glass windows, which have religious imagery.

The Community Preservation Act is a state program that local voters can adopt, which lets communities raise tax money to preserve open space, restore historic sites, and for other purposes.

Thirteen taxpayers appealed the grants to the court, arguing they violated the state Constitution's "anti-aid" amendment, also referred to as a "Blaine Amendment." Massachusetts is one of around 35 states with similar amendments, which are rooted in 19th century anti-Irish Catholic sentiments, prohibiting public aid for religious schools and institutions.

A Middlesex County Superior Court judge denied the taxpayers' motion for an injunction to prevent the town from giving the grants.

The taxpayers argue that if the grants are allowed to stand, the Superior Court ruling effectively allows state agencies and municipal governments to use public money to fund religious institutions without restrictions. "The Superior Court approved something that this Court has never sanctioned: the grant of public funds to an active house of worship," attorneys for the taxpayers wrote in a court brief.

The American Civil Liberties Union, siding with the taxpayers, argues that public funding of religious institutions also risks infringing on religious freedom. "When taxpayer dollars subsidize a house of worship -- even at the request of the religious institution -- it threatens religious liberty by, among other things, creating a risk of government interference and surveillance, fomenting divisiveness among religions, and creating incentives that compromise religious beliefs," attorneys for the ACLU wrote.

The town's attorneys argue that the Acton Congregational Church, which was established in 1846, is an important part of the Acton Center Historic District.

Attorneys for the town wrote in a court brief that the decision to fund the projects was based on the significance of the historic resources, not the applicants' identity or motives. "The CPA grants in this case are entirely consistent with previous funding by the Town, other Massachusetts municipalities and the state itself," attorneys for the town of Acton wrote.

Statewide, more than 300 Community Preservation Act projects involving religious institutions have been approved over the years, according to Acton's court brief. The Massachusetts Historical Commission has funded 38 projects at religious institutions, ranging from the Vilna Shul in Boston to St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Springfield.

"The Anti-Aid Amendment has never been found by this Court to contain an absolute prohibition on public funding of churches," attorneys for the town wrote. Rather, they say, grants are allowed if they are made with the effect of restoring historic resources, rather than aiding churches.

The plaintiffs believe those earlier projects were also unconstitutional -- it just took until now for someone to bring a case, according to Rothschild.

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey filed a brief siding with the town.

"The Attorney General's Office believes that our state's historic preservation grant programs are constitutional and serve an important purpose in protecting our diverse culture and history for the benefit of all our residents," said Chloe Gotsis, a spokeswoman for Healey.

Healey wrote in a court brief that many of the state's earliest and most important historic resources are church buildings, and it is in the public interest to be able to preserve them. "These buildings and their features represent important artifacts of the Commonwealth's history, and they could be lost without public support for their restoration and preservation," Healey wrote.

Several Boston and New England-based historic preservation groups also filed a brief arguing that religious buildings are an important part of the state's history, and legally, they cannot be treated differently than secular historic buildings.
SPRINGFIELD -- Marilyn Felix, a candidate in the City Council at-large race, said that if elected, she will propose a public safety initiative in Springfield that would be modeled after an initiative in Hartford, Connecticut, that stresses youth outreach.



"It is disturbing to me that no one has come up with any solution to the gun violence that has troubled our city in the last 10 years," Felix said in a press release. "Violence continues to occur in our city, while residents have called out for leadership from leaders."



She cited two homicides in Springfield this past weekend. One victim, Mark Mayweather, 29, of Springfield, was shot multiple times late Friday night on Albermarle Street. A second man, William Allen, 37, of Springfield, was shot and killed early Sunday morning on Aster Street near the Reed Village apartments, police said.





Felix said Hartford was recognized by former President Barack Obama as one of 10 cities "Making Real Progress, Since the Launch of the 21st Century Policing Task Force."



The Hartford initiative has four components: outreach and recruitment for youth to participate in a paid summer internship that includes two weeks in a police academy; a five-week summer program for a minimum of 45 students; an extended-year program; and a post-secondary program for continued monitoring, test preparation and tuition assistance.

Felix said she would launch the program in Springfield by proposing it as a new city ordinance modeled after Hartford's initiative. She called on the Springfield council "to be the leaders they are elected to be and initiate and implement legislation that will address the city's violence problems."



Felix said she agrees with Mayor Domenic Sarno that there are proactive and preventative efforts in place, and the crime has been on the decline in recent years, "but clearly there is more work to be done."



"The Springfield Police Department is already contracted for services with the Springfield Public Schools under a Memorandum of Understanding," Felix said. "Why not implement this initiative as part of the Memorandum of Understanding? The agreement between SPD and SPS should be beneficial for the youth in addition to the SPD."

There have been 18 homicides in 2017 in Hartford, which has a population of about 123,000. There were 14 homicides last year and 32 in 2015 in the Connecticut capital.

The two homicides over the weekend brought Springfield's total for this year to 10. There were 12 homicides last year and 18 in 2015 in Western Massachusetts' largest city, which has a population of approximately 154,000.



In addition, Felix said her priority as a City Council candidate is fiscal oversight and responsibility. That priority goes "hand in hand" with public safety, quality of life and other concerns of the citizens of Springfield, she said.



"The City Council cannot address these issues without reviewing the budget in detail and working with department heads in January and February, when each department is developing their budget priorities for the coming fiscal year," Felix said.



She said that the $1.7 million set aside in the memorandum of understanding between the Police Department and public schools, combined with violence prevent funds from federal, state and local resources should it might be allocated toward her proposed public safety initiative, mirrored after Hartford's.



She said she will work with city councilors, city officials and department heads to ensure implementation of this Public Safety 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."
Join the Womens Foundation of Montana and friends at the Baxter Hotel on Thursday, September 14th from 6:30-8pm to help us celebrate our newest project to promote more women to leadership in Montana.

Find out more about this project here: http://bit.ly/2i9hsnW

Co-hosts: Dorothy Bradley, Hillary Folkvord, Kate Wiggins, Heather Bellamy, Franke Wilmer and Jen Euell

Suggested Donation: $50

Appetizers and Refreshments Provided

RSVP to Jen Euell [email protected] or (406) 461-7695.

To find out more, visit http://www.WFMontana.org.

The Womens Foundation supports economic self-sufficiency of women and a brighter future of girls. The Foundation:

1. Builds a permanent endowment that will provide funding to enhance the lives of women and girls in Montana in perpetuity.

2. Makes grants to Montana organizations that help women and girls attain economic self-sufficiency.

3. Creates statewide awareness of the barriers to economic self-sufficiency and supports systemic change to eliminate those barriers.

Event Information: https://www.facebook.com/pg/WomensFoundationMT/events/
The nonprofit Silicon Slopes wants the states tech leaders to play a bigger role in guiding public policy in Utah, announcing two new partnerships this week that will help the industry shape education, legislation and other issues.

Silicon Slopes and the Salt Lake Chamber said Tuesday they will work together on business and community challenges, from developing the states workforce to clearing the air.

By William Mathis and Mike Gorrell

Full Story: http://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2017/08/22/silicon-slopes-moves-to-give-utah-tech-leaders-a-greater-voice-in-education-public-policy/
The African Union defines youth as someone between the ages of 15 and 35. With 70% of sub-Saharan Africas population under the age of 30, Africa has the youngest population in the world. With such a burgeoning young workforce, the continents economy has a chance to grow exponentially, but only if the next generations are given the tools they need. It is crucial that young people participate in decision-making processes and be provided with numerous possibilities for employment and innovation.

Depending on their needs and stage of life, access to financial services can empower young people and improve their well-being in the right circumstances. According to research, children start developing good financial habits as early as age seven.

A study done by the OECD for the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion shows that young people are more likely to choose non-traditional financial service providers since they frequently have weak links with the official banking sector, both in sub-Saharan Africa and globally. It should come as no surprise that this generation is driving fintech adoption globally given that they have never known a world without mobile, web, and app-based services.

The study further revealed that; one in three internet users worldwide is under the age of 18, and globally, 71% of young people and only 48% of the general population use the internet. Many national governments, including those of Costa Rica, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, and Spain, have explicitly recognized Internet access as a human right since access to online information and services has become so crucial.

At Cellulant (www.Cellulant.io), we view fintech collaborations as a vehicle for advancing financial inclusion, business expansion and the overall economic development of Africa. We are daily working towards opening up options for people to become financially autonomous and empowered by giving global, regional, and local enterprises the rails they need to own their financial journeys.

We view collaborations with Fintech firms, especially those Founded and Led by the Youth, as a tool to promote financial inclusion and the growth of individual businesses as well as the continent of Africas economy as a whole. As evidenced by some of our recent partnerships, Young African Founders in Africa are making significant steps in a variety of sectors to drive financial inclusion;

In the Gig Economy:

The one-stop financial platform for Africas gig workers, ImaliPay (www.ImaliPay.com) partnered with Cellulant, for its payments infrastructure and solutions in Kenya and Nigeria. Founded by 2 young Africans, Tatenda Furusa (https://bit.ly/3QoO9tw) & Sanmi Akinmusire (https://bit.ly/3zQi3Q8), ImaliPay is driving financial inclusion by allowing ImaliPay users to access financial services quicker through Cellulants payment rails while at the same time building an ecosystem where gig workers can create a safety net around their work through savings, credit, and insurance that drives their productivity and economic empowerment.

Cellulant is also the Payments Processor for Grey (https://bit.ly/3JNRakz), a Y-combinator-backed fintech startup, powering its payouts to thousands of Grey customers. Grey offers a unique international money transfer service that enables its users to send and receive international payments without restrictions quickly. Grey was launched in 2021 by Idorenyin Obong (https://bit.ly/3zK17uE) and Femi Aghedo (https://bit.ly/3zOl1Vr), who wanted to help Nigerians easily exchange to local currency and access the foreign currencies in their accounts.

In the Retail Sector:

Leveraging Cellulants footprint across the continent, where we are present in 35 countries, MarketForce (https://bit.ly/3AhDfzZ) entered a partnership with Cellulant to offer additional revenue opportunities for informal retailers through empowering them to be agents for major financial services, as well as access payments, savings, investments, insurance and buy-now-pay-later products. Founded in 2018 by Tesh Mbaabu (https://bit.ly/3QmKE6O) and Mesongo Sibuti (https://bit.ly/3C3ZJG8), MarketForce is an all-inclusive B2B commerce platform that empowers informal merchants in Africa to source, order and pay for inventory digitally and conveniently, access financing, collect digital payments and make extra money by reselling digital financial services such as airtime, electricity tokens and bill payments through its RejaReja app.

In the Remittances Sector:

At Cellulant, our goal is to simplify how payments are made by ensuring they are made in the most seamless manner. This seamlessness is also required in the remittance space hence our partnership with Nala (https://www.Nala.com) to facilitate seamless cross-border payments and significantly reduce the cost of sending money from the UK and the US into Africa. Nala is a Y-Combinator-backed company, founded by Benjamin Fernandes (https://bit.ly/3SGQ7XL), that provides an app for Africans living in the United Kingdom and the United States to send money to the continent seamlessly.

Cellulant continues to power payments across the continent, one transaction at a time assisting businesses to explore how the evolution of digital payment solutions may assist job creation, increase efficiency in service delivery, and encourage financial inclusion for our youth population in order to develop Africas payment sector and to boost economic development.

Partager et informez vous aussi......

0 shares Share

Tweet

LinkedIn

Articles similaires
According to an agreement signed by Egypt and Germany in Berlin on Sunday, Germany will provide Egypt with more resources to run training programmes to help locals find better jobs, and more funds for Egyptians to study in Germany, as part of Germany's wider effort to fight the causes of unchecked migration.

The agreement, which was signed by Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry and his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, aims to slow the flow of migrants to the European country, German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Monday.

Germany will help Egypt improve facilities for Syrian refugees and other displaced people in the country, and the two countries agreed to work more closely to crack down on smugglers who bring migrants illegally into Europe across the Mediterranean.

A total of 122,802 Syrians are registered with the Egyptian branch of the UN's refugee agency, out of a total 208,398 registered refugees and asylum-seekers.

Estimates suggest that there are many Syrians in the country who have not registered with the UN.

Egypt's Mediterranean coast is a departure point for many migrants seeking to reach European shores and continue their journey to Germany.

During Sunday's meeting, Shoukry and Gabriel discussed Egyptian-German bilateral relations and the latest developments in the Middle East, including in Libya and Syria.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The warning comes after authorities at Frankfurt Airport refused to allow a number of Egyptians to enter because they had obtained a Schengen visa from a country other than Germany

Egypts foreign affairs ministry warned citizens visiting the Schengen area in Europe to enter via the country that had issued their visa, according to a statement on Sunday.

The ministry said the warning comes after authorities at Frankfurt Airport refused to allow a number of Egyptians to enter because they had obtained a Schengen visa from a country other than Germany.

The Schengen visa holders who were rejected entry in Frankfurt, according to Egypts statement, were persuaded by travel agencies to obtain their visas from another country, other than their main destination, on the basis that the visa would take less time.

The Schengen area encompasses 26 European countries that have agreed to allow free movement of individuals within the area, without internal border checks.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The army also destroyed 14 terrorist hideouts, where they found military uniforms, communication devices, computers, weapons and improvised explosive devices

Egypts army killed seven terrorists in North Sinai, including two who were highly dangerous, an army spokesman said on Monday.

The army also destroyed 14 terrorist hideouts, where they found military uniforms, communication devices, computers, weapons and improvised explosive devices, and materials to manufacture bombs.

Eight vehicles and four motorcycles were also destroyed in the raid, according to the spokesman's statement.

Security forces have been battling an Islamist insurgency for several years in North Sinai, with hundreds killed on both sides.

In a related context, a tribal source from North Sinai told Ahram Online that Ouda El-Hamadeen, one of the leaders of Islamist militant group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, which has claimed the majority of deadly attacks on security forces in North Sinai, has been killed in an army air raid.

El-Hamadeen was conducting a meeting with a number of Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis members when he was killed in the raid, the source added.

El-Hamadeen has been known as a leading figure in Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis and has been conducting attacks, along with his brother Selim El-Hamadeen, against security sources since 2013.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres held talks with Israeli leaders Monday on his first visit since taking office, making a forceful argument for a two-state solution with the Palestinians and speaking of his "dream" for peace.

Guterres also spoke of what he called obstacles to peace when meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including Israeli settlement building and the need for Palestinian leaders to condemn "terrorism".

"I dream that I will have the chance to see in the Holy Land two states able to live together in mutual recognition, but also in peace and security," Guterres said in remarks at Netanyahu's office.

He recalled past secret talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders at his office when he was Portugal's premier from 1995 to 2002, saying it had exposed him to the difficulties of the peace process.

Guterres spoke of improving economic and social conditions for Palestinians to provide them with a "dividend" and incentive for peace.

His meeting with Netanyahu was part of a three-day visit that ends Wednesday and came with the two-state solution, long the focus of international diplomacy, under threat.

Earlier Monday he met President Reuven Rivlin, and is due in Ramallah on Tuesday for talks with Palestinian prime minister Rami Hamdallah.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is in Turkey and not expected to meet Guterres during the trip.

Guterres will travel to the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, with UN officials calling for the 10-year-old Israel's blockade of the Palestinian coastal enclave to be lifted, citing deteriorating humanitarian conditions there.

Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza, including Islamist movement Hamas which runs the territory, have fought three wars since 2008.

On Monday, Hamas's head in Gaza, Yahya al-Sinwar, said it had increased its military capabilities thanks to newly improved relations with Iran, but stressed it was not seeking war.

After arriving on Sunday evening, the UN chief met Jason Greenblatt, a top aide to US President Donald Trump charged with pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts.

Greenblatt was part of a US delegation last week, including Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, that held talks with Netanyahu and Abbas. He remained in the region for further discussions.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Osteoarthritis is a joint disease, characterized by the breakdown of the joint cartilage. This condition has, so far, been considered incurable, and treatments are only symptomatic. However, new research points to a substance extracted from brown algae as holding the potential to cure osteoarthritis. Share on Pinterest Modified chemical extracts from the Laminaria hyperborea algae (shown here) have the potential to counter joint cartilage breakdown, a new study suggests.

Image credit: Sergey S. Dukachev

Currently, osteoarthritis (OA) is considered to be the most common joint disease across the United States, affecting more than 30 million adults. It usually affects people later in life, and its symptoms are stiff, swollen, and painful joints, as well as increasing difficulty in moving. At the moment, there is no cure for OA, and treatments only target the management of symptoms. Management strategies often include minding weight gain, physical therapy, and prescription and over-the-counter painkillers. Sometimes, surgery is required to replace over-damaged joints. New research led by Prof. Marcy Zenobi-Wong, from the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule (ETH), and Dr. Katharina Maniura, from Empa  both in Zurich, Switzerland  now suggests that we should look at brown algae for a cure. The researchers findings were published in the journal Biomaterials Science.

Extract from algae could stall arthritis Experiments in vitro have revealed that polysaccharide alginate derivatives extracted from stems of brown algae called Laminaria hyperborea, also known as tangle or cuvie, might be able to put a stop to joint cartilage deterioration. The properties of these derivatives are similar to those of extracellular cartilage molecules. Alginate, which is derived from brown algae, has been used as a culture system for cartilage cells for many years. In our study alginate has been chemically modified (sulfated) to be a better mimic of the bodys natural polysaccharides that are also present in cartilage, Dr. Maniura explained for Medical News Today. The team experimented with sulfated alginate derivatives to see how they would act on relevant cell cultures. They noticed that alginate sulfate has antioxidant properties, meaning that it can counter oxidative stress, which leads to cell death. Alginate molecules to which more sulphate groups had been attached, the scientists saw, were more effective in reducing oxidative stress. Alginate sulfate also exhibited immune-modulatory properties, allowing it to regulate inflammatory triggers at cell level. The researchers observed that alginate sulfate could decrease the expression of genes that promote inflammatory reactions in chondrocytes, which are cartilaginous cells, as well as in macrophages, which are immune system cells that eat cellular debris and foreign bodies. In the case of immunomodulation, once more, the alginate molecules were more effective if they had more sulphate groups attached to them. These antioxidant and immune-modulatory properties suggest that sulfated alginate derivatives are able to stall the deterioration of joint cartilage. The hope is that they can even stop this degeneration, suggests co-author Dr. Markus Rottmar, of Empa.


Please complete this form and we'll send you a personalised information that is requested

You may use this for your own reference or forward it to your friends.

Please use the information prudently. If you are not a medical doctor please remember to consult your healthcare provider as this information is not a substitute for professional advice.
Duanes syndrome is a congenital non-progressive form of squint or strabismus. The sideways movement of the eyeball is impaired and the eyelids open and close inappropriately as the eyes turn. The outward movement of the eye away from the nose (abduction) and similarly the inward movement of the eye looking toward the nose (adduction) is defective.

The condition was first recognized by ophthalmologists Jakob Stilling (1887) and Sigmund Turk (1896) but was described in detail by Alexander Duane in 1905 after whom it is named.

Other names used to refer to this disorder include Duane's retraction syndrome (DRS), eye retraction syndrome, congenital retraction syndrome retraction syndrome, and Stilling-Turk-Duane syndrome.

Duanes syndrome may affect one or both eyes, with the left eye involved more often for reasons not known. Duanes syndrome is seen more frequently in females. Most cases are diagnosed by 10 years of age. There is no particular race predilection.

About 10-20% cases are familial and these are more likely to be bilateral than the sporadic form of Duanes syndrome (80%).

It is a rare condition affecting 1 in 10000 persons and accounts for between 1-5% of all squint cases.

To understand what goes wrong in Duanes syndrome, it is important to know how the eye muscles function to move the eye in various directions. There are normally, six muscles on the outside of each eyeball which allow us to move the eye in all directions as needed. These eye muscles are innervated by nerves which control the eye movement.

Normally the muscle that moves the eyeball laterally outward away from the nose is the lateral rectus muscle innervated by the abducent (cranial nerve VI) nerve. The eye muscle that moves the eyeball inward to look at the nose is the medial rectus and it is innervated by the oculomotor (cranial nerve III) nerve.

Advertisement

For normal eye movement to occur, both the muscle and its nerve supply must be intact. The brain sends electrical signals along nerve fibres to the muscles causing eye movement. These nerve fibres and muscles are formed much before we are born.

Duane syndrome is caused by a miswiring of the nerves that supply eye muscles. The abducent nerve that supplies the lateral rectus muscle does not develop, and thus this muscle cannot function properly. However, instead, the muscle gets a twig from the oculomotor nerve which also supplies the medial rectus muscle which has the opposite movement of the lateral rectus muscle.

Therefore when the eye attempts to look sideways, the opposing medial rectus muscle also will be stimulated, thus limiting abduction or outward movement and instead the eye appears to retract into the socket with the eyelids opening and closing inappropriately.

In some cases, which involve both eyes (bilateral DRS), mutation in the CHN1 gene have been noted leading to familial DRS .

have been noted leading to . Exposure to thalidomide of the fetus in early pregnancy (20-26 days) has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of Duanes syndrome.

Duanes is subdivided into three types, which are distinct entities with unique features.

Type 1: Impaired ability of involved eye/eyes to move outward towards the ear, but the ability to move towards the nose is near normal

Type 2: Impaired ability to move inward towards the nose, but the ability to move outward away from the nose is near normal

Type 3: Limited ability of affected eye/eyes to move both inward toward the nose as well as outward away from the nose

Squint: the eyes may be misaligned and point in different directions some or all of the time

Abnormal head position: children often maintain an abnormal head posture or turn their head to keep the eyes aligned or straight

Upshoot or downshoot of eye: when attempting outward movements, the eye may deviate upward or downward

Amblyopia (reduced vision in the affected eye): occurs in a small proportion of cases

Eyelid narrowing: the affected eye may appear smaller than the other eye

Examination of eye movements and visual acuity by the eye specialist will raise the suspicion of the diagnosis. Other tests that may be performed to confirm the diagnosis and determine the residual function of the involved eye muscle. These include

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brainstem  may reveal small or absent abducent nerve nucleus and nerve; the optic, oculomotor and trochlear nerves may also be poorly developed

Electromyography of eye muscle - may demonstrate degree of activity in the lateral rectus muscles ranging from no activity during outward eye movement to essentially equal activity in both outward and inward eye movements.

Goal of treatment is to reduce squint, prevent or reduce abnormal head posturing and prevent vision impairment in the affected eye

Conservative Management

Children diagnosed with Duanes syndrome most often do not require any treatment. They have to be followed up by the eye doctor regularly to check for vision.

Most children will have normal vision, although in some cases, glasses may be prescribed to achieve best vision.

In some children, it may be necessary to use an eye patch over the normal eye to prevent Duanes eye from becoming lazy leading to visual impairments.

leading to visual impairments. Fresnel prisms attached to glasses may be prescribed to avoid abnormal head posturing.

Advertisement

Surgery

Surgical correction may be necessary if the eyes are misaligned even when looking straight, there is significant head turning to see properly, or there is marked upshooting or downshooting of the eyes.

Surgery will improve vision although it will not make the eye movements normal. This is because the main problem is in the signaling from the brain which cannot be modified by surgery.

Sporadic Duanes syndrome cannot be prevented as they occur spontaneously in offspring of normal parents.

However persons with familial DRS wherein other family members are also similarly affected, may be advised to seek genetic counselling to understand the risk of having an affected baby. Prenatal diagnosis is possible for pregnancies at increased risk i.e. if the condition is present in a family member.

Health Tips
disputing the results of this month's presidential vote, to have access to its computer servers and electronic Kenya's Supreme Court ordered the election commission on Monday to allow the opposition, which is devices used in the vote-count.

Election authorities say Kenyatta won a second term in the Aug. 8 polls by 1.4 million votes. A parallel tally by independent monitors based on a sample of around 2,000 polling stations produced a similar result.

There were scattered protests in strongholds of opposition leader Raila Odinga. At least 28 people were killed in election-related violence, many of them shot by police, after results were announced.

The protests, which dissipated within days had raised fears that political violence could again destabilise the region's biggest economy, as it did following a disputed election in 2007.

Odinga's opposition coalition said in its court petition that results from more than one third of polling stations are "fatally flawed".

James Orengo, the coalition's lead lawyer, said it rejected some tally sheets because they lacked security features and an official stamp.

"These forms and the security features were supposed to protect the integrity of the process," he said.

The paper forms from each of the 40,883 polling stations were supposed to be signed by agents for each political party observing the process.

The system was designed as a manual backup to verify electronic results. In the 2013 election, electronic systems failed widely.

The court said it would allow Odinga's National Super Alliance (NASA) and Kenyatta's Jubilee Party limited access to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission's electronic devices to verify details like who had used the devices and accessed the servers.

It also said the commission must provide the paper documents used to collate the results.

A lawyer for the commission said it would comply.

Odinga also ran in 2007 and 2013, losing both times and blaming fraud. He went to court to challenge the 2013 election result -- a decision that helped quell a repeat of violence then.

The election commission has been criticised by Kenyan civil society groups for being slow to post copies of the paper forms online. More than a week after official results were announced, thousands of scans of the forms verifying the result were still missing from its website.

The court must rule by Sept.1. If it rules in favour of the opposition, a new presidential election must be held within 60 days.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain are meeting Monday with counterparts from Libya, Niger and Chad to discuss ways to curb illegal migration across the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

As a key transit point on the route, Libya is expected to be a focus of the discussions convened by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. The leader of Libya's internationally-backed government, Fayez Serraj, is representing the troubled north African country.

The leaders also plan to discuss security cooperation, and the European leaders will then hold separate talks focused on European Union matters.

A top diplomatic official at the French presidency said the goal of the meeting is to produce a common "roadmap" that would define priority actions on migration routes.

One issue to be addressed is helping Libya and other countries of Africa's Sahel region to fight human smuggling. Another is developing a resettlement policy for migrants who appear to fulfill criteria for obtaining asylum, the French official said.

An idea under discussion is establishing "protection missions" in Chad and Niger that would be operated by the United Nations' refugee and migration agencies in cooperation with EU countries' domestic migration agencies. The pre-asylum centers would receive European financing.

The official, in keeping with French presidential policy, requested anonymity and would not provide details on the precise locations and procedures for the missions.

Macron commented last month about establishing "hotspots" in Libya, Niger and Chad where people hoping to migrate to Europe could be screened for asylum eligibility. The comment prompted confusion, and his office later downplayed the remark.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said ahead of the meeting that she wants more support for Libya's coast guard and a "migration partnership" with Niger to inhibit migrant smuggling.

While European and African leaders were to meet in Paris, interior ministers from Libya, Chad, Niger and Mali met Monday at Rome's interior ministry Monday morning.

A joint statement after the meeting said the ministers expressed satisfaction with the Paris summit's agenda, which they said "can constitute the beginning of a new relationship between Europe and Africa."

The ministers also renewed a pledge to back peace accords among Libya's southern tribes and to stress the importance of backing Libya in the creation of a border guard force.

They agreed with the aim of setting up in Niger and Chad and of improving in Libya "reception centers for irregular migrants, coherent with their own legislation, with the aim of bringing them up to international humanitarian standards " .

Search Keywords:

Short link:


A group of armed men claiming to represent the nation's indigenous Mapuche people hijacked and burned 29 logging trucks in southern Chile on Monday morning as a years-long conflict with forestry companies heated up.

The government convened an emergency meeting less than two weeks after a similar attack in which 18 trucks were burned.

It was not clear to what extent the attacks have broader support among Mapuche communities. Many Mapuche leaders doubt all such attacks are carried out by indigenous people, saying non-indigenous groups with a radical political agenda may be involved.

The trucks belonged to Sotraser, a subcontractor that mainly serves subsidiaries of Chilean forestry companies Empresas CMPC and Arauco.

According to local authorities, at least two people were responsible for the arson attack, although local media reported that as many as seven people were responsible.

"We're going to combat violence and we are not going to allow minoritarian groups, which don't value dialogue, to ruin the great effort all regional actors in the south are doing to promote development and overcome exclusion," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said in televised remarks.

Around 600,000 Mapuche live in Chile, concentrated in Araucania and Bio Bio, two lush and hilly provinces roughly 400 miles south of Santiago, the nation's capital.

Ever since the Chilean army invaded Mapuche territory in a brutal campaign in the late 1800s, relations with the state have been fractious.

The conflict has accelerated in recent years, with armed groups burning houses, churches, trucks, and forest plantations. It has also spread geographically. The Monday attack occurred in the region of Los Rios, south of the traditional conflict zone.

The conflict is weighing on Chile's logging industry, the nation's second largest export sector after mining.

Search Keywords:

Short link:


Egypt's Minister of Antiquities, Khaled El-Enany, handed over a collection of authentic coins, currencies, and bonds to Iraqi Ambassador Habib Mohamed Hadi Al-Sadr and to Chinese Ambassador Song Aiguo in a formal ceremony at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square on Sunday.

The returned artefacts had been seized before they could be successfully smuggled out of the country.

"The artefacts were handed over in accordance with the UNESCO agreement which Egypt joined in 1972, and in accordance with bilateral collaboration agreements which obligate Egypt to seize foreign antiquities if they are smuggled through its territories, and to show them to the relevant embassy in order to check whether they are on their heritage list in attempt to guarantee the protection of their cultural properties," Ahmed El-Rawi, who runs the ministry's unit which oversees antiquities inspections at ports, told Ahram Online.



The 44 Iraqi currency pieces, which date back to the early 20th century reigns of Kings Ghazi I, Faisal I, and Faisal II, were seized at Cairo International Airport. The 13 Chinese bonds and Yuan banknote were seized at the Ramses Post Office port and hold clues to the economic status of the Qing royal family, which ruled the Chinese Empire from the 17th until the 20th centuries.



During the ceremony Ambassador Aiguo described the return of these artefacts as "an important part of bilateral cooperation between both countries, as well as a specific move to jointly protect antiquities."

Ambassador Al-Sadr noted in his speech that he very much appreciates Egypt's efforts to protect stolen Iraqi antiquities and that their return reveals the strong friendship and collaboration between the two countries.





Search Keywords:

Short link:


PIGEON  People driving by Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Lakers likely have noticed one of the blades on the turbine closest to the highway has fallen off recently. Those noticing this also may have a feeling of deja vu  hasnt this happened before?

Laker Superintendent Bob Smith said yes, this is the same turbine that lost a blade in the summer of 2009 during a thunderstorm. However, this time, the blade loss didnt have anything to do with weather. It had everything to do with age.

The current replacement blades were more than 20 years old, which means they are beyond their normal operational expectancy, Smith said. The problem is there currently is no manufacturer for these blades, and there likely wont be, since they havent been in production for a number of years.

Smith said when the blade fell off the turbine in 2009, the district ordered a used set of blades from California.

We had to wait for a turbine to be decommissioned, so parts would be available, he said. The blades were harder to get because they are apparently the least durable and (they had to) match in size and weight (to the former blades). I believe that it took six to seven months to get a replacement.

Smith said this time, though, the district only needs to purchase one blade, instead of an entire set. This is because the replacement blades already were weighed before mounted the first time on the Laker turbine.

I expect it to cost $3,000 to $4,000, with shipping, he said.

He said the districts insurance will not cover the cost of the blade because weather was not the cause of the most recent blade loss.

Smith said the district is exploring the possibility of finding a local manufacturer to make the blade. If this is not possible now, it could be possible in the future for a local manufacturer to produce a set of blades for one or more of the three turbines. Either way, this would nix the problem of using old, used turbine equipment to replace already aged turbine equipment, he said.

He noted more recent models of the Laker turbines have an improved version of the blade.

Its sort of an elongated steel thimble, he said. That approach might be an option if the bolt-on configuration matches (what we currently have).

As for the current missing blade, Smith said its installation will depend on the arrival of the replacement blade and the weather.

Winter is always a dicey time to predict a safe window for ground and weather conditions, he said.

Smith said brief power outages experienced in the area cause the three turbines to instantly stop and recoil, which fatigues the blades in the area where they are likely to break. When the blades are new, theyre more flexible and durable. He said when the county gets new electrical transmission lines, the brief power outages should no longer be an issue.

Until then, Smith said he is going to direct Tom Armbruster, director of buildings and grounds/transportation, to shut off the turbines whenever the wind comes from the south.

That is when the blades rotate toward the school, Smith said. In addition, we are going to direct all maintenance employees to approach away from the blades and keep visitors away. The blade ejection happens rarely, but we need to err on the side of safety. I have family, friends and staff at that end of the building and I am committed to their safety.

Smith said the issues with the aging turbines are part of blazing the trail, as Laker Elementary is the first school in the state to have wind turbines on its property. The three 65 kilowatt turbines, which were installed in 2006, are the result of a $265,000 Michigan Energy Efficiency Grant from the Michigan Public Service Commission.

We will always make safety the first priority, he said. Until we get newer blades, even though we inspect deflection annually, there is a possibility that it will happen again. We can and will make sure they dont fall near our school.

Smith said the district needs to continue searching for a new blade manufacturer. Until then, the district has arranged for a company from Minnesota that specializes in blade inspection to come and analyze blade deflection to ascertain the blades overall health projection.

If any others are found to be in a worn phase, well shut down the turbine until new blades can be mounted, he said.

Smith said currently, Armbruster coordinates most of the turbine maintenance. When he needs assistance or advice, he contacts Shawn Harris, of Danwin Associates, who has volunteered time to help the district with its turbines when needed, Smith said.

Last school year, Lakers signed a contract to partner with Kalamazoo Valley Community Colleges Wind Energy Center for maintenance of the three turbines. Smith said, however, the college lost interest and did not sign an agreement.

From the time the three turbines were installed until October 2007, Brion Dickens, of Woodland Wind, LLC in Pigeon, worked on the Laker project, along with Bryan Chalou, of Bs Electric, LLC in Sebewaing.

Traci L. Weisenbach  (989) 269-6461  tweisenbach@hearstnp.com
Here are five news stories and events to start your week, from the editors at Military.com:

Remains of All Sailors Who Died Aboard USS McCain Recovered, Navy Says

Via Military.com: "The remains of all 10 sailors who died after the USS John S. McCain collided with a tanker off the coast of Singapore have now been recovered, the Navy said.

Navy and Marine Corps divers found the rest of the missing sailors, the service's 7th Fleet, announced late Sunday. The Navy called off the search for the service members on Thursday  The incident is under investigation. It came just two months after the June 17 collision of the destroyer USS Fitzgerald with a Philippine-flagged container ship southwest of Tokyo, which resulted in the deaths of seven sailors. The death toll from the two mishaps, at 17, is more than the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan so far this year, at 11."

National Guard, Coast Guard Join Hurricane Rescue Efforts in Texas

Via Richard Sisk at Military.com: "States sent National Guard air and ground assistance along with fire department rescue units to Texas on Sunday, and the Coast Guard joined rescue and disaster relief efforts in heavily flooded Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Texas authorities said at least two people had died, but the National Weather Service said the death toll through Sunday morning may have reached five in the hurricane that reached shore as a Category 4 storm Friday and has now been downgraded to a tropical storm. The Coast Guard reported rescuing about 32 people from commercial and private shipping in the Gulf of Mexico."

Black Hawk Crashes Off Yemen, 1 Service Member Missing

Via Military.com: "A service member is missing after a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed Friday evening off the coast of Yemen, the Pentagon said. The helicopter crashed while the crew was training about 20 miles off the southern coast of the country, according to a statement released late Friday by U.S. Central Command. Five troops who were also aboard the chopper at the time of the accident were rescued, the release said. 'U.S. forces in the region are conducting an ongoing search for one U.S. service member who was aboard the aircraft,' it states. The incident is under investigation."

Trump Tells Mattis to Indefinitely Ban Transgender Recruits

Via Robert Burns at Associated Press: "President Donald Trump on Friday directed the Pentagon to declare an indefinite ban on transgender individuals joining the military, but he appeared to leave open the possibility of allowing some already in uniform to remain in the military. The Obama administration in June 2016 had changed longstanding policy, declaring that troops could serve openly as transgender individuals. And it set a July 2017 deadline for determining whether transgender people could be allowed to enter the military. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis delayed that to Jan. 1, 2018, and Trump has now instructed Mattis to extend it indefinitely."

'Not What I Signed Up For': Why This Fighter Pilot Is Running for Office

Via Hope Hodge Seck at Military.com: "Earlier this month, retired Marine Lt. Col. Amy McGrath grabbed national attention overnight when she announced a bid for Congress with a video ad that quickly went viral. Days ago, she released another spot, this one recalling the chilling role she was called to play in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Then a newly minted F/A-18 Hornet pilot stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, McGrath (call-sign 'Krusty') was one of the few weapons systems officers to report to the base before it was locked down."

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
The U.S. Army is expected to decide by mid-September whether to a try a retired major general for allegedly raping a minor multiple times in the 1980s.

Service officials held an Article 32 hearing Saturday at Fort Meade in Maryland to review evidence against retired Maj. Gen. James Grazioplene.

Grazioplene, who retired in 2005, is charged with a "violation of Article 120 of Uniform Code of Military Justice with six specifications of rape of a minor on multiple occasions between 1983 and 1989," according to Military District of Washington officials.

Charging documents obtained by The Washington Post, under the Freedom of Information Act, show that rapes occurred at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Amberg, Germany; Bindlach, Germany; and Woodbridge, Va., the newspaper reported.

Grazioplene's attorney, Thomas Pavlinic, told The Associated Press that his client is contesting the charges but declined to comment about the details of the case.

Col. Lanny Acosta Jr. is the hearing officer who will recommend whether to refer charges for a potential court-martial. Pavlinic said he anticipates a decision will be made within two weeks, the AP reported.

Grazioplene, who lives in Gainesville, Va., joined the Army in March 1972 as an armor officer. He was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., a Ranger and was decorated for his service.

As a retiree, in accordance with UMCJ, Article 2, Grazioplene is subject to the UCMJ for the alleged offense. There is no current plan for the U.S. Army to recall him to active-duty during the course of the legal proceedings, according to Army officials.

If convicted of all charges, Grazioplene could face a maximum punishment of confinement for life with the possibility of parole, Army officials maintain.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
Readers of Military.com responded passionately to news of a second deadly collision involving a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Pacific area of operations.

Many of you contacted our reporters and posted comments to stories on our website and Facebook page to weigh in on the tragedies.

On Aug. 21, 10 sailors died after the destroyer USS John S. McCain collided with the Liberian-flagged tanker Alnic MC in waters east of Singapore. On June 17, seven sailors died after the destroyer USS Fitzgerald struck the Philippine-flagged ACX Crystal cargo ship southwest of Tokyo.

Here are a sampling of reader responses that have been edited for clarity:

View Every Contact as a Threat

I am a 1962 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a retired captain. There is one paramount rule for the handling of a warship: Every contact; be it surface, submerged, or airborne, must be viewed a threat. Every attention must be paid to being able to position your vessel to engage or avoid every contact. Anything less is flagrant dereliction of duty.

Cruising in international waters, not in formation, and not in combat are the least stressful conditions for operations. If traffic or training or other concerns are present, the commanding officer must be on the bridge, not asleep in his bunk.

-- Joseph A. Hanzel Jr., CAPT., USN (ret.)

Create Professional Seamen Corps

Allow me to comment on the recent Navy tragedies that occurred in the Far East. I am a retired Navy commander who had extensive service in the Far East and commanded two ships and served on the staff of COMSEVENFLT [Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet] during Vietnam.

I reported to my first ship, the USS Twining (DD540), in January 1953 and served aboard for three years during which time my commanding officer and the senior watch officers drilled me in seamanship and gave me multiple opportunities to use these skills.

In those years, the Navy was operating primarily in battle groups of several destroyers and cruisers and a carrier or two. We learned how to maneuver close to other ships in all sorts of weather, both darkened ship and otherwise. Collisions with other ships, merchant or military. were almost never to occur.

Several years later, I was awarded command of the USS Washtenaw County (LST1166) at the beginning of the Vietnam conflict. Operations had changed. Navy ships were now often operating alone with no other ships in company. Still, the sea lanes between Tokyo and Singapore were busier than ever. The skippers of these Navy ships had been trained as I and collisions were rare and almost never with fatalities.

Following this, I went to staff COMSEVENFLT and watched the operating tempo increase ... still no collisions.

In 1970, I took command of the USS Southerland (DD743). I spent a great deal of time again in the Far East, where the Navy's role was largely one of independent operations. I believe we lost the skills of the battle group bridge with operations being mainly point-to-point.

In my judgment, there is no substitute for learning seamanship under the watchful eye of a skilled mariner who has operated with and near other shipping. Ship movement and speed can as best be judged by observation as can be by radar and often with more accuracy.

Today, our Navy officers have too few ships in which to gain mariner's skills and too few accomplished mariners remain in the service to train our young commanders. Perhaps it is time to either return to battle group operations or to create a corps of professional seamen who spend much of their career on the bridge of a ship. Of this I am certain: we cannot afford to lose our outstanding Navymen through carelessness or inexperience.

-- Jon C. Woodyard, CMDR., USN (Ret.)

Let's Not Judge Until More Facts Are In

In neither of the two incidents you report did the Navy ship do the colliding: They were both T-boned by large merchants who, based on the time of the accidents, were probably on iron mike [autopilot].

Based on my time on the bridge (long ago SWO), I would say that the issue was based on privileged and burdened relationships which bind the burdened vessel to course and speed. The merchants pay no attention, but a good seaman will hold until extremis.

So let's not judge until more facts are in. Unquestionably those two ships could outrun or outmaneuver the tankers, but didn't. There's the rub.

-- James M. Freiband, CMDR., USN (Ret.)

Related content:

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
The head of FEMA said Monday the hurricane and related flooding in Texas have overwhelmed the government's response and called on citizen volunteers to join rescue and relief efforts.

"We need citizens to be involved," Federal Emergency Management Administrator Brock Long said at an early morning news conference before leaving for Texas to coordinate the response.

"People need help," Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said. "We're deeply concerned with those in Houston."

Long said all of "the firepower of the federal government" has been trained on the response to Hurricane Harvey and the heavy rainfall in its aftermath, but "we need the whole community" to bolster government efforts. "This is a life-saving, life-sustaining mission."

He urged those who can volunteer to go to the website www.nvoad.org.

Well before Long's plea, local residents were already responding with small boats and searching neighborhoods for those needing assistance in the absence of official aid.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said about 900 Army and Air National Guardsmen had been mobilized before the storm hit the Texas Gulf Coast on Friday. On Sunday, he said that number had increased to 3,000.

National Guard units from other states, including New York, Arizona, New Mexico and Oklahoma, along with local police and fire rescue personnel, are also being sent to Texas.

"We're pushing more boats on the water," Coast Guard Vice Adm. Charles Schultz said Sunday at a news conference with Abbott.

"We are in for a real significant water event here" as the rains continue, he said. Rainfall after the hurricane has been measured in feet in some areas.

Coast Guard assets from around the country are being mobilized for the response, Schultz said.

At the news conference with Long early Monday, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft said, "We've thrown every asset available" at the response, but "there are conditions where it's not just safe to fly" as the storms continue.

"Upon request, we'll bring in more," he added.

Zukunft said one concern is the drones citizens are flying to do their own reconnaissance of areas, but "we're flying at very low altitudes" to rescue those who are stranded.

"This is a very congested airspace. We want to save lives," he said in urging residents to keep their drones grounded.

The White House said Sunday that President Donald Trump is expected to go to Texas on Tuesday to hear from Abbott on the response to the storms.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
North Korea has launched a ballistic missile over Japan, the U.S. Defense Department confirmed Monday.

"We assess North Korea conducted a missile launch within the last 90 minutes," U.S. Army Col. Rob Manning said in a statement. "We can confirm that the missile launched by North Korea flew over Japan. We are still in the process of assessing this launch."

North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), which tracks such threats, concluded the launch didn't pose a threat to the U.S., he added.

"We are working closely with Pacific Command, Strategic Command and NORAD and will provide an update as soon as possible," Manning said.

Related content:

The Pentagon statement didn't specify what type of missile was launched, though some observers speculated it may have been a KN17/Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile.

The missile was launched at 5:58 a.m. local time and flew over Hokkaido, Japan's second-largest island and the most northern prefecture, at 6:06 a.m. and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 6:12 a.m., according Martyn Williams, a senior correspondent at IDG News Service, citing information from Japanese public broadcaster NHK.

The projectile reportedly broke apart into three pieces.

South Korea's military also confirmed the launch, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The projectile was fired from the vicinity of Sunan in Pyongyang and flew east at a distance of some 2,700 kilometers (1,678 miles), the agency reported, citing information from the joint chiefs of staff.

The Japanese government issued alerts to citizens in the northern regions "to take cover," CNN reported.

The missile firing comes at an especially tense time -- just two days after the North fired a trio of short-range missiles and as the U.S. and the South Korean militaries conduct joint military exercises.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to unleash "fire and fury" on North Korea if dictator Kim Jong Un followed through on threats to fire missiles at Guam, where the U.S. maintains air force and naval bases.

North Korea this year successfully tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles it claimed were capable of reaching the continental U.S.

-- Brendan McGarry can be reached at brendan.mcgarry@military.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Brendan_McGarry.
All 12,000 members of the Texas Army and Air National Guard were mobilized Monday and active duty units were on standby to deal with the catastrophic flooding and continuing hard rain triggered by Hurricane Harvey.

"It is imperative that we do everything possible to protect the lives and safety of people across the state of Texas as we continue to face the aftermath of this storm," Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, said in quadrupling the number of Guard personnel activated.

About 900 Texas Guard members were mobilized before Harvey hit the Gulf Coast Friday and Abbott increased the number to 3,000 on Sunday.

On Monday, the Pentagon said that active duty units were heading to staging areas in anticipation of a formal request for help while National Guard units from other states readied cargo jets and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to help with the response.

An active duty search and rescue team already was deploying to Fort Worth, Texas, to join first responders, said Army Col. Robert Manning, a Pentagon spokesman.

U.S. Northern Command also was poised to provide Department of Defense support to the Federal Emergency Management Administration, and state and local response efforts, Manning said.

Texas authorities said Monday afternoon that at least eight people appear to have died as a result of the storm battering the state.

That toll includes six people in Harris County, home to Houston; one person in Rockport, near where Harvey made landfall; and another person in La Marque, near Galveston, the officials said.

About 30,000 persons whose homes have been flooded were expected to seek shelter in Texas, and another 450,000 were expected to apply for disaster relief, officials said.

Abbott's activation of the entire Texas Guard followed warnings from federal officials that government resources could be overwhelmed by the magnitude of the crisis.

At an earlier news conference in Washington, the head of FEMA called on citizen volunteers to join rescue and relief efforts.

"We need citizens to be involved," Federal Emergency Management Administrator Brock Long said before leaving for Texas to coordinate the response. "People need help," said Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke. "We're deeply concerned with those in Houston."

Long said all of "the firepower of the federal government" has been trained on the response to Hurricane Harvey and the heavy rainfall measured in feet in its aftermath, but "we need citizens to be involved. This is a life-saving, life-sustaining mission." He urged those who can volunteer to go to the website www.nvoad.org

At an Oval Office meeting and a later news conference with Finland's President Sauli Niinisto, Trump said that he and First Lady Melania Trump would be going to Texas on Tuesday to show support for the relief efforts.

Earlier, Trump declared an emergency in Louisiana, clearing the way for federal assistance in the state. Heavy downpours spun off by Harvey, which has been downgraded from a Category 4 hurricane to a tropical storm, were expected to hit western Louisiana in the coming days. Trump said he was likely to go to Louisiana this weekend.

Trump echoed FEMA and National Weather Service officials in stressing the unprecedented nature of the disaster in Texas.

"There's probably never been anything like this," Trump said. "Now, it's looking more and more like the state of Louisiana will also be affected."

He said that more than 8,500 federal workers were now involved in disaster relief in Texas.

"Recovery will be a long and difficult road, and the federal government remains ready, willing and able to support that effort," he said.

Earlier, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, whose district covers Houston, called on Trump to support a supplemental funding bill for Texas when Congress returns from recess next week.

Trump did not immediately commit to a supplemental bill but said more federal aid would be forthcoming. He said the message to the people of Texas and Louisiana was that "we are one family. We are making sure you are receiving full support and cooperation from the federal government. Nothing can defeat the unbreakable spirit of the people of Texas and Louisiana," he said.

Trump hailed the efforts of first responders and the citizen volunteers who have churned through the flooding to provide assistance. "Tragic times bring out the best in people," Trump said. "We see neighbor helping neighbor" and "stranger helping stranger," he said. "We will get through this and we will come out stronger."

The hard rain and flooding were expected to continue through much of the week, said National Weather Service Director Louis W. Uccellini. "We are seeing catastrophic flooding, and this will likely expand and it will likely persist as it's slow to recede," Uccellini said at an earlier news conference in Washington with FEMA Administrator Long and other officials.

"We have not seen an event like this," Long said "You could not draw this forecast up. You could not dream this forecast up."

In Houston, the fire department responded to more 4,000 water-related calls for service. Police rescued 2,000 people in the city, and another 185 critical rescue requests were still pending, Art Acevedo, the Houston police chief, said at a news briefing Monday.

"The goal is rescue," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said at the briefing. "That's the major focus for the day."

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Paul Zukunft said "We've thrown every asset available" at the response but "there are conditions where it's not just safe to fly" as the storms continue. "Upon request, we'll bring in more."

He said that one of his concerns was the drones citizens are flying to do their own reconnaissance of areas. "We're flying at very low altitudes" to rescue those who are stranded.

"This is a very congested airspace," Zukunft said. "We want to save lives," he said in urging residents to keep their drones grounded.

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a warning to unauthorized drone operators that they may be subject to significant fines if they interfere with emergency response operations.

Flying a drone without authorization in or near the disaster area may violate federal, state, or local laws and ordinances, even if a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is not in place. The FAA urged drone operators to "allow first responders to save lives and property without interference."

-- 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...
BAY CITY, MI -- A 21-year-old woman who claimed she had been raped by a stranger in a Delta College parking lot, only to face a criminal charge herself when authorities learned she fabricated the incident, has to wait another month for her day in court.

The preliminary examination of Mary T. Zolkowski was to begin before Bay County District Judge Mark E. Janer on Tuesday, Aug. 29. However, Zolkowski waived her right to have the hearing commence within 21 days of her arraignment. Court records state the waiver was due to the parties needing more time to investigate.

Zolkowski's case is now scheduled for a settlement conference at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 29. Those hearings are not open to the public.

Zolkowski is charged with one count of false report of a felony, punishable by up to four years' incarceration and a $2,000 fine. She was arraigned Monday, Aug. 14.

The charge dates back to Feb. 22, when Zolkowski's mother called the Delta College Public Safety Office to report that her daughter was claiming she was raped on the campus at 1961 Delta Road in Frankenlust Township.

On the phone with police, Zolkowski said that about 5:50 p.m. that day, she had been walking to her vehicle, fumbling with her keys, when a man grabbed her from behind. She said he grabbed her face and throat and proceeded to rape her, not wearing a condom.

When it was over, the assailant jumped into the passenger seat of a vehicle and took off. Zolkowski could not provide a description of the vehicle, adding she "kind of blacked out," court records show.

Police began a lengthy investigation, despite Zolkowski expressing unwillingness to participate or submit to a physical examination. At one point, Zolkowski told investigators she dropped her classes at Delta due to the attack, but police learned she had in fact dropped her classes prior to Feb. 22.

After failing to turn up any evidence the sexual assault had occurred, police again spoke with Zolkowski, who changed her story to say she had been raped by an acquaintance earlier on Feb. 22 at his Saginaw Township apartment.

She did not want this man prosecuted, she told police.

Police interviewed the man Zolkowski named as her assailant. He said he had been with Zolkowski on Feb. 22 and that they had engaged in consensual sexual intercourse. He provided investigators with text messages they had exchanged, in which Zolkowski claims to have been raped by a stranger at Walmart after they had separated. In another message, Zolkowski asks the man not to participate in the police investigation, court records show.

The man went on to tell police Zolkowski had told him she was trying to get a refund from Delta.

Interviewed by police again on May 12, Zolkowski again changed her story to say she had consensual sex with the man in his apartment.

Zolkowski is free on a personal recognizance bond.
BAY CITY, MI -- More than a decade ago, a locally made zombie film premiered in downtown Bay City.

Now, its writer and director is recreating history with a revised edition of the film.

"Locked Away: Restored, Recut, Revisited" is screening at the State Theatre, 913 Washington Ave., at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 1. Admission is $8.

"There have been a bunch of changes to it," said writer-director Jason Morisette, a Bay City native who has lived out of state for 11 years. "The advantage of going back to a project you did years ago is you get a fresh pair of eyes on it and the opportunity to see things that didn't work well before or could be tightened up, or which scenes are not necessarily needed and can be cut."

The new edition is about 15 to 20 minutes shorter than the original.

"That helps the pacing quite a bit," Morisette said. "It's a much stronger piece overall."

Locked Away Official Trailer Looking for something to do tonight to wind down your Labor Day weekend? Spend some time with the Turner family as they spend the holiday fighting the undead in Locked Away, now on Amazon Video for rent or purchase and free for Amazon Prime members. #horror #horrorfx #zombie #cultmovie #indiehorror #zombies #creepy #horrormovie #bloody #horroraddict #gore #stunt #blood #twd #ahs #moviepremiere #movie #retro #throwback #laborday Posted by Locked Away on Thursday, August 24, 2017

The plot of the retro-style film centers around a military veteran returning home, only to discover it's being plagued by growing legions of the undead. "Locked Away" was filmed throughout Bay County and premiered at the State Theatre in 2006.

Morisette, 40, added the film is entirely in HD now, with improved sound and visuals. A surprise scene initially cut from the film has been reinserted, one that Morisette teases has a significant impact on the narrative.

The screening will also feature a cast and crew reunion with a Q&A session to take place on stage once the movie ends. Video testimonials from those who cannot attend the event in person will also be shown.

For those unable to make the event, Morisette said they'll have a chance to catch "Locked Away" on Amazon Prime in the near future.

Check for updates on the film's Facebook page here.
DETROIT -- A plan to open an East African restaurant-market with a juice bar was named the winner of the 2017 Comerica Hatch Detroit Contest on Friday.

Baobab Fare, a pop-up eatery run by Nadia Nijimbere and Hamissi Mamba, won $50,000 to open a brick and mortar business in Detroit, Hamtramck or Highland Park.

The couple immigrated to the U.S. from Burundi as refugees within the last couple years, according to their website.

Their new business will offer a variety of prepared menu items, groceries, juices, herbs, spices, produce and other products unique to East Africa, according to a news release.

The annual startup competition Hatch Detroit offers $50,000 to one winner every year, plus $200,000 in pro bono support services to budding entrepreneurs.

"Each of this year's competitors presented a new and unique business idea that Detroiters can get behind," Hatch Executive Director Vittoria Katanski said in a news release. "Baobab Fare will be a valuable addition to Detroit's growing independent small business retail and we are proud to support them as they work toward opening their doors to the people of Detroit."

More than 160 entrepreneurs entered the 2017 contest and more than 200,000 votes were cast to select the four finalists.

"This contest helps expose hardworking, innovative, home-grown businesses to Detroit and this year was no different," said Monica L. Martinez, senior vice president of External Affairs for Comerica Bank, in a news release.

"We welcome Baobab Fare as they join the family of Hatch Alumni who are helping revitalize the small business landscape in our community."
DETROIT, MI -- Detroit Police Chief James Craig has concerns related to a fatal high-speed chase through a Detroit neighborhood that ended with the death of a 15-year-old boy.

While the chase involved Michigan State Police troopers, Craig said his department will conduct an independent investigation into the teen's death.

"This in no way suggests any impropriety on the part of the Michigan State Police department -- not at all," Craig said while announcing he'd opened an independent investigation Monday afternoon. "Any time we talk about a loss of life, there should be an independent review of that."

Damon Grimes was driving an ATV on city streets in Detroit about 5:30 p.m. Saturday when troopers patrolling the area attempted to perform a stop, based on their suspicion that a traffic violation had been committed.

Grimes did not heed the lights or sirens and instead attempted to flee. He lost control, struck the rear of a pickup and died. Police didn't initially reveal that during the chase one of the troopers shot Grimes with a Taser. It's not clear how that decision impacted the crash. No further details have been revealed.

The trooper has been placed on paid suspension while the investigation is completed.

Craig said he's "not a proponent" of high-speed chases involving people suspected of misdemeanor crimes or traffic violations. We have other ways to track them without endangering officers, suspects or the public, he said, noting there are police helicopters available to both Detroit and state police in the area.

There's "no benefit" to engaging in a high-speed chase for low-level crimes, the chief said.

Craig said he spoke with state police administrators and "expressed some concerns" over what happened Saturday.

Detroit police have "restrictive" policies that take into account population density, the time of day, weather and other factors when allowing an officer to continue with a risky pursuit.

Two children were killed in March of 2015 when Detroit Police Officer Richard Billingslea initiated the chase of Lorenzo Harris, who was suspected of having a gun -- although one was never found.

Harris reportedly reached speeds in excess of 100 mph before losing control, killing Michael A. Jackson, 6; and Makiah Jackson, 3, and injuring several others.

Billingslea and other officers claim they called off the chase before the crash. Witnesses in court police appeared to still be in pursuit when the collision occurred.

Billingslea was suspended for three days after an internal investigation found he violated certain department policies.

Dashcam video in another fatal Detroit police chase from June 2016 involving 14-year-old Trent Moses, who fled police on a minbike, revealed police did call off the chase.

However, Trent Moses, 14, continued at a
FLINT, MI -- Michigan's former attorney general is advising the current attorney general to drop criminal charges tied to the Flint water crisis against Nick Lyon, the director of the state Department of Health and Human Services.

In a guest opinion published Sunday, Aug. 28, by The Detroit Free Press, former Attorney General Frank Kelley suggests current Attorney General Bill Schuette end his pursuit of criminal charges of involuntary manslaughter and misconduct in office against Lyon.

"The situation in Flint is tragic and disgraceful," Kelley writes in the Free Press. "The Great Lake State failing to provide potable water can't be condemned in too harsh of terms ... However, political prosecutions of top government officials, removed from the day-to-day decision-making of subordinates, will only serve to exacerbate these failures."

Lyon, a member of Gov. Rick Snyder's cabinet, is the highest-ranking official in state government to have been charged with crimes related to the water crisis.

Special prosecutor Todd Flood has charged Lyon, 49, with having intentionally misled and withheld information about a Legionnaires disease outbreak in Genesee County from Snyder.

Prosecutors claim the DHHS director ordered a health official to discontinue an analysis that would have aided in determining the source of the outbreaks that killed at least a dozen people here in parts of 2014 and 2015.

Public health officials in DHHS and Genesee County identified the Flint River as a potential source of the outbreak in 2014, but people using the water were not told for 15 months.

An attorney for Lyon has called the charges "baseless."

Four additional Flint water defendants are due back in Genesee District Court Monday, Aug. 28 -- former emergency mangers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose and former city of Flint officials Howard Croft and Daugherty Johnson.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

We wish to bring to your kind notice the schedule of the Annual General Meeting of the Company for the financial year 2016-17 as under:1. 53rd Annual General Meeting of the members of the Company will be held on 21st September, 2017 at 'Dr. B. R. Ambedkar Bhavan, Millers Road, Next to Jain Hospital, Kaverappa Layout, Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru - 560 052' at 11.30 hours.2. Register of Members and the Share Transfer books will be closed from 15.09.2017 to 21.09.2017 (both days inclusive) to finalize the list of members eligible for payment of Dividend.3. E-voting on https://evoting.karvy.com would commence from 9.00 A.M. on 16.09.2017 and end at 5.00 P.M. on 20.09.2017 for facilitating the members to vote on all the resolutions to be passed at the Annual General Meeting scheduled on 21.09.2017. The cut-off date for ascertaining the eligibility for members for e-voting is 14.09.2017.Further, please find enclosed Notice of the 53rd Annual General Meeting of the Company for your reference and records.Source : BSE

Read More
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

In compliance with Regulation 30 and other applicable regulations of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, please find enclosed the proceedings of14th Annual General Meeting of the Company held on Monday, August 28, 2017 at 10.30 a.m. at Zoravar Auditorium, Manekshaw Centre, Khyber Lines, Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi - 110010, India.Source : BSE

Read More
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

The Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 28th August, 2017, interalia, considered the following A) Appointed Palak Vaid & Company, Chartered Accountants (Firm Reg. No. 021796C), as statutory auditors of the company for a term of 5 years in place of M/s Rajendra Garg & Co., Chartered Accountants, subject to approval of shareholders in ensuing general meeting of company.B) The Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on Tuesday, the 26th September, 2017 at ROOM NO. 4, ANNA BHUVAN, 3RD FLOOR, 87C DEVJI RATANSI MARG, DANA BUNDER, MUMBAI Mumbai City MH 400009C) The Registers of Members & Share Transfer Books of the Company will remain closed from 19th September, 2017 to 26th September, 2017 for the purpose of Annual General Meeting.The profile of new auditors is attached for your kind reference.Source : BSE

Read More
Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, "ACC is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 1,800 and target of Rs 1,865. Cement has done well today and also NBFCs. L&T Finance Holdings is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 176 and target of Rs 188. Voltas is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 528 and target of Rs 550."

"DLF probably needs to consolidate and move on from that stake sale. So my sense is that on declines it should be bought. However, overall, it is not the greatest stock. Bajaj Finance and Bajaj Finserv are hitting new highs every day. So why I have to mark around in something that is kind of consolidating. It is not making those large moves."
Ashwani Gujral of ashwanigujral.com told CNBC-TV18, "A lot of stocks are now bottoming out like ICICI Prudential which fell fairly hard from Rs 500 to Rs 425. That looks like it is creating a bottom. That is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 428 and target of Rs 450."

"Ashok Leyland also fell from higher levels. This is a buy with a stop loss of Rs 102 and target of Rs 114."
VK Sharma, Head of Business-Private Client Group at HDFC Securities told CNBC-TV18, "For Infosys, the shorts that happened after Vishal Sikka resigned, there the open interest (OI) went up by 17 percent, and the stock was down 10 percent. Now the swift manner in which Nandan Nilekani has been inducted and the fact that Nilekani returns with a vishal experience of acting as a chief of the largest social project in the world, I think he is much more. So even if he is not acting as an active CEO, he brings in all that is necessary to turnaround the company. So, I think these shorts will have to be covered. Therefore, Infosys needs to be bought. I can look at buying the 960 Call; at around Rs 6 it quoted yesterday, whatever opening price is, one can buy."

"My other stock is Bajaj Finserv. I am buying the 5,500 Call at around Rs 96 with stop loss at Rs 70 and target of around Rs 150. This is one stock where the whole series has been good and the stock is already up for further rise in the settlement."

"Another stock is Karnataka Bank where I am buying the 150 Call at around Rs 3.95, stop loss at Rs 2, and target of around Rs 7," he said.
Sudarshan Sukhani of s2analytics.com told CNBC-TV18, "TVS Motor Company had a large range day on Thursday - that rally should continue. It has been in an uptrend, a small correction is probably getting over. Tata Steel is a strong momentum stock. It has been in a consolidation and likely to see a breakout on the upside, higher levels are coming there."

"Siemens is a buy on dips. It has been a very sharp correction and has come to a support level. So we are now buying on a very significant and substantial dip, the risk reward ratio is very attractive. If this starts a rally, we are buying almost at the lows. If it doesn't it doesn't but it is worth looking into as a buy."

"Maruti Suzuki was in a trading range for four days and that trading range was also a minor dip and it seems to be getting over. Thursday was a message that a lot of good quality stocks are willing to go higher and Maruti is a buy, so there are four buying ideas," he said.

"SRF is going into a bear market of its own, not just a correction. It's a short sell. Motherson Sumi Systems is giving a sense that perhaps it is facing significant resistance at these levels. A much larger correction could be coming but if that correction does come, it is almost certainly a buying opportunity because the larger trend is intact but for the shorter term, it is looking as willing to break and go lower."

"Bharat Forge has been an outstanding stock, just buy. It is a very wide range and choppy market condition for the last three months will end soon. So this is a consolidation prior to another upmove for an investor or an intermediate term trader it's a buy."

"Dish TV is in some kind of a bear market. It is not even coming out of that, so I would avoid it but Berger Paints is an attractive buying opportunity for the short-term trader. It could be intraday but if you want to build a position in at current level, it is a buy."

"I am upbeat on DLF. I think there is a trade on the long side. It is not a day trade but it is a positional trade. Buy DLF and hold it. There is money in it."

"There are two buying opportunities Dewan Housing Finance Corporation (DHFL) and Biocon which has fallen sharply and has come to a strong support."
No.1| Amazon |The biggest e-commerce company has made its name from scratch and now works on major technological advances like artificial intelligence and streaming. The company was the second company to cross a trillion dollar valuation (Reuters)

Amazon and Flipkart have taken retailing to a whole new level in a rapidly growing consumer market like India. Moneycontrol spoke to some of the top CFOs of Indias retail majors at a recently held event in Mumbai to gauge their views on the changing landscape in the sector. A common consensus suggests that though a boom in online retail has made things difficult for physical stores, it's not all over for brick and mortar outlets (BMOs). Heres why:

Touch & try preference: In a vast majority of situations, even today, most Indians prefer to touch and try products before buying them. This is particularly true in cases involving clothes, perishable items, and consumer durables. Reliability issues in terms of packaging, product quality, acceptance of goods returned to sellers, and brand originality are the primary factors that dissuade prospective buyers from relying on e-commerce portals.

Shopping as a hobby: For some individuals, the feel-good' factor associated with window shopping through BMOs is unparalleled. Social interactions among friends and retailer-customer relationships are fostered through store visits, too. Online channels dont offer this connect at all.

Limited reach of e-commerce & banking channels: Digital platforms, despite gaining noticeable headway in regions other than the top-tier Indian cities, have not been able to replicate the same degree of success in all parts of the country evenly. This is evident from their restricted distribution capabilities, especially in the tier-3 and tier-4 towns, semi-urban, and rural zones of the country, which constitute a significant portion of overall consumption.

Moreover, even if some e-commerce portals possess the capabilities to cater to such areas (for retailing a certain range of products only), the cash on delivery payment option is unavailable in most situations, unlike the metros. To make matters more difficult, banking networks arent optimally developed in these geographies either, thus making the use of debit and credit cards unviable for most people. Consequently, BMOs become the preferred choice.

Acceptance by millennials, resistance to change by elders: In addition to offering convenience and saving time, one of the key drivers for digital platforms over the years has been their growing use by young buyers, who are not only familiar with but also inclined towards purchasing products online. However, in stark contrast, even today, the middle-aged and older generation of Indias population remain fan followers of BMOs. This can be attributed to reasons such as lack of adequate technological knowledge, unwillingness to experiment, unpleasant shopping experiences in the past (if any), and apprehensions about fraudulent activities online.

Possibility of online fraud: Indians are no strangers to data leaks and internet-related financial frauds. Even as banks, merchants, and digital platforms strive hard to strengthen their information systems in a bid to reassure fund transfer safety, a negative bias against online channels in the minds of some customers is almost impossible to eliminate. The prejudice clearly works in favour of BMOs, that, more often than not, offer a comparatively safer shopping experience.

Whats next?

Given the competitive intensity in the retail sector, it hardly comes as a surprise to see e-commerce players and BMOs upping the ante with the objective of outperforming each other. Both business models, undoubtedly, have their pros and cons. Its interesting to see that while BMOs have been focusing their attention on setting up their own omni-channels, digital platforms, on the other hand, are gradually and simultaneously laying emphasis on launching physical stores to gauge the buyers preferences better. Clearly, a blend of both appears to work well.

Periodic incentivisation (by way of freebies, discounts, loyalty programmes, and wallet-based bonus points) and attempts to ensure faster redressal of customer grievances have been commonly observed themes in both cases. No one format can be a complete substitute for another since there are loyalists for both. Irrespective of the retailing structure, one thing is certain  consumers stand to benefit the most and will remain kings in this survival of the fittest battle.
Essar Steel's lenders will be holding their first meeting on August 31 to decide on a resolution plan to deal with the company's debt, sources tell CNBC-TV18.

Sources further add that lenders are keen to rope in a new investor for Essar Steel and change its promoter.

Alvarez & Marsal has been appointed interim resolution professional for Essar Steel.

CNBC TV-18 further learns from sources that over 6 suitors have informally expressed interest in acquiring controlling stake in Essar Steel. The six include - Tata Steel, JSW Steel, ArcelorMittal, SSG International, Posco and Liberty House. Tata Steel told CNBC TV-18 that they are evaluating various strategic opportunities on an ongoing basis.

If the suitors decide to take up a major stake in Essar Steel, they are likely to go through haircuts.

CNBC TV-18 reports that a committee of creditors has been formed where Essar Steel will present their resolution plan. Essar Steel owes a total of Rs 45,000 crore to 22 lenders led by State Bank of India. Essar Steel is confident that their resolution plan will be accepted as they are learnt to not be looking for prospective bidders.

Also read: Timeline of Events: Essar Steel

Essar Steel was one among the 12 NPA accounts identified by the Reserve Bank of India to be referred to the NCLT. The company also challenged RBI's decision in the Gujarat High Court where their plea was denied.
CEO of Expedia, Inc. Dara Khosrowshahi attends the Allen & Co Media Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho July 13, 2012. Reuters/Jim Urquhart (UNITED STATES - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS HEADSHOT) - RTR34WKM

The board of US-based cab hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc.'s has finally settled down on picking Dara Khosrowshahi, as its new chief executive officer, following over two months of search after Travis Kalanick resigned from the firm, according to multiple media reports.

Khosrowshahi has been the chief executive of online travel firm Expedia since 2005. He has been offered the position and negotiations are currently on, multiple media reports claim.

Born in Iran, Khosrowshahi had migrated to the US with his family when he was nine years old. He belongs to the anti-Trump camp in the tech industry and has actively spoken about the Muslim ban on seven nations, which impacted Expedia customers too. Khosrowshahi holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Brown University.

In 2015, Expedia gave him USD 90 million worth of stock options, in what can be termed as a retention amount for sticking with the company till 2020. Uber's board would have to up its offer to make Khosrowshahi leave Expedia to join the troubled taxi transportation company.

Uber co-founder Kalanick's resignation as CEO came in June after the shareholders demanded a change in leadership, in order to tackle the negative air around the companys image.

His resignation followed a report which recommended some drastic changes in the company regarding work ethics, sexual harassment, and diversity.

The report was a result of an internal investigation the company had initiated after a former employee Susan Fowler alleged sexual harassment by her immediate supervisor in a blog post. She had accused the company of gender bias and had said that the company did not take any action after repeated complaints.
live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), the worlds largest tractor manufacturer, has renamed Mahindra Gujarat Tractors as Gromax Agri Equipment as it lays greater emphasis to grow the business with the launch of a new brand of tractors.

Mahindra Gujarat Tractors is a joint venture between the Mumbai-based M&M (60 percent stake) and the Gujarat government (40 percent stake).

A new but experienced operating management has been brought forward at the Gujarat subsidiary. However, the existing plant in Vadodara will remain operational.

Rajesh Jejurikar, president  farm equipment sector, M&M said: Gromax will be an important element in our journey of transformation towards a higher penetration of farm mechanization, enabling farmers to double their incomes. The Trakstar range of tractors will compete in 80 percent of the industry.

Trakstar will focus on value seeking farmers and enable them to enhance their prosperity. The Trakstar range will be present across 30-50 hp category. The range will be launched in a phased manner across key markets.

Mahindra itself has as many as four brands of tractors  Mahindra, Arjun Arjun Nuvo and Yuvo  in this category. Mahindra Gujarat manufactures and sells Shaktiman and Hindustan brand of tractors under the 30-60 hp category.

Gromax vision is to raise farm mechanisation levels across the country and provide a distinct value proposition with multiple opportunities for customers wanting to move ahead in life, said a release from M&M.
business See huge potential for fibre cement boards business, says Visaka Industries In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Vamsi Krishna, Joint MD of Visaka Industries gave the highlights of their new launches and their guidance going ahead.
Among all the complaints received by the central government last year, ones against large e-commerce companies outnumbered all others.

The Quality Council of India (QCI), which came to this conclusion after a study of the nature of grievances received by the Centre, has therefore proposed that the government "name and shame" these companies.

The QCI report, which was released by Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh, categorized complaints according to the ministry they pertained to.

For the environment ministry, illegal cow slaughter despite a ban by the government was the issue most complained about, while inadequate services by digital set top box providers was the most received complaint by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

Air India's services were severely complained about to the civil aviation ministry, and a proposal to blanket ban pornography websites was raised by many.

According to a report by the Economic Times, a total of 12 lakh complaints were received by 88 ministries and departments in 2016, a sizeable jump from the 8.75 lakh complaints received in 2015.

The complaints against e-commerce companies were mostly about "unclear guidelines for quality check of the products, lack of standardisation of refund, delivery and exchange policy, no regulation on pricing and discount and poor customer service".

According to QCI, the basis of all the complaints received on e-commerce stems from a lack of policy on e-commerce transactions and the absence of a system to check the quality of products being sold. The ambiguity of the return, exchange and delivery policies of the e-commerce companies also contribute to the problem.

The QCI proposed that the Centre name and shame e-commerce companies on the basis of a total number of pending customer grievances, along with creating a channel with the government where grievances would be directly passed on for efficient redressal.

The council pointed out that cow slaughter complaints were already being handled by the government. It also asked the government to frame a process through which pornography websites could be blocked, using firewalls and other advanced technology.

With respect to complaints pertaining to Air India, the council proposed a number of measures that could be adopted to redress complaints. It said that the airline's official mobile application "Air Sewa" should be made the one-stop destination for information regarding flight status, check-ins, cancellation, refunds and everything related to air travel.

Apart from "Air Sewa", the QCI also recommended that the government adopt techniques used at Singapore, Dubai and London Heathrow Airports, which use improved technology to cut down fliers' check-in time.

In addition to all this, the report also pointed out that the government was successful in redressing the most frequent complaint received by the urban affairs ministry -- that of private builders not completing projects on time or not giving possession despite completion of construction.
The Reserve Bank of India recently announced the introduction of a never-seen-before Rs 200 currency note and said that it would simplify getting change for larger-denomination notes.

The Rs 200 note will be the first newly-introduced denomination since the introduction of Rs 2,000 notes in November last year, when the government decided to demonetise and recall the old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

Why was it so important to have a 200-rupee note and how are currency denominations determined in the first place?

The RBI said that among all available denominations, these new bright yellow-coloured 200-rupee notes are the missing link in the Renard Series, a series of preferred numbers first proposed by French army engineer Charles Renard.

In order to determine currency denominations, the central bank follows a variation of the Renard Series, called the 1-2-5 series, in which a decade or a 1:10 ratio is covered in 3 steps. The first number in the series would be 1, the second would be 2, and the third would be 5. When extended, it would read 1,2,5,10,20,50,100,200,500,1000,etc.

As you can see, the numbers in the 1-2-5 series are very conveniently arranged to simplify transacting. So if a person has a 10-rupee note and wishes to buy something worth Rs 3, he would be able to get his change in the form of a 5-rupee note or coin and a 2-rupee coin, instead of getting seven 1-rupee coins or three 2-rupee coins and a 1-rupee coin if the currency had not been denominated that way.

Since India already had 1-rupee, 2-rupee, 5-rupee, 10-rupee, 20-rupee, 50-rupee, 100-rupee, and 500-rupee denominations, the 200-rupee note was added to complete the 100-200-500 part of the series.

Furthermore, there have been reports suggesting that the government is also in the process of printing new Rs 1,000 notes, which along with the Rs 2,000 note launched last year, will form two thirds of the 1000-2000-5000 part of the series.

Incidentally, India is not the only country that follows the 1-2-5 series to denominate currency. The euro and the British pound are two of the most notable currencies that are denominated in the 1-2-5 series.
India's crude steel production grew 3.5 per cent to 8.36 million tonnes (MT) in July this year, says the latest report by World Steel Association.

The steel output stood at 8.08 MT in the same month last year, it said.

Domestic production in the January-July period of 2017 increased by 5.4 per cent to 58.01 MT over 55.07 MT in the same period of 2016, the data showed.

Global steel production for the 67 countries reporting to World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 143.24 MT in July this year, registering an increase of 6.3 per cent over 134.798 MT in July 2016.

For the first seven months of 2017, global steel production stood at 977.32 MT, up 4.6 per cent from 933.97 MT in the same period of 2016.

World's top steel producer China produced 74.021 MT last month, up 10.3 per cent over the year-ago month when the country had produced 67.12 MT.

Japan has witnessed a contraction in its steel production. The second largest steel producing nation produced 8.588 MT steel, down 4.3 per cent from 8.971 MT a year ago.

The United States produced 7.07 MT, up 5.6 per cent from 6.69 MT earlier.

"The crude steel capacity utilisation ratio of the 67 countries in July 2017 was 72.1 per cent. This is 3.2 percentage points higher than July 2016. Compared to June 2017, it is 1.5 percentage points lower," worldsteel said.

India has overtaken the US to become the world's third largest steel producer and the country is now looking to replace Japan from the second spot.

Steel Minister Chaudhary Birender Singh had earlier said that India is heading towards becoming the second largest steel producer in the world.

"If you see what India produced last was 100 MT and Japan 104 MT. Soon, we will be the second largest steel producer in the world," the minister had said.
Moneycontrol News

In an attempt to boost its primary goal of a cashless economy, the government is considering giving a 2 percent incentive on the applicable GST rate in case of digital transactions up to Rs 2,000.

The proposal is now under consideration with the Finance Ministry, the Reserve Bank of India, the cabinet secretariat and the Electronics and IT Ministry, a Times of India report said.

The 2 percent benefit may be extended in the form of a discount or a cash back.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's primary agenda to pave way for a digital economy was reflected in his Independence Day speech at Red Fort where he asked citizens to use lesser cash. He has also urged various government department and ministries to collaborate in achieving a cash less economy. The IT Ministry headed by Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is providing major assistance and is coming up with initiatives to popularize digital transactions.

Sources told TOI the move of incentivising digital payments aims to target smaller transactions up to Rs 2000 which are mostly preferred to be done through cash.

"Transactions of up to Rs 2,000 are very high in volumes and if an incentive can be given here, it will provide an impetus to digital payments while facilitating the entry of more people within the formal economy. This will help plug leakages while playing a credible part in countering the development of black money," said the TOI source.

A recent meeting was held on the analysis of digital payments post demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes last November. The meeting was attended by Prasad and senior officials from the finance ministry and cabinet secretariat.

According to RBI data, digital transactions fell considerably in the last few months. From 67 crore digital transactions in November 2016, it had tremendously grown to 89 crores in March 2017. However, it again dropped to 84 crores in June.

More schemes and moves can be expected from the government on the lines of boosting digital payments, the source confirmed.
Equity benchmark indices began the week on a positive note, driven by a rally in Infosys. The stock gained around 4 percent after the company announced on Thursday the appointment of Nandan Nilekani to lead the affairs following the exit of Vishal Sikka as CEO and MD earlier this month.

The stock dominated headlines for the past week, which helped the Street recover a bit. Investors also were upbeat about PSU banks after the Cabinet gave a nod to alternative mechanism for a merger of such lenders.

So, what lies in store for the market ahead?

Quantum Securities said that barring fundamental events that could move the market, it probably has seen the high points for this calendar year. It is going to be a struggle at 11,000-11,500 levels and earnings are giving a lot of heartaches. There could be some consolidation going ahead, Sanjay Dutt of Quantum Securities told CNBC-TV18 in an interview.

Similarly, he also said that there was a lesser chance of the Nifty breaching 9,650-levels. Flows would provide the market a bottom.

Speaking on Infosys, he was disappointed with what transpired over the past week. It is disappointing with what happened (at Infosys) and how it played out. It was unfortunate that the CEO and founder had a spat, Dutt told the channel.

Moreover, board-run companies should not face a situation like that and in light of the tiff between Narayana Murthy and Vishal Sikka, it was good that the latter left, he said.

He believes in completely staying away from the stock and rather watch out for plays in TCS, and HCL Technologies, among others.

On real estate, he does not see much opportunities based on how the sector has performed. Having said that, there could be some selective plays, he added.

Dutt holds on to positive stance on PSU banks and believes that the rally has not played out yet. Meanwhile, he also remains hopeful on earnings picking up for FMCG and consumption-themed companies, going forward.

Simultaneously, cement stocks are safe bets for about 2-3 years to make money. If you havent added to the portfolio, one could look for opportunities to add, Dutt told the channel.

Among private banks, in the next two to three years, he said that the safest bet could be ICICI Bank. It was plagued with huge problems and those are under resolution, he said, adding that the stock was grossly undervalued as well. It is best positioned to make money, Dutt concluded.

Below is the verbatim transcript of the interview.

Anuj: Thoughts first on Infosys, are you happy that Nandan Nilekani has come back or are you disappointed with the whole process and more importantly, from stock markets point of view, what next?

A: I think totally disappointed with what happened really and how it played out. It is unfortunate that a professional CEO and a founder had this public spat and a complete trust in the board was lost. I wish it was done better, in the sense that after all listed companies are board managed companies and you cannot as a founder get into a public spat and start criticizing every step or everything that the board is deciding and the board was ultimately backing the CEO and I think Vishal Sikka did a very sensible thing by ultimately quitting because anyone cant work in that kind of an environment.

I definitely feel that it was an unfortunate event, but it has got behind us. I am happy that Nandan Nilekani has stepped in and he will try and put the house in order. Like he said, he would be there as long as required and they would get into a professional CEO. However, I really wonder that given this background, given what has happened, it is going to be quite a challenge finding a good CEO having a global experience and to lead a company like Infosys. So, let us hope for the best, but I am a firm believer of one saying that wherever there is smoke, there is a much bigger fire. So, if I have to buy anything in IT, I would not buy Infosys yet. I would want the dust to settle down.

Reema: What about the market, we saw about a 300-400 point correction. From there at least things have stablised in the last one week to 10 days, how are you seeing the market from here on?

A: My sense is that baring any major positive fundamental event that changes the economy, forget the random noise that we have in the market of going up by 500, going up 200, going down, whatever, we have probably seen the high for the calendar year. It is going to be a bit of a struggle in kind of getting to 11,000-11,500 because earnings are still giving us a lot of heartaches and I dont find anywhere in the Nifty universe that 30-40 percent of the universe can appreciate 15-20 percent to take us beyond Rs 11,000.

So for the year, maybe the Nifty has probably seen the high, but at the same time that does not mean that I am bearish and I am looking at 9,400 or 9,200. I think we will consolidate, we will remain range bound and as always individual opportunities across midcaps and of course within Nifty companies also would outperform. However, taking a bet on the Nifty, I think I would not do that at this point of time. It is going to be quite challenged to make money purely being long in the Nifty.

Anuj: That was my follow up, you said very confidently that the high for the year has been made, has the low also been made, and I am not talking about the yearly low, I am talking about the recent low of say 9,680 thereabouts.

A: I think so, I dont think we will go below probably a 20-30 percent probability that we will break that 9,650-9,600 level because liquidity flows in. Flows are very good from domestic investors, they are compelled to put money into mutual funds, there are no investment avenues available so I think flows would provide us a bottom and even international investors realize and they are looking for every opportunity to get into good companies.

Within the index, there are companies which give an opportunity which fall 5-10 percent to take Nifty to 9,600. Some of the larger banks, Reliance Industries, these kind of companies, so they would lend a good amount of support baring of course everything is a caveat with a fact that if there is a major event, then you cannot do much about it whether it is macro event or international event, but otherwise I dont see any reason why Nifty will go below 9,650 in this calendar year and same time I dont see it really roaring up beyond 10,500-11,000.

Latha: I just want to scratch the point on Infosys a little more before I come to the other stocks. What would you watch out for in Infosys to turn a buyer? You said you would not buy it now, would it be the new CEO, would it be client retentions and additions, exactly what?

A: Frankly it has really put me off. Why do I have to buy Infosys, if I will buy, I will buy TCS, I will buy HCL Technologies. The kind of acrimony, bad blood, that too in the public, it really does not befit anyone and that too for person like Narayana Murthy stature to have gone this route  I would have agreed that he should have taken this route if he had tried everything else. He should have written to the board, he should have written to the regulators that these are corporate governance problems, and he is concerned as a shareholder, as a founder.

However, when you have a board managed company which you yourself appointed as CEO, you have given charge to a professional board and they are absolutely A-class people who are in the Infosys board, and then you come around, you come out and you keep kind of nitpicking and you keep kind of poking the CEO, poking the board, I would not buy it. Why should I buy it?

Latha: Let us get to the other issue, real estate. Do you think things are clearing up? Now we are seeing this now eminent debt reduction in DLF as well. Have the land mines been cleared enough for you to start buying real estate stocks?

A: No, not as yet because I have been checking this on the ground on a monthly basis, fortnightly basis. There is still a huge amount of inventory lying with these second rung and third rung players, fourth rung players. They are all stuck with debt, they are having problems. So, what you have seen probably is an oversold kind of bounce back in some of the places. However, to take a secular bet that real estate is out of the woods, I dont think so. Not as yet, I think there is pain.

You will continue to see a time wise correction which probably may last another 18-24 months. Yes selectively you may get opportunities like what DLF has done, so, therefore you may get a trading opportunity of 10-20 percent, but by the time you wake up, the insiders have already made money on that. So, you really wont be able to left making money by reading the newspaper next morning. So I dont think there is much of an opportunity in real estate as yet, no.

Anuj: Last time this year, you were a table thumping bull on PSU banks and that trade has worked out really well. However, what next, State Bank of India (SBI) of course this quarter came out with a bit of kitchen sinking with all the subsidiaries getting merged. Now there is some fresh news flow on whether weak banks would get merged with strong banks or weak would get merged with weak banks. Do you think the rally has played out in PSU banks?

A: I dont think so. I think there is more opportunity still there to make money in PSU banks. Entry points you need to really game because with volatility in the markets, the Bank Nifty falls 200-250 points and two-three days it is up 300 points again. So therefore you got to understand that you got to identify your PSU banking stocks and use the right opportunity when you get a reasonably good correction to buy them.

I dont think that the PSU bank story is over as yet. I think there is long way to go. The fundamental problems are being addressed, yes, frustratingly very slow which Latha knows better than anyone of us, with this whole NCLT process also not being that easy to implement and everything, but at the same time I think for a long term value investor, there is still opportunity to enter at the right time and just remain invested.

Latha: What about the consumption plays? A lot has been riding on these two successful monsoons and therefore uptick in consumption. I am not speaking about the Titans and the motor cars, not the consumer discretionary, the more FMCG companies. Is there something in that or is that space overpriced?

A: I think there would be opportunities there because most of them are now kind of ironing out the GST problems and have kind of gone through the demonetisation bump. So wherever you get opportunities like you got an opportunity in ITC a few weeks back, when all this hullaballoo came about, taxation, etc. that is the time when you need to come and buy these companies. They are relatively safe bets I think for retail investors to come and buy and keep in their portfolio; something like I just heard Ashwani Gujral talking about Nestle having appreciated just about 10 percent since that Maggi Noodles fiasco.

So, if Nestle were to even at this level, were to fall 2-3 percent or 5 percent, I would be a buyer because I think there is a strong demand down in the second rung cities as well as rural areas. Consumption is coming back, people have kind of adjusted to demonetisation, and companies are kind of adjusting to the GST impact. So, I am quite hopeful in the second half, the earnings would pick up now.

Anuj: Do you buy cement stocks, any of them at current prices?

A: I think cement is a good story ahead. One needs to be selective, and if you have not added it to your portfolio, look for opportunities to add. Do good amount of homework, and there is money to be made because I think next two-three years ahead, they are relatively safe bets to make money. I dont think really there wont be much of a problem in terms of both offtake as well as pricing power for cement companies.

Reema: Any pockets of opportunity in the infrastructure or the capital goods space?

A: Very difficult to find. There are opportunities, some of the Kirloskar companies, I think are coming back on their own, things are normalising with them with the infrastructure plays coming in, but I think it is very difficult to identify good quality companies, but a lot of work needs to be done there. However, I think there is an opportunity there but a lot depends on second half recovery in the economy because numbers this time have not been too good as one would have thought, but one can blame that to demonetisation, GST, etc. but I think second half (H2) onwards, one can expect better numbers even from the capital goods and the infrastructure plays.

Latha: Final question on banks, you spoke about PSU banks, which part of the private banking space still has money for you, is it small banks, is it the Federal, DCB type or is it the well-known Axis, HDFC Bank?

A: In my opinion, in the next two to three years, the safest private bank to put your money is ICICI Bank. It has been plagued with huge amount of problems, those are under resolution right now, it is grossly undervalued if you compare an ICICI Bank with the market cap of Kotak Mahindra Bank or Yes Bank and the size of book, etc. I think it is best positioned to make you money. The risk reward ratio is very good there. So if I were to buy any private bank, that is the only bank I would have in my portfolio and obviously I would like to disclose I do have that in my portfolio and I intend to remain invested for two to three years.

Anuj: Thoughts on Tata Global Beverages which has really been the strongest stock over the last fortnight or so?

A: I have not done much of research and reading on there and I dont really want to comment without having any knowledge about it.
Market Review

Markets traded in a narrow range of 144 points, but the movement was sharp with correction in the first two days and then a bounce back to close flattish for the week. The news flow with respect to Infosys continues keeping the share volatile after hitting a new 52 week low.

The pharma sector saw a sharp recovery towards the end of the week with gains of 3 percent as discussion on new pharma policy got postponed in India. There was some positive momentum in liquor stocks after the Supreme court clarified that the liquor ban near highways does not apply within city limits.

Nifty ended flat (0.2 percent) touching the lower end of the support levels and bounced sharply to close 20 points higher week on week. CNX Midcap and Small caps remained flat to negative to end by 0.4 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.

Except for Pharma index,which gained by 3 percent, there was no significant movement in the other indices. Realty, Banks and Metals gained by around 0.8 percent average for the week. Auto, IT and FMCG declined by around 0.5 percent average for the week . India VIX declined by 13.7 percent to close at 12.6.

Market Outlook

NIFTY has ended in a gravestone doji and an either side breakout could be expected in the expiry week ahead. We are trading 1.5 percent down from the last expiry and a breakdown below 9,750 levels on back of any negative global cues could see sharp correction in midcaps and small caps. On the other hand, crossover above 9,950 could provide momentum in broader markets.

The option data also continues to suggest an immediate resistance at 10,000 strike as it has call OI of 5.9 million shares. On the downside 9800 strike has the maximum put OI of 6.1 million shares. Breakout on either side could see sharp short covering in the options strikes.
Mobikon, a marketing and customer engagement firm for food and beverage industry on Monday said it has raised USD 7 million in Series B from Sistema Asia Fund, C31 Ventures and Qualgro along with participation from existing investors Jungle Ventures and Spring Singapore.

Mobikon will utilise the latest round of funding to scale up its business in India, South East Asia and the Middle East. The company also plans to build the next level of leadership team across multiple markets including new markets such as the UK and Australia in next 12-18 months.

Prior to this round of funding, Mobikon raised a Series A round of USD 5 million from Jungle Ventures, Qualgro, Spring Singapore and Lion Rock, among others in 2015.

Overall the company has raised around USD 12 million so far.

Mobikon currently has a presence in six countries and has 700 restaurants brands in its portfolio with over 3,400 outlets globally. The company plans to launch operations in the UK and Australia by January 2018 and double the number of restaurants on its platform.

"Besides funding, Sistema Asia Fund (SAF) and C31 Ventures bring in other distinct advantages. While SAF has great knowledge in building scalable teams, C31 Ventures has strong inroads across South East Asia. This would help us in our aim to attain market leadership position in the said geography," said Samir Khadepaun, co-founder and chief executive officer Mobikon.
February 02, 2018 | -839.91 | Reason: Stricter tax rules for stock investments and the easing of fiscal deficit

New Delhi-based mapping solutions provider MapMyIndia has tied up with the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to map out propensity to pay taxes in country's major cities according to geo-locations.

"We will provide the map and address data of neighbourhoods in India. The government will tally it with its own data which could include income profile disclosed by a tax payer in those addresses," MapMyIndia CEO Rakesh Verma told Moneycontrol.

The project involves more accurate assessment of income using the location component, especially in the post demonetisation phase. Tax evaders in India have been disclosing a fraction of the annual income they earn, while they continue to buy residences and factories in prime locations of the country. Addresses could now be classified in government IT systems according to income profiles.

Explaining how the system will work, Verma said: "suppose only 10 PAN cards exist in a posh locality whereas the map data shows 100 residential addresses. Those addresses can then be mapped against Aadhaar or any PAN database to find out the anomaly in tax payer data (or their disclosed income)."

LISTEN: Startup18 PodCast on Story of Rakesh Verma, India's Map Man:

The government could then take suitable action based on the analytics.

However, won't identifying people with their addresses not tantamount to breach of privacy?

"No," says Verma. "Any address in India is a public address. It is not hidden from anyone. We will just provide the addresses and geo-locations. The government could correlate it with the information, citizens have disclosed or run analytics on that data," says Verma.

The analytics project by the government is aimed at identifying the new tax payers and expanding the existing taxpayer base by mapping out transactions or tax returns filed by neighbourhood on a digital map.
business Client & Employee exit will diminish with Nandan's return at Infy: Edelweiss Financial It's a strong opening for Infosys on the back of news that Nandan Nilekani will be returning to the helm at Infosys. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, Sandip Agarwal, VP-Wholesale Capital Markets at Edelweiss Financial Services shared his views and reading on the same.
copper_hindustan_44537989

Angel Commodities' report on Copper

LME Copper prices traded higher by 2.8 percent last week touching three year highs as gains in iron ore prices, key Steelmaking ingredient boosted an upside in nonferrous metals space. Iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange surged for third day in a row on Monday fueled by concerns of shortages of high - grade iron ore and before curbs on futures purchases come into force. Further, supply concerns escalated after violent demonstrators blocked an access road to Grasberg, the world's second - biggest copper mine, in a protest over employment terms.

Outlook

LME Copper prices are currently trading higher by 0.1 percent at $ 6704 /t. Copper prices are likely to trade higher today as weakness in the DX will be supportive. Al so, declining LME Copper stocks along bullish CFTC positions will act as positive factors.

For all commodities report, click here

Disclaimer: The views and investment tips expressed by investment experts/broking houses/rating agencies on moneycontrol.com are their own, and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.

Read More
FILE PHOTO: A worker checks the valve of an oil pipe at the Lukoil owned Imilorskoye oil field near Kogalym, Russia, January 25, 2016. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

live bse live

nse live Volume Todays L/H More 

Shares of Hindustan Oil Exploration Company (HOEC) gained 7.6 percent intraday Monday on the back of commencement of commercial production at Dirok field.

The company has been granted a petroleum mining lease to its Dirok field and started the commercial production from the field.

On successful testing and completion of the sixth well, all the six wells in the field are ready to hook up for production.

Company expects the initial production to be about 10 mmscfd, restricted by the capacity of by 4' pipeline and will be ramped up to full capacity over the next six months with the commissioning of Modular Gas Processing Plant (MGPP).

Dirok Field is located in Tinsukia District of Assam has been developed in a record time of 27 months, by the JV consisting of Oil India, Indian Oil Corporation and HOEC, with HOEC as the operator.

Oil India will buy the gas at the price fixed by the Government based on a basket of international gas market prices, which will be revised once in six months.

IOC will buy the condensate at a price equivalent to the price of a bench marked crude oil.

At 10:17 hrs Hindustan Oil Exploration Company was quoting at Rs 78.55, up Rs 4.35, or 5.86 percent on the BSE.

Posted by Rakesh Patil
The Reserve Bank of India is likely to release the new Rs 1,000 currency notes to bridge the gap between Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes created after the demonetisation in November 2016, reports DNA.

The new Rs 1,000 notes will be printed shortly at the Mysore and Salboni printing presses as the preparations for the design and paper are being carried out in full force, reports the newspaper.

"Printing of Rs 2,000-denominated notes stopped at least six months ago and now the Rs 200 notes are getting printed at these presses. Next in line for printing is the Rs 1,000 note," a person close to the development told the paper.

The new Rs 1,000 notes with improved security features will add to the easing of transactions between Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 currencies.

According to sources, the Rs 2,000 notes will continue to exist but the government is now planning to focus on lower value denominations.

"The Rs 2,000 note was printed for faster remonetization but in hindsight, the government has realised that lower value denominations should be the focus," the source told the paper.

Last week, the RBI released the bright yellow Rs 200 and fluorescent blue Rs 50 notes which are in circulation. Currently, the new notes are indispensable at the ATMs due to their dimensions.

However, the ATMs will start dispensing new notes once they are recaliberated.
Panchkula: Vehicles set alight by Dera Sacha Sauda sect members burn in the streets of in Panchkula, India, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. Deadly riots have broken out in a north Indian town after a court convicted a guru of raping two of his followers. Mobs also attacked journalists and set fire to government buildings and railway stations. AP/PTI(AP8_25_2017_000140B)

Haryana was on edge yesterday, a day before the special CBI judge pronounces the sentence against the maverick Dera Sacha Sauda cult chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, convicted of raping his two women followers, in Rohtak jail today.

CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh will be flown to Rohtak district jail where he would pronounce the quantum of sentence against Singh, whose conviction on Friday saw his followers run riot in several places in Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan. Ripples were also felt in Delhi and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.

The death toll in violence and arson that immediately followed the conviction of the flamboyant chief of the sect that has millions of followers in India and abroad, meanwhile, has risen to 38, state's Director General of Police B S Sandhu said.

Police have registered 52 cases in connection with the violence which left a trail of destruction, particularly in Panchkula and Sirsa in Haryana, and arrested 926 people, Sandhu told a press conference in Chandigarh.

A multi-layer security cordon has been thrown around the jail where Singh has been lodged, Sandhu said.

The jail is located at Sunaria, on the outskirts of Rohtak city, which resembles a garrison town with security pickets all over the place.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court had yesterday ordered the Haryana government to make necessary arrangements at the jail where the judge would sentence Singh in the 15-year-old case of sexual assault of two sadhvis.

Inspector General of Police (Rohtak range) Navdeep Virk, who is overseeing security arrangements in Rohtak, said there was a "complete clampdown" on dera centres known as (naam charcha ghar) and all its functionaries who could gather people for creating trouble have been put under detention in the state.

Sandhu, meanwhile said, Army was on standby in Rohtak to meet any eventuality.

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) prohibiting assembly of five or more persons, and carrying of firearms and other weapons is already in place in Rohtak.

All educational institutions, including government and private schools, colleges and other institutions in the entire state, will remain closed tomorrow, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Ram Niwas said in an official release.

Sandhu said curfew has been lifted from all places in Haryana barring Sirsa, where the sect is heaquartered. Sirsa district administration relaxed curfew for five hours in and around the dera headquarters this morning.

There have been no reports of violence from anywhere in Haryana and Punjab since yesterday.

Train operations in Punjab and Haryana, severely affected by violence in two states, have been restored, except for the Delhi-Rohtak-Bathinda section, a railway ministry statement said in New Delhi.

The security clearance for the section is awaited from state authorities, it said.

Mobile internet services will remain suspended in Haryana and Punjab till 11:30 am on Tuesday. Internet lease lines on the premises of the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters at Sirsa will also be suspended till then, officials said.

Security forces were on high alert in Haryana and strict vigil was being maintained in sensitive districts including Panchkula, Sirsa, Rohtak and Fatehabad, they said.

At many sensitive places in Punjab too, security forces conducted flag marches and kept a tight vigil in sensitive areas.

Four rifles, including an AK-47, pistols and petrol bombs were among the weapons seized from the supporters of the sect.

Two cases of sedition have been registered against Dera followers, police said without giving much detail as they have to submit a report to the high court on Tuesday.

Under attack over the massive violence, the Haryana government had suspended Ashok Kumar, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Panchkula, saying his "defective" prohibitory orders allowed the crowd build-up in the district.

Meanwhile, authorities in Punjab and Haryana have started identifying movable and immovable assets of the cult on the directions of the high court, officials said.

Revenue officials of the two states are compiling details of properties and assets of the dera, a quasi-religious sect headed by Singh, who wields considerable political influence and instructs his followers which party to vote for during elections.

Banks have been asked to provide details of accounts of the dera.

"A list of the Dera's assets, incomes, bank accounts and properties is being prepared on a war footing," an official involved in the exercise in the twin states of Haryana and Punjab said.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the two states to submit by Tuesday a list of the dera's properties and assets which can be attached in case it is found that they were responsible for property after Singh's conviction.

Sedition and attempt to murder charges have, meanwhile, been slapped against seven persons, including five Haryana police personnel, who were part of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's security detail when he had arrived at the Panchkula CBI court on August 25.

"Sedition charge has been slapped against seven persons, including five Haryana police personnel," Karambir Singh, Inspector, Panchkula Police (Sector-5), said today.

They have also been accused of attempt to murder, he added.

The seven securitymen accompanying Singh had allegedly tried to free him when the self-styled godman was brought outside the Panchkula court complex on Friday after the special CBI court convicted him. A scuffle had broken out between them and Haryana police personnel.
August 28, 2017 / 04:38 PM IST

15:04

15:02

13:37 Winners of the four by-election seats:

Panaji, Goa: CM Manohar Parrikar of the BJP won by over 4,000 votes.Valpoi, Goa: BJP's Vishwajit Rane won by 10,066 votes.Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh: TDP's Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy won by over 27,000 votes.

Bawana, Delhi: AAP's Ram Chandra won by 24,052 votes.

13:34 AAP's Raghav Chadha tells CNN News18 that it is the 'defeat of the propaganda' of the BJP.

Talking about the election procedure, he says that the party's stand on the voting machines hasn't change and that "VVPAT's must be used in every election.

13:31 In Delhi's Bawana seat, Aam Aadmi Party's Ram Chandra has won by 24,052 votes. Congress and BJP have finished second and third respectively.

13:28 TDP's Bhuma Bramananda Reddy has won the Nandyal seat of Andhra Pradesh 27,456.

13:19 Here's what has happened so far:

> Goa CM Manohar Parrikar won the Panaji seat.> BJP's Vishwajit Rane won the Valpoi seat in Goa.> After 18th round, TDP's Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy is leading by 27,029 votes in Nandyal, Andhra Pradesh.

> After 27th round of counting, AAP has 59,844 votes as compared to Congress' 31,881 and BJP's 35,782.

13:09 According to reports in the media, Congress' Surender Kumar has already conceded defeat to AAP.

12:53 AAP candidate Ram Chandra, CM Arvind Kejriwal and other ministers of the Delhi government had all campaigned in Bawana. CM Kejriwal was there every Sunday for the past few weeks, seeking votes for the AAP candidate.

BJP was represented by Ved Parkash while the Congress fielded a Surender Kumar, who has been a legislator three times.

12:47 After the 24th round of counting in Bawana:

> AAP 53,465

> BJP 31,064

> Congress 28,634

12:27

12:21

12:18 AAP party workers have already started celebrating their performance in Bawana.

AAP's Kumar Vishwas has congratulated the party workers.

12:15

12:08 The Aam Aadmi Party is leading by a margin of more than 20,000 votes in Bawana, Delhi. Congress currently second.

11:06



Congrats to @manoharparrikar & @visrane for the impressive wins in Panaji & Valpoi respectively. I thank the people of Goa for their support  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 28, 2017



10:52 Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Partys Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy is leading with a margin of 13,162 votes after the fifth round of counting in the Nandyal by-election in Andhra Pradesh.

Spoke to Goa Chief Minister Shri @manoharparrikar and congratulated him on his impressive victory in the Panaji Assembly by-election. Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) August 28, 2017

10:24 Union Minister Smriti Irani has tweeted to congratulate Manohar Parrikar on his election win.

"His leadership will ensure Goa's continued journey on the development path," she added.

10:23



Congrats to CM @ManoharParrikar for winning Panaji by-poll. May your endeavors bring development & continue to benefit the people of Goa.  Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) August 28, 2017



10:17 Bawana is the only constituency in Delhi in these bypolls. After eight rounds of counting there, the Aam Aadmi Party is leading with a slim margin with 15,979 votes. Congress has 15,640 votes, while the BJP 11,806.

10:09 BJP's Vishwajeet Rane has won the Valpoi bypoll with a margin of 10,066 votes.

Vishwajeet Rane, who was seeking re-election, had crossed over to the BJP after this year's assembly election.

I will resign from Rajya Sabha next week: #Goa CM Manohar Parrikar after winning Panaji by-poll. pic.twitter.com/QkogIlJFSF ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

9:52 This was for the first time, Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) was used in the by-election in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.

9:42



.@manoharparrikar ji wins #Panaji by-poll by over 4,000 votes. Congratulations and best wishes to him!  Vijay Goel (@VijayGoelBJP) August 28, 2017

9:41 Meanwhile, BJP's Vishwajeet Rane is leading by nearly 6,000 votes from in Valpoi.

9:37 CM Parrikar's rival from the Congress, Girish Chodankar has finished second.

9:35 CM Parrikar has won the Panaji constituency by a margin of 4,803 votes.

9:32 CM Manohar Parrikar has won the bypoll.

9:31 CM Manohar Parrikar is contesting from the Panaji constituency of the state's capital. Another constituency Valpoi, in eastern consituncy is also seeing bypoll.

9:29 Manohar Parrikar who had previously been the chief minister of Goa had been appointed the CM again after the BJP-led alliance formed the government in the coastal state.

Parrikar, who had not contested then, thus had to contest these bypolls to get elected to the state assembly.

9:26 Counting of votes begun at 8 am today, for Goas two assembly constituencies, Panaji and Valpoi.

The Panaji constituency had recorded 70 percent polling while Valpoi had reported 79.80 percent polling in the assembly bypolls.
Representative image

Hong Kong, which witnessed a steady decline in tourist footfall from India since last two years, looks to reverse this trend in the next couple of years.

"We have been losing out a lot of tourist traffic from India due to lack of air connectivity. Earlier, most flights from India and China were connected through transit in Hong Kong, which encouraged travellers to take a small break in the city," Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Regional Director, Europe and New Markets, Peter Hoslin told PTI here.

India and Hong Kong are currently connected with 38 direct flights a week and several connecting flights, he said.

He said global currency fluctuations which devalued Euro and Pound, and strengthened Hong Kong Dollar also diverted a lot of Indian tourist traffic from Hong Kong.

In 2016, 4,80,000 Indian tourists travelled to Hong Kong, which was a nine per cent decline from 2015.

However, this year there has been a steady improvement in tourist traffic flow from India and the negative growth will be narrowed to just two per cent. We are expecting to witness growth in Indians travelling to Hong Kong in a couple of years, he added.

"We are working closely with our trade partners in India to turn this around. We are focusing on young dynamic travellers between 20-40 years, families and repeat travellers," Hoslin said.

Hong Kong, a cosmopolitan country, offers a wide variety and choice of activities for visitors, including night life, culture, food and wine, adventure among others, he said.

HKTB, which is promoting Hong Kong as a premium destination, is targeting three metro cities in India - Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangaluru - for promotions, Hoslin said.

"The tourism board is also targeting other big cities like Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad, which has a lot of young professionals," he added.

He said, HKTB is bullish on promotions through social and digital medium and reaching out to opinion leaders, including young celebrities as well as the those residing in Hong Kong, talking about the destinations and experiences.

Neighbouring China is the number one source market of Hong Kong followed by Taiwan, USA, Japan and Korea, he said, adding India is at number 12.

"We are seeing a lot of potential in the long weekend segment, meetings, incentives, conferences, events (MICE) and cruise tourism. We are also planning enhancing experiences, which will encourage Indian tourists to extend their stay in Hong Kong," he added.
20:56 Former CBI officer was quoted as telling Times Now that around 30-40 victims of Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sexual exploits could be located.

20:22 In an interaction with news channel Times Now, a man named Beant

Singh, who claimed to be a former aide of Gurmeet Ram Rahim for over 15 years, said that the rape convict has actually murdered scores of people and disposed off their bodies in a near-by lake. He said that some corpses were buried in the Dera headquarters premises and added that over 90 percent of the 300 sadhvis serving there had been raped over the years.

19:47 Now that Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been sentenced, the big question on everyone's minds is about who will succeed him at the head of Dera Sacha Sauda. After all, the organisation claims to have over 60 million followers globally and that kind of following would require able leadership. The front-runners are Dera management chairperson Vipassana Insan, his 'adopted daughter' Honeypreet Insan, daughters Amarpreet Insan and Charanpreet Insan and son Jasmeet Singh Insan.

19:32 The Dera Sacha Sauda chief will be spending the next 20 years of his life in cell number 1997 of Rohtak Jail.

19:27 CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal has confirmed that Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim will be serving 20 years in prison. The sentences will run consecutively, he said.



Judge announced 10 yrs imprisonment & Rs.15 lakh fine each in 2 cases & Rs.14 lakh each to be paid to both victims: #RamRahimSingh's lawyer pic.twitter.com/atoTiHf8ET

 ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

19:00 It has come to light that rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment, since the judge announced 10 years' imprisonment and Rs 15 lakh fine each in 2 different cases.

18:41



37 companies that is 3700 men are deployed in #Haryana and 4 companies deployed in #Punjab ; prepared for any eventuality: S Sharma DIG SSB pic.twitter.com/jjDE6cG2Ne  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017



18:40 SSB DIG Sharma has said that safe passage has been given to people inside the Dera headquarters to leave peacefully. He added that if court orders sealing of the complex, then it will be done.

17:06 The Army is currently doing a flag march in Panchkula, according to ANI.

17:00



Security forces carry out flag march in #Punjab's Barnala after sentencing of #RamRahimSingh pic.twitter.com/UTcqcihG0x  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017



16:56 Internet services have resumed in Chandigarh. They had been suspended prior to the verdict to help prevent organised violence.

16:50 Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to a 10-year jail term. Read the full story here.

16:42 Anshul Chhatrapati, son of the whistleblower journalist who was murdered in 2002 has said, "This is just the beginning. Should have got life imprisonment."

16:36 NDTV is reporting that Gurmeet Ram Rahim pleaded, "Mujhe Maaf Kardo... (please forgive me)".

Decadence starts with decade.

In this case, it ended with it.#RamRahimSentencing  Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) August 28, 2017

16:29 All phone lines at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa, Haryana have been cut and that the Dera supporters are being ferried out of the premises, CNN News18 is reporting.

16:26



Army conducts flag march in #Haryana 's Sirsa after sentencing of #RamRahimSingh in rape case against him  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017



16:21 In 2002, a case of sexual exploitation case was registered against him. This followed anonymous letters alleging that the sect head had sexually exploited two 'sadhvis'.

Farm, Dera and now prison: 'Baba of bling' convicted of rape. Here's the full story.

16:18 So far, the situation seems to be under control in both Haryana and Punjab.

16:16 Authorities in Punjab and Haryana have started identifying movable and immovable assets of the Sirsa-headquartered Dera Sacha Sauda on the directions of the high court. Read more here.

With the #RamRahimSentencing, the judiciary has proven that no one is above the Constitution and rule of law. #BJPBabaJailed Congress (@INCIndia) August 28, 2017

16:06 CBI Court has said that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be treated as any other 'ordinary' convict and will not be provided special amenities or an attendant, CNN News18 is reporting.

16:03 Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has called an emergency meeting of senior state officials, party leaders and ministers at his residence in Chandigarh.

16:00 Just before the sentence was announced, two cars were torched by the Dera Sacha Sauda supporters in Phoolka area of Sirsa, Haryana.

15:58 On Friday, Dera Sacha Sauda described the special CBI court's verdict against its guru, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, as "unjust" and said that it would appeal against it.

15:55 Here's everything you need to know about the rape case against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, for which he has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

15:52 The Dera chief had to be forcefully evicted from the courtroom after he refused to accompany the police escorting him for medical checkups and further formalities.

Earlier, he broke down after hearing the verdict. He dropped down on the floor and wept, according to media reports.

15:47



#Haryana: Media persons & security deployment near Rohtak's Sunaria Jail; rape convict #RamRahimSingh sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. pic.twitter.com/t8X7urDvPg  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017



15:43 Punjab CM Amrinder Singh has said that the situation in Punjab is normal and that the morale of the police forces is high.

15:41 According to a CNN News18 report, Gurmeet Ram Rahim is being forcefully evicted out of the courtroom after he refused to leave the premises.

Medical examination of #RamRahimSingh is being done, after this he will be given a jail uniform and will be allotted a cell in jail ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

15:13 Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

15:28 Vipassana Insaan, Dera chairperson has appealed Dera supporters to maintain peace and order.

"I appeal to Dera followers to peacefully abide by the judgement today," she said.

15:26



Chandigarh: Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh holds security review meeting with DGP,Chief Secy and other senior officials #RamRahimSingh pic.twitter.com/k07bHwaZE2  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017



15:25 According to media reports, Dera supporters have torched two vehicles in Sirsa, Haryana which is the bastion of the Dera.

15:24 Meanwhile, security forces have imposed curfew in Moga, Punjab.

15:16 The sentence is likely to be delivered in moments from now, according to media reports.

15:10 According to CNN News18, Ram Rahim Singh broke down in the courtroom as the arguments ended.

15:09 The prosecution is seeking a 10-year sentence for Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

15:08 The defense lawyer has asked the court to move Ram Rahim Singh out of the Rohtak jail to a different jail, CNN News18 is reporting.

15:06 According to the law, Ram Rahim Singh can still move the high court, against the verdict of the Panchkula CBI Court as a legal recourse.

15:02 The arguments are expected to end any moment. The judge will then deliver the sentence.

14:59 The defense has also asked for leniency on the basis of ill health of the Dera chief, according to media reports.

14:56 Prosecution has demanded maximum punishment for Ram Rahim Singh in the rape case after the defense the defence argued that the Dera chief has been a social worker who has worked for welfare of people, and hence, the judge should take a lenient view, according to media reports.

14:46 According to media reports, both sides - defense and prosecution - have been allotted 10 minutes each to present their arguments.

14:41 While the arguments by Ram Rahim Singh's counsel are being presented, here's all you need to know about the self-styled godman:

14:34 According to News18, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's counsel has started presenting his argument for a lower sentence for the Dera chief.

#Haryana Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh reaches Rohtak's Sonaria jail for quantum of sentence hearing of #RamRahimSingh pic.twitter.com/W0SxM40abn ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

14:29 The proceedings are expected to begin any moment now. First, the judge will hear arguments from both sides.

The Dera chief's counsel is expected to talk of the social work done by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and ask for lower sentence.

CBI counsel is expected to ask for the maximum possible sentence.

After the arguments conclude, the judge will deliver the quantum of sentence for the convicted Dera chief. According to the law, the minimum sentence he could receive is of seven years imprisonment while the maximum could be a life term.

14:23 The judge has arrived at the Rohtak jail. The proceedings are expected to begin at 14:30, as scheduled.

14:20 Police forces stationed closer to the Rohtak jail have been given orders to 'shoot at sight'.

14:14

14:08 Ram Rahim Singh's counsel SK Garg Narwana, has arrived at the Sunaria jail.

14:00 The judges are expected to reach the Rohtak jail any moment now. They are being brought in by a helicopter. The jail library has been turned into a makeshift court room.

13:53

13:46 What is likely to happen?

According to News18, arguments on the quantum of sentencing may last for 60 to 90 minutes.

According to the law, Ram Rahim could get at least 10 years jail sentence as the rape victim was a minor at the time of the incident.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 Indian Penal Code), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

13:40 Ram Rahim complains of uneasiness

Just hours before the sentencing, Ram Rahim, has complained of uneasiness, according to News18.

According to the report, a civil surgeon has gone into Rohtak jail premises followed by an ambulance.

13:26 According to NDTV, the Border Security Force (BSF) has set up bunkers outside the prison. About 2,400 personnel, have been deployed in the vicinity of the jail. About 1,800 soldiers of the Army are also on standby.

13:20



Jail sources say this made Baba furious & he threatened taking names of CM & ministers but police took stand&didn't let her stay: S Mahajan pic.twitter.com/7XWN76GqzX  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017



Here are some pictures of police deployment in East Delhi tweeted by DCP East Delhi.

13:02 Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

12:56 Here's a timeline of the case:

12:49 According to a News18 report, dozens of children were released from Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa. The report also notes that primary treatment was provided to the kids with the help of Child Protection team. The children are now shifted to an unknown location.

12:39 At 11:00 today, the judges were flown to the Rohtak jail for the proceedings. The arguments are expected to begin at 14:30 before the quantum of sentence is delivered.

12:31 Security has been beefed up near Rohtak's Sunaria jail.

12:25 Home Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary, Director of Intelligence Bureau and other officials of the Home Ministry were present at a meeting in the North Block to discuss security situation in Punjab and Haryana ahead of the sentencing earlier today.

12:19 Earlier today, Navdeep Singh Virk, IGP Rohtak Range said that the forces had recovered around 100 objectionable items hidden in the fields, including batons from Sonipat's Bahalgarh Dera.

He also said that interrogation was underway.

12:14

12:03 Amidst the violence, opposition parties called on Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to resign.

11:59 On Saturday morning, the curfew was relaxed in few areas of Panchkula and other parts in the state.

Haryana police detained 15 DSS followers in the town of Sirsa even as over one lakh supporters were still present in the Dera's headquarters had been asked to vacate the premises.

Chief Secretary of Haryana Government, DS Dhesi said that they have confiscated an AK-47, a Mauser gun, 2 rifles and 5 pistols and charges at least seven Gurmeet Ram Rahims bodyguards with sedition. The Chief Secretary also said that Ram Rahim has not been given any special treatment in the jail and his Z Plus security has also been withdrawn.

11:57 Here's what happened after the violence:

Later, Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said more than 1,000 of the godmans supporters had been detained in Panchkula on charges of arson and destruction of public property and said the situation had come under control.

Section 144 was imposed in 11 districts of Delhi, 10 districts in Punjab and parts of Uttar Pradesh, too.

11:55 Here's what happened after Ram Rahim was convicted on Friday:

Violence broke out in the Panchkula just after the verdict was delivered. At least 36 dead (30 in Panchkula and six in Sirsa, Haryana) while 269 were injured.

The injured also include several members of security forces. Hundreds of vehicles were gutted in the city.

Reports suggest that railway stations, police stations, telephone exchanges, government offices, malls and cinema halls had been burnt.

The violence also spilled to Delhi-National Capital Region. Two empty coaches of Rewa Express close to Anand Vihar Railway Station were also set on fire. At least five incidents of arson were reported in the NCR.

11:52 The special CBI court on Friday convicted Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case dating back to 2002.

The court is set to pronounce the quantum of punishment for Ram Rahim today. The proceedings will happen in a makeshift CBI court inside the Rohtak jail premises.

7:30 PM Haryana Director General of Police BS Sandhu said, there are no reports of any fresh violence in last 24 hours. 36 people have died, 30 in Panchkula and six in Sirsa. 269 people are injured. A total of 552 arrests have been made and 34 cases have been registered.

There are about 3000-4000 people at Dera Sacha Sauda, Sirsa and they are vacating gradually.

Arrangements for CBI court to be held in Sonaria jail are being made by the administration, said the DGP.

6:23 PM One more person dies in Sirsa, the death toll reaches 32 after the violence which started in Panchkula yesterday.

5:55 PM The pronouncement of the quantum of sentence will be done inside the Sonaria Jail in Rohtak. The judge will go to Rohtak and the jail will be notified as a CBI court on Monday.

5:10 PM Haryana DGP B S Sandhu said that Ram Rahim Singh wont be produced in Panchkula jail on Monday. Instead, it will be arranged through video conferencing and if the judge is required then the punishment will be pronounced in the Sonaria Jail.

5:04 PM Haryana Deputy Attorney General has been sacked following videos emerged showing him carrying the luggage of Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

5:00 PM There were no deaths in Punjab, everything was peaceful here. There was no firing, lathicharge, said Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh. He said he would not allow violence of any form from any sect in the state. The Congress leader pinpointed that fault was in allowing people to gather in Panchkula when the verdict was coming; should have known that there could be a problem.

4:01 PM News18 Sources from BJP have said that party won't summon Haryana Chief Minister ML Khattar. Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs had given him a clean chit over the incident.

3:55 PM Highlights so far: As it happened

CBI court convicts Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a 2002 rape case. Quantum of punishment to be announced on Monday, August 28.

Violence breaks out in Panchkula post the verdict, at least 31 dead and over 250 injured. The injured also include several members of security forces. Hundreds of vehicles were gutted in the city.

There were reports of railway stations, police stations, telephone exchanges, government offices, malls and cinema halls being burnt.

The violence eventually spilled to Delhi-NCR. Two empty coaches of Rewa Express in Anand Vihar Railway Station set on fire. At least five incidents of arson in Delhi-NCR reported,

Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said more than 1,000 of the godmans supporters had been detained in Panchkula on charges of arson and destruction of public property and said the situation was now coming under control.

In the wake of riots that broke out after Gurmeet Ram Rahim's conviction, Section 144 was imposed in 11 districts of Delhi, 10 districts in Punjab and parts of Uttar Pradesh, too.

In the morning, the curfew was relaxed in few areas of Panchkula and other parts in the state.

Haryana police detained 15 DSS followers in Sirsa even as over one lakh supporters still present in the sect headquarters to vacate the premises.

Chief Secretary of Haryana Government, DS Dhesi said that they have confiscated an AK-47, a Mauser gun, 2 rifles and 5 pistols and charges at least seven Gurmeet Ram Rahims bodyguards with sedition. The Chief Secretary also said that Ram Rahim has not been given any special treatment in the jail and his Z Plus security has also been withdrawn.

2:33 PM Haryana's chief secretary has said that Ram Rahim's 'Z plus' security was withdrawn after his conviction in the rape case.

2:22 PM The army has said that law and order is the priority while adding that there are no plans yet to enter the Dera's headquarters in Sirsa.

1:40 PM Chief Secretary of Haryana Government, DS Dhesi has just confirmed that the reports of the Army having entered Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters are false. "The situation is in control. An AK-47, a Mauser gun, 2 rifles and 5 pistols have been confiscated. We have registered cases under sedition charges. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has not been extended any special treatment."

1:38 PM Sources told News 18 that the BJP high command is extremely upset with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. The high-level meeting at Home Minister Rajnath Singh's residence is now over.

12:45 The Punjab and Haryana High Court has criticised the Haryana government, saying: "You allowed the city to burn for political gains. It seems the government has surrendered to agitators."

12:20 The Army has entered a smaller Dera Sacha Sauda ashram in Sirsa, about 1 km from the headquarters of the sect. An estimated one lakh people, including women and children, are present in the sect headquarters and the army is asking them to leave.

11:55 "Haryana is now peaceful. There is no curfew apart from in Sirsa. About 10 thousand Dera Sacha Sauda supporters are present inside the ashram in Sirsa. We are trying to evacuate them," Haryana DGP tells CNN-News18.

11:35 Haryana Police have detained 15 Dera Sacha Sauda followers since last night in Sirsa even as the authorities have appealed to over one lakh supporters still present in the sect headquarters to vacate the premises. The situation in Sirsa remained tense but under control, according to police.

11:10 The Prime Minister has urged officials to work round the clock to restore normalcy and provide all possible assistance that is required.

10:48 The Home Ministry will hold a high-level meeting at 11 am.

10:20 After reports claimed that Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was being extended 'VIP' comforts in the temporary jail that he's being kept in, Haryana DG Prisons, KP Singh has said refuted the reports and said, "Gurmeet Ram Rahim is being treated as a normal prisoner. There is no attendant provided to him, there is also no AC in the cell that he is kept in. He's lodged in Sunaria jail and not in a guesthouse as it is being widely reported."

09:55 The curfew has been relaxed in some areas of Panchkula as Dera Sacha Sauda supporters have been taken away from the town. Meanwhile, over 600 trains have been cancelled since August 24 due to violence in Haryana and Punjab.

August 26, 9.30 AM The Panchkula Control Room says that 31 people have died - 29 in Panchkula and two in Sirsa.

9:00 PM At least 30 people have lost their lives and over 250 are injured after violence broke out in response to the CBI court convicting DSS chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Meanwhile, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar visited the Panchkula Civil Hospital where injured are receiving treatment

8:55 PM The instances of violence today are deeply distressing. I strongly condemn the violence & urge everyone to maintain peace. The law & order situation is being closely monitored. I reviewed the situation with the NSA & Home Secretary. Urged officials to work round the clock to restore normalcy and provide all possible assistance that is required: PM Narendra Modi.

7:33 PM According to officials, the death toll has reached 28 and 250 persons are injured in Panchkula violence in Haryana- PTI.

6:00 PM JUST IN: Punjab and Haryana High Court said all damages done today during the violence will be compensated by attaching the properties of Dera Sachcha Sauda.

5:55 PM Updates till now:

>CBI court convicts Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a 2002 rape case. Quantum of punishment to be announced on Monday, August 28.

>Violence breaks out in Panchkula post the verdict, at least 13 dead and over 200 injured, according to CNN-News18. The injured also include several members of security forces. Hundreds of vehicles were gutted in the city.

>There were reports of railway stations, police stations, telephone exchanges, government offices, malls and cinema halls being burnt.

>The violence spilled to Delhi-NCR. Two empty coaches of Rewa Express in Anand Vihar Railway Station set on fire. A bus each is Loni (Ghaziabad) and Shahdara has been set on fire as well.

5:41 PM Reportedly, a DTC bus has been set on fire in Shahdara, Delhi.

5:36 PM The death toll in violence post the conviction of Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Raheem Singh, the death toll has reached 13, CNN-News18 reports.

5:24 PM: BREAKING: A train bogey has been set on fire in Anand Vihar, Delhi.

5:21 PM Army columns are moving to Haryana's Sirsa for quick reaction, which is the headquarters of Dera Sachcha Sauda.

5:20 PM Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal and Home Minister Rajnath Singh has appealed for peace.

Earlier, Khattar said on twitter that he had briefed the home minister and the situation was being monitored extensively. He added that strict action will be taken against those who try to disrupt peace.

4:47 PM According to News18, at least 11 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in Panchkula as Dera Sacha Sauda followers have gone on a rampage after a CBI court convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape charges on Friday.

4:34 PM At least five districts in Haryana and Punjab have been put under curfew. Delhi is on high alert and according to ADG Law&Order alert sounded in adjoining districts to ensure no spillover of trouble in UP through strict check on borders.



The issue deepened after a man was shot dead by Dera followers. It was alleged that the man was behind the anonymous letter sent to the PMO.



The whole episode had begun after an anonymous letter was sent to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee alleging sexual assaults by the Dera chief. In the letter, a Sadhvi claimed that she was raped by the Dera chief and 35-40 others for over three years at the sects headquarters.

3:27 PM: The security in and around Panchkula has been beefed up. A three layer of the security arrangement is in place at the CBI court. The inner layer is of Indian Army and then BSF and then the local police.

3:12 PM: A special CBI court in Panchkula found him guilty in 2002 case and the quantum of sentence will be declared on 28th August, Monday. Till then, the DSS chief will be in judicial custody at Rohtak Jail.

: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim declared guilty in rape case
The Supreme Court on Monday slammed the Gujarat government over the slow trial in rape case against self-styled godman Asaram. The apex court asked the state government to explain why the victim wasnt examined yet.

File an affidavit and tell us the progress so far, the SC directed the state government. Accused of rape charges, Asaram is undergoing a trial in Gandhinagar court.

The 72 years old godman is in jail after a 16 years old girl lodged a police complaint on August 20, 2013, accusing him of sexually assaulting her at his ashram in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The move comes in the wake of a CBI court convicting Dera Sacha Sauda chief Ram Rahim for raping a minor 15 years ago.
Telecom regulator Trai today set into motion consultation for the next round of spectrum auction across nine bands that include 60 per cent of unsold radiowaves of the last bidding and 275 megahertz of two new bands meant for 5G services.

While the Department of Telecom (DoT) has proposed to hold auction in 2017, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has sought opinion on when the next round of auction should be held and whether it should done in a "phased manner".

"The government is planning to auction the right to use of spectrum in 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3300-3400 MHz and 3400-3600 MHz bands in the next auction to be held in 2017," Trai said in the consultation paper. "DoT has requested the Authority to provide its recommendations on applicable reserve price, quantum of spectrum to be auctioned and associated conditions for auction of spectrum in these bands for all service areas."

In the proposed spectrum auction, DoT plans to sell about 60 per cent of total spectrum that remained unsold in the last auction.

In addition, DoT has included two more bands -- 3300-3400 MHz and 3400-3600 MHz -- it plans to allocate for mobile services through the auction.

"DoT has proposed to include 100 MHz in all the 22 LSAs (licenced telecom circles) in the 3300-3400 MHz band for the forthcoming auction for access services," the paper said.

Trai said that out of the 200 MHz band available in 3400 -3600 Mhz band, 25 MHz spectrum (3400-3425 MHz) is identified for ISRO's use in Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS).

"The remaining 175 MHz (3425-3600 MHz) spectrum is available for access services and the same can be put in the forthcoming auction," the regulator said.

During the last auction, the government had put airwaves worth Rs 5.66 lakh crore for sale. In the five-day auction, seven telecom companies made commitments of Rs 65,789 crore for buying 964.80 MHz of spectrum in various frequency bands.

Even at the end of the auction, nearly 60 per cent of the spectrum remained unsold (in all, 2,354.55 MHz was placed on the block) and spectrum worth Rs 4 lakh crore in 700 Mhz band found no takers.

The telecom industry has been reeling off its poor financial health, falling revenue and profitability demanding that the auctions should be held late next year or early 2019.

Last date for comments on this paper is September 25 and that of counter-comments is October 3, 2017.
Two months after the Doklam standoff, both India and China have finally decided to withdraw troops from the tri-junction.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday that in recent weeks India and China have maintained diplomatic communications on Doklam.

India and China agree to expeditious disengagement of border personnel at faceoff site in Doklam, the statement said. This comes days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit Xiamen to attend the BRICS Summit from September 3 to 5.

Read More: http://www.news18.com/news/india/two-months-after-standoff-india-china-withdraw-troops-from-doklam-1503091.html
Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives to cast his vote for the country's next President, at the Parliament House in New Delhi, India, July 17, 2017. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi - RTX3BQ8J

The Niti Aayog has favoured synchronised two-phase Lok Sabha and Assembly elections from 2024 to ensure "minimum campaign mode disruption" in governance.

The government think tank said it would be in the national interest to hold simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, and suggested formation of a group of experts to devise how it could be done.

"We may begin work towards switching to a synchronised two-phase election from the 2024 election to the Lok Sabha. This would require a maximum one-time curtailment or extension of (the tenure of ) some state assemblies," it said.

Noting that it is in in the national interest to hold simultaneous polls, the Niti Aayog said a focused group of stakeholders comprising constitutional and subject matter experts, think tanks, government officials and representatives of various political parties should be formed to work out appropriate implementation related details.

"This may include drafting appropriate Constitution and statutory amendments, agreeing on a workable framework to facilitate transition to simultaneous elections, developing a stakeholder communication plan and various operational details," it said in its "Three Year Action Agenda, 2017-18 to 2019-20".

It has suggested making the Election Commission the nodal agency to look into the suggestion and set a "timeline" of March 2018 for this purpose.

The Aayog's recommendation comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former president Pranab Mukherjee made a strong pitch for simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies.

Modi has repeatedly spoken in its favour, saying if the proposal was not suitable, it could be rejected, but there should be a debate on it.

At the Diwali Milan event organised by the BJP last year, Modi said, "There will be hesitation for some time. But, despite such dilemma, the public discourse should continue."

He had, however, insisted a decision on this cannot be imposed by the government.

Mukherjee, in his speech on the eve of this year's Republic Day, too, had favoured it.

"The time is also ripe for a constructive debate on electoral reforms and a return to the practice of the early decades after Independence when elections to the Lok Sabha and state assemblies were held simultaneously.

"It is for the Election Commission to take this exercise forward in consultation with political parties," the former president had said.

Modi had said again in February that simultaneous elections would "cause some loss to all, including us" but political parties should not look at the idea through the narrow prism of politics.

"One party or a government cannot do it. We will have to find a way together," the PM had said.

Elections are held all the time and continuous polls lead to a lot of expenditure, he had said replying to the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to presidential address.

Modi had said that more than Rs 1,100 crore was spent on the 2009 Lok Sabha polls and the expenditure had shot up to Rs 4,000 crore in 2014.

Over one crore government employees, including a large number of teachers, are involved in the electoral process causing maximum harm to the education sector, he had said.

Security forces also have to be diverted for the electoral work even as the country's enemy keeps plotting against the nation and terrorism remains a strong threat, Modi had said.
BJP president Amit Shah today credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with laying the foundation of an "unbeatable" BJP in Gujarat while fighting a smear campaign.

"It is easy to make governments. It is hard to make a good karyakarta (party worker)," Shah said, lauding Modi's role in building the organisation at the grassroots level.

Modi laid the foundation of a strong and "ajeya" (unbeatable) BJP in Gujarat, he said after releasing the Hindi translation of a book on Modi 'Hamare Narendrabhai' authored by Dinesh Desai.

"Modi's life has been full of hardship. Many people tried to malign him, but he has come this far while countering such people," he added.

Shah said the role of party as an important part of democracy was established for the first time in the 1995 Gujarat Assembly polls when there was change of power (from Congress to BJP) without any significant development like Emergency or the Ram Mandir issue.

"This is the first instance of victory due to building a strong party organisation," Shah said.

Modi took over as Gujarat chief minister in October 2001 but was involved for long in building the party in the state.

"As CM, Modi had promised to bring electricity to all villages in Gujarat in 24 months, but he did that in 18. The then opposition leader and former CM Amarsinh Chaudhary told Modi that being an engineer he thought the target was unachievable, but Modi kept his word," Shah said.

The BJP president said under Modi the country was seeing the end of "politics of caste, dynasty and appeasement" and moving forward on the path of politics of performance.

Under UPA, every minister thought he was Manmohan Singh while nobody gave importance to the real prime minister, Shah said.

The Modi government has been "without a taint" in the last three years, compared to the charges of corruption of Rs 12 lakh crore under the UPA government, Shah claimed.

Our government has provided a life of dignity to young girls by building four lakh toilets in three years, he said.

Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the contained rare photographs of Modi from his childhood and youth.

"When Modi addressed the US Congress, he received a standing ovation 56 times," Fadnavis said.

Union minister Piyush Goyal cited a popular greeting card with the words 'The world's greatest boss' while speaking about his experience working with Modi.

Describing the pair of Modi and Shah as "incredible", Goyal said, "We have never seen such an excellent coordination between the government and the party before this."
Downplaying India's announcement of a mutual agreement to disengage in Dokalam, China claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area and said India had withdrawn its troops today.

China also remained silent on its plans to build a road, which sparked the prolonged standoff in the Dokalam area near Sikkim, and said it would "make adjustments" with the situation on the ground.

As the Indian statement on mutual "expeditious disengagement" went viral on social media and among Chinese journalists, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel impressions of a climbdown by Beijing.

"On the afternoon on August 28th, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary," she said.

"Chinese personnel on the ground have verified this. The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions," she said, stonewalling questions about Indias announcement of mutual disengagement of troops.

The Chinese side, Hua added, continues to patrol the Dokalam area.

She also declined go into questions on whether there was any mutual understanding between the two countries to resolve the standoff.

However, after repeated questions, she said, "I can tell you that China will make adjustments with the situation on the ground." She did not elaborate.

Hua was also conspicuously silent about whether China would proceed with the building of the road in Dokalam, which was the prime reason for the standoff.

India wanted the status quo to be restored to withdraw its troops.

Meanwhile, a Chinese military spokesperson said the army will remain vigilant and firmly defend national territory and sovereignty.

"Peace and stability along the China-India border concerns regional peace and stability and accords with the common interests of the two peoples," Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defence, was quoted by the official media as saying.

"We remind India to draw lessons from the standoff, abide by established treaties and the basic principles of international law, and work together with China to safeguard peace and stability along the border and promote the healthy development of the two militaries," he was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Troops of the two countries were locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

Bhutan, which claimed sovereignty over the area, had also lodged a diplomatic protest to China on June 28.

Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese troops from building the road close to the strategic Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting Indias mainland with its North East.

India said Chinas road building also violated the 2012 agreement between the Special Representatives of India and China to resolve the boundary issue. The agreement referred to the strategic tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan. Developments in Dokalam come days of ahead of the September 3-5 BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen.

So far, none of the leaders of the five-member bloc, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have announced their visits.
10001-00000-000-01685

Justice Dipak Misra was today sworn in as Chief Justice of India, succeeding incumbent JS Khehar who retired on Sunday.

At a brief ceremony held at the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office to Misra, who had been recommended as a successor by Justice JS Khehar in July.

Misra's tenure as the 45th Chief Justice of India will last for 14 months until he retires on October 2018.

Dipak Misra, 63, has been at the forefront of some of the landmark judgements in recent history.

A native of Odisha, he began his legal journey as an advocate in 1977. Misra ventured into most realms of law - constitutional, civil, criminal, revenue, service and sales tax matters - before being appointed as an additional judge of the Orissa High Court in 1996. He was transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court shortly before he became a permanent judge in 1997.

Misra served as the Chief Justice of Patna High Court in 2009 and the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court in 2010. Subsequently, he was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court in September 2011.

He is currently the Executive Chairman of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) and has taken up initiatives to provide legal aid to the deprived people. His efforts extended to creating the facility of "Legal Assistance Establishments" or Nyaya Sanyog which cater to poor litigants to get faster access to justice by accessing court documents, case statuses and easy connectivity with the lawyers via phone numbers or online.

Misra headed the bench when Yakub Memon, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai blasts, had pleaded for the dismissal of his death sentence hours before he was due to be hanged. In a judgement that would be etched in Indian legal history, Dipak Misra dismissed the last-minute plea in an unprecedented 2.30 am hearing.

In May, Misra also upheld the death sentence of the four convicts in the heinous 2012 Delhi gang-rape case.

He was also heading the bench which made singing the national anthem compulsory in cinema halls as well as standing up for the same.

Misra has been entrusted with the responsibility of heading a three-judge bench which will hear a string of petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute from August 11.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar summoned an emergency meeting today of top officials of the state after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 10 years in jail, a senior official said.

Khattar also appealed to the people, especially Dera followers, to maintain peace, the official added.

"The chief minister summoned an emergency meet of the chief secretary, home secretary, Haryana DGP and other senior officials to take stock of the situation after the CBI court awarded the jail term to the Dera chief," the official said.

The conviction on Friday of the Dera head Singh for a 2002 rape case by a CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, triggered violent protests by Dera followers. At least 38 people were killed and 260 injured in Panchkula,Haryana.

To prevent any further trouble, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge Jagdeep Singh today pronounced the sentence in a makeshift court in Sunaria jail, where Ram Rahim, 50, had been lodged since his conviction.

CM Khattar said all possible arrangements had been taken to deal with "any situation that may arise" after the sentencing.

He directed the administration to deal strictly under the law with anyone found stirring up trouble or indulging in violence or arson.

Neighbouring state Punjab has also been put on high alert, with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh closely monitoring the situation, officials said.

The Punjab Cheig Minister will meet Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator V P Singh Badnore later today to brief him about the situation in the state.

Punjab has been maintaining a vigil in sensitive districts falling in the Malwa region, including Bathinda, Sangrur, Moga and Patiala, where there is a sizable presence of Dera followers.

Schools and colleges stayed shut across Haryana and parts of Punjab today. Mobile Internet services will remain suspended in the two states till Tuesday.

Sensitive areas such as Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala, Kaithal, Patiala, Bathinda, Moga, Ferozepur and Malout in Haryana and Punjab are on high alert, the officials said.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court came down heavily on the Khattar government after Friday's large-scale violence.

Khattar was also attacked by the opposition, which accused him of failing to handle the situation.

Authorities in Haryana said they were braced up for any eventuality and would prevent a re-run of the events that broke out in Panchkula on Friday.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared that North Korea's latest missile test was a "provocative act" but said he still hopes to persuade Pyongyang to come to the negotiating table.

Earlier this month, Washington's top diplomat suggested a diplomatic opening might be close after North Korea reacted to a new round of United Nations sanctions with what he termed "some level of restraint."

And on Tuesday US President Donald Trump seized upon the lack of immediate North Korean missile tests as evidence that the country's leader Kim Jong-Un "is starting to respect us."

But yesterday, true to recent form, North Korea test- fired three short-range ballistic missiles, with Kim apparently thumbing his nose at calls for him to send Washington a signal that he is serious about nuclear disarmament.

"The firing of any ballistic missile is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions," Tillerson told Fox News today.

"We do view it as a provocative act, a provocative act against the United States and our allies."

But he added, "We continue to want the Kim regime to understand (there) is a different path that he can choose."

Asked whether he and Trump had been too quick to imagine that Kim might be ready to show restraint, Tillerson said: "I don't know that we are wrong ... I think it's going to take some time to tell."

"Clearly they are still messaging us as well that they are not prepared to completely back away from their position," he said.

"Having said that, we are going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign as I have described it," Tillerson said, "working with allies, working with China as well, to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table, begin a dialogue on a different future for the Korean peninsula and for North Korea.
Drop box worries, ballot harvesting concerns, voter intimidation fears, lengthy delays and long-awaited results: The fretting over Election Day procedures was on full display in the weeks before the mid-term election on Tuesday. Add to those unfounded worries were the...
Education

Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.

Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.

Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:

International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.

EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.

Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale  an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s  will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets  June Homecoming: Participant  $18 per person; Sustainer  $25 per person; Benefactor  $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler  Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.

The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:

SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available  for information call 610-275-1960

Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)

SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.

Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.

Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.

Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.  4 p.m.  computers are available during those hours.

Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.

Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.

Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.

The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:

Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at

other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.

CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.

The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:

Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.

Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.

Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.

Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.

The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.

For Kids & Families

The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.

Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.

Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.

The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.

Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.

Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.

Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.

Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.

Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!

Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.

Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.

Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.

Community Events at the Ambler Y:

-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.

Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.

Health

Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.

The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.

The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.

Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.

Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.

Spring Aquatic Programs  UDHS Pool:

-Summer is just around the corner  Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.

 Shallow Water Aerobics  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.

 Adult Swim Instructions  Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR

-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.

-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday  Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.

-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.

-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.

Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.

SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.

Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.

Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:

FITNESS CLASSES

Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.

Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30  9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.

Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30  7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.

New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m.  12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30  4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.

Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.

Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.

Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.

Librarytalk

Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744

www.upperdublinlibrary.org

APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:

Storytimes: Please register in the library.

o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.

o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.

o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.

o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.

APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:

North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee

APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:

NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.

One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register  contact info above.

Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.

o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.

Meetings:

Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.

Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.

Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.

For children and teens at Blue Bell:

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.

* May 14  Despicable Me

* June 11  Alpha and Omega

* Special Events

* April  watch for date of spring/Easter events

* April 14 at 4:30 p.m.  Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.

* April 14 at 7 p.m.  Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.

* April 16 at 1 p.m.  Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.

* April 16 at 1:30 p.m.  Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?

* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.

* April 30 through May 3  Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.

* May  sign up for Science in the Summer

* June  sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children

* June  sign up for Summer Reading, all ages

For adults at Blue Bell:

* Daytime Book Discussion Group  fourth Tuesday, Jan  April at 1:30 p.m.

* April 26  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Night-time Book Discussion Group  third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.

o April 19  The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester

* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges

o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?

*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs

* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.

* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.

* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.

* Giant Book Sale, April 29  May 3

o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!

o Held during library hours.

o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.

o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.

* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series

o May 11 at 1 p.m.  Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society

* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.

* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.

* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.

* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.

*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.

* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours

* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours

* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!

Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.

* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.

* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.

* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.

* For adults:

* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.

* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net

* Special Events:

* April 14 at 1:30 p.m.  Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

* April 19 at 7 p.m.  Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.

* April 21 at 7 p.m.  Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.

*May 2 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

*May 10  Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*May 12 at 1:30p.m.  Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

*May 17  Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.

*June 13 at 6:30 p.m.  Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.

Meetings and Lectures

The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.

The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.

The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.

LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.

Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.

Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)

-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.

The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.

For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.

Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.

Special Events

The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.

The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.

Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.

The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.

Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.

The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.

The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.

The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.

Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.

The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.

The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.

The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.

Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.

The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.

13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.

Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.

The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.

The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.

JPRN  Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them  Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.

Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.

Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.

Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.

Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.

Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m.

Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp  Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday  Friday from 9 a.m.  4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374

Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:

-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.

Music and Theater

The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.

Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.

Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.

The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org

Religious News

The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.

Reunions

St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.

Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.

Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.

Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net

Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net

The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.

Support

New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.

PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.

The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.

Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.

Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group  every other Wednesday, 7  8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support  second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner  Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers  Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.

CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7  8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
Rabbis installation at Keneseth Israel will get a boost of student creativity
Subprime lender Provident Financial Group (PFG), a prominent holding of UK equity income fund manager Neil Woodford, saw its shares lose more than 60% on Tuesday morning.

The company issued a profits warning, an FCA investigation into retail arm Vanquis Bank, scrapped its interim dividend, and said that chief executive Peter Crook would leave with immediate effect. The company, which sells high-interest loans and credit cards to individuals with low credit scores, has had a turbulent year, with shares falling nearly 20% in June on an earlier profit warning.

Woodford defended his investment in the lender at the time, saying: More often than not, the market over-reacts in response to bad news, even if the causes are only transitory. We believe that Providents dividend is unlikely to be affected by this temporary event and the long-term attractions of the group remain very much in place.

PFG is the fourth biggest holding in the Silver Rated CF Woodford Equity Income fund after AstraZeneca, Imperial Brands and Legal and General. Woodford first added Provident to the fund in June 2014. It makes up 4.63% of the fund. This mornings trading update states: In view of the substantial deterioration in the trading performance of the home credit business, together with the uncertainty created by the FCA's investigation at Vanquis Bank, the Board has determined that the group must protect its capital base and financial flexibility by withdrawing the interim dividend declared on 25 July 2017 and indicate that a full-year dividend is unlikely. Providents shares lost 10.75 to 679p in mid-morning trading. Last month, Woodford suffered another blow when shares in AstraZeneca (AZN), the top holding in the Equity Income Fund and a core holding of many UK equity income funds, fell 16% on the failure of initial trials for lung cancer drug Mystic. Which Funds Hold Provident? Woodford is not the only fund manager exposed to Providents downfall. Closed-end fund Jupiter European Opportunities (JEO), run by Alexander Darwall is a large shareholder, with the stock making up 5.7% of the trust. Jupiter European Opportunities is a Morningstar Analyst Gold Rated fund, investing in Pan-European equities. Analyst David Holder says: "Darwall takes a high-conviction approach; he builds his portfolios from the bottom up, following thorough fundamental analysis, and there is a strong focus in his process on having an in-depth understanding of how a company works and on maintaining regular contact directly with its management. "He seeks companies with proven track records, clear business plans where management acts in the interest of shareholders, evidence of entrepreneurial endeavour, above-average earnings growth prospects and superior pricing power." Rathbone Blue Chip Income and Growth also owns the stock in the top 10 holdings, and Invesco Perpetual High Income has 3.7% in Provident. M&G Pan European Dividend fund and M&G Dividend fund both invest in Provident, as does Aberdeen UK Equity Income.
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
Zillow Wins Suit; Cherry Creek Chairman Resigns; Comprehensive Disaster Updates

Tropical Storm Harvey is very slowly creeping back toward the Gulf of Mexico but it was moving at only three miles per hour as of early Monday, so Southeast Texas, where Harvey made landfall, is still in danger. At least five deaths, and many more injuries, have been attributed to the storm. With Harvey expected to remain around Southeast Texas for the next several days, cumulative rainfall in isolated parts of Texas could reach 50 inches. Put another way, Harvey isnt finished, but if the estimated rainfall in Southeast Texas and the greater Houston area (as of 12 p.m. Sunday) was collected, youd have a cube of water two miles wide and two miles tall.

Disaster Updates

As always, customers should review the seller guides of individual investors! A complete list of the affected disaster areas can be found at www.fema.gov.

"The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and state bank regulators recognize the serious impact of Hurricane Harvey on the customers and operations of many financial institutions and will provide regulatory assistance to affected institutions subject to their supervision. The agencies encourage institutions in the affected areas to meet the financial services needs of their communities.

"Bankers should work constructively with borrowers in communities affected by Hurricane Harvey. The agencies realize that the effects of natural disasters on local businesses and individuals are often transitory, and prudent efforts to adjust or alter terms on existing loans in affected areas should not be subject to examiner criticism. In supervising institutions affected by the hurricane, the agencies will consider the unusual circumstances they face. The agencies recognize that efforts to work with borrowers in communities under stress can be consistent with safe-and-sound banking practices as well as in the public interest.

Community Reinvestment Act (CRA): Financial institutions may receive CRA consideration for community development loans, investments, or services that revitalize or stabilize federally designated disaster areas in their assessment areas or in the states or regions that include their assessment areas. For additional information, institutions should review the Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Community Reinvestment here.

Freddie Mac's disaster relief options will be available to borrowers with homes in presidentially-declared Major Disaster Areas where federal Individual Assistance programs are made available to affected individuals and households. Until then, servicers may leverage Freddie Mac's forbearance programs to provide immediate mortgage relief to borrowers affected by the storm.

"We strongly encourage the many American families whose homes or businesses are being impacted by Hurricane Harvey to call their mortgage servicer if the Federal Emergency Management Agency's declaration is announced," said Yvette Gilmore, Freddie Mac's Vice President of Single-Family Servicer Performance Management. "Relief -- including forbearance on mortgage payments for up to one year -- may be available if their mortgage is owned or guaranteed by Freddie Mac."

Freddie Mac disaster relief policies authorize mortgage servicers to help affected borrowers in presidentially declared Major Disaster Areas where federal Individual Assistance programs have been extended. Freddie Mac mortgage relief options for affected borrowers in these areas include suspending foreclosures by providing forbearance for up to 12 months, waiving assessments of penalties or late fees against borrowers with disaster-damaged homes, and not reporting forbearance or delinquencies caused by the disaster to the nation's credit bureaus.

Lenders are reminded that Fannie Mae has selling and servicing policies to assist impacted borrowers (or potential borrowers) following a disaster, such as the hurricane on the Gulf coast. Refer to Assistance in Disasters for information on where to find Fannie Mae's policies for providing assistance to borrowers impacted by a disaster. View the press release.

Due to the potential impacts of Hurricane Harvey to the southern Texas coast, at this time, and until all affected areas have been identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other sources, Pacific Union Financial, LLCwill temporarily suspend the funding of loans secured by properties in impacted areas.

AmeriHome, with FEMA's DR-4332, reminded clients that policies vary based on program and re-inspection requirements for transactions with and without appraisals. Sellers are reminded that they are responsible for determining potential impact to a property located in an area where a disaster is occurring or has occurred, irrespective of whether the property was included in an area covered by a disaster declaration. Sellers are also reminded that appraisal waivers and reduced appraisal types, such as Fannie Mae's PIW and Freddie Mac's ACE, are not eligible in areas impacted by disasters. See the respective Agency requirements for details.

AmeriHome reminded clients that for loans on properties involving transactions with appraisals for Fannie, Freddie, VA, and USDA, if the appraisal is dated on or before incident period end date, including on-going disasters where an incident end period date has not yet been declared then the re-inspection date must be May be prior to the declared incident period end date.

For non-agency, Core Jumbo, or FHA, if the appraisal is dated on or before incident period end date, the re-inspection date must be after declared Incident period end date. (In other words, re-inspection may not be completed until after the declared incident period end date).

For properties without an appraisal, a property inspection is required if no incident period end date has been declared and Loan Purchase is on or after incident period start date, or the incident period end date has been declared and Loan Purchase is on or within 90 days after incident period end date. Re-inspection type can utilize any of the property inspection types in Seller Guide Section 10.10.7.1., AND include an interior inspection with photos.

Sellers must follow Wells Fargo standard Disaster Policy for all properties located in ZIP codes that Wells Fargo Funding has determined were impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Precautions must be taken for Loans originated within affected areas. Regardless of whether FEMA has formally declared a disaster, all transactions showing any indication of damage to the collateral should comply with the published Disaster Policy Guidelines as outlined for customers here.

Customers of Chase can visit the Correspondent Site for more information on appraisal requirements, and re-inspection requirements.

And the same with SunTrust - it is spelled out in SunTrust's seller guide.

NewLeaf Wholesale reminded its brokers that If the subject property is located in an impacted area, with a completed appraisal dated prior to the incident start date, a 1004D re-inspection completed by the Appraiser must certify that the property is free from the applicable natural disaster damage. For appraisals in an impacted area dated during the incident period, the Appraiser must: Comment on the condition of the property and any effects on the marketability AND add detailed language into the body of the appraisal confirming that the property is free from the applicable natural disaster damage OR provide a 1004D re-inspection to certify that the property is free from the applicable natural disaster damage. For appraisals in an impacted area dated after the incident end date, the Appraiser must: Comment on the condition of the property and any effects on the marketability AND add detailed language confirming that the property is free from the applicable natural disasters damage into the body of the appraisal.

Harvey isn't the only recent disaster.

On 8/2/2017, with DR-4326, FEMA announced federal disaster aid with individual assistance for 4 Michigan counties, Bay, Gladwin, Isabella and Midland in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding from 6/22 to 6/27/2017.

As a result of severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and Flooding in Missouri, FEMA declared a major disaster area (DR-4317) in several counties. Properties located in these areas must follow Plaza's Natural Disaster Policy, GD-PO-008.

Because of severe storms, flooding, landslides and mudslides in West Virginia (DR-4331), FEMA declared a major disaster area for Harrison, Marion, Marshall and Wetzel counties for an incident period of July 28, 2107 - July 29, 2017. FEMA declared and communicated the major disaster on August 18, 2017.



Capital Markets

Rates are certainly behaving themselves. It appears that the focus of LOs has, in part, shifted away from hoping for lower rates (the 10-year hit 2.16% Friday, closing at 2.17%) and into making tough deals work. That aside, U.S. Treasuries, and with them agency MBS prices, ended last week on a higher note - perhaps due to a weaker-than-expected Durable Goods number. It wasn't due to speeches by Fed Chair Janet Yellen or European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi, as neither provided little new information.

Ahead of the long Labor Day holiday weekend our calendar of scheduled news is packed. We start today with July advanced economic indicators including the goods trade balance ($65.1 billion) and wholesale inventories (+.4%), along with a $26 billion 2-yr note auction and $34 billion 5-yr note auction. Tomorrow, for those that care about two-month old real estate price information, we'll see the June Case-Shiller 20-city Index, August Consumer Confidence, and a $28 billion 7-yr auction. Wednesday is the MBA's application survey results, August ADP Employment Change, and the 2nd estimate of GDP.

Thursday has the August Challenger Job Cuts, weekly Initial Claims, July Personal Income and Spending/Consumption, core PCE Prices, August Chicago PMI, and July Pending Home Sales. Friday is all the August job data as well as July Construction Spending, August ISM Index, and final August Michigan Sentiment. We begin the week, grappling with the economics of Hurricane Harvey, with the 10-year yielding 2.18% and agency MBS prices unchanged versus Friday's close.

Jobs and Personnel

Gateway Mortgage Group's Correspondent Lending Division welcomes its newest Regional Sales Manager covering the Rocky Mountain markets, Ryan Renz. With 18 years of experience in mortgage banking, Ryan has served the industry in many roles throughout his tenure including - senior account management, origination, processing and secondary marketing. Ryan brings a wealth of experience and a commitment to correspondent lending which perfectly aligns with Gateway's strategic initiatives and platform. Gateway's Correspondent Lending Division, an arm of one of the largest privately held mortgage bankers in the country, offers a wide array of programs, competitive pricing and a unique alternative to the correspondent channel for small and mid-sized financial institutions as well as independent mortgage companies. For more information, please contact Jared Edmonds.

Paramount Equity Mortgage today announced a series of executive appointments designed to assist in the company's aggressive growth plans in retail lending. The appointments include Rhonda Dalton as Senior Vice President of Operations and Bridget Clark as Vice President of Marketing. "It's an incredibly exciting time for Paramount right now. The strength in our business and the momentum we are experiencing is putting us on a steep upward trajectory," said Mike Berte, President of Paramount Equity. "The arrival of Rhonda and Bridget in these leadership roles will be key to our continued growth in retail lending and help us build efficiencies in the pivotal areas needed to offer consumers and our retail partners a best-in-class mortgage experience." For career inquiries regarding opportunities in Sales and Operations, please contact our Recruiting Manager, Tara Gomes (916.218.7076).

"Fresh off adding two more top 20 lenders as clients, Title365 is growing and searching for a national and a regional sales executive. Title365 National Solutions is a title and settlement company known for its innovation, technology, and strategic disruption in the title industry. As our Sales Executive, you will acquire, build, and maintain long-lasting client relationships with top mortgage banks, lenders, and credit unions. The ideal candidate has a consultative sales approach with a broad knowledge of mortgage lending, must have sales experience with a proven track record of exceeding goals, and be self-motivated to succeed in a fast-paced, competitive environment. Interested candidates should send resume to Marlena Diaz."

Bill Sohan and Brooke Anderson at Academy Mortgage are "excited to announce that John Ranieri, a proven leader in our industry, is now running our first Branch located in Southern, NJ. Please welcome Aimee deVries, Danielle deVries, Kristen Clarke, Barbara Owen, Frank DiMichele and Emily Rohm to the Academy Mortgage Family! If you would like to learn more or become part of an amazing Team, please contact Brooke Anderson (609-500-1520).

Wil Armstrong, the chairman of Colorado's Cherry Creek Mortgage Co. Inc., has resigned a day after Cherry Creek said it was changing its previous policy of denying health-insurance benefits to same-sex couples in the wake of a lawsuit. In his brief announcement, Armstrong said he had resigned Thursday as chairman and a member of the board of directors, "effective immediately." In his statement, Armstrong made no mention of the same-sex benefits issue, nor did he give a reason for his resignation.

Zillow, on the other hand, received some good news as a judge dismissed a plaintiffs' complaint against the online real estate firm that alleged that its estimates amounted to unlicensed appraisals and made their properties hard to sell.
Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)

Today

A clear sky. Much cooler. Low 44F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

A clear sky. Much cooler. Low 44F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph.
A California mortgage company is suing an insurer, claiming it refused coverage for a claim filed after a hacker stole more than $75,000 by impersonating the mortgage companys former CEO.American Pacific Mortgage filed the lawsuit against Aspen Specialty Insurance Company in federal court, claiming the insurer must cover a claim resulting from the cyber attack.In August 2015, American Pacific Mortgage was a victim of an elaborate scheme which involved an email hacker posing as the (then) CEO and duping an unsuspecting employee, American Pacifics current CEO, Bill Lowman, told HousingWire . It is important to point out, at no time were our systems infiltrated or confidential data breached. While the event was significant enough to file an insurance claim, the amount in no way impacted the companys operations, employees or the consumers we serve.Lowman told HousingWire that American Pacific filed the lawsuit because, since the incident occurred two years ago, the end of the statute of limitations is approaching.While we are not at liberty to speak about the specifics of the event, we feel it is our responsibility and welcome the opportunity to share our experience with others in the industry and make them aware of both the threat and the potential gaps in their insurance, he said.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Among those protesting the decision to stop playing notes from Dixie in the Lee High School fight song was senior Joshua Hutchins.

Hutchins stood side by side with alumni and parents who peacefully protested LHS Principal Stan VanHoozers recent decision. Hutchins stood there in his North Carolina sack coat -- a tribute to two distant cousins who fought for the South in the Civil War. Hutchins is probably more aware of the current events happening in the community. He is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans organization, so if pictures of Gen. Robert E. Lee are being taken down -- as he said is happening inside the school, including at the schools office -- hes not going to overlook it.

He also said LHS students arent happy about the decision.

I know there were tears shed when the band was told about it last week, Hutchins said. People arent happy at all.

The protest took place on the southeast corner of the Lee campus, right in front of the Lee Youth Center. There were no more than eight to 10 protesters at any one time. Security was on hand just in case, but it wasnt needed.

Protest organizer Chris Gafford said he knows there is more support behind the effort than what was demonstrated on Monday morning. He said the attention given to the subject on social media is evidence of that. He also said he got a lot of thumbs up signs from people driving by on the first morning of the school year.

Gafford said he will approach the Midland ISD trustees at their next monthly meeting -- typically scheduled for the second Monday evening of the month at Bowie Fine Arts Academy.

Hutchins told the Reporter-Telegram that it was hard to see the Dixie decision coming. He said other students really arent opposed to Dixie being integrated into the fight song.

Either you like it and have a sense of pride about it, or you dont care about it, or you couldnt care less about the fight song, Hutchins said. The band is upset about it.

He is aware of the attention given Confederate imagery, including petitions on both sides of the Lee school name-change debate. Most students dont really pay attention to the news being made elsewhere that might have fired up a lot of adults.

They just care about what is happening here, and they dont see a reason for a lot of this stuff, Hutchins said.
Editors note: This is the last in a series of essays by Midland students who visited Europe on Lions Club-sponsored trips.

Michael Williams, a senior at Midland Christian School, is the son of Martha Williams and the late Larry Williams. His trip to Italy was sponsored by the Midland Westside Lions Club.

---

My trip began on the morning of the June 29, when I departed from the Midland airport for a journey that would take me from Dallas to Miami and then Milan, Italy. I left Miami at 5 p.m. on June 29 and arrived in Milan at 9 a.m. the next day. As I barely slept on the plane, I fought through the day, trying my best not to fall asleep.

I met with my host family, and all was well. I met my host mother, Fortuna, who spoke English fairly well; my host brother, Andrea, who spoke some English; and later my host father, Mimmo, who barely spoke any English. This first day felt awkward, although I was met with extreme hospitality. We spent this first day getting acquainted, discovering the rituals of the house and enjoying espresso and gelato.

The next two weeks I spent with them in their small city of Novara, located about 40 minutes from Milan. There wasnt a single boring moment with them. I tried countless Italian pastas such as bolognese, pesto, cacio e pepe, and my personal favorite, carbonara. I ate authentic pizza, and somehow did not gain 40 pounds.

I was taken to Venice, Monte Bianco, Florence, Milan, Lago Dorta and Lago Maggiore. I saw the Last Supper (or as the Italians call it, Cenacolo), Il Duomo di Milano, the Uffizi Gallery, La Cupola di Novara, La Basilica di San Marco, La Catedral di Santa Maria and countless lesser sights.

I even learned how to cook some dishes, such as carbonara and tiramisu. During these two weeks, I grew close with my family, as well as members of the other host family who we made most of these trips with. But at the end of the second week, it was time to say good-bye to them, and hello to Lions camp.

We drove to Savona, where campers would stay at a seminary for a few days. I met my camp director, Oreste, and the counselors, Erica and Mirco. As the other campers came in, I met each of them. In total, there were 15 of us, representing 12 different countries. By the end of camp we had become friends, some closer than others. During camp, we took a few trips to Savona to experience an Italian beach and see the citys churches. Its a lovely and peaceful town. We took a trip to Genova, where we learned the odd history of the city and visited the second largest aquarium in Europe. We visited Turin for two days, where we visited the National Cinema Museum and Egyptian Museum.

The final days of the camp were spent in Rome. On the drive there, we stopped in Orvieto, a small city built on a hill that is home to the famous Well of Saint Patrick.

Now, what do I say of Rome? It was unlike anything Ive experienced. It is a timeless city, the past and present together in perfect unity. Every aspect of the city was a balance. We visited Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, The Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, and my personal favorite, St. Peters Basilica. It was massive. There really isnt any other way to describe it. The church was so large that I felt small, insignificant almost. It was magnificent, covered in art and adornments.

I saw countless wonders on this trip, but thats not why I remember it so dearly. My favorite memories are with the people I met, and the friendships we made, and the experiences we shared. I miss Italy dearly, but I miss my friends even more so.

Lastly, I am beyond thankful for this opportunity. Im honored that I was chosen by my counselor and then the Lions to go on this trip, and to the Midland Westside Lions Club for sponsoring me to go on this trip. One of the things that surprised me the most about the camp is that, after talking with everyone, I was the only camper who had all expenses covered by the Lions. I dont have words to explain how immensely grateful I am to everyone who sponsored me.






The Texas Department of Transportation Odessa District on Friday announced three significant traffic alerts for the region.

 Business 20: Work on the sign bridge that spans Business 20 one-tenth of a mile west of Midkiff Road will require several lane closures starting Tuesday. The work is expected to be completed Thursday.

All three eastbound lanes will be closed Tuesday morning, and traffic will be split among the remaining four lanes. There will be a center turn lane during the project. After the eastbound signs have been changed, the project will flip and the three westbound lanes will be closed and traffic moved over while the westbound signs are replaced.

 Loop 250 and Business 20: Starting Tuesday, Loop 250 frontage road construction will begin. The ramps on the north side of Business 20 that service Loop 250 will be closed. The project is expected to take two days to complete.

The overall project will rehabilitate 6 miles of frontage roads in two sections: between the north frontage road of Interstate 20 and State Highway 191, and between Midkiff Road and Business 349 (Big Spring Street). Intersection work under the overpasses at Thomason Drive and A Street also will take place

There is a width restriction of 11 feet.

 Farm-to-Market Road 1788: Crews will patch and seal FM 1788 in Andrews County on Tuesday and Wednesday. Work will be set up in 3-mile increments and will be done between mile markers 284 and 290. The work will result in lane closures.






Editors note: This is the first in series of opinion articles addressing criminal justice reform.

About a decade ago, it was evident to me that Americas justice system was drifting away from serving people toward serving the power of an expanding government. A proliferation of laws positioned government rather than citizens as the victim for various crimes. This resulted in insufficient room in prisons for true criminals-those who make communities unsafe-because they were clogged with offenders who threaten no one.

As a result, I helped the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) launch a national effort called Right on Crime, which led the way for conservative reforms in the justice system that make communities safer while focusing on human victims of crime.

A primary finding by Right on Crime is that using a one-size-fits-all approach to justice results in a criminal justice system that is inefficient and ineffective. One particularly innovative improvement that Right on Crime discovered was a drug court -- which diverts non-violent drug offenders into a system that has proven effective. Midland County has included funding for a drug court in the 2017-18 proposed budget after great success with a similar program referred to as a veterans court, a special court involving a 12-step accountability and rehabilitation program specifically geared towards veterans.

This is an extremely positive move. Midland is no longer a small town, and with what we see on the horizon for the Permian Basin, it is vital that we get in front of the big city problems we have already begun to experience. Drug courts allow more resources in the traditional system to be used to fight violent crime, while offering redemptive opportunities for non-violent offenders.

Consistent with Midlands core values -- elevating hard work and opportunity -- drug court participants go through a program involving comprehensive supervision, direct interaction with a presiding judge, regular drug testing and treatment services, immediate sanctions, and incentives. When participants make it through the program, everyone wins. Today, non-violent drug offenders do not get this opportunity. Instead, they often go to prison where they take up space that should be available to lock up violent offenders. They also lose their jobs and often throw their entire families on welfare, all of which ends up costing taxpayers a bundle.

With drug courts, these non-violent offenders have an opportunity to take responsibility for their own recoveries and work their way to a better life.

As stated by Marc Levin, Policy Director of TPPFs Right on Crime, [drug courts] force participants to confront their addiction and repair the damage they have done to themselves, their families, and their communities. Similar to the concept behind Midlands Veterans Court, drug courts take an innovative, accountability-focused approach to addressing non-violent, substance-abuse offenders.

Over the past 2 1/2 decades, this approach has been scientifically proven to reduce recidivism rates, and at less than half the cost to taxpayers of traditional methods. By reducing the chances of relapsing and repeat offenses, more families stay intact, social service systems are less likely to be overburdened, and former offenders are more likely to hold jobs.

More specifically, research conducted by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals concluded that drug courts reduce crime by a staggering 45 percent when compared to other sentencing options. Participants also reported significantly less family conflict, were more likely to enroll in school, and needed less assistance with employment, educational services, and financial issues.

A recent article titled No Repeat Customers Lubbock Drug Court Transforms Lives, quoted District Judge Ruben Reyes, who stated that incarceration costs amount to $20,000-$50,000 per drug offender, per year, while the cost of an effective drug court system was typically less than $2,500 yearly. It does not take a business guru to give a thumbs up to any concept that produces a 45 percent improvement and a 90 percent cost reduction.

The 152 drug courts currently operating in Texas are, one-by-one, producing results that are helping to curb a horrifying epidemic, and we are fortunate that our local District Attorney, Laura Nodolf, is an advocate for adding a drug court in Midland.

There is a lot going on in our national politics that can be discouraging. But this shouldnt keep us from making advances in our own communities. It is great to see two branches of local government working together to advance policies that actually help their community-thats how government is supposed to work. Bringing drug courts to Midland is an outstanding step forward that can make us all proud.

---

Tim Dunn is CEO of Midland-based CrownQuest Operating and Vice Chairman of Texas Public Policy Foundation
GET OUR APP Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. Download it here.
Flooding and other devastation from Harvey has displaced thousands of people across Texas. It's a situation that Texas will be dealing with for years, according to FEMA director Brock Long.

RELATED:

Groups nationwide are mounting efforts to collect donations and organize volunteer efforts to deliver aid where it is needed most.

As always, before you donate, be sure to research any group before you give money or other donations. Also, groups with strong local ties to the community are sometimes the best place to donate.

Check out the organizations listed below for details on how to help.

The National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster is offering several ways people can help  including donating money, donating supplies and even volunteering. Head to the NVOAD website.

Local groups across Texas are taking in thousands of displaced pets. These organizations need monetary help. Since these groups are out of the immediate area, they also benefit from in-kind donations. You can actually go to Amazon.com, buy something off their wish lists and have it shipped to them.
A childhood friend of the man accused of shooting and killing two Kissimmee Police officers says he feels a sense of failure.

Mark Greene, who grew up with Miller, wishes he and his high school classmates could have done more to help Everett Glenn Miller with his mental health struggles after Millers years of military service.

According to Regeus Brinson, a friend of Millers, the veteran struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Its an issue a lot of people in Central Florida face: How do you get help for someone who needs mental health services?

Officials at one of the oldest mental health nonprofits in the state of Florida say you don't have to spend a lot of time calling a lot of different agencies for help.

Charlotte Melton is the vice president of the Mental Health Association of Central Florida. She says their motto is, Its OK to get help.

Greene grew up with Miller and both graduated from Gateway High School in Kissimmee.

He was a very funny, comical kid growing up, the kind of kid that everyone seemed to get along with," Greene said Monday.

Greene is now a pastor in St. Petersburg. He says Glenn, as they called him, dedicated his life to military service, serving for more than 20 years in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"Sometimes, we don't recognize that people are struggling with issues. We have a way of discounting it as something that's short term or temporary or the mood at the moment, but we don't recognize that people are struggling," Greene said. "We don't always know how to respond to what's happening."

Connection specialists at the Mental Health Association of Central Florida say they know how to help friends, family and co-workers who want to help but may not know where to start. The nonprofit has been helping people since 1946.

"They can guide the caller through the process of what's available out there. Is the service available just talk therapy... or are there different types of therapy they might be interested in or is it time to consider medication?" Melton said.

Besides referring you to local mental health providers, they can offer assistance to those without financial resources or even transportation.

Melton said the bottom line is to get help  whether you need it or someone close to you needs it.

Investigators have not said whether Miller was ever formally diagnosed with PTSD, but, I personally felt a sense of failure," Greene said. "We all know someone who served who needs someone to listen to them," he said.

To reach the Mental Health Association of Central Florida, go to their website or call 407-898-0110 or after hours, dial 211.

Help is out there

Where you can go to take the first step:


HART -- The Hart Days Committee met Aug. 22 at Centennial Bank Community Room to discuss this years celebration, held July 27-29, and next years event. Aurelia Perez presided over the meeting.

There were some problems with clean-up this year, and suggestions were made on how to eliminate some of these problems next year. It was suggested to move the food vendors and crafts vendors from the Fire Station to Centennial Pavilion, utilizing the Pavilion and the street. This way, no tents (and accompanying expense to get erected and taken down) will be needed. Also, the City of Harts tables and chairs will be available for use. They should be easier to put set up then the tables and chairs belonging to Hart Volunteer Fire Department.
It hit with the impact of breaking news -- the kind that smacks us in the face on the front end of most newscasts. I felt faint -- and my cell phone clammy -- as my Uncle Morts words seared my brain.

Im going to be OK, nephew, he said. But Maude had to take me to the emergency clinic today, right after I rolled a joint.

Rolled a joint? My 105-year-old uncle? No way.

Momentarily speechless and feebly fumbling for a fitting response, I was grateful that Morts unending word stream gushed on.

I was working on my bucket list, never dreaming it would result in an ER visit. But, that wasnt the worst part, he rambled. I didnt expect the doctor to give me an in-your-face lecture.

Mort, on his first visit to a doctor this century, sneaked a peak at the notation on his medical record, warning the old coot that if he doesnt stay off skateboards, hes likely to roll his other ankle.

Misunderstandings occur regularly, right? They do in my family, as well as others that will remain nameless. Except for one that warrants sharing. Our 10-year-old grandson Kedren had one of those almost nearly but not quite hardly situations.

His Sunday school teacher posed a Bible trivia question. An Old Testament prophets wife had a boys name. Who was Hoseas wife? Like a cougar poised to pounce, Kedren shouted out, Goober! Close, but no cigar. Not even a candy cigarette, but he did get the first two letters right. No, its Gomer, the teacher said. Kedren claimed he always gets Andy Griffith characters mixed up.

If the question ever comes up again, he might try remembering GOMER as a medical acronym -- Get Out of My Emergency Room.

Across the pond, numerous misunderstandings may abound as Brits and visitors seek to learn the precise time. Since 1859, theyve depended heavily on the gongs of Big Ben in the House of Parliament. Alas, the world-renowned timepiece must be stilled for repairs until 2020.

What to do? If time-seekers truly want to know, they need only dial 817-844-6611. Thats the phone number in Fort Worth where callers have been able to learn both the time and temperature since 1951.

Chase Bank formerly sponsored the service, but opted out recently. Haltoms Jewelers, a 125-year-old Fort Worth firm, is taking it over. The tab is $400 monthly, but 23,000 calls were received during the first four days as a Haltoms holding, and calls are still pouring in by the thousands daily. An AT&T spokesperson reminds that when one is in another country, one must first dial +1 and then numbers shown in the previous paragraph. This presumes, of course, that one really wants to know the time in Cowtown and/or the rest of the Central Time Zone.

The Big Ben reference reminds of a time when tourist visitation to the Tower of London was waning. Meanwhile, numbers were climbing at Italys Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Minister of Tourism in England was flabbergasted when the Queen expressed her dismay that Ben Ben was losing its appeal.

Wait! They decided to jack up one side of the clock tower. Sure enough, tourists returned in great numbers. Why? Because visitors then not only had the inclination, they also had the time. (For the idle curious, Pisa was begun in the 12th century, with completion more than a century later. It is 185 feet tall, but the leaning side is two feet shorter. It wasnt called leaning until recent centuries.)

Back when, it seemed important to know what time it was, even if we werent taking medicine and/or had no place to go. What time is it? was our plea when in the company of folks who had timepieces.

Youngsters responded with an old joke answer. Time all fools were dead. Aint you feeling sick?

End of the lines; everybody off.

Dr. Don Newbury is a speaker in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Send inquiries/comments to newbury@speakerdoc.com.
Climate change: Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, hosts a conversation on climate change with UC Berkeley Professor Daniel Kammen and Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown. The event is from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the San Francisco Zoo, Sloat Boulevard and Great Highway. Tickets required; event will also be streamed on Speiers Facebook page. Information and tickets: http://bit.ly/2uZ9ELJ

Environmental authors: Litquake presents panel of authors discussing Trump administration environmental policies. Panel members include Kenneth David Brower and Mary Ellen Hannibal. Free event is from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St. in San Francisco. Information: http://bit.ly/2wcxkeo

Virginia candidate: The Sister District Project is raising funds for Kathy Tran, a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, by hosting a discussion with Rita Bosworth, the Sister District Project founder, and former California Assemblyman Ted Lempert. 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., 390 Capistrano Road, Half Moon Bay. Information: www.goo.gl/d2KVLu

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Sexual minorities: Phillip Ayoub, assistant professor of politics at Drexel University, discusses the recent history of transnational movement in Europe and the reasons for states varying approaches to legal recognition for LGBT rights. His talk begins at 4:10 p.m. Thursday in Room 382 of the humanities building at San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. at 19th Avenue. Admission is free. Information: https://lca.sfsu.edu/events/2017-08-31-231500/817163.

Town hall: Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, hosts a town hall meeting at the Crockett Community Center, 850 Pomona St., from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday. Information: http://www.facebook.com/events/336289353489096

Town hall: A forum for students in West Contra Costa middle and high schools and Contra Costa College. Speakers include members of the Richmond and El Cerrito city councils and other government panels. The event, hosted by Contra Costa Young Democrats, is at 5 p.m. Sept. 7 at John F. Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. Information: www.youngdems.org

Voter registration: Volunteers will help new U.S. citizens register to vote after swearing-in ceremony. Sponsored by Democracy Action, which works to advance Democratic candidates. 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 7 outside the Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Information: https://demaction.us

Picnic in the park: Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, hosts a picnic in Golden Gate Parks Marx Meadow picnic area Sept 10. RSVP: http://chiuassembly.ngpvanhost.com/form/-1081566039410473216

Town hall: Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, holds a town hall at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at Dance Palace, 503 B St., Point Reyes Station. Information: http://bit.ly/2vpinSI

To list an event, email Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com.
An army of anarchists in black clothing and masks routed a small group of right-wing demonstrators who had gathered in a Berkeley park Sunday to rail against the citys famed progressive politics, driving them out  sometimes violently  while overwhelming a huge contingent of police officers.

Hundreds of officers tried to maintain calm in and around Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park before the 1 p.m. No to Marxism in Berkeley rally, putting up barricades, searching bags and confiscating sticks, masks, pepper spray and even water bottles. The goal was to head off the type of clashes that sprang from similar rallies in the city earlier this year.

But once again, counterdemonstrators frustrated efforts by police, who numbered about 400. As the crowd swelled to several times that size, officers stepped aside and allowed hundreds of people angered by the presence of the right-wing rally to climb over the barriers into the park, said Officer Jennifer Coats, a spokeswoman for Berkeley police.

Now Playing: Right-wing demonstrators and counter-protesters squared off at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park in Berkeley Sunday morning. Police broke up a heated verbal altercation between a man wearing a red Make America Great Again and another man who was in his face. Officers also made several arrests before noon. Credit: Lizzie Johnson Video: JW Player

The masked counterprotesters, often referred to as antifa or antifascists, significantly outnumbered the people who had come for the rally, many of whom wore red clothing indicating support for President Trump. The anarchists chased away the right-wingers, and in one case four or five pummeled a man with fists and sticks before a radio host for Reveal, Al Letson, jumped in to shield the victim. Anarchists also attacked reporters who documented their actions.

By the time the confrontations wound down in midafternoon, police had arrested 13 people, including one for assault with a deadly weapon, Coats said. Most were accused of bringing banned items into the park. Six people reported non-life-threatening injuries, Coats said, including two taken to hospitals.

In one of many incidents caught on video, police protected Joey Gibson, the leader of the conservative group Patriot Prayer, who had canceled a rally Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco after city leaders criticized the event plans as inciting white nationalists.

The footage shows that Gibson backed away from a mob of black-clad aggressors who swore, hit him with a stick and shouted, Fascists go home! Gibson leaped over a concrete barrier before being chased into the embrace of riot-gear-clad cops.

The violence in the park remains under investigation, and police asked witnesses to report all injuries and submit any videos. After past protests, videos helped police make arrests, Coats said.

Now Playing: A person was treated with eyewash at the protest in Berkeley Sunday. The protest grew increasingly violent as groups of demonstrators exchanged blows, deployed pepper spray and mobbed right-wing demonstrators around the park. Credit: Guy Wathen Video: San Francisco Chronicle

Saturday had been a day of mostly peaceful antihate demonstrations across San Francisco. But Sunday was different in Berkeley.

Were just puzzled as to why people consider violence a valid tactic, said Kristin Leimkuhler, 60, of Berkeley, who with a group of neighbors left the protests when they turned chaotic. We felt disappointed and surprised by how many people were not in any way discreet about being with antifa  in fact being very bold and prepared to be violent.

Like Leimkuhler, thousands of people who came out to oppose the right wing rally had no connection to the anarchist mob. Instead, they came to voice opposition to Trumps policies, which many people said had buoyed white nationalists across the country.

No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA! crowds chanted early in the day at Civic Center Park.

Hundreds of mostly local residents converged at Berkeleys Ohlone Park to oppose hate speech, racism and white supremacy. They carried signs reading Berkeley stands united against hate, Queers against hate and End white supremacy.

Its important for people to show up and make it unacceptable for right-wing white supremacists to spew hate and incite violence, said Jeff Conant, 50, of Berkeley, who helped organize the antihate rally.

He praised Saturdays tremendous victory in San Francisco and said Sunday was about galvanizing a movement to oppose white supremacy and the structures that support it.

Berkeley had denied a permit to the organizer of the anti-Marxist rally, Amber Cummings, saying her application had been late and incomplete. Cummings later asked supporters not to show up because she feared violence.

Now Playing: A man was injured during a scuffle at a counter-protest in Berkeley Sunday. Right-wing demonstrators were driven out, often violently, by an army of anarchist counterprotesters in black clothing and masks. Credit: Brad Brown Video: JW Player

The swamping of right-wing political ideas by left-wing demonstrators has become a recurring theme in Berkeley and other California cities. The tension rose Aug. 12 when a Nazi sympathizer allegedly drove his car into a crowd in Charlottesville, Va., that had been protesting a white supremacist rally, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Trump blamed the violence in Charlottesville on many sides.

A week later, on Aug. 19, left-leaning demonstrators dwarfed a right-wing rally in Boston.

In Berkeley on Sunday, some observers derived satisfaction from watching far-left protesters beat up and chase off a young man at the rally in apparent support of Trump.

Its a good time, said Tom Martell, 70, of Crockett, who stood in Civic Center Park with his girlfriend, Lisa Argento, 53.

Theyve got to be chased out, Argento said. I moved to the Bay Area and pay good money to live here. I dont want these people here. They need to leave us the f alone.

Argento said she has mixed feelings about ignoring members of the political right who rally to drum up support for their views.

What are we waiting for? she asked. They already hold the White House. They are already dragging people away in the middle of the night.

But others thought the actions of the masked counterprotesters were shameful.

What hypocrites, said Linda Fuentes Rosner, 69, a Spanish-language interpreter from Vallejo, who glared at a group in the park chanting anti-Trump slogans. They dont know what theyre talking about. You think its OK that a Trump supporter gets beat up? Its embarrassing. The left has prevented the right from speaking. Thats not American, that despotism.

A Republican, Fuentes Rosner came to Berkeley for a conservative meet-up that didnt happen. Organizers told her that the small group left because it felt intimidated.

Jay Pino, 23, said he came to Berkeley from New Mexico to protest the right-wing rally, but peacefully.

This doesnt have to be about violence, he said. The aggressive people here, I get it. Its hard to express their anger, and its also hard to keep it in. Im here to try to keep the peace. No matter how bad the other side is, we have to pray for them as well.
In a surprise move late Sunday, Ubers board of directors picked Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of online travel company Expedia, to take over the embattled ride-hailing company.

Assuming Khosrowshahi takes the top job, he will fill a spot that has been left vacant for more than two months after the departure of co-founder Travis Kalanick amid accusations of rampant sexism, mistreatment of employees and unethical practices at the company.

A 48-year-old Iranian American businessman, Khosrowshahi has served at the helm of Expedia since 2005, during which time the company expanded its global presence to 60 countries.

Khosrowshahi had been the dark horse of Ubers CEO search, emerging as the leading contender only in the final moments  during a series of weekend meetings of Ubers board, according to anonymous sources quoted by the New York Times, and after two candidates, Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman and General Electric Chairman Jeffrey Immelt, had publicly withdrawn from the contest.

Uber did not respond to a request for comment on the boards selection Sunday night.

On paper, the differences between Kalanick and Khosrowshahi seem vast and numerous.

While Kalanick fought for months to remain on an advisory council to President Trump, despite criticism and calls for his departure from Silicon Valley peers and his employees, Khosrowshahi has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration and its policies.

Earlier this year, Khosrowshahi ended an earnings call with investors by saying, Hopefully we will all be alive to see the end of next year. On the day Trump was inaugurated, Khosrowshahi shared an Expedia ad on social media encouraging people to broaden their understanding of the world through travel, a subtle knock against Trumps antiglobalist policies.

Dara is not a white man; as an immigrant from Iran, he can relate to a lot of the challenges that some underrepresented people at Uber may have been through, said travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group. Dara is not a tech bro, which is not to say he is a stodgy guy  he is not, but Dara is an adult. And he leads like one.

Recruiting a new CEO had been fraught with infighting on the board, including a contentious lawsuit by early Uber investor Benchmark Capital against Kalanick.

Though Uber is valued at nearly $70 billion by its investors, continues to grow rapidly and is probably headed toward an initial public offering, the company remains unprofitable and has many critics.

Its reputation has been marred by allegations of a toxic workplace culture for which many blame Kalanick. It has also been embroiled in lawsuits including an intellectual property dispute with Waymo, Googles self-driving car business, and has several vacancies in leadership, including the jobs of chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

Even its real estate portfolio is in turmoil. The company is pulling out of its move into Oakland, looking to sell Uptown Station, the enormous former Sears building downtown that Uber bought two years ago, and remains so thoroughly disliked by the community there that Black Girls Code, an Oakland nonprofit, refused to accept a $125,000 donation from Uber.

All of these difficulties have weighed on the search. As Ubers eight-person board narrowed the candidates down to three, one bowed out of the process. Immelt, who had just stepped down as CEO of GE, said on Twitter Sunday morning that he had decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber.

Immelt had reportedly been Kalanicks pick to take over his old position, which may have given pause to board members reluctant to allow Kalanicks influence to continue unchecked.

Insiders and analysts had said the company could have benefited from having a female CEO.

For weeks, it has seemed the woman Ubers board wanted for the job was Whitman, who had close ties to Benchmark.

But Whitman, 61, repeatedly denied interest in the job, saying she was committed to Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Ubers CEO will not be Meg Whitman, she tweeted on July 27.

People who know Khosrowshahi described him as a competent leader with a strong commitment to diversity and a frank manner.

He is calm, razor-smart, open and honest to a fault, said Carl Shepherd, co-founder of vacation-rental site HomeAway, which Expedia bought for close to $4 billion in 2015. If a man can fix the problems Travis created at Uber  and thats a big if, because Travis dug quite a big hole  Dara is that man.

A big challenge for Uber is fixing its culture, getting employees who are still there to feel good about the company they work for, to feel pride in the company they work for, Harteveldt said.

Today, Khosrowshahi serves as a board director at companies including Fanatics Inc. and the New York Times Co.

Hes managed through transition, said Jason Clampet, co-founder and editor in chief of travel website Skift. Hes managed through turmoil, and hes done a pretty good job of it.
The rain has not relented, and the ultimate, enormous damage from Hurricane Harvey  and its impact on to the Texas economy  wont be known for months after the water drains away.

The storm came ashore near Rockport on Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane before wreaking havoc across hundreds of miles of the Texas Gulf Coast. It continues to dump rain across Houston, and Gov. Greg Abbott called out the entire Texas National Guard on Monday to help with rescue efforts there as much of the metropolitan area turned into a lake.

The human and economic toll is still unfolding.

Whats clear is that the economic impact is large  spiraling out across Texas and the U.S., as the nations fourth-largest city remains at an economic standstill and much of the nations refining capacity goes offline. The impacts are small and personal, too, as people tally up their losses from flooded and wrecked homes, cars and other property.

At Texas A&M Universitys Real Estate Center, economist Jim Gaines is already getting calls and emails from people who want to know how the flooding affects their homes value.

I dont know what to tell them, Gaines said.

Neither does he know yet how to estimate the overall damage to property or the effects on the states $1.6 trillion economy  the second-largest in the U.S. after California.

I have no earthly idea, Gaines said. Its going to be significant in terms of dollars and in terms of the impact on people. Its in the billions. The question is, is it hundreds of billions?

It will likely affect the South Texas economy for months. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moodys Analytics, predicted that the regions economic output will be cut by about 1 percent, or $7 billion to $8 billion. It will recover, he said, helped by money from insurance payments and government aid to rebuild.

Business activity is halted in Houston for at least several more days, and much of Harris Countys housing stock is flooded. Everything from business deals to home sales has been halted and will be suspended while people go into damage-assessment and repair mode, Gaines said. From Port Aransas to Houston, communities will face a serious housing shortage as many homes and apartments will be uninhabitable until rebuilt or repaired.

I have no idea if Im talking tens of thousands or what that are no longer marketable, Gaines said.

The immediate thing is that all the real estate transactions in the pipeline or nearly in the pipeline are off the table, Gaines said. You cant get a property inspector out to look at it because theyre going to be swamped. You cant get an insurance adjustor out. Theyre going to be swamped. It will take weeks, maybe a month or two, to get any semblance of organized response. Its going to be people doing the best they can, but theyre going to be overwhelmed.

Although business losses are centered on the coast and the Houston area, the rest of Texas isnt off the hook, specifically San Antonio, warned Victor Lai, owner of a San Antonio business brokerage, Murphy Business.

Small companies have trouble recovering from repair costs and lost revenue while closed for repairs, and clients may move to other companies before a damaged firm can reopen, Lai said.

Nearly 40 percent of small businesses dont survive natural disasters of this magnitude, he said.

San Antonios economy is closely tied to Houstons, and while Houstons business climate was riding an upswing ahead of the storm, that may now be put on hold as funds are shifted toward cleanup, slowing down business buying and selling, Lai added. However, opportunities do present themselves for well-funded businesses to buy up struggling ones to increase their market share, or to open up shops in areas where they had no presence previously.

The economic impact of Hurricane Harvey wont be enough of a shock to cause a regional recession, said Keith Phillips, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas senior economist in the San Antonio branch office.

There will be a lot of personal impact on peoples lives. There will be a lot of rebuilding activity. Houston is an important part of the state, but its a big state, Phillips said Monday as he and other Dallas Fed economists worked to prepare a report on Harvey for the media and to brief Dallas Fed CEO and President Robert Kaplan.

With all the houses that have been wiped out, if they are rebuilt, it will look like theres a bounce back, but that doesnt account for the loss of capital, Phillips said.

There will be a slowdown. People cant go to work, so that output will be lost, Phillips said. People who dont have insurance will have to rely on savings, or federal or state help. We dont know what thats going to be like. Theres a lot of uncertainty right now. We are looking at the broader (gross domestic product) in Houston, the maximum output per day. Some losses will be temporary. Some will be permanent. If people are not shopping, they may make up for it later to replace lost things.

According to the National Flood Insurance Program, only 15 percent of Harris County houses have flood insurance. In Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, 20 percent of the houses have flood insurance.

For the first month, retail jobs likely will go down in Texas, especially in the storm-damaged areas, and construction jobs will rise. Construction will dominate, Phillips said.

The energy industry, which is centered in Houston, will also have to go into recovery mode, Gaines said.

Roughly 2.2 million barrels per day of Texas refining capacity remained down, according to S&P Global Platts. The ports in Houston and Corpus Christi were closed.

The question is, how fast does it come back and does it come back completely? It probably will, Gaines said. Im guessing in a matter of months theyll be back up and running in whatever capacity they want to. Theyve got the money and the know-how. Its too important. Theres too many dollars involved.

jhiller@express-news.net

Twitter: @Jennifer_Hiller

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
NEW HAVEN >> There has been more shuffling of duties at City Hall and in Mayor Toni Harps re-election campaign.

Rick Melita is leading the campaign, along with Jesse Philips, while Jackie James has bowed out as Harp heads toward the Sept. 12 Democratic primary for the nomination against Marcus Paca.

Melita has been the liaison from the mayors office to the Board of Alders since March 2016.

Those duties have now been added to Chief of Staff Tomas Reyes job description for the duration of the election season, according to Laurence Grotheer, spokesman for the mayor.

Melita is taking a leave to help with Harps campaign as she seeks a third term.

Melita has a long career working on labor and election campaigns and was policy director for former House Speaker Chris Donovan, D-Meriden, before Donovan ran for the 5th District congressional seat in 2011.

He was also the field director for Ned Lamonts 2006 Democratic U.S. Senate primary campaign.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Harp got to know Melita during the two decades she was a state senator in Hartford and Melita worked at the Capitol for the Connecticut State Employees Association, SEIU, Local 2001.

Michael Harris, special assistant to the mayor, is also not at the state Capitol these days as the liaison from New Haven.

The mayor said they are working with DePino and Associates to represent the citys needs in Hartford, where lawmakers have yet to finalize a budget for 2017-18.

She said Harris is working on CTNext, a program for which the city was awarded state funds to help make it an innovation hub, as well as other data projects.
Editor's note: In light of flooding, check whether the event is still scheduled or has been canceled.

Create your own wine dinner during Houston Restaurant Weeks: Ouisie's Table, 3939 San Felipe; $20 at lunch, $28 at dinner with HRW menu for seven wine samplings through Monday; 713-528-2264.
In a lofty downtown apartment filled with paintings and sculpture by a Whos Who of San Antonio artists, perhaps the greatest artwork is the view.

Framed by 6-foot windows facing north, it features a nightly light show at nearby Bank of America Plaza  Bill FitzGibbons light sculpture Kinetic Skyline  and glimpses of historic churches, Travis Park, even The Pearl off in the distance.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

GREENWICH  Greenwich residents and organizations are primed and ready if theyre needed in Texas as the remains of Hurricane Harvey continue to sweep through the southeast quarter of the state and the Gulf Coast.

The deadly storm that hit Texas over the weekend has left at least eight dead and thousands homeless or with damaged property from flooding. The rain continues to fall.

Abigail Adams, regional communications officer for the American Red Cross, said more than a dozen people from the Metro New York Region  headquartered in Cos Cob  have been deployed to areas affected by the storm and more than two dozen should be sent to Texas by the end of the week.

This is such a massive relief effort, Adams said. The best way to support it is financially, and if people want to volunteer, we would be happy to have that help, too.

Red Cross volunteers must go through a training regimen before they are deployed, Adams said, but people with needed skills, from carpenters to salvage experts, can go through a condensed program.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

We want our volunteers to be ready to take on these jobs because the last thing we want is to send someone is who is not prepared for what they have to do, Adams said.

Volunteers also will be needed to take calls at overburdened relief centers or setting up shelters for people who have lost their homes.

Disasters like this require a huge response and we always need people to mobilize, Adams said. If they want to be part of the effort, there is a need for people who can get down there. Volunteering through the Red Cross is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have.

The Red Cross relief effort is expected to be a lengthy one, she said.

People can call 1-800-RED-CROSS to volunteer or visit http://www.redcross.org/ for information and to make a donation. Donors can text Harvey to number 90999 to make a $10 donation.

We live in a very generous and giving community, Adams said about the Greenwich response. People have called us up wanting to donate clothing, and while we cant do that, we need financial support to be able to purchase supplies for people in need.

Connecticut Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal have called for federal aid for the Gulf Coast. On Monday, Blumenthal urged Congress to send aid immediately. Blumenthal, a Greenwich resident, made several appearances in the area, including a stop at Americares Stamford office, telling those interested in helping to do so through organizations already set up to aid, like the Red Cross and Americares.

They can best channel and direct the vast energy and emotions that have been created by this huge humanitarian crisis, Blumenthal said. Connecticut is opening its heart and arms to the residents of the Gulf Coast.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, also a town resident, said the climate is changing.

We cant afford to naively pretend storms like Sandy or Harvey are anything but the new norm. As these extreme weather events become more common, we need not only to aid in rebuilding damaged communities, but to develop an overarching strategy to mitigate the effects of the next inevitable storm, better protect lives and property, and fight the underlying causes of climate change.

Our region is all too familiar with the devastation that can be caused by massive weather events like Harvey, Himes said Monday. Not only do we need a robust federal response to this disaster to help people get back on their feet, but all Americans can band together and chip in to help through the American Red Cross or other organizations. Please remember, however, it is currently not safe to go to Houston and your presence would only interfere with first responders and put your own safety at risk. There will be a time to rebuild, but now is a time for caution.

Himes has also called for federal disaster relief for the region.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
STAMFORD  A number of swastikas and other graffiti discovered Saturday on a wall at a public high school has sparked outrage and concern in the community.

Police received a report of the vandalism at the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering at 411 High Ridge Road at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Sgt. Richard Phelan said.

The assorted graffiti included swastikas painted in black, an upside-down crucifix, and the numbers 666, according to Phelan. The F word was also painted in places, with several extra ks appended to it, a possible reference to the Ku Klux Klan.

Other scrawls appeared to be anti-school or obscene. One wall bore the message F___ AITE!!!

The incident is being investigated by the departments property crimes unit, Phelan said.

In a statement sent Sunday, the United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Canaan and Darien and the recently started Jewish Community Relations Council said they were deeply disturbed by the symbols painted on the building.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

The statement said there have been reports of two people being called anti-Semitic slurs while leaving local synagogues in the past two weeks.

We cannot and will not tolerate hate in our community, the statement said. We call on faith leaders to come together and speak out against hate. These hateful and disturbing acts are not just a Jewish problem, but one affecting all minorities.

This is not the only act of anti-Semitic vandalism in the city this summer. In July, a Stamford man used feces to smear a swastika and a Star of David near the entrance of the Rich Forum Media Center on Atlantic Street.

After investigators reviews video provided by the Rich Forum and a city traffic camera, police arrested 58-year-old Robin Spearman and charged him with a hate crime, as well as breach of peace for allegedly drawing the symbols.

The Academy of Information Technology & Engineering is an interdistrict public magnet high school with a student body of 700 from throughout western Fairfield County. The schools curriculum focuses on technological areas of study including biomedical science, information technology and engineering design, as well as business and fine arts.

Sharon Beadle, a spokeswoman for Stamford Public Schools, said the school would make any campus security video available to police.

This is really a matter for police and isnt a school matter, Beadle said. Obviously the school will cooperate with the police in any way to bring the investigation to a resolution.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the Stamford Police Property Crimes Unit at 203-977-5828.
1 Voter registration: Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a measure Monday allowing automatic voter registration. Under the measure, eligible individuals will be automatically registered unless they opt out when they visit secretary of states offices for drivers license services and other state agencies. Illinois joins more than half a dozen states, including California, with some form of automatic voter registration, which proponents say boosts civic participation.

2 Priest abuse: A former Catholic priest who has already served five years in prison for sexually abusing two boys in Maryland has been indicted in South Carolina on nine charges. Solicitor Duffie Stone said in a news release Monday that Wayland Brown, 74, molested two middle-school aged children in Jasper County almost 40 years ago. Brown was ordained in the Diocese of Savannah, Ga., in July 1977 before moving on to Maryland. Pope John Paul II dismissed him from the priesthood in 2004 after his Maryland convictions.
Glennda Hardin, who spends most of her time blessing others, received a blessing herself on Tuesday following the Liberty County Commissioners Court meeting and she didn't even know it.

The deacon at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church was vacationing in Washington state getting a better view of the eclipse when, on the following day, she received an unexpected call from the Dayton News.

"This is quite a surprise," she said. "We're very grateful."

Hardin's group G.R.A.C.E. Initiative of South Liberty County was named as one of several county recipients of grant funds.

The grant of $50,000 was divided amongst the Dayton Senior Citizens Center, Cleveland Senior Citizens Center, and G.R.A.C.E. Initiative of South Liberty County as recipients of $13,500 each. The Hardin Senior Citizen Center received $5,500 and the North Liberty Food Pantry will be the recipient of $4,000.

The county had applied for and received a grant of $50,000 from the Southeast Texas Housing (SETH) Finance Corporation in Houston. Commissioners decided unanimously in a special called meeting following their regular court session to divide the money out amongst the senior organizations.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Liberty County Judge Jay Knight informed Ron Williams of SETH of the court's decision.

In a letter to Williams, Knight wrote, "Our intention is to spend the entirety of the grant money in programs that feed our elderly citizens."

The county, he said, has several local Meals-On-Wheels and senior citizen's programs who go to great lengths to serve meals to homebound and other senior citizens who are unable to do for themselves.

"These programs provide a place of community and reduce isolation," Knight said in the letter.

"They lengthen and enrich lives and in many instances, they provide the only consistent source of nourishment in the life of their beneficiaries."

In January 2015, a group began chatting with the Houston-Galveston Area Council who funnels money through the Area Agency on Aging.

The AAA and the county each gave them a grant and, with the help of other donors as well, they began serving meals in June 2016.

"For six or eight months we were working behind the scenes solidifying the financial base and setting up the organization so that it would be here to stay," she said.

Greater Respect for the Aging Through Community Efforts (G.R.A.C.E.) Initiative of South Liberty County was born.

"Right now, financially, we could serve additional communities, but we don't have enough volunteers in those communities to begin," she said.

She also pointed out that no one, including the board, is paid to work for the organization.

"We've gotten a break on the rental of an office. We pay cash for everything so we have no debt," Hardin said.

Hardin said they just needed five volunteers to help them open up a delivery route in Ames, but even with the help of city council and area churches, they didn't receive enough volunteers to launch.

They've also struggled with volunteers in Dayton and some of that may be a misunderstanding.

"I think some believe that since there's already a seniors program there, they don't understand that we're not a competitor, but we take meals to people who are shut-ins," she said.

For people who can't get to the senior meeting, there's nothing right now.

The meals are prepared by the Liberty Middle School cooks and volunteers pick up the meals from there to deliver on their assigned route.

Volunteers pick up a route sheet with a map to tell them where to go, including door hangers in case they miss them.

"We try to keep the routes down to an hour or 75 minutes," she said. "We need between 10-15 volunteers to help us. It's in the middle of the day, but it doesn't take very long to do."

The deacon also said she thought that the human contact was just as important as the meal itself.

"Our volunteers are always talking about how meaningful this is to them," she said.

Many do not have relatives living close enough to take care of them and the seniors don't want to lose their independence either.

Volunteers only commit to once a week.

"We work with all of our volunteers to accommodate their schedule," Hardin said.

To be another blessing for Hardin and G.R.A.C.E., please contact them at 936-641-2846 or any other of the organizations in your area.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Ten pigs, 12 rabbits, 30 chickens, a horse, goat and a donkey. Raymond decided to abandon the Ark idea and instead bailed for drier grounds on Saturday after the first round of devastating rain from Hurricane Harvey.

The Cedar Creek resident in Dayton knew the area was prone to flooding.

"We tried to prep for it," a nervous Raymond Burns said, moving everything of value they had into the unfinished barn built up on a mound.

"That first rain on Saturday was so hard, we decided to leave immediately," he said.

The family has two small vehicles and Raymond knew waiting could be dangerous for them.

"I wasn't going to take a chance," he said. "I knew I could always come back if I was safe, but I couldn't always leave."

So, the Burns family made the move to leave shortly after 3 p.m. on Saturday.

He put out enough food and water to feed the animals over the next several days.

The father of five children packed up his two vehicles, his wife behind the steering wheel of one and him in the other, and they hit the road.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

The savvy father had already been on Airbnb.com to search for a place for his family to stay. His diligence paid off, but the only one he could find out of the area was in Flint, Texas.

He reserved a place to stay in the little East Texas spot outside of Tyler and despite the flooding back home, his fortunes were changing because it was the last one available in the state.

They trekked through multiple road closures resulting from the flood waters and arrived in Flint six hours later instead of the normal four-hour drive.

He didn't completely abandon his animals.

He has a close eye on them round the clock with video-recording equipment and live cameras to monitor their well-being.

Burns is the owner of a small, wireless Internet company complete with servers and a tower to supply Internet to his neighbors in the rural community in which he lives.

"A lot of them can't afford Internet and so we just take donations to help cover the cost the best we can," he said.

The humanitarian effort provides his community with access to information that proved to be key for them during the worst storm in county history.

The computer developer for Pct. 2 Harris County Commissioner Jack Moorman said he couldn't risk the lives of his family, but didn't have a way to evacuate his animals either. It was a heart-wrenching decision.

"It will be rough the next few days, but I know they'll be fine," he said.

Until then, he'll keep a wary eye on them, praying for the best in the company of his secure family.
The Coldspring/San Jacinto County Senior Center is ready to host its annual talent show this year on Sept. 16.

The talent show is a major fundraiser for the Senior Center that gives locals the chance to watch local talent perform onstage while enjoying a meal, making it a dinner and a show type of event.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Battered by Harvey, northwest Harris County responded by closing roads, schools and businesses.

Mike Baxter, the director of tourism and marketing, said there are no plans for evacuating residents as of Monday.

A Red Cross shelter has been opened in Tomball at 401 Oxford Street, near downtown. By Monday, officials said it was over capacity at around 100 people.

Due to safety concerns, CHI St. Luke's Hospital also announced on Monday that it would be evacuating about 50 patients from both the Vintage Park and Sugar Land locations to other CHI hospitals in Texas.

"Our facilities will remain on high alert through the duration of this disaster event to ensure we are prepared to continue to provide much-needed healthcare services throughout the area," wrote St. Luke's Hospital spokesman Joshua Snellgrove in an e-mail.

Both Klein and CyFair ISDs opened shelters to accept local residents displaced by the floods. Lone Star College opened its campuses to give people refuge from the storms.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Mike Baxter, the director of marketing and tourism said the water in some areas of Tomball rose over the weekend between three to four feet high or "waist deep," he said.

In response, the independent school districts of Cypress-Fairbanks, Klein, Spring, Tomball announced school closures for the entire week and plan to reopen after Labor Day on Tuesday, Sept. 5. Lone Star College also announced its campuses would be closed until Sept. 5

On Sunday, Tomball Mayor Gretchen Fagan urged residents not to drive and declared a local state of emergency in a written message.

"Doing this allows us to activate appropriate recovery and rehabilitation aspects of our Emergency Management Plans and initiates all state and federal mutual aid," she posted on the city web site.

On Saturday, Cy-Fair reported multiple tornadoes in the area. Jeff McShan with the Precinct 5 of the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the tornadoes touched down along the Northwest Freeway and Fry Road and caused "a little damage," but did not elaborate.

Like the rest of Harris County, the northwest was under numerous tornado and flash flood watches over the past days.

Shelters in Northwest Harris County

While Harvey continues its downpour over the Houston area, school districts and other institutions are lending a hand to residents affected by floods. The following is a list of temporary shelters and embarkment sites in northwest Harris County.

Cypress-Fairbanks School District

Marzke Elementary School  13102 Jones Road, Houston, TX 77070

Morton Rank High School  21000 Franz Rd., Katy, TX 77449

Richard E. Berry Educational Support Center - 8877 Barker Cypress Rd., Cypress, TX 77433

Klein Independent School District

Klein ISD Multi-Purpose Center  7520 FM 2920, Spring, TX 77379

City of Tomball

401 Oxford St., Tomball, TX 77375

(Note: City officials have said this shelter is over capacity at around 100 people.)

Lone Star College

CyFair campus - 9191 Barker Cypress Rd., Cypress, TX 77433

Kingwood campus - 20000 Kingwood Dr., Kingwood, TX 77339

North Harris campus - 2700 WW Thorne Dr., Houston, TX 77073

(Note: College officials have said the North Harris locations is over capacity.)
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The City of Conroe, stating that flooding is imminent, is calling for more than a dozen communities to evacuate in response to the record release of water from the Lake Conroe Dam.

Areas of evacuation include:

McDade Estates - Evacuate

River Plantation - Recommended

Woodhaven Forest - Recommended

Artesian - Recommended

Riverbrook Drive & Sherbrook Circle (East of I45 @ 1488) - Recommended

Neighborhoods off of FM 2854 - Recommended

Neighborhoods Downstream from McDade Estates  Recommended

With approximately 200 homes, McDade Estates in West Conroe off of FM 2854 west of Loop 336 West, has been prone to flooding as it sits along the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, downstream from the Lake Conroe Dam.

River Plantation also is a large community south of Conroe, just east of Interstate 45, that is next to the San Jacinto River and has experience flooding during previous major storms and water releases.

"Continued flooding is expected throughout the week. Heavy rains and rising water levels continue to occur around the City of Conroe and surrounding region," the city stated in a release early Monday morning. "Any areas that may be affected should take action immediately and find a safe location. A flash flood warning is in effect for residents of Conroe.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

The city plans knocking door to door to alert McDade Estates residents, who expressed concerns to The Courier Friday about the potential of devastating flooding from a lake water release.

Around 2:15 a.m. Monday, the San Jacinto River Authority, which manages the water at Lake Conroe, announced record release rates are in effect.

According to the SJRA, the Lake Conroe water level has risen to 205.88 feet above mean sea level (MSL), breaking the previous record water level for the lake of 205.60 set during the storms of 1994.

The current release rate from Lake Conroe is 73,201 cubic feet per second (cfs), more than doubling the previous record set in 1994 of 33,360 cfs. Since before 4 a.m. Saturday, the lake has received 18.5 inches of rain on the north side by FM 1097 and 20.25 inches near the dam.

"Hurricane Harvey has created an extreme weather event for the entire Houston region, and SJRA personnel are working around the clock to deal with the tremendous amounts of rainfall that are impacting the watershed," the SJRA stated in a release.

The City of Conroe also stated other areas would be evacuated by the county due to the flooding expected along the San Jacinto River.

"Public Safety Officials have been overwhelmed by the number of calls and are currently prioritizing calls as they come in," the city stated. "Many roads are closed or experiencing high water and city crews are working diligently to clear the roadways for emergency personnel. If you are not evacuating, the City of Conroe is encouraging Citizens to stay where they are until it is safe to leave."

As previously reported, rivers and creeks downstream from the Lake Conroe Dam are expected to reach major flood levels today.

SJRA release rates are available at www.sjra.net.
MEXICO CITY - Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales ordered the expulsion of the head of a United Nations-backed anti-corruption group on Sunday morning, attacking an organization whose rigorous investigations have put a former president behind bars and whose attention has now shifted towards alleged campaign finance violations by Morales himself.

Within hours, however, the expulsion order was blocked by the Supreme Court, at least temporarily, until it can look into the matter more thoroughly.

Morales's decision to attempt to expel Ivan Velasquez, a Colombian lawyer who has led the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (known by its initials in Spanish, CICIG) since 2013, was met with swift international condemnation. The United States, along with several other countries that backed the anti-corruption commission, issued a joint statement saying that the group had "played a vital role in the fight against impunity" in Guatemala. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres also was "shocked" by the decision, according to a statement issued by his spokesman.

"I think this is a profound threat to the rule of law in Guatemala," said Adriana Beltran, a Central America expert at the Washington Office on Latin America. "CICIG has dealt a huge blow against corruption working jointly with the public prosecutor's office...[and] it has provided Guatemalans with a sense of hope."

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Morales, in a video posted on the Guatemalan government's twitter page, said that as president of a "free, independent, and sovereign state," exercising his constitutional rights, he declared Velasquez to be persona non grata. Morales also fired the foreign minister, Carlos Raul Morales, because he had refused to throw Velasquez out of the country.

Later on Sunday, Guatemala's top court voted to issue a temporary injunction blocking Morales's expulsion order. The court announced that it would deliberate on the case before making a further decision.

Over the past decade, CICIG has been a driving force in a series of corruption investigations against top government officials and it helped inspire a nationwide protest movement in 2015. The commission of investigators and law enforcement officers, working with the Guatemalan attorney general's office, built a case against former President Otto Perez Molina, his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, and dozens of other people for public corruption. Perez Molina and Baldetti remain in prison.

The CICIG was formed in 2007 as a way to bolster notoriously weak judicial institutions in a country where impunity was rampant and murders were almost never solved. The group, comprised of investigators from around the world, relied on sophisticated investigatory techniques, wire-tapping, and examination of financial records to pursue the country's most high-profile crimes.

But its success has also generated critics within the government, who see it as a foreign body that undermines Guatemalan sovereignty. Every two years, the group's mandate must be renewed.

Morales, who was elected president in 2015 after a career as a TV comedian, had run on the campaign slogan "Neither corrupt nor a thief," riding the wave of anti-corruption sentiment in the country. Earlier this year, however, Morales's older brother and one of his sons were arrested on corruption charges.

On Friday, Velazquez, along with the Attorney General Thelma Aldana, announced that there was evidence suggesting Morales may have broken campaign finance laws when he was head of his political party, and he requested a formal investigation. For that to happen, Morales would have to be stripped of his immunity as president, something that would require approval by the Supreme Court and congress.

That same day, Morales, who has denied any wrongdoing, was in New York visiting Guterres, the U.N. chief, presumably to discuss the CICIG. In Guterres's statement on Sunday he said Velasquez's work assisting Guatemalan institutions helped "to ensure justice was done in numerous cases."
BEIJING - India and China have withdrawn troops from a disputed Himalayan region on the border with China, foreign ministries from the two countries announced Monday, defusing a tense standoff that had threatened to provoke armed conflict between the nuclear-armed Asian rivals.

For the past two months, Indian and Chinese troops had faced off on a plateau in the Doklam area in the Himalayas, after Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese military building a road into territory claimed by India's close ally, Bhutan.

China had repeatedly and furiously denounced the Indian move as a direct infringement of its sovereignty, demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and warned that conflict was a real possibility if that didn't happen.

On Monday, the two sides announced they had reached an agreement, with India saying its troops were disengaging, and China saying it would redeploy forces in response. By the evening, India said both sides had almost completed their withdrawal.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

But it was not clear from both sides' public statements if Beijing had offered any concessions in return for the Indian withdrawal, such as agreeing to halt the construction of the road.

China said it would continue to patrol and garrison the area - as well as exercise its sovereign rights.

In a short statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries had maintained diplomatic communication over the dispute in recent weeks.

"During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests," it said. "On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going."

Later, it confirmed that forces from both sides were pulling back, adding that this process was "almost completed under verification."

China's Foreign Ministry said it was happy to confirm that all Indian "individuals and facilities" have withdrawn to the India side of the border. It also implied it would be reducing troop numbers in response to the Indian redeployment.

"The Chinese frontier defense force will continue to patrol and garrison in the Doklam area," spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference. "The situation at the spot has changed, and China will adjust and deploy according to current situation."

Hua said China will "exercise its sovereign rights according to the historical treaty and guard its territorial sovereignty."

China maintains the area in question was listed as on its side of the border under the 1890 "Convention Between Great Britain and China Concerning Sikkim and Tibet."

Neither side, though, was willing to admit to having backed down.

"We remind India to learn the lessons from this incident, tangibly abide by the historical treaties and the basic principles of international law, and to meet China halfway, jointly guard the peace and tranquility of the border areas, and promote a healthy development of bilateral military relations," Chinese Defence Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement.

India said it had always insisted on resolving the dispute through diplomatic channels. "Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected," the Ministry of External Affairs said.

An Indian foreign ministry official also told the Associated Press that the two sides had agreed to return to the "status quo," while cable news channel NDTV reported that Chinese bulldozers had been moved away, and road construction stopped, according to its sources - implying in other words that India's demand had been met.

Earlier on Monday, the state-owned China Daily newspaper had warned India stood "to face retribution" over the incident, arguing that New Delhi was complacent if it thought China was not prepared for military conflict if necessary.

But Beijing will also have wanted to resolve the dispute ahead of a meeting of heads of state from "BRICS" countries due to take place in China this weekend, a bloc composed of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"It's hugely good news," said Wang Dehua, an Indian studies expert at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

"We have avoided falling into the situation where two major countries with ancient civilizations become hostile enemies," Wang said, while cautioning against declaring the incident a diplomatic victory for China.

He said China would try to address India's security concerns when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits for the summit, but would continue building roads in border areas.

Mao Siwei, former consul general of China in the Indian city of Kolkata, said the statements were deliberately "vague" because of the sensitivity of the issue, and the reluctance of either side to show weakness.

"Judging from experience and common sense, I guess both sides have come to the following agreement: firstly, on principle, China would stop its road building and India would withdraw its troops; secondly, regarding the timing, India would withdraw first and China would withdraw later."

In India, some experts also interpreted the statements - and New Delhi's comments about having raised its security concerns - to mean that China had quietly agreed to stop building the road in question, but would not say so publicly.

"I very much doubt that India would have agreed to withdraw unless it involved, at the very least, a commitment from Beijing that it would halt construction of the disputed road," said Shashank Joshi, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"In these cases, clarity is the enemy of face-saving," he added. "India will probably be comfortable with China spinning the agreement, because New Delhi is likely to have met its objectives: restoring the pre-June status quo. However, I imagine that India will now be vigilant, as China is likely to conduct more aggressive patrolling in Doklam in the future, having had its claims challenged in such serious fashion."

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan was inadvertently swept up into the dispute when Indian soldiers moved from a nearby garrison into territory Bhutan contests with China, to block a crew from China's People's Liberation Army that was preparing to build a "motorable" road in the area.

A few hundred troops from India and China were eventually deployed in a standoff that has produced harsh rhetoric - mostly from the Chinese side - and sparked a period of tension between the neighbors not seen for decades, analysts have said.

Although India and China have often sparred over the disputed areas along their estimated 2,200-mile border - and fought a brief war over it in 1962 - this clash was unusual because it involved a third country and came at a time when relations between India and China were at a low ebb.

Whether India - long a great patron of Bhutan - moved after coordinating with Bhutanese forces, as the Indians have said, or moved in on their own, as China claims, is the subject of much debate.

The Bhutan government was careful not to make comments and inflame tensions, and, aside from one brief statement from their Foreign Ministry, maintained a calculated silence throughout the dispute.

---

Gowen reported from New Delhi. The Washington Post's Shirley Feng and Luna Lin in Beijing contributed to this report.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - If anyone in this city knows the power of water, it's Mayor Joe McComb. He wears it on his wrist.

On Memorial Day weekend in 2015, McComb's daughter-in-law, granddaughter and grandson were killed when a 30-foot wall of water thundered down the Blanco River in the Texas Hill Country, crashing through a vacation home they had rented with two other families.

McComb's 38-year-old son was swept eight miles downstream during the flash flood near Wimberley, Texas, but he survived after managing to grab onto a tree branch and scurrying up a 100-foot cliff. In all, 12 people were killed during that flood, including eight people in the vacation house. Rescue workers never recovered the body of McComb's 4-year-old granddaughter.

Now, as Corpus Christi and surrounding communities struggle to recover from Hurricane Harvey and worry even more flooding could hit the industrial city this week, McComb knows the safety of 330,000 people rests on his leadership. And when he needs a reminder of that responsibility, he just glances down at the yellow bracelet on his right wrist. It contains the names of the families killed in the Wimberley flood disaster.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

"My whole motivation is keeping people safe, and it's a huge responsibility," said McComb, 70. "But I have an added commitment to do everything I could possibly do because I know how devastating it is to lose somebody in a flood."

But just as in Houston, McComb has struggled with the decision of just how far he should go in getting residents out of the path of Harvey's waters.

On Wednesday afternoon, McComb stunned many when, with the hurricane aiming directly at Corpus Christi, he ordered a voluntary instead of a mandatory evacuation. McComb, a lifelong Republican who was just elected mayor in May, said he didn't think it was government's responsibility to mandate that people leave their homes.

"I've been through a lot of hurricanes, and every one of those had a mandatory evacuation," an angry Dale Nelson, a veteran meteorologist for Corpus Christi's NBC affiliate, said Friday night as Hurricane Harvey strengthened into a Category 4 storm. "This storm has gotten away from us, and it's the local residents who are paying a price now."

McComb takes offense at such criticism, saying no local elected officials anywhere in the country would purposely put residents in danger. Some critics also questioned whether Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also erred by not ordering evacuations in that city before Sunday's devastating flooding.

When storms approach, police and emergency workers shouldn't have to be distracted trying to goad residents who don't want to, or refuse to, heed common-sense advice that they should leave low-lying locations, McComb argues.

"Sitting around that table, it can be a real tug between your heart and your head," McComb said, referring to emergency management meetings. "We all know we got one goal in mind - keeping people alive."

At least in Corpus Christi, where the Gulf of Mexico pours into a large bay and numerous inlets, McComb's decision didn't turn out to be a fatal mistake. Appearing at a news conference Sunday afternoon, the relieved mayor announced Corpus Christi suffered no deaths or serious injuries during the storm.

Then McComb hopped into his Ford pickup truck to assess damage on the barrier islands, including Padre and Mustang. Though Padre Island suffered only scattered damage, the power of the hurricane was clearly visible on Mustang Island, a spit of land once known for its cattle but is now a state park and beach destination.

A three-foot storm surge from Corpus Christi Bay washed over much of the island and the wind blew much of the roof off the 210-condo Port Royal Resort, which is the city's second-highest hotel revenue producer.

McComb then traveled to neighboring Port Aransas, a beach town that was devastated both by wind and storm surge flooding. Huge mounds of debris now clog city streets as the force of the water knocked houses off their foundations while the wind sucked off roofs. Boats - some blown to their resting place; others washed ashore - also litter the island.

So far, local officials have discovered 200 destroyed structures and 30 others that suffered major damage.

"I would say every house has some damage, whether 2 percent or 100 percent," said David Parsons, the Port Aransas city manager.

As they rush to restore services such as electricity and water, and do additional sweeps to make sure there were no fatalities, more than 100 emergency workers are camped out in a damaged Port Aransas city building. They sleep under dangling weaves of insulation and use buckets of water to flush the toilets. For the second consecutive day, police barred property owners from returning to their island homes.

"It's uninhabitable," said Jim Kaelin, the sheriff for Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi. "The only guys who could survive are the ones who bring a fishing pole and a tent."

Across Corpus Christi, another concern shifts back to the potential for flooding. With the remnants of the hurricane stalled just 100 miles north of here, local officials say it's still possible the heavy rain could unleash torrents similar to those experienced in Houston on Sunday.

If a flooding disaster does develop here, once again McComb will be glancing down at his bracelet for emotional support, knowing this is a city that is highly susceptible to disastrous flooding.

In 1919, when Corpus Christi had just 5,000 residents, 284 people were killed when an unnamed hurricane came ashore here. Fifty years later, 4,000 houses were destroyed and more than 6,000 others were damaged by Hurricane Celia in 1970, according to Greg Smith, a city council member who represents many coastal sections of Corpus Christi.

Scores of properties also flooded in 2015 during several weeks of unrelenting rainfall.

"If we get two to three inches of rain in a day, at least you got a chance for it to drain off," said McComb, noting the city's drainage system is designed for water to flow into and then under streets. "If we get 10 inches in two hours, we got a problem."

In the Wimberly flood that killed McComb's family members, six to eight inches of rain fell on the evening of May 30. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Blanco River at Wimberley rose from five feet to 41 feet.

McComb, a former Corpus Christi council member and county commissioner, was vacationing in Hawaii when one of his sons called to say his daughter-in-law and grandchildren were missing.

After returning home, McComb almost immediately started wearing his bracelet, which was given to him in support of the hundreds of volunteers who scoured the canyon for the missing. The child of a family friend also was never found.

Local officials, many of whom also believe the criticism of McComb's evacuation decision is unfair, said the same emotional strength McComb exhibited during that tragedy now guides the city's hurricane recovery - as well as the preparations for its potential second act.

Most of all, they say, McComb knows you should fear water.

On his tour of the barrier islands, several residents also credited McComb for being a voice of caution during the storm.

When police denied him access to Aransas Pass so he could check on his house, Paul Golibart waited at the checkpoint for six hours hoping to find an authorized ride into town.

When McComb passed, he motioned for Golibart to discreetly hop into his truck.

Driving into the ravaged town, Golibart, 54, clutched his fist as he passed row after row of homes missing walls, windows and roofs. Certainly, his three-story yellow house didn't survive unscathed, Golibart said.

But when they turned the corner near the beachfront, McComb yelled: "Well, I see a yellow house."

"I see a yellow house, too," a relieved Golibart yelled back.

To get there, however, McComb would have to drive through 18 inches of water.

He inched the truck up to edge of the floodwaters, but then he abruptly stopped.

"I aint' getting down in that," McComb said before Golibart trudged through the water.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Bay Area residents can look forward to a break in the triple-digit heat on Tuesday before scorching temperatures return for the Labor Day weekend, forecasters said.

The Bay Area got smacked early in the week as the mercury climbed into the 100s in the inland East Bay and higher elevations in the North and South Bay.

The National Weather Service issued an excessive-heat warning for the hottest locations. Livermore and the surrounding areas hit 106 degrees Monday, just slightly below Sundays high of 107.

The heat warning was to expire at 9 p.m. Monday with temperatures falling 10 degrees or more in the hottest areas by Tuesday, forecasters said.

Now Playing: KTVU's Steve Paulson says a Spare the Air alert was issued today, as some inland areas, like Antioch and Livermore could reach 108 and 109 degrees. Video: JW Player

Long story short  its going to be ... cooler Tuesday and hot again later into the weekend, said Scott Rowe, a meteorologist with the weather services office in Monterey.

The mini-heat wave comes amid a summer that has been punctuated by several intense periods of hot weather. But things seemed to mellow out in recent weeks, with the previous triple-digit day coming in early August, Rowe said.

Residents without air-conditioning were taking advantage Monday of cooling centers in the hottest spots.

At the Brentwood Senior Activity Center on Griffith Lane, more than 100 seniors were filing in for the usual Monday game of bingo.

There might be more people just because of the weather, said Yolanda Brown, the front desk greeter and receptionist at the senior center.

In areas closer to the rim of the bay, like San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, temperatures were between 85 and 95. The weather service issued a heat advisory for those locations on Monday.

Closer to the ocean, the weather was more bearable. A mild sea breeze kept things cooler, but abruptly stopped a few miles inland where the heat started to set in.

The heat wave is a result of a large area of high pressure hovering over Nevada and Utah that is extending into Central and Southern California.

That pressure is compressing the air in the Bay Area and keeping the onshore flow of air from moving inland.

The system is also influencing the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The high pressure is one factor keeping the storm from coming inland where it would ultimately dissipate.

The remnants of the hurricane continue to hover over the Houston area, causing widespread disastrous flooding that has displaced thousands of residents.

In the Bay Area, firefighters were working to get a handle on a 44-acre brush fire burning in steep and rugged terrain around Livermore.

The fire was one of more than two dozen burning around California as some of the most historically destructive months of fire season approach.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky
HART -- At a special meeting of the Hart ISD School Board on Tuesday, Aug. 22, Superintendent David Cox announced that Teresa Montemayor, Hart ISD business manager, will become the chief financial officer for Brownfield ISD. Cox said Montemayor will be available to help with the upcoming financial audit for the current fiscal year.

Cox said he has posted the opening on the website of the Region 16 Education Service Center in Amarillo. He said Nazareth ISD and Happy ISD both utilize the help of the Service Center for their business management, since they dont have a business manager. He added that Hart ISD Business Office Secretary Tiffany Bradford will have increased duties.

Cox reported that the Secondary Principal Ramona Neudorf plans to interview a candidate for English Language Arts teacher. The previous teacher resigned to care for a child. Cox said that until a new teacher is in place, ELA duties will be divided between three individuals: Neudorf, Counselor Susie Garcia and Julianne Hathcock, junior-high ELA teacher.

Hart ISD is still an Improvement Required district, based on the fact that it met targets on Index 1 or Index 2 (met both) and Index 3; but not Index 4, which is Postsecondary Readiness.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

The district met the first three index targets for 2016-17 school year: Student Achievement, Student Progress and Closing Performance Gaps. Last year, the only index met was Index I. These tests are required by the Texas Education Agency.

For the 2016-17 school year, Hart ISD scored 71 on Index 1, compared to a 47 last year; target score for both years was 60. On Index 2, the district scored 39, compared to 26 last year; target is 17. On Index 3, Hart ISD scored 37, compared to 29 last year; target is 30. And, on Post Secondary Readiness, Hart scored 56 this year and 55 last year with target of 60.

Hart met standards in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, all index targets were met. However, in 2015 (under a new testing program), Index 1 (Student Achievement) was not met by 2 points. Meeting the other three indices qualified the district to Met Standard status.

Hart has had mixed results since 2011 in meeting accountability standards.

The postsecondary readiness index, according to the Texas Education Agency, takes into account factors such as graduation rates, ACT/SAT participation performance, Career and Technical Education graduates and dual-credit course completion rates.

Cox said that not enough high school students are taking dual credit classes because these classes, most of which are online through Amarillo College, cost $150 for three college hours. Students receive high school and college credit for these classes. Cox said that there is one on-site, imbedded dual credit math teacher this year, and students wont have to pay the $150, However, he explained, the school board recently agreed to have the district pay for the dual-credit courses to encourage more students to enroll.

Hart is in its third year of a Turn Around program to get the district in compliance with accountability testing. He said TEA sent a letter to the district at the end of the 2016-17 school year stating that the Commissioner of Education Mike Morath can opt to close the school or appoint a manager.

Cox said Monday that the district is appealing the Improvement Required rating based on the postsecondary readiness score (only for seniors). He said this score is based on the graduation rate from 2015-16. He said the appeal is due to anomalies in the numbers of that class.

Its a long shot because TEA doesnt want to make exceptions to their calculations, but we can only ask for their consideration and keep working on improving teaching and learning, he said.

Cox said that administration thinks they have things going positively. He attributes some of the success to Sam Villarreal of El Paso, who the district has contracted with through TEA to provide professional services.

Cox said of Villarreal, He has been a tremendous asset. He works with both principals and they use data to drive their decisions.

In a compromise between the Texas House and Senate, a school finance bill was approved on Aug. 15, one day before the special legislative session ended.

The retired teacher funding will get $212 million statewide for teachers health insurance program. With $351 million goes to public schools, which Cox said will help small rural districts with a $150 million transitional grant to offset the upcoming loss of a state aid program and $41 million to remove an existing financial penalty for small districts. He added that Hart will go from 25 percent to 27 percent adjustment for small school funding from the state this year. Over a six-year period, this figure will increase to 40 percent, the amount larger schools get.

Business Manager Montemayor said this increase will add about $50,000 to revenues.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Former San Antonio mayor and U.S. housing secretary Julian Castro will join the faculty at the University of Texas at Austins LBJ School of Public Affairs next month, the university announced Monday.

Castro will start Sept. 1 at the LBJ School, where he will work as a distinguished fellow and fellow for the Davila Chair in International Trade Policy.

The first position involves teaching a series of seminars on policy development in the context of housing, according to a university release.

In the Davila Chair, the former mayor will work with graduate students and faculty to organize student programming focused on solving social, economic and political problems in Latin America. Castro will explore those issues through additional seminars, forums and other events, said Victoria Yu, a university spokeswoman. She said Castro will be able to lend his expertise as a former elected official and policymaker.

Castro said he will delve into issues important to Texas, such as the status of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and is looking forward to interacting with students who are working toward careers in public service.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Theres a lot of cynicism, skepticism, among young people about the value of public service, he said. And I hope I can do my small part, based on my own experience, to help turn that around and inspire students to be policy makers or at least get into the arena of good policy-making.

Castros tenure as San Antonio mayor lasted from 2009 until 2014, when he left office to join President Barack Obamas cabinet. He led the Department of Housing and Urban Development until January.

lcaruba@express-news.net

jbaugh@express-news.net
It may have been up in the air this weekend, but by Monday all San Antonio kids were back in school and ready to show off their new uniforms and first day smiles.

Before they headed out the door and into the 2017-2018 school year, they posed for photos to commemorate their fresh start.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

As emergency crews rushed to pluck Houstonians from still-rising waters and a steady stream of victims stumbled into area shelters sopping wet Monday, local leaders continued to defend their decision not to evacuate the city before the first rains fell.

While coastal counties where Hurricane Harvey was expected to come ashore called for evacuations before it hit land, Houston and Harris County, which have borne the brunt of record rainfall, did not.

For good reason, Mayor Sylvester Turner said.

Faced with a strengthening storm aimed at Texas' Gulf Coast 12 years ago, officials decided to empty the city. The resulting 20-hour traffic jams caused dozens of deaths from heat-related illnesses and accidents, roughly as many as were attributed to Hurricane Rita itself.

"In the city of Houston there are 2.3 million people. When you combine that with Harris County, you're talking about 6.5 million people. Where are they going?" the mayor said. "And then once they are away from the city of Houston, they're away from our assets and our ability to help them. The decision that we made was a smart one. It was in the best interest of Houstonians."

Noting Harvey's rapid growth, Turner said to vacate the city within days "would have been crazy." Rita triggered "a great deal of confusion, a great deal of chaos," he said.

Now Playing: A UH-60 Blackhawk Helicopter and crew from U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Air and Marine Operations rescues residents in areas flooded by Hurricane Harvey on August 28, 2017. (Video: US Customs and Border Protection) Video: JW Player

Payshunz Nagashima, a Beaumont resident who spent seven years working in the disaster recovery field in Texas, said Houston would need to order an exodus at least 72 hours from landfall to avoid a Rita repeat.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

That would have meant issuing an order Tuesday night, when Harvey still had not fully reformed into a tropical storm. Though the storm had been expected to produce ample rainfall, it was not until Friday that meteorologists knew a serious hurricane was coming.

"Obviously, you don't want anybody sitting on top of roofs trying to get rescued, but if you're looking at - 'OK, we need to evacuate 6.5 million people,' or do people need to slowly watch the floodwaters rise and make their best decisions? - at the end of the day, it's a disaster," Nagashima said. "You can't prevent every horrible scenario for every individual within an area."

There is precedent for mayors waiting too long to order their cities to clear out.

A congressional report on the response to Hurricane Katrina criticized former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin for waiting until 24 hours before the storm made landfall to order an evacuation, despite 100,000 residents lacking cars.

Some critical of decision

Waiting too long also could create gridlock at exactly the wrong moment. The majority of flood deaths from 2010 through 2014 - 53 percent - occurred when people tried to drive through a storm, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Still, Houston roofing contractor Jaime Calderon said officials should have emptied the city when the forecasts grew darker. Calderon fled Houston late Thursday for Austin, fearing his home would flood for a third time in four years.

"The Houston people should have issued a mandatory evacuation order, especially after they saw it was going to be much worse than everyone first thought," he said.

Jim Hoffler, a systems engineer from Clear Lake, agreed.

"I've lived in various places where evacuations have been part of life - Florida, South Carolina, New York - and Houston, in my opinion, didn't do its job on Harvey," said Hoffler, who left the city Thursday with his wife and three children to stay with relatives in Austin. "It doesn't take an idiot to see that everything was going to flood, big time."

Gov. Greg Abbott had said before the storm hit that Texans from Corpus Christi - which issued a voluntary but not mandatory evacuation edict - to Houston should "strongly consider evacuating," but later declined to second-guess local officials' decisions.

"We are at the stage where we just need to respond to the emergencies and necessities that the people around Houston have," he said.

'Every storm is different'

County Judge Ed Emmett noted that throughout Harvey's buildup to a Category 4 storm shortly before it struck the coast Friday night, experts had struggled to predict its path or which areas would bear the brunt of the rainfall it would produce.

"To evacuate (an area), you have to know where to tell your people to go," he said. "Every storm is different."

Before Harvey made landfall, Emmett had said evacuations typically are required due to the threat of high winds and storm surge, not rainfall.

"In this case, we'll have a lot of water," he said Friday night, "but it's not the kind of water that we would ask people to evacuate from."

Dennis Storemski, the city's director of public safety and homeland security, echoed that.

"Rising water is something somebody can evaluate at the time," he said. "You don't know where the water's going to go, so why would you require everybody to leave when people would probably argue, 'Well, I don't want to leave.' The best we can do is provide information about what can be expected and people make their own decision."

That argument rang true for Al Roth, 54, who decamped from Houston to Cedar Creek to stay with relatives before the storm hit.

"The mayor and the other officials handled it just right. They gave people the option to evacuate - and that's all anyone who knows Houston needs," he said. "Anyone who knows anything about Houston knows this much rain will cause severe flooding."

Miguel Moreno, whose unit at the Colonial Oaks apartments in Oak Forest took on several inches of water, agreed. Moreno said he and his mother would have preferred to stay and would have done so even under a voluntary evacuation order.

"There's a lot of people that they don't want to move," he said. "In our apartment complex, the highest it ever gets is just what happened today. It's really not a disaster where we're at."

Amy Fairchild was one of three Columbia University public health professors who contributed to a 2006 paper on mandatory evacuations. She and her colleagues argued such orders require government to both offset the inconvenient edict with ample assistance and to vigorously enforce the order.

It would be a mistake to empty out a dense urban area, Fairchild said Monday, but targeted orders could be a useful tool.

"The roadways can't handle millions, but city and state officials can and should enforce highly targeted areas to get those at greatest risk out of harm's way," she said. "A targeted order may not have quite the emotional punch of a broad mandate, but it may also be more feasible to enforce in a muscular way."

Lessons learned

Turner said Monday that ordering targeted evacuations, such as including those living in floodplains, was not discussed.

"Now, what we also attempted to do was, as the situation changed and as the water was coming up in certain areas we knew would probably flood, like the Greenspoint area, we immediately moved to set up the M.O. Campbell (shelter), and that has been much smoother this time around then before," Turner said, referencing last year's Tax Day flood, which hammered Greenspoint.

Houston police began evacuating residents from apartments next to the swelling Greens Bayou on Saturday night. By early Sunday, the bayou again was rushing into nearly 2,000 apartments that took on water during the Tax Day flood the year before.

Mike Ward contributedto this report.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Initially told to stay put through Harvey, Greenspoint-area apartment residents had little time to decide whether to evacuate when Houston police came knocking late Saturday, urging first-floor residents to seek shelter from the rain threatening to inundate their neighborhood for the second time in as many years.

By sunrise Sunday, overflow from Greens Bayou was again gushing into many of the roughly 2,000 area apartments that took on water 16 months ago, with no respite in sight.

Residents met the floodwater with mixed emotions Sunday. Many newcomers dreaded its continued rise or wished they had left sooner; longtime residents accepted Tropical Storm Harvey's wrath with resignation.

"For now, I'm not scared or nervous," 35-year-old Wilmer Pavon said in Spanish, over pounding rain that by afternoon had brought 3 feet of water into the courtyard below his second-floor apartment, where a half-dozen downstairs neighbors had taken refuge.

Pavon had done this before, and if this was God's will, he had thought the day before, there would be no escape.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Indeed, Greenspoint was just one of many communities devastated as Harvey blanketed Houston with the worst flooding in the city's history Sunday.

But, here at least, catastrophe was all too expected.

Flooding has become part of the bargain in this predominantly low-income Houston neighborhood south of Bush Intercontinental Airport, where cheap rent ties many families to living in a flood zone and beckons those who don't know any better.

Last year's flood sparked talks of buying out one of the most vulnerable complexes - a federally subsidized development named Arbor Court - but the city never followed through, and management rebuilt.

So did the owners of the 16 other apartment complexes that flooded last year.

'I regret coming here'

New Greenspoint tenants Passion Johnson and Hytiesse Baugh made sure to ask about flood risk before moving into a first-floor unit at the Royal Phoenician apartments in April and remembered being told it wouldn't be a problem.

But there they were, at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, staring out from their patio at floodwater gushing faster and higher down the street just feet away.

"I remember asking, and I don't feel like it was the truth," Johnson said. "If you're trying to move they'll tell you anything, but I regret coming here."

Little more than an hour earlier, Baugh, Johnson's girlfriend, realized they had made a mistake by not evacuating.

"We should have gone when the police knocked on the door," the 24-year-old cashier at Bush Intercontinental Airport said, eyes fixed on the pounding rain.

Elsewhere in their complex, closer to Greens Bayou, cars and apartments already were inundated, again, and the street out front was impassable.

"I don't know what to do," Baugh said. "I want to leave, but it's raining too hard. Then I don't want to leave my stuff."

Four miles away, occupancy at the Red Cross shelter at M.O. Campbell Education Center ballooned from 350 people midmorning to more than 600 in the early afternoon.

"They're coming in in droves," shelter manager Jerry Fennell said, but street flooding was making it difficult to get food to the shelter. "The logistics of getting supplies is the big problem."

Neighbors offer help

Continued, drenching rain also stymied residents attempting to rescue their neighbors Sunday afternoon.

"A lot of us thought it wasn't going to get this bad," said Dalid Menjivar, 23, who left her nearby mobile home to lend a hand.

Waist-deep water rushing across Greens Road prevented all but a jet ski towing two kayaks from forging deeper into the floodwater engulfing several apartment complexes.

"It's heartbreaking to know there are still people in there who can't come out," Menjivar said. "We try to help as much as we can, but there's only so much you can do."

Security guard Marcus Haywood had been assisting residents for eight hours and was adamant no one would get swept away by the current.

"I will seriously put you in handcuffs," he said to a woman contemplating crossing.

With no police or official rescue vehicles in sight, Haywood was trying to organize more residents to bring jet skis.

"I know how bad it's gonna be," he said, "and this water is not going to go anywhere at all."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

With the Houston area under water for the third straight day, emergency crews rescued thousands of people with boats and helicopters as suburban leaders ordered massive evacuations over fears that levies would give way under the force of flooded waterways.

Much of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties were evacuated as the rain-swollen Brazos River was expected to approach historic flood levels Tuesday, and two subdivisions in northern Harris County were evacuated late Monday amid similar concerns over aging levies.

Rains, sometimes heavy, are expected to continue throughout the area perhaps into next week, reaching up to 50 inches over the upper Texas coast, including the Houston-Galveston area.

"This is a landmark event," said Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long after making a plea for help from the public. "We have not seen an event like this. You could not dream this forecast up."

Across the state, up to 30,000 people may need shelter and perhaps 450,000 could be eligible for federal flood victim assistance, Long said. The other numbers from Monday were equally stunning: 8,000 rescues in the Houston area and 12,000 guardsmen deployed statewide by Monday.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Dramatic rescues across the Houston region stretched from Dickinson near Galveston  where people were pulled by boat then airlifted to safety  across the Houston area and into the northwest Harris County, where officials began releasing water from two reservoirs into Buffalo Bayou.

Up to 200 homes were already flooding upstream from the Barker and Addicks reservoirs in northwest Harris County Flooding was reported late Monday.

At least eight people are believed to have died in Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, and a Houston family of six was reported missing after driving into floodwaters near Greens Bayou.

The days of turmoil took their toll on Houston.

"I'm angry. I'm stressed. I'm outraged," said Luis Morales, who waded through water almost up to his neck pulling a boat carrying his wife and two young sons. "Everything."

RESERVOIRS: Harvey flooding forces release from Addicks and Barker

As the San Jacinto River overflowed into homes and the Brazos River rose, officials from as far north as Humble and as far south as Galveston County cleared out neighborhoods, warning that those who did not heed orders might be on their own as floodwaters deepen in coming days.

In Humble, police went door to door in the Northshire subdivision, urging stunned residents to get out before they opened the floodgates at Lake Conroe, sending water downstream. Conroe cleared out the McDade Estates neighborhood and recommended evacuations for a half-dozen more.

By the afternoon, Brazoria County officials were warning that imminent, widespread flooding expected there Wednesday likely would be significantly worse than in 2016, when the Brazos River spilled over and left swaths of the region under water.

By 3:30 a.m. Monday in Fort Bend County, officials already were sounding the alarms. Voluntary evacuations announced for the Sienna Plantation neighborhood were made mandatory Monday morning.

"If people need to get out, now is definitely the time," said Alan Spears, deputy emergency management coordinator of Fort Bend County. "If the water is down, take that opportunity and leave."

People tried to leave Houston on its vast network of highways, but many ran into floodwaters lingering from days of torrential rains. Although some made it out, others turned back to the homes they abandoned hours earlier, planning to wait out the storm.

Houston's emergency response network remained strapped to the point that officials asked for anyone with a boat to come help people stranded in high water.

"Please don't give up on us," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "None of us will give up."

Harvey hit the Gulf Coast late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and then stalled into a tropical storm, sending bands of heavy rain toward the Houston area. Torrential rains late Saturday into Sunday inundated the city, and brief respites Monday allowed some streets to clear.

Still, more than 130,000 CenterPoint customers were without power by Monday night, with crews unable to get to some affected areas. Houston TranStar was reporting 343 high water locations along major roads in the area, with hundreds more residential streets submerged.

Most rivers, creeks and bayous tracked by regional flood management officials were showing historic water volumes.

Spring Creek, running along north Harris and south Montgomery counties, had reached a major flood stage Sunday evening and was expected to crest late Monday, putting at risk residents of more than two dozen neighborhoods in The Woodlands and Spring areas on either side of Interstate 45. Voluntary evacuations were recommended.

RESOURCES: Stay up-to-date with forecasts, traffic reports, water levels, etc.

No point on the compass was spared. Most everyone in the greater Houston area and points beyond woke up Monday to yet another day of life-threatening conditions.

So many people went to the Greenspoint-area shelter at the M.O. Campbell Education Center that they ran out of space and supplies and started busing them to the larger George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. Shelters in Austin and San Antonio also took in some Houston residents.

Dickinson, in Galveston County, was among the hardest hit.

Debbie Barlow, however, refused to budge from the second floor of her elevated home on Deats Road. The city of Dickinson had put out a mandatory evacuation order but Barlow said she wasn't going anywhere.

"We don't feel invincible, but we feel like we're going to be okay," the 46-year-old said. "We have the third floor."

Pat Deeves, 63, spent Monday cleaning out her four-bedroom home in the Maplewood South neighborhood south of Brays Bayou.

After spending Sunday getting out the 6.5 inches of water she and her husband, Sheldon Bloch got in their home, they spent Monday pulling items out of closets.

"A lot of it is just a wadded up mess," she said.

But it wasn't been all bad. She found two handwritten letters from her grandmother  one from 1979 and the other from 1982  that she didn't know she had. And they were still dry.

The luckier area residents included countless thousands who had to cope with one more round of flooded cars and carpets. Even those for the moment dry or mostly so were not confident they'd been spared.

Whatever happens in the next day or two, Harvey has hit the record books, surpassing Tropical Storm Allison which inundated the city in 2001.

Cody Pendergraft, who lives a few miles west of the Brazos River in West Columbia, fled his home Monday morning for refuge at his aunt's house in Angleton. He packed a camper with clothes and hauled it to the Brazoria County Fairgrounds, where about 50 trailers were parked in an area expected to stay dry.

"It shows no mercy when it starts coming down here," Pendergraft, 31, said. "I don't think anybody really knows how bad it's going to be."

POWER OUTAGES: More problems reported as flooding continues

Reporters Emily Foxhall, Lomi Kriel, Mike Morris, Jacob Carpenter, St. John Barned-Smith, Lydia DePillis, Mike Glenn, Mike Tolson and Lindsay Ellis contributed to this story.
Nearly 20 Houston post offices will be closed Monday as the city remains in the throes of Tropical Storm Harvey.

The city made the decision to close the mail facilities about 2 a.m. Monday as large areas of Houston remain underwater and rain continues to fall.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Heavy rainfall between 3 to 4 inches Sunday night forced regional authorities to issue a series of mandatory and voluntary evacuations, asking residents in impacted areas to leave overnight or early Monday morning.

The lingering rains left by the remnants of Hurricane Harvey returned by 9 p.m. with portions of west and central Harris County experiencing unprecedented flooding, according to the National Weather Service.

The threat of structural damage, a bridge collapsing and levees overflowing have officials worried that more residents will become trapped by the storm if they don't take action.

DAM OPENED: Army Corps of Engineers has begun releasing water from Addicks

The weather service issued a flash flood watch for the region late Sunday, lasting through

Wednesday or possibly Thursday.

The service noted that "epic and catastrophic flooding" that had occurred in and around the

Houston and Galveston areas and surrounding communities could get worse as additional life-threatening rainfall totals of 15 to 25 inches with isolated higher amount were possible over the next several days.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

"If these amounts materialize, the results could be devastating, especially if any of these rains fall where catastrophic flooding has already occurred," according to the weather service.

The first of several voluntary evacuations came Sunday afternoon when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expressed concerns over the amount of water Addicks and Barker reservoirs were absorbing from Fort Bend and northern Harris County rivers and stream.

HARVEY'S IMPACT: Evacuations, economic impacts, alerts

After Hurricane Harvey - later downgraded to a tropical storm - hit Houston heavy rains caused the dams to swell and spill over into communities upstream.

Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist with the Harris County Flood Control District, suggested that if residents decide to leave, they should do it by Monday morning. Thousands of homes could be at risk, he said.

Hours later, weather officials expected Cypress Creek near Interstate 45 to top the levee by Monday morning, impacting nearly 200 homes.

Harris County Flood Control officials issued a voluntary evacuation advisory for residents of the Inverness Forest subdivision for all streets north of Whitestone Lane, including East and West Greenbrook Drive and Kenchester drive.

In Conroe, the San Jacinto Water Authority released record amounts of water from the Lake Conroe Dam, prompting the city of Conroe to call for immediate evacuations from McDade Estates and other neighborhoods affected by the release of the water just before 2 a.m. Monday.

RESERVOIR RELEASE: Addicks and Barker to flow into Buffalo Bayou

Spring Creek, running along north Harris and south Montgomery counties, was in major flood stage Sunday evening and was expected to crest late Monday, putting residents of more than two dozen neighborhoods in The Woodlands and Spring areas on either side of I-45 at risk.

Montgomery County officials asked residents in flood-prone areas near the creek to consider safely evacuating Sunday afternoon.

In Rosenberg, residents of homes on Huntington Road near the Brazos River were ordered to evacuate due to fears that the bridge leading out of the community would fail.

Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert issued a mandatory evacuation order for low-lying parts of the county near the Brazos River that were affected by the Memorial Day floods in 2016. The order applies to about 50,000 people. Additional voluntary evacuations in the county for residents who could be stuck in their homes for multiple days could bring the total number of evacuees from Fort Bend to 130,000, or about 20 percent of the county's total population.

To find out if you are in the evacuation zones, look here.

This story is developing.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The water started bubbling up out of the nursing-home toilets around 3 a.m. It seemed like a bad sign  but not dire.

So when the overnight staff at La Vita Bella in Dickinson called owner Trudy Lampson early Sunday, she thought they had time to carry out carefully laid hurricane plans designed to ensure the safety of their 15 elderly patients battling dementia.

"We were so well-prepared," Lampson said. "We even had containers for the charts."

But by the time she arrived at the home on Oak Drive, water was already a foot deep. Half an hour later it was chest-high, and the meticulously curated medical notes floated atop a mess of debris and muck brought in with the floodwaters from the remnants of Tropical Storm Harvey.

FEMA: Harvey is 'the worst disaster the state's ever seen

And, despite frantic phone calls from staff  some at the home, some trapped in their own residences  help did not come.

"I was on the phone with anybody except for God," said employee Tina Davis.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

God didn't answer the phone, but in the end it was the Army National Guard that showed up to save the day, floating the wet, half-clothed residents out on mattresses to waiting trucks  massive light-medium tactical vehicles well-equipped for such conditions.

"The house was pretty much underwater," said an Army National Guard captain who asked not to be named.

Nine years ago, Lampson had evacuated the residents for Hurricane Ike. But this time, they stayed put.

David Popoff, emergency management coordinator for the city of Dickinson, located 30 miles southeast of downtown Houston, couldn't understand why.

"The mayor issued an evacuation warning for low-lying areas and people that were medically fragile and for some reason they didn't evacuate," he said.

The staff made their first calls for help in the early-morning hours, they later recalled. They tried 911, state officials, the fire marshal, and the mayor of a nearby town.

At one point, Lampson said, she was on the phone with a state official who said there was help at the scene  even though there was no one in sight.

Eventually, Lampson snapped a picture of the inundated house and sent it to her daughter, Kimberly McIntosh.

When McIntosh's husband shared the picture on Twitter, it went viral.

"Need help ASAP emergency services please," he wrote.

Still, they waited.

As the hours wore on, workers tried to placate the residents with Gatorade and cookies.

One asked repeatedly for her son. Another insisted they call a firefighter who'd helped her once, towns away.

DEBUNKED: TS Harvey victims, don't share viral National Guard social media message

"I was so scared," said Shantell Woodruff, a 17-year-old who works at La Vita Bella with her mother.

"I didn't know if I was going to get out or not."

Finally, around noon, help came.

Two patients were airlifted from the home, according to Popoff. Staffers said some were rescued by a friend with a boat.

And the Army National Guard pulled up with massive trucks to rescue the remaining 11 residents and five staff.

"It was about waist-deep water," the captain recalled. "And we were evacuating them out on mattresses."

Early Sunday afternoon, the wet and tired workers and their charges arrived at Santa Fe Elementary School, where some transferred to a bus headed for a church shelter in Alvin. Others went to the hospital as a precaution.

Pelted by a steady drizzle in the elementary school parking lot, Lampson reflected on the rescue effort: "I thought people would come quickly." And on the flood: "I thought we would have a couple hours."

Popoff offered sympathy.

"I don't blame her," he said. "We have made over 600 rescues today and I guarantee that for every one you talked to, we didn't come soon enough."

Even as Woodruff dried her tears and was loaded on the bus, Lampson, the owner, planned a return.

"I need to go back," she said. "We have like seven cats."
While Animal Care Services caretakers went from cage to cage tending to dogs at an emergency animal shelter next to the Freeman Coliseum on Sunday, Smegal and her partner Peelowillie, both terrier mixes, tended to their five puppies.

This is a stressful time for (evacuees), theres many of them who have lost so much, ACS Director Heber Lefgren said. Were glad that we can help their pets, and we hope that they can have the confidence in us so that they can figure out the answers on other things and not have to worry about members of their family.
Days after Hurricane Harvey first made landfall near Rockport, residents are beginning to make their way back into town and see the damage the storm left behind.

Homes were blown apart by the Category 4 storm, and the coastal towns were decimated.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

AUSTIN - Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday the Gulf Coast region will face a new normal in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, assuring residents that the state and federal officials will be there to help in the long process of recovery.

President Donald Trump had just telephoned Abbott to ask him to convey his gratitude to local leaders and tell them how impressed he was with their response, Abbott told reporters in Corpus Christi after a briefing.

We will be here until we can restore this region as back-to-normal as possible.  There is going to be a new normal, said Abbott. Were all going to be in this together.

RELATED: Gov. Abbott activates entire Texas National Guard to respond to Harvey

Abbott said he and his staff also have spoken with Mexican officials who offered assistance.

They said whatever we need, Abbott said.

Asked about questions over whether Houston should have evacuated its residents, Abbott declined to second-guess local officials. Abbott had suggested that people leave the area in advance of the storm, but Houston officials urged residents to shelter in place.

Decisions about evacuation are something that are behind us, he said.

Abbott deemed the federal response so far to be an A-plus, and he joined in praising the local response, calling coastal leaders efforts courageous and heroic.

READ MORE: 50 images that show Harvey's destructive trek into Texas

He said that Texas had been in contact with the federal government on a daily basis before the hurricane hit, and that he had spoken with the president on multiple occasions.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn also promised a unified approach to helping Texans devastated by the storm, saying that the federal, state and local officials would be lashed together in disaster response.

Were pulling together as one family, as Texans, Cornyn said. This is going to be a long haul.

pfikac@express-news.net

Twitter: @pfikac
HOUSTON  Tropical Storm Harvey unleashed the worst flooding in Houston history, dumping as much as 29 inches of rain in some areas over two days, prompting some needing rescue to beg for help over social media.

Parents and 4 children need rescuing! someone tweeted from the I-45 and Edgebrook area. Blowing up mattress for last case scenario.

Thousands of people abandoned their inundated homes and apartments by boat, helicopter and by foot, carrying children, pets and plastic bags full of belongings. At least six people are believed to have died in the storm, according to the National Weather Service, and more than a dozen were treated for injuries.

And the worst may be yet to come.

Its catastrophic, unprecedented, epic  whatever adjective you want to use, said Patrick Blood, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

Houston braced for another round of potentially heavy rains overnight and into Monday, with the likelihood of strong storms continuing until at least Thursday. Harvey has already surpassed the rainfall totals of Tropical Storm Allison, which devastated the area in 2001.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Were all under water out here, said Jonell Soto, the wife of South Houston Mayor Joe Soto. The couple was in an 18-wheeler on Sunday morning trying to reach the mayors 87-year-old mother, who lives on Indiana Street in South Houston.

Its just crazy, she said.

Gov. Greg Abbott said 3,000 National Guard members will join the Texas Guard in areas ravaged by Harvey, which came ashore near Corpus Christi as a Category 4 storm.

The federal government declared Harris County a disaster area Sunday morning, as thousands of rescues were under way across the region. By Sunday afternoon, people were lifted off the roofs of their homes in southwest Houston by helicopter.

This is pretty much like Day 2. There will be Day 3 there will be Day 4 and there may be Day 5, Mayor Sylvester Turner said late Sunday.  Its important for Houstonians to be very patient. Lets not get storm fatigue.

The National Weather Service reported five unconfirmed deaths early Sunday, before the body of man was found in a Walmart parking lot in La Marque.

City and county officials reported independently that a woman and child were found dead inside a submerged vehicle along Interstate 10 in East Houston and that woman died trying to escape her vehicle after driving into high water at Warrenton and South Gessner.

The storms first victim was believed to be in Rockport, where a man died during the storm in a structure fire.

Other victims are likely to be found, officials said.

We have heard anecdotally about people in cars not being seen again, but that doesnt mean that its a confirmed fatality, said Jason Spencer, a spokesman for the Harris County Sheriffs Office. We fully expect that as the water recedes that there would be some grim discoveries.

Meanwhile, officials opened up the George R. Brown Convention Center downtown on Sunday for up to 1,000 people displaced by the storm.

The storm brought much of Houston to a halt. Both major airports shut down, stranding hundreds of passengers, and several school districts canceled classes until after Labor Day.

City officials tweeted early Sunday morning that the 911 system was at capacity, urging people to shelter in place if they can. Only call if in imminent danger.

Emergency workers were overwhelmed with calls for water rescues, having responded to an estimated 2,500 by noon Sunday. Houston police officials also evacuated two apartment complexes in the flood-prone Greenspoint area, rescuing more than 50 children from rising flood waters overnight.

Turner said late Sunday that the police and fire officials received nearly 6,000 calls and had rescued more than 1,000 people. Many of the high-water rescues involved people trapped on their roofs or in their attics in southest Houston.

What surprised me was that we saw homes that have never taken water begin to flood, said Jeff Lindner with Harris County Flood Control District.

Northeast and eastern Harris County were particularly hard hit, said Chief David DeLeon, with the departments Marine Unit.

Were seeing 2-3 feet of water in their homes, he said. Farther south, it gets even higher  were even rescuing guys driving 18-wheelers.

Houston TranStar listed 292 high-water locations on area roadways, which were lined with stalled and stranded motorists. Freeways in some parts were so deluged, water was lapping at overhead freeway signs.

In west Houston, water from Buffalo Bayou flooded into homes early Sunday, rising past the first and then the second story of Ramin Almassis home.

He and his wife, mother-in-law and teenage son huddled on the third floor and called 911. They got no answer for about two hours. He tried to keep things calm.

I said, Cmon guys this is fun,  he said. But I was worried.

After a flurry of text messages among neighbors, a Good Samaritan with a boat rescued them, along with Snicker, their chocolate Lab, he said.

In Galveston County, thousands of residents were stranded Sunday morning after a night of rain and swirling winds pelted the county and its barrier island.

Dickinson is hit really, really, really hard, said Brittany Viegas, the countys Office of Emergency Management spokeswoman.. It seems that everybody in Dickinson needs to be rescued.
Juan Flores, general manager of Houstons Hotel Sorella, got less than four hours of sleep Sunday night after tending to the hotel with a skeleton staff all weekend. He hasnt seen his family for days.

Still, he considers himself lucky.

The hotel, on Houstons west side, made it through Hurricane Harvey relatively intact  just some damage to its roof and lots of leaks, Flores said. The surrounding neighborhood is a different story, with abandoned cars on the freeway and more than 8 feet of flooding in some areas.

With almost 450 evacuees renting rooms at deep discounts, Hotel Sorella is almost full, Flores said. But it could take weeks for business to return to normal, depending on how quickly the airport reopens and the city cleans up the storms mess, he said.

The storm is costing us financially, but what Im concerned for is the safety of our staff and guests at this point, he said. Financially, well rebound.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

Not all hotels in Harveys path are in such good shape, but many of them are already recovering, said Scott Joslove, president and CEO of the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association. Most hotels in the Houston area seem to be open, and all major Texas cities still have rooms available, he said. Some Corpus Christi hotels were without water and electricity for a while, but most of them are up and running again.

I think its too early to say what the long-term damage will be, Joslove said. Houston is an incredibly resilient city, and theyll take care of their own.

Some Houston hotels have shut their doors, though, including the boutique La Colombe dOr Hotel in the Montrose neighborhood. The hotel closed Saturday and wont open until Wednesday  not because it has incurred any damage, but because guests cant get there due to flooded roads, employee Francisco De Leon said.

The Omni Houston hotel on the citys west side has been evacuated after flooding, according to Twitter posts by Omni and others. Other Twitter users complained about their hotels closing, raising their rates or refusing to sell food to nonguests.

Velia Gonzalez was headed home to San Antonio from a trip to Mexico City on Friday when her connecting flight at Houstons George Bush Intercontinental Airport was canceled, stranding her and her husband in Houston. The two sought refuge at the Four Points Sheraton, right off the Sam Houston Tollway and about 20 minutes from the airport.

They still havent been able to get out of Houston; the airport is closed until Thursday. And supplies at their hotel are running low, she said.

Theres a skeleton crew working at the hotel, according to Gonzalez, 46.

Travis Jackson, the hotels front office manager, said there are a total of six people working at the hotel, including the hotels owner and his wife. Jackson said he and a guest who offered to help are doing the cooking. And one of the employees helped fix leaks in the roof, Gonzalez said. Another worker, stranded at the hotel with her two children, is helping in the dining room.

People are working around the clock, Gonzalez said.

Ive seen peoples hearts come out and help out, Gonzalez said.

For his part, Jackson acknowledged the hotel is staffed around the clock and that theyre working a lot more hours than we typically would work but said staffers are taking breaks and getting some sleep.

Although the hotel is still relatively dry, flooding is a constant worry. Police boats are patrolling where cars used to drive along the tollway, across from the hotel, she said. It looks like a river, Gonzalez added.

Its pretty scary, she said. Its starting to feel like Third World.

Houston and San Antonio, where the ground is already dry and skies have cleared, are like night and day. San Antonio hotel managers say occupancy rates are unusually low this week and will likely remain so on Labor Day weekend, when residents of Houston and other Texas cities often visit the Alamo and take a stroll on the River Walk.

Executives at the Pearls Hotel Emma expected to be sold out this weekend, but the hotel is shaping up to be about 80 percent full, general manager Bill Petrella said.

The Texas Hotel & Lodging Association has been working 24 hours a day to help hotels cope with the storm, Joslove said. It is advising hotel managers to waive fees for pets or cancellations, and it is helping them comply with state laws against price gouging, encouraging them to lower their rates or keep them at normal levels.

There have been very few instances of hotels raising prices excessively during the storm, and in those cases the association has asked them to bring them back down, he said. On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott suspended state and local hotel occupancy taxes to reduce the cost of hotel rooms.

If the guest is traveling and the price is too high, that could be the difference of food and water for the guest, Joslove said. So whatever we can do as an industry, we are doing.

The hotel and lodging association also has been working with the federal government to get power generators to hotels without electricity so they can host evacuees and rescue workers, Joslove said. But hotels arent a first priority for generators, ranking behind hospitals and nursing homes.

Houstons Hotel Sorella is functioning well, even though it has only about 25 staff members rather than the typical 75, Flores said. The hotel planned ahead, so there is plenty of food and other supplies.

Staff is also limited at Houstons Morty Rich Hostel, where many employees havent been able to get to work, employee Scott Lever said. He started work at 8 a.m. Monday and expected to be there until midnight.

Less than half the hostels 55 beds were occupied Monday, whereas about 40 normally would be, Lever said. Many guests were stuck in Houston because their flights were canceled, but they remained in good spirits, playing games and enjoying each others company around the kitchen table, he said.

Staff Writer Peggy OHare contributed to this report.

rwebner@express-news.net

@rwebner
An driver in an SUV collided with a North East ISD school bus Monday morning after the bus pulled out in front of them in a residential neighborhood.

There was one student on the bus at the time, officials said.
Velia Gonzalez was headed home to San Antonio from a trip to Mexico City on Friday when Hurricane Harvey stopped her in her tracks.

Three days later, she and her husband still havent been able to get out of Houston, and supplies at their hotel are running low.

Gonzalez, 46, had a layover at Houstons George Bush Intercontinental Airport when the airlines started to cancel all of the flights as Hurricane Harvey began to make landfall.

The airlines told her they couldnt help her find a hotel in Houston, because the flight cancellations were due to a natural disaster, Gonzalez said.

So she was able to book lodging through the company shes working with in Mexico City.

We were one of the lucky ones, said Gonzalez, who is in the music business and had been in Mexico City for the previous week for work.

Gonzalez and her husband are now staying at a Four Points Sheraton, right off the Sam Houston Tollway and about 20 minutes from the airport.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

They still have electricity and some food. Thats better than the hotel next door, which Gonzalez said had no food at all.

Theres a skeleton crew of three people working at the Sheraton, according to Gonzalez. In the beginning, the hotel owner didnt want to feed people because the cook couldnt get there, she said.

But staff convinced the owner to feed people anyway. Staff cooked whatever they could, and then another hotel guest started cooking for everyone. One staffer helped to fix leaks in the hotel roof and another staffer, who is also stranded at the hotel with her two children, has been helping in the dining room. People are working around the clock.

Ive seen peoples hearts come out and help out, Gonzalez said.

However, Gonzalez added that food prices in the hotel had been raised. But, Gonzalez, said she has extended her stay and the hotel honored her original rate.

As of early Monday afternoon, the hotel had not yet flooded, but she fears thats a possibility. The Sam Houston Tollway, across from the hotel, looks like a river, Gonzalez said. She saw police in boats on the highway.

Its pretty scary, Gonzalez said. Its starting to feel like Third World. Ive never been in this situation, and I know were still not as bad as other people.

At first, Gonzalez told a reporter she hoped to make it out of Houston on a rescheduled flight by Tuesday or Wednesday. She had already missed her childrens first day of school and simply wanted to be home with them.

Then she got an update  the airport was closed until Thursday.

I have to wait it out, she said.

vdavila@express-news.net

@viannadavila
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Tropical Storm Harvey reached historic, catastrophic levels Sunday as it pounded the Houston region with torrential rain, becoming the citys worst storm on record and causing widespread flooding that has led to more than 1,000 rescues.

The monster storm, which roared ashore Friday night near Rockport as a Category 4 hurricane, packing winds of at least 130 mph, has spread across hundreds of miles of South Texas.

San Antonio has escaped the brunt of the storm, but gusting winds knocked down more than 100 trees and a couple of hundred power lines in the city.

And more is to come. The National Weather Service predicts Harvey will dip back down to the Gulf of Mexico, then swing back over Houston this week, possibly dropping a couple of more feet of rain.

Federal officials say the effects of the storm will be felt for years to come.

RELATED: Animal Care Services taking in cats, dogs as evacuees focus on recovery

The National Weather Service reported five possible fatalities in the Houston area Sunday morning after the region was drenched with 14 to 28 inches of rain. Another storm victim died Saturday in Rockport.

This event is unprecedented, the weather service said Sunday morning. All impacts are unknown and beyond anything experienced.

The White House said President Donald Trump will visit Texas on Tuesday. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the White House is still coordinating logistics with state and local officials.

She added: We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers.

Local officials in San Antonio pledged their support for Houston and other hard-hit communities.

Twenty San Antonio firefighters and paramedics have headed to Victoria, Refugio and Houston to offer manpower and equipment.

Crews with the San Antonio Water System set out for the heavily damaged island town of Port Aransas on Sunday afternoon to help fix its infrastructure.

Thankfully, San Antonio has dodged the worst of it, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. But it is impacting our coastal neighbors in a very significant way.

The city reported Sunday that crews had removed 154 downed trees from city streets. CPS Energy crews replaced 30 power poles and responded to reports of more than 200 downed electric lines.

RELATED: Port Aransas facing long recovery from Harvey

Resources to deal with the devastating storm are pouring in from across the country. The U.S. military is directing helicopters and boats to Texas to aid in search-and-rescue missions along the coast.

This is a very, very dangerous storm with catastrophic consequence, U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Karl Schultz said at a news briefing in the state operations center in Austin. It is going to be a sustained challenge for the coming days.

Harvey has weakened to a tropical storm, but officials said it will continue to dump rain across Houston and other coastal areas for days to come.

There already are more than 318,000 reported power outages and 250 highway closures statewide, said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who urged residents to stay off the roads.

If you drive into water, you are taking your life into your own hands, the governor said.

The Texas and National Guards have deployed 3,000 service members, 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft. The Coast Guard is drawing resources from across the country to aid in rescue efforts, which already include eight helicopters, with eight more on the way.

The states of Nebraska, Tennessee, Utah, California, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona and New York are contributing helicopters and other resources to aid in rescue efforts.

Reports of fatalities have begun coming in, but Abbott said he was not in a position to confirm they are related to the storms.

The National Weather Service published a flash flood warning early Sunday stating that five deaths had been reported in the Houston area and more than 1,000 high-water rescues had been performed.

On Saturday, Aransas County Judge C.H. Burt Mills Jr. said there was one storm-related death in Rockport.

RELATED: Rockport devastated by storm; one person reported dead

Houston isnt under a mandatory or a voluntary evacuation order. Though Abbott had urged city residents to consider evacuation before the storm hit, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had suggested people shelter in place. Asked about the discrepancy Sunday, Abbott said: Now is not the time to second guess decisions that were made.

Refugio County Judge Robert Blaschke said the storm caused extensive property damage, with no telling how many homes were destroyed. The county still has no power or running water after Harvey made landfall Friday as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of at least 130 mph.

Its really devastating to experience this, Blaschke said, urging evacuees who had fled the area to stay where they are.

If theyre evacuated and theyre safe, we went them to stay put, he said. Theres no water, theres no electricity, so coming back to the community would just challenge the responders and the resources we have here to provide shelter.

Corrugated metal was strewn across the town  some of it wrapped around trees  and all the traffic lights were dead. Some residents were outside picking up the pieces of their lives, unsure of their next move.

I have nothing, nothing at all, just the clothes on my back, said Joseph Villarreal, a Refugio resident whose trailer was crushed by high winds.

Officials in other rural counties urged residents to stay off flooded roadways.

We are in a serious flood situation here in Bastrop County, County Judge Paul Pape said after 18 inches of rain fell in parts of the county, with more on the way. Lives are at stake. Please stay off the roads.

In Port Aransas, survivors found themselves without power, plumbing, phone service, and in some cases, food and water.

Trailer parks on the barrier island were decimated. Nothing was left of a liquor store but a pile of broken signage and crumpled roofing, bottles strewn across the lot. Apartment homes had collapsed. Power lines sagged over sand-covered roadways.

READ MORE: Residents at Texas nursing home rescued from chest-deep floodwaters, sparking viral photo

On Sunday, Melanie Zurawski broke into frustrated tears when she asked for a cup of coffee at the towns civic center, which was being used as the emergency operations center, but officials told her there wasn't enough to go around.

I can't get a cup of coffee? I live here, she said. We've lost everything.

San Antonio was spared the brunt of the rain. The National Weather Services forecast late Friday had called for 6 to 12 inches of rainfall through Tuesday along Interstate 35 from San Antonio to Austin.

By Sunday morning, the eastern half of San Antonio received about 3 inches of rain while the western half received less than an inch. The National Weather Service said another 2 to 4 inches was expected in San Antonio through Wednesday.

Forecaster Jason Runyen with the National Weather Service said its notoriously difficult to predict the paths of hurricanes and tropical storms. If Harvey had taken a slightly different path, the 20 inches of rainfall in La Grange could have easily struck San Antonio instead.

We kind of have to err on the side of caution, Runyen said.

Nirenberg said San Antonio was lucky to avoid the most devastating impact of the rain.

If the track of the storm had shifted just 30 miles west, we would be sharing an entirely different message today, Nirenberg said.

jtedesco@express-news.net

The Associated Press and Staff Writers Alia Malik, Lynn Brezosky and Sig Christenson contributed to this report.
San Antonio police arrested a man who allegedly assaulted a disabled woman and stole her cell phone before fleeing.

Anthony Manzo, 29, was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of causing bodily injury to a disabled person related to the Dec. 16, 2016 incident.

RELATED: Woman stabbed husband after he tried to take away her Xanax pills

The woman's neighbors called police after they heard her screaming for help, according to an affidavit.

When officers arrived, the woman told them Manzo had moved into her home and began assisting her about a week before the alleged incident happened.

She said Manzo became angry when she asked where her car keys were and he struck her so hard that she was knocked out of her wheelchair, the affidavit said.

Manzo allegedly took her cell phone when he left the home so she could not call police for help.

The woman received a cut on her arm and needed medical attention.

fsabawi@mysa.com

Twitter: @FaresInSA
Elmer F. Smiley Williams did not let poverty or the rough Baltimore neighborhood of his youth keep him from greatness.

Having worked in careers advocating for social justice, Williams died Aug. 21 from cancer. He was 81.

Williams grew up seeing his mother alone in her struggle to provide for him and his two brothers.

Her sons did whatever odd jobs they could find to help her make ends meet, wife Sandra Williams said.

Wanting to help his mother with the bills, Williams dropped out of high school. But in 1954, he made a decision that would alter the course of his life.

Knowing he was capable of great things, at 18 he joined the Marines and four years later switched branches of service to start a 16-year career as an airman.

He felt that if he had never left, he would be on drugs or in jail. It was the most viable option, his wife said.

While in the Air Force, Williams worked in personnel and later, in the early 1970s, in social actions, where he rose in the ranks to chief master sergeant.

More for you Texas couple finds ring lost in tornado, immediately gets engaged

He was the first person to achieve the rank of chief master sergeant in the social actions career field, his wife said about his supervisory job.

In 1971, Williams, working as a procurement supervisor for the 1605th Air Base Wing in the Azores islands off Portugal, was named as one of the Outstanding Airmen in the U.S. Air Force.

More Information Elmer F. 'Smiley' Williams Born: March 30, 1936, Baltimore Died: Aug. 21, 2017, San Antonio Preceded by: Parents Elmer and Catherine Williams; brother Bernard Williams; sister Charlotte Williams. Survived by: Wife Sandra Naylor Williams; daughters Karan Y. Williams, Cheryl F. Williams, Michele A. Williams, Yolanda E. Pearson and Brandie S. Williams; sons Elmer F. Williams II, Jonathan M. Williams, Marques A. Williams and daughter-in-law Jo An; brother Vernon T. Williams and sister-in-law Harriet; numerous friends and family. Services: Visitation 5 p.m. today, followed by 7 p.m. rosary at Sunset Funeral Home, 1701 Austin Hwy. Funeral at noon Tuesday at St. Cecilia's Catholic Church, 125 W. Whittier St., with burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. Reception after burial is at Second Baptist Church 3310 E. Commerce St. See More Collapse

Not only did Williams excel in his job, but also in his education. Having received his GED in the early 1980s, he continued his studies, receiving a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from Southwest Texas State and a master of arts from Webster University in St. Louis.

After 20 years of military service, he started a career in the federal government, rising through the ranks to become a member of the senior executive service, a grade equivalent to a two-star general.

As a civil servant, his first assignment was as a race relations instructor and staffing specialist at Webb AFB in Big Spring.

At the top of his field, he later received the Decoration for Exceptional Civilian Service.

When he worked for the Department of Defense, his direction reached all over the world, his wife said. He set policies  had an office at the Pentagon with duty at Aberdeen Proving Ground. His heart was in helping people. He was just the kindest man I know.

iwilgen@express-news.net
The Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge, near McAllen, has been called the crown jewel of wildlife refuges. Four hundred species of birds migrate through it, attracting bird-watchers from across the nation. Whether the refuge will continue to attract its 165,000 annual visitors is uncertain, however, because the site has been chosen for President Donald Trumps controversial border wall.

The reason: The federal government already owns the land. According to reports, the government chose the federal land to avoid the hassle and expense of condemning private land.

The refuge is quickly becoming a flashpoint in the border wall debate. The controversy should also encourage serious reflection among environmentalists whether focusing conservation efforts on regulating government land is the best long-term strategy.

Government-owned lands remain forever subject to the vicissitudes of politics. Thus, any conservation victories involving them are built on quicksand. At any time, Congress or the president can decide to replace habitat with a wall, highway or oil derrick.

Since government lands are at the mercy of politics, protections will only be permanent if environmentalists win every election  an unrealistic expectation. However, embracing private property rights, as free market environmentalists have long advocated, can provide real, permanent conservation. Buying sensitive habitats, procuring conservation easements and giving landowners financial incentives to be better stewards insulate conservation from shifting political winds. It also encourages protections to be set based on what works rather than politics.

A recent Property and Environment Research Center report highlights the efforts of American Prairie Reserve, a nonprofit that is using property rights to protect eastern Montanas vast prairie ecosystem. Over the past 15 years, the organization has acquired and protected 300,000 acres of grassland and hopes to grow the reserve to 3.5 million acres  more than Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Teton combined.

By working with private property owners rather than against them, these environmental gains are accomplished in a civil manner and are more likely to endure. By obtaining property rights, rather than relying on fickle government, conservation groups get to decide when and how restrictions should be changed in the future.

If the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge were privately owned, the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment would protect it by requiring the government to pay just compensation before condemning it. Perhaps if the refuge had been private property, rather than federal land, the compensation requirement would be sufficient to get the government to build the wall somewhere else.

Even if not, the property rights protections afforded a privately owned refuge would protect environmental values. Even if eminent domain could not be stopped, the required compensation could fund improving habitat elsewhere to mitigate the damage. As it stands, the government may build the wall through the refuge without regard to environmental impacts. Recently, the Department of Homeland Security issued a waiver for any environmental regulations that might get in the walls way.

Protecting special places through private property rights will require a significant financial investment, its true. But lets not pretend that political environmentalism is free. As the Santa Ana Wildlife Refuge situation shows, wins achieved in the political arena are not set in stone.

A property rights approach to conservation avoids the zero-sum game of politics by empowering environmentalists to, on their own, ensure long-term conservation, encourage restoration and recovery, and adapt management based on what works.

Jonathan Wood is an environmental attorney and an adjunct fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center.
The Express-News really has its hankie in a twist this time. Ignoring all your hysteric generalities and unfounded assessment of North Korean nuclear capabilities, you imply that military seniors might ignore an order from President Donald Trump to preempt North Korea.

Here your partisan hysteria carries you too far. You have insulted every senior military reader in the San Antonio area.

We know that in the bowels of the Pentagon and at Pacific Command in Hawaii, there are live joint planning cells with the job of developing options to deal with North Korea. By now, the president has been briefed on these options and has told planners what he agrees with and what he doesnt so they can go plan for what he is willing to do.

Know this: The United States military has sufficient conventional firepower to deal with this outlaw regime without one soldier stepping foot across the DMZ. It would be instructive for you to contemplate how Trump demonstrated the power of the Massive Ordnance Air Blast in a valley of Afghanistan, and as a further demonstration what he did to a Syrian airfield after their use of WMDs.

Even if you dont understand this, the North Koreans and Chinese do. They recognize raw military power and the will to use it when they see it. This president and his military planners are joined at the hip. Lets knock off the gratuitous insults. Our military will get on with it if required, and under this president, they will be successful.

Liberal Democrats have never been any good at war. Franklin D. Roosevelt and his communist-infiltrated State Department gave Eastern Europe to the Soviets. Harry Truman lost courage in Korea. Lyndon B. Johnson piddled thousands of lives away while Robert McNamara sent messages to the North Vietnamese. George H.W. Bush won the U.N. objective in Iraq only to have Bill Clinton fail to follow up. Democrats tried to weaken George W. Bush over the WMD debacle, but he still managed to hand a victory to Barack Obama. And once again a Democrat president snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Now liberal Democrats have given us this problem and have no idea how to deal with it. They call for more negotiation while refusing to recognize they and their ilk spent the past 25 years negotiating and failed to solve the problem. Their only success has been to kick the can down the road, giving North Korea time for the further weapons development that confronts us now.

I am really tired of your reprints of the false assessments, false narrative and fake news from the Washington Post and New York Times. They are occupants of the swamp, part of the affluent and dont have a clue. People like Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Joseph Dunford and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster can be counted on to know what is really going on, what to do as the North Korean situation evolves, and to advise President Trump accordingly. And dont worry. If the president says go, have no doubt our military will go. You see, our military trusts this president.

Your hankie must be in shreds by now.

Alan Walters retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1982 at the rank of colonel. He now lives in Boerne. He is a graduate of both the USAF Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College. His last assignment was at the Pentagon.
In the federal government and in most states, there are consequences when governments deprive Americans of their constitutional right to liberty  through, say, wrongful imprisonment.

So why arent there more meaningful consequences when states deprive Americans of their constitutional right to vote?

Again and again, voter fraud has been shown to be virtually nonexistent. Yet in the name of eradicating this imagined scourge, state officials around the country have been systemically and aggressively disenfranchising American citizens. To prevent a handful of votes from possibly being cast illegally, officials purge thousands of eligible voters from state rolls, toss ballots and pass modern-day poll taxes.

This year alone, at least 99 bills restricting access to registration and voting have been introduced in 31 states, according to New York University School of Laws Brennan Center for Justice. And this doesnt even capture the full extent of voter-suppression efforts, given that some changes have been done administratively rather than through legislation.

A few states have proved to be especially bad actors.

In the 2016 election, for example, Kansas threw out more than three times as many ballots as any similarly sized state did, according to a recent Associated Press analysis.

Some Kansans ballots were tossed as a result of recent policy changes. But others were eliminated because of a stupid software bug. That is, some people arrived at the polls incorrectly believing they had already legally registered, because the states online registration system had mistakenly told them so.

All this occurred of course under the leadership of Kansas Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, now spearheading President Trumps election integrity commission.

Texas has likewise repeatedly tried to suppress minority (and predominantly Democratic) votes.

Last week, a federal court struck down the states voter ID laws, which the judge determined had been enacted with discriminatory intent  knowingly placing additional burdens on a disproportionate number of Hispanic and African-American voters.

The same court had found the states voter ID law discriminatory in 2014, and Wednesdays ruling determined that a new, watered-down version was no better.

Where is the justice for those denied suffrage in Kansas, Texas and other states?

Their elections are effectively tainted, but theyre also over. Nothing to be done about them now.

If we want state officials to stop erring so often on the side of disenfranchising voters, we need to start punishing them for illegally denying Americans the right to vote, rather than just have courts say, Hey now, dont do that again.

On very, very rare occasions, if a plaintiff can prove that an election was sufficiently tainted, a judge could order a new election. Also on very, very rare occasions, individuals can be charged with a criminal offense if they can be proved to have intentionally interfered with someones votes.

But for the most part, policies that systemically disenfranchise thousands of voters  and possibly swing election results  go unpunished.

A states bad law or administrative policy gets struck down, and officials are just forced to do things differently in the next election. In which case, state officials might respond by introducing a new bad law, a la Texas.

One way to change the system would be for courts to more often grant preliminary injunctions against new election laws undergoing a legal challenge.

This would address only deliberate policy changes, though, not incompetence (as in Kansas software glitch). So why not raise the possible costs to getting things wrong, to change the calculus?

Congress or state legislatures could, for example, pass laws making it easier for state officials to be held liable for monetary damages if they have illegally denied someone their right to vote. Right now these officials likely have qualified immunity from such suits.

For American citizens, voting is a sacred and constitutionally enshrined right. Its time the country, and those paid to serve the public, actually treat it as such.

crampell@washpost.com
At 2 a.m. on a late August night in 1955, deep in the Mississippi Delta, an African-American preacher named Mose Wright and his family were awakened by a loud knock on the house door.

On the porch stood two white men  24-year-old Roy Bryant and his half-brother, 36-year old J.W. Milam. They demanded Wrights great-nephew, Emmett Till, a 14-year old boy visiting from Chicago, be turned over to them.

Emmett Tills crime?

He had wolf-whistled at Bryants wife, Carolyn Bryant, a few days earlier at Bryants Grocery and Meat Market in Money, Mississippi. It was a huge violation of Jim Crow race rules for a black boy to whistle at a white woman, and Emmett was soon to pay with his life.

More Information Devery Anderson will present a free public lecture on the Emmett Till murder at the University of the Incarnate Word, in the Concert Hall, at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13. The university is located at 4301 Broadway. See More Collapse

Are you the one who did the smart talk up at Money? demanded Milam. Yeah, replied Emmett.

Days later Emmetts bloated and decomposing body washed up on the banks of the Tallahassee River. He had been severely beaten and shot in the head. Emmetts mother insisted on an open casket funeral back in Chicago, and pictures of Emmetts mutilated body became an international sensation.

Bryant and Milam were tried for Emmetts murder in mid-September in Sumner, Mississippi. It was rare that white killers of black people were tried in Mississippi in those days, but true to form, after a week of testimony, the all-white male jury dutifully acquitted both men.

The most riveting point of the trial came when Mose Wright stood in the witness booth, pointed his finger at the two men and identified them as the ones who abducted his nephew. It was an act of supreme bravery for a black man to accuse white men of murder in such a fashion.

Life was not easy for Bryant and Milam following the trial. Both men fell into economic troubles and by the end of 1955 both were desperate for cash. The result was that they sold their story of how they killed Emmett for just over $3,000 to Look magazine.

On Jan. 10, 1956, Look published their story with the title, The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi. Their story was full of lies and distortions, but the two did confess to killing Emmett.

Award-winning scholar Devery S. Andersons recently published book, Emmett Till: The Murder That Shocked the World and Propelled the Civil Rights Movement, captures the significance of the caseit did indeed propel the Civil Rights Movement.

Four months after the Sumner trial, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress in Montgomery, Alabama, was ordered to give up her seat and move to the back of the segregated bus she was riding. Mrs. Parks refused and was arrested. Her arrest marked the beginning of the famed Montgomery bus boycott that lasted 381 days before the Montgomery bus system was desegregated. She later explained about her refusal to give up her seat, I thought of Emmett Till and I couldnt go back.

Still, 62 years after Emmett Tills murder, many questions linger.

Who helped Bryant and Milam that dark night? Where exactly did the murder take place? What did the murderers do after killing Emmett? What does Carolyn Bryant, the last living principal in the case, now say about what happened in Bryants Grocery?

Fortunately, Devery Andersons carefully researched book gives us the definitive account of the Emmett Till case. It answers every conceivable question about this momentous story in our nations history.

Indeed, I commented to a friend that Anderson answers questions we didnt even know were questions.

Roger C. Barnes, Ph.D. is professor and chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at UIW, where he teaches a course on the social history of the civil rights movement.
It began with a bang, and continues to threaten.

Harvey slammed RockPort, Port Aransas and other Texas beach cities on Friday. The Category 4 hurricane thrashed the Texas coast with 130 mph winds, ripping apart buildings, turning over vehicles and pummeling communities with forceful, raw power.

After making landfall, Harvey quickly downgraded to a tropical storm, and the quieted winds on the coast offered a lull.

But, make no mistake. Unprecedented. Epic. Tragic. Devastating. Each word applies to this disaster. And now is the time to come together as Texans and Americans, as neighbors and friends, to help those in need. Lets leave the second-guessing for later. Lets focus on the crisis at hand, and the long road to recovery Houston faces.

More Information How to help: San Antonio Food Bank is collecting food and monetary donations for Harvey survivors. It also needs volunteers to put together food boxes and prepare hot meals. For more information, visit the Food Bank's website at www.safoodbank.org The American Red Cross is collecting monetary donations to provide disaster assistance. Donations of at least $10 can be made by calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting HARVEY to 90999. Texas Diaper Bank is seeking donations for diapers to help families displaced by Harvey. Donations can be dropped off at 5415 Bandera Road, Suite 504,. Monetary donations can be made online at www.texasdiaperbank.org City Council field offices are collecting nonperishable food, diapers, toiletries and new or packaged clothing. Please call your city council representative for the field office location. You can find contact info for each council office at www.sanantonio.gov/Council San Antonio Animal Care Services set up an emergency animal shelter next to the Freeman Coliseum on Sunday. Along with monetary donations, ACS is asking for blankets and towels, toys, food and newspaper donations, which can be dropped off at the main facility at 4710 Texas 151. See More Collapse

Weather experts warned early on that the worst was yet to come. Sure enough, Harvey lingered over the greater Houston area dropping torrential rains that were measured in feet, not inches, inundating even neighborhoods that had never before been flooded.

The images out of Houston and Texas beach cities are heartbreaking and tragic  the elderly mired in rising water, families stranded on rooftops begging for help, submerged highway signs and neighbors rescuing neighbors via boat.

Recovery, as FEMA officials have said, will be measured in years. The end of the storm is just the beginning. Perhaps 30,000 people could be forced into shelters. The state and the federal government must be active and generous in aiding this recovery.

The flooding may worsen as Harvey regains strength. The death toll will likely rise when the waters eventually recede. Damages will be measured in billions of dollars.

Despite reasonable fears  with forecasters on Friday predicting as much as 12 inches of rain here  the storm never amounted to much in San Antonio. So, some have complained that it was media over-hype. But no one could say with certainty where Harvey might settle after it made landfall. The devastation in Houston justified the local concern. As Mayor Ron Nirenberg said, if the storm came 30 miles west, it would have been a different story for San Antonio.

Be thankful it wasnt.

Likewise, there has been second-guessing about why Houston officials didnt order a mandatory evacuation before the storm hit. There had been some confusion because Gov. Greg Abbott had urged Houston residents to evacuate, but Mayor Sylvester Turner had told people to shelter in place.

Abbott was probably more right than Turner, but its hard to say, and in many ways, is pointless. This was an unprecedented storm, and Turner was justifiably concerned about millions of people fleeing the Houston area at the same time, creating gridlock on Texas highways just as Harvey was landing. Officials at all levels of government made the best decisions they could in the face of catastrophe and chaos.

Abbott correctly said, Now is the not the time to second-guess decisions that were made.

He has since deployed all 12,000 members of the Texas National Guard to assist in disaster relief and recovery. Meanwhile, San Antonio is sending emergency and utility workers heading south to assist storm survivors and has plenty of space for evacuees seeking shelter and assistance.

So, how to help at an individual level?

Help means donating necessary supplies for storm evacuees  you can do this at council field offices throughout the city. It means serving in shelters to assist evacuees. It means volunteering with the Red Cross and lending a helping hand when you can.

It means rebuilding and emerging from this catastrophe stronger than ever; Texans, all.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A Westchester County real estate executive who killed his wife and daughter, a Greenwich private-school student, was involved in legal troubles at the time of the killings.

We are aware of the financial issue, New York State Trooper A.J. Hicks said Monday. The investigation is ongoing.

Steven Dym, 56, murdered his wife, Loretta, 50, and daughter Caroline, 18, with a 12-gauge shotgun at their residence in Pound Ridge, N.Y., Friday. He then killed himself.

As mourners prepare to eulogize the Dym family at a funeral on Wednesday in Bedford, N.Y., authorities are piecing together the factors that may have been behind the shooting rampage.

Trooper Hicks said there had been no recent incidents involving law enforcement at the Dyms spacious suburban home.

Financial issues are being explored, including a lawsuit charging Steven Dym with misappropriation of funds. Dym ran a real management company with a number of clients in New York City.

More for you Sacred Heart Greenwich student dies in murder suicide

According to a lawsuit filed in New York State Supreme Court, Dym took part in an unauthorized transaction while representing Alto Property. The lawsuit contends he withdrew $22,000 from an account to which he had access. The money was later returned. The lawsuit sought records and book-keeping materials from Dym and his company, Gabriel Management, but he did not provide them.

The company suing Dym is still looking for answers, an attorney said Monday.

The inadvertent withdrawal was refunded to our client a few months after the lawsuit was commenced. We are doing an accounting proceeding to determine if any monies are still owed to our clients by Gabriel Management and or Mr. Dym, said the attorney representing Alto Property, Richard Walsh.

The Dym home was put up for sale and listed at $1.7 million. The family residence for three generations, it measures 4,661 square feet and has a pool in the backyard, according to real-estate listings.

A local Realtor, Chris Shaffer, told the New York Post that Steven Dym acted very weird when he asked where he was moving to. Not only did he not know where he was going, but he didnt even know if he was going, Shaffer told the Post.

New York State Police said Steven Dym killed his wife and daughter with a single shot-gun blast each to the torso. He then fired a blast at his head, according to police.

Loretta Dym, who worked for a company that provides lodgings for business travelers, was on the board at the Rockrimmon Country Club in Stamford.

Caroline Dym excelled in science at Sacred Heart Greenwich, where she was due to enter her senior year. Her brother, William, a Brunswick School graduate, attends the University of Southern California.

Its heart breaking, said Pound Ridge Police Chief David Ryan. Imagine the trauma for the family.

According to the Journal News of Westchester, police were called to the residence in 1992. Steven Dyms mother, Paula, attacked her husband, Lawrence Dym, with a hatchet handle inside the home. The newspaper said the mother was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation. She died in 1994, and the case was sealed.

The funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick's Church in Bedford.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
1 Mideast conflict: Hamas new leader in the Gaza Strip, Yehiyeh Sinwar, on Monday said his group has restored relations with Iran and is using its newfound financial and military aid from the country to gear up for a new round of battle with Israel. Iran was once Hamas top backer, but Hamas broke away from Iran in 2012 after it refused to support Irans close ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, in the Syrian civil war. Sinwar said the ties have been repaired. Before the 2012 breakup, Iran provided an estimated $50 million a month to Hamas, a militant group that seeks Israels destruction.

2 Iraq bombing: A car bomb ripped through a busy market area in eastern Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 12 people, officials said. The explosives-laden car went off at the Jamila market in the Shiite district of Sadr City. The explosion also wounded 28 others. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility in a statement from its media arm, the Aamaq news agency. The Sunni militants consider Shiites to be apostates, and Shiite-dominated areas are prime targets for the Islamic State.
TripLife Entertainment, a promotions company reportedly owned by former president Robert Mugabes sons; Robert Jnr and Chatunga was officially launched at Harem Nightclub in Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday.

Harem Nightclub, located in the posh suburb of Rosebank in Johannesburg, is touted as Africas best night club.

After the no-show of Nigerian star Tekno, who was supposed to perform at the Rosebank event and Alexandra Sports Club on Friday night, the Mugabe duo went out of their way to find worthy replacements that included award-winning South African hip-hop star Cassper Nyovest and American-Nigerian rapper Jidenna.

South Africa-based Zimbabwean dancehall artiste Buffalo Souljah also performed at the event.

Robert Jnr posted on Instagram fleeting images of Cassper Nyovest and Jidenna performing. He also posted a selfie with Jidenna.

The Rugare hit-makers manger, Kelcy Holcomb, confirmed that Buffalo Souljah peformed at Harem Nightclub on Saturday night but was unwilling to talk about anything else beyond his artistes performance.

Yes, Buff performed and Cassper as well as Jidennait was over-packed; it was a full housefor anything else talk to TripLife Entertainment, was all Holcomb could say.

A South African newspaper, The Citizen confirmed the South African launch of TripLife Entertainment.

For several weeks and without knowledge of the impending military takeover, Robert Jnr and Chatunga Mugabe have been meticulously planning a lavish launch for their entertainment company, TripLife.

The company focuses on event promotion, club launches and bringing international and local artistes to Zimbabwe and South Africa. Mugabes sons have publicly announced their company by hosting a mini concert at the exclusive Harem Nightclub in Sandton, the paper said, adding that the headline act Tekno did not turn up.

The Daily News was unable to establish why Tekno, who walked away with the Best New Act Award at the sixth edition of the MTV Africa Music Awards held in South Africa last year, did not hold his highly-anticipated shows in Zimbabwe and South Africa organised by TripLife.

Efforts to get a comment on the matter were unsuccessful yesterday but a well-placed source told the Daily News that TripLife Entertainment and the Nigerian star agreed to move the two gigs to February next year after the resignation of Robert Mugabe as Zimbabwes president last week

The build-up to what was supposed to be Teknos maiden concert in Zimbabwe was mired in confusion.

Early this week, a TripLife Entertainment statement signed by Patrick Vijay Hundu said the concert had been cancelled due to an electrical mishap.

But two days later the concert was reinstated.

Following our announcement of a deferral of our show to a later date citing advice proffered by our on-site engineer, we have since rectified the concern. We are pleased to inform you that the Tekno show scheduled for Friday, November 24 will still go ahead as planned. We heeded the concerns of the fans who implored us to fix the concerns, said Hundu.

With music fans looking forward to the Nigerian stars maiden gig in Zimbabwe, TripLife Entertainment, which organised Jamaican star Tarrus Rileys Harare International Conference Centre gig in October, dropped the bombshell on Thursday  the Tekno show had been cancelled yet again.

It is with regret and sadness that Triplife Entertainment announces the cancellation of its high-profile gig featuring Nigerian Star, Tekno.

After doing everything in our power to ensure that all was set for the artists debut performance in Harare on November 24, 2017, unforseen circumstances beyond our control interfered and jeopardised the event.

Please note that Tekno and his team were looking forward to this highly-anticipated gig and are equally disappointed by this undesirable outcome. His management and other stakeholders are still looking forward to making the trip to Harare though it is impossible at this time. Any inconvenience is sincerely regretted, read part of the statement.

Interestingly, despite the TripLife Entertainment statement announcing the cancellation, the Mugabe duo, rather strangely, continued to insist on their social media accounts that the Tekno concert would go ahead as scheduled.

We are still onJuju wont stop the show enemy of progress, wrote Chatunga.

Breaking News via Email
News reaching this publication indicate that an Air Force of Zimbabwe plane plunged to the ground at a farm near Dabuka Railway Station in Gweru about 45 minutes ago. A source near the scene says there were two occupants in the plane and both are suspected dead.

The source who is speaking to The Mirror by phone says that there is no one who has arrived at the scene so far including rescuers.

One occupant was thrown out of the plane while another is said to be trapped inside.

No comment could be obtained from the Air Force of Zimbabwe.

 Mirror
FORMER ministers Joseph Made and Jason Machaya have been arrested for abuse of office. Made, who is a former Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Minister, is detained at Rhodesville Police Station in Harare.

Chief police spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba referred all questions to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

ZACC principal public relations officer Ms Phyllis Chikundura said she was not aware of the developments as she was on leave.

Sources close to the investigations confirmed the arrest of Made, while our Midlands Bureau reports that Machaya, a former Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister, is suspected to have abused his office when he reportedly allocated land to private developers.

Machayas lawyer, Mr Hillary Garikayi of Garikayi and Company law firm, yesterday said he was still to get details of the case.

I have only heard that my client has been summoned to the police, but I am still to gather the details, he said.

Sources said Machaya was summoned to Gweru Central Police Station and was later taken to Gokwe Police Station. They said the charges stem from the manner in which he allegedly allocated land to private developers across the province.

Six private developers were also summoned to the police in connection with the case. They have been asked to avail their papers and explain how they got the land, which they were developing, said the source.

He (Machaya) was taken to Gokwe and the allegations levelled against him were handed over to police in Gokwe to start investigations, said the source.

The Herald saw a list of about 60 land cases in which Machaya is being implicated. Also implicated are senior Government officials in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing in the Midlands Province.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has made the fight against the scourge of corruption one of his top priorities if the country is to attract investors and achieve prosperity for the majority. The Herald

Breaking News via Email
The Government plans to vaccinate 10 million people against the Covid-19 virus for free, as the health system battles to reduce the threat of the global pandemic.

Zimbabwe is expected to receive vaccines donated by The Peoples Republic of China next week, while negotiations are ongoing with Russia for procurement of their Sputnik V. India has also promised to donate some vaccines and the country is also joining the African Union (AU) vaccination programme.

Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa announced the plan last night after the first Cabinet meeting for this year.

Regarding the Covid-19 vaccination programme, the Ministry of Health and Child Care plans to vaccinate about 60 percent of the countrys population in order to achieve herd immunity (10 million people), said Minister Mutsvangwa.

A development plan mapping the priority groups for roll-out of the vaccine has already been developed

Already, Government has set aside US$100 million for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines. Treasury will continue to ensure funding for procurement of other medical supplies including medicines and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the fight against the Covid-19.

The Covid-19 vaccines will be administered to citizens freely. The initial consignment will cater for frontline workers, the elderly and other vulnerable groups in Zimbabwe. The administration of the Covid-19 vaccinations in Zimbabwe will be on a voluntary basis.

Minister Mutsvangwa said while cases are falling, Cabinet had noted that it was imperative to accelerate the acquisition of vaccines to halt a potential third wave.

Some of the Cabinet endorsements on the vaccination programme include agreement on the choices of vaccines which need to be science-based.

Zimbabwe will take decisions independently in the national interest, without undue influence. The vaccination programme shall be undertaken in a structured manner, with groups such as the health frontline workers being accorded first priority.

President Mnangagwa is on record that the Covid-19 vaccine jabs will be administered for free on everyone willing, this in the interest of public health.

The virus has killed more than 1 000 from related complications in Zimbabwe, across the globe more than two-million have succumbed.

Minister Mutsvangwa gave an update on the expected date of arrival of the vaccines donated by China.

In terms of vaccine procurement, the Government of the Peoples Republic of China extended a donation of 200 000 SINOPHARM Covid-19 vaccine doses.

The donation and initial batch purchases are expected in Zimbabwe by February 15, 2021, and the first week of March, 2021, respectively. The 76 to 86 per cent efficacy of the SINOPHARM vaccine was endorsed by the World Health Organisation, she said.

Efforts to procure other Covid-19 vaccines such as the Sputnik V (Victory) from Russia, among others, are underway.

India, like China, has also offered a donation and an option to purchase commercially and modalities for this offer are still being worked out, said Minister Mutsvangwa.

She said Zimbabwe has submitted its expression of interest to participate under the AU Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, on which the private sector support companies will keep 50 percent for their employees.

Meanwhile, Cabinet also deliberated on the issue of irregular and dysfunctional settlements, which is now being handled by the Presidency.

In that regard Cabinet agreed, among other things on the deregistering of some co-operatives and ensuring that those found on the wrong side would account for their actions.

Ministries, Departments and Agencies will work in concert to stem the neglect and malpractices around illegal settlements, and arrests will be effected on criminal elements regardless of social standing.

Task teams on mapping of wetlands and other ecologically sensitive spaces at growth points, in towns, cities and peri-urban areas were created.

The exercise shall be expanded to cover the whole country to draw up a National Master Plan of all ecologically sensitive spaces on which human settlements and related developments shall not take place, said Minister Mutsvangwa.

A National Wetlands Policy and Guidelines is being formulated in order to protect the environment for sustainable development. The identification of and quantification of all settlements in flood-prone areas, on illegal spaces and other irregular places and thereby enabling the Government to establish the magnitude of likely displacements from unavoidable demolitions.

The identification of suitable alternative land on which to relocate families and households facing displacement under the corrective exercise, both for temporary settlement and for the eventual construction of permanent structures.

The provision of off-site and on-site infrastructure and general comprehensive servicing of land in anticipation of allocation of stands and construction of structures according to set plans and standards.

She said such planned settlements are integrated into the national power grid for electricity supply.

In the same vein, the Ministry of Information Communication Technologies, Postal and Courier Services will ensure access to the requisite ICT services.

Minister Mutsvangwa said the production of appropriate housing plans and architectural designs which promote the new thrust of settlement densification through high-rise structures, compact and integrated residential housing.

The streamlining of the operations of co-operatives, including through de-registering all co-operatives which were captured by land barons but ensuring that innocent co-operatives and bona fide home-seekers are not unduly victimised.

The re-drawing of boundaries and de-demarcations are done to clearly assign jurisdiction, rights, responsibilities and entitlements. The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission and the Special Anti-Corruption Unit in the Office of the President and Cabinet will be part of this process in order to ensure that corrupt individuals are arrested and the law takes its course.

 Herald

Breaking News via Email
Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has thanked Zimbabweans for their prayers during the time he was hospitalised in the Peoples Republic of China.

The Vice President arrived back home early Saturday morning from China where he had been receiving treatment for the past four months.

The Vice President was received at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport by his elder brother Onismo, son Tawanda and Chinese deputy ambassador Zhao Baogang.

Speaking to journalists upon his arrival VP Chiwenga thanked Zimbabweans for their prayers during his illness.

I feel very good and I would want to thank all Zimbabweans for their prayers whilst I was away. Many people prayed for me and I would really want to appreciate it, VP Chiwenga said.

I would also want to thank His Excellency the President who managed to speak to his brother, President Xi, (Jinping) that I manage to get treatment in the Peoples Republic of China. The treatment went on very well, extremely well and I am feeling much better, fit and I think everything possible was done and I am much better and raring to go and join the team in building our country.

He also implored all Zimbabweans to work towards improving the fortunes of the country.

To our leadership let us work to achieve the vision our President has set for 2030, VP Chiwenga said.

Lets work with him tirelessly to ensure everything is achieved.

Meanwhile, Zanu-PF has described as nothing but wishful thinking the purported rift between President Mnangagwa and his deputy Dr Constantino Chiwenga who returned home from China where he was receiving medical treatment on Saturday morning.

Upon his arrival, a number of characters from the opposition including members of the G40 cabal gave speculative theories on social media around the arrival of Dr Chiwenga which they alleged pointed to frosty relations with the President.

Part of the theories was that the President had not welcomed Dr Chiwenga at the airport when he arrived from China exposing their ignorance for protocol which does not provide for a Head of State to receive his deputy.

Their claims were quickly quashed when images and video clips of President Mnangagwa and First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa visited Dr Chiwenga at his home blissfully embracing to cement the deep comradeship they share.

Dr Chiwenga went on to tell the media that had it not been for President Mnangagwas quick intervention to send him to China for medical care, he would be history.

Yesterday, Zanu-PF national spokesperson Cde Simon Khaya-Moyo said such purported claims did not exist and should not be dignified.

There is nothing like that. That is wishful thinking, briefly said Cde Khaya-Moyo.

He said the party was happy with Dr Chiwengas recovery and return to the country in good health.

The revolutionary Zanu-PF party welcomes home the indomitable Vice President Retired General Dr Constantino Chiwenga after a spell in the peoples Republic of China for medical attention.

The Vice President is also Second Secretary of our glorious party. Ive no doubt that every patriotic Zimbabwean is filled with warmth, delight for his recovery and return. God is great and we praise Him with great reverence. He is indeed worth the praise, said Cde Khaya Moyo.

He hailed President Mnangagwa for ensuring that his deputy received medical treatment which resulted in his full recovery.

The party further expresses its imperative gratitude to His Excellency, President ED Mnangagwa for facilitating necessary arrangements for Vice President Chiwengas medical treatment. This is exemplary leadership and comradeship. China is indeed our all-weather friend.

The revolutionary Zanu-PF wishes its revered Vice President Chiwenga excellent health, rewarding duty performance and long life. Forward with unity, peace and development, he said.

President Mnangagwa said Dr Chiwengas illness had troubled him hence the engagement of the Chinese Government for his medical treatment.

When he left, he was unwell, which was giving us sleepless nights because our comrade was unwell. So, we arranged for him to go to South Africa and while he was there, we spoke to our Chinese friends, we spoke to President Xi Jinping, who is our dear friend, who offered to assist with his treatment. We saw it fit for the VP to go to China. We flew him there and he stayed there for a number of months. Now you can see for yourselves that he has regained his fitness and he is clear-minded. When he initially left, he was having memory lapses, and he was in so much pain that everyone could tell the agony he was in, said President Mnangagwa.

Last week, Zanu-PF national political commissar Cde Victor Matemadanda said some enemies of Zimbabwe had sponsored opposition elements and G40 to smear the country as unstable so as to scare away investors.

 Chronicle

Breaking News via Email
Former First Lady Grace Mugabe and some of her relatives and allies are being stripped of 14 stands worth almost US$12,6 million in one of the most upmarket developments in Borrowdale, Harare, on the grounds that they acquired the land for next to nothing by abusing their connections with the then Government.

The 14 stands are in the plush suburb of Harare, Carrick Creagh due east of Borrowdale Brooke and between them cover 167 997 square metres, or almost 17 hectares, and at the quoted commercial selling price of US$75 a square metre they are worth US$12 599 775.

Mrs Mugabe owned four adjacent stands covering 7,36ha through a pair of front companies Montshow Private Limited and Navline Investments Private Limited in which her children are now directors according to company records. This land, at the US$75 a square metre selling price, should have cost US$5 525 550, but in practice it cost her almost nothing.

She and the other 10 land owners, four using companies, were able to get into the housing scheme without putting up the required purchase price because it is a Public Private Partnership joint venture between the Government and a private developer on State land.

They operated through a former minister who himself has corruption-related legal problems arising from the way he became involved in land deals and stand allocations. The ex-minister also included at least his alleged girlfriend in the Carrick Creagh scheme.

It is understood that Mrs Mugabe first used members of the State House staff in the original allocation of stands, and then carried out her intention of acquiring the formal ownership in the name of her companies.

But now Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo wants the corruptly-acquired land back and the title deeds cancelled. He announced his intention, and gave the required notice, in the Government Gazette on Friday last week and is placing the weekly press advertisement for the next three weeks, seeking objections.

Minister Moyo is able to do this under section 18(1)(b) of the Deeds Registries Act, which allows the minister to direct the cancellation of the deed for any land in respect of which the State has the right to claim transfer. The right being invoked is that the land in question was not properly paid for, being given away for what amounted to free.

The Act lays down the procedure that must be followed, and in particular the calling for objections and the need to study these objections before the cancellations can take place.

The minister is also relying on section 308(3) of the Constitution which requires him to take positive action in these circumstances. The section reads: It is the duty of every person who has custody or control of public property to safeguard the property and ensure that it is not lost, destroyed, damaged, misapplied or misused.

Mrs Mugabes four stands include the largest, third largest, fourth largest and sixth largest of the 14 stands. Two stands were registered in the name of Montshow Investments (Private) Limited: stand 306 of 18 034 square metres, and stand 307 of 25 133 square metres. The other two were registered in the name of Navline Investments (Private) Limited: stand 308 of 13 733 square metres and stand 309 of 16 744 square metres.

This block of four stands, covering 73 674 square metres should have cost US$5 525 550. Mrs Mugabe paid a token sum, basically getting the large block for free.

The other 10 stands were transferred as follows: stand 96 of 9 592 square metres to Timothy Mubhawu; stand 172 of 4 000 square metres to Lazarus Dagwa Kambarami Dokora; stand 195 of 3 971 square metres to Comverol Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd; stand 196 of 4 039 square metres to Cavord Trading (Pvt) Ltd; stand 269 of 13 857 square metres to Gloryboost Investments (Pvt) Ltd; stand 300 of 12 384 square metres to Taruvinga Hamura; stand 91 of 8 003 square metres to Olivia Farai Mashonganyika; stand 228 of 12 086 square metres to Junior Shuvayi Gumbochuma; stand 288 of 19 310 square metres to Olivia Tafadzwa Chinouya, and stand 99 of 7 081 square metres to Penking Investments (Pvt) Ltd.

Asked for comment, the developers lawyer Mr Munyaradzi Bwanya referred all questions to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

 Herald

Breaking News via Email
A new panel has started looking into the states liquor regulations.

INDIANAPOLIS  Indiana convenience stores have been pestering the legislature to revise the states alcohol laws for years, and have finally gained some forward motion, the Tribune Star reports. The Indiana General Assembly created a two-year legislative study commission to examine liquor regulations.

In Indiana, drug stores, supermarkets and convenience stores can only sell warm beer, while package liquor stores can sell cold beer. We believe its time to end the outdated prohibition, said Matt Norris with the Indiana Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association.

In March, Rickers began selling cold beer at two locations that also sold fresh, made-to-order food after obtaining a permit under a restaurant liquor license. That pushed legislators to close the loophole that allowed Rickers to lawfully receive such a permit.

Rickers isnt the only convenience store that wants to sell cold beer. Earlier this summer, retailers launched the Chill Indiana campaign to convince lawmakers to change the regulations. In response to the Rickers fiasco, the committees first piece of business is to examine retail permits, with a report deadline of November 1.

Grapevine Cottage, a gourmet food and wine shop, operates under a grocery store license, which has created friction with package liquor outlets. Weve been under constant attack by package liquor stores in the state the entire 18 years weve been open, said owner Doug Pendleton. He would like to see a beer and wine permit for shops such as his.
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.
(Natural News) Wed like to think that violence is never the answer, but what happens when you are cornered, staring death in the face, and have no choice but to act in self defense and fight back? Wed all like to claim we are against violence, but when push comes to shove, when there are real threats coming through our door, we will do whatever it takes to preserve our life and the lives of our family. (Related: Guns stop crime: California homeowner shoots and kills two robbers.)

Bacteria are no different. Some bacteria know how to defend themselves. Researchers at the University of Vienna have discovered a species of bacteria called Amoebopohilus which use self defense weapons to survive in hostile conditions inside amoebae. Scientists from ETH Zurich document the incredible act of survival.

Amoeba are predators; they use special pseudopodia to hunt bacteria. Once they grab hold, the amoebas absorb and digest the bacteria. When amoebas attempt to digest the Amoebopohilus bacteria, the bacteria fight back using special gun-like devices. These gun-like devices shoot micro daggers and damage the amoeba from within. The bacteria use self defense micro-daggers to pierce the inside of the amoeba to protect against absolute digestion.

Amoebopohilus self defense tactics allow their kind to thrive in the most hostile conditions. Now these bacteria prefer to live inside amoebae. The bacteriums self defense mechanism includes a spring-loaded sheath attached to an inner membrane. Locked and loaded, this sheath is ready to contract and shoot micro-daggers when the bacterias life is threatened.

Joao Medeiros, a doctoral student in Professor Martin Pilhofers group at ETH, explains the self defense mechanism: The sheath is spring-loaded and the micro-dagger lies inside it. When the sheath contracts, the dagger is shot outwards extremely quickly through the bacterial membrane.

The bacteria shoot the micro-daggers into the amoebas important digestive compartment, bursting it open. This allows it to escape and take up residence elsewhere inside the amoeba. The bacteria can then multiply inside, thriving in hostile conditions. The researchers believe that the micro-daggers are impregnated with a kind of arrow poison which destroys the amoeba membrane using enzymes. The bacterias genome contains the blueprints for those self defense enzymes.

The scientists determined the three dimensional structure of the daggers and their shooting mechanisms by freezing the amoebae and the absorbed bacteria to minus 180 degree Celsius. From there, they used an ion beam to chisel away the specimens. Finally, they isolated the molecular daggers and their shooting devices, producing a three dimensional electron tomogram. The final resolution shows fine details, including the base plate and anchor that holds the spring-loaded sheath. The scientists discovered that the micro-daggers were clustered in groups of up to 30 rounds. You could call them multi-barrel guns, Pilhofer said.

When their genome was compared to other species of bacteria, the scientists confirmed that at least nine other bacterial groups possess similar self defense mechanisms.

Even though we hope and pray for a world of non-violence, violence is all around us. Sometimes evil confronts us and we have no choice but to defend everything that is sacred to us. In the same way these bacteria are ready to protect themselves from vicious amoeba, we too must be vigilant and ready to defend our lives if need be. Self defense is a human right and this right is reflected throughout nature. Stay up-to-date with the latest ideas in self-defense at Preparedness.News.

Sources include:

ScienceDaily.com

NewsTarget.com
(Natural News) With each passing day, it becomes harder and harder to deny the fact that political censorship has become commonplace in America. Its gotten to the point where its almost as if the Constitution was never written in the first place, considering how often it is warped, regulated, and in many cases, ignored entirely. Make no mistake  this sort of censorship is a strategy that has primarily been adopted by those on the left, who seek to silence conservative voices on virtually every level of American society, from the mainstream media to Hollywood, to college campuses and the Internet. (Related: Portland mayor wants to label all opinions he disagrees with as hate speech.)

As a matter of fact, the Internet has become something of a hot zone for political censorship in recent times, as companies like Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, PayPal, and several more have begun engaging in selective suppression. Below is a comprehensive list of tech tyrants who are censoring websites and infringing on the First Amendment.

Google

Back in March, Breitbart News reported on Googles plan to launch a new AI system called Perspective, which is capable of detecting and censoring what it considers to be toxic comments posted online. Needless to say, the likelihood of abuse here is overwhelming. What is stopping a team of leftists behind the scenes at Google from switching around Perspectives algorithm to specifically target anyone that does not subscribe to the left wing ideology?

PayPal

Just days ago, The Blaze reported on how the payment-processing website PayPal discontinued two conservative accounts  Jihad Watch and the American Freedom Defense Initiative  after a team of leftists reported them as hate groups. According to both organizations, a reporter for the nonprofit investigative journalism organization ProPublica named Lauren Kirchner wrote in an email, I am contacting you to let you know that we are including your website in a list of sites that have been designated as hate or extremist by the American Defamation League or the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Facebook

Last year, several anonymous former Facebook contractors told the tech site Gizmodo.com that Facebook routinely modifies its algorithms and formulas to intentionally suppress conservative news. As explained by Gizmodo, Facebook routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers, and some former Facebook employees even admitted that they were instructed to inject specific topics into the trending list, even if those topics werent relevant or significant.

YouTube

Given the fact that Google routinely engages in political censorship in the interest of combating what it considers to be hate speech or extreme content, it only makes sense that the Google-owned video sharing website YouTube would do the same. Earlier this month, YouTube announced on its official blog that they would be taking steps to censor controversial content, even if that content doesnt necessarily violate any of their guidelines. Well soon be applying tougher treatment to videos that arent illegal but have been flagged by users as potential violations of our policies on hate speech and violent extremism, the blog post said. If we find that these videos dont violate our policies but contain controversial religious or supremacist content, they will be placed in a limited state.

Twitter

In February, Twitter announced a new initiative meant to combat abuse and harassment on their platform. Making Twitter a safer place is our primary focus, the company said in a blog post. We stand for freedom of expression and people being able to see all sides of any topic. Thats put in jeopardy when abuse and harassment stifle and silence those voices. Incredibly, Twitter made the argument that in order to protect the freedom of speech, one has to suppress the freedom of speech. It is a silly argument to make, and truthfully doesnt make much sense at all.

Cloudflare and GoDaddy

The security firm Cloudflare and the website hosting service GoDaddy typically arent known for political censorship and therefore dont exactly fit under the tech tyrant category. Both are appearing on this list due to their recent involvement in the silencing of the white nationalist website The Daily Stormer. Granted, The Daily Stormer was a loathsome site that perpetuated extreme hatred and bigotry for people of color, but even so, Cloudflare and GoDaddy overstepped their boundaries in this case. We the People should not just sit back and watch as companies like Google and GoDaddy censor online content without questioning where they get the authority to do that in the first place. The law of the land is the Constitution, not some Internet guidelines written in some corporate office.

Given the normalization of political censorship on the Internet, it may be easy for some to call for harsher government regulations in order to restrict sites like Google, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube from gutting the freedom of speech in the first place. However, it is important to remember that we already have a regulation like this, and the only problem is that it isnt being enforced  it is called the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Sources include:

TheBlaze.com

ZeroHedge.com

FoxNews.com

Breitbart.com

PJMedia.com
(Natural News) Chemotherapy is no joke. This toxic chemical treatment has debilitating side effects, including anemia, bleeding, infections, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, constipation, hair loss, mouth sores and extreme fatigue, to name just a few. Imagine trying to deal with all that and then being left lying half-naked on a hospital gurney in the corridor of an A&E ward for over 13 hours with 50 other men and women. That is exactly what happened to Nick Turner, a 54-year-old Briton who likened his experience at Worcestershire Royal Hospital last month to the third-world treatment one would expect to receive in West Africa.

The U.K.s Daily Mail is reporting that the father-of-three was admitted to Worcester hospital July 30, after contracting a blood infection after a chemotherapy treatment. Turner is battling bowel cancer, and has already undergone surgery to remove a tumor from his bowel. When he suddenly developed a high fever after a chemotherapy treatment, his wife Joy rushed him to the hospital, where a blood infection was diagnosed. With no beds available, however, Turner was left lying on a gurney in a corridor with over 50 other patients, both male and female. (Related: Top doctors admit that chemotherapy is one of a dozen procedures that gives no benefit.)

Half-naked at the time, and with a female patient less than a foot away from him, Turner says he feels like he lost all his dignity that day.

I was half-naked, wearing nothing but pyjama shorts, he says. I was a name and a number.

While Turner has nothing but praise for the nurses and doctors working in what he calls intolerable conditions, he is horrified by the incompetence of the hospitals management. (Related: Discover other examples of medical malpractice at Medicine.news)

Having distributed Gideons Bibles in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, and receiving medical treatment in local hospitals there, Turner is no stranger to dirty, disorganized hospitals. Nonetheless, he insists conditions at Worcester hospital were similar to those in West African hospitals.

Earlier this year, two patients died in these overcrowded corridors, and another was found hanged on one of the wards.

Turner has written letters of complaint to just about every possible authority figure at the hospital and in the city, but is unlikely to receive much sympathy.

A spokesman for Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust told the Mail, Were sorry that Mr Turner was unhappy with his experience in our A&E department and understand the anxiety caused when any patient has to spend some of their stay in the A&E corridor. It is important to note, that the corridors referred to are a fully enclosed part of our A&E department, and these patients are cared for by the same doctors and nurses as any other patient in the department. This is not the experience we aspire to provide for patients, but during the busiest periods it is sometimes necessary to utilise a corridor to enable us to treat all the patients who attend our A&E. We recognise the challenges we have around patient flow and the impact this has on our emergency department. We are continually focused on making improvements, ultimately to eliminate the need for any patient to spend time in the corridor.

In other words, the hospital isnt going to do anything to try to compensate Mr. Turner for his suffering and humiliation. With socialized healthcare you really are just a number, at the whims of a system that cannot see you as an individual with needs and feelings.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

MayoClinic.org
(Natural News) Greenpeace and other environmental groups have found themselves on the receiving end of a lawsuit filed by an oil pipeline company.

Energy Transfer Partners, the operator of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, accused Greenpeace and the other groups of racketeering, inciting violence that was akin to eco-terrorism, and defamation. They claimed that the groups made false charges, such as saying the operator failed to consult the tribes living near the route of the pipeline.

The suit alleges: This case involves a network of putative not-for-profits and rogue eco-terrorist groups who employ patterns of criminal activity and campaigns of misinformation to target legitimate companies and industries with fabricated environmental claims and other purported misconduct, inflicting billions of dollars in damage.

The lawsuit accused the groups of sensationalizing the issue to help attract more donations to their causes and said that they damaged the firms critical business and financial relationships.

For its part, Greenpeace said that the charges were nothing more than harassment by corporate bullies. Their spokesperson, Travis Nichols, told the New York Daily News that he felt the lawsuit had no legal merit and was an attempt to squash public opposition. He vowed to refute the outrageous claims against the group.

Some of the other groups named in the suit include Earth First, Bank Track, and the Bold Alliance. The lawsuit accuses these groups of manufacturing a media spectacle and using the Standing Rock Sioux tribe to incite a battle against the pipeline project.

The suit also names three Iowa activist groups, Bold Iowa, Mississippi Stand, and the Sierra Club. These groups representatives told The Des Moines Register that they dispute the lawsuits claims and remain opposed to the pipeline, which passes through 18 of the states counties.

Thousands of protesters camped on North Dakota land last year near the planned path of the 1,172-mile pipeline. Environmental groups and North American tribes took issue with the fact that the $3.8 billion pipeline would go underneath a river and manmade lake that provided drinking water to the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.

Other points of contention were its use of fossil fuels, its interference with native ancestral lands, and the state of Iowas authorization of eminent domain to access the land for pipeline construction. A total of 761 arrests were made in protests that took place between August 2016 and this February, and two members of the Mississippi Stand group have admitted to sabotaging the pipeline.

Future of controversial pipeline is uncertain

The pipeline began delivering crude oil in May, but its future is uncertain. In June, a federal judge called for a new environmental review, saying that officials failed to fully consider the potential effects any oil spills could have on the Standing Rock Sioux tribes fishing and hunting rights.

The law firm representing Energy Transfer Partners in this matter is Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman. The founding partner of the firm, Marc Kasowitz, is President Trumps personal lawyer. The firms Michael J. Bowe will be leading the lawsuit.

Greenpeace says that this is not the first time that Kasowitzs firm has taken action against them. Last year, the same firm represented the logging company Resolute Forest Products in filing a defamation lawsuit against Greenpeace.

The current lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in North Dakota, is seeking damages of up to $1 billion. Energy Transfer Partners legal team said in a press release that they planned to establish a website to keep track of information about the case, publish progress reports, and set the record straight when necessary.

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

Reuters.com

NYDailyNews.com

USAToday.com

EcoWatch.com
(Natural News) The historical roots of Big Pharma are a chillingly ugly matter, as its been shown time and time again that the industry has taken advantage of vulnerable populations to shamelessly advance its agenda. In the case of Caribbean slaves, new evidence suggests that so-called doctors from Great Britain deliberately injected many of them with smallpox to see how the deadly viral disease would affect them.

A British doctor by the name of John Quier had reportedly developed a perfect cure for yaws when such medical experimentation was commenced in rural Jamaica  yaws being a terrible tropical infection of the bones, skin, and joints that usually rears its ugly head amidst extreme poverty and poor sanitation. To see if his perfect cure would work, Quier decided to test it on slaves working the sugar plantations whose owners gave him permission to use them as human guinea pigs.

It was around 1768, the year when smallpox became an epidemic, that Quier tested his smallpox inoculation on about 850 Caribbean slaves, including menstruating and pregnant women, as well as newborn babies. Many slave owners actually employed Quier to test the inoculation on their slaves, without their consent  an extreme human rights violation that weve seen occur again and again throughout history in conjunction with pharmaceutical drugs and vaccines.

My new book, Secret Cures of Slaves: People, Plants, and Medicine in the Eighteenth-Century Atlantic, zeroes in on human experimentation on Caribbean slave plantations in the late 1700s, writes Londa Schiebinger for The Conversation. Were slaves on New World sugar plantations used as human guinea pigs in the same way African-Americans were in the American South centuries later?

British doctors conducting medical experiments on slaves werent concerned about human life

The answer to Schiebingers question appears to be resounding yes, with an even darker caveat. Quier and his human rights violators apparently conducted additional testing using smallpox vaccines that went far beyond simply determining their efficacy. Based on historical records, Quier also used slaves as human guinea pigs to determine the dangers of the experimental smallpox vaccines, using the most vulnerable of the slaves as victims.

Quier did not simply inoculate to prevent disease, Schiebinger adds. We see from his reports that he used slaves to explore questions that doctors in Europe dared not.

He also wanted to know if it was safe to inoculate newborn infants or a person already suffering from dropsy, yaws or fever and the like  In his letters to colleagues in London, Quier reported that, to answer these questions, he sometimes inoculated repeatedly in the same person and at his own expense.

In other words, plantation slaves were treated no differently than laboratory rats of today, with so-called physicians taking advantage of these poor folks while feeding their own scientific curiosities about experimental medicines. If a slave or two was permanently injured or killed as a result, it was considered to be a worthy sacrifice for the advancement of science.

Such heinous medical experimentation has occurred many times since, including in the Nazi death camps where victims were used as human guinea pigs in the illicit testing of pharmaceuticals for companies like Bayer, Hoechst, and BASF. And it still continues today, often in poor and developing countries where vaccines and drugs are administered under the guise of public health simply to test their efficacy and safety.

The infamous Tuskegee Syphilis Study is a prominent example of this. More than 200 poor black men were diagnosed with syphilis in Alabama back in the 1930s, but rather than receive proven treatment they were given experimental drugs without consent.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com
Two Bay Area rescue teams were on their way to Houston on Sunday to help people in flooded areas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey.

Task Force 3, an urban search and rescue team, received a call from Texas leaders at 6 a.m. Sunday, and by 5:30 p.m. it was on its way to South Texas for the team's first major deployment since Hurricane Katrina.

Rescuers in the nation's fourth largest city said they can't keep up with the constant calls for help after Harvey's torrential rains caused flash flooding and led to six deaths in the greater Houston area. Members of Task Force 3 quickly packed up boats, gear and food in Menlo Park, preparing to head into the most devastated areas.

"I anticipate they will put these guys in the worst locations because that's where you want them," said Harold Schapelhouman, Menlo Park's fire chief. "Wherever the deepest water is or people in attics, that's the best spot for these guys."

Fourteen firefighters trained in swift-water rescue, including those from Menlo Park, San Mateo, Burlingame, Palo Alto and San Jose, responded Sunday, and theirs wasn't the only Bay Area team headed to Texas.

"Oakland already went out as a Type 1 heavy with 80 people," Schapelhouman said. "Mostly doctors, engineers and everyone needed to create a tent city."

Task Force 3 was bringing with it tools it didn't have in its response to Katrina in 2005: drones to help track down flood victims in need of rescue.

Members of the firefighter rescue team planned to drive in shifts to make it to Texas in 26 hours.
University of California at Berkeley officials Monday morning confirmed campus counsel Christopher Patti was killed in a hit-and-run crash in west Sonoma County on Sunday morning.

"I speak for the Berkeley community in saying how grief stricken we are at Chris Patti's untimely death. He was an extraordinary colleague," Chancellor Carol Christ said in a statement.

Patti began serving as UC Berkeley's chief campus counsel in 2010.

He was riding his bicycle on River Road in west Sonoma County west of Guerneville when he stopped on the right shoulder to look at his cellphone, California Highway Patrol Officer Jon Sloat said.

He was struck around 8:45 a.m. when the BMW driver lost control on a curve and slid across the road, Sloat said.

The driver continued west, turned around and drove back toward Guerneville, but a license plate was found at the scene, CHP officials said.

Jonathan Ritter, 28, of Rio Nido and Monte Rio, is considered a person of interest in the crash, Sloat said.

Russian River Fire Protection District crews responded to the crash and pronounced Patti dead at the scene, CHP officials said.

Patti also worked in the Office of the General Counsel at University of California's Office of the President from 1990 to 2010, specializing in litigation involving academic and student affairs, constitutional issues, class actions and other matters. He is survived by his wife and two sons, according to the school.
Firefighters were battling a brush fire near Petaluma on Sunday afternoon, according to the Petaluma Police Department.

Cal Fire said the fire had burned about 18 acres and was 60 percent contained by about 4:30 p.m.

Police said they received multiple 911 calls reporting the vegetation fire near the city. The blaze was first reported about 1:15 p.m. in the 5000 block of Bodega Avenue in unincorporated Sonoma County.

The cause of the fire was unknown and under investigation.

Police said there is no threat to the city of Petaluma.
San Francisco police were investigating a homicide late Sunday in the city's Excelsior neighborhood.

Officers responded to a report of an aggravated assault at Lisbon and France streets, and upon arriving at the scene, they located an injured man, police said. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

A suspect, a man in his 30s, was detained, police said. The victim and suspect knew each other, they said.

The nature of the victim's injuries was not provided.

No further information was available.

Police said it's ongoing investigation in the early stages. Anyone with information is asked to contact the SFPD Tip Line at (415) 575-4444 or Text A Tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD.
The Illinois House reversed course Monday to vote in favor of a contentious school funding reform deal on a second try just hours after the bill was initially voted down.

Lawmakers voted 73-34 in favor of House Amendment 5 to Senate Bill 1947, the agreement that was hammered out through a series of closed-door meetings of the four top legislative leaders, including one Monday morning to finalize details.

The bill will move Illinois to an "evidence-based model" of education funding, which would take into account each districts individual needs, as well as its local revenue sources, when appropriating state aid  prioritizing districts that are furthest from being fully-funded.

Without an evidence-based model in place, no state funding can be disbursed to K-12 schools across Illinois at all, due to a provision in the budget passed in July that makes aid contingent on an overhaul of the funding formula.



The deal, first announced Thursday, initially failed after receiving criticism from several stakeholders, including representatives on both sides of the aisle. One of the more controversial components of the bill is a proposal to provide state aid to students who attend private schools through a tuition tax credit program.

Cardinal Blase Cupich has long advocated for the proposal, but the Chicago Teachers Union called it a "voucher scheme to help the wealthy."

The CTU has been a major critic of the plan that will provide up to $75 million for scholarship tax credits. Lawmakers said those credits will go to families of low- and middle-income private school students.

Some progressive Democrats, as well as several other unions like the Illinois Education Association, positioned themselves against the bill, denouncing it as an effort to create a statewide voucher program.

Chicago Democrats stayed an extra hour after a three-hour caucus meeting to discuss that very issue privately with House Speaker Mike Madigan, emerging divided in their opinions on the bill as a whole.

"Today we saw compromise," Madigan said in a statement. "Instead of pitting children and communities against each other, Democrats and Republicans came to an agreement on much of whats in this bill. And even where we dont fully agree, were willing to work together in good faith and meet each other half way."

"Through compromise, weve included some provisions that many members would not have supported on their own," his statement continued. "But a package that permanently provides more money for Illinois schools and puts us closer than ever to fixing Illinois broken school funding system is too important to let partisan differences get in the way."

Mayor Rahm Emanuel applauded the agreement as well, having said previously that the bill would give cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools what they wanted and more.

"The Illinois House took a significant step tonight by passing an education funding plan that provides parity and stability for children across Illinois," Emanuel said in a statement, thanking lawmakers for their efforts to "put politics aside to address decades of inequity."



The measure will allow Chicago to raise its property taxes, and will give the city state aid to help with teacher pensions - a component that critics of the original Senate Bill 1 called a "Chicago bailout."

Among those critics has been Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, who told business leaders in southern Illinois Friday that lawmakers were "on the verge of what is largely good education funding reform," but again blamed Madigan for inserting "a bunch of bad things in it," like funding for CPS that the governor said "shouldn't go to Chicago."

"Its not fair but its going to end up being a compromise," Rauner said. "Its not where wed like it to be and what Ill try to do is fix the problems with it in subsequent legislation."

But following the House vote, Rauner issued a statement that struck a slightly different tone.

"Today, members of the Illinois House of Representatives voted to bring historic education reform to Illinois children and their families. I want to thank Speaker Madigan, Leader Durkin and their staff members for finding common ground that will reverse the inequities of our current school funding system," he said, vowing to sign the bill quickly "in order to ensure that our schools  many of which have already opened for the 2017-2018 school year  receive their much-needed resources."



Lawmakers in the House left to meet with their respective parties in a caucus following the initial vote, reconvening to take up an override of Rauner's amendatory veto to the original Senate Bill 1 as it passed the legislature.

That override failed as well, needing 71 votes but receiving just 63. Lawmakers then voted again on the leader-negotiated deal, which the Senate is expected to take up Tuesday.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner signed into law Monday a measure to prevent law enforcement officials across the state from detaining individuals based solely on their immigration status, and limit local agencies cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The governor signed Senate Bill 31, known as the Illinois TRUST Act, in front of a crowd at the Mi Tierra restaurant in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood. [[442016773, C]]

"Illinois has been welcoming of immigrants for a long time, and this bill will continue that tradition," Rauner said in a statement. "It also makes clear that stopping violent crime will be law enforcements mission rather than working on federal prerogatives that a federal court has found illegal."

The General Assembly passed the bill in May, sending it to the Republican governors desk the following month. After spending nearly two months deciding what to do with it, Rauner first indicated during a radio interview earlier this month that he would support the bill, saying he thought it seems very reasonable.

The measure will prohibit police officers and other law enforcement officials from stopping, detaining, or arresting anyone based solely on their immigration status or an immigration detainer  effectively limiting the role of local authorities in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Nothing in the bill  which was scaled back from its original form through negotiations involving advocacy groups, law enforcement, businesses and other stakeholders  prohibits agencies from communicating with immigration authorities, and local authorities can hold individuals if presented with a criminal warrant. The bill also includes a provision to require law enforcement agencies to provide officers with guidance on complying with the law.

"Immigrants in our community should not have to feel unsafe when they go to work or take their children to school," the bill's primary House sponsor, state Rep. Chris Welch (D-Hillside), said in a statement. "This legislation will ensure that proper legal procedures are being followed and provide peace of mind to members of our community."



Some say the law turns Illinois into a sanctuary state, the term used for jurisdictions that do not comply with federal requests to detain undocumented immigrants who have been arrested on charges unrelated to their immigration status and turn them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation.

President Donald Trump has made a concerted effort to crack down on these jurisdictions, signing an executive order in January to halt federal grants to so-called sanctuary cities.

A judge blocked that action in April, ruling that the president could not set new conditions on spending approved by Congress  but Attorney General Jeff Sessions has moved to intensify the crackdown on a number of occasions, recently including new provisions in a U.S. Department of Justice public safety grant application that would require local governments to allow federal officials access to any detention facility to inquire about the citizenship of anyone believed to be undocumented, and to give federal authorities 48 hours advance notice before releasing someone who is wanted on immigration violations, as conditions to receive funding.

The City of Chicago filed a lawsuit over this shift earlier this month, though its not immediately clear how the Illinois TRUST Act would impact the states federal grant funding.

Often reluctant to discuss national political issues, particularly as they relate to Trump, Rauner signed the bill  which received one Republican vote in the House and five in the Senate  on the final day of his 60-day window to act on the legislation, in a move that has angered some of the states more conservative voters and pundits.

Far-right website Breitbart News slammed the first-term governor for his support of the bill, sharing criticisms of the measure from conservative commentators like Rosanna Pulido, former Republican candidate for Congress and founder of the anti-immigration group Illinois Minutemen.

Personally I am already checking out a different state I can move to. It is truly a sad day in Illinois, Pulido said, calling SB 31 the straw that broke the camels back.

Former congressman and conservative radio host Joe Walsh tweeted Tuesday that Rauner is "done" if he signs the bill, adding that it would be a bad terrible day for Illinois and he would not support the governor's reelection.

Proponents of the legislation say it will result in increased trust between police officers and the immigrant community, giving undocumented residents more confidence in coming forward to report a crime or assist in an investigation without fear that they will subsequently be deported.

"The Trust Act will enhance the cooperation between immigrant communities and law enforcement agencies across the state," Senate President John Cullerton said in a statement when the bill passed in May.

"Also, it will facilitate a better use of limited resources allowing police agencies to focus on relationship building with their residents instead of doing the work of federal immigration agents." the Chicago Democrat added. "The safety and wellbeing of the residents is grounded in working alongside the people whose mission it is to protect them, and this legislation is a step toward accomplishing just that."


Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner plans to sign into law a bill that would prevent law enforcement officials across the state from detaining individuals based solely on their immigration status, and limit local agencies cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The governor will sign Senate Bill 31, known as the Illinois TRUST Act, on Monday, a spokeswoman for Rauner said Tuesday.

The General Assembly passed the bill in May, sending it to the Republican governors desk the following month. After spending nearly two months deciding what to do with it, Rauner indicated during a radio interview earlier this month that he would support the bill, saying he thought it seems very reasonable.

The measure will prohibit police officers and other law enforcement officials from stopping, detaining, or arresting anyone based solely on their immigration status or an immigration detainer  effectively limiting the role of local authorities in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

Nothing in the bill  which was scaled back from its original form through negotiations involving advocacy groups, law enforcement, businesses and other stakeholders  prohibits agencies from communicating with immigration authorities, and local authorities can hold individuals if presented with a criminal warrant. The bill also includes a provision to require law enforcement agencies to provide officers with guidance on complying with the law.

Some say the bill would turn Illinois into a sanctuary state, the term used for jurisdictions that do not comply with federal requests to detain undocumented immigrants who have been arrested on charges unrelated to their immigration status and turn them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for possible deportation.

President Donald Trump has made a concerted effort to crack down on these jurisdictions, signing an executive order in January to halt federal grants to so-called sanctuary cities.

A judge blocked that action in April, ruling that the president could not set new conditions on spending approved by Congress  but Attorney General Jeff Sessions has moved to intensify the crackdown on a number of occasions, recently including new provisions in a U.S. Department of Justice public safety grant application that would require local governments to allow federal officials access to any detention facility to inquire about the citizenship of anyone believed to be undocumented, and to give federal authorities 48 hours advance notice before releasing someone who is wanted on immigration violations, as conditions to receive funding.

The City of Chicago filed a lawsuit over this shift earlier this month, though its not immediately clear how the Illinois TRUST Act would impact the states federal grant funding.

Often reluctant to discuss national political issues, particularly as they relate to Trump, Rauner will sign the bill  which received one Republican vote in the House and five in the Senate  on the final day of his 60-day window to act on the legislation, in a move that has already angered some of the states more conservative voters and pundits.

Far-right website Breitbart News slammed the first-term governor for his support of the bill, sharing criticisms of the measure from conservative commentators like Rosanna Pulido, former Republican candidate for Congress and founder of the anti-immigration group Illinois Minutemen.

Personally I am already checking out a different state I can move to. It is truly a sad day in Illinois, Pulido said, calling SB 31 the straw that broke the camels back.

Former congressman and conservative radio host Joe Walsh tweeted Tuesday that Rauner is done if he signs the bill, adding that it would be a bad terrible day for Illinois and he would not support his reelection.

Proponents of the legislation say it will result in increased trust between police officers and the immigrant community, giving undocumented residents more confidence in coming forward to report a crime or assist in an investigation without fear that they will subsequently be deported.
Chicago Police have issued a community alert after a series of thefts targeting catalytic converters in the citys Sheffield Neighbors neighborhood.

In all, six different thefts have been reported between August 7 and 23, according to police. Three of those thefts took place within a three-block radius on N. Lakewood Ave.

Thieves are removing the catalytic converters off of cars in each theft, and appear to be primarily targeting Lexus and Honda cars, the alert says.

Police recommend that residents keep their cars locked at night, and that they report any suspicious activity to authorities.

Here is the list of thefts:

2100 block of N. Fremont between Aug. 7 and 8

1800 block of N. Bissell St. between Aug. 7 and 8

2100 block of N. Lakewood Ave. between Aug. 18 and 19

2200 block of N. Lakewood Ave. on Aug. 19

2300 block of N. Lakewood Ave. between Aug. 18 and 20

500 block of W. Fullerton Pkwy between Aug. 21 and 23

Police do not have a description of the suspect(s) in the case, but encourage residents to call Area Central detectives at 312-747-8380 or to dial 911 if a theft takes place.
A judge on Monday cleared former State Treasurer Dan Rutherford of the alleged political firings of three employees.

Rutherford said after court he is relieved by the judge's decision but described it as bittersweet because, at one point, the employees were his friends.



Three former aides said Rutherford retaliated against them for participating in an investigation of sexual harassment and political pressure.

The federal sexual harassment case, filed by another former staffer, is still pending.

Rutherford declined to offer a comment on the state of Illinois politics but said he might consider a small political office in the future.

Public records show the state of Illinois has already paid out more than half a million dollars in legal fees for Rutherford.
Illinois' four top legislative leaders met in Springfield yet again Sunday to iron out details for the "historic" school funding reform deal ahead of a vote in the House.

Democratic leaders, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, met once more with their Republican counterparts, House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady Sunday afternoon.

On Thursday, the leaders announced that they had reached a tentative agreement on education funding reform, though in the days since, some lawmakers have said they're anxious that that compromise may be in trouble.

Part of the agreement causing some turmoil is a potential tuition tax credit program that would give families sending their children to private schools tax credits.

Republican leaders Jim Durkin and Jim Brady are optimistic that the bill will pass, even with opposition from some progressive lawmakers and teachers unions over the $75 million in funding.

Those funds are earmarked for low and middle-income private school students, and parents like what they ve heard about the new funding.

Some progressive Democrats have positioned themselves against the program as well, while Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has also voiced his own criticisms of the deal as a whole.

Rauner told business leaders in southern Illinois Friday that lawmakers were "on the verge of what is largely good education funding reform," but again blamed Madigan for inserting "a bunch of bad things in it," like funding for Chicago Public Schools that the governor said "shouldn't go to Chicago."

"Its not fair but its going to end up being a compromise," Rauner said. "Its not where wed like it to be and what Ill try to do is fix the problems with it in subsequent legislation."

Other politicians, including Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, are in favor of the bill. Emanuel says that it gives Chicago Public Schools some of the fixes they've needed, including pension reform that has strangled the district's finances.

Specifics of the deal  hammered out through a series of closed-door meetings like the one on Sunday  have not yet been made public. Legislators were briefed on its broad details Friday, though the legislation has not been formally introduced.

The House is expected to vote on the plan Monday, followed by a vote on Tuesday in the Senate - which already overrode Rauner's amendatory veto, but would need to approve any further changes to the bill.

The leaders will return to Madigan's office on Monday morning at 9 a.m. to further discuss the bill.
The state of Connecticut is sending eight National Guard airmen and a cargo plane to Texas to provide help after Harvey.

Gov. Dannel Malloy said the state has deployed a C-130H cargo plane and eight Airmen from the 103rd Airlift Wing of the Connecticut National Guard to help with response and recovery efforts in Texas.

The unit, including C-130H pilots, crewmembers, loadmasters and maintainers, left the Bradley Air National Guard Base in East Granby this afternoon.

We know what its like to experience extreme weather events, and we know how vital it is for local and state governments to work together and provide assistance during times of natural disasters or other emergencies, Malloy said in a statement. I thank our Connecticut Air National Guardsmen for taking on this mission to give Texas aid during this great time of need. The State of Connecticut stands ready to provide support in the ongoing response and recovery efforts. The growing emergence of extreme weather events has transformed the way we respond to emergencies and is a key reason why we must continue strengthening our infrastructure to withstand the types of catastrophic storms that weve experienced in recent years.

Harvey is Connecticut's National Guard only mission at this time and it is unknown when the airmen will come home.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all suffering from the effects of Hurricane Harvey, Major General Thaddeus J. Martin, Adjutant General and Commander of the Connecticut National Guard, said in a statement. Even on the heels of the units first large-scale, overseas deployment, the 103rd Airlift Wing  and the entire Connecticut National Guard  stands ready to aid the men and women of this nation anytime, anywhere.
People in Houston and southeast Texas are turning to an app created in Connecticut to help report flooding and other issues caused by Harvey.

Some 27,000 people in Houston have downloaded the mobile app SeeClickFix built for that citys emergency call center.

"Houston was one of the first city users of SeeClickFix," Ben Berkowitz, SeeClickFix CEO and Founder, said.

As the water rises from the torrential rain in Texas, SeeClickFix has been flooded with posts by people in the path of this historic natural disaster.

"Im not surprised Houston experienced the flooding it did," Berkowitz said. "This is a city that has been met with flooding issues previously."

The flooding images are among the worst Berkowitz has seen since he launched the digital communications platform for citizens to report issues to their local governments ten years ago.

"There are photos from Sandy that rival it obviously because of the housing density, but yeah this is up there for sure," he said.

Robin Ladouceur works at SeeClickFix in New Haven. She showed NBC Connecticuts photos taken by her sister who lives south of Houston.

"This is my sister in her boots on the sidewalk and this is out the front door," she said. "They were very lucky so far."

While Ladouceurs family is OK, their neighborhood like so many looks like a river.

"They bought cinder blocks so that they could at least put all of their furniture on the first floor up on cinder blocks," Ladouceur said.

Many of the posts on the SeeClickFix map of greater Houston report drainage problems and damaged property.

"Its obviously going to be very devastating in the short term and long term as well," Berkowitz said. "Its going to take Houston a long time to recover from this."

With emergency call centers overwhelmed, Berkowitz said citizens in southeast Texas are leveraging the power of social media platforms like SeeClickFix in a positive way.

"We see them volunteering to help each other out," he said. "To ask each other for help. Its been some really inspiring stories from the social web of folks getting their neighbors out via boat."
Combative and insistent, President Donald Trump declared anew Tuesday "there is blame on both sides" for the deadly violence last weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia, appearing to once again equate the actions of white supremacist groups and those protesting them. He showed sympathy for the fringe groups' efforts to preserve Confederate monuments.

A senior White House official told NBC News that Trump's team went into the public event with the understanding that the president would take no questions. But once in front of reporters, the president "went rogue." The official said members of the team were stunned by the president's actions.

The president's comments effectively wiped away the more conventional statement he delivered at the White House a day earlier when he branded members of the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists who take part in violence as "criminals and thugs."

Trump's advisers had hoped those remarks might quell a crush of criticism from Republicans, Democrats and business leaders. But the president's retorts Tuesday suggested he had been a reluctant participant in that cleanup effort and renewed questions about why he seems to struggle to unequivocally condemn white nationalists.

The blowback was swift, including from fellow Republicans. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said Trump should not allow white supremacists "to share only part of the blame." House Speaker Paul Ryan declared in a tweet that "white supremacy is repulsive" and there should be "no moral ambiguity," though he did not specifically address the president.

Trump's remarks were welcomed by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who tweeted: "Thank you President Trump for your honesty & courage to tell the truth."

Violence broke out Saturday in Charlottesville, a picturesque college town, after a loosely connected mix of white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other far-right extremists assembled to protest the city's decision to remove a towering statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a man plowed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters.

In the immediate aftermath, Trump placed the blame on "many sides." On Monday, at the urging of his aides, he delivered a more direct condemnation of white supremacists. But he returned to his original arguments Tuesday during an impromptu press conference in the lobby of his Manhattan skyscraper, declaring "there are two sides to a story."

He acknowledged there were "some very bad people" looking for trouble in the group protesting plans to remove the statue. "But you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides," he said.

Trump sided with those seeking to maintain the monument to Lee, equating him with some of the nation's founders who also owned slaves. Confederate monuments have become rallying points for supporters of both preserving and toppling them.

"So, this week it's Robert E. Lee," he said. "I noticed that Stonewall Jackson's coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week and is it Thomas Jefferson the week after? You really do have to ask yourself where does it stop?"

He continued: "You're changing history. You're changing culture."

The president's comments mirrored rhetoric from the far-right fringe. A post Monday by the publisher of The Daily Stormer, a notorious neo-Nazi website, predicted that protesters are going to demand that the Washington Monument be torn down.

Trump's handling of the weekend violence has raised new and troubling questions, even among some supporters. Members of his own Republican Party have pressured him to be more vigorous in criticizing bigoted groups, and business leaders have begun abandoning a White House jobs panel in response to his comments.

White House officials were caught off guard by his remarks Tuesday. He had signed off on a plan to not answer questions from journalists during an event touting infrastructure policies, according to a White House official not authorized to speak publicly about a private discussion. Once behind the lectern and facing the cameras, he overruled the decision.

As Trump talked, his aides on the sidelines in the lobby stood in silence. Chief of staff John Kelly crossed his arms and stared down at his shoes, barely glancing at the president. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders looked around the room trying to make eye contact with other senior aides. One young staffer stood with her mouth agape.

Kelly was brought into the White House less than a month ago to try to bring order and stability to a chaotic West Wing. Some Trump allies hoped the retired Marine general might be able to succeed where others have failed: controlling some of Trump's impulses. But the president's improvisations on Tuesday once against underscored that he cannot be controlled by his advisers.

Democrats were aghast at Trump's comments. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said on Twitter that the Charlottesville violence "was fueled by one side: white supremacists spreading racism, intolerance & intimidation. Those are the facts." Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii said on Twitter that he no longer views Trump as his president.

"As a Jew, as an American, as a human, words cannot express my disgust and disappointment," Schatz said. "This is not my president."

When asked to explain his Saturday comments about Charlottesville, Trump looked down at his notes and again read a section of his initial statement that denounced bigotry but did not single out white supremacists. He then tucked the paper back into his jacket pocket.

Trump, who has quickly deemed other deadly incidents in the U.S. and around the world acts of terrorism, waffled when asked whether the car death was a terrorist attack.

"There is a question. Is it murder? Is it terrorism?" Trump said. "And then you get into legal semantics. The driver of the car is a murderer and what he did was a horrible, horrible, inexcusable thing."

Trump said he had yet to call Heyer's mother but would soon "reach out." He praised her for what he said was a nice statement about him on social media.

As he finally walked away from his lectern, he stopped to answer one more shouted question: Would he visit Charlottesville? The president's response was to note that he owned property there and to say  inaccurately  that it was one of the largest wineries in the United States.
Former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush have expressed their support for fellow Texans in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

In a pair of statements Monday the former presidents saluted the volunteers, first responders and elected officials for their work during the storm and said they know Texans will come together to rebuild.

Statement from former President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush:

"Barbara and I are in Maine, but our hearts are in Houston. We are praying for all of our fellow Houstonians and Texans affected by Harvey, and truly inspired by the flotilla of volunteers -- Points of Light all -- who are answering the call to help their neighbors. We salute them, the first responders, and the local elected officials for their grit and determination in the face of this extraordinary storm. This we know: Houston, and Texas, will come together and rebuild."

Statement from former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush:

"This morning I spoke with Governor Abbott about the rescue and operations underway in Houston and along the Gulf Coast. Laura and I are moved by the heroic work of the first responders and volunteers who are putting themselves at risk to save others. The devastation breaks our hearts, but we are confident that these strong communities will recover and thrive.

"Laura and I are pleased to donate to Team Rubicon, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army. We hope our fellow citizens will join us in giving to these groups and others that are making a difference on the ground. We are proud of the people of Texas for showing the resilience and compassion of our state, and we pray for their safety and well-being."
Officials from the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County will meet with two Miami Beach residents who filed a lawsuit over the use of Naled in the battle against mosquitoes that might carry the Zika virus.

The meeting, scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, will include members of the countys Mosquito Control Board, Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado, Miami Beach officials and others along with the plaintiffs in that lawsuit, Dr. Michael Hall and lawyer Cindy Mattson.

In July, Judge Federico Moreno recommended the meeting so that all sides could have their positions heard. Hall and Mattson have contended that the county did not adequately inform citizens about the use of Naled or precautions that they could take to protect themselves  along with a failure to measure the amount of Naled in the air, water or on the ground.

Officials will determine a strategy for future fighting against the pest, a fight that was amplified during the Zika outbreak in both the cities of Miami, Miami Beach and other areas across the county. The mosquito borne illness has been found to cause medical issues, especially for pregnant women and their unborn children.

The Environment Protection Agency is currently reviewing the future use of the pesticide as part of a mandated 15 year review process.
What to Know 11-year-old Briana Ojeda died from an asthma attack in 2010 after a police officer wasn't able to perform CPR on her

Her family has been fighting for years to make sure every officer is certified in CPR

Cuomo said the new law will "give law enforcement the training and the tools that will help save lives"

Gov. Cuomo has signed legislation requiring police officers in New York to receive CPR training after an 11-year-old Brooklyn girl died when an officer wasnt able to resuscitate her seven years ago.

Brianas Law was signed by Cuomo on Sunday. It requires state police and NYPD candidates and officers to receive CPR training prior to graduation and every two years thereafter.

The law is named after Briana Ojeda, an 11-year-old girl who suffered a life-threatening asthma attack while playing at a city playground in August 2010. Brianas mother, Carmen Torres, was rushing to get her daughter to a hospital when she was pulled over by an NYPD officer for driving the wrong way down a street.

The parents of an 11-year-old Brooklyn girl who died of an asthma attack blame the NYPD for their daughters death. They say police did nothing to help their daughter when they should have, and took their case to court. Brynn Gringras reports.

Torres told Officer Alfonso Mendez that her daughter wasnt breathing and begged him to give the girl mouth-to-mouth. She says he told her he didnt know CPR and then delayed her from continuing on to a hospital. By the time Briana received medical treatment, it was too late to save her life.

"She would be alive if he was trained properly, Torres told NBC 4 New York.

The bill changes the requirement and practice for the NYPD, which is not currently required to complete CPR training and recertification. The new law reinforces the current practice of state troopers, who are required to complete CPR training and recertification every two years, the governors office said.

Currently, NYPD officers can get trained at the academy but it isn't mandatory and they don't have to get retrained.

The new law goes into effect on Oct. 26, 60 days from when it was signed.

"In shock and happy at the same time, 'cause we know now that no other family will go through the life we're living now," Briana's father, Michael Ojeda, said.

CPR is a life-saving technique that keeps oxygenated blood flowing to the brain and other vital organs when a persons breathing or heartbeat has stopped.

Briana's family had since filed a civil suit against the city, former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and NYPD Officer Mendez, claiming the officer's actions violated their constitutional rights and contributed to their daughter's death.

The 11-year-old died after a cop refused to give her CPR as she suffered an asthma attack, her family says.

In 2012, a lawyer for the city said in court that while he sympathized with the family's loss, the claims in the lawsuit were unjustified. The city asked that the judge throw out the suit, saying it was not an officer's duty to administer CPR.

The Ojeda family said at the time that regardless of the judge's ruling, they would continue to fight to get every officer certified in CPR, so no other familiar ever experiences a similar tragedy.

In 2016, a Brooklyn judge ultimately dismissed the case the family had brought against the city and the NYPD officer, because there was no law that required the NYPD to be routinely trained in CPR.

Briana's family said Sunday they've achieved their only goal: changing the law. They say the passing of the legislation makes their daughter a guardian angel and brings meaning to a senseless tragedy.

"We need to know that when we call our NYPD and they need to administer CPR that they are ready, willing and able," Torres said. "That was our goal and we succeeded in this goal."
Police continued to search Monday for a woman with Alzheimers who went missing from a senior living facility in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Audrey Penn, 77, went missing last week from the Woodland Terrace at the Oaks Senior Living Community on 1263 South Cedar Crest Boulevard, Salisbury Township Police said Wednesday.

Penn suffers from Alzheimers, investigators said. She was last seen wearing green pants and a green and purple flower shirt.

"At this time, locating Audrey is our top priority," a spokesperson for Woodland Terrace wrote. "Woodland Terrace has tested its security systems and reviewed its resident safety and security measures to ensure that all technology and processes continue to work effectively as the health, safety and well-being of every resident is always our No. 1 priority."

We have spiritual counsel available to all residents, families and the local community if they feel a need for support. The entire Woodbine Family, residents, families and friends are praying for Audrey's safe return.

Woodbine Senior Living, the parent company of Woodland Terrace, is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone with information leading to Penns safe return. If you have any information on her whereabouts, please call Sgt. Donald Sabo or Detective Kevin Kress at 610-797-1447.


President Donald Trump on Monday said federal cash for storm-ravaged areas in Texas and elsewhere will arrive quickly.

He said to people suffering from Hurricane Harvey and the resulting flooding that "You're going to have what you need and it's going to go fast."

Trump added that he has spoken with members of Congress and "everybody feels for" people in the storm's path.

Trump was preparing to visit Texas to view the federal government's response to Harvey's devastating flooding as his administration vowed to help the millions of residents dealing with the catastrophic storm.

Harvey represented the first major natural disaster of Trump's presidency and a significant test for a White House that is often chaotic and rife with infighting. Attention on Harvey from officials, the public and the news media also allowed Trump to refocus after a turbulent stretch that included his widely criticized response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Vice President Mike Pence said in a series of radio interviews on Monday that the Trump administration would "be there for the long haul to help rebuild Texas and all the affected areas from Hurricane Harvey." He estimated 500,000 Americans could be eligible for disaster assistance.

"The president has been continuously engaged in this. We've all been deeply concerned by the impact of this storm," Pence told KTRH radio in Houston. "We're saddened by the loss of life and the president is anxious to come to the region."

Pence said Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Cabinet officials would visit Tuesday.

Trump spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, and convened his Cabinet by telephone during the weekend. He tweeted on Sunday a promise of a Texas visit "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption"  later announced by the White House as Tuesday. Details on the president's itinerary were not yet immediately available.

[[441751653, C]]

But by traveling to the region just days after Harvey made landfall, the president raised questions among his critics on whether his presence would complicate efforts by emergency responders to help Texans still in need.

Jennifer Psaki, a former aide to President Barack Obama, tweeted: "It is always a tricky calculation on when to go, but @realDonaldTrump going too early to Texas (tues) would divert significant resources."

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and Trump ally, however, loaded heavy praise on the president and the federal government, describing it as an "A-plus" effort.

"I've got to tell you, I give FEMA a grade of A+, all the way from the president down," Abbott said. "I've spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of FEMA, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services."

The devastating storm has dumped more than two feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a "landmark event" that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.

Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. Abbott said he expected heavy rain "for days to come."

The governor commended Trump for being "extremely professional, very helpful" in moving quickly to grant his request Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.

Abbott said the focus was on rescue in the Houston area, citing multiple high-level vehicles sent in late Saturday night that were being manned by the National Guard, but that boats and helicopters will be available all across east Texas for swift water rescue. Still, in many areas, Houston officials were reporting flooding so widespread that rescuers were getting too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.

[[442001493, C]]

In his tweets, Trump praised Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long for "doing a great job" and touted the "great coordination between agencies at all levels of government." He also tweeted Sunday morning about his Cabinet meeting to address Harvey. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, is currently without a secretary.

"Major rescue operations underway!" he wrote.

"Wow  Now experts are calling (hash) Harvey a once in 500 year flood! We have an all-out effort going, and going well!"

Later, he added: "Even experts have said they've never seen one like this!" and "HISTORIC rainfall in Houston, and all over Texas. Floods are unprecedented, and more rain coming. Spirit of the people is incredible. Thanks!

Harvey is the first major natural disaster of Trump's presidency and a significant test for a White House that is often chaotic and rife with infighting. Attention on Harvey from officials, the public and the news media also allows Trump to refocus after a turbulent stretch that included his widely criticized response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.



The governor commended Trump for being "extremely professional, very helpful" in moving quickly to grant his request Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.

Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Saturday in Austin that he's working with local officials and seeking information about the storm. Abbott says it's too early to speculate as to how much property damage the storm has caused, but he has expanded his disaster declaration to cover more counties.

Abbott said the focus was on rescue in the Houston area, citing multiple high-level vehicles sent in late Saturday night that were being manned by the National Guard, but that boats and helicopters will be available all across east Texas for swift water rescue. Still, in many areas, Houston officials were reporting flooding so widespread that rescuers were getting too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-or-death situations.



"We're measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet," Abbott said.



Trump's tweets had their oddities and non-sequiturs. He also addressed the North America Free Trade agreement, the need for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and tax cuts. Trump also found time to promote a book by Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff David Clarke, a Trump supporter often on television discussing his conservative views of race, crime and law enforcement.



The White House released a summary of the Cabinet conference call, saying Trump "continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives."



The Trump administration efforts seek to offer a contrast to President George W. Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in August 2005 and left more than 1,500 dead. The mismanaged response of Bush's FEMA administrator, Michael Brown, to that hurricane, as well as Bush's praise of Brown for doing a "heck of a job" in the immediate days after, dogged Bush for the rest of his presidency.

Abbott spoke on ABC's "This Week" and "Fox News Sunday," and Long appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press."
New Jersey lawmakers are simultaneously aiding Texas and scorning its lawmakers as the state endures massive flooding caused by Tropical Storm Harvey, which shows no signs of abating until later in the week.

On Monday, Gov. Chris Christie called congressional members from Texas "hypocrites" after senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn urged President Donald Trump to release relief funds for their state despite voting against similar legislation when Superstorm Sandy pummeled New Jersey in 2012.

U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-N.J., and Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-N.J., also issued statements expressing their support for sending emergency disaster funds to Texas despite the previous slight.

"We are the United States of America and in times of trouble, emergencies and hardship, we must remain unified," Norcross said. We will never move forward as a country if we hold grudges. Lets put partisanship and geography aside and remember that we're in it together.

LoBiondo announced his intention via Twitter:

Despite my TX colleagues refusal to support aid in #SouthJersey time of need, I will support emergency disaster $$ for those impacted  Frank LoBiondo (@FrankLoBiondoNJ) August 28, 2017

"Disasters & emergencies are just that...disasters & emergencies. Must stand together as Americans, not be hypocritical based on geography," LoBiondo said.



Republican Rep. Peter King from New York also tweeted over the weekend that 1 bad turn doesnt deserve another" and promised to back sending relief funds.

When Sandy knocked out power from the Jersey Shore up to Boston, eight Texas Republicans voted against increasing flood insurance and 23 voted against emergency funds for victims. Both measures eventually passed in the House and Senate and were signed into law by President Barack Obama.

Cruz was among those who did not vote for Sandy relief.

"Emergency relief for the families who are suffering from this natural disaster should not be used as a Christmas tree for billions in unrelated spending," he said in a statement at the time.

[NATL] Dramatic Images: Floods Hit as Harvey Drenches Texas

Two thirds of this spending is not remotely emergency; the Congressional Budget Office estimates that only 30 percent of the authorized funds would be spent in the next 20 months, and over a billion dollars will be spent as late as 2021.

Projected home damage from Harvey could be upward of $40 billion, according to one global property analyst CoreLogic.

On Friday before Harvey struck, Cruz and Cornyn asked Trump to grant Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts request for a major disaster declaration for the state.

Given the potential catastrophic impact that the Hurricane may have on Texas communities, we strongly support this request and urge you to provide any and all emergency protective measures available by a major disaster declaration, they said.

By Friday evening, Trump had directed federal aid towards recovery in the form of grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

On Monday, Cruz publicly thanked the president and his cabinet for acting "swiftly" and "enthusiastically" when Harvey struck. He also rebuffed questions about his lack of support for Sandy relief, adding those bills were "two-thirds pork spending completely unrelated" to the storm.

"There is time for political sniping later," he said.
San Diego protesters met in Balboa Park for what they described as a "rally against hate" on Sunday.

The rally was a counterprotest to the Patriot Prayer and March Against Marxism that took place in San Francisco and Berkeley, as well as to show solidarity with allies against racism in Charlottesville, according to a statement from the organizers of a Facebook group called San Diego Protest.

"Every time there's 100 white supremacists that want to gather in public or 10 that even dare do that, 10,000 are going to show up across the country in opposition to that. We're not going to let this stuff go on in the open," one of the protesters told NBC 7.

The event was scheduled for 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in front of the Museum of Man in Balboa Park.

Protesters marched 1.5 miles from the Museum of Man to Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego.
A former administrator at the Washington International School is charged in a scheme to steal nearly $100,000 from the famed private academy in Northwest Washington, D.C.

Former school official Zevi Mehlman used school credit cards to enrich himself, according to an affidavit from a U.S. Secret Service agent.

According to the agent's court filing, Mehlman used school credit cards to buy nearly 50 unneeded Apple computers, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars, between August 2014 and October 2015. The agent's court filing said Mehlman returned each the computers within days to Apple stores in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. but placed the refunds on his personal credit card.

The total loss to the school is estimated at about $96,000, according to court filings.

According to the U.S. Secret Service affidavit, the head of the school questioned Mehlman about the suspicious purchases in November 2015. The affidavit said: "[School officials] confronted Mehlman about computers purchased on his WIS issued credit cards that were not accounted for as part of the school's inventory. Mehlman confessed to making the purchases. He apologized and offered to sell his house to pay back WIS. Mehlman was told to leave WIS and not return unless asked. On or about December 4, 2015, WIS terminated Mehlman's employment."

The affidavit listed a series of computer purchases made by Mehlman, including the location of each. The affidavit said Mehlman bought some computers at Apple stores in Bethesda, Maryland; in McLean and Fairfax, Virginia, and in Washington, D.C. In nearly each case, he returned the computer to a different store than the one at which he bought the device, according to the court filing.

"Mr. Mehlman's actions constituted a violation of the School's rules and policies, as well as a betrayal of the trust we placed in him. In response, our administrative team immediately put in place new safeguards to prevent such breaches in the future," Clayton Lewis, the head of theWashington International School, said in a statement.

Mehlman was arrested last week. He is facing a criminal felony charge in D.C. and is scheduled to appear in court in early September. A judge has ordered him not to leave the D.C. area before his court date.

Mehlman's attorney did not immediately return requests for comment.

The Washington International School is a private academy for students from elementary school through high school age. The school's website said it has 906 students for the 2017-2018 school year, including young people from 90 countries across the world. Its Northwest D.C. campus is located on Macomb Street NW, near many embassies.
London police arrested a second man Sunday in connection with a suspect who drove up to a police van not far from Buckingham Palace then reached for a 4-foot (1.2-meter) sword, an incident detectives called a terrorism attempt.

Scotland Yard said three officers were slightly injured when they confronted the 26-year-old man who allegedly drove at the police van then stopped in a restricted area outside the gates of Queen Elizabeth II's London residence Friday night.

The driver reached for the sword in his car and repeatedly shouted "Allahu akbar!" ("God is great" in Arabic) during the incident, police said. The officers used tear gas to incapacitate the man and arrested him at the scene.

No one other than the man and the officers were injured. Two of the officers were treated for minor cuts in the hospital, while the third did not require hospital treatment.

Police said a second suspect, a 30-year-old man, was detained Sunday in west London on suspicion of involvement in terrorism. Officers were searching an address in the area as part of the probe.

Police had said Saturday they believed the first suspect was acting alone and were not looking for potential accomplices. The force has obtained a warrant to detain him until Sept. 1.

"This is a timely reminder that the threat from terrorism in the U.K. remains severe," Metropolitan Police counterterrorism chief Dean Haydon said. "While we cannot speculate on what the man was intending to do  this will be determined during the course of the investigation  it is only right that we investigate this as a terrorist incident at this time."

Palace officials declined to comment. British media reported that no members of the royal family were in Buckingham Palace, one of London's top attractions, at the time. The queen typically spends the month of August at her Balmoral estate in Scotland.
President Donald Trump's pardon of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio shows a lack of regard for an independent judiciary, say critics who note Trump's past criticism of federal judges, including the chief justice of the United States. Supporters counter that the veteran law enforcement officer deserved America's gratitude, "not the injustice of a political witch hunt."

"I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85 year old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He kept Arizona safe!," Trump tweeted late Friday after the White House announced that he had used his pardon power for the first time, sparing a political ally the prospect of jail time for defying court orders to halt police patrols that focused on Latinos.

The announcement came as Trump hunkered down at the Camp David presidential retreat while millions along the Texas coast braced themselves for Hurricane Harvey's impact. Trump's decision also followed the uproar that ensued after he said "both sides" were responsible for deadly violence during race-fueled clashes this month in Charlottesville, Virginia.

There is no legal dispute over Trump's ability to pardon in a contempt of court case, as was Arpaio's. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1925 that a presidential pardon for a criminal contempt of court sentence was within the powers of the executive, and Trump had telegraphed his move for days. But the pardon was unusual given that Arpaio was awaiting sentencing. It also had not gone through the normal pardon process, which includes lengthy reviews by the Justice Department and the White House counsel's office.

The Washington Post reported Saturday that Trump had asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions last spring whether it would be possible for the government to drop the criminal case against Arpaio. After being advised that would be inappropriate, Trump decided to let the case go to trial and, if Arpaio were convicted, could grant clemency later, the Post reported. The newspaper said its sources, who were not identified, were three people with knowledge of the conversation.

The Post reported that when press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked about the Trump-Sessions conversation about Arpaio's case, she responded: "It's only natural the president would have a discussion with administration lawyers about legal matters. This case would be no different."

Reaction to Trump's pardon was sharp and swift, including among some fellow Republicans with whom the president has been feuding openly.

House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., signaled his disagreement with the pardon through his spokesman. "Law-enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States," Ryan spokesman Doug Andres said in a statement. "We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon."

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who incurred Trump's wrath after voting against a Republican health care bill, said: "The president has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions."

The state's junior senator, Republican Jeff Flake, also disagreed with the move.

"I would have preferred that the president honor the judicial process and let it take its course," tweeted Flake, a Trump critic who has come in for particularly harsh treatment from the president. Trump has called Flake, who is up for re-election next year, "toxic" and "WEAK" on border issues and crime. Trump has rooted openly for Flake's GOP challenger, state Sen. Kelli Ward, who supports Arpaio's pardon, which could become an issue in the race.

"We applaud the president for exercising his pardon authority to counter the assault on Sheriff Arpaio's heroic efforts to enforce the nation's immigration laws," she said.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., said, "America owes Sheriff Arpaio a debt of gratitude and not the injustice of a political witch hunt."

But while the pardon could in the short term energize Trump's conservative base, which includes many with strong anti-immigration views, the decision could further alienate voter groups, such as Latinos, whose support the Republican Party has said it needs to win future elections. Trump managed to defy those dynamics in 2016.

Jens David Ohlin, vice dean and professor at Cornell Law School, said he was disturbed by the pardon, given Trump's relationship with the judiciary.

"Ever since the campaign and the beginning of his administration he's had a very contentious relationship with the judiciary and hasn't shown much respect for either members of the judiciary or the proper role of the judiciary within our constitutional structure," Ohlin said Saturday.

During the campaign, Trump called Chief Justice John Roberts "an absolute disaster" and "disgraceful," mainly for two opinions Roberts wrote that left President Barack Obama's health care law intact. Trump also went after U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who presided over fraud lawsuits against Trump University. Trump said Curiel was "a hater of Donald Trump" who couldn't be fair to Trump because of Curiel's "Mexican heritage" and because of Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Trump also referred to U.S. District Judge James Robart as a "so-called judge" after Robart imposed a temporary halt on Trump's travel ban.

Arpaio earned a national profile by acting aggressively to arrest immigrants in the U.S. illegally, including tactics that Latino and immigrants' rights advocates said were akin to racial profiling.

His alliance with Trump centers heavily on immigration enforcement, such as getting local police officers to participate in immigration enforcement. Both men have also questioned the authenticity of Obama's birth certificate. They share a similar history of sparring with judges and even a birthday, June 14.

"Sheriff Joe Arpaio was the instigator of racial profiling and made official a policy of harassment and abuse based on the color of one's skin," said Janet Murguia, president of UnidosUS, a Hispanic civil rights and advocacy group. "Every person of color in this nation has been put in harm's way because of this action and that is unconscionable."

P.S. Ruckman Jr., who edits a blog about presidential pardons, said the pardon is not an indicator of any serious interest by Trump in the pardon power.

"It just looks like a political stunt, basically, as opposed to an act of policy," Ruckman said.

It is not unprecedented for a president to issue a pardon in his first year in office. President Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon for his involvement in the Watergate scandal just four weeks after assuming office when Nixon stepped down. George H.W. Bush granted clemency after seven months in office.

Ruckman said that waiting until the end of a term to issue a pardon often gives the appearance that the president is trying to skirt accountability for it. President Bill Clinton ignited a major controversy on his final day in office with a last-minute pardon for fugitive financier Marc Rich, the ex-husband of a major Democratic fundraiser.

A year and a half before was to leave office, President George W. Bush set off a political backlash for commuting the prison sentence of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby in a perjury and obstruction of justice case stemming from a CIA leak.

Associated Press writer Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix contributed to this report.
A Massachusetts man is facing an OUI charge after police say he was under the influence of alcohol when he struck a police cruiser early Monday morning.

Wrentham police say 29-year-old Norfolk resident John Robbins will be arraigned Monday morning.

The crash happened on Taunton Street toward Route 1 just after midnight. Robbins, who was traveling in the opposite direction as the cruiser, turned into the cruiser, causing it to crash into a utility pole.

The officer freed himself and was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.

Robbins was not injured.

Its not clear if he has an attorney.
President Donald Trump is defending his decision to pardon Joe Arpaio, calling the controversial former Arizona sheriff a "patriot" who loves his country, NBC News reported.

During a news conference with the president of Finland on Monday, Trump said Arpaio was not treated well by the Obama administration and had success in his long career for the people of Arizona.

Arpaio, formerly the longest-serving sheriff in Arizona, faced a possible jail sentence due to a federal conviction stemming from his immigration raids and sweeps aimed at rounding up illegal migrants.
President Donald Trump is accusing Canada and Mexico of being "very difficult" at the negotiating table over the North American Free Trade Agreement, and threatening anew to terminate the deal.

Trump tweeted on Sunday morning that NAFTA is the "worst trade deal ever made."

Trump said at a rally last week in Phoenix that he would "end up probably terminating" NAFTA "at some point."

The U.S., Mexico and Canada began formal negotiations earlier this month to rework the 23-year-old trade pact that Trump blames for hundreds of thousands of lost U.S. factory jobs.

Trump is also taking to Twitter to press the need for his promised southern border wall, tweeting that Mexico will pay for it "through reimbursement/other." Mexico has repeatedly said there's no chance of that happening.

Mexico's foreign relations ministry responded to Trump's comments Sunday by reiterating that Mexico will never pay for a border wall and that it will not renegotiate NAFTA via social media or the press.

In a statement, the ministry also emphasized that the violence generated by drug trafficking is a shared problem between Mexico and the U.S., which creates the demand for drugs.

The second round of the NAFTA renegotiation is scheduled to begin Friday in Mexico City.
Not made your Christmas pudding yet? Don't know where to start? Come along to a Christmas pudding workshop at Norwich Central Baptist Church on November 21 with MasterChef contestant Jane Wyndham.

Not made your Christmas pudding yet? Don't know where to start? Come along to a Christmas pudding workshop at Norwich Central Baptist Church on November 21 with MasterChef contestant Jane Wyndham.

Norwich Foodbank provides over 4,700 food parcels Norwich Foodbank gave out 4,793 emergency food parcels to people across Norwich in the last year  with 1,790 of these going to children. Read more

Poppies cascading in Sheringham church A fall of poppies cascades from the pulpit in St Andrews Methodist Church in Sheringham, and anyone is welcome to come and see them. Read more

Bishop Graham's prayers for COP27 climate conference Bishop Graham is publishing daily prayers on social media for the current COP27 climate conference, and is asking all to join. Read more

Discovering the Orange in your life The vibrant colours of autumn have been inspiring regular contributor Jane Walters to focus on the positive. Read more

YMCA annual celebration set to inspire YMCA Norfolk is set to hold its much anticipated 2022 annual celebration and awards ceremony on November 17, after almost 3 years since the last event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more

Hub manager vacancy at community shop Earlham Community Shop Community Interest Company is looking to appoint a manager for this new venture being developed in the heart of NR5 Norwich. Read more

Abbey Days brings Christmas Magic to Wymondham Visitors to Wymondham Abbeys Christmas fair will be able to treat their children to a magic show and fun baking workshop while they browse more than 60 stalls. Read more

Salvation Armys new Christmas Appeal in Norfolk The Salvation Army has launched their new Christmas appeal across Norfolk which, this year, has evolved from the much-loved Toys and Tins appeal. Read more

Are we storing up treasures on earth? Rising prices affect us all, and Anna Heydon urges us to spare a thought for those who will be struggling with the cost of living this winter. Read more

Latest Norfolk Christian community events Events of interest to the Norwich and Norfolk Christian community happening over the next few weeks are listed. Read more

Covid leaf memorial at Norwich church St Peter Mancroft Church Norwich Presents The Leaves of the Trees an installation by sculptor Peter Walker which provides a memorial for those who died of Covid-19 Read more

Community Chaplaincy Norfolk begins a new chapter Community Chaplaincy Norfolk (CCN) celebrated the beginning of a new chapter this week, as the new chair of trustees Chris Tomlinson led his first annual meeting. Read more

Lowestoft Christians launch on-line bible helps app The Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth branch of Good News for Everyone (GNFE), formerly the Gideons, have introduced a new mobile phone app called On-line Bible Helps. Read more

Addicts' rehabilitation centre plan for Drayton Hall Christian addiction charity Teen Challenge London is planning to turn Drayton Hall near Norwich into its headquarters and a rehabilitation centre for men, after it was gifted the freehold of the hall by its owner, the Lind Trust. Read more

The power of positive protest Philip Young encourages us to take a stand for what we believe, and has just written to Therese Coffey regarding climate change and the forthcoming COP 27. He explains why we should be prepared to protest. Read more

Norwich church celebrates with cribs and trees Rosebery Road Methodist Church in Norwich will be holding its annual Cribs and Trees Festival in December. Read more

Transforming Norwich lunch offers ministry tips Ex-Brighton vicar, Rev Phil Moon, will offer tips on how to keep going in ministry to the Transforming Norwich leaders lunch on Wednesday November 16. Read more
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: India will undertake two major trade-related discussions during the week to improve exports and global business environment for Indian firms. According to sources in the commerce ministry, senior officials of Govt of India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are scheduled to meet during the next few days for the next round of talks on the proposed free trade agreement. The week will also witness officials of commerce and foreign ministries discussing several key issues related to the World Trade Organization.

India and the EFTA countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) will hold talks under the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. They are expected to discuss the number of goods on which duties will either be eliminated or reduced significantly and liberalisation of norms in the services sector.

The trade pact talks had started in October 2008 and so far, 16 rounds of TEPA negotiations have been held. The talks resumed last year after a gap of nearly three years. The proposed discussions will cover trade in goods and services, investments, trade facilitation, customs cooperation, protection of intellectual property and public procurement. The two-way trade between the regions dropped to $19 billion in 2016-17 from $ 21.5 billion in 2015-16.

Meanwhile, another set of officials will discuss issues on forthcoming ministerial conference of WTO in Argentina in December. The sectors include fisheries subsidies and permanent solution on public stock-holding for food security purposes.

The ministerial conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO. The deliberations assume significance as key WTO members, including India, will meet in Morocco before thrashing it out at Argentina. Officials in the commerce ministry acknowledged that it is critical for India, which is pitching to fulfil the pending agenda which includes finding a permanent solution to the issue of food stockpiling and importantly, trade facilitation in services.

NEW DELHI: India will undertake two major trade-related discussions during the week to improve exports and global business environment for Indian firms. According to sources in the commerce ministry, senior officials of Govt of India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are scheduled to meet during the next few days for the next round of talks on the proposed free trade agreement. The week will also witness officials of commerce and foreign ministries discussing several key issues related to the World Trade Organization. India and the EFTA countries (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) will hold talks under the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement. They are expected to discuss the number of goods on which duties will either be eliminated or reduced significantly and liberalisation of norms in the services sector. The trade pact talks had started in October 2008 and so far, 16 rounds of TEPA negotiations have been held. The talks resumed last year after a gap of nearly three years. The proposed discussions will cover trade in goods and services, investments, trade facilitation, customs cooperation, protection of intellectual property and public procurement. The two-way trade between the regions dropped to $19 billion in 2016-17 from $ 21.5 billion in 2015-16. Meanwhile, another set of officials will discuss issues on forthcoming ministerial conference of WTO in Argentina in December. The sectors include fisheries subsidies and permanent solution on public stock-holding for food security purposes. The ministerial conference is the highest decision-making body of the WTO. The deliberations assume significance as key WTO members, including India, will meet in Morocco before thrashing it out at Argentina. Officials in the commerce ministry acknowledged that it is critical for India, which is pitching to fulfil the pending agenda which includes finding a permanent solution to the issue of food stockpiling and importantly, trade facilitation in services.
By PTI

HYDERABAD: Israel is expecting 55,000 tourists from India to visit their country in the current calendar year, a senior official said today.

In 2016 about 44,672 Indian tourists travelled to Israel.

"Till July 2017, over 34,000 Indians have already visited Israel marking a growth of 36 per cent. And the numbers are growing...the historic visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to our country has sparked a renewed interest among Indians to travel to Israel," Israel Ministry of Tourism India Director Hassan Madah told reporters here.

"For this (2017) year we are expecting about 55,000 Indian travellers. Talks are on for introducing direct Air India flights connecting New Delhi with Israel. It is expected that the direct AI flights are likely to commence in the coming months and once it starts the number can reach 70,000 to 80,000 this year," Madah said, adding they are targeting one lakh tourists from India by the end of 2018.

Currently 3-4 direct flights ply from Mumbai to Tel Aviv, he said.

Madah said, among the Asian countries, India used to be number one source market for Israel two years ago and now China is in the first position with 78,000 tourists travelling to Israel last year. "This is because more airlines from China have brought in more tourists."

To a query, Madah said "We encourage film producers (from India) to shoot in Israel. We are already in talks with some (of them). We from tourism ministry will give our support. We don't have schemes that gives benefits (to film industry), but we can work on an ad hoc request."

"We know that films can attract tourism. Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand and other countries have promoted films (shooting) and more tourists are coming to those countries and we are working on that also,' Madah added.

HYDERABAD: Israel is expecting 55,000 tourists from India to visit their country in the current calendar year, a senior official said today. In 2016 about 44,672 Indian tourists travelled to Israel. "Till July 2017, over 34,000 Indians have already visited Israel marking a growth of 36 per cent. And the numbers are growing...the historic visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to our country has sparked a renewed interest among Indians to travel to Israel," Israel Ministry of Tourism India Director Hassan Madah told reporters here. "For this (2017) year we are expecting about 55,000 Indian travellers. Talks are on for introducing direct Air India flights connecting New Delhi with Israel. It is expected that the direct AI flights are likely to commence in the coming months and once it starts the number can reach 70,000 to 80,000 this year," Madah said, adding they are targeting one lakh tourists from India by the end of 2018. Currently 3-4 direct flights ply from Mumbai to Tel Aviv, he said. Madah said, among the Asian countries, India used to be number one source market for Israel two years ago and now China is in the first position with 78,000 tourists travelling to Israel last year. "This is because more airlines from China have brought in more tourists." To a query, Madah said "We encourage film producers (from India) to shoot in Israel. We are already in talks with some (of them). We from tourism ministry will give our support. We don't have schemes that gives benefits (to film industry), but we can work on an ad hoc request." "We know that films can attract tourism. Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand and other countries have promoted films (shooting) and more tourists are coming to those countries and we are working on that also,' Madah added.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: A team of experts from Japan arrived here today to assess the safety status of the Indian Railways network, the Embassy of Japan has said.

The visit comes in the backdrop of back-to-back rail accidents.

The experts, who will be here till September 1, will meet senior officials and conduct site visits.

The team of experts consists of railway safety experts from railway-related organisations, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).

"The team dispatched by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will examine the current status of railway safety in India and India's needs for capacity development for railway safety for considering further cooperation through JICA," according to the embassy statement.

The visit of the experts also comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe are scheduled to lay the foundation stone for India's first ever high-speed rail network next month.

The first line for the bullet train is being developed between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and soil testing and terrain mapping are currently underway, railway officials said.

India signed an agreement with Japan in February this year on enhancing railway safety in the Indian Railways with focus on railway track and rolling stock safety.



NEW DELHI: A team of experts from Japan arrived here today to assess the safety status of the Indian Railways network, the Embassy of Japan has said. The visit comes in the backdrop of back-to-back rail accidents. The experts, who will be here till September 1, will meet senior officials and conduct site visits. The team of experts consists of railway safety experts from railway-related organisations, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). "The team dispatched by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will examine the current status of railway safety in India and India's needs for capacity development for railway safety for considering further cooperation through JICA," according to the embassy statement. The visit of the experts also comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe are scheduled to lay the foundation stone for India's first ever high-speed rail network next month. The first line for the bullet train is being developed between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, and soil testing and terrain mapping are currently underway, railway officials said. India signed an agreement with Japan in February this year on enhancing railway safety in the Indian Railways with focus on railway track and rolling stock safety.
Gurbir Singh By

Express News Service

Infosys used to be held up as a stellar example of high performance and good corporate governance. Events over the past few months, culminating with the exit of CEO Vishal Sikka, have left an impression that the company is past its prime.

In many ways, Infosys has outdone Tata Sons handling of Cyrus Mistry. In the Tata Sons case, while the performance of former chairman Mistry and the ethics employed to get him out were issues of controversy, voting power was solidly on the side of the Tata Trusts. Mistry, after all, held only 18 per cent in Tata Sons. In the case of Infosys, N R Narayana Murthy and a bunch of founders, owning no more than 12.75 per cent, have ousted Sikka despite the support of the board, and have steam-rolled their way back into power.

Scripted attacks

With hindsight now, one can see the assaults on Sikka and the company board by former chairman Murthy were well-scripted. In February, Murthy went at Sikka on his being allowed a huge 55 per cent hike in annual compensation. Then, there was the issue of acquiring the Israeli software company, Panaya, at what was alleged to be an over-inflated price of $200 million; poor corporate governance was questioned, and then this June the founders threatened to dump their entire Infosys stock in protest.

After three years at the helm as the first non-founding CEO of the company, Sikka quit. I have decided to leave because the distractions, the very public noise around us, have created an untenable atmosphere, he wrote in his 18 August resignation letter. The Infy board stood behind Sikka and attacked the former chairman saying: Mr Murthy preferred his diktat to prevail with no place or tolerance for the outcomes of shareholder democracy.

But, despite the board clarifying that Murthy would play no administrative role, by Thursday 24 August, the founders were back with Nandan Nilekani appointed non-executive chairman and most of the earlier board members  chairman R Seshasayee, and independent directors Jeffrey Lehman and John Etchemendy  quitting.

Was it poor performance and deteriorating corporate governance that forced Sikka out? Or was it Murthy and the founders suffering pangs of exclusion, and the itch to return? No one can deny the contribution of Murthy, who built Infosys from nothing in 1981 to a giant in two decades working as CEO of the company till 2002. He was the father of IT services outsourcing in India. Nilekani, then, took over as CEO and Murthy continued in different roles as chairman and chief mentor, stepped down in 2011, but returned as executive chairman and again stepped down in 2014.

Its difficult letting go

It is obvious Murthy has had problems of letting go the giant he had built. Since 2014 when he stepped down, and Sikka took control, at every turn one can see the nuance in Murthys public criticisms: I can do it better.

Has he been fair to Sikka? Before he stepped down, the public perception was Sikka had infused a new focus into Infosys despite a tough market. There was dirty linen, no doubt, like the murky `25-crore payout to CFO Rajiv Bansal, which Murthy insinuated was hush money.

But, on performance, Sikka has done well. Attrition fell from 24 per cent to 17 per cent in two years. Revenue per employee grew for six quarters in a row. New automation and innovation, which Sikka brought into transform Infosys, contributed 8.3 per cent to revenue in the last quarter. And, total sales crossed the $10-billion mark for FY17, a 54 per cent increase over three years. On the day of Sikkas exit, Infosys shares plunged 13 per cent in intraday trade, the lowest in three years.

Investors support Nilekani

If Sikkas departure was abrupt, the speed at which Nilekani was installed was equally astounding. How did a small but powerful cabal with just 12.75 equity holding bust a fairly entrenched CEO and company board?

Within three days of Sikka stepping down, 12 institutional investors wrote to Infosys chairman Seshasayee and co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan to get Nilekani back at the helm. These included the top nine mutual funds and three large insurance companies. These investors panicked at the looming crisis of leadership. The script worked well. A simulated crisis, perhaps initiated by the founders, brought the key investors on their side.

After the tumult, the new man, Nilekani, has assured he will work for all investors and provide strong leadership. However, the jury is still out whether what has happened and how it happened will benefit Infosys in the long term.

The author can be contacted at gurbir1@gmail.com

Infosys used to be held up as a stellar example of high performance and good corporate governance. Events over the past few months, culminating with the exit of CEO Vishal Sikka, have left an impression that the company is past its prime. In many ways, Infosys has outdone Tata Sons handling of Cyrus Mistry. In the Tata Sons case, while the performance of former chairman Mistry and the ethics employed to get him out were issues of controversy, voting power was solidly on the side of the Tata Trusts. Mistry, after all, held only 18 per cent in Tata Sons. In the case of Infosys, N R Narayana Murthy and a bunch of founders, owning no more than 12.75 per cent, have ousted Sikka despite the support of the board, and have steam-rolled their way back into power. Scripted attacks With hindsight now, one can see the assaults on Sikka and the company board by former chairman Murthy were well-scripted. In February, Murthy went at Sikka on his being allowed a huge 55 per cent hike in annual compensation. Then, there was the issue of acquiring the Israeli software company, Panaya, at what was alleged to be an over-inflated price of $200 million; poor corporate governance was questioned, and then this June the founders threatened to dump their entire Infosys stock in protest. After three years at the helm as the first non-founding CEO of the company, Sikka quit. I have decided to leave because the distractions, the very public noise around us, have created an untenable atmosphere, he wrote in his 18 August resignation letter. The Infy board stood behind Sikka and attacked the former chairman saying: Mr Murthy preferred his diktat to prevail with no place or tolerance for the outcomes of shareholder democracy. But, despite the board clarifying that Murthy would play no administrative role, by Thursday 24 August, the founders were back with Nandan Nilekani appointed non-executive chairman and most of the earlier board members  chairman R Seshasayee, and independent directors Jeffrey Lehman and John Etchemendy  quitting. Was it poor performance and deteriorating corporate governance that forced Sikka out? Or was it Murthy and the founders suffering pangs of exclusion, and the itch to return? No one can deny the contribution of Murthy, who built Infosys from nothing in 1981 to a giant in two decades working as CEO of the company till 2002. He was the father of IT services outsourcing in India. Nilekani, then, took over as CEO and Murthy continued in different roles as chairman and chief mentor, stepped down in 2011, but returned as executive chairman and again stepped down in 2014. Its difficult letting go It is obvious Murthy has had problems of letting go the giant he had built. Since 2014 when he stepped down, and Sikka took control, at every turn one can see the nuance in Murthys public criticisms: I can do it better. Has he been fair to Sikka? Before he stepped down, the public perception was Sikka had infused a new focus into Infosys despite a tough market. There was dirty linen, no doubt, like the murky `25-crore payout to CFO Rajiv Bansal, which Murthy insinuated was hush money. But, on performance, Sikka has done well. Attrition fell from 24 per cent to 17 per cent in two years. Revenue per employee grew for six quarters in a row. New automation and innovation, which Sikka brought into transform Infosys, contributed 8.3 per cent to revenue in the last quarter. And, total sales crossed the $10-billion mark for FY17, a 54 per cent increase over three years. On the day of Sikkas exit, Infosys shares plunged 13 per cent in intraday trade, the lowest in three years. Investors support Nilekani If Sikkas departure was abrupt, the speed at which Nilekani was installed was equally astounding. How did a small but powerful cabal with just 12.75 equity holding bust a fairly entrenched CEO and company board? Within three days of Sikka stepping down, 12 institutional investors wrote to Infosys chairman Seshasayee and co-chairman Ravi Venkatesan to get Nilekani back at the helm. These included the top nine mutual funds and three large insurance companies. These investors panicked at the looming crisis of leadership. The script worked well. A simulated crisis, perhaps initiated by the founders, brought the key investors on their side. After the tumult, the new man, Nilekani, has assured he will work for all investors and provide strong leadership. However, the jury is still out whether what has happened and how it happened will benefit Infosys in the long term. The author can be contacted at gurbir1@gmail.com
Ankur Sharma By

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Bawana by-polls results came out on Monday has helped Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to regain its ground in Delhi and gave a ray of hope to the Congress as well as the party was struggling to show their presence in the national capital. AAP won the by-polls with more than 24,000 votes and the party got total 59,886 votes.

Thanks to the voters for supporting the clean politics of Aam Admi Party and putting a stamp of approval on the work done by the party over the last two-and-a-half years, AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. On the other side, this election results also showed a ray of hope to Congress as the party was struggling to show their presence in Delhi.

Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said that party performed well as their vote share has increased from 7 percent to 25%. Congress was initially leading the chart till 11th round. The Congress party finally lost second position as well after 25th round out of total 28 rounds. BJP in last round defeated Congress and got around 35,000 votes whole Congress candidate managed to get 31,919 votes.

AAP Candidate Ram Chander got 59,886 votes, BJP candidate Ved Prakash who was earlier with AAP got 35,834 votes and 31919 people voted for Congress candidate Surender Kumar.

"AAP has managed to retain its seat, as a party chief I am taking moral responsibility of our defeat, reasons of defeat will be analysed," Manoj Tiwari, BJP Delhi chief told media.

"We want to thank all voters, supporters and leaders who helped in winning the seat," AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister tweeted after the victory.

Till fourth round, Congress, who was struggling to survive in Delhi was leading the chart but after the 12th round, AAP took over. On the other side BJP who was struggling to be the second choice finally managed to finish as runner-up in the Bawana By election.

NEW DELHI: Bawana by-polls results came out on Monday has helped Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to regain its ground in Delhi and gave a ray of hope to the Congress as well as the party was struggling to show their presence in the national capital. AAP won the by-polls with more than 24,000 votes and the party got total 59,886 votes. Thanks to the voters for supporting the clean politics of Aam Admi Party and putting a stamp of approval on the work done by the party over the last two-and-a-half years, AAP chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted. On the other side, this election results also showed a ray of hope to Congress as the party was struggling to show their presence in Delhi. Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said that party performed well as their vote share has increased from 7 percent to 25%. Congress was initially leading the chart till 11th round. The Congress party finally lost second position as well after 25th round out of total 28 rounds. BJP in last round defeated Congress and got around 35,000 votes whole Congress candidate managed to get 31,919 votes. AAP Candidate Ram Chander got 59,886 votes, BJP candidate Ved Prakash who was earlier with AAP got 35,834 votes and 31919 people voted for Congress candidate Surender Kumar. "AAP has managed to retain its seat, as a party chief I am taking moral responsibility of our defeat, reasons of defeat will be analysed," Manoj Tiwari, BJP Delhi chief told media. "We want to thank all voters, supporters and leaders who helped in winning the seat," AAP leader and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister tweeted after the victory. Till fourth round, Congress, who was struggling to survive in Delhi was leading the chart but after the 12th round, AAP took over. On the other side BJP who was struggling to be the second choice finally managed to finish as runner-up in the Bawana By election.
By Express News Service

PATNA: A clarion call to end the BJP-led NDA governments misrule and lies about new India and achhe din in the country as soon as possible was made by leaders of 17 non-BJP parties at a massive rally convened by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at Patnas historic Gandhi Maidan on Sunday.

Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav were among top leaders from 17 non-BJP parties who addressed the rally christened BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao (Banish BJP, Save India).

Venting their spleen against BJP and the NDA government in rousing speeches and lauding Lalus efforts to unite the Opposition, these leaders predicted the end of the BJP-led government in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. They appealed to the people to unseat the Narendra Modi government in the upcoming polls.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with SPs Akhilesh Yadav at the BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao rally in Patna on Sunday | PTI

A jam-packed Gandhi Maidan, echoing with slogans from people, who came from all parts of Bihar despite the crippling two-week floods, left Mamata and Akhilesh impressed. Despite an intermittent drizzle, the huge crowd stayed put, listening to the speeches made by nearly 30 leaders over five and a half hours.

Bihar CM and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar was the main target of the leaders at the rally for his betrayal of Bihars mandate by re-allying with BJP and for weakening Opposition unity in the country. The 21 leaders from 17 parties at the rally hit out at the BJP and its allies over burning issues such as farmer suicides, attacks on Muslims and the unemployment crisis.

Although Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi skipped the rally, the audience was made to hear a recorded message of the former, in which she criticised the NDA government. Three senior Congress leaders  Ghulam Nabi Azad, CP Joshi and Hanumantha Rao  attended the rally. Despite Lalus invitation, BSP chief Mayawati skipped the rally.

Nitish Kumar betrayed Bihars people by allying with the BJP. In the next polls, Bihar people will teach the BJP and Nitish a lesson. Only RJD will rule Bihar, said West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Sunday. He (Nitish) got votes due to Lalujee, yet he left I trust Lalujee. He sticks to whatever he says, she added.

Sharad Yadav, who shared the stage with Lalu despite JD(U)s warning and risking expulsion, promised a pan-India grand alliance to counter the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Lalu and he were seen hugging each other on stage before the rally began.

Crowds present at the rally. (Photo | PTI)

They (NDA) have completed three years in power, yet the problems faced by farmers and the youth remain unaddressed. The governments claims of new India, digital India and good days are all lies said former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. We want a nation of happy farmers and employed youth. GST and demonetisation have left many youth unemployed. The BJP must provide new employment figures, he added.

Tejashwi Yadav, Lalus younger son and ex-Bihar deputy CM, attacked Nitish and Modi in the harshest terms. Referring to the CBI case of corruption against him and his family, he asked the crowd if he was guilty. No, came the resounding reply.

They (central government) are trying to frighten us with these cases. Are we the type who would be frightened? I have Lalus blood flowing in my veins, said Tejashwi. Ridiculing Nitish for his failed PM ambitions and dubbing him as betrayer of peoples mandate, he asked the people to avenge the wrongdoing in the next polls.

Lalu, apart from attacking Nitish and Modi, said the people will throw these fascist, communal forces out of power in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Accusing Nitish and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi of involvement in Bihars `1,000-crore Srijan NGO scam, both Lalu and Tejashwi demanded their resignation for a fair probe.

Notable among the other top leaders who addressed the rally were former Jharkhand CMs Hemant Soren of JMM and Babulal Marandi of JVM; RLD chief Ajit Singhs son Jayant Singh; Tariq Anwar of NCP; DMKs TKS Elangovan; K Josh Mani of Kerala Congress; Badruddin Ajmal of Assam-based AIUDF; Ali Mohammad Sagar of National Conference and Danish Ali of JD(S). The BJP and JD(U) leaders described the rally as a congregation of parties that support corruption of the kind Lalu and his family are charged with.

PATNA: A clarion call to end the BJP-led NDA governments misrule and lies about new India and achhe din in the country as soon as possible was made by leaders of 17 non-BJP parties at a massive rally convened by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav at Patnas historic Gandhi Maidan on Sunday. Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and rebel JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav were among top leaders from 17 non-BJP parties who addressed the rally christened BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao (Banish BJP, Save India). Venting their spleen against BJP and the NDA government in rousing speeches and lauding Lalus efforts to unite the Opposition, these leaders predicted the end of the BJP-led government in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. They appealed to the people to unseat the Narendra Modi government in the upcoming polls. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav with SPs Akhilesh Yadav at the BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao rally in Patna on Sunday | PTIA jam-packed Gandhi Maidan, echoing with slogans from people, who came from all parts of Bihar despite the crippling two-week floods, left Mamata and Akhilesh impressed. Despite an intermittent drizzle, the huge crowd stayed put, listening to the speeches made by nearly 30 leaders over five and a half hours. Bihar CM and JD(U) national president Nitish Kumar was the main target of the leaders at the rally for his betrayal of Bihars mandate by re-allying with BJP and for weakening Opposition unity in the country. The 21 leaders from 17 parties at the rally hit out at the BJP and its allies over burning issues such as farmer suicides, attacks on Muslims and the unemployment crisis. Although Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi skipped the rally, the audience was made to hear a recorded message of the former, in which she criticised the NDA government. Three senior Congress leaders  Ghulam Nabi Azad, CP Joshi and Hanumantha Rao  attended the rally. Despite Lalus invitation, BSP chief Mayawati skipped the rally. Nitish Kumar betrayed Bihars people by allying with the BJP. In the next polls, Bihar people will teach the BJP and Nitish a lesson. Only RJD will rule Bihar, said West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Sunday. He (Nitish) got votes due to Lalujee, yet he left I trust Lalujee. He sticks to whatever he says, she added. Sharad Yadav, who shared the stage with Lalu despite JD(U)s warning and risking expulsion, promised a pan-India grand alliance to counter the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Lalu and he were seen hugging each other on stage before the rally began. Crowds present at the rally. (Photo | PTI) They (NDA) have completed three years in power, yet the problems faced by farmers and the youth remain unaddressed. The governments claims of new India, digital India and good days are all lies said former UP chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav. We want a nation of happy farmers and employed youth. GST and demonetisation have left many youth unemployed. The BJP must provide new employment figures, he added. Tejashwi Yadav, Lalus younger son and ex-Bihar deputy CM, attacked Nitish and Modi in the harshest terms. Referring to the CBI case of corruption against him and his family, he asked the crowd if he was guilty. No, came the resounding reply. They (central government) are trying to frighten us with these cases. Are we the type who would be frightened? I have Lalus blood flowing in my veins, said Tejashwi. Ridiculing Nitish for his failed PM ambitions and dubbing him as betrayer of peoples mandate, he asked the people to avenge the wrongdoing in the next polls. Lalu, apart from attacking Nitish and Modi, said the people will throw these fascist, communal forces out of power in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Accusing Nitish and deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi of involvement in Bihars `1,000-crore Srijan NGO scam, both Lalu and Tejashwi demanded their resignation for a fair probe. Notable among the other top leaders who addressed the rally were former Jharkhand CMs Hemant Soren of JMM and Babulal Marandi of JVM; RLD chief Ajit Singhs son Jayant Singh; Tariq Anwar of NCP; DMKs TKS Elangovan; K Josh Mani of Kerala Congress; Badruddin Ajmal of Assam-based AIUDF; Ali Mohammad Sagar of National Conference and Danish Ali of JD(S). The BJP and JD(U) leaders described the rally as a congregation of parties that support corruption of the kind Lalu and his family are charged with.
Issac James Manayath By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: In the city of Sirsa in Haryana is the sprawling 1000 acre headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda, the cult that is the center of the storm that broke out over north India after its leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, was pronounced guilty of rape of two women followers back in 2002. The sect is one of many, all called deras, that dot the landscape of Punjab and Haryana with affiliates in several other states in the north.

Founded in 1948, Dera Sacha Sauda, meaning the ashram of honest deals, has over the decades spread as far as Australia and the United States. The dera's website claims that its followers number 60 million, each committed to the principles of humanitarianism and selfless service to create a better world.

While the precepts of the Dera Sacha Sauda are not radically from those professed by similar other religious groups, the cult has attracted attention for the bizarre practices of its present leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. In 2015, for instance, a case was registered against him for castrating nearly 400 men supposedly to bring them 'closer' to God. The men were told that if only they submitted themselves to castration, they would be able to meet god.

Bizarre to outsiders, hero to followers

Once initiated into the cult, Dera Sacha Sauda followers are expected to shun their caste or family identity and instead be known simply as 'Insaan' which means human. The Dera promotes a notion of equality among its followers, a reason why it appeals to many, especially those from socially and economically underprivileged social groups. In fact, an egalitarian society is one of the many professed aims of the cult.

Psychologists around the world have studied cult followers for years and many have concluded that most of them have undergone some kind of oppression or discrimination at some point in their lives. In the case of the Dera Sacha Sauda, most of its followers are Dalit Sikhs who have been subjected to social domination by the upper caste Jat Sikhs. To them, therefore, Gurmeet Ram Rahim is a hero, a man who has achieved what many of them could only dream of. The gaudy attire Ram Rahim wears and the flamboyant life he leads are a careful construct aimed at eliciting the faith of dispossessed people. In other words, the Baba of Bling embodies their dreams.

Like any other cult leader, Ram Rahim's persona is unabashedly narcissistic, which makes him charismatic in the eyes of his followers. The films he makes show him doing stunts such as flying in the air, breaking the testicles of bad guys and transforming the lives of innocent people. How different are they from what Shah Rukh Khan or Akshay Kumar do and are worshipped for?

For his followers, associating with the cult is a shot at success and glory, which may be unattainable by other 'normal' means. Moreover, the confines of the Dera camps offer a soothing alternative to the harsh reality of the world outside, which is tainted by several systems of discrimination.

A follower of the cult told the newspaper Tribune that different communities and castes have their own temples and gurdwaras in Punjab and Haryana, but in our Dera all are equal. We may be Hindu, Sikh or anything else, but we have failed to end caste divisions in society. In the Dera, these divisions are erased. Nothing sums up the mindset and motivation of a Dera follower better than this.

According to Arthur Deikman, professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, people join cults because it satisfies their need to be taken care of by a guardian entity, in this case, Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Cults form and thrive not because people are crazy, but because they have two kinds of wishes. They want a meaningful life, to serve god or humanity; and they want to be taken care of, to feel protected and secure, to find a home. The first motives may be laudable and constructive, but the latter exert a corrupting effect, enabling the cult leaders to elicit behavior directly opposite to the idealistic vision with which members entered the group, says Diekman.

Certain statements made by Dera Sacha Sauda followers validate Diekman's theory that cult followers desire to be taken care of by a patron. Guru is god for us. We cannot do anything without him, said a female devotee. Babaji helped me when my life was in financial turmoil. My entire family is indebted to him, another devotee told the Indian Express. If something wrong is announced, I will sacrifice my life for Babaji. Enough of peace! he added.

Gurmeet knows that his band of devotees will defend him. That gives him political influence, and by extension, a sense of empowerment. The chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana and many central ministers come and touch my feet. I can get your family members removed from their jobs and get them killed if you protest, he is reported to have told one of the women he allegedly raped.

Such behaviour by cult leaders we call godmen fits well with Diekman's proposition about the corruptive effect a large crowd of blind followers has on cult leaders. In her complaint to the police the woman wrote: He told me that since I, a sadhvi, had dedicated my mind and body to the seva (service) of the guru (Ram Rahim), he wanted to claim his due. When I protested, he told me that I should have no doubt he indeed was god.

Further, the fervent protests and violent resistance by Ram Rahims supporters say one thing: to them, the arrest of their guru is an assault on their guardian who shielded them from the malaise of a caste-dominated society and offered them a path to upliftment. Not surprisingly, many consider it a conspiracy hatched by upper-class sections.

So then are there any parallels between Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Donald Trump's supporters? Imagine what would have happened had Trump been arrested while campaigning for president. His supporters would have deemed it as a slap in their face by the establishment and would have marched on Washington DC in protest. The worldview of the Dera supporters is colored by similar perceptions.

CHENNAI: In the city of Sirsa in Haryana is the sprawling 1000 acre headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda, the cult that is the center of the storm that broke out over north India after its leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, was pronounced guilty of rape of two women followers back in 2002. The sect is one of many, all called deras, that dot the landscape of Punjab and Haryana with affiliates in several other states in the north. Founded in 1948, Dera Sacha Sauda, meaning the ashram of honest deals, has over the decades spread as far as Australia and the United States. The dera's website claims that its followers number 60 million, each committed to the principles of humanitarianism and selfless service to create a better world. While the precepts of the Dera Sacha Sauda are not radically from those professed by similar other religious groups, the cult has attracted attention for the bizarre practices of its present leader Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. In 2015, for instance, a case was registered against him for castrating nearly 400 men supposedly to bring them 'closer' to God. The men were told that if only they submitted themselves to castration, they would be able to meet god. Bizarre to outsiders, hero to followers Once initiated into the cult, Dera Sacha Sauda followers are expected to shun their caste or family identity and instead be known simply as 'Insaan' which means human. The Dera promotes a notion of equality among its followers, a reason why it appeals to many, especially those from socially and economically underprivileged social groups. In fact, an egalitarian society is one of the many professed aims of the cult. Psychologists around the world have studied cult followers for years and many have concluded that most of them have undergone some kind of oppression or discrimination at some point in their lives. In the case of the Dera Sacha Sauda, most of its followers are Dalit Sikhs who have been subjected to social domination by the upper caste Jat Sikhs. To them, therefore, Gurmeet Ram Rahim is a hero, a man who has achieved what many of them could only dream of. The gaudy attire Ram Rahim wears and the flamboyant life he leads are a careful construct aimed at eliciting the faith of dispossessed people. In other words, the Baba of Bling embodies their dreams. Like any other cult leader, Ram Rahim's persona is unabashedly narcissistic, which makes him charismatic in the eyes of his followers. The films he makes show him doing stunts such as flying in the air, breaking the testicles of bad guys and transforming the lives of innocent people. How different are they from what Shah Rukh Khan or Akshay Kumar do and are worshipped for? For his followers, associating with the cult is a shot at success and glory, which may be unattainable by other 'normal' means. Moreover, the confines of the Dera camps offer a soothing alternative to the harsh reality of the world outside, which is tainted by several systems of discrimination. A follower of the cult told the newspaper Tribune that different communities and castes have their own temples and gurdwaras in Punjab and Haryana, but in our Dera all are equal. We may be Hindu, Sikh or anything else, but we have failed to end caste divisions in society. In the Dera, these divisions are erased. Nothing sums up the mindset and motivation of a Dera follower better than this. According to Arthur Deikman, professor of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco, people join cults because it satisfies their need to be taken care of by a guardian entity, in this case, Gurmeet Ram Rahim. Cults form and thrive not because people are crazy, but because they have two kinds of wishes. They want a meaningful life, to serve god or humanity; and they want to be taken care of, to feel protected and secure, to find a home. The first motives may be laudable and constructive, but the latter exert a corrupting effect, enabling the cult leaders to elicit behavior directly opposite to the idealistic vision with which members entered the group, says Diekman. Certain statements made by Dera Sacha Sauda followers validate Diekman's theory that cult followers desire to be taken care of by a patron. Guru is god for us. We cannot do anything without him, said a female devotee. Babaji helped me when my life was in financial turmoil. My entire family is indebted to him, another devotee told the Indian Express. If something wrong is announced, I will sacrifice my life for Babaji. Enough of peace! he added. Gurmeet knows that his band of devotees will defend him. That gives him political influence, and by extension, a sense of empowerment. The chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana and many central ministers come and touch my feet. I can get your family members removed from their jobs and get them killed if you protest, he is reported to have told one of the women he allegedly raped. Such behaviour by cult leaders we call godmen fits well with Diekman's proposition about the corruptive effect a large crowd of blind followers has on cult leaders. In her complaint to the police the woman wrote: He told me that since I, a sadhvi, had dedicated my mind and body to the seva (service) of the guru (Ram Rahim), he wanted to claim his due. When I protested, he told me that I should have no doubt he indeed was god. Further, the fervent protests and violent resistance by Ram Rahims supporters say one thing: to them, the arrest of their guru is an assault on their guardian who shielded them from the malaise of a caste-dominated society and offered them a path to upliftment. Not surprisingly, many consider it a conspiracy hatched by upper-class sections. So then are there any parallels between Gurmeet Ram Rahim and Donald Trump's supporters? Imagine what would have happened had Trump been arrested while campaigning for president. His supporters would have deemed it as a slap in their face by the establishment and would have marched on Washington DC in protest. The worldview of the Dera supporters is colored by similar perceptions.
By Express News Service

BHOPAL: A Madhya Pradesh police head constable, Abhishek Patel, who recently showed extraordinary courage by carrying away a bomb on his shoulder in a bid to save the lives of 400 school children in Sagar district was felicitated with a Rs 50,000 award by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal on Monday.

Chouhan presented the Rs 50,000-cheque and a bouquet of flowers to Patel at his official residence and praised the head constable for his unparalleled courage. State DGP Rishi Kumar Shukla, ADG (Intelligence) Rajiv Tandon and officer on special duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister-ADG Adarsh Katiyar too were present at the felicitation ceremony of the plucky cop.

Recently an anonymous caller had informed the police about a bomb having been planted at a government school in Chittora village of Sagar district (around 175 km from Bhopal). The 12-inch bomb, weighing around 10 kg, was later found in the schools backyard.

A police team led by head constable Abhishek Patel rushed to the school and seized the bomb. With no bomb-disposal squad available, Patel took the decision to carry the bomb away on his shoulder, fearing for the lives of the 400 children in the school.

Patel carried the bomb on foot to a distance of one km to ensure it was far enough from the 400 children at school.

The bomb was later defused at a desolate place far away from human habitats.

Talking to journalists later, the Patel said what he did for the school children had been part of the police drill in the past, where a similar bomb was spotted and he had to carry it and run with it. Patel added that his sole aim was to take the bomb far away from school and residential areas.

Meanwhile, the IG (Sagar Zone) Satish Saxena has ordered a probe to find out who planted the bomb in the government school campus.

BHOPAL: A Madhya Pradesh police head constable, Abhishek Patel, who recently showed extraordinary courage by carrying away a bomb on his shoulder in a bid to save the lives of 400 school children in Sagar district was felicitated with a Rs 50,000 award by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Bhopal on Monday. Chouhan presented the Rs 50,000-cheque and a bouquet of flowers to Patel at his official residence and praised the head constable for his unparalleled courage. State DGP Rishi Kumar Shukla, ADG (Intelligence) Rajiv Tandon and officer on special duty (OSD) to the Chief Minister-ADG Adarsh Katiyar too were present at the felicitation ceremony of the plucky cop. Recently an anonymous caller had informed the police about a bomb having been planted at a government school in Chittora village of Sagar district (around 175 km from Bhopal). The 12-inch bomb, weighing around 10 kg, was later found in the schools backyard. A police team led by head constable Abhishek Patel rushed to the school and seized the bomb. With no bomb-disposal squad available, Patel took the decision to carry the bomb away on his shoulder, fearing for the lives of the 400 children in the school. Patel carried the bomb on foot to a distance of one km to ensure it was far enough from the 400 children at school. The bomb was later defused at a desolate place far away from human habitats. Talking to journalists later, the Patel said what he did for the school children had been part of the police drill in the past, where a similar bomb was spotted and he had to carry it and run with it. Patel added that his sole aim was to take the bomb far away from school and residential areas. Meanwhile, the IG (Sagar Zone) Satish Saxena has ordered a probe to find out who planted the bomb in the government school campus.
Sanjib Kumar Roy By

Express News Service

PORT BLAIR: The Indian Coast Guard ship Rajkamal evacuated a 19-years-old Greek deck cadet from merchant vessel Hamburg on passage to Singapore in the early hours of Sunday. The crew member, identified as one Galanisathanasios, was reportedly suffering from severe pain in the lower right abdomen  suspected to be a severe case of appendicitis.

Commandant Dalip Singh, the public relations officer of Coast Guard A & N Region told the media, Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre, (MRCC) Port Blair on receipt of request from Greek MV Hamburg for urgent medical evacuation, swung into action. Tele-medical advice was provided by the coast guard medical officer to the crew. Although, the vessel was in Sri Lankan SRR, it wanted to dock at Port Blair for medical evacuation.

The vessel was directed to alter course and proceed towards Port Blair with maximum available speed. Simultaneously, Coast Guard ship Rajkamal sailed with a medical team to provide assistance.

The PRO said, Despite the visibility being low and the sea, rough, the patient was successfully evacuated. The coast guard ships medical team administered the patient with basic first aid and stabilised the crew before entering Port Blair in early morning hours. On completion of the handing/taking over formalities, M V Hamburg proceeded to the next port of call in Singapore.

Subsequently, the patient, who was in stable condition, was handed over to the local agent, Rathnam of M/s Andaman Holidays Pvt. Ltd., Port Blair and was immediately admitted to GB Pant Hospital, Port Blair for further medical treatment.

According to Coast Guard on an average 200 ships transit daily South of Campbell Bay.

Singh added, Such cases of medical evacuation and assistance will go long way in projecting the saviour image of Indian Coast Guard and A&N Administration.

He added, The improved-medical facilities in G B Pant hospital will surely help in instilling sense of safety among mariners transiting through the Andaman sea.

PORT BLAIR: The Indian Coast Guard ship Rajkamal evacuated a 19-years-old Greek deck cadet from merchant vessel Hamburg on passage to Singapore in the early hours of Sunday. The crew member, identified as one Galanisathanasios, was reportedly suffering from severe pain in the lower right abdomen  suspected to be a severe case of appendicitis. Commandant Dalip Singh, the public relations officer of Coast Guard A & N Region told the media, Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre, (MRCC) Port Blair on receipt of request from Greek MV Hamburg for urgent medical evacuation, swung into action. Tele-medical advice was provided by the coast guard medical officer to the crew. Although, the vessel was in Sri Lankan SRR, it wanted to dock at Port Blair for medical evacuation. The vessel was directed to alter course and proceed towards Port Blair with maximum available speed. Simultaneously, Coast Guard ship Rajkamal sailed with a medical team to provide assistance. The PRO said, Despite the visibility being low and the sea, rough, the patient was successfully evacuated. The coast guard ships medical team administered the patient with basic first aid and stabilised the crew before entering Port Blair in early morning hours. On completion of the handing/taking over formalities, M V Hamburg proceeded to the next port of call in Singapore. Subsequently, the patient, who was in stable condition, was handed over to the local agent, Rathnam of M/s Andaman Holidays Pvt. Ltd., Port Blair and was immediately admitted to GB Pant Hospital, Port Blair for further medical treatment. According to Coast Guard on an average 200 ships transit daily South of Campbell Bay. Singh added, Such cases of medical evacuation and assistance will go long way in projecting the saviour image of Indian Coast Guard and A&N Administration. He added, The improved-medical facilities in G B Pant hospital will surely help in instilling sense of safety among mariners transiting through the Andaman sea.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: Self-styled Godman and Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was today sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the rape and criminal intimidation of two Sadhvis (women followers) who were residing in a hostel located on the premises of the dera back in 1999. He was also slapped with a fine of Rs 30 lakh.

The sentence is 10 years each for two rapes that will run consecutively, and not concurrently. The fine is also Rs 15 lakh in each case, of which Rs 14 lakh each must be paid to each victim.

Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge Jagdeep Singh pronounced the quantum of sentence in the designated special court created in the library of the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak. Singh was flown down in a government helicopter to conduct court proceedings. Both the prosecution and defence lawyers were given 10 minutes each to put forward their arguments on the quantum of sentence. The CBI lawyers sought the maximum sentence calling it the rarest-of--rare case, whereas as the defence pleaded for leniency on grounds of the social work done by Ram Rahim and on the grounds that he had health issues.

As per rules in rape cases with a sentence of 10-years, the sentence will not be suspended for at least the next two to three years, said legal experts.

There was drama inside the special court room as Ram Rahim, who was wearing a white kurta pajama and tied a white cloth on his head, stood in front of the judge with folded hands and requested him for mercy. Later he broke down.

After the sentence was pronounced, Ram Rahim sat down on the floor and wept but he was taken away by jail wardens back to his prison cell. His new identity is Prisoner No 1997.

Ram Rahim was immediately medically examined by doctors and found to be fine. The two suit cases he had brought with him to the jail on Friday were reportedly returned to his lawyers, as he would now be treated as an ordinary prisoner.

Ram Rahims lawyers demanded that he be shifted from Rohtak jail, said sources. Later, coming out of the court, defence council SK Narwana said, We will challenge the judgment in the higher court; we will file an appeal.

The special CBI court at the Panchkula district court on Friday had convicted Ram Rahim on charges of rape under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC and later transported by a plush helicopter (for security reasons) to Sunaria Jail.

It all started in 2002 when an anonymous letter was sent to then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court by the two Sadhvis that they had been sexually exploited by the Dera chief. In September that year, the high court handed over the inquiry to the CBI and on July 30, 2007 the central agency filed a chargesheet in court.

The court on September 6, 2008 framed charges against the Dera chief. On April 5, 2011 the case was transferred from Ambala to a special court in Panchkula. In 2014, Gurmeet Ram Rahim statement was recorded after examination of the prosecution witnesses, and on August 17 arguments concluded in the case.

Immediately after his conviction on Friday, large-scale violence broke out in Panchkula and Sirsa and at other places in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab which left 38 people dead and 267 injured.

Son of murdered journalist who exposed Ram Rahim welcomes verdict

Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of murdered Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, welcomed the CBI special court judgment.  Though he should have been given life imprisonment, I am satisfied with the order of the court. It has given us strength to our fight against his might, he said. Chhatrapati was murdered in October 2002 allegedly for exposing the misdeeds of Ram Rahim in his vernacular newspaper Poora Sach. He was shot dead allegedly by sect supporters at Ram Rahims behest.

The murder case is pending before the special CBI court in Panchkula and hearing of final arguments is likely to be held next month.

Several CBI cases against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

1) The killing of Haryana-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati for his writings against the Dera is also under trial. Chhatrapati was shot on August 24, 2002 by two alleged dera supporters. While one of the accused was caught on the spot, the other was arrested a few days later. Chhatrapati succumbed to the gunshot wounds on November 21, 2002. A case was then registered by the CBI.

2) Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one of the accused in the Ranjit Singh murder case. Singh, who had distanced himself from the Dera, was called to Sirsa in June 2002 and threatened by accused Avtar Singh and Inder Sain to seek apology from Gurmeet Ram Rahim for having circulated anonymous letters. In July 2002, he was found shot dead.

3) In 2014, the CBI has also registered a case on the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court against Ram Rahim for the forcible castration of 400 followers. Investigations are still in the case and the central agency has recorded the statements of about a dozen such victims.

4) In another case, the CBI filed a closure report in 2010 as there were allegations that the dera chief and three others had hatched a conspiracy and got his driver Faquir Chand disappeared in 1991.

Sedition case against Dera followers

Twenty-four people, including six women (Garima, Parul and Neha from Fatehabad, Sheena from Hansi, Amarjeet Kaur and Gurjeet Kaur from Sirsa) have been arrested for sedition and other heinous charges while 15 others have been held for breach of prohibitory orders in Sirsa. They were nabbed on April 25.

CHANDIGARH: Self-styled Godman and Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was today sentenced to 20 years imprisonment for the rape and criminal intimidation of two Sadhvis (women followers) who were residing in a hostel located on the premises of the dera back in 1999. He was also slapped with a fine of Rs 30 lakh. The sentence is 10 years each for two rapes that will run consecutively, and not concurrently. The fine is also Rs 15 lakh in each case, of which Rs 14 lakh each must be paid to each victim. Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge Jagdeep Singh pronounced the quantum of sentence in the designated special court created in the library of the Sunaria Jail in Rohtak. Singh was flown down in a government helicopter to conduct court proceedings. Both the prosecution and defence lawyers were given 10 minutes each to put forward their arguments on the quantum of sentence. The CBI lawyers sought the maximum sentence calling it the rarest-of--rare case, whereas as the defence pleaded for leniency on grounds of the social work done by Ram Rahim and on the grounds that he had health issues. As per rules in rape cases with a sentence of 10-years, the sentence will not be suspended for at least the next two to three years, said legal experts. There was drama inside the special court room as Ram Rahim, who was wearing a white kurta pajama and tied a white cloth on his head, stood in front of the judge with folded hands and requested him for mercy. Later he broke down. After the sentence was pronounced, Ram Rahim sat down on the floor and wept but he was taken away by jail wardens back to his prison cell. His new identity is Prisoner No 1997. Ram Rahim was immediately medically examined by doctors and found to be fine. The two suit cases he had brought with him to the jail on Friday were reportedly returned to his lawyers, as he would now be treated as an ordinary prisoner. Ram Rahims lawyers demanded that he be shifted from Rohtak jail, said sources. Later, coming out of the court, defence council SK Narwana said, We will challenge the judgment in the higher court; we will file an appeal. The special CBI court at the Panchkula district court on Friday had convicted Ram Rahim on charges of rape under Sections 376 and 506 of the IPC and later transported by a plush helicopter (for security reasons) to Sunaria Jail. It all started in 2002 when an anonymous letter was sent to then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the then Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court by the two Sadhvis that they had been sexually exploited by the Dera chief. In September that year, the high court handed over the inquiry to the CBI and on July 30, 2007 the central agency filed a chargesheet in court. The court on September 6, 2008 framed charges against the Dera chief. On April 5, 2011 the case was transferred from Ambala to a special court in Panchkula. In 2014, Gurmeet Ram Rahim statement was recorded after examination of the prosecution witnesses, and on August 17 arguments concluded in the case. Immediately after his conviction on Friday, large-scale violence broke out in Panchkula and Sirsa and at other places in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab which left 38 people dead and 267 injured. Son of murdered journalist who exposed Ram Rahim welcomes verdict Anshul Chhatrapati, the son of murdered Sirsa-based journalist Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, welcomed the CBI special court judgment.  Though he should have been given life imprisonment, I am satisfied with the order of the court. It has given us strength to our fight against his might, he said. Chhatrapati was murdered in October 2002 allegedly for exposing the misdeeds of Ram Rahim in his vernacular newspaper Poora Sach. He was shot dead allegedly by sect supporters at Ram Rahims behest. The murder case is pending before the special CBI court in Panchkula and hearing of final arguments is likely to be held next month. Several CBI cases against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh 1) The killing of Haryana-based journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati for his writings against the Dera is also under trial. Chhatrapati was shot on August 24, 2002 by two alleged dera supporters. While one of the accused was caught on the spot, the other was arrested a few days later. Chhatrapati succumbed to the gunshot wounds on November 21, 2002. A case was then registered by the CBI. 2) Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is one of the accused in the Ranjit Singh murder case. Singh, who had distanced himself from the Dera, was called to Sirsa in June 2002 and threatened by accused Avtar Singh and Inder Sain to seek apology from Gurmeet Ram Rahim for having circulated anonymous letters. In July 2002, he was found shot dead. 3) In 2014, the CBI has also registered a case on the directions of Punjab and Haryana High Court against Ram Rahim for the forcible castration of 400 followers. Investigations are still in the case and the central agency has recorded the statements of about a dozen such victims. 4) In another case, the CBI filed a closure report in 2010 as there were allegations that the dera chief and three others had hatched a conspiracy and got his driver Faquir Chand disappeared in 1991. Sedition case against Dera followers Twenty-four people, including six women (Garima, Parul and Neha from Fatehabad, Sheena from Hansi, Amarjeet Kaur and Gurjeet Kaur from Sirsa) have been arrested for sedition and other heinous charges while 15 others have been held for breach of prohibitory orders in Sirsa. They were nabbed on April 25.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing Doklam standoff, China has stepped up monitoring the Darjeeling unrest with its intelligence agencies regularly keeping tabs on social media pages related to the developments in the hill district of West Bengal. Chinese agencies are also suspected to be communicating with Naga insurgents who have been frequenting Nepal since the Doklam crisis.

Assessments suggest China could be aiming to exploit the faultlines between the Gorkhas and the West Bengal administration to fuel unrest in the Northeast. China could also be seeking to use the ethnic links between Gorkhas of Nepal and India.

Gorkhas constitute a large part of the Indian armed forces. Chinese agencies could be aiming to use disgruntled Gorkhas from Darjeeling with the twin agenda of keeping a part of the Indian armed forces engaged in containing the unrest and also for other tactical ends, a senior intelligence official said.

There has been a long history of illegal smuggling of arms and ammunition from Yunnan province of China to the Northeast, which has been facing insurgency for decades. Renewed Chinese activities could be aimed at redoubling the efforts to revive insurgency in the Northeast, officials said.

Chinese intelligence modules have penetrated Buddhist monasteries along the Indo-Bhutan border. At least two to three dozen Buddhist monasteries have come up along the border during the last five yearsfrom eastern Sikkim to Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. The growth has been disproportionate to the followers of Buddhism.

Intelligence audits suggest the monasteries could be involved in gathering intelligence and indoctrinating the local population. The unusual growth of monasteries along the Silk Route in East Sikkim, Kalimpong sub-division of Darjeeling and Malbazar sub-division and parts of Alipurduar sub-division of Jalpaiguri districts of West Bengal is being monitored by Indian agencies.

A senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs said, Geopolitical location of these areas and its strategic importance from Chinas viewpoint make these developments a matter of concern.

Beijing has also been running about 24 China Study Centres on the Nepalese side of the border to influence the Terai population. China could use these centres as launching pads for exploiting the ethnic link between Nepalese population in Nepal and India.

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing Doklam standoff, China has stepped up monitoring the Darjeeling unrest with its intelligence agencies regularly keeping tabs on social media pages related to the developments in the hill district of West Bengal. Chinese agencies are also suspected to be communicating with Naga insurgents who have been frequenting Nepal since the Doklam crisis. Assessments suggest China could be aiming to exploit the faultlines between the Gorkhas and the West Bengal administration to fuel unrest in the Northeast. China could also be seeking to use the ethnic links between Gorkhas of Nepal and India. Gorkhas constitute a large part of the Indian armed forces. Chinese agencies could be aiming to use disgruntled Gorkhas from Darjeeling with the twin agenda of keeping a part of the Indian armed forces engaged in containing the unrest and also for other tactical ends, a senior intelligence official said. There has been a long history of illegal smuggling of arms and ammunition from Yunnan province of China to the Northeast, which has been facing insurgency for decades. Renewed Chinese activities could be aimed at redoubling the efforts to revive insurgency in the Northeast, officials said. Chinese intelligence modules have penetrated Buddhist monasteries along the Indo-Bhutan border. At least two to three dozen Buddhist monasteries have come up along the border during the last five yearsfrom eastern Sikkim to Jalpaiguri in West Bengal. The growth has been disproportionate to the followers of Buddhism. Intelligence audits suggest the monasteries could be involved in gathering intelligence and indoctrinating the local population. The unusual growth of monasteries along the Silk Route in East Sikkim, Kalimpong sub-division of Darjeeling and Malbazar sub-division and parts of Alipurduar sub-division of Jalpaiguri districts of West Bengal is being monitored by Indian agencies. A senior official of the Ministry of Home Affairs said, Geopolitical location of these areas and its strategic importance from Chinas viewpoint make these developments a matter of concern. Beijing has also been running about 24 China Study Centres on the Nepalese side of the border to influence the Terai population. China could use these centres as launching pads for exploiting the ethnic link between Nepalese population in Nepal and India.
A man who assaulted police officers with a four-foot sword outside Queen Elizabeth's Buckingham Palace residence shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) was being questioned by counterterrorism police on Saturday.

Two unarmed officers suffered slight cuts as they detained the man, who drove at a police van on Friday evening, then took the sword from the front passenger foot-well of his car, London's Metropolitan Police said.

It was too early to say what the man was planning to do, said Commander Dean Haydon, the head of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command.

"We believe the man was acting alone and we are not looking for other suspects at this stage," he said. "It is only right that we investigate this as a terrorist incident at this time."

Europe has been on high alert following a string of militant attacks, including four this year in Britain which killed 36 people. The country's threat level remains at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

No members of the royal family were present in the palace, which is a magnet for tourists in Britain's capital in the peak August holiday weekend.

"I want to thank the officers who acted quickly and bravely to protect the public last night demonstrating the dedication and professionalism of our police," Prime Minister Theresa May said in a message on Twitter.
Aishik Chanda By

Express News Service

KUPUP (EAST SIKKIM): With India and China agreeing on expeditious disengagement along Doka La, Indian and Chinese soldiers at the India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction will finally get to rest their eyes.

Indian soldiers posted at Doka La had to stand continuously for 10 hours staring into the eyes of their Chinese counterparts, according to local sources. Their duty lasted for 10 hours every day where they had to stand in attention facing their counterparts across the border, much like the North and South Korean soldiers along the Demilitarised Zone. As temperatures hovered around 6-10 degrees Celsius over the past few months, the rains were particularly cruel in the region, said Suman Rai (name changed), one of the few local residents of Kupup who helped build the road till Dokalam plateau for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The road had irked the northern neighbour and sparked the stand-off in mid-June.

A board at Kupup indicates that the India-Tibet-Bhutan tri-junction is just 5 km away from this hamlet of 250 people. However, photography is strictly prohibited and any outsiders asking questions of locals are tailed by Sikkim State Intelligence Bureau sleuths.

While the Indian and the Chinese defence ministries claimed that the number of Indian and Chinese soldiers posted at Doka La were only 350 and 300 respectively, local sources said the numbers were much higher.Though the initial numbers may have been 350 Indian and 300 Chinese soldiers, Kupup locals said that convoys of trucks brought jawans from Kalimpong army cantonment over two months through the Rongli route after acclimatisation at Dzuluk village which lies at a relatively lesser altitude than Doka La.

While the Eastern Command of the army told the New Indian Express that the process of withdrawal of troops has already begun, the process may take some time due to the sheer number of soldiers posted at Doka La. Though the stand-off was as much a military muscle-flexing along the border, it was also more of a psychological war than a physical one. Initially, tall soldiers of the Dogra regiment were posted at Doka La, and gradually they were replaced with Gorkha jawans known for their fierce nature to match the Chinese aggression. However, the stress at Doka La necessitated that the duty of troops be rotated after every week.

Amid the tense engagement at Doka La, Chinese and Indian soldiers shared some lighter moments too.

The Chinese smoke a lot. Sometimes, they offered us cigarettes in lieu of beedis. When our armies were engaged in stone-pelting and fist-fighting in Pangong Lake in Ladakh, we exchanged sweets and pleasantries on Independence Day, said an army soldier sipping piping hot tea at a cafe in Gnathang village while returning from duty at Doka La.

No android, only GSM phones

A commodity that had come under strict scrutiny was android phones with cameras. Despite having android phones with cameras, the soldiers, as well as army porters and locals working as BRO road-builders, were strictly asked not to use them, switch them off and instead use GSM phones without cameras.

The jawans and locals were barred from using android phones with cameras to not only prevent the possibility of people capturing pictures of sensitive locations but also because android phones reveal locations and movement of people and troops, which may be tracked from across the border, a jawan said.

KUPUP (EAST SIKKIM): With India and China agreeing on expeditious disengagement along Doka La, Indian and Chinese soldiers at the India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction will finally get to rest their eyes. Indian soldiers posted at Doka La had to stand continuously for 10 hours staring into the eyes of their Chinese counterparts, according to local sources. Their duty lasted for 10 hours every day where they had to stand in attention facing their counterparts across the border, much like the North and South Korean soldiers along the Demilitarised Zone. As temperatures hovered around 6-10 degrees Celsius over the past few months, the rains were particularly cruel in the region, said Suman Rai (name changed), one of the few local residents of Kupup who helped build the road till Dokalam plateau for the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). The road had irked the northern neighbour and sparked the stand-off in mid-June. A board at Kupup indicates that the India-Tibet-Bhutan tri-junction is just 5 km away from this hamlet of 250 people. However, photography is strictly prohibited and any outsiders asking questions of locals are tailed by Sikkim State Intelligence Bureau sleuths. While the Indian and the Chinese defence ministries claimed that the number of Indian and Chinese soldiers posted at Doka La were only 350 and 300 respectively, local sources said the numbers were much higher.Though the initial numbers may have been 350 Indian and 300 Chinese soldiers, Kupup locals said that convoys of trucks brought jawans from Kalimpong army cantonment over two months through the Rongli route after acclimatisation at Dzuluk village which lies at a relatively lesser altitude than Doka La. While the Eastern Command of the army told the New Indian Express that the process of withdrawal of troops has already begun, the process may take some time due to the sheer number of soldiers posted at Doka La. Though the stand-off was as much a military muscle-flexing along the border, it was also more of a psychological war than a physical one. Initially, tall soldiers of the Dogra regiment were posted at Doka La, and gradually they were replaced with Gorkha jawans known for their fierce nature to match the Chinese aggression. However, the stress at Doka La necessitated that the duty of troops be rotated after every week. Amid the tense engagement at Doka La, Chinese and Indian soldiers shared some lighter moments too. The Chinese smoke a lot. Sometimes, they offered us cigarettes in lieu of beedis. When our armies were engaged in stone-pelting and fist-fighting in Pangong Lake in Ladakh, we exchanged sweets and pleasantries on Independence Day, said an army soldier sipping piping hot tea at a cafe in Gnathang village while returning from duty at Doka La. No android, only GSM phones A commodity that had come under strict scrutiny was android phones with cameras. Despite having android phones with cameras, the soldiers, as well as army porters and locals working as BRO road-builders, were strictly asked not to use them, switch them off and instead use GSM phones without cameras. The jawans and locals were barred from using android phones with cameras to not only prevent the possibility of people capturing pictures of sensitive locations but also because android phones reveal locations and movement of people and troops, which may be tracked from across the border, a jawan said.
Anand ST Das By

Express News Service

PATNA: Buoyed by the success of the anti-BJP rally he hosted in Patna Sunday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav now plans similar rallies of opposition parties in Lucknow and Kolkata in the next two months to give shape to a broad coalition of parties opposed to the NDA in time for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

RJD leaders said the huge turnout of people at the BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao (Banish BJP, Save India) rally held at Patnas historic Gandhi Maidan has enthused 21 leaders from 17 parties from across the country who attended it. This, they said, was the beginning of real opposition unity in the country.

The party chief (Lalu) has spoken to Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav about preparations to hold similar rallies in Kolkata and Lucknow in the next two months in order to give greater national momentum to the unity of opposition parties, said a senior RJD leader close to Lalu.

West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the national president of Samajwadi Party, had spoken of their gladness regarding the large crowd at the Patna rally in their speeches. Besides, they had attacked the BJP in harsh terms and called on the people to defeat the saffron party and its allies in the coming polls.

Lalu is also keen to bring BSP chief Mayawati on board despite her refusal to attend the Patna rally. Mayawati, despite her initial readiness to attend, stayed away, saying she wanted a clear plan of seat distribution in the opposition alliance before joining it.

He described the rally as the unmistakable rise of people against injustice and forces of communalism and fascism.Bihars ruling JD(U) and BJP slammed Lalu for the rally, calling it a failure. Chief minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), however, maintained silence over the event.

This rally was Lalus foolish ploy to cheat Bihars people as usual. The photo-shopped picture he tweeted showing an overflowing Gandhi Maidan was a part of it. He naively thinks the rally will divert peoples attention from the benami properties his family has amassed and the corruption cases they are facing, said deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi of BJP.

PATNA: Buoyed by the success of the anti-BJP rally he hosted in Patna Sunday, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav now plans similar rallies of opposition parties in Lucknow and Kolkata in the next two months to give shape to a broad coalition of parties opposed to the NDA in time for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. RJD leaders said the huge turnout of people at the BJP Bhagao, Desh Bachao (Banish BJP, Save India) rally held at Patnas historic Gandhi Maidan has enthused 21 leaders from 17 parties from across the country who attended it. This, they said, was the beginning of real opposition unity in the country. The party chief (Lalu) has spoken to Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav about preparations to hold similar rallies in Kolkata and Lucknow in the next two months in order to give greater national momentum to the unity of opposition parties, said a senior RJD leader close to Lalu. West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and former Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav, who is also the national president of Samajwadi Party, had spoken of their gladness regarding the large crowd at the Patna rally in their speeches. Besides, they had attacked the BJP in harsh terms and called on the people to defeat the saffron party and its allies in the coming polls. Lalu is also keen to bring BSP chief Mayawati on board despite her refusal to attend the Patna rally. Mayawati, despite her initial readiness to attend, stayed away, saying she wanted a clear plan of seat distribution in the opposition alliance before joining it. He described the rally as the unmistakable rise of people against injustice and forces of communalism and fascism.Bihars ruling JD(U) and BJP slammed Lalu for the rally, calling it a failure. Chief minister Nitish Kumar of the JD(U), however, maintained silence over the event. This rally was Lalus foolish ploy to cheat Bihars people as usual. The photo-shopped picture he tweeted showing an overflowing Gandhi Maidan was a part of it. He naively thinks the rally will divert peoples attention from the benami properties his family has amassed and the corruption cases they are facing, said deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi of BJP.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: A 27-year-old Army captain, who led the first-ever womens marching contingent at the Republic Day parade in which then US President Barack Obama was the chief guest in 2015, is being harassed for raising her voice against sexual advances by her commanding officer.

Justice has not been delivered to her even after two years, and her career in the Army is hanging in balance with no hope of promotion.

She is still waiting for the authorities to complete inquiry on her sexual harassment complaint so that she can go for a seven-month long higher course, required for promotion. She has made several representations to the Armys higher authorities to know the status of her case. All her appeals have gone unheard.

The Court of Inquiry framed 14 charges of sexual advances against the accused Colonel in June 2017 after Summary of Evidence concluded.

One of her family members said that she trusted the army to get her justice for years. But despite two years, her case is still pending. The higher authorities are not updating her on the case. Her career is uncertain, said the family member.

Captain Poonam (name changed) joined the Armys Signals Corps as a Technical Officer in 2013.

In August 2015, she filed a sexual harassment complaint against the commanding officer of her unit while she was posted at the Alwar military station in Rajasthan.

On joining her unit, the first question that the officer asked her was if she had a boyfriend. He allegedly touched her private parts and made remarks like When a lady officer salutes, people look at her breasts, and when they pass by, people look at their butts.

After the New Indian Express broke the story in October 2015, Army Headquarters ordered a Court of Inquiry after sitting over her complaint for three months.

The victim had written to the-then Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, saying she approached him bypassing all channels for redressal of my grievances because an earlier attempt through proper channel failed to provide justice. In October 2015, her father wrote to the-then defence minister Manohar Parrikar saying, If this is the way the Indian Army treats its daughters, Im not sure if any parent will ever send their daughters to the Army.

NEW DELHI: A 27-year-old Army captain, who led the first-ever womens marching contingent at the Republic Day parade in which then US President Barack Obama was the chief guest in 2015, is being harassed for raising her voice against sexual advances by her commanding officer. Justice has not been delivered to her even after two years, and her career in the Army is hanging in balance with no hope of promotion. She is still waiting for the authorities to complete inquiry on her sexual harassment complaint so that she can go for a seven-month long higher course, required for promotion. She has made several representations to the Armys higher authorities to know the status of her case. All her appeals have gone unheard. The Court of Inquiry framed 14 charges of sexual advances against the accused Colonel in June 2017 after Summary of Evidence concluded. One of her family members said that she trusted the army to get her justice for years. But despite two years, her case is still pending. The higher authorities are not updating her on the case. Her career is uncertain, said the family member. Captain Poonam (name changed) joined the Armys Signals Corps as a Technical Officer in 2013. In August 2015, she filed a sexual harassment complaint against the commanding officer of her unit while she was posted at the Alwar military station in Rajasthan. On joining her unit, the first question that the officer asked her was if she had a boyfriend. He allegedly touched her private parts and made remarks like When a lady officer salutes, people look at her breasts, and when they pass by, people look at their butts. After the New Indian Express broke the story in October 2015, Army Headquarters ordered a Court of Inquiry after sitting over her complaint for three months. The victim had written to the-then Army chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag, saying she approached him bypassing all channels for redressal of my grievances because an earlier attempt through proper channel failed to provide justice. In October 2015, her father wrote to the-then defence minister Manohar Parrikar saying, If this is the way the Indian Army treats its daughters, Im not sure if any parent will ever send their daughters to the Army.
By Express News Service

MUMBAI: Senior BJP leader and former revenue minister Eknath Khadse took a sarcastic jibe at the BJP party leadership, saying that his role has been reduced to that of senior party leader L K Advani  guiding upcoming and new leaders in the party.

Khadse, while speaking at the district-level meeting of party organisation at his home town Jalgaon in North Maharashtra, said, I have toiled for the party for several years. But, it appears that the party now just wants me to guide new entrants. The party is giving opportunity to new leaders and dumping the elders. Advani too is going through the same phase.

Khadse resorted to sloganeering at the meeting and demanded that a resolution be moved for reinstating him in the state cabinet. Khadse then pacified the workers saying that come what may, they should keep the party discipline. Khadses competitor from the district and irrigation minister in the current state cabinet Girish Mahajan had earlier, while addressing the party cadres, had said that several leaders from other political parties in the state are likely to join BJP in near future.

MUMBAI: Senior BJP leader and former revenue minister Eknath Khadse took a sarcastic jibe at the BJP party leadership, saying that his role has been reduced to that of senior party leader L K Advani  guiding upcoming and new leaders in the party. Khadse, while speaking at the district-level meeting of party organisation at his home town Jalgaon in North Maharashtra, said, I have toiled for the party for several years. But, it appears that the party now just wants me to guide new entrants. The party is giving opportunity to new leaders and dumping the elders. Advani too is going through the same phase. Khadse resorted to sloganeering at the meeting and demanded that a resolution be moved for reinstating him in the state cabinet. Khadse then pacified the workers saying that come what may, they should keep the party discipline. Khadses competitor from the district and irrigation minister in the current state cabinet Girish Mahajan had earlier, while addressing the party cadres, had said that several leaders from other political parties in the state are likely to join BJP in near future.
Harpreet Bajwa By

Express News Service

CHANDIGARH: It is now clear that all 32 people who died in the aftermath of violence after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted on charges of rape on Friday died due to firing by security forces.

The dead included four women and a child.

Sources said that the post mortem done on all the 32 dead have confirmed that they died due to bullet injuries as they were hit either on the head, in the chest or in the back by the firing of the security forces, both state police and paramilitary.

Also, the injuries faced by 267 people in the riots, were also due to firing. The seems to have narrowly escaped death, as their injuries were also gunshot wounds. A team of doctors at Panchkula hospital have completed the autopsy of all the dead.

Dr Sunil Ghambir, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) said, All the persons who died lost their lives to gunshot wounds  most on the upper part of their bodies and few in the back. We cannot tell how many were shot in the head, chest and back, but all of them died to bullet shots.

He said that as far as which kind of bullets were used, only ballistic experts could tell, and samples had been sent to them. When asked about the count of the bodies from different localities, the doctor said the hospital did not have that information.

Sources said that the police and paramilitary force fired at the Dera protestors after obtaining written orders from the duty magistrates deployed with them at two points on the National Highway, near Sector 3 and at HAFED roundabout in Panchkula. All the deaths took place at these two points. The distance between both these points is approximately about one kilometre. The body of one of the injured protestors who reportedly managed to slip away from the area was found in Sector 21.

The weapons used by the security forces were SLR and Insas rifles, sources said. They fired as the dera followers went out of control and threw petrol bombs at the police and security forces and clashed with them. As a first step, water cannons were used to disperse the crowds, then tear gas shells were lobbed at them. When the crowds still refused to disperse, the security forces resorted to lathi-charge but to no avail. The security forces then fired in the air, but when things got out of control, they took the permission of the duty magistrates and gunned down members of the unruly crowd, sources said.

A temporary mortuary has been set-up on the third floor of the General Hospital in Sector 6 of Panchkula, as only four bodies could be kept in the main mortuary. The police are guarding them. As of now, 27 bodies have been identified and handed over to the family members. Five bodies are lying unidentified.

When contacted, Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said, The Police Commissioner of Panchkula was the supervisory officer, and he has all the details as we have to file a reply in the Punjab and Haryana High Court tomorrow. Only after that we can share the information.

CHANDIGARH: It is now clear that all 32 people who died in the aftermath of violence after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted on charges of rape on Friday died due to firing by security forces. The dead included four women and a child. Sources said that the post mortem done on all the 32 dead have confirmed that they died due to bullet injuries as they were hit either on the head, in the chest or in the back by the firing of the security forces, both state police and paramilitary. Also, the injuries faced by 267 people in the riots, were also due to firing. The seems to have narrowly escaped death, as their injuries were also gunshot wounds. A team of doctors at Panchkula hospital have completed the autopsy of all the dead. Dr Sunil Ghambir, Senior Medical Officer (SMO) said, All the persons who died lost their lives to gunshot wounds  most on the upper part of their bodies and few in the back. We cannot tell how many were shot in the head, chest and back, but all of them died to bullet shots. He said that as far as which kind of bullets were used, only ballistic experts could tell, and samples had been sent to them. When asked about the count of the bodies from different localities, the doctor said the hospital did not have that information. Sources said that the police and paramilitary force fired at the Dera protestors after obtaining written orders from the duty magistrates deployed with them at two points on the National Highway, near Sector 3 and at HAFED roundabout in Panchkula. All the deaths took place at these two points. The distance between both these points is approximately about one kilometre. The body of one of the injured protestors who reportedly managed to slip away from the area was found in Sector 21. The weapons used by the security forces were SLR and Insas rifles, sources said. They fired as the dera followers went out of control and threw petrol bombs at the police and security forces and clashed with them. As a first step, water cannons were used to disperse the crowds, then tear gas shells were lobbed at them. When the crowds still refused to disperse, the security forces resorted to lathi-charge but to no avail. The security forces then fired in the air, but when things got out of control, they took the permission of the duty magistrates and gunned down members of the unruly crowd, sources said. A temporary mortuary has been set-up on the third floor of the General Hospital in Sector 6 of Panchkula, as only four bodies could be kept in the main mortuary. The police are guarding them. As of now, 27 bodies have been identified and handed over to the family members. Five bodies are lying unidentified. When contacted, Haryana DGP BS Sandhu said, The Police Commissioner of Panchkula was the supervisory officer, and he has all the details as we have to file a reply in the Punjab and Haryana High Court tomorrow. Only after that we can share the information.
By PTI

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now.

It asked the state government to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali.

The apex court had on April 12 asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against the self-styled godman.

The court had asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses including the alleged rape victims.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a fictitious document to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur.

The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.

The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on ten witnesses in the Asaram rape cases.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial in the rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu. A bench comprising justices N V Ramanna and Amitava Roy asked the state government why the victim has not been examined till now. It asked the state government to file an affidavit in this regard and posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali. The apex court had on April 12 asked the trial court in Gujarat to expedite the recording of evidence of prosecution witnesses in a sexual assault case lodged by two Surat-based sisters against the self-styled godman. The court had asked the Surat trial court to record the testimonies of 46 remaining prosecution witnesses including the alleged rape victims. Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a fictitious document to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers. The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges. The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad. In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram. The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses. The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on ten witnesses in the Asaram rape cases. Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Even as the unified AIADMK has been weighing all the ways and means to thwart the bid of dissenting MLAs backing TTV Dhinakaran to trouble the government, an Opposition delegation led by Deputy Leader of Opposition and DMK principal secretary Durai Murugan called on Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, urging him to immediately order a floor test.

Claiming that the strength of government led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in the Assembly has been reduced to 113, Durai Murugan asked the Governor to act within a "time frame".

Durai Murugan said they had brought to the notice of the Governor that he had ordered a floor test within 15 days after the swearing in of Edappadi Palaniswami as Chief Minister in February even though the split in AIADMK was not as much bigger as it is now and urged him to order a floor test again.

OPS had the support of only nine members when the Governor ordered floor test within 15 days after Edappadi took over as Chief Minister. The split then was not as big as now. We questioned him how Edappadi can be allowed to continue, Durai Murugan told reporters after visiting Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan. He added that the Governor had assured the delegation of action as per law.

Durai Murugan said, The Governor informed us that he was aware of the developments as reports reached him and said he will take action as per the law.

Sidelined AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran continued to surprise the official faction on Sunday by removing Palaniswami as party Salem rural district secretary.

The number of MLAs in Dhinakarans kitty rose to 23 on Sunday, when Chandraprabha, representing Srivilliputhur, joined the rebel ranks; but the scale tilted as an oscillating AK Bose, representing Tiruparankuntram, made a somersault saying he was with EPS.

The CM is holding a meeting of the partys top honchos on Monday to fix the date for the general council to seal the fate of interim general secretary VK Sasikala.

The Privileges Committee of the Assembly will also meet to decide upon the punishment for the DMK members on the charges of breach of privilege committed through sneaking gutkha products into the House, but it is not sure whether it can pass an order with the change of equations in the panel.

CHENNAI: Even as the unified AIADMK has been weighing all the ways and means to thwart the bid of dissenting MLAs backing TTV Dhinakaran to trouble the government, an Opposition delegation led by Deputy Leader of Opposition and DMK principal secretary Durai Murugan called on Tamil Nadu Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, urging him to immediately order a floor test. Claiming that the strength of government led by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in the Assembly has been reduced to 113, Durai Murugan asked the Governor to act within a "time frame". Durai Murugan said they had brought to the notice of the Governor that he had ordered a floor test within 15 days after the swearing in of Edappadi Palaniswami as Chief Minister in February even though the split in AIADMK was not as much bigger as it is now and urged him to order a floor test again. OPS had the support of only nine members when the Governor ordered floor test within 15 days after Edappadi took over as Chief Minister. The split then was not as big as now. We questioned him how Edappadi can be allowed to continue, Durai Murugan told reporters after visiting Vidyasagar Rao at Raj Bhavan. He added that the Governor had assured the delegation of action as per law. Durai Murugan said, The Governor informed us that he was aware of the developments as reports reached him and said he will take action as per the law. Sidelined AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran continued to surprise the official faction on Sunday by removing Palaniswami as party Salem rural district secretary. The number of MLAs in Dhinakarans kitty rose to 23 on Sunday, when Chandraprabha, representing Srivilliputhur, joined the rebel ranks; but the scale tilted as an oscillating AK Bose, representing Tiruparankuntram, made a somersault saying he was with EPS. The CM is holding a meeting of the partys top honchos on Monday to fix the date for the general council to seal the fate of interim general secretary VK Sasikala. The Privileges Committee of the Assembly will also meet to decide upon the punishment for the DMK members on the charges of breach of privilege committed through sneaking gutkha products into the House, but it is not sure whether it can pass an order with the change of equations in the panel.
Karal Marx L By

Express News Service

VILLUPURAM: The Puducherry Judicial Magistrate Court I on Sunday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against three government medical staff in a 13-year-old medical negligence case.

According to the case, two doctors and a nurse left cotton gauze in a womans abdomen after a tubectomy procedure and tried to cover up the mistake, nearly costing the woman her life. One of the named lady doctors is the incumbent director of the Puducherry AIDS control board.

After a C-section in 2002 and bearing another child in 2004, Dharani (39) underwent a tubectomy on June 7, 2004. Post-surgery, she experienced pain, and started bleeding from where the stitches oh her C-section incision were. She returned to the doctors who handled her delivery, but was discharged after 15 days under observation.

She then went to a private hospital in Tindivanam. On doing a scan, the doctors found a ball-like material in her abdomen. Dharani says the doctors suggested she return to the hospital where she was operated upon. But at the government Puducherry hospital, doctors said the scan reports were botched. Dharani then went to a Chennai hospital, underwent two operations and a cotton gauze, was removed from her abdomen.

The couple filed a suit in the Puducherry Judicial Magistrate court-I in 2004. The case was handed over to the CB-CID and the inquiry report submitted in 2011 in favour of Dharani. The chargesheet accused Dr Vijayanbhanu, Dr Jayanthi and nurse Uma. Though notices were sent, three accused didnt turn up for hearings in the past 6 years.

Dr Jayanthi became director of the Puducherry AIDS Control Board around six months ago. When the three failed to show up for a hearing again on Tuesday, Puducherry JM court I magistrate Dhayalan issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against them and ordered for them to be produced before it by Sept 15.

According to Dharani, the doctors of the private hospital had told her that her recurring issues and the ball-like object found by the scan were probably the result of the two operations she underwent. They suggested that she return to the hospital where she was operated upon, as the doctors there knew her case history.

But when Dharani was taken back to the government Puducherry hospital with the scan reports proving there was an issue at the location of the surgery, the doctors who had treated her allegedly rejected the scan reports, saying they were botched. The woman, whose condition was deteriorating faster now, was taken to a private multi-speciality hospital at Besant Nagar in Chennai.

There, she underwent two major operations within the span of two months, at a total cost of Rs 10 lakh. A cotton gauze (6x4x5 cm), was removed from her abdomen and the woman took several months to recuperate.

The couple filed a suit in the Puducherry Judicial Magistrate court-I in 2004. However, as the accused were doctors, the case could be taken up only after an inquiry and the court handed the case over to the CB-CID. An inquiry report was submitted in 2011 in favour of Dharani and the chargesheet accused Dr Vijayanbhanu, Dr Jayanthi and nurse Uma.

Though the notices were duly sent, the three accused failed to turn up for any of the hearings in the case in the past six years. Dr Jayanthi had become the director of the Puducherry AIDS Control Board around six months ago, despite Dharanis husband reporting the pending case to all concerned authorities.

When the three failed to show up for a hearing again on Tuesday, Puducherry JM Court I magistrate Dhayalan issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against all three. The court has ordered for them to be produced before it by September 15.

VILLUPURAM: The Puducherry Judicial Magistrate Court I on Sunday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against three government medical staff in a 13-year-old medical negligence case. According to the case, two doctors and a nurse left cotton gauze in a womans abdomen after a tubectomy procedure and tried to cover up the mistake, nearly costing the woman her life. One of the named lady doctors is the incumbent director of the Puducherry AIDS control board. After a C-section in 2002 and bearing another child in 2004, Dharani (39) underwent a tubectomy on June 7, 2004. Post-surgery, she experienced pain, and started bleeding from where the stitches oh her C-section incision were. She returned to the doctors who handled her delivery, but was discharged after 15 days under observation. She then went to a private hospital in Tindivanam. On doing a scan, the doctors found a ball-like material in her abdomen. Dharani says the doctors suggested she return to the hospital where she was operated upon. But at the government Puducherry hospital, doctors said the scan reports were botched. Dharani then went to a Chennai hospital, underwent two operations and a cotton gauze, was removed from her abdomen. The couple filed a suit in the Puducherry Judicial Magistrate court-I in 2004. The case was handed over to the CB-CID and the inquiry report submitted in 2011 in favour of Dharani. The chargesheet accused Dr Vijayanbhanu, Dr Jayanthi and nurse Uma. Though notices were sent, three accused didnt turn up for hearings in the past 6 years. Dr Jayanthi became director of the Puducherry AIDS Control Board around six months ago. When the three failed to show up for a hearing again on Tuesday, Puducherry JM court I magistrate Dhayalan issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against them and ordered for them to be produced before it by Sept 15. According to Dharani, the doctors of the private hospital had told her that her recurring issues and the ball-like object found by the scan were probably the result of the two operations she underwent. They suggested that she return to the hospital where she was operated upon, as the doctors there knew her case history. But when Dharani was taken back to the government Puducherry hospital with the scan reports proving there was an issue at the location of the surgery, the doctors who had treated her allegedly rejected the scan reports, saying they were botched. The woman, whose condition was deteriorating faster now, was taken to a private multi-speciality hospital at Besant Nagar in Chennai. There, she underwent two major operations within the span of two months, at a total cost of Rs 10 lakh. A cotton gauze (6x4x5 cm), was removed from her abdomen and the woman took several months to recuperate. The couple filed a suit in the Puducherry Judicial Magistrate court-I in 2004. However, as the accused were doctors, the case could be taken up only after an inquiry and the court handed the case over to the CB-CID. An inquiry report was submitted in 2011 in favour of Dharani and the chargesheet accused Dr Vijayanbhanu, Dr Jayanthi and nurse Uma. Though the notices were duly sent, the three accused failed to turn up for any of the hearings in the case in the past six years. Dr Jayanthi had become the director of the Puducherry AIDS Control Board around six months ago, despite Dharanis husband reporting the pending case to all concerned authorities. When the three failed to show up for a hearing again on Tuesday, Puducherry JM Court I magistrate Dhayalan issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against all three. The court has ordered for them to be produced before it by September 15.
Siddhanta Mishra By

NEW DELHI: Bawana by-election result, which will be declared on Monday, will be a ground check of the popularity of the political parties before the 2019 general elections. All three candidatesVed Prakash (BJP), Ram Chandra (AAP) and Surendra Kumar (Congress)did a high-voltage campaign because the election was a prestige battle for all the parties.

The elections for the post were necessitated after AAP MLA Ved Prakash joined BJP in March. For the anti-corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwals party, which is in power only in Delhi, a loss will put the AAP in a critical spot among its supporters.

If the BJP wins, it will boost the chances for Delhi state president Manoj Tiwari for chief ministerial candidate in the next state assembly elections in 2020 as Bawana would be a third win in a row under his leadership.

AAPs loss, on the other hand, will give the estranged members like Kapil Mishra a chance to tarnish Kejriwals image. In civic body elections, the AAP had alleged loss due to tampering with the EVM machines. But this time, they wont be able to raise doubt as Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines were used at all 379 polling stations.

BJP national vice-president Shyam Jaju camped in the constituency a week before the voting day, and Tiwari visited many slum clusters and had lunch at a few to boost partys chances.

Meanwhile, if result is in BJPs favour, their count will go to five legislative members in the Delhi assembly. The constituency witnessed only 45% voter turnout. Though the BJP sounds confident of a victory, the Kejriwal-led party is fighting allegations of creating communal tension in order to win over the minority Muslim votes.

NEW DELHI: Bawana by-election result, which will be declared on Monday, will be a ground check of the popularity of the political parties before the 2019 general elections. All three candidatesVed Prakash (BJP), Ram Chandra (AAP) and Surendra Kumar (Congress)did a high-voltage campaign because the election was a prestige battle for all the parties. The elections for the post were necessitated after AAP MLA Ved Prakash joined BJP in March. For the anti-corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwals party, which is in power only in Delhi, a loss will put the AAP in a critical spot among its supporters. If the BJP wins, it will boost the chances for Delhi state president Manoj Tiwari for chief ministerial candidate in the next state assembly elections in 2020 as Bawana would be a third win in a row under his leadership. AAPs loss, on the other hand, will give the estranged members like Kapil Mishra a chance to tarnish Kejriwals image. In civic body elections, the AAP had alleged loss due to tampering with the EVM machines. But this time, they wont be able to raise doubt as Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines were used at all 379 polling stations. BJP national vice-president Shyam Jaju camped in the constituency a week before the voting day, and Tiwari visited many slum clusters and had lunch at a few to boost partys chances. Meanwhile, if result is in BJPs favour, their count will go to five legislative members in the Delhi assembly. The constituency witnessed only 45% voter turnout. Though the BJP sounds confident of a victory, the Kejriwal-led party is fighting allegations of creating communal tension in order to win over the minority Muslim votes.
By PTI

BERNNEW DELHI: A Swiss parliamentary panel will discuss next month necessary safeguards the European nation needs to adopt in automatic exchange of banking information with India and 40 other jurisdictions for checking alleged stashing of black money.

The Committee on Economy and Royalties of the National Council (CER-N), a key panel of Swiss parliament which rejected on August 15 a proposal seeking to outrightly suspend implementation of the AEOI Switzerland has agreed to adopt with 41 nations including India, to examine the criteria a country would need to satisfy and start getting access to data under the automatic information exchange.

According to the minutes of the last meeting of the committee, the CER-N will continue its examination at a meeting on September 11 of the 41 AEOIs agreed upon by the Federal Council, the highest decision making body of Swiss government.

In this context, the panel will also discuss how to strengthen the role of the relevant parliamentary committees in deciding whether or not to transmit data abroad.

The Federal Council adopted a resolution on June 15 regarding introduction of AEOIs with 41 jurisdictions including India. The decision is not subject to any referendum. The council has also proposed to submit a report to Parliament in order to ensure that the necessary requirements, including on confidentiality and data protection, are met by the concerned countries before transmission of the data.

The report will also entail the possible measures in case of non-compliance.

At its meeting on August 15, the committee rejected by 13 votes to 10, with 2 abstentions, a proposal to suspend implementation of AEOIs until the Federal Council presents a list of criteria for judging whether the exchange can be activated with a country. The majority observed that the question of criteria could be examined in the context of the discussion by article.

The committee went into the matter, without objecting to the Federal Council decision, on the control mechanism.

One of the demands, made by some political parties and banking industry, relates to asking the administration specific the criteria on which a country review would be based before deciding to transmit the data abroad. Among others, the Swiss People's Party (SVP), a populist political party in Switzerland, has opposed the AEOI framework.

The opposition by SVP, which is known as a national- conservative and right-wing populist political party, is in sharp contrast to the official position of the Swiss government that has cited strong Indian data protection laws for agreeing to include India among jurisdictions for the Automatic exchange of information (AEOI) on financial matters. It is one of the largest parties in the Federal Assembly and late last year it had supported a campaign, 'Yes to protect bank secrecy in Switzerland'.

Earlier, some private bank groups in Switzerland had opposed the pact but the government decided to go ahead with this framework after putting in place necessary data protection and confidentiality clauses.

A draft memorandum has been already ratified by the Swiss Federal council for implementing the automatic information exchange framework with India, which is expected to come into force from next year.

India has been pressing for long to have such a pact amid a widespread perception about Swiss banks being among the most-favoured for stashing of suspected black money.

BERNNEW DELHI: A Swiss parliamentary panel will discuss next month necessary safeguards the European nation needs to adopt in automatic exchange of banking information with India and 40 other jurisdictions for checking alleged stashing of black money. The Committee on Economy and Royalties of the National Council (CER-N), a key panel of Swiss parliament which rejected on August 15 a proposal seeking to outrightly suspend implementation of the AEOI Switzerland has agreed to adopt with 41 nations including India, to examine the criteria a country would need to satisfy and start getting access to data under the automatic information exchange. According to the minutes of the last meeting of the committee, the CER-N will continue its examination at a meeting on September 11 of the 41 AEOIs agreed upon by the Federal Council, the highest decision making body of Swiss government. In this context, the panel will also discuss how to strengthen the role of the relevant parliamentary committees in deciding whether or not to transmit data abroad. The Federal Council adopted a resolution on June 15 regarding introduction of AEOIs with 41 jurisdictions including India. The decision is not subject to any referendum. The council has also proposed to submit a report to Parliament in order to ensure that the necessary requirements, including on confidentiality and data protection, are met by the concerned countries before transmission of the data. The report will also entail the possible measures in case of non-compliance. At its meeting on August 15, the committee rejected by 13 votes to 10, with 2 abstentions, a proposal to suspend implementation of AEOIs until the Federal Council presents a list of criteria for judging whether the exchange can be activated with a country. The majority observed that the question of criteria could be examined in the context of the discussion by article. The committee went into the matter, without objecting to the Federal Council decision, on the control mechanism. One of the demands, made by some political parties and banking industry, relates to asking the administration specific the criteria on which a country review would be based before deciding to transmit the data abroad. Among others, the Swiss People's Party (SVP), a populist political party in Switzerland, has opposed the AEOI framework. The opposition by SVP, which is known as a national- conservative and right-wing populist political party, is in sharp contrast to the official position of the Swiss government that has cited strong Indian data protection laws for agreeing to include India among jurisdictions for the Automatic exchange of information (AEOI) on financial matters. It is one of the largest parties in the Federal Assembly and late last year it had supported a campaign, 'Yes to protect bank secrecy in Switzerland'. Earlier, some private bank groups in Switzerland had opposed the pact but the government decided to go ahead with this framework after putting in place necessary data protection and confidentiality clauses. A draft memorandum has been already ratified by the Swiss Federal council for implementing the automatic information exchange framework with India, which is expected to come into force from next year. India has been pressing for long to have such a pact amid a widespread perception about Swiss banks being among the most-favoured for stashing of suspected black money.
U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his threat to scrap NAFTA and ripped on trading partners Canada and Mexico in a tweet early on Sunday, days before the three countries were scheduled to hold a second round of negotiations on rewriting the 23-year-old agreement.

"We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada. Both being very difficult, may have to terminate?" he wrote.

In a separate Sunday morning tweet, Trump repeated his pledge that Mexico will eventually pay for his proposed border wall, saying the barrier is needed due to Mexico's high crime rate.

In response, Mexico's foreign ministry issued a statement Sunday afternoon reiterating the country's position that it will not "in any way or under any circumstance" pay for Trump's signature border wall.

The ministry added that overcoming violent crime associated with cross-border drug trafficking is the responsibility of both nations, pointing to the high demand for drugs in the United States from Mexico and other countries.

Trump, a Republican, promised during his campaign to build the wall and overhaul or eliminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, which he cast as killing jobs and exacerbating the U.S. deficit, and to adopt a more protectionist stance for trade generally.


By Associated Press

HOUSTON: Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation's fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

The incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.

Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their homes or from the water, which was high enough in places to gush into second floors. The flooding from Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their houses to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.

Residents living around the Addicks and Barker reservoirs designed to help prevent flooding in downtown Houston, were warned Sunday that a controlled release from both reservoirs would cause additional street flooding and could spill into homes. Rising water levels and continuing rain was putting pressure on the dams that could cause a failure without the release.

Harris and Fort Bend county officials said Sunday that residents around certain areas should be prepared for the influx of water that was scheduled to happen at Addicks around 2 a.m. Monday and a day later at Barker. Officials warned residents they should pack their cars Sunday night and wait for daylight Monday to leave.

Meanwhile, officials in Fort Bend County, Houston's southwestern suburbs, late Sunday issued widespread mandatory evacuation orders along the Brazos River levee districts. County officials were preparing for the river to reach major flood stages late Sunday. County Judge Robert Herbert said at a news conference that National Weather Service officials were predicting that the water could rise to 59 feet, three feet above 2016 records and what Herbert called an "800-year flood level." Herbert said that amount of water would top the levees and carries a threat of levee failure.

Judging from federal disaster declarations, the storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties. It was blamed for at least two deaths.

As the water rose, the National Weather Service issued another ominous forecast: Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain. That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.

Some areas have already received about half that amount. Since Thursday, South Houston recorded nearly 25 inches (63 centimeters), and the suburbs of Santa Fe and Dayton got 27 inches (69 centimeters).

"The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before," the National Weather Service said in a statement.

Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches (1 meter) for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA's involvement for years.

"This disaster's going to be a landmark event," Long said.

Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. And several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.

Tom Bartlett and Steven Craig pulled a rowboat on a rope through chest-deep water for a mile to rescue Bartlett's mother from her home in west Houston. It took them 45 minutes to reach the house. Inside, the water was halfway up the walls.

Marie Bartlett, 88, waited in her bedroom upstairs.

"When I was younger, I used to wish I had a daughter, but I have the best son in the world," she said. "In my 40 years here, I've never seen the water this high."

It was not clear how many people were plucked from the floodwaters. Up to 1,200 people had to be rescued in Galveston County alone, said Mark Henry, the county judge, the county's top administrative post.

Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center was quickly opened as a shelter. It was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005.

Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet. She said she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She tried to move some belongings upstairs, then grabbed her grandchildren.

"When they told us the current was getting high, we had to bust a window to get out," Leho said.

William Cain sought shelter after water started coming inside his family's apartment and they lost power. "I live in a lake where there was once dry land," he said.

Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in. He urged drivers to stay off roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded.

"I don't need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm," Turner told a news conference. "We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically."

The deteriorating situation was bound to provoke questions about the conflicting advice given by the governor and Houston leaders before the hurricane. Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to flee from Harvey's path, but the Houston mayor issued no evacuation orders and told everyone to stay home.

The governor refused to point fingers on Sunday.

"Now is not the time to second-guess the decisions that were made," Abbott, a Republican, said at a news conference in Austin. "What's important is that everybody work together to ensure that we are going to, first, save lives and, second, help people across the state rebuild."

The mayor, a Democrat, defended his decision, saying there was no way to know which parts of the city were most vulnerable.

"If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare," Turner said, citing the risks of sending the city's 2.3 million inhabitants onto the highways at the same time.

Jesse Gonzalez, and his son, also named Jesse, used their boat to rescue people from a southeast Houston neighborhood. Asked what he had seen, the younger Gonzalez replied: "A lot of people walking and a lot of dogs swimming."

"It's chest- to shoulder-deep out there in certain areas," he told television station KTRK as the pair grabbed a gasoline can to refill their boat.

The Coast Guard deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans.

The White House announced that President Donald Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday. He met Sunday by teleconference with top administration officials to discuss federal support for response and recovery efforts.

The rescues unfolded a day after Harvey settled over the Texas coastline. The system weakened Saturday to a tropical storm.

On Sunday, it was virtually stationary about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph (72.42 kph), the hurricane center said.

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

HOUSTON: Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation's fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help. The incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam. Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their homes or from the water, which was high enough in places to gush into second floors. The flooding from Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their houses to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location. Residents living around the Addicks and Barker reservoirs designed to help prevent flooding in downtown Houston, were warned Sunday that a controlled release from both reservoirs would cause additional street flooding and could spill into homes. Rising water levels and continuing rain was putting pressure on the dams that could cause a failure without the release. Harris and Fort Bend county officials said Sunday that residents around certain areas should be prepared for the influx of water that was scheduled to happen at Addicks around 2 a.m. Monday and a day later at Barker. Officials warned residents they should pack their cars Sunday night and wait for daylight Monday to leave. Meanwhile, officials in Fort Bend County, Houston's southwestern suburbs, late Sunday issued widespread mandatory evacuation orders along the Brazos River levee districts. County officials were preparing for the river to reach major flood stages late Sunday. County Judge Robert Herbert said at a news conference that National Weather Service officials were predicting that the water could rise to 59 feet, three feet above 2016 records and what Herbert called an "800-year flood level." Herbert said that amount of water would top the levees and carries a threat of levee failure. Judging from federal disaster declarations, the storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties. It was blamed for at least two deaths. As the water rose, the National Weather Service issued another ominous forecast: Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches (1.3 meters) of rain. That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas. Some areas have already received about half that amount. Since Thursday, South Houston recorded nearly 25 inches (63 centimeters), and the suburbs of Santa Fe and Dayton got 27 inches (69 centimeters). "The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before," the National Weather Service said in a statement. Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches (1 meter) for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said. The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA's involvement for years. "This disaster's going to be a landmark event," Long said. Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. And several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters. Tom Bartlett and Steven Craig pulled a rowboat on a rope through chest-deep water for a mile to rescue Bartlett's mother from her home in west Houston. It took them 45 minutes to reach the house. Inside, the water was halfway up the walls. Marie Bartlett, 88, waited in her bedroom upstairs. "When I was younger, I used to wish I had a daughter, but I have the best son in the world," she said. "In my 40 years here, I've never seen the water this high." It was not clear how many people were plucked from the floodwaters. Up to 1,200 people had to be rescued in Galveston County alone, said Mark Henry, the county judge, the county's top administrative post. Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center was quickly opened as a shelter. It was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005. Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet. She said she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She tried to move some belongings upstairs, then grabbed her grandchildren. "When they told us the current was getting high, we had to bust a window to get out," Leho said. William Cain sought shelter after water started coming inside his family's apartment and they lost power. "I live in a lake where there was once dry land," he said. Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in. He urged drivers to stay off roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded. "I don't need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm," Turner told a news conference. "We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically." The deteriorating situation was bound to provoke questions about the conflicting advice given by the governor and Houston leaders before the hurricane. Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to flee from Harvey's path, but the Houston mayor issued no evacuation orders and told everyone to stay home. The governor refused to point fingers on Sunday. "Now is not the time to second-guess the decisions that were made," Abbott, a Republican, said at a news conference in Austin. "What's important is that everybody work together to ensure that we are going to, first, save lives and, second, help people across the state rebuild." The mayor, a Democrat, defended his decision, saying there was no way to know which parts of the city were most vulnerable. "If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare," Turner said, citing the risks of sending the city's 2.3 million inhabitants onto the highways at the same time. Jesse Gonzalez, and his son, also named Jesse, used their boat to rescue people from a southeast Houston neighborhood. Asked what he had seen, the younger Gonzalez replied: "A lot of people walking and a lot of dogs swimming." "It's chest- to shoulder-deep out there in certain areas," he told television station KTRK as the pair grabbed a gasoline can to refill their boat. The Coast Guard deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans. The White House announced that President Donald Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday. He met Sunday by teleconference with top administration officials to discuss federal support for response and recovery efforts. The rescues unfolded a day after Harvey settled over the Texas coastline. The system weakened Saturday to a tropical storm. On Sunday, it was virtually stationary about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas, with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph (72.42 kph), the hurricane center said. Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.
By PTI

WASHINGTON: There is a great prospect for cooperation between India and the US in the energy sector, the top Indian envoy to Washington has said as he visited the resource-rich Alaska to explore the possibility of importing oil and gas from the state.

Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna met Alaska's Governor Bill Walker during which energy co-operation was an important aspect of the discussions.

Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation president Keith Meyer made a detailed presentation to him on potential opportunities for India in Alaskan gas and oil.

"Great prospect for Oil and Gas Cooperation between India and Alaska," the Indian Embassy in Washington DC quoted Sarna as saying during his recent visit to Alaska.

"Its something worth exploring," Sarna said as he concluded his Alaska on Friday.

An Indian delegation to discuss technical aspects could visit Alaska soon.

Alaska is said to have one of the worlds largest proven natural gas resources.

Sarnas visit with focus on energy comes just days after the first consignments of American crude oil left from Texas to India. It is likely to reach Paradip (Odisha) in the last week of September.

Of late, the Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation has been marketing its gas with focus on Asian markets.

"Alaska is another state with a huge potential of oil and gas," Sarna said.

The Ambassador also had a meeting with the 11th Air Force commander Lt Gen Ken Wilsbach, who is head of Alaskan Command and NORAD or North American Aerospace Defence Command.

Sarna also interacted with Indian students, researchers and academicians at the University of Fairbanks.

"Inspiring discovery, Inspiring greatness"!...Engaging with students & faculty on research & co-oprn, the Indian Embassy tweeted.

WASHINGTON: There is a great prospect for cooperation between India and the US in the energy sector, the top Indian envoy to Washington has said as he visited the resource-rich Alaska to explore the possibility of importing oil and gas from the state. Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna met Alaska's Governor Bill Walker during which energy co-operation was an important aspect of the discussions. Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation president Keith Meyer made a detailed presentation to him on potential opportunities for India in Alaskan gas and oil. "Great prospect for Oil and Gas Cooperation between India and Alaska," the Indian Embassy in Washington DC quoted Sarna as saying during his recent visit to Alaska. "Its something worth exploring," Sarna said as he concluded his Alaska on Friday. An Indian delegation to discuss technical aspects could visit Alaska soon. Alaska is said to have one of the worlds largest proven natural gas resources. Sarnas visit with focus on energy comes just days after the first consignments of American crude oil left from Texas to India. It is likely to reach Paradip (Odisha) in the last week of September. Of late, the Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation has been marketing its gas with focus on Asian markets. "Alaska is another state with a huge potential of oil and gas," Sarna said. The Ambassador also had a meeting with the 11th Air Force commander Lt Gen Ken Wilsbach, who is head of Alaskan Command and NORAD or North American Aerospace Defence Command. Sarna also interacted with Indian students, researchers and academicians at the University of Fairbanks. "Inspiring discovery, Inspiring greatness"!...Engaging with students & faculty on research & co-oprn, the Indian Embassy tweeted.
By AFP

NAIROBI: Judges at Kenya's Supreme Court on Monday began hearing an opposition petition challenging the result of the August 8 presidential election.

The seven judges have until September 1 to rule in the case in which opposition leader Raila Odinga alleges computer hacking and fraud handed victory to incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta.

On Monday the court permitted lawyers for Odinga's National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition to have access to the computer servers and electronic voter kits of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in order to prove their allegations that the results were fiddled.

"The commission has nothing to hide," said IEBC lawyer Paul Muite.

Odinga himself was among those inside the packed court on Monday morning, while outside police had deployed in large numbers. Proceedings were televised live on various Kenyan media channels and followed eagerly.

James Orengo, a senior NASA official and lawyer, told the court that the alleged irregularities "cannot be considered as minor transgressions" leaving the result in question and requiring the annulment and rerunning of the vote.

Another opposition lawyer, Otiende Amollo, said tally sheets had been doctored in "a consistent pattern, that is: increase the votes for Uhuru Kenyatta and decrease the votes for Raila Odinga."

'Brutal crackdown'

Odinga challenged his last election defeat in 2013, but lost in court. In 2007 widespread and violent street protests followed the declaration of Odinga's loss and on Monday a rights group said police had once again used excessive force to crush opposition protests following this month's vote.

"The brutal crackdown on protesters and residents in the western counties, part of a pattern of violence and repression in opposition strongholds, undermined the national elections," said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW).

"People have a right to protest peacefully, and Kenyan authorities should urgently put a stop to police abuse and hold those responsible to account."

HRW said police shot some people dead, wounded others, raped women and stole property while putting down the protests in parts of the country following opposition allegations of rigging.

At least 12 people were killed in the west of the country, including the city of Kisumu, HRW said, and more than 100 people were injured, but it added the true figure "is most likely much higher" as victims and relatives are reluctant to speak out.

An AFP tally of the dead now stands at 21 nationwide.

Actions against protesters included "unlawful killings and beatings by police during protests and house-to-house operations", HRW said, adding there were at least three cases where women alleged police had raped them.

Namwaya said investigations must be carried out and responsible officers prosecuted. So far the government has denied using excessive force against protesters.

"With tensions still running high as the country awaits the court's decision on the opposition's petition, Kenyan authorities need to be vigilant in preventing more police abuses and upholding the right to peaceful protest," Namwaya said.

"Kenyans should be able to express their grievances without being beaten or killed by police."

NAIROBI: Judges at Kenya's Supreme Court on Monday began hearing an opposition petition challenging the result of the August 8 presidential election. The seven judges have until September 1 to rule in the case in which opposition leader Raila Odinga alleges computer hacking and fraud handed victory to incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta. On Monday the court permitted lawyers for Odinga's National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition to have access to the computer servers and electronic voter kits of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in order to prove their allegations that the results were fiddled. "The commission has nothing to hide," said IEBC lawyer Paul Muite. Odinga himself was among those inside the packed court on Monday morning, while outside police had deployed in large numbers. Proceedings were televised live on various Kenyan media channels and followed eagerly. James Orengo, a senior NASA official and lawyer, told the court that the alleged irregularities "cannot be considered as minor transgressions" leaving the result in question and requiring the annulment and rerunning of the vote. Another opposition lawyer, Otiende Amollo, said tally sheets had been doctored in "a consistent pattern, that is: increase the votes for Uhuru Kenyatta and decrease the votes for Raila Odinga." 'Brutal crackdown' Odinga challenged his last election defeat in 2013, but lost in court. In 2007 widespread and violent street protests followed the declaration of Odinga's loss and on Monday a rights group said police had once again used excessive force to crush opposition protests following this month's vote. "The brutal crackdown on protesters and residents in the western counties, part of a pattern of violence and repression in opposition strongholds, undermined the national elections," said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW). "People have a right to protest peacefully, and Kenyan authorities should urgently put a stop to police abuse and hold those responsible to account." HRW said police shot some people dead, wounded others, raped women and stole property while putting down the protests in parts of the country following opposition allegations of rigging. At least 12 people were killed in the west of the country, including the city of Kisumu, HRW said, and more than 100 people were injured, but it added the true figure "is most likely much higher" as victims and relatives are reluctant to speak out. An AFP tally of the dead now stands at 21 nationwide. Actions against protesters included "unlawful killings and beatings by police during protests and house-to-house operations", HRW said, adding there were at least three cases where women alleged police had raped them. Namwaya said investigations must be carried out and responsible officers prosecuted. So far the government has denied using excessive force against protesters. "With tensions still running high as the country awaits the court's decision on the opposition's petition, Kenyan authorities need to be vigilant in preventing more police abuses and upholding the right to peaceful protest," Namwaya said. "Kenyans should be able to express their grievances without being beaten or killed by police."
By Associated Press

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's personal lawyer acknowledged Monday that the president's company pursued a Trump Tower in Moscow during the Republican primary, but that the plan was abandoned "for a variety of business reasons." He said that at one point he reached out to the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin about approvals from the Russian government.

The attorney, Michael Cohen, said in a statement to the House intelligence committee that he worked on the real estate proposal with Felix Sater, a Russia-born associate who he said claimed to have deep connections in Moscow. The panel is one of several on Capitol Hill investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.

The discussions occurred in the fall of 2015, months after Trump had declared his candidacy, and ended early last year when Cohen determined that the project was not feasible, according to the statement from Cohen.

The potential deal shows that the Trump Organization was actively considering doing business in Russia during the presidential election, providing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators considerable fodder for turning their investigation into Russian collusion toward Trump's personal and business finances. Trump has said Mueller would be crossing a red line by delving into his finances.

The negotiations of the possible Trump Tower Moscow deal were first reported Sunday night by The Washington Post. On Monday, The New York Times reported on an email in which Sater appeared to boast that the real estate deal could help Trump get elected.

"Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Sater wrote in an email, according to the Times. "I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

He also said in an another email about a possible ribbon-cutting: "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected."

In the two-page statement obtained by The Associated Press, Cohen said he emailed Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, after Sater suggested that "the proposal would require approvals within the Russian government that had not been issued." Cohen said he did not recall any response to his email, or any other contacts with Peskov or other Russian government officials about the project.

Cohen portrayed the proposal as one of "countless" that the Trump Organization has received for developments around the world, noting that Trump had properties and developments in about a dozen different countries.

Cohen said that the project first came to his attention in September 2015 when he received a proposal for a "Trump Tower Moscow" that would house a luxury hotel, office spaces and condominiums.

Cohen said that he "performed some initial due diligence" to determine whether it was a good fit for the Trump Organization, and Trump ultimately signed a nonbinding letter of intent with the Moscow-based developer, I.C. Expert Investment Co. on Oct. 28, 2015. After the signing of the letter, the Trump Organization sought building designs from architects and held "preliminary discussions regarding potential financing" for the building.

Cohen said he also communicated extensively with Sater, who was brokering the deal and stood to receive payment from the Russian developer if it came to fruition.

In his statement, Cohen downplayed Sater's comments in the emails.

"Over the course of my business dealings with Mr. Sater, he has sometimes used colorful language and has been prone to 'salesmanship'," Cohen said. "As a result, I did not feel that it was necessary to routinely apprise others within the Trump Organization of communications that Mr. Sater sent only to me."

Cohen said that Sater "constantly" invited him to travel to Moscow and encouraged him to bring Trump. But Cohen said he rebuffed the overtures. He said he has never traveled to Russia, and never considered asking Trump to go to Russia, which he said he only would have encouraged if there was a "definitive agreement in place."

Cohen said the proposal, which was contingent upon the developer finding an appropriate property and getting necessary permits, was under consideration until the end of January 2016. At that point, he said that he determined the "proposal was not feasible for a variety of business reasons and should not be pursued further." He said neither the decision to pursue the development nor the decision to abandon it were related to Trump's presidential campaign.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's personal lawyer acknowledged Monday that the president's company pursued a Trump Tower in Moscow during the Republican primary, but that the plan was abandoned "for a variety of business reasons." He said that at one point he reached out to the spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin about approvals from the Russian government. The attorney, Michael Cohen, said in a statement to the House intelligence committee that he worked on the real estate proposal with Felix Sater, a Russia-born associate who he said claimed to have deep connections in Moscow. The panel is one of several on Capitol Hill investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia. The discussions occurred in the fall of 2015, months after Trump had declared his candidacy, and ended early last year when Cohen determined that the project was not feasible, according to the statement from Cohen. The potential deal shows that the Trump Organization was actively considering doing business in Russia during the presidential election, providing special counsel Robert Mueller's investigators considerable fodder for turning their investigation into Russian collusion toward Trump's personal and business finances. Trump has said Mueller would be crossing a red line by delving into his finances. The negotiations of the possible Trump Tower Moscow deal were first reported Sunday night by The Washington Post. On Monday, The New York Times reported on an email in which Sater appeared to boast that the real estate deal could help Trump get elected. "Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Sater wrote in an email, according to the Times. "I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process." He also said in an another email about a possible ribbon-cutting: "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected." In the two-page statement obtained by The Associated Press, Cohen said he emailed Putin's press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, after Sater suggested that "the proposal would require approvals within the Russian government that had not been issued." Cohen said he did not recall any response to his email, or any other contacts with Peskov or other Russian government officials about the project. Cohen portrayed the proposal as one of "countless" that the Trump Organization has received for developments around the world, noting that Trump had properties and developments in about a dozen different countries. Cohen said that the project first came to his attention in September 2015 when he received a proposal for a "Trump Tower Moscow" that would house a luxury hotel, office spaces and condominiums. Cohen said that he "performed some initial due diligence" to determine whether it was a good fit for the Trump Organization, and Trump ultimately signed a nonbinding letter of intent with the Moscow-based developer, I.C. Expert Investment Co. on Oct. 28, 2015. After the signing of the letter, the Trump Organization sought building designs from architects and held "preliminary discussions regarding potential financing" for the building. Cohen said he also communicated extensively with Sater, who was brokering the deal and stood to receive payment from the Russian developer if it came to fruition. In his statement, Cohen downplayed Sater's comments in the emails. "Over the course of my business dealings with Mr. Sater, he has sometimes used colorful language and has been prone to 'salesmanship'," Cohen said. "As a result, I did not feel that it was necessary to routinely apprise others within the Trump Organization of communications that Mr. Sater sent only to me." Cohen said that Sater "constantly" invited him to travel to Moscow and encouraged him to bring Trump. But Cohen said he rebuffed the overtures. He said he has never traveled to Russia, and never considered asking Trump to go to Russia, which he said he only would have encouraged if there was a "definitive agreement in place." Cohen said the proposal, which was contingent upon the developer finding an appropriate property and getting necessary permits, was under consideration until the end of January 2016. At that point, he said that he determined the "proposal was not feasible for a variety of business reasons and should not be pursued further." He said neither the decision to pursue the development nor the decision to abandon it were related to Trump's presidential campaign.
Software tycoon Ahn Cheol-soo is back in the driving seat at the People's Party some 110 days since he lost the presidential election.

Ahn regained the party leadership on Sunday, winning a four-way race with over 51 percent of the vote and avoiding a run-off.

He promised to reshape the party to keep the ruling bloc in check.

Ahn returns to the helm more than a year after he stepped down over a corruption scandal involving several party members.


Portsmouth, Middletown headed to Super Bowls. How they did it.

While Portsmouth and Middletown will play for championships, Rogers will be left out following semifinal loss.
North Korea is continuing to operate a 5 MW nuclear reactor and uranium enrichment plant in Yongbyon, North Pyongan Province, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in an annual report last week.

"There were indications consistent with the reactor's operation, including steam discharges and the outflow of cooling water," the report said. "Construction work was undertaken on a building that adjoins the reported centrifuge enrichment facility."

It said there has been increasing assembly of specific components at the construction site.

The IAEA then urged Pyongyang to meet its obligations under UN Security Council resolutions and cooperate immediately with the IAEA in implementing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

In 1994, the U.S. agreed to build the North a light-water nuclear reactor at Sinpo in North Hamgyong Province, whose waste cannot be turned into weapons-grade plutonium, if it suspended the Yongbyon reactor, but that plan fell apart in 2002.


Renault India has made two important announcements today, reflecting Renaults ambitions to continue to grow its presence in India. Firstly, Renault will expand its product range with the launch of its new crossover, Renault CAPTUR. Furthermore, Renault crossed the milestone of 300 dealership outlets in India, which makes it one of the fastest network ramp-ups in the automotive industry.Commenting on these two developments, Mr. Sumit Sawhney, Country CEO and Managing Director, Renault India Operations, said, India is an important market for Renaults global growth plans and we have a thorough business strategy to grow our presence across the country. The SUV segment, which is amongst the fastest growing segments in the Indian automobile industry, has witnessed increasing customer attention to styling and design elements which are playing an important role in the purchase decision.We are delighted to announce that we will launch our premium feature loaded Renault CAPTUR in India this year, which has delivered global success and is widely acclaimed for its stunning expressive design. CAPTUR has sold over a million cars worldwide and will enhance our product portfolio as we aim to grow our presence in the SUV segment in India. Like all our offerings in India, there will high levels of innovation and customisation in the Renault CAPTUR that will be launched in India, to best suite the Indian customers."Renault CAPTUR has a crossover French design and has been crafted to appeal to a broad spectrum of premium tastes and desires. It brings forth the best from the world of Renault in terms of style and designing, in line with Renaults recent product introductions. Renault has an aggressive plan to successfully launch CAPTUR in India, with several innovative initiatives planned over the next few months.The current network of 300 dealership outlets across the country has been designed according to the RENAULTSTORE concept. RENAULTSTORE is a new generation of dealerships which has been conceptualized to best address the evolving needs of the customers by highlighting the value of the brand, products, services and accessories in a modern and more effective manner.Having completed a little over five years of operations in India, we are already the number one European brand in the country. We have a long-term commitment to this dynamic automobile market. We will continue to aggressively ramp up our service network as well as build on our product offensive strategy to drive volumes in India. While doing this, we will continue to introduce several unique and pioneering value-added services that make our customers lives easier, reflective of our brand ideology, Passion for Life, Mr. Sawhney added.
New Delhi: The government will soon crackdown on about 17,000 companies including some listed investment advisory firms, real estate businesses, hotels, grain mills, jewelry traders and film production and media houses for funneling thousands of crores of undisclosed money over the last several months.Moneycontrol.com reported that a government dossier, prepared by the governments financial watchdog agencies, has identified 16,794 companies as the main conduits for funneling money after the demonetisation of high denomination notes last year. Moneycontrol has reviewed the dossier running into hundreds of pages that four government agenciesthe Serious Frauds Investigation Office (SFIO), the Income Tax department (ITD), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED)have prepared based on payment records, tax returns, intelligence bureau inputs, foreign exchange deals and banks suspicious transactions reports.The dossier lists 43 food companies, nine rice mills, five flour mills, 17 oil traders, 860 real estate, construction and infrastructure companies, about 150 steel and metal firms, more than 40 advertising and multimedia firms, two news media organisations, dozens of gems and jewelry traders, two broadcast houses and thousands of financial advisory and stock broking companies whose financial transactions show a mismatch.ITD sleuths have found that 14,247 of these companies have disclosed income in their tax returns far lower than what their bank records and spending patterns suggest.The government has said that after demonetization cash deposits of more than Rs 25 lakh were made in about of 4.62 lakh bank accounts from November 8 to December 30, 2016. Cash deposits of more than Rs 5 lakh were made in 23.87 lakh accounts during these 50 days.The government has signaled its intent to go after tax dodgers. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the government has deregistered and shuttered more than 1.75 lakh `shell companies with doctored accounts based on data mined from demonetisation. As many as 400 bogus firms were found to be operating from a single address.
New Delhi: Infosys shares rose by nearly 5 per cent after the company named former CEO Nandan Nilekani as its new chairman.



The stock opened higher and further gained 4.49 per cent to Rs 953.50 on BSE.



At NSE, shares of the company went up by 4.58 per cent to Rs 953.95.



The stock was the biggest gainer among both Sensex and Nifty components during the morning trade.



Stock markets were closed on Friday for Ganesh Chaturthi.



Infosys faced a leadership crisis after first non-founder chief executive Vishal Sikka abruptly quit on August 18, blaming founders for slander.



Last week saw the founders staging a dramatic coup, bringing back co-founder Nandan Nilekani as its Chairman, replacing R Seshasayee.
New Delhi: A special CBI court on Monday announced 20 years of rigorous imprisonment to rape convict Dera Chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insan.



The 50-year-old 'spiritual guru' was convicted in a 2002-rape case last Friday.



Singh joins a growing number of rape convicts in Haryana jails, which throw some interesting statistics.



Haryana has the second-highest number of convicts lodged in district jails



Singh will be lodged in a district jail at Sunaria, which is located about 10 km from Rohtak town. Haryana has the second-highest number of convicts lodged in district jails across the country.



According to numbers available with the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) which is updated till 2015, Haryana had 6,375 convicts lodged in its district jails. Only Uttar Pradesh (UP), had more convicts lodged in its district jail as of 2015.



There were 14,955 convicts lodged in UP district jails alone.



Many are facing 10-year jail term



Singh joins other 1388 males facing between 10 and 13 years of jail term in Haryana. However, as of 2015, there were about 17,569 people lodged in jails for the same tenure.



Haryana has third-highest number of rape convicts

As of 2015, Haryana had 881 people convicted for rape. The number was only less than UP (1,944) and Madhya Pradesh (1,428). Altogether, 9,908 people were convicted for rape.



No dearth of peers for Baba in jail



Baba, who celebrated his 5oth anniversary on August 15, will have plenty of company in jail as several inmates are from his age group.



As of 2015, Haryana jails had 1,003 males convicted in the age group of 50 and above.



By 2015, the country had 22,678 people over 50 years and above convicted for rape.



Maximum convicts have higher secondary degree



Though Baba's academic credentials are unclear, his millions of followers claim that he completed high school.



As of 2015, there were around 2,920 people jail birds in Haryana who aren't matriculate.
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday took the Maharashtra government to task, saying it had taken the 155-year-old institution of Bombay High Court for a ride by accusing Justice Abhay Oka of bias.



Go apologise to CJ (Chief Justice) who you misled. You have taken 155-year-old institution on a ride. Maharashtra government doesn't want the Bombay High Court to exist, to retain its dignity," Justice Abhay Oka reprimanded the Maharashtra government.



The issue arose last week after the Maharashtra government submitted an application before the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, alleging that Justice Oka was biased against it and sought the transfer of case to a different division bench.



Maharashtra government's Deputy Secretary Vijay Patil apologised and withdrew the transfer application. Our intention has been misunderstood and misinterpreted, Maharashtra government told the bench.



The governments stance has drawn flak from the lawyer fraternity. Many senior lawyers and bar associations came out in support of Justice Oka and vouched for his integrity. Justice Oka has been hearing many Public Interest Litigations, and has upheld civic rights. His orders in noise pollution matter were a relief to many.



Maharashtra government's move had come after the judge refused to accept the government's contention that there were no silence zones in the state at present. Finding it unacceptable that no silence zones could be implemented around schools, hospitals, residential areas, the court asked the government to rethink its stand and file an affidavit.



That is when the state government, instead of filing an additional affidavit, hurled the allegation of bias against Justice Oka, who had refused to recuse himself from the matter till he got orders from the CJ.



After the Maharashtra government's move, Advocates' Association of Western India's Managing Committee passed a resolution condemning it.



The committee further condemns the irresponsible, unethical, capricious stand taken by the government of Maharashtra in an ongoing litigation with an intention to malign the image of an upright and judicious judge of the high court. The Bombay Bar Association had also called for an Extraordinary General Meeting on August 28 to discuss the same matter.
Instead of dividing the terminals into rational categories, the plans will put passengers on Korean Air, Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM through the second terminal, while fliers on other carriers will keep using the first.

Concerns are rising that the opening of the second terminal at Incheon International Airport next January will sow confusion among passengers.

One airline staffer said, "This is the first time in Korea that a single airport will operate multiple terminals, so there's a chance that lots of passengers will go to the wrong terminal."

The distance between the two terminals is more than 15 km, and travel from one to the other will take about half an hour by shuttle bus, which could mean that any passengers who arrive at the wrong one could miss their flights.

Industry insiders said code-sharing among carriers could add to the chaos. Around 794 code-sharing passengers a day went through the airport last year, transferring from a foreign airline to onward domestic flight on Korean Air. And 1,188 code-sharing passengers a day bought tickets for a foreign airline through Korean Air.

"This will create many instances where passengers who buy a ticket through a foreign carrier arrive at Terminal 1 but end up having to go to Terminal 2 to board their onward flight," one airline staffer said.
Lets come to brass-tacks straightaway. The 70-day-long India-China standoff in Doklam has just ended, as abruptly as it began on June 18. This shows that its the Chinese, not the Indians, who have eaten crow.



What has China gained by this eventual mutually agreed withdrawal of troops from the India-Bhutan-China trijunction? Zilch. Instead, its Indias stock that has shot up  not only in the international community but also among China's own friends and allies.



The message that has gone across is that China still has a long way to go before it can become a superpower in real terms. It could not implement its own very minor strategic moves like building a road in Doklam, how would it be able to safeguard the interests of over sixty nations who have signed up for China's super 90 billion Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a massive project aimed at building transcontinental trade corridors?



Pakistan, the all-weather ally of China, must have received the rudest shocks among all friends of China. The Pakistani media has already talked at length how China was succumbing to India in Doklam. Obviously, Pakistan was both confused and angry as to why China did not use its much superior military power to throw Indians out of Doklam! Pakistan is a major beneficiary of China's BRI as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, worth anywhere between $55 billion to $62 billion, is a major subsidiary of the BRI. The CPEC passes through volatile terrorism-prone regions and the loss of face for China in Doklam would inevitably embolden terrorists to go about their business and launch attacks on CPEC-related construction projects.



China has purposely issued a nebulous statement wherein it has confirmed the withdrawal of Indian troops from Doklam but has remained silent on its own troops withdrawal. Obviously, China is pandering to its domestic constituency as the Chinese people will read only that which is dished out to them by the state-controlled Chinese media with a blanket ban on YouTube, Google, Twitter and Facebook. This strategy suits the Communist Party of China, which holds internal elections in October where President Xi Jinping is likely to consolidate his hold over the Chinese power structure for the next five years.



And why should India grudge the Chinese their moment of happiness based on illusions as long as the fact remains that the withdrawal of troops from Doklam is mutual and not a one-way street and that China has assured India, as per sources, that it wont take up the construction of the road in Doklam again? The Chinese half-truth is akin to the Pakistani embarrassment when Islamabad completely denied Indian claims of surgical strikes on its territory by the Indian army! After facts on the ground count, not half-truths.



As far as India is concerned, New Delhi's stock has gone up several notches vis-a-vis China over the Doklam standoff. No other country stood up to China in recent times as India did. The importance of Doklam victory for India gets sweetly accentuated by the fact that India stood up to China on behalf of a tiny foreign country like Bhutan because the Doklam crisis was essentially a Bhutan-China border dispute, not India-China border dispute. Moreover, a major world power and a known China-baiter like Japan openly sided with India over the Doklam crisis. In contrast, China is saddled with allies like Pakistan and North Korea, which are international pariahs.



Now if China says that it will continue 'patrolling' in Doklam, then let them feel happy and contented. Thats because the Chinese patrolling in the area was never an issue with India. Their construction of a road in the disputed stretch was the issue.



China had realized for weeks that the Doklam episode was more of a crisis for Beijing rather than for New Delhi. The Chinese have finally thrown this albatross from their neck to save the BRICS summit which they are hosting in Xiamen from September 3-5. This will pave the way for Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to China and he would be leaving on September 2 for attending the BRICS summit.


New Delhi: Lieutenant Colonel Shrikant Prasad Purohit, who was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court in the 2008 Malegaon blast case, for the first time spoke about the torture he was subjected to while he was in jail for nine long years.



In a video, accessed by CNN-News18, Colonel Purohit could be seen interacting with a fellow officer during a medical checkup, a few months before the apex court granted him bail.



"First, they beat me for 5-7 days. Then, they left me alone for two days so that the swelling subsided," Purohit said, adding that he was "thrashed again for 8-9 days".



Colonel Purohit, a serving Army officer, was on November 4, 2008 arrested by the Maharashtra ATS in connection with 2008 Malegaon blasts.



The Colonel had remained in jail for almost a decade, and his earlier plea for bail was rejected by the Bombay High Court.



Recounting his ordeal, Purohit said that they hung him upside down, continued beating him, "despite realising that my leg was broken".



However, initially, it was not established if Colonel Purohit was indeed tortured. "The JJ hospital report said there was nothing wrong with me," Purohit said, "when I got a court order and got more tests done, it was proved that I was tortured."



Colonel Purohit recalls with a shudder the treatment meted out to him by the Maharashtra Anti-terror Squad. It was worse than, according to him, the way "even the terrorists were treated".



"You remember how we dealt with those three people who had crossed the border? There is a proper way to interrogate terror suspects," Purohit told his fellow officer.



He alleged that the ATS was enjoying "beating up" an army officer. "They wanted to have fun at my expense. God help any army officer who gets picked up by police."



Lt. Colonel Purohit was accused of stealing 60 kg of RDX from the army. He was also accused of funding and training Abhinav Bharat, an extreme right-wing organisation, believed to be behind the 2008 Malegaon blast which killed 7 people.



He denied doing any such thing saying that their (army personnel) bags were checked every time they left. "All our bags would be turned upside down. After a thorough check only," he said, "we would be allowed to get into our cars."
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two of his women followers over a period of time. Security forces in Haryana and Punjab were on high alert to prevent possible violence by his followers. CBI judge Jagdeep Singh, who was flown to Rohtak Jail, gave 10 minutes to each side to present their arguments. The CBI had sought life imprisonment, while the defence cited his age, health, and social work as mitigating factors.

Stay tuned for live updates:

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
New Delhi: Within a few minutes from now, arguments over rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing will be heard at a special CBI court in Rohtak jail, where the godman is currently lodged



CBI is expected to ask for maximum sentence for rape charges, which is life imprisonment. While the rape convict's lawyers are likely to bank on his public image to request the court to give a lenient verdict in the case. Between the two arguments, will lie the fate of the head of Dera Sacha Sauda sect.



While arguments in the run-up to Singh's conviction were on, CBI had argued that the godman had raped his victims not once but several times at different places. The aggravating factors in the sentencing will also be the trust reposed in the godman by his victims, which the godman violated several times.



An Economic Times report quoted an official as saying, "Add to it (the rape charge) the inter-se relationship between the offender and the victim. It was that of faith. Here, the guilty  Ram Rahim  not only abused the spiritual authority he enjoyed over his female followers, but he also made gross misuse of the faith the sadhvis had restored in him, whom they treated as their Guru.



CBI can also pre-empt defence counsel's argument  of being being a social worker and public figure  and use it against Singh himself.



CBI can argue that since Singh is a public figure, who has tremendous social influence, there are all the more reasons to award him the strictest punishments to make an example out of his case. CBI may also argue that by doing so, the court would send a strong message to the society.



On the other hand the defence is likely to plead on the grounds of his social image, age, illnesses, family and sect responsibilities and of him not being convicted before.



The defence may begin by claiming that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has a huge following that he's used to the betterment and advantage of society. The defence counsel might recount any philanthropic work that he or his sect may have done in past and use it as a mitigating circumstance.



While Singh's defence cannot claim innocence, since he's already convicted of two rapes, they may point at the fact that he has not been convicted in any criminal case in the past, and claiming that this would be his first legal transgression. His defence counsels may also bring up any illnesses that Singh may be suffering and couple it with his age (50) and claim that a prolonged jail sentence would be quite detrimental to his health.



Other arguments that may be put forward in his defence could be that he needs to take care not just of his four children, but of millions of other people in his sect, who are in his charge. His lawyers may argue that a lot of people would suffer quite a lot if their spiritual father figure was packed and sent away.



It will finally be up to the court on the quantum of sentence it awards to Singh in each case. He has been convicted in two separate cases of rape. Under section 376 the minimum punishment for rape is seven years and the maximum is life imprisonment. It will be up to the judge to decide whether he wants Singh to serve the sentences consecutively or concurrently. This means Singh could effectively serve a sentence between seven years, 14 years, to life imprisonment.



Singh's lawyers are in case expected to appeal immediately against the CBI Court's verdict in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and seek a bail for him.
Srinagar: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, head of Congress' policy planning group on Kashmir, will lead a team of party leaders to Jammu and Kashmir in September for a discussion on the current situation in the state, with party workers and "like-minded" people.



"Singh, who is likely to be accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni, will visit Jammu on September 10 and Kashmir on 16 September," Congress state president G A Mir told PTI. Mir said Singh and other members of the team would meet party leaders and workers.



"The idea is to get inputs from the grassroots. The current issues that the state is facing will also be discussed," he said.



He said the Singh-led team would also meet "like-minded opposition groups" in the state.



Mir said the team would also visit Ladakh region at a later date.



The Congress set up the policy planning group, headed by the former prime minister, on Jammu and Kashmir in April this year following worsening situation in the valley due to widespread street protests in the wake of eight deaths in security forces firing on April 9 during bypolls to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.



(With PTI inputs)


Rohtak: Ram Rahim Singh committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting gullible and blind followers, the court observed while sentencing the Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and ordering him to pay a fine of Rs 30 lakh.



The special CBI courts order, a copy of which the News18 has accessed, says that Singh's criminal acts in view of him heading a religious organization are bound to shatter image of pious and sacred, spiritual, social, cultural and religious institutions existing in this country since times immemorial.



And this, the court observed, in turn causes irreparable damage to the heritage of the ancient land.



Refusing to buy Singhs plea of being a social worker, the special CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh noted that the conception of mercy has its own space but it cannot occupy the whole accommodation.



Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh said Singh would have to spend 10 years in jail for each case and also pay a fine of Rs 15 lakh for each of the two offences under section 376 (rape) of the IPC. In case, Singh defaults on the payments of the fine, he will have to undergo another 2 years of imprisonment.



The special makeshift court, which began hearing at Rohtak jail, where Singh was lodged, started proceedings around 3 pm, half an hour after the judges helicopter landed there. The prosecution began arguing its case first and it was followed by the defence. The judge did not give much time to each party as he had already heard arguments while pronouncing Singh guilty.



Monday's hearing was only to judge whether the quantum of punishment awarded to Singh was appropriate or not. In half an hour, both the sides had wrapped up their arguments. The judge finally awarded the 20-year sentence based on two cases of rape and criminal intimidation against which two different FIRs were lodged.



As the CBI judge began dictating the order to his writer, Ram Rahim Singh immediately came outside of the makeshift courtroom and sat down. He held his head in his hands and started complaining of chest pains. According to sources, he looked devastated.



Police officials told News18 that Singh complained he had suffered a diabetic attack. Going by the rule-book, a judge may award a lower sentence to the convict if their medical condition is not found to be stable. But the chief medical officer found his condition to be fine after a check-up. He was awarded the full sentence.



Seeking maximum punishment for Ram Rahim Singh, the CBI on Monday argued that what Singh had done to his two victims was nothing short of custodial rape. CBI said the self-styled godman not only exploited his two female followers physically, but psychologically as well.



The convict had committed sexual assault upon victims who used to treat him as a father and used to worship him as a god and that convict has shattered the faith and exploited both the victims physically and psychologically, the CBI counsel said.



Both the victims were staying in the premises of the Dera under the custody of the convict and acts of the convicts are not less than custodial rape... The convict has projected himself as a godman and took undue advantage of his authority and committed rape upon innocent women, he added.



The prosecution said Singh deserved the maximum punishment as his case fell in the rarest of rare category and has larger implications for the society.



CBI also argued that Singh was a very influential figure and must be sentenced appropriately to send a deterring message to potential offenders and also to the society.



It added that a lesser punishment to the chief of DSS sect would shock the collective conscience of the society. Rape wasnt the only crime Singh had committed, CBI argued, and threatening the two victims, one of which was a minor, was an aggravating factor in the case.



The instance of rape by the convict, by taking benefit of his privileged position of authority and threatening the defenceless and hapless victims with dire consequences in the event of disclosing of crime to anyone are some of the aggravating factors which need to be taken into consideration, the prosecution said.



The Dera chiefs lawyers tried to plead leniency by highlighting his age, illnesses and social work.



He is 50 years old, suffering from hypertension, acute diabetes, and severe backache problems, for more than last eight years. Hes also into welfare works for the society. He has also placed on record a medical treatment document, the defence argued.



But the court did not but any of the arguments.



The court directed that sentences for the two rapes will run consecutively. The period of custody already undergone by the convict during the investigation and trial of this case shall be set off against the substantive sentences as per section 428 of CrPC, the order said.



The CBI judge finally left the court, not in the helicopter in which he'd arrived at the scene, but by road with the CBI team from Chandigarh in a motorcade heavily guarded by the security personnel.
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said that the process of disengagement of Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam has almost been completed under verification.



In a statement, the ministry said that the two countries had agreed in June itself that the differences should not be allowed to escalate into disputes and that India-China relations must remain stable.



Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of two-day Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Kazakhstan capital Astana on June 9. The two had underscored the need to respect each others core concerns and appropriately handle all disagreements.



The MEA further said that India's principled position has been that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected. Peace and tranquility at the border are an essential pre-requisite for further development of bilateral ties between India and China, the statement read.



The de-escalation comes just a week before the BRICS summit in China that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.



Troops of the two countries have been locked in a standoff in Dokalam for over two months after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.



The MEA statement did not explicitly say if Chinese and Indian troops have withdrawn from the area but China claimed in a statement that Indian troops have indeed pulled back. China, however, remained ambiguous about the status of its own troops.



Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told reporters in Beijing, "Chinese troops on the ground have verified it. China continues to exercise sovereignty. China will make adjustments according to the situation."



Asked if the Chinese statement means that China has not made any concession, officials in New Delhi said expeditious disengagement implies withdrawal of both parties because a unilateral withdrawal by India would not have needed or required an agreement with China.



In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Dokalam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, the MEA statement said



On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going, it added.
Bhopal: A Madhya Pradesh policeman who had put his own life in risk after he ran with the 10kg explosive device for a km to save the lives of 400 school kids in Sagar district recently was felicitated by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan on Monday.



Chauhan presented head constable Abhishek Patel with a cheque of Rs 50,000 for his bravery and courage.



Director General of Police RK Shukla was also present on the occasion.



Couple of days ago, some kids had spotted a bomb close to their school in Chitora town in Sagar. The information was passed on to a police patrol team which quickly reached there.



With no bomb disposal squad in sight, head constable Abhishek Patel decided to take matters into his own hands. Seeing lives of around 400 kids in danger, he picked up the explosive device ran for around one km before throwing the explosive in a nullah.



There is an Army firing range close to the school but it was not clear how the explosive managed to reach so close to school, police said adding that they intimated the army about the recovery of the device.



Officers involved in the probe claimed that the bomb if exploded could have caused damage to those in periphery of 500 m.

Patels act of bravery received widespread accolades both from his own colleagues and public as well. Acknowledging his selfless valour, Chauhan too invited him for a felicitation function.



I was little apprehensive at that time but duty was the utmost thing in my mind, Patel told News18 after the function.

In 2005, I completed Master of Arts and Bachelor in Education and also taught students before I joined police in 2007, the 40-year-old said, explaining his affinity with children.



On being asked about his newly found heroic status, the humble cop said that he still considered himself a low rung fighter of the police who derives inspiration from his superiors. My chest swelled with pride as I met chief minister today, he said.



With hindsight, he accepted that his decision of running away with the bomb was bit reckless and claimed that there were other safer options. I advise others to practice caution, if caught up in similar situation like mine, he said.
Samsung chief Lee Jae-yong was sentenced to five years behind bars for bribery, embezzlement and other charges on Friday. The ruling is expected to deal a heavy blow to Samsung Electronics and its subsidiaries. The electronics giant is run efficiently by different CEO for each business division, so day-to-day operations should continue smoothly, but problems are expected with strategic decisions including major investments, corporate acquisitions and new business ventures. Samsung's global image could also be tainted, and the conglomerate could face limitations in participating in public tenders.

The collusive ties between government and big business must end, but the latest ruling once again reminded many how vulnerable Korean businesses remain to political pressure. Samsung was leaned on by ex-President Park Geun-hye to pay billions to her confidante Choi Soon-sil. No business executive in Korea can resist such pressure.

Previous administrations have all twisted the arms of big business to funding, often by threatening intrusive tax probes. At the root of Lee's crime was abuse of power. As long as politicians and senior government officials wield almost unlimited power, this toxic mutual embrace will continue.

Top business leaders were slapped with travel bans the moment the massive influence-peddling and corruption scandal surrounding Park erupted, causing huge complications in the day-to-day operations.

When faced with problems in devising investment plans, one senior executive complained, "I realized just how hard it is to do business in Korea." Businesses are competing fiercely with rivals both here and abroad, yet politicians continue to view them as virtual ATMs.

Samsung Electronics accounts for a whopping 12 percent of Korea's total manufacturing industry revenues and seven percent of overall corporate tax revenues. It is also the first Korean company to rise to the top ranks in the world. If it can be damaged by corrupt politicians, how are other businesses with less clout here fare any better?


New Delhi: The National Council of Education Research and Training (NCERT) would work upon certain courses about history of India's tradition and culture, HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said in New Delhi on Monday.



He was speaking while inaugurating a lecture series on Bharat Bodh (Idea of India) at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).



"Bharat's (India's) education system became such that we kept on forgetting Bharat's culture and insisted on remembering the rest of the world's.



"It is necessary to know and remember the world but this does not imply that we can forget Bharat. It is necessary to understand the Bharat and its glorious past," Javadekar said.



"We will replicate such courses with NCERT because we think our true identity begins with the identity of our nation. Without knowing it, we will not be able to decipher the truth about the world. We are open to discussions about the value of our past," he said.



The minister said all philosophy and Indology students should attend this lecture series and added that people did not know about India and they should know the true identity of their country.



The lecture series was being organised by IGNOU in association with Bhartiya Shikshan Mandal (BSM).



"We will soon launch a new formal academic programme called certificate course in Bharat Bodh. This will talk about the cultural wealth of India and will also take a critical look at it," IGNOU Vice Chancellor Ravindra Kumar said.



Kumar said everything would not be taken for granted but critically examined and whatever was valuable would be retained.
An almost 19-hour gun battle ended on Sunday night which resulted in heavy losses to the security forces.By Monday morning, four CRPF men, four policemen were killed in an ongoing encounter just inside the Pulwama township in south Kashmir. Three militants who carried out the attack were also killed.Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed responsibility for the attack. The three militants were identified as Abu Saad, Dawood and Al Bakr.(Image courtesy: Manoj Gupta/CNN-News18)(Image courtesy: Manoj Gupta/CNN-News18)(Image courtesy: Manoj Gupta/CNN-News18)Militants had stormed a highly-fortified district police lines just before the break of dawn, drawing a massive security response through the day as they kept on hiding inside a robust police quarter, which comprises of several blocks for families. The township is just 25 km from Srinagar.(Image courtesy: Manoj Gupta/CNN-News18)(Image courtesy: Manoj Gupta/CNN-News18)(Image courtesy: Manoj Gupta/CNN-News18)Pictures of the battle showcased the brutality with which the forces were attacked, and the ensuing counter attack.(Image courtesy: Manoj Gupta/CNN-News18)
New Delhi: A makeshift CBI court sentenced Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail on Monday. Singh was reportedly in tears as the order was being pronounced by special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh and was pleading the judge with folded hands, for leniency. Hearing in the case had started at 2.30 pm and both sides were given 10 minutes to present their cases.



According to sources present in the court, the arguments of CBI seeking maximum punishment for the convict for breaching the trust of the followers he abused, weighed over the defence counsel's argument that Singh was a social worker and public figure.



CBI had argued for maximum sentence for rape charges - life imprisonment. While the rape convict's lawyers banked on Singh's public image to request the court to give a lenient verdict in the case, his lawyers argued that there were 45 other female followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who hadn't come forward with their plights.



While arguments in the run-up to Singh's conviction were on, CBI had argued that the godman had raped his victims not once but several times, over three years and at different places.



The aggravating factor in the sentencing was the trust reposed in the godman by his victims, which the Dera chief violated several times.



CBI argued that the chief of Dera Sacha Sauda, had not only abused the authority he enjoyed as the sect-head, but also misused the faith the sadhvis had restored in him.



On the other hand, the defence pleaded for leniency on grounds of his social image.



The defence lawyers argued that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has a huge following that he's used to the betterment of society and welfare of people. It also recounted the philanthropic work he and his sect has done in the past and used it as a mitigating circumstance.



While Singh's defence cannot claim innocence, since he's already convicted of two rapes, according to sources, they pointed at the fact that he has not been convicted in any criminal case in the past.



It was finally up to the court to decide on the quantum of sentence it awarded to Singh in each case. He was convicted in two separate cases of rape.



Under Section 376, the minimum punishment for rape is seven years and the maximum is life imprisonment. So the option between before the court was a punishment ranging from seven to 14 years.



That the judge decided to award a 10-year jail sentence, shows that he had decided that Singh would serve his two sentences concurrently, not consecutively.



While it is not clear at the moment, his defence counsels may have also brought up illnesses that Singh may be suffering and couple it with his age (50) to claim that a prolonged jail sentence would be quite detrimental to his health. Earlier during the day, Singh had claimed that he was feeling 'uneasy'.



Sources also say that CBI is likely to have argued that since Singh is a public figure, who has tremendous social influence, there are all the more reasons to award him the strictest punishments to make an example out of his case; by doing which the court would set an example.



While information about the court proceedings is still coming in, it may be safe to say that the defence may have put forward in Singh's defence that he needs to take care not just of his four children, but of millions of other people in his sect, who are in his charge. His lawyers may have argued that a lot of people would suffer quite a lot if their spiritual father figure was packed and sent away.



Singh's lawyers are in case expected to appeal immediately against the CBI Court's verdict in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and seek bail for him.



Court had convicted Ram Rahim Singh on Friday. In the huge violence that spread over three states, 38 people lost their lives and hundreds of people were injured. Expecting violence on Monday, when his quantum of sentencing was announced, security forces clamped down on Haryana and shoot at sight orders were issued in Rohtak. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh also held a security review meeting with the state's DGP, chief secretary and other senior officials.
New Delhi: On a day when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh waits for pronouncement of jail term against him in a rape case, the Supreme Court on Monday questioned the delay in conducting trial in a rape case against another preacher and self-styled godman, Asaram Bapu.



A bench led by Justice N V Ramana asked the Gujarat government to file a status report in the matter, explaining the progress made so far.



"Why is there a delay in conducting the trial?" the bench asked Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the state government.



The Court sought to know why the rape victim has not been examined so far, despite being the most crucial witness in the case.



Mehta, on his part, pointed out that they had to ensure her safety in the wake of past incidents. "Two prime witnesses have been killed and 17 others were injured," he told the bench, adding let them decide an appropriate time to examine her.



At this, the bench said the state government should file an affidavit keeping in view the fact that trial in such cases had to happen in fast-track mode.



Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing the victims and some witnesses, pressed for a speedy trial and said that the Court should issue a direction to examine the victim before September 23, which is the next date of hearing before trial court. The bench has now posted the matter in November.



The case before the Gandhinagar court relates to a complaint filed by a Surat-based woman, who accused Asaram Bapu of raping her many times when she was living at his ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city between 1997 and 2006.



The chargesheet also names his wife Lakshmiben, daughter Bharti and four women followers Dhruvben, Nirmala, Jassi and Meera for abetment of rape. The charges against Asaram Bapu were framed in March last year.



He is also facing another rape case in Jodhpur in Rajasthan, and is currently lodged in a prison there.


JUST IN -- MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding

(Via: @MEAIndia) pic.twitter.com/98y97kYMQf  News18 (@CNNnews18) August 28, 2017

Two months after the Doklam standoff, India on Monday said that China has agreed to mutually withdraw troops from the tri-junction. Minutes after India's statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said, while India was withdrawing its troops, they will continue to patrol in the Doklam area.The Ministry of External Affairs had said on Monday that in recent weeks India and China have maintained diplomatic communications on Doklam.According to sources, the Indian troops withdrawal process was still on at the time of filing this report.In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, the statement said."On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going," the MEA statement further said.China's Foreign Ministry on Monday said Indian troops had withdrawn to the Indian side of a disputed border area where the two countries' soldiers had been locked in stand-off for more than two months.Speaking at a daily news briefing, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Chinese troops would continue to patrol the disputed Doklam region.This comes days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis Xiamen visit to attend the BRICS Summit from September 3 to 5. Since the Doklam standoff began on June 18, PM Modi and Chinese Premier Xi Jinping had met only once before at another BRICS meeting in Germany last month.After three months of weathering Chinese pressure, I would deem it unlikely and unfortunate if India has withdrawn unilaterally, Jayadev Ranade, President of the Centre for China Analysis and Strategy told News18.But we need to wait and see, he added. Ranade said that he would tend to believe Indias version over Chinas and thinks that the most likely outcome at Doklam is a mutual withdrawal of troops.For both countries, it would be a loss of face if it were not a mutual withdrawal, he said. He added that in case of a mutual decision, the Chinese engineers would have to withdraw along with the troops and therefore the road construction by the Chinese, which was at the heart of the standoff, would have to be abandoned.According to sources, India had conveyed through back channel talks that the Prime Minister may not travel to attend the BRICS Summit in China if Doklam is not resolved.Going by the BRICS Charter, all heads of the five member countries must participate for a summit to happen.According to an Indian Express report on Monday, National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon had said that the BRICS Summit in China next month, 'would only be possible if both sides prepare well for it in advance'.The Indian Army has been engaged in a border standoff with Chinese troops for over two months when the Indian troops stopped the Peoples Liberation Army from building a road in the Doklam area.While China has maintained that they were only building a road in their territory, both India and Bhutan, the two other countries sharing the border in this tri-junction has said that Doklam is Bhutanese territory and critical to Indias borders.Ever since the bitter dispute started in June, China has threatened the Indian government to withdraw its troops from the Doklam tri-junction. On the other hand, India has maintained that the Chinese road in this area would lead to a significant change in the status quo, with serious implications.
From the peaks of Hawaii to the uplands of Iceland, whether they be active or dormant, volcanos inspire the imaginations of numerous travellers. Iceland and its volcanic highlands offer the opportunity for a pleasant swim in a geothermal lake.



Curriculum vitae



With its 30 active volcano systems and hundreds of craters, Iceland is a mecca for volcano lovers. Among the best known and the hardest to pronounce, Eyjafjoll is notorious for having caused severe air traffic disruption in 2010. The dormant Thrihnukagigur is also famous, both for its proximity to Reykjavik and the unique spectacle of its magma chamber, which is open to visitors and sometimes used for concerts.



Adventurers aiming to leave the beaten track may also want to pay a visit to Askja. Located in the remote central highlands of the island, Askja is a complex of nested calderas in a volcanic mountain range to the north of the Vatnajokull glacier. In March 1875, an eruption created a new caldera, which filled with water and became one of the country's deepest lakes, Oskjuvatn, as well as the nearby Viti crater.



Who should visit?



This is a good destination for a family excursion centering on a swim in the Viti crater. Having said that, the terrain you have to cross to get there can be hard going. There are sharp rocks, the trail can be slippery on the way down to the crater, and then there is the effort required to climb back out again. Given the remote location and the difficult climate, sometimes the only way to reach Oskjuvatn is on foot. Forewarned is forearmed, conditions in Iceland are often unpredictable. As a general rule, it is important to check weather forecasts before setting out, and to use a vehicle that is suitable for the highland roads. A four-wheel drive is a must.



Why this destination?



Hikers may prize the volcanoes of Lanzarote (in the Canary Islands) and Indonesia for their trekking, but those in Iceland can offer some unique sensations. This is the case with Askja and the Viti crater where the water is at 25C. Viewed at a distance, Viti is an attractive blue-green color, but the water appears milky white when you are wading in. And there's no denying that a swim comes as a welcome reward after several hours spent hiking over lava fields.



How to get there?



Agencies organize daytrips to Askja, which are relatively expensive. Count on spending more than 100 euros per person. The price covers the cost of the journey there and back on board a four-wheel drive, as well as the services of a professional guide, who will stop to take time to explain any important sites. The daytrips usually set out from Mvatn or Egilsstair.
Chennai: Political uncertainty continues in Tamil Nadu even after the two camps of the AIADMK have merged. As a fresh threat to Edappadi Palanisamy's government, 40 MLAs did not attend a meeting called by the AIADMK legislature party.



Sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dinakaran has claimed the support of at least 22 MLAs with 19 of them meeting the governor last week where they submitted a memorandum saying that they have no trust in the Chief Minister Edappadi Palanisamy.



They also wanted Palanisamy to be removed as the CM. On Sunday, DMK too submitted a memorandum asking for a floor test.



Source from the Dinakaran camp said the intention is not to topple the government but to ensure that Sasikala remains the general secretary and Dinakaran remains the deputy general secretary.



Governor Vidhyasagar Rao is in Chennai and is likely to issue a statement on the ongoing crisis in Tamil Nadu.



Meanwhile, the buzz is that the Palanisamy may disqualify 15 to 20 MLAs implicated in the gutka scam and is holding a privilege committee meeting later this evening.



All MLAs and MPs have reached the AIADMK headquarters and a meeting is underway. Speculation is rife that the meeting is to decide the date of the general council meeting to appoint a general secretary. There should be a 15-day notice period to conduct the general body meeting and they are planning to have it sometime in September.



MLAs supporting Dinakaran are staying in a resort in Puducherry and say they will not leave the resort till the governor calls for a floor test.



If one were to go by numbers, the merged faction is still struggling as it does not have the required numbers. The drama may well continue for some more time as the Dinakaran camp expects to get more MLAs who they claim are in their sleeper cells.
New Delhi: Counting for the Bawana Assembly by-poll was not even complete and it was clear that the Aam Aadmi Party was going to win. The AAP's lead was unassailable. Soon after, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted to her counterpart in Delhi, "Congratulations @ArvindKejriwal and @AamAadmiParty for winning #BawanaByPoll." Kejriwal tweeted back to her, saying, "Thank u Didi."



But the bonhomie that Kejriwal shares with Banerjee is missing when it comes to other leaders and parties in the opposition spectrum. When Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi called for a meeting of opposition leaders to decide a 'consensus candidate' for the Presidential elections, there was one significant omission in the guest list  Arvind Kejriwal. When RJD Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav held a massive show of strength with his anti-BJP rally, Kejriwal was not invited. The message seems to be clear: Arvind Kejriwal finds no place in this dream of a 'unite opposition'. Except for Mamata Banerjee, Arvind Kejriwal seems largely friendless.



'A loose cannon'



The Aam Aadmi Party is fighting many battles on many fronts. On one hand, the party is taking on the BJP in the hope of emerging as a national alternative some day. On the other, it is attacking Congress ruled governments in states like Punjab. It is this unpredictability that makes other political parties stay away from the mercurial AAP chief. He (Kejriwal) is a loose cannon. He may ally with us today but may speak out against us tomorrow. He is too ambitious. He will never accept the leadership of the Congress, even though he is a minor regional player himself. We allied with him in 2013 and he walked out in 49 days. All these factors make him a very unreliable ally. In any possible Mahagathbandhan, Kejriwal and AAP would end up being a liability," a senior Delhi Congress leader said.



A BJP leader added, There is an unspoken understanding among all political parties. No matter what the equation is, keep this man (Kejriwal) out." We couldn't care less, says AAP



While the opposition is not keen on joining hands with Kejriwal, AAP leaders say this actually suits them. "We are not at all bothered about whether Congress wants us to join them or not. Honestly, we couldn't care less. This actually suits us because we have built our party on a strong anti-corruption movement. We are the outsiders who are upsetting the established order. They are bound to get upset, said an AAP MLA.



He added, "The Congress is only interested in saving themselves. We are interested in saving democracy. Why did they not speak up when we were raising the EVM issue? They don't have a constructive message. They only react and lash out. Besides, it would not be honest of us to join hands with them after attacking them. We cant keep attacking Congress in Punjab and joining hands with them nationally. We cant say we are against corruption and share the stage with Lalu. We don't have to condone the corruption of the Congress to fight the fascism of the BJP."



'AAP in no hurry to have a PM'



So if AAP doesn't join the 'Mahagathbandhan', where does it leave the infant party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections? "We will fight the elections alone. We don't need anybody," a party source said. "AAP is in no hurry to have a PM from our own party. We are the fastest growing party in India. We will be patient and grow the way we have been growing. There could be an AAP PM in 2024, 2029 or even later. We are a young party and there is no need for us to be so worried about 2019."
Shanghai enters gigabit broadband era

By:Wu Qiong | From:english.eastday.com | 2017-08-28 08:49

Shanghai is racing to become the worlds first city to get full coverage of gigabit broadband services.



As Shanghai enters the gigabit broadband era, Shanghai Telecom is going to fund more than three billion RMB in the construction of gigabit broadband across the city. According to its plan, by the end of this year, over 5,000 housing estates will have had access to gigabit broadband, achieving 60 percent coverage of ultra-high speed Internet services.

In 2018, Shanghais gigabit broadband service will undergo a second upgrade and benefit more people. The number of gigabit broadband users is expected to exceed millions and the average bandwidth will be up to 280 megabits per second. Users will also enjoy a download speed of over 100 megabits per second. By then, Shanghai will be the first city in the globe which boasts full coverage of gigabit broadband services.

Since 2011, Shanghai Telecom has increased its broadband speed seven times, benefiting around three million users.


Patna: Encouraged by the massive turnout at his 'Desh Bachao-Bhajpa Bhagao' rally in Patna, RJD chief Lalu Prasad has claimed that Sundays rally has set the tone for an anti-BJP grand alliance and concerns raised by BSP supremo Mayawati would also be addressed, so that she is a part of the greater alliance.



He also hinted at bringing Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati together in Uttar Pradesh to defeat the saffron force.



In an exclusive interaction with ETV, Lalu also reiterated his offer to help Mayawati go back to Rajya Sabha with RJDs support. The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief said, She is a Dalit voice of the country.



Speaking on Mayawatis decision to stay away from the RJD rally on Sunday, Lalu said, I can understand her concerns. We will have to address that. However, to decide on the seat sharing formula, first we need come together on a common platform.



He added, She is with us and we will address all her concerns. The Mahagathbandhan is intact in Bihar as Sharad Yadav represents the real JD(U), with which we had formed the alliance. Now, we will focus on Uttar Pradesh. BJP will be finished once Mayawati and Akhilesh join hands in Uttar Pradesh.



The RJD chief acknowledged that Mayawatis presence is crucial for a united opposition as she has a huge vote base.



BSP lost the election poorly but nobody can ignore the party's vote base in UP. RJD does not have a presence in UP, but I can help stitch an alliance as we did in Bihar. In order to fight a common enemy, all opposition leaders must bury their differences. I am in touch with Akhilesh and soon everything will be in place.



Taking potshots at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the RJD leader further said that he has learnt a lesson from the episode, referring to Kumars decision to break away from the Grand Alliance and join hands with the BJP to form a new government.



It is also true that earlier efforts to forge an opposition unity has faltered, but this time around we are doing solid ground work. Nitish's exit is good as I knew of his intentions. Now, we will work out a common minimum program (CMP). We will consult with all the 17-18 like-minded political parties, he said.



Lalu further added that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has suggested to organise similar rallies in her state and Uttar Pradesh, which everyone agreed to.



When asked who would be the face of the opposition union against Narendra Modi, the RJD leader said, There is still time left for that, but we can also think of something like in Bihar. We had accepted Nitish as the chief minister, despite RJD being the largest party, so if the situation requires to announce a face, we will do so with an open heart.



Lalu also for the first time announced that his younger son Tejashwi will now lead the party. Tejashwi will act like Arujana and my elder son Tej Pratap will be playing the role of his Sarthi Krishna.








Candidate Name

Party Name

Votes

% of Votes Polled





Bhuma. Brahmananda reddy

Telugu Desam

97076

56.05





Silpa Mohan Reddy

Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party

69610

40.19





Gaddam Abdul Khadar

Indian National Congress

1382

0.80





B. Narasimhulu Madiga

Independent

802

0.46





Muddam Naga Naveen

Independent

789

0.46





S. Raghunadha Reddy

Independent

483

0.28





S. Mahaboob Basha

Anna YSR Congress Party

400

0.23





Abdul Sattar. G.

B. C. United Front

338

0.20





Bala Subbaiah. A.

Independent

289

0.17





S.L. Kantha Reddy

Independent

234

0.14





Bhavanasi Pullaiah

Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samithi

154

0.09





P. Guruvaiah

Independent

122

0.07





Valligatla Reddappa

Rajyadhikara Party

108

0.06





Ravu Subrahmanyam

Navataram Party

94

0.05





K. Raghavendra

Samajwadi Party

75

0.04





None of the Above

None of the Above

1231

0.71









For the record, the ruling Telugu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh won the by-election to the Nandyal assembly in Kurnool district. TDP candidate Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy defeated his neared rival, Silpa Mohan Reddy of the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress (YSRCP) by over 27,000 votes.The death of sitting TDP MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy led to this by-election. The campaign was bitter, as bitter as the rivalry between TDP and YSRCP. Andhra chief minister Chandrababu Naidu and Jaganmohan Reddy spared nothing to defeat each other. The raging campaign made the by-election look like a referendum on Naidus grip over the state.To that extent, Naidu saved the day for himself and his party. The result gives him breathing space before the rivals clash next in the 2019 assembly elections.But in Kurnool district, the repercussions of the result will boom for quite some time. Kurnool together with Kadapa, Chittoor and Anantapur forms the Rayalaseema region of Andhra. The law enforcement agencies have their own name for it  Bombulaseema (region of bombs). It is the land of families, family vendettas, private armies, revenge killings. Bombs, the country-made variety, are the popular tools of retribution. The Wild West, its called by those who have seen a lot of cowboy westerns.Conducting politics in such a zone of family frenzy is not easy. Naidu and Jagan know better. One is from Chittoor. The other is from Kadapa.The 2019 assembly elections in Rayalaseema will mostly be determined by how the ripples of the Nandyal by-election settle down. Or unsettle. How?Kurnool became, in 1953, the first capital of Andhra Pradesh, when the Andhra and Rayalaseema regions were carved out from Madras State. Three years later Telangana would be merged with the new state. The capital then shifted to Hyderabad.After three years of fame as the capital, Kurnool went back to its previous life, witnessing the birth of family-bred politics that would characterize Rayalaseema in coming decades. In the early years, politics in the district revolved around disputes between the Kotla and Kambalapadu families. Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy of the former was Union minister and AP chief minister. The head of the latter was Madanna, a social activist and senior Congress leader. Their children, Kotla Suryaprakash Reddy and Kambalapadu brothers Prabhakar and Krishna Murthy, are handling the disputes in the second generation. But it is the other family fued that makes headlines and has dictated politics in the region in the last four decades.It is the feud between the Bhuma and Gangula families. It began with political rivalry between Gangula Thimma Reddy and Kothapalli Bali Reddy. The rivalry saw them contesting against each other from Nandyal in 1978. Thimma Reddy won. And the fued became permanent. The factional fight ultimately led to the killing of Bali Reddy. That brought his sons, Bhuma Nagi Reddy and Bhuma Veera Shekhara Reddy, into the forefront. After Thimma Reddy died, his sons, Pratap Reddy and Prabhakara Reddy took over. The sons ably fueled the feud in the region. Both owned armed private militias. They faced allegations of blackmailing, collecting ranggari tax, house-grabbing and forcible acquisition of land in the region.Both sides had no choice till Congress was the only party around. The advent of TDP and years later the Praja Rajyam Party (of film star Chiranjeevi) and YSRCP gave both sides space to play their politics of personal rivalry. Both families have in the last decades represented all parties at one time or the other. They had only one rule: They would not be in the same party at the same time. Time passed, and the family feud persisted, but never reached murderous levels. The Bhuma and Gangula brothers were legislators or MPs at some point of time. Curiously, Bhuma Nagi Reddys first foray into electoral politics was as a candidate in a by-election caused by the death of his brother Veera Shekhar Reddy. Twenty-five years later, his own death caused the latest by-election.The political fortunes changed when the then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao was looking for a Lok Sabha constitutency after becoming PM. He chose Nandyal. Then then sitting MP, Gangula Pratap Reddy, vacated the seat for PV. Then TDP leader NT Rama Rao decided against fielding a candidate. He is a Telugu bidda (son of Telugus), he told his party. PV won by a huge margin. In 1996, when PV chose to contest from Naldyal along with Berhampur in Odisha, the local feud revived itself. Pratap Reddy supported PV while Bhuma Nagi Reddy contested against him. Bhuma lost, but retained respect by reducing PVs margin of victory. After PV resigned from the seat, retaining Berhampur, Bhuma contested and won.Since then, the Bhumas and Gangulas switched parties at whim. Victory alone matters, both sides decided, not party loyalty. Come to 2014. Bhuma won Nandyal assembly seat as a YSRCP candidate. He defeated Silpa Mohan Reddy of TDP. After the elections Bhuma shifted to TDP. His daughter, Akhila Priya, became a minister in the Naidu government. This angered the Silpa camp, which defected to the YSRCP.So, when Bhuma Nagi Reddy died of a heart attack, causing the bye-election, the lines had already been drawn. Silpa was the natural candidate for YSRCP. Bhumas daughter convinced Naidu to give the ticket to her cousin, Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy. He is the son of her father Bhuma Nagi Reddys older brother Veera Shekhar Reddy.As the campaign progressed along set lines of the local feuds, Naidu was restless. For him, it was a prestigious battle. He had invested so much in it. And he had to prepare for 2019.The thing about Kurnool  like the other four district of Rayalaseema  is whoever controls the families, control the region. In Kurnool, five families are said to rule the roost  Bhuma, Gangula, SPY Reddy, Nasyam Mohammad Farooq and Silpa. There were reports of Farooq meeting Naidu as the Nandyal campaign gathered steam. There were also reports of senior TDP leaders having been in touch with the Gangula family. Barely a few days before the August 23 election, Gangula Pratap Reddy joined the TDP. SPY Reddy had joined the TDP in 2014. Thus, Naidu had favourable relationships with four of the five families before the elections. On the other hand, YSRCP had the support of the remaining one family of Silpa.The by-election is over. But the feud has to continue. Because, its a pipe dream to think that the Gangula and Bhuma families will bury the hatchet just because they currently happen to be under the same political roof. Naidu would certainly be aware of that. It is said that the Bhuma family was surprised when Gangula Pratap joined the TDP. Some said they were not even aware of the Gangula-Naidu talks. Naturally, because Naidu was looking at the big picture. But how big is the small picture  the Bhuma-Gangula relationship  is something left for the future.
Hyderabad: Among the four by-poll results on Monday, Nandyal constituency in Andhra Pradesh could turn out to be the most high-voltage battle, with the ruling Telugu Desam Party and main opposition YSR Congress Party with both taking the fight to the next level.



While Nandyal is being touted as a referendum on three years of TDP rule, Mondays result could very well set stage for the 2019 Andhra Pradesh elections.



Amid tight security, counting of votes will start at 8am and the result is likely to be out by noon.



This is the first time that the much-debated VVPAT system was used in a by-poll, where voters could verify the vote they had casted.



Experts and many political analysts have predicted that the Nandyal by-election could be costliest ever, with expenses adding up to anything between Rs 100-300 crore.



With a record voting percentage of 79.13, analysts believe fortunes can turn to any side. The crucial seat has traditionally been an YSRCP stronghold.



Whichever party wins the by-election on Monday, it will have a direct impact on the politics of Andhra Pradesh.



The critical by-poll results could either be a booster for the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government, or give Jagan Reddy a much needed rise in Andhra Pradesh politics.



The result will also have bearings on the future of a BJP-TDP alliance in the state.



Stakes are too high for both the parties here and that is why Nandyal saw high-pitched campaigns of both Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and YRS Congress Party chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.



While Naidu and several of his ministers and legislators camped for several days at Nandyal to ensure victory, Jagan Reddy too campaigned extensively for 13 days, leaving no stone unturned to win this prestige battle.



In the politically heated campaign, Reddy urged people to give a big mandate to the party and take revenge on Naidu for not fulfilling his promises. He called the election a war between the "right" and the "wrong". TDP on the other hand, had promised many development schemes, if they win.



With several controversial statements during campaign, Nandyal managed to trend on national news.



An FIR was also registered against Reddy after the Election Commission found him guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct. During an election rally, Jagan had made an objectionable statement saying, "If Chandrababu Naidu is shot in middle of road for his misdeeds its nothing wrong.



Chief Minister Naidu was too seen losing his cool during the campaign and was criticized for asking people not to use roads laid by his government or take pension if they do not wish to vote for TDP.



From personal attacks to allegations of bribery, several complaints were lodged with the Election Commission from both sides citing violation of Model Code of Conduct during the campaign.



The police also arrested several party workers from both sides, who were trying to bribe voters.



The by-poll was necessitated after the death of sitting MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy, who had won the YSRCP ticket, but later defected to TDP.



Interestingly, TDP chose Reddy's nephew Brahmananda Reddy and YRSCP fielded former minister Silpa Chandra Mohan Reddy, who lost the seat as a TDP nominee in 2014.



Its an anxious wait, not only for the political parties, but also for people who had made huge bets on the outcome of the poll results.
The ruling Telugu Desam Party convincingly won in Nandyal by-elections on Monday, and the party is in a celebratory mood.An election which had turned into a prestige battle for Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, the huge victory margin in both rural and urban areas has come as a boost for the TDP government in Andhra Pradesh.For the YSR Congress Party that claimed the election to be referendum for TDP rule, the loss is a huge setback for the party, especially in the region which had traditionally been a stronghold of YSRCP.The election result will certainly have huge impact on the politics of Andhra Pradesh as it indicates the road ahead for the two political parties for 2019.Promising to continue the welfare and development work after winning Nandyal by-poll, Naidu said, "People have again shown confidence and trust in development, welfare and good governance. Voters have rejected vicious and hate speech politics. Muslims along with all sections have voted for TDP. Same results will be seen in future also."In 2014 elections, it was YSR Congress Party which had won the Nandyal seat. However, their MLA Bhuma Nagi Reddy later defected to TDP. The defections of 21 YSRCP legislators to TDP turned the battle ugly for Nandyal.Making this as a key issue during campaign, YSRCP Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy asked people to give huge mandate to his party and teach Naidu a lesson. He urged people to vote between "right" and "wrong".But it seems for the public, defection of leaders was not a critical issue. It was rather development.The ruling TDP, on the other hand, showered Nandyal with sops and focused on development of Nandyal as their main agenda. The development work started at fast pace and people saw visible changes in the constituency. The TDP government sanctioned about Rs 1500 crores for various projects like, road widening, solving water problem, street-lighting, allotted houses to locals and promised more schemes in coming months.The politically heated battle turned ugly during campaigning, with YSR Congress Party leaders personally attacking Naidu. Jagan faced massive backlash for his comments against Chief Minister.An FIR was also registered against him after Election Commission found him guilty of violating the Model Code of Conduct. During an election rally, Jagan had said, "If Chandrababu Naidu is shot in the middle of road for his misdeeds, there is nothing wrong."YSRCP MLA Roja also created controversy when she made personal comments on the dressing of TDP Minister Akhila Priya. YSRCP candidate Silpa Mohan Reddy also was in news for his alleged comments against women.Naidu and several of his ministers and legislators camped in Nandyal for several days. Jagan too extensively campaigned for 13 days in Nandyal and conducted road shows in every village. However, not focusing on door to door campaign may have proved costly for YSRCP.Jagan had even roped in election strategist Prashant Kishore, with aim of winning 2019 Assembly Elections. The Nandyal by-poll were seen as first big test. But with this big defeat, the YSRCP needs to re-think on its strategy.
Google has launched a new website https://www.android.com/intl/en_in/certified/ to provide more information on the merits of using certified Android devices. Google works with manufacturers across the globe to run hundreds of compatibility tests that ensure devices adhere to the Android security and permissions model. These tests also verify that the Google apps pre-installed on devices are authentic and that apps from the Play Store can work as intended.Certified devices also come with Google Play Protect out-of-the-box, providing users with a suite of security features that include automatic device scanning for malware. This provides baseline protection against malware, privacy hacks and more.Android is an open-source platform with an ecosystem that was started with one device, one carrier and one manufacturer in 2008. Today, there are over 2 billion active devices worldwide. The pace of innovation has never been greater, offering users choice and diversity.
South Korea's business and political communities were divided over a local court's ruling to put Lee Jae-yong, the heir-apparent of Samsung Group, behind bars. Some of the business and political honchos expressed concern over its potential fallout for the national economy. Multiple business insiders expressed shock over the Seoul Central District Court's decision to slap Lee with a five-year jail term for bribery, embezzlement and other charges in a massive corruption scandal that led to the ouster of former President Park Geun-hye."The court should have considered that (Samsung) did not have a criminal intention, but wanted to avoid trouble if it refused the government's request," Yonhap News Agency quoted an official from a local business group as saying on Friday. Another official from a South Korean conglomerate said it was disappointing that the ruling came at challenging times when the country is facing diplomatic tension with China coupled with Washington's move towards protectionism."Samsung Electronics takes up 11.9 per cent of South Korea's manufacturing segment, and 30.7 per cent of the combined operating profits," the official pointed out, adding that the prolonged absence of Lee was expected to lead to side-effects. South Korea's ruling party, on the other hand, cheered the decision. "The ruling targets the back-scratching alliance of government and businesses," said Choo Mi-ae, the head of the Democratic Party."A company must be transparent to receive trust from the global community and beef up competitiveness." The party chief expressed the hope that the case may act as an opportunity for Samsung to become a socially responsible company. The minor opposition People's Party also said the business community should become more aware that South Korea is no longer tolerant of conglomerates' wrongdoings as seen by the case.Labour activists also welcomed the court's acknowledgment of Lee's corruption. "Lee has personally used state authority to facilitate its power succession, resulting in massive losses to the state pension," unionised workers of Samsung Electronics Service said. Prosecutors earlier sought 12 years against Lee, claiming Samsung's de facto leader offered or pledged $38 million to win the state pension's approval for a merger between two affiliates under terms designed to increase his control over the entire business empire.The court ruled that Lee provided over $6 million in bribes. The union also claimed that Lee should have received a jail term beyond 10 years if the court had considered him an ordinary criminal, rather than the head of a conglomerate. "Lee provided Park and her confidante Choi Soon-sil with bribes, which was the money that could have been spent on victims suffering from work-related diseases at Samsung," said Hwang Sang-gi an activist from the Protector of Health and Human Rights of Semiconductor Workers (SHARP)."It is unacceptable that he received only five years," Sang-gi added.
Xiaomi Mi 5X, which was launched recently in China, looks to be on its way to India now. The Chinese smartphone giant has sent out invites for an event wherein it is going to launch its first dual camera smartphone in India on September 5, 2017. Judging from its recent launches, the flagship dual camera mentioned in the invite seems to be the Xiaomi Mi 5X. The dual camera smartphone by Xiaomi was first launched in China back in July, along with the unveiling of the next version of its UI  the MIUI 9. In a recent update, Xiaomi has also rolled out the beta version of the MIUI 9 for the second batch of Xiaomi devices.The Xiaomi MI 5X available in China carries a 5.5-inch Full HD display (1080x1920 pixels) and runs the latest MIUI 9 based on Android 7.0 Nougat. The smartphone is powered by an Octa-core Snapdragon 625 SoC and carries a 4GB RAM along with 64GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable up to 128GB using external MicroSD. The Mi 5X draws its juice from a 3080 mAh battery.The optics of the dual camera smartphone include a 12-megapixel wide-angle lens with f/2.2 aperture and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens with f/2.6 aperture. The camera setup offers features like 2x optical zoom and phase-detection Auto Focus. The selfie shooter on the smartphone carries a 5-megapixel sensor. Xiaomi Mi 5X offers connectivity options like 4G VoLTE and dual SIM support, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11sc, USB Type-C port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.The Xiaomi Mi 5X was launched in China at a price of RMB 1,499 (~ Rs 14, 430). Till date, the smartphone has been made available in three colour options  Black, Pink and Gold. Chances are that the smartphone will be offered at a similar price in India.
Kabul: As many as 13 people, including both Afghan army soldiers and civilians, were killed and 18 wounded by a car bomb in the southern province of Helmand on Sunday, officials said.



Omar Zwak, the Helmand governor's spokesman who gave the casualty figures, said the attack occurred in a market in Nawa, a district in the centre of the province, which has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks as government forces have battled for control with Taliban insurgents.



Afghan forces said they had retaken Nawa district in July but there has been continued fighting in the area since.



There was no claim of responsibility and no immediate comment from the Taliban, which has carried out regular suicide attacks in Helmand, where it controls much of the area outside the provincial capital Lashkar Gah.



The hospital in Lashkar Gah run by the Italian aid group Emergency said it had received 3 dead and 19 wounded while Bost Hospital, another facility, said it had received 10 wounded.



It was unclear whether any of the wounded had died after being taken to the hospitals.



The attack comes just days after a suicide bomber in Lashkar Gah killed at least seven people and wounded 40 as the Taliban continued its push to restore strict Islamic rule to Afghanistan and drive out foreign forces backing the government in Kabul.



U.S. President Donald Trump last week announced a stepped-up military campaign against Taliban insurgents who have gained ground steadily in Afghanistan since a NATO-led coalition ended its main combat mission in 2014.
: French President Emmanuel Macron, faced with tumbling popularity ratings, turned on Monday to a new aide: Nemo, a young dog adopted from a rescue shelter.Nemo, a labrador-griffon cross, made his first public appearance on the steps of the Elysee Palace as Macron welcomed Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou.Displaying immaculate manners, Nemo trotted out of the palace at his master's heel before coming to an obedient standstill at the top of the stairs, ignoring the whistle of photographers and appearing unfazed as a band struck up.Nemo stayed back discreetly as Macron embraced Issoufou before a mini-summit with the other leaders from Europe and Africa. The dog then followed the French and African leaders into the palace.Daily newspaper Le Figaro reported that the presidential couple adopted Nemo on Sunday.




Bangkok: Thailand's former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra kneeled before a row of saffron-robed Buddhist monks last Wednesday as she offered them fruits and sticky rice soaked in coconut milk and logan juice, a specialty from her northern region.



At the auspicious hour of 9 am she released fish at the Temple of the Bells near Bangkok's Chaophraya river, a practice Thai Buddhists believe brings good karma.



At that point, aides say they believed she still intended to appear on Friday for sentencing in the criminal negligence case brought by Thailand's junta over a costly rice subsidy scheme. Within about a day, she had left the country.



"She chose to leave because she heard from her sources that the court would give her a heavy sentence and would not grant her bail," said one source close to Yingluck. "She's not a last minute person. She always plans things very carefully. This was a last-minute decision."



Yingluck fled with two aides but left her only son, Supasek Amornchat, 15, behind in Thailand, the source said.



Another aide, who had worked with Yingluck for a decade, said that she was gone by Thursday afternoon.



Yingluck, whose government was ousted in a 2014 coup, went to Dubai, where her brother former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has a home, via Singapore, aides and other sources in her Puea Thai Party told Reuters.



Reuters was not able to contact Yingluck. An aide for Thaksin in Dubai said she was not authorized to speak to the media.



DOOR LEFT OPEN?



Exactly how Yingluck escaped from Thailand remains a mystery.



At 10:55 am on Thursday, she posted one last time on her Facebook page in a message that apologised to her supporters for being unable to greet them at court because of heightened security, but at the same time implied she would show up.



Even some of Yingluck's closest aides said they were not aware how she left the country.



Deputy national police chief General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said police intelligence showed Yingluck was at her Bangkok home at least up until 2 p.m. on Wednesday.



It was not clear why the police had information up to that point but not beyond.



The junta has denied leaving a door open for Yingluck to escape - solving a problem for Thailand's generals concerned that if she was imprisoned she would become a martyr - but both her supporters and enemies have questioned whether she had official help.



Sources in the Puea Thai Party said she fled first to Cambodia - a route often used by Thai opposition figures in the past as the border is porous and it is less than four hours drive from Bangkok.



Thai media have said she took a private jet from Cambodia to Singapore and then on to Dubai.



Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen denied on Sunday that Yingluck used Cambodia as part of her escape route.



By 9:40 a.m. on Friday morning, the Supreme Court had issued an arrest warrant for Yingluck, saying it did not think Yingluck was ill with an ear problem as her team claimed. She had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carried a sentence of up to 10 years.



Hours after the verdict against Yingluck had been due, the court sentenced her former commerce minister in a related case to 42 years in prison. He was denied bail pending appeal because it was too late in the day. Seventeen other people were given sentences of between 4-48 years in the case.



Lieutenant General Werachai Indusobhana, commander of the Terrestrial Defence Command, told reporters on Monday that Yingluck's son Supasek showed up for student officer training on Saturday as required for Thai male students of his age.
Editors note: Regular columnist Charles Krauthammer is off this week.

And so, on one day, we had an unhinged and divisive rant by Donald Trump in Phoenix. Then, the next day in Reno, a call for national unity and reconciliation. Multiple political personality disorder. Rhetorical schizophrenia.

The gap between Trump extemporaneous and Trump scripted is canyon-like. The normal role of a speechwriter is to find, refine and elevate the voice of a leader. The greatest professional victory comes when a president thinks: This is the way I would sound if I had more time to write and more talent with language. In these circumstances, speechwriting is not deception; it is amplification.

But what about speechwriting that is designed to give a leader a different voice? Here moral issues begin to lurk. Is it ethical to make a cynical leader appear principled? A violent leader seem pacific? A cruel leader seem compassionate? This calculation is difficult, because most of us have an incongruous mix of such traits. Or maybe a speechwriter can hope a president will eventually rise to the level of his teleprompter.

My purpose is not to indict the presidents speechwriters. It is to point out that, in Trumps case, there is no doubt which is his authentic voice, because he leaves no room for doubt. In rambling stemwinders such as the one in Phoenix, he plays rhetorical games with the artificial (for him) constraints of being presidential. Nobody wants me to talk about your other senator  whos weak on borders, weak on crime, he said of (conservative Republican) Jeff Flake. Now everybodys happy. Here the nobody clearly included his own concerned advisers. Trump often uses speeches (and Twitter) to cut the strings of their counsel.

Trump deserves a patent on the idea that political authenticity means spontaneity. So it was the real voice that we heard in Phoenix, attacking a man with brain cancer  Sen. John McCain  without any wish for his recovery. The real voice defending a supporter who had been fired by CNN for writing Sieg Heil on Twitter. The real voice making fun of a TV anchors height. The real voice again widening racial divisions by defending Confederate monuments as our history and our heritage. (Instead of the royal we, the white we.) It was the real voice expressing greater passion in criticizing journalists than white supremacists.

Trump dares us to take him at face value. His self-revelation comes unbidden, even involuntarily. And his transparency reveals a disordered personality.

Why does this matter? For one thing, his Phoenix remarks indicate a loose connection to reality. His response to the violence in Charlottesville was, in his view, perfect. The North Koreans, he claimed, are learning to respect America (for which there is no evidence). I dont believe that any president has accomplished as much as this president in the first six or seven months, Trump claimed of himself. I really do not believe it.

What if Trump really does believe what he claims? Then he would be, not deceptive, but deluded. A deluded man in charge of North Korean policy. A deluded man who could employ nuclear weapons at a moments notice (actually two to three minutes to order a launch). This appears to be the reason that national security professionals such as former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin have been particularly disturbed of late. Trump is not merely acting unpresidential; he is erratic and grandiose.

This also matters in a domestic context. On the evidence of the Phoenix speech, Trump believes that a government shutdown is preferable to giving up on funding for the southern border wall. This involves a different type of delusion. Poll after poll demonstrates that about 35 percent of Americans support Trumps wall. You cant hold national parks and veterans payments hostage over an issue like this and expect to win. Adds one Republican budget expert I spoke with: It also takes careful management of the levers available to the administration in a shutdown to keep it from becoming a nightmare immediately, and OMB [Office of Management and Budget] is not doing the work to prepare. Incompetence is the death of these guys over and over.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan know a shutdown would not turn out well. But Trumps version of reality appears to make another GOP legislative and political disaster inevitable. The unified control of House, Senate and presidency means little when the president lives in a reality of his own.

Gerson is a columnist for The Washington Post. Email him at michaelgerson@washpost.com.
The trial of Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Lieutenant Colonel Rangarirai Kembo, who allegedly raped his 19-year-old housemaid, has started in camera.



The prosecutor Mr Timothy Makoni told the court that the complainant was a vulnerable witness and was being kept at a safe-house. Kembo (45) pleaded not guilty to rape and said he was not at the house on that day.



He said due to the nature of his job, he had created enemies, who were using the complainant to cause his persecution.



Mr Makoni alleged that on July 29 this year, at around 9pm the woman was asleep in her bedroom when Kembo started calling her.





The woman went to the dining room and Kembo ordered her to warm his food, and after serving him she went back to sleep.

It is alleged that Kembo called the woman again and asked her to remove the plates. She complied and went back to her room.





The court heard that as soon as she entered her room, Kembo called her again, this time, asking her to watch television with him.

The woman refused, indicating that she wanted to sleep.





She went to her room and was awakened by Kembo, who was now standing at her door.

The court heard that there was no light in the room and the door was not locked.

Kembo allegedly started praising the woman, telling her how well-behaved she was and that she was raised well.





At the same time he was allegedly walking towards the woman, who was scared and started crying.





Kembo allegedly started fondling her breasts and kissing her, before raping her.

The court heard that he ordered her not to tell anyone about the sexual abuse.

She was medically examined and the report was tendered as an exhibit. Herald
The Namibia government is letting go Zimbabwean engineering expatriates seconded there on a government-to-government agreement.



This comes ahead of the expiry of a five-year Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) signed between the two nations in 2012.



The Namibian government last week appeared to be giving in to pressure from militant labour groups there, which besieged government offices demanding the immediate repatriation of Zimbabwean nationals based there.



The Namibian Information and Communication Technology minister, Tjekero Tweya, said in a statement the countrys Cabinet was reviewing the five-year MOU.



Having heard of the public outcry, Cabinet has directed the ministry of Works and Transport, in consultation with the National Council of Architects, to avail itself to a public consultation with the young, graduating professionals so as to gauge the continued need for expatriates in the civil service, reads the statement, in which Tweya also warned against xenophobic attacks on Zimbabwean professionals.



Government must, however, caution that xenophobia should be avoided in our efforts to ensure that we protect the interests of these our professionals.



Namibia is a product of international solidarity and we are proud that many citizens of the world would like to come and live in Namibia and help us expand this Namibia house.

We urge calm and trust when the ministry engages in dialogue. There will be a date set aside when those aggrieved can come out and contribute to the resolution of the matter for the long run, he said.



According to press reports from Windhoek, unemployed Namibian nationals coalescing under the banner of the Namibian Society of Engineers besieged the offices of the ministry of Works and Transport on Monday last week demanding that all posts occupied by Zimbabwean engineering expatriates be immediately advertised.



The engineers, press reports say, read out a letter of their grievances to the ministrys permanent secretary, Willem Goeiemann, and left 300 curricula vitae of Namibian architects and quantity surveyors, as well as professionals for immediate employment consideration.



Advertise all positions that were or are currently filled by seconded Zimbabwean staff in the papers to allow Namibian professionals the opportunity to apply for all positions. This is the most transparent means to prove whether there are suitably qualified Namibians to take up those posts, as per immigration regulations, a representative of the Namibian professionals Tangeni Tshivute was quoted telling the permanent secretary.



The Namibia Institute of Architects (NIA) has also added its voice in the growing tension, urging the Namibian government to abandon the MOU in a statement.



The NIA expresses its concern regarding following issues: In-service training had to be provided to Namibian individuals. The NIA is unaware of any in-service training that has taken place. Registered Zimbabwean professionals were to be employed.



As per NIA investigation, it appears that a number of the Zimbabwean expatriates (professionals) are not registered. It is the role of the NIA to protect the interest of its members and promote the architectural profession.



It is for this reason that the NIA does not support the extension of the (MOU), the statement, which was issued by the NIA board on Monday last week, said.



Although other professionals are not affected yet, fears are that this could spread to other sectors on the Namibian economy where Zimbabwean citizens are currently dominating. Daily News
Get the news faster.

Tap to install our app.

Access Newser even faster.

Click here to install our app on your desktop.
After weeks of rumors that ousted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's successor would be Meg Whitman, GE's Jeffery Immelt, or even Kalanick himself, the company's board has finally made a decision. Sources tell the Wall Street Journal and the BBC that after Immelt ruled himself out over the weekend, the board decided to offer the job to Dara Khosrowshahi, a 48-year-old Iranian-American who has been Expedia's CEO since 2005. The Journal's sources say that Uber plans to negotiate Khosrowshahi's contract before the company makes an official announcement, but they hope to complete the fast-tracked process within days.

Whitman was supported by major Uber investor Benchmark, but she made demands, including more control of the board, that directors didn't want to meet, sources tell Recode. The insiders say Khosrowshahi was considered the "truce" choice between Benchmark and Kalanick, who is still on the company's board and supported Immelt. If Khosrowshahi takes the job, he will face many challengesincluding board infighting, continuing fallout from multiple controversies including sexual harassment scandals, and the fact that the company is still losing staggering amounts of money every quarterbut he is widely seen as a solid choice whose experience could provide much-needed stability, Forbes reports. (Read more Uber stories.)
Could Rex Tillerson be the next bold-faced name banished from President Trump's inner circle? Calls for the secretary of state's head are growing louder in the White House, Axios reports, citing sources who say Trump has grown "increasingly frustrated" by Tillerson. The nation's top diplomat didn't do his cause any benefit on Sunday by drawing a line between "America's values" and the president's. Speaking on Fox News Sunday about the deadly violence in Charlottesville, Tillerson said, per the Washington Post, "I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values," or the US government's commitment to defending them. When host Chris Wallace asked whether Tillerson was "separating" himself from Trump's comments, which included blaming "many sides" for the fighting, Tillerson responded, "The president speaks for himself."

It's not the first time "Rexit" rumors have roiled the capital, but sources tell Axios the president has grown "more and more fed up" with a secretary he thinks is too "establishment in his thinking." After a meeting on Afghanistan recently, Trump reportedly griped, "Rex just doesn't get it." Other knocks on Tillerson: contradicting Trump on Qatar, pushing to re-certify the Iran nuclear deal Trump wants to ax, and failing to fill key State Department jobs. As for the knock, a Tillerson rep blames a "busted" system. "The secretary sends over recommendations and they sit on the dock." A State Department rep said in July that Tillerson has no plans to leave, but serves "at the pleasure of the president." (Read more President Trump stories.)
At least 14 people were arrested in Berkeley, Calif., Sunday as counter-protesters clashed with vastly outnumbered supporters of President Trump. Some of the 7,000 counter-protesters confronted a small group of "alt-right" protesters who had originally intended to gather for a "No to Marxism in America" rally that was called off two days earlier, the Daily Californian reports. Anti-fascist and anarchist protesters attacked when Joey Gibson of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer arrived with a handful of supporters, reports the Los Angeles Times. His group called off a "free speech" rally in San Francisco a day earlier amid plans for counter-protests, including one involving dog poop.

Gibson was pepper-sprayed and chased until he took cover behind a line of police in riot gear. Arrests were made for offenses including assault, though Berkeley Police Chief Andrew Greenwood says officers were told not to actively confront the minority of anarchist demonstrators among the largely peaceful protesters who gathered in a city park, the AP reports. He says that after it became clear that there would not be dueling left-right protests like there were during a rally in April, police decided there was "no need for a confrontation over a grass patch." (Last weekend in Boston, counter-demonstrators vastly outnumbered participants in a rally associated with the alt-right.)
The Trump administration is preparing to restore the flow of surplus military equipment to local law enforcement agencies under a program that had been sharply curtailed amid an outcry over police use of armored vehicles and other war-fighting gear to confront protesters. Documents obtained by the AP indicate President Trump plans to sign an executive order undoing an Obama administration directive that restricted police agencies' access to the gear, which includes grenade launchers, bullet-proof vests, riot shields, firearms, and ammunition. Trump vowed to rescind the executive order in response to a Fraternal Order of Police questionnaire that helped him win an endorsement from the organization.

Trump's order would fully restore the program, under which "assets that would otherwise be scrapped can be repurposed to help state, local, and tribal law enforcement better protect public safety and reduce crime," according to the documents. A source says Attorney General Jeff Sessions could outline the changes during a Monday speech to the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police in Nashville, Tenn. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund said in a statement Sunday night that it is "exceptionally dangerous and irresponsible" for the administration to lift the ban and increase "police militarization" again. (Read more military equipment stories.)
Netflix debuted Disjointeda series starring Kathy Bates as a pot activist who runs a Southern California marijuana dispensaryon Friday, and along with the show's launch came some extra enhancers: new marijuana strains inspired by 10 of its shows. Variety and the Los Angeles Times report on the "Netflix Collection," 12 different types of weed hawked in branded glass jars. Disjointed gets three varieties all to itself: the Omega Strain, Eve's Bush, and Rutherford B. Haze. Other Netflix series that earned their own cannabis add-on include BoJack Horseman (which inspired the Prickly Muffin), Arrested Development (Banana Stand Kush), and Orange Is the New Black (Poussey Riot). The Netflix-tied marijuana was sold in a temporary pop-up store at Alternative Health Herbal Services in West Hollywood, Calif., over the weekend, meaning the sale is already over.

Per a press release, the type of pot matched with each show was carefully thought out, with "sillier" shows linked to weed that was more "indica dominant," and "dramedies" tied to more "sativa dominant [varieties] to help the more powerful scenes resonate" (the difference between the two strains is explained here). Fortune notes it's an "interesting time for a big company like Netflix to be dallying with Mary Jane," as Attorney General Jeff Sessions has insinuated he may try to crack down on marijuana legalization. Netflix says it didn't make money off the pot sales, that only qualifying individuals with medical cards were able to buy the branded weed, and that this initiative was for PR purposes onlywhich the Times notes is an important distinction, since weed is still illegal on a federal level. (If you missed out on the pot, check out this Netflix co-founder's plan for moviegoers.)
The "guru of bling" is going to jail for 20 years for raping two women, and police in India are on high alert in case his followers revolt. A judge sentenced Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to the prison term on Monday, after his conviction for raping two followers at his ashram in 2002, reports the BBC. (Singh received 10 years for each rape, and he must serve the sentences consecutively.) Singh's Dera Sacha Sauda sect claims 50 million adherents worldwide, and scores of them in India went on a deadly rampage last week in northern Haryana state after the conviction was announced. So far, however, things have remained calm after the sentencing.

That might be because police have orders to shoot protesters on sight, reports Reuters. Authorities had taken flak after last week's violence, in which nearly 40 people died, for giving the protesters free rein. The 50-year-old Singh, also nicknamed the "rockstar baba" for his flamboyant style and vast media enterprises, plans to appeal his conviction. Two years ago, Singh even put out his own movie, starring himself, in which he performs miracles, sings and dances, and roughs up gangsters. (Read more guru stories.)
He has been convicted of killing two and attempting to murder two moreand he could actually be "Germany's worst post-war killer," reports the BBC. Niels Hoegel, 40, was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for those crimes, but prosecutors voiced their belief that the nurse had killed many more while working at clinics in Oldenburg (from 1999 to 2002) and Delmenhorst (from 2003 to 2005), reports the AP. Now police are giving a sense of just how many more: at least 84. Hoegel said at trial that he wanted to play the hero and drugged his patients so that he could then resuscitate them and win praise. Except a commission established three years ago to determine the breadth of his crimes has found that many patients ended up receiving lethal doses of drugs that brought on heart failure or destroyed the circulatory system.

The BBC reports that 134 bodies have been exhumed and tested for traces of the drug, but "it is simply not possible to say how many people were killed," per Oldenburg police chief Johann Kuhme. That's in part because many of his patients were cremated. The AFP quotes chief police investigator Arne Schmidt as describing the death toll as "unique in the history of the German republic." There is "evidence for at least 90 murders," he said at a press conference, "and at least as many [suspected] cases again that can no longer be proven." Kuhme faulted the clinics for having "hesitated to alert authorities," saying the death toll could have been much lower if they had. New charges against Hoegel will likely be filed next year. (This nurse says she would get a "red surge" before killing one of her patients.)
The plastic-wrapped body of a missing North Dakota woman was found caught on a log by kayakers in the Red River on Sunday evening, ending a search that began on Aug. 19. Fargo Police Chief David Todd says that around the same time Sunday, investigators identified what the Minneapolis Star Tribune calls "suspicious material" at a possible crime scenea farmstead in the area. Savanna Greywind, 22, was 8 months pregnant when she went missing; she was last seen in the Fargo apartment building she lived in with her parents, having gone upstairs to the apartment of a neighbor who reportedly asked Greywind to model a dress she was sewing, Forum News Service reports.

A newborn girl was found in that apartment days later, and residents Brooke Crews, 38, and William Hoehn, 32, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping. While DNA tests haven't yet confirmed the child is Greywind's, KARE 11 reports the couple "indicated" to police the child did belong to Greywind. Police previously said they were considering possible scenarios including labor having been induced or the child having been cut from Greywind, who had been set to move into an apartment with her child's father on Sept. 1; they had planned to name their girl Haisley Jo. The baby found by police is currently in the custody of Cass County Social Services. (Read more missing woman stories.)
Sunday's violence in Berkeley has brought renewed attention to the "antifa" movement, general shorthand for groups of black-clad "anti-fascist" protesters who show up at rallies to confront far-right protesters. In his post-Charlottesville remarks, President Trump blamed the antifa movement for contributing to the violence, and Sunday's confrontation "marked another street brawl between opposing ends of the political spectrumviolence that has become a regular feature of the Trump years and gives signs of spiraling upward," per the Washington Post. So just what is antifa? In a New York Times op-ed, Columbia professor Todd Gitlin offers some insights, describing antifa as the "backlash to the backlash, a defensive response to the growing presence of right-wing extremism." Given antifa members' willingness to use violence, he sees cause for concern.

"They do not advocate a positive doctrine, racial or otherwise," writes Gitlin of antifa adherents. "Some supporters consider themselves (as Mr. Trump accurately said) anarchists, some Marxists of different stripes." No national organization exists, and groups (usually all men) spring up locally. Antifa groups typically are unarmed, but Gitlin sees the potential for that to change as confrontations with right-wing groups escalate. "If effectively contained and self-contained, many of its supporters would likely return to the kind of nonviolent left-wing, anti-racist organizing that they were involved in before Mr. Trump rejuvenated the nationalist right with fire and fury," writes Gitlin. But that's not likely in the near future, he adds. "More Charlottesvilles, or worse, may be coming." Click for the full column. (Read more antifa stories.)
Investigators hope tests on a three-ton hunk of concrete will soon solve the 1989 disappearance of a young mother, by determining whether her remains were fed through a wood chipper and then entombed in the basement of a Pennsylvania duplex. Sunbury Police Chief Tim Miller announced earlier this month that preliminary results showed the concrete contained wood chips, and he's waiting to see if they also hold the remains of Barbara Elizabeth Miller, the AP reports. A forensic pathologist is "dissecting the walls, so to speak, piece by piece, hammer-and-chisel type, looking for the smallest of clues," Miller, no relation to Barbara Miller, said last week. He called it "mere speculation if a wood chipper was or wasn't used. Obviously the presence of wood chips in a concrete wall is highly suspicious."

An affidavit used to obtain a search warrant for the Milton home disclosed that investigators believe the woman may have been killed by her ex-boyfriend, a onetime Sunbury policeman named Joseph Walter "Mike" Egan. The affidavit said that several people have said that over the years, Egan would talk about driving past his sister's home in Milton to "visit" his "old lady," the same building where police seized the massive chunk of cement currently being examined. Egan, a Northumberland resident who trims trees for a living, on Friday flatly denied he had anything to do with Barbara Miller's disappearance. The affidavit says Barbara Miller, then 30 years old, had complained to police in the months before she disappeared about Egan, and days before she vanished, told friends she feared for her life. Egan, 69, reported her missing five days after she disappeared, then moved into her home. (Read more unsolved mystery stories.)
On Monday, the Washington Post reported on the existence of emails between a business associate of Donald Trump and Trump's lawyer back in 2015 that suggested the Trump camp was exploring the idea of building a Trump Tower in Moscow. The Post presented this as a conflict of interest because it would have given Trump, then running for president, a major business interest in Russia. The deal never came to pass, but now the New York Times has a follow-up on the actual content of those emails, sent by the Russian-born Felix Sater to Trump attorney Michael Cohen. Sater, the Times explains, was a broker for the Trump Organization who earned money by delivering real estate deals. And he was pushing hard for this one, suggesting it would help Trump's chances of getting elected:

Our boy: Buddy," Sater wrote, "our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.

Buddy," Sater wrote, "our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process. Ivanka: At another point, Sater, in an apparent attempt to boast of his connections, said he helped arrange a visit to the Kremlin by Ivanka Trump in 2006. I arranged for Ivanka to sit in Putins private chair at his desk and office in the Kremlin," he wrote. In a statement, Ivanka Trump confirmed she visited the Kremlin but said she never met Putin. She didn't address the odd chair statement.

So what does all this mean? Cohen, for his part, says not much because Sater is prone to "puffery." But the emails are now in the hands of the House Intelligence Committee as part of its investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. The Trump Organization said Monday that it "has never had any real estate holdings or interests in Russia. (Read more President Trump stories.)
Sorry!

This content is not available in your region
Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning followed by periods of snow showers this afternoon. High 26F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%..

Tonight

Cloudy with snow showers this evening and steady snow likely after midnight. Low near 20F. Winds light and variable. Chance of snow 70%. 1 to 3 inches of snow expected.
New Delhi:

The Telugu version of Bigg Boss is grabbing maximum eyeballs and is keeping the audiences hooked.

The popular reality show hosted by Jr NTR saw the eviction of not one but two contestants in week 6. Dhanraj had to leave the house on Saturday, while Kathi Karthika was eliminated on Sunday.

Bigg Boss Telugu is turning out to be quite entertaining with every passing day. The show had a lot of twists and turns last week as not only Mumaith Khan made a comeback but two housemates were shown the door.

Siva Balaji and Archana were able to survive the eviction process. Kathi's elimination didn't come as surprise but fans were left baffled when Dhanraj was excited to leave the Bigg Boss house.

The host Jr NTR made Dhanraj speak to his wife and his happiness knew no bounds when he came to know about the birth of his son. Jr. NTR too was very happy hearing the good news.

The episode also saw Dhanraj throwing the 'Bigg Bomb' on Adarsh. Adarsh will now have to roll out the red carpet every where Diksha goes.

Kathi decided to use the 'Bigg Bomb' on Siva Balaji. The bomb brought bad news for the actor, who will have to wait till all the housemates use the washroom. He can only use the washroom once all are done.

Bigg Boss Tamil is also gaining a lot of love from the audience. Popular actor Kamal Haasan is hosting the Tamil version of Bigg Boss.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

As the court pronounced its judgement on Friday convicting Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, his followers went on a rampage in major parts of north India disrupting normal life.



As violence and arson spread across Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi, Bollywood too bore its brunt.



Director Meghna Gulzar, who was shooting in Patiala with Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal for Raazi, immediately called for pack-up when the news of violence broke, forcing the unit to stay in their hotel as many parts of Punjab were placed under curfew following the riots.



Meanwhile, Deccan Chronicle has reported that Mondays sentencing could adversely affect this week's big releases, Baadshaho and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, if there are incidences of violence, which will harm the business of these films in the northern market, forcing the makers to consider delaying their release.



"These are both very dissimilar releases, and a lot is expected from them. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan could be Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar's follow up hit after Bareilly Ki Barfi and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha respectively. As for Baadshaho, it marks the return of director Milan Luthria, and leading man Ajay Devgn, after their successful collaboration in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai," an industry insider told Deccan Chronicle.



"Both films are potential hits, and the producers don't want to jeopardise their box-office prospects. Punjab and Haryana are major distribution sectors for Bollywood. Look at the fate of the releases this week under normal circumstances. Imagine what would happen if they were released when the violence and unrest were on," the insider added.



The makers have decided to adopt "wait and watch" policy before making any official announcement.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, who is known for his controversial posts on social networking sites, has once again given birth to a fresh trouble after he posted some sort of pornographic contents on micro-blogging site Twitter on Sunday.

Though earlier some of the media houses were suggesting that an FIR has been filed against the actor his latest tweet police has clarified that no FIR has been lodged against him.

Advocate Adil Khatri, the secretary of a NGO namely 'Jai Ho Foundation' has filed a written complaint with Mumbai Cyber Police after Kapoor posted an indecent image of a child on his Twitter handle.

In a statement, Afroz Malik, President of Jai Ho Foundation NGO said, "We would request you to immediately register an FIR against actor Rishi Kapoor under relevant sections of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) and IT Act for posting indecent, nude and vulgar picture of a minor child on his Twitter account @chintskap," reported IANS.

"Rishi Kapoor has more than 2.6 Million followers on Twitter account. This means this pornographic image material got circulated to more than 2.6 Million people. There are more than 66 retweets and 476 likes as of now on his this indecent image," the statement further read.

Also Read: Rishi Kapoor blames Anurag Basu for 'Jagga Jasoos' debacle

According to the media reports, the complaint was lodged at the Cyber Police station of Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East.

While Rishi Kapoor removed the image with in a day of posting it, he later shared another video on Twitter where a little a little boy is seen spanking a girl and the boy standing next to him is thought to be responsible.

"We have filed a complaint with Mumbai Police Commissioner, Mumbai Cyber Cell and Ministry of Woman and Child Development against actor Rishi Kapoor for posting nude and pornographic image of a child on his Twitter account @chintskap," advocate Adil Khatri was quoted while interacting with SpotboyE.

"We don't know who the child in the picture is, but it is offensive as the child is naked and a headphone has been stuck into his private parts," he further added.

Though Rishi Kapoor's reaction to the recent incident is yet to come, in an recent interview he had said, What I write on my twitter account is for me, and not you. I write what comes directly from my heart. Don't take my tweets seriously."

On the work front, Rishi Kapoor is gearing up for his forthcoming flick '102 Not Out' and has reunited with co-star Amitabh Bachchan after decades of their last joined project 'Ajooba'.

Also Read: Ranbir Kapoor shares some of his golden memories from childhood

While Amitabh will be seen portraying the character of a 102-year-old Dattaraya Vakharia, Rishi Kapoor will essay the character of his 72 year-old son Babu.

Complaint filed by Jai Ho foundation Complaint filed by NGO named Jai Ho foundation

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Vijay Deverakondaas latest release aArjun Reddya is creating much buzz in the South Indian film industry. The movie is receiving immense love from the audience and even the critics cannot stop themselves from praising the romantic drama.

Director Ram Gopal Varma is also hugely impressed with the performance of Vijay that he even called him the Amitabh Bachchan of Tollywood.

RGV took his took his Facebook account to praise Vijayas performane and wrote, "I always believed that all the heroes of today are very heavily dependent upon slow motion and ramping shots aided with ear splitting background music to appear heroic. Vijay Deverakonda is the first and only actor I ever saw who looks like a hero without the help of any slow motion or ramping shotsaa.

He further wrote, His eyes and his voice themselves emanate a built-in background music from within himselfaa.

Comparing Vijay with Amitabh Bachchan and Hollywood actor Al Pacino, the director said, "The truth is this that the moment the camera comes to 24 frames there's rarely an actor who can live up to the technical emotion created by varying camera speeds and background musicaa.

RGV further added by saying that Vijay is the first actor apart from Amitabh Bachchan who can live up to the same level of intensity without using cinematic techniquesaa.

Directed by aArjun Reddya, the flick also features Shalini Pandey in lead role and Kanchana, Sanjay Swaroop and Rahul Ramakrishna in pivotal roles.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Tamil Nadu chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, deputy chief minister O Pannerselavam and their supporting MLAs resolved to convene AIADMK general council and executive committee at the earliest in a meeting at Chennai on Monday.

The meeting was convened by Palaniswami and attended by senior party functionaries, ministers, MPs and MLAs.

Today's meeting, convened by Palaniswami and attended by senior party functionaries, ministers, MPs and MLAs, also discussed TTV Dhinakaran's recent shuffling of the party ranks, the sources said.

The resolution said, All those appointed by Puratchi Thalaivi Amma and those who came to positions through elections will continue to function in their same positions.

Dhinakaran on Sunday removed Palaniswami as the party's Salem (Suburban) district secretary, besides sacking some other ministers from party posts.

A resolution, which was read out by law minister C Ve Shanmugam said, The office-bearers and cadres of the party have demanded the convening of general council and executive committee.

In another resolution, the unified party resolved to term the appointments made by TTV Dhinakaran as invalid as he had no authority to sack or appoint office bearers.

During the meeting another resolution resolved to take legal action to take over Dr Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV.

The resolution said, They are properties of the party, floated with untiring efforts of Amma and with the contribution from lakhs of cadres.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

A crucial meeting of AIADMK held at Royapeeth in Chennai on Monday. Tamil Nadu chief minister E Palaniswami and Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam were present at the meeting.

During the meeting, the party passed four resolutions and declared appointments null and void which were made by TTV Dhinakaran. The party decided to convene general council meeting soon.The party also decided that party mouthpieces Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV will be retrieved legally. The rebel MLAs have been staying at a resort in Puducherry after the following command from Sasikalas nephew, TTV Dhinakaran.

Meanwhile, the supporters of E Palaniswami and O Panneerselvam staged a protest against Sasikala and Dhinakaran outside AIADMK headquarters.

Tamil Nadu: EPS-OPS supporters protest against VK Sasikala and TTV Dinakaran at AIADMK headquarter in Chennai. pic.twitter.com/sAmXzfEGpA  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

The rebel 19 MLAs had already met Tamil Nadu Governor C Vidyasagar Rao and withdrew their support wanting a new chief minister in the state.

AIADMK meeting at Royapettah in Chennai underway, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam also present #TamilNadu pic.twitter.com/EcOLPkPjyI  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

Earlier in the day, Thanga Tamilselvan, Rebel MLA, said that they did not get any information about the meeting. "Do we belong to DMK?" he questioned.

Tamilselvan said that they are anticipating a fair decision by the governor and the latter must convene assembly soon. He said they would seek the intervention of President if this does not happen.

Also Read: AIADMK likely to join NDA, senior BJP leader says

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Panaji:

Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Monday won the Panaji Assembly by-election, defeating his nearest rival, Girish Chodankar of the Congress, by 4,803 votes.



Parrikar polled 9,862 votes against 5,059 by Chodankar. Goa Suraksha Manch president Anand Shirodkar polled only 220 votes, while 301 people pressed None of The Above (NOTA) button.



The polling was held on August 23. Parrikar was sworn in as the chief minister in March 2017 after the BJP formed a coalition government with Goa Forward Party, MGP and independents.

Follow live updates on by-poll counting in Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi here

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Central Investigation Bureau (CBI) on Monday grilled Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram for 7 hours in a corruption case of alleged clearance to INX Media Pvt Ltd owned by Peter Mukerjea and his wife Indrani for bringing foreign funds into their Venture.

Karti, who arrived at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi at around 11.30 am was questioned extensively by the agency and left at 6.30 pm.

Three suspected associates of KartiBhaskar Raman, Ravi Vishwanathan and Mohanan Rakeshwere also questioned in connection with the case, the sources said.

They said all the four persons were questioned separately and information given by them is being scrutinised.

It is only after the analysis of their responses that a call will be taken whether further interrogation is required or not in the case, they said.

The sources said they have been asked to produce some documents which they have agreed to provide.

The agency is examining him in connection with a Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance given to media group INX Media for receiving funds from Mauritius when his father P Chidambaram was the Union finance minister.

The sources said a firm indirectly controlled by Karti received money from INX Media, run by the Mukerjeas, who are currently in jail, charged with the murder of Indranis daughter.

The CBI had also questioned Karti on August 23.

P Chidambaram had earlier issued a strong statement in response to CBIs FIR against Karti, saying the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son.

The FIPB approval was granted in hundreds of cases, the senior Congress leader had said.

(With PTI Inputs)

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Justice Dipak Misra on Monday sworn-in as the 45th Chief Justice of India (CJI) and will complete a tenure of almost 14 months, remaining at helm till October 2, 2018. Last month, JS Khehar, the outgoing Chief Justice of India had recommended Misras name as his successor.

Misra, who was born in a small town in Odisha, has come a long way from being a struggler in English language to being a top-level judge in the Supreme Court.

A known name in the law circles, Misra pronounced many key verdicts following which he grabbed wide media attention and also drew flak for a few decisions.

Misra led the three-judge bench which dismissed the plea of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon seeking a stay on his execution. Misra doctored the landmark judgement that confirmed the death penalty of four convicts in May 2017 in the Nirbhaya gangrape case.

One of Misras noteworthy decisions included directing all States and Union Territories to upload the FIRs on their websites within 24 hours of registration at police stations.

Misra drew flak after he ordered that it will be mandatory for all cinema halls to play national anthem before the start of every movie. He also ordered that patrons should stand up in respect and "committed patriotism and nationalism" when National Anthem and also National Flag are featured in the theatres.

In upholding the constitutionality of the 150-year-old law on criminal defamation, Misra played a crucial role. He was one of the seven judges of the Supreme Court who convicted Justice CS Karnan of contempt of court. The seven-judge bench had sentenced Karnan to six months in jail.



Misra-led Bench in 2015 had set aside the ban on dance bars under the Maharashtra Police Act. Misra, who was born in a family of intellects, jurists and politicians, had always shown inclinaton towards the law. He mastered himself in English even as he studied in an Oriya-medium school. On February 14, 1977, he enrolled as an advocate. In 1996, he rose up to the ranks of additional judge of the Orissa High Court. A year later, he was transferred to Madhya Pradesh.



He has practised in Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service and Sales Tax matters in the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal.



He was appointed as the chief justice of the Patna High Court in 2009 and in 2010 went onto head Delhi High Court. In 2011, he was elevated to the Supreme Court.

ALSO READ | Justice Dipak Misra takes oath as 45th CJI

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Justice Dipak Misra took oath as the 45th Chief Justice of India on Monday. President Ram Nath Kovind presided over the oath taking ceremony. He will occupy the post of CJI for 13 months.A

Justice Dipak Misra, who has succeeded Justice Khehar as the 45th CJI, was all praise for the outgoing judge on his farewell and called him a democratic person with a good heart and a great mind.

"Justice J S Khehar is a man withA democraticA attitude. He has a good heart, a creation of a good mind which is capable of transmitting good thought and energy.

"He is affectionately energetic and has the ability toA energiseA others because of his contagiousA vibrance," Justice Misra said.

Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi & Vice President Venkaiah Naidu at the oath taking ceremony of Justice Dipak Misra as CJI pic.twitter.com/tTPnXZjmUT a ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

Justice Misra was elevated to the Supreme Court on OctoberA 10, 2011. He is known for heading the bench that dismissed 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memonas plea seeking a stay on his execution, as well as upholding the death sentence given to Nirbhayaas killers.

Among other notable decisions, was direction given to Delhi Police to upload FIRs on their website within 24 hours of registration so the accused could download them and seek redressal of their grievances.

Justice Misra has also been entrusted the task of heading a three-judge bench to hear a batch of petitions challenging the Allahabad High Court verdict in the Ayodhya land dispute case from August 11.

Misra, who is National Legal Services Authority executive chairman, was the mastermind behind the idea of introducing Legal Assistance Establishments in states to streamline activities to provide free legal aid to the needy.

Justice Dipak Misra enrolled as an advocate on 14th February 1977 and practiced in Constitutional, Civil, Criminal, Revenue, Service and Sales Tax matters in the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal.

He was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court on 17th January 1996 and transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 3rd March 1997.

He became permanent Judge on 19th December 1997. Justice Misra assumed charge of the office of Chief Justice, Patna High Court on 23rd December 2009 and charge of the office of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court on 24th May 2010.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

All 200 Indian students who were left stranded at the University of Houston, Texas after Hurricane Harvey flooded the campus with neck deep water, have been rescued, Consul General of India in Houston Anupam Ray said.

Swaraj said that students were surrounded by neck deep water and were marooned in the campus. Two of the students were admitted in the ICU and rescue operations were on to save all the students.

The minister added that efforts were being made for delivery of food but US Coast Guard did not allow as boats were required for rescue operations.

Also Read | United States: Hurricane Harvey strikes central Texas, three dead

Here are the Live updates:

# In a tweet, Consul General of India in Houston Anupam Ray, informs EAM that the 200 Indian students affected by Hurricane Harvey are safe.

In a tweet, Consul General of India in Houston Anupam Ray, informs EAM that the 200 Indian students affected by #HurricaneHarvey are safe. pic.twitter.com/KFvTWd62kE  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

#Over two days, Houston got 25 inches of rain more than half of its annual rainfall

#Curfews were introduced Sunday in the City of Alvin, City of Friendswood, League City, City of Pasadena, City of Pearland, City of Seabrook and City of Webster.

# A mandatory evacuation order was issued for areas along the Brazos River in Fort Bend County.

# Several states and the US military are sending emergency workers and equipment to Texas.

# Indian students Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia are in ICU. We are ensuring that their relatives reach there at the earliest - Sushma Swaraj

@CGHoust has informed me that 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned. They are surrounded by neck deep water. /1  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) 28 August 2017

# We made efforts for delivery of food but US Coast Guard did not allow as boats were required for rescue operations - Sushma Swaraj

# 200 Indian students at the University of Houston are marooned. They are surrounded by neck deep water: EAM Sushma Swaraj

200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned. They are surrounded by neck deep water: @SushmaSwaraj pic.twitter.com/wPYfmUAABR  News Nation (@NewsNationTV) August 28, 2017

The Coast Guard Air Station Houston responded to search and rescue requests after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, Texas Hurricane Harvey left a trail of destruction as it swept through Texas on Sunday, pummelling the region with heavy rains and claiming at least 5 lives since making landfall on the US Gulf Coast.

# Over two days, Houston got 25 inches of rain more than half of its annual rainfall #Curfews were introduced Sunday in the City of Alvin, City of Friendswood, League City, City of Pasadena, City of Pearland, City of Seabrook and City of Webster. # A mandatory evacuation order was issued for areas along the Brazos River in Fort Bend County. # Several states and the US military are sending emergency workers and equipment to Texas.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

India and China have agreed to disengage on the issue of Doklam border dispute, an MEA announcement said on Monday.



Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said that there was a continuous channel of communication between two neighbouring Asain giants, which made the mutual agreement possible.

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests.

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going," the official statement said.

Here are the live updates:



#UPDATE: India has pulled back all border personnel and equipment from the border standoff site at Doklam as of Monday afternoon: Chinese FM pic.twitter.com/nTbHO6cu9y  People's Daily,China (@PDChina) August 28, 2017

#China foreign ministry says Indian forces have already withdrawn to the Indian side of border: Reuters

#China foreign ministry says Chinese forces will continue to patrol in Doklam region: Reuters

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8  Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2017

# Chinese media also confirm end of standoff



Chinese media houses namely Global Times and People's Daily China have confirmed the news from Chinese end.

"China, India agree to end over 2-month-long standoff in Doklam; China confirms India has withdrawn its troops," said PD China.

#BREAKING Chinese FM confirms that #India has withdrawn all its trespassing troops to Indian side of the border in #Doklam on Aug 28 pic.twitter.com/L35eAXNKEY  Global Times (@globaltimesnews) August 28, 2017

China, India agree to end over 2-month-long standoff in #Doklam; China confirms India has withdrawn its troops pic.twitter.com/Kwr6pFi2PN  People's Daily,China (@PDChina) August 28, 2017

Tensions ease days before PM Modi's China visit

The agreement can be hailed as a major victory for India as it had maintained that the two nations must withdraw forces from the border simultaneously as opposed to China's demand of India's withdrawal first.

The decision comes days before Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi is due to visit southeastern coastal city Xiamen for the BRICS summit next week.

PM Modi will be in China between September 3-5 for BRICS summit.

After the latest development, it is possible that PM and his counterpart will be able to hold Chinese President Xi Jinping will be able to hold talks with broader agendas, including India's membership to Nuclear Supplier's Group.

According to ministry sources, the communication between two nations were going on for several weeks.

Also read: HM Rajnath Singh confident China will take 'positive steps' to resolve crisis

The India-China standoff

India and China have been locked in a face-off in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the area.

China claimed it was constructing the road within their territory and has been demanding immediate pull-out of the Indian troops from the disputed Doklam plateau.



Bhutan says Doklam belongs to it but China claims it to be its territory. China has been ramping up rhetoric against India over the last few weeks demanding immediate withdrawal of Indian troops from Doklam.



The Chinese state media, particularly, have carried a barrage of critical articles on the Dokalam stand-off slamming India.

Also read: US encourages India, China to resolve issue via direct dialogue

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Beijing:

Downplaying Indias announcement of a mutual agreement to disengage in Dokalam, China claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area and said India had withdrawn its troops on Monday.

China also remained silent on its plans to build a road, which sparked the prolonged standoff in the Dokalam area near Sikkim, and said it would make adjustments with the situation on the ground.

As the Indian statement on mutual expeditious disengagement went viral on social media and among Chinese journalists, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel impressions of a climbdown by Beijing.

On the afternoon on August 28th, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary, she said.

Chinese personnel on the ground have verified this. The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions, she said, stonewalling questions about India?s announcement of mutual disengagement of troops.

The Chinese side, Hua added, continues to patrol the Dokalam area.

She also declined go into questions on whether there was any mutual understanding between the two countries to resolve the standoff.

However, after repeated questions, she said, I can tell you that China will make adjustments with the situation on the ground. She did not elaborate.

Hua was also conspicuously silent about whether China would proceed with the building of the road in Dokalam, which was the prime reason for the standoff.

India wanted the status quo to be restored to withdraw its troops.

Bhutan, which claimed sovereignty over the area, had lodged a diplomatic protest to China on June 28.

Troops of the two countries have been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

India wanted the status quo to be restored to withdraw its troops.

Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese troops from building the road close to the strategic Chicken Neck, the narrow corridor connecting Indias mainland with its North East.

India said Chinas road building also violated the 2012 agreement between the Special Representatives of India and China to resolve the boundary issue. The agreement referred to the strategic tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan.

Developments in Dokalam come days of ahead of the September 3-5 BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen.

So far, none of the leaders of the five-member bloc, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, have announced their visits.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Berlin:

A male nurse jailed for life two years ago for killing two patients with lethal drug overdoses murdered at least 90 patients in total, police said on Monday, calling it post-war Germanys worst killing spree.

Niels Hoegel, 40, was jailed in February 2015 for two murders and several attempted murders of intensive-care patients at the Delmenhorst hospital near the northern city of Bremen.

Police on Monday said that investigators exhuming and analysing more bodies had since found evidence of scores of additional murders.

The death toll is unique in the history of the German republic, said chief police investigator Arne Schmidt, adding that Hoegel killed randomly and preyed especially on those in critical condition.

There was evidence for at least 90 murders, and at least as many (suspected) cases again that can no longer be proven, he told a press conference, declaring himself speechless at the outcome.

Hoegel has admitted to injecting patients with a drug that can cause heart failure or circulatory collapse so he could then try to revive them and, when successful, shine as a saviour before his medical peers.

ALSO READ: Man develops throat cancer, shoots colleague in Delhi who allegedly introduced him to smoking

He said he felt euphoric when he managed to bring a patient back to life, and devastated when he failed.

After the revelations of the nurses murderous obsession, police and prosecutors launched a special forensic commission dubbed Kardio (Cardio) to look into other patient deaths.

Presenting their findings, police said Monday that more than 130 bodies had been exhumed and tested for traces of the deadly drug.

The cause of death in many more could not be determined because the remains were cremated, said Oldenburg police chief Johann Kuehme.

Hoegel had admitted to 30 cases in which he named patients he killed, said prosecutor Daniela Schiereck-Bohlemann.

The grisly case dates back to 2005, when a colleague witnessed the nurse injecting a patient at the Delmenhorst hospital.

The patient survived and the health care worker was arrested and, in 2008, sentenced to seven and a half years in jail for attempted murder.

Amid the media publicity, a woman then contacted police, voicing suspicion that her deceased mother had also fallen victim to the killer nurse.

The authorities exhumed several patients bodies and detected traces of the drug in five of them, declaring it either the definitive or possible contributing cause.

Hoegel was jailed for life in 2015, but at the time it was clear he had murdered dozens more patients, with investigators admitting they may never know the true number.

ALSO READ: Father kills minor daughter, hatches plan to kill sons to remarry in Delhi

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Houston:

Around 13 million people were battling catastrophic flooding and torrential rains in the storm-ravaged Texas where Hurricane Harvey has wreaked havoc, turning streets into raging rivers and claiming at least five lives.

Meteorologists have forecast that the historic rainfall will dump up to 50 inches by Wednesday.

Heavy rain bands were expected to move in over the Houston area overnight, which will continue the catastrophic and life-threatening flash-flood emergency in the area.

A flood of this magnitude is an 800-year event, and it exceeds the design specification of our levees, Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert said in a statement on Monday.

The flooding comes after Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit the US mainland in 13 years, left at least five people dead after it bashed the Texas Gulf coast.

Rescuers received more than 1,000 distress calls from people forced on their rooftops in the submerged Houston area.

Officials warned the danger was far from over. They said the flooding in Texas was unlikely to recede quickly and that the storm will?force more than 30,000 people from their homes.

ALSO READ | Hurricane Harvey: 200 Indians stranded at University of Houston

Federal officials have widened the emergency zone to Louisiana, the southeastern US state on the Gulf of Mexico.

US President Donald Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesday to get a first-hand information on the flooding.

Harvey has left a trail of destruction as it swept through Texas, pummelling the region with heavy rains and flash floods.

According to the Indian Consulate in Houston, at least 200 Indian students at University of Houston have been stranded due to the flooding. Houston is home to a sizable Indian population.

The hurricane has now turned into a tropical storm and is dumping rain on southern Texas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) called the flooding in Texas unprecedented. We are seeing catastrophic flooding, and this?will likely expand and it will likely persist as its slow to recede, its director Louis W Uccellini said on Monday.

The immediate focus for authorities remained Houston, the fourth-largest city in the US and a?sprawling metropolitan area. Two reservoirs were opened to release water to relieve the stress the downpour has caused in the region, which has seen as much rain in a few days as it averages in an entire year.

Parts of Harris County, which encompasses Houston, were pelted with 30 inches of rain in 72 hours, the NWS said.

Harvey has been hammering Texas since Friday, when it first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. At least five people have died and the death toll is expected to rise as the storm has triggering record floods and tidal surges.

The last Category 4 storm to hit the US was Hurricane Charley in August 2004 in Florida.

Officials say they have conducted more than 250 water rescues and rescued more than 1,000 people.

Major refineries were closing down, cutting at least one million barrels per day out of production, and the Houston Ship Channel, the busiest in the nation, is shut. Officials said Houston, a major centre for the nations energy industry, suffered billions of dollars in damage and would take years to fully recover.

Authorities have closed Houston schools for the week and shuttered William P Hobby Airport until at least the middle of the week.

Southwest Airlines has airlifted around 500 of its customers out of Hobby Airport, according to the airliner and the US government sources with knowledge of the operation.

Its scary. Ive been through many storms in my city, but it has never been this terrible. This city is completely underwater, Guatzin, a local resident, told CNN.

We have nowhere to go. I have a 2016 Chevy Silverado and the water is up to the door panels. The water keeps rising, said Jake Lewis, who was in Houston on business and woke up to ankle-deep water in his Houston hotel room.

Janet Castillo, who was trapped at home with children, said: The water keeps rising. We have called several numbers but no luck.

Rescuers in fishing boats, huge dump trucks and even front-end loaders battled rains to move people to shelter. Some used inflatable toys to ferry their families out of inundated neighbourhoods, wading through chest-deep water on foot while the region was under near-constant tornado watches.

The Brazos River, which runs southwest of Houston, is expected to reach record heights in the coming days.

Over the next few days, Harvey is forecast to head back into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will pick up moisture before moving back over Galveston and into Houston again, CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis said, meaning at least four more days of rainfall.

Harvey is the first major natural disaster to strike the US under the Trump presidency. Former president George W Bush was heavily criticised for the federal governments slow response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in August 2005.

ALSO READ | Hurrican Harvey: Trump to visit storm-hit Texas on Tuesday

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Hero of Mollywood's first musical hit 'Thiramala' shares his Hollywood stint, directing Prem Nazir and more
New Delhi:

It is like the pot calling the kettle black as Pakistan on Monday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad, J P Singh over the deaths of civilians in alleged ceasefire violation by Indian security forces along the LoC.

Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned Singh and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian troops, the Foreign Office said.

It said those killed in firing by Indian troops on Sunday included a woman. Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, the foreign office said.

Earlier on Sunday, Pakistani troops violated ceasefire along Line of Control (LoC), five civilians, including a woman and two minor boys, were injured in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Five persons received splinter injuries in the cross LoC firing and shelling by Pakistani troops. Two of them are undergoing treatment at the district hospital, District Development Commissioner, Poonch, Tariq Ahmad Zargar told PTI.

(With PTI Inputs)

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A 35-year-old police officer, stationed at a koban (police box) in front of Tokyo Station, has been arrested on suspicion of theft after he stole a wallet that had been handed in as a lost-and-found item.

According to police, Atsushi Kugaya was on duty at the koban on Saturday afternoon at around 4 p.m. when the wallet was handed in, Sankei Shimbun reported.

Police said Kugaya has admitted that he didn't report receiving the wallet, which had 40,000 yen in it. Instead, he took it home.

The case came to light later in the day, when the owner of the lost wallet, a man in his 70s, made inquiries at the koban.
At the opening of the trial of a male Chinese national accused of killing his wife and dumping her body inside a suitcase last year, the defendant denied an "intent to kill," reports TBS News.

At the Tokyo District Court on Monday, Zhou Shichao, 38, admitted to dumping the body of his wife, Yang Mei, aged 34 at the time, but denied the murder accusation. "There was not an intent to kill," the defendant told the court.

According to the indictment, the body of Yang was found inside a suitcase retrieved from a canal in front of the Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo Seafort on the afternoon of June 27, 2016. Prior to that, he allegedly strangled her to death inside an apartment in Arakawa Ward.

In its opening statement, the prosecution said, "Considering that cartilage around the neck of Miss Yang was broken, the intent to kill was strong." The defense countered by claiming that Zhou acted out of self defense, saying that money problems led to a fight between the couple.

Technical skill trainee

Yang, also a Chinese national, entered Japan as a technical skill trainee in September of 2013. She worked in Kyoto at an automotive parts company. In March, 2014, she went missing and the company reported her disappearance to authorities in her home town in China.

On July 7, 2016. police first arrested Zhou for overstaying his visa. Prior to that, he had turned himself over to police, saying that he had information regarding the discovery of Yang's body.

The ruling in the case is expected on September 11.

Aug 28 (ANNnewsCH) - aZa6aaaaaaaeaaaaaaaaaaaeaaeaaaaYaaaaaaaaaaaacaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaSaaaaaYaaeeaaaaeaaeaaaaYa
Ishikawa Prefectural Police have arrested a man after a stabbing incident at a residence in Kanazawa City left two officers injured, report TV Asahi.

At 9:40 p.m., two officers visiting the residence over a traffic violation were stabbed by the man, aged in his 30s, as he wielded a kitchen knife. He then fled the scene by car. The officers suffered serious injuries to the face and arm that are not considered life threatening. About one hour later, the man, was apprehended in Kanazawa on suspicion of attempted murder. The suspect, who was not named, admits to the allegations.

Aug 28 (ANNnewsCH) - 27aaeaaaeseaaaaaaaaeaaYeaYa2aacaacaaaSaaaaaaaYacaaaeeaaaaYaaaaaaeaaaaaYa
BROOKFIELD  The Inland Wetlands Commission will hold a public hearing Monday night on the proposal for an 112-unit affordable housing complex on Federal Road.

Developer Demarcate, LLC hopes to build the complex on 10.6 wooded acres on 468 Federal Road. The land is across the street from Max BMW Motorcycles and less than two miles north of the Four Corners intersection. The development, called Brookfield Mews, would include eight apartment buildings and a community wing.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 6

12:35 p.m. Bar expands LandLine for Harvey victims

The Houston Bar Association has expanded its LegalLine to assist those affected by Hurricane Harvey and set up a toll-free line for Texans outside the Houston area, the group said in a news release.

Volunteer attorneys will answer phone calls from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, through Sept. 29. Extended LegalLine hours will be available from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday Sept. 6 and Sept. 20.

Those seeking answers to legal questions or referrals may call 713-759-1133 or 1-866-959-1133.

The HBA's Houston Volunteer Lawyers is working with Lone Star Legal Aid to coordinate legal aid for low-income persons affected by Harvey.

Information: www.makejusticehappen.org/Harvey

12:20 p.m. VA deploys mobile vet centers, medical units to Houston area

The VA has deployed five mobile vet centers, three mobile medical units, one mobile pharmacy and one mobile canteen to greater Houston and other areas affected by tropical storm Harvey. The units will offer medical care, pharmacy assistance, counseling services and benefits referral from Wednesday Sept. 6 to Sept. 30. The hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

They are located at NRG Arena, 1 NRG Park (mobile vet center); American Legion Post 658, 14890 FM 2100, Crosby (mobile vet center); Silsbee High School, 1575 U.S. 96 North, Silsbee (mobile medical unit); the Beaumont VA Outpatient Clinic, 3420 Plaza Circle, Beaumont (mobile medical unit, vet center and canteen); the Lone Star Veterans Association, 2929 McKinney St., Houston (mobile medical unit, vet center and pharmacy); and Wal-Mart, 23561 U.S. 59, Porter (mobile vet center).

Veterans may also call the Telecare Call Center at 1-800-639-5137 or 713-794-8985 for medical issues or questions

11:50 a.m. House approves $7.9 billion initial aid package for Harvey losses

The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to provide $7.9 billion in aid to address losses from Hurricane Harvey, a move that could be paired with legislation to increase the federal government's borrowing limit.

The initial aid package, approved 419-3, is bigger than the amount floated by the White House over the weekend when President Donald Trump made his second trip to Texas in the wake of the storm. But divisions remain among House and Senate Republicans about tying the aid to the debt-limit increase.

The Senate is expected to attach the money to a debt-limit vote later this week. Conservatives in the House and Senate, including Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, have voiced concern about linking the two votes, which Cruz called "unrelated matters."

Senior Texas U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the Republican Majority Whip, said he supports the plan as a way to immediately replenish needed funds for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

11:45 a.m. Postal service continuing its Harvey recovery

The U.S. Postal Service says its continuing the recovery from Hurricane Harvey

"We're open for business and delivering where it's accessible and safe to do so," the postal service said in a statement Wednesday morning.

The following offices have resumed normal operations: Brazoria, Lumberton, Sweeny and Thompsons, the postal service said in a news release on Tuesday. All offices in the Houston District have resumed normal operations except for Bear Creek, Deweyville, downtown Beaumont, Glen Flora, Katy, Mauriceville, Nome, Orange and Stowell. The operations for these offices have shifted to other locations.

The postal service urges customers in affected areas to check its website for updates on service interruptions. Updates on service alerts may be found at: http://about.usps.com/news/service-alerts/resident-weather-updates.htm

Those interested in information about a specific post office may call 1-800 ASK-USPS.

11:25 .a.m. Police look for man who went missing during storm

Houston police are looking for a 44-year-old man who went missing as he tried to drive to work on Aug. 26, as Tropical Storm Harvey was moving into the Houston area.

Police said Joseph Dowell left for work at around 2:30 p.m. from the 5600 block of Kennilwood but never made it to work. He is described as a bald African-American man who is 5 foot 9 and 190 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call the missing persons unit at 832-394-1840.

11:12 a.m. H-E-B family member donates $5M to J.J. Watt's relief fund

A member of the H-E-B family has announced a major donation to Houston Texans star J.J. Watt's Houston Flood Relief Fund.

H-E-B chairman and CEO Charles Butt will deliver a personal, $5 million contribution to the Justin J. Watt Foundation's fund, which has collected in excess of $21 million. This looks to be one of the largest personal contributions so far going toward Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

Watt's fund started last week with a modest total of $100,000 and has now become a global effort with contributions by fellow sports figures, celebrities, business owners and regular people chipping in what they can.

11:10 a.m. Nonprofit focuses on children's needs after Harvey

The nonprofit group Children at Risk was to host a meeting with more than 20 area non-profit leaders on Wednesday morning to discuss Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts.

"As we rebuild our homes, schools and communities, it is imperative to focus on our most vulnerable residents  children," the group said in a news release. "The leaders have identified 6 key areas that Texas must be aware of as we move forward with recovery efforts."



11:01 a.m. Abbott says no hazardous waste sites in Houston area found leaking so far

AUSTIN  Gov. Abbott said Tuesday that an inspection of hazardous waste sites and landfills in the Houston area has found no evidence so far of any leakage or health threats.

At a morning briefing with reporters at the state's Emergency Operations Center, Abbott said five of 17 state sites have been inspected and show no signs of leakage or other issues so far. He said one site, International Creosote, remains flooded.

Eleven others are awaiting inspection, officials said. Abbott said inspections are continuing at the state sites.

Abbott said Texas Commission on Environmental Quality are working closely with federal Environmental Protection Agency officials to closely monitor the sites for any problems.

MONDAY, Sept. 4

9:45 p.m. 500 homes "destroyed" in south Montgomery County subdivision

Five-hundred homes were "destroyed" by Hurricane Harvey in the south Montgomery County subdivision of River Plantation, said Montgomery County Precinct 2 Commissioner Charlie Riley.

Riley said volunteers, county employees and law enforcement are conducting relief efforts there, and members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency are helping victims get federal aid.

9:20 p.m. Addicks, Barker reservoirs continue to drop

Addicks and Barker reservoir continued to drop Monday night. Flooding of homes behind the dams was expected to end in the coming days.

Addicks reservoir's pool was down to 105.65 feet. At 103.4 feet, all house flooding should end, said Harris County Flood Control District meteorologist Jeff Lindner.

Barker's level was at 97.99 feet. At 94.9 feet, flooding behind Barker should end, Lindner said.

8:05 p.m. Two Harris County flood victims identified

The Harris County medical examiner on Monday identified two victims of last week's Harvey-related flooding. They had been included previously in the number of confirmed dead in the county, which now stands at 30.

The first victim is Charles Ray James, 65, who was found floating in high waters on a residential street in the 7400 block of Claiborne on Thursday. The second is Samuel Lawrence Burns, Sr., 62, who was found Wednesday in the 4900 block of Airline Drive after apparently collapsing in high water.

More than 60 people in the Houston area and other parts of the state have died since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Aug. 25 and unleashed record flooding.



7:50 p.m. Harris County warns of heavy traffic, signal delays during Tuesday's commute

Harris County officials warned that road closures and traffic signal timings would likely create a significant traffic headache Tuesday morning.

Houston area roads are expected to see the highest number of cars Tuesday since Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25.

There are still several roads closed in Harris County including State Highway 6, Barker Cypress Road, North Eldridge Parkway and Clay Road all north of I-10. Parts of Westheimer Parkway, South Barker Cypress Road and other roads near the Harris County border with Fort Bend County are also closed.

Traffic signals will have special timing schedules to accommodate for traffic altered due to road closures.

7:25 p.m. Houston mayor to decide on curfew Tuesday

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he would make a decision on whether to extend a citywide curfew on Tuesday.

The curfew prohibits people from leaving their homes between 12 a.m. and 5 a.m. It is in effect Monday night.

Turner will announce on Tuesday whether it will remain in effect Tuesday night and beyond.

"Persons involved in flood relief efforts, flood relief volunteers, individuals seeking shelters, first responders, and persons going to and from work (late shift workers) are exempt from the curfew," according to the city.

6:45 p.m. Brazoria County bans recreational boating on Brazos, San Bernard Rivers

Brazoria County Judge Matt Sebesta issued an order Monday banning recreational boating on the Brazos River, San Bernard River, Oyster Creek and Bastrop Bayou.

The order was signed in "an effort to minimize damage to real and personal property of others and for public safety during this disaster," according to a county notice. It would remain in effect until Sebesta rescinds the order or the disaster declaration for the county is removed.

The Brazos had retreated to moderate flood stage earlier in the day, days after reaching a record height.

6 p.m. Army Corps reducing releases from Barker dam

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began reducing the amount of water released from Barker reservoir Sunday night, a move that continued Monday and promised to reduce widespread flooding in west Houston along Buffalo Bayou downstream of Addicks and Barker dams.

As of Monday evening, Barker reservoir was releasing between 5,000 and 6,000 cubic feet per second of water, down from 6,300 CFS in the days before.

Once the Barker releases get down to 4,000 CFS, the Corps said it would begin decreasing releases from Addicks "until we have our releases back below the high banks of Buffalo Bayou," said Richard Long, Natural Resource Management Specialist at the Corps' Galveston District.

The goal, eventually, is to get releases down to 4,000 CFS combined from Addicks and Barker dams.

5:10 p.m. Face recognition software matching pictures of lost pets with those found in shelters

People who lost their pets during Hurricane Harvey can upload the pet's picture into an app that will use facial recognition to match the pictures with animals checked into shelters in recent days.

Photos of animals arriving in shelters are being uploaded into a database.

If someone has lost their pet, they can upload a picture of the pet to findingrover.com or the Finding Rover smartphone app.

An algorithm will try to make a match and provide the pet's potential location. The service is free for shelters and pet owners.

Our Mihir Zaveri has the full story here.

5 p.m. FEMA extends grace period for paying flood insurance premiums

If your flood insurance premium payments were due between July 24 and Sept. 22, and you live in a county that was included in a presidential disaster declaration after Hurricane Harvey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended a grace period by which you can pay your premium.

The grace period is now 120 days, according to FEMA. That means you won't lose coverage if you can't make your payment right away, up to 120 days from when it's due.

"FEMA wants to ensure that policyholders affected by flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey can focus on their immediate needs, begin to recover, and continue to have flood insurance coverage in the event of additional flooding," the agency stated in a notice Monday.

The agency also made it easier to receive payments faster and waived some paperwork necessary to process claims.

Read more here.

4:45 p.m. City of Houston: Cleaning after Hurricane Harvey may pose health hazards

People 7-years-of-age and older with cuts or other wounds should get a tetanus shot and see a doctor if they were exposed to Hurricane Harvey's floodwaters, city officials warned.

The officials said: residents should use special, N-95 rated dust masks when cleaning moldy homes that took on floodwaters.

Surfaces should be washed with soap and clean, warm water and sanitized with bleach.

Any standing water should be drained so disease-carrying mosquitoes cannot breed, the officials warned.

3:30 p.m. FEMA registrations up to more than 550,000

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Sunday it has received more than 550,000 applications for aid in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Harvey.

FEMA has so far granted applications for 176,000 people. Aid totals include $50 million for housing assistance, including rental assistance and $91 million to replace personal property, pay for transportation and shoulder medical and dental costs.

The agency also opened a disaster recovery center at the George R. Brown Convention Center that will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. Those affected can apply for assistance, get a status update on an application, speak to a FEMA representative, or discuss a low-interest disaster loan with a Small Business Administrative representative.

3:15 p.m. Harris County begins debris removal

Harris County began removing debris from outside of people's homes Monday.

Officials said residents should place debris curbside "without blocking roadway or storm drains" and sort it into the following categories: vegetative debris, construction and demolition debris, appliances and electronics.

Debris that won't be picked up includes normal household trash and hazardous waste.

Those with questions are encouraged to call (713) 274-3880 or can find more information here.

3:02 p.m.: Gov. Abbott asks that 7 counties added to presidential disaster area

Gov. Greg Abbott asked that seven counties be added to the Federal Disaster Declaration previously granted by FEMA, bringing the total request to 43 counties.

The new additions are Austin, Bastrop, DeWitt, Gonzales, Karnes, Lavaca and Lee counties.

11:48 a.m. East of Houston, death toll rises to 17

The Southeast Texas death toll from Harvey rose to 17 on Monday, the Beaumont Enterprise reports.

Newton County Sheriff Billy Rowles said a Deweyville man and a Newton woman have died in his county due to floodwaters.

Orange County officials said Sunday there have been nine storm-related deaths in the county so far. Four of the deaths were elderly people and possibly related to a power outage, according to officials.

"If you have a friend or family member that did not leave areas that were impacted by the rising waters and you have not heard from them, we urge you to contact your local law enforcement."

Port Arthur spokeswoman Risa Carpenter said an elderly woman's body was found inside her home on 22nd Street in Port Arthur on Saturday.

Colette Sulcer, 41, died after being pulled from rushing waters with her 3-year-old daughter clinging to her side on Tuesday in Beaumont. The girl survived. A second woman, who was found on the city's low-lying North End early Wednesday, has not been identified. Rescue teams found a body floating in the 8600 block of Overhill Lane Wednesday evening. Police did not identify the person.

On Tuesday night, Russell Barnes, 51, and Ginger Barnes, 34, both of Alvin, were killed in Jasper County when a tree fell on their truck.

10:15 a.m. Convicts return to 2 prisons near Richmond

State officials on Monday began returning 1,400 convicts to two prisons near Richmond that were evacuated a week ago because of flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey.

Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said transfers of prisoners to the Jester 3 and Vance units began around dawn from prisons in South Texas, after the two lockups near the Brazos River were determined to be safe.

The two prisons had been among five that were evacuated beginning two weeks ago because of record flooding southwest of Houston after Harvey began dumping up to 51 inches of rain on the area as it moved ashore.

More than 5,900 convicts were relocated in secure buses accompanied by correctional officers and other corrections staff. Clark said no decision has been made on when convicts will return to the three remaining prisons that were evacuated -- Stringfellow, Ramsey and Terrell.



9:55 a.m. Brazos River still high, but retreating

Days after cresting at a record-high water level, the Brazos River has retreated to the moderate flood stage level.

Monday measurements from the National Weather Service show the river at a height of 49.6 feet, a read that puts it just below the major flood stage.

The river topped 55 feet for the first time ever last week, devastating towns and neighborhoods throughout Fort Bend and Brazoria counties.

The NWS expects the river's water level will fall into the minor flooding stage by Tuesday, and then rapidly decrease throughout the week.

9:34 a.m. Man with Alzheimer's reported missing since Friday

A 63-year-old man with early onset Alzheimer's disease has been missing since last week.

The family of James Simmon said he was last seen around 6 p.m. Friday in the 1600 block of Castle Court, in south Montrose.

Simmon is 5'9 and white, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a yellow plaid shirt, blue jeans and a Houston Astros hat when he was last seen.

Simmon was the Houston Chronicle's political editor from 1990 to 1994 and the editor of the Houston Press from 1994 to 1998, according to his LinkedIn page. He was last the city editor of the Bryan Eagle.

Anyone with information should call Houston Police Department's Missing Persons Unit at 832-394-1840.



9:04 a.m. After reports of scams, Houston police accompany Energy Insights employees

Uniformed first responders will now be accompanying Energy Insights employees as they work to shut off power in flooded homes around Harris County.

The move, Police Chief Art Acevedo tweeted Sunday, is in response to reports of people impersonating Energy Insights employees.

"(Legitimate employees) are not shutting off power in houses not flooded," he wrote. "Don't open doors. ... Call 911 if you spot impostors."

8:37 a.m. Fort Bend County ends curfew

Fort Bend County has ended its curfew meant to protect evacuated properties and their owners.

County Judge Bob Hebert lifted the order Sunday, and also announced that mandatory evacuation orders for districts in the county that operate levees were ended. Such orders are still in effect for some neighborhoods along the Barker Reservoir, and Hebert warned that "individual neighborhoods and homes may still pose hazards" such as "displaced animals, contaminated flood waters and unstable structures."

8:21 a.m. Houston Theater District closes underground parking

The underground parking garages in Houston's Theater District are closed until further notice due to flooding, the Houston First Corporation said Sunday.

"Houston First is assessing damages, and working with contractors to safely and efficiently pump water out of the garages," HFC said in a press release. "Although the pumping process has begun, full restoration of the garages could take weeks."

HFC said it will in the meantime make available 2,000 spaces in other parking facilities nearby. The closed underground parking lots span 18 underground blocks, and have more than 3,350 parking spaces.

7:49 a.m. Chance of more rain through Wednesday

The Houston area could see more rain and thunderstorms this week, according to the National Weather Service.

The Labor Day forecast is dry and hot, with highs expected near 90 degrees during the day.

More rain could come Tuesday, according to NWS, with a 20 percent chance of rain and thunderstorms, and a high of 91 degrees. Chances for rain will climb to 40 percent Tuesday evening, and dip down to 20 percent Wednesday.

The forecast for Wednesday night through Sunday is for clear skies, with highs in the high 80s and lows around 60.

7:45 a.m. Evacuation zone lifted near Crosby chemical plant after 'controlled burn'

A day after a controlled burn destroyed six final trailers of decomposing chemicals, authorities lifted the 1.5-mile evacuation zone around the troubled Arkema chemical plant in Crosby.

The company announced the decision early Monday morning in a press release crediting the Crosby Fire Department and unified command.

"Arkema thanks the unified command for their hard work and professionalism to ensure the safety of all during the post-Hurricane Harvey period," the statement said.

"Arkema will continue to work with its neighbors and the community to recover from the substantial impact of Hurricane Harvey."

SUNDAY, Sept. 3

10:21 p.m.: Gov. Abbott meets with Sen. Cornyn, Reps. McCarthy and McCaul to discuss Harvey

Elected officials committed themselves to help victims of Harvey at a meeting on Sunday and discussed Congress' response to the storm, Gov. Greg Abbott's office said.

Attendees committed to act "swiftly" to pass a funding measure that would help Texans, a statement read.

Attendees included U.S. Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Michael McCaul.

Monday, Cornyn planned to join House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and U.S. Reps. Randy Weber and Brian Babin in Beaumont for a briefing from emergency management officials on conditions in that inundated city.

9:17 p.m.: Houston trash pickup requires moving cars

City of Houston officials urged residents to move vehicles, trailers and debris from the roadways as they prepare to pick up trash on Monday.

Crews will begin work at 7 a.m. in Fosters Mill on Monday. A separate convoy will start at Kings Point on 7 a.m. Monday. Additional trucks will move to Kings Point after completing work at Barrington.

Any trash blocked by a vehicle will not be picked up, city officials said.

9:08 p.m.: City of contrasts: Some Houston residents in crisis, others find normal

In west Houston late Sunday morning, first responders went door-to-door to ensure people had evacuated homes still flooded more than a week after Hurricane Harvey roared through Texas. At that moment, in a dry neighborhood across town, a few dozen residents were enjoying brunch at Pax Americana: Brisket hash, honey-butter chicken, cold mimosas.

More than a week after the worst disaster in state history, Houston officials and residents began confronting a city of contrasts: Between those spared by Harvey, and those still in crisis. Between aiding people in need, and returning to business as usual. Between starting the rebuilding process, and pausing to reconsider the cost of unmitigated development.

For our full story, click here.

8:40 p.m.: Missing volunteer pulled from Cypress Creek



Nearly four days after Harvey's record flooding slammed a rescue boat into an Interstate 45 frontage road bridge, family members of the final, missing volunteer pulled his body from Cypress Creek in Spring.

Alonso Guillen, a 31-year-old disc jockey from Lufkin, disappeared on Wednesday around midnight along with two friends after their boat hit the bridge over the creek and capsized. One of them was rescued after clinging to a tree in the rushing water, but days later, after the rains let up and the creek level receded, Guillen and Tomas Carreon Jr. were still missing.

For the full story, click here.

8:21 p.m.: Mayor Turner: Houston is open for business

In west Houston late Sunday morning, first responders went door-to-door to ensure people had evacuated homes still flooded more than a week after Hurricane Harvey roared through Texas.

More than a week after the worst disaster in state history, Houston officials and residents began confronting a city of contrasts: Between those spared by Harvey, and those still in crisis. Between aiding people in need, and returning to business as usual. Between starting the rebuilding process, and pausing to reconsider the cost of unmitigated development.

A day after issuing a mandatory evacuation order for 300 people in flooded parts of west Houston  one of several areas that are likely to remain inundated for weeks longer  Mayor Sylvester Turner went on national Sunday talk shows with a bullish message for those thinking about visiting his beleaguered city.

"The airport system is up and running. The transit system is up and running. We've started picking up heavy debris," Turner said on CBS' "Face the Nation." "Let me be very, very clear," he added. "The city of Houston is open for business."

8:17 p.m.: Numbers in George R. Brown, NRG Center dwindling

About 1,000 people are living in the George R. Brown Convention Center, and about 2,700 people are in the NRG Center as of Sunday, officials said.

The City of Houston said it aims to relocate the last 1,000 people by the end of the week.

So far, Harris County officials said, about 2,275 people have been relocated from the NRG Center.

There are 171 volunteers on site, those officials said.

6:37 p.m.: Fort Bend curfew, evacuation updates

The curfew in the unincorporated areas of Fort Bend County has been lifted, that sheriff's office said at 6:32 p.m. Sunday.

That office also said that the Levee Improvement District evacuation orders have been lifted. The county's Office for Emergency Management warned that there still could be flooded roads, fallen trees, displaced animals and standing water.

Low-lying areas near the Brazos and San Bernard rivers are still under voluntary evacuation.

"The conditions have improved enough to warrant a cautious lifting of these orders for much of the county," stated Fort Bend County Judge Robert Hebert, who also lifted the county's curfew.

6:30 p.m.: The Red Cross has updated emergency support figures

Saturday night, at least 32,399 people sought refuge in 226 Red Cross and partner shelters across Texas overnight. The Red Cross is also assisting the Louisiana state government with an emergency shelter which hosted nearly 1,700 people .

More than 2,700 Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground, and more than 660 are on the way.

Shelter supplies to support more than 85,000 people are on the ground.

Along with its partners, Red Cross served more than a half million (515,000) meals and snacks since the storm began.



5:39 p.m.: Mexican government says Harvey help to arrive by Tuesday

Amb. Carlos Sada, Mexico's undersecretary of foreign Affairs for North America, said Texas officials on Saturday night cleared the way for Mexican relief teams to begin arriving by Tuesday.

"We are ready to jump in and help as soon as possible," Sada said.

The Mexican government will send high-clearance trucks, all-terrain vehicles, cargo aircraft, boats, communications equipment, large generators, mobile community kitchens and a mobile water treatment plant.

For the full story, click here.

5:27: First Disaster Recovery Center opens in Houston

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Sunday opened its first Disaster Recovery Center in Houston. The center is on the north end of the George R. Brown Convention Center downtown.

The agency is working to identify locations for additional centers, where residents affected by Tropical Storm Harvey can apply for aid, ask questions or resolve problems, said agency spokesman Peter Herrick Jr.

The center at the George R. Brown is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Another center opened Sunday at 1303 W. Gayle St. in the town of Edna, near Victoria southwest of Houston. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Herrick said.

5:02 p.m.: Shippin' down from Boston

Nine truckloads of food, formula, toiletries and blankets from the City of Boston will arrive at 9 p.m. at the Houston Food Bank.

Ed Emmett, Harris County Judge, said he would greet the trucks, backed by Marty Walsh, Boston's mayor.

Boston collected goods from Tuesday through Friday, the city said in a release.

4:13 p.m.: Last six Arkema chemical containers ignited

Arkema Inc. is igniting the remaining six containers of chemicals at its Crosby plant, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Fire Marshal's office said Sunday afternoon.

She declined to comment on how the company is setting off these six vehicles.

"They've started the operation," spokeswoman Rachel Moreno said.

Crosby residents should expect to see visible smoke around the area, she said. A 1.5-mile radius surrounding the plant has been evacuated.

The fire marshal's office called Arkema's ignition of the containers "a proactive approach to minimize the impacts to the community."

Company officials, who said they made the decision to set off the last six containers, said they believe that the chemicals in the trailers have been decomposing. Without the vehicles catching flames, however, they would not be able to know if the the chemicals are totally neutralized, spokesman Jeff Carr said.

For the full story, click here.

4:04 p.m.: Most Metro HOT lanes open Tuesday

Most HOT lanes managed by Metropolitan Transit Authority will reopen on Tuesday, officials said Sunday.

The one exception will be along Interstate 45, where officials are still evaluating the safety of the lanes.

All park and ride service will also resume after the Labor Day holiday on Monday. Along I-45, service will be detoured, but operational.

As of Sunday, Metro said 70 bus routes are in service, along with most rail service. The Red Line is running along all stops, while Green and Purple line trains are not running through the central business district.

3:26 p.m.: Navajo Nation to distribute supplies

Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye and Vice President Jonathan Nez picked up toiletries, hygiene items, non-perishable food and school supplies at the First Indian Baptist Church of Houston.

They plan to distribute these goods to Navajo families in need. Right now, they're on the way to a Meyerland home, said Mihio Manus, a spokesman.

12:44 p.m.: So much water, it skipped a watershed

Storms and flooding from Harvey became so severe, water on the Colorado River jumped into the neighboring San Bernard watershed, according to the National Weather Service.

As they analyze flows from the rivers and watersheds, officials said Sunday it appeared levels in the Colorado plateaued, as San Bernard levels remained higher than officials predicted.

The conclusion of researchers was that Colorado water reached the watershed's natural peak and spilled into the San Bernard.

11:36 a.m.: Coast Guard says most ports are open

Most channels of the ports, including the Galveston Bay Entrance, are now open both day and night, the Coast Guard confirmed Sunday. The Houston Ship Channel is open from the entrance channel to Baytown Highlands, but only for vessels with a maximum 40-foot draft. The Houston Ship Channel above the Baytown Highlands is open to towing vessels transits.

At the Port of Freeport vessels with under a 38-foot draft can arrive during daylight. The Galveston Harbor and Texas City are also open, but only for vessels with a maximum 37-foot draft.

Bolivar Roads Anchorages A, B, and C are open at the pilot's discretion. The Coast Guard warns that there is a short duration use for bunkering and inspections.

11:16 a.m.: FEMA updates relief figures, 37,000 still in shelters

More than 37,000 spent the night in Texas shelters as the state slowly digs out from the fierce storms that flooded neighborhoods and sent thousands scrambling for higher ground.

In a Sunday morning update, FEMA officials said President Donald Trumps approval of disaster assistance authorized the federal government to pick up 90 percent of the cost of debris removal, something officials anticipate will strain area landfills and heavy haul trucking companies.

In the meantime, the Red Cross and others are caring for evacuees along the Texas coast at more than 270 shelters. FEMA has given Texas over the past days 4.7 meals, 4.3 million liters of water, 13,900 blankets and 13,400 cots.

10:59 a.m.: Dam releases continuing, with no further home flooding envisioned

Controlled releases continue from Addicks and Barker reservoirs, as city officials tamp down concerns that more homes could flood as waters recede.

A combined 13,300 cubic feet of water is flowing from the two reservoirs each second, according to the Harris County Flood Control District. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing the reservoirs.

As a result of the flows, flood control officials said the pools behind Addicks and Barker are shrinking, though it will be up to two weeks before homes impacted are out of the water.

In the meantime, officials do not expect more homes to flood downstream along Buffalo Bayou. City officials called for mandatory evacuations on Saturday, which led some to worry more flooding was imminent.

Houston District G Councilman Greg Travis sent notes Sunday trying to tamp down the concerns.

Let me make this simple: Do you have standing water in your house? If NO, then your power will NOT be cut and you do NOT have to evacuate this morning, Travis office wrote in a message to residents.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said the evacuations were necessary to ensure safety of residents and first responders. Electricity to the area was being shut off to protect everyone from downed lines.

10:35 a.m.: First-responders going door-to-door in West Houston mandatory evacuation area

CenterPoint and first responders are walking the flooded areas marked for mandatory evacuation in west Houston to determine where power needs to be shut off.

The area in question is from State Highway 6 to South Gessner and From Highway 10 south to Briar Forest. Residents in that area who have water in their homes are being asked to evacuate as soon as possible.

All CenterPoint employees will be accompanied by a law enforcement officer of someone from the fire department.

8:42 a.m.: Officials optimistic and cautious about Harvey rebuild

As Houston dries out, Mayor Sylvester Turner said in a trio of national television appearances he doesnt want its businesses to dry up.

The City of Houston is open for business, Turner told CBS Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan.

Municipal workers report back on Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday, and Turner said the long rebuilding process will continue as Houston roars back to life.

I am expecting employers to open and employees to get back to work, he said.

Turner, however, did not diminish the gravity of what lies ahead. Debris piles the size of railcars must be hauled away from some inundated communities. He told Meet the Press host Chuck Todd that simply cleaning up could take 10 days, while rebuilding is poised to last much longer.

"What we need is rapid repair housing, so people can stay in their homes while they make the bigger repairs, Turner told Todd.

The rebuild, however, might not be a return to Houston exactly as it has been, according to Gov. Greg Abbott.

It would be insane for us to rebuild on property that has been flooded multiple times, Abbott told ABC News Martha Raddatz.  I think everybody probably is in agreement that there are better strategies that we must employ.

Meanwhile, Abbott, Turner and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz both applauded the way the community pulled together in crisis as they made the television rounds.

People are hurting, Cruz told Raddatz. But in the face of that disaster we have seen incredible bravery.

7:56 a.m.: Four rescued from fierce Neches River waters

Four boaters stranded without fuel upstream from Beaumont on the Neches River were plucked from the waters by a U.S. Coast Guard recovery team on Saturday night, Jefferson County officials said.

The boaters called emergency dispatchers around 10:45 p.m., saying they believed they were about five or six miles upstream from Beaumonts Riverfront Park, tied off to a tree. A Coast Guard helicopter spotted the four, and sent a swift water rescue team to their location to pick them up.

The Neches River is still a danger for boaters, the Jefferson County Sheriffs Office said in a release. The current is swift and turbulent. That coupled with floating debris makes it very hazardous.

SATURDAY, Sept. 2

11:50 p.m. Mail delivery resumes in some neighborhoods

The U.S. Postal Service is trying to get back to normal delivery in Houston. But first, it'll deliver some mail on Sunday.

The Oak Forest post office, at 2499 Judiway, will resume delivery to Oak Forest residents on Sunday after a several-day interruption. At first, door-to-door service will include just the most urgent mail: checks and medications.

In other neighborhoods, the post office still isn't able to deliver. But about three dozen post offices are now open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily (including weekends) so residents can pick up U.S. Treasury checks and "identifiable medications." Customers must present proper ID to receive items. Get the full list of pickup stations here.

10:20 p.m. Fort Bend County lifts mandatory evacuation for some areas in Barker Reservoir

Some residents can reenter their homes near the Barker Reservoir in Fort Bend County, while others are still under a mandatory evacuation order.

For a list of which areas no longer are under mandatory evacuation, click here.

County officials caution that even though the evacuation order is lifted, returning may not be safe.

"Many neighborhoods within the Barker Reservoir area may still have hazards present such as flooded roads, fallen trees, displaced animals, and standing water," the county said in a statement Saturday evening. "Residents should use extreme caution when returning to their homes."

9:20 p.m. Harris County to help residents test well water

Harris County plans to help residents test private water wells for contamination in Tropical Storm Harvey's aftermath.

Floodwaters harbor bacteria, fungi, viruses and other contaminants that could have infiltrated private water wells. Water should be tested and chlorinated before drinking, county officials say.

Starting Tuesday, residents can pick up bottles to collect samples and have them tested at 11 locations around the county.

A list of locations can be found here.

8:30 p.m. Harvey victim found dead floating in Cypress Creek

Tomas Carreon-Esquivel, 25, became the 29th flood victim confirmed by the Harris County medical examiner.

Carreon-Esquivel's body was found floating in Cypress Creek, according to the medical examiner.

Officials estimate Carreon-Esquivel died on Friday at around 1:15 p.m. His body was found around 22411 Greenbrook Drive.

More than 50 people - including a veteran Houston police officer - have died or are feared dead in the Houston area and beyond in flooding or circumstances connected to Tropical Storm Harvey, according to local officials.

Our staff has the full story here.

7:30 p.m. Harris County flood control officials: no more uncontrolled releases from Addicks, Barker

Water is no longer spilling out of the north side of Addicks reservoir, Harris County Flood Control District Officials said Saturday.

That means flooding near Eldridge Parkway and Tanner Road from the uncontrolled releases is decreasing.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is still releasing about 13,300 cubic feet per second of water from Addicks and Barker reservoirs. This has been largely the same for days.

Water from Tropical Storm Harvey pooling in the reservoirs has caused widespread flooding upstream, while releases contributed to flooding of thousands of homes along Buffalo Bayou.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner called for a mandatory evacuation of west Houston homes that are inundated.

7:15 p.m. Harris County ramps up debris collection

People who live in unincorporated Harris County and need help with debris removal or repairs to their homes can call a hotline with questions: (713) 274-3880.

The hotline can help people answer questions about debris removal, permits needed to repair or rebuild homes or other buildings, and other general questions about basic needs.

"The major goal of the Harris County Residential Debris and Damage Assessment Hotline is to ensure that public roads and other infrastructure do not pose an immediate threat to public safety," the county stated in a news release Saturday. "Harris County Residential Debris and Damage Assessment teams are currently working to conduct safety and damage assessments, while clearing debris from public roads in areas where flood waters have receded."

6:15 p.m. FEMA registration applications top half a million

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has received more than 507,000 applications for aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

FEMA has approved $114.7 million in aid to 161,000 people so far. About $33.6 million is for assistance with housing, such as paying displaced victims' rent, and $81 million will help victims replace personal property, pay for transportation, as well as medical and dental assistance.

5:40 p.m. Mayor Sylvester Turner orders mandatory evacuation of West Houston homes flooded by Buffalo Bayou and dam releases

Mayor Sylvester Turner ordered a mandatory evacuation of an area of West Houston which has been inundated by high waters on Buffalo Bayou.

The order affects areas of Houston south of I-10, north of Briarforest, east of Addicks and Barker reservoirs and west of Gessner.

About 300 people are believed to be in the area, which includes approximately 4,000 homes.

That part of Houston will likely be underwater for weeks as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases water from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs to empty them out in case they need to hold back water from future rains.

Our Ileana Najarro has the full story here.

5:20 p.m. Kingwood High School closed for foreseeable future, students to attend Summer Creek High

The Humble Independent School District said that students attending Kingwood High School will have to attend Summer Creek High School while the district attempts to restore Kingwood High from Hurricane Harvey damage.

"This will require a modified schedule," said spokesperson Jamie Mount. "Humble ISD has asked for families and staff to share input through a survey on scheduling options."

Mount said Kingwood high could be closed for the entire 2017-18 school year -- though it could open sooner if restoration work is completed.

"Under normal circumstances, we would never ask two large high schools to coexist under one roof," Mount said. "Unfortunately, Hurricane Harvey took away normal."

4:15 p.m. Harris County homeowners can report damage to decrease home appraisals

The Harris County Appraisal district is encouraging homeowners to report damage from Hurricane Harvey so residents can lower their property tax bill.

The district said homeowners can report damage through the "HCAD app," which can be downloaded on iPhone, iPad or Android phones.

Residents can also report damage by calling (713) 821-5805, or emailing help@hcad.org. HCAD asks residents to provide name, address, phone number, account number and inches or feet of water that flooded victims' homes.

"The appraisal district can use this information to identify the most damaged neighborhoods and properties to help the homeowner next year when the property is reappraised January 1 by possibly reducing the value because of existing damage or ongoing repair work," said Roland Altinger, chief appraiser at HCAD.

4:00 p.m. City of Houston warns victims of insurance fraud

Houston officials said scammers are robo-calling flood victims and telling them they may not get covered for Hurricane Harvey damage unless they pay "past due" premiums.

City officials say this is a scam, and that real warnings come between 30 and 90 days before an insurance company rescinds coverage.

"Insurance companies and agents selling flood insurance policies do NOT use this process to communicate with customers about their flood insurance policies," officials said in a release.

The officials said victims receiving these robo-calls should call their insurance companies or the National Flood Insurance Program at 1-800-638-6620.

3:50 p.m. PetWell Partners to offer free vet services after Harvey

When PetWell Partners reopened its Bellaire clinic just a few days after Tropical Storm Harvey swept the region, David Strauss realized the toll the storm had taken on hundreds of desperate pet owners.

The co-founder of the company met a couple whose dog had been having seizures for three days. At one point, they brought it to a fire station to get oxygen, Strauss said.

"It's crazy," he said. "There are so many good people trying to help."

PetWell Partners, which reopened eight of its animal clinics throughout the Houston area, will offer free services and supplies for pets sickened or injured during the storm. Starting Monday, vets will provide basic screening and treatments at certain locations.

Our Katherine Blunt has the full story here.

3:20 p.m. James Harden of the Houston Rockets announces $1 million donation for relief

Chants of "Houston! Houston! Houston!" erupted in Hall E of the George R. Brown Convention Center Saturday when James Harden of the Houston Rockets strode in with Mayor Sylvester Turner at his side. The basketball star announced he would donate $1 million to Harvey relief.

"I am thankful for this guy right here," Turner said.

As Harden walked through the center-turned-shleter, fans ran up to him, taking selfies, getting autographs and receiving fist bumps.

"It's the first time I've seen you in person James, but I love you," a woman shouted as the star signed her pocket notebook.

3:15 p.m. Six-month-old infant swept away in Harvey floodwaters

Authorities in Walker County confirmed Saturday that a six-month-old baby was missing and had been swept away in gushing floodwaters on August 27.

Firefighters had working to to rescue two men trapped in their pickup in the swollen waters of Winters Bayou on Highway 150 near New Waverly and Coldspring, and heard screams nearby.

First responders found a couple up a tree, seeking refuge from the water. They had been fleeing Houston flooding, heading for Louisiana, said Jimmy Williams, with the New Waverly Fire Department.

They became trapped in high water on Highway 150, and had to flee their pickup.

"The current was so fast, it ripped the baby out of their arms," Williams said. "So the baby was lost."

Our St. John Barned-Smith has the full story here.

3:oo p.m. President Trump leaves Houston

President Donald Trump left Houston after meeting residents sheltered at NRG Center.

He arrived Saturday morning to meet with members of the Texas Delegation at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base. He is expected to meet with members of the Louisiana Delegation and emergency response teams in Louisiana this afternoon.

1:15 p.m. Oil and gas workers reboard offshore rigs in Gulf of Mexico

Oil and gas workers are reboarding offshore platforms and rigs in the Gulf of Mexico to assess damages after Tropical Storm Harvey.

On Saturday, personnel had returned to all five rigs evacuated during the storm. About 6 percent of 737 stationary production platforms remained evacuated.

The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement is inspecting offshore facilities and monitoring efforts to restart production operations. It has not yet received any damage reports.

1:00 p.m. Church holds benefit for Saldivar family

By the time the flood waters receded and the white van reappeared, Virginia Saldivar was already expecting the worst.

But Saldivar, the grandmother of the four children who drowned in Greens Bayou and daughter in law of the the elderly couple in the van, will cherish her memories of the children as their short lives drew to a tragic end.

Belia and Manuel Saldivar, ages 81 and 84, were found in the front seats. The bodies of their four great-grandchildren -- ages 16, 14, 8 and 6 -- were found in the rear of the van.

"They were our life," Saldivar said. "That's what we're remembering  how wonderful they were."

A benefit was held Saturday at the Iglesia Cristiana Principe de Paz for the family of the six victims who were trapped in flood waters on Greens River Road.

The community room of the church filled with friends, extended family and members of the community coming together to show support for a family devastated by the flood that's taken over 50 lives.

"We want everyone to know that we're very thankful for all the love and support," Saldivar said. "It's really and truly been overwhelming."

12:50: Humble ISD announces back-to-school date

Humble ISD will reopen for the first day of school Sept. 7.

Kingwood High School and Summer Creek High School will reopen Sept. 11 because of the damage they sustained after the storm.

Staff members are required to report to work Sept. 5.

12:35 p.m. Last cruise stuck at sea due to Harvey makes port

For the more than 3,000 passengers aboard the Carnival Breeze, an extra week at sea due to Harvey's wrath ended on a steamy Saturday morning in Galveston.

The Breeze was the last of four ships to dock in the Port of Galveston's cruise terminal after being turned away last week as Harvey strengthened from a tropical storm to a hurricane. The cruise was originally supposed to end Sunday, and was given clearance to dock early Saturday.

Our Marialuisa Rincon has the full story here.

12:20 p.m. HISD offers more details on damages and displacement

Houston ISD officials said they've surveyed 245 schools as of early Saturday, with plans to reach the roughly 35 remaining campuses. About 200 schools had standing water, with 53 suffering "major" damage and 22 receiving "extensive" damage, which is more severe, Chief Operating Officer Brian Busby said.

Some schools may never be inhabitable again, Superintendent Richard Carranza said, but it's too early to make that judgment.

Carranza said a decision about relocating students to other campuses will be made no earlier than Tuesday. He's exploring the possibility of "double shifts" at some campuses, with students from one school attending classes in the morning to early afternoon, and students from another school coming into the same building for classes from early afternoon to evening.

Our Jacob Carpenter has the full story here.

12:15 p.m. President Trump arrives at NRG Center

President Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott arrived at NRG Center Saturday to visit with those affected by the storm.

Read more here.

12:10 p.m. Cy-Fair ISD delays start of school to Sept. 11

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD has delayed the start of school from Sept. 6 to Sept. 11 because several campuses face sewage issues, Superintendent Mark Henry said in an announcement.

'This is a dynamic situation," he said. "It is difficult to predict other issues we may face in the coming weeks."

Staff will report to work Sept. 7.

The district we have extended its free meal program at Holbrook and Owens elementary schools and Cypress Lakes High School through Sept. 10.

12:05 p.m. Brazoria County issues mandatory evacuations

Brazoria County has issued a mandatory evacuation order for areas where that action had been voluntary. The order includes most areas west of State Highway 288.

Noon: Parents arrive to Carrillo Elementary School to feed their children

Deimin Ramirez, 28, tapped the wooden cafeteria table.

"Eat the pear too," she ordered her 7 and 5-year-old.

Ramirez was the first mother at Carrillo Elementary School Saturday morning receiving a free hot lunch for herself and her three daughters as part of a new HISD effort that launched Saturday to aid Harvey victims.

The brisket sandwiches, mashed potatoes and diced pears were a welcomed reprieve from the few beans and rice the Ramirez family subsisted on for days.

The remaining food stamps in her possession were barely enough for Ramirez to shop at the nearby Fiesta Mart, which itself had been running low on supplies for the storm's duration.

"They were hungry," Ramirez said of her daughters, as she uncapped a water bottle for her 2-year-old.

Water seeped into their one bedroom apartment a few blocks away from the school, but the only damage sustained was a soaked living room carpet that has already been torn out.

Structural damage to their house during Hurricane Ike forced the family to move into an apartment with a more manageable rent. Last year they moved again, this time into the apartments surrounding Fiesta and the school.

School officials put out calls to neighboring families in both English and Spanish announcing the free breakfast, lunch, and dinner available this weekend. Concerned some may have lost power and therefore missed the phone call, staff members printed out flyers on Saturday to deliver door-to-door.

As her girls wiped gravy off their mouths with the back of their hands, Ramirez called up a couple of her neighbors letting them know the school had food.

She packed up the leftovers--mostly pears--as she headed out to search for any milk at Fiesta.

"They're used to milk in the morning," Ramirez said. "We didn't have any since Saturday."

11:45 a.m. H-E-B resumes normal business hours at many Houston stores

Fifty-one H-E-B stores resumed normal hours Saturday as the company worked to restock its chain with essentials.

About 30 stores, including the Gulfgate, Bay City, Grand Parkway, Dairy Ashford, Friendswood and Lake Jackson locations, will keep modified hours through Sunday. All will close at 6 p.m. or later. Some will stay open until 10 or 11 p.m.

Four locations remained closed: Braeswood/Chimney Rock, Kingwood, Orange and Joe V's Smart Shop in Wallisville.

11:20: President Trump touches down at Ellington Field

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump touched down in Houston at Ellington Field with plans to meet residents affected by the storm and visit a relief shelter.

11:00 a.m. City of Houston asks some residents to refrain from normal water use

The West District and Turkey Creek wastewater treatment plants have flooded, and the City of Houston has asked residents in those area to refrain from flushing and using extra water to clean, shower or bathe until further notice. It's working to make repairs.

The following zip codes are affected: 77024, 77041, 77043, 77055, 77077, 77079, 77080 and 77094.

10:50 a.m. Houston ISD outlines widespread damage and student displacement

Houston ISD Superintendent Richard Carranza said at a Saturday press conference there is a small chance the district will delay the start of school later than Sept. 11, but it's working to resume operations by then.

He said as many as 12,000 students will need to be temporarily relocated from damaged schools, some of which won't open for months. The district does not yet have a list of those schools.

10:05 a.m. Coast Guard continues rescue efforts in Port Arthur

The Coast Guard dispatched more than 200 personnel on Saturday to aid the Port Arthur area.

It deployed 27 shallow-draft vessels, which are capable of operating in flooded urban areas. Responders there have rescued more than 490 people and 155 pets in the past 24 hours.

9:45 a.m. Houston activists organize Trump protest

The Houston Socialist Movement and other organizations are planning to protest President Donald Trump when he visits a local relief center at noon. The location has not been disclosed.

In a statement, the activists said they plan to "send a powerful message of opposition to the President and the white supremacists and misogynists who support him."



9:30 a.m. Cy-Fair ISD offers free meals before reopening

Cypress-Fairbanks ISD is offering free meals for children and accompanying adults Sept. 2-4 at Owens and Holbrook elementary schools and Cypress Lakes High School. Food will be served from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The school district will reopen Sept. 6. The USDA has waived all free and reduced meal eligibility requirements through the end of the month.

9:00 a.m. Houston firefighters respond to house fire near Memorial

Houston firefighters are battling a one-alarm fire at a house on Whitewing Lane south of Memorial Drive. Flames have breached the roof in multiple places.

The department has also responded to a one-alarm fire at a house on Frey Road near Edgebrook.

8:15 a.m. Meteorologists expect almost no rain Labor Day weekend

Space City Weather's latest forecast anticipates warm, sunny weather with almost no chance of rain in the Houston area this weekend. Early next week, a cool front might increase the chance of rain, but it's not expected to accumulate.

The forecast anticipates that Hurricane Irma, now brewing in the Atlantic Ocean, will turn north before moving into the Gulf of Mexico later next week.

7:40 a.m. President Trump to meet with Harvey victims in Houston

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will arrive in Texas Saturday morning to meet individuals affected by the storm, visit a relief center and meet with members of the Texas Delegation at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Texas. They will also meet with members of the Louisiana Delegation and emergency response teams in Louisiana this afternoon. They visited Corpus Christi and Austin earlier this week.

6:35 a.m. Trump announces Sunday as National Day of Prayer for Harvey

Trump announced Sunday would be a National Day of Prayer for Hurricane Harvey victims, national responders and recovery efforts, according to a press release from the White House.

"I urge Americans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers today for all those harmed by Hurricane Harvey, including people who have lost family members or been injured, those who have lost homes or other property, and our first responders, law enforcement officers, military personnel, and medical professionals leading the response and recovery efforts," the statement read.



6:15 a.m. Benefit to be held for family of 6 who died during Harvey

A benefit will be held in north Houston for the family of six that was found dead
TORONTO and MONTREAL, Aug. 25, 2017 /CNW/ - NEXUS Real Estate Investment Trust (the "REIT") (TSXV: NXR.UN) announced today its results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017 and the declaration of the September 2017 distribution.

Highlights

Completed $55 million bought deal equity financing and $15 million private placement on June 30 th ; proceeds used to complete approximately $147 million acquisition of 26 properties on July 7 th .

bought deal equity financing and private placement on ; proceeds used to complete approximately acquisition of 26 properties on . Completed Nobel REIT merger on April 3, 2017 ; added 16 properties with approximately 875,000 square feet of GLA.

; added 16 properties with approximately 875,000 square feet of GLA. Portfolio high graded with the addition of quality urban Montreal properties.

properties. External management contract terminated and management internalized effective April 3, 2017 .

. AFFO per unit for the quarter of $0.048 is 5.4% higher than AFFO per unit of the previous quarter of $0.045 (restated to conform with the Realpac whitepaper definition of AFFO adopted in the quarter) with further accretion to be realized in future quarters with the completion of the Sandalwood acquisition and the redevelopment project at the downtown Montreal office property acquired in the Nobel REIT transaction.

is 5.4% higher than AFFO per unit of the previous quarter of (restated to conform with the Realpac whitepaper definition of AFFO adopted in the quarter) with further accretion to be realized in future quarters with the completion of the Sandalwood acquisition and the redevelopment project at the downtown office property acquired in the Nobel REIT transaction. Management of the REIT will host a conference call on Monday August 28 th at 1PM EST to review results and operations.

"Q2 has been a transformative quarter for the REIT. We successfully internalized management, integrated the former Edgefront and Nobel REIT platforms, completed an equity financing and closed on the $147 million acquisition of the Sandalwood portfolio shortly after the quarter end." stated Kelly Hanczyk, the REIT's Co-Chief Executive Officer. "We will see improvements to our payout ratio and AFFO per unit in the third quarter as we realize the immediate benefits of the accretive Sandalwood transaction and further benefits in early 2018 with the commencement of leases in our downtown Montreal redevelopment project. Our success in the first half of the year combined with our off-market acquisition pipeline, lays the groundwork for continued growth in 2017 and beyond."

Summary of Results

Included in the tables that follow and elsewhere in this news release are non-IFRS measures that should not be construed as an alternative to net income / loss, cash from operating activities or other measures of financial performance calculated in accordance with IFRS, and may not be comparable to similar measures as reported by other issuers. Readers are encouraged to refer to the REIT's MD&A for further discussion of the non-IFRS measures presented.









Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,

2017 2016 2017 2016 Financial Results $ $ $ $ Property revenue 6,856,900 3,810,928 10,867,036 7,535,469 Net operating income 5,233,242 3,138,447 8,552,228 6,288,802 Net income 13,559 592,806 26,848 2,919,558 Net income excluding transaction costs, fair value adjustments, bargain purchase gain and other income 2,949,069 1,737,445 4,727,899 3,384,658

On June 30, 2017, the REIT issued 33,350,000 REIT units in connection with a bought deal equity financing and private placement. Net of equity issuance costs, approximately $66,225,000 of net proceeds were received. Holders of the 33,350,000 REIT units issued on June 30, 2017 were entitled to receive the June distribution declared payable to unitholders of record as of June 30, 2017. The funds generated from the bought deal and private placement were deployed on July 7, 2017 to complete a previously announced $147,000,000 acquisition of 26 properties. As a result of the timing of the issuance of the 33,350,000 units on the last day of the quarter and with the holders of these units being entitled to receive the June distribution, the AFFO payout ratio for the quarter was distorted. Also impacted were the weighted average number of units outstanding and the total assets at June 30, 2017, distorting metrics including debt to total assets and per unit measures. In the table that follows, certain metrics are normalized to reverse these impacts. In the quarter, the REIT adopted the definition of AFFO contained in the whitepaper issued by Realpac in February 2017. Year to date 2017 and prior period comparative figures have been restated to conform with the definition of AFFO adopted in the quarter ended June 30, 2017. For reference, AFFO per unit and the AFFO payout ratio for the previous quarter ended March 31, 2017, when calculated consistently with the definition adopted from the Realpac whitepaper, were $0.045 and 88.7%, respectively.









Three months ended June 30, Six months ended June 30,

2017 2016 2017 2016 Financial Highlights $ $ $ $ FFO (1) 3,059,159 1,958,865 5,079,932 4,091,185 Normalized FFO (1) (4) 3,059,159 1,958,865 5,079,932 3,834,657 AFFO (1) 2,842,217 1,876,809 4,734,471 3,927,074 Normalized AFFO (1) (4) 2,842,217 1,876,809 4,734,471 3,670,546 Distributions declared (2) 2,833,890 1,609,305 4,511,535 3,208,882 Distributions declared on units issued June 30, 2017 on the closing of the bought deal and private placement (5) 444,556 - 444,556 - Normalized distributions declared (5) 2,389,335 1,609,305 4,066,980 3,208,882 Weighted average units outstanding - basic (3) 59,670,062 40,193,668 50,826,902 40,074,261 Weighted average units outstanding - diluted (3) 59,851,912 40,193,668 50,925,074 40,074,261 Distributions per unit, basic (2) (3) 0.047 0.040 0.089 0.080 FFO per unit, basic (1) (3) 0.051 0.049 0.100 0.102 Normalized FFO per unit, basic (1) (3) (4) 0.051 0.049 0.100 0.096 AFFO per unit, basic and diluted (1) (3) 0.048 0.047 0.093 0.098 Normalized AFFO per unit, basic (1) (3) (4) 0.048 0.047 0.093 0.092 Normalized AFFO per unit, diluted (1) (3) (4) 0.047 0.047 0.093 0.092 Normalized AFFO payout ratio, basic, adjusted (1) (2) (4) (5) (6) 84.1% 85.7% 85.9% 87.4% Debt to total assets ratio (7) 44.8% 49.2% 44.8% 49.2%

(1) Non-IFRS Measure (2) Includes distributions payable to holders of Class B LP Units which are accounted for as interest expense in the consolidated financial statements. (3) Weighted average number of units includes the Class B LP Units. (4) For the six months ended June 30, 2016, FFO and AFFO include $256,528 of other income relating to the release in the first quarter of 2016 of funds previously held in an environmental escrow in connection with the acquisition of ten industrial properties on January 14, 2014. This is a one-time item which is excluded from normalized FFO and normalized AFFO for the three months ended March 31, 2016. (5) 33,350,000 REIT units were issued on June 30, 2017 on the closing of an equity financing and private placement. These units were eligible to receive distributions for the month of June. Normalized distributions declared and Normalized AFFO payout ratio, basic, calculated with normalized distributions declared each exclude distributions declared on these units which were outstanding for only 1 day in the quarter. (6) Calculated based on normalized distributions declared as presented in the table above. Normalized AFFO Payout Ratio for the quarter is 99.7% when unadjusted for distributions paid on units issued on June 30, 2017. (7) Net proceeds from the closing of the bought deal financing and private placement of approximately $66,225,000 increased total assets temporarily at quarter end. Net of this amount, debt to total assets would have been approximately 55.1%.

Revenues and Results from Operations in Line with Expectations

For the three months ended June 30, 2017, net operating income of $5,233,242 was $2,094,795 higher than NOI in the same period of 2016 of $3,138,447 primarily due to the impact of the Nobel transaction, which accounted for approximately $1,871,000 of net operating income in the quarter, as compared to $nil in the same quarter of 2016. The Cambridge Property, acquired August 22, 2016, contributed approximately $158,000 of NOI. Concurrent with the Nobel transaction, the contract with Edgefront REIT's external manager, Edgefront Realty Advisors (the "Manager"), was terminated, and the property management fees totalling approximately $16,000 which were earned by the Manager in past quarters were earned by the REIT in the quarter. Contractual rent increases based on CPI generated approximately $32,000 of additional NOI in the quarter as compared to the same period of 2016.

Earnings Call

Management of the REIT will host a conference call at 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Monday August 28, 2017 to review the financial results and operations.

To participate in the conference call, please dial 416-915-3239 or 1-800-319-4610 (toll free in Canada and the US) at least five minutes prior to the start time and ask to join the Nexus REIT conference call.

A recording of the conference call will be available until September 8, 2017. To access the recording, please dial 604-674-8052 or 1-855-669-9658 (toll free in Canada and the US) and enter access code 1637.

September Distribution

The REIT will make a cash distribution in the amount of $0.01333 per unit, representing $0.16 per unit on an annualized basis, payable October 16, 2017 to unitholders of record as of September 29, 2017.

The REIT's current distribution per unit continues to be $0.01333 per month. The REIT's distribution reinvestment program ("DRIP") entitles eligible unitholders to elect to receive all, or a portion of the cash distributions of the REIT reinvested in units of the REIT. Eligible unitholders who so elect will receive a bonus distribution of units equal to 4% of each distribution that was reinvested by them under the DRIP.

About Nexus REIT

Nexus is a growth oriented real estate investment trust focused on increasing unitholder value through the acquisition, ownership and management of industrial, office and retail properties located in primary and secondary markets in North America. The REIT currently owns a portfolio of 62 properties comprising approximately 3.5 million square feet of rentable area. The REIT has approximately 88,090,000 units issued and outstanding. Additionally, there are approximately 6,006,000 Class B LP units of subsidiary limited partnerships of the REIT issued and outstanding.

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking statements which reflect the REIT's current expectations and projections about future results. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the REIT to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Actual results and developments are likely to differ, and may differ materially, from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions that may prove to be incorrect.

While the REIT anticipates that subsequent events and developments may cause its views to change, the REIT specifically disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the REIT's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this news release. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The factors identified above are not intended to represent a complete list of the factors that could affect the REIT.

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE Nexus Real Estate Investment Trust

For further information: Kelly C. Hanczyk, co-CEO at (416) 906-2379; Jean Teasdale, co-CEO at (514) 840-9339; or Rob Chiasson, CFO at (403) 817-9496
AMMAN/SANA'A, YEMEN, Aug. 28, 2017 /CNW/ - The Yemeni people continue to be hit by an unprecedented and mostly man-made humanitarian crisis. Amid the suffering, ordinary Yemenis are leading a heroic daily fight against acute watery diarrhea and cholera which is now paying off.

Thanks to an unparalleled response effort from local workers with the support of international NGOs and UN organizations, the weekly number of reported new cases has declined by one third since late June.

Health, water and sanitation personnel  who have not received salaries in over ten months  have been working tirelessly to stem the outbreak, which remains the worst in the world with over 550,000 suspected cases and more than 2,000 associated deaths recorded since April. More than half of the suspected cases are children.

Massive collective efforts to treat the sick and improve water and sanitation systems have helped slow the spread of the disease.

"We had difficulties managing the number of patients that came to us  many of them with severe conditions," said Dr. Nahla Arishi, Deputy Manager and Head of the cholera treatment center at Alsadaqah Hospital in Aden City. "The hospital is crowded and beds and essential medicines are in short supply. But I can't close the hospital's doors and not accept children because there aren't enough beds  I am a doctor and a mother too."

A nationwide cholera awareness campaign is currently underway, mobilizing over 40,000 volunteers going house-to-house and reaching over 2.7 million families so far - approximately 80 per cent of households in Yemen. Through the campaign:

Nearly 12.5 million people across the country have received information on water disinfection, handwashing, sanitation and food safety, and

250,000 children and adults suffering from diarrhea have been provided with oral rehydration salts and referred for treatment.

"Many of the children I have visited in their homes are thin and weak," said Muthab Alburaik Salem, a community health volunteer working on the campaign. "It's crucial to spread awareness among vulnerable communities so they are spared additional suffering. I fear that my own children will be exposed to diseases  so I treat all children I'm working with in Yemen as if they were my own," adds Muthab, a mother of two.

Despite these recent gains, the fight against cholera is far from over. Amid continued violence, water and sanitation systems are collapsing, and more than half of Yemen's health facilities are out of service, cutting off almost 15 million people from safe water and access to basic healthcare. The country remains on the brink of famine, with an estimated 385,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, putting them at heightened risk of acute watery diarrhea and cholera.

To maintain the gains made, the international community must step up its support for rebuilding health, water and sanitation facilities and invest in preventing future outbreaks.

But without an end to the fighting, more children will die. UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to find a peaceful political solution to the violence in Yemen to save children's lives and offer them the prospect of a brighter future.

About UNICEF

UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization. We work tirelessly to help children and their families, doing whatever it takes to ensure children survive. We provide children with healthcare and immunization, clean water, nutrition and food security, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF is supported entirely by voluntary donations and helps children regardless of race, religion or politics. As part of the UN, we are active in more than 190 countries - more than any other organization. Our determination and our reach are unparalleled. Because nowhere is too far to go to help a child survive. For more information about UNICEF, please visit www.unicef.ca. For updates, follow us on Twitter and Facebook or visit unicef.ca.

SOURCE UNICEF Canada

For further information: For interviews or more information, please contact: Stefanie Carmichael, UNICEF Canada, T: 416-482-6552 ext. 8866, E: [email protected], Tw: @stefccarmichael

Related Links

http://www.unicef.ca


NEW HAVEN >> A double firing has prompted advocates to circulate a petition to replace Sandra Trevino as the executive director of Junta for Progressive Action.

The almost 50-year-old institution in Fair Haven has programs to improve social conditions for the Latino community in Greater New Haven as well as provide advocacy in supporting undocumented immigrants as they are targeted by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.

As of early Monday afternoon, the online petition was signed by 182 people.

Ana Marie Rivera Forestino and Alok Batt were let go in late June over a disagreement with Trevino, who has been at the agency for more than a decade. Both Rivera and Batt were involved in immigrant rights workshops at the agency and other community work.

As the co-leaders of the Connecticut Immigrant Rights Alliance, they also worked on developing state legislation around the role of the Department of Correction and state police in assisting ICE, as well as on sanctuary work.

The petition asks that Trevino be replaced immediately and that the board of directors become more inclusive of the immigrant communities it serves. It further asks that two community members be involved in the boards decision-making process and that Rivera and Batt be reinstated.

After they were fired, Juan Carlos, who was involved in Juntas youth programs, resigned, as has Mary Elizabeth Smith, who ran the agencys adult education program and did community outreach.

Trevino, who was reached at the Junta office, said she had agreed to allow the board of directors to make any public statements.

I really cant say anything, Trevino said. The director added, however, that we are going through a lot of changes here.

The petition charges that Trevinos leadership threatens the agencys ability to carry out its mission, which includes social services and advocacy that improve the social, political and economic conditions of the Latino community in Greater New Haven while nurturing and promoting its cultural traditions as it builds bridges with other communities.

It accuses her of allegedly acting abusively towards multiple staff members, and said the firing was not based on reasonable grounds.

The petition contends that outside the agency Trevino has demonstrated a consistent disconnect from the community she claims to serve. This disconnect is expressed most clearly by her absence from most, if not all, community events.

 ... Now more than ever, we need Junta to honor its history and embody its mission. To avoid losing the trust of the community, Junta must restore its leadership immediately, the petition says.

Three members of the board resigned after the firings. They are Hope Metcalf, executive director of the Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights at the Yale Law School; Alicia Camacho, professor of American studies, ethnicity, race & migration at Yale, and Sandra Hernandez.

Junta has spoken up on behalf of Latino and immigrant families in New Haven for more than four decades. I have faith the current board can help the organization to regain its footing. Now more than ever, we need a strong voice for immigrants, Metcalf said in an email.

Attorney James Bhandary-Alexander, who was among three people who were named to be honored at the upcoming Sept. 7 gala fundraiser for Junta, said he declined to be honored because of the firings.

He works for the New Haven Legal Assistance Association and has been among those helping undocumented individuals assign someone power of attorney, as well as establish child custody in the event they are deported.

The board of directors, which is co-led by Rafael Ramos and Dominic Woolfrey, said in a statement that it understands that community members are upset with the firings and the manner in which they were carried out.

Ramos, who shared the statement, said the board will not comment on personnel matters other than to say that we believe the people involved are all good people who share a commitment to social justice.

Those close to the situation say it involves tensions between the advocacy and social service roles.

Some advocates were regretful that the disagreement was so public at a time of such stress on the immigrant community with increasing numbers of people being deported and when the future of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) continues to remain uncertain.

Under this program, almost 800,000 young people brought to the U.S. illegally when they were children have been allowed to work and go to school with the threat of deportation deferred.

President Donald Trump had said during the campaign that he would cancel DACA, but in April he told the Associated Press that these individuals could rest easy, because his priority was to deport criminals.

Recent reports however have said he is weighing killing the program outright or letting it lapse as 10 Republican attorneys general threaten to sue over its existence. DACA participants have to renew their permits every two years.

The Junta directors said generally these are difficult times, as the resources they count on to provide services are drying up, while simultaneously the number of undocumented residents appealing deportation cases continues to grow.

It is not surprising that in these times, there are disagreements about the best path forward. We will do what is necessary to ensure that Junta is a strong advocacy and service organization for years to come, the directors statement said.

The petitioners are asking the board to respond to their requests within a week of it being sent.
NEW HAVEN >> As city and state officials lined up outside the doors of John C. Daniels School of International Communications Monday, cheering for students on their first day back to school, their smiles concealed anxiety about how much money the school system will receive this year.

Although New Haven is set to receive the bulk of its funds through ordinary state grants, Mayor Toni Harp called on the General Assembly to pass a budget to add certainty to the process.

State Rep. Al Paolillo Jr., D-New Haven, who joined school officials at John C. Daniels School, said education funds and municipal aid are his delegations top priority, and they continue to collaborate with the city and schools.

Were looking at maximizing what the city receives in the [Education Cost Sharing] grant, he said.

Chief Operating Officer Will Clark said the schools already have dealt with cuts to the magnet school grant, which benefits schools such as John C. Daniels, but there are many different versions of budgets proposed in Hartford, each offering something different. Interim Superintendent of Schools Reginald Mayo said the school district has had to accept that something promised in one version of a budget may not be there in the next version.

While officials concern themselves with finding the funds for education services, students were occupied with adjusting to a new school year. One of those changes for students at John C. Daniels is a new principal: Daniel Bonet, whom talent staff recruited from Puerto Rico this summer.

We are working hard as a team to unify cultures and to prepare the future of New Haven, Bonet said.

Unlike some of his groggy classmates, fourth-grader Zakai Henderson, 9, walked into school with pep. His favorite subject, he said, is math, because they teach you all about the numbers.

Kindergartner Jahir Berrezueta Guaman, 6, said he was most excited to raise his hand and be called on by his teacher.

New Haven resident Luis Rivera, a father of a first- and a second-grader, said he was excited for his children to start the year because of John C. Daniels strong bilingual program.

They have nerves and butterflies, meeting friends from last year and new friends theyre excited to meet this year, he said.

He said his hope for the state budget impasse would be that it gets straightened out before it threatens any school programs in the city.

Waikam Cheng, a Hamden mother with a first- and a fifth-grader at the school, said she takes her children across municipal lines because of the strength of the school and its language program, and has for both of their school careers so far.

Concurrent with the city officials greeting students at John C. Daniels, state Sen. Gary Winfield, D-New Haven, held his bimonthly Because You Matter event outside Lincoln-Bassett School, gathering members of the community to greet students in a display of community engagement with children and education.

Lincoln-Bassett is always the first school of the year, because thats where we first did it, Winfield said. We realized its something important we can do for our young people.

Clark said about 20,000 students attended school Monday, which does not account for an estimated 2,000 high school students and kindergartners who begin school later this week.

Overall the day has gone quite smoothly, Clark said. As registration and transfers get processed we will have some busing adjustments to be made but we have a system in place to track those issues and remedy as quickly as possible, Clark said in an email.

Mother Tania Bermudez, who last year petitioned the district to have her disabled sons school bus drop him off in front of her home, instead of at the bottom of a hill, told the Register Monday that her daughter, who also attends a city school, was told the bus will no longer travel to the top of the hill.

Clark said this is an individual case, but large-scale transportation adjustments will be related to transfers, late registrations, wait list moves and such.

He later stated the district transportation coordinator reported that bus did in fact go to the top of the hill.
STRATFORD  Tina Manus, the Dist. 10 town councilwoman who opposed a luxury apartment building planned near her home, is being sued by the developer over a dustup that occurred at a Zoning Commission meeting.

The developer, Gerard J. Kiley Jr., of Stamford, has accused Manus in his civil suit of slander, libel and tortious interference with business expectancies.

In court papers filed in recent days, Kiley also accused Manus of lying to police and also made untrue and defamatory statements.

In the Zoning Commission meeting that took place March 28 in Town Hall, Manus said that Kiley threatened her.

Manus also called police to the meeting, but no one was arrested. Police were dispatched to Town Hall late in the meeting, just after midnight. Cops arrived after the meeting was adjourned.

In the official police report, Manus told officers that Kiley told her: You're not going to like what happens next.

But, according to the report, Manus later told police Kiley did not speak to her directly, although it also says she felt as if Gerald was speaking directly at her.

The suit says Manus untrue and defamatory statements were published in the Connecticut Post and that his business reputation was tarnished. It says she made a hysterical outburst at the zoning session.

Manus lives near the end of Fox Hill Road, which dead-ends at the seven-acre wooded lot behind the Big Y supermarket where the development would have been constructed.

It called for 300 luxury apartments, possibly with a restaurant to be added later. Manus was one of 13 homeowners who spoke in opposition to the plan that night.

The total acreage of the site is 34, but 27 of those acres are either conservation area or wetlands.

That night, the zoning panel turned down the request for a so-called text amendment that would have allowed residential units in an office park district, effectively scuttling the project.

The Planning Commission had earlier recommended, with conditions, the text amendment be approved. The developer argued the project, known as SHD Hawley LLC, would have added $1 million a year to property tax revenues, but residents said that it would generate too much traffic and change the character of that part of town.

Kileys attorney could not be reached for comment. and Manus declined to talk about the suit. Its not known as yet the damages hes seeking.

Manus was there not as a Town Council member, but rather a citizen speaking in opposition to the development idea.

Manus does not yet have an attorney, according to court documents. There are no hearings in the case scheduled at this point.

Manus, a Democrat, is running for re-election this fall; her Republican opponent is Laura J. Dancho. But first she must survive a primary challenge from Democrat Matthew Light on Sept. 12.

jburgeson@ctpost.com
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

NEW HAVEN >> Questions remain on how opioids creep into neighborhoods that historically have never experienced large-scale drug epidemics.

Southern Connecticut State University assistant professor of public health Aukje Lamonica believes this lack of answers partially can be attributed to drug research that often focuses on poor, urban communities, and not suburban areas, which also have been affected by the current opioid crisis. The crisis likely is connected to the increase in prescription painkillers provided to patients starting in the late 1990s, experts have said.

Answering some of these questions is motivating Lamonica to conduct federally-funded research on how opioids are affecting suburban communities, including in Greater New Haven.

We havent really looked at the suburbs, Lamonica said. Thats why were conducting this study in all the suburbs.

Lamonica is working with Bentley University associate professor of sociology Miriam Boeri on the project, which is funded by a $340,000 National Institutes of Health grant the two received in March. Their research will focus on New Haven, Boston and Atlanta suburbs. Lamonica specializes in social determinants of drug use and addiction.

Atlanta was used because of the experience with the city that the two researchers have. Boeri said she has been doing research in Atlanta for more than 20 years and wanted to compare the cities to compare access to services between the two regions.

Their research will focus how opioid users, such as those using heroin or prescription painkillers, begin using these drugs and explore how users shift to other opioids or drugs. Lamonica said their research is an ethnographic study, involving one-on-one interviews that will include follow-up conversations. The researchers goal will be to learn more about patterns leading to opioid use among suburban residents.

Are they sitting in their homes? Are we talking street use? Is it pain that sets them off initially, or something else? Are there underlining mental (health) issues? Lamonica said, posing some of the questions of her research.

The impact of the opioid crisis can be measured in numerous ways, though one statistic often used as a metric of its impact is fatal overdoses, which have increased steadily in Connecticut every year since at least 2012. At least 917 people died of fatal drug overdoses last year, up 25 percent from 2015. Nationwide, there were more than 33,000 fatal opioid overdoses in the country in 2015 alone.

Lamonica said the two researchers recently received a supplement to the grant that will allow them to purchase the opioid overdose antidote medication naloxone. Having the medication will mean Lamonica and Boeri will be able to hand it out to people they interview. Ideally, she said she would like to give out two naloxone doses to everyone she interviews.

I was really interested in that, Lamonica said. Not only are we in the field collecting these stories which are obviously important, but were also able to help immediately by having naloxone.

Sixty people will be interviewed in Greater New Haven. Lamonica said shes most interested in speaking to current users from towns such as Branford, East Haven, Hamden, North Haven, Orange, West Haven and Woodbridge. She is hoping to begin her research next week.

Thats a whole different group of users, Lamonica said, of the target subjects of the research. Were really looking at the people who may have (a) job (commuting) to New Haven, coming from a suburban background.

Lamonica said interviews are anonymous. Participants are paid.

We really try to protect our participants because of the often illegal nature of their drug use, Lamonica said.

Individuals interested in participating in Lamonicas study are encouraged to call her office at 203-392-6913.

Reach Esteban L. Hernandez at 203-680-9901.
President Barack Obamas much-hyped restoration of relations with Cuba was a bet that diplomatic and economic engagement would, over time, accomplish what 50 years of boycott did not: a rebirth of political freedom on the island. So far, the results have been dismal. In the two years since the U.S. Embassy in Havana reopened, repression of Cubans  measured in detentions, beatings and political prisoners  has significantly increased, while the private sector has remained stagnant. U.S. exports to Cuba have actually decreased, even as the cash-starved regime of Raul Castro pockets millions of dollars paid by Americans in visa fees and charges at state-run hotels.

Now theres another sinister cost to tally - the serious injuries inflicted on the U.S. diplomats dispatched to Havana. This month, the State Department announced that two Cuban embassy staff had been expelled from Washington because of incidents in Havana that left some American diplomats and staff members with a variety of physical symptoms.
In an op-ed published recently, juvenile justice-involved teenagers were referred to as enterprising and energetic, wild and out of control. While youd expect to hear that from a member of Jeff Sessions Department of Justice, this came from Connecticut Chief States Attorney Kevin Kane in the Hartford Courant.

Kane made these comments in a piece arguing against Raise the Age legislation in other states, utilizing racially loaded language and anecdotal evidence to create fear and panic. His comments do not reflect the reality that keeping teens in the community, with services in place, is both cheaper, and has a more positive outcome for all parties involved.
With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 27, 2017

On Sunday, the Mexican government again stressed its position that it will not pay for President Donald Trump's proposed border wall.President Trump had tweeted Sunday morning:In response, Mexico's foreign ministry released a statement saying Mexico would not pay for a wall or other physical barrier at the border "under any circumstances. This determination is not part of a Mexican negotiating strategy, but a principle of national sovereignty and dignity".
Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Independent People of Biafra (IPOB), says anyone who tries to arrest him will die.

Kanu during his last arrest/court trial

He said this in reaction to the call of the federal government that his bail should be revoked.After spending 18 months in detention, following his arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS), Binta Nyako, justice of a federal high court in Abuja, granted him bail on April 25.But the activist has flouted all the bail conditions, prompting the calls for his arrest.But speaking on Sunday at Boys Technical College (BTC) in Aba, Abia state, Kanu paid tribute to those reportedly killed at National High School, by security agencies.He said the quest for Biafra was unstoppable, adding that the call is a message from heaven.He also insisted that the Anambra gubernatorial election will be boycotted except a referendum which the group has been clamouring, is conducted.Where we are, is Biafra Land. Aba is the spiritual capital of Biafra land. We started in Aba in 2015 at CKC (Christ the King Catholic Cathedral), Kanu said.That day, heaven authenticated our move that IPOB will restore Biafra and thats what weve come to do. We died in Aba; at National High School.They shot and killed us in other places in Biafra land when they were protesting for my release. As our people rest in the grave, well never rest until Biafra is restored. I dont care what they say in Abuja. I dont give a damn what they say in Lagos.Im a Biafran and we are going to crumble the zoo. Some idiots who are not educated said that theyll arrest me, and I ask them to come. Im in Biafra land. If any of them leaves Biafra land alive know that this is not IPOB. Tell them thats what I said.Tell Buhari that Im in Aba and any person who comes to arrest Nnamdi Kanu in Biafra land will die here. Ill never go on exile I assure you.Some people talk about restructuring, are we doing restructuring of Nigeria now? Are we doing fiscal federalism? Are we doing devolution? What we want is Biafra!Forget all the nonsense they write about us. We are not slowing down and no man born of a woman can stop us.They thought we are joking and God gave us a simple message that no one can stop us. The movement to restore Biafra is unstoppable.The message of heaven is what I bring to you. Dont be afraid. The plans of our enemies are not going to be actualized. The enemies are planning, but we are formidable.We are going to boycott Anambra state election. After Anambra 2017, in 2019, therell be no elections in Biafra land. Signed and sealed. My message is that therell not be election in Biafra land ever again until they give us date for referendumSome of IPOB members who spoke to reporters at the venue said that they defied going to church to come and listen to their leader and a man that God has destined to use to liberate the people of the southeast and old eastern region from the hands of corrupt and insensitive leaders who have over the years decided to impoverish than make life meaningful for their subjects.They however vowed to join hands with Kanu to ensure that Biafra was realized no matter how long it would take.
Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Governor Nyesom Wike of being economical with the truth.

Rivers State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has urged Governor Nyesom Wike of being economical with the truth.The APC, yesterday in Port Harcourt, through its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, accused Wike of lying during the thanksgiving service in honour of Senator George Sekibo, at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Port Harcourt, when he alleged that APCs poor governance model is destroying national institutions.APC said: The assertion today (yesterday) by Wike that APC has destroyed institutions in Nigeria is manifestly false. Nigerians know between APC and PDP, the party that finished the nations institutions and brought us to this sorry pass.There is no evidence the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police are collaborating to favour APC, as the PDP, INEC and security agencies collaborated with Wike and Gesila Khan (INECs former Resident Electoral Commissioner in Rivers, who is still on trial for alleged corruption) by handing over the electoral process to Wike and PDP in 2015. Wike is merely being haunted by his past and his shadows. Let him (Rivers governor) sort himself out and leave APC alone.The verdicts handed down last week by the Appeal Courts on the December 10, 2016, rerun elections in Rivers State cannot be politicised by Wike, as a means of shoring up morale among his party members. He should spare the judiciary his needless scathing criticisms. Rivers people and Nigerians are fed up with the Rivers governors antics of praising the judiciary when judgments favour his interest and lampooning the judiciary, if otherwise.The APC has taken notice of his (Wikes) subtle threat of violence in 2019. We can only remind him that 2019 will not be 2015. Never. A word is enough for the wise.The party earlier described Thursdays loss at the Court of Appeal, Abuja, by Sekibo to Chief Andrew Uchendu in Rivers East, and Olaka Worgu, also of PDP (defeated by Senator Magnus Abe of Rivers South East), as notice to PDP and Wike to start planning to vacate Government House, next year.
An eight-member Congressional delegation from the U.S. will visit Nigeria from Monday to Thursday to assess the destruction caused by the Boko Haram terrorists as well as strengthen the U.S.-Nigeria relations.The delegation would be led by Sen. Christopher Coons (Democrat-Delaware), the U.S. Department of State said.Coons is a member of the Appropriations, Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, and Ethics committees.The delegation also includes Sen. Gary Peters (Democrat-Michigan); Sen. Michael Bennet (Democrat-Colorado); and Rep. Lisa Rochester (Democrat-Delaware).The others are Rep. Terri Sewell (Democrat-Alabama); Rep. Charlie Dent (Republican-Pennsylvania); Rep. Barbara Lee (Democrat-California); and Rep. Frederica Wilson (Democrat-Florida).The Congressional delegation is visiting Ghana, Cote dIvoire, and The Gambia in addition to Nigeria during their West Africa tour.While in Abuja, the U.S. legislators will meet with a range of high-ranking leaders to gain a fulsome picture of the bilateral relationship.They will be briefed by Ambassador W. Stuart Symington and staff before meeting with Vice President Osinbajo, Senate President Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Dogara.They will also meet with other members of the National Assembly, and religious and civil society leaders.Among the issues of particular interest to the U.S. officials will be the fight against Boko Haram and the humanitarian situation in the northeast of Nigeria.They would also visit Lagos, where trade and investment relations would be the theme.In the countrys financial capital, they will meet with Nigerian business executives, tour the Egbin Thermal Power Plant, and participate in an American Business Council roundtable.They will conclude with a reception featuring alumni of the Young African Leaders Initiative and the Tony Elemelu Foundation, the statement read.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday received almost a two-hour briefing from the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, and Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele.The Ministers and CBN Governor updated the President on the improving economy, implementation of the 2017 Budget, preparation for the 2018 Budget, revenue strategies, combined cost reduction and debt management.Also discussed were monetary policy strategies and their economic impact, among others.President Buhari, while reminding the Ministers and CBN Governor that reviving the economy was one of the major planks on which the campaign of his party  the All Progressives Congress  was based, expressed gladness that things were looking up after two years of yeomans job.Urging them to keep at it, the President noted that the main aim of government was to bring succour to Nigerians across all walks of life.President Buhari also declared that he was pleased with the progress being made on different fronts.
A member of the Boko Haram, Auwal Ismaeela, has confessed to leading the kidnap of 276 schoolgirls from the Government Secondary School i...

A member of the Boko Haram, Auwal Ismaeela, has confessed to leading the kidnap of 276 schoolgirls from the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State on April 15, 2014.The commander confessed to the act in an interview with PRNigeria, a news agency.More than 100 of the girls are still being held by the insurgents after many of them were released in talks with the Federal Government.Ismaeela, who has surrendered to the military, also told the news agency that he led other major operations and said he regretted his actions.The PRNigeria report said: Ahead of the Islamic festival of Eid-Kabir coming up by the weekend, a top Boko Haram commander who played a major role in the abduction of Chibok girls and killing of youths in Madagali has surrendered and confessed to several acts of bloodletting on innocent people and destruction of properties across the length and breadth of the North-eastern part of the country.In an interview with PRNigeria at a military facility for the repentant and surrendered Boko Haram members in the Northeast, the ex-terrorist leader said he regretted the atrocities he was forced to commit against humanity.The commander, Auwal Ismaeela, is currently cooperating with the Nigerian military with useful information on locations and hideouts of other top commanders of the deadly sect. He regretted his actions which, according to him, run counter to several Islamic injunctions.Mr. Ismaeela encouraged other top commanders of the sect to surrender to the military.Myself and Abu Hafsat, a Boko Haram commander, led other squads to abduct the Chibok girls. We led the operations to invade Gwoza, Bama, Limankara mobile barracks, Bita, Bosso, Madagali, Chibok, Pulka, Firgi, and Mubi.In Madagali, which is my home town, myself, Adam Vitiri, Abu Adam and Habu Kudama, some high-ranking Boko Haram commanders, led an operation in 2014 where we killed some students and youths at the Central Secondary School in Sabon Garin Madagali.In one of the operations, I abducted my wife named Maryam who had two kids for me in Sambisa Forest. It is unfortunate that I was brainwashed and misled not only on some abductions but in the killings of my own people that were innocent. I wholeheartedly regret my actions.During a battle in Konduga where myself and other Boko Haram commanders led the operations, I lost my right leg and was almost got burnt. Even at that, I did not stop fighting for the course. Sheikh Shekau ordered that I should be given a tricycle which I continued to use for various operations before I eventually surrendered.He was reported to have given several reasons for his decision to voluntarily surrender to the troops after realising the misleading sermons, barbaric indoctrination of the sect leaders and atrocities being committed in some of the Boko Haram camps.Ismaeela said: I willingly surrendered to the military because I was tired of the senseless killing and fight. I realised that our people had resorted to stealing and all sort of atrocities contrary to the teaching and practice of Islam.Women were being raped, sometimes publicly. Children died from malnutrition and diseases as the living condition became harsher. As there was no food in the camp, people died every day because of hunger.I will continue to cooperate with the security agencies in providing useful information on our mode of operations and to disclose top-secret hideouts of our commanders.More than 100 Boko Haram fighters and some commanders had in the recent past surrendered to the military, knowing full well that their actions had become inimical to the overall interest and well-being of the nation and the surrounding countries of Cameroon, Niger and Chad.Two factions of the Boko Haram insurgency group may be ready for talks with the Federal Government, Abdulkadir Abubakar, a former commander of the group has claimed.Abubakar, also known as Abu Muhammad, was the chief intelligence officer of the Boko Haram group and one of its top commanders, until his arrest in June by the military in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State.Abubakar told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at his cell in Maiduguri that Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions were willing to cooperate with the government to defeat the most visible leader of the group, Abubakar Shekau.According to him, Shekau, whose capture, dead or alive, the military high command has ordered, has been the major obstacle to peace, since the insurgency began in 2009.He was quoted as saying: Shekau is not willing to surrender due to his high handedness. Unfortunately, the government and military authorities accorded priority on dealing with Shekau, who is blood thirsty.Albarnawi has indicated interest to dialogue with the government to end insurgency and provide a lasting solution to the crisis. Albarnawi discusses this with members of his circle. And I can assure the government that he would cooperate to achieve peace.The two factions are willing to cooperate with Nigerian Government to defeat Shekau.Abubakars claim about the readiness of the factions to dialogue with the authorities could not be verified as he had been incarcerated since June. But he insisted that the groups were predisposed to a peaceful resolution of the eight year-old crisis.Abubakar claimed to have undertaken various espionage missions and provided intelligence to the insurgents, which enabled them to hit a long list of targets, among which were the abduction of 276 students at the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok and the massacre of students at the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi.Over 20 students were murdered at Buni Yadi.He also claimed to have been involved in other attacks on schools in Maiduguri, Damaturu, Postikum and Mamudo.He said: Shekau has left his enclave in Sambisa and moved deep into Mandara Mountain.The intensified military offensive has weakened Shekaus position and that of the other groups.Abubakar claimed that the Albarnawi and Mamman Nur factions were opposed to Shekaus leadership style.Abubakar said: During the early days of the insurgency we fought for what we thought was a just cause, to establish a caliphate where human beings are valued, cherished and respected.After annexing vast territories, Shekau began to demonstrate his cruelty and atrocities against humanity.In view of the high level atrocities committed by the group,some of the top commanders, including myself, Albarnawi and Mamman Nur, challenged Shekau, demanding an immediate end to the ugly saga.Thereafter, Albarnawi and Mamman Nur parted ways, and formed their groups. Shekau is responsible for suicide bombings and attack on soft targets in the Northeast.The Albarnawi and Mamman Nur groups never attacked schools, religious places of worship, markets, women and children. Our fight was strictly with security forces. Even the kidnapped oil workers would not be killed by the group.He said: Shekau is fond of using the girls and other abducted women as sex toys, and suicide bombers. He kills on the pretence of punishing for lies, theft and rebellion. Shekau kills without justification.Shekau arrogated to himself the powers to accuse, prosecute, convict and punish in total contradiction to Islamic teachings. Children and women also starved to death in Sambisa due to Shekaus cruelty.
Top officials of the federal government and the various state governments have continued to express concern over the growing wave of hate speeches in the country.To curb the menace, a new law is being proposed which will categorize hate speech as terrorism. At the last meeting of the National Economic Council it was agreed by the federal and state governments that a special court be established for the arrest and prosecution of purveyors of hate speeches, kidnapping and terrorist acts. Before further energies and resources are dissipated by the government on the enactment of a new hate speech law it is pertinent to point out that the country has enough laws to deal with the menace. What is however lacking is the political will to arrest and prosecute those who contravene the provisions of the relevant laws.For instance, the Kaduna State government has had cause to drag a journalist to court for allegedly exaggerating the number of people that were killed in Southern Kaduna by gunmen during a recent civil disturbance. However, to ensure that public officers do not use the machinery of the State to silence their opponents or cover up corrupt practices and shield themselves from public scrutiny the provisions of the Criminal Code on seditious publications were declared illegal and unconstitutional by the Court of Appeal in the case of Arthur Nwankwo V the State (1985) 4 N.C.L.R. 228. Furthermore, the Justices of the Court unanimously advised public officers who feel disturbed by any publication to sue for libel in a civil court in view of the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.Mischief caused by reckless publicationsThus, apart from the right of public officers and private citizens to seek redress in the law courts to protect their reputation by suing media organizations and individuals who defame them the penal laws in the country have taken care of the mischief which may be caused by reckless publications. In particular, offences which include criminal defamation, inciting statements, breach of the peace, criminal intimidation, publication of statement, rumour or report which may disturb public peace, false publication etc attract penalties by imprisonment or payment of fines. See sections 59-60, 373-381 of the Criminal Code (applicable in the southern states) and sections 391-40, 417-418 of the Penal Code (applicable in the northern states).Under section 95 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended it is provided that no political campaign or slogan shall be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings. Accordingly, abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns. A political party or persons who contravene the provision of this section is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction- (a) in the case of an individual, to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for the term of 12 months; and in the case of a political party, to a fine of N2,000,000 in the first instance, and N1,000,000 for any subsequent offence.Cyber CrimeIn enacting the Cyber Crime (Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act, 2015 the National Assembly took cognizance of the public concern over the use of social media to promote bigotry and hatred in the society. Hence, the law has far reaching provisions to prohibit any form of cyber squatting and prevent anti social individuals and groups from subjecting the Nigerian people to racist and xenophobic attacks in any part of the country. It is sad to note that the many public officers who have been threatening to deal ruthlessly with the excesses of social media operators have not familiarized themselves with the provisions of the 2-year old law. However, it is high time the attention of Nigerians was drawn to sections 24 and 26 of the Act which provide as follows:24. (1) Any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or network that-(a) is grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character or causes any such message or matter to be so sent; or(b) he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent: commits an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N7,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.(2) Any person who knowingly or intentionally transmits or causes the transmission of any communication through a computer system or network (a) to bully, threaten or harass another person, where such communication places another person in fear of death, violence or bodily harm or to another person;(b) containing any threat to kidnap any person or any threat to harm the person of another, any demand or request for a ransom for the release of any kidnapped person, to extort from any person, firm, association or corporation, any money or other thing of value; or(c) containing any threat to harm the property or reputation of the addressee or of another or the reputation of a deceased person or any threat to accuse the addressee or any other person of a crime, to extort from any person, firm, association, or corporation, any money or other thing of value: commits an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction.(i) in the case of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection to imprisonment for a term of 10 years and/or a minimum fine of N25,000,000.00; and(ii) in the case of paragraph (c) and (d) of this subsection, to imprisonment for a term of five years and/or a minimum fine of N15,000,000.00.(3) A court sentencing or otherwise dealing with a person convicted of an offence under subsections (1) and (2) may also make an order, which may, for the purpose of protecting the victim or victims of the offence, or any other person mentioned in the order, from further conduct which-(a) amounts to harassment; or(b) will cause fear of violence, death or bodily harm; prohibit the defendant from doing anything described/specified in the order.(4) A defendant who does anything which he is prohibited from doing by an order under this section, commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N10,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than three years or to both such fine and imprisonment.(5) The order made under subsection (3) of this section may have effect for a specified period or until further order and the defendant or any other Person mentioned in the order may apply to the court which made the order for it to be varied or discharged by a further order.(6) Notwithstanding the powers of the court under subsections (3) and (5), the court may make an interim order for the protection of victim(s) from further exposure to the alleged offences.Racist and xenophobic offences(1) Any person who with intent(a) distributes or otherwise makes available, any racist or xenophobic material to the public through a computer system or network;(b) threatens through a computer system or network (i) persons for the reason that they belong to a group distinguished by race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, as well as, religion, if used as a pretext for any of these factors; or(ii) a group of persons which is distinguished by any of these characteristics;(c) insults publicly through a computer system or network(i) persons for the reason that they belong to a group distinguished by race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion, if used as a pretext for any of these factors; or(ii) a group of persons which is distinguished by any of these characteristics; or(d) distributes or otherwise makes available, through a computer system or network, to the public, material which denies or approves or justifies acts constituting genocide or crimes against humanity, Commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not more than 5 years or to a fine of not more than N10,000,000.00 or both such fine and imprisonment.(2) For the purpose of subsection (1) of this section, the term Crime against humanity includes any of the following acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack: murders, extermination, enslavement, deportation or forcible transfer of population, imprisonment, torture, rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy, enforced sterilization or any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity, persecution against an identifiable group on political, racial, national, ethnic, cultural, religious or gender grounds, enforced disappearance of persons, the crime of apartheid, other inhumane acts of similar character intentionally causing great suffering or serious bodily or mental injury.Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group as such: Killing members of the group, deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.racist or xenophobic material means any written or printed material, any image or any other representation of ideas or theories, which advocates, promotes or incites hatred, discrimination or violence, against any individual group of individuals, based on race, color, descent or national or ethnic origin, as well as religion if used as a pretext for any of these factors.In view of the stringent provisions of the aforementioned draconian law, it is undoubtedly clear that the nation does not need to enact a new law against hate speeches. What is required is the political determination to deal with the crime, without fear or favour. To that extent, the authorities of the federal and state governments may wish to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Attorneys-General of the various states to collaborate with the Police with a view to enforcing the provisions of all the relevant laws which have criminalized hate speeches including offensive statements published in the social media. Since majority of Nigerian citizens including top government officials are not familiar with the provisions of these laws the mass media should draw attention to them.However, while President Buhari was on medical vacation in the United Kingdom for over three months his government successfully negotiated with the Avengers for the restoration of peace in the Niger Delta region. The deal has since led to increase in oil production. The government equally negotiated with the satanic Boko Haram sect and was able to secure the release of another batch of 82 Chibok girls. Notwithstanding such negotiations with groups that have taken up arms against the State, President Buhari still insisted in his broadcast last week, that the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable|. While the federal government is entitled to continue to defend the corporate existence of Nigeria the right of any group to disagree with the official stand within the ambit of the law should be respected. Therefore, the purported presidential directive authorizing armed soldiers to arrest civilians involved in subversive activities should be withdrawn. More so, that it cannot be justified under any law in Nigeria.Since it is the constitutional responsibility of the police to maintain law and order in our democratic society members of the armed forces should not be permitted to arrest alleged purveyors of hate speeches. For the avoidance of doubt, section 4 of the Police Act has empowered the Nigeria Police Force to arrest and prosecute criminal suspects in the country. However, Section 47 (1) of the CyberCrimes (Prohibition, Prevention ETC) Act provides that law enforcement agencies shall have power to prosecute offences under this Act while section 58 thereof defines law enforcement agencies to include any agency for the time being responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this Act. As the Nigerian Army is not one of the law enforcement agencies envisaged by the Act and other penal laws it should not be permitted to enforce any of the laws against hate speeches.
President Buhari this morning, received Briefing from Minister of Budget & National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, Minister of Finance, Kem...

President Buhari this morning, received Briefing from Minister of Budget & National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, at the state house Abuja. His chief of staff, Abba Kyari was also present at the meeting.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in a statement, said the briefings lasted over two hours.





He said the ministers and CBN governor updated the president on the improving state of the economy, implementation of the 2017 budget, preparation for the 2018 budget, revenue strategies, combined cost reduction and debt management.





Adesina said "a delighted president declared that he was pleased with the progress being made on different fronts."





The presidential spokesman said monetary policy strategies and their economic impact, among others, were also discussed.





He said Buhari reminded the ministers and the CBN governor that reviving the economy was one of the major planks on which the campaign of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), was based.

He said President Buhari expressed gladness that things were "looking up after two years of yeoman's job."





According to Adesina, Buhari urged them to keep at it and noted that the main aim of government was to bring succour to Nigerians across all walks of life.




PSG have agreed a blockbuster move to sign Kylian Mbappe from rivals Monaco.The teenager, tipped to be a future Ballon dOr winner, will move on loan for a season  but there is an obligation to buy next summer that will see him move for 166million.The 18-year-old was left on the bench as Monaco smashed Marseille 6-1 on Sunday evening.The France international has only played one game so far this season because of a knee injury he suffered in the opening game.Mbappe has been linked with a move away from the Stade Louis II all summer.Real Madrid, Manchester United, Manchester City and Barcelona were all linked.But it appears that PSG  who broke the world record to sign Neymar earlier this month  have beaten the other clubs to sign Mbappe.And they seem to be getting around Financial Fair Play at the same time with the loan deal.Monaco already seem to have lined up a replacement.The unbeaten Ligue 1 club are looking at Manchester City flop Stevan Jovetic.The Montenegrin, 27, has struggled since moving to Inter Milan and spent last season out on loan at Sevilla.
South South and South East governors have lamented neglect of the regions in the Nigerian federation.Speaking last night ahead of a meeting of governors of the region at Government House, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the host governor, Mr Nyesom Wike who was flanked by the others in his welcome address, said it was unfortunate that the regions had been marginalised politically and economically in the country.He said seaports, federal roads and several federal infrastructures had remained seemingly abandoned, adding that the forum was to promote the common interest of the regions for development.In attendance were Chairman of the South-South and South-East Governors Forum and Akwa Ibom Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel, Governor Nyesom Wike, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State.Others in attendance include acting Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah, Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke, Enugu State Governor, Mr Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Edo State Deputy Governor, Mr Philip Shaibu and Cross River State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ivara Esu.Governor Udom Emmanuel urged the governors of the two regions to form a common front for socio-economic development.He described the meeting as a new beginning for the two geo-political zones for the good of her people.In his welcome address, Governor Wike said that the people of the two geo-political zones have always shared common heritage and affinity.He said: Even in contemporary Nigeria, we still share the same or similar challenges, including insecurity, poverty and under-development despite the best of efforts by the constituent state governments. Today, the two regions are the most politically and economically marginalized within the nation, environmentally degraded and deliberately neglected by the Federal Government in appointments and provisions of basic development infrastructure.The governor noted that none of the airports and seaports located in the regions are reasonably functional, while the few federal roads are not in good shape, neither are the two regions linked by any rail services.From geo-strategic economic perspective therefore, there is an urgent need to establish and link our cities with railways and super highways, to provide viable and affordable flight services between our cities, and to ensure that cargoes are brought into the country and the regions through our seaports, jetties and ferry services as a veritable means of stimulating economic growth and social progress across our two regions.Also, we are all aware that economic growth and social progress are possible only in a peaceful and secure environment. And much as we try to tackle this menace in our respective States by providing the necessary logistic support to the security agencies, perceptions of insecurity are on the rise, doing significant damage to our investment climate thereby preventing reasonable inflow of direct foreign and local investment into the regions.He said as neighbours, the two regions must strive to overcome challenges through regional efforts by sharing resources, intelligence and denying sanctuaries to criminal elements in the areas.According to him: As we go into the business of this meeting, let us be confident in the rightness of our course and clear in our considerations that we have been and would continue to be worse off without the will to exploit our political and economic complementarities to drive our ways into political, economic and social prosperity.Above all, we must continue to demand for the devolution of powers and resources to the states as well as the institutionalization of State Police, now that there is national consensus on these issues.At press time, the governors were in a closed door meeting. A communique is expected at the end of their deliberations.
Ahead of todays governorship primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Anambra State, the Fresh Congress Group, FCG, in the party has accused some of the governorship aspirants of being agents of opposition political parties, who allegedly are being used to overheat the polity in the state.Chairman of the governorship primary, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, is already in Awka with members of his panel for the exercise.One contestant, Dr. Offodike from Nnewi in Anambra South senatorial zone, has already withdrawn from the race, leaving six persons to slug it out in todays contest. Among the contestants are Mr. Oseloka Obaze, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, Senator Stella Oduah and Lynda Ikpeazu.State chairman of FCG, Pastor Emma Obiora, in a statement in Awka, weekend, said the group was worried that members of PDP had not learned their lessons from the crisis that denied the party the Anambra Government House for many years.According to Obiora, the PDP leadership at the state and national levels should, immediately fish out those whose objective was to drag the party back at a time well-meaning members were determined to do everything humanly possible to move the party forward.Obiora said: The PDP, having come out of a protracted battle, should show a lot of good judgment as it did in Osun State, which led to the successful election of Senator Adeleke in that state, if it hopes to make headway in the struggle for the governorship of Anambra State.Anambra PDP should not forget in a hurry the mistakes of the past. The party has a large followership in Anambra, but some of their leaders and stakeholders are playing spoilers roles so that All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, government will survive.It is on record that some political vampires have invaded Anambra State PDP in recent times because of the electioneering time-table to choose a flag bearer for the party. Information we got has it that some of the so-called wealthy political gladiators are being used to destabilize the PDP congresses and primaries in the state, which is most unfortunate.Some of them are known to have become agents of opponents of PDP in the state and are being used to overheat the polity and bent on presenting a weak PDP candidate for the governorship, just to weaken the chances of a more credible candidate.We of the Fresh Congress Group of PDP, who are tried and tested grass roots based members of the party, are not happy with the news of bickering and brick bats being thrown around, thereby showing that PDP had not learned its lessons. The state and national leadership of our party should endeavour to give us a more credible and saleable candidate that should defeat other contestants from other political parties.
A contractor wanted by law enforcement in a case followed closely by Bamboozled was arrested last week after authorities noticed him at the Essex County Courthouse.

A mug shot of Michael Solise, who was arrested in the Essex County Courthouse.

Michael Solise, of Newark, was indicted in July by an Essex County grand jury on a third degree theft by deception charge in the case of Gwendolyn Dixon, an 83-year-old homeowner in East Orange.

Dixon signed a contract with Solise and his company, Clean Air USA, to repair her home after it suffered extensive damage in a March 2016 electrical fire. Solise took nearly $30,000 of insurance money in July 2016 without doing any work on the home, Dixon said.

Then he disappeared, she added.

The homeowner filed a police report after Solise stopped returning her calls, and that's when the Essex County prosecutor's office got involved.

Dixon appeared before the grand jury, and the grand jury handed down Solise's indictment.

But authorities said they still couldn't find Solise.

A hearing on the case was scheduled for Aug. 18, and Dixon planned to attend.

She said she saw Solise there. He acted as if nothing had happened, she said.

Gwendolyn Dixon stands in her unfinished home in July.

"He said hi, and said we had a mess and he was going to get it straightened out, or something like that," Dixon said.

Law enforcement sources, however, had a different story.

Solise arrived in the courthouse, an official said, asking the clerk if there was an open warrant in his name. When the clerk said she thought there was a warrant but she needed to get the paperwork, "he amscrayed," the law enforcement official said.

The Aug. 18 hearing would have happened with or without Solise, authorities said, but the judge called in sick and they couldn't get a replacement. The hearing would be rescheduled.

But then on Monday, Aug. 21, Solise walked into the courthouse again, law enforcement said.

The court staff recognized him as someone who walked out on a warrant, and a sheriff's officer was informed, a law enforcement source said.

Solise was arrested, authorities said.

He was released Aug. 23. Under New Jersey's reworked bail reform law, no cash bail was set, a spokeswoman said, but the judge set certain conditions. Those include that Solise may not commit any offense during the period of release, he may not contact Dixon or any possible witnesses in the case and he must stay in touch with Pretrial Services.

His next appearance in court will be for his arraignment, but that date hasn't yet been set, the spokeswoman said.

That might be a good time for the Division of Consumer Affairs to have a chat with Solise.

After Dixon's complaint and Bamboozled's inquiries, the agency investigated.

It prepared a Notice of Violation against Solise, assessing $29,579.35 in consumer restitution and $6,250 in civil penalties for acting as an unregistered contractor and other violations of New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act, Contractors Registration Act and Home Improvement Regulations.

But because the division hadn't been able to locate him after several attempts, Solise hasn't been served with the papers, the agency said.

Maybe it will happen at the arraignment.

Solise, reached by telephone Friday, said he had no comment.

STILL WITHOUT HER HOME

Meanwhile, Dixon is still not back in her home.

An uninstalled shower in Gwendolyn Dixon's home.

She's continuing her battle with a second contractor, Sulaimun Jenkins, whose business goes by the names Y&N Construction and 5 Star Restoration Services.

Jenkins signed a contract in the spring to complete Dixon's home for the remaining insurance money plus a few extra thousand more -- a total of $58,900, according to documents.

August is almost over, and Dixon said the home is nowhere near complete.

We've stayed in touch with Dixon all summer, getting a weekly play-by-play on the job's status.

Some progress has been made since we last wrote about Dixon in July, but Dixon says it's maybe only 50 percent finished and the contractor is unreliable.

An unfinished ceiling in Gwendolyn Dixon's home.

She said Jenkins continues to make promises but then does not show up, and he often doesn't return phone calls. Occasionally, Jenkins will drop off day laborers to do work at the home, Dixon said.

More recently, Jenkins has claimed Dixon needed PSE&G to restore electricity to the home before he could continue work. Dixon said the utility said more inspections were needed first, but town inspectors said Jenkins never made the request.

Plus, she said, Jenkins has always used a portable generator when he needed power in the home, and much of the work that still needs to be done has nothing to do with electricity.

Indeed, photos of the home show incomplete work, such as an unfinished bathroom, missing windows, unfinished walls and mounds of garbage in the yard. These and other items appear to be unrelated to any need for electricity.

One window that's still boarded up at Gwendolyn Dixon's home.

"I'm so tired of him, as you can imagine," said Dixon, whose lease for a nearby apartment is almost expired. "It is totally ridiculous. He just keeps prolonging and making excuses."

Bamboozled hasn't been the only one monitoring the job.

Throughout the summer, a Consumer Affairs investigator has checked in on the progress with Jenkins and with the homeowner, and according to Dixon, Jenkins has lied to the inspector.

"The Division is concerned that Ms. Dixon is still unable to return to her home as she awaits the completion of renovations to repair the damage done by the fire," a spokeswoman said. "We will continue to work with the contractor to expedite the resolution of the outstanding issues and we are prepared to take enforcement action in the event that the renovations are not completed as contracted for."

We're looking forward to finally seeing Dixon back in her home, and we'll you posted.

Research Editor Vinessa Erminio contributed to this report.

Email your questions to Ask@NJMoneyHelp.com.

Karin Price Mueller writes the Bamboozled column for NJ Advance Media and is the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com. Follow NJMoneyHelp on Twitter @NJMoneyHelp. Find NJMoneyHelp on Facebook. Sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter.
WINSLOW TWP. -- Police said they have caught two teens who have been hurling large rocks at cars on the Atlantic City Expressway, causing damage and injuring two people, for more than six weeks.

The boy and girl, both 14, were caught Friday with a bucket full of rocks near where Kali Drive dead-ends at the expressway, according to a statement from Winslow police.

The investigation began July 9, when police received the first report of a vehicle being hit with a rock on the westbound side of the highway in the area of mileposts 40 and 41, police said.

Over the following weeks, until Aug. 23, nine more vehicles were hit with large rocks in that same area, also heading west.

"All vehicles sustained smashed windshields and two victims sustained minor injuries," Winslow police said.

New Jersey State Police and township police conducted surveillance, canvassed the neighborhood, interviewed victims and witnesses in their investigation.

They determined that the end of Kali Drive, which is separated from the expressway by a guardrail and about 40 feet, was the most likely spot from which the rocks were being thrown.

The teens were identified after surveillance cameras in the area captured footage of them Aug. 22, police said.

Three days later, two witnesses saw the pair in the area of the expressway "gathering rocks in a bucket," police said.

Each teen was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, 10 counts of criminal mischief, nine counts of interference with transportation, nine counts of weapons possession and nine counts of possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose.

They were placed in the Camden County Juvenile Detention Center in Blackwood, police said.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
CAMDEN -- When misbehaving students receive punishments other than out-of-school suspensions, that means they spend more time in classrooms learning.

At Camden City schools during the last school year, students spent an extra 6,642 days sitting at their desks instead of out on suspensions, compared to previous school years.

That's according to numbers from the district, which announced Thursday that its district-wide effort to reduce the number of suspensions is working.

The total number of suspensions was down 53 percent, the district said, and the number of school days missed for suspensions was down 72 percent.

Partly responsible for the reduction is Elan Drennon, who joined the district two years ago with the hefty title of senior manager of student equity initiatives and school climate strategy.

Drennon said Friday that the district has adopted a new code of conduct -- including a tiered system that specifies which behaviors warrant certain punishments -- with a goal of keeping kids in classrooms and finding punishments that actually make sense.

There was room for improvement, as nearly half of the students at the district's two comprehensive high schools were suspended over the course of the 2015-2016 school year.

The disciplines were not uniform across the district, and many suspensions were for vague and minor infractions like "disrespect" or uniform violations. In some cases, Drennon said, school administrators were not documenting what the infractions were that led to suspensions.

School districts across the country are re-examining the ways they dole out punishment after research has shown that out-of-school suspensions can set vulnerable students back and tend to target certain groups.

The U.S. Department of Education says that studies have found that students of color and those with disabilities are suspended at greater rates than their peers, and suspensions are "associated with negative student outcomes" including higher drop-out rates, delayed graduation and lower academic performance.

The goal isn't just to find punishments that don't involve sending kids home, Drennon said. The disciplinary measures should be contructive and sensible, fix whatever wrong was done, and help get the student back on track.

For instance, she said, a student who vandalizes the wall should clean it up, and a student who steals from a classmate should have to talk to the victim and try to make amends.

If someone is skipping class, an out-of-school suspension "is like a vacation," Drennon said. Camden officials have learned that those students are often struggling in the classes they skipped, so under the new system, their discipline also came with tutoring in the subject.

The best case scenario, Drennon said, is that a student who has acted out, maybe because they're having trouble with bullying or at home, connects with a school counselor, builds a relationship and gets help dealing with the root of the problem.

Committing a serious infraction, like physically fighting or selling drugs, could still get a student a five-day suspension, the code says. In-school suspensions could involve counseling, "restorative circles" to talk about what went wrong, and school community service, like helping to clean the cafeteria, Drennon said.

She said that the reduction in suspensions is not just due to the choice to use alternative disciplines. It's because the district has hired specialized staff and trained seasoned workers to spot warning signs -- like absenteeism -- and do something about it.

"Now we aren't waiting till students exhibit that behaior to get our attention," she said. "We're asking, 'what's wrong?'"

Each comprehensive high school now has a "Climate and Culture Coordinator" to work toward a more positive culture and identify and aid students who aren't behaving.

The schools with the most behavioral problems also have three behavior specialists focusing on working with students and their families to get them services if they start acting out, the district said.

Seeing results

The biggest reduction in suspensions was in the city's comprehensive high schools, where they dropped by 89 percent, the district said. Overall, suspensions were down 73 percent at all district high schools and 24 percent at the elementary and family schools.

Maita Soukup, a spokeswoman for the district, said the suspensions in the K-8 schools averaged out to 23 suspensions per school in the last school year, compared to about 30 per school in the 2015-2016 school year.

The district said suspensions have been "all but eliminated" for the youngest students in the district. Drennon said the district did have some students in grades four through six suspended last year, but she'd like to see no suspensions for anyone below grade seven.

Last September, Gov. Chris Christie signed into law a bill that prohibited out-of-school suspensions for students in kindergarten through grade two unless it is due to "conduct that is of a violent or sexual nature that endangers others."

The city's schools were taken over by the state in 2013 due to failing test scores and a 49 percent graduation rate, among other things. The district's graduation rate rose to 70 percent in the most recent school year.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- A months-long drug investigation in Newark has added dozens of arrests to its ongoing tally, authorities said Monday

Taylor and Crutcher. (Courtesy Newark Police)

The investigation has already seen hundreds of people apprehended and hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of drugs confiscated from city streets.

The department arrested 43 people and seized six handguns, 1,300 decks of heroin, 223 vials of cocaine, 90 bags of marijuana, 97 pills, and $5,122.05 in cash during the past week, Newark police said.

The drugs seized have a street value of about $17,100, police said.

According to Newark police, arrests from this round of drug sweeps include:

Kenneth Taylor, 24, who was arrested after police, responding to neighborhood complaints of drug dealing at his apartment, searched it, and allegedly found a loaded 9mm handgun, cocaine, and marijuana.

Derrick Crutcher, 36, of Jersey City, who police said they saw dealing heroin and cocaine from a parked car near 4th Avenue and North 11th Street. Authorities said they also found a loaded 9mm handgun in the car.

Of the other people arrested during last week's sweep, 27 were on narcotics charges, and 14 for drug possession and related charges, outstanding warrants, and contempt of court, police said.

Authorities also confiscated four other guns thanks to anonymous tips. Two loaded rifles were inside a building on Irvine Turner Boulevard, and a loaded shotgun and .45 caliber handgun were inside a vacant home on North 11th Street, police said.

Newark authorities began the drug investigation earlier this year after a barrage of resident complaints about drug sales in their neighborhoods, police have said.

"The ongoing operation is aimed at removing guns and drugs from our streets while enhancing the quality of life for residents," police said in the release.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- The 33-year-old son of a high-profile advocate for people with developmental disabilities was found dead in his group home in Somers Point Sunday, police and state authorities have confirmed.

William "Billy" Cray was found dead on the floor of his bedroom at about 8 a.m. Sunday, state Human Services spokeswoman Nicole Brossoie said Monday.

The group home is operated by Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health of New Jersey of West Deptford. Brian Hancock, the company's executive director, said he would be releasing a statement about Cray's death later in the day.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death, Somers Point Police Chief Michael A. Boyd said.

In addition to the police, Devereux and state Human's Services' Office of Investigations are conducting separate inquiries into Cray's death.

Cray's mother, Martha Cray of Roselle Park, is one of the most vocal parent advocates to champion legislation that would impose closer scrutiny of group homes. The bill was named for Stephen Komninos, a 22-year-old man who died in 2007 when he was left unsupervised by a Bancroft employee and choked to death on a bagel.

Gov. Chris Christie said he would sign the bill (A2503) if changes he recommended were accepted by the Legislature. The bill would require the state to make two unannounced visits at group homes a year, and mandate that group home operators must call a parent or guardian within two hours following an injury or other critical incident.

The Assembly passed the revised bill in July; a Senate vote has not yet been scheduled.

"This is tragic and my heart goes out to the Cray family," Assemblywoman Valerie Vainer Huttle D-Bergen, said, one of the bill's sponsors. "Billy's death is yet another reminder of why we need to continue to strengthen oversight and improve our notification system at our developmental centers and group homes. His untimely death underscores the need for this legislation finally enacted into law, no more delays or excuses."

Thomas Komninos of Upper Saddle River, Stephen's father, said he and other parent advocates were "devastated" by Billy Cray's death.

Earlier this month, a 37-year-old man with developmental disabilities who was under the supervision of a group home operator, was struck and killed by a delivery truck in Hamilton. The state is also investigating his death.

Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- A Kearny resident has been accused of attacking a man with a weightlifting dumbbell bar in a vicious attack that left the victim with serious head gashes.

Eloy X. Ordonez, 38, of the 500 block of Kearny Avenue, was arrested after the incident Wednesday and charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses related to the metal bar, according to a criminal complaint.

Responding officers found the victim lying on the floor of his building's vestibule with large gashes to the front and rear of his head. Police officers said Ordonez had blood and scratches on him, the complaint says.

Police took a recorded statement form the victim at the hospital, during which he said Ordonez attacked him with some type of pipe. An officer returned to the scene and located the blood-stained dumbbell bar, the complaint states.

Ordonez made his first appearance on the charges Friday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny.

At the hearing, he was ordered released with conditions of supervision pending trial, including having no contact with the alleged victim. His next court date in the matter is set for Oct. 16 before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul DePascale.
JERSEY CITY -- Three people were charged in a dispute at the Journal Square Transportation Center in which one man was pepper-sprayed and a woman suffered a bloody eye and a head laceration, authorities said.

Dwayne Dove, 54, of Jersey City, was charged with aggravated assault, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a weapon, a criminal complaint said of the Aug. 22 incident.

Jonathan Jackson, 53, of Union City, who was pepper-sprayed in the incident, was charged with aggravated assault, possession of weapon and bail jumping, said Joe Pentangelo, spokesman for the Port Authority police. Authorities say he assaulted Melissa Bacchus, 36, of Jersey City, who was arrested and charged with possession of weapon for an unlawful purpose and bail jumping.

Police responded to the disturbance at the bus platform inside the transportation center at 9:05 that night and found Jackson lying on the ground, saying he was pepper-sprayed by Bacchus and Dove, Pentangelo said. Bacchus and Dove told police that Jackson attacked them.

Dove made his first court appearance on the charges in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City via video link from Hudson County jail in Kearny on Aug. 24.

At the hearing, the state moved to detain him through the course of his prosecution and a detention hearing is scheduled for today before Hudson County Superior Court Judge Paul DePascale.

When told he would be in jail at least until today, Dove said "I'm going to lose my job."

Bacchus and Jackson also made their first appearances on their charges on Thursday. A detention hearing for Jackson was scheduled for this afternoon.

Jackson was transported to police station and complained that he suffered from asthma, but he refused medical attention. Bacchus was treated at the Jersey City Medical Center and released to police, Pentangelo said. Jackson, Bacchus and Dove were all taken to Hudson County jail in Kearny.

Managing Editor Ron Zeitlinger contributed to this report.
JERSEY CITY -- Two Jersey City men are facing marijuana and prescription painkiller charges following a motor vehicle stop by Hudson County Prosecutor's Office investigators conducting surveillance on Ocean Avenue last week.

Anthony Franklin, 20, of Oak Street, and Alterik T. Ellis, 24, of Lexington Avenue, were arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of Endocet pills with intent to distribute and marijuana offenses, the criminal complaint says.

Franklin was also charged with hindering his own apprehension by giving a fake name and for allegedly swallowing two pills, according to the complaint.

At 3:15 p.m. that day, officers watched as a man approached the driver's side of a van near Bidwell Avenue and made an apparent drug transaction. The vehicle drove away and was stopped at Union Street and Martin Luther King Drive, according to the complaint.

Officers approaching the van smelled marijuana and Ellis, the driver, got out and was taken into custody. Ten bags of suspected pot were found in a compartment below the radio, the complaint says.

One Endocet pill was found on the car floor next to Franklin, who had seven more Endocet pills in his clenched hand. He is believed to have swallowed two more, the complaint states.

During a search, Ellis was found to have 19 Endocet pills and a bag of marijuana in his crotch area, the complaint says.

Both men made their first court appearances on the charges Thursday in Criminal Justice Reform Court in Jersey City and were ordered released with conditions of supervision pending trial.

Franklin was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center before being cleared for incarceration.
EWING -- Low-cost airline Allegiant Air announced the indefinite suspension of flights between Trenton-Mercer Airport and two Florida destinations, citing a lack of demand.

The Las Vegas-based airline began serving the region last November, flying three times a week to Orlando's Sanford International Airport and twice a week to Punta Gorda and the St. Petersburg-Clearwater airport, just across the bay from Tampa.

The flights to Sanford and St. Petersburg-Clearwater will stop in January, spokeswoman Krysta Levy confirmed Monday.

"There was simply not enough demand in the area to continue these routes," she said. "We are constantly evaluating and re-evaluating every route, including suspended routes, to determine if and when it will resume service."

Its flights to Punta Gorda will continue.

Levy said the decision is based entirely on demand in the region and is not a reflection of its partnership with the county.

"They have been great partners to us," she said.

Allegiant's reduced schedule comes as its rival Frontier Airlines announced that it's expanding service to Florida. Frontier will begin flying to Miami on Oct. 6 and will increase frequency to both Orlando and Tampa this winter. Service to West Palm Beach is also scheduled to operate year-round.

Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
PERTH AMBOY -- An 18-year-old city man who was found dead Friday was stabbed to death, authorities said Monday.

Jose David Guardado-Leiva. (Photo provided by the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office)

Jose David Guardado-Leiva was found by a passerby shortly after 7:40 a.m. on Conrail property near William Street in the city, officials said.

Guardado-Leiva died of stab wounds to his head, neck and torso, Middlesex County Prosecutor Andrew Carey and Perth Amboy police chief Roman McKeon said Monday. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The teenager's death was recently ruled a homicide by the county medical examiner, authorities said.

Perth Amboy police and the prosecutor's office are investigating the killing. No arrests have been made.

Authorities are asking anyone with information to call them at 732-442-4400 or 732-745-4340.

Luke Nozicka can be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com or on Twitter @lukenozicka.

Find NJ.com on Facebook and Twitter.
FREEHOLD -- The man accused of stabbing an 11-year-old Keansburg girl to death in the apartment building where they both lived appeared briefly in court Monday as prosecutors told a judge they were preparing to put the case before a grand jury.

Andreas Erazo, 18, is charged with murder and weapons offenses in the slaying of Abbiegail Smith, whose body was found on July 12 less than 24 hours after her mother reported her missing.

Erazo appeared before Judge David Bauman in Superior Court in Monmouth County on Monday shackled at the hands and feet and wearing a yellow jail-issued jumpsuit.

No new information about the case was disclosed during the hearing, which lasted less than a minute. A court date for the grand jury proceeding wasn't cited. Under the new bail reform guidelines, an indictment has to be brought against a defendant within 90 days.

Authorities have said that Erazo, who lived in the same apartment complex as Smith in Keansburg, stabbed her to death and then wrapped her body in a comforter and a bed sheet.

Investigators, who had been searching for Smith after her mother reported her missing, found her body on top of a shed outside the window of Erazo's apartment.

Smith was bound with a computer cord and most of her clothing was removed, according to authorities. Investigators also found blood stains on the inside of Erazo's bedroom window still, authorities said.

In a previous court hearing, Assistant Monmouth County Prosecutor Diane Aifer said Erazo admitted to investigators that he stabbed Smith. However, one of Erazo's attorneys, Courtney Schneider, said her client was "not familiar with interrogation processes or procedures."

"At no point during this interrogation did Mr. Erazo admit the knowing and purposeful murder, which are the necessary elements of this offense the state must prove beyond a reasonable doubt," she said.

Erazo will remain behind bars in the Monmouth County jail pending trial.

Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @alexnapoNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
TRENTON -- Two New Jersey men were sentenced Friday to state prison for separate cases of distributing videos and images of child pornography online, authorities said.

Burt G. Harvey-Martinez, 35, of Elizabeth, was sentenced to six years in state prison, including more than two years of parole ineligibility, by Superior Court Judge Lisa Walsh in Union County.

William Morgan, 61, of Manalapan, was sentenced to three years in state prison by Superior Court Judge Richard W. English in Monmouth County.

The two had previously pleaded guilty to second-degree of distribution of child pornography, Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino said Monday. Both are required to register as sex offenders under Megan's Law and will be subject to parole supervision for life.

"These men joined the depraved network of criminals who directly drive the sexual exploitation and torture of children by distributing child pornography," Porrino said in a statement. "We're making it a top priority to lock up these offenders who wantonly victimize children."

Morgan was arrested March 24, 2016, when agents conducting Operation Safeguard executed a search warrant at his residence in Manalapan. Detectives monitoring a network had associated him with more than 200 files of suspected child pornography, authorities said.

During the search, detectives seized computer equipment belonging to Morgan that contained numerous files of child pornography, including ones stored in a shared folder where they were readily available for other users to download, the attorney general said.

Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and detectives from the Division of Criminal Justice and New Jersey State Police assisted in the operation.

Harvey-Martinez was arrested July 19, 2016, in a separate but similar investigation targeting users sharing child pornography on a file-sharing network, authorities said.

At his Elizabeth home, detectives seized his laptop computer that contained numerous videos and images of child pornography, the attorney general said. About 1,459 files of suspected child pornography were found in a shared folder, he said.

Elizabeth police assisted in the operation by the Division of Criminal Justice, State Police and Homeland Security.

"Sharing videos and images of children being raped, tortured and abused is just as despicable as the very acts," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, superintendent of the State Police. "We will continue to safeguard children by exposing these animals who hide behind the veil of a computer screen."

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka.

Find NJ.com on Facebook.
By Erin Petenko | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In the winter of 1951-52, three planes crashed in Elizabeth, killing a total of 119 people.

Most of the deadliest air crashes in N.J. happened decades ago.

Air travel today is "absolutely" safer than the early years of flying, before planes made the transition from propellers to jet engines in the 1950s and 1960s, said Shea Oakley, executive director of the Aviation Hall of Fame and Museum of New Jersey.

In addition to mechanical improvements, changes in the communication among crew members has mad a big difference.

"They had to train crews how to talk to one another," he said. "In those days, the captain was king, and sometimes the other crew wouldn't speak up."

The addition of radar in the 1950s and the increasing amount of cockpit automation also played a role in decreasing fatal errors, he said. Fatalities have dropped nationwide from 2,000 per year in the 1970s to 630 in 2016.

Meanwhile, the government stopped using lighter-than-air vessels like zeppelins after many high-profile crashes, he said.

"The tech was too far ahead of its time," he said. "It just didn't do well in heavy weather."

NJ Advance Media compiled a list of the deadliest air accidents in the state's history, using data from the Aviation Safety Network, the Bureau of Aircrafts Accidents and The New York Times archives.

Don't Edit

10. Colonial Western Airways

Date: March 17, 1929

Crash location: Newark, NJ

Fatalities: 14 (all on plane)

The flight of a Ford tri-motor plane, on a sightseeing trip, began normally until the plane turned  and the engine suddenly failed. According to a 1929 New York Times report, the pilot attempted an emergency landing at a dump, but failed and crashed into a sand-filled rail car, killing everyone on board but the pilot.

The Aviation Corporation, which eventually became American Airlines, bought Colonial Western Airlines later that year.

Above: The type of Ford trimotor plane involved in the crash.

(Bzuk | Wikimedia)

Don't Edit

9. Eastern Air Lines

Date: July 30, 1949

Location: Chesterfield, NJ

Fatalities: 15

A small Navy plane conducting aerobatic exercises on a civil airway rammed into an Eastern Airlines commercial plane flying south out of La Guardia Airport. The Navy pilot was ultimately blamed for the crash that killed 15 passengers and crew members, including himself. Eastern Airlines dissolved in 1991.

Above: A Douglas DC-3, the same plane involved in the Chesterfield crash.

(John Oxley Library | Wikimedia Commons)

Don't Edit

8. U.S. Navy airship crash

Date: July 6, 1960

Location: Off Barnegat City, NJ

Fatalities: 18

The airship was searching for two yachts that had been reported missing when it crashed on a a clear day, killing 18 onboard. The crash was blamed on adhesive degrading on a seam in the aircraft.

Above: An N-class zeppelin, the type of airship involved in the crash.

(U.S. Navy | Wikimedia Commons)

Don't Edit

7. American Airlines, Flight 6780

Date: January 22, 1952

Location: Elizabeth, NJ

Fatalities: 30

The flight was supposed to be from Buffalo to Newark. But as the plane made its approach to descend, it began to veer off course, drifting to the right until it hit an apartment building in Elizabeth. No official cause was ever determined.

Above: A scene from Elizabeth soon after the crash. It struck homes but narrowly avoided a girls' school.

(Courtesy of the Newark Public Library)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

6. National Airlines 101

Date: February 11, 1952

Location: Elizabeth, NJ

Fatalities: 33

A flight headed from Newark to Miami lost control after its third propeller reversed direction at high speed. Half of the 63 occupants were killed. It was the second crash in Elizabeth in three months. Pam Am took over National Airlines in 1980.

Above: A photo from the scene of the crash; the plane crashed into a four-story apartment building.

(Courtesy of the Newark Public Library)

Don't Edit

5. Hindenburg

Date: May 6, 1937

Location: Lakehurst

Fatalities: 36

The Hindenburg was one of the largest, most well-regarded airships in Germany  until it went down in flames in Lakehurst. Its demise was broadcast in spectacular newsreels across the country. Experts have proposed different reasons for the crash, but most agree the airship's fuel, hydrogen, was a major cause for the electric charge and resulting fire that brought the zeppelin down. Thirteen passengers, 22 crewmen and one person on the ground were killed.

Above: A photograph of the Hindenburg as it exploded over the Lakehurst Naval Air Station.

(Murray Becker | Associated Press)

Don't Edit

4. U.S. Air Force - Fort Dix

Date: July 13, 1956

Location: Fort-Dix McGuire

Fatalities: 45

This military transport crashed soon after taking off from McGuire Airforce Base, killing 45 of the 66 people onboard. The plane hit an air pocket as it left the runway, 30 miles south of Trenton.

Above: A Douglas C-118A, the same plane involved in the crash.

(United States Air Force | Wikimedia Commons)

Don't Edit

3. Miami Airlines

Date: December 16, 1951

Location: Elizabeth, NJ

Fatalities: 56

Another crash occured in Elizabeth in December 1951, a C-46 went down soon after take off. The crash killed all onboard, but the pilot saved some lives on the ground by guiding the plane to a rare empty spot surrounded by roads and apartment buildings. Investigators looked into the C-46 plane, which had a poor safety record; the cause of the crash was determined as mechanical failure, leading to a fire in the engine.

Above: The plane after debris scattered across the Elizabeth River.

(Courtesy of the Newark Public Library)

Don't Edit

2. USS Akron

Date: April 4, 1933

Location: Off the coast, near Barnegat Light

Fatalities: 73

The USS Akron disaster, while it elicits less attention than the Hindenburg, was actually the deadliest airship disaster in history. The helium-filled navy dirigible crashed into the ocean after heading into a storm, prompting a frantic search that caused another airship crash with two fatalities.

Above: The USS Akron flying over Manhattan circa 1931-1933.

(U.S. Navy | Wikimedia Commons)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

1. Linea Aeropostal Venezolana

Date: June 20, 1956

Location: Off the coast, near Asbury Park

Fatalities: 74

At the time, this crash of a Venezuelan airliner was the most deadly accident of any scheduled commercial flight. The Lockheed Constellation had an engine failure and unexpectedly burst into flames and fell into the ocean when the pilot attempted to prepare for emergency landing.

Above: A Lockheed L-1049E-55, the same type of plane involved in the crash.

(Scott Sandars | Wikimedia Commons)

Don't Edit

Learn more about plane crashes in New Jersey

Hindenburg 80th anniversary: Lakehurst crash site open to public Saturday

How three planes crashed in three months in Elizabeth in '50s

United 23 took off from New Jersey 80 years ago; its midair explosion remains a mystery
Rescuers answered hundreds of desperate calls for help Sunday as floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey rose high enough to begin filling second-story homes, and authorities urged stranded families to seek refuge on their rooftops.

A fleet of helicopters, airboats and high-water vehicles confronted flooding so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. Rescuers got too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.

"It's heartbreaking," said Harris County sheriff's spokesman Jason Spencer.

Astounding video shows numerous boats maneuvering around stranded vehicles on flooded street in Dickinson, Texas. https://t.co/JZvofyopoP pic.twitter.com/J5J2ZNxwiP -- ABC News (@ABC) August 27, 2017

Rainfall of more than 4 inches per hour resulted in water levels higher than in any recent floods and higher than during Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001, said Jeff Linder of flood control district in Harris County, which includes Houston.

Here is a timeline of key moments in the storm's development:

8:05 p.m.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters at a news conference that he has no regrets about not calling for an evacuation of the city, saying it was "in the best interest of Houstonians."

"It was the right decision in terms of their safety and always we must put the interests of the city and Houstonians first," he said. "That's exactly what we did."

7:15 p.m.

According to the mayor of Houston, city police and fire personnel had received 6,000 calls for rescues and had rescued more than 1,000 people as of 5 p.m. Only one fatality has been confirmed.

6:15 p.m.

Authorities in Dallas announced they will open the city's Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center on Tuesday to about 5,000 people fleeing flooding in the southern part of the state.

3:50 p.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbot said a federal disaster declaration for the flooding now encompasses 18 counties, home to nearly 7 million of the state's residents.

The White House announced President Donald Trump will travel to the state Tuesday. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the logistics of the trip are still being coordinated with authorities in the state.

___

2:15 p.m.

The Associated Press reported Harris County Judge Ed Emmett is asking private owners of boats and high-water vehicles to help rescue Houston residents whose homes have flooded.

Emmett told reporters at a news conference that additional boats and vehicles the state is sending to the Houston area are not able to get to the area due to flooded roadways, adding that vehicles previously sent to the area are already being used in rescue efforts.

___

11:04 a.m.

At least five people have died and more than a dozen people injured as Hurricane Harvey and the resulting tropical storm moved across Texas, The New York Times reports.

___

10:05 a.m.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says emergency personnel have responded to more than 2,000 calls to 911 for rescues in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. He said priority was being given to life-threatening calls.

Turner also said at a news conference Sunday that he has ordered the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center opened as a shelter as floodwaters inundated much of the city.

Turner also urged people not to drive, as numerous streets and roadways in Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, were flooded Sunday.

The George R. Brown Convention Center has 1.8 million square feet of space.

___

9:50 a.m.

A Catholic priest has used a kayak to get from his home in southeast Houston to higher ground and hoped to say Mass for people stranded on the streets.

Father David Bergeron says that he tried to buy some wine for Mass at a convenience store but couldn't because sales are prohibited in Texas on Sunday before noon.

Bergeron tells television station KTRK that: "this is how America was evangelized -- by canoe."

He says that he is praying for people affected by Tropical Storm Harvey.

___

9:40 a.m.

Staff at a Houston television station broadcasting live coverage of Tropical Storm Harvey had to evacuate after water from nearby flood-prone Buffalo Bayou started to gush into the building.

KHOU-TV tweeted images Sunday of water pushing through a front door and flooding the lobby. Other images showed sand bags placed against another door had failed to stop the water that was already ankle deep.

Floodwaters around 6:30 a.m. Sunday began seeping into the first-floor studio of KHOU, which is the CBS affiliate in the nation's fourth largest city. The anchors and news operations then moved to a second floor as live coverage of Harvey continued.

Later tweets say the station was being evacuated due to flooding.

The station last flooded in 2001 during Tropical Storm Allison.

___

9:35 a.m.

Harris County sheriff's spokesman Jason Spencer says flooding throughout the county that includes Houston and the region is so widespread that it's "difficult to pinpoint the worst area."

He says authorities are prioritizing hundreds of phones calls for help to ensure life-and-death situations "are at the top of the list."

"It's heartbreaking," he says.

Spencer says the department has high-water vehicles and airboats but "certainly not enough." He says officials are encouraged that rescue teams from the National Guard and state agencies have also been deployed.

___

9:25 a.m.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says Hurricane Harvey is a "landmark event" and the federal agency will be in the areas worst affected "for years."

Brock Long says nearly 5,000 people from the federal government are doing search and rescue missions, helping to restore power and supporting what he calls "mass care missions."

Speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Long said: "We expect a huge mass care mission today, of people flocking to shelters, if they can get to shelters."

___

9:15 a.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says that boats and helicopters are being deployed to help with swift-water rescues in the Houston area and parts of East Texas also facing flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Abbott, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," said: "We're measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet."

He tells ABC's "This Week" that they "could not be more appreciative" of what the federal government and President Trump have done to help as Hurricane Harvey hit Texas.

Abbott said on CNN's "State of the Nation" he's talked to Trump several times and the head of FEMA. He says, "We've made multiple requests and we're getting absolutely everything we need."

Abbott said Harris County, which includes Houston, will soon be included in a federal disaster declaration as a result of Harvey.

___

8:25 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he will be traveling to Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Trump tweeted that the "focus must be life and safety."

At least two people are dead and more than a dozen injured due to the storm that has battered the region, including the cities of Corpus Christi and Houston.

Trump has been complimenting the response to the storm on his Twitter feed, commending "Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government."

Trump adds that: "Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground."

The storm could linger for days in the region and could unload as much as 40 inches of rain on cities including Houston.

___

8:15 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it's received more than 300 requests for urban search and rescue in the Houston area.

The Coast Guard has five helicopters working the emergency calls and is asking for additional helicopters from New Orleans to help.

Officials are advising people in dire straits to get to the roofs of their homes and mark them somehow to be seen from the air. They're suggesting people wave sheets or towels.

___

7:45 a.m.

Flooding in some parts of the county that includes the city of Houston is so bad that residents are being urged to seek refuge on their roofs.

Harris County Flood Control District official Jeff Lindner says people inundated by rising waters shouldn't crawl into attics of their homes but should get on top of them.

He says rainfall of more than 4 inches per hour has sent water higher than in recent Houston floods side and are exceeding levels seen in Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001.

Lindner says areas south of the city appear hard-hit and some flooding is reported in downtown Houston and in the Texas Medical Center, which was devastated in Allison.

He calls Harvey "a different animal" from Allison and a "historic situation."

He says he's most amazed that he's getting reports "of water into second-story of apartments and homes." Considering Houston's flat terrain, "it's very rare to get that depth of water."

___

6:20 a.m.

Authorities say rescue attempts continue in Houston for those stranded inside flooded homes and submerged vehicles in the wake of Harvey.

The Houston Chronicle reports that hundreds of calls have been fielded for water rescues as of early Sunday, including Houston police officials who evacuated two apartment complexes and rescued more than 50 children.

Meanwhile, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Sunday continued urging residents via Twitter to "shelter in place" and stay off rain-swollen roadways.

Gonzalez actively used Twitter overnight to field assistance for those trapped inside water-soaked homes, attics and vehicles. Those appealing for assistance or being steered to help via Gonzalez's Twitter feed included a person suffering "cardiac-arrest," and a woman who posted: "I have 2 children with me and the water is swallowing us up. Please send help."

Gonzalez at one point appealed for calm and patience, saying officials were "trying to make it to everyone as best we can."

Turner's official Twitter account said "911 services at capacity. If u can shelter in place do so, a few inches in your home is not imminent danger. Only call if in imminent danger."

___

4:03 a.m.

The National Hurricane Center says Harvey continues to cause "catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas."

The hurricane center says in its 4 a.m. Sunday update that the tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72.42 kph) and remains stationary about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas.

A storm surge warning and a tropical storm warning also are both in effect for Port O'Connor to Sargent. The hurricane center says a storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline.

The center says Harvey is likely to weaken to a tropical depression later Sunday. Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service says a Flash Flood Emergency over west and central Harris County, where Houston is located, as well as for eastern Fort Bend and northern Brazoria counties remains in effect until 6:15 a.m. Sunday, calling it a "Particularly Dangerous Situation."

2:11 a.m.

Jersey Village, Texas, officials are recommending that people who live along the White Oak Bayou, about 17 miles northwest of Houston, consider whether they need to evacuate their homes.

Jersey Village City Manager Austin Bleess says the city issued a notice to residents about 1:30 a.m. saying the bayou looked like it would be out of its banks before long. He says city officials worried that streets may soon become impassable and wanted those residents to have time to make arrangements.

"Certainly if people can stay in their homes, they can do that," Bleess said. "It's quite possible that the streets could get impassable so we wanted to get that recommendation out."

Bleess says the city is in the process of opening a storm shelter at the Champion Forest Baptist Church, Jersey Village chapter.

___

1:20 a.m.

The National Hurricane Center says Harvey continues to weaken at a slow pace as it produces torrential rains across parts of Southeast Texas.

In its early Sunday update, the hurricane center said the tropical storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72.42 kph) and it is practically stationary about 45 miles (72.42 kilometers) northwest of Victoria, Texas.

The airport in Austin, about 165 miles (265.53 kilometers) west of Houston, reported sustained winds of 38 mph.

The center says Harvey is likely to weaken to a tropical depression later Sunday. Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service extended a Flash Flood Emergency over west and central Harris County, where Houston is located, as well as for eastern Fort Bend and northern Brazoria counties until 6:15 a.m. Sunday, calling it a "Particularly Dangerous Situation."

___

12:30 a.m.

At least two people have died as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to dump rain on Southeast Texas.

The Harris County medical examiner's office confirmed the death of one person late Saturday in Harris County, but the office did not identify the cause of death.

Gary Norman, a spokesman for the Houston emergency operations center, says the woman appeared to have gotten out of her vehicle in high water. She was found by neighbors about 30 yards away from the vehicle. Norman says she was pronounced dead at the scene by a doctor who was in the area.

Earlier Saturday, Aransas County Judge C.H. "Burt" Mills Jr. said the storm left one person dead in the county.

Harvey came ashore Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.
PASSAIC -- The state recently revoked the medical license of former Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco as he sits in prison serving out a sentence for receiving thousands of dollars in bribes from developers in exchange for awarding their projects federal housing funds.

Blanco, a Democrat, pleaded guilty in November to a bribery charge under an agreement with the office of then-U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, who agreed not to press further charges against Blanco for his role.

Prosecutors said Blanco used an intermediary in 2011 to demand bribes from two developers on low-income housing properties on Paulison Avenue.

They further said the former mayor solicited the bribe as a condition of distributing $216,400 in Housing and Urban Development funds to the developers.

Blanco, a podiatrist, was sentenced to 27 months in prison, three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $110,000 in restitution.

Blanco resigned from his job working at the Veterans Affairs hospital in East Orange after pleading guilty. He also immediately resigned as mayor at the time and was replaced by Hector Lora later that day.

Lora was elected to the job earlier this year.

Blanco, who once held a podiatry practice in Passaic until it closed in 2008, is currently incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Schuylkill Pennsylvania. There, he asked the State Board of Examiners to consider his current imprisonment and "family circumstances" in making its decision.

Three of Blanco's four sons have developmental disabilities.

The state determined that Blanco's conviction constituted a "crime involving moral turpitude" and professional misconduct.

The state stated that Blanco's license surrender was considered a revocation and issued a series of orders including to "cease and desist" from prescribing or dispensing medications, pay a fine of about $700 and have no financial interest in the practice of podiatric medicine.

Blanco will be able to reapply for his license after five years -- or upon completion of his 27-month prison sentence and three years of supervised release, according to the board's decision.

Blanco's attorney did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.

Have information about this story or something else we should be covering? Tell us: nj.com/tips.
NEWARK -- Gov. Chris Christie blasted Texas Republican lawmakers Monday for being "hypocrites" over their urgent request to President Donald Trump for federal disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Harvey devastating portions of the state.

The governor lashed out at Texas's congressional delegation for their part in opposing relief aid to New Jerseyans after Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc here in 2012. At the same time, Christie urged New Jersey's congressional delegation to swiftly approve any requests for emergency relief as millions in Texas continue to get battered by the storm and its subsequent flooding.

"We were the disaster that was the longest, in waiting in terms of getting federal, aid and I hope that that's not what happens to the folks in Texas with Harvey," Christie said at a public event in Newark.

He was asked by a reporter if he thought Texas's federal lawmakers -- like Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, who asked Trump Friday for a major disaster declaration -- were hypocrites for opposing New Jersey's requests after Sandy.

"Absolutely. Sure," Christie, a Republican, said. "The congressional members in Texas are hypocrites and I said back in 2012 that they'd be proven to be hypocrites. It was just a matter of time."

Christie added: "When you're a state that has any kind of coastal exposure like Texas does to the gulf, you're going to wind up having some type of disaster that's going to ... (harm) the people of your state. Then all of a sudden, you're not gonna want a conversation of the philosophical niceties cause people are suffering and dying."

Nearly all of Texas's congressional delegation opposed Sandy aid relief. All but three of the people who opposed the measures are still in office.

The only exceptions were among Texas's Democrats and GOP Rep. John Culberson, who represents Texas's 7th Congressional District, which includes areas of western Houston, one of the cities hit hardest by Harvey.

Christie lashed out at GOP leadership in the House of Representatives in 2013 after they delayed aid to the state. He said they demonstrated "callous indifference."

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.
TRENTON -- State Assemblyman Craig Coughlin on Monday may have landed a fatal blow against Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto in his bid to become the new leader of the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.

Essex County Chairman LeRoy Jones announced Monday that most of the Democratic Assembly members representing the county are backing Coughlin as speaker when the chamber votes on its leadership in January.

The endorsements of those six lawmakers preliminarily give Coughlin (D-Middlesex) more than enough votes to supplant Prieto (D-Hudson) as speaker -- the third most powerful position in New Jersey government, after governor and state Senate president.

But Prieto, who is seeking a third term as speaker, refused to concede defeat Monday. And it's still possible that a number of upsets in November's elections and/or a number of defections from Coughlin's camp could allow Prieto to keep his position, although Monday's news makes that much more unlikely.

Either Prieto or Coughlin need votes from at least 27 of the 52 members of the Assembly's Democratic majority to win the speakership.

Coughlin announced in May that he had the support of 26 members, as well as two Democratic candidates who are expected to win in November, when all of the Assembly's 80 seats are on the ballot. But that advantage was seen as being thin.

Monday's announcement, however, gives Coughlin a much clearer path to ousting Prieto. Jones, the county party chair, said six Essex County Democrats -- Mila Jasey, John McKeon, Ralph Caputo, Cleopatra Tucker, Eliana Pintor-Marin, and Tom Giblin -- joined the list of those backing Coughlin.

Only two Essex County Democrats did not join the list: Sheila Oliver, who is running for lieutenant governor, and Blonnie Watson, who is not running to keep her seat. Jones said Oliver is staying out of the issue because of the governor's race.

Shanique Speight, who is running for Watson's seat and is expected to win, is backing Coughlin.

State Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto is pictured in 2015.

Jones said in a statement Monday that Coughlin will "provide strong leadership" to the Assembly and will "work in partnership" with Phil Murphy, the former U.S. ambassador to Germany who is the Democratic favorite to succeed Gov. Chris Christie in November's race, and Oliver.

"Together, along with our Essex Delegation in the Assembly, we will be able to address the challenges of fiscal responsibility, quality education, strengthening our middle class, job creation and improving the overall quality of life for all our residents that our state faces in the immediate future," Jones added.

But Prieto released his own statement Monday vowing to keep fighting for his job and insisting that he still has enough support from Essex County's Democrats, despite what Jones announced.

"I am certain that I have the support of a majority of the members of the Essex County Assembly delegation, today's announcement notwithstanding," Prieto said. "As chairman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization, I always take great caution in making political statements to ensure that my constituency is uniformly behind our position. That is not the case in Essex County as it relates to the upcoming vote for speaker."

Coughlin also has the support of an influential bloc of south Jersey Democrats who are aligned with Democratic powerbroker George Norcross III.

Norcross supported Prieto when he ousted Oliver as speaker in 2013, but Prieto has often clashed with south Jersey lawmakers over the last few years.

Assembly members vote on its leadership informally shortly after November's elections. There is an official vote in January.

Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
WASHINGTON -- New Jersey has agreed to give publicly available voter information to the presidential commission formed after President Donald Trump insisted without evidence that millions of ballots were cast illegally in the 2016 election.

State Division of Elections Director Robert Giles said the agency would provide only the data available under the state's Open Public Records Act: name, address, date of birth, political party affiliation and voting history.

Giles said other information requested by the commission, including the last four digits of Social Security numbers, felony convictions, military service and registrations in other states, was not public information and would not be provided.

Trump created the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity by executive order in May. During the campaign, he complained of a "rigged" election and embraced a North Carolina voter-identification law that a federal appeals court said targeted minority voters "with almost surgical precision.

After Trump won, he said millions of illegally cast votes deprived him of winning the popular vote over Hillary Clinton.

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

Such voter-ID laws have been enacted by Republican-controlled legislatures as a response to in-person voter fraud that studies have shown is virtually non-existent.

Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, found just 31 possible fraud cases out of more than 1 billion votes from 2000 through 2014.

And after the 2016 election, reviews by election officials in California, North Carolina, Ohio and Tennessee found just 324 potential fraud cases out of more than 29 million ballots cast, or one-thousandth of 1 percent, according to the Center for Election Innovation and Research in Washington.

Trump commission members include several advocates of voter-ID laws, including Vice Chairman Kris Kobach, the Kansas secretary of state.

Another member, former Federal Election Commissioner Hans von Spakovsky, overruled career officials while serving in the Justice Department under President George W. Bush and approved a Georgia voter-ID law that a federal judge later compared to the now-unconstitutional poll tax used to block blacks from voting.

At least 99 bills to restrict access to registration and voting have been introduced in 31 states. https://t.co/zZPKJa041K pic.twitter.com/b62hin4fpc  Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) August 22, 2017

Marc Lotter, a spokesman for Vice President Mike Pence, the commission chairman, did not respond to a request for comment.

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has introduced legislation to disband the commission, calling it a "lie" and a "sham." He said any data collected would "likely to be used to suppress legal voting."

And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he would seek to end the commission through a provision added to legislation that Congress must pass in September to keep the federal government open or prevent it from defaulting on its debt.

Schumer said such action was imperative following Trump's statement placing "blame on both sides" for the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Va., Aug. 12, where one counterdemonstrator was killed.

"Given what's happened in the last several weeks, we've entered a new world and it's even more important that the commission be disbanded," Schumer said.

In response to the commission's initial June 28 request, Giles said no data would be released "that is not publicly available or does not follow the appropriate legal process for information requests."

The commission made a second request on July 26, prompting the latest response.

Giles made the decision in the absence of Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who recused herself from election-related issues during her gubernatorial campaign.

Guadagno's Democratic opponent, former U.S. Ambassador Phil Murphy, said she should have stepped in to prevent the data release, especially since the issue has nothing to do with the 2017 gubernatorial race.

"Kim Guadagno selectively refused to exercise her constitutional and statutory authority to protect the information and privacy of more than 5.7 million New Jerseyans from an administration panel that is openly hostile to voting rights and voter protection," Murphy said. "If she won't step in on behalf of residents now, how can she be trusted to do so next year?"

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant or on Facebook. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.
SALEM -- A woman accused of getting high on heroin before her 2-year-old daughter was found dead in a car seat will remain in jail until at least later this week, a judge has ordered.

Deanna J. Joseph, 39, of Alloway Township is facing a second-degree charge of endangering the welfare of a child after the incident Saturday night.

In a Monday afternoon court video appearance in Salem before Superior Court Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson, county Assistant Prosecutor Christopher Goodwin asked that Joseph not be released.

Allen-Jackson granted that request and ordered Joseph held in the Salem County Correctional Facility until a formal detention hearing on Thursday. Joseph appeared Monday via video from the jail along with her defense attorney, Joseph Neal.

Throughout the hearing, Joseph answered the judge's questions with a simple "yes."

The Salem County Prosecutor's Office said Monday it is still awaiting results of an autopsy to determine how the girl died and piecing together exactly what happened leading up to her death.

According to the complaint filed against Joseph by New Jersey State Police, she allegedly took heroin and then drove around Alloway Township with her 2-year-old in her car.

Joseph then, the complaint said, parked the vehicle "for an unspecified amount of time." The child, identified only as K.F., was later found dead in the vehicle in her car seat at their Timbeman Road home, authorities said.

Rescue crews were called to the home around 9:45 p.m. Saturday, but they found the child dead.

According to reports Joseph has had past interactions with New Jersey child welfare agencies.

State authorities Monday would not provide any information about Joseph's past contacts.

However, according to other reports, Joseph was convicted in 2014 of cruelty and neglect of a child after authorities reportedly found her unconscious while her son, then an infant, bathed in several inches of water in a South Amboy apartment. She was sentenced to a year in jail and was released a year ago this month, records show.

If convicted, Joseph faces up to 10 years in prison and up to a $150,000 fine.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
UPDATE: Mom accused of being high as daughter, 2, died in unattended car faces court

ALLOWAY TWP. -- A mother has been arrested after she got high on drugs and left her 2-year-old daughter unattended for hours in her car seat, where she somehow fatally injured herself, authorities said.

Deanna J. Joseph, 39, was charged with second-degree child endangerment after she called 911 around 9:45 p.m. from her home on Timberman Road to report that her child was unresponsive, State Police said.

"It appeared the child was confined in a car seat for an extended period of time while the mother was under the influence of drugs, and may have injured herself in the car seat," Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan said Sunday.

Lenahan said the child had no obvious signs of blunt force trauma and the exact cause of death will be determined by the medical examiner's office.

Joseph, who was in the vehicle with her daughter, had left the car parked but running, he said. It was a cool night, he said, but Joseph had the heater on.

This is Joseph's third arrest in nine years on charges related to neglect of a child, according to court records.

Most recently, Joseph was convicted in 2014 of cruelty and neglect of a child after authorities reportedly found her unconscious while her son, then an infant, bathed in several inches of water in a South Amboy apartment. She was sentenced to a year in jail and was released a year ago this month, records show.

Police told Mycentraljersey.com in 2014 that Joseph was found unresponsive next to spoons and glassine envelopes containing heroin residue, along with a couple of rocks of crack cocaine.

Joseph was also convicted of cruelty and neglect of a child in 2008 in Superior Court in Burlington County and sentenced to five years probation.

According to a Burlington County Times report at that time, Evesham police arrested her after determining that she left her children, 11 and 2, alone at home. Police made the discovery after they found Joseph under the influence of drugs in a parking lot and took her to a hospital.

After the 2008 arrest, the two children were taken into state custody at least temporarily, according to the Burlington County Times.

Court records show she has also been convicted, over 20 years, on charges from seven separate arrests, including possession of heroin and cocaine and resisting arrest or eluding after being instructed to stop.

If convicted of the second-degree offense, she faces up to 10 years in prison.

It was not clear Sunday whether Joseph was being monitored by the state Department of Children and Families' Division of Child Protection and Permanency.

Rebecca Everett may be reached at reverett@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebeccajeverett. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
SALEM -- A woman who allegedly was high on heroin and left her 2-year-old daughter unattended in a car seat until the child died faces her first court hearing Monday, authorities said.

Deanna J. Joseph, 39, of Alloway Township, is scheduled to be in Superior Court in Salem to face a charge of endangering the welfare of a child.

Joseph was arrested by New Jersey State Police after calling 911 Saturday night around 9:45 p.m. seeking aid for her daughter.

Joseph took heroin and then drove around Alloway Township with her 2-year-old in her car, authorities said. Joseph then parked the vehicle "for an unspecified amount of time" and then returned to find the child inside unresponsive, police said.

"It appeared the child was confined in a car seat for an extended period of time while the mother was under the influence of drugs, and may have injured herself in the car seat," Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan said Sunday.

Lenahan said there were no obvious signs of injury to the child. Authorities said they are still awaiting autopsy results which should determine how the little girl died.

This is Joseph's third arrest in nine years on charges related to neglect of a child, according to court records.

She is being held at the Salem County Correctional Facility, Mannington Township.

Bill Gallo Jr. may be reached at bgallo@njadvancemedia.com. Follow Bill Gallo Jr. on Twitter @bgallojr. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
You have permission to edit this article.

Edit Close
To our friends in Texas, New Orleans is with you: Editorial
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
The study looks at two smaller-scale projects that are in some ways predecessors to the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, the $2 billion plan to slow land loss erasing Louisiana's coast. Construction on that project could begin as early as next year, while a similar one on the opposite side of the river known as the Mid-Breton Diversion could follow.
Currently in New Orleans

45 Sunny 45 / 40
Officials with the American Red Cross chapter in Council Bluffs said 40 Red Cross volunteers from Council Bluffs and southwest Iowa have been dispatched to Texas to assist with the recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Salvation Army officials in Omaha said no local volunteers have been sent at this time, but the Salvation Army is accepting donations to assist with the relief effort.

Susan Eustice, the Salvation Armys director of public relations in Omaha said in a release that continued rainfall from Hurricane Harvey presents extreme danger to the Gulf Coast. The Salvation Army in Texas is providing food and hydration to first responders and is preparing for massive feeding efforts for residents.

In response to increased needs, The Salvation Army is activating emergency response teams across the country. Although not activated, the Omaha Salvation Army is also on standby for manpower and equipment.

As the situation in south Texas continues to worsen following Hurricane Harveys landfall, The Salvation Army has activated all of its US and Canadian emergency disaster response assets, said Major C. Mark Brown, Director of Business Operations for The Salvation Army Texas Division. These units are able to provide food, shelter and emotional and spiritual care to those impacted by this ongoing devastating weather event.

Salvation Army locations in Houston and the surrounding areas are providing shelter, food, and clothing in response to dramatic flooding in the city. On Sunday afternoon in both Pasadena and Texas City a number of people were transported to The Salvation Army in the back of dump trucks having been rescued from rapidly rising flood waters.

Mobile kitchens from McAllen, Laredo, Corpus Christi and Dallas-Fort Worth served meals, drinks and snacks to residents and first responders in the hard-hit city of Port Aransas, Driscoll and Corpus respectively. More than 3,000 meals, snacks and drinks have been served.

Ten additional mobile kitchens and an Incident Command Team from Arkansas and Oklahoma arrived in Corpus Christi on Sunday evening ready to begin service on Monday. An Incident Command Team from Florida is traveling to support the relief efforts in Houston by the middle of this week.

As communities along the coastline become accessible, Salvation Army mobile emergency, feeding and hydration vehicles and personnel are delivering service to the affected areas. Service will continue for as long as is necessary.

Although the Nebraska National Guard has ordered 4 helicopters and 23 soldiers to help with Harvey relief operations, Iowa National Guard Col. Greg Hapgood said Iowa officials have not been contacted for assistance.

At this point, we dont have any requests from Texas officials for personnel or the Iowa National Guards capabilities, Hapgood said. He emphasized, however, that any requests from Texas officials would be evaluated in terms of the Iowa National Guards capabilities to respond.

To make a financial donation to support the Hurricane Harvey relief efforts check out these organizations:

 American Red Cross, visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (specify Harvey relief) or text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

 Salvation Army, visit salvationarmyusa.org; mail to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 1959, Atlanta, GA 30301; or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

 Some area church groups, social service groups and food banks are taking donations, too.
HOUSTON (AP)  Officials released more water from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey early Monday in a move aimed at protecting the city's downtown from devastating floods but that could still endanger thousands of homes, even as the nation's fourth-largest city anticipated more rain.

Harvey, which made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has lingered just off the coast dropping heavy rain as a tropical storm, sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday. The rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long said during a press conference Monday that as many as 50 counties in Texas are affected by the flooding and that a tremendous amount of rainfall is in the cards for southwest Louisiana too. The rain and floods have been blamed in at least two deaths.

Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said Monday morning that 2,000 people have been rescued from flooding in the city and that 185 requests for help were pending.

Even as the water rose Sunday, the National Weather Service issued an ominous forecast: Before the storm is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches of rain. That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.

On Monday morning, emergency vehicles made up most of the traffic in an otherwise deserted downtown Houston  normally a bustling business area. Many traffic signals did not work and most businesses were closed.

Residents living near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs  that were designed to prevent flooding in downtown Houston  were warned Sunday that a controlled release from both reservoirs would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. Rising water levels and continuing rain was putting pressure on the dams that could fail without the release. Harris and Fort Bend county officials advised residents to pack their cars Sunday night and leave in the morning.

"When the sun comes up, get out," said Jeff Lindner, a meteorologist for the Harris County Flood Control District. "And you don't have to go far, you just need to get out of this area."

The Army Corps of Engineers started the reservoir releases before 2 a.m. Monday  ahead of schedule  because water levels were increasing at a rate of more than 6 inches per hour, Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said.

Officials in Fort Bend County, Houston's southwestern suburbs, late Sunday issued mandatory evacuation orders along the Brazos River levee districts. County officials were preparing for the river to reach major flood stages late Sunday. County Judge Robert Herbert said at a news conference that National Weather Service officials were predicting that the water could rise to 59 feet, three feet above 2016 records and what Herbert called an "800-year flood level." Herbert said that amount of water would top the levees and carries a threat of levee failure.

On Sunday, incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.

Volunteers joined emergency teams in pulling people from their homes or from the water. Authorities urged people to get on top of their houses to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.

Acevedo said Monday that drainage remains a concern.

"I'm not sure where the water is going because it's just so much that we can't really absorb more in the ground at this point. ... We have way too much water and not enough places for it to drain," Acevedo told MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

And on the possibility of the rain subsiding, he said: "We're just keeping our fingers crossed"

FEMA's Long predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA's involvement for years.

"This disaster's going to be a landmark event," Long said.

The National Weather Service meanwhile warned that the catastrophic flooding would worsen due to heavy rainfall in the coming days and that it would be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on. Director Louis Uccellini said during a news conference Monday that up to 20 inches of rain could fall in the coming days, on top of the more than 30 inches some places have already seen.

President Donald Trump issued a federal emergency disaster declaration for Louisiana on Monday, covering Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vermillion parishes. The declaration authorizes FEMA to coordinate disaster relief efforts and the federal government to cover 75 percent of costs of certain emergency protective measures.

Vice President Mike Pence told Houston radio station KTRH Monday that the federal government will support all Harvey recovery efforts.

It was not clear how many people have been plucked from the floodwaters in Texas. Up to 1,200 people had to be rescued in Galveston County alone, said Mark Henry, the county judge. Rescuers were giving priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. And several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.

Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center was quickly opened as a shelter. It was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005.

Gillis Leho arrived there soaking wet. She said she awoke Sunday to find her downstairs flooded. She moved some belongings upstairs then grabbed her grandchildren.

"We had to bust a window to get out," Leho said.

Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help and urged drivers to stay off the roads.

"I don't need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm," Turner said.

The deteriorating situation was bound to provoke questions about the conflicting advice given by the governor and Houston leaders before the hurricane. Gov. Greg Abbott urged people to flee from Harvey's path, but the Houston mayor issued no evacuation orders and told everyone to stay home.

The governor refused to point fingers on Sunday.

"Now is not the time to second-guess the decisions that were made," Abbott, a Republican, said at a news conference in Austin. "What's important is that everybody work together to ensure that we are going to, first, save lives and, second, help people across the state rebuild."

The mayor, a Democrat, defended his decision, citing the risk of sending the city's 2.3 million inhabitants onto the highways at the same time.

"If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare," Turner said.

The Coast Guard deployed five helicopters and asked for additional aircraft from New Orleans.

The White House said President Donald Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday. He met Sunday by teleconference with top administration officials to discuss federal support for response and recovery efforts.

The rescues unfolded a day after Harvey settled over the Texas coastline. The system weakened Saturday to a tropical storm. By early Monday, Harvey had shifted a little closer to the coast, hovering about 20 miles east of Victoria, with sustained winds of about 40 mph. The National Hurricane Center said it continued to edge in a southeasterly direction at 3 mph.

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.
A Gothenburg man has been accused of more than 50 cases of identity theft and fraud across Lincoln, Dawson and Buffalo counties.

Matt Mroczek, 36, was arrested Thursday in Gothenburg after an eight-month investigation that followed an arrest in Omaha, said Gothenburg Police Sgt. Matt Langley.

Gothenburg police believe Mroczek committed identity theft and illegal possession of devices such as credit cards and gift cards.

The Omaha, North Platte and Kearney police departments, Nebraska State Patrol, U.S. Postal Inspector and Nebraska Insurance Fraud Division assisted in the investigation.

The current allegations are unrelated to Mroczeks earlier arrest in Omaha, Langley said.

In late December, Mroczek was arrested at Nebraska Furniture Mart on suspicion of attempting to purchase more than $20,000 in merchandise, including electronics, according to reports at the time.

At the time, police said Mroczek had attempted to pick up merchandise using an alias. After signing for the merchandise, he was arrested while loading the merchandise into a trailer.

Court records indicate that in May, Mroczek entered a diversion program in that case.
Police say a domestic disturbance resulted in a man being run over by a truck on Sunday evening.

According to the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office, deputies were called to the Lake Maloney Inlet on the report that a man had been struck by a vehicle in the Kansas Point camping area. Preliminary investigation revealed that the 46-year-old North Platte man had been involved in a domestic disturbance with his 56-year-old wife.

She attempted to leave the area and the man grabbed onto the passenger side of the vehicle. He was drug down the gravel road and eventually run over by the rear tire of the vehicle. He was taken to Great Plains Health.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the case.
"Napoleon Dynamite" star Jon Heder, "Parks and Recreation"'s Jim OHeir and other Hollywood types have taken over Lan-Oak Lanes in Lansing to film the indie movie When Jeff Tried to Save the World.

Former Munster resident Kendall Goldberg, a Zonta Award-winning recent graduate of Chapman Universitys Dodge College of Film & Media Arts just outside Los Angeles, shot a short movie with the same name and cast there a year ago about a man trying to save the old school bowling alley hes always known and loved. She made the 22-minute version as a proof of concept that she shopped around on the film festival circuit in the hope of securing the financing for her first full-length motion picture.

It worked. Goldberg got the backing and is now filming her feature-length debut for 18 days in the Chicago area, including for two weeks at the vintage bowling alley on Ridge Road in Lansing. They've also filmed scenes in an apartment in the city and a hospital in the west suburbs.

Goldberg, who has directed many short films, including one that was named a semi-finalist in the Student Academy Awards, has been working on the project for four years, drawing inspiration from films like "The Big Lebowski" and "Kingpin."

I always want to make a movie set in a bowling alley, she said. It came from the idea of a movie in a bowling alley so we wanted to write a story with a universal theme like change. Jeff became the best vessel for that. The idea transformed over time to where it was more and more personal.

Goldberg and Munster resident Rachel Borgo wrote the screenplay about a longtime manager, played by Heder, who tries to rescue Winkys World of Gaming and Bowling from a corporate takeover, refining the story through many drafts.

"It's like a modern-day 'Empire Records,'" Producer Jimmy Seargeant said. "The script was right up my alley  it's an indie comedy that's a little quirky. Kendall's been a powerhouse with several other things. It was a no-brainer for me."

They scouted more than 40 bowling alleys in Los Angeles, but didn't find any with the right vintage look until Goldberg saw the 16-lane Lan-Oak Lanes, which still looks largely the way it did during the 1960s. The film crew has added an arcade and several neon signs, including a "Winky's World" one, for the filming.

"In many ways it would have been easier and cheaper to film in LA," Producer Shane Simmons said. "The actors live there. There would have been benefits. But we didn't find anything that fit the vision as well as this place. This building is literally what we were looking for."

Goldberg said it was vital for the bowling alley, where about 80 percent of the movie is set, to have a historic look.

"Part of the story is that Jeff doesn't work for a new, high-tech, fancy bowling alley," she said. "It has to be meaningful to him. It has to be a community staple, which is why he pushes back so much when they try to take away the history."

The short film version of When Jeff Tried to Save the World" screened to positive receptions at IFF Boston, the Sarasota Film Festival and Midwest Independent Film Festival. Goldberg and her producers linked up with Chicago-based Burn Later Productions, which made Joe Swanberg's "Drinking Buddies."

They've been working with a crew of 40 to 50 people and a cast of about a dozen actors, including Jeremy Shada from "Adventure Times" Candi Milo from "Dexters Laboratory" and Danny Goldring from "The Dark Knight."

Goldberg wowed cast members with her script and didn't give up when they had scheduling conflicts.

"I was persistent and kept in touch," she said.

OHeir, known for playing Jerry on "Parks and Rec," is actually a Thornton Fractional South High School graduate who bowled at Lan-Oak as a kid who was cast long before they had the set picked out.

"We just pulled him in off the street," Simmons joked.

They plan to edit the final movie and screen it at film festivals like Sundance to find a distributor.

"It's been amazing," Goldberg said. "I've been wanting to make the movie for so long it's like a dream come true. It's been incredible, and it looks amazing on screen. Everyone's been so nice, kind and caring, and I've made friends with the cast. They're not just the cast; they're my friends."
VALPARAISO  A former Porter County police detective is seeking to have his criminal child pornography case moved out of the county because he fears he will not receive a fair trial.

A Sept. 8 hearing was set for the request from Roger Bowles, who is arguing that the "widespread public outrage, hostility, prejudicial editorializing" involving his case is clear by the large number of negative Facebook posts made in the wake of the charges, according to the motion filed by his defense attorney, John Vouga.

The motion says that many of the responses are the result of "inadmissible and highly prejudicial allegations in the underlying news reporting: namely, the allegation that the defendant was involved in a sexual relationship with the alleged victim."

Bowles, 56, who retired during an investigation into alleged sexual relations with a 17-year-old, has been charged with a felony count of possessing nude photographs of the girl on his cellphone.

Bowles met the girl while they both were working security and traffic control during the 2015 Porter County Fair, and sexual incidents began after last year's fair, according to the investigation done by Indiana State Police.

The girl said the sex was consensual, which is legal in Indiana because she was at least 16 years old, police said. But it is illegal to possess sexual photographs of children under the age of 18.

Vouga argues the details about the relationship were presumably released "to incite outrage and prejudice."

It also will be nearly impossible for Bowles to receive a fair trial because during his 16 years with the Sheriff's Department, he both helped put people away for offenses and developed close relationships with court staff, according to the motion.

Prosecutors did not offer an immediate response to the request for change of venue when it was presented during Bowles' initial hearing Monday morning before Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa.

Bowles entered not-guilty pleas to both the child pornography charge and a misdemeanor count of providing alcohol to a minor.

A trial was set for Feb. 5, with preliminary hearings Oct. 30 and Nov. 27.
VALPARAISO  A local woman said she lost consciousness at least twice while being assaulted and held at gunpoint during a kidnapping incident last week, witnessed by her 7-year-old autistic son, according to an affidavit.

The two 27-year-old Michigan men charged with the crime  Quentin Davis and Christopher Poole  were in court Monday morning, and each received a $100,000 cash bond.

Davis, who faces two felony counts of kidnapping and a misdemeanor count of resisting law enforcement, told the court during his initial hearing that the charges are the result of a "woman scorned."

"I have not held anyone against their will," he said.

Poole is charged with two felony counts of aiding in a kidnapping.

The woman reportedly told police she began dating Davis about a month ago, and he was forcing her to move in with him, according to the charging information.

Davis allegedly became angry and began battering her at his South Bend apartment Wednesday because he felt she did not bring what he was expecting, according to charging information. He allegedly strangled her and held a bat above her, threatening to kill her and telling her she "needs to learn how to act right," the affidavit states.

She was treated at a South Bend hospital for a broken wrist and had multiple bruises, the charging information said.

When Davis allegedly found a gun in the woman's bag, he held her at gunpoint.

The woman said Poole watched the entire incident and encouraged Davis, saying he "would have killed her already," the affidavit states.

The woman's young son also witnessed the entire incident and was physically prevented by Poole from helping, according to charging information. When the boy became upset, the men reportedly told him to "man up" and stop crying.

South Bend police showed up at the apartment, but were unaware of the situation because the woman and her son remained quiet in a bedroom under a threat, according to charging information.

The situation came to the attention of police after the group drove to Chesterton and forced the woman to quit her job and obtain her last paycheck. The woman told her boss she was being held against her will, and he contacted police, who located the vehicle early Thursday, according to charging information.

Davis and Poole reportedly told the woman that if she said anything to police, "they would have their gang members come and hurt her" and her son, charging information said.

Poole objected in court Monday when he was told the size of his bond was based, in part, on the danger he posed to the community.

"I'm not a threat," he said, telling the judge he has a wife and children.

Trials were set in the cases for Feb. 5, with preliminary hearings Sept. 29, Oct. 27 and Dec. 1.
HAMMOND  Authorities said Monday a 15-year-old boy being held in connection with in two recent rapes is now a suspect in the stabbing death last week of a 25-year-old mother.

The boy was not identified because of his age and a gag order issued by Lake County Juvenile Court.

DNA evidence confirmed the same person raped a 14-year-old girl about 12:30 p.m. July 26 in the 6700 block of Grand Avenue and a 25-year-old woman about 12:45 a.m. Aug. 8 in the 7400 block of Arkansas Avenue, police said.

Detectives initially thought the Aug. 22 homicide of Lucia Gonzales, 25, of the 7500 block of Alexander Avenue, was an isolated crime, Detective Capt. Ezekiel Hinojosa said. However, investigators later developed information that the person responsible for the homicide could be linked to the rapes, he said.

Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and Police Chief John Doughty offered condolences to the woman and girl who were sexually assaulted and the family of Gonzales, who died from injuries consistent with blunt force trauma and stab wounds, authorities said.

Prosecutors to seek waiver to adult court

Gonzales was found dead by her 6-year-old son, who gathered up his two siblings and sought help at a neighbors home, police said. There were no signs of forced entry at Gonzales home, Hinojosa said.

Investigators recovered stolen property about 3:45 a.m. Aug. 23 at an undisclosed location and developed a person of interest, Hinojosa said. Surveillance was conducted on the person, and he was taken into custody within about 24 hours on a theft charge, police said.

DNA evidence subsequently linked the 15-year-old to the two rapes, police said.

Officials declined to discuss whether DNA evidence had linked the boy to Gonzales homicide, citing the gag order and a desire to protect the integrity of their case.

The boy remained in custody Monday at the Lake County Juvenile Detention Center, authorities said.

The Lake County prosecutors office will be filing a petition to waive the boy to adult court on the charges related to the rapes, Prosecutor Bernard Carter said. The boy is a suspect in the homicide, but no charges have been filed yet in that case, he said.

The waiver process could take months. The juvenile court will weigh whether the case can be successfully handled in the juvenile system, taking factors such as potential for rehabilitation into account, he said.

The boy's attorney, Michael A. Campbell, said he requested the gag order to keep his clients identity under wraps at this stage in the process and protect the boys rights.

There have been no formal charges filed yet, Campbell said.

The case has gotten a lot of attention from news media and on social media, he said.

Requesting the gag order was just the right thing to do to protect my client, but also his family as well, he said.

Officers commended for professionalism

McDermott commended police for the hundreds of hours they spent investigating the three violent crimes.

Crime cant always be prevented, but people should trust the police to do their jobs, the mayor said. The Police Department updates a crime map on its website every day, and information about the homicide and rapes was posted to the map like any other crime, he said.

Doughty thanked his officers, federal partners and task forces for their diligent work.

Law enforcement has no crystal ball to see and predict every crime, he said. But we can and should be judged by our response.

Every investigation is a process, and detectives followed the leads and solved three violent crimes, he said.

Thats what we do with every serious crime in Hammond, Doughty said. All of those resources you saw go into this, thats what we do.

Doughty said other agencies that assisted included the Secret Service, Indiana State Police and its crime lab, the Indiana Department of Child Services, Porter County sheriffs police, Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District police, Michigan City police, Lake County sheriffs police, the Lake County coroners office, the Lake County prosecutors office and the LaPorte County prosecutors office.
'FBI' greets students

MICHIGAN CITY  More than 30 civic leaders, pastors, police officers, and other men from the community greeted students as they arrived at three Michigan City Area Schools on their first day back to school. A grassroots movement called Fathers and Father Figures Being Involved... or FBI, welcomed students at Edgewood, Knapp and Lake Hills Elementary schools. The movement is a part of the city's Commission on the Social Status of African American Males and the Northwest Indiana Ministers Conference.

Statistics show that many students in our community may not have a positive male role model in their lives, said Marty Corley, a member of the MCAS board of trustees who was instrumental in planning the effort. We wanted to show the kids that men support them and care about their success in school. Were hoping it will set the tone for a positive school year.

The Fathers and Father Figures Being Involved group held a similar first-day welcome at Edgewood last year  and then decided to become active partners in the Edgewood School Association. A local pastor, Jacarra Williams, spearheaded the group, which met bimonthly to plan activities.

The FBI has become a part of the Edgewood school family, said Principal Peggy Thomas. We truly appreciate the contribution these men are making; it is helping our students succeed both academically and socially.

Schools partner with Boys and Girls Club

CHESTERTON  The Duneland School Corp. announced their partnership with the Duneland Boys & Girls Club. This partnership will help meet the needs of Duneland parents and children who utilize the club after school. A school bus that would have been traded as part of the school corporations bus replacement plan will now be donated to the Duneland Boys & Girls Club so transportation of students can be provided from school to the club. The school corporation will also provide training for their school bus driver and assist with bus maintenance.

Staff earns certifications

CHESTERTON  The Duneland School Board honored three Duneland School Corp. (DSC) Administration Center staff members for completing certification courses for the Indiana Association of School Business Officials (IASBO) certification program.

Mary Jo Brust, DSC business manager, has completed the required courses for her certification designation as Chief Business Officer, which requires 92 hours of instruction.

Elizabeth Howard, DSC benefits coordinator, has completed two certifications tracks. Her certification designations are Business Office Specialist, which required 58 hours of instruction; and Human Resources Specialist, which required 71 hours of instruction.

Lynn Kwilasz, assistant superintendent of business/CFO has completed the required courses for her certification designation as Human Resources Specialist, which required 71 hours of instruction. She also has completed the required courses for her renewal of her certification designation as Chief Business Officer requiring 92 hours of instruction.
A regional chapter of the American Red Cross and an ambulance service are rushing help to victims of Hurricane Harvey in Texas.

The Red Cross is deploying four volunteers: Jack Holland, of Crown Point; Malisia Lemme, of Gary; Alan McCoy, of Hobart; and Jerry Montgomery, of Michigan City.

Becky Wright-Thames, a Red Cross disaster administrator for Northwest Indiana, said Montgomery arrived Friday to provide mental health counseling services.

She said Lemme left early Monday, and Holland and McCoy plan to leave Tuesday to provide mass care services.

Wright-Thames said Montgomery has been with the Red Cross for at least 15 years. Holland and McCoy have been with the Red Cross for between two months and a year.

She said they were chosen for two reasons. "I think it's the compassion to lend a helping hand, and they were available and ready to go for up to three weeks," Wright-Thames said.

She said the organization depends upon financial donations to provide disaster relief. Donors can designate their donation to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts by choosing that option when donating on redcross.org or at 1-800-733-2767.

Elite Ambulance, an emergency and non-emergency transport firm based in Hammond, Portage and South Bend, is sending six ambulances to the storm-stricken area, Mary Reid, a manager for Elite, said Monday.

"We were put on standby status earlier and then they called (Sunday) night for us to deploy. We already had our people together," she said.

Reid said the ambulances' two- and three-member crews come from both its Northwest Indiana and Illinois divisions.

"This is through an agreement with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency). Whatever they need, we will do," she said.

Reid said it isn't clear yet what work is required, but it is likely similar to that performed in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina flooded Florida, Louisiana and New Orleans in late August 2005.

"Back in the day, I went down, and we did all kinds of things from relocating nursing home and hospital patients," Reid said.

Larry Butcher, of the LaPorte County Emergency Management office, said Monday the local Red Cross office was preparing to send volunteers to Texas as early as today.

Ron Donahue, owner of InHealth Integrated Care of Valparaiso, said Monday he is still awaiting word from FEMA. He said he is prepared to send an ambulance and up to three paramedics and emergency medical technicians to Texas.

He said Sunday FEMA may call about 100 ambulances to Texas from around the country.

Jodi Richmond, director of Lake County's emergency management agency, said Monday she is expecting a call to provide water rescue specialists from among the police, fire and emergency medical service providers from Lake, Porter, LaPorte, Newton and Jasper counties.
VALPARAISO  The Porter County Board of Commissioners approved $10,083 recently for the installation of warning lights at the intersection of McCool Road and County Road 875 North in Portage Township.

"So they clearly catch the driver's attention," said Porter County Commissioner Jim Biggs, R-North.

Background

The improvements were proposed after a 56-year-old woman died and several others were injured July 12 in a crash at the intersection.

Biggs did some digging and discovered there have been 96 accidents reported at or near that intersection over the last decade.

In hopes of shrinking or eliminating that number, Biggs pitched the idea of using cable franchise fee proceeds to enhance the intersection with the same type of safety devices used at Meridian Road and County Road 700 North in Liberty Township.

The only traffic called on to stop at the McCool Road intersection are the vehicles on 875 North. Biggs said the east and westbound stop signs on 875 North will be enhanced with solar-powered flashing lights to better catch the attention of motorists.

Solar-powered yellow flashing lights will be installed on McCool Road, he said. Biggs said the hope is that both efforts will alert motorists from all directions that they are approaching an intersection that could be dangerous.

A 17-year-old female motorist was eastbound on 875 North during the late morning of July 12 when she failed to yield the right of way and pulled out in front of a northbound vehicle on McCool Road, police said. A Kentucky woman, who was a passenger in the young woman's vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene.

What's next

Biggs said the safety improvement project is being rushed forward to be done before the state begins work on nearby Ind. 149, which will put more traffic on McCool Road.

"It's all part of our management approach," he said of the quick response by the commissioners.
Two Northwest Indiana beaches were closed for a day, and contamination advisories lasting at least one day were issued between Aug. 10 and 25, 2017, because of high bacteria levels, records show.

Hammond Marina East Beach and Whihala Beach West were closed Aug. 17 and Aug. 13, respectively, because of high bacteria counts.

Contamination advisories were issued for the following beaches on the days noted:

Upper Fish Lake Beach in LaPorte County, Aug. 10 and 23-24

Hammond Marina West Beach, Aug. 17

Indiana Dunes State Park East Beach, Aug. 11 and Aug. 23

Jeorse Park Beach II in East Chicago, Aug. 13

Shore Avenue Beach in Beverly Shores, Aug. 16

Whihala Beach West, Aug. 24

Beach managers self-report the data, which appears on the Indiana Department of Environmental Management's BeachGuard website.

E. coli is considered an indicator bacteria and often does not directly cause swimming-related illnesses, according to a recent Beach Monitoring Report issued by the National Park Service.

"Beach managers test for levels of bacteria in the water that can be associated with contamination from sewage or other sources of contamination and which may indicate the potential presence of human pathogens in the water," the report said.

Gastrointestinal illnesses are a primary concern when swimmers come in direct contact or ingest contaminated water, the report said.

"Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, headache and fever," the report said.

Though less common, conditions affecting the eyes, ears, skin and upper respiratory tract also could be contracted.

This list provides a look back at conditions at local beaches during the past two weeks.

Anyone considering a trip to the beach is encouraged to check the BeachGuard site before heading out, because data is updated daily.
GRIFFITH  As the two-engine King Air 350 airplanes with 13 people aboard came in for a landing Sunday morning at the Griffith-Merrillville Airport, the craft hit a deer, skidded off the end of the runway and burst into flames, spilling 100 gallons of fuel on the ground.

Two joggers on the nearby bike trail ran to help pull people of the burning airplane and were among those severely injured.

It was all part of the first disaster drill staged at the airport to simulate an aircraft crash with multiple injuries and a hazardous material spill and to serve as a training exercise.

The drill simulates an aircraft incident response between the Griffith Fire Department and 16 other municipal departments or county and district-level entities, said Griffith Fire Department Lt. Joe Martin, who helped organize the drill with Gary Fire Battalion Chief Mark A. Terry.

Griffith-Merrillville Airport serves as a reliever airport" for Midway and the Gary Airport and handles a range of aircraft, Martin said.

As firefighters, we train for what we are going to encounter, said Martin about the drill that included establishment of an incident command, triaging and removal of victims, decontamination of victims and firefighters exposed to the fuel and containing the hazardous material.

Griffith Fire Chief Roy Schoon served as the incident commander for the drill which utilized the mutual aid box alarm system.

In addition to Griffith Fire and Police Departments, others responding to the disaster drill included Fire Department personnel from Crown Point, Gary, Lake Ridge, Lincoln Township, Lowell, Munster and Schererville. Other participants in the drill included members of the Indiana District 1 Mass Casualty Incident Team, the District 1 Emergency Management Agency, the Lake County Hazmat unit and the Lake County Central Consolidated Dispatch.

Elite Ambulance Service and Prompt Ambulance Service provided EMT services and the simulated transport of victims. Students from Griffith High School and Griffith Middle School played the victims and will each receive four hours of community service credit for participating.

Fire suppression and triage of victims were two major components of the drill, Martin said.

After triaging, the victims are identified by specific colors. Black is dead. Red is critically injured. Yellow is needs immediate care and green are the walking wounded, he said.

We had panicky, excited victims with blood splatters all over them, Martin said about the simulation. Moans and screams could be heard as emergency personnel responded to the mock victims.

According to the simulation, victims with burns were to be flown by helicopter to burn centers in the Chicago area. Ambulances were to take the most critically injured victims to the trauma center at Methodist Northlake campus in Gary and to Franciscan St. Anthony Hospital in Crown Point, Martin said.

Minor injuries were to go to Munster Community Hospital, Franciscan St. Margaret and St. Mary Medical, he said.

As Terry monitored the drill, firefighters outfitted in full gear with air tanks continued to search the grassy field where the simulated airplane crash took place.

We sent out a team to search for the black box, Terry said about the flight data recorder. We havent found it yet.

Bill Missal, coordinator for the Lake County Chiefs Association for HAZMAT said the drill provided an opportunity to set up a decontamination tent and to practice responding to a hazardous material spill.

There are three areas, a hot zone, a warm zone and a cold zone. Everyone in the hot zone has to be decontaminated, Missal said.

To contain the spill, the firefighters who are part of the 18-member county HAZMAT team set out oil absorbent booms, said Jack Eskridge of HAZMAT logistics.

We set out the booms so the jet fuel doesnt get into the waterways. All the waterways flow north and has to be stopped before it could reach Lake Michigan, Eskridge said. We would also contact the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Martin and Terry said the drill revealed some situations that could lead to procedural changes.

For example, students who played the victims said when Schoon arrived to set up the incident command post they thought first responders would be tending them immediately.

We thought, Yeah were saved, said one of the students.

Terry said one solution to that would be for the incident commander to get on a speaker to tell victims help will be here soon.

Weve learned from you, Terry told the students at the end of the drill.

The students also said they learned a great deal from the experience.

Griffith seventh-grader Mason Gerloff-Rex, 12, said the drill shows you how stressful this is for responders and victims. It could be a whole lot of casualties.

Julianne Long, a junior at Griffith High School, played the co-pilot of the plane.

It was very cool to see how stressful and chaotic a mass casualty incident can be. It was very hard not to help yourself, said the 16-year old whose mock injuries included a fractured femur, abdominal bleeding and a head injury.

Touching the fake blood on her leg, 16-year old Griffith junior Lauren Atkinson said, Its so sticky.

It was interesting to go through what firefighters went through and then the EMTs went through, she said. The ambulance ride was really cool.
EAST CHICAGO  The Columbus Drive pedestrian bridge near the main branch of the East Chicago Public Library is scheduled to be replaced with a larger and more compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act version in 2019.

"We don't have an exact start date," City Engineer William Allen said. "We still have to hammer out an agreement between the city and the state."

The bridge is state-owned now, and City Planner Marino Solorio said the state is expected to contribute $1.2 million to rebuild it.

"The city wanted something a little bit grander, more of a grand entrance, and that's going to be about $2.7 million," Solorio said.

He said the city will pay the additional amount.

"After that's built, the city's going to sign an agreement that we're pretty much responsible for the bridge here on after," Solorio said. "So we'll be the owner."

Allen said the exact cost of the bridge won't be determined until bids on the project are received.

"It's still an estimate," Allen said. "The numbers still have to be crunched out."

He said the Ciorba Group has been hired by the state as the engineering firm for the project.

The new bridge is expected to have a 16-foot clearance as opposed to the current 14-foot height that limits which trucks can travel under it.

Solorio said the intent when the bridge was built was to connect the library and schools to the community, but that the bridge is no longer in good condition.

"In the past, concrete was falling from the bridge," Allen said.

Solorio said in order to be ADA-compliant, standards must be met in terms of slope of the bridge and that will be addressed with the new structure that will be accessible for pedestrians traveling either north or south down Alder Street.

He said the new bridge will be wider and it should be more aesthetically pleasing with a modern arch gable look.

"If it looks nice and looks appealing, and it's safer, it would promote people to want to use it because it's an experience on its own," Solorio said.

He said the rebuilding of the bridge is all part of the revitalization of the city and the Harbor neighborhood in particular.

"When you actually go in it, the lighting of the bridge is going to be really something like you would see in Louisville or places like that," Solorio said.
HOUSTON Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-story homes Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.

The nation's fourth-largest city was still largely paralyzed by one of the largest downpours in U.S. history. And there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast. With nearly 2 more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

Harvey has been blamed for at least two confirmed deaths. A Houston television station reported Monday that six family members were believed to have drowned when their van was swept away by floodwaters.

The KHOU report was attributed to three family members the station did not identify. No bodies have been recovered.

Police Chief Art Acevedo told The Associated Press that he had no information about the report but said that he's "really worried about how many bodies we're going to find."

According to the station, four children and their grandparents were feared dead after the van hit high water Sunday when crossing a bridge in the Greens Bayou area.

The driver of the vehicle, the children's great-uncle, reportedly escaped before the van sank by grabbing a tree limb. He told the children to try to escape through the back door, but they were unable to get out.

The disaster unfolded on an epic scale in one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centers. The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles, an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. It's crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles to the southeast from downtown.

The flooding was so widespread that the levels of city waterways have either equaled or surpassed those of Tropical Storm Allison from 2001, and no major highway has been spared some overflow.

The city's normally bustling business district was virtually deserted Monday, with emergency vehicles making up most of the traffic. Most traffic signals were out and most businesses closed.

Elsewhere, water gushed from two reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey as officials sought to release pressure on a pair of dams where floodwaters were at risk of spilling around the sides of the barriers. The move aimed at protecting the downtown business district risked flooding thousands more homes.

Meanwhile, rescuers continued plucking people from the floodwaters  at least 2,000 so far, according to Acevedo. At least 185 critical rescue requests were still pending on Monday morning, he said.

Rescuers were giving priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many people to fend for themselves.

Chris Thorn was among the many volunteers still helping with the mass evacuation that began Sunday. He drove with a buddy from the Dallas area with their flat-bottom hunting boat to pull strangers out of the water.

"I couldn't sit at home and watch it on TV and do nothing since I have a boat and all the tools to help," he said.

They got to Spring, Texas, where Cypress Creek had breached Interstate 45 and went to work, helping people out of a gated community near the creek.

"It's never flooded here," resident Lane Cross said from the front of Thorn's boat, holding his brown dog, Max. "I don't even have flood insurance."

Houston's 911 system has received 75,000 calls since Harvey inundated the city, including 20,000 just since late Sunday. The city normally averages 8,000 to 9,000 calls per day.

The Red Cross quickly set up Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center and other venues as shelters. The center, which was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005, can accommodate roughly 5,000 people. By Monday morning, it was already half full.

People living near Houston's Addicks and Barker reservoirs were warned Sunday that a controlled release would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. The rising water and ongoing rain put pressure on a pair of dams that were created to prevent flooding in downtown Houston. If the pressure is not relieved, officials said, it could allow water to spill outside the dams.

Harris and Fort Bend county officials advised residents to pack their cars Sunday night and leave in the morning.

The Army Corps of Engineers started the reservoir releases before 2 a.m. Monday  ahead of schedule  because water levels were increasing at a rate of more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) per hour, Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said.

In the Cypress Forest Estates neighborhood in northern Harris County, people called for help from inside homes as water from a nearby creek climbed to the same level as their eaves. A steady procession of rescue boats floated into the area.

One man, Joe Garcia, carried his German shepherd in the chest-deep water before being picked up by a boat. Garcia said he floated out a tub of his belongings, then went back in for the dog.

Up to 20 more inches (51 centimeters) of rain could fall in the coming days, on top of the more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) some places have already seen, National Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said Monday.

That means the flooding will get worse in the days ahead and that the floodwaters will be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on, the weather service said.

The amount of water was so unprecedented that meteorologists had to update the color charts on the weather service's official rainfall maps.

In Washington, President Donald Trump's administration assured Congress that the $3 billion balance in FEMA's disaster fund was enough to handle immediate needs, such as debris removal and temporary shelter for thousands of displaced residents. When lawmakers return next week, a multibillion-dollar aid package is likely to be added to their already packed agenda.

Trump planned to visit Texas on Tuesday, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump.

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

___

Associated Press writers Carla K. Johnson in Chicago; Juan Lozano, Josh Replogle and Robert Ray in Houston; Peter Banda in Dickinson, Texas; and Jamie Stengle and Claudia Lauer in Dallas contributed to this report.

___

Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb .
As Tropical Storm Harvey pummels the Gulf Coast  and parts of the Texas Gulf Coast, specifically  with record-shattering rainfall, New York is springing into action to help those who need help.

Charities nationwide, such as the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, are soliciting volunteer assistance and donations.

A Muslim community center, for example, on 89th Ave. near Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, is looking to raise about $100,000 to provide bottled water and hygiene kits to those Harvey has walloped.



People are advised to research a charity to make sure their contributions will reach those in need before donating.

New York City and New York State sent relief aid Sunday to help Texas and Louisiana as the storm drenches the states.

More than 100 city emergency workers left for Texas to aid rescue efforts in Houston, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo sent 100 Air National Guardsmen to the region.

About a dozen members of the Red Cross Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) left New York City on Sunday to travel to Texas.

The group of retired and active FDNY firefighters is expected to provide shelter, serve meals, and distribute relief items in the state's hard-hit communities.

"Whether it's water or blankets or cleaning equipment, whatever the need may be, we'll deliver that," said Lt. George Diaz, a city firefighter and member of DART.



"We'll assess the damage, bring that intel back to headquarters, and then that's distributed to all the other agencies that need to get that information, whether it's the National Guard to get people out, or FEMA to get assistance in," Diaz continued.

The group expects to stay for about three weeks.

Harvey is bringing Houston "catastrophic flooding," as the National Weather Service describes. The country's fourth-largest city has already seen more than 30 inches of rain, and at least five people in the city are dead  a total that is expected to rise once the water recedes.

Thousands of Houston residents have been forced to flee their homes due to rising flood waters. Some parts of the city are expected to receive a record 50 inches of rain.

Officials have issued Flash Flood, Flood, and Tropical Storm Warnings for much of Central and South Texas.

The tropical storm, which had made landfall in Texas on Friday night as a Category 4 Hurricane, continued weakening Sunday with respect to max winds, but it remains a catastrophic, life-threatening flood event.

The catastrophic flooding in the greater Houston area at this time is due to storm training and ample moisture associated with intense rain bands.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is urging people to follow local warnings and take the flooding threat seriously.

"What we strongly urge is for all local residents to listen to all warnings from local officials, to heed those warnings. Do not get out onto the road," Abbott said on CNN on Sunday. "Make a plan where you can elevate in your own home or find a place of safety."

President Trump is set to travel to the storm-ravaged state Tuesday.

He is currently monitoring the situation from Maryland's Camp David, and on Twitter he has praised federal, state, and local government response to the storm.

Many Central Texas counties remain under various tropical weather alerts. A Flash Flood Watch is in effect for much of the area until at least Tuesday evening.

The National Hurricane Center on Sunday night offered no promises of relief from the epic rains unleashed on Southeast Texas.

In its 7 p.m. CDT advisory, center forecasters located the center of the storm 10 miles northeast of Victoria, Texas, or about 120 miles southwest of Houston. That center was inching to the southeast at 3 mph with sustained winds of up to 40 mph.

The forecasters said "little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours.'' In fact, "some slight re-strengthening is possible after the center moves off the coast on Monday night and Tuesday.''

The storm is expected to rain an additional 15 to 25 inches through Friday over the upper Texas Gulf Coast and into southwestern Louisiana. Isolated storm totals may reach 50 inches over that area, including the Houston-Galveston area.
Scores of city personnel and volunteers are now in Texas to help those devastated by flooding from Hurricane Harvey, and here at home, New Yorkers are responding to the call for help. NY1's Gene Apodaca filed the following report.

Mayor Bill de Blasio says his decision to send scores of emergency services personnel to storm-battered Texas is a repayment, of sorts, after the devastation of Sandy and especially 9/11.

"After our worst tragedy, people came from all 50 states came to help in the rescue and recovery efforts. So we believe in helping our fellow Americans when they are in need," de Blasio said.

One hundred and twenty members of the NYPD, FDNY and EMS left at daybreak Sunday, driving 1,600 miles with boats and other equipment to conduct difficult search and rescues in Houston and along the Gulf Coast.

"Confined space rescues, water rescues, which will be the major part of their effort down in Texas, collapsed structures, collapsed structures, which you'll have some of that, and also hazmat," said Office of Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito. They'll bring boats. They went down there with tractor-trailers, boats, all kinds of equipment down there. They will be able to live in tents close to the area and deploy."

Governor Andrew Cuomo sent 100 Air National Guard troops to the storm zone, while the local Red Cross deployed a dozen members of its disaster response team. The group of retired and active firefighters will assist those left homeless.

"Right now, our priority is providing safe shelter for tens of thousands of people," said Michael de Vulpillieres, a Red Cross communications officer. "Once the floodwaters clear, people start to go back to their homes, the American Red Cross is going to be delivering hundreds of thousands of relief items to these communities."

Volunteers are also being sought at the Queens headquarters of the Islamic Circle of North America. The organization hopes to raise $250,000 for relief efforts.

"They've been so severely impacted and this is going to be a really large scale long term recovery process."

Officials say the priority right now is money. If you'd like to donate, or to find out how to volunteer, go to their website, redcross.org.
Japan's prime minister is calling for an emergency U.N. Security Council meeting following the latest missile launch by North Korea.

The north fired the missile from its capital in Pyongyang.

South Korea's military says it flew about 1,600 miles, passing over northern Japan, before landing in the country's eastern sea.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the launch threatens safety in Japan and other countries in the region.

"This missile, which flew over Japan, poses an unprecedented, serious and grave threat, and it greatly damages regional peace and stability. And we strongly protested to North Korea," Abe said. "We request the United Nations Security Council to hold an emergency meeting."

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has warned that any missile launch will be viewed as a "provocative act" against the U.S. and its allies, which could be answered with military action.

New Yorkers with loved ones in Japan are growing increasingly concerned about the safety of their family and friends overseas.

Their concern comes after the Pentagon confirmed the missile launch flew over Japan. They say they're still in the process of assessing the launch.

Meanwhile, people NY1 spoke with in Little Tokyo are worried.

"People are very, very concerned. They're thinking that at any time, the war can start," said one person in Little Tokyo.

"It's not a surprise. It's definitely getting scarier and scarier, especially being here and the American response to it," said another. "Obviously, it's definitely unnerving."

The Pentagon says the launch did not pose a threat to North America and that they're working closely Pacific Command, Strategic Command and NORAD.
The Commerce Commission has filed civil proceedings against peer-to-peer lender Harmoney over allegedly unreasonable platform fee.The regulatory agency claims that Harmoney have breached the Credit and Contracts and Consumer Finance Act, which prohibits lenders from charging unreasonable credit fees.Harmoney, since its incorporation in 2014, has charged borrowers a platform fee, which is added to all loans funded through its platform. ComCom alleges that the platform fee is a credit fee under the CCCFA and is unreasonable.ComCom filed the proceedings in the High Court at Auckland, seeking a declaration that the Harmoney companies have breached the act, as well as compensation for all affected borrowers.According to ComCom, it submitted a number of legal questions in the High Court last year to clarify how the CCCFA applies to the platform fee and to consumer loans entered into on Harmoneys platform.In May, the High Court struck out two of the questions. The High Court is due to consider arguments about the remaining three questions in October.
Over the news on one of the local television stations ran a story of a school proprietor cum head teacher who collapsed and died in her house.

This was not the gist of the story. It definitely could not be in a society where we literally live with death. If it is not death accruing from acts of violence, it is maternal related or caused by the infamous cancer that seems to be on a campaign to wipe humanity out of the face of the earth.

The story hinged on a fact that the deceased who ran a nursery school had locked the toddlers inside their dormitory before retiring to her own apartment for the night.

It was the cries of these little souls that attracted the attention of the neighbors the next day. Their teacher, who seemingly doubled as their matron, cook, security guard and everything a school would need had not made it to see the light of the next day.

The residents engaged police and broke into her apartment and alas, there lay the ghastly lifeless body of the head teacher. May her soul rest in peace!

The queries of the boarding school standards are an issue for another day. The mindblowing issue about this incident is, what a toddler would be doing in a boarding school?

For crying out loud, what special qualification does a parent yearn for from a toddler that calls for so much concentration that necessitates boarding school at such an age?

Gone are the days when a good education was a preserve of the urbanites. Schools have mushroomed everywhere like education is the remaining messiah that we have in Uganda. In the past, education was considered the key to success.

I am not sure if one unscrupulous Ugandan changed the padlock. Education seems to no longer give the hope it did then.

This does not in any way demerit the essence and relevance of education today. The problem comes when we willingly put our children at the altar of education, sacrificing their lives in the name of getting educated. Parenting is a role that is not delegated.

For the convenience that comes with having no children in the home, no need to yell all the time (because we have paid someone to do it); little children are paying the price. The fact that home is the first school for the child is unchangeable.

Why then would any parent trade the opportunity to have the primary impact in their childrens life for anything? Neither career nor convenience is enough justification for such sacrilege.

As long as your child can access basic education, there is no reason whatsoever for enrolling your toddler in a boarding school.

There is nothing that explains such a decision as parental abdication. The irony of life is that for every choice, there is a consequence. If you choose to invest in the comfort of someone having the first and key role in your childs life, also prepare for a problematic future trying to undo what was done then.

Each child needs deliberate attention in upbringing, helping them to achieve the maximum potential in life. Do not deny your child this crucial contact time in their lives, especially as they grow to understand issues of life, love and self-worth.

This is the time to weigh the available options and make the best decision, not for the convenience of now but with the future in mind. Do not also deny yourself the opportunity of writing on your childs blank disc by pushing him/her to boarding school.

Every child is priceless, do not throw them at the vagaries of life; you could break them instead of making them.
My friend Andrew Mwijuka, a student of Master of Divinity at Uganda Christian University, shared with me his testimony and I felt we all need to learn from it as parents.

At the age of four, Mwijuka was molested by a maid. This incident turned him from a happy outgoing kid to a reserved guilty one at a young age.

As I grew up, I remained isolated and felt uneasy in the company of females. I had arousal at a young age and by primary 5, I had started to masturbate as a solution but hated girls, says Mwijuka.

Mwijuka says he really felt so dirty, used and guilty through his childhood. This made him fail to concentrate in schools; he didnt attend most classes and was chased from his first secondary school as a result.

I resorted to smoking and alcohol by senior two and was expelled from the second school. Everyone around me judged me and said I was a spoilt kid. My brothers, sisters, teachers, relatives all seemed so disappointed in me and none really wanted to associate with me, narrates Mwijuka.

Only his friends he drank and smoked with seemed to be concerned about him and so he also turned to them for a belonging. He despised all other authority and thus was expelled through four other schools. In total he was chased from six schools and he finished from the seventh.

With all that mess, his parents never disowned him and they took him to the university to study education, which, though, Mwijuka never wanted at all due to guilt. He couldnt imagine a student who was chased from six schools becoming a teacher one day.

One morning, a lecturer told him that from today on, his title shall be pastor.

The students at the university began to call him by that name. Whenever someone said Hi pastor, it would hit him deep in his heart and he felt guiltier because he knew he was not even near the qualities of a pastor.

But this caused him to start reflecting on his life. He began to change to suit the title, joined fellowships, and got saved with time. He was given leadership roles in fellowship which interested him.

Mwijuka, who graduated in 2014 with Bachelor of Education from Mbarara University of Science and Technology, advises parents and teachers not to give up on children and students respectively. He has counseled a number of students whose parents have given up on them; giving him satisfaction than the salary could ever do.

Mwijuka joined fulltime ministry in the church hoping to minister to such and he is soon becoming a priest/reverend. He hopes to study another postgraduate course, Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology, to equip him with skills to minister to youth and others whose childhood experiences continue to affect them.

Though it was hard for him to forgive the person that molested him, he read a book titled The Thorn of Sexual Abuse which helped him understand that even the abuser needed healing as much as him the victim.

I hope my story and life will be of service to all who have been through a life like mine, and that parents and guardians have something to learn from it, adds Mwijuka as he concludes his story.

From such sharing, parents need to be patient and tolerant with their children and desist from looking at them as very wasted and useless children. These children need counseling, but above all, your unconditional love will one day transform their lives.
Silence swept through the room that was filled by about 80 religious leaders from the Greater Masaka region.

A common interest had put these leaders from different denominations under this hot small room. Their attention turns to the speaker on the left of the room.

If we are going to have this dialogue, we must be sure that what we discuss is implemented in the end. We dont want to talk and leave everything here, the Muslim speaker said, triggering a thunderous handclap.

This is Masaka Social Centre, Bwala in Masaka town. The event is a consultative meeting by a section of civil society groups and citizens, which seeks to acquire ideas from the public on the scope of a national dialogue process that will constitute political, economic and general governance discussions.

The groups include the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda (IRCU), Women Situation Room, the Elders Forum, Citizens Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (Ccedu), National Consultative Forum and the Interparty Organisation for Dialogue (Ipod).

We think there are things we need to talk about; peace and security, how do we grow together, fairness in distribution, how do we push forward and ensure it is the citizen that is put first instead of government (infrastructural) projects? said Joshua Kitakule, the IRCU secretary general.

According to the draft scope, the dialogue seeks an agreement on a national consensus to consolidate peace, democracy, and inclusive development to achieve equal opportunity for all.

The organisers said this goal seeks to recognise the progress the country has achieved since independence, putting into consideration the contribution of past and present presidents, and citizens contributions.



A PROCESS STARTS

The associate director of the Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Planning, Godber Tumushabe, one of the brains behind the scope, said because of the complexity of a national dialogue process, there has been no time limit set on it. However, he added, it would be great if it was completed before the next general election.

The national dialogue is not an event, it is a process. We started off with a preparatory process that is putting together this paper and we are on the second phase which is the informal consultations and after that we shall be convening the official dialogue, Tumushabe said.

The conversations, which target governance, corruption, development, economy and security, will be done countrywide at village levels, with local media and leaders acting as mobilisers.

We want to take this opportunity to discuss this paper with Ugandans such that it is not ours but for them. We dont want politicians to come and tell us what they are going to do for us; we want to tell the politicians what we want to be done for us and elect them on their ability to deliver that, Tumushabe said.

Talk of convening a national dialogue has been in the media after the contested 2016 presidential elections and both government and the opposition have agreed to the necessity of dialogue. However, nothing has been done in that regard yet.



SAME OLD SCRIPT?

This is not the first time such a citizen engagement dialogue is coming up. In 2015, nearly the same group of civil society groups organised a series of countrywide consultations, which culminated in the production of a citizens compact on free and fair elections.

However, the government overlooked the recommendations in the compact when making its constitutional amendments proposals.

Asked whether the civil society groups risk another stillbirth of their latest idea, which seems to be following the same template as the last one, Tumushabe disagreed.

In the thematic areas, we have an implementation module. We have a thematic group that will be with us from the start to ensure that implementation takes place, he told The Observer.

Tumushabe added that the difference between the national dialogue and other similar engagements that failed to kick off is that, this time, implementation has been planned for from the beginning.

However, some of the people who talked to The Observer disagree. Betty Ssenoga, a resident of Kanoni, said she has been called for meetings of the same kind but has never seen any dialogue taking place.

Some of these organisations come, they ask for ideas and they say they will return but they never do. However, if this one takes off, I think it is a good idea because surely dialogue is necessary. We need it and you can see it within the communities! Ssenoga said.

Pastor John Kakembo, a retired bishop of the Seventh Day Adventist church, told The Observer that preparations for IRCUs national dialogue process have been done up to the last detail and that because of this, it was difficult for the process to break down at any stage.

Where the citizens compact stopped last time, I think we have gone past it. We have factored in all the threats but of course you cannot be sure of its success. You just have to play your part and that is what we are doing, Kakembo said.

We want it to reach a stage where it is not us who would have failed; it will be the people who would have failed to effect a change they need.

Tumushabe said they have approached all former presidential candidates and the government, which has designated Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda to lead the government side in the dialogue.

This dialogue, according to the plan, will be facilitated by persons handpicked from Uganda and other African countries. The facilitators will tackle seven themes, including a national values consensus, a national political consensus, diversity consensus, quality service delivery, eliminating corruption and developing an economy that works for every Ugandan.



IMPLEMENTATION

Tumushabe added that since top decision makers in the countrys political elite, from the opposition to the government have expressed support for the dialogue, implementation should be something they will consider.

Businesspeople and religious leaders must talk about these things, he said. Many of them say they are not supposed to talk politics but when they go to pick cars from the president, isnt that politics? When Besigye decides to walk and disrupts their business, isnt that politics?

Kitakule also said the government and other top influencers in the country should not only agree to the idea of a national dialogue but should also make public statements about it.

The organisers contend that whereas the country has moved many strides to get to where it is, there are still challenges with the breakdown in law and order, economic marginalisation, youth unemployment, human rights abuses, environmental degradation and regional inequality, all of which necessitate inclusive dialogue.



kamogajonathan50@gmail.com
A gang rape of Sharon, 23, on August 10 and the polices reluctance to open an investigation has outraged her family in Nakibizi village, Mbiko sub-county in the central district of Buikwe.

Sharon was hospitalised for days to nurse wounds inflicted by the rapists. She is also on medication to protect her against HIV infection.

Sharon was raped as she made her way home in Nakibizi village on the night of August 10.

Sharons problems began last year when she got a hair dressers job at a salon in Nakibizi. She claims her coworker, Mike, made sexual advances, which she rebuffed.

She said Mike out of anger planned her gang rape. She said prior to her rape, Mike sent ominous text messages threatening to harm her.

Mike was a former barber at the salon where Im currently working but before he was fired, he used to sexually harass me every night when all workers and customers had left since I was in charge of closing and opening the salon, Sharon said.

She said two days before she was gang raped, Mike sent her a threatening text message, which read:

I will kill you or make sure you suffer since you refused to have sex with me. There is no woman in this village that declines to sleep with me.

On the fateful day, while returning home at 8pm, Sharon said two suspicious men trailed her.

When my instincts warned me against danger on my way, I decided to branch off to the nearby home for a short time to allow the suspects to pass. After a few minutes, I returned to my journey, she said.

Sharon told The Observer recently that after moving for about five minutes, a gang of unknown men attacked her from both sides, gagged her and dragged her into a banana plantation.

I lost consciousness immediately but later I woke up slowly after about two hours. I found myself in the bush, with my knickers off, legs widespread and bleeding in the mouth, knees and private parts, Sharon said, adding that her mobile phone and handbag were also stolen.

Sharon said she managed to walk falteringly home. Jessica, Sharons mother, said, As soon as my daughter entered the house, she fell down in the sitting room and fainted for almost 10 minutes. I got shocked and made an alarm, which attracted neighbors since she was also bleeding.

She added, We took her to the nearby clinic where she was given first aid and later we were referred to Jinja main hospital.

Doctors at Jinja main hospital confirmed the rape. Sharon was given a hepatitis B vaccine shot and started on post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) dose for one month to stop her from contracting HIV.

I was also given other tablets to prevent me from unwanted pregnancies but swallowing them is still a problem since my tongue has wounds, which I got during the attack, she said.

Sharon said she reported the rape to Nakibizi police station but no suspect has been arrested, yet she provided strong clues. She said another lady was also raped in similar manner in the same area on the same day.

Tom Jaala Kigenyi, the officer in charge of Nakibizi police station, said he has not yet opened an investigation because the victim reported a simple robbery case and she has not yet returned the police medical forms, she was asked to take to hospital to confirm the rape.

The case has been recorded and referenced. We want to work together with her in our investigations to arrest the suspects, he said.

Sharon is still very weak. The X-rays dont show any fractures in the chest and other body parts. She has been released from Mulago hospital, where she was referred to for X-ray examinations and she is now at home still nursing wounds.



zurah@obsever.ug
With no openings at diplomatic missions abroad, the two appointees remain stranded in Kampala eight months after President Museveni appointed them, reports SADAB KITATTA KAAYA.



Eight months after their appointment as deputy ambassadors, former opposition gurus Mohammed Baswali Kezaala (DP) and Michael Ochula (FDC) are yet to get the much-needed government nod to join any of Ugandas foreign missions.

In January, President Museveni announced new ambassadorial appointments, dropping some of the old envoys and replacing them with new faces picked from some losers in the 2016 general elections.

While some new appointees reported for work at their new missions at the end of July, Kezaala and Ochula are still stranded in Kampala, awaiting their posting letters.

Muhammed Keezala Baswale

A source in Foreign Service told The Observer on Friday that the two former opposition leaders were told in July 2017, at the end of the envoys induction course at the Jinja-based Civil Service College that they may have to wait until the next financial year to get posted.

The reason, according to the source, was budget constraints. The source said the ministry of Finance hadnt released enough funds to cater for deputy ambassadors.

The earliest they may get posted is in the next quarter but for now, they are still in Kampala, the source said on August 25.

This financial year, the ministry of Foreign Affairs made a budget request of Shs 145bn but got Shs 31bn. Interviewed on Saturday, Kezaala said his posting is being worked on but declined to discuss the matter further.

I am no longer in politics. I am now very reserved with my words; those are the diplomatic norms, Kezaala said before he hung up.

The head of Communications and Diplomacy at the ministry of Foreign Affairs, Margaret Kafeero, said in an interview on Saturday that the opposition appointees may have to wait a little longer.

At the moment, we dont have any vacancies at the missions; maybe that is the reason they have not been deployed, Kafeero said.

Previously, deputy ambassadors were deployed by the ministry but, according to Kafeero, the norm has since changed.

Based on the last three occasions, it is the president who posts the deputy ambassadors. If he has decided that it is Foreign Affairs to make the postings, then he will communicate to us, Kafeero said.



RESTRUCTURING

In its new structure, the ministry of Foreign Affairs has created the position of deputy ambassador, which didnt exist at all foreign missions.

The new structure was approved by cabinet during the 2015/16 financial year but its implementation was delayed due to lack of corresponding financial support.

Under the new arrangement, government wants Ugandas envoys to also engage in commercial and economic diplomacy. This means that embassies, which have in the past had just an ambassador and two foreign service officers, will get more staff, including a deputy ambassador.

The changes could have also been influenced by the tensions between career diplomats and former politicians at the foreign missions. The increasing number of political appointees in Foreign Service has become a hot-button issue.

The parliamentary Foreign Affairs committee has warned several times that ignoring career diplomats breeds dissatisfaction and dissent.

According to some in Foreign Service, by creating more slots at embassies, Museveni could be creating jobs for those he cannot find positions for locally. This is how Kezaala and Ochula could have been absorbed into the system.

But when charge daffaires remained in charge of foreign missions from April to July when all ambassadors were recalled to Kampala for the two-week induction course in Jinja, many of them took on the role of deputy ambassadors.

According to the source, many of these charge daffaires are going to be retained as deputy ambassadors and only those who will have reached their retirement age will be replaced.



MONTHLY SALARIES

The two former opposition politicians, however, continue to draw the standard senior civil service monthly salary of Shs 2.6 million, though without any allowances.

On top of the salary, an ambassador in a high-cost centre like Kinshasa, London, Geneva, Washington, among others, gets a foreign service allowance of $4,000 (Shs 14.4m), $500 more than their colleagues in low-cost centres who get $3500 (Shs 12.6m).

This is in addition to an annual $2500 (Shs 9m) to cater for the school needs of four of their children.

That money is too little because international schools are very expensive. They take about $16,000 (Shs 57.6m) per semester. That is why most ambassadors choose not to go with their families, the chairperson of the Foreign Affairs committee at Parliament, Rose Mutonyi Masaba (Bubulo West), herself a former envoy, said.



sadabkk@observer.ug
Kenyas Supreme court today, Monday began hearing veteran opposition leader Raila Odingas challenge to President Uhuru Kenyattas re-election earlier this month.

Odinga, a former prime minister, has charged that Kenyatta won the elections by fraud. Odinga was in court as his legal team alleged that the electoral commission did not follow the law in adding up voting tallies and presented fictitious results that had been changed to give victory to Kenyatta.

Odingas lawyers Monday charged that the original voting results forms were replaced with forms lacking security features such as a bar codes, watermarks and stamps. Most international observers have said the election results are credible.

An electoral official checks Raila Odinga's ballot during the election earlier this month

The opposition leader rejected the August 11 electoral commission declaration that Kenyatta won the presidential race with 54 percent of the vote.

The announcement sparked two days of protests by Odingas supporters. Police suppressed the protests violently using bullets and tear gas.

At least 24 people were killed by police gunfire, according to the governments human rights watchdog. Those killed included a six-month-old baby who was clobbered on the head with a baton when police broke into her parents home in western Kenya and a nine-year-old girl hit by a stray bullet in Nairobi.

Kenyan authorities should urgently investigate the deaths and ensure that officers found to have used excessive force are held accountable, an international human rights group said Monday.

The brutal crackdown on protesters and residents in the western counties, part of a pattern of violence and repression in opposition strongholds, undermined the national elections, said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.

People have a right to protest peacefully, and Kenyan authorities should urgently put a stop to police abuse and hold those responsible to account.

Odinga, who unsuccessfully challenged Kenyattas election in 2013, at first said he did not trust the courts and would resort to other means, including street protests to challenge Kenyattas 2017 win. He later announced that he would petition the Supreme court to nullify Kenyattas win.
Police has released the names of 13 people that they suspect to be involved in the wave of murders targeting mainly women and girls in Nansana Municipality, Wakiso district.

The arrest of the 13 persons followed nine murder cases that were reported by various people in Nansana between May 3 and August 18, 2017.

The murder victims included four sex workers, three estranged housewives; a vendor and a student. They are believed to have been sexually abused before they were murdered.



Speaking to journalists in Kampala today, Police spokesman AIGP Asan Kasingye said the suspects are going to appear before the Chief Magistrates court in Nabweru anytime today.

Asan Kasingye addressing the press today

We have concluded our investigations in Nansana and have enough prima facie evidence against the suspects, Kasingye said.



With the ongoing judicial strike over poor pay, Kasingye said the directorate of public prosecution (DPP) and IGP Kale Kayihura are currently working tooth and nail to ensure that suspects are arraigned in court.



These are capital offence suspects. The DPP and IGP are right now trying to get us a magistrate who can hear their cases. They might not call the witnesses but at least have the case for mention so that the suspects are taken to prison, he said.



The accused are Rashid Wagaba (builder) aged 34, Ibrahim Kaweesa alias Tetemwe, Robert Mugerwa alias Bob, (builder) 39, Isma Tamale (hawker) 38, Steven Ssempijja alias pastor (self-employed) 23, Mahad Kakumba (taxi driver) 27, Sam Mayambala (Boda boda rider) 30, George Sempa (driver) 27 and Phillip Tumuhimbise, a business man aged 24.

Others are; Tina Prosper Nantoongo alias Mayambala aged 22, Waligo Bosco (self-employed) 19, David Wasswa (business man) 31 and Ismail Ssegawa, a casual worker, aged 21.



All suspects are residents of Nansana  save for Wasswa of Namungoona and Waligo and Ssegawa both living in Kawaala.



According Kasingye, Kaweesa, now a prime suspect in the murders was the first person to be netted by police, thus leading them to other people. Kaweesa is a former robbery convict who was only recently released from prison.



He explained that the 13 suspects were charged with; terrorism contrary to section 7 (1) (a) and 2 (b) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2002; murder under section 188 and 189 of the Penal Code Act cap 120 and aggravated robbery also contrary to section 285 and 286 of the Penal Code Act.



Out of the nine murders, police found that eight of them were carried out by organised gangs with strong links to ritual practices as most of the victims were sexually abused and some of them had some body parts cut off.



In one case, a woman was killed as result of domestic violence arising from land ownership. Her husband and the maid who were prime suspects appeared before court, according to Kasingye.



However, medical reports from pathologists have also indicated that the killing method in Nansana is mainly strangling of victims.

In an August 21 statement while in Nansana, Kayihura noted that the many apprehended suspects in the murders have confessed to raping and murdering victims.

nangonzi@observer.ug
Another day, another body of another murdered woman discovered in Entebbe municipality. This is the news Entebbe residents dread but uninvintingly hear almost on a weekly basis now.

Yesterday the body another murdered woman was discovered and today yet another has been found in Nkumba bringing the official death toll in the municipality to 10 (residents say it is more) in recent weeks.



The naked body of Jalia Nalule was today afternoon discovered by residents, who found it dumped in Kayirira forest reserve in Nkumba Central, Katabi town council.

Residents at the scene where the latest body was discovered

Yes, we confirm that the lady has been identified as Jalia Nalule. She was reported missing ten days ago and the search for her has been on by police, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesman Emilian Kayima said.



It is unfortunate that we have found her dead but the body has been taken to the city mortuary in Mulago for a postmortem report.



Nalule who is estimated to be over 30 years was a resident of Abayita Ababiri along Entebbe road in Wakiso district and is survived with two children.



Kayima said police is strengthening efforts to heighten security in Wakiso district, where a total of 19 women and girls have been brutally murdered in both Entebbe and Nansana municipalities over the last few months. Sticks have been found inserted in the private parts of some of the murdered women.



Currently, police is rebuilding the Mayumba Kumi (look out) teams especially at night, linking them with police motorcycle squads supported by motor vehicle patrols to reduce on insecurity in Nansana and Entebbe. Police plans to roll the Mayumba Kumi security measure across the country.



In a related development, police has now opened up murder investigations into the death of a yet-to-be identified woman, whose body was found near Kitala junction along Entebbe highway yesterday.



Yesterday, police had distanced the womans death from the serial murders being carried out in the municipality, claiming the woman had a mental health problem and must have collapsed at night and died of hunger.



Police had claimed that the body bore no physical injury marks, a sign that she had not been murdered.

But today police spokesman Asan Kasingye told the media that the womans body was found covered with dry leaves, with a dirty plastic bag (kaveera) with soil on the outer surface next to it. The bodys legs, back, neck and mouth were found with wounds while her right eye was swollen and bruised.



We are now investigating a murder case and we shall keep the country updated on this case and other murder cases that have not been ignored in Entebbe, Kasingye said. We send out our condolences to the family and community around. We shall dig deep on the murder of the lady.



According to Kasingye, a postmortem report has been conducted at Mulago hospital and will be shared with relatives of the deceased.



We dont have the name of this lady as of now because even people in the area (Kitala) who have been seeing her dont know it, Kasingye told a media briefing at Central Police Station in Kampala today.



She had no signs of being sexually assaulted or strangled like is has been the case with the past murder cases in Nansana and Entebbe, Kasingye said.



nangonzi@observer.ug
I wish to commend the government for setting up a commission of inquiry to look into and sort out land conflicts in different parts of the country.

The nation is currently sitting on a time bomb in regard to land matters and the setting up of this commission was the wisest decision to have come from government in a long time.

We just hope that the recommendations of this team are respected and implemented. The extant land grabbing madness now seems to have gone to the extremes and taken a new trend.

Let me tell you of a story in Bulerejje village, Kikandwa sub-county in Mityana district where a greedy man has just done the unthinkable by grabbing 10 acres of land belonging to his late mothers family, what the Baganda refer to as ku bukojja.

The man in question has a criminal record and previously served a long jail sentence after being convicted for highway robbery.

The land he grabbed at the beginning of this month (August 2017) belongs to rightful beneficiaries it was entrusted to as directed by his late maternal uncles will who died in 1979.

The land has never been under any dispute until recently when this man approached the beneficiaries and politely requested for a share. This request was turned down because apart from owning his own land elsewhere on the same village, he had already sold land belonging to his late mother some years back.

After his request was rejected, he has now gone on rampage, grabbing the whole lot! The land in question was rightly registered in the names of his dead uncles heir who was issued with letters of administration in 1979.

The land grabber, who belongs to a different clan, has shocked the village by forcefully taking land belonging to his late mothers clansmen, which is a taboo in Buganda. In other words, it has taken him 38 years (since 1979) to finally discover that this land belongs to him. What a shame!

This man has defied an order from the local council to vacate the land and instead majestically walks around the village with a black briefcase containing an enlarged photo showing him shaking hands with President Museveni when the president visited Mityana district almost two decades ago.

He goes around showing it to everyone as if to suggest he is so powerful and thus untouchable.

We pray and hope the land probe eliminates such characters. I am sure such people are in every part of this country, if the few reports we hear from the land probe are anything to go by.



Carlo Nakyejjwe,

Mityana.



Who regulates taxi touts?



I was in a taxi recently where the conductor was left with three bleeding fingers after a stage tout banged his hand against the car door. Reason? He had given him Shs 1,000 instead of Shs 2,000!

There is something I have failed to understand. These touts position themselves at certain vantage points, create a stage and start charging every taxi that stops there to pick passengers.

They start billing taxis according to how many people have boarded from that point. Mind you, these are not stage fees; I dont even know what to call them.

In the case of this injured conductor, this tout alleged to have given him nine people and, therefore, deserved Shs 2,000.

Although he was right about the nine people, all these people were going to pay Shs 500 each, which translates into Shs 4,500.

Now, this tout wanted to get almost half of that amount without considering the conductor and his driver who have to buy fuel, pay the car owner and also stay with something for their families.

These touts are almost at every point along city roads. They claim to own all passengers at these points as if they come carrying them from their respective homes.

I understand this is reflective of the high rates of unemployment, but these people need to operate with discipline and under regulation.

Simon Mubiru,

Kisaasi



Museveni right on agencies, authorities



The Baganda have a saying that bbwa ddene ligambwako nyini lyo , loosely meaning that a big wound can only be handled by its owner.

I believe President Museveni is using this same saying to correct what went wrong under his nose.

If he is the owner of the big wound, then he needs to deal with it personally; and that is the true meaning of his statement to cabinet about the mushrooming government authorities and agencies.

There is no harm in correcting past mistakes. The fact is there are many authorities and agencies that seem to almost be doing the same work.

For instance, the responsibilities of Uganda Road Fund can easily be fused with those of Uganda National Roads Authority. National Agricultural Advisory Services and Operation Wealth Creation are among the government agencies that have similar roles.

The authorities and agencies top leaders salaries also look abnormal if we are to compare with other government workers.

I believe this might be among the reasons behind the current strikes by public servants such as medical doctors, teachers and lecturers.

There is no way one can feel good when they earn Shs 2m a month when another gets Shs 43 million yet both work for the same government.

The agencies and authorities should be phased out and start operating under their mother ministries as departments or units.



Sarah Kyobe,

Kampala.



Handle refugee crisis carefully



Recently, the media reported that refugees from South Sudan had reached the one million mark. It is unfortunate that our neighbours are facing such a terrible situation which is forcing them out of their country.

But it is equally unfortunate that some international and regional players continue fueling the war in South Sudan in order to gain international political capital.

Truth be told, Uganda lacks enough means to look after these many people coming in and the expected donor help is insufficient as well.

Given this situation, I suggest that the UN carves out a reasonable chunk on the Uganda-South Sudan border as a no-war zone where refugees can live safely until their country returns to peace.

But if things continue as they are, Uganda may soon reach a breaking point, if it hasnt already.



Kennedy Kabonge,

kabongek@yahoo.co.uk.

letters@observer.ug
Youth bulges have become a global phenomenon and Uganda is no exception to this trend.

According to the 2014 National Population and Housing Census, youths between the ages of 18 and 35 account for more than three quarters of the population in Uganda.

However, Ugandas youths face many daunting challenges, notably labour underutilization with more than one quarter of the working population (27 per cent) underutilized in relation to time, inappropriate skills and low pay as depicted in the Uganda Bureau of Statistics survey of 2015.

The greatest impediments to youth development are, therefore, poor implementation of policies geared towards improvement of their status.

Uganda recently hosted the 9th Commonwealth Youth Ministers Meeting (9CYMM) in Kampala, under the theme Resourcing and Financing Youth Development: Empowering Young People.

I always feel enthusiastic and anxious about such events. This is because for the past decades; there have been several programmes to improve the status of youths but little has been achieved in Uganda. In the 1990s, the government introduced the Youth Entrepreneurial Scheme (YES).

The YES program was designed as a loan scheme for youths who wished to venture into business. Disturbingly, the 2014 findings by Gemma Ahaibwe and Swaibu Mbowa of the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) indicated that the scheme did not perform as anticipated because it was largely perceived as a political tool.

Then th ere was the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund that contributed little to improving youth livelihoods in the area. Now there is the much-debated Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) under the ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.

YLP was initiated to enhance the business ability of the youth, promote skills development and livelihood support of the youth.

However, the 2016 evaluation report by the ministry pinpointed underperformance. This evaluation noted slow progress in this area as only 36 per cent of the expected recoveries had been made by March 2016. This portrays an unhappy picture of how programmes initiated for youths have failed in Uganda.

Despite youths comprising a big percentage in Uganda, the government rarely consults young people on matters affecting their lives, hence there is need to promote participation and empowerment of young people.

Empowerment should not be considered as solely the responsibility of the government, but a collective responsibility.

Youths can be considered as empowered when they themselves acknowledge that they have created, or can create, choices in life, are aware of the implications of those choices, make informed decisions, take actions based on those decisions, and accept responsibility for the consequences of those actions.

This should work concurrently with participation. Good practice in youth participation provides choices, is enjoyable, challenging and fun; relates to issues perceived as relevant by young people; involves training and skills development; ensures that young people are given ongoing support in their role; and provides them with a sense of belonging and ownership in relation to decision-making.

There is also need to improve on employment opportunities for both the skilled and unskilled youth. According to a survey carried out by ActionAid and the Uganda National NGO Forum in 2012, unemployment rate among young people in Uganda was 61.6 per cent.

It also showed that over 400,000 youths are released annually into the job market to compete for approximately 9,000 available jobs.

This means that majority of the youth in Uganda who are institutionally qualified are unable to find jobs, and the situation is even worse for semi-skilled and unskilled youths. These unemployed and underemployed youths end up redundant, hence a threat to the countrys security.

Developing and implementing appropriate strategies, policies and programmes to mitigate the challenges youths face must be more prioritised by the government than the current situation is.

Any failure to provide appropriate opportunities for this large segment of the population could have enormous socioeconomic and political consequences. Engaging the youth population fully is, therefore, no longer a choice, but an imperative in the development process.



The author is a concerned Ugandan.
The Meat Eaters is a title of my forthcoming play. (I moonlight as a playwright, if you need to know, and I have The Snake Farmers [2015] on the stands).

I have often chided my younger friends  especially those born after 1986  about the ugliness of eating their beef portions first in the course of their meals.

I have argued that by insisting on eating the beef portions on our plates last, our parents/tradition did not only wish to teach us generosity by anticipating an unannounced visitor, who should also have some meat to bite, but also helped us subdue the ghosts of greed active in every human.

In that simple ground rule, tradition showed us that life was beautiful if the best part came at the end. One has to patiently work through the flat-tasting foods to reach the craved delicacy.

We learned discipline and braving hardships before victory. The 1986-children often shoot back that the times have changed.

Indeed, the times have changed. Like antiquarian Parson Tringham of the dUrbervilles, a pauper with royal ancestry, they remind me that I can only chasten myself with the thought: how the mighty have fallen!

The muse to turn this hackneyed critique of mine into a play, The Meat Eaters, matured after an incident at a restaurant in Kampala.

Ensconced in a corner after a sumptuous meal, I watched with fascination an elderly fellow, probably in his early forties, discriminate a chicken portion to the extreme end of his plate, saving it for last.

For the entire time he worked the rice and matooke, with stew cleared of the brown scrumptious chicken thigh, he never looked at it even once.

After everything had been cleared, he turned his attention to it and showed it a touch of class, thoroughly shredding the bones as well. All this happened unconsciously as my friend seemed to have this deep in his blood.

Although I never reached out to say hello, I felt a strong bond of brotherhood. He must have been born before 1986.

In The Meat Eaters, I dramatize the legend of an extinct island on Lake Victoria, whereupon the conclusion of the last funeral rites of their deceased evil king, these Islanders ate so much meat during the festival and, to not forget the moment, turned meat-eating into a coveted tradition.

From then onwards, nothing would be complete without meat. At national or private functions, displaying or eating of meat was a single most important act. A mans worth came to be judged by the amount of meat he ate or smoked every day.

Since meat was preserved by smoking, for days on end, the wealthiest parts of the island were engulfed by that delicious aroma of smoking meat. Visitors to the island dubbed it the Meat Island, but soon became Meat-land, and the people, Meat-landers.

As expected, they grew fat: mens bellies swelled. Women grew large buttocks, as these became the hallmarks of success.

However, since animals did not grow at the same speed as they were slaughtered, soon, the animal population dropped significantly.

Without meat, Meat-landers started thinning, which brought them painful ignominy. To quickly remedy the situation, they started eating calves! A young animal would be eaten the day it dropped. And books were printed to explain the nutritional benefits of eating them young.

After a short while, there were no more animals. They had eaten all of them  young and old. In consternation, the leaders consulted with a famed medicine man whose accurate scientific lore men are also animals saved the day.

In a closed meeting, these men resolved to start with the loafers of the island  the good-for-nothing paupers. They would be slaughtered for the appetites at high tables.

However, since cannibalism was taboo on the island, the poor were lured to offer themselves and their children for a fee, and were slaughtered under the cover of darkness. There was meat again.

But then, soon, the poor population was also depleted. The leaders returned to the famed medicine man. This time, his lore was classic economics: the poor can be made!

Since the leader came from the north of the island, he should find a way of manufacturing poor people in other parts.

This entailed simply putting in place laws against fishing since fish was the major cash cow, and was not consumed locally. In a short while, there were poor-people-meat supplies from the south of the island. They then moved east



The author is a PhD fellow at Makerere Institute of Social Research.
I woke up to a bizarre notification of several messages on my phone.

That night, I had quit the Bakoowu WhatsApp group for the sixth time. Where can we report such offenses?

Those idlers that keep dragging me into their yapping spaces! So, I thought they had added me again, the seventh time.

For the love of my morning sleep, I often open one eye at a time  not to lose all my last sleep at a go. Its through my half-open right eye that I noticed that the WhatsApp group name read different  Group of the Dead!

I hastily closed the eye.

You see, I am a very courageous man, especially when there is nothing to scare me. The dead are my friends, but only if they dont cross the graveyard fence. Now what were they doing on my phone! I slowly opened the left eye to peep at the group again, 60 messages!



By now, I had gathered the courage to read, after switching on the lights. And guess what I found:



KAWEESI: Does anyone here have any updates on my case? I hear Nalufenya is full of people who killed me! Hmmm!



MAYOMBO: Just relax, my brother; you are yet to understand the living. In my case, there isnt even a single suspect!

Everything was summarized as multiple organ failure; chapter closed! And I am told the report on my death was eaten by cockroaches.



OBOTE: Who is the president nowadays? I stopped following in 2010. I got tired of hearing a repeat of what they fought me for. But with all Im hearing, Im only waiting for a chance to get hold of Akenas leg; I will break it.



AMIN: Hahaha... News is that someone became life president like me. At least I never pretended about it or wasted time and money in those stupid constitutions and elections. Me, Amin, I was a direct man, completely and also.



NYERERE: Yes, you were direct, directly a nuisance. Uganda has not yet even paid my country for chasing you. By the way, who added you to this group? How could you say that if I was a woman, you would have married me!?



AMIN: And after chasing me, what did you bring? Where is Uganda Airlines? Where is Uganda Railway Corporation? Where is Uganda Transport Company?

All those died and resurrected as rich individuals. I hear Mulago is now a deathpital! After 38 years after chasing me, thats what you show the people of Uganda? If I was still president, Uganda would now be having 10 radiotherapy machines. But these wakombozi, hahahah! Just stealing in good English.



NKRUMAH: Hi Nyerere. Do you still listen to news from Africa? I stopped. I realized I was about to die again due to heart attack. I did not even own a car; you lived in a small house without a perimeter wall; but look at these new patriots!



JOMO: At least Kenya is still on the right path. The right president, right capitalism, our land is intact ... Still the wrong opposition, though. But generally, Im not complaining.



GADDAFI: Comrades, Im still trying to figure out where I was buried. Those imperialists could not even allow me a decent burial! I miss the presidency. I hear Comrade Mugabe is still enjoying his active retirement.



AMIN: I dont even know if my grave is still there in Saudi Arabia. Imagine! Me? A Field Marshal! Life president of Uganda... Conqueror of the British Empire...!



MOBUTU: Hmmm, at least your burial was decent... My body was buried in standing position in Morocco, to save space! With all the land and wealth I had in Congo!!! And sincerely I would be only 87 years old now and still president. It hurts so bad!



NYERERE: Hmmm! Whoever is the administrator of this group, please remove me. I am in a wrong place. Mandela, say something. Are you here?



MANDELA: I have been quietly following; I did not want to weep loudly. Please stop sharing what is going on with leaders the other side, or else I will also leave the group.



SAMORA MACHEL: Hmmm, Mandela, I used to think we were friends. But after my death, I learnt a lesson.



MANDELA: Samora, dont start. You know that you were dead.



NKRUMAH: What are you people grumbling about?



MANDELA: You wont understand this my brother, you died early. In brief, these are family matters. By the way, do you get any updates on your dream of the United States of Africa?



NKRUMAH: Ask Nyerere, he is the one who pierced my bubble and started calling me names until other leaders became detrimentally suspicious of my ambitions.

After I had given a wonderful speech in defense of the idea at the Organisation of African Unity conference in 1964, that fellow stood up to argue for gradual regional federations instead!

He lampooned my idea, saying that I was rushing because I wanted some stupid historians in future to write about me as the father of the grand idea. Those Nyereres were too excited about being presidents of their small neo-colonial countries and feared that I was a threat to their power ambitions. I am not really keen on what they did after my death; I didnt expect much.



NYERERE: Eh, ndugu, I can see you are still bitter. I apologized later after your death when subsequent developments vindicated you  although I was right too.

You see, you also over-trumpeted it. Anyone could have suspected that you wanted to become president of Africa. You also know you really loved titles, my dear Osagyefo, messiah, redeemer



NKRUMAH: Hahaha, you really like poking me. But at least you know that by the time I was deposed, I owned almost nothing! Brother, our selfless efforts pain me intensely!



jsssentongo@gmail.com



The author heads the Center for African Studies at Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi.
If the government keeps its word, then it will deactivate all unregistered Sim cards at midnight on Wednesday, August 30.

That is the government-set deadline by which all Ugandans should have verified their mobile telephone numbers. According to the government, by last week, up to 98 per cent of active Sim cards had been verified.

This leaves the owners of the remaining two per cent of the active Sim cards with less than three days to abide by the law if they want to continue using their mobile phone lines.

The current scenario presents the government with the best opportunity to keep its word, switch off unverified lines and begin a long overdue exercise of ensuring that criminals do not have easy access to Sim cards that they can use to commit all manner of crimes.

With only two per cent of the registered Sim card users unverified, even the telecom companies will feel a less painful pinch  and should support an exercise that will bring long-term benefits to all.

The last time the Uganda Communications Commission ordered telecom companies to switch of unverified Sim cards on May 20, the government showed embarrassing indecisiveness, culminating in President Museveni issuing an order for an extension of the verification exercise.

The end result that the backpedaling, which came after another deadline extension earlier in the year, left the government with egg on face, as many Ugandans said they did not register because they expected a deadline extension anyway.

This week is, therefore, a decisive moment for the governments attempt to ensure that all mobile telephone users are registered.

Should it dither again and cede to a deadline extension, as the telecoms have demanded, then the government might as well call off the entire exercise.

On the other hand, if it wants to be taken seriously by all Ugandans with regard to this exercise, then the government must put its foot down and pull the plug on Sim card registration when it promised it will.
Some 11,500 Americans died in 13 hellish U.K. prisoner ships docked off Brooklyn during the Revolutionary War, recalled the New York Post Aug. 25.

Twice as many died on one ship, the Jersey, then died in combat during the entire War from 1775-83.

It was the closest thing to hell any living man would ever know, wrote David McKendry for blumhouse.com. The Jersey was floating tomb that became a symbol of the depths of mans cruelty.

During the day, the sun would heat below decks to unbearable temperatures. Prisoners would strip naked in an attempt to cool down. They gasped for air in the dark because there was not enough oxygen to keep their lanterns lit.

Those who were too sick to fend off the rats were eaten alive, men cursed and screamed as the vermin consumed them. The screams of men sick, dying, and driven to madness was a constant. Those who didnt succumb to dehydration and starvation died from diseases such as small pox, typhus, and dysentery.

Every morning, the death patrol would seek out the dead so that they could be thrown overboard. Such was the disturbing appearance of their fellow inmates, their skin so covered in feces and filth that the patrol would have to ask people if they were dead or alive.

Irish Potato Famine Recalled

The cruel slaughter of so many by Brits brought to mind the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-49 that took one million Irish lives and caused millions to flee the country, reducing the population of nine million to 6.1M.

David Nally, Ph.D., of Cambridge University, has authored Human Encumbrances: Political Violence and the Great Irish Famine, which he calls one of the worst in recorded history.

Theres lots of debate about the famine caused by failure of the potato crop, he admits. But The U.K. governments failure to take action, born out of an indifference to the suffering of the Irish poor, amounted to an avoidable policy of letting die, he says.

Nally is a lecturer in the Geography Dept. and a Fellow and Director of Studies at Fitzwilliam College of the University. He has a B.A. in History and Geography from University College Cork, Ireland, and a Ph.D. in Geography at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

Nally argues that land confiscations and plantation schemes paved the way for the reordering of Irish political, social, and economic space. The policies undermined rural livelihoods and made Irish society more vulnerable to catastrophic food crises. He says colonial ideologies generated negative evaluations of Irish destitution and attenuated calls to implement traditional anti-famine programs.

Cut to Present: Brits Invade on Borrowed $$

In compiling our Modern History of PR, which covers the half century that we have been reporting on it, we cant help but notice the leading role that the U.K.s Martin Sorrell has played in the destruction of much of the traditional open, responsive U.S. PR culture, a unique U.S. creation. Dozens of major agencies have either been destroyed or, in effect, imprisoned.

Sorrells pay of $62 million in 2016 was more than twice the pay of the next highest U.K. exec, and far below the $90.8M, he received the previous year.

A close second in pursuing these destructive policies is Omnicom's, John Wren. Same record of destroyed and silenced PR firms.

OMCs DDB unit has been the lead creative agency for Budweiser in the U.S. since the mid-1990s while WPPs Mediacom unit handles media buying. Both are under fire for their roles in twice substituting America for Budweiser on hundreds of millions of beer bottles and cans.

U.K.s Gummer Was an Aggregator

Borrowed funds bankrolled the takeover of many PR firms. Merger specialists comb the lists of independent PR firms, offering jaw-dropping amounts of cash, stock and/or extended payouts to owners. Support staffs, CPAs and other suppliers, offices, etc., are quickly offloaded.

A leading practitioner of this art in the 1980s was the U.K.s Peter Gummer, who acquired 35 firms for an initial $90M with further possible payouts of $180M. Much of that was never paid. The firms, almost all of which disappeared, had $100M in fees and 1,700 staff. They were to keep their names, management and cultures, a promise that mostly was not kept. Gummer sold Shandwick to IPG in 1998 for $170M, a deal that included $70M in acquisition-related debt.

Gummer had 9.5M shares of Shandwick worth $10.8M at the time of the sale.

Current debt of the five conglomerates is $19.15 billion. WPP owes $8.54B; OMC, $4.98B; Publicis, $3.81B; IPG, $1.82B, and Havas, $777.4B.

WPP, Omnicom, IPG and other companies purchased 16 of the 25 biggest PR firms on the 1980 ranking in ODwyers Directory of PR Firms.

Six were in the Top TenH&K, B-M and Byoir, the three biggest; Manning, Selvage & Lee, Doremus & Co., The Rowland Co. and Ketchum, MacLeod & Grove.

Harshe-Rotman & Druck, sixth biggest, was acquired by Ruder & Finn, fourth biggest, in 1981.

NYT Ad Column Killed

A casualty of the onslaught is the New York Times ad column, a feature for 81 years until the retirement of Stuart Elliott at the end of 2014. Not only did ad support of the column dip, but also cooperation with the column. Public companies like WPP and OMC are hyper about anything written about them.

Their target audience is security analysts, whose employers are also trying to sell the stock with some of them also doing underwriting business for WPP and OMC. The latter is followed by 16 analysts, who mostly advise buy or hold.

Oddly, the same finance.yahoo listing for WPP is almost bare, laden with 0s and N/A. No analysts are advising sell WPP.

WPP, which reached $120.34 on Sept. 9, 2016, is now around $90. OMC, $88.47 on Nov. 25, 2016, is around $73.

JWT Bloodiest Takeover

Armand Mattelart, author of Advertising International: The Privatization of Public Space, said the WPPs hostile absorption of J. Walter Thompson in 1987 was the most bloody takeover in the history of advertising. WPP, in buying Young & Rubicam in 2000, also added Burson-Marsteller, one of the three biggest PR firms. It had been purchased by Y&R in 1979.

Mattelart called CEO Martin Sorrell the king of mortgage finance.

Current debt/equity percentage of WPP is 67.24. Above one is considered desirable. Chase Banks ratio is 2.42 while Johnson & Johnsons is 1.34.

The advertising industry soon clamped down on many of the informational practices of the PR firms.

Disappearing was the client list of more than 400 that H&K posted in ODwyers Directory. The Byoir client list had vanished upon its purchase by H&K. Byoir itself vanished a few years later. Also a casualty was the 16 NYC PR/press lunch groups that stopped meeting.

Don't Buy, Don't Tell

Congloms and others pursued a policy of Dont Buy, Dont Tell with the PR trade press, meaning dont spend money on it and tell it as little as possible. As a result, nine PR media ceased publicationthree by Ragan, two of Paul Holmes including a monthly magazine (The Holmes Report continues as an online NL), plus PR Reporter NL, PR Quarterly, Bulldog Reporter (sold and now online), and PR Newser.

Sorrell on Aug. 25 took a slap at competitors who burnish their image in trade magazines by winning new accounts at any cost.
A high-profile lawsuit concerning bathroom breaks and the rationing of toilet paper does little to improve the reputation of the PR business, according to some observers of the communications arena.

A VP at New York PR firm Wise Public Relations claims in a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Supreme Court that she was the target of discriminatory treatment and harassment on the basis of her gendertreatment that extended to the rationing of the amount of toilet paper she was allowed to use.

Tracey Boudine

Tracey Boudine is lauded on the Wise website as a hands-on communications professional with a proven track record who frequently delivers what others counsel as unlikely.

Prior to Wise PR, she served as Corporate Communications Manager at Arnold Worldwide, a division of HavasWorldwide.

However, during her two years at Wise, as the only woman serving as part of the firms senior leadership, she charges in her complaint that she was denied lucrative accounts and had to work twice as hard as her male colleagues.

But it is the controversy surrounding supposed comments about Boudines use of toilet paper, and a subsequent rationing of the amount of toilet paper she was allowed to use, around which the case against her former employer is revolving.

Court documents said Boudine was teased about her need to use the bathroom, and in particular, her needas a womanto use toilet paper more frequently when she did use the restroom.

The documents also claim that the firm went so far as to impose a limit on how much toilet paper Ms. Boudine could use. Due to those limitations, the suit says, she was relegated to using nearby fast food restaurant and gym bathrooms during her two years at Wise.

Boudine says that complaints she made about the situation to firm management were ignored. Alexander Granovsky, Boudines attorney, wrote Wise management in April, charging them with discrimination. Within hours, the suit says, Boudine was fired.

The amount Boudine is suing for has not been disclosed but includes back pay, lost wages and unspecified damages.

Attorneys representing Wise PR said the firm doesnt tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination.

We are confident that once the facts of this case are presented, it will be clear that the claims are baseless, frivolous, and frankly absurd, said a statement from Lisa Griffith and law firm Littler Mendelson.

Wise PR did not return calls for comment.
Arizona Professor Suspended After Saying Some Black Lives Matter Members Should Be Hung Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

Civil rights leaders are calling for a Grand Canyon University professors removal after remarks he made about Black Lives Matter.

The remarks were reportedly made over a year ago when GCU theology professor Toby Jennings was speaking at a theology conference back in September 2016 when he was asked about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Theyre wanting to hear what somebody else has to say about it, Jennings said, and you have people on the opposite extreme of that that frankly should be hung.

READ: Black Lives Matter Founders To Receive Sydney Peace Prize

The latter portion of Jennings remark surprised members of the audience which then led to the professor trying to clarify his statement.

That kind of rhetoric is not helpful to any conversation and thats what I mean by they should be hung, Jennings said.

On Friday, civil rights leaders criticized the Arizona university for what they said was a culture that fostered discrimination and devalued blackness.

Before I saw the video, I thought it was a white man, Pastor Warren Stewart, Jr. said. Its self-hate, its a Willie Lynch syndrome, its a mindset of devaluing your own culture.

GCU has suspended Jennings, as well as apologized and met with the Black Lives Matter group privately to address the remarks. The university also released a statement on the incident, with a part of it stating:

The University wants to be clear that the professors rhetoric in no way reflects the heart of this University or its dedicated students, faculty and staff. The Universitys President is leading an investigation into this incident and has met with the professor who made these statements, as well as the Dean of the College, who both agree it was completely inappropriateWe have placed this professor on administrative leave until at least the end of the first semester while the University completes its investigation.

Source: 12news.com
Oklahoma Police Chief To Resign After Being Linked To Neo-Nazi Websites Elijah C. Watson Elijah Watson serves as Okayplayer's News & Culture Editor. When

The police chief has since stated that he will be resigning from the position.

After learning that only one hate group operated in Texoma from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a reporter for Colbert Oklahomas KXII did some research and discovered that the organization is a website called ISD Records, which sells racist media and memorabilia targeted at neo-Nazis and white nationalists.

As KXII reports:

With a banner that reads The Voice of Blood and Honour, an international coalition of racist skinhead gangs, ISD Records features artists like The Klansmen and album titles including Hitler was Right.

The reporter then found the certificate of ownership of ISD records and tracked it back to Bart Alsbrook, a Denison resident who had just been promoted to interim chief after serving as a Colbert reserve police officer. Although Alsbrook denied that he was the owner of the website when confronted by the reporter, the site was taken down shortly after they spoke with one another. In a follow-up call with Alsbrook, he then claimed a group of skinheads stole his wallet and began using his name after a fight at a heavy metal concert in the 1990s.

Ultimately, the report ends by saying that Alsbrook will continue to be the interim chief until the city hires a full-time chief but he has since said that he will resign.

Recently, two KKK members who once served as prison guards were convicted of murder for planning to kill a black inmate after his release. Both Charles Newcomb and David Elliot Moran were found guilty of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.

Source: kxii.com
Agricultural News

Feeder Pipeline Starts to Reflect Three Years of Expansion- Derrell Peel Talks Latest On Feed Report







On Friday afternoon this past week, the United States Department of Agriculture released its monthly Cattle on Feed report reflective of August 1 data. Radio Oklahoma Ag Network Farm Director Ron Hays reached out to Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Market Economist Dr. Derrell Peel for his reaction to the numbers in this report.





"I don't think this report changes things much," Peel remarked, summing up his reaction. "In terms of pre-report expectations, this report was pretty well anticipated."





According to Peel, this month's report measured cattle placements at 102.7 percent over last year; marketings at 104.1 percent of last year; and cattle on feed at 104.3 percent - a figure pulled back from the previous month just slightly, says Peel, but still up year-over-year. Although, the numbers are a bit more moderate than we have seen, Peel says this continues a four-month trend of sharply higher placements, particularly in the last two of those four months. This is a reflection of good feedlot profitability and indicates that feeders have been motivated and aggressive in moving cattle through their pens.





"The bigger picture here, is that we've been in herd expansion for three years and that's beginning to show up with a pretty sustained increase in the feeder cattle pipeline," Peel asserted. "It's marching on. Those cattle are going to come into the feedlots, work their way through - and all of it ultimately translates into this continued expectation for increased beef production as we go forward."





You can check out the latest USDA Cattle on Feed report for yourself, by clicking here.





Listen to Dr. Peel breakdown the numbers in this month's Cattle on Feed report from the USDA, with Farm Director Ron Hays, on today's Beef Buzz.





The Beef Buzz is a regular feature heard on radio stations around the region on the Radio Oklahoma Network and is a regular audio feature found on this website as well. Click on the LISTEN BAR below for today's show and check out our archives for older Beef Buzz shows covering the gamut of the beef cattle industry today.



















Listen to Derrell Peel's full analysis of USDA's latest Cattle on Feed report with Ron Hays, click below.

WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady NSI

Top Agricultural News
Cindi Brown asked the judge to look at Armond Floyds hands.

The hands belong to a person 10 times the size of her almost-2-year-old granddaughter, Imani Edwards, Brown said.

The hands slapped Imani. The hands covered Imanis face to suffocate the sound of her crying. The hands grabbed Imanis arm and slammed her head into a door frame. The hands took Imanis lifeless body and put it in a tub of water and left her there.

Why did he do this? Brown asked the judge. Over a soiled diaper.

My hope is that every single day the defendant is in prison he takes notice of his hands and remembers in detail what he did to my Imani the night he murdered her, Brown said.

Flanked by two public defenders and two prosecutors, Floyd, 25, was sentenced Monday in Sarpy County District Court for two separate cases.

In connection with the death of Imani, Judge Stefanie Martinez sentenced Floyd to 30 to 40 years in prison. Floyd had pleaded guilty to felony child abuse. He will have to spend at least 15 years in prison before being eligible for release. He was given credit for 287 days served.

Prosecutors said Imani was in Floyds care on Nov. 13 when she was found unresponsive in a bathtub in an apartment at 1811 Lloyd St. in Bellevue.

Imani, who was just shy of 2, was taken to Childrens Hospital & Medical Center in Omaha, where she later died.

Imani died while Floyd was out on bail on other charges, involving Imanis mother.

In that case, Floyd pleaded guilty to an amended charge of misdemeanor third-degree domestic assault. He was sentenced to a year for the charge, but with time served, that sentence is almost complete.

Floyd told the judge that not a day goes by that he doesnt regret what happened.

That night I failed as a father, he said.

I loved her. I never wanted any of this to happen. And Im so sorry.

Christopher Lathrop, one of Floyds attorneys, told the judge his client will forever be haunted by 10 minutes.

Ten minutes of indecision led to the death of a young girl that Floyd had known since she was 3 months old, the lawyer said, adding that they called each other Daughter and Daddy.

Lathrop asked the judge for a sentence of probation and said his client is full of remorse. He said his client is easily frustrated and doesnt know how to deal with frustration. He needs help, Lathrop said, and he wont get help while incarcerated.

Sarpy County Chief Deputy Attorney Tricia Freeman said what happened was not an accident but a choice Floyd made. Whether a split-second decision or a thought-out one, she said, it was an intentional, senseless act.

Imanis family attended Mondays court hearing. Two of Imanis grandparents addressed the court before the sentencing.

After the hearing, Imanis other grandmother, Shaun Cooley, said no one wins in this situation, and she hopes that now everyone can heal.

In his statement to the judge, Imanis grandfather Terry Brown focused on moments with his granddaughter that will never come.

Dolls that will never be played with. A wedding dress that will never be passed down.

Terry Brown said they called Imani a beautiful little butterfly because she left their lives too soon to appreciate all her beauty.
All it took was the possibility of a visit from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to stir up strong feelings in Nebraska on Monday.

A spokesman for Gov. Pete Ricketts said the governor would welcome the controversial appointee of President Donald Trump. Her support for charter schools drew thunderous opposition from teachers unions during her confirmation process.

Bridget Donovan, president of the Omaha Education Association, said shes getting a lot of emails, but its too early to tell how union members would react to a visit.

Were not very happy about it, she said, but were Nebraska nice.

She said the visit appears to be political, softening the ground for another legislative effort to bring charter schools to Nebraska.

Luke Robson, Ricketts director of media relations, said the Governors Office has not received information about a date for a visit.

But he said Ricketts would welcome a visit.

She has been a great advocate for expanding educational opportunities, and the governor believes that a visit from her would be a chance for a mutual exchange of ideas on how to best improve student achievement, Robson said.

While nothing has been finalized, U.S. Education Department officials have inquired about DeVos visiting schools in the metro area, including the private Nelson Mandela Elementary School in north Omaha and the public Bryan High, an OPS school in Bellevue.

Nelson Mandela Principal Susan Toohey confirmed that she received a call last week about a potential visit from DeVos. No dates or details have been confirmed.

The Education Department did not return a request for comment.

I think its a great opportunity to show her the partnership between our school and public schools, Toohey said.

Her school, funded by the Lozier Foundation and the William and Ruth Scott Family Foundation, offers free tuition and year-round schooling. Toohey has said she and the Lozier Foundation are strong supporters of traditional public schools, not the expansion of school choice options, like charter schools, which have been championed by DeVos.

In February, Toohey told The World-Herald that she was extremely disappointed by DeVos confirmation, which came on a razor-thin 51-50 Senate vote.

We absolutely dont think taking money away from public school systems is the right decision, Toohey said then. Were adamant that public school systems need those dollars to educate all students.

Still, Toohey said she would be happy to show off her school, which primarily educates children in poverty and uses the phonics-focused Spalding Method for reading and language arts and the Singapore Math curriculum.

Its a good opportunity to educate her on how great our public schools are in Omaha and how there are other things happening, Toohey said.

According to a tracker compiled by Education Week, DeVos has visited 19 schools, a mix of traditional public, private and charter schools.

Omaha Public Schools board President Lacey Merica, a Bryan High alum, said that while the possibility of a visit from a high-profile federal official is exciting, its tough to reconcile that with some of DeVos stances.

The OPS board opposed a bill in the Legislature this year that would have authorized charter schools in the state.

Obviously there are several of us on the board that disagree with her and her views, but at the same time, its an opportunity for us to show, Hey, look what were doing without charters, look what were achieving without vouchers,  Merica said.

Bryan offers several specialty programs, such as an urban agriculture academy and a transportation, distribution and logistics program.

Board member Amanda Ryan said DeVos has shown that shes not a friend to public education.

I understand we do want to show her the good of public education, and we have some schools where we can definitely show her that, Ryan said. But we dont know the intent.

DeVos has received mixed marks from Nebraska educators, especially from public school leaders who remain wary about funds being routed to charter schools or vouchers. Nebraska does not allow charter schools.

Others, including charter school proponents, have been energized by having a friendly face in charge of shaping education policy.

State Sen. Jim Smith, who has met DeVos, said she brings a refreshing perspective to education.

Unfortunately we have not had enough competition in education in our country, he said. And I think that competition brings about better outcomes at lower cost.

Last summer, Smith introduced a bill that would have created scholarship tax credits in Nebraska.

As for appearances elsewhere, Smith said its unfortunate that critics have tried to block her visits.

Clarice Jackson, a member of the academic advisory committee for the Mandela School, said she expects that the secretary would get a better reception here than on her visits elsewhere.

I think people here are more diplomatic, she said. I think theyll be more gracious if she comes.

Katie Linehan, executive director of the school-reform group Educate Nebraska, said shes excited about a possible visit.

Linehan said its important to remember how former Education Secretary Arne Duncan was treated when he visited.

When Arne Duncan visited Nebraska in 2011, President Obama was one of the biggest advocates for charter schools, she said. So, with that in mind, I hope Secretary DeVos is treated with as much respect as Secretary Duncan was and deserved.
The Omaha Public Schools board has picked a new superintendent search firm.

The board voted 9-0 last week to enter into contract negotiations with Ray and Associates, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based firm. The board will still have to sign off on a contract and dollar figure for the search.

Board Vice President Marque Snow has said the goal is to hire a new superintendent by mid-December.

Ray and Associates has handled several other recent superintendent searches, helping the Bellevue, Council Bluffs and Papillion-La Vista school districts hire new leaders. The firm was among three considered by the OPS board last year to lead its superintendent search.

In July, the OPS board terminated its agreement with McPherson & Jacobson, the firm company for its unsuccessful search earlier this year. All three superintendent finalists ended up dropping out, and Superintendent Mark Evans agreed to postpone his retirement and stay on for an extra year.

McPherson & Jacobson was paid half its agreed-upon fee, plus expenses, for a total of $26,406.
CARTER LAKE  Fed up with vandalism, Carter Lake Mayor Gerald Waltrip wants people charged up to $20 a day to use city parks.

Destruction is just terrible, he said after last weeks City Council meeting, where he made the proposal. We had to totally redo the bathrooms in these parks, and theyre not cheap. We cant keep funding just through taxes. We need to find a way to help us with expenses for keeping them up.

Waltrip also seems certain about who is causing most of the vandalism at Wavecrest and Mabrey Parks, in a city that is almost entirely surrounded by Omaha.

The overwhelming majority of it is brought on by people who live outside of our borders, he said. Were a community of 3,800 people, and outside of Carter Lake, were dealing with half a million people.

At the meeting, Waltrip threw out a fee range of $10 to $20 a year for Carter Lake residents and a $10 to $20 daily fee for nonresidents to use the parks.

He suggested that Carter Lake residents be given stickers to put on their car windshields as way of indicating that they paid their annual fee  similar to a county or state park permit.

To monitor nonresidents, the mayor suggested that someone could be paid to patrol the parks daily to ensure that people are not using the parks without paying.

Maybe this fee idea wont go anyplace, Waltrip conceded, but he said the city must try something.

Councilman Pat Paterson agreed that a lot of outsiders are using Carter Lake. He said he hopes Omaha will provide better recreational services on its side of the lake as a way of reducing the numbers coming to Carter Lake city parks.

The council has also allocated $60,000 to $80,000 for security cameras in the citys municipal parks.

I think the cameras will help with the vandalism, Paterson said.

But he said he doubts that anything will happen this year on the fees proposal.
The Nebraska Army National Guard has now sent five helicopters and 29 soldiers to the Hurricane Harvey rescue effort in Texas, and that commitment is expected to increase in the days ahead.

We expect that (Nebraskas) aviation mission will probably grow. This is probably going to be a fairly large mission for our units, said Lt. Col. Kevin Hynes, a Nebraska Guard spokesman.

Two of the Nebraska Guards UH-60 Black Hawks flew their first mission Monday afternoon from their base in Austin, said 1st Sgt. Ron Schroeder, the senior enlisted soldier on the Texas deployment. They picked up 3,000 pounds of military MREs, meals ready to eat, from San Antonio to take to waterlogged Galveston.

Its a very busy place, Schroeder said. I think its going to get a lot busier.

He said the two Black Hawks and their crews flew to Dallas on Saturday, in case they were needed. They are equipped for airlift and aeromedical rescue missions. The Black Hawks then flew the following day to the Austin airport.

Joining them by Monday were two CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The third Black Hawk left for Texas Monday afternoon, Hynes said.

The Black Hawks are with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment, based in Lincoln. The Chinooks are from Company B, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, based in Grand Island.

Schroeder said the crews spent Sunday and part of Monday performing maintenance on their helicopters and getting briefings from Texas National Guard soldiers about flight operations in southeastern Texas.

The troops and equipment are being made available as part of an interstate compact that allows state National Guards to help one another in case of natural disaster.

The Nebraska National Guard also sent assistance to Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in late August 2005.

We are always ready to assist, whether here in Nebraska or elsewhere in the U.S., Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac, the states adjutant general, said in a statement.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also has called up the entire 12,000-member Texas National Guard to assist with the ongoing emergency.

The Texas Guard has contributed 16 aircraft to the Harvey mission, according to the Washington Post.

Helicopters from the Arizona and Utah National Guards also have arrived in Austin, Schroeder said. The New York National Guard, among others that are contributing, has sent three helicopters and three fixed-wing cargo aircraft.

The Iowa National Guard hasnt so far been asked to send troops, said Col. Greg Hapgood, an Iowa Guard spokesman, but is prepared to send aid if it is needed.

Schroeder said the deployed Nebraskans have plenty of experience. He said about half of the Company G soldiers completed a deployment to Afghanistan in April, and others from Company B served in Kuwait in 2015.

Were a pretty busy unit, Schroeder said. We get called on a lot.

He is one of at least two Nebraska Guard members in Texas who also helped out after Hurricane Katrina. That time, help didnt arrive until days after the storm had raged through the Gulf Coast and overwhelmed levees in New Orleans, killing more than 1,800 people.

Were way ahead of the schedule compared to Katrina, Schroeder said. As this storm was coming in, we were already getting in place.

This report includes material from the Washington Post.
U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer on Monday broke with President Donald Trump over his threat last week to shut down the federal government if an upcoming House and Senate funding plan doesnt include money for a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.

The Nebraska Republican also said she got an early look into Trumps plans for an injection of $1 trillion for new U.S. roads, bridges and other infrastructure  and she sees some opportunities for Nebraska in the proposal.

Fischer, who has supported Trump on a variety of issues, said in an interview with The World-Herald that she doesnt support the idea of disrupting government services over funding for a border wall.

I dont think we want to shut down government, she said.

She said shes a strong proponent of border security, but in some places a wall is not possible. So the solution, she said, includes sections of wall, sections of fencing and technological options in other areas.

Fischer chairs the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security, and she said much of her work has been focused on the security of ports.

Theres a lot that needs to be done, and I just want to make sure our borders are secure, she said.

Fischer was briefed at the White House about Trumps ideas for an infrastructure package.

Im excited to continue discussing it with them, said Fischer, who has long made infrastructure a centerpiece of her work as a legislator. Hopefully well get a bill. Hopefully itll be bipartisan. It should be.

She said she sees opportunities for Nebraska in the presidents early proposals. She said a new bill could bring money into Omaha to help with the citys $2 billion, federal government-mandated sewer separation project. And she said she sees an opportunity to expand rural broadband.

Now, she said, the question will be how to pay for the $200 billion in federal government spending thats aimed at spurring another $800 billion in local spending.

Fischer suggests using customs and border fees, much of which goes to the general fund. She said it makes sense to use that money, because the fees come from passengers and freight.

I think the argument can be made that money can be and should be used for the Highway Trust Fund, she said.
International news brief: Floods trap many in Florida; Royal Mint unveils first coins and more

Floods after heavy rain kill at least 22 people in Venezuela

830 people dead in Bihar, Assam, UP, WB floods

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

New Delhi, August 28: This year, floods across several parts of the country have caused massive destruction, leaving at least a total of 830 people dead in Bihar, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal--the four states which are still reeling under floodwaters.

Whereas 482 people have died in Bihar (the highest so far in any state of the country), 157 lives were lost in Assam, 101 in UP and 90 in WB, say reports.

On Sunday, as many as 42 deaths were reported from Bihar, taking the toll to 482 in the state. In UP, five persons lost their lives on Sunday, pushing the flood toll in the state to 101.

Fortunately, now, the flood situation in Assam has reportedly improved to a great extent. In WB, particularly in north Bengal, the floodwaters have reduced from almost all the six affected districts.

As many as 1.71 crore people in 19 districts of Bihar were still affected by the deluge, officials said.

A total of 187 blocks and 2,371 panchayats were affected by the flood, a state Disaster Management department release said, adding that the number of relief camps had come down to 222, where 1.44 lakh people had taken shelter.

Araria district alone accounted for 95 deaths, followed by Sitamarhi (46), Purnea (44), Katihar (40), West Champaran (36), East Champaran (32), Darbhanga (30), Madhubani (28), Madhepura (25), Kishanganj (24), Gopalganj (20), Supual (16), Saran (13), Muzaffarpur (9), Saharsa (8), Khagaria (8), Sheohar (6) and Samastipur (2).

The floodwaters, however, had receded at some places, prompting many to return home, officials said.

A total of 28 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 1,152 personnel with 118 boats, 16 teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 630 army personnel, divided into seven teams, were taking part in the rescue-and relief operations in Bihar, officials added.

The MeT office has forecast heavy rain at one or two places of West Champaran district, north-central, north-east and south-east parts of the state on Monday.

Five deaths in flood-related incidents were reported from UP in the last 24 hours, taking the toll to 101, the flood control room at the relief commissioner's office said.

Four deaths were reported from Gorakhpur district, while the other one was reported from Lakhimpur Kheri, it added.

The number of flood-hit districts had reduced from 24 to 14, officials said, adding that 3,128 villages remained affected by the deluge and 2,061 of them were marooned.

Rivers such as the Rapti, Ghaghara, Burhi Rapti, Rohini and Quano were in spate and had inundated vast areas of Lakhimpur Kheri, Barabanki, Faizabad and Ballia, Gorakhpur, Siddharthnagar, officials said.

The flood situation in Assam registered a marked improvement on Sunday, although over 1.6 lakh people were still suffering across six districts of the north-eastern state, an Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) report said.

Over 2.03 lakh people were hit by the latest wave of floods in Assam till Saturday. The affected districts are Dhemaji, Barpeta, Chirang, Morigaon, Nagaon and Karbi Anglong.

The third wave of floods has so far claimed the lives of 73 people across Assam and the total number of deaths in flood-related incidents this year stood at 157 in the state, including eight in capital Guwahati.

As per today's ASDMA report, Morigaon was the worst hit with over 92,000 affected people, followed by Nagaon where 54,500 people were hit by the deluge.

Currently, 343 villages were under water and nearly 25,000 hectares of crop area were inundated, the ASDMA said.

The authorities are running 91 relief camps and distribution centres in four districts, where 24,557 people have taken shelter.

The Dhansiri river at Numaligarh in Golaghat district, the Katakhal at Matizuri in Hailakandi district and the Kushiyara at Karimganj town were flowing above the danger mark, the ASDMA said.

In WB, the floodwaters had receded from most of the places of the six affected districts in the northern parts of the state as the toll remained static at 90, a state Disaster Management department official said.

Along with these four states, floods had earlier visited Gujarat and Rajasthan too, where several persons were killed due to the calamity. Since June, along with rural areas, monsoon rains have flooded several of India's metros bringing to light how ill-equipped the country is to deal with natural disasters.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 6:43 [IST]
COVID-19 responsible for pregnancy-related deaths in the US

With these 5 changes, breast cancer survivors can live longer, healthier

DGP Kerala orders FIR against The Kerala Story after TN journalist forwards complaint to CM

Biking Queens promoting Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign call on PM Modi

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, August 28: A group of 50 women motorbike riders from Gujarat, the 'Biking Queens' as they are called, on Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

The group says they have driven over 10,000 km, covering 13 States/UTs, and interacted with people on social themes, such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao; and Swachh Bharat. On 15th August, 2017, they unfurled the tricolour at Khardungla, in Ladakh.

After meeting the bikers, PM Modi appreciated their efforts and wished them the best for their future endeavours.

Who are 'Biking Queens'

They are the "Biking Queens" from Surat, Gujarat, who love their 'mean machines' to the hilt. It is their love for bikes coupled with their zeal to promote Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet campaign-- Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save girl child, educate girl child)--which encouraged these women to take a pan-India journey.

As a part of their Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao awareness campaign, "Biking Queens" have already visited various states, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, to name a few places.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)
By elections: Why AAP won Bawana with such ease

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Aam Admi Party has won the Bawana by-poll in Delhi. Since counting began on Monday, the AAP maintained a comfortable lead over the BJP and the Congress which fought hard for second place.

The AAP always seemed confident about winning this by-elections and there was not a single day that the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not campaign in this constituency. In fact the experts say that this time around one got to witness a Kejriwal version 2.0.

There are several reasons why the AAP managed to win this by-poll with a comfortable margin. The seat fell vacant after Ved Prakash the sitting MLA decided to quit the AAP and join the BJP.

Leading psephologist, Dr Sandeep Shastri says that this should be a lesson for all political parties. Never take an MLA into your fold when his or term is incomplete. In the past as well there have been many instances when people have voted against such candidates angrily.

Recommended Video

Bawana by-elections: AAP gets stunning victory, BJP-Congress far behind | Oneindia News

In Bawana there was a great deal of resentment for Prakash for deserting the people who voted for him. The AAP felt the pulse of the people since day one of the campaign and said that there was a lot of simmering anger against Prakash.

The other miscalculation done by the BJP was taking Prakash into the party. He was never a vote puller and managed to win the 2013 elections due to the AAP wave.

On the other hand, the the AAP's Bawana candidate, Ram Chander comes from a humble background. He was actively involved with the India Against Corruption movement and has been a ground level worker.

Kejriwal 2.0:

Kejriwal according to the experts has re-invented himself. Following the defeats in Punjab and Goa, he has realised that he needs to focus on Delhi which is his stronghold.

Dr Shastri says that the defeats in Goa and Punjab woke him up. His entire approach has changed. His statements against the Prime Minister and the BJP have been measured.

Moreover he also realised that it is better work in a bastion he is strong rather than adventure in national politics immediately. Kejriwal also realised that to win an election, it is not always necessary being on television, Dr Shastri also adds.

When one speaks about a measured response, one must revisit Kejriwal's reactions on the Gorakhpur tragedy. His immediate reaction was not to Tweet against Yogi Adityanath. Instead he made sure everything was in order in his own bastion. He called for a meeting of all Medical Superintendents and sought for a status report on the stocks of medicine and equipment including oxygen.

He worked quietly on the background said an AAP source. So quietly that it prompted questions from his opponents, " where is Arvind Kejriwal."

He was there:

For the people of Bawana what mattered was that their Chief Minister was there almost everyday. During his campaigns he reached out to everyone. In fact during one of the campaigns, he spoke about the greatness of the local wrestlers. He would walk through water logged streets and meet with the residents. I promise to finish construction of this road in one month, he would say.

AAP's spokesperson, Deepak Vajpayee said that the charisma of Kejriwal has not diminished. He appeals to the common man and he has given his personal touch to the by-poll.

During one of the campaigns, he even spoke about nationalism. He said that the BJP may speak about nationalism, but do nothing. If a soldier from Delhi is martyred the state government gives compensation of Rs 1 crore to the family, he said. When the farmers' crops were destroyed, we gave compensation he said.

This victory for AAP would mean a lot. While the social media would give a different picture of the AAP, the ground reality is quite different. Dr Shastri says that this may be just one by-poll, but for the AAP is a big moral booster. The AAP realises it needs to focus on Delhi instead of adventuring out elsewhere at least for the time-being.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 13:44 [IST]
Bypoll results: Congress' closest rival was NOTA in Nandyal, Bawana was different

India

oi-Anusha

That the Congress did not stand a chance to win the Nandyal bypoll was a given. What came as a shocker was how the party polled less than the NOTA (None of the above) option in many rounds of counting. In Bawana though, the party gave a tough fight. While it was pushed to the third spot in Bawana, Congress' vote share improved greatly.

At the end of counting of votes in Nandyal assembly bypoll, the Congress managed to pull off just 0.1 per cent more than NOTA. According to data from the Election Commission of India, Congress got just 1,382 votes out of the 1.7 lakh votes. 1,231 people chose NOTA. In terms of vote share, the Congress managed to get a mere 0.80 per cent as against NOTA's 0.71 per cent.

The numbers are disappointing considering that about a decade ago, Nandyal was a Congress bastion. The bifurcation of the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and formation of Telangana has cost the Congress greatly and if the Nandyal bypolls are anything to go by, there is very little for the Congress to look forward to. In multiple rounds of counting, NOTA was chosen more than the Congress. Incidentally, the Congress had won the Nandyal seat by a record margin of 5 lakh votes when former Prime Minister Narasimha Rao had contested. Today, it is an unfortunate turn of tables for the party that is struggling not for victory but for relevance.

Congress' fighting spirit on display in Bawana

Political analysts have been speaking of Congress' reignited spirit to fight after the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections. The Congress' may have lost New Delhi's Bawana assembly constituency to the AAP but the party did not go down without a fight. The Congress' vote share jumped considerably in the constituency in comparison to the 2015 general assembly elections.

Bawana constituency was expected to be a landslide for the AAP but the Congress sprung a surprise by maintaining lead from round one of counting. The party maintained lead till the sixth round of counting when the Congress had 3,437 votes more than closest rival, AAP. Things took a turn in favour of the Aam Aadmi Party for the next three rounds but yet again, the Congress took the lead in the 10th round of counting.

The counting of votes in Bawana turned into a neck-to-neck fight between the AAP and Congress till the BJP rushed ahead of Congress by polling more votes. As counting drew to a close, the AAP emerged the frontrunner with the BJP trailing. Congress, despite the fight that it put up, was pushed to the third place.

Out of the total 1.3 lakh votes, Congress polled 31,919 as against its 2015 votes of 14,846. In terms of vote share, the Congress showed great growth. On Monday, the Congress got 24.19 per cent vote share, a huge jump from its 2015 vote share of 7.87 per cent. If not the seat, the Congress seems to have at least put up a fight to improve its vote share.

With a tough Gujarat assembly election and a relatively tricky Karnataka assembly election around the corner, the Congress is expected to keep its fighting spirit intact to emerge as a stronger contender in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

OneIndia News
Chhattisgarh man gifts his dry village a pond after digging it up for 27 years

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Raipur, August 28: Twenty seven years is not a joke. In 27 years, almost three decades, the face of the world could change drastically. In these years, a kid grows up into a man/woman and many more things can happen during the period.

Imagine if someone dedicates 27 years of his life in just digging up a pond. Astonishing, isn't it? What more can we say about Shyam Lal, a native of Saja Pahad village in Chhattisgarh's Koriya district, who spent 27 years of his life digging up the parched land of his village to find a pond out of it.

Finally, his long-drawn lonely battle to find water succeeded after 27 years. When Shyam first started his journey of digging up the pond he was just 15 years old.

Today, the man hailed as a "hero" by his village men and even local politicians and officials is 42. But Shyam has no qualms of losing so many precious years of his life just digging up a pond. Rather he is ecstatic that his firm belief to find water in a forest land nearby his dry village proved to be right.

As a teenager Shyam decided to undertake the task after he saw his village people badly struggling for water to quench their thirst and that of the animals. No government officials did anything about the matter.

So, one day, the tribal boy decided to take up a spade and dig for water in a nearby forest area. His initiative was not initially approved by his fellow villagers. They thought he has gone "crazy" to take up such a herculean task.

But, the boy was a determined one. Although it took 27 years, none the less Shyam succeeded in his one-man mission. The villager gave Saja Pahad a 15-feet deep pond, spread across one-acre of land, full of water.

Today, the villagers hail his as a hero, as he did the impossible task of digging up a huge pond for so many years.

"No one helped me in my work, neither the administration nor the villagers," a proud 42-year-old was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times. When asked what prompted him to dig the pond for so many years, Shyam said he did it for the welfare of the people and the cattle of his village.

The villagers are indebted to the man. "The pond is now used by everyone and we are all thankful to him," Ramsaran Bargar (70), a village elderly told Hindustan Times.

Along with the praises showered by his fellow villagers, Shyam also managed to win the heart of the local politicians. Recently, MLA Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, who represents Mahendargarh constituency, under which Saja Pahad falls, visited the village and presented Shyam with Rs 10,000 for his noble endeavor.

The local administration has also promised to support Shyam.

"I came to know about Shyam recently. His effort for his village is commendable and I will go to his village to provide him all possible help," said district collector of Koriya, Narendra Duggal.

Saja Pahad, a remote village, lies near a hillock under Chirimiri. The village still does not have electricity or road connectivity. Moreover, for years now, the village has been suffering from water crisis.

This year, entire Chhattisgarh is facing a drought-like situation because of severe shortage of rainfall. However, with a new pond, the villagers of Saja Pahad are confident to tide over the crisis.

OneIndia News
The Western bias and why it cannot digest Indias success

Explained: Why has US removed India from its currency monitoring list

Indias first privately built rocket to be launched on Nov 15

India has become center point to world's desires, says PM Modi

Border standoff: China stops road construction at Doklam

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi/Beijing, Aug 28: In a major diplomatic breakthrough, both India and China have almost completed the disengagement of border personnel at Dokalam. The move cames a week before the BRICS summit in China which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Monday announced that both the countries agreed to an "expeditious disengagement" at the face-off site in Dokalam following diplomatic communications.

In response to a question later in the evening, the MEA said the process of disengagement had almost been completed under verification, reflecting an end to the nearly two-and- half-month long standoff.

"This process has since been almost completed under verification," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, referring to the disengagement.

In Beijing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, however, sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel the impression of a climbdown by China.

The official, while stonewalling questions about India's announcement of the mutual disengagement of troops, claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area.

Troops of the two countries had been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the disputed area.

India had deployed about 350 Army personnel in the area.

Sources in the Army said it had disengaged, implying that its troops had been withdrawn.

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Dokalam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests," the MEA said.

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Dokalam has been agreed to and is on-going," it said in a statement earlier in the day.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, "On the afternoon on August 28th, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary".

Hua remained silent on China's plans to build a road, which sparked the standoff, and said it would "make adjustments" with the situation on the ground.

The official said the Chinese side would continue to "exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions".

Asked if the Chinese statement meant China had not made any concessions, officials in New Delhi said expeditious disengagement implied a withdrawal of both parties because a unilateral withdrawal by India would not have required an agreement with China.

Responding to a question on the disengagement understanding, the MEA spokesperson said India's principled position was that agreements and understandings reached on the boundary issues must be scrupulously respected.

"India's policy remains guided by the belief that peace in the border areas is an essential pre-requisite for the further development of our bilateral relationship," he said.

PTI
Tuesday is now No Meeting Day in Haryana and officers to be with people on Friday

Haryana Court to deliver verdict in self-styled Godman Rampal's case today

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

A day after Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years in prison for two rapes, Haryana will witness verdict on another self-styled Godman, Rampal. Judicial Magistrate Mukesh Kumar will pronounce the verdict in the criminal cases today.

Recommended Video

Sant Rampal Verdict : Hisar court to pronounce verdict in 2 cases | Oneindia News

The 67-year-old is accused of conspiracy in a 11-year-old case, in which his supporters had opened fire on villagers in Rohtak, killing one person and injuring several others.

In 2014, situation turned ugly when police went to arrest self-styled 'godman' Satguru Rampal Maharaj's of Satlok Ashram in Hisar. The 'godman' Rampal was to appear before the High Court but he did not do so, with his counsel saying he was "unwell". Then the High Court issued a fresh non-bailable warrant against him and asked the authorities to present him.

The arrest had come after a tense standoff between thousands of his followers and the police. According to reports, the followers had acted as a human shield for Rampal.

Rampal ran the Satlok Ashram in Barwala in Haryana. Last Wednesday, he appeared in court for four FIRs 201, 426, 427 and 443. The court has reserved the verdict for FIRs 426 and 427. As per FIR number 426, Rampal has been charged with obstructing government officials in performing his duty. FIR 427 was registered against him for holding people hostage in his ashram. Rampal is currently lodged in Hisar jail in a sedition case.

The self-styled godman, since last four years, has evaded court appearances for 43 times. Now, he is facing a contempt case.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Tuesday, August 29, 2017, 0:14 [IST]
Hill masses pin hope on today's meeting to break the ice

India

oi-Amitava

By Amitava

Darjeeling, August 28, 2017: Though the Hill parties are prepared to bring "Gorkhaland" to the table in the crucial meeting between the West Bengal Government and the agitators in the State Secretariat in Howrah on Tuesday, the question doing the round is whether the meeting will be able to break the deadlockand reinstate peace and normality by lifting the indefinite bandh that touched the 75 day mark on Monday.

All eyes are trained on the meeting called by the State Government at "Nabannya," the State Secretariat on Tuesday at 4pm, waiting for a favourable outcome with life having come to a halt in the Hills and the economy already in shatters. 8 people have lost their lives since the beginning of the unrest in June this year.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF,) Jan Andolan Party (JAP,) Trinamool Congress and representatives of different Hill development boards will be attending the talks.

Binay Tamang, Chief Coordinator, GJM leading a 5 member team lauded the State Government's initiatives to open the process of dialogue. "The doors for dialogue have opened. Now we will have series of meetings with the State and Centre. The present impasse can only be solved through dialogue" claimed Tamang talking to media persons at the Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri.

When questioned on whether Gorkhaland will feature in Tuesday's talks, Tamang stated "Gorkhaland features in our agenda. We will raise the issue in the talks. Along with this we will discuss the ongoing impasse and steps to benefit the masses."

Tamang feels that all alternative arrangements like the DGHC, GTA have failed in the Hills, hence a permanent solution needs to be worked out.

Regarding the State Government being a strong antagonist of Gorkhaland and the decision of the Hill parties not to hold any dialogue with the State, Tamang stated "Gorkhaland is a constitutional demand. We have every right to ask. Even when we had met Union Minister of Home Rajnath Singh in Delhi on August 13, he had asked the stakeholders to hold talks with the State Government as per the Federal structure of our country."

Meanwhile GJM Chief Bimal Gurung who in an audio recording dispatched from an undisclosed location on Sunday had stated that if any other issue, other than Gorkhaland is raised by the State Government then the Hill parties should walk out. He had further warned that if the Hill leaders discussed on any other issue other than Gorkhaland they would not be allowed to return to the Hills.

Gurung had even trained guns at some Hill leaders both from the GJM and other parties alleging that they had been conspiring with the State to trap him and get him arrested. Reacting to this Tamang stated "I came to know of all this from media reports. We will not like to comment on this."

When questioned on whether the bandh will be lifted after the Tuesday meet, Tamang stated "Let the peace talks begin first."

A 5 member team led by Dr. Harka Bahadur Chettri will represent JAP. The team includes Amar Lama, Anmol Prasad, Pratibha Kumai and RC Giri. "We will not disappoint the masses. Whatever issues we raise or demands we make will be pro-public" stated Chettri.

The GNLF team will comprise of 7 members. "We will announce the names on Tuesday. The issue of Gorkhaland will be raised by us in the meeting" stated Mahendra Chettri, General Secretary, GNLF.

Incidentally GNLF had written to the CM asking her to intervene in the ongoing Hill impasse. The meeting was called by the Chief Minister in response to that letter.

CM Mamata Banerjee will be chairing the Nabannya meet on Tuesday. The West Bengal Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, Police Chief will also be present for the talks.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stated that her Government wanted restoration of peace and normality in the Hills.

OneIndia News
How dhongi babas, netas are feeding opium called religion to Indian masses

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia

Chandigarh, August 28: German philosopher and economist Karl Marx in the introduction of his seminal work-- A Contribution to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right--gave the world one of the most quoted quotes of our times. The quote which we are referring here is the one on "religion".

"Religion is the opium of the people" or "religion is the opiate of the masses", the famous quote originally coined in German--"Die Religion ... ist das Opium des Volkes"--by Marx perfectly describes what happens when religion (whether Hinduism, Islam, Christianity or any other religion in the world) takes over our public life and creates mayhem in our day today life.

Religion (if one is not an atheist) is a private affair and should be kept that way, but since ages politicians and religious leaders in India have perfected the art of using religion as an "opium" to turn the nation amok.

While there are strict laws against drug abuse, religion is allowed to be used and abused to twist and turn facts and logic for personal gain by politicians and self-proclaimed godmen (babas).

The saddest part is that the citizens are blissfully getting 'stoned' by religion without understanding that mixing religion and politics could prove fatal to the country.

Be it the demolition of Babri Masjid, riots that followed after it to the recent mob lynching cases, religion has been at the centre of all these violent episodes of modern and independent India.

What we have been witnessing in the last few days in Haryana--the epicenter of violence and anarchy perpetrated by supporters of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a rape convict and head of Dera Sacha Sauda, headquartered in Sirsa--is a perfect example of symbiotic and unholy nexus between politicians and godmen, flourishing at the cost of very secular and democratic ethos of the country.

Recommended Video

Ram Rahim verdict: Miracle stories through which Baba fooled people | Oneindia News

While death and destruction unfolded in several places across Haryana and Punjab as a mob went on a rampage after the CBI special court in Panchkula found the Dera chief guilty of raping two of his former female followers (sadhvis), the leaders of ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)--both at the Centre and in the state--stood like mute spectators shrugging off their basic duty of protecting their citizens and maintaining law and order.

What happened last week in Haryana, especially in Panchkula, known to be one of the most sophisticated cities of the country, gave a picture as if jungle raj prevailed in the state and residents of the otherwise calm city had no one to protect them.

Thus the hooligans, who are blinded by the power of their godman, showcased the uglier side of over-indulgence in religion, as they even had the audacity to enter the houses in Panchkula and harassed women and children.

No matter how much the BJP tries to shield Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar by giving some of the most bizarre excuses like blaming the judge of the CBI special court for not going to Sirsa to deliver the verdict or suspending the top cop for "clerical error", however, the fact remains that 38 people died because a rapist has been convicted.

What could be more shameful than this that our political class decided to turn a blind eye to the entire horrific incident in spite of having clear indications that violence was likely to break out if Ram Rahim was convicted.

The state did nothing to stop the congregation of thousands of disciples of the Dera chief right outside the Panchkula court ahead of the verdict. A couple of days ahead of the verdict on Friday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had reprimanded the state government for allowing the march of Dera chief supporters from Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan to Panchkula.

Now, on Monday, as the sentencing of the Dera chief is set to take place, both Haryana and Punjab have come to a "pause" fearing recurrence of Friday's violence by his supporters once again.

Thousands of security personnel are currently manning the streets of both the northern states to thwart any untoward incident. The authorities have also put a ban on internet to stop spread of any rumours.

The judge who convicted the Dera chief will hold a special hearing inside the prison in Rohtak, where the godman is currently lodged, at around 2.30 pm on Monday to decide on the quantum of punishment. Ram Rahim faces a minimum of seven years in prison.

There were also reports that the godman was given "VIP treatment" inside the prison, which, however, was denied by the authorities.

The clout of the Dera chief lies in the fact that he is not only a billionaire with business interests in various fields, including the film industry, and owner of thousands of acres of land in various parts of the country, the rape convict also shares "great" relationships with politicians from almost all political parties.

Before the 2014 Lok Sabha and Haryana Assembly elections, the godman openly blessed the BJP and ensured that his supporters, mostly Dalits and backward classes, vote for the saffron party. Earlier, Ram Rahim had sided with the Congress and the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in previous elections.

While Ram Rahim kept the pot of vote bank politics 'boiling', the politicians ensured that the baba continues with his nefarious activities including alleged rapes, murders and castration of men inside his Dera (camp).

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to build a "New India", godmen like Ram Rahim and politicians, having close-ties with religious heads, have hijacked the nation in the name of religion.

The blame for such a pitiable state of Indian social and political life does not solely rest on politicians and godmen, but on the citizens at large, who get easily duped by fake babas and netas who are gleefully feeding the opium of religion to the masses.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 9:01 [IST]
Hurricane havoc: 200 Indians students stranded in flooding being evacuated

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Nearly 200 Indian students are said to be stranded at the University of Houston, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey flooded the campus with neck-deep water, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a series of tweets on Monday afternoon. The minister also revealed that efforts to rescue those stranded, were on.

The Consulate General in Houston has informed Swaraj that 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned.

@CGHoust has informed me that 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned. They are surrounded by neck deep water. /1  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 28, 2017

Two students, Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia are said to be critical. According to Swaraj both of them were being treated in the ICU. ''Indian students Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia are in ICU. We are ensuring that their relatives reach there at the earliest,'' Swaraj said in her tweet.

Indian students Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia are in ICU. We are ensuring that their relatives reach there at the earliest. /4  Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) August 28, 2017

Anupam Ray, Consul General of India in Houston said he was monitoring the situation and was in touch with the Indian students. Efforts were on to make food available for the stranded students. Further she tweeted, "We made efforts for delivery of food but US Coast Guard did not allow as boats were required for rescue operations. Anupam Ray, is organising the rescue operations."

According to reports, record flooding has hit Houston and south-east Texas as Tropical Storm Harvey causes mounting havoc with yet more rain forecast. It has dumped as much as 30 inches (76cm) of rain in some counties in the past 72 hours including record amounts in the last 24 hours.

Hurricane Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. The region has seen a year's worth of rain in just one week.

Millions of residents along the south Texas coast saw hurricane-force winds that uprooted trees and power poles.

(With agency inputs)
ITR Filing 2022: How to check your income tax refund status if you havent received it yet

Hurriyat terror funding: IT department set to join probe

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Income Tax Department is set to join the Hurriyat terror funding probe. The NIA will rope in IT officials to examine the documents seized from prominent Srinagar businessman, Zahoor Watali. The businessman was arrested on the charge that he was a go in between man for the ISI and the Hurriyat leaders.

The officials also said the agency would hire chartered accountants to examine the books and ledgers of Watali and his business establishments.

The NIA yesterday conducted raids in Srinagar in the office of Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd, owned by Watali.

"The search has unearthed incriminating documents pertaining to Zahoor Watali's financial transactions. These have been seized and a further investigation is on," an NIA spokesman here said.

NIA officials said the Income Tax authorities would be examining the documents seized and also comparing the accounts with his tax returns.

The chartered accountants (CAs) would examine the ledgers and investments including 'kaccha' (unofficial) receipts seized from his various offices, they said.

The officials said the CAs would also scrutinise the accounts of some NGOs and trusts in Kashmir Valley.

Watali is being questioned by the NIA regarding "incriminating" financial transaction details and property- related records seized during the searches.

The NIA has also accused Watali of travelling on an invalid passport.

"Instead of surrendering the cancelled passport to the authorities, he travelled abroad on the cancelled/invalid passport on March 21 last year in violation of the law and again when he tried to do so, his invalid passport was seized in Delhi by the authorities," NIA had said in a statement.

The statement had said that Watali, "who is suspected of acting as a conduit for illegally remitting funds to secessionists, terrorists and stone-pelters", had earlier been arrested in 1990 by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

"Some anti-national activists were found present in his house at Bagat Barzulla, Srinagar. He was taken into custody along with Yaseen Malik, Sajjad Gani Lone, Bilal Lone and others and was jailed for eight months at Jammu," it said.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 6:53 [IST]
India's new surface to air missile capable to shooting down ballistic missiles from 70 km range

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In a major boost to the Indian Armed forces, the advanced medium range surface to air missile or MRSAM system capable of shooting down ballistic missiles, fighter jets and attack helicopters from a range of 70 kilometres will be in place by 2020.

The missile system will be produced by premier defence research organisation DRDO in collaboration with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI)+ , a senior army official said.

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.

The current version of MRSAM is operational with the Indian Air Force and the Navy. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has signed a Rs 17,000 crore deal with the IAI for the ambitious project.

The MRSAM, a land-based version of the long-range surface-to-air missile (LRSAM) for the Navy, will have a strike range of up 70 km, the official said. The deal envisages 40 firing units and around 200 missiles.

"The MRSAM for Army's Air Defence is an advanced all weather, 360 degree mobile land based theatre air defence system capable of providing air defence to critical areas against a wide variety of threats in a combat zone," the official said.

The first set of missile system will be ready in the next three years, he said. The Army has been pressing the government to enhance its aerial attack capability considering the evolving security challenges.

In May, the Army successfully test fired an advanced version of the Brahmos land-attack cruise missile in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Indian Army, which became the first land force in the world to deploy the Brahmos in 2007, has raised several regiments of this formidable weapon.

In May 2015, the Army had inducted the indigenously- developed supersonic surface-to-air missile Akash which is capable of targeting enemy helicopters, aircraft and UAVs from a range of 25 km.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 5:48 [IST]
London is the flavour of Durga Puja this year!

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Kolkata, Aug 28: London comes to Kolkata this Durga Puja. At least two well-known puja committees in the city have chosen London as the theme of this year's Puja celebration. Theme-based pujas became fashionable for the last few years, not only in the city but in the districts as well with thousands of revellers making rounds of the unique pandals.

"75 Palli" puja organisers at Bhowanipore in south Kolkata, the area where state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resides, are set to convert the 40,000 square feet area in front of their puja pandal into a typical London street, according to a puja committee member, Moloy Dey.

"In our small space we plan to introduce a slice of London where the Big Ben and the Westminister, two London icons, will be recreated to give the visitors a feel of the place," Dey said.

He said that the London street replica would also help spread Mamata Banerjee's message of transforming Kolkata, once the second city in the British empire, into a London. Dey said the idol would be made from mahogany wood, dokra and brass by artisans from Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts.

The chief idol maker being from Siliguri in the plains and the artisans from the hills, which are in turmoil over the demand for a separate state, this would send out a strong message of unity, Dey believed. The chief minister is expected to inaugurate the puja, Puja committee chairman, former West Bengal minister and Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra, says.

On the day of the inauguration, the CM will also hold a video conference with the puja organisers of "London Sharad Utsav" held at Cambridge University.

Who are '75 Palli Durga Puja' organisers?

Bhowanipur 75 Palli Durga Puja is one of the eye catcher pujas of the city for its innovative concept and celebration style. This Puja is particularly famous for its unique style of pandals and also for the social work which the committee carries out throughout the year. Over the years senior politicians, celebrities from Tollywood, Theatre personalities, eminent litterateurs, industrialists etc. have regularly visited this Puja to make it a grand success.

Another crowd puller puja committee of the city, Santosh Mitra Square will also make the forecourt of their Puja pandal resemble a public square in London. The pandal will have a traditional look complete with a gigantic chandelier and traditional decorations.

The idol will sport a traditional look with the saree of Goddess Durga made entirely of gold with zari work. The dresses of the other idols and Mahisasura, the demon, will also be made of gold, to be fabricated by fashion designer Agnimitra Paul.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)
Maharashtra government apologises to Justice Abhay Oka for alleging bias

India

oi-Anusha

An embarrassed Maharashtra government apologised for levelling allegations of bias against Justice Abhay Oka of the Bombay High Court. Three days after it sought a change of bench accusing the judge of bias in the noise pollution matter, the Maharashtra government withdrew its accusations.

On Monday, Attorney General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni withdrew the allegations of bias levelled against Justice Abhay Oka but the judge lashed out at the government for taking the Bombay High Court for a raid and misrepresenting facts before the Chief Justice. "You have taken this 155-year-old institution for a ride. First, go and apologise to the Chief Justice whom you misled by not showing our order. Your apology is not bonafide," Justice Abhay Oka lambasted the Maharashtra government.

Maharashtra accuses Bombay HC judge of being biased, Chief Justice transfers case

The judge took the government to task over teaching the judiciary what was fair and not. On Thursday, the Maharashtra government accused Justice Abhay Oka of the High Court's division bench of "harbouring serious bias" against it in matters relating to noise pollution and silent zones. Following the allegation, Chief Justice Manjula Chellur then transferred the cases to another bench. However, the full bench was again headed by the same judge.

"You should a clear and loud signal that you cannot play with this August institution. We trust the Advocate General but Maharashtra government does not trust the Bombay High Court," Justice Oka observed.

Caught on the back foot, the Maharashtra government said that the grounds of contention was not raised as an allegation. "Unfortunately, the intention has been misunderstood and misinterpreted to project state is against the judiciary," the attorney general said before withdrawing the allegation and apologising to Justice Oka.

A three-judge bench of the Bombay High Court is to hear the matter of noise pollution. Justice AS Oka is also part of that bench.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 15:23 [IST]
Manmohan Singh to lead Congress panel to Kashmir next month

India

oi-PTI

A team of Congress leaders will head to Jammu and Kashmir next month for discussion on current situation in the state with party workers and "like-minded" groups.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is likely to be accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni, will visit Jammu on September 10 and Kashmir on 16 September," Congress state president G A Mir told PTI at Srinagar.

Mir said Singh and other members of the team would meet party leaders and workers.

"The idea is to get inputs from the grassroots. The current issues that the state is facing will also be discussed," he said.

He said the Singh-led team would also meet "like-minded opposition groups" in the state.

The Congress set up the policy planning group, headed by the former prime minister, on Jammu and Kashmir in April this year following worsening situation in the valley due to widespread street protests in the wake of eight deaths in security forces firing on April 9 during bypolls to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.

The team would also visit Ladakh region at a later date.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 20:19 [IST]
Mumbai University 3rd year BCom results 2017 declared at mu.ac.in

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Mumbai University 3rd year BCom results 2017 were declared. Students will be able to check the results on the official website.

The results were announced after a long delay. Although the results were declared on Sunday, students were able to check the same only after 11 pm. 65,992 students appeared for the semester VI exams in April this year, the University announced results of about 58,000 students only. In addition to the 8,000 results which are on reserve, there could be an additional number of students whose result would be kept on hold, like it happened in other subjects. This will, however, be clear once the colleges receive the consolidated result for all students, the Times of India reported.

This year the pass percentage was at 65.6. Of these, only 384 students managed to get the 'outstanding' grade. The results were declared at mu.ac.in.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 14:29 [IST]
Prosecutions story may be attractive but should be backed by evidence

32,000 girls converted to Islam and sold as ISIS slaves: This is The Kerala Story

Ninja Fox, the new ISIS entrant who planned to kill 'kafirs' in Gujarat

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

He went by the alias Ninja Fox and on his chat transcripts, the NIA found a deadly plan to carry out lone wolf attacks in India against the kafirs or infidels. The NIA detailed this in its chargesheet filed against two Islamic State operatives Vaseem alias Ninja Fox and Naseem.

The NIA said that the duo had discussed at length on how to replicate the terror of the West where lone wolf strikes have almost become a routine affair. The chargesheet was filed before the special NIA court at Ahmedabad.

The National Investigation Agency arrested one Mufti Abdus Sami Quasmi Samiullah in the ISIS Delhi case as he was instrumental in radicalising youths in different parts of the country.

Anti- Terrorist Squad (ATS), Gujarat received credible information that few youths from Gujarat were also radicalised by Mufti Abdus Sami Quasmi and kept surveillance on Vaseem Ramodia and Naeem Ramodia.

On February 26 searches were conducted at their houses at Rajkot and Bhavanagar, respectively. During the searches various digital evidences as well as material used to prepare IED were recovered and ATS, Gujarat registered a case. The case was then transferred to the NIA.

Investigations by the NIA has established that the arrested accused Vaseem Ramodia and Naeem Ramodia are highly radicalized and sympathizers of the proscribed terrorist organization ISIS.

Being members of the organization they advocated and propagated its cause by following its news and videos and sharing images, videos and literature in its support on social media.

Accused Vaseem Ramodia entered into conspiracy with his online handler/s to carry out lone wolf attack, destroy property of Kafir (non-believer) and to make IED's to strike terror.

In furtherance of the conspiracy, Vaseem Ramodia bought fire crackers (Sutli Bomb), battery and connector and removed gun powder from fire crackers in order to make a bomb. Accused Naeem Ramodia was also a part of the conspiracy to carry out 'lone wolf attack' and destroy property belonging to the kafirs (non-believers).

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 7:09 [IST]
'Paudharopan,' the code word Dera's 'qurubani' wing used to create mayhem

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Intelligence Bureau has directed the Haryana police to watch out for the word 'paudharopan' which the Dera Sacha Sauda followers may use. This was the code word used by them on Friday to announce that havoc had to be caused.

Recommended Video

Ram Rahim verdict: Police to watch out for code word from Baba supporters | Oneindia News

Paudharopan or plantation was the code word that the Dera followers decided to use if rioting was necessary. On Friday, Haryana witnessed large scale violence following the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.

The code word was handed out to members of the 'qurbani' wing of the Dera. Those arrested have revealed that they were part of this wing and were ready to sacrifice themselves for the Dera chief.

The police have now launched a massive crackdown on this wing which was set up last year. Several 100 people had joined this wing after they offered Rs 11 lakh and a house. An investigating officer informed that it appears that this wing was set up in anticipation of the court's verdict. It was already pre-decided that there would be large scale violence in case of a negative verdict.

The 'qurubani' or sacrifice wing had planned the violence much in advance. Ahead of Friday's verdict, the Intelligence Bureau had sent out a clear warning that these men were stocking up fuel and other fire arms to disrupt normal life if the verdict went against their chief.

Following the arrest of four Dera members, the police learnt about the plan. There were people willing to die that day and cause absolute mayhem at Panchkula. Today ahead of the quantum of sentencing the police are keeping a close watch on the Dera members who are once again expect to turn violent.

However the security mechanism claims that they are much better equipped this time and are even ready to issue shoot at sight orders if violence erupts.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 9:54 [IST]
India has become center point to world's desires, says PM Modi

'I eat 2-3 Kg of 'gaalis' every day: PM Modi in Telangana

Gujarat polls 2022: A look at Congress' strengths and weaknesses [Explained]

PM to attend 3 key sessions at G20 summit in Bali

PM Modi to have 20 engagements during 45-hr stay in Indonesia's Bali

PM to inaugurate NH projects in Rajasthan today

India

oi-PTI

Jaipur, August 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Udaipur on Tuesday to lay foundation for various development projects and will address a gathering at Khel Gaon in Rajasthan's lake city.

Modi would lay the foundation stone for National Highway (NH) projects worth around Rs 15,000 crore in Rajasthan, the spokesperson said.

The PM would also dedicate 11 completed NH projects, covering a total length of about 873 km, to the nation, he added.

The completed projects include a six-lane cable-stayed bridge across the Chambal river at Kota. Modi would also perform the 'Bhoomi Poojan' (ground- breaking ceremony) for six NH projects, covering a distance of about 556 km, a release said.

Ahead of PM's visit, security has been beefed up at the Udaipur airport, Khel Gaon and along the route the prime minister's convoy would follow.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje arrived at Udaipur to take stock of the arrangements. She was accompanied by state home minister Gulab Chand Kataria, PWD minister Yunus Khan and DGP Ajit Singh during the inspection.

PTI
Ukraine grain deal: UN says shipments are still going out

President-elect of UNGA meets PM, terror discussed

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, August 28: The need for stronger UN action against terrorism and the reform of the world body were among the issues discussed when President-elect of the UN General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak met Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi here on Monday.

The prime minister congratulated Lajcak on his election to the post and assured him of India's full and constructive cooperation in discharging his new responsibilities, a PMO statement said.

During the meeting, Lajcak shared his priorities for the upcoming 72nd UN General Assembly. They discussed the need for stronger UN action on major global challenges including terrorism, United Nations reform, implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, and climate change, the statement said.

India has been pressing the UN to take an early decision on Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), a proposal which has been pending for nearly two decades.

Once adopted, the CCIT would make it binding on all member countries to deny safe havens and funds to terrorists and terror groups.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 17:54 [IST]
Rajasthan BJP MLA Kirti Kumari dies of swine flu, few Rajput leaders allege negligence

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from the Mandalgarh constituency in Rajasthan's Bhilwara district, Kirti Kumari, died of influenza A (H1N1), commonly referred to as swine flu in India, while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Jaipur on Monday.

She was 50. Kumari belonged to the former royal family of Bijolia.

Kumari complained of breathlessness on Sunday and was rushed to a hospital in Kota from where she was shifted to Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital and then to the Fortis Hospital. Kumari was placed on a ventilator but despite treatment from a medical team comprising 12 doctors, she breathed her last at around 7 AM on Monday.

Some Rajput community leaders alleged negligence in her treatment and said the government didn't show promptness in ensuring treatment at best facility in Jaipur.

"The death happened due to the negligence of the health department. She was not given proper treatment at the SMS Hospital and shifting to Fortis was delayed. No senior politician or minister from the government visited her when she was admitted to the SMS Hospital," Rajput Sabha Bhavan president Giriraj Singh Lotwara reports Hindustan Times.

Kirti Kumari had won the 2013 assembly election with huge margin against Congress candidate Vivek.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje took to Twitter to express her condolences. "I express grief over Kirti Kumari's untimely death. Her death is a huge setback for me and the BJP family," she tweeted.

She also said that Kirti was an inseparable part of her family. ''May God help her family members to face the situation strongly in this bad time."

OneIndia News
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar says he had no role in Ram Rahim's parole

Ram Rahim case: IB warns of violence ahead of sentencing

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Intelligence Bureau has warned of large scale violence following the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. In the wake of the intelligence warning, Haryana has been placed on high alert with security personnel outnumbering the civilians on the streets.

Recommended Video

Ram Rahim Verdict : Intelligence Bureau warns of violence post Dera chief sentencing | Oneindia News

Haryana's Rohtak district and Sunaria prison in Rohtak city where Ram Rahim is lodged was turned into a virtual fortress.

Panchkula-based judge Jagdeep Singh will travel to Rohtak and pronounce the Dera chief's sentence at around 2.30 pm at a makeshift court in the jail on Monday.

The police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in Rohtak and the Army was put on standby on Sunday. Schools and colleges across Haryana and Punjab will remain closed on Monday, officials said.

As curfew continued in Sirsa, where the Dera headquarters is located, the state government extended the statewide suspension of mobile Internet services, including 2G, 3G, 4G, CDMA and GPRS, all SMS services and all dongle services on mobile networks, except voice calls, till 11.30 am on Tuesday. Similar curbs were imposed in Punjab. The Internet leased lines at the Dera premises in Sirsa were also suspended till Tuesday.

All educational institutions, including government and private schools, colleges and other institutions in the entire state, will remain closed on Monday, additional chief secretary (Home) Ram Niwas said.

Some schools in Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh have also decided to remain shut on Monday.

Haryana DGP B.S. Sandhu told reporters in Chandigarh that maintaining law and order will be the top priority on Monday. Apart from the police, 23 companies of paramilitary forces have been deployed.

A multi-layer security cordon has been thrown around the jail where Mr Singh has been lodged, Sandhu said.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 5:52 [IST]
Dera chief Ram Rahim Singh changes adopted daughter Honeypreet's name to 'Ruhani Didi'

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar says he had no role in Ram Rahim's parole

Ram Rahim sentenced to 20 years jail: How the drama unfolded, all updates here

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Recommended Video

Ram Rahim Verdict : CBI court hands 20 years jail to Dera chief | Oneindia News

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to 20 years in jail and a fine of Rs 30 lakh for raping two women 15 years ago after being held guilty on rape charges. The court read out the quantum of sentence following arguments put forth by both sides. The court held that he shall be treated as any other ordinary prisoner and shall not be entitled to any special treatment.

The court also fined him Rs 65,000. Rs 50,000 for rape, Rs 10,000 for attempt to murder and Rs 5,000 for criminal intimidation.

What did 'pitaji ki maafi' mean in Dera ashram

Four columns of the Army have cordoned off the Dera's headquarters and appealed the scores of followers to vacate the premises. The Intelligence Bureau has warned of violence and asked the state of Haryana to be on a state of 'very high alert." The sentencing is taking place at the Rohtak jail where Ram Rahim is housed. The judge gave both sides only ten minutes to argue.

Who will be the next Dera chief?

Here are the highlights:

07:30: Dera head to spend 20 years behind bars, as the 10 years sentence for raping two Sadhvis to run consecutively, not concurrently.

07:10: Law and order situation will not be allowed to be disturbed. Appeal to Dera supporters and people to maintain peace: Haryana CM ML Khattar

06:40: We will read the judgement in detail and will definitely appeal in higher courts: Ram Rahim Singh's lawyer

06:20: Safe passage has been given to people inside Dera to leave peacefully; If court orders sealing of complex then it will be done: DIG SSB

05:50: Curfew to be imposed in #Punjab 's Barnala from 9 pm today till 9 am tomorrow

05:20: Assessing the situation, Haryana police said there are still more than 1000 people inside the Dera, but added that numbers have come down significantly. Police added that they were working to identify those who were behind the instigation of violence

O4.55: Security forces carry out flag march in Punjab's Barnala after sentencing of Ram Rahim Singh

04:50: Court has set an example that no one can escape the law: Baba Ramdev on 10 year sentence to rape convict.

04:48 pm: No reports from violence so far since quantum of sentence announced; Dera supporters being ferried out of Sirsa HQ

04:43 pm: Intenet services are back in Chandigarh

04:30 pm: Satisfactory; been saying since long Ram Rahim Singh is enemy of our society: Anshul Chhatrapati, son of slain journalist who exposed Dera

04:20 pm: Army conducts a flag march in Sirsa after Ram Rahim Singh gets 10-years in prison for rape.

04:19 pm: Give jail uniform to convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. He will not be allowed to carry his own clothes: CBI court

04:16 pm: Gurmeet Ram Rahim forcefully taken to prison cell. Medical examination rules out need for leniency on medical grounds

04:14 pm: You will be responsible if something happens to me, Dera chief

04:11 pm: Since offence was committed before stringent law came into force., sentence has been awarded as per old law

03:57 pm: Rohtak has been turned into a fortress by paramilitary forces and the Haryana Police.

03:56 pm: CBI Court said Ram Rahim Singh will be treated as any other 'ordinary' convict and will not be provided special amenities or an attendant.

03:55 pm: Haryana CM calls emergency meet after Ram Rahim Singh sentencing

03:52 pm: In tears, rape convict Ram Rahim complaints of severe uneasiness, ambulance rushed inside jail premises.

03:50 pm: After sentence, Ram Rahim Singh held his chair and started crying. Started crying after hearing good work he did: sources

03:49 pm: The court also fined him Rs 65,000. Rs 50,000 for rape, Rs 10,000 for attempt to murder and Rs 5,000 for criminal intimidation.

03:40 pm: In tears, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh sits on the floor outside courtroom, cops drag him away after he refuses to follow the rules.

3:39 pm: Medical examination is being conducted. He will be given jail clothes and moved to a cell.

3:29 pm: Ram Rahim sentenced to 10 years in jail. He was convicted on Friday on rape charges.

3:28 pm: Dera Sacha Sauda spokesperson and Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's daughter Vipassana Insan appeals supporters to maintain peace.

3:24 pm: Two vehicles burnt in Sirsa near Dera Sacha headquarters

3:22 pm: All on standby as copy of judgment being brought out of court to be announced.

3:18 pm: Chandigarh: Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh holds security review meeting with DGP, Chief Secy and other senior officials

3:16 pm: Both sides come out of court room, verdict delivered

3:09 pm: Judge calls for total silence, starts reading verdict

3:06 pm: Gurmeet Singh breaks down in court. Pleads with folded hands for lesser sentence

3:03 pm:The CBI has concluded its arguments on the sentencing. The counsel while seeking maximum punishment said 45 other victims are there who have not been able to come forward. They were raped for three years, the CBI counsel.

Arguments conclude. Both sides await order on sentence

3:00 pm: BSF battalion to enter Rohtak jail. Defence had sought for a change of jail.

2:57 pm: Not just social work, but he has done a lot of work for women too says defence while seeking less sentence

2:50 pm: Only 9 persons in the court room including Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

2:42 pm: CBI lawyer cites deposition by victims and their plight while demanding maximum punishment.

2:39 pm: Prosecution demands maximum sentence for Ram Rahim.

2:38 pm: Both sides have been allotted ten minutes each for arguments.

2:37 pm: Arguments commence. Ram Rahim's counsel advancing arguments now says court should consider his health. He has done lot of social service, give mininum sentence, the defence counsel says.

2:32 pm: The proceedings have begun at the make shift court at the Rohtak jail. While the CBI is asking for the maximum punishment, Ram Rahim's lawyers are appealing for a lesser sentence citing his age.

2:30 pm: At Dera headquarters, Sira, power and broadband services have been suspended.

2:22 pm: We will appeal for minimum punishment and ask court to take his age into consideration says Ram Rahim's advocate S K Garg Narwana.

02:18 pm: Special judge arrives at Rohtak jail ahead of sentencing

02:16 pm: Chief Medical Officer of Rohtak, Dr Deepa is performing routine health check-up on Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. He had earlier complained of back pain and diabetic issues.

02:15 pm: Lawyers from both sides arrive at jail

02:17 pm: Arguments on sentencing to commence shortly

01:17 pm: Police patrolling in Rohtak ahead of quantum of sentence hearing of Ram Rahim Singh

01:12 pm: Honeypreet was not allowed to be with Ram Rahim after conviction, says journalist

A journalist Sanjiv Mahajan said,''Probed & found after RamRahimSingh was convicted, lawyers filed plea, stating his medical conditions.''

''So he be given attendant. Court said it's outside jurisdiction & authorities can permit only if she(daughter Honeypreet) is wiling,'' Mahajan added.

Daughter accompanied him in chopper. She stayed in jail for 2.5 hrs after which jail DG objected and she was taken away.

Jail sources said that this made Baba furious & he threatened taking names of CM & ministers but police took stand & didn't let her stay.

12:53 pm: East Delhi police says it is ready for any eventuality

12:32 pm: Haryana Attorney-General Baldev Raj Mahajan will today give a detailed report to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the losses incurred in the districts following supporters of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh ransacking parts of the state after the sect's head was convicted of raping a minor.

12:30 pm: Ram Rahim's Sirsa ashram likely to be raided after his sentencing, reports NDTV

11:49 am: Meeting on Punjab, Haryana situation at North Block ends. Officials have been directed to continuously monitor the situation

11:47 am: Spl CBI judge Jagdeep Singh leaves from Panchkula,expected to reach Rohtak within 40 min. Court proceedings at Sonaria jail to begin at 2:30

11:46 am: Railway stations in Karnal wear a deserted look ahead of Ram Rahim sentencing

Haryana: Railway stations deserted in Karnal ahead of #RamRahimVerdict, security on alert pic.twitter.com/sKUb9SrSe7  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

11:10 am: The Home Ministry said that the situation in Haryana three days after the conviction of Dera chief was still tense but under control.

11:08 am: Family from Kaithal alleged that one of them hasn't returned home 3 yrs after going to Mumbai on cleanliness drive of Dera Sacha Sauda. SP sahab told me Police will investigate but nothing happened yet. Dera members have threatened to face consequences if we complain, said missing Kaithal's brother.

SP sahab told me Police will investigate but nothing happened yet. Dera members have threatened to face consequences if we complain: Brother pic.twitter.com/NSTgvNBPvq  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

10:59 am: Flag march being conducted by police and Rapid Action Force in Barnala ahead of rape convict Dera Chief Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing

#Punjab: Flag march being conducted by police and Rapid Action Force in Barnala ahead of rape convict Dera Chief #RamRahimSingh's sentencing pic.twitter.com/IisHCbCReB  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

10:56 am: Meeting is underway at North Block to discuss security situation in Punjab, Haryana ahead of Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing. HM Rajnath Singh, NSA Ajit Doval, Home Secy, Director IB & other Home Ministry officials present at ongoing meeting in North Block.

10:43 am: CBI judge Jagdeep Singh to arrive at Sonaria jail at 11.30 pm, report TV channels

10:40 am: Have recovered around 100 objectionable items including batons from Sonipat's Bahalgarh Dera. Objectionable items were kept hidden in fields, interrogation underway, said Navdeep Singh Virk, IGP Rohtak Rang

Objectionable items were kept hidden in fields, interrogation underway: Navdeep Singh Virk, IGP Rohtak Range #RamRahimVerdict pic.twitter.com/v1DJgPDdYv  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

10:08 am: The Intelligence Bureau has directed the Haryana police to watch out for the word 'paudharopan' which the Dera Sacha Sauda followers may use. This was the code word used by them on Friday to announce that havoc had to be caused.

09:53 am: If any unidentified person tries to go near high security area at Sunaria jail complex, 'shoot at sight' can be implemented:I GP Rohtak Range

If any unidentified person tries to go near high security area at Sunaria jail complex, 'shoot at sight' can be implemented:IGP Rohtak Range pic.twitter.com/tGnYe92dol  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

09:52 am: 23 Dera followers arrested in Punjab's Sangrur till now

09:40 am: Hang rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Ram Rahim Singh, demand Sadhus in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi.

09:00 am: Two key Dera functionaries have been booked for sedition on the basis of a news report PTI quoted Haryana DGP B S Sandhu as saying.

08:34 am: Security checks conducted in Haryana's Panchkula, had witnessed 32 deaths in violence after Ram Rahim Singh's conviction

Security checks conducted in #Haryana's Panchkula, had witnessed 32 deaths in violence after #RamRahimSingh's conviction (early morning pix) pic.twitter.com/emdEVVBoua  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

08:29 am: Ahead of Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing in Rohtak's Sunaria jail in Haryana, security tightened in Punjab

Ahead of #RamRahimSingh's sentencing in Rohtak's Sunaria jail in Haryana, security tightened in Punjab: Visuals from Barnala Railway station pic.twitter.com/rUP5G6NnIb  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

08:26 am: Multi layer security arrangements done, all sensitive areas are under shoot at sight order: IG Rohtak

08:22 am: 23 companies of para forces deployed in Rohtak: ADGP

08:21 am: Woman desiring to meet Ram Rahim Singh at Sunaria jail, arrested from Sunaria Outer bypass Naka 7 last night, sent to Jhajjar jail

8:02 am: Security enhanced outside Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar's residence, ahead of Ram Rahim sentencing.

7:49 am: There are no metro rail diversions or restrictions, these are just rumors to propagate false stories: Delhi Police PRO Madhur Verma

7:47 am: Don't believe social media rumors saying schools are closed or route diversion; schools are open: Delhi Police PRO Madhur Verma

7:46 am: Internet services resume in Chandigarh

7.40 am: Security near Delhi-Haryana border stepped up

7.39 am: Several barricades with strong police & paramilitary presence set up, ready to deal with any eventuality: IGP Rohtak

7.30 am: We have ensured no Dera follower is allowed to enter the entire Rohtak district or move around jail: Navdeep Singh Virk, IGP Rohtak Range.

7.29 am: Heavy deployment of security in place. Media vehicles have been diverted from Rohtak.

7.28 am: Security forces have set up barricades just over a kilometre away from the prison here.

6.36 am: Sentencing to take place at 2.30 pm

4.25 am: Shoot at sight orders will be implemented if anti social elements try and harm self or others, the Rohtak DC has said.

4.24 am: Delhi Police PRO Madhur Verma said that fake traffic advisory have been circulated, no such advisory issued. No road closures, metro remains as per schedule.

4:23 am: Schools to remain open tomorrow. No instructions from Delhi police to close them. Social media rumors should not be believed, says Delhi Police PRO

4.20 am: Authorities have taken additional measures to prevent violence following the sentence on Monday. Special Weapons and Tactics(SWAT) teams and reserve forces have been deployed. Police conducted flag marches in sensitive areas including North East Delhi. Delhi was put on high alert on Friday night after violence reached the capital from Panchkula.

OneIndia News
Why Punjab farmers burn stubble at this scale when others do not

In the killing of those protecting Hindus in Punjab, a massive ISI plot revealed

Ram Rahim sentencing: High-level meeting underway in North Block

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Ahead of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's sentencing in the rape case, a high-level security officials meeting is underway on Monday in the North Block in New Delhi.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Rajiv Jain and other Home Ministry officials are present at the meeting. They are discussing the security situation in Punjab, Haryana.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing to take place at 2.30 pm at a special court near Rohtak, Haryana.

Security has been tightened around Sunaria jail where Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged since August 25. Police is conducting security checks at various barricades to keep situation under control.

Last Saturday, Rajnath Singh had reviewed the internal security and law and order situation in Haryana and adjoining areas, and Jammu & Kashmir in particular with the top security brass of the country including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

After the meeting, the Home Ministry stated that "The situation in Haryana was assessed at present to be under control, though it is being carefully monitored. The home minister took note of the assurance of DGP, Haryana that the law and order situation in Haryana would be kept in control."

The situation went out of control on Friday afternoon after the Dera chief was convicted by the Special CBI court in the rape case. At least 32 people were killed and over 200 injured in the violence unleashed by the Dera supporters in Haryana and Punjab.

OneIndia News
The important judgements the Indian Judiciary is being hailed for

India

oi-Shreya

By Shreya

The Indian Judiciary has been in its top form over this week, starting from striking down instant triple talaq, to declaring Right to Privacy a fundamental right, and convicting rape accused, and Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the judiciary has served justice in every way possible.

On Monday, the quantum of punishment for Dera Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be announced in a local court near Rohtak jail.

Security has been beefed up in Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, and also in the Capital, post the violence that erupted after the conviction of the self-styled Godman by a special CBI court in Panchkula, which claimed the lives of over 30 poeple.

Here's a quick look at what the Indian Judiciary achieved this week:

Conviction of self-syled Godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

A special CBI court in Panchkula on August 25, 2017, convicted Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh of rape, dating back to 2002.

The Quantum of Punishment for the Dera Chief will be announced on Aug 28, Monday, in a specialo court near Rohtak jail.

Enraged Dera followers violently protested against the conviction of their chief. Over 30 lives were lost, over 250 injured, buses and trains were vandalised.

The High Court did not hesitate to come down heavily on the Khattar Government in Haryana as well as the Central Government for the violence that erupted post conviction of Ram Rahim.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court even accused the State Government of being in 'Complete Collusion' with Dera followers.

Recommended Video

Ram Rahim Verdict: Jagdeep Singh, judge who did not succumb to pressure | Oneindia News

Right to Privacy declared a fundamental right

On August 24, 2017 a nine-judge Constitution bench declared Right to Privacy a fundamental right, overruling its earlier verdicts in the cases of of M.P Sharma in 1950 and Kharak Singh in 1962, which said that Right to Privacy is not a fundamental right.

The Top Court held that Right to Privacy is intrinsic to the fundamental rights of an Indian citizen and falls under Article 21 and Part III of the Indian Constitution.

Post the decision of the Supreme Court, section 377 of the IPC - which criminalised homosexuality calling it an 'unnatural offence', the Court said - "Sexual orientation is an essential attribute of privacy. Discrimination against an individual on the basis of sexual orientation is deeply offensive to the dignity and self-worth of the individual. Equality demands that the sexual orientation of each individual in society must be protected on an even platform. The right to privacy and the protection of sexual orientation lies at the core of the fundamental rights guaranteed by Articles 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution."

Instant triple talaq struck down

The Apex Court in a landmark judgment on Aug 22, 2017 struck down instant triple talaq, by a majority judgment of 3:2, calling the practice a violation of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees every citizen right to equality before the law.

The verdict by the Top Court has been called 'historic', which delivered relief to Muslim women in the country, who until then were victimised by age-old practise of arbitrary divorce and had no option to defend their rights.

With these three verdicts back to back, the Indian Judiciary has ensured that it will always safeguard the rights of the citizens and is being hailed for its recent verdicts.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 12:32 [IST]
Two persons lynched in a village in North Bengal under suspicion of being cattle thieves

India

oi-Amitava

By Amitava

Darjeeling, August 28, 2017: Two persons were lynched in Barohalia village under the Gandang Gram Panchayat, Dhupguri Block of the Jalpaiguri district in North Bengal under suspicion of being cattle thieves.

The incident occurred in the wee hours of Sunday. The deceased have been identified as Anwar Hussein (19 years) and Hafizul Sheikh (20.) While Hussein is a resident of Sakunibala area under Pundibari Police Station of Cooch Behar district, Sheikh is from Choto Guma of Dhubri, Assam.

At around 2:30am a vehicle was found speeding through the remote Barohalia village. Awoken by the sound of a pick up late at night vehicle the villagers came out to investigate. They saw a vehicle approaching and stopped it.

The found the pick-up full of cattle. Questions were asked as to where the vehicle was going in the dead of the night through the village. A scuffle ensued when the duo could not give a sound explanation.

Following this the duo were beaten up badly. A large police contingent arrived from the Dhupguri Police Station. The two were then rushed by the police to the Dhupguri Hospital. The doctors at the Hospital proclaimed them dead.

The vehicle along with the cattle have been seized by the police. Local resident alleged that since the past few days there have been multiple repowers of cattle theft from this area. They further alleged that the duo were involved in the incidents of cattle theft.

Police officials claim that no documents were found from the possession of the two relating to transportation of cattle. Cattle theft and smuggling are common phenomenon in this region having a close proximity to the Bangladesh border. Dhupguri is 30 km away from the Bangladesh border.

Amitava Maity, Superintendent of Police, Jalpaiguri stated, "If they suspected foul play they should have informed the police. They should not have taken law into their own hands. Stringent action will be taken against those who were involved in the lynching."

A large police contingent is camping in the area. Situation is under control. Incidentally in June this year three persons were lynched in the Chopra block of North Dinajpur district for alleged cattle theft.

OneIndia News
Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar says he had no role in Ram Rahim's parole

UP sadhus demand death penalty for Gurmeet Ram Rahim

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Ahead of the pronouncement of the quantum of punishment to Dera Sacha Sauda Chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim convicted in the rape case, sadhus in Uttar Pradesh demanded death penalty for the 'godman'.

Recommended Video

Ram Rahim verdict: Sadhus demand death penalty for Dera Chief | Oneindia News

A group of sadhus, including a Naga sadhu, and a few people of Varanasi demanded death by hanging to the Dera chief who is in Rohtak jail.

Sadhus held placards which read: 'Balatkari baba ko Phansi do-Phansi do' it means hang to death the rapist baba, reports ANI.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim's sentencing to take place at 2.30 pm in at a special court near Rohtak, Haryana.

Security has been tightened around Sunaria jail where Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged since August 25. Police is conducting security checks at various barricades to keep situation under control.

The Rohtak DC has said that 'shoot at sight orders' will be implemented if anti-social elements try and harm self or others.

Meanwhile, Panchkula, Sirsa, Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring areas have been put on high alert, with paramilitary forces deployed in various pockets of the states. While Section 144 is already in place in Rohtak, curfew also continues to be enforced in Sirsa.

OneIndia News
US-bound Air India flight delayed for 9 hours after rat spotted on board

India

oi-Madhuri

A rat was spotted on board Air India's Delhi-San Francisco flight which had disrupted a flight delayed it by over nine hours on Sunday.

The incident took place on Sunday when the Boeing 777 was taxiing at IGI airport to operate for its one of the longest flights. As per safety protocol, the plane had to be brought back to the terminal and fumigated.

The B-777 was almost full with 172 economy and 34 business class passengers.

The fumigation of the aircraft took six hours and by the time it was over, it took time to find the two commanders and two copilots for this flight. Considering all this, the Air India flight was delayed by 9 hours bacuse of which the passengers seems to be unhappy.

The fumigation process is done in the aircraft to ensure that the rodent is not sighted and is does not pose a threat to safety by cutting electric wires and sending the systems haywire.

Meanwhile, the Air India's chairman Raji Bansal sought the detailed report on how the roddent manaed to enter the aircraft and also how to prevent it in future.

The main reasons for rodents being spotted in aircraft is because the passengers inadvertently drop a lot of food on the cabin floor, which keeps rats busy.

AI flies on the Delhi-San Francisco route is of 15,300-km journey which is covered in 16 to 17 hours an that needs two sets of crew, with one commander and copilot operating first half of the flight and the other two, the second half.

OneIndia News
Yeddyurappa hosts lunch for Dalit families, 'not appeasement,' says BJP

India

oi-Anusha

Chief of Karnataka state BJP unit, B S Yeddyurappa hosted lunch for Dalit families at his residence on Monday. 33 Dalit families were invited by Yeddyurappa to thank them for their hospitality when he was on his statewide tour.

The Congress, as well as the BJP in Karnataka, are in a race to Dalit appeasement. With its traditional vote bank of Lingayats breaking away into factions, the BJP is compelled to change its caste calculations. Wooing the Dalits, who form the largest chunk of voters in Karnataka is the first place to begin the change in caste calculations.

36 Dalit families were served lunch at Yeddyurappa's Bengaluru residence. Close to 124 from various parts of Karnataka including Davangere, Raichur and Chitradurga arrived along with party functionaries to take part in the "thanks giving lunch". Dalit seer Madara Chennaiah Swamiji of Chitradurga was also present for the lunch. The BJP declared that the move was "BJP's march towards Dalit homes."

B S Yeddyurappa had visited 33 Dalit homes across the state when he went on a 'Janasamparka Abhiyan'. He had invited all the families and on Monday, he along with a host of BJP leaders played guest to close to 124 people from the community. In a poll-bound Karnataka, the never-before event is certainly being looked at as appeasement politics. The BJP however, called it a gesture of gratitude and nothing more.

"Congress appeases to divide the society on the lines of caste and community. BJP is looking at upliftment of Dalits in its entirety. This sharing of meals with Dalits is not specific to Karnataka, the National President himself has done it in every state that he has gone to as Vistarak. Our state president has organised this lunch as a social gesture and as his own gratitude for them having treated him so well when he visited them," said BJP spokesperson Malavika Avinash.

While the Congress depends on its welfare schemes to woo the community, the BJP began with 'dining with Dalits' concept. While it was Amit Shah who initiated the practised from Naxalbari as part of his vistarak program, it has quickly trickled down to state units.

Incidentally, the BJP's Dalit outreach in Karnataka has been pro-active after the drubbing it received in Nanjangud and Gundlupet bypoll despite a Dalit strongman like Srinivas Prasad being the candidate in one of the constituencies. With elections scheduled for 2018, appeasement in various forms are on full display in the state.

OneIndia News

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 16:49 [IST]
Conditions on ground determine number of troops in Afghanistan: Tillerson

International

oi-PTI

Washington, August 28: After a dramatic shift in US' Afghanistan policy this week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the new US strategy was intended to send a strong message to the Taliban that "we are not going anywhere" and the "conditions on the ground" in Afghanistan would determine the number of American troops in the war-torn country.

Tillerson told Fox News that US President Donald Trump had been very clear that the policy he announced a shift from a time-based military strategy to a conditions-based strategy, "which means it will be dictated by conditions on the ground informed by battlefield commanders."

"He has delegated significant authority to Defence Secretary (James) Mattis to set troop levels, but also has been able to delegate for the military commanders in the field, decision-making, to begin to turn the tide against the Taliban," he said.

"Now, all of this is directed at sending a message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere. We're going to be here," Tillerson said. According to the secretary of state, Afghanistan has a history of being a refuge for some of the most devastating attacks carried out.

"As we all know, the attack of 9/11 was organised and carried out from Afghanistan. So, in Afghanistan, we have to secure Afghanistan in a way that that can never occur again because there's no territory available to organisations to do so," he said.

Tillerson asserted that Trump was clear in his speech the US was not undertaking nation-building in Afghanistan. "So, we will be shifting our diplomatic and aid and development programs as well to coincide with the president's view that the Afghan government and that Afghan people must own their form of government," he said.

"They must come to some reconciliation with all ethnic groups, including the Taliban, as to how they can secure their country, as a peaceful country, one that does not support terrorism, does not provide safe havens for terrorists and does not align itself with any terrorist organisations or countries that do. That's what winning looks like," he said.

He also strongly refuted the allegation of former White House official Sebastian Gorka on the absence of word "radical Islamic terrorism" in Trump's Afghan policy speech. Gorka was fired by the White House on Friday.

"I think he's completely wrong. I think it shows a lack of understanding of the president's broader policy when it comes to protecting Americans at home and abroad from all acts of terrorism. Terrorism, as we've said, manifests itself in many types of organisation," he said.

Tillerson said that the president has charged us to develop policies and tactics both diplomatically and militarily to attack terrorism in as many forms, wherever it exists in the world and wherever it might present a threat to the homeland or to Americans anywhere. He further said that this means that the US has to develop techniques that are global in their nature.

PTI

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 10:00 [IST]
Doklam standoff: China says it will continue patrol, but India has withdrawn troops

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Minutes after India said that it has started withdrawing forces from Doklam, China has said that it would continue to stand guard. The Chinese foreign ministry said that the Indian troops have already withdrawn from Doklam, but their troops will continue to patrol the area.

The statement from China is a complete shift from what India's foreign ministry had said a while ago. India had said that in recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect with the incident at Doklam. During these communications we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests.

Doklam standoff: Peace returns as India, China withdraw troops

Recommended Video

Sikkim Standoff: Both Countries to remove army from Doklam | Oneindia News

On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed upon. The process is ongoing, the MEA also said.

The disengagement of troops comes at a crucial time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit China for the BRICS summit. The stage for the back channel talks was however set during the visit by National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval. He was in China recently for the NSA BRICS summit. Although no official statement was made during that summit, there were back channel talks that had been opened up to de-escalate tensions at Doklam.

OneIndia News
Major road accident in UK, eight Indians crushed to death

International

oi-PTI

London, August 28: In a major accident, at least eight Indians were killed after their mini bus got crushed between two trucks on a highway in southern England.

The crash occurred on the southbound M1 highway at Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire in the wee hours of Sarurday.

"We are extending all possible assistance to those affected by this tragedy," the Indian High Commission in London said.

The two truck drivers arrested from the scene of the accident were charged with causing death by dangerous driving this morning.

Thames Valley Police said 31-year-old Ryszard Masierak and 51-year-old David Wagstaff had been charged with eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving.

Masierak, also accused of careless driving while over the prescribed limit of alcohol, has been remanded in custody to appear at High Wycombe Magistrates Court tomorrow.

Wagstaff, charged with dangerous driving, has been bailed to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates Court on September 11.

"The charges are in connection with a collision shortly before 3:15 AM yesterday in which six men and two women died. Four people who were injured and taken to hospital remain in serious conditions," Thames Valley Police said in a statement.

The British police is yet to release details of those killed in the crash.The driver of the minibus has been identified as India- born Cyriac Joseph.

The 52-year-old father of two, originally from Kerala and based in the UK for 15 years, was described as "lovely and generous" by friends.

The others in his minibus were tourists from Chennai who had reportedly hired the vehicle along with family based in Nottingham to travel to London, from where they had plans to go on a tour of Europe.

A five-year-old girl, a woman and a man are being treated in the hospital with life-threatening injuries, while another woman has serious injuries.

South Central Ambulance Service said those injured in the collision were taken to hospitals in Milton Keynes, Coventry and Birmingham.

Pictures from the crash site show extensive damage to the vehicles involved, including a FedEx vehicle and one belonging to AIM Logistics.

Ismail Elmagdoub, director of AIM Logistics, based in Evesham, Worcestershire, said, "We would like to express our deepest sympathy to the families who have lost loved ones and also those who have been injured at this very sad time."

The director of AIM Logistics further said that the road safety and compliance are of the utmost importance to the company and we are continuing to assist the police as much as possible with their inquiries.

PTI
Uber has savage reply for driver's request not to address him as Bhaya or Uncle

Karnataka govt directs seizure of Ola, Uber autos still plying, despite orders to stop

Uber to pay Rs 20K to passenger for missed flight due to driver's delay

Uber names Dara Khosrowshahi as new CEO

International

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The taxi-aggregator Uber Technologies has voted to appoint Expedia Inc. Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO after Travis Kalanick resigned in late June.

Th tumultuous nine-week search for the coveted post came to an end as the Uber Inc board chose Mr. Khosrowshahi, 48, who has been at the helm of Expedia since 2005, reports Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

The board was deciding on Sunday between Mr. Khosrowshahi and Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

However, representatives for Uber didn't return requests for comment and an Expedia spokeswoman declined to comment, said the report.

Mr Kalanick stepped down under pressure from shareholders in the San Francisco-based firm. His resignation came after months of turmoil at the firm, including a series of controversies about sexual harassment, macho culture and the departure of senior executives, according BBC.

As per reports, he would take on the daunting task of mending Uber's image, repairing strained relations among investors and rebuilding employee morale to create a profitable business after seven years of losses.

OneIndia News
 2008-2022 One News Page Ltd.

All rights reserved.

One News is a registered trademark

of One News Page Ltd.
by  Graham Pierrepoint



It was the political decision that almost destroyed a career  one which really should have bolstered her government majority in the UK, but did the opposite  and British Prime Minister Theresa May has spent recent weeks out of the limelight has she has enjoyed time away on vacation  but as the summer starts to peel away into September, the British press appears keen to return to talk of just how long May will remain at the top of UK politics. Talk of unrest among Conservative MPs over her leadership  bolstered only by a hasty DUP alliance to flesh out her majority  May has hardly been the most praised politician in recent months. Since the snap election this spring which should have ideally seen the Prime Minister gain seats as opposed to lose them, many people on both sides of UK politics have been looking at their watches to see just how much time May has left on the clock.

However, the leader has remained resolute  that she will be the Prime Minister that oversees Brexit  which is due to occur in March 2019. Various rumors in the UK press have stated over the weekend that May has allegedly pencilled in a resignation date of August 30th 2019  triggering another General Election and an entirely new leader in a post-Brexit Britain. Such rumors come as it is believed that May has played host to 15 high profile Conservatives at her country residence of Chequers, where political pundits are claiming she is brokering a deal of sorts with her party in an effort to quell rumblings of a leadership challenge. The Conservative Party certainly doesnt want to have to go to General Election again  while the rival Labour Party, having seen shock renewed energy this Spring  is keen to take the reins as minority government.

Its unlikely the public will want another General Election so soon  but the turnaround in opinion polls on May and her rival Jeremy Corbyn shows just how arguably calamitous the Conservative PMs campaign was  with the UK very much divided, still, on Brexit and on who they want to lead the country. Downing Street, meanwhile, has denied that such as leaving date for May exists  at least according to reports from the Daily Mail  but in the meantime, it will be interesting to see how Brexit unfolds, and where Mays public perception and credibility can go from here. Will we see a u-turn in public opinion? Lets wait and see.
Hundreds marched in Berkeley Sunday to protest hate crimes directed toward Asian Americans. It was an event organized by a 7th..

CBS 5 SF KPIX 29 Mar 2021
LONDON (AP)  Police in England say they are responding to a "hazardous material incident" after people in a seaside town..

SeattlePI.com 11 Aug 2019
autoevolution 20 Sep 2022

Uber is embracing battery electric power and according to CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, the ride hailing giant wants its entire fleet to..
2017-2022 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications

2017-2022 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Report on Global and United States Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and A

https://www.qyresearcheurope.com/goods-692686.html

http://www.qyresearchglobal.com/

This report studies the Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food market status and outlook of global and United States, from angles of players, regions, product types and end industries; this report analyzes the top players in global and United States market, and splits the Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food market by product type and applications/end industries.The global Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food market is valued at XX million USD in 2016 and is expected to reach XX million USD by the end of 2022, growing at a CAGR of XX% between 2016 and 2022.The Asia-Pacific will occupy for more market share in following years, especially in China, also fast growing India and Southeast Asia regions.North America, especially The United States, will still play an important role which cannot be ignored. Any changes from United States might affect the development trend of Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food. United States plays an important role in global market, with market size of xx million USD in 2016 and will be xx million USD in 2022, with a CAGR of XX.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share (%) and growth Rate (%) of Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesNorth AmericaaEuropeAsia-PacificSouth AmericaMiddle East and AfricaThe major players in global and United States Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food market, including Primal Pet Foods, Steves Real Food, Stella & Chewys, LLC, Grandma Lucys LLC, Champion Petfoods LP, Bravo LLC, Vital Essentials Raw, NRG Freeze Dried Raw, K9 Naturals, Aunt Jenis, Bravo, LLC, Natures Variety GrainThe On the basis of product, the Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food market is primarily split intoFrozen PetFreeze-Dried PetOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report coversDogCatRabbitBirdOtherTo get a free professional report sample, please email to tinaning@qyresearch.com or Browse our detailed product page:Table of Contents1 Methodology and Data Source2 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Market Overview3 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Application/End Users4 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Market Status and Outlook by Regions5 Global Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers6 United States Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers7 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Players/Manufacturers Profiles and Sales Data8 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Manufacturing Cost, Industrial Chain and Downstream Buyers9 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors and Market Effect Factors10 Global Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Market Forecast11 Research Findings and ConclusionRelated Reports:2017-2022 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Report on Global and China Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications2017-2022 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Report on Global and Europe Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications2017-2022 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Report on Global and India Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications2017-2022 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Report on Global and Korea Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and Applications2017-2022 Frozen and Freeze-Dried Pet Food Report on Global and Japan Market, Status and Forecast, by Players, Types and ApplicationsContact Details:Tina| Sales ManagersCompany Name: QYResearch CO.,LIMITED | focus on Market Survey and ResearchEmail: tinaning@qyresearch.com Tel: 0086-20-22093278(CN)Web:QYResearch 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 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).Room 2311 VILI International Building No.167 Linhe West Road Tianhe District
Photonic Sensors and Detectors Market to Witness an Outstanding Growth by 2015 - 2021

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/samples/4719

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/toc/4719

http://www.persistencemarketresearch.com/checkout/4719

www.persistencemarketresearch.com

The photonic sensor technologies have become more significant in the field of material characterization and material processing. The complexity of physical, biological and chemical systems is not feasible without the use of photonic sensor and detectors technologies. Photonic sensor and detector found its way into the surgeries, industries, and in the ordinary life as well its usage in the research laboratories. The main benefits provided by this technology include contact free, straight measurements and the non destructive analyses of systems, products and substances.The photonic sensors and detectors technology has now been renowned as a technology that impacts and strengthens a whole host of industrial sectors, from security to healthcare, from telecommunications to manufacturing, from the environment to the energy, and from biotechnology to the aerospace. The major burning issue in this market is the compatibility of the photonic sensors and detectors with other products.Buy Now: You can now buy a single user license of the report @The main factors that are driving the photonic sensors and detectors market are the increase in requirement for security and safety, a substitute for a failed technology, rise in the growth in wireless sensing technology market, increased in the usage of wind power, distributed sensing and the increase in the need for oil reserves among others. The main factor that is restraining the growth of this market includes high initial cost required and the lack of industry standards. The main opportunity for the growth in future of the photonic sensors and detectors market includes the industrial assets safety and usage of this technology in the structural health monitoring. Fiber optics sensor is estimated to rise at a high rate as it is gaining significance in the areas such as oil & gas exploration and civil engineering which mostly considers border security and fencing.The photonic sensors and detectors market is segmented on the basis of its types which includes fiber optic sensors, laser sensors and bio-photonic sensors. The fiber optic sensors are further classified as distributed sensors and point sensors. The laser sensors are further classified as analog laser sensors and digital laser sensors. The bio-photonic sensors are classified as intrinsic bio-photonic sensor and extrinsic bio-photonic sensor. In addition, the market is segmented on the basis of technology which includes spectrally based fiber optics sensor, intensity based fiber optics sensor, distributed & multiplexing sensing, and polarization based fiber optic sensors. Further, the distributed & multiplexing sensing is classified as multiplexing sensing and distributed sensing. Furthermore, the market could be segmented on the basis of geography which includes North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and RoW.Request to view table of content @Some of the major companies that are dominating in the photonic sensors and detectors market include Banner Engineering Corp., Bayspec Inc., Baumer Holding AG., Fiber Optic Sys. Tech. Inc. (Fox-Tek), Omron Corp., St. Jude Medical Inc., Lap Laser LLC., Qorex LLC., Bbn International Ltd., Fibertronix Ab., Ibsen Photonics A/S, Smart Fibres Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. among others.A sample of this report is available upon request @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:
Drum Brake System Market Analysis 2017 Industry Manufacturer, Region and Application

Drum Brake System

http://bit.ly/2wgyMuU

http://www.spiremarketresearch.com/global-drum-brake-system-market-2017-share-size-forecast-2022/

2017-2022 GLobal Drum Brake System Market Research ReportA market study  Global Drum Brake System Market  examines the performance of the Drum Brake System market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Drum Brake System market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Drum Brake System market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.Inquiry For Sample Report, Click Here:The Global Drum Brake System Market 2017 report includes Drum Brake System market Revenue, market Share, Drum Brake System industry volume, market Trends, Drum Brake System Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Drum Brake System Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Firstly, the report covers the top Drum Brake System manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Drum Brake System report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Drum Brake System industry, Drum Brake System industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Drum Brake System Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Complete Report with Full ToC:The Drum Brake System 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 Drum Brake System market revenue worldwide.Finally, Drum Brake System 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
Value and Volume Analysis of United Kingdom's Confectionery Sector to Drive Market Growth

Market Research Report

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=1306820

http://www.researchmoz.us/country-profile-confectionery-sector-in-the-uk-report.html

http://www.researchmoz.us/

http://bit.ly/1TBmnVG

Researchmoz added Most up-to-date research on "Value and Volume Analysis of United Kingdom's Confectionery Sector to Drive Market Growth" to its huge collection of research reports.The UK accounted for 15.4% share in the Western European Confectionery sector in 2016. The UK Confectionery sector is driven by rising disposable income and, increasing demand for distinct flavors, high quality and exotic products is driving the UK Confectionery sector. Of the three markets, Chocolate is the largest in both value and volume terms, and is forecast to register the fastest growth during 2016-2021, in value terms. Flexible Packaging is the most commonly used packaging material in the sector, and is forecast to register the fastest growth during 2016-2021. Mondelez International, Inc and Mars, Incorporated are the leading market players in the Confectionery sector.GlobalDatas Country Profile report on the Confectionery sector in the UK provides insights on high growth markets to target, trends in the usage of package materials, category level distribution channel data and market share of brands.What else is contained?- Market data: Overall market value and volume data with growth analysis for 2011-2021.- Category coverage: Value and growth analysis for Chocolate, Gum, and Sugar Confectionery with inputs on individual category share within each market and the change in their market share forecast for 2016-2021- Leading players: Market share of brands and private labels, including private label growth analysis from 2011-2016- Distribution data: Percentage of sales within each market through distribution channels such as Cash & Carries and warehouse Clubs, Hypermarkets & Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Food & Drinks Specialists, eRetailers and others- Packaging data: consumption breakdown for package materials and pack types in each market, in terms of percentage share of number of units sold. Package material data for Glass, Flexible Packaging, Paper & Board, Rigid Plastics, and others; Pack data for: Carton, Film, Bag/Sachet, Tub, Wrapper, Bottle, and Tube.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @Scope- The Confectionery sector in the UK accounted for 15.4% volume share in the Western European region- The UK ranks fifth on the extent of fragmentation- The the top five brands accounting for a 29.5% share in 2016.- The per capita consumption of Confectionery is higher in the UK compared to the global level- Per capita consumption of Chocolate is noticeably high in the UK compared to global and regional levelsReasons to buy- Identify high potential categories and explore further market opportunities based on detailed value and volume analysis- Existing and new players can analyze key distribution channels to identify and evaluate trends and opportunities- Gain an understanding of the total competitive landscape based on detailed brand share analysis to plan effective market positioning- Manufacturers can identify the opportunities to position products with H&W attributes/benefits- Access the key and most influential consumer trends driving Confectionery products consumption, and how they influence consumer behavior in the market which will help determine the best audiences to target- Our team of analysts have placed a significant emphasis on changes expected in the market that will provide a clear picture of the opportunities that can be tapped over the next five years, resulting in revenue expansion- The packaging analysis report helps manufacturers, in identifying the most commonly used packaging materials in the sector- Analysis on key macro-economic indicators such as GDP per capita, population (overall and breakdown by age), and consumer price index. It also covers a comparative analysis of political, economic, socio-demographic, and technological indicators (PEST) across 50 countries.Browse More Details @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 @
Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in Taiwan Market 2017 -Develop Market-Entry and Market Expansion Strategies 2030

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1930302-solar-photovoltaic-pv-in-taiwan-market-outlook-to-2030-update-2017

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/conferences

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/seminars

SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in Taiwan, Market Outlook."Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in Taiwan, Market Outlook to 2030, Update 2017 - Capacity, Generation, Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE), Investment Trends, Regulations and Company Profiles", is the latest report from the industry analysis specialists that offer comprehensive information and understanding of the Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market in Taiwan.The report provides in depth analysis on global renewable power market and global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market with forecasts up to 2030. The report analyzes the power market scenario in Taiwan (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, Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and Solar Photovoltaic (PV)) and provides forecasts up to 2030. The report highlights installed capacity and power generation trends from 2006 to 2030 in Taiwan Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market. A detailed coverage of renewable energy policy framework governing the market with specific policies pertaining to Solar Photovoltaic (PV) 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 team of industry experts.GET SAMPLE REPORT @ScopeThe report analyses global renewable power market, global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market, Taiwan power market, Taiwan renewable power market and Taiwan Solar Photovoltaic (PV) 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 hydro power (SHP), biomass, biogas and geothermal.- Detailed overview of the global Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market with installed capacity and generation trends, installed capacity split by major Solar Photovoltaic (PV)power countries in 2016 and key owners information of various regions.- Power market scenario in Taiwan 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 Taiwan 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 Taiwan Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market with installed capacity and generation trends and major active and upcoming Solar Photovoltaic (PV) projects.- Deal analysis of Taiwan Solar Photovoltaic (PV) 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 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) in particular.- Company snapshots of some of the major market participants in the country.Key points 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 Taiwan Solar Photovoltaic (PV) market.- Facilitate decision-making based on strong historic and forecast data for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) 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.Table of Contents1 Table of Contents2 Executive Summary3 Introduction4 Renewable Power Market, Global5 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market, Global6 Power Market, Taiwan7 Renewable Power Market, Taiwan8 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market, Taiwan9 Power Market, Regulatory Scenario, Taiwan10 Solar Photovoltaic (PV) Market, Taiwan, Company Profiles11 AppendixCONTINUEDAbout UsWise 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.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 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
Global Arc Flash Protective Equipment Market 2017 by Key Polayers - ABB, Ltd. (Switzerland), Arcteq Relays, Ltd. (Finland), General Electric (U.S.)

https://goo.gl/J1qJqH

https://www.fiormarkets.com/report-detail/88766/request-sample

www.fiormarkets.com

Arc Flash Protective Equipment Industry including (both global and regions) Market Size (both volume - Unit and value - million USD), Market Share, Production data, Consumption data, Trade data, Price - USD/Unit, Cost, Gross margin, Analaysis, Forecast etc.Get Free Access @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Arc Flash Protective Equipment in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Arc Flash Protective Equipment market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingABB, Ltd. (Switzerland)Arcteq Relays, Ltd. (Finland)General Electric (U.S.)Schneider Electric (France)Eaton (US)Siemens AG (Germany)Littelfuse, Inc. (U.S.)DuPont (U.S.)Hazchem Safety (U.K.)Oberon Company div Paramount Corporation (U.S.)Larsen & Toubro, Ltd. (India)Grainger, Inc. (U.S.)PowerPoint Engineering, Ltd. (Ireland)G&W Electric Company (U.S.)Rittal GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)AGO Industries, Inc. (U.K.)Pentair (U.S.)NR Electric Co., Ltd. (China)Download Sample Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoArc Flash Detection SystemArc Flash Control SystemPersonal Protective EquipmentOn 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 Arc Flash Protective Equipment for each application, includingUtilitiesManufacturing and ProcessingOil & GasTransportation and InfrastructureOthersTable of ContentsGlobal Arc Flash Protective Equipment Market Research Report 20171 Arc Flash Protective Equipment Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Arc Flash Protective Equipment1.2 Arc Flash Protective Equipment Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Arc Flash Protective Equipment Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Arc Flash Protective Equipment Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Arc Flash Detection System1.2.4 Arc Flash Control System1.2.5 Personal Protective Equipment1.3 Global Arc Flash Protective Equipment Segment by Application1.3.1 Arc Flash Protective Equipment Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Utilities1.3.3 Manufacturing and Processing1.3.4 Oil & Gas1.3.5 Transportation and Infrastructure1.3.6 OthersIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About Fior MarketsFior Markets is a leading market intelligence company that sells reports of top publishers in the technology industry.Our extensive research reports cover detailed market assessments that include major technological improvements in the industry. Fior Markets also specializes in analyzing hi-tech systems and current processing systems in its expertise.We have a team of experts that compile precise research reports and actively advise top companies to improve their existing processes. Our experts have extensive experience in the topics that they cover.Fior Markets provides you the full spectrum of services related to market research, and corroborate with the clients to increase the revenue stream, and address process gaps.Contact UsMark StoneSales ManagerOffice-102, Sanskriti AspirationsBaner Road, Pune,MH 411045IndiaPhone: (201) 465-4211Email: sales@fiormarkets.comWeb:
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Market Report 2017

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1298831&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/emea-europe-middle-east-and-africa-steel-cord-rubber-conveyor-belts-market-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1298831&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Geographically, this report split EMEA into Europe, the Middle East and Africa, With sales (K sq.m.), revenue (Million USD), market share and growth rate of Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts 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.Sample of this report is available upon request @EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts sales volume (K sq.m.), price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingContinental AGBridgestoneFennerYokohamaZhejiang Double ArrowSempertransBandoBaoding HuayueZhejiang SanweiShandong?PhoebusWuxi BotonZhangjiagang HuashenHSIN YUNGFuxin ShuangxiangAnhui ZhongyiQingDao Rubber SixHebei YichuanSmiley MonroeObtain Report Details @On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume (K sq.m.), revenue (Million USD), product price (USD/Unit), market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoStrand Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor BeltsLayer Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor BeltsOn the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume (K sq.m.), market share and growth rate of Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts for each application, includingMiningIndustrialConstructionTransportationOil & GasOthersTable of ContentsEMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Market Report 20171 Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts1.2 Classification of Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts1.2.1 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Strand Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor BeltsGet discount copy @2 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Competition by Manufacturers/Players/Suppliers, Region, Type and Application2.1 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Market Competition by Players/Manufacturers2.1.1 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales Volume and Market Share of Major Players (2012-2017)2.1.2 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue and Share by Players (2012-2017)2.1.3 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sale Price by Players (2012-2017)2.2 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts (Volume and Value) by Type/Product Category2.2.1 EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)3 Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts (Volume, Value and Sales Price), by Players, Countries, Type and Application3.1 Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales Volume and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.2 Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales and Market Share by Type3.3 Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales and Market Share by ApplicationList of Tables and FiguresFigure Product Picture of Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor BeltsFigure EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales Volume (K sq.m.) by Type (2012-2022)Figure EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales Volume Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 2016Figure Strand Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Product PictureFigure Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Europe Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue (Million USD) Status and Forecast by CountriesFigure Middle East Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Middle East Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue (Million USD) Status and Forecast by CountriesFigure Africa Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Africa Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Revenue (Million USD) Status and Forecast by CountriesFigure EMEA Steel Cord Rubber Conveyor Belts Sales Volume 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:
Global Cotton Swabs Market 2017-2022 : Industry Development Trends and Strategic Plan for Positive Growth discuss in research report

Cotton Swabs Market

http://www.mrsresearchgroup.com/market-analysis/global-cotton-swabs-market-2016-industry-trends-analysis.html

http://bit.ly/2wW2ZS2

Global Cotton Swabs Market (Product Types, Technology, Application, and Geography) - Size, Share, Trends, Company Profiles, Analysis, Segmentation and Forecast, 2017 - 2022A Research study on " Global Cotton Swabs Market 2017-2022 " represent the market share and size of Cotton Swabs in international Industry. MRS Research Group added latest market research report by QY Research. Research Report provides an essential information and statistically evaluated data about the Cotton Swabs. The research report provides a detailed study of the Cotton Swabs market, enlightening the major areas such as future market scenario, market growth factors, market growth restraints, and others. The advanced technological trends and various new opportunities are also provided in this research report.Read Complete Report with TOC @The research report provides the Cotton Swabs markets classification in detail. The Cotton Swabs market is bifurcated into a number of segments on the basis of materials,types,applications,and end-users. The geographical analysis of the global Cotton Swabs market is also coveredin the report. The vital information mentioned in the research report helps in significantly predicting the future scope of the global market.The various segmentation of the global market is based on the overall product profit, costing, global market growth, and manufacturing processes. The report covers a region-wise analysis which provides the customer with different market studies that give a detailed analysis of the product and its impact on the global market. The Cotton Swabs report also highlights the growth statistics depending on the supply and demand in the different regions.Get Free Sample Copy Of Report @The Cotton Swabs report covers the precisely studied and evaluated data of the global market players and their scope in the market using a number of analytical tools. The analytical tools such asinvestment return analysies, SWOT analysis and feasibility studyare used to analyze the keyglobal market players growth in the Cotton Swabs industry.Abou Us: MRS Research Group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United States
Australia Confectionery Sector 2017- By Develop Strategies Based on the Latest Regulatory Events 2021

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1930258-country-profile-confectionery-sector-in-australia

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/conferences

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/seminars

SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled Country Profile: Confectionery Sector in Australia.Australia accounted for 7.1% volume share in the Asia Pacific Confectionery sector. The Australian Confectionery sector is led by the Chocolate market in both value and volume terms. It is also expected to register the fastest growth in value terms during 2016-2021. Hypermarkets & Supermarkets account for a leading share in the distribution of confectionery products in the country. Flexible Packaging is the most commonly used package material, while the use of Rigid Metal is expected to register the fastest growth during 2016-2021. Dairy Milk and Allen`s are the leading market players in the sector.Country Profile report on the Confectionery sector in Australia provides insights on high growth markets to target, trends in the usage of package materials, category level distribution channel data and market share of brands.What else is contained?- Market data: Overall market value and volume data with growth analysis for 2011-2021.- Category coverage: Value and growth analysis for Chocolate, Gum, and Sugar Confectionery with inputs on individual category share within each market and the change in their market share forecast for 2016-2021- Leading players: Market share of brands and private labels, including private label growth analysis from 2011-2016- Distribution data: Percentage of sales within each market through distribution channels such as Cash & Carries and warehouse Clubs, Hypermarkets & Supermarkets, Convenience Stores, Food & Drinks Specialists, eRetailers and others- Packaging data: consumption breakdown for package materials and pack types in each market, in terms of percentage share of number of units sold. Package material data for Glass, Flexible Packaging, Paper & Board, Rigid Plastics, and others; Pack data for: Carton, Film, Bag/Sachet, Tub, Wrapper, Bottle, and Tube.GET SAMPLE REPORT @Scope- The per capita consumption of Confectionery is higher in Australia compared to the global and regional level- Per capita consumption of Chocolate and Sugar Confectionery is noticeably high in Australia compared to global and regional levels- Hypermarkets & Supermarkets is the largest distribution channel followed by Convenience Stores- Dairy Milk accounts for the leading share in the Australian Confectionery sector- Flexible Packaging is the most commonly used package material in the Australian Confectionery sectorKey points to buy- Identify high potential categories and explore further market opportunities based on detailed value and volume analysis- Existing and new players can analyze key distribution channels to identify and evaluate trends and opportunities- Gain an understanding of the total competitive landscape based on detailed brand share analysis to plan effective market positioning- Manufacturers can identify the opportunities to position products with H&W attributes/benefits- Access the key and most influential consumer trends driving Confectionery products consumption, and how they influence consumer behavior in the market which will help determine the best audiences to target- Our team of analysts have placed a significant emphasis on changes expected in the market that will provide a clear picture of the opportunities that can be tapped over the next five years, resulting in revenue expansion- The packaging analysis report helps manufacturers, in identifying the most commonly used packaging materials in the sector- Analysis on key macro-economic indicators such as GDP per capita, population (overall and breakdown by age), and consumer price index. It also covers a comparative analysis of political, economic, socio-demographic, and technological indicators (PEST) across 50 countries.Table of Contents1. Report Scope2. Executive summary3. Australia in the global and regional context4. Market size analysis - Confectionery sector5. Market and category analysis6. Distribution analysis7. Competitive landscape8. Health & Wellness analysis9. Packaging analysis10. Macroeconomic analysis11. Consumergraphics12. Methodology13. Definitions14. Appendix15. About16. Disclaimer17. Contact UsCONTINUEDFor 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
Disconnect Switch Market Analysis, a Size and Forecast Report 2026

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1834

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1834

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Disconnect switch or isolator switch is used for the purpose to de-energize or cutoff the electric circuit, when the circuit is scheduled for servicing or maintenance. These switches have wide applications in large industries and power distribution applications, where high-powered machines have their own power source connected, in order to drive them and at a time of repairing or servicing, isolator or disconnect switch breaks the circuit and make machine isolated from the power source. On the basis of electric circuit requirement disconnect switch is categorized into three types; low voltage disconnect switch, medium voltage disconnect switch & high voltage disconnect switch, disconnect switches frequently work as enclosures for overcurrent safety when they have fuses. Some of them are also a part of larger safety scheme, when they are equipped with a shunt trip which is usually signaled by relays present at any place in the network.Request Report Sample@Disconnect Switch: Market Drivers and RestraintThe key trend responsible for the growth of global disconnect switch is the growth in distribution and transmission network worldwide, as electric power is an essential infrastructure for any developing and developed region, hence every region is trying to expand in the area of power systems.The key growth drivers of global disconnect switch market are rapid growth of urbanization and industrialization across the globe, and also increasing safety concern among the industrialist regarding their labors/workers, are some factors which are boosting up the growth of global disconnect/isolator switch market across the globe. On the other hand there are also some factors which are hindering the growth of global disconnect switch market, those restraints are fluctuating price of raw material being used to manufacture these disconnect switch, presence of low quality cheap products by other manufacturers in the market are key restraints of global disconnect switch market.Disconnect Switch: SegmentationSegmentation of disconnect switch market is done on the basis of technology type, mount type, operating voltage, application & Geography. On the basis of technology type, global disconnect switch market is segmented as non-fused disconnect switch and disconnect switch. Among above segments, fused disconnect segment is the most popular segment has been used in most of the industrial applications. Furthermore, on the basis of mount type, global disconnect switch market is segmented into din rail mounted disconnect switch, panel mounted disconnect switch and other disconnect switch.By operating voltage, global disconnect switch market is segmented into low voltage disconnect switch, medium voltage disconnect switch and high voltage disconnect switch. On the basis of application, global disconnect switch market is segmented into industrial disconnect switch and commercial disconnect switch, from which industrial disconnect switch is further sub segmented into utility, manufacturing and inverter based generation and other application.Geographically, disconnect switch is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among all the regions North America is the highest contributor in term of revenue in global Disconnect switch market followed by Western Europe & Asia Pacific and it is expected that same trend is being followed in near future as well.Visit For TOC@Disconnect Switch Market: Key PlayersThe key players of global Disconnect switch market are ABB Limited, General Electric Company, Schneider Electric SE, Crompton Greaves Limited, Havells India Ltd, Siemens AG and others.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:
New trends in IoT Platforms Market explored in latest research 2017

https://www.alltakemarketresearch.com/enquiry/request_sample/3005

https://www.alltakemarketresearch.com/report-detail/IoT-Platforms-Market-

IoT Platforms Market research report helps to get access to industry data and upcoming trends which will give you avenues to know about the market. This report gives opportunities to go through with industry analysis, share and forecast, Providing brief description about the market size its competitors and product identification.In this report, the global IoT Platforms 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.Request For Free Sample Of The Report @Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of IoT Platforms in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesEUChinaJapanSouth KoreaTaiwanGlobal IoT Platforms market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingPTC (ThingWorx)Cisco (Jasper)MicrosoftGoogleIBMIntelSAPOracleAmazon?TelitGeneral ElectricGemaltoZebra TechnologiesAT&TXively (LogMeIn)AerisExositeParticleAyla NetworksrelayrBosch Software InnovationsTeezleOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoType IType IIOn 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 IoT Platforms for each application, includingHome AutomationWearable TechnologySmart CityIndustrial AutomationConnected TransportationHealthcareOthersObtain Report Details @IoT Platforms Market research report provides you with latest Industry happenings with full description about the market. This report aware you about the company as well as its competitors and their strategies. Market analysis, Market shares, Market growth, Market trends everything is clearly written in this report.If you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.About UsAlltake Market Research is division of the Alltake LLC. that offers premium quality market intelligence, market research, industry analysis reports & forecast data for different domains across the business industry.Alltake Market Research understands the importance of market analysis for any strategy that is implemented in any organization or association. In order to provide the best solution, Alltake Market Research have associated with major organizations within market research and consultancy firm. This portfolio offers market analysis report at one place for different business verticals. Alltake Market Research ensures to offer you with the most reliable and quality market research available.Contact UsAlltake Market Research16192, Coastal Highway Lewes,DE 19958, United StatesUS - 188 8587 9717UK - 4480 0680 0195Email sales@alltakemarketresearch.com
Automotive Wiring Harness Market to Reach US$ 91.53 Bn by 2025

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-37

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-37

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Future Market Insights (FMI) recently announced the release of its report titled Automotive Wiring Harness Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015-2025. According to the report, the global automotive wiring harness market was valued at US$ 36.82 Bn in 2014 and is anticipated to reach US$ 91.53 Bn by 2025, expanding at a CAGR of 8.7% throughout the forecast period.Automotive Wiring Harness Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe global automobile industry registered an annual growth rate of over 5.5% from 2010 to 2015, and is estimated to be valued at US$ 5.1 trillion by end of 2015. Consistent growth in the parent industry is expected to fuel demand for automotive wiring harness in the near future.Currently, increasing fuel costs and stringent government regulations regarding CO2 emissions are boosting demand for electric vehicles in regions such as North America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia Pacific.Request For Report Sample@Governments across various geographies have mandated use of certain electronic safety features such as Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Stability Program (ESP) and other features in both passenger and commercial vehicles. Furthermore, rise in demand for high-end electronics and safety features in vehicles, particularly passenger cars, along with cost reduction and enhanced reliability is leading to increase in global demand for automotive wiring harnesses.Automotive Wiring Harness Market TrendsUse of automotive Ethernet by automotive OEMs represents a new trend in the external as well as internal electronics devices connectivity in an automobile. These automotive Ethernets minimise the use of complex wiring harness structures to a great extent and, thereby, may act as a restraint for growth of the global automotive wiring harness market in the coming years.Rise in technological developments is expected to create favourable growth opportunities in the market in the near future. Growing demand for connectivity and car digitisation, which not only helps establish connectivity within the integral parts of a vehicle but also enables communication with other vehicles through improved and intelligent roadway infrastructure, is an emerging trend in the market.Automotive Wiring Harness Market SegmentationRegion-wise, APEJ (Asia Pacific Excluding Japan) dominated the global automotive wiring harness market in 2014, accounting for 38.3% value share of the overall market. Furthermore, APEJ is foreseen to expand at a relatively high CAGR of 10.4% during the forecast period and is expected to maintain its revenue share dominance till 2025 end. Rise in automotive production and sustained economic growth are some of the factors driving the APEJ automotive wiring harness market currently.North America and Western Europe are expected to register high Y-o-Y growth during the forecast period, owing to increasing demand for e-vehicles and e-bikes in these regions. Growth of the connected car market has resulted in rise in demand for multiple electronic devices in vehicles in North America and Western Europe.Japan is currently witnessing moderate growth in demand for e-bikes, and the trend is expected to continue during the forecast period as well. The Japan automotive wiring harness market is expected to register a sluggish CAGR of 4.0% during the forecast period, due to the matured automotive industry in the country.On the basis of vehicle type, the passenger vehicles segment dominated the global automotive wiring harness market in 2014 in terms of revenue, and is foreseen to expand at a CAGR of 8.6% during the forecast period. In terms of revenue, the hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles segments are expected to register significant CAGR between 2015 and 2025, in view of the stringent government regulations and growing fuel prices globally.On the basis of application type, the chassis & safety segment dominated the global automotive wiring harness market in 2014 in terms of revenue, accounting for 40.8% share of the overall market. This segment is expected to lose its market share to the HVAC segment, which is projected to expand at a significant CAGR of 10.1% during the forecast period. Furthermore, HVAC manufacturers are designing new eco-friendly devices in order to follow the environment standards along with introducing new innovating designs.Send an Enquiry @Automotive Wiring Harness Market: Key CompaniesKey market players covered in the report include YAZAKI Corporation, Aisin Seiki Co., Samvardhana Motherson Group (SMG), Delphi Automotive PLC, Fujikura Ltd., Sumitomo electric Industries, Ltd., Lear Corporation, LEONI AG, Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. and PKC Group PLC.Most players in the market are engaged in various activities, such as mergers and acquisitions, increasing investments in technological and product developments, geographical expansion and brand building via strong marketing strategies, in order to sustain their position in the competitive market.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 Humanized Big Data Market: Data Types, Services, Industry Verticals, and Regions

https://www.progressivemarkets.com/industry-research/humanized-big-data-market

https://www.progressivemarkets.com/enquiry-about-report/humanized-big-data-market

https://www.progressivemarkets.com

Progressive Markets has published a latest report on the ICT and media sector, titled, Global Humanized Big Data Market- Size, Trend, Share, Opportunity Analysis & Forecast, 2014-2025. The research offers comprehensive analysis of factors that drive or impede growth of the industry. This aids stakeholder to recognize top investment pockets.The study offers introduction of the global humanized big data market in terms of scope. It includes Porters Five Forces Analysis (PFFA) to provide insightful information of competition in the industry. It analyzes certain parameters, such as power to bargain by suppliers & buyers and threat by substitutes & new entrepreneurs. In addition, it incorporates summary of the industry. These include trend analysis, recent development, competitive landscape, and market attractiveness. The research divides the industry into data type, service, industry vertical, and geography. Based on data type, it categorizes the market into structured, unstructured, and semi-structured.Request Sample At:According to the report, the global humanized big data market offers services in technological solutions and business solutions. Regionally, it classifies the industry into Latin America Middle East & Africa (LAMEA), Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America. Based on industry vertical, it segments the market into BFSI, IT and telecom, healthcare, retail, and public sector. It also assesses market share of data types, industry verticals, services, and geographies for the period, 20142025. Further, the research evaluates industry size of each data type, industry vertical, and service by region for the historic period as well as forecast period, 20142016 and 20172025, respectively. It also explores factors that drive progress of the market, such as increase in hadoop-and-spark-based processing solutions.The experts discuss alternative factors that propel growth of the global humanized big data market. These include rise in security threats, demand for real time data controls, and compliance in digital business models & processes. Moreover, the study describes factors that hamper growth of the industry, such as less professionals, high investments, distributed computing, and contact with fragmented data. It also describes top manufacturers of the industry. These include Amazon Web Services, IBM Corporation, Cisco System, Inc., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, SAP, VMware, Oracle Corporation, Teradata, Splunk, and Alation.Have Question? Connect to Analyst at:The report assesses abovementioned companies of the global humanized big data market based on criterions set, such as recent advancements by each manufacturer. It also explores finance and business segment of every vendor. Apart from this, it also offers a brief introduction of every big market player. In addition, the research offers several key takeaways of the industry which include competitive intelligence within geographical boundaries of the market. It aids new entrants to have an in-depth understanding of consumer behavior as well as industry dynamics.Progressive Markets was found with an initiative to bridge the gap between enterprises and global opportunities. It is driven by the sole motive to build an effective channel to communicate up-to-date qualitative and quantitative market intelligence with all-scale participants. The company makes use of primary corporate research and secondary inputs from trusted sources to build its own reference base. It maintains consistency in quality as it keeps itself updated with changes in market dynamics and gauging its net effect on global business trends.Asia Pacific Intelligence CentreUnited StatesEAST COAST U.S.Direct: +1-646-564-2246Toll Free + 1-888-906-9222Email: help@progressivemarkets.comWeb:
Global Railway Traction Motor Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.8% from 2017 to 2025

https://www.progressivemarkets.com/industry-research/railway-traction-motor-market

https://www.progressivemarkets.com/enquiry-about-report/railway-traction-motor-market

https://www.progressivemarkets.com

Global Railway Traction Motor Market - Size, Trend, Share, Opportunity Analysis & Forecast, 20142025. As per the report, the global railway traction motor market is expected to register a CAGR of 3.8% from 2017 to 2025. The report provides an extensive analysis of key segments, outlines changing market trends, highlights recent developments, and offers insights on growth opportunities for the historic period, 20142016 and the forecast period, 20172025. It is valuable source of information for market players to expand their business and achieve recurring growth across various geographies. Moreover, it assists investors to gain information on investment feasibility and achieve optimum profitability on investments.Request Sample At:An executive summary of the global railway traction motor industry is provided in the study to assist key market players, new entrants, and investors gain thorough understanding of market scenario and make strategic moves for growth. Top investment pockets and winning strategies are offered in the study to highlight key findings. Market attractiveness is highlighted based on short-term and long-term strategies to gain optimum profitability. Current market trends are discussed in the research along with development trends of the market. Competitive landscape of the industry is offered to help market players to determine strategies to gain competitive edge. Research methodology is offered in the study on the basis of primary and secondary research methods implemented to collect and validate data.Market landscape of the global railway traction motor industry is offered based on drivers and restraints. Rise in incorporation of traction motors in the railway engines, low emission, low manufacturing and maintenance costs, and decrease in the loss in performance are factors that fuel growth in the industry. Rise in price and high investment cost limit growth in the global industry. Porters Five Forces Analysis (PFFA) is provided in the study based on bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, threat from substitutes, threat of new entrants, and industrial rivalry. This analysis is helpful to determine strategic moves for business growth and determine competitive intensity.Enquire About Report At:The report offers detailed segmentation of the global railway traction motor market based on type, application, and geography. Based on type of system, the market is segmented into direct current traction motor, alternating current traction motor, and synchronous alternating current traction motor. Based on application, it is classified into diesel locomotives, electric locomotives, electric multiple units, and diesel-electric locomotives. Geographically, it is divided across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA. Extensive analysis of market share of each segment is offered for the historic period and the forecast period with the help of tables and figures. Furthermore, revenue of each segment is provided in the study using tabular and graphical format.The research offers a detailed analysis of key manufacturers operating in the global railway traction motor industry. An overview of each player is provided in the research to assist market players, new entrants, investors, and stakeholders to gain insights on market scenario and determine steps to be taken for growth in the future. It also provides information on investment feasibility and strategies for expansion. Financial and business segmentation of each player are explored in the report. Recent developments in the industry by them are also highlighted in the research. Key market players analyzed in the research include ABB, Sulzer Ltd., Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., ALSTOM, BHEL, Bombardier, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Hyundai Rotem Company, Saini Group, and VEM Gruppe. These insights assist them to determine market competition level across the world and adopt strategies for growth such as agreements, collaborations, partnerships, mergers & acquisitions, and others.Progressive Markets is the answer to every possible business query. It is a market research and business consulting firm, headquartered in India with an aim to deliver up-to-date executive support to foster overall growth of an organization in its domain. Progressive Markets was found with an initiative to bridge the gap between enterprises and global opportunities.Asia Pacific Intelligence CentreUnited StatesEAST COAST U.S.Direct: +1-646-564-2246Toll Free + 1-888-906-9222Email: help@progressivemarkets.comWeb:
Synchronous Condenser Market by Type, Application, Region  Global Trends & Forecast to 2025

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=B&rep_id=2021

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=T&rep_id=2021

https://www.tmrresearch.com/sample/sample?flag=D&rep_id=2021

Global Synchronous Condenser Market: OverviewA synchronous condenser, which is also known as synchronous compensator or synchronous capacitor is a device similar to a synchronous motor. It is designed such that its shafts spin freely. Its primary function does not include conversion of electric energy to mechanical energy or vice versa, but to regulate conditions on the electric power transmission grid. The field in synchronous condenser is controlled by a voltage regulator, which either absorbs or generates reactive power as required to adjust the voltage of the grid, or to enhance power factor. Its installation and operation are same as that of large electric motors and generators.Global Synchronous Condenser Market: Key TrendsThe growing reliance on renewable energy sources for power generation is stoking the growth of the global synchronous condenser market. The soaring need for power correction factor is also stimulating the growth of the market. An over-excited synchronous condenser has a leading power factor, rendering it useful for power factor correction of industrial loads. Moreover, the rising emphasis on long service life is boosting the demand for synchronous condensers.Request Sample Copy of the Report @On the flip side, the high costs of equipment and maintenance are impinging on the growth of the market. In addition, the availability of low-cost alternatives is exacerbating the problem, thereby hampering the growth of the market. However, the expanding high-voltage direct current (HVDC) network is likely to create lucrative opportunities for players in the market.Global Synchronous Condenser Market: Market PotentialOver the past decade, there has been an impressive rise in the uptake of renewable energy sources for power generation. Governments worldwide and several organizations are paying high attention to cost effective solutions for renewable energy production. This, in turn, is working in favor of the growth of the global synchronous condenser market. Synchronous condenser manufacturers are benefiting from contracts for large power projects, leaving a massive impact on the market. For instance, in June 2015, Voith Hydro and its consortium partner received the contract from Manitoba Hydro for the Riel Synchronous Condenser. The project includes the design, supply, installation, and commissioning of four synchronous condensers rated 250 MVAR. These condensers will support Manitoba Hydro grid in reactive power and will be sealed to allow for hydrogen cooling.Request TOC of the Report @Global Synchronous Condenser Market: Regional OutlookThe key segments studied in the report on the basis of geography are Asia Pacific, North America, Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa. North America is expected to be a prominent destination for key players in the global market. Canada is witnessing a sharp rise in the demand for synchronous condensers, particularly new installations. In the U.S., the conversion of old power plants to synchronous condensers is driving the market. The operation of many thermal power plants is being shut down in the country to curtail pollution and encourage renewable power generation. This is also likely to create a staggering volume of demand for these condensers in the region. Asia Pacific is estimated to post a healthy CAGR during the forecast period, owing to the growing investments in the upgradation of existing power networks.Get a discount @Global Synchronous Condenser Market: Competitive LandscapeKey players in the global synchronous condenser market are striving to win contracts for new installments and for the refurbishment of old power plants in order to expand their businesses. Agreements and product innovation are also commonly adopted strategies by market participants to stay relevant. Some of the prominent companies operating in the market are General Electric, Eaton Co. Plc., Siemens AG, Voith GmbH, ABB Ltd., Toshiba Corporation, Fuji Electric Co. Ltd., and Hyundai Ideal Electric Co.About TMR ResearchTMR Research is a premier provider of customized market research and consulting services to business entities keen on succeeding in todays supercharged economic climate. Armed with an experienced, dedicated, and dynamic team of analysts, we are redefining the way our clients conduct business by providing them with authoritative and trusted research studies in tune with the latest methodologies and market trends.Our savvy custom-built reports span a gamut of industries such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals and metals, food and beverages, and technology and media, among others. With actionable insights uncovered through in-depth researh of the market, we try to bring about game-changing success for our clients.Contact :Rohit BhiseyHead - Internet MarketingTel: +1-415-520-1050Email: sales@tmrresearch.com
Global Enterprise A2P SMS Market 2017-2022 : Industry Development Trends and Strategic Plan for Positive Growth discuss in research report

Enterprise A2P SMS Market

http://www.mrsresearchgroup.com/market-analysis/global-enterprise-a2p-sms-market-2017-production-sales.html

http://bit.ly/2wM5XJQ

Global Enterprise A2P SMS Market (Product Types, Technology, Application, and Geography) - Size, Share, Trends, Company Profiles, Analysis, Segmentation and Forecast, 2017 - 2022A Research study on " Global Enterprise A2P SMS Market 2017-2022 " represent the market share and size of Enterprise A2P SMS in international Industry. MRS Research Group added latest market research report by QY Research. Research Report provides an essential information and statistically evaluated data about the Enterprise A2P SMS. The research report provides a detailed study of the Enterprise A2P SMS market, enlightening the major areas such as future market scenario, market growth factors, market growth restraints, and others. The advanced technological trends and various new opportunities are also provided in this research report.Read Complete Report with TOC @The research report provides the Enterprise A2P SMS markets classification in detail. The Enterprise A2P SMS market is bifurcated into a number of segments on the basis of materials,types,applications,and end-users. The geographical analysis of the global Enterprise A2P SMS market is also coveredin the report. The vital information mentioned in the research report helps in significantly predicting the future scope of the global market.The various segmentation of the global market is based on the overall product profit, costing, global market growth, and manufacturing processes. The report covers a region-wise analysis which provides the customer with different market studies that give a detailed analysis of the product and its impact on the global market. The Enterprise A2P SMS report also highlights the growth statistics depending on the supply and demand in the different regions.Get Free Sample Copy Of Report @The Enterprise A2P SMS report covers the precisely studied and evaluated data of the global market players and their scope in the market using a number of analytical tools. The analytical tools such asinvestment return analysies, SWOT analysis and feasibility studyare used to analyze the keyglobal market players growth in the Enterprise A2P SMS industry.Abou Us: MRS Research Group provides a range of marketing and business research solutions designed for our clients specific needs based on our expert resources. The business scopes of Prof Research cover more than 30 industries including energy, new materials, transportation, daily consumer goods, chemicals, etc. We provide our clients with one-stop solution for all the research requirements.Joel John3422 SW 15 Street,Suit #8138Deerfield Beach,Florida 33442United StatesToll Free : +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803Email: sales@mrsresearchgroup.com
Iron Oxide Market is Projected to be Valued at over US$ 2.8 Bn by 2025

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1254

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-gb-1254

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Future Market Insights (FMI) delivers key insights on the global iron oxide market in its latest report titled, Iron Oxide Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment, 2015-2025. In terms of value, the global iron oxide market is projected to increase at a CAGR of 4.3% during the forecast period, owing to various factors, regarding which FMI offers vital insights in detail in this report.Iron oxides are chemical compounds that, apart from iron ores, find wide application as pigments, catalysts, etc. Construction and paints & coatings are the major end-use industries for iron oxides.Growth in construction industry, supported by rising urbanization, is expected to be among the major drivers for global iron oxide market. Major application of iron oxides in the construction industry is to colour concrete blocks and pavement bricks. Iron oxide pigments are being widely used in paints and coatings industry for their use as primers for automobiles and steel structures.Request For Report Sample@Stringent government regulations are expected to adversely impact global iron oxide market significantly. This is especially the case in China, where, over the last two years, various small- and medium-scale companies have exited the iron oxide market due to high costs involved in ensuring regulatory compliance. The same trend is expected to continue over the near future.The iron oxide market is segmented on the basis of product type, application and region. On the basis of product type, the global iron oxide market is segmented into red iron oxide, yellow iron oxide, black iron oxide, orange iron oxide, brown iron oxide, green iron oxide and other blends. On the basis of application, the global iron oxide market is segmented into construction, paints & coatings, plastics, chemicals, paper & pulp manufacturing, textile, ceramics, leather and others (fertilizers, cosmetics and rubber). Regionally, the global iron oxide market is segmented into Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa and Japan.Among product types, red iron oxide was the largest revenue contributor to the global iron oxide market in 2014. Wide application of red iron oxide across various industries is expected to support growth of the segment over the forecast period.In 2014, the construction industry segment dominated the global market, accounting for around 50% revenue share. Growth of the construction industry is in turn expected to drive growth of the iron oxide market over forecast period. In order to enhance their market share, iron oxide producers are focusing on development of new applications for iron oxides.Send an Enquiry @In 2014, Asia pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) was the largest market for iron oxide, both in terms of production and consumption. In terms of consumption, APEJ was followed by Western Europe and North America, respectively.Key players profiled in this study of the global iron oxide market include LANXESS AG, Huntsman International Inc. Cathay Industries, Alabama Pigments Company LLC, Shenghua Group Deqing Huayuan Pigment Co LTD, TODA KOGYO CORPORATION, Jiangsu Yuxing Industry and Trade Co., Ltd., Hunan Three-ring Pigments Co., Ltd., Yaroslavsky Pigment Company and Tata Pigments Company. LANXESS AG has been estimated to account for the largest share in the global iron oxide market in 2015.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:
Connected Home Appliances Market Dynamics, Forecast, Analysis and Supply Demand 2016-2026

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-1800

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-1800

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Connected home appliances are smart electronic appliances having internet connectivity, which can be accessible from any remote location using mobile devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops. In short, any electronic home appliance if provided with internet connectivity would become connected home appliance. Smart home appliances enable users to monitor and control household activities from remote location. Growth of connected home appliances depends upon various factors such as internet infrastructure availability and smart phone penetration rate of the targeted region. If internet infrastructure of any country is robust and efficient, there would be more demand for connected home appliances. Being the more energy efficient solution compared to their traditional counterparts, connected home appliances are being adopted with substantial high adoption rate across the globe.Connected Home Appliances Market: Drivers and RestraintsPersonal and family security is the primary factor driving the adoption of connected home appliances by consumers across the globe. Over the last decade, adoption of connected home appliances grown quickly with the evolution of consumers who are more technology enthusiast. Also, with increasing adoption of smart phones, consumers are becoming more familiar with touch controls and world of apps which, in turn driving their attraction towards adoption of smart appliances. As connected home appliances generate more profit for the appliance makers as compared to traditional ones, manufacturers are diverting their focus from simple appliance manufacturing business to this business (connected appliance manufacturing), in order to increase their profitability margin. On the other hand, in various under developed or some of developing regions, lack of internet infrastructure and affordability issue are the factors hindering the growth of global connected home appliances market.Request Report Sample@Connected Home Appliances Market: SegmentationSegmentation of global connected home appliances market is done on the basis of appliance type, technology and region. On the basis of appliance type, global connected home appliances market is segmented into laundry appliances, security appliances (smart alarms and smart lock systems), water treatment appliances, kitchen appliances and others. These segments can further be sub-segmented into their respective sub-segments. As laundry appliances segment is sub-segmented into smart washers, smart dryers and other connected laundry units. Kitchen appliances segment is sub-segmented into smart refrigeration, smart cooking appliances (ranges, wall ovens, range hoods and vents) and cleaning appliances (dishwashers, disposers, trash compactors etc.). Water treatment appliance is sub-segmented into replacement smart filters, smart water heaters, smart water softeners and water filtration systems. Others appliances type includes smart LED lighting, smart air purifiers & filters, smart compactors etc. Among all the aforementioned appliances type segment, kitchen appliance type is estimated to dominant the global connected appliance market and by the end of forecast period others appliance type segment is expected to gain substantial market share in global market. On the basis of technology, global connected home appliances market is segmented into Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth. Among all these technology segments, Wi-Fi technology is the popular one and expected to remain dominant technology segment throughout the forecast period.Geographically, global connected home appliances market is segmented into seven regions which are ; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among all the regions Asia Pacific is the highest contributor in term of revenue in global connected home appliances market followed Europe and North America. In Asia Pacific, china is projected to be the leading market of connected home appliances in near future.Visit For TOC@Connected Home Appliances Market: Market PlayersThe key players of global connected home appliances market include AT&T Inc., Honeywell International, Inc., ARRIS Group Inc., Comcast Corporation, Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung Group, Whirlpool Corporation, General Electric and others.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:
Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment Information and Market Trend - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023

http://www.researchmoz.us/enquiry.php?type=S&repid=631783

http://www.researchmoz.us/explosive-ordnance-disposal-eod-equipment-market-global-industry-analysis-size-share-growth-trends-and-forecast-2015-2023-report.html

"Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment Market (portable X-ray systems, projected water disruptors, bomb containment chamber, EOD suits and blankets, EOD robots, explosive detectors, search mirrors) For Defense and Law Enforcement - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023" The Report covers current Industries Trends, Worldwide Analysis, Global Forecast, Review, Share, Size, Growth, Effect.Description-Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment market refers to the tools and equipments used to detect, dispose and provide protection during explosive disposal operations. The global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment market has been segmented by equipment type, application and geography. On the basis of equipment type the market has been segmented into portable X-ray systems, projected water disruptors, bomb containment chamber, EOD suits and blankets, EOD robots, explosive detectors and search mirrors among others. The EOD market on the basis of application has been categorized into defense and law enforcement. North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America are the various regions covered within the scope of research. Furthermore, a cross sectional analysis has been provided for each of the reports covered within the scope of research.Get Sample Report With TOC @Factors such as police forces modernization programs and defense modernization programs are also expected to drive the demand for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) equipment. Various defense agencies across the globe are striving to equip their forces with modern equipment in order to counter terrorist intrusions. For example, large numbers of military organizations and law enforcement organizations have adopted military EOD robots. These robots can be programmed according to a given situation and can also be repurposed in a short time. Moreover, recent surge in number of terrorist attacks have also boosted the demand for EOD in recent years. The rise of various terrorist outfits such as ISIS and Boko Haram are constantly conducting coordinated country-wide attacks against the governments across the globe.These organizations are targeting malls, schools and embassies among others. As a result of these factors, defense organizations are increasingly adopting EOD equipment to counter the terrorist attacks. Furthermore, the joint efforts taken by various countries such as the U.S., Russia and France among others to curb terrorism have further resulted in an increased demand for EOD equipments. These factors in combination are expected to propel the demand for EOD equipment throughout the forecast period.However, defense budget cut by governments of various countries is restraining the demand for EOD equipment globally. For example, there has been a 31% defense budget cut in the U.S. military spending from 2010 to 2016Significant opportunities exist for the EOD equipment market as a result of continuous research and development initiatives undertaken by various manufacturers. Research and development is directed toward improving existing features as well as developing new advanced features. For example, in January 2014, DetectaChem launched a handheld explsoive detector called the SEEKERe. The SEEKERe has been designed and developed in accordance to the specifications requested by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).The company profiles of the major players in the global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market across five major geographic regions namely North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle East and Africa and Latin America has been extensively covered under the purview of the study. Moreover, the business strategies being adopted by the major players in the market have also been included in the report. The market attractive analysis has also been provided in the report for providing a detailed insight into the global EOD equipment market.The market dynamics, which includes the market drivers, restraints and opportunities, has also been included under the scope of the report. Market dynamics help to understand the current trends in the global market by providing insights of the distinctive factors that influence the growth of the specific market. Thus, this report provides an inclusive study of the global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market and also provides forecast of the market for the period from 2015-2023.Some of the major players operating in EOD market are: iRobot Corporation, Safariland, LLC, Northrop Grumman Corporation, Scanna Msc Ltd., NABCO, Inc., United Shield International Ltd, Reamda Ltd., API Technologies Corp., Du Pont (E.I.) De Nemours and Cobham plc among others.- The global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market has been segmented into:- Global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market, by Equipment TypePortable X-ray SystemsProjected Water DisruptorsBomb containment chambersEOD Suits and BlanketsEOD RobotsExplosive DetectorsSearch mirrorsOthers- Global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market, by Application:DefenseLaw Enforcement- Global Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Equipment market, by Geography: The market is broadly segmented on the basis of geography into:North AmericaU.S.CanadaOthersEuropeUnited KingdomFranceGermanyRussiaOthersAsia PacificChinaIndiaJapanOthersMiddle East and AfricaU.A.E.IsraelOthersLatin AmericaBrazilArgentinaOthersFull Report @ResearchMoz is the worlds fastest growing collection of market research reports worldwide. Our database is composed of current market studies from over 100 featured publishers worldwide. Our market research databases integrate statistics with analysis from global, regional, country and company perspectives. ResearchMozs service portfolio also includes value-added services such as market research customization, competitive landscaping, and in-depth surveys, delivered by a team of experienced Research Coordinators.Researchmoz Global Pvt. Ltd.90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States,Tel: 866-997-4948 (Us-Canada Toll Free),Tel: +1-518-621-2074
Child Safety Seats Market 2016-2026 Value Share, Analysis and Segments

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-2173

http://www.futuremarketinsights.com/toc/rep-gb-2173

www.futuremarketinsights.com

Child safety seats ensure the safety of babies while they are travelling in a car, and are to be compulsorily installed in a number of developed countries. There are different types of child safety seats available in the market depending upon the age and weight of the babies. There are stringent laws in most of the developed countries like United States, Canada and United Kingdom amongst many others regarding child safety seats. While this concept of installing child safety seats to transport babies in cars is deeply established in the developed countries, it has still to take root in developing countries. However, developing countries like China are now taking the lead in this regard and some provinces in China have made it compulsory to install child safety seats in cars and a national law may be following soon. As stated above, there are different types of child safety seats such as rear facing child safety seats, forward facing child safety seats and booster seats, depending on the age and weight of the children.Child Safety Seats Market: DriversAs per the data released by Chinas Ministry of Communications, nearly 20,000 children under the age of 14 die each year due to road accidents in China. This scourge is not limited to only developing countries, but also in developed countries. In United States, car accidents are the number one cause of unintentional deaths in children under 16 years of age. Also, as per the World Health Organization, proper child restraints in cars reduced the incidences of a fatal accident by nearly 70% in infants and 54% to 80% in young children. The stringent laws in the developed countries for the child safety seats, growing road safety awareness among people and an introduction of child safety seats in huge markets like China are the key drivers of child safety seats market globally. Also, growing urbanization and an increase in the use of cars are other key market drivers in the child safety seats market.Child Safety Seats Market: RestraintsThe lack in information about how to use child safety seats, misconceptions about the child safety seats and a high price of seats in developing markets like China are the key market restraints in the child safety seats market. Besides, a lack of laws that make it compulsory to use child safety seats in countries with huge population like China and India is another restraint in the child safety seats market. A declining birth rate in the developed countries may also be a restraint in this market.Request Report Sample@Child Safety Seats Market: Key RegionsNorth America is one of the key lucrative market in the child safety seats market. Stringent laws regarding child safety seats in countries like the United States and Canada along with a high rate of urbanization make them a rewarding market for child safety seats. After North America, Europe is also an important and a huge market for child safety seats. However, it is in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in countries like China where a huge growth will take place in the child safety seats market. Increased awareness about safety and a proper legislative support will make China one of the most lucrative markets for child safety seats.Visit For TOC@Child Safety Seats Market: Key Market PlayersRecaro, Britax, Newell Rubbermaid, Chicco, Babylove, and Kiwi Baby are some of the key market players in the child safety seats market.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.616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email:press@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
U.S. Ice Cream Market Report - Share, Size, Trends, Growth and Forecast 2017-2025

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/us-ice-cream-and-frozen-dessert-market-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020?utm_source=opr

http://www.indexbox.co.uk/store/us-ice-cream-and-frozen-dessert-market-analysis-and-forecast-to-2020?utm_source=opr

IndexBox has just published a new report "U.S. Ice Cream And Frozen Dessert Market. Analysis And Forecast to 2025" ().The report provides on a comprehensive study of the U.S. ice cream market. It depicts the latest data of the market size and volume, domestic production, exports and imports, price dynamics and turnover in the industry. In addition, the report contains insightful information about the industry, including industry life cycle, business locations, productivity, employment and many other crucial aspects. The Company Profiles section contains actual data on the leading players in the industry.Countries coverage: the U.S.Product coverage:Ice cream and frozen dessertsAbstract:In 2015, the value of ice cream production in the U.S. amounted to $7.5B, reducing by -5.1% against the previous year level. Overall, the U.S. ice cream output pursued a measured decline from 2007 to 2015. The total output figures decreased at an average annual rate of -0.7%. The trend pattern was relatively stable, with only minor fluctuations throughout the analyzed period. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2014, when the output figure increased by +3% from the previous year level. Over the period under review, the total value of ice cream shipments in the United States attained its maximum level of $7.9B in 2009. Afterwards, the growth in terms of the ice cream production failed to regain its strength through to 2015.Companies mentioned:Wells Enterprises,Ben & Jerry's Homemade,Blue Bell Creameries,The Jel Sert Co,Friendly's Ice Cream,Hershey Creamery Company,Fieldbrook Foods Corporation,Dianne's Fine Dessert,Chobani Idaho,Baldwin Richardson Foods Company,Edy's Grand Ice Cream,Graeter's Manufacturing,Perry's Ice Cream Company,House of Flavors,Talenti I,Hain Refrigerated Foods,Rocky Mountain Pies,Ice Cream Specialties,Shenandoah's Pride,TLC-Lc,Blue Bell Creameries Usa,Ffc Holding Corporation and Subsidiaries,Vasari,WEI SalesData coverage: Ice cream market size; Ice cream production, value of shipments; Key market players and their profiles; Exports, imports and trade balance; Import and export prices; Forecast of the market dynamics in the medium term; Key industry statistics; Life cycle of the ice cream industry; Number of establishments and their locations; Employment data; Ice cream industry productivity.Reasons to buy this report: Take advantage of the latest data; Find deeper insights into current market developments; Discover vital success factors affecting the market.Source:IndexBox is a leading market research publisher in the world. You can find more than 25,000 research reports in our web store, which cover global industries and regional markets. All the worldwide marketing data you need is at your fingertips.Company Name: IndexBoxContact Person: Kirill BezverhiEmail: kirill.bezverhi@indexbox.co.ukPhone: +44 20 3239 3063Adress: United Kingdom, 44 Main Street, Douglas, South Lanarkshire, Scotland, ML11 0QW
France Midstream Oil and Gas Industry Outlook to 2022-Market Forecasts for Liquefied Natural Gas Oil Storage Pipelines Underground Gas Storage and Gas Processing

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/france-midstream-oil-and-gas-industry-outlook-to-2022-market-forecasts-for-liquefied-natural-gas-oil-storage-pipelines-underground-gas-storage-and-gas-processing

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016462/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016462/buying

ReportsWeb.com published Oil and Gas Market from its database. 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.France Midstream Oil and Gas Industry Outlook to 2022-Market Forecasts for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), Oil Storage, Pipelines, Underground Gas Storage and Gas Processing is a comprehensive report on midstream oil and gas industry in France. The report provides oil and natural gas consumption, exports and imports from 2010 to 2022. It also provides historic oil and gas reserves for the period 2010 to 2016. Further, the report provides details such as name, type, operational status and operator for all active and planned (new build) LNG terminals, oil storage terminals, major trunk pipelines, underground gas storage facilities, and gas processing plants in France till 2022. Further, the report also offers recent developments, financial deals as well as latest contracts awarded in the country's midstream sector.For more information about this report atScope-Historic and forecast of oil data related to consumption, imports and exports for the period 2010-2022, and reserves for the period 2010-2016-Historic and forecast of natural gas data related to consumption, imports and exports for the period 2010-2022, and reserves for the period 2010-2016-Updated information related to all active and planned LNG terminals, oil storage terminals, major trunk pipelines, underground gas storage and gas processing plants in the country, including operator and equity details-Key mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, private equity and initial public offerings in the country's midstream oil and gas industry, where available-Latest developments, financial deals and awarded contracts related to midstream oil and gas industry in the countryRequest a sample copy atReasons to buy-Gain a strong understanding of the country's energy sector and midstream oil and gas industry-Facilitate decision making on the basis of strong historic and forecast of production, reserves and capacity data-Assess your competitor's major LNG terminals, oil storage terminals, major trunk pipelines, underground gas storage and gas processing plants in the country-Analyze the latest developments, financial deals and awarded contracts related to the country's midstream oil and gas industry-Understand the country's financial deals landscape by analyzing how competitors are financed, and the mergers and partnerships that have shaped the marketInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Online Returns in the UK-2017

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/online-returns-in-the-uk-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016590/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016590/buying

ReportsWeb.com published Online Returns Market from its database. 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."Online Returns in the UK-2017", report offers comprehensive insight and analysis of the online returns channel in the UK, the main trends and the hot issues, consumer returns motivations and preferred methods. Consumer data is based on our e-retail survey using a panel of nationally representative online shoppers.This report looks at the online returns channel in the UK from 2017 to 2022. Consumers are becoming increasingly accustomed to returning items bought online, resulting in significant growth of the channel over the next five years. Retailers must give the returns process as much attention as the shopping journey in order to boost customer satisfaction and help retain customers. In this report we look at what people return, the methods used and the size of the channel split by parcel size for each sector. We also look at the profile and penetration of online shoppers who return, and what drives them to return by sector.For more information about this report atThe report covers the following topics--The hot issues-What people return-Who returns-Why people returnScope-The online returns channel is set to rise by 34.6% to 5,438.1m by 2022. Growing consumer confidence in the returns process and a 35.0% growth in online spend over the same period will drive this growth. Retailers must prepare for the rising number of returns by investing into the entire operation. Retailers that are able to provide a returns process which is as seamless as the purchasing journey will benefit from improved customer retention.-Penetration of online shoppers that have returned an item, has risen across all sectors other than in clothing & footwear, although clothing & footwear has by far the highest penetration at 32.7%-compared to the next highest sector food & grocery gifting at 19.7%.-Overall, 37.3% of returns were made via post while 35.1% were brought back to a retailer's store. However, for five of the nine retail sectors, returns were most commonly completed via returning to store. The minimal use of channels such as lockers and drop off points like Collect and Doddle proves that consumer awareness of these options remains low. Retailers should further highlight the availability of the lesser used options to demonstrate the convenience of their returns proposition whilst alleviating some of the workload and resource involved in the returns process for stores.Request a sample copy atReasons to buy-Utilise our five year forecasts to 2022 for the online returns channel, and sector penetration to help form an effective growth strategy.-Review our analysis on hot issues and understand the factors driving the channel.-Understand the returns penetration for each sector in 2017, and returns penetration of total online market.-Understand the returns channel share of online retail and forecast growth compared to online spend, to help incorporate growing returns into financial forecasts.-Recognise why consumers are returning products purchased online to enable a better understanding of the channel moving forward, and to help mitigate the future growth of returns.Table of ContentsThe hot issuesWhat people returnWho returnsWhy people returnMethodologyInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Fixed-mobile Convergence in Middle East and North Africa

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/fixed-mobile-convergence-in-middle-east-and-north-africa

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016589/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016589/buying

ReportsWeb.com published Fixed-mobile Convergence Market from its database. 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."Fixed-mobile Convergence in Middle East and North Africa", a new Telecom Insider Report by GlobalData, provides an overview of the state of fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) in the MENA region. The report draws from examples of fixed-mobile convergence from operators around the world to understand the market conditions which lead to convergence. The report first provides an overall introduction to FMC and a comparison of FMC development in different regions. It offers an analysis of the pathway in which operators converge, and examines the benefits of convergence, with examples from operators. Then it provides an overview of the MENA region in terms of FMC, and analyzes the conditions for those markets which have already seen convergence, as well as those who have not. Looking at 11 MENA markets in particular, the report provides and in-depth comparison of different conditions relevant to FMC development. Then the report dives into three case studies of fixed-mobile convergence in MENA-Bahrain, Egypt, and Turkey. The report concludes with recommendations for operators interested in pursuing FMC.For more information about this report atFixed-mobile convergence (FMC) has emerged in some competitive markets as a way for operators to differentiate and pursue growth. In MENA, FMC is nascent, with only a handful of opreators offering converged services. There are a number of market and regulatory conditions which support or hinder the development of FMC.Scope-Compared to Europe, where some operators have pursued fixed-mobile convergence as their central strategy, MENA has seen relatively few cases of convergence, and all of them relatively recent or at an early stage.-The state of competition, regulation, and base of subscribers bi-equipped for both fixed and mobile services are key for the development of convergence.-There is scope for more fixed-mobile convergence development in MENA. However, the feasibility and entrance point of convergence depends on the unique conditions of each market and the profile of each operator.bRequest a sample copy atReasons to buy-This Insider Report provides a comprehensive examination of the market conditions and business models for fixed-mobile convergence, to help executives fully understand market dynamics, determine what works and what doesn't, formulate effective product development plans and optimize resource allocation and return on investments.-Three case studies illustrate the findings of the report, providing insight into particular situations in the fixed-mobile market in MENA; this will help the reader understand both the challenges confronted in the real world and the strategies employed to overcome those challenges.-The report discusses concrete opportunities in fixed-mobile convergence in MENA, providing a number of actionable recommendations for operators.-Eleven MENA markets are compared in terms of market competition, regulation, and subscriber base; providing an overview of the conditions facilitating and hindering convergence for the region.Table of ContentsExecutive summary 5Section 1-Introduction to fixed-mobile convergence (FMC) 6Section 2-MENA market overview 15Section 3-Case studies 22Section 4-Key findings and recommendations 29Inquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Coffee Creamer Market 2017 Competition by Top Manufacturers  WhiteWave, FrieslandCampina, DEK(Grandos)

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1296792&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-coffee-creamer-sales-market-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Coffee Creamer Sales Market Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.This report on the global Coffee Creamer market is highly useful as it covers all the aspects which are important in determining the future of this industry. The report is collated by experienced analysts who have made use of their market intelligence to cover all basic and important data about the global Coffee Creamer industry. The report makes use of tables, charts, graphs, maps, and statistics to present the data in the most easy to understand way.The report is a comprehensive analysis of the key factors impacting the global Coffee Creamer industry. The major players in global market include Nestle, WhiteWave, FrieslandCampina, DEK(Grandos), DMK(TURM-Sahne GmbH), Caprimo, Super Group, Yearrakarn, Custom Food Group, PT. Santos Premium Krimer, PT Aloe Vera, Suzhou Jiahe Foods Industry, Wenhui Food, Bigtree Group, Zhucheng Dongxiao Biotechnology, Jiangxi Weirbao Food Biotechnology, Hubei Hong Yuan Food, Fujian Jumbo Grand Food, Shandong Tianmei Bio, Amrut International.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key regions, with sales, revenue, market share (%) and growth Rate (%) of Coffee Creamer in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUSAChinaEuropeJapanIndiaSoutheast AsiaGet Report Sample and Customization:The segments within the global Coffee Creamer industry and their sub-segments are also studied in detail. This ensures that the entire market is covered. The leading segment along with the declining segment and the most promising segment have been given in this report. This helps the readers, investors, new entrants, and established players to decide which segment or sub-segment to invest on so as to reap maximum profits. The report discusses the degree of competition, bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers, and threat of substitutes, both internal and external substitute. The threat of new entrants or the barriers faced by new players in entering the global Coffee Creamer market have been discussed. This gives new players an idea as to whether they can survive in the competitive Coffee Creamer market.Table of Contents1 Coffee Creamer Market Overview11.1 Product Overview and Scope of Non Dairy Creamer11.2 Coffee Creamer Segment by Types21.2.1 Global Coffee Creamer Sales (K MT) and Growth (%) Comparison by Types (2012-2022)21.2.2 Global Coffee Creamer Sales Market Share (%) by Types in 201621.2.3 Powdered Coffee Creamer31.2.4 Liquid Coffee Creamer31.3 Coffee Creamer Segment by Applications41.3.1 Coffee Creamer Consumption Market Share by Applications in 201641.3.2 Coffee Use51.3.3 Tea and Others61.4 Global Coffee Creamer Market by Regions61.4.1 Global Coffee Creamer Revenue (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2012-2022)61.4.2 United States Coffee Creamer Status and Prospect (2012-2022)7Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Coffee Creamer Competition by Players, Type and Application152.1 Global Coffee Creamer Market Competition by Players152.1.1 Global Coffee Creamer Sales (K MT) and Market Share (%) of Key Players (2012-2017)152.1.2 Global Coffee Creamer Revenue (Million USD) and Share by Players (2012-2017)182.2 Global Coffee Creamer Sales and Revenue by Type212.2.1 Global Coffee Creamer Sales (K MT) and Market Share (%) by Type (2012-2017)212.2.2 Global Coffee Creamer Revenue (Million USD) and Market Share (%) by Type (2012-2017)232.3 Global Coffee Creamer Sales and Revenue by Regions252.3.1 Global Coffee Creamer Sales (K MT) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)252.3.2 Global Coffee Creamer Revenue and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017)272.4 Global Coffee Creamer Sales by Application29QYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
OpportunityAnalyzer-Growth Hormone Deficiency-Opportunity Analysis and Forecasts to 2026

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/opportunityanalyzer-growth-hormone-deficiency-opportunity-analysis-and-forecasts-to-2026

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016464/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011016464/sample

ReportsWeb.com published Growth Hormone Deficiency Market from its database. 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.Growth hormone deficiency (GHD) is a rare endocrine disorder characterized by inadequate secretion of growth hormone (GH) from the anterior pituitary gland. It is a heterogeneous disorder that may present in childhood (pediatric GHD) or later in adult life (adult GHD). Reduced GH secretion predominantly results in stunted linear growth in children; therefore, the standard-of-care GH replacement therapy serves to normalize height in children. Adults with GHD generally demonstrate biochemical abnormalities, which can also be successfully treated with recombinant GH. GlobalData estimates the 2016 sales for GHD at approximately $1.42 billion across the 7MM covered in this report. The market will grow moderately at a CAGR of 3.9% during the 10-year forecast period, generating sales of approximately $2.08 billion at the end of 2026. The US market is expected to grow the fastest of the three regions, recording a CAGR of 4.4% and generating around 69% of global sales in 2026. This growth will be driven primarily by the highly anticipated arrivals of the long-acting GHs and the resultant increase in compliance with and adherence to therapy. Although the more convenient long-acting GHs are expected to markedly change the GHD treatment landscape, and eventually replace daily GHs, market growth will be restricted by the continued negotiations between distributers and payers, which is expected to keep the prices of these new drugs at bay.For more information about this report atKey Questions Answered-Overall, the greatest unmet need in the GHD space is the issue with treatment adherence and compliance. There are other prominent unmet needs highlighted by the Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs). What are these-Will the pipeline drugs fulfil these unmet needs of the market--The 10-year forecast period will mark the launch of four pipeline long-acting GH drugs. How will the sales of the existing drugs be impacted-Which of the pipeline drugs will have the highest peak sales at the highest CAGR, and why--What are the roles of payers in this highly competitive disease space-How does this affect market shares of the GH brands-What are the chances of reimbursement for the long-acting GH drugs in pipeline-Scope-Overview of GHD, including epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment guidelines.-Annualized GHD therapeutics market revenue, annual cost of therapy and treatment usage pattern data from 2016 and forecast for ten years to 2026.-Key topics covered include strategic competitor assessment, market characterization, unmet needs, clinical trial mapping and implications for the GHD therapeutics market.-Pipeline analysis-comprehensive data split across different phases, emerging novel trends under development, and detailed analysis of late-stage pipeline drugs.-Analysis of the current and future market competition in the global GHD therapeutics market. Insightful review of the key industry drivers, restraints and challenges. Each trend is independently researched to provide qualitative analysis of its implications.Request a sample copy atReasons to buyThe report will enable you to--Develop and design your in-licensing and out-licensing strategies through a review of pipeline products and technologies, and by identifying the companies with the most robust pipeline. Additionally a list of acquisition targets included in the pipeline product company list.-Develop business strategies by understanding the trends shaping and driving the global GHD therapeutics market.-Drive revenues by understanding the key trends, innovative products and technologies, market segments, and companies likely to impact the global GHD therapeutics market in future.-Formulate effective sales and marketing strategies by understanding the competitive landscape and by analysing the performance of various competitors.-Identify emerging players with potentially strong product portfolios and create effective counter-strategies to gain a competitive advantage.-Track drug sales in the 7MM GHD therapeutics market from 2016-2026.-Organize your sales and marketing efforts by identifying the market categories and segments that present maximum opportunities for consolidations, investments and strategic partnerships.Inquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer Bauxite Mining and our customer support Bauxite Mining is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Beverage Glass Packaging Industry 2017 Market Solutions, Packaging Services & Opportunities

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1270860&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-beverage-glass-packaging-market-research-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1270860&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Beverage Glass Packaging Market Research Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The research report on the Beverage Glass Packaging offers a comprehensive analysis aimed at assisting the markets players  both new and existing  and investors to gain a strong position in the market. The data gathered via secondary and primary research methodologies is used to analyze the dynamics of the Beverage Glass Packaging.Geographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Beverage Glass Packaging in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Beverage Glass Packaging market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingArdagh GroupOwens-IllinoisBeatsonVeralliaOroraSaint-GobainBerlin packagingAmcor LimitedIntraPac International CorporationBruni GlassThe locus of this report lies in building a foundation for the market players with accurate historic statistics and forecast. The forecast includes game-changing waypoints for the Beverage Glass Packaging. It also marks the challenges and opportunities for Beverage Glass Packaging on the way to achieving the preset goals.Get Report Sample and Customization:The research report contains a detailed investigation of the Beverage Glass Packaging in order to describe its growth rate and trajectory along with conclusions. These conclusions are then matched with the current scenarios in the market in terms of its dynamics. The reports assessment aids in drawing a clear picture about the future of the Beverage Glass Packaging and offers investors and market players a practical perspective of the markets complete growth.The research report on the Beverage Glass Packaging also presents a competitive landscape by profiling some of the top players. It also shares details regarding their financial overview, investment plans, research and development activities, and marketing and business strategies. The report makes a sincere and a logical attempt at factoring in several facets of the Beverage Glass Packaging, including the microscopic changes, which over a period of time are expected to have a snowball effect to lead to a massive trend.Table of ContentsGlobal Beverage Glass Packaging Market Research Report 20171 Beverage Glass Packaging Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Beverage Glass Packaging1.2 Beverage Glass Packaging Segment by Type (Product Category)1.2.1 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production and CAGR (%) Comparison by Type (Product Category)(2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Colorless Glass1.2.4 Colored Glass1.3 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Segment by Application1.3.1 Beverage Glass Packaging Consumption (Sales) Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Pickled Foods1.3.3 Dry Foods1.3.4 Other1.4 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Market by Region (2012-2022)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.1 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Capacity and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.3 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Beverage Glass Packaging Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type3 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.4 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 North America Beverage Glass Packaging Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 Europe Beverage Glass Packaging Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Consumption by Region (2012-2017)4.2 North America Beverage Glass Packaging Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Beverage Glass Packaging Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Beverage Glass Packaging Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Beverage Glass Packaging Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Beverage Glass Packaging Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Beverage Glass Packaging Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)Enquiry For Discount Visit @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Beverage Glass PackagingFigure Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production (K MT) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2012-2022)Figure Global Beverage Glass Packaging Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2016Figure Product Picture of Colorless GlassTable Major Manufacturers of Colorless GlassFigure Product Picture of Colored GlassTable Major Manufacturers of Colored GlassFigure Global Beverage Glass Packaging Consumption (K MT) by Applications (2012-2022)Figure Global Beverage Glass Packaging Consumption Market Share by Applications in 2016Figure Pickled Foods ExamplesTable Key Downstream Customer in Pickled FoodsQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Aloe Vera Gel Market 2017 Professional Survey & Its Benifits Factors : Watsons, GNC, P & G, Unilever

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1305101&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-aloe-vera-gel-market-professional-survey-report-2017.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1305101&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Aloe Vera Gel Market Professional Survey Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The report on the global market for Aloe Vera Gel attempts to help stakeholders in deriving a thorough understanding of the current trends and vulnerabilities of the market. It is comprised of relevant information that provide an in-depth picture of the global market for Aloe Vera Gel. This includes growth drivers and restraints molding the market from 2017 to 2022. The report also factors in the various regulatory policies likely to impact the market in the foreseeable future.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringForever LivingNatural RepublicMarykayShiseidoWatsonsGNCP & GUnileverLOrealLVMHPatanjali AyurvedPechoinBase Formula LtdTo Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report uses Porters five forces and SWOT analysis to gather a true picture of the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, and the threat of new entrants, and from close substitutes purveyed in the market. It also helps to fathom the competitive scenario in the global Aloe Vera Gel market.Further, in order to study the global market for Aloe Vera Gel in-depth, the report divides it depending upon different parameters such as product types, applications, and regions. It also helps to uncover the most attractive segments and regions contributing significantly to the growth in the market.The report furnishes an executive-level blueprint of the global Aloe Vera Gel market, consisting of profiles of the key companies operating in it. It studies their strengths and weaknesses and winning strategies as well.Table of ContentsGlobal Aloe Vera Gel Market Professional Survey Report 20171 Industry Overview of Aloe Vera Gel1.1 Definition and Specifications of Aloe Vera Gel1.1.1 Definition of Aloe Vera Gel1.1.2 Specifications of Aloe Vera Gel1.2 Classification of Aloe Vera Gel1.2.1 Food Grade1.2.2 Pharmaceutical Grade1.3 Applications of Aloe Vera Gel1.3.1 Cosmetics1.3.2 Medicine1.3.3 Food1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 IndiaBrowse Complete Report with TOC @2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Aloe Vera Gel2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Aloe Vera Gel2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Aloe Vera Gel2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Aloe Vera Gel3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Aloe Vera Gel3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Aloe Vera Gel Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Aloe Vera Gel Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Aloe Vera Gel Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Aloe Vera Gel Major Manufacturers in 20164 Global Aloe Vera Gel Overall Market Overview4.1 2012-2017E Overall Market Analysis4.2 Capacity Analysis4.2.1 2012-2017E Global Aloe Vera Gel Capacity and Growth Rate Analysis4.2.2 2016 Aloe Vera Gel Capacity Analysis (Company Segment)4.3 Sales Analysis4.3.1 2012-2017E Global Aloe Vera Gel Sales and Growth Rate Analysis4.3.2 2016 Aloe Vera Gel Sales Analysis (Company Segment)4.4 Sales Price Analysis4.4.1 2012-2017E Global Aloe Vera Gel Sales Price4.4.2 2016 Aloe Vera Gel Sales Price Analysis (Company Segment)Check Discount @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Picture of Aloe Vera GelTable Product Specifications of Aloe Vera GelTable Classification of Aloe Vera GelFigure Global Production Market Share of Aloe Vera Gel by Type in 2016Figure Food Grade PictureTable Major Manufacturers of Food GradeFigure Pharmaceutical Grade PictureTable Major Manufacturers of Pharmaceutical GradeTable Applications of Aloe Vera GelFigure Global Consumption Volume Market Share of Aloe Vera Gel by Application in 2016Figure Cosmetics ExamplesQYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Global Silicon Carbide Ceramics Market 2017 by Revenue Analysis, Growth, Opportunities, Production and Forecast to 2022

Silicon Carbide Ceramics, Silicon Carbide Ceramics Market, Silicon Carbide Ceramics Industry, Silicon Carbide Ceramics, Silicon Ca

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1919210-global-silicon-carbide-ceramics-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/reports/1919210-global-silicon-carbide-ceramics-market-by-manufacturers-countries-type-and-application

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/checkout?currency=one_user-USD&report_id=1919210

www.wiseguyreports.com

This report studies the Silicon Carbide Ceramics market, Silicon Carbide has properties remarkably similar to those of diamond  it is one of the lightest, hardest, and strongest technical ceramic materials and has exceptional thermal conductivity, resistance to acids, and low thermal expansion. Silicon Carbide is an excellent material to use when physical wear is an important consideration because it exhibits good erosion and abrasive resistance, making it useful in a variety of applications such as spray nozzles, shot blast nozzles and cyclone components.Sample Report @Scope Of ReportThis report focuses on the Silicon Carbide Ceramics in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversSaint Gobain3MCeramtecIBIDENKyoceraSchunk IngenieurkeramikCoorsTekMorganIPS CeramicsASUZACChair Man Advanced CeramicsOrtechFraunhofer IKTSTalentcom TechnologyWeifang HuameiJinhong New MaterialSSACC ChinaMingliang Fine CeramicsZhida Special CeramicsPengfei Abrasive Resistant MaterialMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversDirect Sintered Silicon CarbideReaction Bonded Silicon CarbideHot Pressing Silicon CarbideCVD Silicon CarbideOtherMarket Segment by Applications, can be divided intoMachinery ManufacturingMetallurgical IndustryChemical EngineeringAerospace & DefenseOtherThere are 15 Chapters to deeply display the global Silicon Carbide Ceramics market.Chapter 1, to describe Silicon Carbide Ceramics Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Silicon Carbide Ceramics, with sales, revenue, and price of Silicon Carbide Ceramics, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Silicon Carbide Ceramics, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, Silicon Carbide Ceramics market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe Silicon Carbide Ceramics sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceEnquiry write us @Table of Contents1 Market Overview1.1 Silicon Carbide Ceramics Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Direct Sintered Silicon Carbide1.2.2 Reaction Bonded Silicon Carbide1.2.3 Hot Pressing Silicon Carbide1.2.4 CVD Silicon Carbide1.2.5 Other1.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Machinery Manufacturing1.3.2 Metallurgical Industry1.3.3 Chemical Engineering1.3.4 Aerospace & Defense1.3.5 Other1.4 Market Analysis by Regions1.4.1 North America (USA, Canada and Mexico)1.4.1.1 USA Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.2 Canada Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.1.3 Mexico Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)1.4.2.1 Germany Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.2 France Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.3 UK Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.4 Russia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.2.5 Italy Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3 Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)1.4.3.1 China Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.2 Japan Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.3 Korea Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.4 India Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.3.5 Southeast Asia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4 South America, Middle East and Africa1.4.4.1 Brazil Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.2 Egypt Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.3 Saudi Arabia Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.4 South Africa Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.4.4.5 Nigeria Market States and Outlook (2012-2022)1.5 Market Dynamics1.5.1 Market Opportunities1.5.2 Market Risk1.5.3 Market Driving Force2 Manufacturers Profiles2.1 Saint Gobain2.1.1 Business Overview2.1.2 Silicon Carbide Ceramics Type and Applications2.1.2.1 Type 12.1.2.2 Type 22.1.3 Saint Gobain Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.2 3M2.2.1 Business Overview2.2.2 Silicon Carbide Ceramics Type and Applications2.2.2.1 Type 12.2.2.2 Type 22.2.3 3M Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.3 Ceramtec2.3.1 Business Overview2.3.2 Silicon Carbide Ceramics Type and Applications2.3.2.1 Type 12.3.2.2 Type 22.3.3 Ceramtec Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.4 IBIDEN2.4.1 Business Overview2.4.2 Silicon Carbide Ceramics Type and Applications2.4.2.1 Type 12.4.2.2 Type 22.4.3 IBIDEN Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales, Price, Revenue, Gross Margin and Market Share (2016-2017)2.5 Kyocera .8 South America Silicon Carbide Ceramics by Countries8.1 South America Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries8.1.1 South America Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales by Countries (2012-2017)8.1.2 South America Silicon Carbide Ceramics Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)8.2 Brazil Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)8.3 Argentina Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)8.4 Columbia Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9 Middle East and Africa Silicon Carbide Ceramics by Countries9.1 Middle East and Africa Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales, Revenue and Market Share by Countries9.1.1 Middle East and Africa Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales by Countries (2012-2017)9.1.2 Middle East and Africa Silicon Carbide Ceramics Revenue by Countries (2012-2017)9.2 Saudi Arabia Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.3 UAE Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.4 Egypt Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.5 Nigeria Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)9.6 South Africa Silicon Carbide Ceramics Sales and Growth (2012-2017)ContinuedBuy now@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.Company Name: Wiseguyreports.comContact Person: Norah TrentEmail: Sales@wiseguyreports.comPhone: +1 646 845 9349, +44 208 133 9349City: PuneState: MaharashtraCountry: IndiaWebsite:
Routers Business Trends That Will Drive Success In 2022

Routers

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/222065-routers-global-market-outlook-trends-forecast-and-opportunity-assessment-2014-2022

www.wiseguyreports.com

The Global Routers Market Research Report provides detailed analysis of the key regional market status of the Routers Industry.The Global Routers market is estimated to be $23.49 billion in 2014 and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 15.18% to reach $72.77 billion by 2022. The key factors that are favoring the market growth are amplified requirement for mobile devices, transfer of data, photos & videos, and other new online services. Constant reserves in telecommunication industry by governments in these regions will further drive the market growth, whereas uncertainty in investments by organizations, unavailability of liquidity and shortage of credit facilities are the factors hindering the growth of global Routers market.Asia-Pacific represents the fastest growing regional market for routers over the forecast period. Service Providers are the best budding end-user segment for routers. Cisco commands a high share across all 3 major router categories such as enterprise, core and edge routers. Cisco maintains a particularly substantial market share in the enterprise router category representing more than 70% market share. Although enterprise routers remain the single largest profit driver for Cisco, the service provider router segment (including both edge and core routers) generates a combined profitability beyond the individual contribution from the enterprise segment.The Global Routers Market is segmented on the basis of type, end user and Geography. On the basis of type, the market is categorized into broadband routers, wireless routers, core routers, edge routers, inter-provider border router, subscriber edge router and others. The market is segregated on the basis of end user into service providers, enterprises and others. Global routers market by geography is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia pacific and Rest of the world.The key players in the Global Routers Market areBelkin International Inc., Brocade Communications Systems Inc., Alcatel Lucent, Cisco Systems Inc., D-Link Systems Inc., Net Gear, Inc., Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Intel Corp, Juniper Networks Inc. and Siemens AG.Sample Copy @What our report offers:- Market share assessments for the regional and country level segments- Market share analysis of the top industry players- Strategic recommendations for the new entrants- Market forecasts for a minimum of 8 years of all the mentioned segments, sub segments and the regional markets- Market Trends (Drivers, Constraints, Opportunities, Threats, Challenges, Investment Opportunities, and recommendations)- Strategic recommendations in key business segments based on the market estimations- Competitive landscaping mapping the key common trends- Company profiling with detailed strategies, financials, and recent developments- Supply chain trends mapping the latest technological advancementsTable Of Content1 Executive Summary2 Preface2.1 Abstract2.2 Research Scope2.3 Research Methodology2.4 Research Sources3 Market Trend Analysis3.1 Introduction3.2 Drivers3.3 Restraints3.4 Opportunities3.5 Threats4 Porters Five Force Analysis4.1 Bargaining power of suppliers4.2 Bargaining power of buyers4.3 Threat of substitutes4.4 Threat of new entrants4.5 Competitive rivalry5 Global Routers Market, By Type,5.1 Introduction5.2 Broadband Routers5.3 Wireless Routers5.4 Core Routers5.5 Edge Routers5.6 Inter-provider Border Router5.7 Subscriber Edge Router5.8 Others9 Company Profiling9.1 Belkin International Inc (USA)9.2 Brocade Communications Systems Inc (USA)9.3 Alcatel Lucent9.4 Cisco Systems Inc (USA)9.5 D-Link Systems Inc (USA)9.6 Net Gear, Inc.(USA)9.7 Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd (China)9.8 Intel Corp (USA)9.9 Juniper Networks Inc (USA)9.10 Siemens AG (Germany)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.Pune, India
Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 2022

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1068595&type=E

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-exploration-and-production-eandp-software-market-size-status-and-forecast-2022.htm

http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=1068595&type=D

http://www.qyresearchreports.com

This report studies the global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software market, analyzes and researches the Exploration and Production (E&P) Software development status and forecast in United States, EU, Japan, China, India and Southeast Asia. This report focuses on the top players in global market, likeParadigmSchlumbergerION GeophysicalETL SolutionsInteractive Network TechnologiesQuorumHalliburtonTriple Point TechnologyFEIFor more info, get a Sample PDF with TOC:Market segment by Regions/Countries, this report coversUnited StatesEUJapanChinaIndiaSoutheast AsiaTable of ContentsGlobal Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size, Status and Forecast 20221 Industry Overview of Exploration and Production (E&P) Software1.1 Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Overview1.1.1 Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Product Scope1.1.2 Market Status and Outlook1.2 Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software 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 Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market by Type1.3.1 Premise Software1.3.2 Cloud-based Software1.3.3 Managed Software1.4 Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market by End Users/Application1.4.1 Oil & Gas1.4.2 Mine & Metallurgy1.4.3 OtherBrowse Market Research Report @2 Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Competition Analysis by Players2.1 Exploration and Production (E&P) Software 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 Paradigm3.1.1 Company Profile3.1.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.1.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.1.4 Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.1.5 Recent Developments3.2 Schlumberger3.2.1 Company Profile3.2.2 Main Business/Business Overview3.2.3 Products, Services and Solutions3.2.4 Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Revenue (Value) (2012-2017)3.2.5 Recent Developments3.3 ION Geophysical4 Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size by Type and Application (2012-2017)4.1 Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size by Type (2012-2017)4.2 Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size by Application (2012-2017)4.3 Potential Application of Exploration and Production (E&P) Software in Future4.4 Top Consumer/End Users of Exploration and Production (E&P) SoftwareEnquiry For Discount Visit @List of Tables and FiguresFigure Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Product ScopeFigure Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) (2012-2017)Table Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure Global Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Share by Regions in 2016Figure United States Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure EU Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure Japan Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure China Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure India Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)Figure Southeast Asia Exploration and Production (E&P) Software Market Size (Million USD) and Growth Rate by Regions (2012-2017)QYReseachReports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations. Reports from QYReseachReports.com feature valuable recommendations on how to navigate in the extremely unpredictable yet highly attractive Chinese market.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-621-2074Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Plating on Plastics Market to cross USD 649 Mn by 2023; Xinpoint, Bolta Werke are major key players

www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/366

www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/366

https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/plating-on-plastics-POP-market

www.gminsights.com/

Global Market Insights Inc. has announced addition of a new research based report on Global plating on plastics (POP) market. The report predicts this market to witness substantial growth and surpass USD 649 Million by 2023.The demand for POP market appears to have come full circle owing to demand for automobiles with bright chrome. Furthermore, ecological concerns have resulted into a boost in the production of more aerodynamic and lighter automobiles.The commercial practice for plating on plastic was originated in 1960s in Europe and North America.Request for sample of this report@Automotive Industry was foremost to implement the plating on plastics (POP) at a large level. In 1990s there was change in the consumer taste trend and it continued till the early 21st century resulting into a lower demand for metal-plated plastic products. Due to this, the auto industry was very influenced with demand for automobiles with less charmed with the gleaming metal finish and bright trim on automobile parts. However, there was sudden shift in consumer trend in E.U and U.S. that had influenced the industry to resurge.Some of the major chapters from this industry report areChapter 5 Plating on Plastics (POP) Plastic Insights5.1 Global POP market volume share by plastic, 2015 & 20235.2 Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS)5.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.2.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.3 Polycarbonate (PC)5.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.3.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.4 ABS/PC5.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.4.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 2023Make an inquiry to purchase this report@5.5 Polyetherimide (PEI)5.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.6 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)5.6.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.6.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.7 Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)5.7.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.7.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.8 Liquid Crystal Polymers (LCP)5.8.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.8.2 L Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.9 Polyether ether ketone (PEEK)5.9.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.9.2 P Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.10 Polypropylene (PP)5.10.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.10.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.11 Nylon5.11.1 Market estimates and forecast , 2012 - 20235.11.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20235.12 Others5.12.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20235.12.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 2023Chapter 6 Plating on Plastics (POP) Application Insights6.1 Global POP market volume share by application, 2015 & 20236.2 Automotive6.2.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20236.2.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20236.3 Domestic fittings6.3.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20236.3.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20236.4 Electrical & Electronics6.4.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20236.4.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 20236.5 Others6.5.1 Market estimates and forecast, 2012 - 20236.5.2 Market estimates and forecast by region, 2012 - 2023Source Report@The report covers competitive landscape of the market. Stringent regulations and REACH guidelines to eradicate usage of hexavalent chromium contributing to environmental hazards are likely to influence industry growth. An innovation by the Dow Chemical Company to develop chromium-free ECOPOSIT etching solution to substitute chromic acid etching used in the pre-treatment of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) and PC-ABS in the POP industry is likely to influence the market. PC/ABS chrome plating industry is anticipated to register growth at 7% in next few years.About Global Market Insights, Inc.:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone:1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:
Capsule Filler Market Grows with Next Generation Technologies

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/capsule-filler-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=15374

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Capsules are popularly prescribed by doctors for treating various conditions amongst the pediatric and geriatric patients. The increasing consumption of capsules is attributable to their ease of administration. The demand for capsules is also expected to be on the rise as the drugs do not disintegrate due to gastric acids and thus enter the small intestine, where they dissolve to perform the desired action. All of these factors are expected to propel the growth of the global capsule filler market, which offers a special type of equipment to manufacture capsules. Against this backdrop, the global capsule filler market is expected to reach a valuation of US$845.1 mn by the end of 2024 as against US$557.2 mn in 2015. Between the forecast years of 2016 and 2024, the global market is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.9%.The growing awareness about leading a healthy lifestyle and ensuring intake of proper nutrition has augmented the demand for nutraceuticals in recent years. As these health supplements sold in the form of capsules, their consumption has had a positive impact on the growing market of capsule filler. Analysts predict that the demand for capsule fillers will continue to be high during the forecast period due to stringent regulations set by various governments to ensure certain standard while filling capsules. Thus, the demand for precision, efficiency, hygiene, and speed have boosted the growth of the overall market.Browse Our Report @On the basis of equipment, the global market is segmented into manual capsule filling equipment, semi-automatic capsule filling equipment, and automatic capsule filling equipment. Of these, the automatic capsule filling equipment segment dominated the global market in 2015. The segment is estimated to retain its stance in the coming years due to the growing need for automation in production processes. Furthermore, automation also eases the process of large-scale production, which has also provided this segment a significant boost.On the basis of material, the global capsule filler market is divided into powder capsule filling equipment, liquid capsule filling equipment, granules capsule filling equipment, and tablet capsule filling equipment. Of these, the powder capsule filling equipment held the largest share in the overall market in 2015. The segment is estimated to continue its dominance as the majority of the medicines are best administered with powder in capsules form.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @In terms of geography, the global capsule filling equipment market is categorized into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. In 2015, North America emerged as the leading geographical segment. This region showed steady growth in the demand for capsule filling equipment due to high consumption of capsules across the region. All throughout the forecast period, the region is expected to retain its dominance as the prescription of capsules continues to be on the upside due to the high prevalence of pulmonary diseases.The key operating players in the global capsule filler market are Qualicaps Inc., Bosch Packaging Technology, and Glenvale Packaging among others. The leading players held a share of over 90% in the overall market in 2015, making the competitive landscape fairly consolidated. These companies are expected to focus on research and development of innovative products in the coming years.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:
Pressure Sensitive Adhesives | Emergence of advanced technologies and global industry analysis

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/psa-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=1448

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

https://cmeindustrytresearchreports.blogspot.in/

Transparency Market Research (TMR) has announced the release of a new research report, titled Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 - 2019. TMR states that the global pressure sensitive adhesives market will display a 5.2% CAGR from 2013 to 2019. If the figures hold true, the market, which had a valuation of US$5.58 billion in 2012, will reach US$7.96 billion by 2019.According to the study, rapid expansion of the electronics and automotive sectors is one of the major factors propelling demand for pressure sensitive adhesives. Increasing pressure from regulatory agencies for low emission, light weight, and better mileage in vehicles is accentuating the demand of lightweight devices for automotive applications, most of which utilize pressure sensitive adhesives. Furthermore, miniaturization of electronic devices will propel the demand for pressure sensitive adhesives from the electronics sector.This 95 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Pressure Sensitive Adhesives market. Browse through 20 data tables and 23 figures to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market@Additionally, growing demand for labeling and packaging applications, which use pressure sensitive adhesives due to the improvement inventory management and cost-effectiveness of packaging materials they bring about, will support growth of the pressure sensitive adhesives market.However, fluctuating prices of crude oil-based feedstock and regulations in place against volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are synthesized from solvent-based pressure sensitive adhesives, will hinder the markets growth.Products, applications, and key regional markets are the main criteria on which the global pressure sensitive devices market is divided. By product type, the market is segmented into hot melt, radiation cured, water-based, and solvent-based.In 2012, water-based pressure sensitive adhesives accounted for the largest share of the market, followed by solvent-based products. Due to discharge of hazardous volatile organic compounds, these products are heavily regulated and are restricted to be used away from populated areas, and thus will lose their strong market share in the coming years.However, hot melt adhesive products are estimated to gain higher application in the construction industry owing to their ease of application and stronger bond strength, thus reducing processing time, state analysts.Radiation-cured pressure adhesives are used in masking tapes that are suitable for sub-zero or extremely high temperatures.The report states that by application, tapes dominated the market and held more than 40% of the market in 2012. Labeling application of pressure sensitive adhesives is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.1% between 2013 and 2019. This is mainly due to higher adoption of RFID labels for improved inventory management. RFID labels offer process efficiency and hence account for almost a quarter of overall label sales in the market. Retail labeling is expected to be the fastest growing application segment of the pressures sensitive adhesives market.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Pressure Sensitive Adhesives market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@Among the regional markets, Asia Pacific registered a share of more than 40% in the global pressure sensitive adhesives market in 2012. North America and Europe, which have mature chemical industries, will not contribute significantly to the growth of the overall market. Strict regulations in place for the chemical industry to develop eco-friendly products will slow the growth of the pressure sensitive adhesives market in these regions.The report segments the global pressure sensitive adhesives market as:Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market  Product Segment AnalysisWater-basedSolvent-basedHot meltRadiation curedPressure Sensitive Adhesives Market  Application AnalysisTapesSpecialtyLabelsGraphicsOthers (Automotive trims, dental adhesives, notepads, etc.)Pressure Sensitive Adhesives Market - Regional AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of the WorldAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Unsaturated Polyester Resin | Technological Advancements, Evolving Industry Trends and Insights

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/asia-pacific-unsaturated-polyester-resin-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=6083

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

https://cmeindustrytresearchreports.blogspot.in/

Transparency Market Research has published a new report titled Unsaturated Polyester Resin Market - Asia Pacific Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2015  2023. According to the report, the Asia Pacific unsaturated polyester resin market was valued at US$ 3.98 Bn in 2014 and is anticipated to reach US$ 7.45 Bn by 2023, expanding at a CAGR of 7.2% between 2015 and 2023.Increasing demand for unsaturated polyester resin in the building & construction industry is one of the key factors driving the market growth in Asia Pacific. Growth in building & construction activities in Southeast Asia, China, and India is projected to chiefly boost industry growth.This 115 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Unsaturated Polyester Resin market. Browse Market Research Report @Furthermore, high demand for composite materials is likely to drive the market for unsaturated polyester resin in this region. Composite materials are primarily consumed in marine, transport, and pipes & tanks. Growth in chemical and maritime industries is likely to drive the unsaturated polyester resin market in Southeast Asia. However, stringent regulations related to styrene and volatile raw material prices are expected to hamper growth of the unsaturated polyester resin market in Asia Pacific. Increasing application scope of unsaturated polyester resin in wind energy and marine industries is likely to open new growth opportunities during the forecast period.In terms of demand, orthophthalic resin was the most widely used product segment, accounting for over 35% share of the unsaturated polyester resin market in Asia Pacific in 2014. This resin is widely consumed in building & construction due to its high tensile strength and fatigue limits. Isophthalic resin held the second-largest share of the unsaturated polyester resin market in Asia Pacific in 2014. Isophthalic resins possess higher strength and resistance as compared to orthophthalic resins and are principally used in automotive and marine industries. However, DCPD resins are projected to be one of the fastest-growing product segments during the forecast period due to high demand from transport and marine industries.Building & construction constituted the largest share of the unsaturated polyester resin market in 2014. Unsaturated polyester resin is chiefly employed in reinforcement, roofing, composites, and concrete. Tanks & pipes accounted for the second-largest share of the unsaturated polyester resin market in Asia Pacific with 20% share in 2014. Artificial stones held the third-largest share of the unsaturated polyester resin market in Asia Pacific in 2014. However, high demand for unsaturated polyester resin in wind energy and marine industries is projected to provide strong growth opportunities during the forecast period. This is due to resistance and hydrolytic stability properties offered by unsaturated polyester resin.China dominated demand for unsaturated polyester resin, accounting for over 55% share of the market in Asia Pacific in 2014. Growth in building & construction coupled with high demand for composite materials has been driving the unsaturated polyester resin market in this country. India held the second-largest share of the unsaturated polyester resin market in Asia Pacific in 2014. Growth in the chemical industry coupled with rise in automotive and marine activities have been primarily boosting growth of the market in India. Countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand are likely to witness upsurge in demand for unsaturated polyester resin due to growth in building & construction and transport industries. Furthermore, significant development in the marine industry in Southeast Asia, especially in pleasure boats and yachts, is estimated to provide lucrative market opportunities in the near future.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Unsaturated Polyester Resin market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@The report provides a comprehensive view of the unsaturated polyester resin market in terms of volume and revenue. It includes current demand analysis and forecast for product segments and end-users in China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Rest of the Asia Pacific. The unsaturated polyester resin market has been divided into the following segments:Unsaturated Polyester Resin Market - Asia Pacific Product Segment AnalysisOrthophthalicIsophthalicDCPDOthers (Including vinyl esters, terephthalic esters, etc.)Unsaturated Polyester Resin Market  Asia Pacific Application AnalysisBuilding & constructionTanks & pipesElectricalMarineTransportArtificial stonesOthers (Including aerospace, wind energy, etc.)Unsaturated Polyester Resin Market  Asia Pacific Country AnalysisChinaIndiaIndonesiaMalaysiaSingaporeThailandRest of Asia PacificAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog :
Global RF-over-Fiber Market Report Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2017

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-rf-over-fiber-market-forecast-to-2022

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011010896/sample

ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global RF-over-Fiber Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022 This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.RF-over-Fiber is a technology that describes the conversion of a Radio Frequency (RF) signal into a Fiber Optic (FO) signal and then back to an RF signal. In RF-over-Fiber architecture, a data-carrying RF (Radio Frequency) signal with a high frequency (usually greater than 10 GHz is imposed on a lightwave signal before being transported over the optical link. Therefore, wireless signals are optically distributed to base stations directly at high frequencies and converted from the optical to electrical domain at the base stations before being amplified and radiated by an antenna. As a result, no frequency up/down conversion is required at the various base stations, thereby resulting in simple and rather cost-effective implementation is enabled at the base stations.This report focuses on the RF-over-Fiber (RFoF) in Global market, especially in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, South America, Middle East and Africa. This report categorizes the market based on manufacturers, regions, type and application.Complete report is available atMarket Segment by Manufacturers, this report coversFinisarHUBER + SUHNERRF OpticEmcoreAPIC CorporationSyntonics LLCDEV SystemtechnikViaLiteFoxcomOptical ZonuPharadFibertowerIntelibsGet a SAMPLE Request atMarket Segment by Regions, regional analysis coversNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)Market Segment by Type, coversReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.Pune:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Algae Market - Global Industry Analysis and Forecast | 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/algae-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=14804

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Algae Market: SnapshotThe global algae market is developing at a gradual pace around the world, with a number of algae oil production facilities yet to be fully commercialized. Growing concerns regarding the emission of greenhouse gases have driven the adoption of renewable energy sources, algae being a prominent one. Apart from a rising demand for algae-based biofuels in road, marine, and aviation applications, the plastics industry has also upped its demand for algae to produce biodegradable plastics.Browse Market Research Report:The global algae market was valued at US$608.0 mn in 2015 and is projected to reach US$1.1 bn by 2024, at a CAGR of 7.39% therein. In terms of volume, the market is poised to expand at a 5.32% CAGR between 2016 and 2024.Low Investment Requirements Drive Adoption of Open Pond Cultivation TechnologyIn terms of cultivation technology, the algae market has been classified into open ponds cultivation technology, raceway ponds cultivation technology, closed photo bio-reactors, and closed fermenter systems. On a global scale, more than 80% of algal biomass is generated through open pond cultivation technology. Open pond cultivation systems require low investment and as a result are utilized on a larger scale.However, in recent years, established players such as Algae Tec and Solazyme, Inc. have been investing more on emerging cultivation technologies such as closed photo bioreactors and fermenter systems for better productivity under the close monitoring of automated systems.Closed photo bio-reactors are an emerging technology used to promote biological growth by controlling environmental parameters such as light. The only disadvantages presented by this technology are high capital costs and long payback periods.Surge in Algae Cultivation in North America a Key Contributing FactorIn terms of geography, the global algae market comprises North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. In 2015, North America led the global algae market. Countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Mexico house more than 135 companies engaged in algae cultivation and this is a key factor driving the algae market in the region. The North America algae market is single-handedly driven by the U.S., constituting around 86.4% of the market by volume and around 87.6% by value in 2016. The U.S. is anticipated to dominate the algae market through 2024 thanks to the expansion of production facilities and efforts to overcome the demand-supply gap. The North America algae market is considerably more mature than other regional markets such as Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and MEA.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Algae market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @Countries in Asia Pacific are focusing on algal biotechnology in wastewater bioremediation and CO2 capture and utilization. Asia Pacific hosts five of the top 10 carbon emitters in the world India, China, Japan, Indonesia, and Iran  who contribute to more than 40% of the global emissions. Strong movements are under way to fully commercialize the production of biofuels from algae. Currently, more than 50% of the algae produced through various cultivation technologies are utilized in DHA production to manufacture chemical components for medicines, health foods, cosmetics, and food additives.Key players in the global algae market include Algae Tec, Pond Biofuels Incorporated, LiveFuels, Inc., Algae Systems LLC, Sapphire Energy, Inc., Solazyme, Inc., Diversified Energy Corporation, Algenol, Kai BioEnergy Corp., Algix, DSM Nutritional Products, Dao Energy, LLC, Phycal LLC, and Kent BioEnergy Corporation.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.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:
Ceramic Tiles Market Analysis by Global Segments, Growth, Size and Forecast 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ceramic-tiles-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=1688

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/

Global Ceramic Tiles Market: SnapshotThe global ceramic tiles market is prophesied to be privileged with a heightened demand across several regions of the world on account of a noteworthy upturn in construction activities due to rising urbanization. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and various other economies such as Brazil and Turkey are anticipated to testify an extensive propulsion in the sale of ceramic tiles. In the next few years, the demand for ceramic tiles could escalate tellingly as a result of consumers gaining more aesthetical consciousness and witnessing an upward thrust in the increase of their disposable income.Browse Market Research Report:Improving at a CAGR of 9.80% between 2016 and 2024, the market is well poised to attain a revenue valuation of US$178.1 bn by the end of 2024. In 2015, a revenue valuation of US$76.81 bn was recorded.Floor Tiles Make Cut with Myriad of Residential, Commercial, Industrial ApplicationsAccording to an expert analysis of the world ceramic tiles market, vendors could cash in on the lucrative business of various products such as roofing tiles, ceiling tiles, wall tiles, and floor tiles. However, amongst these, floor tiles are predicted to receive a strong impetus in their demand throughout the forecast period. Out of the overall consumption volume of ceramic tiles in 2015, floor tiles had secured a dominating share.A broad range of flooring applications from residential to commercial and industrial is prognosticated to set the tone for a reliable growth in the world ceramic tiles market. Airports, railway stations, and other transport infrastructures besides educational institutes and hospitals require floor tiles at a consistent rate. As a result, the demand for floor tiles could stay higher in the foreseeable future.Asia Pacific Clings to Overriding Consumption Rate to Top MarketIn the present scenario, Asia Pacific is reported to secure a significant consumption rate for ceramic tiles. In 2015, the region had accounted for a colossal share of 65.6% in the overall ceramic tiles market. Bankable markets such as India, China, and South Korea are expected to draw an enormous demand for ceramic tiles owing to a rapid rise in urbanization leading to increased construction activities. Furthermore, this trend could continue until the next few years.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Ceramic Tiles market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @The construction sector in Asia Pacific could paint a lucrative outlook for the regional ceramic tiles market. A host of market opportunities are projected to take shape in the region as the demand continues to see a rise. Industry players operating in Asia Pacific could leverage the boost in consumption because of the shift in preference from metal slabs, marble floors, and other decorative offerings to ceramic tiles.Apart from Asia Pacific, the international ceramic tiles market is forecasted to find North America, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa as key geographies to count on. In 2015, Europe had followed Asia Pacific in terms of consumption around the globe. The region is envisaged to benefit from a sudden increase in residential replacement activities. The demand for ceramic tiles in the region could be augmented further as the trend continues to prevail over the course of the forecast period.The worldwide ceramic tiles market is envisioned to demonstrate a highly fragmented nature in the near future. In 2015, five leading companies, i.e. Lamosa Grupo, Siam Cement Group, Ras Al Khaimah Ceramics, Mohawk Industries Inc., and Kajaria Ceramics, had raised a paltry share of 7.7% in the overall market. Some of the other top manufacturers operating in the market are Saloni Ceramics, China Ceramics Co. Ltd., Ceramiche Atlas Concorde S.P.A, Florida Tile, Inc., and Crossville 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.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:
Ferroelectric RAM Market Trends and Forecast By 2023

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/ferroelectric-ram-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=12194

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Ferroelectric random access memory (RAM), also called as FRAM, is a random access memory that combines the features of dynamic RAM (DRAM) with read-only memory (ROM) and flash memory. FRAM offers fast read and write access along with the ability to retain data even after the power supply is turned off.As against DRAM, FRAM uses a ferroelectric layer for its fabrication instead of a dielectric layer. Although the construction of FRAM is similar to that of DRAM, unlike DRAM, FRAM is non-volatile in nature. Thus, FRAM provides functionality similar to conventional flash memories.FRAM offers various advantages over DRAM, static RAM (SRAM) and other non-volatile memories. Some of the advantages include lower power requirement, faster read and write operations and high number of write and erase cycles. The FRAM requires power only when writing or reading a cell and requires no power during its idle state.Obtain Report Details:Moreover, unlike the flash memories, FRAM does not require refresh process and are capable of completing a write process in much less time cycle. Since FRAM are faster than flash memories, these are expected to replace other technologies such as electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) and SRAM in wireless applications.Global Ferroelectric RAM Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe major driving factor for the ferroelectric RAM market is its advantages over other conventional memory technologies. Moreover, due to increasing developments in the electronic handheld devices, FRAM is expected to witness healthy demand in near future. Rising demand for fast memory operations in security systems and smart card applications is another factor contributing to the demand for ferroelectric RAM.Furthermore, ferroelectric RAM is an emerging technology and is expected to have huge potential owing to its advantages over conventional memories. Thus, vendors in the ferroelectric RAM market are increasingly investing in research and development (R&D) of ferroelectric RAM.This is expected to boost the FRAM market growth significantly in near future. Also, due to its fast operations, FRAM is likely to be used widely in data storage applications and other applications such as wireless sensors deployment.However, low density of FRAM as compared to the conventional volatile as well as non-volatile memories is a significant aspect that may hamper the growth of the ferroelectric RAM market. The storage capacity of ferroelectric RAM is much lower as against that of conventional memory. Thus, these memories are majorly used where speed of operation is more important than the data storage requirement.Global Ferroelectric RAM Market: Segmentation and Regional DynamicsFerroelectric RAM market can be segmented based on the applications, device types and geographic regions.FRAMs are used in security systems, energy meters, smart card applications, access control applications, sensor networks and others. FRAM is widely used in wireless applications and wireless sensors applications due to their high power efficiency.This report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Ferroelectric RAM Market. Browse through to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market:FRAM are used in various devices such as computer desktops, laptops, mobile devices, meters, personal digital assistant (PDA) and other handheld devices. On the basis of geography, the ferroelectric RAM market is segmented as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW).Some of the key players in the ferroelectric RAM market are Cypress Semiconductor Corporations, Texas Instruments Inc., International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Infineon Technologies Inc., LAPIS Semiconductor Co. Ltd. and Fujitsu Ltd. Fujitsu Ltd. was the first semiconductor manufacturer to build embedded ferroelectric RAM.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.About TMRTransparency 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 TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Marine Hybrid Propulsion Market SWOT Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecasts To 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/marine-hybrid-propulsion-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=3911

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

In order to gain competitive edge, prominent players in the global marine hybrid propulsion market are investing in various research and development activities. This is a major factor motivating manufacturing companies to achieve product differentiation, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. As per reports, conventional hybrid propulsion manufacturing companies have continued designing hybrid propulsion for tugs and yachts. In addition, a majority of existing firms are concentrated in Europe, as the region boasts a sophisticated marine infrastructure.Despite prevailing competition, companies such as Caterpillar, Inc., and General Electric have established themselves as strong market players. These companies enjoy being at the fore on account of their wide presence across the world and diverse product portfolio. As expansion strategies, mergers and acquiring established regional firms have emerged as popular choice for companies. Also energy-efficient solutions offered by companies such as Siemens AG and BAE Systems have helped them earn considerable boost.View Report @Overall, the global marine hybrid propulsion market is forecast to exhibit a CAGR of 8.2% between 2016 and 2024. At this pace, the markets valuation will reach US$5.25 bn by the end of 2024, from US$2.65 bn in 2015. By configuration, diesel-electric systems held dominance with a share of 53.3% in the overall market in 2015. These systems are easy to configure and install, which fuels their demand in the market. Regionally, Europe held the dominant share of 34.60% in the global market in 2015. While the region is forecast to remain lead through the forecast period, soon demand from Asia Pacific will surge, steering shift in focus from Europe to emerging markets.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Marine Hybrid Propulsion Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Marine Hybrid Propulsion Systems to Rank Higher on Account of their Fuel EfficiencyThe marine industry is exploring systems ranking high on fuel-efficiency. Indigenous diesel mechanical propulsion systems usually consume the entire volume of installed power to function on a high power operating mode. Contrary to this, marine hybrid propulsion systems are connected to energy storage systems. The paradigm shift from fuel-based conventional systems to marine hybrid propulsion systems is thus steered by the latters fuel efficiency and cost-effectiveness. With an increasing number of ship operators opting for renewable energy over conventional fuel at a storage option, the demand for marine hybrid propulsion systems is poised to surge further in the coming years, said a lead TMR analyst.Furthermore, government across the globe have been proactively aiming towards minimizing carbon emission. Stringent regulations implemented in this regard will fuel the installation of hybrid propulsion systems in the marine sector.Volatility in Crude Oil Prices to Remain a Major ConcernOn the downside, the market is still reeling under the volatility of crude oil prices. However, this ongoing price fluctuation has steered the switch from diesel to LNG as the fuel used in propulsion. Furthermore, the relatively low price of natural gas and LNG than conventional fuel in Europe and North America has attracted huge investments in the LNG bunkering infrastructure of these regions. Besides this, the shift from high-carbon to low-carbon emission systems in the marine sector will give considerable impetus to the global marine hybrid propulsion market. Also strict sulfur regulations around ports in Singapore will impel the industry adopt more fuel-efficient technologies, thus giving the market significant impetus.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:
Traction Equipment Market 2016 Share, Trend, Segmentation and Forecast to 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/traction-equipment-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=13115

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Demand for traction equipment is increasing globally. The major factor driving this growth is increasing demand for efficient railway transportation. Due to the rapid increase in freight and passenger traffic, countries around the world are trying to develop and modernize their railway networks. Rising populations and growing economies have created demand for mass transportation. Many countries, such as China and Spain, are rapidly developing their high-speed rail networks. While countries such as India and the U.S. focus on increasing the electrified lines in their network, others, such as Brazil, Germany, and the U.K., are focusing on modernizing their aging fleets. Traction systems are used to pull or draw vehicles (i.e., they act as propulsion systems for trains). Hence with the increasing presence of locomotive and electrified rail lines, the traction equipment market will also expand during the forecast period. Asia Pacific occupied the largest share of the traction equipment market in 2015, closely followed by Europe.View Report @This report by Transparency Market Research analyzes, estimates, and forecasts demand for traction equipment on the global and regional level for an eight-year period from 2016 to 2024 in terms of volume and cumulative revenue. The study also provides information on restraints, drivers, and opportunities along with their impact on the overall market during the forecast period. The report segments the market on the basis of equipment type and region and provides estimates and forecast of the traction equipment market for each segment.The study analyzes the product value chain, from raw material suppliers to end-users. Additionally, it contains an evaluation of the market along the Porters Five Forces model, which analyzes the degree of competition in the market by considering factors such as the bargaining power of buyers and suppliers, threats from substitute products and new entrants. The report also includes a market attractiveness analysis for the traction equipment market on the basis of regions. The report includes a detailed competitive landscape of the traction equipment market including company market share analysis and the profiles of key market participants.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Traction Equipment Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.The report provides a comprehensive view of the traction equipment market by segmenting the market along the lines of equipment type and geography. The equipment type segment comprises the traction transformer, traction motor, and traction converter sub-segments. The traction system is the primary driving force of locomotives. In railway systems, it is supplemented by equipment such as controllers, rectifiers, blowers, compressors, and other auxiliary systems. Traction motors are widely used in all types of locomotives. Transformers and converters are also used in the electrification of railway lines. The requirement of traction motors, traction transformers, and traction convertors differs depending upon the type of locomotive, electrification system, and terrain suitability.The traction equipment market has been segmented on the basis of geography into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of the World. The Rest of the World segment includes Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa. Demand for each type of traction equipment in terms of volume and cumulative revenue for each of these regions has been forecast in the report for the period from 2016 to 2024. The report also contains detailed analysis of some major countries in the traction equipment market, such as the U.S., China, India, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and Russia.Leading manufacturers profiled in the report include ABB Ltd., Alstom SA, American Traction Systems, Bombardier Inc., Caterpillar Inc., Crompton Greaves Limited, Siemens AG, General Electric Company, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, VEM Group, Toshiba International Corporation, and TTM Rail - Transtech Melbourne Pty Ltd. These companies have been profiled in detail with features such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, employee strength, and recent developments.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:
Hearing Amplifiers Market 2017-By Facilitate Decision Making on the Basis of Historic and Forecasts Data 2017

Hearing Amplifiers Market

https://www.wiseguyreports.com/sample-request/1940182-global-hearing-amplifiers-sales-market-report-2017

SUMMARYWiseGuyReports published new report, titled Hearing Amplifiers- Market: Sales Market.In this report, the global Hearing Amplifiers 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 Hearing Amplifiers for these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringUnited StatesChinaEuropeJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGET SAMPLE REPORT @Global Hearing Amplifiers market competition by top manufacturers/players, with Hearing Amplifiers sales volume, Price (USD/Unit), revenue (Million USD) and market share for each manufacturer/player; the top players includingSamsung ElectronicsStarkey Hearing TechnologiesEtymotic ResearchSo Special LabsSoundhawk CorporationNuhearaBragiFocus EariHear MedicalIntriConOnsemiSongbird HearingEarlens CorporationDopplerLabsMotorola MobilityEarGOSivantos Inc.ShenzhenEnJoYou ElectronicsOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoOn-the-EarIn-the-EarOn 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 Hearing Amplifiers for each application, includingHearing Impaired PatientsThe ElderlyOtherIf you have any special requirements, please let us know and we will offer you the report as you want.Table of ContentsGlobal Hearing Amplifiers Sales Market Report 20171 Hearing Amplifiers Market Overview2 Global Hearing Amplifiers Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application3 United States Hearing Amplifiers (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4 China Hearing Amplifiers (Volume, Value and Sales Price)5 Europe Hearing Amplifiers (Volume, Value and Sales Price)6 Japan Hearing Amplifiers (Volume, Value and Sales Price)7 Southeast Asia Hearing Amplifiers (Volume, Value and Sales Price)8 India Hearing Amplifiers (Volume, Value and Sales Price)9 Global Hearing Amplifiers Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data10 Hearing Amplifiers Maufacturing Cost Analysis11 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers12 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders13 Market Effect Factors Analysis14 Global Hearing Amplifiers Market Forecast (2017-2022)15 Research Findings and Conclusion16 Appendix...CONTINUEDContact 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 moreWISE GUY RESEARCH CONSULTANTS PVT. LTD.Office No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, HadapsarPune  411028Maharashtra, India
Global Airport Stands Equipments Market by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-airport-stands-equipments-market-research-report-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011000418/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011000418/discount

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW00011000418/buy/2900

Report provides an in-depth insight of Global Airport Stands Equipments Industry covering all important parameters including development trends, challenges, opportunities, key manufacturers and competitive analysis.This report studies Airport Stands Equipments 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 2017, and forecast to 2022.View complete report atGeographically, this report is segmented into several key Regions, with production, consumption, revenue (million USD), market share and growth rate of Airport Stands Equipments in these regions, from 2012 to 2022 (forecast), coveringNorth AmericaEuropeChinaJapanSoutheast AsiaIndiaGlobal Airport Stands Equipments market competition by top manufacturers, with production, price, revenue (value) and market share for each manufacturer; the top players includingJohn Bean TechnologiesMallaghanThyssenkrupp Airport SystemsTUG TechnologiesAero SpecialtiesAerotechSinepowerTrepelAMSSDenge Airport EquipmentRequest sample copy atOn the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoStand Entry Guidance SystemElectrical Ground Power UnitPreconditioned Air UnitAir BridgeOn 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 Airport Stands Equipments for each application, includingMilitaryCivilianList of Tables and Figures1 Airport Stands Equipments Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Airport Stands Equipments1.2 Airport Stands Equipments Segment by Sensors1.3 Airport Stands Equipments Segment by Interface1.4 Airport Stands Equipments Segment by Capacity1.5 Global Airport Stands Equipments Segment by Application1.6 Global Airport Stands Equipments Market by Region (2012-2022)1.7 Global Market Size (Value) of Airport Stands Equipments (2012-2022)2 Global Airport Stands Equipments Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity, Production and Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Airport Stands Equipments2.3 Global Airport Stands Equipments Average Price by Manufacturers (2012-2017)2.4 Manufacturers Airport Stands Equipments Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Airport Stands Equipments Market Competitive Situation and Trends3 Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity, Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Airport Stands Equipments Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Airport Stands Equipments Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)4 Global Airport Stands Equipments Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Region (2012-2017)4.1 Global Airport Stands Equipments Consumption by Region (2012-2017)5 Global Airport Stands Equipments Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Airport Stands Equipments Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Airport Stands Equipments Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Airport Stands Equipments Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Airport Stands Equipments Production Growth by Type (2012-2017) 6 Global 2012-2017EInquire for discount atList of Tables and FiguresFigure Global Airport Stands Equipments Production (K Units) and CAGR (%) Comparison by Types (Product Category) (2012-2022)Figure Global Airport Stands Equipments Production Market Share by Types (Product Category) in 2016Figure Product Picture of Analog Airport Stands EquipmentsTable Major Manufacturers of Analog Airport Stands EquipmentsFigure Product Picture of Digital Airport Stands EquipmentsTable Major Manufacturers of Digital Airport Stands EquipmentsFigure Global Airport Stands Equipments Consumption (K Units) by Applications (2012-2022)Figure Global Airport Stands Equipments Market Size (Million USD), Comparison (K Units) and CAGR (%) by Regions (2012-2022)Figure Global Airport Stands Equipments Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity (K Units), Production Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Airport Stands Equipments Major Players Product Capacity (2012-2017)Table Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Figure Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2016Figure Global Airport Stands Equipments Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2017Figure 2016 Production Market Share of Airport Stands Equipments by TypeTable Global Airport Stands Equipments Revenue (Million USD) by Type (2012-2017)Table Global Airport Stands Equipments Revenue Share by Type (2012-2017)Purchase this report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Global Automotive Exterior Sealing System Industry Report Emerging Trends and Forecast 2017

Reportsweb

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001923751/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/global-automotive-exterior-sealing-system-industry-market-research-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW0001923751/discount

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW0001923751/buy/2600

ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the Global Automotive Exterior Sealing System Industry Market Research 2017 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specification.In this report, we analyze the Automotive Exterior Sealing System industry from two aspects. One part is about its production and the other part is about its consumption. In terms of its production, we analyze the production, revenue, gross margin of its main manufacturers and the unit price that they offer in different regions from 2012 to 2017. In terms of its consumption, we analyze the consumption volume, consumption value, sale price, import and export in different regions from 2012 to 2017. We also make a prediction of its production and consumption in coming 2017-2022.Request a Sample atAt the same time, we classify different Automotive Exterior Sealing System based on their definitions. Upstream raw materials, equipment and downstream consumers analysis is also carried out. What is more, the Automotive Exterior Sealing System industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.Browse Complete ReportMajor Points of this report:1. To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast of the various segments and sub-segments of the global Automotive Exterior Sealing System market.2. To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth. To analyze the Automotive Exterior Sealing System market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porte five force analysis etc.3. 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.4. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective.5. To provide country level analysis of the market for segment by application, product type and sub-segments.6. To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market.7. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the global Automotive Exterior Sealing System market.Get discount on report purchase atKey Point from Table of Contents:1 Industry Overview of Automotive Exterior Sealing System1.1 Brief Introduction of Automotive Exterior Sealing System2 Industry Chain Analysis of Automotive Exterior Sealing System3 Manufacturing Technology of Automotive Exterior Sealing System3.1 Development of Automotive Exterior Sealing System Manufacturing Technology4Major Manufacturers Analysis of Automotive Exterior Sealing System5 Global Production, Revenue and Price Analysis of Automotive Exterior Sealing System by Regions, Manufacturers, Types and Applications5.1 Global Production, Revenue of Automotive Exterior Sealing System by Regions 2012-20176 Global and Major Regions Capacity, Production, Revenue and Growth Rate of Automotive Exterior Sealing System 2012-20177 Consumption Volume, Consumption Value, Import, Export and Sale Price Analysis of AUTOMOTIVE EXTERIOR SEALING SYSTEM by Regions 20178 Gross and Gross Margin Analysis of Automotive Exterior Sealing System9 Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Automotive Exterior Sealing System10 Global and Chinese Economic Impact on Automotive Exterior Sealing System Industry10.1 Global and Chinese Macroeconomic Environment Analysis11 Development Trend Analysis of Automotive Exterior Sealing System 12 Contact information of AUTOMOTIVE EXTERIOR SEALING SYSTEM13 New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Automotive Exterior Sealing System14 Conclusion of the Global Automotive Exterior Sealing System Industry 2017 Market Research ReportPurchase Complete Report atReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. The market research industry has changed in last decade. As corporate focus has shifted to niche markets and emerging countries, a number of publishers have stepped in to fulfil these information needs. We have experienced and trained staff that helps you navigate different options and lets you choose best research solution at most effective cost.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Graphene Wafers Market Grows with Next Generation Technologies

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/graphene-wafers-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=15044

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Graphene was isolated for the first time in 2004 and is a two dimensional (2D) allotrope of carbon. It was isolated at the University of Manchester, United Kingdom (U.K.). Graphene has very unique properties, such as light weight, high strength, and is also a good conductor of heat and electricity. Such versatile features of graphene have led scientists to explore possibilities of its application in numerous fields. Since the moment of its discovery, graphene is being researched upon for developing advanced electronic devices and their components, having better features and efficiency. Graphene can be expected to be used in conjunction with other materials, such as tantalum (IV) sulfide, carbon nanotubes and boron nitride among others, or solely to develop advanced electronic devices. Graphene field effect transistors (GFETs), graphene based biosensors and graphene based batteries and ultracapacitors has shown promising results during testing and has also been seen growing applications.The market for graphene wafers is a very niche market, as of 2015. However, growing interest in graphene based electronics has been fuelling the demand for graphene wafers across North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The versatile nature of graphene has led to increase in various academic, sponsored and industrial researches, and is the primary driver for this market. Several advancements in graphene wafer production techniques have also boosted the research on graphene electronics since better quality of graphene wafers is being produced through these new methods. Variations of Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technique is primarily used for producing graphene wafers used in electronic devices.Browse Our Report @Universities such as Sungkyunkwan University and University of Manchester among others are involved in performing research for developing graphene wafer based electronic devices. Often they are funded by electronic device makers for undertaking such research. However, certain properties of graphene, lack of homogeneity in wafer quality and availability of lower priced substitutes have been hindering the growth of this market. Some companies are experimenting with silver nanowire, such as Blue Nano and Cambrios, while others are experimenting with conducting polymers. These alternative materials are likely to restrain the graphene wafers market.By substrate type, the global graphene wafers market can be segmented into quartz, Silicon-dioxide/silicon (SiO2/Si) and others. Silicon-dioxide/silicon (SiO2/Si) was the largest segment in 2015 and can be expected to retain the top position in 2024. By end-use, the graphene wafers market is segmented into research, semiconductor & electronics and others. Research was the largest segment in 2015, due to the various graphene based research activities been undertaken globally. Research is further segmented into academic research and others. The global graphene wafers market has been further segmented into four regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC) and Rest of the World (RoW). By revenue, North America was the largest region in 2015. Increasing research activities and relative ease of procuring required graphene wafers are the primary driving factors in this region.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @Europe held the second largest market share, followed by APAC. The graphene wafers market in Europe is primarily driven by various research activities conducted in countries such as Spain, Germany and U.K. among others. Additionally, the Graphene Flagship program of European Union (EU) has also promoted the growth in research activities in this region. The APAC region can be expected to have second largest market share by 2024, owing to the growing interest on graphene wafers among academic researchers and semiconductor manufacturing companies. RoW had relatively negligible market share in 2015, of the graphene wafers market.The key companies leading the graphene wafers market globally are Some of the leading players in the market are Graphene Frontiers (U.S.), Haydale (U.K.), BGT Materials, Ltd. (U.S.), Graphene Laboratories, Inc. (U.S.), Graphene Square (South Korea), Graphenea S.A. (Spain), Graphenesic (Sweden), Grafoid, Inc. (Canada), Amo GmbH (Germany), and XG Sciences (U.S.) among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Quantum Cascade Lasers Market to Grow at a Remarkable Pace in the Coming Years

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/quantum-cascade-lasers-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=23564

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Quantum cascade lasers were first demonstrated in 1994 by Bell Labs Team. Quantum cascade lasers are used as a semiconductor lasers which offer peak emission in the mid-IR range. This quantum cascade lasers finds in mainly application of chemical physics such as research on helium droplets, in matrix isolation infrared photochemistry and in population pumping. Various quantum cascade laser manufactures are now focusing on the design for operating wavelengths ranging from a few microns to well above 10 m. In recent trends, a number of applications have been catered by medium- IR quantum cascade lasers. Additionally, powerful mid-infrared (IR) quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) have been developed and commercialized recently for various semiconductor application. The Quantum Cascade Lasers market is predicted to witness a steady growth during the projection period from 2017 to 2025.Global Quantum Cascade Lasers market has been segmented on the basis of packaging type, operation mode, fabrication technology, end use industry and geography. On the basis of packaging type, global Quantum Cascade Lasers market has been fragmented into C-Mount Packaging, HHL and VHL Packaging, To3 Packaging. According to industry-standard, one-tab C-mount package provides good thermal contact and easy to mount, making it an ideal choice for high-power and OEM applications.Browse Our Report @Extensive utilization of C-Mount packaging across various application segments especially in gas and plasma diagnostics and environmental analysis is predicted to boost the Quantum Cascade Lasers market growth in the coming years. In addition, global Quantum Cascade Lasers market is classified on the basis of operating mode into continuous wave and pulsed. In terms of fabrication technology, global quantum cascade lasers market has been segmented into fabryperot, distributed feedback and tunable external cavities. Additionally, global Quantum Cascade Lasers market has been segmented on the basis of end use industry into telecommunication, industrial, aerospace and defense and medical among others. Major application for Quantum Cascade Lasers is stand-off explosives detection in defense industry. Across the globe, various researchers are now focusing to determine the goal of discriminating and nano-gram quantities of several explosives at distances up to fifty meter. This is expected to increase the demand of Quantum Cascade Lasers Market in coming years. The quantum cascade laser has been used in many novel biological and medical applications to detect noninvasive blood glucose monitoring solution in recent year.This in turn is predicted to drive the demand of global Quantum Cascade Laser market during the forecast period from 2017- 2025. Across the globe, owing to significant economic development in quantum cascade laser usage in free-space communication and multiple gas sensing technique is expected to create a better opportunity for quantum cascade lasers. This is expected to create better opportunity for the Quantum Cascade Laser market in coming years. On the flip side, lack of commercialization and requirement of skilled labor force to develop quantum cascade lasers products is likely to affect the installation of quantum cascade lasers across various end use industries. However, high cost of quantum cascade lasers and higher installation are also hindering the demand of the Quantum Cascade Lasers market during the forecast period.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @Geographically, global Quantum Cascade Lasers market has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific (APAC), Middle- East and Africa (MEA), Latin America. In 2016, North America held the largest share of the Quantum Cascade Lasers market due to the high technological adoption of QCLs in military and defense, industrial and medical among others industries in the area. Asia Pacific is estimated to be the second largest market for Quantum Cascade Lasers market currently, followed by Europe. Furthermore, in Asia Pacific region owing to industrially developing economies in China and India is enhancing the demand for Global Quantum Cascade Lasers market.The key players operational in the global Quantum Cascade Lasers market includes Wavelength Electronics, Inc. (US), Block Engineering, Inc. (US), Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (Japan), Thorlabs, Inc. (US), mirSense (France), Alpes lasers SA (Switzerland), AdTech Optics (US), Pranalytica Inc. (US), Technologies GmbH (Germany) and AKELA Laser Corporation (US) among others.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR Syndicated Research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemical, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, our syndicated reports thrive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Polarization Rotator Market to Grow at a Remarkable Pace in the Coming Years

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/polarization-rotator-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=22853

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

A polarization rotator is an ocular device that has the ability to rotate the polarization axis of a rectilinearly polarized light ray or beam into an angle of choice. These devices can be created on the basis of Faraday Effect, total internal reflection or on birefringence. Polarization rotators have found extensive uses in contemporary optics as laser beams are usually linearly polarized and rotating the polarization is necessary to meet the growing demand. Polarization rotators works on the principle of Optical activity, which occurs naturally to quartz crystal as well as other materials that show enantiomorphism properties. The phenomenon is triggered by crystal lattice structure of the material, which lacks mirror-like symmetry owing to the orientation of the helicoidal chains of SiO4. Based on chain rotation route, there is left and right quartz which rotates polarization counter-clockwise or clockwise correspondingly. Polarization rotators are usually c-cut so that the rotation of polarization take place independently of the components rotation around axis, thereby making the component alignment-insensitive. The solitary obligation that remains is that the incident beam should necessarily be perpendicular to rotators slit. The device can be used as a replacement for waveplate, to be used along with the narrow band lasers.Polarization rotators are widely used in variety of industries. With the advent of technology especially in the fields of astronomy, electronics, and communication and radar applications, the use of polarization rotators will increase at a substantial pace over the course of the market share. All radio transmitting and receiving antennas are intrinsically polarized, special use of which is mode in radar. Vertical polarization is most often used when it is desired to radiate a radio signal in all directions such as widely distributed mobile units. Increase in demand for communication devices as well as electronics products will augment the global polarization rotator market.Browse Our Report @The market for polarization rotator can be segmented on the basis of type, orientation, application, and geography. By aperture size the market is divided into industrial grade polarization rotator, scientific grade polarization rotator, and custom polarization rotator. Scientific grade polarization rotator accounted for the maximum share of the market owing to their wide usage in various applications such as interferometry and metrology among others. By orientation the market is classified into 45o and 90o. Among these the 90o owing to its extensive usage in laptops, computers and cameras. When a 90o twisted cell is placed between crossed polarizers, the orientation can be utilized as a shutter as well. On the basis of application, the market can be segregated into astronomy, communication and radar, material science, navigation, and others. The communication and radar application segment held the maximum market share of the global polarization radar market. Satellite communication as well as AM and FM uses polarization for effective communication. Increase in demand for communication systems will drive the overall polarization rotator market in the coming years.In terms of geography, the polarization rotator market can be segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America. Currently, the North America market accounted for the maximum share in the global market. The U.S. was responsible for a significant market share due to the presence of many prominent players operating in the industry. Moreover, technological as well as astronomical advancements in the region has propelled the overall market for polarization rotator market and is likely to drive the market during the forecast period.Brochure With Latest Advancements With Application @The key players in the global polarization rotator market are Arcoptix S.A (Switzerland), Meadowlark Optics, Inc. (U.S.), Newport Corporation (U.S.), and UAB ALTECHNA (Lithuania). Some of the other players operating in the market are LC-Tec Displays AB (Sweden), Oz Optics Ltd. (Canada), Keysight Technologies, Inc. (U.S.), and Valuetronics International, Inc. (U.S.).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. 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:
2017 Hairbrush sales Market Report for period 2017 till 2022 Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers AMason Pearson, Braun, Goody,Philip B and Others

Hairbrush sales

https://goo.gl/gcY2EB

https://goo.gl/gcY2EB

http://marketreportscompany.com

Global Hairbrush sales Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely AMason Pearson, Braun, Goody, Tangle Teezer, Kent Knot, Philip B, Paul Mitchell, and others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2022 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Hairbrush sales are designed for the safe, gentle, and efficient handling of dry, bulk materials. This unique, totally enclosed belt conveyor design contains dust and spilled material and automatically reloads that material back on to the belt. An enclosed belt conveyor offers many benefits, in terms of protecting grain quality, eliminating dust emissions, and improved sanitation. It also offers longer machine life, requires less power and maintenance, and improves facility safety.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Hairbrush sales Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Mason PearsonBraunGoodyTangle TeezerKentKnot GenieIbizaYS ParkPhilip BPaul MitchellJanekeThe Wet BrushAcca KappaGHDConairAerinAir MotionDenmanCarpenter TanMaggieOthersHairbrush sales Market: Key Product TypeRollerWood MaterialsPlastic MaterialsOx HornOthersHairbrush sales Market: Key ApplicationHome UseBarbershopOthersHairbrush sales Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)The Hairbrush sales Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Hairbrush sales Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Hairbrush sales Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Hairbrush sales Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Business week, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
2017 Solar Shading Systems Market Report for period 2017 till 2022 Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Hunter Douglas, Lutron, Kawneer, Warema, Draper, EFCO Corporation and Others

Solar Shading Systems

https://goo.gl/hnMJHD

https://goo.gl/hnMJHD

http://marketreportscompany.com

2017 Solar Shading Systems Market Report for period 2017 till 2022 Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Hunter Douglas, Lutron, Kawneer, Warema, Draper, EFCO Corporation and OthersGlobal Solar Shading Systems Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Hunter Douglas, Lutron, Kawneer, Warema, Draper, EFCO Corporation, QMotion, Rainier Industries, C/S Corporate, Unicel Architectural, Skyco, Levolux, Perfection Architectural Systems, Insolroll, Altex Louvolite, and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2022 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Solar Shading Systems Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:Hunter DouglasLutronKawneerWaremaDraperEFCO CorporationQMotionRainier IndustriesC/S CorporateUnicel ArchitecturalSkycoLevoluxPerfection Architectural SystemsInsolrollAltexLouvoliteOthersSolar Shading Systems Market: Key Product TypeFabric Solar Shading SystemsAluminum Solar Shading SystemsSolar Shading Systems Market: Key ApplicationPublic Building Shade SystemsResidential Building Shade FacilitiesSolar Shading Systems Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)The Solar Shading Systems Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Solar Shading Systems Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Solar Shading Systems Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @Solar Shading Systems Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Pulmonary Drugs Market | Industry Outlook, Growth Prospects, Key Opportunities, Trends And Forecast 2024

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/pulmonary-drugs-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=16751

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Pulmonary Drugs Market: SnapshotThe global pulmonary drugs market has been the key area of focus and the most crucial market for the healthcare industry in the last couple of years. However, the market is expected to witness a significant decline over the forecast period with a -6.3% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. The market is anticipated to fall to US$28,082.1 mn from a valuation of US$48,039.7 mn in 2015. Keeping aside the tremendous fall of the global pulmonary drugs market, it has been expected that the market will find growth prospects from the growing number of respiratory diseases and the fact that they are becoming the leading cause of deaths across the globe at present, especially among the aged population.According to the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects over 200 million people across the globe and is also one of the leading causes of death globally. On the other, over 235 million people across the globe suffer from asthma. Owing to these alarming statistics, the consumption of pulmonary drugs is likely to gain momentum, thus providing growth opportunities to the market in spite of the negative CAGR. Pulmonary drugs are also being employed for the treatment of conditions such as cystic fibrosis, respiration-related disorders, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and allergic rhinitis. The launch of many effective and innovative drugs in the global market for pulmonary drugs is also anticipated to have a positive impact on the growth of the market in the coming years.This exhaustive report includes a 360 view of the Pulmonary Drugs Market. Browse through this 196-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2016-2024Global Pulmonary Drugs Market: Key PlayersSome of the leading players in the market are Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Merck & Co., Inc, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., GlaxoSmithKline plc, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Bayer AG, Novartis AG, AstraZeneca plc, and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.Medical Professionals to Prefer Combination Drugs among All OthersBased on drug classes, the global market for pulmonary drugs is classified into combination drugs, anticholinergics, short acting beta2-agonists, vasodilators, antihistamines, long-acting beta2-agonists, and inhaled corticosteroids, and others such as antileukotrienes, antibiotics, enzymes, and monoclonal antibodies. Among these, the segment of combination drugs held the leading share of 27.4% in 2015 closely followed by inhaled corticosteroids with a share of 16.7% in the same year in the global pulmonary drugs market. The sales of combination drugs is likely to remain high throughout the forecast period as they are considered to be comparatively safer than the other drugs. Moreover, the advent of triple combination drugs is further projected to propel the growth of the global pulmonary drugs market over the course of the forecast period.Advent of Middle-income Classes to Catapult Demand in Asia PacificBased on geography, the global market for pulmonary drugs has been classified into Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. In 2015, North America led the global pulmonary drugs market with a share of 41% with Europe closely following with a share of 32.4% in the same year. The growing use of pulmonary drugs in these regions can be attributed to the advanced healthcare infrastructure coupled with high awareness regarding treatment of pulmonary diseases. However, the rise of middle-income classes and their growing expenditure on healthcare is expected to lift Asia Pacific as a prominent region in the global market.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Pulmonary Drugs Market during 2016- 2024About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Culture Media Market | Quantitative Market Analysis, Current and Future Trends, 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/culture-media-market-media.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=26273

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Culture Media Market: OverviewThe research is a combination of primary and secondary research, conducted for understanding and arriving at trends, used to forecast the expected revenue of the culture media market in the near future. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts with information collected from in-depth interviews and discussions with a number of key industry experts and opinion leaders. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, investor presentations, analyst presentation and various international and national databases.The report provides estimated market size in terms of US$ Mn for each by media type, end user, and geography for the period 2015 to 2025, considering the macro and micro environmental factors. The revenue generated from each product was calculated by considering number of products used in the procedures and their market demand as per their use, prevalence rate of infectious disease, annual revenue generated by products of each sub segment, trends in industry, end user trend, and adoption rate across all the geographies.The market report comprises an elaborated executive summary, which includes market snapshot that provides information about various segments of the market. It also provides information and data analysis of the market with respect to market segments based on media type, end-user, and geography. The market overview section of the report analyzes market dynamics such as drivers, restraints and opportunities that influences the culture media market in the current and future scenario.Market share analysis among the market players is analyzed to signify the contribution of these players in the market in terms of percentage share. All these factors will help the market players to decide about the business strategies and plans to strengthen their positions in the global market. Based on geography, the market has been analyzed for major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. The study also covers detailed country analysis contributing majorly in the culture media market.This exhaustive report includes a 360 view of the Culture Media Market. Browse through this 146-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2017-2025Global Culture Media Market: Market SegmentationThe global culture media market is segmented by media type, end users and geography. Culture media are used in the diagnosis of diseases caused by microorganisms through isolation procedure. Culture media can be solid or semi  solid depending the microorganisms species. Culture media contain all the components required for the growth and maintenance of bacteria in the laboratory environment. By media type the global culture media market is further segmented into dehydrated culture media, prepared culture media and chromogenic culture media. By end users the market is segmented into hospitals, diagnostic centers and academic and research institute. In terms of geography the global culture media market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.Global Culture Media Market: Competitive LandscapeThe report also profiles the major players in the market and provides various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Major players operating in the culture media market are Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., Merck KGaA (Merck Millipore), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., bioMerieux SA, Becton, Dickinson and Company, HiMedia Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., EIKEN CHEMICAL CO., LTD., NEOGEN CORPORATION, Scharlab, S.L. and others.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Culture Media Market during 2017- 2025About 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:
Wound Closure Products Market Growth Prospects, Key Opportunities, Trends And Forecast 2023

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/wound-closure-products.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=5429

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Injury is a common event in all age groups and varies in severity. Although majority of the injuries are healed without treatment, some injuries such as diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers are difficult to treat. Wound closure can help avoid infection and can accelerate healing. Products used in wound closure include sutures, surgical staples, wound closure strips, adhesives and tissue sealants, and hemostats. Although each of these have their own advantages and disadvantages, the overall wound closure products market is growing rapidly. The global wound closure products market was valued at USD 8,750.5 million in 2014 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.3% from 2014 to 2020 to reach USD 15,222.7 million by 2023.View Report @Sutures and staples are the traditional forms of wound closure that are used extensively across the world due to low cost and higher adaptability rate among the health care staff. However, new technology hemostat products such as sealants provide obvious advantages such as faster wound closure in shorter duration of time. These also help patients avoid hospital revisit for removal of sutures or staples. Adhesives and tissue sealants include fibrin sealants, collagen-based sealants, cyanoacrylate-based sealants, albumin and glutaraldehyde sealants, and polymer-based sealants. The market for absorbable sutures is growing rapidly due to increased application in external as well as internal wound closure. Various surgical procedures such as aortic valve replacement and peripheral bypass employ combination of sutures or staples as well as tissue adhesives. Increased application of tissue sealants in surgeries such as bariatric surgeries and dental surgeries has fueled the wound closure products market. Increased prevalence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and reluctance in the use of sutures due to development of scars and high risk of infection are the other factors driving the adhesives and tissue sealants segment.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Wound Closure Products Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Geographically, North America dominated the global wound closure products market with a share of 39.5% in 2014, followed by Europe. Dominance of these regions was majorly due to launch of new medical devices in these regions, especially the U.S. Hence, the longer incubation period is available for the market to inflate. According to an article published in Wound Repair and Regeneration in 2009, over 2% of the population of the U.S. suffers from chronic non-healing wounds. Statistics published in the Journal of Wound Care estimate annual incidence of chronic wounds of 4 million in the European Union. Such higher prevalence and quicker acceptance of new technology have driven the wound closure products market in these regions. Asia Pacific was identified as the most lucrative market destination. India and China have also experienced a surge in prevalence of diabetes and obesity. According to the World Health Organization, 90 million adults in China and 61 million adults in India were diagnosed with diabetes in 2011. Therefore, the wound closure products market in Asia Pacific is anticipated to expand at the highest growth rate during the forecast period from 2015 to 2023.Baxter International, Inc., B. Braun, Cryolife, Covidien plc, and Johnson & Johnson (Ethicon) are the leading companies operating in the global wound closure products market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Electronic Health Records Market | Quantitative Market Analysis, Current and Future Trends, 2025

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/electronic-health-records-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=4153

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Electronic Health Records Market: SnapshotElectronic health records (EHR) are the digital version of a patients medical history, which is maintained by the healthcare provider over time, and may include all of the key executives clinical data relevant to that individual care under a particular provider. EHRs include data ranging from demographics, problems, progress notes, vital signs, medications, past medical history, immunizations, radiology reports, to laboratory data.Over the past two decades, information technology (IT) has revolutionized every facet of the global healthcare industry. The vast adoption of IT and digital infrastructure in the healthcare industry has made information both a benefit and a challenge for every provider. Awareness about the disease and treatment is saving lives, while lack of effectively managed data might place this information at risk. Nevertheless, several pilot and cohort studies are being undertaken by government organizations and institutions pertaining to effectiveness of a computerized patient healthcare information systems and EHRs are increasingly replacing manually filled paper sheets, medical images, and other documents concerned with a patients healthcare history.Transparency Market Research estimates that the global electronic health records market, which was pegged at US$ 23.22 bn in 2016, will exhibit a promising 5.7% CAGR from 2017 to 2025 and rise to a valuation of US$38.29 bn by 2025.This exhaustive report includes a 360 view of the Electronic Health Records Market. Browse through this 109-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2017-2025SaaS-based Deployment to Gather MomentumWeb-based EHR systems are popular among medical professionals because these reduce deployment costs. On the other hand, client-server based EHR systems have up-front installation fees, which acts as a major restraint among small and mid-size practices. However, client-server based EHR systems help gain more control on both the software as well as the data. Web-based EHR systems, on the other hand, help reduce cost and the data is backed up automatically by the vendor.The software as a service (SaaS) segment is likely to grow at a rapid pace during the forecast period i.e. 2017 to 2025. Software as a service (SaaS) is gaining higher preference among physicians as it eliminates technical glitches and offer low upfront costs. The data can be accessed from anywhere in the world. Software as a service EHR systems are typically beneficial for standalone centers or older physicians who are in the industry for few years in order to avoid the penalty charges by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.North America to Continue Exhibiting Excellent Growth ProspectsThe e-Health market has evolved as one of the fastest growing U.S. industries and remained almost unaffected even post-recession scenarios. Owing to this, North America accounted for lions share in the global EHR market driven on the back of government funding encouraging the meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology across health care facilities, increasing pressure for health care cost containment, and rising demand for improved quality of health care services are the key factors boosting the growth of the North America EHR market.Europe and Asia Pacific are also among the leading contributors of revenue to the global EHR market. The U.K. and Germany are the key EHR markets in Europe, attributed to the rapidly increasing geriatric population, growing need for remote monitoring, increased pressure of health care cost containment, and increasing demand for improved patient care. The Asia-Pacific is witnessing increasing adoption of EHR across hospitals, physician offices, and other health care centers and is driven by the presence of a large pool of patients.Some of the leading players operating in the global electronic health record market are Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc., Athenahealth, Inc., Cerner Corporation, CPSI, Epic Systems, eClinicalWorks, GE Healthcare, Greenway Health, LLC, Medical Information Technology, Inc., McKesson Corporation, NextGen Healthcare, and 4medica.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Electronic Health Records Market during 2017- 2025About 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:
Postpartum Hemorrhage Treatment Devices Market Growth Prospects, Key Opportunities, Trends And Forecast 2023

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/postpartum-hemorrhage-treatment-devices-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=6164

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

The escalating cases of maternal deaths have fuelled demand for advanced therapeutics and devices to ensure effective treatment for pregnancy related complications. Spurred by the factor, demand from the postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) treatment devices market is expected to increase considerably. While manufacturers of these devices have found lucrative prospects in developed nations, they are yet to establish their presence across developing and under developed countries.View Report @According to Transparency Market Research (TMR), lack of awareness creates bottlenecks for entry of PPH treatment device manufacturers in nations across the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and sub-Saharan Africa. Nevertheless, with governments and leading organizations focusing on spreading awareness about PPH treatment, proliferation of PPH devices is expected to pace up in the forthcoming years.TMR forecasts the global PPH treatment market to exhibit a CAGR of 4.9% between 2015 and 2021. The market stood at US$604.4 mn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$926.1 mn by the end of 2023.Demand for Uniject Prefilled Injection Systems to Rise at Higher Pace than other Product SegmentsAmong the various products available, the market is currently witnessing considerably high demand for uterine balloon tamponade. It is commercially available, offers high effectiveness, and ensures ease of use. Balloon tamponade thus emerged as the dominant product segment in the market in 2014. It is expected to rise at a CAGR of 4.9% between 2015 and 2023.However, according to TMR, demand for uniject prefilled injection systems is likely to increase at a higher pace than other products available in the market. Uniject is an auto-disable and disposable injection system. The product segment is expected to witness considerably rising demand through the forecast period due to the easy applicability of uniject prefilled injection systems, their equitable pricing, and rising participation by government organizations in promoting their use.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Postpartum Hemorrhage Treatment Devices Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Besides this, TMR also projects the application of non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) to increase significantly in the near future.Commercial Availability of Advanced Devices Confirms North Americas Lead in Global PPH Treatment Devices MarketRegionally, the global PPH treatment devices market is currently dominated by North America. The region held over 36.1% of the global market in 2014. The rising prevalence of PPH in North America, increasing awareness among patients as well as healthcare service providers, high hospital delivery rates, and commercial availability of treatment devices are the primary factors fuelling demand from the North America treatment devices market. Manufacturers of PPH treatment devices have been witnessing lucrative opportunities in countries such as the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. These countries boast sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, which aids the expansion of the PPH treatment devices market in the region.Europe trailed North America in terms of revenue contributed to the global PPH treatment devices market in 2014. However, during the course of the forecast period, demand from Asia Pacific is expected to rise at a higher pace. The improving healthcare infrastructure will fuel demand for PPH treatment devices in countries such as India, China, Philippines, and Taiwan. Furthermore, programs initiated by governments to prevent maternal deaths will also boost sales opportunities for manufacturers across these countries.Some of the key players in the global postpartum hemorrhage treatment devices market are Bactiguard, Cook Medical, C.R. Bard, Utah Medical Products, Teleflex Incorporated, and Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH).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:
Heparin Market Growth Prospects, Key Opportunities, Trends And Forecast 2023

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/heparin-market.html

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=803

http://www.transparencymarketresearch.com

Global Heparin Market: Key TrendsThe prevalence of coagulation disorders such as venous thromboembolism (VTE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE) has remarkably increased in both Europe and North America. Since heparin is one of the foremost clinical anticoagulants, the rising incidence of coagulation disorders will in turn fuel demand for heparin products, finds Transparency Market Research (TMR). Currently, heparin manufacturers are focusing on the development of generic versions of heparin to gain a competitive advantage in the market.View Report @Naturally derived heparin products can cause severe side-effects in the event of an overdose. Scientists are therefore developing synthetic heparin products, which are both safer and cheaper. While declining imports from China will emerge as a major growth bottleneck, with the advent of biosimilars, heparin manufacturers will witness improved scope for expanding their product portfolio.According to TMR, the global heparin market stood at US$8.2 bn in 2014. Exhibiting a CAGR of 6.3% between 2015 and 2023, the market is expected to reach US$14.3 bn by the end of 2023.North America Reports Highest Demand for Heparin Due to Rising Prevalence of Coagulation DisordersRegionally, North America emerged as the largest market for heparin products in 2014. As per the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 900,000 people in the U.S. are affected by DVT and PE every year. Moreover, due to the sophisticated healthcare infrastructure the country boasts, the U.S. is visited by an increasing number of medical tourists annually. The overall number of surgical procedures conducted in the country is thus comparatively higher. This fuels demand for heparin products from North America. TMR projects the North America heparin market to rise at a CAGR of 6.3% between 2014 and 2023.Europe emerged as the second largest market for heparin products in the same year. The U.K., Germany, and France are the most lucrative markets for heparin in the region. However, as per Transparency Market Research, the heparin market in Asia Pacific is expected to exhibit the fastest growth during the forecast period. The incidence of VTE has nearly doubled in India in the last decade.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Heparin Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Despite economic growth witnessed across the emerging nations of Asia Pacific, the unavailability of appropriate diagnostic centers and lack of awareness are leading to a lesser number of cases of DVT being reported. Nevertheless, GDP growth, increasing spending in healthcare infrastructure, and rising geriatric population are expected to fuel demand for heparin from Asia Pacific in the forthcoming years.Low Molecular Weight Heparins Emerge as Standard Choice of Drug Care for Arterial and Venous ThrombosisThe most commonly used heparin products include ultra-low molecular weight heparin (ULMWH), low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), and unfractionated heparin. Although the demand for LMWHs is higher, the choice of heparin depends on the disease and patients condition. Low molecular weight heparins offer proven benefits over unfractionated heparins, due to which the demand for the former is rising at a higher pace.Currently, LMWHs are considered the standard choice of care drugs for the treatment of arterial and venous thrombosis. This category of heparins also exhibits comparatively lesser side-effects, which is expected to bolster their sales in the forthcoming years. According to TMR, the LMWHs segment is expected to reach US$12.3 bn by the end of 2023. Demand from the ULMWHs segment is expected increase due to the rising use of these anticoagulants as an alternative to unfractionated heparin in dialysis.Some of the leading players operating in the market are Fresenius Kabi AG, Dr. Reddys Laboratories Ltd., Mylan N.V., LEO Pharma A/S, Pfizer, Inc., Syntex S.A., Sanofi S.A., and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
2017 Microcrystalline cellulose market for Period 2017 till 2022 Accent Microcell, DFE Pharma,HMISL,DuPont Danisco, Tembec, NB Entrepreneurs, Blanver Farmoquimica and Others

Microcrystalline cellulose

https://goo.gl/wjM485

http://www.marketreportscompany.com/category_reports.php?industry=Pharmaceutical&id=16

https://goo.gl/wjM485

https://goo.gl/gTzjro

http://marketreportscompany.com

2017 Microcrystalline cellulose market for Period 2017 till 2022 Accent Microcell, DFE Pharma,HMISL,DuPont Danisco, Tembec, NB Entrepreneurs, Blanver Farmoquimica and OthersGlobal Microcrystalline cellulose market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Accent Microcell, DFE Pharma,HMISL,DuPont Danisco, Tembec, NB Entrepreneurs, Blanver Farmoquimica and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2022 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.Microcrystalline cellulose is a term for refined wood pulp and is used as a texturizer, an anti-caking agent, a fat substitute, an emulsifier, an extender, and a bulking agent in food production. The most common form is used in vitamin supplements or tablets.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global Microcrystalline cellulose market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:FMC CorporationJ.Rettenmaier & SohneMingtai ChemicalAsahi Kasei ChemicalsAccent MicrocellDFE PharmaHMISLDuPont DaniscoTembecNB EntrepreneursBlanver FarmoquimicaSigachi IndustriesHuzhou ZhanwangAnhui ShanheLiaocheng EhuaYingKou AODAQufu TianliMicrocrystalline cellulose market : Key Product Type:Food GradePharmaceutical GradeOthersMicrocrystalline cellulose market : Key ApplicationFood & BeveragePharmaceuticalCosmetics & Personal CareMicrocrystalline cellulose market belongs to Pharmaceutical industry and it comprise of detailed quantitative as well as qualitative information for Microcrystalline cellulose market. This research report provides consumption data and expected growth rate for major consuming regions worldwide. Microcrystalline cellulose market report provides detailed segmentation for market of metal ceilings based on products, applications, and size industry for all major regions and countries.This market research study further provides detailed information pertaining to global production, import and export data for all key regions across the globe. Moreover, this study further provides major drivers, restraints impacting Microcrystalline cellulose market . Additionally, the report provides the comprehensive study of expected opportunities in Microcrystalline cellulose market in coming future.The Microcrystalline cellulose market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of Microcrystalline cellulose market . The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The Microcrystalline cellulose market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Related Reports:Enquire before Buying @Table of ContentsPart 1. Exclusive SummaryPart 2. Methodology2.1 Research Methodology2.2 Geographic Scope2.3 Years ConsideredPart 3. Introduction3.1 Definition3.2 Types of Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC)3.3 Applications of Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC)3.3.1 Food & Beverage3.3.2 Pharmaceutical3.3.3 Cosmetics & Personal Care3.4 Manufacturing Process3.4.1 Raw Materials3.4.2 Cost Analysisl Continue(Microcrystalline cellulose market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters.What can we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424
2017 States Steam Mops Market Report for period 2017 till 2022 Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Bissell, HAAN Corporation, TTI, Shark, SALAV, Black and Decker, KARCHER, and Others.

States Steam Mops

https://goo.gl/JF4JWo

https://goo.gl/JF4JWo

http://marketreportscompany.com

2017 States Steam Mops Market Report for period 2017 till 2022 Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Bissell, HAAN Corporation, TTI, Shark, SALAV, Black and Decker, KARCHER, and Others.Global States Steam Mops Market report provides detailed analysis of companies namely Bissell, HAAN Corporation, TTI, Shark, SALAV, Black and Decker, KARCHER, and Others. This report study includes global market statistics and analysis for example, company performance, historical analysis 2012 to 2016, market forecast 2017 to 2022 in terms of volume, revenue, YOY growth rate, and CAGR for the year 2017 to 2022, etc.This report studies the Steam Mops market. A steam mop is a mop that uses steam to clean floors and carpets. Unlike a regular mop, which requires cleaning agents such as bleach or detergent, a steam mop uses heat from steam to disinfect the floors.Request for Free Sample Copy of Global States Steam Mops Market 2017 atTop Company Profiles and Analysis included in this report:BissellHAAN CorporationTTISharkSALAVBlack and DeckerKARCHEROthersStates Steam Mops Market: Key Product TypeSingle-use BioreactorsMultiple-use BioreactorsStates Steam Mops Market: Key ApplicationHousehold UseCommercial UseStates Steam Mops Market: Key RegionNorth America (USA, Canada and Mexico)Europe (Germany, France, UK, Russia and Italy)Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India and Southeast Asia)South America (Brazil, Argentina, Columbia etc.)Middle East and Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa)The States Steam Mops Market analysis report provides detailed value chain for analysis of States Steam Mops Market. The value chain helps to analyze major upstream in raw materials, major equipments, manufacturing process, downstream customer analysis and major distributor analysis.The report also covers in-depth description, competitive scenario, wide product portfolio of prime players active in this market and business strategies adopted by competitors along with their SWOT analysis. Side by side, it also explicitly provides information about mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and all the other important activities happened in current and past few years. The States Steam Mops Market report explores manufacturers competitive scenario and provides market share for all major players of this market based on production capacity, sales, revenue, geographical presence and other major factors.Enquire before Buying @States Steam Mops Market Research Industry Report is prepared with the help of extensive primary and secondary sources, directories, journals, newsletters and with the help of third-party application like Hoovers, Factiva, Bloomberg, Businessweek, etc.About Us:Market Reports Company is a global research and consulting company. We provide customized reports. We can study and analyze any market based on wide range of parameters. We can provide market insights for any particular region, country across the globe within shortest possible turn around time.What we offer: Customized Reports: we provide customized report study on any market or industry. Region Specific Study: If you need region specific or if you are searching for particular region market study then, we have expert research team for that. How we work: We work in all domains and industries, you name it and we provide the market research industry report analysis of it. Expertise: Superior Research Team, 24*7 Customer Care ServiceContact UsJason Smith,Sales Manager, Global Business Development,Website:Email: jasonsmith@marketreportscompany.comContact us: +1-888-220-3424Address: 20 N State Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60602 United States
Glycitin Market Forecast by 2017-2022

ReportsWeb

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011010329/sample

http://www.reportsweb.com/united-states-glycitin-market-report-2017

http://www.reportsweb.com/inquiry&RW00011010329/discount

http://www.reportsweb.com/buy&RW00011010329/buy/3800

ReportsWeb.com has announced the addition of the United State Glycitin Market Forecast to 2022 The report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as com profiles, product picture and specification.In this report, the United States Glycitin 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.Key ManufacturersSanta Cruz BiotechnologyMP BiomedicalsWako Pure Chemical IndustriesJ&K ScientificNagaraChengdu Biopurify Phytochemicals LtdMarket SegmentThe WestSouthwestThe Middle AtlanticNew EnglandThe SouthThe MidwestGet Sample of this Report @On the basis of product, this report displays the sales volume, revenue, product price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split intoPurity:95%Purity:98%Purity:99%On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, sales volume, market share and growth rate of Glycitin for each application, includingFood AdditivesMedicineChemical ProductsOthersGet complete access of this report @Chapter in AGM BatteriesChapter 1, to describe Glycitin Introduction, product scope, market overview, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the top manufacturers of Glycitin, with sales, revenue, and price of Glycitin, in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the global market by regions, with sales, revenue and market share of Glycitin, for each region, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, to analyze the key regions, with sales, revenue and market share by key countries in these regions;Chapter 10 and 11, to show the market by type and application, with sales market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 12, GLYCITIN market forecast, by regions, type and application, with sales and revenue, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, 14 and 15, to describe GLYCITIN sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers, Research Findings and Conclusion, appendix and data sourceGet Discount @Table of Content1 Glycitin Overview2 United States Glycitin Market Competition by Players/Suppliers3 United States Glycitin Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)4 United States Glycitin Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (Product Category) (2012-2017)5 United States Glycitin Sales (Volume) by Application (2012-2017)6 United States Glycitin Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data7 Glycitin Manufacturing Cost Analysis8 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers9 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders10 Market Effect Factors Analysis11 United States Glycitin Market Size (Value and Volume) Forecast (2017-2022)12 Research Findings and ConclusionBuy Report here @Contact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.Pune:505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
www.educare-schweiz.ch

http://www.springer.com/de/book/9783658190231

http://p3.snf.ch/Project-143797

Children in the German-speaking part of Switzerland who utilise extended education offerings in the first two years of primary school generally perform no better in school than other children, an SNSF-funded project has found. Overall, the research shows that all-day schools do not fulfil all the expectations people place in them.---Expectations are high for non-compulsory, open all-day schools (a form of extended education also known as student clubs, daycare centres or day structures, depending on the canton). Extended education offerings at school are intended to promote equal opportunity and integration and lead to better educational achievement. It is also aimed at helping more women return to the work force.The goal of a project funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) was to investigate whether all-day schools have actually achieved the desired impact on students. The conclusion: In their current design, the offerings are not having the hoped-for effect, says Marianne Schupbach, professor of primary education at the University of Bamberg, Germany, and project head of the study, which combines the results of several years of research work. The findings have been published in an edited volume.As part of the EduCare research programme, the project focused on three specific areas: development of first and second grade students attending open all-day schools, the educational quality and the utilisation of the extended education offerings. Roughly 2000 first and second grade students were surveyed and followed up. The sample represented 120 classes at 53 all-day schools in 13 cantons in the German-speaking part of Switzerland.No difference in educational achievementAttendance in the first two years of school had no effect on educational achievement, says Schupbach. In contrast, utilisation of extended education offerings did have a compensatory effect on the mathematics achievements of students from families of low socioeconomic status. However, language achievement was no better for so-called at-risk children from families with a migration background and with low socioeconomic status compared with the group that utilised no extended education offerings, says Schupbach.The study also investigated how children who utilise extended education offerings develop socially and emotionally. As regards social behaviour that has a positive effect on other people, no difference was found between students who utilise offerings compared with those who do not. However, the composition of a group had an impact on the development of behavioural problems in individual children: children placed in a group with many children with behavioural problems showed less improvement of the disruptive behaviour than in the comparison group. This finding shows that a healthy mix of students is important, says Schupbach. In addition, there is a need to examine measures, such as increasing the number of caregivers, sensitisation of staff or introducing specific interventions to counter these disadvantageous effects.Not enough targeted supportThe study has also established that the educational quality of extended education offerings has improved slightly in the last 10 years and is of average to good quality. However, the main components of these offerings are still homework, lunchtime and the afternoon snack. The researchers also looked at which activities are made available to children. It became clear that Freispiel  unstructured play activities  are particularly important for all-day schools in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. By the same token, there are very few guided activities, for example in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) or in the area of language. This is the main difference between extracurricular programmes in other countries, like the USA, which offer ongoing, stimulating, targeted and clearly structured programmes to specifically support languages or areas like social behaviour. At all-day schools in the German-speaking part of Switzerland, there is a lot of room for improvement of the learning setting and the offerings, says Schupbach.The findings point to a discrepancy between the actual function and the expectations of parents, who send their children to all-day schools to encourage them: In German-speaking Switzerland, all-day schools are more oriented towards child care and less towards education.Cost shuts out the middle classThe project further showed that students with a migration background as well as children from families with high socioeconomic status and thus high income are more likely to utilise extended education offerings. Children from families with middle-class incomes utilised the offerings the least. The reason is means-tested cost-sharing, says Schupbach. For families with middle-class incomes, the offerings are often too expensive. It might be a good idea to rethink the cost structure, so that extended education offerings could also be affordable for families with middle-class incomes, and to ensure a healthy mix of students._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _The EduCare programmeSince 2006, the SNSF has supported three related projects investigating the quality and effectiveness of family and extra-family care and education of primary-school-aged children. The descriptions of the sub-projects and the findings are available at*M. Schupbach, L. Frei and W. Nieuwenboom: All-day schools: an overview [In German: Tagesschulen: Ein Uberblick]. Springer VS Research. (2017)ContactProf. Dr. Marianne SchupbachOtto-Friedrich-Universitat BambergLehrstuhl fur Grundschulpadagogik und -didaktikPhone: +49 (0) 951 / 863 1836E-mail:Weitere Informationen:'Link to the online review copy*''Project in the SNSF's research database P3'Quelle: idw
Virtual Reality: 3D Human Body Reconstruction from Fraunhofer HHI digitizes human beings

Virtual Reality: 3D Human Body Reconstruction from Fraunhofer HHI digitizes human beings ( Fraunhofer HHI)

Scientists at Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute HHI have developed a method by which the realistic image of a person can be transmitted into a virtual world. The 3D Human Body Reconstruction technology captures real persons with multiple cameras at the same time and creates naturally moving dynamic 3D models. At this years trade fair IFA in Berlin (Hall 26a, Booth 219a  Deutsche TV Plattform) Fraunhofer HHI will show this camera technology.



---

Fraunhofer HHI researchers have developed a camera system that films people with a perfect three-dimensional impression. The core of this system is a stereo camera: Just as people do it with their two eyes, the camera records the person with two lenses. This stereoscopic vision results in distances being estimated well, because both eyes look at an object from a slightly different angle. The result is a three-dimensional impression. Recording a person in detail from all directions takes more than one camera. Fraunhofer HHI is currently using more than 30 cameras to map a human. Each camera only captures a part of the person. The challenge is to merge the individual camera images together so that a realistic overall picture is produced.



The system includes more than just the camera technology. The researchers have developed algorithms that can quickly extract depth information from the stereoscopic camera images. This is necessary in order to calculate the 3D form of a captured person. The computer calculates a virtual model of the human, which is then transferred into the virtual scene. The cameras perceive the surface shape with many details. In this way even small wrinkles, e.g. on the clothes of the person, can be shown. The model has a natural and realistic appearance.



Showing every gesture



The fusing of the 3D information from the various camera images only takes a few seconds  then the illusion is perfect. The system transmits the three-dimensional dynamic model of a person rapidly into Virtual Reality. A person can move freely in a dedicated capture area. The virtual image portrays every gesture and movement realistically.



Weitere Informationen:

- https://www.hhi.fraunhofer.de/en/press-media/press-releases.html



Quelle: idw

Diese Pressemeldung wurde auf openPR veroffentlicht.

Fraunhofer-Institut fur Nachrichtentechnik, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, HHI / Anne Rommel

-

FUR ALLE

Jetzt Ihre Pressemitteilung mit einem Klick auf openPR veroffentlichen
http://www.uni-goettingen.de/en/310995.html

A research team at the University of Gottingen has conducted a large-scale study in Indonesia to understand how the conversion of rainforest to rubber and oil palm plantations alters biodiversity of these ecosystems. The researchers found that land-use change directly reduces the number of different species as well as the number of individual plants and animals, especially at the highest trophic levels, and that interactions among different organisms control how the whole ecosystem responds to land use.---Press releaseNo. 160/2017  August 28, 2017From bacteria to birds: tropical plantations disrupt biodiversityScientists from Gottingen University investigate effects of land conversion in South-East Asia(pug) A research team at the University of Gottingen has conducted a large-scale study in Indonesia to understand how the conversion of rainforest to rubber and oil palm plantations alters biodiversity of these ecosystems. The researchers found that land-use change directly reduces the number of different species as well as the number of individual plants and animals, especially at the highest trophic levels, and that interactions among different organisms control how the whole ecosystem responds to land use. The study was published in Nature Ecology and Evolution.Tropical rainforests are under threat from the human demand for natural products like vegetable oils and rubber, which are found in food and common household products around the world. The demand is driving the conversion of tropical biodiversity hotspots to agricultural plantations, and over the past two decades, deforestation rates in South-East Asia have rapidly increased. This has profound consequences for biodiversity, affecting, for example, plants, insects and birds. These different organisms constantly interact with each other, especially through trophic interactions, like when insects eat plants or birds eat insects. Because of these interactions, when one group of organisms is affected by deforestation, this may have negative consequences for another group as well. Ultimately, trophic interactions can determine how whole ecosystems respond to disturbances.The Gottingen researchers investigated the direct and cascading effects of land-use change in Sumatra by collecting data from a range of organisms, among them plants, bacteria, invertebrates and birds. Their research plots were located in rainforest, areas of rubber trees mixed with forest tree species (jungle rubber) and monoculture rubber and oil palm plantations. The researchers found that species diversity was as much as 65 percent lower on the study plots in monoculture plantations compared to rainforest plots. This was due to direct effects like higher mortality of insects due to the use of toxic pesticides in plantations, and also to indirect effects which occur through the disruption of organisms at lower trophic levels that serve as resources for organisms higher in the food chain. For example, they found reduced species diversity of invertebrates that eat leaf litter (such as millipedes and cockroaches) in plantations, which then impacted the predators that rely on these invertebrates for food, like spiders.Essentially, we found that responses of ecosystems to land-use change are highly complex when we look at many taxonomic groups simultaneously, explains lead author Dr. Andrew D. Barnes. Dr. Kara Allen, the other lead author, points out: Our results provide important insight into how whole ecosystems react to human disturbances. However, they also suggest that we still have much to learn about how high-diversity systems operate.The study also revealed other interesting trends: It has often been shown that larger-bodied species at higher trophic levels, such as predatory birds or tigers, tend to be the first to go extinct when natural ecosystems are disturbed by humans. The researchers were able to confirm this theory  the highest trophic levels were indeed the most strongly affected because of the combination of their reliance on organisms at the lower trophic levels for food, along with the simultaneous direct impacts of land-use change. By pointing to groups that will have the most impact on ecosystem-level conservation, these sorts of insights should help to better inform conservation management decisions, says Prof. Ulrich Brose, senior author of the study who has since moved to the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) and the University of Jena, where he is head of the research group Theory in Biodiversity Science.The study was conducted within the collaborative research centre Ecological and Socioeconomic Functions of Tropical Lowland Rainforest Transformation Systems (Sumatra, Indonesia) (EFForTS), a larger collaboration between the University of Gottingen and several Indonesian universities funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). Further information can be found online at .Original publication: Andrew D Barnes, Kara Allen et al. Direct and cascading impacts of tropical land-use change on multi-trophic biodiversity. Nature Ecology and Evolution 2017. Doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0275-7.Contact:Dr. Andrew BarnesGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-LeipzigLeipzig UniversityPhone: +49 341 9733-122Email:Internet:Dr. Kara AllenWest Virginia UniversityDepartment of BiologyEmail:Internet:Prof. Dr. Ulrich BroseGerman Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-LeipzigFriedrich Schiller University JenaPhone: +49 341 9733-205Email:Internet:Weitere Informationen:Quelle: idw
By Brett Campbell | For The Oregonian/OregonLive

In 2012, Oregon composer Justin Ralls was camping with his father and brother in Yosemite National Park, 12,000 feet up in the Sierras, when a lightning storm erupted above them.

"I'd hear that thunder crack, and feel this primal fear," he remembers. "Experiences like that make you change. My experience reminded me how small I am, how inconsequential we are."

The California park is famous as a place of transformation for visitors, including a prominent nature lover: Theodore Roosevelt. Ralls' new opera, "Two Yosemites," tells the story of the 26th president's 1903 Yosemite trip, which inspired him to create the National Park Service to preserve Yosemite and other crown jewels of America's natural legacy.

Making music influenced by the environment is nothing new for Ralls, a University of Oregon doctoral student whose music has been performed by Portland's Third Angle New Music and throughout the country.

"The outdoors has always been part of my life," he says. "I grew up in Oregon and spent every summer camping and hiking all over the state."

When Ralls went off to music conservatories in Boston and San Francisco, he experienced "cognitive dissonance," he recalls. "How do I engage this sophisticated culture with the outdoorsy experiences I identify with? Composing these (nature-inspired) pieces bridged that gap. I feel most alive when I'm composing and when I'm out in the natural environment."

Those camping trips, writings by Sierra Club founder John Muir, and Ken Burns' PBS documentary on the National Park Service all influenced "Two Yosemites." So did Lee Stetson's play "The Tramp and the Roughrider," an annual production at Yosemite since 1983 that tells the story of Roosevelt's trip with Muir to the park.

"The meeting of T.R. and Muir seemed to really encapsulate this moment in American history where we have utilitarian politics (represented by) Roosevelt and the purist environmental side by Muir," Ralls says. "That set the stage for environmental politics as we know it. I identify with both sides of these characters. And I love camping, and it's the most famous camping trip ever, so of course I wanted to turn it into an opera."

His approach was heavily influenced by legendary myth explicator Joseph Campbell. "What I arrived at was essentially an age-old story where Roosevelt the hero enters the wilderness with Muir as his spiritual guide," Ralls says. "In a short hour of music, Roosevelt experiences a transformation of consciousness: He enters as an arrogant person who thinks he understands nature, faces different challenges, and comes out of it as a different person."

"In order to convey that transcendental moment of transformation, we need the most potent creative force available to us," Ralls says. "Music has a way of carrying us to other worlds. And the relationship between music and nature is very old and very strong."

A 12-piece orchestra and four-member female chorus act as the voice of Yosemite, with some music drawn from nature, such as a piccolo melody derived from the call of a hermit thrush, which Roosevelt, an avid ornithologist, described as "serene ethereal beauty." Roosevelt and Muir, sung by Nicholas Meyer and Aaron Short, enact much of their debate in song.

Ralls' eclectic musical style draws from his experiences in musical theater, as a jazz drummer, and as a musician, composer and conductor in Portland's Metropolitan Youth Symphony; from composers such as Benjamin Britten and Stephen Sondheim; from Balinese gamelan music; and from postminimalist John Luther Adams, another Northwest composer deeply influenced by nature.

"I aspired to create this musical drama not only for connoisseurs of opera and new music but for everybody," Ralls says.

He thinks Portlanders will respond to the story's contemporary relevance. "With everything going on in our world -- climate change, public lands are under assault, do we preserve the Earth for the future or just exploit it now -- the debates that were going on then are the same as what's happening today," Ralls says. "This is a chance for people in Portland to take a stand against retrograde forces and celebrate people who were inspired to protect public lands."

Ralls, one of the new leaders of Opera Theater Oregon, aspires to subsequent stagings of "Two Yosemites" in California and beyond.

"Whenever I go to Yosemite, I'm humbled," he says, "and I'm reminded how important it is for me as a composer and artist to make some sort of response and gift it back."

***

"TWO YOSEMITES"

Indoor world premiere: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, Lewis & Clark College, Agnes Flanagan Chapel, 0615 S.W. Palatine Hill Road

Outdoor world premiere: 7 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Sept. 15-16, Lewis & Clark College, Law School Amphitheater, 10015 S.W. Terwilliger Blvd.

Tickets: Sept. 8 performance, $20; Sept. 15-16 performances, suggested donation $15; operatheateroregon.com
SAN FRANCISCO -- Uber has selected the chief executive of Expedia, Dara Khosrowshahi, as its new leader, a surprising turn after board members considered two other stalwarts of industry, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Sunday.

The move comes after a weekend of frantic meetings with two other final candidates, Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and Jeff Immelt, the departing chairman of GE.

Khosrowshahi, a Persian-American who has run Expedia since 2005, was an unexpected and lesser-known choice; his interest in the position was largely kept secret until Sunday.

But within Silicon Valley, Khosrowshahi is well liked and respected. He has presided over a huge expansion of the online travel company to over 60 countries. Khosrowshahi is also a vocal critic of President Donald Trump, particularly his travel ban against Muslim-Americans.

Expedia comprises several online brands, including Hotels.com, Trivago, Orbitz, HomeAway as well as its namesake Expedia. The Bellevue, Washington-based company, which plans to move its headquarters to Seattle's waterfront by 2019, reported $8.7 billion in revenue last year, according the Business Insider.

Uber is the most highly valued startup Silicon Valley has produced over the past decade, and it is expected to move toward a massive public stock offering in the coming year or so.

Khosrowshahi will face a company in crisis. He is tasked with transforming the company's culture, while shoring up the company's business in the wake of lawsuits and competition, analysts say. Morale at Uber has plummeted in the wake of eight months of controversy, including reports of widespread discrimination and sexual harassment, lawsuits that threaten the company's future, a leadership vacuum, and the ouster of chief executive and co-founder Travis Kalanick.

The executive search has lasted all summer long and been marred by infighting among board members. After Kalanick was pushed out, he scrambled to find allies who would help him make a comeback. That led one of the company's largest investors, Benchmark Capital, to sue Kalanick for breach of contract and fraud, arguing in court filings that Kalanick was seeking to entrench himself in the process for his own "selfish ends."

Kalanick fired back in his own legal filings, calling the Benchmark suit a baseless and "personal attack." Meanwhile, the board itself disagreed with the Benchmark suit, releasing a statement signed by all members except Benchmark representative Matt Cohler that it was "disappointed that a disagreement between shareholders" has resulted in litigation.

-- The Washington Post
If you're curious or serious about adding a smaller, second dwelling to your lot, don't miss seeing 24 well-designed examples at the 5th Build Small, Live Large: Portland's Accessory Dwelling Unit Tour (ADU) Sept. 9-10.

Not only will you talk to homeowners, designers and builders, but you'll wander inside new tiny houses built on foundations in the backyard as well as self-contained apartments attached to an existing house or built above the garage or within the original basement or garage.

This will be the last tour of built ADUs before the City of Portland's popular waiver of system development charges for secondary houses on a city lot is set to lapse in July 2018. This waiver can save homeowners up to $19,000.

The popular tour, organizered by Kol Peterson, an advocate of small, affordable housing and contributor to the online resource Accessory Dwellings, receives support from the City of Portland, Metro, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Earth Advantage sustainable building and the Energy Trust of Oregon.

The tour is a way to get started on the ADU development process, Peterson says, citing that 16 of this year's hosts attended at least one of his previous four tours.

The self-paced tour, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9 and Sunday, Sept. 10, has different locations each of the two days. Tour tickets are $30 each day (kids 12 and under are free; https://accessorydwellings.org/adu_tour). For those who don't want to drive, there are bike racks at each location.

Peterson will also teach a design and building workshop, including information on zoning, permitting, costs, financing and site selection information, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8 ($30, accessorydwellings.org/adu_tour/).

This year's tour has 12 locations in Northeast Portland on Saturday, and 12 locations in Southeast Portland on Sunday.

Owners will be on hand to give information about their new, self-contained unit, from the cost per square foot to the type of heating system they installed. More important, they will share their experience working with the city to obtain permits. Designers and builders will also be available at some of the units.

"Finding good design professionals can be challenging," says Peterson. "This tour is explicitly designed to help give you the opportunity to network with some solid professionals for your project."

Each owner took time to figure out exactly what kind of secondary home would best serve their needs and motivation. Most wanted a compact home on their city lot that could be used by family members or rented out for added income.

Mark Timby and Leighann Franson, who live in a 1926 bungalow in Northeast Portland, built a 515-square-foot detached home that will be on the Saturday, Sept. 9, tour. They wanted more space for visitors and to work at home, but didn't want a bigger, longer-term mortgage. Instead, they built another smaller home and will eventually live there and rent out their bungalow.

"Based on research and current population projections, building an ADU would be a financially reasonable decision," they concluded. The total cost, including sweat equity, was $160,000 or $310 a square foot.

Justin Graham and Pam Statz also live in a small house that didn't leave too much room to invite friends and family over. So the couple, who love their Southeast Portland neighborhood, made the best of their backyard by building a 446-square-foot guest house at a cost of $150,000, or $336 a square foot. Their new home is on the Sunday tour.

Portland's Build Small, Live Large tour is part of a series of informational events organized by Peterson, an ADU consultant with a background in environmental planning. He is also co-founder, with his wife, Deb Delman, of the ground-breaking Caravan-The Tiny House Hotel in Northeast Portland.

A post tour party will take place Saturday, Sept. 9, at Caravan and participants will be able to look at a different type of small home. Unlike permitted ADUs, tiny houses on wheels can be lived in temporary, but not full time.

-- Janet Eastman



jeastman@oregonian.com

503-799-8739

@janeteastman




BY DIEGO HERNANDEZ, TERESA ALONSO LEON and JAMES MANNING

The violence that took place in Charlottesville earlier this month marks yet another heartbreaking and tragic chapter in America's history of bigotry and bloodshed. We mourn the lives shattered and lost, including Heather Heyer, who was killed while standing up for civil rights.

But while we grieve, we must also recognize that the responsibility of standing up to Nazis, white supremacists and the Klu Klux Klan belongs to all of us. History has shown clearly that in the face of a growing tide of people who seek division, none of us can stay silent. Every elected leader in the country needs to boldly and unequivocally denounce fascism, racism and bigotry in all its forms. "We the people" must show commitment to the ideals of the Constitution, and never retreat from the fight for "a more perfect union."

Unfortunately, we've seen politicians giving aid and comfort -- if not outright encouragement -- to white nationalist groups. That is why we, the people of color in Oregon's Legislature, felt it was important to speak up. Through the Trump campaign and administration, these groups have become emboldened, reenergized and empowered by the rhetoric and the exploitation of fear toward people of color, Muslim, Jewish and immigrant communities.

There are not "many sides" to this issue. There are fascists and then there are the rest of us, who have a responsibility to reject racism and white supremacy.

For Oregonians, it's easy to see what's happened in Charlottesville and elsewhere as something that can't happen here. The reality is that we've seen a rise in hate crimes and hate-related activity in Oregon. And now more than ever, we must confront our state's dark history of sanctioned racism and its ongoing impacts. Anti-immigrant groups still have support from Oregon politicians and are still pushing xenophobic measures to the ballot. We must not supply the fires of hate with oxygen to spread terror in our great state.

Racist violence doesn't happen in isolation. It's fed by fear and anger and exploited by those seeking to consolidate power. It's up to all of us to prevent it from taking further hold by speaking out, by passing pro-equity legislation and by educating our fellow Oregonians.

The Oregon Constitution proclaims, "We declare that all men, when they form a social compact are equal in right: that all power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and happiness."

Representatives Diego Hernandez (D-Portland), Teresa Alonso Leon (D-Woodburn), and Senator James Manning (D-Lane County); along with Reps. Tawna Sanchez (D-Portland), Janelle Bynum (D-Happy Valley) and Mark Meek (D-Oregon City); and Sen. Lew Frederick (D-Portland).
#World University Games Chuncheong named host of 2027 World University Games The South Korean central region of Chungcheong was named the host of the 2027 Summer World University Games on Saturday, bringing the biennial event to the country for the fourth t...

#first lady First lady visits home of Cambodian child with heart disease First lady Kim Keon-hee visited the home of a Cambodian child with a heart disease Saturday and comforted the family, urging them not to give up under any circumstances, the presid...
Jobless rates registered widespread seasonal advances across Mid-Michigan in July. Rates rose by 1.0 to 1.5 percentage points across Mid-Michigan metro areas. Midland recorded the lowest jobless rate increase of +1.0 percentage point this month. Bay City and Saginaw were similar with gains of +1.1 percentage point.

Saginaw, Midland and Bay City all had July increases in the number of unemployed workers of about 20 to 30 percent, resulting in the large monthly jobless rate gains. This reflected seasonal job cuts in local schools and other industries.

"Jobless rate increases in the three Mid-Michigan metro areas were due to decreased monthly employment levels and sharp seasonal hikes in the number of unemployed," stated Evan Linskey, Bureau of Labor Market Information and Strategic Initiatives economic analyst.

Midland's unemployment rose from 1,700 in June to 2,100 in July while employment fell from 39,900 to 39,100 over the same period. The July 2016 numbers for unemployment were 2,200 and employment at 39,200. From June to July of this year, the jobless rate rose from 4 percent to 5 percent. The jobless rate was 5.3 percent during July 2016.

The labor force also decreased from 41,500 in July to 41,200 in June while the number was 41,400 in July 2016.

Bay City's jobless rate rose from 4.9 percent in June 2017 to 6 percent in July 2017. Over the same period, employment fell from 49,400 to 48,500; the labor force dropped from 52,000 to 51,600; and unemployment rose from 2,600 to 3,100.

July 2016 saw the jobless rate at 6.2 percent, unemployment was 3,200, employment at 49,200 and the labor force stood at 52,400.

Saginaw also saw its jobless rate rise over a percentage point during June 2017 to July 2017 from 4.8 percent to 5.9 percent. The same period saw the labor force decrease from 89,500 to 89,300 while employment also dropped from 85,300 to 84,000. Unemployment rose from 4,300 to 5,300.

Last July's numbers stood at: jobless rate - 6.1 percent; labor force - 89,200; employment - 83,800; and unemployment - 5,400.

The state's jobless rate rose from 4 percent to 4.9 percent from June to July of 2017. The rate was at 5.8 percent during July 2016.

Isabella County's jobless rate was at 5.5 percent for July 2017, up from 4.6 percent in June 2017. The rate was 5.6 percent in July 2016.

Gladwin County's rates stood at July 2017 - 6.9 percent, June 2017 - 5.6 percent and July 2016 - 8 percent.
Wrezinski named to national hall of fame

BLOOMINGTON  Bernie Wrezinski, a 40-year financial services veteran and adviser at Wrezinski Advisory Group, LLC, was among the 2017 class of inductees into the InsurMark Hall of Fame.

InsurMark, a national insurance and annuities marketing firm, selected Bernie on the basis of his lifelong professional accomplishments, community standing and long-lasting affiliation with the company.

InsurMark, one of the oldest insurance marketing organizations in the nation, has added Bernie to the group of now 14 hall of fame members. The induction ceremony was held in Whistler, British Columbia, with fellow businessmen from across the country in attendance.

Bernie is active in his community, serving as an advisory board member for The Salvation Army, past volunteer for Home Sweet Home Ministries and as a volunteer for the Foundation for Financial Education  F3E 501(c)3. He is an active volunteer with the Bloomington/Normal Great Banquet Community.

Bernie has been married to Beth for 35 years, is the father of Tyler and Brady, and grandfather to Remington, Colette and Henry, with a baby girl on the way. He attended Hofstra University and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. Bernie is a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served in Vietnam, and is a member of several veterans organizations.

Founded by Steve and Becky Kerns in 1983, InsurMark is a respected insurance marketing organization with independent advisers in all 50 states. The company specializes in the distribution of financial products, including fixed indexed annuities and life insurance products. In 2002 and 2012, Inc. named InsurMark one of the fastest-growing companies in America. The organization has contracted more than 20,000 financial advisers since its inception.

Long recognized nationwide as an industry leader, InsurMark was one of the founding organizations in 1987 of LifeUSA (known today as Allianz), as well as an original member in the most exclusive and innovative distribution entity in America, The Annexus Group.

Beer receives dental fellowship award

NORMAL  Dr. Andrew S. Beer, who is continuing the family legacy at Landmark Dental Group at 1605 Hunt Drive in Normal, received the Fellowship Award during the Academy of General Dentistry's annual meeting in Las Vegas, Nev., in July.

Dr. Beer earned the honor by completing 500 hours of continuing education coursework, passing a comprehensive written exam and fulfilling five years of membership in the academy.

Beer graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry in 2012. He went into practice alongside his father, Dr. Daniel J. Beer, who had been awarded his Fellow Award in the past. Beer is a member of the American Dental Association, Illinois State Dental Society and the McLean County Dental Society.

Oltman receives national recognition

BLOOMINGTON  Cheryl Oltman, BOPI mailing specialist and accounting supervisor, was recognized as the Industry Member of the Year at the national Postal Customer Council Leadership Awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Oltman was selected from among 29 nominees advanced by the 155 Postal Customer Councils (PCC) across the country. She serves the Heart of Illinois PCC as the industry co-chair and on the National PCC Advisory Council communication committee, along with being a presenter at the 2017 National Postal Forum and at numerous regional training sessions.

The Heart of Illinois PCC received a Gold Award for Innovation of the Year for a promotional mail piece featuring live portrait technology, which was produced by BOPI, and a Silver membership award.

Rebecca Brummitt, customer relations coordinator at the Peoria Post Office and Heart of Illinois PCC postal co-chairperson, was recognized as the Postal Member of the Year Silver Award recipient.

PCC promotes partnership between the U.S. Postal Service and the mailing industry. The regional organizations are comprised of postal service employees and industry and customer representatives. Heart of Illinois was the small market PCC of the Year in 2016.

BOPI (Bloomington Offset Process, Inc.) is a commercial printing firm at 1705 S. Veterans Parkway, Bloomington. Its Print Plus services include high-volume offset printing, digital printing, personalized direct mail, e-commerce and fulfillment. BOPI is designated by USPS as a certified full-service mailer.

Higgens joins Raymond James

DECATUR  Ann Higgens has joined the Raymond James office, 2950 N. Water St., Suite 110, Decatur, IL 62526, and is affiliated with the Independent Contractors Division at Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

Higgens will be serving individuals and businesses in the Central Illinois area.

She has more than 30 years experience in the securities industry and is a Wealth Management Specialist.

Ann is a former member of the Chicago Board of Trade and the Chicago Board Options Exchange.

She is the communications director of the Professional Women of McLean County and a member of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation Board, where she serves on the Investment Committee and is the board liaison for the Women to Women Giving Circle Steering Committee. Ann is a member of the McLean County and Pontiac Chambers of Commerce.

Ann can be reached at 217-330-9263 or ann.higgens@raymondjames.com. Information is available at www.raymondjames.com/annhiggens.

Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., is a financial services firm supporting more than 3,900 independent financial advisers nationwide. Since 1974, Raymond James Financial Services Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, has provided a wide range of investment and wealth planning-related services through its affiliate, Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Both broker/dealers are wholly owned subsidiaries of Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE-RJF), a leading diversified financial services company with approximately 7,300 financial advisers serving in excess of 2.9 million client accounts in more than 3,000 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. Total client assets are approximately $664 billion as of June 30.
BLOOMINGTON  An award-winning author will speak on race and justice in the United States at the President's Convocation opening the academic year at Illinois Wesleyan University.

Jelani Cobb will speak at 11 a.m. Sept. 6 in Westbrook Auditorium at Presser Hall, 1210 N. Park St. His presentation, The Half-Life of Freedom: Race and Justice in America Today, is free and open to the public.

His visit is connected to IWU's summer reading program selection, Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates, a friend of Cobb's and a fellow Howard University alumnus. It is also tied to this year's intellectual theme at IWU, The Evolution of Revolution.

Coates' autobiographical book about being black in the United States was a finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction.

Cobb, a journalism professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, has written articles on race, culture, the police and injustice for The New Yorker.

He was awarded the Sidney Hillman Prize for Opinion & Analysis Journalism in 2015 for his columns on police shootings in Ferguson, Mo., and similar incidents. He also received the 2017 Walter Bernstein Award from the Writers Guild of America for his investigative series, Policing the Police, which aired on PBS Frontline.

Cobb is the author of several books, including Substance of Hope: Barack Obama and the Paradox of Progress. He has said of his work, I write because a different world is possible  we must always remember that.
STREATOR  A garage fire damaged a home in Streator on Sunday and sent one firefighter to the hospital with slight injuries, a fire official said Monday.

Firefighters were called at 10:34 p.m. to 144 W. Bluff St. after the residents smelled smoke in their home. Firefighters arrived four minutes later and found the garage, which was attached to the two-story home, fully engulfed.

Firefighters, who were on the scene for 2 hours, were able to contain the blaze to the garage.

One firefighter was transported from the scene to a local hospital and released after treatment, said fire department spokesman Bryan Park in a news release.

The single-car garage sustained severe fire, smoke, and water damage. The rest of the two-story home sustained heavy smoke damage and minor fire and water damage, he said.

Residents of the home were assisted by the American Red Cross.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation but is not considered suspicious, Park added. The Illinois state fire marshal's office and the Streator police and fire departments are investigating.
NORMAL  Unable to return to their suburban Houston home because of Hurricane Harvey, Tim and Meghan Fisher decided Monday to help their neighbors from 965 miles away.

The Fishers, their children Anderson and Morgan, and Tim's mother, Mary Fisher Miller of Normal, were among more than 300 volunteers who assembled and packed more than 2,000 family food boxes at Midwest Food Bank Bloomington-Normal, 2031 Warehouse Road, Normal.

The food boxes will be trucked to Texas this week to assist families flooded out of their homes because of the hurricane, said food bank Director of Operations Mike Hoffman.

"Yesterday (Sunday) we were watching (using a smartphone) the water rise from our security cameras," Tim Fisher said. "It was tough to put the phone down."

"While we were here feeling helpless, we wanted to do something to help," Fisher said at the food bank Monday afternoon. "We saw that Midwest Food Bank was doing this (allowing volunteers to assemble and pack family food boxes) and wanted to help. We couldn't (directly) help our neighbors, but we could do this."

The volunteers assembled and packed the food boxes on two assembly lines from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. while a third line of volunteers re-packaged some bulk items that went into those boxes, Hoffman said.

Each box contains enough food for a family of four for four to five days. The food packages will go out on semitrailer trucks from Normal to Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday and Thursday and from there will be distributed by The Salvation Army to people in need.

"What we packed today should be in peoples' hands by Saturday," Hoffman said. Two earlier semi loads went out Saturday and Sunday and those trucks were back on Monday, he said.

"We put the word out that we needed help filling boxes and this awesome community came through again," Hoffman said.

Tim Fisher, of Cypress, Texas, is a native of Bloomington-Normal and was in town with this family for the funeral of his stepfather, Terry Miller.

"The visitation and funeral were Wednesday-Thursday, so our plans were to fly back Friday or Saturday," he said.

But Harvey hit early Saturday and flights were canceled. "We've tried to get home but couldn't," he said.

"We believe water has gotten into our house but we're not sure yet," Fisher said. "We know people can't get in and out of our neighborhood so far."

"We're safe here," Fisher said. "It's stuff there (in their home) but stuff can be replaced."

"It was heartwarming. The response has been overwhelming," Meghan Fisher said of the 300-plus volunteers. "It's so great to see people helping people."

"It means the world to us and it's fun," said Anderson, age 10, as his sister Morgan, 6, nodded. "It's good to help people."

Fisher Miller said "It reminds me after 9-11 when everyone in this community drove through Schnucks to make donations. When there's adversity someplace, people in Bloomington-Normal are willing to help. It's very uplifting."

Among regular Midwest Food Bank volunteers helping out Monday was Terri Thede of Normal. It was her first volunteer gig at the food bank since she donated a kidney on Aug. 10.

"Regardless of religion or political affiliation, everyone can get behind the idea that no one should go hungry in the United States," she said.

"I was overwhelmed at what I was seeing on the news and this was a way to help."

Asked about more than 300 volunteers joining her on Monday, Thede said, "It was very impressive. But it doesn't surprise me one bit."

"This is going to be a long-lasting disaster (response)." Hoffman said. "There will be additional opportunities to help."
100 years ago

Aug. 28, 1917: The school board is making plans to remodel the old BHS building on Monroe Street and make it home to Jefferson School. The existing Jefferson School, on Jefferson Street, will be sold. (District 87s offices are on the site of the new Jefferson School.)

75 years ago

Aug. 28, 1942: Remember the Lexington will be the slogan on blue and white tags to be sold by the Mitzis and Tridettes, two sororities, in downtown Bloomington. The Lexington was an aircraft carrier sunk in the Pacific. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Navy relief fund.

50 years ago

Aug. 28, 1967: One or two burglars thought the pre-dawn hours would be a good time to break into the bank in Weldon and rob it. But a passing family spotted a flashlight beam inside and called the sheriff. One suspect was caught in a corn crib. The other, if there is one, is at large.

25 years ago

Aug. 28, 1992: Teachers in the Tri-Valley schools went on strike in a contract dispute that centers on pay. There was no school in Downs Thursday. Students were picketing the schools, too. Some took sides with the teachers; others supported a return to school.
BLOOMINGTON  Citing medical reasons, Mayor Tari Renner said he is taking a temporary leave of absence from his mayoral duties.

"I have informed the city manager and the mayor pro-tem of my plans to take a temporary leave of absence for medical-related reasons," said the mayor in a news release Monday afternoon.

"I have made this decision under consultation with my physician and my family. I am thankful that we have a strong and capable city council and city administration to manage the day-to-day activities in my absence. My family and I appreciate privacy during this time as I continue to focus on my health."

Renner did not disclose the nature of his medical condition.

He will continue working as a political science professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, said Ward 6 Alderman Karen Schmidt, who serves as mayor pro tem in the mayor's absence.

She served as mayor pro tem in Renner's absence at the council's committee-of-the-whole work session last week.

He is continuing his full teaching load at Illinois Wesleyan. He basically has two very active jobs so he is taking a step back from his city work, she said. He is taking advantage of that just to deal with some medical issues.

Schmidt said she is anticipating the mayor will be absent for a few weeks at the most.

She and City Manager David Hales will be staying in touch with Renner on any issues of significance, said Schmidt.

The announcement follows on the heels of the opening of an Illinois State Police investigation into the mayor's office.

The probe was launched after Renner blasted Bloomington resident Bruce Meeks in an early morning email he sent in response to Meeks raising questions about the use of a city credit card to buy an airline ticket to let Renner's partner travel with him to Japan for a weeklong sister cities anniversary event earlier this month.

At the council's Aug. 14 meeting, Meeks, a frequent critic of Renner's administration, publicly called for the council and state police to act against the mayor for allegedly intimidating him.

When asked by The Pantagraph on Aug. 16 about a state police investigation being opened, Renner said he was aware of an investigation and believes no violations were committed.

The ISP is conducting an open and ongoing investigation regarding the City of Bloomington Mayor's Offices, state police spokesman Master Sgt. Matt Boerwinkle confirmed in an email sent to The Pantagraph on Aug. 16. Due to the confidentiality of this investigation, no further information is being released at this time.

A city credit card, called a procurement card or p-card, was used to buy a $1,836 airline ticket for Margot Ehrlich. She accompanied Renner on a city-sponsored trip to attend the 55th anniversary celebration of the sister cities relationship with Asahikawa, Japan.

A city of Bloomington staff member bought the economy-class airline tickets for Renner and Ehrlich on May 12, and the city received a check for that amount May 26 from Ehrlich as payment for her ticket, according to documents The Pantagraph received from the city through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Renner called Meeks "crazy" and "pathetic" in an early morning email on Aug. 13.

On Aug. 15, Renner also posted late-night comment on WGLT's Facebook page referencing nuts and shared an image of a squirrel in response to several commenters critical of the Japan trip.

The council formally criticized Renner for a late-night online rant in February 2015 against a conservative blogger who also frequently challenges Renner.

No aldermen have asked that the council issue a similar rebuke of the mayor's recent online conduct.
There aren't many men whose Instagram photo of a haircut could lead to a mass freak- out of international proportions. But back in March, when superstar DJ David Guetta shared a photo of his signature shaggy, shoulder-length light brown hair lying on the floor, many of his 7.8 million fans alternately flooded his post with sad exclamations like "NOOOOOOOOOOO tu hermoso cabello" ("NOOOOOOOOOOO your beautiful hair") or approving comments like "Ca te va tellement mieux" ("It suits you so much better"). After years with his long mop, it was time for a fresh start. And his hair wasn't the only thing to change. In the process of recording his seventh studio album, Guetta is also reinventing his sound and challenging both himself and his producer peers to push dance music in a new direction. "Every time I come with a new album, I try to reinvent myself," he says. "I feel like a new person and I feel like I'm reborn in some way." He continues, "It's not only a new cycle for me but a new cycle for music. A lot of the formula that came out in 2009 or 2010 has been used time and time again, and finally people got bored of it...[Now] it's a moment where we can all experiment and try to find different things, which is interesting. It's very challenging, but more creative."

While details are still under wraps about the new record, there is a clue as to the new direction Guetta may be headed. Back in June, the producer released one of the album's singles, a soaring track with Justin Bieber, "2U." Amidst Bieber's silky vocals, Guetta's production takes a funkier turn than we're used to hearing, thanks, in part, to the use of an '80s talkbox synthesizer. "It took me a long time to produce '2U' and find something that would be really unique," Guetta says. "And Justin was really picky. I sent him so many different versions. But I'm glad he really pushed me to make it the best possible." This persistence and perfectionism extends to the whole album, an effort that Guetta says has been underway for "almost two years" and required him to write "100 or 120 songs" before he could be satisfied with the 15 or so tracks that will ultimately appear on the record.

Click through to see more photos of David Guetta!







The process is, depending on your perspective, either enriched or made more complicated by Guetta's frenetic touring schedule. Some of his most productive time is spent going between LA, where he says he likes to write music, and Las Vegas, home to his residencies at the Wynn Las Vegas' dayclub, Encore Beach Club, and nightclub, XS. He's had a residency at Wynn since 2011, but even six years later, he's still amazed by the scene. The "pool party is insane," he says of his daytime show at Encore. "The concept itself is just so crazy, to have all those people in bikinis dancing and being in the pool together." For a Frenchman who grew up wistfully watching episodes of MTV Spring Break, he says, "My party is like what I'd watch and dream of as a teenager, but multiplied by 100. The vibe is insane. I have never seen anything that can compare to that."

Las Vegas has plenty to offer the DJ beyond its famed nightlife, and Guetta says he enjoys frequenting the city's restaurants  especially Andrea's, the upscale Asian restaurant at Encore  and taking in shows like Cirque du Soleil's O or KA with his kids when they're in town. "You can go as wild as you want, but Las Vegas can also be more luxury or family-oriented," Guetta says. And, just like with his pool party, Guetta says the longer he spends in Las Vegas, the more he appreciates the cinematic -- and slightly surreal -- quality it has. "Coming from Europe, you have all of those things that you see in American movies," he says. "And then it's like, I'm part of the movie." And fans can't wait to hear more of the soundtrack.





Photography by Eric White



Video by Symone Ridgell

Styling by Jason Rembert



Grooming: Jennifer Brent for Exclusive Artists using Make Up For Ever and R+Co

Grooming Assistant: Kailie Joe

Styling Assistants: Shameelah Hicks and Daniel Jones

Location: Dune Studios
Hurricane Harvey hit Texas on Friday, leaving mass destruction in its torrential path. The area in and around Houston has experienced one of the worst floods in U.S. history, leaving essential amenities like hospitals underwater, homes destroyed, and at least eight people dead. Federal officials are predicting that the tropical storm will drive 30,000 people into shelters and leave 45,000 seeking relief assistance.

Fortunately, there are some ways you can help, even if you don't live in Texas. Here are a few ways you can assist survivors of the storm:

1. Donate money. Sending money to organizations that are devoted to helping natural disaster disaster survivors is one of the easiest and most effective ways of supporting victims of the hurricane. The Center for International Disaster Information provides extensive information on selecting the right organization to donate to, and the Charity Navigator has a list of national and local groups that are providing support to victims of the storm on the ground. Some local groups you can send money to also include the Houston Food Bank and the Food Bank of Corpus Christi, and Houston mayor Sylvester Turner has also established the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund to accept tax-deductible relief donations.

2. Help with housing. If you are nearby, you can offer up space in your home via Airbnb, which is currently waiving its fee to help Harvey survivors find temporary housing. You can also donate to the Houston Coalition for the Homeless and Trusted World, which is helping provide housing and relief to hurricane evacuees in Dallas.
A day after Trump's official ban on trans military members, transgender activist and editor Ashlee Marie Preston approached Caitlyn Jenner at the end of a performance of The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars to tell her off for supporting Donald Trump. The incident was captured on video.

"It's really fucked up that you continue to support somebody...that does everything with the military, that's erasing our fucking community. And you support it," Preston tells Jenner in the clip. Jenner mostly remains silent as Preston tells her that support of Trump is detrimental to the community. At one point Jenner taps event co-chair Dena Williams on the shoulder in a ploy for help, but when Williams attempts to shut down the conversation, Preston says she's disappointed in her. Later, Jenner tells Preston, "You don't know me," to which Preston responds, "Yes I do! You're a fucking fraud and a fake."

Preston also tells Williams, "As long as we continue to be the ones that are most impacted by the choices that you make, it is not OK. We are complicit. Taking her money and doing all that? It makes us complicit. It goes against the mission," Preston said. "How are we gonna fight anyone if she's giving money to the people that are destroying us?" (A donation from Jenner partially sponsored the event).

Preston posted video of the confrontation to Facebook and wrote on Twitter, "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

[h/t Jezebel]


One of the things that we learned last week was that Apple is planning to upgrade their Apple TV device with the ability to play 4K content upgrade for its TV box. More importantly, Apple will support content playing on TV's capable of delivering the new High Dynamic Range (HDR) video standard. HDR reportedly produces more accurate colors and a brighter picture.

Bloomberg reported last week that in order to play 4K and HDR content, Apple will need deals with content makers that can provide video in these new formats. "Apple has begun discussions with movie studios about supplying 4K versions of movies via iTunes, according to people familiar with the talks. The company has also discussed its 4K video ambitions with content companies that already have apps on Apple TV, another person said. Popular video apps on the Apple TV that support 4K on other platforms include Vevo and Netflix."

What the Bloomberg report failed to clarify is that Apple will be supporting more than just basic HDR. Apple will be supporting the new HDR10+ standard that was first introduced back in April of this year. More specifically, HDR10+ technology that was developed by Samsung.

In a new report published today we learn that Samsung has agreed to join 20th Century Fox and Panasonic to expand the ecosystem for HDR10+ technology. The agreement is aimed at inducing more TV producers and movie productions to join the ecosystem for the new technology, Samsung said.

Samsung noted in their April press release that "There are numerous other benefits to HDR10+ that will hasten the adoption of this new standard across digital devices. Unlike many competitors, it is royalty free, so TV manufacturers can adopt it at no cost. It also has system flexibility, meaning it can allow a variety of users, from movie studios and filmmakers to television and device manufacturers, to incorporate this technology and improve the viewing experience for audiences."

Samsung plans to host the QLED & HDR10+ Summit on the sidelines of the Internationale Funkausstellung in Berlin, which kicks off for a six-day run on Sept. 1, inviting business partners to promote the technology.

Lastly, earlier this month an iOS developer in Brazil known as Rambo was first to notice Apple TV code supporting HDR. He was asked which format Apple would support, HDR10+ or the Dolby Vision. He retweeted the code shows that Apple will be supporting both standards as noted below.





About Making Comments on our Site: Patently Apple reserves the right to post, dismiss or edit any comments. Those using abusive language or negative behavior will result in being blacklisted on Disqus.
The New Yorker, which broke the news of Anthony Scaramuccis incredibly foul mouth in the first place, continues its Pulitzer-destined reporting on this important story:

Comedians Protest Anthony Scaramuccis Ouster

By the way, Ive now served almost as long in a senior White House position as Mr. Scaramucci did.

***

Why Scaramucci had to go

***

I was speculating to my wife yesterday that it was John Kelley, the former Marine general who is now White House chief of staff, who got rid of the loathsome Mr. Scaramucci. The news media had been suggesting various other people, including Kellyanne Conway.

But I was right:

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/01/kelly-flexes-muscle-his-first-day-on-the-job-at-white-house.html

No tough, disciplined military officer, accustomed to clear chains of command, was ever going to put up with the kind of offensive idiocy displayed by Scaramucci. It wasnt just the (unspeakably) foul language; it was the brazen, bare-knuckles bureaucratic infighting. That simply couldnt be permitted.

Some folks have been worried about the ascendancy of generals in the Trump administration. I understand, but Im not (currently) particularly worried. If ever a presidency required discipline, this one does. And the best military officers bring a wealth of international experience, discipline, managerial background, knowledge of international politics, and so forth to whatever positions they take after their time in the services is done.

General Kelly absolutely must succeed if theres any hope of making the Trump presidency rise above disaster. And, much as I regret Mr. Trumps ascendancy to the White House, I dont want his presidency to be a disaster. We face too many challenges  e.g., the loon in Pyongyang, an ascendant China, Vladimir Putin, an imploding health care economy, and so on and so forth  to allow ourselves that luxury.

***

Arizonas admirable (and Latter-day Saint) junior senator, a fellow member of the Never-Trump movement, speaks out:

Sen. Flake: GOP should have stood up to Trump

The interview was prompted by the appearance of a new article from Senator Flake. I regard this devastating essay  an excerpt from his new book titled (in clear homage to the late great Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona) Conscience of a Conservative  as a must-read for serious political conservatives:

My Party Is in Denial about Donald Trump

***

Just back from a tour of the Missionary Training Center in Provo. Its quite a bit different from my days at the old Language Training Mission, where we slept in dugouts; walked twenty miles uphill to class and and twenty miles uphill back from class every day, in six feet of snow, in July; and had to find our meals by rummaging in dumpsters. These younguns have things a whole lot better.

***

Walker Wright, I think it was, reminded me of this book the other day:

Tom Nichols, The Death of Expertise

I hope to get a chance to read it. I think about this topic every time Im challenged on topics related to Islam by somebody whose background on the subject, I can readily tell, goes no further than having skimmed a few tendentious propaganda sites online.

I make no claim to infallibility, and Im not overawed by doctorates  a large proportion of the people I know have them, after all; its no big deal in my circles, just (basically) an entry-level union card  but I do believe that theres a price that needs to be paid, in many subjects, before one can really have a very meaningful opinion on them. Im the chairman of a foundation that publishes work on the Book of Mormon and the scriptures, for example, often written by people lacking doctorates or with doctorates in quite unrelated fields. Credentials arent the issue  although most of us wouldnt go to a medical hobbyist for brain surgery  but evidence of having done at least the minimum necessary work is definitely required.

I would never presume to lecture my mechanic on the details of automotive engines.

***

The situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate, as Nicolas Maduro, not content with destroying his nations standard of living by means of socialist command-and-control economic policies, persists in his effort to institute a Castroite dictatorship:

Venezuela: How a rich country collapsed

Venezuelas election losers

Maduros War on Democracy

Venezuela opposition figures taken from their homes
Last week Sen. Bernie Sanders repeatedly questioned Russell Vought, Trumps nominee for deputy director of the Office of Budget and Management, about his evangelical religious beliefs. Even the Atlantic deemed Sanders line of questioning a religious test for Christians in public office. Im not going to argue with that. Sanders did not make clear why his line of questioning was relevant to the duties Vought would be expected to perform.

There are certainly times when a nominees religious beliefs might be relevant. Consider, for example, a situation where a Jehovahs Witness is nominated to the Department of Health and Human Services. This was not one of those times.

Why did Voughts religious views come up at all? It had to do with an early 2016 conflict at Wheaton, Voughts alma mater. Larycia Hawkins, a Wheaton professor, wore a hijab and stated in a Facebook post that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. Hawkins was quickly suspended, but quit before the school could complete procedures to fire her. The evangelical world ignited with controversydid Muslims and Christians worship the same God?

The result was an onslaught of articles from layperson and religious leader alike, and the evangelical world spent several weeks in fervent debate. Vought publicly defended Wheaton, penning an article for a conservative website. Voughts article should be understood as part of a conversation among evangelicals over an issue those outside of this tradition would likely consider an obscure theological point. Of his article, Sanders picked out only two sentences:

Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned.

What was the context of these sentences? I havent found a single article about Sanders line of questioning that asks this question, and I think its one worth asking.

In his article, Vought began by outlining Hawkins position as follows:

In her responsive letter to the school seeking clarification for her comments, [Hawkins] writes: I understand that Islam (and Judaism) denies the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, and leaves no room for the Cross and the Resurrection, but my statement is not a statement on soteriology or trinitarian theology, but one of embodied piety. When I say that we worship the same God, I am sayingthat when pious Muslims pray, they are addressing the One True God, and that God is, simply God. In other words, Dr. Hawkins is saying that she does not mean to comment on how an individual becomes saved by God, but rather the validity of their faith.

In this way Vought seeks to clarify Hawkins position before responding to it. Her argument, as Vought explains here, was that while Muslims are not savedsee Hawkins comment about the Cross and the Resurrection and her reference to soteriologythey nonetheless address the same God as Christians when they pray. Note that even Hawkins states that Muslims do not have access to salvation, because they do not accept the divinity (or message) of Jesus Christ.

Vought next quotes from Dr. John Stackhouse defense of Hawkins position:

If we insist, as many are insisting in this furore, that God must be understood in terms of the Trinity, with a focus especially on Jesus, or else one really doesnt know God, I respectfully want to ask such Bible believers what they make of Abraham (who is held up as a paradigm of faith in the New Testament) and the list of Old Testament saints (who are held up as paradigms of faith to Christians in Hebrews 11), precisely none of whom can be seriously understood as holding trinitarian views and some proleptic vision of the identity and career of Jesus Christ.

Must one understand the Trinity in order to know God? That was the question the debate over Hawkins comments kept coming back to. We often speak of three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islamall trace their origins back to the same figure, and, arguably, worship the same God. The sticking point is that evangelicals believe in the Trinity while Muslims and Jews do not. Christians believe that God is three parts in one, and that Jesus is divine. Both Jews and Muslims object to that. Sodo they pray to the same God as Christians? Can they, when they disagree fundamentally about the form of God?

Like Hawkins, Stackhouse argued Muslims could and did pray to the same God as Christiansdespite not believing in the Trinity. Stackhouse cited Abraham and others whose faith was praised in the New Testament, even though they were not trinitarians. But Vought disagreed, stating that such a distinction leads to serious theological confusion because of what it means to be in relationship with or know the one, true God. He went on as follows:

Stackhouse implies that someone could really know God without a focus on Jesus. He explains, Having a deficient (e.g., nontrinitarian) theology of God  does not mean you are not in actual prayerful and faithful relationship with God. (Having wrong ideas about a person  doesnt mean that you do not have a relationship with that person.) This is the fundamental problem. Muslims do not simply have a deficient theology. They do not know God because they have rejected Jesus Christ his Son, and they stand condemned. In John 8:19, Jesus answered, You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also. In Luke 10:16, Jesus says, The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me. And in John 3:18, Jesus says, Whoever believes in [the Son] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

Vought argued, in other words, that Muslims could not know God not because they did not believe in the Trinity, as some were arguing, but rather because they had rejected Jesus, separating themselves from God. This is a theological point. Vought quotes verses from the New Testament that he believes backs up his point that one cannot know or pray to the Christian God if one does not believe in or know Jesus.

But something strange happened early last year, as this debate raged within the evangelical community: Non-evangelicals took what was in many ways an esoteric doctrinal dispute and turned it into straightforward evidence of Islamophobia. The conversation that took place within evangelicalism in the wake of Hawkins comments never included an allowance that Muslims might be saved rather than headed for eternal damnation like all other non-evangelicals. That wasnt what it was about.

Now on many levels, it is understandable that many saw the dispute as one of simple Islamophobia. After all, Hawkins made what she likely thought was a straightforward defense of Muslims common humanity, and was suspended for it. But while some evangelicals may have reacted primarily to her donning of the hijab, for most the question was more specificdid Muslims pray to the same God as Christians? Most evangelicals would answer no. But Hawkins said they did, and Hawkins was a professor at Wheaton, and that meant the theologians had to weigh in (and weigh in they did).

This, in the end, was the central argument of Voughts article:

Why downplay the primacy of Jesus Christ in having a relationship with God? Does Dr. Hawkins really want to send a confusing (albeit highly nuanced) message to the world (and many of her own Christian students) in which the quick takeaway for many people will be that they do not need to know this Jesus Christ who claims to be their God and King? How does that lead to more brothers and sisters in Christ? It doesnt.

Vought was concerned that any admission that Muslims pray to the same God as Christians might suggest that Muslims have their own way of knowing God, and that they do not need to know Jesus to know God. Central to evangelicalism is the idea that salvation comes through Christ alone, and that all humanity is doomed to eternity in hell without it. Muslims dont simply worship differently, they do not understand the gospel or the salvation message (i.e. that salvation comes from admitting that you are an unworthy sinner and putting your trust Christs sacrifice on the cross alone).

During last weeks hearings, Sanders repeatedly asked Vought whether he believed that Muslims stood condemned. In your judgment, do you think that people who are not Christians are gonna be condemned? Sanders asked. Sanders questions were not really about Voughts article or the controversy over Hawkins comments at all, except thatpresumablysomeone on his staff had connected that brouhaha to Islamophobia. Sanders questions were instead about a central tenet of evangelicalismthat all humans are sinners destined for hell, and that salvation is attainable through Christ alone.

I do not think it is going too far to call Sanders line of questioning a religious test. Vought repeatedly stated that he believes that all individuals are made in the image of God and are worthy of dignity and respect regardless of their religious beliefs, or, in other words, that his religious beliefs will not interfere with his ability to do his job. But this wasnt enough for Sanders, who ended his questions by pledging to vote no because this nominee is really not someone who is what this country is supposed to be about. That statement is pretty clear.

Ill be honestI didnt expect last years inter-evangelical debate over Hawkins comments to come back in quite this way.
Tehran Prosecutor Calls Hunger Strikes "Threats" Amid Mass Strike by Political Prisoners at Rajaee Shahr Prison

08/27/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

"Prisoners must endure their punishment to the fullest"



Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj

Tehran Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi has described hungers strikes undertaken by prisoners as "threats" that the judicial system will not "surrender to."

Dowlatabadi made the comments as more than a dozen political prisoners entered the third week of a mass hunger strike at Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj.

"To those prisoners who resort to hunger strikes and other actions, we say these methods have been defeated," said Dowlatabadi on August 23, 2017, at a conference in Tehran focused on reducing Iran's prison population. "The judicial system will not surrender to their threats."

"Prisoners must endure their punishment to the fullest," he added. "We will not be influenced by the prisoners' actions, such as hunger strikes."

The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned from interviews with relatives of Rajaee Shahr hunger strikers that their number has grown to at least 18 since the protest began on July 30, 2017. That day more than 50 political prisoners and prisoners of conscience were suddenly transferred from Ward 12 to Ward 10.

Ward 10, located on the third floor of the prison compound, has been equipped with enhanced security gear such as closed-circuit cameras, microphones and jamming devices to block smuggled mobile phones.

The hunger strikers' have been demanding the return of personal effects, including clothes, medications and electronic equipment that they weren't allowed to take with them when they were transferred. They are also protesting the ward's poor ventilation and enhanced security.

"The prison medical staff have not checked the conditions of the prisoners even though close to 20 of them are on hunger strike and five or six, who started the protest first, are not feeling well," one of the hunger strikers' relatives told CHRI on condition of anonymity.

Those in poorest health include Saeed Masouri, Mohammad Banazadeh, Amir Khizi and Reza Akbari Monfared, who have been on a wet hunger strike, ingesting only salt water and other liquids such as milk, added the source.

"During family visitation at the prison today [August 23], we found out that other than returning only some of the prisoners' medications, nothing much has been done," said the informed source. "The authorities say they will only return things like television sets, refrigerators, kitchen equipment and rugs to the prisoners' families, but it seems like there's a general looting going on."

"There's still the problem of ventilation, made worse under the summer heat and the existence of all the closed-circuit cameras and listening devices," added the source.

The source also told CHRI that some of the prisoners' relatives attempted to deliver a letter to the authorities at Rajaee Shahr Prison, but were turned away: "We tried to deliver a letter but the head of security insulted us and pushed one of the mothers down the stairs."

According to the letter, a copy of which was obtained by CHRI, "On Sunday, July 30, [2017], without prior notice, prisoners in Ward 12 were handcuffed, and some dragged and beaten, while being transferred in a humiliating and inhumane manner to a new ward that lacks any kind of basic facilities, without being allowed to carry along their personal belongings, or even necessary medications."

"This latest action against prisoners' human rights is a violation of the State Prisons Organization's regulations, and unfortunately the authorities' lack of response to repeated written and verbal complaints has led the prisoners to start a mass hunger strike," added the lettter. "The worsening condition of the protesting prisoners and lack of medical attention are increasingly worrying for the families."

Article 161 of the State Prisons Organization's Regulations bans "mass protests and strikes by prisoners." However, the current situation in Rajaee Shahr Prison's Ward 10 was created by the authorities' violation of Article 37, which states that prison authorities "must exercise sufficient care and attention in the safe return of convicts' personal effects at the time of their release or during transfers."

The sudden transfer and the initial denial of prisoners' visitation rights were also illegal, according to a prominent Iranian human rights attorney.

"It is against our prison regulations and international laws to move prisoners without their knowledge or informing their relatives," Mohammad Seifzadeh, who spent five years in Rajaee Shahr Prison and spoke out about the prison's conditions after his release, told CHRI.

Article 50 of Iran's prison regulations calls for transparency in detention centers by requiring the authorities to allow prisoners to inform their relatives of where they are being held "by telephone or any means possible."
Gambia has been adjudged the winner of the Jollof Rice Competition organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) as part of activities marking the Jollof Festival at the weekend.



The competition, which featured Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal, formed part of the See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana, and Feel Ghana campaign being championed by the GTA, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to promote local tourism on a global scale.



Gambia prepared the jollof rice without tomatoes but with mustard, fish and other ingredients, making their jollof yellowish-white as compared to Ghana, who used tilapia, tomatoes and other ingredients to make their jollof attractive and tasty, giving it a reddish colour.



The Nigerian and Senegalese chefs used ingredients they believed could make their jollof super and delicious but, unfortunately, they could not win.



The judges, who were drawn from Mexico and the Netherlands, said the judgment was based on criteria including presentation, aroma, and taste.



Mr Jan van der Veer, the lead Judge, told the GNA that the Gambians had a fine presentation and a better taste for their jollof as compared to that of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.



He lauded the Tourism Ministry and the GTA for the innovative event adding that it was a great avenue to sell Ghana to the world.



The event was characterised by live-band music from the Ghana Immigration Service Band and the iconic Ghanaian female highlife Artiste, Akosua Agyapong.



Ms Felicia Aniagyei, the Acting Public Relations Manager of the GTA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the Jollof Competition, which falls under the Eat Ghana module, was to encourage Ghanaians to be proud of their local dishes and patronise them wherever they went.



She said the occasion was also used to showcase some locally made cuisines including Kenkey with fish and rice balls with groundnut soup.



This month has been dedicated to the Eat Ghana module while next month, September, would be for the Wear Ghana module, followed by the Feel Ghana in October.



Ms Aniagyei noted that engaging other African countries in the competition was to help showcase the varieties of jollof rice and deepen the relationship among the participating countries.



Some of the jollof prepared at the event included; Kontomire black eye bean Jollof, Smoked Tuna and Vegetable Jollof, Beef Jollof and Egg plant koobi Jollof.



Mr Lucky George, the Publisher of African Travel Times Magazine, said jollof rice originated from the Sene Gambia in the 19th Century before they separated to become two different countries.



There was also Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) challenge in the jollof rice competition, out of which Mr Seth Ocran, the CEO of Yorks Car Rentals, emerged the winner over Abeiku Santana of Kaya Travel and Tours and Mr Akwasi Agyemang of the GTA.







Source: GNA









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

Featured Video
The Akufo-Addo led government has been cautioned to be very careful of how they treat Ibrahim Mahama, brother of former President John Mahama and Chief Executive Officer of Engineers and Planners (E&P).



Ibrahim Mahama has been on the receiving end of vicious attacks and intense criticism especially from members of the New Patriotic Party and the general public.



He recently caught heavy flak after his trucks were seized in the Ashanti Region.



Trucks belonging to Engineers and Planners (E&P) company of Ibrahim Mahama were confiscated by the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Atwima Mponua District Assebly and the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah because they claim their activities were illegal.



E&P were engaged by Exton Cubic Group Limited, a mining company to mine at their Nyinahini Bauxite Concession.



Contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Gold's 'Alhaji and Alhaji', Saturday, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper condemned the attack on Ibrahim Mahama.



According to him, former President John Dramani Mahama is not the only person in Ghana who has relatives doing business in Ghana as President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has family members who are very serious businessmen; one of those is his brother Bomti.



What is happening to Exton Cubic and Engineers and Planners demonstrate a certain lack of commitment to the private sector . . . Bomti has been doing business like Ibrahim Mahama; infact Ibrahim Mahama has been doing business for so many years before his brother came to power so does Bomti. All my life I have not heard anybody make any allegation against Bomti and his business practices; never. I have not heard anything. Bomti has been doing his business quietly. Nobody has raised a finger against Bomti. Today President Akufo Addo is the president of Ghana. Are we saying his brothers business must collapse?" he questioned.



"So today if Bomti does any legitimate business with the Akufo-Addo government, is this how he will be treated when Akufo-Addo leaves office? What will happen to his relatives who are doing business and are likely to do business with his administration when he leaves office? Let us be exceedingly careful because what we sow today will germinate tomorrow and it will bear fruits. We should set principles and standards that will be applicable to Ibrahim Mahama, applicable to Bomti . . . applicable to future Presidents and their family members. We must operate on the basis of standards that are properly set; principles which we can uphold at all times. That is the way to go, Kwesi Pratt advised.

Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com









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

Featured Video
Three men allegedly involved in attacks on counterprotesters at the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville earlier this month have been charged with felonies, Charlottesville police said late Saturday. One of the men has been identified as an imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and one of the men is still at large.

Police said 18-year-old Daniel P. Borden of Mason, Ohio, is allegedly part of a group of six men who violently beat a man in a parking garage next to the Charlottesville Police Department on Aug. 12. That man, DeAndre Harris, suffered a broken wrist and a gash to his head which required 10 staples. The attack was captured on video.

Another suspect, Richard W. Preston, 52, is allegedly the man seen on video shot by the American Civil Liberties Union taking out a pistol and firing a round toward a counterprotester who was wielding a flaming can of aerosol. He then turns and walks away. Preston has identified himself to news media as the imperial wizard of the Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, based in northern Maryland.

Preston spoke to a reporter in Fort Wayne, Indiana, two days after the rally and blamed the violence on the mayor of Charlottesville for reportedly instructing police not to intervene between the white supremacist protesters and the counterprotesters.

Charlottesville and Virginia State police were widely criticized for not making arrests or even taking actions on violence in their presence. State police officers can be seen in the video standing near where Preston fired on the counterprotester, but a state police spokeswoman said troopers did not hear or see the incident due to the noise and chaos.

A woman who had joined the counterprotesters, Heather Heyer, 32, was killed when a car slammed into a crowd of people. James Alex Fields Jr., 20, of Ohio, has been charged with second-degree murder in that case.

Borden was arrested Friday in Cincinnati and is being held in the Hamilton County jail on a charge of malicious wounding, Charlottesville police said in a news release. Preston was arrested Saturday on a charge of discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, and was being held in the Baltimore County jail, police said.

Police were seeking help finding a third man, Alex Michael Ramos, 33, who also was allegedly involved in the beating of Harris. Ramos is also charged with malicious wounding, Charlottesville police said.

A lawyer for Harris told the New York Times that he credited Shaun King, an activist and columnist for the New York Daily News, with using social media to identify the suspects in Harris' beating. King offered a reward for information leading to names of those involved in the attacks, and circulated photos and videos on Twitter. The lawyer, S. Lee Merritt, said Ramos was identified after he wrote about the attack on Facebook.

Charlottesville police asked that anyone with information on Ramos' whereabouts contact them at 434-970-3280.

(c) 2017, The Washington Post. This story was written by Tom Jackman.
Meet Gavin and Macey Bebble, cousins and fellow St. Mary's stars

Two fellow Class of 2023 members, Gavin and Macey Bebble share a bond as cousins, friends and leading members of multiple talented St. Mary's teams.
This newsletter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Hotlinking of PM Media images and copyrighted material is strictly forbidden unless permission is obtained.

'Phantoms and Monsters' and 'phantomsandmonsters.com' is protected under the Lanham (Trademark) Act (Title 15, Chapter 22 of the United States Code)

'Phantoms and Monsters' was establish in September 2005 as part of PM Media

Copyright 2005-2017 Phantoms and Monsters / PM Media - All Rights Reserved

Two weeks after being at this address I witnessed trees moving as though there is a huge heavy being moving from one tree to the other, but you can not see any visible being...but I know this is not caused by the wind!!! I have pictures of strange unreal things I would never had imagined ever seeing in real life except on sci-fi stuff. There is something outside in my trees and it is not squirrels. I can feel them watching me and have seen their neon green eyes staring back at me from inside of the trees where they try to hide and blend in with the leaves on the top of the trees. Something is definitely wrong here and it really has me frightened when I know something has come into my home and assaulted me with scratches on my back and left a blood red scab at the base of my skull as though it was punctured with a sharp object such as a needle.I know the government knows and other officials here, but I have some proof, got some hair that I know is not human by no means. I don't know what to do but to reach out to you guys so I won't loose my sanity because never in my wildest dreams would I have ever imagined these things to actually be real. To see one for real it's just too much to try and accept the reality of it, but you know what's the truth. Please contact me so I won't feel so alone in this madness. - MUFON**********During the late 1960's I saw shadow people three times. At that time period I didn't know what they where called. The first time one was looking through my bedroom window staring at me. The second time, a few months later about five of them I saw when I woke up. The third time I was them was late at night at camp, in my bungalow, they where walking around that camp bungalow bed I was in. Most of the shadow things were tall and were totally silent. They were humanoid in shape.They all had white eyes. All white and not red as some recent reports explain. They were all pitch black...blacker than my dimly lit room, bedroom or camp room. All three times while seeing them was too scared to move a muscle so I don't actually know if I had sleep paralysis or not. I will be happy not ever to seen any shadow people again. WS**********STAMFORD  Turn of River and Newfield residents are hoping to take their backyards back from a gang of wild turkeys.After some neighbors started feeding the hefty ground birds over the summer, humans have lost their spot at the top of the animal kingdom hierarchy.When turkeys are fed by people, they become habituated to them and start to see them on the same level as other turkeys, said Michael Gregonis, a Department of Energy and Environmental Protection wild turkey program biologist. Theres a hierarchy in turkey flocks and each turkey has its place and they fight among themselves.For weeks, City Rep. Steven Kolenberg, whose district includes the Turn of River and Newfield neighborhoods, has received complaints from residents who say theyve been chased or attacked by these aggressive turkeys.This is one of the stranger constituent complaints or issues Ive gotten, but that doesnt make it any less serious, Kolenberg said. These birds may come across as silly-looking, but they are very territorial, and if you feed them, they become aggressive.**********This week we welcome author & paranormal researcherto Arcane Radio. Timothy is an accomplished musician - as well as a member of Seekers, a cryptid & paranormal investigation group located in south central Pennsylvania. His 1st book, 'Beyond the Seventh Gate: Exploring Toad Road, The Seven Gates of Hell, and Other Strangeness in York, Lancaster, and Adams Counties' was published in 2016. His most recent book, 'Bigfoot in Pennsylvania' documents historical sightings & encounters in the Keystone State. Timothy is also a team member / investigator of the Chicago Phantom Task Force. Please join us on Thursday, September 7th - 10PM ET / 7PM PT - go to www.WCJVRadio.com and click 'Listen / Join Chat Now.' Call in live at 716-745-4266 and join the conversation.**********
Philip Hughes, 38, a Peace Corps veteran and a Temple MBA grad, came up with the idea of having fruit farmers in Africa take the large portion their produce that was going to waste and turn it into dried fruit for sale in America. Read more

Mavuno Harvest imports dried mangoes, papayas, and other organic fruits from sub-Saharan Africa for sale at Whole Foods and many other retailers. But for founder Phil Hughes, the fruit is not the point.

Hughes, who served in Kenya in the Peace Corps from 2003 to 2005, wanted to work in African economic development, but through business rather than foreign aid or charity.

He found his way to that business, thanks to an enduring image he brought home from Kenya: the piles of fresh mangoes that went to waste because farmers lacked adequate access to external markets. His idea: Why not dry the fruit, extending its shelf life from one week to 18 months, and sell it in the United States?

"I had this theory of how this was going to benefit farmers in Africa and increase economic activity in their small villages. I didn't mean to start a food company. I just thought that was the avenue that I could take," Hughes said during an interview this month at Mavuno's packaging and distribution center, in space leased from the Share Food Program in Nicetown.

The key was that farmers could keep doing what they were doing, which was growing fruit. "We're not trying to tell farmers what to do," a problem with many economic-development projects, Hughes said. It was simple: By selling some of their fruit for drying, "they can get paid for more of their harvest."

Mavuno Harvest, which sells its products in about 4,000 stores nationwide and is on track to have $2 million in revenue this year, won the Food/Restaurant category of the 2017 Stellar StartUps competition, sponsored by Philadelphia Media Network, parent of the Inquirer, Daily News, and Philly.com, after being the only entrant to score enough points to make it to the finals.

A mechanical engineer by training who grew up in East Falls and now lives nearby in the city's Wissahickon neighborhood, Hughes started Mavuno Harvest in 2012 with $50,000 in savings. He paid himself for the first time last year, when Mavuno had its first profit.

Hughes, 38, launched the business in Uganda, where the German government had donated fruit-drying equipment about a decade before Hughes had his idea, though it did not follow through by helping to connect the operators of those dryers to markets. "It was a typical development project," he said.

The dryers Hughes buys from are locally owned small businesses. Their suppliers are farmers' cooperatives in Uganda, Burkino Faso, and Ghana. That's what Hughes likes most about Mavuno Harvest's model.

"It's growth of small businesses in Africa. The dryers themselves are able to grow their businesses. They are buying more fresh fruit, which means that all that fruit is not getting wasted. They are also able to employ more labor, and it's encouraging economic activity."

Economic-development experts said Hughes' private-enterprise approach is crucial.

'In taking those mangoes and bananas and drying them and then connecting them with Whole Foods and other retailers in the U.S., he's connecting those producers to the global supply chain," said Witney W. Schneidman, a senior international adviser for Africa at Covington & Burling LLP, a Washington law firm, and a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution.

"It's narrow. It goes from the growers to the dryers through Phil to Whole Foods. But that's a really important start. The real challenge is for these producers to deliver X amount on time every month at a consistent quality level. Aid will never develop those skills," said Schneidman, a Radnor native and Temple University graduate.

Hughes' decision to set up his business without owning any assets in Africa was a good one for purposes of economic development, another expert said. "Ownership is critical, in terms of bringing long-term assets to families," said Morgan Simon, author of the forthcoming book Real Impact: The New Economics of Social Change.

But getting the economic-development side right does not guarantee commercial success.

Hughes said he got lucky. "People know what a banana is. They know what a dried banana is. All we want to do is be the dried banana that's on the dried-banana space. Then we're OK," he said.

Patrick FitzGerald, who teaches entrepreneurship at the Wharton School and knows Hughes through a family connection, said there is more to Mavuno Harvest's success than that.

Many food companies with a social-impact or economic-development bent take shortcuts. "Phil would actually go there for three months and find the right product. You just don't see that," FitzGerald said.

Hughes is also skilled at selling the story to retailers. "He would meet with the people, explain the story, show pictures of the villages; he had a personal connection. It wasn't just some guy trying to sell you dried fruit," FitzGerald said.

Hughes wants to add products. Maybe cashews. "Nuts are a bigger-selling category than dried fruit. It's much more appealing to a wider range of consumers," he said.

For now, Mavuno Harvest's roughly 10 employees in Philadelphia, who start at $9 an hour, spend their days engaged in a labor-intensive packaging operation.

Wearing plastic gloves, a few workers drop handfuls of dried coconut, for example, into small clear plastic tubs on electronic scales. From there, coworkers shovel the coconut into colorfully printed plastic pouches and zip them closed. The pouches then go through a machine that heat-seals them and prints an expiration date on the bag.

Etty Wahjuni, of South Philadelphia, has worked there for five months. "The owner is very kind to us," she said.

Asked which products she likes best, she said mango and jackfruit. Pineapple, too. "I like them all."
An exterior view of the Whole Foods store on Pennsylvania Avenue in Philadelphia. Read more

Joe Heller noticed Monday morning that the price of the organic avocado he had just purchased at the Whole Foods in Philadelphia's Art Museum neighborhood was down to $1.99 from two for $5, thanks to a yellow sign informing him of the change.

He welcomed the price cut, but said he did not expect Amazon's $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods Markets Inc., which closed Monday, to change his habits.

"I don't assume it will affect our day-to-day experience here," Heller, who lives in the neighborhood and had just purchased a growler of kombucha and an avocado, said of the deal.

As to the business troubles that pushed Whole Foods into Amazon's arms, Heller said he was unaware of that until very recently. "I just figured Amazon is a massive conglomerate that can do whatever it wants," he said.

In a first step, Amazon on Monday reduced prices on a dozen or so items, Whole Foods items, including bananas, organic Fuji and Gala apples, on-the-vine tomatoes, almond butter, ground beef, and rotisserie chickens, as part of a bid "to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone," in Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos' words on Friday.

It is significant that Amazon is making a very public display of lower prices, said Ernest Baskin, an assistant professor of food marketing at St. Joseph's University.

"Whole Foods has always struggled with the perception that they are a store which charges a lot of money for certain products, so Amazon is trying very hard to change the public perception that Whole Foods is a very expensive place to shop," Baskin said.

There is a chance it will work, Baskin said.

"It will definitely attract a lot of people into the store because the public items they are lowering their prices on are products that people generally can't stockpile," he said. "If people see that those items are very cheap they can go into the store and while they are in the store they can potentially buy other items."

The question is how many consumers will consider $3.99 for a dozen large organic eggs, down from $4.79, a good deal.

Z. John Zhang, a professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, highlighted two aspects of Amazon's Whole Foods acquisition.

First, the deal takes the integration of online and bricks-and-mortar retail to a new level. "You're going to have a seamless shopping experience for customers buying all kinds of different goods. If you go to the store and you don't want to carry a bag home, you just go there and order it, and they are going to deliver it to your home," Zhang said.

Second, integrating Amazon Prime into the Whole Foods Market point-of-sale system is huge because of the customer loyalty that Amazon Prime generates, Zhang said.

"If you lock in those customers, this is almost like a gold mine for you," Zhang said. "If you want to mine the gold mine, obviously you want to give them more options, more stuff to buy. Whole Foods has a lot of stuff they can buy."

There are risks to the deal, the professors said. Whole Foods is upscale. If Amazon succeeds in attracting many new customers with lower prices, traditional Whole Foods customers could go elsewhere or be siphoned off by a new competitor, Zhang said.

Baskin pointed out the difficulty of successfully integrating the Amazon and Whole Foods supply chains.

Seal Turnbull and Harriet Evans, visiting Philadelphia from England and staying in an Airbnb near the Whole Foods on Pennsylvania Avenue, said they were pleased by the prospect of Amazon expanding the Whole Foods customer base beyond the relatively well-off.

But Turnbull's first reaction was: "All I think about is drones delivering things like this," he said, pointing to the bag of groceries at his feet.
If you've got a gripe, real or imagined, go ahead, shut down the city. The takeover of any public space will be tolerated, according to a directive to city departments sent by the mayor's chief of staff, Jane Slusser, and leaked to me.

More than tolerate, it encourages them. The directive is almost as much a surrender as the one by Japan aboard the USS Missouri in 1945. The difference? This time it's democracy surrendering. (The mayor's press office didn't respond to questions I had about the directive.)

The alibi given by the city for (non)action is "freedom of speech."

Over the years, I've written in favor of speech freedom for everyone from Mummers to Nazis to Black Israelites. For me, it's always, let it be. The First Amendment guarantees not only free speech, but also press freedom, religious freedom, the right to peaceably assemble, and the right to gripe about the government.

But no right is absolute. You can't use your freedom to deny others theirs. That's what we've been seeing in Philadelphia, most recently by the foul-mouthed Asa Khalif, who vows he will "shut down" any city activity he pleases.

The black activist has been busy lately. He's disrupted public appearances by Councilman Bobby Henon, carried out a racist tirade  against black and white cops  inside the Free Library, and blown up a City Hall news conference early this month.

The cowardly Kenney administration pretends that's protected free speech.

It is not, in the opinion of Michael Gerhardt, a University of North Carolina law professor who's also the Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law at our National Constitution Center.

"There's something called the heckler's veto," he told me. "You are not allowed to silence other people through your protest. You can't drown somebody out."

Put another way: "If the mayor calls a press conference, the mayor gets to have a press conference," said Gerhardt.

If only our jellyfish mayor believed that, but apparently he doesn't. I say that after reading the directive.

It says "most of our events and offices are open to the public" but if you are invaded, "please try to not have anyone forcibly removed."

That would be rude.

"If demonstrators pose a safety issue or are disrupting the normal course of business you should coordinate with Civil Affairs or security to ask them to leave."

"Ask them to leave," as if obeying the law were discretionary. Civil Affairs is very civil, allowing protesters to blow off steam for a while. But there comes a point at which protesters must be taken into custody, gently but firmly, so business can continue.

At the City Hall news conference, it was the mayor, the City Council president, and other dignitaries who left, driven out of their own space by two protesters.

The directive cautions staffers to be respectful, "even if you are being disrespected."

They are calling you an M-Fer to your face  Khalif is especially proficient in the M-Fer, F- and N-words  but you are to be respectful.

Khalif did not originate the disruption tactic. In June, a bunch of pro-soda-tax hooligans hollered a state Senate committee meeting in City Hall into submission. Mayor Nutter's budget address was shouted down by unionists in 2013. No consequences for thwarting legitimate city business.

City leadership is too gutless to stand up for its own rights, waving a white flag and pretending it is red, white and blue.

You know who else is gutless? That would be the bellowing showboat Khalif, who spews venom into the faces of stone-faced police officers in public, knowing they are prohibited from even twitching.
Superintendent Hite (right) reads a passage from Owl At Home through a new telephone tool that's part of a first grade classroom at Stearne Elementary School. Behind him is Mecca Jackson, the new principal of Stearne, and on the left is Paula Sahm, one of the educational facitilies planners. Read more

Teacher Kelly Kaczmarek hardly recognizes her kindergarten classroom.

For years, Room 210 at Stearne Elementary in Frankford featured dim lighting, old desks and chairs, and the sorts of materials that were standard issue in Philadelphia rooms for decades.

Now, 210 is transformed: new paint, bright lights, a colorful rug, handmade cubbies, boxes and boxes of new hands-on learning materials for students to explore, and extensive technology, including six iPads and a huge smartboard.

Kaczmarek was astonished that she would not have to make her usual back-to-school runs to Walmart to shop sales, stocking up on supplies so her students would have new materials for the year. She said she was used to a different kind of classroom  "old tile floors, old materials, books that might have drawings in them, might have rips and tears."

On Thursday, the Philadelphia School District unveiled a $5 million initiative to modernize select classrooms at eight city schools in an effort to boost achievement there. Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. toured Stearne, sitting in new chairs, examining science equipment, and testing a contraption called the whisper phone, which allows students to hear how they sound during independent reading. (Hite did well reading Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel in a first-grade classroom.)

Pre-K through second-grade classrooms at the schools  Stearne as well as Pennell, Locke, Lea, Duckrey, Gideon, Meade, and Haverford Learning Center  have gotten complete makeovers, with everything from flexible seating and new paint to cutting-edge technology and materials selected to help students learn better. The schools were chosen based on low literacy scores.

The district is paying $4.4 million out of its capital budget for the projects; the William Penn Foundation provided about $700,000 of support as well.

"We're intentionally focusing the work of our capital program on K-2 literacy," said Hite, who has made boosting students' reading abilities a centerpiece of his administration.

The school system's capital needs are enormous. A district study released this year found that Philadelphia has almost $5 billion worth of repairs outstanding at its more than 200 schools, money it does not have.

Still, Hite said, sprucing up classrooms must be a priority as well.

"We still have the leaky roofs, and we still have to fix them, but we still have to give some attention to the environment where our young people are learning," he said. "It's all about getting people excited about coming to school every day. It's important for people to see these investments."

Only the lower-grade classrooms at the eight schools will get the top-to-bottom treatment Stearne showed off Thursday. But schools around the district are moving to embrace elements of the upgrade, including center-based learning, which allows students to explore materials, grouped by subject, on their own, as opposed to more traditional teacher-led instruction.

Kaczmarek said she can't wait to use the sensory tables, the science center, the writing lab. The new setup, she said, will allow her students to be more engaged in activities they choose.

"It gives me the opportunity to meet them individually," said Kaczmarek, a five-year veteran of Stearne, which scored a 25 out of 100 on the School District's internal performance measure.

Ryan Smith, a lead teacher at the school, can't remember the last time Stearne, built in 1966, got new things  maybe when the actor Kevin Hart donated a few laptop carts six or seven years ago.

Smith imagines the brighter and more sophisticated settings will inspire Stearne students to achieve more, and give them not just an academic boost but also an emotional one, knowing that they are worthy of such investments. The total reboot is a revelation, he said.

"This is 21st-century learning," said Smith. "You're not used to seeing these things in Philadelphia."

Teachers at the eight schools will receive training in using the new materials next week, but Smith is eager for what happens the following week.

"I can't wait," he said, "to see the kids' faces when they see all this, to know it's theirs."
This adipose, or fat, tissue, harbors stem cells that are being used in unproven treatments. Read more

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday announced a crackdown on deceptive and dangerous stem cell clinics, starting with actions against a California company accused of giving smallpox vaccine to cancer patients, and a Florida company that ruined the eyesight of three women.

"Our actions today should also be a warning to others who may be doing similar harm," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement, urging consumers and health-care providers to report rogue clinics and injuries.

The California company, San Diego-based StemImmune Inc., was combining the vaccine with stem cells derived from fat, then giving it intravenously or injecting it into tumors of cancer patients at clinics in Rancho Mirage and Beverly Hills, Calif., the FDA said.

U.S. marshals on Friday seized five vials of smallpox vaccine, including one that was partially used. The agency is investigating how the company obtained the vaccine, which has been stockpiled by the government in case of a bioterrorist attack.

The vaccine is made with live vaccinia virus, a poxvirus similar to but less harmful than smallpox. The vaccine could cause life-threatening problems in immune-compromised cancer patients, and also in certain unvaccinated people who might be accidentally infected by the patients, the FDA explained.

"Speaking as a cancer survivor," Gottlieb said in a statement, "I know all too well the fear and anxiety the diagnosis of cancer can have and how tempting it can be to believe the hollow claims made by these kinds of unscrupulous clinics. The FDA will not allow deceitful actors to take advantage of vulnerable patients."

In a separate enforcement action, the FDA sent a warning letter last week to U.S. Stem Cell Clinic of Sunrise, Fla., saying it could face product seizure or an injunction. Agency inspectors found that the clinic was processing fat-derived stem cells and claiming to treat a raft of conditions, including Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, and heart failure.

In March, U.S. Stem Cell made headlines when an article in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that three women with age-related macular degeneration suffered severe and permanent vision damage  one was blinded  after stem cells were injected into their eyeballs at the clinic. The article was written by doctors unconnected with the clinic who treated the women for the disastrous results.

Critics of unapproved stem cell treatments have called for tougher oversight by the FDA, as well as by the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates advertising, and by state medical boards, which oversee the practice of medicine.

The regulatory moves come as so-called regenerative medicine is exploding, spawning an industry built on unproven treatments using stem cells from bone marrow or fat. In recent months, networks of chiropractors have run big-budget ads for such treatments in newspaper across the country, including the Inquirer. Those ads, however, focus on addressing orthopedic problems such as degenerative discs and arthritic knees.

The only FDA-approved stem cell therapies involve using cells from bone marrow or umbilical cord blood to treat blood cancers and certain immune disorders. In general, biologic tissues that are processed and marketed as therapies are supposed to go through the FDA's drug approval process, which involves years of costly clinical testing in humans.

However, the FDA has tried to find a middle ground, recognizing the potential promise of stem cells in tissue repair and regeneration. The FDA has published, but has not finalized, draft guidance for stem cell products, saying they can be exempted from the drug approval process under certain scenarios. Among other criteria, the cells must be "minimally manipulated" and used in a "homologous" way, meaning for the same function they perform naturally in the body.

In a policy statement issued Monday, Gottlieb promised that this fall, the agency "will advance a comprehensive policy framework that will more clearly describe the rules of the road for this new field." It will enable "responsible product developers" to gain FDA approval with minimal burdens and costs.

"We want to facilitate innovation," he wrote.
Amid continued debate in Washington over whether military or civilian courts are the more appropriate venue for trying foreign-born terror suspects, an Algerian-born defendant in one of the Philadelphia region's most notable terrorism cases signaled his intention Monday to fight the charges no matter where his trial might be held.

Ali Charaf Damache, 52, pleaded not guilty to charges of identity theft and providing material support to terrorists during a brief hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas J. Reuter. The plea came a month after he was extradited from Spain and six years after authorities first accused him of recruiting a Montgomery County woman better known by her online moniker "Jihad Jane" for a 2009 plot to assassinate a Swedish cartoonist.

Should Damache's case proceed to trial in Philadelphia, it could serve as the first major test of how the Trump administration intends to pursue cases against terrorism suspects from overseas. But Damache, as he stood in court wearing black frame glasses, his hair neatly trimmed, would not  aside from his olive prison jumpsuit  have looked out of place at any tech start-up in the city.

During his campaign for office last year, Trump vowed to revive and expand the use of the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, saying at a February 2016 rally that he intended to "load it up with some bad dudes."

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has argued that foreign-born suspects like Damache do not deserve the same legal rights afforded to U.S. citizens. And as recently as last week, the president was said to have asked his National Security Council for recommendations on an executive order that would codify how his administration would treat future terrorism detainees.

Little of that rhetoric penetrated Reuter's courtroom Monday. With his lawyer by his side, Damache, who holds dual Irish and Algerian citizenship, sat through the largely perfunctory hearing that ended with the judge ordering that he remain in custody until his trial, a proceeding for which a date has not yet been set.

His lawyer, Joseph D. Mancano, declined to comment afterward.

Damache's possible trial could prove to be a bellwether for the Trump administration's approach, but the case itself began six years ago, on the watch of former President Barack Obama, who had pushed for civilian trials for terrorism suspects and signed a 2009 executive order calling for the Guantanamo Bay prison to be shut down.

A resident of Waterford, Ireland, Damache spent years fighting his extradition after a Philadelphia-based federal grand jury indicted him in 2011 on charges of identity theft and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists.

He ultimately won that battle and was released in 2015 by an Irish High Court judge who refused to ship him to the United States, citing concern over this country's prison conditions and questioning why Irish prosecutors had not tried to prosecute him first for the same alleged crimes.

Damache was later detained during a trip to Spain, which extradited him to the U.S. last month.

Prosecutors have accused him of using jihadist websites between 2008 and 2011 to recruit several Americans for a cell he hoped to establish for al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in Algeria.

Known by his online nickname "the Black Flag," Damache allegedly sought out light-skinned women and others who did not fit the traditional terrorist profile.

His targets at the time included Colleen LaRose, a blue-eyed, blond-haired Pennsburg woman who used the moniker "Jihad Jane" to post jihadist screeds to YouTube; Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a single mother from Colorado; and Mohammad Hassan Khalid, a former high school honors student from Maryland who became, at the time of his guilty plea, the youngest person convicted in the U.S. on terrorism charges.

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 drawings of Muhammad's head on the body of a dog offended some Muslims.

The plot, however, fizzled out, and LaRose, Paulin-Ramirez, and Khalid were arrested.

LaRose, 54, remains in federal prison. Paulin-Ramirez, 38, and Khalid, 23, have been released after serving their sentences. All three could feature as government witnessed should Damache take his case to trial, which is unlikely to occur this year.

He could face up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Daniel Gross, 15, is rescued by Houston Police after he was left stranded on top of his car in Houston on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017, as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to cause major flooding throughout Southeast Texas. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS) Read more

Weather: Harvey is still a tropical storm, packing winds of up to 40 mph as it makes a slow but steady path through southeast Texas and into the Gulf of Mexico, where it could pickup strength before shifting northeastward toward Galveston and the Texas-Louisiana border. Flooding remains the biggest problem and could worsen as additional rainfall of 15 to 25 inches is expected through Friday over the upper Texas Coast and southwestern Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center says. Isolated storm totals may reach 50 inches over the upper Texas coast, including the Houston/ Galveston metropolitan area, where about 2 feet of rain has already fallen.

Situation on the Ground: Officials released more water from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey early Monday in a move aimed at protecting the city's downtown from devastating floods but that could still endanger thousands of homes as the nation's fourth-largest city braces for more rain. Officials in Houston's southwestern suburbs have issued widespread mandatory evacuation orders along the Brazos River levee districts. Rescue teams from around the country  both official and volunteer  have converged on the area to rescue people trapped by widespread flooding. The Coast Guard has sent 18 helicopter fleet to the area and has assisted in dozens of roof top rescues. Residents have been evacuated from a nursing home in Dickinson have been safely evacuated after a photo showing them sitting in about 2-feet of water went viral. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has activated 3,000 federal and state guard members and says 18 counties are now under the disaster declaration Sunday.Some 7 million people live in the storm zone in Texas. New Jersey is sending a task force to help in the operations.

Casualties: At least five people are reported dead. There are no official figures yet on the injured.

Federal Response: Facing the first major natural disaster of his presidency, President Trump spent the weekend monitoring the storm from Camp David, In a series of tweets Sunday, Trump said his administration was handling its responsibilities well. The White House said he would travel to Texas on Tuesday.

Economic Impact: The storm affecting Houston's oil and gas industry. Experts believe gasoline prices could increase as much as 25 cents a gallon as a result nationwide.

Local Response: Both Pennsylvania and New Jersey have sent rescue task force teams to Texas.

How You Can Help: There are number of ways you can assist relief efforts in hurricane ravaged Texas. They include:

American Red Cross

Donations can be made by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS, or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation. If paying by check, write the words Hurricane Harvey in the memo line.

The Salvation Army

Donations can be made at helpsalvationarmy.org.

Save the Children

Donations can be made at http://secure.savethechildren.org.

Heart to Heart International

Donations can be made at http://hearttoheart.org.
LONDON  Princes William and Harry are good lads  and either would make a proper 21st-century king. Given all that has happened, that is amazing.

On the 20th anniversary of the death of the People's Princess, the British people have reached a consensus: Diana raised two relatively normal, capable, flawed but decent, and maybe even exceptional sons, under extraordinary circumstances.

That one of them, Harry, once dressed up as a Nazi is mostly forgotten. That the other, William, is a little dull is okay.

All eyes are now on the next generation of royals as the world remembers the strange and unsettling tabloid days surrounding the death of Diana, killed in a spectacularly reckless car crash in a Paris tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997.

William was 15 then; Harry was 12. That they were young and that it was heartbreaking escaped no one. Billions watched the televised reports that day, one of the largest global audiences ever assembled.

Since then, the pair has done well. To recap, the princes got through their teens and survived their roaring 20s without fatal embarrassments.

There was plenty of partying  and some jousting with paparazzi outside night clubs. But both served honorably in the military, which was applauded by the British public.

William worked as a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance until last month. He had a day job. His crew saved lives.

Harry served as an Apache attack helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. Two tours. He got high marks for trying hard not to draw too much attention to himself. Or as the Sun put it in a tabloid headline, "From wild nights to fire fights: How Prince Harry became a man."

Once dubbed the Party Prince, the ginger-haired bachelor Harry has settled down, a bit. He is now dating the American actress Meghan Markle. He understands your interest, but issued a statement through his Kensington Palace spokesman to back off.

These days, William and Harry are busy promoting charities that seek to help AIDS sufferers and disabled veterans. And most remarkably, they are speaking out on the stigma surrounding mental health challenges  by discussing their own, and by extension, very delicately, their mother's struggles. She suffered from depression and bulimia.

None of this was guaranteed, not at all.

That neither prince became a punchline, an afterthought or train wreck  growing up in the selfie age under the all-seeing eye of the most unforgiving tabloid culture on earth  is remarkable.

Their parents, Charles and Diana, had a deeply unhappy public marriage with the most lurid details gracing the front pages of the world's newspapers for years. The fascination continues today.

A documentary that aired on Britain's Channel 4 two weeks ago generated news about how much sex  or not so much  Charles and Diana were having as their marriage cratered, mostly because Charles could not get over his one true love, Camilla Parker-Bowles, the Duchess of Cornwall, who he later married.

Although many might wish otherwise, the 68-year-old Charles will almost certainly be king when his mother, the 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, God save her, dies.

In Britain, at least now, Charles appears a kind of afterthought, a vintage image. The enduring moment of Diana's funeral 20 years ago is not Charles but sons William and Harry, walking behind their mother's flag-draped casket, their heads hung low as they shuffled forward through immense crowds of mourners, most silent, but some wailing, others nearly hysterical.

It was a "long and lonely walk," said Prince William in a new BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days, one of several marking the 20th anniversary of Diana's death. William said he tried to hide behind his floppy blond bangs, which were like a "safety blanket."

Reflecting on it today, William says he had many roles to play that day  he was a grieving teenage son, yes, but he was also Prince William, the nation's future king.

There was a balance, he said, "between me being Prince William and having to do my bit, versus the private William who just wanted to go into a room and cry, who'd lost his mother."

Until recently, William and Harry haven't spoken publicly like this about their mother and what it was like to cope with her loss at such an age.

It's hard to overstate just how unusual it is, even in 2017, for the queen's subjects to see the princes on the telly talking so openly about Diana.

Old-school British aristocrats are renowned for the stiff upper lip. The royals can be reserved to the point of hypoxia, in a mostly mute doggedness, viewed charitably as keeping calm and reigning on.

The queen has ruled for more than 65 years and she has given exactly zero interviews during her long reign.

But William says he felt now was an appropriate time to honor his mother's memory. In the two documentaries, the princes paint a portrait of a fun-loving, cool mum who is dearly missed.

The princes light up when they talk about Diana playing pranks  from hiding candies in socks to sending rude cards to her sons at school to arranging supermodels to surprise William at their home.

"Our mother was a total kid, through and through," Harry says in the HBO documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.

"One of her mottos to me was, 'You can be as naughty as you want  just don't get caught.' "

In 2012, Harry was photographed naked in Las Vegas during a game of strip poker. He didn't really lose that hand.

Today, Harry, 32, lives in a cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

In his post-army career, Harry founded the Invictus Games, a sporting event for disabled veterans. To help publicize it, he roped in the queen for a promotional video with the Obamas that went viral on Twitter.

Proving the royals have a sense of humor.

His older brother, William, second in line for succession after his father, Charles, is the less interesting one, with the thinning hair and the glamorous wife. He doesn't have the same bad-boy allure as his brother, but he hasn't fully escaped criticism from the news media.

"Work-shy William" is his nickname in some tabloids, upset that he hasn't clocked up enough royal duty hours. "Throne idle" said one front-page headline in the Sun.

William defended himself against the jibes, saying that he was concentrating on being a good father, pilot and a royal. But he will soon be clocking up more duties in service of the realm.

William and Kate, both 35, recently packed up the fam  George, 4 and Charlotte, 2  and moved their main residence from Anmer Hall in Norfolk, a relatively secluded area in eastern England, to Kensington Palace in the bustling British capital. Prince George starts school this fall in Battersea, south London, a few miles from the family home.

Both William and Harry are now full-time royals, and as such carry out "engagements"  as they are called  on behalf of the queen, and draw attention to various charities.

The queen  "the boss" as William has called her  is still very much at the helm, but as she continues to gradually scale back her duties, the younger generations are taking on a greater role.

Commentators say that William may start to fill in some of the gaps left by his grandfather, Prince Philip, who recently hung up his royal cleats at age 96.

"In the closing years of her life, the queen and William will make a natural couple," carrying out royal duties, said Robert Lacey, a royal biographer. He noted that the two have a similar style  reserved, cautious, calm  that contrasts with the more opinionated Prince Charles, the queen's eldest son and first in line to the throne. In an interview with the BBC, William suggested he is more likely to rule in a manner similar to the queen.

Some traditionalists have sniffed at the princes' openness. The queen doesn't do touchy-feely and the heirs should follow suit, they say.

"Time for William to put a royal sock in it and follow his grandmother's rule of never complain and never explain," ran one headline in the Daily Mail.

In a recent poll, 78 percent of those surveyed said William had made a positive contribution to the royal family; Harry, 77 percent; Kate, 73 percent; Charles, 36 percent; and Camilla, 18 percent.

"I think they have a difficult job," said Robert Jobson, a longtime royal correspondent and co-author of Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret. "They have to bridge that gap between their mother, who showed she cared about something other than the institution, and also show respect for the monarchy itself."

Despite their recent openness, it's widely reported that the princes loathe the media and William in particular comes across as guarded.

"William has to be more private. He's the father of two young children and he doesn't want a repetition of the abhorrent behavior of the media that chased his mother to her death," said Jobson.

In the BBC documentary, William said that when he saw his mother crying, it was usually to do with something connected to the media. He said this took its toll on him and he found it difficult as a young boy who wanted to protect his mother from the paparazzi.

"And I mean a pack, like a pack of dogs, followed her, chased her, harassed her, called her names, spat at her, tried to get a reaction to get that photograph of her lashing out, get her upset," said William.

Last year, Prince Harry fired his own salvo at the news media, condemning what he said was the media's racist and sexist abuse of his girlfriend Meghan Markle, an American actress arguably best known for her role in the TV drama "Suits." The princes have signaled they won't be talking about Diana as much going forward, but don't expect them to stop talking about the importance of expressing feelings.

"There may be a time and a place for the 'stiff upper lip,' William has said. "But not at the expense of your health."
Bob Paduchik, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee speaks to the crowd during the Republican City Committees annual Billy Meehan Clam Bake Sunday, August 27, 2017 at Canstatter Volksvest Verein in Philadelphia. Read more

The Billy Meehan Clam Bake is a family thing, a time for Philadelphia's Republicans to catch up, talk politics, down a few beers, and, of course, toss back a few clams.

They did it again Sunday, for the 33rd year in a row. It looked as if everyone had a good time.

But for the Republicans, a family fight is clearly brewing across the country.

President Trump went to Phoenix last week for a campaign rally, whipping up the crowd with criticism of that state's two senators  both Republicans: John McCain and Jeff Flake.

The president also stepped up his Twitter attacks on two other key Republicans, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Bob Paduchik, co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, came to Philly on Sunday to speak at the clambake. Paduchik ran Trump's 2016 campaign in Ohio and helped the victor take on and defeat a rival GOP faction in that state.

He also chairs the RNC's Presidential Nominating Process Committee, which met in Nashville last week. Paduchik said more than 80 people who are not on that committee showed up to listen in.

So is there an appetite for a 2020 Republican primary challenger for Trump?

"Look, I think there are zero odds," Paduchik said, rattling off points about job creation, the unemployment rate, the stock market, and the rollback of federal regulations since Trump took office. "You don't run against somebody that's doing a great job."

And while Paduchik would later complain on stage that the media are focused on any sign of Republican disunity, let's face it: There are plenty of signs of Republican disunity.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich was on the losing side of the battle for control of the GOP in his state.

Kasich, who also lost to Trump in last year's Republican presidential primary, appeared on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday morning to criticize the president on several issues.

And then Kasich suggested that Congress just push the president to the sidelines.

"Congress should assert itself," Kasich said. "Let them get their act together and pass the agenda they want."

Kasich has not ruled out a 2020 primary challenge to Trump, though he did say he does not intend to run as an independent, a potential scenario reported Friday by Axios and CNN.

The tremors in the Republican Party were apparently serious enough to prompt Tony Fabrizio, Trump's 2016 campaign pollster, to tweet a new poll last Wednesday.

Fabrizio's point: 50 percent of Republican voters would vote for Trump today for president.

The point Fabrizio probably didn't mean to make: That means 50 percent of Republicans would vote for someone else today for president instead of Trump.

We'll know next year whether the Republican infighting is really going to mean anything in 2020. The 2018 mid-term elections will be a time when the Republicans settle down or settle scores.

Trump, before his rally in Phoenix, met with Republicans considering challenges to Flake next year, according to Politico.

Then he went on stage and called Flake weak on crime and border security.

Will Trump be campaigning for Republican insurgent candidates next year, looking to take out his party's incumbents in Congress, creating more division?

"I don't know," Paduchik said. "We haven't talked about those primaries."
Katy Perry with Hillary Clinton, Katie McGinty, and Dwight Evans during a concert in support of Clinton at the Mann Center in November. Read more

Hillary Clinton will be back in Philadelphia in November as part of an eight-city tour promoting her forthcoming memoir, What Happened.

Clinton will speak at the Academy of Music on Nov. 30 to discuss the book, which hits shelves Sept. 12.

So what will Clinton do on stage? She'll "take audiences with her on a first-person journey" through the 2016 election, as well as speak on what her next step will be.

Tickets for the Philadelphia date go on sale Sept. 18 through the book tour's official website. Presale tickets will be available starting Sept. 6 for those with private presale codes. To receive a code, users must register at the book tour's site through Sept. 4.

This is the latest Philly event for Clinton, who appeared in town several times during last year's presidential race. One such campaign rally in November featured appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, and the Obamas.

This is one of many high-profile author visits coming in the fall. A conversation with Edward Snowden, for instance, kicks off the Free Library of Philadelphia's author events on Sept. 11. On the other end of the political spectrum, Tucker Carlson will talk about his book The Last Liberal on Nov. 17 at the Central Library on Vine Street.
Last week, Philly420 blogger and marijuana advocate Chris Goldstein wrote a column titled "Bombastic opposition to Mt. Airy cannabis dispensary is unjustified" regarding a dispensary proposed at 8319 Stenton Ave. in the heart of East Mount Airy. He essentially touted the same argument from supporters of the dispensary: NIMBYism.

First, I applaud and respect Mr. Goldstein's work as an advocate for access to medicinal marijuana and decriminalization. I must reiterate that I, too, have used my platform to advocate on behalf of the mothers and children whom I personally sat with in Harrisburg to listen to their struggles and how their lives would be better if they simply had access.

Where I differ from Mr. Goldstein is the perpetuation from supporters of this dispensary that this is an issue of NIMBYism.

On April 25, my office held a community meeting with more than 300 Mount Airy residents at a location within two blocks of the proposed site. During that meeting, multiple people who live within walking distance of that site suggested alternative locations in the area. Residents didn't simply say "No" and put their fingers in their ears. They offered constructive feedback and nearby potential locations because this community and I support medical marijuana. That is not NIMBYism.

Additionally, Act 16, passed by the General Assembly legalizing and regulating medical marijuana, prohibits a dispensary from being located "within 1,000 feet of the property line of a public, private or parochial school or a daycare center." Given the density in Philadelphia, Mayor Kenney requested a waiver from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to reduce the restriction to 500 feet, which was granted. Despite day care explicitly being mentioned in the waiver, the city Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a zoning permit for the Stenton Avenue site even though there's a day-care facility less than 500 feet away. Again, this is not some far-fetched claim, but rather a very serious concern, among others, specific to this site.

Next, Goldstein and the president/CEO of TerraVida, Chris Visco, said this opposition arose because Visco had run campaigns for elected officials in this area. That is simply not the case. What it does prove, however, is that Visco and her team know how to access our people and those who represent them, which  as her attorney admitted during the Aug. 15 zoning appeal hearing  TerraVida did not do when it came to this location in Philadelphia. What it did do was contact multiple people and elected officials in Montgomery and Bucks Counties to garner their support for the application. Why wasn't the same opportunity afforded the people of East Mount Airy, who have lived in this community for decades?

Also offered in his piece is that "relocating the dispensary is impractical under the new law." However, Section 1141.40 of the regulations for Act 16 clearly spells out how to do so. It states:

"A medical marijuana organization wishing to change the location of a site or facility authorized under a permit issued to the medical marijuana organization shall submit an application for approval of a change in location to the Department together with the fee required under Section 1141.28 (relating to fees)."

TerraVida also has the option to walk away from this location and open its two other approved sites, in Abington and Sellersville. Yet, it continues to fight its community.

Our people are not the bad guys. Claiming that our community's opposition to this one location could derail medical marijuana implementation in the commonwealth is completely bombastic. As the media have reported, there are challenges statewide. Furthermore, people appealed casino licenses, but that didn't stop the state from moving forward with gaming. This is no different.

As noted in the piece written by the people who live in this community, "this is not a narrow-minded response, as we are one of the most progressive communities in Philadelphia. Our track record of advocacy bears this out. 8319 Stenton Avenue is simply the wrong location. Of the four state-approved sites for our city, this is the only one in a densely residential neighborhood."

As I have repeatedly stated, I and the community are wholly supportive of medical marijuana and want it to be accessible to those who can benefit. This is simply the wrong location, and the legitimate concerns of longtime homeowners about this location must not be dismissed as NIMBYism.

Cherelle Parker is a Philadelphia councilwoman representing the Ninth District.
President Trump's campaign-season flattery of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a head scratcher at the time, makes a bit more sense after the Washington Post reported Sunday night that Trump's company was working on a deal to build a skyscraper in Moscow.

The Post's Carol D. Leonnig, Tom Hamburger and Rosalind S. Helderman reported that "as part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested that he could get President Vladimir Putin to say 'great things' about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence."

"Discussions about the Moscow project began in earnest in September 2015," the Post reported, but the Trump Organization "lacked the land and permits to proceed, and the project was abandoned at the end of January 2016."

Trump did not travel to Moscow to pitch the tower, but he praised and defended Putin during the period of development negotiations  and Putin did say a few "great things" in return.

Here is a timeline of comments that now carry additional significance, given what we have just learned about the business talks going on in the background.

Sept. 16, 2015: At a Republican primary debate sponsored by CNN, moderator Jake Tapper posed the following question to Trump: "What would you do right now if you were president, to get the Russians out of Syria?"

"So, number one, they have to respect you," Trump replied. Putin, he said, "has absolutely no respect for President Obama. Zero. Syria's a mess. You look at what's going on with ISIS in there, now think of this: We're fighting ISIS. ISIS wants to fight Syria. Why are we fighting ISIS in Syria? Let them fight each other and pick up the remnants." (ISIS is an alternative acronym for the Islamic State militant group.)

"I will get along, I think, with Putin," Trump added, "and I will get along with others, and we will have a much more stable world."

Notice that Trump didn't actually agree with the premise of the question  that the United States should compel Russia to leave Syria.

Sept. 17, 2015: Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen, the lead negotiator on the Moscow project, said this on Sean Hannity's radio show: "There's a better than likely chance Trump may even meet with Putin when he comes here for the United Nations. People want to meet Donald Trump. They want to know Donald Trump."

Cohen was referring to the U.N. General Assembly in New York, scheduled for later in the month.

Sept. 20, 2015: On NBC's Meet the Press, host Chuck Todd asked Trump whether he did plan to meet with Putin.

"Well, I had heard that he wanted to meet with me," Trump answered. "And, certainly, I am open to it. I would love to do that if he wants to do that. I don't know that it's going to take place. I'm not sure. I know that people have been talking. But we'll see what happens. But, certainly, if he wanted to meet, I mean, I'd enjoy doing it."

Sept. 22, 2015: In an interview that aired five days later on CBS's 60 Minutes, Trump made clear that he is not determined to push Russia out of Syria.

"If you look at Syria, Russia wants to get rid of ISIS," he said. "We want to get rid of ISIS. Maybe let Russia do it. Let 'em get rid of ISIS. What the hell do we care?"

The Sept. 27, 2015, episode of 60 Minutes also featured an interview with Putin.

Sept. 28, 2015: At a news conference, Trump told reporters that he thought 60 Minutes was "softer" on Putin than it was on him. Asked why that would be the case, Trump quipped that "Putin is a nicer person than I am."

Sept. 29, 2015: On Fox News, Bill O'Reilly asked Trump whether the meeting with Putin had happened. "Did Putin go up to your office, and did you guys, like, bond or anything this week?" O'Reilly wondered.

"No, I didn't know anything about him coming to my office," Trump said. "But I will tell you that, I think, in terms of leadership, he is getting an A and the president is not doing so well. They did not look good together."

O'Reilly pressed Trump about the idea of letting Russia lead the fight against the Islamic State in Syria. "I'm going to tell you what the downside is," O'Reilly said. "Once Putin gets in and fights ISIS on behalf of Assad, Putin runs Syria; he owns it. He will never get out. Never."

"All right," Trump replied. "Okay, fine. I mean, you know, we can be in Syria. Do you want to run Syria? Do you want to own Syria? I want to rebuild our country."

Oct. 11, 2015: On CBS's Face the Nation, host John Dickerson asked Trump whether he has "similarities with Vladimir Putin."

"No, I think the biggest thing we have is that we were on '60 Minutes' together, and we had fantastic ratings  one of your best-rated shows in a long time," Trump said. "So, that was good, right? So, we were stablemates.

"I think that we are very different. I think that I would, at the same time, get along very well with him. He does not like Obama at all. He doesn't respect Obama at all. And I'm sure that Obama doesn't like him very much. But I think that I would probably get along with him very well, and I don't think you would be having the kind of problems that you're having right now. And as far as him attacking ISIS, I'm all for it. If he wants to be bombing the hell out of ISIS, which he's starting to do, if he wants to be bombing ISIS, let him bomb them, John. Let him bomb them."

Nov. 10, 2015: At a GOP debate sponsored by Fox Business, moderator Maria Bartiromo asked: "What does President Trump do in response to Russia's aggression?"

"Well, first of all, it's not only Russia," Trump said. "We have problems with North Korea, where they actually have nuclear weapons. You know, nobody talks about it. We talk about Iran, and that's one of the worst deals ever made. One of the worst contracts ever signed, ever, in anything, and it's a disgrace. But we have somebody over there, a madman, who already has nuclear weapons; we don't talk about that. That's a problem.

"China is a problem, both economically and what they're doing in the South China Sea. I mean, they are becoming a very, very major force. So, we have more than just Russia. But, as far as the Ukraine is concerned, and you could Syria  as far as Syria, I like  if Putin wants to go in, and I got to know him very well because we were both on 60 Minutes, we were stablemates, and we did very well that night."

For the record, Trump and Putin were interviewed in separate locations and did not meet.

More important: Notice that Trump, when asked about "Russia's aggression," deflected and talked instead about North Korea, Iran and China.

Dec. 17, 2015: At a news conference, Putin called Trump "a bright and talented person," "an outstanding and talented personality" and "the absolute leader of the presidential race."

"It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond," Trump responded, in a statement released by his campaign. "I have always felt that Russia and the United States should be able to work well with each other towards defeating terrorism and restoring world peace, not to mention trade and all of the other benefits derived from mutual respect."

Dec. 18, 2015: On MSNBC's Morning Joe, the hosts asked Trump about what Putin had said the day before.

"Do you like Vladimir Putin's comments about you?" Mika Brzezinski asked.

"Sure," Trump replied. "When people call you brilliant, it's always good, especially when the person heads up Russia."

"Well, I mean, he also is a person who kills journalists, political opponents and . . . invades countries," Joe Scarborough followed up. "Obviously, that would be a concern, would it not?"

"He's running his country, and at least he's a leader, you know, unlike what we have in this country," Trump answered.

"But, again, he kills journalists that don't agree with him," Scarborough said.

"Well," Trump said, "I think our country does plenty of killing, also, Joe. So, you know."

"You obviously condemn Vladimir Putin killing journalists and political opponents, right?" Scarborough asked a moment later.

"Oh, sure," Trump said. "Absolutely."

Trump went on to add this: "I've always felt, you know, fine about Putin. I think that he is a strong leader. He's a powerful leader. He's represented his country  that's the way the country is being represented. He's actually got popularity within his country. They respect him as a leader. Certainly over the last couple of years, they've respected him as a leader. I think he's up in the 80s, which is, you know, you see where Obama's in the 30s and low 40s, and he's up in the 80s."

Jan. 26, 2016: On Fox Business, Bartiromo asked Trump about the conclusion of British investigators that Putin probably authorized the assassination of a Russian dissident named Alexander Litvinenko in London.

"Well, I don't know if anything has been determined," Trump said. "I don't think they found him guilty. They say a lot of things about me that are untrue, too."

He continued: "The fact is that, you know, he hasn't been convicted of anything. You know, some people say he absolutely didn't do it. First of all, he says he didn't do it."
A top executive from Donald Trump's real estate company emailed Vladimir Putin's personal spokesman during the U.S. presidential campaign last year to ask for help advancing a stalled Trump Tower development project in Moscow, according to documents submitted to Congress Monday.

Michael Cohen, a Trump attorney and executive vice president for the Trump Organization, sent the email in January 2016 to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin's top press aide.

"Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower  Moscow project in Moscow City," Cohen wrote Peskov, according to a person familiar with the email. "Without getting into lengthy specifics the communication between our two sides has stalled."

"As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon," Cohen wrote.

Cohen's email marks the most direct interaction yet documented of a top Trump aide and a similarly senior member of Putin's government.

The email shows the Trump business official directly seeking Kremlin assistance in advancing Trump's business interests, in the same months when Trump was distinguishing himself on the campaign trail with his warm rhetoric about Putin.

In a statement Cohen submitted to congressional investigators, he said he wrote the email at the recommendation of Felix Sater, a Russian-American businessman who was serving as a broker on the deal.

In the statement, obtained by The Washington Post, Cohen said Sater suggested the outreach because a massive Trump development in Moscow would require Russian government approval. He said he did not recall receiving a response from Peskov and the project was abandoned two weeks later.

Cohen has been one of Trump's closest aides for more than a decade. He did not take a formal role in the campaign however sometimes spoke to reporters on Trump's behalf and appeared on television as a surrogate while Trump was running.

"It should come as no surprise that, over four decades, the Trump Organization has received and reviewed countless real estate development opportunities, both domestic and international," Cohen said in a statement to the Post. "The Trump Moscow proposal was simply one of many development opportunities that the Trump Organization considered and ultimately rejected."

He said he abandoned the project because he lost confidence the Moscow developer would be able to obtain land, financing and government approvals to complete the project. "It was a building proposal that did not succeed and nothing more," he said.

The Washington Post reported on Sunday that Cohen had been in negotiations with Sater to attempt to build a Trump Tower in the Russian capital from September 2015 through the end of January 2016, as Trump was competing for the Republican nomination for president.

Cohen told Congressional investigators that the deal was envisioned as a licensing project, in which Trump would have been paid for the use of his name by a Moscow-based developer called I.C. Expert Investment Company. Cohen said that Trump signed a letter of intent with the company on October 28, 2015 and began to solicit designs from architects and discuss financing.

However, he said government permission was not forthcoming and the project was abandoned "for business reasons."

"The Trump Tower Moscow proposal was not related in any way to Mr. Trump's presidential campaign," Cohen wrote in his statement to Congressional investigators. "The decision to pursue the proposal initially, and later to abandon it were unrelated to the Donald Jr. Trump for President Campaign."

Cohen told Congressional investigators that Sater "constantly" pushed him to travel to Moscow as part of the negotiations, but that he declined to do so. He claimed Sater, who has attempted to broker Trump deals for more than a decade, was "prone to 'salesmanship,'" and, as a result, he did not routinely apprise others in the company about their interactions and never considered asking Trump to go to Moscow, as Sater had requested.

Lawyers for the Trump Organization, Sater and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In this Feb. 4, 2009, file photo, Maricopa County (Ariz.) Sheriff Joe Arpaio orders approximately 200 convicted illegal immigrants handcuffed together and moved into a separate area of Tent City for incarceration until their sentences are served and they are deported to their home countries. Read more

If there was ever a time for the Trump administration to suspend its war on migrants  particularly against Mexican immigrants so heavily concentrated on America's southern border  it would have been Friday night, as Hurricane Harvey bore down on the south Texas coast with winds swelling to 140 mph, and carrying so much moisture that some towns may get 50 inches of rain. But humanitarian instincts, empathy, and even basic common sense continue to elude the 45th presidency of the United States.

The government made it clear that migrants with uncertain immigration status trying to flee the deadly storm with their families would still possibly face the widespread Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) checkpoints within 100 miles of the border, making it likely that some would try to ride out Harvey rather than risk deportation. In San Antonio, ICE agents stranded 50 migrants from Central America, including children, at the local bus station  after service had already been suspended because of the storm. It was more evidence that American immigration policy has been a human rights nightmare since Trump and John Kelly, who ran Homeland Security for six months before he was promoted to Trump's chief of staff, arrived in Washington in January.

Then, about 9 p.m. Friday, just as Harvey was making its devastating landfall east of Corpus Christi and TV news was dominated with live shots from soggy, wind-battered reporters, Trump added an unbelievable insult to the ongoing injury of his abusive immigration policy  announcing that he was pardoning Arizona ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio, an early and staunch political supporter, before Arpaio could be sentenced on federal contempt charges for abusing the constitutional rights of Latinos by racially profiling them in traffic stops.

It was a flabbergasting move on so many levels.

For one thing, it was the ultimate in what's become known as "the Friday night news dump"  putting out a controversial decision, or bad news, at a moment when the media is in low gear and when the typical citizen is doing normal human stuff, such as enjoying a weekend getaway. This was multiplied by a factor of 10 by dumping the news into the eye of a hurricane; it would have been cruel and even a public disservice for TV news to dwell on Trump's first presidential pardon rather than the need for millions of Texans to seek safety. (Worth noting is that the White House also chose this moment for another staggering work of heartbreaking cruelty in banning transgender people from the military, not to mention the ouster of unqualified, ultra-right-wing top adviser Sebastian Gorka.) The brutal timing was a chance for Trump to play both ways  to use the Arpaio pardon to send a message of reassurance to his base and target his many enemies with a show of force, and yet avoid 24/7 harassment from the TV talking heads whom our president seems to spend most of his day watching.

The initial, gut reaction is that  in rewarding Arpaio for unconstitutional and repressive policies toward migrants and other Latinos during his long reign as sheriff in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and its major suburbs  Trump was doubling down on white supremacy in the wake of his divisive handling of the tragic unrest in Charlottesville, Va. Even as the incarnation of the president now known as "Teleprompter Trump" veered into scripted, lifeless pleas for national unity, Trump's Arpaio move was another signal to supporters that he can still be counted on to do the politically incorrect thing that will drive liberal journalists and professors and movie stars so crazy.

Few were buying the image of the 85-year-old Arpaio as the law-and-order hero who Trump portrayed in his pardon message. To the contrary, the former sheriff was the mastermind of an abusive regime that flouted basic human rights on American soil, who ignored years of court orders to uphold the basic protections of the Bill of Rights until federal prosecutors felt compelled to take forceful action.

Let this sink in: Arpaio's brutal "tent city" for inmates in the Arizona desert  where detainees struggled to endure 120-degree summer days and frigid winter nights, humiliated by wearing pink underwear  was accurately described by the sheriff himself as a "concentration camp." Scores of prisoners died in the custody of Arpaio's henchmen, including many who hanged themselves amid the cruel mistreatment. And individual stories of cruelty are legion, such as this beatdown of a paraplegic inmate who merely asked for a catheter. The reality is that Arpaio's reign of terror also undermined the rule of law, including the raft of sex crimes against women and even children that were ignored because of the sheriff's total focus on waging war on the immigration front.

Last weekend, a man named Francisco Chairez, who spent a year in Arpaio's custody on a drunk-driving conviction, wrote a must-read op-ed about this crisis of conscience in the desert Southwest:

It was impossible to stay cool in the oppressive heat. Everyone would strip down to their underwear. There was no cold water, only water from vending machines; and, eventually, the machines would run out. People would faint; some had heatstroke. That summer, ambulances came about three times. One man died in his bed.  But the winter was even worse.

The weird thing is that in the run-up to Trump's pardon of Arpaio, the people who knew the sheriff best had grown tired of his shtick. As the federal contempt case advanced, Maricopa County voted Arpaio out of office last fall. The state's two GOP senators have now criticized the pardon. And the move was ripped by Arizona's largest newspaper.

So what, other than sending a dog whistle to his base in the form of an air horn, did Trump think he was accomplishing? Three things, each more alarming than the last:

It's critical to see this as being about more than just "Sheriff Joe." Simply put, Trump  under a hurricane's blanket of darkness, no less  has fueled a Category 5 constitutional crisis. Though there are no written restrictions on a president's ability to issue a pardon, this president has again violated his unwritten compact of trust with the American people. And Trump should not have a license to freely abuse his presidential power, which would be another giant stride toward autocratic rule in this country. Needless to say, the stakeholders in our democracy  but especially Congress, which along with the judiciary is the last remaining check on an authoritarian executive  need to respond forcefully to this outrage, up to and possibly including impeachment proceedings. Otherwise, the next abuse of power will be much, much worse, and the options for stopping an American dictatorship will be limited.
Lillian Kennedy, 84, of South Philadelphia, a longtime worker for the New Light Beulah Baptist Church, died Tuesday, Aug. 22, of pancreatic cancer at home.

During 50 years of membership, Mrs. Kennedy served many different auxiliaries within the New Light Beulah church, formerly at 1701 Bainbridge St. That building has been razed, and the congregation is moving to 1623 Cayuga St. in Nicetown.

"Sister Kennedy," as Mrs. Kennedy was called by the pastor and parishioners, was president of the church's Missionary Board for many years. In that role, she was just as likely to provide help remotely to a needy child in South Africa as to aid a neighborhood child on the 1900 block of McClellan Street, where she lived.

"She was a mother to the whole block, just about," said her daughter Margaret Brown. "Everyone came to our house for everything."

In May 2015, the Missionary Board honored Mrs. Kennedy with its Windows of Hope International Children's Ministry award. "She was happy. That was a beautiful day," her daughter said.

Mrs. Kennedy continued to be a dedicated servant to New Light Beulah Baptist until her health began to decline in the last few months.

She refused radiation or chemotherapy treatments for her cancer, and died before its effects became too onerous. "She lived a wonderful life, and she did it her way," her daughter said.

Born in Philadelphia to Joseph and Margaret Sharper, she was the seventh of 10 children. Her childhood nickname was "Nit."

She attended Philadelphia public schools and as a teenager married Manson Bradley Hamilton, now deceased. The couple resided in Philadelphia.

In December 1992, she married Harold James Kennedy. He died in 1998.

Starting in the late 1950s, Mrs. Kennedy worked at BB's Lawnside BBQ, formerly at 1627 South St., her family said. In 1988, she was hired by Drexel University in the housekeeping department, and worked there until retiring in 1998.

In retirement, she enjoyed helping others, spending time with family, and excursions to Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

"We were in Atlantic City for Mother's Day," her daughter said. "I have nothing but good memories."

Mrs. Kennedy had five children. Two sons, Bradley and Ernest Hamilton, died earlier.

In addition to her daughter, Mrs. Kennedy is survived by children Roger Hamilton and Sheila Milbourne; two sisters; a brother; and many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren.

A viewing starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, will be followed by an 11 a.m. funeral service at Temple of Prayer, 5516 Chestnut St. Interment is in Fernwood Cemetery, Lansdowne.
The sun sets over the Delaware River in Riverton, N.J. Read more

Although we come from different backgrounds with different perspectives, one thing we can agree on is the need to protect our environment, both locally and globally.

In December, with bipartisan support and leadership, Congress approved the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act aimed at protecting the Delaware River Watershed. This commonsense program leverages private investment, regional partnerships, and local knowledge to protect and restore the resources of the watershed.

What's so special about the Delaware River Watershed?

It is the source of clean drinking water for more than 15 million people  including half the populations of Philadelphia and New York City.

It is a $25 billion economic powerhouse that supports at least 600,000 jobs with more than $10 billion in annual wages in agriculture, recreation, and ecotourism; hunting and fishing; and ports and commercial fishing.

It provides habitat for more than 200 resident and migrant fish species, hosts the largest population of American horseshoe crabs anywhere, and is a critical rest stop on global migration routes for shorebirds, some of them the most vulnerable species of birds in the world.

And for those of us who love to hunt, fish, bird, boat, camp, hike, or picnic in the watershed's astonishing parks, wilderness, and waterways, there's simply no other place like it on Earth.

There is a lot riding on this river and its watershed.

Despite all its economic, ecological, and recreational importance, the watershed has long lacked the federal support provided to other major  and more famous  river watersheds across the nation.

The Delaware River Watershed faces extraordinary challenges, including unplanned sprawl development, extensive loss of forests, effects of a changing climate, and deteriorating water quality. These are difficult issues, and the only effective way to address them is through a multipartner, watershed-wide conservation program with sufficient funding.

That's why it was such a momentous step when we established this conservation program, and we commend the recent steps taken by the House appropriators who proposed $5 million for it. This is an effective, fiscally wise use of taxpayer dollars. It is critical that Congress follow through in September and provide the money needed to get this important program started on the right foot.

The funding will go to identifying and launching restoration and protection activities throughout the river basin, which stretches from Upstate New York, covers the eastern part of Pennsylvania and the western side of New Jersey, and runs through Delaware to the Atlantic Ocean.

The initiative would also allow state and local governments, universities, nonprofit organizations, and other partners to come together to protect our drinking water and tackle increasing problems with flooding. The project will find the best ways to support the huge range of economies and jobs that the river basin's diverse cities and communities depend on. And it will help restore and protect critical habitat for the wildlife and fisheries that make the river and its tributaries a local and national treasure.

This is not a red-state or blue-state issue. This is our generation's legacy to the health, jobs, and well-being of our children and grandchildren.

U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R., Pa.) represents the Eighth Congressional District. @RepBrianFitz

Greg Goldman is executive director of Audubon Pennsylvania. ggoldman@audubon.org @AudubonPA
How it would work

Mars 2020 is based on the Curiosity rover, and is equipped with upgraded versions of many of Curiosity's instruments. It launches in July or August 2020, and lands on Mars in February 2021. Three landing sites are currently being considered.

The rover's prime mission will last one Mars year687 Earth daysthough that is likely to be extended. During that time, Mars 2020 will use a drill to collect rock and regolith samples from various locations, focusing on rocks that formed in or were altered by water. Such rocks could contain signs of ancient organic life.

The samples will be deposited in easily accessible spots throughout Mars 2020's traverse path. No earlier than 2026, NASA would launch a retrieval mission to land in the same general area. The lander would either deploy a "fetch" rover, or rely on the Mars 2020 rover itself, to collect the samples and place them into a rocket on the lander's deck called the Mars Ascent Vehicle, or MAV. The sample-laden MAV would then blast off into Martian orbit.

High above Mars, the MAV-launched samples would rendezvous with another orbiter, which would pick up the samples for return to Earth.

Zurbuchen said NASA is considering international or even commercial partners to build the orbiter, providing necessary precautions are taken to prevent the cross-contamination of Earth and possible Mars microbes.

"The planetary protection piece is absolutely essential. Whoever the partner is, needs to share our values on this oneno compromise," he said.

The samples would either return directly to Earth or ease into the region around Earth's Moon known as cislunar space. NASA plans to start launching astronauts to cislunar space no later than 2023, using the Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule. The agency is also working on a small, Moon-orbiting space station known as the Deep Space Gateway.

That means the last leg of the sample return could involve astronauts.

"One of the tradable elements that will be really interesting to look at is that cislunar infrastructure, as that landing point or kind-of handover point for  these samples," Zurbuchen said.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Trumps personal attorney asked Putin for help with a Trump business deal during the 2016 campaign, as evidence of a Trump/Putin connection is becoming concrete.

The Washington Post reported:



Michael Cohen, a Trump attorney and executive vice president for the Trump Organization, sent the email in January 2016 to Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlins top press aide.

Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower  Moscow project in Moscow City, Cohen wrote Peskov, according to a person familiar with the email. Without getting into lengthy specifics the communication between our two sides has stalled.

As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon, Cohen wrote.

While Trump ran for president and claimed that he had no ties to Russia or Putin, his own company was trying to get Putins help on a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow. Trump was trying to business in Russia. People close to him were communicating with the Kremlin.

The Trump story about having nothing to do with any Russian hacking is slowly crumbling before the eyes of the entire nation. The money trail is leading to the motives behind the Trump/Russia relationship. Trump wasnt an innocent bystander who knew nothing about Russia. Trump desperately wanted to be doing business in Russia. The truth cant stay hidden forever. Donald Trump can claim that he has nothing to do with Russia, but the emails say otherwise.

The Russia scandal is coming for Trump, as the slow drip, drip, drip of truth is catching up with the President.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

Republicans refuse to admit it, but rolling back regulations can have deadly consequences. As an example weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit, Trump rolled back an Obama era regulation that required infrastructure to be built with rising sea levels in mind.

The scene in Houston is likely to become more common as Trump signed an executive order rolling back the standard for infrastructure in flood prone areas. At the time, experts and non-Republicans condemned the executive order as short-sighted, petty, stupid, and potentially deadly.

According to data from NOAA, In 2015, about 64 percent (112 out of 176) of the flood deaths involved vehicles. Many of those likely occurred when a person was trying to cross a flooded road. Vehicles have also been a part of many flood-related fatalities in 2016. As an example, many of the 26 deaths in North Carolina from Hurricane Matthew involved motorists being swept away on flooded roads.

Houston is a textbook example of what can happen when urban sprawl is combined with lax building standards and poor flood planning. Houston residents have been complaining for 15 years about the regular flooding problems in the city.

Sam Brody a Texas A&M disaster mitigation researcher told the Texas Tribune before Harvey, More people die here than anywhere else from floods. More property per capita is lost here. And the problems getting worse.

Donald Trump wants to believe that the Texas flood is a once in centuries event, but due to climate change one in a hundred years events are becoming more common, but instead of taking the country forward, Trumps executive order set the stage for flooding that strikes the nations infrastructure to become more crippling and deadly.

Regulations exist to protect people, which is why Trumps deregulatory folly shows a complete disrespect for human life. Trumps spiteful obsession with undoing Obamas legacy is going to end up costing people their lives.
Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Email

Print

The data on worker deaths have been scrubbed from the OSHA website, as worker safety protections are under attack from the Trump administration.

Politico reported, For the past several years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration had maintained a running list of workers killed on the job  including the date, name and cause of death  near the top of its home page. The list included every worker death reported to OSHA, regardless of whether the company was issued a citation. On Friday, the box on the home page disappeared and was replaced with information on how companies can voluntarily cooperate with OSHA to reduce safety risks. That information was available before but is now displayed more prominently. The new fatality list, buried on an internal page of the website, does not include incidents where a worker was killed if the company was not cited for violations.

The only reason to take this step is to make it easier for employers to create less safe working conditions. The Trump administration gave the green light to employers to create unsafe working conditions, and let them know that there will be no consequences from the federal government if workers are injured or die on the job.

The White House is hiding the number of workers in the United States who die on the job.

Donald Trump sold himself to voters as a billionaire pro-blue collar jobs president, but his main agenda has always been to lower wages while ending rules and protections for workers. The President is taking the country back to the days of the robber barons and Upton Sinclairs The Jungle.

The great irony is that a president who is obsessed with putting people to work in coal mines doesnt want the American people to know how many of their fellow citizens die due to workplace incidents.

Trump wont be satisfied with undoing Obamas legacy. He wants to undo all progress from the last 100 years.

America doesnt have a president. They have a backward time machine in the Oval Office.
Two things are motivating the Charleston County School District to consider the idea. The first is the difficulty in attracting teachers to an area where they would struggle to afford housing. The second is the fact the district already owns land where apartments could be built. Read moreWith rents unaffordable, the Charleston school district considers building teacher housing
What used to be called conservatism in America is being replaced by right-wing politics that uses religion to legitimize itself. At the recent National Conservative Conference in Florida, the gloves came off, and this relatively new movement revealed itself fully. As NBCs Allan Smith report Read moreStevens: 'Religionized' politics always leads to extremism
In 1930, Eric Sevareid and Walter Port, two Minneapolis teens seeking adventure, canoed the 2,250 miles from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay; Sevareid later wrote the canoeing classic "Canoeing with the Cree."

In 2006, Jon Lurie, a middle-aged white man, and Jose Perez, a Puerto Rican/Lakota teen, paddled much of the same route seeking a sense of place and escape; Lurie later wrote "Canoeing with Jose."

The comparison mostly ends there.

The two books are like "bookends," Lurie said recently when paddling on Weaver Bottoms south of Kellogg. His book is much grittier, tense, often a struggle between the mentor and teen. It's partly a sociological delving into what Natives are going through and a personal journal of their healing. The writing is smooth; he lets the story carry the reader along without unnecessary embellishments.

The trip involved an experienced canoeist going with a teen who knew nothing about canoes, wilderness or how to survive in the wild  and frankly didn't seem all that eager to learn. He was a real pain in the bow, and Lurie doesn't mince words  he was often angry with the teen, whom he met at a writing course he was giving to Native youths. But he also saw what made Jose tick and why he was as he was. He clearly empathized with Jose.

ADVERTISEMENT

They were joined by a need. "I had to go. I had been in a deep depression," he said at Weaver. "I knew I had to take some drastic action. Jose had to go to save his own life."

In his book, he wrote: "I wanted to be swallowed by the wide green landscape, to escape my suffocating sadness and despair  The trip was about physical and spiritual renewal."

Seekers

Ultimately, however, I suspect both the teens in the 1930s and Lurie and Jose went for much the same reason that just about everyone goes into the wilderness  they are seeking something. There is something in wildness that draws some people, maybe to escape, maybe for the raw adventure, maybe because they love the land. But it's a draw that for some is insensible, for others is irresistible.

What Lurie and Jose found en route was much the same as Sevareid and Port  the horrid mud of the Red River of the North, mosquitoes, canoe-damaging rapids, being lost or at least disoriented, mind-maddening headwinds, but also glorious sunrises, the euphoria of getting through a wicked rapids, and ultimately, the elation of success.

When Sevareid and Port saw Hudson Bay at York Factory and the end of their journey, Port called out "We've done it and they said it couldn't be done!"

What they did also changed them. Back in Minneapolis, Sevareid said they saw the same sights as before the trip but, "We realized that we were looking at them through different eyes. It was as though we had suddenly become men and were boys no longer."

But the Sevareid classic, as Lurie points out many times, contains some of the anti-Native American prejudices of their day, with Indians often being shown in a dim light while the whites they met were often big, strong, to be admired. Yet Sevareid also complained of some of the demeaning prejudices of his day when he saw whites meeting Natives.

ADVERTISEMENT

Native, immigrant angst

Lurie has worked for many years with Natives in Minnesota and across the country. He knows them well, has written about them extensively and admires them. But it's not a blind admiration. He sees all the ills that have befallen that people; many have turned to drugs, alcohol, gangs and suicide. They often lack that sense of place, of where they belong because their heritage has been ripped from them.

He faces much the same angst. He's Jewish and some of his relatives were killed in the Holocaust. His family had to flee Europe. He was told by his mother to never tell anyone he is a Jew because of what happened in Europe; with little family and no place he could relate to left him without a place to call home.

Jose has the same problem, of not being accepted in the Lakota community because he's part Puerto Rican. He lived much of his life on his own, surviving by his wits, adjusting, taking what he could grab but having no true home. Throughout the book, he uses street slang, and a lot of expletives. That is just how he talked. Lurie records it that way; for Jose to talk otherwise wouldn't be true.

While the final part of the book is them reaching York Factory, for me the climax was a few days before that when they were nearing the end. Lurie writes: "I rested on my back that night, my nerve endings stretched like tree roots into the earth, listening to the water pulverize giant blocks of granite beneath the falls. In the mists raised by the final cascade of water on its way to the sea, I felt, perhaps for the first time in my life, as if I was at home."

When flying back, Jose, using street slang, had tears in his eyes. "This is so dope, bro," he said.

Like Sevareid and Port, Lurie and Jose had also been changed.
With the start of school a week away, Rochester Public Schools is hoping to create more consistency in how discipline is handled from school to school.

A number of policy updates  part of a revamped, 40-page 2017-18 Student Behavior Handbook that students will receive once they're back in the classroom  are the result of a yearslong effort to update discipline policies and make them more "easily understood" and "fair." Much of the focus is on keeping kids in the classroom, rather than sending them to the office or disciplining them with suspensions.

After revisions the last two years, a third update this fall is in line with requirements from the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which entered into a 2015 agreement with the district after finding students of color were disciplined disproportionately.

"We've really narrowed down the behaviors and provided really good definitions of what those are," Superintendent Michael Munoz said last week. "We're going to make this more consistent in the long run."

Previously, specific offenses were handled differently from school to school, creating inconsistency across the district.

ADVERTISEMENT

The handbook redefines what formerly were called "majors" and "minors" to "level one" and "level two" offenses, but those designations, for the most part, include the same sets of behaviors, Munoz said.

"We found that we really weren't too consistent across the district, and that's why we really worked with our leadership to really come to a consensus on what those definitions are and what should be 'level one' and what should be 'level two,'" Munoz said.

One of the concerns OCR had, Munoz said, is there were too many vague statements that could be left open to interpretation; those were narrowed down, and a definition of each violation is provided in the new handbook.

For example, violations such as "horseplay" and "play fighting" now are considered the same thing in each building and the same terminology is used in each building.

For lower-level offenses, teachers are expected to "reteach" what's expected of students and hold a conference with them to discuss what they did wrong, according to the handbook.

Students still can land in an out-of-school suspension, though the list of offenses has narrowed to just three things: the possession of drugs or alcohol, the possession of a weapon or an offense that results in bodily or emotional harm.

"There's always been student handbooks that have talked about "be safe, be responsible, be respectful"  now it's clearly spelled out what it means," said Dan Kuhlman, Rochester Education Association president.

He said he doesn't think the changes will put an additional burden on teachers, and, in fact, teachers often prefer to deal with discipline problems in the classroom to keep a relationship with students.

ADVERTISEMENT

"I think most teachers understand that if I send you to the office, I give up my power with you. I think a lot of teachers, from what I've seen  really try to get their kids where they need them to be before they have to send them out  because that just causes a fracture in the relationship," Kuhlman said.

The latest handbook -- in line with the Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports, or PBIS, the discipline system the district is moving toward -- is a way to teach the behaviors expected of students ahead of time, defining the behaviors expected in schools; it also emphasizes reinforcing good behavior and keeping students in school.

The district is at various points of implementing PBIS at each school, but having more consistency will better allow the district to evaluate efforts, including its latest employee training in ENVoY, a nonverbal communication technique to influence students in the classroom.

"Being more consistent, I think, is going to make the data more valuable," Munoz said. "I think the result of that, we believe, should have some impact overall how we deal with our students, and that's really our No. 1 objective."

The handbook also will be offered to families in five languages, besides English, including Somali and Spanish. The district also is set to announced a number of community meetings for parent feedback on the policy changes.

"Will this solve it by itself? No." Munoz said, pointing to other training and community efforts in the works that will have an impact on the disparity the district's been focusing on. "I think it's going to contribute, but I'm not putting all my eggs in this basket."
A Rochester man is bringing a taste of Japan to the Med City.

Video game developer Randy Fitzgeraldplans to launch Oishi Candy on Friday. Oishi in Japanese translates to tasty. The plan is to import unusual candy, soda, snacks and toys that are only sold in Japan.

Other products on the menu include Japan-only versions of popular American snacks such a sjalapeno and onion-flavored Pringles, Japanese barbecue-flavored Cheetos or crispy vanilla-flavored Oreo cookies.

Oishi also will carry the Japanese fruit-flavored soda brand called Ramune and Pokemon-themed instant Ramen noodle cups

All of the exotic goodies will be sold at Rochester's Machine Shedarcade at 11 Second St. NE as well as directly through Fitzgerald's Oishi website at www.oishicandy.com .

ADVERTISEMENT

It all started during a break from gaming at the Machine Shed.

"I was talking with Shawn (Conlin)and James (Aakre)about how we all always wanted to visit Japan and how the food is so unique," said Fitzgerald. "Then, we said that wouldn't it be amazing to bring that experience here."

That led to the idea of selling Japanese candy and snacks in Rochester.

Launching a new business always is challenging, but Fitzgerald has some additional obstacles from the standard startup entrepreneur.

He was born with a rare muscle and joint disorder called Arthrogryposis. His underdeveloped muscles and frozen joints severely restrict his movement. He uses a chin-controlled, powered wheelchair to get around.

However, he is well-known as a competitive video gamer, and has his own online channel on Twitch.tv.

After about two months of research, lining up suppliers and painstakingly creating the website with his chin, Fitzgerald is excited to roll out his new business.

He'll introduce Oishi during a special Machine Shed food truck event on Friday. Several area food trucks will open in the arcade's parking lot for the special afternoon and evening event. Archery Addictionalso will be on hand with its live-combat archery game with foam-tipped arrows.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Machine Shed will be hosting a Nintendo Switch game competition to be officiated by Fitzgerald.

Oishi will be giving out green tea-flavored Kit Kat candy bars with every purchase.
Time to grab the fishing poles and check out a new dock installed at Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester. Volunteers installed the dock on the center's Harry S. Buck Children's Pond on Saturday morning. Here are some basics about the new park amenity.

Where did the new dock come from?

The nature center received an $8,500 grant from the Royal Bank of Canada as part of its Blue Water Project. That is a 10-year, $50 million initiative that seeks to promote access to drinkable, swimmable, fishable water. The grant money covered the cost of the rectangular-shaped dock. Local RBC employees helped install it.

So is the dock totally ready to go?

Well, sort of. The railings for the dock still need to be installed. They should be ready to go in early next week, according to Quarry Hill Nature Center's Executive Director Pam Meyer.

ADVERTISEMENT

"People are welcome to walk on it and use it  just watch your balance," Meyer said.

What kind of fish are in the pond?

The pond is stocked by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Meyer said there are lots of panfish, sunnies, bluegills and bass. A few years ago, the DNR also put northern pike in the pond. The nature staff didn't expect they would do well given the pond's habitat, but she said they've been told by two people they saw northerns in the pond.

"That's our Nessie. We haven't quite seen it with our own eyes," she said.

What other critters live in the pond?

"We have a healthy turtle population, ducks and geese. And then when we start getting smaller we get into dragonfly nymphs, damselflies. There's just so many things that use the pond as a nursery. Frogs, toads lay their eggs there, dragonflies, Mosquitoes. They may not be our favorite, but they are part of the food chain," Meyer said. "And then we study the plankton  the stuff you can't see without a microscope."

What's the benefit of a new dock?

"It's another shoreline are for people to fish or just get that much closer to wildlife. One of the things we like to do with our kids in programs is get them down on their bellies with nets and they get to look at that microscopic or macroscopic world that may be a little invisible to them but once they start to see that water is teeming with life, it's exciting," Meyer said.

ADVERTISEMENT

A fisherman weighs in

Nine-year-old Dominic Pickett had his fishing pole as he pedaled towards the new dock on Saturday afternoon. Joining him was his best friend, 12-year-old Nathan Stuve. Dominic said he fishes at the pond a lot with his parents. He has caught plenty of sunnies and bass. The friends were planning to try out the new dock. So what's his initial impression of the new fishing spot?

"I think it's pretty cool."

Family Time: Monarchs rule at Quarry Hill butterfly program

Quarry Hill Park celebrates fundraising progress
When Jessica Anderson first saw her friend's alpacas, she liked them so much she decided to get a few of her own.

Then, she said, "I had the animals and decided I better do something with the fiber." So Anderson, of Frosty Acres Alpacas , in Frost, Minn., took up knitting, and now uses the fiber she gathers from her herd of 18 alpacas to make mittens that are said to be ideal for Minnesota winters.

Anderson was knitting  and selling  the mittens Sunday during the Salem Glen Winery Fiber and Art Fest. She was one of 19 artisans taking part in the annual festival, which survived wet and chilly weather Saturday to enjoy a glorious summer afternoon on Sunday.

"We do this to foster interest, to get people interested in fiber arts and arts in general," said Dustin Ebert, owner of Salem Glen. He said the fair focuses on fiber arts because there are already a number of general arts fairs in the region. In addition to browsing what artisans had to offer, visitors to the fair could sample wine and wood-fired pizza.

Fiber artists create objects from fiber generally gathered from alpacas, goats, rabbits and sheep.

ADVERTISEMENT

For Anderson, the fair meant a couple of days away from her alpacas and her routines.

"I have a job, so I have to get up before work and make sure they're fed and have enough water until I get home," she said. "Then I do it again when I get home. I spend the evening knitting. It keeps me busy."

Alpacas, she said, are not the friendliest of animals.

"They're a little stand-offish," Anderson said. "They don't like it when you hug them. But they're easy to train to walk on a leash."

Originally bred in the cold mountains of South America, alpacas make good wintertime residents of Minnesota. However, they don't handle heat well. "Summer can be tough on them," Anderson said. "I try to keep them in the shade, and hose them down. When I fill the water buckets, they come running."

At another booth at the fair, fiber of a different kind  from angora rabbits  was gathered by Alicia Will, of 7 Pine's Rabbitry , in Princeton. Will said she started showing the rabbits in 4-H and now, in partnership with her mother, Deb Butorac, has 75 English and French angora rabbits.

"We recommend people start out with two or three," Will said as she pulled fiber from the tummy of one of her rabbits. "Two is a lot of work for someone new."

"We recommend they do a lot of research," Butorac said. "They are a lot of work. They're not your normal typical rabbits that you can pet once in a while.

ADVERTISEMENT

Will and Butorac have traveled from coast to coast, from Rhode Island to California, showing their rabbits. But, Butorac said, events like the Salem Glen fair are a treat.

"These events are a lot of fun, because everybody loves what they're doing," she said.
It's Minnesota State Fair time again and along with the cheese curds, farm critters and carnival rides there will be plenty of politicians.

Candidates for governor in 2018 are out in force at The Great Minnesota Get Together. Some candidates have their own booths that voters can visit. One DFLer  St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman  has a booth. Meanwhile, three Republican candidates have their own booths  former state party chairman Keith Downey, state Rep. Matt Dean and Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson. The Minnesota DFL is allowing statewide candidates to have a table at its booth. Gubernatorial candidates taking advantage of that are Rep. Tina Liebling, state Rep. Erin Murphy, State Auditor Rebecca Otto, state Rep. Paul Thissen and 1st District Rep. Tim Walz. The Republican party has its own booth, featuring a corn poll for governor. To vote, fairgoers simply need to drop a kernel in the container for their favorite candidate.

The state's two senators  Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar  each have their own booths at the fair. The Minnesota House of Representatives and Minnesota Senate also have booths that will feature lawmakers. At the House booth, fairgoers can cast their ballots in their annual opinion poll. This year's poll includes questions on everything from legalizing marijuana for recreational use to whether using a handheld cell phone device while driving should be illegal.

Not a fan of the two major parties? There are plenty of other political booths at the fair. They include the Constitution Party, Green Party, Independence Party and Libertarian Party. Other political groups with booths include Black Lives Matter, FairVote Minnesota and the Taxpayers League of Minnesota.

High-stakes court hearing

ADVERTISEMENT

Minnesota Supreme Court justices will hear oral arguments today in a legal case that has pitted DFL Gov. Mark Dayton against the Republican-led Legislature. The case centers around Dayton's line-item veto of funding for the Legislature. Dayton said he vetoed the funding in an effort to bring lawmakers back to the table to negotiate several items he opposed. Dayton lost his case at the district court level. Ramsey County District Judge John Guthmann ruled Dayton overstepped his authority by vetoing those funds. The governor appealed to state's supreme court. Lawyers representing the Legislature say the governor's veto violates the separation of powers requirement in the Minnesota Constitution. The court will livestream the 9 a.m. hearing  the first time the court has livestreamed proceedings.

Pollsters predict GOP pickup in 1st District

Decision Desk HQ says based on its data, Republicans have a major advantage in the open 1st District race in 2018.

The website predicts that Democrats have only a 27 percent chance of keeping the seat blue. Last year, incumbent DFL Rep. Tim Walz beat Republican Jim Hagedorn by less than one percentage point to win the seat. Meanwhile, President Trump won the district by 15 percentage points.

Hagedorn is running again for the seat. Other Republicans are considering getting into the race, including Rochester Sen. Carla Nelson and Stewartville Rep. Nels Pierson. Seven Democrats are vying for the seat. They are Rochester web developer Johnny Akzam, U.S. Army veteran Dan Feehan, former state Sen. Vicki Jensen, electronic pull-tabs salesman Colin Minehart, Rochester activist Regina Mustafa, Mankato attorney Joe Sullivan and Rochester attorney Rich Wright.

While the 1st District data has good news for Republicans, it's a different story in the 2nd Congressional District. Decision Desk HQ predicts Democrats have a 52 percent chance of winning that seat. Republican Rep. Jason Lewis won the seat last year. Lewis' rival from last year  Angie Craig  is running again for the seat. Also running is Democrat Jeff Erdmann. Decision Desk HQ also predicts Democrats will pick up the 3rd Congressional District seat held by Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen.
The Daily Beast serves up this puff piece about Robert Muellers dream team. Its under the byline of Betsy Woodruff, but is so gushing it might as well have been written by the dream team itself.

What I found most notable about Woodruffs piece is the disconnect between her profile of the individual dream team members and her conclusion. Nearly every team member is, according to the article, either a superstar prosecutor or a superstar appellate lawyer.

Yet Woodruff concludes that Muellers top priority is likely a counterespionage operation and that the legal side is boring. You dont need a team of superstar prosecutors and appellate lawyers to conduct a counterespionage operation with boring legal issues on the side.

Based on the composition of his high-power army, I would say that Muellers top priority is to prosecute. And given the political and ideological leanings of his troops, there is reason to believe that the top priority will be to prosecute President Trump if any plausible criminal case can be concocted against him.

Woodruff has almost nothing to say about these political leanings. Of the many members of Muellers team with connections to the Democratic Party, only one  Jeannie Rhee  is identified as such. Rhee represented the Clinton Foundation.

Woodruff dismisses concern about Rhee being partisan as laughable based on the assurances of those who know her. Case closed, if youre prepared to accept the say-so of Rhees friends. Im not.

Woodruff also notes that Rhee supported the confirmation of Republican Rachel Brand as associate attorney general. But Brand, a moderate, was the best the left reasonably could hope for in that position.

Ignoring the Democratic connections of other dream team members, Woodruff focuses on Aaron Zelinsky, who clerked for Judge Thomas Griffith, a George W. Bush appointee, [and] also worked under Rod Rosenstein when he was U.S. attorney for Maryland. However, Zelinsky also worked under Harold Koh in the Obama State Department.

I guarantee you that Koh is further to the left than Rosenstein is to the right. And I seriously doubt that Koh would ever appoint a special counsel to investigate the president he served, as Rosenstein did.

In any event, Woodruff doesnt claim that Zelinsky contributed to any Republican presidential campaign. By contrast, Muellers team is full of lawyers who contributed to Barack Obama and/or Hillary Clinton. It is these contributions, along with Muellers friendship with James Comey, that form the main basis for concern about the partisanship of the dream team.

The concern may turn out to have been unwarranted. But if Muellers supporters want to make a convincing case that it is, they will need to do better than the Daily Beast has done here.
As I wrote last week, Minnesota Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are blocking the Senate from taking up President Trumps nomination of David Stras to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. Stras is a justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court; he is widely respected. His nomination is opposed by approximately no one, not even by Klobuchar or Franken. Yet they have withheld their blue slips to prevent the Senate Judiciary Committee from acting on the nomination.

Senator Klobuchar is using the Stras nomination for narrow partisan purposes. She seeks to have a hand in the appointment of Democrats to four federal vacancies in Minnesota: United States Marshal, United States Attorney and two federal district court judgeships.

Klobuchar has negotiated with the White House over Minnesotas federal vacancies. Her role in this scenario shows her to be a partisan player. She doesnt talk about it and her friends at the Star Tribune have left the story untouched since July 8. Even when they touched it then, however, they didnt relate it to the Stras nomination or explore the anomalies in Klobuchars efforts to engineer the appointment of a Democratic United States Attorney by a Republican president.

Klobuchar denies that shes blocking Strass nomination. This is a lie. Klobuchar is blocking the nomination pending a deal with the White House that has nothing to do with the merits of the nomination of Justice Stras.

Franken asserts that hes still reviewing Justice Strass lengthy record. Justice Stras is a young man. His record can be mastered without an exorbitant expenditure of time. If only Franken hadnt spent so much time promoting his new book  he even took a turn hosting SiriusXMs Grateful Dead channel for a day  hed be done by now. But this is not to be taken seriously. Its a joke, so to speak.

Third District Rep. Erik Paulsen is Minnesotas senior congressional representative. He has taken the leading role in forwarding suggested nominees for the pending vacancies to the White House. He also supports the nomination of Justice Stras to the Eighth Circuit, as do Paulsens fellow Republican Reps. Tom Emmer and Jason Lewis along with virtually everybody else who knows Justice Stras.

On Friday Rep. Paulsen reported in a Star Tribune op-ed column that Klobuchar and Franken have in fact blocked the Senate from taking up Strass nomination. Rep. Paulsen told the story in Klobuchar, Franken impede the path of an outstanding judge.

A politically connected source now writes to tell me: Klobuchar went a bit nuts after Paulsens op-ed. Im told she called the White House in a panic  as if the WH could save her  and that she was quite flustered by Paulsens willingness to say that she is something other than a saint.

He adds: Im also told that the WH and Klobuchar had a Stras for 4 deal in place, and that Paulsen played a key role in preventing that from being announced.

I strongly support the confirmation of Justice Stras to the Eighth Circuit. The White House may have to make a bad deal to get it done. I would like readers to know what is happening and why, especially when the Minnesota media have defaulted on covering the story.

As Drudge would say, developingbut not in the Star Tribune.
Unprecedented sentence seen as beginning of end to grip of chaebols

SEOUL - The conviction and jailing of South Korea's top business tycoon heralds a drive to reform the country's giant conglomerates and loosen their grip on the economy, analysts said.

When Lee Jae-yong, de facto head of the world's biggest smartphone maker Samsung Electronics, was jailed on Friday for bribing South Korea's former president and other offenses, the Seoul court condemned "corrupt ties" between business leaders and politicians.

It is far from the first time these links have been made public. South Korea's chaebols, or family-run conglomerates, have long enjoyed close, opaque ties to political authorities.

"There is a well-founded concern that Korean corporations have too much financial influence over the political system through favors and friendships," said Robert Kelly, professor of political science at Pusan National University.

The chaebols were instrumental in South Korea's rapid transformation into Asia's fourth-largest economy - during which they received privileges in business and protection from foreign competition.

But as GDP growth has slowed, public frustration with the chaebols has mounted. They are accused of choking off innovation, distorting markets and engaging in corrupt practices to ensure founding families retain control.

When millions of people took to the streets to demand president Park Geun-hye's ouster over a burgeoning corruption scandal, their anger was directed almost as much at the companies that paid her secret confidante Choi Soon-sil as at her.

After Park's impeachment and dismissal, new president Moon Jae-in won a sweeping election victory campaigning on a platform of reform.

Samsung is by far the biggest of the chaebols, with its revenues equivalent to around a fifth of the country's GDP.

Lee Jae-yong's father, who remains Samsung chairman, was previously convicted of bribery, tax and other offenses himself, and the scion's grandfather also had brushes with the law, but neither was ever jailed.

Chaebol leaders have regularly enjoyed such privileges in the past, with trials ending in light or suspended sentences and courts citing their contributions to the economy.

But imprisoning the vice-chairman of Samsung for five years - even though the sentence could be reduced on appeal - shows that now no one is immune, the thinking goes.

"The unprecedented jailing of the head of the country's most powerful chaebol will serve as a catalyst for changing the whole society," said Chung Sun-sup, who runs specialist website chaebul.com. There have been promises of reforms before, from both sides of the political aisle, but they came to little.

Former Justice Party lawmaker Park Won-wuk blamed a lack of political will and resistance from the chaebols, which warn of negative consequences for investment and employment.

"No politicians have been really free from collusive ties with chaebols," said Park. "But Moon, differently from his predecessors, owes no debts to chaebols, and his top officials in charge of chaebol reform are thoroughly reformist.

"Lee's imprisonment shows they are down to business quite seriously this time."

Corruption remains "the single biggest issue" in South Korea, Kelly said. The Transparency International watchdog ranked South Korea 52nd out of 176 countries in its perceptions index for last year.

Agence France-presse

(China Daily 08/28/2017 page11)
We have written about the rape crisis in Rotherham, England. There, over a period of years, more than 1,400 girls, many of them pre-teens, were raped and trafficked by a loose consortium of men. The men were all Muslim immigrants or sons of immigrants, mainly from Pakistan. The girls were all, or nearly all, white. When the scandal finally came to light in 2014, city officials said that they had been reluctant to do anything about the problem for fear of being accused of racism.

Sarah Champion represents Rotherham. Until recently she was Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities.

She lost that job because, as befits her portfolio, she spoke plainly  though not as plainly as she might have  about the rape problem that plagues the city she represents and many other towns. In an August 10 article for The Sun, Champion wrote, Britain has a problem with British Pakistani men raping and exploiting white girls. She continued:

There. I said it. Does that make me a racist? Or am I just prepared to call out this horrifying problem for what it is? For too long we have ignored the race of these abusers and, worse, tried to cover it up. No more. These people are predators and the common denominator is their ethnic heritage. We have to have grown-up conversations, however unpalatable, or in six months time we will be having this same scenario all over again.

Champion went on to describe the futility of her efforts to persuade the powers-that-be to address the problem. Champion wrote the article, she explained, in the hope of finally prompting corrective action.

As Bruce Bawer at PJ Media observes, Champion made no mention of Islam, surely the religion of the Pakistani rapists, or most of them. But this was not sufficient to save her.

After Naz Shah, her Labour MP colleague, ginned up a storm over the issue, Champion apologized for her article and claimed that the Sun had stripped it of nuance.

That wasnt good enough. Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party leader, forced Champion to resign from her post as shadow minister.

The upshot? Maggie Oliver, a police officer who has investigated grooming gangs in Rochdale, says that generations of children have been sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. As Oliver explained, Shah and her allies have fired a warning shot to anyone else who dares speak the truth, that they may lose their jobs; it merely serves to shut down all debate.

Theres more. Bawer reports that shortly after Champions downfall, Shah read the following statement on a Twitter account bearing the name of leftist journalist Owen Jones:

Those abused girls in Rotherham and elsewhere just need to shut their mouths. For the good of diversity.

Jones hadnt actually tweeted this. The tweet came from a parody account that mocked Jones.

Shah didnt realize this, though  understandably, given the extent to which modern identity leftism has become indistinguishable from parody. Thus, Shah clicked like on the tweet and shared it on her own Twitter feed.

Has the Labour Party taken any action against Shah for publicly supporting the view that rape victims need to remain silent for the good of diversity? Apparently not, says Bawer.

He also points out that Shah has written several anti-Semitic tweets, one of which suggested that Israel be relocate[d] to a small corner of the U.S. In response, her Party gave her a gentle slap on the wrist, after which Corbyn welcomed her warmly back into his inner circle.

As Bawer concludes, in Britains Labour Party, its okay to call for the destruction of Israel and for the silencing of child rape victims. However, it is not okay to speak truthfully about the religion, or even the national origin, of those who are creating a living hell for young English girls by committing rape and other forms of sexual abuse en masse.
Neo-Nazis have been around for a long time. I remember learning as a teenager that there was an American Nazi party led by George Lincoln Rockwell. It seemed odd, but no one paid much attention. Neo-Nazis and white supremaciststhe terms seem to be used interchangeably these dayshave been with us for decades, regarded as irrelevant fringe groups consisting of nuts and watchful FBI agents.

Suddenly, though, that has changed. Neo-Nazi/white supremacist groups turned out a few hundred tiki torch-carrying goofs in Charlottesville, and now these fringe kooks have become, we are told, a crisis of the republic. Politicians race to denounce them, and President Trump has been criticized in many quarters for not denouncing them fast enough, or harshly enough, or uniquelythat is, without denouncing anyone else at the same time. If that sounds crazy, you are right. It is crazy.

Neo-Nazi sightings, no matter how lame, have become newsworthy. Thus, the Daily Mail reports, breathlessly, on The shocking moment Neo-Nazis gather at Arlington shopping center to commemorate assassinated leader with Nazi flag and salute.

A small group of neo-Nazis held a ceremony outside a shopping mall, sparking a protest by angry neighbors in response. The neo-Nazis, five men and one woman, were marking the 50th anniversary of the assassination of American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell in Arlington, Virginia, around noon on Friday. The small group fit into a single parking spot at the Dominion Hills Shopping Center, where 50 years previously, on August 25, 1967, a disgruntled fellow Nazi shot and killed Rockwell.

Here they are. All six of them:

Their brief ceremony prompted a much larger outpouring of outrage from nearby residents who were determined to show, apparently, that they are opposed to the scourge of Nazism:

After 70 years of irrelevance, neo-Nazis have finally arrived, although they are still (or perhaps more than ever) rare birds. I personally have never met a neo-Nazi or a white supremacist. I have, however, met quite a few Communists. And last year, the Democratic Party likely would have nominated for president a man who admits he is a socialist and who spent his honeymoon in the USSRs Communist utopia, but for the DNCs rigging of the primary process.

Historically speaking, Marxian socialism of the sort that is almost, but not quite, advocated by politicians like Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn is at least as great an evil as national socialism, which is supported bywhom, exactly? And, as it happens, there are quite a few more members of the Communist Party USA than there are white supremacists or Nazis, at least as measured by participants in demonstrations:

So why is it that neo-Nazis, an irrelevant fringe group until a month ago, are suddenly a major issue, while the apparently larger number of American Communists continue to be ignored? Why are insignificant marches sponsored by neo-Nazis covered in real time by pretty much every news outlet, while larger demonstrations by Communists go unreported? Does anyone seriously believe that either faction commands any significant support, or plays any important role in our political life? If not, why the current obsession with neo-Nazis and (if there is a difference) white supremacists? And why has this obsession with neo-Nazis suddenly appeared?

Perhaps I am missing something. But it seems blindingly obvious that the answer is: hyping neo-Nazis became an opportunity to serve the Lefts interests in January of this year, based on leftists more or less insane association between neo-Nazis and American conservatives, while hyping the American Communist Party does notand will not at any time in the futureserve the Lefts interests. That is the difference.
Im sure if only President Trump had kept America in the Paris Climate Accord Hurricane Harvey would have blown back out to sea or not been as severe. Thats just about how the climatistas are predictably reacting to the flooding and devastation in Houston.

Once again we have Roy Spencer on the case. While the media is rushing to make unpredecented the most overused word in their vocabulary, Prof. Roy has checked the record, and guess what? The rainfall amounts are entirely precedented:

In the context of climate change, is what we are seeing in Houston a new level of disaster which is becoming more common? The flood disaster unfolding in Houston is certainly very unusual. But so are other natural weather disasters, which have always occurred and always will occur. . . There have been many flood disasters in the Houston area, even dating to the mid-1800s when the population was very low. In December of 1935 a massive flood occurred in the downtown area as the water level height measured at Buffalo Bayou in Houston topped out at 54.4 feet. By way of comparison, as of 6:30 a.m. this (Monday) morning, the water level in the same location is at 38 feet, which is still 16 feet lower than in 1935. Im sure that will continue to rise.

Even with the system stalling, the greatest multi-day rainfall total as of 3 9 a.m. this Monday morning is just over 30 39.7 inches, with many locations recording over 20 inches. We should recall that Tropical Storm Claudette in 1979 (a much smaller and weaker system than Harvey) produced a 43 inch rainfall total in only 24 hours in Houston.

Worth reading the whole thing.
When 2019 comes, the stone that the leaders (builders) rejected shall be the head cornerstone.

When 2019 comes, the cost of economic mistakes often made out of sentiments and ignorance will stare many Nigerians in the face. Although sentiments also sometimes robbed people off the sense of quilt, many will remember how much the country bled during seasons of subsidising importation of petroleum products to ensure stability and affordability, while the refineries remained epileptic.

In 2019, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, currently bearing the burden of importing much of the petroleum products, will be relieved to focus on its core business.

Even in faraway United States, former presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton will nod over the briefing on Nigeria. As U.S. Secretary of State in 2009, she had said that the continuous importation of refined petroleum products by Nigeria was a sign of bad leadership.

Nigeria is the 6th largest producer of crude oil but the country still imports fuel, Clinton said during a seven-nation tour of Africa.

When 2019 comes, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, a strong believer in the power of the private sector for economic growth and transformation, will heave a heavy sigh of relief over the removal of an ugly national stigma, and rejoice over a promise delivered.

His repeated assurance of the cessation of petroleum products importation in 2019 is largely based on one key variable in the sprawling sands of the Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos. I have made very firm commitment to Nigerians that I must stop the importation of petroleum products by 2019 and I am going to keep it, he said during a visit to the site of the Dangote refinery recently.

So, he told the President of the Dangote Group Aliko Dangote, The challenge I will give you today is that of time; I see your time for completion is December 2019, but I am sure you will understand my greed if I tell you that the refinery component should come earlier than the set date.

In the bigger picture, Kachikwu was not speaking out of personal greed. It does not make any economic or even crude political sense for a major crude oil producer and exporter to import petroleum products with relish as was done in recent years.

THE REJECTION

The year 2019 is therefore a very important date for Nigerias oil and gas sector! Only 10 years ago, in 2007, Dangote led a consortium of investors to pay $750 million for two of the nations four ailing refineries, which the federal government was finding it difficult to manage. But the YarAdua administration reversed the decision soon after it came in to score political points.

I went to him (YarAdua) and asked why he did that. But he said it was because of pressure, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whose government sold the refineries, said recently.

These same sentiments have driven opposition against private-sector involvement in modernising the refineries despite copious evidence that the many turn-around maintenance efforts in the past did not add much value, even if there were resources to do one now.

Today, the same Aliko Dangote is the man on whose shoulders the expectations of 2019 rest. However, he assured Mr. Kachikwu he has accepted the challenge and would do all possible to achieve the feat. He said: On the honourable ministers challenge, we are going to make it by the grace of God. I am sure the minister will support us to make sure that we meet his challenge.

Mr. Dangote told Bloomberg later that although the project recently went a little off track because of the 70 million cubic meters of sand required, it is back on course. I dont have any worries about finishing.

He added: This is my lifetime project. I have to back it up with my own life to make sure it is delivered.

Over the years, attempts have been made by government to encourage private sector investment in refineries, but they have largely failed. Out of the 33 private refineries that were given Licence to Establish (LTE), only the 1,000-barrels-per-day refinery operated by the Niger Delta Petroleum Resources in Ogbelle, Rivers State has come on stream to produce diesel.

Most of the other investors have not even kicked off construction work because of the funding problems.

THE HEAD OF THE CORNERSTONE

Driven by the commitment to the socio-economic development of the country and a huge appetite for local direct investment, Mr. Dangote has long put 2007 behind him.

Nigerias refineries were privatised in 2007. We bought two, but after a few months we had a new government that decided to void the transaction, thinking we got a very good deal. So, since 2007 weve been actually working on building our own refinery, but we didnt finally start something until 2015.

THE DELIVERABLES

It is the worlds largest single line refinery, petrochemical complex, and the worlds second largest urea fertiliser plant. The refinery, according to Mr. Dangote, will have the capacity to refine 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The petrochemical plant will produce 780 KTPA Polypropylene, 500 KTPA of Polyethylene, while the fertiliser project will produce 3.0 million metric tons per annum (mmtpa) of urea.

In addition, we are also building the largest sub-sea pipeline infrastructure in any country in the world, with a length of 1,100 km, to handle 3 billion SCF of gas per day. We also plan to construct a 570 MW power plant in this complex. As a matter of fact, gas from our gas pipeline will augment the natural domestic gas supply and we estimate an additional 12,000MW of power generation can be added to the grid with the additional gas from our system.

THE BENEFITS

According to Mr. Dangote, We will be adding value to our economy as all these projects will be creating about 4,000 direct and 145,000 indirect jobs. We will also save over $7.5 billion for Nigeria annually, through import substitution and generate an additional $5.5 billion per annum through exports of the refined petroleum products, fertilizer and petrochemicals.

We envisage that these projects, which would cost over $18 billion, would be completed in 2019.

The petrochemical is 13 times that of Eleme petrochemical. It is 10 times that of NAFCON and therefore, the largest fertilizer plant in Africa, he added.

Expectant of the refinery, the federal government is also counting the benefits. During a visit of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and some ministers to the site, he said that when 2019 comes, the nations refining capacity would be sufficient for the domestic market and export at the completion of the Dangote refinery project.

He was optimistic that the project would also boost gas supply to power plants through the three billion standard cubic feet per day gas pipeline, and that the facility would buoy export earnings after meeting the nations current requirement of two billion scfpd.

The plant, according to him, will generate over 100,000 employment opportunities.

Even labour unions that objected to the sale of the refineries in 2007 will join in the celebration when 2019 comes. Speaking on the project, the General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN), Issa Aremu, admitted that the bold initiative by the Dangote Group is a giant stride at re-industrialising Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. Happily for Labour, the refinery will employ many people. It will also provide opportunities to local vendors.

During the week, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board announced that the management of Dangote petroleum refinery has agreed to select competent Nigerian vendors that will participate in the construction of the plant. The Chief Operating Officer, Dangote Refinery Project, Giuseppe Surace, stated this at the technical meeting held between top officials of the company and NCDMB at the refinery project site in Lekki.

On the socio-economic scale, the refinery is bound to transform life in that part of Lagos into a cosmopolitan, upscale area with jobs and improved living standards. In anticipation of that, private property investors have already shifted attention there.

CHALLENGES

Like every other business, the Dangote refinery project faces challenges, some because of its sheer size, but so far, he has been able to take them on as they come. For example, he explained that, For the refinery, almost every single item was imported. One of the difficulties was that most of our ports are not designed to receive heavy equipment; 75 per cent of the cargo needed for the refinery cannot be offloaded in the port of Lagos. One piece of equipment weighs 2,870 tons! So, we had to build our own jetty, about one kilometre in the ocean, which was a major project.

We couldnt get local cranes to hire, either. We had to go and buy 300 cranes. Then theres manpower, which we also brought from abroadalmost 30,000 people, because we didnt have a trained workforce for these massive projects.

On the initial allegations of conflict with the host community, he said there are no issues because the conflict was between two communities and the state government. He explained: We did not buy the land from communities, we bought our land (swamp) at $100 million and the filling of the swamp to become solid land is costing us another $420 million.

There are funding issues too: He said the holding company, Dangote Industries Limited, which is different from Dangote Refinery, took an initial loan for the project that has accrued an interest of $173 million, stressing that, contrary to speculations, the company has not gotten substantial forex from the Central Bank of Nigeria. Rather, he said We lost almost N50 billion to the new forex regime.

WHEN 2019 COMES

This is likely to be the scenario of nations refining capacity in 2019. The Dangote refinery, 650,000 barrels per day (bpd); federal government refineries, 445,000 bpd (and it is expected that they will operate at full capacity); Eko Petrochem and Refining Company Limited, 20,000 bpd (all things being equal); modular refineries in the Niger Delta (if they can materialise by then).

The good news is that the Dangote refinery alone may be able to supply 95 per cent of local daily consumption. So, when 2019 comes, Nigeria is likely to be an exporter of petroleum products.

Indeed, when 2019 comes, the thick cloud of national shame will be lifted. And economic reality will crush the old Jericho walls of politics and sentiments in the oil and gas industry that perpetuate a circle of poverty! At least, there will be large template to learn from and use.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbannaya Onu, on Monday in Lagos inaugurated a N500 million Tier Three Data Centre to support the activities of the Nigeria Stock Exchange, NSE.

He said that the centre had the potential to help the NSE compete favourably with some of best exchanges in the world, if performed well.

He said that the governments effort had always geared towards ensuring that the country stopped growing the economy in a particular direction, particularly from being a mono commodity-based.

The minister also said that the particular direction had made the nation to feel the effect of the changes in the oil market but assured that the government was ready to change from that direction.

According to him, there are collaborations with relevant establishments that can contribute to the success of the centre.

Mr. Onu said that the government had engaged in relationships and interactions with research institutes through the Federal Ministry of Technology and Science to come up with researches that were market driven to create more jobs and wealth.

He said the centre was necessary because of the relevance of the stock exchange to the development of the economy.

The minister urged the NSE to consider listing of more Small and Medium-scale Enterprises, SMEs, as agents of growth in any economy.

The Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Oscar Onyema, said that the centre would be helped to reduce the level of redundancy in terms of power supply and cooling of water to support bourses activities.

Mr. Onyema said that the centre would help the eco-system that would want to co-locate with the hosting services to the exchange.

He described the centre as a modular designed data centre with state-of-the-art facilities for vision monitoring activities.

The NSE boss said that the centre would only focus on its constituency, primarily only on brokers activities but might later expand it to quoted companies and others.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


A former Japanese Prime Minister, Tsutomu Hata, died on Monday aged 82, Kyodo News service reported, citing unnamed sources.

Mr.Hata, who served as premier for just 64 days in 1994, was one of the revolving-door prime ministers of the 1990s, who followed a series of political scandals.

In 1993, he left the long-time ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to launch a new party with some other influential LDP lawmakers such as Ichiro Ozawa.

Mr. Hata, who led the now-defunct Japan Renewal Party, headed a coalition government from late April to the end of June in 1994.

Mr. Hata was first elected as a House of Representatives member from Nagano prefecture in 1969 and served as agriculture minister, finance minister and foreign minister between 1988 and 1994.

He retired from politics in 2012.

He was born in Tokyo on August 24, 1935 and the 80th Prime Minister of Japan for 9 weeks in 1994. He graduated from Seijo University.

(dpa/NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Police said on Monday that a German nurse who was jailed for murdering two patients, is suspected of killing 84 others.

Oldenburg police chief Johann Kuehme told journalists that the additional murder cases arose after investigations dug up the remains of 134 people with links to the man.

Kuehme said the number of victims could be even higher as some of the deceased had been cremated.

If convicted, the man identified only as Niels H. under reporting rules, would be one of Germanys most prolific serial killers.

German broadcaster, NDR, said in past hearings, he admitted deliberately injecting patients at two clinics in northern Germany with deadly drugs and then trying to revive them in order to play the hero.

The man, now aged 40, was convicted in the northern city of Oldenburg of two charges of attempted murder and two counts of murder in 2015.(Reuters/NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


The new President of American University of Nigeria, Yola, Dawn Dekle, began the 2017/2018 academic year on Tuesday by going around lecture classes with baskets of apples and having photo shoots with the lecturers and students. In this interview with journalists after the exercise, she spoke about its significance, her style of leadership, and her vision for the institution. Here are excerpts.

Q: Can you tell us the significance of what you are doing today?

Dekle: Well, today is day one at the American University of Nigeria. Its the first day of the fall semester and its also the first day of the entire academic year. I always like to mark the occasion. Yesterday we had convocation, which is the coming together of all the new students, returning students, new faculties, returning faculties, etc to open the university for the year and to say we are open. Today is day one of the classes for this semester and for the year. And so, what I like to do today is walk around with our apples. Now apples are the fruit of knowledge, and I wanted to give each student an apple today to symbolise knowledge because we are in the university which is where the knowledge is. So, they can each have an apple and think about what theyre gonna be doing this year. Its just to get them excited, were starting a new year together, to just make it fun. The significance is to just have the students remember that its a special first year.

Q: What are the new things you are bringing to the table for AUN, especially as you have matriculated the first set of students under your administration? And are you afraid of the insecurity in the north-east as you try to achieve your goals?

Dekle: Thank you. In terms of new things, thats gonna be up to me and the team, together. So, together as a team, we would decide the new things we wanna bring. Ill be working with student government leader; Ill be working with Vice President, Student Affairs; Ill be working with deans, our faculties, our alumni network to see what we wanna do going forward. So, I think the old fashion style of leadership when a new leader comes and says lets do this; thats really not my style of leadership. My style of leadership is very collaborative. I wanna see organically what we wanna do together. So, it will be hard for me to say exactly what were gonna do. But were gonna do something. And Im gonna tell you, watch this space. So, you can see our campus, we got a lot of land, you better believe were gonna build some buildings, were gonna have some new programmes, were gonna have more students, different kinds of students, but I dont know what it will be yet. You have to come back and see.

Now am I afraid? Sure. The human condition is to be afraid. But you know what, even in the United States, there are security threats. Even if I was president of a university in the United States, security will still be my number one thing. It has to be, thats the age we are living in. So yeah, sure, its scary to be here. But Im determined to make sure this campus stays open. and redefined. Groups like Boko Haram, these youths in the north warning this quit notice So, I will stand here, keep my head on the ground and we will make sure that these students really get educated. Boys, girls, from all over the country, all over West Africa, this is what you do, this is education, this is our mission.

Q: You spoke about adding new programmes to the school. I know you have the School of Law, Arts and Sciences and all that, which programmes are we most likely to see next?

Dekle: Thats a great question. I have tasked the professors in the top team to first of all look at the schools we currently have; such as, lets just take the School of Business as an example. So, the School of Business; we have programmes in Accounting, in Finance, in Entrepreneurship, and a few others. But why dont we look and see if we can add many other new majors within that school? So that will be our first task: what can we add within our current schools? And the second question is more long term: what new schools might we add? I dont know yet. But it could be Engineering, it could be Medicine, it could be Architecture, it could be Public Health, it could be Criminology. I dont know. But its gonna depend on the conversations we have and which ones make sense for our mission.

Q: Youll be here in the next five years or so, what kind of legacy will you want to leave behind?

Dekle: According to our by-laws, my contract here is for four years. Ill be glad to stay five but Ill have to ask my Board of Trustees (laughter). Just like the president of the country, the president of the American University is a four-year contract. What I will like to do is one simple thing. When I came in here, I said I believe the American University of Nigeria is Nigerias best-kept secret. Because when I came here in May, I looked around, I said Oh God! Look at this! Nobody knows about this. Its amazing. This place is an oasis. And you can come here and join our learning community. Its just got so many facilities. The faculties are amazing, the deans are amazing, the students are amazing and Im like Why is this not known? So, my legacy, I hope, after four years as president is that its no longer Nigerias best-kept secret. I really want Nigerians to know about this amazing school that is right here in your land.

It would seem that many more parents are bringing their children to the school. What do you think is responsible for that?

Dekle: Im really glad to see so many parents come over the weekend and yesterday and be part of the convocation because in the United States, parents sometimes just put their child on the plane and send them. But we said no, bring your child because we want the parents to see the incredible learning community, we want the parents to meet the deans and the teachers, to really see, and to see the residence halls, the students lives, the cafeteria, the lavatory, everywhere. For me, educating a child at the university level, it requires a partnership. A partnership of the professors, the students lives, the alumni getting involved, the parents getting involved, it all has to reinforce itself. And so, Im very happy to see the parents involved. Ive only been here, just going on eight weeks so I cant really speak to what parents do in other universities. I suspect it may be a little bit less but we welcome the parents to come and partner with us, to help with the education of their sons and daughters.

Youve worked in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, would you say your career has prepared you for this challenge?

Dekle: I think nothing prepares you for Nigeria (laughter). Ive always thought Nigeria was the ultimate destination. I think Nigeria has everything and I mean the whole spectrum. So, its got corruption, its got malaria, but its got Nollywood, its got pepper-soup (laughter). Its really got a very interesting political situation going on and I dont quite understand that. It seems to have 500 languages and ethnic groups. Nigerians like to debate, which I just love, I love the big debates Nigerians do. Nigeria has a rich history. For me, Nigeria has got everything in one country and I think its fascinating. I was in Afghanistan, of course we dealt with other challenges. Iraq, different challenges, sure prepared me a little bit. But I would say, in any developing country in the world, I always tell people you go for two out of three any given day. And two out of three is you wanna see if you have power so you can have a nice shower, you wanna see if you have electricity and you wanna see if you have internet. So, in Iraq and Afghanistan, it was always if you get two out of three, it was a good day. Sometimes you get zero out of three. And if you get three out of three you say wow!, thats like a great day. So, with that kind of mindset, coming to Nigeria, Ive had three out of three every day Ive been here. Thats great.

There were some programmes that were initiated by the immediate past president like the Feed and Read, do you hope to continue or introduce other projects that would impact the community?

Dekle: Yeah. Feed and Read, Waste to Wealth, Rags to Riches, the Adamawa Peace Initiative and theres a whole list, broad spectrum of programmes. I really think in this day and age, a university doesnt exist in a vacuum, it exists in a community. Even though its necessary for us to have a wall around the campus for security reasons, that doesnt mean we wouldnt have a bridge with the community. So, all of these programmes are necessary not just so we can have a relationship with the community but also to educate our students. Because I really think that what you learn outside the classroom is sometimes more valuable than what you learn inside the classroom. And I mean no disrespect for my wonderful deans and professors here, but it complements what you learn in the classroom. When you go out, when you help the community, when you do projects together, there are different skills you learn. Theres team work, you learn empathy and how to manage small budget and it has a real world of consequence. And so, doing these projects, and its not just the students doing them: professors, administrators, we go and do the projects together with them. So, it also gives us a common goal, it breaks down barriers that will normally exist in a learning environment. People call me Dr. D here. Im not Madam President, unless its really official something, but just Dr. D. It helps break down barriers. But the answer is yes, we will continue.

In the short time that youve been here and based on your interactions with people so far, what kind of challenges do you foresee?

Dekle: Every university in the world deals with challenges. The first challenge is limited resources. So, you always have an x pile of money and then you have to figure out what the priorities are. But that is true of any university. Second challenge, of course, security; its a challenge. So, I always start my day with a security report, because I have to make sure that when a new intel comes, youre prepared. Even though the Boko Harams are rolled back, you cant become complacent. So, its my job to make sure that the community remains safe and then I have to communicate that with the community and I have to make sure everybody else is not being complacent because I cant have my eyes everywhere on the campus. I have to make sure everybody is watching out and everybody has communication channels. And so, I will say these are challenges. But these will be challenges anywhere else. I dont want you thinking Nigeria is unique because its not.

Indiscipline is a common factor in our universities. How do you intend to enforce discipline here?

Dekle: At our convocations, we do a pledge ceremony, where all the students stand up and they pledge their integrity and honour to each other, to the university, to the honour code. And then we have an extensive training programme, if you will. In our AUN 101 class, in our students lives, and in the first-year experience that explains to students about what is our honour code. And so, these include the academics side, we dont want students cheating on exams or plagiarizing. But it also includes the behaviour code. We dont want hate speech on campus. This is a cross university and we are very proud to be known for this. We are known for integrity at this university, its part of our core values. Our core values are excellence, integrity and service.

During your convocation speech, you spoke about imagination and using it to spark curiosity among the students. How do you intend to apply it here?

Dekle: I had said that my definition of leadership is capturing the imagination of others. Because if I capture your imagination, you will listen a little bit longer. So, I do think the role of a leader is to capture the imagination of as many people, as many stakeholders as possible. And so, Im always looking for different ways to roll that out. Yesterday, I spoke about Harry Porter and the author, J.K Rowling had said that we have the power to imagine better. And she made a lot of money. She imagined the whole world, and look what she did. So, I think we can imagine a whole world that is better than the one we live in now. We can imagine a whole world beyond Boko Haram, we can imagine a whole world beyond corruption, we can imagine a whole world where education takes us to the next level, we can imagine a Nigeria taking its rightful place on the world stage, we can imagine Nigeria being the third most populous country in the world by 2050, we can imagine Nigeria being the ninth greatest, largest economy by 2050, we can imagine this and we can make it happen. But it starts with having educated workforce. If you dont have an educated workforce, youre not gonna create the skill-set so Nigeria can take its rightful place. And I dont think Nigeria has ever had its rightful place on the world stage. I would love to help you guys do that, you deserve it, you got this great talent in this great country, go for it!

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


President Muhammadu Buhari says he is pleased with Nigerias economic situation.

The president received briefing from the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udoma; the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, and the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

This was disclosed in a state house press release Monday.

According to the statement, signed by Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, the Ministers and CBN Governor informed the president of the updates in the implementation of the 2017 Budget, preparation for the 2018 Budget, revenue strategies, combined cost reduction and debt management and on the improving state of the economy.

The statement said the president reminded the ministers and CBN governor that reviving the economy was one of the major planks on which the campaign of his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, was based.

He expressed gladness that things were looking up after two years of governance and urged them to keep at it as the main aim of government was to bring comfort to Nigerians across all walks of life.

Also discussed were monetary policy strategies and their economic impact, among others.

President Buhari arrived Nigeria on Saturday after nearly four months in the United Kingdom where he received medical treatment for an undisclosed ailment.

Mondays meeting with his economic team is believed to be the presidents first since his return.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Oseloka Obaze has clinched the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship ticket to fly the partys flag in the November 18 Anambra governorship election.

In a landslide victory, he defeated oil mogul Ifeanyi Ubah, Alex Obiogbulu and a senator, Stella Oduah, to the ticket of the party.

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State led the committee appointed by the national leadership of the party to conduct the primary election. The election held amidst tight security at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre in Awka, the state capital.

Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were also present to monitor the election.

A total of 958 delegates took part in the one-day exercise and at the end Mr. Obaze, a former Secretary to the State Government, emerged victorious with 672 votes while Mr. Obiogbolu came a distant second with 190 votes.

Mr. Ubah could only garner 94 votes to place third while two votes were declared as invalid.

There was a mild drama after counting of the votes as Mr. Ubah took the microphone and protested the result, claiming the election was marred by irregularities.

But Mr. Umahi interrupted him and asked him to wait for declaration of results to make his protest.

After the declaration of the results, Mr. Ubah said the delegates list was only given to them two days to the election unlike other parties that got their list four weeks before the primaries.

This he said made it difficult for the candidates to campaign to the delegates.

He also noted that he and some of the candidates have already instituted a case in the court to challenge the primaries because of the massive irregularities

Three other contestants, John Emeka, a former minister; Linda Ikpeazu, representing Onitsha North and South federal constituency in the House of Representatives, and Akaolisa Ufodike had earlier announced their withdrawal from the race.

Mr. Emeka in a press statement cited irregularities in the partys delegates list for his decision to back out of the race.

The aspirant, who did not state those responsible for the mutilation of the list, simply announced his withdrawal from the contest.

Governor Umahi before the commencement of voting acknowledged the receipt of withdrawal by Messrs. Ikpeazu and Ufodike.

There have been accusations and counter accusations over the partys delegates list, with some aspirants complaining of the partys rank being infiltrated by members of other political parties, with the hope of disrupting the emergence of the partys choice candidate.

Accreditation of delegates began at exactly 10 a.m. at three designated centres in the state which are Emaus house, J-Jumac Hotel and Alexandria hotel.

Voting commenced as soon as accreditation was completed and was concluded at about 4:30 p.m.

Thereafter, sorting and collation of results began immediately after the votes were cast.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


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
A British renowned Hausa language scholar, Graham Furniss, says five factors militate against the growth of Hausa literature to international standard.

Furniss, an emeritus professor at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, classified documentation, description, preservation and changes in technology as the key problems of Hausa literature.

He was speaking on Monday at the 11th Conference on Literature in Northern Nigeria, held at the headquarters of National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, in Abuja.

The two-day event was hosted by NOUN in partnership with Bayero University, Kano, and Kwara State University, Malete.

Mr. Funnis, a Brition who spent about five decades studying Hausa literature,taught the language at several universities in Northern Nigeria, particularly Abdullahi Bayero College, which was later renamed Bayero University Kano, and University of Maiduguri before retiring back to United Kingdom.

In the paper he delivered, titled: Reflection on diversity and the task of literary and cultural studies, Mr. Furniss said: while there is an increasing amount of materials translated into Hausa, there is very little material translated out of Hausa, whether into English, French, or indeed into Yoruba, Igbo or any other language.

A major task is to develop a body of the best writing translated out of Hausa. Such a body would make Hausa cultural production accessible on the international and national stage.

Perhaps the greatest task facing the academic community in Hausa studies is the one of archiving and preservation, in addition to the problems of maintaining manuscripts and paper materials and making sure they are collected safely.

The emeritus professor, who speaks Hausa fluently, concluded his speech by warning: After a forty year career in Hausa literary and cultural studies, the task of description, analysis, preservation and presentation remains pressing.

In his welcome address, the Vice-Chancellor of NOUN, Abdalla Adamu, explained the uniqueness of literature in Northern Nigeria, tracing it back to the 11th century.

As the first region to be Islamized, the region acquired Islamic and Arabic literacy that entrenched a learning mindset through an extensive network of Quranic schools for all.

In 1909, an estimate of Quranic schools and pupils was 13,000 and 110,000 respectively. By 1929 the corresponding numbers of schools and pupils were put at 25,000 and 250,000 respectively.

Mr. Adamu noted that Christian missionaries became the first to appreciate the literary heritage of the Muslim people of the north.

This was demonstrated in the way they translated Bible and other Christian pamphlets into Ajami, the Arabic script domesticated by the Muslim Hausa since 14th century.

Earlier, the Special Guest of Honour, Sarkin Zazzzau Suleja, Awwal Ibrahim, lamented the erosion of traditional libraries in many schools and their replacement with e-libraries in the minds of the youth.

He said the misuse of intellectual technology has contributed to poor and deteriorating reading culture.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Some civil society groups have lashed out at Governor Rochas Okorocha over his inhumane decision to demolish the largest market in Owerri metropolis when the people are battling to exit an economic recession.

The groups called on the National Human Rights Commission to launch an independent investigation into the deaths that resulted from the market demolition.

The state government rolled in bulldozers and back hoes into the popular Eke Ukwu Owerri Market, last Saturday, and proceeded to reduce it to a rubble. The government said it had given the traders notice of relocation to a new site just outside the state capital.

The traders, who had arrived for the days business, unable to bear the sight of their demolished shops as well as looted goods took to the streets to protest the injustice.

Heavily armed soldiers and police, stationed at the market to quell any uprisings by the traders, opened fire killing at least, three people, including a ten-year-old boy who was shot in the head, and three others injured.

Spaces for Change strongly condemns the sudden invasion of the market on Saturday morning and the extreme use of force that characterised the demolition exercise, leading to loss of human lives, injury and riots in parts of the city, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director, Spaces for Change, said in a statement on Monday.

Particularly distasteful is Imo State governments spiteful media campaign denying the deaths, the injuries and playing down the scale of human suffering resulting from the forced evictions and demolitions executed without compensation, without meaningful consultation with local traders and without relocation plans.

The Imo State government had announced plans to relocate the market, located along the busy Douglas Road, to a new site at Ohi as part of its urban renewal programme.

But the traders said shops at the new location are still under construction and are sold at exorbitant rates.

Last Saturdays demolition had been greeted with condemnations and criticisms by several groups including the opposition Peoples Democratic Party who demanded an investigation into the deadly violence that ensued.

The state government had issued a statement saying the demolition of the market was peaceful and done amid jubilation by residents.

The government has taken this noble action to equally recover Douglas Road that connects the state with other neighbouring states which has remained a refuse dump for the traders in the market and to deal with once and for all the prevalent criminal activities in the area like robbery, cultism and kidnapping, Sam Onwuemeodo, Mr. Okorochas Chief Press Secretary, has said in the statement.

Disdain for court order

Spaces for Change knocked the governments urban renewal programme saying the string of demolitions it had attracted had left agony and human suffering in its trail.

At present, the demolitions  from Wetheral to Douglas Road, to Ikenegbu, to Aladinma, to Orji Road, to Amakohia, to Akwakuma, and many other locations  have affected businesses, residential buildings, schools, churches and other private enterprises, said Mrs. Ibezim-Ohaeri.

Most affected persons, groups and communities were not served appropriate notices nor consulted by the state governments physical and urban planning authorities prior to the demolitions.

Mrs. Ibezim-Ohaeri also said a majority of the demolitions in the state occurred in defiance of court orders as well as pending litigation before the courts.

In September 2016, the Eke Ukwu Market traders approached an Imo State High Court for in an attempt to stop the government and the court issued a ruling restraining the state government from destroying, relocating or tampering with the market.

Mrs. Ibezim-Ohaeri said the governor went ahead to demolish the market in total disdain for the court order.

Earlier in July, Governor Okorocha had demolished the Shell Camp Quarters, inhabited by serving and retired lecturers of Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, despite a subsisting court order.

Not only are court orders brazenly flouted, there is substantial evidence that the cleared land are not used for any development purposes, but rather, reallocated to family members and political cronies, Mrs. Ibezim-Ohaeri said.

Spaces for Change is urging the Imo State government to halt all forced evictions and demolitions of markets, peoples homes, churches, schools and businesses without recourse to due process and the rule of law.

We particularly demand the Imo State government to pay compensation to owners of properties already destroyed and provide relief in the form of alternative housing and/or fair compensation to all residents previously evicted or whose homes or real properties have been demolished.

On Sunday, the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria, NOPRIN, petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari, urging him to order a prompt, impartial and exhaustive investigation into the deployment of military and armed thugs by Governor Okorocha, the use of lethal force and weapons against the citizens, and the demolition of their market.

According to NOPRIN, Mr. Okorocha had deployed a combined force of the Nigerian Army from the 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze; operatives of the Nigerian Air Force; State Security Services; the Nigeria Police Force; Civil Defence; Imo Security Network; and hundreds of armed thugs as security cover for the demolition.

The deployment of soldiers is unlawful and unwarranted since it was purely a civil dispute, said Okechukwu Nwanguma, NOPRINs National Coordinator.

We call for an investigation to determine whether the deployment of the military to aid the governor in his atrocious and lawless act received the approval of the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

NOPRIN calls on the president to order and ensure an end to acts which degrade the institutional and professional integrity of the military such as the reckless and unnecessary deployment of its personnel during internal security situations which the police can effectively deal with.

Since it is well known that the military are trained to kill, anybody who deploys them at will in needless and unjustifiable situations such as the case under reference can only be viewed to have premeditated to commit extrajudicial killing.

NOPRIN said the governors action had the capability of raising the level of crime and insecurity in the state, adding that his characteristic resort to barbaric and brute force should be checked.

NOPRIN calls on President Buhari to take necessary actions to put an end to the excesses of Governor Okorocha who is a member of his All Progressives Congress, the group said.

His unconstitutional and undemocratic behaviours  including his frequent illegal deployment of military officers from the 34 Artillery Brigade, Obinze, and Air Force personnel must be checked. The role of the Commanders in those military formations should also be investigated.

As we write, the Eke Ukwu Owerri stretch of Douglas Road in the Imo State capital is flooded with military personnel and this has imposed fear and undue restrictions to peoples freedom of movement. Residents now live in fear, and this state of fear and uncertainty cannot be allowed to stand.

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


Above: Josh was found hanging from the bright orange metal meat rail, above, where his dad would hang steers and pigs for butchering. When the Klavers owned the property in San Martin, K.W. Klavers slaughter room was walled off and visible only through a doorway. (Photo by Julia Prodis Sulek)

How rare are suicides for 10 year olds? Ten-year-olds still have baby teeth. Theyre still in grade school and play hide and seek. Suicide? At 10? In 1989, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded only eight suicides among children that age across the country  and the incidence has remained steady ever since. By age 14, the numbers jump to well over 100 suicides a year. In 1989, sheriffs investigators and a coroner quickly concluded Josh was one of those rare cases.

Bob Winter was Santa Clara County sheriff when Josh died.

Bob Winter, the Santa Clara County sheriff at the time, said he never had reason to believe otherwise. Winter is retired now and living in the Sierra foothills. But he used to raise cattle on his ranch near the Klaver place, and he told me he considered Klaver not just one of my employees. He was a friend of mine. From time to time, Winter asked Klaver to butcher a steer for him. Klaver was a reliable deputy who was confident and needed little supervision, the former sheriff said. He was Mr. Independence. When he first heard about Joshs death, Winter said he was shocked and sympathetic, and accepted that it was a suicide. Klaver was, of course, devastated by the loss, Winter said. When I asked him whether the sheriffs department should have looked more closely at the case because of its close ties to Joshs father, he said, It never occurred to me.

In the summer before his death, Josh, 9, seemed to be doing better as he split time between parents. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Atkins)

Video: Joe Fortino, one of the deputies to respond to the 911 call the night Josh died, was coffee break buddies with K.W. Klaver, who had told him about the custody dispute. Klaver said the boys mother had accused him of abusing Josh but that her claims were "a bunch of B.S."

She was stacking things against him When I caught up with Deputy Fortino at his ranch in Gilroy last summer, he told me that he still keeps up with Klaver. They share emails and jokes, he said, even though he always considered Klaver a little too macho for me. Wearing a faded Del Toro Trucking ball cap, he leaned against his big white truck at the end of his driveway as we discussed what he remembered about that night. What he said then surprised me. Not only was he aware of the custody battle between Klaver and Joshs mother, he said, but he knew about the child abuse allegations against Klaver, too. Klaver had told Fortino himself, complaining about it during their coffee breaks. He said it was a bunch of B.S. and she was stacking things against him, Fortino said. Hed say things like, The bitch is trying to get custody of the kid. Its all about the money. Its about more than the kid. Its about monthly support, and all this stuff. Did you believe him? I asked, struck by the frank way he talked about it. Yeah, seemed like, Fortino said. He fought for custody of that kid. He wanted that kid. He would brag about him. I would have thought the abuse accusations might have raised concerns after Joshs death, but they apparently went nowhere with Fortino. Klaver was never arrested or charged with child abuse. Had investigators taken a closer look, however, they would have found in the family court file that Joshs mother wasnt the only one making allegations. Joshs older stepbrother who was a sheriffs deputy, a Child Protective Services worker, and some others had all testified under oath about the abuse during a custody trial. (And if there were issues over money, as Fortino suggested, court records suggest they were mostly centered on the cost of Joshs therapy.)

Dennis Atkins and his stepson Josh Klaver, right. (Photo courtesy of Kathy Atkins)

Sgt. Jerry Egge, a now-retired homicide investigator, vaguely remembered hearing something about the custody case and an incident at the school. But he doesnt remember any mention of violence. He doesnt remember what Joshs stepfather, Dennis Atkins, recalls  that Atkins called Egge repeatedly and showed up at his office after Josh died to beg for a deeper investigation. I explained to him about the court and the abuse going on and that we were going the next day to see the judge, Atkins told me. And, he emphasized to Egge, Josh was just 10. To him, Egge seemed unmoved. But Egge told me years later that, of course, he found the violent death of a boy so young alarming. How couldnt he? The sergeant was never called to the barn that night, but he said he decided to head to Klavers a few days after Joshs death to take a look for himself  and to express his condolences. I went out there because it was a deputy sheriff, Egge told me, a family member-type thing. Egge and Klaver walked through the barn together, but Egge was reluctant to ask many questions. I felt kind of bad asking him when he was broken up, he said. I didnt press him for the facts, like exactly how did you cut him down? No, I didnt press him. I asked Egge if he had any regrets, if he thinks he should have investigated further. To tell you the truth, I felt, How can I follow up on this anymore? But who would I follow up with? Who was the witness? Egge asked. Did it occur to me hes killing him to prevent her from getting the child? No, not at all. Besides, Egge told me, just because someone has a prior history, it doesnt mean somebody killed somebody. How could he prove it anyway? Egge asked. Could the kid know how to tie a rope? Egge asked. You cant tell me he cant tie knots. Would K.W. hoist him up there and just drop him down? Thats why I have to go by the coroners report. You would have thought he would have scratches, a broken jaw or something like that. So Egge dropped it. He didnt even file a supplemental report on his visit to the barn. When he looked into Klavers eyes that day, he told me, it seemed like he had his soul sucked out of his body or something. If Klaver had anything to do with his sons death, Egge said, he was an awfully good actor then. If that was a put on, he certainly convinced me.

Video: Sgt. Gerald Egge, the homicide detective, said no one in the sheriffs office suspected foul play in Joshs death but also acknowledged the investigation could have been more thorough.

What happened to the rope? The hypothetical motive that Egge tossed out and quickly dismissed in our conversation was nothing more than speculation, and its difficult to even begin to comprehend why any father might kill his son. But investigators are supposed to contemplate the unthinkable: A fit of rage during an argument? A need to keep something silent? A punishment gone too far? An accidental killing staged as a suicide? When investigators quickly size up a death as a suicide, its one of the biggest mistakes police can make, former New York City Police Department homicide Commander Vernon Geberth told me when I gave him a call to ask for an outside opinion. I can almost guarantee the original investigation was incomplete, unprofessional and all the things that should have been documented and taken to their ultimate conclusions were not done, said Geberth, who wrote the textbook Practical Homicide Investigation that many agencies use to train officers. After I went over the basics of the Klaver case  the custody dispute, the child abuse findings, the close ties among deputies  Geberth was appalled: "They should have sealed the scene and called for the state to come in," he said. "You have a member of your department in the middle of a custody battle reporting a suicide? What could raise more red flags than that?" Certainly, its easy for an outsider to criticize, but Geberth said something I heard again and again about Joshs case: Justice cannot be done if the police dont do their job initially like theyre supposed to. If the case wasnt investigated properly the first time, its impossible to recreate the scene later, he said. That was especially striking when I learned this: As Dr. Michelle Jorden, the countys medical examiner, started re-evaluating Joshs death more than two decades later, she couldnt locate some key files. And a crucial item apparently was thrown away or never booked into evidence  the rope from which Josh was found hanging.

Video: Former New York City homicide commander Vernon Geberth says one of the biggest mistakes police can make is assuming a death was caused by suicide rather than considering other possibilities.

The rope was missing? What did that mean? There were no photos of the rope  and no details about a chair found under the meat rail  but plenty of questions. Jorden would later tell me the three things listed about the rope in the report were that it was a horses lead rope, 8 feet long and woven. But the width of the rope was missing too. Was the rope strong enough or pliable enough for a 10-year-old boy to tie a sturdy knot and jump? Did its width match the marks on Joshs neck? How was it possible for the coroner to reach a conclusion without it? And then there was the most fundamental question of all: How could it have disappeared? I asked Fortino, one of the first deputies to arrive that night. He said the rope wasnt his responsibility. He never saw the body or the rope. Getting details was the job of Luis Mitre, Fortino said, the beat cop responsible for writing the report. Mitre happened to live right next door, but he wasnt home the day I visited Fortino, so I parked at the curb in front of his house and called him. When he picked up, he said he didnt want to talk about that night despite my several attempts to ask. Stop it. Behave, he told me. As far as he recalls, the rope was booked into evidence. Then he hung up.
Twenty-one newly elevated High Chiefs and Baales in Oyo State received beaded crowns and staff of office at the ancient Mapo Hall in Ibadan on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, reports that the newly elevated kings, obas passed through spiritual rites and proceeded to receive their staff of office from Governor Abiola Ajimobi.

Among the newly crowned kings were former Ibadan High Chiefs, Lekan Balogun, the Otun Olubadan; Owolabi Olakunleyin, the Balogun of Ibadan land; Tajudeen Ajibola,the Osi-Balogun; and Eddy Oyewole, the Ashipa-Olubadan.

Others included Abiodun Kola-Daisi, the Ekerin Olubadan; Lateef Adebimpe, the Ashipa-Balogun; Amidu Ajibade, the Ekarun of Ibadan; and Kolawole Adegbola, the Ekarun Balogun.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Ajimobi said the elevation was not to change the history, culture and tradition of Ibadan land but to consolidate and elevate the Olubadan and members of his council.

We are elevating the Olubadan and promoting the Olubadan-in-Council members without altering the Olubadan succession arrangement.

We will never disparage nor relegate the status of the Olubadan of Ibadanland.

What we have done is an elevation of the Olubadan to Imperial Majesty and members of the Olubadan-in-Council to His Royal Majesties, he said.

The governor said the review of the 1957 Olubadan Chieftaincy Declaration was effected as a result of the several requests for its review to allow the traditional rulers compete favourably with others.

He said that government had received requests for the review from the Ibadan Council of Elders, Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes and prominent individuals like Chief Theophilus Akinyele and the late High Chief Omowaye Kuye.

Many states have done it. There are 52 in Lagos, and Ibadan, which was known as the headquarters of the South-West, has only a king.

We will not fight the Olubadan as it is being touted.

Olubadan remains the paramount ruler of Ibadan. He remains the consenting and prescribed authority for Ibadan land.

Let me inform you that this administration adhered strictly to due process and the provisions of the law in arriving at the elevation.

I also want to state that we have achieved this without any legal impediment, Ajimobi said.

Mr.Ajimobi said that every successive government in the state had reviewed the chieftaincy declaration, stressing that some implemented the recommendations while others failed to do so.

He urged the new obas to use their elevated position to promote peace and unity while refraining from acts capable of tarnishing their esteemed position.

The governor, who also advised them to stay away from politics, congratulated the Olubadan and urged him to remain the father of all Ibadan citizens.

Mr. Ajimobi gave an assurance that his administration would not relent in its efforts at transforming and repositioning the state.

Bimbo Kolade, the State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, commended the governor for resolving the 34-year-old chieftaincy tussle in Ado-Awaye area of the state.

Responding on behalf of the new obas, Mr. Balogun described the event as a welcome development.

Mr. Balogun, who commended the governor for what he called his doggedness and exemplary leadership, pledged the unflinching commitment of the new obas to the continued development of Ibadanland.

(NAN)

Share this: Twitter

Facebook


In late May, Crestwood High School sophomore Sara Komaiha received the news she had been anxiously waiting to hear for two months.

I was so excited, she said. I was actually at lunch going through my emails, and I saw it, and I was like, Oh my gosh, no way.'

The news Komaiha received that day was her acceptance into the STEM Enhancement in Earth Science Summer Intern Program. Sponsored by NASA, the Texas Space Grant Consortium and the University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research, the program offers incoming high school juniors and seniors across the country the chance to study NASA satellite data while working with engineers and scientists in their chosen field.

Now a high school junior, Komaiha learned about the program in her freshmen year, but was too young to apply. However, this past school year, the 16-year-old decided to fill out the application after receiving encouragement from her science teacher, Diana Johns.

She knew I wanted to do something interesting with my summer, Komaiha said. I wanted to do something that would push me, something in my career path.

When I applied, I didnt think I would actually get in, she added, giggling.

Komaihas internship took place from July 15-29 at UT Austin, where she worked on a project titled The Mid-American Geospatial Information Center Emergency Preparedness. NASA scientist Teresa Howard taught Komaiha and six other interns how to use satellite data imagery to view the May flooding of the Meramec River in Missouri. The student said the interns were responsible for mapping the flood, finding the exact location of the incident, and examining how the flood affected the surrounding areas.

While a majority of the program had interns focused on conducting research on their various projects, the students were still able to have some downtime. Komaiha said she and her fellow interns traveled to Houston to visit the NASA Johnson Space Center. While there, she had the chance to talk to NASA scientists, astronauts and engineers, as well as see the Saturn V, a rocket used by the organization from 1967 until 1973. Developed for the Apollo program, the heavy lift launch vehicle was created to send humans to the moon.

The group also explored the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, an astronaut training facility. Space cadets can dive into a 6.2 million-gallon pool to practice tasks for upcoming missions that mimics the zero gravity they would feel in a spaceship.

Komaiha said one of her favorite things about the SEES program was meeting the other interns. Being the only intern from Michigan, the student talked to high schoolers from states such as Florida, Texas and Washington.

Since they were the same age as me, they told me a bunch of different places I should apply to next year, she said. It was nice to see their background and what they did. I made some really good friends.

The SEES internship is the second time Komaiha has been a part of a NASA-sponsored program. For the past two years, she has participated in the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program. According to its website, GLOBE connects students, teachers, scientists and citizens from around the world to conduct hands-on experiments focusing on the environment.

Komaiha joined the program in her freshman year, conducting a project with her sister and sisters friend on a type of particle called aerosols. The three competed in a student competition in Toledo, winning first place. Last year, Komaiha organized another project on aerosols, this time with four friends. They researched how aerosols affect global warming in comparison to the gases sulfur dioxide and ozone. Komaiha returned to the Toledo competition in May, where she won first place for the second time. In addition, the team was granted the opportunity to present research to faculty at Purdue University in Indiana.

This year, Komaiha plans to use the tools she learned while studying the Meramec River to research water levels in the Ecorse Creek, a body of water that runs through Dearborn Heights and surrounding communities.

After her two weeks in Texas, Komaiha returned to Dearborn Heights with a new career interest: aerospace engineering. She said she thought about going into the medical field, but changed her mind after attending the internship.

This program really opened my eyes and pushed me to go into engineering, she said. Its amazing!

Komaiha plans to study the field in college. Her top two schools are the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both known for their aerospace programs.

Sara is an exceptionally intelligent, caring and talented young lady, Johns said. She is someone who isnt afraid of hard work and taking on the time-consuming job of doing rigorous research, and at the same time, taking AP classes. I am very proud of her.
Following the events of the Charlotesville, VA. attacks Aug. 12, the Wayne COunty Commission issued a resolution calling for the investigation of any domestic hate groups.

With the resolution the commissioners are hoping to help stamp out racism and bigotry in the county and eventually the country.

The commission denounced all forms of bigotry, especially that promoted by white supremacist, neo-Nazi, Ku Klux Klan and anti-Semitic movements, in a resolution introduced jointly by Commission Vice-Chair Alisha Bell (D-Detroit), and Chairman Gary Woronchak (D-Dearborn).

We are reaffirming our opposition to bigotry in all forms, Bell said.

Within the resolution was language to urge federal law enforement agencies to recognize white supremacist, neo-Nazi, Ku Klux and anti-Semitic groups as domestic terrorists and investigate and prosecute hate crimes as they would all other terrorist acts.

Though recognizing the fundamental American right to free speech, the resolution notes that, these extremist hate groups promote agendas that are in irreconcilable conflict with our nations foundational principles of liberty and justice for all.

The resolution further states that extremist hate groups have promoted intimidation and violent repression of individuals solely on the basis of their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and immigration status.

In 2015, commissioners also approved a resolution in support of the Campaign to Take on Hate, a grassroots civil rights movement based in Michigan.

That resolution stated that: Standing on the sidelines while fellow Americans are attacked and vilified is simply wrong and goes against everything our country stands for.
The Atlantic County Democratic Committee will meet tonight to select the replacement for state Sen. Jim Whelan, who died last month.

Democratic state Senate candidate Colin Bell is among the favorites to fulfill the final four months of Whelans term. Bell is running against Republican Assemblyman Chris Brown for the seat in November.

Colin Bell had Sen. Whelans complete faith and trust that he would serve the legacy Whelan had created, and I am confident that Whelans trust in Colin to fill his vacancy if appointed in September would be just as strong, said Michael Suleiman, chairman of the Atlantic County Democratic Committee.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Teamsters Local 331 Hall, 1 Philadelphia Ave., Egg Harbor City. The committee has 35 days to name Whelans replacement.

Keith Davis, chairman of the Atlantic County Republican Committee, questions Bells possible appointment.

Everyone knows the Democrats are choosing Colin Bell  who has already been rejected by voters twice  to give Bell an unearned title for the upcoming election and so Bell can collect a paycheck at the taxpayers expense to do absolutely nothing for the next two months, Davis said.

Whelan, 68, died Aug. 22 at his Chelsea Heights section home. The former lifeguard and Atlantic City School District teacher, served as the resorts mayor from 1990 to 2001. He was elected to the state Assembly in 2005, then won a state Senate seat in 2007, winning re-election twice.

Davis questioned the Democrats timing of the appointment.

Im very surprised Democrats would select a replacement for the late Jim Whelan before his memorial service is even held, Davis said.

A public memorial for Whelan is scheduled for Sept. 14 at Boardwalk Hall.

Suleiman responded, saying state law requires the party to give notice of the meeting within seven days of the vacancy.

The unexpected passing of Senator Jim Whelan was heartbreaking for everyone in Atlantic County, and it is infuriating to see someone attempt to exploit the tragedy for a low-level, partisan hit, Suleiman said.
(The following message was sent to the Stockton University community this morning, and is also posted on the Stockton web site.)

Dear Members of the Stockton Community,

Over the past few days, I have been reading many emails, fielding calls, and listening to the wide range of viewpoints expressed by our Stockton and surrounding communities.

The decision to temporarily remove the bust of Richard Stockton from our Library entrance has created the opportunity to engage in a discussion of the man, his role in Americas history, and how we might remember him today.

Accounts of the desecration and destruction of historical statues fill our news, and remind us that our nation is struggling with accepting multiple points of view, with interpreting facts, and with finding common ground.

We are hopeful that through the development of the Richard Stockton Exhibit we will demonstrate that difficult issues can be dealt with in a way that strengthens and unites us.

Accordingly, I have asked our Provost to establish a Richard Stockton Exhibit Committee. The exhibit will thoughtfully and objectively explore the life and legacy of our namesake. The initial meeting of the steering committee* will take place this Wednesday as they begin the planning process.

Their first task is to recommend an appropriate safe and secure public space for the temporary relocation of the Stockton bust, which will include a panel exhibit that explains how and why we are undertaking this research initiative at this time. This will be completed expeditiously.

They will then lead the effort to develop a comprehensive Richard Stockton Exhibit, a larger installation that will be complemented with educational activities that may include panel discussions, guest lectures, and the creation of a course on Richard Stockton.

As we move forward, we welcome and encourage the participation of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members in this important endeavor. Many have already volunteered. We hope that you will support us as we embark on this new chapter in Stockton University's history.

*The Steering Committee of the Richard Stockton Exhibit Committee will be comprised of key institutional leaders including the Presidents of the Faculty Senate, Stockton Federation of Teachers, and Student Senate, and our Student Trustee. It will also include our Dean of General Studies, our Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, and our Associate Provost for Strategic Planning, Academic Planning & Assessment.

Best regards,

Harvey Kesselman

President

Stockton University
TRENTON  Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that NJ Task Force 1 has been activated as members of the National Urban Search & Rescue Response System and will be deploying to Texas to assist with the rescue and recovery efforts resulting from the unprecedented and catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.

As Americans, we come together during times of crisis and today New Jerseys heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the people of Texas at this very difficult time, said Christie in a statement Monday. During Superstorm Sandy, emergency and law enforcement response contingents from around the country came to our aid. New Jersey stands ready to assist Texas with their search and rescue response to the destruction and devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey and the recovery process begins.

The NJ Task Force 1 team is departing Monday and will arrive in Texas during the night. Originally deployed to San Antonio, the team has now been redeployed to Katy, Texas because the roads to San Antonio have become impassable, according to the governor's statement.

New Jerseys Urban Search and Rescue team operates under the auspices of the New Jersey State Police and the Office of Emergency Management. The team is divided into six components: Search, Rescue, Planning, Logistics, Hazmat and Medical. All components train at the NJTFI Training Facility in Lakehurst, the statement said.

Besides assisting with events in New Jersey such as the Passaic County Floods and Hurricane Irene, the teams most recent deployment was to North Carolina to assist in rescue operations following Hurricane Matthew. New Jerseys Office of Emergency Management continues to closely monitor the events that are taking place in the Gulf region as a result of Hurricane Harvey, according to the statement.
Thousands are seeking help and rescue in Houston after now Tropical Storm Harvey slammed into the coast and caused major flooding in and around the city over the weekend.

The American Red Cross is mounting massive relief efforts in response to the storm and New Jersey volunteers answered the call over the weekend to travel to Texas and assist with medical, rescue, shelter and other efforts.

About 17 volunteers have deployed to the area as of Sunday, said Diane Concannon, Red Cross communications director for the New Jersey Region. Most of the volunteers are experienced, she said, but some are traveling out of state for a disaster call for the first time.

For some, this is their first major deployment, Concannon said. They may have helped in local shelters here, but now they will be helping set up ones out of state, reporting to managers from Texas, California and elsewhere who are there to help.

Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. Hundreds of calls were made into the U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday as people became stranded on their rooftops due to flooding.

Concannon said volunteers commit to staying on the deployment for at least two weeks, but can stay longer if possible. She said more waves of New Jersey disaster relief workers are expected to deploy to the area in the following weeks.

Many have not been called yet, but are on standby, along with three emergency response vehicles, she said. I expect we (Red Cross) will be there for some time. Several volunteers volunteered in (Hurricane) Sandy, and others who were affected by it later joined the Red Cross to help others.

More than 1,800 people took refuge from the deadly storm Saturday night in 34 Red Cross and community shelters in Texas, officials said. These numbers are expected to grow and dozens of additional shelters could open.

Harvey will continue to produce large amounts of rain over the next several days, Red Cross officials said in a statement. Millions of people face flash-flood warnings, including the entire Houston metro area, which is under a flash flood emergency.

The Red Cross has enough shelter supplies in Texas to support 28,000 people and supplies for an additional 22,000 people are being sent in now.

These are really amazing people, Concannon said. They are always ready to go and do what they need to help.

To support Red Cross disaster relief efforts after Harvey, visit redcross.org, call 800-733-2767 or text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
PLEASE BE ADVISED: Soon we will no longer integrate with Facebook for story comments. The commenting option is not going away, however, readers will need to register for a FREE site account to continue sharing their thoughts and feedback on stories. If you already have an account (i.e. current subscribers, posting in obituary guestbooks, for submitting community events), you may use that login, otherwise, you will be prompted to create a new account.
Fire is an everlasting threat to people and their property. When it burns a forest, it can reach a devastating, uncontrollable size. The power and speed of forest fires each year kill people who cant outrun them, and even some of the specially trained firefighters trying to avert such tragedies.

Forest-fire deaths and the destruction of homes and businesses are why its essential that everyone follow some basic rules when outdoors. Dont discard cigarettes or other smoking materials. Dont build campfires where and when theyre not allowed, and never leave a permitted campfire unattended. Teach children about fire dangers and keep matches and lighters away from them. And people living in the woods must ensure their wood stoves and fireplaces dont emit embers.

South Jerseys pinelands pose a special risk because the soil dries quickly after rain, and the scrub tree and shrub species that dominate burn well. The state Forest Fire Service advises people living in wooded areas to clear vegetation to at least 30 feet from structures for a fire-defense zone. Property owners in the pinelands, however, are urged to make that buffer at least 100 feet from buildings.

The service says 99 percent of forest fires  and New Jersey gets a lot of them  are started by the actions of people.

This year, the forest fire season started early, due to a warm, dry February and lack of winter snow. But the 352 brush fires burning 1,012 acres as of mid-April were about the same as last years 404 fires and 1,117 acres.

All that burning wasnt even a third of what came last month. A lightning strike set trees ablaze and the subsequent fire, discovered July 20 in Wharton State Forest north of Batsto Village, went on to burn 3,500 acres.

Fortunately the fire service and other responders were able to contain the fire before the loss of lives and property. By keeping the fires damage so low, they let the fires benefits make it about as good overall as a natural fire can be.

For a few decades now, forest managers have understood that fire is essential to most ecosystems. As the National Park Service says, fire reduces dead vegetation, stimulates new growth and improves habitat for wildlife.  Fire is a jolt to living systems, the beginning of a new state of life on the land which is part of a cycle that has been in place for thousands of years.

The Wharton fire left a lot of trees living with their tops intact  a plus. And it eliminated a lot of brush, leaves, needles and other fuel from the forest floor, reducing the destructive heat of future fires.

The fire service intentionally burns sections of forest in February and March each year in a controlled manner to reduce forest fire risk. This year it was able to burn just 16,000 acres, short of its annual goal of 20,000 acres.

The Wharton fire almost equaled the difference. A fire service official figured the area burned would be good for about seven years before a controlled burn would need to be considered there.

In this case, nature has been pretty kind  but thats not always the case. Nature cant be controlled, but the danger of the fires it starts can be reduced by controlled burns. Lets leave the fires started by people to the beneficial ones planned by the fire service, and stop those carelessly caused by negligence.
Fiscally deficient NJ must demand more from US

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University placed New Jersey dead last in its annual comparison of state cash flows, debt, ability to withstand downturns and retirement obligations.

New Jerseys real estate tax rate ranks highest among all states. The average annual tax on a N.J. home worth $179, 000 is $4,189. An Alabama resident would pay $773.

Yet New Jersey gets back just 61 cents for every dollar in taxes it sends to Washington, the least favorable ratio in America. Red states, especially those far south of the Mason Dixon line, have way lower real estate taxes while getting back more dollars than their citizens send to Washington. Ironically, some red state politicians bite the hand that feeds them by spewing anti-government rhetoric.

New Jersey congressional members should demand rebates from Washington, at least 20 cents per dollar sent to Washington. They should stand up for what is fair, what is right.

Lawrence Uniglicht

Galloway Township

Backs candidate Brown

Im grateful to Assemblyman Chris Brown for his forceful and clear advocacy in federal court on behalf of Margate families and, once again, for standing up to Gov. Chris Christie.

All we ever asked for was a sensible plan to address storm flooding, yet the state and federal governments went ahead with this project without listening to our legitimate concerns.

Brown proved once again he fights for the people he represents.

Blake Rossell

Margate

Trump inspired violence

Regarding the Aug. 8 letter, Partisan divide excesses:

The letter was critical of Democrats, whom the writer implies are instigating physical violence against Republicans. He listed several instances including the Bernie Sanders supporter who attacked Republicans at a charity ball game. Sen. Sanders, in a speech on the Senate floor, made it perfectly clear that he strongly condemned the attacker. Trump on the other hand has actually encouraged violence at his rallies on several occasions.

Civil rights groups say that since Trumps election, violence and hate crimes, particularly against but not exclusive to Muslims, have significantly increased. Trump has been endorsed by some vile hate groups in this country. But all the letter writer sees is Democrats on the attack.

Eddie E. Hicks Sr.

Smithville
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc. (NYSE MKT: FAX) (the "Fund"), a closed-end fund, today announced that it paid on August 28, 2017, a distribution of US $0.035 per share to all shareholders of record as of August 21, 2017.

Your Fund's distribution policy is to provide investors with a stable monthly distribution out of current income, supplemented by realized capital gains and, to the extent necessary, paid-in capital.

Under U.S. tax rules applicable to the Fund, the amount and character of distributable income for each fiscal year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund's fiscal year. However, under Section 19 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act") and related Rules, the Fund may be required to indicate to shareholders the source of certain distributions to shareholders.

The following table sets forth the estimated amounts of the sources of the distribution for purposes of Section 19 of the 1940 Act and the Rules adopted thereunder. The table has been computed based on generally accepted accounting principles. The table includes estimated amounts and percentages for this distribution and for the cumulative distributions paid relating to fiscal year to date (11/01/2016 - 07/31/2017), from the following sources: net investment income; net realized short-term capital gains; net realized long-term capital gains; and return of capital. The estimated composition of the distributions may vary from month to month because the estimated composition may be impacted by future income, expenses and realized gains and losses on securities and currencies.



Estimated Amounts of Current Monthly Distribution per share ($) Estimated Amounts of Current Monthly Distribution per share (%) Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per share ($) Estimated Amounts of Fiscal Year to Date Cumulative Distributions per share (%) Net Investment Income $0.0165 47% $0.1645 47% Net Realized Short-Term Capital Gains* - - - - Net Realized Long-Term Capital Gains - - - - Return of Capital $0.0185 53% $0.1855 53% Total (per common share) $0.0350 100% $0.3500 100% *includes currency gains

The Fund estimates that it has distributed more than its income and capital gains; therefore, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund's investment performance and should not be confused with "yield" or "income."

Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the amount of the Fund's current distributions or from the terms of the distribution policy (the "Distribution Policy").

The amounts and sources of distributions reported in this notice are only estimates and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The final determination of the source of all distributions in 2017 will be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the remainder of the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The following table provides information regarding the Fund's total return performance based on net asset value (NAV) over various time periods compared to the Fund's annualized and cumulative distribution rates.

Average Annual Total Return on NAV for the 5 Year Period Ending 07/31/20171 1.06% Current Fiscal Period's Annualized Distribution Rate on NAV2 7.51% Fiscal Year to Date (11/01/2016 to 07/31/2017) Cumulative Total Return on NAV1 4.70% Cumulative Distribution Rate on NAV2 5.64% 1Return data is net of all fund expenses and fees and assumes the reinvestment of all distributions reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund's dividend reinvestment plan. 2 Based on the Fund's NAV as of July 31, 2017.

While NAV performance may be indicative of the Fund's investment performance, it does not measure the value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund. The value of a shareholder's investment in the Fund is determined by the Fund's market price, which is based on the supply and demand for the Fund's shares in the open market.

Pursuant to an exemptive order granted by the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 30, 2010, the Fund may distribute any long-term capital gains more frequently than the limits provided in Section 19(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 19b-1 thereunder. Therefore, distributions paid by the Fund during the year may include net income, short-term capital gains, long-term capital gains and/or a return of capital. Net income dividends and short-term capital gain dividends, while generally taxable at ordinary income rates, may be eligible, to the extent of qualified dividend income earned by the Fund, to be taxed at a lower rate not to exceed the maximum rate applicable to your long-term capital gains. Distributions made in any calendar year in excess of investment company taxable income and net capital gain are treated as taxable ordinary dividends to the extent of undistributed earnings and profits, and then as a return of capital that reduces the adjusted basis in the shares held. To the extent return of capital distributions exceed the adjusted basis in the shares held, capital gain is recognized with a holding period based on the period the shares have been held at the date such amount is received. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund's investment performance from the terms of the distribution policy. The final determination of the source of all distributions will be made after year-end. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund's investment experience during the fiscal year and may be subject to change based on tax regulations. The Fund will send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will tell you how to report distributions for federal income tax purposes.

The payment of distributions in accordance with the Distribution Policy may result in a decrease in the Fund's net assets. A decrease in the Fund's net assets may cause an increase in the Fund's annual operating expense ratio and a decrease in the Fund's market price per share to the extent the market price correlates closely to the Fund's net asset value per share. The Distribution Policy may also negatively affect the Fund's investment activities to the extent that the Fund is required to hold larger cash positions than it typically would hold or to the extent that the Fund must liquidate securities that it would not have sold, for the purpose of paying the distribution. The Fund's Board of Directors has the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Distribution Policy at any time. The amendment, suspension or termination of the Distribution Policy may affect the Fund's market price per share. Investors should consult their tax advisor regarding federal, state and local tax considerations that may be applicable in their particular circumstances.

Circular 230 disclosure : To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the U.S. Treasury, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (ii) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.

Closed-end funds are traded on the secondary market through one of the stock exchanges. The Fund's investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that an investor's shares may be worth more or less than the original cost. Shares of closed-end funds may trade above (a premium) or below (a discount) the NAV of the fund's portfolio. There is no assurance that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

If you wish to receive this information electronically, please contact [email protected]

aberdeenfax.com

SOURCE Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Fund, Inc.
NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 614 Group announced today the official launch of the first ever Brand Safety Training for Ad Operations Professionals series, led by digital advertising expert Rob Beeler. The training series is launching at a time of dramatic change within the online advertising space, which now more than ever, requires publishing professionals at all levels to integrate brand safety into their workflow.

"Brand safety fits into everything we do as a company, so developing this training series was a critical next step in driving digital forward. This is the only workshop to ever focus 100% on the operational issues related to brand safety, filling an important gap in the space," said Rob Rasko, CEO & Founder of The 614 Group. The training will equip ad operations professionals with the essential tools to integrate brand safety into all aspects of their work.

Media industry executives who invest in training their operations teams on brand safety will benefit from having staff who possess a holistic perspective on how other companies are working to combat these ever-evolving challenges. "This initiative dovetails with our focus on providing actionable solutions to today's most trusted publishers and media executives," said instructor Rob Beeler. This world-class training program was designed for sellers, buyers and platform specialists alike.

The first training was held in New York City on July 11, 2017 and was attended by managers from companies including CBS Interactive, NBC Universal, Warner Brothers, Discovery Communications, Spotify, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, PGA Tour, Fox News, A&E Networks, Publishers Clearing House and Shazam. Upcoming trainings are scheduled for October 23, 2017 in Los Angeles, California and November 15, 2017 in New York City.

"I'm thrilled to share over 20 years of ad operations experience with the publishing community in such an applicable way. There is a lot of noise in the industry about brand safety, and this training breaks down issues such as fraud, viewability, invalid traffic and context, and teaches participants how to avoid contributing to those problems," said Rob Beeler. Participants can immediately apply what they learn in class to their daily jobs, equipped to think strategically about how their work impacts the publishing organization and industry. "The relationships formed at the training will transcend the day and create a community of professionals committed to raising the standards of online advertising."

Rob Beeler currently manages The 614 Group's Market Research Practice, which creates industry-leading content for clients, partners and the online advertising industry at large. These research findings provide industry stakeholders with better insights and education on many of the most complex issues in today's digital advertising space.

More information about the training, including the agenda and registration form can be found at https://www.614group.com/training.

About The 614 Group

The 614 Group is a results-driven digital advertising infrastructure consultancy, providing strategic and tactical services to our media clients. Our unparalleled experience, network and talent generate the ideal blend of visionary and executional support services which are completely customized to each individual client's capabilities and goals.

Through our original content, live events and research we empower our core publisher market, as well as the industry-at-large with cutting edge education and resources. With over 30 consultants across three top global markets, we seamlessly manage both strategic and operational elements of an engagement. Our philosophy of building long-term partnerships with our clients drives us to evolve our offerings in tandem with a constantly innovating marketplace, ensuring client growth within the digital advertising ecosystem and beyond.

To learn more about The 614 Group, visit http://www.614group.com.

Media Contact

Amanda Forgione

Sr. Director of Marketing

The 614 Group

973-902-2805

[email protected]

SOURCE The 614 Group

Related Links

http://614group.com


STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aircastle Limited (NYSE: AYR) (the "Company" or "Aircastle") announced today the appointment of Jay Maronilla as Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining Aircastle, Mr. Maronilla served as SVP Finance and Assistant Global Controller at Convergex, a global brokerage and trading-related services provider, and previously held senior treasury and controllership positions at GE Capital for nearly a decade. Mr. Maronilla holds an MBA from University of Michigan Business School and a BS in Economics from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton Business School.

Aaron Dahlke, Aircastle's CFO, commented, "We are pleased to have Jay join us as our Chief Accounting Officer to complement our deep and talented leadership team. With more than 20 years of relevant experience in accounting and finance, Jay brings considerable skills and expertise to lead our accounting team and to support Aircastle's continued growth as the leading value investor in commercial aircraft."

About Aircastle Limited

Aircastle Limited acquires, leases and sells commercial jet aircraft to airlines throughout the world. As of June 30, 2017, Aircastle owned and managed on behalf of its joint ventures 203 aircraft leased to 71 customers located in 38 countries.

Contact:

Aircastle Advisor LLC The IGB Group Frank Constantinople, SVP Investor Relations Leon Berman Tel: +1-203-504-1063 Tel: +1-212-477-8438 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Aircastle Limited

Related Links

http://www.aircastle.com


SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska Airlines this week begins daily, nonstop service from San Jose, California to Austin, Texas, and Tucson, Arizona. With these new flights, Alaska serves more destinations from Mineta San Jose International Airport than any other airline by offering nonstop service to 18 destinations with a total of 31 daily departures.

"Alaska Airlines continues to meet the needs of Silicon Valley travelers with new daily, nonstop flights from our San Jose focus city to popular destinations like Austin and Tucson," said Annabel Chang, vice president, Alaska Airlines, Bay Area. "With the additional flights, Alaska and Virgin America will offer guests 131 daily nonstop flights to 42 destinations from the three major Bay Area airports by the end of the year."

Summary of new service:



Start Date City pair Departs Arrives Aircraft Frequency Aug 28 San Jose-Austin 8:45 a.m. 2:05 p.m. E175 Daily Aug 28 Austin-San Jose 3 p.m. 4:53 p.m. E175 Daily Aug 28 San Jose-Tucson 5:33 p.m. 7:45 p.m. E175 Daily Aug 29 Tucson-San Jose 7 a.m. 9:27 a.m. E175 Daily















Flight times based on local time zones.

"I am excited to welcome the new daily San Jose - Austin route launch by Alaska Airlines. This important business route will connect two major global tech hubs and will serve thousands of Silicon Valley residents and workers," said Assemblyman Marc Berman, District 24, Palo Alto.

These new flights build on previously announced routes that began March 20 and include daily flights from San Jose to Newark, New Jersey; three times daily flights from San Jose to Burbank, Calif.; as well as a four times daily service from San Jose to Los Angeles, which will begin on September 20.

To purchase tickets on Alaska Airlines, visit http://bit.ly/2mCC6NS to find great savings, or call 1-800-ALASKAAIR (800-252-7522 for Hearing & Speech Impaired (TTY): Dial 711 for Relay Services).

Editor's note: High definition b-roll and photos of Alaska Airlines aircrafts can be downloaded from the airline's newsroom at https://newsroom.alaskaair.com/multimedia.

Alaska Airlines, together with Virgin America and its regional partners, flies 40 million guests a year to 118 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners , guests can earn and redeem miles on flights to more than 900 destinations worldwide. Alaska Airlines ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America" in the J.D. Power North America Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years from 2008 to 2017. Learn more about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched reliability at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).

SOURCE Alaska Airlines

Related Links

http://www.alaskaair.com


The "Partners of Choice" award recipients represent the top performers in the National Trading Partners Survey, the rigorous evaluation and communication platform that examines partner performance and provides feedback that challenges suppliers to execute at world-class levels. The National Trading Partners Survey was developed by Bill Justus, Vice President of Supply Chain Services for David Weekley Homes, and appraises the builder's suppliers in the areas of reliability, timeliness, follow-through and other critical business areas. Twenty-five of more than 200 industry-diverse partners, including manufacturers, distributors and installers were awarded the "Partners of Choice" designation.

"World-class excellence is when you put your products and services up against any company, anytime, anywhere, and you come out on top," said Justus. "These companies have been assessed against organizations in many industries, and of varying sizes, and have demonstrated their understanding and commitment in delivering the highest levels of quality and service to David Weekley Homes. In its first full year participating in our program, American Bath Group has joined an elite group of world-class partners."

Millie Scott, VP of Sales Builder Specification Group, commented, "We are honored to be named a Partner of Choice by our builder partner, David Weekley Homes. We share David Weekley Homes' passion and dedication to consistently deliver the highest level of service to our customers. Our goal is to deliver exceptional service, highest quality products, and game changing innovation to our builder customers and their customers, the homeowners. We are honored to be the bathing choice for so many David Weekley Homes Divisions and we are extremely proud to be recognized for our commitment to exceptional service."

About American Bath Group

Representing 10 industry-leading brands, American Bath Group is the largest manufacturer and provider of premium bathing fixtures to the North American market. It operates 24 manufacturing and distribution facilities in 14 states and provinces throughout the US and Canada. American Bath Group brands include Aquarius, Aquatic, BathCraft, Bootz, Clarion, Comfort Designs, Hamilton, MAAX, MAAX Spas and Swan. American Bath Group bathing products are distributed through thousands of plumbing wholesale distributors and retail outlets throughout North America. For more information about American Bath Group, visit us online at www.americanbathgroup.com.

About David Weekley Homes

David Weekley Homes, founded in 1976, is headquartered in Houston and operates in 23 cities across the United States. David Weekley Homes was the first builder in the United States to be awarded the Triple Crown of American Home Building, an honor which includes "America's Best Builder," "National Housing Quality Award" and "National Builder of the Year." Weekley has also appeared 11 times on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. Since inception, David Weekley Homes has closed more than 80,000 homes. For more information about David Weekley Homes, visit the company's website at www.davidweekleyhomes.com.

SOURCE American Bath Group

Related Links

http://www.americanbathgroup.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) will host an Aug. 31 panel of landscape architects via Facebook Live to discuss the security design of public places. In view of recent tragic events in Charlottesville, Barcelona and London, the panel will examine the urgent need to ensure the public's safety on public, government and institutional properties. Key design goals and challenges will also be addressed from various angles, with a special focus on how to provide an adequate balance between addressing threats and the beauty of the public realm.

ASLA Virtual Security Design Panel, from left: Bernie Alonzo, ASLA, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Leonard Hopper, FASLA, Weintraub Diaz, LLC, Richard Roark, ASLA, OLIN, and Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, American Society of Landscape Architects.

What: ASLA Virtual Panel on Security Design

Who:

Moderator: Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, Executive Vice President and CEO, American Society of Landscape Architects, Washington, D.C.

Panelists:

Bernie Alonzo, ASLA, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Seattle

Leonard Hopper, FASLA, Weintraub Diaz, LLC, Nyack, N.Y.

Richard Roark, ASLA, OLIN, Philadelphia

When:

Thursday, August 31, 2017

3:00  4:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time

How:

To view livestream, visit ASLA on Facebook at:

www.facebook.com/AmericanSocietyofLandscapeArchitects/

About ASLA

Founded in 1899, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is the professional association for landscape architects in the United States, representing more than 15,000 members. The Society's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education and fellowship. Sustainability has been part of ASLA's mission since its founding and is an overarching value that informs all of the Society's programs and operations. ASLA has been a leader in demonstrating the benefits of green infrastructure and resilient development practices through the creation of its own green roof, co-development of the SITES Rating System and the creation of publicly accessible sustainable design resources.

SOURCE American Society of Landscape Architects

Related Links

http://www.asla.org


DEDHAM, Mass., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlantic Power Corporation (NYSE: AT) (TSX: ATP) ("Atlantic Power" or the "Company") announced today that it recently received notification from the U.S. Navy that proposals involving the Company's Naval Station and North Island projects were not selected in the final round of the Navy's solicitation for energy security and resiliency at the two naval bases in San Diego on which these projects are located.

Naval Station, North Island and Naval Training Center ("NTC") sell power to San Diego Gas & Electric ("SDG&E") under Power Purchase Agreements ("PPAs") that are scheduled to expire in December 2019. In addition, the three projects supply steam to the Navy under agreements that provide the Company with the right to use the property at the respective sites on which each project is located (the "Navy agreements"). The Navy agreements are scheduled to expire in February 2018. A successful outcome in the Navy solicitation would have provided the Company with the right to use the Naval Station and North Island sites beyond that date ("site control"). The timing and final arrangements for decommissioning the sites have not been determined.

Following notification of the outcome of the Navy solicitation, the Company undertook an evaluation of the carrying values of the long-lived assets, which include intangible assets (primarily associated with the underlying PPAs) and property, plant and equipment at all three San Diego projects. In conducting this assessment, the Company determined that it is likely that the PPAs for all three projects will terminate ahead of their scheduled December 2019 expiration dates, potentially as early as February 2018, coincident with the expiration of the Navy agreements. Accordingly, the Company expects to record a long-lived asset impairment of approximately $50 million in the third quarter of 2017, subject to further estimation of decommissioning costs. Subsequent to recording the impairment, the Company will continue to amortize the approximate remaining $16 million of carrying value of the three projects through February 2018. Both the accelerated amortization and the impairment are non-cash expenses that do not affect cash flow, nor are they included in Project Adjusted EBITDA.

As disclosed in the Company's 2016 Report on Form 10-K, the Company could be subject to potential liabilities under the early termination provisions of the PPAs. Although the outcome of this issue is not yet determined, the Company believes that it will not be required to pay any liquidated damages associated with early termination because it believes that the circumstances of the termination and the agreements in place between the Company and the PPA counterparty relieve the Company of such potential liabilities.

As disclosed in its August 1, 2017 press release, in July 2017 the Company executed seven-year Power Purchase Tolling Agreements ("PPTAs") with SDG&E for Naval Station and North Island, which were conditioned upon site control and regulatory approval. The outcome of the Navy solicitation makes it unlikely that the Company will be able to meet the site control requirement of the PPTAs. Although the Company is continuing to pursue contractual arrangements for NTC, which is located on a Marine Corps base in San Diego that was not included in the Navy solicitation, any such contractual arrangements for NTC also would be subject to the Company retaining site control. Similarly, the Resource Adequacy agreements entered into for all three projects were subject to retaining site control.

Project Adjusted EBITDA for the Naval Station and North Island projects under the PPTAs was estimated to be approximately $6 million annually for the seven-year term of the contracts. However, this estimate was predicated on an investment in the projects of approximately $22 million that would have been made in 2018.

"If we must close these facilities in 2018, we will be disappointed as the expected returns on incremental investment were attractive, the new PPTAs might have bridged us to a potentially better power market in that location in eight years, and we would have been able to keep our people employed at these plants," said James J. Moore, Jr., President and CEO of Atlantic Power. "However, the investment of $22 million required to generate EBITDA post-2018 is now available for other uses, both internally (such as other projects or our balance sheet) and externally, and we currently have an excess of attractive uses of that capital. Thus, we expect that this development will not have a material impact on our estimates of the intrinsic value of our business."

About Atlantic Power

Atlantic Power owns and operates a diverse fleet of twenty-three power generation assets across nine states in the United States and two provinces in Canada. The Company's power generation projects sell electricity to utilities and other large commercial customers largely under long-term power purchase agreements, which seek to minimize exposure to changes in commodity prices. The aggregate gross electric generation capacity of this portfolio is approximately 2,138 megawatts (MW), and the Company's aggregate net ownership interest is approximately 1,500 MW. Nineteen of the projects are currently operational, totaling 1,975 MW on a gross capacity basis and 1,337 MW on a net ownership basis. The remaining four projects, all in Ontario, are not operational, three due to revised contractual arrangements with the offtaker and the other, Tunis, has a forward-starting 15-year contractual agreement that will commence between November 2017 and June 2019.

Atlantic Power's shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AT and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ATP. For more information, please visit the Company's website at www.atlanticpower.com or contact:

Atlantic Power Corporation

Investor Relations

(617) 977-2700

[email protected]

Copies of the Company's financial data and other publicly filed documents are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com or on EDGAR at www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml under "Atlantic Power Corporation" or on the Company's website.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent any statements made in this news release contain information that is not historical, these statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and under Canadian securities law (collectively, "forward-looking statements").

Certain statements in this news release may constitute "forward-looking statements", which reflect the expectations of management regarding the future growth, results of operations, performance and business prospects and opportunities of the Company and its projects. These statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe the Company's future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of the words "may," "will," "project," "continue," "believe," "intend," "anticipate," "expect" or similar expressions that are predictions of or indicate future events or trends and which do not relate solely to present or historical matters. Examples of such statements in this press release include, but are not limited, to statements with respect to the following:

the outcome of the Navy solicitation process makes it unlikely the Company will be able to retain control of the Naval Station and North Island sites beyond February 2018 ;

; the Company's determination that it is likely that the PPAs for Naval Station, North Island and NTC will terminate ahead of their scheduled December 2019 expiration dates, potentially as early as February 2018 , coincident with the expiration of the Navy agreements;

expiration dates, potentially as early as , coincident with the expiration of the Navy agreements; the Company expects to record a long-lived asset impairment of approximately $50 million in the third quarter of 2017, subject to further estimation of decommissioning costs;

in the third quarter of 2017, subject to further estimation of decommissioning costs; the Company's expectation that it will continue to amortize through February 2018 the remaining carrying value of the three projects, totaling approximately $16 million ;

the remaining carrying value of the three projects, totaling approximately ; the Company's belief that it will not be required to pay any liquidated damages associated with early termination of the PPAs;

the Company's estimation that it is unlikely to be able to meet the site control requirement of the Naval Station and North Island PPTAs;

the Company's estimation that, subject to an investment in the projects of approximately $22 million that would have been made in 2018, Project Adjusted EBITDA for the Naval Station and North Island projects under the PPTAs was expected to decline to approximately $6 million annually; and

that would have been made in 2018, Project Adjusted EBITDA for the Naval Station and North Island projects under the PPTAs was expected to decline to approximately annually; and the Company's expectation that this development will not have a material impact on its estimates of the intrinsic value of its business.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results, and will not necessarily be accurate indications of whether or not or the times at or by which such performance or results will be achieved. Please refer to the factors discussed under "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Information" in the Company's periodic reports as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") from time to time for a detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties affecting the Company. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what are believed to be reasonable assumptions, investors cannot be assured that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and, except as expressly required by applicable law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

SOURCE Atlantic Power Corporation

Related Links

http://www.atlanticpower.com


WAYNE, N.J., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The first big "test" of parenthood is often not even the birth, but the drive home from the hospital. That moment when a parent realizes they're going home, alone, with their baby  and the nurses and experts aren't coming with them. To help moms and dads breathe a sigh of relief, Babies"R"Us, in partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide, is dedicating September's Baby Safety Month to educating families about baby safety  taking them from that first drive home in a brand-new car seat to a safe night's sleep (that hopefully includes some actual sleep).

Preventable injuries are the #1 killer of kids in the U.S.

Nearly 9 million children are being treated for injuries in U.S. emergency departments every year.

Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent.

Source: Safe Kids Worldwide

Each week in September, Babies"R"Us stores nationwide will offer parents information and tips on topics like car seat safety, safe sleep environments, in-home childproofing and bath time. And with every consumer already asking about the fan-favorite Great Trade-In event, the company is kicking things off with a twist. Customers shopping at Babies"R"Us stores nationwide or online at Babiesrus.com can take advantage of the same great discount  25% off all car seats* beginning Friday, September 1 through Sunday, October 1  without having to lug around and trade in old gear. Customers can also take advantage of 10% discount offers on select safety items each week at stores nationwide and online at Babiesrus.com.

Members of the company's loyalty program can get early access to this special deal beginning Sunday, August 27, by providing their Rewards"R"Us card number during checkout. Plus, Babies"R"Us will donate 5% of proceeds (up to $500,000) of each car seat sold during the month of September to Safe Kids Worldwide to help protect kids from preventable injuries.

Additionally, on Saturday, September 9, select Babies"R"Us stores will host "Ask the Car Seat Expert" events, during which representatives from Safe Kids Worldwide will offer personalized recommendations on the right type of car seat based on a child's age, weight and height. Customers can find out about the weekly events going on at their local store at BabiesRUs.com/reserve.

To learn more about Baby Safety Month at Babies"R"Us, visit the company's corporate blog, No Assembly Required.

*Some exclusions may apply. Baby Jogger, Bob, Clek, Cybex, Maxi Cosi, Mifold, Peg Perego and Quinny car seats, as well as car seat bases are excluded from this deal.

About Toys"R"Us, Inc.

Toys"R"Us, Inc. is the world's leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. Merchandise is sold in 879 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and Guam, and in 815 international stores and over 255 licensed stores in 37 countries and jurisdictions. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com and Babiesrus.com, the company provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Toys"R"Us, Inc. is headquartered in Wayne, NJ, and has nearly 65,000 employees worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. Over the past three decades, the Company has given more than $100 million in product donations to children's charities. Since 1992, the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund, a public charity affiliated with Toys"R"Us, Inc., has also donated more than $130 million in grants. For more information, visit Toysrusinc.com or follow @ToysRUsNews on Twitter.

SOURCE Babies"R"Us

Related Links

http://www.babiesrus.com


BOSTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BERG, a biopharmaceutical company that merges biology with technology to map the nature of diseases, today announced a research collaboration with AstraZeneca to identify and evaluate novel targets and therapeutics to treat neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease.

Worldwide statistics indicate that more than 10 million people live with Parkinson's disease, a progressive disorder of the nervous system that adversely affects movement. Under this research arrangement, AstraZeneca will initially provide BERG with its curated library of central nervous system (CNS) optimized fragments. BERG will employ AstraZeneca's fragment library to assist in discovering drug candidates for therapeutic development.

"For the past decade, BERG has been at the forefront of using artificial intelligence for drug discovery, and we're excited to partner with AstraZeneca, which has been an industry leader in discovering and developing therapeutics to improve patient care in neuroscience," says Niven R. Narain, BERG Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Parkinson's disease is a devastating progressive disorder, and we're proud to collaborate with AstraZeneca to find new approaches for treating Parkinson's patients and exploring therapeutic targets for additional neurological diseases."

"AstraZeneca is committed to advancing therapies in neuroscience. Through this research collaboration, we can approach drug discovery in an innovative new way using BERG's artificial intelligence platform," said Dr. Iain Chessell, Head of Neuroscience at AstraZeneca. "We look forward to collaborating with BERG to help us identify new therapeutic targets that can potentially benefit patients with neurological disorders, an area of significant unmet medical need."

BERG's Parkinson's target was discovered through the BERG Interrogative Biology technology which relies on a "back to biology" approach. BERG's drug-discovery efforts originate with patient biology. Samples are collected from diseased and healthy patients, and subjected to omics analysis that includes examination of the genome, proteome, lipidome and metabolome. The data is then combined with patient clinical information and analyzed by BERG's proprietary artificial intelligence analytics platform, with the goal of advancing potential assets into the clinic.

This process can produce trillions of data points from a single sample. BERG's current clinical pipeline consists of therapeutics as well as companion and disease diagnostics that support clinical development in the areas of oncology, neurology and endocrinology.

About BERG

BERG is a clinical-stage company disrupting and re-defining the approach to drug discovery, research and development through its Interrogative Biology platform. Its platform identifies therapies and biomarkers by applying algorithm- and probability-based artificial intelligence to analyze large numbers of patients' genotypic, phenotypic and other characteristics. BERG's platform operates at the intersection of biology, technology and artificial intelligence analytics and integrates many data characteristics regarding patients' lifestyles, demographics and biology. BERG believes this allows the company to better understand patients' disease profiles and consequently to identify and reveal molecular signatures to guide and accelerate product candidate selection and development. By identifying biomarkers and patient characteristics that are unique to the disease state, BERG is able to identify novel therapeutic product candidates and develop companion diagnostics to enhance specificity in its drug development process. BERG has leveraged its Interrogative Biology platform to develop a robust pipeline of therapeutic product candidates and diagnostics in cancer, diabetes and neurology.

For additional information, please visit www.BERGhealth.com.

Media Contact:

Tola St. Matthew-Daniel

212-880-5385

[email protected]

SOURCE BERG

Related Links

http://www.BERGhealth.com


Mazumdar-Shaw is a pioneer of the biotechnology industry in India, and through a growing partnership with KGI, she established Biocon Academy, a Center of Excellence for Advanced Learning in Biosciences, in 2014. The program develops high-quality biotech talent that addresses the needs of the biotechnology sector in India.

In collaboration with KGI, Biocon Academy's flagship certificate program in bioscience is an 18-week program that includes classroom sessions in the areas of drug development, research and development, and quality and regulatory affairs. All sessions are delivered by renowned faculty from KGI, along with experiential learning sessions at Biocon through subject matter experts.

Named among Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world, Mazumdar-Shaw is recognized as a thought leader who has built a globally recognized biopharmaceutical enterprise that is committed to innovation and affordability in delivering best-in class therapeutics to patients across the globe.

Mazumdar-Shaw's commitment to affordable healthcare extends beyond business. Her philanthropic initiatives are directed at making a difference to the lives of marginalized communities. She is making an enduring impact on society through Biocon Foundation's initiatives in the area of primary healthcare, education, and community development.

About Keck Graduate Institute

KGI was founded in 1997 within The Claremont Colleges as the first higher education institution in the United States dedicated exclusively to education and research related to the applied life sciences. Now in its 20th year, KGI offers innovative postgraduate degrees and certificates that integrate life and health sciences, business, pharmacy, and genetics, with a focus on industry projects, hands-on industry experiences, and team collaborations.

A member of The Claremont Colleges, KGI employs an entrepreneurial approach and industry connections that provide pathways for students to become leaders in bioscience and healthcare. KGI consists of three schools: School of Applied Life Sciences, School of Pharmacy, and the Minerva Schools at KGI. More information about KGI is available at kgi.edu.

Media contact:

Ivan Alber

909-607-0119

[email protected]

SOURCE Keck Graduate Institute

Related Links

http://www.kgi.edu


(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/549218/Bioservo_Technologies_glove.jpg )



Eiffage is impressed by the concept and possibilities offered by Bioservo's technology and has already placed its first minor order. "We are interested in researching how we can better look after the health of our staff. For us, Bioservo's SEM technology offers a wealth of opportunities. We are looking forward to this partnership as it will help to improve performance and well-being at work," says Erick Lemonnier, Prevention Director at Eiffage's Infrastructure branch.

The long-term goal is to develop equipment suitable for the construction sector to reduce the impact of the physical pressures which certain tasks can create.

"We are delighted that Eiffage, has chosen to test our equipment. We will be able to obtain useful feedback on our products in the construction environment. It also proves that Bioservo is well aware of the accident prevention and safety challenges facing a company like Eiffage," adds Erik Landgren, CEO at Bioservo Technologies AB.

Bioservo is already working with General Motors and Airbus to develop a robotic glove for industrial use which can strengthen the human hand. The technology is well suited as a solution to avoid the musculoskeletal problems caused by repetitive tasks involving significant muscle contraction. The Bioservo glove concept gives workers extra strength and endurance to make their daily tasks easier and conserve energy.

About Bioservo Technologies AB

Bioservo Technologies is a technology and development company founded in 2006 in Stockholm by researchers from the Royal Institute of Technology and Medicine at Karolinska University Hospital. Bioservo Technologies therefore works with both medical science and modern robotics. As a world leader in its field, it develops flexible exoskeletons and portable equipment to provide extra strength and endurance for workers and people suffering from muscle weakness. After many years of research and development, Bioservo Technologies is now ready to market its products and patented technologies. Its gloves are aimed at rehabilitation in the health sector and medical care as well as risk prevention in industry. The start-up has signed strategic collaboration agreements with car manufacturer General Motors, NASA and aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

About Eiffage

Eiffage is one of the European leaders in public works and concessions and operates in construction, real estate and development, across civil engineering, metal, roads, energy and concessions. The Group draws on the experience of more than 63,000 staff and in 2016 turned over 14 billion euros, 20% of which was abroad.

Bioservo Technologies AB Press Contacts

Erik Landgren

CEO

Tel.: +46-(0)73-227-00-51

[email protected]

Anett Grusser-Pettersson

Associate Director of Marketing

Tel.: +46-(0)-70-795-34-81

[email protected]

Eiffage Press Contact | Infrastructure Branch

Dominique Duchemin

Tel.: +33-1-71-59-17-10

[email protected]

SOURCE Bioservo Technologies
"Bisk is honored to be recognized by Cigna," said Wendy Vera, Benefits and Wellness Manager with the Tampa-based company. "Health and wellness is an integral part of our culture. Our programs help employees achieve their goals and improve their overall quality of life. We're passionate about our employees' well-being and take every opportunity to celebrate their success."

"Cigna is committed to creating a healthy workplace, and we are pleased to recognize good partners like Bisk for their efforts to improve employee wellness," said Dean Mirabella, President of Cigna North Florida.

Bisk's workplace wellness program, Healthy U, inspires its more than 700 employees to make healthy choices by supporting them through physical activity classes, corporate competitions, wellness visit incentives, blood pressure screenings, gym membership discounts and weight management programs.

"Healthy U has influenced so many positive changes in my life," Bisk employee Alicia Starke said. "Through all the various programs and information they offer, I have learned how to embrace change and take control of my health."

Bisk employees use Cigna's My Health Assistant to track their wellness score to see where they need to improve, as well as to measure progress on their annual wellness visits. My Health Assistant also provides advice and resources for creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. employers lose more than $225 billion each year in productivity due to employee health problems. Cigna created the Well-Being Award to recognize employer clients that have a positive impact on the health and well-being of their workforce.

Applicants are evaluated based on the core components of their wellness program, including the goals, implementation, incentives, leadership engagement and employee participation. All applications are reviewed and judged by an internal, multi-departmental review committee from Cigna.

About Bisk

Bisk partners with leading universities and organizations to deliver online degree and certificate programs to learners around the world. For 20 years, Bisk's online program management services have helped universities and corporations expand their institutional reach and deliver quality programs at scale. Bisk has facilitated more than 1 million enrollments for clients including Villanova University, University of Notre Dame and Michigan State University. Bisk is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with more than 700 employees. Learn more at Bisk.com.

About Cigna

Cigna Corporation (NYSE: CI) is a global health service company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. All products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Connecticut General Life Insurance Company, Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Company of North America and Cigna Life Insurance Company of New York. Such products and services include an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy, vision, supplemental benefits, and other related products including group life, accident and disability insurance. Cigna maintains sales capability in 30 countries and jurisdictions, and has more than 95 million customer relationships throughout the world. To learn more about Cigna, including links to follow us on Facebook or Twitter, visit www.cigna.com.

For more information:

Christina Kay

Public Relations

813-621-6200 Ext. 6355

[email protected]

SOURCE Bisk

Related Links

http://www.bisk.com


CHICAGO, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan, also known as the Federal Employee Program (FEP) has selected Teladoc, Inc. to provide general medical and behavioral health services for the 2018 benefit year, allowing millions of federal employees around the country anytime, anywhere to access quality health care services through multiple devices  mobile app and web video capabilities, as well as phone  along with easy-to-use tools and alerts to encourage member use and engagement.

"We are excited to offer telehealth to our members in next year's offerings," said William A. Breskin, senior vice president of government programs at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association. "We are always working to provide federal workers and their families with the most innovative solutions to meet their health needs. By providing a telehealth platform for our members, they will be able to get access to quality care anywhere and at any time."

FEP has been part of the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program since its inception in 1960. It covers roughly 5.3 million federal employees, retirees and their families out of the nearly 8 million members of the federal workforce nationwide. With more than 10,000 clients  including insurers, medical providers and employers  and more than 20 million members who connect within minutes to Teladoc's network of board-certified, state-licensed physicians and therapists, Teladoc has the experience and demonstrated ability to support the needs of the diverse FEP membership.

"FEP members and their families can count on Teladoc to bring better convenience, quality and health care access, when and where they need it," said Teladoc CRO, Pete Nieves. "The Teladoc organization is committed to a successful, long-term partnership and to bringing a new level of health care service that the FEP members expect."

About Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

The Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association is a national federation of 36 independent, community-based and locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies that collectively provide health care coverage for one in three Americans. BCBSA provides health care insights through The Health of America Report series and the national BCBS Health Indexsm. For more information on BCBSA and its member companies, please visit BCBS.com. We also encourage you to connect with us on Facebook, check out our videos on YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check out our blog.

About Teladoc, Inc.

Teladoc, Inc. (NYSE:TDOC) is the largest and most trusted telehealth provider in the world. Recognized by MIT Technology Review as one of the "50 Smartest Companies", Teladoc is forging a new healthcare experience with an innovative portfolio of virtual care delivery solutions. Currently, Teladoc serves more than 10,000 clients  from payers to providers to employers  and more than 20 million members who connect within minutes to Teladoc's network of more than 3,100 board-certified, state-licensed physicians and therapists, 24/7. Teladoc's services and solutions marry a highly engaging consumer experience with the latest in data and analytics, and a highly flexible technology platform. Teladoc has delivered more than 2.5 million medical visits for general medical, dermatology, counseling, psychiatry, sexual health, and tobacco cessation. For additional information, please visit www.teladoc.com.

SOURCE Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Related Links

https://www.bcbs.com


DALLAS, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of PepsiCo's annual diversity recognition day, PepsiCo recognized Dallas-based firm Carstens & Cahoon LLP for its demonstrated commitment to increasing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

"We are honored to make PepsiCo's list for the third year," said firm partner Colin Cahoon. "As an intellectual property law firm, we face unique challenges, but we are committed to promoting diversity within our firm and in the intellectual property field."

Carstens & Cahoon participated in PepsiCo's diversity survey, which uses a weighted formula to generate an index score to examine the firm's initiatives related to diversifying the legal profession. Carstens & Cahoon earned above-average diversity index scores and demonstrated an exceptional commitment to diversity and inclusion.

"Among the firms surveyed, these firms had some of the best metrics and practices we reviewed," said Tony West, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of PepsiCo. "We are honored to recognize them; and as their client, we will continue to support their diversity and inclusion efforts."

Carstens & Cahoon LLP joins a distinguished group recognized this year: Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, Baker Botts LLP, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Covington & Burling LLP, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Hogan Lovells US LLP, Jackson Lewis P.C., Jenner & Block LLP, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox PLLC, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, and Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP.

About Carstens & Cahoon, LLP

Carstens & Cahoon is an intellectual property law firm based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1998, the attorneys of Carstens & Cahoon are trusted legal advisors to some of the world's leading companies, brightest entrepreneurs, and innovation investors. With exceptional technical skills and years of hands-on legal experience, the firm offers full-service intellectual property counsel including patents, trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets and patent validity. Learn more at www.cclaw.com.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world us. PepsiCo generated approximately $63 billion in net revenue in 2016, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

At the heart of PepsiCo is Performance with Purpose  our fundamental belief that the success of our company is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world around. We believe that continuously improving the products we sell, operating responsibly to protect our planet and empowering people around the world is what enables PepsiCo to run a successful global company that creates long-term value for society and our shareholders. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE Carstens & Cahoon, LLP

Related Links

http://www.cclaw.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

INTRODUCTION

The growing pipeline of biological drugs has resulted in a continuous increase in the demand for different types of cell lines. More than 650 biologics have been approved till date, and over 1,500 are under clinical development. Additionally, the loss of patent exclusivity of several biologics in the coming years is likely to be followed by the entry of numerous biosimilars as many companies compete to grab a share of already established drug markets. The importance of cell lines in other areas, such as drug screening, gene functional studies, cell-based assay development, diagnostics and tissue engineering, has resulted in further increase in the demand for different types of cell lines. The rapid progression of biological drug candidates through various phases of development, coupled with the growing demand of cell lines for other applications, presents significant opportunities to cell line development service providers.





Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p05079011/Cell-Line-Development-Services-Market.html







The market already has a wide array of well-established players, mid-sized companies and start-ups. Several industry players are contributing to the production of GMP and non-GMP grade cell lines that are obtained from mammalian, microbial, insect-derived, avian, marine, reptilian and other sources. Stakeholders have entered into multiple partnerships / collaborations in order to improve and scale-up production processes, and expand their capabilities. Considering the heightened activity in this domain, we believe the market is likely to evolve at a steady pace in the mid to long term, driven primarily by the increasing demand for cell lines, and advances in technology platforms and production methodologies.



SCOPE OF THE REPORT

The 'Cell Line Development Services Market, 2017 - 2027' report provides an extensive study of the rapidly growing market of cell lines. Cells obtained from mammalian and microbial sources are widely used for the development and manufacturing of biotherapeutic products, such as recombinant proteins, antibodies and vaccines. Mammalian cell lines, owing to their inherent high productivity and ability to produce complex biopharmaceuticals, are relatively more preferred. At the same time, microbial cell lines are also widely used due to their less complex nature, low cost and high versatility.



As mentioned earlier, in addition to the large number of biologics that are already available in market, many are under various stages of development. In fact, close to 50% of product candidates in the current development pipeline are in the preclinical stage. Moreover, a number of important biologics, such as Aransep, Avastin, Herceptin, HUMIRA, Neulasta and REMICADE, are approaching patent expiration, and several companies are already engaged in the development of biosimilars and biobetters. As of May 2017, five biosimilars in the US and 28 in Europe have been approved. In addition to the US and EU, several companies based in Asia are also focused on the development of biosimilars. These developments have led to an upward surge in the demand for highly-productive and stable cell lines. High yielding cell lines, capable of producing top quality biopharmaceuticals, help in significantly reducing development and manufacturing costs. Hence, several companies have designed and developed innovative systems / technologies / proprietary manufacturing processes in order to optimize manufacturing costs and production timelines of the overall cell line development process. In addition to development-related services, several cell line manufacturers provide other services related to cell lines as a part of their respective services portfolios; examples of these services include cell line characterization, cell banking, cell bank characterization, process development and commercialization of reagents / equipment. It is also important to highlight that some of these companies offer cGMP production of biologics and fill / finish of end products as well.



This study presents an in-depth analysis of companies that are actively involved in providing cell line development services. In addition to other elements, the study features:

- A discussion on the database of cell line development service providers along with information on the location of their manufacturing facilities, distribution of cell lines based on the source from which they are obtained (mammalian, microbial, insect-derived, avian, marine and reptilian), type of cell lines (recombinant, hybridoma and primary cell lines), technology used for the production of cell lines, purpose of production (R&D, diagnostics, biomanufacturing and tissue engineering), and other associated services (cell line characterization, cell banking, cell bank characterization, process development, cGMP manufacturing of biologics, fill / finish of end products and commercialization of reagents / equipment).

- A detailed analysis of the database presented as three schematic representations; a world map depicting the most active geographies in terms of the presence of cell line development facilities, a heat map representing the distribution of database companies on the basis of their location (continent-wise distribution), year of establishment and cell line development capabilities, and a logo landscape signifying the distribution of companies based on the number of employees and the source from which cell lines are obtained.

- Elaborate profiles of key industry players that have proprietary technologies for the development of cell lines and offer cell line characterization, cell banking and cGMP production of biologics as part of their services portfolios; each profile features an overview of the company, its financial performance, information on cell line development services and proprietary technology, manufacturing facilities, expansions and collaborations, and a comprehensive future outlook.

- Profiles of non-industry players (cell line repositories) that play an active role in the development of cell lines and offer affiliated services; each profile features an overview of the repository and a brief description about its cell line development services.

- Potential future growth opportunities in the cell line development market, segmented by regions, source and grade of cell lines. For the purposes of this analysis, we took into consideration several parameters, such as the number of companies involved, price of cell lines depending upon whether they are characterized or uncharacterized, source of cell lines, and average annual cell line development projects undertaken by companies.



We have provided informed estimates of the size of the market in the short to mid-term and long term for the period 2017-2027. To account for the uncertainties associated with the development of cell lines and to add robustness to our model, we have provided three forecast scenarios portraying conservative, base and optimistic tracks of the market's evolution. The research, analysis and insights presented in this report are backed by a deep understanding of key insights gathered from both secondary and primary research. Actual figures have been sourced and analyzed from publicly available data. For the purpose of the study, we invited over 100 stakeholders to participate in a survey to solicit their opinions on upcoming opportunities and challenges that must be considered for a more inclusive growth. The insights presented in this study were also influenced by discussions conducted with several key players in this domain. The report features detailed transcripts of interviews held with Fan Chen (Vice President Bioprocessing, LakePharma), Michael Pointek (Managing Director, Artes Biotechnology), Nienke Smits (Business Development, Modiquest) and Oscar Hoogteijling (Business Development Manager, Bioceros).



RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The data presented in this report has been gathered via secondary and primary research. For all our projects, we conduct interviews with experts in the area (academia, industry, medical practice and other associations) to solicit their opinions on emerging trends in the market. This is primarily useful for us to draw out our own opinion on how the market may evolve across different regions and technology segments. Wherever possible, the available data has been checked for accuracy from multiple sources of information.



The secondary sources of information include:

- Annual reports

- Investor presentations

- SEC filings

- Industry databases

- News releases from company websites

- Government policy documents

- Industry analysts' views



While the focus has been on forecasting the market over the coming ten years, the report also provides our independent view on various technological and non-commercial trends emerging in the industry. This opinion is solely based on our knowledge, research and understanding of the relevant market gathered from various secondary and primary sources of information.



CHAPTER OUTLINES

Chapter 2 is an executive summary of the insights captured in our research. The summary offers a high level view on the likely evolution of the cell line development services market over the coming decade.



Chapter 3 provides a general introduction to the various types of cell lines. It includes a detailed discussion on the sources, selection and maintenance conditions, key features, applications and limitations of currently available cell lines. The chapter also provides a brief description of cell line characterization and cell banking services.



Chapter 4 identifies the contract service providers that are actively involved in the development of cell lines. The chapter provides details on the cell line development capabilities of these organizations, geographic location of their facilities, information on the proprietary technology (if any) used by the company for cell line development, type of cell lines produced by the company (recombinant, hybridoma and primary) and applications of the cell lines (such as for R&D activities, biomanufacturing, diagnostics and tissue engineering). The chapter also provides the distribution of companies based on the other services that they offer; these include cell line characterization, cell bank characterization, cell banking, process development, cGMP manufacturing of biologics, fill / finish and commercialization of reagents / equipment.



Chapter 5 presents a detailed analysis of the cell line development services market landscape. It features a schematic representation on world map, highlighting the key geographical locations of cell line manufacturing facilities. Further, we have provided a heat map analysis representing the distribution of companies on the basis of their location, year of establishment and cell line development capabilities. The chapter also provides a logo landscape of companies based on their size (employee base) and source of cell lines produced.



Chapter 6 offers detailed profiles of contract cell line development service providers that have developed proprietary technology / technologies for the production of cell lines. Each profile provides an overview of the company, its financial performance, details on its proprietary technology / technologies, information on its cell line manufacturing capabilities, recent investments / expansions, relevant collaborations and partnerships that have been inked over the last few years, and a comprehensive future outlook.



Chapter 7 features profiles of additional players that offer cell line characterization, cell banking and cGMP production services, apart from cell line development services. However, the companies included in this chapter have not developed any proprietary technology / technologies for producing cell lines.



Chapter 8 features profiles of key non-industry players (cell line repositories) that are playing an active role in providing cell line development services. Each profile provides a brief overview of the organization and the services it offers.



Chapter 9 presents a 10-year sales forecast, highlighting the likely growth of the market for cell lines development services. We have segregated the broader opportunity by source of cell lines (mammalian, microbial, insect-derived and others), regions (North America, Europe, Asia and the Rest of the World) and grade of cell lines (GMP and non-GMP). Our predictions are backed by robust analysis of data procured from both secondary and primary sources. Due to the uncertain nature of the market, we have presented three different growth tracks outlined as the conservative, base and optimistic forecast scenarios.



Chapter 10 presents insights from a survey that we conducted for this study. The participants, who were primarily members of the Senior Management or CXO level representatives, helped us develop a deeper understanding on the nature of their services and the associated commercial potential.



Chapter 11 summarizes the entire report. The chapter presents a list of key takeaways and offers our independent opinion on the current market scenario and trends that are likely to determine the future evolution of this segment of the industry.



Chapter 12 is a collection of interview transcripts of the discussions held with key stakeholders in the industry. In this chapter, we have presented detailed transcripts of discussions held with Fan Chen (VP BioProcessing, LakePharma), Michael Pointek (Managing Director, Artes Biotechnology), Nienke Smits (Business Development, ModiQuest) and Oscar Hoogteijling (Business Development Manager, Bioceros).



Chapter 13 is an appendix, which provides tabulated data and numbers for all the figures in the report.



Chapter 14 is an appendix, which contains the list of companies and organizations that have been mentioned in the report.



EXAMPLE HIGHLIGHTS

1. Over 180 companies are actively providing cell line development services to several biopharmaceutical companies. Majority of these companies are located in North America (45%) and the EU (35%).

2. Currently, more than 60% of cell line development service providers focus on the development and generation of mammalian cell lines, which are the most popular due to their ability to produce highly complex recombinant proteins, antibodies and vaccines that cannot be produced in other types of cell lines. Microbial cell lines are the second most important type; approximately 15% of the companies that we identified claim to provide microbial cell line development services.

3. Cell lines are used for several purposes such as R&D studies, biomanufacturing, diagnostics and tissue engineering. Majority of the companies (over 45%) produce cell lines for R&D purposes; this is followed by companies producing cell lines for biomanufacturing purposes (over 40%). R&D activities include the production of cell based assays, reporter cell lines, ion channel expressing cell lines, drug discovery and screening, and production of non-GMP grade antibodies and other proteins. Examples of companies providing cell lines for R&D applications include (in alphabetical order) Abcam, Altogen Labs, Applied Biological Materials, ATGCell, Bhat Bio-Tech, BPS Bioscience, CreaCell, DiscoverX, Eurofins Scientific, Euroscreen, GeneCopoeia GVK Biosciences, InvivoGen, SB Drug Discovery, System Biosciences, Trend Pharma & Tech, Vectalys, WatsonBio Sciences. Similarly, biomanufacturing involves the production of different types of therapeutic products (monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins and vaccines) and biosimilars. Examples of companies producing cell lines for biomanufacturing applications include (in alphabetical order) AbbVie, Abzena, Batavia Biosciences, Biovian, Boehringer Ingelheim BioXcellence, CMC Biologics, Cobra Biologics, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, Inno Biologics, LFB Biomanufacturing, MassBiologics and Patheon.

4. More than 20% of the database companies providing cell line development services also offer cell banking (stand-alone service) and approximately 15% provide cell line characterization services (stand-alone service) to their customers. Some other services included as a part of service portfolio are cGMP manufacturing of biologics, fill / finish and services related to reagents / equipments. Examples of companies offering some of the aforementioned services include (in alphabetical order) Celonic, EuBiologics, Fusion Antibodies, Goodwin Biotechnology, Lonza, Nanotherapeutics, ProBioGen, Rentschler Biotechnologie, Selexis and Syngene International.

5. The heightened competition and growing demand for cell lines has resulted in the emergence of several novel and innovative technologies, lowering of manufacturing costs and production timelines. Examples of some companies that have developed proprietary technologies for production of cell lines include (in alphabetical order) Abzena (Composite CHO technology), ACROBiosystems (HEKMax Stable Cell Line Technology), BioFactura (StableFast Biomanufacturing Platform), Batavia Biosciences (STEP technology), Celltheon (SMART expression platform), Celonic (CHOvolution / SEFEX platform), Cevec Pharmaceuticals (CAPGO platform) and Selexis (SUREtechnology Platform).

6. Stakeholders have extensively collaborated during the last few years for a variety of purposes, such as out / in licensing of technologies, development of cell lines for specific drug candidates and acquisition / development of manufacturing facilities. For instance, Progenics Pharmaceuticals (June 2016), Sanofi Biologics (February 2017) and Xencor (November 2016) collaborated with Selexis to gain access to Selexis' CHO-M Cell Line technology and the SUREtechnology Platform. More recently, in February 2017, Lonza and Sanofi entered into a joint venture agreement to establish a large scale mammalian cell culture facility in Visp, Switzerland, for the production of monoclonal antibodies. Earlier, in September 2015, Abzena acquired PacificGMP with an aim to expand its cell line development services. PacificGMP was a provider of contract process development, and non-GMP and cGMP manufacturing services for biopharmaceuticals, including monoclonal antibodies, recombinant proteins, vaccines, and gene and cell therapy products.

7. We expect the cell line development services market to grow at an annualized rate of ~10% over the course of next decade; this growth will be driven by the robust pipeline of biologics, increasing number of approvals of biological drug candidates, growing adoption of biosimilars, introduction of advanced production technologies, capability and capacity expansions, and the establishment of new cell line generation facilities. As the market evolves, cell lines obtained from mammalian sources will continue to form a major portion of the overall cell line development services market (~80%). North America and EU, with ~40% and ~35% of the current market, respectively, are likely to remain the major manufacturing hubs in the coming decade.

Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p05079011/Cell-Line-Development-Services-Market.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


CF PharmTech, founded by seasoned industry experts and entrepreneurs with a successful track record in the US pharmaceutical industry, is focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of high-quality inhalation products for the global market. Since its inception, CF PharmTech has established state-of-art research and manufacturing facilities to advance its product development. This new round of investment will not only expedite the submission of its product pipeline to meet regulatory approvals in China and abroad, but also expand its CDMO service to international clients.

Mr. Hai Lu, Managing Director of SDIC Fund Management, commented: "Drug delivery via pulmonary route bears significant technical challenges and it takes extraordinary effort to bring inhalation products to the market. CF PharmTech's high caliber team has proved their ability to attract top industry talents to develop inhalation products for the global market. We are confident that they will achieve their business mission in the near future."

CF PharmTech, headquartered in Suzhou, China, develops metered dose inhaler, inhalation powder, nasal spray and blow-fill-seal products. It has established high-quality research and manufacturing environments to be compliant with US, EU and Chinese regulations. CF PharmTech aims to provide quality and cost-effective inhalation products for domestic market, and seeks strategic partnerships to co-develop and commercialize its products globally.

About SDIC Fund Management Corporation Limited

Established in July 2009, SDIC Fund Management Corporation Limited is an independent, professional private equity firm. It currently manages and advises more than RMB 50 billion of capital for a wide range of institutional investors including financial institutions, pension funds, and state-owned and private capital. SDIC Fund Management Corporation Limited is one of the largest, professional private equity fund managers in China. The core strategy of SDIC Fund Management is to invest in market leading companies with attractive growth prospects and outstanding management teams.

SOURCE CF PharmTech, Inc.
HONG KONG, Aug. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cogobuy Group ("Cogobuy" or the "Company", stock code: 400.HK; with its subsidiaries (the ''Group'')), the largest e-commerce platform serving the electronics manufacturing industry in China, is pleased to announce that it has been selected by Forbes as one of the ''Forbes Asia's Fabulous 50" this year, amongst the stellar lineup of high-performance blue chips in the region.

Forbes picked Asia's Fabulous 50 companies from 1,694 public companies across the Asia-Pacific region, representing the region's best of the best in terms of their performance. Annual revenue of the selected companies must reach at least US$1.8 billion (RMB11.097 billon). Companies were then analyzed with a series of more than a dozen financial measures. Companies that are losing money or whose revenues fell below levels attained five years ago are not eligible. The list also excludes companies that have high gearing ratios, are more than 50% state-owned or more than 50%-owned by listed parents.

According to Forbes' description, Cogobuy, together with three other Fabulous 50 companies  Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent, joined China's first industry alliance to tap the booming artificial intelligence industry in July this year.

Please click the below link for official announcement:

https://www.forbes.com/fab50/list/#header:marketValue

About Cogobuy Group

Cogobuy Group is the largest e-commerce service platform serving the electronics manufacturing industry in China. Through the e-commerce platform, which includes a direct sales platform, an online marketplace, and a dedicated team of technical consultants and professional sales representatives, the Company provides customers with comprehensive online and offline services across pre-sale, sale, and post-sale stages. The Company serves mainly SME electronics manufacturers.

For further information, please refer to the Company's website at http://www.cogobuy.com/

SOURCE Cogobuy Group

Related Links

http://www.cogobuy.com


LONDON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Connected Logistics Market: Overview

Traditionally computers have been used to monitor and track logistics in transit. Connected logistics add an all new dimension to the management of logistics sector. Connected logistics can provide valuable information related to operations in connection to logistics. Connected logistics involves multiple sensors on the vehicles, in which the products are transported, that pass on information to internal and external data feed which would provide information and analysis of the road conditions, in terms of the physical condition of the roads, traffic at various parts of the day. Further the connected logistics provide information regarding the weather, shipping lane traffic, and much more. Connected logistics could emerge as a major breakthrough in transportation of sensitive products like pharmaceutical items. There are many applications in management of such sensitive items. For instance, in the event of a stiff temperature fluctuation at the time of transit, the manufacturer would be alerted automatically and will be in a position to intervene before the products gets affected. The application of connected logistics would also enable better management of the goods, optimize management of the entire process involved in managing the logistics, and further help reduce time of delivery, and reduce damage to goods during transit. Connected logistics provide real time access to data. This enables retailers and manufacturers with information about the movement of the ships, trucks, planes, and trains and helps logistics departments of the business to plan more effectively and bring more efficiency into the process. Further, real time access to data enables handling complex logistics operations more effectively with the help of tools that are designed to accumulate and decode data. Logistics operations could be managed in a more precise and streamlined manner. In addition, it also leads to greater customer satisfaction in the logistics sector, thus creating demand for connected logistics.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5073762/

Global Connected Logistics Market: Market Segmentation



The connected logistics market by service has been bifurcated into asset management, remote asset tracking, security, network management, data management. Further, the connected logistics market by end use industry has been bifurcated into freight management, food and beverage supply chain, healthcare, retail, warehouse management and others. The global connected logistics market by geography has been bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and Latin America.

Global Connected Logistics Market: Scope of Study



The market report deals in the forecast of the connected logistics market in terms of revenue (USD billion) as well as the CAGR for the forecast period 2016 to 2027. The competitive profiling of the key players in the global connected logistics market has been comprehensively covered under the scope of the report. The key players in the connected logistics Market have been competitively profiled across the five broad geographic regions. This competitive landscape is inclusive of the various business strategies adopted by these major players and their recent developments in the field of connected logistics market. In order to provide a detailed insight into the market dynamics of global connected logistics Market, the drivers and restraints affecting the industry are included in the study. Market dynamics include market opportunity, drivers and restraints and an extensive analysis of these factors are included in the report. Furthermore, market attractiveness breakdown has also been provided in the report. Therefore, the report provides a comprehensive study of the global Connected logistics market and also offers the forecast of the market for the period from 2017-2025.



Global Connected Logistics Market: Competitive Landscape



Some of the key players participating in the connected logistics market include Google Inc. (U.S.), International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) (New York City, U.S.), Amazon Web Services Inc. (Seattle, U.S.), Microsoft Corporation (Washington, U.S.), Infosys Limited (Bangalore, India), SAP SE (Walldorf, Germany), Dynatrace LLC (Waltham, U.S.), NETSUITE Inc. (San Mateo, U.S.), Oracle Corporation (California, U.S.), Freightgate Inc. (California, U.S.).

The market has been bifurcated as follows:



Connected Logistics Market, by Service



Asset Management

Remote Asset Tracking

Security

Network Management

Data Management



Connected Logistics Market, by End Use Industry



Freight Management

Food and Beverage Supply Chain

Healthcare

Retail

Warehouse Management

Others?



Connected Logistics Market, by Geography:



North America

The U.S.

Canada

Rest of North America

Europe

The U.K.

Germany

France

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China(Including Taiwan)

India

Japan

South Korea

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

UAE

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

Rest of MEA

Latin America

Brazil

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5073762/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Continental Energy Corporation (OTCQB: CPPXF) (the "Company") today announced that it has entered into a preliminary private placement agreement with PT ALT GME Bungalun Kariorang ("AGBK"), a privately owned Indonesian company. AGBK owns and operates a 100% interest in a special Indonesian production sharing joint cooperation contract with state-owned PT Pertamina EP known as a "KSO". The KSO has a term of 20 years to May 2036 and provides exclusive rights to conduct oil and gas exploration, exploitation, and production operations within an onshore area of 390,000 acres located on the east coast of Borneo island, named the "BK Block".

By taking up a new-issue private placement of AGBK's authorized share capital, the Company shall earn a 25% shareholding stake in AGBK, and shall also acquire exclusive rights from AGBK to off-take 100% of all future crude oil and natural gas produced by AGBK from the BK Block. Privately owned Indonesian company PT-ALT shall retain a 75% controlling interest stake in AGBK.

In accordance with the provisions of its KSO, AGBK paid a US$ 1,000,000 signature bonus and committed to expend a firm commitment amount of US$ 15,000,000 on geological, geophysical, and drilling work in the BK Block during the first 3 KSO contract years ending in May 2019. The Company will invest a total of US$ 4,000,000 to fund its 25% share of the bonus and of the firm commitment, to earn both its stake in AGBK and its rights to offtake future BK Block petroleum production.

AGBK shall use the entire investment proceeds exclusively for performing work within the BK Block in accordance with approved annual budgets as provided for in the KSO and firm commitment. The US$ 4,000,000 investment shall be treated by AGBK as a non-interest bearing advance from a shareholder. The Company shall be entitled to full reimbursement of the investment directly from BK Block oil or gas production "cost recovery" proceeds in the manner provided for in the KSO.

Closing of the placement is subject to and conditional upon final terms, conditions, and provisions to be set forth in four separate "Definitive Agreements"; 1) a "Placement Agreement", 2) a "Long Term Crude Oil Supply Agreement", 3) a "Long Term Natural Gas Supply Agreement", and 4) a "Shareholders Agreement". Closing is also subject to the Company delivering the first US$ 500,000 of the investment within 60 days of signature of Definitive Agreements, and also to AGBK acquiring the appropriate government permits to qualify the investment and the Company's 25% AGBK shares stake as a foreign direct investment and shareholding.

The placement and the Definitive Agreements are being negotiated on an arms-length basis notwithstanding the fact that a non-executive director of the Company is also the sole Director and CEO of AGBK. The director has no beneficial shares ownership in AGBK or in PT-ALT, the controlling holder of 75% of AGBK's shares. No fees of any kind are being paid to the director or to any third party intermediaries with regard to this transaction.

The BK Block is located in the Kutai Timur Regency of East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia on the northwest flank of the Kutai Basin, the prolific oil and gas producing geological region surrounding the Mahakam Delta. Notable oil producing companies in the Kutai include Chevron, Total, Vico (formerly HuffCo), and Pertamina. The BK Block does not currently produce oil on a commercial basis, but the Block includes over 100 oil wells drilled on oil fields that were producing over 2,000 BOPD oil before World War II. Most of the wells were sabotaged or destroyed during the war and commercial production was never restored. A few of the old wellbores that survived are still capable of flowing oil at the surface which is now collected and used by local residents. In addition to exploration and exploitation drilling rights, the KSO gives AGBK the rights to redevelop and restore these old fields to production.

AGBK's Director and CEO, Karsani Aulia said of the placement, "AGBK welcomes Continental as a new partner to the BK Block. We are confident our combined upstream operating experience and technical expertise will restore oil and gas production from the BK Block in the short term future. The block is known to produce a sweet 33o API gravity crude. This coupled with the highly prospective geological setting and the presence of never developed 1970's gas discoveries make the BK Block a very low drilling risk area. With the BK Block as our upstream platform we intend to pioneer and develop our shared vision with Continental of combining an upstream producing oil and gas property with a downstream small-scale refinery. This will reduce crude oil transport costs and enable us to efficiently supply much needed diesel and other motor fuels for plant gate sale to under supplied and growing local markets throughout the rapidly developing province of East Kalimantan."

The Company's CEO, Rich McAdoo stated, "In August 2016, the Indonesian government opened up the domestic crude oil refining and refined fuel distribution businesses to private sector companies allowing them to build, own and operate what the new regulation defines as "Small Scale Refineries" having a maximum capacity of 20,000 barrels per day. The government's intent with the new regulation is two-fold: 1) reduce crude oil transport costs from smaller, marginal, or declining fields and thereby incentivize the oil producers to increase production; and 2) provide much needed motor and marine fuels to the local regions surrounding the refinery and thereby reduce refined products imports and delivery costs. Continental's long history in operating upstream in Indonesia puts us in the ideal position to capitalize on this new downstream business opportunity. Our partnership with AGBK represents a first step for our Company in that direction. The long term offtake agreements with AGBK for any crude oil and natural gas we may find and produce will provide feedstocks for our initial small scale refinery."

On behalf of the Company,

Robert V. Rudman, CPA

Chief Financial Officer

Further Info: www.continentalenergy.com

No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.

Forward Looking Statements - Any statements in this news release that are not historical or factual at the date of this release are forward looking statements. There are many factors which may cause actual performance and results to be substantially different from any plans or objectives described in any forward looking statements, which in this news release include: The Company may not be able to arrange the necessary funding on a timely basis to complete the private placement and AGBK may not arrange its 75% share of the required funding to complete the firm commitment for geological and drilling work. Closing of the private placement may not take place as it is subject to pre-conditions. Oil and gas production from the BK Block may fall short of initial expectations. The Company's plans to develop a small scale refinery associated with BK Block may not be successful. Readers should also refer to the risk disclosures outlined in the Company's regulatory disclosure documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission available at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.

SOURCE Continental Energy Corporation
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), a business unit of Cubic Corporation (NYSE:CUB), today announced that its Compass Card processed more than one billion "taps" by Metro Vancouver's public transit users since its launch in 2015. Compass Card is the contactless smart card payment system designed and integrated by Cubic for Vancouver's transportation authority, TransLink. The system processes more than 43 million card "taps" each month and over 1.5 million every weekday, with 95 percent of all fares now being paid using a Compass product.

"We are excited to achieve this milestone with TransLink in exceeding one billion taps. This not only demonstrates the success and reliability of our customer's Compass Card payment system, but also the seamless and intermodal payment experience it provides," said Matt Cole, president of Cubic Transportation Systems.

"This milestone of one billion taps demonstrates to me, the ease with which our customers are using the Compass system and the way it's helping to transform the travel experience for our customers," said Kevin Desmond, chief executive officer of TransLink. "They enjoy the day-to-day benefits  the ease of tapping, the ability to easily manage their card  and I'm pleased to say Compass data is helping us design a better system for our customers today and in the years ahead."

The Compass Card links all of TransLink's services and fare products in Metro Vancouver to a single payment system, including buses, West Coast Express, SkyTrain and SeaBus. The Compass system replaces more than 150 different tickets and passes with one easy-to-use, reloadable fare card. Customers have the option to register their Compass Cards and manage their accounts online, giving them the added convenience of loading products online, signing up for AutoLoad on their card balance, as well as avoiding the hassle of waiting in ticket vending machine lines.

In addition, the Compass system is supported by Cubic's services and operations, which provide the system infrastructure, back office, call center, card fulfillment and distribution as well as field maintenance services for TransLink.

About Cubic Corporation

Cubic Corporation designs, integrates and operates systems, products and services focused in the transportation, defense training and secure communications markets. Cubic Transportation Systems is a leading integrator of payment and information technology and services to create intelligent travel solutions for transportation authorities and operators. Cubic Global Defense is a leading provider of live, virtual, constructive and game-based training solutions, special operations and intelligence for the U.S. and allied forces. Cubic Mission Solutions provides networked Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities for defense, intelligence, security and commercial missions. For more information about Cubic, please visit the company's website at www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp.

SOURCE Cubic Corporation

Related Links

http://www.cubic.com


TOKYO; BASKING RIDGE, N.J.; and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) and Boston Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (hereafter, Boston Pharmaceuticals) today announced they have entered into a worldwide licensing agreement for Daiichi Sankyo's novel RET inhibitor, DS-5010.

DS-5010 is a highly selective and potent RET (ret proto-oncogene) kinase inhibitor in late preclinical development. RET rearrangements and activating mutations are associated with several types of cancer, including non-small cell lung cancer, colorectal cancer and thyroid cancer.1,2,3

Under the terms of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo grants Boston Pharmaceuticals worldwide rights for the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of DS-5010. Daiichi Sankyo will collaborate with Boston Pharmaceuticals to complete preclinical studies to support an Investigational New Drug Application to regulatory authorities and initiation of the clinical program, after which Boston Pharmaceuticals will be responsible for all activities related to DS-5010. Daiichi Sankyo will receive an upfront payment and is eligible for clinical, regulatory and sales milestone payments, as well as royalties on net sales worldwide. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"We continue to actively prioritize and manage our growing oncology portfolio to ensure that promising compounds are supported with appropriate resources, either within Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise or through strategic licensing agreements and partnerships," said Antoine Yver, MD, MSc, Executive Vice President and Global Head, Oncology Research and Development, Daiichi Sankyo. "It's our obligation to bring innovative compounds to patients with cancer as quickly as possible, and we believe this agreement with an innovative U.S. partner will rapidly advance the development of this novel compound and potentially its availability to patients. Boston Pharmaceuticals has worked hard to develop a model that works for potential partners. We congratulate them on this success and look forward to continuing to explore similar collaborations in the future."

"The acquisition of DS-5010, now the fifth candidate in our pipeline, demonstrates our commitment to identifying and developing novel and differentiated therapeutic agents through strategic partnerships for the ultimate benefit of patients," said Robert Armstrong, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Boston Pharmaceuticals. "This agreement, with such an innovative partner as Daiichi Sankyo, marks a significant step in our plan to assemble a diverse portfolio of clinical candidates across a broad range of mechanisms and therapeutic targets."

About Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise

The vision of Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise is to leverage our world-class, innovative science and push beyond traditional thinking in order to create meaningful treatments for patients with cancer. We are dedicated to transforming science into value for patients, and this sense of obligation informs everything we do. Anchored by our Antibody Drug Conjugate (ADC) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) Franchises, our cancer pipeline includes more than 20 small molecules, monoclonal antibodies and ADCs stemming from our powerful research engines: our two laboratories for biologic/immuno-oncology and small molecules in Japan, and Plexxikon Inc., our small molecule structure-guided R&D center in Berkeley, CA. Compounds in development include: quizartinib, an oral FLT3 inhibitor, for newly-diagnosed and relapsed or refractory AML with FLT3-ITD mutations; DS-8201, an ADC for HER2-expressing breast and gastric cancer, and other HER2-expressing solid tumors; and pexidartinib, an oral CSF-1R inhibitor, for tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT), which is also being explored in a range of solid tumors in combination with the anti-PD1 immunotherapy pembrolizumab. For more information, please visit: www.DSCancerEnterprise.com.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 15,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to a strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension and thrombotic disorders, under the Group's 2025 Vision to become a "Global Pharma Innovator with Competitive Advantage in Oncology," Daiichi Sankyo research and development is primarily focused on bringing forth novel therapies in oncology, including immuno-oncology, with additional focus on new horizon areas, such as pain management, neurodegenerative diseases, heart and kidney diseases, and other rare diseases. For more information, please visit: www.daiichisankyo.com. Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, is a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group. For more information on Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., please visit: www.dsi.com.

About Boston Pharmaceuticals

Boston Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing differentiated therapeutics. By leveraging a highly experienced clinical development team, Boston Pharmaceuticals is building a portfolio of high value clinical candidates addressing important unmet medical needs. The company partners with innovative biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical companies and academic groups to acquire or in-license drug development candidates at late stages of pre-clinical development through early stages of clinical development. Following completion of human proof-of-concept trials, Boston Pharmaceuticals intends to partner successful development candidates to larger pharmaceutical or biotechnology companies for registration and commercialization, or alternatively build its own late stage portfolio, enabling the best molecules to reach patients while creating downstream value for the innovator and the company. Boston Pharmaceuticals is funded by Gurnet Point Capital to build a portfolio of clinical candidates across multiple therapeutic areas. For more information, please visit www.bostonpharmaceuticals.com.

Contacts

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

Jennifer Brennan

[email protected]

+1 908 992 6631 (office)

+1 201 709 9309 (mobile)

Boston Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

MacDougall Biomedical Communications

Kari Watson or George MacDougall, 781-235-3060

[email protected]

References:

Jhiang, M. The RET proto-oncogene in human cancers. Nature.2000;19:5590-5597. Mologni, L. Development of RET kinase inhibitors for targeted cancer therapy. Curr Med Chem. 2011;18(2)162-75. Kato, S. RET aberrations in diverse cancers: next-generation sequencing of 4871 patients. Clin Cancer Res . 2017;23(8) 1988-97.

SOURCE Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited

Related Links

http://www.daiichisankyo.com


LONDON and MONTREAL, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- DalCor Pharmaceuticals today announced it has exceeded its enrollment schedule with 50 percent of patients randomized in its Phase 3 "dal-GenE" clinical trial. More than 2,500 out of 5,000 expected patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and the AA genotype at variant rs1967309 in the ADCY9 gene have entered into this cardiovascular outcomes study of dalcetrapib. In 2012, investigators at The Montreal Heart Institute observed a significant association of dalcetrapib in altering cardiovascular events (CV) for the AA genotype patients who had a 39 percent reduction in cardiovascular events when compared with placebo.

Approximately 1 in 5 people worldwide have the AA genotype at this single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), an important genetic marker that distinguishes which patients may be most likely to benefit from treatment by dalcetrapib and possibly similar drugs. DalCor is the first company to apply precision medicine to this field by studying dalcetrapib's promising effects on atherosclerosis in a specific genetically-defined population.

Dal-GenE is an international clinical trial led by the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC), the lead Academic Research Organization (ARO) and Medpace, a leading Clinical Research Organization (CRO). The patients have been accrued from over 700 centers in 31 countries, including the U.S., covering six continents.

"We are encouraged by recent developments in the industry that show positive trial results with cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors. While statins have earned a pivotal place as the standard of care for reducing some of the adverse consequences of elevated cholesterol, we believe, to continue this progress and address continuing unmet medical needs, new therapies targeting non-LDL mechanism will be needed," said Robert McNeil, CEO of DalCor. "There are now a number of studies that may indicate that dalcetrapib, through a 'CETP' mediated, non-LDL mechanism, may significantly reduce atherosclerosis in genetically defined patients who experienced an ACS event while treated with standard of care. The implications of these findings are that when employing genetically targeted medicines, such as dalcetrapib, to treat patients along with standard of care, they may experience marked clinical benefit compared to placebo. In this light, we are very excited to announce this enrollment milestone ahead of schedule."

"The rapid enrollment of patients may enable us to report topline data ahead of our timeline projections," Dr. McNeil added. "Importantly, we continue to target 2020 for dalcetrapib regulatory submissions."

Donald M. Black, Chief Medical Officer said, "We believe the peaked interest in this trial highlights the need for a therapeutic alternative, which we anticipate providing with our targeted compound, dalcetrapib. Our precise focus on a genetically-defined group is a first in cardiovascular medicine, and supports an individualized approach to treatment for better outcomes. We are motivated to make dal-GenE the first major test that uses precision medicine to improve prognosis following a recent acute coronary syndrome. We are looking forward to learning more about the other CETP inhibitor studies recently completed."

"Our clinical team has partnered with a strong network of investigators and other groups, such as ANMCO in Italy, Green Lane Coordinating Center in New Zealand and ECLA in Argentina and Chile, which enables us to significantly progress the study's recruitment rate," commented Dr. Therese Heinonen, the Global Project Director for the dal-GenE study speaking for the Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC). "We expect to stay on this accelerated path toward meeting the worldwide demand for cardiovascular treatment with dalcetrapib."

About Dalcetrapib

Dalcetrapib is the first precision medicine in the cardiovascular space to have reached full-scale development with this Phase III clinical study. Over 17,000 patients have participated in dalcetrapib clinical trials to date.

In 2012, investigators at the Montreal Heart Institute led by Professors Jean-Claude Tardif and Marie-Pierre Dube found a significant association between the effects of dalcetrapib in altering CV events and the polymorphism at the rs1967309 location in the adenylate cyclase type 9 (ADCY9) gene. Patients with the AA genotype had a 39% reduction in CV events when treated with dalcetrapib compared to placebo, while GG patients had a 27% increase and AG patients had a neutral effect. This analysis was conducted in 5,749 patients. A prospective analysis of the dal-Plaque 2 study data has also demonstrated reduced atherosclerosis in the AA population when treated with dalcetrapib, but an increase in atherosclerosis in the GG population.

About the dal-GenE Study

The double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter Phase 3 clinical trial will enroll 5,000 patients recently hospitalized with ACS and who express the AA genotype at variant rs1967309 in the ADCY9 gene, determined by an investigational companion diagnostic test developed by Roche Molecular Systems (RMS).

The primary endpoint of the study is the time to first occurrence of any component of the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke. The trial will be conducted at 800 sites in 32 countries.

About DalCor Pharmaceuticals

DalCor is developing precision treatments by genetically targeting patients that will derive clinical benefits. By integrating clinical and genetic insights, DalCor intends to deliver superior clinical cardiovascular outcomes. The company's first development program, dalcetrapib, is intended to reduce cardiovascular events in a specific genetic subset of patients.

DalCor secured a worldwide exclusive license for dalcetrapib together with rights to the genetic marker for use with dalcetrapib and is sponsoring the dal-GenE study, which is planned to include 5,000 patients to prospectively confirm the results of the pharmacogenomic analysis in the dal-Outcomes study in a patient population with the AA genotype at the rs1967309 location in the ADCY9 gene.

DalCor Pharmaceuticals has offices in Montreal, San Mateo, Calif., Zug, Switzerland and Stockport, U.K. For more information, visit www.dalcorpharma.com

About the Montreal Heart Institute

Founded in 1954 by Dr. Paul David, the Montreal Heart Institute constantly aims for the highest standards of excellence in the cardiovascular field through its leadership in clinical and basic research, ultra-specialized care, professional training and prevention. It is part of the broad network of health excellence made up of Universite de Montreal and its affiliated institutions. The Montreal Heart Institute ranks as the No. 1 research hospital in Canada for research intensity and research funds per researcher, according to Research Infosource. For more information, please visit www.icm-mhi.org

DalCor Contacts:

Corporate

DalCor Pharmaceuticals

Donald M. Black, MD

(609) 613-6637

[email protected]

Media

Russo Partners

Alexander Fudukidis

(646) 942-5632

[email protected]

SOURCE DalCor Pharmaceuticals
RAMAT GAN, Israel, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EarlySense, the market leader in contact-free continuous monitoring solutions, today announced that Dr. Michael A. DeVita has been appointed Chief Medical Officer (CMO). Dr. DeVita brings with him more than 30 years of medical experience as an intensivist, and is renowned as a leading innovator of rapid response systems.

The appointment underscores EarlySense's ongoing commitment to enhancing patient safety and reducing patient risk across the continuum of care.

"Continuous monitoring serves an important need in non-acute care settings, helping health teams identify potential patient risks early to protect against deterioration, falls and other dangers," said Dr. DeVita. "I am excited to join EarlySense in its mission to bring continuous monitoring to more global healthcare facilities, and to support healthcare teams and patients with the most advanced and easy-to-use monitoring tools in the market. I believe there is an obligation for healthcare institutions to be continuously vigilant for unexpected patient deteriorations, and only continuous monitoring has the ability to do that."

Dr. DeVita is currently the Medical Director of Critical Care Medicine at Harlem Hospital in New York City. He is responsible for the hospital's medical crisis response system, working to prevent hospital deaths through crisis intervention and post hoc analysis/process redesign. Dr. DeVita is well published with more than 100 papers published in peer-reviewed journals in the fields of critical care medicine, rapid response, resuscitation and ethics. He is also the lead editor of the groundbreaking 'Textbook of Rapid Response Systems,' now in its second edition.

"We are proud to welcome Dr. DeVita as our Chief Medical Officer. "EarlySense has emerged as the market leader for contact-free continuous monitoring solutions, and Dr. DeVita's knowledge and expertise will help support our medical innovation as we continue on our upward growth path," added Avner Halperin, Co-founder and CEO of EarlySense.

As we expand our user sites, which are expected to more than double in 2017 we continue to invest in new research and product initiatives, we believe that Dr. DeVita will contribute significantly to this effort," said Tim O'Malley, President of EarlySense Inc.

About EarlySense

EarlySense provides contact-free, continuous monitoring solutions for the medical and consumer digital health markets. EarlySense's integrated sensor utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) and big data analytics to provide actionable health insights and improve clinical outcomes.

Used worldwide in hospitals, rehab and skilled nursing facilities, EarlySense assists clinicians in early detection of patient deterioration, helping to prevent adverse events, including code blues which are a result of cardiac or respiratory arrest, preventable ICU transfers, patient falls and pressure ulcers.

EarlySense Live is the first at-home consumer health monitor powered by EarlySense's medically-proven sensor and AI analytics. Live is particularly useful for tracking the health and sleep of the aging population and children, to help facilitate better health choices.



EarlySense has partnered with leading global technology companies including Samsung, Welch Allyn, iFit and Beurer. The company is based in Ramat Gan, Israel and Waltham, MA.

For more information, visit www.earlysense.com.

Follow EarlySense on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook and EarlySense Live on Facebook and Twitter.

EarlySense Contact:

Hila Peleg

+972-54-527-3117

[email protected]

Media Contact:

Ellie Hanson

Finn Partners

929-222-8006

[email protected]

SOURCE EarlySense

Related Links

http://www.earlysense.com


SAN FRANCISCO and BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants, a retail property, casualty insurance brokerage and employee benefits consultant, announced today that Senior Risk Control Consultant Chuck Simpson will present at the Gulf Coast Safety & Training Group (GCS&TG) Meeting on Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. at the Lafayette Petroleum Club in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The Gulf Coast Safety and Training Group is a nonprofit corporation organized to promote the advancement of safety, health, environmental stewardship and safety training in the oil and/or gas exploration, production and transmission industry.

Simpson will present on "ANSI z390: Hydrogen Sulfide Training Requirements Update." A recognized expert in Hydrogen Sulfide safety practices and training, Simpson led the revision effort as the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Hydrogen Sulfide Safety Training Committee's Chairman. Simpson served as Vice-Chairman of the committee from 1994 until his appointment as Chairman in 2015.

Click here for more information.

About Chuck Simpson, Senior Risk Control Consultant:

Chuck Simpson is a health and safety professional with more than 30 years of experience helping companies develop and implement risk management systems in various industries.

Prior to joining EPIC, Simpson served as president of Work Safe International, LLC where he worked on both on- and off-shore projects in the United States, Mexico, Canada, South America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

Simpson has experience in the sulfur operations, pipeline, fabrication, oil and gas drilling, vessel operations and food processing industries. He is a certified safety professional (CSP) and a widely recognized expert on Contractor Safety Management, OSHA Recordkeeping and Hydrogen Sulfide Safety. He has presented lectures at the ASSE Safety Professional Development Conference and Exposition, OSHA Oil and Gas Safety Conference, the International Conference on Offshore Safety, the Gulf Coast Safety and Training Group, and the Sulphur Institute's Sulphur World Symposium in the United Arab Emirates.

Simpson is an active participant in the American Society of Safety Engineers, Gulf Coast Safety Training Group and serves as Chairman for the ANSI Z390 Hydrogen Sulfide Training Committee. He earned his bachelor's degree in international studies from the University of South Alabama.

About Gulf Coast Safety & Training Group:

The Gulf Coast Safety and Training Group (GCS&TG) is a nonprofit corporation promoting safety, health, environmental stewardship and safety training in the oil and/or gas exploration, production and transmission industry. The group provides its membership with educational and networking opportunities to accomplish common goals, share ideas, discuss and seek solutions to identified safety, health, environmental and training needs.

About EPIC:

EPIC is a unique and innovative retail property and casualty and employee benefits insurance brokerage and consulting firm. EPIC has created a values-based, client-focused culture that attracts and retains top talent, fosters employee satisfaction and loyalty and sustains a high level of customer service excellence. EPIC team members have consistently recognized their company as a "Best Place to Work" in multiple regions and as a "Best Place to Work in the Insurance Industry" nationally.

EPIC now has 1,100 team members operating from offices across the U.S., providing Property Casualty, Employee Benefits, Specialty Programs and Private Client solutions to more than 20,000 clients.

With run-rate revenues approaching $300 million, EPIC ranks among the top 20 retail insurance brokers in the United States. Soon to be backed by Oak Hill Capital Partners, the company continues to expand organically and through strategic acquisitions.

Information: http://www.epicbrokers.com/.

*PHOTO: Send2Press.com/300dpi/17-0825-Chuck-Simpson-300dpi.jpg

This release was issued through Send2Press, a unit of Neotrope. For more information, visit Send2Press Newswire at https://www.Send2Press.com

SOURCE EPIC Insurance Brokers and Consultants

Related Links

http://www.epicbrokers.com


DENVER, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolab, the leader in supercritical CO2 extraction and cannabis product development, today announced that it has named Nicole Smith as its new Chief Executive Officer.

"This is the perfect time for Nicole to become Evolab's next CEO," said Jeff Giarraputo, managing board member, Evolab. "We're bringing on a proven leader at a time when Evolab is growing at the fastest rate in our history. Support for medical and recreational cannabis is at an all time high, and more and more states and nations are exploring the benefits of legalization. With our unrivaled technology and Nicole driving our quickly growing team, Evolab is better positioned than ever before to take advantage of enormous opportunities as a company and as an industry leader."

Smith brings more than 20 years of global marketing and business development experience to the position. Most recently, she co-founded and served as CEO at one of the early and ongoing leaders of the national cannabis market. Under Nicole's leadership, that company expanded into eight states and won more than 15 awards for its innovative products and marketing approaches.

Smith created the cannabis industry's first transdermal products and holds the first patent issued in the legal cannabis market in the US. Capitalizing on experience designing award-winning products for distribution in rapidly evolving, international markets, she has an in-depth understanding of consumer preferences and requirements that will be invaluable as Evolab rolls out its next generation of products.

Over the past year, Evolab has expanded its research and development team, including the appointment of world-renowned cannabis chemist Noel Palmer, Ph.D. to the position of Chief Scientist in March 2017. During the past six months, Palmer and the Evolab team have developed an exceptional line of innovative new products under the CBx Sciences brand that will be available to Colorado consumers beginning in Fall 2017. The new line is designed to support the Endocannabinoid System with products including elevated vape formulations and a full line of nourishing topical blends featuring complementary botanicals.

"Evolab has established a set of unique and innovative processes - not just for extracting and purifying the best cannabis oils in the industry - but also for crafting potent, functional products that exceed consumer expectations," said Smith, "I'm excited to work with the Evolab team to help expand this core technology into more product lines and markets."

"Nicole's experience and expertise will help take Evolab to the next level in the national cannabis market," said Noel Palmer, Ph.D., chief scientist, Evolab. "Since I joined the Evolab team earlier this year, we've developed new products and technology solutions that offer approaches unavailable anywhere else. Having worked together in the past, I feel that Nicole is ideally qualified to help us realize the vision of CBx Sciences and introduce these and future product lines to Colorado cannabis consumers, and eventually other national and international markets."

Evolab products are currently available in dispensaries across Colorado. To find the location nearest you, visit: http://www.evolab.com/store-locator/ Stay tuned for new product launches and other exciting company news in the coming months.

About Evolab:

Evolab is a pioneer in the use of chromatography and CO2 to produce pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extracts. The company manufactures a full range of cannabis extracts and infused products that are rich in terpenes and pure cannabinoids -- while remaining free of solvents, cutting agents and diluting additives. Evolab is also a provider of cutting-edge technology solutions and production services to other cannabis manufacturers. Founded in 2011, Evolab is based in Denver, Colorado. Learn more at www.evolab.com

Supporting Resources:

Follow @evolabco2 on:

SOURCE Evolab

Related Links

http://www.evolab.com


XINXIANG, China, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- FilSon Filters, a leading manufacturer of duplex filters, today begun supplying the Chinese rolling mill plants with high flow duplex basket filters. So far, FilSon Filters has sold 20 pieces of duplex filters in two months to the Chinese clients, for oil filtration in hydraulic power units.

This new generation of duplex filters features the oversized steel housing with long-life filter element. With 6 filter elements in each of its strainer housings, these duplex basket filters have a high dirt holding capacity which ensures continuous operation.

Duplex basket strainers Filson High flow duplex filters

"FilSon duplex strainers with localizable levers for smooth and safe changeover, alongside 2-position, 6-way directional valves eliminate any possible downtime," said Mrs. Kunvine Lee, FilSon Filters General Manager. "We have specifically designed these duplex basket strainers for pipeline systems with a pressure of 1.6Mpa."

The duplex basket strainers are suitable for hydraulic and lube systems in the rolling mill plants. It provide a simple and cost effective way to separate particle impurities from a variety of fluids and maximize your uptime.

Moreover, to reduce hydraulic system breakdown and premature component failure, the duplex filters are fitted with a 0.4Mpa bypass valve and a clogging indicator. Therefore, system operators can tell when to change the filter element.

This is a high flow rate accessory, whose design and filter elements perfectly fit a wide range of applications in hydraulic systems. Its filtration varies from 3 to 1000m with a flow rate of 1300 to 15000 liters/minute.

To further reduce any possible downtime, FilSon Filters duplex basket strainers have covers that are easy to open. Easy access for cartridge removal with no special tools required. A pressure relief valve and strategically positioned lever handle allow for a smooth transition and can prevent cavitation of components, ensuring system fluids stay clean.

Also, the side dirt drain and clean side drain, ensure faster cleaning of filter, while the O-rings prevent possible leakage.

FilSon Filter designs both standard and custom duplex basket filters for a range of rolling mill plant application requirements.

About FilSon Filters

Founded in 2001, FilSon Filters has grown to be a household name in the filter cart and hydraulic strainer industry. Its replacement hydraulic, lube filtration products such as duplex filters and simplex filters, cast iron strainers and offline filtration systems, among others meet the international standards.

The precisely designed and manufactured filtration systems ensure "zero" leakage, with a contamination free operation.

Contact info :

Contact person: Kunvine Lee (General Manager)

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 86-1573-695-8886

Website: http://www.filsonfilters.com/duplex-basket-filters/

SOURCE FilSon Filters

Related Links

http://www.filsonfilters.com


TEXAS ENTREPRENEUR CARVES OUT A NEW MARKET NICHE IN THE WORLD OF VAPING

KELLER, TX, Aug 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - JOMM LLC, dba JOMM Products & Services, announced today the launch date of their LGBT vaping community marketplace website at CANNALGBT.com. The launch date for the site is Sept 1, 2017, and has tailored its products with the LGBT community in mind.

CANNALGBT is a US-based website founded by its entrepreneurial leader Jerry Castillo, who saw an unserviced segment of the market that needed attention. Breaking traditional vaping website design, he is now revolutionizing the LGBT vaping market across North America with pieces of fine engineered functional vaping products that anyone will be proud to own.

"CANNALGBT combines two things I am passionate about, educating consumers on new technology available to consume medicinal herbs and the benefits of vaping over smoking. Even though we cater to the LGBT community, everyone is always welcome," said Jerry Castillo, Founder of CANNALGBT. "With a wide selection of top quality brand name vaping, glass pipes and accessories products priced at 20% - 40% off retail, we believe we provide our visitors with a very comfortable and pleasant shopping experience while at the same time educating them about a vital message."

With the unveiling of their new web site CANNLGBT.com right around the corner, CANNALGBT brings incredible savings to the LGBT vaping community and anyone else who appreciates quality and unbeatable customer service.

About JOMM LLC dba JOMM Products & Services

Founded in 2017, by Texas Veteran Jerry Castillo, JOMM Products & Service provides ecommerce management and business analytical services to small businesses. CANNALGBT is the first ecommerce website catering specifically to the LGBT community with brand name vaping equipment, glass pipes, and supplies to North America's internet marketplace. To join their mailing list, please visit www.cannalgbt.com.

SOURCE CANNALGBT
Gelson's shoppers will find the Chef'd meal kits in a dedicated cooler end-cap in the produce department. The meal kits will feature a variety of 12 easy-to-prepare Chef'd recipes, such as Maple Glazed Pork Chops, Indian Beef Short Rib Tacos, and Cajun Chicken Pasta and will be priced at $24.99. Each meal kit includes everything shoppers need to make dinner for two, with premium proteins, farm-fresh produce and crisp herbs. All meals are additive- and preservative-free, and ingredients are never frozen.

"This is a brand-resonant partnership for Gelson's, which has always strived to offer only the very best, freshest produce and quality meats to our customers for more than 65 years," said Gelson's President & CEO Rob McDougall. "In an era when everyone is busier than ever, we are excited to build on our long commitment to exceptional customer service by delivering even more convenience to Customers through this affiliation with Chef'd."

Chef'd CEO Kyle Ransford praised the partnership with Gelson's, saying, "Meal Kits have exploded in popularity, with the remarkable growth of Chef'd and other companies online. Still, most people do the vast majority of their food shopping in grocery stores. Gelson's shoppers will now be able to grab ready-to-cook meals in a signature Chef'd box, right at the grocery store."

In a competitive market, Chef'd continues to stand out from other meal kit companies through unprecedented flexibility, customization and convenience. Chef'd offers consumers the opportunity to choose and reorder from more than 1,000 ready-to-cook meals at any given time without the hassle and cost of subscriptions or membership fees. Chef'd partners with notable chefs, culinary personalities and trusted brands like Fabio Viviani, Robert Irvine, The New York Times Cooking, Atkins, and the James Beard Foundation to offer meal solutions spanning breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.

About Chef'd

Headquartered in El Segundo, Calif., Chef'd is an e-commerce meal marketplace that partners with celebrated chefs, media outlets and culinary influencers to offer thousands of meal solutions that make it easy for anyone to cook high-quality meals at home. Launched in late April 2015, Chef'd was created to help consumers rethink the home-cooked meal by offering fresh, pre-portioned ingredients that aim to eliminate food waste and in turn cut consumer grocery costs, all without the hassle of subscription or membership fees. This allows consumers to personalize their orders and reorder their favorites whenever they want. Follow on Twitter @get_chefd and Instagram @Chefd. Visit the website at www.chefd.com.

About Gelson's

Founded in 1951, Gelson's currently operates 25 full-service specialty grocery stores in Southern California. Each Gelson's Market features the full amenities of a traditional supermarket, with the local flavor of a neighborhood market. Their high standards  for quality, value and freshness; unsurpassed service; and attention to detail  define the ultimate grocery shopping experience. With over 60 years of experience, Gelson's in-house experts know Southern California's lifestyle and are driven to find only the best foods and exclusive values for their customers. Gelson's is particularly known for flavorful, hand-selected produce, the best and freshest cuts of meat and seafood, and instore Chef-prepared signature recipes. This experience is rounded out by professionally designed floral arrangements, and a convenient selection of the highest quality grocery items. For more information about Gelson's, please visit http://www.gelsons.com.

SOURCE Gelson's

Related Links

http://www.gelsons.com


VANCOUVER, British Columbia, August 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Glance Technologies Inc. (CSE:GET.CN) (OTCQB:GLNNF) (CSE:GET.WT) (FKT:GJT) is pleased to announce that it has agreed to license its mobile payment technology to Active Pay Distribution Inc. for $1,000,000, marking Glance's entry into the fitness hand wellness market.

Pursuant to the deal, Glance Pay will create and provide the technology backbone for the Active Pay app which will serve the growing fitness and wellness community. The app will be named Active Pay and be uniquely branded as Active Pay but will be labeled as "powered by Glance Pay". Merchants and users who sign up for the Active Pay app will also be included in the Glance Pay app. In addition to the $1 million license fee, Glance will receive a processing fee for transactions and a percentage of revenues generated through the Active Pay app.

International fitness star, author and Active Pay CEO Isadora Melo says, "There is a new way of doing business in the fitness industry which revolves around fintech, mobile and social media. We are going to gather the best in the fitness industry in one place - Active Pay, and create a reliable destination to choose and purchase fitness and wellness products and services."

According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness industry is estimated at $3.7 trillion dollars. According to Women's Marketing, it is dominated mostly by beauty and anti-aging product sales, followed by fitness and mind + body exercise and healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss sales. Online at http://www.womensmarketing.com/blog/2014/11/health-and-wellness-market/



"This licensing model is very similar to the deal we signed in June 2017 with Cannapay Financial Inc. which allows us to access the growing Cannabis industry," says Penny Green, Glance President & COO, "our licensing deal with Active Pay allows Glance Pay to access the growing fitness and wellness industries and provides us with significant revenue. We intend to continue to expand Glance Pay through additional licensing agreements in other verticals."

Pursuant to the licence agreement, Glance grants to Active Pay a non-exclusive, worldwide licence to use Glance's mobile payment processing platform and its proven anti-fraud technology, for legal business to business and business to consumer mobile payments in the fitness and wellness industries. The licence will have an initial term of 1 year and will be renewable for up to 99 additional 1 year periods. As consideration for the licence, Active Pay will pay to Glance an initial fee of $800,000, due 6 months after the date of the licence agreement and payable by the issuance of 3,200,000 common shares of Active Pay at a price of $0.25 per share. Active Pay will also pay Glance a fee of $100,000, due 2 months after the date of the licence agreement for creating a promotional package in the Glance Pay App, payable by the issuance to Glance of 1,000,000 common shares at a price of $0.10 per share, and a second fee of $100,000, due 6 months after the date of the licence agreement for a 12-month advertising package through Glance, payable by the issuance to Glance of 400,000 common shares at a price of $0.25 per share. Once Active Pay's app is live, Active Pay will begin to pay Glance a monthly royalty equal to 10% of all revenue Active Pay receives through its app.

About Active Pay Distribution Inc.

Active Pay has licensed the Glance Pay mobile payments technology to build a mobile network of merchants and users in the fitness and wellness industries to market and sell products and services through the Active Pay app. Active Pay also owns Brazilian Spot Apparel Inc., whose business is to manufacture and distribute fitness apparel through innovative marketing, including mobile, multi-level and digital marketing and social media.

About Cannapay Financial Inc.

Cannapay is a partially owned subsidiary of Glance Technologies. Cannapay combines traditional financial services with innovative technology to provide enhanced digital financial services to legally operating businesses in the cannabis industry. Cannapay currently has two apps in development leveraging the Glance Pay mobile payment system. One is Cannapay which is a mobile to mobile payment system for the cannabis industry. The other is SuperDope delivery, for mobile ordering and delivery of cannabis. Both apps are available for international licensing.

About Glance Technologies Inc.

Glance Technologies owns and operates Glance Pay, a streamlined payment system that revolutionizes how smartphone users choose where to dine, order food & drink, settle bills, access digital receipts, earn great rewards, & interact with merchants. Glance is building a valuable network of merchants and consumers, and offers targeted in-app marketing, social media marketing, customer feedback, in-merchant messaging and custom rewards programs. The Glance Pay mobile payment system consists of proprietary technology, which includes user apps available for free downloads in IOS (Apple) and Android formats, a merchant manager apps, large scale technology hosting environment with sophisticated anti-fraud technology and lightning fast payment processing. Glance Pay has entered into significant licensing agreements to access the cannabis and fitness and wellness industries through Active Pay and Cannapay.

For more information about Glance, please go to Glance Technologies' website

For more information, contact:

Christina Rao

Vice President, Investor Relations

(604) 723-7480

[email protected]

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (collectively "forward- looking information") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward- looking information is typically identified by words such as: "believe", "expect", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "potentially" and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. Glance cautions investors that any forward-looking information provided by Glance is not a guarantee of future results or performance, and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking information as a result of various factors. The reader is referred to Glance's public filings for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects which may be accessed through the Glance's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

For more information about Glance, please go to Glance Technologies' website



For more information, contact:

Christina Rao

Vice President, Investor Relations

+1-604-723-7480

[email protected]



SOURCE Glance Technologies Inc.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tropical Storm Harvey continues to cause catastrophic damage and significant flooding across some parts of Texas and Louisiana. As of 6:00 p.m. EDT, approximately 318,000 customers in Texas and Louisiana are without power.

Ensuring the safety of workers and customers remains the number one priority. In some cases, weather conditions and damage are preventing crews from getting to the hardest-hit or flooded areas.

"Our hearts and prayers go out to those affected by Harvey and by the catastrophic flooding unfolding across southeastern Texas," said EEI President Tom Kuhn. "We know that people without electricity face real hardships, and we deeply appreciate their understanding and patience as electric company crews go about their vital jobs of restoring power under extremely challenging and dangerous conditions."

Our industry's mutual assistance networks are activated. At this point, more than 8,000 resources are dedicated to the response and recovery effort. This includes crews, lineworkers, and support personnel from the impacted companies and the industry's mutual assistance network. Additional resources are ready to mobilize to assist impacted companies if needed to further support restoration.

"The mutual assistance network is truly a hallmark of our industry," said Kuhn. "I would like to thank all of the restoration workers for their hard work and dedication."

Flooding creates a unique and dangerous environment that can delay assessment and restoration efforts. "I want to emphasize that this will be a long-duration event. Flooding can damage electrical systems, and some customers may not be able to receive power to their homes. This will delay the restoration of service for individual customers," Kuhn added.

A visual explanation of how flooding impacts restoration is available here on the EEI website.

EEI continues to coordinate closely with its member companies and with the Department of Energy through the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC). The ESCC is the principal liaison between senior industry and government officials.

As always, customers who see downed power lines should assume they are energized, stay away from them, and contact their local electric company. In flooded areas, customers should avoid standing water as it may be electrically charged from underground or downed power lines.

EEI's Storm Center includes a map to company outage centers, as well as real-time information and updates on response and restoration progress. The Storm Center also includes storm safety tips, flood safety tips, and an overview of the response and restoration process. EEI's storm response team is available to answer any questions that reporters may have about mutual assistance and the restoration process. The latest updates from EEI can be found on Twitter and Facebook.

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, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members. Organized in 1933, EEI provides public policy leadership, strategic business intelligence, and essential conferences and forums.

SOURCE Edison Electric Institute

Related Links

http://www.eei.org


(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 109 Market Data Tables and 40 Figures spread through 189 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Healthcare IT Consulting Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/healthcare-it-consulting-market-42622745.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report

The growth of the market is attributed to the growing digitization in healthcare, rapidly changing HCIT landscape, government support for healthcare IT solutions, growing HCIT expenditure, lack of skilled IT professionals in the healthcare industry, growing venture capital investments in health IT, and the need for data security. Cloud consulting, emerging markets, increasing consolidation in healthcare, and small rural hospitals are expected to offer significant growth opportunities for players in the coming years.

Healthcare application analysis, design, and development segment to dominate the market in 2017

Based on type, the global HCIT Consulting Services Market is segmented into HCIT strategy and project/program management; healthcare application analysis, design, and development; HCIT integration and migration; HCIT change management; healthcare/medical system & security set-up and risk assessment; healthcare enterprise reporting and data analytics services; production go-live/post go-live support; healthcare business process management; regulatory compliance; and others consulting services. In 2017, the healthcare application analysis, design, and development segment is expected to account for the largest share of the global HCIT Consulting Services Market. The growth of this segment can be attributed to the fact that IT application analysis, design, and development form the major component of all IT solution implementation projects. Every healthcare facility has different requirements, which need careful designing, development, and implementation of customized solutions.

Download PDF Brochure: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownload.asp?id=42622745

Based on end user, the healthcare payers segment is projected to register the highest CAGR

Based on end user, the market is segmented into healthcare providers, payers, and other end users. In 2017, healthcare payers segment is expected to witness the highest growth during the forecast period. The high growth rate of this segment can be attributed to factors like growing adoption of healthcare IT solutions by private and public payers, growing need for insurance payers to comply with various federal and regional laws and regulations, and growing focus of payers on reforming their business models for improved patient care delivery.

North America to dominate the market followed by Europe

In 2017, North America is expected to account for the largest share of the market. The large market share of the North American market is attributed to the factors such as government initiatives to enhance adoption of HCIT solutions, increasing government expenditure on HCIT, changing and stringent legislative requirements and accreditations necessary for healthcare IT solutions, growing hospital consolidations, and the presence of a large number of IT solutions and services companies.

Talk To Our Research Analysts: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=42622745

In 2017, Europe is expected to hold the second largest share in this market. Factors such as government initiatives in European countries for eHealth technologies, the need for multi-country integration regarding health information, and growing demand for improving the quality of care through effective utilization of healthcare IT solutions are expected to drive the growth of the market in this region.

The global HCIT Consulting Services Market is highly fragmented with several big and small players. Prominent players in the market include Accenture plc (Ireland), Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (U.S.), Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (U.S.), Cerner Corporation (U.S.), Siemens Healthineers (Germany), McKesson Corporation (U.S.), Epic Systems Corporation (U.S.), IBM Corporation (U.S.), General Electric Company (U.S.), Tata Consultancy Services Limited (India), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), NTT DATA Corporation (Japan), Infor Inc. (U.S.), Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc. (U.S.), and Oracle Corporation (U.S.).

Browse Related Reports

Healthcare IT Market by Product (EHR, RIS, PACS, VNA, CPOE, HIE, Telehealth, Healthcare Analytics, Population Health Management, Supply Chain Management, CRM, Fraud Management, Claims Management) End User (Provider, Payer) - Global Forecast to 2021

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/healthcare-it-252.html



Healthcare IT Solutions Market Tracker by Product (EHR, PACS, Interoperability, Healthcare Analytics, Telemedicine, CRM), Market Size, Adoption Trends, Competitive landscape (Market Share Analysis, Product Portfolio Assessment) - Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/healthcare-it-solution-market-12880064.html



About MarketsandMarkets

MarketsandMarkets provides quantified B2B research on 30,000 high growth niche opportunities/threats which will impact 70% to 80% of worldwide companies' revenues. Currently servicing 5000 customers worldwide including 80% of global Fortune 1000 companies as clients. Almost 75,000 top officers across eight industries worldwide approach MarketsandMarkets for their painpoints around revenues decisions.

Our 850 fulltime analyst and SMEs at MarketsandMarkets are tracking global high growth markets following the "Growth Engagement Model - GEM". The GEM aims at proactive collaboration with the clients to identify new opportunities, identify most important customers, write "Attack, avoid and defend" strategies, identify sources of incremental revenues for both the company and its competitors. MarketsandMarkets now coming up with 1,500 MicroQuadrants (Positioning top players across leaders, emerging companies, innovators, strategic players) annually in high growth emerging segments. MarketsandMarkets is determined to benefit more than 10,000 companies this year for their revenue planning and help them take their innovations/disruptions early to the market by providing them research ahead of the curve.

MarketsandMarkets's flagship competitive intelligence and market research platform, "RT" connects over 200,000 markets and entire value chains for deeper understanding of the unmet insights along with market sizing and forecasts of niche markets.



Contact:

Mr. Rohan

MarketsandMarkets

701 Pike Street

Suite 2175, Seattle,

WA 98101, United States

Tel: +1-888-600-6441

Email: [email protected]



Connect with us on LinkedIn @ http://www.linkedin.com/company/marketsandmarkets

SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
American Humane is responding to an official request from the City of Orange Grove, near Corpus Christi, close to where one of the biggest storms in recent history made landfall. The team is racing to the scene to help there, and has strategically moved vital equipment into position in Louisiana, as well, which can provide rescue and shelter services in the event the storm turns eastward and hits that state.

In the meantime, knowing what to do before, during and after a deadly hurricane can mean the difference between life and death. Here, for all those affected by the 1,000-year flooding or in Harvey's path, are some important tips from the experts on the American Humane Rescue team:

Before the storm

NEVER leave animals behind. Review your evacuation plans and know a safe place where your pets can go if you need to evacuate. Evacuation destinations may include a friend or family member's home, going to a pet-friendly hotel, or temporarily housing your pet(s) at a boarding facility. Plan multiple routes to your safe destination.

Microchip your pets and properly affix a tag on your pet's collar with your name, address and cellphone number so they may be returned quickly in case you are separated from your pets. Update your microchip registrations and pet license information to ensure its current and consider including the name and contact information of an out-of-area contact just in case you are unreachable in a disaster zone.

Tie down or anchor outside objects that might fly about and injure someone.

Double-check your disaster preparedness kit for your pets (e.g., First Aid kit, leashes, and pets' carrying cases, bowls, sanitation materials, chew toy, minimum 3 days, ideally 7-10 days of food, meds, water).

Evacuate your family and pets as early as you can and remember to take your family and your pet's disaster preparedness kit if you do leave.

Bring children and pets inside; bring outdoor animals inside with a carrier ready large enough to turn around and lie down comfortably.

Have a carrier and leashes at the ready.

If your family must evacuate, ALWAYS take your pets with you.

During the storm.if you cannot evacuate

Choose a safe room for riding out the storman interior room without windows  and take your entire family there, including your pets.

Stay with pets. If crated, they depend on you for food and water.

Keep your emergency kit in that room with you (food, water, litter, meds).

Know your pet's hiding places. That's where they may run; keep them with you.

Secure exits and cat doors so pets can't escape into the storm.

Do not tranquilize your pets. They'll need their survival instincts should the storm require that.

After the storm

Make sure the storm has fully passed before going outside and assess damages before allowing children or animals out.

Keep dogs on a leash and cats in a carrier, and children close at hand. Displaced objects and fallen trees can disorient pets and sharp debris could harm them.

Give pets time to become re-oriented. Familiar scents and landmarks may be altered and cause a pet to become confused or lost.

Keep kids and animals away from hazards such as downed power lines and water that may be contaminated.

Uncertainty and change in the environment affect animals, presenting new stresses and dangers. Your pet's behavior may change after a crisis, becoming more aggressive or self-protective. Be sensitive to these changes and keep more room between them, other animals, children or strangers. Animals need comforting, too. Comfort your pet with kind words and lots of pats or hugs. If possible, provide a safe and quiet environment, even if it is not their own home.

"Storms like these can be deadly for pets who are separated from their families," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, president and CEO of American Humane. "It is important that every person and pet parent in the path of this destructive storm heed these lifesaving tips. We are working to help all of our friends in Texas and Louisiana, two- and four-legged alike, stay safe in this disaster."

"We are pleased to be working with American Humane as relief operations in Texas and Louisiana are set in motion," said Chris Mitchell, CEO, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Pets. "We hope the distribution of food to pets in need will help during these devastating times."

To support the American Humane Rescue team in its efforts, please visit: http://bit.ly/2wCYv3d.

About American Humane

American Humane is the country's first national humane organization, founded in 1877, and the first to serve animals in disasters and cruelty cases. Visit American Humane at www.americanhumane.org today.

About the American Humane Rescue program

The American Humane Rescue program was created in 1916 at the request of the U.S. Secretary of War to save war horses wounded on the battlefields of World War I Europe. Since then, Red Star has been rescuing animals of every kind and have been involved in virtually every major disaster relief effort from Pearl Harbor to 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Joplin, Missouri and Moore, Oklahoma tornadoes, the Japanese and Haitian earthquakes, and Superstorm Sandy. Over just the past dozen years our rescue teams have saved, helped and sheltered more than 80,000 animals.

About Chicken Soup for the Soul Pet Food

Chicken Soup for the Soul understands the unique relationship between people and pets. Health conscious consumers have been feeding their cats and dogs Chicken Soup for the Soul wholesome and balanced, super premium pet food for over a decade. Holistic in nature, the entire line of products is made from only the finest ingredients: real meats (chicken, turkey, duck and salmon), fruits, vegetables and herbs. With no added corn, wheat, soy, artificial coloring, flavoring or preservatives, Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food is inspired by your love for pets, and promotes overall health and well-being for dogs and cats. The products are proudly made in the USA, and feature rescued shelter pets on every bag. Core and grain-free formulas and a line of treats are available in independent pet specialty stores nationwide and online.

A portion of all proceeds from the sale of Chicken Soup for the Soul pet food goes to help shelters and pets in need through Chicken Soup for the Soul's Fill-a-Bowl  Feed-a-Soul program. The program which was launched in association with the American Humane aims to provide a million meals to shelter pets. www.chickensouppets.com.

SOURCE American Humane

Related Links

http://www.americanhumane.org


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Red Cross is working around the clock along the Gulf Coast to help the thousands of people whose lives have been devastated by Tropical Storm Harvey.

Water rescues are ongoing and evacuation orders are in still effect throughout the region. Numerous hospitals and nursing facilities are evacuating patients and residents. All public transportation is at a halt. Schools and airports are closed and hundreds of thousands of people are still without power.

"It's been a tragic weekend, and unfortunately, the worst is yet to come. It's been predicted that Harvey will continue to hover over the region and might drop as much as an additional 30 inches of rain," said Brad Kieserman, vice president of Disaster Services Operations and Logistics for the Red Cross. "Thousands of people have had to be rescued, and we are in the beginning of a massive relief effort, providing safe shelter and comfort for those forced from their homes. The American Red Cross is on the ground now and will be there for weeks to come, working alongside our partners to coordinate response efforts."

Sandra Bullock, a long-time supporter of the American Red Cross, donated $1 million to the organization today, stating, "I'm just grateful I can do it. We have to take care of one another."

RED CROSS RESPONSE

Preliminary estimates indicate that at least 6,000 people sought refuge in dozens of shelters in Texas Sunday night. We believe this number to be much higher, and will share additional information as it becomes available. Shelters are also open in Louisiana as bands from the storm move to the east.

Sunday night. We believe this number to be much higher, and will share additional information as it becomes available. Shelters are also open in as bands from the storm move to the east. More than 80 tractor-trailer loads of cots, blankets, ready-to-eat meals, comfort kits, kitchen supplies and cleaning supplies are now on the ground in Texas .

. We have shelter supplies for more than 34,000 people, with additional supplies for 18,000 people en route.

More than half of our emergency response fleet  200 vehicles  have been mobilized.

At the end of last week, the Red Cross prepositioned additional blood products in Houston ahead of the storm to help ensure an adequate blood supply would be available for hospital patients. We also staged more blood product inventory in Dallas . We are closely working with local and federal authorities to continue the distribution of blood products to our hospital partners.

ahead of the storm to help ensure an adequate blood supply would be available for hospital patients. We also staged more blood product inventory in . We are closely working with local and federal authorities to continue the distribution of blood products to our hospital partners. Nearly 11 million hurricane and flood alerts were issued through Red Cross mobile apps since Thursday. The alerts provide people with real-time information so they can help protect themselves and their loved-ones.

The Red Cross is working closely with the entire response community  government agencies, other non-profit groups, faith-based organizations, area businesses and others  to coordinate emergency relief efforts and get help to people as quickly as possible.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Red Cross has launched a massive relief response to this devastating storm and needs financial donations to be able to provide immediate disaster relief. Help people affected by Hurricane Harvey by visiting redcross.org, calling 1- 800-RED CROSS or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

HURRICANE SAFETY STEPS

People should listen to the advice of emergency officials. If they need to be rescued, they can call trained rescue professionals at 9-1-1 or the U.S. Coast Guard at these numbers: 281-464-4851, 281-464-4852, 281-464-4853, 281-464-4854, 281-464-4855

If someone needs to find a shelter, they can call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767), visit redcross.org, or download the free Red Cross Emergency App. The Emergency App is available in app stores by searching for the American Red Cross or going to redcross.org/apps. They can also check with their local officials or monitor local media for information on where to find a shelter.

People should also follow these safety steps:

Continue listening to local area radio, NOAA radio or TV stations for the latest information and updates.

If your neighborhood is prone to flooding, be prepared to evacuate quickly if necessary.

Follow evacuation orders and do not attempt to return until officials say it is safe to do so.

Head for higher ground and stay there.

Stay away from floodwaters. If you come upon a flowing stream where water is above your ankles, stop, turn around and go another way.

Turn around, don't drown. If driving, turn around and go another way. If you are caught on a flooded road and waters are rising rapidly around you, get out of the car quickly and move to higher ground. Most cars can be swept away by less than two feet of moving water.

Keep children out of the water.

Be especially cautious at night when it's harder to see flood danger.

Don't forget your pets. Bring them indoors and maintain direct control of them. Prepare an emergency kit for your pets, including sturdy leashes or pet carriers, food and water, bowls, cat litter and pan, and photos of you with your pet in case they get lost.

CORPORATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

ADGP $1 million members are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Disney; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; General Motors Foundation; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; and The Wawa Foundation.

ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Boise Paper; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Farmers Insurance; Ford Motor Company; Humble Bundle; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; McDonald's Corporation; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelez International Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; Reynolds American Foundation; Ryder; Southwest Airlines; Sunoco; TD Ameritrade; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; and Wells Fargo.

Disaster Responder Program members are: Adobe; Alcoa; Alliance Data; Astellas USA Foundation; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA; The Ball Foundation; BNY Mellon; CarMax; Cox Automotive; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; IBM Corporation; IHG Foundation; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Foundation; SC Johnson; SERVPRO; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Standard Textile; Toyota; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; The USAA Foundation; U.S. Bank; and Visa.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE American Red Cross

Related Links

http://www.redcross.org


AMITYVILLE, N.Y., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Small businesses in the Houston area should be advised that the Disaster Assistance Express Small Business Loan is currently offering funding in 48-72 hours. ExpressBusinessLoans.com will be placing a priority processing applications submitted by small businesses affected by Hurricane Harvey. There is no application fee and no down payment required. The application and supporting documents required can be completed entirely online at ExpressBusinessLoans.com.

"This storm will have a tremendous impact on the area's small business community. By prioritizing small business applicants from this area we hope to help small businesses get back up and running as quickly as possibly. This will help stabilize the community and ensure that small businesses have a chance to survive," says Michael Martin, VP of business development at ExpressBusinessLoans.com.

Small businesses that are assisting in the recovery and reconstruction effort are also eligible for priority application processing. "Businesses in the construction and property preservation industries may need capital to respond and provide service to the hurricane affected area. We want to ensure that these businesses are not stymied in the recovery effort by working capital shortfalls," continued Michael Martin.

Unlike SBA disaster loan programs our Express Business Loan can be used for expansion not just recovery. Insurance proceeds that result from Hurricane Harvey are not required to be applied to the loan balance. Personal financial statements are not required for approval or loan disbursement.

About ExpressBusinessLoans.com

ExpressBusinessLoans.com is an Amityville, NY based leader in the alternative business finance industry, including unsecured business loans and merchant cash advance transactions. ExpressBusinessLoans.com has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, The Street, and Mobile Business Computing. The team at ExpressBusinessLoans.com has worked with thousands of small business owners across the United States in securing working capital in amounts from $10,000 to $5,000,0000.

Media contact:

John Lynch

[email protected]

631-608-2811

SOURCE ExpressBusinessLoans.com

Related Links

https://expressbusinessloans.com


Inocybe joins Wind River Titanium Cloud ecosystem of NFV solutions as one of Wind River's high value SDN partners

MONTREAL, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Inocybe Technologies, a leading Open Networking technology provider from the data center to the network edge, with Wind River today announced their collaboration to supply a fully integrated and ultra-reliable NFV foundation for the rigorous demands of carrier and critical enterprise networks.

Cloud, IoT and 5G are changing how modern networks are operated and deployed at scale. Inocybe's Open Networking Platform is one of the first to enable enterprises and service providers to deploy software defined networking (SDN) and network function virtualization (NFV) solutions across an integrated and consumable environment. By validating and integrating Inocybe's Open Networking Platform with offerings from the Wind River Titanium Cloud portfolio of virtualization software products, companies can utilize open networking solutions that are ready for deployment in global service providers' production networks.

Inocybe's Open Networking Platform and OpenDaylight-based controllers have been tested and validated as part of the Wind River Titanium Cloud ecosystem program. Through collaboration with Inocybe Technologies, an industry-leading open source software company, the Titanium Cloud ecosystem promotes the availability of interoperable standard products optimized for SDN and NFV deployments with Titanium Cloud to help accelerate time-to-market for service providers.

"We are seeing tremendous momentum of Open Networking technology adoption within service providers and enterprises. Companies deploying Cloud, 5G and IoT need to change how they manage and operate their networks at scale. The Inocybe Open Networking Platform is among the first to enable the deployment of OpenDaylight SDN and NFV solutions across and integrated environment. Together with Wind River, customers are now able to deploy an ultra-reliable, automated, intelligent and consumable network," said John Zannos, Chief Revenue Officer at Inocybe Technologies. "Inocybe with Wind River can now help customers deploy production SDN and NFV technology."

"Service providers are in need of validated and market-ready end-to-end NFV solutions. To address this need, collaboration across the ecosystem is essential," said Charlie Ashton, senior director of business development for networking solutions at Wind River. "We are working with Inocybe Technologies to create optimized, interoperable solutions for service providers that are deploying NFV in their networks. The Inocybe Open Networking Platform and Titanium Cloud provide a foundation for carrier grade NFV services, and by leveraging other pre-validated NFV elements, service providers can quickly achieve their goals such as reducing OPEX while accelerating the introduction of new high-value services."

The Inocybe Open Networking Platform with Wind River Titanium Cloud are designed to meet the stringent "always on" requirements of the communications industry. With Open Networking Platform and Titanium Cloud as the NFV foundation, the telecom industry can rapidly rollout new services while ensuring the carrier grade uptime and strict reliability mandated by telecom networks. Titanium Cloud is based on open software standards including Linux, real-time Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM), carrier grade plugins for OpenStack, Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK), and accelerated virtual switching, all optimized for Intel architecture platforms. The Inocybe Open Networking Platform is based on the leading, emerging and innovative open networking software, accelerating the adoption of automated and intelligent networking based on projects like OpenDaylight, FD.io, PNDA and ONAP.

About Inocybe Technologies

Inocybe Technologies is the leading Open Networking technology provider from the data center to the network edge. Inocybe's Open Networking Platform enables customers to deploy an integrated and consumable network based on the leading, emerging and innovative open networking software. The Inocybe Open Networking Platform accelerates the adoption of automated and intelligent networking for enterprises and service providers based on OpenDaylight, FD.io, PNDA and ONAP. For additional information contact us on Twitter @inocybetech or www.inocybe.com.

SOURCE Inocybe Technologies

Related Links

https://www.inocybe.com/


LONDON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global IE based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market: Overview

The report estimates and forecasts the Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment market on the global and regional levels. The study provides forecast between 2017 and 2025 based on revenue (US$ Mn) with 2016 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes substitute analysis of Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment and global average price trend analysis.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5073757/

Global IE based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market: Scope of Study



The report includes Porter's Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein end-users and regions have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market.



The study provides a comprehensive view of the Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment market by dividing it into ionic exchange process, liquid waste type, liquid waste source and geography segments. The ionic exchange process have been segmented into Inorganic Natural Ion Exchangers, Organic Natural Ion Exchangers, Synthetic inorganic Ion Exchangers, Synthetic Organic Ion Exchangers, Modified Natural Ion Exchangers, and Others. The liquid waste type are segmented into Low Level Waste, Intermediate Level Waste, and High Level Waste. These segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends.



Global IE based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market: Research Methodology



Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), World Nuclear Association (WNA), IPFM: International Panel for Fissile Material, company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.



In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players' product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis team's expertise and market understanding.

Global IE based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market: Market Segmentation



Liquid nuclear waste from nuclear reactors needs intensive treatment before its storage and disposal into the environment. Liquid nuclear waste can be categorized into three segments: high level liquid nuclear waste, low level liquid nuclear waste, and intermediate level liquid nuclear waste.



There are mainly five types of ionic exchangers that are utilized around the globe for the treatment of the liquid nuclear waste. Inorganic natural ion exchangers, organic natural ionic exchangers, synthetic inorganic ionic exchangers, synthetic organic ionic exchangers, and modified natural ionic exchangers. All ionic exchanger works on the ionic exchanged process which reduce the radioactive nucleoids into precipitates and reduce the radioactivity of the waste water.



Low level and intermediate level liquid nuclear waste is treated effectively by the help of ionic exchangers. High level waste needs to be stored in underground storage, far from human interventions, for longer time duration before its radioactivity decays naturally to permissible limits for the ionic exchange treatment.



There are primarily five types of nuclear reactors operating in different parts of the globe. These are pressurized water reactors, gas cooled reactors, pressurized heavy water reactors, boiling water reactors and others. Pressurized heavy water reactors and boiling water reactors produces large volume of radioactive liquid waste as compared to gas cooled reactors and pressurized water reactors. Among different types of ionic exchangers, majority of the liquid radioactive waste is treated by inorganic natural ionic exchangers. Others ionic exchangers such as organic natural ionic exchangers, synthetic inorganic ionic exchangers, synthetic organic ionic exchangers, and modified natural ionic exchangers are also employed.



Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast consumption of Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Market segmentation includes demand for consumption in all the regions individually.



Global IE based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market: Competitive Landscape



The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Areva SA, Bechtel Corporation, Augean PLC, SRCL Limited, Fluor Corporation, and Svensk Karnbranslehantering AB. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).



The global Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment market has been segmented as follows:



Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market  Ionic exchange process Analysis



Inorganic Natural Ion Exchangers

Organic Natural Ion Exchangers

Synthetic inorganic Ion Exchangers

Synthetic Organic Ion Exchangers

Modified Natural Ion Exchangers

Others



Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market  Liquid waste type Analysis



Low Level Waste

Intermediate Level Waste

High Level Waste



Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market  Liquid waste Source Analysis



Inorganic Natural Ion Exchangers Water Reactor (BWR)

Organic Natural Ion Exchangers Cooled Reactors (GCR)

Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR)

Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR)

Others



Ionic Exchange based Liquid Nuclear Waste Treatment Market  Regional Analysis



North America

U.S.

Canada

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Russia

Belgium

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

Japan

India

South Korea

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

GCC

South Africa

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5073757/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com

For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


CAMPBELL, Calif., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Komprise, the industry-leader in intelligent data management across clouds, today announced the Komprise Konnect Partner Program. The new program is designed to help maximize channel partners' potential for new revenue streams, and take advantage of the massive growth of unstructured data with the demand for a proven data management solution that works both on-premise and on the cloud. Through Komprise's innovative data analytics and data management software, global reseller partners can now offer a fully integrated, cost-efficient solution that delivers superior performance for all data management challenges including archiving, replication and cloud integration.

"Channel partners are constantly being asked by their customers to help address their data management's challenges with an efficient and scalable solution, while at the same time taking advantage of the investments they have already implemented," says Zach Edwards, Director of Channels, Komprise. "Komprise gives our channel partners the expertise to easily deploy a solution that provides insight to their customer's environment and show them how they can save 70% on capacity costs. With Komprise being a software solution that is fully agnostic, our partners can continue to embrace their legacy ecosystem partners, while at the same time continuing to build their new emerging partnerships with object store and cloud companies."

Connecting All the Dots -- The New Komprise Konnect Partner Program Offers:

Product trials and Proof-of-Value tools to show customers in minutes the savings partners can deliver on their NAS footprint

Ability to help customers adopt secondary object/cloud storage without any disruption to current NAS users or applications

Lower storage and operational costs for customers by archiving, replicating, and protecting data on object/cloud/scale-out storage

Partner marketing tools, sales training, and incentives

The Komprise data-aware management software empowers businesses to efficiently manage today's massive scale of data growth while unlocking data value. Komprise analyzes data across NFS and SMB/CIFS storage, and moves data transparently to lower cost NFS, SMB/CIFS or REST/S3 storage of the customer's choice. Komprise is modern data management scale-out software that requires no agents, no dedicated hardware or storage, no complex setup or proprietary integrations, delivers native access to data in the cloud, and is delivered as a hybrid cloud Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The patent-pending scale-out solution works across any NFS, SMB/CIFS and REST/S3 storage.

"Komprise is my favorite vendor for moving files and objects because they are doing it better and different than everyone else in the industry," said Scott Gelb, Solution Architect at EVT. "The new Komprise Konnect Partner program will allow us to continue to deliver measurable value to our existing and new customers by helping them realize their maximum business value, with cloud-enabled technologies and flexible data-aware management."

"With data footprints continuing to grow at an exponential rate, we are constantly looking for new, innovative ways to add value to our customers," said Richard Wright, Area VP of Sales, Kovarus. "Whether it's through easily providing tailored proof-of-value assessments or accelerating secondary storage adoption, the Komprise Konnect Partner Program provides tools and resources to ensure we are equipped to be our customer's trusted advisor that will help manage their data more efficiently, while cutting cost and maximizing business value."

The Komprise Konnect Partner Program is available today. For more information or to sign up, visit http://www.komprise.com/partnerprogram

About Komprise

Komprise, the industry-leader in intelligent data management across clouds, empowers businesses to efficiently manage today's massive scale of data growth while unlocking its value. The Komprise mission is to radically simplify data management through intelligent automation. Komprise partners include NetApp, EMC, Google Cloud Platform, and Azure. Komprise is used by enterprises to intelligently manage data at scale. For more information, go to https://www.komprise.com.

Media Contact:

Monica Giannella Read

[email protected]

SOURCE Komprise

Related Links

http://www.komprise.com


IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Kyani, Inc. announced today the completion of a project by Kyani Caring Hands to renovate a school in Chiapas, Mexico, to support more students. Kyani Caring Hands first built the six-classroom school in 2015 to replace the small wooden schoolhouse that had no electricity or windows. In early 2017 construction began to expand the school to 12 classrooms, which was completed in mid-July. The school can now accommodate 350 students.

Kyani Founder and Chairman Kirk Hansen remarked on the need for the school in the community. "This community had 70 students attending school in what was little more than a wooden shack. As soon as we built the new school, we had over 180 students attending. The demand was so great, and the students were so anxious to be a part of the school, that we knew we had to expand the facility to serve more children. Several of the recent graduates are now attending secondary school with the help of Kyani scholarships."

This project is just the latest example of Kyani Caring Hands seeking to fulfill its mission to bring hope to children in need by improving access to nutrition, sanitation, and education. Caring Hands also delivers Kyani Potato Pak around the world  a fortified, ready to mix potato flake meal. Kyani recently partnered with Idahoan, the most popular producer of instant potato products in the United States, to produce Potato Pak. Kyani and Idahoan were recently recognized for the importance of this endeavor, as Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper presented the companies with a signed statement proclaiming July 12 "a day of celebration of the philanthropy and good works produced by the partnership between Kyani and Idahoan."

Kyani Caring Hands periodically conducts expeditions to visit areas of great need in the world to perform service projects such as building schools and setting up areas where Potato Pak is prepared and fed to children in need. An expedition is currently in the planning stages for 2018, with the location yet to be determined.

For more information about Kyani Caring Hands, visit caringhands.kyani.com.

About Kyani

Kyani, Inc. is a wellness company founded in 2005. With a mission to bring hope through wellness and opportunity to people throughout the world, Kyani products are distributed in over 60 countries worldwide. With the Triangle of Health and Fleuresse product lines, Kyani offers complete nutrition for the body, both inside and out. Learn more about Kyani at www.kyani.com or the official Kyani News site: news.kyani.com.

Media Contact: Jon Rea

Director of Global Communications

+12085299872

SOURCE Kyani, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.kyani.com


DETROIT, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Lambert, Edwards & Associates (LE&A), Michigan's largest public relations and public affairs firm and a top-15 investor relations firm nationally, today announced it hired veteran automotive and business journalist Brent Snavely as a director. Snavely will work closely with the firm's investor relations and manufacturing and mobility clients, as well as will provide strategic counsel firm-wide. Snavely's hire continues LE&A's expansion of its Detroit office and bolsters the firm's national financial communications practice offerings.

"At LE&A, Brent brings extensive experience in automotive business, industries he's covered nationally and internationally for nearly two decades," LE&A CEO Jeffrey Lambert said. "The addition of Brent continues our commitment to Detroit and expands our resources in the region. We are excited to offer Brent's expertise to our clients."

Snavely brings more than 20 years of experience to the firm with a deep background in business, financial and automotive journalism. Most recently, he served as the lead automotive writer at the Detroit Free Press where he covered Ford and General Motors while also serving as auto team leader. Additionally, he led the award-winning coverage of the UAW's contract negotiations in 2011 and again in 2015, served as a key member of a team that covered Detroit's bankruptcy and closely chronicled the transformation of Chrysler from a bankrupt American automaker into Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. He also acted as an editor of two national automotive reporting projects for the USA Today Network and co-managed automotive coverage for the Detroit Free Press and USA Today. Prior to Detroit Free Press, Snavely worked for Crain's Detroit Business covering industries that included automotive suppliers, retail and restaurants.

"Transitioning to PR from journalism after 24 years in the industry, and leaving the state's largest daily newspaper, was an extremely difficult decision. However, I am joining a company that understands the evolving nature of public relations and integrated marketing, and recognizes that the need for effective storytelling is more important now than ever," Snavely said. "LE&A is a growing, vibrant Midwest public relations firm with a bright future, and I look forward to contributing my skills as the company continues to grow."

Snavely holds a bachelor's degree in political science from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.

About Lambert, Edwards & Associates

LE&A (www.lambert.com) is a top-10 Midwest-based PR firm and a top-15 investor relations firm nationally with clients based in 20 states and six countries. As Michigan's largest PR firm  with offices in Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids  LE&A serves middle-market companies and national brands across a wide array of industries and is the state's largest bipartisan public affairs firm. LE&A has posted 18 years of growth, been named PR Week and PRNews Small Firm of the Year, honored as an Edward Lowe "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch," and earned Crain's "Michigan's Healthiest Employers" and "Coolest Places to Work" awards. LE&A is also a global partner in PROI Worldwide, the largest partnership of independent PR firms in the world spanning 120 cities on five continents. Follow us on Facebook and on Twitter @LambertEdwards.

SOURCE Lambert, Edwards & Associates

Related Links

http://www.lambert-edwards.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators (NHCSL), which represents the interests of over 400 state legislators from both parties in state legislatures across the country, issued the following statement today condemning the presidential pardon of Joe Arpaio:

NHCSL Executive Director Kenneth Romero-Cruz said: "Pardoning former Maricopa County Sheriff, Joe Arpaio, undermines the rule of law and sends the wrong message to law enforcement officers who should enforce the law and not racially profile law-abiding taxpayers. Instead of providing amnesty to a convicted criminal who jailed innocent Latinos and other minorities without legal authority, the President should promote policies to heal the racial and ethnic tensions that have been made worse by hate mongers like Arpaio and other racists. This pardon is also an affront to the judiciary and the separation of powers because it sends the message that unconstitutional acts and disrespect for court orders can go on without fear of punishment. NHCSL condemns this pardon and urges President Trump to reconsider his actions and rhetoric on the sensitive issue of racially motivated violence, profiling, and persecution."

"On Friday, President Trump sent a cowardly message to my home state of Arizona and to this nation that racism, defiance of the rule of law and intentional discrimination against people of color are acceptable and rewarding elements of Trump's America. I have witnessed Arpaio terrorize my community for political gain. I also watched my community learn to take a stand against him, stand up and fight back in the streets, in the courts and at the ballot box. Trump and all who have condoned this pardon and celebrated the years of illegal activity by Arpaio have only exposed themselves as bullies who attempt to give themselves a sense of importance to hide their own weakness. But history has taught us that people like Trump and Arpaio don't get very far and those on the right side of justice will always be victorious," Senator Martin Quezada (AZ), Chair of NHCSL's Law & Criminal Justice Task Force said.

Representative Cesar Chavez (AZ), Vice Chair of NHCSL's Immigration, Civil and Human Rights Task Force, stated that "Donald Trump has broken the trust that the American people instilled in him by pardoning Joe Arpaio. A judicial system is put in place because nobody is above the law and he slapped the integrity of this system."

"President Donald Trump has granted Joe Arpaio a presidential pardon. A pardon to an individual who has been found guilty of racial profiling, who has refused to follow orders of the courts, and who is a symbol of hate, bigotry, and racism. I'm asking you to join me, during this critical time, to register to vote to update your voter registration, to always cast a ballot during an election, and to make sure you are keeping elected officials accountable. Please join me, because as a community we can stop the hate, but it starts with you, and it starts with me, and it starts with our neighbors," Representative Otoniel "Tony" Navarrete (AZ), Member of NHCSL's Executive Committee, said.

Senator Catherine Miranda (AZ), NHCSL's Former Vice President for Policy said: "Pardoning former Sheriff Arpaio pardons hate, racism, and division. Just as Arizona was growing rapidly with a positive image, President Trump set Arizona back as ground zero at its worse. At the same time that we face this set back and have to concentrate on healing our state, the state of Texas faces an emergency and its residents remain in our minds and in our hearts during this tragedy."

The NHCSL is the premier national association of Hispanic state legislators working to design and implement policies and procedures that will improve the quality of life for Hispanics throughout the country. NHCSL was founded in 1989 as a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)3 with the mission to be the most effective voice for the more than 390 Hispanic legislators. For more information visit www.nhcsl.org.

SOURCE NHCSL-National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators
Despite its convenience, until now inductive charging has suffered from a conspicuous speed loss when compared to more conventional wired fast charging methods. And that's where the RAVPower 10W Wireless Charging Pad comes in.

A Closer Look at the RAVPower 10W Qi Wireless Charging Pad

Featuring an elevated 10W voltage output, the RAVPower Qi Wireless Charging Pad connects via the included QC3.0 adapter and fast charges compatible devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8+ / Note8 without suffering from the ordinary speed loss affecting most wireless chargers.

While the standard inductive charging supports are bulkier and more cumbersome to carry compared to their wired counterparts like wall and portable chargers, RAVPower has kept the profile of its Qi wireless charging stand to a minimum so it's easier to store and transport when needed.

The RAVPower 10W Qi Wireless Charging Pad will be presented to the media and public on October 17 at IFA 2017. Visit the RAVPower stand for a first look or follow the link to reserve an appointment. https://www.sunvalley-group.eu/2017IFA

Manufacturer:

RAVPower



Product:

Qi Inductive Charger

Price Incl. VAT:

79.90 euros



Availability:

From October 2017

Web:

www.ravpower.com

www.sunvalley-group.de



Press Contact

David Zhou

Sunvalley Group

E-Mail: [email protected]

Phone: +49 04101/8189268

Company Information

Sunvalley Group

Halstenbeker Weg 98c

25462 Rellingen

About RAVPower

Founded in 2011, RAVPower has grown to become the one-stop power charging solution for millions of customers from around the world. RAVPower's wide variety of portable chargers ranges from high-capacity external battery packs to travel-friendly multiport USB chargers to high-tech offerings which utilize Qualcomm's Quick Charge technology. www.ravpower.com

About Sunvalleytek

Founded in 2007, Sunvalleytek has grown to become a leading eCommerce company that is home to seven major international consumer brands: RAVPower, TaoTronics, VAVA, HooToo, USpicy, Anjou, and Sable. From energy-saving LED desk lamps to next-generation portable chargers to 100% pure essential oil, the Sunvalleytek's brands have regularly become top-sellers in many leading eCommerce platforms across the world. www.sunvalley-group.de

SOURCE Sunvalleytek International, Inc. Company
Previous Leanplum data identified that 90% of mobile shopping carts are abandoned without completing a purchase. Leanplum's latest report, based on data captured by Leanplum from more than 56 million mobile marketing activities, studied push notifications that include promotion-related words like buy , purchase , pay , sale , and reserve . The findings offer significant insights into how push notifications can deliver increased conversions and higher monetization opportunities.

The report found that:

Promotional push notifications drive 9.6x as many users to make a purchase , compared to customers who did not receive a message.

, compared to customers who did not receive a message. Promotional push notifications increase in-app spend by 16% , proving an effective tool for upselling and cross-selling in-app purchases.

, proving an effective tool for upselling and cross-selling in-app purchases. Promotional push notifications sent on a Saturday result in 2.2x more purchases than notifications sent on Thursday.

than notifications sent on Thursday. Promotional push notifications sent during late afternoon lead to 2.7x more purchases.

"At TouchTunes, we're always looking for cool and unique ways to get our consumers to engage with our jukeboxes and mobile app," said Rebecca Green, Mobile Marketing Director at TouchTunes. "The Ultimate Jukebox Bar Crawl is all about encouraging consumers to get out and play the jukebox all summer long, thus increasing their engagement and purchase behavior. Thanks to Leanplum, we've been able to reach mobile users across multiple channels and enhance their experience throughout the contest with dynamic promotional messaging. Driving increased user engagement and keeping the sweepstakes top of mind has helped us realize a 14% increase in users with multiple venue check ins and a 1.5% increase in users making a play. This in turn has helped drive an increase of in-app purchases throughout the course of the campaign."

"The data validates that push notifications are essential to growing mobile app revenue," said Momchil Kyurkchiev, Leanplum Co-Founder and CEO. "When mobile brands run multi-channel campaigns, including push notifications, email, and in-app messaging, they see even greater levels of engagement. This Mobile Marketing Trends report drives home the importance of adopting push to increase your brand's bottom line."

To see Leanplum's full data analysis and insights on how push notifications can help mobile marketers boost sales, including real-life success stories from Leanplum customers, download the full data science report, "In-App Purchases Now: Insights to Driving Mobile Revenue."

To demo Leanplum and find out more about job opportunities, go to www.leanplum.com or follow @leanplum.

About Leanplum

Leanplum is the mobile marketing platform built for engagement. Leanplum helps brands orchestrate multi-channel campaigns  from messaging to the in-app experience  all from a single, integrated platform. Mobile disruptors like Lyft, Tinder, Grab, TED, and Zynga rely on Leanplum to accelerate growth and build long-term customer relationships. Delivering personal engagement in the moments that matter, Leanplum captures more than 15 billion data points each day and sends more than 5 billion push notifications per month. Founded in 2012, Leanplum is based in San Francisco with offices in New York, London, Singapore, and Sofia, Bulgaria. Leanplum has received more than $46MM in funding from Canaan Partners, Kleiner Perkins, and Shasta Ventures. Leanplum has been named to Business Insider's Most Valuable Enterprise Startups of 2016, The Muse's Most Innovative Startups, and SF Business Times' Best Places to Work. Learn more at www.leanplum.com.

Media Contact for Leanplum:

Juliet Travis

Liftoff Communications

510.479.3818 (o)

[email protected]

SOURCE Leanplum

Related Links

http://www.leanplum.com


BALLERUP, Denmark, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LiqTech International, Inc. (NYSE MKT: LIQT) ("LiqTech") is pleased to announce that the Company has received two new orders for the Company's systems for treatment of waste water from marine scrubbers.

Mr. Sune Mathiesen, LiqTech CEO, remarked, "We are pleased to receive these new orders for our marine scrubber water treatment systems. As earlier discussed we are experiencing a positive development in our marine scrubber business and we believe that we will see a further ramp-up in the second half of 2017."

ABOUT LIQTECH INTERNATIONAL, INC.

LiqTech International, Inc., a Nevada corporation, is a clean technology company that for more than a decade has developed and provided state-of-the-art technologies for gas and liquid purification using ceramic silicon carbide filters, particularly highly specialized filters for the control of soot exhaust particles from diesel engines and for liquid filtration. Using nanotechnology, LiqTech develops products using proprietary silicon carbide technology. LiqTech's products are based on unique silicon carbide membranes which facilitate new applications and improve existing technologies. In particular, Provital Solutions A/S (www.provital.dk), the Company's subsidiary, has developed a new standard of water filtration technology to meet the ever increasing demand for higher water quality. By incorporating LiqTech's SiC liquid membrane technology with its longstanding systems design experience and capabilities it offers solutions to the most difficult water pollution problem.

For more information, please visit www.liqtech.com

Follow LiqTech on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/liqtech-international

Follow LiqTech on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LiqTech

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements." Although the forward-looking statements in this release reflect the good faith judgment of management, forward-looking statements are inherently subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various disclosures made by us in the our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors that attempt to advise interested parties of the risks that may affect our business, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, our actual results may vary materially from those expected or projected. Readers are urged not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release. We assume no obligation to update any forward looking statements in order to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this release.

CONTACT:

LiqTech International

Aldo Petersen, Chairman,

+45 2390 0000, [email protected]

Sune Mathiesen, CEO

+45 5197 0908, [email protected]

SOURCE LiqTech International, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.liqtech.com


spcaLA Senior Director of Fund Development, Miriam Davenport says, "Elton's act of compassion is really a testament to the human-animal bond. His own spcaLA shelter dog, Sparta, affected his life in such a positive way he chose to honor his memory by providing veterinary care, nourishing food, safe shelter, and TLC to other shelter pets."

Castee is sleeping, eating, and broadcasting live from a dog kennel at the spcaLA PD Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center in Long Beach. "His presence has brought many new visitors to the Village and he is introducing thousands of people to our organization," said spcaLA President, Madeline Bernstein. "He's a bit of a ground-breaker, and I won't be surprised if others attempt similar fundraising challenges."

Castee approached spcaLA about the fundraiser in May 2017, almost a year after his dog Sparta, whom he adopted from spcaLA, passed away. spcaLA planned the event to ensure the safety of the animals and the responsibilities of the facility would not be disrupted.

Castee's YouTube videos have been viewed over 100 million times with a total of 1.3 million subscribers over two channels.

Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California since 1877. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support to spcaLA. Donations run programs and services including Animal Cruelty Investigations, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education, Violence Prevention and Intervention, and a variety of shelter services.

SOURCE spcaLA

Related Links

http://www.spcaLA.com


"Senator Schupp is a true advocate in Missouri working tirelessly for the citizens of the state who have mental health needs. We are proud to present her with this prestigious award which she has earned through her hard work and dedication. Her continued leadership makes her a lifesaver and ally in AFSP's mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide," said John Madigan, vice president of public policy for AFSP . The awards program will include volunteers who have lost loved ones to suicide or who have their own lived experience with a suicide attempt.

Senator Schupp has made mental health a priority, including sponsoring SB 328 in 2015 and SB 646 in 2016. Provisions within SB 646 were ultimately signed into law, now requiring that Missouri school districts adopt youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies and encouraging suicide prevention training for licensed educators statewide. She also recognizes the need for regular training for health professionals in suicide assessment, treatment, and management, as made evident by her leadership in moving SB 490 forward during the 2017 session.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 6, 2017

7 p.m.  8 p.m. Reception

8 p.m.  9 p.m. Award presentation ceremony

* National Suicide Prevention Week is September 10-16 *

WHERE: St. Louis Renaissance Airport Hotel

9801 Natural Bridge Road

St. Louis, Missouri 63134

RSVP: Media must RSVP for this event. Please rsvp Phyllis Blackwelder at [email protected] or (636) 395-3100.

Suicide in Missouri

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death overall in Missouri. For people aged 10-24 in Missouri, it is the third leading cause of death. For those aged 25-34, it is the second leading cause of death. On average one person dies by suicide every 8 hours in the state.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to saving lives and bringing hope to those affected by suicide. AFSP creates a culture that's smart about mental health through education and community programs, develops suicide prevention through research and advocacy, and provides support for those affected by suicide. Led by CEO Robert Gebbia and headquartered in New York, AFSP has local chapters in all 50 states with programs and events nationwide. AFSP celebrates 30 years of service to the suicide prevention movement. Learn more about AFSP in its latest Annual Report, and join the conversation on suicide prevention by following AFSP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

SOURCE American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Related Links

http://www.afsp.org


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Mesothelioma Victims Center says, "Typically the conversation starts with an adult son or daughter asking how it is possible their mother has mesothelioma when she has never worked directly with asbestos. What we've found is the mother of the family had a husband that worked in and around asbestos in the construction industry or while at a shipyard, power plant, or factory.

Asbestos Second Hand Exposure

"What we want to do for families in this circumstance is advise them about what attorneys they need to speak with-who will get them the most significant possible compensation. Please call us anytime at 800-714-0303 so we can go to work connecting you with one of the nation's most acclaimed mesothelioma attorneys who specializes in financial compensation for people exactly like this.

"In this instance, we are talking about second-hand exposure to asbestos and the financial compensation can be almost as much as an individual who was directly exposed to asbestos at work." http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com

The Mesothelioma Victims Center fears that most families dealing with news their loved one now has mesothelioma and can't figure out who to trust with the compensation claim or don't think compensation for their loved one is possible. Many are dumbfounded that it is even possible their mother has mesothelioma when she never worked with asbestos. Frequently a construction worker, shipyard, factory, or power plant worker who worked around asbestos everyday would not change their work clothing before coming home. The family member or members who came into contact with their loved one's work clothing-could have easily been exposed to asbestos. The best chance for second-hand exposure to asbestos would have been the worker's wife.

As the group would like to explain anytime at 800-714-0303, "If your mother or wife has unexpectedly been diagnosed with mesothelioma, please call us as quickly as possible so we can put you in direct contact with some of the premier mesothelioma attorneys in the nation. These experts have over a decade worth of experience dealing with mesothelioma compensation claims involving second-hand exposure to asbestos. It is a situation like this where you really do need some of top mesothelioma attorneys in the United States assisting with the financial compensation claim as we would like to discuss anytime." http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com

According to the American Cancer Society, "Family members of people exposed to asbestos at work can also be exposed because the workers can carry home asbestos fibers on their clothes." For attribution please refer to the American Cancer Society's website related to this issue: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/malignant-mesothelioma/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html

High -risk work groups for exposure to asbestos include US Navy Veterans, power plant workers, shipyard workers, oil refinery workers, steel mill workers, miners, manufacturing workers, pulp or paper mill workers, millwrights, welders, plumbers, electricians, auto mechanics, machinists, construction workers, rail road workers, and firemen. Typically, the exposure to asbestos for these types of workers occurred in the 1950's, 1960's, 1970's, or 1980's. http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com

According to the CDC the states indicated with the highest incidence of mesothelioma include Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Louisiana, Washington, and Oregon.

However, based on the calls the Mesothelioma Victims Center receives a diagnosed victim of mesothelioma because of secondhand exposure to asbestos could live in any state including New York, Florida, California, Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, or Alaska. http://MesotheliomaVictimsCenter.Com

For more information about mesothelioma please refer to the National Institutes of Health's web site related to this rare form of cancer: https://www.cancer.gov/types/mesothelioma.

Media contact:

Michael Thomas

[email protected]

800-714-0303

SOURCE Mesothelioma Victims Center

Related Links

http://mesotheliomavictimscenter.com


Over 100 participants consist of furniture industry players, young working professionals, lecturers and students from design institutions attended to get insights about furniture and design trends.

The seminar, aims to set a clearer direction for Malaysian furniture industry about design and presentation, is a knowledge sharing session that covers the latest living design trends and different views about the furniture industry from what have been experienced in China. It gives the industry a better insight on product design and product presentation.

In line with the development of MIFF 2018 new concept "Design Connects People", MIFF is taking a bold step ahead of its prestigious competition, MIFF Furniture Design Competition (MIFF FDC) to groom the design talents discovered in MIFF FDC through a programme called 'FDC in Action'.

FDC in Action is a collaborative project by FDC Designers and MIFF Exhibitors. FDC Designers is a group of seven young designers consist of previous MIFF FDC winners and finalists that is going to work with the manufacturer to present the highest standard product design and product presentation under the lead of Philip Yap, a Malaysian designer practising in China.

"Over the past eight years, we have seen the emergence of many young designers from MIFF FDC. We believe the time is now right to take this up to the next level," Karen Goi, MIFF General Manager mentioned in her welcoming remark.

Learning trip in China is part of the FDC in Action programme to open a whole new perspective about furniture and design among the designers committee. The learning programme includes exploring the largest sourcing centre for furniture, for furnishings and accessories, for lightings; furniture factory visit and also networking with the local designers in China.

"MIFF is taking the opportunity to continue our work with young designers, to open fresh opportunities for young talent to work with the Malaysian furniture industry. FDC in Action goes beyond just product design, it will take young designers through strategic planning, product positioning, styling, technical engineering and right down to marketing and promotions," said Karen Goi.

MIFF is proud to have its official contractor, Innogen Sdn Bhd, on board as a Platinum Sponsor to support the FDC in Action programme.

"As MIFF's official contractor for over 20 years, we support MIFF efforts in delivering a better show experience in 2018 with a new concept 'Design Connects People'. Being part of the FDC in Action programme, we hope to work closely with the organiser and the designers to enhance the overall presentation of MIFF in booth and designs next year," said Richard Wong, Managing Director of Innogen Sdn Bhd.

In addition, MIFF still continue its quest to search for the country's best aspiring young designer in the 9th edition of the competition -- MIFF FDC 2018. Targeted at talent aged 30 and below, FDC offers total winnings of cash prizes of RM10,000 and the significant opportunity for 20 finalist to showcase their design artworks on a global platform at the 24th edition of MIFF from March 8 to 11, 2018 at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) and Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) .

Entries for MIFF FDC 2018 must be submitted by October 30 (Monday) 2017. For more information and to download the competition guidelines and registration form, visit www.mifffdc.com

Visit www.miff.com.my to follow updates on MIFF 2018.

Notes to Editors

About MIFF

Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) is an export-oriented furniture trade show held annually in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is also a global leading trade show approved by UFI, The Global Association for Exhibition Industry. Since 1995, MIFF has nurtured invaluable partnerships between thousands of buyers and furniture makers across the globe.

SOURCE UBM Asia (Malaysia)

Related Links

http://www.miff.com.my


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA is making progress and awarding prizes in its competition to build a 3-D printed habitat for deep space exploration.

The agency has awarded first place and a prize of $250,000 to Team Foster + Partners | Branch Technology of Chattanooga, Tennessee, for successfully completing Phase 2: Level 3 of NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge, a NASA's Centennial Challenges prize competition. Pennsylvania State University of University Park received second place, and a reward of $150,000.

Challenge activities were held Aug. 23-26 at Caterpillar's Edwards Demonstration and Learning Center in Edwards, Illinois. Teams were presented a check at the awards ceremony on Aug. 26 by Jim Reuter, deputy associate administrator for NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate.

The multi-phase, $2.5 million 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge is designed to advance construction technology needed to create sustainable housing solutions for Earth and beyond.

"The advancement and innovation in additive construction that we've seen from these teams is inspiring," said Reuter. "Meeting the technology goals of this challenge proves that competition can push boundaries, and their work puts us that much closer to preparing the way for deep space exploration."

Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, is NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge partner. Bradley University also partnered with sponsors Caterpillar, Bechtel and Brick & Mortar Ventures to run the competition.

"Being a part of this competition has been an extraordinary opportunity for Bradley University," said Bradley University President, Gary Roberts. "Our students, faculty, staff and the Peoria community had a chance to see history in the making. We are a part of transforming technology and reshaping the way we think about construction. This was inspiring, and I am certain it changed the lives of many who experienced it."

Teams were required to develop the fundamental 3-D printing technology necessary to produce a structurally sound habitat, including the printer itself and construction materials. Competitors then had to print beams, cylinders and domes that were analyzed and compressed to failure to determine scores and prize awards. The competition activities were open to the public, and many industry leaders and local school groups attended the event. A gallery of photos from the challenge events can be found on the NASA Headquarters' Flickr site.

NASA's Centennial Challenges Program is part of the agency's Space Technology Mission Directorate, and is managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

For more information about the Centennial Challenges Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/winit

For more information about other challenges and prize opportunities with NASA, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/solve

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

http://www.nasa.gov


HOUSTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NCI Building Systems, Inc. (NYSE: NCS) announced today that it is being logistically impacted by the extremely disruptive weather conditions that are affecting the city of Houston and its corporate headquarters. As a result, the Company is rescheduling the release of its financial results for its fiscal 2017 third quarter ended July 30, 2017, to Wednesday, September 6, 2017 after the close of market. The Company has also rescheduled a conference call to discuss its results for Thursday, September 7, starting at 9:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. CT). In conjunction with the earnings release, supplemental operational and financial information will be posted on NCI's website in the Quarterly Earnings & Transcripts section of the Investor Relations page at www.ncibuildingsystems.com.

By Phone: Dial 1-877-407-0672 or 1-412-902-0003 at least 10 minutes before the call. A telephone replay will be available through September 21, 2017 by dialing 1-877-660-6853 or 201-612-7415 using the access code 13668657#.



By Webcast: Visit the Event Calendar, Calls & Webcast section of the Investor Relations page of NCI's website. Please log on at least 10 minutes in advance to register and download any necessary software. A replay will be available shortly after the call and will be accessible for approximately 90 days.

About NCI Building Systems

NCI Building Systems, Inc. is one of North America's largest integrated manufacturers of metal products for the nonresidential building industry. NCI is comprised of a family of companies operating manufacturing facilities across the United States, Canada, Mexico and China with additional sales and distribution offices throughout the United States and Canada. For more information visit www.ncibuildingsystems.com.

Contact:

K. Darcey Matthews

Vice President, Investor Relations

281-897-7785

SOURCE NCI Building Systems, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ncibuildingsystems.com


SHANGHAI, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Noah Holdings Limited ("Noah" or the "Company") (NYSE: NOAH), a leading wealth and asset management service provider in China with a focus on global investment and asset allocation services for high net worth individuals and enterprises, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter of 2017.

SECOND QUARTER 2017 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Net revenues for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB707.3 million ( US$104.3 million ), an 8.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

(RMB millions, except percentages) Q2 2016



Q2 2017



YoY Change Wealth management 505.2



550.6



9.0% Asset management 135.2



130.3



(3.6%) Internet financial services 11.3



26.4



133.0% Total net revenues 651.7



707.3



8.5%

Income from operations for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB224.3 million ( US$33.1 million ), a 15.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

(RMB millions, except percentages) Q2 2016



Q2 2017



YoY Change Wealth management 167.4



185.2



10.7% Asset management 68.8



69.8



1.4% Internet financial services (42.1)



(30.8)



(26.9%) Total income from operations 194.1



224.3



15.5%

Net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB207.0 million ( US$30.5 million ), a 13.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was ( ), a 13.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. Non-GAAP[1] net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB226.5 million ( US$33.4 million ), a 14.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

SECOND QUARTER 2017 OPERATIONAL UPDATES

Wealth Management Business

The Company's wealth management business offers wealth management products and provides comprehensive financial services to high net worth individuals, enterprise and institutional clients. Through its wealth management business, Noah primarily distributes onshore and offshore fixed income products, private equity products, secondary market products and insurance products.

Total number of registered clients as of June 30, 2017 was 164,728, a 43.4% increase from June 30, 2016 .

as of was 164,728, a 43.4% increase from . Total number of active clients [2] during the second quarter of 2017 was 4,484, a 9.0% decrease from June 30, 2016 .

during the second quarter of 2017 was 4,484, a 9.0% decrease from . Aggregate value of wealth management products distributed during the second quarter of 2017 was RMB33.0 billion ( US$4.9 billion ), an 18.8% increase from the second quarter of 2016.

Product type Three months ended June 30,

2016 2017

(RMB in billions, except percentages) Fixed income 17.0 61.2% 23.5 71.3% Private equity 7.6 27.3% 8.3 25.0% Secondary market equity 2.8 10.1% 1.1 3.4% Other products 0.4 1.4% 0.1 0.3% All products 27.7 100.0% 33.0 100.0%

A verage transaction value per client [3] for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB7.4 million ( US$1.1 million ), a 30.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was ( ), a 30.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. C overage network included 205 branches and sub-branches covering 76 cities as of June 30, 2017 , up from 199 branches and sub-branches covering 74 cities as of March 31, 2017 , and 175 branches and sub-branches covering 68 cities as of June 30, 2016 .

included 205 branches and sub-branches covering 76 cities as of , up from 199 branches and sub-branches covering 74 cities as of , and 175 branches and sub-branches covering 68 cities as of . Number of relationship managers was 1,259 as of June 30, 2017 , relatively flat from March 31, 2017 and a 15.2% increase from June 30, 2016 .

[1] Noah's Non-GAAP financial measures are its corresponding GAAP financial measures as adjusted by excluding the effects of all forms of share-based compensation.

[2] "Active clients" refers to registered clients who purchased wealth management products distributed by Noah during the period specified.

[3] "Average transaction value per client" refers to the average value of wealth management products distributed by Noah that were purchased by active clients during the period specified.



Asset Management Business

Gopher Asset Management ("Gopher"), a subsidiary of the Company, is a leading alternative asset manager in China. Gopher develops and manages private equity, real estate, secondary market credit and other investments denominated in both Renminbi and foreign currencies.

Total assets under management as of June 30, 2017 were RMB138.7 billion ( US$20.5 billion ), a 7.0% increase from March 31, 2017 and a 37.1% increase from June 30, 2016 .

Investment type As of March 31,

2017 Asset

Growth Asset

Expiration/

Redemption As of June 30,

2017

(RMB billions, except percentages)

Real estate 19.8 15.3% 1.6 6.0 15.4 11.1% Private equity 66.1 51.0% 6.7 0.7 72.2 52.0% Secondary market 6.9 5.3% 0.0 0.1 6.9 4.9% Credit 33.2 25.6% 14.5 7.0 40.7 29.4% Other investments 3.5 2.7% - - 3.5 2.5% All Investments 129.6 100.0% 22.9 13.8 138.7 100.0%

















Internet Financial Service Business

The Company's Internet financial service business includes its online wealth management platform as well as micro-lending, payment processing and other online services.

Aggregate value of financial products distributed by the Company's Internet wealth management platform in the second quarter of 2017 was RMB6.2 billion ( US$0.9 billion ), a 7.3% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

in the second quarter of 2017 was ( ), a 7.3% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. Total number of clients through the Company's Internet wealth management platform as of June 30, 2017 was 438,981, up from 425,708 and 324,918 as of March 31, 2017 and June 30, 2016 , respectively.

Mr. Kenny Lam, Group President of Noah, said, "We have delivered robust earnings in the first half of 2017. We are excited by the new talents we are on-boarding to our core team and the foundation we have built. We will continue to focus on executing our long-term strategy as China's leading wealth and asset manager."

SECOND QUARTER 2017 FINANCIAL RESULTS

Net Revenues

Net revenues for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB707.3 million (US$104.3 million), an 8.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2016, primarily driven by increased recurring service fee revenues.

Wealth Management Business

Net revenues from one-time commissions for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB297.6 million ( US$43.9 million ), a 2.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was mainly due to the increase in the aggregate value of wealth management products.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 2.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was mainly due to the increase in the aggregate value of wealth management products.

Net revenues from recurring service fees for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB209.3 million ( US$30.9 million ), a 7.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the cumulative effect of wealth management products with recurring service fees previously distributed.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 7.5% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the cumulative effect of wealth management products with recurring service fees previously distributed.

Net revenues from performance-based income for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB22.0 million ( US$3.2 million ), compared with RMB0.1 million in the corresponding period of 2016, due to the realization of performance-based income from secondary market equity products and private equity products distributed in previous periods.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), compared with in the corresponding period of 2016, due to the realization of performance-based income from secondary market equity products and private equity products distributed in previous periods.

Net revenues from other service fees for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB21.6 million ( US$3.2 million ), a 17.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2016, primarily due to the growth of new business within the wealth management segment.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 17.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2016, primarily due to the growth of new business within the wealth management segment. Asset Management Business

Net revenues from recurring service fees for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB128.3 million ( US$18.9 million ), a 17.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the increase in assets under management.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 17.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the increase in assets under management.

Net revenues from performance-based income for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB1.5 million ( US$0.2 million ), compared with RMB23.6 million in the corresponding period of 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), compared with in the corresponding period of 2016. Internet Financial Service Business

Net revenues for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB26.4 million ( US$3.9 million ), a 133.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the growth in overall Internet financial services, including online wealth management, micro-lending, payment processing and other services, compared with the corresponding period of 2016.



Operating costs and expenses

Operating costs and expenses include compensation and benefits, selling expenses, general and administrative expenses, other operating expenses and government subsidies. Operating costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB483.1 million (US$71.3 million), a 5.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. As the increase in net revenue outpaced the increase in operating costs and expenses year-on-year, the Company's operating margin improved in the second quarter of 2017 as discussed below.

Wealth Management Business

Operating costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB365.4 million ( US$53.9 million ), an 8.2% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), an 8.2% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. Compensation and benefits for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB250.8 million ( US$37.0 million ), a 0.3% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 0.3% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016.

Selling expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB66.9 million ( US$9.9 million ), a 0.7% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 0.7% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB29.9 million ( US$4.4 million ), a 6.2% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016, primarily due to the reduced loss from fixed asset disposal compared with the same period last year.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 6.2% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016, primarily due to the reduced loss from fixed asset disposal compared with the same period last year.

Other operating expenses were RMB27.5 million ( US$4.1 million ) for the second quarter of 2017, an increase of 30.1% from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the growth of new business within the wealth management segment.

were ( ) for the second quarter of 2017, an increase of 30.1% from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the growth of new business within the wealth management segment.

Government subsidies represent cash subsidies received from local governments for general corporate purposes. The Company's wealth management business received RMB9.7 million ( US$1.4 million ) in government subsidies in the second quarter of 2017, compared with RMB34.2 million in the corresponding period of 2016.

represent cash subsidies received from local governments for general corporate purposes. The Company's wealth management business received ( ) in government subsidies in the second quarter of 2017, compared with in the corresponding period of 2016. Asset Management Business

Operating costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB60.5 million ( US$8.9 million ), an 8.9% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), an 8.9% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016. Compensation and benefits for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB44.7 million ( US$6.6 million ), a 1.5% increase from the corresponding period of 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 1.5% increase from the corresponding period of 2016.

Selling expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB1.4 million ( US$0.2 million ), compared with RMB4.4 million in the corresponding period of 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), compared with in the corresponding period of 2016.

General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB11.2 million ( US$1.6 million ), a 39.1% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016. The decrease was mainly due to certain expenses that were not VAT deductible in the second quarter last year.

for the second quarter of 2017 were ( ), a 39.1% decrease from the corresponding period in 2016. The decrease was mainly due to certain expenses that were not VAT deductible in the second quarter last year.

Government subsidies represent cash subsidies received from local governments for general corporate purposes. The asset management business received RMB0.1 million in government subsidies in the second quarter of 2017, compared with RMB2.0 million in the corresponding period of 2016.

represent cash subsidies received from local governments for general corporate purposes. The asset management business received in government subsidies in the second quarter of 2017, compared with in the corresponding period of 2016. Internet Financial Service Business

Operating costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB57.1 million ( US$8.4 million ), a 7.0% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. Operating costs and expenses for the second quarter of 2017 primarily consisted of compensation and benefits of RMB35.5 million ( US$5.2 million ), selling expenses of RMB3.0 million ( US$0.4 million ), general and administrative expenses of RMB8.2 million ( US$1.2 million ) and other operating expenses of RMB10.5 million ( US$1.5 million ).

Operating Margin

Operating margin for the second quarter of 2017 was 31.7%, an increase from 29.8% for the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was mainly due to improved operating margin for the asset management business and reduced operating loss of the Internet financial service business.

Operating margin for the wealth management business for the second quarter of 2017 increased to 33.6% from 33.1% for the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 increased to 33.6% from 33.1% for the corresponding period in 2016. Operating margin for the asset management business for the second quarter of 2017 was 53.5%, compared with 50.9% for the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was 53.5%, compared with 50.9% for the corresponding period in 2016. Operating loss for the Internet financial service business for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB30.8 million ( US$4.5 million ), down from RMB42.1 million for the corresponding period in 2016.

Income Tax Expenses

Income tax expenses for the second quarter of 2017 were RMB60.2 million (US$8.9 million), a 24.3% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to the combined impact of higher taxable income and a higher effective tax rate.

Income from Equity in Affiliates

Income from equity in affiliates for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB23.3 million (US$3.4 million), a 154.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2016. The increase was mainly due to the increased net asset value of the Company's investments in the funds managed by Gopher as a general partner.

Net Income

Net Income



Net income for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB205.9 million ( US$30.4 million ), a 16.9% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was ( ), a 16.9% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

Net margin for the second quarter of 2017 was 29.1%, up from 27.0% for the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was 29.1%, up from 27.0% for the corresponding period in 2016.

Net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB207.0 million ( US$30.5 million ), a 13.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was ( ), a 13.6% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

Net income attributable to Noah shareholders per basic and diluted ADS for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB3.67 (US$0.54) and RMB3.52 (US$0.52) , respectively, up from RMB3.24 and RMB3.10 , respectively, for the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was and , respectively, up from and , respectively, for the corresponding period in 2016. Non-GAAP Net Income Attributable to Noah Shareholders



Non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB226.5 million ( US$33.4 million ), a 14.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was ( ), a 14.4% increase from the corresponding period in 2016.

Non-GAAP net margin attributable to Noah shareholders for the second quarter of 2017 was 32.0%, up from 30.4% for the corresponding period in 2016.

for the second quarter of 2017 was 32.0%, up from 30.4% for the corresponding period in 2016.

Non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders per diluted ADS for the second quarter of 2017 was RMB3.84 (US$0.57) , up from RMB3.37 for the corresponding period in 2016.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

As of June 30, 2017, the Company had RMB2,003.5 million (US$295.5 million) in cash and cash equivalents, compared with RMB2,609.2 million as of March 31, 2017 and RMB1,398.9 million as of June 30, 2016.

Net cash inflow from the Company's operating activities during the second quarter of 2017 was RMB72.8 million (US$10.7 million), compared with income from operations of RMB224.3 million for the corresponding period in 2016; the difference was mainly due to temporary cash outflows related to the Company's factoring business.

Net cash outflow from the Company's investing activities during the second quarter of 2017 was RMB671.2 million (US$99.0 million), primarily due to increases in short-term and long-term investments to improve cash usage and capital management.

Net cash inflow from the Company's financing activities was RMB4.2 million (US$0.6 million) in the second quarter of 2017, which mainly included proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares upon exercise of stock options.

On July 8, 2016, the Company's board of directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to US$50 million worth of its issued and outstanding ADSs over the course of one year. As of June 30, 2017, the Company had repurchased 224,775 ADSs for approximately US$5.1 million under this program, inclusive of transaction charges, at an average effective price of US$22.76.

2017 FORECAST

The Company estimates that non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders for the full year 2017 will be in the range of RMB825 million to RMB860 million, an increase of 14.1% to 18.9% compared with the full year 2016. This estimate reflects management's current business outlook and is subject to change.

CONFERENCE CALL

Senior management will host a combined English and Chinese language conference call to discuss the Company's second quarter 2017 unaudited financial results and recent business activities.

The conference call may be accessed with the following details:

Conference call details Date/Time: Monday, August 28, 2017 at 8:00 p.m., U.S. Eastern Time Tuesday, August 29, 2017 at 8:00 a.m., Hong Kong Time Dial in details:

- United States Toll Free +1-888-346-8982 - Mainland China Toll Free 4001-201203 - Hong Kong Toll Free 800-905-945 - International +1-412-902-4272 Conference Title: Noah Holdings Limited Second Quarter 2017 Earnings Call Participant Password: Noah Holdings

A telephone replay will be available starting one hour after the end of the conference call until September 4, 2017 at +1-877-344-7529 (US Toll Free) or +1-412-317-0088 (International Toll). The replay access code is 10111521.

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available at Noah's investor relations website under the News & Events section at http://ir.noahwm.com.

DISCUSSION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

In addition to disclosing financial results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company's earnings release contains non-GAAP financial measures that exclude the effects of all forms of share-based compensation. The reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to the nearest GAAP measures is set forth in the table captioned "Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results" below.

The non-GAAP financial measures disclosed by the Company should not be considered a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The financial results reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP and reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results should be carefully evaluated. The non-GAAP financial measure used by the Company may be prepared differently from, and therefore may not be comparable to, similarly titled measures used by other companies.

When evaluating the Company's operating performance in the periods presented, management reviewed non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders results reflecting adjustments to exclude the impact of share-based compensation to supplement U.S. GAAP financial data. As such, the Company believes that the presentation of the non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders, non-GAAP net income attributable to Noah shareholders per diluted ADS and non-GAAP net margin attributable to Noah shareholders provides important supplemental information to investors regarding financial and business trends relating to the Company's financial condition and results of operations in a manner consistent with that used by management. Pursuant to U.S. GAAP, the Company recognized significant amounts of expenses for the restricted shares and share options in the periods presented. The Company utilized the non-GAAP financial results to make financial results comparable period to period and to better understand its historical business operations.

ABOUT NOAH HOLDINGS LIMITED

Founded in 2005, Noah Holdings Limited (NYSE: NOAH) is a leading wealth and asset management service provider in China with a focus on global investment and asset allocation services for high net worth individuals and enterprises. In the first half of 2017, Noah distributed RMB65.6 billion (US$9.7 billion) of wealth management products. Through our subsidiary, Gopher Asset Management, we had assets under management of RMB138.7 billion (US$20.5 billion) as of June 30, 2017.

Our wealth management business primarily distributes onshore and offshore fixed income products, private equity products, secondary market products and insurance products. Noah delivers customized financial solutions to clients through a network of 1,259 relationship managers across 205 branches and sub-branches in 76 cities in China, and serves the international investment needs of its clients through wholly owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong and the United States. The Company's wealth management business had 164,728 registered clients as of June 30, 2017. As our asset management subsidiary and a leading alternative asset manager in China, Gopher Asset Management manages private equity, real estate, secondary market credit and other investments denominated in both Renminbi and foreign currencies. We also provide internet financial services, including online wealth management, micro-lending and payment processing services, etc.

For more information, please visit Noah at ir.noahwm.com.

FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION

In this announcement, the unaudited financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017 are stated in RMB. This announcement contains currency conversions of certain RMB amounts into US$ at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to US$ are made at a rate of RMB6.7793 to US$1.00, the effective noon buying rate for June 30, 2017 as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Among other things, the outlook for 2017 and quotations from management in this announcement, as well as Noah's strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. Noah may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its periodic reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Noah's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause Noah's actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: its goals and strategies; its future business development, financial condition and results of operations; the expected growth of the wealth management market in China and internationally; its expectations regarding demand for and market acceptance of the products it distributes; its expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with key clients; relevant government policies and regulations relating to its industry; its ability to attract and retain qualified employees; its ability to stay abreast of market trends and technological advances; its plans to invest in research and development to enhance its product choices and service offerings; competition in its industry in China and internationally; general economic and business conditions in China; and its ability to effectively protect its intellectual property rights and not to infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in Noah's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its annual reports on Form 20-F. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and Noah does not undertake any obligation to update any such information, including forward-looking statements, as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under the applicable law.

Contacts:

Noah Holdings Limited

Steve Zeng

Noah Holdings Limited

Tel: +86-21-8035-9221

[email protected]

-- FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL TABLES FOLLOW --

Noah Holdings Limited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)











As of







March 31, 2017

June 30, 2017

June 30, 2017







RMB'000

RMB'000

USD'000 Assets













Current assets:















Cash and cash equivalents

2,609,190

2,003,529

295,536



Restricted cash

1,000

-

-



Short-term investments

410,237

569,513

84,008



Accounts receivable, net of allowance for

doubtful accounts of nil at March 31, 2017 and

June 30, 2017

206,698

165,765

24,452



Loans receivable

115,878

295,923

43,651



Amounts due from related parties

599,928

723,124

106,666



Factoring receivables

573,674

570,769

84,193



Other current assets

305,948

78,510

11,581



Total current assets

4,822,553

4,407,133

650,087



















Long-term investments

465,156

687,967

101,481

Investment in affiliates

543,280

588,933

86,872

Property and equipment, net

246,843

252,803

37,290

Non-current deferred tax assets

52,577

52,332

7,719

Other non-current assets

38,728

81,720

12,054 Total Assets

6,169,137

6,070,888

895,503

















Liabilities and Equity













Current liabilities:















Accrued payroll and welfare expenses

384,235

431,467

63,645



Income tax payable

81,487

52,118

7,688



Amounts due to related parties

12,273

12,273

1,810



Deferred revenues

183,354

177,279

26,150



Payable to individual investors of factoring

receivables

579,975

328,562

48,465



Other current liabilities

350,842

266,696

39,341



Convertible notes

550,656

542,344

80,000



Total current liabilities

2,142,822

1,810,739

267,099



















Non-current uncertain tax position liabilities

4,449

4,437

654

Other non-current liabilities

92,314

100,322

14,798

Total Liabilities

2,239,585

1,915,498

282,551

Mezzanine Equity - Redeemable non-

controlling Interest of Subsidiary

334,590

337,481

49,781

Equity

3,594,962

3,817,909

563,172 Total Liabilities and Equity

6,169,137

6,070,888

895,504































Noah Holdings Limited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements (In RMB'000, except for USD data, per ADS data and percentages) (unaudited)

Three months ended





June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

Change

2016

2017

2017



Revenues: RMB'000

RMB'000

USD'000



Third-party revenues













One-time commissions 209,490

123,321

18,191

(41.1%) Recurring service fees 127,815

130,923

19,312

2.4% Performance-based income 817

16,179

2,387

1880.3% Other service fees 29,682

42,046

6,202

41.7% Total third-party revenues 367,804

312,469

46,092

(15.0%) Related party revenues













One-time commissions 89,971

177,333

26,158

97.1% Recurring service fees 182,166

209,213

30,861

14.8% Performance-based income 23,317

7,570

1,117

(67.5%) Other service fees 745

6,562

968

780.8% Total related party revenues 296,199

400,678

59,104

35.3% Total revenues 664,003

713,147

105,196

7.4% Less: business taxes and related

surcharges (12,277)

(5,836)

(861)

(52.5%) Net revenues 651,726

707,311

104,335

8.5% Operating costs and expenses:













Compensation and benefits













Relationship manager compensation (147,103)

(140,078)

(20,663)

(4.8%) Performance fee compensation (4,799)

-

-

(100.0%) Other Compensations (176,245)

(190,895)

(28,159)

8.3% Total compensation and benefits (328,147)

(330,973)

(48,822)

0.9% Selling expenses (78,248)

(71,376)

(10,529)

(8.8%) General and administrative expenses (58,251)

(49,231)

(7,262)

(15.5%) Other operating expenses (29,158)

(41,268)

(6,087)

41.5% Government subsidies 36,183

9,791

1,444

(72.9%) Total operating costs and expenses (457,621)

(483,057)

(71,256)

5.6% Income from operations 194,105

224,254

33,079

15.5% Other income:













Interest income 11,094

10,440

1,540

(5.9%) Interest expenses (4,862)

(4,894)

(722)

0.7% Investment income 17,074

10,943

1,614

(35.9%) Other (expense) income (2,067)

2,056

303

(199.5%) Total other income 21,239

18,545

2,735

(12.7%) Income before taxes and income from

equity in affiliates 215,344

242,799

35,814

12.7% Income tax expense (48,471)

(60,244)

(8,886)

24.3% Income from equity in affiliates 9,161

23,308

3,438

154.4% Net income 176,034

205,863

30,366

16.9% Less: net loss attributable to non-

controlling Interests (6,222)

(4,070)

(600)

(34.6%) Less: Gain attributable to redeemable

non-controlling interest of Subsidiary -

2,891

426

- Net income attributable to Noah

Shareholders 182,256

207,042

30,540

13.6%















Income per ADS, basic 3.24

3.67

0.54

13.3% Income per ADS, diluted 3.10

3.52

0.52

13.5% Margin analysis:













Operating margin 29.8%

31.7%

31.7%



Net margin 27.0%

29.1%

29.1%



Weighted average ADS equivalent: [1]













Basic 56,271,504

56,461,612

56,461,612



Diluted 60,174,258

60,205,429

60,205,429



ADS equivalent outstanding at end of

period 56,346,740

56,547,380

56,547,380





[1] Assumes all outstanding ordinary shares are represented by ADSs. Each ordinary share represents two ADSs.



Noah Holdings Limited Condensed Consolidated Income Statements (In RMB'000, except for USD data, per ADS data and percentages) (unaudited)



Six months ended







June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

Change



2016

2017

2017





Revenues: RMB'000

RMB'000

USD'000





Third-party revenues















One-time commissions 437,582

323,107

47,661

(26.2%)

Recurring service fees 234,847

266,472

39,307

13.5%

Performance-based income 10,469

28,728

4,238

174.4%

Other service fees 49,712

68,411

10,091

37.6%

Total third-party revenues 732,610

686,718

101,297

(6.3%)

Related party revenues















One-time commissions 150,550

321,889

47,481

113.8%

Recurring service fees 384,432

400,583

59,089

4.2%

Performance-based income 30,315

7,649

1,128

(74.8%)

Other service fees 1,364

13,438

1,982

885.2%

Total related party revenues 566,661

743,559

109,680

31.2%

Total revenues 1,299,271

1,430,277

210,977

10.1%

Less: business taxes and related

surcharges (40,388)

(9,799)

(1,445)

(75.7%)

Net revenues 1,258,883

1,420,478

209,532

12.8%

Operating costs and expenses:















Compensation and benefits















Relationship manager compensation (282,698)

(290,391)

(42,835)

2.7%

Performance fee compensation (8,145)

-

-

(100.0%)

Other Compensations (350,650)

(381,164)

(56,225)

8.7%

Total compensation and benefits (641,493)

(671,555)

(99,060)

4.7%

Selling expenses (146,150)

(131,979)

(19,468)

(9.7%)

General and administrative expenses (108,464)

(108,869)

(16,059)

0.4%

Other operating expenses (46,456)

(70,714)

(10,431)

52.2%

Government subsidies 105,125

43,723

6,449

(58.4%)

Total operating costs and expenses (837,438)

(939,394)

(138,569)

12.2%

Income from operations 421,445

481,084

70,963

14.2%

Other income:















Interest income 19,771

19,147

2,824

(3.2%)

Interest expenses (9,527)

(9,806)

(1,446)

2.9%

Investment income 25,142

21,089

3,111

(16.1%)

Other (expense) income (1,421)

3,193

471

(324.7%)

Total other income 33,965

33,623

4,960

(1.0%)

Income before taxes and income from

equity in affiliates 455,410

514,707

75,923

13.0%

Income tax expense (101,866)

(122,160)

(18,020)

19.9%

Income from equity in affiliates 15,064

29,034

4,283

92.7%

Net income 368,608

421,581

62,186

14.4%

Less: net loss attributable to non-

controlling Interests (12,646)

(9,270)

(1,367)

(26.7%)

Less: Gain attributable to redeemable

non-controlling interest of Subsidiary -

6,817

1,006

-

Net income attributable to Noah

Shareholders 381,254

424,034

62,547

11.2%









Noah Holdings Limited Condensed Comprehensive Income Statements (unaudited)

Three months ended







June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

Change

2016

2017

2017





RMB'000

RMB'000

USD'000



Net income 176,034

205,863

30,366

16.9% Other comprehensive income, net of tax:













Foreign currency translation

adjustments 7,072

(6,321)

(932)

(189.4%) Fair value fluctuation of available for

sale investment (after tax) (5,556)

2,606

384

(146.9%) Comprehensive income 177,550

202,148

29,818

13.9% Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to

non-controlling interests (6,250)

(4,029)

(594)

(35.5%) Less: Gain attributable to redeemable

non-controlling interest of Subsidiary -

2,891

426

- Comprehensive income attributable to

Noah Shareholders 183,800

203,286

29,986

10.6%







































Noah Holdings Limited Condensed Comprehensive Income Statements (unaudited)

Six months ended





June 30,

June 30,

June 30,

Change

2016

2017

2017





RMB'000

RMB'000

USD'000



Net income 368,608

421,581

62,187

14.4% Other comprehensive income, net of tax:













Foreign currency translation

adjustments 5,526

(10,459)

(1,543)

(289.3%) Fair value fluctuation of available for

sale investment (after tax) (849)

4,121

608

(585.4%) Comprehensive income 373,285

415,243

61,252

11.2% Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to

non-controlling interests (12,687)

(9,345)

(1,378)

(26.3%) Less: Gain attributable to redeemable

non-controlling interest of Subsidiary -

6,817

1,006

- Comprehensive income attributable to

Noah Shareholders 385,972

417,771

61,624

8.2%

























Noah Holdings Limited Supplemental Information (unaudited)

As of

Change

June 30, 2016

June 30, 2017













Number of registered clients 114,870

164,728

43.4% Number of relationship managers 1,093

1,259

15.2% Number of cities under coverage 68

76

11.8%

























Three months ended

Change

June 30, 2016

June 30, 2017



(in millions of RMB, except number of active clients and

percentages) Number of active clients 4,927

4,484

(9.0%) Transaction value:









Fixed income products 16,987

23,505

38.4% Private equity products 7,571

8,252

9.0% Secondary market equity products 2,810

1,111

(60.5%) Other products 379

94

(75.3%) Total transaction value 27,747

32,962

18.8% Average transaction value per client 5.63

7.35

30.5%

Noah Holdings Limited Segment Condensed Income Statements (unaudited) Three months ended June 30, 2017



Wealth

Management Business

Asset

Management Business

Internet

Financial

Service

Business

Total

RMB'000

RMB'000

RMB'000

RMB'000 Revenues:













Third-party revenues













One-time commissions 122,956

366

-

123,321 Recurring service fees 122,860

8,063

-

130,923 Performance-based income 15,015

1,164

-

16,179 Other service fees 21,841

94

20,110

42,046 Total third-party revenues 282,672

9,687

20,110

312,469 Related party revenues













One-time commissions 177,333

-

-

177,333 Recurring service fees 88,366

120,846

-

209,213 Performance-based income 7,194

376

-

7,570 Other service fees -

-

6,562

6,562 Total related party revenues 272,893

121,222

6,562

400,678 Total revenues 555,565

130,909

26,672

713,147 Less: business taxes and related

surcharges (4,964)

(580)

(293)

(5,836) Net revenues 550,601

130,329

26,379

707,311 Operating costs and expenses:













Compensation and benefits













Relationship manager

compensation (138,330)

(1)

(1,747)

(140,078) Other compensation (112,455)

(44,687)

(33,754)

(190,895) Total compensation and benefits (250,785)

(44,688)

(35,501)

(330,973) Selling expenses (66,619)

(1,432)

(3,025)

(71,376) General and administrative expenses (29,912)

(11,168)

(8,152)

(49,231) Other operating expenses (27,495)

(3,314)

(10,460)

(41,268) Government subsidies 9,731

60

-

9,791 Total operating costs and expenses (365,380)

(60,542)

(57,138)

(483,057) Income (loss) from operations 185,221

69,787

(30,759)

224,254

Noah Holdings Limited Segment Condensed Income Statements (unaudited) Three months ended June 30, 2016

Wealth

Management Business

Asset

Management Business

Internet

Financial

Service

Business

Total

RMB'000

RMB'000

RMB'000

RMB'000















Revenues:













Third-party revenues













One-time commissions 209,149

341

-

209,490 Recurring service fees 110,292

17,523

-

127,815 Performance-based income 142

676

-

817 Other service fees 18,717

-

10,964

29,682 Total third-party revenues 338,300

18,540

10,964

367,804 Related party revenues













One-time commissions 88,307

1,664

-

89,971 Recurring service fees 88,177

93,989

-

182,166 Performance-based income -

23,317

-

23,317 Other service fees 76

-

669

745 Total related party revenues 176,560

118,970

669

296,199 Total revenues 514,860

137,510

11,633

664,003 Less: business taxes and related

surcharges (9,688)

(2,278)

(312)

(12,277) Net revenues 505,172

135,232

11,321

651,726 Operating costs and expenses:













Compensation and benefits













Relationship manager

compensation (144,951)

(1,095)

(1,057)

(147,103) Performance fee compensation -

(4,799)

-

(4,799) Other compensation (106,630)

(38,114)

(31,501)

(176,245) Total compensation and benefits (251,581)

(44,008)

(32,558)

(328,147) Selling expenses (67,372)

(4,425)

(6,451)

(78,248) General and administrative expenses (31,885)

(18,352)

(8,013)

(58,251) Other operating expenses (21,127)

(1,665)

(6,366)

(29,158) Government subsidies 34,167

2,016

-

36,183 Total operating costs and expenses (337,798)

(66,434)

(53,388)

(457,621) Income (loss) from operations 167,374

68,798

(42,067)

194,105

Noah Holdings Limited Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Results (In RMB, except for per ADS data and percentages) (unaudited)



Three months ended



June 30,

June 30,

Change

2016

2017



RMB'000

RMB'000















Net income attributable to Noah

Shareholders 182,256

207,042

13.6% Adjustment for share-based compensation related to:









Share options 9,379

12,622

34.6% Restricted shares 6,306

6,849

8.6% Adjusted net income

attributable to Noah

Shareholders (non-

GAAP)* 197,941

226,513

14.4%











Net margin 27.0%

29.1%



Adjusted net margin (non-GAAP)* 29.4%

31.9%



Net income attributable to

Noah Shareholders per ADS,

diluted 3.10

3.52

13.5% Adjusted net income

attributable to Noah

Shareholders per ADS,

diluted (non-GAAP)* 3.37

3.84

13.9%















*The non-GAAP adjustments do not take into consideration the impact of taxes on such adjustments.

SOURCE Noah Holdings Limited

Related Links

http://ir.noahwm.com


DETROIT, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Solar Power International (SPI) will showcase a Dual-Panel Gen-2-O model on the floor at the Power Panel booth #6521 from Sept. 10 to 13, right across from the Smart Energy Microgrid Demo. Attendees can see the compact footprint for themselves and feel the resilience of the incredibly durable components. The sturdy dual-paneled system is engineered for maximum portability, ease of installation, and simplicity of use. It excels in diverse applications, including off-grid living, industrial sites, and military operations.

Power Panel Inc. Swift to deploy, this compact device sets up in less than an hour, making it a frontline choice for emergency response teams and military support. With so many parts of our world still lacking in hot water and basic electricity, the Gen-2-O is an ideal candidate for supporting aid in developing nations.

The dual-panel system delivers a sizzling 1,270 Watts at peak performance and is expandable to four or six panels to enhance power production. The entire setup can be monitored from anywhere on the globe with a smartphone or laptop through the versatile web-connectivity software suite. Designed with the toughest jobs on the planet in mind, it is optimized for rapid deployment, minimal maintenance, and requires no specialized technical knowledge to operate.

As part of their ongoing efforts to expand their role as global stewards and suppliers of dependable energy solutions, Power Panel hired John Eubanks as COO, who had this to say:

"After doing extensive research on the many solar technologies on the market today, I'm confident that Power Panel's solar-thermal systems are the ultimate answer to our energy challenges. No other system impressed me with its ability to perform with excellence in such a wide variety of environmental conditions as Power Panel's Gen-2-O."

Eubanks added, "When people see the Gen-2-O in person, the effect is dramatic. Everything about it shouts reliability at first sight. I think that is part of what motivated the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) to team up with us to tackle the energy crisis we face not just as a country, but as a global community."

Visit the Power Panel booth #6521 at SPI at the Mandala Bay Convention Center in September 2017 to witness the revolutionary Gen-2-O. For more information about Power Panel's technologies, visit www.powerpanel.com.

Contact Information:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 313-355-4023

Related Files

Power_Panel_Gen-2-O.pdf

Power_Panel_Solar-Power-International.jpg

Related Images

image1.jpg

image2.jpg

Related Links

Power Panel Products

Gen-2-O Solar-Thermal Generator

Related Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk8kx5mN1yE

SOURCE Power Panel, INC

Related Links

http://www.powerpanel.com


The COLPM InnovAction Award recognizes outstanding global innovation in the delivery of legal services, demonstrating to the community what can happen when passionate professionals, with big ideas and strong convictions, resolve to create effective change.

Novus Law also won an InnovAction Award in 2008 for The Novus Process, making them the first non-law firm to receive this prestigious award, and only the second honoree to receive this award twice in the program's 13-year history.

"The College of Law Practice Management, through the InnovAction Program, is pleased to honor this year's winners for their thoughtful and innovative approach to solving significant problems confronted by many clients," said Patrick Lamb, founding member of Valorem Law Group and chair of the InnovAction Program. "They join an elite list of prior winners."

"We're honored to receive this visionary award," said Novus Law CEO and Co-Founder Raymond Bayley. "Our corporate clients have told us that if they knew what they were facing in their litigation matters early on, they could make better decisions faster, resolve more matters sooner and significantly reduce their legal operating and indemnity costs."

To address those challenges, Bayley and Novus Law Co-Founder Lois Haubold created the sophisticated combination of process management, machine learning, statistics, and decision analytics, all driven by a team of talented, self-identified lawyer geeks to create a killer early case assessment solution for the firm's corporate clients.

The duo will be honored at the 2017 Futures Conference, held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting of the College of Law Practice Management in Atlanta, Georgia in October. More information about the COLPM InnovAction Program, along with additional details related to Novus Law's submission can be viewed online at: http://collegeoflpm.org/innovaction-awards/award-winners/

About Novus Law LLC: Novus Law finds, documents and delivers the story in litigation, investigations and other large or complex legal matters by examining, organizing and analyzing our clients' case-related materials  more efficiently, more accurately and less expensively than is possible using traditional legal processes. We apply structured process control, quantitative analytics, advanced technologies and professional management to transform mountains of electronically stored information into work product that our clients and their law firms can use with confidence to pursue their legal strategy. For more information, please visit www.novuslaw.com. Follow our firm and our co-founder Ray Bayley on Twitter @NovusLawLLC and @RBayley.

About COLPM: The College of Law Practice Management is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1994 to honor and recognize distinguished law practice management professionals, to set standards of achievement for others in the profession, and to fund and assist projects that enhance the highest quality of law practice management.

About 2017 InnovAction Awards: The College of Law Practice Management continues its global search for ingenuity in law practice management. Designed to inspire creative thinking in a field known for its over-reliance on precedent, the InnovAction Awards are intended not only to identify effective innovation, but also inspire it through international recognition.

SOURCE Novus Law, LLC

Related Links

http://novuslaw.com


MALVERN, Pa., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ocugen, Inc. today announced it will be featured as a presenting company at the 19th Annual Rodman & Renshaw Global Investment Conference, sponsored by H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC. The conference is being held on September 10-12, 2017 at Lotte New York Palace Hotel in New York City.

Shankar Musunuri, Ph.D., Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Ocugen, will provide an overview of the Company's business during the live presentation and will be available to participate in one-on-one meetings with investors who are registered to attend the conference.

If you are an institutional investor, and would like to attend the Company's presentation, please click on the following link (www.rodmanevents.com) to register for the Rodman & Renshaw conference. Once your registration is confirmed, you will be prompted to log into the conference website to request a one-on-one meeting with the Company.

The presentation will be webcast live. To access the webcast, please visit www.rodmanevents.com. The webcast replay will remain available for 90 days following the live presentation.

About Ocugen, Inc.

Ocugen is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing first-in-class therapeutics to address significant unmet medical needs of patients with eye diseases, including several rare diseases. Our programs are focused on activating novel biologic pathways to treat inflammatory, degenerative, and neovascular diseases of the eye. OCU300 has received first and only Orphan Drug Designation (ODD) from the FDA for the treatment of ocular graft versus host disease (oGVHD). OCU310, a combination product, is currently going through a proof-of-concept clinical study, under an IND, targeting dry eye disease. Both OCU300 and OCU310 are being developed through the FDA's 505(b)(2) pathway and expected to enter into pivotal clinical trials for registration in 2018. OCU100 is a recombinant N-terminal fragment of Lens Epithelium Derived Growth Factor (LEDGF) and is being developed as an orphan indication for the treatment of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). OCU200, is an anti-angiogenic tumstatin fusion protein being developed for treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). For more information visit www.ocugen.com.

Investor Relations:

Kelly Morello

[email protected]

+1 484-328-4698

SOURCE Ocugen, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.ocugen.com


LONDON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global Polyphenylene Ether Alloy Market: Overview



Polyphenylene ether alloy is an engineering thermoplastic widely employed in automotive, electrical & electronic, and industrial applications. They are also known as blended or modified polyphenylene ether alloy as other thermoplastics such as polystyrene or polyamide has been used in their formulation. They possess various characteristic features such as high dielectric properties, high insulation, and dimension stability; it also possess low shrinkage, and high temperature performance properties. They are recyclable and are environment friendly in nature.





Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5073763/







The report estimates and forecasts the polyphenylene ether alloy market on the global, regional, and country levels. The study provides forecast between 2017 and 2025 based on volume (Tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) with 2016 as the base year. The report comprises an exhaustive value chain analysis for each of the product segments. It provides a comprehensive view of the market. Value chain analysis also offers detailed information about value addition at each stage. The study includes drivers and restraints for the polyphenylene ether alloy market along with their impact on demand during the forecast period. The study also provides key market indicators affecting the growth of the market. The report analyzes opportunities in the polyphenylene ether alloy market on the global and regional level. Drivers, restraints, and opportunities mentioned in the report are justified through quantitative and qualitative data. These have been verified through primary and secondary resources. Furthermore, the report analyzes global average price trend analysis of polyphenylene ether alloy.



The report includes Porter's Five Forces Model to determine the degree of competition in the polyphenylene ether alloy market. The report comprises a qualitative write-up on market attractiveness analysis, wherein application and countries have been analyzed based on attractiveness for each region. Growth rate, market size, raw material availability, profit margin, impact strength, technology, competition, and other factors (such as environmental and legal) have been evaluated in order to derive the general attractiveness of the market. The report comprises price trend analysis for polyphenylene ether alloy between 2017 and 2025.



Global Polyphenylene Ether Alloy Market: Research Methodology



Secondary research sources that were typically referred to include, but were not limited to company websites, financial reports, annual reports, investor presentations, broker reports, and SEC filings. Other sources such as internal and external proprietary databases, statistical databases and market reports, news articles, national government documents, and webcasts specific to companies operating in the market have also been referred for the report.



In-depth interviews and discussions with a wide range of key opinion leaders and industry participants were conducted to compile this research report. Primary research represents the bulk of research efforts, supplemented by extensive secondary research. Key players' product literature, annual reports, press releases, and relevant documents were reviewed for competitive analysis and market understanding. This helped in validating and strengthening secondary research findings. Primary research further helped in developing the analysis team's expertise and market understanding.



Global Polyphenylene Ether Alloy Market: Market Segmentation



The study provides a comprehensive view of the polyphenylene ether alloy market by dividing it into product type, end-user, and geography. The polyphenylene ether alloy market has been segmented into PPE/PS, PPE/PA, PPE/PP, and others. End-user segments have been analyzed based on historic, present, and future trends, and the market has been estimated in terms of volume (Tons) and revenue (US$ Mn) between 2017 and 2025.



Regional segmentation includes the current and forecast demand for polyphenylene ether alloy in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa (MEA). Additionally, the report comprises country-level analysis in terms of volume and revenue for end-user and product type segments. Key countries such as the U.S., Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, Italy, India, China, South Africa, Mexico, and Brazil have been included in the study. Market segmentation includes demand for individual end-users and products in all the regions and countries.



Global Polyphenylene Ether Alloy Market: Competitive Landscape



The report covers detailed competitive outlook that includes market share and profiles of key players operating in the global market. Key players profiled in the report include Asahi Kasei Chemicals Corporation, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Mitsubishi Engineering-plastics Corporation, and Sumitomo Chemical Company. Company profiles include attributes such as company overview, number of employees, brand overview, key competitors, business overview, business strategies, recent/key developments, acquisitions, and financial overview (wherever applicable).



The global polyphenylene ether alloy market has been segmented as follows:



Polyphenylene Ether Alloy Market  Product Type Analysis



PPE/PS

PPE/PA

PPE/PP

Others



Polyphenylene Ether Alloy Market  End-user Type Analysis



Automotive

Electrical & electronics

Industrial

Others



Polyphenylene ether alloy Market  Regional Analysis



North America

U.S.

Canada

Europe

Germany

France

U.K.

Italy

Spain

Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific

China

India

Japan

ASEAN

Rest of Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

GCC

South Africa

Rest of Middle East & Africa

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/5073763/



About Reportbuyer

Reportbuyer is a leading industry intelligence solution that provides all market research reports from top publishers

http://www.reportbuyer.com



For more information:

Sarah Smith

Research Advisor at Reportbuyer.com

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 208 816 85 48

Website: www.reportbuyer.com

SOURCE ReportBuyer

Related Links

http://www.reportbuyer.com


Oilfield operators who wish to get a closer look at the capabilities of these next-generation memory-gauge tools will have an opportunity from Sept. 5-8, 2017, when Quartzdyne displays the Quartz and Piezo Memory Tools in Booth 5A09 at the SPE Offshore Europe Conference & Exhibition in Aberdeen, Scotland.

"We are extremely encouraged by the early feedback we have received from clients and potential new partners since the launch of the Quartz and Piezo Memory Tools, and believe that this validates our decision to move into the memory-tool market," said Glenn Small, President of Quartzdyne. "The initial results indicate that oilfield operators will experience increased reliability and performance from their memory gauges, along with the additional benefits that come with working directly with the world's leading producer of Quartz downhole pressure transducers."

The Quartz and Piezo Memory Tools stand poised to be true game-changers in memory-gauge accuracy and durability because they have been designed to monitor high-temperature and high-pressure surveys with an increased and more sensitive response, while simultaneously detecting interference and build-up in standard operational workflows. The Quartz memory gauge features a high-accuracy quartz pressure sensor, 200C (392F)-rated hybrid circuit, long-lasting lithium battery, welded circuit enclosure, metal-to-metal seal and a side-port connector for easy access.

"We are amazed when we talk to clients and they tell us that many of our core products have been in use without fail for more than 20 years," said Small. "We hope that these customers will tell us the same thing about these new memory gauges in another 20 years because we know that when it counts, our customers look to Quartzdyne to provide products that work and that they can count on for years to come."

To learn more about the new Quartz and Piezo Memory Tools, please visit quartzdyne.com, or speak with a Quartzdyne representatives in Booth 5A09 at the upcoming SPE Offshore Europe Conference & Exhibition.

About Quartzdyne

Since 1990, Quartzdyne has been the world leader in designing, developing and manufacturing the industry-standard resonating quartz pressure transducer for the downhole oil-and-gas industry. Quartzdyne sensors are world-renowned for providing extremely accurate, low-drift and high-resolution data under the most extreme conditions. The company's transducers and hybrid electronics ate widely used in laboratory, surface and downhole tools and monitoring systems across the industry. For more information, please visit quartzdyne.com.

About Dover Energy Automation

Dover Energy Automation, an operating company within the Dover Energy Segment of Dover Corporation, is a provider of products, intelligent productivity tools and related automation software for the energy sector. DEA enables oil and gas operators to monitor, predict and optimize performance to improve their productivity and return on investment. Headquartered in The Woodlands, TX, DEA includes various operating companies. These include Windrock monitoring and analytical solutions for rotating and reciprocating equipment, Quartzdyne downhole pressure transducers, and Production Optimization for onshore well performance optimization solutions.

Quartzdyne Contact:

Jason Blackburn, Product Line Manager

Quartzdyne

281-217-1316

[email protected]

SOURCE Quartzdyne

Related Links

http://www.quartzdyne.com


HOUSTON, TX, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - RBC today announced a $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross in support of Americans affected by damages and displacement caused by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas.

RBC is committed to helping clients thrive and communities prosper and will continue to support our clients and employees impacted by these recent events. Our thoughts are with those impacted by the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey and like all North Americans, we thank the fire fighters, first responders and volunteers for their heroic efforts to keep everyone safe.

About RBC

Royal Bank of Canada is Canada's largest bank, and one of the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America's leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management, insurance, investor services and capital markets products and services on a global basis. We have approximately 81,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 16 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 35 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.

RBC helps communities prosper, supporting a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. For more information please see: http://www.rbc.com/community-sustainability/.

SOURCE RBC Wealth Management - U.S.

Related Links

http://www.rbc.com


NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, August 31, Saks OFF 5TH will celebrate the grand opening of a new, approximately 27,000 square foot store at the Hanover Commons Shopping Center in East Hanover, NJ.

"Located in the heart of Morris County's retail corridor, we are thrilled to bring shoppers convenient access to Saks OFF 5TH's curated assortment of emerging designer labels and well-known luxury brands," said Jonathan Greller, President Saks OFF 5TH and Gilt.

Saks OFF 5TH features an ever-evolving selection of luxury designer fashion, accessories, and footwear from more than 800 leading brands for men, women and children at an exceptional value. The new store features an open, modern layout and playful graphic elements in an easy-to-shop environment.

To celebrate the occasion, the first 50 shoppers to arrive on each day Thursday, August 31 through Monday, September 4, will receive a sweet treat and the chance to win a $50 Saks OFF 5TH gift card. Additionally, shoppers are eligible to enter a sweepstakes for the chance to win a $1,000 Saks OFF 5TH gift card.*

WHO: Saks OFF 5TH



WHAT: A new, approximately 27,000 square foot Saks OFF 5TH store stocked with more than 800 designer brands for men, women and kids.



WHERE: Hanover Commons Shopping Center

200 Route 10 West

East Hanover, NJ, 07936



WHEN: Thursday, August 31

Doors Open at 9:30am





Hanover Commons Shopping Center Regular Store Hours:

Mon  Thurs: 9:30am  9:30pm

Fri  Sat: 9:30am  10pm

Sun: 10am  8pm

*Sweepstakes guidelines available in-store.

Media Contact:

Meghan Biango

[email protected]

SOURCE Saks OFF 5TH

Related Links

https://www.saksoff5th.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Administrator Linda McMahon, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration, today encouraged small businesses to comment on the Federal Register notice posted earlier this month. The notice is in response to President Trump's Executive Order 13777 which aims to ease the burdens placed on America's small businesses. Under this Executive Order all federal agencies are required to designate a Regulatory Reform Officer and develop a process of evaluating their existing regulations and determine which ones should be repealed, replaced or modified.

"As I travel the country meeting with small business owners, I hear over and over again about the volume of regulations they must comply with and how difficult it is to manage the burden. So I've appointed a taskforce here at SBA to help identify SBA regulations that need to be changed or eliminated," McMahon said. "Your feedback will help SBA do its part to identify which SBA regulations may be impeding small business economic growth, innovation and job creation."

Small businesses may post comments on sba.gov/ReducingRegs until October 16, 2017. For questions concerning the notice, please contact Holly Turner, 409 Third Street, SW., Washington, DC 20416; [email protected] .

About the U.S. Small Business Administration

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) was created in 1953 and since January 13, 2012 has served as a Cabinet-level agency of the federal government to aid, counsel, assist and protect the interests of small business concerns, to preserve free competitive enterprise and to maintain and strengthen the overall economy of our nation. The SBA helps Americans start, build and grow businesses. Through an extensive network of field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations, the SBA delivers its services to people throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam. www.sba.gov

Release Number: 17-50

Contact: Carol Wilkerson (202) 205-8520

Internet Address: www.sba.gov/news

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook , Blogs & Instagram

SOURCE U.S. Small Business Administration

Related Links

http://www.sba.gov


SAN DIEGO, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sempra Energy Foundation and company employees are pledging up to $250,000 in disaster-relief assistance funds to help Hurricane Harvey victims.

"Thousands of families have been affected by what some are calling one of the fiercest storms in U.S. history," said Dennis V. Arriola, chairman of the Sempra Energy Foundation. "It is our hope that this donation may help bring comfort to the Gulf Coast communities that have been displaced by this devastating storm."

The Sempra Energy Foundation will make an immediate contribution of $75,000 to the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and an additional $75,000 donation to Americares in support of relief efforts in Texas and Louisiana. The Sempra Energy Foundation also will match up to an additional $50,000 in Sempra Energy companies' employee donations, the potential combined donation could exceed $250,000.

The Sempra Energy Foundation is the 501(c)(3) private foundation of Sempra Energy, a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2016 revenues of more than $10 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' more than 16,000 employees serve approximately 32 million consumers worldwide. For more information on the Sempra Energy Foundation, visit www.sempraenergyfoundation.org.

SOURCE Sempra Energy

Related Links

http://www.sempraenergyfoundation.org


NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Advertising -- Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC notifies investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court of the District Court of New Jersey against Vitamin Shoppe, Inc. ("Vitamin Shoppe" or the "Company") (NYSE: VSI) and certain of its officers, on behalf of a class consisting of investors who purchased Vitamin Shoppe securities between March 1, 2017 and August 6, 2017, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). Such investors are encouraged to join this case by visiting the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/vsi.

This class action seeks to recover damages against Defendants for alleged violations of the federal securities laws under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

On May 10, 2017, Vitamin Shoppe revealed a 45% reduction in its FY17 EPS guidance. Then on August 9, 2017, Vitamin Shoppe said it was taking a $168 million goodwill impairment charge and would report a GAAP loss of $6.73 per share in the second quarter of 2017.

Earlier, on March 1, 2017, Vitamin Shoppe advised investors that it was on track to deliver "fully diluted earnings per share in the range of $1.95 - $2.20" for FY17. Then on March 1, 2017, Vitamin Shoppe stock closed at $21.35. Since then, Vitamin Shoppe has dropped dramatically, and closed at $6.05 per share on August 16, 2017.

A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to review a copy of the Complaint you can visit the firm's site: www.bgandg.com/vsi or you may contact Peretz Bronstein, Esq. or his Investor Relations Analyst, Yael Hurwitz of Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC at 212-697-6484. If you suffered a loss in Vitamin Shoppe you can request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC is a corporate litigation boutique. Our primary expertise is the aggressive pursuit of litigation claims on behalf of our clients. In addition to representing institutions and other investor plaintiffs in class action security litigation, the firm's expertise includes general corporate and commercial litigation, as well as securities arbitration. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact:

Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Peretz Bronstein or Yael Hurwitz

212-697-6484 | [email protected]

SOURCE Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC

Related Links

http://www.bgandg.com


SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Snap Finance, a fintech company and provider of lease-to-own financing at the point of sale to customers of eCommerce and brick-and-mortar merchants, has secured the largest bank revolving credit facility ever for a private consumer lease-to-own company. The credit facility from BMO Harris Bank will enable Snap Finance to service more than $1 billion in lease-to-own finance agreements.

The $100 million credit facility allows Snap Finance to continue to expand with new merchant partners and increase financing capacity. Snap Finance currently serves over 10,000 merchant partners and approves up to 80 percent or more of customers who typically are denied credit through traditional financing methods.

"The financing provided by BMO Harris Bank strengthens our business model and our already-solid financial footing," said Matt Hawkins, founder and CEO of Snap Finance. "And more importantly, this will allow us to help even more businesses grow as we approve more customers for financing."

As part of securing this credit facility, Snap Finance underwent a strict audit and review process. BMO Harris and bank syndicate members evaluated Snap Finance with their rigorous standards in the areas of regulatory oversight, compliance, confidence in the business model, financial performance, integrity of leadership, maturity of business, plans for growth, and customer relations.

Another key factor in extending the credit facility was Snap Finance's ability to reduce risk by using the Snap AI Verification Engine (SAVE). This proprietary Artificial Intelligence platform instantly reviews hundreds of data points allowing Snap to more accurately assess consumer performance and render faster decisioning compared to traditional underwriting techniques.

The $100 million credit facility is being provided by a syndicate consisting of BMO Harris Bank, First Tennessee Bank, and BankUnited.

Media Contact:

Leigh Gibson

801-361-1084

[email protected]

SOURCE Snap Finance
(Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/549231/Sono_Motors_solar_car.jpg )

Previously, the Munich based company had introduced the Sion, an innovative and cost-efficient battery electric vehicle (BEV), with solar integration, suitable for everyday use.

With a range of 250km, price of 16,000 Euro (excluding battery) and integrated mobility services, the Sion should be especially appealing to families, city commuters and commercial fleet operators.

The Sion will be the first mass-market solar car to go into volume production.

Invest in shares or grant loans

Sono Motors is now launching two simultaneous campaigns:

1. On the Seedrs platform, investors can acquire stakes in Sono Motors GmbH.

2. On the WiWin platform, investors can grant loans to Sono Motors GmbH.

"Investors have different options to support Sono, either by providing debt or equity, depending on their personal preferences. By joining our campaign, participants can grow with us and profit from our success, in a fair, transparent and sustainable manner," said Martin Sabbione, CFO at Sono Motors GmbH.

Many supporters, one great goal

The community-approach is one of the key success factors of Sono Motors. From the onset, the community was involved in shaping Sono Motors and the Sion.

Now, the young enterprise is taking the next big leap: an open investment campaign, suitable for different types of investors. "We can secure our independence and build the car that people really want," said CEO Laurin Hahn, and continued, "Our crowdfunding campaign in 2016 has shown us what can happen when many people are enthusiastic about an idea. Via crowd investment, we can take the Sion and Sono Motors to the next level."

Contact:

Frederik Josten,

[email protected],

+49-1639244095



SOURCE Sono Motors GmbH
NEW BRITAIN, Conn., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As the images and stories of the devastation caused in Texas by Hurricane Harvey continue to mount, Stanley Black & Decker (NYSE: SWK) today announced a commitment of up to $125,000 for immediate distaster relief. The company will donate $50,000 to the American Red Cross and $25,000 to the Houston ToolBank, as well as double its Employee Matching Gifts program (matching employee gifts $2 for every $1 raised) to encourage its employees to quickly generate an additional $50,000. In addition, the company will be donating a fresh set of DEWALT, STANLEY and BLACK+DECKER tools and storage systems to the Houston ToolBank in an effort to double their impact during this time.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this unprecedented event, including with our more than 650 employees across the state of Texas, more than 200 of whom are in the immediate Houston area," said Jim Loree, President & CEO of Stanley Black & Decker. "We are committed to assisting those working to provide immediate relief today, and we are committed to working within the community to assist in the rebuilding efforts over time."

The American Red Cross is one of the best-positioned organizations to provide on-the-ground relief when a disaster strikes. ToolBank is a 25-year-old nonprofit with a commitment to providing tools and supplies so that nonprofits can fulfill their missions without worrying about tool inventories. The ToolBank network has grown into ten metropolitan areas across the United States and now includes a Disaster Services Vehicle, which is a fully-stocked 18-wheel tractor trailer able to deploy when natural disasters strike. The ToolBank Disaster Services vehicle will be en route to the Houston area soon, where it will remain throughout the clean up and rebuilding process.

Through its support of ToolBank, the American Red Cross and other organizations, Stanley Black & Decker has a longstanding track record of providing disaster relief services, and a demonstrated commitment to rebuilding within the communities impacted by natural disasters.

About Stanley Black & Decker

Stanley Black & Decker, an S&P 500 and FORTUNE 500 company, is the world's largest provider of tools and storage, the world's second-largest commercial electronic security company, and a leading engineered fastening systems provider, with unique growth platforms in the Oil & Gas and Infrastructure industries. Well-known brands include: STANLEY, BLACK+DECKER, DEWALT, Craftsman, Porter-Cable, Bostitch, Facom, Mac Tools, Proto, Vidmar, Lista, and more. Learn more at http://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com.

CONTACT: Tim Perra

Stanley Black & Decker

Vice President, Public Affairs

(860) 826-3260

[email protected]

SOURCE Stanley Black & Decker

Related Links

http://www.stanleyblackanddecker.com


DUBLIN, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Allergan plc (NYSE:AGN) today announced that The Allergan Foundation will donate $100,000 to help victims of Hurricane Harvey. The Allergan Foundation donation will be made to the American Red Cross, which has mobilized its resources to respond to the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas and across the Gulf Coast region.

"Allergan's 18,000 colleagues extend our thoughts and prayers to the people of Texas and the Gulf Coast who have been affected by the catastrophic winds and rain associated with Hurricane Harvey. We are eager to help and support the work of the American Red Cross in their direct relief efforts," said Brent Saunders, Chairman and CEO of Allergan and Chairman of The Allergan Foundation.

About Allergan plc

Allergan plc (NYSE: AGN), headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical company and a leader in a new industry model  Growth Pharma. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world.

With commercial operations in approximately 100 countries, Allergan is committed to working with physicians, healthcare providers and patients to deliver innovative and meaningful treatments that help people around the world live longer, healthier lives every day.

For more information, visit Allergan's website at www.Allergan.com.

About The Allergan Foundation

The Allergan Foundation is a U.S.-based, private charitable foundation committed to providing a lasting and positive impact in the communities in which Allergan plc employees live and work.

Established in 1998, The Allergan Foundation focuses its resources primarily on health and human services, selecting initiatives in the areas of ophthalmology, dermatology, neurology, women's health, and a variety of other therapeutic areas that support patient diagnosis and treatment, increase access to health care, and improve quality of life.

In addition, The Allergan Foundation conducts grant making in support of civic and community programs, education and the arts. Since its inception, The Allergan Foundation has distributed over $66 million to a wide variety of philanthropic pursuits  improving lives, elevating communities.

Further extending the scope of philanthropy, in 2011 the Allergan International Foundation was established, supporting a wide range of charitable causes in the UK, Europe, and beyond.

Forward-Looking Statement

Statements contained in this press release that refer to future events or other non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Allergan's current perspective on existing trends and information as of the date of this release. Actual results may differ materially from Allergan's current expectations depending upon a number of factors affecting Allergan's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing or outcome of FDA approvals or actions, if any; the impact of competitive products and pricing; market acceptance of and continued demand for Allergan's products; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; and other risks and uncertainties detailed in Allergan's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Allergan's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and Allergan's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2017. Except as expressly required by law, Allergan disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

CONTACTS:

Allergan:

Investors:

Daphne Karydas

(862) 261-8006

Media:

Mark Marmur

(862) 261-7558

SOURCE Allergan plc

Related Links

http://www.allergan.com


CINCINNATI, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) Foundation announced today the commitment of $100,000 to the Houston Food Bank, America's largest food bank serving 600 hunger relief charities in 18 southeast Texas counties, to supply operational support and meals to families affected by the floods. For every social share of the #KrogerCares post, the Foundation will donate $5 to the Food Bank, up to $100,000. Additionally, Kroger is inviting customers to join giving efforts by donating through in-store programs.

"We are quickly mobilizing our resources -food, dollars, vendors, community partners, customers and associates- to do our part to help the Greater Houston community and its residents during this devastating and unprecedented storm, " said Jessica Adelman, Kroger's group vice president of corporate affairs. "We know that meals matter, and it's imperative that we help feed and support Texans during this trying time."

"Kroger is showing extraordinary compassion and commitment to our community by stepping forward so quickly with this gift to the Houston Food Bank," said Brian Greene, president and CEO of the Houston Food Bank. "Kroger's donation will help us where we need it most: securing trucks, forklifts and temporary staffing. These assets are vital and essential to the Food Bank. Without them, we are unable to move food into areas affected by Hurricane Harvey. We've never had to respond to such widespread devastation, so our need for operational help is higher than it's ever been."

Across the country, customers can visit select Kroger Family of Stores to make a cash donation that will benefit the American Red Cross. Kroger is also inviting its 443,000 associates to join the cause as well as support fellow associates in the Houston area affected by the storm through Helping Hands, an internal fundraising effort.

Along with monetary giving, Kroger will continue to aid rescue organizations, shelters and first responders with food, water and toiletries. The mobile Kroger Pharmacy is en route to the Houston region to help refill customers' prescriptions, provide immunizations, and perform blood pressure and glucose screenings.

"This storm has ravaged our city, but I know the heart and resilience of Houstonians: we can and will overcome this," said Marlene Stewart, Kroger's president of the Houston division. "Kroger is working tirelessly to help support recovery, rescue and relief efforts. We will be here every step of the way."

For a list of open store locations in Greater Houston, as of today, call 1-800-KROGERS or visit TheKrogerCo.com.

At The Kroger Co., we are dedicated to our purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit. We are 443,000 associates who serve eight and a half million customers every day in 2,792 retail food stores under a variety of local banner names in 35 states and the District of Columbia. Our Family of Companies operates an expanding ClickList offering  a personalized order online service  in addition to 2,255 pharmacies, 782 convenience stores, 311 fine jewelry stores, 220 retail health clinics, 1,453 supermarket fuel centers and 38 food production plants in the United States. Our Company has been recognized as one of America's most generous companies for its support of more than 100 Feeding America food bank partners, breast cancer research and awareness, the military and their families, and more than 145,000 community organizations including schools. As a leader in supplier diversity, we are a proud member of the Billion Dollar Roundtable.

SOURCE The Kroger Co.

Related Links

http://www.kroger.com


FAIRFIELD, Calif., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- TricorBraun WinePak, North America's leading wine bottle distributor, has issued the following statement in conjunction with the evolution of the wine packaging industry, according to Andrew Bottene, Senior Vice President:

The WinePak Promise

For the past 35 years, TricorBraun WinePak has been a driving force in the wine packaging industry. Today, as our industry shifts and global competition impacts product quality, pricing and availabilitywe recognize that many of our customers face confusing questions. "Who should I buy from?" and "Should I simply opt for the lowest price?" become real decisions. For TricorBraun WinePak, these shifts provide an opportunity to reaffirm our unique and long-standing position in the wine packaging industry.

Today, we commit our company and our future to a new, WinePak Promise:

The WinePak Promise

Our commitment to quality and convenience is this: An unbending promise that your order will arrive, on-time and as-ordered.

This is the promise that drives our purpose. Backed by a legacy of leadership, it is upheld by every individual in our organization; at the core of every action we take.

We choose not simply to be a distributor of products, but a supplier of value. To provide expertise on the full-spectrum of wine packaging issues, not just the bottle. Never biased toward one product, or one set of products  we focus on the right solution, not simply the next sale.

Here we balance our growing size with personalized service. And recognize that while our industry will change, our promise never will.

This is our purpose; this is our promise. This, is WinePak.

Put simply, we stand behind our work. Much more than a promotional effort, the WinePak Promise represents an operational commitment from every single person in our organization.

As our industry's leading wine bottle distributor, we continue to find new ways to provide value: ultimately focused on those efforts that deliver unique, custom packaging solutions for our many customers.

TricorBraun WinePak stands as the best source for quality domestic and imported bottles in the wine and spirits packaging business  in the most popular styles and colors. To ensure consistent performance, TricorBraun WinePak also supplies an array of dependable closures and capsules.

We firmly believe that we are the future of the wine packaging industry.

"From us, our customers can get everything they need, when they need it," said Bottene. "That's the essence of our business, our customer service commitment and our new promise."

TricorBraun WinePak has sales of more than $150 million and its Fairfield, California, facility features more than 360,000 square feet of warehouse space and a $2-million auto repacking system. The company has additional warehousing space throughout the major wine growing regions in America and Canada.

TricorBraun WinePak is the largest wine bottle distributor in North America and a subsidiary of TricorBraun. With more than 115 years of experience, TricorBraun is one of the world's leading suppliers of bottles, jars and other rigid packaging components with annual sales approaching $1 billion and more than 41 locations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Asia and Europe. For more information, please contact Suzanne Fenton, VP, Brand Marketing at 314-983-2010, or at [email protected]

SOURCE TricorBraun

Related Links

http://www.tricorbraun.com


NORTHBROOK, Ill., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a global safety science organization, named Sanjiv Sarwate, Senior Legal Director at Dell Inc., as the recipient of the first-ever UL Outstanding Brand Protection Partner Award for his commitment to public safety and support of UL's anti-counterfeiting initiatives. Sarwate will be honored during the 2017 International Law enforcement IP Crime Conference Aug. 28 at the United National Headquarters in New York City.

Sarwate was a reliable partner in the 2017 joint investigation that yielded an estimated $1,000,000 in counterfeit laptop batteries and adapters  one of UL's largest intellectual property seizures to date. He was a crucial resource, personally overseeing the verification of the counterfeit product, working with UL and local law enforcement to obtain a search warrant and execute the seizure. Sarwate continues to aid anti-counterfeiting efforts through education of law enforcement, attending regional trainings and conferences, and going above and beyond to help combat counterfeit goods.

"Sanjiv has exceeded his role to help fight and combat intellectual property theft," said Jason Daniels, UL Investigations Manager. "With an increasing number of counterfeit lithium-ion batteries in the marketplace, partners at brands like Dell, prove to be vital allies in the fight against counterfeiting. Dell's commitment to this problem helps create safer living and working environments for all."

Counterfeiting is a direct threat to business, the economy and public safety. UL uses its global partnerships, expertise and experiences to help protect consumers, products and brand reputation by working law enforcement to remove products bearing counterfeit UL Marks from the marketplace. UL customers also benefit from their opportunity to develop and implement solutions that stop the flow of illegal and potentially dangerous goods.

About UL

UL fosters safe living and working conditions for people everywhere through the application of science to solve safety, security and sustainability challenges. The UL Mark engenders trust enabling the safe adoption of innovative new products and technologies. Everyone at UL shares a passion to make the world a safer place. We test, inspect, audit, certify, validate, verify, advise and train and we support these efforts with software solutions for safety and sustainability. To learn more about us, visit UL.com.

Brooke Arrington

Corporate Communications Manager

UL LLC

847.664.1298

[email protected]

SOURCE UL

Related Links

http://www.ul.com


SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Aesculight, a division of LightScalpel, LLC, is announcing its new line of VetScalpel CO 2 surgical lasers. Built on over 20 years of American veterinary laser surgery innovation, Aesculight is revolutionizing veterinary laser surgery once again.

New and Exclusive VetScalpelFeatures and Enhancements

David Duclos, DVM, is excising a tumor with his new VetScalpel laser. Dr. Duclos practices veterinary dermatology at the Animal Skin and Allergy Clinic in Lynnwood, WA.

Higher Power : Introducing the highest-powered veterinary surgical CO 2 laser available on the market  the VS-30. This revolutionary laser system offers 30 watts of SuperPulse power and 45 watts of continuous wave power.

Introducing the highest-powered veterinary surgical CO laser available on the market the VS-30. This revolutionary laser system offers 30 watts of SuperPulse power and 45 watts of continuous wave power. Small Ergonomic Tipless Handpieces: Aesculight has already delivered the most ergonomic veterinary CO 2 surgical laser delivery system on the market. The VetScalpel system offers the smallest pen-sized handpieces. The best part is the handpieces are tipless; this means there is no more additional cost per procedure.

Aesculight has already delivered the most ergonomic veterinary CO surgical laser delivery system on the market. The VetScalpel system offers the smallest pen-sized handpieces. The best part is the handpieces are tipless; this means there is no more additional cost per procedure. Rugged Flexible Fiber: The new and longer (1  meters) flexible hollow waveguide fiber is even more durable.

The new and longer (1  meters) flexible hollow waveguide fiber is even more durable. Articulated Mast Eliminated: The improved flexible fiber now connects directly on top of the laser and without an articulated focusing mast assembly.

The improved flexible fiber now connects directly on top of the laser and without an articulated focusing mast assembly. Enhanced Controls, Presets, and Clinical Library: With the upgraded software interface and perfected pulsing controls for enhanced precision, laser surgery is now easier than ever. VetScalpel provides 35 customizable presets and a new redesigned clinical library allowing for easier and faster navigation of expert-guided clinical procedures.

To learn more or to schedule an in-office demo with the All-New VetScalpelby Aesculight, please visit www.aesculight.com

About Aesculight

Aesculight, a division of LightScalpel, LLC based near Seattle, Washington, designs and manufactures CO 2 surgical lasers for veterinary applications. Aesculight is the only manufacturer of veterinary surgical CO 2 lasers in the United States. Aesculight's founders, Paul Diaz and Dr. Peter Vitruk, have been intimately involved in the design and manufacture of CO 2 surgical lasers since the mid-1980's. Most of Aesculight's laser engineers and technicians have been at the forefront of surgical and industrial laser technology since the early 1990's.

Media Contact

Daniel Chase

1 (866) 589.2722

[email protected]

www.aesculight.com

SOURCE Aesculight

Related Links

http://www.aesculight.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Washington Monthly magazine today is releasing its annual College Guide and Rankings, an increasingly influential alternative to U.S. News & World Report's much-criticized rankings. The Guide also features America's 12 most innovative colleges for adult learners.

While U.S. News relies on prestige and wealth-driven metrics for its rankings, the Washington Monthly measures colleges and universities based on what they are doing for the countryby improving social mobility, producing research, and promoting public service.

The Washington Monthly's unique methodology yields eye-opening results:

While 19 out of U.S. News' top 20 national university rankings are private schools, the majority of Washington Monthly's top 20 are public institutions, including University of California-San Diego , Texas A&M University , and University of WashingtonSeattle, schools that rate nowhere near the top at U.S. News .

top 20 national university rankings are private schools, the majority of top 20 are public institutions, including , , and University of WashingtonSeattle, schools that rate nowhere near the top at . Although a few elite schools, such as Stanford University (CA) and Harvard University (MA), top the Washington Monthly list, others underperform. Columbia University (NY), California Institute of Technology , and Washington University in St. Louis (MO), which rank 5 th , 12 th , and 19 th respectively, on the U.S. News list, come in 16 th , 92 nd , and 107 th in the Washington Monthly rankings.

(CA) and (MA), top the list, others underperform. (NY), , and in (MO), which rank 5 , 12 , and 19 respectively, on the list, come in 16 , 92 , and 107 in the rankings. Berea College (KY), ranked 60th on U.S. News' list of liberal arts colleges, comes in 1st in the Washington Monthly.

For the second year in a row, the publication ranked the best two- and four-year colleges for adult learners. "The share of college students who are 25 years old or older is around 40 percent," says Washington Monthly editor-in-chief Paul Glastris. "But most colleges haven't adapted. For example, they still schedule most classes around midday, which is convenient for late-night-partying undergrads, rather than at nights and on weekends, when adults with jobs and families can actually attend them."

To put together its ranking of the best four- and two-year colleges for adult learners, the magazine compiled data into seven general measures of colleges' openness and responsiveness to adult students, such as the availability of weekend, evening, and online classes that fit busy work schedules. The top 10 four-year colleges are:

Golden Gate UniversitySan Francisco (CA)

University of Utah

Concordia UniversitySt. Paul (MN)

Park University (MO)

(MO) George Mason University (VA)

(VA) Bellevue University (NE)

(NE) Indiana Wesleyan University

University of OklahomaNorman

Marylhurst University (OR)

(OR) University of North Dakota

Bellevue University in Nebraska falls into the "unranked" category on the U.S. News rankings but is No. 6 on the Washington Monthly adult learners list. The university does well on a host of metrics, including how much its students earn annually 10 years after entering ($61,406) and the share of students82 percentwho are adults.

The 2017 College Guide also includes an updated "Best Bang for the Buck" ranking of institutions that are doing the best job of helping non-wealthy students attain marketable degrees at affordable prices.

Contact:

Cristal Steuer, TVP Communications

[email protected]

(978) 660-3859

SOURCE The Washington Monthly

Related Links

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com


BENTON HARBOR, Mich., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- It's easy to take a working washer and dryer for granted, yet according to teachers across the country, the unfortunate reality is that one in five students struggle with access to clean clothes.1 Teachers also report that these students are more likely to struggle with absenteeism. That is why Whirlpool created the Care Counts laundry program, installing washers and dryers in schools to study the connection between access to clean clothes and attendance, with the goal of making a positive impact among high-risk students2.

The program has now completed its second year. For the 2016/2017 school year, laundry pairs were in schools in six cities across the country and, based on preliminary findings, it's clear that clean clothes can make a positive impact on a child's education:

Participating high-risk students attended nearly two more days of school per month during the program

More than half of participating students were no longer at risk for chronic absenteeism by the end of the school year. The students raised their attendance rates from 82 percent to 91 percent and achieving more than 90 percent is often targeted as a goal for chronically absent students

The program's impact went beyond attendance. Teachers surveyed saw that 95 percent of participants in the 2015/2016 program showed increased motivation in class and were more likely to participate in extracurricular activities and interact with peers

"Every day students across the country struggle with a variety of different factors that inhibit their academic performance. By placing washer and dryers in schools, we hope to eliminate one of those obstacles, so kids can focus on learning," said Jennifer Tayebi, communications brand manager for Whirlpool brand. "As we look at year two program results, it's remarkable to see how this seemingly simple solution has such a sincere impact on absenteeism."

For the second straight year, Whirlpool brand worked with internationally recognized developmental psychologist and researcher, Dr. Richard Rende, Ph.D., to implement a laundry program that explored the correlation between access to clean clothes and attendance rates. To deduce the impact of the program, each participating school identified students with a need for clean clothes and anonymously tracked their loads of laundry, attendance and grades throughout the school year.

"Every day of school makes an impact on a student's academic success. Studies show that even missing ten days can adversely affect achievement in math and an estimated 80 percent of students who drop out of school have a history of excessive absenteeism," said Dr. Richard Rende, Ph.D. "The U.S. Department of Education describes chronic absenteeism as a 'crisis' facing our nation's schools and this year's findings continue to show the potential a unique program, like the Care Counts laundry program, can have on reducing levels of chronic absenteeism."

With the success of the program over the past two years and the prevalence of this widespread barrier to school attendance, Whirlpool is working with Teach for America to expand the program to additional schools in need for the 2017/2018 academic year:

Los Angeles : PUC Excel Charter Academy, Hollenbeck Middle School , Kory Hunter Middle School , Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles and Stella Middle Charter Academy

: PUC Excel Charter Academy, , , Girls Athletic Leadership School Los Angeles and Stella Middle Charter Academy Chicagoland : KIPP Bloom College Prep, UCSN Marquez, Piccolo School of Excellence, Chicago Collegiate Charter School and Steel City Academy

: KIPP Bloom College Prep, UCSN Marquez, Piccolo School of Excellence, Chicago Collegiate Charter School and Steel City Academy Atlanta : KIPP Strive Primary School, Banneker High School, Brookview Elementary School, Bear Creek Middle School and KIPP Ways Academy

: KIPP Strive Primary School, Banneker High School, Brookview Elementary School, Bear Creek Middle School and KIPP Ways Academy New Orleans : Success Preparatory Academy, ReNEW Schaumburg, KIPP Central City Primary, ARISE Academy and Foundation Preparatory Charter School

To learn more about the Care Counts laundry program and help make an impact, visit Whirlpool.com/carecounts.

About the Care Counts Program Methodology

Whirlpool brand works with school teachers, administrators and Dr. Richard Rende, Ph.D., an internationally recognized developmental psychologist and researcher, to draw research-based connections between access to clean clothes and attendance rates by anonymously tracking student attendance, loads of laundry and grades. For more information on the methodology, please contact [email protected].

About Whirlpool Brand

For more than one hundred years, Whirlpool brand has been inspired by how people care for their families. Whirlpool brand is designing home appliances that are focused on improving how families give and get the care they need with the latest technologies and innovations  whether that means most flexible refrigerator storage for all types of family needs, induction technology for efficient cooking and easier cleaning, or laundry pairs that sense and adapt to clothes with the latest in connected technologies. Whirlpool brand is part of Whirlpool Corporation, the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances. Whirlpool Corporation is also one of Habitat for Humanity's largest corporate partners for over 15 dedicated years, donating a refrigerator and range to every new Habitat for Humanity home built in North America. For more information on Whirlpool, please visit whirlpool.com/everydaycare or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/whirlpoolusa or Twitter at @WhirlpoolUSA. Additional information about the company can be found at whirlpoolcorp.com.

About Teach For America

Teach For America works in partnership with communities to expand educational opportunity for children facing the challenges of poverty. Founded in 1990, Teach For America recruits and develops a diverse corps of outstanding college graduates and professionals to make an initial two-year commitment to teach in high-need schools and become lifelong leaders in the effort to end educational inequity. Some 6,900 corps members are teaching today in 53 urban and rural regions across the country. They join a Teach For America community that is 53,000 strong, working across every sector to ensure that all children have access to an excellent education. Teach For America is a proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network. For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

1 Based on a survey conducted by phone within the United States by Braun Research from March 14 to 21, 2015 among 600 public school teachers (18 years or older)

2 Students missing 15 or more days during the school year or an average of 1.5 absences per month

SOURCE Whirlpool Brand

Related Links

http://whirlpoolcorp.com


WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The wireless industry is working hard to maintain service for the millions of Americans across Texas and parts of Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Harvey, as data released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) showed that 95 percent of the thousands of cell sites across the region were up and running.

The nation's major wireless carriers, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint, are also offering free calls, text, data and credits for customers affected by Harvey. Additional information on these programs is available from the respective carriers.

"Thanks to wireless, millions of people in the path of Hurricane Harvey have been able to seek help and connect with family and loved ones in the face of this unprecedented event," said CTIA President and CEO Meredith Attwell Baker. "I'm proud of the planning and close collaboration of carriers to prepare for the storm and the ongoing work to both maintain and restore service."

Wireless companies readied backup generators, pre-positioned fuel and other critical equipment, and brought in emergency response teams ahead of Harvey making landfall on the Gulf Coast. These teams have been working around the clock to maintain and restore wireless service. With further flooding forecasted, wireless carriers are redoubling efforts to attend to generators and cell sites to preserve, and restore, service.

The most recent report issued by the FCC showed that 95 percent of cell sites in 55 counties in the "affected area" were up and working thanks to continuous improvements in cell site reliability.

Wireless network performance was maintained even as traffic and call volume, including to emergency centers, spiked. State agencies reported a seven fold increase in call volumes to 9-1-1 centers.

The wireless industry also plays a key altering function through the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) program. The National Weather Service and local alerting authorities have used WEA alerts to warn the public about flooding, tornados and local conditions. In addition, first responders and local officials have been using the Wireless Priority Service to communicate and coordinate response efforts.

As the response effort continues across a wide geographic area, the wireless industry is also helping with recovery fundraising through text messaging campaigns that use the short code program. Please support the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey appeal by texting HARVEY to 90999. More information about the appeal can be found here: https://www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey

SOURCE CTIA

Related Links

http://www.ctia.org


If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
Washington, Aug 23 : US President Donald Trump has threatened to shut down the government, if necessary, to make sure his proposed wall along the Mexican border is approved and funded by lawmakers.

The President told supporters at a "Make America Great Again" rally in Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday that the opposition Democrats were being "obstructionist", The Hill magazine reported.

"Build that wall. Now the obstructionist Democrats would like us not to do it, but believe me if we have to close down our government, we're building that wall," Trump said.

Funding for Trump's proposed border wall, a promise that was at the centre of his 2016 presidential bid, is poised to be at the centre of debate when Congress negotiates a new government funding bill. If a new bill is not passed, the government will shut down on October 1.

Trump wants Congress to finance his controversial plan to build a "big, beautiful" wall along the US's border with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants.

But Republicans will need the support of Democrats to secure funding for the wall in a government spending bill, which they are unlikely to get, reports said.

Democrats are staunchly opposed to funding for the wall, setting up a challenge and tense negotiations over the government's funding.

In his speech, Trump said the Democrats were "putting all of America's safety at risk" by opposing the wall. He said immigration officers who worked in the area said it was "vital" to stem the flow of illegal immigrants.

The Department of Homeland Security accepted designs for the wall earlier this year. Vendors were instructed that the wall should be at least 18 feet high, have features to prevent climbing over and tunnelling beneath the structure, and to make the designs "aesthetically pleasing" on the US side, the report said.
New Delhi, Aug 24 : As the chorus for a secured Cloud experience grows in India, especially among the small and mid-sized businesses, VMWare's network virtualisation software can help them have a secure Cloud experience, a top company executive has stressed.

"VMware NSX" is the network virtualisation and security platform for the software-defined data centre.

'NSX' enables the creation of entire networks in software and embeds them in the hypervisor layer, abstracted from the underlying physical hardware. The platform embeds security functions right into the hypervisor.

"Cyber security is critical and hacks are increasing. The enterprises miss a wholesome architecture for security at data centres which can actually be provided by vistualisation technology," Murad Wagh, Director-Systems Engineering at VMware India, told IANS on Thursday.

"With 'VMWare NSX', every server becomes a firewall. No longer do you have to manually configure security rules as you can have a security policy that get attached to these machines, making the job more simpler," Wagh added.

"With NSX, the company delivers security firewall to each physical virtual machines so that the cyber attack can't spread laterally.

"This architecture uses virtualisation to secure your modern data centres across the devices," Wadh informed.

Vmware on Thursday announced the latest versions of the its Workstation solutions that are designed to enable multiple operating systems to run as virtual machines on a single Windows or Linux PC.

VMware 'Workstation 14 Pro' will offer advanced features that streamline processes and productivity for IT professionals and developers with greater networking and data centre management capabilities.

VMware 'Workstation 14 Player' will introduce expanded capabilities designed for enterprises looking for a simple and streamlined solution for running corporate desktops on standard issue or bring your own (BYO) PCs.

"In today's hyper-connected world, security is critical and the advanced features available in the Workstation 14 product line will deliver a secure environment for users to perform their tasks," said Dave Grant, Vice President, Product Marketing, End-User Computing, Vmware.

VMware Workstation 14 Pro and VMware Workstation 14 Player are expected to be available in October for $249.99 and $149.99, respectively.
New Delhi, Aug 24 : The National Students Union of India (NSUI) on Thursday called for a 24-hour grievance cell to address issues during polling and more 'Democracy Walls' in the campus for the contestants to put up their campaign posters.

In a memorandum given to the Chief Election Officer (CEO), the students' wing of the Congress also asked him to allow students to cast their ballot by showing fee-slip and any identity proof, in case they do not have the college I-card.

"We demand a 24-hour grievance cell where one can complain any time during or in the run-up to the elections. Even last time, when a machine malfunctioned in Kirori Mal College, it took two hours for them to replace it," Akshay Lakra, a spokesperson of the party, told IANS.

The party also asked for extension of voting timings to accommodate students who come from far-flung areas.

"The morning shift should be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the evening shift should be from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. This will ensure good voter turnout thus lending greater legitimacy to the winners," the NSUI letter said.

As of now, the scheduled timing for casting ballot is 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m for morning college students and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m for evening college students.

It also asked for the presence of candidates during the counting of the votes to ensure that no discrepancy occurs in the results.

Democracy Wall is the place notified by the University where the parties are allowed to put up their posters.

Bound by Lyngdoh Committee guidelines, the parties are proscribed from pasting printed posters, use of spray or other paints for canvassing, and defacing university walls and other properties.

The election for Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) will be held on September 12.
New Delhi, Aug 24 : India and Nepal on Thursday agreed to boost cooperation in harnessing water resources, flood management and energy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba held delegation-level talks here.

"The two Prime Ministers welcomed the recent meeting of specialised committees in water resources, including the Joint Committee on Inundation and Flood Management, and the Joint Team of Experts," said a joint statement after the talks, adding both hoped that these meetings would enhance bilateral cooperation in the field.

According to the statement, both Modi and Deuba asked officials to finalise, within a month, the detailed project report on the 5,000 MW Pancheshwar multipurpose project, one of the largest in this part of the world.

Deuba also reiterated Nepal's commitment to address all pending issues on priority relating to the 900 MW Arun-3 and Upper Karnali hydropower projects, in accordance with the project development agreements.

Earlier in the day, jointly addressing the media with Deuba following the talks, Modi said that he was informed that the land dispute over the Arun-3 project has been resolved and expressed gratitude for being invited to lay its foundation stone.

The statement also said that India conveyed the finalisation of DPR for the construction of head regulator and link canal from Tanakpur barrage to the Nepal side, while Modi and Deuba agreed that the work to prepare the DPR for the Sapt-Kosi high dam and Sun-Kosi storage-cum-diversion scheme should be expedited.

"The two sides also agreed to strengthen coordination and consultation on the pressing matter of inundation and flood management in the border areas," the statement said, adding it was agreed to "take expeditious steps, including joint visits, to consider appropriate measures for sustainable solution".

The two Prime Ministers also appreciated the steps taken by both sides to enhance supply of power from India to Nepal, including operationalisation of Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar, Kataiya-Kusaha and Raxaul-Parwanipur cross-border transmission lines.

Modi and Deuba jointly remote launched the last two following Thursday's talks. Through these two new lines, each of 132 KV, India will supply 100 MW of power to Nepal in addition to the 350 MW already being supplied.

According to the statement, Deuba thanked Modi "for swift action by Indian entities" to install an additional transformer at Muzaffarpur sub-station for supplying additional power to Nepal from Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar transmission line.

It was also agreed that both sides will continue to take measures to operationalise all aspects of the Power Trade Agreement signed in 2014.
Thimphu (Bhutan), Aug 26 : Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Saturday slammed Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar for his government's failure to stop the widespread violence that broke out after the conviction of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case.

Tharoor said Khattar should be sacked if he doesn't resign in the wake of large-scale violence in his state that left 31 persons dead and 250 injured on Friday.

"Ultimately it is the Chief Minister and his cabinet who are responsible for law and order in their state. It is complete failure of the Khattar government and he should be sacked," Tharoor said.

"Where was Haryana government? How could they allow people to gather? Everybody could see that they were preparing for violence then why didn't the Haryana government impose Section 144 (of the CrPC) and control the situation. The management failed and the buck has to stop somewhere. Enough is enough," Tharoor said.

Tharoor told mediapersons here on the sidelines of Mountain Echoes Literary Festival, that Khattar has "completely failed and if he was not sacked it would send out a very bad message".

"You have a Chief Minister who has failed to maintain law and order..., there have been so many deaths, and if he is allowed to remain in his seat it will not augur well for our country," he said.

Earlier in the day, he addressed a session titled "Inglorious Empire" at Royal University of Bhutan as a part of the ongoing literature festival.

After a CBI court in Haryana's Panchkula town on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and sexual exploitation, his followers went berserk setting ablaze vehicles and damaging properties. Following which, the security forces opened fire to control the mob.
Chandigarh, Aug 26 : Army and paramilitary forces moved in to get the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters vacated near Sirsa town in Haryana on Saturday, a day after the sect chief was convicted of rape, sparking large-scale violence by his supporters.

There are still thousands of Dera followers inside the sect headquarters, around 260 km from here, sources said.

On Friday, tens of thousands of supporters of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh went on the rampage in Haryana and Punjab, to vent their anger against the court verdict.
Baghdad, Aug 26 : Iraqi security forces on Saturday liberated three neighbourhoods of Tal Afar city from the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

The federal police forces and paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units recaptured the neighbourhoods of Qadsiyah Oula, Qadsiyah Thaniyah and al-Rabie, Lt. Gen. Abdul-Amir Yarallah from the Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement.

The latest advance of the federal police brought the number of liberated neighbourhoods to 19, reports Xinhua news agency.

On August 20, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, also the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, declared the start of an operation to regain control of Tal Afar and nearby areas from IS militants.

Tal Afar, some 70 km west of Mosul, is the last IS stronghold in the province of Nineveh.

The International Organisation for Migration estimates that some 10,000 to 40,000 people are still living in the city.

There were between 1,500 and 2,000 IS militants left in Tal Afar.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) on Saturday urged the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to consider withdrawal of an advisory with regard to the proposed deportation of Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar.

The Advisory titled 'Identification of illegal migrants and monitoring thereof' was issued on August 8 which emphasises the detection and deportation of illegal migrants from Rakhine State i.e. Rohingyas.

The CHRI, in its statement, said the government's advisory on Rohingya Muslims "runs contrary" to India's constitutional and international commitments.

The CHRI mentioned that India was a state party to Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which upholds the right to life.

"Under the principle of non-refoulement, countries are under obligation not to send back refugees to their country of origin where circumstances of grave human rights violations prevail," CHRI's Director Sanjoy Hazarika said in the statement.

Madhurima Dhanuka, Coordinator, Prison Reforms Programme, CHRI, said that while countries had a right to expel foreigners under international law, to deport someone requires another country to acknowledge his/her citizenship.

"As Myanmar refuses to acknowledge Rohingya Muslims as citizens, it becomes impossible for the Indian government to deport them there, making the advisory infructuous," Dhanuka said.

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority of Myanmar who live in the western state of Rakhine. They do not find mention in that country's official listing of 135 ethnic communities, and are thus not recognised as citizens by Myanmar.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over the past years Myanmar military forces allegedly in connivance with extremist Buddhist groups have launched major crackdowns on Rohingya Muslims, driving over 74,000 refugees to seek shelter in Bangladesh by February this year.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Saturday demanded that Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar be "immediately sacked" for failing to protect the lives of innocent people.

The party also demanded dissolution of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

"Despite having knowledge and widespread apprehension of trouble and violence, the BJP government and the Chief Minister of Haryana did not take adequate preventive measures. This serious dereliction of duty by the state government created a situation of complete breakdown of law and order," the CPI-M Politburo said in a statement slamming the state government.

The CPI-M's remarks came a day after 31 people died in the violence that erupted in Haryana's Panchkula town after a CBI court convicted Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case.

Dera chief supporters went berserk and set vehicles ablaze and damaged properties in Panchkula.

Referring to media reports that Khattar and BJP MLAs had visited the "Godman" to seek his blessings, the CPI-M said: "It reflects the sympathetic manner in which the saffron party sought to deal with the situation."

The party also said that this was the third occasion when the BJP-led state government had failed to protect the lives of innocent people and public and private properties.

Citing the Haryana High Court directions to the state government to take all required measures, the CPI-M said that "it had expressed apprehensions due to the state government's track record in the past".

The party said: "Clearly the state government in Haryana has lost its authority to continue."

"The state government and the Chief Minister cannot remain in office. And Chief Minister Khattar must be immediately sacked," the CPI-M said.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Demand for the sacking of Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar grew on Saturday as the BJP came under severe attack from opposition parties for failure of its government in the state to prevent the widespread violence that claimed 31 lives after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in a rape case.

However, BJP sources indicated that the top party leadership was in no hurry to take action against Khattar and would like the situation to first "cool down". The issue could be discussed only after the situation normalises in the state, they said.

Stepping up the offensive, the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "saving" Khattar and demanded the sacking of the Chief Minister and imposition of President's rule in Haryana. The Bahujan Samaj Party dubbed the violence as "shameful surrender" of the Khattar government to votebank politics. The CPI-M also demanded sacking of the Chief Minister.

Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi at a press conference said the death toll figures reported "seems to be false, and it's higher". He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to "save his friend Khattar".

"You are seeing a naked dance of absolute violence, riots on the street," Singhvi said on the violence that took place in Haryana on Friday.

Singhvi said there was a failure on the part of the Centre as well as state government, adding that the "'nikammi sarkar' (useless government) should be suspended".

"It is unprecedented that a situation like this came with a notice of seven days, but both the Haryana and the central governments remained mute, impotent spectators," Singhvi said.

Another Congress leader Shashi Tharoor slammed Khattar and said he should be sacked if he doesn't resign.

"Ultimately it is the Chief Minister and his cabinet who are responsible for law and order in their state. It is complete failure of the Khattar government and he should be sacked," Tharoor said.

"You have a Chief Minister who has failed to maintain law and order..., there have been so many deaths, and if he is allowed to remain in his seat it will not augur well for our country," he said.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist said in a statement that Khattar should be "immediately sacked" for failing to protect the lives of innocent people and demanded dissolution of the BJP government in the state.

"Despite having knowledge and widespread apprehension of trouble and violence, the BJP government and the Chief Minister of Haryana did not take adequate preventive measures. This serious dereliction of duty by the state government created a situation of complete breakdown of law and order," the CPI-M Politburo said in a statement.

"Clearly the state government in Haryana has lost its authority to continue. The state government and the Chief Minister cannot remain in office. Chief Minister Khattar must be immediately sacked," the party demanded.

BSP Chief Mayawati said there was a criminal negligence on the part of the government and vote bank politics of the BJP led to the mayhem in Haryana.

"The Khattar government should be immediately dismissed. It has failed to protect its people from large-scale violence after the conviction of the Dera Sacha Sauda chief on rape charges," Mayawati said.

"This kind of shameful surrender for politics of vote needs to be condemned by all," she added.

Violence during the Jat agitation in February in the state last year had left 30 people dead and over 200 injured, while government and private property worth hundreds of crores was damaged.
Baghdad, Aug 27 : Iraq's Foreign Minister said on Saturday that 70 per cent of the city of Tel Afar in northern Iraq had been recaptured from militants of the Islamic State.

Tel Afar, located about 70 km west of the recently liberated city of Mosul, is the groups last bastion in northern Iraq, Efe reported.

Ibrahim al-Jaafari made his remarks at a joint press conference with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and French Defence Minister Florence Parly.

Le Drian and Parly are currently on a visit to the Arab country to tackle the fight against the IS.

The French ministers are scheduled to meet later on the day with Iraqi President Fouad Massoum and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

Le Drian stressed his country's support for Iraq, both in peace and war.

Parly congratulated Iraqi forces on the great victory over IS militants in Mosul, stressing that Paris backs Baghdad through either the former's contribution to the United States-led international coalition or bilateral cooperation.

Last week, al-Abadi announced the launch of a ground offensive against the IS in Tel Afar, following the militants' defeat in its key stronghold of Mosul in July.
New York, Aug 27 : The top US official overseeing South Asia diplomacy will visit Islamabad this week following US President Donald Trump's stern warning to Pakistan against harbouring terrorists.

Alice Wells, who is the Acting Assistant Secretary of State in-charge of South and Central Asia, will meet Pakistani officials during her visit, the State Department announced on Saturday.

She will be the first high-level official to visit Pakistan after Trump's speech last week, issuing to Islamabad the bluntest warning so far by a US President that "it has much to lose by continuing to harbour terrorists".

This is the second trip to Islamabad this month by Wells, who is also the Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

During her first visit Wells met Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar in Islamabad. She also visited New Delhi during that trip, although she is skipping India this time.

Wells will visit Dhaka and Colombo during the journey starting on Monday.

On Friday, she is scheduled to speak at the Indian Ocean Conference in Colombo.

India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is the Vice-Chair of the organising committee of the conference. According to the meeting's brochure, Swaraj and Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar have been invited to speak at the conference.

Their participation could facilitate meeting with Wells on the sidelines.

Trump has asked for India's help in Afghanistan and said that "critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to further develop its strategic partnership with India".

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and several leaders and officials from the Indian Ocean region will attend the conference organised by the India Foundation.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in)
Chandigarh, Aug 27 : Did the security personnel attached to rape convict and Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh attempt to help him escape from the court complex immediately after his was convicted on Friday?

Haryana Police sources say a definite attempt was made by the sect chief's security personnel, who themselves were from Haryana Police and also included private commandos, to help him flee in his private vehicle.

"The attempt was made by his security personnel to take him away in his vehicle, along with his Z-plus security, from the court complex. They could have taken him to his thousands of followers who had gathered about one kilometre from the court complex after which it would have become very tough for the security forces to arrest him without causing several fatalities," a Haryana Police officer told IANS.

Some Haryana Police officers and paramilitary force personnel inside the court complex in Sector 1 of Panchkula immediately sensed the situation and took the disgraced sect chief into custody after a scuffle with his security personnel who numbered seven to eight.

Ram Rahim Singh's security personnel, including Haryana Police and private commandos, were detained in a separate room immediately and later booked for attempt to murder, sedition and trying to prevent police officials from performing their duty.

All the security personnel were later arrested and have been sent on a seven-day police remand.

The officer, who was witness to events inside the court complex, said the sect chief's security personnel also tried to stop the security agencies from taking away the convicted godman in the police vehicle by lying down in front of the vehicle. They were removed.

They also tried to block the way of the police vehicle carrying the sect chief with a security jammer vehicle of the police but were stopped from doing so.

The seven security personnel of the sect chief booked include Assistant Sub-Inspector Krishan Das, Head Constables Ajay, Ram Singh and Vijay Singh, Constable Balwan Singh (all from Haryana Police) and private security guards Pritam Singh and Sukhbir.

Police officials said the police team attached in the security of the sect chief had become his followers and indebted to him to such an extent that they allegedly assaulted their own senior officers and tried to free the self-styled godman.

On August 25, CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh held the Dera chief, who has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana, guilty of raping and sexually exploiting two female disciples in 2002.

At least 36 people died in the violence following the conviction of the Dera chief. Of these, 30 died in Panchkula and in Sirsa town. Over 250 people were injured in the violence.

The sect chief was later shifted to a prison near Rohtak town, about 70 km from Delhi.

The quantum of punishment in the case will be pronounced on Monday at a special court being set up in the prison premises in Rohtak. The judge will be flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.
Chandigarh, Aug 27 : Haryana Police on Sunday said tight security was in place ahead of the pronouncement of the quantum of sentence for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, adding that the Army was asked to remain on standby in Rohtak.

"Curfew now remains enforced in Sirsa only," Director General of Police B.S. Sandhu said.

He said the priority for now was to secure Rohtak since the court judgement on the quantum of punishment would be delivered in the jail premises there.

"Our priority for now is the court hearing, to keep that place safe and secure. Sufficient security arrangements have been made. The Army has also been requisitioned and asked to be on standby," said Sandhu.

"We hope the court proceedings will be conducted without problem and peace maintained. But if there is any disturbance, or hooliganism, we are ready to deal with it," he said.

ADG (Law and Order) Muhammad Akil said he had toured the jail area in Rohtak where the sentence will be handed out, and expressed satisfaction with the arrangements.

"The security arrangements are in place. If any incident takes place, we will take action as per the demand of the situation," he said.

At present, 12 Army columns each have been deployed in Sirsa and Panchkula in Haryana, and two columns each in Mansa and Muktsar in Punjab.

On August 25, CBI Special Judge Jagdeep Singh held the Dera sect head, who has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana, guilty of rape of two female disciples and in 2002 and criminal intimidation.

As many as 36 persons were killed and over 250 others injured in violence that erupted after the conviction.

The sect chief was shifted to a prison near Rohtak, about 70 km from Delhi, under heavy security.

The quantum of punishment in the case will be pronounced on Monday at a special court being set up in the prison premises in Rohtak.

The judge will be flown to Rohtak for announcing the sentence.
New Delhi, Aug 27 : After a dull start in the wake of violence following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and sudden showers on Saturday, the Delhi Book Fair saw a large number of book lovers of the national capital turning up to the event on Sunday.

With the theme "Padhe Bharat, Badhe Bharat" (India reads, India grows), the Delhi Book Fair -- organised by the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) in association with the the Federation of Indian Publishers -- entered its 23rd edition.

Held at Pragati Maidan, the fair has been spread over two halls -- one dedicated to stationery items while the other has book stalls.

"Our focus this year is more on study books and syllabus guide materials. However, there are many stalls with story books as well," Pradip Chhabra, Organiser, Delhi Book Fair, told IANS.

Visitor Priyanka Bagaria, who came along with her son Granth, a student of class eight in Blue Bells Public School, said the availability of many books under one roof is a major reason for visiting the fair.

"Visiting Daryaganj is always not possible. Here I got rather more variety of study material and that too with more discount," Bagaria observed.

Like her, Ashish Aggarwal, a resident of Noida who was visiting Delhi Book Fair for the first time, said the lack of good bookstores in Noida drew him to the event.

"There aren't many book shops in Noida. Here I got many books which are not easily available in the market, especially some old books related to General Knowledge and communication skills improvement," Aggarwal said.

This year, the fair is providing a unique platform for business-to-business transactions, establishing new contacts, entering into co-publishing arrangements, translation and copyright arrangements, and reprinting of old and rare books, apart from providing retailing opportunities.

It will also host conferences and seminars, buyer-seller meets, book releases, discussions, literary activities for children and meet-the-author events.

The Delhi Book Fair will conclude on September 3.
Chandigarh, Aug 28 : Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will be sentenced on Monday at 2.30 p.m. at a special court near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The quantum of sentence will be done in a court being specially set up inside the District Jail premises in Sunaria near Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, where Ram Rahim was brought and lodged after his conviction.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, will be flown to Rohtak on Monday for announcing the sentence.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years respectively.

The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, has been completely cordoned off by security forces, including para-military forces and Haryana Police. The Army has been kept on stand-by.

No movement of people, other than those authorized, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

"We are fully prepared for any situation. The Army has been kept on stand-by," Haryana Director General of police (DGP) B.S. Sandhu said.

Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) Navdeep Singh Virk said that 28 companies of para-military forces, along with Haryana Police, have been deployed in Rohtak.

Security forces were on high alert again on Monday in Haryana and Punjab as both states braced for the announcement of quantum of punishment to the disgraced sect chief.

Curfew was reimposed in Haryana's Sirsa town, where the sect's headquarters are located, on Sunday. The curfew will continue on Monday.

The sect has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana.
Rome, Aug 28 : Seven climbers fell to their deaths in two separate incidents in the Austrian and Italian Alps, officials said.

The two incidents took place on Sunday.

Five of the climbers died in the Austrian Alps, Zell am See provincial government chief Martin Reichholf told CNN.

Reichholf said there were indications that the climbers were German citizens, adding that details were still emerging.

The climbers in Austria fell around 300 metres onto a glacier near the town of Krimml, according to Egbert Ritter, a trauma surgeon in a Salzburg hospital.

A sixth climber -- a 60-year-old man -- is in intensive care at the hospital, but his injuries are not life-threatening, Ritter told CNN.

In Italy, a man and woman who appear to be in their mid-30s were killed as they climbed the Adamello glacier in the the Trentino Alto Adige region, according to the emergency rescue centre in the town of Trento.

They were part of a group of nine Italians from the city of Brescia. The climbers were connected by three ropes. They fell when those on the lowest rope slipped on the glacier, dragging down others higher up the slope, reports CNN.

Two other climbers were seriously injured, including a 14-year-old boy who is being treated in Trento hospital.

Three helicopters were used to rescue the group, officials said.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Bobby Deol became an overnight star with his debut film "Barsaat" in 1995, but his stardom faded gradually with Bollywood placing its bets on a new crop of actors and experimenting with different stories. The actor says everyone goes through ups and downs, and that he doesn't want to spend his time thinking about the past.

At the moment, Bobby is in a very "happy phase" and is not afraid of failures. He says his fans still want to see him on the silver screen and so he is eager to move forward on a positive note.

"After my last film, I was just not interested in subjects that were offered to me. I didn't want to pick anything, and my last film didn't do well. So, I was just waiting for something nice to come my way. I was trying to work on myself, improve myself and reinvent myself," Bobby told IANS in a candid chat over the phone from Mumbai.

"Reinventing is just a term used in our industry. It is basically getting oneself in the right frame of mind and being positive and then just trying to move forward," he added.

After the failure of "Yamla Pagla Deewana 2", Bobby had a guest appearance in "Singh Saab the Great" in 2013.

The mention of his break from the silver screen makes Bobby reflect on how he fought his battles.

"Between this, I went through a phase where I was totally disappointed, low in life with nothing going my way. I fought those battles and came out of it. I don't look back at all that negativity and the low phase of my life. I am happy just thinking that things will work.

"I have 'Poster Boys' and I am doing 'Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se'. So, things are moving forward and one has to be positive," he added.

Bobby will be back on the big screen after almost four years with "Poster Boys", scheduled for release on September 8.

"Poster Boys", which also stars Sunny Deol and Shreyas Talpade, is a story of three men who are shocked to find their photos being used as part of a vasectomy campaign. The film is produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions, Sunny Sounds Pvt Ltd, actor Shreyas Talpade and his wife Deepti Talpade.

The actor said: "I know that people still love me and still want to see me in movies. It requires me to move forward. You never know which is the right movie. You just have to look for the subject and work."

After a successful debut, the son of veteran actor Dharmendra experimented with his craft, and picked varied projects -- from love stories to thrillers to hard core action films.

He got noticed for "Gupt: The Hidden Truth", "...Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya", "Soldier", "Kareeb" and "Badal". Bobby's career slowed down with duds like "Chor Machaaye Shor", "Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo", "Tango Charlie", "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom", "Kranti", "Bardaasht" and "Jurm".

His fast-fading career got a new lease of life after hitting the jackpot with "Yamla Pagla Deewana" in 2011. But he couldn't continue the successful steak, courtesy films like "Thank You" and "Players".

The father of two said setbacks make one stronger.

"I cannot be philosophical about it or anything. I am just saying that everybody goes through ups and downs. You have to be brave enough to face them and fight it... No one around you can help you unless you help yourself. That makes you stronger."

The "Apne" actor also said that he wished he was "more positive and more focused in my life earlier" than he is at present.

"I wish I was like that but I can't change that. I don't want to cry about how I was and how I should I have been."

At the moment, he wants to work in good movies.

"I want to work every day of my life. My ambition in life is to always keep moving and for that you really have to work hard and look after yourself."

"I am in a very happy phase in my life in my mind. Even if I have failures when I work, it won't push me back like it used to earlier, because I just want to move forward and my ambition in life is to just keep moving forward," Bobby concluded.

(Sugandha Rawal can be contacted at sugandha.r@ians.in)
Shanghai, Aug 28 : A Shanghai tech firm was fined for making emoticons based on "comfort women", police said on Monday.

Shanghai Siyanhui Technology Co., Ltd. was fined 15,000 yuan ($2,255) and ordered to suspend operations for two months for making the emoticons which appeared on the internet on August 18, reports Xinhua news agency.

The emoticons were screen grabs of "Twenty Two", a documentary about 22 comfort women, a euphemism used for girls and women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese during World War II.

The company apologised for hurting public sentiments.

Some 400,000 women across Asia were forced to be comfort women for the Japanese army during the war, nearly half of them Chinese, according to the Research Centre for Comfort Women at the Shanghai Normal University.

Only 14 comfort women are still alive on the Chinese mainland.
Seoul, Aug 28 : Samsung group's heir Lee Jae-yong filed for an appeal on Monday, three days after he was sentenced to five years in jail for bribery and embezzlement in a corruption case that led to the ouster of former South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

His attorney, Kim Jong-hoon, submitted the appeal to the Seoul Central District Court against the ruling that dealt a blow to the image of the South Korean electronics giant, reports Yonhap News Agency.

On Friday, the court handed down the verdict, convicting Lee of involvement in Samsung's provision of 7.2 billion won ($6.38 million) in bribes for the equestrian training of the daughter of Park's long time friend and confidante Choi Soon-sil.

After the sentencing, Lee's attorneys said they cannot accept the verdict, saying they were confident that the heir would be cleared of all charges at an appeals court.

The first hearing for the appeals trial is expected to be held next month.

Prosecutors had demanded a 12-year jail term for him on charges of offering or pledging 43.3 billion won of bribes to win the government's approval for a merger of two Samsung units under terms designed to increase his control over the entire empire so as to cement a power transfer from his ailing father Lee Kun-hee.

Also on Monday, the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics urged employees to do their best to deal with the situation.

"We all need to gather power and wisdom to overcome the unprecedented challenge," Kwon Oh-hyun said in an official statement.

Kwon said that "the business situations at home and abroad are too harsh for us to be mired in shock and confusion."
Beijing, Aug 28 : China and Russia are set to sign a milestone agreement on joint space exploration from 2018 to 2022, the media reported on Monday.

The deal is expected to be signed in October and will bring significant benefits to both nations, particularly in manned and future missions to the moon, the People's Daily reported.

The bilateral agreement will cover five areas including lunar and deep space exploration, developing special materials, collaboration in the area of satellite systems, Earth remote sensing, and space debris research, according to informed sources.

This is not the first space agreement between China and Russia, but it is the first to cover a partnership spanning five years.

China also plans to launch a mission to collect samples from the moon to the Earth, and in 2018 Beijing is expected to launch the first module of its own space station, scheduled to be completed in 2022, reports Efe news.

In 2020, China plans to send a mission to Mars with a robot vehicle for scientific research, and last year inaugurated the world's largest radio telescope, half a kilometre in diameter.
Beijing, Aug 28 : China on Monday said that India has withdrawn its troops from Doklam but Chinese troops will "remain in the region" and exercise their "sovereignty over the region".

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that Chinese border troops will "continue to patrol in Donglong", which India refers to as Doklam, in the Sikkim sector.

"On the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all the Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hu Chunying said.

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions," she added.

Asked if the disengagement was from both sides, Hua repeated the same statement.

China's statement is in contrast to India stating on Monday that both countries have agreed to "disengage" in Doklam where their armies have been on a standoff since the middle of June, sharply escalating tensions.

India's Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said that during bilateral communications, "we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests".

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to, and is ongoing," India said.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : President of the Swiss Confederation Doris Leuthard will come on a three-day state visit to India from August 30 in what will be just the fourth visit by a Swiss President to India, the External Affairs Ministry said on Monday.

"The Swiss President will be accompanied by senior government officials and a large business delegation of leading Swiss companies," the ministry said in a statement.

Leuthard will meet President Ram Nath Kovind and hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other ministers will also call on the visiting dignitary.

Switzerland is the seventh largest trading partner for India with the total bilateral trade including merchandise exports, bullion and IT services and software exports, amounting to $18.2 billion in 2016-17.

Bilateral trade has a share of 2.76 per cent in India's total global trade and has shown a mixed trend due to the global economic slowdown.

From April 2000 to September 2016, Switzerland invested approximately $3.57 billion in India, thus becoming the 11th largest investor and accounting for about 1.2 per cent of total foreign direct investment (FDI) in India during this period.

About 100 Indian companies have invested about $1.42 billion between 2013-14 and 2015-16 in Switzerland, placing it among the top five European investment destinations and top 10 places globally for Indian investors.

Major Indian IT companies including TCS, Infosys and Tech Mahindra have their offices in that country and provide services to major Swiss pharmaceutical companies, banks and insurance firms.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Switzerland in June 2016 in what was the first prime ministerial visit from India in several decades.

During the course of that visit, Switzerland expressed support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The issue of black money parked by Indians in Swiss banks also came up for discussion.

Swiss Presidents have earlier visited India in 1998, 2003 and 2007.
Washington, Aug 28 : Catastrophic and life-threatening flooding continued in Texas, forcing residents of the US city to flee their homes in anticipation of several more days of "unprecedented" rainfall.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Houston and an ever-expanding swath of cities and towns in the region remained under siege on Monday morning by torrential rain and surging floodwaters, the Washington Post reported.

Some areas were deluged with more than 30 inches of rainfall in the last 72 hours, according to the latest figures from the National Weather Service (NWS). The worst hit area was Berry B Forest Oaks in Harris County.

The NWS said conditions are "unprecedented". A "flash flood emergency" was in force across the Houston area, with travel near impossible. Thousands of homes were without electricity, many schools were closed along with the two main airports, with runways completely flooded.

Five people were reported dead and dozens injured in the hurricane. Helicopters plucked victims from rooftops. The US Coast Guard's Captain Kevin Odditt said 19 Coast Guard helicopters were involved in relief efforts.

About 3,000 national and state guard members were activated in Texas and the Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed more than 1,800 staff.

Harvey made landfall as a category-four hurricane late on Friday. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

Up to 2,000 people had been rescued on Sunday in and around Houston, the fourth-largest city in the US, housing 6.6 million people.

Authorities ordered more than 50,000 people to leave parts of Fort Bend County, about 35 miles southwest of Houston, as the Brazos River was set to crest at a record high of 59 feet this week, 14 feet above its flood stage, CNN reported.

Over the next few days the storm was forecast to head back into the Gulf of Mexico, where it would pick up moisture before moving back over Galveston and into Houston again, CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis said, indicating at least four more days of rain.

The National Weather Service issued flood watches and warnings from near San Antonio to New Orleans, an area home to more than 13 million people.

Curfews were introduced on Sunday in the cities of Alvin, Friendswood, League City, Pasadena, Pearland, Seabrook and Webster. US President Donald Trump plans to go to Texas on Tuesday to survey damage from the storm.

Meanwhile, the US military released water from two major reservoirs earlier than planned to protect central Houston, a move that could itself flood several thousands homes. Residents nearby were told to evacuate in case of danger.

The damage bill of Hurricane Harvey is already drawing comparisons to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused $108 billion of losses (including $80 billion of insured losses).
Rohtak (Haryana), Aug 28 : Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 10 years jail for the rape and sexual exploitation of two female disciples.

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who announced the sentence, had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999.

The Dera chief was flown to Rohtak jail on Friday after the conviction. The sentencing was announced inside the jail premises by the CBI special judge.
Tehran, Aug 28 : US technology firm Nvidia Corporation has continued to block Iranian internet users from accessing its website, the authorities said on Monday.

The software download page of Nvidia.com does not allow Iranian IP addresses to access updated software. The site now says "403 -- Forbidden", reports Xinhua news agency.

Another Nvidia website, geforce.com, has also blocked Iranian users. That website says "access denied" followed by a message saying "the request was blocked by security rules".

When users contacted the company's online customer service to ask why they were suddenly banned, Nvidia responded that "we regret to inform you that Geforce NOW and Geforce Experience is not available in embargoed nations".

Prior to Tehran's international nuclear deal in 2015, several software companies in the US and Europe blocked Iranians from accessing downloads.

Nvidia's measure comes just days after Apple began removing Iranian applications from its iOS application store.

on August 23, Apple removed Snapp, a ride-hailing app similar to Uber that is popular in Iran, from its app stores. it was followed by the removal in recent weeks of apps for food delivery, shopping and other services.

In a message to Iranian developers whose apps were affected by the ban, Apple said: "Under the U.S. sanctions regulations, the app store cannot host, distribute or do business with apps or developers connected to certain US embargoed countries."

In response, Iran's minister of telecommunication and information technology has said that his country would legally sue the decision by Apple for removing the apps.

Apple holds 11 per cent share of the Iranian cellphone market.
Ranchi, Aug 28 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Monday issued notice to the Jharkhand government on thr deaths of 52 children in 30 days at a government-run medical college in Jamshedpur.

The local media reported 61 deaths at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College (MGM) in Jamshedpur, which falls in Chief Minister Raghubar Das' constituency, from July 1 to August 27.

The NHRC has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report that weeks after a controversy erupted over the Gorakhpur tragedy, 52 infants have now been reported dead in Jharkhand, it said in a statement.

"According to the reports, the infants have died in a span of 30 days and the hospital Superintendent has reportedly blamed malnutrition for the deaths," it said.

The Commission observed that "painful deaths" of children and infants, in such a large number, is a matter of concern and issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Jharkhand, calling for a report within six weeks.

It has also asked the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry to take immediate action by way of issuance of suitable directions to all the states and union territories so that due to any negligence, such tragic deaths do not take place in any hospital in the country.

It may be recalled that the NHRC had recently taken cognizance of two similar incidents.

One occurred in Uttar Pradesh's Gorakhpur district, where more than 60 children and infants died at BRD Medical College, and another was reported from Chhattisgarh, where four infants died due to negligence by the oxygen plant operator at Ambedkar Hospital.

The reports are awaited in both the incidents.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Ruling parties on Monday won the assembly bypolls with the BJP retaining both seats in Goa while AAP retained the Bawana seat in Delhi by defeating the BJP by a huge margin and the TDP snatching the Nandyal seat from YSR Congress in Andhra Pradesh.

In Goa, where BJP retained power in the Aseembly earlier this year, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar won from Panaji with a margin of 4,803 votes while Health Minister Vishwajit Rane won the Valpoi seat with a margin of 10,066 votes. Parrikar, who was Defence Minister at the Centre, was despatched to Goa amidst government formation in the state. Parrikar said he would resign his seat in the Rajya Sabha shortly.

Winning the seat for the sixth time from Panaji, Parrikar polled 9,862 votes beating his nearest rival Congress' Girish Chodankar, who netted 5,059 votes. Anand Shirodkar of the Goa Suraksha Manch came a distant third with 220 votes.

In Valpoi, the winning BJP candidate Rane got 16,167 votes, while his rival from the Congress, Roy Naik netted 6,101 votes.

"I was expecting to win," Parrikar told reporters after the victory.

Chodankar said he may have lost the polls, but he was touched by the manner in which Panaji voters had interacted with him.

Nearly 75 per cent voting was recorded during the August 23 bypolls in Goa.

The bypoll in Panaji was necessitated by the resignation of sitting BJP MLA Sidarth Kuncolienkar to enable Parrikar contest the seat as required under law to become an MLA in six months of taking over as chief minister.

In Valpoi, the bypoll was held following the resignation of Rane as a Congress MLA. He subsequently joined the BJP and joined the cabinet as Health Minister.

In Delhi, the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) retained the Bawana seat by winning the bypoll with a margin of over 24,000 votes, defeating former party legislator Ved Prakash, who had defected to the BJP amd resigned the seat causing the by election.

AAP candidate Ram Chandra got 59,886 votes against 35,834 votes of the BJP's Ved Prakash. Congress candidate Surender Kumar finished third with 31,919 votes.

The AAP candidate received 45.39 per cent of the total votes cast, while the BJP and Congress candidates got 27.16 and 24.19 per cent of the remaining votes.

Andhra Pradesh's ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) snatched the Nandyal Assembly seat by defeating YSR candidate with a huge margin.

TDP's Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy defeated his nearest rival Silpa Mohan Reddy of YSR Congress party by over 27,000 votes. Brahmananda Reddy polled 97,076 votes while Silpa Mohan Reddy secured 69,610 votes. The Congress finished far behind with just 1,382 votes.

In what was considered a prestige battle for both the parties, Brahmananda Reddy took the lead from the very first round of counting. Except in the 16th round, the TDP candidate maintained the majority till the completion of counting in 19 rounds.

About 80 per cent of the 2.16 lakh voters had cast their votes in the bypoll held on August 23.

In 2014, Bhuma Nagi Reddy of the YSR Congress had won the seat by a majority of just 3,604 votes over Silpa Mohan Reddy, who had then contested as a TDP candidate. Nagi Reddy, who crossed over to the TDP last year, died in April, causing the vacancy.
Rohtak (Haryana), Aug 28 : Rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 10 years jail for the rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples.

The quantum of sentence was announced by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh at a specially set up court inside the library of the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The CBI judge had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The complaint in the case was filed in 2002.

While the defence (sect) counsel had argued for minimum punishment for the disgraced sect chief saying that he was a social worker and had health issues, the prosecution side (CBI counsel) sought maximum punishment for the rape convict given his conduct.

There was drama inside the special court near Rohtak as the convicted sect chief broke down and pleaded with folded hands before the judge.

After the sentence was announced, Ram Rahim sat down on the floor and wept. He was taken away by jail wardens.

Ram Rahim was immediately medically examined by doctors and found to be fine.

Earlier, the judge was specially flown to Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, on Monday for announcing the sentence at the special court.

Ram Rahim was brought and lodged in the jail (Prisoner No. 1997) here after his conviction by the CBI court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Friday.

There were reports of fresh violence in Sirsa town, 260 km from here, on Monday afternoon. Two vehicles were set on fire by Dera followers, sources said.

To keep Dera followers, who had indulged in large-scale violence in Panchkula on Friday after he was convicted, in check, authorities in Haryana on Monday issued shoot-at-sight orders in and around the District Jail at Sunaria.

Thirty-eight people were killed and 264 others were injured in the violence in Panchkula and Sirsa towns in Haryana.
Abu Dhabi, Aug 28 : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan on Monday ordered the release of 803 prisoners on the upcoming Islamic festival Eid Al-Adha.

Sheikh Khalifa pledged to settle the financial obligations of the released prisoners, reports Xinhua.

The pardon comes within the framework of the keenness of the UAE president to give the pardoned prisoners a chance to start a new life, and alleviate the suffering of their families, sources said.

Eid Al-Adha will be observed from Thursday until Sunday.

Heads of state and monarchs in the Arab world regularly pardon prisoners on the occasion of Islamic feasts.
Seoul, Aug 28 : Samsung Electronics is having a hard time setting prices for its newly showcased phablet Galaxy Note 8 as the South Korean government is pushing to cut down telecom costs, industry sources said on Monday.

Last week Samsung showcased the 6.3-inch Galaxy Note 8 with a dual-camera and improved stylus features.

Pre-orders are expected to start September 7 in Seoul, with the official release slated for September 15.

Industry watchers earlier expected the local price tag will hover above 1 million won ($892), Yonhap news agency reported.

The price of the 64GB Galaxy Note 8 in the US, already available for preorder, stands at $929. The price is even higher in European countries, industry sources were quoted as saying.

The Galaxy S8+ launched earlier this year came with a price tag of 990,000 won. Industry watchers said a lower price of the Galaxy Note 8 will adversely impact the sales of the Galaxy S8 models.

The new South Korean government is also pushing to cut telecom costs for households, giving smaller leeway to local tech giants to release pricy smartphones.
Panaji, Aug 28 : The BJP in Goa on Monday won the Panaji and Valpoi seats in the assembly bypolls, with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar claiming that the two comfortable victories had not only strengthened his government but were also a popular endorsement of the move to snatch power from the numerically superior Congress.

Parrikar won with a margin of 4,803 votes, defeating his nearest rival Congress' Girish Chodankar.

Earlier in the day, the mood in the BJP camp was rapturous after Parrikar and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane won the bypolls in Panaji and Valpoi respectively, the latter with a sizeable margin of 10,066 votes.

While Parrikar polled 9,862 votes, Chodankar netted 5,059 votes. Anand Shirodkar of the Goa Suraksha Manch came a distant third with 220 votes.

"There was no stress on the government, but obviously numbers count in democracy and governance. So now it is 14 plus three plus three plus three. So it is 23 strong and the government's moral strength has increased because of a strong result. The government is now endorsed by the people of the state," Parrikar said, claiming that Congress' charge that the BJP had "stolen" the mandate in the February 2017 assembly polls were untrue.

The Congress had won 17 seats in the February assembly polls, as compared to 12 by the BJP, but swift manoeuvring enabled the BJP to stake claim to power by aligning with Goa Forward, Maharshtrawadi Gomantak Party and Independent MLAs.

Chodankar said he may have lost the polls, but he was touched by the manner in which Panaji voters had interacted with him.

"I may have lost numerically, but residents of Panaji have given me a lot of love," Chodankar told reporters here. State Congress president Shantaram Naik said that the BJP won the bypolls through "electoral terrorism".

Rane, who won 16,167 votes, beat Congress' Roy Naik by 10,066 votes.

The bypoll in Panaji was necessitated after former Defence Minister Parrikar's return to state politics in March as Chief Minister.

Sitting BJP MLA Sidarth Kuncolienkar resigned from the Panaji seat, enabling the four-time Chief Minister and five-time Panaji MLA to contest for the state's capital constituency.

In Valpoi, the bypolls were held following the resignation of Rane as a Congress MLA. He subsequently joined the BJP and joined the cabinet as Health Minister.

Speaking to reporters after his victory, Parrikar said, that both he and Rane had to battle an oppressive and divisive campaign by the Opposition, which he alleged was hand-in-glove with a Church backed organisation.

"All methods were tried, legal, media, social media and bad publicity. Even to the extent that two days before elections, some organisation released an untrue fact-finding report. I am calling it untrue, because you will realise why in the coming days, because government goes by the police investigation..." Parrikar said, without naming the Goa Church or the Council for Social Justice and Peace, a Church-backed social organisation which had released the fact-finding report to the media two days before the bypolls.

"People of Goa are harmonious vis-a-vis all religions. During Ganesh Chaturthi, all Catholics and Muslims visit us and we also visit them during Christmas. I condemn the fact that it was for the first time, that our opponents tried to create differences. But the people of Goa taught them a lesson... Such forces will try to divide people. We will have to be alert," Parrikar also said, while commenting on the report which has been co-authored by Mumbai-based Centre for Study of Society and Secularism.

The report demanded a court-monitored probe in the mass desecrations and was critical of police and state administration. Earlier, a Church-run pastoral magazine, had likened contemporary India to Nazi Germany, while imploring Catholics to vote against communalism in the by-polls.
Baghdad, Aug 28 : At least 13 people were killed and 25 others were wounded on Monday in a car bomb that went off near a building belonging to Iraq's Ministry of Electricity in eastern Baghdad, officials said.

The Islamic State terror organisation claimed responsibility for the explosion that took place at Jamila wholesale market in Baghdad's Shia district of Sadr city, Efe news reported.

Many nearby shops and stalls were destroyed and several civilian cars were damaged by the blast, reports said.

The blast came a day after Iraqi security forces recaptured a majority of Tal Afar city, located about 70 km west of the recently-liberated city of Mosul, from IS militants.

Commander Abdul Amir Yarallah said that troops recaptured al-Askari and al-Sinaa al-Shamaliya districts as well as the city's port and trade fair area, one week after an operation began to drive the IS militants out of the city.

He added the 15th and 16th Army brigades were advancing toward al-Ayadiya, the last town in Tal Afar still under the control of the militants.
Vatican City, Aug 28 : Pope Francis is slated to visit Myanmar and Bangladesh between November 27 and December 2, where the Rohingya Muslim minority is suffering extreme persecution, the Vatican press office said on Monday.

The Pope will be in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar from November 27 to 30, before visiting Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, where he will conclude the trip on December 2, Efe news reported.

The Pope's first visit to Myanmar, which is also the first papal visit to the country, comes at a time of worsening conflict and clashes in the state of Rakhine.

In May, the Pontiff received the de facto head of the Myanmar government and Nobel laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, at the Vatican, in a meeting that also marked the beginning of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Pope Francis' visit to Bangladesh will be the second papal visit after John Paul II in 1986.

Bangladesh is a Muslim-majority country, while Myanmar is dominantly Buddhist, with Christians occupying a very small percentage of the population.

Archbishop of Dhaka, Patrick D'Rozario, and Archbishop of Yangon, Charles Bo, were made the first two cardinals in the history of the two countries.

The motto of the Bangladesh trip is "Harmony and Peace", while that of Myanmar is "Love and Peace", the Vatican said.

In addition to advocating for inter-religious dialogue, Pope Francis will pay attention to the Rohingyas' plight in Myanmar as they are considered illegal immigrants and face multiple restrictions, including freedom of movement.

More than a million Rohingyas live in Rakhine state where an outbreak of sectarian violence in 2012 left at least 160 dead and some 120,000 confined in 67 camps for displaced people.
New Delhi/Beijing, Aug 28 : India and China ended their 75-day-long tense standoff in Doklam with both agreeing to withdraw troops from the disputed region ahead of next week's BRICS summit in China which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend.

However, the announcement of the disengagement by India, and later confirmed by China, was marked by drama, with Beijing claiming that while Indian troops had withdrawn Chinese troops would continue to patrol the area in the tri-junction with Bhutan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that China is pleased over India's withdrawal but stated that Chinese troops will "remain in the region" and exercise their "sovereignty over the region".

In an apparent bid to rebut the Chinese claim, the Ministry of External Affairs took the extraordinary step of issuing a second press statement in the evening asserting in effect that both sides were withdrawing troops and the process was almost complete.

The MEA evening statement said that following its announcement that India and China have agreed to pull out their troops from Doklam "This process has since been almost completed under verification".

It added that India has always maintained that differences on boundary issues can only be resolved through diplomatic channels.

The statement said that in June in Astana, India and China had agreed that "differences should not be allowed to become disputes". "We look forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side on this basis".

Simultaneous withdrawal of troops was demanded by India, with External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj making it clear in Parliament last month that the two countries should withdraw troops for any meaningful discussion.

There were also reports that the Chinese side had stopped its road construction activity in Doklam that was the trigger for the standoff that began on June 16 when Indian troops stopped a People's Liberation Army contingent from building a road there.

The simultaneous withdrawal means that status quo has been restored in the area, sources said. "India never had a problem with China patrolling the area, neither has India any claim on the territory. The Chinese statement indicates that the status-quo will be restored," a government source said.

On Monday morning, the External Affairs Ministry broke the news of disengagement. "In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests".

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to, and is ongoing."

Indian Army sources said that the process of "disengagement" of its troops had begun, with the Chinese side also withdrawing its soldiers.

The withdrawal of Indian troops from the standoff point started around noon on Monday.

Around 350-400 Indian troops were there at the border point. India had refused to withdraw its soldiers unless there was a simultaneous withdrawal from the Chinese side as well.

The decision to disengage their troops comes ahead of a crucial BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit being hosted by China on September 3-4, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua said during a briefing in Beijing: "In the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all the Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this.

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions," she added.

Asked if the disengagement was from both sides, Hua repeated the same statement.

"Just now you mentioned that the Indian side has said it is a mutual engagement, but I want to stress that India has withdrawn all the personnel and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary.

"Chinese personnel on the ground has verified this and Chinese border troops continue to patrol in the Donlong area."

However, she said: "In the light of the changes of the situation on the ground China will make necessary adjustment and deployment."

Asked what she meant, she did not elaborate.

Relations between the two nations had dipped to a new low over the standoff at Doklam, with the Chinese side refusing to withdraw. Beijing had accused India of transgressing into its territory and demanded immediate withdrawal of Indian troops. The Chinese side, especially the state media, since then had been on an offensive, and on occasions issued veiled threats of war.

India has maintained that both sides should withdraw simultaneously for any dialogue on the issue, and asserted that war was not a solution.

Amidst the standoff, Prime Minister Modi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg on the sidelines of the G20 summit, while National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held talks with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi in Beijing on the sidelines of a BRICS security meet.
Chandigarh, Aug 28 : Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) followers allegedly set two cars on fire near the sect headquarters on the outskirts of Sirsa town on Monday, just minutes before its chief was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in a rape case.

Security forces rushed to Phulkan village to control the situation.

Security deployment, including Army and para-military forces, continued around the two campuses of the sect near Sirsa and curfew continued in affected areas of the district on Monday.

"We are in control of the situation. We have shown restraint so far. Some Dera followers are still present inside the sect headquarters," V. Umashankar, Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon, told media here.

He said that a couple of thousand Dera followers were still inside the sect campus.

Rape convict DSS chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was on Monday sentenced to 10 years in jail for the rape and criminal intimidation of two female disciples.

The quantum of sentence was announced by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh at a specially set up court inside the library of the District Jail in Sunaria near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The CBI judge had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 1999. The complaint in the case was filed in 2002.
Mumbai, Aug 28 : Actress Bidita Bag, whose latest release is "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz", says the film industry knows the importance of actors and not just stars.

"This industry is very fair. People in the industry are known because of their talent and their hard work. If an actor does not showcase his worth in films, then he or she will no more be a part of this industry.

"If you see superstars, they are also here because of the work they do. The film industry knows the importance of actors and not just stars," Bidita said at the trailer launch of her upcoming film "Rabbi" here on Monday.

"Rabbi" is a story of the rise and fall of a young musician, essayed by fresh face Furqan Merchant. Bidita, who was seen in a very bold avatar in her previous film, said her role in "Rabbi" is a complete opposite.

"You will see me in a completely different avatar than what you have seen in 'Babumoshai...'. I play a character of a girl from Kashmir. She belongs to a conservative family, but she has very liberal thoughts even though she might look very traditional in her outer appearance," she said.

When asked if the project was shot before her recent success, the actress said: "I did 'Rabbi' before 'Babumoshai...'. There are a number of social films that I have worked in before and after 'Babumoshai...'. Now that one film has turned out to be a hit, I hope to work in more films as soon as possible."

"Rabbi" also stars Raghubir Yadav, Dolly Ahluwalia, Brijendra Kala and Virendra Saxena. Directed and produced by Rahat Kazmi, the film is set to release on September 15.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Monday said that people illegally staying in India will have to go, including the Rohingyas.

"Anyone who is staying in India illegally has to go away. There is a proper process for deportation," Rijiju said.

The government is preparing to deport around 40,000 Rohingya Muslims back to Myanmar. Around 16,500 of these refugees are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), that has issued them identity cards.

"What I said in Parliament is based on position of law. It is wrong to demonise India. India has accepted the largest number of refugees in the world. So whether it is UNHCR or any other organisation, they have no right to criticise our government," Rijiju said after the government drew flak from human rights advocacy groups and others for its proposed move.

He said the Home Ministry has issued a directive to set up a task force in every district to identify illegal immigrants and "start the process of deportation as per law".

He said that India cannot go on accepting migrants "indefinitely".

"What I am saying is that we are not just throwing them away. We are deporting them as per a legally laid procedureA India has immense respect for human rights and human dignity," the Minister said.

Rijiju had earlier this month told Parliament that the central government had directed state authorities to identify and deport illegal immigrants, including Rohingyas.
Dhaka, Aug 28 : Former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday called upon the government to provide shelter and security to the Rohingyas who are being forced to flee fresh violence in Rakhine state of Myanmar.

"I am urging the government and its authorities concerned to provide shelter and security to the Rohingyas who have intruded into Bangladesh for the sake of their lives," Zia said in a press statement.

She called upon the Bangladesh government to take diplomatic initiatives to send back the Rohingyas after ensuring security of their lives and property, the Daily Star newspaper reported.

Zia also expressed grave concern over violence by the Myanmar security forces on Rohingyas that left many killed, the report said.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : The Supreme Court on Monday once again questioned the Gujarat government over the slow pace of trial of self-styled godman Asaram in a case of alleged sexual assault on a woman during her stay at one of his ashrams in the state.

Asking why the victim has not been examined till now, the bench of Justice N.V.Ramana and Justice Amitava Roy asked the Gujarat government to file an affidavit stating the position.

The court posted the matter for further hearing after Diwali holidays.

In the course of the last hearing of the matter on April 12, the top court bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar (now retired), Justice D.Y.Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul had directed the Gujarat government to "expedite the examination of witnesses as may be practically feasible".

The top court's response came as it was informed that 29 prosecution witnesses have been examined andAanother 46 were remaining.

Granting time as sought by the state government, the court had said: "Expedite the trial and not linger it."

The trial relates to a complaint by a victim alleging that Asaram had sexually assaulted her between 2001 and 2006, when she was living in his ashram in the state.

The victim's younger sister has filed a similar complaint against Asaram's son Narayan Sai.

Asaram, 72, is lodged in the Jodhpur Central Jail since September 2013 following his arrest the previous month for for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor girl in his ashram in the Rajasthan city. He is undergoing trial under the provisions of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act in this case.
Mumbai, Aug 28 : Performing a rare surgery, doctors at a hospital here gave a 35-year-old man his thumb back by grafting his big toe in its place.

Rishi Kurne had lost his right thumb while working in a factory and was struggling for the last three months, as he was unable to carry out his routine activities, including eating food or gripping on various items.

According to doctors, for immediate relief, skin was grafted on the affected area, but that failed to give him much relief.

As Kurne wanted a permanent solution to his problem, he was in constant touch with the doctors of Fortis Hiranandani Hospital, where he was recommended thumb reconstruction with toe transfer.

Explaining the whole process, Vinod Vij, Cosmetic Surgeon at the hospital, said that during this process, the thumb would be replaced with a toe, making it possible for him to perform daily activities without much difficulty.

"This is a very rare process... Replacing one's thumb with toe is a micro surgical process. It takes around six hours to complete this surgery. It is very complicated and the technicalities involved complicate it further.

"Since in the process, patients have to lose their toe as well, it becomes difficult to convince them for the procedure," said Vij.

Stating that the thumb had been completely crushed, doctors said it was difficult to fix it immediately.

"As the toe is from the same individual's body, thumb can be easily reconstructed. The patient is now managing well and trying hard to attempt to hold various objects," said the doctors.

With the hope that he would be able to resume his duties at his workplace post surgery, Kurne agreed.

According to the doctors, a month after the surgery, Kurne is able to eat with his right hand and also hold things in hand.

"The new thumb will take time to regain strength but it is showing positive results," said Vij.

Speaking on the success of the transplant of the thumb surgery, Kurne said it was indeed a difficult phase to manage without a thumb.

"I used to eat with my left hand and was not able to do many other activity. Post-surgery it has become easier, although I am waiting for the thumb to gain strength," Kurne added.
Mumbai, Aug 28 : The Bombay High Court on Monday lambasted the Maharashtra government, accusing it of "taking the 155-year-old institution for a ride and misleading the Chief Justice".

Justice Abhay S. Oka asked state Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to apologise to High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur, whom it had "misled".

The development came after Kumbhakoni tendered an opology and withdrew his insinuations of "bias" against the Justice Oka during hearing on pollution cases last week, and getting the matters transferred to a different court.

On August 24, the government had accused a Division Bench headed by Justice Oka of "serious bias" against it in a matter pertaining to noise pollution and silent zones in Mumbai.

"You have taken this 155-year-old institution for a ride. First, go and apologise to the Chief Justice, whom you misled by not showing our order. Your apology is not bona fide," Justice Oka said.

The court also advised the state government "not to preach" to the judiciary as to what is fair and what not.

The court said though it had faith in the Advocate General, the state government had no trust in the High Court.

Last week, the state government -- through Kumbhakoni -- moved an application before Chief Justice Chellur to seek transfer of pollution cases, alleging that the hon'ble Judge (Justice Oka) is "somehow harbouring a serious bias in the subject matter of these petitions against the state machinery".

The request was made after the Division Bench headed by Justice Oka debunked the Maharashtra government's views on silence zones that the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000, had been amended by the Centre on August 10, after which "no silence zones exist in the state".

Disagreeing with the state government's stance, Justice Oka said it would first have to seek modification of the High Court order of 2006 on silence zones.

Following the state government's plea, Chief Justice Chellur had transferred the pollution cases to another Division Bench, but it triggered a huge debate and led to a strong statement by the Advocates Association of Western India.

"The Managing Committee (AAWI) deprecates the growing unethical tendency among the litigants against a judge or judges in an ongoing litigation, knowing well that the matter is going against them," the WIAA said.

The Bombay Bar Association dubbed it a "black day in the history of Bombay High Court" and that "Justice Oka's integrity and intelligence are unquestionable".

On Sunday, Chief Justice Chellur recalled her earlier order and has since transferred all pollution-related cases to a full bench headed by Justice Oka, Justice A.V. Mohta, and Justice Riaz Chagla.

"You should send a clear and loud signal to the government that you cannot play with this august institution," Justice Oka said on Monday to the Advocate General.

Withdrawing the allegations unconditionally and apologising, Kumbhakoni claimed the government's intentions were "misunderstood and misinterpreted to project that the state is against the judiciary".
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Twitter on Monday launched a new media agency programme named "#TweetToTheTop", dedicated to young media executives.

Eleven agencies from global media and advertising networks including Dentsu, GroupM, IPG and Omnicom would participate in the initiative in five nations of Asia Pacific that includes India, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Australia.

More than 60 per cent of agency leads still have challenges measuring ROI (Return On Investment) on social media marketing and more than 35 per cent are challenged on tying social to business goals, says an eMarketer worldwide report.

Considering the increasing integration of social and digital into everyday lives especially in Asia Pacific, Twitter is leading the first digital education programme dedicated to helping media agency professionals navigate an increasingly dynamic and complex landscape.

#TweetToTheTop aims to entice young media planners and executives from the five markets to showcase their best work using Twitter solutions.

The collaboration with the biggest agencies in Asia Pacific and the world will provide media agency professionals with exclusive access to Twitter's arsenal of solutions and global advertising tech leaders.

The top 25 among them will compete to have their work entered into "The Cannes Festival of Creativity" in July 2018.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Two weeks before it goes to polls, the Delhi University (DU) campus announces the upcoming event in an utterly brash way, with its roads littered and walls defaced with thousands of posters bearing oddly spelt names.

The unabashed canvassing comes despite the law in place that prohibits candidates from using any printed material and use of spray or paints for canvassing for the election. However, the university authorities are having a hard time reining in the violators, because technically they are not running afoul of the election guidelines, they concede.

Using an ingenious idea of misspelling their names, certain individuals who could possibly be formal candidates from the two parties -- the Congress-affiliated National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)-- have set their campaigning activities in motion even before the campaigning is officially announced by the election office.

The "trick" of adulterating names with motley alphabets will help the "vandals" remain off the election office hook in case they are formally chosen by their parties to contest the election on September 6.

On the other hand, with the thin subterfuge, these persons have afforded themselves ample space, and time, for their familiarisation with the students.

Expectedly, the posters and painted graffiti bearing these names are not being owned up by the members of the two principal parties, which insist that these are just the "supporters" who put them up.

The election office also expressed its inability in bringing the errant parties to book on technical grounds.

"We do not recognise parties unlike the Election Commission, which does it. We at least need a name to whom we can serve the show-cause notice. As of now, it's a law and order problem since these are mere names of persons, not contenders," S.B. Babbar, the Chief Election Officer for the Students' Union election, told IANS.

"The proctor knows about it. We have directed the police officials to take appropriate action against them... Unless the candidates are announced, it remains a law and order issue, but once it happens, we can even disqualify them if they are found to be not following the rules," he added.

A senior police official told IANS that a complaint was lodged with them by the university Proctor and appropriate action would be taken against against those indulging in vandalisation of university properties.

The filing of nominations by candidates will be announced on September 6 and the election for the Delhi University Students' Union will be held on September 12.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : The violence in Haryana after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted in rape case was a result of "active political collusion" effected at the "highest quarters", said Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav here on Monday.

"Third time in three years, the Haryana government was paralyzed in the face of serious challenge to law and order," he said at a media meet at the Press Club of India here.

"This time it was not just administrative ineptitude as in confrontation with Baba Rampal sect in Hisar in 2015 or political procrastination as in state-wide violence during Jat reservation stir in 2016 but active political collusion from the highest quarters," he alleged What makes this worse is that the violence was allowed to take place despite knowledge of the time, venue and nature of violence by Dera supporters, he added.

Slamming Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, he asked why was such a large crowd of supporters allowed to gather in Panchkula, despite more than adequate warning from the state intelligence, media and the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

"Why did two Cabinet Ministers, Ram Bilas Sharma and Anil Vij visit the Dera headquarters merely 10 days before the verdict was to be announced? Why did Sharma announce that Section 144 (providing for prohibitory orders) cannot be used 'against faith'?" he asked.

Yogendra Yadav also charged the BJP government with hiding the "deal" between the Dera chief and the party at the time of 2014 assembly elections as mentioned by his daughters after the verdict, and demanded the Haryana government be dismissed for failing to uphold constitutional order.

Meanwhile, prominent lawyer and Swaraj Abhiyan National President Prashant Bhushan, welcoming the conviction and sentencing of the Dera chief, said that he would approach the court to seek that Gurmeet Ram Rahim be shifted to a jail outside Haryana, preferably a state not ruled by the BJP, so that he does not enjoy a VIP treatment while serving his sentence.

Bhushan also demanded that BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj, who had expressed support for the Dera chief after his conviction and attacked the judiciary, should be prosecuted for inciting violence, attempt to intimidate judiciary and contempt of court.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : The Congress party on Monday welcomed India and China agreeing to withdraw their troops from Doklam and said both sides should engage with each other to find a permanent solution.

"We should maintain some gravitas and maturity on this matter. It is a wrong attitude to claim victory. It is a matter of satisfaction that what we have been saying that diplomacy should be given a chance and there should be disengagement," said Congress leader Anand Sharma.

"Both the countries should engage with each other to find a permanent solution in the light of the 2012 agreement between India-Bhutan and China about the location of the tri-lateral junction.

"There must be an agreement to maintain the status quo until the resolution, which is acceptable to all," he added.

Sharma also said: "It is important that both the countries being strategic partners, neighbours and large developing countries work with sincerity guided by the principles and parameters of 2005 agreement between the two prime ministers to ensure that these complex border related issues reach a final settlement that would serve the interest of not only China and India but also the region as a whole."

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said this was a matter of national security and nobody would be happier than his party if what was being stated was "not a momentary truth but stable, longer-term, or at least medium-term truth".

"I can only join you with the entire nation hoping, that this information which is coming is at least long-term true, stable and comprehensive and that unfortunately other conflicting information coming is untrue," said Singhvi.

"For both of these things, I would expect the central government at their place and time of their choosing to share with us the nitty gritty," he added.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : In another move to attract more foreign direct investment (FDI), the government on Monday unveiled a "Consolidated FDI Policy" including in it start-ups for the first time.

According to the document released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), start-ups can raise up to 100 per cent of funds from Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs). Start-ups can issue equity or equity-linked instruments or debt instruments to FVCIs against the receipt of foreign remittance.

The new document incorporates in simplified form all the changes made over the past year further liberalising foreign investment rules in over a dozen sectors, including defence, civil aviation, construction and development, private security agencies and news broadcasting.

Start-ups, moreover, can issue convertible notes to residents outside India under certain conditions.

"Startups can issue convertible notes to persons resident outside India (subject to certain conditions)," the document said.

"A start-up company engaged in a sector where foreign investment requires government approval may issue convertible notes to a non-resident only with approval of the government," it said.

A convertible note is issued by a start-up firm to establish that it has received money as a debt, which will be repaid at the discretion of the holder, or will be converted into specified number of the start-up's shares.

Convertible notes to non-resident investors will have to be issued with government's permission in sectors where government approval is required for foreign investment, the FDI policy said.

A person resident outside India will be permitted to buy convertible notes issued by an Indian start-up for an amount of Rs 25 lakh or more in a single tranche.

This, however, does not apply to citizens or entities of Pakistan and Bangladesh, who are allowed to invest in India only under the government route.

Further, a citizen of Pakistan or an entity incorporated in Pakistan is also barred from investing in defence, space, atomic energy and sectors or activities prohibited for foreign investment, the document said.

Non-resident Indians (NRIs) can also acquire convertible notes on non-repatriation basis, it added.

FDI flows into India have nearly doubled over the last decade to reach $42 billion in fiscal 2016-17. During the first quarter of the current fiscal, FDI at $10.4 billion rose 37 per cent over the same period last year.
Chennai, Aug 28 : The merged factions of AIADMK on Monday called a meeting of its general council on September 12, with the purpose to nullify the appointment of V.K. Sasikala as party General Secretary.

In an announcement issued here soon after the meeting of ministers, legislators and party office bearers, the merged faction said the general council meeting will be held here at 10.35 a.m at Sri Varu Venkatachalapathy Palace Mandapam.

According to the statement, individual invitations to all the general council members are being sent.

A senior leader of the party told IANS earlier that the general council will be called mainly to nullify the appointment of Sasikala, who is in jail.

According to him, the general council has around 1,300-1,400 members and nearly 85 per cent of them are in support of the ruling faction.

Earlier, on Monday at the meeting of partymen it was decided to call a meeting of the general council and also on retrieval of the party's mouthpiece Namadhu MGR and television channel Jaya TV.

Speaking to IANS on condition of anonymity, an AIADMK leader said that all the legislators supporting the government, numbering over 100, were present at the meeting.

He said the executive committee appointed by late Chief Minister and General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa will be the executive committee of the merged factions.

According to him, this is the first meeting of the party after the merger - one faction led by O. Panneerselvam and the other by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami. Panneerselvam was sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister after the merger.

The meeting was attended by Palaniswami, Panneerselvam, ministers, legislators, Members of Parliament and other office bearers.

The 19 legislators belonging to the faction led by T.T.V. Dinakaran, who have been ferried to a resort in Puducherry to prevent poaching, did not attend the meeting.

Ever since he was sidelined by the faction led by Chief Minister Palaniswami, Dinakaran has been trying to establish his supremacy within the party as its "Deputy General Secretary" appointed by V.K. Sasikala before she was sent to jail.

Reacting to the resolutions, Nanjil Sampath, who is of the Dinakaran faction, said Namadhu MGR and Jaya TV are private property and cannot be taken away.
Agartala, Aug 28 : The Centre did not support the tribals' demand for a separate state in Tripura but would consider setting up a State Autonomous Development Council (SADC) if the state government so proposed, a Union Minister said on Monday.

"The NDA (National Democratic Alliance) government at the Centre does not support the demand for a separate state in Tripura. Instead, it will consider setting up the SADC if the Left Front government sent a proposal," Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram told the media after a day-long visit to the state.

Claiming that there was no development of tribals in Tripura, the Minister claimed the Tripura government had "misutilised" funds given by the central government for the development of tribals.

He said the existing Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) was functioning like a state government department in violation of the constitutional mandate.

Accompanied by tribal leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Minister said many tribal leaders who met him in northern Tripura had accused the state government of non-development of tribals.

Several tribal parties, including Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), have been agitating for upgrading the TTAADC into a separate tribal state.

TTAADC has jurisdiction over two third of Tripura's 10,491 sq.km. area that is home to over 12,16,000 people, mostly tribals.

The IPFT had blocked National Highway-8, the lifeline of Tripura, and the lone railway line in the state for more than 10 days from July 10 over their separate state demand, causing acute shortage of essential items.

After intervention by the state and central governments, besides Governor Tathagata Roy, the IPFT lifted the blockade on July 20.

Almost all political parties, including Communist Party of India-Marxist led Left Front, the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and other tribal parties, including Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura, have rejected the demand, saying it was not practical to divide the small state.
Islamabad, Aug 28 : Habib Bank Limited, HBL) Pakistan's largest, shut down its operations in the US on Monday after being slapped with a hefty $629.6 million civil penalty by the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS).

The HBL said it would contest the fine in court. It further decided to close its operations in New York and the DFS has allowed it to submit a withdrawal application, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Despite HBL's sincere and extensive remediation measures, DFS is still not appreciating or recognising the significant progress that HBL has made at its branch in New York," the HBL statement said.

"... HBL has received a notice in terms of which DFS seeks to impose and outrageous civil monetary penalty of up to $629.62 million," the statement added.

The DFS penalty is being imposed in relation to "significant breakdowns" in the bank's New York Branch's risk management and compliance with the applicable federal laws, including anti-money laundering regulations in the US.

The decision is likely to deliver a significant blow to the bank's ambition to aggressively grow its operations outside Pakistan. The DFS has asked the HBL to appear in a hearing on the issue in the last week of September.

The development is set to result in a cumulative earnings wipe-out of Pakistani Rs 45 per share and equate up to 25 per cent of HBL's book, stock market analysts told Xinhua.

In terms of size, the penalty is almost 30 per cent of bank's assets in the US and the Middle East, the report said.

The HBL scrip hit the lower circuit on Monday at Rs 207.21 per share after a massive decline of Rs 10.90 rupees, thereby contributing 158 points to the key index's overall decline.

The analysts mentioned that even if HBL's appeal fails in court, it might still be able to talk out a phase-wise implementation which may prevent any sudden wipeout of its reserves.

The size of potential penalty is more than double the amount rumoured in the market during the past few weeks and also significantly higher than the amount recently imposed by authorities on non-US banks.

The imposition of colossal fine on Habib Bank will act as a warning to other Pakistani banks, particularly United Bank Limited (UBL), to review their branch operations and reduce presence from low-profit, high risk countries, the report said.
Islamabad, Aug 28 : Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will visit the US in the third week of September, a media report said on Monday.

Abbasi, along with Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, will visit Washington to attend the UN General Assembly session in New York, the News International quoted the government sources as saying.

The visit will be Abbasi's maiden visit to the US as Prime Minister and he is expected to meet US officials on the sidelines of the UNGA session.

The news about the visit comes amid tense relations between the two countries following US President Donald Trump's announcement of his new South Asia policy which was critical of Pakistan.

Pakistan on Sunday postponed a visit by a US acting Assistant Secretary of State, officials said, as protests broke out against Trump's accusations that Islamabad was prolonging the war in Afghanistan, the daily reported.

Trump had accused Pakistan of harbouring "agents of chaos" and providing safe havens to militant groups.

Pakistani officials responded by saying the US should not "scapegoat" Islamabad and accused the American military of failing to eliminate militant sanctuaries inside Afghanistan.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had postponed his US visit following the US President's comments.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday visit Udaipur, where he will inaugurate some completed road projects, lay the foundation stones for new highway projects and address a public gathering, officials said on Monday.

The national highway projects he would be laying foundation stones for are worth around Rs 15,000 crore, according to sources.

They said that Modi would also dedicate 11 completed national highway projects, covering a total length of about 873 km, to the nation. These include a six-lane cable-stayed bridge across the Chambal river at Kota.

Modi would also perform the "Bhoomi Poojan" (ground-breaking ceremony) for six national highway projects, covering a distance of about 556 km, an official statement said.

He is scheduled to arrive in Udaipur at around 12.30 p.m and leave for Delhi at 3.45 p.m.

During his visit, the Prime Minister will also address a public gathering at Khel Gaon in Udaipur and visit the Pratap Gaurav Kendra.

"Tomorrow (Tuesday), I will be visiting Rajasthan, the land of the brave, where I will inaugurate and lay the foundation of key National Highway projects. I will address a public meeting in Udaipur. I will also visit the Pratap Gaurav Kendra and pay my respects to the great Maharana Pratap," the Prime Minister tweeted.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thanked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers and voters of Bawana for the party's landslide win in the Bawana bypoll, results of which was announced on Monday.

"Thanks and congratulations to the people of Bawana for approving the clean politics and work Aam Aadmi Party has been doing for the past two and half years," the Delhi Chief Minister tweeted.

Addressing party workers on Monday evening, Kejriwal said that the win sends a strong message that people are still with AAP like they were when they gave 67 out of 70 seats to AAP in assembly elections.

"People of Bawana showed that people are with the work we have done for the past two and half years," he added.

The Chief Minister said that the victory sends another message that even though the Bhartiya Janata Party has pulled down governments in many states, its tactics won't work in Delhi.

"BJP tried to buy many of our MLAs and contacted many, but got only one traitor," Kejriwal said, referring to Ved Prakash, who quit AAP and fought the bypoll as a BJP candidate.

"The third message the results send is this: If you have courage win elections with VVPAT," he said, challenging the BJP.

Kejriwal said that elections should be organised with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail machines and votes cast in 25 per cent of the booths should be tallied with VVPAT and then see "how many elections BJP will win".

Saying that the government has been doing a good job, he urged the party workers to work harder to make people aware of the work they have been doing.

Speaking on the occasion, senior party leader Gopal Rai termed the result a historic win for AAP and thanked the workers.

"You won't find Kejriwal's photos in any posts of Bawana, but his image was there, is still there and will remain in people's hearts," he said.

The leader added that win was a vote of people's approval for AAP's developmental works.

AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted on Monday evening: "Bawana MCD elections, Old EVMs without VVPAT, AAP lost 5 out of 6 wards. Bawana Bye-Polls with VVPAT paper slips, AAP wins by 24k votes."
Washington, Aug 28 : The authorities across the US state of Texas continued on Monday to rescue people stranded by devastating, historic flooding left in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, even as forecasters warned of looming rain, rising rivers and floodwaters that would still swallow more streets and neighbourhoods.

Officials warned that the danger was far from over, saying that flooding in Texas was unlikely to recede quickly and that the storm will force more than 30,000 people from their homes, the Washington Post reported.

A record 30 inches of rainfall already fell on Houston, the country's fourth-largest city and a sprawling metropolitan area, turning roads into rivers. Although five people were reported dead and dozens injured in the hurricane, the full toll of Harvey's destruction remained unclear, said the report.

The city faced dire circumstances and the National Weather Service (NWS) forecast more heavy rainfall. Up to 2,000 people had been rescued on Sunday in and around the city.

President Donald Trump on Monday approved an emergency declaration for neighbouring Louisiana, where forecasts called for as much as two feet of rainfall in some areas.

The NWS said conditions are "unprecedented". A "flash flood emergency" was in force across the Houston area, with travel near impossible. More than 82,000 homes were without electricity in the Houston area by Sunday night as airports shuttered and hospitals planned evacuations.

The authorities ordered more than 50,000 people to leave parts of Fort Bend County, about 35 miles southwest of Houston, as the Brazos River was set to crest at a record high of 59 feet this week, 14 feet above its flood stage, CNN reported.

Also, the US military released water from two major reservoirs earlier than planned to protect central Houston, a move that could itself flood several thousands homes. Residents nearby were told to evacuate in case of danger.

Authorities had fielded scores of calls for help throughout the night from people stranded by water. Police in Houston dispatched officers on boats that were sent through streets where the floodwater reached the pumps at gas stations.

Families scrambled to get out of their fast-flooding homes in and around the city. Rescuers in fishing boats, huge dump trucks and even front-end loaders battled driving rains to move people to shelter.

Thousands of rescue missions were launched across Texas, and Governor Greg Abbott said that more than 3,000 national and state guard troops had been deployed to assist with relief efforts.

An additional 1,000 National Guard members were expected be sent to Houston on Monday, Abbott said.

The White House said Trump plans to visit parts of the state on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj posted a tweet saying 200 Indian students were "marooned" in floods. She also said two Indian students were in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital.

Harvey made landfall as a category-four hurricane late on Friday. It was later downgraded to a tropical storm.

The damage bill of Hurricane Harvey is already drawing comparisons to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused $108 billion of losses (including $80 billion of insured losses).
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Bangladesh Navy chief Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed arrived in India on Monday on a three-day visit and met Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and Navy chief Admiral Sunil Lanba.

The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation, Indian Navy said in a statement. He will be in India till August 30.

Admiral Ahmed is also scheduled to visit Visakhapatnam, where the Eastern Naval Command is headquartered. He will be visiting various naval establishments, including INS Kalinga, INS Karna and INS Satavahana.

Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through training, port calls, passage exercises along with Capability Building and Capacity Augmentation initiatives Bangladesh Navy is also the present Chair of the Indian Ocean Symposium (IONS), which is a Multilateral Maritime Cooperation platform, launched by the Indian Navy.

It is also scheduled to conduct an International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise titled IMMSAREX in November 2017, which is being held under the IONS construct.
New Delhi, Aug 28 : Ahead of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit, the Japanese government is sending a team of railway safety experts to India following a request by New Delhi last month.

The Japanese experts team will visit from August 28 to September 1. During their visit, the expert team will have discussions with the Ministry of Railways and railway safety experts in India, and will conduct site visits related to railway safety, said a Japanese Embassy statement.

The visit also comes days after two back-to-back railway accidents in Uttar Pradesh, that claimed over 20 lives, and have raised concerns over the safety of the Indian railways.

The statememt said that both the governments are working closely on railway safety in India, based on the Memorandum of Cooperation between Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and the Indian Ministry of Railways on Rail Safety, signed in February 2017, in response to India's request for Japanese Government's support on railway safety, in December 2016.

The Japanese government dispatches this railway safety expert team based on the Government of India's request submitted in July, 2017, it said.

The expert team consists of railway safety experts from railway related organizations, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). The team dispatched by JICA will examine the current status of railway safety in India and India's needs for capacity development for railway safety for considering further cooperation through JICA.

The Government of Japan expects that the dispatch of this railway safety expert team will enhance the level of cooperation on railway safety between Japan and India, it said.

Abe is to visit India in the middle of September when he is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for India's first ever high-speed rail network.
Shillong, Aug 28 : Two Independent legislators supporting the Congress-led Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) government on Monday joined the BJP ahead of next year assembly elections.

Justine Dkhar and Robinus Syngkon, who are parliamentary secretaries in the Mukul Sangma government, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at New Delhi in presence of BJP President Amit Shah, BJP National General Secretary in-charge North East Ram Madhav, Assam Finance Minister and North East Democratic Alliance Chairman Himanta Biswa Sarma besides other party leaders.

"Joining of these two leaders will definitely give huge boost up to the Party in the ensuing general election in 2018 not only in Jaintia Hills but in the entire State," BJP Vice President J.A.Lyngdoh said in an e-mailed statement.

"We can assure the people of Meghalaya that overall development of the state will take place only if BJP is voted to power and a corruption-free government is ensured," he said.

Election to the 60-member state assembly is scheduled to be held in February-March 2018.
METTLER TOLEDO helps forensic scientists retain their laboratory's accreditation with ISO 17025 compliant solutions for measurement uncertainly and audit-proof documentation.

The Clandestine Laboratory Investigating Chemists (CLIC) 2017 Meeting will take place September 5-7 in Phoenix, AZ. There will be open opportunities for forensic scientists to advance their expertise and share their knowledge with others. As an exhibitor, METTLER TOLEDO will showcase highly sensitive and accurate analytical instruments and balances used to reveal what changes occurred during an incident and help reconstruct the sequence of events.

With many eyes on forensics labs, weighing accuracy and performance should be top priorities. Accuracy is not just critical for compliance; it determines the quality of a lab's analysis used in support of evidence testimony. METTLER TOLEDO helps forensic scientists retain their laboratory's accreditation with ISO 17025 compliant solutions for measurement uncertainly and audit-proof documentation.

Make sure to stop by METTLER TOLEDO's table for a hands-on demonstration of the following products and solutions from the following product lines:



XPE Balances

Quantos

Rainin Pipettes

LabX

This annual meeting gathers forensic scientists from all over the world. These scientists assist in the investigation of illicit controlled substance laboratories, also known as clandestine drug laboratories. As part of their duties they also assist in crime scene investigation, evidence collection, chemical analysis and courtroom testimony.

Registration and Information

CLIC will take place September 5-7 at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in Phoenix, AZ. Learn more about our attendance at this show.

About METTLER TOLEDO

METTLER TOLEDO is a leading global manufacturer of precision instruments. The Company is the worlds largest manufacturer and marketer of weighing instruments for use in laboratory, industrial and food retailing applications. The Company also holds top-three market positions in several related analytical instruments markets and is a leading provider of automated chemistry systems used in drug and chemical compound discovery and development. Additional information about METTLER TOLEDO can be found at http://www.mt.com/lab.
Specialty Technical Consultants

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the newly updated International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Japan. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS audit protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements.

STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 30 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STPs web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STPs formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers.

Highlights of selected legislation covered in the newly updated protocol include:



Act on the Improvement of Energy Consumption Performance of Buildings [Law No. 53 of July 8, 2015], as well as the supporting Enforcement Regulation, Ministerial Order, and Cabinet Order providing additional specifications regarding the requirements in the Act, were added to this Protocol. This legislation incorporates new requirements regarding building energy consumption performance.

Several significant updates were made to the PCBs section of this protocol due to amendments to the legislation regarding PCB waste requirements for storing business entities and owning business entities.

Amendments to the Ordinance on Industrial Safety and Health [Ministry of Labor Ordinance No. 32 of September 30, 1972; last amended by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 29 of March 29, 2017] resulted in new and updated requirements regarding preventing psychological stress and working at heights with rope.

Amendments to the Industrial Safety and Health Law [Law No. 57 of July 8, 1972; last amended by Law No. 17 of May 7, 2015] resulted in new and updated requirements regarding second-hand smoking at workplaces and risk assessment for chemicals at the workplace.

Amendments were made to the lists of Specified Chemical Substances, Concentrations of Substances Required to Have Local Exhaust Ventilation, and Harmful Work Substances. The new substances include ortho-toluidine, naphthalene, refractory ceramic fibers, and sulfuric acid, and in some instances include preparations containing 1 percent or more by weight of the substance. These amendments were made to the Cabinet Order for Industrial Safety and Health Law [Cabinet Order No. 318 of August 19, 1972; last amended by Cabinet Order No. 60 of March 29, 2017] and the Ordinance on Prevention of Hazards Due to Specified Chemical Substances [Ministry of Labor Ordinance No. 39 of September 30, 1972; last amended by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Ordinance No. 29 of March 29, 2017].

Amendments were made to the Class I and Class II Designated Substances list, which are now available online in English. The weblink has been provided throughout the protocol, as necessary. Amendments were also made to the Class I Specified Chemical Substances list. These amendments were made to the Cabinet Order for Law Concerning Examination and Regulation of Manufacture, etc. of Chemical Substances [Cabinet Order No. 202 of June 7, 1974; last amended by Cabinet Order No. 52 of March 2, 2016].

For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC click here.

About Specialty Technical Publishers

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glaciers Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites.

About Specialty Technical Consultants

Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. (STC) is a specialized management consulting firm working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through its consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems' design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training.

STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Womens Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.
The company achieved stunning 3-year revenue growth of over 4,000% to earn a spot in the top 100 on this prestigious annual ranking.

Draken International, a global leader in advanced adversary air services, was ranked as the 90th fastest growing private company in the US on Inc. Magazines 2017 Inc. 500 list. The company achieved stunning 3-year revenue growth of over 4,000% to earn a spot in the top 100 on this prestigious annual ranking. The companys revenue growth made it the 9th fastest growing private company in the Government Services category and the 6th fastest growing private company in Florida.

Draken provides a range of contract air services to the Department of Defense and international allies, with services including airborne adversary support, flight training, threat simulation, electronic warfare support, aerial refueling, research, testing, and other missions. With a strategy based upon build it, and they will come, Isaacman and his team of military veterans have dedicated the last six years traveling the world in search of safe, credible, and capable aircraft to answer the growing global demand for commercial air services. As a result of these efforts, the company now boasts the largest privately owned fleet of fighter aircraft in the world with over 80 fighter jets including Mirage F-1s, Douglas A-4s, Aero L-159s, and MiG-21s, among other aircraft.

Over the past 21 months, Draken has dramatically ramped up its capabilities and overall missions. As the largest flying organization at Nellis Air Force Base, Draken operates a fleet of 22 L-159s and A-4s, logging over 3,400 flying hours in support of combat training. If supporting Weapons School, Red Flag exercises, and Operational Test missions wasnt enough, Draken continues to be a leader within the commercial air service industry, performing simultaneous operations which include a permanent presence in France and deployments to Luke AFB, Leeuwarden Air Base (The Netherlands), MCAS Cherry Point, and MCAS Yuma.

Draken CEO Jared Isaacman is no stranger to the Inc. 500 list. His first company, Lighthouse Network, LLC has made six appearances on the list (under the companys original name United Bank Card), including five consecutive appearances with #6 and #19 positions in consecutive years.

About Draken International

Draken International is the worlds largest operator of ex-military aircraft. The company is based out of Lakeland Linder Regional Airport in Lakeland, FL. The organization sets a new standard in airborne adversary support, flight training, threat simulation, electronic warfare support, aerial refueling, research, testing, as well as other missions uniquely suited to their fleet of aircraft. With over 80 tactical fighter aircraft incorporating modern 4th generation capabilities, the company is uniquely positioned to answer the growing global demand for commercial air services. Draken employs world class, military trained fighter pilots including USAF Weapons School Instructors, Fighter Weapons School Graduates, TOP GUN Instructors, Air Liaison Officers, and FAC-A Instructors. For additional information, visit http://www.drakenintl.com.
LA Swim VIPs enjoying their Mango Passionfruit Buzz Pop Cocktails We are excited about these sponsorship opportunities and getting Buzz Pops in front of Hollywood celebrities who will Indulge on our treats. Being part of the red carpet at this Emmy's party is amazing.

It is generally accepted knowledge that a product can go from idea to a million-dollar brand in a compressed time-period when the company has a few out-of-the-box-thinking, highly dedicated and laser focused marketing experts on board. This appears to be the case with Buzz Pop Cocktails. On the heels of multiple radio talk show interviews and backstage (runway) appearances at both Miami Swim Week and Los Angeles Swim Week, Buzz Pops was just selected to participate in the Honoring the Emmys Luxury Gift Suite on Saturday, September 16, 2017 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. This is the pre-Emmys celebrity event that will be attended by 150+ celebrities, their managers and the media.

According to Buzz Pops CEO, Joseph Isaacs, We are very pleased with the summer tour to date. Two swim shows, multiple Las Vegas events, an iHeart radio Mojate pool party event at the Surfcomber Hotel in South Beach and now this Emmys event in Los Angeles. We have been zig-zagging the country all summer."

Buzz Pop Cocktails is right at home on the runways and red carpet events with fashion and swimwear going hand in hand. The Company is a title sponsor for the Style Collective NYFW (New York Fashion Week) Event  Blogger and Brand Party being held in New York City on September 8th, 2017.

Its not all about marketing for Buzz Pops. The company mantra is to give back to the community and it has sponsored the John Cushman Walk 2017 for Diabetes that begins at the Washington Monument on September 4th and ends in Mission Beach, San Diego on November 4th, 2017.

Our team evaluates thousands of events and sponsorship opportunities each year and less than 10% makes the grade in terms of uniqueness and opportunity that qualify for the full weight of our time and resources, said Isaacs.

Buzz Pop Cocktails holds the patented process for freezing high levels of alcohol with 15-40% APV (alcohol per volume) and this opens the door to dominate the specialty cocktail niche that, until now, has resulted in grainy consistency, slushy and poor tasting ready-to-serve dessert items with low alcohol volumes around 5% APV. Buzz Pop Cocktails offers seasonal fruit, whipped into a 5-star restaurant quality, Italian-style gourmet sorbet infused with top shelf liquor. At under 100 calories, vegan, gluten free with no artificial flavors or additives, cocktail aficionados experience an Indulgent Premium Frozen Cocktail with a Healthy Twist delivered in a single serve, nostalgic 1960s style see through push pop.

We are excited and very humbled about these new sponsorship opportunities and our ability to get Buzz Pops in front of hundreds of Hollywood celebrities who will Indulge on our treats. Being part of the red carpet at this Emmy's party with attendees of this caliber is a major accomplishment, said Isaacs.

ABOUT BUZZ POP COCKTAILS:

Launched in Las Vegas in March 2017, Buzz Pop Cocktails is the only ready-to-serve, all natural 100% fruit, gourmet Italian-style sorbet with the patent pending process for freezing the finest top shelf liquor brands with 15-40% APV (alcohol per volume) to uniquely serve their customers a high-quality, frozen specialty cocktail. Its an Indulgent Premium Cocktail with a Healthy Twist delivered in a retro-style see through push pop. Buzz Pops completed the construction of its production and distribution center in the second quarter of 2017, just south of the famous Las Vegas strip to simplify coordinated distribution to hotels. Buzz Pop Cocktails has an out of the box marketing plan which includes distribution to hotels (F&B), pool bars, sporting arenas, celebrity and corporate events and cruise lines.
An Otters Tale: a story about finding the faith to overcome obstacles and see the inner beauty of others. An Otters Tale is the creation of published author, Estelle Cooper. Estelle Cooper was born in South America, but she was raised in New York City. She is a supporter of CBN ministries who believes the foundation of success is to be a servant first. She has devoted her life to writing faith-inspired stories to help others see Gods love. Her primary goal is to witness and reach the audience that is the future: children.

Children, without question, have an impact in our society and future. It is our Christian duty to leave a legacy for our children. --Estelle Cooper

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Estelle Coopers new book teaches young readers the value of faith and inner beauty.

As a lost otter in search of finding his way home, Gilmore encounters many of the challenges Christians face throughout their lives. Finding the faith to carry on and overcome obstacles has always been the answer.

Gilmore hopes to find someone who will swim with him, someone who is just like him. Looking beyond their physical appearance, however, he sees the beauty and strength of others as he struggles to find his home.

View a synopsis of An Otters Tale on YouTube.

Consumers can purchaseAn Otters Tale at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, Kobo or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about An Otters Tale, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
New Spire Arts has launched registration for their first fall semester classes with 50 music, media, movement and theatre classes targeted to both youth and adults.

With the guiding principle of making performing arts participation easier, New Spire Arts is employing a variety of scheduling and programming strategies, such as tandem parent/child classes scheduled at the same time in different rooms, an all ages dance class, beginning group music classes, and a middle school after school program. Specialized programs for ASL and Spanish speakers, Special Needs students, and Homeschool communities are also included.

In this initial season, all levels will be welcome in the majority of classes. Topics that generate the most interest will be developed into multi-year programs.

New Spire Arts is already working with a variety of partners, such as the YMCA, Washington National Opera, Frederick Acoustic Music Enterprise (FAME), Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership (SHIP), Area 31 Cinema Studios, Noteable Progressions Music Therapy, Riotous Youth Shakespeare, and United Way, to reach a broad audience, expand programming options and amplify what is already excellent in the Frederick community.

In addition, an artist development component will launch with three artist workgroups: Narrative Writing Circle, Songwriters' Circle, and Media Makers Circle. Meant to nurture creative initiatives and identify passionate local creators, the circles are the first step towards connecting local artists with experienced professionals and motivating Frederick's creative economy. Artist Circles and many of the classes will conclude with a showcase.

The two dozen teaching artists include nationally-known professionals such as Kwame Opare, a BAM/State Department-commissioned choreographer, Chris Heady, the Head of Puppetry for Hersheys Chocolate World, Peabody musicians Piotr Zielinsky and Matthew Dohm, and published author E.A. Bowen.

Evenings and weekends will include classes for a wide range of ages in THEATRE, such as improv, storytelling, and devised theatre; MEDIA, such as podcasting, youtube and puppetry; MUSIC, such as sight singing, musical theatre, and guitar; and MOVEMENT, such as a percussion dance class for the whole family and dance classes for adults in ballroom, salsa, contemporary, ballet and tap.

In addition, New Spire Arts internship applications are open and available in the Programming, Education and Marketing departments. These internships offer hands-on practical experience for college students or recent college graduates preparing for a career in the arts and non-profit sectors. College credit, community service and/or fieldwork hours are available.

Free parking is available for participants in back of New Spire Spaces, at 115 East Church Street, the main location for the fall classes. New Spire Spaces is one of two buildings being activated by New Spire Arts, and will host the majority of programming until renovation is complete at New Spire Stages, the former Cultural Arts Center at 15 W Patrick.

New Spire Arts is a performing arts organization headquartered in downtown Frederick that inspires creative engagement from all facets of the community by providing performing arts programming and education. New Spire Arts contributes to the vitality and brand of the City of Frederick through unique experiences focused on the performing arts.

To find out more and register or volunteer, visit http://www.newspirearts.com, or email play(at)newspirearts(dot)com.
Our success so far is due to growing customer base, said Mortley. Thats because our products simply deliver on our promises. Thats why you should expect Zifam Pinnacles US presence to continue to expand.

Zifam Pinnacle, a company based in Australia that develops a vast assortment of natural nutritional products, announced its products will soon be available for purchase on GoNutrition.com.

The company has pursued a strategy of rapid expansion in the US market. Currently its product can be found a number of online retail platforms including RevNutrition.com, Jet.com, StackedNutrition.com and Amazon.com.

Zifam Pinnacle has become known in the industry for only using the best ingredients in its targeted approach to nutrition. Its products are well known for their outstanding levels of quality, safety and efficiency. With the companys products now on Go4ItNutrition.com, Zifam Pinnacle will be able to reach out to even more customers with an interest in healthy living.

Zifam Pinnacle is continuously strengthening relationships with its retail partners, said Adam Mortley, General Marketing Manager of Zifam Pinnacle. Weve grown a global customer base of people who want to lead better, healthier, more sustainable lives. Were excited about the direction were headed in: making our products available wherever high-quality nutritional supplements are sold.

Zifam Pinnacle makes a wide variety of pharmaceutical and herbal products. The company has more than 80 different brands with a presence across the world, including in Australia, India and Europe. All of its products are geared toward specific health benefits and purposes, which means the company is able to provide effective solutions to many niche customers while still being able to build a large, all-encompassing brand.

One example of an excellent product is Zifams B active supplement, which is used to assist in the improvement of mood and general wellbeing. Users report these benefits plus relieving tension, mild anxiety and stress. In addition to a blast of vitamin B, the product contains Rhodiola, a natural substance that is a key ingredient in the fight against the bodys negative reaction to stress.

Our success so far is due to growing customer base, said Mortley. Thats because our products simply deliver on our promises. Thats why you should expect Zifam Pinnacles US presence to continue to expand.

For more information about Zifam Pinnacle and its products, visit http://www.zifampinnacle.com.
Having doubled our national carrier partnerships allows Kajeet to connect even more students in all areas of the country  rural, urban, and suburban  helping our nation move closer to closing the Homework Gap.

Kajeet, the industry leader for safe, mobile student Internet connectivity, announces today the expansion of its partnerships to connect students on all four major U.S. 4G LTE wireless networks. Doubling the networks school districts can choose to connect students  from two to four wireless carriers  Kajeet can now serve more students across the nation than any other wireless provider, just in time for the new school year. Wherever there is coverage on these wireless networks, students can connect to the Internet with Kajeet Education Broadband.

Having doubled our national carrier partnerships allows Kajeet to connect even more students in all areas of the country  rural, urban, and suburban  helping our nation move closer to closing the Homework Gap, said Kajeet CEO and Founder Daniel Neal. By giving school districts four great network choices, something unique to Kajeet, school technology leaders can select the provider (or providers) with the best coverage at the most affordable price point so all students can get their homework done. It is a great time for school districts to close this gap and focus on connecting students to success.

Since the launch of Kajeet Education Broadband, students have connected online, for educational purposes only, to complete over five million homework hours. Our CIPA-compliant, educational filters and policy controls ensure students access only appropriate content. The innovative Kajeet Sentinel cloud portal analyzes and categorizes millions of new URLs every day to filter out both inappropriate and non-educational content. Sentinel currently denies access to 128 million non-educational website requests each and every month, thereby keeping students on task, doing their homework. In addition, Sentinel connects, manages, and controls any  or all four  of the wireless networks on one centralized portal, a service unlike any other.

During the 2016-2017 school year alone, students spent 2.5 million hours online working on educational assignments with the Kajeet SmartSpot and SmartBus solutions. The SmartSpot is a portable Wi-Fi hotspot that safely connects on-the-go students and those without access at home. The SmartBus is a portable or installed Wi-Fi router that extends the classroom to the school bus. Students can take advantage of their travel time and turn it into educational time. Currently, 400 school districts across 41 states and the District of Columbia connect with the Kajeet Education Broadband solution. With the Kajeet solution available on four national wireless carriers, students in more areas around the country can connect to Education Broadband.

In addition to expanding our carrier partnerships and overall coverage, Kajeet has improved its Education Broadband plans, making it even easier and more affordable for schools and districts to connect their students. Each plan comes with the Kajeet industry-leading, K-12 specific filters, mobile policy controls, data controls, reporting, and expert program management and support. Customers choose the plan that best suits their needs on any (or all) of the four national networks. To learn more about the Kajeet Education Broadband plans, visit our website here: http://www.kajeet.com.

About Kajeet

Kajeet, the industry leader for safe, mobile student Internet connectivity, is closing the Homework Gap in school districts across the country. Kajeet provides an affordable mobile broadband solution that connects low-income students to the resources needed to complete homework. The Kajeet SmartSpot (a portable Wi-Fi hotspot), and the Kajeet SmartBus (school bus Wi-Fi) solutions combined with the innovative Sentinel cloud portal, enables administrators and teachers to provide CIPA-compliant, customizable filtered Internet access that keeps students focused on school work and provides mobile Internet connectivity for education without worry of data abuse. Kajeet products and services, which operates on four U.S. wireless carriers, are protected by the following issued U.S. patents: 9,237,433; 9,137,389; 9,137,386; 9,125,057; 8,995,952; 8,929,857; 8,918,080; 8,774,755; 8,774,754; 8,755,768; 8,731,517; 8,725,109; 8,712,371; 8,706,079; 8,667,559; 8,644,796; 8,639,216; 8,634,803; 8,634,802; 8,634,801; 8,630,612; 8,611,885; 8,600,348; 8,594,619; 8,588,735; 8,285,249; 8,078,140; 7,945,238; 7,899,438; 7,881,697. Other patents are pending. For more information, please visit us at kajeet.com.
Immuno-Oncology 360 'IO360 continues to help the immuno-oncology community stay at the forefront of the most relevant research and developments from key industry leaders, who have their fingers on the pulse of cancer immunotherapy,' says Kate Woda.

The Conference Forum has announced the program line-up for the 4th annual Immuno-Oncology 360 event, which will take place on February 7-9, 2018 in New York, NY.

Designed by lead advisors Axel Hoos, MD, PhD, SVP of Oncology R&D at GlaxoSmithKline, and James Gulley, MD, PhD, Head of Immunotherapy Section and Director of Medical Oncology Service at the Office of the Clinical Director, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, more than 30 speakers cover the full spectrum of IO research and development, from translational and clinical to emerging technologies, business aspects, investor relations and trends in the field.

Now in its fourth year, IO360 continues to help the immuno-oncology community stay at the forefront of the most relevant research and developments from key industry leaders, who have their fingers on the pulse of cancer immunotherapy, says IO360 conference director Kate Woda. Through a series of plenary sessions, the summit helps to foster collaboration between the different parties working in all aspects of cancer immunotherapy so that they can better understand what assets are available for potential combinations that may provide patients with more treatment options.

Day One of 2018s event starts with the Discovery & Preclinical Plenary Session, which includes presentations on NK Cell CARs; target discovery for CAR-Ts and TCRs; combination IDO1 and PD-1 inhibition in metastatic melanoma; and the early clinical data on dual targeting of PDL1 and TGF Beta. The Investor Relations in Immunotherapy Plenary Session starts with a keynote evaluating and forecasting the IO Space given by Andrew Baum, MD, Head of Global Healthcare and Managing Director of Equity Research at Citi, then continues with a venture capitalist perspective on the IO Landscape, and an investor roundtable on the role of IO within large pharma moderated by Axel Hoos. Concluding the day is the Translational Science and Biomarkers Plenary Session with sessions on: the role of anitbody isotypes for agonist antibodies; tumor mutation burden; immune suppression in the tumor micro-environment; the MORPHEUS Novel CIT Platform to address multiple combinations; cancer vaccinations and biomarkers of response; using TC Clonality for detecting minimal residual disease; the use of imaging biomarkers for immunotherapy; neoantigen approaches for biomarkers; and emerging concepts for detecting minimal residual disease using liquid biopsies.

Day Two begins with the New Trends & Collaboration Plenary Session. Presentations include a BioCentury report on industry trends, a bulletin from Endpoint News, an update on the Cancer Moonshot, information on immuno-oncology progress in China, and a talk on Clinical Trial Collaborations in IO. The IO Emerging Technologies & Innovative Solutions Plenary Session showcases companies with technologies and solutions that will help IO stakeholders advance developments to provide treatment for cancer patients. The day ends with a choice between two concurrent tracks. The first track is the Business Aspects Plenary Session, which covers a summary of IO deals; a large pharma perspective on IO licensing technology; and finally a panel on talent management for IO. As immuno-oncology clinical trials have exceptionally unique requirements, the second track is the new Clinical Operations for IO Trials Plenary Session, featuring a specialized section on the building blocks of clinical trial design and operations.

Day Three opens with the Clinical Aspects Plenary Session. Topics covered include: balancing benefit and toxicity from immunotherapeutics and how to make recommendations to patients; maintenance therapy in NSCLC; Keytruda in combination with chemo in NSCLC; an update on Tecentriq (Atezolizumab) in bladder cancer; the changing treatment landscape in NSCLC; Pembrolizumab as a broad spectrum anticancer therapy both as mono and combination therapy; and the differences in long term benefit between classes of checkpoint modulators. The summit concludes with the Trout Group Situation Room. The session includes a presentation on the investor lifecycle and how to maneuver at each stage of financing from seed to public market; CEO Panel: Raising Money in the Current Climate; and fireside chats with IO CEOs.

Find out more about IO360.

About the Conference Forum

The Conference Forum is a research firm that develops specialized events for professionals in the life science and healthcare industries. The company currently offers conferences for R&D leaders, clinical development professionals, biotech executives, VCs, drug delivery specialists, patient advocates and non-profit/government healthcare groups. The Conference Forums mission is to create the best content, facilitate the exchange ideas and provide quality networking to help move therapeutics to patients faster.
Students from Germany participated in the Fulbright Summer Seminar at Washington & Jefferson College. This program highlights W&Js ability to offer high-quality international seminars and demonstrates W&Js commitment to international education." - Michael Shaughnessy, associate dean of Graduate Studies and International Programs

Cultures came together at Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) this summer as the institution hosted 23 German students through the Fulbright Summer Seminar.

The prestigious program is held at two universities in the United States each summer, and the 2017 hosts were W&J and Virginia Tech. Participants at W&J stayed on campus from July 24 through Aug. 10.

This program highlights W&Js ability to offer high-quality international seminars and demonstrates W&Js commitment to international education, said Michael Shaughnessy, associate dean of Graduate Studies and International Programs.

Corey Young, director of W&Js Center for Energy Policy and Management, led a seminar for the students on American Society and Culture: Reimagining the Rust Belt, Sustainability as a New Tradition. The program also took German students to local attractions for learning opportunities and leisure, including the Bradford House, the Carnegie Museums in Pittsburgh, Pa., and touring fracking pads, which are vital to the regions Marcellus Shale gas industry.

Shaughnessy was instrumental in bringing the German Fulbright program to W&J after he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2016.

This came from my work as a Fulbright Scholar in France. We had a meeting with the French and German contingents of the Fulbright Seminars and W&Js participation arose from those conversations, he said.

W&J was selected for the seminar, and the topic was chosen to reflect American culture and history through the lens of the local area, Shaughnessy said.

Last year, W&J was named a top producer of Fulbright scholars and the College will continue its work with the Fulbright Commission to provide international educational opportunities. In addition, Shaughnessy said the school plans to host a group from China in conjunction with the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE) grant in the future.

About Washington & Jefferson College

Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a selective liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional arts and sciences curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent study work. For more information about W&J, visit http://www.washjeff.edu, or call 888-W-AND-JAY.
Lee Jay Berman accepts 2017 Distinguished Neutral of the Year award, Toronto Four Seasons, Aug 18th Lee Jay has developed a sterling reputation for his mediation of... seemingly intractable cases, across North America. He brings those valuable insights from the mediation room to a wide range of audiences, including experienced neutrals.

The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals (NADN) is pleased to present their inaugural Distinguished Neutral of the Year Award to Los Angeles-based Lee Jay Berman, in recognition of excellence in mediation and ADR training.

A nationally-renowned mediator, Lee Jay Berman began mediating cases full-time in the mid-90s, successfully resolving thousands of cases over the last 23 years. An early member of NADNs Executive Committee, Mr. Berman was also inducted as a Distinguished Fellow with the International Academy of Mediators, certified by the International Mediation Institute, and appointed as a Dispute Resolution Expert with the United Nations Development Program. He is a Master Mediator on the American Arbitration Associations employment mediation panel and is on their national specialty panels for commercial and construction cases. He has twice been recognized for his mediation practice in California as a Daily Journal Top Neutral; Acquisition International Magazine awarded him Mediator of the Year - California each year since 2012, and he was voted by his peers into the Whos Who of International Commercial Mediation annually since 2012.

Mr. Berman honed his skills as a lecturer and trainer during his time as Director of the "Mediating the Litigated Case Program at Pepperdine Law Schools Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, a position he held for seven years. Lee Jay left Pepperdine to found the American Institute of Mediation, dedicated to providing world-class training for the complete mediator. In that capacity, Lee Jay has taught at Southwestern Law School, University of Texas, Southern Methodist University, Cal-State Northridge, UC Santa Barbara, and Bond University (Brisbane, Australia). In addition, Lee Jay has trained judges, attorneys and business leaders in India, Australia, Europe and the Middle East. As an author, he has published numerous articles on mediation, negotiation, and ADR, along with his blog Eye On Conflict, and the ABA will be publishing two of his books in 2018.

In selecting Lee Jay as our inaugural award recipient, several factors stood out, commented Darren Lee, Executive Director of NADN. Firstly, Lee Jay has been instrumental in assisting the Academy with the training for our biennial Advanced Training Retreat, widely considered a world-class event in the ADR community. Lee Jays own classes at the Retreat over the last 8 years have consistently been rated as excellent by his peers, and hes without doubt among the very finest ADR trainers in the world.

Secondly, Lee Jay has developed a sterling reputation for his mediation of sensitive, highly complex, and sometimes seemingly intractable cases, across North America. He brings those valuable insights from the mediation roomhow to overcome impasse and much moreto the courses he teaches to a wide range of audiences, including experienced neutrals, commented Mr. Lee. Finally, Id note that extra kudos should be given; Lee Jay did not go to law school. Less than a dozen of our nearly 1000 Academy members are non-lawyers, making his rise to the top tier of the U.S. ADR community doubly impressive!

The award was presented to Mr. Berman at the 2017 NADN Members Retreat, held at the Four Seasons Toronto on Friday, August 18, 2017. The NADN Distinguished Neutral of the Year Award will be presented annually to an ADR professional widely considered by his or her peers to have achieved the highest of excellence in the dispute resolution profession.
Our first Small Business Owner Demographic Profile offers unique insight into the characteristics of small business owners as well as how preferences, business habits and motivation differs among our respondents," said John Swanciger, CEO of Manta.

Manta, one of the largest online resources dedicated to small business, today released its inaugural Small Business Owner Demographic Profile, the result of an analysis of 4,600 American small business owners.

Since small businesses account for over 99 percent of today's employers, it's critical to understand exactly who is driving the U.S. economy forward, said John Swanciger, CEO of Manta. Our first Small Business Owner Demographic Profile offers unique insight into the characteristics of small business owners as well as how preferences, business habits and motivation differs among our respondents."

Gender

Per Mantas analysis, men are overwhelmingly in the majority, making up 64 percent of todays small business owners compared to the 36 percent of respondents who identified as female.

Generation

According to the results, baby boomers make up the largest portion (38 percent) of todays small business owners, followed closely by Generation X (32 percent) and millennials (24 percent). Interestingly, nearly half (48 percent) of all business owners founded their companies under the age of 40.

Education

As for owners educational backgrounds, Manta found that one-third of American small business owners are college graduates, while 17 percent earned graduate degrees and 26 percent have some college education.

Motivation

Thirty-one percent of respondents started their business because they were passionate about their company, while 27 percent were driven by the prospect of being their own boss.

Entrepreneurial Habits Differ by Age

With a relatively even split across generations, Manta investigated how age impacts the habits and preferences of small business owners. As it turns out, generation proved to be one of the biggest dividing factors, according to Mantas analysis.

Women small business owners are more common in younger generations compared to their older counterparts, with 43 percent of millennial respondents identifying as female in comparison to 37 percent of Generation X and 35 percent of baby boomers. Though entrepreneurship is still dominated by men, millennial women could change this stereotype as they continue to pursue opportunities to launch their own companies.

As entrepreneurs who identify as millennial and female, the response from our community has been extremely encouraging, said Cortney Sims, co-founder of Coco and Ilia, a fashion brand. The experience has been incredible, emotional, stressful, yet educational on multiple levels. We wouldn't trade our journey thus far for the world. Having the ability and opportunity to start and own our own business at such a young age is surreal in the best way possible.

Unsurprisingly, millennial small business owners as a group are navigating the burden of student loan debt. While 34 percent of millennial respondents said they have student loan debt, only 21 percent of Generation X and 9 percent of baby boomers said the same.

When it comes to securing funds to start a business, tapping into personal savings is the method of choice. Manta found that 64 percent of millennials, 68 percent of Generation X and 65 percent of baby boomers used their savings to get their companies up and running.

In terms of what motivated small business owners to launch their own companies, Mantas analysis reveals millennials want to be their own boss (31 percent) while many baby boomers (35 percent) and Generation X small business owners (31 percent) are passionate about their companies.

Gender Also Plays Key Role in Shaping Small Business Owners Trajectory

Similarly, Manta explored how gender plays a role in the demographic profile of todays small business owners, and found clear differences among men and women small business owners.

For instance, women small business owners tend to have more student loan debt than male counterparts. Twenty-six percent of women are currently paying off college loans  a number that decreases to 15 percent for men owners.

Motivation for establishing a small business is another area where men and women have differing opinions. The number one-driver behind womens desire to become an entrepreneur is passion for their company, cited by 37 percent of respondents. Meanwhile, 29 percent of men said their main motivation for entering business ownership is the opportunity to be their own boss.

Men and women small business owners are on the same page when it comes to how they secured funds to start their companies. Leveraging personal savings was the top funding method cited by both men and women small business owners (65 percent and 66 percent respectively).

For more information and insight into the demographic profile of todays small business owner, view complete results from the survey here.

About Manta

Manta empowers small business owners to succeed on their own terms by helping them stand out, connect with customers and grow their companies. Our solutions include a small business directory with millions of unique monthly visitors, valuable content and a suite of products to manage critical business needs. We strive to inform and inspire through learning opportunities, proprietary research, and a robust online community for dialogue and collaboration. Thousands of business owners join Manta each month. Visit manta.com to learn why.
Fire departments take pride in what they are doing, and we want to give them the recognition they deserve, said David Miller, assistant vice president of Special Investigations for Grinnell Mutual.

The National Association of State Fire Marshals Fire Research and Education Foundation (NASFM Foundation) and Grinnell Mutual Reinsurance Company are pleased to announce that 110 fire departments from 31 states earned the Life Safety Achievement Award for their fire prevention accomplishments in 2016. (See list of award-winning departments below.) For over 20 years, this national award has recognized fire departments for actively promoting fire prevention in the pursuit of saving lives.

To qualify for the award, fire departments recorded zero fire deaths in residential structures or a 10 percent reduction of fire deaths from the prior year. In addition, award recipients documented active and effective fire prevention programs as well as a commitment to reducing the number of house fires in the community.

Fire departments take pride in what they are doing, and we want to give them the recognition they deserve, said David Miller, assistant vice president of Special Investigations for Grinnell Mutual. The Life Safety Achievement Award celebrates fire departments for their efforts in organizing fire safety inspections, offering outreach programs that spread the word about fire safety, and, most importantly, saving the lives of people in their communities.

In 2015, there were 1,345,500 fires reported in the United States. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), these fires caused 3,280 civilian deaths, 15,700 civilian injuries, and $14.3 billion in property damage.

Experience tells us that fire prevention activities and public education can significantly reduce life and property loss from residential fires, said NASFM Foundation President Butch Browning. Prevention and education are very cost effective compared to the traditional approach of relying on fire suppression. The Life Safety Achievement Award encourages fire departments to continually improve upon those efforts.

The 2016 Life Safety Achievement Award recipients named in 2017:

Alabama:

Gulf Shores Fire Rescue

Springville Fire & Rescue

Arkansas:

Fairview Volunteer Fire Department

Arizona:

City of Prescott Fire Department

MCAS Yuma Fire Department

California:

University of CaliforniaIrvine

Connecticut:

East Great Plain Volunteer Fire Co., Inc.

Naugatuck

Tolland Fire Department

Suffield Fire Department

Woodbridge Volunteer Fire Department

Florida:

Clermont Fire Department

Greater Naples Fire Rescue Department

Maitland Fire Rescue Department

Tamarac Fire Rescue

Georgia:

Peach County Fire Department

Riceboro Volunteer Fire/Rescue Department

Iowa:

Alburnett Fire Department

Bettendorf Fire, Rescue & Emergency Services

Grinnell Fire Department

Hiawatha Fire Department

Montezuma Fire Department

Onawa Volunteer Fire Department

Palo Fire

Vinton Fire Department

Idaho:

Northern Lakes Fire Protection District

Illinois:

Wheeling Fire Department Gurnee Fire Rescue

Alsip Fire Department

Bourbannais Fire Protection District

Countryside Fire Protection District

Effingham Fire Department

Gurnee Fire Rescue

Henry Fire Protection District

River Forest Fire Department

Kansas:

Andover Fire-Rescue

McPherson Fire Department

Ottawa Fire Department

Kentucky:

Campbell County Fire District #1

City of Danville Fire Department

Fire Department Bellevue-Dayton

Milton Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department

Owensboro Fire Department

Louisiana:

Gonzales Fire Department

Massachusetts:

Georgetown Fire Department

Shrewsbury Fire Department

Maryland:

Winfield VFD

Michigan:

Graafschap Fire Department

Minnesota:

Albany Fire and Rescue

Alexandria Fire Department

Andover Fire Department

Avon Fire & Rescue

Braham Fire Rescue

City of Hastings

Cloquet Area Fire District

Eden Prairie Fire Department

Excelsior Fire District

Hopkins Fire Department

Minnetonka Fire Department

Montevideo Fire Department

New Brighton Department of Public Safety

North St. Paul Fire Department

Wayzata Fire

White Bear Lake Fire Department

Missouri:

Battlefield Fire Protection District

Branson Fire Rescue

Fort Osage Fire Protection District

Kearney Fire & Rescue Protection District

North Carolina:

City of Mount Airy

Etowah Horse Shoe Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department

Pinehurst Fire Department

Vance County Fire Department

North Dakota:

Garrison

Nebraska:

Arnold Volunteer Fire Department

Pawnee City Fire Department

Wilcox Volunteer Fire Department

New Hampshire:

Salem Fire Department

New Jersey:

Berlin Fire Rescue Company

Ohio:

Concord Township Fire Department

Pennsylvania:

Green Lane Volunteer Fire Company

Montgomery Township Fire Services

South Carolina:

Beaufort/Port Royal Fire Department

Bluffton Township Fire District

Edisto Beach Fire Department

Georgetown City Fire Department

Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue

Long Branch Fire Department

New Holland Volunteer Fire Department

North Myrtle Beach Public Safety

Pickens Fire Department

Tennessee:

City of Athens Fire Department

City of Clinton Fire Department

City of Henderson Fire Department

City of White House Fire Department

Columbia Fire Department

Cumberland County

East Ridge Fire Rescue

Germantown Fire Department

Madisonville Fire-Rescue

Ripley Fire Department

Selmer Fire Department

Sharps Chapel Volunteer Fire Department

Texas:

Ben Bolt Volunteer Fire Department

Highland Village Fire Department

Sheppard Air Force Base FES

Utah:

Diamond Valley Fire Department

Lehi Fire Department

Virginia:

City of Staunton Fire & Rescue

Wisconsin:

Hartford Fire & Rescue

Janesville Department

Middleton Fire Department

About NASFM Foundation

The NASFM Foundation is a public interest group whose mission is to reduce residential fire deaths and injuries. The Foundation advocates the use of residential fire sprinklers, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and teaching people fire-safe behavior. The Foundation assists fire departments with implementing residential sprinkler/smoke alarm programs on a local basis. The Foundations partners include the United States Fire Administration, the National Association of State Fire Marshals and private industry/associations with an interest in and commitment to residential fire safety.

About Grinnell Mutual

Grinnell Mutual, in business since 1909, is the 109th-largest property casualty insurance company in the United States and the largest primary reinsurer of farm mutual companies in North America. The company provides reinsurance for farm mutual insurance companies as well as property and casualty insurance. Its products are available in 15 states.

###

For more information:

Jim Narva, Director of External Relations

National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM)

Jnarva(at)narvaassociates.com
Discovia continues to lead the ediscovery industry in security with ISO 27001, HIPAA, and HITECH recertifications.

Discovia, a Lighthouse company and leading global provider of ediscovery services to corporations, law firms and government entities, has achieved ISO 27001 recertification for the next three years. This certification covers Discovias information security management system supporting electronic data discovery, forensic data collection and analysis, electronic data hosting, consulting, data processing and production services. The certification was performed by Schellman & Company, LLC, an ANAB and UKAS accredited Certification Body based in the United States. In addition, the company completed an assessment confirming that Discovia is compliant with applicable Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) security rules and breach reporting requirements.

Data security is of the utmost importance to our customers, said Christian Lawrence, founder and executive vice president at Discovia, a Lighthouse company. These recertifications are a testament to our investment of time and money developing robust infrastructure and operational excellence in all things security. Our program features over 100 security controls, business continuity plans and experienced, well-trained employees committed to information security and data privacy best practices.

ISO 27001 is a globally recognized standard for the establishment and certification of an information security management system. The standard specifies the requirements for establishing, implementing, operating, monitoring, reviewing, maintaining and improving a documented ISMS within the context of the organizations overall business risks. It sets forth a risk-based approach that focuses on adequate and proportionate security controls that protect information assets and give confidence to interested parties.

HIPAA requires organizations engaged in handling electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI) to implement the necessary systems, procedures, and policies to secure such information. In addition the HITECH Act includes provisions that require organizations that store ePHI to implement procedures to report any breach of unprotected ePHI.

For more information about this announcement, please reach out to info(at)discovia(dot)com.

About Discovia, A Lighthouse company

Discovia, a Lighthouse company, provides electronic discovery services to corporations and law firms engaged in litigation, ITC investigations, and internal and regulatory investigations, including HSR Second Requests. Services include onsite and remote data collections, data minimization, data processing and hosting, expert application of leading technology-assisted review tools, document review management, and document productions. Discovia is one of the only eDiscovery services providers to achieve ISO 27001 certification and HIPAA/HITECH compliance for data security according to third-party auditors. Discovia is the first to publish its accuracy rate  99.7 percent, and typically achieves data culling rates of 95 percent for repeat clients. Discovia is the first eDiscovery services firm to deliver a fixed-price managed services solution, enabling corporate legal departments and law firms to gain a world-class eDiscovery function with complete cost predictability. More information is available at (415) 392-2900 or http://www.discovia.com.

About Schellman

Schellman & Company, LLC is a leading national provider of attestation and compliance services - and the only company in the world that is a CPA firm, an ISO Certification Body, a globally licensed PCI Qualified Security Assessor Company, a HITRUST assessor, and a FedRAMP 3PAO. Renowned for expertise tempered by practical experience, our professionals provide superior client service balanced by steadfast independence. Schellmans approach builds successful, long-term relationships and allows our clients to achieve multiple compliance objectives using a single third party assessor.
Since becoming an official Moodle Partner in 2016, eThink has been committed to advancing Moodles mission of empowering educators with our learning platform, as evident through their growing client base in the United States, Africa and the Caribbean.

eThink Education, a rapidly-growing eLearning solutions provider, has expanded their partnership with Moodle to offer high-quality LMS services in Canada.

Founded in 2008, eThink became a Certified Moodle Partner in 2016. eThink works with Moodles open source learning platform to provide high quality Moodle solutions in the US, Caribbean, and Africa. Now, eThinks wide range of Moodle support services, from hosting through to custom design of any organizations eLearning needs, will also be available throughout Canada.

Canada possesses a mature eLearning market with Moodle being a top LMS choice amongst consumers. Becoming a Canadian Moodle Partner will allow eThink to better services the eLearning needs of organizations and institutions in the region.

eThink currently has a number of clients in Canada. With a certified Moodle partnership in the region, eThink looks forward to growing their Canadian client base and continuing to provide clients with high-quality eLearning solutions and support.

eThink Education provides a fully-managed Moodle solution for K-12 and Professional Education, covering all LMS needs including implementation, cloud hosting, integration, consultation, and management services. eThink also specializes in real-time Student Information Systems integrations and will work with our clients to connect important secondary systems for a seamless learning experience. Moodle by eThink provides a customizable eLearning platform designed to meet specific institutional and organizational needs.

eThink is excited to announce our official Moodle Partner status in Canada. This partnership solidifies our commitment to Moodles mission and to providing affordable open-source technology to educators across the globe, said Brian Carlson, Co-Founder and CEO of eThink Education.

Martin Dougiamas, Founder and CEO of Moodle, said: Congratulations to the team at eThink on their achievement of becoming a Certified Moodle Services Provider in Canada.

Since becoming an official Moodle Partner in 2016, eThink has been committed to advancing Moodles mission of empowering educators with our learning platform, as evident through their growing client base in the United States, Africa and the Caribbean.

We look forward to building on our already strong relationship with eThink to meet the continued demand for digital education in Canada through the provision of powerful and flexible tools in Moodle.

eThink will have a booth at the upcoming Moodle Moot in Miami on November 6-8, 2017. Stop by the eThink Education booth to discuss recent eThink happenings, partnership opportunities, and more.

eThink will also be attending the upcoming DevLearn Conference & Expo (Booth 604) in Las Vegas on October 25-27 and Educause 2017 the following week, October 31-November 3, in Philadelphia (Booth 137).
Inc 500 6 years in a row Americas Promotions Powerhouse Continues on Path of Year-Over-Year Growth

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. - Inc. Magazine has ranked PrizeLogic on its 36th annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the nations fastest-growing private companies. In 2017, PrizeLogic joins a finite group of ranked companies that have been listed six consecutive years; less than 4 percent of the ranked companies can claim this accomplishment.

PrizeLogic closed 2016 with more than 43 percent revenue growth, and has increased revenue 271 percent in the last three years. The nations leading digital partner for promotions also received the number 18 spot for Top Detroit Companies in this years Inc. ranking, number 33 in the state of Michigan, and is barreling toward another year of double digit growth in 2017.

Each time we rank on the Inc. 5000 is another exciting milestone for PrizeLogic as it represents our dedication to changing this industry, said Keith Simmons, CEO of PrizeLogic. Im especially proud because weve been able to do it while taking the high road; the market has shown its appreciation for our premium product and service offering and were fortunate to be able to align our values with a long list of great clients, many of whom have been with us for a very long time. We dont take this recognition lightly and well continue to invest back into our company, improve our services and surpass our own accomplishments year after year.

PrizeLogic is fueled by innovation and recently released the new Coors Light Experience Points loyalty platform (XP). The mobile app allows Coors Light consumers to earn points for drinking Coors Light and playing trivia games for localized/relevant rewards custom designed for them. In addition, PrizeLogic is associated with the award winning T-Mobile Tuesdays campaign where consumers are rewarded simply for being a T-Mobile customer.

Simmons added We support our clients objectives to drive a positive return on their marketing investments, measured by a host of performance indicators that ultimately lead to sales lift. In addition were set up to support enriched on-going CRM (customer relation management) by leveraging the comprehensive data we acquire.

PrizeLogic has repeatedly partnered with some of the most recognized Fortune 100 brands in the world including Pepsi, MillerCoors, Subway and Disney to ideate and execute promotions engaging consumers beyond the prize. In 2016 alone, PrizeLogic executed nearly 1,000 promotions entered by more than 100 million consumers and awarded $50 million in prizes that lead to continued consumer impressions long after they were awarded.

Chief!Marketer has also recognized PrizeLogic, adding the promotions expert to its prestigious list of Promo Top Shops. Specifically, honored as a result of achievements with consumer packaged goods (CPG) and trade promotions as well as the companys expertise in loyalty and retention marketing. Crains Detroit recognized PrizeLogic in 2016 on its Fast 50 ranking, highlighting Michigans largest corporate growth stories.

To view the PrizeLogic Inc. 5000 profile, visit https://www.inc.com/profile/prizelogic.

About PrizeLogic

Founded in 2008, PrizeLogic is the most trusted digital partner for results-driven promotions. Millions of consumers have participated in more than 6,000 promotions launched by PrizeLogic since inception. PrizeLogics in-house experts provide services ranging from technology and security to legal and fulfillment, ensuring efficient and timely execution while maintaining creative excellence. The Company consistently innovates in order to keep brands relevant in an evolving digital world. PrizeLogic is proudly overseen by its original, founding leadership in partnership with North Carolina-based partner Pamlico Capital, which is focused on aiding in the companys continued business growth and development. PrizeLogic offices are located in Southfield, MI (HQ), Scottsdale, AZ, New York, NY, Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA and Atlanta, GA. For additional information, please visit http://www.prizelogic.com.
Bill Proudman, CEO of WMFDP, comments on the diversity controversy at Google.

The tech industrys problems with diversity and inclusion have come into sharp focus over the past two weeks with a leaked internal memo of Google engineer James Damore entitled Googles Ideological Echo Chamber. Damore was subsequently fired from the organization. (1)

Damore, a Harvard University graduate who had worked at Google for four years, claimed that:

Women, on average, have more: Openness directed towards feelings and aesthetics rather than ideas. Women generally also have a stronger interest in people rather than things, relative to men. The memo went on to say that the distribution of preferences and abilities of men and women differ in part due to biological causes and that these differences may explain why we dont see equal representation of women in tech and leadership.

The memo also stated:

Googles left bias has created a politically correct monoculture that maintains its hold by shaming dissenters into silence.

Leading diversity and inclusion consultants White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP) CEO Bill Proudman said he agrees with Googles action and noted, The downside is that, however well intended the decision, people who are not in the mainstream flow of politics at the company may now feel theyre going to lose their livelihood if they speak up.

The debate has thrown a brighter spotlight on Silicon Valleys gender divide and evidence of a culture of exclusion. Women represent 12% of engineers in the U.S. and 28% of executives and managers at top-ranked tech firms in Silicon Valley. (2) Google is presently under investigation by the U.S. government after accusations of gender pay inequality, and has been forced to hand over pay records. According to the Guardian, more than 60 female employees are considering bringing class action lawsuits against Google. (3) (4)

To get the full picture of diversity and inclusion, straight white males must be brought into the conversation in a different way than they have been historically, says Proudman. Training is a tool but it is just one way to reinforce a particular set of skills, insights or efforts. It should be linked with other initiatives within the organization. For the most part, womenor anyone of any groupsimply want to exist on an equal plane based upon the merits of their work. People and groups are different, and these differences are part of their identity. Embracing and celebrating that fact means a more vibrant and innovative workforce.

Proudman and partner, author Michael Welp, founded their firm on a unique premise. We work with the majority leadership, commonly white and male, to get the dialogue going and examine ingrained bias, Proudman explains. We found that other diversity programs omitted this step, but it was vital to bridge the gap across lines of gender, race, orientation and background.

In a communication to Google employees, CEO Sundar Pichai said of Damores firing, First, let me say that we strongly support the right of Googlers to express themselves, and much of what was in that memo is fair to debate, regardless of whether a vast majority of Googlers disagree with it. However, portions of the memo violate our Code of Conduct and cross the line by advancing harmful gender stereotypes in our workplace. (5)

About White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP):

White Men As Full Diversity Partners (WMFDP) is a diversity and leadership development firm founded by Bill Proudman, Michael Welp, Ph.D., and Jo-Ann Morris in 1996 in Portland, Oregon. WMFDP takes an unorthodox approach towards eradicating bias and discrimination in the workplace. Its client list includes Alaska Airlines, Dell, Lockheed Martin, Northwestern Mutual, Rockwell Automation, Chevron Drilling & Completions, The Nature Conservancy, Mass Mutual, and others

The majority of C-level executives are white and male, and they are frequently omitted from a vital role in diversity and equality. Proudman and Welp observed that these critical subjects were not being taken to the doorstep of these leadersall to the detriment of struggling minorities and the economy as a whole. With a background that includes extensive field work in post-Apartheid South Africa in the early 1990s, Proudman and Welp have dedicated the last two decades to educating and engaging leaders of any race, color, gender or orientation. Welp is the author of the book, Four Days to Change. With an insightful foreword by Proudman, the book chronicles the journey from rural South Africa to the boardrooms of Americaall to lay the groundwork of a global paradigm shift.

1. Conger, Kate. Exclusive: Heres The Full 10-Page Anti-Diversity Screed Circulating Internally at Google [Updated]. Gizmodo.com, 5 Aug. 2017.

2. Molteni, Megan and Rogers, Adam. The Actual Science of James Damores Google Memo. Wired, 14 Aug. 2017.

3. Titcomb, James. Google Fires Employee behind Anti-Diversity Memo for Perpetuating Gender Stereotypes. The Telegraph, 8 Aug. 2017.

4. Levin, Sam. More than 60 Women Consider Suing Google, Claiming Sexism and a Pay Gap. The Guardian, 8 Aug. 2017.

5. Pichai, Sundar. Note to Employees from CEO Sundar Pichai. Google, Google, 8 Aug. 2017.
NKH Bus Tour across America We have an obligation to come together as a community to help our kids succeed in school and beyond, said Dave McDougall, CEO of Back Yard Burgers, a long-time Dine Out for No Kid Hungry partner.

More than 11,000 restaurants across America, including Nashville-based Back Yard Burgers, will support Dine Out in September for No Kid Hungry. The No Kid Hungry America Bus Tour stops in the Nashville area at Back Yard Burgers located in Franklin, TN which will offer free burgers to anyone donating to No Kid Hungry. Funds raise will help the 1 in 6 children facing hunger in America.

The Dine Out for No Kid Hungry school bus tour kicked off in New York on August 21 and ends in Los Angeles on September 13, holding events in cities along the way to highlight how and where you can dine out and make your meal count for kids. All September, when guests eat at a No Kid Hungry partner restaurant, from popular chains to local mom-and-pops, they can donate in exchange for money-saving rewards. Every $1 donated connects a child to 10 meals through No Kid Hungrys programs and partnerships. Last year, this nationwide restaurant fundraiser generated more than 900 million meals for kids.

The No Kid Hungry Bus Tour will be stopping at the Back Yard Burgers in the Nashville area at the Franklin restaurant located at 1015 Center Pointe Place on Monday, August 28 from 1 to 3 p.m. David McDougall, CEO of BYB and board member of NKH Dine Out and Muhsin Muhammad, former wide receiver for the Chicago Bears and Charlotte Panthers and now a partner in Axum Capital Partners who recently bought Back Yard Burgers will be grilling burgers and serving guests.

We have an obligation to come together as a community to help our kids succeed in school and beyond, said Dave McDougall, CEO of Back Yard Burgers, a long-time Dine Out for No Kid Hungry partner. When 3 out of 4 teachers are regularly seeing kids come to school hungry and more than half of teachers are buying food out of their own paychecks for their students, the time to act is now.

McDougall is citing new data from No Kid Hungrys Hunger in Our Schools report, released August 3, that highlights how 95% of teachers believe hunger impacts their students ability to succeed; 77% directly correlate hunger with poor academic performance.

Another component this years Dine Out for No Kid Hungry taps into is the injustice felt by teachers, parents and particularly students41% of teens surveyed feel angry about the state of hunger in schools. The school bus tour will feature a social media challenge to redefine hangry with a new, more serious messagethat we are angry that kids are going hungry.

Theres a strong sense of It shouldnt be like this in America, but not always a clear way to help, says Diana Hovey, Senior Vice President at No Kid Hungry. Eating out is something people are already doing, and if you can make your meal count for kids at the same time, its an easy way to make an immediate difference.

Join the Dine Out for No Kid Hungry tour in New York, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, San Diego and Los Angeles. Follow the bus and find a restaurant near you at NoKidHungry.org.

ABOUT NO KID HUNGRY

No child should go hungry in America, but 1 in 6 kids will face hunger this year. Using proven, practical solutions, No Kid Hungry is ending childhood hunger today by ensuring that kids start the day with a nutritious breakfast, eat healthy summer meals, and families learn the skills they need to shop and cook on a budget. When we all work together, we can make sure kids get the healthy food they need. No Kid Hungry is a campaign of national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength. Join us NoKidHungry.org.

ABOUT BACK YARD BURGERS

Founded in 1987 in Cleveland, MS, Back Yard Burgers is a fast casual, better-burger concept that takes pride in their uncompromising commitment to providing custom, flame-grilled variety with care. The companys franchise partners and employees are passionate about offering the freshest ingredients, allowing their guests to customize their meals and to serving the same high-quality food that they would offer at home to their own family. Along with offering made-to-order gourmet Angus burgers, Back Yard Burgers menu includes delicious grilled chicken sandwiches, fresh and creative salads, hand-dipped milkshakes, and freshly baked desserts. Today the franchise brand operates 55 locations, including 23-company owned and 32 franchised restaurants in 11 states. In the last few years, Back Yard Burgers is has raised $171,000 for Share Our Strength - No Kid Hungry, whose goal is to end childhood hunger in America. http://www.backyardburgers.com
Fresh paint and new awnings have given Lincoln Avenue in Winnetka a revitalized look and feel. The positive buzz and energy going on with Hoffmann buying buildings and renovating is exactly what the community needs. -- Patrick O'Neil, Winnetka restauranteur.

While analysts wring their hands over the impending death of brick-and-mortar retail stores, maverick investors are seizing the opportunity to re-invigorate the downtown shopping experience. Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate is leading that charge, aggressively expanding its portfolio in carefully targeted markets to create attractive destination neighborhoods filled with successful local businesses.

Of course, the retail paradigm is shifting, acknowledges Greg Hoffmann, CEO of Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate, but people will still leave their computers at home for a positive experience in their communities. As property owners, our goal is to create that exciting neighborhood atmosphere that draws people out.

Hoffmanns strategy identifies high-potential properties in curated, concentrated areas as existing owners back away from retail sectors. The company then invests in both improvements to individual properties and enhancements to the general neighborhood, ranging from fresh paint, awnings, and signage to sculpture walks, live music performances, and other promotions. Result: sleepy downtowns become engaging destinations for shopping and dining.

Based on the North Shore, the company has transformed downtown shopping areas in Avon, Colorado including the Beaver Creek Ski Resort and Naples, Floridas Old Towne 5th Avenue South, achieving tenancy rates of 97 percent across more than 60 properties nationwide. Hoffmann is now expanding its footprint in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago, particularly in downtown Winnetka where it has acquired 14 properties. Most of the tenants are small businesses, many with deep roots in the community. Storefronts along Lincoln Avenue, Elm Street, and Chestnut Court are being spruced up, and foot traffic to local cafes and businesses is boosted by new statuary and weekend music.

A community like Winnetka is a prime setting for our business model, observes Hoffmann. The population has a healthy level of disposable income and is trending younger, with residents who enjoy walking, biking, and socializing locally. We have tenant businesses that are part of local history, such as Lakeside Foods, Trifecta Grill, Little Rickys, Cafe Aroma, Stacked & Folded, Miranis at Home, Sara Campbell, Optique, JMcLaughlin, Orrington Jewelers, Mark Beard, and Donald Stuart. As property owners, we can help our tenants maintain their existing customer relationships and also attract new foot traffic.

Hoffmanns business tenants appreciate the companys commitment to enhancing the overall appeal of their properties.

The positive buzz and energy going on with Hoffmann buying buildings and renovating is exactly what the community needs, believes restauranteur Patrick ONeil, owner of Little Rickys and Trifecta Grill. As a long-standing board member of the Business Community Development Commission of Winnetka, this is the kind of ownership we have been waiting for. My wife Mary and I have owned three restaurants, a womens clothing boutique, and a detail car wash all in Winnetka. We share the companys vision and appreciate their investment in a community that has huge potential for growth.

We are excited by the very visible improvements taking place in Winnetka, notes Kaveh Mirani, owner of Miranis at Home catering. The fresh paint and new awnings make a real difference, and the sculpture walk is interesting and attractive. Lincoln Avenue is looking great.

Having grown up in the family business, Greg Hoffmann takes the long view for the future of retail. This isnt the first transformation for retail-based real estate, says Hoffmann. Downtowns lost customers to malls decades ago, which then lost to big box stores, which now are buffeted by online competition. We see the next phase as the rediscovery of the power of local shopping experiences.

Hoffman adds, I think Americas Downtown represents memories for children, families, and friends. It lends itself to a feeling of being connected and identifying with the community, a place to be proud of and a lifetime of childhood and family memories that cannot be replaced in malls or via the Internet. We hope to enhance and bring that downtown vibe back to life.

For more information on Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate, visit HoffmannCRE.com.

About Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate

Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate is an established real estate holding company headquartered on the North Shore of Chicago. Hoffmann Commercial Real Estate transforms and maintains properties to a Class A+ standard, or more commonly known as the Hoffmann Standard. This commitment to excellence contributes to the companys overall tenancy rate of 97 percent. The company's portfolio is rapidly growing, consisting of both stabilized and value-add properties in strategic locations throughout the country, with future investments in the United States and abroad. Our reputation represents an unrivaled commitment to excellence and is becoming more widespread with every transaction. Learn more at HoffmanCRE.com.
"I'm always impressed by the skill and quality of the judges," Douglas Smith, Awards Director

Whiskies of the World is delighted to announce the winners of the 2017 Whiskies of the World Awards. Whiskies of the World is known for its industry standard tasting events in Atlanta, Austin, Houston, San Francisco and San Jose. The Whisky Awards is an additional feature that provides brands marketing materials to promote their products. As only 23% of entrants receive gold medals, the results of these awards are extremely meaningful. Additionally, all judges notes are made available to each entrant as important data to develop the brand and determine best marketing strategy.

Whiskies are judged on a 100-point basis with a concentration on appearance, aromatics, flavor, mouthfeel and finish. Blind judging was performed by a panel of eighteen Texas tastemakers who are all influential figures in the states beverage industry. The panel included:

David "Bart" Bartlett - Whisky Guru at Beverage World; Jeff Boley - Beverage Manager Townsend; Jeramy Campbell - Assistant Manager Seven Grand Whisky Bar; Carly Dunavant - Bartender; Aisling Gammill - Lead Bartender Whisler's; Dennis Gobis - Co-Owner The Roosevelt Room and Eleanor; Mike Groener - CEO Genius Liquids; Jennifer Keyser - Beverage Director Holy Roller; Justin Lavenue - Co-owner The Roosevelt Room and Eleanor; Lana Lindsley - Bulleit Whiskey Ambassador; David Maguire - Co-owner The Austin Shaker; John McEntire - Spirits Consultant Twin Liquors; Florian Minier - Bartender Small Victory; Adrian Montanez - Manager Twin Liquors; Purav Patel - Owner Village Liquors; Mike Raymond - Owner Reserve 101; Ken Seeber - Spirits Consultant Twin Liquors; Kevin Stein - Regional Manager Twin Liquors

The judges are extremely talented with sensitive palates and work hard to evaluate each product, explains Douglas Smith, Whiskies of the World Event Director. The evaluation of whiskies is taken very seriously. Our judges not only taste and make notes, but also discuss and consider many angles. We are proud that our awards reflect the experience and integrity of our excellent judging panel.

Full results are listed on our website: Awards

The 2017 Best in Show Winner:

Gold: Glendronach 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

The 2017 Best in Class Winners:

American Single Malt: Westland American Single Malt Whiskey "American Oak"

Bourbon less than 2 years: Widow Jane Baby Jane Bourbon

Bourbon 2-5 years: Old Forester 1920

Bourbon greater than 5 years: Widow Jane 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon

Bourbon NAS: Old Forester Statesman

Canadian: Stalk & Barrel Red Blend

Corn greater than 2 years: Ironroot Hubris Corn Whiskey

Corn less than 2 years: Austonian Whiskey

Flavored Whiskey: R.M. Rose Fire On The Mountain Cinnamon Whiskey

Irish: Knockmore Irish Whiskey

Malt Unpeated: Glencadam 25 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

Malt Unpeated Cask Finish: Glendronach 18 Year Old Single Malt Scotch

Malt Peated: Amrut Fusion

Malt Peated Finished: Five Lions Blended Malt Scotch Whisky Peatside

Rye greater than 2 years: Old Potrero 18th Century Style Whiskey

Rye NAS: Rock Town Arkansas Rye Whiskey

Whiskey: Jim Beam Little Book "The Easy"

2017 Gold Recipients:

American Single Malt < 2 Years: Balcones 1' Texas Single Malt

American Single Malt: Balcones Texas Single Malt Single Barrel

Bourbon 2-5 years:

Amador 'Ten Barrels'

A.D. Laws Bottled In Bond 4 Grain Straight Bourbon

Balcones Texas Blue Corn Bourbon

Bourbon greater than 5 years: Amador Double Barrel

Irish: The Dubliner 10 year Old

Malt Peated: Amrut Cask Strength Peated

Malt Peated Finished: Amrut Kadhambam

Malt Unpeated Cask Finish: Chapter 7 19 Year Old Highland Blended Malt

Rye less than 2 Years: Lazy Guy 5th Article 1887 Rye Whiskey

Whiskey: Balcones Brimstone

2017 Silver Outstanding Recipients:

American Single Malt: Do Good Cherrywood Smoked Whisky

Bourbon less than 2 years: Giant Texas Bourbon 91 Proof

Bourbon 2-5 years:

West Wind Bourbon

Do Good California Bourbon

Bourbon greater than 5 years: Devils River Bourbon

Bourbon NAS: Rock Town Single Barrel Bourbon

Corn greater than 2 years:

Balcones True Blue 100

A.D. Laws Bottled In Bond Straight Corn Whiskey

Malt Peated:

English Whisky Peated Single Malt

Glenora Ghleann Dubh

Malt Peated Finished:

Kilchoman Sanaig

Malt Unpeated Cask Finish:

Glengoyne 18 Year Old

Glengoyne 21 Year Old

Glendronach 12 Year Old

Malt Unpeated:

Glencadam 10 Year Old

Tipperary Distillery: Watershed

Rye less than 2 Years: Alley 6 Rye Whiskey

Rye greater than 2 years:

A.D Laws BIB Secale Straight Rye Whiskey

James E Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Whiskey

James E Pepper 1776 SRW -Sherry Cask Finish

Unaged: Ole Smoky Blue Flame Moonshine

2017 Silver Recipients:

American Single Malt: Copperworks American Single Malt Whiskey

American Single Malt less than 2 Years: Alley 6 Single Malt Whiskey

Bourbon less than 2 years:

Merica Bourbon Whiskey

Ironroot Harbinger Bourbon

Lazy Guy Side Track Bourbon

Giant Texas Bourbon

Bourbon 2-5 years:

Do Good Nighthawk Bourbon

A.D. Laws Four Grain Straight Bourbon

Breckenridge Sherry Cask Bourbon

R.M. Rose Single Barrel Brand

Bourbon greater than 5 years:

Ben Milam Single Barrel Bourbon

JR Ewing Bourbon Whiskey

Bourbon NAS:

Rock Town Arkansas Bourbon

Woodford Reserve Double Oaked

Old Forester Classic 86 Proof

Canadian:

Stalk & Barrel Blue Blend

WYO Rodeo Whisky

Corn less than 2 years:

Balcones Baby Blue

Lazy Guy Threesome Whiskey

Irish:

The Dubliner Irish Whiskey

Egans Vintage Grain

Malt Unpeated Cask Finish:

Glengoyne 15 Year Old

Malt Unpeated:

Glencadam 13 Year Old

Rice:

Ohishi Sherry Cask

Rye greater than 2 years:

Old Potrero Special Cask Finish

Ben Milam Small Batch Rye Whiskey

Henry Clay Straight Rye Whiskey

James E Pepper 1776 Straight Rye Barrel Proof

Rye NAS:

Old Potrero Straight Rye Whiskey

Basil Hayden's Rye Whiskey

Rock Town Single Barrel Rye Whiskey

Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey

Unaged: Lazy Guy Kennesaw Lightning

Corn greater than 2 years: Ironroot Icarus Corn Whiskey

Whiskey:

Alamo Craft Whiskey

Title 21 Whiskey

9 Banded Whiskey

The 2017 Bronze Recipients:

Bourbon less than 2 Years: Alamo Alamo Bourbon

Flavored: Do Good Hopped Flavored Whisky

Ole Smoky Mango Habanero Whiskey

Category Clarification:

Irish: Traditional Irish style which is triple distilled and a blend of Malt and grain whiskies. Malt whiskies from Ireland will not be in this category.

Cask Finished: Either matured in a non-bourbon cask, or finished in a non-bourbon cask or blended with a non-bourbon cask.

Join us for the upcoming Whiskies of the World Expos for a sixth time in Austin on Saturday, September 16th, in Houston on Thursday, September 14th and returning to Atlanta for a fifth time on Saturday, November 4th. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit http://www.whiskiesoftheworld.com. Follow Whiskies of the World on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Whiskies of the World LLC: Whiskies of the World LLC, an IWSC Group North America event, began in San Francisco, CA in 1998. Under the direction of whisky enthusiast and event director, Douglas Smith, the event has expanded into Texas and Georgia. The IWSC Group is a global leader of alcoholic beverage events, including the prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Media Contacts: Ashley Woeber pr@whiskiesoftheworld.com
LIquidware We're proud to help VMware promote the importance of EUC to their user community. -- J. Tyler Rohrer, Liquidware

Liquidware will be demonstrating the latest versions of ProfileUnity, FlexApp, and Stratusphere UX at VMworld here this week at Booth #1126. New and exclusive features across all solutions will be front and center, while the latest integration with industry partners will also be on display.

Liquidware will also be previewing a significant update to their user experience monitoring and diagnostics solution, Stratusphere UX v6.0. The latest version of the solution will include major architectural enhancements to support scalability, a dashboard builder, support for new client devices, and reporting to facilitate application virtualization and strategy with FlexApp layering.

ProfileUnity and FlexApp were also recently updated and are now available as version 6.7. The latest release includes features not found in the competition. New FlexApp features include exclusive Click-to-Layer capabilities, and Citrix XenApp, Microsoft, and VMware Horizon RDSH session isolation for FlexApps. ProfileUnitys latest features includes new ProfileDisk features for Citrix XenApp, Microsoft, and VMware Horizon RDSH environments.

Role-based access and auditing has also been introduced for both ProfileUnity and FlexApp. The new feature enables Administrators to safely perform specific roles within the user environment such as application delivery and packaging or secure application rights management and privilege elevation. The feature is hailed as an answer to providing controlled access to certain Microsoft Group Policy-like job task challenges that have long plagued many enterprises.

This is Liquidwares eighth VMworld, and were proud to help VMware promote the importance of EUC to their user community, said J. Tyler Rohrer, co-founder of Liquidware. We continue to lead the Workspace Environment Management market by delivering features never seen before that solve real-world problems for Windows desktop environments from VMware, Citrix, Amazon Workspaces, and Microsoft in cloud-based, virtual, and physical environments. We dare you to compare our products to any vendor in the space for innovation, breath of workspace management, and value.

IGEL will also be demonstrating a new integration with Liquidware Stratusphere UX 6.0 on booth #233, which will offer IT organizations greater insight into the end-user desktop computing experience, and give them the visibility they need to more effectively monitor and manage desktop performance.

To better support the application lifecycle, Stratusphere UX 6.0 will also include new application-specific GPU metrics. Based on a partnership with NVIDIA and its software development kit, Stratusphere UX adds to its NVIDIA GRID visibility with new application-specific encode, decode, frame buffer and graphics utilization metrics. Kevin Cooke, Liquidwares Product Director for Stratusphere UX, will be speaking in the NVIDIA booth #531 on Tuesday at 2:45pm.

Finally, Liquidware is proud to be the founder and an inaugural sponsor of The Inside Track, a new and exclusive community for end user computing (EUC) influencers such as outspoken bloggers, media, and influencers. The first invitation-only meet up will be held during the week for EUC/VDI experts, co-sponsors include IGEL and NVIDIA.

About Liquidware

Liquidware provides industry leading platform-agnostic desktop solutions for hybrid Windows desktop environments including Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop, VMware Horizon View, Amazon WorkSpaces and physical Microsoft Windows PCs. The companys Stratusphere UX solution delivers visibility into desktop environments and supports assessment, design, monitoring and diagnostics (Health Checks). ProfileUnity provides just in time delivery of User Profiles, application and user rights management and context-aware policies. FlexApp delivers advanced Application Layering. The solutions are available in an extremely cost-effectively priced bundle called Liquidware Essentials. Liquidware products are Citrix Ready, VMware-certified, and are available through a global network of partners. Visit http://www.liquidware.com for further information.
Twenty-first century readiness is much more than trying to just improve grades, we are trying to prepare our students for a demanding future. For a challenging future that is constantly changing.

During the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) 2017 Conference and Expo, itslearning, (https://itslearning.com), held panel discussions on curriculum-driven technology. The overarching topic of discussion was the need to provide tools that excite teachers and students and that increase student engagement and learner outcomes. The panel speakers explored three technological trends that support these objectives: data-informed, student-centered learning; technology as the great equalizer; and rigorous learning environments and 21st-century skills.

The panels main guest speaker was Alan November, an international leader in education technology who Tech and Learning has named as one of the United States 15 most influential thinkers of the decade.

Trend #1: Data-Informed, Student-Centered Learning

Beatriz Arnillas, the senior educational advisor at itslearning, talked about the need for immediate feedback data on student learning so that educators can better move students forward. We need the data to see whats trending, whats happening, and how to differentiate instruction, divide the students in groups, she said.

Arnillas talked about how such immediate feedback could make the teachers job easier, but clarified that she was not referring to the job of ten years ago. Addressing increasingly diverse populations in our districts ... tackling the dropout problems, focusing on the unique problems that a teacher has today in K-12 education requires a lot more than what we were expected to do just a decade ago, she said.

Trend #2: Technology as the Great Equalizer

During the dialogue of the equity gap, one of the panelists, Andrea Winters, director of learning technology at Clear Creek Independent School District in Texas, spoke about the districts one-to-one initiative and how technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning. It can help affirm and advance relationships between educators and students, reinvent our approaches to learning and collaboration, shrink long-standing equity and accessibility gaps, and adapt learning experiences to meet the needs of all learners.

Trend #3: Rigorous Learning Environment and 21st-century Skills

During the 21st century skills discussion, November asserted that educators should teach students how to learn. If we teach you to memorize and regurgitate content, and your job is wiped out by technology, youre not well prepared to reinvent yourself if you didnt learn how to learn, he said.

He also talked about a social studies middle school teacher in Bergen, Norway, who made a point of connecting students with people with real-world experience with whatever his students were studying. For example, when they were studying crime, they were in touch with a Chicago police officer and a teenager behind bars in the United States. And when they studied indigenous people, they spoke with indigenous people in Australia.

Arnillas added, Twenty-first century readiness is much more than grades. Were not trying to just improve grades, we are trying to prepare our students for a demanding future. For a challenging future that is constantly changing.

These topics and others will be discussed further in an upcoming webinar, Back to School: Putting Lessons Learned from ISTE Into Practice,  to be hosted by Tech & Learning on August 29. Education experts and district leaders will discuss the most impressive developments in educational technology, and how educators can actually put a few into place. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2v1z72f.

About itslearning

With a passion for improving teaching and learning through technology, itslearning lives at the heart of education. In fact, the itslearning platform is the first LMS in the K-12 marketplace to offer educators content accessible from the cloud, including 2 million free and open resources, searchable, tagged with rich metadata, and ready to use. Established in 1999, itslearning is headquartered in Boston, MA and Bergen, Norway and serves more than 7 million users worldwide. For more information, visit https://itslearning.com
2017 Poultry Prince and Princess We're thrilled to see the Poultry Prince and Princess Program celebrate its eighth year at the Minnesota State Fair.

Charles Miller, a 17-year-old native of Kasson in Dodge County and Mikayla Schlosser, a 15-year-old from Maple Plain in Carver County, were granted Goldn opportunities on Sunday, August 27, after being crowned as the eighth-annual Poultry Prince and Princess. The scholarship program of Minnesota 4-H and Goldn Plump recognizes the industry knowledge, leadership and skills of Minnesotas up-and-coming poultry experts by awarding two teenagers with poultry ambassador titles and $1,000 academic scholarships.

From August 24 through 27, 2017, eligible Minnesota State Fair 4-H poultry participants competed in the contest at the State Fairgrounds. Mikayla and Charles stood out among the contestants, claiming the title after ranking highly in the qualifying rounds of the 4-H Poultry Interview, Quiz and Showmanship competition; the 4-H Chicken BBQ Contest; and the Q&A and Stage Presence final round. Runners up included:



Isaac Tesch from Mayer in Dodge County

Kari Myhran from Schafer in Chisago County

Gabe Otto from Delano in Wright County

Jessica Waldron from Elk River in Wright County

Were thrilled to see the Poultry Prince and Princess Program celebrate its eighth year at the Minnesota State Fair, said Rory Bidinger, senior brand manager for Pilgrims, the company behind the Goldn Plump brand. Each year youth from across the state participate in friendly competition with their peers to show their knowledge of Minnesota agriculture and specifically the poultry industry.

Sundays finals required the top six contestants to showcase their poultry knowledge with strong stage presence and personality, answering questions such as, How often do most hens lay eggs? and How do you protect your chickens from Minnesotas heat in the summer and cold in the winter?

Along with $1,000 scholarships, the Poultry Prince and Princess will have the opportunity to expand their speaking, interview and presentation skills through industry and publicity appearances during their year-long term and will receive royal portraits created by the official State Fair artist, Ta-coumba Aiken. They also had the chance to participate in the State Fair parade on Sunday.

"Were proud to see this program continue to be a staple at the Minnesota State Fair, said Brad Rugg, 4-H director of fairs and animal science programs for the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development. "Its a wonderful showcase of the talent and passion Minnesota 4-Hers have for poultry.

About Gold'n Plump Chicken | Good Chicken is Our Mission

Gold'n Plump is distributed nationally by Pilgrims Pride. The Goldn Plump brand's good chicken mission centers on being truly all natural, highly trimmed and free of unwanted solution, skin and parts. The Gold'n Plump All Natural line also boasts attributes of No Antibiotics-Ever and American Humane Certified farm program seal. To learn more about the Gold'n Plump brand and its products, as well as find great recipes, general cooking and safe handling tips and nutrition information, visit http://www.GoldnPlump.com. Find Goldn Plump on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.

About Extension 4-H

4-H empowers youth with skills to lead for a lifetime. 4-H is Minnesotas largest youth development organization, growing leaders in every part of the state. Youth in 4-H collaborate with caring adults to explore hands-on projects in areas like science, health, agriculture, citizenship, and the arts. Mentors provide a positive environment where youth learn by doing. The 4-H experience is delivered by a community of more than 150 staff and 11,000 volunteers across Minnesota. Last year, 69,000 youth participated in Minnesota 4-H programs.

The 4-H experience grows leaders with life skills like confidence, independence, resilience and compassion. Youth in 4-H are 2x more likely to make healthy choices, 4x more likely to contribute to their communities and 2x more likely to be civically active. 4-H grows true leaders. Discover more at extension.umn.edu/youth/mn4-H. For the latest on 4-H, find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Learn more about the 2017 Poultry Prince and Princess Contest online at http://z.umn.edu/4hpoultryprinceprincess and view photos of last years contest and portraits at Goldn Plumps Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/GoldnPlump.
Shoppers in Muskogee, OK with their Libman prizes

The Libman Companys second summer Embrace Lifes Messes Tour ended in San Diego on August 27 after visiting 171 retail locations in over 20 cities. Over the course of 10 weeks, Libmans team drove nearly 10,000 miles and gave away over 8,000 Libman products during the retail store visits to encourage consumers to embrace lifes messes by letting Libman help do the work.

The Embrace Lifes Messes tour began in South Haven, Mich. on June 21. The tour team, consisting of the duo Yen and Derek, served as Libman brand ambassadors and stopped at store openings, retail locations, and local events. At the retail stops, shoppers had the opportunity to see in-store product demos and as well as participate in games to win Libman prizes.

The tour was documented throughout the 10 weeks with blog posts, photos and videos of the teams adventures on social media sites and on http://www.embracelifesmesses.com. Additionally, Libman concurrently ran the Spin to Win Sweepstakes where over the course of the tour. There were over 271,000 spins of the online animated wheel for chances to win a Libman Wonder Mop, which was given away every day of the tour.

The ten-week Embrace Lifes Messes tour was an extension of Libmans television and print ad campaign that reminds consumers to Remember the Moment and Forget the Mess. Whether its making cupcakes together, playing with the family pet, or letting the kids dabble in arts and crafts projects, the message Libman wants to send is that Libman has consumers covered so they can enjoy the moment rather than fret about the mess.

The Embrace Lifes Messes Tour provided an opportunity for us to directly share with consumers the benefits of Libman products as they embrace the messes, said Andrew Libman, president of The Libman Company. In addition to providing fun for in-store guests and those that followed online, the store visits gave us an opportunity to directly hear from our customers across the country, added Libman. The company will evaluate next spring the possibility for a 2018 summer tour, depending on retail interest.

About The Libman Company

The Libman Company is a family-owned company that has been making quality cleaning tools since 1896. The company manufactures products from brooms and mops to more specialized tools for kitchen and bathroom cleaning and industrial uses. Libman proudly manufactures most of their products in the United States, including the companys well-known Wonder Mop. For more information about the Libman Company, please visit http://www.libman.com.

# # #
HealthSmart, the largest independent benefits administrator in the country, is pleased to announce the appointment of Donald R. Couch as Chief Information Officer (CIO). A proven leader with a deep knowledge at the intersection of healthcare and technology, Couch joins the organization today and will report to Phil Christianson, HealthSmarts Chief Executive Officer.

As CIO, Couch will lead all initiatives related to HealthSmarts technology platforms and processes, partnering with the organizations clinical and operational teams to develop best-in-class products and solutions. His oversight in creating systems and infrastructures will help support and sustain forecasted growth; simplify and enhance member resources; and support HealthSmarts associates so they are empowered to deliver the highest levels of customer service.

Couch has 25 years of experience in IT systems and leadership, working exclusively within the healthcare sector. He has spent the past three years as CIO of Access Management Services, a major Medicaid and behavioral healthcare organization.

His previous experience also includes serving as Vice President, Systems Application Development at Scan Health Plan. He began his career at Pacificare Health Systems in 1992 as a Senior Programmer/Analyst, taking on increasing levels of responsibility of the organizations information technology, and remaining there until 2005, where he was Manager, Electronic Data Interchange.

Donald Couch is an experienced leader who knows how to leverage technology and harness it to drive growth, innovation and efficiencies, said Phil Christianson, CEO. Additionally, his depth and breadth of understanding, working exclusively at the intersection of healthcare and technology, is a major asset. We are pleased that he will be bringing his expertise and energy to HealthSmart.

I am very excited to join HealthSmart and get to work, said Couch. Now is a critical time in healthcare, and information systems teams need to deliver not only whats needed right now, but also look ahead and build the systems well need to stay strong and secure into the future.

Couch graduated from the University of Phoenix in Tempe, Ariz., with a bachelor of science degree in information technology.

About HealthSmart

For more than 40 years, HealthSmart has offered a wide array of customizable and scalable health plan solutions for self-funded employers. HealthSmarts comprehensive service suite addresses individual health from all angles. This includes claims and benefits administration, provider networks, pharmacy benefit management services, business intelligence, onsite employer clinics, care management, a variety of health and wellness initiatives and web-based reporting. The Companys headquarters is in Dallas, Texas, with regional hubs throughout the country. HealthSmarts mission is to improve member health and reduce healthcare costs.
Apex Copper Cloud Socks, Heavenly Diabetic Socks

Apex Foot Health Industries, an OHI company, announced today the launch of its latest product, Copper Cloud diabetic socks. Said Jason Kraus, OHI President and COO, The Apex product line represents the most beneficial and healthful footwear on the market for diabetics, and for anyone seeking top-quality, great fitting shoes. Copper Cloud socks are a perfect complement, finely crafted and offering the most comfort and protection of any sock on the market.

Ideal for helping protect against diabetic ulcers, Copper Cloud socks are designed to promote dry, odor-free feet while delivering ultra-comfort. Manufactured from premium-quality yarns containing the highest copper content of any sock on the market, Copper Clouds antifungal and antibacterial properties are unmatched. Copper is also known as a healing-agent that stimulates improved circulation and softer skin.

In addition to its copper benefits, Copper Clouds features include: a seamless design that curbs ulceration; moisture wicking for drier feet; ventilated airflow for temperature control; non-binding for improved circulation; heel and forefoot padding for added comfort; light arch support to relive achiness; Y-heel and toe construction for perfect fit.

Copper Cloud socks are available in four sizes (extra-small, small, medium and large), three styles (Crew length, Ankle and No-Show) and two colors (black and white).

Copper Cloud socks are available at http://www.apexfoot.com/copper-cloud

About Apex Foot Health

Apex Foot Health Industries, an OHI company, enjoys a 60-year reputation for designing and manufacturing the finest foot health products available anywhere. Our research and development team constantly explores and tests new ideas, technologies and materials to help improve the way people feel on their feet. Our comprehensive line of mens and womens footwear features industry-leading construction, top-quality materials, exceptional comfort and support, perfect-fit enhancements plus a fresh and exhilarating focus on style. Look and feel your best from heel to toe with Apex!

About OHI

Headquartered in Hauppauge, NY, OHI is the global leader in lower extremity DME technologies for healthcare providers who treat diseases associated with the extremities. Its growing family of industry-leading brands include Apex Foot Health Industries, Arizona AFO, Australian Orthotic Group, Langer Biomechanics, PedAlign, The Orthotic Group and SafeStep. Recognized as a pioneer in the manufacturing of custom foot orthoses, ankle foot orthoses and therapeutic footwear, OHI currently distributes medical technologies throughout North America, Europe and Australia/New Zealand.

Contact: Mark Lipsky, Director of Global Marketing, OHI

480-588-0853 Mark dot Lipsky at ohi dot news
Tick bites are dangerous and it's important to remove ticks as quickly as possible. Giroud Tree and Lawn's Rob Nagy, shows how small ticks are in comparison to items like a pinhead and a dime. Tick protection starts with controlling ticks in the yard, the place where everyone spends the most time outdoors. Past News Releases RSS Giroud Tree and Lawn Earns Home...

Ash Trees Are Dying in Philadelphia...

Trees with Health Problems Change...

With the shift towards cooler temperatures, many people think it's safe to stop worrying about ticks. Not true! In Giroud Tree and Lawns recent blog post "Tick Season Isn't Over, Caution Still Needed," the company warns that ticks are still active and that means people need to be on guard. Giroud outlines the 3 Steps for Tick Control and Safety to protect family members and pets from ticks.

The need for continued vigilance around ticks is underscored in a recent news article by Jerry Carino, Staff Writer at USA Today's App.com. The article reviews the explosion of tick borne diseases and includes a quote from Patricia Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association: You can get bitten by a tick year-round. Unfortunately, now we know the ticks can be active when its above freezing.

In it's blog post which includes 3 Steps for Tick Control and Safety, Giroud Tree and Lawn takes a comprehensive look at the tick problem and breaks down the most important actions families need to take. Tick protection starts with controlling ticks in the yard, the place where everyone spends the most time outdoors, says Lou Giroud, President and ISA Certified Arborist at Giroud Tree and Lawn. However, families must take additional precautions by checking for ticks after outdoor activities and if discovered quickly removing ticks before disease can be spread.

Here are Giroud Tree and Lawns 3 Steps to Tick Control and Safety

1. Controlling ticks in the yard: The best way to control ticks is to target where the pests live. Ticks like the shade and seek protection from the sun in ground level vegetation. Favorite hiding spots include high grasses, underbrush, shrubs and wooded areas. Heres what Giroud Tree and Lawn does to control this dangerous pest in the yard:



Tick Risk Evaluation: Complete a risk assessment of the yard to identify tick danger zones and recommend a tick control program.

Perimeter Clean-up: Ticks are shade lovers and cant survive in the sun. Eliminate shady tick habitats in two ways. First, clean up and/or clear overgrown areas. Second, prune tree branches and shrubs around the lawn edge to let in more sunlight.

Deer Repellent: Deer are the primary carrier of ticks through the yard. Use Deer Repellent treatments to deter deer from feeding on valuable plants.

Tick Control Treatments: Both 100% organic and traditional chemical based treatments are available to control ticks. Treat around the perimeter of the property and other high-risk areas where ticks are likely to live. If using chemical based treatments, follow label directions and use cautiously to protect children, pets, pollinators and other beneficial insects.

Plant Selection: Check the landscape to identify and remove plants that are attracting deer to the yard. HGTV provides a list of plants that are repellent to deer.

2. Check for ticks after outdoor activities: Even with tick control in the yard, it's still important to check family members and pets after any outdoor excursion. To find ticks on the body, the CDC recommends:

Bathe or shower as soon as possible after coming indoors.

Conduct a full-body tick check using a hand-held or full-length mirror. Parents should check children for ticks under the arms, in and around the ears, inside the belly button, behind the knees, between the legs, around the waist, and especially in the hair.

Examine gear and pets. Ticks can ride into the home on clothing and pets, then attach to a person later, so carefully examine pets, coats, and day packs.

3. Removing a Tick Embedded in the Skin: If a tick is discovered, University of Manitoba tick expert, Kateryn Rochon, Ph.D.s video shows how to remove a tick with tweezers. The CDC also offers detailed instructions for removing a tick:



Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.

Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.

After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.

Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers.

The CDCadditionally cautions to: avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. The goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possiblenot waiting for it to detach.

Now that the Fall season is at the doorstep, dont be lulled into a false sense of security that ticks are no longer a concern. Stay alert and follow Giroud Tree and Lawns 3 Steps for Tick Control and Safety by controlling ticks in the yard, checking for ticks after every outdoor activity and quickly removing ticks to prevent becoming infected with a dangerous illness like Lyme Disease or the Powassan Virus.

About Giroud Tree and Lawn

Giroud Tree and Lawn specializes in tree service, tree removal and lawn care programs that make customers love doing business with the company since 1974. Serving Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties, the company offers professional tree and lawn evaluation, tree pruning, tree removal, insect and disease control, fertilizing, stump removal and traditional and 100% organic lawn programs to keep lawns healthy and green . Giroud Arborists are certified by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and have the nowledge and experience required to properly diagnose, treat and maintain trees and lawn health. The company is Accredited by the Better Business Bureau and has been awarded the Angie's List Super Service Award every year since 2005. The Giroud Treework for Charity program donates free tree care services to parks, historical sites and other non-profit organizations located in the Companys service area. For more information, visit the company website at https://www.giroudtree.com or call 215-682-7704.
Kenneth "Hap" Klopp 3D printing is the foundation of a new, emerging economy destined to change how brands design, produce, and deliver their wares to customers, said Mr. Klopp. Im excited to work alongside the talented team at Type A Machines

August 28th, 2017 Type A Machines, the market leader in manufacturing-ready Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printers, today announced the appointment of Kenneth Hap Klopp, founder The North Face, to Type A Machines board of directors. Mr. Klopp joins Andrew Rutter, the companys founder, and Mitch Huitema, previously of Apple and Handspring.

Klopp acquired The North Face in 1968 serving as Chief Executive Officer for 25 years until its acquisition. A highly regarded business leader, Mr. Klopp has served on the boards and advisory boards of numerous entrepreneurial endeavors and is a frequent lecturer at major graduate business schools worldwide. Mr. Klopp led The North Face to become the largest and most technically-advanced company in its industry and one of the largest privately-held companies in the San Francisco East Bay.

Hap is a business pioneer with extensive experience building great brands, were excited to have him on the team, said Andrew Rutter, Type A Machines Chairman and CEO. We believe his experience, and passion for entrepreneurship will be extremely valuable as we grow and mature our business.

3D printing is the foundation of a new, emerging economy destined to change how brands design, produce, and deliver their wares to customers, said Mr. Klopp. Im excited to work alongside the talented team at Type A Machines to spread their enabling technology and solutions throughout the market.

Klopp joins Andrew Rutter and Mitch Huitema, acting CFO, on Type A Machines board of directors. Ms. Huitema, a successful financial advisor and entrepreneur, is a veteran of Apple, Handspring, and Palm.

Im excited to be working with someone with the business experience and wisdom that Hap brings, said Ms. Huitema. Our vision for Type A Machines is ambitious and its great to have someone with his experience helping to guide us.

Type A Machines designs the Series 1, an industrial-grade desktop FFF/FDM 3D printer featuring a massive cubic foot build volume and the ability to print in a more diverse range of materials than any other 3D printer. With the introduction of the Print Pod, Type A Machines is defining the future of manufacturing with the first centrally-managed, parallel production solution for manufacturing, makerspaces, and labs. The companys solutions are used extensively by customers in the aerospace, automotive, consumer goods and education markets.

Type A Machines, the Type A Machines logo, Series 1, Series 1 Pro, and Print Pod are trademarks of Type A Machines. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

###
Smile Brands and Smiles For Everyone volunteers help distribute backpacks in Costa Mesa Participating in this event is just another way we can fulfill our mission of delivering smiles for everyone in the communities we serve.

Volunteers from Smile Brands, Inc., an Irvine, CA based company providing support services to over 350 affiliate dental practices across 16 states, joined up with Share Our Selves (SOS), to help with their 22nd Annual Back to School Program on August 19, where they distributed over 4,000 backpacks and other necessary school supplies to underserved youth in Orange County.

Smile Brands employees donated backpacks filled with school supplies to this years drive and representatives from the company and the Smiles for Everyone Foundation volunteered to help distribute the supplies to local area families.

Who doesnt remember the excitement of starting a new school year armed with a pack full of paper, pencils, glue sticks and all those items that make school fun, said Crystal Strait, Executive Director of the Smiles for Everyone Foundation. Participating in this event is just another way we can fulfill our mission of delivering smiles for everyone in the communities we serve.

SOS celebrated another successful program this year as they gave out backpacks and other school supplies including binders, spiral notebooks, pens, filler paper, markers, calculators, and gift cards for new school uniforms. All of the backpacks and school supplies donated were given to SOS by community members who believed in SOS mission to provide the necessary items for underserved children in Orange County to go back to school with the confidence to tackle the 2017-2018 school year.

About Smile Brands

Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. Smile Brands Inc. provides comprehensive business support services through exclusive long term agreements with affiliate dental groups, so dentists can spend more time caring for their patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. Smile Brands supports 360+ Bright Now! Dental, Monarch Dental, Castle Dental, A+ Dental Care, OneSmile Dental, and Johnson Family Dental offices in 16 states, including Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors (Gryphon), a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit smilebrands.com.

About the Smiles For Everyone Foundation

The Smiles for Everyone Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of delivering smiles for everyone by providing free dental care for those in need, both at home in the U.S. and around the world. Since 2011, the Smiles for Everyone Foundation has delivered over 12,000 smiles and $10.5 million in donated dentistry. The foundation currently supports programs which provide free dental care to those in need in Cambodia, Ghana, Laos, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Thailand, and the United States. For more information, visit smilesforeveryone.org.

About Share Our Selves

As leaders in the community, Share Our Selves (SOS) has provided care and assistance to our most vulnerable populations in Orange County since 1970. With service centers throughout Orange County, we specialize in providing personalized care for the community, including medical and dental services, behavioral health, case management, financial assistance, and special holiday programs. Our experience and innovative solutions, paired with our wide-ranging services, allow us to address the systemic nature of poverty from many angles, upholding our clients basic human rights through transformational care, and fighting for the dignity all members of our community deserve. For more information about Share Our Selves please visit: shareourselves.org
When it comes to where Ghanaians like to shop, one thing is immediately clear: They're after value. The typical Ghanaian shopper is not just about the value but the price.

Denise Asare, Marketing Manager at Accra Mall Limited disclosed to Business Insider Sub Saharan Africa that the mall saw a patronage of over 7 million last year,with 500,000 passing through monthly.

It records an average of about 126,000 people weekly.

Shopping centers and malls, especially large enclosed malls, are increasingly attempting to become something more than just a place for the distribution of goods. Ghanaians are not so much used to it so Accra Mall is trying to increase its popularity.

Malls have gotten much more creative in Ghana. They have taken what used to be traditional retail space and turned it into gymnastics studios, playhouses, you name it. All of these things generate revenues.

The Accra Mall was commissioned on July 4, 2008. It is one of the most modern shopping malls in West Africa and the first large-scale shopping centre in Ghana. It is owned by Atterbury Property Development, Sanlam and the Morladza family.
This situation was adduced to the reduction in flight operations and coverage of Nigerias biggest airline, Arik Air in 2017 as well as poor air travel facilities at the airport .

However, the Jomo Kenyatta international Airport made impressive improvement in travellers flight numbers. The domestic air travel recorded 22% growth in H1 2017, making it the best in Africa for the period.

Kenya is followed by Tunis (14%) and Addis Ababa (9%). Also, the international flights to Kenya grew by 8% making within the same period.

Travelers attraction to Kenyas airport was attributed to the improved facilities at the port as well as the flourishing domestic tourism industry in Kenya.

Kenyas tourist centres are also main destinations for fun lovers and holiday travellers within the Africa. Relaxed visa regulations also triggered growth in the inter-African travels to the country.
"HISTORIC rainfall in Houston, and all over Texas. Floods are unprecedented, and more rain coming," Trump tweeted Sunday night. "Spirit of the people is incredible. Thanks!"

Earlier Sunday, the president tweeted: "Going to a Cabinet Meeting (tele-conference) at 11:00 A.M. on #Harvey. Even experts have said they've never seen one like this!"

In a third tweet, Trump exclaimed: "Wow - Now experts are calling #Harvey a once in 500 year flood!"

Some pundits questioned the tone of the president's tweets. The disaster, which many viewed as a major test of Trump's nascent administration, has reportedly claimed at least five lives. More than 2 feet of rain has fallen in the Houston area. That could increase to as much as 50 inches Sunday night, according to the latest National Hurricane Center projections.

The White House said Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday. He spent the weekend at Camp David, where the White House said he held two meetings with Cabinet members via teleconference about the storm response.

Here are some of Trumps tweets about Harvey:

HISTORIC rainfall in Housto... @ Donald J. Trump

Going to a Cabinet Meeting ... @ Donald J. Trump

Wow - Now experts are calli... @ Donald J. Trump

Many people are now saying ... @ Donald J. Trump

Wonderful coordination betw... @ Donald J. Trump
Uber has not yet publicly announced the news  apparently "The Board has voted and will announce the decision to the employees first," reports Recode's Kara Swisher.

Khosrowshahi's appointment comes after embattled Uber cofounder Travis Kalanick was ousted as the CEO of the world's most valuable private company in June, and as Uber has suffered an exodus of its top ranks amidst mounting public scandals.

The board had narrowed the CEO search down to three people, with different factions backing different candidates. Former GE CEO Jeff Immelt was a top candidate, but he publicly backed out on Sunday.

Another of the three candidates, HP CEO Meg Whitman, met with Uber's board over the weekend despite her publicly saying she wouldn't take the job last month.

Khosrowshahi's involvement in the CEO search wasn't made known until Sunday, making him a dark horse in the race.

New York State and is a US citizen. He has a degree in electrical engineering and before landing at IAC, he went into finance, working for investment bank Allen & Co.

He has a reputation as a good leader, according to ratings on Glassdoor, with a 93% approval rating.
In his letter, he cautioned the management against backdating the payment of $2,000,000 for the software to 2014.

Orleans-Lindsay in a correspondence with the General Manager at the time predicted that SSNIT will pay more if they fail to heed his advice.

READ ALSO: Here is how much UCC owes ECG

What it means is that SSNIT will have to pay the annual SLA [Service Level Agreement] fee of US$2,000, 000.00 immediately upon signing the agreement (to cover from September 2014 to September 2015) and pay another US$2,000,000.00 in September this year [2016], when in effect it would have just received about 9 months of service under the SLA instead of the contractual 2 years.

The new Board of Trustees of SSNIT has started investigating how the former management acquired an OBS software System for $66 million.

READ ALSO: Energy minister assures cost of electricity will be reduced

The system was installed to network all branches of SSNIT nationwide to enhance efficiency.

However, the current administration raised concerns about the cost and have since contracted Price Water house to audit the transaction.
The affected companies are African Champion Industry Limited (ACI), Clydestone (Ghana) Limited (CLYD), Golden Web Limited (GWEB), Pioneer Kitchenware Limited (PKL) and Transaction Solutions Limited (TRANSOL).

READ ALSO: Exton Cubic threatens legal action in petition to AG

The statement said, these companies have failed to meet their continuing listing obligations in spite of several promptings to do so.

These obligations include failure to submit financial reports, non-payment of annual listing fees and failure to conduct Annual General Meeting (AGM), among others.

The companies have been given up until September 8, 2017, to rectify their anomalies.

READ ALSO: Energy minister assures cost of electricity will be reduced

Failure to do so will attract further sanctions as per the GSE Listing Rules, the statement added.

This is the second time the GSE is suspending companies from the stock market.

The GSE also in August 2017, suspended UT Bank from the countrys stock market.

This follows the collapse and subsequent takeover of UT Bank by GCB Bank.
The Money Man will take home a minimum $100 million as Conor McGregor gets $30 million dollars for getting himself beaten.

Converting $100 million to Cedis, we will have GHC 443 million. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the budget allocation for Key Policy Initiatives in the 2017 budget of the Nana Addo-led government is 2.079 billion.

READ ALSO: Energy minister assures cost of electricity will be reduced

If Mayweather decides to give all of the $100 million (GHC 443 million) to Ghana, below are the things it can be used for from the countrys budget.

 Free SHS

In the 2017 budget, the Finance Minister announced that they have estimated to use GHC 400 million for the much-touted policy. The policy is expected to start in September 2017, which will be the beginning of the 2017/2018 academic year.

 Reinstitution of Nurses & Teachers Trainee Allowances

During the campaign, the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised to reinstitute the nurses and teacher trainee allowance which was withdrawn by the erstwhile Mahama administration.

In the 2017 budget, it was stated that the policy will cost GHC 252million.

 Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF)

The VCTF was established by the Venture Capital Trust Fund Act, 2004, Act 680, with the objective of not only providing financial resources to SMEs but to also initiate relevant activities for the development and promotion of the venture capital industry in the country.

READ ALSO: Floyd Mayweather celebrates McGregor victory with female exotic dancers at night club

For the first time in 4 years, VCTF has been allocated GHC 219 in the 2017 budget.

 National Identification Scheme

The governing NPP has promised to ensure the first proposed Ghana National Identity Card is issued on September 15, 2017.

In the 2017 budget, the governing-NPP allocated GHC 100million for this purpose.

 National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP)

The NEIP is a multifaceted initiative that comprises of an incubator program for potential entrepreneurs, financing and business development services, advisory on access to the market, among others.

The government in its 2017 budget allotted GHC 44million for the programme.

 National Address System

The National Address System is to help reduce the risk profile of people and improve their access to financial services.
According to Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the men, holding firearms crossed and banged on his car. He added that the masked men nearly assaulted another man in a pickup.

He said the men sped off when he brought out his camera to capture the incident.

He gave the car number as GT66612.

He told Accra-based Asempa FM that he has reported the incident to the National Security.
The victim, who has been described as the Odikro of the town, is seriously wounded and currently in critical condition at the Margaret Marquart Catholic Hospital at Kpando.

Eyewitnesses said that there was sporadic shooting by some unknown persons in the town on Sunday afternoon and the bullet allegedly hit the 52-year-old when he tried to run indoors.

The Kpando Divisional Police Command has begun investigations into the matter. No arrest has yet been made.

There was a review of a dusk-to-dawn curfew imposed on the area recently following renewed clashes over a piece of land which the two sides have been fighting over for almost a century.

Renewed clashes between the feuding factions of Alavanyo and Nkonya in May and April this year resulted in the death of about six people.
PRESS RELEASE IN REACTIONS TO DEPUTY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURES INSULTS TO NORTHERNERS AND DAGOMBAS SPECIFICALLY  08/28/2017Good day Ladies and Gentlemen and thank you for taking time to go through our press release. On the 25th of August 2017, the north and specifically, Dagbong was hit with a heavy blow in the form of some unpleasant words used on the respected men and women of Dagbong. When the farming season started this year, we all heard stories, saw pictures and videos, and even physically witnessed the disaster that befell our farmers throughout the country. The fall army worm invasion of maize farms left farmers with broken hearts, and gave ordinary Ghanaians the fear of famine if nothing is done. The north was not spared, and Dagbong farmers had their unfair share of the wrath of the pets. We pray never to witness such a year again.It was this issue that led Ghanas deputy minister of Agriculture to insensitively and arrogantly insult the North and Dagombas by name. In replying to questions at a radio station, the minister stated that no farm has been destroyed by worms in Northern Ghana. He supported his claims that none of our fathers, mothers, sisters, and wives who are mourning the loss of their farms to the pets can substantiate it. In the midst of the numerous pictures, the videos and even the yelling voices of the peasant farmers who are losing their source of survival to the wicked worms, the minister said there is no evidence to support our claims.He did not stop there; he went on to say that he has lived with Dagombas for about 27 years and knows how we behave  that we always lie to get some form of help from government. By this, he meant your father, mother, brothers, sisters, and wives are all liars and extortionists; thus, they will blackmail to get some money from government. That is exactly what he said! To let Ghanaians know that he knows Dagombas and is 100% sure of what he is saying, he buttressed his claim of knowing us by stating that he can speak Dagbani fluently.He added that we are very difficult people to handle  of course we are. Because we are people with dignity, pride and a name to protect. So unlike those who will cover their pains because they want to save a figure, Dagombas will speak up and will say it as it is.Sorry to say, we want to remind the mayor of Tamale who is a Dagomba that, the minister meant he lies to get money from the government. We also painfully regret to inform our respect chiefs; N yebi Dakpema, N yebi Gulkpe Naa, N yebi Lamashe Naa, N yeb Sagnari Naa and even the overlord of Dagbong that the minister said they are all difficult to deal with, and do lie just to get money from government.One of the illogical submissions by the minister was that Ghanaian farmers should stop complaining because only about 1400 acres of farms have been destroyed by the worms.And I have told you it is only 1430 hectares, this is very negligible, a drop in the oceanhectares of maize crops in Ghana, 1430 hectares scattered around, half acre, 2 acresjust very small. If you say we should compensate somebody, we want somebody have beenwould have invested may be sayat least even 1000, 2000, 5000 hectares enntbcedis or call it some amountsubstantial amount of cedis.This is a transcript of what he said. The above quote tells you that this minister does not know what the agricultural sector in Ghana is made of, and has no sympathy for our peasant farmers in the villages. It is disturbing that this man took an oath to serve the very farmers he knows nothing about.Very few Ghanaians are into commercial farming and are to own even 100 hectors of land. Most farmers are the peasant ones who survive on their one acre and 2 acre farms. To tell these farmers not to complain when their crops are attacked is the peak of ignorance.We have had calls from all walks of the north, not just Dagombas who are at the center of this attack, to stand up in defense of our home. Tempers are fast rising to react to the Deputy Agric minister for his deliberate insults to the people of this region. As an association whose sole mandate is to solicit development for its people, we shall assist but not interfere with Government in its line of duty; however we would not sit aloof and watch the hard earned reputation of our people (Northerners) and specifically our home (Dagbong) dragged in the mud.Dagbong Youth for Development, on behalf of all Dagombas want to state here that the ministers comments were direct insults, unwarranted, shameful and in all categories, very stupid. If his 27 years with us did not show him anything but the ability to lie and to tarnish the image of the people who accommodated him for 27 years and even helped him learn their language, then that is unfortunate and tells the person he is. But the entire Dagbong want to thank him for the payment he is giving us for our hospitality to him.We the Youth of Dagbong have seen statements from the minister apologizing for what he said  I mean saying he is sorry for insulting us. Well he is forgiven, but we are sending a word to him that we shall not forget this until he is out of the Agricultural ministry. We do not hate him and dont want him to be jobless; we just dont believe that he is fit for the position he is holding. He has demonstrated enough hatred for us; he has exhibited enough prejudice towards us and he has shown his bias against us. We therefore cannot trust him to serve the needs of the northern and Dagbong farmer.Our farmers face several challenges every year. This will not be the beginning and that would not be the end. If the individual who is supposed to help us solve these problems is unfairly labeling us liars and extortionists, we are afraid when something serious happens and we need his attention, we will not get fair treatment.On this note, we are calling on the Mayor of Tamale and the Regional Minister, to as a matter of urgency, reach out to the president with our demand that the deputy minister be relieved of his post. That he selects a minister who will not be bias against northerners in general and Dagombas specifically; that he selects a minister who understands the Ghanaian farmer and his needs, and that he selects someone who will be a minister for all.We want to conclude by urging all Dagbong Youth to remain calm and wait for an action from the president. But let nobody take our leniency for a weakness of a sort. We want to state categorically that if we hear nothing from the president within a weak, we shall organize and demonstrate to the regional ministers office to let him know we are tired and fed up of the unfair and tribal centered treatment of our kingdom. And we shall let our people know that they have nobody to fight for them when they are hit by any challenges in their farms.God bless our homeland Ghana, God bless Northern Ghana, God Bless Dagbong Kingdom.Dagbong Youth  Nangban yini, Tab yurlim ni Lebgimsim.Thank you.Signed By: Amadu Hassan KapintaTitle: Public Relations Officer (PRO)
According to the MPs, the executives can only return to the party after serving the ban.

In a summary of proposals submitted to NPP members during its annual delegates at the National Delegates Conference rally in Cape Coast on Saturday, it said "We want amendment of Article 3 that deals with expulsion and forfeiture of membership. The caucus wants affected members to serve 8 and 10 years respectively, before readmitted."

The partys former executives such as Chairman Paul Afoko, General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong, vice National Chairman Sammy Crabbe were suspended over some comments inimical to the party.

Paul Afoko suspended

The NPPs National Executive Committee (NEC) has unanimously voted to suspend its National Chairman Paul Afoko indefinitely.

The NEC upheld the overwhelming decision by the Disciplinary Committee which decided that Mr Afoko be suspended.

The Disciplinary Committee took the decision first, after the National Council of Elders in September, wrote to it, demanding amongst others, that the National Chairman Paul Afoko, be made to step aside until after 2016 elections.

Kwabena Agyapong and Sammy Crabbe suspended

Kwabena Agyapong and second national vice chairman Sammy Crabbe have been suspended indefinitely.

The disciplinary committee took the decision after Kwabena Agyepong was petitioned by some members of the party for what they describe as gross disrespect and misconduct.

The National Executive Committee of the party in a meeting Thursday, December 10, 2015 to deliberate over the Disciplinary Committees recommendations regarding the two suspended Sammy Crabbe and Kwabena Agyepong.

Kwabena Agyepong had earlier faced the Disciplinary Committee of the party over a petition filed and actions to be taken against him.

But Mr Crabbe refused to honour the invitation of the committee because the acting national chairman, Mr Freddie Blay has no locus to sanction him following the suspension of Mr Paul Afoko as national chairman.

According to him, the National Council is the only and proper party organ that can hear a complaint against a member of the partys National Executive Committee.

NPP suspends Wereko-Brobbey

The suspension of Dr Wereko-Brobby, popularly known as Tarzan, was approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party at its meeting last Friday.

The NPP has suspended Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey, a founder member, from the party after it had absorbed months of spiralling criticisms from him.

Although a founder member of the NPP, Dr Wereko-Brobbey has been a strong and fearless critic of the party since its birth in 1992.

Following some internal party disagreement, he parted company with the NPP to form the United Ghana Movement (UGM), whose flag he bore to contest the general election in 1996.

But after his unsuccessful bid, he returned to the fold of the NPP and maintained his critical stance on pertinent party issues.

Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe suspended

The decision by the NPP to suspend Dr Tamakloe was taken by the Regional Chairman of the party Ishmael Ashitey following a petition brought before the party by a member in the Ayawaso Constituency.

Dr Tamakloe is alleged to have attacked the party's flagbearer of not doing enough to resolve the crisis in the party which has led to the suspension of three national officers including the Chairman, Paul Afoko and General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong.
He said he hopes to see Nana Addo on the ballot paper adding that the processes through the partys own internal contest will approve him to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) again in the elections.

Speaking to delegates at the National Delegates Conference rally in Cape Coast on Saturday, Abu Jinapor said "In January 2021, God will bless us with good weather; the sun will shine, and we will meet at the Black Star Square again. And when we meet, by the grace of God we will elegantly and boldly inaugurate another President for a second term and that president, undoubtedly, will be Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo."

President Akufo-Addo's re-election bid has been doubted following his earlier comments that he may not contest the elections.

Concerns have been raised by a section of the public, especially those operating illegal mining in the communities that they will not vote for Nana Addo in 2020 if he continues the fight against galamsey, but the president is more than determined to do that which is right, no matter the consequences.

The president speaking to journalists at a media encounter at the Flagstaff House, he said "Ive been told there are young men who have said they voted for me and if I continue down this way they can be sure that they will not vote for me again in 2020. Well, the 2020 vote its not clear if Akufo-Addos name will be on the ballot in the first place and even if his name is on the ballot, this is not going to be the reason why Ill stop, Im going to continue."

However, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has predicted that Nana Addo's age will be a major threat if he intends to contest in 2020.
He said the NDC virtually wants every government project to be credited to them.

According to him, the NPP government will work hard to justify another term for the party and government in elections 2020.

He said the NDC had not overcome its 'comfortable lead' mantra and criticised the Akufo-Addo led government at the least opportunity with the intention of making it unpopular.

Speaking at the National Delegates Conference rally in Cape Coast on Saturday, Abu Jinapor said President Akufo-Addo made history in the annals of Ghanaian politics by appointing his ministers in record time.

He said within 30 days in government, Nana Addo assembled his government by submitting the names of his ministers to the vetting committee adding that President Akufo-Addo was incorruptible in spite of the propaganda by the NDC to tag him as corrupt.
The Kwesi Botchwey committee report on the crushing defeat of the NDC at the 2016 polls has recommended, the party embarks on a "peacemaking and healing" wounds.

READ MORE: NDC group warns Ghanaians against Mahama in elections 2020

Prof. Kwesi Botchwey who presented the 455-page report said the NDC must assemble "credible and eminent" personalities in the party to lead the tour.

In a letter signed by the vice Chairman of the Council of Elders, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, the Council of Elders highlighted ways to resolve internal wranglings in the party.

"As part of the process of implementing the salient and critical recommendations of the committee in resolving the internal conflicts and differences, the council has put in place teams to visit the various regions and team up with regional representatives to undertake the process of healing and reconciliation,"part of the letter signed by the Vice Chairman of the Council of Elders, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu said.

The statement added that the process of healing and reconciliation has commenced within the Council of Elders, functional and regional executives as well as other leading members of the party.

The Council of Elders has also asked members of the party, to desist from engaging each other in war of words by using the media. They rather encouraged members to use the appropriate structures within the party in solving conflicts.

According to the letter, the party is in the process of implementing the recommendations and called for calm within the party.

They called on all members of the party to respect the party's structures and procedures in resolving internal grievances and conflicts.

NDC's defeat in 2016

The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo surprisingly secured a resounding one-touch victory by polling 53.85% of total valid votes cast against incumbent presidential candidate John Mahama who managed 44.40%.
"In fact they will be bussing our supporters from all the regions down to Accra anytime anyone of them will be invited by either the CID or EOCO for investigation, so as to create tension in the country, our source said. Apart from this strategy which emerged at the said meeting, Today gathered that they would also use some journalists to make the government look bad in the eyes of the international and donor communities, and by extension, discourage investors," the source said.
"I have read with bemusement your infantile and opprobrious rants against my colleague and I, and which also seeks to question the judgement of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. This is quite regrettable given your avowed support for Nana Akufo-Addo's vision and commitment to accelerate the development of Ghana," he said.

According to Mr Asenso-Boakye, he will not be intimidated or held to ransom by A Plus while urging him to harness his potential more productively.

"May I reiterate to you, as I did in April, that I will not be intimidated by your vile attacks on my person or held to ransom. You have enormous potential; please harness it more productively. I would earnestly urge you to use your time more judiciously to help move Ghana forward," he said.

"Indulging in baseless accusations and unsubstantiated claims of corruption and arrogance is beneath you and frankly discredits you in the eyes of right thinking Ghanaians."

He also challenged A Plus to report him to the president if he has any evidence he is engaged in corruption or scandalous activities.

"As the President noted at the just ended NPP Conference, he is willing and ready to look into any case of alleged corruption. You may kindly take up his generous offer and present your case to him," he said.

He added: "While I have this opportunity, allow me to echo the sentiments of President J. A. Kufuor. We need matured minds in our Party and body politics. You will do well to heed the age old adage: 'a word to the wise is enough'"

READ MORE: A Plus takes swipe at NPP communicators

A Plus in a post that has been deleted on Sunday the presidents two deputy chief of staffs as "very stupid."

The unprovoked attacks come just after the governing New Patriotic Party's delegates conference in the Central Region.
Speaking on Saturday at the NPP's delegates conference in the Central Region, the deputy general secretary of the NDC, Koku Anyidoho, said they will not allow vigilante groups associated with the NPP to run riot and ruin Ghana.

He said: On the 7th of January, 20/7, a peaceful and fast-developing Ghana was handed over to you by the NDC. All we are saying, is; give us more peace and development, he said.

Ultimately, as the governing party, we demand that you give us our peace. We shall not compromise on our peace. Give it to us or we shall demand it.

The NDC shall not sit idly by and allow the Delta Forces and Invisible Forces to hold this nation to ransom as we continue to call on the law enforcement agencies to apply the rules of State without fear nor favour. Lawlessness shall not be allowed to run riot and ruin Ghana.

"We are glad His Excellency the President continues to assure the nation that he will not allow lawlessness to sink his image and that of his Administration. We pray he stays genuinely committed to his words.

Anyidoho aka the Bull, concluded his speech by reminding the government of its electoral promises to Ghanaians.
The report, prepared by US-based Population Reference Bureau (PRB), shows that Kenyas fertility rate (average births per woman) stands at 3.9, or about four children per woman, compared to Ghana and Nigerias 4.0 and 5.5 respectively.

The three countries have a fertility rate higher than the global average of 2.5 even though Kenya and Ghanas fertility rates rank below Africas average of 4.6 or about five children for every woman.

Niger and Chad lead the pack in the continent at 7.3 and 6.4 respectively followed closely by Democratic Republic of Congo (6.3), Angola (6.2), Mali (6) and Burkina Faso (5.7).

Kenya and Ghanas fertility rates have experienced a sharp decline from 7.9 and 6.7 in 1960 to 3.9 and 4.0 currently, with further drops expected in the next few decades. On the other hand, Nigeria, the worlds sixth largest country in terms of population, has experienced minimal change in its fertility rate from 6.4 in 1960 to the current 5.5, according to population data from the World Bank.

Despite Kenyan women having fewer children than their counterparts, they appear to be heeding calls by global policy shapers for smaller family sizes as a socio-economic tool for better allocation of family resources.

But even as the size of the Kenyan family shrinks, the population is projected to nearly double in the next three decades to 96 million in 2050 from the current 49 million.

Ghana also seems to be treading on the same path with the countrys National Population Council proposing that childbirth should be restricted to just three kids. The countrys population is projected to stand at 51 million people from the current 29 million.

There is growing concern however regarding Nigerias population which is expected to double to 400 million from 190 million, making it the worlds third largest country by population.

Even though such growth, especially for the workforce, is seen as a key economic engine if tapped it could also fuel poverty, hunger and civil strife if left untapped.
Rosenstein is actually from Philadelphia. Trump's deputy attorney general had served in the Justice Department during the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. Prior to being named deputy attorney general, Rosenstein served for 12 years as US Attorney for the District of Maryland.

Speaking with Times reporters, Trump said he ended "up with a second man, who's a deputy" after Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from Russia-related investigations that involved the Trump campaign.

"Who is he?" Trump said. "And Jeff hardly knew. He's from Baltimore."

"Rod Rosenstein, who is from Baltimore," Trump later added. "There are very few Republicans in Baltimore, if any. So, he's from Baltimore."

Trump's relationship with Rosenstein has been fraught. Rosenstein was responsible for hiring special counsel Robert Mueller to oversee the Russia investigation, which includes a probe into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russian officials in the 2016 campaign. Rosenstein appointed Mueller after Trump suddenly fired James Comey as FBI director in May. Comey was overseeing that investigation, which was being carried out by the FBI.

Rosenstein had also written the recommendation to fire Comey, which was cited by Sessions and Trump as the rationale for his firing. But days later, Trump admitted in an interview with NBC News that he would've fired Comey regardless of any recommendation.
The Washington Post's report on Saturday that President Donald Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions about dropping the case against former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio offers a window into Trump's thinking.

In particular, Trump's conversation with Sessions and subsequent decision to pardon Arpaio could shed new light on Trump's motives in speaking to James Comey, then the FBI director, one day after former national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned about ending the investigation into Flynn.

Arpaio, an early and enthusiastic Trump surrogate, was convicted of criminal contempt in July for violating a court order to stop racially profiling Latinos.

When Trump asked Sessions in the spring whether it would be possible to drop the federal criminal investigation into Arpaio, Sessions told Trump such a move would be inappropriate but that Trump could pardon Arpaio if he were convicted, The Post reported, citing three people familiar with the conversation.

Trump granted the pardon on Friday evening, sparking fierce backlash from liberals and some conservatives.

But some legal analysts also said the pardon and Trump's previous actions may serve as an important piece of evidence to Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the FBI's investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election. That investigation has reportedly expanded to include whether the president attempted to obstruct justice.

Specifically, Trump's decision to pardon Arpaio is key to determining his intent in speaking with Comey in February about dropping the Flynn investigation and then firing Comey in May after he refused to do so, said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor.

How Comey fits in

According to Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June, Trump privately told Comey, who was spearheading the FBI's Russia probe at the time, "I hope you can let this go," referring to the Flynn investigation.

Several Trump allies and Republican lawmakers have since said that those words do not prove Trump tried to obstruct justice by asking Comey to drop the investigation and subsequently firing him.

Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, for instance, zeroed in on the statement during Comey's testimony.

After reading out loud Comey's recollection of Trump's statement, Risch said, "He did not direct you to let it go."

"Not in his words, no," Comey replied.

"He did not order you to let it go," Risch said.

He later asked Comey whether he knew "of any case where a person has been charged for obstruction of justice or, for that matter, any other criminal offense, where this  they said, or thought, they hoped for an outcome?"

When Comey said he took Trump's words as a direction from the president of the United States, Risch said, "You may have taken it as a direction, but that's not what he said."

The main thing that Mueller  who was put in charge of the Russia investigation after Trump fired Comey  would need to prove in an obstruction-of-justice case is whether Trump acted with corrupt, or unlawful, intent when he asked the FBI director to drop the Flynn investigation.

"[Trump's] defense would be that he thought it was appropriate to end the Flynn investigation because it was meritless and that there was nothing wrong with him, as president, making that determination," Mariotti told Business Insider.

But the president's conversation with Sessions and decision to pardon Arpaio demonstrates that "this has become a pattern of activity where he tries to end investigations of his friends," he said. "Everything he said, did, and was told as to Arpaio is relevant to help us understand what he was thinking when he tried to end the Flynn investigation."

Moreover, despite statements from Trump's allies and administration officials who painted Trump's comments to Comey as musings and not as a direct order, Arpaio's pardon suggests "that he was serious about ending investigations as to his friends" and that it wasn't "just idle talk."

A pattern emerges

Experts say that intent in obstruction-of-justice cases is difficult to prove.

Obstruction of justice is broadly defined  it involves any conduct in which a person willfully interferes with the administration of justice.

Trump's statements don't individually rise to the level of obstruction of justice, said Jens David Ohlin, an associate dean at Cornell Law School who's an expert on criminal law.

"The obstruction of justice would flow from the entire landscape of Trump's behavior: telling Comey to back off on the Flynn investigation, firing him when he wouldn't, and then admitting on national television that he dismissed Comey because of the Russia investigation," Ohlin told Business Insider.

He said that Trump's telling Russian officials in the Oval Office that Comey was "a real nut job" and that firing him had taken "great pressure" off of him added weight to the inference that Trump used his executive authority to fire Comey to stymie a federal investigation.

The FBI's investigation has progressed in recent weeks. Mueller's team reportedly issued subpoenas to several Washington lobbying firms that have worked with Flynn's and Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's consulting groups, and the special counsel is also scrutinizing a June 2016 meeting that Donald Trump Jr. had with a Kremlin-connected lawyer and a former Soviet military intelligence officer.

The Post additionally reported earlier this month that the FBI conducted a predawn raid on Manafort's home in July and left "with various records."
A crackdown on all dead stock by National Environmental Management Authority in various supermarket chains across the country is already underway.

We are asking members of the public not to be worried because most of them are in a dilemma. We will first give them adequate notice to get alternatives,

Our officers will have Nema uniforms and Nema cards for identification, said Nema director general Geoffrey Wahungu on Monday.

Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Prof. Judi Wakhungu earlier this year made the announced effectively banning plastic bags.

"The ministry has banned the use, manufacture, and importation of all plastic bags used for commercial and household packaging," Wakhungu said in a gazette notice dated February 27.

Kenya association of Manufacturers (KAM) however opposed the ban saying enough consultation was not done.

Two plastic bags importers filed a suit to suspend implementation of the ban last week arguing they needed more time to clear stock and fulfill their contractual obligations.

Judge Bernard Eboso was however not swayed by their arguments to suspend the ban on plastic bags saying the need to conserve the environment overrides commercial interests.

Also reads: KENYA EXTENDS BAN ON PLASTIC BAGS TO PLASTIC BOTTLES

Environmental conservation will be gravely undermined if the regulation is suspended, Public interest is also at risk, he added at Milimani law courts on Friday.

This is not the first time Kenya has tried to ban Plastic bags, in 2007 Kenya first attempted to clean up the country by banning the manufacture and import of bags but failed.

A 2014 attempt also failed to take effect and some had expected the latest attempt to meet the same fate.

Plastic bags are one of the most common and cheap ways used to packaged and carry items.

They are increasingly popular with vegetable vendors (Mama Mboga) and Supermarkets.

Some 100 million plastic bags are handed out every year in Kenya by supermarkets alone while over 24 million plastic bags are used monthly, half of which end up in the solid waste mainstream.

In anticipation of the new regulation, Nakumatt, one of Kenyas biggest supermarket chain, has started using netting for vegetables.

"We view the ban as a positive change and, as the largest issuer of plastic bags, we have a responsibility to the environment," says chief marketing officer Andrew Dixon.

Plastic bags litter Kenyan streets and clog its waterways leading to expensive repairs running into millions.
On Monday, the day that Amazon's $13.7 billion acquisition of the grocer went through, prices on certain Whole Foods items immediately dropped.

"Starting Monday, Whole Foods Market will offer lower prices on a selection of best-selling staples across its stores, with much more to come," the companies said in a press release on Thursday.

In the release, Amazon and Whole Foods specifically mentioned certain items that would become less expensive when the acquisition was finalized.

On Friday, Business Insider visited a Whole Foods location in the Gowanus neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, and checked the prices on 15 items (including a few variations on similar items) mentioned by the companies. The total cost of the basket on Friday  pre-acquisition  was $97.76.

On Monday, we returned to the Gowanus Whole Foods and checked back in on the same items. This time, the total cost of the 15 items was $75.85. That's a nearly 23% drop in the total cost.

Some of the new discounts nearly cut prices in half. Bananas, for example, used to be sold for $0.79 a pound. Now they cost $0.49 a pound. The price of local grass-fed 85% lean ground beef went to $6.99 a pound from $10.99.

Whole Foods is labeling the price cuts as "New Lower Price," with the tag "Whole Foods + Amazon."

Heres how much money customers are now saving on these 15 items:

Whole Trade Banana: 30 cents

85% Lean Ground Beef: $2

Local Grass-Fed 85% Lean Ground Beef: $4

Four-pack of Organic Avocado: $0

Hass Avocados: $1.01

Organic Large Brown Eggs: 30 cents

Fresh Atlantic Salmon Fillet: $5

Frozen Atlantic Salmon Fillet: $0

Fresh Tilapia Fillet: $4

Organic Baby Kale: 50 cents

Organic Baby Lettuce: 50 cents

365 Brand Almond Butter: $1

Organic Fuji Apples: $1.50

Organic Gala Apples: $1

Organic 365 Brand Butter: 80 cents
At least that's the indication from a poll on Blind, shared with Business Insider by a Blind user.

Blind is an an anonymous chat app for employees and is a favorite way for Uber's peeps to gossip amongst themselves.

By Monday morning, some 217 Uber employees had voted in a poll asking their thoughts on the new CEO.

More than half  57%

Clearly, Khosrowshahi has his work cut out for him in healing the employee base after all the public infighting of its board, each backing different CEO candidates.

Still, it's a good sign. Among the Uber faithful, the founder and original CEO Travis Kalanick still has a loyal following. Many wanted him to wind up reinstated as the CEO, even though the company was rocked by so many scandals over the past year that an investor insurrection ensued and he was forced to step down. Kalanick still owns about 10% of the company, is on the board, and has the direct support of a good chunk of other board members.

One former Uber employee recently explained that despite Kalanick's missteps, his love for the company is clear. "I think the only good guy is Travis. But I'm still drunk on the kool aid," this person said.

In any case, Uber will soon rest in the hands of ne investor who put himself in the middle of the fight is on board: Shervin Pishevar. is not on the board, but did try to intervene in a lawsuit by board member Benchmark against Kalanick.

I applaud the Boards decision to make Dara Khosrowshahi the next CEO of Uber, and we are gratified that Benchmark did not succeed in subverting the CEO selection process. I look forward to working with my friend and fellow Iranian American Mr. Khosrowshahi. Dara's experience and his proven track record of success make him the right choice to lead Uber.
The plant has no power, so there's a risk that the plant could cause more explosions as the chemicals' temperatures continue to rise. People nearby have been advised not to return until the chemicals burn out.

Harvey's death toll continues to rise as family members and authorities report more fatalities. Galveston County Emergency Management confirmed three more deaths on Wednesday night, bringing the total so far to at least 41.

Some 33,000 people in Texas have sought refuge in more than 230 shelters, and 325,000 have signed up for disaster assistance, officials said.

"This is a landmark event for Texas," Brock Long, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, said Monday. "Texas has never seen an event like this."

Record rainfall and catastrophic flooding

Harvey arrived on the shores of Texas as a hurricane Friday night, packing sustained wind speeds as high as 130 mph. It made a second landfall as a tropical storm on the Texas border near Cameron, Louisiana, around 4:30 a.m. CT on Wednesday. As of Thursday morning, it was classified a tropical depression with maximum winds of 20 mph.

On Tuesday, a rain gauge near Highlands, Texas, a city east of Houston, registered 51.88 inches of rainfall  breaking the record for most rainfall from a single storm in the entire continental US.

The "relentless, torrential" rain has moved east, and forecasters don't expect it to fizzle out until at least Saturday. could get 3 to 5 more inches of rain by Saturday, with isolated areas seeing up to 10 inches.

Harvey was moving northeast across the top of Louisiana at 10 mph as of 10 a.m. CDT on Thursday, leaving flooding and destruction in its wake. The center of the storm was sitting about 150 miles north of Baton Rouge.

The National Weather Service called the rainfall event "unprecedented", and while the National Hurricane Center's warnings of "catastrophic and life-threatening flooding" have subsided, the floodwaters in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana will take days, if not a week, to retreat.

The storm surge  the quick rise in water caused by a hurricane's strong winds  crested several feet at the height of the storm on the Texas coast. By Thursday, all local storm surge warnings had ended.

Widespread devastation

Harvey's devastating hurricane-force winds, storm surge on the Gulf Coast, and landmark flooding inland combined to make it a catastrophic event for Texas.

Officials expect more deaths to be confirmed in the coming days. Houston police Chief Art Acevedo told The Associated Press on Monday that he was "really worried about how many bodies we're going to find" when the floodwaters recede.

The Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that a police Sgt. Steve Perez, a 60-year-old man who had been on the force for 34 years, died in his patrol car after he took a wrong turn and got caught in the high water.

Long said in a press conference Monday (and reiterated on Wednesday) that crews were still focusing on rescue and recovery and would have to wait until the storm passed to fully evaluate the damage. Flooding and debris on roadways are still keeping emergency crews from reaching some places.

Accounts of destruction in the areas hit hardest by Harvey have been steadily emerging.

Astounding video shows nume... @ Evan McMurry

Emergency crews plucked people from rooftops using aircraft, dump trucks, and boats as the floodwaters rose. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said on Wednesday that 8,500 people had been rescued statewide.

The Associated Press estimated that the storm knocked out power for about 300,000 residents over the weekend, and that there were still 107,000 power outages in Texas on Wednesday afternoon.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said 911 emergency services in the city had received over 56,000 calls by Monday. By Tuesday, police officers and firefighters had saved more than 3,500 individuals in Houston, Acevedo said.

Turner announced a curfew on Tuesday night, extending from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. Wednesday, amid reports of looting, armed robberies and people impersonating police officers.

Near Port Arthur, Texas, a city located about 90 miles east of Houston in Jefferson County, over 26 inches of rain were recorded on Tuesday alone. Residents in the area were desperate to escape, and 150 boats came to find them. Mayor Derrick Freeman told CBS News that 20,000 homes had as much as 6 feet of water in them.

The coastal city of Rockport, Texas, located near the point where the hurricane initially made landfall, sustained extreme damage. Residents have been told it is not safe to return for the time being (a mandatory evacuation was put in place there). Mayor Charles Wax of Rockport told CNN there had "been widespread devastation."

As the storm approached Friday, Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Rios of Rockport requested that people who did not evacuate write their names and Social Security numbers on their arms in case rescuers later needed to identify them.

The Category 4 storm Hurricane Ike, the most recent major hurricane to hit the Texas Gulf Coast, caused $38 billion in damage in 2008. When Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005, it caused over $100 billion in damage.

Why hurricane categories dont tell the full story

Hal Needham, a hurricane scientist at Louisiana State University, wrote in a blog post on the weather site WXshift that a storm's category doesn't fully convey how dangerous rainfall could be and how much damage it could cause.

"Hurricanes and tropical storms throw three hazards at us: wind, rainfall, and storm surge," he wrote. "Think of the impacts separately. Storms with weaker winds are more likely to stall and dump heavier rainfall. This shocks people, as it would seem intuitive that a Category 5 hurricane would tend to dump more rain than a Category 1 hurricane. But the opposite is true."

While strong winds can rip shingles off roofs and tear down power lines, flooding often causes more widespread, costlier damage  and can be more dangerous for humans. The scale used to distinguish a hurricane from a tropical storm is based solely on maximum sustained wind, but Needham explained that "storms are too complex to define by one number."

Trumps first serious crisis

Hurricane Harvey is Donald Trump's "first serious" crisis from a natural disaster as president. He flew to Corpus Christi Tuesday morning with first lady Melania Trump to survey the damage and relief efforts, and made a stop in Austin to attend a briefing on emergency operations from Texas leadership.

"We want to do it better than ever before. We want to be looked at in five years, in 10 years from now as, this is the way to do it," Trump said at a press conference alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. "This was of epic proportion. Nobody's ever seen anything like this."

How Texas and Louisiana prepared

Thousands of Texas residents, many in the towns of Port Aransas, Port O'Connor, and Corpus Christi, near where the hurricane first made landfall, evacuated before the storm. The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority began busing evacuees to San Antonio on Thursday.

Houston didn't order evacuations before the storm hit, and only issued orders in some areas of Harris County on Monday and Tuesday. Jeff Masters, a meteorologist at The Weather Company who cofounded the weather-data website Weather Underground, recommended evacuating only if local emergency experts said to do so. Many of the deaths during Hurricane Rita in 2005 occurred as people tried to evacuate.

He also issued a federal disaster declaration in 33 counties, which Trump approved. Trump has approved emergency disaster declarations in both Texas and Louisiana, directing federal aid toward the affected areas.

On Monday morning, Abbott activated the entire Texas National Guard of 12,000 people, and increased the number deployed to 24,000 National Guard troops on Thursday.

Before the storm hit, the American Red Cross opened pop-up shelters throughout Houston and San Antonio. Dallas opened shelters as well, and Mayor Mike Rawlings invited those stranded to seek refuge in a press conference Tuesday morning.

Turner, Houston's mayor, said Tuesday that more than 9,000 people are seeking shelter at the George R. Brown Convention Center, the largest shelter that has been opened so far. It has a 5,000-cot capacity.

The Health and Human Services Department said it was deploying assets to Texas and Louisiana ahead of Harvey's landfall, moving six teams of emergency medical responders to the Dallas area as well as teams to support medical personnel in both states.

FEMA said it readied 3 million meals, 2.8 million liters of water, and 8,800 staff members for the storm response.
Right after her secondary education Mercy Johnson auditioned for a role in "The Maid", a movie that launched her into stardom.

Her performance in that movie paved the way for her into getting more roles in movies such as "Hustlers", "Baby Oku in America", "War in the Palace" and many more.

In 2009, she won an award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2009 African Movie Award ceremony and then Best Actress award at the 2013 Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards for her role in the comedy movie "Dumebi the Dirty Girl".

In December 2011, she was listed as Google's most searched Nigerian celebrity, a position she also held in 2012.

Today is also the birthday of Nollywood actress Diana Yekinni.

Yekinni also happens to be a professional tap dancer who was born and raised in London, England.

She has extensive training in Performing and Dramatic Arts. Diana Yekinni studied Theatre and dance at the Brit School of Performing Arts, London, Intensive Theatre Course at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York and a BA in Theatre from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Los Angeles.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected! Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
A masterclass session moderated by Yetty D Ogunubi on 'Creativity in the Business of Fashion' for the 'Renaissance' themed fashion event saw top stylist and Mania Magazine editor Godson Ukaegbu, GM for Zaron Cosmetics and Stylist Teni Oluwo as panelists who spoke extensively about what goes into making a business/living out of fashion and what obtains in the industry.

The session was followed immediately by runway showcases from Sally Bawa, SGTC Clothing, Nkadz and 1407 Style who all had impressive outings on the runway with designs across afrocentric, casual, beachwear and more.

Describing the first edition as "refreshing", Onah nwachukwu says the event was a welcome one. An impressed Mai Atafo notes the event is impressive for a first time, commending the pieces shown on the runway.

The event surely delivers on bringing creatives; models, photographers, stylists, makeup artists and more together under a roof to educate and offer ways to push and launch them in their various fields.
The geographical region that is now modern day Nigeria was once known as the slave coast but by 1870 that had changed. Britain had lost its appetite for slaves and preferred palm oil. In the 19th century, Britain was the first industrialized nation in the world and it needed palm oil as a lubricant for its machines.

The region that is Nigeria today had a lot of palm oil, the majority of it tucked in the lush vegetation of the Niger Delta which ironically has been polluted by another type of oil.

The demand for Nigeria's palm oil was huge. A man known as George Goldie would be an important figure in Nigeria's palm oil business. In 1879, he formed the United African Company (later renamed the National African Company).

There was a lack of structure in the palm oil business. Niger-Deltans sold to the highest bidder and Goldie was able to control the region of the Lower Niger River. In 1884 his business had boomed that he had 30 trading points along the Lower Niger essentially creating a monopoly for the British to capitalize on.

The Berlin Conference should be highlighted here. The conference gave the British access to the Lower Niger and left very little for the Germans and French. In 1886, George Goldie started moving inwards into River Niger and Benue, a clear violation of the gentleman's agreement he had made with the chiefs. It was initially agreed that the United African Company would not pass the coastal areas.

Also within the same year, the United African Company was turned to Royal Niger Company.

George Goldie's business operation was far from fair. His company tricked the native chiefs (including Jaja of Opobo) into signing agreements that gave them the exclusive rights to export palm oil after initially agreeing that free trade would not be obstructed. The Chiefs fell for the promise and signed the dubious contracts that were written in English.

When Jaja of Opobo wanted to export his own palm oil, he was accused of obstructing commerce and sent into exile. On his way back home in 1891, he was poisoned with a cup of tea.

The story of Jaja of Opobo made chiefs and rulers to be wary of their deals with the Royal Niger Company. Frederick William Koko Mingi VIII of Nembe popularly known as King Koko was one of such rulers.

The born-again monarch who was formerly a school teacher detested the restriction on trading and did business with the Germans directly.

In 1894, after the Royal Niger Company introduced more restrictions, Koko Mingi VIII denounced Christianity and formed an alliance with the Bonny and Okpoma to take down the company.

Unfortunately, the Bonny refused the alliance. This did not stop the rebellion. History has it that Koko Mingi VIII led an attack on the Royal Niger Company headquarters on January 29, 1895. The headquarters was at Akassa in Bayelsa.

The attack saw the king capture, 60 white men, while losing forty of his soldiers. Using the 60 men as hostages, King Koko Mingi wanted the RNC to allow him to choose his trade partners. If the company granted his wish, he would release the men.

The Royal Niger Company did not yield. King Koko killed forty of the men he captured. As retaliation, the Britains Royal Navy attacked Brass and levelled it completely on February 20, 1895.

An uneasy calm was restored and the British had their way. King Koko was on the run. As punishment, the people of Brass were fined 500. Their weapons were taken from them also.

King Koko moved into exile after rejecting the terms of the British after the British Parliamentary Commission. He committed suicide as an outlaw in 1898.

The war was, however, a bad PR look for the Royal Niger Company. Great Britain revoked its charter in 1899.

The Royal Niger Company sold its territory (Nigeria) to the British government for 865,000. In 1914, the Southern protectorate and Northern protectorate were amalgamated by Lord Lugard.
According to Vanguard, Ozoemelam of Ugorji street, Aba, told the police he met an individual named Johnson on Facebook. After striking a conversation with him which lasted a few days, Johnson invited Ozoemelam to a birthday party.

The venue of the party was at Ibegbulam Street, Omuma Road area, Aba. When he showed up at the birthday party, he was physically assaulted and forced to surrender his personal items including a mobile phone.

The phone was later used by the kidnappers to call Ozoemelam's senior brother to demand a ransom of N5m.

As luck would have it, Ozoemelam managed to escape from his kidnappers' lair at midnight and went to the police to report.

Mr LeyeOyebade, the Abia State Commissioner of Police confirmed the report. Policemen moved swiftly to arrest the alleged leader of the kidnapping gang Prince Agorom.
Welcome to the Pulse Community! We will now be sending you a daily newsletter on news, entertainment and more. Also join us across all of our other channels - we love to be connected!
Alison-Madueke has been linked to a slew of corruption cases, with courts seizing assets and funds that have been suspected to be proceeds of her loot.

Despite the mountain of allegations against her, she has holed up in London for years, where she is also facing prosecution for alleged bribery, corruption and money laundering.

In a statement released by the group of protesters last week, they urged the anti-graft agency to file for the extradition of the former minister so that she can return to the country and be prosecuted for her crimes.

While speaking at the protest on Monday, August 28, 2017, co-convener of the protest, Deji Adayanju, said the anti-graft agency is not doing enough to fight corruption in the country without waiting for approval from the presidency.

He said the agency should be more active in its fight against corruption and promptly prosecute anyone that's suspected to be tied to accruing illicit wealth at the country's expense.

He said, "We want Diezani and others who have been alleged of corruption to be put on trial. For two years, we've been saying Diezani stole so much money. Why is she not on trial?

"If they know they don't want to bring her back, why is the Federal Government not supporting the British government to jail Diezani?

"If somebody stole $10 billion from Nigeria and there's proof that she stole $10 billion from Nigeria, or $5 billion from Nigeria, why is she free? Why is she enjoying the money in London? Why is she not on trial.

"Those are the simple questions we're asking.

"There have been allegations of corruption in the Central Bank of Nigeria where they said they're hoarding forex. This house here (EFCC) should not wait for Baba (President Muhammadu Buhari) to tell them to investigate.

"They should catch every thief that's stealing our money. They don't need to wait for directive.

"Somebody has been alleged of collecting N120 billion, this house should not wait for order from above. They should act.

"If this house discovers that a Nigerian has N50 million in his account, and does not have any source of livelihood, they should naturally investigate such people. You don't need to wait for Aso Rock to give you instruction.

"We're saying that EFCC should be proactive and fight corruption and not just talk about it. For over two years, we've been talking about fighting corruption, but we've not actually been fighting it.

"We're also asking, 'Who is the owner of $43.3 million found in Ikoyi?' Another money was found in Kaduna Airport, but we can no longer hear anything about that.

"Who is the owner of this money? All this money that the EFCC has recovered, where is it? How much is it? From who and who did they recover the money from?

"The Nigerian masses who are suffering want people who stole their money to be arrested and put on trial. If they're found guilty, they should be jailed."

The EFCC Secretary, Emmanuel Aremu, spoke with the protesters and assured them that the agency is doing its best to make sure that the former minister is brought back to the country to face trial.

The sit-out protest will continue tomorrow as announced by the group headed by activist and entertainer, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy.

The EFCC has obtained court rulings that have ordered the seizure of properties and funds linked to the former minister over the past few months.

On Tuesday, August 22, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the interim forfeiture of assets valued at $16,441,906 linked to her.

On Wednesday, August 9, 2017, Justice Chuka Obiozor of a Lagos Federal High Court also ordered the interim forfeiture of the sum of N7,646,700,000 linked to the former minister after the EFCC filed an ex parte application.

This ruling came only days after a Federal High Court, also in Lagos, ordered the permanent forfeiture of a $37.5m Banana Island mansion owned by the former minister on Monday, August 7.

In addition to the building, the court also ordered the permanent forfeiture of the sums of $2,740,197.96 and N84,537,840.70 realised as rents on the property.

On Tuesday, August 8, the EFCC revealed that its operatives discovered boxes of gold, silver and diamond jewellery from the Abuja residences of the former minister.
Ortom made the appeal at a ceremony to mark the 45th birthday of his wife, Mrs. Eunice Ortom, held at the Redeemed Christian Church, Mega Parish, Makurdi.

The damage by flood disaster so far is massive; the state alone cannot bear the financial burden involved in tackling it.

Many communities have been washed away, while farms have equally been swept off. The level of destruction is heavy and we want the Federal Government, individuals and organisations to assist, he said.

The governor sympathised with victims of Saturday nights flood in Makurdi, especially the management of Radio Benue, where a transmitter was submerged.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Wurukum market, Low-level quarters and seven other communities were submerged by water as a result of the downpour.

The affected communities included Welfare Quarters, Benue State University community, New Kanshio village, Rice Mill Wadata, Idye Village, Achusa village, among others.
MASSOB also alleged that the quit notice which the youth group issued to Igbos living in the North, is a form of hate speech.

The Biafra agitators also condemned Danbazau for saying that the quit notice issued by the Arewa Youths was taken out of context.

According to Daily Post, MASSOBs leader, Uchenna Madu said Even the Interior Minister, Abdulrahman Danbazau, a Fulani jingoistic element defended his Hausa Fulani youths of Arewa that threatened the people of Biafra with an ultimatum of quit notice to vacate Arewa land before Oct 1st, 2017 that the coalition of the Arewa Youths were misquoted by the media.

These wretched ill-informed cowardice Fulanis that depended on the Middle-Beltans for war against Biafrans issued the quit notice which was on video and very clear.

Now, the biased Fulani Minister of Interior under the Fulani Buhari led Federal government is trying to subject and subvert the naked truth of the threat by his Fulani brothers that they were quoted out of context though they have tactically withdrawn it.

Madu also warned that any attempt to re-arrest the indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnamdi Kanu will be resisted.

He said We can never tolerate it. It is an insult and embarrassment to our inalienable Rights.

The Biafra Security Service of IPOB is made-up of non-violent and armless members with no plan or intention of engaging in arms struggle.

We, the people of Biafra have never opposed or condemned the Arewa sharia police called Hisbah. Why should they get jittery of Biafra security consciousness?

Now that we know that our consistency and exposure of the hidden truths is dangerously frustrating, disorganising and killing the age long Hausa Fulani Islamic agendas against the people of Biafra, we shall never relent or surrender.

MASSOB warns Fulanis to know that their delusion and tablets of deceit of divide and rule syndromes against the people of Middle Belt and Eastern Region has expired, he added.
The group also said that Kanus agitations has been peaceful, adding that he has not gone against the law of the land.

According to Vanguard, Madu also said We, the people of Biafra, have never opposed or condemned the Arewa Sharia police called Hisbah. Why should they get jittery of Biafra security consciousness?

Nnamdi Kanus non-violent activities towards Biafra actualization and restoration have never breached, truncated or confronted the fragile and inconsistent constitution of Nigeria.

ALSO READ: Anglican Bishop warns Nnamdi Kanu over comments

MASSOB warns that any attempt or plan to re arrest Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will be thoroughly and massively resisted. We can never tolerate it. It is an insult and embarrassment to our inalienable rights. Now that we know that our consistency and exposure of the hidden truths is dangerously frustrating, disorganising and killing the age long agenda against the people of Biafra, we shall never relent or surrender.
Misau said the N10B accrued from payments for special security services rendered by the police to private citizens and corporate organisations like oil companies.

Senator Misau (Bauchi State) is a retired Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) whose last posting was in Niger State in 2010.

Misau chairs the Senate committee on Navy and his allegations against the police hierarchy stemmed from the oversight responsibilities lawmakers are constitutionally saddled with.

Embarrassed and miffed, the police went after Misau in rather predictable fashion: the senator was accused of deserting the police some seven years ago and pronto, the police opened an investigation into how Misau retired from the force.

Forged letter

The police said Misaus retirement letter from the police is a fake.

The retirement letter presented to journalists by DSP Mohammed Hamman is suspiciously forged and dubiously obtained, said police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood. The letter which was dated March 5, 2014, a period of more than four years after AP N0 57300 DSP Mohammed Isa Hamman (Senator Isah Hamman Misau) deserted the Force is now being investigated by the Force".

ALSO READ: Police IG says Nigeria not mature for state police

According to the police, Misaus name is still on the police payroll. The police allege that Misau ran away from the Police Force to avoid disciplinary proceedings which had been instituted against him.

Moshood also told the world that other security agencies have been invited to go after the senator as well.

Heres Moshood again: an official with pending disciplinary issues is not allowed to retire or leave the force until his case has been resolved.

The police say Misaus case file is before the Force Disciplinary Committeean indication, according to the police, that the retirement letter the lawmaker has been flaunting, is a forgery.

His case file is still marked Pending Disciplinary Matter, meaning he would not be allowed to retire until the case against him has been resolved, said Moshood.

Indian hemp specialist

The police also say Misau finds solace in Indian hemp joints.

These allegations from a dubious and fraudulent deserter Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) are ridiculous, baseless and a beer parlour gossip which can only be from someone of unsound mind, unrepentant and habitual liar who patronises Indian hemp joints.

DSP Mohammed Isa Hamman got the suspected forged retirement letter in 2014 but he contested the Bauchi Central Senatorial Election in 2011 general elections under Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) at that time he was a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a deserter of the Force. This is a clear element and criminal liability of fraud and impersonation, because under the law, you cannot be a Police Officer and still stand for election".

Why did it take the police seven years to realise that Misau is a police deserter who gamed the system?

Would Misaus case file have been reopened if he didnt accuse the police boss of corruption?

Most likely not.

Blackmail

This has cheap blackmail and vendetta written all over it.

That the police is only going after the senator following an allegation to one of its own by the same senator, is really embarrassing but not surprising. After all, this is the same Police Force whose members pump bullets into defenseless citizens who refuse to part with bribes at road checkpoints.

Misau may be guilty of deserting the Police Force. That is beside the point now. If he is serving in the senate illegally, how come we are only getting to know about it after he accused IGP Idris of corruption?

The police is no ones friend, really, forget that cliche to the contrary.

I drive home to work daily knowing that Id be stopped at several checkpoints by police officers pleading for Egunje (bribe) for no offence other than that Im heading home after a tiring day at work.

The police also protects the rich to the detriment of the poor. They carry bags for the wealthy and government officials; while the rest of the citizenry remains painfully under-policed.

Heres the thingwe shouldnt sweep Misaus N10B allegation under a rug because the police has come out on the defensive. We can actually investigate that allegation while also proceeding apace with whether the senator is a deserter or not. Its called multi-tasking.

With this incident, the police has again proven how shameless it is as a law enforcement unit.
The programme, tagged 'O'RAM' and done through the Selema Oloba Ranch, Iwo, raises highly fattened rams breed and vaccinated within two months.

According to the Managing Director of Selema Oloba Ranch, Sola Omidiran, the 648 rams breed in the ranch were acquired from various parts of Nigeria's northern region.

He explained that during the fattening period, animals add 15kg more weight to their system, enhancing their capacity and body shape to provide more beef to consumers.

Omidiran noted that in line with the government's quest to generate revenue for the state, the company has attracted partnerships with a wide range of leading online stores to ensure adequate marketing for its animals.

He said, "In a bid to enhance our marketing strategies, we have gone to partner with varying online stores with our website, or online sites like Jumia, Ebeano Supermaket, Red and Green Butchery and Lekki Farms.

"With all what we are doing, we can assure you that we will give you value for money. There will be nowhere else you will find rams that are of good quality like these other than the Selema Farms.

"We have animals in four different categories that are going for different prices that are for sale. We have the Bronze category of about 25-30kg for about N45,000; the Silva Category of 31-36kg for N60,000; Gold category of 37-43kg for N70,000 and the Platinum of 44-50kg for N80,000."

Aside the rams, Omidina added that there are also goats, cattles as well as tomatoes, onions, pepper and the rest as part of the Fresh products under the Selema Farms Fresh category.
After months of being reportedly undermined by President Buhari's staff while he was away in London for 103 days, there have been recent reports that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo had been sidelined since the president's return.

According to the president's Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, those reports are falsehoods that are being circulated to cause unnecessary tension for his administration.

In a press release signed by Shehu, he said, "To begin with, it is absolutely nonsensical and absurd to write that in one week of the President's return, the Vice President has been sidelined. Quite on the contrary, the Vice President remains the confidante and the closest adviser to the President.

"He has attended all the President's engagements all through the week with the exception of two: one, the VP was away to Taraba state and two, the Juma'at Muslim prayer because he is a Christian.

"It is difficult to understand what anyone wants to achieve peddling such falsehood that the President, himself a former military general and Head of State and Commander-in-Chief is subject to undue influence and manipulation. It is both ridiculous and inconceivable.

"Assomeone who works very closely with President Buhari, I can testify to how my years of experience as a newspaper editor are often put to the test by the sheer thoroughness with which the President edits every single document brought to his desk. Every memo, statement, speech, is subject to his intense scrutiny, right down to the placement of commas and full stops.

"Therefore, alleging that President Buhari signs memos brought to him by government officials or a so-called cabal without reading them, immediately casts doubts on the credibility of the ubiquitous unnamed sources that the reporters of these articles quote.

"But, of course, the President cannot do everything. He cannot micromanage every task. That is why he needs close officials, whom he trusts, who will be willing to offend others in the process of ensuring his own safety and wellbeing, and the advancement of his vision for Nigeria."

ALSO READ: President Buhari back in Nigeria but leadership doubts linger

Shehu also defended President Buhari's Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, amid reports that he has an undue influence over the president's executive decisions.

He said, "The attacks on Malam Abba Kyari, the Chief of Staff to the President, COS have been leveled with such imperiousness that they must no longer be laughed off as crazy.

"The COS is like the headman of all the President's political appointees. He has direct responsibility for multiple levels of staff working for the President.

"Part of his role includes liaising with ministries and parastatals, so that he can have a full awareness of the issues being discussed whenever these groups meet with the President.

"It goes without saying that anybody who occupies such office has impeccable credentials of total loyalty to the President. Clearly, some consider this oversight role as a usurping of the President's powers, and it is their misunderstanding of the situation that some media organisations have swallowed hook, line and sinker.

"Under this administration, as the ones before it, the office of the Chief of Staff is a branch of the President's office. There are no power centers here.

"The only power center is that of the President who is sensitive to grassroots level administration which the Chief of Staff must ensure.

"For Abba kyari, there is no life after work. He is available to the President 24/7."

Shehu warned that frivolous stories published by the media will only serve to distract the president's focus from his well-intentioned goal of making the country a great place for Nigerians.
Malam Garba Shehu, the Presidents Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity stated this in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday.

According to him, some allegations being levelled against the Presidents COS are indirectly aimed at rubbishing the successes being recorded by the Buhari administration.

He described those behind the campaign as mere blackmailers and extortionists who were bent on creating unnecessary but imaginary division and misunderstanding between President Buhari, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and the CoS.

A careful assessment of some these allegations with a rational mind will show that there is an orchestrated campaign to smear the CoS and indirectly the President.

If I can speculate on the matter, I will say that the problem Malam Abba Kyari has with most people is that he, like the President he serves, will not throw money at people in order to please them.

As CoS, Malam has refused to keep cash imprest and has turned down a monthly grant of N200 million customarily given to the office.

This is money freely spent because they were not required to account for what they did with it,  he said.

The presidential aide further noted that when the President was away on the medical vacation, the Chief of Staff rallied the Presidency behind Prof. Osinbajo because he knew that his boss, President Buhari expected nothing less.

He said: As Acting President, Vice President Osinbajo enjoyed the support of the Villa Staff and the entire cabinet. Otherwise he would not have succeeded and earn the praises of the President.

"These are just a few among the false and illogical accusations making the CoS larger than life, with the aim of pulling him down. No Chief of Staff including this one can create hurdles for a president and survive the next day.

The roles and duties dont warrant the kind of falsehood being spread.

Shehu therefore dispelled the false notion that some individuals had tried to undermine the Vice President when he acted in the absence of the President.

Publishing poorly-researched allegations and trying to pass them off as investigative journalism or as news may lead to more newspaper sales or to more clicks on a website; but they will also, in the long run, slow down the growth and development of our country, which right now requires the absolute focus of President Buhari and his carefully-selected team to build the Nigeria of our dreams.

Unfortunately, this is the path The Punch has chosen and theres no one to help them but themselves.

The presidential spokesman also dismissed as absolutely nonsensical and absurd to write that in one week of the Presidents return, Osinbajo had been sidelined.

He stated that, quite to the contrary, the Vice President remains the confidante and the closest adviser to the President.

He noted that Vice President Osinbajo had attended all the Presidents engagements all through the week with the exception of two: one, the VP was away to Taraba State and two, the Jumaat Muslim prayer because he is a Christian.

Shehu also dismissed the assertion in some quarters that President Buhari was being manipulated by the certain cabal in the Presidential Villa.

It is difficult to understand what anyone wants to achieve peddling such falsehood that the President, himself a former military general and Head of State and Commander-In-Chief is subject to undue influence and manipulation.

It is both ridiculous and inconceivable.

As someone who works very closely with President Buhari, I can testify to how my years of experience as a newspaper editor are often put to the test by the sheer thoroughness with which the President edits every single document brought to his desk.

Every memo, statement, speech, is subject to his intense scrutiny, right down to the placement of commas and full stops.

Therefore, alleging that President Buhari signs memos brought to him by government officials or a so-called cabal without reading them, immediately casts doubts on the credibility of the ubiquitous unnamed sources that the reporters of these articles quote.

But, of course, the President cannot do everything. He cannot micromanage every task.

That is why he needs close officials, whom he trusts, who will be willing to offend others in the process of ensuring his own safety and wellbeing, and the advancement of his vision for Nigeria."

Shehu advised Journalists with questions to ask concerning the President and the Villa administration to always contact the Special Adviser, Femi Adesina, SSA to the President (Office of the Vice-President) Laolu Akande or himself.
The delegation that met with the president for a briefing session includes Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Godwin Emefiele, and Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun.

The team briefed the president on the state of the country's economy as well as the implementation of the 2017 budget and preparations for the 2018 budget.

They also discussed revenue strategies with him, as well as combined cost reduction, debt management, and the economic impact of monetary policy strategies.

According to President Buhari's spokesperson, Femi Adesina, the economic briefing lasted for about two hours.

The meeting is the president's first this week after he had a series of meetings with several leaders at his home office last week.

Since his resumption to office on Monday, August 21, the president has met with an investigative panel headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, as well as the country's security council.

On Friday, August 26, he met with leaders of the ruling party, the All Progressives' Congress (APC) and main opposition party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), and later hosted state governors from across the country.
According to a report by Premium Times, the order to freeze the assets was handed down by a London court in September 2016.

The properties, two in Regents Park and one in Buckinghamshire, were frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

While the order forbids the defendants from disposing of or dealing in the properties, it came too late to capture a further two properties worth 8 million which were sold.

Between 2011 and 2015, Chief Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko allegedlypaid bribes to Alison-Madueke in exchange for billion dollar contracts, to lift Nigeria's oil, getting awarded to shell companies owned by both of them.

Through shell companies, both men laundered billions of dollars accruing from Nigeria's crude into the US and Europe, using the proceeds to purchase properties worth millions of dollars for Alison-Madueke.

Using a series of shell companies and layered financial transactions to conceal the nature, location, source, and/or ownership of the proceeds of their illicit transactions, they purchased properties for Alison-Madueke in London and the United States.

The seized property in Buckinghamshire was bought by Omokore's Seychellois company Miranda Investments for 3,250,000 in January 2011, while the other two in Harley House and Park View were bought for2,800,000 and 3,750,000 respectively in March 2011.

Aiteo's Chief Executive Officer, Benedict Peters, a jeweler named Christopher Aire, and a lawyer named Donald Amamgbo, are also listed as defendants by the United States Department of Justice.

Alison-Madueke was arrested in 2015 by the NCA and will stand trial with the other four defendants for alleged bribery, corruption and money laundering.

She has been linked to a slew of corruption cases, with courts seizing assets and funds that have been suspected to be proceeds of her loot.

On Tuesday, August 22, a Federal High Court in Lagos ordered the interim forfeiture of assets valued at $16,441,906 linked to her.

On Wednesday, August 9, 2017, Justice Chuka Obiozor of a Lagos Federal High Court also ordered the interim forfeiture of the sum of N7,646,700,000 linked to the former minister after the EFCC filed an ex parte application.

This ruling came only days after a Federal High Court, also in Lagos, ordered the permanent forfeiture of a $37.5m Banana Island mansion owned by the former minister on Monday, August 7.

In addition to the building, the court also ordered the permanent forfeiture of the sums of $2,740,197.96 and N84,537,840.70 realised as rents on the property.
The board Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede had on Monday, August 22, announced that stakeholders comprising Vice chancellors, registrars and chief executives in Nigerian Universities unanimously agreed to peg the cut-off marks for admission into universities and polytechnics at 120 and 100 respectively at a meeting held in Abuja.

Despite the claim that Vice-Chancellors and Rectors were present at the meeting when the decision was made, some Vice-Chancellors have strongly criticized the policy.

Clearing the air on the controversial policy, Oloyede in an interview with Punch explained that the 120 cut off point is for ranking of candidates and not for admission.

Based on the Registrar's explanations, these are the reasons why the lowest cut off mark in the history of JAMB is the best thing to have happened to Nigerian universities.

1 The 120 minimum policy rates O'Level result above UTME scores

One of the reasons for reducing the JAMB cut off mark to 120 according to the Registrar is to give candidates' O'Level result prominence over UTME score. This is because candidates who have O'Level requirement for admission but scored less than 200 in UTME were in the past denied university admission. While candidates, who scored 200 and above without five credits required for admission into any University in the country admission because they score 200 plus.

This is the practice in some university, and the JAMB Registrar said the new policy is taking care of this practice in higher institutions across the country.

2. The new cut off mark policy is for ranking.

The motive behind the 120 is basically for ranking not for admission.

Oloyede explained that the decision to reduce the cut off mark is to rank candidates based on their O'Level result. Therefore, whoever scores 120 in JAMB and has five credit in O' Level stands a chance to be admitted into a university. The ranking according to Oloyede became necessary because there is no space for the candidates in some universities.

This will therefore solve the problem of over-subscriptions in a university, where 6000 candidates are expected to be admitted but 99000 seek admission into the institution.

The former Vice Chancellor of Unilorin also explained that nobody can be admitted "unless he is qualified. What qualifies an individual is the O level, not the UTME"

3. The 200 cut off mark disrupts admission quota system.

Another reason that called for the reduction of the cut-off mark from 200 to 120 is that the 50 percent benchmark has been disrupting admission quota system in higher institutions across the country for the past 10 years as some departments/schools admit students year in year out while some others do not have enough candidates to populate the departments/schools.

But with the ranking of the students the empty classrooms and idle lecturers are bound to get busy.

"As I speak with you, there was no time in the last 10 years that we have filled 70 per cent of the quota. The colleges of education and polytechnics are there doing nothing. And they kept on admitting students under the table. We are saying no more under-the-table deals," Oloyede said.

He also disclosed that the 200 benchmark created a vacuum in the universities as candidates do not meet the cut-off point for some courses.

"We have never filled 50 per cent of the quota for Physics in the last 10 years. Not that there are no individuals who want to study Physics, but because they did not meet the cut-off point".

4 The policy will encourage poor masses to embrace tertiary education.

Reducing the cut-off mark to 120 would help the bulk of the masses to qualify for admission into some higher institutions in the country as long as they have their five credits since according to him, it is the O'Level that qualifies the candidates for admission, not UTME scores. He, however, berated the critics of the policy that they are not being fair to the masses.

He said: "The children of those who are objecting to this decision go to the UK to study. Do they write the UTME there? They are unfair to the common man who has not stolen money to study in Ghana and the UK. It is part of a class war that the poor man must be kept under."

"We are not telling schools to overshoot their quota, we are saying, Bring those people who are roaming the streets into the classrooms to fill the quota. What correlation do facilities and that has to do? I am not the one who fixed the quota".

5. JAMB does not compel institutions to admit candidates with 120 or 100 in UTME.

Contrary to the complaints of some Vice Chancellors about the new cut off mark, the JAMB Registrar emphasised that the board does not compel higher institutions to admit candidates with the seemingly ridiculous cut off mark.

The idea is just to rank and qualify the candidates to write Post JAMB exams as long as they have their required O' Level results.

ALSO READ: VCs and lecturers divided over JAMB cut off mark

"We are not telling you to admit this or that candidate. Let me give you an example. Someone scores 300 and another scores 140, the person with 300 has four credits and the person with 140 has five credits. What it means is that you cannot take the candidate with 300 and you cannot also admit the candidate with 140. That is what we have been doing....We are not saying that universities should leave somebody with 230 and take another with 140."
She took to her Instagram page to share a cuddled up snap of herself and her husband, and caption it with the realest and the most refreshing words on marriage, we have encountered in recent times.

She wrote:

"I know that Hate is not the first enemy of love, Its Fear, as it destroys the ability to Trust....But

"I have learnt that Love is 2 people,who trust each other enough to say the truth no matter how bitter and it stays between them.. I know, that there are 2 kinds of pain, the one that hurts you and the one that changes you...But

"I have learnt that in all,you are my partner not my enemy as we either win together or loose together guiding each other like a secret.. I know ,that the scars you can't see ,are the hardest to heal....But

"I have learnt, that Happiness will always come to those who share their love selflessly as you can't have love without a little pain and if the bond is strong enough to overcome the obstacle, then its worth fighting for.. And I do know, that as parents,our marriage counts more not less because even the kids are counting on us....But

"I have learnt ,that commitment is staying loyal to what you said you will do long after the mode you said it in has left you... Its Hard ?Yes it is But

"I have learnt that couples who make it,aren't the ones who never had a reason to divorce but the ones who decided that their commitment to each other is more important than their flaws or differences......am never graduating from this school called Marriage.... Odi, I appreciate our similarities and I do Respect our flaws.....Am loyal to our love even in your Absence.

I Love You...But am still Angry jor

HWA To Us."

Prince Okojie's words toasting his wife mirrored the same depth and love, as he shared throwback photos of the two of them.

"On this day six years ago, we both made pledges and commitments in pursuit of a life journey.

"Today, those pledges and commitments are still alive, driving and rejuvenating in our everyday life.

"I would not have made a better choice if not YOU My Dear Wife.

"You have given me reasons to love and to stay in Love, I am so Happy and full of Life....No wonder the Bible says "A Merry heart does good like a Medicine."

"You are a full Package, Specially sent from God to me and there's no doubt that our success is in Christ.

"God bless and keep us together as we keep Flourishing. Happy Wedding Anniversary to us."

We just cannot have enough of them and we wish them many happy years together.

Mercy Johnson and Prince got married in 2012 and are blessed with four kids.
The European Union says there has to be "sufficient progress" in three key areas -- EU citizen rights, Northern Ireland's border and the exit bill -- before it will turn to post-Brexit arrangements, possibly beginning in October.

Britain says the two strands should be negotiated in parallel, arguing that progress on a free trade deal may even help resolve other sticky issues such as the future EU-UK border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

They also blamed Britain for a "lack of substance" despite a flurry of position papers they said were strong on aspiration but short on detail.

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier meanwhile listed on Twitter the EU's own negotiating documents, noting: "EU positions clear and transparent since day one."

Barnier meets his British counterpart David Davis late afternoon for a first exchange, followed by three days of talks and a joint press conference.

Both sides have repeatedly warned that the clock is ticking down to the March 2019 Brexit deadline and that they are the ones doing their best to make progress.

UK seeks 'flexibility, imagination'

Davis said Monday this week's talks were all about "driving forward the technical discussions across all the issues."

"In order to do that, we'll require flexibility and imagination from both sides," he said.

"We're ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work once more."

Asked about the British approach, the European Commission refused to be drawn Monday.

"Let's have the negotiators do their negotiation... as for flexibility, we are working within the mandate given us by the European Council (of member states)," EU spokeswoman Lucia Caudet said.

The talks take place amid continued turmoil in Britain, with the opposition Labour Party over the weekend backing a "soft" Brexit whereby the country remains in the EU's customs union and single market for a transition period.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said she wants Britain unequivocally out of both but her position has been crippled since a June election gamble backfired and she lost her parliamentary majority.

May remains in office thanks to a deal with Northern Ireland's ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party which views the EU-member Republic with deep suspicion.

EU officials warned last week that the hard-won Northern Ireland peace process could not be used as a bargaining chip.

London's hopeful suggestion that technology could help prevent the border becoming a physical barrier to trade and the peace process was just "a lot of magical thinking," one EU official said.

ECJ guards citizens' rights

Britain also said the European Court of Justice could continue to have an indirect influence, softening its position that the EU's top court would not have any say in the country at all.

But again this was not enough, EU officials said.

The rights of more than three million EU citizens in Britain and one million Britons in Europe arose from EU law remains the remit of the ECJ.

"There is no other possibility," one official said.

As for Britain's divorce settlement -- estimated at up to 100 billion euros in Brussels but much less at 40 billion according to reports in London -- EU officials said the talks were not about fixing a number but about agreeing how to work out the bill.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Chinese personnel on the ground verified that Indian troops and equipment had pulled back in the morning from the area, which is disputed between China and Bhutan.

India's foreign ministry announced earlier an "expeditious disengagement" in the Doklam area after reaching an "understanding" with Beijing on the confrontation that began on June 16.

"I am pleased to confirm that trespassing Indian personnel have all pulled back to the Indian side of the boundary," Hua told a regular news briefing.

"Chinese troops continue to patrol on the Chinese side of the boundary," she said.

India -- a close ally of Bhutan -- has an army base nearby and moved soldiers into the flashpoint zone to halt the work, prompting Beijing to accuse it of trespassing on Chinese soil.

China had repeatedly said India must withdraw its troops before any proper negotiation takes place. India said both sides should withdraw their forces together.

Monday's announcement comes days before India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to China for a summit of the BRICS group of countries, which also include Brazil, Russia and South Africa.

Hua said China has "friendly relations with India" and hopes its neighbour can "earnestly abide by historical relations and norms governing international law".
Hosting the talks in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested setting up "fully safe areas" in Niger and Chad -- key transit points for migrants -- where asylum-seekers would be processed by the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

The leaders signed a roadmap on the proposal, though there were as yet few details on how it could work. A joint mission will be sent to Niger and Chad soon, they said in a statement after the mini-summit.

The seven heads of state or government, who included Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Libya's political stalemate was a central obstacle to resolving the crisis that has seen nearly 1.5 million people arrive in Europe since 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration.

"As long as the crisis in Libya is not resolved, I don't think we can find a definitive solution to the issue," said Chadian President Idriss Deby.

Libya, which plunged into chaos after the overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, has two competing governments and dozens of armed factions filling the power vacuum. The north African country is a major transit hub for migrants.

Evaluation centres in Niger and Chad would help prevent "women and men from taking unwise risks in an extremely dangerous area and then in the Mediterranean" by starting the asylum process closer to home, Macron said, reiterating a proposal he made in July.

Human traffickers as well as arms and drug dealers "have turned the Mediterranean into a cemetery," he said.

More than 14,000 people, many fleeing conflicts or hardship in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, have died attempting to reach Europe since 2014.

This year alone, some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat, with the vast majority landing in Italy.

The head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj took part in Monday's talks as well as Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou and Europe's top diplomat Federica Mogherini.

European states have long sought to cut off clandestine immigration routes into the continent.

A controversial accord with Turkey last year stemmed the flow of migrants across the Aegean Sea to Greece, one of the main channels.

But other routes have come back into use, including via Morocco and Spain.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of migrants and asylum seekers.

'Living hell'

Last month the EU offered 10 million euros ($12 million) in aid to Niger to combat clandestine immigration.

Charities that help migrants have criticised attempts to stop migration at its source. "We're extending the European border farther and farther away," Eva Ottavy of the French charity Cimade told AFP.

On Monday, the Oxfam and ActionAid charities criticised Europe's leaders for what they called "fearmongering" over the migrant crisis.

They "continue to present migration as a threat rather than recognising its benefits," the charities said in a joint statement.

"They are playing into the hands of populist fearmongers who falsely claim that Europe is unable to cope with the arrival of people to its shores and who demonise search-and-rescue missions that save lives in the Mediterranean," it went on.

"Their short-term approach ignores the fact that Europe needs migrants," the statement said, adding: "Italy alone will need an estimated 1.6 million regular migrants over the next decade to sustain its welfare and pension schemes."

They called on the EU to "stop outsourcing border controls to Libya, trapping more and more people in a living hell" and urged governments not to make aid conditional on border management.

Libya has sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.
Macron has seen his popularity plunge 22 points since the first Ifop poll published three months ago, when he enjoyed a rating of 62 percent just after his May 7 election win.

At this point in 2012, his socialist predecessor Francois Hollande had a much higher popularity rating of 54 percent, while Nicolas Sarkozy boasted an even higher 67 percent in 2007.

Government spokesman Christophe Castaner conceded Sunday that there were "difficulties" and said that more efforts were needed to explain the policy changes proposed by Macron.

"We haven't given enough meaning, explanation or education about things," Castaner said.

In August, 36 percent of respondents said they were "somewhat satisfied" with Macron, down 11 points, and four percent were "very satisfied", a fall of three points.

Macron, 39, who shot to power as the head of a new "neither right nor left" centrist party, has since come under fire for his monarchical style in office and attempts to cut public spending.

His plans for major overhauls to employment law, which he sees as vital to increasing investment and improving the business environment in France, will face a test from trade unions and leftist opponents next month.

The hard-left, Communist-backed CGT party has called for a one-day strike on September 12, while leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon set September 23 as the date for a major anti-Macron rally in Paris.

"On September 23, the French people need to march in Paris against the anti-democratic coup d'etat which is being organised against our social system," Melenchon told a crowd in Marseille on Sunday.

He added that "the French people have not given full powers to Macron" despite him winning the two-stage presidential election in April and May, and his Republic on the Move party winning a majority in parliamentary elections in June.

Macron, who has given only a handful of interviews since taking power, has also promised to speak more regularly in the months ahead, having started his term in office deliberately avoiding the media.

On Monday, Macron welcomes the African leaders of Chad, Niger and Libya as well as his European counterparts from Germany, Spain and Italy for talks expected to focus on cutting illegal migration to Europe.

On Tuesday, he will speak at the annual meeting of France's ambassadors in Paris where he will lay out his foreign policy priorities for the coming year in front of 200 envoys.
And it sparked international criticism, from the United States and several European countries.

Morales on Sunday turned against UN anti-corruption official Ivan Velasquez as his investigations threatened to engulf Morales in scandal too.

Morales said he ordered Velasquez, a Colombian national, to be expelled from the country "in the interests of the Guatemalan people, for the strengthening of the rule of law and our institutions," in a video published online.

Later in the day, the Constitutional Court temporarily suspended Morales's order, its chairman Francisco Mata told reporters.

That put Morales on the spot as protests broke out against the president and in favor of Velasquez.

Health Minister Lucrecia Hernandez resigned in protest over Morales's move, accusing him of supporting "impunity."

Her three vice-ministers plus competition commissioner Enrique Godoy followed her example in resigning.

An army spokesman said the force remained loyal to Morales.

UN chief 'shocked'

Velasquez is the head of the UN International Committee Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).

Morales cited articles of the constitution and international conventions, implying that Velasquez had interfered in Guatemala's internal affairs.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was "shocked" by Morales's move and "has repeatedly reiterated his full confidence in Commissioner Velasquez," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

"Mr. Velasquez has worked tirelessly to promote a culture that upholds the rule of law and rejects corruption."

US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Washington was "deeply concerned" and said the CICIG had to be "permitted to work free from interference by the Guatemalan government.

The US also joined Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland in condemning the move, in a joint statement issued by their embassies in Guatemala City.

Corruption allegations

The commission helped prosecutors investigate the corruption scandal that toppled president Otto Perez in 2015.

Morales, a former television comedian, won the subsequent elections and took over as president the following year.

Now investigators say Morales is suspected of failing to declare electoral campaign funds. They estimate the value of the suspect transactions at about $1.0 million.

On Friday, Velasquez and Guatemalan prosecutors applied to strip Morales of his immunity so he can be probed over the payments linked to his party, the National Convergence Front.

That same day, Morales met with Guterres.

Morales also said he was firing his foreign minister Carlos Raul Morales.

The minister was involved in Friday's meeting with the UN chief and denied having demanded Velasquez's removal.

Angry protests

Reports of plans to expel Velasquez had already sparked angry protests outside the presidential palace on Saturday.

That raised the prospect of a fresh wave of unrest like the one that broke out against Perez in 2015.

Protests against Velasquez's removal erupted again Sunday at his commission's headquarters and the country's constitutional court, with demonstrators banging drums and blowing whistles.

"Velasquez is a man who came to make all those rotten corrupt people tremble," said Javier Coyoy, 42, a shopkeeper in the capital.

Right-leaning Protestant Morales, 48, had promised to fight corruption.

But his perceived lack of action since taking office last year has driven down his popularity.

Activist Jorge Santos, head of the UDEFEGUA human rights group, warned the expulsion of Velasquez could spark a new crisis.

"We are faced with a government that has lost its legitimacy almost immediately," he told AFP.
Niels Hoegel, 40, was jailed in February 2015 for two murders and several attempted murders of intensive-care patients at the Delmenhorst hospital near the northern city of Bremen.

The death toll "is unique in the history of the German republic," said chief police investigator Arne Schmidt, adding that Hoegel killed randomly and preyed especially on those in critical condition.

There was "evidence for at least 90 murders, and at least as many (suspected) cases again that can no longer be proven," he told a press conference, declaring himself "speechless" at the outcome.

Hoegel has admitted to injecting patients with a drug that can cause heart failure or circulatory collapse so he could then try to revive them and, when successful, shine as a saviour before his medical peers.

He said he felt euphoric when he managed to bring a patient back to life, and devastated when he failed.

After the revelations of the nurse's murderous obsession, police and prosecutors launched a special forensic commission dubbed "Kardio" (Cardio) to look into other patient deaths.

Presenting their findings, police said Monday that more than 130 bodies had been exhumed and tested for traces of the deadly drug.

The cause of death in many more could not be determined because the remains were cremated, said Oldenburg police chief Johann Kuehme.

Hoegel had admitted to 30 cases in which he named patients he killed, said prosecutor Daniela Schiereck-Bohlemann.

The grisly case dates back to 2005, when a colleague witnessed the nurse injecting a patient at the Delmenhorst hospital.

The patient survived and the health care worker was arrested and, in 2008, sentenced to seven and a half years in jail for attempted murder.

Amid the media publicity, a woman then contacted police, voicing suspicion that her deceased mother had also fallen victim to the killer nurse.

The authorities exhumed several patients' bodies and detected traces of the drug in five of them, declaring it either the definitive or possible contributing cause.
The riots broke out on Friday when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 50, was convicted of raping the two women at the sprawling headquarters of his hugely popular Dera Sacha Sauda sect in the northern state of Haryana.

A lawyer for the victims in the case, which dates back to 1999, confirmed Monday's sentence and said there could be dozens more cases of abuse involving women at the sect.

"We will file two appeals shortly. One for enhancement of the punishment and another for further investigation into the case," Utsav Singh Bains told AFP by phone.

"We believe there are at least 48 more victims who were sexually abused and who may have been killed or are too scared to come out and testify against Ram Rahim."

Bains said the prosecution wanted the court to jail Singh for life -- the maximum possible sentence for rape in India -- given that there were two victims and one was a minor.

Authorities have imposed a security clampdown on the city of Rohtak where Singh is being held due to fears of a repeat of Friday's violence, when tens of thousands of his supporters set fire to cars and clashed with security forces.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violence but his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also in power in Haryana, was criticised for failing to anticipate the riots.

Police were taking no chances Monday in Rohtak, where mobile internet has been cut, roads barricaded with barbed wire and soldiers deployed to man checkpoints.

'Guru in bling'

More than 100 of Singh's senior loyalists have been placed in detention as a precautionary measure, said Rohtak police chief Navdeep Singh Virk.

He said his officers would use "whatever force is required" against the guru's devotees should they again resort to violence.

"If the situation so arises that (we) need to use firearms, my officers have complete authority," the police chief told broadcaster NDTV.

A judge was flown in by helicopter to sentence the spiritual leader, known as the "guru in bling" for his penchant for bejewelled costumes.

The rape case was brought after an anonymous letter was sent to then-prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2002, accusing Singh of repeatedly raping the sender and several other women in the sect.

A judge asked the federal Central Bureau of Investigation to look into the accusations, but it took years to trace the alleged victims and it was not until 2007 that two women came forward and filed charges.

Singh also stood trial for conspiracy over the murder in 2002 of a journalist investigating the rape allegations. He denied the charge and the case is ongoing.

On Friday the journalist's son Anshul Chhatrapati welcomed the sentence on Singh, saying the court had "sent a message that any charlatan, however big he may be, is not above the law".

Critics say Haryana authorities grossly underestimated the risk posed by the army of devotees after violent protests in many parts of the northern state on Friday.

Over the weekend thousands of followers congregated in the spiritual headquarters of his sect at Sirsa, despite calls from police and troops for them to disperse.

Devotees eventually began trickling out one by one from the compound Sunday, under the supervision of hundreds of soldiers and riot police.

Modi said Sunday it was "natural to be worried" as the violence even briefly reached the capital New Delhi.

"Violence is not acceptable in the nation, in any form," he said in his monthly radio address.

"Those who take law in their hands or take to violence will not be spared, whoever they are."

Followers of the self-styled "godman" continue to insist upon his innocence.

India has been rocked by numerous scandals involving popular ascetics claiming to possess mystical powers.

Singh's sect describes itself as a social welfare and spiritual organisation but he is no stranger to controversy.
It came hours after Islamic State jihadists claimed responsibility for Friday's knife attack on patrolling soldiers in Brussels, and as authorities in Spain revealed that the death toll from last week's twin attacks in Barcelona had risen to 16.

British police said they had arrested a 30-year-old man at an address in West London and were searching a property as part of the inquiry.

A warrant for the extended detention of the 26-year-old man involved in Friday's incident has also been granted, the statement said.

The suspect, who was arrested under the Terrorism Act, had reached for a four-foot (1.2-metre) sword upon being challenged by unarmed police officers after deliberately driving at them outside the royal palace.

Scores of UK arrests

Police said the man, who comes from Luton some 30 miles (50 km) north of London, had repeatedly shouted "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) and was incapacitated with CS gas.

In an earlier statement, they said that searches were continuing in the Luton area and that they believed it was a "lone wolf" attack.

In Britain, 35 people have been killed in three jihadist attacks in London and Manchester since March.

Security measures in the British capital were stepped up to protect the hundred of thousands of revellers expected to flock to the Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's biggest street festival, which kicked off Sunday.

At a briefing ahead of the two-day event, police said it had no intelligence to suggest it could be the target of a terror attack, and said the number of police officers on site would be the same as last year.

But it also said that more than 650 people were arrested in the three weeks leading up to festival -- compared with 300 last year -- and that large quantities of knives and weapons were recovered.

Other measures put in place include weapons and liquid checks -- to prevent acid attacks -- and the use of facial recognition technology.

Friday's assault in London came just two hours after a knifeman attacked patrolling soldiers in Brussels in what authorities said was an "attempted terrorist murder".

Belgian prosecutors said the attacker yelled "Allahu akbar" (God is greatest) when he rushed at the soldiers from behind and struck them with a knife, prompting one of them to open fire.

The assailant -- a Belgian national of Somali origin born in 1987 -- was shot and died shortly afterwards in hospital, a prosecutors' statement said.

Granted Belgian nationality in 2015 after arriving in the country in 2004, he was not known for any terror-related activities, though he had an assault and battery charge from February on his record, authorities confirmed.

Police later raided his home in Bruges, in northwest Belgium.

One of the soldiers was slightly hurt in the attack which Brussels Mayor Philippe Close said had been carried out by a "lone individual".

Islamic State jihadists claimed responsibility for the attack on Saturday, saying on its propaganda outlet Amaq that "the perpetrator of the stabbing operation in Brussels is one of the soldiers of the Islamic State".

Europe on high alert

The two attacks came as much of Europe is on high alert following a string of deadly assaults over the past two years.

Last week, Spain was hit by twin vehicle attacks -- on Las Ramblas in Barcelona and in the seaside resort of Cambrils -- which left 16 dead and around 120 wounded.

The latest victim, a 51-year-old German woman, died on Sunday morning "after being treated in a critical condition in hospital," authorities said in a statement.

Two people were also killed in a stabbing spree on August 18 in the Finnish city of Turku.
On the campaign trail ahead of next month's general election, Alexander Gauland, deputy chairman of the Alternative for Germany party, had criticised integration commissioner Aydan Ozoguz for recently claiming there was no specific German culture.

"Then she will never return again and then, thank God, we can dump her in Anatolia," he told the crowd to applause and cheers, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper reported Monday.

Gabriel called the inflammatory remarks "unacceptable".

"They lack any decency and respect for people with different opinions, and reawaken the worst memories of our country around the world," Gabriel said in a statement read out by a spokesman.

Ozoguz, who is also the deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), was born in Hamburg to Turkish parents who came to Germany as so-called "guest workers" in the 1950s.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said that "Ms Ozoguz is from Hamburg, so in that sense the remarks automatically disqualify themselves".

SPD leader Martin Schulz, who is challenging Merkel for the top job, also slammed Gauland's "revolting" remarks.

"We must do everything we can to make sure that these racists don't make it into the Bundestag," he said on Twitter.

The anti-immigration AfD is hoping to enter the national parliament for the first time in the September 24 election.

The party is currently polling at around eight to 10 percent, in what promises to be a close race for third place.

Merkel's conservatives currently have a double-digit lead in the polls over their closest rivals, the Social Democrats.
Police say the 20-year-old woman's vehicle struck the two cyclists Sunday morning at about 7:30 after driving around cones on the city's North Side that separated the lanes the participants in the triathlon were using from lanes used by automobiles. Her vehicle knocked a 38-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman off their bicycles. Police say the man suffered shoulder and head injuries and the woman suffered head, neck and shoulder injuries. Police say they were taken to an area hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
CHICAGO (AP)  Authorities in Cook County are making a public plea for help in identifying a dead child whose body was found last month inside a suburban Chicago house after a fire there.

The fire happened on July 3 in Markham, south of Chicago. Firefighters found the body that the Cook County Medical Examiner's office says is that of an African American girl believed to be between 9 months and 2 years old. A cause of death has not been determined.

Several items were found at the scene, including a white onesie with pink flowers on it, and a light pink fleece blanket adorned with pink and blue elephants.

Anyone with information is asked to call the medical examiner's office at (312) 666-0200.
Press release submitted by Wendy Artman

MOLINE, Illinois (August 25, 2017)  This month, the John Deere Pavilion celebrates a significant milestone as it turns 20 years old. Since opening in 1997, the facility has been one of the Quad-Cities' and Illinois' most popular attractions, welcoming nearly 3.8 million guests from around the world.

We love being a place where guests come to learn how we are all linked to the land, how food gets to our tables, how roads are built and forests are managed, said Brigitte Tapscott, manager of the John Deere Attractions. For two decades, we've had the great honor of welcoming visitors of all ages to the Quad Cities and we look forward to doing more of the same for years to come!

To thank the community for its support and patronage, the Pavilion offered 20 Days of Giveaways in August, awarding one guest each day with a gift card from the John Deere Store. The celebration culminated with two grand prizes being awarded on Thursday, August 24. Diane Stenger from Carbon Cliff was awarded a $5,300 John Deere dealer voucher and Mike Herrick from Moline went home with a battery-operated John Deere Gator Ride-on Toy from the John Deere Store.

The Pavilion will also acknowledge its 20th anniversary as part of this year's Quad Cities Area Heritage Tractor Parade and Show on Saturday, Sept. 9. Owners of all brands, models and colors of tractors are welcome to participate in this event and registrations are now being accepted. All participants registering a tractor will receive a commemorative 20th Anniversary token hand-forged by John Deere Historic Site blacksmiths in Grand Detour, Illinois. Registration and participation is free, and the only requirement is the equipment entered must be from 1970 or earlier. To learn more, or to register a tractor in the event, go to VisitJohnDeere.com or call 309-765-1000.

# # #

About the John Deere Pavilion

Located along the shores of the Mississippi River near the company's original Moline plow factory, the John Deere Pavilion has attracted nearly 3.8 million guests from around the world since it opened in 1997. The 14,000-square-foot, glass- and steel-enclosed structure features a wide variety of fun and informative hands-on exhibits about Deere & Company's global businesses and products, its rich history and heritage, and how it's helping meet the challenges of a growing global population. The John Deere Pavilion is a free attraction and is open to the public year-round. For more information call 309-765-1000 or visit us online at www.VisitJohnDeere.com.
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (AP)  The latest on Tropical Storm Harvey (all times local):

4:55 p.m.

The National Hurricane Center is urging residents in southeast Texas to stay put as Harvey inches south on a track that forecasters say will bring it back into the Gulf of Mexico for some slight strengthening before returning into Texas again.

Harvey continues to be a tropical storm with 40 mph winds. In its late afternoon update Sunday, the center forecasts Harvey will reach the coast late Monday and spend much of Tuesday over water, where it could increase wind strength to 45 mph (72 kph).

Forecasters think Harvey will come inland Wednesday with a path over Houston by the afternoon and then diminish in strength as it heads deeper into Texas and northern Louisiana.

___

4:30 p.m.

The evacuation of Houston's main public hospital hasn't begun yet because it is surrounded by waist-deep water as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey.

Bryan McLeod is a spokesman for Harris Health System. He said Sunday that minor flooding in the basement of Ben Taub Hospital and a busted sewer pipe forced officials to close the kitchen. McLeod says the flooding resulted in only a small amount of water in the basement and did not affect the hospital's power supply. But shutting down the kitchen leaves the hospital with a limited supply of dry food for patients.

McLeod says the evacuations won't start until the water recedes from around the facility and will likely take several days. The hospital is part of the Texas Medical Center, and has 350 patients.

___

3:50 p.m.

Nearly a quarter of Texas' population lives in areas covered by a federal disaster declaration as a result of Tropical Storm Harvey.

Gov. Greg Abbott says 18 counties are now covered by the disaster declaration approved by President Donald Trump. There are nearly 7 million people in those counties, including the nation's fourth-largest city of Houston. Texas has a population of 27.8 million.

___

3:45 p.m.

Police say a sinkhole has opened on a Texas highway about 25 miles (40 kilometers) southwest of Houston as Tropical Storm Harvey dumps more rain on the region.

Rosenberg police on Sunday tweeted a photo of the gaping hole that spread across more than half of a two-lane highway  Farm-to-Market 762.

Water could be seen filling the sinkhole as pieces of highway asphalt hung from the edge of the damaged roadway.

Rosenberg police did not immediately provide additional details on the sinkhole, other than urging drivers to avoid the area. Police cars blocked off the highway.

___

3:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump will travel to hurricane-ravaged Texas on Tuesday.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells reporters the White House is still coordinating logistics with state and local officials.

She adds: "We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers."

Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston on Sunday. Rising water chased some people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers.

Trump has been praising the government's response to the storm on Twitter.

He tweeted earlier Sunday that he would be traveling to Texas as soon as he could go "without causing disruption."

He said: "The focus must be life and safety."

___

3 p.m.

An official says all 22 of Harris County's watersheds have spilled over their banks due to Tropical Storm Harvey. Watersheds are creeks and bayous that take water away from the Houston area and eventually drain it into Galveston Bay.

Harris County Flood Control District Meteorologist Jeff Lindner says over half of the watersheds are experiencing record flooding.

Lindner said even with the rain starting to decrease a little bit, the sheer volume of water that has fallen is going to take time to run off.

He says it may take until Sunday night or well into Monday or even Tuesday "to get the water out of these areas that have been impacted so hard."

___

2:30 p.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says that the number of counties declared federal disaster areas from Tropical Storm Harvey and its aftermath has increased to 18.

Abbott said Sunday 12 counties have been added to an earlier federal disaster list of six. He said President Donald Trump has approved the increase in counties.

Also, 50 counties have already been declared state disaster zones, 30 earlier in the week and 20 on Saturday. Abbott says the counties under the federal and state declarations include Harris County, which encompasses Houston and has been experiencing severe flooding from torrential rains.

___

2:20 p.m.

Several hundred people have arrived at the downtown convention center the city of Houston has converted into a shelter after floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey inundated much of the city.

Ken Sandy has been designated shelter manager by the Red Cross. He said Sunday that his volunteers are prepared for 1,000 people at the George R. Brown Convention Center, and the center is big enough for them to expand if necessary. The center has 1.8 million square feet (0.17 million sq. meters) of space.

Volunteers are handing out towels to people entering the cavernous center. Cots have not yet arrived.

Authorities across Houston and surrounding Harris County are quickly opening shelters as the full toll of the flooding becomes clear and thousands of people evacuate their homes.

___

2:15 p.m.

A Harris County official is asking members of the public who have a boat or a high water vehicle to help with efforts to rescue Houston residents whose homes have flooded in the torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Harvey.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett said at a news conference Sunday that the additional boats and vehicles that Texas is sending to the Houston area are not able to get to the area due to flooded roadways. He adds that vehicles the state previously sent are already being used to help rescue individuals.

Emmett, who oversees government operations in Harris County, where Houston is located, says, "We desperately need boats and high water vehicles ... We can't wait for assets to come from outside."

___

2 p.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the state has now activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard members as a result of severe damage and flooding from Hurricane Harvey. Along with the guard, he says 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft have been put into service.

Abbott said there are no 250 highway closures around Texas.

He spoke at a news conference at the state emergency response center in Austin.

___

1:35 p.m.

President Donald Trump met by teleconference Sunday with top administration officials as rescue workers continue to respond to rising flood waters from Hurricane Harvey.

The White House says Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, members of Trump's Cabinet and other senior officials discussed federal support for response and recovery efforts.

The White House says Trump stressed his expectation that "all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the governors of Texas and Louisiana" and that his "number one priority of saving lives."

Rising floodwaters from Harvey have forced thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground in Houston, overwhelming rescuers.

Trump announced Sunday he's planning a trip to Texas soon

___

1:20 p.m.

Both major airports in Houston have been closed amid severe flooding blamed on Tropical Storm Harvey.

A Houston Airport System statement at midday Sunday said George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport are closed to commercial flights until further notice.

Officials say roads in and out of both airports are shut down due to flooding.

Hurricane Harvey made landfall late Friday night along the Texas coast about 230 miles southwest of Houston, but it wasn't until late Saturday night that what became Tropical Storm Harvey began bringing torrential rains causing flooding to the Houston area.

The airport system's website says Bush Intercontinental Airport is 23 miles north of downtown Houston and provides service via 29 passenger airlines.

Hobby Airport is 7 miles south of downtown Houston and is served by four passenger airlines.

___

1 p.m.

Many of the people arriving at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which has been opened as a shelter for people fleeing flooding, are from a public housing complex about a mile north.

Clayton Homes public housing complex is bounded on one side by Interstate 45 and the other by Buffalo Bayou, which has flooded heavily along with all of Houston's major waterways. Police are using boats to evacuate many of the residents and bring them to the convention center in pickup trucks.

D'Ona Spears and Brandon Polson walked with their five children Sunday, bags full of belongings, and their 7-year-old Chihuahua, Missy. They decided to leave once the water in the first story of their home reached their knees.

Spears says that when they made it to the convention center, they sent their children inside to eat, but stayed outside with their Chihuahua because animals were not allowed inside.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner announced earlier Sunday that the convention center would serve as a shelter for people fleeing the flooding.

___

12:40 p.m.

Harris County Judge Ed Emmett says that Ben Taub Hospital, the county's public hospital, is being evacuated because flooding problems in the basement are disrupting power service.

Emmett overseas government operations in Harris County where Houston is located. He tells a news conference that evacuated patients are being taken to other area hospitals. It was not immediately known how many patients were being moved.

___

12:30 p.m.

Coast Guard Capt. Kevin Oditt (OH'-dit) says helicopters have rescued more than 100 people in the Houston area as Tropical Storm Harvey floods numerous neighborhoods.

In a conference call Sunday with reporters, Oditt says Coast Guard personnel and aircraft from around the country have been dispatched to Texas. He says Texas Air National Guard choppers were also assisting with rescues.

Oditt says people facing rising floodwaters should not go into attics, since rescuers in the air cannot see them. The incident commander urged people who head to their rooftops to wave sheets, towels or anything else to attract the attention of helicopter crews.

Coast Guard helicopter crews along the southern portion of the Texas coast are reporting the rescue of almost 40 people, starting from the morning before Hurricane Harvey made landfall. That includes six people rescued from their home Saturday evening in the hard-hit city of Aransas Pass. Among them were three children, their two parents and an elderly woman who was in need of oxygen.

___

12:05 p.m.

The National Weather Service now says some parts of Houston and just west of the city may receive a Texas record of 50 inches (1270 millimeters) of rain as Tropical Storm Harvey stalls over Texas.

NWS meteorologist Patrick Burke says rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches (1016 millimeters) or more for Houston on average, but some isolated spots will hit or exceed 50 inches.

Burkes says, "We're in kind of unprecedented territory with this storm."

Local rainfall amounts of 50 inches would exceed any previous Texas rainfall record. The NWS says in a statement that "the breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before and is resulting in catastrophic flooding."

So far rainfall totals since Thursday evening have reached about 25 inches (635 millimeters) in south Houston. In Dayton, located 38 miles (61kilometers) northeast of Houston, rainfall has already reached 27 inches (685 millimeters).

___

11 a.m.

Residents of a South Texas city who evacuated before Harvey made landfall on the Texas coast as a hurricane are being warned not to return unless they bring their own food and water.

Officials with Victoria, about 90 miles north of Rockport, near where Harvey came ashore Friday night, said Sunday on Facebook that the city of 85,000 has no water service and limited power.

The statement says Harvey had a "devastating" impact on Victoria and it could be weeks before all electric service is restored.

The city statement says: "For those that decide to come back to Victoria, bring enough food and water to last three to four days. Be sure you have enough gas in your car to last several days. Be prepared for no electricity at your home for several days or weeks."

A mandatory evacuation was ordered for Victoria County, where the city is located.

Bryan Simons, spokesman for the Victoria County sheriff's office, says, "We've got widespread damage. Lots of trees down, power lines. We've got traffic lights missing and lots of debris."

___

10:30 a.m.

Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena says that since midnight his agency has responded to more than 2,500 emergency calls and another 1,000 calls are waiting to be serviced.

Pena says his agency has made more than 250 water rescues, all of them people in vehicles, during a three hour period overnight.

But Houston Assistant Police Chief Larry Satterwhite says there has been an increase in calls from residents with flooded homes in the city's northeast, southeast and southwest sections.

___

10:15 a.m.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is defending his decision not to ask residents to evacuate before the heavy rain from Tropical Storm Harvey swamped roads and neighborhoods across the nation's fourth-largest city.

Turner says at a news conference Sunday that there was no way to pinpoint which neighborhoods would be worst hit. He says every neighborhood has received at least some flooding.

He says, "If you think the situation right now is bad and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare."

Turner asked people to stay in their homes and not drive if at all possible. Houston Fire Chief Samuel Pena says authorities have made more than 250 vehicle rescues in the storm.

___

10:05 a.m.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner says emergency personnel have responded to more than 2,000 calls to 911 for rescues in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. He said priority was being given to life-threatening calls.

Turner also said at a news conference Sunday that he has ordered the downtown George R. Brown Convention Center opened as a shelter as floodwaters inundated much of the city.

Turner also urged people not to drive, as numerous streets and roadways in Houston, the nation's fourth largest city, were flooded Sunday.

The George R. Brown Convention Center has 1.8 million square feet of space.

___

9:50 a.m.

A Catholic priest has used a kayak to get from his home in southeast Houston to higher ground and hoped to say Mass for people stranded on the streets.

Father David Bergeron says that he tried to buy some wine for Mass at a convenience store but couldn't because sales are prohibited in Texas on Sunday before noon.

Bergeron tells television station KTRK that: "this is how America was evangelized  by canoe."

He says that he is praying for people affected by Tropical Storm Harvey.

___

9:40 a.m.

Staff at a Houston television station broadcasting live coverage of Tropical Storm Harvey had to evacuate after water from nearby flood-prone Buffalo Bayou started to gush into the building.

KHOU-TV tweeted images Sunday of water pushing through a front door and flooding the lobby. Other images showed sand bags placed against another door had failed to stop the water that was already ankle deep.

Floodwaters around 6:30 a.m. Sunday began seeping into the first-floor studio of KHOU, which is the CBS affiliate in the nation's fourth largest city. The anchors and news operations then moved to a second floor as live coverage of Harvey continued.

Later tweets say the station was being evacuated due to flooding.

The station last flooded in 2001 during Tropical Storm Allison.

___

9:35 a.m.

Harris County sheriff's spokesman Jason Spencer says flooding throughout the county that includes Houston and the region is so widespread that it's "difficult to pinpoint the worst area."

He says authorities are prioritizing hundreds of phones calls for help to ensure life-and-death situations "are at the top of the list."

"It's heartbreaking," he says.

Spencer says the department has high-water vehicles and airboats but "certainly not enough." He says officials are encouraged that rescue teams from the National Guard and state agencies have also been deployed.

___

9:25 a.m.

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency says Hurricane Harvey is a "landmark event" and the federal agency will be in the areas worst affected "for years."

Brock Long says nearly 5,000 people from the federal government are doing search and rescue missions, helping to restore power and supporting what he calls "mass care missions."

Speaking Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union," Long said: "We expect a huge mass care mission today, of people flocking to shelters, if they can get to shelters."

___

9:15 a.m.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says that boats and helicopters are being deployed to help with swift-water rescues in the Houston area and parts of East Texas also facing flooding in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Abbott, appearing on "Fox News Sunday," said: "We're measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet."

He tells ABC's "This Week" that they "could not be more appreciative" of what the federal government and President Trump have done to help as Hurricane Harvey hit Texas.

Abbott said on CNN's "State of the Nation" he's talked to Trump several times and the head of FEMA. He says, "We've made multiple requests and we're getting absolutely everything we need."

Abbott said Harris County, which includes Houston, will soon be included in a federal disaster declaration as a result of Harvey.

___

8:25 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he will be traveling to Texas "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption" in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

Trump tweeted that the "focus must be life and safety."

At least two people are dead and more than a dozen injured due to the storm that has battered the region, including the cities of Corpus Christi and Houston.

Trump has been complimenting the response to the storm on his Twitter feed, commending "Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government."

Trump adds that: "Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground."

The storm could linger for days in the region and could unload as much as 40 inches of rain on cities including Houston.

___

8:15 a.m.

The U.S. Coast Guard says it's received more than 300 requests for urban search and rescue in the Houston area.

The Coast Guard has five helicopters working the emergency calls and is asking for additional helicopters from New Orleans to help.

Officials are advising people in dire straits to get to the roofs of their homes and mark them somehow to be seen from the air. They're suggesting people wave sheets or towels.

___

7:45 a.m.

Flooding in some parts of the county that includes the city of Houston is so bad that residents are being urged to seek refuge on their roofs.

Harris County Flood Control District official Jeff Lindner says people inundated by rising waters shouldn't crawl into attics of their homes but should get on top of them.

He says rainfall of more than 4 inches per hour has sent water higher than in recent Houston floods side and are exceeding levels seen in Tropical Storm Allison in June 2001.

Lindner says areas south of the city appear hard-hit and some flooding is reported in downtown Houston and in the Texas Medical Center, which was devastated in Allison.

He calls Harvey "a different animal" from Allison and a "historic situation."

He says he's most amazed that he's getting reports "of water into second-story of apartments and homes." Considering Houston's flat terrain, "it's very rare to get that depth of water."

___

6:20 a.m.

Authorities say rescue attempts continue in Houston for those stranded inside flooded homes and submerged vehicles in the wake of Harvey.

The Houston Chronicle reports that hundreds of calls have been fielded for water rescues as of early Sunday, including Houston police officials who evacuated two apartment complexes and rescued more than 50 children.

Meanwhile, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner on Sunday continued urging residents via Twitter to "shelter in place" and stay off rain-swollen roadways.

Gonzalez actively used Twitter overnight to field assistance for those trapped inside water-soaked homes, attics and vehicles. Those appealing for assistance or being steered to help via Gonzalez's Twitter feed included a person suffering "cardiac-arrest," and a woman who posted: "I have 2 children with me and the water is swallowing us up. Please send help."

Gonzalez at one point appealed for calm and patience, saying officials were "trying to make it to everyone as best we can."

Turner's official Twitter account said "911 services at capacity. If u can shelter in place do so, a few inches in your home is not imminent danger. Only call if in imminent danger."
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  Poland's prosecutors have opened an investigation into the suspected gang rape of a Polish tourist and the savage beating of her companion on Italy's popular Rimini beach.

A spokeswoman for Warsaw prosecutors, Magdalena Sowa, said Monday that a prosecutor and police experts are to travel to Rimini on Tuesday. They are expected to assist Italian investigators and gather evidence for Poland's own probe into the attack that took place early Saturday on a secluded stretch of beach in the Adriatic town on Italy's eastern coast.

Justice Minister and Prosecutor General, Zbigniew Ziobro, ordered the Polish investigation, calling the attack a "horrible crime" on the couple, whom he said was married.

His deputy, Patryk Jaki, said on Twitter the attackers should get the death penalty but toned it down later, saying he only wanted to emphasize the cruelty of the attack.

News reports say the 26-year-old man was hit on the head and knocked out and the woman, also 26, was repeatedly raped by four men. The couple was also robbed.

The victims were hospitalized, and the woman remains in the hospital. The Fakt tabloid said they are from Lodz, in central Poland.

Italian police have said they were also investigating the rape and assault of a transsexual on a road near the beach, which took place shortly after the Poles were attacked, as possibly being carried out by the same suspects.
There is an old saying that only six people in Illinois understand the states school funding formula, and they cant fly on the same plane. So, now that the topic is in the news, lets stand back and try to grasp the underlying fundamentals of school finance, which are all about money and politics, that is, the struggle over who gets what.

Illinois schools overall spend more per pupil statewide than the national average, and much more than neighboring states. According to Governing magazine, in 2014 Illinois spent $13,077 per pupil versus $9,548 in Indiana; $10,668 in Iowa, and $11,186 in Wisconsin.

The problem for Illinois is that we rely heavily on the local property tax to fund our 800-plus school districts. As a result, property-rich districts on the North Shore just above Chicago spend as much as $24,000 per student, without need for any state dollars, while my rural district in Stark County spends less than half that. In Iowa, by contrast, per pupil funding varies little, maybe 3 percent, from district to district.

Teacher salaries account for much of the difference in district spending: The average teacher salary in Stark is $48,500; New Trier, $110,000.

In the 1920s, Illinois began to supplement funding for property-poor districts via a formula that calculated state aid inversely to district property wealth. The aim was to equalize funding among districts, but there was never enough state money to do so.

In the past couple of decades, school funding for Chicago public schools, with about one-fifth of all public-school students in the state, has become an issue.

Largely black, Latino and poor, the Chicago public school district was not qualifying for much state school aid under the old funding model. You see, Chicago is actually a high property wealth district, with all its commercial, industrial and high-rent housing wealth.

Thus, for Chicago leaders to keep the citys schools share of funding up, new components were added to the school aid formula. First, poverty grants were established. These grants shoot up in a curvilinear fashion as the percentage of poor in districts increases; this means Chicago benefits big time.

Chicago Public Schools also benefit in a major way from a relatively new wrinkle in state school funding. The wrinkle subsidizes districts for local taxes they cant levy because they operate under state-imposed tax caps. Chicago property wealth has skyrocketed in recent decades, so big subsidies.

Yet the issue that has really had Illinois educators wringing their hands for decades has been that of the dramatic disparities in per pupil spending between suburban districts and many downstate districts.

Most state school funding already goes to districts that are low in property wealth and high in percentage of students in poverty. Yet the 30 percent of total school funding in Illinois that comes from state sources (the lowest percentage in the nation) simply isnt enough to bring poor districts anywhere close to rich districts.

For example, the Monmouth IL school district (I drove through there the other day; nice town) receives fully half its school funding from the state. Nevertheless, Monmouth has only $7,900 total per pupil, versus the state average of just under $13,000, and $24,000 for tony New Trier.

It would take a gargantuan increase in state funding to bring Monmouth and the many districts like it anywhere close to New Trier.

So, this past year, Illinois legislators of both parties and educators adopted a new approach to school funding: the evidence-based model.

If implemented, this model would allocate state funding based on the discrete education needs of a district. The model identifies 27 essential elements of education quality, such as class size, availability of full-day kindergarten, special education needs, and so on.

I commend this effort, yet it is obviously still all about the money available to bolster these essentials where they are lacking. But absent another tax increase on top of the one just enacted, there wont be much if any new money for education in the near future.

What is fair? Gov. Rauner said the Democrats original proposal would funnel too much money to Chicago schools. Pointing to a recent research report for support, Democrats retorted that Chicago and its suburbs (which would never have existed absent Chicago) get much less back in services than they send to Springfield in state taxes.

Metro-Chicago is, they say, subsidizing downstate for education, health care, highways and social services.

So, school funding is still all about money, and the struggle over who gets what.
Welcome to Railway Gazette. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. By continuing to browse this site you are agreeing to our use of these cookies. You can learn more about the cookies we use here.

OK
Property details:

LAND FOR SALE IN LUCERNE, CALIFORNIA! Would you like to own property in Lake County California? Does residential land in Lucerne, CA interest you? Here is your opportunity to purchase a well situated property for a fraction of market value. Known as the "Bass Capital of the West." Clear Lake supports large populations of bass, crappie, bluegill, carp and catfish. Located along Aileen Trl., the lot itself measures approximately 4,745 square feet. Please feel free to drive out and visit the proper...

Price: $ 740 Seller State of Residence: Wisconsin State/Province: California Zip/Postal Code: 95458 City: Lucerne Zoning: Residential Type: Homesite, Lot Property Address: 6309 Aileen Trl. Location: 532**, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby 6309 Aileen Trl.
Property details:

***Land for Sale in spectacular Klamath County, Oregon***This 2-acre (1.94 acres) buildable lot provides unobstructed panoramic beautiful lake and mountain views. Situated near Klamath Falls, Oregon, and just 2 blocks Agency Lake, this lot features magnificent unobstructed views of Agency Lake and the Cascade Mountains. Enjoy hiking, fishing, bird watching, boating, camping, biking, sailing, wind surfing, lake front RV'ing, horseback riding and much, much more. Owner financing available: Own thi...

Price: $ 5,950 Seller State of Residence: California City: Chiloquin State/Province: Oregon Property Address: Lat. 42.540674851049, Long. -121.92805312897491 Zip/Postal Code: 97624 Type: Homesite, Lot Zoning: R2 (Residential) Location: 914**, Encino, California

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby R2 (Residential)
Property details:

ALL YOU PAY IS WINNING BID. Timeshare Island Seas Resort Grand Bahamas, Freeport Bahamas Beautiful Resort right on the beach. Even year Usage through December ,31 2030 I own this timeshare Free and clear, and thing's in my life have changed to where I cant use this anymore. check my feedback to know this is legitimate Things to Know *This a right to use not a deeded timeshare. Deeded timeshare means for life, while right to use means the timeshare expires on a certain time, this one expires Dec,...

Price: $ 1 Seller State of Residence: Arizona State/Province: Freeport Grand Bahamas Type: Bi-annual Number of Bedrooms: 1 Number of Bathrooms: 1 City: Bahamas Location: 863**, Mayer, Arizona

You will be redirected to eBay



Nearby Bahamas
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 08/28/2017



ADVERTISEMENT

Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.
,



We're sorry, this article is not currently available
Barcoded: ATF Accepts Industry Help in Modernizing NFA Paperwork Processing

Adam Kraut, Esq.

Unless youve been living under a rock, youre likely aware of the announcement that ATF implemented a new barcode system for NFA Forms that are being processed with the help of input from industry members Silencer Shop, Dead Air Silencers and Gemtech Silencers. This is great news for a variety of reasons, including that it appears ATF, under the new administration, is willing to work hand in hand with industry to find solutions to problems while operating under the current laws and regulations.

Barcodes You Say?

For those that arent aware, well give a quick run through of what the barcode system actually entails. The IT wizards over at Silencer Shop developed a bar code which encapsulates information contained on the Form 4 and cross checks this with a few databases, such as FFL eZ-Check.

The purpose of this is two-fold. First, it enables a person who is entering data to scan the form, rather than manually input all of the information. Dave Matheny, the owner of Silencer Shop said that if a form takes 2 minutes to enter manually, with the barcode, it can automate that down to a second or a second and a half. Coupled over a period of time, this faster entry of forms results in a few tangible benefits, including the forms being queued up for faster processing. It also reduces the number of man hours (which eventually translates into man days) required to process forms on the front end and eliminates the need for the NFA Branch to pull individuals from other tasks, such as staging the forms for the examiners, to process the incoming forms. Second, because the barcode cross checks information in databases like FFL eZ-Check, the error rate of submissions will be reduced drastically.

Silencer Shop learned that there was a 50% error rate in forms submitted to ATF from dealers. Thats not ATF making errors, thats the dealer filling out the form making the error. Handwritten forms (yes people are still doing this even though it is 2017) also add to the confusion, delay and chaos.

Beep, Beep, Beep

When a form with the new barcode arrives at ATF, it is scanned and put into queue. After that, it is ready for the background check part of the process. Essentially, ATF kicks your information over to FBI to run a NICS check. For those doing this as a legal entity (like a trust) all of the information for the Responsible Persons is sent to FBI for the NICS check. Assuming there are no issues with the check, they take about 3 weeks to process. That, however, does not mean that your application will be processed in 3 weeks.

Issues can arise in the form of delays and denials which can be detrimental to the speed of an application. After the NICS check comes back approved and the examiner has looked over the application, it is ready to get that shiny stamp youve been waiting for. Quick note, if youre using a legal entity, ATF does have the validity of the entity confirmed by legal, which can add to the time.

All Systems Go

The system has already been implemented on ATFs end and they are currently processing forms that have barcodes. The faster the industry adopts submitting forms in this fashion, the quicker processing times will drop for everyone. Obviously with people still sending in handwritten forms (and Im still not why anyone would invite the hand cramp in 2017) there will not be a 100% participation rate. However, you should encourage your dealer to utilize the Form 4 Generator located on Silencer Shops website.

Q&A with the Architects

Dave Matheny

Can you give me a bit of the backstory behind the barcodes and how they came to be?

DM  The idea of the barcodes came up about a year and a half ago. Every time I mentioned the idea to ATF, it was kind of pushed to the side with the insinuation that they would get around to implementing such a thing on their own.

I discussed the concept with Eric at Dead Air, thats when the idea began to move forward. He really drove the process and was responsible for setting up the meeting with ATF to demonstrate the concept. I created a demo and we presented it to ATF. After they saw it in action, they were very open to getting it implemented in a timely manner. As timely as government can get things done.

There has been a lot of discussion on what information the barcode has. Some people have indicated that the barcode does not contain all of the information on the Form 4. Can you tell us what information the barcode actually contains?

DM  The barcode has everything found on the Form 4 in it except the firearm information. The reason for this is there was issues with consistent formatting of firearm information. ATF now only manually enters the serial number of the firearm or silencer and the NFRTR auto-populates the rest of the information. Unfortunately, there was no way to automate that part of the process, as it would require access to each individual SOTs eForms account.

The barcodes themselves are relatively simple. It's actually the programming of the scanners themselves that is the important part to this system. There are at least two barcodes for every transfer. On a Form 4 submitted by an individual, there are two barcodes. On a Form 4 submitted by a legal entity, such as a trust, there is one barcode on the Form 4 and one on each Responsible Person Questionnaire.

What databases are referenced?

DM  The Form 4 Generator, that is available for all dealers to use free of charge, references FFL eZ-Check. On our internal forms we pull from a variety of publicly available databases to ensure accuracy.

I have seen posts that some people want to create their own barcode to use. I presume they are going to attempt to do this based on decoding the ones on the forms and then recreating their own. Are there issues with people recreating their own version of the barcode?

DM  Yes, there are issues with people recreating their own version of the barcode. Since the complexity is in the programming of the scanner, people recreating the barcode wont have the proper format to be sure that the information is entered into the system accurately. Weve taken steps to address this by locking down the scanners so that unapproved barcodes wont be accepted.

The purpose of the system is to quickly and accurately enter information. A barcode that is not formatted correctly would result in a garbage dump of bad information, slowing the entire process down. That is not what anyone wants. Additionally, the person who submitted the form using a bad barcode wouldnt know that it wasnt formatted correctly since it will look like any other barcode.

I think this is probably a question with an answer anyone could guess, but, are these barcodes included on all forms that Silencer Shop processes?

DM  Yes, they are used on all the forms we process. Pretty much every form that weve created since early to mid-May has had this barcode on it.

Ron Martinez

Can you give me a bit of the backstory as to how you became involved with this collaboration?

RM  I was one of the only board members of the ASA that has publically said that the HPA and other legislation would not pass right away due to the make up of Congress. The problem the industry was facing was a rise in wait times for the processing of forms.

This became a collaboration between Eric and Dave on how to improve current processes to get silencers to customers in a quicker time frame without waiting for a legislative change that could take two or more years to implement, if at all

During our meeting with ATF, they explained that in 1972 they had 5,000 people working for them. At the time we met at the beginning of the year, they had 5,128 people working for them. That means in 43 years they added 128 people.

Can you explain what the concept behind the barcodes was?

RM  Quality, speed, cost and efficiencies. We replaced a manual keyboard with a scanner. That is efficiency and effectiveness. The opportunity for errors is reduce to almost none. Data entry was a big part of the back log contributing to the wait times for approvals. Forms were being entered manually. It was estimated that an efficient data processor could enter 300-400 forms a day.

With the introduction of the barcode, there is need to have the number of individuals entering data that were previously needed. A single individual can process a larger number of forms because of this efficiency. Staff can be reallocated to other tasks that will improve the flow within the NFA branch itself, all because the forms can now be scanned.

We were fortunate to deal with officials who were open to suggestions and help from the private sector. This is certainly reflective on the current administration but also officials within ATF. We also plan on taking the barcodes to wholesalers as well in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness even more.

Eric Rogers

Can you give me a bit of the backstory behind your involvement with the barcodes?

ER  The only way the market was going to loosen up would be if wait times came down. The only way to do that sooner rather than later was to identify low hanging fruit that was within ATFs policy decisions, not a regulation or a law which could take months or even years to implement.

I contacted ATF to see about setting up a meeting with high level officials who had the authority to make decisions. At the time I didnt want this to come off as one company pushing for a meeting but rather an industry effort. So I contacted Dave from Silencer Shop and Ron from Gemtech. It was while talking to Dave that he explained to me the barcode idea he had been trying to pitch to ATF.

After hearing Daves idea, we decided that we needed to push forward with ATF to get it implemented. We were able to set up that meeting with a number of high ranking ATF officials. I think it is possible that the language found in Ron Turks whitepaper that helped facilitate the meeting, inasmuch as ATF had an interest in resolving some of these issues.

Dave had the barcode demo ready to go for the meeting itself. After presenting the barcode process, ATF officials seemed to really take to the idea. After that initial meeting, there were a number of trips back and forth to ATF in order to test the prototype system, ensure everything worked properly and hash out the implementation.

What can you tell me regarding decisions about the availability of the Form 4 Generator and the information entered into it?

ER  The system is free to the industry because we want everyone to adopt it. Its in everyones best interest to submit forms using a method that minimizes errors and allows faster processing on ATFs end. Based on conversations with ATF, we expect them to make the very same barcode system available to the public on their eForms site.

As far as the information entered into the system, none of the information plugged into the generator is available to us. It just standardizes the process.

Can you tell me anything about the drop in Form 3 wait times?

ER  Its no coincidence that the barcodes correlated to the Form 3 wait time diminishing. We also pushed ATF to find methods to approve Form 3s in a faster manner, as instantaneously as possible. The idea is that if an examiner has less paperwork on their desk, like a Form 3, they are able to concentrate their efforts on Form 4s and other transfers.

The Form 3 and Form 4 approach is part of an overall larger strategy to help the industry. That is to establish predictability on wait times so a consumer can walk in and have a good idea when theyll receive their approval for the Form.

To create predictable wait times today, we had to find a solution that worked within the existing statutory and regulatory framework.

We dont believe that this is a silver bullet for the NFA process, but the faster the industry adopts this method, it allows the wait times to diminish and a predictable wait time pattern to emerge. We expect after the 41F surge is diminished and the front end is stabilized that we will see 60-90 day wait times.

About the Author

Adam Kraut is a firearms law attorney practicing in southeastern PA and across the country federally. He is currently petitioning to be placed back on the ballot for the NRA Board of Directors in 2018. Adam hosts The Legal Brief, a show dedicated to crushing the various myths and misinformation around various areas of the gun world. He is also the general manager of a gun store in the suburbs of Philadelphia.
'Let us hope that with Nandan, like Cincinnatus back on his farm, taking over the reins, Infosys will not only regain its vigour and momentum, but vastly improve upon its achievements as a global player,' says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant.

There is no need to bemoan overly the spate of recriminations and counter-recriminations spewing out of Infosys.

It is basically a strong company, anchored in healthy traditions and sound value systems, and there's no chance of its floundering. Especially so, now that Nandan Nilekani has come forward to take a hand in giving it a fresh start.

Nandan has a triple advantage: Being one of its founding fathers, he has been associated with, and has contributed to, its growth from scratch and knows all about where it helps and hurts.

The DNA of Infosys runs in him. He enjoys good personal rapport with fellow founders, and, most of all, the trust and confidence of one -- N R Narayana Murthy -- who symbolises all that the company is today.

Secondly, in the eyes of both domestic and foreign investors and other stakeholders, and the people at large, he has built up a solid reputation of a helmsman of superlative calibre with hands-on experience of successfully dealing with complex macro- and micro-issues of corporate governance.

The spontaneous groundswell of opinion among them that he should come back and take to the oars again is evidence enough of that.

And, thirdly, his outstanding accomplishment of launching Aadhaar on a continental scale covering a population of 1.2 billion as the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India is nothing short of a feat of extraordinary magnitude, considering that he was new to the government's way of thinking and style of working.

It speaks volumes for his dynamism and capacity to straddle two entirely unrelated worlds -- the private corporate sector and the behemoth of government -- with ease.

In his second coming, he should be able to draw upon all the networks he had built during his tenure.

It is good that Nandan has demanded, and is going to get, a clean slate to write on, with the current directors on the board offering to quit.

It is as well, for none of them, beginning from the chairman himself, who was a misfit in any case, inspires confidence as being capable of out-of-the-box thinking.

The only exception, as I see, is John W Etchemendy, professor in the school of humanities and sciences at Stanford University.

All the others are hardened prototypes of obscurantism, steeped in the rigid dogmas hamstringing India's corporate sector and incapable of learning the lessons from all the hectic happenings of the recent past.

Yet, in order that Infosys does not stumble again, and as a cautionary tale for other Indian corporates, those lessons must be learnt.

The very first, and the foremost among them, is that corporate governance should not be regarded as an insulated, isolated, desiccated, dehydrated and dehumanised activity, but as something inextricably interwoven with the cultural dimensions of the setting in which the enterprise is situated derived alike from its record of growth and the country's overall cultural heritage and traits.

While globalisation has had some beneficial fallout, it has also led to the more susceptible among Indian managers being brainwashed by some of the glib nostrums of the industrial nations of the West, with the US originating a lion's share of them.

Generally Indians educated in those countries have unfortunately been brought up with little familiarity with the cultural complexities of managing corporate enterprises in India.

There is a danger that thereby they will thoroughly distort management practices and introduce perversities capable of doing lasting harm to corporates.

Let me enumerate the more untenable of those beliefs being unquestioningly imported into India, and indeed, every unsuspecting developing country.

Such beliefs stem from a kind of supremacist attitude which need not pertain only to notions of racial superiority.

Many of them are by-products of the obsession with science and technology and the convictions formed from the performance of Western business enterprises in their own special cultural setting.

Take, as light-hearted illustrations, the statements that two plus two makes four, or that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

Yes, they are scientifically proven and correct, but in complex millennia old cultures and civilisations such as those of China and India, they may end up making 22 or even more!

In certain situations, following a straight line may result in falling into a precipice, with a detour, however wide, turning out to be the only safe option.

Or, more seriously, take the assumption that Western nations, particularly the US, are unable to shake off: One size fits all.

This was once reflected in the concoction accepted as axiomatic in the US: What is good for General Motors is good for the US, and what is good for the US is good for the entire world.

These and similar approaches inevitably lead to looking down upon local talents and practices if they do not conform to what the Western and Western-bred managers take as revealed wisdom.

And, therefore, the moment any of the foreign, or foreign-bred, honchos are brought in to occupy top slots in corporates outside their own countries, he, in the manner of Vishal Sikka, fills critical positions in the company with like-minded executives they had worked with previously in the West, thereby accentuating the cultural dichotomies and creating inter-personal problems in the bargain.

Another common weakness of Western, and Western-bred, corporate denizens is their exaltation of market forces as the final arbiter in corporate decision making, whether it be in regard to compensation packages, pricing, products and services, investment choices, marketing techniques, induction of technology, or production and manufacturing strategies.

It will be futile as well as foolish to downplay the impact of market forces for they do count in ensuring the viability and profitability of an enterprise; they, after all, constitute its raison d'etre.

But what the run-of-the-mill corporate entities fail to note is that any consideration given to market forces should not be to the subordination, leave alone exclusion, of cultural norms and eternal verities, including equity and ethics.

Most corporate players come through as being deficient in sensitivity to fairness and propriety, prudence and probity, empathy for the feelings and expectations of employees, a sense of social responsibility and concern for the protection of environment, all of which should weigh equally in gauging the quality of corporate governance.

Finally, the doctrine that running a company is solely and exclusively the preserve and prerogative of the board and shareholders.

The applicability of such a doctrine even to the individualistic autonomy oriented Western culture is questionable; it certainly cannot be a paradigm governing the working of business enterprises in cultures such as India's, whose core value has from times immemorial been 'each for all, and all for each'.

Just as no person is an island unto himself or herself, no company exists except as an integral part of the social and cultural milieu, and in terms of the good it does to society.

Corporate decisions in any context need to conform to the demands and expectations of society and cannot be regarded as a matter to be disposed of entirely as between the board and shareholders.

Let us hope that with Nandan, like Cincinnatus back on his farm, taking over the reins, Infosys will not only regain its vigour and momentum, but vastly improve upon its achievements as a global player.

B S Raghavan was a member of the Indian Administrative Service, who was the commerce and industry secretary of West Bengal, chief secretary of Tripura, and the chief executive of four major public sector enterprises, and adviser to the Indian subsidiary of a well-known German industrial firm.

He was also the chairman of three UN Committees, involved in negotiations in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD.
Last updated on: August 29, 2017 14:12 IST

Stars go for the loveliest holidays -- exotic locations with a lot of adventure thrown in.

We bring you their travels in a special series.

Priyanka Chopra had a lovely Prague holiday.

Sidharth Malhotra had an adventurous trip to New Zealand.

Nargis Fakhri had a great Greek holiday.

Rithvik Dhanjani and Asha Negi went on a holiday to Switzerland.

Shraddha Kapoor took a family holiday to Seychelles.

Kavita Kaushik explored Mauritius.

We have seen Shibani Dandekar's Spain diaries.

This week, let's see what Spain looks like with her Khatron Ke Khiladi co-contestant, Hina Khan.





Hina poses with beau Rocky Jaiswal before leaving for Spain.

'Already missing u next to me my travel partner.. missing u and plz come soon to see me,' she posts with the pict.





Sending love from Spain.





Meet her new gym trainer, Geeta Phogat.

'She's a sweetheart,' writes Hina of the champion wrestler whose life was captured in Dangal.

Taking a pit stop.





Snakes, anyone?

Posing with the girl gang, Monica Dogra, Lopamudra Raut and Geeta.





When the lighting is perfect, you have to pose.

Sunset meditation.





Cruising with Monica, Rithvik Dhanjani and Ravi Dubey.





She is loving Barcelona.

Hola from Ferrari Land, a theme park in Spain.





Rocky joins her on the trip.

Hina jumps with joy!





She loves the weather there.

Such a poser.





Coming back after 50 tough days of shooting Khatron Ke Khiladi.

'Chase ur dreams but always know the road that will lead you back home again,' she writes.
'It is for the first time in 70 years that the US has come out totally in India's favour on the Kashmir issue,' says Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).

On August 21, 2017, American President Donald J Trump announced his Afghanistan policy.

While there was much that was 'old' (the use of military force to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table), there were also some new elements.

For the first time, the US openly named Pakistan as the main culprit behind the Afghan violence.

The statement also for the first time urged India to play a constructive role in Afghanistan.

It is easy to dismiss the whole exercise as 'old wine in an old bottle', but that would be ignorant.

For starters, Trump has avoided his predecessor's mistake in announcing an expiry date on American intervention or the US troop presence in Afghanistan.

By announcing a withdrawal date, Barack Obama actually encouraged the Taliban to wait the Americans out and in-built the failure of his 'surge' strategy!

Trump has bluntly stated that he will bomb the Taliban to the negotiating table.

A few months ago, the US dropped a giant conventional bomb (MOAB or mother of all bombs), a signal in that direction. The Afghan Taliban should expect a heavier US air offensive.

Trump has also put Pakistan on notice for its backing and sanctuaries for the Taliban. One should expect drone strikes in Pakistani territory.

One should not make the mistake of dismissing the new policy as 'temporary' due to the weakness of the Trump administration.

The policy review has a clear Pentagon stamp on it. Trump relies heavily on military advice and this is no exception.

So irrespective of whatever may be the fate of the Trump presidency, this policy prescription is likely to last a while.

Looking at the recent moves by the US on Kashmir, together with its new Afghan formulations, it marks a 'revolutionary' change from the past.

On June 26, 2017 when Prime Minister Narendra D Modi visited the US, the Americans declared the Hizbul Mujhideen international terrorists. It was a major diplomatic coup for India.

Last week, as a follow up measure, the US declared the HM an international terrorist organisation.

It is for the first time in 70 years that the US has come out totally in India's favour on the Kashmir issue.

It has ipso facto rejected the Pakistani argument that HM members are 'freedom fighters', and not terrorists.

The unrest in Kashmir, in the US' eyes, is terrorism and not a freedom struggle.

Worldwide Islamist attacks have indeed worked in India's favour. The rest of the Western world is likely to follow suit.

Not surprisingly, news has come of the UK tightening the screws on Dawood Ibrahim, the fugitive Indian gangster involved in spreading terror in India in collaboration with Pakistan.

This is a total reversal of the situation when for the last 70 years the entire Western world ganged up against India in the UN Security Council.

We were saved by the Soviet Union's veto from UN intervention.

Today the only major power standing behind Pakistan is China.

The enormity of the change ought to make headlines in India. After all, the US-Pakistan military relationship goes back to World War II.

The Organization of Strategic Services -- that later morphed into the Central Intelligence Agency -- had cultivated contacts with Muslim officers in the Indian Army.

Pakistan was quickly absorbed into the chain of pro-Western States, to surround the Soviet Union.

The price the US paid for this was unstinted support to Pakistan over Kashmir and generous military aid.

American military aid to Pakistan over the years has made sure that the numerically small Pakistani army had a technological edge over the larger Indian Army.

This practice has continued all through under one pretext or the other.

Many Pakistanis have put on a brave face and argued that the Chinese will replace the Americans. These Pakistanis point to the huge loans China has given them.

However, the Chinese cannot match the Americans in military technology.

For the first time in 70 years India may begin to enjoy a qualitative military edge on the Indian subcontinent.

Obviously the aid cut off to Pakistan will take time to manifest itself on the ground.

But over time this will help India deal with cross border terrorism as sophisticated arms were available to the terrorists, courtesy the Pakistan army.

This will also impose caution on the Pakistani army in border skirmishes and after a time gap make India's 'Cold Start' response to terror attacks a reality.

Colonel Anil A Athale (retd) is a military historian.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra D Modi and US President Donald J Trump at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, July 8, 2017. Photograph: Kind courtesy Arvind Panagariya
'Despite the current tension at Doklam, it is the Indian Ocean we need to worry about more,' says Nitin Pai.

As complex as the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops at Doklam is, we in India have pre-existing mental models to process it.

The Indian government has been aware of the contest in the undemarcated Himalayas since the 1950s, the army has been conscious of it since the 1960s and there have been parliamentary and public debates on the matter since then.

We might not always agree on what needs to be done and we might have wrongly estimated Beijing's intentions, but India -- politicians, government officials and civil society -- know how to think about the Himalayan angle.

This is not to say there is consensus on what to do about it, but that we have some experience in dealing with it.

It's different when it comes to the Indian Ocean.

We do not know how to deal with Chinese power in the waters to our east, south and west.

Sure, a section of our establishment has been fretting over China's naval expansion and presence in the Indian Ocean region since the mid-2000s, but the debate did not get out of the confines of seminar halls.

Even within the strategic community, only a few individuals have developed coherent ways to conceptualise China's emerging role in the Indian Ocean and what it means for us.

The most common meme is the notion that China is creating a 'string of pearls' in the Indian Ocean to contain India. The fact is that the term originated from a report on energy security that Booz Allen Hamilton, a consultancy prepared for Donald Rumsfeld's Pentagon.

Far from containing India, it was a metaphor for a series of footholds and political relationships China was investing in to secure the sea lanes of communications (SLOCs) through which it imported fuel from the Gulf region.

That we appropriated it and unquestioningly cite it in serious discussions on maritime strategy is just another symptom of our poverty of thought.

Despite the current tension at Doklam and the risk of escalation on the Himalayan land frontier, it is the Indian Ocean we need to worry about more.

In a few short years, China has built up naval capacity, bases and relationships the Indian Ocean Region, and is poised to become its pre-eminent maritime power.

To achieve this it will rub against the Indian and the US navies. This has already started -- the Indian Navy is tracking far more People's Liberation Army navy ships and submarines in our vicinity.

The coming decade is likely to witness unprecedented situations as the two navies run into each other more frequently in Indias neighbourhood.

Unlike the Western Pacific, China does not have 'core interests' in the form of territorial claims in the Indian Ocean.

At least not yet, as we can never say when an 'old' map will surface and some new dashed lines will be drawn on them.

So what might be China's strategic objectives for wanting to dominate the Indian Ocean?

First, a permanent presence in the Indian Ocean insures China against containment by the US and its East Asian allies.

If PLA navy ships have to sail West Asia or East Africa from their home ports on China's seaboard, they face long voyages through chokepoints that are vulnerable to the navies of the US and its allies.

That's why China needs foreign military bases: Ships, aircraft and troops that China stations in these bases permit faster regional deployment and are not vulnerable to interdiction by its East Asian adversaries.

The recently inaugurated military base in Djibouti and control of Gwadar (Pakistan) and Hambantota (Sri Lanka) ports allow the PLA navy to maintain a permanent presence in the Indian Ocean.

Second, without 'command of the seas' China cannot be the superpower it aims to be.

It needs the ability to prevail over any country that might challenge its political aims -- including influencing domestic politics of the littoral States, intervening in regional conflicts and providing support to its allies.

Sea power is a crucial instrument to shape international order -- whether China wants to merely modify the extant one or establish a new one of its own design.

Third, sea lanes remain the channels of China's prosperity and are vital to its economic growth.

Political risks are rising in East Africa and West Asia and China needs to secure its trade and energy supplies from a growing number of threats.

There are others, but these are the three big reasons.

Competition with India is inevitable on the first two, and cooperation is possible on the third.

However, in the post-Doklam world, the idiom of India-China relations is likely to be one of cool contestation setting the stage for enduring rivalry in the maritime domain.

There are numerous implications for India, but one thing is clear: We need a bigger, stronger navy. I have consistently argued that we cannot manage Chinese power in our neighbourhood unless we project power in China's.

Even if New Delhi chooses to concentrate on the Indian Ocean, we can't do so without a significant revision to the Indian Navy's upgrade path.

Nitin Pai is the co-founder and director of Takshashila Institution, an independent centre for research and education in public policy.

IMAGE: The Indian Navy Kora-class corvette INS Kirch and Shivalik-class stealth multi-role frigates INS Sahyadri and INS Satpura conduct a live-fire surface gun exercise during Malabar 2016. Photograph: Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Batchelder/US Navy
'There must be thousands if not lakhs of people the government is illegally spying on.'

'Why should we enable this criminal activity by volunteering our details?' asks Aakar Patel.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

About 15 years ago, the newspaper I was editing carried the transcript of a conversation between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai. This had been published also by the Hindustan Times. Its reporter J Dey (who was later murdered) had sourced it from the Mumbai police.

The transcript carried a mention of Preity Zinta in a vulgar comment on her by Salman. Zinta was offended and filed a defamation case against me.

The case carried on for a few years till she dropped it. However, what was interesting was that the police claimed that they had not done the phone-tapping.

The voices were clearly those of the actors and so the tape was authentic. So who had tapped them? We still don't know.

There are many other instances like this. Like the Tata tapes, about 20 years ago, in which the Indian Express claimed that the corporate organisation was being forced to pay extortion money to separatists in Assam.

The private conversations of Nusli Wadia, Keshub Mahindra, Sam Maneckshaw and Ratan Tata were recorded and leaked. By whom? We don't know.

All of these instances show that surveillance of Indian citizens by the government happens illegally without authorisation or supervision. Though these crimes became public, no official was charged with wrongdoing for the illegal surveillance.

Even the scale of legal surveillance in India is very large. A recent right to information application filed by the Indian Express showed that the Union home secretary approved 10,000 phone taps a month.

What is all this data being collected for? We are not told.

We do not have the safeguards and checks like other democracies.

In the United States, the police must show evidence to a judge who has to authorise phone tapping, and that also is done with rigid conditions. That is lacking in India.

The lobbyist Niira Radia's phones were tapped for months, and then, criminally, the conversations were leaked to the press. Even if there was no suggestion of a crime, people were smeared.

In India, the government can tap citizens and then deny it has done so, as in the cases mentioned above. Because of a lack of institutional process, the government has no control over the material gathered in surveillance, even if it is gathered legally (like in the Radia tapes). And there is no accountability.

This is the background to the judgment by the Supreme Court on the right to privacy.

I have not got an Aadhar card because I know the history of surveillance in India. Why should the government force me to hand over my biometric details to it? It is absurd.

As proof of identity, I have already a passport, a driver's license, a PAN card, my landline telephone bill, my electricity bill, the documents of my house, and my voter identity card.

These are all valid forms of identity issued by the government. How many other things does it want from me and why?

I have received notices from Airtel and HDFC bank that my mobile phone and my bank account must be linked to Aadhar.

There are horror stories of children in school being forced to get Aadhar before they are allowed to appear for exams.

Aadhar has already been made compulsory for filing tax returns (I filed mine early to avoid this silly rule).

The government's supporters argue that if one has nothing to hide why resist registering under Aadhar? My answer is that I don't want to because the government's safeguards are weak.

If the issue is that linking Aadhar with bank accounts and PAN numbers can catch tax thieves better, then I object.

The civilised form of democracy assumes that people are innocent. Forcing everyone to link their biometric identity to their finances assumes everyone is guilty. This is unacceptable to me.

On April 8, 2014, Narendra Modi was campaigning in Bangalore for the general election. He said he would scrap Aadhar after winning.

Attacking Nandan Nilekani (who came up with the idea of Aadhar) Modi said: 'I want to ask him what crime you have committed that the Supreme Court had to rap your Aadhaar project?'

Modi added: 'For the first time, I want to tell publicly. I asked several questions on Aadhar project. I asked them questions relating to illegal migrants and national security. They (the UPA government) did not have any answer.'

From his position Modi has totally reversed himself and forcing Aadhar even on those who do not want it.

Should he not explain why this reversal has happened? Of course, he will not.

I met someone from an intelligence agency a few days ago. He said that there was a file on me which would have many details, much of which was gathered illegally.

There must be thousands if not lakhs of such people the government is illegally spying on.

Why should we enable this criminal activity by volunteering our details?

We must not, and the Supreme Court judgment has given hope that this compulsory enrolment of Aadhar, linking our biometric identity to all aspects of our lives, will be stopped.

Aakar Patel is Executive Director, Amnesty International India. The views expressed here are his own.
During the sentencing, the court said that Gurmeet Ram Rahim acted like a wild beast who did not even spare his own pious female disciples.

IMAGE: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is believed to have broken down and wept after the judge delivered a 20-year jail sentence to him. Photograph: PTI Photo

A special Central Bureau of Investigation court on Monday sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail for rape of his two followers, holding he acted like a wild beast who did not even spare his own pious female disciples.

The court also said that Ram Rahim, 50, committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting such gullible and blind followers and that he did not deserve any leniency.

Judge Jagdeep Singh in his 9-page order pronounced two sentences of 10 years rigorous imprisonment in each of the two rapes that date back to 2002, three days after the conviction of the Dera chief that sparked violence leaving 38 dead and scores injured in Haryana.

IMAGE: Policewomen and a paramilitary soldier stand guard on a closed road leading to Sunariya Jail in Rohtak. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Defence lawyer S K Garg Narwana told reporters that both the sentences will run consecutively for a total of 20 years in jail for the Dera chief, who has millions of followers and counts politicians as well as celebrities as his friends. He said the orders will be challenged.

The judge also fined the 50-year-old flamboyant guru Rs 15 lakh in each of the two offences, of which Rs 14 lakh each would go to the two victims who were part of his sect and were allegedly coerced into having sex with him.

Having due regard to the peculiar fact and circumstances of the case, the court is of the view that if acts of the convict in sexually exploiting his own female disciples and intimidating them of dire consequences is taken note of, then such kind of persons does not deserve any kind of leniency from the court, he said. The convict did not even spare his own pious disciples and acted like a wild beast.

Both the victims put the accused on the pedestal of God and revered him like that only. However, the convict committed breach of gravest nature by sexually assaulting such gullible and blind followers.

Such criminal act of a particular individual/convict who is stated to be heading a religious organisation known as Dera Sachha Sauda is bound to shatter images of pious and sacred spiritual social cultural and religious institutions existing in the country since time immemorial, the judge said.

IMAGE: Policemen walk past a poster of Baba Ram Rahim while patrolling a street in Sirsa after the pronouncement of quantum of sentence for the Dera chief in the two rape cases against him, on Monday. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal also said that Ram Rahim will undergo a 10-year sentence in each of the two rape cases. The sentences will run consecutively and the total jail term is 20 years, he said in Delhi.

In another case of criminal intimidation (section 506 of IPC) the Dera chief has been sentenced to two years of imprisonment, Narwana said.

In section 506 of IPC, his term will run concurrently, he said.

Crackdown in Punjab, weapons recovered A large number of weapons like guns, revolvers and 52 petrol bombs have been recovered in Punjab during a crackdown following the mayhem caused by the followers of self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, an official spokesman said. At least 133 people have been arrested for defying police orders and under other relevant sections of the IPC while 62 have been taken into preventive custody as part of the crackdown, the spokesman said. As per the details provided by the state government, during the search operation, 52 petrol bombs, one 12 bore gun, one revolver, cartridges, 25 litre diesel, 80 lathis, axes, iron rods, two and four wheelers, among other material, were recovered.

The defence counsel sought leniency while submitting that Dera chief was 50 years old and suffering from hyper-tension, acute diabetes and sever back-ache problem for last eight years. He also said that his client is into social work.

The CBI counsel told the court that the Dera chief had projected himself as a godman and took undue advantage of his position and committed the rapes.

This is not an ordinary case but rarest of rare case which has larger implications for the entire society and accordingly the convict deserves maximum punishment, the counsel said.

Media reports said Ram Rahim broke down and begged for forgiveness with folded hands when the first sentence was passed. He then refused to leave the court room, in the jail library, said the reports.

On August 25, Ram Rahim was held guilty by the special CBI court of judge Jagdeep Singh in Panchkula, near Chandigarh.

The sexual exploitation case was registered against the Dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two sadhvis (female followers) by Ram Rahim Singh.

IMAGE: A multi-layer security cordon manned by police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces was thrown in and around Rohtak and also around the jail. Photograph: PTI Photo

The sentence was passed in a makeshift court inside the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, is lodged since last Friday after he was convicted. The special courtroom was set up on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court.

The judge was brought to Rohtak by a helicopter from Chandigarh and landed at a helipad near the jail located on the outskirts of Rohtak.

Speaking to reporters in Sirsa, IAS officer V Umashankar also said the district authorities had ordered attachment of the Sirsa-based Deras accounts and compensation to those affected in the violence could be given from these.

There was no report of any untoward incident and I hope that peace will be maintained, Umashankar said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed to the people, especially the followers of Dera Sacha Sauda, to respect the sentence pronounced by the CBI court and help in maintaining peace in the state.

No person is above the law and everybody should respect the verdict delivered by the court, he added.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has also been closely monitoring the situation, officials said.

On sentencing of the Dera chief, Amarinder said, It was not a thing to be either welcomed or rejected, while appealing to the people to accept the court verdict.

A multi-layer security cordon manned by police and 23 companies of paramilitary forces was thrown in and around Rohtak and also around the jail. The army has been kept on standby while all routes to the jail were sealed.

Haryana and Punjab remained on high alert with officials warning that violent miscreants will be shot at sight, describing the security situation as challenging.

Army personnel staged flag march and police and paramilitary personnel patrolled the streets in Sirsa, the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda, to maintain law and order after the sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

No untoward incident was reported in Sirsa after the pronouncement of the sentence against the Dera Sacha Sauda.

Curfew has been imposed in the wake of violence that claimed six lives and a joint command of army, police and administration is likely to take a call about it in view of restoration of peace, the official said.

Senior police officials said that despite peace, no relaxation was allowed in maintaining law and order and flag marches were held to build confidence among the locals and discourage miscreants.

Inspector General of Police (Hisar) A S Dhillon said that maintaining law and order was the top priority of the police and administration.
Both the countries agreed to an expeditious disengagement at the face-off site following diplomatic communications.

India and China have almost completed the disengagement of border personnel at Dokalam, in a major diplomatic breakthrough which came a week before the BRICS summit in China which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The ministry of external affairs on Monday announced that both the countries agreed to an expeditious disengagement at the face-off site in Doklam following diplomatic communications.

In response to a question later in the evening, the MEA said the process of disengagement had almost been completed under verification, reflecting an end to the nearly two-and-half-month long standoff.

This process has since been almost completed under verification, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said, referring to the disengagement.

In Beijing, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, however, sought to highlight the withdrawal of Indian troops to dispel the impression of a climbdown by China.

The official, while stonewalling questions about Indias announcement of the mutual disengagement of troops, claimed its soldiers continued to patrol the area.

Troops of the two countries had been locked in a standoff in Dokalam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

India had deployed about 350 army personnel in the area. Sources in the army said it had disengaged, implying that its troops had been withdrawn.

In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, the MEA said.

On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site in Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going, it said in a statement earlier in the day.

In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said, On the afternoon on August 28, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary.

Hua remained silent on Chinas plans to build a road, which sparked the standoff, and said it would make adjustments with the situation on the ground.

The official said the Chinese side would continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions.

Asked if the Chinese statement meant China had not made any concessions, officials in New Delhi said expeditious disengagement implied a withdrawal of both parties because a unilateral withdrawal by India would not have required an agreement with China.

Responding to a question on the disengagement understanding, the MEA spokesperson said Indias principled position was that agreements and understandings reached on the boundary issues must be scrupulously respected.

Indias policy remains guided by the belief that peace in the border areas is an essential pre-requisite for the further development of our bilateral relationship, he said.

The two countries had also agreed in Astana in early June that differences should not be allowed to become disputes and that India China relations must remain stable, Kumar said, adding that India looked forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side on this basis.

Modi and Chinese president Xi Jingpin had held talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

The BRICS summit, that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, will be held in the Chinese city of Xiamen from September 3-5. Prime Minister Modi is expected to represent India at the summit.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj recently said both sides should first pull back their troops for any talks to take place, and favoured a peaceful resolution of the border standoff.

Photograph: Utpal Baruah/Reuters
IMAGE: Justice Dipak Misra was sworn in as the 45th Chief Justice of India by President Ram Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Monday.

Photograph: @rashtrapatibhvn/Twitter

Justice Dipak Misra, who was part of the bench that confirmed the death sentence of the four convicts in the December 16 gang rape case and passed the order for mandatory singing of the national anthem in cinema halls, was on Monday sworn in as the 45th Chief Justice of India.

At a brief ceremony in the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Ram Nath Kovind administered the oath of office to Misra.

Justice Misra took the oath in English in the name of God.

Justice Misra, 64, assumes office following the retirement of Justice J S Khehar on Sunday.

Justice Misra will remain in office till October 2, 2018.

As per the established practice, Justice Khehar had named Misra as the next CJI last month.

He was the chief justice of the Patna High Court and the Delhi high court before being elevated to the apex court in October 2011.

After his enrolment as an advocate in 1977, Justice Misra practiced in constitutional, civil, criminal, revenue, service and sales tax matters in the Orissa high court.

He was appointed as an additional judge of the Orissa HC on January 17, 1996, before his transfer to the Madhya Pradesh HC.

He became a permanent judge on December 19, 1997.

Justice Misra is currently presiding over a bench hearing the Cauvery and Krishna river water disputes, BCCI reforms and Sahara case among others. He headed the bench that passed the order for mandatory singing of the national anthem in cinema halls across the country.

He was also part of the bench that upheld the death sentence given to the convicts in the December 16, 2012 gang rape case.

Justice Misra, along with Justice P C Pant, had in May, declined to de-criminalise defamation -- an offence punishable with two years in jail apart from fine -- saying the right to free speech cannot mean that a citizen can defame anybody.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several union ministers were present at the ceremony.

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also attended the oath ceremony.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday equated Indian Space Research Organisation's rockets with the arrows of Lord Ram, saying the Hindu deity had done in the past what the space agency was doing now.

Invoking the Ramayana, Rupani also praised Ram for his 'engineering skills' by having a bridge, the mythological 'Ram Setu', constructed between India and Sri Lanka, 'with the help of the engineers of that era'.

"Each arrow of Lord Ram was a missile (sic). What ISRO is doing right now (launching rockets), Lord Ram used to launch in those days," the chief minister said while addressing the first convocation ceremony of the Institute of Infrastructure Technology Research and Management, located in Maninagar area in Ahmedabad.

Tapan Misra, Director of the Indian Space Research Organisation's Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad, was also present at the event.

IITRAM is an autonomous university established by the Gujarat government.

Rupani said, "If we link infrastructure with Lord Ram, imagine what kind of engineers he had at that time to build that Ram Setu bridge between India and Sri Lanka. Even squirrels contributed in building that bridge. It was Lord Rams imagination which was realised by the engineers of that era."

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader went on to pick more examples from the mythological text to connect to the modern era.

According to the chief minister, Hanuman carrying an entire mountain to bring a cure for Lakshman was a story of 'infrastructure development', while Ram eating berries tasted by Shabari was social engineering.

"When Lord Hanuman could not pick up the right herb which can cure Lakshman, he brought the entire mountain. We wonder what kind of technology existed back then which facilitated the shifting of the mountain. This is also a story of infrastructure development," he said.

"Not just developing weapons and infrastructure, Lord Ram also did social engineering. He brought people from all castes and communities together. By eating berries offered by Shabri, he won trust of adivasis (tribals). Imagine bringing together Sugreev, Hanuman and the army of monkeys, it was social engineering by Lord Ram."
The Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid title dispute case, the Sebi-Sahara payment row, the Aadhaar privacy issue and the Cauvery water dispute are only some of the legal puzzles he will have to deal with.

Sayan Ghosal reports.

Justice Dipak Misra is all set to take the helm of the judiciary as the 45th Chief Justice of India.

His appointment follows a long-standing tradition of picking the senior-most judge for the post, and comes after a recommendation by outgoing Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar who retired on August 27.

Considered by many as a hardline jurist, Justice Misra was part of the bench which, in an unprecedented pre-dawn hearing in July 2015, rejected Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon's last minute plea to escape the hangman's noose.

Similar was the fate of the four men who gang-raped and murdered a young medical student in what came to be known as the Nirbhaya case.

Justice Misra led the Supreme Court bench that confirmed the death sentence of the four convicts.

Justice Misra is credited with contributing to police reforms through delivery of a verdict in Own Motion vs State, wherein the court directed law enforcement authorities to upload FIRs on the official Web site within 24 hours of their filing to allow the accused to take appropriate and timely recourse to available remedies.

He was also part of a bench that upheld an Allahabad high court judgment striking down reservations in the promotion of government officials.

Born on October 3, 1953, Justice Misra enrolled as an advocate in February 1977.

He practised Constitutional, civil, criminal, revenue, service and sales tax law in the Orissa high court and other tribunals till his elevation as an additional judge of the high court in January 1996.

He was transferred from the Orissa high court to the Madhya Pradesh high court in March 1997, and became a permanent judge of the court in December of the same year.

In May 2010, Justice Misra became the chief justice of the Delhi high court.

Recognised for the swift disposal of over 5,000 cases and the success of the mediation centre in the high court during his tenure, Justice Misra was elevated to the Supreme Court in October 2011, where he soon developed a reputation for being one of the most eloquent judges of the court.

After an almost six-year tenure as an apex court judge, he is now set to assume the role of the Chief Justice of India for 13 months, till his retirement on October 2, 2018.

Justice Misra will become the third Chief Justice of India to hail from Odisha, after Justice Ranganath Misra and Justice G B Pattanaik.

While many of his judgments have been lauded by nationalist organisations, other legal luminaries have been critical of his orthodox approach.

His critics say he has expanded and elevated the scope of the 'reasonable restrictions' to Fundamental Rights under the Constitution to the detriment of citizens.

One such judgment delivered by Justice Misra was in the Devkidas Ramchandra Tuljapurkar vs State of Maharashtra case.

He is said to have promoted unreasonable restrictions to freedom of expression by upholding a conviction under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code (sale of obscene books etc).

The decision criminalised the use of offensive language to describe 'historically respected personalities', even though neither the Constitution nor the law gave an elevated status to such figures.

The verdict has been held by critics as mandating people to accept the 'respectability' of Mahatma Gandhi and other such personalities in violation of personal freedoms.

A verdict that upheld the Constitutional validity of the over 150-year-old criminal defamation law (Section 499 of the Indian Penal Code) met with a similar fate.

The judgment, which held that a 'person's reputation could not be allowed to be crucified at the altar of another's freedom of speech', has been criticised by some and seen as a violation of the Fundamental Rights enshrined in the Constitution.

His decision in the 2016 Supreme Court National Anthem case and the framing of guidelines, which include the mandatory playing of the anthem in movie halls and restrictions on its monetisation, has also drawn criticism from many.

Grave apprehensions over his selection as Chief Justice have been raised by several personalities, including senior lawyers of the Supreme Court, due to a controversy surrounding an old land allotment matter now pending before the Orissa high court.

Given the allegations of impropriety against him, Harinder Singh Khalsa, a member of Parliament from Punjab, has filed a petition in the Delhi high court challenging his appointment as the Chief Justice of the country.

Controversies aside, Justice Misra's term as Chief Justice will undoubtedly be focused on several high profile matters, which he will have to carefully consider.

The Ayodhya-Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid title dispute case, the Sebi-Sahara payment row, the Aadhaar privacy issue and the Cauvery water dispute are only some of the legal puzzles he will have to deal with.
Five people have died after Hurricane Harvey made a landfall on Friday





Texas has experienced a record breaking 50 inches of rain in parts





More than 250 water rescues have been conducted by officials





At least 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned

IMAGE: People are rescued by airboat as they evacuate from flood waters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson. Photograph: Rick Wilking/Reuters

Around 13 million people continue to battle catastrophic flooding and torrential rains in storm-ravaged Texas where Hurricane Harvey has wreaked havoc, turning streets into raging rivers and claiming at least five lives.

United States President Donald Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesday to get first-hand information on the flooding from Hurricane Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit America in 13 years.

The hurricane left a trail of destruction as it swept through Texas on Sunday, pummelling the region with heavy rains and forcing hundreds of trapped residents to climb onto rooftops after its landfall on the US GulfCoast.

According to the Indian Consulate in Houston, at least 200 Indian students at University of Houston are marooned due to widespread flooding. Houston is home to a sizable Indian population.

The hurricane has now turned into a tropical storm and is dumping rain on southern Texas. The National Weather Service said the final tally could top 50 inches, setting an all-time rainfall record for the state. Streets in Houston and many other cities are flooded.

IMAGE: Residents use a kayak to rescue motorists stranded on Interstate highway 45 which is submerged from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Photograph: Richard Carson/Reuters

The National Weather Service called the flooding in Texas unprecedented as the state experienced a record breaking 50 inches of rain in parts of the city.

The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before. Catastrophic flooding is now underway and expected to continue for days, the service said in a statement.

Harvey has been hammering Texas since Friday, when it first made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. At least five people have died and the death toll is expected to rise as the storm has triggering record floods, tidal surges and tornadoes.

The last Category 4 storm to hit the US was Hurricane Charley in August 2004 in Florida.

IMAGE: Schools, offices and other major institutions, including major refineries have shut down in the area owing to the heavy rain. Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters

Over the next few days, Harvey is forecast to head back into the Gulf of Mexico, where it will pick up moisture before moving back over Galveston and into Houston again, CNN meteorologist Karen Maginnis said, meaning at least four more days of rainfall.

Officials say they have conducted more than 250 water rescues and rescued more than 1,000 people.

Major refineries are closing down, cutting at least 1 million barrels per day out of production, and the Houston Ship Channel, the busiest in the nation, is closed.

Officials have closed Houston schools for the week and shuttered William P Hobby Airport until at least the middle of the week.

Southwest Airlines airlifted around 500 of its customers out of Hobby Airport on Sunday, according to airline and US government sources with knowledge of the operation.

Its scary. Ive been through many storms in my city, but it has never been this terrible. This city is completely underwater, Guatzin, a local resident, said.

IMAGE: Interstate highway 45 is submerged from the effects of Hurricane Harvey.

Photograph: Richard Carson/Reuters

We have nowhere to go. I have a 2016 Chevy Silverado and the water is up to the door panels. The water keeps rising, said Jake Lewis, who was in Houston on business and woke up to ankle-deep water in his Houston hotel room.

The water keeps rising. We have called already to several numbers but no luck, said Janet Castillo, who was trapped at home with little children as the water crept up to their knees.

In Washington, officials said President Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesday to take stock of the situation.

The US President will travel to Texas on Tuesday, said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

IMAGE: An elderly woman and her poodle use an air mattress to float above flood waters from Tropical Storm Harvey while waiting to be rescued from Scarsdale Boulevard in Houston. Over 1000 people have been rescued till date. Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters

The visit will be a test for Trump, as its the first major natural disaster to strike the United States under his presidency. Former US President George W Bush faced widespread criticism after the federal government was slow to respond in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which caused major floods in New Orleans in August 2005, local media reported.

Trump held a second Cabinet meeting on Hurricane Harvey to shore up response and recovery efforts on Sunday, according to the White House.

The federal government has 5,000 people on site in Texas and Louisiana, where the storm continues to bring torrential rains and flooding.

IMAGE: A damaged home is seen after Hurricane Harvey passed through Rockport, Texas. Hurricane Harvey is believed to be the strongest hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Earlier on Sunday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the federal governments response to Hurricane Harvey.

Amid dire warnings, Abbott praised the response to the crisis.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said recovery efforts would take years.
The backward classes and poor were left out of the prosperity ushered in by the Green Revolution.

The need for a support system and to be part of a larger community was felt.

It is this vacuum that deras like Sacha Sauda filled.

They made the poor feel secure, cared for, loved, provided a support system and gave them dignity, says Sanjeev Nayyar.

Image: Followers of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh gather at his ashram in Sirsa on Thursday, August 24, ahead of the verdict in the rape trial. Photograph: Vijay Verma/PTI Photo

The violence and deaths that followed Gurmeet Ram Rahim's arrest were unfortunate. My heart goes out to the poor who lost their near and dear ones and those who were injured in the violence.

The question one has heard asked over the weekend is how and why a convicted rapist like Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, a Jat Sikh, has amassed such a huge following.

The honest answer, however, must start with British rule.

The British were grateful to the Sikh princes for assistance received during the 1857 mutiny, and seeing the bravery of the Sikh armies realised they could be an effective buffer between Afghanistan and India.

They replaced Bengali soldiers with loyal Sikhs and Punjabi Muslims, but insisted that only those Sikhs who sported the five Ks, or symbols of Sikhism, could join the army.

Since it was mainly Jat Sikhs who sported the five Ks then, they were the biggest beneficiaries.

The British enforced rigid occupational boundaries by creating 'traditional agriculturists', 'martial races' and 'trading castes'.

The Jats were classified as traditional agriculturists and came to dominate the ownership of land as well.

The other dominant community, Khatris or Kshatriyas, took to education and business. They had also been landholders till the Punjab Land Alienation Act of 1900 forbade them to do so as they were declared a 'non-agricultural' tribe.

Many families got around this artificially imposed caste barrier by raising one or more son as a Sikh, chiefly by having them adopt the name Singh and grow hair/beard to match.

British policy supported forces that divided Punjab into Hindu and Sikh (external link).

Their objective was met with the passage of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabhandak Committee Act in 1925, which resulted in the Akalis having control over gurdwaras in Punjab, and heralded the irrevocable tradition of mixing religion and politics in Punjab.

It also made Jat Sikhs a powerful community.

Backward classes were declared a non-agricultural caste. Thus, they could not own land and had to work as farm labour.

Punjab and Haryana became states in 1966.

Power invariably alternated between the Akalis and Congress in Punjab. However, irrespective of the party, Jats ruled Punjab.

In spite of backward classes believed to constitute over 30 per cent of the state's population, Jats were the dominant political class.

The Green Revolution of the late 1960s benefited Jats the most as they were the dominant agricultural caste.

In the prosperity that followed, the backward classes and poor were left out.

To add to their woes was the insecurities caused by the extremely violent Khalistan movement of the 1980s.

Deras existed earlier too, but the external environment increased the insecurity. The need for a support system and to be part of a larger community was felt.

It is this vacuum that deras like Sacha Sauda filled.

They made the poor feel secure, cared for, loved, provided a support system and gave them dignity.

Put yourself in the shoes of a poor devotee.

It is natural for the poor to seek the blessings of the guru who helps them.

Remember, it is in the DNA of Indians to consciously surrender to a person who they call their guru.

Why does Dera Sacha Sauda have such a huge following?

According to an August 24, 2017 report in Chandigarh's Tribune newspaper, the reasons are four-fold (external link).

One, identities of caste and religion cease to exist in the dera.

Two, the humble ranking of dera management. A state is divided into zones, with each zone headed by a man called Bhangi Das.

Three, subsidised food and free rations.

Four, many districts close to Sirsa in Haryana are plagued by knee problems and cancer due to bad quality of water. The dera provided free treatment.2

Remember, Indian religions are not organised and rigid, but amorphous. So people across the country have always flocked to sants in their region.

Within a common spiritual framework, the guru's organisations provided spiritual and emotional support to its followers.

According to a scholar and long-time resident of Jalandhar, "Deras have done outstanding work in social, educational, medical and spiritual fields. The quantum of work done in the last 20 years far exceeds that of religious organisations."

Also, members of a dera become part of a larger community network. It helps them in business dealings, social engagements and even in finding life partners.

Conservative Sikhs oppose deras for many reasons. A person going to a dera invariably does not visit a gurdwara.

Two, there is a financial angle. The money and food-grain that would be donated to a langar at gurdwaras now goes to the dera.

While the orthodox believe in the Guru Granth Sahib as the guru, the deras focus on a personal guru without denying, in any way, the importance of scriptures.

Tension between conservative Sikhs and backward class deras resulted in the murder of Guru Sant Rama Nand in Vienna in 2009.

He belonged to the Dera Sach Khand, inspired by the 15th century spiritual leader Ravidas whose followers belong to the backward classes.

Thousands of followers went on a rampage (external link) in Punjab after the murder.

Sacha Sauda is not the only dera opposed by conservative Sikhs. Radhasoamis are also opposed because they too believe in a personal guru, and ask disciples to do simran of panj nam (five names) which they keep a secret.

They rely on the bani (word) of the Guru Granth Sahib (as also that of Saar Bachan) in satsang, but do not follow the way of devotion observed in gurdwaras.

However, whatever may be the history, violence by the followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.

But, for a lasting solution, we must understand why devotees are willing to lay down their lives for their guru, rather than seeing the violence through the urban English-speaking prism.

It is debatable if the police would have fired on protestors if they were residents of south Mumbai/Delhi, sectors 2 to 11 of Chandigarh, or students of JNU.

Remember, when a rally to protest the violence against Myanmar's Rohingyas at Mumbai's Azad Maidan turned violent on August 11, 2012, in which vehicles and broadcast vans were torched, policewomen were molested, and weapons were snatched from the police, the state government of the day did not allow the police to open fire on the violent rioters.

This is what former Mumbai police commissioner Julio Ribeiro had to say about the incident (external link).

Now let us look at the political aspects of the dera.

As India liberalised and with the advent of the cell phone, the new generation of backward classes felt confident enough to break free from the Jat-dominated politics of Punjab and Haryana.

With awareness dawned the realisation of the power of their votes.

Jat politicians too sensed the change.

So around 2007, the Haryana and Punjab chief ministers, namely Om Parkash Chautala and Parkash Singh Badal, visited the Sacha Sauda's Sirsa headquarters.

Five years later, Captain Amarinder Singh again sought the baba's 'blessings'.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, a late comer in Haryana's political game, too adopted the same strategy.

So every political party has wooed the Jat Sikh Baba.

The mixture of religion with politics, which started with the passing of the SGPC Act in 1925, continues to this day.

In fact, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was provided Z-plus security by the United Progressive Alliance government.

Note that it was competitive vote-bank politics between the Akalis and the Congress that gave rise to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and a major reason for the terrorism that engulfed Punjab in the 1980s.

Having realised the power of their votes, the poor wanted to break the Jat hegemony over politics.

They tasted blood in Haryana when the BJP appointed M L Khattar -- a non-Jat -- as chief minister.

Unable to deal with loss of power, some hit back through the violent Jat agitation in Haryana.

The Congress in Punjab and the SGPC dislike the Dera Sacha Sauda for various reasons.

One, the Dera supported the BJP-Akali combine in the last assembly election.

Two, in a caste-ridden Punjabi society, 'dera life provides an equal status to all castes'.

Three, the dera unites Hindus and Sikhs, something that conservative Sikhs are against.

Prem Insaan, a resident of Bathinda, said, "Different communities and castes have their own temples and gurdwaras in Punjab and Haryana, but at our dera all are equal."

"The dera advocates humanity. We may be Hindu, Sikh or anything else, but we have failed to end caste divisions in society."

During the recent violence Captain Amarinder Singh has presented himself as an able administrator in comparison to Haryana's Khattar.

Breaking the back of this dera would please the SGPC and conservative Sikhs no end.

Recent events have to be viewed against this backdrop.

The Congress is working to a plan. It desperately wants to win back Haryana, a state where land is highly valued.

After the BJP outsourced Punjab to the Akalis, its supporters had no option but to vote for the Congress.

Unless the BJP becomes active in Punjab and has a chief minister in Haryana who understands that religion and power are intertwined in Punjab and Haryana and finds a way to counter the Jats, the Congress will return to power in 2019.

The affluent classes and political parties must bring the backward classes into the mainstream.

Sanjeev Nayar is an independent columnist, founder, www.esamskriti.com and author of How the British sowed the seeds for the Khalistani Movement before the Indians took over.

He tweets @sanjeev1927
North Richland Hill, TX -- (ReleaseWire) -- 08/28/2017 --OSHA-Pros USA, a leading provider of online construction safety training, today announced the availability of its OSHA 10-hour Construction in Nevada and Texas. This course is the only authorized 10-Hour course that meets the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) online training course requirements which became effective April 1, 2012.



Earlier this year, OSHA-Pros USA was selected by OSHA as an authorized online provider for the OSHA Outreach Training Program. The company is the only provider authorized to deliver online 10-Hour and 30-Hour courses as part of the training program.



'The expert trainers work tirelessly to ensure that they meet the needs of the candidates and provide online training that meets OSHA requirements to educate, enable and encourage safety. They are very proud to be the only company to release the OSHA 10-hour construction course,' said one of the spokespeople for OSHA-Pros USA. Those who are looking to pursue OSHA online courses need to be very astute while purchasing their OSHA 10-Hour and 30-Hour study materials to ensure the provider has been recently OSHA-authorized. Otherwise, they may not receive a valid OSHA Department of Labor card.



The course is provided by expert trainers who are all OSHA authorized trainers. They have knowledge and expertise in setting test and quiz sections with correct answers against incorrect entries, detailed descriptions, and contextual explanation of the correct answer. All OSHA courses can be pursued through this website which is typically dedicated for this purpose.



'At OSHA-Pros USA, the professionals look forward to continuing to be a leader in providing high-quality online safety training and releasing their other authorized courses in the coming months,' said the expert.



For more information on OSHA 30 training in Nevada and Texas and other safety training and courses, visit http://www.osha10hourtraining.com or call toll free 866-442-OSHA to speak with a professional today.



About OSHA-Pros USA

OSHA-Pros USA is one of the most reputable, experienced safety organizations in the world, backed by industry professionals with over 40 years in corporate safety.
Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used.
Five of nearly 20 independent Cambodian radio stations shuttered last week after airing programs critical of Prime Minister Hun Sens government appealed to the Ministry of Information on Monday for permission to reopen, pledging to follow the terms of their licensing agreements.



The ministry has closed all radio stations airing programming by Radio Free Asia and Voice of America since last week, leaving listeners only online streaming or shortwave radio access to the U.S.-funded broadcasters, as an alternative to stations aligned with the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP).



Owners of five of the now-shuttered stationsKampong Cham, Angkor Ratha, Samleng Kaun Khmer, Moha Nokor, and Stung Khieusent a letter to the ministry Monday requesting a meeting to discuss the reinstatement of their licenses and vowing to honor their contracts.



The Ministry of Information had cited violations including airing outside programs without requesting authorization as among the reasons it had shut down the stations.



Kampong Cham radio station owner Than Sorith told RFAs Khmer Service that he believes the order was politically motivated, rather than a response to breach of contract, adding that the stations were targeted for airing content critical of the government by RFA and VOA, as well as by online Cambodian news site Voice of Democracy (VOD), and the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).



If the ministry allows us back on the air again but doesnt allow us to lease our airtime to independent media outlets like RFA, VOA, or VOD, they will have to give us reasonable explanationotherwise it wont be acceptable, he said.



If conditions are set that restrict our freedom to air those programs, we will have to think about [whether we want to reopen].



In the meantime, Than Sorith said, the closure of his station has deprived his listeners of access to balanced news reporting and left him unable to pay his staff.



Ministry of Information spokesperson Ouk Kimseng told RFA he was unwilling to comment on the request from the station owners until he had received their letter, but said they will be invited to discuss any decision the ministry makes.



I wish to reiterate that all radio station owners are encouraged to hold talks with the ministry to address this issuewe can work on this together, he said.



I am not going to say anything about the contracts [between the ministry and the station owners], other than that they are legally binding. When you sign them, you agree to respect them. If you fail to respect them you will be dealt with accordingly.



Phnom Penh-based Beehive Radio and Womens Media Center (WMC) are the only stations still airing content by RFA and VOA. The two stations were forced by the ministry to reduce the amount of airtime they leased to the broadcasters to half an hour each.



Larger crackdown



The attack on the radio stations comes amid a larger crackdown prompted by Prime Minister Hun Sens recommendation at an Aug. 5 cabinet meeting that government agencies investigate alleged back taxes owed by media outlets and civil society organizations.



Last week, Hun Sen vowed to shut down English-language newspaper the Cambodia Daily if it does not pay U.S. $6.3 million in back taxes and interest, prompting the papers owner to call for an investigation into the charges.



Kong Vibol, director of the ministrys General Department of Taxation, noted recently that the paper was fast approaching a Sept. 4 deadline to pay the debt or face foreclosure.



On Monday, president of the Club of Cambodian Journalists Pen Bonnar told RFA that the governments actions against media outlets for failing to follow their contracts or pay back taxes were carried out according to Cambodian law, and dismissed suggestions they were politically motivated.



In the U.S. or Europe, if an establishment fails to pay tax to the state, do you think the state wouldnt act against it? he asked.



In the case of the Cambodia Daily, if they had paid all their tax debts and had been closed, it would be a different story. But they have failed to pay their taxes. What else should the state do?



Last week, the United Nations human rights agency, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch, and several U.S. congressmen criticized Cambodias government in statements decrying the countrys increasingly restrictive political atmosphere and what they called a narrowing of freedom of expression in the lead up to elections next year.



Hun Sens ruling party won Junes commune elections, but the CNRP received nearly 44 percent of all votes to the CPPs 51 percent, in an outcome that many see as a bellwether for next years ballot.



Reported by Sothearin Yeang for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
UPDATED at 3:32 P.M. on 2017-08-28



Cambodias government has denied reports that Thailands former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra fled the country via Cambodia ahead of a court verdict for her alleged role in a rice-subsidy scheme that could have seen her jailed for a decade.



On Friday, a source close to an aide of Yingluck told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service, that she had traveled through Thailands Trat province, about 320 kilometers (200 miles) south of Bangkok, before crossing into Cambodia to board a plane that took her to another country a few days earlier.



Her aide assisted and they went to Cambodia and assisted her flying from there, said the source, who asked not to be identified and declined to name her final destination.



The Bangkok Post also quoted sources on Saturday as saying that Yingluck had first traveled to Cambodias capital Phnom Penh where she received assistance from various powerful figures in the country before flying to Dubai, possibly via Singapore.



Yinglucks older brother, Thailands former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is believed to have been living in exile in Dubai for years after a military coup removed him from office in 2006.



In response to the reports, Cambodias Ministry of Interior spokesperson Khieu Sopheak told RFAs Khmer Service Saturday that Yingluck had not entered the country.



Our country is not a place for such fugitives to seek refuge, he said.



We would enforce the law if an arrest warrant has been issued by the court for her.



Khieu Sopheak went on to say that Cambodia has no extradition treaty with Thailand, although the two countries signed one in Bangkok on May 6, 1998.



On Sunday, Cambodias Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith posted the comment Yingluck didnt use Cambodia to escape on his Facebook page, attributing it to the countrys Prime Minister Hun Sen.



The Phnom Penh Post quoted Chhay Buna, who is in charge of border checkpoints, on Sunday dismissing reports that Yingluck had entered Cambodia as a rumor, and not true, adding that no one had seen her do so.



The paper also cited a spokesman for the Ministry of Interiors Immigration Department, Lieutenant General Kerm Sarin, as saying there was no report in the system of Yingluck having departed to Singapore from Cambodia, or of her being issued a Cambodian passport, referring to another claim in the Bangkok Post report.



Reports over the weekend suggested that some state officials in Thailand were complicit in Yinglucks escape and may have facilitated her travel to Cambodiathe timing of which remains unclear.



Yingluck failed to appear in court Friday to hear the final judgement in her rice scheme trial, and her lawyer Norawit Lalaeng told Chief Judge Cheep Chulamon that she had Meniere's diseasewhich causes vertigo and ringing in the earsand could not attend for the verdict.



Cheep said at the hearing that the court did not believe Yingluck was too sick to appear and issued a warrant for her arrest.



Before issuing the warrant, the court ordered two of Yinglucks former commerce ministers to serve prison terms for their roles in the rice scheme. Boonsong Teriyapirom and Poom Saraphol were sentenced to 42 and 36 years in prison, respectively, for falsifying deals with China in 2013.



Yingluck has not been charged with corruption, but a conviction for negligence in the bungled scheme carries up to 10 years in prison and a life ban from politics.



Rice scheme



Yingluck, 50, made history in 2011 when she became the nations first female leader on a wave of popular support. The criminal charges stemmed from her administrations scheme to buy entire rice crops at prices well above the market rate.



In a bid to influence the world rice market, she encouraged rice farmers to store their crops in government silos and gave advance payments of 15,000 baht (U.S. $450) per ton. At the time, rice sold for 9,000 baht (U.S. $270) per ton.



The program, riddled with graft, failed as the global rice market tanked. Officials appraised the loss at 178 billion baht (U.S. $5.3 billion), from 2012 to 2014, when the government was left with warehouses full of overpriced crop that eventually rotted in silos.



Yinglucks popularity grew among the nations 23 million farmers, a group representing more than half of the nations voting population. But worldwide prices never reached the advance price.



In May 2014, Yinglucks term as prime minister abruptly ended when the constitutional court forced her to step down after finding her guilty of abusing power. During the same month, members of the Royal Thai Armed Forces launched a coup detat, the 12th since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932.



In September 2016, the Comptroller General ordered Yingluck to repay 35.7 billion baht (U.S. $1 billion) from a civil case related to the rice scheme. Last month, authorities froze 12 of her bank accounts.



Yingluck, whose net worth is about U.S. $17 million (565 million baht), said the case against her is politically motivated. In court earlier this month, she proclaimed her innocence and begged the judges to not let politics or Thailands junta sway their ruling.



I did not do anything wrong, Yingluck told the court. As an upcountry woman who saw farmersthe backbone of the nationliving in horrible conditions, I tried to help them out.



Reported by RFAs Khmer Service and BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Myanmar's State Counselor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi (second from L) meets Pope Francis (R) during a private audience at the Vatican, May 4, 2017.

Pope Francis will visit Myanmar and Bangladesh in late November, the Vatican confirmed on Monday, amid growing concern about the treatment of Myanmar's persecuted and stateless Rohingya Muslims, thousands of whom have fled to neighboring Bangladesh amid a new wave of violence in northern Rakhine state.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church will visit Myanmars commercial capital Yangon and the administrative capital Naypyidaw on Nov. 27-30, then travel to Bangladeshs capital Dhaka on Nov. 30-Dec. 2, the Vatican said.

The program for the visit will be published shortly, the Vaticans statement said, but gave no other information.

Pope Francis has expressed concern about the plight of Myanmars 1.1 million Rohingya who live mainly in the countrys restive western Rakhine state. The government considers them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has denied them citizenship and access to basic services, though many have lived there for generations.

About 120,000 Rohingya live in internally displaced persons camps around Rahines capital Sittwe after having being forced out of their homes by deadly communal violence with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in 2012.

After praying with pilgrims in St. Peters Square on Sunday, Pope Francis said he was saddened by the news of the persecution of a religious minority, our Rohingya brothers and sisters, Catholic News Service reported.

I would like to express my full closeness to [the Rohingya], the pope was quoted as saying. Let us ask the Lord to save them, and to raise up men and women of goodwill to help them, that they may be given full rights.

Rev. Soe Naing, director of social affairs at the Myanmar Catholic Federation, told RFAs Myanmar Service that the pope is visiting Myanmar as a show of support for the countrys state counselor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

"The Pope makes international trips every year, he said. This year he has invitations from 40 or 50 countries, and from among them he chose to visit Myanmar. I understand he wants to give support to Daw [honorific] Aung San Suu Kyis endeavors to develop the country.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who also is Myanmar's tate counselor and foreign affairs minister, met Pope Francis during a private audience at the Vatican on May 4, marking the formal establishment of full diplomatic relations between the two countries.

There are nearly 700,000 Catholics among Buddhist-dominated Myanmars population of 53 million.

Roughly 90,000 Rohingya are estimated to have fled to Bangladesh during a crackdown by Myanmar security forces in the northern part of Rakhine state following deadly attacks on three border guard posts in October 2016.

Some Rohingya accused security forces of committing atrocities against them, including killings, rape, torture, and arson, during the so-called security operations. The Myanmar government has denied most of the allegations.

More than 3,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since Aug. 25-26, fearing new atrocities in the aftermath of attacks by Muslim insurgents on 30 police outposts that left more than 100 dead, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army has claimed responsibility for both the October 2016 and last weeks violence.

The Myanmar government has sent army troops into the restive townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung of northern Rakhine, where both attacks occurred.

Flood victims in Bangladesh

During Sundays prayers in St. Peters Square, Pope Francis also prayed for the victims of devastating floods caused by monsoon rains that have killed hundreds and displaced millions in Bangladesh, Nepal, and India, Catholic News Service reported.

I express my closeness to all the affected populations and I pray for the victims and for all who suffer due to this calamity, the pope was quoted as saying.

Neither the government in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which is grappling with religious and ethnic turmoil in Rakhine state, nor the government of Muslim-majority Bangladesh, has issued a response to the pontiffs travel plans.

UCA News, a Catholic news service that covers Asia, broke the story about the popes plans to visit Myanmar on Aug. 7, saying that the main reason for his stop in the Southeast Asian country was to try to improve the situation of the persecuted Rohingya.

Myanmar President Htin Kyaw had invited Pope Francis for his first-ever papal visit to the country, the report said.

Reported by RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khin Maung Nyane. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Tibetan monks and nuns at Sichuans Larung Gar Buddhist Academy say the appointment of ruling Chinese Communist Party members to key positions at the institute will severely impact one of the worlds largest and most important centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism.



The Aug. 20 announcement that six Party members, all of them Tibetan, will now manage the day-to-day affairs of the Buddhist study center, already reeling from the destruction by authorities of thousands of monastic dwellings and expulsion of monks and nuns, has demoralized many of those left behind, a local source told RFAs Tibetan Service.



[Larung Gars] monks and nuns are really worried, and do not want to see government officials appointed to this Buddhist institution, RFAs source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.



So far, this institution has flourished under the guidance and instruction of learned Buddhist teachers and lamas, the source said. Our future study of Buddhism is now sure to face major obstacles once lay government officials begin running its affairs.



It is useless to express our pain and agony at this constant interference, though, he said.



Many thousands of Tibetans and Han Chinese once studied at Larung Gar Academy in Sichuans Serthar (in Chinese, Seda) county, making it one the worlds largest and most important centers for the study of Tibetan Buddhism.



At the end of June, a senior abbot at the center said that Chinese authorities had destroyed 4,725 monastic dwellings over the course of a year at the complex, with a total of more than 7,000 demolished since efforts to reduce the number of monks and nuns living at the sprawling center began in 2001.



More than 4,825 monks and nuns have also been expelled since 2016, the abbot said, with many forced back to their hometowns and deprived of opportunities to pursue religious studies.



Meanwhile, authorities in Sichuan have begun demolishing 2,000 residences of Tibetan clergy at the Yachen Gar Buddhist Center in Palyul county and are set to expel an equal number of monks and nuns from the complex by the end of the year, Tibetan sources told RFA in an earlier report.



The move by authorities in Sichuans Kardze (in Chinese, Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to appoint six Party membersfive men and one womanto administer Larung Gar will now further undermine the influence and authority of the study centers own abbots, the India-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy said last week.



Clearly [they] will be made subservient to the whims and fancies of the Chinese Communist Party members, TCHRD said.



Reported by Kunsang Tenzin for RFAs Tibetan Service. Translated by Karma Dorjee. Written in English by Richard Finney.




Biggs Ltd., an upscale gift and home decor store, has downsized and moved to Stony Point Fashion Park.

The store vacated a space in the Parc Place shopping center, which is across the Short Pump Town Center ring road from Dillards, in late July and reopened this month in Stony Point mall.

The stores space at Stony Point is 3,400 square feet, compared with 6,800 square feet at the companys previous location.

Our needs had changed from our last store, said Donna Biggs, who is buyer for the business founded 34 years ago by her father, Don Biggs, president of the company and still very active in the stores day-to-day operations.

Weve really grown and changed so much over the years. That was 12 years ago, and we carried lots of sculpture. We dont do as much of that now, she said.

Don Biggs sons Jim Biggs and John Biggs also are involved in the business. Jim Biggs is the store manager, and John Biggs oversees information technology.

The store carries a wide range of gift and decor brands such as MacKenzie-Childs, Michael Aram, Kinzig and Lladro. Items for sale include jewelry, figurines, kitchen wear, handbags, lamps, small sculptures, picture frames and more.

We are bringing a lot of brands into the Richmond area that people have never seen before, Donna Biggs said.

We definitely dont want to be the store you walk into and say, Oh, Ive seen this in stores all over the place. We want to be that store where you say, That is so different.

Biggs Ltd. was at Willow Lawn from 1991 to 1997 and at Virginia Center Commons from 1998 to 2005 before moving to the Short Pump location, where it was for 13 years, Donna Biggs said.

Biggs is located near Restoration Hardware store in Stony Point.

Juice bar expanding into Chesterfield

Though less than a year old, North End Juice Co. at 718 N. Cleveland St. in the Museum District is planning to open a second juice bar in Chesterfield County in October.

The new shop will be at 9111 Midlothian Turnpike in the Shops at the Arboretum.

The new location will be 1,300 square feet and have space for indoor dining unlike the store on Cleveland Street, which opened last fall and has walk-up counter service only.

We have a lot of customers who travel from South Side, said North End Juice Co. owner Channing Miller.

The menu will be a little different ... because the kitchen is bigger. The idea is to try to create the same juice bar but with a little bit expanded menu, he said.

Miller said he also has opened an ice cream shop next door to the Cleveland Street location.

Miller said the inspiration for his businesses came from his mother, Debra Miller, who has operated a bakery, Incredible Edibles Bakery, in Virginia Beach, for 30 years.

Leasing at The Shops at the Arboretum is being handled by CBRE|Richmond and CBRE|Hampton Roads. Robby Brownfield of CBRE|Richmond and Ned Brooks and Tyler Brooks of CBRE|Hampton are the primary leasing agents.

Ukrops Homestyle Foods dotting grocery landscape

Ukrops Homestyle Foods CEO Robert S. Bobby Ukrop is probably feeling that its nice to be so wanted.

Now that Ukrops Homestyle Foods are available at Kroger, Publix and Wegmans grocery stores and at least one Food Lion (in Ashland), customers have more places to get Ukrops items such as Mrs. Marshalls Potato Salad, buffalo style chicken dip and those famous White House Rolls. The rolls also are available at BJs Wholesale, Aldi, The Fresh Market and Libbie Market.

Kroger, however, wants customers to know it carries more Ukrops Homestyle Foods products than any of the other stores.

Based on a chart compiled by Ukrops Homestyle Foods, Kroger is noting that is has more Ukrops Homestyle Foods products than any of its competitors.

We heard how important and personal the Ukrops brand is to our Richmond customers, so we found a way to make sure those items were still able to make it to everyones table, said Allison McGee, spokesperson for Kroger Mid-Atlantic.

According to Kroger, the five most popular Ukrops items in Richmond-area Kroger stores are rainbow cookies, White House Rolls, Ukrops chicken salad, Ukrops green salad and Ukrops decorated cakes.

Local businesses help with back-to-school supplies

With the start of the school year just days away for public school students in the area, some local businesses are helping with school supplies.

Wireless Zone Richmond at 8191 Brook Road near East Parham Road in Henrico County, has given away hundreds of backpacks filled with school supplies.

Dennis Asuman, owner of the Wireless Zone franchise on Brook Road, said he has given away a total of 415 book bags. Most were given away at an event on July 23 at the store. They ran out of bags during that event, Asuman said. Anyone who didnt get one had to come back on Aug. 20 to pick up one.

The giveaway is part of a national effort held at Wireless Zone stores across the country. Participation by franchises was not compulsory, Asuman said.

I believe that the children we see now, they are the leaders of tomorrow. They need help. I thought this is a little token I can do in their lives, Asuman said.

When the community supports you, you must support the community, Asuman said.

Lief Anne Stiles, another local business owner, is collecting school supplies at her childrens wear boutique called 1z2z3z at 5270 Patterson Ave.

Stiles intends to deliver the items on Sept. 5 to a school near her store.
New position: Manager of the Public Guardian program at Senior Connections, The Capital Area Agency on Aging; oversees administration of the Public Guardian program, which provides decision-making services for program participants.

Previous position: mens emergency shelter program manager, Home Again

Birthplace: Long Island, N.Y.

Education: bachelors degree, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2014

Career: Program manager, Home Again, July 2015-April 2017; policy associate, Virginia Housing Alliance, August 2016-December 2016; Rapid Rehousing case manager, Home Again, April 2015-July 2015; support staff, Home Again, Richmond, VA November 2014-April 2015; bank teller, Wells Fargo, November 2011-April 2015

Best career move: Applying for and accepting a leadership role at Home Again in the spring of 2015. By taking a leap of faith and believing in myself, this has opened up doors for me that would have remained closed otherwise.

Career goals: Holding leadership roles in housing related programs for government or nonprofit, in order to help people with diverse backgrounds have affordable, stable, and quality housing and supports.

The best advice he ever received: Go for it without hesitation and believe in yourself.

The most difficult situation faced on the job: While at Home Again, I experienced the greatest test of my professionalism, emotional intelligence, and conflict resolution skills. During a routine meeting with shelter residents, one of the residents who had a history of untreated mental health challenges was acting aggressively. What I remember most about this situation is that if I had not made a quick objective decision focused on safety and utilized my conflict resolution skills, who knows where this situation would have ended.

Career tips for students: Do as many extracurricular activities in your program or school as possible. Volunteer for school events, do internships, and volunteer somewhere that interests you. Maintain good relationships with all supervisors/managers and peers.

What motivates him? I am motivated by life, my natural curiosity of the world around me, and by the success of those around me.

Family: My family moved here from Maryland County, Liberia, Africa. I still have cousins, aunts, and uncles there. I also have family in Philadelphia, New York, and here in Richmond. Also I am married, and we celebrated our two-year anniversary July 4, 2017.

Past times: When I am not at work, I spend time with my significant other. I play action horror, fighting, role playing, and adventure video games. I love watching movies and supernatural/fantasy drama television shows.

The most memorable movie: Crash.

Favorite food or restaurant: This is hard, I just love food. But an instant weakness is banana pudding.
Back in May, the increasingly bustling Port of Virginia marked a milestone when the COSCO Development pulled in, then the largest container ship to ever call the port and the East Coast.

Since then, vessels even larger than the Development, which can carry the equivalent of 13,092 twenty-foot containers, have been a regular feature at the port. And on Monday, the CMA CGM Theodore Roosevelt set a new bar for big ships, docking its 1,200-foot-long bulk at the Virginia International Gateway in Portsmouth.

The ship, which can carry the equivalent of 14,400 twenty-foot containers, is the biggest ship to ever call on the East Coast and made its way to Virginia from the Panama Canal. France-based CMA CGM is part of the Ocean Alliance, a group of ocean carriers that agree to contribute ships and share space. The Theodore Roosevelt is part of the alliances South Atlantic Express Service, a weekly service between Asia and the U.S. East Coast. The Port of Virginia is the first stop on the service.

This is a notable step-up in size. In Virginia, the big-ship era started in May and we continue to see larger and larger vessels, said John F. Reinhart, CEO and executive director of the Virginia Port Authority in a statement. Its ships like this and those to follow that are driving our expansion, he said.

The port is spending $670 million to expand the Virginia International Gateway and Norfolk International Terminals to handle the ever-bigger ships and cargo loads.

Last week, the port ordered four new ship-to-shore cranes, which will be the largest ever delivered to the East Coast, Reinhart said. The cranes, which can reach across a vessel that is 26 containers wide, are expected in April 2019.

We anticipated needing this capacity for the ships that will be coming to Virginia 10 years from now. When that day comes, the Port of Virginia will be ready, said Virginia Port Authority Board Chairman John G. Milliken.
Richmond police are looking for two men who may have information about an aggravated assault of a local television journalist during a march earlier this month in the Fan District.

The assault occurred Aug. 13, following a violent weekend in Charlottesville, when, around 10:25 p.m., hundreds of people marched from the Abner Clay Park westward on West Broad Street.

As the group arrived around the 1600 block of West Broad Street, two people got into verbal confrontation, police said in a statement.

During the exchange, a man, described as white with dark hair, dark facial hair and slim build, struck the victim with an unknown object.

Police wouldnt confirm whether the victim worked for a local television station, but CBS 6 reported it was their photographer who was hit in the back of the head with some type of blunt object. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and received four staples in his skull.

The march continued toward Allen Street. The group was shouting support for removing Confederate statues in Richmond, and against the KKK and police.

Police want to speak to two people who were closeby when the man struck the reporter and may have additional information. The reporter was not working at the time but was filming using his cellphone.

Detectives ask anyone with any information about the identity of the suspect to call Major Crimes Det. M. Smith at (804) 646-0744 or contact Crime Stoppers at (804) 780-1000, online at www.7801000.com or by texting Crime Stoppers at 274637, using the keyword ITip followed by your tip.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  The Charlottesville City Council will meet in a closed-session meeting at 2 p.m. Wednesday to discuss the performance and discipline of an elected official.

A source in City Hall said Monday that the councilors requested that the mayor call the meeting.

Several hours after the council met in a closed-session last Thursday, a confidential nine-page document was leaked. In response to questions about the memo, members of the council confirmed that they requested City Manager Maurice Jones explain why a number of critical issues related to the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally had not been addressed.

On Saturday, responding to questions about the leaked document, Jones released a point-by-point rebuttal of nearly all the assertions about his handling of communications, public safety oversight and planning ahead of the rally.

In his response, Jones claimed Mayor Mike Signer threatened to fire him and Police Chief Al Thomas twice during the height of the crisis on Aug. 12.

Signer, who authored the memo with the input of every councilor but Bob Fenwick, has said he was saddened that Jones disclosed more information about what was discussed in last weeks confidential meeting.

Neither Jones nor Thomas is an elected official.

In an interview Sunday, Signer refused to say whether he was satisfied by the answers Jones provided in the Thursday session. Signer then said the full story about what happened in the meeting has not yet been reported.

The unexpected disclosure of confidential material has left some councilors questioning whether it was done by a fellow councilor.

Many have questioned why police officers did not intervene in the street fighting that took place throughout the city that day, resulting in conspiracy theories that claim the mayor, the city manager or the governor ordered police to stand down.

Some in the community have questioned whether whoever leaked the memo did so to shift responsibility for what happened on Aug. 12 to the city managers office.

According to city code, the City Council by a majority vote can decide to levy a fine against a councilor for no more than $300 for disorderly conduct.

With a two-thirds vote, the council can decide to expel a councilor for malfeasance or misfeasance in office.
People taking Jervis Hairstons black history tour of downtown Fredericksburg have been known to weep when he stops in front of the slave auction block and tells them that human beings were sold at that corner of William and Charles streets.

The tour, which he gives on request, talks about John Duncan, captain of the Othello, who landed at the riverfront in 1771 with a cargo of slaves he hoped to sell, and about how blacks were kept in slave pens along the riverfront until they were auctioned off at various places around town.

Hairston includes other struggles and accomplishments of the citys black community as well, but said that its the chipped, knee-high sandstone block with a step cut into one side that evokes the most sadness and pain of any of the stops on the tour.

Its the place where people are the quietest, said Hairston. You can hear a pin drop. They weep and they cry.

One woman in her 30s became so distraught that he never forgot her reaction, even though it happened about 15 or 20 years ago. He said that she was probably remembering what her parents and grandparents had gone through.

I felt guilty about telling her how families were separated forever, because there was likely no deference given to selling families intact, Hairston said. Especially if they saw that you had run away or been the cause of some problems, you could end up on a plantation in the South and never see your family again.

Over the years, there have been efforts to have this painful reminder of the past removed.

The latest can be traced to a candlelit prayer vigil Sunday evening that started at the auction block and included a prayer by the Rev. Hashmel Turner to have for God to heal our land and to lead city officials to remove the auction block, calling it an obstacle that brings remembrance of so much heartache, so much suffering and so much pain.

Three people asked City Council to consider removing it during the public comment portion of the councils meeting Tuesday, and a change.org petition calling for its immediate removal has gotten 2,462 signatures from across the country as of Friday, according to the website. The petition, in part says:

Today, the auction block serves only to represent oppression and racism. We, as a modern society, have had enough of this stone symbol of bigotry; let us have it removed from our beautiful downtown neighborhood. Display it in a museum if you wish, but this vile monument does not belong on a public streetcorner as a constant reminder of the hatred that once filled this town, state, and nation which we call our home.

A NEED TO FEEL SHOCK

Yet there are others who feel that the artifact should remain in its original context.

City Councilman Matt Kelly said at Tuesdays meeting that the auction block helps people understand what humans are capable of doing to other humans and instills in them the desire never to do that again.

We need to sometimes feel shock, pain and remorse to know how far weve come, what has been done, what has been sacrificed, he said.

Mayor Mary Katherine Greenlaw pointed out that the auction block serves as the start of a mini-history lesson in three city blocks.

Near the corner of William and Princess Anne Street is Jubilation, a sculpture celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. It was designed by a James Monroe High School graduate and sits next to the Fredericksburg Area Museum. The next block has signage about Fredericksburgs role in the Civil Rights movement and a sit-in at the lunch counter of the former Woolworths and two other national chains.

People who weighed in on informal poll on The Free LanceStars website, fredericksburg.com, were overwhelmingly in favor of keeping the auction block where it is. In answer to the question, Should the slave auction block be moved to a museum? As of Friday afternoon, 425 readers had voted no; 137 had voted yes.

Hairston said that hes torn about what should be done.

Theres probably some benefit of having these types of places so that people can hear the story, understand the story and never repeat the story, but its just as important if you can remove pain and sadness by placing it in a museum, he said. I think you ought to do that as well. We can still tell the story and describe it in detail, but it evokes the most sadness and pain, and Ive seen it for 20 years.

City Councilman Chuck Frye Jr., who has deep roots in the community, has heard stories about the auction block from his parents and grandparents. He asked City Council at its meeting Tuesday if he, Greenlaw and City Manager Tim Baroody could meet to discuss the next steps about the publics concerns and report back at the Sept. 26 City Council meeting.

One good thing is we got a great group of council members, Hairston said. I think they are all about fairness, and that is a good thing. Its not a council that will not listen to every side and take it into consideration and come up with the right thing to do.

The Rev. Lawrence A. Davies, Fredericksburgs first black mayor, said that he cant remember how many times the issue of what to do about the auction block has come up. He said that he wanted to reserve comment until after hearing what others have to say whenever City Council holds a public forum on the issue.

I want to hear the different facets of the problem, he said. There may be some things people have considered that Im not privy to.

Charlyne JacksonFields, president of the Fredericksburg chapter of the NAACP, said that her organization is discussing the matter but hasnt taken a position on it yet.

HISTORY OF CONTROVERSY

John Hennessy, chief historian and chief on interpretation at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, has written extensively about the auction block in his Fredericksburg Remembered blog. Over the years, he and others have found nine documented sales of slaves in front of Planters Hotel between 1850 and 1862. The most vivid is a photograph of former slave George Washington Triplett, who is said to be the last slave sold on the block in 1862.

Hennessy said that after he moved to Fredericksburg in 1995, hed hear occasional rumblings from people who said that slaves werent auctioned off on the stone block.

I had assumed this was a modern manifestation of discomfort with an undeniably uncomfortable bit of historyhistory that seemed to me based on a solid documentary and oral history of the block as a site of slave auctions, he wrote in his Fredericksburg Remembered. I have come to discover, though, that not only has the history of the block been disputed in Fredericksburg for nearly a century, but at times the wisdom of its continued existence has been questioned.

In 1924, the local Chamber of Commerce petitioned City Council to remove the auction block, according to his research. It said that it had been used by ladies as a base for mounting horses, and that telling tourists that it was a place where slaves were sold may serve somewhat to keep alive the sectional feeling which has long ago since disappeared.

A few days later, Confederate veteran and local historian John Tackett Goolrick threw his support behind the chambers request, saying claims that the block was used as a slave block were flagrantly false, and that the stone be should be broken up and carried away, Hennessy wrote in his blog.

That prompted local auctioneer N.B. Kinsey, whose shop was almost directly across the street from the auction block, to march into the offices of the Fredericksburg Daily Star a few days later armed with a newspaper clipping of an ad for the sale of slaves in front of the Planters Hotel. That building, which today houses Olde Towne Butcher, is next to the auction block and is said to have had a holding pen for slaves who were to be auctioned.

The ad, which Hennessy wrote most likely ran in the Christian Banner, was dated Oct. 14, 1857, and said seven young and valuable slaves would be sold for the high dollar by Thos. B. Barton and John M. Herndon, commissioners.

Kinseys counter-assault apparently had the desired effect, Hennessy wrote. Council never acted on the demand by Goolrick and the Chamber of Commerce that the stone block be broken up and hauled away. The matter vanished from public notice.

As for this latest push to remove the auction block, Hennessy said that the community should decide its future.

A VISCERAL CONNECTION

Time has not always been kind to the controversial piece of sandstone. It bears scars where its been backed into by trucks and hacked by vandals. In 1984, thieves pried off its bronze marker, which opened up debate over its history once again.

Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc. agreed to replace the citys marker with added text. Barbara Willis, then head of the foundations History and Research Committee, said that the block had served as a carriage-mounting block for the old Planters Hotel, and that many things besides slaves had been auctioned at that corner. The replacement plaque identifies the stone block as Fredericksburgs Principal Auction Site in Pre-Civil War Days for Slaves and Property.

Scott Walker, the current president of HFFIs board of directors and owner of Hallowed Ground Tours, said that he uses the auction block as a teachable moment when hes giving his companys Bricks and Boards in the Burg tours. He tells them that slaves were sold on that corner, and then takes them to see the Jubilation statue to talk about Emancipation and to the historic Renwick Building because it was once the site of the local Freedmens Bureau.

The reaction he gets to the auction block depends largely on where people in the group are from. Those from the Midwest and California are generally amazed, probably because slavery isnt talked about much there, he said.

It does generate discussion, Walker said. People say, Youre kidding me. Here? Our downtown is so beautifuland then theres that. Thats a harsh reality.

He said that he knows the community has to have a discussion about the auction block, but hes not in favor of removing it.

Its my background, he said. I use it as a teaching tool.

Timothy P. Konhaus, a history professor and dual enrollment coordinator at Germanna Community College, said that while some people find it too painful to even walk past the auction block, others want to touch it to make a visceral connection to their ancestors. Its one reason why they visit the slave processing centers at Isle de Gore in Senegal or Elmina Castle in Ghana, where they can walk in the footsteps of those Africans kidnapped and shipped to the Americas.

They draw literally thousands. Theyre going because they want to have that connection, he said. I have to see this. I have to feel this. I have to know. I dont know that I would ever want to take that away, but for others its very hurtful and we tend to overlook that all too often.

Konhaus said that if the slave auction block is moved, the community will still need to have a conversation about slavery.

Its a difficult conversation to have, he said.

The auction block plaque is one of about 300 monuments, plaques and other historical markers in the city. A little more than half interpret the Battle of Fredericksburg or memorialize Union or Confederate soldiers, according to the findings of Stephen Hanna.

The University of Mary Washington geography professor worked with two UMW students to map, photograph and transcribe them to create a database. Whats largely missing, he said, are mentions of slavery, a prime cause of the war, and emancipation, which was one of its results.

Hanna and Fariss Hodder found only 16 that mentioned slavery or named any enslaved individuals in 2014, but the professor and Eli McCleary found 20 new historical markers and context changes on 24 existing markers when they were updating the database last year. At least four made reference to slavery or emancipation.

White Americans need a reminder of this history, Hanna said. We cant ask black Americans to suffer because we dont remember. Thats why, if AfricanAmerican residents feel united that theres no way they can see the auction block continue as a hurtful marginalization, then I cant ask them to keep it.

He said whats needed is a way to strike a balance between the feelings of those who are hurt the most by the auction block and the need to help people remember this part of history. An interpretive sign placed at the site, for example, could include the ads offering slaves for sale so people can understand how it was a part of Fredericksburgs history and economy, as well as oral history of those who were sold there.

The city and the Fredericksburg Economic Development Authority have made an effort to include more of the black communitys history in the 50- plus interpretive panels around the city. They partnered in 2015 to redo some of the old interpretive panels to give a more balanced presentation of the citys history. There are now 15 panels that include the African American experience, compared with five in the past.

Mike Middleton, a co-owner of the former Poppy Hill Tuscan Kitchen, said that hed like to see more signs about the auction block. Its next to the space where Poppy Hill was located, and he said that he probably talked to 200 people about it over the years.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Authorities in Georgia say a man charged in connection with the beating of a black man during violent clashes in Charlottesville the day of a white nationalist rally has been arrested.

A spokesman for the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday 33-year-old Alex Michael Ramos turned himself in Monday evening.

Ramos faces one count of malicious wounding in the attack on DeAndre Harris, which was captured in photos and video that went viral. The attack by a group of men left him with a broken wrist and head wound.

Spokesman Sgt. Lawson Bittick says Ramos will have an extradition hearing Tuesday. He didn't know if Ramos, an unemployed construction worker, has an attorney.

In an interview with WGCL, Ramos said he's not a white nationalist. He called the incident "a defensive attack."

Previous story:

Two men have been charged, with one arrested, in the brutal Aug. 12 beating of a black man in a Charlottesville parking deck. But at least four other men were involved in the attack and the victims lawyer said hes disappointed the police havent identified and arrested more of them.

Outside of the one arrest, no other person involved in the attack has been brought into custody and law enforcement has failed to identify any suspect not independently identified by journalist Shaun King two weeks prior, according to a Sunday news release from Philadelphia attorney S. Lee Merritt, representing DeAndre Harris, 20.

With information including affiliated organizations, clear photographs and recordings, it is disappointing that the combined efforts of federal and local agencies have failed to lead to either the identification or arrest of additional suspects.

Harris, an instructional assistant at an elementary school in Charlottesville, attended the Unite the Right rally as an anti-racist protester, according to his attorneys news release.

After a white supremacist fired a gun toward anti-racist protesters and law enforcement declared an unlawful assembly, police redirected a crowd of white supremacists toward anti-racist protesters, including Harris, the release said.

As the groups continued to jeer at each other, a member of Mr. Harris group, Cory Long, began feuding with a supremacist over a Confederate flag, the release said. DeAndre intervened just as the white supremacist attempted to spear Long with the flags pole and several militant supremacists began to charge in their direction.

Harris retreated into the parking garage near a Charlottesville police precinct and was knocked to the ground by a man with a shield bearing the logo of the white supremacist group American Vanguard, the same group associated with a fatal motorist attack of anti-protesters a few hours later, the news release said.

The group of white men then beat Harris with blunt objects. He needed staples for a head wound and suffered a concussion, a wrist fracture, a tooth fracture and other injuries, according to the release.

Charlottesville police on Thursday charged Daniel Patrick Borden, 18, with malicious wounding, a felony. He was arrested Friday in Ohio and was being held at the Hamilton County Justice Center in Cincinnati, according to a news release from Charlottesville police.(tncms-asset)7dd215fc-8c23-11e7-9d25-00163ec2aa770 (/tncms-asset)

Police also charged Alex Michael Ramos, 33, with malicious wounding. His last known residence was Marietta, Ga., according to the Associated Press.

King, the New York-based journalist who has been publishing video and photos of the assault on social media in hopes of identifying the suspects, tweeted on Sunday: Strange as it sounds, police have openly told (Merritt) and I both that they are basically waiting on me to identify the remaining suspects.

Lt. Thomas McKean of the Charlottesville police declined to comment.

The release from Merritt also says a lawsuit is planned.

In an interview, Merritt addressed questions on social media over a video clip of Harris swinging a flashlight at another man. That was the situation in which Harris friend was about to be speared with the flag pole, Merritt said.

It appears to me that he missed, Merritt said of Harris. Either way its defensive at best. ...It in no way represents an assault.

A spokesman for Gov. Terry McAuliffe said last week that the governor had seen the video of the beating and wanted arrests and prosecutions in the case.
I saw someone wearing all black walk up to a student wearing a suit and say, You look like a Nazi. The student was confused, but before he could reply, the black-clad person pepper-sprayed him and hit him on the back with a rod.

The description of that incident appears in a New York Times piece titled, How Violence Undermined the Berkeley Protest. But the piece was not written about the Berkeley event this past weekend  when masked Antifa thugs waded into a crowd and began attacking people who had been demonstrating peacefully. The passage was written this past winter, about demonstrations against the scheduled appearance of Milo Yiannopoulos, a right-wing provocateur.

Berkeley has not been the only scene of left-wing violence. In Boston, black-garbed goons threw rocks and bottles and assaulted police officers. In San Jose, they attacked people leaving a rally for Donald Trump. Leftist threats shut down a parade in Portland because it featured a Republican Party float. Germany has gone so far as to censor Antifa websites over violence at the G20 summit in Hamburg last month.

In Berkeley, where some right-wingers had gathered without a permit, the militants attacked Joey Gibson, head of the Patriot Prayer group, who had cancelled a rally Friday in San Francisco precisely to avoid the possibility of violence. Gibsons offense, apparently, was holding point of view of which the masked goons disapproved.

None of these incidents resembled the riots in Charlottesville, where Nazis and white supremacists showed up armed and ready for battle and then brawled with opponents in the streets. Rather, in each case the thugs in black have disrupted sometimes tense, but nevertheless peaceful, events. Black-clad antifa attack peaceful right wing demonstrators in Berkeley, is how The Washington Post summarized the latest episode.

There is absolutely no excuse for such violent aggression.

After Charlottesville, political leaders of every stripe vigorously condemned the cretins of the alt-right. And they certainly should have: White supremacy and related ideologies are completely antithetical to Americas animating principles. Moreover, their adherents slogans, emblems, and promotional materials display an ethos that is overtly fascist. That is alarming.

It is hard to pin down exactly what Antifa activists believe, beyond their animosity toward the right side of the political spectrum. But their violent tactics have received some praise from the left, such as when a writer for The Nation praised the kinetic beauty of seeing neo-Nazi Richard Spencer getting punched in the face on Inauguration Day  a moment that was set to music multiple times on social media.
A coastal storm will bring excessive rain and gale-force winds to the beaches of North Carolina and Virginia on Tuesday, but the worst conditions will stay well to the east of Richmond.

Coastal Virginia may experience some 50 mph gusts, rough waves and minor coastal flooding on Tuesday afternoon as the storm makes its closest approach.

For Richmond, the effects will be limited to some periods of moderate rain through the day on Tuesday.

The National Hurricane Center is monitoring the system for any signs of organizing into a tropical storm  if so, it would get the name Irma.

Whether its classified as tropical or not, the system will still affect the Outer Banks and the Tidewater region of Virginia like a fast-moving Noreaster.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for the North Carolina coast from Surf City to Duck, including the Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound.

Gale warnings were posted for all of the coastal waters of Virginia and Delmarva, including the Chesapeake Bay.

On Monday afternoon, the low was centered near Charleston, S.C., and embedded in a stationary front that parallels the Carolina coastline.

An Air Force reconnaissance flight did not find a well-defined structure , so the official designation remained Potential Tropical Cyclone Ten.

Its thunderstorms and embedded winds will continue to move northeast on Tuesday, right over the North Carolina shoreline.

The center of the low will be positioned around Cape Hatteras by early afternoon, then about 100 to 150 miles east of Virginia Beach by the early evening.

The Atlantic Ocean is warm enough to allow this low to strengthen into a tropical storm, but it may not spend enough time directly over the water to do so.

An upper-level trough moving east across the Midwestern states will steer this low to the northeast, so theres no danger of it moving straight toward Richmond or stalling in one place.

The storm will accelerate to the northeast on Wednesday and Thursday and track a few hundred miles east of New England and the Canadian Maritime provinces.

Rainfall

For the Richmond area and surrounding counties, rain showers will be on-and-off through Tuesday morning and afternoon, then clear out by the evening.

The heaviest totals from this storm will be kept well to the east of Richmond, toward northeast North Carolina and Hampton Roads.

There, totals could range from 2 to 6 inches depending on the exact strength, speed and motion of the storm.

Richmond is more likely to have some modest rain amounts on the order of 1 inch, or possibly a half-inch if the storm underperforms.

If the showers end up being heavier or more prolonged, Richmond could end up with 1.5 or 2 inches of rain on Tuesday.

Otherwise, expect an overcast sky with mild temperatures nearly steady in the upper 60s and lower 70s.

Quiet and dry weather will return on Wednesday.

Wind and waves

Wind will sweep around the developing storm on Tuesday, but this far inland it will not be disruptive.

Richmond can expect a steady breeze from the northeast on Tuesday with some gusts to 20 or 25 mph.

Along the immediate Atlantic coastline of Virginia, the gusts could be as high as 50 mph on Tuesday afternoon.

That could be strong enough to knock down branches or cause scattered power outages in the vicinity of the Chesapeake Bay and Eastern Shore.

This steady push of winds from the northeast will kick up 5- to 7-foot waves in the Chesapeake Bay and raise water levels around the peninsulas and lower James River.

The high tide on Tuesday afternoon is expected to bring moderate coastal flooding to such places as Sewells Point, Fort Monroe and Yorktown, with water about 2 to 3 feet higher than normal levels.

Waves are predicted to be 8 to 12 feet high on the Atlantic-facing beaches on Tuesday, and the risk of rip currents is high.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
DANVILLE  The nonprofit group Gods Pit Crew sent two tractor-trailers filled with supplies to Houston on Friday to help victims of Hurricane Harvey and flooding in Texas. But the drivers have wait outside the city because roads are flooded.

The two trucks we sent are staged about 50 miles outside of Houston, Gods Pit Crew founder and CEO Randy Johnson said Monday. Right now, the roads are impassable.

The drivers are safe, however.

Theyre in a hotel and  awaiting the call to go in, he said.

Founded by Johnson and his wife, Terri, in 1999, Gods Pit Crew is a nonprofit crisis response organization that delivers supplies to victims of such disasters as hurricanes, floods, fires and earthquakes. The group also provides items for local charitable organizations that help those in need.

Gods Pit Crew has responded to 94 disasters in 25 states and nine countries over the years and is headquartered on North Main Street in Danville in a facility that includes a 200,000-square-foot warehouse.

Both drivers left for Houston on Friday hoping to arrive before flooding began. However, they were about 100 miles short of the Texas city when calls from contacts there warned that flooding had already struck.

They just were not able to make it on time, Johnson said.

The two trucks are delivering about 60,000 to 70,000 pounds of relief supplies to two churches in Houston  Journey Church and Hope City Church.

Items include water, Gatorade, and ready-to-eat meals, as well as five-gallon Blessing Buckets containing hygiene products such as toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, soap and other items. The buckets also include food, flashlights with extra batteries, Bibles, a personal note letting recipients know someone is thinking of them and other items.

These buckets will give them ... those personal items theyve lost and left behind, Johnson said.

There were about 1,000 Blessing Buckets in the load. The organization distributes about 15,000 Blessing Buckets per year for disasters, he said.

Two truckloads of items are just the beginning of the help Gods Pit Crew plans to provide.

Well be collecting and preparing to send additional loads for weeks to come, Johnson said, adding that the groups efforts toward the disaster will last for months.

They plan to set up collection sites around Southside Virginia to collect donations.

Volunteers will be sent to Texas once the water recedes, Johnson said. The group has 349 volunteers.

This will be a long-term effort, he said. Gods Pit Crew wants to position itself to have those resources for those people in the long run.

Besides providing necessities, volunteers with Gods Pit Crew provide such help as cutting trees, clearing debris and gutting houses following disasters. They have also rebuilt houses and churches .

Other organizations in the Danville area are also playing their part in assisting victims.

The Danville Family YMCA is waiving its $50 joiner fee for nonmembers who donate a case of bottled of water.

The Y is working with Gods Pit Crew in the collection drive that begins at the Y on Tuesday and lasts through Sept. 12, said CEO Sarah Folmar.

This year and in past years in a crisis, weve done this promotion, she said. Its a way for people to commit to the Y and to commit to a healthy lifestyle, but theyre giving to our neighbors and our community.

Donated water will either be sent to Texas or will replenish the water Gods Pit Crew uses in other relief efforts, Folmar said.

At least two people from the Red Cross in the Danville and Martinsville areas have been sent to Texas, said Michelle McCormick, executive director of the Red Cross Blue Ridge chapter.
CHARLOTTESVILLE  Addressing point-by-point the allegations lobbed at him in a leaked confidential memo, City Manager Maurice Jones detailed his version of the events leading up to the Aug. 12 white nationalist Unite the Right rally in an email on Saturday.

Jones said Mayor Mike Signer threatened his job and that of Police Chief Al Thomas on two separate occasions.

The Mayor threatened my job and that of the police chief because of our concerns about allowing him to be part of the command center, Jones wrote. He said, You work for me, and I replied that I worked for the City Council. 

In Charlottesvilles form of government, the duties of government, including public safety operations, are implemented and overseen by the city manager.

In a text message, Signer responded to the city managers assertion: Mr. Jones does work for City Council-and for the citizens of Charlottesville. It saddens me that he would release confidential closed session material in a blame game.

This is a distraction from the two real issues: making sure we know the truth of everything that happened here, and making sure it never happens again. Thats what we should all be working on-together.

In his letter, Jones says no other councilors requested entrance into the command center. He says Signer was left out because operations were being conducted in a small space and with more people than was the case on July 8, when the Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan rallied in Justice Park.

Jones says none of the councilors asked to review security plans for the rally.

In the nearly 16 years Ive been involved with local government Ive never had a Councilor request to review documents related to security plans for events including visits by Presidents Obama and Bush and the Dalai Lama.

Jones letter does not address concerns about how a car was able to plow into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring dozens of others.

The security plans, Jones said, were complicated by the possibility of a rally in McIntire Park.

In early July, city staff began exploring the feasibility of requiring the Unite the Right rally to move from Emancipation Park, where a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee stands.

Jones documents meetings in July and August with city attorneys, councilors and staff. He disputes the leaked memos notion that the will of the Council was clear, saying that several councilors, including Signer, expressed concerns that they could be held personally liable if the city council moved the rally to McIntire Park.

In early August, Jones says, Signer cited a legal expert who told him that there was a one in three chance of winning a court case against the decision if it was challenged.

But according to rally organizer Jason Kessler, the odds of the Unite the Right rally actually taking place in McIntire Park were slim to none, Jones says. Kessler had made it clear to police Capt. Wendy Lewis in July and on Aug. 7 that he would demonstrate there even if a judge allowed us to move the rally to McIntire Park.

The legal murkiness of a decision to relocate the rally complicated police planning, Jones said. Concerned with defending two fronts, Thomas told Jones on Aug. 10 that he was already preparing for McIntire and Emancipation Parks just in case.

Jones said he was unaware of state Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Morans promise to have the Virginia National Guard provide protection of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue, but he noted that several police officers were stationed nearby.

He also addressed the memos assertions that residents requests for police protection went unheeded.

The police did not have any credible intelligence that Friendship Court, Sixth Street or Crescent Halls was a target of white supremacists, he said.

Residents also were afraid that those attending the rally would park their cars in their neighborhoods to reach Emancipation Park.

I am extremely disappointed in the citys no parking plans for this coming weekend, Brandon Collins, organizer for Public Housing Association of Residents, wrote in an Aug. 10 email to Jones that was included in the memo. Friendship Court, Sixth Street and Crescent Halls will be completely exposed to violent, armed racists parking in their neighborhoods.

Jones said, As far as I know no resident of those housing complexes that are served by those spaces, or the property owners, ever requested restricting street parking. It would have also been difficult to provide adequate enforcement of the no parking restrictions on August 12th due to the need for all of our resources to be on or near the scene of the rally.

He also denied that there was a stand down order made by himself, Signer or city police, and he said that officials are concerned about reports of officers unwillingness to intervene in particular situations.

Chief Thomas has responded by instructing his commanders to review body camera video footage from each CPD officer assigned to the demonstration, Jones wrote. Officers were instructed to continuously record on August 12th. Chief Thomas has directed his commanders to review the 8-10 hours of video for each officer assigned to determine if officers did not intervene with citizens begging for assistance.

Jones also addressed criticisms of Thomas for the use of tear gas by Virginia State Police following the KKK rally. The memo claims Thomas disagreed with that decision and was frustrated by it, even though he was in charge of the overall operation and the state troopers who were called to the city.

Chief Thomas has made it clear that the use of tear gas was an effective way to disperse the crowd on July 8th, Jones said. He made it clear that he supported the decision to deploy [tear gas] in an effort to safely disperse the unruly crowd.

Yes, there was a miscommunication about deploying the tear gas at that moment but it avoided physical force by the police.

Jones says the city is reviewing its actions.
Tensions and activity during the Civil War in what is now the border country between Virginia and West Virginia continue to prompt reader questions.

Q: Ive always wondered about the section in Craig County along Virginia 635 that enters West Virginia and then becomes West Virginia 17 for 10 miles then re-enters Virginia as Virginia 600 near Paint Bank.

When the states were separated did this 10-mile section of Virginia become West Virginia because the families living there wanted to stay with the Union?

Tom McAvoy,

Blacksburg

A: One look at the state line passing through that region, the Potts Creek Valley, indicates there is no question the line is drawn in a peculiar way.

On the border of Giles County and Monroe County, West Virginia, the line follows the ridge formed by Peters Mountain. But just beyond the backcountry crossroads at Kire, where Virginia 635 crosses into West Virginia, the line dips sharply from the ridge top down into Potts Creek Valley, where it takes a hard turn to the northeast as it follows the valley floor.

Just southwest of Paint Bank, the line takes another turn and zig-zags north to the ridge again. The line then follows the ridge northeast, in the same manner it had in Giles County.

The fanciful image is that of a voracious West Virginia taking a snaggle-toothed bite out of Craig County.

Back to the original question, then. Was the line gerrymandered at the wish of the Unionist locals to include the hotbed of the Potts Creek Valley into the new state of West Virginia when it broke away from Virginia on June 20, 1863?

A scan through the Roanoke librarys Virginia Room collection of county histories from both sides of that part of the state line turned up no evidence to support the thesis that neighborhood folks had the political influence to influence the establishment of that border.

Richard H. Owens of West Liberty University went further in an August 2014 piece in Essential Civil War Curriculum.

Owens wrote most citizens in the southern and eastern precincts of the newly formed state had little taste for such separation.

The wishes of those citizens were largely disregarded.

Justifications for the breakaway centered on politics, economics and military concerns, he wrote.

Since the 18th century, western Virginians had little in common with their faraway brethren to the east. The slave economy was strong to the east, and the wealthy landowners there dominated state politics, commerce and culture.

Residents of the western, more mountainous areas had smaller farms, few slaves, and did most of their trading with Pennsylvania and Ohio. As a result, there was widespread opposition in that region to secession at the start of the war.

Many residents of the Paint Bank area shared those anti-secession views, some of them retaining Unionist sympathies throughout the war.

Historian David Turk is the author of the 1994 The Union Hole: Unionist Activity and Local Conflict in Western Virginia, which was referenced in an earlier column. Some of his research was done through interviews with his grandfather, who was familiar with their family history from that period and region.

The state line placement question was posed by email to Turk.

The border did suddenly appear and created an odd gerrymander of sorts, so it would make sense, he replied. Ive never seen it addressed in any local histories, and this may be one of the few questions I didnt ask my Grandfather.

One more curious about that neighborhood, aside from its conflicted political views of the 19th century, is its location near what is known as the Eastern Continental Divide.

Traveling from Giles County on Virginia 635, you reach the divide close to the state line. The headwaters of Big Stony Creek in Giles and Potts Creek in West Virginia are in the same vicinity.

From there, Big Stony rolls southwest and eventually enters the New River and on to the Ohio River and ultimately the Mississippi bound for the Gulf of Mexico. Potts is a tributary of the James River, which flows east to the Chesapeake Bay and ultimately to the Atlantic Ocean.

The headwaters of two nearby streams that go in opposite directions to two different U.S. coasts is strange and wonderful to think about.

If youve been wondering about something, call Whats on Your Mind? at 777-6476 or send an email to whatsonyourmind@roanoke.com. Dont forget to provide your full name (and its proper spelling) and hometown.
Its hard to imagine anything more awful than what we saw in Charlottesville recently. The rise of an American ultra-right has taken many of us by surprise, and the response from the nations president has, if anything, only made things worse.

The president, cunning when cornered, resorted to his usual defenses of whataboutism to particularly toxic effect. More dangerous, perhaps, in the long run, was his other move: to align himself with a much more popular (much more popular than Nazism, certainly) cause: The retention of the nations collection of Confederate monuments.

This is where it gets hard. The most common charge levied by the proponents of Confederate memorialization is that their opponents seek to whitewash history. I am increasingly convinced that to leave these statues up, the way they are, is the true whitewashing.

Im a historian by profession, and for about nine years, I have had the view of a Confederate memorial from my window. Its gotten me thinking about what memorials are for. In the end, I buy the notion that memorials are an attempt by the people who put them up to eternalize their values, to freeze them in stone in the words of one of the most prominent thinkers on the subject.

So what were the values that memorials like the statue of Robert E. Lee sought to make eternal? Thanks for their loved ones who fought and died? Yes, of course, but not only that. A simple search reveals huge spikes in the construction of Confederate memorials during the Jim Crow period and the Civil Rights movement. Why? Because these statues were the assertions of the post-reconstruction elites and their descendants of the 1960s that their values were eternal. And those were not values most of us share.

If we leave those statues unchallenged we assent to the assertions of their erectors: that the Confederate cause was just, and that the emerging racial order in the south was justified and virtuous. Advocates of Confederate statuary who deny the history and purpose of such monuments are guilty of whitewashing history, not their opponents. The weekend of August 11-12 made all of this perfectly clear.

Why are Nazis and white supremacists hung up on Confederate monuments? Because they stand as testimony of their values of racism and sedition. Are all devotees of Confederate memorials associates of the far right? Lord, no. But every damn one of those young men marching through the grounds stands for something abhorrent and un-American. It may be time for all us to stand back, take a look at the past of monuments, and think again.

So, what do we do? One option, of course is to remove these statues entirely. In the past hours, weve seen the city of Baltimore do just that, along with other cities, mostly in the south. But its not the only option; the mayor of Richmond has suggested a program of contextualization to lessen the negative impact of the memorials. Some places have gone a third route: the erection of a counter-monument. An example for Salem might be a memorial to Southwest Virginia Unionists or to enslaved Southwest Virginians, parallel to the Confederate one (as we know, Confederate sentiment in Southwest Virginia was far from unanimous).

At any rate, events have made clear that we need to re-examine the history of our history, warts and all. There is a reason, after all, why Robert E. Lee discouraged such memory-making: As regards the erection of such a monument as is contemplated, my conviction is, that however grateful it would be to the feelings of the South, the attempt in the present condition of the Country, would have the effect of retarding, instead of accelerating its accomplishment; [and] of continuing, if not adding to, the difficulties under which the Southern people labor.

In a nutshell, these memorials are bad for us as Southerners  they keep us stuck in the past, they are increasingly the focus of the far right, and they interfere with getting at truthful history. Its time to take seriously the question of what we should all do about it.
A few weeks ago, Ralph Northam, the Democratic candidate for governor, released his economic agenda for rural Virginia.

It drew virtually no attention outside the rural parts of the state. The probably didnt bother Northam. After all, there probably arent too many voters in Northern Virginia interested in what either candidate has to say about rural Virginia.

Northams plan was both politically smart and politically clever. The plan was smart because Democrats have run poorly in rural Virginia in recent elections; they really need to cut those margins. The plan was clever because it didnt sound much like a traditional Democratic tax-and-spend approach to problems. Indeed, the centerpiece of Northams plan is to waive certain taxes for new businesses opening in rural areas. His plan was both modest and creative, an unusual combination to achieve.

For Northam, this plan comes in the context of his attempt to win the governorship against Republican Ed Gillespie. It also comes against the backdrop of an even broader question being debated not just across Virginia but across the country: Should Democrats even bother paying attention to rural areas?

Some liberals say focusing on rural areas is a ridiculous waste of time; we looked Sunday at some of those voices. Others, though, contend that rural and liberal do not necessarily need to be contradictions in terms and shouldnt be if Democrats hope to regain seats in Congress, state legislatures, or win statewide elections.

To further explore this movement, we turn not to Northam, but to Anthony Flaccavento.

Political junkies may recognize Flaccavento as the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for the 9th District seat in Congress in 2012. Why should anyone pay attention to someone who polled only 39 percent of the vote? Well, consider this: Thats 11 percentage points better than any Democrat who has run for that seat since. And its 12 percentage points better than Hillary Clinton ran in that district last year.

In fact, no other Democrat running statewide since then has run better in the 9th District than Flaccavento. Not Mark Warner. Not Tim Kaine. Not Terry McAuliffe. Northam matched that 39 percent four years ago in the lieutenant governors race, but only because Republicans fielded an exceptionally weak candidate.

So maybe Democrats ought to pay attention to what Flaccavento has to say, eh?

Flaccavento, a farmer from Washington County and consultant on rural economies, has been waging a different sort of campaign in recent years. Hes been trying to persuade fellow liberals that rural communities are not a lost cause. Hes authored some thought-provoking articles that have appeared in prominent liberal journals. The Nation published Progressives Need To Stop Ignoring Rural Communities last summer, before the full import of the Trump phenomenon was clear. Earlier this year, Yes Magazine published his 3 Ways Progressives Can Reconnect With Rural America.

More recently, Flaccavento fired up a website called Rural Progressive Politics and this summer issued a Rural Progressive Platform. Democrats would be wise to read it. So would Republicans, just in case national Democrats decide that rural communities really are worth fighting for again.

Theres the usual shopping list of liberal ideas, such as free community college  although the Republican legislature in Tennessee just enacted that, so maybe thats not such a liberal idea, after all. Elsewhere, though, the platform challenges Democratic orthodoxy in some surprising ways. National Democrats are big on regulating banks; the Rural Progressive Platform urges regulatory relief for community banks on the grounds that theyre the ones most likely to be serving rural communities. Thats not the only place where the platform calls for regulatory relief  a phrase that usually only Republicans utter. It calls for environmental regulations that are scale appropriate, i.e., less burdensome on small to mid-sized farms, businesses and manufacturers.

In fact, the most interesting part is where the Rural Progressive Platform urges Democrats to rethink how they approach environmental issues: Because the environmental movement has emerged most strongly in cities or suburbs, its focus has been on protecting the environment, more so than using it well to meet peoples needs. It often seems that environmentalists forget just how much everyone depends upon the food, materials and energy that primarily come from rural areas, thanks to the work that rural folks do.

Thats why, the platform says, rural voters often resent environmentalists as meddling outsiders. Instead, progressive policies must make partners of those who live from the land, rather than just regulating and restricting what happens in the countryside.

The most provocative passage in the platform even hints that maybe Democrats shouldnt adopt one particular litmus test that usually fells their candidates in rural areas: Mountains, forests, valleys and streams are a practical part of our lives and economies. No doubt this is at least part of why we look at a chainsaw or a rifle so differently from most city folks.

A progressive platform that urges a re-thinking of environmental regulations and gun control? Now thats interesting. Its also interesting that Flaccavento is not some Wall Street centrist from a D.C. think tank, but an on-the-ground liberal in the heart of Appalachia. That ought to give him more street cred with fellow progressives. So far, theyre the ones most resistant to Democrats who call for devoting even the slightest amount of attention to rural communities.

In The Nation last summer, Flaccavento hit on the cultural disconnect between progressives and rural voters. Its not necessarily God, guns and gays, although there is that, too. The plain fact of the matter is, excepting recent transplants from the cities, most rural people see progressives as elitist, dismissive of their concerns, largely ignorant of both their problems and their contributions to the nation. And too often, living in their head rather than getting their hands dirty.

Flaccavento says if Democrats want to win again in rural America, they need to get their hands dirty. Well see now how many are willing to listen to him.
We value your privacy.

Focus Taiwan (CNA) uses tracking technologies to provide better reading experiences, but it also respects readers' privacy. Click here to find out more about Focus Taiwan's privacy policy. When you close this window, it means you agree with this policy.
Mandatory labeling of jewelry in Russia to begin in 2024 The deadline for mandatory application of physical marking on jewelry made of precious metals and precious stones in Russia has been postponed from March 2023 to March 2024. That resolution was signed by the Government of the Russian Federation. It is...

Northam Platinum mulls acquisition of remaining RBPlat shares Northam Platinum is planning to acquire all remaining shares in Royal Bafokeng Platinum (RBPlat) at R172.70 a share. It currently controls a 34.52% stake in RBPlat and, together with call options and a right of first refusal secured with...

10th Annual Dubai Precious Metals Conference to explore impact of trade, tech and regulations on the industry DMCC has announced that the 10th edition of the annual Dubai Precious Metals Conference (DPMC) will be held on 22 November 2022 at Atlantis, The Palm, Dubai. This years edition will bring together a plethora of speakers and participants from...

New record HPHT diamond sample The largest and purest diamond in the world weighing 16.04 carats was synthesized in Russia. The world's largest white diamond "Champion" is cut from a diamond grown by the HPHT method by the Russian company Advanced Synthetic Research...
Antwerp, Belgium  August 28, 2017: The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has praised the huge efforts undertaken by Russia's ALROSA to rescue eight miners trapped underground for the past three weeks following the firm's decision on Saturday to end rescue operations. Water rushing into the area poses too great a threat to teams who have been working around the clock since the disaster struck on August 4.

"Firstly, our hearts and prayers are with the families of the miners who have been hoping against hope since this catastrophe happened," said WFDB President Ernie Blom. "This is an extraordinarily difficult time for them and they must be treated with the utmost consideration. ALROSA and other authorities are moving quickly and with a minimum of bureaucracy.

"On behalf of WFDB members around the world, I would also like to praise the speedy response by ALROSA which allowed 143 miners to be rescued quickly, and the way in which it rapidly put the rescue operation into place. Rescuers worked around the clock for more than three weeks facing incredible dangers and operating in conditions that are impossible for most of us to grasp. Unfortunately, a point was reached where it is simply not possible to continue. With great sadness, we must accept that the trapped miners are unlikely to still be alive without food and water, in appallingly high levels of humidity and with a high content of hydrogen sulfide and salts in the mudflow.

"We bow our heads to the memory of the miners, but we also need to be proud of the rescue efforts and the way the worldwide industry has come together to show its concern for the men. Beyond this, we must emphasise the fact that such tragedies are an extremely rare occurrence in diamond mining. This is because diamond mining firms have extremely stringent safety procedures in place which give paramount importance to the personal safety of employees. This is not a given, as can be seen from the tragedies that take place in other mining industries, but is another example of the way the diamond industry is a well-regulated business."




A Zimbabwean government official has bemoaned the use of diamond revenue from Marange to bolster the national purse saying villagers in the area where the stones were found did not benefit anything.

The Herald newspaper quoted Manicaland provincial affairs minister Mandi Chimene as saying that diamond mining instead brought problems like environmental degradation and potential health challenges owing to chemicals used by the miners.

She said companies that operated in Marange before the coming in of the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) last year had failed to meet Harares requirement of establishing Community Share Ownership Trust schemes.

Chimene singled out Mbada Diamonds as the only firm that met part of the requirements.

"We may have benefited as a nation, especially as some of the money was used to recapitalise different sectors of the economy, but as the custodians of the mineral, we did not get anything tangible," she said.

"Roads, schools and hospitals are in a very bad state, yet diamonds would be mined and transported to Harare without even repairing the same roads that the transporters used.

"Our provincial hospital is in shambles. Our schools do not have critical amenities, while roads are almost impassable in some parts, yet we were producing a mineral that had the potential to get the wheels of the national economy turning. Our people are devastated.

Bulawayo24 reports earlier this month that human rights groups and a local legislator were seething with anger, blaming government for putting the interests of miners ahead of those of local communities.

The legislator said locals were confined in concessions, sometimes in fences, and their livestock had no grazing areas.

Arda Transau, the only space availed for relocation, can only accommodate 1 800 out of the 4 300 affected families.

Marange fields, which stretch over 80 000 hectares with diamond deposits, had been classified as a protected area under the Protected Places and Areas Act since 2008.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The newly created GST intelligence arm, Directorate General of Goods and Service Tax Intelligence, has been named the regulator for dealing with money laundering cases in the gems and jewellery sector, as per a news report in Indian Express.

The Indian Finance Ministry has amended the Prevention of Money-Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005 to make the Directorate General of Goods and Service Tax Intelligence (DGGSTI) as the regulator with respect to the gems and jewellery sector.

The regulator under PMLA issues guidelines and prescribes measures to establish client identity in different transactions. It may prescribe enhanced or simplified measures to verify the client's identity taking into consideration the type of client, business relationship, nature and value of transactions based on the overall money laundering and terrorist financing risks involved, the rules state.

Rules provide for "client due diligence" by the reporting entity to prevent money laundering or terrorist financing. After the amendment, the DGGSTI would now keep a track of transactions in the gems and jewellery sector to see if they are conformity with law.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Sothebys jewelry executive Frank Everett returned to the auction house last week after a brief stint at Graff Diamonds.

Everett left Sothebys at the end of June to join London-based Graff as its US sales president, and on July 6 posted a photograph on Instagram of his first day at the jeweler. However, in an update Tuesday, he informed his social-media followers of his reversal.

For auction fever there is no cure, he wrote. After briefly turning back to retail, I've returned to Sothebys to tell the stories of the jewels and the ladies who cared for them.

Everett, previously Sothebys director of jewelry sales, has returned in the expanded role of senior vice president and sales director for the auctioneers luxury division.




French energy giant Total SA (TTA.L, TTFNF.PK, TOT) announced Monday that it has agreed to acquire E&P company Maersk Oil & Gas A/S, a unit of A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S (AMKAF.PK,AMKBF.PK), in a $7.45 billion share and debt transaction. Under the agreed terms, the Denmark-based shipping and oil company will receive a consideration of $4.95 billion in Total shares and Total will assume $2.5 billion of Maersk Oil's debt. A.P. Moller-Maersk shares were gaining around 4 percent in the morning trading in Denmark.

The transaction is immediately accretive to both cash flow and earnings per share and delivers further growth over coming years, the company said.

The Boards of both Total and A.P. Moller-Maersk have approved the transaction, which is expected to close in first quarter 2018 and has an effective date of July 1, 2017.

Under the deal, Total will issue to A.P. Moller-Maersk, 97.5 million of shares, based on the average Total share price on the 20 days prior to August 21, which will represent 3.75 percent of the enlarged share capital of Total.

Total has also offered the possibility of a seat on its Board of Directors to A.P. Moller Holding A/S, main shareholder of A.P. Moller-Maersk.

At closing of the transaction, in order that Total's shareholders benefit from the accretive impact of the acquisition of Maersk Oil on earnings and cash flow, Total's Board will consider removing the discount offered on the scrip dividend.

With the deal, Total is expected to become the second largest operator in the North West Europe offshore region. Post completion, Total will operate over 500 kboe/d (gross) production in this region.

Total expects to generate operational, commercial and financial synergies of more than $400 million per year, mainly by the combination of assets of Total and Maersk Oil in North Sea, an area of excellence for both companies.

Patrick Pouyanne, Total's Chairman and CEO said, "It is in line with our announced strategy to take advantage of the current market conditions and of our stronger balance sheet to add new resources at attractive conditions. By adding such a portfolio of growing conventional offshore North Sea assets, we confirm our strategy for value creation of, on the one hand, playing to our core strengths in order to grow further and, on the other hand, to constantly seek to lower our break-even by delivering significant synergies."

In Paris, Total shares were trading at 42.38 euros, down 0.63 percent. In Denmark, A.P. Moller-Maersk shares traded at 13,320 Danish kroner, up 4.06 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
(Agencia CMA Latam) - Former Venezuelan prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz returned to Bogota on Thursday after attending a meeting of prosecutors from the Mercosur in Brazil, said the Colombian Migration Service.

According to a statement, she traveled from and to Colombia in the company of her husband, Venezuelan representative German Ferrer.

Luisa Ortega was dismissed last August 5 by her country's National Constituent Assembly (ANC), elected in July.

Last week, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos confirmed that the former Venezuelan prosecutor was under the protection of his government and that Bogota would offer political asylum to the couple in the case of a formal request.

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) - Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza rejected the executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump, which prohibits all its commercial and financial partners and U.S. companies or with capital in that country to make any agreement or transaction with the state-owned oil company Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and the South American country's government.

Speaking to the press at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, Arreaza said that the U.S. sanctions against Venezuela correspond to "a non-civilized and aggressive policy that transgresses the sovereignty of Venezuela."

Arreaza stressed that Caracas would evaluate its next steps to avoid that the sanctions affect the Venezuelan people.

"The United States can not intervene in the internal affairs of Venezuela. The threats are not against an individual but an entire people," said the Venezuelan Foreign Minister.

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) - Ibovespa, the benchmark stock index in Brazil, fell slightly (-0.08%), closing at 71,073.65 points Friday amid a profit-taking move after three trading sessions. Even with today's decline, however, the Ibovespa accumulated a 3.43% high in the week and had remained above the 71,000 points, a level that was not reached since 2011.

"Today we did not have any news. The market was quiet. Assets were practically stationary. Both [Janet] Yellen and [Mario] Draghi maintained the same speeches," said Rogerio Freitas, an analyst at Florenca Investimentos.



The Fed and ECB governors attended the central bankers' annual symposium in Jackson Hole, but shied away from giving more signals on monetary policy.

Among the largest Ibovespa's declines were stocks of retail companies, such as Natura (NATU3 -3.06%) and Pao de Acucar (PCAR4 -2.74%). Among the highlights were the JBS (JBSS3 +5.34%) shares, which advanced after the news that J&F's leniency agreement, the parent company of JBS, was approved by the Brazilian Federal Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF).

Meanwhile, the locally traded U.S. dollar moved higher and lower against the real through all the day to settle with a slight appreciation (+0.28%), at R$ 3.1560, amid the lack of news in the foreign central bankers' speeches.

For this week, analysts believe the stock market may continue to reflect the momentum for the Brazilian , following the news on privatization released this week.

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) - Economists surveyed by the Brazilian central bank increased to 0.39% their forecasts for economic growth in 2017, after six consecutive weeks at +0.34%. For 2018, the median forecast for GDP growth remained at 2.00% for the eighth week in a row.

Projections for Brazil's debt-to-GDP ratio in 2017 was raised to 51.95%, from 51.80% last week, while for 2018 forecasts increased to 55.60%, from 55.29% last week.

Projections for Brazilian industrial output growth in 2017 fell to 1.00%, from 1.10% last week, after two upwards revisions. For 2018, economists estimates rose after five weekly declines, to 2.16%, from 1.85% last week.

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) - Venezuela's National Constituent Assembly will start drafting the country's new Carta Magna. The discussions will be based on a proposition presented by the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, a few weeks ago in a bid to "perfect the Constitution implemented in 1999."

"I, as promised, wish to present to this great National Constituent Assembly my draft Constitution for the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the project we approved in 1999 [...], to perfect the Constitution," Maduro said.

The ANC will have 21 commissions, which will focus on some lines such as "peace and public tranquility, national dialogue, mutual recognition, and the economic system improvement towards a post-petroleum society," according to the Venezuelan News Agency.

The enhancement of the judiciary will also be discussed, as well as the preservation of the political, economic and territorial sovereignty of Venezuela, the youth development, and women emancipation.

Once defined, the draft will be submitted to a popular referendum for final approval.

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.
Ryan Crouser with a 22.35m throw at a meet in Portugal, 2017. pic.twitter.com/rUBEUG6iFD  Throws Chat (@ThrowsChat) August 26, 2017





Crouser 22.36

VILA REAL DE SANTO ANTONIO (POR, Aug 26): Olympic winner Ryan Crouser achieved great series at a local meet here in shot put. His best was 22.36 from fifth round and in total got three 22+ throws. The series: 22.31  22.24  21.67  f  22.36  f. He confirmed he will be ready for the IAAF Diamond League final next Thursday in Brussels.

RunBlogRun opines: Ryan Crouser had a rough World Champs, as did several athletes. He had some long fouls, and suffered an injury right before the competition. But, as the old saying goes, the key is to perform on the big day. At the Olympics Ryan Crouser had his day, in London, he did not. Ryan Crouser will have another great day of throwing, actually many. Can not wait to watch Ryan Crouser and Tom Walsh battle in the shot put!
Farmers in American Samoa cannot meet the demand for taro in the territory.

This is according to one of the biggest taro farmers on the island, Atualevao Asifoa.

In June 2017 American Samoa Department of Agriculture suspended importing of all taro and taro shoots from Samoa.

The director of Agriculture in American Samoa, Filifa'atali Mike Fuiava, said the decision was due to an unknown virus affecting taro in Samoa.

Last week, Filifaatali was informed that American Samoa farmers cannot meet the public demand and he has been urged to lift the ban.

According to Talanei news, Atualevao was among the farmers at the meeting.

He was vocal about allowing taro from Samoa.

If the suspension of taro exports is lifted there should be some changes to ensure that unwanted weeds and pests are prevented from entering the territory, he said.

Atualevao told the meeting, that hes seen taro from Samoa, which arrives in the territory with dirt and he suspects this is responsible for spreading a pest weed called vaofefe palagi in the territory.

Atualevao said the territory needs taro from Samoa as the local supply is not enough.

He also suggested that the Department of Agriculture impose certain requirements if the suspension is lifted.

Atualevao recommended that taro suppliers in Samoa clean their taro just like they do for taro sent to Hawaii and the United States.

Another recommendation from Atualevao was to cut off middlemen who just go around Upolu and Savaii buying taro from farmers, then putting them in sacks without cleaning and exporting them.

Another farmer, Tuputala Sagapolutele, said rather than Department of Agriculture (D.O.A) asking them if they can meet the demand for taro, D.O.A should conduct a survey.

Agriculture Director Filifaatali told farmers if taros are being allowed in with dirt it means his department is not doing its job.

The director said that changes would be made when the suspension of taro from Samoa is lifted

American Samoa D.O.A. will require that only bonafide farmers from Samoa will send their taro to American Samoa and that will cut off the middlemen.

The name of the farmer and their business license must be provided. And D.O.A will require that the taro be cleaned or they will not be allowed in.

Filifaatali said this would also help trace the source of any bad taro or disease.

The director moved to dispel suggestions that the reason for the prolonged suspension is to help local farmers sell their produce.

The reason why the temporary ban is still in place is because they havent received results of tests done on taro affected by the recent taro disease.

Last week, American Samoa Representative, Toeina Faufano Autele, was in Samoa to investigate the extreme move by the American Samoa Department of Agriculture Director, Filifaatali Mike Fuiava, to suspend importing taro and taro shoots from Samoa.

A member of the House Agriculture Committee, Toeina met with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and said: I hope this issue will be amicably resolved in the near future.
Outspoken businesswoman, Moe Lei Sam, has leapt to the defense of the media against comments from the Prime Minister that they are lazy and ai afu.

These comments are very immature and stupid and especially coming from the mouth of a leader of a country, she told the Samoa Observer.

He is selfish and greedy as far as Im concerned. Thats what he is.

Ms. Lei Sam said the media are just doing their job.

This is the medias job to report the bad and the good, she said.

The Prime Minister said reporting on incest and rape will make the image of Samoa bad to the tourists. So he wants to sweep it under the carpet and pretend that everything is going smooth.

What about the victims?

To tell you the truth, everything that is happening in this country I know it from the media and that is their job. They are doing what they are supposed to do and that is to inform the people about what is going on.

Ms. Lei Sam it doesnt matter if the world knows what is happening in Samoa.

So what if the world knows of what is happening in Samoa? We cannot report only on how beautiful Samoa is and all those lies when we know the truth that there are young girls who are being molested, brothers and sisters have an affair and all that.

We cannot just sweep the truth under the carpet and pretend all is well in paradise.

We have to protect our children. That should be our countrys main concern is the safety of the young boys and girls, from strangers and from their own family members.

She went on to say that if the media does not report on such issues then Samoa would never be a safe place anymore.

The media are the voice of the voiceless and we dont have an opposition anymore so the media is playing the part of the opposition, she said.

I was very furious when I heard him calling the media lazy, I mean Mr. Prime Minister look in the mirror who is lazy here and who is the ai afu here?

These people working in the media industry are professional and they love what they do just like Mr. Prime Minister who loves being a politician it is the same as the people working in the media.

Instead of criticizing the media and calling them names why not applaud them for the work that they do because its a 24/7 job and most especially it is risky.

We should appreciate all the hard work that the media is putting in to inform people of what is actually happening in Samoa.
If life is not hard, why are people begging on the streets? Why are there so many street vendors in Samoa? Why are crime figures spinning out of control?

These questions were raised by Panetafaimealelei Fou, 36, from Lepa, when he spoke to the Village Voice.

Personally, I believe that life is just getting harder, he said.

As a result, people are begging on the streets for money

Isnt that a sign of poverty emerging in Samoa?

It scares me because who know what the future holds?

The father of four is a carpenter and a farmer.

He is the only bread-winner for his family of five.

We Samoans have so many obligations to focus on, not only with family matters, village affairs but church contributions too.

Everything is based on money, money and money and that is why we are being pushed to the limit.

One of the challenges is the lack of jobs, he said.

Everything is about qualifications and experience. Its so hard.

Paneta said the only solution is to the most of what we have.

From my own experience, one way to overcome these challenges is to go back to the old way of doing things, he said.

We need to develop our plantations, plant more crops then sell it to people, if not use it for food.

Because nowadays, nothing is more beneficial than us turning back to our subsistence kind of life.

Panetafaimealelei said that everything is fine with him and his family.

They have access to electricity and water and they are happy.

He is alarmed however by the number of beggars harassing people on the streets. He said these are the signs of tough times.
Samoa took one more step forward in its preparations to host the 48th Annual Pacific Islands Forum meeting next week with a donation of brand new vehicles from China yesterday.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi received the keys to 20 brand new cars presented by Chinas Ambassador toSamoa, Wang Xuefeng.

I am pleased to receive this generous gift of vehicles from the Government of the People's Republic of China, to assist Samoa in providing its transportation obligations as the host of the 48th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting, Tuilaepa said.

Not only that we acknowledge also the technical support provided with the vehicles in the event that there be any emergencies. I thank the Government of China for this fleet of vehicles and for the utmost efforts to ensure they were delivered on time.

Tuilaepa said hosting such conferences of this scale successfully is dependent on the partnerships we have developed over the years.

I also take this opportunity to acknowledge the significant financial support that has come from Australia and New Zealand to ensure this is a safe, secure and successful meeting for the Pacific.

I am appreciative of the spirit of cooperation and collaboration that is the impetus for all the relevant Government Ministries to rally support and volunteer assets and personnel necessary for the necessary logistical arrangements.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Xuefeng said the concierge sedans will be used as VIP cars during the Forum.

Three months ago, the Chinese Government received a request of 20 concierge sedans for P.I.F from the Government of Samoa.

Although the time is a bit tight, the Chinese Government accepted the request immediately because Samoa is China's long-time friend and we would consider the request from the Samoan Government as our priority.

We finished all procedures including purchase, shipping, customs clearance, installation and test drive, etc. in the shortest possible time and at the fastest possible speed.

The Chinese Government has also sent two teams of technicians to provide all-round technical support and service to all the sedans during the P.I.F.
The rules have changed.

Today, the Miss Samoa Pageant is now open to any female of Samoan descent.

The change was confirmed by the Chairperson of the Samoa Events Incorporated (S.E.I), Laeimau Oketevi Tanuvasa.

This year the govt. has instructed S.E.I. that part of the invitation for this years Miss Samoa Pageant is that the rules have changed, she told the media.

This is how it was before and then the government changed it. Now its back at it so this is the rules that we are following for this years pageant.

It is now opened to any Samoan girl or girls of Samoan blood who would like to be part of the Miss Samoa.

There are conditions, however.

As long as they have a sponsor. They must have a valid business license, or a Trust or a proper NGO and they have to pay a registration fee of $300.

Those are the new rules added to all the other rules that are already there when S.E.I. took over.

Laeimau also confirmed that all contestants from Australia are eligible. They include Miss Samoa NSW, Fasi Talimatasi Liolevave, Miss Samoa Australia, Hopelynn Aiesi Toloa and Miss Samoa Victoria Inc., Adele Faaosofia.

For the three contestants from Australia, we have checked all that needs to be checked and they are all valid which means they have met all the rules and regulations that are needed.

Laeimau also highlighted the importance of the Miss Samoa pageant in promoting Samoa.

Events such as these will benefit our economy, she said.

I have witnessed in our Miss Samoa Facebook page that theres about 9,000 people who are interested in the event so that is the positive side of this.

And there will be judges who are experts who will be judging the event on the night so we will leave it to them to make their decision while we do our work in organizing and getting things ready for the day.

Laeimau also clarified the issue about filming rights. She said TV3 holds the rights.

The pre -pageant programme is not exclusive to any certain media outlet so that means all the media will be covering the pre-pageant programme but on the night of the main event, TV3 has the filming right to broadcast the event, she said.

They will be the ones who will be responsible for allocating where the other media outlets should set up.

There is also a fee to be paid to TV 3 for Broadcasters or Production Companies if they want to film the night of the event. This also applies to those from overseas if they do want to come and film the Miss Samoa Pageant.

Nine contestants have been confirmed for the Pageant.

The overseas-based contestants are scheduled to arrive on 3 September to begin the pre pageant programme ahead of the grand finale on Saturday 9 September.
Good news is on the horizon for some of the 700 locals who have found themselves jobless last week with the closing of Yazaki.

A family-owned New Zealand manufacturer, Fero, has offered 60 jobs to employees on the same rate they were paid by Yazaki.

It is the start of something the company hopes to grow to enable them to offer at least 200 jobs in the next two years.

Fero produces wiring units that fit into products such as parking meters and police cars.

General Manager, Sam Fulton, told the Samoa Observer they are looking at starting in November.

It's our goal to be employing 200 staff within 24 months, he said.

There's a bit of dependency on the amount of work that we can secure for the plant and we'll be looking towards the Australian market for that."

Mr. Fulton spoke with the Samoa Observer about its plans. This is what he had to say:

Samoa Observer: Can you give us a bit of background about how this came about?

Sam Fulton: We have been looking to develop our own offshore manufacturing capabilities and wanted to make sure that we were doing it closer to home.

We had originally looked at Fiji as an option, but when we heard of the Yazaki closure, we decided that we should investigate the operation.

Australian Arrow and Yazaki have helped us through the decision making process and have been very proactive in assisting us. We were very impressed with the level of knowledge and skill demonstrated by the Yazaki staff and felt that this was a very good opportunity for us and to assist with keeping the skills and knowledge in Samoa and to be able to satisfy our customers demands.

Samoa Observer: Since you started the negotiations, what is the progress so far?

Sam Fulton: We have been approved by the Government as a qualifying project under the customs regulations 2010 as per F.K. (17) Faapitoa 08. We have an agreement to lease approximately 8500sqm of space in the current Yazaki building in Vaitele. We have established jobs for 60 of the current employees, on the same rate that they are currently being paid at Yazaki. We have orders from our customers for products that are to be made in the Fero Samoa factory.

We are looking to be fully operational by 1 November 2017, depending on how we can work through the Yazaki close down and pack up of their plant. We have plant and equipment ordered, paid for and scheduled to be delivered into Apia in September and October. We are now very busy with set up and planning on operations.

Samoa Observer: What is your goal not just for the company but also for Samoa?

Sam Fulton: Our goal for the company is to establish 200 jobs in the first 24 months. From there we see that the sky is the limit. We have already had enquiry from around the world to quote and sample work from our Samoa factory, and we are not even established yet.

The Goal for Samoa is to make it work. We know that our success is paralleled with the success of Samoa in the project. We are committed to using local management and developing the skills and qualifications of the team in Samoa. We know that the only way for this to succeed is for us to ensure that it provides benefit to the people and Government of Samoa.

Samoa Observer: Tell us about some of your future plans?

Sam Fulton: For the future we see that there is a very good opportunity for Fero to promote Samoa as a manufacturing centre in the Pacific. The costs of manufacturing in NZ and Australia are high and getting higher. A lot of companies are looking to Asia to provide low cost solutions to their manufacturing problems and in doing so are overlooking the benefits of operating in the Pacific. We feel that the Yazaki staff are one of the best kept secrets in the Pacific and that New Zealand companies could benefit hugely from relocating some of their manufacturing requirements to Samoa. Obviously we must get our business established and sustainable to demonstrate this. The great thing is that Yazaki have demonstrated over the last 26 years that it can be done sustainably and successfully.

Samoa Observer: Is there anything else you would like to elaborate on?

Sam Fulton: The Samoan people should be feeling confident that their Government is doing a good job in making a project like this more easy for a Foreign company to set up. We have found that we have got a lot of access to Government Departments and Ministers and that there is a huge willingness and cooperation from the Government to encourage and support the type of development and investment that we are making. I can tell you that dealing with Government Departments in Samoa is much easier that dealing with Departments in New Zealand. It is a very big job that we are undertaking, but we have felt very supported and welcomed in Samoa. We are very excited about this opportunity and we are already proud of the team that we have assembled and their attitude to making this work.
LONDON (AP)  Ford's Dagenham diesel engine plant is a marvel of mechanization  a steel and chrome hangar full of LED lighting, robots and computer-controlled machine tools.

The U.S. carmaker has invested $2.5 billion in the plant, where 3,150 people churn out an engine every 30 seconds. And they've been here a long time: Edsel Ford, son of founder Henry Ford, personally cut the sod to start construction of the company's U.K. manufacturing headquarters in 1929.

It's hard to imagine Ford would walk away from all that if Britain fails to negotiate a favorable trade deal when it leaves the European Union.

But don't bet on it. With auto parts passing through as many as 15 countries before a car is completed, a Brexit agreement that results in new tariffs that increase the cost of Ford vehicles for consumers is no small problem.

"It will force us to consider what the longer-term options are for the investments that we make, because let me be clear: We have to transact business in an environment where we can be competitive, and it's that competitive base that we're interested in making sure is protected," said Steven Armstrong, CEO of Ford in Europe.

Britain's car industry, which employs 814,000 people, illustrates the struggle the country faces as it prepares to exit the EU.

Cars are assembled, not forged in a single place. Modern manufacturing techniques result in carmakers having plants in several locations, often in different countries, that specialize in producing pieces of the finished vehicle. For instance, the plant in Dagenham, in east London, makes nothing but diesel engines and parts.

Tariffs, which are non-existent for goods that move from one EU nation to another, are an oversized threat to British carmakers because they could be applied each time those components cross and re-cross international borders on their way to the new car showroom.

"The country has high-tech assembly, a good presence of supply chain, links to Formula One teams that add to innovation  it does have a lot to recommend it," said David Elmes, an expert on global energy and corporate change at the Warwick Business School. "But access to the European market is a concern."

Those concerns can be seen by following the movements of one component throughout the manufacturing process.

Take engine assembly 0117A17201110027GK3Q 6007DC on the line at Dagenham, which will eventually power a Transit van. The unit is accompanied by a "birth history," a passport of sorts, that chronicles where and when every component was installed. The summary alone is 56 pages long.

This passport traces the block's world travels from its "birth" as a cylinder block in Cologne, Germany, through Belgium and Holland and finally on to Dagenham. It will get a new "stamp" when the block is shipped back over the English Channel and across Europe to Turkey, where it will become part of a rear-wheel drive vehicle. Some of those vans then cross back across the U.K. border for a third time for sale  and theoretically each time it crosses, it could be taxed after Brexit.

British carmakers, and many other industries, want the government to negotiate an agreement that preserves free trade with the EU's single market after Brexit. Failure to do so could mean that tariffs and quotas are applied according to World Trade Organization rules, which would make each vehicle more expensive.

WTO rules could raise the cost of finished vehicles by 10 percent, says Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. "That could potentially flow through to about 1,500 pounds ($1,920) on the price of any vehicle, any imported vehicle from Europe sold in the U.K. So that would be a difficult and substantial cost to mitigate and clearly it would be to a large extent passed on to the consumer."

The industry relies on Europe as both a market and a supplier, with the EU accounting for 56 percent of U.K. car exports and 69 percent of imports in 2016, according to the SMMT. Besides that, Europe supplies the majority of components within U.K.-built vehicles.

Ford wants to know how the government plans to address this issue  and soon.

"We want access to the single market, we want a frictionless ability to move goods from the U.K. to Europe and back again, and we need some clarity on how that's going to be delivered from the government," Armstrong said. "That's what we really want."

Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said that remaining in the single market is not an option, but the government this month outlined its hopes for an agreement that would permit the "freest and most frictionless possible trade" with EU member states. This could include a temporary customs union with the bloc for up to three years after Britain leaves in 2019 to give businesses time to adjust to the new rules. Negotiations are set to begin again the week of Aug. 28.

A transition period may be crucial for carmakers because they will have to adjust to new borders at a time of dramatic change for the industry.

Carmakers globally are rushing to build more electric vehicles, requiring significant long-term investments. Britain currently makes more than 2.5 million engines a year but just under 13,000 electric cars, and the government wants to ban the sale of new diesel-powered cars and vans by 2040. There are also concerns the car market may not grow as much as ridesharing schemes become more popular.

Against this backdrop, Brexit raises a question for carmakers: where to invest in future technologies.

In one positive sign, Germany-based BMW recently decided to build its electric versions of the Mini in England.

To encourage more such investment, the government could provide incentives to manufacturers and support technology, said Darren Jukes, head of the industrial products group at consulting firm PwC. The dramatic changes ahead driven by new materials and technology offer a chance to seize the moment.

"We have a clean sheet of paper," Jukes said. "What we have to do now is think about not just the next generation but the generation after that."

The change isn't lost on the workers at the Ford's Dagenham operations. There have been cuts and change over decades in the community immortalized in the movie "Made in Dagenham," a film about a strike by female workers in 1968 over equal pay. The word "competitive" comes up often in conversation.

Plus all they have to do is look around  robots do much of the work. In places where a human being is required, a computer is often nearby to correct mistakes.

The uncertainty of Brexit worries people like Samy Alakarsamy, who has proudly worked for Ford for 35 years. For him, the debate is more about location than politics. Moving to, say, Germany, is just not on the cards for the 56-year-old.

"I hope the future is here,'" he said while a conveyor belt of unfinished cylinder heads whirled around him. "That's all I'm interested in."
Lee Adams carefully reviewed her receipt after shopping at a Whole Foods Market in Venice on Monday and was a little disappointed to find that prices were unchanged for her list of vegan groceries.

The prices are the same so far for the things I buy, Adams said.

But thats likely to change  and soon.

Advertisement

Amazon.com Inc. immediately slashed prices by up to 43% for some of Whole Foods bestselling products Monday, the day its $13.7-billion purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. was completed.

Prices were lowered for Whole Foods bananas, large brown eggs, salmon, avocados, baby kale and almond butter, among other groceries.

Amazon had said last week that it would cut prices when the deal closed so that Whole Foods  whose natural and organic products often carried premium prices that resulted in the upscale chain being derisively dubbed Whole Paycheck  would instead start to become affordable for everyone.

Its impressive they would execute the pricing strategy so quickly, said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com.

More price cuts on more items are expected at the 470 Whole Foods stores in the United States, Canada and Britain, and Whole Foods said the price cuts were not temporary.

Its that aggressive approach to pricing, a hallmark of Amazon, that has sent shock waves through the $611-billion U.S. grocery industry.

Rival supermarket chains, which already operate with thin profit margins, are expected to face further pressure to keep prices down and strengthen their loyalty programs or risk losing shoppers to Whole Foods.

Stocks of rival grocers fell again Monday in response to Amazons move.

Shares of Kroger Co., which owns the Ralphs chain in Southern California, slipped two cents to $21.72 and now have plunged 37% so far this year. Sprouts Farmers Markets Inc. tumbled 9.7% to $19.72. Supervalu Inc. dropped 2.2% to $19.76. Meanwhile, Amazon edged up 76 cents to $946.02.

Amazon, the e-commerce giant, also plans to give its Amazon Prime members further price savings and other in-store benefits at Whole Foods. Amazon already is selling its Echo and Echo Dot voice-assisted devices in Whole Foods stores as part of its plan to integrate the two companies.

Prices of organic bananas were cut 30% to 69 cents a pound from 99 cents; organic avocados fell 29% to $1.99 from $2.79, and organic rotisserie chicken dropped 29% to $9.99 from $13.99.

Store displays showed the new lower price on items along with the prior price, along with signs that said Were Growing Something Good  Whole Foods + Amazon.

If its not a gimmick and [prices] go lower and stay low, that would be amazing, Adams said. Whole Foods is so expensive.

Danny Hillel, another shopper at the Whole Foods store in Venice, said he noticed that prices for sandwiches and pizza were unchanged. But he welcomed the trend toward lower prices.

If the prices do go lower probably I would shop more here, Hillel said. Its a great thing as long as the quality stays the same.

Whole Foods was struggling before Amazon announced its buyout plan in mid-June. A combination of Whole Foods lofty prices and inroads by rival supermarkets in selling their own organic and natural foods had slowed Whole Foods growth.

A great brand was on the verge of irrelevance (or at a minimum, marginalization) before Amazon swooped in, analyst Karen Short of Barclays Bank said Friday in a note to clients.

Now, price reductions will likely be broad-based at Whole Foods, and that means goodbye Whole Foods as we know it, Short wrote.

When asked to comment on Amazon and Whole Foods moves, Kroger spokeswoman Kristal Howard said that her own company is very proud of the role weve played in making natural and organic products more affordable and accessible to all customers, especially for shoppers on a budget, and that Kroger has an unending commitment to lower prices on conventional products as well.

Albertsons Cos., a privately held firm that owns the Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions grocery chains, declined to comment.

Besides lowering prices for all Whole Foods shoppers, Amazon could kick-start Whole Foods growth by tying the grocery chain to its Prime membership, which costs $99 a year and includes free shipping of Amazon products as well as video streaming.

Whole Foods prices were off-putting to a lot of potential customers and for good reason; a substantial part of the population felt it couldnt afford to shop at Whole Foods, Hamrick said.

But many of those people probably have Prime membership and now will get an added incentive to shop at Whole Foods because Prime will, in effect, become a Whole Foods reward program, he said.

Amazon does not disclose the number of Prime accounts, but analysts estimate the figure is 65 million or more.

Amazon also plans to add Amazon Lockers at select Whole Foods locations, enabling any customer who buys a product on the Amazon.com website to pick up or return the item at the Whole Foods store.

james.peltz@latimes.com

ronald.white@latimes.com

Twitter: @PeltzLATimes, @RonWLATimes

ALSO

Little name recognition, little baggage: why Uber chose Dara Khosrowshahi as its new CEO

Gilead is buying Kite Pharma, a cancer-fighting Santa Monica biotech firm, for $11.9 billion

Millennials are spending big on trendy places to sweat

1 million people pay nothing for cellphone service, so how does FreedomPop make money?

UPDATES:

3 p.m.: This article was updated with additional analysis.

1 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from shoppers at a Whole Foods store.

12:25 p.m.: This article was updated with a comment from Kroger, comments from an analyst and details about benefits for Amazon Prime members.

11:20 a.m.: This article was updated with analyst comments, rival grocers stock prices and competitors responses.

This article was originally published at 10:20 a.m.
Which way is the wind blowing in California?

In some respects, wind energy in the state has never been better but by other measurements growth has flat-lined for the past four years.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released its annual report analyzing technologies and markets for the wind industry that showed California has installed 5,656 megawatts of utility-scale wind, fourth-highest in the nation.

Advertisement

California also ranks fifth in capacity for smaller, distributed wind energy systems since 2003, with 66 megawatts.

According to the most recent numbers compiled by the California Energy Commission, wind accounts for 36 percent of generation from renewable facilities  the most in the state, edging out solar.

One would think those figures would have the states leading wind industry group practically giddy.

But instead, Nancy Rader, the executive director at the California Wind Energy Association, was practically glum when asked about the future of wind energy in the Golden State.

Its pretty bleak in terms of the potential for new development, she said in a telephone interview from her groups headquarters in Berkeley. Were actually at risk of going backward in total capacity in California.

When wind energy was in its infancy some 30 years ago, California was the sectors undisputed leader. Thanks in large part to some $1 billion in federal and state taxes, wind farms in California represented more than 90 percent of the globes total wind power capacity in the mid-1980s.

But Texas has taken the lead in the U.S. by a wide margin in total megawatts of wind, with farm states like Iowa and Kansas moving up fast. Meanwhile, Californias numbers have essentially remained unchanged since 2012.

This years DOE report showed installed capacity in California was actually 6 megawatts less in 2016 than in 2015.

No. 4 sounds good until you realize we used to be No. 1, fell to No. 2 and No. 3, Rader said. And it keeps going down. And it will continue to go down.

Rader blames a host of reasons, including land-use restrictions.

Californias desert areas are considered prime spots for wind farms and in the finals months of the Obama administration, a plan was finalized that set aside more than 10 million acres for conservation and recreation and designated 388,000 acres for clean energy development, such as solar and wind projects.

Rader said that number is too small, saying about 80 percent of federal land in the desert is off-limits to wind farms.

At the same time, a number of counties across the state have issued their own restrictions.

San Diego County in 2013 adopted rule changes for wind projects, with Rader complaining that an inclusion of a noise restriction is too strict.

Los Angeles County recently passed a renewable energy ordinance that bans large-scale wind turbines in unincorporated areas. Inyo and Solano counties have also put in place restrictions for wind projects.

Were facing restrictions like that all around the state, said Rader. You cant put a wind project anywhere. You have to go where theres good wind and thats in really limited areas.

Resistance to large-scale wind projects may be surprising, given California policymakers commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions but pushback has been also seen in a score of states, including Vermont, which also prides itself on clean energy credentials.

Resistance also comes from some residents in rural areas who say wind farms mar views and raise general quality of life issues.

You want to go with renewables but then you get down to the county level and people say its a disturbance, it lowers our land value and we dont want to see it, said Gary Ackerman, executive director of the Western Power Trading Forum, an organization based in Sacramento whose 90 members in the West buy and sell power.

Its fascinating that a state that most people see as the leader in renewable energy development has counties that are saying, not in our backyards, not in our front yards and not in the side yard.

Environmentalists in general favor wind projects, but some green groups have opposed individual projects.

In San Diegos East County, construction has begun on the Tule Wind Project in the McCain Valley but the facility has been opposed by the Protect Our Communities Foundation (POC) since plans for the 12,000-acre project were first introduced some 13 years ago..

POC executive director April Rose Sommer said her group likes clean energy but believes the Tule project poses a significant danger to birds, golden eagles in particular.

In this case the damage done to the environment, the damage it does to birds  is not worth what you get out of wind power, Sommer said.

Tules developers, Avangrid Renewables, have long insisted the wind farm will be safe for birds and wildlife.

Another hurdle for wind energy is economic.

While the DOE report highlighted the falling costs of wind energy, natural gas prices have remained low for the past eight years and falling prices for solar power offer stiff competition.

Solar power can beat wind power on cost now, said Bill Powers, a San Diego engineer and consumer advocate. Why would you pay a premium to build wind turbines in controversial areas when you dont have to pay that price?

Patrick Gilman, a DOE program manager who helped put together this years annual report, said wind prices are competitive with natural gas when federal tax incentives are included.

He also offered a more optimistic take for the industry in California, saying while capacity has been flat, the amount of wind energy produced in the state has gone up close to 40 percent.

Over the past five years, turbines have gotten substantially bigger, Gilman said. Theyve gotten substantially cheaper and they capture a lot more energy for the same amount of capacity.

Growth may also come from beyond Californias borders.

Other states in the West such as Wyoming and New Mexico offer opportunities for California to import lower-priced wind power.

A firm controlled by billionaire Philip Anschutz announced plans to build the nations largest wind farm in Wyoming and eventually send the electricity through transmission lines to states such as California, Nevada and Arizona.

Wind farms off the coast of California offer other possibilities.

While offshore wind farms are a common sight in countries such as Denmark, only one has been constructed in the U.S. and none have been erected on the West Coast where the continental shelf plunges so steeply that its impractical to bolt turbines into the seabed.

But a company based in Seattle, Trident Winds, has filed a lease request with the federal government to build a floating array of about 100 wind turbines 33 miles off the coast of Morro Bay.

Floating offshore wind may have an important role to play, Gilman said. The wind resource off the coast of California tends to blow at times when solar is ramping down so theres a really interesting potential role that technology can play (that is) complementary to solar and land-based wind.

The plan still has to clear regulatory hurdles and win sufficient backing from locals but Trident Winds hopes to get the project up and running by 2025.

In the meantime, though, California Wind Energy Association estimates overall growth in the state to top out at 2,000 additional megawatts in the near-term.

To put that in perspective, just last year Texas by itself added 2,611 megawatts of installed capacity.

I really think the public needs to reckon with the (land-use) requirements that are going to accompany weaning ourselves from fossil fuels, Rader said. I dont think were there yet.

Installed capacity for wind energy, measured in megawatts, 2016

1. Texas 20,320

2. Iowa 6,911

3. Oklahoma 6,645

4. California 5,656

5. Kansas 4,451

Source: American Wind Energy Association, U.S. Energy Information Administration

Business

rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski

ALSO

California tries to capture offshore wind energy

Group files appeal to try to stop Tule Wind Project

Wind turbines taller than the Empire State Building?
I believe in second chances. It is one of the reasons that I spend time teaching entrepreneurship in the prison system.

My experience with the inmates is that the vast majority exhibit a deep sense of remorse; they both understand and can say that they are sorry. If they had it to do over again, they would not make that stupid, destructive, even deadly decision. They have looked at their own world and the world of their victim and they have said I am sorry. And now they ask for forgiveness.

But what about our world? How do we apologize? How do we say I am sorry? For some insight, I turned to Arthur Collins, Jr., former chairman and CEO of Medtronic.

Advertisement

Collins says, Surprisingly, it is more of a rare occurrence when leaders own up and say, listen, Im sorry. He cites examples where the honest apology enhances the reputation of the individual, but it is not the norm. Mostly, leaders view the apology as a sign of weakness. For further examples on this topic, please study the current administration in Washington, D.C.

An example of an unhelpful apology (the diesel emissions-gate scandal) was issued by Michael Horn, head of Volkswagen Group of America, who said, Our company was dishonestwe totally screwed up. We have to make things right .we are committed to do what must be done. But before finally taking the fall, Horn first blamed the software engineers, saying they acted on their own. Six months later, he was fired.

Rather than go with the honest apology early, he chose to try the slip and slide. And he got caught. The reason people try to dodge the bullet is they think they can get away with it. Gary Becker, Nobel prize winning economist, says that criminal behavior is rational; it is like parking illegally and not getting a ticket  the potential benefits outweigh the potential costs.

Collins advises that if you are going to apologize, do it quickly and sincerely. The longer you wait, the worse it gets. Now I need to pause here. What fascinates me is that everyone knows this rule  everyone from the age of three knows that fessing up is the best policy  so my question is: Why do so many people in high places get it wrong?

Look at the Tylenol contamination incident of 1982. James Burke, CEO, took personal responsibility, launched a nationwide recall immediately, (he did not wait to be challenged or found prevaricating, he just did it), returned to the market with tamper proof lids and reclaimed 30 percent of the world-wide market (which had gone to 7 percent after the recall). Then Collins makes the comparison to Travis Kalanick, Uber co-founder, who was unable to apologize until the day the board removed him.

It seems the initial response is usually to try to cover it up or make up a bogus story. But today, in the age of social media, the ability to tough it out is essentially zero. There are cameras and recording devices everywhere. A lie lasts about a minute before it is challenged somewhere, somehow by someone.

Exxon CEO Lawrence Rawl (the Valdez spill) and BP CEO Anthony Hayward (Deepwater Horizon spill) got fired for delay, obfuscation and lack of compassion. This characteristic, namely the ability to quickly acknowledge your error, is a key component for a CEO. Avoid selective and partial disclosure. Transparency should prevail. In the case of the honest mistake, I want to be quick with the apology and beg for forgiveness.

But clearly, I am not giving a pass to fraud, deceit and dishonesty. In those instance, saying you are sorry may be nice, even therapeutic, but the bottom line is indelible, you lied.

In a final analysis I turn from commerce to religion and the Talmud, which states that God created repentance before he created the universe. The personal apology comes from a desire to relieve ourselves from a guilty conscience (you violated a moral norm) as well as a desire to restore some self-respect. An apology turns the shame of the offense and redirects it to yourself. Therein you give the offended the power to forgive which is a gift most of us cannot refuse. I am continually astounded when the victims family forgives the person who committed the crime. I would hope I could do the same.

Neil Senturia, a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies, writes weekly about entrepreneurship in San Diego. Please email ideas to Neil at neil@blackbirdv.com.

Rule No. 526: Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.  Gandhi

Business

Neil Senturia, a serial entrepreneur who invests in early-stage technology companies, writes weekly about entrepreneurship in San Diego. Please email ideas to Neil at neil@blackbirdv.com.
Southwest Airlines is solidifying its position as San Diegos dominant air carrier with the announcement Monday that it is adding year-round nonstop flights to Puerto Vallarta, Newark and El Paso.

Just a few months after debuting its nonstop service to Cabo San Lucas, Southwest said Monday it will now add a twice weekly flight to Puerto Vallarta on Saturdays and Sundays, starting March 10 of next year. The decision was driven by strong interest expressed by its customers, said Southwest officials.

The international service we are providing has really resonated with our customers, and Cabo was the most popular destination our customers requested, and Puerto Vallarta was next, said Leah Koontz, Vice President Controller for the airline. San Diego is our fourth international gateway out of California.

Advertisement

The only other air carrier flying nonstop between San Diego and Puerto Vallarta is Alaska Airlines.

Domestically, Southwest is also adding a Sunday-only flight to El Paso, which is not served by any other airline out of San Diego International Airport, and it will start offering a daily nonstop to Newark. After trying out a daily nonstop in June and July, Southwest saw there was enough demand to convert it to year-round service.

The El Paso flight will debut March 11, and Newark will go into effect April 8.

When we flew seasonal service to Newark in the summer we liked the response we got from customers, said Southwest Airlines Managing Director of Network Planning Adam Decaire. People were ecstatic we got a nonstop on that flight for the summer, so were bringing it back next year. Its the 15th largest market for all customers leaving San Diego on any airline.

Alaska and United Airlines currently offer nonstop service to Newark.

In addition to the three new nonstops, Southwest is also expanding its existing Austin, Texas, nonstop flight from two days a week to three and its Dallas service from three days to four.

Southwest had planned to announce sale fares to accompany the new routes, but those are temporarily postponed because of the current turmoil surrounding Tropical Storm Harvey in Texas.

The San Diego flights were among nearly 20 new nonstop routes and increased frequency to 27 existing routes that Southwest announced Monday. It also is planning to add more service to Cancun and Cabo San Lucas from the U.S.

While acknowledging the heightened competition for air travel, Southwest executives believe California is just as competitive as it always has been, even as Alaska Airlines has moved aggressively to gain a stronger toehold in San Diego.

Ive been here 24 years and theres always been a whole lot of competition in the state of California, so this really is no different, said Koontz. Southwest Airlines never backs down from a challenge and we intend to maintain our competitive lead in California.

For flights within California, Southwest accounts for nearly 64 percent of the passenger volume, said Decaire. For all domestic flights, Southwests market share at Lindbergh is 37.5 percent, he added.

Business

lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-2251

Twitter: @loriweisberg
After nearly 12 years on the market, the former site of the oldest school in Santee has finally been sold.

The Santee School District School Board on Aug. 15 accepted a bid for $11.1 million from the Lincoln Property Co., locally known as LPC West, for the13-acre parcel at 10335 Mission Gorge Road near Cottonwood Avenue.

School Superintendent Kristin Baranski said the proceeds from the Santee School sale will be used for building modernization throughout the district.

Advertisement

Santee City Councilman Ronn Hall said he has been in talks with LPC West about development on that site, including restaurants or mixed-use housing with businesses.

Santee Elementary School, built in 1891, was closed in 2003 because of declining enrollment. The schools population dropped by 300 in the five years leading up to its closure.

The district saved about $600,000 annually when it closed the school, but has struggled since then to sell or lease it for a variety of reasons.

In 2005, a housing developer withdrew an offer to buy the site for $14 million after city officials said they wanted to see stores on the property. Plans from 2011 for a lease to a Los Angeles-area retail developer for at least $250,000 annually were scrapped.

In 2015, only one company met the districts then-required $8.5 million minimum bid, with Shea Properties offering $8.63 million, but that deal never went through. The minimum bid this year was $9 million.

Three groups were in the running for the property  LPC West, Haagen Co. and Cameron Brothers.

Santee School Board President Elana Levens-Craig said that at a subsequent board meeting, a purchase and sale agreement will need to be approved. The district will then make final plans to work with a brokerage firm for the sale.

Then escrow will open, which could be as long as a year, Levens-Craig said. During the escrow period, the developer will work with the city to obtain approval of their plans.

Part of the site, vacant for more than a decade, was under the jurisdiction of the Santee City Council. Last September, the council agreed at a public hearing to change the zoning type for a portion of the land so that the entire area would be available to potential buyers.

In April, Santee City Manager Marlene Best, Mayor John Minto, Hall, and Santee Economic Development Manager Pam White attended the International Council of Shopping Centers convention in Las Vegas. While there, they as well as a marketing broker hired by the school district spoke to several interested parties about the former school site, including LPC representatives.

The group handed out to developers a 53-page marketing document that the city and school district worked on together. It included color maps of where other popular retail chains are located in relation to the property and highlights of the community.

It touted Santees schools, parks, recreation opportunities, public transportation availability and quality of life. It noted that the citys population of nearly 57,000 has a median income of nearly $79,000, highest in East County and seventh highest of the 18 cities in San Diego County.

Hall said he and one of the developers talked about coming in with a big store, like Bass Pro Shops. Hall said discussion also centered around something similar to Stater Brothers or a small restaurant row, maybe with some housing.

Hall said that the Mission Gorge site is part of a vision he has for Santee as a go-to destination, with unique offerings not found elsewhere.

The city has plans to open a theater and full-service restaurant as soon as next year on a 7-acre parcel at Towne Center Parkway, next to the Parc One apartment complex that recently became available.

These properties are zoned for job-creating types of development, Best said. This means new jobs, new revenue, new services in Santee.

The former school site is near other retail outlets and is close to Gillespie Field. The land has most recently been home to a Little League, was once the site of a farmers market and is used occasionally by the Santee Chamber of Commerce.

karen.pearlman@sduniontribune.com
An affordable housing project in National City was recognized this year for excellence in community development.

The city won a Ruby Award from the San Diego Housing Federation for its first phase of the Paradise Creek project.

The award highlights the accomplishments of people, agencies and developments that work to create safe and stable homes.

Advertisement

National City specifically won in the category: Housing Project of the Year  New Construction.

The Paradise Creek project is a public-private partnership with developers Community HousingWorks and Related California.

The first phase included a 109-unit affordable apartment development on the citys westside on Hoover Avenue off the Mile of Cars.

Construction on the first phase was completed last December. The units are 100 percent leased solely by National City residents.

The project has pedestrian and bike connections to transit. Its near the 24th Street Trolley Station, parks and recreational centers, retail, schools, the library and a medical clinic.

In April, National City leaders and community partners celebrated the completion of phase I and the groundbreaking of phase II, with 92 units expected to be complete by fall 2018.

The affordable-housing project has been in the works for about 12 years.

National City had to overcome many issues for the project to come to fruition: the dissolution of state redevelopment, cleanup of a toxic site, financing, and affordability concerns from the community.

Rent ranges for tenants and is based on their income.

The city-owned property was formerly used as a public works yard for the maintenance of city vehicles surrounded by a neighborhood with similar uses.

The total cost of both phases, including remediation, is about $100 million, with funding coming from various sources, including the city, state and federal governments.
After about an hour of deliberations, an Orange County jury on Monday found that Stanwood Elkus, a retired barber, was sane in 2013 when he fatally shot a 52-year-old urologist inside the doctors Newport Beach office.

Dr. Ronald Gilberts family, who was seated at the center of the courtroom, held hands and breathed a collective sigh of relief when the verdict was read.

Im just glad its over, Glenn Gilbert, Ronalds older brother, said as he filed out of the courtroom.

Advertisement

The same 12-member jury found Elkus, 79, guilty last week of first-degree murder for making an appointment with Gilbert, using a fake name and shooting the physician 10 times when he walked into the exam room.

Because Elkus had pleaded not guilty to the murder charge by reason of insanity, jurors were asked to determine whether he was legally insane at the time of the killing or whether he was sane and understood the weight and consequences of his actions.

Elkus is facing a possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Had jurors determined he was insane during the shooting, he would likely have been sent to a mental health facility.

Elkus told Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue on Monday that he wanted to fire his attorney, Colleen OHara, and have the court appoint a new lawyer so he can file a motion for a new trial.

However, Elkus changed his mind when Donahue explained that the process would take months. Elkus said hed rather go to prison.

Im not getting any younger and Im not getting healthier, he said.

He is expected to be sentenced Sept. 15.

Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. Matt Murphy told jurors at the onset of the trial that Elkus was seething over a surgery performed in 1992 when he drove 55 miles to Gilberts office and shot him on Jan. 28, 2013.

Elkus blamed what he called a botched surgery for his incontinence, erectile dysfunction, diminished sex drive and, ultimately, the loss of his longtime girlfriend.

In 1992, Gilbert, a young medical resident at the time, worked with a team of doctors to diagnose Elkus with a urethral stricture  a narrowing of the urethra  at the veterans hospital in Long Beach after he complained of frequent urination, Murphy said.

Two other Veterans Affairs doctors performed the surgery  without Gilbert  to widen Elkus urethra, but Elkus continued to hold a grudge against Gilbert, Murphy said.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Fry writes for Times Community News.
A Clairemont man who seriously injured his 87-year-old father by beating him with a crowbar was sentenced Monday to six years in prison.

Charles Patrick Duval, 62, pleaded guilty in San Diego Superior Court to felony assault, with an allegation that he caused great bodily injury to the victim, and an elder abuse charge.

He agreed to the prison term at the time he entered his guilty plea.

Advertisement

Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh sentenced Duval in keeping with the plea agreement.

According to police and prosecutors, Duval called 911 shortly after the March 9 attack on his father, who was sleeping at the home they shared on Diane Avenue, north of Cobb Drive, when Duval started striking and choking him.

Police said Duval had disabled the telephone so his father could not use it to call for help.

The father was hospitalized, but survived the attack. He attended the sentencing hearing Monday but did not make a statement to the judge, Deputy District Attorney James Waters said.

When police arrived at the home, Duval surrendered without a struggle.

dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @danalittlefield
Barrio Logan has long been a jumble of homes, heavy industry and freeways  with residents breathing some of the worst air in the state.

A plan aimed at separating homes from industrial uses in the future was overturned by a majority of city voters in 2014. Mayor Kevin Faulconer, ship builders and associated companies said the zoning plan didnt provide enough room for industry to operate.

Now Faulconer and his staff are restarting the update of Barrio Logans community plan. As it stands, the blueprint dates to 1978 and imposes few restrictions on development.

Advertisement

The process is expected to officially kick off this month with a presentation before the neighborhoods local planning group. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Sept. 20 at Woodbury University at 2212 Main St.

Most of the community is such that its legal to build heavy industrial next to a single family house, said Mark Steele, chair of the planning group. Thats got to be cleaned up.

The campaign on the referendum to overturn the updated community plan took place during a turbulent time in the city. Mayor Bob Filner had resigned in disgrace and Councilmen Kevin Faulconer and David Alvarez, who represents Barrio Logan, were running for mayor. The referendum vote took place a few months after Faulconer was elected.

The city planning staff has been evaluating potential changes to the Barrio Logan (plan) that meet community planning goals for the neighborhood while respecting the will of the voters to protect the maritime and defense industries, Christina Di Leva Chadwick, Faulconers press secretary, said on Friday.

She also suggested there needs to be an agreement with Alvarez, who grew up in Barrio Logan.

It wouldnt make sense to move forward with the new (plan) without the support of the council member ... she said. We dont want a repeat with another referendum.

Already, community activists, who have successfully worked to revamp zoning and relocated businesses away from homes in National City, have started gearing up for a fight.

I think a chaotic environment is to their benefit, said Diane Takvorian, executive director of the Environmental Health Coalition, referring to the ship building and repair industry. Its the Wild West in Barrio Logan. This is about the future and whats going to be built here.

Port of San Diego Ship Repair Association, which represents scores of companies in the San Diego region, said it wants to reach an agreement and get a new zoning plan in place.

The maritime industry looks forward to working with the community, city and all Barrio Logan stakeholders to find a positive compromise, said Derry Pence, president of the association. We are excited to have another opportunity to develop a beneficial outcome that serves as a blueprint for the Barrio Logan community for many decades to come.

General Dynamic NASSCO, which donated about than $600,000 to defeat the zoning overhaul, could not be reached for comment Friday about the renewed push to update the plan.

The most contentious aspect of the overturned plan was a five-block section along Harbor drive that is northeast of the shipyard and dominates the areas waterfront.

Ship builders had asked the city to zone that area to allow maritime-realated businesses to operate. Its currently filled with businesses that service the industry, as well as parking lots and warehouses.

Community members have pushed for transitioning it into a pedestrian friendly shopping area that could act as a buffer between homes and businesses that use industrial-grade chemicals.

Its likely this will continue to dominate the conversation going forward, and early draft maps released to the planning group suggest the city is exploring the idea of carving out a swath of land for heavy industry to operate.

Its a zone theyre creating, Steele said. Its something like marine commercial.

When zoning plans are updated, existing businesses are grandfather into perpetuity.

Before being overturned in a voter referendum, the Barrio Logan community-plan update took five years and cost $4 million, culminating in a 5-4 party-line vote of the council in 2013 in favor of the plan.

Twitter: @jemersmith

Phone: (619) 293-2234

Email: joshua.smith@sduniontribune.com
Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown San Diego on Sunday to protest hate and bigotry, organizers said.

Called the San Diego Rally Against Hate, the event was billed as a demonstration against racism and fascism. It comes about two weeks after white nationalists and counter-protesters clashed at a rally in Charlottesville, Va., leaving one woman dead.

We will come together and unite... against the racists and fascists who seek to divide us, and belittle and destroy our culture of inclusivity, empathy, and tolerance, organizers said on the events Facebook page.

Advertisement

The group took over the streets as they walked from Balboa Park to Horton Plaza in downtown San Diego. Many held posters that condemned President Donald Trump, white supremacy, and the KKK. At one point while marching, they chanted, Say it loud, say it clear, Nazis are not welcome here!

The crowd briefly took over downtown San Diego streets. (David Clary / San Diego Union-Tribune)

After reaching Horton Plaza Park, a number of people spoke out against a variety of topics including, fascism, capitalism, racism and police brutality.

We have to stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable among us, said 19-year-old Jeanine Santacruz, with the International Socialist Organizations San Diego branch. Today, we fight to send the fascists back to the margins. But we dont stop there. We need a mass movement that ends the barbaric system that breeds fascism, a movement to end police brutality, to tear down borders.

Similar rallies were held in San Francisco and Berkeley over the weekend. The Bay Area demonstrations were originally planned as counter-protests to two rallies held by right-wing groups, but neither of those events happened.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
An urban search and rescue team from San Diego County arrived in Texas Monday along with truckloads of food, water and gear theyll use as they rescue victims of Tropical Storm Harvey.

Three 18-wheelers, several box trucks and trailers left San Diego late Saturday and traveled by caravan. The group of 45 brought six boats, including two inflatables, to help rescue people from floodwaters that have submerged highways, shopping centers and entire neighborhoods in the Houston area and beyond.

At least eight people in southeast Texas have died in the storm so far.

Advertisement

Once they are in San Antonio they will be tasked with their operational assignment and then given a location for them to set up, said San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Dave Gerboth, who manages the search and rescue program.

The group, deployed as California Task Force 8, includes 43 firefighters, a Sharp Healthcare doctor and a structural specialist from the city of San Diego, with members representing 13 local agencies.

The group initially was headed to Fort Worth but got redirected to a staging area in San Antonio. He said theyll find a good place to stay dry as they set up to do rescues, probably in the Houston area.

The main focus has been water operations and water rescues. We come with multiple boats; our members are trained in operating in both still and swift water, Gerboth said

The National Weather Service said parts of Harris County has received 30 inches or rain and an additional 15 to 25 inches is expected in some areas.

Gerboth said the group brought enough food and other supplies to be self sufficient for up to a week.

.

In four hours, they loaded food, water, supplies and gear including two boats into a line of trucks that were to start caravaning east from a warehouse at the San Diego Fire-Rescue Training Academy off North Harbor Drive.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com
A gunman held up a woman and stole her car keys as she was entering her home in the Sherman Heights neighborhood shortly after midnight on Sunday, San Diego police said.

The 31-year-old victim was at the door of her house on 21st Street about 12:15 a.m. when a man appeared behind her and demanded her keys and purse, San Diego police Officer Robert Heims said.

When she turned around, she saw he was pointing a gun at her and handed over the keys to her white Mazda 6, Heims said. The man stole the car, and was last seen driving east on G Street.

Advertisement

The thief was described as black, about 5 feet 8 inches tall and thin. He was wearing a dark hoodie pulled over his head and cinched close to hide his face, and dark jeans. The stolen car has a California license plate of 7GHG605.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
In the latest move by states to curtail abortions, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has signed an executive order to stop giving state money to any doctor or group affiliated with providing abortions.

The move is part of a growing trend. More than four decades after the U.S. Supreme Court deemed abortion legal, states are trying to place restrictions on when and how the procedure may be performed, or to cut off funding for groups that perform abortions.

South Carolinas move is also another salvo aimed at Planned Parenthood, the largest single provider of abortions in the country, and a popular target among conservatives who oppose abortion. The group was the subject of a bill signed quietly by President Trump in April that allowed states to deny some federal funding to the nonprofit groups operations.

Advertisement

There are a variety of agencies, clinics, and medical entities in South Carolina that receive taxpayer funding to offer important womens health and family planning services without performing abortions, McMaster said in a statement. Taxpayer dollars must not directly or indirectly subsidize abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

It is already illegal to use federal dollars for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or when the mothers life is in danger.

Planned Parenthood officials say that abortions make up a small fraction of the services they provide, and that federal funding supports the other health care services the group offers.

Planned Parenthood tweeted shortly after McMaster signed the executive order, saying state residents would hold the governor accountable and ending with a one-word admonishment: Shame.

4,000 SC residents rely on PP for birth control, cancer screenings & other preventive care each year. They will hold you accountable. Shame. https://t.co/dOI6uElml9  Planned Parenthood Action (@PPact) August 25, 2017

Trumps signing of the bill overturned a regulation that stopped states from denying federal Title X family planning funds to places that also provide abortions. Planned Parenthood  which has three locations in South Carolina, only one of which offers abortions  fell under the scope of that bill, which narrowly passed earlier this year with Vice President Mike Pence casting a tie-breaking vote in the Senate.

McMaster, who supported Trumps presidential campaign, is facing a primary challenge next year, and some of his opponents had already come out in favor of defunding sites that offer abortion services.

South Carolina is just the latest state to take aim at Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that allowed abortion. The executive order follows the states decision last year to ban doctors from performing abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy. That law also doesnt allow for an exemption if the fetus has a fatal defect in the womb, and also makes no exceptions for rape or incest cases.

Carole Joffe, a professor at the Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health at UC San Francisco, notes that conservatives who oppose abortion rights have been steadily passing restrictive state laws and making abortions almost unattainable in some states.

Some states may only have one abortion provider, making it difficult and expensive for many low-income women to get abortions. The lack of access due to tough state restrictions, Joffe says, has effectively made abortion not an option for some women.

Trumps election may change this and the womens marches may change this, but historically, Democrats have been much more mobilized around presidential elections and congressional races, she said. Republicans have done a much better job in bringing people though the pipeline of local races  school board, then state assembly and state senate. Democrats havent paid as much attention at this level.

When Barack Obama was elected in 2008 and Democrats controlled both houses in Congress, Republicans got to work. In the 2010 midterm election, the GOP cashed in at the congressional and state legislative level and among governorships.

State legislatures swung to the GOP as well  with 25 states entirely controlled by Republicans. There are only five states where Democrats are in control of both the governors seat and the legislature. Republicans also hold 33 governors seats.

The Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for reproductive rights including abortion, reported that since Republicans began dominating at the state level after President Obamas election, hundreds of state measures have been passed that have choked off access to abortions.

Iowa and Kentucky joined about 16 other states that restrict abortions after 20 weeks  though federal courts have said they violate Roe vs. Wade. Tennessee passed a law requiring that two doctors confirm a fetus is not viable before an abortion can be provided at 20 weeks or later, except in a medical emergency.

Arkansas and Texas joined Mississippi and West Virginia in passing bans on a procedure used in the second trimester referred to as dilation and evacuation  though the courts have stepped in to block the bans. Last week, however, Arkansas appealed that federal court order.

The Guttmacher Institute reported this year that the abortion rate in the United States declined 14% between 2011 and 2014  a record low as the number of procedures fell below 1 million annually.

McMasters executive order was praised by National Right to Life, an antiabortion nonprofit, and the Susan B. Anthony List, which has fought to defund Planned Parenthood.

Thank you Gov. @HenryMcMaster for taking #ProLife action to stop tax funding of abortion business Planned Parenthood in South Carolina!!  pic.twitter.com/AshChvF2Rd  Susan B. Anthony List (@SBAList) August 25, 2017

Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life, said that until Roe vs. Wade can be overturned  something she is optimistic about if Trump gets to appoint another U.S. Supreme Court justice  the state strategy has been effective, and she applauded McMasters executive order.

There is no reason tax dollars should be used to pay for abortions, Tobias said. And organizations that provide abortions or have them offered on site shouldnt receive those public funds either.

david.montero@latimes.com

@davemontero
America has had a rough year. The depth of our political and cultural divisions have been exposed in painful fashion. When Stanford and Princeton academics released a study in 2014 that warned Americans were self-segregating along political lines, it seemed alarmist. It certainly doesnt now.

All of this makes the reaction to the flooding disaster in Southeastern Texas triggered by Hurricane Harvey such a tonic for the nations soul. When it became evident over the weekend that authorities were overwhelmed by how many people they had to rescue  especially in the Houston metropolitan area, the fifth-largest in the U.S.  the spontaneous response of so many Texans was something to behold. Hundreds immediately launched or joined in rescue missions. Social media tools that are too often used to show contempt for others became a way for people to get help for themselves and for their family members, and for residents to offer help any way they could. Houston author Shea Serrano tweeted out not just the addresses of people in need of help but of people with boats and all the neighborhoods they could reach. In neighboring Louisiana, what residents dubbed the Cajun Navy of citizen boaters quickly headed east to help with rescues.

At the government level, the response to the Texas tragedy was also welcomely thorough and generous. The Federal Emergency Management Agency reacted quickly, showing it had learned the lessons of Hurricane Katrina, and its leader vowed to spend years helping the devastated region rebuild. Local and state governments also organized immediately to offer aid, including a convoy of trucks with two boats, supplies, gear and 45 search-rescue firefighters and support crew from San Diego County that left for Texas on Saturday night.

Advertisement

Americans who watched all this unfold on national TV or social media may have felt awed or choked up or both. But most of all, we should feel proud. This is our country at its best.

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion

Twitter: @sdutIdeas

Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion
Trumps many outings costing us all a fortune

I just researched the cost of operating Donald Trumps private jet before he transferred the tab to the U.S. taxpayers. Between $10,000 to $15,000 an hour is what one source was quoting for the operating cost of the Trump jet. Now it costs the taxpayers $206,000 an hour for Air Force 1.

The poor slobs of America who voted for Trump should ask for a refund on this president, since they got a wolf, when they were hoping for Santa Claus to fill their goody bags with massive numbers of jobs.

Show us the jobs. So far the gross domestic product growth rate has been a continuation of the Barack Obama years, suggesting there has been no significant Trump bump in the economy yet.

Advertisement

G. Lance Johannsen

Carlsbad

Border wall also to be paid for by taxpayers?

Why should Congress fund the border? Didnt our national embarrassment tell us, before he was elected, that Mexico was going to pay for it?

E. J. Anderson

San Diego

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.

Follow @UTLetters on Twitter and UTOpinion on Facebook.
IT'S ON: Christian Group Sues SPLC and Amazon Over 'Hate Group' DesignationOn Tuesday, D. James Kennedy Ministries (DJKM) filed a lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the charity navigation organization GuideStar, and Amazon for defamation, religious discrimination, and trafficking in falsehood. The SPLC listed DJKM as a "hate group," while GuideStar also categorized it in those terms, and Amazon kept the ministry off of its charity donation program, Amazon Smile."We embarked today on a journey to right a terrible wrong," Dr. Frank Wright, president and CEO at DJKM, said in a statement Tuesday. "Those who knowingly label Christian ministries as 'hate' groups, solely for subscribing to the historic Christian faith, are either woefully uninformed or willfully deceitful. In the case of the Southern Poverty Law Center, our lawsuit alleges the latter."The SPLC has labeled DJKM an "anti-LGBT hate group" for its opposition to same-sex marriage and transgenderism. "These false and illegal characterizations have a chilling effect on the free exercise of religion and on religious free speech for all people of faith," Wright declared."After having given the SPLC an opportunity to retract, we have undertaken this legal action, seeking a trial by a jury of our peers, to preserve our own rights under the law and to defend the religious free speech rights of all Americans," the DJKM president concluded.The lawsuit laid out charges against the SPLC, GuideStar, and Amazon. "SPLC acted knowingly, intentionally, and with actual malice in publishing the Hate Map that included the Ministry and in publishing the SPLC Transmissions to GuideStar that included the ministry," the suit alleged. "SPLC's conduct in making these publications was beyond the reckless disregard for the truth standard required by Alabama law for punitive damages."The suit claimed that "the Ministry suffered special damages in its exclusion from the AmazonSmile program as a result of SPLC's publication of the Hate Map and the SPLC Transmissions."Specifically, DJKM brought the suit under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for religious discrimination, under the Lanham Act for trafficking in false or misleading descriptions of the services offered under the ministry's trademarked name, and for defamation under Alabama common law arising from "the publication and distribution of information that libels the Ministry's reputation and subjects the Ministry to disgrace, ridicule, odium, and contempt in the estimation of the public."The lawsuit explained why the "hate" labeling was so malicious. DJKM's vision statement runs as follows: "The corporation seeks to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the supremacy of His Lordship, and a biblically informed view of the world, using all available media, so that Jesus Christ would be known throughout all of the Earth and that everywhere He might be trusted, loved, and served.""Nowhere in the purpose or action of the Ministry is there HATE or any room for HATE," the lawsuit explained. Even so, it was denied participation in the AmazonSmile program on the grounds of SPLC's libel.It appears the people who claim to be against defamation are defamers, slanderers and libelers...Well, what do you think?
HOUSTON (AP)  With clay soil and tabletop-flat terrain, Houston has endured flooding for generations. Its 1,700 miles of man-made channels struggle to dispatch storm runoff to the Gulf of Mexico.

Now the nations fourth-largest city is being overwhelmed with more frequent and more destructive floods. The latest calamity occurred April 18, killing eight people and causing tens of millions of dollars in damage. The worsening floods arent simple acts of nature or just costly local concerns. Federal taxpayers get soaked too.

Extreme downpours have doubled in frequency over the past three decades, climatologists say, in part because of global warming. The other main culprit is unrestrained development in the only major U.S. city without zoning rules. That combination means more pavement and deeper floodwaters. Critics blame cozy relations between developers and local leaders for inadequate flood-protection measures.

Advertisement

An Associated Press analysis of government data found that if Harris County, which includes Houston, were a state it would rank in the top five or six in every category of repeat federal flood losses  defined as any property with two or more losses in a 10-year period amounting to at least $1,000 each.

Since 1998, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has paid more than $3 billion in todays dollars for flood losses in metropolitan Houston.

While repeat federal flood relief payouts average about $3,000 per square mile nationally, they are nearly half a million dollars per square mile in metro Houston. Six of Texas eight federally declared disasters since December 2013 included floods.

Houston has always had a flood problem, and the growth in the paving has only made it worse, FEMA Director Craig Fugate said. When the best building and land-use practices arent followed, we see the costs of disasters go up.

Metro Houston, which includes smaller communities and unincorporated parts of Harris County, has added more than a million people since 1992, while the amount of water-absorbing wetlands per capita has been halved. Paved surfaces in the county increased by well over 25 percent in that period, according to researchers.

Paved land generates five times more runoff than woodlands.

Theres basically very little control of development, said Susan Cutter, director of the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina.

Since the 1980s, Houstons preferred approach to flood control, besides improving drainage, has been to build thousands of detention ponds, concrete-lined pools that capture stormwater and pipe it out slowly.

But developers dont build enough floodwater retention into their projects, and areas that never flooded before now flood in the smallest event, said Ed Browne, chairmen of the citizens group Residents Against Flooding .

For example, if a property previously had construction and is being redeveloped, building codes dont require detention ponds.

Thats just not how the laws are set up, said Mike Talbott, executive director of the Harris County Flood Control District.

He said blaming new construction for worsening flooding is unwarranted.

The new growth is mitigating its own impacts, he said.

___

HOMEOWNER COMPLAINTS, CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS

Across Houston, anxiety rises when heavy rain is forecast, and people dread what hydrologists call sheet flow.

Thats especially true in places such as Frostwood, a west Houston neighborhood downhill from Memorial City, a development with big-box stores, office towers, a hospital, a hotel and condos.

Memorial Citys owner, Metro National, has benefited from more than a decade of infrastructure improvements made by a quasi-governmental authority that the companys own lawyers helped create.

Flooded residents claim the authority failed to honor a 2003 pledge to build stormwater detention ponds on their side of Interstate 10, which the state Department of Transportation subsequently expanded to 26 lanes including frontage.

It seems like weve just got a concrete jungle around us now with no place for the water to go, said Carolyn Elliott, an 81-year-old widow whose husband was critically ill when an April 2009 deluge forced them from their home of three decades.

Jim Jard, a former Metro National president who sat on the Houston Planning Commission for 25 years and is still involved with the company, said there is no civil engineer that will tell you projects at Metro National caused additional flooding.

Developers play big in Houston politics.

Nearly half of the $313,000 that Harris Countys top elected official, Judge Ed Emmett, collected in campaign contributions in the first half of 2014 came from engineers, builders, developers and real estate interests. Emmett said its unfair to say the donations gave them outsized influence. So why do they give?

Why does anyone give money to campaigns? Youd have to ask them, said Emmett, a Republican re-elected in November 2014.

More than a quarter of the $726,000 in contributions to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner last December came from developers, engineers, builders and real estate interests. Some of the money for Turner, a Democrat who won a Dec. 12 runoff, was collected at a Metro National fundraiser. Turners spokeswoman, Janice Evans, said project choices in the Rebuild Houston program for improving drainage are based on need and data, not influence from any one group.

Freshman city council member Greg Travis said Metro National backed his opponent during last years race. After Travis won, he said, the company gave him six or seven personal checks, including one from Jard. He said he never cashed the checks and didnt recall the amounts.

I am not opposed to Metro National, Travis said. I like a lot of what they do. But there are certain things I dont like. And the fact is, I dont need their money.

___

RISING TEMPERATURES, FREQUENT DOWNPOURS

Climate change is increasingly concentrating downpours into smaller areas, with big implications for urban flooding, scientists say. On April 18, one northwest section of Harris County got 4.7 inches in an hour.

Rising average temperatures since 1985 have packed 7 percent more moisture into the atmosphere above Houston, while warmer Gulf of Mexico waters collude in the heavier rains.

Since 1986, extreme downpours  the type measured in double-digit inches  have occurred twice as often as in the previous 30 years, the AP weather analysis showed.

Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said to expect more frequent and bigger downpours. The odds are twice as high as they have been in the past.

Since the late 1970s, FEMA has made more flood damage payments in Harris County than in any place outside New Orleans and two other Louisiana parishes also ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. The agency received more than 8,000 claims from last months deluge but has yet to calculate how many are repeat victims.

Entire blocks of chronically flooded Houston neighborhoods should be acquired for conversion into water-absorbing open spaces, said Roy Wright, FEMAs associate deputy administrator. But buyouts are voluntary, and FEMA doesnt pay for relocation.

Harris County has done about 3,000 buyouts over the past three decades, underwritten mostly by federal dollars. Talbott said buyouts will remain part of the strategy, though Mark Loethen of Houstons Public Works Department said the city prefers helping homeowners get federal grants to raise homes above flood levels.

With each new flood, the maps FEMA uses to determine flood insurance eligibility and other matters become instantly obsolete. A 2013 presidential directive told the agency to start using computer modeling to update the maps, but that hasnt happened yet.

Harris County boasts of being among just seven agencies nationwide that is empowered to independently update flood maps, although FEMA must give final approval. In places such as Denver and North Carolina, that practice has worked well, said Alan Lulloff of the Association of State Flood Plain Managers.

But Houston environmental attorney Jim Blackburn said Harris Countys autonomy emerged out of the pro-developer 1980s. In some of the more egregious cases, it appeared to us that developers had an undue influence in the shape or extent of the flood plain, he said.

Blackburn has filed three related lawsuits in the last 15 years. A Sierra Club suit prompted FEMA to raise the flood plain by some 4 feet in a northwestern suburb. Another suit failed to halt construction of a section of Houstons third outer-ring highway. The Texas Supreme Court is rehearing a 2002 lawsuit filed by homeowners along oft-flooded White Oak Bayou so they might qualify for federal relief.

___

ONE FAMILY, TWO FLOODS

Parts of Meyerland, a leafy subdivision inaugurated on a former rice field in 1955 by then-Vice President Richard Nixon, are now a forlorn hodgepodge of flood-ravaged, one-story ranch homes, many with for sale signs. The neighborhood 10 miles southwest of downtown includes many homes that were rebuilt 5 feet above ground.

Self-employed IT administrator Harry Duffey, 48, was just about to move back in with his wife and four kids when the latest flood hit. A few miles upstream, nearly 8 inches of rain fell in just three hours.

The family bought their 5,100-square-foot home, located just a block from Brays Bayou, three years ago for $750,000. Nothing in its records indicated it had ever flooded, Duffey said.

On Memorial Day 2015, the Duffeys were wading in 2.5 feet of fetid water. They had not yet moved back in when the water returned a month ago. Wood floors and drywall were ripped out again.

The graduate of nearby Rice University got a $250,000 flood insurance payout last time. Deeply in debt, he hopes for the same again.

From a financial standpoint, the only thing that makes sense is to move back, to remodel a third time, he said.

___

Borenstein reported from Washington, D.C.

___

Follow Borenstein at https://twitter.com/borenbears . His work can be found at https://bigstory.ap.org/content/seth-borenstein .

Follow Bajak at https://twitter.com/fbajak . His work can be found at https://bigstory.ap.org/content/frank-bajak .
The CEO of what had been one of the nations largest privately held mortgage lenders was sentenced Tuesday to more than three years in prison for his role in a $3 billion scheme that officials called one of the biggest corporate frauds in U.S. history.

The 40-month sentence for Paul R. Allen, 55, of Oakton, Va., is slightly less than the six-year term sought by federal prosecutors.

I messed up. I messed up big, Allen told U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema before he was sentenced, apologizing to his family and the entire financial community. There was no excuse for my behavior.

Advertisement

Allen was chief executive at Ocala, Fla.-based Taylor Bean & Whitaker, which collapsed in 2009 after the criminal investigation became public, resulting in its 2,000 employees losing their jobs. The fraud also contributed to the collapse of Alabama-based Colonial Bank - the sixth largest bank failure in U.S. history - after Colonial bought hundreds of millions of dollars in Taylor Bean mortgages that had already been sold to other investors.

Two other banks - Deutsche Bank and BNP Paribas - lost nearly $2 billion after buying corporate paper from Taylor Bean that was not properly backed with collateral, authorities said.

Taylor Bean and Colonial also tried to obtain more than $500 million from the governments Troubled Asset Relief Program but ultimately never received any funding from the program also known as TARP.

Neil Barofsky, who served as TARPs special inspector general, said the Taylor Bean case was the most significant criminal prosecution to arise out of the nations financial crisis. The convictions of company chairman Lee Farkas and Allen represent some of the most high-profile executives in the housing and financial industries to receive prison time in the aftermath of the housing sector meltdown.

Allens lawyer argued for leniency on the theory that Allen was CEO in name only. The real mastermind was Farkas, who kept Allen out of the loop on much of the companys day-to-day operations, according to trial testimony.

Mr. Allen was not treated as a CEO. He did not function as a CEO, said defense lawyer Stephen Graeff. Sentence Mr. Allen the man, not Mr. Allen the title.

But Brinkema said Allens title was significant, adding Allens reputation in the industry lent credibility to Taylor Bean that it otherwise would not have had. Even worse, Brinkema said, Allen had subordinates who were reporting the problems to Allen, but Allen left them to fend for themselves. One of those Taylor Bean employees, Sean Ragland, also was sentenced Friday to three months in prison and nine months of home detention for his role in the scheme.

I cant understand why in the world you didnt stop it, Brinkema told Allen.

Allen, for his part, apologized to his family and to the entire financial community.

By the time Allen became CEO in 2003, the fraud was already under way, and Taylor Bean owed more than $100 million to Colonial. Allens part in the schemes, came later, especially in the commercial paper loans from Deutsche bank and BNP Paribas that eventually grew to become the largest part of the fraud.

Ragland and Allen are the fifth and sixth persons to be sent to prison as part of the Taylor Bean-Colonial fraud, and investigators say the investigation is continuing. Sentences have ranged from three months to eight years.

All six received credit on their sentences for cooperating with investigators and testifying at Farkas trial.

Mr. Allens sentence reflects his ultimate cooperation with this investigation, but also sends the message that unless executives expose and stop fraud when they first learn of it, they will be punished, said Neil MacBride, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Farkas is to be sentenced next week, and prosecutors have indicated they will seek a significantly longer sentence for Farkas than for his co-conspirators.
A few months ago I wrote about the magical leaf, the super food of the Yucatan  chaya. You can read all it here: Chaya: Overlooked Deliciousness & Wonder Green of Belize?

Chayas nutritional properties, where you can find it around town, a few ways to prepare it and chayas origins.

But last Friday, I received a few GORGEOUS bunches of chaya leaves from a new food delivery service we have in Belize called SHOOTS ALIVE. Its a pretty amazing, relatively new farmer-to-you business that is making fresh foods from all over Belize MUCH more available.

Check out the link to their facebook page and I will get more information and write more on that later.

But I had two giant bunches of chayaso pretty that you could just display them on your table

So pretty that I can easily imagine Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge wearing this hat in green when she visits Belize  a member of the British Commonwealth.

Shes got to visit one day, right?

Did I tell you that I met Prince Harry when he was in Belize? Here is a picture that proudly hangs in Elvis Kitchen of the event. From left to right. Miss Elvi, Chef Jennie of Elvis Kitchen, MEMEMEMEMEME! and Prince Harry.

Oh yeswe are talking about chaya.

We de-stemmed one bag  chopped it, quickly sauteed it with onions and garlic, mixed it with some pesto and ate it with pasta and LOTS of feta.

Delicious.

The second bunch was earmarked for Jeffs famous GREEN JUICE. Id first tasted it at the now defunct Chaya Cafe and then at Rojo Beach Bar & Lounge and I was HOOKED.

Its the perfect thing to do with a pineapple. Even better than just eating the pineapple.

Here is the recipe. And it is originally from the Cayo region. From a man named Saeed who works in bamboo  art and furniture  who prepared the juice many years ago.

I am told that it is best sipped freshly made while looking over the jungles of Cayo and the top of the Xunantunich Maya site.

Ingredients:

A pineapple

10 leaves of chaya  de-stemmed and any big veins removed

a knob of ginger peeled

a glug of honey (to taste)

ice cubes

juice of a lime

Chop  depends on the rigor of your blender. Add a bit of water to facilitate whirring.

Absolutely ridiculously over-the-top delicious and with the right amount of ginger, pretty zippy.

If you cant find chaya, you can omit green. Or you can substitute a handful of spinach.

Makes 2 giant glassesor more depending on your pina.
Brooklyn, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/28/2017 -- The cumulative effect of diverse factors has been responsible behind the stability of the global Ready-To-Drink Green Tea market. While there are a few factors creating hindrances for the market, overall the stability is expected to remain intact through the course of the forecast period between 2017 and 2021. The report offers a granular analysis of the various factors influencing the global Ready-To-Drink Green Tea market's trajectory. Those imposing negative impacts while those encouraging its growth is studied in great detail.



This report studies Ready-To-Drink Green Tea in Global market, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering

Associated British Foods

THE COCA-COLA COMPANY

Ito En

Tingyi

Unilever

AriZona Beverages

DR PEPPER SNAPPLE GROUP (DPS)

Hangzhou Wahaha Group

International Beverage

Sweet Leaf Tea Company



Request a Sample Copy of this Report @ http://www.qyresearchreports.com/sample/sample.php?rep_id=979055&type=E



The global Ready-To-Drink Green Tea market is segmented based on various parameters, in order to compile a holistic report. It includes exhaustive information obtained from trusted industrial sources and via proven research methodologies. The information thus included is then interspersed with relevant graphs and tables to support the data revealed.



The report therefore comes along with a long list of graphs and figures logically compiled to provide an executive-level blueprint of the global Ready-To-Drink Green Tea market. In addition, chapters are dedicated to gauge the impact of the Porter's five forces on the operations of the market. The analysis has provided insights into the bargaining power of the suppliers, buyers, the competitive rivalry, and threat from new entrants and substitutes.



In the end, the report profiles the leading players operating in the market to present an in-depth overview of the Ready-To-Drink Green Tea market's vendor landscape. SWOT analysis is conducted on the companies profiled to study their strengths and weaknesses. The analysis has also helped the report get relevant data pertaining to the opportunities and threats that these companies are slated to face over the course of the aforementioned forecast period.



Explore Complete Report @ http://www.qyresearchreports.com/report/global-ready-to-drink-green-tea-market-research-report-2017.htm



Table of Contents



Global Ready-To-Drink Green Tea Market Research Report 2017

1 Ready-To-Drink Green Tea Market Overview

1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Ready-To-Drink Green Tea

1.2 Ready-To-Drink Green Tea Segment by Type

1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Ready-To-Drink Green Tea by Type in 2015

1.2.2 Flavoured

1.2.3 Unflavoured

1.3 Ready-To-Drink Green Tea Segment by Application

1.3.1 Ready-To-Drink Green Tea Consumption Market Share by Application in 2015

1.3.2 Supermarkets and Hypermarkets

1.3.3 Convenience Stores

1.4 Ready-To-Drink Green Tea Market by Region

1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)

1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Ready-To-Drink Green Tea (2012-2022)



Explore QYResearch Press & Articles @ http://www.qyresearchreports.com/press-releases.htm
Austin, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/28/2017 -- Texas Garage Door, an Austin based garage door installation and repair company has announced their new free garage door inspection service as part of their way to give back to the community.



Tyler Smith, media manager for the company, said in a statement to press, "Our main goal is to always help the customer first. We see that it is our duty to give back to the community where ever possible and by offering free garage door inspection services we will be able to prevent mishaps and potential death caused by malfunctioning garage doors".



The companies garage door inspection services will come to the customer's location and inspect the door free of charge. Their free 25 point garage door inspection service covers such things as the springs, lifting mechanism, hinges and electrical wiring.



"I remembered several years ago reading reports that garage doors, kill an estimated 50 people a year in the United States, most of them children. This is absolutely uncalled for. I feel it is our duty to give back to the community and prevent as many of these senseless deaths by doing whatever we can. And that is exactly what we are doing here at Texas Garage Door". Mr. Smith concluded in a statement to press this week.



The company urges Texas residents to visit their website and call their phone number. Their free garage door inspection services are available during regular business hours at the convenience of residents.



About Texas Garage Door

Texas Garage Door is a company in the State of Texas that installs and repairs residential and commercial garage doors. Their company is open 7 days a week to best serve the state. Interested parties can contact them by visiting their website and calling them.



https://garagedoorrepairtexas.com/



For Media Contact:

Texas Garage Door

11711 Domain Dr. #1452 Austin, TX 78758

512-566-3994

dispatch@garagedoorrepairtexas.com
Lewes, DE -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/28/2017 -- As per International Monetary Fund (IMF) Malaysia's real gross domestic product is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.69% from it's 2015 level of MYR 1062.80 billionand reach MYR 1464.66 billionby 2022.



Malaysia, is a federal constitutional monarchy in Asia. It consists of thirteen states and three federal territories and has a total landmass of 127,350 square miles separated by the South China Sea into two similarly sized regions, Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo. Land borders are shared with Thailand, Indonesia, and Brunei, and maritime borders exist with Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines.



Malaysia had estimated population of 31.661million in the year 2016 and expected to reach 35.03 million by 2022. Malaysia's unemployment rate was 3.45% of total labor force.



Malaysia's real gross domestic product (GDP) was around MYR 1107.86 billions in 2016 whereas the nominal GDP was MYR 1229.38 billions. This resulted in GDP deflator 110.97. Per capita GDP was estimated at USD 9360.47 whereas purchasing power parity (PPP) based per capita GDP was estimated to be at USD 27266.66.



In 2016, Malaysian government's revenue was MYR 250.468 billions whereas the expenditure was MYR 287.72 billions. This resulted Malaysian government's net lending / borrowing negative at MYR 37.252 billion in 2016 indicating that enough financial resources were made not available by the government to boost economic growth.



The current account balance for Malaysia was estimated to be at USD 6.067 billions for the year 2016 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 0.11% and reach USD 8.942 by 2022. This positive current account balance indicates the Malaysia is net lender to the whole world.



The newly launched market research reports featuring Malaysia's PESTEL analysis, SWOT analysis and Risk analysis are aimed at providing insights about Malaysian economy and market.



Scope of the Malaysia PESTEL Analysis, SWOT Analysis and Risk Analysis Market Research Reports



- These reports provide information about key macroeconomic indicators for Malaysia.



- These reports provide PESTELE (political, economic, social, technological, environmental and legal) analysis for Malaysia.



- These reports provide SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis for Malaysia.



- These reports provide risk analysis for Malaysia.



For more information and to purchase Malaysia PESTEL Analysis Market Research Report please visit: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/market-research-reports-inc/malaysia-pestel-analysis-market-research-report



For more information and to purchase MalaysiaSWOT Analysis Market Research Report please visit: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/market-research-reports-inc/malaysia-swot-analysis-market-research-report



For more information and to purchase MalaysiaRisk Analysis Market Research Report please visit: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/market-research-reports-inc/malaysia-risk-analysis-market-research-report



About Market Research Reports, Inc.

Market Research Reports Inc. is world's largest store offering quality market research, SWOT analysis, competitive intelligence and industry reports. We help Fortune 500 to Start-Ups with the latest market research reports on global ional markets which comprise key industries, leading market players, new products and latest industry analysis & trends.



Contact us for your market research requirements: http://www.marketresearchreports.com/contact
In a recent study, scientists have revealed that ethylene can be detected in the breath of healthy volunteers shortly after bacterial infection, indicating that exhaled ethylene could be used as a biomarker for bacterial infection in the clinic.

Ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) is a well-known plant hormone that mediates development and stress responses. Nevertheless, ethylene has recently been appreciated as a product of lipid oxidation in mammals. In humans, stressful events such as exposure to UV light and skin incision during cardiac surgery can engender ethylene emanation in the breath and skin.

Oxidative stress is an important component of inflammation and immune response to infection. A group of researchers from Radboud University, Johns Hopkins University and the Imperial College London examined whether ethylene is formed during the respiratory burst following bacterial infection, a process that rapidly elicits oxidative stress to eliminate bacteria.

They found that traces of ethylene are produced early in the inflammatory response to bacterial lipopolysaccharides by both isolated immune cells as well as by healthy volunteers.

Our results highlight that ethylene release is an early biomarker of bacterial infection. In humans, ethylene was detected at least half an hour earlier than the increase of blood levels of inflammatory cytokines and stress-related hormones. For patients in intensive care this could mean a difference between life and death, said Dr. Simona Cristescu, a Radboud University scientist involved in the study.

Laurent Paardekooper, the first author of the article from Radboud University, envisions what role this finding could play in the clinic: The first possible application I see is continuous monitoring of patients that are on artificial respiration. These people have an increased risk of dangerous infections, and because their breath is already going through a machine, it is easy to monitor it for ethylene.

Sensor Sense, a spin-off company from Radboud Universitys Trace Gas Facility, has already developed a device that facilitates real-time detection of ethylene in patients breath.

Thus, monitoring exhaled ethylene may become an important tool to identify bacterial infections quickly in susceptible patients.

_____

L.M. Paardekooper et al. Ethylene, an early marker of systemic inflammation in humans. Scientific Reports, published online July 31, 2017; doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-05930-9
The joint feasibility study to be helmed by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Ports and Harbours Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism of Japan (MLIT) was announced on Monday in Singapore.

The working group for the study will also include Japan's big three shipowners  NYK, K Line and Mitsui OSK Lines.

The study will focus on the technical details such as fuel tank capacities and refuelling requirements.

'This is an opportunity for Singapore and Japan to co-lead in a global search for solutions to make shipping greener. In particular, the joint study on the feasibility of LNG bunkering for car carriers between Japan and Singapore offers great promise,' said Khaw Boon Wan, Minister of Transport for Singapore.

Keiichi Ishii, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan, said: I believe that Singapore, the worlds top bunkering port, and Japan, the worlds top LNG importer, have the responsibility to contribute to the development of global shipping through jointly promoting the use of LNG as marine fuel.

Both Singapore and Japan are ready to supply LNG to fuel ships via trucks and now looking at fuelling ocean going vessels.
MASON CITY | North Iowa man guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder will be sentenced Sept. 12.

Peter Veal, 31, Lake Mills, was scheduled for sentencing on Aug. 25 but it was continued.

The mandatory sentence in Iowa for first-degree murder is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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.

The trial, which was moved to Webster County due to publicity, began July 10.

The sentencing hearing will be held 2:30 p.m. Sept. 12 at the Cerro Gordo County Courthouse.
The containership Zim Constanza transiting from the US to the port of Tarragona, Spain received a distress call from a yacht which had apparently suffered an engine failure.

The containership undertook a rescue operation, coordinated with the Marine authorities in Porto Delgada in the Azores.

Captain Petru Baias of the Zim Constanza reported that the yacht's skipper onboard his vessel appeared to be exhausted but well. The rescued yachtsman was given food and drinks.

Following approval from the local marine authorities the containership resumed Tarragona with the rescued man onboard.
EMAC held meetings last week with senior executives from both the Port of Fujairah and the Fujairah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI).

We recognise the significance of working together with maritime entities in the region and it is our responsibility to find ways to drive the sector forward now and into the future, said Majid Obaid bin Bashir, acting chairman to the board of trustees and chairman to the executive committee and secretary general at EMAC.

Port of Fujairah gm Mousa Murad commented: We look forward to seeing these talks evolve into the future to the benefits of our organisations and maritime companies in Fujairah.

Fujairah is the top bunkering port in the Middle East and disputes in the sector are a source of arbitrations.

While HE Khalifa Khamis Mattar Alkaabi, chairman of FCCI said: The Chamber is ready to support EMAC to benefit the industry. We welcome hosting future EMAC sessions in Fujairah to continue building awareness of EMACs arbitration and mediation services, specifically established to support maritime companies.
The new Pakistan Qatar Express Service (PQX) will be weekly with a transit time of four days between Port Hamad in Qatar and Karachi, Pakistan. It will be operated by two 1,700 teu capacity vessels.

It will also add a second Mundra, India call for Milaha with the service calling Mesaieed  Mundra  Karachi  Hamad  Mesaieed. The first vessel will depart Port Karachi on 7 September.

We have been vigorously ramping up our operations between Qatar and key Asian markets in response to growing demand from traders, importers, and exporters on both sides, said Abdulrahman Essa Al-Mannai, president and ceo of Milaha.

Our new PQX service will cater mainly to perishable products and other food stuff, and will increase options for customers in Pakistan and India to access Qatar and other Arabian Gulf markets.

Services connecting Qatar to the region have been hit by sanctions from a number of neighbouring nations. In recent weeks Milaha has also launched a new Qatar  Kuwait feeder service and a Qatar  Turkey reefer service.
Press Release

August 27, 2017 Senators, colleagues extend warm wishes on De Lima's birthday Minority senators and colleagues in government have conveyed their greetings and good wishes to Senator Leila M. de Lima who is celebrating her 58th birthday today. Speaking in separate video recordings, De Lima's colleagues expressed their appreciation for her unwavering efforts in promoting human rights and freedom as the Filipino people suffer injustices under the Duterte administration. Sen. Risa Hontiveros said: "Sa aking mahal na kabaro, Sen. Leila, sa kabila ng lahat, happy birthday! In these trying times, your voice and courage continue to remain strong and inspire many. Truly, nothing can bring a good woman down. This administration can lock up the opposition, they can even deliver sexist propaganda online and off, but Leila I'm confident that time and history will judge today in truth and justice's favor." Hontiveros noted De Lima's courage to oppose the rampant killings in the present administration that eventually led to her detention will always be remembered as a patriotic sacrifice that is "one for the books." Note that De Lima drew the ire of the President after she initiated a Senate investigation into the spate of extrajudicial killings and summary executions under the current administration's murderous war on drugs barely two weeks after she assumed the Senate post. Also extending his warm wishes to the former justice secretary, Sen. Franklin Drilon said he is thankful for having a colleague and a "dependable friend" in the person of De Lima. "I am happy to greet you because I have a friend, you, who stands by her principles no matter what the cause is, in order that you can help preserve democracy in our country. Keep up the good fight, Leila. Be assured that we will always be there behind you to support you," he said. Sen. Bam Aquino, meanwhile, urged De Lima to keep strong while in detention, and assured her that "we are behind you." To keep matters light, Sen. Kiko Pangilinan and Former Sen. Mar Roxas greeted De Lima with heartfelt messages with a touch of humor. "I heard you are now celebrating the 30th anniversary of your 28th birthday. Happy birthday to you," Pangilinan said in jest, while Mar greeted, "congratulations on having reached your 38th birthday!" On a serious note, Pangilinan said he would continue to pray for De Lima's freedom as he assured her that he would support her advocacies. Roxas said the birthday present that he could offer the neophyte senator is his continued prayers and support and his continued steadfast standing with [her] for what is right, what is true and what is good. Aside from sending his birthday wishes for the Senator, former Transportation Secretary Jun Abaya took the opportunity to apologize to De Lima for failing to visit her in Camp Crame. He, however, promised to pay her a visit soon. Former Rep. Walden Bello expressed optimism that De Lima's birthday wish will be granted in the right time. "It's going to be a hard fight because Malacanang is throwing everything at her and she's number one public enemy of the President but on the other hand, I'm confident that even if it takes very long, Sen. De Lima will be vindicated," he said. In a recent interview, De Lima said her birthday wish is to be vindicated from the trumped up drug charges fabricated by the Duterte administration filed against her. Also part of De Lima's well-wishers were former Budget Secretary Butch Abad, Caloocan City Rep. Edgar Erice, Northern Samar Rep.Raul Daza, Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat and some of her supporters from advocacy group Alitaptap. De Lima will celebrate her birthday today in detention for the first time, to be attended by family, relatives, and colleagues.
THORNTON | A Mason City man is in critical condition and was airlifted to Mercy after a single vehicle accident on I-35 early Monday morning.

Andrew Lukes, 37, of Mason City was a passenger in the 1999 Chevy Silverado heading north bound on I-35 around 1 a.m. when the driver lost control of the vehicle at the 181 mile marker and the vehicle rolled into the median.

Lukes was extracted from the vehicle by Thornton Fire Department and airlifted to Mercy Medical Center  North Iowa. He is listed in critical condition.

Case Schumacher, 32, of Clarion was driving the vehicle. Schumacher refused medical treatment and was released at the scene, according to Iowa State Patrol.

Iowa State Patrol is handling the investigation and no citations have been issued at this time, according to Iowa State Patrol. The accident is still under investigation.

Cerro Gordo County Sheriffs Department also assisted.
Press Release

August 27, 2017 De Lima celebrates birthday in detention Senator Leila M. de Lima has celebrated her 58th birthday in a simple gathering attended by families, friends and associates on August 27. Bishop Soc Villegas officiated the Mass, along with Fathers Albert Alejo, Robert Reyes, Hector Canon and Flavie Villanueva inside the Custodial Center of the Philippine National Police, in Camp Crame, Quezon City. In his homily, Villegas offered three questions to ask oneself, given that birthdays are also a time for self-reflection: What makes you happy? What makes you afraid? Where are you going? Villegas said that only happiness with God stays. On being afraid, Villegas advised: "Be afraid only of sin, because sin separates us from God," noting how nations living in sin are separated from God and thus, crumble. Referring to De Lima's detention, Villegas added: "Not even the walls of this prison can separate you from God." Ultimately, Villegas said that "every step we should take on earth should lead us to heaven and bring heaven here on earth." The Bishop ended his homily by thanking De Lima for "inspiring, touching, challenging and teaching people how to love God and His people." Fr. Alejo, for his part, asked De Lima to recall what she was doing on her birthday last year, as he read an entry from his personal journal. In it, he shared how he finally got in touch with De Lima on the night of her birthday a year ago to ask if they could meet for "a very sensitive and urgent matter". The matter, as it turns out, was about Edgar Matobato, a self-confessed hitman of the Davao Death Squad (DDS). Describing it as a "grace-filled moment", the priest recalled Matobato saying that he trusts De Lima in coming out with the truth about the rampant killings in Davao City which is being replicated nationwide ever since then Mayor Duterte assumed presidency. De Lima confirmed Fr. Alejo's story saying it "definitely triggered" her situation now, noting her 187th day in detention. Considered as "prisoner of conscience", De Lima said there is "beauty in solitude and suffering". De Lima said she has grown closer to God and now has more time to read the Bible, along with other books that were given to her by friends and supporters who have visited her. If anything, De Lima said she prays that this will be the first and last time that she celebrates her birthday in detention.
Press Release

August 27, 2017 BUSINESS GROUPS SUPPORT GORDON'S PROPOSAL TO CREATE INVESTMENT CORRIDOR Leaders of the business sector threw their support to Senator Richard J. Gordon's proposed bill seeking the creation of an investment corridor by optimizing the use of available infrastructures. Speaking before the 26th North Luzon Area Business Conference last August 25, Gordon called on the Metro Olongapo Chamber of Commerce, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), and other delegates from the business sector to work with him in creating the Regional Investment and Infrastructure Corporation (RIIC) which aims to attract more investors into the country by taking full advantage of the road network system, the airports and the seaports that are in place in the Central Luzon area. "Central Luzon is the only region that has three airports like New York - Subic, Clark and Manila. Plus, it has three seaports - Subic, Mariveles and Manila, four if we include Batangas complemented by a network of highways. We have to optimize the use of these infrastructures to promote development. Let's work together and map out a future for our country," the senator said. "I have been saying this as early as the '80s, These infrastructure have been put in place for good reasons and it would be such a waste of precious resources if we do not fully utilize them. Central Luzon and Northern Luzon does not only have three airports (Subic, Clark, NAIA), but three seaports (Subic, Mariveles, Bataan & Manila) connected by major highways NLex, SCTex, TPLex, Olongapo-Gapan Highway, and plenty of available large tracts of lands for industrial Ecozones, (EPZAS) Tourism Zones (Tiezas) Agricultural Zones. CL will be connected soon directly to South Luzon with Batangas port. We can provide tax incentives for companies and housing groups to move to Central and Southern Luzon. We can decongest Metro Manila and relieve its traffic congested and overburdened port and airport with this plan," he added. Gordon explained that his bill, Senate Bill No. 1325 or the "Regional Investment and Infrastructure Corporation of Central Luzon," proposes that the infrastructures that are already in place in Central Luzon should serve as an economic engine of growth, to promote and encourage entrepreneurship and to create livelihood, jobs and business opportunities, not only in Central Luzon, but in the nearby regions and, ultimately, in the whole country. He added special that economic zones auch as Tourism Enterprise Zones, Agro-Industrial, Agro-Processing Ecozones, Export Enterprises and Agro-Industrial, Agro-Processing and Agro-Tourism Ecozone Enterprises may be built near or around the NLEX-SCTEX-TPLEX road network to utilize the idle lands abounding both sides of the highways. For their part, the business leaders supported Gordon's initiatives, committing to work together for the country's economic development by maximizing the use of infrastructure to open more investments that would create more jobs and livelihood opportunities. PCCI President George Barcelon, PCCI North Luzon Vice President Alfonso Lao, and the business organizations' other officials vowed to support Gordon bill. "We rise to the senator's challenge to work with him in creating the Central Luzon industrial and infrastructure corporation, and turn it into the country's business hub. He is right, we should take advantage of the infrastructures that are already in place to open up more investments," Barcelon said. For her part, Bing Sibal-Limjoco, vice president of PCCI's Philippine Business Conference, stated: "We fully support Sen. Gordon in promoting economic development. We will work together to create more jobs, as he said, by putting to optimal use the available infrastructure, not only in Central Luzon, but in the whole country. His proposal would really usher in much-needed economic development," she said.
Press Release

August 27, 2017 COCO LEVY TRUST FUND LAW, BEST GIFT TO FARMERS ON NAT'L COCO WEEK -- KIKO MANILA - A Coco Levy Trust Fund law would be the best gift President Rodrigo Duterte and Congress could give to the Filipino coconut farmers as the country observes the National Coconut Week, Liberal Party President Senator Francis Pangilinan said Sunday. Pangilinan, who served as Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural modernization in the last administration, said the bill could be approved within the year after leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives identified it as among the priority measures for passage. "Marami na sa ating magniniyog ang namatay na nang di man lang nakatikim ng bunga ng kanilang pagod. Naghintay na sila ng mahigit 40 taon. Huwag natin silang paghintayin pa (Many farmers have died without being able to benefit from the fund that came from their hard labor. They have waited for over 40 years. We can't tell them to wait some more)," he said. The senator said the coco levy fund would also be a big boost for the industry constantly hounded by problems like pests and calamities. Pangilinan's Coconut Farmers and Industry Development Bill will, among others: Specify that the estimated P100-billion in cash and assets of the coco levy fund will go only for the development of the coconut industry.

Establish a perpetual trust fund that will only use the interest income earned.

Create a fund trustee, the Trust Fund Committee, of which six of its eleven members, or a majority, are either from coconut farmers groups or their representatives. Chaired by the Secretary of Finance, and co-chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture, the committee will decide on how to invest the fund.

Specify the formulation of a Coconut Development Plan.

Ensure the active participation of coconut farmers at every stage of the implementation of the law. The bill is pending second reading at the Senate. A similar version is being deliberated in plenary at the House. The coco levy funds were proceeds of a forced tax imposed by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos on the coconut industry between 1973 and 1982. The funds collected were valued at P9.7 billion and now estimated to have grown to around P100 billion. None of the bills filed in the past congresses seeking to utilize the funds to develop the coconut industry and benefit the farmers were passed. Coconut farmers groups nationwide, the religious sector, and civil society organizations have all supported the passage of the measure. "Ang tagal nang naging laban sa mga korte ng usaping ito. Ngayon ang labanan ay nasa Malacanang at Kongreso, kung saan pulitika ang maaaring umiral (More than the long, arduous fights in court, the main battleground is in Malacanang and Congress, where politics could come into play)," Pangilinan said. Former President Noynoy Aquino issued Executive Orders 179 and 180 that authorized the utilization of the coconut levy funds to benefit coconut farmers, but these were stopped by a temporary restraining order by the Supreme Court. The legal impasse can be resolved if Congress is finally able to pass a law establishing a trust fund for the coconut farmers, Pangilinan said. "Wakasin na natin ang paghihirap ng ating magniniyog at ibigay na natin sa kanila at sa kanilang mga pamilya ang nararapat na kanila at pinagtrabahuhan nila. Nawa'y matupad ito ng kasalukuyang administrasyon (Let's end our coconut farmers' woes and give to them and their families what they deserve and work hard for. Let this administration do it)," he said. The National Coconut Week is observed from August 24 to 30 every year by virtue of Proclamation 142 signed on 19 August 1987, by then President Corazon Aquino.
Press Release

August 27, 2017 Sen. Joel Villanueva's Heroes' Day message We join the Filipino people in remembering the valiance of our heroes for their exceptional contributions in fighting for and preserving the beauty and liberty of our Motherland. We take this opportunity to call on the youth to take the dauntless acts of our heroes as inspiration to continue to aspire for an ideal society that embodies excellence, justice, and liberty. Each day, we can all be heroes by doing our part in nation-building. We also pay tribute to the bravery of our soldiers fighting for peace in Marawi. We honor their selfless sacrifice while in the forefront risking their lives to protect us. May this day also serve as a fitting recognition for our modern-day heroes, our overseas Filipino workers, who have been working tirelessly not only for the benefit of their family but also for the country's economy. In a bill that we filed in the Senate, we seek to build a special hospital dedicated for the OFWs and their dependents as one way of giving back for their heroic deeds. Indeed, the celebration today is not only for the courageous acts that preserved our country but it is looking forward to the embarking of our potential heroes that will lead our beloved nation to greatness. Mabuhay ang bawat bayaning Pilipino!
Climate change: Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough, hosts a conversation on climate change with UC Berkeley Professor Daniel Kammen and Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown. The event is from 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the San Francisco Zoo, Sloat Boulevard and Great Highway. Tickets required; event will also be streamed on Speiers Facebook page. Information and tickets: http://bit.ly/2uZ9ELJ

Virginia candidate: The Sister District Project is raising funds for Kathy Tran, a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates, by hosting a discussion with Rita Bosworth, the Sister District Project founder, and former California Assemblyman Ted Lempert. 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., 390 Capistrano Road, Half Moon Bay. Information: www.goo.gl/d2KVLu

Sexual minorities: Phillip Ayoub, assistant professor of politics at Drexel University, discusses the recent history of transnational movement in Europe and the reasons for states varying approaches to legal recognition for LGBT rights. His talk begins at 4:10 p.m. Thursday in Room 382 of the humanities building at San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. at 19th Avenue. Admission is free. Information: https://lca.sfsu.edu/events/2017-08-31-231500/817163.

Town hall: Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, hosts a town hall meeting at the Crockett Community Center, 850 Pomona St., from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday. Information: www.facebook.com/events/336289353489096

Town hall: A forum for students in West Contra Costa middle and high schools and Contra Costa College. Speakers include members of the Richmond and El Cerrito city councils and other government panels. The event, hosted by Contra Costa Young Democrats, is at 5 p.m. Sept. 7 at John F. Kennedy High School, 4300 Cutting Blvd., Richmond. Information: www.youngdems.org

Voter registration: Volunteers will help new U.S. citizens register to vote after swearing-in ceremony. Sponsored by Democracy Action, which works to advance Democratic candidates. 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 7 outside the Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Information: https://demaction.us

Picnic in the park: Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, hosts a picnic in Golden Gate Parks Marx Meadow picnic area Sept 10. RSVP: http://chiuassembly.ngpvanhost.com/form/-1081566039410473216

Town hall: Rep. Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, holds a town hall at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at Dance Palace, 503 B St., Point Reyes Station. Information: http://bit.ly/2vpinSI

To list an event, email Trapper Byrne at tbyrne@sfchronicle.com.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

With singing, stomping and a few hallelujahs for good measure, the congregation at Glide Memorial Church welcomed its new president Sunday  a 46-year-old human rights worker who will try to fill the shoes of an 87-year-old Bay Area icon of the left.

Incoming church president Karen Hanrahan climbed to the stage, gave the Rev. Cecil Williams a kiss to seal the deal, then told a packed house of several hundred congregants that she was thrilled and delighted to be joining the church.

I feel a little teary-eyed right now, Hanrahan said, a common phenomenon at the churchs fabled Sunday morning celebrations where ushers routinely pass out tissues to the flock.

Hanrahan, a deputy assistant secretary of state in the Obama administration, delivered a mini-sermon about being uplifted by the unexpected optimism of an exploited Afghan child bride whom she had befriended during her days as a globe-trotting United Nations aid worker.

We at Glide are part of a collective call for justice that is bigger and more powerful than hate, Hanrahan said  a sentiment that, at Glide, counts as preaching to the choir and everyone else as well.

The congregation fell silent when Williams, who has largely stepped back from the duties that made him the face of Glide for more than half a century, introduced her.

Karen will provide her unique wisdom and experience, and together lead us to the future, Williams said.

In other respects, it was a typical Sunday morning at the landmark church at Ellis and Taylor streets. The renowned choir swayed and swung, toddlers colored pictures at the foot of the stage, the brass band belted out spirituals, strangers embraced one another on cue and Williams urged the flock to affirm our real selves, and not just sit by but get up, get up, get up!  which the congregation did, as one.

Pastor Jay Williams, who since July has assumed the primary duties at the pulpit, roused the followers by recounting how Saturdays planned right-wing demonstration in San Francisco largely fizzled.

Hate tried to come to San Francisco, and we united and said, Not in our streets, the younger Williams roared. Not now, not ever!

Worshipers seemed delighted with the selection of Hanrahan, a lawyer and a native of Indianapolis, and impressed with her credentials with the State Department, with the United Nations and as an executive with the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Im so excited, said longtime congregation member Lisa Roa. She has great experience bringing people together to fight for social justice.

Worshiper Eric Poulson said the new president seems like a wonderful, strong dedicated and inspiring woman and the right person to walk in Williams shoes, or try to.

Hanrahan, wearing a blue business suit and clutching a laptop computer as she took the stage, smiled broadly as the celebration ended with a rousing sing-along of the civil rights anthem We Shall Overcome. Several congregants noticed, however, that their new president was just about the only one in the hall not singing.

Maybe she doesnt know the words, Poulson said with a smile. Ill make some cue cards for her for next time.

Steve Rubenstein is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: srubenstein@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SteveRubeSF
The inaugural members of Oaklands Police Commission hope to make sweeping changes to the city force in the new civilian body vested with broad authority over officer discipline and policy-making in the department.

The nine appointees awaiting City Council approval before beginning work in the coming weeks include a Harvard-educated lawyer, a probation manager, a grandfather of six, a former military attorney and a school administrator. They were chosen from a pool of 144 residents vying for a spot on the commission.

Based on interviews they gave with a selection panel and The Chronicle, commissioners in their first year are likely to take up issues of community policing, training, recruitment, racial profiling and uncompleted tasks spelled out in a 2003 negotiated settlement agreement overseen by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

One appointee said she wanted the Police Department to enact programs to improve interactions between officers and people who are homeless or mentally ill. Another said he wanted a better understanding of use-of-force policies during protests.

Councilman Dan Kalb, lead author of the ballot measure that created the body, said that with time, the commission will help increase the communitys level of confidence in police. Its probably the most important citizen-led committee in the city, he said.

We need to get to a point where everybody, no matter the color of their skin or their neighborhood, trusts the Police Department and officers, and were not there yet, Kalb said. When youre talking about public safety and protecting peoples rights and reducing crime, its not surprising the Police Commission will be the most crucial city commission we have.

The City Council is expected to confirm the seven appointed commissioners, plus two alternates, when it comes back from summer recess next month. Within some restrictions, commissioners will have the authority to fire the police chief, help select her successor, discipline officers and create new general orders for the department.

The commission has the power to become the bridge for a stronger, more reflective, more problem-solving, de-escalating, culturally sensitive Police Department, said Regina Jackson, president of the East Oakland Youth Development Center and one of the four commissioners appointed by Mayor Libby Schaaf. I believe itll take a total disruption of police culture as it exists now.

The Police Commission and the companion Community Police Review Agency it will oversee are the realization of Measure LL, which passed in November with the support of more than 8 in 10 Oakland residents. With their creation, the old civilian police board that served in an advisory capacity will be disbanded.

The police union is reviewing legislation that provides staffing and further details on the commission.

Suzy Loftus, a lawyer for the San Francisco Sheriffs Department and former president of the San Francisco Police Commission, said the existence of the commission in and of itself wont improve police-community relations.

Still, its members will have an opportunity to set an aggressive agenda, including issues just below the surface that are impacting communities, such as rape kit backlogs or traffic collision data, Loftus said.

The Community Police Review Agency, which will have a civilian inspector general, investigators and an auditor, will be required to probe incidents involving use of force, in-custody deaths, racial profiling and demonstrations. Commissioners can also ask them to look into other allegations of misconduct.

Beyond its powers to discipline officers, the commission will have control over the Police Departments policies and procedures that govern use of force, profiling and public assemblies, subject to approval by the City Council.

The formation of the commission comes as a federal judge is demanding answers of city officials in response to a court-ordered investigation that found members of the Police Departments command staff and internal affairs division botched the handling of sexual misconduct allegations. The events that spiraled into a national scandal when revealed last year halted much of the momentum in the department toward emerging from 14 years of federal oversight.

The judge has ordered city officials to file by Sept. 15 their response to the scathing June report by court-appointed investigators that faulted not only the Police Department for the sexual exploitation scandal, but Schaaf and City Administrator Sabrina Landreth for failing to review what went wrong.

Councilman Noel Gallo, co-author of Measure LL, said Oakland officials cant get our act together. By insulating the commission from the whims of the City Council, the mayor, the Police Department and the police union, it can be a direct line and resource for the public, he said.

All we do is make excuses, and its one lie after another lie, Gallo said. People lack confidence in law enforcement and city government. The commission is a step to have the voices of the public heard when their rights are violated.

The City Council must approve or reject the entire five-person slate chosen by the selection panel  also composed of civilians  but can confirm the mayoral appointees individually.

Jim Chanin, a selection panel member and one of the attorneys who represented the plaintiffs in the Riders police-abuse scandal, said it will be essential for the commission to set deadlines so any punitive measures it wants to take against officers happen within Californias one-year statute of limitations for police discipline.

Whether its fair or not, right now, theres not sufficient confidence in the departments discipline process, he said. The commission, by handing out discipline when appropriate, can act as a risk management tool to prevent the city from getting sued.

Kimberly Veklerov is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kveklerov@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kveklerov
Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Dianne Feinstein may be the nations oldest U.S. senator, but she shows no signs of slowing down  as evidenced Thursday night when she worked the room and talked to everyone in sight at a San Francisco re-election fundraiser.

She was unbelievably concise, said Darius Anderson, who along with former Mayor and current Chronicle columnist Willie Brown hosted the $1,000-a-head party at Epic steakhouse on San Franciscos waterfront.
Ajay Bam is more tech-savvy than the average small-business owner. A coder by training, Bam started a business that delves into deep areas of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

And yet, Bam said, he wasnt able to foresee or fend off a cyberattack that nearly sank his startup, Viryll, a service for online marketers, earlier this year.

Almost all of his companys data was compromised in a widespread attack on MongoDB, a popular open-source database system that Vyrill had been using. The hackers were asking for a payout of $5,000 to return the information.

But the company was just getting started. It didnt have that kind of money.

We would have had to close the company if we were not able to restore that data, Bam said. I totally panicked.

Bam was able to restore about 80 percent of his lost data from backups he had stored locally. The attacks most lasting damage was to his sense of safety online.

So, Bam signed Viryll up for cybersecurity insurance. His is among a growing number of firms, technical and otherwise, that have sought protection.

Cybersecurity insurance is not yet a household name. Its not required by law, nor is it as commonplace as other types of insurance like fire, flood and general liability coverage.

But, experts said, it may rival those others in importance in todays virtual landscape, where everything from employee and customer information to financial records are stored online.

Small and medium-size businesses are hit by nearly two-thirds of all cyberattacks  about 4,000 a day, according to IBM.

A lot of these hackers are smart; theyre not going after the big guys. Theyre not going after Target and Sony, said Keith Moore, CEO of CoverHound, a San Francisco insurance broker that started selling cybersecurity coverage last year. Theyre targeting little people who will never figure out it happened, or theyre going after relatively small amounts of money that will never get on the FBIs radar.

Of those small businesses that do get hacked, about 60 percent are forced to close six months after an attack, according to the U.S. National Cyber Security Alliance.

Criminals can steal information via wire transfers that allow them to dip into bank accounts or hack into databases containing customer information. Some cybercriminals have for filed phony tax refunds on behalf of employees.

The average price a small business has to pay to clean up after a cyberattack was about $690,000, according to a 2016 report by the Ponemon Institute research firm. That figure can include ransoms, like the kind Bam was asked to pay, but it may also embrace the cost of lost business, litigation and the amount of time and money it takes to restore lost data and information.

Cyberinsurance is probably something any business is going to need, no matter how diligent they are, Moore said. People get hacked because there are good hackers out there and no matter how protected you are, if they want it enough, they will figure out a way to get to your data. So, its better to start looking into ways to be ready the moment you find out that youve been hacked.

Small businesses make for easy targets, experts said, because they generally lack the infrastructure and expertise a large corporation may have to protect itself from cyberattacks. Most do not have a designated information technology department or manager.

A small business may also be more likely to pay a ransom if a hacker is able to tie up data necessary to the businesss survival and less likely to notice fraudulent activity happening in their network or online shops.

Thats why, unlike renters insurance and other such policies, cyberinsurance not only covers damages and attacks, but helps better equip small businesses to protect themselves against cybercrime in the first place.

No homeowners insurance is going to say, Hey, heres the security you need on your home, and heres what you need to do to make sure your electrical system is up to speed, Moore said. But thats exactly what people need when it comes to cyber.

Despite its utility, actually finding and purchasing cybersecurity insurance can be frustrating and difficult, business owners said.

Big-name insurance firms with which company owners are used to doing business may not have a cybersecurity arm.

When Joe Meadows, the president of Think Patients, a management consulting firm for the life-sciences industry, first started shopping around for cyberinsurance, he said, some brokers didnt even know what he was talking about.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

It was pretty surprising, said Meadows, who purchased his companys policy through Coverhound. Then I called another company that sent me over this amazing draft of questions that I think almost any business would have found overwhelming. Eventually, I just did a Google search.

Zeguro, a San Francisco startup, has tapped into this frustration to build a business model.

So many of the companies out there right now are selling a one-size-fits-all policy, said Dan Smith, Zeguros chief operating officer. Everything from extortion insurance, interruption, media liability, stock security all the way to basic breaches of your personal records. Thats the type of policy thats in the market today. For most small businesses, theyre going to be paying for lot of waste, a lot of coverage that theyre just not going to use.

Zeguro helps small businesses identify their risk and then purchase corresponding insurance that is tailor-made to what they need. It begins by assessing a business risk.

Bam, who turned to Zeguro for help after his data debacle, said it was eye-opening how many little things he, a technically savvy CEO, had overlooked.

They pointed out a number of places where we didnt have adequate protection, where we didnt even have two-factor authentication, Bam said, referring to a sign-in option where a text message or email is sent to a person if a new machine is being used to log into an online account. Now we have a much more secure system all around. It made me realize that cybersecurity isnt simple. Its not lock and key. No matter what you build, someone is going to try to find a way in, so you want to have help understanding where your leaks are, what your vulnerabilities are.

Though the industry remains nascent, brokers and experts said they already see potential for growth beyond businesses to individuals.

Several high-net-worth individuals have begun taking out cyber insurance policies to protect themselves  and their reputations  against hacks and online smear campaigns. Soon, industry insiders said, it may become standard for journalists, politicians and other people with information and contacts they want to protect.

The way we see this starting off is with protecting against slander or defamation or things like that, said Sidd Gavirneni, Zeguros CEO. But I can see it soon evolving to be folded into property insurance based on (Internet of Things) devices and such. The more Internet-connected devices individuals start to bring into their homes, the more theyre going to be vulnerable  and eventually need some kind of protection.

Marissa Lang is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mlang@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Marissa_Jae
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

In a surprise move late Sunday, Ubers board of directors picked Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of online travel company Expedia, to take over the embattled ride-hailing company.

Assuming Khosrowshahi takes the top job, he will fill a spot that has been left vacant for more than two months after the departure of co-founder Travis Kalanick amid accusations of rampant sexism, mistreatment of employees and unethical practices at the company.

A 48-year-old Iranian American businessman, Khosrowshahi has served at the helm of Expedia since 2005, during which time the company expanded its global presence to 60 countries.

Khosrowshahi had been the dark horse of Ubers CEO search, emerging as the leading contender only in the final moments  during a series of weekend meetings of Ubers board, according to anonymous sources quoted by the New York Times, and after two candidates, Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman and General Electric Chairman Jeffrey Immelt, had publicly withdrawn from the contest.

Uber did not respond to a request for comment on the boards selection Sunday night.

On paper, the differences between Kalanick and Khosrowshahi seem vast and numerous.

While Kalanick fought for months to remain on an advisory council to President Trump, despite criticism and calls for his departure from Silicon Valley peers and his employees, Khosrowshahi has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration and its policies.

Earlier this year, Khosrowshahi ended an earnings call with investors by saying, Hopefully we will all be alive to see the end of next year. On the day Trump was inaugurated, Khosrowshahi shared an Expedia ad on social media encouraging people to broaden their understanding of the world through travel, a subtle knock against Trumps antiglobalist policies.

Dara is not a white man; as an immigrant from Iran, he can relate to a lot of the challenges that some underrepresented people at Uber may have been through, said travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group. Dara is not a tech bro, which is not to say he is a stodgy guy  he is not, but Dara is an adult. And he leads like one.

Recruiting a new CEO had been fraught with infighting on the board, including a contentious lawsuit by early Uber investor Benchmark Capital against Kalanick.

Though Uber is valued at nearly $70 billion by its investors, continues to grow rapidly and is probably headed toward an initial public offering, the company remains unprofitable and has many critics.

Its reputation has been marred by allegations of a toxic workplace culture for which many blame Kalanick. It has also been embroiled in lawsuits including an intellectual property dispute with Waymo, Googles self-driving car business, and has several vacancies in leadership, including the jobs of chief financial officer and chief operating officer.

Even its real estate portfolio is in turmoil. The company is pulling out of its move into Oakland, looking to sell Uptown Station, the enormous former Sears building downtown that Uber bought two years ago, and remains so thoroughly disliked by the community there that Black Girls Code, an Oakland nonprofit, refused to accept a $125,000 donation from Uber.

All of these difficulties have weighed on the search. As Ubers eight-person board narrowed the candidates down to three, one bowed out of the process. Immelt, who had just stepped down as CEO of GE, said on Twitter Sunday morning that he had decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber.

Immelt had reportedly been Kalanicks pick to take over his old position, which may have given pause to board members reluctant to allow Kalanicks influence to continue unchecked.

Insiders and analysts had said the company could have benefited from having a female CEO.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

For weeks, it has seemed the woman Ubers board wanted for the job was Whitman, who had close ties to Benchmark.

But Whitman, 61, repeatedly denied interest in the job, saying she was committed to Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Ubers CEO will not be Meg Whitman, she tweeted on July 27.

People who know Khosrowshahi described him as a competent leader with a strong commitment to diversity and a frank manner.

He is calm, razor-smart, open and honest to a fault, said Carl Shepherd, co-founder of vacation-rental site HomeAway, which Expedia bought for close to $4 billion in 2015. If a man can fix the problems Travis created at Uber  and thats a big if, because Travis dug quite a big hole  Dara is that man.

A big challenge for Uber is fixing its culture, getting employees who are still there to feel good about the company they work for, to feel pride in the company they work for, Harteveldt said.

Today, Khosrowshahi serves as a board director at companies including Fanatics Inc. and the New York Times Co.

Hes managed through transition, said Jason Clampet, co-founder and editor in chief of travel website Skift. Hes managed through turmoil, and hes done a pretty good job of it.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

PHOENIX  The Giants have had no shortage of lessons learned in 2017, which continued apace Sunday with their 80th loss. Chris Stratton struck out 10 for the second time in three starts, but the offense went to sleep and the Giants allowed nine eighth-inning runs in an 11-0 loss that completed a three-game Diamondbacks sweep.

Among the lessons for 2018 and beyond is, do not leave anything to chance in the bullpen.

The relief corps has not been as bad as last years, when the Giants led the majors with 32 blown saves, but the current season was not very old when it became evident the front office was too optimistic that the mere addition of closer Mark Melancon would fix the entire problem.

True, the bullpen took two body blows with Melancons forearm injury and Will Smiths elbow blowout at the end of spring training. But a dearth of experience among those who remained was costly. It would have been costlier without the shrewd acquisition and reclamation of Sam Dyson in June.

When the Giants move into one of the most important offseasons in the Brian Sabean/Bobby Evans era, they will have to consider fortifying the bullpen again.

ALSO Giants waste seven strong innings from Bumgarner

They probably have to acquire a reliable lefty specialist because Josh Osich and Steven Okert have not capitalized on the chance to replace Javier Lopez, who retired after last season.

The Giants might feel confident they are set on the right side but will enter the offseason with a lot of ifs.

Melancon appears headed for surgery with the hope he will be 100 percent healthy in time for spring training. Smith also hopes he will be recovered enough from Tommy John surgery to start the 2018 season in the bullpen. Neither of those is a given.

If Melancon and Smith are healthy at some point early in 2018, manager Bruce Bochy can look forward to the kind of experience the Giants have lacked since the Core Four of Lopez, Santiago Casilla, Sergio Romo and Jeremy Affeldt retired or moved on.

I think that has a big impact, Bochy said. Look at the experience we lost the last couple of years. Sometimes these things take time to jell, especially when you have injuries. We have a lot to look forward to with all the guys we have healthy next year.

Having two experienced closers in Melancon and Dyson will be a boon, especially if they are augmented by Smith and a potential lefty specialist.

That would leave a lot of middle-relief choices among organizational pitchers who have gained another year of experience.

Assuming they are not traded and are tendered contracts as arbitration-eligible players, Gearrin and Hunter Strickland have value. Their issue has been inherited runners.

Strickland has allowed 12 of his 26 inherited runners to score, Gearrin 19 of 33. This used to be a Giants strength. This year, they rank last in the league in stranding inherited runners.

Converted starter Kyle Crick is quickly climbing the ladder in this bullpen. On Sunday, he faced Paul Goldschmidt with two on and two out in the seventh and struck him out, the second time he bailed the Giants out of a tough spot in the series.

The Giants also have a wild card in Derek Law, who was supposed to be a right-handed setup man in 2017 but instead provided another reminder that inexperienced relievers can be hit or miss.

Law pitched well enough to earn four saves when Melancon first landed on the disabled list, but by late June he was back in Triple-A after his ERA ballooned to 5.40. He has been there since.

Law has righted himself at Sacramento, allowing one run over his past 10 appearances, and will be promoted with the Sept. 1 roster expansion.

More than anything hes started to command the ball like he did the year before, Bochy said. That goes with confidence more than anything. As far as velocity and stuff, those were fine.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: hschulman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @HankSchulman
It's a transition time for many families, with McCook children heading off to school today, offering new adventures and challenges for both the students and their parents.

Just how much freedom should be offered to a child at any given age? How much privacy should a child be allowed, and how far should parents go when it comes to monitoring their activities?

It's hard to go too far, especially with younger children, when one considers a Grand Island case earlier this week.

The Nebraska State Patrol acted quickly when it learned that a man had begun a sexual conversation on Facebook with a 12-year-old girl, and persisted even after she informed him of her age.

Thankfully, her parents knew what was going on and turned her account over to the State Patrol Monday, which assigned an investigator trained in undercover operations for online Internet crimes against children.

Posing as the girl, the investigator arranged a meeting in a Grand Island park, where the man was arrested that afternoon.

Ideally, children will have the kind of relationship with their parents that promote the kind of honest communication that lead to the Grand Island arrest.

Before being allowed on the Internet, children should demonstrate their willingness to follow some basic rules.

They include:

not giving out address, telephone number, parents' workplace or other private family information.

telling parents right away if coming across something inappropriate.

never arranging a face-to-face meeting with someone "met" online without informing their parents.

talk to parents about posting personal or family pictures.

not responding to mean or aggressive messages.

setting up rules in advance for online and mobile behavior.

keeping passwords secret except to parents.

not downloading or installing anything without permission.

be a good online citizen and not do anything that hurts other people or is illegal.

Anyone who suspects a child has been exposed to an online predator should contact law enforcement as soon as possible.
When Californians are designated by gender on a drivers license, a birth certificate or any state identification, there are only two possible boxes to check: either M or F. But they may soon have a third option.

A bill advancing in the Legislature would allow Californians to opt for a nonbinary gender marker on all forms of state identification. Its not yet clear which alphabetical abbreviation will be used, though X appears to be a leading candidate.

That would make California the first state in the nation to fully depart from the rigid either/or categorization of gender, embracing a more fluid understanding of the term  at least on paper.

SB179, introduced by Democratic state Sens. Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Toni Atkins of San Diego, has already cleared the Senate and is set to be considered soon in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. The bill would also make it easier for transgender Californians to legally change their designated gender on state documents, including minors who receive parental consent.

Nonbinary is a catch-all category that includes those who are intersex  born with a combination of male and female biological characteristics  along with those who feel that neither male nor female reflects their gender.

Should California adopt a nonbinary category, it will still lag far behind Facebook  the social media giant offers users more than 50 custom gender options, including nonbinary, bigender, gender nonconforming, genderqueer and gender fluid. In June, the state of Oregons Transportation Commission agreed to issue a drivers license with a nonbinary designation for the first time in the United States.

California law would go a step further by requiring nonbinary options on all state identification documents. In doing so, California would be the only state to provide this designation in the country, though it follows the lead of countries such as Germany, New Zealand and India.

While bathroom bill legislation has placed statehouses in Texas and North Carolina at the front lines of the nations culture war around the question of gender identity, SB179 has so far enjoyed a relatively peaceful passage through the state Legislature. Despite objections of conservative religious groups, the bill has so far glided through committees in both chambers with all Democrats, and some Republicans, voting in favor.

Supporters of the bill say the nonbinary marker would allow those who do not identify as either male or female to more easily navigate the tasks of daily life  from making a credit card purchase to boarding an airplane to buying a beer  without subjecting themselves to embarrassment or misunderstanding.

For someone who has an ID that states a gender that doesnt match their gender presentation, things can get difficult  everything from a delay in completing what should be a mundane task to outright harassment, Atkins said on the Senate floor in May.

But the bill is about more than convenience, said Dee Shull, who identifies as gender fluid (meaning gender identity varies over time) and uses the pronouns they and them. Its also a simple matter of having ones identity acknowledged and respected.

Its liberating to be able to say, Yes, this is who I am, and, Yes, my state documentation matches that, Shull said.

Shull is the communications specialist for the Intersex and Genderqueer Recognition Project, a California nonprofit that bills itself as the first organization in the United States solely focused on helping nonbinary people correct their gender designation on government documents.

It will take some Californians time to adapt to this, Shull said. Im not expecting miracles, but if I have an ID that accurately reflects who I am, then thats one less thing that I have to worry about.

Under current law, anyone who wants to change the gender stated on official state identification documents must make a court appearance. They must also receive a doctors note confirming they are undergoing gender reassignment treatment of some kind. That means transgender and gender-nonconforming Californians must rely on the availability and moral approval of a medical professional to change a letter on their drivers license or birth certificate.

Nonbinary people, for whom neither letter applies, must petition the court directly and hope to find a sympathetic judge if they wish to receive nonbinary status.

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.

In the Legislature, opposition has come from Christian conservative organizations such as the California Family Council and church groups. They bemoan what they call a fundamental redefinition of gender, which they consider to be an immutable characteristic connected to biological traits.

At an Assembly committee hearing in July, a lobbyist for the council brought along a copy of the American Heritage College Dictionary to recite the meaning of the word female.

Since the dictionary has not been changed to accommodate this new gender definition, that should be an indication your constituents still believe that gender is based on biology, Greg Burt said.

But the council has also raised logistical and legal concerns. These arguments have been echoed by some Republican lawmakers in committee as well.

With all the ID fraud ... it seems to me that it would be pretty simple to steal someones identity down the line, state Sen. Mike Morrell, R-Rancho Cucamonga (Riverside County), said at a committee hearing in April.

Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California, an LGBTQ advocacy organization that co-sponsored the bill, calls that concern a red herring.

In some ways, you could say this bill strengthens procedures to make sure that peoples identities are consistent with who they actually are, he said. Its just about making sure that peoples rights are respected.

Ben Christopher is a contributing writer to CALmatters.org, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.
Natural disasters have an odd way of bringing neighbors together, and as Tropical Storm Harvey swept the Houston area, it became clear that the spirit of Texas was going to come out.

As of Sunday morning, emergency officials confirmed that over 1,000 water rescues had taken place.

HISTORIC: Harvey being described as the 'worst disaster the state's ever seen'

By Sunday afternoon, 18 helicopters were rescuing people stranded on rooftops across metro Houston, according to Harris County officials. At least two apartment complexes in Greenspoint were evacuated and more than 50 children were rescued from rising flood waters overnight.

Among the rescue workers is Adam Brackman, who some locals might know as the co-owner of Midtown bar Axelrad and Rice Village store New Living. Brackman said he was walking near a flooded intersection south of I-610 when he saw Gabriel Lara.

"I just went to the bridge and met a guy with a boat and he didn't have an agenda," Brackman said.

WATER FROM DAMS BEING RELEASED: Harvey flooding forces release from Addicks and Barker

They embarked on a rescue mission using the vessel. Brackman went to Facebook to find those in the area who might need help: "I'm helping people pulled off boats get to safe places. If you have a house accessible and can take some people let me know. If you have a truck and can get out here at 610 and braeswood (sic) they could use help."

Within two hours time, they had helped about 10 people, most of them elderly, Brackman said. Facebook users are commenting on the post, helping to arrange temporary shelter for the rescued citizens. Some of them even opened their homes to the strangers.

Relief efforts across Texas and the nation have only grown since Saturday, as news of the catastrophic floods spread. Drivers in high-water rescue trucks came in from College Station Sunday morning. >>See some of the rescue efforts in the area above.

"It breaks your heart," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said via a Livestream on Twitter, as he stood in waist-high water in north Houston. "But, it's Texas, we'll get through it."

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

With every rescue photo and video that comes from the Houston area, we can't help but highlight the spirit of Texas that shines in the photos above.

LOCAL SIGHTS: These are the photos shared by Houstonians around the area

Nationally, states including New York, have sent emergency personnel to help with rescue and relief efforts.

While residents breath a sigh of relief with each rescue , there have been at least 6 deaths due to the floods and damage from to Harvey.

Harris County Sheriff Office officials stress that people should only use 911 in dire emergencies, as dispatchers were struggling to keep up with the calls.
With the Houston area under water for the third straight day, emergency crews rescued thousands of people with boats and helicopters as suburban leaders ordered massive evacuations over fears that levies would give way under the force of flooded waterways.

Much of Fort Bend and Brazoria counties were evacuated as the rain-swollen Brazos River was expected to approach historic flood levels Tuesday, and two subdivisions in northern Harris County were evacuated late Monday amid similar concerns over aging levies.

Rains, sometimes heavy, are expected to continue throughout the area perhaps into next week, reaching up to 50 inches over the upper Texas coast, including the Houston-Galveston area.

"This is a landmark event," said Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long after making a plea for help from the public. "We have not seen an event like this. You could not dream this forecast up."

Across the state, up to 30,000 people may need shelter and perhaps 450,000 could be eligible for federal flood victim assistance, Long said. The other numbers from Monday were equally stunning: 8,000 rescues in the Houston area and 12,000 guardsmen deployed statewide by Monday.

Dramatic rescues across the Houston region stretched from Dickinson near Galveston  where people were pulled by boat then airlifted to safety  across the Houston area and into the northwest Harris County, where officials began releasing water from two reservoirs into Buffalo Bayou.

Up to 200 homes were already flooding upstream from the Barker and Addicks reservoirs in northwest Harris County Flooding was reported late Monday.

At least eight people are believed to have died in Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, and a Houston family of six was reported missing after driving into floodwaters near Greens Bayou.

The days of turmoil took their toll on Houston.

"I'm angry. I'm stressed. I'm outraged," said Luis Morales, who waded through water almost up to his neck pulling a boat carrying his wife and two young sons. "Everything."

RESERVOIRS: Harvey flooding forces release from Addicks and Barker

As the San Jacinto River overflowed into homes and the Brazos River rose, officials from as far north as Humble and as far south as Galveston County cleared out neighborhoods, warning that those who did not heed orders might be on their own as floodwaters deepen in coming days.

In Humble, police went door to door in the Northshire subdivision, urging stunned residents to get out before they opened the floodgates at Lake Conroe, sending water downstream. Conroe cleared out the McDade Estates neighborhood and recommended evacuations for a half-dozen more.

By the afternoon, Brazoria County officials were warning that imminent, widespread flooding expected there Wednesday likely would be significantly worse than in 2016, when the Brazos River spilled over and left swaths of the region under water.

By 3:30 a.m. Monday in Fort Bend County, officials already were sounding the alarms. Voluntary evacuations announced for the Sienna Plantation neighborhood were made mandatory Monday morning.

"If people need to get out, now is definitely the time," said Alan Spears, deputy emergency management coordinator of Fort Bend County. "If the water is down, take that opportunity and leave."

People tried to leave Houston on its vast network of highways, but many ran into floodwaters lingering from days of torrential rains. Although some made it out, others turned back to the homes they abandoned hours earlier, planning to wait out the storm.

Houston's emergency response network remained strapped to the point that officials asked for anyone with a boat to come help people stranded in high water.

"Please don't give up on us," Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said. "None of us will give up."

Harvey hit the Gulf Coast late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and then stalled into a tropical storm, sending bands of heavy rain toward the Houston area. Torrential rains late Saturday into Sunday inundated the city, and brief respites Monday allowed some streets to clear.

Still, more than 130,000 CenterPoint customers were without power by Monday night, with crews unable to get to some affected areas. Houston TranStar was reporting 343 high water locations along major roads in the area, with hundreds more residential streets submerged.

Most rivers, creeks and bayous tracked by regional flood management officials were showing historic water volumes.

Spring Creek, running along north Harris and south Montgomery counties, had reached a major flood stage Sunday evening and was expected to crest late Monday, putting at risk residents of more than two dozen neighborhoods in The Woodlands and Spring areas on either side of Interstate 45. Voluntary evacuations were recommended.

RESOURCES: Stay up-to-date with forecasts, traffic reports, water levels, etc.

No point on the compass was spared. Most everyone in the greater Houston area and points beyond woke up Monday to yet another day of life-threatening conditions.

So many people went to the Greenspoint-area shelter at the M.O. Campbell Education Center that they ran out of space and supplies and started busing them to the larger George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston. Shelters in Austin and San Antonio also took in some Houston residents.

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.

Dickinson, in Galveston County, was among the hardest hit.

Debbie Barlow, however, refused to budge from the second floor of her elevated home on Deats Road. The city of Dickinson had put out a mandatory evacuation order but Barlow said she wasn't going anywhere.

"We don't feel invincible, but we feel like we're going to be okay," the 46-year-old said. "We have the third floor."

Pat Deeves, 63, spent Monday cleaning out her four-bedroom home in the Maplewood South neighborhood south of Brays Bayou.

After spending Sunday getting out the 6.5 inches of water she and her husband, Sheldon Bloch got in their home, they spent Monday pulling items out of closets.

"A lot of it is just a wadded up mess," she said.

But it wasn't been all bad. She found two handwritten letters from her grandmother  one from 1979 and the other from 1982  that she didn't know she had. And they were still dry.

The luckier area residents included countless thousands who had to cope with one more round of flooded cars and carpets. Even those for the moment dry or mostly so were not confident they'd been spared.

Whatever happens in the next day or two, Harvey has hit the record books, surpassing Tropical Storm Allison which inundated the city in 2001.

Cody Pendergraft, who lives a few miles west of the Brazos River in West Columbia, fled his home Monday morning for refuge at his aunt's house in Angleton. He packed a camper with clothes and hauled it to the Brazoria County Fairgrounds, where about 50 trailers were parked in an area expected to stay dry.

"It shows no mercy when it starts coming down here," Pendergraft, 31, said. "I don't think anybody really knows how bad it's going to be."

POWER OUTAGES: More problems reported as flooding continues

Reporters Emily Foxhall, Lomi Kriel, Mike Morris, Jacob Carpenter, St. John Barned-Smith, Lydia DePillis, Mike Glenn, Mike Tolson and Lindsay Ellis contributed to this story.
Floodwater resulting from Hurricane Harvey is ravaging the Houston area. Residents are sharing photos of the storm with Chron.com and on social media.

To get a more thorough idea of how Harvey is impacting different parts of the city, we'd like to share your photos so people know what is happening where you are. Please send us your photos and videos to photos@chron.com, message them to us on Facebook, or tweet them to us on Twitter.
LAS VEGAS, Aug. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today at VMworld 2017, Bromium, Inc., the pioneer in virtualization-based cybersecurity, returns to the virtualization community with co-founders and industry leaders Ian Pratt and Simon Crosby. After several years focusing on the cybersecurity market, the company is coming back to the technologists that share their vision in order to demonstrate a broadened set of use cases for virtualization to combat growing cyber threats and attacks.



Ian and Simon have a history of successful joint hypervisor and cloud related projects. Together they co-founded XenSource, which built enterprise-class virtualization products based on the Xen hypervisor, with Ian as chief scientist and Simon as CTO. XenSource was acquired by Citrix in 2007, which today powers many of the worlds largest public cloud environments. Ian was founder of the Xen project and is now chairman emeritus. In 2007, Simon was awarded a coveted spot as one of InfoWorlds Top 25 CTOs, and both are advisors to numerous companies and organizations.

In 2010, they decided to apply their expertise in virtualization to a different problem: cybersecurity. They recognized the implicit vulnerabilities in desktop computing and imagined an approach that placed the riskiest tasks  using Windows applications, downloading documents and browsing the internet  into their own, self-contained and hardware enforced VMs for radically improved security. At the intersection of virtualization and security, Bromiums co-founders invented a way to dramatically reduce the threat surface of the operating system, while protecting every day corporate activities and end users from cyber attacks.

The genius of our co-founders was the recognition that end-user computing has progressed rapidly, but also produced an increasingly large attack surface for bad actors. They also understood the value in using virtualization  one of the few disruptive technologies to have transformed modern computing  to protect users and data, said Gregory Webb, CEO at Bromium. Their ability to isolate attacks below the OS at the hardware level in mini, virtual detonation chambers is their real genius. To the delight of the threat intelligence community, these completely safe and disposable computing sessions also produce real time kill-chain analysis with complete attack forensics.

Bromium virtualization-based security is preventive: it doesnt require a patient zero. It self-defends and self-remediates, providing tremendous advantage over the traditional detect-to-protect approach. Bromium protects organizations from both known and unknown attacks, including novel zero-day attacks and polymorphic malware, even on unpatched Windows machines. Only virtualization based security can defend against the sophisticated attack techniques used by government entities of rival nation states, and now being adopted by cybercriminals and terrorist groups.

Whats most amazing about this kind of security is it doesnt require end users to do anything, Webb continues. We know were successful when the user doesnt know were present on the machine. Our software just works  protecting users, data and machines with no impact on the user experience. Users can click with confidence and get their jobs done with full productivity and complete protection. In fact, our largest commercial and government customers report how Bromium has changed core user behaviors. Once petrified of ransomware attacks that would take over and lock up ones machine, our users squeal with delight when they catch the malware, happily calling the security team to share new threat intelligence from their protected machines.

Bromium is hosting an exclusive breakfast with The Godfathers of Virtualization on Wednesday at 8:30am in the Mandalay Bay Foundation Room. Those interested in attending can get a ticket from the Bromium Booth #131 on the show floor.

About Bromium, Inc.

Bromium protects your brand, data and people using virtualization-based security. We convert an enterprises largest liability - endpoints and servers -into its best defense. By combining our patented hardware-enforced containerization to deliver application isolation and control, with a distributed Sensor Network to protect across all major threat vectors and attack types, we stop malware in its tracks. Unlike traditional security technologies, Bromium automatically isolates threats and adapts to new attacks using behavioral analysis and instantly shares threat intelligence to eliminate the impact of malware. Bromium offers defense-grade security and counts a rapidly growing set of Fortune 500 companies and government agencies as customers.

Visit Bromium: https://www.bromium.com

Read the Bromium blog: http://blogs.bromium.com/

Follow Bromium on Twitter: https://twitter.com/bromium

Follow Bromium on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bromium
The cause du jour for apparently uninformed liberals regarding criminal law is based on a principle that poor defendants without money are unjustifiably held in jail pending trial simply because they cant afford bail and are, thus, the objects of unconstitutional discrimination by unequal treatment.

They demand the system be changed, that new tools such as computer algorithms be used to decide whether a defendant can be safely released without depositing bail, and they say that a pretrial assessment will ensure a released defendant wont endanger the crime victim or other people, and will show up for every hearing and trial.

This flies in the face of the California Constitution and voters demand that public safety be the primary consideration.

New Jersey, New Mexico and the District of Columbia have adopted such systems, creating a presumption that pretrial public safety assessment scores will resolve public safety and court appearance fears of prosecutors, law enforcement officers and citizens. They call it reform.

In truth, this sham is one of the most dangerous and misleading legislative efforts Ive seen in more than 50 years as a criminal and civil trial lawyer and 10 years as a California Superior Court judge.

A pretrial release system already exists in 46 of 58 California counties. Judges set bail amounts. They do so knowing that unjustified pretrial incarceration costs taxpayers money. They also know about events such as the horrible Twin Peaks homicide last month of a photographer allegedly by a felon whom the San Francisco Pretrial Diversion Project recommended for no-bail release based upon a computerized risk assessment by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

The Arnold Foundation is already defending a federal suit in New Jersey for a homicide allegedly by a person who had been released without bail per order of a federal judge in Houston who had adopted the Arnold Foundation system.

Historically, judges consider agency recommendations and all factors contained in Senate Bill 10, which awaits action by the Assembly. SB10 is unconstitutional and based upon the idea that judges arent as knowledgeable as a computer algorithm, and that the California bail system makes poverty a crime.

The alliance of California Judges and California District Attorneys associations opposes SB10. Its also why Democratic New Jersey Assemblyman Bob Andrzejczak stated publicly in a July 3 letter to the California Assembly speaker that legislators made a terrible mistake in voting for similar New Jersey legislation last year, calling its implementation an absolute disaster.

SB10 would be ruinous to Californias criminal law system and to Californians.

Quentin L. Kopp is a retired Superior Court judge, former state senator and 15-year San Francisco Board of Supervisors member.
What makes a great hamburger?

It seems as if every restaurant that opens puts a hamburger on the menu. In looking at what makes some rise above, theres a formula that separates the great from the good.

Like a building, a hamburger needs a great foundation  otherwise youll find yourself in a Millennium Tower situation and will need a fork to stabilize the layers above. That means the bun cant be too hard or all the ingredients will shoot out the back, or too soft because the bun will collapse.

The ingredients that go between the halves need to be chosen strategically so that a diner can actually get his or her mouth around the entire bun. I usually cut the burger in two, and if it disassembles while being bisected the bun is probably too big for its intended purpose.

Four years ago, when I wrote my Wimpy Wednesday blog, I evaluated dozens of burgers. What distinguished the best was the interaction of different temperatures and textures that come from the warm meat, toasted buns and additions such as lettuce, pickles, bacon or other things that give crunch.

Most importantly, the ingredients piled on the bun shouldnt be a way to hide an inferior-quality meat. (Im talking to you, Big Mac.)

Keeping in mind this play of ingredients, its hard to go wrong in producing a good hamburger, but its still much more difficult to produce a great one.

I thought about this because I had a truly great burger at Alta MSP in Dogpatch (the subject of an upcoming review).

Of course the standards were set years ago by Zuni Cafe where chef Judy Rodgers added salt to chunks of chuck, letting the meat marinate overnight before grinding. It was like a flavor wake-up call; the meat was vibrant and juicy, sandwiched between toasted focaccia with pickled onions and aioli.

Here are five of my favorites so far this year:

Alta MSP

A thick blanket of aged cheddar clings to the thick, medium-rare patty enhanced with bacon, lettuce, slices of bread and butter pickles, aioli and a well-toasted bun. The $17 price tag includes a 20 percent service charge.

1275 Minnesota St.; www.altaca.co

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

The Saratoga

The secret to this burger ($15) is the two thin patties, which gives twice as much caramelized char  and flavor  to the sandwich. The substantial onion bun stands up to the extra crunchy slaw on top and the fruity tang of taleggio cheese. I love the cocktails here, too  bourbon and beef is an unbeatable duo.

1000 Larkin St., San Francisco; www.thesaratogasf.com

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

Dads Luncheonette, Half Moon Bay

Scott Clark channels the burgers he remembers from his childhood in Virginia. Instead of a bun, he uses a locally produced white bread thats toasted with brown butter on a flattop grill. It becomes the foundation for 4.5-ounce patty of what he calls coastal beef thats raised on grass and finished on grain. Next come oak leaf lettuce, pickled red onions, white cheddar cheese and a sauce made from mayonnaise, Meyer lemon, pepper, honey and sauerkraut juice. He also includes a fried egg, which, for my taste, blurs the focus of the sandwich. Price: $12.

225 Cabrillo Highway South, Half Moon Bay; www.dadsluncheonette.com

John Storey/Special to the Chronicle

The Joinery

Besides a great hamburger, this restaurant has great views of San Francisco Bay, either from outside at the picnic tables or indoors in the warehouse-like structure. The burger ($12) comes with grilled onion, tomato and pickles on a toasted sesame bun, which adds an extra boost of complexity. I like it as it comes, but the sandwich can also be embellished with blue or cheddar cheese, avocado and bacon.

300 Turney St., Sausalito; www.joineryca.com

Michael Bauer/The Chronicle

Original Joes Westlake

Of course, theres the famous Joes Hamburger Sandwich, where the ground beef is mixed with onions. But on the last visit I ordered the sliders ($16.50), which are three generous sandwiches on toasted buns with a thick patty of meat (about 2.5 ounces each), shredded lettuce, dill pickles, American cheese (of course!) and a Thousand Island-style dressing. Each one is skewered with a black olive for a whimsical garnish.

11 Glenwood Ave., Daly City; www.originaljoessf.com/westlake
When power dressing entered womens consciousness in the 1970s and 80s, it went hand in hand with the personal and professional liberation many were experiencing through the social movements of the era. Now, fashion returns to the architectural suits, pronounced shoulders and high-impact accessories that characterize this archetype amid renewed conversations about gender and equality. Designers armored women as much as they dressed them on the fall runways. This time, the aesthetic draws from both feminine and masculine strength as sharp tailoring and sleek leather share space with metallic glitz and embellishment. In 2017, powerful power-dressing women are driving the conversation in pop culture. Three-quarters of a century after her comic book debut, the worlds first female superhero made her first solo film, an $800 million world box-office summer smash. When not wearing her signature Amazonian warrior costume, even Wonder Woman saw the power in some good suiting.

Credits
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

A Bakersfield bakery owner says she won't make wedding cakes for two gay couples because it would conflict with her Christian beliefs.

In separate Facebook posts on Saturday, Ted Freitas and Eileen Del Rio said Tastries Bakery owner Cathy Miller refused to make their wedding cakes because they are marrying individuals of the same sex.

On Saturday, Freitas attended a tasting event with his fiance, Adam Ramos, and his fiance's mother. According to Freitas' Facebook post, when Miller realized he and Ramos were a same-sex couple, "She stands up, walks away, and calls [the owner of competing bakery Gimme Some Sugar] to 'transfer' us (I think she meant to say REFUSE SERVICE to us) and refer us for an appointment."

Miller then offered the couple some cupcakes.

SEE ALSO: Oakland bakery flooded with negative reviews for 'Kill Nazi' cake

Del Rio shared a similar story on her Facebook page Saturday: "The owner met with us today to set up the process...She don't condone same sex marriages so refused to make our wedding cake and set up our order."

Tastries' website and Facebook page were deactivated as of Monday afternoon. Miller did not immediately respond to SFGATE for comment.

In an interview with KERO-TV in Bakersfield, Miller said, "Everyone is God's creation and I love everyone, but there are certain things that violate my conscience, and my conscience will not allow me to participate in things that I feel are wrong. Most of what that's based on is scripture."

She continued: "I don't feel that I should be picked on because of my beliefs."

SEE ALSO: Jesus wouldn't have made wedding cake for gay couple, says Colorado baker

Stephanie Caughell-Fisher, owner of Gimme Some Sugar, said she and Miller have "zero partnership." She recalled a day one year ago when Miller came into her bakery "very distraught."

"She said, 'I know your life and your family, I can't do these cakes so I'm going to refuse them,' " said Caughell-Fisher, who is married to a woman.

Caughell-Fisher then told Miller, "Send them to me and I will absolutely pamper them and show them the love you should be showing them."

In the past year, Caughell-Fisher says Miller has referred four customers to her bakery, including Ramos. Del Rio and her fiancee have yet to contact the bakery.

In June, the Supreme Court will hear the appeal of a Colorado baker who refused to make a cake for a same-sex couple. A similar case in Oregon has made its way to the state appeals court.

Read Michelle Robertsons latest stories and send her news tips at mrobertson@sfchronicle.com.
Now Playing: Right-wing demonstrators were vastly outnumbered by counterprotestors in Berkeley's Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park and were driven out on August 27, 2017. Video: JW Player

Berkeley police have identified 13 people who were arrested Sunday amid violence at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, where those who showed up for a loosely organized right-wing rally were driven out  and at times beaten  by a mob of masked anarchists.

Police reported that six people, including an officer, were injured, and that two of them were taken to hospitals. Many of the people arrested were jailed.
Dr. Marshall Klaus, whose research in the early 1970s into emotional bonding between parents and their newborns prompted improvements in how hospital maternity wards care for mothers and their infants, died Aug. 15 in Palo Alto. He was 90.

His death was confirmed by his daughter, Laura Abada.

Dr. Klaus, a neonatologist, and his colleague at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Dr. John H. Kennell, a pediatrician, concluded in their book Maternal-Infant Bonding (1976) that contact between a mother and child in the first hours or even days of a babys life heightens the mothers attachment to her child indefinitely.

Those bonds, they wrote, develop in a primeval dance that includes eye contact, facial expressions and the rhythmic sound of speech. Such intimacy, they found, increases the likelihood of breast feeding, enhances the childs development and even reduces the potential for child abuse and neglect.

Their findings prompted many hospitals to allow and even encourage parents to have more contact with normal and premature babies immediately after they are born, rather than isolating infants in nurseries and incubators, and to focus more on the mothers care and comfort.

Hospitals began to give new mothers more private time with their infants, allow fathers into the delivery room and let young children visit their baby siblings in the hospital.

We are bringing back an essential ingredient of birth, Dr. Klaus told the New York Times in 1993. This is humanizing maternal care.

Dr. Klaus and his wife, Phyllis Klaus, were among the founders of DONA International, an organization that certifies helpers who provide emotional and physical support for mothers before, during and immediately after childbirth. The initials stand for Doulas of North America; the word doula is derived from the Greek word for servant-woman.

Dr. Klaus, his wife and Kennell, who died in 2013, said the presence of a doula shortens labor, reduces the demand for pain relievers, decreases the number of Cesarean births and promotes an early and enduring attachment between mother and child.

Dr. Klaus and Kennell advanced their bonding theory in 1972 in The New England Journal of Medicine after exploring the behavior of goats. They noticed that when mother and baby goats were separated immediately after birth, the mother would butt away its offspring and never successfully reunite with them.

But their theory proved controversial. Some adoptive parents complained that the bonding theory diminished them, and some feminists said it placed blame on the mother if her relationship with the child became troubled later.

Others questioned the implications of describing the immediate bonding period as critical. Dr. Klaus later said that describing the first hours after birth that way had been a mistake.

Its a sensitive period, he said, amending the language, in an oral history interview for the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2000. Critical means if it doesnt occur, all is lost.

Moreover, he said, the use of the word suggested that bonding was like an epoxy glue rather than a slow-acting sticky substance.

Rather, he said, Id say there is a suggestion that for some mothers additional contact in the first hours and days of life may be helpful, and in some it may have a profound effect on how they care for the baby, especially poor mothers with few social supports.

Marshall Henry Klaus was born on June 6, 1927, in Lakewood, Ohio, near Cleveland, to Dr. Max Henry Klaus and the former Caroline Epstein, a teacher.

He was 6 when his father died of sepsis after passing a kidney stone and in his teens when his mother died of breast cancer.

He graduated from Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve University) and its School of Medicine. While he was in medical school he developed polio, which left him with a frail right arm. He would have liked to be an internist or an obstetrician, he said later, but specialized in pediatric pulmonology and neonatal development in part because of his disability.

I picked newborns because I could thump the chest, he said. I have a good hand. I can suture with this hand, but I cant deliver babies easily. But I can take care of little babies, and thats why I went into pediatrics.

His first marriage, to the former Lois Krieger, ended in divorce. In addition to his daughter Laura, he is survived by his second wife, the former Phyllis Stoller; four other children from his first marriage, Susan, David, Alisa and Sarah Klaus; Phyllis Klaus children from an earlier marriage, John and Geoffrey Stoller; a brother, Carl Klaus; and five grandchildren.

Among the books he wrote with Phyllis Klaus were The Amazing Newborn: Discovering and Enjoying Your Babys Natural Abilities (1985) and Mothering the Mother: How a Doula Can Help You Have a Shorter, Easier, and Healthier Birth (1993).

Marshall Klaus, with Maureen Hack, also made the film The Amazing Newborn (1987), which demonstrates a newborn babys responsiveness.

Sam Roberts is a New York Times writer.
Oakland and Menlo Park firefighters, along with other local members of California Task Force 3 and 4, are among the seven groups being deployed Sunday to help with rescue efforts in Texas due to Hurricane Harvey.

Over 100 personnel from California are making the trip to Texas after the Federal Emergency Management Agency requested extra assistance there. The state is struggling with historic flooding following the landfall of Harvey on Friday, as well as continuing rainfall that is expected to cause more problems throughout the week.
One more to Like, err, love

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is going on paternity leave after he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, welcomed their second daughter. In a post on Facebook  of course  the couple included a letter to new daughter August, writing that childhood is magical and telling her that she only gets to be a child once, so dont spend it worrying too much about the future. They also wrote a letter to their first daughter, Max, when she was born in 2015.

Frankly, they wont show this movie

Call it Gone With the Social Media Storm. Memphis Orpheum Theatre has canceled a long-running screening of Gone With the Wind because of racially insensitive content in the classic 1939 film. Theater President Brett Batterson said that after a social media storm when the film was shown at the Orpheum on Aug. 11  the 34th straight year it has screened at the theater  management decided to drop it from the 2018 summer movie series.

San Jose airport soaring

Mineta San Jose International Airport is getting a boost from Silicon Valleys booming economy. Airline Geeks reported that Alaska Airlines just started daily nonstops to fellow tech hub Austin and Tucson. Meanwhile, Southwest Airlines said in a news release that it will add eight nonstop routes starting as early as March out of San Jose; Orlando; Houston; New Orleans; Albuquerque; St. Louis; Boise, Idaho; Spokane, Wash.; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle
CALGARY, Alberta, Aug. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Eguana Technologies Inc. ("Eguana" or the "Company") (TSX-V:EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) today announced results for its third quarter ended June 30, 2017.



Several defining moments occurred during the third quarter as the Company delivered milestone achievements across sales, operations, and product development. Since April, Eguana has increased the order book to more than $8M with receipt of multiple volume orders, expanded the certified product portfolio, initiated second generation AC Battery shipments to the United States, and signed a European distribution contract. It was an excellent quarter of progress across each functional area of the business, our certified product portfolio has been updated and expanded, we have received volume orders from two of our three targeted markets in Hawaii and Australia, and completed a distribution contract to roll out a ground-breaking product in Germany this winter, stated Justin Holland, Eguanas Chief Executive Officer.

Highlights

Second generation UL 1741 certified AC Battery initial shipments began in June

Additional $2.5M volume order for Hawaiian residential market

Initial $3M volume order received for the Australian residential market

European distribution agreement completed with Technologietransfer & Marketing

Eguana commercial AC Battery submitted for North American certification

EdgePower selects Eguana to supply commercial AC Battery for US Department of Energy Sunshot Award for commercial load controls

Outlook for remainder of calendar year

JH3 battery shipments to begin in September

Initial Australian AC Battery shipments and installations

Commercial product certification completion, pilot demonstration installations

European product certification and launch into Germany, Austria, and Switzerland

Electric Vehicle infrastructure master supply agreement for North America

Facility expansion completion to increase development and operational capacity

Battery shipments set to begin in September will drive a material change in quarter over quarter revenue, with margins related to PCS units expected to increase as the Company transitions to consistent unit manufacturing and supply chain activities for the balance of year. Low volume, lumpy demand markets present supply chain challenges for all companies. Additional certainty in our sales channels provides an immediate cost reduction opportunity through volume and scale driving better margins, added Dr. Spyros Gorgogiannis, Eguanas Director of Operations.

Additionally, the Companys expansion plans at its Calgary location will provide necessary capacity increases for both Research and Development and manufacturing capability. Completion is expected through the current quarter.

About Eguana Technologies Inc.

Eguana Technologies Inc. (TSX.V:EGT) (OTCQB:EGTYF) designs and manufactures high performance power controls for residential and commercial energy storage systems. Eguana has more than 15 years experience delivering grid edge power electronics for fuel cell, photovoltaic and battery applications and delivers proven, durable, high quality solutions from its high capacity manufacturing facilities in Europe and North America.

With thousands of its proprietary energy storage inverters deployed in the European and North American markets, Eguana is one of the leading suppliers of power controls for solar self-consumption, grid services and demand charge applications at the grid edge.

To learn more, visit www.EguanaTech.com or follow us on Twitter @EguanaTech

Company Inquiries Justin Holland CEO, Eguana Technologies Inc. +1.416.728.7635 Justin.Holland@EguanaTech.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking information and forward-looking statements (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws that and are based on certain assumptions and analysis made by the Company's management as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements with respect to strategy, the development plans of the Company, availability of customers, market penetration, the Company's intentions, business prospects and opportunities, extent of solar resource usage and future growth and performance opportunities. The words "believes", "expects", "expected", "plans", "may", "will", "projects", "anticipates", "estimates", "would", "could", "should", "endeavours", "seeks", "predicts", "intends", "potential", "opportunity", "target" or variations of such words of similar expressions thereto and the negatives thereof, identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon managements perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as a number of specific factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of such statements, outside of the Company's control and are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies which could result in the forward-looking statements ultimately being entirely or partially incorrect or untrue.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on various assumptions, including, but not limited to the following: (i) the Company's ability to achieve its growth strategy; (ii) the demand for the Companys products and fluctuations in future revenues; (iii) the Company's business model and assumptions; and (iv) expectations of growth in the industry in which the Company operations and the markets in which the company's products are sold. By their nature, forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, that may be general or specific and which give rise to the possibility that expectations, forecasts, predictions, projections or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that assumptions may not be correct and that objectives, strategic goals and priorities will not be achieved. The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements are provided for the purpose of providing information about managements expectations and plans relating to the future. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, or to explain any material difference between subsequent actual events and such forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. All of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are qualified by these cautionary 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.
Matt Sayles

Scott Baios wife Renee is a target of widespread social media disgust after she told a Sandy Hook mom, Maybe your children are in a better place.

On Thursday, the Happy Days actor retweeted a conspiracy theory meme that suggested the mother of murdered Sandy Hook teacher Vicki Soto and the mother of Charlottesville victim Heather Heyer were both portrayed by an actress. The implication of the meme is that both deaths may have been faked, and Baio soon apologized.
HOUSTON  The full extent of Hurricane Harveys aftermath started to come into chilling focus Sunday in Houston and across much of central Texas, as rain measured in feet not inches overwhelmed lakes, rivers and bayous, leaving several people dead and thousands displaced in a weather disaster described as beyond anything experienced.

Across the nations fourth-largest city and suburbs many miles away, Harvey left families scrambling to get out of their fast-flooding homes. Rescuers  in many cases neighbors helping neighbors  in fishing boats, huge dump trucks and even front-end loaders battled driving rains to move people to shelter. Some used inflatable toys to ferry their families out of inundated neighborhoods, wading through chest-deep water while the region was under near-constant tornado watches.

By Sunday, the National Weather Service was predicting that parts of Texas could receive nearly 50 inches of rain, the largest recorded total in the states history. It also warned that Harveys relentless downpours were expected to continue until late in the week and that flooding could become much more severe. More than 82,000 homes were without electricity in the Houston area by Sunday night as airports shuttered and hospitals planned evacuations.

Thousands of rescue missions have been launched across a large swath of Texas and Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that more than 3,000 national and state guard troops have been deployed to assist with relief efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said federal agencies have more than 5,000 employees working in Texas, and the White House said President Trump plans to visit flood-wracked areas of the state on Tuesday.

Officials said Houston, a major center for the nations energy industry, had suffered billions of dollars in damage and would take years to fully recover. Oil and gas companies have shut down about a quarter of oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico. Spot prices for gasoline are expected to jump on Monday, but the full extent of damage will not be clear for days, companies and experts said.

Harveys sheer size also became apparent Sunday as heavy rains and flooding were reported as far away as Austin and even Dallas. What started with a direct impact on the tiny coastal town of Rockport on Friday night has now turned into a weather disaster affecting thousands of square miles and millions of people.

Still, much of the nations focus remained squarely on Houston, where the wide scale of the flooding and the potential for the situation to get much worse in the days ahead reminded many residents of the effects of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans in 2005.

Mayor Sylvester Turner and other officials pleaded with residents to shelter in place and to make calls to overwhelmed 911 operators only in life-threatening emergencies. They urged people to climb to their roofs to await rsecue if water was rising inside their homes.

Police began to ask people with high-water vehicles and boats to assist in their rescue efforts on streets where abandoned cars were completely submerged. Brays Bayou, a huge waterway crossing the southwestern part of the city, rose as much as 20 feet overnight and by Sunday morning was flowing over bridges in its path.

As the extent of the disaster became clear at daylight Sunday, some criticized Houston officials for not calling for an evacuation of the city. Turner defended the decision not to evacuate, noting it would be a nightmare to empty out the population of his city and the county all at once.

You literally cannot put 6.5 million people on the road, Turner said at a news conference.

The disaster unfolding in Houston appeared suddenly, starting with severe storms Saturday evening that came with slashing, sideways rain and almost uninterrupted lightning. By morning, a city that had been largely spared by Harveys initial pounding of coastal communities was flooded to devastating levels.

By 7 a.m., the National Weather Service had recorded close to 25 inches of rain around Houston. Warnings for flash flooding and tornadoes remained in place across the region, and storm surges are expected along the coast, bringing flooding to typically dry areas.

The National Weather Service said Sunday that at least five people had been reported dead due to Harvey. Local officials have confirmed that at least three people have died as a result of the storm, and officials in the hardest-hit counties expect that as the waters recede the number of fatalities will rise.

The first reported death came Saturday in Rockport. Officials said one person was killed after their house caught fire during the storm and they became stuck inside.

At about 9:15 p.m. on Saturday, rescue workers in southwest Houston recovered the body of a woman believed to have driven her car into floodwaters before attempting to escape on foot. Just two minutes earlier, police about 40 miles southeast in La Marque found the body of a 52-year-old homeless man in a Walmart parking lot where there had been high water.

As it scrambles to open shelters across Texas, the Red Cross command center in Houston is now physically isolated because of floodwaters, said Paul Carden, district director of Red Cross activities in south Texas, which includes Corpus Christi.

The advice is if you dont have to be out, dont be out, said Bill Begley, a spokesman with the Joint Information Center in Houston. He said most of the calls for help it had received have come from residents who tried to drive through the storm and got stuck in high water.

Both of Houstons major airports were closed, and many tourists and visitors found themselves stranded in hotels with no hope of leaving anytime soon.

Southwest Airlines flight attendant Allison Brown said at least 50 flight attendants, a number of pilots, airport staff and hundreds of passengers have been stranded at William P. Hobby Airport since at least 1 a.m. Sunday. Brown said the airport flooded so quickly that shuttles were unable to get to them out.

The National Hurricane Center late Sunday offered no promises of relief from the epic rains from what is now Tropical Storm Harvey. The storm was packing 40 mph winds, and forecasters said little change in strength is forecast during the next 24 hours. In fact, some slight re-strengthening is possible after the center moves off the coast on Monday night and Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Kevin Sullivan, Robert Samuels and Emily Wax are Washington Post writers.
Uber Technologies Inc. is moving closer to picking a new chief executive officer, who will fill the seat left vacant for more than two months since the abrupt ouster of co-founder Travis Kalanick.

The board is holding daily meetings to interview remaining candidates, according to people familiar with the deliberations. Meg Whitman, chief of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co., is a board favorite despite repeatedly denying the prospect that she would take the job at Uber, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ATLANTA  The daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. stood beside her fathers newly unveiled statue Monday, just a few blocks from where he grew up, handing out hugs and telling each well-wisher: Its about time.

The statue paying tribute to King made its public debut Monday on the Georgia Capitol grounds in front of around 800 people, including Gov. Nathan Deal, many other state political leaders and several members of the King family. The sculptures installation comes more than three years after Georgia lawmakers endorsed the project.

Forty-nine years ago when my father was assassinated, he was the most hated man in America. Today, he is one of the most loved men in the world, the Rev. Bernice King said of her father, who was slain in 1968 in Memphis.

A replica of the nations Liberty Bell tolled three times before the 8-foot bronze statue was unveiled on the 54th anniversary of Kings I have a dream speech at the 1963 March on Washington. The statue depicts King in mid-stride, as his left arm holds an overcoat while grasping a batch of papers.

Bernice King said her father gave the nation a sense of hope in a time of turmoil, and his statue can serve a similar purpose today.

Today, we as the sons and daughters of former slaves and former slave owners are here to witness the unveiling of that statue, she said. It is a glorious and grand day in the state of Georgia and in the United States of America and all over the world.

Bringing the statue into reality took multiple struggles. Officials had to negotiate with Kings family for the right to use his image. Then an artist was selected for the project, only to be killed in a motorcycle accident. After a lengthy screening, sculptor Martin Dawe was chosen to replace him.

Dawe said he knew other tributes to King had been criticized and he set one goal: Make the statue look like the man. This feels right, said Dawe while looking up at the statue.

Democratic state Rep. Calvin Smyre, who sponsored the bill to place the statue on Capitol grounds, believes it will be inspiring and give hope to generations to come.

Kings statue was erected in his Southern hometown at a time when monuments honoring Civil War Confederates are coming down in many places across the South. Other statues on the Capitol grounds include Confederate Gen. John Gordon and segregationists Sen. Richard Russell and Gov. Eugene Talmadge.

Jonathan Landrum Jr. is an Associated Press writer.
A landmark drug study has opened up a potent way to lower the risk of heart attacks  beyond the now standard advice of reducing cholesterol  promising new avenues of treatment of Americans No. 1 killer.

The findings, more than two decades after the discovery of cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins, taken by tens of millions, were announced Sunday at a medical conference in Barcelona and published in two leading medical journals.
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

WASHINGTON  President Trump sought to showcase the federal governments response to Hurricane Harvey in a tweet storm of his own Sunday, marveling over its size like a TV host and announcing a visit to Texas with the natural disaster only just beginning to take its catastrophic toll.

In a series of tweets, Trump said his administration was handling its responsibilities well and, in a tangential aside, hawked a book on race and crime in America written by a supporter.

Wow  Now experts are calling #Harvey a once in 500 year flood! We have an all out effort going, and going well!

He later added: Even experts have said theyve never seen one like this!

Harvey is the first major natural disaster of Trumps presidency and a significant test for a White House that is often chaotic and rife with infighting. Attention on Harvey from officials, the public and the news media also allows Trump to refocus after a turbulent stretch that included his widely criticized response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Va.

Trump, who spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, convened a Cabinet meeting by telephone Sunday which included Vice President Mike Pence. He tweeted a promise of a Texas visit as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption  later announced by the White House as Tuesday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott lavished praise on Trump and the federal government, describing an excellent effort.

Ive got to tell you, I give FEMA a grade of A+, all the way from the president down, Abbott said. Ive spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of FEMA, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services.

The devastating storm has dumped more than 2 feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a landmark event that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.

All across the board, from the White House to the federal administration to FEMA, theyve been very helpful, Abbott said.

Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. Abbott said he expected heavy rain for days to come.

The governor commended Trump for being extremely professional, very helpful in moving quickly to grant his request Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.

Abbott said the focus was on rescue in the Houston area, citing multiple high-level vehicles sent in late Saturday night that were being manned by the National Guard. Still, in many areas, Houston officials were reporting flooding so widespread that rescuers were getting too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.

Were measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet, Abbott said.

In his tweets, Trump praised Long for doing a great job and touted the great coordination between agencies at all levels of government. He also tweeted Sunday morning about his Cabinet meeting to address Harvey. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, is currently without a secretary.

Major rescue operations underway! he wrote.

The White House released a summary of the Cabinet conference call, saying Trump continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives.

The Trump administration efforts seek to offer a contrast to President George W. Bushs response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in August 2005 and left more than 1,500 dead. The mismanaged response of Bushs FEMA administrator, Michael Brown, to that hurricane, as well as Bushs praise of Brown for doing a heck of a job in the immediate days after, dogged Bush for the rest of his presidency.

Abbott spoke on ABCs This Week and Fox News Sunday.

Hope Yen is an Associated Press writer.
HOUSTON (AP)  Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-story homes Monday and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Harvey poured rain on the Houston area for a fourth consecutive day after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.

The nation's fourth-largest city was still largely paralyzed, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast. With nearly 2 more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

The storm has been blamed for at least two confirmed deaths. A Houston television station reported Monday that six family members were believed to have drowned when their van was swept away by floodwaters.

The KHOU report was attributed to three family members the station did not identify. No bodies have been recovered.

Police Chief Art Acevedo told The Associated Press that he had no information about the report but said that he's "really worried about how many bodies we're going to find."

According to the station, four children and their grandparents were feared dead after the van hit high floods Sunday when crossing a bridge in Greens Bayou.

The driver of the vehicle, the children's great-uncle, reportedly escaped before the van sank by grabbing a tree limb. He told the children inside to try to escape through the back door, but they were unable to get out.

The disaster unfolded on an epic scale in one of America's most sprawling metropolitan centers. The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles, an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. It's crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles to the southeast from downtown.

The flooding was so widespread that the levels of city waterways have either equaled or surpassed those of Tropical Storm Allison from 2001, and no major highway has been spared some overflow.

The city's normally bustling business district was virtually deserted Monday, with emergency vehicles making up most of the traffic. Most traffic signals were out and most businesses closed.

Elsewhere, water gushed from two reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey as officials sought to release pressure on a pair of dams where floodwaters were at risk of spilling uncontrolled from around the sides of the barriers. The move aimed at protecting the downtown business district risked flooding thousands more homes.

Meanwhile, rescuers continued plucking people from the floodwaters  at least 2,000 so far, according to Acevedo.

At least 185 critical rescue requests were still pending on Monday morning. The goal is to rescue those people by the end of the day, Acevedo said.

The rising water forced a mass evacuation of parts of the city Sunday and rescuers who could not keep up with constant calls for help.

Chris Thorn was among the many volunteers still helping to pull strangers out of the water. He drove with a buddy from the Dallas area with their flat-bottom hunting boat to help with rescues.

"I couldn't sit at home and watch it on TV and do nothing since I have a boat and all the tools to help," he said.

They got to Spring, Texas, where Cypress Creek had breached Interstate 45 and went to work, helping people out of a gated community near the creek.

"It's never flooded here," resident Lane Cross said from the front of Thorn's boat, holding his brown dog, Max. "I don't even have flood insurance."

The Red Cross quickly set up Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center and other venues as shelters. The center that was also used as a shelter for Katrina refugees in 2005 can accommodate roughly 5,000 people. By Monday morning, it had already reached half its capacity.

People living near Houston's Addicks and Barker reservoirs were warned Sunday that a controlled release would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. The rising water and ongoing rain put pressure on a pair of dams that were created to prevent flooding in downtown Houston. If the pressure is not relieved, officials said, it could allow water to spill outside the dams.

Harris and Fort Bend county officials advised residents to pack their cars Sunday night and leave in the morning.

The Army Corps of Engineers started the reservoir releases before 2 a.m. Monday  ahead of schedule  because water levels were increasing at a rate of more than 6 inches (15 centimeters) per hour, Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said.

In the Cypress Forest Estates neighborhood in northern Harris County, people called for help from inside their homes as water from a nearby creek climbed to the same level as their eaves. A steady procession of rescue boats floated into the area.

One man, Joe Garcia, carried his German shepherd in the chest-deep water before being picked up by a boat. Garcia said he floated out a tub of his belongings, then went back in for the dog.

Up to 20 more inches (51 centimeters) of rain could fall in the coming days, on top of the more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) some places have already seen, weather service Director Louis Uccellini said Monday.

That means the flooding will get worse in the days ahead and that the floodwaters will be slow to recede once Harvey finally moves on, the weather service said.

The amount of water was so unprecedented that meteorologists had to update the color charts on the weather service's rainfall maps.

Rescuers were giving priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. Several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.

The White House said President Donald Trump would visit Texas on Tuesday, accompanied by first lady Melania Trump.

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

___

Associated Press writers Carla K. Johnson in Chicago; Juan Lozano, Josh Replogle and Robert Ray in Houston; Peter Banda in Dickinson, Texas; and Jamie Stengle and Claudia Lauer in Dallas contributed to this report.

___

Sign up for AP's daily newsletter showcasing our best all-formats reporting on Harvey and its aftermath: http://apne.ws/ahYQGtb .
We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2022. Donate today
LONG BEACH  After more than 30 years, the final prayers have been said at a chapel where sailors from around the world worshiped when they docked at the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complex.

The Rev. Paul Hwang delivered his last sermon at the chapel of the International Seafarers Center on Aug. 20.

After so many years, I cried, Hwang told the Long Beach Press-Telegram after the service. Theres a lot of memories.

The chapel  actually a small trailer  will be torn down to make room for a $1.5 billion bridge. That span will replace the current Gerald Desmond Bridge linking downtown Long Beach and Terminal Island.

The center, located near a container terminal under the current bridge, serves the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which together form the nations busiest port complex.

Once it served as a waystation where sailors who spent months away from home could find comfort and a meal. But over the years its importance has faded, and the center has struggled financially. The center and its chapel briefly shut down in 2000 until two longtime workers helped to revive it, the Press-Telegram reported.

The tiny chapel has a bookshelf containing prayer books and dusty CDs in more than a dozen languages, including Polish, Indonesian and Burmese.

But only a few people showed up for the final service, including the organist and Hwangs wife.

Hwang said he will continue to hold Sunday services at the centers club nearby and to visit crews aboard the giant cargo ships that come to the port.

However, it wont be the same, said Paul Chun, who attended the final service.

There is no other church for the seamen if they want to pray or read the Bible, Chun said, adding: Its sad.
In the outdoors industry, the news that a Chinese company wants to buy Jeep, a brand as American as Harley-Davidson, didnt shock many.

Although a formal offer has not been made to Jeep, which is owned by Italian-controlled Fiat Chrysler, the news highlights an evolution of the world market: Manufacturers based in Taiwan and Beijing are taking over products built for outdoors recreation that sell at high profits in America.

In the past year, two of my friends, both outdoors writers who also manufacture outdoors products in Taiwan and China, and another with family ties to Beijing, all reported similar tales from their recent visits.

They went into the manufacturing facilities to set up the templates for their products. In the process, they saw just about everything you might imagine being made, all name brands. This included road bikes, mountain bikes, fishing rods and outdoors clothing, from shoes and boots to summer shirts and winter parkas.

Some of the on-site prices: a $325 name-brand ski jacket for $27, a $115 summer shirt with the brand on it for $9, a $300 graphite fishing rod made with an IM6 blank for $17, and $10 fishing lures for around 25 cents.

In Taiwan, there is a giant manufacturing facility that makes bikes for many of the best-selling brands under the same roof. A company in Japan provides set-up parts. Besides price, a benefit for the public is that many of the same parts now fit many brands.

Even most Schwinn bikes, a standard for generations and long made in Chicago, are now made in China.

The end result is that in America you can buy a new, B-grade road bike for $700 to $900 retail that you can pedal all day at 20 mph without issue. The prices for upgrades go up in increments, like for disc brakes, similar to add-ons for a new car.

Tourists in Beijing have had a taste of this when they shop in what is known as the Silk Street Market, with thousands of unbelievably low-cost name-brand goods available.

This story is hitting the light for more people with the news that Jeep could be the next brand to be bought by a Chinese firm. For those in the industry, its not a surprise.

Tom Stienstra is The San Francisco Chronicles outdoors writer. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom
This fall, Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei will embark on his largest public art project to date, bringing around 300 individual works to all five boroughs as part of an exhibition titled "Good Fences Make Good Neighbors".

The ambitious installation, commissioned by the Public Art Fund in celebration of their 40th anniversary, will explore the "migration crisis and current global geopolitical landscape" through site-specific security fences placed in prominent spots throughout the city. Those include Central Park, the Unisphere in Queens, and, most controversially, Washington Square Park.

As the Washington Square Blog first reported, some Greenwich Village residents are up in arms in response to last week's announcement by the Public Art Fund, which revealed that the Washington Square Park installation would be placed under the archway from October 12 through February 11.

In an open letter published Friday, the Washington Square Association  the city's oldest neighborhood group  decried the forthcoming installation, which they say was pushed through despite neighborhood concerns. (This is a deliciously meta bit of NIMBYism, we'll note, considering the piece is about fences and neighbors).

"The community feedback was almost universally negative," Washington Square Association President Trevor Sumner told Gothamist. He noted that the installation would conflict with the annual tree lightning ceremony under the arch, and that it could set a "dangerous precedent as far as taking an artistic work and decorating it for a political purpose, especially for months at a time."

"It's a political statement with many different sides to it," Sumner continued. "The parks themselves are for people to get away, to seek some escape from the city and there's going to be a giant political thing in their face the whole time. Ultimately, I understand why they hid it as long as they did."

In response, a spokesperson with the Public Art Fund told us that Sumner's characterization was "grossly inaccurate," and noted that they've spent the past few months meeting with various local organizations, including Community Board 2, the Washington Square Park Conservancy, and Sumner's Washington Square Park Association.

"The vital qualities of community and open engagement that Washington Square Park embodies are among the characteristics that make it an ideal location for this important exhibition that brings to light the critical causes of the refugee crisis," the statement continued.

Ai Weiwei, a former Lower East Side resident whose latest NYC work focused on public space and mass surveillance, could not be reached for comment, though if his recent statements to Vulture are any indication, inspiring a neighborhood fence drama may have been his intention all along:

"I think public art is in the public domain. It belongs to the people who use the citys facilities. It is open to discussion and to the public's concerns. It will be successful for public art in an open society to generate that discourse and it can make a difference on an aesthetic, moral, and philosophical level."


A 38-year old San Francisco resident was shot and killed early Sunday in the citys Tenderloin neighborhood, police said Monday.

Police found the victim, identified by the city medical examiner as Levar Watkins, about 12:40 a.m. at Tenderloin and Ellis streets with a gunshot wound, San Francisco police officials said.
Pre-evacuation notices have been issued for the ranches on Road 434/435 and residences off of Highway 200 between the Elk Meadows subdivision up to mile-marker 102.

Residents with questions on the evacuations are urged to call the sheriff's office at 447-8293. Red Cross has a shelter set up at First Assembly of God Church in Helena on Dodge Avenue.

On Saturday, the fire was reported to be about 750 acres. Lightning sparked the blaze on July 22.

***

Holmes Gulch fire

The Holmes Gulch fire, which burned 110 acres 2-3 miles south of Helena, is now 100 percent contained.

The fire was reported around 2 p.m. Thursday. Those who were evacuated due to the fire Thursday were allowed to return home Friday night.

On Sunday, crews were working to mop up hot spots, improve containment lines and cut down hazard trees.
The KKK has a history, including cross burnings, in the Big Sky State.

Reports in The Billings Gazette from the early 1920s indicate there was an organizational meeting in Livingston in September 1923 to establish a Montana affiliate with the national Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. The Klans strength in the state at that time was reported to be about 6,000 people.

The national KKK was at its height, and the Klans imperial wizard, Hiram Wesley Evans, a dentist from Texas, visited Billings in 1924.

The Klans formal presence in Montana began in about 1923 but fizzled by the end of the decade.

Since then, Billings and Montana have experienced periods of racial tension and conflicts with neo-Nazis, white supremacists and far-right anti-government extremists.

Although there were few African Americans in Montana in the 1920s, the Klan targeted Catholics, Jews and immigrants and promoted white supremacy.

A large advertisement for the KKK, by the Billings Klan, No. 6, in the Sept. 30, 1923, Gazette attempted to push back against vicious and slanderous misrepresentation that had been published about the Klan so that all who care to know may learn the true facts.

The ad proclaimed, We are not an ANTI-ORGANIZATON in any sense, just PRO-AMERICAN, that is all. We are not Anti-Jew, although we restrict our membership to Gentiles. We are not Anti-Negro, but we do believe in White Supremacy and in keeping the blood of the white race untainted.

We are not Anti-Catholic, insofar as the Catholic faith is concerned, but we are unalterable opposed to any participation in the affairs of our government by the pope or any other foreign influences.

In that same Gazette, on the front page, was a story headlined, Tar and Feather Victim Sues Klan for $150,000.

The article reported that a Kansas man sued the Klan in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma seeking $150,000 in damages for injuries he suffered after he was tarred and feathered there the previous year. The suit alleged members of the Klan conspired or participated in violence against the man.

Cross burnings

One of Montanas early cross burnings occurred north of Roundup on July 4, 1923, and was directed at a large immigrant population attracted to the area by coal mining.

The Roundup Record reported that the local Klan staged an initiation with a fiery cross, big bonfires and fireworks. Several hundred men reportedly participated in the event in which 94 new members were initiated.

And in September 1923 in central Montana, the Gazette also reported that the Klan held a ceremony west of Lewistown in which one great fiery cross was constructed and there were several smaller ones about the field. Klan authorities reported attendance at 8,000, with 300 people initiated.

In Billings, toward the end of the month, when the Midland Empire county fair was underway, there were Associated Press reports of a cross burning, apparently on top of the Rimrocks, in which the cross was nearly 50 feet in height.

As the cross blazed, lighting the entire top of the hills for miles around, hundreds of red glares were touched off, and on the end of the hills 300 feet above the city, marched hundreds of white-robed members of the organization, carrying red and green flaming torches, the AP reported.

Another local cross burning occurred in September 1925 on Square Butte west of Laurel. The Laurel Outlook reported that an estimated 2,500 people gathered for the initiation of 100 candidates into the KKK.

It looked like all the dragons, wizards, witches, ghosts, or whatever they are called, from all over the country had gathered there, the Outlook said.

During Imperial Wizard Evans visit to Billings while on a tour of Western states, the Gazette reported, he was the guest of local Klansmen at a luncheon of the Billings Commercial Club, gave a speech at the Coliseum to an audience of sympathizers and addressed a meeting of the Klanswomen that was held at the First Methodist Church.

WKKK

Women played a supporting role for the KKK, forming auxiliaries called Women of the Ku Klux Klan or WKKK.

The WKKK in Yellowstone County, for instance, organized an annual Klan picnic in the 1920s, said Elizabeth DeGrenier, community historian at the Western Heritage Center in Billings. A photograph in the museums archives shows cars on the South Bridge, which is draped with a Klan banner.

In an essay for the Montana Historical Society and published in a book titled, Beyond Schoolmarms and Madams, Kayla Blackman wrote that in Montana the KKK and WKKK emphasized anti-Catholicism in their rhetoric and politics. Central to their mission was a campaign for compulsory public education to stem the influence of parochial schools.

WKKK members in Billings, Roundup, Harlowton and Livingston attended cross burnings, organized boycotts and proudly displayed their Klan affiliation  although the acceptability of women wearing mens regalia came in to question during discussions about organizing a 1927 parade in Whitehall, Blackman wrote.

Women of the Klan attended rituals, like funerals, and like their national counterparts, took on the traditionally female role of providing costuming and food for social events and secret gatherings, Blackman wrote.

WKKK members also presented themselves as a respectable alternative to other area womens clubs, and reporters were sympathetic; one Billings Gazette article recorded the WKKK delivering flowers to the hospital, Blackman wrote.

'The Boys in Butte'

Klan members, however, met resistance from other Montanans.

In Butte, many residents were immigrants and Catholic, Blackman wrote. Sheriff Jack Duggan reported, Our men have orders to shoot any Ku Kluxer who appears in Butte, she said in her essay.

The Klans activity in Montana and Butte, in particular, is chronicled in a 1991 thesis by Christine K. Erickson, for a masters degree at the University of Montana.

Titled The Boys in Butte, the Ku Klux Klan Confronts the Catholics, 1923-1929, the thesis said white supremacy and vehement anti-Catholicism were part and parcel of the Klans secret fraternalism. But at the same time, those attitudes hindered its development.

For the Klan to exercise influence beyond its own membership, it depended on acceptance by the larger community, Erickson wrote. Irish Catholics had dominated Buttes social structure and economy for years; consequently, flexing the Klans muscle in politics and education proved impossible.

The Klans secret fraternal activities, like attending to the sick, wasnt enough to hold it together and led to its decline in Butte, Erickson said.

As a consequence of the Klans impotence, apathy gelled quite early among Kontinental Klansmen. The downswing of the economy and the effects of modernization also played roles in the Klans collapse, Erickson said.
When you think of The Netherlands you often think of Amsterdam. That crazy city full of beauty, life, canals, and parties. But it wasn't until I moved abroad that I realized just how cool The Netherlands is, and how many lovely places that you can venture to that aren't the capital city. From the picturesque streets of Den Bosch, the modern architecture in Rotterdam, to the pristine beaches of The Hague, there is character and fun in the nearby cities. Here are three places in The Netherlands that aren't Amsterdam, and shouldn't be missed.

Three Places in The Netherlands That Aren't Amsterdam

Below you can find a map of all the places discussed in this post:

[powr-map id=681f89a4_1510233237]

Getting Around

The Netherlands is a relatively small country. You can easily get from place to place by car or train. We took the train from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and The Hague but drove from Germany to Den Bosch. Either way is practical and easy to drive or get by with public transportation. All of these cities are extremely walk-able, so you'll find it easy to see all the sites by foot.

Rotterdam

Two words: Cube houses. This was the extent of my knowledge on Rotterdam but this contemporary city brings more modernization that just houses. The broad streets are lined with funky architecture, museums, shopping, and eating. This is the largest city in The Netherlands after Amsterdam and boasts the largest port in Europe.

Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed in WWII so when they rebuilt the city they rebuilt in a new, modern way. When you arrive, check out the train station itself!

Then walk over to Market Hall, or Markthal, which is a food court and office building. We had delicious Stroopwafels and sampled lots of food from the local stalls. If you still want a glimpse of the past, the Cathedral, Grote of Sint-Laurenskerk, is nearby and still towers over the city.

Make your way over to the cube houses and don't forget to take a tour inside- it's only a few euros! It's really interesting to see how people live in these small, peculiar shaped homes. Venture to the river to see the large bridges and the Euromast, a 600 foot tall tower (185 meters), that has two restaurants and great views of the city.

You can also go to one of many museums such as Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen for paintings and sculptures. There's also the Maritime Museum to see how the sea and waterways impacted the city and created what it is today. There is also the Harbor Museum which has a perfectly preserved ship.

If you're looking for a short day trip out of the city you can head to the village of Kinderdijk for picturesque windmills from the 18th century!

The Hague

I love this pretty little beach town. I was pleasantly surprised by this long, sandy beach flanked with restaurants and shops. This city is full of old world charm with lovely cobblestone streets, unique museums, and pretty architecture.

We first headed to the Escher Museum and I absolutely loved it! Escher is Holland's most famous and inventive graphic artist. He manipulated images in a unique way that really plays with how we see images. There are lots of optical illusions that really question what you see before your eyes. There is also the Panorama Mesdag Museum which displays Hendrik Mesdag's panoramic beach painting. It depicts the way of life for a fishing village, how the boats were moved to and from the water, where the wealthy went to take a dip, and how they were transported by servants.

Near the city is also the Peace Palace where you an have a tour of the International Court of Justice. Don't miss The Binnenhof which is the seat of the Dutch government. The building is gorgeous and seems to be floating atop the water.

Take the tram and head over to the beach in Scheveningen. Here, you can take in the lovely resort and find a respite from the busy city. The beach is the perfect place for a stroll and a great place to eat or grab a drink.

s Hertogenbosch aka Den Bosch

My friend told me a funny story recently about getting to Den Bosch. He was living in Belgium at the time and was going to meet friends in Den Bosch. He goes to a train station but can't seem to find Den Bosch. After spending time looking he asks the information desk. Oh, you mean s Hertogenbosch! Not knowing what the man was talking about he goes ahead and buys a ticket and takes a chance. Luckily, he was right, Den Bosch is the nickname for this extremely long town name.

Den Bosch or the formal name, S Hertogenbosch is a quaint town filled with canals, a stunning cathedral, and lively shops and restaurants. Any given day of the week people are milling about the streets eating Bossche bol (a profiterole glazed with chocolate and filled with whipped cream) or exploring a local festival. The perfect place to stay is the the Duke Boutique Hotel. This hotel is somehow modern yet cozy and in the heart of the city. This post office now hotel is a comfortable oasis and a delicious breakfast spread. You can walk out your door and head to the shops or the cathedral.

As for things to do, I recommend heading to the local shops to find some funky furniture or see art from their most famous artist, Hieronymus Bosch, at the Jheronimus Bosch Art Centre. Next rest your feet and take a canal ride on the Binnendieze. In the 15th century there weren't many paved roads so most goods were transported by boats. Here, you'll get a feel for how life used to be in this small city contained in the canals.

St. John's cathedral is not to be missed, especially the huge organ and Gothic architecture. Truly, one of the most ornate and grandest organs I've ever seen. You might be surprised at just how clean this city is. For a city as old as this, it's practically spotless!

There is definitely more to The Netherlands than Amsterdam. You can find cool canals in Den Bosch, a dose of history and culture in The Hague, and get a glimpse of modern architecture and attitude in Rotterdam. It's so easy to get to, you can easily see all of these cities in just a few days. I highly recommend checking these off-the-tourist-track places.

You might also like: 20 Things You Must Do in Amsterdam
A year after Amazon opened its two fulfillment centers in Edwardsville, the e-commerce giant has blown past its initial employee projections.

When it announced the Edwardsville facilities last year, the Seattle-based company said it planned to create 1,000 jobs at the sites on Gateway Commerce Center Drive and Lakeview Corporate Drive, located about 20 miles northeast of downtown St. Louis.

Combined, the two facilities now employ 2,200 workers and there are still job openings, managers said during a tour of one of the buildings Thursday. More than 1,500 of those jobs are full-time.

Were growing and hiring, said Amazons general manager Jason Speedy, a former Toyota employee who moved to the area from Indiana last year.

At the 700,000-square-foot Gateway building, nicknamed STL 4, large, bulky merchandise including Radio Flyer wagons, Hoover vacuum cleaners and Evenflo car seats sit on racks. Forklift drivers roll constantly through approximately 100 aisles grabbing products customers have ordered online.

Most of the products are delivered to homes in the St. Louis area or elsewhere in the Midwest, but some of the packages from the Edwardsville fulfillment center are delivered much farther, even overseas.

For safety, as the forklifts come to intersections between the aisles, drivers tap their horns to alert other workers. Unlike some of Amazons fulfillment centers elsewhere, the Gateway building doesnt have robots pulling merchandise from shelves en route to packaging. Amazons nearby Lakeview facility,dlnnicknamed STL 6, which houses smaller items, uses battery-powered Kiva robots to pull electronics and smaller consumer items from shelves.

St. Louis doesnt yet have free same-day delivery for Amazon Prime customers or Amazon Fresh grocery delivery as some markets do, and Amazon representatives said no timeline was available for when either could be offered locally.

Several politicians took the tour to mark Amazons one-year anniversary, including Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville, and Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton.

What Amazon has done, its an evolution in retail, Patton said. Amazon was granted seven years of property tax abatement, he noted, adding that the companys impact by bringing jobs with good benefits has been an economic boon on the entire region. The jobs they have brought to this county have changed our county, Patton said.

More Amazon jobs are on the way in the St. Louis area. Last month, the company announced it will open its first Missouri facility at the Hazelwood Logistics Center by the end of the year. The sorting operations, to be located in two buildings, will employ 350 part-time workers.

At the tour Thursday, Durbin spoke about proposed legislation he is co-sponsoring that would subject online shopping to state sales taxes even in states where the retailer doesnt have a physical presence. I think it brings real fairness to the marketplace, Durbin said of the legislation, which has been passed in the Senate.

Durbin, who said he is a loyal Amazon customer, addressed recent criticism of the company by President Donald Trump. Earlier this month, Trump tweeted: Amazon is doing great damage to tax paying retailers, and Towns, cities and states throughout the U.S. are being hurt  many jobs being lost!

Noting that Amazon supports the proposed legislation on sales taxes, Durbin said of Trump: He just has it wrong.
President Trumps words to a Tuesday night rally in Phoenix were chilling in so many ways: Was Sheriff Joe convicted for doing his job? The crowd of Trump supporters roared in assent.

On Friday evening, Trump made it official. Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff facing up to six months in jail for criminal contempt of court, received a presidential pardon.

Doing his job?

It is not the job of a sheriff to take the law into his own hands by violating the constitutional rights of Latinos by stopping and detaining them on his deputies race-based suspicions that they may be in the country illegally  in the absence of any evidence that they violated any other state law.

Doing his job?

It is not the job of a sheriff to defy a federal judge who ordered him to stop. It was that brazen refusal to obey a court ordered that led to Arpaios conviction.

Trump did not even wait for Arpaios October sentencing, or for a Justice Department recommendation, to act on his first pardon.

While there is no doubt about a presidents authority to forgive a federal crime, the message of this one is as unmistakable as it is despicable.

It tells law enforcement that the letter of the law is secondary to the whims of a rogue sheriff who made a career of harassing an immigrant community and humiliating people in his custody.

It tells all Latinos that they are fair game to be singled out for scrutiny of their immigration status.

It tells the judiciary that Trump, once again, has displayed open contempt for its role in enforcing the law and protecting the rights of individuals. This is the same Trump who as a candidate questioned whether an Indiana-native judge could be impartial because of his Mexican heritage; this is the same Trump who castigated judges who blocked his overreaching Muslim ban.

It tells Trump loyalists that he will not hesitate to invoke his powers to excuse their criminal activities. That message no doubt was comforting to the Trump associates who are targets in the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election and its possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

Arpaio was a staunch Trump supporter. The two share a zeal to inflame fears about illegal immigration, and each had a history of making political hay over the racially loaded and unfounded rumor that President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Doing his job?

Constituents of the self-styled Americas toughest sheriff decided otherwise, voting him out of office last year. A federal judge went even further, finding Arpaio criminally responsible for violating the civil rights of people he was sworn to serve and protect.

He kept Arizona safe! Trump tweeted Saturday.

The Arpaio pardon was a disgrace, and a warning that the basic protections of the U.S. Constitution are not safe from the impulses of a president willing to put loyalty to him above fidelity to the law.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
PARIS  The leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain agreed Monday on a new policy to grant asylum to vulnerable migrants who apply for protection while in Africa instead of their destination countries.

At a Europe-Africa summit in Paris aimed at finding long-elusive solutions to illegal migration, the European leaders also agreed to help the African countries through which Europe-bound migrants usually pass with border controls.

French President Emmanuel Macron, the summits host, called it the most effective and far-reaching migration meeting in months, though he didnt say how much the new measures would cost and many specifics remained unclear.

In a joint statement, the four leaders acknowledged the need to initiate a process in Chad and Niger that would lead to the resettlement of particularly vulnerable migrants in Europe.

The process would allow migrants to immigrate legally to Europe if they are on an eligibility list provided by the U.N. refugee agency and registered with authorities in Niger and Chad.

The pre-asylum centers would receive European financing, according to a top French diplomat.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said European countries must clearly define which asylum-seekers have legitimate humanitarian needs and who is fleeing poverty. She called it very, very important that the possibility of resettlement is coupled with an end to illegal migration.

The African leaders at the summit  the prime minister of Libyas U.N.-backed government, Fayez Serraj, Chads President Idriss Deby Itno and Nigers President Mahamadou Issoufou  stressed that fighting poverty must be a central part of any migration strategy.

Sylvie Corbet is an Associated Press writer.
BEIJING  India and China have withdrawn troops from a disputed Himalayan region on the border with China, foreign ministries from the two countries announced Monday, defusing a tense standoff that had threatened to provoke armed conflict between the nuclear-armed Asian rivals.

For the past two months, Indian and Chinese troops had faced off on a plateau in the Doklam area in the Himalayas, after Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese military from building a road into territory claimed by Indias close ally Bhutan.

China had denounced the Indian move as a direct infringement of its sovereignty, demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and warned of possible conflict.

On Monday, the two sides announced they had reached an agreement, with India saying its troops were disengaging, and China saying it would redeploy forces in response.

It was not immediately clear from both sides public statements if Beijing had offered any concessions in return for the Indian withdrawal, such as agreeing to halt the construction of the road. China said it would continue to patrol the area  as well as exercise its sovereign rights.

In a statement, Indias Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries had maintained diplomatic communication over the dispute in recent weeks.

During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, it said. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going.

Later, it confirmed that forces from both sides were pulling back, adding that this process was almost completed under verification.

Chinas Foreign Ministry said it was happy to confirm that all Indian individuals and facilities have withdrawn to the India side of the border. It also implied it would be reducing troop numbers in response to the Indian redeployment.

China maintains the area in question was listed as on its side of the border under the 1890 Convention Between Great Britain and China Concerning Sikkim and Tibet.

The Bhutan government was careful not to make comments and inflame tensions, and, aside from one brief statement from their Foreign Ministry, maintained a calculated silence throughout the dispute.

Simon Denyer and Annie Gowen are Washington Post writers.
RAS BAALBEK, Lebanon  Islamic State militants and their families began leaving a border area between Lebanon and Syria on Monday as part of a negotiated deal to end the groups presence there, Lebanese and Syrian media reported.

An unidentified number of militants and their families headed in buses toward a town held by the extremist group in far eastern Syria, near the border with Iraq.

The transfer comes nearly a week after Lebanon launched a military campaign to drive Islamic State from the rugged mountainous area along its border with Syria.

The Syrian army and the Lebanese Hezbollah group have been waging their own separate but simultaneous offensive to pressure the militants on the Syrian side of the border. Hezbollah has been fighting alongside President Bashar Assads forces in Syria since 2013.

Nearly two dozen buses and 11 ambulances carried the militants and their families from the area straddling the Syria-Lebanon border toward the Islamic State-held town of Boukamal in eastern Syria.

Syrian Al-Ikhbariya TV reported that there were about 250 militants in the transfer. The Central Military Center, a media outlet run by Hezbollah, said ambulances ferried 25 wounded militants from the area.

The Lebanese military on Monday took journalists on a tour of areas along the border near Ras Baalbek that were recaptured from militants in the past week. Soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles were heavily deployed along the border area, and caves used by Islamic State bore signs of damage from the recent fighting. About 5,000 Lebanese soldiers took part in the offensive.

A senior Lebanese military official said a number of militants were also leaving from the Lebanese side of the border, to be transferred with the Syrian convoy.

The transfer of the militants is part of a deal that came into effect following negotiations, led by Hezbollah, to determine the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers who were kidnapped in 2014.

On Sunday, the Lebanese army, on one side, and Hezbollah and the Syrian army on another, declared separate but simultaneous cease-fires. Shortly afterward, the remains of eight soldiers were located and exhumed in an area near the border with Syria. The fate of one soldier remains unclear.
COXS BAZAR, Bangladesh  About 1,000 ethnic Rohingya villagers from Myanmar forced their way into Bangladesh on Monday after coming under fire from Myanmar soldiers, in fallout from violence unleashed last week when Rohingya insurgents attacked police posts in Myanmars western Rakhine state.

The Muslim villagers, who were seeking refuge from the ongoing violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, had been in a border no mans land for two days. Bangladeshi border guards, who had provided them with food and water, on Monday sought to push them back to their own country.

A Bangladeshi local government representative, Jahangir Aziz, said that when Myanmar troops fired their guns, the crowd ran back and broke through a Bangladesh barricade and cordon of as many as 400 guards. He said they then scattered, with at least some making it to camps for refugees.

Rohingya leaders and intelligence officials said 8,000 to 9,000 Rohingya have entered Bangladesh since the violence broke out last Thursday when Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar police posts.

Human rights groups and advocates for the Rohingya say the army retaliated by burning down villages and shooting civilians, forcing thousands to flee. The official death toll as of Sunday was 96  most described by the government as terrorists  though the actual figure is likely to be higher.

The government blames Rohingya insurgents for the violence.

Both the government, in official statements, and its critics, in posts on social media often accompanied by video clips, said there was widespread burning of buildings and even whole neighborhoods in Maungdaw township in northern Rakhine on Sunday.

Extremist terrorists blew out improvised bombs, set fire the villages and attacked the police outposts in Region-2 of Maungtaw yesterday from the morning to afternoon, said an English-language statement issued by the Information Ministry on Monday.

Arakan Times, an online news website serving the Rohingya community, said Myanmar troops and border guard police burned down 1,000 homes in actions beginning Saturday and continuing Monday.

Both sides claims were difficult to verify because the government denies most journalists access to the area.

A group of journalists who tried to drive to Maungdaw on Monday were turned back by police and soldiers, who said they were not authorized to let them through.

Also Monday, Catholic authorities in Myanmar and the Vatican announced that Pope Francis will visit the two countries starting at the end of November. It will be the first trip by a pope to Myanmar. Pope John Paul II in 1986 visited Bangladesh, a mainly Muslim country.
SEOUL  North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before plunging into the northern Pacific Ocean, officials said Tuesday, an aggressive test-flight over the territory of a close U.S. ally that sends a clear message of defiance as Washington and Seoul conduct war games nearby.

Seouls Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile traveled 1,677 miles and reached a maximum height of 341 miles as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The launch, which appears to be the first to cross over Japan since 2009, will rattle a region worried that each new missile test puts the North a step closer toward its goal of an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can reliably target the United States. It appeared to be the Norths longest-ever missile test, but South Korean officials couldnt immediately confirm.
ROHTAK, India  A judge on Monday sentenced a popular and flamboyant Indian spiritual guru to a total of 20 years in prison on charges of raping two female followers.

The sentences were pronounced amid intense security at a prison in the northern town of Rohtak where the guru, who calls himself Dr. Saint Gurmeet Singh Ram Rahim Insan, has been held since his conviction Friday.

Defense lawyer S.K. Garg Narwana said the guru was sentenced to 10 years in each case and fined a total of 3 million rupees ($47,000).

The conviction sparked violent protests by the gurus followers that left at least 38 people dead and hundreds injured. There were no immediate reports of new violence following the sentencing.

Train and bus services to Rohtak were suspended to prevent the gurus supporters from gathering in the city, located in Haryana state. A curfew was also imposed.

Local police said that several layers of security were in place around the prison and that government troops had permission to use firearms if any violence erupted. All cars entering the town were searched.

The guru denied raping the two followers, in a case that stems from charges filed in 2002. The rape charges were investigated by Indias Central Bureau of Investigation, and a special CBI court convicted and sentenced the guru.

The minimum sentence for the charges was seven years and the maximum was life in prison.

The bling-loving guru, who claims about 50 million followers, is fond of red leather jackets, jeweled hats, biceps-baring T-shirts  and movies. He started a film franchise in which he stars as the Messenger of God, or MSG, with divine powers to save the world. In his most recent film, he plays a secret agent armed with a twirled mustache and an assortment of swords to fight aliens and UFOs.
BANGKOK  Myanmars government and advocates for the countrys Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority traded charges Sunday of killing civilians, burning down buildings and planting land mines, as clashes that began last week when insurgents launched attacks against police posts continued.

An announcement posted online by the office of the countrys leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, said the death toll from the violence that started Thursday night had reached 96, mostly alleged Rohingya attackers but also 12 security personnel.

The announcement was the first by the government to list civilians among the dead  six people identified as Hindu said to have been killed by the insurgents.

Myanmar is overwhelmingly Buddhist, but about 1 million Muslim Rohingya live in the northern part of Rakhine, the western state where the violence is taking place.

Advocates for the Rohingya suggest many more civilians have died in army attacks on villages, but they have not given a total. They also say the attacks have caused villagers to flee to the mountains for shelter or to try to cross the border into Bangladesh.

Senior Rakhine state officials who visited the troubled area said Sunday evening that government forces were trying to restore peace.

We are trying our best to bring stability and now we can see the areas are stabilizing, said Nyi Pu, the states chief minister. But anything can happen at any time, so I cant say what will happen.

Dr. Win Myat Aye, union minister of social welfare, relief and resettlement, said: We are now focusing strongly on the security matters to make the area more secure. And we are also increasing our military strength.

The two men spoke to reporters in the state capital, Sittwe, in the southern part of the state, far from the fighting. They also said the government was trying to protect members of international aid organizations in the area, or evacuate them if they desired. The government has allowed only a limited number of foreign aid organizations to work in northern Rakhine state, and due to longstanding communal tensions, some Buddhists resent their helping Rohingya.

Witnesses and refugees on the Bangladesh border said Sunday that the situation there was tense, with thousands of Rohingya trying to flee Myanmar but unable to leave. Witnesses said they heard the sound of gunshots. Bangladeshi villagers said they could see military helicopters hovering in the Myanmar sky.

Several hundred Rohingya got stuck in a no mans land at one border point in Bangladeshs Bandarban district, barred from moving farther by Bangladeshi border guards. Lt. Col. Manzurul Hasan Khan of Border Guards Bangladesh said they cordoned off about 1,000 Rohingya after they attempted to enter Bangladesh.

Still, more than 2,000 Rohingya entered Bangladesh overnight through two points at Teknaf in Coxs Bazar district, said Jalal Ahmed, a local government official at the Kharangakhali border point.

A Rohingya insurgent group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, took responsibility for Thursday nights attacks on more than 25 locations, saying they were in defense of Rohingya communities that had been brutalized by government forces.

Suu Kyis office accused the insurgents of torching police outposts and monasteries, killing innocent people and planting mines.

ARSA, meanwhile, accused the army of using civilians as human shields.

Clashes continued on Sunday, with witnesses contacted by phone in the northern Rakhine town of Maungdaw saying they could hear gunshots.
Airwork Holdings lifted annual profit 0.7 percent, in line with its guidance, as a bigger fleet in its fixed wing division delivered better earnings offsetting a weaker result from its helicopter unit.

Net profit increased to $24.8 million, or 47.3 cents a share, in the 12 months ended June 30, from $24.6 million, or 47.4 cents, in the prior year, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. In February, the company, which is 75 percent-owned by China's Zhejiang Rifa Holding Group, said it was expecting annual profit of $25 million. Revenue rose 1.4 percent to $168.4 million.

The bottom line was bolstered by a $14.7 million insurance payment, which more than offset a $13 million impairment after a plane suffered major damage when it overshot a runway during a landing in Italy last year.

The increase in revenue and earnings was "due to significant expansion of the fixed wing division including the impact of contracts that commenced in the prior year," chief executive Chris Hart said. "The net gain on insurance associated with an Airwork owned aircraft incident in Europe in August 2016 (operated and maintained by a third party, and, as referred to in prior announcements) has been offset by some non-recurring costs associated with the introduction of additional freighter aircraft in NZ and Australia."

Airwork's board declared a final dividend of 9 cents a share, with a record date of Sept. 12 and a payment date of Sept 19. The total dividend for the year is 17 cents, unchanged from the prior year.

Revenue in the company's fixed wing division rose 16 percent to $93.2 million while earnings before interest and tax was up 54 percent to $31.3 million. Airwork noted fixed wing growth was offset by a reduction in the helicopter division where revenue declined 12 percent to $75.1 million and ebit fell 35 percent to $15.3 million due to continued challenging market conditions, in particular within the resources sector.

Looking ahead, Airwork said it will assess further fleet expansion opportunities in its fixed wing division and expects the current year's earnings to be similar to FY17, net of insurance proceeds less impairment.

Within the helicopter division, it said there is an "uncertain earnings outlook" as challenges faced by the resources sector continue to affect the helicopter industry.

The shares last traded at $4.50 and are up 3.7 percent so far this year.

(BusinessDesk)

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

Related News:

The Warehouse Group FY23 First Quarter Sales Update

PEB - Interim Financial Results to be Announced 24 November 2022

EROAD H1 FY23 Results and Conference Call Details

MFB - Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

HFL - Annual report for the year ended 31 August 2022

November 11th Morning Report

GMT - Customer demand supports strong first-half operating result

EVO - Embark Education announces Special Dividend

BLT - Strategy reset and revenue growth

Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


Chorus is beefing up its defence of fixed line telecommunications as the country's premier technology as Spark New Zealand's dwindling reliance on the copper lines feeds into the network operator's cloudier outlook.

The Wellington-based company hired consultants to review developments with new technology and industry trends in New Zealand's telecommunications sector, where data usage has soared on the public embrace of streaming video services, something envisaged as crucial for fibre uptake by the Commerce Commission in a 2012 report on likely drivers of demand for the network.

The strategic review was against a backdrop of changing market dynamics, where retailer Spark aggressively sought to switch customers from copper-based services onto the retailer's fixed wireless, sidestepping the cost for wholesale access to the network, and as local fibre companies complete their own infrastructure builds, pitching the superior fibre against Chorus's copper line service.

"Fibre is clearly the best technology to meet ever increasing and changing data demands," Chorus chief executive Kate McKenzie said in a statement. "Given the likely infrastructure requirements and service characteristics of future wireless technology, and the extensive nature of our fibre to the home network, we believe wireless will continue to be a largely complementary access technology."

In fact, Spark's fixed wireless technology relies on Chorus's direct fibre access service, which will fall under price regulation from 2019 because of the competing nature between the retail service provider and the network operator. That component is also a key component to five-generation mobile technology, known as 5G, which will drive demand for backhaul services that allow interconnection with the fibre network.

In its annual report, Chorus noted the "uncertainty about the economic case for mobile network operators to undertake the small cell 5G deployments needed to deliver higher mobile speeds" in addition to the spectrum and backhaul assets needed.

"We, therefore, envisage a potentially important and complementary future for shared infrastructure operators such as us in a 5G future," the company said.

Chorus's total fixed line connections fell 7 percent to 1.6 million and its broadband connections were down 3 percent to 1.19 million. Over the course of the year, the LFCs lifted their broadband connection numbers to about 140,000 as at June 30 from 85,000 a year earlier, while Spark's fixed wireless attracted 84,000 customers.

That's meaningful for Chorus, whose biggest customer accounted for $541 million of its $1.04 billion in revenue for the year ended 30, down 5.1 percent from $570 million a year earlier, despite an increase in regulated copper prices from what was initially going to be a much steeper cut. Chorus's second two biggest customers paid more in the year, with revenue from its second biggest client up 3.9 percent to $212 million and its third up 3.5 percent to $122 million.

Chorus chief financial officer Andy Carroll told analysts the company anticipates "some further losses of connections" in the 2018 financial year, and when compounded with increased expenditure meant earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation would fall in the year ending June 30, 2018 to between $625 million and $650 million from the $652 million it report for 2017.

If not for changes in accounting rules, where some labour costs were pushed on the capital spending line from operating expenses, 2018 ebitda guidance could have been lowered by another $60 million.

Chorus shares dropped 4.1 percent to $4.46, a two-and-a-half week low. Spark shares slipped 0.5 percent to $3.90.

(BusinessDesk)

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

Related News:

The Warehouse Group FY23 First Quarter Sales Update

PEB - Interim Financial Results to be Announced 24 November 2022

EROAD H1 FY23 Results and Conference Call Details

MFB - Appointment of Chief Executive Officer

HFL - Annual report for the year ended 31 August 2022

November 11th Morning Report

GMT - Customer demand supports strong first-half operating result

EVO - Embark Education announces Special Dividend

BLT - Strategy reset and revenue growth

Mainfreight Half Year Financial Results 30 September 2022


A Labour-led government would seek to cash in on a tourism boom by charging international visitors a $25 levy to help grow the industry and protect New Zealand's biodiversity, it said.

New Zealand is experiencing an unprecedented tourism boom with the latest government figures showing a record breaking 1.9 million people arrived in New Zealand for holidays in the July 2017 year, nearly double the number in the July 2002 year, when the number of holidaymakers reached 1 million for the first time. Visitor arrivals, which includes people traveling to visit friends, on business, for education and conferences, numbered 3.7 million in the year to July.

According to Labours Tourism spokesperson Kris Faafoi, international tourists spend around $10 billion last year, supporting more than 300,00 jobs. However, there has been growing concern about the strain on infrastructure. "Councils are facing increasing pressure to support growing numbers of tourists without the funds to do it," said Faafoi.

Excluding New Zealand citizens and residents, 3 million people visited New Zealand last year, meaning a $25 levy will raise $75m a year, said Faafoi.

Of that, 60 percent of the fund ($45 million per year) will be used to grow the tourism industry and 40 percent ($30 million per year) will be used to protect biodiversity and ensure conservation is properly resourced.

"Its only fair that the cost of these important projects is recouped from the international visitors that enjoy them. This will help take pressure off local communities and councils from increasing visitor numbers," he said.

According to Faafoi, there is no evidence that such a levy would impact tourism numbers as international visitors spend, on average, more than $3,000 in New Zealand and more than $1,000 on airfares. The levy "would add less than 1 percent to this and is far less than the variability in airfares," he said.

Late last week, the National Party said it plans to double fees for international visitors on the five most popular Great Walks and increase them by 50 percent on the other Great Walks and backcountry hut passes if its re-elected. The Green Party has also said it would change international tourists a $20 levy.

The latest polls show a narrowing gap between National and Labour, ahead of the Sept 23 election.

(BusinessDesk)

Comments from our readers

No comments yet

Add your comment:

Your name: Your email: Not displayed to the public Comment: Comments to Sharechat go through an approval process. Comments which are defamatory, abusive or in some way deemed inappropriate will not be approved. It is allowable to use some form of non-de-plume for your name, however we recommend real email addresses are used. Comments from free email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail, etc may not be approved. Anti-spam verification: Type the text you see in the image into the field below. You are asked to do this in order to verify that this enquiry is not being performed by an automated process.

Related News:

Now is the time to reassess your investments

Now is the time to reassess your investments

Fonterra looking to lift China's importance in new strategy

A2, Synlait shares climb as takeover bid revives optimism about Chinese appetite for milk

Service sector activity eases in August but still expanding

Lumpy imports drive bigger July trade deficit than expected

Nimbys, carparks and the status quo under threat as govt tells big cities: grow up and out

Dairy manufacturers got better prices in June quarter

Orr defends RBNZ rate cut, says monetary policy looks ahead, not behind

RBNZ's Orr says investors need to put their money to work


BLOOMINGTON  Among the buzz of cicadas and hum of bagpipes, a section at Evergreen Memorial Cemetery was dedicated Saturday to veterans and their families.

Its so peaceful here, said Vonda Rodgers of Bloomington.

In her sons honor, the space was named The U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. Joshua P. Rodgers Veterans Field during a ceremony, with recognition by the Bloomington-Normal American Legion Honor Guard.

Josh Rodgers was killed in action in Afghanistan on April 27 along with fellow Ranger Cameron Thomas of Ohio. Rodgers graduated from Normal Community High School in 2013 and would have turned 23 this week.

Rodgers was the first soldier to be buried in the cemeterys special section, which sits in the southeast corner of the cemetery. It is marked by a large granite marker and flagpole.

In addition to Vonda Rodgers, the large crowd included Joshs father, Kevin Rodgers, and loved ones.

Josh entered the gates of heaven without fear, pain, frustration or sorrow. If he were standing here today, thats what he wouldve wanted us to know, Vonda Rodgers told those assembled.

She asked all attending veterans and active military to stand for recognition.

Josh isnt a hero because he had to be carried off of that field. Hes a hero because he did exactly what you did; sacrifice your freedoms for the rest of us. You are our heroes and we thank you, she told them.

Rodgers hopes the memorial will draw not just veterans and family members of fallen soldiers, but anyone who wants to honor past and present soldiers.

Families of veterans or active military members or anyone in the community can come here and be together to remember their families and celebrate. I hope people can stop and remember the sacrifices that were made for their freedom. Remember, were all doing life together. This is an awesome place to remember that, she said.

Butch Ekstam, event coordinator for American Legion Post No. 635 in Normal, attended with 15 Legion members who played taps, fired a rifle volley and presented the Rodgers family with an honorary membership for Josh.

Ekstam lost his own son, Joseph M. Ekstam, who served in the Army in 2000.

That pain is never cured or satisfied. It never leaves you. But there is joy in sharing their memory with others, said Ekstam.

Last year, a monument commemorating the American Veterans Traveling Tribute Vietnam Wall was dedicated on the same site as the memorial.

Cemetery officials said more than 6,000 visited the cemetery to pay respects at the visiting wall, which bears the names of military personnel lost or missing in the Vietnam War.

We wanted a place in the cemetery for veterans and their families to visit as a mini substitute for the traveling wall, said Gaye Nichols, cemetery administrative assistant.
DECATUR  The U.S. Navy said Sunday it had recovered the remains of Sangamon Valley High School graduate Logan Palmer and nine other sailors, six days after they went missing after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker near Singapore.

Palmer's family released a statement through the Navy saying they were mourning the loss of the 23-year-old, who was an interior communications electrician third class petty officer on the ship and enlisted in the Navy in April 2016.

We are heartbroken with the news and will miss him tremendously, the family said. We are so very thankful God gave us 23 amazing years with him and will cherish those memories for the rest of our lives.

The Navy said late last week that it recovered the remains of two sailors, but was still searching for others. It said Sunday it had found the remains of all 10.

The sailors were missing after the USS McCain collided with a Liberia-flagged oil tanker, Alnic MC, while the destroyer was making its way to port at 5:24 a.m. Monday. The Navy said the incident is under investigation.

Palmer's family described him in the statement as a "loving and wonderful young man," an Eagle Scout who was active in the family's church. They said he was a great little brother to his older brothers, and a "cool big brother" to his younger sister.

"He loved his family dearly and was committed to making the Navy a career and excited about the adventures the Navy would offer him," the family said. "He also cared for his shipmates and we are incredibly proud of him and his service to our Navy and the country."

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, said in a statement his thoughts and prayers were with Palmer's family, friends and shipmates. He said the news served as a grave reminder of the risks service members and their families take on each day.

"We will never forget the service and sacrifice of Petty Officer Logan Palmer and the others aboard the USS John S. McCain. Its now on our military to make the changes necessary to minimize incidents like this and protect those who risk their lives each day in service to our country," Davis said. "I will do everything I can to ensure this incident is thoroughly investigated and the readiness and safety of our troops remains our top priority.

In their statement, Palmer's family thanked all those who had provided support over the past week, especially their church and community.

"We are so thankful to the United States Navy for their continued support and are thinking of the brave crew of the USS John S. McCain who are still dealing with a terrible situation," the family said.

"We ask everyone to keep the families and friends of those affected by this terrible tragedy in your thoughts and prayers," they said. "With God's grace we will get through this," adding that it was a difficult time for the family and requesting privacy.

The Palmer family attends Life Foursquare Church in Decatur. Lead pastor the Rev. Mark Cooper told the Herald & Review last week that the church was committed to helping the Palmers however possible.

We have already initiated a prayer chain and we have hundreds of people praying within our church and hundreds more throughout the nation praying in other Foursquare churches for Logan and for the Palmers, he said when it was learned Logan Palmer was missing last week.

The Navy identified the remaining nine sailors as:

Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, from Amazonia, Missouri

Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, from El Paso, Texas

Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, from Gaithersburg, Maryland

Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, from Cable, Ohio

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, from Manchester, Maryland

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, from Poughkeepsie, New York

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, from Suffield, Connecticut

Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, from Killeen, Texas

Electronics Technician 3rd Class, Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, from Cherry Hill, New Jersey

The collision Monday ripped a gash in the McCain hull, flooding crew berths and machinery and communications rooms. The destroyer is now in port in Singapore.

The commander of the 7th Fleet was fired last week after four accidents this year raised questions about its operations. The firing of Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, a three-star admiral, was a rare dismissal of a high-ranking officer for operational reasons.

The Navy also ordered an operational pause for its fleets worldwide to make sure all steps are being taken to ensure safe and effective operations. The Pacific Fleet will also carry out a ship-by-ship review of its vessels, looking at navigation, mechanical systems, bridge resource management and training.

The USS John S. McCain is an Arleigh-Burke Class guided-missile destroyer based in Yokosuka, Japan. It is named for the grandfather and father of U.S. Sen. John McCain, both Navy admirals, and was commissioned in 1994. It has a complement of 23 commissioned officers, 24 chief petty officers and 291 enlisted personnel, according to the ships website.

The 550-mile-long Strait of Malacca, where the accident occurred, runs between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It connects the Pacific and Indian oceans and is one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Decatur police are investigating a man found shot to death on Sunday. Four other stories to see are family mourns death of sailor, the Farm Progress Show is upon us, felons seeking jobs find hurdles and a 9/11 NYC firefighter visits Decatur's memorial project.

A lot of stories are happening this afternoon, with the legislature expected to vote on school funding reform, among them. Keep up with the latest through the Herald & Review app and sign up for breaking-news alerts.

Man found shot to death in vacant house

Police are investigating after a Windsor man was found shot to death in Decatur on Sunday morning.

Detective Sgt. Chris Copeland said in a news release that the body of the 22-year-old Zachary W. Hubbartt was discovered inside a vacant house in the 1200 block of East Condit Street.

Navy recovers remains of all sailors

The U.S. Navy said Sunday it had recovered the remains of Sangamon Valley High School graduate Logan Palmer and nine other sailors, six days after they went missing after a collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker near Singapore.

Farm Progress Show starts Tuesday

More than 100,000 people from nearly every state and 40 countries are set to converge on Decatur this week as the city again takes its place at the epicenter of the agriculture industry. Tuesday marks the start of the Farm Progress Show.

Barriers remain for felons seeking jobs

While the Northeast Community Fund provides food, clothing and other assistance, many come looking for help finding something else: a job they can still hold with a felony on their records.

The agency gets so many requests that it keeps copies of a list of employers who will hire people with a criminal background.

9/11 NYC firefighter visits Decatur project

Retired New York City firefighter Tim Duffy took a deep breath and admired the stainless steel structures in front of him at E.L. Pruitt Co. on Monday. Those structures will become a monument to the men and women who served the country on 9/11.
WASHINGTON -- Amed Rosario hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning and the New York Mets, after blowing a five-run lead, cut down the potential tying run at the plate for the final out of a 6-5 victory over the Washington Nationals in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Sunday.

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and pitcher Edwin Jackson pinch-running at first base, ex-Met Daniel Murphy sent a sharp grounder into right-center field for a double. When rookie right fielder Travis Taijeron booted the ball, Jackson was waved around third.

Gold Glove center fielder Juan Lagares, quickly backing up Taijeron, grabbed the ball and threw to second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, who relayed a strike to catcher Travis d'Arnaud at the plate in time to get Jackson as he made a headfirst slide.

Rosario fell behind in the count 0-2 against Joe Blanton (2-3) with two outs in the eighth before launching a solo shot to center for the rookie's fourth home run.

Cabrera hit a three-run homer in the first and Wilmer Flores added a two-run shot in the third (his career-high 17th) to stake New York to an early 5-0 lead.

A.J. Ramos pitched out of trouble in the eighth and worked two innings for his 25th save in 27 chances.

Alejandro De Aza had a triple, double and two RBIs for the Nationals, who left 13 runners on.

With the Nationals trailing 5-3, Ryan Zimmerman and Matt Wieters singled off Paul Sewald with one out in the seventh and Michael A. Taylor's double scored Zimmerman to make it 5-4. Jerry Blevins (6-0) came on to face De Aza, whose sacrifice fly to left scored Wieters.

New York lefty Tommy Milone made second start since a long stint on the disabled list due to a left knee sprain. He held the Nationals scoreless through four inning, but allowed a run in the fifth before Hansel Robles came on to strike out Anthony Rendon and Zimmerman, both looking, with two on.

The Nationals pulled within two in the sixth on De Aza's RBI double and Howie Kendrick's sacrifice fly.

Washington starter Erik Fedde, recalled from Triple-A Syracuse as the 26th man for the doubleheader, gave up five runs and seven hits over six innings. He threw 112 pitches, striking out five and walking two.

HARVEY IS CLOSE

RHP Matt Harvey (shoulder) tossed 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start Saturday for Double-A Binghamton at Portland, allowing five runs (three earned) and five hits. He struck out two, walked one and threw 47 of 72 pitches for strikes. "Yeah, we're hoping his next one is a start with us," manager Terry Collins said.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Mets: RHP Seth Lugo (right shoulder impingement) was activated from the disabled list in advance of his Sunday night start in the second game of the twinbill. ... RHP Noah Syndergaard (torn lat muscle) is expected to throw batting practice again Wednesday in Florida.

Nationals: INF Adrian Sanchez was sent to the hospital for a CT scan Saturday night after being hit in the chest with a pitch while attempting to bunt in the eighth inning Saturday. A team spokesman said Sanchez checked out fine, was kept overnight to monitor his breathing, and discharged. . Zimmerman (triceps muscle) was in the lineup after missing two games.

UP NEXT

Nationals RHP Tanner Roark (10-8, 4.46 ERA) starts the night game of the split doubleheader. He is 6-2 with a 2.61 career ERA versus the Mets. Lugo (5-3, 4.85 ERA) is 1-2 with a 4.35 ERA against the Nationals.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In the wake of the attacks in Charlottesville, Va., a candlelight vigil held by the Staten Island Inter-Religious Leadership took place on Sunday to help remember the victims who lost their lives nearly two weeks ago.

Rev. Karen Jackson, who helped organize the event, said, "This is an opportunity for faith leaders and community leaders to come together in a unified voice....and to say that we can name racism as wrong, as evil, as sin."

Jackson continued, stating the immense importance of this event being an "inter-faith gathering," as nearly 100 people, from different faith groups on Staten Island, stood on the steps of Borough Hall in St. George in unity.

The event, which featured speakers from multiple faith communities, gathered voices that denounce the events that occurred in Charlottesville and stress the importance of community in the effort to overcome such tragedies.

Miriam Friend, a resident of New Dorp, who attended the event and walked for civil rights in the 1960s, stated that the vigil's "importance is that we don't forget what has happened in Charlottesville, and what's happening all over the country."

Mike Adamo, a local artist who had a piece showcased at the event, said the vigil was important "to bring people together for peace and unity," adding that, "it puts out a good message across all of Staten Island."

Said John Saraka, a Pastor at Zion Lutheran Church: "We need to stand up against violence, against hate."

Saraka said he believes that the event's inter-faith nature allows for solidarity.

"I think that's where we come together, in loving our neighbor. I think the principles of all of our faiths teach us that," he said.

The events that occurred in Charlottesville were ever-present in the minds of all those who attended Sunday's candlelight vigil. However, as attendees locked arms in unity, with candles growing stronger as the night went on, a time of unanimity and harmony took place. The overriding theme was to illustrate the inexorable importance of love in response to hate.

"This event shows what America is all about. People coming from all works of life to express their solidarity, their compassion," said Congressional candidate Max Rose.

Looking around to the audience that surrounded him, Rose stated, "It sends a powerful statement, but this crowd, as beautifully as it expresses the mosaic that is America; this is Staten Island. This is everyday Staten Island, and that's what is beautiful."
DECATUR  A weather phenomenon known as cold-air funnel clouds could form across parts of Central Illinois this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service at Lincoln.

The weather service said the clouds normally only protrude a few hundred feet down from the parent cloud and may not even be associated with a thunderstorm.

Meteorologist Patrick Bak said the funnel clouds appear similar to those associated with tornadoes but are not nearly as destructive.

"They rarely touch down but if they do it would be very brief and not terribly strong," he said.

The conditions could occur across a swath of Central Illinois counties, including Macon, Christian, DeWitt and McLean.

The clouds may last for several minutes and occur a number of times during the afternoon, the weather service said. In rare instances, they may briefly touch down and cause some wind damage.

The weather service said people should stay alert and be ready to seek shelter if a funnel cloud approaches the ground.

Also on Monday afternoon, the weather service issued a hazardous weather outlook statement, warning that isolated to scattered thunderstorms could occur across the area that includes Macon County. A few of the stronger storms could produce pea-size hail, gusty winds and lightning.

Fog will develop overnight into mid-Tuesday morning and could become dense in some spots, the weather service said.
CITY HALL -- Mayor Bill de Blasio cautioned fellow Italian-Americans against a "rush to judgement" on Monday after they rallied in support of the Christopher Columbus statue in Columbus Circle.

They held the demonstration on the steps of City Hall because de Blasio refused to pardon the 15th century explorer from a 90-day review of "all symbols of hate on city property" last week.

"I would ask my fellow Italian-Americans who are concerned to step back for a moment and recognize that we haven't even made the commission, which is going to look at any and all monuments from around the city where there's concern and come up with criteria," de Blasio said at an unrelated event in Brooklyn. "It's not time to judge something that hasn't even begun. People have every right to talk about their pride and I understand that pride and I support that pride. But I think it's not fair to rush to judgement when the commission has not even begun its work."

90-DAY REVIEW

De Blasio announced the 90-day review of "symbols of hate" earlier this month after deadly violence erupted in Charlottesville, Va., when white supremacist groups protested the removal of a statue of Confederate Army Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The commission is expected to be named this week. They will assess statues and monuments symbolizing hate, racism or anti-Semitism and evaluate each figure and before making recommendations.

"They will listen to ideas and concerns from their fellow New Yorkers," de Blasio said. "They will determine a set of criteria by which they will consider these different monuments on city-owned land and make proposals to me about how to handle specific situations."

The commission may recommend no actions on a specific site or monument.

"They could also say here's a situation where we think there should be a plaque added to provide some of the history, to provide some of the balance," de Blasio said.

Last week, the mayor said he would have final say over what happens for each statue or monument. But on Monday de Blasio said that while he was "ready" to make the final decision, that depends on each specific situation.

The goal is to create a standard.

"This is unchartered territory," de Blasio said.

JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS?

Since his death more than 500 years ago, Columbus has been both praised as a navigator and explorer, and condemned for his contributions to the decimation of Native American populations.

Located on the southwestern corner of Central Park, the 76-foot Columbus structure was given to the city by Italian-Americans in 1892 after a newspaper organized a fundraiser.

Councilman Joseph Borelli (R-South Shore) organized the rally last week after Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito said that the Columbus statue should be considered for removal because of the "oppression" he brought to native populations.

"The mayor can't say people are jumping to conclusions when he has already made specific suggestions of what monuments would meet his criteria, not to mention the second-most powerful elected in the city is out there making the case against Columbus," Borelli said Monday.

When Mark-Viverito was asked about Columbus last week, she had been pushing for the removal of a statue of Dr. J. Marion Sims, who experimented on slaves without anesthesia.

De Blasio tweeted when he announced the commission that a sidewalk marker in Manhattan for Nazi collaborator Henri Phillipe Petain "will be one of the first we remove."

DE BLASIO TO MARCH IN COLUMBUS DAY PARADE

"We can't do this as a series of one-off and eye in the beholder situations," de Blasio said Monday. "We have to try and come up with some kind of policy that makes sense."

De Blasio often speaks about his Italian heritage and his "ancestral homeland" in Italy. His grandparents on his mother's side immigrated to America from Italy.

"Italians suffered a tremendous amount of discrimination in this country," de Blasio said, adding, "We were all taught that Columbus was a source of pride because of his achievements."

De Blasio said he will continue to march in the Columbus Day Parade on Oct. 9, even if he gets booed.

"I am never dissuaded by criticism, opposition. Anyone who can't handle criticism or opposition shouldn't be mayor of New York City," he said.

Borelli said Italian-Americans are planning a larger rally in support of the Columbus statue.

Anyone interested in participating can sign his petition at josephborelli.com/columbus/ to get updates.
CITY HALL -- The price of cigarettes in the city will increase under a package of legislation meant to curb tobacco use that was signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday.

The minimum price of cigarettes and little cigars will increase from $10.50 to $13 a pack on June 1, 2018, under one bill de Blasio signed.

The average price for a pack in New York City is now about $11.24, according to the most recent data from the Health Department. The city also already has the second-highest excise tax rate at $5.85 per pack.

Smokeless tobacco will cost at least $8 and the price for tobacco-containing shisha packages will be set at $17. The new "price floor" for cigars will be $6 plus $1.75 per cigar in a package. Loose cigars will have a minimum price of $8.

A new 10 percent tax on these other tobacco products will also be used to help fund public housing with at least $1 million annually.

"We continue this fight against 'Big Tobacco' because we're losing thousands of people that we don't need to lose getting hooked on a very dangerous product," de Blasio said before signing the legislation at a public hospital in Brooklyn.

AIM TO REDUCE SMOKING

The city said there are about 900,000 smokers across the five boroughs, including 15,000 young New Yorkers. Tobacco use is believed to kill an estimated 12,000 city residents annually.

The seven bills signed by de Blasio on Monday are intended to help reduce the number of city smokers by 160,000 in the next three years.

Increasing the price to $13 a pack is expected to decrease adult cigarette smoking by 6.4 percent, according to the mayor's office.

A FIFTH OF ADULT ISLANDERS SMOKE

A fifth of adult Staten Islanders smoke cigarettes, according to a 2015 city health survey. About 14 percent of New Yorkers smoke citywide.

The North Shore had the highest rate of current smokers of all citywide community districts, according to 2015 surveys conducted by the Health Department. Twenty-two percent of adults there smoked.

Twenty-one percent of Mid-Island adults also smoked, the third highest rate in the city, according to those surveys. The South Shore had lowest rate of smokers on Staten Island at 19 percent.

OTHER BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW

One measure de Blasio signed bans pharmacies or stores containing them from getting licenses to sell cigarettes or other tobacco products. Another bill caps the number of tobacco retailer licenses in each community district to 50 percent of the number of licenses already there.

The mayor's office said in April that Staten Island has about 400 cigarette retailers with permits.

While no current dealers will lose their license, new licenses won't be issued until the total decreases below the cap. The measure also updates the cigarette retailer license to include all tobacco products.

The city will also raise the biennial free for tobacco retail dealer licenses from $110 to $200 in another bill signed Monday.

Another measure creates a retail license for e-cigarettes and caps the number of retailers with them.

Building owners will be required to create a policy on smoking and disclose it to current and potential residents, or risk a $100 civil fine, under another measure.

Smoking and use of electronic cigarettes will be prohibited in common areas of residential brislings with three or more units under a bill that expands a previous rule covering buildings with more than 10 units.

The seven new laws aren't expected to cost the city anything to implement, according to their fiscal impact statements from the Council. But several are expected to increase city revenue, roughly $6 million annually altogether.

The law increasing the price of cigarettes and other tobacco products will result in about $4 million in revenue annually when fully implemented.
CITY HALL -- Bucks roaming the old Brookfield landfill have another reason to be down in the dumps.

A Parks Department contractor will perform vasectomies on male deer at the remediated Brookfield Avenue Landfill for the first time this year as part of the city's plan to cut down and manage Staten Island's herd, according to an agency spokeswoman.

A new city park is expected to open on the Great Kills site by the end of the year after toxic materials illegally dumped there in the 1970s were capped.

The East Shore where the dump is located has less deer than other parts of Staten Island, so Anthony DeNicola and his team at the wildlife conservation nonprofit White Buffalo are initially focusing the second year of the vasectomy effort there.

Most of Staten Island's breeding bucks already have vasectomies -- 720 got them during the program's first season -- and capturing the rest requires some new tactics.

TWO PHASES THIS YEAR

Parks spokeswoman Kelly Krause said the second year will be divided into two phases.

Between Aug. 15 and Oct. 20, the city is performing vasectomies on East Shore deer. Thirty-eight deer had gotten the surgery during this phase as of Friday afternoon.

For the second phase in winter 2018, White Buffalo will move to western areas of Staten Island that have a higher deer density than the East Shore. This is because White Buffalo will have "greater bait leverage," Krause said.

"In the winter, there is very little food in the environment, so the deer go for WBI's bait," she said. Exact dates for the second phase haven't been determined yet.

This year White Buffalo will also deploy new GPS-enable ear tags for the first time on about 20 captured deer.

"This new technology will be less intrusive to the deer than the GPS collars used last year, as well as provide twice as many data points on how deer move through Staten Island. The ear transmitters will generate 24 data points per day, so we will know their location every hour," Krause said. "The transmitters are approximately palm sized and will give us a much richer sense of how deer are moving around. For example, we'll be able to see what they are using as food sources, where they spend each night, how many streets they cross, what areas they steer clear of, etc."

Manipulating deer fertility is only permitted by New York state as part of scientific research.

IN THE FIRST YEAR

Vasectomies were performed on 642 adult bucks and 78 younger, non-breeding male deer without antlers during the program's first year, from Sept. 5, 2016, to this past March 12.

Another 49 female deer were captured and given radio or GPS collars as part of the study so the city can better understand how they move around Staten Island.

White Buffalo's contract for the second year is $634,650. The company was paid $2 million last fiscal year, or about $2,778 for every deer vasectomy performed. The whole contract is for up to $3.3 million over the three-year research study.

Techniques White Buffalo used last year to bait and capture deer aren't changing.

The deer are lured to traps in green space across the borough with whole kernel corn bait.

They're shot with a tranquilizer dart and given the surgery in the woods or driven unconscious to trailers prepped for the 15-minute surgery. The deer are released back where they were captured less than an hour after being shot.

Most of this work happens at night.

There are between 1,918 and 2,188 deer across Staten Island, according to a estimate from White Buffalo using data from the vasectomy program.

That's about four times the city's last count and a 9,000 percent increase in the herd since 2008.

An unrestrained and expanding deer herd can harm parks and private property, spread tick-borne illness and wander into roads more often, increasing the risk for deadly vehicle collisions.

HERD REDUCTION EXPECTIONS

The vasectomy program is expected to eventually reduce the herd 10 to 30 percent annually. If that happens and the latest estimate is correct, the herd would only be cut down to a minimum of around 1,340 deer the first year of declines.

Some wildlife experts thought the plan won't work because the city is ignoring basic deer biology and conventional herd management practices.

The Parks Department believes the herd is now growing mostly through reproduction, not migration, and sterilizing males instead of females is meant to be faster, cheaper and more humane.

White Buffalo estimates 92 percent of all mature bucks with antlers now have vasectomies, so there are roughly 698 bucks on the Island in all and most are sterilized.

"After last year's promising progress, we are excited to start up again and learn even more about the deer population and how to manage its impact," Richard Simon, director of the Parks Department's Wildlife Unit, said. "In concert with this effort, we'll be teaching free deer awareness programs for Staten Island 5th grade classes, and the city will be continuing the WildlifeNYC campaign to promote peaceful coexistence with deer and other wildlife."

This article was corrected to clarify that the vasectomy effort is expected to eventually reduce Staten Island's deer herd 10 to 30 percent annually, not 10 to 30 percent overall.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Readers are reporting a large police presence on the East Shore late Sunday night.

According to social media posts, a large number of police cars could be seen driving along Hylan Boulevard in the vicinity of Grant City and Midland Beach.

An NYPD helicopter could be seen flying overhead.

A spokesman for the Police Department was not able to immediately provide information on the activity.

This is a developing story and further information will be posted as it becomes available.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The fifth annual "Bikers for Bini" charity event was shut down on Sunday after a 54-year-old man was allegedly assaulted and there was a threat of a motorcycle gang fight, according to sources.

The annual fundraising event -- which supports the community through scholarships, emergency grants and special needs assistance -- was hosted by the Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund in the Staten Island Mall parking lot in New Springville.

According to police, a 54-year-old man was assaulted at 1 p.m. and suffered physical injuries to his left hand and the left side of his face.

The man was treated at the scene and refused transport to the hospital, police said. No arrests were made, according to police.

It was advised by police -- who were providing security for the event -- to shut down the fundraiser early, said a source from the Bini Memorial Fund.

"[The organization and the NYPD] jointly decided it was in the best interest for everyone to let the event end on a good note," the source said.

Sources told the Advance , and social media posts allude to an argument between two rival motorcycles gangs -- one believed to be Hells Angels.

So the Rest of Bikers for Bini is cancelled due to a parking lot beef from earlier . C'mon things happen, we all... Posted by Jason Eschen on Sunday, August 27, 2017

THE EVENT

The New York Police Department escorted the motorcycle run along Staten Island's major roadways, including Hylan Boulevard, Richmond Avenue, the West Shore Expressway and the Staten Island Expressway.

Carl V. Bini was an 18-year veteran and New York City Firefighter who was assigned to Rescue 5 in Staten Island. He lost his life on September 11, 2001. The Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund was created in his memory to honor him and to continue his lifelong belief of helping others.

The day included raffle prizes, rides and games for kids, food vendors, a classic car show, touch-a-truck, monster trucks and live performances. Bands were scheduled to perform throughout the day.

Reporter Joseph Ostapiuk contributed to this report.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Protesters gathered at the entrance to District Attorney Michael E. McMahon's office on Monday, holding signs and wearing t-shirts in support of a prisoner they say was wrongfully convicted.

Foster Thompson, 53, was convicted of murder in 1994 in state Supreme Court, after what police called a botched robbery inside of an apartment on Jersey Street in New Brighton, according to Advance records.

ACTIVISTS CLAIM FALSE CONVICTION

According to an activist group arguing for Thompson's release, it was another man who committed the murder. A man whom they say has since confessed on camera to the crime.

"We traveled all the way to the country of Jamaica to obtain a confession by the real murderer in this case," said attorney Abe George, a co-organizer of the protest Monday. "(We) presented his video-taped admissions to the D.A. in addition to the statements of an accomplice."

About 20 members of Thompson's immediate family and members of the community joined George and community activist Tony Herbert outside of the D.A.'s office on Bay Street in St. George, chanting "Free Foster Thompson!"

Thompson was convicted after a third jury trial, amid what George called unethical practices by the NYPD and prosecuting attorneys -- practices that included the hiding of police reports that identified an alternative suspect, and the destruction of clothing from alleged suspects that could have been tested for DNA, George alleged.

D.A. RESPONSE

A spokesman for the District Attorney's office emailed the following statement Monday in response to the protest"

"The Staten Island District Attorney's office takes every allegation of wrongful conviction seriously and therefore a thorough investigation of the allegations made by Mr. Thompson's advocates was undertaken by our office over the last year. However, there is insufficient credible evidence to support an application to set aside the jury's verdict at this time. Of course, we will continue to look at any additional facts if they are brought to light.

Based on the response from the D.A.'s office, George said the group will seek an independent investigation by the state Attorney General's office.

THE NIGHT OF...

A witness to the 1992 murder testified he was lying on the couch inside of a Jersey Street apartment when he heard a knock, according to Advance records.

The witness, Alton Staley, testified that someone else opened the door, at which point two men "came in shooting." He reportedly fired back, and at one point was shot in the neck and buttocks. A woman inside the apartment was shot and killed.

Staley, a confessed drug dealer who was arrested for possession of crack, maintained that he knew Thompson since grade school and was sure he was the man who shot him.

Thompson was on parole for a first-degree robbery charge at the time of the incident, according state prison records.

SHIFTING WITNESS ACCOUNTS

Thompson's camp, echoing the sentiment of then-defense attorney Raymond Lynch, questioned the validity of a second witness' testimony that placed Thompson at the scene at around the time of the murder.

Lynch argued more than 20 years ago that the witness could have been the ''set-up woman'' for two Jamaican drug dealers, who were the real killers. Years later, according to Thompson's camp, witness Denise Concepcion recanted the statements on her death bed.

Staley has remained silent since the trial, despite attempts from Thompson's supporters to contact him in recent years.

Staley's attorney, who advised him against an interview, was Mark Macron, the same attorney who prosecuted the 1994 case, claimed George.

George called Macron representing Staley "a clear violation of ethical rules."

A FATHER INCARCERATED

Among those holding signs and chanting Monday were Thompson's son and daughter, who drove from Raleigh, N.C., for the protest.

Growing up, they were constantly told by family members and anyone who knew their father that he was wrongfully convicted. But, it didn't change the fact he wasn't there to watch them grow up.

"It's the little things that we missed," said 35-year-old Bennie Thompson. "I knew he was always there, and we could go visit him. But he's in there for something he didn't do."

Bennie Thompson was nine when his father was incarcerated. "He has grandkids now who are waiting to see him," he said.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A 9,000-square-foot building that formerly housed a Walgreens in Rosebank will soon open as a new supermarket.

The former Walgreens at 570 Tompkins Ave., which closed last year, was recently leased to a new owner who plans to open a name-brand supermarket in the space, said John Pitera, a broker associate with the St. George-based Casandra Properties, which brokered the deal.

"It will be a full-service supermarket -- either a C-Town or a Market Fresh," said Ramee Othman, owner of the new supermarket.

"We are going to have fresh produce and meat, deli, grocery and organic products. Our motto is to have a high quality product and also to offer a very competitive price," he added.

He noted it will be a family-owned operation.

"The supermarket will be under the Krasdale umbrella [a vendor who owns a chain of supermarkets]," said Othman. "We really want to become part of the Rosebank community."

Othman said the space will be renovated and he hopes to be open before Thanksgiving.

"This is a great corner, a great operator, and it's needed in the neighborhood," said Pitera, who brokered the deal with Angie Master of Casandra Properties.

"This will be another great choice for people who live there," he added.

In 2015, Walgreens -- the largest U.S. pharmacy chain -- announced that it would close 200 of its 8,000 stores in an effort to cut costs by $500 million.

FOLLOW TRACEY PORPORA ON FACEBOOK
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- "An Oasis in a Decade of Decay," photographs by Michael Cala depicting Coney Island from 1970-1980, will be exhibited at the Garibaldi-Meucci Museum Sept. 9 through Nov. 30.

The Grasmere resident says the images were taken during a "calamitous 10-year period when New York City was crumbling socially, financially, and physically -- and offer a contrasting and offbeat look at the Island and its denizens that reflect the era in which they were taken."

In his synopsis, Cala recounts a time when New York City devolved in the 1970s when Coney Island remained a nearly timeless enclave that continued to entertain visitors in a tradition of merriment that began at the turn of the 20th century. It was also a safe haven for the homeless and for those who lived in high-rises and walk-ups and who called Coney their home.

"When these photographs were taken, much of the fabulously Byzantine and Gothic architecture still stood," Cala says.

He asks that spectators examine the photo of the ornate architecture of the public beach restroom, or the sparkling nickel spigot of the concrete water fountain, the skyline-piercing Parachute Jump, or public baths like Raven Hall and the Abe Stark Center where older residents swam in indoor pools and socialized.

During this decade, the arcades and alleyways chock full of oddities, both human and mechanical, were beginning to fade, but many were still functioning and some were in surprisingly fine shape.

The Brooklyn-born photographer also recalls the side-street "freak show," a huge hall where performers coddled snakes, swallowed swords, danced the hoochie-coochie, displayed odd human anatomy, and performed odd acts for curious customers.

All of this was decidedly otherworldly, said he, considering the daily city strife beyond Coney's borders; but in the 1970s, merriment and friendship were reality to many Coney Island residents.

He adds: "There's no doubt that the beach at Coney will always remain a popular and timeless destination. However, it's these 26 black-and-white photographs, shot from a darkly introspective point of view, often using infrared film, that nevertheless convey a feeling of time lost forever."

The people in these photographs -- some homeless, some longtime residents of area housing projects or 1920s walk-ups -- were all clearly independent and very much at home in the community. Most of the photographer's subjects were as offbeat as they were friendly, but nonetheless remain unforgettable.

"Subjects like the Stern cousins -- two older gentlemen who appear in several photographs and lived in one of the nearby high-rise buildings -- enjoyed living in Coney for all it offered. These were simple pleasures, such as the salt air, long walks on the boardwalk, kibitzing with the regulars, walking to Shatzkins for its world-class knishes or to Nathan's Famous for a foot-long hot dog," Cala continues.

Then there was Sheila/Sharon (she never offered her right name) who was once a tall, red-headed clothing model, but who had become homeless at 52 by the time she was photographed.

According to the photographer, "She became a friend, but equivocally, as she had no firm address, and so the only way I could find her was to patrol the boardwalk or ask the other homeless denizens of her whereabouts. I would buy her coffee or a sweet roll and we would talk about her childhood experiences of Coney Island. Unfortunately, she was an alcoholic by the time I met her and seemed to have an aversion to solid food every time I offered her a meal."

Then there was Frank, the muscular, taciturn 73-year-old weightlifter, who stood daily under the boardwalk at the outer edge of Coney Island, toward Brighton Beach, lifting truck axels instead of weights. It took a few visits to finally engage him in conversation, and when finally asked why he was lifting axles, he replied with some asperity, 'cause the bastards stole my weights!'"

And who can forget Leon, the trumpet player whose idol was Miles Davis, and who swore that some day he would join the Davis band. He was poor and homeless, but owned a high-end trumpet through which came amazing sounds - long scat tunes that would blow apart any jazz audience today. To earn money, he asked one or two of the bar owners along the boardwalk to allow him to play outside their establishments for tips. Some, he said, would let him play inside during hot or inclement weather. Business folk were frequently kind in Coney.

"An Oasis in a Decade of Decay" was made possible in part by a DCA Premier Grant from Staten Island Arts, with public funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Garibaldi-Meucci Art Museum is located at 420 Tompkins Ave. in Rosebank. There will be an opening exhibition reception Sept. 9 from 1-5 p.m. Call 718-442-1608 for more information.
HOUSTON  Tropical Storm Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into the nation's fourth-largest city Sunday as rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

Central and Southern Illinois residents are among American Red Cross volunteers headed to Texas to help, regional communications director Trish Burnett said. The agency said Friday that it was sending hundreds of trained disaster relief workers, truckloads of kitchen supplies and ready-to-eat meals and cots and blankets for more than 20,000 people.

Among those deployed are Kathi Knope of Taylorville, Darrell St. Claire of Charleston, Bill Warner of Vandalia, Tara Lund of Woodson and Janet Stuckey of Robinson. Volunteers were not available for interviews Sunday.

Burnett said Sunday evening that more volunteers would likely be deployed next week when transportation into the area improves.

The incessant rain covered much of Houston in turbid, gray-green water and turned streets into rivers navigable only by boat. In a rescue effort that recalled the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, helicopters landed near flooded freeways, airboats buzzed across submerged neighborhoods and high-water vehicles plowed through water-logged intersections. Some people managed with kayaks or canoes or swam.

Volunteers joined emergency teams to pull people from their homes or from the water, which was high enough in places to gush into second floors. The flooding was so widespread that authorities had trouble pinpointing the worst areas. They urged people to get on top of their houses to avoid becoming trapped in attics and to wave sheets or towels to draw attention to their location.

Judging from federal disaster declarations, the storm has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people in 18 counties. It was blamed for at least two deaths.

As the water rose, the National Weather Service issued another ominous forecast: Before the storm that arrived Friday as a Category 4 hurricane is gone, some parts of Houston and its suburbs could get as much as 50 inches of rain. That would be the highest amount ever recorded in Texas.

Some areas have already received about half that amount. Since Thursday, South Houston recorded nearly 25 inches, and the suburbs of Santa Fe and Dayton got 27 inches.

"The breadth and intensity of this rainfall is beyond anything experienced before," the National Weather Service said in a statement.

Average rainfall totals will end up around 40 inches for Houston, weather service meteorologist Patrick Burke said.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long, predicted that the aftermath of the storm would require FEMA's involvement for years.

"This disaster's going to be a landmark event," Long said.

Some members of the Decatur Fire Department traveled to New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to help with relief efforts there. Capt. Wade Watson of the fire department said Sunday evening that similar assistance hadnt yet been requested by Texas officials, but is always a possibility.

Because of the massive storms slow movement, chances are that it will not have any impact on Central Illinois, except in the form of possibly higher gas prices.

The storm dumped torrential rain on Texas over the weekend and continues to move northward, but Patrick Bak, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Lincoln, said the storm will dissipate before it makes its way to Illinois and then into Central Illinois.

This is one slow-moving storm, he said Sunday.

The NWS has called it the most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in a decade. Its preliminary track indicated it might pass through Illinois, but that is not likely now, Bak said.

There is a slight chance that we could see some remnants of the storm later in the week, but at this point, it doesnt look like a big deal, he said. If anyone in Illinois will be impacted, it would be most likely just those in the southern part of the state.

A weak system not associated with the hurricane will push through late today, he added, bringing a chance of rain, but nothing significant. Temperatures will remain steady throughout the week.

The average daily afternoon highs are in the low 80s now, he added. In the next few weeks, those average daily temperatures will start dropping into the 70s.

Harveys impact could still be felt in Central Illinois, however, said Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst with Gasbuddy.com. The hurricane caused several refineries in Texas to shut down, resulting in a large disruption to the gasoline supply.

This storm came out of left field and while we were all watching the eclipse, Harvey was gaining steam and pushing forward, he said. This could lead to long-term issues in terms of gasoline supply for large portions of the country. While the picture continues to change, one thing is nearly guaranteed: gasoline prices in every state will be impacted to varying degrees over the next one to two weeks, possibly longer, so buckle up and be ready.

Gasoline prices averaged about $2.42 per gallon in Decatur on Sunday and gas could be found at several places for $2.19 per gallon, according to Gasbuddy.com.

The Caterpillar Foundation on Sunday announced a $300,000 donation to the American Red Cross. The company and its subsidiaries have more than 20 locations in Texas, it said.

"This is a devastating storm, and our hearts go out to the millions affected, including the thousands of Caterpillar employees in Texas along with their families," said Caterpillar CEO Jim Umpleby.

Umpleby said the company, which employs hundreds of people at its Decatur plant off North 22nd Street, was also making available generators of all sizes and sending power generation equipment from other parts of the country to the storm-ravaged areas.

Rescuers had to give top priority to life-and-death situations, leaving many affected families to fend for themselves. And several hospitals in the Houston area were evacuated due to the rising waters.

Tom Bartlett and Steven Craig pulled a rowboat on a rope through chest-deep water for a mile to rescue Bartlett's mother from her home in west Houston. It took them 45 minutes to reach the house. Inside, the water was halfway up the walls.

Marie Bartlett, 88, waited in her bedroom upstairs.

"When I was younger, I used to wish I had a daughter, but I have the best son in the world," she said. "In my 40 years here, I've never seen the water this high."

It was not clear how many people were plucked from the floodwaters. Up to 1,200 people had to be rescued in Galveston County alone, said Mark Henry, the county judge, the county's top administrative post.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said authorities had received more than 2,000 calls for help, with more coming in. He urged drivers to stay off roads to avoid adding to the number of those stranded.

"I don't need to tell anyone this is a very, very serious and unprecedented storm," Turner told a news conference. "We have several hundred structural flooding reports. We expect that number to rise pretty dramatically."

Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years and the strongest to strike Texas since 1961's Hurricane Carla, the most powerful Texas hurricane on record.

Herald & Review managing editor of digital Allison Petty and Herald & Review News Service reporter Kevin Barlow contributed to this story.
By clicking Agree, you consent to Slates Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and the use of technologies such as cookies by Slate and our partners to deliver relevant advertising on our iOS app to personalize content and perform site analytics. Please see our Privacy Policy for more information about our use of data, your rights, and how to withdraw consent.

Agree
Armenias Minister of Emergency Situations Daniel Tonoyan issued a statement claiming that the fire at Yerevans Nairit chemical plant is under control and that six water tankers belonging to Sanitek (the company responsible for garbage collection in the Armenian capital) have been deployed to the site.

113 firefighters are fighting the blaze which erupted earlier today at the plant, spewing huge clouds of black smoke over Yerevan.

A ministry press release says that an air quality monitoring group has found no traces of elements dangerous to humans in the samples taken.

The ministry adds that the Nairit plant has been constructed in such a way to minimize any negative impact of the accident on nearby residents and the environment.
In search of a list of two-year colleges that offer degrees and certificates in agriculture? Look no further than the list Hoards Dairyman complies. This list is a great resource for researching schools where information can be compared. In addition, updated contact information for each program is easily accessible in the directory.

Every three years, the summer editorial intern reaches out to schools that offer two-year programs with agriculture or dairy related curriculum. We ask for program details and contact information about their school in our survey. The schools that responded to the survey can be found in the August 25 issue as well as on the youth page online

These colleges offer many dairy related activities from dairy judging to Dairy Challenge (pictured above). Over half of the schools surveyed have a dairy herd with a majority offering an agriculture club for out-of-class student involvement.

The updated 2017 list can be found online on our youth page, ranked in order of state where they are located. The PDF version of the article, published in the August 25 issue, can be found on that page as well.

Four-year program and scholarship information is available on the youth page, too.

As the directory will be updated again in 2020, additional schools can be added in the meantime to our online page. If you missed the opportunity to reply to our survey and want to be included on the webpage, please email contact information to editors@hoards.com

Elise Regusci

Elise Regusci grew up on her family's farm in Modesto, Calif. Regusci attends Cal Poly University, majoring in dairy science with an agricultural communication minor. On campus, she is the Los Lecheros Dairy Club Ag Council representative and a member of the Cal Poly dairy judging team. Regusci is the current Brown Swiss Youth Ambassador and is the 2017 Hoard's Dairyman summer editorial intern.
Thank you for visiting the Daily Journal.

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



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



A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means youre helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948

/var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe70e90)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0522ee0)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe70e90)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0522ee0)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612efe71838)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0522ee0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f0522ee0)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e1d7ecb8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0053480)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f0053480)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
System error

error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.

context: ... 21: </%method> 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: </%perl> 28: <table width="90%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"> 29: <tr> ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25

/usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:948

/var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17

/usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149



Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 125 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 157 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f03588f8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 948 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f08dff70)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/2011159162/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f03588f8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1302 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 955 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f08dff70)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 135 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x5612f0362900)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1300 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1292 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 481 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 433 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f08dff70)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612f08dff70)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x5612e1d7f660)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f08e8ea0)') called at (eval 592) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x5612f08e8ea0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0
Next Generation: Solomon Islands After RAMSI. By Sean Davey, Provenance. By Geoffrey Dunn. PhotoAccess, Huw Davies Gallery in the Manuka Arts Centre, corner Manuka Circle and NSW Circle, Griffith, until September 10.

While both these exhibitions present very differently each is (ultimately) about portraiture. Davey is concerned with the individual within the group and within that group's wider society. Dunn's images are about individuals (all artists), decontextualised and ostensibly objective, removed from the environment of their art practices. This is of course simplistic but the pairing of them opens a discourse on the nature of the portrait as individual disclosure and the portrait as representative of "the group". As such they provide an intellectual matrix that enlivens and sharpens the visitor experience.

Geoffrey Dunn, Provenance Headbacks, 2017 in Provenance at Photoaccess. Credit:Geoffrey Dunn

Sean Davey's Next Generation is the result of a commission from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to document "daily life in Honiara at the end of the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI)". The images taken in June and July of this year mark the end of the program and a pivotal moment in the history of the Solomon Islands. The exhibition consists of black-and-white images (mostly 60 centimetres by 90 centimetres) and a number of smaller colour prints (20 centimetres by 25 centimetres) plus some other material (tapa cloth map, excerpt from a local newspaper and a video). The overall "hang" is busy. There is a lot to take in and the somewhat eccentric placement of images literally all over the walls may be confusing to some. I found it a lively visual metaphor capturing the vitality of the people and activities depicted. The interspersion of small (coloured) images related to or expanding on what is happening in the larger images offered layered comment that placed the gravitas of what was happening to the country as a whole into an intimate, personal context, a move from the macro to the micro. I have seen Davey use "eccentric" hangs previously and the thematic and aesthetic efficacy of these is pointedly used again in the present exhibition.

Davey is a skilled and sensitive artist. The individual works (particularly the black-and-white pieces) beautifully combine objectivity and intimacy. His commissioned role may be as documenter but the artist's eye is powerfully averred throughout the exhibition. He is able to capture not only the drama of the events occurring but is able to elide these into the daily lives of the population and indeed vice versa. The quotidian continues alongside the political, the portentous nature of the latter cleverly played off against the simplicity of the former. Images of pride, national and familial, provide a true portrait of a society moving into a new era.
A Karabar man accused of being an accessory after the fact to the shooting murder of Eden Waugh at his north Canberra unit has been freed on bail.

Mr Waugh, 37, was found dead with a single gunshot wound to his chest when police were called to the Windeyer Street home shortly before 8pm on November 3 in 2016.

Taniela Pikula, 29, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to the murder of Eden Waugh. Credit:Alexandra Back

Police allege the shooting was an act of retribution after Mr Waugh went to police over an alleged home invasion triggered by a drug deal gone wrong. Taniela Manu Pikula, 29, was the second person police charged in relation to the death.

It's alleged he helped two men being investigated for Mr Waugh's murder, Jason Pikula-Carroll, 21, and Tavake Lee Pikula, 31, between November 3 and November 14. Those men have not yet been charged.
A sex worker who was allegedly dragged into a bedroom then raped after three men stormed a Canberra apartment "gave in" because she was scared, a trial has heard.

Rashid Mohamud Abuuh, 24, was allegedly one of the three men who attacked two female sex workers after one man made a half-hour booking with one of the women the night of March 12 in 2016.

Rashid Mohamud Abuuh outside the ACT Magistrates Court after an earlier court appearance.

He was later charged and pleaded not guilty to four offences including sexual intercourse without consent and robbery in company. His ACT Supreme Court trial began on Monday.

In her opening address to the jury, prosecutor Sara Gul said Mr Abuuh and one of the other men had decided they were "horny" the morning of the alleged attack and the man said he would book an escort before the three showed up.
The former Canberra Liberals leader will continue to fight a defamation case brought by an ACT union boss despite his legal defence being struck out of court numerous times.

Jeremy Hanson is being sued by ACT CFMEU secretary Dean Hall for allegedly defamatory comments he made in a talkback radio interview last year.

The former ACT Liberals leader Jeremy Hanson has been indemnified by the ACT taxpayer. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Lawyers for Mr Hall told the ACT Supreme Court they had been forced to launch separate applications to strike out the two main defences pleaded by Mr Hanson, the most recent being "manifestly defective; we would say untenable" and unlikely to succeed.

The lawyer said Mr Hanson's defence against the defamation claim had shifted between honest opinion and contextual truth, in that the comments made in the interview also carried other imputations that were true and did not harm Mr Hall's reputation.
Canberra's young drivers aged between 15 and 29 were over represented in road crashes on ACT roads in 2016.

And Fridays, May and the period 8am to 9am also proved the more common times for crashes - which are most often rear-enders - in the territory.

Roads Minister Shane Rattenbury said the 11 deaths was heartbreaking. Credit:Rohan Thomson

Figures published by the ACT government in its annual road crash report showed drivers in the age bracket made up 34 per cent of injured drivers, despite only being a quarter of the licence holders in Canberra.

The capital's P-platers are also more disproportionately involved in crashes on Canberra roads, making up 7 per cent of them but only 6 per cent of licence holders.
Qantas has revealed a major shake-up of its executive team, with the majority of the airline's top bosses being shuffled into new jobs.

Chief executive Alan Joyce on Monday said it was time for renewal in the business after he handed down its second largest profit ever on Friday and declared its three-year turnaround a success.

That profit sent the company's share price to a near record high on Friday on the back of a 4 per cent jump.

The price let off some steam on Monday though as shares fell more than 6 per cent to $5.65. Even after Monday's sell-off, Qantas shares are up more than 70 per cent from a year ago.
The Commonwealth Bank is tipped to face further upheaval in its senior management ranks after the banking regulator's move to put its organisational structure under the microscope.

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority's probe into CBA could also be a further dampener on the lending giant's share price, which has already lost 8.7 per cent since an alleged money laundering compliance scandal came to light, analysts said.

APRA on Monday announced a prudential inquiry into CBA and its governance, culture and accountability frameworks, after a run of scandals at the country's biggest bank, including recent allegations of deep failings in anti-money laundering compliance.

Banking experts said they could not recall such action from APRA, which normally operates behind the scenes.
An unprecedented inquiry will examine whether the Commonwealth Bank undermined its own reputation in pursuit of profit, after a damaging run of scandals at the country's biggest bank.

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority chairman Wayne Byres on Monday ramped up pressure on CBA, announcing a public inquiry into the lending giant's culture, governance and accountability frameworks.

The probe was triggered by bombshell allegations of a mass breach of anti-money-laundering laws by CBA, revealed earlier this month, alongside earlier failings in the bank, including in its financial planning and life insurance businesses.

APRA will look at any "core" cultural or organisational reasons for the bank's troubles, including whether it has put too much emphasis on financial goals at the expense of risk management.
Treasurer Scott Morrison has politicised the inquiry before it has begun. Credit:AAP Regulators including APRA and ASIC made a series of tough speeches about culture and banks, but that's all they ever were, words. Strong transparent regulatory intervention and heads on sticks were needed well before the Austrac money laundering scandal broke. They were certainly needed before this latest inquiry. CBA chair Catherine Livingstone has quickly shaken up the board. Credit:Brook Mitchell Instead we got tepid regulatory responses which meant each scandal compounded the previous one. CEO's apologised, only for another scandal to break, further eroding trust. Australians stopped listening to the apologies and the rhetoric.

It was a perfect storm for the Opposition to back a royal commission in 2016, shortly after the CBA life insurance scandal broke. CBA whistleblower Jeff Morris helped bring change to the financial planning industry. Credit:James Brickwood The success or otherwise of this inquiry will boil down to the terms of reference, the panel members chosen, political interference and how far CBA is invited inside the tent or is kept at arms length. APRA is now taking up the cudgels with an inquiry that will hopefully restore community trust. It is a tall order in the current climate. At a press conference in response to the APRA inquiry, CBA boss Ian Narev was asked why APRA had picked CBA to launch a public inquiry into its governance and culture.

Narev's response was that over the past few years the bank has been in the news for the wrong reasons. He believed APRA wanted to look at whether there were any root causes, and do it transparently. He is right. It should be transparent. Then again all the other investigations into CBA and the other banks should also have been transparent. Instead, they were conducted behind the scenes with the public given sanitised reports and kept in the dark about how they were put together. In the case of the CBA, its cultural problems date back to the financial planning scandal, which, thanks to CBA whistleblower Jeff Morris, exposed forgery and fraud, a cover up by management and a compliance division that was known as the "business prevention unit". None of the executives or board members lost their job, despite the havoc that was wreaked on many lives. A Senate inquiry chaired by former senator Mark Bishop concluded in 2014 that CBA needed a royal commission to get to the bottom of the problem. It didn't believe ASIC could be trusted to do the job. This should have sent warning bells that something was amiss. The next big scandal came in March 2016 when CBA's former chief medical officer blew the whistle on misconduct in its life insurance division. Like the financial planning scandal, nobody lost their jobs and nobody was convinced CBA had learnt its lesson.

ASIC spent a year investigating the scandal. The brief report was sadly deficient. The investigation was opaque and added to the growing disquiet. The fact that it didn't bother interviewing customers or victims of the bank added to the scepticism. What was horrifying was the bank was found to be financially incentivising some managers who had knocked back the claims of sick and dying people. It speaks volumes about the culture executives and the board presided over. The handling of the scandals sent a strong message that banks can do what they like with little comeback. They can sell dud life insurance policies that contain outdated medical definitions and when they get caught, backdate them a few years and move on. They can diddle people by charging fees for services not rendered and the only punishment is to refund the money. It is why the Austrac scandal has had so much impact. It was a bigger scandal than the others as it involved allegations of money laundering and terrorism finance and problems dating back to 2012.

Unlike some of the other scandals it didn't involve a whistleblower who had gone to the media. It was Austrac making explosive allegations. It was another division of the bank that was flouting compliance. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. That's not to say the other banks are squeaky clean. They have also breached trust with other scandals including the bank bill swap rate scandal, NAB's financial planning scandal, and charging customers for services not rendered. APRA said in a statement it was critical that community trust is strengthened. The success or otherwise of this inquiry will boil down to the terms of reference, the panel members chosen, any perceived political interference and how far CBA is invited inside the tent or is kept at arms length.
Changes to Australia's GST treatment for developers are needed if the country is to follow America and Britain in pushing greater use of build-to-rent models, building giant Lendlease said.

The company is looking to focus on the build-to-rent sector in its US and London developments in the coming years but the GST in Australia made it uncompetitive for developers compared to building for resale.

Lendlease chief executive Steve McCann flagged Australia's tax issues as a hurdle as he released the company's results on Monday.

"The units-to-rent sector is one we are entering as it is well established in the US and London. It provides a potential new asset class in our investment segment," Mr McCann said.
Faced with the arrival of one American tech giant, Coles is looking for help from another.

Australia's second largest supermarket has quietly started a home delivery trial with the hi-tech taxi service Uber, as it and other retailers try to beef up their online offerings before ecommerce juggernaut Amazon opens its first local distribution centre sometime next year.



Uber is best know for its "ride-sharing" app which operates as an alternative to taxis, and more recently has launched its UberEATS service in Australia, which lets restaurants tap into a fleet of drivers for home deliveries.

Under the Coles trial, which started in early August and will run until September out of Coles' online only "dark store" in Richmond South, Coles is using Uber drivers to augment its own network of delivery vans to make same-day deliveries of items that were missing from online orders or which need to be replaced.

The two companies were giving away few details about what they hoped the trail would achieve, with a Coles spokesman stressing that it was "short and limited".
Australia's biggest wine company Treasury Wine Estates will finally put a cork in a disastrous American misstep that saw 18 million bottles of wine poured down the drain.

On Monday, Treasury settled an investor class action agreeing to pay $49 million on the same day as the trial was listed to start.

A class action against Treasury Wine has resulted in a settlement. Credit:Peter Braig

The action, run by Maurice Blackburn and litigation funder IMF Bentham, commenced three years ago in the name of shareholder Brian Jones.

The company, which recently reported a 55 per cent jump in net profit after tax to $269.1 million for fiscal 2017, told the market that the settlement came "without any admission of liability and is also subject to court approval".
The hope of a better Myanmar under the much-admired Aung San Suu Kyi now looks forlorn. The crisis of Myanmar's Muslim minority community, the Rohingya, continues to escalate. Since Friday, news has been emerging of mass violence between the Myanmar army and Rohingya militants. At least 90 people are reported dead.

The Rohingya are the world's biggest community of stateless people. Somewhere around 1 million of them live among Myanmar's 50 million Buddhists.They've lived in northern Myanmar's Rakhine state for centuries yet are despised and denied the right to citizenship. Some reported being called "Bengal bastards" as their Buddhist neighbours joined the army in clubbing them on the weekend.

Thousands of Rohingya civilians responded to the fighting by trying to flee the country, crossing the Naf River into Bangladesh. Some made it but the Bangladeshis are turning most back.The Rohingya are not blameless; their militia reportedly started the violence on Friday by attacking 30 police stations in Myanmar. But they are not the sole culprits. In fact, it seems that the Rohingya resistance is fighting back after brutal years-long repression by the authorities.

Late last year the government forces committed crimes of rape and murder and arson against the Rohingya that "seem to have been widespread as well as systematic, indicating the very likely commission of crimes against humanity," according to a February report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Aung San Suu Kyi's response? The State Councillor and de facto ruler of Myanmar said the reports were made up. Consistently, she blames the Rohingya and refuses to accept any government responsibility.
Australia's latest asylum policy appears to be deportation by destitution. By cutting financial support from 100 asylum seekers and issuing a new "final departure Bridging E Visa", the government is putting vulnerable people at risk of homelessness and privation. This might seem like an act with purely domestic consequences. But Australia's harsh asylum policies impact not only on those individuals living onshore and in limbo, or held on Manus or Nauru. They also have a deep and abiding impact on the nation's international reputation, which matters.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Human Rights Council heard evidence of "deteriorating mental health, homelessness and destitution" among asylum seekers living in the Australian community. Special Rapporteur for the human rights of migrants Francois Crepeau told the council that Australia's asylum policies "blemish" the country's human rights record. Now, removing welfare and shelter from this small group of asylum seekers will exacerbate their plight and stretch what Crepeau recognised as the dedication and energy of civil society organisations.

The irony is, Australia's international credibility in humanitarian affairs is essential to achieving what the government wants from its current asylum policy. In 2016, the Obama administration agreed to the Turnbull government's request to consider resettling refugees from Manus and Nauru in the US only because of Australia's status as "a leader in humanitarian assistance and refugee resettlement globally".

This status was earned long ago, through Australia's principled leadership in UN and regional forums on forced migration, and through the key role Australia played in the resettlement of refugees from Indochina in the 1970s. Today's policies were put on the table then, too, but the Fraser government rejected them. Records show the then-government determined that cutting welfare support for asylum seekers would be "widely regarded as a vindictive measure", and would never deter people in need of protection. Instead Fraser's government touted that Australia had established "a very high standing" on refugee matters and refugee policy "was now an important part of our foreign relations".
Now, a confession. I regret that I was a person who believed that Malcolm Turnbull would be better than Tony Abbott. Instead, his team of wafters, grifters, sadists, egomaniacs, psychopaths and New Zealanders has sought to divide, exclude, demean and derail Australia's journey to unity and decency. Neither unity nor decency sounds all that exciting but that's where we need to be.

This is a government which works to sow division in the community and thinks it will harvest success at the ballot box. I cannot recall a single campaign or policy which this government has conceived and then executed which seeks to bring the country together. Every single policy, strategy, action, with which it has tampered, has driven us apart. From Medicare to the NBN, from same sex marriage to refugees, it believes that the way to popular success is to appeal to the worst parts of ourselves.

Weak yet bullying, in disarray yet able to find time to impose cruel penalties on those who can't protect themselves, ineffectual yet grasping for new ways to hurt and harm those who live here.

Credit:Ron Tandberg

Following the imposition of the conflict ridden postal survey on same sex marriage we now discover that as of Monday, at least 100 asylum seekers have had their support stopped (that's 100, plus all their families). That's right. With absolutely no notice, the government told the affected people that they would no longer be entitled to any welfare whatsoever, including cutting more than $100 a week in income support.

These are people who came to Australia because they were medically evacuated or because their family members were medically evacuated. Some were survivors of sexual assault. Others needed treatment for violent assaults experienced while they were on Manus. Children who were so traumatised by what they've witnessed they needed urgent psychiatric care. Some were pregnant. We know that the Australian government actively refuses to conduct medical evacuations and we've seen the results of that active refusal, with the horrifying deaths of Hamid Khazaei and Omid Masoumali.

What else do we know about these asylum seekers? Some are in their sixties and some were born in this unfair country of ours. There have been 50 little Australians  not recognised by this government but Australians nonetheless - born in our hospitals.

Yet the government has decided to target these humans in a form of virtue signalling  that is, if our politicians were capable of ever signalling virtue  which is far from virtuous. In this instance, the 'virtue' is that this government will stick by its commitment to never give refuge. It's signalling consistency even when there is no benefit to that consistency.
There are clarifying moments in every presidency, choices that define the administration's values and goals in ways mere rhetoric never can. For Donald Trump, one such moment occurred on Friday, when he issued a pardon to Joe Arpaio, the notorious Arizona sheriff convicted of contempt after refusing to follow a court order to stop racial profiling.

The Arpaio pardon is clarifying not because it will change the course of Trump's presidency, but because it succinctly sums up the Trump doctrine for domestic and international policy: not more effective, just more cruel.

Cruelty is the defining feature of the two law enforcement officers Trump holds up as heroes, Joe Arpaio and David Clarke. Both men came to national fame as regulars on Fox News, and both appeared at the Republican National Convention in support of Trump. Conservative media mainstays and Trump loyalists, Arpaio and Clarke have the perfect resumes to win plaudits from the President.

But there's something else that connects the two men: their cruel disregard for people's lives and civil liberties. Arpaio carved out a uniquely brutal regime in Maricopa County, where he served as sheriff for 14 years. There he created a tent city  fondly referred to by him as a "concentration camp"  in which inmates were kept outside in Arizona's punishing 54 degree heat. For a while, Latino inmates were kept in a segregated section within the camp.


If the leader can't lead, who will show his followers the way? That awkward question has gripped the Coalition, and more particularly the Liberal Party, on too many issues since Malcolm Turnbull took over from Tony Abbott and then failed to triumph at the 2016 election.

Lacking the authority that a clear victory then would have given him, the Prime Minister has had to temporise on the difficult issues that divide his party and his Coalition. He has managed with varied success to put off thinking too hard about some of those issues  climate change, energy policy, the republic, to name three. Regardless of their urgency, Mr Turnbull's need to survive is more urgent still.

A marriage equality rally was held in Melbourne on Saturday. Credit:AAP

However, by agreeing to the plebiscite on same-sex marriage that Mr Abbott proposed, Mr Turnbull has now cornered himself. Given the inner-Sydney seat he holds as well as his cosmopolitan outlook, there is little doubt his sympathies lie with the "yes" case. But given the strong opposing views held by a significant voting bloc in his party and the Coalition, he can't say so too loudly. He won't campaign for his beliefs. The dilemma, at once tragic and farcical, in which Mr Turnbull is now trapped  or rather, has trapped himself  does not diminish him alone. It also calls seriously into question the competence, the basic political ability, of some in the party he leads.

If those Liberals within Parliament who seem to delight in torturing their own leader cannot see the danger their actions pose to the future of their party, outsiders certainly can. That presumably is why older, wiser Coalition figures have now joined the same-sex marriage campaign on the "yes" side. Cooler heads can see the danger that division poses, and want to neutralise the issue as quickly as possible. A "no" victory in a non-binding, non-compulsory plebiscite that was set up essentially as a spoiling tactic will not achieve that. It will merely delay the inevitable, confirm the Coalition's irrelevance, and prolong the harm that division over this issue is doing to it. A "yes" vote, followed quickly by a vote in Parliament to change the Marriage Act, will lay it to rest.
London: Tony Abbott has taken a swipe at world leaders Angela Merkel and Donald Trump in a wide-ranging essay in which he also states the threat of Islamist extremism is greater than climate change.

Mr Abbott made the comments in a 1000-word piece written for the Western Australian Liberal Party's policy journal The Contributor. He also hit out at Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron, saying they were "more noticeable for good looks and saccharine views than for long records of public service."

Tony Abbott detailed his criticisms of several world leaders. Credit:AAP

"Between countries and within countries, there is a sense that the established order is changing fast," Mr Abbott wrote. "Top dogs are becoming under dogs. Values that were unquestioned for generations are literally ridiculed today."

"Institutions that were revered for generations are openly mocked today. It's not just our jobs that are being disrupted but our certainties too, so many of the Western political class seem to believe, for instance, that climate change is more dangerous than Islamist extremism. It's not a very reassuring world," Mr Abbott writes in extracts provided to Fairfax Media.
A coalition of refugee advocates, unions and charities have joined forces to resist the Turnbull government's dramatic crackdown on asylum seekers, vowing they won't be coerced back to Manus Island and Nauru.

National refugee services, St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army were among those in an emergency telephone conference on Monday to plan a response, including aid, accommodation and a public campaign.

Asylum seekers on their first day in the compound on Nauru in 2012.. Credit:Fairfax Media

The sector was left stunned on Sunday after Fairfax Media revealed plans to strip up to 400 asylum seekers in Australia of welfare payments and accommodation, in a bid to force them back to offshore detention.

The government began shifting the asylum seekers on to six-month "final departure bridging E visas" on Monday, cutting income support of about $200 a fortnight and giving people three weeks to find new homes.
Convicted drug trafficker and gangland widow Roberta Williams could appear on ballot papers at the next federal election despite being bankrupt and ineligible to run.

Ms Williams, 48, announced on Monday that she was entering politics as a candidate for the Australian People's Party to run against Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in his seat of Maribyrnong in Melbourne's west.

Her status as an undischarged bankrupt is likely to make her ineligible for the next federal election, which is expected in late 2018 or early 2019.

Despite this, the Australian Electoral Commission is powerless to stop her nomination.
It's "We Said What?" week for Industry Focus, and we're looking at some of our biggest on-air mistakes -- like, for example, picking a soon-to-be bankrupt company for our energy fantasy investing draft.

In this week's Energy episode, Sean O'Reilly and Taylor Muckerman look back on why they were so confident in companies that would go on to perform terribly, and what investors can learn from their mistakes. Find out why it's so important to keep track of your investing thesis, why LINN Energy and other companies like it are always toeing a dangerous line, why you need to stick to your investing rules, and more.

A full transcript follows the video.

10 stocks we like better than EOG Resources

When investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has tripled the market.*

David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now... and EOG Resources wasn't one of them! That's right -- they think these 10 stocks are even better buys.

Click here to learn about these picks!

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 1, 2017

This video was recorded on Aug. 24, 2017.

Sean O'Reilly: Welcome to Industry Focus, the podcast that dives into a different sector of the stock market every day. Today is Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, so we're talking about energy and industrials. I'm your host, Sean O'Reilly, and to my left is the man, the myth, the legend, Mr. Taylor Muckerman. What's up, brother?

Taylor Muckerman: That's what you got wrong.

O'Reilly: What?

Muckerman: I'm not the myth or the legend. I am a man, though!

O'Reilly: You have to be more than just a man. [laughs]

Muckerman: I don't know where that's from.

O'Reilly: Do you like my Bale Batman? [laughs]

Muckerman: Yeah! [laughs]

O'Reilly: What'd you think, Austin? Was it good?

Austin Morgan: It could have been better!

Muckerman: Oh, could have been better. Next time!

Morgan: I've heard better impressions!

O'Reilly: It's not my forte to do the Bale impressions. Sorry! I'm really more of a Michael Keaton Batman, anyway.

Muckerman: Let's have that one!

O'Reilly: No. So, today is "We Said What?" week on Industry Focus.

Muckerman: So it is!

O'Reilly: We had to work hard, didn't we?

Muckerman: We did some digging.

O'Reilly: We had to work really hard. But we're all talking about, basically, times that we may or may not have made a boo-boo, mistake, made a wrong investment call --

Muckerman: May not have? We had to have.

O'Reilly: I'm hedging. [laughs] Which actually has a bearing on my mistake that we'll be talking about in a few minutes.

Muckerman: That's true. Foreshadowing.

O'Reilly: Dun-dun-dun! And basically, the takeaway is the importance of looking back, keeping a record, journal, diary, something, reflecting on your investing thoughts and processes because that's how you grow, that's how you learn. Hopefully you change and adapt over the years. The best investors in the world, of course, have changed their tactics. Buffett no longer looks for cigar butts. [laughs]

Muckerman: Yeah, that was gross.

O'Reilly: Well, it made him $25 million, though.

Muckerman: It did, but not billions of dollars.

O'Reilly: Anyway, who's going first?

Muckerman: I don't know! Pick it out of a hat!

O'Reilly: All right! Drum roll, please. All right, I lost or won, I don't know which --

Muckerman: Your error was slightly bigger than mine.

O'Reilly: It was so good, though!

Muckerman: It was slightly bigger than mine!

O'Reilly: We're going to talk about this. Austin, replay the clip now.

(O'Reilly): All right, so, this is my Hail Mary pick, and it's literally the best Hail Mary pass I could think of, which is LINN Energy.

(Tyler Crowe): He's going with a dirty, dirty, dirty value play for his Hail Mary.

(O'Reilly): They're down, what, 90% in the last year?

(Crowe): Something like that.

(O'Reilly): It's very sad. But they do have some of the best hedges around. I think we can all agree on that. And it's a Hail Mary pass because, if and when oil prices recover, if that were to happen in the next year or two, they would survive and possibly come out on the other end of it OK. They're about 80% or 90% hedged on their production this year, and that tapers off next year at about two-thirds, and then they're in trouble in 2017.

OK! So, one, I think I lost the fantasy draft.

Muckerman: Yes.

O'Reilly: Yeah. Although your winner, Silver Wheaton [now Wheaton Precious Metals], has come back down to Earth, which is fun.

Muckerman: It has. I have to go back to the spreadsheet.

O'Reilly: Did you update the numbers and everything?

Muckerman: Well, one company is no longer with us, and Spectra got bought out, so I need to go back and do some math.

O'Reilly: That's kind of a win.

Muckerman: I know. I think I'm still in the lead, but Silver Wheaton was my best performing at the time we had the cutoff.

O'Reilly: It was like, we did the picks in 2015.

Muckerman: Sept. 10, 2015.

O'Reilly: Oh my gosh, I can't believe I was talking to these losers then!

Muckerman: I know, seriously.

O'Reilly: I'm sure you feel the same way! But I was like, oh my gosh, it's been a while!

Muckerman: I didn't think it was that long ago, but it was.

O'Reilly: Yeah. I was listening to it, and Silver Wheaton went up the second we recorded.

Muckerman: Yeah, I think the peak was 70% or 80%. But, the gist was, we each picked three stocks. You, me, and Tyler Crowe all drafted three stocks. We had a stalwart, our No. 1 pick, the second pick was... I can't remember what it was, and then the third pick was our wild card.

O'Reilly: Of course, my loser that we're talking about now is the Hail Mary wild card.

Muckerman: Yeah, your waiver-wire pick.

O'Reilly: So, I said a couple of things, and I knew what I was going to talk about this episode, I was like, [groans] "I have to talk about LINN!"

Muckerman: Yeah, LINN Energy.

O'Reilly: "I don't want to, but I have to!"

Muckerman: What ticker is that on now? Is it on the Mexican Stock Exchange now? Can you even buy shares?

O'Reilly: No. The bondholders own it. If you haven't figured it out, listeners, LINN has gone the way of Chapter 11, bankruptcy.

Muckerman: The way of the dodo.

O'Reilly: I forgot that Tyler Crowe owned some shares, in reality.

Muckerman: Yeah, he did!

O'Reilly: We talked about that on that episode. Anyway, long story short, it was my Hail Mary pass. I knew I had to talk about it, but upon relistening to it, I was less depressed about the move, because I said it's a bet on oil prices recovering in the next year or two. They have not. Huge MLP. They were hedged 90% for the 12 months going forward from when I picked it. So again, they had some life. It was just when those things ran out, their massive debt load was just too much. It was the largest master limited partnership, MLP, in the United States at the time, I believe.

Muckerman: It was the belle of the ball.

O'Reilly: It was. And it was the largest, most successful MLP. The problem, of course, was that it's great when oil prices are high and they can make acquisitions and expand that distribution. But when you pay out 90% of your earnings in order to expand and grow said distribution, you need access to capital markets, and therein lies the rub. So upon reflecting on this, I now have a very solid rule, which I think I've talked about in the last month or something, but any commodity stock, they have to have some sort of cost advantage. And they didn't have that. They would just buy assets from other players, borrow money for cheap --

Muckerman: Yeah, they kept leveraging up.

O'Reilly: Yeah, that was it. And it works great if ...

Muckerman: You can keep producing. Yeah, and then, the fact that they had to pay out pretty much all of their net income to shareholders, doesn't leave you much wiggle room.

O'Reilly: I actually looked at the bonds of while ago, and the bondholders got some recovery value.

Muckerman: They did?

O'Reilly: They were not wiped out. The assets were still producing oil.

Muckerman: I mean, it is still land, but it's only productive if you have money to produce it. I think I said that right.

O'Reilly: I know what you meant.

Muckerman: It sounds like, "Duh, you have to have money to produce and make money." But they didn't, so they don't.

O'Reilly: It's impossible, because they all do this, but they were heavily leveraged. I think it was one to nine, the leverage ratio. They had billions in assets.

Muckerman: That was the business model.

O'Reilly: Yeah. So I learned from it. It was, admittedly --

Muckerman: Synthesize all that into, like, one key takeaway.

O'Reilly: Leverage is bad, especially with a commodity player. You know, a company that doesn't need capital to produce free cash flow, like a Google or something --

Muckerman: Yeah, or a software business.

O'Reilly: -- you can leverage that thing up and it won't matter. It will not matter. This, the leverage is like, you're walking around with this blade, and if you trip, game over!

Muckerman: Yeah, it's always facing you.

O'Reilly: And they didn't have a cost advantage. And at the end of the day, then, I believed that oil would recover far more quickly. And you know, nobody knows what's going to happen. But you need to have some sort of advantage. When you invest in a consumer brand or a stock or something, you need some sort of brand name like a Coca-Cola or a Gillette --

Muckerman: We call that a moat.

O'Reilly: A moat. And in commodities, you have to have that, it's actually even more important. And the only way to do that is some sort of cost advantage. It's evident in my No. 1 pick from that episode, which is EOG Resources (NYSE: EOG). They're not showering money on their shareholders just yet, but they're still here and they're still kicking.

Muckerman: They're not on their deathbed, or, I guess, in the ground.

O'Reilly: Yeah. But their oil is.

Muckerman: They're not in either.

O'Reilly: Their oil is in the ground. So yeah, learned a lot. It's been a fun couple of years for oil.

Muckerman: Yeah, I know!

O'Reilly: A very good use case scenario for the business schools.

Muckerman: That price chart, man!

O'Reilly: So, Taylor.

Muckerman: I have to own up to something?

O'Reilly: Yeah.

Muckerman: All right, fine.

O'Reilly: You're good, man! You're real good!

Muckerman: What do you mean, I'm good?

O'Reilly: But you're human.

Muckerman: Oh, I know.

O'Reilly: And you occasionally --

Muckerman: We're going to talk about the same episode.

O'Reilly: It's funny that we both went back to that.

Muckerman: Yeah. I mean, we picked three stocks each, and it's a long time period, so a lot could go wrong.

O'Reilly: I'm really glad we did it! Looking back, when we came up with the idea for this theme week, I knew exactly what I was going to do.

Muckerman: Yeah. And I'm sure, at some point between then and now, we've also said something that didn't pan out. But rifling through those episodes with a few sentences of description, it's tough. This one, I knew we could turn to it and find something. And my something was... let's listen to the clip first, and then I'll talk about why it was wrong.

(Muckerman): I'm going with Devon Energy (NYSE: DVN). I'm going my first producer. I'm looking at this company, a pro in terms of enhanced oil recovery. It has a good basin coverage with Eagle Ford, the Permian, among others. Those are two of the most popular that you might know of. It's getting into reusing a lot of its own energy to lower its cost. It's still producing pretty well. They have increased the production year over year in the latest quarter. Pretty low cost in terms of what you're seeing out there, maybe not as low cost as EOG in terms of per-barrel cost, but they're still competitive, and they've been beaten up just as much of some of worst producers in the business, so I think this company could fill some nice holes.

So you heard me talk about Devon Energy, also a producer. That was also my wild-card pick, the third pick that I've made. And for a time there, it treated me pretty well. 2016 was a decent time frame for oil producers after completely bottoming out in the beginning of 2016. But 2017 just shows you that this is a very tough market to predict. My mistake there was not technically owning, but owning in a competition, an oil or gas producer. I've said several, several times on the show that I don't believe in owning oil or gas producers or miners simply because, like we talked about, they're typically debt-heavy companies, and the cyclical nature of these businesses is so hard to overcome. If you look at Devon Energy from the day that we recommended it, down 22.8%.

O'Reilly: And you picked it after a dip.

Muckerman: Yeah. We picked it toward the end of 2015, which, it had already suffered a huge drop at the end of 2014, and 2015 was still a little trickle. 2016 totally smoked it at the beginning, January and February. And then you saw the rebound. But, that rebound included, to date since we talked about it, Devon Energy down 23%.

O'Reilly: The dividend was cut.

Muckerman: Yes, the dividend was cut. Oil- and gas-producing ETF, ticker XOP, down 20%. Then, the Energy Select SPDR from iShares, only down 5%. So that includes the whole energy industry -- services, companies, pipelines. So you see how much difference in performance there these producers had, and then you compare it to the S&P 500 and you hang your head in disgust because the S&P 500 is up 27% since we had this draft. Then you think, "That's only a couple years." But then you go back a decade, and the same oil and gas producer ETF down 32%, versus the Energy Select SPDR only down 10%, and Devon down 60%. Over 10 years. Versus 65% for the S&P 500. So there's certainly times you could have bought a producer over the last decade and made a killing. But it's tough to know when to sell, and these sell-offs for these producers generally drop much further than the previous bottom, or right around there.

So that was my big mistake, was investing in what I don't know. I mean, I know about these producers. I guess, it's not what I don't know, but investing in something I already said I would not invest in, for these specific reasons. And I took a flyer, and this shows what happens when you take a flyer sometimes.

O'Reilly: Don't break your rules!

Muckerman: Yeah. That's one thing. You have to have an investing process. Sure, you can adapt over time, but this was a hard and fast rule for me.

O'Reilly: So holding this up in the light of my lesson that I learned, which is, if you're going to do this, it needs to be a low-cost producer, was that why you picked Devon? Where do they fall in this? Because EOG, there I remember first seeing EOG three years ago, they're --

Muckerman: Yeah, we could compare EOG's ticker. Since our draft, EOG is actually up 9.7%.

O'Reilly: And that was my bedrock pick. Any report you look at is like, they're an incredibly low-cost producer.

Muckerman: Yeah, and they're someone integrated because they source some of their own sand, they have some takeaway capacity from some of their more remote well sites in terms of pipelines. So yeah, they're best in breed, and they're still underperforming the index by 18% since we drafted, the S&P 500 Index. Yeah, Devon Energy, I thought, was one of the more skilled companies in terms of unconventional drilling, and going back in with CO2 and water to really maximize well production. And they still kind of are, but having to cut the dividend really hurt their shares, and it goes to show, LINN cut their dividend a couple of times, and you've seen a lot of even the big energy producers, the integrated, cutting their dividend. Not all of them, but a handful. And that to me proves that no one is safe as an energy producer or a miner, because, I would say over 50%, I feel like, had to cut their dividend.

O'Reilly: I mean, in econ class in school, you learn that in the long run, any commodity producer, at best, you will get average returns on invested capital. It'll be about 10%.

Muckerman: Yeah. If they can't cover their capex from cash flow, how the heck are they going to continue to cut a dividend check to you?

O'Reilly: The bondholders, obviously! [laughs]

Muckerman: Well, I guess. So, cash flow, cash flow, cash flow!

O'Reilly: Very good. Well, I think we both learned something here today.

Muckerman: Yeah. Both centered around energy producers. Kind of interesting there.

O'Reilly: Tough business.

Muckerman: Yeah, it's been especially tough the last few years. But like I said, going back 10 years, oil and gas producers as a unit have had a very rough time of it. Ten years, that's a couple cycles, and you're still in the red.

O'Reilly: Right. Cool. Well, thanks for your time as always, man!

Muckerman: We'll do better over the next year on the show!

O'Reilly: Somehow.

Muckerman: Somehow.

O'Reilly: Fingers crossed. I mean, I won't because of LINN, but -- that's it for us, folks. If you're a loyal listener and have questions or comments, we would love to hear from you, just email us at industryfocus@fool.com. As always, people on this program may have interests in the stocks they talk about, and The Motley Fool may have formal recommendations for or against those stocks, so don't buy or sell anything based solely on what you hear on this program. For Taylor Muckerman, I'm Sean O'Reilly. Thanks for listening, and Fool on!

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Sean O'Reilly has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Taylor Muckerman owns shares of Alphabet (C shares). The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A shares) and Alphabet (C shares). The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Labor senator Katy Gallagher has rejected claims she is implicated in Parliament's growing dual citizenship crisis, saying she is not  and never has been  an Ecuadorian citizen.

Senator Gallagher's office said on Tuesday an internal ALP investigation had cleared her in 2014, as part of the vetting process undertaken when she quit as the Australian Capital Territory's chief minister to join Labor's Senate team.

News Corp reports claimed Senator Gallagher had inherited Ecuadorian citizenship from her mother, who was born in the South American republic in 1943.

But the Labor frontbencher said on Tuesday she is not and has "never been" a citizen of Ecuador, despite her mother citing her place of birth as Ecuador on an Australian immigration entry card.
A defiant Malcolm Turnbull has insisted he will win the next election, while setting out a laundry list of his government's achievements during the nearly two years he has occupied the nation's top political job.

In a lengthy - and at times heated - interview with the ABC's Leigh Sales on 7.30 on Monday night, Mr Turnbull also said his government had no plans to build a coal-fired power station - despite pressure from within his government to do so - and said he was confident that three Coalition MPs, including deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, would be found by the High Court to have been validly elected.

The Prime Minister also foreshadowed that his government would make a decision by the end of this year on whether to adopt a clean energy target, as recommended by chief scientist Alan Finkel and backed by power companies again on Monday.

Mr Turnbull will meet power company bosses again on Wednesday to demand action to deliver cheaper prices for consumers. Meanwhile, he is also under pressure from the ramp-up of the same-sex marriage postal survey campaign, and the 18 consecutive Newspolls that show the Coalition trailing Labor.
If only we could afford to live the way we do, lamented Europe's entitled nobility as its privilege crumbled in the 1930s.

Eighty odd years later, the Turnbull government might feel the same way. Trapped between the world as it should be, and the world that is.

Its response is uncannily similar: spend more than it earns, and then wonder why it is unpopular.

And like previous governments, it is also engaging in the standard subterfuges, from proclaiming its low tax bona fides while increasing taxes, to invoking a higher national interest and seeking anything to distract from its own inadequacies.
Nicole Kidman doesn't like to give lectures  but she will do it anyway when it comes to issues she is passionate about, such as women in the film industry.

Since adding an executive producer credit to her resume for the hit series Big Little Lies, in which she also stars alongside Reese Witherspoon and Shailene Woodley, Kidman is passionate about pursuing more women-led projects.

'We were frustrated because there wasn't the roles for us' ... Nicole Kidman (right) in Big Little Lies with Shailene Woodley (left) and Reese Witherspoon.

"We wanted to craft something because we were frustrated because there wasn't the roles for us and our friends and for the women we know have extraordinary talent and they are not being given the chances they should be given," she said.

"For them to work and to be received in that way builds a bridge for us to do more and also for other women and producers and male producers who believe in female-driven projects."
The number of Australian women diagnosed with a rare but deadly form of blood cancer linked to breast implants has risen, leading to calls from health experts for greater awareness.

Last year the Therapeutic Goods Administration confirmed 46 cases of breast implant-associated (BIA) ALCL, including three deaths.

The number of cases has since risen to 53, according to a paper published in the Medical Journal of Australia.

Professor Sanchia Aranda, CEO of the Cancer Council Australia, says while the risk is low it's important that women who've had breast enhancement to clarify with their surgeon the type of implants used.
The federal government should mandate rules allowing public servants to work from anywhere at any time, a parliamentary committee considering regional decentralisation moves has been told.

An "anywhere work" proposal, put forward by a Blue Mountains-based community organisation, would follow United States government rules which allow federal employees to access telework provisions at any time - unless security, work systems or performance reasons require them to be based full time in a designated office.

Lifestyle and family should be considered when public servants want to ditch their offices. Credit:Michel O'Sullivan

The Blue Mountains Living Lab has told the federal parliament's inquiry into the government's plans to force public service departments and agencies to move from Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne to regional locations as soon as 2018 that managers should have to explain why employees can't work from home or other locations by arrangement.

Citing Department of Communications and the Arts moves toward new flexible work policies, the submission says consultation with staff and public sector unions should result in the ability for employees to work from locations other than a department office, including their home or shared workspace.
Support for same-sex marriage has caused a damaging rift in the NSW legal profession, after the Law Society came under fire for issuing a joint statement with the medical profession backing a change to federal marriage laws.

The NSW Law Society, which represents the state's 30,000 solicitors, joined with the Bar Association and the state division of the Australian Medical Association on August 19 to issue a statement expressing support for changing the Marriage Act.

Fairfax Media understands the Law Society's governing body, the law council, was divided over support for the change.

Fifteen of the council's 22 members were present for the vote on August 17 about whether to participate in the joint statement. Five members voted against it.
NSW prosecutors have dropped the case against a Queanbeyan boy accused of causing the death of his brother during a fight.

The boy, 16, who legally cannot be named, was supposed to face trial on Monday for assault causing death of the 10-year-old.

But instead prosecutors said they had withdrawn the charge.

Why remains unclear; no reasons were given in court.

The offence the boy was charged with was added to the NSW books three years ago to "make our streets safer by introducing new measures to tackle drug-and alcohol-related violence."
Unions are being hauled before the industrial commission by newly privatised electricity firm Ausgrid over an offshore jobs dispute potentially embarrassing to former labour movement chiefs Greg Combet and Dave Oliver.

The case is the first industrial flashpoint since the NSW government last year leased a controlling interest in the electricity "poles and wires" company to superannuation funds IFM Investors and Australian Super for $16 billion.

Mr Combet, the former Labor minister and ex-Australian Council of Trade Unions chief, is IFM Investors' deputy chair while Mr Oliver, another former ACTU boss, is deputy chair of Australian Super.

Ausgrid plans to contract out 35 Geographic Information System jobs  involving input of data mapping the electricity network  to Indian multinational Tata Consultancy Services.
NSW safe gun storage laws were softened just months before the death of a three-year-old girl in Sydney's west from a shotgun wound, prompting a call for the changes to be "urgently reversed".

The changes that were passed by parliament in May included removing a requirement for gun owners to attend court and face a fine and/or a jail sentence for breaches of storage rules.

Instead, police are now able to issue a penalty notice.

Police are also no longer required to seize improperly stored firearms and ammunition if they are "satisfied that the failure has been rectified or will be rectified without delay".
A short drive south from Badgerys Creek in western Sydney, a five-hectare site once housed the ambitions of a growing private Sydney school.

Rissalah College paid $2.4 million for two adjoining blocks in the suburb of Rossmore, for what it hoped would become a future high school campus.

But the land has become a dumping ground for illegal waste, including asbestos, that the Lakemba school has failed to clean up.

The property, an important asset in Rissalah's large portfolio, has fallen under the scrutiny of the Environment Protection Authority at the same time as the school faces a multimillion-dollar funding shortfall.
Less than a year ago Ali Mohammed Moussa was slapped with an apprehended violence order meant to protect his former partner.

But in recent times, and allegedly without objection, the 43-year-old had been spending time with the woman and her daughter at their Lalor Park property in Sydney's west.

On Sunday night any prospects of reconciliation were thrown into inexplicable turmoil after the couple's little girl was shot dead.

A single-barrel sawn-off shotgun, allegedly brought onto the property and left unattended by Mr Moussa, caused the child's death.
Traffic is queued for eight kilometres after a fatal motorbike crash on the M5 in Sydney's south-west on Monday afternoon.

Emergency services were called to the motorway about 3.30pm after receiving reports of a multi-vehicle crash.

One man, who had been riding a motorbike, died at the scene.

In a statement, police said the crash unfolded near the intersection of Heathcote Road at Hammondville, near Moorebank.
A man on trial for killing his ex-lover's father claims he tripped and accidentally stabbed the 54-year-old in the chest after threatening to slice him up, a court has heard.

Mitchell James Sayers has pleaded not guilty to murdering Ian Robert Jones outside a unit in Marsden, south of Brisbane, in 2015.

The Brisbane Supreme Court heard on Monday Sayers went to Mr Jones's house on the afternoon of December 14 in a bid to find his one-time lover Jessica Haywood.

Mitchell James Sayers has appeared in the Brisbane Supreme Court charged with murder. Credit:Robert Shakespeare

The pair had met each other through Mr Jones weeks earlier and had a brief fling before Ms Haywood broke it off because she was not interested.
After a toddler playing with a lighter managed to set a bed on fire, emergency services have said it was an important reminder for parents to keep lighters in hard-to-reach places.

At 8am on Saturday a woman yelled out to nearby police there was a fire, at a home in the Kingston area, police said.

The police helped put the bedroom fire out, and no one was injured.

A bedroom fire was started by a child playing with a lighter at Logan on Saturday. Credit:Queensland Police Service

Early investigations revealed a three-year-old had been playing with a jet lighter on their bed, and then bed then caught alight.
On a late evening in March, a group of winegrowers wearing black balaclavas forced their way into one of France's largest wine brokerages and ignited three Molotov cocktails. Within minutes, the business, Passerieux Vergnes Diffusion, was in flames.

Vigilante vignerons had previously raided two big wine distributors nearby, in the Languedoc wine-producing region, smashing offices and dumping a river of red wine into the streets.

A river of red wine has been dumped in the streets of Languedoc. Credit:Alamy

The businesses had one thing in common: They had struck deals to import inexpensive wine from Spain, prompting a backlash among local winemakers who feared their livelihoods were under attack.

"I was stupefied," said Rene Vergnes, a native of Languedoc who has run the Passerieux Vergnes wine brokerage business for 35 years. "Everything was destroyed."
A plan to pump thousands of extra vehicles into central Melbourne via a new toll road is "a fundamental betrayal" of decades of effort to reduce cars in the CBD, Melbourne City Council says.

The council on Monday began its arguments before a panel of planning experts advising the state government on the $5.5 billion West Gate Tunnel project.

The part of Moonee Ponds Creek where Transurban and the Andrews government want to build new flyovers. Credit:Joe Armao

The project would see a new motorway built under Yarraville and a complex junction of flyovers built in North and West Melbourne.

These flyovers in particular have angered the council, which argues they will dump 9000 extra cars a day into the area.
Victorian Nationals MP Russell Northe has emotionally announced he is resigning from the party to focus on an ongoing battle with personal demons, including alcohol, gambling and depression.

He will renounce his National Party membership and continue his duties as MP for Morwell as an independent.

Victorian MP Russell Northe will continue as an independent member for Morwell. Credit:Penny Stephens

Mr Northe broke down on-air as he told radio station 3AW he was still reeling from the death of one of his closest friends.

"I pushed away all the people who loved me and tried to support me through these times, and I tried to fix things myself and I realise now that ... that did not work," Mr Northe said.
Trucks will be banned from two more roads in Melbourne's west once the West Gate Tunnel is complete.

The move would take 5000 trucks off local streets every day, according to the Andrews government.

The truck bans on Blackshaws Road in Altona North and Hudsons Road in Spotswood will apply 24 hours a day across the week.

They are expected to be introduced in 2022.
A West Australian Liberals-led High Court constitutional challenge over the state's GST share will be financed by crowdfunding and attempt to force the hand of both federal leaders.

The state opposition has talked tough on the unfairness of the GST carve-up but failed to secure any changes during its eight years in government.

WA Liberal leader Mike Nahan is against secession. Credit:Louise Kennerley

The party is now rattling the tin to cover the legal costs of its challenge as it continues to push for bipartisan support from Canberra to change the GST system.

Opposition Leader Mike Nahan said he tried as WA treasurer to get a better deal through negotiations with the federal Liberals and Labor, but the position in the eastern states had since "hardened".
The new Guilty Cafe in Waunakee prides itself on tasty desserts and great coffee. The cafe on Century Ave. has had a soft opening, planning it
Rescuers in boats and kayaks help trapped residents escape. Credit:Bloomberg Texas authorities on Monday issued a chemical leak warning in the La Porte and Shoreacres regions of the state, advising citizens to remain sheltered and turn off air conditioning. La Porte and Shoreacres are about 40 km from downtown Houston which is seeing catastrophic flooding from Harvey, the most powerful hurricane in more than 50 years to hit the state. Police and Coast Guard teams have rescued some 2,000 people so far. Credit:AP The La Porte Fire Department was working on a leak from a pipeline in the area and La Porte was sheltered in place for the northeast section of the city, Harris County Homeland security and Emergency Management said on its website.

The storm was expected to remain over the state's Gulf Coast for the next few days, dropping a year's worth of rain in about a week, with threats of flooding extending into neighbouring Louisiana. Jett Bush walks towards home after trying to visit a friend on the other side of floodwaters in Houston's Meyerland area. Credit:New York Times In scenes evoking the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, police and Coast Guard teams have rescued some 2,000 people so far, plucking many from rooftops by helicopter, as they urged the hundreds believed to be marooned in flooded houses to hang towels or sheets outside to alert rescuers. Texas Governor Greg Abbott activated all 12,000 members of the state's National Guard, who joined local police in the effort to rescue people before waters rise again, with another 38-64 cm of rain expected in the coming days. A car is submerged on a freeway flooded by Tropical Storm Harvey. Credit:AP

"The goal is rescue. That's the major focus for today," Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner told reporters. Harvey, still churning near the Texas coast and now throwing rain bands deep into Louisiana, has exposed what Houstonians already knew: Their city was a disastrous flood just waiting to happen. There was no mandatory evacuation of the city before the storm hit. Credit:AP But Harvey also has raised questions about how federal, state and local agencies should prepare for, and respond to, natural disasters. There were mixed messages from the state capital and Houston City Hall about whether to evacuate millions of people in advance of the Harvey's landfall, when it was a Category 4 hurricane. Having learned lessons from Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, the Federal Emergency Management Agency pre-positioned many personnel in advance of the storm, as did the Red Cross and other organisations. But when the floodwaters rose, people were still largely on their own. Some rode to shelters or hospitals in the backs of city garbage trucks while others waded through chest-deep water on foot.

Harvey also has raised questions about disaster preparedness and response. Credit:Bloomberg FEMA said Monday it already made major deployments of people and resources to Texas, including some 900 personnel in search-and-rescue teams, a million litres of water, a million meals, 20,520 tarps and 70 generators. FEMA is coordinating a response that includes the National Emergency Medical Services, which is deploying 100 ambulances and 15 air ambulances out of San Antonio. FEMA has 1,800 personnel deployed in total along with 341 personnel from the Department of Homeland Security. Leaders of the federal response to the Hurricane Harvey disaster had an early-morning news conference Monday in Washington that was by turns a declaration of competence, an expression of grave concern and a plea for the public's help. This image made from a video shows a view from US Route 59 of flooding on West Bellfort Avenue in Houston. Credit:AP "Under the president's direction, we have made every resource available to respond to this historic storm," said Elaine Duke, Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who added that she will accompany President Donald Trump on a visit to Texas on Tuesday, where he plans to tour flood-ravaged areas.

About 5,500 people were in shelters as of Monday morning, city officials said, with FEMA Administrator Brock Long forecasting that as more than 30,000 people would eventually are expected to be placed temporarily in shelters. Many area residents were left in limbo, wondering what remained of their flooded homes. Their number included Kristina Pederson, 25, who was stocking up on food for the 10 dogs that were staying with her, her grandmother and sister after the family abandoned its farm and 20 head of cattle outside the city. "We left them there and hoped for the best. They have 202 hectares and some high ground so we're hoping they are OK," said Pederson, who added that she had no regrets for fleeing her property. "Lives are more important than houses. Houses can be rebuilt." Authorities ordered more than 50,000 people to leave parts of Fort Bend County, southwest of Houston, as the Brazos River was set to crest at a record high of 18m this week, 14 feet above its flood stage.

Houston did not order an evacuation due to concerns about people being stranded on city highways now consumed by floods, Turner said. FEMA's Long on Monday did not question the decision, saying the "evacuation of the city of Houston could take days, days, literally days." Abbott, who had suggested on Friday that people leave the area, on Monday told CBS This Morning that "the time for making that determination has passed, and (there's) no need to for us to relitigate that issue right now." But second-guessing is rampant about whether officials in Houston should have ordered evacuations. Michael Brown, who ran FEMA under President George W. Bush - and was criticised for the agency's response during Katrina - said local officials should have done more to encourage people to voluntarily leave ahead of the storm.
Berlin: A German nurse serving a life sentence for murdering two of his patients is believed to have killed at least 86 others entrusted to his care, officials said Monday, in what they described as an imagination-defying series of crimes.

The nurse, identified as Niels Hoegel, was sentenced to life in prison in February 2015, after a court in the northern town of Oldenburg found him guilty of administering overdoses of heart medication to some patients in an intensive care ward in Delmenhorst.

He was convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and causing bodily harm to patients and is serving his sentence.

During his trial, the former nurse confessed to intentionally inducing cardiac crises in 90 of his patients, 30 of whom he said had died. That prompted officials to launch an investigation into the deaths of some 130 of Hoegel's former patients. The results were presented Monday in Oldenburg.
Rohtak: An Indian judge sentenced a self-styled "godman", whose followers went on a deadly rampage after he was convicted of rape last week, to 20 years' jail on Monday, but a shoot-to-kill order, curfew and heavy police presence kept protesters at bay.

A spokesman for the Central Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the case, said late on Monday that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh would serve two consecutive 10-year-terms for the two rape convictions.

Tens of thousands of police enforced a lockdown in large parts of the northern states of Haryana and Punjab where Singh, 50, has a mass following.

Police in Haryana issued orders to shoot protesters on sight ahead of the sentencing and ordered the hearing to be carried out inside the prison where Singh was being held.
A group of hunters were a missing man's saving grace, after they found the 73-year-old on New Zealand's South Island confused, cold, and with minimal clothes on.

The man, whose family requested anonymity, said he had been in the small town of Temuka, south of Christchurch, for a funeral last Thursday.

Hunters (from back left) Mark Collie, Brent Christie, Graham Booth and Nicholas Collie (front) went on a hunting trip and found a missing man on Saturday. Credit:Erin Tasker

He was reported missing when he failed to return home to Runanga, on the South Island's west coast, by Thursday night.

The man's daughter said it was "very unlike dad, he's quite punctual".
Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi has linked "terrorist" attacks in her country's western Rakhine State with international aid workers, prompting fears for their safety.

Amid a dramatic escalation of a 10-month old crisis Ms Suu Kyi's office posted on Facebook that her government is investigating "news" that aid workers were among a group of "Bengali extremist terrorists" who had encircled a village last weekend.

The term "Bengali" is seen as derogatory by many of 1.1 million long-persecuted Rohingya Muslims who have lived in Rakhine for generations.

The post also referred to UN World Food Programme (WFP) parcels being found in a "terrorist" camp and alongside the butchered bodies of what it said were three Hindu adults and three children.
Speaking in Beijing on Monday, Mr Ciobo said: "The impact will be widely felt across a number of countries in which Chinese SOEs (state owned enterprises) and private businesses invest."

But a week ago China's State Council issued a list of restricted overseas investments , which included real estate and hotels, as officials slammed "irrational investments" by Chinese private companies.

Chinese companies have been the biggest source of new foreign investment in Australia for the past three years, driven by real estate purchases.

He said it was his view that the Australian government needed to be pragmatic in its response, and ensure it attracted investment from other countries.

"It is not for the Australian government or indeed any government to dictate to the Chinese which sectors they should or shouldn't be allowed to invest in, pursuant to their domestically imposed capital controls," he said.

Mr Ciobo said foreign investment in Australia was "highly diversified", with the United States as the biggest single investor, and "strong pipelines of investment" from Singapore and the United Kingdom.

"Yes, China is a player in this space, but what will ensure the Australian economy deals with this well is the fact we have a very diversified investment base, which means, as the old saying goes, we don't put all our eggs in one basket."

According to the Foreign Investment Review Board, although the United States was the largest holder of direct investment stock in Australia last year, followed by Japan, China has been the biggest investor of new money for several years.
Washington: A business associate of President Donald Trump promised in 2015 to engineer a real estate deal with the aid of the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, that he said would help Mr Trump win the presidency.

The business associate, Felix Sater, wrote a series of emails to Mr Trump's lawyer, Michael Cohen, in which he boasted about his ties to Mr Putin and predicted that building a Trump Tower in Moscow would be a political boon to Mr Trump's candidacy.

President Donald Trump's links to Russia are currently being investigated. Credit:AP

"Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Mr Sater wrote in an email. "I will get all of Putin's team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

The emails show that, from the earliest months of Mr Trump's campaign, his associates viewed close ties with Moscow as a political advantage. Those ties are now under investigation by the Justice Department and multiple congressional committees.
Washington: While Donald Trump was running for president in late 2015 and early 2016, his company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow, according to several people familiar with the proposal and new records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.

As part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested he could get President Vladimir Putin to say "great things" about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence.

The developer, Felix Sater, predicted in a November 2015 email that he and Trump Organization leaders would soon be celebrating - both one of the biggest residential projects in real estate history and Donald Trump's election as president, according to two of the people with knowledge of the exchange.

Sater wrote to Trump Organization Executive Vice-President Michael Cohen, "something to the effect of, 'Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president?' " said one person briefed on the email exchange. Sater emigrated to the United States from what was then the Soviet Union when he was eight and grew up in Brooklyn.
Civil rights groups filed two lawsuits on Monday challenging US President Donald Trump's controversial ban on transgender people serving in the country's military. Both lawsuits say the ban violated US constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process under the Fifth Amendment, and one said it also violates service members' free speech rights.

"We do not comment on active or pending litigation," a White House official said in response.

Protesters against a proposed ban of transgendered people in the military. Credit:AP

Mr Trump announced the ban in a series of Twitter posts on July 26, reversing a policy of his predecessor, Barack Obama.

It halted years of efforts to eliminate barriers to military service based on sexual orientation or gender identity, including an "Open Service Directive" designed to let transgender people serve without fear of discharge.
National Economic Director Gary Cohn said he had been under enormous pressure both to quit and remain in the White House, but the administration 'must do better'. Credit:AP Trump has condemned hate groups in the wake of Charlottesville but twice added equivocation about blame for violence and once said some "fine people" were among the white-supremacist marchers. At a campaign rally before a largely white crowd on Tuesday in Phoenix, Trump decried the removal of Confederate statues - the flash point in Charlottesville - and blamed the news media for "trying to take away our history and our heritage". President Donald Trump walks across the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Sunday. He was reportedly 'furious' about Gary Cohn's comments. Credit:AP Tillerson had told a group of State Department interns on August 18 that "we do not honour, nor do we promote or accept, hate speech in any form".

Tillerson did not invoke Trump or levy direct criticism then, but his discussion of "hate speech" just days after the Charlottesville rally made his meaning clear. A demonstrator holds a sign that reads 'White Silence Is Violence' during an anti-racism rally in front of the US Embassy in Ottawa, Canada last week. Credit:Bloomberg "Those who embrace it poison our public discourse, and they damage the very country that they claim to love," Tillerson had said. On Sunday, Tillerson rejected criticism from a United Nations committee last week that the Trump administration had failed in its response to Charlottesville and set a poor example for the rest of the world. White nationalist demonstrators clash with counter demonstrators at the entrance to Lee Park in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 12. Credit:AP

"We express America's values from the State Department - our commitment to freedom, our commitment to equal treatment of people the world over," Tillerson said in the Fox interview, "and that message has never changed." The leaders of Britain and Germany had previously said in response to Charlottesville that violence and bigotry must always be condemned. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis expressed implicit criticism of Trump last week in impromptu remarks to US troops captured on video. Mattis says the country has "problems", and asks those in uniform to "hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it". Mattis has not commented on the video, which was apparently recorded as he addressed troops in Jordan.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has defended Trump's remarks, but most other top aides have not directly addressed the controversy. Trump was privately furious about Cohn's rebuke, The Washington Post reported, but the president has not commented publicly on his aide's remarks. Trump highly prizes personal loyalty and had earlier sharply criticised Attorney General Jeff Sessions for actions in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election that Trump saw as disloyal. It is not clear whether Tillerson has raised his concerns directly with Trump, although the two speak frequently and Tillerson met with Trump last week at the White House. Tillerson has not addressed whether he considered resigning over Trump's remarks. Tillerson participated in Trump's video Cabinet meeting about flooding from Hurricane Harvey shortly after the television interview. In that interview, Tillerson also addressed the departure on Friday of former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka, who had criticised Tillerson as one of the "globalists" thwarting Trump's "America First" agenda.

Fox host Chris Wallace quoted from Gorka's resignation letter, which said that "a crucial element of the presidential campaign has been lost" because Trump's speech laying out his policy for Afghanistan did not mention "radical Islamic terrorism". "I think he's completely wrong," Tillerson said. "I think it shows a lack of understanding of the president's broader policy when it comes to protecting Americans at home and abroad from all acts of terrorism." Tillerson, a former Exxon Mobil chief executive with no prior government experience, has expressed mainstream Republican views on many foreign policy issues and has lost some internal policy battles such as whether to remain a party to the landmark Paris climate accord. "I don't see any division," between Trump's nationalist advisers and his more mainstream aides, Tillerson said on Sunday. He added: "I think it's a question of tactics and how you achieve those objectives. I think the president has been clear in his speech in Afghanistan that we are not undertaking nation-building", as Gorka and others have charged.

On North Korea, Tillerson said the nation's missile tests don't necessarily mean that Kim Jong Un's regime is thumbing its nose at the offer of negotiations with the United States. "Clearly, they are still messaging us, as well, that they are not prepared to completely back away from their positions," Tillerson said. "We continue to want the Kim regime to understand there is a different path that he can choose." The launch of three short-range missiles on Saturday followed statements from Trump and Tillerson last week that took note of what Tillerson called recent "restraint" on the part of Pyongyang. Until the launch, which came on Friday night in the United States, North Korea had not launched any missiles since the unanimous approval of new United Nations Security Council sanctions three weeks ago. That caused Trump to say that North Korea was finally "starting to respect us." Loading
Share your opinion on this topic by sending a letter to the editor to tctvoice@madison.com. Include your full name, hometown and phone number. Your name and town will be published. The phone number is for verification purposes only. Please keep your letter to 250 words or less.
Miami: The Facebook posts and WhatsApp messages promising safe haven in Canada claim to have the blessing of the Canadian government. Creole-language radio stations offer up consultants giving free and paid consultations for Haitians seeking residency across the US border.

Border cities such as Montreal are welcoming immigrants with open arms, or so the stories go.

Haitians in the US - fearful of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigrants but unwilling to return to the grinding poverty of their homeland - have responded by the thousands. They've quit their jobs, sold their possessions and taken planes, Greyhound buses and even taxis to the US-Canada border.

The number of migrants illegally crossing into French-speaking Quebec more than tripled in July, with another 3800-plus entering in just the first half of this month.
PHILIPSBURG:---- Fundraising for one of the regions largest cancer care and awareness events has kicked off across the Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean with over USD$ $267,119 being raised so far from over 160 corporate supporters.

The sixth edition of CIBC FirstCaribbeans Walk for the Cure is expected to again attract over 20, 000 walkers and runners across the 17 territories where the bank operates. The walks will take place over the weekend of September 30th and October 1st, 2017

We are really excited about this years walk. There is a surge of energy throughout our organization as hundreds of our staff are already busy with a number of fundraising events as well as planning for the various walks, said Trevor Torzsas, Executive Co-Chair of the walk and Managing Director, Customer Relationship, and Management.

Last year we raised USD$500, 000 all of which we donated to support the life-changing work of our partner cancer care organizations in each of the countries where we operate. This year we are going to do all that we can to ensure that we surpass last years figures, said Mark St. Hill the other Executive Co-Chair and Managing Director, Retail and Business Banking.

As a corporate family, we know the pain and loss that cancer inflicts. Raising awareness, championing early detection and making life just a little more comfortable for those with cancer, their families and caregivers are what our walk is about, St. Hill said.

The funds raised are used to provide assistance, care, and counseling to patients and their families as well as to raise awareness through education campaigns across the region. They also help the various organizations to assist with the purchase and maintenance of equipment used in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Over the past five years the bank has raised over USD $1.3 million from the event primarily supported by generous corporate donors and diverse fundraising activities and events hosted by staff members.

The co-chairs said the bank will be launching its revamped walk registration and donation website very shortly which is expected to offer increased opportunities for further fundraising.

They praised the fund-raising efforts of the banks staff and the enthusiastic support of the business community who have been coming on board as platinum, gold, silver and bronze sponsors.

This year the banks business in St. Maarten has partnered with Still Beautiful Foundation to stage the Walk for the Cure on September 30th, 2017. The walk kicks off at the Banks Philipsburg Branch, Emmaplein #1, at 5:00AM. Persons interested in participating can contact Petra Abdul-Hamid at tel: +1 721-542-3511 or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The walk is also held to coincide with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundations CIBC Run for the Cure sponsored by the banks parent company, CIBC. CIBC has been supporting this event for 21 years, donating millions to breast cancer research in Canada.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee will meet in a session on August 30, 2017. The General Audit Chamber will be present.

The Central Committee meeting has been set for Wednesday, August 30, 2017, at 11.00 hrs in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda points are:

Discussion with General Audit Chamber on Year report 2016; Discussion on documents approved by the General Assembly of Parlatino in June 2017

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.sx and via www.sxmparliament.org.
Claudettes release new album with show at The Acorn in Three Oaks
Optimization

Are you frustrated with a slow pc or a hard disk not performing as it should?

Try SLOW-PCfighter to speed up boot time on a slow PC, or try a free scan of FULL-DISKfighter to recover space on a full disk. The latest offering is DRIVERfighter to update your driver updater. Get complete PC optimization and extend the life of your PC with these must-have software tools.
Bouzakarn (Morocco), 27 August 2017 (SPS) - Saharawi political prisoner M'barak Daudi initiated Saturday a hunger strike of 48 hours in his cell at the local prison in Bouzakarn, Morocco, in protest of a physical assault on his family.

The 62-year-old Saharawi political prisoner carried out this hunger strike despite his deteriorated health situation. Daudi had been transferred several times to health centers due to his critical health situation.

The family members of the Saharawi political prisoner were physically and verbally assaulted Friday when they protested because their monthly salaries were suspended by the Moroccan authorities.

Saharawi political prisoner M'barak Daudi was arrested on 29 September 2013 for his political activism. (SPS)

062/090/TRA
Emhamed Khadad

Emhamed Khadad, an adviser to the president of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, is the Polisario Fronts coordinator with the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara.

AUG 15, 2017

BIR LEHLU, WESTERN SAHARA  When Western Sahara was annexed by Morocco in 1975, it had been under Spanish control for nearly a century. But Spains grip on the territory had weakened in the dying days of Francisco Francos dictatorship. And rather than allowing a process of decolonization, Spain signed the tripartite Madrid Accords with Morocco and Mauritania, both of which subsequently moved in to annex the territory. Mauritania relinquished its claim in 1979, but Morocco never left.

Western Saharas legal status is crystal clear. In 1963, it was officially recognized as a Non-Self-Governing Territory by the United Nations General Assembly under the UN Charter  a legal status it retains to this day. It is, in short, the last colony in Africa. In 1975, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) affirmed the Saharawi peoples right to self-determination, and found no ties of territorial sovereignty between Morocco and Western Sahara.

Yet Morocco has been allowed to continue illegally occupying Western Sahara for over four decades. And, as is often the case with unwanted occupations, Morocco has asserted its territorial claim through cruel repression, the systematic denial of basic human rights, and attempts to force demographic change  all while plundering Western Saharas natural resources.

The Polisario Front fought a war with Morocco until 1991, when the UN brokered a ceasefire agreement. That deal was supposed to set the stage for a referendum on independence in Western Sahara the following year  a democratic solution. But Morocco has prevented it from ever taking place.

Morocco has also repeatedly obstructed progress toward further negotiations. It has done so in defiance of the UN Security Council, even going so far as to bar the UNs special envoy from travelling to the region to set the stage for talks. At the same time, Moroccos behavior on the ground  including its repression of the Saharawi people and its illegal exploitation of natural resources  has made reaching a political solution increasingly difficult.

In the 42 years of Moroccos occupation of Western Sahara, we, the Saharawi people, have seen eight American presidents, six UN secretary-generals, and a battery of UN special representatives and personal envoys of the secretary-general come and go. Through it all, we have maintained our faith in the international community, and in the UN-led political process that was launched in 1991. It is time for that faith to be rewarded.

In its latest resolution on Western Sahara this year, the UN Security Council unanimously called for the launch of a new political process and acknowledged that the status quo is not acceptable. The Security Council recognizes that this is the best route to achieving decolonization in Western Sahara, protecting human rights, enabling self-determination by the Saharawi people, and setting the stage for long-term stability in the territory.

The UN Secretariat, the office of the secretary-general, and the new special envoy for Western Sahara, former German President Horst Kohler, now must work rapidly on creating a mechanism for face-to-face time-bound talks. The progress report that they deliver to the Security Council in six months should establish what that mechanism will be, as well as a timetable for negotiations; it should not just be a record of exploratory efforts.

In the meantime, we in the Polisario Front will continue to work toward securing the rights of the Saharawi people. Whereas other countries often fold to Moroccan pressure, for fear of harming trade deals or cooperation over security and migration, the law has proved to be a reliable ally for the people of Western Sahara. It has been particularly effective in pushing back against Moroccos continued illegal exploitation of natural resources. This is why we have often turned to the courts when the political process has failed us.

Last December, the European Court of Justice joined the ICJ in stating unequivocally that Morocco has no sovereignty over Western Sahara  a move that could pose a significant challenge to Moroccos relationship with the European Union. That judgment states clearly that any agreement pertaining to Western Saharas natural resources requires the consent of the Saharawi people, who are represented by the Polisario Front, as General Assembly Resolution 34/37 established in 1979.

And the EU is not alone. This past May, the Panamanian authorities detained a Canada-bound ship carrying phosphates that had been illegally mined by a state-owned Moroccan company in occupied Western Sahara. And South African authorities stopped a New Zealand-bound ship containing 54,000 tons of phosphate rock from Western Sahara. The high court in Port Elizabeth sent the case to trial to determine ownership, and the Polisario Front won a major victory  and ownership of the cargo  when Morocco announced that it would not contest the case.

The exploitation of Western Saharas natural resources is not only illegal; it also undermines the prospects for a successful political process. We have no intention of abandoning that process. But, if Morocco continues to engage in such activities, we will ensure that its efforts are as costly and cumbersome as possible, both for private companies and state actors. We will fight for our rights in every venue available to us, from national courts to the court of international public opinion.

Over the last four decades, the UN Security Council has repeatedly proved unwilling or unable to bring Morocco to the negotiating table. We, the people of Western Sahara, hope that this time will be different. But, until we know that it is, we will not stand idly by while a hostile occupier tramples on our rights, and pillages our resources. (SPS)

062/090

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/western-sahara-morocco-occupation-by-emhamed-khadad-2017-08
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

STAMFORD  As floodwater from Hurricane Harvey continued to ravage the south Texas coast for a forth day, Americares officials joined with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal at their global distribution center Monday to urge residents for financial support in the wake of the worst weather disaster to hit the country in a decade.

Weve delivered aid already and are committed to staying as long as were needed there, said Michael Nyenhuis, president and CEO of the Stamford-based global relief organization.

Im urging my fellow citizens of Connecticut to support Americares and other relief organizations but also a national effort from the United States government which will take literally billions of dollars, Blumenthal said. We are all Americans in a time of need and should come together in this crisis.

The hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Friday night and has left almost half a million people without power in Houston and other coastal areas, officials said. Six are reported dead, and thousands remain trapped in their homes as the rains continued. The Federal Emergency Management Agency projects the storm will leave 30,000 people in need of emergency shelter, Ingoglia said.

Blumenthal said Congress must set aside partisan issues right away to approve the necessary tens of billions of dollars that will be needed to help Texas residents recover. Legislative wrangling over finding other cuts to offset a big boost to FEMAs $3 billion budget should not slow the decision, he said.

I am going back to Congress to agitate for prompt, full, generous complete investment in the rebuilding effort of the Gulf Coast, Blumenthal said. we should not be sparing any resources, effort or caring in the kind of relief we provide the Gulf Coast in this time of desperate need.

An Americares response team from Stamford arrived in Texas Friday before the storm made landfall with four trucks of bottled water and a shipment of tetanus shots to inoculate first responders and relief workers, Ingoglia said.

On Monday, response team members worked with a clinic to do wellness checks on residents of housing complexes in Sugarland, Texas, where buildings and other infrastructure have been especially devastated, Ingoglia said.

Team members are reporting that some outlying towns and cities of Greater Houston like Refugio, Victoria and Corpus Christi appear to have widespread infrastructure damage, Ingoglia said.

Unfortunately the worst is probably yet to come as rainfall totals are expected to double in some places this week, Ingoglia said.

Americares has established a Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund fund, which can be found at their website at www.americares.org.
STAMFORD  As the school year begins without a state budget, the district may cut more than 20 positions as a last-ditch savings effort before classes start on Thursday.

Superintendent Earl Kim is expected to propose eliminating most paraeducator positions at Stamford public school media centers and eliminating three central office positions at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday.

Its part of the districts response to a $2.2 million cut in state funding reflected in an executive order issued in June by Gov. Dannel Malloy, the former Stamford mayor.

The action, which Kim said the district has been working on for two months, would not leave educators unemployed as the eliminated positions would come either through attrition or the staffers accepted alternative paraeducator positions in the district  including in special education and kindergarten classrooms.

We had two months to prepare, said Kim. What we did in anticipation of that is we didnt fill certain positions knowing that if legislators were unable to reach agreement, we would have to cut back to the governors spending level.

The eliminated positions could save the district some $1.3 million before school starts, and the loss of 23 paraeducator positions is a fraction of the more than 400 employed in city schools, Kim said.

These paras arent losing any salary or benefits, and that was a plus and thats what we sought to do, but we are 23 bodies short, he said.

But as the first day of school looms this week and no approved budget appears on the horizon, Kims best-laid plans may be hard to follow  especially after a second executive order from Malloy this month cut funding to the district by an additional $700,000.

If the district has to absorb the full brunt of the order, which brings total state cuts to almost $3 million, Kim said more devastating mid-year staffing cuts couldnt be ruled out.

Its really bad timing, he said. Mid-year cuts would have to be dramatic, because we would have to pay unemployment benefits  you only save about half the salary you cut. So we would have to overcorrect or seek supplemental appropriations from the city.

Kim remains hopeful that legislators can deliver a more favorable budget, at which time the district could consider re-instating media center employees and central office positions.

Should state funding come through at levels more equal to last year we would restore those positions, he said. That will be part of the resolution considered by the Board of Education.

Board President Geoff Alswanger said he hopes the staffing cuts wont be permanent, but he doesnt see a way forward without them under current conditions.

When we started the summer in June, Im not sure anyone thought it would take this long for a budget to be adopted, Alswanger said. At this point, I cant imagine how were going to get to where we need to be without staffing cuts.

Kim said despite the savings posed by eliminating positions, there is a symbolic cost to losing teaching assistants in Stamford Public Schools libraries.

Media specialists wont be able to spend as much time with students, he said of the librarians that would be left without a support staff.

Almost every school library in the district has one paraeducator, except at Stamford High and Westhill High where there are twoa reflection of larger student populations at those schools, Kim said.

Media specialists will have to pick up clerical work and will lose teaching support as paraeducators often helped with instruction, new technology and helping students check out the right books.

The media specialist is the certified teacher in the media center, Kim said. Its not a complete loss of service because a specialist is still there providing instruction, but still spending more of his or her time on the tasks performed by paraeducators.

The Board of Education meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday on the fifth floor of the Government Center. Proposed staffing cuts are expected to come up during the fiscal committee report and budget update.

nnaughton@stamfordadvocate.com; @noranaughton
Entrepreneur has an affiliate partnership with Hurdlr so we may get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

You cant read the business section these days without coming across an article on the "disruption economy." Chief among these disruptors is Airbnb, which since 2008 has upended the traditional hotel and vacation rental industries.

Its not without merit -- in the five-year period between 2010 and 2015, Airbnb guests during peak summer travel increased by an astonishing 35,300 percent. Tens of millions of people use Airbnbs platform each year and the average host makes more than $500 a month to supplement their income. With those numbers, its logical that traditional competitors like hotels and vacation booking platforms would see a drop in business.

Its surprising then, that two companies that pre-date Airbnb and are competing in the same travel and vacation rental space are not only surviving, but thriving. HomeAway, the Austin-based vacation rental platform that also owns brands such as VRBO, recently reported 50 percent quarter-over-quarter revenue growth. And TripAdvisor, which entered the vacation rental space in 2008 by acquiring FlipKey, has seen listings numbers explode from 50,000 to 830,000.

We spoke with executives at both HomeAway and TripAdvisor to find out how theyve managed impressive growth despite competition from disruptors like Airbnb. Their answers were strikingly similar: focus on your core competencies and build meaningful relationships with customers.

Its a lesson all business owners can take value from, regardless of your industry. Read on to learn more.

Ben Drew, Vice President of Business Development at TripAdvisor Rentals

Hurdlr: How do TripAdvisors vacation rental brands like FlipKey offer a superior value prop to Airbnb?

Were a platform like no other; our travelers get the insider knowledge of our homeowners, combined with the collective wisdom of our 500 million+ travel reviews. Were the only place a traveler can find their rental and then go on to book themselves into the top-ranked restaurants, tours and attractions in their chosen destination, as decided by of hundreds of millions of TripAdvisor travelers all over the world.

We have the unique ability to serve every traveler on every trip, and the planning experience we provide is holistic. Take, for instance, a traveler going to Sydney. Whether that traveler is looking for a private room, a three-bedroom house, a boutique hotel or a large chain, theyre going to find and book that property through us, and then finish planning their itinerary on our attractions and tours, restaurants and flights pages.

Were always improving our platform to stay at the top of the industry. Its been hard in the past to find and book rentals and were making that easier and easier. Were constantly growing our supply of homes to keep up with demand, were making it increasingly easier to search our 830,000 properties to surface the best matches, and we provide safe, reliable and protected payment methods.

Every section of our business -- hotels, attractions, restaurants and rentals -- is fundamental to our raison d'etre: to help travelers have amazing travel experiences.

Arrabelle Chalet Penthouse in Vail, Colorado. $4,650 per night via TripAdvisor

Jordan Hoefar, Communications Manager at HomeAway

Hurdlr: Whats the difference between brands like VRBO and other brands in HomeAways portfolio? Do you see an established name like VRBO competing directly with Airbnb? Why or why not?

HomeAway and our other brands are very similar; the difference is that VRBO, for example, has great brand awareness since they were one of the original vacation rental websites on the internet. VRBO was our biggest competitor until we acquired them in 2006, and at the time was the biggest rent-by-owner online platform.

HomeAway brands target a specific group of traveler, so in a lot of aspects we dont see ourselves competing directly with Airbnb. All of our brands are focused on listing owners second homes and vacation rentals as opposed to urban destinations. We primarily appeal to families and big groups looking to go on vacation rather than solo or business travelers.

Why should a family book their vacation on HomeAway rather than Airbnb?

HomeAways brands like VRBO focus on entire spaces rather than single rooms or couches. We have listings in all the top mountain and beach destinations, and in that regard, were superior to, say, Airbnb or Booking.com. HomeAway is, quite simply, the premier destination for family and groups going on vacation.

When you do the math, its also very affordable to rent an entire home compared to multiple hotel rooms. Whether you have a large family, multiple families, or a big group, the price per person per night drops very quickly. With a HomeAway listing, guests get their own beds, bathrooms and kitchens, which isnt usually the case with a hotel or single room off Airbnb. When guests can cook their own dinner rather than going out to eat, for instance, theyre saving a lot of money, so theres hidden value upside to renting a home.

A lot of vacation rentals on, say, VRBO are owned by people who have been renting their property for 15 or 20 years. Theyre professionals trying to create a great hospitality experience -- theyre not trying to be your friend.

Waterfront Estate in the Hamptons, New York. $7,000 per night via HomeAway

HomeAways fee to list properties is $399 per year or 8 percent per booking. Airbnb charges hosts roughly 3 percent of the booking price. What more do listers get at 8 percent vs. 3 percent or are you specifically targeting the vacation property owners at $399 per year?

HomeAway has two primary types of listers: individuals and small businesses that manage properties. Individuals are typically couples that bought a beach house or ski cabin as an investment, so they intend to rent their properties for most of the year. The average owner makes about $30,000 per year renting out their property for just 18 weeks, so the annual subscription makes a lot of sense.

We introduced the pay-per-listing option for our enterprise clients -- the property management companies -- rather than individual hosts, since an annual subscription of $150,000 for example was cash-flow prohibitive. Paying per listing allows property management companies to market their properties to millions of potential guests on HomeAways platform but requires no upfront costs. Its a win-win.

For all of our hosts we offer 24/7 support should they need it. Hosts also get access to our advanced insights dashboard which empower them to better manage their business. Were focused on investing in these tools to make them even better going forward.

Noonas Mansion in Key West, Florida. $1,766 per night via HomeAway

How do you encourage HomeAway hosts to stay loyal and not double list on multiple platforms? Do you help hosts increase their profitability through features like smart pricing recommendations, professional photography, or add-ons like tax collection, cleaning, and expense tracking?

Each year HomeAway hosts an annual owners conference with property managers. This gives us the unique opportunity to get feedback directly from hosts, share the latest industry trends and help owners network with each other.

In addition to the current insights we provide to property owners we have a lot of exciting future initiatives in the pipeline. Overall were trying to simplify the user experience. We just introduced something called the Activity Feed, which helps owners understand what actions they could be taking to maximize their revenue, like adding the optimal amount of listing pictures, property summary, and what similar competitors did differently that got them booked.

HomeAway also identifies "best of breed" partners for services like tax, accounting, insurance and cleaning that hosts need to run their vacation rental business. This makes it easy to find highly-recommended local businesses through HomeAway. However HomeAways bread and butter will always be creating the biggest and best listing marketplace for vacation rentals.

Disclosure: This is brought to you by the Entrepreneur Partner Studio. Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you'll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

Related:

How Two 'Old School' Travel Platforms are Beating Airbnb

This Ticketing Company is Banking on India's Hi-tech Travellers

With This Franchise, You Can Work From Home or Even on a Cruise Ship



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


In this series, The Fix, Entrepreneur Associate Editor Lydia Belanger shares her conversations with founders and executives whose solutions to inefficiencies can inspire others to find new ways to save themselves time, money or hassle.

Traditionally, plans for brick-and-mortar stores are developed through physical prototyping. But when prototypes aren't right, need to be revised or they're no longer needed, they're often thrown away or their materials are recycled. It not only costs money and takes time to have them built, but it's also not efficient from a resource standpoint.

TreeHouse used to operate this way a couple of years ago. The home-upgrade retailer, which positions its offerings as "healthy and sustainable" alternatives to those found at Home Depot and Lowe's, treated its first store, located in Austin, Texas, like a "petri dish," says TreeHouse's vice president of creative and design, Aaron Moulton. They'd use it to run pilots of store displays, and then a week later, the display would be tossed.

Image credit: Andrea Calo

Related: How Retailers Are Thriving Despite the Supposed Death of Their Industry

"That went on for about two months, and we went, this is kind of ridiculous, this feels like we're doing something wrong that's against the soul of the business," Moulton says of all the waste.

So, they decided to change up the approach to developing stores.

The fix

The executive team had been reading about the implications of virtual reality for retail store design. The idea behind it was to incorporate virtual reality to eliminate physical prototypes. Eventually they thought, why not just try it?

They knew very little about the technology or where to start, but they understood that they would need software to help with modeling architectural interiors, as well as hardware, meaning VR headsets. They also knew they'd need to somehow translate models into VR.

It was around this time that Moulton attended the Dwell on Design interior design conference and met some of the team from architectural VR software startup IrisVR. Their platform was exactly what TreeHouse had been looking for in a VR player. It hadn't launched publicly yet, so TreeHouse got a private beta. The platform allowed TreeHouse to drag its architectural model into VR directly, Moulton says -- in less than five minutes. It was super simple, and didn't require Treehouse to hire a VR designer, which obviously saved the company money.

Related: 8 Industries Being Disrupted by Virtual Reality

The results

TreeHouse was gearing up to build its second store in Dallas, and the company created a virtual-reality model prior to construction. This allowed them to virtually walk through the new store before it physically existed, test out various design elements and identify flaws.

Watching the Chairman of our Board Garrett Boone experience Treehouse #2 in virtual reality. In no time at all he was walking around the space, pointing and gesturing. This oculus rift has opened up so many possibilities for us and may have already saved us tens of thousands of dollars. #oculus #oculusrift #vrstoredesign #vrretail A post shared by Aaron Moulton (@moltenmoulton) on Jun 16, 2016 at 10:38pm PDT

For instance, during this process, TreeHouse revised plans for a staircase to the mezzanine level. The originally plan was a dense steel and wood structure, meant to evoke the interior of a tree. By using VR, the company found it blocked windows, darkened the store's core and impeded the natural daylight that illuminates the space and minimizes electricity use.

Today, the walls that surround the staircase are made up of vertical wooden slats, spaced apart to let in light. The company estimates it saved $50,000 building a simpler structure, as well as another $20,000 or $30,000 removing some unnecessary walls elsewhere in the store that made the space feel too enclosed.

Image credit: Andrea Calo

TreeHouse is currently planning a third store in Plano, Texas, and while plans aren't finalized, the goal is 50 stores within the next 10 to 20 years. Moulton says that the company plans to model all of its future stores in VR, and believes by doing so, the company will save tens of thousands of dollars a year now that it won't have to hire teams to build prototypes. Also, CEO Jason Ballard won't have to travel to different cities to tweak displays, further minimizing the company's carbon footprint.

Related: What KFC's Goofy VR Escape Room Taught Me About the Power of Storytelling in Communication

Another advantage of VR modeling allows is customer feedback. Pre-VR, TreeHouse couldn't have expected regular customers to join them in their conference room and mark up blueprints. But to date, the company has pulled three people from the store floor and invited each of them to don a headset and share their thoughts on planned store displays. Going forward, this one-on-one interview approach will give TreeHouse direct insights into how its customers think and shop.

Image credit: Kirsten Kaiser

"VR creates a way to consume spaces that is extremely democratic," Moulton says. "When looking at architectural plans, only a select few can interpret them in their mind's eye. VR allows anyone to step into the space and have an opinion."

Another take

For companies considering implementing VR for this purpose, it should be noted that "to keep things truly scaled, you're going to have to invest in a 3-D model of the environment and its elements," says Brian Dyches, director of Rex Retail and CorbisStudio, which has a division focused on creating VR visualizations for businesses. "Once you have those elements modeled, you still have to do some trickery to get them into the VR environment."

TreeHouse used IrisVR to circumvent this challenge, but different companies have different approaches to creating their visualizations. Despite the learning curve and implementation challenges, Dyches believes VR is becoming instrumental in helping companies cut costs and attract talent.

Related: Rent the Runway's New Store Is Set Up to Be Your 'Dream Closet'

"In my own experience in designing store environments, the attitude was just 10 years ago was, we'll spend $600, $700 a square foot. People are still willing to spend it, but they are extremely afraid of making a mistake," Dyches says, noting the fear mindset from Great Recession still remains in today's employees. "I think that's where VR is a compelling part of the toolset, because it's going to help you refine and lessen that error."

Plus, in order to recruit and retain top talent, brands have to embrace technology.

"Whether it be on their tablet device or in a gaming environment, photorealism and the ability to be in a truly immersive environment is just what today's consumers expect," Dyches says, explaining that VR experiences are already beginning to involve human senses other than sight to test music, floor texture and more. "As brands recruit new and younger, more technology-savvy personnel, they're giving that generation more aggressive tools that are not only going to keep their interest, but allow them to be more refined in how they execute at the store level."

Related:

How VR Helps This Company Save Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars While Sticking to Its Mission

How 'Gaming' the System Helped This Business Get Thousands More Customers

When This Company Stopped Selling Directly, Its Customer Base Increased by 700 Percent



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


Two of President Donald Trump's highest-ranking Cabinet officials just took a giant step backward from their boss, raising the question of whether Trump's inner circle is seriously considering abandoning him.

In separate, jaw-dropping comments that made news over the weekend, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to distance themselves from the president on his response to the Charlottesville, Virginia, violence and, perhaps, in general.

In a video that surfaced on Facebook over the weekend of Mattis speaking to troops stationed abroad last week, he urged them to "hold the line" and promised the country would "get the power of inspiration back."

"Our country right now, it's got problems we don't have in the military . . . You just hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other and showing it."

"The power of inspiration - we'll get the power of inspiration back," he later said. It's not clear whom Mattis was speaking to, but he traveled to Jordan, Turkey and Ukraine last week and met with troops stationed there.

Mattis never came out and said: "Your commander in chief is fomenting divisions in this country that the military must rise above," but it was as close as this disciplined, apolitical former Marine general was going to get.

By the end of the week - as a devastating hurricane was making landfall in Texas - Trump ordered Mattis to ban transgender recruits from the military. Trump was following up on a promise he made suddenly, without Mattis's awareness, on Twitter in July.

It's not clear Mattis knew his comments were being recorded, apparently by someone in the audience, but it also doesn't look like he intended to keep his distaste for the tenor of respect in the country right now secret. Why else would he say something that could remotely be considered a criticism of the commander in chief anywhere in public?

Tillerson's rebuke of Trump was even more direct. In an interview Sunday with Fox News's Chris Wallace, Tillerson was asked if Trump's "both sides" comment in the wake of racially charged Charlottesville violence speaks for American values.

"The president speaks for himself," Tillerson said flatly.

"Are you separating yourself from the president?" a stunned Wallace followed up.

"I've made my own comment as to our values," Tillerson said. Earlier in the show, he had said: "We express America's values from the State Department - our commitment to freedom, our commitment to equal treatment of people the world over," adding, "And that message has never changed."

This is big news. These aren't GOP members of Congress distancing themselves from a president they've secretly always disliked. These are two of the highest-ranking officials in government - who both agreed to be conduits for Trump's policies and presidency - publicly disagreeing with their boss on whether America is going in the right direction.

They are not the only Trump advisers struggling to stand by him after Charlottesville. Trump's chief economic adviser, Gary Cohn, all but told the Financial Times in an interview last week that the president should have handled Charlottesville better:

"This administration can and must do better in consistently and unequivocally condemning these groups and do everything we can to heal the deep divisions that exist in our communities," Cohn said.

After Charlottesville, Cohn was "mortified" at Trump's comments, The Washington Post reported, and it was an open question if he'd stay on.

Now, can you disagree with your boss on some things and still work with him on others? Sure. Mattis, Tillerson and Cohn wouldn't be the first or last presidential advisers in that position.

But it's also rare for so many advisers to speak out so publicly against their boss, and in such stark terms, on matters of such magnitude.

We aren't talking about policy disagreements or personnel food rights. We're talking about whether some of Trump's highest-ranking staff agree with him on the most fundamental questions: What are American values? And does the president represent them?

At least three of Trump's top officials are struggling to answer that. And from there it's an easy question to ask whether they are or have considering ditching this president altogether.
As state officials roll out the red carpet for Foxconn and the thousands of jobs the Taiwanese electronics manufacturer promises to create in Wisconsin, a Madison theater group is telling a markedly different story about working conditions at one of the companys Chinese plants.

Left of Left Centers adaptation of Mike Daiseys penetrating but partially fabricated account of his travels to a Foxconn factory in Shenzhen, China, acknowledges the flaws in Daiseys original 2011 monologue, The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple.

But Director Jake Penner and actor Jason Compton said the show, which opens Thursday at Madisons Bartell Theatre, still speaks to the responsibilities that companies, co-workers and consumers have to one another.

Penner said he has wanted to put on the show for years but never found the right time to do so until now. Even after a National Public Radio program retracted a story it did about Daisey after learning part of his monologue had been made up, Penner said it still felt important enough to warrant a production.

Then, during auditions earlier this summer, Compton performed a piece of Agony and Ecstasy, which reminded Penner of his appreciation for the show.

The added context of the major manufacturer coming to Wisconsin finally prompted the production.

Some performances of the piece, which also recounts the history of Apple, focus on Jobs or Daisey. Left of Left Center is doing neither, instead portraying the main character as someone who has traveled to China and seen the things that Daisey said he saw.

This show will be from a different perspective  a theatrical context  and a more personalized view of the institution, Penner said.

Daiseys story began to unravel after it was featured in a January 2012 episode of NPRs This American Life. After the show aired, Rob Schmitz, a reporter for the NPR business program Marketplace, looked into some of Daiseys assertions.

Schmitz located Daiseys translator, a woman identified in the monologue only as Cathy from Shenzhen, who said some of the stories Daisey told were false, including a part about Foxconn factory guards carrying guns.

This American Life retracted the piece in March 2012.

As best as we can tell, Mikes monologue in reality is a mix of things that actually happened when he visited China and things that he just heard about or researched, which he then pretends that he witnessed firsthand, host Ira Glass said in the retraction.

Daisey described the updated version of his script as the ethical monologue, saying it leaves out the parts that were invented when the production was first presented in 2011.

But he said current reports about the plant still show that improper working conditions are not a debate.

Results of a 2016 investigation published in May by China Labor Watch, which advocates for Chinese workers, found employees were still subject to excessive working hours and overtime and lagging income growth.

The groups founder, Li Qiang, said the minimum salary at Foxconn had increased between 2009 and 2012, but that since then there had been no significant salary changes.

In a statement to the Wisconsin State Journal, Foxconn Technology Group said the company is dedicated to a proactive approach towards continuously enhancing the positive working environment for our employees and safeguarding their rights.

It also referred to Daiseys allegations as unfounded after details about the falsified parts of his monologue came out in 2012.

Still value in the end

Daisey defended his piece, saying it forces audiences to think about the complexities of the advancing technological world.

There is nothing debatable about the ways our devices are made, he said. Its unpleasant to contemplate it. We go out of our way to erase it from our minds.

Penner said he felt the monologue was worth sharing. Even though aspects of the argument were not 100 percent true, there is still value in the conclusion about the responsibility people feel to the other people, he said.

From Comptons perspective, Daiseys revised script reiterates the doubt the monologist faced after the public found out that some of the original text wasnt true.

When, as the monologue reaches its climax and he indicts not just himself but his entire audience in a shared lie, hes definitely not just talking just to the audience in that room, he said. Hes talking about the differences in degrees, severity and importance of certain lies of self-deception and mass-deception.

Within the script itself Daisey even goes so far as to tell the audience I am, after all, a noted fabulist. Perhaps none of this is true.
On Saturday, volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County handed out 3,000 backpacks to needy kids on Madisons Southwest Side. Now, the group is organizing an effort to deliver much-needed supplies to victims of flooding in Texas.

Boys & Girls Club CEO Michael Johnson and Anthony Cooper Sr., executive director of the Focused Interruption Coalition, are seeking donations by Thursday of cleaning supplies and hygiene products, including toiletries, diapers, personal hygiene, deodorant, large garbage bags, shampoo and soap.

They and other volunteers plan to drive the items the 1,200 miles to Austin, Texas, where Boys & Girls Clubs from all over the country are heading to aid in the relief effort.

We are optimistic the community will step up, Johnson said.

The comparatively compact cleaning and hygiene products are whats most urgently in need right now, Johnson said. Relief organizers are asking that items such as food, furniture, dishes and clothes not be donated for this effort.

Donated supplies may be taken to the clubs development office at 1818 W. Beltline, near Culvers. Donations will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Thursday.

Money is good too, and Johnson said the club will deliver a check for 100 percent of the money raised here (minus online fees) to the Austin Boys & Girls Club, which is coordinating the flood relief effort for the approximately 25 clubs in Wisconsin and 100 clubs around the country helping out.

We will cut a check to the people of Texas from the people of Wisconsin, Johnson said.

To make a contribution, visit bgcdc.org/get-involved/donate.

About 10 to 15 volunteers are expected to travel to Texas with Johnson and Cooper. They hope to fill one semi-trailer and several rental trucks.

If conditions are safe, we will travel to Houston and visit local shelters, day care centers and homes, and offer support to families in need, Johnson said.

Johnson also is working with his alma mater, Chicago State University, to possibly bring back some displaced residents from Texas who would be able to live at the school.

This trip to Texas is nothing new for the volunteers from the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County.

The organization brought 50,000 gallons of bottled water to Flint, Michigan, when the citys water supply was tainted, and six semi-trailer loads of supplies to Joplin, Missouri, and Oklahoma City when tornadoes ravaged those communities.
A Cambridge man who was found dead in a Deerfield apartment Saturday morning was identified Monday as Nathan Priewe, the Dane County Medical Examiners Office said.

Priewe, 28, was found in an apartment on the 100 block of Washburn Road around 8:30 a.m. An autopsy determined he died from homicidal blunt force injuries, according to the medical examiners office.

The Dane County Sheriffs Office identified a person of interest in the homicide as 27-year-old Cody J. Bauer, of Deerfield, who has been in custody since Saturday.

An online court record from 2014 lists Bauer as having lived in an apartment building on the same block where Priewes body was found.

Bauer was taken to the Dane County Jail on a probation hold.

Priewe was at Kurts Never Inn, 26 N. Main St., Deerfield, when he got into a physical altercation with another man either late Friday night or early Saturday morning, according to the Sheriffs Office.

The Sheriffs Office could not confirm whether the man Priewe fought with was Bauer.

Several witnesses have come forward to provide information, the Sheriffs Office said, but anyone else with knowledge of what happened is encouraged to call a tip line at 608-284-6900.
Blog Archive Apr 2010 (22) May 2010 (25) Jun 2010 (8) Jul 2010 (12) Aug 2010 (18) Sep 2010 (19) Oct 2010 (29) Nov 2010 (30) Dec 2010 (18) Jan 2011 (13) Feb 2011 (21) Mar 2011 (23) Apr 2011 (19) May 2011 (31) Jun 2011 (36) Jul 2011 (46) Aug 2011 (26) Sep 2011 (12) Oct 2011 (15) Nov 2011 (17) Dec 2011 (7) Jan 2012 (18) Feb 2012 (4) Mar 2012 (12) Apr 2012 (18) May 2012 (10) Jun 2012 (21) Jul 2012 (8) Aug 2012 (15) Sep 2012 (7) Oct 2012 (17) Nov 2012 (20) Dec 2012 (10) Jan 2013 (58) Feb 2013 (59) Mar 2013 (60) Apr 2013 (98) May 2013 (134) Jun 2013 (204) Jul 2013 (293) Aug 2013 (351) Sep 2013 (363) Oct 2013 (347) Nov 2013 (374) Dec 2013 (440) Jan 2014 (544) Feb 2014 (475) Mar 2014 (525) Apr 2014 (527) May 2014 (470) Jun 2014 (408) Jul 2014 (472) Aug 2014 (522) Sep 2014 (441) Oct 2014 (471) Nov 2014 (496) Dec 2014 (535) Jan 2015 (535) Feb 2015 (520) Mar 2015 (579) Apr 2015 (657) May 2015 (679) Jun 2015 (673) Jul 2015 (728) Aug 2015 (803) Sep 2015 (923) Oct 2015 (921) Nov 2015 (801) Dec 2015 (791) Jan 2016 (782) Feb 2016 (835) Mar 2016 (929) Apr 2016 (864) May 2016 (946) Jun 2016 (1044) Jul 2016 (882) Aug 2016 (1035) Sep 2016 (966) Oct 2016 (918) Nov 2016 (854) Dec 2016 (885) Jan 2017 (879) Feb 2017 (777) Mar 2017 (896) Apr 2017 (872) May 2017 (850) Jun 2017 (851) Jul 2017 (971) Aug 2017 (1040) Sep 2017 (998) Oct 2017 (1144) Nov 2017 (1046) Dec 2017 (838) Jan 2018 (873) Feb 2018 (769) Mar 2018 (885) Apr 2018 (808) May 2018 (827) Jun 2018 (820) Jul 2018 (840) Aug 2018 (854) Sep 2018 (844) Oct 2018 (851) Nov 2018 (870) Dec 2018 (912) Jan 2019 (919) Feb 2019 (827) Mar 2019 (957) Apr 2019 (913) May 2019 (1007) Jun 2019 (934) Jul 2019 (949) Aug 2019 (936) Sep 2019 (910) Oct 2019 (920) Nov 2019 (874) Dec 2019 (908) Jan 2020 (941) Feb 2020 (848) Mar 2020 (898) Apr 2020 (848) May 2020 (822) Jun 2020 (787) Jul 2020 (819) Aug 2020 (858) Sep 2020 (841) Oct 2020 (873) Nov 2020 (811) Dec 2020 (780) Jan 2021 (765) Feb 2021 (716) Mar 2021 (819) Apr 2021 (805) May 2021 (815) Jun 2021 (824) Jul 2021 (830) Aug 2021 (832) Sep 2021 (791) Oct 2021 (754) Nov 2021 (683) Dec 2021 (693) Jan 2022 (694) Feb 2022 (654) Mar 2022 (740) Apr 2022 (745) May 2022 (748) Jun 2022 (701) Jul 2022 (704) Aug 2022 (702) Sep 2022 (699) Oct 2022 (737) Nov 2022 (302)
The Cantacuzino Institute is of strategic importance, as it regards national security; it needs 25 million euros a year, and it will produce vaccines in about two years' time, Defence Minister and head of the parliamentary Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Oversight Committee Adrian Tutuianu said Monday. "We have not taken over yet [the institute]. As regards the Cantacuzino Institute, I was given the task at a government meeting - of course I had a preliminary discussion with the prime minister on this matter - to set up a working group at the MApN [National Defence Ministry] to evaluate the situation at the institute - to conduct due diligence in very specific financial terms, a legal due diligence - we have asked to determine under what conditions we can produce vaccines and carry out other scientific activities at the institute and what the minimum necessary allocation would be. The group is working with representatives of the Ministry of Healthcare and with the management of the Cantacuzino Institute. I have 10 days to submit my draft piece of legislation and an update on the institute," Tutuianu said at Parliament Palace.

According to the minister, the institute will keep its legal personality, but it will probably be part of a MApN research department. "I have set a ten-day deadline for them to do this analysis, to propose a draft government emergency ordinance. From a preliminary evaluation, so no definitive figures, we would need about 25 million euros in the first five years of operation. There is a conclusion of my military specialists that we could produce a vaccine in two years' time. We need money to rehabilitate unsuitable spaces, for production line equipment and to prepare for such production. There are many things that need to be prepared to be able to produce a vaccine in two years (...) 25 million euros each year (...) from the national budget as a subsidy. I had a first informal discussion with the minister of research at the end of the week to see if we can attach certain things to the research component. The 25 million euros will be required in addition to the 2 percent of the GDP [Gross Domestic Product] allocated for defence spending," said Tutuianu.

Asked if there will be the money, he said, "We will have it; I think it is a matter of national concern, and 25 million euros per year is not an amount that cannot be provided by a responsible government, because the Cantacuzino Institute is of strategic importance, it even regards national security. When you have no means of protecting your population, it is obviously not a trivial matter, but it regards national security." The minister argued that the Cantacuzino Institute should be switched under the authority of the Ministry of Defense. "He has switched several ministerial authorities; nobody has managed to implement it, to make it operational. There were certain disorder and conflicts there that could not be settled in any way, and then Mr Prime Minister told me that the MApN, as a structure with better defined rules, can ensure the revitalisation of this institute. And, of course, there is also the personal component, because I am a firmer hand and I will be able to establish what has to be established. I can assure you that I will do my job, and if the governance is the way I want, the institute will produce vaccines in two years' time," said Tutuianu.

Agerpres.
Madison Area Technical College will buy the soon-to-be-vacated state office building at Park Street and Badger Road, officials announced Monday, and turn the site on the historically underserved South Side into a new campus.

The South Campus Initiative will house degree programs and neighborhood services for 3,000 students per year when it opens in fall 2019, and as many as 5,500 after a planned expansion in ensuing years.

It will also be the home of a new early college STEM academy run by MATC and the Madison School District in which 200 high school juniors and seniors will attend classes at the campus full-time, earning college and high school credit.

MATC President Jack E. Daniels told a room full of business, community and government leaders Monday that the college plans to buy what is now the Badger Road State Office Building, home of the state Department of Employee Trust Funds. The department, like several other state agencies, is leaving the office and moving to the massive new Hill Farms complex.

Daniels and others have pitched the initiative as a way for the college  which currently operates a smaller South Madison campus serving 1,000 students each year  to address local racial disparities by bringing a fuller slate of services to residents who may have been left out of Madisons booming economy.

Transformation seen

The new campus, Daniels said Monday, will begin to transform the perception of the South Side of Madison from an area of poverty and socio-economic isolation, to a neighborhood that (is) vibrant and progressive.

The impact of todays announcements will be proven by a bottom line that can be measured by its influence on the educational, economic and social vitality of South Madison, Daniels said.

The $12.8 million project will be privately funded, Daniels said, with a $10 million donation from the Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Foundation and $1.3 million from the American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation, plus funding from MATCs private foundation.

The new campus is the second of two major changes to MATCs physical presence in Madison.

The college plans to move out of its Downtown Education Center just off the Capitol Square by the end of 2018 and shift its programs either to the new South Side facility or the North Sides Truax campus. MATC will lease the Downtown site to developers, who plan to build a hotel and office building on the block-sized parcel.

Head start on college

MATCs new partnership with the school district would start as a pilot program during the 2018-19 school year, with 25 students taking classes at the Truax campus.

Once the South Side facility opens, the program would move there and expand to 200 high school juniors and seniors who would spend their entire school day studying at the college, with a focus on science, technology, engineering and math.

The students would come from all of the districts high schools, officials said, and the program would work to involve girls and minority students in disciplines where they have typically been underrepresented.

We know there are enormous opportunities for college and career options in STEM-related fields, Madison schools Superintendent Jen Cheatham said. Our students, especially our female students and students of color, need and deserve access to these opportunities. And  students themselves have consistently pointed to STEM as a top area of interest.

Keith Cornille, the colleges executive vice president of student development and success, said the programs instructors would come from both MATC and the school district.

The district would pay MATC a per-student cost for classes that are taught by the colleges instructors, Cornille said.

Plans for expansion

MATCs plans for the South Side campus call for offering two-year degree programs in a robust range of support services  such as financial aid and advising  to keep students on track, Daniels said.

Officials also want to provide financial literacy programs and English-as-a-second-language courses at the campus, among other services meant to benefit surrounding neighborhoods.

We all need to be bolder, to take more risks, to do better for our young families of color  especially those living here in South Madison, School Board President James Howard said at Mondays announcement of the campus site. This is an example of that kind of action.

This is a chance for us to get it right for children and for families of color, and to give everyone an opportunity to be successful.

The campus will have 38,000 to 44,000 square feet of instructional space when it opens.

A planned second phase of the project would add 30,000 more square feet, which would include additional classrooms and community space, Daniels said.

The college is now fundraising for the second phase, he said, and has heard interest from some potential donors.

Daniels estimated the expansion could be complete by 2021 or 2022.

Skeptics of MATCs plan questioned whether a campus on the South Side would be harder for students who rely on public transportation to reach than the Downtown facility. But Daniels said the sites location  just off the Beltline and across the street from Metro Transits South Transfer Point  was meant to address students transportation needs.

The state is selling the office building, which sits at the southwest corner of the Park and Badger intersection, to developer Smith Gilbane. Daniels said the college will buy the site from Smith Gilbane for $2.8 million.

The college has not yet decided whether it will remodel the sites existing office building or tear it down and construct a facility, Daniels said, but a decision will be announced by the end of this week. The cost of each option is roughly the same, he said.

MATC will need approval from its district board and the state Technical College System board to move forward with the proposal. The district board is set to take up the South Side campus at a meeting next week.
Updated at 1:30 p.m.

DETROIT  Expedia is confirming that CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has been offered the top job at ride-hailing company Uber.

Barry Diller, board chairman of the travel booking site, says in a note to employees Monday that he believes Khosrowshahi intends to take the new post. But Diller says nothing has been finalized.

The employee note was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It was the first official confirmation that Khosrowshahi has been offered the Uber job.

The Associated Press reported Sunday that Uber's board decided on Khosrowshahi. Uber was to make an official statement later Monday after Khosrowshahi met with employees. Khosrowshahi would replace ousted CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick. He will have to change the company's dysfunctional culture and lead it from money loser to turning a profit.

_____________________________

Our earlier story, from the Washington Post, posted at 6:10 a.m.

SAN FRANCISCO  Uber has selected the chief executive of Expedia, Dara Khosrowshahi, as its new leader, a surprising turn after board members considered two other stalwarts of industry, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Sunday.

The move comes after a weekend of frantic meetings with two other final candidates, Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and Jeff Immelt, the departing chief executive of GE. Immelt made it clear the job would not be his in a tweet Sunday. And a divided board shifted between Whitman and Khosrowshahi throughout the weekend, the people said, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private meetings.

Khosrowshahi a Iranian-American who has run Expedia since 2005, was an unexpected and lesser-known choice; his interest in the position was largely kept secret until today. The agreement came together only in the last few days, such that even family members and friends close to Khosrowshahi were surprised by the news.

But within Silicon Valley, Khosrowshahi is well liked and respected. He has presided over a huge expansion of the online travel company to over 60 countries. Khosrowshahi is also a vocal critic of President Trump, particularly his travel ban against Muslim Americans.

People who know him said Khosrowshahi brings two assets to Uber. For one, he is considered even-keeled and low-key  a sharp contrast to Uber's former chief executive and co-founder Travis Kalanick, who has been known to fly into fits of anger. (In one infamous episode that was caught on video earlier this year, Kalanick unloaded onto an Uber driver who criticized the company's wages).

"My whole life, anytime I've faced a high-pressure decision, my model for mature behavior has been, 'what would Dara do'? He's one of the humblest and most even-keeled people I know," said Ali Partovi, an entrepreneur and technology investor, who is Khosrowshahi's second cousin. The two went to primary school together in Iran.

Khosrowshahi's other asset is his skill as a dealmaker in the highly competitive market for online travel. He has expanded Expedia into an even larger online travel conglomerate by acquiring other consumer brands, such as bookings sites Travelocity and Orbitz, and home rental site Homeaway.

That instinct for honing in on competitors in related or similar businesses may serve Uber, which faces brutal competition from rival Lyft as well as other ride-sharing startups in developing countries, and the taxi industry itself, which in some cities have created copycat ride-sharing apps. Uber is already leveraging its network of drivers to expand into trucking and food delivery.Uber is the most highly-valued startup Silicon Valley has produced over the past decade, and it is expected to move toward a massive public stock offering in the coming year or so.

Khosrowshahi will face a company in crisis. He is tasked with transforming the company's culture, while shoring up the company's business in the wake of lawsuits and competition, analysts say. Morale at Uber has plummeted in the wake of eight months of controversy, including reports of widespread discrimination and sexual harassment, lawsuits that threaten the company's future, a leadership vacuum, and the ouster of Kalanick.

The executive search has lasted all summer long and been marred by infighting among board members. After Kalanick was pushed out, he scrambled to find allies who would help him make a comeback, the people with knowledge of the matter said. That led one of the company's largest investors, Benchmark Capital, to sue Kalanick for breach of contract and fraud, arguing in court filings that Kalanick was seeking to entrench himself in the process for his own "selfish ends."

Kalanick fired back in his own legal filings, calling the Benchmark suit a baseless and "personal attack." Meanwhile, the board itself disagreed with the Benchmark suit, releasing a statement signed by all members except Benchmark representative Matt Cohler that it was "disappointed that a disagreement between shareholders" has resulted in litigation.
As Mayor Paul Soglin prepares budget proposals for 2018, City Council members are voicing priorities of public safety, racial equity and opportunity with initiatives including doubling the Affordable Housing Fund to $9 million and creating an Office of Violence Prevention.

Alds. Maurice Cheeks, Matthew Phair, Sara Eskrich and Mark Clear appeared at a press conference Monday to outline those priorities, offer possible actions and announce a series of public listening sessions, with the first two set for Sept. 6 and 9.

These are the sorts of issues were going to be fighting for, Cheeks said, stressing that the priorities are based on constituent concerns, apprehensions and demands amid divisiveness and uncertainty at the state and national levels. Our constituents need local government to work.

The council members did not criticize the mayor.

Soglin offered a cool response, suggesting Cheeks was offering proposals to boost a potential mayoral bid in 2019 and that Cheeks and the others are trying to steal thunder from the mayors formal budget proposals next week and in early October.

My budget will be out over the next months, Soglin said. Im really not going to engage Maurice Cheeks mayoral campaign at this juncture. Hes at a disadvantage because the mayor presents the budget. This is their effort to try and maneuver the politics of the situation.

The priorities and possible initiatives outlined by the council members include:

Public safety

The council has already supported the city application for a federal Department of Justice grant to help fund 15 more police officers. If the grant isnt received, the council members will work with the Police Department to reasonably invest in supporting efforts to address gun violence.

The request could be for more detectives and additional officers for the violent crime unit, Phair said.

Other moves include a new Office of Violence Prevention in the Department of Public Health, which would likely require two employees, either through re- allocation of existing staff or new hires. Also, the city should work with Dane County and others to explore a Restoration Center, which would be an alternative for individuals who otherwise would be arrested or taken to the hospital because of behavior, intoxication and/or mental health problems.

The latter effort, based on a facility in San Antonio, could be funded by local governments, Medicaid, health insurers, private sponsors and other sources, Phair said.

Soglin said the council itself has made it harder to pursue safety initiatives. They come along with all these concepts to spend money on safety after they have loaded the capital budget with police stations and highways, so its going to be very challenging to develop new initiatives, he said.

Equity

Housing costs have reached crisis levels, the alders said in proposing to double capital investments for quality affordable housing from $4.5 million annually to $9 million.

The council members also want to ensure funding for Dane Countys new homeless day resource center; funds to allow paid family leave for city employees; and to bring agencies together while creating community gathering spaces, such as at the Meadowridge library, neighborhood center and commons on the Southwest Side.

Soglin noted that he proposed the affordable housing program, which relies heavily on money from tax-increment financing district closures and federal tax credits, but that the program has limits due to staff capacity and the future of tax credits under the Trump administration.

The mayor said the city cant write a blank check for the day resource center and he has questions about how the county has managed future operating costs. He said he supports bringing agencies together and has worked for months on a library-community center at Reindahl Park.

The city is already looking to boost the minimum wage for its employees to $15 an hour, and has to look at costs of paid family leave and the citys capacity to pay for it, he said.

Opportunity

To ensure economic opportunity, the council members want to prioritize youth mentoring; train people with skills for the new economy; improve access to affordable public transportation; and focus investments on small businesses and entrepreneurs, with an emphasis on women-owned and minority-owned businesses.

Weve got to make sure this is at the forefront of our discussions, Phair said of the priorities.

Earlier this year, Soglin set a goal of a 2 percent increase in city taxes on the average home for 2018. He asked managers for spending proposals with no increases from the $300.3 million 2017 budget, except for full funding of previously approved items, and no supplemental requests.

He also said no new projects  except community-based ones like libraries and neighborhood centers  should be added to the 2018 capital budget or nonbinding, five-year Capital Improvement Plan.

The council will make final budget decisions in early November.
Joe Holleman Joe Holleman is a reporter for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Joe Holleman Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

While Illinois authorities await drug tests before deciding whether former brewery scion August A. Busch IV will be charged with a crime in connection with a startling helicopter incident last month, a lawyer for Busch is trying to quash the release of police reports and videos to the media.

In a letter Aug. 14 to Swansea Police Chief Steven G. Johnson, Busch attorney Maurice Graham contends that releasing certain information to the press would violate Buschs right to privacy.

Specifically, Graham argues that under existing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA, laws the information contained in the report and the video itself which was used to document Mr. Buschs medical condition at the time will contain protected health information (PHI) and cannot be released to the media.

Graham also said such medical information is not available under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.

Grahams letter goes further to argue that even a redacted copy of the investigative report cannot be released to media or any other third parties.

Neither Graham nor Johnson could be reached for comment.

St. Clair County States Attorney Brendan Kelly said Monday that the results of Buschs tests are not yet available, and therefore no action has been taken by his office.

Grahams letter continues to oppose release of the reports, whether or not Busch is charged with any crime.

The incident began shortly after noon July 10, when Busch landed the helicopter at the Bronze Pointe office park off Route 159. Police were called and arrived to find a helicopter that had landed close to buildings and other obstacles.

Authorities returned to the office park about 8 p.m. when witnesses reported Busch, who appeared intoxicated, was trying to leave in the helicopter, according to court documents.

A breath test showed Busch had no alcohol in his system, but police said he failed field sobriety tests, according to court documents. Police then applied for search warrants to obtain blood, urine and other samples.

Swansea police said in court documents that Busch seemed intoxicated, rambling and unable to keep a single train of thought, and that during the field tests, Buschs speech was very mumbled and slurred, court documents say.

While being questioned by Swansea police, Busch told police he has a concealed carry permit in Missouri and had a loaded gun in his pocket. Busch gave police permission to search the helicopter, where they found three more loaded handguns and a pepper spray gun, court documents say.

Several types of prescription drugs also were recovered, the documents noted. Some were prescribed to Busch and others to the woman who was with him, identified in court documents as Dawna M. Wood.

Busch told police he had the drugs to treat his anxiety issues, police said.

Wood is a secondary subject of Grahams letter, which states that police reports will include sensitive and private information regarding Dawna M. Wood (a person not under investigation) ... That would obviously be private health information that would clearly be protected from release under HIPAA.

Busch was held by Swansea police overnight on suspicion of reckless conduct, unlawful use of a weapon and being intoxicated in or about an aircraft. He was released shortly after noon July 11.

Busch, 53, is the former head of Anheuser-Busch Cos. and ran the brewing giant from 2006 until it was bought out two years later.

In the past, Busch has had several high-profile run-ins with police:

In 1984, Busch avoided criminal charges after a car crash in Arizona that killed a 22-year-old woman.

Then in 2010, Buschs girlfriend, Adrienne Martin, died of an accidental drug overdose at Buschs estate in Huntleigh. Two years later, Busch paid $1.75 million to settle a wrongful-death civil suit.
ST. LOUIS  A man from Georgia killed Saturday night in St. Louis had just driven off from a gas station parking lot when someone opened fire on his vehicle, police said.

Darius Rackley, 27, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the shooting, just before 10 p.m. in the 6000 block of North Broadway. Two others in his car had minor injuries.

Rackley was with two other men, 25 and 52, when he left the gas station parking lot, police said. Two cars followed them off the lot. Then someone opened fire, killing Rackley and hurting the others.

Police did not have a good description of the shooters and did not reveal any possible motive.

Rackley lived in Decatur, an Atlanta suburb, according to police.

The killing was one of four fatal shootings in the city over the weekend.
WASHINGTON  The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency met proper federal guidelines in choosing north St. Louis as the site for a new, $945 million western headquarters, a report by the Government Accountability Office says.

The report sides against some Illinois officials who questioned the decision. They wanted the new NGA campus to be built near Scott Air Force Base in St. Clair County.

The GAO report said that while the NGAs own analysis concluded security near Scott would be better than at the north St. Louis site, other factors  including cost, mission efficiency and flexibility, local laws and regulations and environmental impact  all favored St. Louis.

The agencys method of selecting a site for the new NGA West campus substantially met three of the four characteristics of a high-quality, reliable process, said the report, obtained by the Post-Dispatch before its scheduled release Monday. It was signed by Brian Lepore, director of the GAOs defense capabilities and management division.

The report called the decision well-documented, comprehensive, and unbiased.

It partially met the credibility characteristic, in part because it did not fully include information on the risks and sensitivities to cost estimates, the report continued. NGA plans to develop full cost estimates as part of construction, planning, and design.

The report says that the NGA plans to start construction in the summer of 2019, with a design-and-build contract process ending sometime early that year.

The city of St. Louis and the NGA reached a land-acquisition agreement this summer, and Congress is working out early design and construction budgetary plans. President Donald Trump requested an initial $382 million for the facility in the next budget, but Congress is likely to end with a different number.

The bottom line is that the NGA project continues to go forward in St. Louis, despite opposition from Metro East members of Congress. And the GAO report gives further momentum to the process.

The GAO report released today confirms that the NGA, under the leadership of Director Robert Cardillo, completed a high-quality review process in its selection of north St. Louis as the site for the new NGA West headquarters, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said in a statement released by his office.

Missouri is home to more than 3,000 dedicated, highly skilled NGA personnel who, for more than 70 years, have provided critical intelligence and combat support to keep our country safe, Blunt said. The findings in the GAO report provide further momentum for moving this project forward.

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, had suggested last year that Congress could withhold spending for the new facility while it awaited a GAO analysis of the site-selection process. Bosts district includes the site near Scott Air Force Base that the NGA considered.

Bost said last year he believed political pressure from Missouris members of Congress led to the decision to replace the aging facility in St. Louis with a new one at a different site in the city. He and other members of the Illinois congressional delegation had questioned whether the new site in St. Louis met all the security requirements, including 500-foot perimeters, required for the NGA, which is a part of the U.S. defense and cyber-security infrastructure.

But the GAO report says that the criteria and analysis used in selecting St. Louis were sound, and it described an exhaustive process of choosing a new site that began with 186 potential sites in the region. The NGA then narrowed the possible location down to six sites, then winnowed again to ones in Fenton and Mehlville, as well as the Scott site and the eventual one chosen, in north St. Louis.

In the final decision between St. Louis and the site near Scott, Cardillo used six criteria in which to make the decision, the GAO report said. It gave advantages to St. Louis on four of them, with St. Clair getting an advantage on security and a slight advantage in scheduled time of construction.

We are pleased that you find our site evaluation and selection process to be well-documented, comprehensive, and unbiased, wrote Susan R. Pollmann, director of NGAs Campus West management office, in response to the GAO report.
A West Virginia man who was a former contractor in Iraq proposed setting up a meeting with Russians and the Trump campaign last year to discuss their "shared Christian values," raising new questions for investigators to explore as part of their Russia inquiry.

Current and former US intelligence and law enforcement officials, as well as other intelligence experts, say that Russians sought to employ covert tactics to find entry points into the Trump campaign. And more broadly, experts say, Russian intelligence services have sought to court conservative organizations, including religious groups, to build alliances in the United States.

It's unclear whether this attempted meeting amounted to such a tactic, or if it was simply an innocent request.

The Trump campaign appears to have rejected the meeting request -- and seemed to believe it was serious enough to suggest that the matter should be handled by the State Department, CNN has learned.

The West Virginia man, Rick Clay, told CNN Friday that he called one of then-candidate Donald Trump's top aides, Rick Dearborn, to pass along a request from a friend who wanted to set up a meeting with Russians and the Trump campaign.

Clay, 54, said his friend was a devout Christian who had come in contact with Russians through their work in Christian organizations. Clay could not recall the names of the Russians, and he did not disclose the name of his friend who sought the meeting, only saying he lives part of the year in Alaska and part of the year in Pennsylvania.

"The thought was if there was an opportunity there to get two sides together to talk about Christian values, then that's important," Clay said of a Russian meeting with senior-level Trump officials. "That was the gist of it, and it didn't go anywhere."

Dearborn, who is now the White House deputy chief of staff, did not act on the request and told Clay it was "inappropriate," saying such matters needed to go through the "proper channels" of the State Department, according to Clay.

At least one member of Congress was aware that Clay wanted to contact Dearborn about meeting with Russians: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican.

Clay had told Capito about his desire to discuss the Russia matter with the campaign, a Republican source said, and she passed Clay's contact information along to Dearborn because of the role he played as a campaign liaison to GOP senators. The GOP source said that was the extent of Capito's involvement.

"Sen. Capito received a request from a constituent to pass along his contact information to the Trump campaign," a Capito spokesperson confirmed in a statement Thursday evening. "She did so and asked the campaign to follow up."

Clay said that he had been in contact with Dearborn before reaching out to Capito.

The matter burst into public view last week when CNN reported about an email turned over to multiple congressional committees as part of their classified investigations into Russia meddling in the election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

According to sources with direct knowledge of the matter, Dearborn made brief mention in a 2016 email about an individual only identified as "WV," who wanted to connect the campaign with Russian President Vladimir Putin. One source said Dearborn suggested in the email he was skeptical of the meeting request.

Clay told CNN that the meeting request was not with Putin himself but with "lower level" people, though he did not specify whom.

The White House would not comment on or confirm Clay's account, or respond to questions about the Russian contacts with whom Clay was seeking to connect the campaign.

But the President's special counsel, Ty Cobb, told CNN that Dearborn has been "vindicated by the actual facts" and any suggestions that the senior White House aide did anything wrong amounted to "salacious speculation" by the media.

"The relevant congressional committees and special counsel are receiving full cooperation from the White House, and we are respecting their respective processes," said Cobb, who is handling the Russia investigations for the White House.

The Dearborn email was sent in June 2016, right around the time that Donald Trump Jr., Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner as well as then-campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, had privately met with Russians at Trump Tower after the younger Trump was promised dirt on the Clinton campaign and was informed of the Russian government's desire to aid his father's campaign.

Other Trump campaign officials also had contacts with other Russians during the campaign season and transition period, and campaign adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly tried to set up meetings between high-level Trump officials and the upper ranks of the Russian leadership, CNN and The Washington Post have reported. The campaign did not act on Papadopoulos' request, a source told CNN.

The Dearborn email raised questions among intelligence officials about whether the requested meeting was part of an overall pattern of Russians trying to find new ways into the campaign.

Asked if he viewed this requested meeting as a Russian intelligence operation, Clay was skeptical but wasn't sure.

"I mean you never know about that," said Clay, who worked as a contractor during the Iraq war and was severely injured there. "I mean how can anybody ever know about that? You kind of look at people you know -- when you meet Russians and people come from other countries, and I travel all over the world. You try to trust them, and if you are dealing with someone from the government, or the Russian government or from another form of government, you got to be careful because you never know."

Clay added: "I think you would be stretching it to say it was an intelligence effort to infiltrate the Trump administration. I think you're stretching that. But, you never know."

Experts in Russian covert activity say that Russians have sought to build ties with conservative groups and religious organizations as part of an effort to build alliances with the United States.

Steve Hall, a retired CIA chief of Russian operations, said Russians have tried to "use right-wing religious parts of the American right to find common ground with Russian orthodoxy."

Hall said there has been a "long and torrid history" of cooperation of the Russian intelligence services and Russian religious institutions.

"The (Russian) church has always been willing to act as an enabler either by the intelligence services or the Kremlin itself," said Hall, who is also a CNN national security analyst.

Some of the Russian outreach focuses on gun rights and Christian causes -- bread-and-butter issues for American conservatives, but not a major part of Russia's political landscape.

Hall said the goal of the Russian intelligence services is to "focus on how are we going to penetrate the American political system."

But Clay said that it never crossed his mind such a meeting request was a Russian intelligence operation, saying he believed it was just an effort to bring both sides together to discuss shared Christian values.

"The context of the thing is this was before even the Russian collusion thing was even talked about," Clay said.

CNN's Marshall Cohen contributed to this report.
Republican lawmakers writing the next state budget voted Monday to include a $639 million funding increase for Wisconsin schools  about $10 million less than the record amount Gov. Scott Walker proposed earlier this year.

The budget-writing committee also increased the household income limits for participation in the statewide private voucher school program.

The 2017-19 spending plan also sets up a timeline for a potential turnaround program for the Racine School District and limits the number of times a school district can ask voters to raise property taxes to pay for building projects and school operations.

The GOP plan allows school districts that spend less per student than the average to raise their property taxes, eliminates expiration dates for teacher and school administrator licenses and gives about $9 million to public and private schools to buy computers for ninth-graders.

Despite the increase in funding, which Democrats have long called for after years of cuts or no increase in state funding for schools, the proposals drew the ire of Democrats on the budget committee over the voucher provision, expansion of independent charter schools and the addition of state money for services at private schools.

How is it that we can continue to divert money to private schools? said Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh.

But Rep. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, said the Republican plan aims to allow parents, regardless of their household income, provide the best choice of school for their children.

Overall, Walker proposed $11.5 billion for schools, including the $649 million increase.

A spokesman for budget committee co-chairwoman Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, said the Joint Finance Committee reduced the increase to $639 million because of reductions to funding proposed by Walker for rural school districts and for schools in the Milwaukee School District that meet academic achievement goals.

Walker in a statement thanked the committee for its actions after the package was approved 12-4, with all Republicans voting for and all Democrats voting against.

Officials supportive

School district administrators and board members have hailed the thrust of the governors budget proposal: a provision that would increase the $250 school districts currently receive per student by $200 in the 2017-18 school year and another $204 in the 2018-19 school year.

The per-pupil amount is delivered to schools regardless of how much the districts get in other forms of state aid or can raise from local taxpayers. The bulk of state aid is determined by a complex formula that takes into account student population, the wealth of a school district and numerous other factors.

However, school officials also are starting the next school year without knowing for sure what type of state aid increase they might see because lawmakers are so late in passing a budget, which was due July 1.

Darling said lawmakers in the Assembly and Senate will vote on the full budget during the week of Sept. 14.

The plan

The Republican-authored plan eliminates a provision in Walkers proposal that ties new school funding to whether a districts staff pays at least 12 percent of their health care costs. Instead, lawmakers have proposed to require districts to submit a report on their health care plans to the state Department of Administration, which will forward the reports to the budget committee.

About $18 million in funding for rural schools proposed by Walker was eliminated in the GOP plan, as well as about $3.4 million for the Milwaukee School District.

Meanwhile, the proposal requires school districts to call for any referendum during a regularly scheduled election and only twice a year. School districts also would be prohibited in 2018 from exceeding their state-imposed limits on raising revenue to pay for energy efficiency projects. Walker had proposed eliminating the revenue limit exemption altogether.

The plan also allows school districts that spend less than $10,000 per student because of those state-imposed caps to raise property taxes to increase their per-student spending to $9,800 by 2022. School districts also would get $1.6 million over two years to help pay for special education services that are more costly than others.

Income limits

The committee also voted to raise the income limits for the statewide private voucher program to 220 percent of the federal poverty level. Under the new limits, a family of four with a combined income of $53,826 would be eligible to receive a voucher.

Currently, the program is limited to families who earn a combined income of 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or $45,263 for a family of four. The voucher program aims to provide taxpayer-funded vouchers to students to attend a private school in areas outside of Milwaukee and Racine.

Currently, school districts state funding is reduced by each student that leaves the district schools for a private voucher school. The districts are able to count that student when reporting enrollment figures to determine state funding, however.

The GOP plan also eliminates some enrollment rules for the states voucher programs, which limit enrollment to students in certain grades and authorizes a state charter school office to create charter schools statewide without the approval of local school boards. Currently, the office is limited to creating the schools in Madison and Milwaukee.
Houston faces a flooding crisis of proportions that emergency response officials say theyve never seen. The nations fourth-largest city will spend months recovering and rebuilding. President Donald Trump will get a first-hand view of the devastation during a trip there on Tuesday.

As bad as the situation is right now, it promises to get even worse once flood waters subside and hundreds of thousands return to find their soggy home interiors caked with putrid muck. Anyone in Texas who has experienced weather disasters knows that the recovery effort is one where immigrant labor plays an essential role.

Trumps visit will provide interesting contrasts. Last week, he threatened to shut down the government if funding for a border wall isnt included in the spending package that Congress must approve by Sept. 30. Trumps threat would mean the federal aid spigot for Houston could be turned off in the middle of the recovery effort. That would anger even hardline Texas Republicans.

Trump feels so strongly about his immigration crackdown that, just as Hurricane Harvey was making landfall last Friday, he pardoned former Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Arpaio gained national infamy by defying federal court orders and rounding up Latinos simply because they looked like they might be undocumented migrants.

Trump also has threatened that if Congress doesnt back his immigration crackdown, he might remove deportation restrictions against Dreamers, the undocumented youths who were brought to the United States as children.

Houston has the third-largest population of undocumented immigrants in the country, according to the Pew Research Center. It is now ranked as the nations most diverse city. Latinos by far eclipse whites and blacks as the plurality population. In June, Houston city leaders voted to join a lawsuit that seeks to block a Texas law cracking down on sanctuary cities that harbor undocumented immigrants.

Go to any construction site in Houston, and the language being spoken will be Spanish first and English second. The kinds of labor Houstonians will most need over the next few months will be roofers and drywall removal and installation workers. Ask any construction contractor  thousands will be flocking soon to Houston  how the recovery effort works, and theyll recite a complicated formula that hinges entirely on the narrow reimbursement margins allowed by insurance companies.

To make it all work at prices that Houston homeowners can afford, cheap immigrant labor is a requirement. Even the conservative Texas Association of Business concedes as much, which is why its members are calling for comprehensive immigration reform, not a wall.

Houston is where Trumps Make America Great Again boasts slam up against hard economic reality. He can choose between an immigration crackdown or a more rapid recovery. But he cant have both.
The last week of summer before kids head back to school isn't starting out on a very good weather note in Madison.

Clouds, fog, rain and storms are all in the mix, forecasters said, but the second half of the week should be nice.

The National Weather Service said areas of dense fog affected parts of south-central Wisconsin Monday morning, and the fog could return overnight into Tuesday.

There's a 50-50 chance for showers and thunderstorms in the Madison area on Monday, but the storms are not expected to be severe. The high temperature should top out at 72.

27 Storm Track meteorologist Branden Borremans said we should see more clouds than sun on Tuesday with a few stray showers and a high of 74.

The weather improves on Wednesday, with sunshine and a high of 77, followed by more sun and a high of 73 on Thursday.

Friday should be a very nice day for kids heading back to school, with sun and 75.

The weekend should be warmer, Borremans said, with highs of 82 and 83 on Saturday and Sunday under partly sunny skies, and a chance for a thunderstorm on Sunday.

Labor Day is forecast to be partly sunny and cooler, with a high of 74.

Sunday's high in Madison was 71, 7 degrees below normal and 24 degrees below the record high of 95 for Aug. 27, set in 1953.

The low on Sunday was 61, 4 degrees above normal and 26 degrees above the record low of 35 for the date, set in 1968.

0.16 inches of rain fell at the airport on Sunday, bringing the August total up to 3.51 inches, 0.23 inches below normal.

The record rainfall on Aug. 27 was 2.78 inches in 1959.

For the meteorological summer of June through August, 16.76 inches of rain has fallen in Madison, 4.30 inches above normal.

Since Jan. 1, Madison has received 32.42 inches of precipitation (rain and melted snow), 8.13 inches above normal.
Pakistans Ambassador to Washington, Aizaz Chaudhry on Monday said that peace in Afghanistan is Pakistans utmost wish.

Aizaz Chaudhry said that relations of Pakistan and United States are never sustainable but if both countries work together, they can easily sort out all the disputes. He said that Taliban should hold negotiations with Afghan government to overcome the matter.

No one wishes peace in Afghanistan like Pakistan does as we have suffered a lot from this unrest, he added.

Aizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistan has taken so much practical steps and rendered sacrifices in war against terrorism. On August 22, President Donald Trump warned Pakistan that Washington will no longer tolerate Pakistan offering "safe havens" to extremists.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens for terrorist organizations," Trump declared, outlining a new US security strategy in South Asia.

"Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists." Going further, Trump suggested that military and other aid to Washington s nuclear-armed ally is at stake if it does not clamp down on extremism.

"We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting," he said.

"That will have to change and that will change immediately," he said. "It is time for Pakistan to dedicate to civilization and order and peace."
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on Monday agreed to support Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiatives to establish peace in the region, a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday said.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the two discussed regional security issues and had unanimity of views for peace in Afghanistan. They also reiterated the importance of dialogue, regional cooperation and support to Afghan-led and Afghan-owned initiatives.

President Rahmon appreciated the role played by Pakistan and the Pakistan army in the fight against terrorism, the statement said.

The COAS expressed his gratitude to Rahmon for hosting the QCCM initiative as the two pledged to enhance and expand Pakistan-Tajikistan cooperation in the fields of defence and security.

President Rahmon offered his sincere wishes for people of Pakistan, appreciating the role Pakistan and Pakistan Army has played in fight against terrorism and peace.

A day earlier, while speaking at the summit  which is also being attended by China and Afghanistan  Gen Bajwa had emphasised that terrorism being a transnational threat could only be defeated through intelligence sharing and coordinated border management.

On the sidelines of the event, the COAS also met with Afghan Chief of General Staff Gen Sharif Yaftali and assured Pakistans fullest cooperation to Afghanistan.
At least 13 people have been killed and several more injured in a Taliban bombing attack on a convoy of troops in Afghanistans Helmand province.

A suicide bomber detonated an explosive-filled car as the Afghan National Army convoy passed a small market in Nawa District of Helmand," said the spokesman for the provincial governor, Omar Zwak, on Sunday.

The spokesman noted that civilians and members of the military were among the dead and injured.

A local medical source claimed that 19 people had been injured in the blast.

"The majority of the dead belong to Afghan forces and most of the wounded are civilians," he added.

Following the incident, the Taliban claimed responsibility by directly sending messages to the media.

The attack comes just a few days after at least five people were killed and over two dozen wounded when a car bomb exploded at a police headquarters in Afghanistans southern Helmand province.

The blast took place in Lashkargah, Helmands provincial capital, on Wednesday, with the Taliban militant group claiming responsibility for the bombing.

Taliban militants have warned that they will be stepping up their attacks until the US forces fully withdraw from Afghanistan after more than a decade and half of occupation.

US President Donald Trump has resisted repeated requests by the Pentagon to approve the deployment of another 4,000-strong US force to Afghanistan, which the US military says is needed to boost the so-called counter-terrorism operations in the country.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 after the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington, and overthrew the Taliban regime. But US forces have remained bogged down there through the presidencies of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and now Trump.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday said the new US strategy was intended to send a strong message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere.

Speaking to US media, he said that the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan would determine the number of American troops in the war-torn country.

Tillerson said that US President Donald Trump had been very clear that the new policy was a dramatic shift from a time-based military strategy to a conditions-based strategy.

Which means it will be dictated by conditions on the ground informed by battlefield commanders, he said, he has delegated significant authority to Defence Secretary James Mattis to set troop levels, but also has been able to delegate for the military commanders in the field, decision-making, to begin to turn the tide against the Taliban.

Now, all of this is directed at sending a message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere. Were going to be here, Tillerson said.

He stated that Afghanistan has a history of being a refuge for some of the most devastating attacks carried out.

As we all know, the attack of 9/11 was organised and carried out from Afghanistan. So, in Afghanistan, we have to secure Afghanistan in a way that that can never occur again because theres no territory available to organisations to do so, the secretary of state said.

Tillerson reiterated that the US President has been clear in his speech that the US was not undertaking nation-building in Afghanistan anymore.

So, we will be shifting our diplomatic and aid and development programs as well to coincide with the presidents view that the Afghan government and that Afghan people must own their form of government, he said.

They must come to some reconciliation with all ethnic groups, including the Taliban, as to how they can secure their country, as a peaceful country, one that does not support terrorism does not provide safe havens for terrorists and does not align itself with any terrorist organisations or countries that do. Thats what winning looks like, he added.
Shoes representing people who have taken their own lives in 2016 will be in Tauranga on Wednesday.

Wednesdays stop is just one of a many the shoes will be making around the country before heading to parliament grounds on September 10, International Suicide Prevention Day.

A total of 579 shoes will be making the journey, these include shoes for eight children aged 10 to 14, 51 teenagers, 419 adults and 101 older adults over sixty who lost their lives.

They will be set up at Mt Drury from 11am to 2pm. Read more here.

In each town a bereaved local will share a personal story about loss and the hope they have for a change in government policy, says YesWeCare.nz coordinator Simon Oosterman.

Each speaker, many who have never shared their story before, will hold a pair of their loved ones shoes. Simon says bereaved families want politicians to have the courage to put politics aside and "do whats right".

"Hearing the number 579 is shocking, seeing 579 empty shoes is something else," he says.

"Too many of our loved ones are reaching out for help and not getting support because our mental health services are in crisis.

Simon says families are calling for a national suicide reduction target, an urgent independent inquiry into our mental health crisis and restore $2.3b of funding needed to cover our ageing and growing population since 2008.

Two bereaved New Zealanders are supporting families in each island. Jane Stevens, from Waikato, is supporting the North Island events. Her son Nicky, 21, went missing from a mental health inpatient unit on March 9, 2015.

His body was found on March 12.

Jane is carrying a pair of her sons shoes with her across the country.

Oosterman says the campaign will announce which parties support bereaved families political demands on Tuesday, August 29, at the Hamilton shoe event.

Jane and her husband, Waikato DHB board member Dave McPherson, were the first to publicly call for an independent inquiry.

Bereaved families from across the country will meet with politicians face to face on September 11 in an intimate meeting open to the media to talk about loss and their hope for change.

September 11 is the first day of advanced voting. Volunteers donate shoes across the country. Shoes will be donated to charity after the roadshow finishes.

Click here for more information about the events.
A novel solution to a key challenge faced by Zespri has rewarded Kanako Inomata the New Zealand Kiwifruit Industry Innovation Trophy.

Kanako currently works as head of marketing for Zespri in Japan.

Her research has managed to find a solution to selling more kiwifruit in Japan against all trends and where sales of fruit have been dropping over the past decade.

Its the first year the trophy has been presented, since being set up in 2015 by former Chairman of Kiwifruit New Zealand Sir Brian Elwood to recognise outstanding innovation achievements.

Zespri General Manager Global Marketing Jiunn Shih says Kanakos achievement has been to challenge convention and introduce a new marketing approach in Japan that makes Zespri Kiwifruit the hero, putting it front and centre in consumers minds.

For many years, our marketing relied on using well-known celebrities to promote the product, says Jiunn.

Through her work in consumer research and insights, Kanako recognised while this had positive short-term impact, it failed to build the Zespri brand toward its potential, with consumers remembering the celebrity more than the product theyre promoting.

Kanako has recognised that working with celebrities was too costly for a limited marketing budget and decided to respond to consumer insights instead.

She came up with an entirely new approach  two mascots called the Kiwifruit Brothers.

The award-winning characters have proved enormously popular with consumers and helped increase brand awareness and resonance for Zespri in Japan.

Kanakos next challenge was to get Zespris sales partners on board with the new programme, involving instore displays across Japan using 13,000 sets of the mascots.

It was supported with an integrated animation-based TV commercial, plus communication through digital media, fruit sampling and packaging, to establish the loveable mascots as enduring, iconic characters in Japan.

The execution of the programme has been excellent, supported by new ways of understanding consumer insights that we are now sharing with other Zespri markets, says Jiunn.

Through breaking a long-standing marketing approach, Kanako has found a way to engage with younger consumers in Japan and open up significant new potential to grow Zespri sales.

Japan is regarded as a mature market and has been Zespris longstanding number one market globally.

However, Zespri was able to grow sales by 30 per cent in this important market between 2015 and 2017 and has plans to further increase sales by 25 percent over the next five years.

The judging panel for the trophy involved Zespri Chairman Peter McBride, industry regulator Kiwifruit New Zealand, Chair Kristy McDonald and NZ Kiwifruit Growers Inc, President Doug Brown.

Peter McBride says the panel reviewed some excellent nominations, showcasing a wide variety of innovation across the industry.

Whether the innovation involves science and technology, investment models, marketing or other initiatives, the application of new ideas underpins the long-term viability of our industry.

We are delighted to recognise Kanako for her excellent contribution which can create enduring value and we thank all those who have been nominated for the trophy this year.
A Hamilton trucking operator has been sentenced to two years in prison for failing to pay a single cent of tax for more than 10 years.

Karl Edward Barbalich, 41, was sentenced in Hamilton District Court on three representative tax evasion charges relating to his business, which traded as KEB Transport.

He operated several trucks making deliveries of produce throughout Waikato and Auckland.

Inland Revenue group manager investigations and advice Patrick Goggin says Barbalich seemed to think he could operate outside the tax system.

Barbalich proved almost impossible to get hold of, despite repeated attempts by Inland Revenue to track him down, says Patrick.

He remained resolutely outside the tax system, failing to comply with any tax obligations despite charging his customers GST and employing staff.

He failed to file income tax returns since 2005, GST returns since 2007, and provided no information to Inland Revenue regarding employees who he had been paying since 2010.

When we finally caught up with him, he fully admitted he was solely responsible for running the business, managing its finances, and meeting any tax obligations.

Our investigators have calculated that over this period he has evaded paying nearly $450,000 in income tax and GST. This money would have gone towards paying for roads, hospitals and schools.

He was blind to the fundamental concept that paying a fair share of tax is one way citizens contribute to society, and that pays for the services all New Zealanders benefit from.

He just chose not to and thats completely unacceptable.
Learning a second language at primary school is a nice to have, but isnt a priority at the moment, according to local school leaders.

The National Party announced on Sunday their plans to invest $160 million over four years to give primary school pupils the chance to learn a second language, if they so choose.

Tauranga Labour Party candidate and Merivale School Principal Jan Tinetti says this is at least the second time National has promised to teach children another language.

When Lockwood Smith first announced the policy in 1993, I was a reasonably new teacher. I was quite excited then, but Im yet to see it reach fruition.

Shes sceptical of the idea, particular in regards to the logistics of potentially teaching every child a second language.

Im not sure about their budget, either  it equates to about $75 per child for a year. I think there are so many other things that need sorting in our system first. Its not a priority.

For Jan, the real work remains to be done around special needs students.

Without a doubt, principals and teachers want special needs sorted and they want to see the money go into that. Teaching kids a second language is a good aspiration to have, but get the other things right first.

Other local school leaders agree. Tauranga Primary School Principal Fiona Hawes says learning a language isnt compulsory in primary schools, although a degree of Te Reo is part of her schools curriculum.

Language learning is a fantastic thing for kids, but it would require a huge government investment. Is it our greatest need currently? Im not entirely sure. There are more questions than answers at the moment.

Special education is our greatest challenge moving forward, so Id rather see more staff funded in that area.

Greenpark School Deputy Principal Jason Mischewski calls the proposal interesting.

Certainly at Greenpark School we offer children opportunities to be exposed to other languages  we have Mandarin and Korean classes at times, as well as ongoing Maori language development.

However, like Jan and Fiona, hed rather see more funding for special needs education.

A focus for us is special needs coordinators. The funding would probably be better used in that area. You sometimes wonder, politically, if the government has got its finger on the pulse. If you went to school and asked them what they really need or want, it would be quite different.

Bay of Plenty MP Todd Muller has called the governments entire $379 million education package, including the funding for second languages, a wise investment.

We owe it to our children to wisely invest to ensure they leave school equipped with the skills they need to succeed in the modern world.

Im particularly excited that every child who has an interest in learning a second language will have the option to do just that  whether that is mandarin, French, Te Reo or New Zealand Sign Language.

Languages bring a new perspective to life, making it full of opportunity and outward looking, as well as connecting us to the world. When it comes to international trade these skills are more important than ever.

He says as a busy father of three, hes also looking forward to being able to track his childrens academic progress on his mobile phone.

Thats 21st century education.
Syracuse, N.Y. -- A little more than a year ago, electronics distributor Wynit moved its headquarters and 68 jobs from North Syracuse to Greenville, S.C., stating, "Greenville is a place where we can grow."

On Friday, the company announced it was closing its operations in Greenville, eliminating 140 jobs, some of them held by employees who moved with the company from North Syracuse last year.

"Due to a number of unexpected financial issues, combined with a disappointing holiday selling season, Wynit Distribution LLC announced a reorganization today that will close its Wholesale Distribution Division based locally," it said in a statement.

Wynit moved its headquarters and 68 jobs from this office on East Taft Road in North Syracuse to Greenville, S.C., in 2016.

Company officials did not immediately respond to messages from syracuse.com seeking comment Monday.

According to the company's statement, Wynit will keep its software publishing and supply chain division in Minnesota.

Former copy machine salesman Geoffrey Lewis founded the company in North Syracuse in 1987. The company describes itself as a leading North America distributor of products from top national brands in photo and video, specialty print, rugged retail and emerging technology industries to large national retailers, e-tailers and independent resellers.

In November 2015, Wynit announced it would move its headquarters in the spring of 2016 from 5801 E. Taft Road and 68 jobs to Greenville, a city of approximately 67,000 residents halfway between Atlanta, Ga., Charlotte, N.C. The company planned to keep 42 employees involved in sales in the Syracuse area, it said.

The announcement came a year after Wynit purchased Minneapolis-based Navarre Distribution, for $15 million. The acquisition was expected to add $400 million to Wynit's annual revenues, raising them to approximately $1 billion in 2015.

At the time, Wynit Chief Operating Officer Pete Richichi told syracuse.com the company was attracted to Greenville by its large logistics industry and supply of workers with experience in the distribution business.

He said financial incentives from the state of South Carolina, including tax credits of approximately $735,000 over five years, were a factor but "not the deal maker" in the company's decision.

"This was less about business climate in New York State and more about our ability to grow," he said.

In the company's statement Friday, Richichi said the company "never took any money from South Carolina taxpayers."

"We are grateful for the welcome Greenville and South Carolina gave to us," the statement said. "This is not what we wanted or expected. Unfortunately, we were unable to adjust fast enough to unforeseen changes. This was purely a financial decision. Our hope is we emerge a better company."

Landing Wynit appeared, for a short while at least, to be a big win for Greenville. At the same time it moved 68 jobs from North Syracuse, it moved 30 jobs from Minnesota to Greenville.

According to GreenvilleOnline, the company was hiring for its new headquarters in downtown Greenville as recently as last fall. And earlier this month, SC Biz News, in partnership with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and Best Companies Group, named Wynit one of the best places to work in South Carolina.

Employees, some of whom had relocated from New York, lamented the closing in Facebook posts over the weekend.

So, today was a rough day. It was the last time I'll get to see a lot of the friends I made at Wynit. I love and will miss all of you guys. Don't be strangers, stay in touch. Posted by Alex Miller on Friday, August 25, 2017

I want to ask for prayer for not only me but everyone that lost their jobs yesterday. My work family meant more to me... Posted by Valerie Trevino on Saturday, August 26, 2017

Wynit voted best place to work...not anymore very sad those uprooted their families from NY to move with the co. Also those of us once again on the job search. Posted by Renee Franklin on Saturday, August 26, 2017

Contact Rick Moriarty anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-470-3148
Syracuse, NY -- A last-minute delay in Farod Mosley's murder trial left his defense lawyer scrambling.

Longtime lawyer Charles Keller was convinced that the victim's time of death ruled out Mosley as the murderer. The real culprit, Keller believed, was the prosecution's star witness.

But the delay in trial -- while routine -- caused a problem. Keller's original expert, who would testify that the victim was likely killed later than prosecutors believed, couldn't make the new trial.

Rigor mortis -- the stiffening of a dead person's body -- is like clockwork and can determine when someone was killed. But Keller needed a good expert to counter the local medical examiner's opinion, which favored prosecutors.

Mosley, 17, was facing up to 25 years to life in prison if convicted in the January 2016 stabbing death of 18-year-old Jada Dame.

Within two days, Keller said, he'd gotten permission from the taxpayer-funded Assigned Counsel Program to hire a new expert. A doctor from New York City reviewed the file at the last minute and testified at trial on Mosley's behalf.

After hearing a complex 'whodunit' murder, the jury spent only a few hours deliberating Aug. 3 before finding Mosley not guilty of killing Dame.

Afterward, Keller credited new leadership -- and a huge infusion of state money -- to the Assigned Counsel Program for helping him provide the strongest defense he could on Mosley's behalf.

Before this year, Keller said he didn't think a new expert would be approved in time for trial. Such was the red tape that left many lawyers dejected, causing their work to suffer, he said.

The adversarial justice system only works if both sides -- prosecutors and defense lawyers -- have the resources to do their jobs, Keller said.

"You can't say it's an adversarial system if the New England Patriots are playing the local high school team," Keller said. "It's not David and Goliath anymore."

Keller's reaction was echoed among other defense lawyers who routinely take cases on behalf of people who can't afford their own lawyers.

The changes come from sweeping reform mandated by a lawsuit called Hurrell-Harring v. New York, filed by the New York Civil Liberties Union, that called Onondaga County's representation for poor defendants among the five worst in the state.

The NYCLU noted that the county spent 35 times more on prosecution investigators than it did for defense ones in 2011 -- that's $1 million to $28,000.

A 2014 settlement requires the state to pump in more than $5 million a year to Onondaga County's Assigned Counsel Program (ACP), which pays lawyers, investigators and experts to represent poor clients, and Hiscock Legal Aid, which represents poor clients on appeal.

That state money nearly doubles ACP's yearly budget. It's already helped increase who qualifies for a free lawyer and ensures that a lawyer is present at every criminal arraignment.

But the bulk of that money is going toward caseload relief. That's a catch-all category that includes giving lawyers more time per case but also ends much of the "nickel-and-diming" that lawyers complained about for years.

"I'm sure the old administration did what they could with what they had," Keller said of former ACP director Renee Captor. "But it's a whole new world."

New ACP director Kathy Dougherty, who previously negotiated the settlement's terms as a deputy county attorney, was quick to say that work is not done.

"It's invigorating fun," she said. "How can we do this better?"

The extra money will help. "If you're trying to do this on a limited budget, every penny is going to be argued over," she said.

With more money, Dougherty said she can focus on service.

"Where's the need? And how can we deliver the product?" she said of her approach. "An investigator? An expert?"

The state office overseeing implementation of the lawsuit settlement also was pleased.

"Now Chuck (Keller) can go really far," said Patricia Warth, chief implementation attorney, after hearing of the acquittal. "He's personally got the goods and now ACP is supporting him."

Even one of ACP's most vocal critics in the past, lawyer Jason Zeigler, was cautiously optimistic with the changes.

Zeigler is president of the Gideon Society, which galvanized around complaints with ACP.

"For me personally, it's definitely gotten better," Zeigler said of the resources he has. "The gap (between prosecutors and defense lawyers) is a lot smaller."

Zeigler said he was willing to give the new administration time to fix problems because he felt they were acting in good faith.

For his part, Keller said he's not sure what would have happened if he didn't have his expert at Mosley's trial. There was a ton of other evidence that pointed to both Mosley and, Keller argued, the prosecution witness, Robert Mitchell.

In the end, Mosley was acquitted of murder but convicted of selling the victim's stolen television. That could still land him in prison for up to 15 years, but far short of the possible life sentence.

Keller said he would have figured out something else if he didn't have the key expert. But he credited ACP with other improvements, too.

For one, Keller had a second lawyer assisting him at trial. It's the third time this year he's gotten a helper for a big trial, paid for by ACP.

Before now? The last time he'd been approved simply due to the nature of the case was his 2008 defense of notorious anti-freeze killer Stacey Castor, Keller said. He'd had two other helpers since then during a period in which he was very ill.

But Keller was granted a second chair in Mosley's trial, and also in a manslaughter trial weeks before in which a woman killed her live-in boyfriend during a domestic dispute.

That woman, Lakiesha Brown, was acquitted after the jury found that Brown acted in self-defense after a long history of abuse and didn't mean to kill David Jones.

Keller said he has been a longtime proponent of second chair lawyers in big cases. In Mosley's trial, for example, he enlisted lawyer Todd Smith to handle the DNA evidence collected at the murder scene. That freed up Keller to spend time on investigating his theory of the crime.

For Brown's trial, Keller invited a less-experienced person sit second chair. That wasn't a complicated trial, but it provided invaluable experience for a younger colleague, Keller said.

After Brown's trial, Keller realized that he'd never asked for reimbursement for $150 in civilian clothes that Brown wore while in front of the jury.

In the past, Keller said he'd have to eat that expense. But to his surprise, Keller said, ACP paid it.

He credited ACP for ending the bureaucracy that tied up everyday expenses like civilian clothing for jailed defendants.

Lawyers aren't getting paid a higher rate -- it's still $60 an hour for misdemeanors and $75 for felonies -- but their out-of-pocket expenses are less. That per-hour rate must pay for insurance, an office and support staff, among other professional expenses.

"You're not getting paid more now, but you're not getting nickeled and dimed for anything," Keller said.

During his career, Keller said that he didn't have as many problems as some other lawyers under the previous ACP leadership.

Less experienced lawyers often got discouraged when their expense vouchers -- from gas money to the cost of court transcripts -- were scrutinized or denied.

At a certain point, some lawyers simply stopped asking for certain resources, Keller said.

"When you know that the program supposed to reimbursing you isn't doing it, then it's a strong motivator not to do things you think you need to do," Keller said.

Keller pointed to a fight with ACP to get reimbursed for a $2,700 court transcript that both sides used during a murder trial. The transcript was vital for questioning a key witness, he said. He was eventually paid -- 18 months later, he said.

But how many lawyers can be out $2,700 for 18 months on a single case? he wondered.

For many lawyers, the lesson would be: "I'm never going to do that again," Keller said.

There will be some increased oversight along with the windfall in taxpayer money, Dougherty said.

In the future, ACP will begin a vetting process to make sure attorneys have the right experience to handle cases they are being assigned, Dougherty said.

Technically, that means that lawyers will be asked to re-certify for the assigned counsel lists that dictate who handles which types of cases.

But Dougherty said the idea isn't to get rid of lawyers, but to match interests and experience in the right ways.

She said the idea is to "evaluate people and make sure people are in the right place."

There will also be ways for defendants to lodge complaints with ACP about their lawyer. Gripes -- either justified or not -- are common.

Dougherty noted one type of serious complaint: lawyers not appearing for court. If that happened, she said ACP would call in that lawyer and ask what's going on.

"How can we get you back on track?" she'd ask.

But Dougherty stressed her interest in supporting lawyers.

"How can I best get these resources to the attorneys?" she said. "I think it's what the attorneys in this town were clamoring for."
POTSDAM, N.Y. -- A 20-year-old Maryland woman was killed when her car was struck head-on by an SUV Saturday afternoon in Potsdam, according to state police.

Samantha L. Allen, of Hurlock, Maryland, was driving a 2015 Hyundai Elantra north on US Highway 11 when she was hit head-on by a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo driven by Karen Lemanquais, 60, of Potsdam.

Lemanquais was traveling south on US Highway 11 when she attempted to pass an uninvolved vehicle, State Police Investigator Theodore J. Levison told the Watertown Daily Times.



Lemanquais was ejected from her vehicle and transported by Potsdam Rescue to Canton-Potsdam Hospital. She was later transferred to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse where she is currently listed in critical condition, troopers say.

Levison told the newspaper that investigators believe Lemanquais was not wearing a seat belt.

Allen was starting as a VISTA volunteer with North Country Thrive, a program affiliated with the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, according to a college spokesperson. Thrive works to prepare children for school, help make sure they graduate from school and go to college to prepare them from careers, according to the group's website.

Allen was pronounced dead at the scene by St. Lawrence County Coroner June Wood.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse police say they have ticketed the driver who ran a red light and crashed into a pickup truck, which then slammed into the Family Dollar store Sunday at North Salina and Wolf streets on the city's North Side.

Steven McCann, 51, of Ithaca, was driving a Jeep westbound on North Salina Street at 4:15 p.m. "when he entered the intersection at Wolf Street against the red light," Syracuse police Sgt. David Sackett said in a news release.

Police later said McCann ran the red light because he had an "obstructed view."

McCann's Jeep struck a 2013 Ford F-150 pickup truck driven by Justin Moran, 34, of Syracuse, police said. Moran was driving south on Wolf Street and had a green light when his pickup truck was struck, officers said.

The impact of the crash caused Moran's pickup truck to slam into the Family Dollar store, at 1701 N. Salina St., and the Jeep to make a sudden left onto Wolf Street.

A passenger in the Jeep, 19-year-old Kellena McCann, of Ithaca, was taken by American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance to St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center in Syracuse "for complaint of head pain," Sackett said in the release.

Steven McCann was not injured, police said.

Moran and his 9-year-old daughter, a front-seat passenger in the pickup truck, also were not injured in the crash.

When the pickup truck struck the Family Dollar store, part of the faux brick exterior broke off. Inside the store, the walls to both the men's and women's bathrooms were cracked; the toilets were shattered; and a small amount of water stood on the floor.

Syracuse police say the Family Dollar store has "substantial damage to both outside and inside of the building."



Both vehicles were towed from the scene.



Syracuse police issued McCann traffic tickets, charging him with disobeying a traffic control device, police said.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The watchdog group tasked with reviewing complaints against police tangled with city hall last year as it sought to establish its authority within city ranks.

Syracuse's appointed Citizen Review Board took the city and police Chief Frank Fowler to court, and won, demanding the chief be more responsive to disciplinary recommendations.

The lawsuit argued Fowler must inform the board what discipline he takes against officers in cases of misconduct. Fowler had stopped issuing written disciplinary justifications for cases that took more than 60 days.

Some Common Councilors attempted to cut that lawsuit short by removing the legal authority of the CRB. That move was unsuccessful and the CRB won the suit.

The battle shined a light on the relationship between the city and its appointed board of police watchdogs. With that in mind, we posed the following question to each mayoral candidate:

Last year, City Hall and the Common Council briefly considered limiting the legal authority of the Citizen Review Board. That board was hampered by a police chief and union head who have sometimes resisted its efforts to discipline officers. The mayor walks a delicate line between the citizens group and his/her appointed police chief and sworn officers. To what degree will the chief of police be held accountable to the Citizen Review Board under your administration?

There are three Democrats running for mayor, as well as a Republican, a Green and an un-affiliated candidate. Click on a candidate to jump to his or her response or scroll through all responses below.

Howie Hawkins (G)

Laura Lavine (R)

Marty Masterpole (D)

Joe Nicoletti (D)

Juanita Perez Williams (D)

Ben Walsh (I)

The candidates' written answers to the question are given below, in order of party affiliation. They are provided as submitted, with minor editing for style. They were asked to limit responses to 250 words.

Look for a new candidate question each week. Have something you'd like to ask all the candidates? Email Chris Baker at cbaker@syracuse.com with the subject line "weekly question."

Juanita Perez Williams (D)

There is no mayoral candidate that is closer to this issue than me. Early on in Mayor Miner's administration, it became clear that the Citizens Review Board (CRB) was failing the residents of Syracuse. As senior legal counsel for our city and the Common Council, I was tasked with stabilizing the CRB office and restructuring its procedures. This paved the way for leaders such as then-councilor Pamela Hunter to rebuild trust and competence in the CRB mission.

As a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy and a prosecutor, I understand that The CRB is more important than ever. Violent crime is on the rise and tensions between police and the community continue to build. It is vital that the next mayor has experience partnering with local law enforcement and has a positive working relationship with our district attorney's office.

This is what you can expect when I am your mayor: a chief of police who will run a tight ship and allow nothing less than the highest levels of integrity from his officers. The residents of this city deserve a police force that is familiar, responsive, and caring - and that's what they will have. Meeting these standards will create a working partnership between the chief of police and the CRB, where grievances are met with quick solutions and actions.

Meaningful communication as well as a strong relationship between citizens and the police department translates into transparency, trust and reliability for the community.

Joe Nicoletti (D)

A Citizen Review Board (CRB), comprised of well-informed volunteer board members, will serve Syracuse citizens and sworn police officers by demonstrating that citizen complaints are properly investigated, and where warranted appropriate action is implemented by the chief of police. The vast majority of police officers are performing their difficult duties in the most professional manner, but like any large organization, you will have a few who stray from established procedures which will require corrective action. I support the law as written, where the CRB recommends to the police chief appropriate action from their findings and the police chief makes the final determination on the matter.

My police chief will forge a working relationship between the CRB and the sworn officers of the SPD, by ensuring that both have adequate independent legal counsel representing them throughout the complaint process. The city law department has long maintained that a conflict exists for them to defend the CRB and sworn police officers; this will be resolved so that all parties' rights are properly protected. Once this essential component is in place, the police department and the sworn officers involved in a citizen complaint will be much more likely to cooperate and comply with CRB inquires.

A well run CRB can and will build citizen trust, through greater confidence that sworn police offers are more accountable to them for their professional performance of the dangerous work they undertake to protect us, as the result of a transparent, fair and impartial review of citizen complaints.

Marty Masterpole (D)

You can't easily answer a question with 250 years of history in 250 words. I'm a Democrat who supports a strong labor movement. The intransigence of unions is legendary, born of legacy of ill-treatment of the working class. There are good historical reasons for mistrust.

Nonetheless, no police officer can deny that there are reasons for mistrust of their office, of what can seem like an impenetrable wall between police and the communities they are sworn to protect.

I do believe that our officers have a sense of community with the people of Syracuse. It is true that Syracuse - like cities nationwide - must do a better job of reflecting the makeup of the city in the police service, but that doesn't mean that the people who serve our city are not a part of it. They are, and a vital one.

The Citizen's Review Board is equally vital. Democracy is about checks and balances. Unions check the greed of the powerful. An auditor checks a mayor. The CRB checks the police.

It need not always be adversarial, though no doubt at times it will be; I intend to negotiate a contract with the Police Benevolent Association that includes cooperation with the CRB. The aim of the CRB is wholly in line with that of law enforcement. Again: it is far past time for us to put aside - neither our history nor heritage - but the "us-versus-them" mentality so easily wielded to divide us. Our CRB is vital. Our police are vital.

Laura Lavine (R)

According to their website, the Citizen Review Board (CRB) was established to ensure an open citizen-controlled process for reviewing complaints about the Syracuse Police Department. The reality is that the CRB has limited power because the police contract does not allow the CRB to have subpoena power. Ultimately, the CRB can not require the police chief to follow its recommendations. Unless the police department's terms and conditions of employment are renegotiated accordingly, the police chief may continue to refuse to follow the CRB's proposals as has been the case in Syrause.

Every county in New York State has a district attorney who, by law, is the chief law enforcement officer. The district attorney's office oversees grand juries. Grand juries have subpoena power allowing them to review evidence, including witness testimony, in the investigation of potential criminal conduct. They issue subpoenas for more evidence, documents, and sworn testimony, and decide whether or not there is enough evidence to charge the accused with a crime.

The police chief reports to the mayor. Our next police chief will be held accountable to me as mayor as will all of the officers for their conduct. I have already stated that I will personally review all allegations of police misconduct. I will also work with the district attorney with her/his grand jury and its subpoena power to investigate. I believe in the grand jury system to decide what is or is not proper conduct.

Howie Hawkins (G)

I would appoint a police chief who sees the Citizen Review Board as an ally not an adversary in good policing. It's not a delicate line. Police work for the public. The CRB is the public's watchdog against police misconduct. Period.

The resistance to the CRB by the mayor, police chief, and union president last year wasted time, money, and public trust in unnecessary and costly legal fights.

While Chief Fowler refused to report to the CRB on his responses to its disciplinary recommendations in cases it took the CRB more than six months to investigate, Mayor Miner vetoed $15,000 for part-time consultants to help the CRB resolve complicated cases in timely fashion. Fortunately, Common Council overrode the mayor's veto.

City Hall then forced the CRB to go to court to assert its right to sue for information it was entitled to under the CRB law. Steve Thompson, former police chief and councilor-at-large, tried to pre-empt a court ruling with legislation to end the CRB's right to sue and issue subpoenas. Common Council rejected Thompson's gut-the-CRB bill.

The CRB won its cases in court. Yet, in defiance of the state's Freedom of Information Law, City Hall still won't allow public or media review of citizen complaints, CRB recommendations, and police chief disciplinary actions.

Meanwhile, police union president Jeff Piedmonte's insulting response last year to two CRB reports about excessive force - "They don't like the fact that we punch people in the head" - showed exactly why we need the CRB.

Ben Walsh (I)

Improving community-police relations will be a top priority for my administration. Mistrust between police officers and civilians threatens the safety of both, which is why we must hold each side to the same standard of conduct.

Just as we look to the SPD to hold citizens accountable for breaking the law, the Citizen Review Board (CRB) was established to assist the police chief and union in holding their members accountable for their own misconduct. The CRB can only be effective, however, when trust is established between all parties involved.

As mayor, I will accomplish this by directing my police chief to take the following actions:

Conduct a thorough review of past CRB policy recommendations and develop an implementation plan for all that are deemed practicable. Priorities should include adopting a modern comprehensive use of force policy, and equipping every police officer with a body camera and every patrol vehicle with a dashboard camera.

Provide written responses to all complaints sustained by the CRB after establishing a mutually agreeable timeframe to complete their investigations.

Provide public information to the CRB in a consistent and timely manner.

Establish a formal policy with the union for officer participation in CRB hearings.

Provide training to CRB members on existing police policies and procedures.

As an independent leader with a proven track record of bringing people together and getting results, I will work tirelessly to develop relationships and build trust in the community to ensure the safety and well-being of police officers and citizens alike.

Read the candidates' answers to questions about:

The 2016 election

Innovation

Sunny weekends

The next police chief

Lead paint

Making the city a better place

Consolidation

Blodgett repairs

Mayor Miner

Poverty

Deer

Their best idea

Property taxes

The Land Bank

Sanctuary city

Crime

The NYS Fair gondola

More on the mayor's race:

5 takeaway from Democratic debate

Snitches, privilege and neophytes: Takeaways from the 2nd forum

Which candidates have kids in city schools?

Syracuse's next mayor will inherit a city on the brink of financial disaster
Josh Chafetz is a professor of law at Cornell Law School. His second book, "Congress's Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers," will be published by Yale University Press in June.

By Josh Chafetz | The Washington Post

After days of hinting about it, President Donald Trump finally pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former Maricopa County, Arizona, sheriff best known for his hostility toward undocumented immigrants and his brutality toward prisoners in his custody. Arpaio had been convicted in July of criminal contempt of court for defying an order to stop detaining suspected undocumented immigrants who had not broken any state law. Trump's pardon ensures that Arpaio will not serve any time for the offense.



Predictably, outrage swiftly followed the pardon. Pointing both to the crime for which Arpaio was convicted and the fact that Trump did not make use of the Justice Department's normal machinery for considering pardons, many have insisted that the president's action flouts the rule of law. Some have even argued that it's outright unconstitutional.

But that's the wrong way to criticize the Arpaio pardon. The Constitution grants the president the "Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." The power is broad and (except for the impeachment carve-out) unqualified.

More importantly, one can easily imagine situations in which defiance of a court order is wholly justified, and we would want the pardon power to be available in those cases. Consider the following hypothetical (inspired by, although differing in important respects from, the facts of a 1965 case): In the Deep South during the civil rights movement, a heroic county registrar of voters defies an order issued by a racist federal judge to purge the voting rolls. A jury - from which African Americans were, of course, excluded - convicts the registrar of criminal contempt. A pro-civil-rights president then immediately issues a pardon.

Many people, myself included, would find that pardon not only unobjectionable, but indeed, laudatory. Formally, however, that hypothetical process looks similar to the process Trump used: A president, without waiting for the usual Justice Department procedures to run their course, pardons an ideological ally who had been convicted of contempt of court for using state power in defiance of a federal court order.

This does not, however, suggest that the Arpaio pardon was acceptable. Instead, it points to the limits of thinking about the issue formally. Formal reasoning is seductive, because it holds out the false promise of neutrality -- we don't have to talk about messy issues such as racism, xenophobia or state brutality; instead, we can just dwell on whether normal procedures were followed and whether the president was insufficiently deferential to a judge. We can call those considerations "the rule of law," because that's something everyone can get behind.

But as the hypothetical pardon makes clear, we don't think normal procedures should always be followed, and we don't think judges should always be obeyed. Especially for something like the pardon power, which by its very nature exists at the edges of the law, trying to find formal, neutral limiting factors that really ought to apply across the board will prove difficult, if not impossible.

So how should we talk about the Arpaio pardon? Substantively. More specifically, we should talk about why, of all the people with criminal records in this country, Trump chose to make Arpaio his first pardonee.

As sheriff, Arpaio was known for a hostility toward undocumented immigrants that was functionally indistinguishable from hostility toward Latinos. He conducted sweeps of Latino neighborhoods and stops of Latino drivers in attempts to find undocumented immigrants. He held inmates in brutal and degrading conditions. He installed publicly accessible webcams so that the public could gawk at inmates, and one of those cameras showed female prisoners using the toilet. And he was a leading proponent of the racist lie that President Barack Obama was not a natural-born American citizen.

Arpaio's entire claim to national recognition was based on his being a xenophobe, a racist and an officer of the machinery of government who relished wielding that machinery to degrade some of the most powerless members of our society.

The White House statement announcing the pardon claimed that, "Throughout his time as Sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration." In a tweet, Trump called Arpaio an "American patriot" and wrote, "He kept Arizona safe!"

In other words, Trump pardoned Arpaio because of his actions as sheriff, actions that are consistent with the platform on which Trump campaigned and has attempted to govern. Those actions were appalling - and not only is Arpaio unremorseful, but Trump has actually held him up as a model to be emulated.

Let's focus on that.
2017_Corey Ingram.jpg

This undated photo provided by the family via the New York Air National Guard shows Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, of New York.

(The Associated Press)

The body of a 28-year-old Navy sailor from Upstate New York has been recovered, along with nine other missing service members, from the USS John McCain.

The family of Corey Ingram, of Poughkeepsie, told the Poughkeepsie Journal that a representative from the Navy told her about the discovery of her son's body on Saturday.

"He said, 'We have Corey,'" Jacqueline Ingram, Corey's mother, told the paper. "I was sad but at least I know that they found him, because not knowing was the hardest part for me. Not knowing and waiting."

Ingram was a 2nd Class Information Systems Technician, and was missing along with nine crew members after the warship collided with a 600-foot tanker off the coast of Malaysia last week.

The other missing crew members were Nathan Findley, Abraham Lopez, Kevin Sayer Bushell, Jacob Daniel Drake, Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., John Henry Hoagland III, Logan Stephen Palmer, Kenneth Aaron Smith and Dustin Louis Doyon. The bodies of Smith and Doyon had been recovered prior to the other eight missing crew members.

The Navy announced that divers had recovered all the missing crew members on Sunday, MSN.com reported.

The Navy has not yet released Corey's body and the family has not made funeral arrangements at this time.

Jacqueline told the Journal the family was "overwhelmed" with the outpouring of support from friends, family and the community.

"It's good to know that people remember Corey and know he's a good person," she told the Journal. "He served his country, and that's all he wanted to do. To protect and serve."

"Corey is an American hero who admirably defended his nation, selflessly giving of himself to protect his neighbors here in Dutchess and throughout America," Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro said in a statement Sunday evening. "The freedom we enjoy does not come freely; courageous men and women like Corey serve valiantly, ensuring our safety and preserving our liberty."
Lear Corporation, a global supplier of automotive seating and electrical systems, plans to construct a new world-class automotive seat manufacturing facility in Flint, Michigan at the former site of the Buick City administration building. The new facility will provide seats on a just-in-time basis for future vehicle production at GM's Flint Assembly plant.Lear's new facility will add manufacturing jobs and economic growth to the State of Michigan.

Lear Corporation, a global supplier of automotive seating and electrical systems, plans to construct a new world-class automotive seat manufacturing facility in Flint, Michigan at the former site of the Buick City administration building. The new facility will provide seats on a just-in-time basis for future vehicle production at GM's Flint Assembly plant.#

"We appreciate the support of the State of Michigan and the City of Flint which is allowing Lear to increase manufacturing jobs in America," said Ray Scott, Lear executive vice president and president of Seating Operations. "This expansion of capacity reflects the positive outlook we have for our business as well as the favourable economic climate in Michigan, and will contribute to the revitalisation of Flint.""Since 2009, GM has invested more than $2.8 billion in Flint and we're proud to see suppliers like Lear also commit to business in Flint," said Tom McMillen, executive director of Interior and Safety, General Motors Global Purchasing and Supply Chain. "Lear has been a trusted partner of GM throughout its 100-years of business and earned GM's coveted Supplier of the Year designation 16 times. We look forward to continuing this relationship in our next generation vehicles produced in Flint."GM has found that suppliers of large components locating near assembly plants results in significant savings from reduced transportation costs, higher quality, better communications and continuous improvement activities."This is great news for the City of Flint," said Flint Mayor Karen Weaver. "We appreciate leaders of Lear Corporation choosing to invest in Flint. This city has a long history of automotive manufacturing and plenty of hard-working residents. We look forward to this project having a positive impact in our community, and providing the economic boost we've been working toward."Lear will begin construction of a state-of-the-art 160,000 square foot seat manufacturing facility this fall, with completion scheduled for early 2018. This new facility will provide jobs for about 600 workers once the plant reaches full employment. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed that six people were killed and 53 injured in the blast. | Read More
. To do so, first type the original number into the text box. Then click on the "Scientific Notation" option located at the top of the floating window. Finally, click on the "Standard" button found beneath the text box to display your result. This program is useful for scientists and engineers working with decimal-based numbers. It provides easy access to those who need to convert those numbers into more compact forms without having to do heavy math calculations first.

Scientific notation is a way to express very large or very small numbers. It is used in physics, chemistry and other fields where large numbers are common. Those numbers are written as a power of 10 followed by a number with an exponent. For example, 1,000,000 (one million) is written as 1  103. The exponent shows how many zeros are after the first digit. For example, 1,000,001 is written as 1  102. Scientific notation is a useful tool for making calculations easier. You can use it to write down very big or very small numbers in one step instead of writing out both the large and small numbers separately. You can also use it to express large or small numbers in terms of other units like centimeters or millimeters.

Scientific notation solver is an online tool that can be used to convert any number into scientific notation. Simply enter any number to the left of the decimal point and it will automatically convert it into a scientific notation equivalent. This web tool can be very helpful when you need to convert a large number into scientific notation. However, please note that this online tool can only convert numbers that are in scientific format. For example, it cannot convert a non-scientific number like "1,085" into a scientific notation equivalent. It is also important to keep in mind that this web tool only works when converting numbers from one particular format to another. For example, if you want to change a non-scientific number like "1,085" into standard format, then you will have to use another online tool like NumberFormatting.com.
The Cajun Navy is on the ground and in the water in Texas.

In this Facebook video posted Monday morning, trucks and boats can be seen lining an interstate off-ramp that's serving as a make-shift launch.

---

Around Baton Rouge, Lafayette and other parts of the state, members of the Cajun Navy sprung into action to return the neighborly love. Many who spent last August wading around south Louisianas floodwaters in boats packed them up Sunday and headed west to help rescue Texans caught in the floods.

"I can't look at somebody knowing that I have a perfect boat in my driveway to be doing this and to just sit at home," said Jordy Bloodsworth, a Baton Rouge member of the Cajun Navy who flooded after Hurricane Katrina when he lived in Chalmette. "I have every resource within 100 feet of me to help.
A 2015 lawsuit by animal rights advocates who sought to have Candy the chimpanzee removed from Dixie Landin' amusement park, where she lived from the late 1990s until her death in April, has been dismissed by a federal judge in Baton Rouge.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Richard Bourgeois Jr. recommended earlier this month that the suit be thrown out, saying animal rights advocates had offered only "speculative innuendo" that the 54-year-old Candy may not have died April 21 as reported by her owners.

Senior U.S. District Judge James Brady dismissed the suit last week, noting that no objection was filed to the magistrate's recommendation.

Animal Legal Defense Fund lawyer Matthew Liebman, one of the attorneys for the animal rights advocates, said Monday the judge's ruling won't be appealed.

"The Animal Legal Defense Fund and our clients are disappointed that Candy's story has ended with her tragic death, rather than her living out the rest of her life at a sanctuary," he said. "Wild animals don't deserve life sentences behind bars; they deserve the right to flourish in natural communities."

Candy previously performed at the now-closed Fun Fair Park in Baton Rouge and appeared often on the old "Buckskin Bill" show before moving to Dixie Landin' next to Blue Bayou Water Park in the late 1990s.

The lawsuit that Brady dismissed claimed that keeping Candy alone in a cage was cruel and violated current federal law that requires primate exhibits to support an animal's physical and mental health.

Dixie Landin' and Sam Haynes Jr., the chimp's owner, filed a motion just days after Candy's death was reported and asked that the suit by the Coalition of Louisiana Animal Advocates and others be dismissed. They argued the suit was now moot in light of the chimp's passing.

"The Haynes family believes the law has been followed and is happy to see the end of this claim," Michael Reese Davis, an attorney for the family and the park, said Monday.

Animal rights advocates had questioned whether Candy was in fact dead and opposed the motion to dismiss the suit.

Bourgeois recommended the granting of the motion to dismiss, and Brady approved the recommendation last week and adopted it.
Renters in Canberra could face paying up to six weeks' worth of rent if they break their lease early, under changes to tenancy laws now in force.

Several changes to the ACT's tenancy laws came into effect last week, a year after reforms passed the legislative assembly, that will affect the contracts Canberra's 112,000-odd renters have with their landlords.

New tenancy laws in the ACT could hit renters' back pockets. Credit:Jim Rice

Among the changes now in force for all new tenancy agreements was a new "opt-in" clause for lease breaking that would see renters pay six weeks' rent if their lease is less than three years long and they break the lease less than one and half years into it.

If the tenant breaks the lease more than halfway into a three-year lease, the amount they would owe landlords was four weeks' rent, while for leases longer than three years, the figure needs to be agreed between the tenant and owner.
The National Archives will temporarily relocate to Old Parliament House as the federal government adds another historic parliamentary triangle building to its list of planned property sales.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said on Monday the government would sell the East Block, after it announced in April it would sell the West Block and the Anzac Park buildings near Lake Burley Griffin.

The National Archives of Australia will temporarily relocate to Old Parliament House. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

Senator Cormann said the National Archives of Australia would temporarily relocate to the Old Parliament House as capital works were completed at its East Block home, with an expected return date sometime around September 2018.

The sales, criticised by heritage experts and the federal opposition, will see the first private land ownership inside the parliamentary triangle, which includes Parliament House, Old Parliament House, the High Court and the National Gallery of Australia.
Kate can attest to the importance of a bright, homely space when recovering from mental ill-health.

The year 12 student went through The Cottage Adolescent Day Program in 2015. Returning to the facility on Monday, refurbished with funds from the ACT government and Canberra businesses, she beamed as she described the changes.

"Kate", former young mental health patient, returns to the newly refurbished Cottage Youth Mental Health facility?a joint effort on part of the ACT Government and a number of local Canberra businesses to provide a welcoming space for young people accessing mental health services. Credit:Karleen Minney

"It was a bit tired before but now it's so bright and it's so fresh and wonderful," Kate said.

"If you're in a really good environment and good space that can help you feel a bit better."
It might be "bold and heroic" for Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore but Premier Gladys Berejiklian believes the City of Sydney's $11.3 million Cloud Arch sculpture planned for the CBD is simply unappealing.

Fresh from a trip to Japan and Korea, Ms Berejiklian said the arch spanning from near the QVB building across Park Street at Town Hall was "not something I would choose".

"I don't find it appealing. That's my personal opinion," she said on Monday.

The 58-metre-high arch is due to be completed by March 2019, in time for the opening of the NSW government's $2.1 billion light rail project. Trams will pass beneath it as they travel along a pedestrianised section of George Street at Town Hall.
It is one of the lesser known problems confronting the domestic violence sector.

Where do women and children go when they can no longer take refuge in temporary crisis accommodation?

In The Hills Shire Council, developers of apartment blocks could soon be providing the answer to this question.

Under a state-first initiative devised by the council, developers will be offered bonus floor space to build extra apartments, providing a certain number of units within the complex are retained as transitional housing for 10 years.
Peter Dutton is right. Those immigration lawyers representing asylum seekers are unAustralian. They dont stand with us. They dont stand for us. They undermine the very idea of what it means to be Australian.

Unlike Governor Phillip, they did not dispatch marine corps patrols into the wilds of Botany Bay, there to kill as many of the local people as might suffice to "spread an exemplary terror among the natives".

Australians, all let us rejoice our Immigration Minister, Peter Dutton. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Unlike John Macarthur, late of the $2 note and celebrated father of the Australian wool industry, they did not launch a military coup against the lawful government of the colony to protect their private commercial interests.

Unlike Lachlan Macquarie, sent from London to restore the authority of the Crown in the wake of that rebellion, they did not hang the bodies of the Aborigines from trees on the edge of the settled areas, as an example to their displaced kin that a new people have taken dominion here.
Queenslands opposition has promised to spend $2.5 million investigating whether a Very Fast Train linking the Gold and Sunshine coasts to Brisbane in just half an hour would stack up.

The proposed rail network would extend as far north as the Wide Bay region and include links to Logan, Gympie, Maryborough and Bundaberg, according to Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls.

Details were scant on Monday morning as the Liberal National Party promised a business case for the Southeast Queensland Very Fast Train network if elected but offered no information on price, time frame or even what technology could be used for the proposal, first flagged in May when Mr Nicholls wrote to the Prime Minister.

Mr Nicholls also left open the door to new technology to power the proposal, such as the vacuum-sealed Hyperloop concept spruiked by charismatic tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Australian pirates have just been put on notice. The chairman for Creative Content Australia  a consortium of rights holders that counts Foxtel, Village Roadshow and the Australian Screen Association (ASA) among its members  has issued a stern warning to anyone who continues to access pirated content. In short, you can expect to be sued this year.

[Update: A previous version of this story mistakenly attributed Graham Burke's comments to Creative Content Australia. CCA is an industry initiative that seeks to raise awareness of the value of screen content and copyright, and the impact of content theft. It does not personally engage in legal action against pirates.]

Ben Pobjie finds it astounding that anyone could receive the blessings of Game of Thrones and do anything but rejoice. Credit:HBO via AP

The announcement follows the government-imposed blacklisting of more than 60 piracy sites in Australia. If you're one of the many Australians who has been circumventing the blocks, it's time to start worrying.

After successfully lobbying the government to force internet service providers (ISPs) to block so-called piracy websites and associated domain names, the rights holders are preparing to come after individual infringers. If you've been torrenting season 7 of Game Of Thrones instead of paying Foxtel, this means you.
A dentist accused of sexually assaulting three patients allegedly mouthed "I love you" to one woman after touching her body with his hand.

Nasheet Michael, 58, faces 15 charges, including indecent assault and unlawful assault, over his alleged conduct in 1996, 2013 and 2014 with women patients who were in the dentist's chair and undergoing work on their teeth.

Nasheet Michael leaves the Melbourne Magistrates Court. Credit:Joe Armao

Prosecutors allege he put his hand down one woman's jeans at his Dandenong clinic in 2014 while a dental nurse was performing treatment, and afterwards said "Smile" and told the woman she needed another appointment.

In 1996 at a clinic in Cheltenham, Dr Michael is alleged to have touched his patient's breast  over her clothing  with the back of his hand and mouthed the word "Sorry". But during the treatment, prosecutors allege, he also mouthed "I love you" to the shocked patient.
Melbourne Express: Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Were working to restore it. Please try again later.

Dismiss
Banyule City Council has reaffirmed its support for traditional Australia Day celebrations, not long after two other Melbourne councils voted to move citizenship ceremonies to another date.

Banyule councillors unanimously voted to continue to recognise January 26 as a day of national celebration, following an urgent-business motion put forward by Cr Rick Garotti on Monday evening.

Australia, a land of immigration.

"I've had more than 20 phone calls or emails over the weekend asking me, 'Why are you changing Australia Day?' " Cr Garotti said, explaining why he thought the urgent motion at Monday night's council meeting was necessary.

Asked if he thought Darebin and Yarra councils had been wrong to decide this month to dump Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, he said: "I wouldn't use the word, but I do think that they have overstepped their remit, by some mark."
The federal treasurer has derided as a "sugar hit" Labor's plan for a $1.6 billion fund to help Western Australia through its GST shortfall.

Scott Morrison pointed out the federal government has had top-up arrangements in place for three years to "stop the drop" in WA's GST share.

Labor announced a GST 'top up' fund to benefit WA. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has promised to create a new fund to boost commonwealth funding of the state to the equivalent of 70 cents for every dollar of GST collected.

At the moment, WA's share is about 34 cents.
Berlin: Harsher measures should be taken against asylum seekers if they take a holiday in their country of origin, Chancellor Angela Merkel said in an interview on Sunday, in which she also said she had no regrets over her open-door refugee policy.

"Taking holidays in the country in which you are being persecuted is not on," the German leader said in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, adding that it could be a reason to re-examine an asylum case.

Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor Credit:Bloomberg

While there is no official data on asylum seekers returning to their home countries on "holiday", the issue has been the focus of media reports in Germany.

Newspaper Die Welt first reported last year that it had uncovered cases of recognised asylum seekers who travelled to countries such as Syria and Afghanistan for a short time. Martin Retsch, from the UN Refugee Agency, said the practice was not "widespread". The issue is, however, indicative of the tensions that have built in Germany.
London: Brexit talks will resume with Prime Minister Theresa May under pressure on two fronts: European negotiators are pushing her to reveal her hand, while the opposition Labour Party has made a bid to lure May's critics to their side.

Labour's announcement on Sunday that it wants Britain to stay in the European Union's single market and customs union for up to four years after it leaves the bloc - a proposal that will delight business - means it's now worthwhile for Conservative parliamentarians who want to maintain ties with Europe to rebel and seek cross-party deals. May, who wants to leave the single market in 2019, lacks a parliamentary majority.

Business in the UK would be delighted to stay in the EU single market and customs union for up to four years after Brexit. Credit:AP

The move comes just as May's deeply divided cabinet had started to reach a consensus about what Brexit - and the first years after the split - should look like. As the next round of divorce talks gets underway on Monday, shifting domestic politics will once again hang over the negotiations.

"There is now a real chance that the UK could stay in a customs union forever," Charles Grant, director of the Centre for European Reform, said on Twitter. "But a few Tory rebels are needed."
Max de Rekeniere, 56, is taking part in a trial of a ground-breaking new treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. Credit:Justin Gage This is not an Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind scenario. It's not like the memory is erased. But it is - hopefully - dulled, drawn of venom and immediacy. More than 80 people were killed and dozens more injured in Nice when a truck deliberately drove into a crowd celebrating Bastille Day. Many more were left traumatised. And some, like de Rekeniere, are still crippled by PTSD. A man cries as he prays by a memorial to victims of this month's Barcelona attack. Credit:AP Terror attacks leave a cruel, lingering penumbra of mental harm. Three months after the Paris attacks of November 2015, more than 1000 people had sought psychological support.

According to an article in The Lancet in July, one-third of people involved in a terror attack either as direct victims, family members, or first responders are likely to develop PTSD. Of those, one-third will not have recovered after 10 years. New research into post-traumatic stress is concerned with propranolol, a chemical at work in the brain. Credit:Boston University via AP De Rekeniere says he began to feel "broken inside". "After a few days everything collapsed in my life. It's like I was in the dark for three months. I don't have the possibility to talk. I was very, very bad." July 2016: A woman searching for her son in the aftermath of the Nice terrorist attack. Credit:AP

He couldn't work. Still today he doesn't like to go into the city of Nice. He fears crowded streets. When the sound of summer fireworks reaches his home from the coast he can feel himself tensing up. Vivid nightmares, night after night, drag him back to scenes he wishes he could forget. And perhaps Dr Alain Brunet can help him do that. Brunet is a Canadian expert in PTSD, who for several years has been developing a new treatment using propranolol. In late 2015 he was getting excited about data from a trial, formally published this year, which had extremely promising results in humans.

And then terrorists rampaged through central Paris. "I have a number of acquaintances there, the events really impacted me," Brunet says. "So I started contacting friends and colleagues over there and said to them: 'We really need to do something [about] all the suffering'." He proposed a new trial of his technique. He flew to France and presented it to the authorities and  eventually  won approval and funding. Since last June they have treated 175 patients, from the Paris and then the Nice terror attacks, using his method. In the year that the project has still to run, he hopes to recruit around 300 in total. Brunet explains that a memory blocked from reconsolidating will be "perhaps not forgotten completely  that's not the result that we're getting  but some components or some aspects of it will be degraded".

"We're interested mostly in the emotional component of the memory. Recalling a memory under a reconsolidation blocker [means] the memory is less emotionally intense." In his early animal research they found they could block memories in a single session. In humans it sometimes works that quickly. But for memories that are extremely traumatic, to obtain a strong clinical result they need to do it six times. So people like de Rekeniere, once a week for six weeks, take the drug, write down their nightmare then recite it. Brunet says the beauty of the treatment is not just that it works  there are other treatments, particularly cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), that work well. But CBT requires a lot of expertise, he says. It's a sophisticated treatment that requires years of training. His method, by contrast, can be taught to any clinician  and in the case of a mass attack that left hundreds or thousands traumatised, it could be widely and quickly deployed.

"We are still collecting data," he says. "It's obviously difficult  but [CBT] treatment involves talking about your trauma, there's no way around that. So the treatment we propose is not more difficult than any other but it's much shorter. "Generally by the second or third treatment session they already see a difference and by the fourth treatment session very often they will sometimes say, 'I am reading this scenario, I am reading this script and it feels like it happened to someone else'. "It's quite a powerful experience to witness. I am completely thrilled by it." Dr Jennifer Wild is a clinical psychologist at Oxford University, researching memory, PTSD and anxiety disorders. She says the treatment that works best for PTSD is trauma-focused CBT  in her experience about 80 per cent of patients recover within six to 12 weeks.

She says understanding memory is the key to understanding PTSD. "It's the worst moments that usually come back to mind rather than a complete narrative of the event," she says. "The way people think about the trauma and its aftermath also leads to a sense of current threat." People with PTSD are unable to learn that they are safe again. Because of the nature of the memory and the way they think about it and react to it, it is as if they are trapped in their terrifying past. So trauma-focused treatments, says Dr Wild, seek to "elaborate" the memory, updating it with new information. They actively try to trigger the trauma memory, to help patients discriminate between the memory and what is going on now.

"If the patient thought they were going to die and now they know they didn't die, when they get to that point in the trauma where they're talking about what happened and they have the thought that 'I thought I was going to die', we would then have them say 'and now I know I didn't die, I'm safe, I still see my kids'. So the memory gets updated." She says the propranolol approach is "an interesting one"  though she has reservations. "While propranolol may block the recurrence of the memory it doesn't actually change the meaning for somebody, which is what our trauma-focused treatments are doing," she says. "So if you reduce the memory you're not going to necessarily change the meaning. I'd be really interested in these trials once they have results, it'd be really interesting to look at." Dr Wild is not the only person to express reservations about the use of propranolol in modifying memory.

In 2009 a team from the University of Amsterdam made worldwide headlines with a study in which they used the drug to apparently "cure" arachnophobia, by eliminating the fearful response associated with images of spiders. At the time, the mental health charity Mind issued a statement saying it was "fascinating research that could transform the treatment for phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder". But they added: "We should also exercise caution before heralding this as a miracle cure. Eradicating emotional responses is clearly an area we would need to be very careful about. "It could affect people's ability to respond to dangerous situations in the future and could even take away people's positive memories  we would need to see much more research into the risks and benefits of this treatment before it becomes a reality." Dr Brunet's technique is not the only new PTSD therapy to come to light recently. Scientists in Japan are developing "fMRI decoded neurofeedback", which uses a computer to analyse brain activity in real time, and tries to find moments when fearful memories are activated so they can be "overwritten" with a reward.

In this way, patients needn't even recall their trauma in order to have it dulled. However, the technique is at a very early stage of development. In Australia, earlier this year the Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health at the University of Melbourne announced a new trial of an intensive PTSD treatment program, recruiting current and former Australian Defence Force members. That program involves an intensive, two-week period of treatment, which the researchers believe may provide equal or better mental health outcomes than current 10-week therapies. Chief investigator Professor David Forbes says even the best PTSD treatments available were not a solution for everyone. "We need to develop and test new and innovative approaches to help those not benefiting from current approaches," he says. "The outcomes of this trial will help not just the military and veteran community, but also other Australians with PTSD as we improve PTSD treatments for everyone."

Rick Corey is a close friend of Max de Rekeniere. Though they live on different continents, they talk almost every day. He says that before the Nice attack de Rekeniere had been "an adventurer". He had saved up money working as a butler in Paris, Monaco and London, and was "like a tiger in a cage" waiting for the next opportunity to travel. But when they spoke after the attack "he was crying like I heard no one cry before", Corey says. "Max was not to be the same, maybe ever again." Corey heard from de Rekeniere after each of the treatments from Brunet's program. After the first session, "Max told me that he cried the whole time".

After the second "he told me that it felt like someone took a knife and pushed it into his stomach". But after the fourth, last week, Corey believes "Max was a lot better. To me at least." "He talked more freely. He listened to me. He was concerned for me and my feelings. "My friend Max was coming alive again." De Rekeniere is not sure.
The Snook school district will remain closed Tuesday, school administrators announced Monday.

Campuses in Snook were closed Monday over concerns about weather. The school district said the decision was made because of concerns about roads in Clay and around Beaver Creek, with more remain expected.

A decision about school for the rest of the week would come after monitoring the conditions.

The school district was among several to cancel classes on Monday, joining Bryan, College Station, Hearne and Brenham campuses to close for the day.

Texas A&M University and Blinn College canceled classes for Monday and Tuesday.

The Sam Houston State University campus will be closed through Labor Day. Classes will start on Sept. 5.
A Texas A&M student who nearly drown while swimming at Lake Bryan during flood-inducing storms Saturday is being kept on life support until his family arrives, according to officials.

Another student remained in critical condition at CHI St. Joseph late Sunday after suffering similar injuries just before 6 p.m. at the utilities lake off Sandy Point Road.

A third person who was not in the water and knew the swimmers saw they were in distress and flagged down two Bryan police officers who were patrolling the area, authorities said. Each brought one of the swimmers back to shore where CPR was performed on both until emergency personnel arrived, according to police.

The names of the officers who helped in the rescue were not immediately available, nor were the names of the swimmers. Police said the identity of the student will be released once family members have been notified.

It wasn't immediately clear why they were swimming during severe weather. More details when we know them.
NORWALK  Norwalk Public Schools are going to Mars.

At least thats the analogy Board of Education chairman Mike Lyons is using to describe the districts goals  the Strategic Operating Plan  now in its second year.

Ive always thought that along as NASA had a goal sitting up there in the night sky called getting to the moon, they were able to achieve great things, Lyons said. When the goal lost focus, we had this magnificent machine called the space shuttle that flew around and really didnt achieve all that much. At some point the old NASA is going to come back when they say, Were going to put a man on Mars. That goal focuses all of your energy. I think that up until the last four or five years when we really started doing the strategic planning, I got the sense the Norwalk schools were just going around in circles. Without that strategic plan, without that set of goals, it couldnt reach for greatness.

The district has released a set of 28 implementation steps tied to nine priority outcomes for the upcoming school year. The list builds off a similar one from last year, of which the board achieved 23.5 out of 25 implementation steps.

The holdover, Lyons said, was a review of the Academically Talented program, which has been identified as a top priority for this year.

It was the one major item from last year we didnt reach, Lyons said. The half item was communications  we initiated new communication outreaches (newsletters) to teachers and parents but didnt get as many of them out as wed hoped.

Lyons said a review of the academically talented program is already lined up, with the district set to receive consulting advice from Joseph Renzulli, professor emeritus and founder of the Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Connecticut.

Of the new goals, Lyons said some of the top priorities include beginning the 3-year process of increasing high school graduation requirements from 20 credits to 26 credits, implementing the second year of the Middle School Redesign project, completing the architectural plans for the first two school projects in the $170 million improvement plan, completing the implementation of the three year Special Education rebuilding program, and beginning a plan to extend the elementary school day by 30 minutes in the 2018-2019 academic year.

The outcomes, of course, will measure the success of these implementation steps Lyons said.

The outcomes are the things that measure the success of the steps, Lyons said. You dont want to be in a situation where we got all of the steps done and it didnt have any effect on student achievement. The outcomes are the part of the plan that keeps you honest.

While it may seem like an ambitious list  particularly after not quite completing it last year  Lyons said that is exactly what the districts leaders were shooting for.

If you dont get rejected from any colleges, you didnt shoot high enough, Lyons said. If we achieved every goal on the list, we probably didnt set the list ambitious enough.

kkrasselt@hearstmediact.com; 203-842-2563; @kaitlynkrasselt
PALMER  The plan for Emilie Wolfe was to teach life skills and the Gospel to people in South Africa. What actually happened is she learned about herself  and how much this trip would change her life.

Wolfe, a 2014 Palmer High School graduate, returned from her three-week mission trip to South Africa on July 18. The trip for Wolfe was to teach the Gospel and life skills to residents of South Africa, but what she got in turn was an awakening into her own faith.

Wolfe, a student at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO), took the trip with others from City Light Church in Omaha.

The idea was to help people in South Africa learn to manage finances, resolve conflict, life skills and the Gospel, something Wolfe said they dont have the resources to do on their own.

She said she too got a lesson in life, and grew deeper in her faith.

Although my team and I traveled over 9,000 miles to Africa to pour into the people there, I felt as though they poured so much more into us, Wolfe said. The people of South Africa accepted us into their community, culture and personal lives without hesitation. The people there showed us what it truly means to love like Jesus.

This was Wolfes first mission trip, and she came back with many wonderful memories, but one stands out in her mind above all others: sharing the written word of God.

The first thing that comes to mind was being able to give away Bibles to the individuals in our life skills program. It was so moving to see their faces light up and how happy they were to have a Bible that was their own.

While in South Africa, Wolfe didnt have many things that she takes for granted here in America, such as high-speed internet, fast food restaurants and such. She said she really didnt miss what she didnt have, yet embraced what she did have.

I was honestly content and never had that feeling of wanting more than what was available to us, she said. She continued that she wasnt ready for the trip to end, just yet.

Sure, I missed my family and friends, of course, but God was working in so many amazing ways that I was not ready to come home at the end of those three weeks.

Wolfe said she took many things away from this trip, but she said while in South Africa, she really felt something inside her change for the better.

One personal take away I had from the trip was how much Jesus loves us and all of the ways he shows it. My team was so amazing at helping me dig into my faith and form a real relationship with Christ.

Wolfe continued that she made a choice right then to rededicate her life to Jesus.

As a testament of my inward transformation, I chose to be baptized in Africa.

She continued, It was a moment I will never forget! God is so good and has a unique purpose for each of our lives.

Wolfe encourages others to take a mission trip, whether it is the first or their 100th.

I would definitely recommend going on a mission trip. In preparation for the trip, I felt as though I wasnt qualified enough to go, but that mindset quickly changed. I was reminded that God uses broken people to help broken people. We are all his children regardless of the color of our skin, the language that we speak, or where we happen to live,

She added that this trip opened her eyes to the world, and how she sees others now.

Wolfe plans on doing more mission trips in the near future.

Africa changed my outlook on life, and I hope to continue in missions whether it is overseas again or right here in the states.
By Harold Reutter

The Dennys Restaurant that was connected to the south end of Boarders Inn & Suites in Grand Island closed on Aug. 22.

Ray OConnor of OConnor Enterprises said that he owns Boarders Inn & Suites and we lease to Dennys, so now Im in the process of evaluating who we want to bring in for a new lease program.

OConnor said when the lease for the restaurant was about to expire, Dennys decided not to renew it.

He said another restaurant would be a natural fit for the former Dennys property because of the volume of business that Boarders Inn & Suites does, as well as all the activity on South Locust Street.

OConnor said that he is looking forward to bringing in a restaurant that will be good not only for that location, but for the city.

Its a great space, said OConnor, who noted that he bought the equipment, so the restaurant equipment stayed with the location. Its ready made for somebody to come in, but its got to be the right person who has the background and the ability and the passion. Thats the big thing  you have to have the passion to be in the restaurant business.

The Dennys Restaurant opened in July 2012 at the intersection of South Locust Street and Highway 34. At the time that Dennys opened, the motel at that location was known as the Howard Johnson Riverside Inn.

Ray and Jennifer OConnor became the new owners of the former Howard Johnson Riverside Inn in 2014. Under their ownership, the motel underwent a $4.25 million renovation and became Boarders Inn & Suites.

OConnor said the motels restaurant has great potential to host a variety of conventions, as well as accommodate guests who visit Grand Island for special events at the nearby Heartland Events Center and Fonner Park, which not only hosts the annual Nebraska State Fair, but numerous national livestock shows and other events.
When President Trump announced his decision to send more U.S. troops to Afghanistan this week, he described it as a bold new strategy to achieve victory in the 16-year-old war.

In the end, we will win, he promised. We will always win.

But there wasnt much that was new about the ideas Trump outlined. If you listened closely, he wasnt really promising to win the Afghan war, except in the limited sense of preventing the Taliban from toppling the U.S.-backed government. And the few, sketchy steps he outlined didnt add up to a true strategy  more like a holding action aimed at staving off defeat.

And yet, for all that, it could have been worse.

Like presidents before him, Trump has discovered that foreign policy often requires choosing among bad options. The easy solutions that fill campaign speeches are rarely available in the real world.

Trump came into office having long argued that the United States should simply give up on its longest war. Afghanistan is a complete waste, he tweeted in 2012. Time to come home!

To his credit, once his generals explained that withdrawal would almost certainly make the country a base for Al Qaeda and Islamic State  and that hed be blamed for the terrorists win  the president backed down. He gave Defense Secretary James N. Mattis more personnel, more time, more decision-making authority and a commitment (at least rhetorically) to stay as long as needed to stabilize the Kabul government.

Thats not to suggest that stability is in the cards any time soon. Trumps aides know that 4,000 more troops wont turn the war around. Barack Obama sent more than 100,000 troops, and that surge had disappointing results.

To turn Trumps sketchy decision into a genuine policy, his national security team needs to succeed on three fronts, all of them challenging.

First, they need to use the new U.S. forces to bolster Afghanistans security forces and improve their training. Thats the most straightforward mission, one American officers have already been working on for most of a decade.

The 4,000 troops Trump is adding will bring the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to roughly the 13,600 that Gen. John R. Allen requested from President Obama in 2012 but didnt get. Allen, now retired, insists that the train-and-equip program he proposed five years ago can still enable the Afghans to hold their own against the Taliban, if given enough time.

Second, they need to persuade neighboring Pakistan to stop protecting terrorist groups. Thats not a new idea, either; Presidents Obama and George W. Bush tried and failed.

That will have to change, and that will change immediately, Trump promised. But he didnt say how, beyond hinting that he might cut military aid and authorize U.S. forces to attack suspected terrorists deep in Pakistani territory.

Third, U.S. diplomats need to find a way to pressure the Taliban into the peace negotiations that are the only realistic way to end the war. Indeed, the real goal of the military campaign is to make the Kabul government secure enough to negotiate successfully with the Taliban. Until now, most of the insurgents have seen little need to talk with a government that cannot defend itself unaided.

And yet, in Mondays speech, Trump sounded almost dismissive about peace talks. Some day, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever happen, he said.

Actually, a generations worth of U.S. military commanders in Afghanistan have said thats the only way out. For negotiations to succeed, however, the United States will need help not only from Pakistan, but from Iran and Russia as well. Any of the three could easily get in the way.

The Trump administration hasnt yet failed at multilateral diplomacy on Afghanistan; it has barely even tried. The United States has no ambassador in Kabul (although a career diplomat was recently nominated). The State Department had a special office working on a regional solution to the Afghan war, but Secretary of State Rex Tillerson disbanded it last spring.

It wont be easy to make any of the parts of the presidents scheme work. For one thing, it will require Trump to accept halfway outcomes that fall far short of the kind of total victory he likes to promise.

But theres one factor that might make the president willing not only to stay the course in Afghanistan, but to try diplomacy as well  the same one that prompted him to reluctantly approve more troops against his initial instincts: All the alternatives look worse.
It's not over. Thousands of uncounted ballots remain in Bucks, Montco

Bucks County officials do not anticipate all ballots cast Tuesday will be counted - or not - until next week. Leaving House key races in limbo
For The Intelligencer

EDWARDSVILLE, IL  The Edwardsville Community Foundation (ECF) recently presented a $5,000 grant to the Watershed Nature Center for its capital campaign project, Access Nature. This project will modify the entrance at the Watershed Nature Center to allow for greater access and understanding of native habitats located in the park.

The Watershed Nature Center was selected to receive this grant by ECFs Grant Committee, which reviewed all of the grant applications from various registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofits which are working to complete capital campaign projects. ECF Executive Director Pam Farrar said that the grant committee awarded the money to Access Nature because of the long-term benefit it will provide to people in the Edwardsville/Glen Carbon community. Its always difficult to select one nonprofit to receive this kind of grant, because there are so many wonderful organizations in our community, doing important work. However, the mission of the Edwardsville Community Foundation is to enhance the quality of life for people in our community, and we feel like the Access Nature Project will provide a unique opportunity for everyone living here, as well as visitors outside of our community, said Farrar.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Sharon Nadeem (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 09:33 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae31389 4 People writer,#writer,Malaysia,Book,Faisal-Tehrani,human-rights,Islam Free

The prominent Malaysian author-playwright, known in literary circles as Faisal Tehrani, has penned over 30 novels, short stories, poems and plays.

His novel 1515, used as reading text for the Malay Studies program at the University of Cologne, won the Malaysian National Book Prize in 2005.

However, from being the poster child of Malay literature, Faisal soon fell from grace with the Malaysian government when he branched out into a subject matter considered taboo in the country  Shia Islam.

Six of his works, five novels and a play, which delve into the topic, remain banned in the Sunni Muslim country. One of the books, Sebongkah Batu di Kuala Berang (A Rock in Kuala Berang), talks about Shia Islam being the first to reach this region, a fact that Faisal discovered during his research.

This fact is too scary to handle in the era of proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, he said.

The Malaysian government has deemed the banned books religiously deviant, saying they contain elements which could confuse Muslims and cause moral harm.

While Faisal doesnt deny the existence of Shia elements in his works, his intention is to highlight his support for freedom of religion and his opposition of institutionalized Islam in Malaysia.

I have positioned myself ideologically against the Malaysian governments Islamism project and by challenging the status quo, even a known writer like me can get into trouble he said.

Even his works that are banned are hard to find on bookshelves like his novel, Bagaimana Anyss Naik Ke Langit (How Anyss Goes to the Sky), focused on the plight of the Penan Indigenous group in Sarawak.

This commercial censorship proves that fear is creeping in effectively, he said.

Making no effort to hide his disdain for Islamic bureaucrats, he calls the ban imposed by them another form of terror and a sign of rising extremism. Their actions, he said, are in opposition to Islams strength.

Islam is a religion that is immune to opposition, criticism, disagreements or even ridicule from insiders and outsiders. I believe that my religion has this capacity, but the Malay clerics can be easily offended, he said.

However, Faisal remains fearless and undeterred, and vowed to explore his areas of interest more and continue to write on the subject.

I still have faith in literature. In this war imposed by extremists, words and stories have proven to be the real weapons we can use to fight back. Men of letters should experiment with everything, especially ideas, he said.

He calls on the literary community in ASEAN countries to do the same to tackle the problems in the region. He asks them to go beyond just telling stories and also offer solutions.

Indeed, literature places crisis at the center, highlighting violations, publicizing the issue, and we as writers need to go beyond, he said.

He is currently working on a novel about the journey of a human rights defender, drawing from his own life experiences. Calling himself an accidental human right defender, Faisal said he arrived at this point in life after diving deeper into his own traditions.

I was a believer that human rights were Western-oriented, that we should have our own mold. But the more I look into oral literature the more I see universal values, he said,

He points out that he sees human rights lessons in Malay proverbs and freedom of expression in folklores.

I found the only Malay exegesis, Tafsir Nurul Ihsan supporting the very idea of freedom of religion; that allows Muslims to abandon their religion, if they think it is not central in their life anymore, he said.

However, Faisal highlights that this does not mean that his recent works are a rejection of Western ideas or rejection of Islam, but positions them as a bridge between these two poles.

I believe this is a correct formula, he said.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Bill Dalton (The Jakarta Post) Lombok  Mon, August 28, 2017 10:37 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae398be 4 People writer,#writer,Jamie-James Free

During his long and distinguished multifaceted writing career, Jamie James has written fiction, biography, art reviews, travel articles, features and long-form criticism about a great variety of subjects.

After graduating from Williams College in Massachusetts, where he majored in art history, James moved to New York where he spent 20 years working as a freelance journalist and critic, including a stint as art critic at one of the most respected and prestigious magazines in the world, The New Yorker.

The recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation grant, James has contributed to Rolling Stone, The Atlantic Monthly, Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic, The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, among other major publications.

In 1999, James resigned his post at The New Yorker and moved to Jakarta to devote more of his time to books.

Over the past 18 years, James has published five books, all but one of them about Indonesia, at least in part, and he continues to write about culture and travel for American magazines and newspapers.

He now lives in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara with his partner Rendy, whom he met in 1995 while he was in Jakarta to profile the novelist Pramoedya Ananta Toer for The New Yorker.

When he began living and working in Indonesia more than 18 years ago, it took him a long time to get established.

The first five years was an exciting immersion in a new culture. Since he moved here, the global editorial universe has been turned upside-down. Freelance journalism has almost completely gone digital. Fortunately, Jamie had the loyalty of his publisher, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, in New York.

There is no doubt that Indonesia offers a better style of life than toughing it out in New York, he confided in me. Ive learned that I can do what I do from almost anywhere.

Andrew and Joey: A Tale of Bali (Jamie James/File)

Jamies first literary foray that involved Indonesia was Andrew and Joey, his first novel, published in 2000. This book was partly inspired by Samuel Richardsons epistolary novel Clarissa, written in the 18th century. The story, told through emails, is set in modern day America and Indonesia. Its a bittersweet tale about the head-on collision of a Western man with the culture of Bali.

His second novel, The Java Man, published in 2004  a satire of global literary culture  centers on an Indonesian poet who upsets a coterie of traditionalists in a secluded English village. The mysterious stranger arrives in the gloomy community with jamu (traditional medicine) healing potions, a magic kris and bawdy epics drawn from ancient lontar, bringing a fascinating glimpse of an utterly remote world to rural England.

Jamie has also been successful writing non-fiction about the country.

In 2011, he published Rimbaud in Java: The Lost Voyage, about the great French poet Arthur Rimbaud who joined the Dutch Colonial Army in 1876 as an infantryman and sailed for Java, where he promptly deserted and fled into the jungle.

His latest book, The Glamour of Strangeness, focuses on transplants like myself. Two of the main subjects are Raden Saleh, the Javanese painter who found fame and fortune in Europe, and Walter Spies, the prodigiously talented German painter who lived in Bali in the years between the world wars.

The Glamour of Strangeness (Jamie James/File)

I asked him what it is like writing a biography, as opposed to fiction. Biography requires a tremendous amount of research, whereas in fiction theres very little or none, he says.

In a novel, the characters almost write the book for you. When I was writing novels, I got so caught up in the characters voices and actions that I wanted to see how it all turned out. In a biography, you cant say anything, no matter how trivial, unless you know its true. Or I cant.

Rimbauds voyage to Java in the 19th century, the subject of Jamies book Rimbaud in Java, is a case in point. As a mercenary soldier in the Dutch Colonial Army, this journey was one of the most mysterious passages in a life full of mysteries. Very little is known about the adventure. Its such an unlikely adventure that in the early days of Rimbaud studies, some scholars thought it was just another of the poets extravagant tall tales.

Jamie started off trying to write a novel based on this episode of his life, but soon gave it up. Most attempts at a fictionalized version of Rimbauds life have been pretty embarrassing, like Total Eclipse, the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as the poet, Jamie believed.

Rimbaud, whose life was even more amazing than his work, was too intriguing a character to portray on film. The poet created the prototype of the artist as rebel. Rimbaud is one of the very few examples of a child prodigy in literature.

There are several cases of 6 year olds composing symphonies, like Mozart and children who show an uncanny talent for mathematics or chess, but Rimbaud basically invented modern poetry by the age of sixteen. To say he was wise beyond his years would be a massive understatement.

His latest book The Glamour of Strangeness is an anthology of six mini-biographies of people who didnt just go to an exotic place to live, but who immersed themselves in the new culture and made it their new home.

Jamie himself is one of the people he writes about in the book, making him well qualified to write about the subject. There are autobiographical sections at the beginning and end of The Glamour of Strangeness, describing his career as a travel writer, which led to his decision to live in Indonesia.

Jamie calls the self-exiles in his book exotes, borrowing a word from one of his subjects, Victor Segalen, a French poet who arrived in Peking at the end of the Empire and lived the life of a Ming Chinese poet-scholar.

The book started out as a dual biography of Raden Saleh and Walter Spies, then Jonathan Galassi, the editor in chief of Farrar, Straus & Giroux, said, Why dont you expand the scope?

Jamie explains, Paul Gauguin set the paradigm of the exote, and I had some things to say about him, so I started the book with his move to Tahiti. The other two subjects are Isabelle Eberhardt, a Russian-Swiss writer who converted to Islam and moved to Algeria, and Maya Deren, an American experimental filmmaker who went to Haiti to make a documentary about voodoo and ended up becoming a priestess of the religion.

Finally, I was curious about what his writing life, remarking that he never seemed to let himself laze around before he started work on a new project. Im not romantic about writing. Its a job. I write 1,000 words a day, or try to, until I finish the first draft. Then the real work begins  the editing and revision. After I finish a book, theres a fleeting pleasure, but it doesnt take long before I see how it could have been better.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Imas Istiani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 09:07 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae2ef53 4 Art & Culture short-story,short-stories Free

It was the day that would forever change her life, but the Village Girl could not see anything would go wrong. Instead, she was bursting with excitement.

Ma Why are the trees running? Where will they go?

The Village Girl could not stop staring at the outside, flattening her forehead, nose and lips against the window. It was her first experience riding in a car. Having lived her whole life corralled by green hills and sandy beaches in a very remote area of Sukabumi had limited her chances of witnessing modern developments. Even though her village is located some five-hours away from Jakarta, one of the worlds most popular megacities. This was where she was heading. She was so happy when Ma took her to the city while her other siblings were left at home with Granny.

Before the Village Girl and Ma left the house this early morning, Granny wrapped her arms around her small body and hugged her so tightly she could not breathe. Grannys eyes grew misty and the Village Girl thought it was funny the way her grandmother was staring at her as if for the last time.

Granny, why are you so sad? You used to love it when I was not around to bother you, said the Village Girl mockingly. Granny had always yelled her for being too noisy around the house, especially when the Village Girl was playing with her siblings.

You little brat, Granny nagged at her, but her eyes had become wet and her voice was hoarse.

Its already five, we have to go! Ma said. She folded her arms, while tapping her right foot against the floor. She watched with disdain as her daughter, the Village Girl, was trying to part with the grandmother.

I know what time it is dont you dare pressure me! the sound of Grannys voice startled the Village Girl. Both her mother and Granny were giving each other the look  the kind youd throw at people you didnt like. The younger woman quickly grabbed the Village Girls hand and dragged her away from the older womans presence.

Ma never mentioned why they went to Jakarta; neither what would they do once they got there. But she guessed that Ma was missing Pa terribly and that they would meet him there. The Village Girl had repeatedly asked Ma to meet Pa  a man of whom she knew nothing, even his name. Granny told her that Pa left the family to earn more money when he found out that Ma was pregnant again; the Village Girl was barely one-year old at the time. Pa complained that their small village had nothing to offer except vast paddy fields which were always dry due to the long drought and terrible irrigation. That was Grannys version  the version about her fathers leaving that the Village Girl had come to believe. Ma refused to mention anything about Pa.

Nina, her favorite playmate, told her, Your father is a jerk. Thats what Mom told me.

The Village Girl did not really understand what Nina meant, but she was sure it was pretty bad. She remembered how Nina had called her own father a jerk after a particular incidence  one in which he refused to buy her new shoes for the Eid celebration.

The Village Girl swore to herself she would never call her father names no matter what he had done. Feeling his presence would have been enough. Sure, it was hard not to have her father around, but The Village Girl noticed it must have been harder for Ma. Since Pa left the family, or as far as she remembered, the Village Girl never saw Ma smile at anyone. Now that they were on the bus to Jakarta, the Village Girl wished she would see the smile on Mas face again. But Mas mind seemed to have wandered far away. Ma was gazing straight at the worn gray seat in front of her.

Ma, why are the trees outside running? I wonder where they want to go. Are they following us? the Village Girl wiggled her moms thigh, demanding an explanation.

Yes, the trees are running to their new place. Dont you know that everything is changing in this world? Just like your little brother: he was helpless when he was just born. Now he can crawl and sit by himself. And you, you will grow and you can be anything you want to be if you behave.

Really? I want to be Sailor Moon! How can I be Sailor Moon, Ma? My hair is long like Sailor Moon, but it is dark, not yellow, she touched the tip of her fishtail braided hair, inhaling the scent. Ma washed her hair this morning with strawberry shampoo. She never ate a strawberry, but she knew the picture from her older sisters school book cover where she saw a very pretty young lady with pink hair covered by a strawberry hat.

Ma, can I be Sailor Moon by wearing a strawberry hat? The Village Girl shook Mas skinny hands, which were holding her shabby brown canvas tote bag tightly.

What did I just tell you, eh? You can be anything as long as you behave well. In a normal situation, every time she said, You have to behave well, Mas tone was sharp, cold and mean. But not this time. There was none of that.

The Village Girl tried to enjoy her first bus trip, but the bumpy road made dizzy. There was no AC on the bus. Throughout the journey, the Village Girl wiped the sweat across her forehead using her shirt sleeve. Even worse was the mixture of rotten smell hanging in the air which came from fish, peoples feet, sweat, and the pungent odor of cheap perfumes. But she did not let them ruin her day. The running trees were no longer visible to her. Had they discovered the places they wanted to go to?

After the trees, the Village Girl saw so many houses moving and running as well. She pondered whether the houses were running with their occupants too. Otherwise, where would they sleep once they discovered their houses had left them? She then thought of their old house which was always there every time she went home after helping Ma selling fried sweet potatoes. It was normal for the Village Girl and her mother to walk around the village for six straight hours (or more if there were sweet potatoes were not selling as fast as they should). Ma insisted that if the Village Girl helped her sell the cake, more people would want to buy the fried sweet potatoes. If they managed to sell all the fried potatoes on any given day  which was very rare  Ma would let the Village Girl play at Ninas house. Nina lived in the largest house in the village, and if the Village Girl was lucky, when she arrived at the house Sailor Moon would be playing on TV.

Besides the running houses, she saw many other running cars racing each other as if they were pulled hard by invisible ropes. The deafening sound of those cars, boisterously and clamorously, was such a great contrast from her daily life. Usually, the loudest sound she would hear came from petrol chainsaws chopping down the coconut trees that grew abundantly in her village. But what surprised her most was to see the way some cars would leave thick black clouds behind them, hovering low above the ground.

Maaa Can I touch the black clouds over there?

What black clouds? Mas attention was now drawn to her.

Look at them! They are scattered around the cars!

The Village Girl had always dreamed of touching the white clouds across the blue sky. Now that the dream was coming true, the Village Girl tried not to blink her eyes very often, thinking she could not witness this miracle again anytime soon. And also, the realization of how clouds were formed stirred her eagerness to go back home right away to tell her playmates that she knew how clouds were made.

The new knowledge triggered her another question: why did the color change from black to white once the cloud was up in the sky? This question was quickly forgotten as soon as the running houses were gone. What was in front of her now were very tall buildings pressing against each other like tiny bristles on her blue toothbrush. The lean buildings looked so fragile as if they would collapse easily once the wind came and blew them off. Ma could sense her anxiety. Ma squeezed her hand.

We will get off the bus soon. Collect your belonging now, Mas voice was hoarse like there was a roll of hay clogged in her throat. The Village Girl reluctantly grabbed her worn-out cuddly baby doll and a bottle of water. Her braided hair was no longer neat, her ironed cloth was crumpled and wet with sweat. Ma helped her tighten the braid before they got off.

When the bus left them at a stop, the Village Girl could not blink at all seeing the big city in front of her. No more bus window separated her view from the real tall buildings that still looked intimidating to her. Now she could see clearly the endless range of buses, cars, and motorbikes. She squinted her eyes for the blazing sun was not only burning her skin, but also blinding her sight. She trusted Ma to lead her by her hand with her eyes half closed.

Ma took her inside a food stall where a long line of dishes made her mouth water and her stomach growl like a mad bears. She waggled her two hands to seize all the food aromas toward her: dried beef curry, grilled chicken, tilapia soup, pan fried shrimp and many others that the Village girl had never seen before. But Ma disrupted her pleasure and asked her to sit and wait on the wooden chair. When Ma came and brought her a plate of warm rice and a fried egg, she unwillingly took the plate. She chewed the rice slowly while closing her eyes, imagining that what she had for lunch was a slice of dried beef curry.

Why, you dont like it? Ma glared at her. The Village Girl knew she better say nothing or Ma would repeat her mantra: Behave well!

While eating at the table by the large window, the Village Girl observed the world outside. Besides the long heavy traffic, she noticed there were many street children by the traffic light. When the red light was on, they took over the entire street by singing, wiping car windows, selling newspapers, selling snacks or just begging for alms. There were also children close to her age whose clothes were torn and who seemed to be in need of a good shower.

Ma, what are they doing? the Village Girl pointed toward something.

Without directing her gaze to what the Village Girl was pointing at, Ma answered shortly while eating. They are earning money so they can eat, she said.

Where are their parents? I also earn money with you.

Ma stopped chewing. The wrinkles on her forehead were getting thicker as she stared at the Village Girl. They would not do that if their parents had already enough money. Now, stop looking at them and finish your lunch!

The Village Girls plate was still full while Mas plate was already empty. She tried to hasten but her little mouth could only take in half a spoon every time she scooped the rice.

After a few moments, Ma cleared her throat and spoke to the Village Girl. Listen, I want you to know that no matter what people say, you have to keep in mind that I have been trying to do the best for us. You understand that, eh? For the first time today, Ma initiated a conversation. Not only that, Ma seemed to really mean it.

I know, Ma.

Listen, I have to go somewhere where children arent allowed to come.

Why Ma? Dont leave me alone!

Remember I told you to behave, okay? No, it will not take a long time. You dont have to worry, though, my friend will come and pick you up so you will not be alone waiting for me. Hush.. Hush No more crying! Ma took some tissues from a box on the dining table and wiped away her tears.

Promise me that you will behave, okay? My friend will arrive soon and he will take you to a water park while waiting for me. You told me once that Nina went there last month. Now it is your time to have fun in the park, Ma smiled lightly.

Water Park? The thought of playing all day long at the water park soothed the Village Girls cry by itself. But, but, we will meet there soon, right? She felt herself torn between excitement and sadness.

Oh, sure... You are such a well-behaved daughter. See you there soon, okay? Bye! Ma kissed her left cheek and hugged her for a moment. The Village Girl followed Mas steps with her eyes until her shadow disappeared. Not long after Ma had left, a tall thin man appeared. She could not see his face since it was covered with a bushy mustache and round sunglasses. A strong smell of tobacco came from his black leather jacket.

The man cleared his throat intentionally to catch her attention when the Village Girl looked down on her plate with a perplexed gaze.

So, are you ready to go to the water park?

The Village Girl said nothing, tears began to well up in her eyes. Dont cry, she told herself. After a while, the man took her hand and led her outside. Again, the fiery blazing sun blinded her so she kept on tripping behind the man. But even though her teary eyes were half closed, the Village Girl was sure she saw Ma on a running bus, watching her for a moment, before eventually turning away from her.

***

The writer is an English lecturer and Fulbright scholar. Her previous story also appeared in The Jakarta Post.

Topics :

shortstory@thejakartapost.com

We are no longer accepting short story submissions for both online and print editions. New submissions towill not be published.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 09:35 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae3164c 1 Politics transparency,political-party,funding,corruption Free

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati warned on Sunday politicians against abusing the annual funding for political parties, which had been significantly increased by the government.

"The state budget is not for private gain, not to enrich oneself. The ideal purpose is to meet the national goals," Sri Mulyani said in her speech as quoted by tempo.co.

She said the party funding was designed to improve the capacity of political parties in carrying out their role as the people's political representation.

The government has increased funding for political parties from Rp 108 to Rp 1,000 per valid vote per year.

The Political Party Law stipulates that besides state funds, the financial sources of party funding also include members dues and legal donations from private agencies.

The Home Ministry said more money for political parties could help politicians carry out programs in a more accountable way.

Antigraft activists and officials said the increase should be followed with efforts to improve political parties' accountability.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Ganug Nugroho Adi (The Jakarta Post) Surakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 18:14 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae4f0c1 1 National surakarta,AdiSumarmoAirport,solo,airport-train,FX-Hadi-Rudyatmo,Budi-Karya-Sumadi Free

The airport-railway project that will connect Solo Balapan Station and Adi Sumarmo International Airport both in Surakarta, Central Java, will require the demolition of least 594 houses along the track, Surakarta Mayor FX Hadi Rudy Rudyatmo said on Monday.

The inhabitants will be relocated. The required budget [for the relocation] will be provided by the Transportation Ministry, he said, adding that most of the houses along the track were built illegally.

In addition, 129 plots of land would also be acquired to support the project, the mayor said.

Rudy said the affected residents would be notified beginning from next week.

The city administration has established a taskforce involving representatives of the affected residents to help find suitable locations for relocation, he said.

Read also: Yogyakarta airport promotes Javanese language to highlight local wisdom

Last week, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the government aimed to finish relocation by October while the entire airport-railway project is expected to be finished in November 2018.

I believe Surakarta has its own way, which is effective in land acquisition and relocation for the project, the minister said in Surakarta.

The 13.5-kilometer railway project is forecast to cost Rp 1 trillion (US$75 million). The State Budget will cover 70 percent of the total cost while the rest will be covered by a consortium consisting of state-owned enterprises PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI), PT Angkasa Pura 1 (AP 1), and PT Pembangunan Perumahan (PP). (bbs)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 15:35 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae46d3e 1 National angkasa-pura,airport-expansion,Walhi,AMDAL,Amdal-document,environmental-issues Free

State-owned airport operator Angkasa Pura (AP) I has cleared a beach area, which will be the location of a new Yogyakarta airport in Kulon Progo, despite possessing neither an environmental impact analysis (Amdal) document or environmental permit for the project.

With the absence of the Amdal document and environmental permit, construction stages, including land clearance, should not be conducted, said Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) director Halik Sandera on Saturday.

(Read also: 11 investors show interest in Batam's Hang Nadim Airport)

He said it was not the first time that AP I had violated the rules. The airport operator previously relocated residents whose land was to be used for the airport construction. The relocation was conducted before an assessment team in Jakarta had issued the Amdal document.

Five villages have been affected by the airport project, namely Glagah, Jangkaran, Kebonrejo, Palihan and Sindutan.

Some residents complained about dust-related problems during land clearance. With an Amdal document, such problems could have been prevented, said Halik.

Get ready: President Joko Jokowi Widodo (left) observes the first stone laid to mark the start of the construction process of a new airport in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, on Jan.27. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)

Rights group Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institutes (LBH) advocacy department head, Yogi Zul Fadhli, said an Amdal document was important because environmental permits were issued on the basis of the Amdal.

We want to remind all related parties that as of today, there has been no Amdal document or environmental permit issued for the airports construction. Hence, the dispatch of heavy equipment to carry out land clearing activities cannot be justified, said Yogi.

He further said that if it continued the activities, AP I could be in violation of Article 109 of Law No.32/2009 on environment conservation and management.

AP I director Danang Baskoro said separately the land clearing was not part of the new airport's construction activities. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 19:26 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae50e7e 1 City Facebook,machete,business Free

Students in Bogor, West Java, have reportedly been selling bladed weapons, often used for brawls, through social media, an official has said.

Bogor Student Task Force acting head Muhammad Iqbal said the task force often found students in the area selling sharp weapons, mostly machetes.

They usually sell machetes and market them through Facebook. They are both junior high school and senior high school students, Iqbal said Monday, as quoted by tribunnews.com.

The students post pictures of the weapons with specifications and prices. Machetes, for example, were priced at Rp 120,000 (US$9) each.

So far the task force has caught one student involved in machete trading. He was detained a few months ago when he delivered a machete at Layang Bridge in Cimahpar. The student used a cash-on-delivery payment system. The student was taken to the local police office and the task force then coordinated with the students school.

The transaction is shrouded in secrecy and the weapons may be used for brawls. The seller is likely to get the machetes from outside of Bogor, Iqbal said.

At present, the task force is investigating further because there is a possibility that the Facebook account that was used to sell the weapons was hacked. (wnd)

Topics : Facebook machete business
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 17:25 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae4b45c 1 Politics Basuki-Hariman,Patrialis-Akbar,Constitutional-Court,corruption,Corruption-court,KPK,bribery Free

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced meat importer Basuki Hariman to seven years in prison on Monday for bribing former Constitutional Court justice Patrialis Akbar via a middleman and the justice's aide Kamaludin.

The defendant has been found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of serial corruption, presiding judge Nawawi Pomolongo said when reading out the verdict at the court in Jakarta as quoted from kompas.com.

Basuki was also ordered to pay Rp 400 million (US$30,000) in fines on pain of an additional three months in prison.

The accused [Basuki] met Patrialis on several occasions in September, October and December 2016 in order to sway a judicial review in his favor, the judge said.

Read also: Constitutional Court must speed up judicial reviews: Setara

Also on Monday, Basuki's employee Ng Fenny was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay Rp 200 million in fines or spend an extra two months in prison.

The two were convicted of handing over $50,000 in bribes to Patrialis in order to influence the court justices to issue a favorable ruling in the judicial review of Law No. 41/2014 on animal health and husbandry.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors had previously demanded Basuki be sentenced to 11 years in prison and Ng Fenny to 10.5 years.

Patrialis will hear his verdict soon. Prosecutors have demanded he be sentenced to 12.5 years in prison. (ecn/bbs)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 14:06 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae403a4 2 National terror-attack,IS,Court,Bekasi,verdict,SuicideBomber Free

A woman from Bekasi, West Java has been sentenced to seven-and-a-half years jail for her involvement in an Islamic State-inspired plot to carry out a suicide bomb attack on the presidential palace in Jakarta, her lawyer said Monday.

Dian Yulia Novi was arrested at her boarding house with a three-kilogram bomb encased in a pressure cooker the night before the planned attack on the palace in December.

Novi, a 28-year-old former migrant worker who is nine months pregnant, was found guilty of committing an act of terrorism by the East Jakarta District Court on Friday, her lawyer confirmed to AFP.

"The judges said what she had committed was counterproductive with the government's efforts to eradicate terrorism and that it has caused public unrest," her lawyer Kamsi said.

It is the first time a woman has been convicted over a suicide bomb plot in Indonesia and highlights the more active role women are taking in violent extremism.

Novi and her husband were among five militants detained over the planned attack last year.

Another woman alleged to have recruited Novi, named Tutin Sugiarti, was sentenced to three-and-half years in prison on Friday, Kamsi said.

Police believe the group was strongly linked to Bahrun Naim, a leading Indonesian militant currently fighting with the Islamic State group in Syria.

Many from Indonesia -- which has long struggled with Islamic militancy -- have flocked to join IS in the Middle East, while radicals in the country have pledged allegiance to the group and attacks and plots have been linked to the jihadists.

Indonesian women -- often radicalised on social media -- are taking on a more active role in violent extremism, according to recent report from the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict.

Kamsi said judges delivered the verdict earlier than expected because Novi was pregnant. She would not file an appeal.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28 2017

Residents cheered the first Car Free Day event held on Sunday by the South Jakarta administration along Jl. Mampang Raya to Jl. Warung Buncit. Thousands flocked to the streets to gather and exercise.

Many activities were held from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.

South Jakarta Deputy Mayor Arifin said the event aimed to create a healthy culture for people as well as lower air pollution in the city.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 11:15 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae3a47a 4 Business haj-fund,BPKH,investment,bambang-brodjonegoro Free

The National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) says the haj cost could be reduced to Rp 17 million (US$1,274) from the current Rp 34 million if the new Haj Fund Management Agency (BPKH) invested funds wisely.

Bappenas head/National Development Planning Minister Bambang Prodjonegoro suggested in Yogyakarta recently that the agency could invest haj funds haj down payments collected from people registering for the haj  in sukuk.

The waiting period for the haj is 15 to 20 years.

The BPKH is new so it doesn't have experience in purchasing shares. But it could buy sukuk issued for infrastructure projects, Bambang said, adding that the BPKH could buy sukuk issued to finance power plant construction.

With wise management of the haj fund, the BPKH could gain good returns that would in turn help people pay less for the haj, he said

So if you want to go on the haj, you need only pay Rp 17 million, instead of Rp 34 million, he said, adding that Malaysia's Tabung Haji, which was established in 1963, had managed to gain good returns by investing haj funds.

Previously, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin said the haj fund had reached Rp 99.30 trillion, but only Rp 36.70 trillion could be invested, while another Rp 62.6 trillion had been deposited in sharia banks. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) New Delhi, India  Mon, August 28, 2017 16:08 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae48144 2 World India,China,border-areas,Dispute,military Free

India said Monday it had agreed with China to end a months-long military stand-off at a strategically important disputed area in the Himalayas and troops had begun disengaging.

India's foreign ministry said it had reached an "understanding" after talks with Beijing about the tense confrontation in an area near the Indian border that is claimed by both China and Bhutan.

Its statement suggested that both sides had agreed to pull back, although the Chinese foreign ministry said only that Indian troops were withdrawing.

"India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam," New Delhi said in a statement referring to the stand-off which began on June 16.

"During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests.

"Expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing."

India does not claim Doklam for itself but is closely allied with Bhutan, which it regards as a buffer against rival China to the north.

India and China have a long history of mistrust and went to war in 1962 over the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh.

But analysts had said the latest crisis between the nuclear-armed neighbours was the worst in decades.

China said it was "pleased" that India had agreed to withdraw troops from the flashpoint area.

"I am pleased to confirm that trespassing Indian personnel have all pulled back to the Indian side of the boundary," foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Prakash Singh (Agence France-Presse) Rohtak, India  Mon, August 28, 2017 20:06 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae517c4 2 World India,sectarianism,verdict,rape Free

An Indian court on Monday sentenced a controversial spiritual leader to 10 years in prison for raping two of his devotees, days after his followers went on a rampage that left 38 dead.

The riots broke out on Friday when Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, 50, was convicted of raping the two women at the sprawling headquarters of his hugely popular Dera Sacha Sauda sect in the northern state of Haryana.

A lawyer for the victims in the case, which dates back to 1999, confirmed Monday's sentence and said there could be dozens more cases of abuse involving women at the sect.

"We will file two appeals shortly. One for enhancement of the punishment and another for further investigation into the case," Utsav Singh Bains told AFP by phone.

"We believe there are at least 48 more victims who were sexually abused and who may have been killed or are too scared to come out and testify against Ram Rahim."

Bains said the prosecution wanted the court to jail Singh for life -- the maximum possible sentence for rape in India -- given that there were two victims and one was a minor.

Authorities have imposed a security clampdown on the city of Rohtak where Singh is being held due to fears of a repeat of Friday's violence, when tens of thousands of his supporters set fire to cars and clashed with security forces.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violence but his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also in power in Haryana, was criticised for failing to anticipate the riots.

Police were taking no chances Monday in Rohtak, where mobile internet has been cut, roads barricaded with barbed wire and soldiers deployed to man checkpoints.

More than 100 of Singh's senior loyalists have been placed in detention as a precautionary measure, said Rohtak police chief Navdeep Singh Virk.

He said his officers would use "whatever force is required" against the guru's devotees should they again resort to violence.

Topics : India sectarianism verdict rape
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 06:59 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae2b134 1 Business Susi-Pujiastuti,Japan,fishing-industry,relocation,Thailand,Indonesia Free

As a result of Indonesia's tough measures against illegal fishing, a number of Japanese fish-processing firms have expressed their commitment to relocating their factories from Thailand to Indonesia, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti said on Friday.

One of the firms that has already confirmed its plans to relocate its factory is Itochu, said Susi at her office in Jakarta as reported kompas.com, adding that Itochus commitment was conveyed during her recent visit to Japan.

Susi did not mention the other firms that had expressed interest in constructing factories in Indonesia, but she said those fish-processing companies already knew that currently Indonesia had an overwhelming level of fish production.

In addition to the tough measures against illegal fishing, the government has also prohibited transshipment practices in Indonesian waters. The two policies are expected to help Indonesia prevent the theft of its fish resources.

Another benefit of the relocation of Japanese firms to Indonesia, Susi added, was that Japanese business people might help Indonesia decrease tariff barriers set by the Japanese government.

Japan does not impose tariffs on processed-fish from Thailand, but it imposes a 7 percent tariff on Indonesian products. They (Japanese business people) will demand their government remove the tariff, otherwise it will impact their profits, Susi added.

The minister said Itochu would also expand its business in Indonesia though its subsidiary, PT Aneka Tuna, as it eyed the Indonesian market. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (The Japan News/ANN) Tokyo, Japan  Mon, August 28, 2017 21:09 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae52d38 2 World #Japan,#labor,#conveniencestores,#manpower Free

In a bid to add overseas students to its workforce, Lawson, Inc. began conducting training courses in Vietnam and South Korea last year, targeting students planning to study in Japan.

The company tied up with local temporary staffing agencies to teach participants how to use a cash register and deal with customers. By implementing such job training programs early on, Lawson hopes the participants will eventually work at its stores after their arrival in Japan.

Also last year, FamilyMart Co.  in cooperation with vocational schools across the nation  began holding recruitment explanation sessions for overseas students.

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. plans to open day care facilities for employees at franchisees to improve the working environment for homemakers with small children. Two day nurseries will open in September on the second floors of the stores in Ota Ward, Tokyo, and Nishi Ward, Hiroshima. The company will see how it goes and consider increasing the number of such stores.

The three major operators in the nation operate a total of more than 50,000 convenience stores. It has become a serious business challenge for them to solve their labor shortage.

Each company will likely need to think more deeply about how to resolve the situation.

Topics :

This article appeared on The Japan News newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 08:45 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae2e54b 1 National #remission,remission,terrorism,#Terrorism,YasonnaLaoly,correctional-facility,convicts Free

Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly has defended the move to grant sentence reductions to a number of convicted terrorists, saying the decision was made after a thorough review that found the convicts had repented for their wrongdoings while serving time.

We are working with the National Counterterrorism Agency [BNPT] to evaluate proportionally whether to grant these convicts sentence cuts, Yasonna said on Saturday as quoted by kompas.com.

Aman Abdurrahman, a radical cleric and well-known supporter of the Islamic State (IS) movement, was among dozens of convicted terrorists to receive remissions during Independence Day last week.

With the remission, Aman secured an early release. However, he was immediately re-arrested by the National Police for his suspected role in the deadly Thamrin terror attack in Jakarta last year. The police believe Aman may have orchestrated the attack from behind bars, though he has yet to be named a suspect in the case.

The ministrys decision to grant Aman a sentence cut sparked fresh concerns over its leniency in granting sentence cuts to terror convicts in the country that has long fought terrorism but continues to face terror attacks. (kuk/ipa)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 13:46 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae3f398 1 City Presidential-Palace,paspampres,netizens,Facebook,social-media Free

The Presidential Security Detail (Paspampres) caught a naked man attempting to enter the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday morning.

The man approached the palace via the Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara entrance, which was tightly guarded by Paspampres and military police personnel, who immediately apprehended him.

In a video uploaded on Facebook by a netizen with an account named Novita Sitinjak, it can be seen that the naked man attempted to escape from the three Paspampres members who caught him. According to the video uploader as quoted by tribunnews.com, the incident occurred at 7:35 a.m. Monday.

Gambir Police chief Ida Ketut said the police had received a report on the incident. It is suspected that the man was mentally disabled.

This is because he kept shouting as he attempted to enter the palace. He said: I want to get married at the palace, said Ida as quoted by kompas.com in Jakarta on Monday.

The identity of the man remains unknown. The case has been handed over to the Jakarta Police. (win/ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Fadli (The Jakarta Post) Batam, Riau Islands  Mon, August 28, 2017 22:19 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae54b87 1 National illegal-migrants,migrant-workers,Lantamal,Western-Fleet-Quick-Response,Tanjung-Pinang,Riau-Islands Free

Personnel of the Western Fleet Quick Response (WFQR) team from the Tanjung Pinang Naval Base arrested 29 undocumented migrant workers who had illegally traveled from Malaysia to Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands, on a small speed boat.

Fourth Tanjung Pinang Naval Main Base (Lantamal) commander Commodore Ribut Eko Suyatno said the Navy made the arrest after receiving a tip claiming the arrival point of a boat carrying dozens of illegal migrant workers from Malaysia had been moved from Batam to Tanjung Pinang.

Previously, both the departure and arrival of illegal Indonesian migrant workers from Malaysia were conducted in Batam, but now, it has been moved to Tanjung Pinang, Eko said on Monday.

He said the illegal migrant workers were arrested early on Sunday after their speed boat docked at a quay on Carang River. The boats agent was preparing a bus, which would carry the workers to their hometowns, when the arrest occurred.

All of them worked in Malaysia without proper work permits. They departed via illegal routes without passports and returned back to Indonesia using a similar procedure, Eko said.

He added that the trip had been organized by four people who belonged to an experience network that provided illegal transportation to Malaysia.

The Navy also apprehended a tekong (local broker) and four crew members. They are currently being detained at Lantamals detention facility. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 17:37 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae4c23c 1 National Hurricane-Harvey,Texas,Indonesian,evacuation-routes Free

The Indonesian Foreign Ministry has confirmed that no Indonesian nationals in the state of Texas have been affected by Hurricane Harvey and the massive floods that are engulfing Houston.

The Foreign Ministry's Indonesian citizen protection director Lalu Muhamad Iqbal said the Indonesian Consulate General in Houston was monitoring the situation closely. He said the consulate reports that no Indonesians have fallen victim to the natural disaster.

"So far, there are no reports of Indonesians falling victim to this disaster," Lalu said in a statement.

The consulate general issued orders for Indonesian nationals in Texas to heed the evacuation orders made by local authorities.

Massive flooding unleashed by Harvey left Houston -- the fourth-largest city in the United States -- increasingly isolated on Sunday. The citys airports and highways have shut down and residents are being rescued from their inundated homes by boat, Agence France-Presse reports.

The city's two main airports have suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station was also knocked off air.

At least three people have been killed so far, with reports of other fatalities still unconfirmed.
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Anton Hermansyah (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 14:32 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae45ff0 1 Business troubled-satellite-Telkom-1,telkom,migration,Telkom-3S-satellite Free

The Telkom 1 satellite of state-owned telecommunications company PT Telkom Indonesia (Telkom) had already passed its 15-year lifespan when it suddenly went offline on Friday.

The troubled satellite, launched on Aug. 4, 1999, is currently 18 years old.

Telkom 1 went offline on Friday at 4:51 p.m. Jakarta time, disrupting the services of several banks such as Bank Central Asia (BCA) and Bank Mandiri that use the Telkom 1 VSAT connection for their ATM and EDC machines.

Telkom is currently migrating the services to its Telkom 2 and Telkom 3S satellites. Telkom president director Alex Janangkih Sinaga said the total loss caused by the incident was still being calculated.

Alex said that the last check on the satellite in 2016 indicated it would be operational until 2019.

"We conducted a general check in 2014 and 2016, and the result was that Telkom 1 still had enough fuel to support its operation until 2019," Alex told a press conference on Monday in Jakarta.

He added that the satellite was insured with state-owned insurance firm Jasindo. (bbn)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Agence France-Presse) Vatican City, Holy See  Mon, August 28, 2017 16:16 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae48d93 2 World PopeFrancis,Myanmar,Bangladesh,visit,Muslim,conflict Free

Pope Francis will travel to Myanmar and Bangladesh later this year for a landmark visit set to focus international attention on the plight of the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will be in Myanmar November 27-30 and neighbouring Bangladesh November 30-December 2, the Vatican announced on Monday.

The visit to Myanmar will be the first by any pope to the country formerly known as Burma. Former Pope John Paul II visited Bangladesh in 1986.

Francis has regularly spoken out in defence of the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim group in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar.

In his latest comments on Sunday, he bemoaned the latest "sad reports of the persecution of a religious minority, our Rohingya brothers.

"I would like to express my closeness to them and all of us ask the Lord to save them and to prompt men and women of good faith to help them and ensure their full rights."

His comments came after clashes between Myanmar security forces and suspected Rohingya militants on Friday and Saturday left scores of people dead.

The fighting caused hundreds of civilians to flee remote villages in Rakhine state in northern Myanmar with most of them aiming to cross the border into mostly-Muslim Bangladesh.

The Vatican said Francis would visit Yangon and capital Naypyidaw while in Myanmar and Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on the second leg of his trip. The full program has yet to be finalised.

Topics : PopeFrancis Myanmar Bangladesh visit Muslim conflict
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, August 28 2017

The recent discovery of a baby Owa Jawa, or Javan gibbon, in Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park (TNGGP) in Bodogol, West Java, has fueled hopes over the future of the endangered species, which has fallen victim to the diminishing forest cover in Indonesia.

Spotted on Aug. 14 by officials of the national park, one of the few remaining habitats of the silvery gibbon, the baby primate was estimated to be between 2 and 3 months old, according the Environment and Forestry

Ministry.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Bambang Muryanto (The Jakarta Post) Yogyakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 23:52 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae558e5 1 National Yogyakarta,intolerance,tolerance,sectarianism,religious-tolerance,ReligiousRadicalism Free

Hundreds of students in Yogyakarta have conveyed their pledge to uphold tolerance and maintain unity amid growing religious tension and sectarianism.

In Bantul, a headmaster of a state high school was reported to have refused to support issues related to tolerance and Pancasila. It was also reported that he initially refused to send his schools students to attend the Declaration of Tolerant Yogyakarta Students on Monday.

After we advised him, we finally agreed on sending representatives from his school, said Halili, head of the Citizenship Education Laboratory at Yogyakarta State University (UNY).

Around 300 senior and junior high school students from 27 schools attended the declaration, themed Tolerance is Pancasila, at Pancasila Park, UNY.

The event was jointly held by UNYs School of Social Sciences, UNY's Pancasila and Constitution Study Center, Setara Institute and the Asian Muslim Action Network (Aman).

Fight for tolerance: Students of a school in Yogyakarta sign a large banner to show their support for tolerance during the Declaration of Tolerant Yogyakarta Students event at Yogyakarta State University's (UNY) Pancasila Park on Aug. 28. (JP/Bambang Muryanto)

At the event, the students read out the declaration, which states their commitment to respecting and upholding diversity, fighting against violence, promoting tolerance in their social intercourse and taking care of Yogyakarta as a province of plurality.

This is to respond to intolerance teachings that have entered our education world in the last 10 years and, all this time, we have allowed this situation to continue to happen, said Halili.

Research conducted by Setara Institute shows that, currently, Indonesia has produced increasingly intolerant students because of the spread of extremist teachings. The research, conducted in 2016, involved 171 schools in Bandung, West Java, and Jakarta. (ebf)
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, August 29 2017

The Indonesian tobacco lobby is still the most powerful in Southeast Asia, a recent study has concluded, reflecting the difficulty faced by campaigners against the damage smoking does to health in the worlds second-largest cigarette market.

Carried out by the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA) with help from antitobacco groups in the nine assessed Southeast Asian countries, the study found that Indonesia had a tobacco-interference index of 81 in 2017, followed by Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and Brunei Darussalam.

to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from IDR 55,500/month Unlimited access to our web and app content

e-Post daily digital newspaper

No advertisements, no interruptions

Privileged access to our events and programs

Subscription to our newsletters We accept Register to read 3 premium articles for free Already subscribed? login
Share this article Whatsapp

Facebook

Twitter

Linkedin (Pesona Indonesia) Jakarta  Mon, August 28, 2017 15:07 1903 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97ae464f6 2 News Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,sailing,#sailing,Wonderful-Sail-2-Indonesia-Rally-2017 Free

More than 50 yachts that participate in Sail Indonesia 2017 have arrived in Sumbawa Island, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Aug. 28.

The participants reportedly would spend four days in the region until Aug. 31.

To welcome these yachters, NTB currently holds North Moyo Utara 2017, which also serves as a pre-event for the one-month Moyo Charm Festival slated until Oct. 9.

The event is also held to support Lombok-Sumba Charm Month, said Sumbawa Regent Husni Djibril.

Situated 2.5 kilometers to the north of Sumbawa Island, Moyo Island occupies an area of 350 square kilometers and coastline of 88 kilometers. Nestled in Saleh Bay, it boasts a nature sanctuary called Moyo Island National Park located a few kilometers from the northern beach. This place is surrounded by coral reefs and different kinds of animals, including biawak, 21 different species of bats, deer, crab-eating monkeys, cows, boars, birds, sharks and turtles.

After arriving at the Gowa Beach, the group will join a city tour to the Old Castle, which is a historical museum of Moyo Island.

Read also: The birth of a new living organism: Indonesia's first Earthship

In the afternoon, the island is said to host Jaran Main (racehorse) and Sumbawa Ethnic Fashion Carnivals.

The next day, participants can expect to view buffalo-racing competition and join a tour to Batu Alang Village where they will be taught to make nasi bambu (bamboo rice) while marveling at the performance of Moyo Island traditional dance.

On the third day, they will be invited to see one of North Moyos traditional dances called Karaci, explore North Moyo culinary and creative industry exhibition, and join the Boat Festival.

On the last day, the participants will head to Sumbawa Biodiversity conservation area located in Ai Lemak Tanjung Munangis.

In 2015, NTB reportedly welcomed 2,549,704 tourists and the number is said to increase to three million in 2016.

This years target is [to attract] four million domestic and foreign tourists, said NTB Governor Muhammad Zainul Majdi. (kes)
Lower East Side community leaders stood side-by-side Sunday in front of a defaced synagogue, literally erasing the hate from the facade of the First Roumanian-American Congregation/Beth Hachasidim DePolen on East Broadway.

Someone scrawled, KKK and F next to the entrance this past Wednesday, prompting the NYPD to open a hate crimes investigation. Yesterday afternoon, members of the congregation, representatives from other places of worship, elected officials and local residents came to the synagogue at 233 East Broadway to offer their support.

The event was organized by former City Council member Alan Gerson, who worships at First Roumanian-American synagogue. To the perpetrators, said Gerson, we say this. If this was some kind of sick joke, know that hatred and its symbols are no joking matter. If this was some kind of message or (an act) of hatred know that we are united in response to you. We will repel you. Your message is rejected and will have no place in our community, in our city.

The congregations rabbi, Shmuel Spiegel, said he was humbled by the outpouring of support from the community. He called the incident, an act of evil, but Spiegel also expressed the hope, that the people who have done this act will see and realize their mistakes and see how important these holy places are to people. His older brother, Rabbi Gershon Spiegel, added, the powers of evil are no match for the powers of honesty, community and truth. Noting that the Lower East Side is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, known for its diversity and strong community, he said, will not be stopped by the actions of weak people who look for attention by spreading hate.

Also speaking yesterday was the rector at St. Augustines Episcopal Church, Nathanael Saint-Pierre, who came to this country from Haiti. He said people of all faiths on the Lower East Side stand with the Jewish community, asserting, the message of hate, or the desire to attack one member of the community, should have only one response: unity. The response to hate is love.

Several elected officials were in attendance and helped synagogue leaders paint over the hateful markings. Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer noted that hate crimes have spiked since the election of Donald Trump. In a city known for its diversity and openness, she vowed, bigotry will not be tolerated. We will call out these bigots said Brewer, for what they are and we will prosecute crimes against our neighbors to the fullest extent of the law.

Assembly member Yuh-Line Niou talked about growing up in El Paso, Texas, where she experienced bullying and prejudice, but also found acceptance within the Jewish community there. Niou, the first Chinese-American to represent Lower Manhattan in Albany, said, we are one community. She added, We are not going to accept this kind of behavior on the Lower East Side Thats what makes us different from President Trump.

City Council member Margaret Chin said, We are here today to show our defiance in the face of hate and bigotry.

The Jewish community on the Lower East Side is one of the oldest in this country, said Chin. Their roots run deep and they are an inseparable part of the fabric of our country. In our president, we see that fabric being ripped apart We must take a stand against hate or be complicit in that hate with our silence. We must stand together.

Jacob Goldman, a local district leader and member of the congregation, also spoke, saying that the community as a whole stands in strength and solidarity against hatred. Paul Newell, another district leader, attended the event, as well. A number of candidates for elected office were there, too, including Dashia Imperiale and Christopher Marte (City Council District 1). Gerson and Newell are both contenders to replace State Sen. Daniel Squadron in an upcoming special election.

Other groups represented at the podium yesterday included: the Chinese American Planning Council, the Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy and the Bialystoker Synagogue.

The First Roumanian-American Congregation was located in a building on Rivington Street before its roof collapsed in 2006. After the collapse, the synagogue merged with Beth Hachasidim DePolen on East Broadway.
Police are asking for help in finding a suspect who splashed hot coffee on two women in the Delancey Street subway station and stole money from his victims.

It happened Monday, Aug. 21 at around 9:45 a.m. The women, ages 24 and 25, were walking down the stairs to the J Train when a man took $5 from one of the women. He then threw coffee on both of them, ran up the stairs and headed west on Delancey Street.

Police say the suspect is a Black male, 45 to 55 years old, with facial hair and salt and pepper hair. He was last seen wearing a dark colored long sleeved shirt and light colored jeans.

Anyone with information should call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
Europe is committing suicide. Or at least its leaders have decided to commit suicide. Whether the European people choose to go along with this is, naturally, another matter.

[Edinburgh International Book Festival]





This book is about the failure of the best political system we have: democracy. And it is about how to put it right.

These are, respectively, the opening lines of Douglas Murrays The Strange Death of Europe: Immigration, Identity, Islam and A.C. Graylings Democracy and Its Crisis. Both books are the latest works by their authors, and were the subject of discussion by Murray and Grayling at two events recently at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, as part of its Age of Political Earthquakes series.

Douglas Murray is a journalist and author. On the 13th of August, he was in discussion at the festival about his new book, sharing the stage with the human rights professor Conor Gearty, who has recently written On Fantasy Island: Britain, Europe and Human Rights, which deals with the misinformation concerning the Human Rights Act and his concerns over the British governments desire to repeal it.

Gearty was a wickedly funny and insightful, as well as principled, man throughout. (For example, one audience member asked a question and referred to illiterate immigrants- Gearty refused point blank to engage with the man.)

These books deal with topical issues. Murrays work details the reasons for his pessimism about Europes future, arguing that mass immigration, particularly Muslim immigration, is harmful to the fabric of European civilisation, especially at a time when Europeans are burdened by guilt over their (not uniquely and far from entirely) awful, colonial, racist past and unable to define what makes them European and what defines European values.

It is a work which undoubtedly raised the heckles of many liberals,

but is essential in its arguments about the refugee crisis and mass immigration into European countries. Though I do not particularly identify myself with Murrays conservative political ideologies, and find some of his points a little too hard-hitting, I do share many of his concerns about the state of our political discourse and the difficulties faced by our society in dealing with the fact that Islam is a cause of some problems.

The fact that mass immigration has led to large numbers of people with illiberal views coming into liberal societies at odds with these views, and our inability honestly to discuss these issues, is worrying. (Murray gives many examples in his book. One is a Gallup poll from 2016 in which it was found that 52 per cent of British Muslims believed homosexuality should be illegal.)

Murray stated at the discussion that societys inability to argue about the potential pitfalls of mass immigration is dangerous and will naturally lead people to support far right racist groups if the mainstream ignores such issues. Indeed, if one raises even small criticisms about the potentially negative effects of this phenomenon, one is likely to be shouted down as racist and ignorant.

In fact, one audience member at the event did just this - raising his hand to ask a question, he proceeded to state that he had barely gotten into the book because it was racist garbage and that it would make a very good gift for President Donald Trump. The irony was lost on this man that his incapacity to engage in a meaningful argument about mass immigration and Islam went to prove Murrays point about our dogmatic blindness on such matters. Gearty, who an all accounts appears to be opposed to Murray politically, stated that this man had misinterpreted Murrays book (which he had actually read in full). Murray, for his part, simply laughed it off - he was simply happy that the man had paid for the book, and later referred to him as the sole nutter in the audience on Twitter.

This talk was immensely entertaining and fruitful, but unfortunately far too short, as I heard one audience member complain after it was finished. Immigration, identity, Islam, and the Human Rights Act are big, complicated topics, and I for one would have been happy for at least another hour of discussion between Murray and Gearty on these issues.

The philosopher A.C. Grayling is almost entirely of different political stock to Murray. A fervent Remainer and liberal, his book and discussion at the festival on the 25th of August detailed what he saw as the sad corruption of representative democracy, exemplified by the shoddy European Union referendum and the election of Donald Trump.

He pointed out that liberal representative democracy was a painstaking compromise, worked out over centuries by thinkers from Locke to Mill. Now, he says, it is under threat, from big money and big data (the data company Cambridge Analytica worked for both the Leave campaign and the Trump campaign) among other things, and that it is essential we acknowledge this fact and set it right.

Grayling was on fine form, providing clear philosophically minded insight during his talk, and was extremely funny, which is a side to him I have not been particularly exposed to.

Both he and Murray were charming at the signings after their talks.

All in all, these discussions and books presented - with great charm and insight and wonderfully inflammatory arguments - important perspectives on some essential issues of our time. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the respective authors and speakers, it is of paramount importance that we engage in these debates.
A recent survey has found that one in three girls between 11 and 21 believe their biggest issue online is constantly comparing themselves to others on social media.

UK charity Girlguiding surveyed over 1000 young people and also found that 12% of girls say that their parents are aware of the pressure put on young people online. The majority believed that their parents were more concerned about their children being groomed online.

Other issues for girls online included grooming, how their photographs could be used or altered, and threats from strangers. One third also worried about how they looked in their photos.

Deputy chief executive of Girlguiding Ruth Marvel discussed the increasing pressure to live the perfect life online and the negative impact this is having on their wellbeing.

We need to listen and take girls voices seriously to protect their happiness, wellbeing and opportunities in life, both online and offline.

Labour MP Jess Phillips has said that the results were worrying adding that;

Improving how girls and women feel about themselves isnt just important to stop hurt feelings, as some may claim  it matters because women trying to reach some unattainable goal of how our faces, bodies, homes and lifestyles should be seeps into real life and sees women feeling inferior in the workplace and in their personal relationships.

Nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert revealed that in the past year double the number of children and young people have come to her feeling inadequate due to pressures online.

What young people see on social media doesnt reflect real life, and we need to do more to help young people build resilience to the pressures of being online.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of HTSABO
After achieving four A*s in his A Levels, Wolverhamptons Brian White looked set for an incredible future, being offered a place at the prestigious Oxford University.

The Zimbabwean-born student was adopted and moved to the UK at age 15, however instead of being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain by the Home Office, he was given Limited Leave to Remain.

This decision has had a knock-on effect for White, whose application to become a British Citizen by naturalisation was consequentially rejected, leaving the future of his education in question. Without this status, he will not be eligible for crucial student funding.

Whites friend, Luke Wilcox, started a petition  entitled Help Brian White remain in the UK to take his place at Oxford University  to the Home Office, and has received over 60,000 signatures to this date.

Wilcox shed some light on the adversity his friend has faced: Having been abandoned as a baby, Brian lived in a Zimbabwean orphanage until the age of 6. The White family fostered, and later adopted Brian.

I have had the personal pleasure of knowing Brian since the start of 2013, having met him at school and quickly developing a close friendship with him. He is possibly the hardest working person I have ever met, but it is his enthusiasm to help those around him that I am inspired by each and every day.

If Brian is not granted Indefinite Leave to Remain, the United Kingdom would not only be losing a potentially valuable future worker, it would also be losing a fantastic person who is just as much a part of British culture and society as you and I.

Despite his uncertain future, Oxford have kept his place open for him in recognition of his achievements.

Immigration expert Louis MacWilliam said: On reviewing his papers it seems he should have been granted indefinite leave to enter at first instance and it is not clear why this did not happen.

If you would like to sign the petition, click here.

Lead image courtesy of Arnaud Malon.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has changed the structure of a journalism course after a student was told that he wouldn't receive his qualification because his disability prevented him from being able to do shorthand.

The SQA have now changed the compulsory shorthand section of their Practical Journalism course to an elective option.

Kyle Gunn, a student with cerebral palsy who was planning to undertake a diploma in Practical Journalism was told by the SQA that he would not be able to receive the qualification because he was unable to pass shorthand exams.

When speaking to the Glasgow Evening Times, Dunn said: I already do a lot of my work electronically, so I dont understand why there is such a big issue about this. I know a lot of other journalists and some have said that they dont have shorthand.

Journalism is something that I really want to do. It seems really unfair that I would study for a HND for two years and not come away with the qualification.

The issue was been raised in the Scottish Parliament with Maurice Golden, Tory member for the West of Scotland, stating: Kyle is a bright young man who is looking to make a career for himself in journalism but he is being told that he cant because of his disability.

We should be encouraging people with disabilities to pursue their dreams, not putting up barriers.

The SQA have taken notice and a spokesman eventually announced the following: "We are seeking urgent clarification from the NCTJ on their position with regard to reasonable assistance and exemption from shorthand requirements for disabled learners.

"This is in light of new information about these procedures posted online by NCTJ. We will review our assessment criteria for the SQA HNC/D in practical journalism once this clarification is received.
What started out as a personal collection of travel inspiration has turned into She Is Not Losts Instagram account , the ultimate wanderlust collection which features incredible travel pictures taken by women all around the world. She Is Not Lost also has its own website that helps women book and plan their travel adventures, shop for must-have travel items and share advice.

@lost_overseas is Not Lost in Agra, India #sheisnotlost A post shared by She is Not Lost (@sheisnotlost) on Aug 17, 2017 at 7:23pm PDT

travelling

travellers

@rayraywanders is Not Lost in New Mexico, USA #sheisnotlost A post shared by She is Not Lost (@sheisnotlost) on Aug 16, 2017 at 7:21pm PDT

travelling

are

@agata_lili is Not Lost in Samarkand, Uzbekistan #sheisnotlost A post shared by She is Not Lost (@sheisnotlost) on Aug 12, 2017 at 8:01pm PDT

travelling

Carina and I talk solo travel, saving money, unforgettable experiences, Instagram tips and moreI always used Instagram as a tool to find inspiration and scout beautiful locations in areas I wanted to travel to. I came across so many images taken by inspiring female travelers and would save them to a folder for myself to look at later. One day I thought of sharing this great collection in hopes of inspiring others, and She Is Not Lost was born!What I find it amazing is that I share of images of dramatically different locations from travelers all over the world, yet the sense of community within She Is Not Lost makes the world feel closer and more connected, with so many women sharing a single interest in appreciating its beauty.My favorite cities to visit are Hong Kong and Rio, and though they are on opposite sides of the world, the similarities I find between them are what I love most. Both cities have bustling centres that are surrounded by beautiful beaches, mountains, and lush tropical forests that provide a nice balance between a metropolitan or relaxed nature experience.I would suggest they start their journey by joining a small group tour . My favorite company to travel with is Intrepid Travel, because their itineraries provide a good structure and schedule, while still allowing plenty of time to explore on your own. Intrepid offers trips year-round in destinations all over the world. You will meet many other like-minded solo travelers, and if there is a point or destination in the trip that you really love, you could always return at the end of the tour to explore more deeply.My favorite travel experience was when I visited Egypt with a friend from college who was from there. Because tourism in Egypt was at a decline at that time, many of the most stunning sites, including the Pyramids, were almost empty and made for a very surreal experience. It felt almost selfish to be able to view and explore the Pyramids by ourselves and it was something I will remember forever. I felt safe while I was there and every guide and vendor I met in Egypt were extremely grateful we were visiting their country, as it hopefully encourages otherto visit.One challenge that was fairly innocent but which I learned a lot from happening while I was traveling to Korea with a group, one of my first trips overseas. Almost all of the restaurants we visited in Seoul had menus with photos of each option, which made ordering food very easy without knowing the language. We later drove to the southern coast of Korea, stopping in a rural town along the way to buy waters and snacks. A few of us found ourselves at the ice cream counter, but with the menu options displayed above and behind the counter on a sign, we were not sure how to communicate what we wanted because pointing wasnt clear enough. I ended up using the camera on my phone to zoom in and take a picture of the sign, and then point to what I wanted on my phone screen. The workers appreciated the creativity and it just showed ingenuity can solve almost any travel problem!Ive heard a quote before that said, Travel is the only expense that makes you richer, which I completely agree with. The memories you will gain from traveling will last far longer than whatever new blouse or accessory is currently trending. Also consider visiting destinations that are cheap to travel to, relative to your home currency, and always do plenty of research to find the best value.My go-to item that I pack for every trip regardless of the destination is a pair of comfortable palazzo type pants. They give the illusion of a flowy skirt which makes for beautiful photos butstill practical enough to wear when you have to hop on a scooter or decide to ride a camel in a moments notice.Travelling can be so powerful in developing an openness and understanding by learning about and experiencing cultures that are different than your own. Through this understanding comes kindness, empathy, and appreciation, things I think the world could always use more of!For photographers that want to share their images on Instagram, my best advice would be to define your style and remain consistent. Your audience is interested in seeing your experience through your perspective, and photography is a powerful form of storytelling.My all-time favorite travel book is Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Each chapter is its own adventure and never before has a book made me feel like I actually experienced a country (India) without physically being there.
Following its hugely successful first series - an adaptation of Daisy Goodwin's novels - Jenna Coleman gave another stunning and effortless performance as the Monarch, who in this episode fights against the restraints of her confinement following the birth of the first of her and Albert's nine children, the Princess Victoria Adelaide Mary.Being the Queen we all know and love, this week we see Victoria struggling with motherhood and the expectations placed upon her in addition to those she suffers from as a monarch. Although Albert seemingly adores his newborn daughter, we see Victoria struggling with what seems to be postnatal depression, as she did indeed suffer from following the births of several of her children, as well as pre-natal depression and a hatred of pregnancy. Not willing to remain idle after the birth, Victoria raises awareness for the issues surrounding mothers of the 18th century, albeit quite a different picture to those living in poverty in the winding cobbled streets of London. She struggles to rekindle the power that she had become accustomed to as Queen at such a young age, and feels stifled as her husband, although with honourable intentions, shields her from matters of duty and public office. With childbirth being an extremely dangerous and complicated event during this time, it is expected of Victoria to remain palace-bound following the birth of her daughter in order to recover and bond with the child. The court are also concerned for her safety following the supposed assassination attempts that took place last series - the first of no less than seven attempts on her life throughout her reign.The episode covers a common ritual performed on women following childbirth, in which women must be "purified" and have their "sin" washed away before they can return to the public sphere. It was believed to be "most irregular" for Victoria to attend any royal engagements prior to this ceremony - something which Victoria's headstrong and stubborn disposition struggles to accept. This week's opener also raises the issue of the place of the mother within Victorian society, with even the Queen - one of the most powerful figures of the time - being expected to spend her time in the nursery, rather than taking care of matters of state and her country. Victoria defies this expectation in an admirable display of feminism, remarkable for her time, leaving the modern audience to cheer her on. This week also showcases issues in Afghanistan, as almost 4,000 soldiers are annihilated in battle while crossing the Khyber Pass, a matter which was kept from Victoria by her husband and new Prime Minister, Sir Robert Peel. The event was one that shook the nation and has been hailed "the worst British military disaster until the fall of Singapore exactly a century later". As ever, the series returns with the attitude that "this country has a past, as well as a future", and that is a sentiment that rings true throughout much of Victoria's endeavours. The decision to celebrate the feats of the British army through the medium of the HMS Trafalgar demonstrated a much-needed display of patriotism and British pride; the Queen seeks to honour the past efforts of those who fight for the country, while looking to the future respectively. The episode also contained many hints of what we can expect over coming weeks, and it seems set to be an exciting series. Albert is keen to reform the army and play a larger part in the control of them, with Victoria at this point claiming that she doesn't "give a fig about your helmets" - implying that this may be a work in progress. I am anxious to see the drama unfold between Chef Francatelli and Mrs Skerrett, and how the Duchess of Bucleuch - a new character played by Dame Diana Rigg - will settle in and cause mischief at the palace. I also detect a potential kindling romance between Wilhelmina, the new Maid of Honour to the Queen, and Prince Ernest, who caused quite a stir last series regarding the Duchess of Sutherland. Episode two will also see the return of Rufus Sewell's beloved 'Lord M' - which is sure to ruffle feathers. Victoria continues to live up to her obstinate, determined and remarkable reputation, as the series remains as elegant, patriotic and heart-wrenching as ever. It seems that "little Vicky is doing her country proud" once more.
Tentang Situs Slot Online Resmi MGS88 Nama Situs  MGS88 Minimal Deposit  Rp. 10.000,- (Sepuluh Ribu Rupiah) Proses Deposit   2 Menit Metode Deposit  Bank Transfer,  Pulsa,  E-Wallet Judi Online Terbaik  Slot Online,  Judi Bola,  Casino Online,  Togel Online,  Tembak Ikan Provider Slot Gacor Mudah Maxwin  Pragmatic Play,  PGSoft,  MicroGaming,  Habanero Slot Gacor Gampang Menang  Gates of Olympus,  Sweet Bonanza,  Wild West Gold,  Starlight Princess Win Rate 98%

RTP Live Slot Gacor Tertinggi Hari Ini Terbaru Terlengkap

Selamat datang di halaman RTP live dan informasi soal slot gacor hari ini dari situs MGS88 yang setiap hari selalu update. Berdasarkan RTP Live MGS88, Anda bisa mendapatkan informasi tentang slot online yang saat ini yang sedang Gacor atau onfire dengan persentase yang terbukti akurat, ini bisa menjadi rekomendasi anda sebelum memilih permainan slot online di situs MGS88. Cek RTP Slot sekarang juga bosku

Klik Provider Slot Untuk Mengetahui RTP Slot Secara Real Time

Selamat datang bagi kalian yang sedang mencari situs RTP Live terlengkap dan terkini hari ini. Sangat sesuai jika Anda mengunjungi website MGS88 RTP live untuk informasi tentang permainan slot yang lagi gacor dengan slot RTP yang terupdate. Persentase kemenangan yang kami berikan tentunya diambil dengan data yang sangat valid dan hanya untuk permainan slot yang tersedia di situs MGS88. RTP yang tersedia juga akan selalu diperbarui setiap hari berdasarkan level kemenangan yang diberikan kepada member kami.

Memang sih untuk bermain slot itu tergantung hoki dari setiap pemain, Namun RTP live atau bocoran slot dari yang kami sediakan ini adalah data autentik dari banyaknya pemain yang telah bermain dan mencapai kemenangan tinggi. Sederhananya, kalau banyak pemain yang menang di dalam 1 permainan slot, karena itu permainan slot tersebut akan mempunyai persentase RTP yang sangat tinggi.

Namun kami tegaskan sekali lagi, ini bukan sebuah paksaan kami situs MGS88 untuk anda bermain di game slot yang mana. Ini bisa dijadikan sebagai referensi atau tolok ukur, boleh dicoba kalau anda mempunyai feel yang kuat dalam memainkan permainan game slot. Anda dapat mengakses kapan saja dan di mana saja selama anda siap bermain. Jangan ragu untuk bertanya ya seputar pola putaran terhadap kami, sebab kami juga menyediakannya loh.

Apa itu RTP Live?

RTP Live ialah informasi mengenai persentase tertinggi saat ini dari hasil RTP Live dengan bocoran kemenangan pemain saat ini. RTP Live merupakan singkatan dari Return To Play atau bisa juga diartikan sebagai Return to Player. Karena itu, para pemain slot sekarang jika ingin mengetahui seberapa besar kemenangannya, bisa dengan memainkan permainan yang akan dimainkannya dan bisa untung dengan mudah dan tentunya maksimal.

Apa itu RTP Slot?

RTP Slot juga dikenal sebagai return to player atau pengembalian ke Pemain. RTP slot ialah persentase dari nilai pengembalian semua uang yang dipertaruhkan pemain dari waktu ke waktu. Dengan kata lain, RTP juga dianggap sebagai salah satu fitur slot yang mengembalikan uang pemain saat pemain kalah.

Persentase digunakan untuk menghitung RTP dalam permainan slot. Misalnya, jika slot memiliki RTP 97%, itu berarti untuk setiap 100.000 koin yang hilang di slot, slot dapat mengembalikan 97.000. Jika Anda mengetahui RTP sebuah permainan slot, Anda dapat memutuskan permainan slot mana yang akan dimainkan tanpa kerugian besar.

Apakah Angka Persentase RTP Slot Itu Penting?

Biasanya pemain slot itu tidak memperhatikan RTP dalam permainan yang akan dimainkan, biasanya setelah anda mengisi saldo utama anda akan langsung buru-buru memainkannya. Yang terakhir 90-96% mempengaruhi jumlah kemenangan. Semakin tinggi jumlah RTP yang digunakan, semakin luas peluang untuk mendapatkan keuntungan.

Akan namun itu segala tak secara 100% menjamin kemenangan kau dalam bermain, RTP itu cuma sebagai kalkulasi pengeluaran anda saja selama bermain slot.Dengan adanya RTP, kau dapat mengerjakan pengaturan atas uang yang akan kau pertaruhkan nanti pada ketika bermain.Untuk itu pada ketika kau bermain slot dan telah mengalami banyak kekalahan di satu permainan, direkomendasikan kau pindah ke permainan slot lainnya yang RTP nya lebih tinggi dari permainan yang tadi kau mainkan.

Keuntungan Menggunakan Bocoran RTP Slot Hari Ini

Situs MGS88 Akan dengan senang hati akan beberapa keuntungan yang didapatkan jika anda bermain slot dengan menggunakan RTP Live yang telah disediakan. Berikut Keuntungannya :

Peluang Kemenangan Meningkat Tentu saja, saat bermain slot online, menang adalah hal yang paling penting. Di sinilah RTP berperan sebagai metode atau metode baru yang akan membantu Anda memilih permainan slot persentase tinggi. Mendapat variasi dalam Memainkan Game Slot Pastinya banyak pemain slot online yang hanya memainkan 3-5 permainan slot saja. Namun dengan RTP Live slot akan memberikan banyak game slot lain yang bisa anda coba. Tentunya semua permainan slot memiliki potensi kemenangan yang besar, jadi jangan hanya mengandalkan beberapa permainan saja. Menambah Pengalaman Dalam Bermain Slot Keuntungan terakhir adalah Anda tentu saja menambah pengalaman dan keahlian dalam permainan slot online. Dengan berbagai macam permainan slot yang dimainkan, Anda pasti mengetahui karakteristik dari setiap permainan slot yang Anda mainkan. Akibatnya, Anda pasti bisa dianggap sebagai pemain slot yang andal, yang pasti akan meningkatkan peluang Anda untuk menang besar menggunakan RTP.

Daftar 8 Situs Dengan RTP Slot Live Tertinggi Hari Ini

Ada banyak penyedia mesin slot online di internet. Tetapi tidak semuanya memiliki peluang tinggi atau RTP Live Slot yang sangat tinggi. Tapi jangan khawatir, berikut ini adalah situs slot gacor yang akan memberikan bocoran slot dengan RTP Live Tertinggi:

RTP Live Slot Pragmatic Play (RTP Slot 97.85%) RTP Live Slot PG Soft (RTP Live 96.15%) RTP Live Slot Habanero (RTP Slot 95.89%) RTP Live Slot CQ9 (RTP Live 98.83%) RTP Live Slot Spade Gaming (RTP Live 94.99%) RTP Live Slot Micro Gaming (RTP Slot 95.39%) RTP Slot Live Top Trend Gaming (RTP Live 96.14%) RTP Slot Live JOKER123 (RTP Live 97.45%)

Itulah Daftar 8 Provider Slot Gacor dengan RTP Live teratas diatas tentunya kami analisa terlebih dahulu. Anda bisa membuktikannya langsung dengan mengklik banner atau meprovider game slot yang sudah tersedia di atas. Saran kami yaitu Anda harus memainkan semua penyedia slot di atas untuk mencapai peluang kemenangan terbaik.

Daftar Slot RTP Live Tertinggi Sering Kasih Jackpot

Selain mempertimbangkan RTP Slot Gacor yang ada, sebenarnya ada banyak faktor penting untuk menang dalam permainan judi online. Sebab ada banyak game yang memiliki fitur dan mekanisme unik dan bisa membantu anda meraih Jackpot yang sangat besar.

Berikut ini akan kami ulas daftar 5 game slot paling populer karena sering memberikan jackpot:

RTP Live Gates of Olympus Gates of Olympus adalah game slot teraneh dan terbaik di Indonesia. Karena permainan mesin slot ini paling populer karena kakek Zeus dapat mengizinkan pengganda x500. Selain itu, fitur dan mekanik Gates of Olympus juga sangat menguntungkan untuk memenangkan Grand Jackpot. Secara teoritis, RTP slot langsung Gates of Olympus bernilai 96,50%, yang berarti peluang Anda untuk memenangkan MaxWin cukup tinggi. RTP live Sweet Bonanza Sweet Bonanza adalah permainan slot terpopuler kedua. Game slot bertema buah dan permen yang lezat ini sepertinya akan menarik banyak perhatian karena tergolong slot gacor yang mudah menang. Secara teoritis, slot Sweet Bonanza RTP bernilai 96,48%, yang berarti peluang Anda cukup tinggi untuk memenangkan jackpot. RTP Live Wild West Gold Wild West Gold adalah permainan slot bertema koboi yang juga populer di kalangan penggemar konspirasi. Permainan slot Wild West Gold sendiri kerap menawarkan kejutan jackpot bagi para pemainnya. Selain itu, nilai RTP Live Slot menunjukkan indeks tertinggi hari ini, yang berarti sangat layak dan sangat direkomendasikan. RTP Live Starlight Princess Slot Starlight Princess ini memiliki gaya dan fitur yang mirip dengan Gates of Olympus. Perbedaannya hanya pada desain dan karakter gamenya saja, karena memiliki fitur dan mekanik yang sama tentunya RTP slot teoritis pada game slot ini sama yaitu 96,50%. RTP Live Cash Elevator Mungkin sebagian dari Anda baru mengenal slot Cash Elevator. Namun dari data benchmark yang diungkap, ternyata banyak sekali yang menikmati permainan slot ini. Dengan fitur dan mekanisme unik seperti Lift up and down asli, slot ini juga memiliki slot RTP Live dasar 96,64% yang juga memiliki mekanisme yang sangat menguntungkan untuk memperlancar tingkat kemenangan besar.

Bocoran Jam Main Slot Gacor Hari Ini

Dalam bermain permainan slot online itu tidak bisa dilakukan dengan sembarangan yah. Jadi, Jika anda bermain pada waktu tertentu seperti yang akan kita bahas sesaat lagi, ada kemungkinan anda untuk mendapatkan kemenangan lebih tinggi. Jam RTP Slot Gacor merupakan bocoran jam main slot yang akan memberikan anda kapan waktu yang pas dalam bermain game slot.

Tentu saja seluruh provider slot online memiliki jam tertentu dalam memberikan peluang kepada para pemainnya untuk mendapatkan kemenangan. Disini kami akan memberikan anda Bocoran Jam Slot Gacor yang Paling Akurat Hari ini:

Jam Slot Gacor Pragmatic Play 02:30 WIB - Jam 05:25 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Habanero 14:26 WIB - Jam 17:38 WIB Jam Slot Gacor CQ9 00:45 WIB - Jam 05:53 WIB Jam Slot Gacor PG SOFT 14:25 WIB - Jam 17:35 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Joker123 17:41 WIB - Jam 20:42 WIB Jam Slot Gacor Microgaming 22:30 WIB - Jam 00:35 WIB

MGS88: Situs Judi Slot Online Gacor Pay4D Resmi dan Terpercaya

MGS88 adalah situs game slot online Gacor terbaru yang bermitra dengan Pay4D, Pay4D sendiri merupakan daftar situs game slot online terpercaya dengan berbagai macam permainan judi yang mudah dimenangkan seperti Game Bola, Casino Online, Slot Pay4D, Tembak Ikan dan Pay4D Online Permainan togel seperti Singapura, Hongkong, Sydney dan lain-lain. Tujuan utama kami adalah menjadi situs judi online Pay4D yang menyediakan layanan judi online terbaik di Indonesia.

Kami juga salah satu situs resmi PAY4D di Indonesia yang pasti akan membayarkan semua kemenangan kepada semua member kami, karena kepercayaan dari semua member kami adalah prioritas utama kami sebagai mesin slot 4d Asia terbaik di Asia, khususnya di Indonesia.

Dalam melakukan sistem transaksi sistem simpanan dapat dilakukan dengan mudah melalui mobile banking dan electronic banking berupa bank BCA, BSI, BRI, BNI, Cimb Niaga, Permata dan Mandiri. Selain itu, transaksi e-wallet juga tersedia melalui Dana, Gopay, LinkAja dan Ovo serta dapat digunakan untuk pulsa tanpa dipotong.

Untuk mempermudah dan kenyamanan dalam melakukan registrasi atau melakukan setiap transaksi, MGS88 menyediakan layanan live chat dan Whatsapp terhubung langsung dengan customer service online 24 jam.

Mengenal Istilah Dalam RTP SLOT

Di slot RTP Live Anda akan melihat berbagai fitur yang mungkin tidak Anda pahami masing-masing. Namun jangan khawatir, disini sebagai situs slot gacor MGS88 kami akan memberikan penjelasan lengkap mengenai tentang istilah yang ada di RTP SLOT dibawah ini.
When you think like a child, anything and everything is possible, as the world is then full of countless possibilities and opportunities waiting to be explored within the confines of an imaginative mind. It is, hence, no wonder, that thinking like a child is a concept introduced actively in the world of didactics and arts in order to facilitate the process of thinking beyond boundaries.

With voices from authors, teachers, tech evangelists, storytellers, artists and children, Jumpstart 2017, organised by the German Book office, in partnership with Goethe Institut (Max Mueller Bhavan), facilitated better understanding of learning and innovation. This platform provided a new opportunity to participants to look at everything they saw, heard, learnt, wrote, drew and published with a fresh pair of eyes, and from different angles of observation and understanding.

Besides this, the forum brought thinkers, creators, practitioners and publishers together, recognising that the school is a starting point for many creative journeys; however, learning has moved far beyond the four walls of the classroom, encouraging new tools and techniques.

Subjects like the landscape of learning, new methods being explored to make learning more integrated with life experiences, positioning of childrens needs in didactic innovations, including aspects like game-based learning, dance in education, storytelling, amongst many others, were highlighted and discussed.

One of the speakers was the illustrator and cartoonist from Hamburg, Moritz Stettler. He conducted the session PlugnPlay: Storytelling for Learning Outcomes. Stetters first graphic novel Bonhoffer (2010, Guthersloher Verlag) is a biography of a well-known theologian in resistance during the Nazi regime. His second book Luther (2013, Guthersloher Verlag) deals with the life of the famous reformer, his strongest convictions and how he struggled with them every day. Stettlers works have been showcased in numerous exhibitions, across the world, including Hamburg, Frankfurt and Lisbon.

During the event, Stettler also organised a master class titled Play the Palette, which focussed on storified learning, wherein participants were guided to explore storytelling through a visual medium. The process bringing together storyboarding and the art of doodling facilitated better understanding of how stories are told and unfolded on paper without words.

So, what was the inspiration behind this choice of profession? Stetter puts it simply, I cant imagine myself doing anything else. When questioned about which medium scores ~ visual or verbal ~ he maintains that both media are equally important, as they have their own strengths. However, if these media are combined, the result is a hybrid media: comics, powerful as far as the communication and creative aspects are concerned.

But for someone who cannot locate his or her creativity in the visual medium, is the profession an impossible choice? Stettlers response is encouraging, You see, it is not necessary that you have to be super artistic to be able to express through a visual medium, as there are so many forms of expression associated with this medium. However, being artistic helps to portray the vision in the head onto the paper.

When asked about his choice of personalities, which serve as the protagonists of his books, he says that the choices were suggested by the publishers, be it Martin Luther or Franz Kafka. I have to admit that I was lucky enough to be interested in the choice of personalities suggested to me, especially their lives and the impact they have had. These are people who stood up for their convictions and did not compromise. The Kafka-adaptation was an offer I just could not resist, as I am an admirer of his works.

His experience of India, and in India, encompass many feelings, especially as this trip is his first to the country: heart-warming, overwhelming, shocking, exciting, scary, lovely, indescribablethe list goes on.

Any message for the youngsters planning to enter the field of illustration? You should really have the desire and commitment to tell a story. Fame and money are all secondary. Primary objective is to enable people to go through a range of emotions during the storytelling process. If that is your objective, then you are on the right path. The challenge of finding a balance between the materialistic and the artistic world will always be paramount, but the will to overcome this challenge is what is matters, concludes Stettler with a smile.
The governments new foreign direct investment (FDI) policy suggests that foreign airlines may not be allowed to buy a stake in the national carrier Air India.

In the Consolidated FDI Policy released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Monday, the sub-section which allows foreign airlines to invest up to 49 per cent paid-up capital of domestic passenger carriers is not applicable in the case of Air India.

However, the policy, subject to certain conditions, allows foreign airlines to own up to 49 per cent stake in other domestic passenger carriers.

The development comes at a time when the central government has decided to divest its stake in the airline.

A ministerial group has been formed to look into the modalities of Air Indias divestment process.

The group  Air India-specific Alternative Mechanism  is headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The group has been mandated to guide the strategic divestment process and to decide on key issues such as treatment of AIs debt and hiving-off of its assets.

The airline, which is under a massive debt burden of Rs 50,000 crore, had posted an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in 2015-16. 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 United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had approved a Rs 30,000 crore turnaround package (TAP) and financial restructuring plan (FRP) to be rolled out till the year 2021.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) A dozen mobile handset companies, including HTC, Xiaomi and Lenovo, have replied to the government on data security procedures adopted by them, while some other manufacturers have sought more time to respond, an IT ministry source said.

The government had, earlier this month, sent notices to 30 companies in two tranches, seeking information on their data security procedures in a bid to ensure privacy and protection of consumer data.

advertisement

According to an IT and Electronics Ministry official, as many as 12 firms, including HTC, Xiaomi, Vivo, Lenovo and Huawei, have sent in their responses.

Some companies have acknowledged and requested more time, the official said, adding the government is likely to extend the deadline for receiving comments.

iphone maker Apple, in an e-mail, confirmed it has submitted its response to the government, while an official from Vivo said the company had replied to the notice.

The Electronics and IT Ministry, on August 12, wrote to 21 companies, majority of them Chinese, asking them to outline the procedures and processes adopted by them to ensure security and privacy of users data.

Subsequently, nine more companies, including Motorola, Honor, Asus, OnePlus, InFocus, were added to that list, taking the total number of such companies to 30. The IT ministry had said it will write to all smartphone makers in this regard.

The objective of the entire exercise is to ensure that required data security measures are being taken with regard to hardware and software in mobile phones.

The IT ministry had cited international and domestic reports about data leaks from mobile phones, and said devices and preloaded software and apps will be under scrutiny in the first phase.

Based on the response of the companies, the ministry will initiate verification and audit of devices where required.

It had also warned of penalties under provisions of IT Act 43 (A) in case stipulated processes are not being followed. PTI SR MBI MKJ

--- ENDS ---
On 21 August, Buddha Dhan Chakma, the minister of state for sericulture and fisheries resigned from the Lal Thanhawla-led Congress ministry in Mizoram in protest against what he described as discrimination and racism. In his resignation letter he said that the four Chakma students who qualified for MBBS seats under the state quota were denied admission in medical colleges in India, so remaining in the council of ministers might create uneasiness to maintain the glory of democracy of our state where all of us, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, should feel at home.

In the history of Mizoram, no Chakma or any non-Mizo minister has ever resigned despite a tense relationship between the Mizos and nonMizos. The question arises as to why did he the minster resign? Is it a political drama or a strong expression of protest against discrimination, injustice and racist treatment to non-Mizo communities in Mizoram?

The resignation raises more questions than answers. Is the symbolic Mizo movement and struggles against discrimination, negligence and injustice against an Indian state in general and Assam in particular, over? Has the oppressed became the oppressor?

In the pages of such glorious Mizo history, the Mautam (flowering of bamboos) famine of 1959 has remained as one of the most catastrophic events. The flowering attracted thousands of rats that destroyed standing crops. Many died of starvation and disease. The composite Assam government was a mute spectator to all this.

The Mizo Cultural Society, formed in 1955 changed its name to Mautam Front with Laldenga as its secretary. In September 1960, it was renamed the Mizo National Famine Front and it gained popularity for its relief activities during the famine.

Assamese politicians tried to do away with the special provisions in the Sixth Schedule enjoyed by the Khasis and Mizos. Then Assam chief minister also declared Assamese as the official language of the state. The Mizos living outside the Mizo District Council, including the increasing number of students, felt neglected. All such instances of discriminatory treatment of the Mizo people led to the Mizo rebellion in the mid-1960s, to secure their rights and self-determination.

The movement started when the MNFF changed its name to Mizo National Front on 22 October 1961 under the leadership of Laldenga, the specific goal being the achievement of a sovereign independent state. The Indian government did everything possible to suppress the movement and even used the Air Force to carry out strikes on Aizawl in 1966. After nearly three decades of rebellion, the movement succeeded in achieving statehood on 20 February 1987.

At the same time, ethnic minorities, such as the Chakmas, Mara and Lai, held their parallel movement to secure their identity, rights and selfdetermination as they refused to identify themselves with the dominant Mizos. Though, their movements got overshadowed by the movement of the Mizos against the Indian state, nevertheless, under the Sixth Schedule they also got autonomous district councils on 1 May 1989.

But Mizos resented the granting of autonomy to the Chakmas. Soon after signing the 1986 Mizo Peace Accord, Laldenga asked the Centre to abrogate the Chakma Autonomous District Council.

Then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi told a rally in Aizawl that if the Mizos expect justice from India as a small minority, they must safeguard the interests of their own minorities like the Chakmas.

Ranabir Samaddar writes that in between 1986 and 2000, there were 21 private members resolutions submitted to the Mizoram legislative assembly by Mizo legislators for the abolition of the CADC. He further states that the Chakmas were seen as the enemy tribe by the hard-line Mizos. In the 1990s, the Mizo Zirlai Pawl, a powerful Mizo student organisation, undertook similar movement like that of the All Assam Students Union (1970s) to detect, delete and deport foreigners.

Unlike, the Aasu, the MZP movement did not get media attention. The movement against the Chakma and Reang tribes led to physical violence, burning of their houses and displacement of people in thousands. In August 1992, about 380 Chakma houses were burnt by organised mobs in Marpara, Hnahva, Sachan and Aivapui villages. In 2009, the Asian Centre for Human Rights reported that on 30 January 1995, the MZP served a quit notice to the Chakmas to leave Mizoram by 15 June that year.

The report further stated that thousands of Chakma voters whose names were in the 1980, 1983, 1991 and 1993 electoral rolls were deleted from the subsequent electoral lists published in 1995 and 1996. In Aizawl district alone, names of 2,886 Chakma voters were deleted from the final assembly electoral rolls published on 2 January 1996. The names of entire voters in some villages were deleted from the 1995-1996 rolls on the basis of complaints by a few individuals.

Though the government attempted to enumerate the deleted persons, at the same time it also provided vehicles to activists of the MZP, Young Mizo Association and Mizoram Peoples Conference to pressurise the enumerators in the process of identifying alleged foreigners. It further states that these activists decided who should be in the electoral rolls. The Mizoram police remained mute spectators to the activities of the MZP, YMA and other non-state actors.

In such a backdrop, the Chakma social leaders like Snehadini Talukdar and Subimal Chakma demanded the creation of a Union Terr itor y for the Chakmas. In response, the Centre in 1997 formed a Rajya Sabha petition committee, which then recommended the extension of the CADC. Then chief minister Lal Thanhawla succeeded in persuading his minister from the Chakma community to issue a press statement on 10 October 1997, denying that the Chakmas have demanded a Union Territory and alleged that only a handful was doing this for their own political gains. However, this time out the same chief minister could not stop his Chakma minister from quitting in protest against discrimination and racism.

Unlike in the 1990s, this time, in the same spirit of Mizo nationalism and the alleged foreigner issue, the movement went one step further by adopting racist and discriminatory policies and programmes.

In 2014, when more than 40 non-Zo (other than Mizo tribes) students were selected to do their higher studies under the state quota, the government amended the Mizoram Selection of Candidates Rules in 2015. The amended rules divided the citizens of Mizoram in three categories  Zo ethnic group (the original inhibitors of the state or the Mizos), non-Zo ethnic group (non-natives such as the Chakma and Reang) and Others (people from outside Mizoram, who have been living in Mizoram for government services and so on).

In response, the Mizoram Chakma Students Union approached the Gauhati High Court in 2015 and challenged the new rules against which the high court had given a stay order. However, it was amended on 22 April 2016 and notified to reserve 95 per cent seats for Zo ethnic people/Mizos while the non- Zo ethnic people of the state were given four per cent seats.

The Chakma student body once again challenged the notification in the high court and it passed yet another stay order on 24 June 2016.

This year, four Chakma students were denied educational opportunities. Indeed, non-state actors also demanded sacking of the Chakma minister and not to file any Chakma candidate in the state elections.

Indeed, such discriminatory treatment has spread to almost all forms of governance like in development-related policies and programmes such as the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme and Border Area Development Programme whereby the targeted beneficiaries are always left out by benefiting the dominant groups.

An activist, Suhas Chakma has rightly pointed out the exclusionary policy of the non-Mizo tribes by the government in the service sector by making Mizo language compulsory up to Class VIII. He further states that indeed no Chakma has cleared the Mizoram civil services examination since the creation of Mizoram in 1987.

The perpetrators of jingoistic Mizo nationalism not only target the Chakmas but the Reang (Bru) tribe as well. In 1997, the MZP and YMA burnt down 500 houses belonging to Bru (Reang) tribe and that forced 33,000 Bru or Reang tribes to flee to Tripura and Assam.

Today, in Mizoram, the nonMizos are being excluded from the common conceptions of citizenship or belonging to the land. Hence, are we going to witness an uprising from the non-Mizo ethnic groups to secure their rights?

The writer is a PhD scholar in development studies at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday questioned Naeem and Naseem Geelani, sons of hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in connection with its ongoing probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based terrorist groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir valley.

An NIA official, requesting anonymity, said that the brothers appeared at the NIA headquarters in central Delhi past 10 a.m.

Beside Geelanis sons, Ghulam Nabi Bhatt, a separatist leader, was also being questioned by the counter-terror agency.

On Saturday, the NIA had summoned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Noor Muhammad Kalwal to appear before it on Monday.

Kalwal, a close aide of JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, was one of the five militants released after the abduction of then Home Minister Mufti Sayeeds daughter in 1989.

On Thursday and Friday also, the NIA had questioned Geelanis sons for over seven hours.

This is the second time in a fortnight that the counter terror probe agency is grilling Geelanis sons. The agency had asked them to bring certain documents related to financial transactions that have come under its scanner.

Naeem, a doctor by profession, is seen as Geelanis natural heir while Naseem, the younger son, works at an agricultural university in Srinagar.

On Saturday, the NIA also carried out searches at the office of the company owned by Zahoor Watali, who was arrested on August 17 in Srinagar.

During the searches, the NIA recovered several incriminating documents pertaining to Watalis financial transactions.

Watali was arrested from Srinagar, a day after the NIA searched multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley, including the businessmans office and houses of his close relatives.

Watali, a prominent businessman close to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested on charges of acting as a conduit for passing money received from Pakistan to militants, separatists and stone-pelters in the Kashmir Valley.

On July 24, the agency arrested seven separatist leaders in connection with its probe into terror funding from Pakistan and militant groups based there.

The arrested separatists include Geelanis son-in-law Altaf Shah and Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.

They have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.

The NIA alleges that separatist leaders were receiving money from militant leaders in Pakistan including Hafiz Saeed, who heads the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa and banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The government of Edappadi K Palaniswami of the AIADMK (Amma) faction with the support of 122 MLAs was stable and doing fine without bothering much about the rival AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma) faction led by former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, having the support of 11 MLAs. But the national leadership of the BJP wanted the two factions to merge and join the National Democratic Alliance. A couple of weighty berths in the Union Council of Ministers were held out as bait. By drafting the AIADMK in the NDA, the BJP would automatically become an ally of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu which would help the saffron party snatch a sizeable number of Lok Sabha seats from the State in 2019, according to its strategists in Delhi.

Panneerselvam had three pre-conditions for the merger: restoration of his chief ministership, ordering a judicial inquiry into the death of Jayalalitha, former Chief Minister, and divesting Sasikala, who is serving a four-year jail sentence in the disproportionate asset case, from the post of general secretary of the AIADMK and expelling her from primary membership of the party. Palaniswami was in no mood to step down as Chief Minister. Ordering a judicial inquiry into the death of Jayalalitha was within his capacity.

Only the general council of the AIADMK has the power to remove Sasikala as general secretary. But the BJP could not wait. It set the weekend of 18- 20 August as deadline for the merger and ordered Vidya Sagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra, who has been given additional charge of Tamil Nadu, to be present in Chennai. He brought about a shotgun merger of the two AIADMK factions by noon of 21 August and swore in Panneerselvam as Deputy Chief Minister.

The forced merger, instead of adding stability to the Palaniswami government, deprived it of its legislative majority. Even before the ink on the merger document could dry, 19 AIADMK (Amma) MLAs led by TTV Dinakaran, deputy general secretary, called on the Governor, submitted individually signed letters withdrawing support to Palaniswami and said they wanted a new Chief Minister appointed. Instead of asking Palaniswami to prove his majority in the Assembly within a reasonable time, the Governor left for Mumbai. In the midst of the political upheavals following the death of Jayalalitha, the Centre has left Tamil Nadu without a full-time Governor for almost a year now. Apart from the 19 rebel MLAs, a number of Ministers in the Palaniswami government are Sasikala loyalists. Only on 29 December 2016 the AIADMK general council unanimously selected Sasikala as general secretary. The same council is unlikely to dump her to please Palaniswamy, handpicked by her for the Chief Ministers post. Politics in Tamil Nadu is getting more and more curious.
The Chinese have coined the expression Grey Rhinos for are a clutch of Chinese tycoons who have used a combination of political connections and cheap credit from State-run banks to build their foreign empires. Initially, with State support and subsequently by themselves, the Grey Rhinos acquired a host of businesses outside Chinese shores. They are now so big, so complex, so indebted and so enmeshed in the economy that the Chinese Government finds it difficult to control them and has declared Grey Rhinos as a threat to the stability of the economy.

Herds of Grey Rhinos abound in India but the Government steadfastly refuses to acknowledge their presence. The closest the Government has come to recognise the menace of Grey Rhinos was in the Economic Surveys of 2015-16 and 2016-17 which euphemistically labelled their depredations as the Twin Balance Sheet (TBS) problem and identified it as the biggest drag on the Indian economy.

The Twin Balance Sheet problem arises when businesses borrow beyond their repaying capacity leading to un-repayable loans in their balance-sheets and irrecoverable debts in the balance-sheet of the lending banks.

The Economic Survey diplomatically stated that the TBS problem arose due to a combination of historical and psychological factors omitting to mention the real reason for the TBS problem ~ reckless borrowing by businesses and reckless lending by banks.

It is obvious that TBS or its offshoot, Grey Rhinos have their origin in the lack of integrity which imbues the Indian psyche. If businessmen were really honest they would never have borrowed beyond what they could repay. On the other hand, if bankers had a modicum of integrity, they would not have lent to sinking ventures. Bankers have tried to justify such loans as errors of judgement but considering the volume and number of such loans, this explanation rings hollow. Everyone who has taken a loan from a bank knows how difficult it is to make the bank loosen its purse strings even for a few lakh rupees but businesses which were obviously floundering could manage loans of thousands of crores rupees ~ just like you and me quake before the passport officer but any gangster worth his salt has at least ten passports under his belt.

It is a mixed blessing that the exploits of Indian Grey Rhinos are mostly local. This makes the Grey Rhinos more amenable to Government control but at the same time endangers Indian jobs should the Rhinos be forced to shut shop. This dilemma has forced the Government to direct banks to take action only against some select defaulters.

Even today, after the Indian Grey Rhinos have been named and shamed, Papa and Mama Rhinos are often found in European watering holes while Baby Rhinos zip around in latest high end imported cars. A certain Grey Rhino is busy working the London social scene and thumbing his nose at the Indian authorities. Such crass display of borrowed wealth shakes the trust of the common man in the system. When questioned about the Grey Rhinos, politicians merely narrate scandals of Opposition parties when they (the Opposition) were in power.

The lack of a healthy work ethic amongst Indians is responsible for the present imbroglio. Somehow, the average Indian is convinced that he is the most intelligent person around and it would be a shame if he had to work for his bread and butter. The peon in the office would play truant, the clerk would invariably misplace the relevant file and whenever you visit a Government office you would invariably be informed that the concerned officer was in a meeting or visiting another office.

Unfortunately, the private sector is equally plagued by this malaise. Perhaps, the Government being the largest employer has passed on its work culture to the private sector. Except for a better dress sense amongst employees and a snazzier office building, there is little to differentiate between a Government office from a private office.

The productivity of any private sector enterprise in India is much less than that of a similar enterprise located abroad. This is the reason why after the opening up of our economy, many of our businesses folded up. The businessmen concerned kept their businesses running ~ not with the hope of revival but to enjoy cheap credit and the tag of big businessman. It is futile to blame the Government or its policies for their failure because as Julius Caesar had said: The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.

The immediate solution to the problem of Grey Rhinos is likely to be writing off their loans, restructuring their enterprises and banning Grey Rhinos from future business enterprises. But it is doubtful if the Government can ever reach the hidden treasures of the Grey Rhinos. Similarly, looking to the numbers involved the delinquent bankers would also be let off lightly.

Obviously, much more has to be done if we want to prevent another generation of Grey Rhinos to come up. We would have to drill in the concept of a healthy work ethic in office workers, businessmen, bankers, politicians and civil servants; which would mean inculcating the virtues of integrity, responsibility, quality consciousness, discipline and teamwork in our workforce and framing rules that would reward these virtues. No doubt, a tough task but a necessary one.

(The writer is a retired Principal Chief Commissioner, Income Tax)
I have two disparate and strong feelings about houses. First , I dont like to own houses. Houses are for living in, and I am perfectly content to live in rented houses. I would pay the dues every month and let the landlord look after such prosaic things as fixing the plumbing and painting the deck. Some fusspot may say, You cant then have just the kind of house you like. Nobody can. Practically everybody buys a house some building company has designed, and such designs invariably reflect what the average buyer wants. Rent or buy, your choice is always limited by what the market offers.

Second, I dont like to change houses. That is putting it mildly. I hate the idea of moving. Imagine having to put all your things in boxes, taking them somewhere else, breaking some of them in the process or at least mixing them all, then rearranging them in a new place, and having to remember where you placed them when you need them. It is the closest thing to a nightmare. What avails all this pain? A larger house, a modern kitchen or a fancier bathroom? You compromise the quality of your life for a mess of pottage.

I realize these ideas are sacrilegious. Buying a home is the great middle-class dream. It is the asset you must acquire after you have bought a car. It is like buying a book you will not read or acquiring a piano you never intend to play. If a home is to live in, the quality of living is what matters, and the idea of ownership is not just secondary, but irrelevant.

The idea of moving up, from a smaller house to a large one, from one neighbourhood to a more elite one, is sacrosant. Everybody does it. In fact, not to do so is to confess that you have given up on the finer things of life. You have, in reality, only given up on an immensely painful transition for a reasonably tranquil and comfortable existence.

Think for a second of the ultimate dream. Imagine you have the time and money to acquire the land, hire an architect and build a house that exactly matches your notion of an ideal home. I had occasionally entertained the idea that it might be a superlative thing to create a house of ones dream and live in it. The idea promptly hit the dust when I visited what many consider the most beautiful home ever built, by one of the greatest architects who ever lived.

Edgar Kaufmann, who owned the largest department store in Pittsburgh, owned and visited a cabin in the Laurel Highlands of the Allegheny Mountains, in rural southwestern Pennsylvania forty miles from the city. What he liked most about the cabin was that he had a view of a picturesque waterfall in the Bear Run area. He thought of building a summer home there, whence he could see the waterfall daily. He engaged an architect he had heard about from his son studying architecture. He was simply the greatest living architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.

The charmingly named Fallingwater mansion in Pennsylvania, built in the thirties, is stunningly beautiful. It is a National Landmark and Smithsonian lists it as a place to visit before you die. I almost felt my heart stop when I had my first look. It is simply the loveliest home one could have. But the Kaufmanns dont live there and havent for a long while.

I wouldnt either. It is a house to dream about, not to live in. As I walked into each room, I asked myself if I could live there, I instantly knew the answer. No. I realized for the first time that, while we dont want to live, eat, work or sleep in an ugly room, we dont necessarily want to do any of those things in the most beautiful of rooms.

Let me add: Kaufmann wanted to see the waterfall from his home; Wright had his own idea and built a house right on top of the waterfall. The thousands who visit the house in the Steward Township of the Fayette county have a great view of the house and the waterfall. But I doubt Edgar Kaufmann felt he had the view he wanted in the first place.

The writer is a Washington-based international development advisor and had worked with the World Bank. He can be reached [email protected]
Samsung Electronics on Monday said that it has agreed to join US 20th Century Fox and Japans Panasonic Corporation to expand the ecosystem for the High Dynamic Range (HDR) 10 Plus technology.

The agreement is aimed at inducing more TV producers and movie productions to join the ecosystem for the new technology, Yonhap news agency quoted Samsung as saying.

The HDR technology allows screens to deliver vivid displays by optimising brightness depending on colours, boasting improved display quality.

The HDR 10 Plus technology is a next-generation standard for high-resolution video content developed by Samsung.

Samsung said the companies will establish a license agency for HDR 10 Plus technology in January.

The participating companies will be able to share the technology to produce improved visual content.

The partnership of the three companies will help users around the globe experience the HDR 10 Plus technology, Samsung said.

Samsung plans to host the QLED and HDR10 Plus Summit on the sidelines of the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) in Berlin, which kicks off for a six-day run on September 1, inviting business partners to promote the technology.
Ambassador of Luxembourg to India Sam Schreiner cleared the Luxembourg Bar exam in 2000, after which he served as Legal Counsel at Cargolux Airlines International in 2000- 01. From 2001 to 2008, he served as Diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg  Department of International Economic Relations. His subsequent postings were as Deputy Head of Mission in Thailand and Senegal. Since 2014, he has been posted in India as Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to India with residence in New Delhi, followed by additional charge for Nepal since 2016. In this interview to The Statesman, he talks about various avenues of bio-lateral cooperation between India and his country.

Excerpts:

How do you look at India-Luxembourg relations and cooperation between the two countries at international fora?

Despite the difference in the size of our countries, Luxembourg and India enjoy friendly relations in numerous domains. Our bilateral trade is seeing a yearly upward trend; each year more people from India visit Luxembourg and vice-versa. At present, Luxembourg is Indias 14th largest investor. Sharing numerous values, we cooperate closely on different multilateral international fora such as the United Nations.

There are many Indian companies listed at the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.What really attracts them?

They are attracted by the unique knowhow and expertise of Luxembourgs stock exchange, which is a world leader for international listings, including masala bonds and green bonds. For the latter, the Stock Exchange just created the Luxembourg Green Exchange, a dedicated platform for green, social and sustainable securities. Entry is restricted to issuers that provide full disclosure and fulfil their reporting obligations, and, in doing so, ensure quality issuance for investors. In India, there seems to be a huge demand for green projects. More information on: https://www.bourse.lu/lgx

Indias cooperation with Luxembourg in the civil aviation sector has also been increasing. Is there any fresh development on this front?

Cargolux, one of the worlds largest all-cargo airlines, presently links its global hub, at Luxembourg airport, twice a week to Mumbai thus helping Indian exporters of high value goods reach their global customers in a speedy and efficient way. Cargolux continuously evaluates opportunities and challenges at other Indian airports.

Is it true that Luxembourg is keen to enter the automobile market in India in a big way?

Luxembourg has a vibrant automotive industry specialised in the production of different parts, but is for the moment focused on the European automobile market.

What is the total number of India diaspora in Luxembourg?

The Indian diaspora in Luxembourg, especially in the finance and tech sectors, is highly dynamic and expanding rapidly. I believe at present the number stands at about 3,000 people.

Luxembourg is a member of the European Union. Why has the EU not been able to ink a Free Trade Agreement with India despite 10 years of negotiations?

Thats a question to be answered by the negotiators from both sides, the EU Commission and the Indian Ministry of Commerce. Generally speaking, for Luxembourg an FTA concluded by the EU with any third country must be ambitious, balanced and comprehensive.

Does Luxembourg support Indias membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and of the UN Security Council (UNSC) in the permanent category?

Luxembourg is committed to the reform process of the UNSC to make it more inclusive and adapted to the 21st century. In 2015-16, under the chairmanship of Luxembourgs Permanent Representative to the UN, the Intergovernmental Negotiation on Security Council Reform made some important progress.

What is being done by India and Luxembourg to further strengthen/promote people to people contacts between their two nations?

Next year, we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Luxembourg. At the moment, we are exploring how best to celebrate this occasion.

On a day-to-day basis, my Embassy actively promotes Luxembourg as a high-end destination for discerning travellers who enjoy unspoiled nature and clean air, a cosmopolitan society and a very varied gastronomy.

Thanks to our cooperation with VFS, visa applications for Luxembourg can be submitted in 16 major Indian cities. We strive to achieve a very quick turnaround time for any visa application.

The University of Luxembourg has agreements with five top-level Indian institutes and universities, resulting in a dynamic exchange pattern between Masters and PhD students between both countries. Our honorary consul in three Indian cities, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, work intensively in order to increase Luxembourgs visibility and activities in India.
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. Temps nearly steady in the mid to upper 30s. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low 28F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph.
By PTI: same road

Pune, Aug 27 (PTI) Eighteen people were injured in an accident involving a container, a car, a state transport bus and a motorcycle near Shindewadi on Pune-Satara Highway this afternoon, police said.

Incidentally, the accident took place hours after Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari, in a speech at an event in Pune, expressed concern about delay in the ongoing work of widening of a 59 km stretch of the same road.

advertisement

An officer of Rajgad police station said the accident took place at around 1.30 pm when the driver of a container truck rammed into an SUV from behind, and went on to hit an ST bus.

The bus bumped into a motorcycle ahead.

Thirteen passengers in the bus, two people riding the motorcycle and three occupants of the SUV were injured, one of them critically. All were taken to a nearby hospital.

Gadkari had conceded in his speech that the widening work on the Pune-Satara Highway had hit roadblocks, but assured that it would be completed within six months. PTI SPK KRK

--- ENDS ---


remaining of

Thank you for reading! On your next view you will be asked to log in to your subscriber account or create an account and subscribepurchase a subscription to continue reading.
The last days of the Newfie Pride

There were many nights he didnt sleep. The numbers and scenarios turned over and over in his mind, making rest impossible. Id get up two, three oclock in the morning, night after night, come out to the kitchen table and work the numbers every ...
Today's meeting comes after Sasikala's nephew TTV Dinakaran 'removed' Palaniswami's ministers from important party posts. In fact, he even divested the chief minister of the post of Salem district secretary.

By Pramod Madhav: Four resolutions were passed today at a meeting of AIADMK MLAs loyal to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, but the expulsion of VK Sasikala wasn't one of them.

Today's meeting comes after Sasikala's nephew TTV Dinakaran 'removed' Palaniswami's ministers from important party posts. In fact, he even divested the chief minister of the post of Salem district secretary.

advertisement

While as many as 115 lawmakers were expected to attend the meet, only 77 showed up. This startled the Palaniswami-Panneerselvam combine, which has begun to worry about the Sasikala family's hold on the AIADMK. Dinakaran recently paraded 19 MLAs in front of Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, and then moved them to a resort in Pondicherry.

Here's your 10-point cheat-sheet on the resolutions passed today.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW The meeting lasted two hours, and the resolutions were passed with the participants' assent. RESOLUTION 1: Sasikala's appointment as interim general secretary is still under dispute. Her appointment of TTV Dinakaran as deputy general gecretary - and, therefore, his appointments and decisions - stand null and void. But if Sasikala's elevation is under dispute, that raises an important question. What about the appointments she made in that capacity - for example, that of minister Dindugal Srinivasan? RESOLUTION 2: To take legal steps to retrieve Jaya TV and Dr Namadhu MGR, the mouthpieces of the AIADMK. Again, this isn't as easy as it sounds. Jaya TV's assets weren't directly linked to the AIADMK but to a company called MassCom, in which Jayalalitha, Sasikala, Ilavarasi, Vivek Jayaraman and a few other members of Sasikala's family held shares. After Jayalalitha's death, her shares will legally become the property of her heirs, but the Palaniswami government decided to acquire the channel through legal measures. As for Dr Namadhu MGR, the newspaper has fallen into dispute after facing allegations that it was used to siphon bribe money to various firms. This was allegedly exposed during arguments in the disproportionate assets case. RESOLUTION 3: To conduct the General Council meeting, as per the requests of office bearers and cadres. What's interesting here is that no date was announced the meeting. This move is only seen by Palaniswami as a way to counter TTV Dinakaran's decision to remove him as Salem district secretary. RESOLUTION 4: To celebrate party founder MGR's centenary in a grand way and to be united, just as Jayalalithaa wished. There was nothing new here. The MLAs allegedly also decided to file an an affidavit to counter the 7.5 lakh affidavits filed earlier in the battle to get the 'twin leaves' party symbol. The new affidavit will explain that Panneerselvam's and Palaniswami's factions have come together, and that they would like to use the symbol.

ALSO READ

Former AIADMK minister Nainar Nagendran, 14 others join BJP in presence of Amit Shah

AIADMK factions merge after 6 months, OPS to be Deputy CM, Sasikala, Dinakaran sidelined

ALSO WATCH

AIADMK merger: With broad smiles and a handshake, OPS-EPS seal the deal after months of drama

--- ENDS ---
Patnaik's close aides say that to understand him, one has to understand his empathy

By Pratul Sharma/Photos Sanjay Ahlawat
Former Union Minister Kalpnath Rai, four-time MP from Ghosi parliamentary constituency of east UP, had a bitter experience when he lost his newborn son because he could not get him proper medical treatment on time due to chaotic roads and floods. The incident happened decades ago, and Rai is no more.

But even decades later, nothing has improved much in the regions of east UP like Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Balia, Mau. Though east UP has produced many prominent politicians like former prime ministers Chandra Shekhar and V.P. Singh, former UP CM Veer Bahadur Singh who was also union communication minister in 1988, the villages here suffer from utmost apathy. The villagers in these regions live in extreme chaotic conditions. For them, struggle for existence is fierce. Some villages like Chauri Chaura in Gorakhpur have also played an important role in the country's freedom struggle.

As one moves around these regions, especially during rainy season, one comes across marooned villages and villagers pitching their tents to escape fury of floods. Ballu Kumars house was ravaged by the violent waters of the Rapti river. He and his family now live on the sides of the Gorakhpur -Basti highway. Ballu said, No matter how many PMs or CMs this region has produced, there has been no improvement in our living conditions even after decades of independence. We have been still living like insects.

The villagers have no access to proper healthcare or education. For basic healthcare facilities, they will have to travel 30 to 35km. During rains, the only means to travel would be small boats that ferry passengers.

Padeep Kumar a resident of Nausar area said that now the power has been cut off in these flooded areas and it would come back after 20 to 25 days. Recently the water had come onto the road as furious waters of Rapti had breached Khadkhadia Ring Dam in Kampiarganj, shutting down traffic movement on Nausad- Kalesar road. As one moves further towards Bihar, the areas of Bariya, Hukum Rasda present a gory sight. Menacing waters of Ghagra river have flooded many villages like Vasisht Nagar. Samar Yadav, an affected local, said that the village has been always neglected in terms of development. Though Chandra Shekhar from Balia has been the prime minister of the country that, too, did not help us much, he said.

MLA Sangeeta Yadav from Chauri Chaura said, "This is really unfortunate. The plight of these people is unimaginable. The government, besides providing financial assistance, are doing its best to deal with the crisis.

Japanese encephalitis has been a big malady in these regions and reportedly has claimed over 40,000 lives in the past four decades. The recent deaths in BRD medical college of Gorakhpur has been a burning example of gross apathy and neglect of this region. This despite Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and former chief minister Veer Bahadur hailing from this region.



So far over 69 people have lost their lives in these floods. This has been an every-year phenomenon, but no governmentsprevious or presenthave thought of long term measures to develop these regions. They always relied on piecemeal measures, said Lal Singh, a villager.
David Arase, professor of international politics at the Hopkins-Nanjing Centre, John Hopkins University, is an expert on East Asian politics and international relations. He has published five books on the subject and edited a volume, China's Rise and East Asian Order (2016). He is currently working on a book on China's rise to dominance in Asia, expected to be out in 2018.

THE WEEK spoke to him on the sidelines of a talk organised by the Institute of Chinese Studies. Excerpts:

What is your reaction to today's development on Doklam?

It is a little surprising, but it is welcome if it brings with it lasting understanding. Will this mean a complete resolution of the border differences at the point or does this mean that it is a de-escalation for the time being? The details are unclear right now. I will have to study the statements, get more information before being able to make a proper statement.

Were you expecting the stand off to de-escalate or did you think it would become a military conflict?

War was not an option for either country, that was obvious. I knew it would de-escalate, but I was anticipating a longer standoff. I was thinking this would continue till the onset of winter when the snow would bring a stop to everything.

In the Doklam stand off, which country do you think had the higher moral ground?

One cannot really say that in the case of international disputes. However, according to international law, it is not correct to unilaterally change a status quo. One is expected to seek out international means to resolve differences peacefully. A great example was when India took Bangladesh to the United Nations' Permanent Court of Arbitration over border disputes. The tribunal ruled in favour of Bangladesh though India had taken the matter to court. India accepted the verdict and had abided by it.
Madhya Pradesh has created a special Rs 1,000 crore fund to support farmers in distress. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that this fund will be disbursed among farmers when they are hit by a natural calamity or loss of crop due to external factors.

In a public function held at Guna to distribute Prime Ministers Crop Insurance Scheme certificate, the chief minister said that that state government has made a special provision of this fund of Rs 1,000 crore in its budget to compensate for the loss of farmers produce. Crop insurance fund certificates worth Rs 212 crores were distributed to 65,000 farmers.

Quoting Shivraj Singh, a government release said that the Madhya Pradesh government is committed to double the income of farmers for which resources are being made available at every step of cultivation. He said that Madhya Pradesh is the only state in the country where farmers are given loans for farming without interest.

The government is now making arrangement that if there is a fall in the market price of any produce of the farmers, then the produce will be purchased on support price. The amount of support price will be directly deposited in the accounts of farmers, the release said.

He said that pattas (land rights title) will be given to the people without houses to construct houses. Apart from pattas to the homeless, the state government will grant funds for construction of toilets.

Reeling under the farmers unrest after long months of protests and subsequent firing that killed six farmers, the measure is seen as a step toward reclaiming the lost ground among the farmers community.

The ceremony to distribute Prime Ministers Crop Insurance Scheme certificate was held in Guna, the Lok Sabha constituency of Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia. BJP national president Amit Shah, in his visit to Madhya Pradesh recently, has asked party unit to defeat Scindia who has never lost an election.
Air India's Delhi-Mumbai AI-678 was delayed after a unattended bag was found inside the cabin.However, Air India has denied reports of bomb scare.

By India Today Web Desk: An unclaimed bag was found on a seat of an Air India flight today morning at Delhi airport sending the security forces into a tizzy.

Just when Air India's flight AI-678 was preparing to fly from Delhi to Mumbai, passengers located an unattended bag inside the cabin.

The cabin crew called out for the owner of the bag but no one turned up to own it following which the ground staff was informed.

advertisement

The bag was then handed over to security forces to further investigation.

However, a statement from Air India rejected reports of there being a bomb scare. "The information is wrong. There is no bomb scare. AI-678's schedule time takeoff time is 9 am. Flight was reschedule at 10 am. The flight departed at 10.20 am. 10 min delay was due to ATC," the statement said.

More details are awaited.

ALSO READ:

Drugs found in Air India food trolley, insider's role suspected

Air India Delhi bound flight takes off with faulty ACs, leaves flyers gasping for oxygen

Farewell Maharajah: Modi Cabinet approves Air India's disinvestment

ALSO WATCH: Bomb scare after unattended bag found in Air India Delhi-Mumbai flight

--- ENDS ---
In view of the different opinions recorded, by a majority of 3:2, the practice of talaq-e-biddattriple talaqis set aside.

With this order, a five-member Constitution bench of the Supreme Court abolished a 1,400-year-old practice followed by the Sunnis, the dominant Muslim denomination in India. The moment the judgment was delivered, petitioners hugged each other outside the court, womens groups declared that it was Eid for them, and parties across the political spectrum hailed it as historic. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, almost all were on the same page for once.

It was not an Islamic practice; it had been created by clerics, said Maulana Suhaib Qasmi of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, an influential Muslim body that fought talaq-e-biddat.

For decades, Muslim women had found scant support for their fight against talaq-e-biddat, despite earlier court rulings in their favour. Indeed, the five womenShayara Bano, Ishrat Jahan, Gulshan Parveen, Atiya Sabri and Aafreen Rehmanwho had moved the Supreme Court against the practice, found resistance and threats, not support. Clerics pressured us to take back the case, said Iqbal Ahmed, Shayaras father.

It was the grit of the wronged women, and the joining forces of Muslim women under several organisations, that brought about the judgment.

My marriage was a nightmare, and though I protest at the way it ended, nothing can make me go back to my former husband, said Shayara, who has not met her children after her divorce in October 2015. But I wanted to challenge the system. So that the next generation, at least, is not so vulnerable.

The Supreme Court, having received several similar petitions, clubbed them together to decide whether talaq-e-biddat was central to Islam, and whether it was constitutionally valid. The petitioners had raised two other issuespolygamy and nikah halala, the practice of a woman having to have conjugal relations with another man, in case the husband, after pronouncing talaq, wants her back. The court, while saying it was open to addressing these issues at a later date, restricted the hearing to triple talaq.

The talaq-e-biddat case has been compared to the Shah Bano judgment of 1985, in which the Supreme Court had fixed alimony for the woman divorcee. But the Rajiv Gandhi government negated it by a controversial legislation that made alimony mandatory only during iddat, the waiting period after the initial pronouncements of divorce. Shah Bano died in penury.

Shayara Bano

This is not 1985, said Zakia Soman of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan. Shah Bano had no support, but Muslim women today are an organised lot. We will not allow this verdict to be negated.

In their dissenting judgment, Chief Justice J.S. Khehar and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer said the Centre should legislate against talaq-e-biddat, as it was not for the court to abolish a practice covered under Muslim personal law. They directed the government to bring in the legislation within six months, during which the practice would not be valid.

Earlier, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government had told the court that triple talaq was not central to Islam. Now that the verdict is out, the government does not have much to do on the matter. Since Khehar and Nazeem were in the minority, what they said in their judgment is now only a suggestion. The Centre is not bound to follow it, said Congress leader Salman Khurshid, who was amicus curiae in the case.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said existing laws of domestic violence should be enough to punish men who pronounce triple talaq. Others feel that there is now a need for codifying Muslim personal law. Farha Faiz, Supreme Court lawyer associated with the Rashtrawadi Muslim Mahila Sangh, said it was the only way to free the religion from the stranglehold of clerics. The Quran is in Arabic, she said. Most Muslims dont understand it, so clerics interpret at their convenience. But the Medina Charter clearly puts nation before religion. So why shouldnt India codify Muslim personal law?

Those fighting for reforms point out that there is need for rules on divorce, inheritance and a host of other issues. We need a Muslim Marriage Act on the lines of the Hindu Marriage Act, said lawyer Chandra Rajan, who represents the All India Muslim Womens Personal Law Board. Faiz quoted a couplet by Iqbal: Sitaron se aage jahaan aur bhi hai, abhi ishq ke imtihaan aur bhi hai [This is not the end of the struggle, there is still a long way to go].

The entire bench agreed that talaq-e-biddat had to be done away with. In their majority opinion, Justices Rohinton Nariman, U.U. Lalit and Kurian Joseph held that talaq-e-biddat was unIslamic. Joseph held that, since it was not fundamental to Islam, triple talaq did not enjoy the immunity granted to personal laws.

Its an avant garde judgment that could open the door to codifying Muslim personal laws, said Supreme Court lawyer Malvika Trivedi. The minority opinion does not matter.

Making a reference to the 1937 Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, Nariman said triple talaq was arbitrary and should be voided. The act also mentions the other forms of talaq, which are all unilateral, said Trivedi. By that reasoning, all of them should be struck down. All these issues, she said, will pop up eventually, resulting in codified personal law for Muslims.

Shayara, who is still overwhelmed at how a personal humiliation has ended up creating history, is keen to get custody of her children, finish her MBA and be independent. Please do not politicise the issue, she said.

But the issue has already been politicised. The BJP is claiming the verdict as its victory. Other parties, too, want to be seen in the right light. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy says the next move would be to press for a Uniform Civil Codean issue that has been contentious since India became free.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board will discuss the judgment at its executive body meet in Bhopal in September, said member Atiya Siddiqua. Our laws are not man-made, they are divine, said Siddiqua. But it is true they have been misinterpreted and misused. We have already started campaigns to tell people of their rights within Islam.
The apex court also asked the Rupani government why the rape survivor in the particular case has not been examined till now and asked it to file an affidavit in this regard.

Asaram is lodged in Jodhpur jail for sexually assaulting minors at his ashram.

By India Today Web Desk: The Supreme Court today pulled up the BJP government in Gujarat for the slow trial in a rape case involving self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who is already in jail in a number of cases.

The apex court also asked the Rupani government why the rape survivor in the particular case has not been examined till now and asked it to file an affidavit in this regard

advertisement

The survivor had alleged that Asaram has sexually assaulted her between 2001 and 2006, when she was living in his ashram located in Motera, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Her younger sister has filed a similar complaint against Asaram's son Narayan Sai.

Earlier, the top court had refused to grant bail to Asaram on various grounds including his poor health in two separate sexual assault cases lodged in Rajasthan and Gujarat.

The apex court, while dismissing his bail plea on January 30, had observed that Asaram had placed a "fictitious document" to persuade the court to grant him bail and had ordered registration of an FIR against those responsible for preparing and filing the alleged fake papers.

The two Surat-based sisters had lodged separate complaints against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai, accusing them of rape and illegal confinement, among other charges.

The elder sister, in her complaint against Asaram, had accused him of repeated sexual assaults between 2001 and 2006 when she was staying at his ashram near Ahmedabad.

In the case in Rajasthan, a teenage girl had accused him of sexual assault at his ashram in Manai village near Jodhpur. The girl, who belonged to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, was a student living in the ashram.

The apex court had noted that trial in the matter was unnecessarily prolonged and the prosecution witnesses were being attacked, which led to the death of two witnesses.

The apex court had on November 18 last year sought the response of the Centre and five states on a plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged murder of children and attacks on ten witnesses in the Asaram rape cases.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur Police on August 31, 2013 and has been in jail since then.

(With PTI inputs)

ALSO READ:

Asaram Bapu denied bail by Supreme Court, fresh FIR for filing fake health papers

How devotees rushed to touch Asaram Bapu's feet, disbalanced flight

ALSO WATCH: Asaram Bapu rape case: Supreme Court pulls up Gujarat government for slow trial

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Mark Cuban isnt ready to launch a formal campaign to challenge President Donald Trump.

Yet Cuban, an outspoken Texas billionaire who describes himself as fiercely independent politically, sees an opportunity for someone to take down the Republican president, who is increasingly viewed as divisive and incompetent even within his own party.

His base wont turn on him, but if there is someone they can connect to and feel confident in, they might turn away from him, Cuban told The Associated Press. The door is wide open. Its just a question of who can pull it off.

Indeed, just seven months into the Trump presidency, Republicans and right-leaning independents have begun to contemplate the possibility of an organized bid to take down the sitting president in 2020. It is a herculean task, some say a fantasy: No president in the modern era has been defeated by a member of his own party, and significant political and practical barriers stand in the way.

The Republican National Committee, now run by Trump loyalists, owns the rulebook for nominating the partys standard-bearer and is working with the White House to ensure a process favorable to the president.

Yet Trumps muddled response to a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, this month has emboldened his critics to talk about the once unthinkable.

GOP officials from New Hampshire to Arizona have wondered aloud in recent days about the possibility of a 2020 primary challenge from a fellow Republican or right-leaning independent. No one has stepped forward yet, however, and the list of potential prospects remains small.

Ohios GOP Gov. John Kasich has not ruled out a second run in 2020. Another Republican and frequent Trump critic, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, last month visited Iowa, which hosts the nations first presidential caucuses. And a handful of wealthy outsiders including Cuban and wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne The Rock Johnson, are being encouraged to join the fray.

Trumps comments about Charlottesville frightened many Republicans in New Hampshire, said Tom Rath, a veteran Republican strategist in the state that traditionally hosts the nations first presidential primary election.

While he has support from his people, the party itself is not married to him, Rath said of his partys president.

Trump denounced bigotry after the Virginia protests, but he also said very fine people were on both sides of the demonstrations, which drew neo-Nazis, white nationalists and members of the Ku Klux Klan. One woman was killed when a man drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters.

Even before the divisive remarks, Trumps public approval ratings were bad. Gallup found in mid-August that the president earned the approval of just 34 percent of all adults and 79 percent of Republicans. Both numbers marked personal lows. And as he lashes out at members of his own party with increasing frequency, frustrated Republican officials have raised questions about the first-term presidents political future.

On Monday, Maine Sen. Susan Collins said its too early to tell whether Trump would be the GOP presidential nominee in 2020. On Wednesday, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake said Trumps divisive governing style was inviting a primary challenge. And on Thursday night, former Sen. John Danforth, of Missouri, called Trump the most divisive president in our history in a Washington Post op-ed.

There hasnt been a more divisive person in national politics since George Wallace, Danforth wrote.

Trump has also disappointed The Rock, a former Republican-turned-independent, who told Vanity Fair in May that hed like to see a better leadership from the Republican president.

Trumps response to Charlottesville felt like a turning point among those thinking about 2020, said Kenton Tilford, a West Virginia political consultant who founded Run The Rock 2020. He said the group has already organized volunteers in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Hes vulnerable, Tilford said of the president.

Yet there is good reason why no sitting president since Franklin Pierce in 1852 has been defeated by a member of his own party. As is almost always the case, the most passionate voters in the presidents party remain loyal. And in Trumps case, activists across the country are starting to come around.

The president has personally installed his own leadership team at the Republican National Committee and in states like Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire, where new GOP chairmen are more devout Trump supporters than their predecessors.

As RNC members from across the country gathered in Tennessee this week, leaders had already begun focusing on protecting Trump in 2020.

RNC co-chairman Bob Paduchik, who ran Trumps winning campaign for Ohio last year, was named to lead an RNC effort to review the presidential nominating process in conjunction with White House political advisers.

One possibility, last invoked during President George W. Bushs 2004 re-election, would allow party officials in some states to decide primary contests in closed caucuses without voter input. Such a change could make it all but impossible for another Republican to run a successful nationwide primary challenge.

Two members of the RNC rules committee, Bill Palatucci of New Jersey and Henry Barbour of Mississippi, said theyve heard nothing of such an effort.

RNC chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel suggested that the blowback for Trumps Charlottesville comments only reminded his hardcore supporters what they like most about him.

Hes not filtered. Hes not poll-testing everything. Thats part of the appeal he has, McDaniel said. He has a great understanding of the pulse of the grassroots Republicans right now.

Other RNC members seemed more concerned about the presidents statement that there were very fine people on both sides of the white supremacist rally.

Palatucci said Trump got it wrong in his initial comments, but he stands by the presidents agenda, especially business deregulation and his recent decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.

Barbour said the confusion following Trumps response to Charlottesville was a huge distraction. The presidents future will brighten, he said, if the GOP-controlled Congress overhauls the tax code and approves sweeping public building projects.

If he doesnt get those done, were going to have trouble, Barbour said.

Yet few predicted a significant primary challenge in the most important early voting states.

New Hampshire RNC member Steve Duprey said hes heard no serious talk of one. Said Iowa RNC committeewoman Tamara Scott, I firmly stand behind my president.

(AP)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel, David M. Friedman made a special trip to the Kosel on Monday.

The purpose of the visit was to pray for all those affected by Hurricane Harvey which has caused catastrophic damage in Texas.

Friedman tweeted:

Prayed today at the Western Wall for all of those afflicted by Harvey. May God have mercy upon them and restore their losses. #TexasStrong
A British couple could make hundreds of millions of pounds after their fashion business became the subject of a bidding war.

Matchesfashion is being eyed by big private investors who could pay more than 800m to buy it.

The business, founded in 1987 by Tom Chapman, 54, and his wife Ruth, 55, sells designer brands such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen and Burberry. It employs hundreds of people, has four stores and its HQ is based in The Shard, in London.

The Chapmans stepped down as joint chief executives two years ago but still own more than half the shares, meaning they would be in line to receive at least 400m.

It could see the South London pair, who have three children, join the ranks of Britains super-rich.

Possible buyers are said to include private equity funds Apax Partners, KKR, Permira and Bain Capital.

They have been drawn in by booming growth at the business, which swung to a profit of 11m last year after five years of losses.

Sales on its website have grown rapidly as wealthy customers have embraced internet shopping.

Last night a spokesman for Matchesfashion declined to comment.
Lohani, the chairman of the Railway Board (CRB), has made it clear to the ministry officials that 'VIP culture' must be stopped to bring about a substantial change in the system.

By Rakesh Ranjan: The new boss of Indian Railways, Ashwani Lohani, has taken the unconventional route to discipline its workforce in order to improve functioning of the railway ministry. Lohani, the chairman of the Railway Board (CRB), has made it clear to the ministry officials that 'VIP culture' must be stopped to bring about a substantial change in the system. There will now be a strict prohibition on accepting gifts for all railway officers and they have also been told to give up unnecessary protocols.

advertisement

And for the young officers who have joined the railways in the recent time, Lohani has a rather unconventional advice to keep their tables and office uncluttered if they really want to make railways clean and garbage-free. The directives came on Sunday while Lohani interacted with young railway officers of Delhi division, which he had headed seven years ago as the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). Railway officers less than eight years old in the organisation were present in the meeting, apart from senior officers.

The chairman has strictly ordered to end the tradition of bouquets, gifts and 'buttering'. "There will be zero tolerance towards corruption. The bouquet and gift culture has to be abandoned and only performance on the given post will be judgmental," Lohani told officers.

A railway ministry officer said Lohani wants an immediate end to the VIP culture. He has told the DRMs to treat all staff members as equals and pay due attention to every suggestions of the ground staff. To end this culture, the CRB has ordered removal of name plates from the chambers of senior officers in the Rail Bhavan.

On Sunday, Lohani urged all senior officers to spend maximum time in field duty rather than clearing files in the comfort of their offices. "Indian railways has a proven track record and its performance is comparable with leading railway organisations of the world. But due to recent spate of incidents its image has taken a severe beating. To overcome shortcomings, perceptible changes should come from those working on the ground," he added.

Railway ministry sources said the CRB has also asked seniors to be present in office on Saturdays to executor office-related works.

Lohani took over after a series of rail accidents and deteriorating conditions of food and hygiene were reported.

While consecutive derailments prompted AK Mital to quit as Chairman of Railway Board; Railway minister Suresh Prabhu also offered to resign owing moral responsibility.

Earlier, as the CMD of Air India, Lohani had issued similar disciplinary circulars to its staff. He not only asked Air India staff to carry their hand baggage on their own instead of using porters, but also ordered them to maintain a proper dress code during travel, be it on leave or on duty. Urging employees to do away with 'petty courtesies', he asked them to stop presenting him with bouquets and also ensure that minimal number of officials are present to see him off at airports.

advertisement

Also Read

Railways image harmed, need to change perception: Lohani

Food served by Indian Railways not fit for human consumption: CAG

--- ENDS ---
Over 7 000 revellers attended this years Swazi Rally.

SIDVOKODVO  The Swazi Rally continues to attract more revellers each year. This years rally was attended by over 7 000 bikers. The numbers have increased by at least 1 000 when compared to last year.



Bikers started coming into the campsite as early as Wednesday and finally filled up the Riders Ranch campsite on Friday night. The increasing numbers witnessed has prompted the organisers of the rally to start preparation for the 2018 event as early as possible.



Swazi Rally Director Sonia Paiva said they were impressed with this years figures adding that the increasing numbers each and every year was a sign that the event would soon become a well recognised national event.

She said as they had prepared for the 2017 rally well, and tried to ensure that everything was in place for the bikers to enjoy. Paiva said they were still looking at ways of improving the rally in order to make it bigger even next year.

We will be celebrating our 25th anniversary next year and we are expecting more people to attend the event and therefore we need to make sure that everything is in order, she said. She thanked all the bikers who attended the rally especially those who came from other countries.



She also noted that the riding game was taking centre stage in the country highlighting that there were so many bikers who were interested in owning motorbikes. Paiva emphasised that they will try by all means to see to it that any challenges they faced this year are addressed in order to make the next festival even better. One should urge all the bikers to start preparing for the 25th edition of the Swazi Rally as early as possible as it will be the best, she said.
THE Government of Swaziland often comes across as an opposition, yes an opposition to the people, when it should be a catalyst towards the achievement of their and the countrys development goals.

The two recent examples of governments unlikely opposition postures involve the liberalisation of the national communications backbone and international gateway infrastructure and the other, a refusal of a scholarship to a student pursuing studies under the Priority Areas for Pre-Service Tertiary Education Agreement Order (PTET) in direct violation of its own policy and the applicable legal framework.



With reference to the liberalisation of the communications backbone and international gateway infrastructure, government apparently was at variance with legislators in the House of Assembly who sought to end the monopoly enjoyed by the Swaziland Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC) in the provision of the backbone and gateway infrastructure. Members of Parliament tasked government, through the Ministry of ICT to amend the Electronic Communications Act of 2013 in order to end the monopoly enjoyed by SPTC.



The effect of liberalising the backbone and international gateway infrastructure will be manifold but the immediate gain for the citizens would be the drastic reduction of communications tariffs. In the medium to long-term this move would make the country competitive which would translate into economic benefits that would lubricate the countrys development initiatives. In turn this would translate into an improved lifestyle for the people whose knock-on effect would be reduced social ills, such as crime that is spiraling out of control, especially among the youth.



Odd as it may appear, it was Minister of Labour and Social Security Winnie Magagula, and not ICT Minister Dumisani Ndlangamandla, who defended the current set-up by suggesting that opening up the international gateway would compromise the kingdoms security. Another reason advanced by Minister Magagula was that the kingdom would be the first and only country in the world to place its telecommunications backbone infrastructure in the hands of private entities. But of course she was being economical with the truth save that the legislators, either out of ignorance or other influences, did not censor her for that apparent quiescent argument.



As I see it, what is strange apropos the security concerns is a contradiction in terms in that this government never misses an opportunity to boast about the stability and peace that has become synonymous with the kingdom. Yet government has never come out to explain its overzealousness in militarising the country, at inhibitive costs to the taxpayer, in peace times. Governments posture on this issue is not different to that it adopted when protecting the almost 20 years of mobile telecommunications monopoly enjoyed by MTN Swaziland. Hence mobile telephony tariffs within these shores were second to none until recently. As I see it, governments position on the backbone and gateway infrastructure is militating against economic development and, by progression, ensuring that the majority of the people remain enslaved by poverty.



As for the other matter involving one Nompumelelo Tsabedze, the university student who took the self-same Minister Magagula and the Scholarship Board to court for refusing her a scholarship, depicts a cold hearted and callous government that does not care about the future of bantfwana bemaSwati.



As I see it, the question we should all be asking is how many Swazi students futures have been extinguished and destroyed by such blatant abuse of power by an uncaring government. Nompumelelo could have just been another statistic ending up in the scrapheap of drop-outs at the bottom of the food-chain but was so passionate and persistent that she found means  which for all intents and purposes could have been radical and life-changing - to enroll in a university as well as pursue a court case in the name of social justice against a formidable foe.



That government chose not to defend the matter has robbed the nation of an opportunity to have insight into the processes of awarding scholarships. These two issues, among a plethora of others, do not bespeak of a government looking out for and acting in the best interests of the people. Unfortunately, the people cannot wish away nor can they change government if they are not happy with its performance even in the presence of periodic elections.

Such is the nature of the abhorrent Tinkhundla Political System.
MBABANE  Schools are now at liberty to charge top up fees following governments approval of 12 circulars in the Ministry of Education and Training.



The Ministry of Education and Training has approved that schools may charge additional educational fees over and above the Free Primary Education (FPE) grant and Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) grant.

The signing and endorsing of the circulars brings to an end the impasse that seems to have existed between the ministry and school administrators. The circulars are bringing uniformity to the schools regulations countrywide.



Through Circular No. 6 of 2017, Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Educcation Pat Muir informed all head teachers, regional educational officers, school grantees, chairpersons of school committees and the executive secretary of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) of the withdrawal of Circular No. 17 of 2013, titled suspension.



He advised all primary schools, with effect from the January 2017 school calendar year to forward applications for charging additional fees over and above the stipulated free primary education.

All schools shall seek approval of the minister of Education and Training to charge additional fees over and above FPE grant approved by the government, the circular reads in part.



Given that the application process may take longer than anticipated, the primary schools were informed that they are to submit their proposal a year in advance to allow for the process to be completed before the beginning of the school year.



The circular, which Muir is signatory to, further stated that all primary schools applying to charge additional fees to the ones stipulated by the FPE Act of 2010 should adhere to a number of conditions.

The schools applying for additional fees shall submit their application to the minister of Education and Training through the respective regional education officers.



Application for charging additional fees should be supported by school committee minutes approving the need to undertake such a project requiring additional funding, reads the circular in part.

It further stipulates that the primary school applying for the additional payment should state the project for which the fees shall be used and should it be a construction project; the request should be accompanied by a Bill of Quantities.

Furthermore, a project pursued by a primary school should be spread over three years instead of making education expensive for one group of learners.



Also, the Ministry of Education and Training shall publicise the schools request to ensure that all concerned, at school level, are made aware that the school intends to take such a project.
EMASINI  Clearly, the death of a child is always tragic, but losing them to murder perpetrated by their own biological parents is just inconceivable.



This explains why the small community of Emasini, situated closer to the Tri-Cash, has found it hard to deal with the tragic loss of a six-year-old boy, who unbelievably died after his own mother is alleged to have repeatedly dunked him, head first, into a deep pull of water.



The 23-year-old Xolile Simelane of KaKholwane confessed to causing the agonising death of her firstborn child last Tuesday. This was during interrogation by detectives following her shocking arrest on Friday.Worth noting is that the relationship between Xolile and her son was awkward from the beginning.



According to her own confession, Xolile was only 17 when she gave birth to her firstborn child in 2011. She said by the time she delivered the baby, the man who had impregnated her was long gone.

Information gathered was that she had no parents herself, and her only relative was a grandmother, who reportedly did not want anything to do with a child she had no idea who his father was. She had to go through with the pregnancy all alone. When the baby was eventually delivered, she allegedly put him in a bag and threw him into a pit latrine.



Fortunately, the babys screams attracted the curiosity of a passerby, who later saved his life. The baby was reunited with his mother but only to be separated again, but this time for good, six years later when the woman condemned the little boy into a slow and painful death last Tuesday.



This time around the reason given by the woman for killing the boy was that she feared he would have no one to take care of him, after she got a job at a block yard located at Nkonyeni.

It was also gathered that the woman was also apprehensive of coming with a child into a new relationship, after recently getting involved with another man.



On the fateful Tuesday night, Xolile left her residence at Emasini in the company of the young boy but never disclosed their destination. They followed a footpath leading towards the Mkhondvo River, which cuts through the area. Upon reaching the river, Xolile allegedly grabbed the boy and repeatedly submerged his body, head first, into the water until his last breath.

She then left his unresponsive body in the river.
LUBULI  A Ngcamphalala family of Lubuli is in mourning after two of their sons were brutally killed in neighbouring South Africa where they were employed.



Fana Sandile Ngcamphalala (32) and his younger brother, Sibusiso Bennet Ngcamphalala (23), were brutally stabbed to death by two men on Saturday August 19, while at kwaDukuza town (formerly Stanger) near the popular city of Durban.



According to the family, the duo had been employed as assistants to truck drivers for furniture wholesalers.

Reports reaching the family were to the effect that the two were stabbed by two men, who also happen to be brothers, following an argument.



The bone of contention is still unknown but we heard that there was a certain woman at the centre of the argument, said Nicholas Ngcamphalala, an uncle to the deceased.

He stated that witnesses informed the family that it was Sibusiso who was involved in the argument with the assailants and that Fana was trying to restrain his younger brother when they both got stabbed.

He said post-mortem results revealed that the two were stabbed in the chest with a knife and both suffered fatal wounds.



Sibusiso died on the spot while Fana succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital, said Nicholas.

He stated that the family was very devastated by the death of their two sons, whom he described as very helpful to the family and other relatives.

The uncle said the duo had become breadwinners to the family following that their father was unemployed and their mother had passed away.



Nicholas revealed that Fana (the elder brother) had worked in South Africa for about seven years while his younger brother, Sibusiso, had just started working in the neighbouring country.

He further said Fana leaves behind one child while Sibusiso had no children.

Nicholas added that both Fana and Sibusiso were not yet married.



The deceased were buried at a family graveyard on Saturday morning, at Lubuli following a vigil, which was attended by hundreds of mourners.
MBABANE  Scrap top-up fees! Despite a call to have additional educational fees popularly known as top-ups in the past, the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) now seems to be going against its previous notion.



Zwelithini Mndzebele, Secretary of SNAT, dismissed the new quest by the Ministry of Education and Training to re-introduce the fees. He said there was no need for top-up fees at primary school level given that this was a human right enshrined in the Constitution of the land.



Government has the obligation to offer Free Primary Education (FPE) with no option of top-ups as that affects parents, he said.

The unionist implored government to increase the FPE grant instead of seeking an easy way out. He further said this was the same case with secondary or high schools.



He noted that there was a commission set to view the issue of top-up fees in schools and it had offered recommendations. The educator said it would be best if government revisited those recommendations.



The task team, in its recommendations, had noted that top-up fees in schools were the reason many Swazi pupils attended schools in South Africa. The task team compiled the report on the issue of top-up fees in fulfilment of the dictates of legal notice No. 125 of 2014. This, according to concerns raised by head teachers and school committees, depreciated the quality of education as the funds were insufficient to run schools.



The task team discovered that the FPE and orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) funds were paid per child, which caused challenges as schools were not uniform in their set-up. They require diverse operational costs.
MBABANE  Maidens who will attend this years Umhlanga Reed Dance ceremony have every reason to smile as they would be pampered with exciting goodies worth about E8 million during the event.



This will be courtesy of the Republic of China on Taiwan which has donated money to the tune of US$D 601 400, which is about E8 million for the purchase of items to cater for the needs of the maidens. It has been gathered that the items include back packs, t-shirts, sanitary pads and others.



The gift was presented yesterday at the embassy by the Ambassador of the Republic of China on Taiwan Thomas Chen to the Imbali Foundation in the presence of the Minister of Home Affairs Princess Tsandzile. Accepting the gift, the minister mentioned that it made the Imbali Foundation a record holder of funds received from a single source to any foundation in the kingdom.



According to the minister, such a kind gesture underlined the importance that the embassy attached to the Swazi culture and its evolution as a developing nation. Your contribution to the countrys development is immense and your continued support will ensure that His Majestys dream of attaining first world status is realised, resulting in improved standards of living for the countrys citizens, the minister said.



The minister assured the embassy that the money would be spent appropriately and that when the Imbali, who are beneficiaries of the generous support are commissioned by Their Majestys to cut the reed they would feel the generosity of the people of the Republic of China on Taiwan.



She highlighted that the country had not forgotten how the same embassy assisted in the purchase of sneakers for the event last year, which made the whole event a resounding success. It is therefore my fervent hope that the forthcoming event will be a greater success with the surprise package as we will be able to put together with your support, the minister said.
The chicken shed where the young girls body was found hanging.

MAKHONZA  Apparently frustrated after she got into trouble with her parents, a teenage girl committed suicide by hanging herself inside a chicken shed at a neighbours homestead on Friday.



Police said the schoolgirl was found dead by the neighbour at around 10am.

The shocking incident occurred at Makhonza, about 10km to the east of Nhlangano in the Shiselweni Region.

It is still not clear why the 14-year-old girl was in trouble with her parents, but reports from residents suggest the teenager had initially got permission to leave home on Thursday under the pretext that she was going to collect firewood with a certain woman from the area.

However, it later transpired that the firewood story could have been an alibi meant to facilitate a meeting with a male friend in the area.

Interviewed residents believe that the girls parents might have got a hint of the situation, and subsequently rebuked her for her behaviour.



She was last seen at home on Thursday, a day prior to the discovery of her unresponsive body.

The horrific discovery came about when a man who was returning from cutting logs in the veld heard some funny sounds coming from the chicken shed.

The man, who was aware that mice were problematic at the shack, said what raised his curiosity was the intensity of the noise. Feeling something amiss, the man thought it couldnt be the rodents. So, he immediately yelled for others to come so that they could go and investigate.



Other men who were in the vicinity reportedly responded to the call and went to ascertain what the problem was. Once inside the shack they looked up, and their worst fears were confirmed when they saw the lifeless body of the teenager hanging from a rope.

On the floor, and just below the dangling body, the men also found a water container which the girl is suspected to have used to climb on in order to reach to the rafters.
Yogesh Gupta, 53, approached the Melbourne Police after receiving a call from the gangster allegedly hired by his former wife Deepa Gupta, and based on the taped conversation secured "restraining orders" from the city court.

By Sneha Agrawal: In an incident straight out of true-crime shows on TV, the plan of a vengeful woman to "break a few bones" of her divorced Indian husband in Australia backfired last week, when the hired goons switched sides over a dispute over payment schedule and spilled the beans on their target.

Yogesh Gupta, 53, approached the Melbourne Police after receiving a call from the gangster allegedly hired by his former wife Deepa Gupta, and based on the taped conversation secured "restraining orders" from the city court. However, the Indian-origin Australian said he is still frightened.

advertisement

SPILL THE BEANS

"The call came on August 21 and the caller told me that he had been keeping an eye on me. He told me that he knew my everyday schedule and where I would be at any point of time of the day. This was scary," Yogesh told Mail Today over phone. "The man then told me that he had instructions to break my legs and show the evidence of my hospitalisation to my former wife by Friday, the day she flies off to India, to collect his payment."

Yogesh said when he asked the caller why he was giving him all that information, he said that Deepa had gone back on her word over the advance payment and asked him to instead rob her husband for compensation.

ALL FOR MONEY

"He said he was doing me this favour so that he can recover from me $322 (Rs20,600), the money spent on my surveillance over the last two days," said Yogesh who recorded the 4.18-minute conversation with the unknown person on the phone, and asked him to call back in a few hours with regards to his payment.

Yogesh then rushed to the Melbourne East police station. "When the hired goon called up again to discuss the payment, it was in the presence of the police officials."

During the third call, the gangster told Yogesh that he would send his man to pick up the money spent on the surveillance, and in return provide some documentary evidence against his former wife. Based on the three phone conversations, the police issued an arrest warrant against Deepa Gupta and produced her at the Melbourne magistrate court last Friday.

The court has passed a slew of instructions against Deepa and asked her to comply until the final order. The accused has been asked to stay 200 metres away from any place where the protected person (Yogesh Gupta) lives or works.

"The respondent must not commit family violence against the protected person, intentionally damage the property, attempt to locate or keep them under surveillance, publish on the internet any material about the victim," the court said in its restraining order.

advertisement

When Mail Today contacted the lawyer of accused Deepa Gupta, he refused to comment on the incident saying that he was yet to get complete details of the case. Yogesh and Deepa, both chartered accountants by profession, got divorced in Australia after 19 years of marriage. Their relatives in Delhi told Mail Today on condition of anonymity that Deepa was actively involved in politics in the national Capital and wanted to continue with her political career in India while Yogesh had settled in Australia.

This disagreement, according to the relatives, led to their separation and Deepa filed a case of dowry harassment against Yogesh in India. The case is still pending in the court.

Yogesh said apparently his former wife wanted to cause him bodily harm and teach him a lesson but she probably ran out of money to pay the goons and he was saved by a stroke of luck. He also claimed that this was not the first time when an attempt to harm him was made. He, however, declined to give any further details.

advertisement

Also Read

Caught on camera: Bajrang Dal goons ransack toll plaza on Indore-Dewas border

--- ENDS ---
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Mark Hallum

A bill designed to ease the strain on the foster care system in the state received support from child advocacy groups across the city following its unanimous passage in both the state Senate and the Assembly.

The piece of legislation, which was introduced by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), expands what is known as the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program to include people with a positive relationship with the child. This now covers, but is not limited to, a stepparent, godparent, neighbor or family friend as prospective guardians of children in the event they are left without parents to care for them.

Getting these amendments passed was crucial to improving the future of foster children across the state, Avella said. All children in this state, whether they are foster children or not, deserve to have every possible opportunity afforded to them. I thank Assembly member Hevesi for pushing this legislation in the Assembly and his dedication to securing the future of the children and families of our state.

The bill is still awaiting a signature from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but Avella said Cuomos office has already offered input on the legislation to see to its success.

A7554-A will enable many children to leave the foster care system, exponentially increasing their chances for success and self-sufficiency in the future, Hevesi said. This is an important step towards assisting New Yorks youth in foster care and the dedicated relatives and guardians who care for these children.

The amendment to KinGAP will also allow children under the care of guardians to receive subsidies until they are 21 if the Guardianship Assistance Agreement did not begin prior to the child turning 16 years old, allowing them to pursue vocational programs and access higher education.

Recognizing that childrens notions of family extend beyond the people they are related to by blood, marriage, and adoption, New York has long allowed adults who have close relationship with children to be certified as kinship foster parents when those children enter foster care, Executive Director of Lawyers For Children Karen Freedman said. This legislation takes the important step of also allowing those adults to be treated as kin for purposes of discharging children from foster care to permanent homes with people they consider to be their family.

Avella and Hevesi said the expansion of the KinGAP program will save the state in foster care expenses and put children back into family settings as quickly as possible.
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Mark Hallum

Female community leaders and elected officials endorsed Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) for re-election at a Monday rally in front of the entrance to Fort Totten.

Among those offering support were Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, state Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows) and state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing). But also in attendance was Center for the Women of New York founder Ann Jawin, who said funds from Vallones district have helped her organization operate and grow.

As a husband and father of two wonderful daughters, I am very aware of the issues that affect women throughout our city, Vallone said. I am proud to fight for legislation and initiatives that protect and empower women in their personal and professional lives. All the great work that weve accomplished in my first four years could not have happened without the help and support of all the women standing here with us today. I look forward to another four years of productive partnership as we continue to fight for Northeast Queens.

Some speakers at the rally made references to the national political climate and expressed the need for more support at the city and state level to protect womens rights.

We need strong allies in City Hall to protect womens right to choose, to work for women in the workplace, to care and to advocate for more paid family leave, Rozic said. These are all things Paul Vallone has stood for and has fought for.  If there is anything weve learned in the last few months, its that we need strong allies and advocates right here at home in New York.

Jawin, whose organization has operated out of Borough Hall for the last few years, has received critical finances through the councilmans office to renovate their new facility, which will be a landmarked building within Fort Totten. Since 1987, her organization has been helping women overcome incidences of abuse and offers programs which help victims develop life-skills to become more independent.

We are all here as a community endorsing a man who really has done us proud in the New York City Council, Katz said. Ive known the Vallone family a long time and public service is in their blood. And no matter which position they hold, or no matter what neighborhood they are coming from, the Vallone family has truly put their heart and soul into the city of New York. Paul has proven on his own to be such a great member of the City Council.

Katz added that some of Vallones most important work in government has been advocating for seniors.

As we approach the 100-year-anniversary of the Womens Suffrage Movement in New York, it is vital that we reflect on the strides women have made, but also where inequality still persists, Stavisky said. Unfortunately, this presidential administration has proven inefficient in furthering equality for women, but I have seen everyday people, as well as state and city elected officials, take up the mantel and continue to push for equality for all. That is why it is imperative we continue to elect true progressives, like Councilman Vallone, who are proven allies for minority and disenfranchised groups. As a progressive Democrat and a woman, I can think of no better person to represent the 19th City Council District.

Vallone has also allocated over $375,000 to the Domestic Violence Empowerment initiative, also known as DOVE, during his time in office.

Wrapping up his first term in office, Vallone is facing opponent Paul Graziano, who he beat in a five-way primary in 2013. Graziano is a land-use expert who touts the accomplishment of getting more than 1,300 homes in Broadway-Flushing added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Did you vote in the midterm elections as if your countrys existence depended on it?

columns
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

ALBANY  Make that seven challengers to U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik.

Ronald Kim, a Queensbury attorney and former Saratoga Springs public safety commissioner, said Monday he plans to take on the two-term Republican congresswoman from Essex County, drawing from a local-level political experience and spurred by what he says is a lack of representation from Stefanik.

Kim is the sixth Democrat to declare a bid for the 21st Congressional District seat. A St. Lawrence County Republican also is taking on Stefanik.

"I think that not even talking to the other side, not even hearing your constituents is essentially a disqualifying event for a congressperson," Kim told the Times Union Monday afternoon. "And Elise made it very clear, she (wouldn't) listen, she wasn't going to have any meetings and that's troublesome."

Republicans in some New York districts and across the country have faced repeated calls to hold town hall events with their constituents to discuss myriad issues, though the debate over the nation's health care system has driven much of the concern among Democratic constituents.

Stefanik said early in the year that it was "unfortunate and counterproductive that a small number of activists believe the best way to address the very serious issues facing our country is to hijack and ambush community events for the sole purpose of political theater" after progressive groups held a demonstration outside her Glens Falls office. She has held public Coffee with your Congresswoman events and took part in a televised town hall where she received an earful about health care.

Kim said he has called Stefanik's office several times but spoken only with aides.

A Stefanik campaign spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Her campaign previously said she is focused on "her bipartisan work delivering real results for the hardworking families and small businesses across the 21st district, not on politics."

On health care, Kim expressed support for a "Medicare for all" system, or, at the very least, allowing a "public option" in the current health care marketplace.

Candidates have been lining up to take on Stefanik since early in the year. Kim said he's not too late and debated whether it would be too early to jump into the race, which is expected to cost millions.

Sign up for The Knick  Get the latest news and features with our afternoon newsletter.

Kim was elected public safety commissioner in Saratoga Springs in 2006 and 2008 and mounted an unsuccessful bid for city mayor in 2009.

Joining him in seeking the Democratic nomination are Patrick Nelson of Stillwater, Donald Boyajian of Cambridge, Emily Martz of Saranac Lake, Katie Wilson of Keene and Tedra Cobb of St. Lawrence County.

Russell Finley, a St. Lawrence County Republican, is seeking to primary Stefanik.

The 21st district runs from Lake Ontario to Lake Champlain and from the Canadian border south into parts or all of Saratoga, Warren, Washington and Fulton counties.

mhamilton@timesunion.com  518-454-5449  @matt_hamilton10
Excise department on August 24 released a notification to clarify on the apex court's order and said that the order does not prohibit licenced establishments within municipal areas.

By Nolan Pinto: Days after the excise department received the go-ahead to renew liquor licences of pubs and bars, owners of these establishments have not wasted a single minute. From getting their liquor establishments cleaned to meeting excise officials to get their renewals done, the pub owners are gearing up the happy hour days.

There are many five-star hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants around MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street in Bengaluru. Pub goers are also frequented popular places in Koramangala, Indiranagar, Jayanagar and Shantinagar, which were all shut on July 1 when the Supreme Court order came into force in Karnataka. The December 2016 Supreme Court order had imposed a ban on liquor vends located within 500 metres of a national highway.

advertisement

However, the excise department on August 24 released a notification to clarify on the apex court's order. It stated, "The purpose of the directions contained in the order dated December 15, 2016, is to deal with the sale of liquor along and in the proximity of highways properly understood, which provide connectivity between cities, towns and villages. The order does not prohibit licenced establishments within municipal areas. This clarification shall govern other municipal areas as well."

The clarification notice by the excise department.

Armed with this clarification, popular places like the House Of Commons and Sherlock's Pub, that have outlets in different parts of the city, will be in operation in a day or two. They are only waiting for the hard copy of their renewed licences.

Dilip Nair, director, operations, House Of Commons told India Today that the last two months were difficult and was a terrible period for their business. Not only did they have to send their guests away but also lost revenue worth over crore. "Opening a resto bar and maintaining the place in a metro like Bengaluru is not easy because of various factors including high rents," he said. Unlike many other places, this resto bar did not lay-off its employees and "we are absolutely delighted that we are getting the licences".

Most of the resto bars in the city get 75 per cent of their business from beverage sales and just about 25 per cent from the sale of food. So, when there are no beverages on sale, customers do not come only for the food. This has affected the pubs and bars in the city.

Shivang, managing partner, Sherlock's Pub in Koramangala also faced a similar problem at his pub. Most of his employees had left after the Supreme Court order and they were managing with skeletal staff. But they are now glad that things will get back to normal and are looking forward to opening their outlet soon.

"The procedure to get things started is not difficult. Excise officials have to come to our outlets to undo the seals to the room where the stock is stored. This is done after the licences are renewed," said Shivang.

Pub-goers in the city are elated that they can live their night life again and head to their favourite hang-outs. "I am glad that the pubs have started functioning again. Last month I could only have food at these places but it won't be the same any more. We can have our favourite drinks as well now," said a graduate Manjusha Naik.

advertisement

ALSO READ |

Bengaluru's Pub City tag to be snatched away again

Bengaluru pubs to reopen as Karnataka govt to renew liquor licences following SC order

Pubs in Bengaluru to introduce breath analysers to check alcohol levels of visitors

--- ENDS ---
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

QUEENSBURY - A Glens Falls couple was arrested on Saturday night for allegedly possessing more than a pound of cocaine, New York State Police said.

Gordon "Denny" Wilhelm, 28, and Catherine Peacock, 30, were stopped in their car while traveling the Northway late Saturday night. Police did a search and found the large quantity of drugs.

Wilhelm, the owner of Global Fitness Gym on Glen Street, was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, both felonies.

The Athletic Academy at Global Fitness issued a statement Monday evening expressing its sadness of learning the news.

"Denny has been a valuable part of our programs for the past few years and has been instrumental in helping many throughout community reach a higher level of physical fitness," the statement read. "This situation is more proof that our community is not immune to the drug activity which is plaguing many other communities across our country right now."

Academy officials said preventative education that prohibits drugs, alcohol and tobacco use is "a pillar of our existence," and emphasized the need to be even more vigilant to inspire others to lead that life.

Peacock was also charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of controlled substance with intent to sell, both felonies, plus criminal possession of a narcotic drug and possession of a hypodermic instrument.

Both were arraigned in the City of Glens Falls Court and sent to Warren County jail on no bail.

State Police were assisted by the Glens Falls Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff's Office's K-9 unit and patrols.
Mineola

All she is saying is "give decency a chance."

Before leaving on a summer vacation exploring the United States late last month, New York graphics designer Lisa Cholnoky dropped 535 letters at her post office, one for every member of Congress.

Each contained a tiny white button containing the word "decency." She says it's the start of what she calls a "Campaign for Decency," aimed at restoring a sense of respect and dignity to American political discourse, one button at a time.

"I've been shocked by the number of friends, family and neighbors who share their stories of broken friendships and families divided because we have lost the ability to have civil discussions," she says.

"The very fabric of what has always been best about American culture 'neighbors helping neighbors, families coming together in good times and bad' is being torn apart."

Cholnoky, who lives in New York City but also has a home in Shelter Island off eastern Long Island, says she hatched the "decency" campaign around the time President Donald Trump was inaugurated in January, but says her effort is less about politics than encouraging civil discourse.

She says people riding the subway have complimented her on the button, and when that happens, she immediately hands them two; one for the recipient and one for them to pass on to a friend or relative.

She initially had 1,000 buttons made, but says she is open to the possibility of ordering more.

Asked about the campaign, U.S. Rep. Peter King, a New York Republican, said: "We cannot allow rhetoric to divide families, friendships or communities. We are all Americans."

U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Republican whose district includes Shelter Island, received the mailer a few weeks ago.

"Rep. Zeldin has always worked across the aisle in a bipartisan fashion to find common ground however possible to better our community, state and nation," said Zeldin's spokeswoman, Jennifer DiSiena.

A spokesman for U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, a New York Democrat, said he commends anyone who helps "spur action on the critical issues we face across the country."
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

Albany

When Barbara Gaffuri was returning to Albany from a family funeral in Yonkers a few months ago, a relative told her to take a good look at the sign on the Tappan Zee Bridge. It would probably have a different name the next time she crossed it.

It wasnt so much that the original 62-year-old span was being replaced by a span rising next to it, but that the official name was going to change from the Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge to the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

The sign had special significance for Gaffuri: Malcolm Wilson was her uncle.

Gaffuri is well known in Albany as the citys longest-tenured school board member, serving for 13 years from 1998 until 2011.

I was saddened, Gaffuri said of the re-naming, as she recalled her uncles modesty and willingness to devote much of his life and career to public service. Wilson was a Westchester GOP Assemblyman for 19 years, lieutenant governor and then governor from 1973-1974.

He was a very special guy and he was a very humble man, Gaffuri said.

Gaffuri stressed she has no ill will toward Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but she believes that Wilsons name should have remained on the new structure, with the tribute to Cuomos father going on another public works project.

I have nothing but nice things to say about Gov. Cuomo, she said, but added, Why not name something else after his father.

Cuomo has drawn criticism for using last-minute negotiations at the end of this year's legislative session to insert a measure that allowed the name change.

Wilsons daughter, Katharine Wilson Conroy, earlier registered her objection to the name change, and a Siena College poll in July found New Yorkers opposed the re-naming 47 percent to 37 percent.

Gaffuri added that one reason she disagreed with the re-naming was Wilsons humility. While he initially planned to run for governor before Nelson Rockefeller grabbed the nomination, Wilson nonetheless drove Rockefeller around the state to meet with local GOP committees he knew from his days in the Assembly.

Gaffuri said that Wilson once told a group of Siena students that the development of the Thruway, of which the bridge is an integral part, led to a deterioration of bi-partisan camaraderie in the legislature.

Before the Thruway made traveling from the greater New York City area to Albany such an easy trip, lawmakers were more apt to take the train, where they would sit and socialize across party lines.
ALBANY  An Albany County judge will decide the trial of a woman charged with felony assault on a Bethlehem police officer after she allegedly started a fight with another woman in a Slingerlands medical office while holding her six-month-old baby.

Aisha Talley, 37, of Orange County, waived her right to a jury trial Monday and elected to have her second-degree assault trial decided by Judge William Carter, a former state trooper.

Talley, who is also charged with child endangerment and resisting arrest, could face up to seven years in prison if convicted of the assault at 1220 New Scotland Road on April 28, 2016.

Prosecutors allege Talley injured the hand of Bethlehem Police Officer Cesar Martinez after a nurse called 911 to summon police to the medical office to handle the chaotic situation.

"When he went to arrest her, she was bucking and moving her arms around in a manner that made it almost impossible to get her under control," Assistant District Attorney Shanza Malik said, calling Talley "wild and out of control."

She said Martinez needed months of physical therapy for an injury that led one witness to believe the officer's hand was "broken and bent in a million directions."

The sequence of events began as Talley, her six-month-old and her now-husband, Aaron Talley, were at the doctor's office for and appointment of her husband's older son, Aaron Talley Jr. Also at the appointment was the older boy's mother, Kimberly Ryan, and maternal grandmother, Bobbie Ryan.

In opening statements, Malik said Talley caused a fight with Kimberly Ryan "while (Talley) was holding her infant baby in her arms."

"Her behavior continued to escalate," the prosecutor said, adding that a doctor was "screaming for help."

After police arrived, Talley "did not want to calm down," Malik told the judge.

Talley's attorney, Trevor Hannigan, told the judge the fight was instigated by Kimberly Ryan, whom he alleged punched his client -- and Talley's infant -- because she was upset.

"Is it reasonable that a woman who is holding a six-month-old would attack another person? I submit it's not," the attorney said.

He said most of the prosecution's witnesses did not see the beginning of the incident and that their testimony is irrelevant.

The judge blocked Talley's statements to police from the trial.

Talley has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the town of Bethlehem in U.S. District Court and town police, which deny the allegations. The trial continues Tuesday.
Glens Falls

A vice president with the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association was fired from his job as a correction officer following his arrest Sunday on domestic violence charges.

Chris R. Hansen, 61, of Queensbury was arrested for the second time in 10 months on misdemeanor domestic assault charges, union officials confirmed. Hansen was suspended from his position as a regional vice president for the union. State officials said he was a sergeant assigned to Washington Correctional Facility in Comstock. He was hired in 1979 and paid $84,379 a year.

Glens Falls police said Hansen knows the female victim, who was injured during the incident that took place on Hunter Street in Glens Falls. Hansen was released on his own recognizance following his arrest, police said.

Last fall, Hansen was arrested in Warren County on misdemeanor charges of obstruction of breathing, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest. Sheriff's investigators at the time said a sheriff's deputy entered a residence where Hansen had pinned a woman to a couch and was found with his hands around her neck.

The state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision suspended Hansen following his arrest last October. The outcome of those charges were not immediately available Monday afternoon.
Albany

In New York state government news, a longtime Assemblyman is retiring mid-term after 42 years in office and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is nominating a former Syracuse mayor to run the Thruway Authority.

Thruway leader

Former Syracuse Mayor Matthew Driscoll is Cuomo's pick to run the New York State Thruway Authority. He's joining the agency at a key time with the opening of the first span of the Gov. Mario Cuomo Bridge over the Hudson River.

Driscoll, currently the state's Department of Transportation commissioner, will be nominated executive director of the agency that runs the 570-mile Thruway system. He'll replace Bill Finch, who's been acting executive director for two years.

Driscoll's nomination must be confirmed by the state Senate after the Legislature convenes in January. Meanwhile, the Thruway's board of directors is expected to name him acting executive director.

In the Department of Transportation, Driscoll's role will be taken over by the agency's chief of staff, Cathy Calhoun, who will serve as acting commissioner.

Farrell farewell

Assemblyman Herman "Denny" Farrell Jr. says he'll retire from his Manhattan seat Sept. 5 to spend more time with his family and deal with unspecified health issues. The 85-year-old Democrat was first elected in 1974, and has chaired the Assembly Ways and Means Committee for the past 23 years.

New York County Democratic leaders will select his replacement because Farrell's retirement takes effect just a week before state primaries.

Farrell supports his chief of staff, the Rev. Al Taylor, to succeed him.

Taylor announced his bid for the seat Tuesday and has received endorsements from New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Sen. Brian Benjamin and others.

Taylor says he'll fight for good schools, stronger rent laws, better public transportation and social, economic and criminal justice for all citizens.
TROY - Three cars were broken into on Saturday night on Lindsay Drive, just north of Frear Park, New York State Police said.

Each of the cars was left open. A wallet was stolen from one and gift cards from another. The third car was only rifled through, but nothing was stolen.
Rotterdam Police Department

ROTTERDAM  A Taco Bell customers suspected of being drunk in the drive-through lane was charged with felony DWI after Rotterdam police said they found her with children in her vehicle.

At 11:47 p.m. Friday, police received a call for a report of a possible intoxicated woman driving a dark-colored SUV with children inside going through the drive-through of Taco Bell on Altamont Avenue. An officer found the driver, Donna M. Martin, 59, of Schenectady, who was arrested after an investigation showed she was she intoxicated, police said. Two 7-year-old children were with her. Martin was taken into custody and charged with two felony counts of aggravated driving while intoxicated with a child less than 15 years old inside the vehicle; misdemeanor DWI; failing to provide a breath test, a violation; and resisting arrest and endangering the welfare of a child, both misdemeanors.
By PTI: Guwahati, Aug 28 (PTI) The CBI will probe the murder of All Bodo Minority Students Union (ABMSU) president Lafikul Islam in Assams Kokrajhar district early this month.

"Following the Assam governments request, the Central government has handed over the investigation of Lafikul Islam murder case to the Central Bureau of Investigation," a press release by the Assam government said here today.

advertisement

Union Minister of State for DoNER, Jitendra Singh informed this to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone today, it said.

Islam was killed by unidentified miscreants at Titaguri market in Kokrajhar district on August one and the state government has already constituted a special investigative team (SIT), headed by inspector general of police Anurag Tankha, to inquire into it.

The government had also provided ex-gratia relief of Rs five lakh to the next of kin of the slain ABMSU leader, the release added. PTI ESB KK SMJ

--- ENDS ---
The University of Pittsburghs Titusville campus welcomed its new group of students for the fall semester on Saturday, during a convocation held at Henne Auditorium.
[August 28, 2017] Foresters Offers Emergency Assistance to Members in Texas

Foresters Financial: Who: Foresters Financial, an international financial services provider committed to doing more for families and communities, is offering assistance to its members affected by Hurricane Harvey in Texas. What: Eligible members living in the affected area who are experiencing significant personal hardship as a result of Hurricane Harvey can receive grants to help with immediate needs. Disaster relief assistance is one payment per household. Members who are directly affected by the hurricane can contact Foresters toll-free at 800 828 1540 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday, or e-mail Foresters at [email protected]. About Foresters Financial

Foresters Financial is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in the UnitedStates, Canada and the United Kingdom, and total funds under management of $44 billion1. With a history of more than 140 years, we provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals, protect their families and improve their communities. For more information, visit foresters.com.



Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries. Products offered vary by country. Not all products are available for distribution in all jurisdictions. In the United States, products are offered by The Independent Order of Foresters and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Financial Services, Inc. a registered broker-dealer. Securities, life insurance and annuity products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. or independent producers. Insurance products are issued by Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, New York, or The Independent Order of Foresters. Investment advisory products and services are offered through Foresters Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

1in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2016 View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005825/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 28, 2017]

Oracle Hiring Five-Thousand Cloud Professionals in the United States

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- This year, Oracle is hiring more than five-thousand new engineers, consultants, sales and support people into its rapidly growing cloud business. This injection of talent will help Oracle sustain the momentum in what is already the world's fastest growing multi-billion dollar cloud business.

"Central to Oracle's success is our empowered, inspired and engaged workforce," said Joyce Westerdahl, Oracle Executive Vice President, Human Resources. "We're hiring experienced sales and engineering professionals eager to contribute to Oracle's cloud growth and champion our products. We are also recruiting high-performing recnt college graduates and offering them a world-class training program to prepare them for a career in the technology industry."







This year, Oracle has already hired more than 2,650 cloud sales professionals and 1,500 cloud developers in the United States.

To learn more about careers at Oracle and apply for open positions, please visit https://www.oracle.com/corporate/careers/.

About Oracle

The Oracle Cloud offers complete SaaS application suites for ERP, HCM and CX, plus best-in-class database Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) from data centers throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information about Oracle (NYSE:ORCL), please visit us at www.oracle.com.

Trademarks

Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/oracle-hiring-five-thousand-cloud-professionals-in-the-united-states-300510066.html

SOURCE Oracle
[August 28, 2017] Three Minnesota Food Banks to Receive Semi Truckload of 39,900 Pounds of Donated Pet Food - Nearly 190,000 Meals - from PetSmart's Buy a Bag, Give a Meal Program









What: In an effort to keep families and their beloved pets together through challenging times, PetSmart's Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program is donating nearly 40,000 pounds of pet food - about 190,000 pet food meals - to three human food banks across the state of Minnesota. Pet food is a rare offering at food banks and pantries across America, and pet families in need often feed their pets human food that may already be scarce for their family, or face the impossible decision of surrendering their pet because they can't afford to feed them. And yet, studies show that people need their pets more than ever when facing life's challenges. The human-animal bond is a powerful source of unconditional love and support for families. In fact, in a recent PetSmart Charities-commissioned survey, 94 percent of respondents agreed that pets are essential to maintaining good mental and physical health. That's why PetSmart, together with its nonprofit partner PetSmart Charities, wants to help keep people and pets together through this massive pet food donation that will help Minnesota families who may rely on food banks or pantries now have access to delicious, nutritious food for their four-legged friends. A 53-foot semi truck arrived in the Twin (News - Alert) Cities packed with 50 pallets of pet food - nearly 190,000 pet food meals or nearly 40,000 pounds - to help feed hungry pets in need across Minnesota. The pet food will be picked up starting Wednesday, Aug. 30, by the following nonprofit agencies:  Channel One Regional Food Bank, Rochester  North Country Food Bank, Crookston  Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, Grand Rapids PetSmart launched its historic philanthropic program, Buy a Bag, Give a Meal, in celebration of its 30th anniversary this year and to give back to local communities in a big way. For every bag of dog or cat food purchased online or in its 1,500-plus stores through Dec. 31, 2017, the retailer will donate a meal to a pet in need. Together with PetSmart Charities, the program's delivery partner, they expect to donate 60 million meals* - nearly 13 million pounds - to pets in need at hundreds of animal welfare agencies across North America, as well as human food banks, pantries and meal programs, like these Minnesota-based food bank organizations. This semi truck delivery to the Twin Cities will arrive at Second Harvest Heartland, which will temporarily store the pet food for the three food banks. This truck delivery is part of PetSmart's first massive wave of pet food donations, where over the next few weeks 92 53-foot semi trucks will be arriving in 70 cities across 31 states and three Canadian provinces and delivering a total of 17 million meals to hungry pets in need across North America. Where: Second Harvest Heartland (a central hub for this statewide pet food distribution effort) 1140 Gervais Ave. Maplewood, MN 55109 When: Wednesday, Aug. 30, 10 a.m. - noon Photo Ops:  Local PetSmart store associates helping load up nonprofit agencies' trucks with the 38-pound bags of donated pet food. These nonprofit agencies operate food pantries and meal programs, where pet food is a rare offering.  The massive pet food donation - 50 pallets - nearly 40,000 pounds of dog and cat food being temporarily stored at Second Harvest Heartland.  Pets sampling the donated pet food. Interviews:  Linda Olson (News - Alert), Development & Communications Director, Channel One Regional Food Bank, commenting on the local impact of this significant pet food donation.  Representatives from PetSmart and PetSmart Charities discussing the Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program and its impact on pets in need. Call to Action:  People in the local Twin Cities area can continue to help pets in need through PetSmart's Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program - buy bags of dog and cat food at PetSmart and the retailer will donate a meal to a pet in need for every bag sold.

For more information on the Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program, please visit petsmart.com/giveameal. About PetSmart PetSmart, Inc. is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. At PetSmart, we love pets, and we believe pets make us better people. Every day with every connection, PetSmart's passionate associates help bring pet parents closer to their pets so they, together, can live more fulfilled lives. This vision impacts everything we do for our customers, the way we support our associates and how we give back to our communities. We employ approximately 55,000 associates, operate more than 1,500 pet stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, as well as more than 200 in-store PetSmart PetsHotel dog and cat boarding facilities. PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and products, as well as pet-focused services such as dog training, pet grooming, pet boarding, PetSmart Doggie Day Camp and pet adoption. PetSmart, together with non-profits PetSmart Charities and PetSmart Charities of Canada, invite more than 3,000 animal welfare organizations to bring adoptable pets into stores so they have the best chance possible of finding a forever home. Through this in-store adoption program and other signature events, PetSmart has facilitated more than 7.4 million adoptions - more than any other brick-and-mortar organization. The company's portfolio of digital resources for pet parents includes PetSmart.com, OnlyNaturalPet.com, petMD.com, Pawculture.com, AllPaws, an online pet adoption platform that helps potential pet parents find the perfect pet to adopt based on their home, family and lifestyle, as well as BlogPaws, the world's first pet blogger and influencer network. Through these digital platforms, PetSmart offers the most comprehensive online pet supplies and pet care information in the U.S. In celebration of its 30th anniversary, PetSmart launched its Buy a Bag, Give a Meal program in March 2017. For every bag of cat or dog food purchased March 1 - Dec. 31, 2017, PetSmart will donate a meal to pets in need and expects to donate more than 60 million meals in 2017*. In May 2017, PetSmart acquired Chewy.com, a leading online retailer of pet food and products in the U.S., which operates as an independent subsidiary. Find PetSmart on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/PetSmart

See PetSmart on Instagram: @PetSmart

Follow PetSmart on Twitter (News - Alert): @PetSmart

See PetSmart on YouTube (News - Alert): www.YouTube.com/PetSmart *Ends 12/31/17. 5 oz. dog food, 1.5 oz. cat food donated to PetSmart Charities to feed dogs and cats in need. See details at petsmart.com/giveameal. The actual number of meals donated is based on dog and cat food bags sold. The meal donation estimate is based on historic sales for similar time periods. No guaranteed amount. Rescue Bank and Feeding America will help distribute a large portion of the pet food donation in the U.S., while four large animal welfare agencies will distribute it in Canada. About PetSmart Charities PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization with a mission to find lifelong, loving homes for all pets by supporting programs and thought leadership that bring people and pets together. In addition to finding homes for almost 500,000 shelter pets each year through its in-store adoption program in all PetSmart stores across the U.S. and Puerto Rico, PetSmart Charities provides funding to non-profits aligned with its mission through four key areas of grant support: Preventing Pet Homelessness; Helping Shelter Pets Thrive; Supporting the Bond Between People and Pets; and Emergency Relief and Disaster Support. Each year, millions of generous PetSmart shoppers help pets in need by donating to PetSmart Charities using the pin pads at checkout registers inside PetSmart stores. In turn, PetSmart Charities efficiently uses 90 cents of every dollar donated and has become the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, donating about $300 million to date. PetSmart Charities, a 501(c)(3) organization, has received the Four Star Rating from Charity Navigator, an independent organization that reports on the effectiveness, accountability and transparency of nonprofits, for the past 14 years in a row - placing it among the top one percent of charities rated by this organization. To learn more visit www.petsmartcharities.org. Follow PetSmart Charities on Twitter: @PetSmartChariTs

Find PetSmart Charities on Facebook: Facebook.com/PetSmartCharities

See PetSmart Charities on YouTube: YouTube.com/PetSmartCharitiesInc View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005944/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 27, 2017] Social Media Week Jakarta Announces Its 2017 Event

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The biggest social media event in Indonesia, Social Media Week Jakarta, is back for the third time in Jakarta, from 11 to 15 September 2017. Organized by Merah Cipta Media Group, Social Media Week Jakarta 2017 will unravel the future of communication, delve in how technology plays a role in the evolution of communication, and probe on the interaction between machine and human. This year, Social Media Week Jakarta brings a lineup of conferences, workshops, community meet ups, and many other activities with the theme, "Language and The Machine: The Future of Communication." Merah Cipta Media Group CEO, who is also the Chairman of Social Media Week Jakarta, Antonny Liem, said, "We are very pleased to be back to present Social Media Week for the third time in Jakarta. Today we see how rapid advancement of digital technology is changing the way humans connect and communicate, and how many new and emerging language elements are made possible by technology. With this theme, we would like to invite participants to further see how these trends encourage a shift in the way people communicate, and how industry practitioners should anticipate the next era of communication and capitalize on these latest trends." Well known industry players, such as Facebook, Google, Line, LinkedIn, Kantar Millward Brown, Digimind, Salesforce and Socialbakers, among many others, will be present at Social Media Week Jakarta 2017. The conference sessions -- which will last for three days from 13 to 15 September 2017 -- will host prominent speakers such as Reynold D'Silva, Head of Vertical Marketing in Facebook Asia Pacific; Frank Koo, Head of Southeast Asia Talent LinkedIn Solutions; Pankaj Khushani, Head of Media Technology Solutions for oogle Southeast Asia, India & Korea; Rainbow Cheung, Head of Social, Salesforce Asia; Revie Sylviana, LINE Indonesia Business Development Director; Charles Tidswell, VP of Socialbakers Japan and Asia Pacific; and Olivier Girard, Asia Pacific's Customer Success Director for Digimind.



"I am very pleased with the composition of the main speakers for Social Media Week Jakarta this year. I'm sure that their shared insights will help social and digital industry practitioners to realize the potential of social media and digital technology in Indonesia. We cannot wait to welcome these big names on the stage during our Conference," Antonny Liem added. More exciting than the previous years, this year, Social Media Week Jakarta 2017 also brings a series of workshops classes, providing a more in-depth knowledge and practical insights from the experts within the social media and digital industries. Social Media Week Jakarta collaborates with MauBelajarApa.com in bringing these classes to the participants. Participants may check the workshop details thoroughly at www.maubelajarapa.com/smw2017.

From 11 to 15 September 2017, SMW Jakarta participants may participate in more than 40 community gathering sessions and workshops combined, which are filled by various topics and interesting activities. Some of the confirmed well-known communities that will be conducting meet ups during the event are Social Media Strategic Club, Indovidgram, Young on Top, Gushcloud, Sociabuzz, Girls In Tech, Makedonia, and UXID. In addition to the conference, workshop and community meet up, SMW Jakarta participants will also be able to see and experience the latest technology and trends in the digital world first-hand, presented by various technology providers as well as industry players at their main venue, The Hall, 8th Floor, Senayan City, Jakarta. To get more information on Social Media Week Jakarta 2017, please visit: https://socialmediaweek.org/jakarta/. For those who purchase the group ticket (minimum of 5 tickets), will receive a 25% discount. Follow SMW Jakarta 2017 twitter account @SMWJakarta and Social Media Week Jakarta Facebook account, to find the latest update on the event. About Social Media Week Jakarta Social Media Week (SMW) is a leading news platform and international conference that gathers and shares ideas, innovations and best insights on how social media and technology are transforming businesses, communities and cultures around the world. Social Media Week Jakarta 2017 will be conducted from 11 to 15 September 2017, simultaneously with SMW London and SMW Sao Paolo. After the opening the event with a press conference, on 11 September 2017, the event will have a series of workshops classes starting from 12 to 15 September 2017. The main conference sessions will be conducted for three days, starting from 13 to 15 September 2017, located at The Hall, Senayan City, 8th floor, Jakarta - Indonesia. About Merah Cipta Media Group PT Merah Cipta Media (MCM) is a leading digital media company in Indonesia that provides solutions in marketing, branding, communication, technology, and strategy, as well as digital media execution for major and renowned industries. MCM has the vision and mission to generate the creative and digital technology industries in Indonesia. Media Contact: Ismoyo Djajapurusa

(+62) 812 8404 7082

[email protected]

Ogilvy PR Jakarta Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170825/1927595-1LOGO SOURCE Social Media Week Jakarta

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 28, 2017] IQLECT Launches Most Advanced Web Analytics Solution on Cloud

BANGALORE, August 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IQLECT announced the official roll-out of its web analytics solution that delivers real-time insights about customers to digital marketers and product managers at web-based businesses. This solution is launched to serve a growing need from organizations to move beyond aggregated web traffic summaries to extremely granular visitor-specific insights in a timely fashion. With a multitude of companies vying for limited audience, it becomes imperative for brands (like e-commerce) to optimally engage with their prospective customers to acquire and retain them. IQLECT's solution, which also has an e-commerce specific flavor, helps achieve this by drawing up individual user-journeys and enabling delivery of highly personalized experiences to improve conversion and average-order-values. Powered by its recently launched real-time analytics platform, this solution also packs in advanced artificial intelligence capabilities that uses both historic and real-time data to automatically carve out insights. The CEO of IQLECT, Sachin Sinha adds, "Our solution has in-built machine learning algorithms that create high-impact outcomes for our customers. For instance, our AI components continuously segment web visitors based on their behavior or demography or predict the likelihood of purchase. These insights are immediately used to control the outcome of that particular user interaction."



While there are many disparate solutions like GA, Omniture, Mixpanel, Localytics, etc available to customers, IQLECT's solution brings together these capabilities with the promise of AI and real-time actionable insights. Also, starting at $39 per month makes it an extremely attractive and compelling option for even small-medium sized businesses. In the coming months, IQLECT is also adding omni-channel, customer-engagement, inventory analytics and advanced visualization capabilities to make this a comprehensive solution for any e-business. About IQLECT

IQLECT helps companies optimize their business through real-time data insights. The company has built the converged predictive software platform to process all kinds of data in a real-time manner. IQLECT offers the platform and solutions on cloud as SaaS and to enterprise for on-premise deployments. The company was founded by Sachin Sinha in 2015 and is based out of Bangalore. IQLECT works with well-known enterprise companies like CISCO, DELL along with several SaaS customers. IQLECT has also developed one of the fastest NoSQL database, BangDB which has more than 30,000 users across the world. To learn more about the company or product, email at [email protected], or visit http://www.iqlect.com.

Media Contact:

David Sangama

Marketing Manager

IQLECT

[email protected]

+91-8105371892



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 28, 2017] Starbreeze Completes Dhruva Interactive Acquisition

STOCKHOLM, August 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Starbreeze AB has agreed with the owners of Indian art production company Dhruva Interactive to complete the acquisition of 90.5% of the shares in Dhruva Interactive for 8.5 MUSD. The acquisition was announced 16 December 2016 with terms stipulating a purchase price consisting of 7.0 MUSD in cash and 1.5 MUSD in newly issued Starbreeze B-shares. Due to the complex regulatory environment in India, the transaction has taken more time than expected to complete. To facilitate regulatory technical limitations, the transaction was restructured to ensure that the effective purchase price remains the same. While the total purchase price of 8.5 MSUD will be in cash, a part of the seller group will acquire newly issued Starbreeze B shares of 1.5 MUSD (in compliance with the Indian regulations). The new shares will be issued by the board utilizing its authorization from the AGM, at market value (10 days trading average). The new share issue will represent approximately 0.4% of the capital and 0.1% of the votes, both on a fully diluted basis. The deal also contains an earn-out agreement of maximum 0.5 MUSD over the next five years, compared to previously communicated 0.8 MUSD over the next four years. Dhruva Interactive's ongoing outsourcing business will have a limited but positive impact on Starbreeze revenue and profit from day one. In the financial year ending March 2017 Dhruva Interactive's revenues amounted to 6.1 MUSD, a year on year growth of 32.6%. Dhruva Interactive is a highly reputed and best-of-breed art production house, with whom Starbreeze has a long-standing relationship. Founded in 1997, Dhruva is India's leading game developer with over 320 employees, providing art production services to the global games industry. Dhruva has three state-of-the-art studios in India. The original announcement regarding the acquisition can be found here: https://www.starbreeze.com/2016/12/starbreeze-acquires-indian-art-production-company-dhruva-interactive-for-8-5-musd/ For more information, please contact: Ann Charlotte Svensson

Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

Starbreeze AB

Tel: +46(0)8-209-208

E-mail: [email protected] This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/starbreeze-ab/r/starbreeze-completes-dhruva-interactive-acquisition,c2334321 The following files are available for download:







http://mb.cision.com/Main/14632/2334321/714455.pdf Press release



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 28, 2017] 58 Suyun and GOGOVAN to Establish Asia's Largest Intra-city Logistics and Freight Online Platform

BEIJING, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- 58 Home, China's largest online marketplace serving local merchants and consumers, today announced that its freight business unit, 58 Suyun, entered into a merger with GOGOVAN, the leading intra-city logistics and freight online platform in Southeast Asia. The merger will create Asia's largest online platform in the intra-city logistics and freight business. After the merger, the combined company will continue to be branded as 58 Suyun in China and GOGOVAN outside of China. 58 Home will hold the majority stake of the combined company. China Renaissance acted as the exclusive financial advisor to both 58 Home and GOGOVAN in the transaction. Xiaohua Chen, the Founder and CEO of 58 Home, will serve as Chairman of the combined company. Steven Lam, the Founder and CEO of GOGOVAN, will serve as the CEO of the combined company. The combined company will be the only online platform in Asia that be able to provide full on-demand logistics and freight services to both corporate and individual customers. The combined company will also serve as the market leader in multiple geographic markets including mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea and India. 58 Home launched 58 Suyun in September 2014 to focus on intra-city logistics and freight business. 58 Suyn has developed a close-loop of O2O services that enables order placement based on a customer's location, distributing orders to truck drivers, driver pick-up within 10 minutes, actual delivery, online payment and review by customers. Currently, 58 Suyun's business has covered more than 100 cities in mainland China with over one million registered drivers, representing its dominating market position in the industry.



Founded in July 2013, GOGOVAN is a well-known Hong Kong headquartered start-up. The company expanded its operations to Taiwan and Singapore in 2014 and entered into mainland China and South Korea in 2015. To date, GOGOVAN has become Asia's leading online logistics and freight platform with more than 180,000 registered drivers in 14 cities across six Asian countries or districts and nearly 30 million orders cumulatively. It also owns a large number of enterprise clients. Xiaohua Chen, CEO of 58 Home, commented, "We are very impressed by GOGOVAN's great achievements and impacts as a start-up in the Southeast Asian market, as well as the management team's entrepreneurial spirit and their ability to innovate and execute. The combined company will have the ability to expand in both mainland China and Southeast Asia as well as provide more tailored and well-rounded services to customers. The merger also lays the foundation for the combined company to become the global leader in intra-city freight services."

Steven Lam, founder and CEO of GOGOVAN, said, "We are delighted to form our strategic partnership with 58 Suyun. I'm grateful for the trust and support from Mr. Chen Xiaohua and 58 Home, and I look forward to leading the combined company to new growth and development. The combined company will leverage 58 Suyun's existing premium brand, large users base and online traffic for a quick expansion to 300 cities in mainland China. Meanwhile, by leveraging GOGOVAN's logistics expertise and business development experience in Southeast Asia, the combined company will further accelerate its growth in other Asia markets. Last but not the least, we aim to continue offering high-quality, efficient and reliable logistics services for enterprise clients." Jeremy Choy, Managing Director and Head of M&A at China Renaissance, added, "The merger marks the largest M&A transaction between a mainland China start-up and a Hong Kong start-up. It also changes the landscape of the trillion-dollar intra-city logistics market by creating the Asian market leader. We are thankful to both 58 Home and GOGOVAN's trust in us and excited to be able to provide our advice that are in the best interest of the companies and shareholders for both sides. We are also delighted to help facilitate the industry development and upgrade by participating in this merger." SOURCE 58 Suyun

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
By PTI: Beijing, Aug 28 (PTI) China is drafting a tough law to ban the use of the national anthem at "improper" private occasions by introducing criminal prosecution for violators, according to a media report today.

The draft legislation was given a second reading at the bimonthly session of the National Peoples Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, the top legislative body, which opened today.

advertisement

Lawmakers have backed the proposal to ban the anthem at funerals and other "improper" private occasions, in commercial advertisements or as background music at public places, state-run news agency Xinhua reported.

The violators, including those who maliciously modify the lyrics, will face criminal prosecution or up to 15 days detention, the report said.

The song will only be allowed at formal political gatherings, including the opening and closing of NPC sessions, constitutional oath ceremonies, flag raising ceremonies, major celebrations, award ceremonies, commemorations, national memorial day events, important diplomatic occasions, major sport events and other proper occasions, it said.

Despite the restrictions, the legislation encourages people to sing the anthem on proper occasions to express patriotism.

The law states that the song should be included in textbooks for students at primary and secondary schools. PTI KJ AKJ KJ

--- ENDS ---
[August 28, 2017] Carbon Black Joins Forces with VMware to Enhance Security for the Software-Defined Data Center

Carbon Black, the leader in next-generation endpoint security, today announced it has joined forces with VMware, Inc., to provide VMware AppDefenseTM customers with the ability to leverage Carbon Black's Collective Defense CloudTM (CDC). AppDefense is a new security solution that uses the virtual infrastructure to discover capture application intended state, and can detect and automate response to attacks that attempt to manipulate those applications. VMware AppDefense will leverage Carbon Black's Collective Defense Cloud (CDC) to classify process reputation, helping security teams determine which behaviors require additional verification and which behaviors can be pre-approved. Through the combination of Carbon Black's Collective Defense Cloud and VMware AppDefense, mutualcustomers benefit from:



Strong behavioral controls to protect against attacks of virtual and cloud environments

Orchestrated and automated remediation capabilities through VMware vSphere and NSX

Converged security and operational context through a single pane of glass "Protecting virtual environments is a top priority for enterprises," said Tom Barsi, senior vice president, Business and Corporate Development, Carbon Black. "With Carbon Black's Collective Defense Cloud, mutual customers now have a unified security stack for the software-defined data center." "With AppDefense, VMware is redefining security for the software-defined data center," said Tom Corn, senior vice president, Security Products, VMware. "By working with Carbon Black, we are moving the industry toward a new security model and empowering customers to protect their virtualized environments from the latest advanced threats."

About Carbon Black Carbon Black is the leading provider of next-generation endpoint security. With more than 9 million endpoints under management, Carbon Black has more than 3,000 customers, including 30 of the Fortune 100. These customers use Carbon Black to replace legacy antivirus, lock down critical systems, hunt threats, and protect their endpoints from the most advanced cyberattacks, including non-malware attacks. VMware, AppDefense, NSX and vSphere are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions Carbon Black and Collective Defense Cloud are registered trademarks or trademarks of Carbon Black, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005221/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 28, 2017] W.S. Badcock Home Furniture & More Expands Technology Partnership with Infor

NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Infor, a leading provider of beautiful business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, today announced that W.S. Badcock Corporation (Badcock), a leading furniture retailer with more than 330 stores in eight states, has selected Infor Talent Science to improve the employee journey. Last year, Badcock selected Infor Retail CloudSuite applications to replace legacy software systems and move critical Financial and HR systems to the cloud. By expanding their cloud portfolio to include Infor Talent Science, the organization will have access to tools to increase employee retention, support succession planning, and elevate the quality of customer engagement. Infor's industry-specific cloud applications will continue to support key business processes for Badcock, and allow the organization to utilize a full range of business applications to help increase revenues, gross margins and transactional accuracy. "Our company is focused on utilizing technology in order to be more agile and to better service our customers, employees and suppliers," said Lori Walsh, vice president of Human Resources, W.S. Badcock Corporation. "We are in the process of replacing our legacy ERP systems with Infor to keep our back office strategies as responsive as possible, and we believe that expanding our partnership with Infor to include human capital management applications will reduce administrative burdens and help us strategically select the right candidates to support our operations, better positioning us for future growth." Infor Talent Science is a patented, cloud-based Predictive Talent Analytics solution that helps organizations put the right people in the right positions to achieve business objectives. By leveraging large quantities of behavioral and performance data, Talent Science delivers insight that is then customized into predictive models that assist hiring managers to better seect, retain, and develop the right talent across the entire employee life cycle and, over time, completely transform the business. By putting Infor Talent Science at the center of the recruitment process, Badcock can replace guesswork with objective and predictive data, enabling hiring managers to more easily identify top talent that fits within the culture of an organization as soon as candidates apply. In a retail environment, where teams are constantly interacting with customers to create long-lasting relationships, this is incredibly important.



"We made a strategic decision to expand our partnership with Infor, and implement additional cloud-based solutions. Infor understands our business goals and has applications that will improve our processes so we can put more focus on providing a premiere retail experience for our growing customer base," said Greg Reeves, vice president and CFO, W.S. Badcock Corporation. "We look forward to seeing where this takes us as we improve hiring and set the stage for continued success in our organization." Infor Talent Science has a record of success in the retail industry because the behavioral science behind the solution has the ability to increase hourly and managerial employee retention well beyond traditional hiring methods. Putting the focus on employees, and expanding with improved hires based on personal behavior, gives organizations the opportunity to drive more sales. Customers using Infor Talent Science have reported a decrease in voluntary and involuntary turnover, increased sales per hour, improved achievements in sales percentage to goal, and higher customer satisfaction surveys.

"There is no one size fits all approach for retailers, and Infor is committed to developing specialized tools that help our customers stay one step ahead of their competition. This especially rings true with recruitment, and having the right teams in place to create memorable customer experiences," said Corey Tollefson, senior vice president and general manager, Infor Retail. "We're on a mission to deliver on the rising expectations of retailers with our modern software solutions that directly impact bottom line results across all size retailers." For more information please visit http://www.infor.com/industries/retail/. About W.S. Badcock Corporation

W.S. Badcock Corporation is a privately held company, founded in 1904, headquartered in Mulberry, Florida, and employs more than 1,400 employees. There are over 330 Badcock Home Furniture &more stores operating in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia. The stores are a combination of corporately owned stores and Dealer-owned operations. Badcock Home Furniture &more stores carry a complete line of furniture, appliances, bedding, floor covering, electronics, home office and seasonal items. To learn more about W.S. Badcock, please visit www.badcock.com. About Infor

Infor builds business software for specific industries in the cloud. With 16,000 employees and over 90,000 customers in more than 170 countries, Infor software is designed for progress. To learn more, please visit www.infor.com. For more information:

Christina Ledger

Infor

(312) 662-2135

[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ws-badcock-home-furniture--more-expands-technology-partnership-with-infor-300509873.html SOURCE Infor

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 28, 2017] Dynatrace Announces Fully-Automated, Full Stack Monitoring Capabilities for VMware Cloud on AWS

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital performance management company Dynatrace, today announced that its fully-automated, AI-powered, full stack performance monitoring capabilities are available to customers of VMware Cloud on AWS. Launched today with initial availability in AWS US West region, VMware Cloud on AWS brings together VMware's enterprise-class Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) software and elastic, bare-metal infrastructure from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to give organizations consistent operating model and application mobility for private and public cloud. Dynatrace enables VMware Cloud on AWS customers to gain a deep understanding of their hyper-dynamic public, private and hybrid cloud environments. Dynatrace's AI-powered, full stack monitoring solution enables full transaction visibility. Its AI capabilities can continuously auto-detect dependencies, learn application behavior, detect anomalies and proactively pinpoint the root cause of performance problems. Preconfigured and automatically adjusted dashboards allow organizations to maintain visibility into their hyper-dynamic application environments during vMotion events with ease. The automated capabilities of Dynatrace also allow users to baseline application performance and instantly identify any negative impact on resource consumption or user-experience during the migration of running virtual machines in hyper-dynamic hybrid environments. This enables them to migrate virtual machines between their private VMware vSphere-based data center and the AWS cloud with confidence, monitoring the whole vMotion event through a single pane of glass. "Dynatrace's longstanding collaboration with AWS provides a tried-and-tested monitoring solution for customers of VMware Cloudon AWS," said Franz Karlsberger, director, Strategic Partners at Dynatrace. "The AI capabilities in Dynatrace provide a way for organizations to automate the management and monitoring of these hyper-complex, hyper-dynamic environments. Its ability to auto-discover application dependencies and baseline performance, and to instantly pinpoint the root cause of performance problems before they impact the end-user will be invaluable in helping organizations maximize the benefits of VMware Cloud on AWS."



VMware Cloud on AWS technology partners enable customers to deploy the same proven solutions seamlessly in both the public and private cloud. VMware simplifies the deployment and eliminates the need for partners to refactor solutions for VMware Cloud on AWS. If a partner solution works on-premises in a VMware vSphere environment, it will easily support VMware Cloud on AWS. VMware technology partners complement and enhance native VMware Cloud on AWS service and enable customers to realize new capabilities. "VMware Cloud on AWS provides customers a seamlessly integrated hybrid cloud offering that gives customers the SDDC experience from the leader in private cloud, running on the leading public cloud provider, AWS," said Mark Lohmeyer, vice president, products, Cloud Platforms Business Unit, VMware. "Solutions such as Dynatrace enable IT teams to reduce cost, increase efficiency, and create operational consistency across cloud environments. We're excited to work with partners such as Dynatrace to enhance native VMware Cloud on AWS capabilities and empower customers with flexibility and choice in solutions that can drive business value."

About VMware Cloud on AWS

Delivered, sold and supported by VMware as an on-demand service, and running on dedicated, elastic, bare-metal AWS infrastructure, VMware Cloud on AWS is powered by VMware Cloud Foundation, the unified SDDC platform that integrates vSphere, VMware vSAN and VMware NSX virtualization technologies. With the same architecture and operational experience on-premises and in the cloud, IT teams can quickly derive business value from use of the AWS and VMware hybrid cloud experience. For more information on the VMware Cloud on AWS partner ecosystem, visit: http://cloud.vmware.com About Dynatrace

Dynatrace has redefined how you monitor today's digital ecosystems. AI-powered, full stack and completely automated, it's the only solution that provides answers, not just data, based on deep insight into every user, every transaction, across every application. The world's leading brands, including 72 of the Fortune 100, trust Dynatrace to optimize customer experiences, innovate faster and modernize IT operations with absolute confidence. Read more at dynatrace.com, visit the blog, or follow @dynatrace on Twitter. VMware, VMware Cloud, vSphere, vMotion, Cloud Foundation, vSAN, and NSX are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. For Sales and Marketing Information

Dynatrace, 404 Wyman St., Suite 500, Waltham, MA 02451, 781-530-1000 Press Contacts:

Tristan Webb

Spark Communications

[email protected] View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dynatrace-announces-fully-automated-full-stack-monitoring-capabilities-for-vmware-cloud-on-aws-300509914.html SOURCE Dynatrace

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
SubscriberWise Joins Relief Effort and Provides $50,000 Worth of Aid to Hurricane Harvey Victims through Cash Contributions to Americares

SubscriberWise, the nation's largest issuing CRA for the communications industry and the leading protector of children victimized by identity fraud, announced today $2500.00 cash donations to Hurricane Harvey victims. The contributions have been made to Americares and will translate into $50,000.00 of disaster relief aid.

"According to Americares (http://www.americares.org/en/newsroom/news/2017/0818-harvey-news/), for every $1.00 donated the organization can deliver $20.00 worth of aid," commented David Howe, SubscriberWise founder and U.S Credit Czar. "Based on Americares exponential ability to deliver urgently needed relief, as well as their high non-profit rating and longevity, today I've ordered two SubscriberWise financial institutions to each eposit $1250.00 cash immediately into to the organization's coffers (Americares tracking codes for cash donations: 1967-1141-1-848630-913048 and 1967-1141-1-848605-913026).







"For more than 10 years SubscriberWise has been protecting the citizens of Texas from fraud and predatory behavior while helping our member operators to act in the best interests of the subscribers they serve. Today we eagerly support the humanitarian efforts so desperately needed in the State of Texas.

"I sincerely hope this $2500.00 donation, including the $50,000 worth of aid that will be delivered by Americares, will make an immediate and positive impact for our sisters and brothers of the Lone Star State," the Credit Czar concluded.

Related: FICO Global Icon and America's Child Identity Guardian Offers Greeting and Advocacy to Governor Abbott and Citizens at Texas State Capitol

About SubscriberWise (www.subscriberwise.com)

SubscriberWise launched as the first issuing consumer reporting agency exclusively for the cable industry in 2006. The company filed extensive documentation and end-user agreements to access TransUnion's consumer database. In 2009, SubscriberWise and TransUnion announced a joint marketing agreement for the benefit of America's cable operators (http://newsroom.transunion.com/transunion-and-subscriberwise-announce-joint-marketing-agreement). Today SubscriberWise is a risk management preferred-solutions provider for the National Cable Television Cooperative.

SubscriberWise contributions to the communications industry are quantified in the billions of dollars annually.

SubscriberWise is a U.S.A. federally registered trademark of the SubscriberWise Limited Liability Co.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005780/en/
[August 28, 2017] Baron & Budd Shareholders Named Best Lawyers in America 2018 Recipients

The national law firm of Baron & Budd is pleased to announce attorneys Russell Budd, Scott Summy and Roland Tellis have been named to the prestigious Best Lawyers in America 2018 list. Each of the three shareholders have been named to this list since 2014. Best Lawyers is the oldest and one of the most respected attorney ranking services in the world. The list has been called "the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice" by Corporate Counsel magazine. Attorneys named to The Best Lawyers in America are recognized by their peers in the legal industry for their professional excellence. For the 2018 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 7.4 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in an exclusive group of leading lawyers included in the new edition. "The Best Lawyers in America list can be counted on to showcase the best and brightest attorneys in the United States," said President and Managing Shareholder Russell Budd. "I'm incredibly proud of our team's accomplishments, and it's very reinforcing to know that this team's expertise was once again recognized by our peers."



Budd was recognized on The Best Lawyers in America list in the areas of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2014. Budd has spent more than three decades working to protect the rights of plaintiffs who have been harmed due to corporate malfeasance. A shareholder in the national law firm of Baron & Budd since 1985 and managing shareholder since 2002, Budd and his firm have earned a great deal of notoriety during his career. The National Law Journal named Baron & Budd to its prestigious "Plaintiffs Hot List" eight times and Budd has been nominated for the Public Justice Trial Lawyers of the Year Award four times in the past eight years. In addition, Budd was selected by Best Lawyers as a 2016 Lawyer of the Year. Summy was also named to the list in the area of Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Plaintiffs. He has received this honor for 12 consecutive years. Summy's practice is focused on water contamination cases, which have yielded more than one billion dollars in recoveries for his clients. He was one of the first attorneys in the United States to take action against the chemical company Monsanto for its role in contaminating schools with dangerous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). He currently represents cities such as San Diego, San Jose, Oakland, Berkeley, Seattle, Spokane, and Portland, as well as the state of Washington, in environmental and public nuisance actions against Monsanto Company for polluting America's waterways with PCBs. In May 2017, Summy was selected as a winner of the Burton Awards, which recognizes the finest law firm writers in the country. Summy was also selected by Best Lawyers as a 2016 Lawyer of the Year and has twice been nominated for the Public Justice Trial Lawyers of the Year Award.

Tellis, who co-manages Baron & Budd's Los Angeles office, was named to The Best Lawyers in America 2018 list in the area of Commercial Litigation. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2013. Tellis focuses his practice in the areas of consumer class actions, automotive defect litigation, commercial litigation, consumer financial fraud and deceptive advertising. Earlier this year, Tellis was part of the leadership team that negotiated a $500 million partial settlement with certain automakers in the Takata Airbag MDL. On July 30, Tellis led the Baron & Budd team that filed the first lawsuit concerning the revelation that Wells Fargo (News - Alert) charged more than 800,000 unsuspecting auto loan customers for auto insurance they did not want or need. Tellis also led the Baron & Budd team that secured a $50 million non-reversionary common fund settlement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. which resolves a case alleging improper markups of fees for broker price opinions (BPOs). He has also achieved several other multi-million dollar class action settlements for consumers in deceptive advertising cases. ABOUT BARON & BUDD, P.C. The law firm of Baron & Budd, P.C., with offices in Dallas, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Austin, Los Angeles, and San Diego, is a nationally recognized law firm with a nearly 40-year history of "Protecting What's Right" for people, communities and businesses harmed by negligence. Baron & Budd's size and resources enable the firm to take on large and complex cases. The firm represents individuals and government and business entities in areas as diverse as dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices, environmental contamination, the Gulf oil spill, financial fraud, overtime violations, deceptive advertising, automotive defects, trucking accidents, nursing home abuse, and asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170828005790/en/

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
[August 28, 2017] Living in a Box: YouTuber Elton Castee's First 24 Hours Raises $60,000 for spcaLA

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- YouTube star, Elton Castee is living in a dog kennel to raise money for Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA). Castee entered the kennel at 12noon on Sunday, August 27th and vows to remain there until he raises $100,000 for the organization. The live stream can be viewed 24/7 on his YouTube channel (YouTube.com/ecastee) and viewers can donate at spcaLA.com. In less than 24 hours, Castee has raised more than $60,000 for spcaLA. spcaLA is not affiliated with any other SPCA; all SPCAs are independent organizations who fundraise separately. All the money raised by Castee will stay in the Southern California community and assist spcaLA's shelter services in span >Long Beach; animal cruelty investigations across Los Angeles County; and violence intervention and education programs for Los Angeles' middle and high school students in cities including Compton, Hawthorne, Long Beach, and Hollywood.



spcaLA Senior Director of Fund Development, Miriam Davenport says, "Elton's act of compassion is really a testament to the human-animal bond. His own spcaLA shelter dog, Sparta, affected his life in such a positive way he chose to honor his memory by providing veterinary care, nourishing food, safe shelter, and TLC to other shelter pets." Castee is sleeping, eating, and broadcasting live from a dog kennel at the spcaLA PD Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center in Long Beach. "His presence has brought many new visitors to the Village and he is introducing thousands of people to our organization," said spcaLA President, Madeline Bernstein. "He's a bit of a ground-breaker, and I won't be surprised if others attempt similar fundraising challenges."

Castee approached spcaLA about the fundraiser in May 2017, almost a year after his dog Sparta, whom he adopted from spcaLA, passed away. spcaLA planned the event to ensure the safety of the animals and the responsibilities of the facility would not be disrupted. Castee's YouTube videos have been viewed over 100 million times with a total of 1.3 million subscribers over two channels. Society for the Prevention Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles (spcaLA) is an independent, nonprofit animal welfare organization serving Southern California since 1877. There is no national SPCA, parent organization, or umbrella group that provides financial support to spcaLA. Donations run programs and services including Animal Cruelty Investigations, Disaster Animal Response Team, Humane Education, Violence Prevention and Intervention, and a variety of shelter services. View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/living-in-a-box-youtuber-elton-castees-first-24-hours-raises-60000-for-spcala-300510461.html SOURCE spcaLA

[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
BNL girls thump Mitchell at The Hive

Bedford North Lawrence defeated Mitchell 78-20 at the Hive on Saturday evening. The win moved the Stars to 3-0 on the season.
You have reached a premium content area of Transitions. To read this entire article please login if you are already a Transitions subscriber.



Not a subscriber?



Subscribe today for access to:

Full access to the website, including premium articles videos, country reports and searchable archives (containing over 25,000 articles).


By Ananth Krishnan: With India confirming on Monday that an "expeditious disengagement of border personnel" had begun from Doklam, the site of a 70-day stand-off near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction, China reiterated it would "continue to exercise its sovereignty" over the region.

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying.

advertisement

Hua said that "on the afternoon on August 28, India has pulled back all the trespassing personnel, equipment to the Indian side of the boundary" and that "Chinese troops had taken effective measures to safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity and legitimate rights and interests."

"The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty, uphold territorial integrity in accordance with the historical conventions," Hua added. "The Chinese government attaches importance to its friendly relations with India. We hope India can earnestly abide by historical relations and norms governing the international law based on the mutual respect of sovereignty to uphold the peace tranquillity of the border with India."

China added that it would continue to patrol in Doklam, but did not immediately mention its road-building activity there, which was what India and Bhutan had objected to. Chinese and Bhutanese troops have both carried out patrols in the region in the past.

China had insisted on India withdrawing first as a precondition to resolving the stand-off. Over the past two months, China's Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry have issued more than a dozen strong statements demanding India's withdrawal.

Given Beijing's sharp rhetoric and the nationalist sentiment it has fanned at home, analysts said China was always unlikely to publicly confirm agreeing to any sort of compromise that might paint its leadership in a weak light ahead of a crucial November Party congress.

Both sides were keen for a resolution with Prime Minister Modi set to arrive in China on Sunday for the BRICS Summit in Xiamen.

ALSO READ

India-China Doklam border standoff set to end after deal on withdrawing troops

Doklam standoff: Why Indian Army must prepare to beat back more Chinese incursions

Ajit Doval in Beijing: Why India, China have failed to resolve Doklam standoff

Doklam standoff will be resolved soon, confident China will take positive steps, says Rajnath

WATCH: India-China war games: What will happen if Xi Jinping decides to invade India?

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) Indias largest realty firm DLF today said it expects an infusion of Rs 13,000 crore into the company, a better part from promoters, by December and the amount will be utilised for reducing its debt substantially.

The company expects over Rs 10,000 crore from promoters and another Rs 3,000 crore from institutional investors, according to sources.

advertisement

DLF had a net debt of nearly Rs 26,000 crore at the end of the June quarter and out of that Rs 5,500 crore pertained to its rental arm DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL).

DLF promoters -- K P Singh and family -- last week decided to sell their entire 40 per cent stake in the DCCDL for Rs 11,900 crore and will infuse the net proceeds into the DLF for debt repayment.

This deal, the biggest in the countrys realty space, included sale of 33.34 per cent stake to Singapores sovereign wealth fund GIC for Rs 8,900 crore and a buyback of remaining shares worth Rs 3,000 crore by DCCDL.

Post this deal, DLF will have 66.66 per cent stake in the DCCDL and GIC 33.34 per cent stake in the joint venture.

"Gross proceeds to the promoters from the transaction would be Rs 11,900 crore. The net proceeds to the promoters are estimated to be in excess of Rs 10,000 crore post applicable taxes," DLF said in an analyst presentation.

The promoters intend to infuse a substantial part of the net transaction proceeds into DLF, it said, adding that the deal is expected to get completed by November after all regulatory approvals including that of the CCI.

According to the presentation, DLF expects an investment to the tune of Rs 13,000 crore into the company which will help it in reducing the debt of residential vertical significantly.

While promoters are expected to invest about Rs 10,500 crore into the company, DLF expects to raise another Rs 3,000 crore from institutional investors through Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP), market sources said.

DLF will have to hit capital market as promoters shareholding will cross the minimum threshold of 75 per cent post infusion of fund by them.

With infusion of Rs 13,000 crore fund into DLF and expected receipt of Rs 1,500 crore from some other assets, the companys debt, excluding that of DCCDL, will come down sharply to Rs 6,000 crore from current Rs 20,500 crore. PTI MJH MKJ

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Local Helping Hands For Harvey

Kansas, Missouri Respond To Tropical Storm Harvey Dozens of people from Kansas and Missouri are on their way to the Gulf Coast of Texas as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to batter Houston and other parts of southeastern Texas. The Red Cross of Western Missouri has sent two emergency response vehicles with paid staff and volunteers.

Kansas City Tech Week Celebration

Techweek KC 2017 to feature local leaders, hiring fair, grant competition Techweek is a natural fit for Kansas City, Amanda Signorelli said. "Kansas City is one of the country's most influential, up-and-coming tech hubs," Signorelli, Techweek CEO, said in a release. "The community has given Techweek a warm welcome." The Chicago-based conference series, which focuses on innovation and entrepreneurship, returns to the City of Fountains for the third time Sept.

Show-Me Support For Police

Missouri activates Blue Alert system The Missouri State Highway Patrol, announced Monday that Missouri's Blue Alert system is now operational. Senate Bill 34, signed by Gov. Eric Greitens on July 6, called for the creation of the Blue Alert system in Missouri.

The Latest Rock Chalk Slap Fight

New Candidate Adds Wrinkle to Kansas Secretary of State Race Candidates are lining up to run for Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach's job. The latest entrant has been feuding with Kobach over a claim he's made in his campaign for governor. Kansas House Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab has now filed to appoint a campaign treasurer, which is a first step to explore a run for secretary of state.

Golden Ghetto Full Stop

Lanes closed on Interstate 35 in Johnson County following police pursuit Lanes are closed on southbound Interstate 35 near 119th Street in Johnson County following a conclusion of an apparent police pursuit. Several law enforcement vehicles are in the area. The circumstances behind the pursuit are unknown at this time. Copyright 2017 KCTV (Meredith Corp.) All rights reserved.

KC Helps Flood Doggies

Volunteer from Kansas City heading to Houston to help pets When disaster strikes, Kathy Plant transforms her mobile grooming truck into a camper and heads for ground zero to help rescue the animals stranded in the flood. That includes Houston. "If I have the ability to do that, then I think you should go do what you can do," Plant said.

The Kansas City Foodie Guide

EJ's Urban Eatery, Lenexa Public Market and Colony Handcrafted Ales open this week, and the rest of your food and drink events this week Zach Bauman Tuesday, August 29 EJ's Urban Eatery (1414 West Ninth Street) opens its doors for lunch for the first time today, serving Southern-inspired comfort fare in a "meat and three" style. Chef John Cedric Smith, whose talents were honed in Europe as well as at Tom Colicchio's Craft in New York, was inspired to bring this style of fast-casual to Kansas City after a trip to Nashville.

Amid flooding in Texas and fear across the nation, right now Denise Milani hotness inspires this look at some of the top Kansas City links today. Take a peek:And this is thefor right now . . .
KC Survival Story

Kansas City woman trapped in Corpus Christi, TX during Hurricane Harvey Sherrie Allsup and her family went to Texas for vacation - then couldn't get out.

Tragic KC Homecoming Awaits

Local sailor's remains recovered following ship collision SINGAPORE - The U.S. Navy says divers have recovered the remains of all 10 sailors who went missing after the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker collided near Singapore last week. The remains include those of Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, of Amazonia, Mo.

Local Testimony From Disaster Site

People from KC who moved to Houston describe the flooding there KCTV5 spoke with people from Kansas City now living in Houston and they all said that people there will need food, drinkable water, and clothing over the next several days. They sent pictures and videos of what they've seen in their neighborhoods and even inside their own homes.

Kansas City Baseball Confessional

Kansas City Royals: Time to Look in the Mirror For the Kansas City Royals, it is simple. They are a team with just enough talent to do more harm than good. This is not me playing the jaded fan. I will be here navigating wild emotional swings until I can no longer see a keyboard.

Here's How Kansas City Can Help

Hurricane Harvey disaster relief: How to help As Hurricane Harvey continues churning over southeast Texas on Sunday, thousands of residents are being forced out of their homes as floods build. In the Houston area, at least 2 feet of rain has fallen since Friday. In response to the tragic situation in Texas, several national charity groups are soliciting donations to provide direct assistance to Texans affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Classic Candice and just a few local links for our most dedicated readers. Checkit:And this is thefor tonight . . . Hopefully, more for the morning update . . .
The Greek state budget deficit was some 930 million euros lower than targets for the seven-month period of January-July 2017, according to budget execution data released by the Greek finance ministry on Thursday. The state budget primary balance amounted to a surplus of 3,024 million euros, against the primary surplus target of 2,098 million euros and the primary surplus of 2,715 million euros performed at the same period of the previous year.

According to the data available for the execution of the state budget on a modified cash basis, the state budget balance for the period of January - July of 2017 presented a deficit of 1,351 million euros, against the MTFS 2018-2021 target deficit of 2,280 million euros for the same period of 2017 and a deficit of 1.676 million euros for the same period of 2016.

State budget net revenues amounted to 27,316 million euros, showing an underperformance of 636 million Euros or 2.3 pct against the target of MTFS 2018-2021.

Ordinary budget net revenues amounted to 26,251 million euros, 682 million euros or 2.5 pct lower than the target of MTFS 2018-2021.

Particularly, during the period of January-July 2017, there was an increase against the target mainly in the following revenue categories:

a) Property Taxes by 136 million Euros or 22.7 pct,

b) Direct Tax Arrears by 130 million Euros or 10.7 pct,

c) VAT Other by 234 million Euros or 3.1 pct,

d) Other Transaction Taxes by 30 million Euros or 10.5 pct,

e) Taxes on Vehicles by 25 million Euros or 21.3 pct,

f) Indirect Tax Arrears by 106 million Euros or 17.9 pct,

g) Revenue of incorporated off-budget accounts by 20 million Euros or 13.1 pct,

During the same period there was an underperformance against the target in the following main revenue categories:

a) Personal Income Tax (PIT) by 338 million Euros or 7.1 pct,

b) Corporate Income Tax (CIT) by 47 million Euros or 4.7 pct,

c) Other Direct Taxes by 101 million Euros or 8.2 pct,

d) VAT on fuel by 25 million Euros or 2.3 pct,

e) VAT on Tobacco by 25 million Euros or 7.7 pct,

f) Other Excise Taxes (Tobacco, etc) by 150 million Euros or 9.8%,

g) Privatization proceeds by 343 million Euros or 26.2%,

Note that in May 2017 there is an amount of 296.16 million euros included in the revenue category VAT Other, concerning concession of regional airports (privatization proceeds).

Tax refunds (excluding those from the arrears clearance programme) amounted to 2,310 million Euros, increased against the target (1,934 million Euros) by 376 million euros.

PIB revenues amounted to 1,065 million euros, increased by 46 million euros against the target.

Particularly, in July 2017 the State Budget net revenues amounted to 5,141 million euros, 688 million euros lower than the monthly target of MTFS 2018-2021.

Ordinary budget net revenues amounted to 4,913 million Euros, 756 million Euros lower than the monthly target.

The main revenue categories that increased against the monthly target in July 2017 are the following:

a) Other income tax by 21 million euros,

b) Property Taxes by 47 million euros,

c) Direct Tax Arrears by 30 million euros,

d) Indirect Tax Arrears by 38 million euros,

The main revenue categories that decreased against the monthly target in July 2017 are the following:

a) Personal Income Tax (PIT) by 215 million euros,

b) Corporate Income Tax (CIT) by 161 million euros,

c) Other Direct Taxes by 86 million euros,

d) VAT on Fuel by 23 million euros,

e) VAT on Tobacco by 24 million euros

f) Other Excise Taxes (Tobacco, etc) by 96 million euros,

g) Other non tax revenues by 78 million euros.

State budget expenditures for the period of January - July of 2017 amounted to 28,667 million euros, 1,565 million euros lower than the target (30,232 million Euros). Decreased against the target were mainly grants to hospitals, YPE-PEDY by 199 million euros, Social Solidarity Income by 99 million euros, allowances to families with many children by 60 million euros and earmarked revenues by 302 million euros.

Ordinary Budget expenditures were decreased compared to the respective period of 2016 by 497 million Euros. Expenditures increased by 234 million Euros for Social Solidarity Income, by 89 million Euros for payments to EU, by 42 million Euros for agricultural subsidies, by 42 million Euros for migration flows and by 67 million Euros for military equipment procurement.

PIB expenditure amounted to 1,114 million Euros, showing an underperformance against the target by 522 million Euros.

For July in particular, State Budget expenditures amounted to 4,896 million Euros, 122 million Euros less than the monthly target, while Ordinary Budget expenditures amounted to 4,690 million Euros, showing an over performance of 106 million Euros against the monthly target. Public Investment Budget (PIB) expenditure amounted to 206 million Euros showing an underperformance against the monthly target by 228 million Euros.

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: Europa credito urgente License: CC-BY-SA

Source: banksnews.gr
The Albanian government is trying to terrorise the indigenous Greek minority of the country

According to epiruspost.gr, during the last few hours the tension in the Albanian city of Himara rises dangerously as dozens of the members of the indigenous Greek minority of the area have been brought to the police station. It all began last Friday, when the Himara City Council would ratify in a meeting the governments decision to rebuild the area, an plans that is equivalent to the confiscation of the property belonging to the minority and the demolition buildings.

Approximately two hundred members of the Greek minority of Himara tried to take part in the meeting, which was advertised as open to all. At the initiative of the mayor, police intervened and prevented their entry. The meeting was canceled and the Albanian police took over the action.

During the last 48 hours there have been dozens of arrests and as the minority sources emphasize, they are meant to bend the morale of the people.

The reaction of both Omonia, the Greek Minoritys organization, and the Party of the Human Rights Union (KEA) was instant.

The Party of the Human Rights Association underlines that the purpose of supposedly urban planning interventions is the de-Hellenization of the region in the form of a velvet ethnic cleansing and calls on the state to stop the extortion of society and the terror of the police.

Under such threats the City Council will obviously meet again to pass the above orders. But its decisions have been canceled in advance by the reactions of the population of Himara.

Obviously, the phenomena of abolishing any form of democracy will have the well-known end of every dictatorship. From this point of view, the example of the citizens of Himars will sooner or later be followed by the society of the whole country.

Let us not miss the fact that minority groups are the primary targets and most vulnerable ones to all forms of undemocratic rule. The bells in Himara sound loud!, the announcement ended.

Omonoia denounced the Himara municipal authority and calls for the end of terrorism and the uprooting of the indigenous inhabitants.

Himara has not been recognized as a Greek minority region, as this was the policy of the Hoxha communist regime that has been faithfully followed by all the governments of Albania after 1990. But today, there resides probably the most populous and liveliest part of the Greek minority of Northen Epirus, the Greek name for southern Albania.

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: Marmelad License: CC-BY-SA

Source: protothema.gr
Customized Playmobil figures are a big thing  the toy companys website even has a set of guidelines on the matter, Kathimerini reports in the following article that ws published recently:

Collectors will no doubt be aware of the figures from Greek history and mythology, but 20-year-old Petros Kaminiotiss series of ornate traditional Greek costumes in miniature for the iconic figures take the pursuit to a whole new level.

I remember playing with Playmobil figures as a little boy and learning about traditional dances, and wanting to combine the two, said Kaminiotis just a few days after finishing Skopelitissa, a female figure dressed in the traditional dress worn by women on the island of Skopelos in the western Aegean, distinguished by its rich drapery and floral motifs, a lace head-kerchief and jewelry.

Kaminiotis goes to great lengths to get each costume he crafts just right, conducting extensive research before cutting out the patterns. I study quite a lot, and I also have friends who work in theater costume departments who advise me, he said. My favorites are the bridal costumes because theyre so impressive.

Once he has cut the material, Kaminiotis paints on the decorative motifs and details by hands. He mainly uses paper, but also lace, gold-colored cardboard, ribbons for the silk effects, and sequins and other craft materials for the jewelry.

Skopelitissa can now be viewed among other figures dressed as King Otto and Queen Amalia, a shepherd from Skyros, a janissary, a Naousa Carnival Boula and other colorful characters on display at the Vakratsa Mansion on the island of Skopelos through September 3 as part of the Diamantis Palaiologos Folklore Dance Festival.

Read full article here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ekathimerini.com
The new discoveries were revealed during the second phase of a underwater survey along the historically important eastern coast of the island of Salamis

An underwater ruin that could be the remains of a public building situated near the port of Salamis in antiquity - possibly one seen and mentioned by the traveler and geographer Pausanias in the 2nd century AD - is gradually emerging following an archaeological investigation of Ambelakia bay near the Greek island.

A culture ministry announcement issued on Monday noted that a large and robust structure constructed of stone plinths, roughly 13 metres long, is traced in the mud beneath the water. The find is located a short distance from the more contemporary 48-metre pier, built before 1900 using ancient building materials, that stands out in the northern section of Ambelakia bay. "It is, in all likelihood, the base (with strong localised foundations in its southern section) of a public building construction," the announcement said.

The shape of the foundations, other architectural elements and movable finds located on the site, combined with the earlier nearby find in 1882 of a marble pedestal for a statue with a dedicatory inscription, lead to the initial conclusion that the building was either a temple or stoa used in the later Roman era but possibly built earlier, during the late Classical or Hellenistic eras.

Underwater survey

The new discoveries were revealed during the second phase of a underwater survey along the historically important eastern coast of the island of Salamis, taking in the Ambelakia bay, the port of the Classical-era city of Salamis controlled by Athens, which served as the main gathering place of the united Greek fleet before the Battle of Salamis in 480 B.C., as well as the region off the Kynosoura peninsula in the north of the island, where the most important Nike monuments are situated.

The geophysical survey in the Kynosoura area yielded a "large volume of high-quality digital data, whose processing is expected to shed light on the paleogeographic development of the region and the location of targets of archaeological significance," the ministry announcement added.

The goal of the research is to trace the Classical-era coastline of the island and put together the region's coastal paleogeography, while also revealing possible archaeological finds resting on the seabed or hidden beneath it. It is part of a three-year cooperation programme between the Underwater Antiquities Ephorate and the Institute of Underwater Archaeological Research (IENAE), led by Dr. Aggeliki Simosi and Ioannina University professor Dr. Yiannos Lolos, with the participation of the Patras University's Laboratory of Marine Geology and Physical Oceanography.

The battle of Salamis

The battle of Salamis is one of the most important battles in the history of Ancient Greece. It was a naval battle fought between an alliance of Greek city-states under Themistocles and the Persian Empire under King Xerxes in 480 BC which resulted in a decisive victory for the outnumbered Greeks. The battle was fought in the straits between the Attica mainland and Salamis, an island in the Saronic Gulf near Athens, and is deemed as the climax of the second Persian invasion of Greece.

Ancient Greek historian Herodotus recorded that there were 378 triremes in the Allied fleet. The Persian fleet initially numbered 1,207 triremes. However, by his reckoning they lost approximately a third of these ships in a storm off the coast of Magnesia, 200 more in a storm off the coast of Euboea, and at least 50 ships to Allied action at the Battle of Artemisium.

Read more here.

Source: ANA-MPA

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: FocalPoint NASA World Wind License: CC-BY-SA
Swimming, hiking, culture, and flavors: there is time for everything during a weekend in one of the most interesting Cycladic islands. Just 2 hours from the port of Rafina, Athens, Andros is a must option for a weekend this time of the year. The authenticity of the natural landscape, the superb beaches for this summers last dives, the trails that are ideal for trekking at this season of the year, the ubiquitous art and the flavors of Andros are the essential ingredients of the travel experience that the island has to offer.

Many people say that Andros is an island with many faces and they are probably right. The northern part is dominated by the pure Cycladic landscape, starring fascinating beaches for dives in the deep blue of the sea. In the southern part  around Chora  the abundant green sets the tone along with several picturesque villages and beautiful bays.

If you are looking forward to experiencing the noble character and the artistic aura of the island, the Chora is the best choice for you. Art lovers will definitely visit the Museum of Contemporary Art of the Vassilis and Elisa Goulandris Foundation, which currently presents a great exhibition dedicated to the distinguished poet and painter Nikos Engonopoulos.

If again you are a nature lover and want to discover the island old villages and country trails, then choose Korthi as your base. More than 100 km of marked trails are at your disposal, offering short walks and long hikes. Along the way, you will find springs, bridges, watermills, olive-oil presses and archaeological sites.

As far as dining is concerned, in Batsi there is Lagoudera for fresh seafood. In the Chora, go to the Parea that is located on the square and has tables with a view. In terms of accommodation, the Micra Anglia is one of the most atmospheric hotels in Chora. If you prefer seclusion, the Aegea Blue Cycladic Resort on the beach of Zorkos to the north of the island is a unique option.

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: Theanatomica License: CC-BY-SA

Source: blog.visitgreece.gr
Kathimerini newspaper published recently the following article on Kastri, the restaurant of the Womens Agritourism Cooperative of Syros, a group that was formed in 2000 by unemployed local women with European funding:

The association started branching out by catering for various events, and soon people across the central Aegean island were talking about the high quality of its food. The initial idea had been a kitchen where theyd prepare traditional Greek dishes for customers to take away.

The restaurant started with just four dishes a day, but today diners can pick from 14, which often change, and theyre shifting some 200 portion each day.

The moussaka is the best-seller, says the co-ops president Anna Palaiologou, adding that Syros does not have its own distinctive cuisine. The island was populated mainly by refugees who brought their cultures with them, from the West and Asia Minor, she says.

Any surplus, adds Palaiologou is given to a local shelter, while the association also helps feed a few poor families, even when we havent got any leftovers.

The association, however, is struggling to keep up with growing demand as it now numbers just 12 members from an original 28, as many women dropped out because of old age, health problems, the grueling pace of the work or simply because tight finances made it impossible for them to keep up with their social security contributions.

Read full article 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: Hans Peter Schaefer License: CC-BY-SA

Source: ekathimerini.com
The hidden gems of Lefkada were discovered by Griekenland.net in June. Not only the beaches are highlighted but also some traditional restaurants and the wines and Rosoli liquor of the Ioanian island. On invitation of mr. Galiatsatos (Ionian Islands Region Vice Governor) and with support of mr. Zampelis of the tourism department two journalists travelled over the green Greek island. Griekenland.net has online yearly 1.7 million visitors and is publisher of KALA magazine in The Netherlands.

Local cuisine and liquor in Lefkada town

Most tourists choose destinations as Nidri and Vassiliki for their holidays. They forget the capital Lefkada town. Sailors know the marina very well and the city has many facilities for tourists. We liked the local food mezzedes of Gogos flavors on the main street of the town and enjoyed the visit at the Rosoli distillery in the center. After dinner its nice to walk down the boulevard with many bars according to Bas Wanrooij from Griekenland.net.

Beaches and wine

Not only the popular beaches like Porto Katsiki, Egremni and Milos beach are worth a visit. Also hidden gems like Agiofili, Ammoglossa and Megali Petra are highly recommended for a day at the beach. Local wineries of Lefkas Earth and Karsanikos were visited to taste local white and red wines.

Articles with links

Article about wines and Rosoli https://griekenland.net/nieuws/toerisme/wijn-en-likeur-uit-lefkas/

Agiofili beach https://griekenland.net/griekse-eilanden/lefkas/agiofili-beach/

Karya mountain village https://griekenland.net/griekse-eilanden/lefkas/karya/

Ammoglossa beach https://griekenland.net/griekse-eilanden/lefkas/ammoglossa-beach/

Lefkada https://griekenland.net/griekse-eilanden/lefkas/
With BRICS summit in sight, India and China have agreed to end the Doklam standoff that continued for over two months.

By Prabhash K Dutta: Finally the Himalayan ice has melt at Doklam with India and China agreeing to disengage at the disputed site after staying in "no war, no peace" mode for 70 days.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar released a statement - titled, "Doklam Disengagement Understanding" saying, "In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests."

advertisement

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site of Doklam has been agreed to and is going on," the statement read further.

The Doklam understanding between India and China marks a significant departure by Beijing from its earlier stated position on the standoff. China had been insisting that India must withdraw its troops from Doklam before any "meaningful" dialogue could be held.

For India, the Doklam deal is on the lines as stated by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Parliament where she had suggested that the two nations could agree to withdraw troops from the standoff site on a mutually agreed time.

But, the question is what made China reconsider its position on Doklam standoff and agree to resolve the issue.

Top security expert Dr Brahma Chellaney pointed out that Beijing cannot announce a mutual withdrawal from the disputed land.

"China seeks to save face by spinning mutual-withdrawal deal with India as unilateral Indian withdrawal, and PLA to continue to patrol Doklam," Dr Brahma Chellaney said.

"Having claimed Doklam to be its area, China cannot publicly accept mutual withdrawal. Yet, under the deal, that's precisely what it accepted," he added.

BRICS SUMMIT IN CHINA

The BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) summit is scheduled for September 3-5 at Xiamen in China. In the view of Doklam standoff, the success of BRICS was under question. There was also speculation about Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipping the summit.

China has given utmost importance to BRICS since its inception in 2009 projecting it as an alternate economic model against those dominated by the US and the western bloc.

The theme of Xiamen BRICS summit is "Stronger Partnership for a Brighter Future". But Doklam standoff could have embarrassed China as it was being seen as violator of international laws at the disputed site by attempting to alter the status quo without settling the boundary question with the countries concerned.

The Xiamen BRICS summit is being held after a successful Goa edition of the group. India had played a good host only last year, China could not have afforded to appear as a belligerent member of the BRICS.

advertisement

DIPLOMATIC SETBACK

Despite China's attempt to garner international support over Doklam, its diplomacy was no match to India's in convincing the world leaders that the communist nation was at fault in the disputed region.

The US and the UK categorically asked China to resolve the matter diplomatically and bilaterally with India. The messages from the US and the UK came at a time when China was firm on its demand that Indian troops must withdraw from Doklam first.

Later, Japan was more upfront in saying that it was China which violated the international law at Doklam. Japan said that China tried to alter status quo at Doklam while suggesting that no country should try to change the existing positions without resolving the dispute.

China's effort to take Nepal along also did not yield desirable result with the Himalayan nation stating that it would prefer neutrality to taking sides over Doklam standoff.

DOKLAM STRATEGICALLY UNVIABLE

For China, Doklam is strategically unviable as its troops occupied lower ground while the Indian Army held the high hills. The Chumbi Valley of Tibet is sandwiched between Sikkim and India's ally Bhutan. So, while China eyed to gain an upper hand at Doklam with the aim of acquiring strategic advantage over India's Chicken Neck, it failed on both diplomatic and strategic counts.

advertisement

As Chinese spokespersons and official media aggressively targeted India, pressure was mounting on the Xi Jinping government to make a decisive move. One of the options available with China was to resort to military aggression which could have escalated to other sectors of borders. China was not in an advantageous position in Doklam and could not have afforded to escalate it on the western sector at a time when it has committed USD 46 billion in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

CONGRESS OF CPC

The 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China is scheduled for later this year. Dates of the grandest CPC even in five years have not yet been announced but it is likely to be held sometime by early November.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been working to give the party a new outlook. The polit buro and polit buro standing committee are set to be reorganied and Xi Jinping is likely to fill the posts with his proteges. Only Xi Jinping and his premier Le Kiqiang will be the old faces of the new polit buro standing committee as all other will be left out on account age.

advertisement

Further, Xi Jinping is said to be keen on getting Congress' approval for an unprecedented third term in 2022. Jinping has already made the move by first getting his position elevated to that of "core leader" in 2016. And, early this month, he became the first Chinese leader after Mao Zedong to be addressed by the PLA soldiers as "chairman". Jinping could not have afforded to let Doklam remain thorn in the flesh as he unveiled his ambition before the Congress of the CPC.

ALSO READ |

India-China Doklam border standoff set to end after deal on withdrawing troops

Why Doklam standoff is not good for Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of BRICS Summit, CPC Congress

Why Japan lent support to India against China over Doklam standoff

Doklam border standoff set to end after India-China strike deal to withdraw troops

--- ENDS ---
A delegation from RAK International Corporate Centre (RAKICC), a premium corporate registry for International Business Companies (IBCs), travelled to Mauritius in its latest effort to engage with international businesses seeking to learn more about commercial opportunities in the UAE.



The delegation was led by RAKICCs chief executive officer Joe Moynihan who served as keynote speaker to discuss the evolving environment of international business and financial centres for Africa, as well as the benefits of incorporating in the UAE, specifically Ras Al Khaimah, said a statement.



Moynihan said: We are grateful to the Mauritius Africa Business Club for the opportunity to engage with the African business community.



The UAE and Mauritius enjoy strong links through travel, trade and commerce, and we expect these links to grow even closer in the coming years, he said.



We look forward to continuing to inform African businesses on the wide range of opportunities available in Ras Al Khaimah and the UAE, he added.



Mauritius has emerged as a standout African economy, recording 3.8 per cent GDP growth in 2016, said a statement.



The UAE and Mauritius enjoy a number of strong commercial links, as both countries benefit from a number of bilateral taxation and investment agreements to promote commerce between the two countries.



As a corporate registry, RAKICC is responsible for the registration and incorporation of International Business Companies, as well as providing a full suite of registry services related to business activity for companies from all over the world.



Businesses that set up in Ras Al Khaimah typically trade internationally, invest around the world and own property assets globally, it stated.  TradeArabia News Service
Exporters from Malaysia, the worlds largest producer and exporter of Halal food products, will showcase the country's multi-billion dollar Halal industry, at the 9th edition of the Halal Expo Dubai to be held next month, in Dubai, UAE.



The event will take place on September 18 and 19 at the Roda Al Bustan Hotel near Dubai International Airport.



Malaysia will be represented by 15 ready-to-export companies at the national pavilion at the expo, according to a Wam news agency report.



Malaysias Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries is leading the countrys participation, representing Halal food, cosmetics and the pharmaceuticals sectors.



Muslim expenditure makes up 16.7 percent of global expenditure on F&B in 2014. Malaysias external Halal F&B sector is of critical importance, as F&B was Malaysias top Halal export in 2015, followed by palm oil derivatives and Halal ingredients.



Globally, the Muslim market for pharmaceuticals and cosmetics is valued at $54 billion or 7 per cent of global expenditure.



The cumulative average growth rate for this sector is 6.8 per cent between 2014 and 2020, in which Malaysia ranks just behind Singapore and Egypt.



The event, which attracted participation from 13 countries in its previous edition and registered 3,700 trade visitors from 40 countries, expects larger trade participation where buyers and sellers of halal products and services are expected to do brisk business, added the report.
The Dow Chemical Company and the Saudi Aramco have announced a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) that sets forth a process for Dow to acquire an additional 15 per cent ownership interest from Saudi Aramco in Sadara Chemical Company, a joint venture developed by the two companies.



The current equity ownership split is 65 per cent Saudi Aramco and 35 per cent Dow. If the potential transaction is concluded as presently proposed, Dow and Saudi Aramco would each hold a 50 per cent equity stake in Sadara, said a statement.



Sadara is the result of a game-changing partnership between Saudi Aramco and Dow by delivering market-driven solutions that support the diversification of the countrys economy, said Andrew Liveris, Dows chairman and CEO.

Increasing our equity stake in this iconic joint venture is a powerful example of our strategic partnership with Saudi Aramco and is yet another accelerator in Dows long-term growth strategy designed to capture growing consumer-led demand in our key end-markets of transportation, infrastructure, packaging, and consumer products in developing regions.



Saudi Aramco president and CEO Amin H Nasser said: We are proud of our partnership with Dow given its preeminent stature among the worlds leading chemical companies. Dows larger stake in Sadara is an endorsement of the kingdoms vibrant ecosystem, and signals Dows confidence in our partnership as a model of mutually beneficial foreign direct investment. The time is right to fully leverage Dows global leadership to further contribute to the Kingdoms economic transformation in line with Vision 2030.



The potential equity equalisation would occur following the later of two events  (i) the intended separation of the Materials Science Company, within 18 months after the close of the merger of equals between Dow and DuPont on August 31 and (ii) Sadaras completion of the Creditors Reliability Test, which is part of the limited-recourse financing used to fund the Sadara project development.



The anticipated financial impact of the potential transaction is not being disclosed. The Sadara financial structure and governance remain unchanged, the statement added.



The Sadara chemical complexthe largest of its kind ever built in a single phaseis currently operating all of its 26 world-scale units that manufacture a portfolio of valued-added performance plastics and specialty chemicals. The more than three million metric tons of performance-focused products serving the packaging, transportation, infrastructure and consumer markets will add new value chains to Saudi Arabias vast hydrocarbon reserves, resulting in the diversification of the economy and region. - TradeArabia News Service
Kuwaits newest airline, Wataniya Airways, celebrated the launch of daily flights to Bahrain with the inaugural flight landing in the kingdom on August 27.



Wataniya Airways arrival in Bahrain was met with a ceremonious greeting from Bahrain International Airports administrators, Bahrains Deputy CEO, Ayman Zainal, members of the media as well as a water jet welcome.



Bahrain is the first GCC country that Wataniya Airways has touched down in since the airlines launch in July of this year.



Wataniya Airways vice chairman Riyad Al Saeed said: "We are delighted about our newly added destination, Bahrain, to which Wataniya will fly daily at competitive fares, and we also have plans to launch further services in the future."



Operating from Kuwait International Airport, Wataniya Airways currently flies to four destinations: Tbilisi, Sarajevo, Baku and now, Bahrain with its two Airbus aircrafts. - TradeArabia News Service
In an Age of Sanctions, Keeping Pace Requires Innovation

Keeping up with the latest popular television shows was once a relatively simple proposition. With only a handful of major channels vying for your attention, all you had to do was set aside an hour or two each week and youd have everything you needed to participate in Mondays water cooler conversation with your coworkers. Today, were living in a so-called golden age, with dozens of critically acclaimed, must-watch shows available online and on demand. For TV fanatics, its a great time to be alive. Those of us with more pressing things to attend to than sitting on our couches and watching TV, though, often find ourselves wondering: How in the world am I supposed to keep up with all of this?

Its a question that compliance professionals can relate to, especially when it comes to sanctions. As the global geopolitical landscape continues to grow more complicated, there is a growing array of trade restrictions, the targets of which are in a near-constant state of flux. In just the past few weeks, alterations have been explored or enacted to sanction programs targeting entities in North Korea, China, Russia, Iran aand Venezuela. The changes show no sign of letting up any time soon.

Identifying sanctioned entities and all of their issued securities, as well as detecting domestic or foreign subsidiaries (or other holdings of more than 50%) is a challenging task. Even trickier is deciphering the complex web of beneficial ownership rules and relationships. Corporate actions may influence the sanctioned securities, and an investment into structured products may increase the risk as well. Determining if sanctioned individuals have beneficial ownership is a critical step in putting together firms list of do not trade securities that adds to the compliance challenge. On top of this, the information must be fed into the enterprise data management system, rules have to be programmed, and all of the data needs to be constantly kept up-to-date.

How can financial institutions keep track of all these tasks while keeping their operation running smoothly? Those charged with protecting their firms against penalties can understandably feel like theyre constantly struggling to keep pace.

Without a well thought-out strategy, though, financial institutions run a daily risk not just of getting fined, but of receiving serious reputational damage as well. According to figures published on its website, the US Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets control has already doled out more than $100,000,000 worth of penalties so far this year. Firms cant simply cross their fingers and hope not to be next. While some may be able to afford the financial hit, the public relations damage can endure for years.

Compliance departments are going to need to innovate if they want to keep up with the constant stream of new restrictions. Putting together the comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date lists of sanctioned securities needed to avoid penalties is an undertaking that challenges even the largest and most advanced organizations.

1 2 next

For more information on related topics, visit the following channels:
The latest report on Global Times on India is clearly incoherent with the anti-India stance the tabloid has taken during the last two months after the Doklam standoff hit the headlines.

By India Today Web Desk: Hours after India and China resolved their border standoff at Doklam on Monday, China's state-run tabloid Global Times, which had attracted attention for its hawkish rhetoric against India, suddenly changed its tune from negative to positive about India.

In a story titled "Chinese patients head to India for latest medicines after domestic crackdown", the tabloid didn't mince words while praising how Chinese patients in third and fourth-tier cities seek medical treatment in India because the country provides high-quality services in private hospitals.

advertisement

It went on to say that while China sets strict barriers and hefty prices on imported drugs, India has long been known as the "pharmacy of the developing world" largely because the Indian government has granted compulsory licenses for expensive drugs so Indian manufacturers can produce these drugs without fear of being prosecuted under patent law.

"Apart from cheaper and more advanced drugs, India is also known for the quality of services in its private hospitals," the report said.

The report is clearly incoherent with the anti-India stance the tabloid has taken during the last two months.

The English daily had put out several aggressive and even offensive commentary against India when the the border standoff was ongoing at the Doklam trijunction.

In its recent editorial the paper had warned India of a war if the Doklam standoff is not resolved.

"The time when war, no good though it may be, is something that has to be borne (waged) reluctantly (as a duty). India is exactly pushing China towards such an extreme state unreasonably and arrogantly," the Global Times had said.

Chinese foreign ministry officials were at pain to explain Indian journalists that the hawkish rhetoric the newspaper, along with other media houses, had published did not represent China's official position.

Global Times had also posted a video of its editor-in-chief comparing the Indian and Chinese military strengths.

The newspaper was also among the first ones to criticise India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for having told the Parliament that all countries are supporting India over the Doklam issue.

"She was lying to the parliament," an editorial in the newspaper had proclaimed.

Troops of the two countries were locked in a standoff in Doklam since June 16 after Indian troops stopped the Chinese army from building a road in the disputed area.

Bhutan, which claimed sovereignty over the area, had also lodged a diplomatic protest to China on June 28.

Indian troops intervened to stop Chinese troops from building the road close to the strategic chicken's neck, the narrow corridor connecting India's mainland with its northeast.

advertisement

India said China's road building also violated the 2012 agreement between the Special Representatives of India and China to resolve the boundary issue. The agreement referred to the strategic tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan.

Developments in Doklam come days of ahead of the September 3-5 BRICS, (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in the Chinese city of Xiamen which is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

ALSO READ | Between India and China, who won in Doklam? World media seems divided

ALSO READ | 70 days of Doklam standoff: What it signifies for India, China and neighbourhood

ALSO WATCH | Doklam border standoff set to end after India-China strike deal to withdraw troops

--- ENDS ---
The difference in the official stand of both India and China is also reflected in global media's reporting on the Doklam dispute.

India's official statement is in contrast to the what the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Doklam.

By India Today Web Desk: The Ministry of External Affairs today announced "expeditious disengagement of border personnel" at Doklam, signalling that the months-long standoff at the disputed India-China-Bhutan trijunction has come to an end.

In response to queries on Doklam disengagement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "India has always maintained that it is only through diplomatic channels such matters can be addressed. Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected".

advertisement

India's official statement is in contrast to the what the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Doklam, insisting that India has withdrawn troops from Doklam while Chinese troops will "remain in the region" and exercise their "sovereignty over the region".

This difference in the stand on Doklam between India and China is also reflected by the global media which has reported extensively on the border dispute.

BBC: The BBC, in its report titled 'China claims victory over India in Himalayan border row', says that "China says India has withdrawn troops from a disputed Himalayan border area, ending a tense stand-off lasting weeks".

The BBC report says that India's foreign ministry confirmed troops were "disengaging" at Doklam after agreement between the two countries.

The Washington Post: In the report titled 'India withdraws troops from disputed Himalayan region, defusing tension with China', Simon Denyer and Annie Gowen write, "India has begun withdrawing troops from a disputed Himalayan region on the border with China, foreign ministries from the two countries announced on Monday".

"China had repeatedly and furiously denounced the Indian move as a direct infringement of its sovereignty, demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and warned that conflict was a real possibility of that didn't happen," the The Washington Post report says.

The report then goes on to state that it was "unclear if Beijing offered any concessions in return, such as agreeing to halt the construction of the road".

The New York Times: The New York Times, in its report titled 'China and India Agree to Ease Tensions in Border Dispute' quotes the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement on both countries agreeing to disengagement of border personnel at Doklam.

The report, however, states that the "Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the agreement on Monday, though it vowed to continue to patrol the disputed area".

The report by Javier C Hernandez says that it was not immediately clear if "Chinese and Indian officials had made progress toward a permanent solution".

CNN: The CNN report by James Griffiths says both India and China have "agreed to deescalate a months-long territorial standoff in the Himalayas, ahead of a major economic summit involving both countries".

The report quotes China's official Xinhua news agency as saying that India had withdrawn its personnel and equipment "that had crossed the border back to the Indian side".

advertisement

The CNN report titled 'India, China agree to 'expeditious disengagement' of Doklam border dispute' says the standoff was "sparked after Bhutan accused China of constructing a road inside its territory in 'direct violation' of treaty obligations. China, which does not have formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan, denied the accusation, contending that Doklam is part of Chinese territory".

ALSO READ |

Doklam standoff ends: What made China agree to restore pre-June 16 position of troops

Beijing does not fear war: Is China gearing for battle over Doklam standoff?

Inside story of how India achieved breakthrough in Doklam border standoff with China

China warns of 'chaos' if it enters India, terms latter's stand on Doklam 'ridiculous'

ALSO WATCH | Doklam border standoff set to end after India-China strike deal to withdraw troops

--- ENDS ---
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 27

The Central Jail authorities have confiscated a mobile phone with a SIM card from an inmate, Surjit Singh of Sultanwind Road. Also 26 intoxicant tablets were seized from Sewa Singh of Guru Ka Khoo area in Tarn Taran. The jail authorities have lodged complaints with the Gate Hakima police station. Separate cases have been registered against them.
Despite Chinese hyperbole, seemingly to please its domestic audience, India showed that it can dig its heels in the face of adversity.

The Doklam standoff continued for 70 days during which the soldiers of Indian Army and PLA held their positions in what India described as "no war, no peace" mode.

By Prabhash K Dutta: The Doklam standoff came to an end today with a two-point statement by the Ministry of External Affairs titled "Doklam Disengagement Understanding". Chinese side, on its part, played to the galley saying that only India was moving back its troops. But, reports suggest that the deal involves withdrawal of forces by both the countries.

The disengagement understanding took over two months to evolve between the negotiators of India and China, which all the kept demanding an unconditional withdrawal of Indian troops before dialogue could be held on the impasse.

advertisement

The Doklam standoff continued for 70 days during which the soldiers of Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army of China held their positions in what India described as "no war, no peace" mode. The troops of the two countries stood at merely 150 metres from one another.

WHAT DOKLAM STANDOFF MEANS

For India, the Doklam standoff is a reminder that China will continue to needle it along the borders especially where Indian position is not so strong. Army chief General Bipin Rawat has already said that the Indian forces should remain prepared to deal with an "increase" in Doklam-like incidents. India has shown that it cannot be bullied and pressurised by China in a way to further its salami slicing policy in the Himalayas. Despite Chinese hyperbole, seemingly to please its domestic audience, India showed that it can dig its heels in the face of adversity. During the extent of Doklam standoff, China tried to muster diplomatic support as its ambassador in New Delhi kept calling on the ambassadors of other countries, but none of them came forward in Chinese support. The US, the UK and Japan - three major global players, in fact, went ahead to state that the standoff must be resolved through dialogue and bilaterally. Only a day ago, a senior Trump administration official said that the US favoured "return of status quo" at Doklam. This tells the robust diplomacy by India. The latest reports from Doklam suggest that China has agreed to stop road construction in the disputed area. However, the Chinese foreign office spokesperson said that "only India has withdrawn its troops" giving a sense that China has not conceded to revert to pre-June 16 status. But, in reality, both India and China agreed to restore pre-standoff status. The Doklam standoff also sends a strong message to India's neighbours that New Delhi can stand for them in the times of crisis. India can tell its other neighbours that there is no need to get bullied by China or succumb to Chinese military and economic pressure to the extent of compromising sovereignty. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh may rethink their Chinese policy and come out stronger in dealing with Beijing. The Doklam standoff is also a learning experience for China. Beijing would know that violating an existing pact - bilateral or multi-lateral - with India may not be easy to get away with. China violated the 2012 understanding of maintaining status quo at Doklam and tried to pressurise India with repeated references to 1962-war. But, India stood firm and forced China to rethink its position. While Doklam standoff was underway, CAG report exposed the long-term vulnerability of India's war capabilities which is a lesson for India to learn from. The CAG report stated that Indian Army did not have ammunitions to last for more than 10 days of full-fledged war. For a sound defence capability, India should have the stock ammunitions for 40 days. The Doklam standoff also brought to the fore that Chinese media is an expert in spreading propaganda based on false reports and distortion of facts. Verbal brickbats from Chinese media and officials would keep coming in future as well. But, India must have learnt that loud claims and verbal fury don't change ground realities. India was extremely concerned about Doklam passing into Chinese hands as this would have brought the northern big neighbour dangerously close to the Silliguri Corridor or India's Chicken Neck - the only connect with the northeastern states. India must look for ways to put in place more routes through Bangladesh to have efficient and safe connectivity with the seven sisters in the northeast.

ALSO READ |

India-China Doklam border standoff set to end after deal on withdrawing troops

Doklam standoff ends: What made China agree to restore pre-June 16 position of troops

Why Doklam standoff is not good for Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of BRICS Summit, CPC Congress

ALSO WATCH | Doklam border standoff set to end after India-China strike deal to withdraw troops

--- ENDS ---
Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, August 27

At least 29 vehicles, most of them luxury SUVs, which were part of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahims convoy when he came to appear before the Panchkula CBI court on August 25, have been impounded by the Panchkula police and 20 dera followers arrested. There were 302 vehicles in the convoy when it entered Panchkula district.

While the police are not divulging details, sources revealed that they had recovered pistols, countrymade pistols, other sophisticated weapons, iron rods, sticks, wireless sets and womens undergarments from the impounded vehicles of dera chiefs cavalcade, which were parked in the residential area of Sector 4, MDC.

The police have also impounded a fire engine which contained some chemical in huge quantity. It was also part of the convoy. Dera Sacha Sauda is written on the fire engine. The police have kept the impounded vehicles and fire engine at the Mansa Devi Complex (MDC) police station and other stations of the district.

Forensic teams checked the chemical and a special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to look into the matter.

The Haryana Director-General of Police, BS Sandhu, said the chemical recovered from the fire engine, which formed part of the dera chiefs motorcade, was being examined by a special investigation team. He said prima facie, it seemed the chemical had neutral pH value and was non-inflammable. Apart from this, some luxury cars which had been seized are also being examined, he added.

Earlier, more than 50 dera followers, armed with rifles, pistols and petrol, were arrested at Singh Dwar on Friday night.

Vehicles entered Pkula through Saketri

These vehicles entered through Saketri village on the evening of August 25. The local residents, including RWA president Davinder Mahajan, alerted the police, which led to the recovery of these vehicles.

Police fully prepared for today: Pkula CP

Panchkula: The Panchkula police are fully prepared for Monday in view of announcement of quantum of sentence to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the rape case, said Panchkula Police Commissioner AS Chawla. He said they had decreased the deployment of security forces but they had control over the situation. A total of 21 FIRs have been registered in connection with Friday violence and 915 people arrested to date. Meanwhile, restrictions at the entry-exit points were also relaxed. The Haryana and Chandigarh police checked the vehicles of suspicious people. TNS
Mobile Internet, SMS services restored in UT, to remain suspended in Panchkula, Mohali

Educational institutions closed, govt offices open in Mohali and Panchkula

Security apparatus to remain for another week, no restriction on movement within tricity

Delhi, local bus services restored; train services partial

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27

All educational institutions, barring a few private ones that have declared holiday on their own, and offices will remain open in Chandigarh on Monday while those in riot-hit Panchkula and adjoining Mohali will remain closed tomorrow as a preventive measure. However, the government offices will function as usual in Panchkula and Mohali on Monday.

While the mobile Internet and SMS services, which had been suspended for the past three days, were restored in Chandigarh this evening, the same in Haryana and Punjab will remain suspended for another 24 hours till Monday evening.

The bus service to Delhi and CTU local bus service was also restored on Sunday while the train services were restored partially. While five passenger trains, including the evening Shatabdi Express from Delhi arrived at Chandigarh railway station on Sunday, the Station Superintendent TP Singh told The Tribune that in the absence of any fresh order till this evening, the train services are likely to remain suspended on Monday as well.

Even as the tricity region, comprising Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali, continue to remain peaceful on Sunday with the life limping back to normal, the security apparatus in place will continue for another week, the UT DGP Tajender Singh Luthra told The Tribune.

He disclosed that the deployment of 5,000 policemen, including 3,000 local and 2,000 paramilitary personnel, will continue to guard the city and 28 nakas (check points), including 13 inter-state nakas on Punjab, Haryana borders will also remain in place for another week.

It is a preventive measure to avoid any possible loss to the life and property in the UT even though we had been able to maintain the law-and-order situation and keep the city completely peaceful despite widespread violence and arson in adjoining Panchkula, Luthra said.

He clarified that there was no restriction on the movement of vehicles between Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali and the nakas in place were only meant to keep surveillance on the activities of anti-social elements, if any. The policemen on checking duty had been clearly told not to harass public and resort to checking only in case they find any suspicious movement, the UT DGP added.

Similarly, Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner Ajit Balaji Joshi said the 23 executive magistrates, who had been deployed in the UT for the past three days, would continue to remain on duty for another few days till further orders. The situation is totally under control and there is nothing to worry but still we dont want to take any chances in view of the current situation in the adjoining states, the DC told The Tribune.

The UT Administration has pressed into service 17 ambulances, 6 fire engines, 14 water canons, 14 riot control Vajra vehicles, 42 public address systems and 42 high-definition cameras in Chandigarh since Friday. These all preventive measures will also continue to remain in place till further orders, the UT Additional Deputy Commissioner Rajiv Kumar Gupta told The Tribune. Similarly, Panchkula Deputy Commissioners Gauri Parasher Joshi and her Mohali counterpart Gurpreet Kaur Sapra told The Tribune that situation in both districts was totally under control and peaceful.

NORMALCY RETURNS

Even as the tricity region continued to remain peaceful with normalcy returning, the roads, markets, public places, malls, bus stands and railway stations continue to wear a deserted look. Sensing trouble and Fridays widespread violence and arson in Panchkula, which had claimed at least 32 lives and left more than 250 injured, still fresh in their minds, most of the local residents preferred to stay indoors except venturing out for unavoidable reasons.

Air ticket fares normalise, additional flights cleared

Now the air tickets from Chandigarh to Delhi are available at normal rates. According to a travel agent, the rates of air tickets from Chandigarh to Delhi range between Rs 3,650 and Rs 7,000. Notably, the air ticket rates on the route had touched the figure of Rs 15,000 a couple of days ago. The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation has advised airlines to keep a check on air fares on the sectors with flights connecting Chandigarh, Jammu and Jaipur. It has cleared an additional flight on the Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi of Vistara for Sunday and one on Delhi-Chandigarh-Delhi and Delhi-Amritsar-Delhi of Vistara for Monday. TNS/IANS

UT TO OPPOSE DERA HEADS SHIFTING

The UT Administration will oppose any possible shifting of the convicted Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to the PGI, Chandigarh, for treatment. It is likely that after being sentenced on Monday, the convicted self-styled godman may seek shifting from jail to the PGI on health grounds as he was already complaining of back problem but we will not allow this to happen as it will disturb our peace and order, a top UT functionary told The Tribune.

Mohali DC warns of strict action

"Though everything is normal here in our district, still we do not want to take any chance. Strict action will be taken against educational institutes defying the orders." Gurpreet Kaur Sapra, Mohali Deputy Commissioner
Amit Sharma

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, August 27

Dera followers, who ran amok in Panchkula on Friday, didnt even leave the statue of Maharaja Agrasen installed at Agrasen Chowk (Sectors 16/17/8/9 roundabout). They vandalised the statue that was installed a year ago with an expenditure of Rs 1.80 lakh.

The rioters first broke the grills installed around the chowk and then vandalised the statue. CCTV cameras installed at the chowk and the DVR were also burnt.

The premis who were escaping towards Indira Colony after vandalising Sectors 2, 4 and 5, stopped at the Agrasen chowk and broke the grills installed around it.

Knowing that their act has been caught in the CCTV cameras installed at the chowk, the dera followers broke the cameras and even burnt its DVR, which is stored at the chowk only.

Satrya Narayan Gupta of Aggarwal Vikas Trust, Panchkula, the organisation that maintains the chowk, said the statue was installed around a year ago.

Earlier the statue was broken by some miscreants. Later, a new statue was installed by us at a cost of Rs 1.80 lakh, he said.

Gupta said the grills around the chowk were installed at a cost of around Rs 2 lakh, which were also broken by the dera followers.

It is very shameful act of the dera followers who didnt even leave the statue of Maharaja Agrasen, he said.

Gupta said they had submitted a complaint to the Panchkula police seeking action against the culprits.

It was the same set of premis who later set a bank on fire, vandalised showrooms and Aggarwal Bhawan in Sector 16.

Gupta said the CCTV footage showing premis vandalising Aggarwal Bhawan and setting a funeral van on fire has been provided to police.
Col RD Singh (retd)

Col RD Singh (retd)

WE talk of Beti bachao, beti padhao, "selfie with daughters", "womens empowerment', and what not. Have we remembered the two rape victim sadhvis, who for the last 15 years fought for justice, single-handedly? They, the prosecution witnesses No 10 and No 15, have attended every hearing since 2002 and not changed a single word from their original statements. Despite all the pressures, threats to their life and inducements, these women have stood rock-like to fight for justice, and thereby for the dignity for women. One can imagine the hardships and mental trauma these girls and their families must have gone through for 15 long years. Finally, they won because they were brave and had tremendous perseverance. They had faith in themselves and in the judiciary. Hats off to them, as they are the real face of womens empowerment.

Then, we have Anshul, the son of the slain journalist Ram Chander Chatrapati, who was shot on October 24, 2002, for exposing the Dera chief. Ever since then, the young man ( who was only 21 then) has gone from pillar to post to seek justice for his father who died upholding the tenets of upright journalism. Anshul needs to be protected, and honoured for being a brave and dutiful son. Then there is the fearless cop who refused to be cowed down and saw the case to its finish, the probe officer DSP ( CBI) Satish Dagar (now SP), who did not miss a single hearing, ensured fairness in the case, leading to justice to the rape victims. May we have more such officers in the force. And then, whose name most of us came to know only on the day of the judgment  the young, strong, and a no-nonsense judge  Justice Jagdeep Singh. With just about four years service, he has exhibited total professionalism, and added sheen to the name of the judiciary. On August 25, I was glued to the television since morning, to have a first-hand glimpse of the happenings, hear a far-reaching judgment and also to witness the behaviour of the over two lakh dera devotees who had gathered in Panchkula since August 23. One was impressed by dare-devil young reporters. They were like real soldiers in the war zone, braving the wrath of the violent crowds yet doing their duty under all circumstances. Without naming them, reporters from Aaj Tak, ABP News, and few others  I could see them braving stones, smoke, and physical attacks from the protesters. I saw them gasping for breath but reporting the real picture, while their OB vans were being toppled over and burnt. Had they not been there, we would have been left high and dry as regards the ground realities. My faith in the media was reinforced. Salute to you young friends, and here's wishing speedy recovery to the cameraman who was hit on the head, and the OB van engineer whose leg was fractured.

And here comes a grand salute. It is to the Punjab and Haryana High Court that has been proactive throughout  reminding the government and the police to take timely precautions and action. It is thanks to the High Court that accountability is being fixed for lapses and non-performance. It is also taking serious note of the damages to public and private property, and has directed the Dera Sacha Sauda to pay for it. This is a very encouraging sign for a healthy democracy and restores people's faith in an upright, independent judiciary. There must be many more who deserve our salute. These are the common people who showed humanity and helped the injured, women and the old. Also, there were many dedicated officers and lower functionaries in the bureaucracy and the police who performed their duty sincerely. I reserve the last word for our Olive Greens  thank you Army for being there.

Gratitude is the hallmark of a healthy society. Let's overcome our fears and narrow interests. It's time to applaud the good, keep our conscience and walk with our heads high.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 28

A self-styled godman, Bhimanand Maharaj (original name Shiv Murat Dwivedi), of Chitrakoot has been arrested by the police for cheating a woman, a resident of Rohini, said a police official.

Recently the victim, Ritu had lodged a complaint at the Amar Colony Police Station that she has been cheated by Shiva, a resident of East of Kailash and one woman to the tune of Rs 30 lakh on the pretext of employing her and her siblings in IRCTC, the official said.

The FIR was registered and during investigation it was found that Shiva is a self-styled godman who had been arrested in 2010 for running a sex racket in Khanpur, South Delhi, and also booked under the MACOCA in the Saket Police Station.

Now he is yet again has been arrested and was interrogated.

He has admitted to his crime and said that after coming out of jail on bail, he would earn his bread and butter and would arrange money to contest his case of MACOCA by cheating unemployed youths with the help of Kankna Deb, a resident of Dwarka, who was also arrested, said DCP Romila Baniya (Souteast District).

"The police have seized documents and copy of appointment letter of IRCTC and many other appointment letters of various candidates of Assam Rifles, PWD, Northern Railways, Indian Air Force, FCI, MCD and stamps of Pravidhi India Recruitment Company. He is in police remand," added the DCP.

Dwivedi was known among his supporters as a spiritual teacher by day and a pimp by night.
The two biggest militaries of the continent have finally agreed to call off their standoff after two months. The fact that Prime Minister Modi will be rubbing shoulders with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a week may have been instrumental in ending the confrontation. The incident is a sad commentary on the lack of trust that has kept the two nations estranged for over half a century. Other forces too have happily played a role in keeping animosities bubbling and distrust alive. The unilateral walk back by the Indian Army confirms that the contest all along has been over Bhutan, long considered by China as a bee in its bonnet.

Ever since 1962, loyal Bhutan always stood by Indias side. Since India had a festering border dispute, it also kept dragging its border talks with China despite several blandishments including a seat on the UNSC. Nor did it permit China to open an embassy in Bhutan. For a country that aims to overtake the US, this Bhutanese demurral rankles and China did what it knows best  it tried to militarily pressurise Bhutan with a road at Doklam. The Indian Armys intervention sabotaged Chinas game plan, leading to the standoff and an unending cascade of angry remonstrations.

Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi would also have realised that this standoff was diminishing their political capital. Pseudo-nationalists on both sides were on the rise. Their high- pitched economic boycott call forced New Delhi to bend with the wind: anti-dumping duty was slapped on 93 Chinese products and its hot selling mobile phones are under the intelligence scanner. Xi is also under attack from his domestic opponents. A reverse on the border would have not only weakened his position at home but would have emboldened the South China Sea rivals to frontally tackle China. The strategic bad blood between India and China will continue. But for the moment, Xi and Modi were not willing to take a leap into the unknown.
Sirsa, August 28

Reports of unrest trickled in from Sirsa on Monday as followers set light to two cars minutes before Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced.

Violence was reported from Phoolka and Kotli villages in Sirsa. Unrest was also reported outside the Dera headquarters.

ANI reported that two cars were torched in the violence.

Dera chief was given two jail terms of 10 years for each of the rape case he was accused in  that is, he has been jailed for a total of 20 years. The two jail terms will run consecutively.

Indian Army held flag marches in Sirsa after a court passed Ram Rahim Singh's sentence.

Meanwhile, chief ministers of both Punjab and Haryana held separate review meetings. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh met Punjab Governor V. P. Singh Badnore over security arrangments in the state.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar held a high-level meeting with chief secretary, home secretary, and the state's DGP, among other people, to review the state's law and order.

Security had been beefed up in Sirsa hours before the sentence was announced on Monday.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Though the exodus of Dera followers from the sects headquarters in Sirsa started Saturday, several supporters of the self-styled godman are still present in and around the sprawling premises.

Locals have been asked to stay indoors as a preventive measure.

We have made appropriate arrangements to maintain law and order in the district, a senior police official said.

The district administration is also providing buses to facilitate the departure of Dera followers.

A multi-layer security cordon has been thrown around the Rohtak district jail, where the CBI special court judge will be flown to pronounce the quantum of sentence against convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh today.

50-year-old Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged in the Sunaira jail in Rohtak after being convicted of raping his two women followers by a special CBI court in Panchkula on Friday.  Agencies/ ANI
New Delhi, August 28

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday questioned Naeem and Naseem Geelani, sons of hardline Hurriyat chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani, in connection with its ongoing probe into terror funding by Pakistan-based terrorist groups to stoke unrest in the Kashmir valley.

An NIA official, requesting anonymity, told IANS that the brothers appeared at the NIA headquarters in central Delhi past 10 am.

Beside Geelani's sons, Ghulam Nabi Bhatt, a separatist leader, was also being questioned by the counter-terror agency.

On Saturday, the NIA had summoned Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front leader Noor Muhammad Kalwal to appear before it on Monday.

Kalwal, a close aide of JKLF chief Yaseen Malik, was one of the five militants released after the abduction of then Home Minister Mufti Sayeed's daughter in 1989.

On Thursday and Friday also, the NIA had questioned Geelani's sons for over seven hours.

This is the second time in a fortnight that the counter terror probe agency is grilling Geelani's sons. The agency had asked them to bring certain documents related to financial transactions that have come under its scanner.

Naeem, a doctor by profession, is seen as Geelani's natural heir while Naseem, the younger son, works at an agricultural university in Srinagar.

On Saturday, the NIA also carried out searches at the office of the company owned by Zahoor Watali, who was arrested on August 17 in Srinagar.

During the searches, the NIA recovered several incriminating documents pertaining to Watali's financial transactions.

Watali was arrested from Srinagar, a day after the NIA searched multiple locations in the Kashmir Valley, including the businessman's office and houses of his close relatives.

Watali, a prominent businessman close to separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, was arrested on charges of acting as a conduit for passing money received from Pakistan to militants, separatists and stone-pelters in the Kashmir Valley.

On July 24, the agency arrested seven separatist leaders in connection with its probe into terror funding from Pakistan and militant groups based there.

The arrested separatists include Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Shah and Shabir Shah, Nayeem Khan, Aftab Hilali Shah alias Shahid-ul-Islam, Ayaz Akbar Khandey, Peer Saifullah, Raja Mehrajuddin Kalwal and Farooq Ahmad Dar alias Bitta Karate.

They have been booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and waging war against India.

The NIA alleges that separatist leaders were receiving money from militant leaders in Pakistan including Hafiz Saeed, who heads the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa and banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

IANS
Even as questions are being raised on the levels and nature of disengagement, highly placed sources have told India Today that the 'disengagement is mutual and simultaneous'.

By Geeta Mohan: The 71-day old Doklam stand-off finally seems to have come to an end. On Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs announced in a press statement that both India and China on the basis of diplomatic engagements decided to 'disengage'.

"...expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going," said the MEA statement on 'Doklam Disengagement Understanding'.

advertisement

Even as questions are being raised on the levels and nature of disengagement, highly placed sources have told India Today that the 'disengagement is mutual and simultaneous'.

There was constant diplomatic engagement in the recent past, despite the Chinese war rhetoric, to cool tempers ahead of the BRICS Summit to be held in Xiamen, China in the first week of September where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to have bilateral talks. Both sides wanted a conducive environment for talks which wouldn't have been possible if tensions at the border continued. This also comes at a time when the Chinese President is looking to be re-elected at the 19th party Congress in November.

The MEA statement speaks of the continued engagement to de-escalate tensions. "In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests," the ministry's statement added.

While there has been a war of words between the two sides, India and China have kept communication open since the stand-off broke out at the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction in Doklam. And Bhutan also explicitly mentioned that the bilateral agreement between China and Bhutan had been violated through the 'unilateral' action by China of building road in Doklam.

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8 Raveesh Kumar (@MEAIndia) August 28, 2017

ALSO READ:

China media says Dera violence 'exposes India's problems' amid Doklam

Doklam standoff: Why Indian Army must prepare to beat back more Chinese incursions

Ajit Doval in Beijing: Why India, China have failed to resolve Doklam standoff

Doklam standoff will be resolved soon, confident China will take positive steps, says Rajnath Singh

WATCH: Doklam border standoff set to end after India-China strike deal to withdraw troops

--- ENDS ---
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 28

Justice Dipak Misra, the judge who held midnight court to decide the fate of Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon, was today sworn in as the 45th Chief Justice of India.

President Ramnath Kovind administered the oath of office to Justice Misra, the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, at a brief ceremony in the Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Sixty-four-year-old Justice Misra replaces Justice JS Khehar who demitted office on Sunday. His 13-month tenure will end on October 2, 2018. Many political personalities, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, congratulated him on taking over as the CJI. I congratulate Justice Dipak Misra on taking oath as the Chief Justice of India. I wish him the very best & a fruitful tenure, Modi tweeted.

Justice Misra takes over as the head of the judicial family at a time when a large number of vacancies exist in the 24 high courts with some working with almost half the judges they are supposed to have. For example, the Allahabad High Court has only 89 judges against sanctioned strength of 160.

He had invited criticism in November 2016 when he made it mandatory for cinema theatres to play the national anthem terming it a symbol of constitutional patriotism as many felt it was an act of judicial overreach. Enrolled as an advocate on 14th February, 1977, and having practised in constitutional, civil, criminal, revenue, service and sales tax matters in the Orissa High Court and the Service Tribunal, Justice Misra was appointed an Additional Judge of the Orissa High Court on 17th January, 1996.

He was transferred to the Madhya Pradesh High Court on 3rd March, 1997, and became a permanent judge on 19th December, 1997. Before being elevated to the top court on October 10, 2011, Justice Misra served as Chief Justice of the Patna High Court and the Delhi High Court. Known for his literary interest and use of flowery language during proceedings, Justice Misra often quotes English authors to defuse tense atmosphere created by serious arguments by lawyers.

He hit national headlines when he held court at midnight to decide the final petition of Mumbai serial blasts case convict Yakub Memon. It will be travesty of justice if the death warrant is stayed in a case of this nature, Justice Misra, who was heading a three-judge Bench, had said at 4.55 am after a 95-minute hearing in the wee hours on July 30, 2015. Two hours later, Memon was executed.

Besides sending Memon to the gallows, he is also known for many other important verdicts, including rejection of appeals filed by the four convicts of December 16, 2012 gangrape case against the death sentence awarded to them. The devilish manner in which the accused played with the victim is diabolical If ever a case called for hanging, this was it, a Bench headed by Justice Misra had said.

While deciding petitions filed by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a Bench headed by Justice Misra had refused to de-criminalise defamation.

Reputation of one cannot be allowed to be crucified at the altar of the others right of free speech. The legislature in its wisdom has not thought it appropriate to abolish criminality of defamation in the obtaining social climate, Justice Misra had said. During his tenure as CJI, Justice Misra is expected to decide many important cases, including the Ayodhya dispute and petitions challenging the validity of Article 35A of the Constitution that gives special rights to permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir. He is already seized of these two important cases. The issue of centralised system for selection of subordinate court judges, which was being dealt with by a Bench headed by his predecessor Justice Khehar, is also likely to get his attention.

But more than the judicial side, he might have a difficult task to handle on the administrative side. Justice Khehars failure to resolve the issue of Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of Supreme Court and High Court judges that will have to be tactfully handled to reach an amicable solution with the government, which is becoming more and more assertive with the judiciary.

In post for 13 months

Key cases he decided

Mumbai serial blasts: Justice Dipak Misra held midnight court to hand down death term to Yakub Memon

2012 delhi gangrape: Turned down the appeals filed by the four convicts of December 16, 2012, gangrape case against the death sentence awarded to them

criminalising defamation: Refused to de-criminalise defamation while hearing petitions by Congs Rahul Gandhi, BJPs Subramanian Swamy and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

Major tasks at hand
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 28

India and China today agreed to expeditious disengagement of border personnel at Doklam, bringing to an end a tense standoff since June 16 at the plateau located at the Sikkim-Bhutan-China tri-junction.

The announcement that the process of disengagement has since been almost completed under verification comes ahead of the September 3-5 BRICS Summit in China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the annual meeting of the multi-lateral grouping.

Edit: Border standoff

Emphasising that India always maintained it is only through diplomatic channels that differences on such matters can be addressed, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The MEA was responding to questions following reports quoting Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying that Indian soldiers and equipment had been pulled back to the Indian side of the border and the Chinese side continued to patrol the Doklam area. The Chinese side continues to uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity according to the historical convention, she said.

There was no mention by either side whether the construction of the road, which India objected to, would be stopped by China.

The dispute leading to a face-off at the border began after Indian troops stepped on to a territory held by Bhutan, preventing a Chinese team from constructing a road near the plateau. While New Delhi said it significantly changed the status quo having serious security implications for it, China insisted India must pull back its troops before any discussion.

Earlier, India announced that both sides maintained diplomatic communication and during these exchanges, New Delhi was able to express its views and convey its concerns and interests.

The MEA said Indias policy remained guided by the belief that peace and tranquility in the border areas was an essential prerequisite to further development of bilateral relationship.

Meanwhile, sources in the Indian Army said while its troops disengaged around noon, its operational alert across the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) will continue during the month.

Vigil will continue, the sources said, adding that operational moves on the Indian side would continue. China recently created a western theatre.

Concerns conveyed, says New Delhi

In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of incident at Doklam. We were able to express our views and convey concerns and interests... On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at face-off site has been agreed to, and is ongoing An MEA statement

India has pulled back: Beijing

On the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this... The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions  Chinese spokesperson
Strap: Breakthrough ahead of Modis BRICS Summit trip

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 28

India and China today agreed to expeditious disengagement of border personnel at Doklam, bringing to an end a tense standoff since June 16 at the plateau located at the Sikkim-Bhutan-China tri-junction.

The announcement that the process of disengagement has since been almost completed under verification comes ahead of the September 3-5 BRICS Summit in China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend the annual meeting of the multi-lateral grouping.

Emphasising that India always maintained it is only through diplomatic channels that differences on such matters can be addressed, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said: Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected.

The MEA was responding to questions seeking clarity following reports from Beijing quoting Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying that Indian soldiers and equipment had been pulled back to the Indian side of the border and the Chinese side continued to patrol the Doklam area. The Chinese side continues to uphold sovereignty and territorial integrity according to the historical convention, she said.

There was no mention by either side whether the construction of the road, which India objected to, would be stopped by China.

The dispute leading to a face-off at the border began after Indian troops stepped on to a territory held by Bhutan, preventing a Chinese team from constructing a road near the plateau. While New Delhi said it significantly changed the status quo having serious security implications for it, China insisted India must pull back its troops before any discussion.

Earlier, India announced that both sides maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the Doklam incident and during these exchanges, New Delhi was able to express its views and convey its concerns and interests.

The MEA said Indias policy remained guided by the belief that peace and tranquility in the border areas was an essential prerequisite to further development of bilateral relationship.

It recalled that both India and China had agreed in Astana, when Modi met Chinese President Xi Jingping in early June, that differences should not be allowed to become disputes and Sino-Indian relations must remain stable. We look forward to continuing engagement with the Chinese side on this basis, it said.

Meanwhile, sources in the Indian Army said while its troops disengaged around noon, its operational alert across the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control (LAC) will continue during the month.

Vigil will continue, the sources said, adding operational moves on the Indian side would continue. China recently created western theatre with 15-16 divisions and each having 12,000-14,000 troops, while India has 14 divisions facing China.

Box

India has pulled back: Beijing

On the afternoon of August 28, the Indian side pulled back all Indian troops and equipment to the Indian side of the boundary and the Chinese personnel have verified this... The Chinese side will continue to exercise its sovereignty and uphold its territorial integrity in accordance with historical conventions

 Chinese spokesperson

Concerns conveyed: Delhi

In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests... On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to, and is ongoing

 An MEA statement
Sunit Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, August 27

A tense atmosphere prevailed in Rohtak on the eve of the sentencing of Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is lodged in the Sunaria jail here. The town has been turned into a fortress with a massive deployment of security forces.

Curfew had not yet been clamped even though Section 144 of the CrPC (prohibiting assembly of more than four people in an area) remained in force. Around 1,500 policemen along with 23 companies of Central paramilitary forces had been deployed and the Army had been put on alert.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Elaborate security arrangements have been made around the Sunaria jail complex located on the outskirts of the town. Numerous checkpoints, manned by paramilitary and police personnel, have been set up at strategic points.

Public transport to Rohtak has been suspended to check the possibility of dera followers entering the town, while traffic from roads leading to the prison has been diverted to alternative routes.

Haryana ADGP (Law and Order) Muhammad Akil and IGP (CID) Anil Kumar Rao reviewed the arrangements and took stock of the situation today.

We are fully prepared to ensure law and order in view of the pronouncement of judgment against the dera chief tomorrow. As many as 10 premises of the dera located in the range have been evacuated and sealed, and nearly 100 dera followers placed under preventive detention, said Rohtak range IGP Navdeep Singh Virk at a news conference.

The Deputy Commissioner has asked people to refrain from coming to Rohtak tomorrow unless it is urgent. He advised people to carry their valid IDs and other documents. Those failing to produce IDs/documents would be taken into custody, he added.
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 27

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Central government on a petition challenging recently promulgated rules allowing the government to select members of various tribunals.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar on Friday asked the government to respond to the petition filed by Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) Bar Association founding president Navdeep Singh, who wanted the top court to strike down the impugned rules.

He has challenged the validity of provisions of The Tribunal, Appellate Tribunal and other Authorities (Qualifications, Experience and other Conditions of Service of Members) Rules, 2017.

Singh cited the example of the AFT that has been placed under the complete hold of the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which is the first opposite party in every case before the tribunal dealing with service matters of armed forces personnel. The petitioner objected to the Defence Secretary being made a part of the selection committee for appointing AFT members.

Terming it a case of a litigant (i.e. MoD) selecting its own adjudicators, Singh sought to highlight the fact that the Centre notified the rules despite orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the contrary.

Defence related cases have increased from 9,000 to 16,000 after creation of the AFT, it was submitted. The petitioner also challenged the clause decreasing the tenure of members and lowering their status and a new provision allowing them to take up government employment after retirement from the tribunal, which was prohibited till now.

He pointed out that the new rules went against the views expressed by the Prime Minister and the Law Minister, who made statements favouring independence of tribunals. The emphasis on expertise in tribunals was overemphasised since judicial opinion is through assistance from both sides of the dispute through counsel or through expert opinions, and for the same, the expert need not sit as an adjudicator, which can result in subjectivity and over-familiarity rather than a dispassionate and detached approach, it said.

Questioning excessive tribunalisation at the cost of regular judiciary, it demanded a roadmap for reforming tribunals and returning certain jurisdictions back to regular courts.
Naveen S Garewal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27

The situation in Haryana continued to be tense but peaceful ahead of tomorrows sentencing of convicted Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case. Senior officials said foolproof arrangements had been made for the pronouncement of sentence at 2.30 pm by CBIs Special Judge-cum-Panchkula Additional District and Sessions Judge Jagdeep Singh at a makeshift court in the Rohtak district jail.

Edit: Enough, Mr Khattar

Director General of Police BS Sandhu said mischievous elements would not be allowed to vitiate peace, and that the state police, paramilitary forces and the Army were closely monitoring the situation. The judge would be flown in from Panchkula in a helicopter. Dera supporters would not be allowed to enter Rohtak tomorrow, the Rohtak Range IG said.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Curfew remained imposed in Sirsa where the Army was deployed on August 25. Sirsa houses the dera headquarters, spread over 800 acres. The curfew was relaxed from 7 am to 11 am today even as the authorities tried to evacuate dera followers from the premises in Haryana Roadways buses. The dera houses five colonies and about 10,000 people permanently reside inside.

Of the 110 nam charcha ghars in Haryana, 103 had been sanitised and several sealed to prevent unlawful assembly. The 10 such ghars in the Rohtak range had been put under surveillance.

Meanwhile, Haryana and Punjab today extended the suspension of mobile Internet services till Tuesday. Educational institutions at most sensitive places, including Panchkula, will remain shut.

The Haryana DGP said the death toll in the August 25 violence had risen to 38. Of these, 32 casualties had been reported from Panchkula and six from Sirsa. Sixteen victims had so far been identified.

In Punjab, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today toured the Malwa region to assess the security situation there. He urged calm and warned those who tried to vitiate the atmosphere.

Makeshift court

CBI judge will hand down the sentence at a makeshift court in Sunaria jail, Rohtak, where dera chief is lodged

Only he and a few lawyers will be allowed inside the court

The jail is located on outer Ring Road adjacent to Police Training College

Spokesmen booked

The Haryana Police have booked dera spokesmen Aditya Insan and Dhiman Insan on charges of sedition. The two were seen talking to supporters outside the CBI court in Panchkula prior to the verdict. The police said they would investigate their role in inciting violence.
Washington, August 27

Hopeful that India and China can negotiate a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Doklam standoff, a senior Donald Trump administration official has said the US supports return of status quo of the tri-junction point.

India and China have been locked in a standoff for over two months in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector. The faceoff began after Indian troops stopped Chinese military from building a road in the area.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

We are monitoring the (Doklam) situation very carefully. We are concerned. We hope that the two sides can negotiate a peaceful resolution to the issue. We support return to the status quo, the official said.

Were also concerned about Bhutanese sovereignty issues. Were concerned in general terms about sovereignty issues and adherence to international law. I think that certainly pertains to this particular issue, the official said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of confrontation between India and China.

Even as Chinese officials and the state-run media have increased rhetoric over the past few months, India, which has taken a mature and strong stand against Beijing, is believed has not reached out to the US on this issue, according to experts. However, as a close friend the US has been closely monitoring the situation.

We hope that India and China can find a negotiated solution to return to a peaceful state of affairs in the area. We are just watching it very carefully and we are in conversation with the Indian government about the issues. We stand ready to help if that is desired. But, for the time being, were monitoring the situation carefully, the official said.

The official, however, quickly clarified that there has been no such request from India and there is no such intention on the part of the United States as well. What kind of help? You said ready to help, the official was asked.

Well, you know, I think its for India and China to decide if that was necessary. I think for the time being the US is monitoring the situation very closely and very carefully, the official said.

You know, it (the US) sees it as a bilateral issue between India and China to work through. But certainly, we are interested in seeing peaceful relations prevail in the region. So, if theres anything the US can do to help that situation, we stand ready to assist, the official added.  PTI

Such incidents may rise, need to be wary

The recent standoff in the Doklam plateau by the Chinese side attempting to change the status quo are issues that we need to be wary about, and I think such kind of incidents are likely to increase in the future It is always better to be prepared and alert than think that this will not happen again. So my message to troops is that do not let your guard down  General Bipin Rawat, Army Chief
Trump will fail unless he is able to cut or at least severely damage the umbilical cord between the Taliban and Pakistan.

On August 21, US President Donald Trump outlined his much-awaited Afghanistan policy in a televised speech to troops at Fort Myer, Virginia. The key takeaways from the speech were:

Instead of troop numbers and timetables for withdrawal, the ground conditions in Afghanistan would determine strategy.

Expanded authority to ground-level commanders to hunt down terrorists instead of micromanagement from Washington DC.

Open warning to Pakistan for its duplicitous role in Afghanistan.

No 'blank check' for US presence in Afghanistan.

Trump has come a long way since his 2012 tweet that 'Afghanistan is a complete waste. Time to come home!' He justified this additional deployment on the grounds that the 'consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and unacceptable. A hasty withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda, would hastily fill'. In reality, Trump's room to manoeuvre was restricted. Given the Taliban victories in 2017 and the heavy casualties among Afghan security forces (average of 31 personnel killed daily), not doing anything was hardly an option. Neither was leaving since it could potentially, as Trump put it, 'create a vacuum for terrorists, including ISIS and Al Qaeda'.

advertisement

Tilak Devasher

The key to 4,000 additional troops making a difference is, of course, Pakistan acting against the terrorist sanctuaries on its territories. In this context, Trump's warning to Pakistan was direct and ominous:

'We can no longer be silent about Pakistan's safe havens for terrorist organisations, the Taliban and other groups that pose a threat to the region and beyond.'

'We have been paying Pakistan billions and billions of dollars, at the same time they are housing the very terrorists that we are fighting. That will have to change and that will change immediately.'

'No partnership can survive a country's harbouring of militants and terrorists who target US service members and officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to civilisation, order and to peace.'

These words are stronger than any used in the past by US presidents. It remains to be seen what mix of options the Trump administration would use to force Pakistan to cooperate. These could range from a major reduction in bilateral-multilateral aid to conducting enhanced drone strikes in Pakistan, like the one on Taliban chief Mullah Mansur in May 2016, to declaring Pakistan a terrorist state. The expected backlash from Pakistan, like closing the Ground Lines of Communications (GLOCs), would be something the US would have to factor in and develop alternatives to supply its troops in Afghanistan.

President Trump's reference to further developing a strategic partnership with India and asking India to provide additional economic assistance and development to Afghanistan would raise Pakistan's hackles even more.

However, in a bizarre manner, Trump linked this to India making 'billions of dollars in trade with the United States'. Linking Afghanistan to US-India trade is a puzzle that will keep pundits preoccupied. Both Presidents Bush and Obama failed in getting Pakistan to cooperate: they depended on Pakistan's help to defeat the Taliban while Pakistan duplicitously continued to bankroll the Taliban with American funds. Trump will fail too unless he is able to cut or at least severely damage the umbilical cord between the Taliban and Pakistan. His speech highlights that the US realises the Pakistan dilemma. The question is whether he can translate the tough words into action.

-Tilak Devasher is the author of Pakistan: Courting the Abyss and former special secretary, Cabinet Secretariat.

--- ENDS ---
Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 27

The BJP will approach the forthcoming Assembly elections in Gujarat and Karnataka elections under

the leadership of the expected candidates  Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Karnataka chief BS Yeddyurappa.

However, the party leadership continues to remain undecided on whether to name a chief ministerial candidate for Himachal Pradesh, which goes to the polls with Gujarat, or follow the successful Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand models  depending on Prime Minister Narendra Modis name and image.

BJP chief Amit Shah recently appointed eight ministers as in charge of Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. For Himachal Pradesh, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawar Chand Gehlot is the points-person and top leaders in the party say deliberations were on and the call on the critical issue would be taken soon.

In Himachal, the party has been out of power for five years and has to take care of several factors, including the fate of 73-year-old former BJP Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and deep divisions in the local leadership.

Though speculations continue that Union Minister JP Nadda may be projected as the party face in Himachal, it remains to be seen whether PM Modi would agree to relieve another member of his Cabinet after Manohar Parrikar and Sarbananda Sonowal.

A section believes the Chief Minister face should be someone actively connected with local politics like Satpal Singh Satti, Jairam Thakur or RSS man Ajay Jamwal. Another point of view is that projecting a chief ministerial candidate could lead to problems, given the factionalism in the state leadership.

The party move to approach Assembly elections under the leadership of the Prime Minister has been successful in most states, except Bihar. Meanwhile, after Kiran Bedi in Delhi and Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam, Yeddyurappa is the third person to be confirmed by the BJP as its face before elections. While Delhi proved to be a disaster, Sonowal went on to become the Chief Minister in Assam.

So far as Yeddyurappa is concerned, the former Karnataka Chief Minister holds the key to the BJP strategy to woo Lingayats and reclaim the southern state. Meanwhile, Rupani is the incumbent Chief Minister. And as per the BJPs existing policy, it prefers to go with the incumbent Chief Minister in the state where it is in power.

No decision on Himachal
Tribune Reporters

Muktsar, August 27

The last rites of four persons, who were killed during the violence in Panchkula on Friday, were performed today.

Lovepreet Singh (16), who had gone to Panchkula with his aunt, was cremated at his native village Thehri near Malout amid tight security. He had gone to his aunts house at Mohanpura village in Rajasthans Sriganganagar district about a week ago.

Meanwhile, the body of another deceased from the district, Gurpiar Singh (40), is yet to reach his native village Abul Khurana. Those, who had gone to bring the body from Panchkula, said the post-mortem was conducted late in the evening today.

Fazilka: Dera follower Aman Gagneja (22) was cremated in the districts Tahliwala Bodla village. His body reached the village on Saturday night. Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Mukhtiar Singh, DSP and tehsildar were present at the cremation.

Aman had a mobile phone shop at the village bus stand.

Sources said he had been associated with the dera for the past four years. Members of his family, too, were dera followers.

In Fridays violence, a bullet hit his back; he died on spot.

Sources said another follower Manga Singh (28) of Mahuana Bodla village was admitted to hospital in Chandigarh. He had sustained injuries during the violence.

Sangrur: There was a heavy police deployment for the cremation of two dera followers in Moonak and Barnala.

The bodies of Uggar Sain (40) from Dhudike village near Moonak and Jagrup Singh from Barnalas Badbar village were consigned to flames.

Jagrups relatives told the media he had gone to Panchkula on August 24 after getting a call from other followers.

The body of Ranjit Singh (28) from Lehra was expected to reach the city in the evening.

The situation is under control in the district, but we do not want to take any chances. So, the police have been deployed in Lehra and Moonak, said SSP Mandeep Sidhu.
Gagandeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 27

Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today said the state government would not give any compensation to the families of dera followers who were killed in the Panchkula carnage in the wake of the court verdict against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

The victims had illegally assembled in Panchkula, hence there was no question of any compensation, he said, while addressing the media during his visit to the city.

PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and DGP Suresh Arora were accompanying him.

Besides Bathinda, the Chief Minister toured the areas of Mansa, Maur, Balluana (Bathinda rural), Gidderbaha and Malout, where he met people and security forces to thank them for ensuring complete law and order amid mounting tension on Friday.

The CM stopped his cavalcade at every chowk from Mansa to Muktsar via Bathinda and offered fruit to the security personnel.

Haryana to blame

Amarinder accused the Haryana Government of negligence in maintaining law and order. Responding to a question, he said the Haryana CM had made no attempt to get in touch with him even though the Punjab intelligence agencies were regularly providing their counterparts in the neighbouring state with all inputs.

He said the state government had started assessing the damage to public property, for which the dera would have to pay.

We have deployed security at all Naam Charcha Ghars in Punjab. No follower will be allowed to enter the premises till the situation turns normal, the CM said.

He said the government had pressed into service 200 buses and trucks to ferry home around 30,000 Premis returning from Panchkula.

The day curfew in the area had been lifted and the district administrations would review the situation to lift restrictions at night in a day or two, he said.

Up to Centre to order probe

Amarinder said it was up to the Centre to order a probe into the collapse of law and order that led to violence in Panchkula and other parts of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi on Friday. He, however, welcomed the Prime Ministers strong condemnation of the violence.

Blast victims kin meet CM

Maur bomb blast victims families on Sunday met the Chief Minister at Maur. They told him that the compensation announced at the time of the incident had not been given to them so far.

They also complained about the Deputy Commissioners apathetic attitude towards their plight. The blast had rocked Maur a few days before the February 4 Assembly elections.
Tribune news Service

Chandigarh, August 27

The state has ordered closure of all government and private schools, colleges and technical institutions in 13 sensitive districts of Malwa tomorrow.

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh took the decision in view of tension in the region

A spokesperson for the Chief Ministers office said today DCs of the 13 districts  Muktsar, Bathinda, Barnala, Mansa, Sangrur, Patiala, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga, Ludhiana, Mohali and Fatehgarh Sahib  had been asked to declare a holiday in educational institutions in areas to avoid inconvenience to students due to erratic bus service.

Curfew lifted in Moga, Baghapurana towns

Moga: The district administration today lifted curfew at the district headquarters in Moga and Baghapurana town till further orders.

But all the shops werent opened. A huge rush of people was seen purchasing essential commodities. Petrol pumps saw long queues.

Government and private buses did not ply. Train services also remained suspended.

Newspaper hawkers said they were not allowed by the police to distribute newspapers in the morning even after the curfew was lifted at 6 am. It was only after heated arguments between the hawkers and the police that they were allowed to distribute the newspapers.

Meanwhile, the state police and paramilitary forces carried out a joint flag march in Moga, Baghapurana, Dharamkot and Nihalsinghwala towns to instil confidence in the people.

The spokesman for the administration said the ban on assembly of five or more persons and carrying of arms in public would continue till further orders.
Raj Sadosh

Abohar, August 27

The police on a tip-off raided a place in Himmatpura village here and arrested six dera followers  Jaspal Singh, Surjit Singh, Charan Singh, Pappu Singh, Rajinder Kumar and Virender Pratap  under Section 188 of the IPC.

Claiming that they were planning to damage public property following the conviction of the dera chief, the police have also booked eight others  Sukhdev Singh, Jit Pal Singh, Manga Singh, Balbir Singh, Avtar Singh, Davinder Singh, Ritu Ghumiar and Sattu.

Naam Charcha Ghars in Subhash Nagar, Balluana, Khuyiansarwer and Kikkarkhera have been locked.

The Radhasoami sect today cancelled its weekly congregation in the local satsang complexes as well as in rural areas in the sub-division in view of the prevailing situation.

Vendors on the circular road resumed their business after a two-day break but the number of customers was poor as vegetable and fruit supplies have not been received from Delhi and Sriganganagar for three days.

Some shops also reopened today but main roads continued to wear a deserted look. Stranded passengers were spotted inquiring from private travel companies about the availability of buses around the main bus stand here. But they were disappointed as bus and train services are still not available.

Telephone exchange fire: Two arrested

Sangrur: The police have arrested two persons for setting the Sular Gharat telephone exchange on fire on August 25. The police are conducting raids to arrest the other accused. We have arrested Gurdeep Singh and Mandeep Dass. We have seized a motorcycle and an empty bottle that they used to torch the telephone exchange, said Mandeep Sidhu, SSP. TNS

32 booked in Ferozepur

Ferozepur: In all, 32 persons have been booked in 12 cases here on the charge of violating Section 144 of the CrPC. They face charges under Section 188 of the IPC. The SSP, Gaurav Garg, said another FIR had been registered against two persons for allegedly throwing stones at a petrol pump in Zira sub-division. They were booked under Section 427 of the IPC. The police have also booked petrol pump owners for selling fuel in bottles and cans, which the administration had banned, he added. The DC, Ramvir, said the curfew had been lifted. OC

Revenue Official in dock

Faridkot: The police on Sunday booked a revenue official for demolishing a Saanjh Kendra at Ratti Rorri village of Faridkot on August 25 and attempting to set it on fire. Kaur Singh, a patwari, is one of the 15 members of the Sacha Sauda Dera committee. He has been associated with the dera for long. He was working as a in the department. Now, he has been placed under suspension. Khem Chand Prashar, SHO, Kotkapura Sadar, some miscreants on August 25 had demolished the Saanjh Kendra in Ratti Rorri village and hurled petrol bombs at it. TNS
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 27

FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO), the womens business wing of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) is contemplating setting up its chapter in Dehradun, which will be its 14th chapter in the country.

We currently have chapters in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mumbai, North East and Pune and now we plan to open our 14th chapter in Dehradun, said Vasvi Bharat Ram, president, FLO.

Uttarakhand has emerged as a significant destination for investment in manufacturing industry, tourism and education, Vasvi added.

With over 34 years of experience, FLO has been promoting entrepreneurship and professional excellence in women through various workshops and capacity building programmes and working to facilitate inclusion of womens talents and energies across all sectors and levels of economic activity, Vasvi observed.

Vasvi also met Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and informed him about an all-women-car rally with message of Beti Bachao Beti Padao to be organised in Dehradun shortly. They also appealed the Chief Minister to flag off this rally, which was accepted by the latter.
Islamabad, August 27

Pakistans former President Asif Ali Zardari has been acquitted by an anti-corruption court in an old corruption case in which he was accused of possessing illegal assets.

Zardaris counsel Farooq H Naek requested for acquittal of Zardari and Justice Khalid Mahmood Ranjha NAB court accepted it. He said the most of the documents presented against Zardari were in photocopies and unacceptable. He also said most of the witnesses said they did not remember most of the details as it was an old case. Finally, the judge acquitted the former president.

Zardaris daughter took to social media to celebrate the verdict: While IK (Imran Khan) and NS (Nawaz Sharif) hide from NAB, my father Asif Ali Zardaris last pending case has just been acquitted. Faced 11+ years without a single conviction.  PTI
Houston, August 27

Hurricane Harvey left a trail of destruction as it swept through Texas today, pummelling the region with heavy rains and claiming at least five lives since making landfall on the US Gulf Coast.

After a night of flash flood and tornado watch, Houston woke up to a catastrophic morning, yet more life-threatening flash flooding, heavy downpour as rescuers answered desperate calls for help all along the ravaged Texas coastline.

The actual toll from Harvey remains unclear as rescuers were still trying to reach people stranded across the region.

But the National Weather Service (NWS) said five people lost their lives in the Houston area in unconfirmed flood- related deaths. Fourteen people have also been injured.

The hurricane dumped more than 20 inches of rain in the Houston area, causing life-threatening catastrophic flooding in southeastern Texas, The National Hurricane Centre reported.

President Donald Trump this morning tweeted his support for the rescue workers. Great coordination between agencies at all levels of government, he said. Continuing rains and flash floods are being dealt with. Thousands rescued. I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety, he said in another tweet.

Earlier, authorities had reported two deaths that appeared to be related to the storm, one in the hart-hit coastal city of Rockport and another in Houston. The first fatality in Rockport was due to a house fire during the storm.

Though there were multiple hazards present across the area, the greatest threat to life and property remained the ongoing extreme rainfall and subsequent flash flooding.

Tornadoes spawned by Harvey damaged more than 50 homes in Fort Bend County, struck a commercial centre near Katy and tore through Cypress, while parts of the Houston region were evacuated ahead of record river floods.

Forecasters said Harveys onslaught was just the beginning. The National Hurricane Centre in Miami warned catastrophic flooding was likely to occur in the days ahead.

Harvey bombarded the stretch of the Texas Gulf Coast with home-ripping winds and torrential rains. More than 300,000 people were without power after utility poles were knocked to the ground.

Parts of Harris County, which includes Houston, have seen more than 20 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. The streets in Houston were drenched and deserted and houses crushed, gas stations torn to shreds, road signs blown away. This is serious... It is important that people stay off the roads, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. He said the city is prepared for a major water event.  PTI

Most powerful to hit america in 13 years
London, August 27

Indians were among six men and two women killed in a major accident in which their mini bus got crushed between two trucks on a highway in southern England. The crash occurred on the southbound M1 highway at Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire in the wee hours of yesterday.

All those who died were travelling in the minibus, which got crushed between the two larger vehicles. We are extending all possible assistance to those affected by this tragedy, the Indian High Commission in London said.

The two truck drivers arrested from the scene of the accident were charged with causing death by dangerous driving this morning.

The driver of the minibus has been identified as India- born Cyriac Joseph. The others in his minibus were tourists from Chennai who had reportedly hired the vehicle along with family based in Nottingham to travel to London, from where they had plans to go on a tour of Europe.  PTI
Washington, August 27

Americas security aid to Pakistan will be conditioned on the steps Islamabad takes against terrorist groups such as the Taliban and the Haqqani network, a senior Trump administration official has said.

There have been long standing relationships between the Pakistani intelligence officials and these terrorist groups. So, we dont expect things to change overnight. We expect incremental changes over time, the official told PTI.

His comments came days after US President Donald Trump hit out at Pakistan for providing safe havens to agents of chaos that kill Americans in Afghanistan and warned Islamabad that it has much to lose by harbouring terrorists.

We will be able to see when these changes start to happen. They (might) not become immediately apparent to the public, but were confident that when Pakistan takes the steps were asking it to do, well know it and well be able to assess. And so, our security aid will be conditioned on the steps that we expect them to take against, in particular, the Taliban-Haqqani Network, the official said .

The United States, the official said, is monitoring the situation carefully in Pakistan and expects some progress. It wouldnt be appropriate for me to give exact timelines that were dealing in. But, certainly there is an expectation that well start to see some changes in the very near future, the official said when asked if the Trump administration has set a time line for progress in action being taken by Pakistan against the terrorist groups.

The official was responding to a series of question on the statements coming out of Pakistan, which are generally in strong opposition to the Trumps South Asia strategy.

How do you see Pakistans reaction? Do you think that they would be, given these kind of reactions thats coming up in public domain, think they will be cooperating this time with you on counter-terrorism issues? the official was asked.

I think the President was very clear that we are going to take a different approach to that stand. Theres a lot of frustration (in the US) with the continued safe havens in Pakistan. But we believe there is hope for greater cooperation from Pakistan on these issues. Its Pakistans choice, the official said.  PTI
Although the agency banned the use of drones in October 2014, airport officials claim that every month, nearly 6-7 cases of pilots getting distracted by different objects are reported.

As many as 15 flights were diverted and over 20 delayed after a drone-like object was spotted at Delhias IGI Airport last week.

By Shashank Shekhar: Despite deploying over 20 teams to track an unmanned flying object that disrupted operations at the Delhi Airport for two hours last week, the Delhi police couldn't track its operators. Security experts claim that it is 'herculean task' to nab the drone operator near airport due to fast moving traffic and several wedding venues where drones are 'illegally' used to film aerial shots.

advertisement

However, it is believed that most drones sighted by the pilots during landing and take-off are the ones used by wedding photographers. These drones are hired to capture a bird-eye view of weddings that take place near the airport.

NOT THE FIRST INCIDENT

Airport officials claim that every month, nearly 6-7 cases of pilots getting distracted by different objects are reported. The restriction of flying drones has hit the photographers as many resorts that are hotspot wedding destinations are based in the vicinity of the airport and flights are at a very low height there.

The agency banned the use of drones for commercial purposes in October 2014. It came out with a draft policy for operations of drones in April 2016, which brought some cheer for the industry.

AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Mail Today found that despite a ban on aerial photography through drone in the airport area, wedding photographers are willing to take risk for extra money. This reporter called wedding photographers in Delhi and NCR and asked for a cinematographer for a wedding at a posh venue near IGI airport. Almost all photographers claimed that flying drone is restricted in such venues, and yet most of them agreed to use the drone for extra money and a few other conditions. "Flying drones is banned in the farmhouses located near IGI Airport. We can do it for you but it will cost more than the regular fee," said a Rohini-based wedding photographer.

His service came with a rider that could only film aerial shots for a maximum of 40 minutes during the evening time. "I will have to dismantle it after every 10 minutes so that does not get tracked. We will charge Rs35,000 for one function," added the photographer.

Some photographers cited surprise police raid, giving examples of how this month police seized a drone which was being using in one wedding. Some agreed to take the bird eye-view with the drone on the condition that they won't take it above 40 feet. Some also requested not to disclose the use of drone to anyone.

advertisement

"There are mechanisms that can check unidentified flying objects. But tracking it on the ground is a problem as it has the capacity to fly at a high speed and can be easily taken from one place to another due to its high range, while the tracking team will take time to reach. In most cases in the past, investigation hit a dead end," said a senior security officer on condition of anonymity.

Delhi Police have strictly asked all the venues near the airport to restrict the usage of any items that can create hurdles in air operations. "We have given instructions to all venues to tell their customers in advance that flying drones is illegal. Our police teams patrol the venue and even inspect them during the wedding season," a senior Delhi police official said.

Also Read

Drones, geo-tagging, big data: Narendra Modi's governance is tech-friendly

Modi-Trump meet: India eyes US surveillance drones to keep watch on Chinese navy

--- ENDS ---
This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced.

That was the tweet heard round the world from the National Weather Service at 10:44 CDT Sunday morning, describing the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey on Houston and other areas of south Texas.

Full list of road closings from Texas DOT: http://traffic.houstontranstar.org/roadclosures/#highwater

As of Sunday, hundreds of roads were closed and thousands had been rescued from unprecedented flooding, as what was now a tropical storm stalled over the Lone Star state, dumping band after band of torrential rain. Some spots are expected to get more than 50 inches  thats more than 4 feet of water.

Sunday morning, as local TV station KHOU 11 News was flooding and had to evacuate, KHOU reporter Brandi Smith and photographer Mario Sandoval remained out in the field, transmitting live feeds from the north side of Houston. There they flagged down a rescue for a truck driver trapped in the rising waters. Smith remained broadcasting as they waited for the sheriffs rescue boat to reach the truck and pull the driver from the window to safety.

Five reported killed by Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston area, US National Weather Service says https://t.co/jTNzijU3ZQ  BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 27, 2017

Trucking sends relief

H-E-B, a Texas-based grocery chain, announced it will donate $100,000 toward Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and already dispatched a 15-vehicle convoy that includes two mobile kitchens, water and fuel tankers, portable generators, emergency grocery supplies and equipment.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has suspended certain commercial regulations in Texas and Louisiana, including hours of service, for drivers providing direct assistance for hurricane relief under regulation 49 CFR 390.5. Drivers responding to provide "direct assistance" to the emergency are exempt from applicable regulations in all states on their route to the emergency, not just Texas and Louisiana.

Craig Fuller, Founder of Xpress Direct (on-demand division of US Xpress), writes on Freightwaves.com that over the course of four years of major hurricane activity, my division handled in excess of 20,000 shipments and billed over $100M in revenue in disaster relief loads alone (we had a much larger on-demand business- but disaster relief was significant for us).

He offered insights and tips for fleets wanting to get involved in the relief effort.

There will be thousands of loads, if not more.

You will sit. When you get to the relief site, no one will have a clue what to do with you or be able to tell you where to go. Expect that there will be hundreds of other trucks waiting around with you for further instructions.

Expect cell service to be poor.

Make sure you get a daily detention rate built into your confirmation sheets. FEMA pays detention.

Get everything in writing.

If you take a load from a broker- expect the payment to be very very slow.

And, as part of comments added from a driver experienced with delivering relief loads, drivers should be prepared with things like dried or canned food, bottled water, plans for what to do about toilet needs, etc.

Many roads are underwater around Houston as flooding rain from #Harvey continues fall across the city. #HoustonFlood https://t.co/QCgOWE7ZYM pic.twitter.com/dBnSMSJyVo  AccuWeather (@breakingweather) August 27, 2017

Fuel Prices Expected to Rise

The hurricane also could have far-reaching effects on the nations fuel prices. About 1 million barrels a day of crude refining capacity in Texas have been shut down, according to published reports.

Tom Kloza with the Oil Price Information Service tweeted Sunday evening, Fasten seatbelts for wild 9th inning of the driving season. Gasoline futures up 10cts and Gulf Coast prices could triple those gains Monday.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet
Canada geese sat on the bank of the Arkansas River at River West Festival Park. They let out a honk, and when they did Kim Fowlers eyes filled with tears.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, she quoted on the foggy and damp morning.

Who did unto Kim Fowler? Ellen Stackable and her mother, Jean Miller. They read a recent story in the Tulsa World about Fowler, who loves bird watching, but is only able to watch them at a QuikTrip near her apartment on Southwest Boulevard due to a mobility scooter that doesnt work well. Fowler didnt have the money to even have someone look at the scooter to tell her what was wrong with it.

Miller, 90, had a like-new scooter. It was a nice one with shocks, and it even had a headlight. Miller used it for about a year, but only inside. When Miller moved to Montereau Retirement Community, she started using a wheelchair and a walker. So, Stackable listed the scooter to sell it.

After reading the Tulsa Worlds story about Fowler and her nearly broken-down scooter, Stackable called her mom. Miller had read the story, too. I want to give it (the scooter) to her, she told her daughter.

Stackable is a teacher at Tulsa School of Arts and Sciences. When the school burned down in 2012, she remembers how nice it was when someone donated something new, or in very good condition. She thought of Fowler and says, She deserves something brand new. The sentiment was confirmed when she took the scooter to Fowler. A security guard at LaFortune Tower told her, This couldnt have happened to a better person. I cant think of anyone more deserving.

Miller and Stackable probably could have gotten close to a thousand dollars for the scooter if it had sold, but Miller, who worked as a social worker, has always liked helping people. Its hard to help someone when youre pretty invalid yourself, Stackable said about her mother. She added, It delighted her to be able do something so tangible.

Fowler had always wanted to go to the river to see the other kinds of birds she could spot. Despite living less than a mile from the water, she was scared to try and find it. I showed her how to get there. As she pulled up, she shrieked, Ah, so beautiful, I love geese! I just love them! She moved closer to the river, Man thats a swarm of geese down there!

Fowler asked me to record a thank you for Stackable and Miller. Im very thankful for the blessing they gave me. Its truly beautiful, and this new chair is a true blessing to me.

When she heard about the thank-you message, Stackable was touched, and said We were just so happy to do it for her.
The founder of the Peace of Mind bookstore and its associated church and massage parlor could return to Tulsa County District Court to re-litigate a civil case after the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals vacated a judgment that ordered him to pay nearly $260,000 in damages to the church.

Barry Bilder, former lead minister for the Church of Holistic Science, had a default judgment entered against him in September 2015 after more than four years of litigation that alleged he and church member Gail Rose repeatedly interfered with operations after Bilder was removed from his post.

But in a ruling earlier this month, the appellate court tossed that judgment because it found District Judge Linda Morrissey abused her discretion when she oversaw proceedings in the case while Bilder had a pending motion to have her disqualified. Bilder, who wasnt present in court on the day of his scheduled jury trial, argued in his appeal that he did not have adequate notice of the consequences of not attending.

Tulsa attorney Bill Wilkinson, who represented the nondenominational church, filed a brief last year asking the ruling to stand because of his clients belief the damages awarded are appropriate. Wilkinson also asserted Bilder had sufficient notice of a possible default judgment because the Sept. 21, 2015, date was discussed at a pretrial conference and put on an associated order.

Bilder filed motions multiple times asking that Morrissey be recused from the matter, most recently on Aug. 31, 2015. Once Morrissey denied that request, he took his petition to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, which issued a ruling at 11:19 a.m. Sept. 21. Proceedings in the case began at 10:40 a.m. that day.

The Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals found Morrissey did not make any notes in the court record to show trial proceedings would be stayed or rescheduled while the Supreme Court weighed Bilders petition. She ruled on damages at a hearing the next day after previously granting a default judgment  for which Bilder and Rose appeared without attorneys.

The actions of the trial court, by continuing to participate in the case while a motion to disqualify was still pending, resulted in a deprivation of due process and constitutes reversible error, Judge Barbara Swinton wrote in the appellate opinion.

The Church of Holistic Science argued Bilder was unwilling to accept his termination from the institution and tried to take control of the church, bookstore and Aquarian Age Massage business by bringing someone wearing a deputy sheriffs uniform and a gun to help him forcefully direct employees out of the building.

The establishments share a building at 1401 E. 15th St.

In retaliation and in an effort to regain his position, (Bilder) orchestrated a forcible takeover of the Church and the adjoining business premises, Wilkinson wrote in November 2016. The takeover was reminiscent of a coup in a third world country.

Bilder and Rose, who were dating in 2011, said at the time that Bilders then-attorney advised them to hire a security guard and locksmith to help them take the church and stores. They operated the businesses for four days with staff composed of former workers, but Morrissey issued a restraining order on Aug. 15, 2011, directing Bilder to surrender all three places in the premises.

In a phone interview with the Tulsa World, Bilder said he was pleased with the appellate ruling in his favor. He said he had been disappointed in the 2015 decision but applauded the work of his attorneys throughout the past two years of appellate level litigation.

As this case goes forward, I have full faith and confidence in the judicial system, he said. I believe this matter will be resolved in a just ruling.

Bilder added that he hopes to eventually come back as president of the Church of Holistic Science and as the leader of the bookstore, as in the meantime he has met with a small group for Biblical study each Sunday.

Although he didnt say how he believes the case will be resolved, he said he was hopeful it would happen soon.

Raymond Allred, one of Bilders attorneys on appeal, said Friday that the church has 20 days from Aug. 17 to either ask for a rehearing at the Court of Civil Appeals or seek relief from the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Because of that, Allred said he wanted to refrain from commenting in-depth until appellate litigation is complete.

Allred is working on the case with lead counsel Gary Richardson, who is running for Oklahoma governor in 2018.

If they dont appeal it then it will be remanded back to district court to be dealt with, Allred said.

Although he said its premature to determine whether Bilder will take the case to a jury, Allred said it is definitely an option.

We felt like (the judgment) should be (vacated), and thats why we took the steps that we did, but weve gotta wait and see if its gonna be a final decision, he said of the ruling.
Authorities are seeking the publics help in locating an Okemah man who has been missing since last year.

Justin Walker, 26, was last seen by family members around July 4, 2016, at the Okemah Village Apartments in Okemah, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation said in a news release on Monday.

The Okemah Police Department requested OSBI special agents open a missing persons case on Walker on March 23.

Okemah is about 65 miles south of Tulsa in Okfuskee County.

Walker is 6-foot-1, weighs 220 pounds, with brown hair and hazel eyes.

Anyone who knows Walkers whereabouts is asked to call the OSBI hotline at 1-800-522-8017 or the Okemah Police Department at 1-918-623-1234.
Esha Gupta posted another bold picture on Instagram after a hiatus of two weeks.

By India Today Web Desk: After grabbing eyeballs with her dare-to-bare photoshoot recently, Esha Gupta has posted another bold picture on Instagram. This time, the actor is seen posing braless in a blue denim jacket. The man behind the camera is Taras Taraporvala.

?? @taras84 A post shared by Esha Gupta (@egupta) on Aug 25, 2017 at 7:52pm PDT

advertisement

Earlier this month, Esha's sultry pictures had gone viral, and, as happens with all celebrities, attracted the attention of trolls. In fact, the Jannat 2 actor had to disable the comments on some of her pictures to filter out the negativity.

Talking about her photoshoot in an interview, Esha had said, "Men tend to have a problem if a woman goes bold. Their manhood is challenged. They are prudes; they must have even saved these pictures on their phone."

On the work front, Esha was last seen as the antagonist in Commando 2. She is currently gearing up for the release of Milan Luthria's heist drama, Baadshaho, which is set to release on September 1.

ALSO SEE: Esha Gupta goes topless in new photos and sets Instagram on fire

ALSO READ: Are Baadshaho actresses Ileana D'Cruz and Esha Gupta having a catfight?

ALSO SEE: Esha Gupta's pole dance moves are sexy as hell ALSO WATCH: Acting was like awakening for me, says Esha Gupta

--- ENDS ---
Who's in Group C?

Chelsea (ENG)

 UEFA coefficient ranking: 10

 How they qualified: first in English Premier League

 Previous group stage campaigns: 14 (last appearance: 2015/16)

 Last season: not in UEFA competition

 Best European Cup performance: winners x 1 (2011/12)

Atletico Madrid (ESP)

 UEFA coefficient ranking: 4

 How they qualified: third in Spanish Liga

 Previous group stage campaigns: 7 (last appearance: 2016/17)

 Last season: UEFA Champions League semi-finals

 Best European Cup performance: runners-up (1973/74, 2013/14, 2015/16)

Francesco Totti has retired Getty Images for UEFA

Roma (ITA)

 UEFA coefficient ranking: 37

 How they qualified: second in Serie A

 Previous group stage campaigns: 9 (last appearance: 2015/16)

 Last season: UEFA Champions League play-offs/UEFA Europa League round of 16

 Best European Cup performance: runners-up (1983/84)

Qarabag (AZE)

 UEFA coefficient ranking: 106

 How they qualified: first in Azerbaijani Premier League, play-off winners

 Previous group stage campaigns: debut (first Azerbaijani qualifiers)

 Last season: UEFA Europa League group stage

 Best European Cup performance: group stage (2017/18)

Matchday one fixtures (Tuesday 12 September)

Chelsea v Qarabag

Roma v Atletico Madrid

Key facts

Willian and ex-Chelsea man Filipe Luis AFP/Getty Images

 Atletico reached the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League final by beating Chelsea in the semi-finals, following up a goalless home leg with a 3-1 victory at Stamford Bridge.

 The Spanish club also beat Chelsea in the 2012 UEFA Super Cup, coming out on top 4-1 thanks mainly to a Radamel Falcao hat-trick.

 Chelsea and Roma met in the 2008/09 group stage, Chelsea winning 1-0 in London but going down 3-1 in Italy.

 Group stage debutants Qarabag have never played Chelsea, Atletico or Roma before.

 Atletico's only previous tie with Roma came in the 1998/99 UEFA Cup quarter-finals, the Spanish side winning 2-1 home and away.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi meets with refugees and staff at the Cafemin shelter in Mexico City, Mexico.  UNHCR/Santiago Escobar-Jaramillo

MEXICO CITY  Offering a menu based around local dishes, the busy diner is like many others in the sprawling Mexican capital. What is unique are the staff.

The cooks, waiters and waitresses have all fled violence and persecution for safety in Mexico, and are getting a chance to start over at the restaurant.

It was opened specifically for us refugees to have good jobs and to get ahead, says Patricia,* who escaped gang violence in her native El Salvador two years ago with her children. It's felt really great to have this place.

She is among a soaring number of refugees fleeing insecurity in the north of Central America, who are getting a shot at a new life in Mexico.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working with government institutions and local partners such as Cafemin and Casa Refugiados to integrate hundreds of refugees like Patricia who are seeking safety here each year.

It was opened specifically for us refugees to have good jobs and to get ahead.

The restaurant pays her more than a previous survival job, and, crucially, gives her more flexibility to care for her daughter and two sons who escaped a street gang back home that was forcing them to carry drugs.

Mexico is receiving a growing number of men, women and children fleeing crime and insecurity in the northern region of Central America. In 2016, Mexico recognized 3,078 as refugees, a 206 per cent increase from the previous year, and the number of asylum applications keeps growing. The vast majority of the new arrivals are Central Americans and, in 2017, Venezuelans.

While UNHCR continues to improve financial support, legal aid, and safe housing for asylum seekers, the long-term stability of refugees remains a concern.

A recent study conducted by UNHCR and the International Labour Organization found that nearly half  47 per cent  of those interviewed said their job in Mexico represented a step down from their previous employment at home, raising concerns that refugee skills are being wasted.

In addition, 90 per cent of those interviewed said they did not have a contract with their employer. This was the case with the first waitressing job Patricia found after she abandoned El Salvador in 2015.

They were paying me 400 pesos (US$22) per week  we couldnt live on that, she says.

Finding secure work has also been an issue for Beatriz since she abandoned Guatemala four years ago, with her three children and three grandchildren. Last year, they were all granted refugee status. UNHCR partner Casa Refugiados helped her find work at a call centre where she is better paid and feels more comfortable.

We have received a lot of support from Casa Refugiados and Comar (Mexicos Refugee Agency)  and we are very appreciative, she says.

For decades, Mexico City has been a place where people from many different international communities have been able to make their lives, shelter their families and take the first steps in the integration process.

This collaboration is an important example of solidarity as a value underpinning the policies of this global city.

During a recent visit, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi signed a compact with Mexico City Mayor Miguel Angel Mancera, including refugees in a range of social programmes run by the city. It also provides those forced to flee their countries with job options, training and economic support.

This collaboration is an important example of solidarity as a value underpinning the policies of this global city, Grandi said at the signing ceremony. He praised efforts by the authorities to develop lasting solutions for refugees, principally through local integration.

While in Mexico as part of a 10-day, fact-finding tour of the region, Grandi met with President Enrique Pena Nieto to discuss strengthening Mexicos refugee protection system and supporting regional responses to forced displacement.

The High Commissioner stressed that, through the adoption of progressive policies, Mexican institutions and civil society groups can inspire other countries in the region to enact concrete measures to support refugees.

In this spirit of responsibility sharing, UNHCR is working with governments in the region to develop a Comprehensive Regional Protection and Solutions Framework (MIRPS is the Spanish acronym). Based on last years New York Declaration, it is a step towards the Global Compact on Refugees to be agreed upon in 2018. It seeks to address the full scope of forced displacement, from its root causes, strengthening asylum systems and working on durable solutions.

So far Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have joined the regional initiative.

*Refugees names have been changed for protection reasons.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) Delhi Police have arrested a 45- year-old ex-model for allegedly running a gambling den in southeast Delhis Greater Kailash.

Twenty-four others, including servers and players, have also been arrested, police said.

Yesterday, police received information about gambling and betting activities at a house in the posh Greater Kailash-I, they added.

A raid was conducted and 25 persons, including the owner Anupama Jain, were arrested.

advertisement

Jain claimed to be an ex-model who now works as an event manager.

Police have seized Rs 7.58 lakh, 45 packets of playing cards, 2,700 tokens of different value, poker table, 25 mobile phones, and a currency counting machine.

They said Jain was carrying out gambling and betting activities at her home for the last 25 days. Most of the people who visited her home were from Greater Kailash, Munirka, Pitampura, and Janakpuri. PTI SLB KUN

--- ENDS ---
Air vents don't make you sick; they help you keep away from it, say experts.

By India Today Web Desk: Just take a look around yourself and you will meet many such travellers who are anxious about turning on the air vent in a flight.

Reason? People fear that the air vent in a flight will make one sick or downright chilly--a proof of which are the number of social media users expressing their concern over keeping the air vent on, while travelling in a plane.

advertisement

However, specialists have proposed a theory, that seems to challenge our assumptions as misconception.

Dr Mark Gendreau, medical director and vice chair of emergency medicine at Lahey Medical Centre-Peabody, revealed that the air vent can actually help one fight infectious diseases that are associated with air travel.

Airborne viruses are transmitted by tiny droplet nuclei that tend to hang in the air for up to five hours. Since planes have low humidity, our mucous membranes can dry out when onboard, making us susceptible to contracting a virus.

And how does the air vent help?

According to Gendreau, the air that we typically breathe and are exposed to, in a flight, is anywhere from two to five rows surrounding our seat. Each of these sections (known as temperature control zones), receive air from overhead distribution nozzles that flows through the length of the cabin. The air then exits the plane through a grill that's often located beneath the windows, or where the side walls meet the floor of the plane.

This air then combines with the one outside, before going through a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air), to clear away dust and microbes before re-entering the plane, as reported by Travel + Leisure.

Also Read:How do flight attendants keep washrooms neat and smelling fresh?

This functioning of the system dates back to the times when smoking was permitted on flights. And so, HEPA filters are equipped to remove maximum amount of dust and microbes in the air.

--- ENDS ---
Sources told India Today the vehicles were burnt down in Phoolka, which is close to the 100-acre Dera headquarters, in violation of the curfew imposed by the state administration.

By India Today Web Desk: Moments before the special CBI judge awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the rape case, his followers at the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters once again went on rampage and torched at least two vehicles in the restive Haryana town.

Sources have told India Today the vehicles were burnt down in Phoolka, which is close to the 100-acre Dera headquarters, in violation of the curfew imposed by the state administration following widespread violence during the weekend in which 38 people were killed.

advertisement

The violence claimed 32 lives in Panchkula and six in Sirsa, besides leaving over 260 injured, since the CBI court found the 50-year-old self-styled godman guilty in a 2002 rape case. Most of the dead were shot dead by police trying to quell the protesters who set fire to many vehicles and buildings.

Meanwhile, CBI judge Jagdeep Singh has sent Ram Rahim to 10 years in jail for raping a female follower 15 years ago.

ALSO READ |

Ram Rahim sentencing LIVE: 10 years in jail for Dera chief, Prisoner No 1997 in Rohtak jail

Who will be Ram Rahim's heir? Son Jasmeet, daughter Honeypreet and Dera chairperson Vipashyana in succession race

Ram Rahim wanted 'adopted daughter' Honeypreet to stay with him in Rohtak jail

ALSO WATCH | Punjab: 2 Dera followers arrested in Moga to nip pro-Rahim protests

--- ENDS ---
The 50-year-old Dera chief has also been slapped a fine of Rs 15 lakh in each case, with the court ordering that Rs 14 lakh be paid to each survivor of the 2002 rapes.

By India Today Web Desk: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment - and not 10 as reported earlier - in two cases of raping minors 15 years ago. Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh said the two sentences of 10 years each will run consecutively, and not concurrently.

The 50-year-old flamboyant Dera chief, who has millions of followers and counts politicians as well as celebrities as his friends, has also been slapped a fine of Rs 15 lakh in each case, with the court ordering that Rs 14 lakh from them should be paid to each survivor, who were part of his sect and were coerced into having sex with him.

advertisement

The confusion of a 10-year sentence, reported by almost every news outlet earlier in the day, happened because the copy of the court order was not available to mediapersons earlier.

A CBI spokesperson said, "Baba Ram Rahim has been sentenced for 20 years. He will remain 20 years in jail as per the sentencing. It's 10 plus 10 years sentence in two cases, and the sentence will run one after the other consecutively and not concurrently, plus a fine of Rs 15 lakh each in two cases."

WHAT THE COURT SAID

The convict is wealthy enough and can pay the compensation to the victim.

The convict acted like a wild beast and didn't even spare his disciple. He does not deserve mercy.

The convict is well enough (physically) and has cited relief (from court) for film promotions to go abroad which were worth crores.

The court quoted Mahatma Gandhi as saying, "To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it's man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immediately man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she of more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective to heart than woman?"

END OF THE ROAD FOR BABA?

Earlier today, the self-styled godman was seen bawling and begging for mercy from the CBI judge when the quantum of sentence was announced in a makeshift court inside Rohtak's Sunaria jail, where the Baba has been incarcerated since his conviction on Friday. He was dragged out of the special courtroom by the cops present there.

The judge was brought to Rohtak by a helicopter from Chandigarh and landed at a helipad near the jail located on the outskirts of Rohtak.

The defence counsel S K Garg Narwana sought leniency from the court arguing that Ram Rahim was active in social work and had health issues. He said he will appeal against the orders in a high court.

The court had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples at the 100-acre headquarters of his sect at Sirsa in Haryana. The complaint in the two cases was filed in 2002.

Soon after his conviction on Friday, hundreds of his followers went on a deadly rampage in Panchkula, Sirsa and other places, attacking train stations, buses and television vans. At least 38 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

advertisement

ALSO READ

Ram Rahim Family History: The story of a devil, a saint and Papa's angels

Son of journalist who was shot dead for exposing Ram Rahim rape case still awaits justice

Born to parents after 18 years of marriage, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was 'destined' to leave family at 23

ALSO WATCH

Ram Rahim rape sentence: Hands folded, tears rolling down his face; Here's what happened today

--- ENDS ---


In honor of National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, throughout the month of September, a special Candlelighters doughnut will be featured at all five Krispy Kreme Las Vegas locations, where 50 cents for each special doughnut purchased will be donated back to the organization (Picture: Gavin Prince and brother Brendan with their winning recipe  Photo credit: Melissa Cipriano).

The specialty doughnut is a result of a contest, where Candlelighters children were invited to create a recipe for the featured doughnut. Eight children participated, but ultimately the doughnut created by eight-year-old Candlelighter Gavin Prince, along with his brother Brendan, age four, was selected as the winner.

This past Saturday, Gavin, Brendan and their family, along with Candlelighters Executive Director Melissa Cipriano, created the doughnut with a Krispy Kreme doughnut maker at the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts located at 9791 S. Eastern.

The delectable doughnut is a delicious combination of chocolate frosting and yellow icing drizzle with pink and blue sprinkles so that both girls and boys can enjoy the doughnut.

The Krispy Kreme Doughnut is just one of many ways in which the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada will commemorate National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month with its shineGOLD awareness campaign throughout the month of September. Other events include a Welcome to Las Vegas Sign illumination event on Friday, Sept. 1, the Superhero 5K on Saturday, Sept. 9, and shopping promotions at Galleria Mall at Sunset and the Kendra Scott store at Fashion Show Mall.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim wanted a woman companion in Rohtak jail. He had petitioned in the CBI court to let his adopted daughter Honeypreet stay with him.

By India Today Web Desk: The image of a woman accompanying Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in the army helicopter after he was convicted of rape and sexual exploitation of two sadhvis had left many wondering who she is.

Her identity became public a couple of hours later and she was identified as the third daughter of Ram Rahim. But, more was yet to be known about Honeypreet.

advertisement

Now, it has emerged that after being convicted in the 15-year-old rape case, Ram Rahim and Honeypreet wanted to stay together in jail. Honeypreet had accompanied Ram Rahim till Rohtak in the helicopter.

PETITION IN COURT

But, before heading to Rohtak in the helicopter, both Ram Rahim and Honeypreet had sought permission from the Panchkula CBI court to stay together in jail. While Ram Rahim moved a formal petition, Honeypreet had made the request through her lawyer.

The CBI court denied the permission saying that it was not for the court to decide if rape convict Ram Rahim could have a companion in the jail or not. The court told them that only the government or jail administration could take the decision in this regard.

Honeypreet's submission was that she was an acupressure expert and was required to be with Ram Rahim, who, she claimed, suffered from acute backache and migraine.

FIGHT WITH JAIL AUTHORITIES

After court denied them the permission to stay together, Ram Rahim, later, spoke to jail authorities telling them to let Honeypreet stay with him in Rohtak jail. When the jail authorities cited the jail manual which does not allow a woman companion to be kept with a male convict, Ram Rahim reportedly threatened the jail officials. Ram Rahim told them that if they did not allow Honeypreet to stay with him, he would get them suspended.

Ram Rahim even lied to the jail officials saying that due to his backache and migraine, the CBI court had given oral permission for Honeypreet's stay in jail with him. The court had, in fact, allowed Honeypreet to stay with Ram Rahim in the court premises. The pressure was such from the influential godman that the authorities actually let Honeypreet stay with Ram Rahim in the VIP retiring room of the jail for nearly 2 hours.

When Ram Rahim was being taken to the jail barracks, he and Honeypreet created a ruckus in the guest house. Both Ram Rahim and Honeypreet told the jail officials to let them stay together for the night. But, the officials did not agree following which Honeypreet made some frantic phone calls to Delhi and Chandigarh before leaving the place.

advertisement

WHO IS HONEYPREET?

Honeypreet is the third daughter of Gurmeet Ram Rahim. But, she is not his biological daughter. Ram Rahim adopted her in 2009. Her original name is Priyanka Taneja.

Honeypreet was married to Vishwas Gupta, who filed a divorce petition in court in 2011. Vishwas Gupta hails from Panchkula while Honeypreet belongs to Fatehabad district. Reports suggest that Vishwas Gupta, in his divorce petition, alleged that Ram Rahim had an illicit relationship with Honeypreet. Vishwas Gupta and Honeypreet are divorced now.

On her social media profiles, Honeypreet announces herself as Papa's Pari (Dad's Angel). Her Facebook page has over five lakh likes. At Dera headquarters in Sirsa, the word of Honeypreet has the authority of Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Honeypreet has declared herself on Facebook as the heir of Ram Rahim at Dera Sacha Sauda. Interestingly, after he was made an accused in the rape and sexual exploitation case in 2007, Ram Rahim had anointed his son Jasmeet as his successor.

ALSO READ |

Ram Rahim rape case: Why Panchkula burnt but 10 km away Chandigarh remained peaceful

Ram Rahim rape case: Why Panchkula burnt but 10 km away Chandigarh remained peaceful

advertisement

We are considered pious but we live as prostitutes: Read full text of Sadhvi's letter that nailed Ram Rahim

Ministers gave money, others sought blessings: How BJP, Congress dabbled with Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim

--- ENDS ---
According to Government Decree 94/2017/N-CP, to come into effect on October 1 this year, 20 items will be traded solely by public entities with clear directions from the Prime Ministers Office. - Photo enternews.vn

The decree on the State monopoly over goods and services applies to essential goods and services related to national defence, security and welfare.

Government entities will have monopoly over them, either through direct purchase or by assigning other organisations or individuals to do so in their stead.

The goods include goods and services used for defence and security purposes; production, trade, import-export and transport of industrial explosives; production and export-import of gold; issue of State lotteries; import of cigarettes and cigars; management, export-import, purchase, sales and storage of goods named in the national reserves list.

The sales of these goods and services will be under the surveillance and direct control of the PM through official documents and appropriate authorities.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Decree 94 is meant to help implement the 2005 Commercial Law which permits State monopoly over a number of goods and services in the national interest.

Noteworthy among the goods and services is the production and trading of gold sheets.

The decree reiterates the Governments monopoly over gold production and trading established through Decree No 24/2012/N-CP issued six years ago.

In that decree the Government made it clear it would have a monopoly over gold bullion production as well as import and export of the precious metal.

The decree was aimed at stabilising the gold market, prevent hoarding and speculation, and minimise the influence of the gold market on monetary policy.

It classified bullion trading as a conditional business requiring institutions and individuals wanting to buy or sell gold to obtain licences from the State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV). They are required to have a capital of at least VN100 billion (US$4.7 million), a distribution network covering at least three provinces or centrally-administered cities, at least two years experience in the gold trade, and paid taxes on gold trading of over VN500 million ($23,800) for at least two years.

But both decrees have caused unhappiness among gold businesses, especially the Viet Nam Gold Trading Association (VGTA).

It said the decrees helped create a mechanism that requires gold businesses to complete so many formalities to source gold, affecting their production and trading operations.

A VGTA representative said the decrees are contrary to the 2015 Investment Law and go against the spirit of Resolution No 35/N-CP issued in 2016 to support and help develop enterprises.

The association said Decree 24, which made the central bank the sole gold importer, is causing a lot of trouble for local jewellery makers since they can no longer access the global gold material market for physical gold import to produce.

Due to the shortage of gold, domestic prices are generally higher than global prices, leaving consumers disadvantaged.

The gap between domestic and global prices has often been VN2.7-3 million (US$120-133) per tael of 37.5gm, sometimes even going up to VN4 million.

The shortage forces jewellers to turn to the black market for gold, which in turn encourages smuggling, according to the VGTA.

Some analysts agreed with the VGTA, saying that both the decrees should be reviewed since according to the law businesses are allowed to carry on any activity not expressly prohibited.

They also pointed to the obvious fact that getting rid of monopolies would help the countrys economy become more market-oriented.

They said it is time to loosen the States control over gold imports by allowing others to trade globally to ease the flow of the metal between the domestic and global markets.

But lined up against them are others, especially from the banking sector, who agreed with the two decrees, saying the Government monopoly over gold production is important for it to exercise control over gold production and trading, and thus keep the market stable.

Derivatives market makes promising start

One week after opening the derivatives market debuted in Viet Nam, on August 17 there was a sharp increase in the number of derivatives accounts to over 5,400.

An official from the Securities Depository Centre said the markets liquidity had also improved significantly with the value of transactions increasing five-fold from VN36.6 billion on the opening day to over VN178.8 billion.

After several delays the derivatives market finally opened on August 10, and is expected to limit risks and diversify products, making the securities market more attractive.

The collateral requirement is 80 per cent in cash and 20 per cent in shares, but in the initial stages, to ensure safety, the margin ratio has been set at 100 per cent cash.

The prices of securities are allowed to fluctuate by 7 per cent intra-day and the market lot is 0.1 or VN100,000.

The minimum transaction unit is one contract with each valued at VN100,000 per VN30 index point. The last trading day is the third Thursday in the month of maturity. The month of maturity is the current month, the next month and the last two months of the next two quarters.

Market observers hailed the early outcome, saying it is beyond expectations, and reckoned that the market has the potential to boom.

Derivatives are still a new concept for many Vietnamese investors, but the market would likely attract more of them when they get a better understanding of the products and get used to the new style of trading, they said.

Not surprisingly, individual investors have been cautious on the derivatives market.

Futures and options are the main products on the market, and they can be freely traded, enabling investors to conduct transactions without actually selling their shares.

By using futures contracts, investors can make profits by betting on the rise or decline of key indices such as the VN30 and HNX30.

As of now the main participants are professional institutional and individual investors.
US President Donald Trump is insisting the US Congress pay for his promised wall on the border with Mexico. (Photo: AFP/Herika Martinez)

US President Donald Trump is insisting the US Congress pay for his promised wall on the border with Mexico. (Photo: AFP/Herika Martinez)

And he warned both Mexico and Canada that if they continue to be "difficult" in trade talks, he make have to break off attempts to reform the NAFTA free trade pact.

Both positions put Trump on a collision course with both sceptical US lawmakers and neighbouring capitals, but remain popular with his electoral base.

"With Mexico being one of the highest crime Nations in the world, we must have THE WALL. Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other," Trump tweeted.

"We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada. Both being very difficult, may have to terminate?"

Trump's positions on the wall and trade are well-known, and both were centerpieces of his campaign for the White House, but they may now run afoul of political reality.

US lawmakers return from their summer recess on Sep 5 needing to come up with a deal to fund the government and raise the federal debt ceiling.

The Republican majority wants to cut taxes and pass a costly infrastructure bill, but Trump has threatened to trigger a government shutdown unless it funds his wall.

During his campaign, Trump repeatedly insisted that the multi-billion-dollar cost of the wall would be borne by Mexico, an idea scornfully dismissed by Mexican officials.

Now -- while this remains a centrepiece of his populist speeches - he accepts US funds will pay for construction, and Mexico will be forced to re-pay in some way later on.

But Democrats oppose including the wall in the spending bill, and Republican leaders will struggle to pass it, while also opposing a government shutdown.

Trump's homeland security adviser Tom Bossert attempted to explain the contradiction in an interview with ABC News.

"What we'll do here is go through the mechanism of getting the original initial money that we need for that capital project from Congress through an appropriations process and we'll responsibly construct the barrier on the border," he said.

"As we work with the Mexicans in other policies and trade policies and such, we'll determine ways for us to make that right."

At Trump's instigation, the United States, Mexico and Canada began renegotiating the 23-year-old trade deal earlier this month.

Trump has repeatedly called the agreement a "disaster" that exported US jobs to Mexico, while Mexico has dismissed his rhetoric as a negotiating tactic playing to his US base.

Mexico - which sells 80 per cent of its exports to the US - is not interested in sweeping changes, and Canada is wary.

Later Sunday, Mexico City reiterated it will not be paying for Trump's dream wall.

"As it has said consistently, our government will not pay for a wall in any way, shape or form; this is not a Mexican negotiating strategy. It's an issue of sovereignty and national dignity," a foreign ministry statement said.
AEPC representatives discussing issues on the sidelines of APEC-SOM 3. Photo: Le Toan



Joining free trade agreements (FTA) can help Vietnam access foreign markets and seek long-term and stable markets for local goods, particularly agro-forestry-fishery products, footwear, and electronics, and improve the competitiveness of Vietnamese businesses, Son said at the Dialogue on RTAs and FTAs at the APEC-SOM 3 held on August 27 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam has so far negotiated and signed 12 FTAs and is currently negotiating four others.

Regarding the challenges faced by Vietnam when joining FTA, Deputy Minister Son underscored uncertainties of the global economy, further explaining that many economies still use both tariff and non-tariff tools to protect their domestic markets, thus hindering efforts towards trade liberalisation and market opening.

Benefits from RATs/FTAs are playing an important role in creating new motivation for economic, trade, and investment growth in the region, Son said.

For the past 30 years, RTAs/FTAs in the APEC region have flourished in number, scope of work, and sophistication. As of December 2016, 165 RTAs/FTAs signed by at least one APEC member economy have come into effect, 62 of them intra-APEC agreements.

Increasingly sophisticated, next-generation regional FTAs addressing next-generation trade and investment as well as behind-the-border and non-tariff measures are being developed with major implications.

Thanks to their impact, intra-APEC trade has increased by 274 per cent, from $2.3 trillion to $6.3 trillion during the 2000-2016 period.

No one can refute the enormous static and dynamic benefits of FTAs to economic growth, market access, FDI attraction or domestic institutional reforms. However, in the current regional and global economic context and under the impacts of the fourth industrial revolution, the question is how to make the most of the socioeconomic benefits that FTAs bring, while concurrently mitigating adverse impacts arising from adjustment costs, and increasing income disparity, Son said.

Additionally, he added that given the economical, political, and development diversities in the APEC, sharing information, experiences, and engaging in negotiations and the conclusion of RTAs/FTAs is useful, practical, and necessary for mutual economic development, social stability, and shared prosperity for the whole of the Asia-Pacific region.
Dung told a meeting in Hanoi on August 26 to cope with storm Pakhar that preparations should be focused on flash flood and land slide prevention, sustainable livelihoods, and forest protection.

We need to prepare all possible measures to minimize the loss of life and property caused by storm Pakhar. Agencies involved must ensure maximal safety for vessels operating in areas to be hit by the storm. People in the affected areas must also be evacuated, " Deputy PM Dung said.

Localities should keep a close watch on the movements of the storm and closely monitor lakes and dams, while making forces and equipment ready for all circumstances.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, heavy rains began to come to Vietnams northern region as from August 28.
Asked to comment on the criticism in her own interview on ZDF television, Merkel replied that she has always tried "to do justice" to her office, (Photo: AFP/Jorg Carstensen)

The Social Democratic Party (SPD) leader said Merkel had tried to dictate terms for their sole televised debate next week, and accused her of abusing the perks of office by flying to campaign events "at a bargain price". "There are many issues where people have the feeling that Merkel is out of touch," Schulz said in an interview on public broadcaster ARD. The broadside comes as the former European Parliament chief is racing to narrow his party's gap in the polls with Merkel's conservatives. The latest Deutschlandtrend survey for ARD put support for Merkel's CDU/CSU at 38 per cent, followed by the SPD at 22 per cent. But Schulz insisted he could still win the race by focussing on those who have yet to make up their minds, after a study last week showed 46 percent of voters are still undecided. "I want to reach those undecided people," said Schulz. "And if I can do that, then I can win the parliamentary elections." He homed in on a report in news magazine Der Spiegel at the weekend which claimed that Merkel was using police and army helicopters on the campaign trail but that her party was only paying a fraction of market rates. "She is using the infrastructure of the state to fly to her campaign events at a bargain price," Schulz said.

He also accused Merkel of shying away from a real debate after she reportedly rejected a television network's proposals to change up the format to allow for more spontaneity when the pair face off next Sunday.

"More and more people are seeing this as a kind of aloofness that is already playing a big role in this campaign and will mobilise my voters," said Schulz.

Asked to comment on the criticism in her own interview on ZDF television, Merkel replied that she has always tried "to do justice" to her office.

"And that means serving the people of Germany," she said. "I look forward to next week's debate," she added.

'NO GRAND COALITION'

With neither of the two main parties on track for an overall majority in the Sep 24 vote, Schulz reiterated his stance that the SPD isn't interested in another stint as the junior partner in a Merkel-led government.

"I don't want to continue the grand coalition," he said. "If she wants to come in under my leadership with the CDU as junior partner, then we can see. But I don't think they want to continue the grand coalition either."

Four smaller parties are also expected to clear the five-percent threshold to enter parliament this year, more than ever before.

The Greens, the pro-business FDP, the far-left Die Linke and the rightwing populists AfD are all polling at between eight and 10 per cent.
Ha Noi Railway Station.-VNA/VNS Photo

Transport Deputy Minister Nguyen Ngoc Dong made this comment referring to the proposal to move Ha Noi railway station out of the inner city.

Traffic congestion (caused by the railways) is indeed taking place, at present. In the future, the rail tracks will not cause traffic jams. The Cat Linh-Ha Dong rail route will run on an elevated rail track or the Nhon-Ha Noi rail route will be underground. We will address the problem, he said, indicating he was not in favour of the proposal.

He said the Ha Noi transport development, including Ha Noi railway planning, has been scheduled.

According to the Viet Nam Railway Corporation, there are 5,564 crossings between rail tracks and roads nationwide. Ha Noi has the highest number of crossings. There are also a large number of national rail tracks running parallel with Ha Nois main roads, such as Le Duan and Giai Phong, and crossings between rail tracks and the citys main transport routes, including densely-populated intersections such as Kham Thien, Dai Co Viet-Dao Duy Anh, Truong Chinh and Linh Dam peninsula.

As a result, trains are banned from entering and moving out of the inner city during the rush hour, which is when there are maximum passengers. This has limited profits of the railway sector.

Vu Anh Minh, chairman of the Viet Nam Railways Corporation, said worldwide, railways has two advantages -- safety and location in the inner city to meet travel demand.

He said major cities such as Paris, Tokyo, and Frankfurt have their national railways located in the city centre, which is connected with inner cities railways.

He said if the railways were not located in the city centre, small-sized vehicles carrying passengers to the suburbs would increase.

Hundreds of other vehicles replacing a train carrying 700 to 1,000 passengers still put pressure on the inner citys traffic, he said.

In early August, the Ha Noi Police Department proposed to move the Ha Noi Railway Station and all inter-provincial rail tracks to the suburbs to avoid traffic congestion and fatal accidents in the inner city.

Figures from the citys Traffic Safety Steering Committee show that in the first seven months of this year, as many as 14 traffic accidents occurred on railroads, leaving 13 dead and many injured.

Most of the accidents occurred at intersection points or crossings between rail tracks and streets as drivers and pedestrians failed to observe or obey railway signals.

The Ministry of Transport is also collecting opinions on its website to draft criteria to determine black spots of railway accidents.

The criteria proposed to determine potential spots of railway accidents are quality of railways and safety railway barriers, as well as the number of traffic accidents in a year.
Investors conduct transactions at the Bao Viet Stock Jsc Exchange in Ha Noi. - VNA/VNS Photo Tran Viet

This is because investors will try to accrue profits from their recent gains, while supportive business-market information is lacking, according to experts.

The benchmark VN Index on the HCM Stock Exchange gained 0.24 per cent to finish the last trading week at 771.63 points. It has rallied totally 1.4 per cent over the last three sessions.

The HNX Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange added 0.34 per cent to end Friday at 102.64 points, extending its gain for a third day with a total growth of 1.8 per cent.

The three-day rallies of the two indices helped them recoup the losses incurred in the first two sessions of the week and end the trading week higher than the previous one.

The VN Index posted a weekly gain of 0.3 per cent, and the HNX Index rose 1.8 per cent week on week.

The three-day rallies on both the local exchanges were attributed to the improvement in the bank stocks, which benefited from a draft circular released by the State Bank of Viet Nam to collect public opinions on the extension of the schedule requiring commercial banks to reduce their maximum ratio of short-term funds used for medium- and long-term loans from 60 per cent to 40 per cent.

The current timeline requires the commercial banks to reduce by 2018 the maximum ratio of short-term funds used for financing medium- and long-term loans, while the draft circular suggests the commercial banks should complete the action by the end of 2019.

The news boosted bank stocks such as MBBank (MBB), Vietcombank (VCB), VPBank (VPB) and Asia Commercial Bank (ACB). These bank stocks advanced between 0.7 per cent and 6.5 per cent in the last three sessions.

Energy stocks were also supported by the rising oil prices during the week. Brent crude rose 1.4 per cent since Monday, pushing up the prices of PetroVietnam Gas (GAS), PetroVietnam Drilling and Well Services (PVD) and PetroVietnam Coating (PVB).

Speculative stocks also performed well, including those of property developer FLC Group (FLC), FLC Faros Construction (ROS), FIT Group JSC (FIT) and Benovas Pharmaceutical Company (DCL).

FLC and FIT increased by one-fifth each during the week, DCL surged nearly 10 per cent and ROS advanced 4.8 per cent.

According to the brokerage firms, the markets would face difficulty in extending their gains this week, as investors would try to take profits from the recent gains in the share prices, such as those of banks and property developers.

BIDV Securities (BSC) wrote in its weekly report that the market rallies received strong support from speculative stocks, while the trading of blue chips was not positive, therefore, the rallies were not stable and strong enough.

In the coming week, if investors continue to keep focusing on lower-priced, speculative stocks, rather than making investment in large-cap ones, they could make large-cap stocks suffer and increase the risk of margin lending for the market, BSC said.

According to Vietnam Investment Securities (IVS), the current market conditions are not attractive enough for investors, as there is a lack of supportive news and information.

It also explained why the daily average trading liquidity last week fell from the previous number, as investors would rather keep their money safe and secure, than disburse it into local stocks.

According to vietstock.vn, more than 232.8 million shares, worth VND3.28 trillion (US$146 million), were traded on both the local bourses in each session.

Last weeks daily average trading numbers were down 2.5 per cent in volume and 22 per cent in value from the previous week.

Ngo The Hien, head of market analysis division at Sai Gon-Ha Noi Securities (SHS), told tinnhanhchungkhoan.vn during a round-table discussion that the VN Index had moved narrowly in the range of 759 and 777 points for the past two weeks.

There is little chance for the benchmark index to make a jump now, because it is facing strong resistant levels ahead.

It will narrowly move between 760 and 780 points in the coming week, and hopefully, it will end August at 780 points, Hien said.
Parting of the sea: The road under the sea level in Diep Son island. - Photo vivudulich.top

From the city of Nha Trang, we travel 80km north, until we reach Van Phong on a beautiful, sunny day.

The bay is known as an ensemble of many small gulfs and multi-shaped islands.

The most recognisable island is Bip Island, also named Diep Son (Mountain of Butterfly Island), with 83 households with limited access to electricity and fresh water.

The island consists a group of three smaller islands and the journey to explore the island starts from Van Gia Town. After an hour on sea, dreamy Diep Son Island began to form on the horizon.

The most staggering thing about the island is the unique and stunning road a metre under sea level, which is 700m long and connects the middle island with the Mountain of Butterfly Island.

Strolling on this road brings about extreme excitement, a thrill and a bit of scare when we walk among the infinite ocean. I really like to watch the fish swimming on the two sides and wave to boats passing by, said my travel partner Nguyen Thanh Thuy.

We spent a short time on Diep Son Island before heading to Ong Island (The Whale Island). Different from other tourism islands in the fact it is uninhabited, we only found a resort called Whale Island Resort, which provides all services on this island.

Environmental protection is a taken seriously on the island, showed by the signboard my friend read saying, no fishing or bird hunting are allowed on the island.

I think the island is created for sea lovers, who would like to explore unspoilt, desolated and pristine destinations, or who wish to temporarily escape the suffocating urban life, as well as newlyweds on honeymoon.

A couple from New Zealand who were vacationing there told me the island was nine or 10 stars in terms of style and location.

Staying several days on the island, we hired a boat to reach Dam Mon Peninsula. With a total area of 128 squ.km, including 20 islands and a primival forest, Dam Mon Beach is silent, calm and fresh. Since it is covered and protected by Hon Gom and Hon Lon peninsulas, big waves rarely hit the beach.

Across the peninsula, we headed to Son Dung (or Xuan Dung) Hamlet. A small one with only ten households, the hamlet is home to the Dang Ha ethnic minority, whose ancestors are Malaysians or Indonesians who were shipwrecked on the island in the 18th or 19th century.

The hamlet has no roads, as people travel across the sand. As for the beach, I have never seen anywhere so picturesque, probably as it was devoid of visitors.

What is odd here is you can find fresh water from the beachs sand. Taking a few steps from the sea, digging sand close to the salt water, fresh water will rise in the small hole. Not far from the beach is Lach plain, a breathtaking site of coral and stone.

Northwest of Van Phong Bay is Hon Gom Peninsula, a natural complex of small mountain ranges and sand dunes. Hon Gomlooks like outreached hands treasuring the diamond of Hon Lon (Big Island). The island covers and protects Van Phong Bay so ships can shelter from big storms.

We finished our trip by boating to Twins Cape at Hon Gom. Bearing the name because of two stones pointing to the East Sea, we couldnt take our eyes from the imposing view of the bay and the stone masterpieces.

To me, Van Phong Bay should be known as the Mother of islands instead of Sleeping Beauty, as the beauty of this place is far from hidden.
Following the sentencing of Ram Rahim, yoga guru Baba Ramdev said the court has set an example that no one can escape the law.

By India Today Web Desk: As the CBI special court sentenced Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail for raping two disciples, reactions poured in from all corners.

Following the sentencing of Ram Rahim, yoga guru Baba Ramdev said the court has set an example that no one can escape the law.

The son of slain journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who exposed the rapes of two girls at the Dera headquarters in Sirsa 15 years ago, called the court's sentence in the case "satisfactory".

advertisement

"People did not agree when we said that Ram Rahim Singh is involved in objectionable activities. (I am) happy the court proved it today," said Anshul Chhatrapati, Ram Chander's son.

Dera chairperson Vipassana Insaan, who is also in the race to succeed Ram Rahim as the head of the Sirsa-based sect, appealed for peace and asked followers to "abide by the judgment".

Congress hailed the court's 10-year sentence to Ram Rahim. "With the #RamRahimSentencing, the judiciary has proven that no one is above the Constitution and rule of law," the Congress said through its Twitter handle @INCIndia.

Punjab Prime Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said the court's sentence to Ram Rahim "must be accepted by people and peace must prevail". "There is total normalcy, our forces are on their toes. Will not let any untoward incident happen," the Punjab chief minister said.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Sanghvi mounted attack on the Manohar Lal Khattar government in Haryana and said that despite the high court's remarks on the violence after Dera chief's conviction, the Haryana chief minister did not offer to resign.

BJP's Haryana in-charge Anil Jain said the court's judgment is based on evidence and refused to comment on it. Asked about Sakshi Maharaj's controversial comments in the case, the BJP leader said Sakshi Maharaj's comments are his own and not of the party's.

On mob attack on media, the BJP Haryana in-charge said, "We request you to provide (us with) more footage. Surely, guilty will be arrested".

ALSO READ:

Have you seen Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's wife?

Ram Rahim rape sentence: With folded hands, Baba cried like a child, begged for mercy over 10-year jail

Born to parents after 18 years of marriage, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was 'destined' to leave family at 23

ALSO WATCH: Ram Rahim rape sentence: Hands folded, tears rolling down his face; Here's what happened today

--- ENDS ---
Actors of the HCM City Hat Boi Theatre in the tuong play Vo Dong So- Bach Thu Ha, which will be restaged after 89 years. - Photo courtesy of HCM City Hat Boi Theatre

The 90-minute play is about patriotism, faithfulness and love.

It portrays the lives of love of hero Vo Dong So and his wife, Bach Thu Ha, both of whom lived under the reign of Gia Long, emperor and founder of the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century.

The play is considered a classic of tuong, a Vietnamese classical drama originating in the 12th century, developed in the central and southern regions.

The plays scriptwriter Quan worked with his partner, author Nguyen Trong Quyen, to complete Vo Dong So-Bach Thu Ha based on a novel written by Tan Dan Tu in 1926.

Tu is one of the Souths first and leading writers in the 20th century.

Since its debut by the Huynh Ky Troupe in Sai Gon in 1928, the play has been staged many times by art troupes in HCM City and southern provinces.

It has starred talented artists such as Phung Ha, Bach Tuyet, Hung Cuong, Minh Canh and Le Thuy, recognised as gurus of tuong and cai luong (reformed opera).

This new version is performed by actors of the HCM City Hat Boi (classical drama) Theatre and targeted to young audiences.

We want to encourage young people to learn more about Vietnamese history and culture through theatre, said the plays director Nguyen Hoan.

Hoan used young actors to play the title roles because he wanted to bring a fresh wind to tuong, a very old and unique genre of Vietnamese theatre, he said.

The director asked his young staff to study traditional culture and theatre of centuries ago, and demanded that they refine their voice and acting skills to successfully convey the spirit of tuong.

"Although my friends and I really like movies and musical performances, we will come to get a taste of what tuong in Vo Dong So-Bach Thu Ha is like," said Tran Thi Anh, a 21-year-old student at the HCM City University of Culture.

Anh said that she learned about the play from her parents, who watched the show performed by actors Canh and Thuy in the 1980s.

The script of Hoans production was written by Peoples Artist Dinh Bang Phi, who has more than 50 years in tuong. The play is expected to be staged late next month.
Los Angeles start-up FreedomPop can afford to slash prices thanks to its departures from industry conventions, including accepting lower profit margins. Customers can pay to boost data, calling and texting limits.
If you find yourself in Floridas Capital City, heres an overview of where you can slake your musical thirst.

With two universities and a community college, the city has a built-in audience for bands touring the college circuit in the Southeast. The city also boasts the only Florida stop on the legendary Mississippi Blues Trail, a jazz club that draws the genres top stars to play intimate concerts, two new amphitheaters, a world-class concert hall and a burgeoning local music scene that spills out of Tallahassees dives, clubs and coffeehouses.

The property where a cinder-block juke joint dubbed Bradfordville Blues Club sits under moss-hung live oaks has been a stop on the chitlin circuit since black musicians began making the rounds of backwoods bars and downtown honky-tonks back in World War II. Blues legends still grace the corner stage, dancers from all walks of life shake their tail feathers on the dance floor, a bonfire burns outside under the oaks and Miss Ernestine is still frying up fish in her cook shack by the club. The BBC is as authentic  and welcoming  as it gets.

Capital City Amphitheater

1001 S. Gadsden St.

850-571-4700

Tallahassees newest civic green space, Cascades Park, has been dubbed the crown jewel of (the) community. The centerpiece is Capital City Amphitheater, a 3,500-seat outdoor venue that has hosted concerts by Wilco, the Avett Brothers, Peter Frampton, Jason Isbell, Tracy Lawrence, Charlie Wilson, Boz Scaggs and O.A.R. The venue also presents seasonal concert series to showcase local and regional acts and is home to the annual Word of South festival.



Club Downunder

FSU student union, 75 N. Woodward Ave.

850-644-6673

Back when Florida State University was known as the Berkeley of the South, Club Downunder was a cave-like subterranean music venue in the student union that welcomed performers plying the folkie coffeehouse circuit and blues legends such as Clarence Gatemouth Brown. Now located above-ground in the former union bookstore, the Downunder books acts geared to the college audience, and the entire music-loving community benefits.



The Moon

1105 E. Lafayette St.

850-878-6900

This former IGA supermarket has been the site of some of the most memorable concert experiences in Tallahassee. Owner and local impresario Scott Carswell (who also books the acts for the Capital City Amphitheater) presents an eclectic lineup at The Moon, with a regular boot-scootin country night, urban music nights and concerts by acts from all musical genres  classic rock, soul, hip-hop, blues, jazz and indie rock (the latter booked in conjunction with the folks from FSUs Union Productions office). The club is also the unofficial home of George Dr. Funkenstein Clinton of Parliament-Funkadelic fame.



The Pavilion at the Centre of Tallahassee

2415 N. Monroe St.

850-385-7145

The newly opened Pavilion amphitheater anchors the redesign and reconfiguration of one of Tallahassees first shopping malls. The 6,500-seat amphitheater is sheltered from the elements and has already booked shows such as the Taste of Chaos tour featuring Dashboard Confessional, and concerts by the Steve Miller Band, Alice Cooper and Rascal Flatts.



Ruby Diamond Concert Hall

222 S. Copeland St., FSU

850-644-5541

The lovely grand dame of Florida State Universitys campus is named for one of the universitys most beloved and legendary benefactors. It underwent an extensive refurbishment in 2009 and is a state-of-the-art facility that seats 1,200-plus and has a world-class sound system and acoustic design. It is the base for the universitys annual Opening Nights Performing Arts series, as well as performances by the acclaimed FSU classical, jazz and world music orchestras and ensembles.



Side Bar Theatre

809 Railroad Ave.

850-224-2233

Side Bar Theatre serves up piping-hot live tunes for the indie and college music crowds. Its lineage stretches all the way back to a legendary venue called the Cow Haus, which became the Beta Bar, which moved and morphed into the Side Bar. This is where youll find everything from touring jam bands to head-banging metal acts to au courant indie bands. Side Bar is also a hub for local bands to stretch their wings and win fans.



Waterworks

1133 Thomasville Road

850-224-1887

When the local jazz players arent polishing their chops at B Sharps, they can be found jamming at Waterworks, the citys premier (and only) tiki bar. Classical music ensembles perform on the small raised stage, as do local indie bands, acoustic units and soloists. The bar also hosts a weekly Science Salon, Patio Theater movie screenings and other theme nights.



CollegeTown

805 W Madison St

850-765-9925

CollegeTown is a place to eat, drink and shop -- and on event days -- experience music. At various times throughout the year, CollegeTown closes down Madison Street and Woodward Avenue and transforms the area into a giant outdoor concert arena. Country, blues, rock -- it's all possible here. Keep an eye on the events schedule to see who'll be performing next.

Follow your ears (and check out the websites) to find live music at these additional Tallahassee-area venues:



926 Bar & Grill

926 W. Tharpe St.

Birds Aphrodisiac Oyster Shack

325 N. Bronough St.

850-222-1075

The Fox & Stag

1122 Thomasville Road

850-559-9449

From the Heart Studio

55 Rose St., Sopchoppy

850-962-5282

House of Music Tallahassee

2011 S. Monroe St.

850-629-9526

MusicLand Co-op

Miccosukee Land Co-op Community Center, 9601 Miccosukee Road

850-570-9325
Baba Ram Rahim Singh, who gave spiritual guidance to his followers till few days ago, today begged for mercy from the court but was refused.

By India Today Web Desk: Once known for his flamboyant lifestyle and access to the highest corridors of power, controversial godman Gurmeeet Ram Rahim Singh broke down like a child in an open court after he was sentenced to 20 years in jail in two rape cases.

With folded hands, the chief of the Dera Sacha Sauda, who ran multiple ashrams spread across northern states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan, begged for mercy like an ordinary citizen before special CBI court judge Jagdeep Singh in Rohtak's Sunaria jail.

advertisement

At 2:30 PM, the judge reached the court and in the next 20 minutes all the arguments were over. The defence had argued that Ram Rahim Singh is a "social worker" who has worked for the welfare of people and so the court should take a lenient view while pronouncing the sentence.

At 2:55 PM, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh broke down and asked for forgiveness.

At 3:06 PM, the court announced 20 years of sentence and a fine of Rs 30 lakh.

After this began a 10-minute-long drama by the godman.

The 'Love Charger' Baba who claims to have given spiritual guidance to lakhs of followers, folded his hands before the court and begged for mercy.

Claiming to be the "Messenger of God" (MSG), the Baba who even made three films by the same name, was petrified today. "Mujhe maaf kar dijiye," (forgive me) was all he could utter.

The "Guru" who will now be known as Qaidi No. 1997 had to be dragged out of the courtroom as he sat down refusing to leave. He even complained of uneasiness and high blood pressure problems. However, doctors found him to be medically fit and fine.

He was soon given jail costume.

After calming down, the Baba asked for tea. He was denied as the court had already slammed the police for giving VIP treatment to a rape convict.

The proceeding was being held at the Sunaria jail's library, a makeshift court.

Earlier, the judge was specially flown to Rohtak, 70 km from Delhi, today for announcing the sentence at the special court. Ram Rahim was brought and lodged in the jail (Prisoner No. 1997) here after his conviction by the CBI court in Panchkula, adjoining Chandigarh, on Friday.

MAP OF DERA SACHA SAUDA ASHRAMS

There were reports of fresh violence in Sirsa town, 260 km from here, on Monday afternoon. Two vehicles were set on fire by Dera followers, sources said.

To keep Dera followers, who had indulged in large-scale violence in Panchkula on Friday after he was convicted, in check, authorities in Haryana on Monday issued shoot-at-sight orders in and around the District Jail at Sunaria.

advertisement

38 people were killed and 264 others were injured in the violence in Panchkula and Sirsa towns in Haryana.

ALSO READ:

Ram Rahim conviction: Dera chief's henchmen planned arson and rioting, investigation reveals

Ram Rahim Family History: The story of a devil, a saint and Papa's angels

Ram Rahim's rape was pardon: The guru's gufa and maafi of a sex fiend

Journalist who exposed Gurmeet Ram Rahim rape case was shot dead outside his house

Also watch:

Ram Rahim rape sentence: 10-year jail for Dera chief

--- ENDS ---
Its very discomforting to see the nation of India, one of the great potential leading countries of the world systematically self-destruct. Provoking a new war with China over remote chunks of land in the high Himalayas where the borders of Chinas Tibet Autonomous Region converge with India and the Kingdom of Bhutan, is only the latest example. The question posed is who or what grand design is behind Indias foreign and domestic policies under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Has Modi switched sides? If so to whom? .

Eurasian Harmony?

Only a year ago all seemed if not serene, well, then on its way to peaceful development with Modis Asian neighbors including China and even, cautiously, Pakistan.

Just last year India, alongside Pakistan, were accepted as formal members of the increasingly important Shanghai Cooperation Organization where China is a founding member along with Russia, raising hopes that the common SCO format would permit peaceful resolution of simmering border tensions created by the 1947 British partition of India into a dominant Muslim Pakistan and a majority Hindu India with several unresolved friction areas including Kashmir and slyly left by Mountbatten as future explosion points.

India is also a member along with China in the BRICS organization which just created a BRICS New Development Bank in Shanghai whose President is an Indian. India is also a member of the China-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. And until Modi announced Indias refusal to join the May 14 Beijing conference of the China One Belt, One Road, India was also a participant in the vast Eurasian infrastructure project.

OBOR Boycott, Japan Freedom Corridor

How quickly things have changed. Modi announced his refusal to participate in the May 14 China OBOR conference citing the Chinese investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, a $62 billion highway, rail and port infrastructure development between China and Pakistan as part of Chinas OBOR, which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Then, with surprising haste, India unveiled a vision document for Asia-Africa Growth Corridor (AAGC) at the ongoing African Development Bank meeting in Gujarat, in a joint project with Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The Indo-Japan AAGC document is an explicit part of a so-called Indo-Pacific Freedom Corridor being put in place by India and Japan to counter Chinas OBOR, using Japanese money and Indian established presence in Africa [1].

Under Abe, Japan has signed on to an increasingly aggressive anti-China agenda including over the disputed Diaoyu Islands called Senkaku Islands by Japan in the East China Sea.As well Japan has opted to install US missile defense systems and under Abe is regarded as the strongest US military ally in Asia. When Abe met Trump this February, the US President reaffirmed terms of the US-Japan mutual defense treaty and made clear that the treaty extended to disputed islands in the East China Seathe Senkaku or the Diaoyu as the barren islands are called in China.

Modi in Washington, Tel Aviv

Weeks later, on June 27 Indias Prime Minister Modi met with the US President in Washington. The day prior, conveniently, the US State Department announced designation of Pakistan-based Kashmiri leader of the militant Kashmir Valley Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Mohammad Yusuf Shah, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT). That designation permits US sanctions on Pakistan among other things [2].

As a result of the Modi-Trump talks, the US agreed to sell India 22 of its Guardian drones, a so-called game-changer, for up to $3 billion. Other items included expanded military cooperation and Indian agreement to buy US shale gas LNG. Modi seemed so pleased with his Washington talks that he invited the Presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump, to lead the US delegation to Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) later this year in India [3].

Still glowing from his clear Washington political success, Indias Modi flew to Israel July 7 for an unprecedented meeting of an Indian head of government in Israel with an Israeli Prime Minister.

The talks between Modi and Benjamin Netanyahu were hailed in Indian media as a major shift in Indian foreign policy.

Here is where it gets seriously interesting. There has been a secret collaboration including offices in India between Israels Mossad intelligence and Indias CIA, called RAW going back to the 1950s. In 2008 Israels Ambassador to India, Mark Sofer revealed that Israeli intelligence had provided the Indian Army with vital satellite imagery during Indias 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan that allowed India to precisely bomb Pakistani troop positions who had occupied posts in Indias Kargil district in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir [4].

The Dubious Role of Ajit Doval

The July Modi visit to Tel Aviv had been months in preparation. Already end of February Modi sent his National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to Tel Aviv to discuss details of the trip. There Doval met with Yosef Cohen the head of the Mossad and discussed among other things the alleged support by China and Pakistan along with other states for the Taliban in Afghanistan near the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Doval is no softie. He is attributed with something called the Doval Doctrine in India, the recent shift in Indian security policy in relation to Pakistan from what he calls Defensive to Defensive Offensive. He is reported behind Indias surgical strikes in Pakistan in September 2016, and is behind the rise of pro-Indian militants in Kashmir. As an Indian blog describes it the Doval Doctrine, formulated in his speeches in 2014 and 2015 after being named MIDO National Security Adviser, essentially is aimed at China and Pakistan, has three components: Irrelevance of morality, Of extremism freed from calculation or calibration, and Reliance on military. Clearly Doval has little use for diplomatic solutions [5].

Whatever was privately agreed between Modi and Washington in June as well as with Tel Aviv in early July, it was in this time frame that the Doklam dispute erupted in the Indian decision to send troops to forcibly intervene against Chinese construction teams on the sensitive border zone between China, Bhutan and India in the Tibetan plateau.

For its side, China is citing a letter by former Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru to Chinese Premier Chou En-Lai in 1959: This Convention of 1890 also defined the boundary between Sikkim and Tibet; and the boundary was later, in 1895, demarcated. There is thus no dispute regarding the boundary of Sikkim with the Tibet region, the letter read. China has also cites a reference of May 10, 2006, besides the 1890 convention and the 1959-60 letters which says, Both sides agree on the boundary alignment in the Sikkim Sector. China publicly claims also that it notified India about the road building as a goodwill gesture [6].

At this point the real issue is not the validity or non-validity under international law of the Chinese arguments. All surrounding the recent Doklam dispute between China and India suggests the dark hand of Washington and Tel Aviv in cahoots with the Modi government to use the confrontation to sabotage the progress of Chinas huge and developing One Belt, One Road infrastructure project by attempting to foster another US-instigated proxy war.

The escalating dispute over Doklam need never have escalated on a military front. That was a decision of the Modi government and clearly bears the fingerprints of the fingerprints of Ajit Doval, Modis security adviser and former head of Indian intelligence.

Has Narenda Modi actually switched sides from a genuine supporter of peaceful resolution of Indo-Pakistani and Indo-Chinese border disputes in a spirit of good-willed collaboration within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or was he Janus-faced in terms of his allegiances from the 2014 onset of his tenure as prime Minister, a kind of Anglo-American-Israeli Trojan Horse sent to sabotage Chinas promotion of the Eurasian new Economic Silk Road?

The answer is not yet known at least not by this author. However, a well-placed Indian source with close ties to the Indian military forces noted to me in a recent private correspondence that shortly following Trumps election in November last year, a senior US intelligence adviser to the Trump circles stated bluntly that there would not be a war between USA and China, but rather there would be a war between India and China across the Himalayas. That was in November at a time Doklam was completely quiet.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is planning to visit India in September to discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in Asia-Pacific security, atomic energy and high-speed railway technology with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi. However, since the visit is taking place while the Doklam standoff continues, it has therefore triggered widespread speculation as to what else may be discussed.

Chinese and Indian troops have been locked in a military standoff in the Doklam region, which borders Bhutan, since June. India has been extremely rude and unreasonable on this issue. It is an undisputable fact that Doklam is a part of Chinas territory. Although India regards Chinese construction in the region as a threat, this cannot be used as an excuse for Indian troops to trespass into Chinese territory.

New Delhis decision to cross the border is a brutal infringement of Chinas sovereignty and such an aggressive act will undoubtedly get little support from the international community. A number of countries have already declared that they will remain neutral on the Doklam issue, and even Bhutan, a country India claims is under its protection, has kept silent on the issue. This has drawn India into an awkward situation in which it is badly in need of support.

The Times of India reported earlier that Japans ambassador to India, Kenji Hiramatsu, had said there should be no attempt to change the status quo on the ground in Doklam by force. These remarks were interpreted by India, a country eager for international support, as support from Japan.

But this is not the case. The US has expressed its hope for the dispute to be settled peacefully several times, and this is also what Japan wants. Both Washington and Tokyo, always supportive of New Delhi, have this time exercised restraint by not showing any real support for New Delhi on the Doklam issue.

Currently, the US and Japan are dealing with some serious internal and external crises. The US is currently mired in issues involving racial discrimination with the public strongly condemning white supremacists. This has led the Trump administration to become the target of public criticism. A number of high-level officials have been forced to resign, but this has done little to save the Trump administration from a political crisis. Meanwhile, Japans Abe has been hit by a number of scandals, and as a result, is now at an approval rating of 26 percent, his lowest ever. Although Abe has reshuffled his cabinet, this has failed to boost his approval rating.

The North Korean nuclear and missile crisis is another issue of concern for the US and Japan. In the past, Washington and Tokyo have used Pyongyangs nuclear tests as an excuse to strengthen their military presence in East Asia, but now a nuclear crisis seems to actually be at hand.

North Korea previously threatened to fire missiles toward the US territory of Guam, which would mean those missiles would fly across Japanese territory. Although this didnt happen, Pyongyangs military progress has become a concern for Washington and Tokyo. It seems that North Korea, with its strengthening military capability, is becoming the major "threat" in their eyes.

The US and Japan are seeing tough problems from both within and without. They currently have no intention of getting involved in other countries disputes. At the same time, they need Chinas support and cooperation concerning North Korea. India has deliberately provoked China, and for this reason will be shunned by the US and Japan.

For Japan, stronger cooperation with China is an irreversible trend. Taro Kono, known for his pro-China stance, was appointed the countrys foreign minister during the cabinet reshuffling. Also worthy of note, no cabinet member visited the Yasukuni Shrine on August 15 this year, an unprecedented move for Japans ruling party. Obviously, Abe is showing goodwill to Beijing, and thus is unlikely to show diplomatic support for New Delhi during his upcoming India visit.

For Abe, Japan has a friendly relationship with India, and so will have to make a friendly gesture of some kind to Modi. However, Japan doesnt want to escalate the Sino-Indian dispute. If China continues to have to expend time and energy dealing with the Doklam standoff, this will not be favorable for finding a solution to the North Korean issue.

It should be noted that Japanese media outlets have exercised restraint when reporting on the Doklam standoff, and this, to some extent, reflects the intentions of the Japanese government.

Therefore, India may receive only limited support from Japan. New Delhi may have set out trying to benefit from its provocations against China, but has now been drawn into a diplomatic quagmire through its own actions.
While sentencing Dera Sacha Sauda head to 20 years in jail, the court held that he did not spare his own pious disciples.

By India Today Web Desk: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment for raping two minors 15 years ago. Ram Rahim was handed two sentences of ten years each for the two counts of rape. Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh said the two sentences of 10 years each will run consecutively, and not concurrently.

advertisement

While sentencing Dera Sacha Sauda head to 20 years in jail, the special CBI court held that he did not spare his own pious disciples and "acted like a wild beast". According to the court, Gurmeet Ram Rahim does not deserve any mercy.

The judgment released by the court says that "such criminal acts are bound to shatter images of pious and sacred spiritual, social, cultural and religious institutions existing in this country".

Rejecting the Dera head's plea for sympathy, the court said, "Undue sympathy to impose inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice dispensation system to undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law."

"CONVICT HAS NO DEARTH OF MONEY"

The judge observed that the convict is wealthy enough and can pay compensation to the victim. Justifying the sentence, the judge said, "Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim is stated to be head of Dera which runs a number of institutions in which 7-8 thousand are working. He has been visiting abroad for the promotion of his movies. Such facts established that convict has no dearth of money and is a man possessing huge pelf and has huge financial resources to compensate victims of his criminal act".

The judge also quoted Mahatma Gandhi as saying, "To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it's man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, indeed, is woman less brute than man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immediately man's superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she of more self-sacrificing, has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage? Without her, man could not be. If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with woman. Who can make a more effective to heart than woman?"

DERA CHIEF HELD GUILTY

The court had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples at the 100-acre headquarters of his sect at Sirsa in Haryana. The complaint in the two cases was filed in 2002. The rape victims will get Rs 14 lakh each as compensation from the fine, CBI special court Judge Jagdeep Singh, who was flown in a helicopter from Chandigarh, said in the judgment.

Earlier, there was confusion over the term of the sentence, with reports that Ram Rahim was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Later, his counsel clarified the position. The sect chief's counsel said that the verdict will be challenged in a high court.

advertisement

Soon after his conviction on Friday, hundreds of his followers went on a deadly rampage in Panchkula, Sirsa and other places, attacking train stations, buses and television vans. At least 38 people were killed and more than 200 injured.

DRAMA INSIDE COURT

There was drama inside the special court as Ram Rahim broke down and pleaded with folded hands before the judge.

After the sentence was announced, he sat down on the floor and wept. He had to be forcibly taken away by jail wardens to his barrack even as his lawyers tried to seek leniency in prison rules for the sect chief who is used to a life of ultra luxury.

Ram Rahim was medically examined by doctors, led by the Rohtak chief medical officer (CMO), and found to be fine.

Also Read:

On Ram Rahim, ex-CBI officers open can of worms, talk of political pressure, being accosted by Dera men

Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been given 20 years in jail, not 10; also slapped Rs 30 lakh fine

Also Watch:

Gurmeet Ram Rahim sentenced to 20 years in jail, fined Rs 30 lakh

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
ASHLAND  For one crazy summer, Cassidy Wall got to see first-hand what Extension educators do during an internship that may have given her a glimpse of her future.

I always knew I wanted to be an Extension educator for a very long time, said Wall.

Wall was a member of the Ashland Shamrocks 4-H Club throughout her childhood. After graduating from Ashland-High School, she headed to Wayne State College to study family and consumer science. One of her career possibilities is Extension educator.

As the summer approached, Wall heard about an internship with the Saunders County Extension Office. She applied and got the job, which not only was a paid internship, but also counts as college credit.

Each morning, Wall was given assignments from Extension Educator Allison Leimer, Extension Assistant Melissa Konecky and Office Manager Cheryl Dunbar.

At the beginning of the summer, Wall spent time getting 4-Hers ready for the Saunders County Fair by helping livestock exhibitors get their paperwork done.

We made sure people were enrolled in 4-H before the deadlines, Wall said.

She also worked at the 4-H workshops in the early summer, the same ones she attended as a youngster. There she helped the young 4-Hers make projects they could enter in the fair.

The real work began for Wall as the fair approached.

The fair was the busiest part of the summer, Wall said.

Wall helped set up for the fair, assisted superintendents with running contests during the fair and was a part of the cleanup team after the fair ended. The days were long, but exciting.

It was a 12-hour plus thing, she said.

After participating in the fair for many years as a 4-Her, Wall was used to the pressure that comes with getting entries ready. During her internship, she realized that those who work with the extension office also are under pressure come fair time.

Its a different type of pressure, she said.

But the job also gave Wall a new perspective on the fair as she helped with events different than the ones she competed in while in 4-H.

I saw a whole different side of the county fair, she said.

For example, Wall did not show any type of livestock while in 4-H as a youth. But helping the livestock exhibitors helped her understand the competition better.

I realized there is more work than just bringing an animal to the fair, she said.

The summer internship also gave Wall a new look at the University of Nebraska Extension side of her family and consumer science major.

Im seeing this as a possible career choice, she said.

If she doesnt become an Extension educator, Wall will likely get an education degree so she can teach in school.

Ive always had a lot of teachers in my family so its kind of in my blood, she said.

One of Walls favorite summer internship assignments took her to libraries in Saunders County communities that are a lot smaller than Ashland. Once a week she went to Mead, Yutan and Ceresco to help with their Summer Reading Programs.

It definitely was fun, she said.

But it also showed Wall that teaching very young children might not be her cup of tea.

I learned I cant be a kindergarten or early education teacher, she said.

However, she is confident that she could handle small kids as an Extension educator.

I could do it once a week like an Extension educator does, she added. Its not every day, but theres still that kid interaction.

If she becomes an Extension educator, Wall said she would focus on growing 4-H in Ashland. During her internship, she saw that Ashlands 4-H participation lags behind other communities.

I realized with looking at the entire county, where I grew up 4-H is not very popular, she said.

Years ago, the Ashland 4-H clubs were brimming with enthusiastic kids. Now, the numbers are waning. But Wall wants to turn that around.

Id like to get it back up, she said.

Whether she becomes an Extension educator or a teacher, Wall will look back on her crazy summer as an intern with fondness.

It was a good full-time gig, she said.
As amateur cyclists go, Bryan Fogel is extraordinary. Small and whittled down to just bone and sinew, he competes alongside similarly serious amateurs in the gruelling Haute Route, which he describes as the "hardest amateur bike race in the world". Having finished 14th out of 440, Fogel wonders how much better he might do on drugs.

Disturbed by Lance Armstrong's ability to fool inspectors while cheating throughout his career, in the new Netflix documentary Icarus, Fogel sets out to show how flawed anti-doping controls remain. Like Morgan Spurlock, who put his body through hell in Super Size Me to provide proof that McDonald's burgers are bad for your health, Fogel dopes to prove what most people already accept: drug-testing agencies are a step behind the athletes and scientists who collaborate to undermine the system.

advertisement

But ordinary spectators, stunned by the perfection of athletes performing at their peak, want to believe that truth is beauty and beauty truth. It's why despite all the evidence of American and British cheating, their cheats are routinely explained away as bad apples.

Netflix documentary Icarus

During the Cold War, the Eastern bloc served as comic book villains, their evil intent confirmed by their propensity for systemic cheating. In 2016, over 100 Russian athletes were banned from the Olympics because of their participation in a state-sponsored doping programme. Fogel, by sheer chance, had been connected to the scientist Grigory Rodchenkov for his own plan to compete as a doped-up amateur. Rodchenkov, head of the Moscow anti-doping centre, was the mastermind behind the doping of Russian athletes.

Icarus takes flight with their strange relationship. Rodchenkov flees to the US with Fogel's help and proceeds to implicate everyone from Putin on down. And what was a documentary about the impulse to dope becomes a thriller about Russian cheating. Rodchenkov is compelling, eccentric, charming and articulate, but he is not a victim, and Fogel, thoroughly enmeshed in Rodchenkov's story, is no longer unbiased. Icarus is fascinating but fails to get to the moral heart of doping, to ask why our culture is so obsessed with winning that even amateurs are willing to shoot up to do so.

--- ENDS ---
American visitor in breach of Rome's strict drone ban.

A 37-year-old US tourist was detained by Rome police for flying a drone over the Pantheon on 27 August.

The visitor was charged with violating the ban on flying drones in the capital and his device was confiscated by police.

The incident follows the flying of a drone over the Vatican in recent days, however - despite an extensive police search using a helicopter - the drone and its operator disappeared without a trace.
Australians think doctors, scientists and farmers contribute the most to society and believe almost equally that priests, politicians and journalists are a detriment to our wellbeing.

But it's farmers, factory workers and tradies who do the most for us and get the least recognition for their work.

The Australian National University released the Australian Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Science report earlier this week. It showed Australians have a positive attitude towards science, but we have some interesting conflicts about the benefits scientists bring to our lives.

Most of us recognise that while some professions "contribute a lot to the wellbeing of society" they are not always viewed as prestigious. It's not surprising that while many people view doctors as more respected than tradespeople they also recognise both give a lot to society.
For the past few days I have listened to people I admire and people I don't, talk about the challenge of facing up to our colonial past. One comment that struck me the hardest on radio was that "none of Australia's first Europeans were as bad as their Confederate counterparts in the United States".

John Batman is widely known as the founder of Melbourne. He makes the American Confederates look friendly. As a bounty hunter in Tasmania he killed countless Aboriginal people. In his words: "We only captured that night one woman and a male child about two years old  next morning we found one man very badly wounded (and) shortly after we found another, alive but very bad  On Friday morning we left the place for my farm with the two men, woman and child, but found it impossible that the two former could walk, and after trying them by every means in my power, for some time, found I could not get them on I was obliged to shoot them ...".

Tasmanian Governor George Arthur wrote that Batman " had much slaughter to account for." This was a remarkable and telling accusation by a governor who was most definitely not known for his compassion.

On the issues of statues as emblems of our past, it's worth looking at how Berlin dealt with its own fascist monuments after World War II. Vacant, weed-covered building blocks sit throughout the city, as silent, empty reminders of what horror can be unleashed if people sit idly by for long enough.
Activist group Sea Shepherd is abandoning its annual face-off with Japanese whaling ships in Antarctic waters, saying it has little chance of success against Japan's economic and military might.

A Sea Shepherd volunteer runs launching drills ahead of activities to disrupt Japanese whalers in 2016. Credit:Jason South

The end of the 12-year campaign means Japan will continue its so-called "scientific" whaling program without the group trying to physically prevent the annual slaughter, which takes place despite loud international protest.

Japan reportedly intends to take about 4000 whales over the next 12 years in the name of "research", and ultimately plans to resume commercial whaling.

In a statement, Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson said Japan had doubled its hunting grounds in the Southern Ocean and reduced its annual whale-kill quota to 333, giving its fleet "more time and more area to kill".

He said Japan was also using "military" tactics in the form of real-time satellite surveillance to track Sea Shepherd ship movements, "and if they know where our ships are at any given moment, they can easily avoid us  we cannot compete with their military grade technology".
Margot Robbie was photographed in London on Monday, and if the paparazzi weren't given the correct details, we might never have guessed it was her because she appeared, as media outlets noted, completely unrecognisable.

The Australian actor, who shot to fame after playing Leonardo DiCaprio's wife in The Wolf of Wall Street, is filming a movie about Mary Queen of Scots, opposite Saorise Ronan, (who looks unfettered and delightful in the title role). And if the on-set pics are anything to go by, Robbie has transformed her blonde-haired, blue-eyed, tanned self to play the iconic monarch, replete with troubled skin, high forehead and frizzy red hair.

It's not the first time an actor has played the Virgin Queen. The role has been occupied by Cate Blanchett, Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Bette Davis to name but a handful. And although each woman paid tribute to the iconic hairstyle of Elizabeth, none has gone to such extreme lengths as Robbie to look, well  how do we put this delicately? Like a bog-shovelling extra on Game of Thrones.

It's true that Elizabeth I had skin issues, due, apparently, to a nasty bout of smallpox. But it's also true that she had blackened teeth due to decay, so where do you draw the line?
Forensic police examined the house on Danny Road in Lalor Park after a girl was shot dead. Credit:Nick Moir

"The death of a three-year-old child in any circumstances is tragic," he said. "Tragic for the family, for police and other emergency services that attend these scenes."

Superintendent Carrett highlighted the shooting as a timely reminder for people to keep firearms stored safely.

Two men sit in the gutter after a girl was shot dead in Lalor Park. Credit:TNV

Mr Moussa appeared before Blacktown Local Court on Monday. He did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

He is scheduled to appear before the same court again on Friday.

Neighbours described the traumatic scenes that unfolded as horrified relatives emerged from the house screaming and crying on Sunday night.

"I just heard the gun go off and I came outside to see what was happening," neighbour Mark Tupa said on Monday.

"The father came out and was screaming and crying. I saw another guy leave the house with blood all over his hands."

Mr Tupa said the girl's mother came out of the house shortly after, screaming at one of the men.

"She was just saying it was his fault and he shouldn't have had a gun in the house," he said.

"I seen these three little boys run out ... they were just crying and screaming for help," Mr Tupa said.

Footage taken shortly after showed a man sitting in the gutter rocking back and forth and wailing. He was later filmed being led to the back of a police van.

The girl's mother, who was screaming and crying, was led into an ambulance.

Once inside the ambulance, she shouted: "I hate you, f--- you, I hate you!"

She could also be heard screaming: "Not my baby girl, not my baby girl!" and "Rot in hell."

A man at the scene was heard shouting: "My niece just died."

Emergency services were responding to a report of what the caller said was "a domestic".

They had been called to the address in September last year, responding to a report of multiple gunshot sounds and yelling.

Forensic teams spent the night in the house and were working at the scene early on Monday morning.

Another neighbour said the scene was chaotic with the little girl's mother and father distraught.

With AAP
A woman had filed an FIR against Bheemanand accusing him of cheating Rs 30 lakh from her and promising her a job in return. The crime branch of Delhi Police has handed him over to Amar Colony police station.

By India Today Web Desk: Delhi Police has arrested an infamous guru named Ichchadhari Bheemanand on the charges of running a sex racket and cheating. Ichchadhari means someone who can change form and appearance at will.

A woman had filed an FIR against Bheemanand accusing him of cheating Rs 30 lakh from her and promising her a job in return. The crime branch of Delhi Police has handed him over to Amar Colony police station.

advertisement

A woman from Rohini had lodged a complaint at Amar Colony police station stating that a person by the name of Shiva and another woman, by the name of Kankana, had duped her of Rs 30 lakh on the pretext of employment to her and two siblings in a government job with IRCTC. A case was registered at the police station.

It was found during investigation that Shiva, who lived in East of Kailash, was actually the notorious Ichchadhari Baba, who was earlier involved in running high-profile sex rackets and booked under MCOCA in Saket police station.

The accused was apprehended and interrogated. Shiva admitted to his guilt and disclosed that after coming out of jail on bail, he earned his bread and butter by cheating innocent and unemployed youths with the help of a Kankana Deb. Kankana Deb has also been arrested.

WHO IS ICHCHADHARI BHEEMANAND?

Shiv Murat Dwivedi or Ichchadhari Sant Swami Bheemanand Ji Maharaj Chitrakoot Wale - as he is known among his followers - is a spiritual teacher by day and a pimp by night. This is not the first time he has been arrested for running a sex racket. In 1997, he was first arrested in Lajpat Nagar for running a prostitution racket, but was released on bail. After release from jail, he changed his track and called himself a disciple of Sai Baba.

In the past 12 years, Bheemanand is believed to have accumulated assets over several crores.

2010 CASE

Bheemanand amassed a fortune by peddling sex and spiritualism till his luck ran out in 2010. A former security guard, Dwivedi was arrested along with two air hostesses, a management graduate and a Delhi University student, in a sex racket bust up from an up-market area in South Delhi.

The South District Police arrested eight people, including six high-profile call girls, from the Saket area when they were approaching a five-star hotel to strike a deal with a prospective client. Among the women arrested include a 22-year-old MBA student and a 19-year-old DU student.

Two air hostesses were also held.

advertisement

"All of them (the women) had a comfortable life and lived in sprawling homes in South Delhi. They were in this profession of their own accord to live a good life," DCP (South) H.G.S. Dhaliwal said.

Dwivedi had recently built a 200-bed hospital and a temple and had released several CDs of his teachings in Chitrakoot.

"Dwivedi said he got the idea of turning into a pimp while working as a security guard at a five-star hotel. He later left his job and started working in a Lajpat Nagar massage parlour from where he was arrested in 1997 on charges of pimping," Dhaliwal said.

HOW HE BECAME A BABA

Realising he was in the bad books of the police, Dwivedi decided to metamorphose into a spiritual teacher.

He reinvented himself as a disciple of Sai Baba, and began operating outside a temple in Badarpur area of South Delhi.

As his following increased, he started holding frequent gatherings. It was then that he started luring girls from respected families who came to hear his teachings. "Those whom he found willing were taken into the gang, which supplied women to rich people, including many who were his disciples," the police said.

advertisement

Saket SHO Pankaj Singh used members of his team to trap Dwivedi. The undercover agents posed as clients and busted the racket. Police said Dwivedi's gang charged between Rs 10,000 to 40,000 on a daily or at times even on hourly basis.

ALSO READ

Ram Rahim sentencing: Bizarre conspiracy theories blame China, Pakistan, and drug cartel for rapist's fate

Ram Rahim Singh's journey: Baba of the bizarre, Self-appointed scientist, convicted rapist

ALSO WATCH

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh: Once a bragging baba of the bizarre, now behind bars

--- ENDS ---
A 20-year-old man has been bitten on the thigh by a police dog as he was being detained for an alleged robbery in Perth's northern suburbs.

Police said residents of a house in Findon Crescent in Westminster woke at a round 1:00am on Saturday morning to find someone had broken into their home.

The man arrested after a police dog detained him. Credit:WA Police

One of the residents went outside and found a person outside the house, who then fled the scene on foot, with the resident giving chase.

Police were called, and officers in patrol cars and the Police Air Wing swooped in to where the resident had chased the alleged offender.
Beijing: China and India have reached an agreement to "disengage" and withdraw troops from Doklam in the Himalayas, which had become a potential flashpoint between the two giant Asian powers.

China's foreign ministry spokesman said on Monday that on August 28 the Indian side had withdrawn all the personnel and equipment that had crossed the border, and this had been verified by Chinese officials.

Video footage from Chinese TV of a live-fire drill on the Indian border from August 4 Credit:Anonymous

India's foreign ministry issued a statement saying: "Expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing."

The breakthrough came ahead of the BRICS summit, due to be held in China's Xiamen on Sunday between Brazil, Russia, India, South Africa and China. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not yet been confirmed to attend, amid the tensions over Doklam.
Sushma Swaraj said her ministry was working to ensure the two students' relatives were reunited with them. Efforts are being made to rescue the 200 marooned students, she added.

A child makes his way through floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey while checking on neighbours at his apartment complex in Houston (Photo: AP)

By India Today Web Desk: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today her ministry was working to ensure two Indian students taken to an intensive care unit were reunited with their relatives, after Tropical storm Harvey left a trail of devastation in the US state of Texas.

The students' names are Shalini and Nikhil Bhatia.

Judging from US federal disaster declarations, the storm, the worst to hit the country in more than a decade, has so far affected about a quarter of the Texas population, or 6.8 million people. It was blamed in at least two deaths.

advertisement

Swaraj said as many as 200 Indian students were marooned at University of Houston, and that rescue operations were under way.

"We made efforts for delivery of food but US Coast Guard did not allow as boats were required for rescue operations," she added.

Hurricane Harvey sent devastating floods pouring into Houston - US' fourth largest city - on Sunday. The rising water chased thousands of people to rooftops or higher ground and overwhelmed rescuers who could not keep up with the constant calls for help.

On Monday, officials released more water from Houston-area reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey early Monday in a move aimed at protecting the city's downtown from floods, but that could still endanger thousands of homes.

ALSO READ

Hurricane Harvey strikes Texas: 1 dead in Rockport, buildings destroyed

Fierce hurricane Harvey smashes homes, businesses across Texas Gulf Coast

--- ENDS ---
The WCO with support from the Japanese Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF/Japan) and Burkina Faso Customs Administration, organized a Regional Workshop on Digital Customs and E-Commerce from 21 to 24 August 2017 at the Regional Training Centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

36 representatives from 20 Customs administrations of the Region (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Congo (Democratic Republic), Congo (Republic of), Cote dIvoire, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo), Regional Intelligence Liaison Offices (RILOs) of Western Africa (Senegal) and Central Africa (Cameron), African Alliance for E-Commerce (AAEC), Express Industry and IT providers participated in the Workshop.

Inaugurating the Workshop, Mr. Adama SAWADOGO, Director General, Burkina Faso said that information and communication technology (ICT) is becoming omnipresent, impacting every walk of life including the international supply chain and regulatory processes. He underscored the need of finding innovative solutions through the maximum use of ICT to address new and emerging challenges in terms of facilitating seamless movement of goods, people, and conveyances across borders, while strengthening risk management and control.

Noting some of the challenges and opportunities presented by growing E-Commerce, the Director General called for exploring ways and enhancing related capabilities to capture all commercial activities on the Internet. Thanking the WCO, he encouraged participants to share knowledge and enhance regional capacity on these issues.

The Experts from the WCO provided detailed information and explanations on Digital Customs and its various facets, in particular the implementation/consolidation of electronic services, Single Window and harmonization of data and messaging standards in accordance with the WCO Data Model. The Experts also made detailed presentations on cross-border E-Commerce, including the related opportunities and challenges together with potential solutions. All the relevant WCO tools and instruments, country examples, case studies and the WCOs ongoing and envisaged work in these areas were explained and their use in national and regional context was discussed in great detail.

Representatives from Mali, Cameroon, Senegal, and Nigeria shared their respective national experiences and initiatives on ICT implementation, IT project management, use of WCO Data Model, and E-Commerce. In addition, the representative of Cote dIvoire provided a detailed account of work being done by the Regional Working Group on Digital Customs (a group of 23 countries), and the representative of African Alliance for E-Commerce (AAEC) presented their work in the area of Single Window implementation (including ongoing pilots on the exchange of e-certificate of origin) and E-Commerce.

Throughout the Workshop, the participants raised several questions and shared practical experiences/best practices relating to the implementation various ICT solutions and E-Commerce as well as national experiences and initiatives concerning effective risk management and efficient revenue collection on increasing low-value shipments. Additionally, the accession/ratification and the harmonized implementation of the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC), the WCO Immediate Release Guidelines, and the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) were discussed in the context of consolidating ICT implementation and supporting E-Commerce flows.

There was a clear emphasis towards moving to a paperless Single Window environment and eventually having an interconnectivity/interoperability of Customs IT systems/Single Windows for an efficient exchange of information (e.g., e-certificate of origin and e-phytosanitary certificate). The capture and use of new data sources from all economic operators in the E-Commerce supply chain for integrated risk management as a whole government approach was equally explored as a potential way forward.

A representative from the Express Industry (DHL) shared their perspective, in particular how they were adapting to the growing E-Commerce environment. Several opportunities in terms of leveraging respective control and compliance mechanisms of express service providers and postal operators in improving compliance and strengthening risk management together with related working experiences were discussed.

Being the first of its kind in the Region, the Workshop was very well received by participants and raised a lot of interest and robust discussions. Participants acquired an enhanced understanding of issues relating to Digital Customs and cross-border E-Commerce as well as relevant WCO instruments and tools in terms of their effective and harmonized implementation at the national/regional level. Furthermore, they learned how the different WCO instruments and tools could support the facilitation of low-value shipments whilst ensuring effective revenue collection and supply chain security.

The workshop also enabled the participants in developing a broad strategy going forward, which inter alia included adoption of a risk-based approach based on advance electronic data (from E-commerce stakeholders such as Posts, express service providers, e-platforms/marketplaces); the implementation/enhancement of ICT in close coordination with other government agencies and private sector stakeholders leading to a paperless single window environment; and the development of IT and data analytics capabilities including internet monitoring.

Additionally, the Workshop provided participants with a good opportunity to establish networks with other Customs administration of the Region through an enhanced understanding of issues of mutual interest at the regional level. The WCO will continue to provide all necessary support and technical assistance, based on national and regional needs in the future.
Bawariya and his gang members were involved in highway car robberies for over a decade but he maintained three cars

By Mail Today Bureau: After a chase of three months, Anil Bawariya - a 38-year-old gangster and the main accused in the sensational Jewar gangrape and murder case - was arrested by Noida STF.

Investigation revealed that the gangster has a family of criminals and led a lavish lifestyle with property worth a crore.

Bawariya and his gang members were involved in highway car robberies for over a decade but he maintained three cars, including two SUVs - Toyota Innova and Mahindra Scorpio. His Innova and a country-made pistol with cartridges were recovered during his arrest in Pilakhua in UP's Hapur district on Saturday night.

advertisement

THE CRIME

Anil Bawariya along with six criminals had waylaid the family members of a scrap dealer on the night of May 23, 2017 near Sabota village in Jewar area. The criminals had gangaped four women and shot dead the scrap dealer when he resisted the assault.

After the incident, he was on the run in the hills of Uttarakhand and in parts of Rajasthan. Four of the six accused in the Jewar case were arrested in July after a brief encounter

An STF officer said Anil was born in Moradabad but then shifted his base to Bharatpur and Alwar, where he has made his houses. "He has disclosed that the land of his house in Bharatpur alone was bought for Rs60 lakh. All the rooms in the house have air conditioners and are guarded by three Dobermans," said an officer.

Explaining his modus-operandi, he said on the day of crime, they use to targets random cars and run away after robbing and assaulting the passengers. This is the same modus operandi by other tribal gangs involved in highway robberies. Anil headed the Bawariya gang comprising eight members of his family.

IN FATHER'S NAME

Police claim Anil followed the footsteps of his father who was also a notorious gangster and even his wife is a criminal.

"His father Megh Singh was one of the top members of infamous Ramesh Bawariya gang that was formed in 1980s in Bharatpur. Megh was involved in looting money worth crores from traders in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh," said the officer.

Megh tried to keep Anil away from crimes, but at a very young age, he formed his separate Bavariya gang. He was joined by his three siblings and four other stepbrothers.

Anil was in class 9 when he joined the gang and is the highest educated member in his gang. He went to KCM School in Moradabad and then joined a residential school in Mathura.

During interrogation, he revealed that his wife is also a chain-cutter and moves to crowded places and religious gathering to commit crime. "He told us that she is also named in couple of cases and her gang is involved in snatching, cutting chains in crowded places, including Pushkar fair," the officer said.

advertisement

Police said he earned notoriety in 2000, when he, along with eight gang members, looted Dr Khanna, a popular physician in Moradabad and a jeweller on the same day. Dr Khanna survived bullet shots in his belly.

Three years later, the gang waylaid a car on Moradabad highway, shot dead two businessmen and relatives of a steel giant and decamped with valuables worth crores. In 2004, the gang robbed commuters of two buses, one truck and three cars on Mathura highway after blocking the road with a tree. Two commuters who resisted were shot dead. Anil and his brother Laxman were arrested a few days later.

"In 2007, Anil and his gang started their activities in Bharatpur for a year where he committed five murders. In 2008, he shifted to Bandsur in Alwar and started living there after buying a land and constructing a house worth Rs1 crore," the police said.

Also Read

Gurgaon: Watch out, a hair-chopping gang could steal your mane!

Rohtak's Nirbhaya: Girl gangraped, brutalised, murdered and body mutilated

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
By Amit Tyagi: It has been a while since Kapil Sharma and his show has been in trouble. Indian TV's most loved comedian is going the Govinda way, thanks to his late coming issues. Sources tell us that success has gone to Kapil Sharma's head. And that's affecting his flagship comedy show on Sony TV The Kapil Sharma Show badly. This fate of this week's episode too is uncertain and the channel might have to do a repeat telecast of an old episode as a last resort.

advertisement

What Kapil probably is not realising is that he has been upsetting a lot of big names in Bollywood on his sets. This Sunday again, he kept the team of Baadshaho waiting and ultimately did not turn up for the shoot. The entire cast of the movie including Ajay Devgan, Emraan Hashmi, Illeana Dcruz and Esha Gupta had no choice but to return back home.

As a result the next day, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol who were to promote their film Poster Boys on TKSS cancelled the shoot as they didn't want the similar treatment meted out to them as team Baadshaho. Incidentally, this film is a Sony TV production and the matter has been escalated to the channel.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH KAPIL

Apparently, the sources tell us that Kapil Sharma has been drinking and partying late. So he is unable to get up on time and owing to his heath issues, his body gives up. That affects his sleep and body clock making him sleepy and cranky on sets. What happened with Sunil Grover was a result of Kapil's drinking problem only, is is being said.

THE TALE OF CANCELLED SHOOTS

This is the third time Kapil has done it. It started with Kapil stalling the shoot of Jab Harry Met Sejal with Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma. Second time, this happened during the shoot of Mubarakan which was again Sony TV's own production.

The other time, the Guest of London team had to cancell their shoot as Kapil Sharma did not arrive on the sets. As a result, the fresh episode of The Kapil Sharma Show's couldn't air the coming week.

All these led to the speculation that Kapil has lost interest in the show. There were rumours that his contract won't be extended by Sony this time. But going by the popularity of the show, Sony had no choice but to renew the contract yet again. Despite all the negative publicity, the comedian has not learnt the lessons from his past well. From Ajay Devgan to Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol are upset with Kapil because of his behavior. Last week, his shoot with Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari and his team was cancelled because of the workers' strike and his team right now is worried as there are no fresh episodes in the bank for telecast.

advertisement

As a producer and face of the show, the whole credibility of The Kapil Sharma Show depends on Kapil Sharma only. It's high time he organises his life and career before he spoils his name in the industry. His team, in the meanwhile, is trying its best to get actors for the shoot so that this week's episode can be aired.

--- ENDS ---
By The Associated Press Aug. 27, 2017 | 06:56 PM | MARION, IL

The City of Marion is renovating a historic 99-year-old chapel in a cemetery and asking for the public to help pay for it.Specifically, officials are asking for the public to chip in to restore the pews in the Goddard Chapel in the Marion City Cemetery.If it sounds like a tough sell, this is no ordinary chapel. For starters, it's on the National Register of Historic Places. It's also considered beautiful enough that it's sought both as a spot to say goodbye to departed loved ones and hello to newly married couples.To raise money, officials are selling plaques to those who pay to refurbish a pew and they tell The Southern Illinoisan that seven sponsorships have been purchased and 15 remain available.

On the Net:
By West Kentucky Star Staff Aug. 28, 2017 | 12:23 PM | MAYFIELD, KY

Former Kentucky Attorney General and US Congressman Ben Chandler was in Graves County Monday with good news in the fight against smoking.

Chandler is the the CEO for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to make Kentuckians healthier. He spoke to the Purchase Area Development District Board of Directors Monday about the state of health in our area.

Chandler says the Purchase area has seen a major decline in the smoking rate over the last few years.

In 2012, the smoking rate here in the Purchase area was 30 percent, Chandler said. It's now only 18 percent. That's an amazing drop in just four years. The Purchase area actually has the lowest smoking rate in the whole state.

Chandler said smoking and obesity are the state's two biggest problems. He says the Foundation wants to try to tackle those problems.

We want more smoke-free ordinances around the state and we want to hike the tobacco tax, Chandler said. We would like to see the cigarette tax go up considerably We know that works in lowering the smoking rate.

Funded by an $50 million endowment, the mission of the Foundation is to address the unmet health needs of Kentuckians by developing and influencing health policy, improving access to care, reducing health risks and disparities, and promoting health equity.
390 invitees, including BJP district-in-charge leaders, attended BS Yeddyurappa's grand feast. Read on to find out what was on the menu!

By Nolan Pinto: Elections in Karnataka might only be in 2018, but political parties have already begun their ground work. On Monday, BJP state president and former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa hosted a grand lunch for Dalits at his residence in Dollars Colony.

According to sources close to Yeddyurappa, this is considered to be a gesture of gratitude for the hospitality extended to him by Dalits during his recent state-wide tour.

advertisement

102 Dalit family members were present. They included 43 couples and their family members from 31 districts. The total number of invitees - including BJP district in-charge leaders with their family members - was about 390.

Yeddyurappa told mediapersons that today was "the most memorable day" in his life, and thanked the Dalit families for accepting his invitation and visiting his house.

When the guests arrived, BSY's daughter Padmavathi took charge of the kitchen. His sons, Raghavendra and Vijayendra, supervised other arrangements.

An 18-course lunch was served to Yeddyurappa's guests. On the menu: puri, sagu, rice, rasam, pulav, two types of kosambri, papad, curd, pickle, ricebath, jilebi, payasam, holige, coconut milk and fruit salad.

CONGRESS DOWNPLAYS BSY'S 'FESTIVAL LUNCH'

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Yeddyurappa's lunch was nothing but political drama.

A few days ago, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Dr G Parameshwara had also mocked Yeddyurappa, asking if he considered it a 'major achievement,' to invite Dalits to his home.

(With inputs from Manjusha Naik)

ALSO READ

Why Lingayat-Veerashaiva feud is bad news for BJP in Karnataka

Bengaluru: Now, pro-Kannada activists want north Karnataka delicacies in Indira Canteens

ALSO WATCH

Rahul Gandhi inaugurates Indira Canteen for a hunger-free Bengaluru

--- ENDS ---
Karan Wahi and Nia Sharma were among the bottom three contestants on the show.

By Shweta Keshri: Colors popular stunt-based reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 8 is topping the rating charts with its adventurous stunts and drama, week after week. This Sunday was no different, as the episode had the right dosage of daredevilry and drama.

Here are the highlights of the show:

1. Karan Wahi collapses after performing a stunt: Yes, you heard that right. After performing in the teargas stunt, Karan was feeling feverish and was not ready for his next stunt. It was blockhead stunt, where his head was locked in a glass box with snakes. Karan finished the task last and broke down saying, he can't die for a game (show). Rithvik Dhanjani and Ravi Dubey tried to console him when he collapsed and was immediately attended by the medical team. The actor's vital stats were normal but according to host Rohit Shetty he had got an anxiety attack, due to which he fainted.

advertisement

2. Ravi Dubey throws a fit after Karan Wahi faints: Actor Ravi Dubey, who is a good friend of Karan, lost his temper after Karan fainted. This was the first time Ravi was seen in so much anger on the show. He later explained to Rohit that Rithvik and Karan are like his younger brothers and seeing them in pain hurts him.

3. Karan Wahi excels his stunt: Karan Wahi had to perform the Human Wrecking Ball stunt with Nia Sharma and Lopamudra Raut. He outperformed the other two contestants in the eviction stunt and got emotional. He said that he just wanted to attempt the task and would be content if he completes it. We must say he underestimated himself.

Nia Sharma was evicted this week from KKK8. This week, Nia Sharma was among the bottom three contestants with Lopamudra Raut and Karan Wahi. She couldn't beat Karan and Lopa in the above-mentioned eviction stunt. Nia had earlier been evicted and was brought back as a wild card contestant. She managed to surprise everyone with courage and daredevilry in the show.

Hina Khan swining from the giant crane in a still from the show. The show concluded on a happy note, as Rohit asked Hina to sing in 'unche sur' (high notes). Which actually meant that she would have to sing while hanging from a giant crane. The pretty actress sung a perfect rendition of Lag Jaa Gale while swinging from the giant crane and looked like she was enjoying the aerial act.

Also read: 5 reasons why Khatron Ke Khiladi is winning the ratings game

--- ENDS ---
Parth Singh, 13 years old, was found hanging in his room. Family believes he had taken up the Blue Whale challenge since the past few days.

By India Today Web Desk: Another alleged incident of suicide due to the Blue Whale Challenge has been reported from Lucknow. A 13-year-old boy, Parth Singh, was found hanging in his bedroom on Sunday night.

The incident has been reported from Maudaha village, Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh. According to a report by IANS, Parth was supposed to go to a friend's birthday party but locked himself in his room instead. When his father broke into his room, he found Parth hanging from the ceiling.

advertisement

Parth's family alleges that he had taken up the Blue Whale Challenge since the past few days.

Maudaha circle officer (CO) Abhishek Yadav told IANS the suicide seems to have been triggered by the Blue Whale Challenge and a probe is underway.

"We are sending IT experts to go through the mobile records and history," he added.

The Director General of Police Sulkhan Singh, in a letter to all district police chiefs, had asked for complete compliance to the order of the Union Government banning the dangerous game.

The Blue Whale Challenge is causing panic all across the country with many teen suicides being linked to the deadly online game.

In a recent incident, a CID officer in Kolkata counseled a boy allegedly addicted to the Blue Whale game through Facebook.

FYI || Blue Whale Challenge: Kolkata CID officer uses Facebook chat as counselling sessions to talk boy out of suicide ||

FYI || What governments, police and public should understand about Blue Whale Challenge ||

FYI || Blue Whale Challenge: Facebook, Instagram ask users if they're okay, offer help ||

FYI || Blue Whale Challenge: Decoding case of Bengal teenager rescued after taking up online challenge ||

FYI || 13 reasons why Blue Whale Challenge is not the problem ||

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with additional details)

Mumbai, Aug 28 (PTI) The Bombay High Court today took to task the Maharashtra government for the manner in which it was withdrawing its charge of bias against Judge A S Oka in the noise pollution matter, saying it should "show remorse" and apologise through an affidavit.

The direction was given after the Maharashtra government said it was "withdrawing unconditionally" the charges made against Justice Oka, with the court terming the states move as "frivolous".

advertisement

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni submitted a two- page communication in the HC, saying the states allegation, that Justice Oka harboured a serious bias against the state machinery in the noise pollution matter, "was not raised as an allegation against the judge personally, but was limited only to the subject matter involved".

"The contention (judge being biased) was not raised as an allegation against the Honble Judge personally but was limited specifically to the subject matter involved in the group matters," the governments letter read.

"The state only requested the Chief Justice (of the HC) to consolidate all noise pollution matters, and to place them before a bench of which Justice Oka is not a member," Kumbhakoni said.

A bench of Justices Oka and Riyaz Chagla, after perusing the letter, however, said an apology must be tendered by way of an affidavit by the government.

"A mere statement by the AG (advocate general) doesnt translate into the states apology," the bench said.

The judges said the state should show remorse for its act of filing the application before the chief justice seeking transfer of noise pollution-related cases to another bench.

"It must submit an affidavit explaining its application before the chief justice. The state should show remorse. Also, such an affidavit must be signed by a senior state official, and it must identify the person who gave the AGs office the direction to seek the transfer," the bench said.

Kumbhakoni said the state government would file an affidavit to the effect tomorrow.

The court also said it was not bothered by the fact that allegations had been made against a particular judge.

"We are not touchy about the allegations against a particular judge. Our anxiety is about the consequences of the states frivolous action. The states action affects the dignity of the judiciary, and of the 155-year old institution of this high court," the bench said.

"Your allegations mean that the Maharashtra government doesnt want the high court to exist. It means that the state does not trust the high court and it says so in as many words," it said.

advertisement

The bench also said the state, in getting the noise pollution cases transferred to another bench, had "misled" the chief justice.

"The AG sought that this bench recuse itself from the hearing. However, when we passed an order refusing to do so, you failed to inform the chief justice of our order. As a result, the CJ was forced to pass the transfer order, and then later, she was compelled to withdraw it," the bench said.

"The consequence of the states action is now irreparable. It has damaged the judiciary reputation," Justice Oka said.

"The state must get a clear signal hereafter that in future it cant play with the institution. The state must understand the consequences of its frivolous actions," the bench said.

The government on August 24 filed an application before the HC chief justice, seeking transfer of all petitions pertaining to implementation of the Noise Pollution Rules to a bench of which Justice Oka was not a member.

Chief Justice Manjulla Chellur, on the same day, passed an administrative order allowing the plea and placed the matters before another bench.

advertisement

Several lawyer associations later condemned the states accusations against Justice Oka and urged the chief justice to take appropriate action.

Yesterday, Chief Justice Chellur passed an order constituting a three-judge bench (full bench) led by Justice Oka to hear the matters.

The full bench, comprising Justices Oka, Chagla and Anoop Mohta, today said it would hear two petitions, challenging the August 2017 amendment to the Noise Pollution Rules, tomorrow.

The bench, headed by Justice Oka, and the government were at loggerheads on whether an order passed by the High Court in 2016 would continue to operate despite an amendment to the Noise Pollution Rules issued this year.

According to the amendment, only the government can declare an area as silence zone.

The HC order had said areas not less than 100 meters from hospitals, educational institutions and courts constitute as silence zones and hence, no specific declaration to that effect was necessary.

The government last week informed the court that pursuant to the amendment, no silence zones exist in the state as of date. The government would now carry out a fresh exercise to identify areas which would be declared as silence zones, it had said.

advertisement

Kumbhakoni had said that by virtue of this amendment, the August 2016 order of the high court cannot be operated.

The Justice Oka-led bench, however, had expressed its prima facie opinion that its order would continue to operate until the government filed an application seeking to review the 2016 order and the plea was heard and decided. PTI AYA/SP RSY AAR

--- ENDS ---
With no measles cases in 42 days, state officials on Friday declared the outbreak over after the highly contagious virus sickened 79 Minnesotans this year.

The vast majority of cases were in unvaccinated Somali-American children living in Hennepin County. The first infections occurred in March, were discovered in early April and spread to become the states worst measles outbreak since 1990 when three children died of the disease.

We were able to really slow this outbreak down and stop it in ways that we didnt have the capacity to do back in 1990, said Kris Ehresmann, head of the Minnesota Health Departments Infectious Disease Division.

More than 8,000 people were exposed to the disease, she said. Only about 1 percent came down with the measles.

Ehresmann said that speaks to the success of a massive public health containment effort. The effort to work with schools, daycare providers, community and religious leaders saved lives, she said.

We were able to exclude people who were at -risk from high-risk settings, Ehresmann said. That really allowed us to reduce transmission and to quell the outbreak in a much more efficient manner.

Ehresmann and many others say this years outbreak underscores the importance of immunization. It prompted a dramatic increase in parents bringing their kids in for shots.

At one point, she said, vaccinations were running about 17 times their usual pace. Even now, vaccination appointments are above normal, Ehresmann said, but nowhere near their peak.

To keep the momentum going the Department of Health exhibit at the State Fair is all about encouraging immunization. A small, unscientific sampling of State Fair-goers found strong support for vaccinations.

I was a teacher for 35 years and I still sub, so I know how important it is to have that in schools, said Doreen Nystedt, 64, of Woodbury.

Dan Biever, 58, of Minneapolis, said failing to get vaccinated puts other people at risk.

Well I mean ... other people are going to get sick too, wont they?

Beverly Torgerson, a 63-year-old from Warren in northwestern Minnesota, wants a change in state law.

Parents can opt out of immunization by simply signing a notarized statement saying they dont want their child to get the shots. Torgerson said its time to restrict opt-outs to cases where its medically necessary.

We know that immunization is not dangerous. We know that its right for kids, she said. I have a daughter with an auto-immune disease. If theres an outbreak, shes at a risk as well so its not just your own individual child, its the whole community that we have to worry about.

Still, though, immunization opponents who link vaccination with autism and negative outcomes continue to warn against the shots based on debunked science.

A few miles south of the fairgrounds, a bus that travels the nation collecting stories about vaccination problems rolled into a south Minneapolis park Friday, where a small group off vaccine opponents was gathered.

Its going to be a big battle, said Wayne Rhode of Maplewood, one of the anti-vaxxers.

Rohde believes the measles vaccine contributed to serious health problems for his son almost two decades ago. He and others are gearing up to defend the status quo.

We shouldnt let the state decide whats best, because thats a cookie cutter approach and they dont take into account what the parents believe, Rohde said.

Patsy Stinchfield bristles at comments like that. She oversaw the measles response at Childrens Minnesotas Minneapolis hospital. All 22 of the kids hospitalized with severe cases of measles were treated there.

The amount of damage done by the misinformation is really significant, Stinchfield said.

The Minnesota Department said its measles response cost $900,000. Stinchfield said care provided at Childrens cost about $1.3 million.

She plans to be a vocal supporter of changing Minnesota law to abolish immunization exemptions for anything but medical reasons.

There have been just immeasurable amounts of pain and suffering from children, lost work from parents.
The Land Stewardship Project will not be allowed to intervene in a suit against Winona County.

Winona County District Court Judge Mary Leahy ruled last week that LSP would not be able to join Winona County against lawsuits by both mining industry representatives and landowners.

Johanna Rupprecht, Land Stewardship Project policy organizer, said that while they were obviously disappointed they planned to continue to see how they could be involved.

Were still looking into what any possible next options are, Rupprecht said.

The Land Stewardship Project submitted papers earlier this spring to intervene in the first lawsuit, filed in mid-March by Minneapolis-based law firm Larkin Hoffman. That suit seeks to nullify the amendment to the countys zoning ordinance preventing the mining and processing of industrial silica sand. In mid-June, the plaintiffs objected to LSPs attempts to intervene in the case, causing them to go before the judge for a decision.

Leahy rejected LSPs arguments that the Land Stewardship Project had the right to be involved to represent their members and others who supported the frac sand ban, and that the organization had been involved in the year-long efforts to ban the industry in Winona County.

The lawyers for both groups who brought legal action against the county maintained that there was no reason for LSP to be involved.

Minnesota Sands LLC filed its suit in April challenging the Winona County ban on the grounds it was unconstitutional and takes away rights of land owners. Christopher Dolan, attorney representing Minnesota Sands, argued in July that the decision would not affect Land Stewardship Project or its members because it only would uphold or strike down the ban, not establish a sand mine.

Gary Van Cleve, an attorney for Minneapolis-based law firm Larkin Hoffman, also said the fact that members of Land Stewardship Project own property is irrelevant.

Van Cleve  representing a nonprofit formed in January called Southeastern Minnesota Property Owners, and Roger Dablestein, a Saratoga County resident who owns property in Winona County  and Dolan also said the county would cover the interests of Land Stewarship Project and its members.

Leahy, for her part, stuck by initial misgivings about having Land Stewardship Project intervene.

She noted during the original arguments that the organizations obvious anti-frac sand mining agenda could be detrimental to Winona Countys efforts, since the amendment is not targeted against the frac sand industry in particular, but rather large-scale mining, and reiterated that in her decision.

Rupprecht said Land Stewarship Project felt confident in the abilities and efforts of the Winona County legal team and characterized the mining groups objections to their involvement as an effort to weaken the defense.

The parties will be back in court Oct. 3 in front of Leahy.
Although the weather is still warm, we all know that here in Minnesota this will be changing quickly. The Winona Community Warming Center provides emergency shelter for homeless adults and will be opening November 1 and running through March 31 for this winter season. Last year we were able to provide emergency shelter over 200 times after opening in January for the first time. We were able to do this because of the tremendous support from the Winona community. This second season, we hope to again engage the Winona community to help keep people warm as the temperature drops.

We are reaching out to businesses, churches and groups of Winonans to help meet this critical need for the homeless. If you are interested and know of even three other people who are willing to make a once a month commitment, we would love to hear from you. We need four people to cover a night and will be providing training and orientations to support our volunteers.

If you are curious about the center and have a desire to help those in need, we will be having an informational meeting without any obligation on September 12 at 6:30 pm. It will take place at Community Bible Church at 69 East third street in Winona. You can contact Tom Parlin at 507-458-9197 or email him at tparlin@ccsomn.org for further information. We hope to see you September 12.

Cynthia Dosier, Winona Community Warming Center Steering Committee
Missile wreckage has been found by fishermen from the sea near East Midnapore's Digha coast today. There were reports of loud explosions from the same area two days ago.

By India Today Web Desk: On Saturday morning, around noon, loud explosions in sea off the Digha coast in West Bengal jolted the seaside towns of Digha and Tajpur. The explosions were so powerful that sonic booms shattered window panes and cracked the walls of hotels in Old Digha. The explosion was also heard from Tajpur, a tourist site at least 18 km away from Digha, a policeman told the Hindustan Times.

advertisement

The source of the explosion remained a mystery. Until today.

Indrajit Basu, Kathi additional superintendent of polic, told News World, "We have carried out search all over Digha and neighbouring areas for the source of the sound, but have not been able to spot anything. This makes us suspect that the blast took place somewhere in the sea. We have alerted the India Coast Guard to try find out the source of the blast."

It's been two days and there were no reports of the Indian Coast Guard figuring out the source of the blast. There have been speculations of missile tests being conducted from the missile testing range at Chandipur on Odisha coastline, 50 km from Bengal coastline, and one of these, by mistake, landing close to Digha.

Today, fishermen sailing in the Bay of Bengal close to the Digha coast near East Midnapore found what looked like parts of a missile. Here are some photos of the missile wreckage found.

Photo courtesy: ANI

Photo courtesy: ANI

Photo courtesy: ANI

A report on the Times of India said that the explosion was due to a military exercise involving the indigenous Astra air-to-air missile from Russian-origin Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter aircraft and that in the evening, Indian Air Force sources confirmed that Astra missiles were being test-fired over the Bay of Bengal, the same time the explosions were heard.

--- ENDS ---
25 years ago (1992)

It was luck and a lot of caring from a Baraboo woman whom she never met that enabled 8-year-old Alexis Graham to attend school in Madison Monday. After learning through a television newscast that Alexis wheelchair was stolen from her Madison home, Linda Anderson responded by donating a wheelchair that had been used by her late son, Chad. Alexis is paralyzed and cannot leave home without her specially equipped wheelchair. Attending school, her mother had said on the newscast, would be impossible for her. It meant a lot to me to get the chair to her, Anderson said. Ive always had a special place in my heart for handicapped children. Chad, who died June 7, had been confined to the chair due to a rare muscle disease. For Anderson, the look of appreciation she saw when the Graham family accepted the gift was thank you enough.

Local residents that joined in the effort last winter to supply some of the Russian people with badly needed food and supplies are now receiving a thank you from the charity organization that distributed the care packages to those in need. In February, more than 700 care packages, each containing about 35 pounds of assorted foods, health care products and other items, were collected locally during the Hands Across the Heartland Wisconsin Russian Winter campaign. In addition to the many families who contributed packages, several area businesses helped by providing materials and workers to gather and haul the packages. The projects aim of personalizing the relief effort was accomplished by encouraging those that donated packages to include letters with their contributions.

50 years ago (1967)

Data processing is the latest addition to the efficiency of Webb High School in Reedsburg. It is anticipated by the school administration to save time on program scheduling for the students. According to Principal Arlan VandeWater, report cards will be processed for the first time this year also. If all works well, the new device will locate all high school students throughout the day and will record their grades. It will not, however, dispense hot lunches. Theyll start in the usual way on Tuesday, Sept. 5.

There was a rather unusual mishap on I-90 a couple of miles south of Lake Delton about 11:30 last night. A semi-truck had three flat tires which were becoming very hot. The driver, Clifford Breffle of Minneapolis, Minnesota parked the vehicle and went to phone his company. While he was gone, the tires caught fire and the rear of the unit and the load burned.

75 years ago (1942)

That the average Baraboo resident is not alert to the existing danger and the need for defense organization here was the consensus of opinion of all speakers who took part in a civilian defense program given at the Senior High School last evening. Commander H.M. Langer presided at the session which was largely attended by defense corps workers. It takes a bombshell to make some people realize that there are those who are working against us, said Major R.P. Staeffler, executive officer of the Badger Ordnance Works. The rule of the army, he pointed out, is that it is forgivable to be beaten but unforgivable to be unprepared. The Rev. George Schiffmayer of Trinity Episcopal Church added, The impossible is happening every day and yet there are those who refuse to take part in a preparedness program to get ready for what might happen to us. The meeting concluded with various group sessions for the different defense branches who are now at work in Baraboos defense corps.

100 years ago (1917)

The members of Company I are gone. With the band playing they marched to the station and were waved a fond farewell. The line formed at the courthouse square and marched south down the hill, over the high bridge and to the station. While passing the Melzl & McGann furniture store, Mr. Melzl came out with an immense flag, which he waved as the procession passed. One of the largest crowds ever gathered at the station assembled to wave the boys a fond farewell. While waiting for the train many of the young men greeted their friends and many presents were given the soldiers. Some of the onlookers came many miles to be present to see their sons, relatives or friends go away. The members of the company were in high spirits. Many of the eyes of the fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters were dimmed, however. The company has gone into camp at Camp Douglas for intensive training. Others will join them there in order to fill the ranks to the regulation number. It was a fine demonstration and showed there was an abundance of patriotism here. Thousands upon thousands of young men just like these are going to France to crunch the greatest autocratic military machine that was ever created by a single government. The young men of America and the other allies will be able to do it.
Circus World leaders say memories made during the 2017 summer season will live on long after the big top is taken down.

The Baraboo museum delivered its final show of the year Sunday, but Executive Director Scott ODonnell said there was one summer performance that stood out from the rest.

On the eve of Baraboos Big Top Parade in July, Circus World held a private show for former Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus employees who were in town for the four-day circus homecoming celebration. Heavy rains fell as Ringling alumni packed the big top tent to watch ringmaster Dave SaLoutos and other performers sing, dance and showcase their circus acts.

ODonnell said the performance was one of the most raw, emotional shows he has ever seen. There were at least 16 standing ovations at different times throughout the performance, he said.

So many people who attended said that that show almost meant more to them than the last show of Ringling Brothers for whatever reason, he said. It was an electrifying night under the big top.

SaLoutos said it was one of the most amazing performances he has ever been a part of. Both SaLoutos and ODonnell agreed the show was on of the highlights of the summer.

They hooted and hollered  you never felt so much love in your life, SaLoutos said. It was like getting 500 hugs. We were on such a high after that performance I dont know if anybody slept that night.

ODonnell said many events from 2017 shared the same electric energy. From the elephant stroll heard round the world, to the states generous support of the HVAC project nearing completion at the Robert L. Parksinson Library, to countless other milestones for the Baraboo museum, ODonnell said it was a historic year for Circus World.

Its been an interesting year of all kinds of emotions, from the initial shock and sadness of Ringling Brothers announcing their closing, to really a beautiful wave of nostalgia and recommitment to the art form and to the heritage that we celebrate here, he said.

While operations are slowing as Circus World transitions from its summer to fall season, ODonnell said the museum staff is already looking ahead to next year. He said next years performers will soon be announced.

Of course, were rapidly putting together a stellar cast for next year as well, he said. We feel it will be an equally as fun theme next year as it was this year  something that people can connect with.

ODonnell said hes pleased the museum was able to recommit to preserving circus history in wake of Ringlings closing, but was quick to add that more can be done. Moving forward, he said Circus World staff will recuperate, finish off contracting for next years show, and prepare for the upcoming transition of control of the museum from the Circus World Museum Foundation Board to the Wisconsin Historical Society.

You cant put a pin in history and just stop  you have to take it, honor it and translate it forward into a positive momentum, he said. I think 2017 was that year for us.
Dont drink the water. Or the alcohol, either.

For dozens of American tourists, the quest for a sun-filled vacation at some of Mexicos exclusive resorts in Cancun, Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen and Riviera Maya, their dream getaway has instead turned into a nightmare of blackouts, hospital visits and in the case of one Wisconsin woman  death.

In a series of watchdog articles, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported how tainted alcohol is suspect in many of the incidents.

In one recent report, the newspaper said, The blackouts have happened to men and women, young and old, to singles and couples, according to interviews with travelers and family members whose loved ones died or were injured at the resorts, as well as hospital records, ambulance receipts, hotel correspondence and other documents.

The news reports chronicled how Abbey Connor, a 20-year-old from Pewaukee, died in January after being pulled listless from a pool at the Paraiso del Mar, one of several Iberostar resorts near Playa del Carmen where she had just started a vacation with her parents and brother. She was brain dead and taken off life support a few days later after being flown to a hospital in Florida.

Her brother  who also was found face down in the resort pool  suffered a concussion, a broken collar bone and alcohol poisoning, but survived. According to reports, they had been drinking at the resort for two hours and had blood-alcohol levels of 0.25 and 0.26.

The incident came four days before another American woman and her boyfriend blacked out after having a couple of mixed drinks and then two tequila shots at the same pool bar in the same resort.

After the initial report, the newspaper heard from other travelers who recounted 32 similar incidents of blackouts at Mexican resorts after drinking small or moderate amounts of alcohol  sometimes as few as two drinks.

While many woke up hours later and found no obvious crime had been committed, others described gaining consciousness to learn they had been sexually assaulted, robbed, kicked out of their hotels or swindled by local hospitals and ambulance companies, the news reports said.

A few dozen incidents may not seem like many when you consider the resort region was visited by 10 million foreign tourists last year  and is the top travel destination for Americans.

But it undercuts the notion that as long as you stay inside the resort you are safe.

Mexico has a major problem with adulterated alcohol. As much as 36 percent of the alcohol is consumed or produced illegally and is potentially dangerous. One reason is that Mexico has a 53 percent excise tax on alcohol, which makes bootleg tequila very profitable.

If you are the unlucky traveler who happens to get a blackout dose like some of the travelers, you might end up paying huge medical fees from area hospitals that demand payment in advance, along with lackluster or indifferent investigations from Mexican police and the resorts themselves.

All-inclusive resorts, in Mexico or anywhere, should not have blackouts on their inclusive list.

The U.S. State Department issued a tepid alcohol cautionary advisory in the wake of the newspaper reports and Apple Vacations, which books trips for a half-million Mexico vacations each year, has said it will increase its efforts with resorts to comply with alcohol procurement regulations. Thats not very reassuring.

If Mexico cant get a grip on its bootlegging problems, it deserves to lose its $20 billion tourism industry.

A visit to the hospital  or the morgue  is on no ones excursion list.
Lauren Curwick has a desire to help critically ill children and that keeps her busy.

After graduating from Beaver Dam High School in 2011, she attended college at the University of Minnesota, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in psychology while minoring in biology. Curwick then spent a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA service member. She started medical school a few weeks ago at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, with the hopes of becoming a physician in the area of pediatric surgical oncology.

During her sophomore year in college, Curwick searched for a hands-on experience that could make a direct, positive impact on children battling cancer and other critical illnesses. Her mother Mardel, an interior designer, proposed the idea of redesigning childrens bedrooms, and Lauren instantly responded, Designing Dreams. In November 2012, Lauren recruited four close college friends to form the founding board of Designing Dreams, a nonprofit organization.

Since then, Designing Dreams has transformed the bedrooms and lives of 11 deserving children. Their very first room transformation was for Jessie Helmbreck of Beaver Dam, who passed away last summer. The organization provides a positive space of healing for children on their journey.

During the past year, Curwick has been collaborating with fellow Designing Dreams board member Joe Dean on a new project, a childrens book titled, My Dog Named Hope.

Joe Dean is the author and a full-time pediatric oncology advocate. He is a recently retired IBM client executive who has also worked in the U.S. Senate. Dean is the founder of Stars and Stripes Honor Flight and has also served on the board of the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes against Childhood Cancer).

He came up with this idea for a book with its proceeds to go towards research and services for pediatric oncology causes, Curwick said. He reached out to me in January of this year to illustrate the book.

Curwick said that out of all of the funding for cancer research, only 4 percent goes to pediatric oncology.

My Dog Named Hope is about a little girl with cancer, her amazing dog, and a familys journey through childhood cancer.

Joe had the majority of the book written when he reached out to me in January. I started working right away, Curwick explained. He had some general ideas for pictures and as time went on, he kept giving me drafts and added more pages. I really didnt finish drawing until July.

It was a lot of fun. Its 66 pages with drawings on most of the pages.

The book will be available Sept. 1, on Amazon.com for $25. All proceeds go to Designing Dreams and the MACC Fund. Curwick and her mother will also have copies available for sale by contacting laurencurwick@designingdreamsusa.com.

WE Energies Foundation completely covered the cost of the printing, the Amazon fees and everything to make the book happen, so theres no administrative costs that come with people buying the book, Curwick said. Designing Dreams is excited to get behind a project that matters.

Doctors will be handing out some of the books in the hospitals as well, and Im hoping to read to the kids. Joe wants the book to be a source of hope for kids in the hospital dealing with cancer and also as an educational tool for classrooms.

In addition to the book launch, Curwick said Designing Dreams hopes to complete five room transformations by the years end.

The founding members of the organization have graduated, but weve added a few new board members this year  more experienced people to help take us to the next level, Curwick said. We hope to add a part-time position to take over some of my responsibilities. There is great potential with this book and our partnerships with other nonprofits, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Love Your Melon.

The Designing Dreams team features many familiar Beaver Dam faces. Curwick is the president and her mother is the director of design. AJ Riehbrandt and Marcus VerHage are the photographers and videographers. Holly DeYoung, Todd Hedberg and Mark Roedl serve as board members and Katina Stavropolus is the director of fundraising for Wisconsin.

Lauren said the Designing Dreams team was very ambitious when they first started, and partnering with other organizations has increased their reach.

To learn more, go online to designingdreamsusa.com.
Vandalism  Friday at 8:57 a.m., someone reported that a vehicle in the parking lot had its window broken in the 100 block of East Maple Avenue.

Accident  Friday at 10:11 a.m., someone reported that a vehicle hit another vehicle in the Boston Store parking lot, 1645 N. Spring St.

Accident  Friday at 10:35 a.m., a woman driver hit a parked car near the McKinley Street and Prospect Avenue intersection.

Disorderly conduct  Friday at 11:16 a.m., a woman told police that her son was being unruly and because she took away his gaming system. The boy was counseled on his actions.

Intoxicated person  Friday at 2:51 p.m., an employee at The Watermark, 209 S. Center St., told police that a man was possibly intoxicated in the recreation room. An officer advised that he is no longer welcome.

Disorderly conduct  Friday at 6:07 p.m., a man told police that a man was going door to door in the 200 block of West Street and he was being verbally aggressive.

Accident  Friday at 6:17 p.m., a man driving hit a bicyclist near the East Burnett Street and McKinley Street intersection.

Drugs  Friday at 6:30 p.m., someone told police that people were sitting in a vehicle parked in the 700 block of Park Avenue. A 24-year-old man was cited with possession of marijuana.

Disorderly conduct  8:20 p.m., an officer witnessed a large group of children gathered near Good Shepherd, 1310 N. Center St., and appeared to be fighting. Two boys received a verbal warning for disorderly conduct.

Intoxicated person  Friday at 8:37 p.m., a woman reported that there was a disorderly intoxicated man in the 100 block of Lakecrest Drive.

Accident  Friday at 9:35 p.m., a man reported that a vehicle struck a building in the 200 block of Washington Street.

Traffic  Friday at 11:58 p.m., a man told police that vehicles were being too loud while driving through the Front Street and North Center Street intersection.

Intoxicated person  Saturday at 1:54 a.m., someone in the 200 block of Front Street told police that a woman was driving while intoxicated.

Disorderly conduct  Saturday at 3:02 a.m., a woman was cited with domestic disorderly conduct in the 100 block of East Mill Street.

Suspicious  Saturday at 4:48 a.m., a person near the Pleasant Street and West Burnett Street told police that a gang of children was walking around the area. The children were warned for curfew.

Disorderly conduct  Saturday at 8:36 a.m., a woman reported that a man struck her child in the 400 block of Brook Street.

Vandalism  Saturday at 9:25 a.m., a man told police a fence was damaged in the 600 block of Grove Street.

Gas leak  Saturday at 10:42 a.m., a woman reported that her gas meter was broken off the house and leaking gas in the 800 block of South Spring Street.

Theft  Saturday at 10:55 a.m., a man told police that an iPhone 7 Plus was stolen in the 400 block of South Center Street.

Disorderly conduct  Saturday at 11:52 a.m., a man told police that someone made a rude gesture to him in the 200 block of North Center Street.

Accident  Saturday at 12:12 p.m., a man drove into a light pole near Dollar Tree, 106 Frances Lane.

Accident  Saturday at 12:24 p.m., someone reported a three-vehicle accident in the Recheks Food Pride parking lot, 609 N. Spring St.

Retail theft  Saturday at 2:59 p.m., a man tried to leave Fleet Farm, 1815 N. Spring St., with two knives. The man was cited.

Disorderly conduct  Saturday at 3:10 p.m., someone told police that people were mooning people in the 300 block of Front Street.

Disorderly conduct  Saturday at 5:49 p.m., two boys told police that two other children were throwing rocks at ducks in Waterworks Park.

Disorderly conduct  Saturday at 10 p.m., someone told police that children were on the roof of a building in the 500 block of South Spring Street.

Disorderly conduct  Sunday at 11:23 a.m., a person reported that a man and a woman were arguing in the 200 block of East Industrial Drive. The woman was later arrested.

Accident  Sunday at 3:36 p.m., a man and a woman were involved in a vehicle accident near the North University Avenue and North Spring Street intersection. The woman was cited with failing to yield for a turn.

Disorderly conduct  Sunday at 4:59 p.m., people reported that subjects riding go-carts in the 100 block of Roller Avenue were tearing up city property.

Disorderly conduct  Monday at 1:51 a.m., a woman told police that a man pushed her around and broke her phone in the 300 block of Front Street. The man was later transported to jail.

Break-in  Monday at 4:09 a.m., a man reported hearing his garage door close in the 200 block of Baker Boulevard. He later found that two laptops were missing.
Tracy Ahern had a different kind of summer break this year.

She spent 7 weeks in Tongliao teaching nursing classes at Inner Mongolia University for Nationalities.

The Mauston native works full-time teaching nursing at Madison Area Technical College in Reedsburg but participated in a program through Thomas University in Georgia.

She said wanted to find how nursing differs across the globe.

We only see through the lens we know, she said.

Ahern said it was the ideal assignment because she could go during summer when MATC isnt in session, and all students speak English.

Different environment

It was quite a culture shock for Ahern, whose first assignment took her to Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Nanchang in May 2016.

Navigation was difficult because she knows a only few Chinese words and phrases. Still, the people were very gracious, she said.

Most days the mercury hovered around 107 degrees with 90-percent humidity. Classrooms and apartments lacked air conditioning, and walking was the common mode of transportation. Ahern said she spent a lot of time showering and changing clothes.

Mongolia was windy and arid. Ahern said it left a fine dust on everything, so residents spent time constantly wiping down computers and surfaces.

You wouldnt believe it was the same country, she said.

In the classroom

One of the most rewarding aspects was seeing how nursing is changing. She said traditionally nurses were looked down upon and seen as little more than servants.

Attitudes are shifting, though, perhaps due to the times. China struggles with a nursing shortage, especially to serve an aging population.

Growing demand is a major reason why Thomas University sends teachers, said Kristy Wainright, the colleges director of international programs. She said one of the campuss former presidents had a friend from China who wanted to expand educational opportunities for Chinese residents. The program started in 2011 and has taught around 1,000 students.

Students receive a diploma from their home campus and Thomas University, Wainright said. They also have a stepping stone if they want to pursue a license in the U.S.

Its still difficult, however, especially for women, to complete a nursing degree because of cultural expectation, Ahern said. If a parent needs help, daughters are expected to stop working to stay home and provide care.

I had nursing students who left because their mothers got sick, Ahern said.

In Aherns class, she challenged students to talk about what they would want for their own care and how they may sympathize with patients.

You have to create a safe environment, she said.

Wainright said shes proud of Aherns accomplishments. Ahern brings a new perspective and fosters imagination among students.

Like other teachers, Ahern said she wants to return someday but for now shell be busy at MATC.

Wainright said Aherns interest is no surprise. She said most professors do repeat trips. This fall alone Thomas University will send six instructors to China to focus on business and nursing.

They get to build relationships with students, Wainright said. They enjoy the students. Its that nurturing side of a nurse.
I have just finished a 700+ page book on the Black Hawk War by one of my favorite authors Allen Eckert. It is of especial interest to me because it passed through southern Sauk County only 13 years before my ancestors settled there. In fact that is where Sauk (French Sac) County gets its name. I must confess I am aghast at what a violent brutal place it was then, with both whites and Indians scalping and mutilating each other.

Black Hawk belonged to the tribe of Saukies and Foxes. The Foxes had moved into this area from the east and the Saukies had a big town with cornfields in what is Sauk Prairie now. It is said that legendary athlete Jim Thorp was descended from them.

The tribe had been moved to east of the Mississippi by some treaty that Black Hawk did not recognize. Keokuk and his band remained west of the Mississippi but Black Hawk and what was called the Canadian band crossed the Mississippi ostensibly to plant corn in the old cornfields but made the mistake of killing a few settlers in the process.

When these depredations caught the attention of the American government they were pursued by United States troops led by General Atkinson and many militia groups coming mostly from Northern Illinois. The whole frontier fled to Fort Dearborn (Chicago) until a cholera out break forced many of them to live in tent encampments outside of the Town.

Abraham Lincoln served in some of these militia groups both as a captain and a private but never saw any action except that he fought many bloody battles with the mosquitoes.

After an initial victory over the militia at Stillmans Run Black Hawk and his band were forced to retreat back toward the Mississippi. They passed through what is now Madison in Dane County with General Atkinson in hot pursuit. He caught up with them as they crossed the Wisconsin River which resulted in the battle of Wisconsin Heights which was a delaying action which allowed the Indians to form hastily made elm bark canoes to get their women and children across the river.

The Sauk Indians were burdened with women, children and old people as they fought their way across Sauk County killed and scalped each other on sight. General Atkinson discouraged his troops from doing this but he had no control over the militia.

The starving, weakened band finally reached the Mississippi where the steam boat Warrior fired on them with canister. Sioux Indians attacked many of those who made it to the other side so that only a very few made it back safely.

Black Hawk and a few trusted cohorts escaped, and hid in a cave in the Dells, now under water, only to surrender to 2 Winnebago Indians.

Black Hawk was taken to Washington and shown all the big eastern cities so that he would understand how futile it was to fight the United States.

He died at the age of 71. He said, I liked my beautiful county and cornfields, I fought for them.
By PTI: By Shirish B Pradhan

Kathmandu, Aug 28 (PTI) Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba today described his recent state visit to India as "successful" and criticised the opposition for making "unwarranted comments" on his talks with the Indian leaders.

Briefing the Parliament about his visit, Deuba said he raised the issue of flooding and inundation at the border areas during talks with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.

advertisement

"My state visit has been successful in laying the foundation for further strengthening Nepal-India ties," Deuba told the lawmakers.

He returned home last evening after concluding his maiden foreign visit since assuming the top executive post in June.

Deuba said he also held discussion with Indian officials for completion of the Detailed Project Report of Pancheshwor Multi-Purpose Project within a month.

He said that an agreement was reached with India to come up with appropriate ways to implement all aspects of power trade agreement apart from resuming operation of trade transit points like Dhangadhi-Gauriphanta, Gulariya-Murtiya, Jatahi- Piparaun and Pashupati-Sukiyapokhari after upgrading them.

Deuba said he held talks with the Indian side for economic development and investment in Nepal.

Similarly, agreements have been reached for development and expansion of tourism sector, construction of Nijgadh airport and construction of a 132 KV transmission line.

He also said that agreement has been signed to construct transmission line in new places and added that discussions were also held regarding expediting hydropower projects like upper Karnali and Arun III.

Prime Minister Deuba said he has taken note of criticism over remarks he made during his India visit.

He said Constitution promulgation and implementation is internal matter of Nepal and asserted that he had not mentioned anything about the domestic affairs of the country while in India.

"There shall be no compromise over the internal affairs and Constitution of Nepal. All these unwarranted comments make no sense," said Deuba.

He said he had been effortful in making the Constitution all-acceptable by addressing the grievances over it.

Deuba faced criticism from political parties in Nepal for assuring India about Constitution amendment to address the issues of Madhesis.

"Deuba raised the issue of Constitution?s acceptability out of context from the foreign land, which is highly objectionable," main opposition leader and CPN-UML chairman K P Oli had said last week.

"Deuba has taken the oath of office and secrecy while assuming the post of Prime Minister under the same Constitution and he was elected the Prime Minister under the same Constitution, how can he speak against the Constitution in the foreign country," Oli had questioned.

advertisement

Nepals parliament last week failed to endorse the much- awaited Constitution amendment bill after it failed to muster the required two-thirds majority.

Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community. PTI SBP ZH AKJ ZH

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Geneva, Aug 28 (PTI) Scientists have developed a new artificial intelligence system that can track medical staff through cameras and detect whether they maintain proper hand hygeine, an advance that could reduce the risk of hospital- acquired infections.

Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) conducted a study using a combination of depth cameras and computer-vision algorithms.

advertisement

They tracked people around two hospital wards and automatically identified when they used gel dispensers.

"Were trying to shed light on the dark spaces of healthcare. Understanding the problem is just the first step," said Alexandre Alahi from EPFL.

In the initial study, researchers collected images from cameras installed overlooking corridors, patient rooms and alcohol-based gel dispensers, among other places.

Of the 170 people they recorded entering a patients room, only 30 people correctly used the gel dispensers.

The team then used 80 per cent of the images to train their algorithms to detect healthcare staff, track them as they move from one spot to another across different cameras, and monitor their hand hygiene behaviour.

Once trained, they tested the system on the remaining 20 per cent, and achieved an accuracy of 75 per cent in telling whether people had used the dispensers.

Although there are privacy concerns related to cameras constantly monitoring hospitals, researchers said that the cameras used capture more information about the position of a person than about how they look.

The resulting images consist of unidentifiable human blobs, New Scientist reported.

Cameras dotted around hospitals could help with other things too. Artificial intelligence has already demonstrated the ability to detect falls and monitor vital signs. It could do this throughout a hospital. PTI MHN SAR MHN

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Toronto, Aug 28 (PTI) Researchers have identified a new dinosaur species in The Gobi Desert that roosted together like modern birds about 70 million years ago.

New remains from the region suggest that at least some dinosaurs likely roosted together to sleep, quite possibly as a family, much like many modern birds do today, researchers said.

This new evidence for dinosaur roosting stems from a confiscated fossil block that was illegally exported from Mongolia, which preserved the remains of three juvenile dinosaurs known as oviraptorids (part of the bird line of dinosaur evolution), they said.

advertisement

These three dinosaurs represent the same species that were roughly the same age, preserved in a sleeping posture, so close to each other that they would have been touching in life.

Known as "communal roosting", this behaviour is seen in many birds today including chickens and pigeons.

"It is a fantastic specimen. It is rare to find a skeleton preserved in life position, so having two complete individuals and parts of a third is really incredible," said Gregory Funston of the University of Alberta in Canada.

The three juvenile oviraptors had several features that indicated they belonged to a whole new species, said Funston, who worked with Philip Currie, also from University of Alberta, and the Institute of Paleontology and Geology of Mongolia.

Other fossils found in Mongolia also seem to belong to this new species, and further flesh out the life history of these animals, researchers said.

The notable head crest is present even at a young age, but the dinosaurs would have had gradually shorter tails as they aged, and some of their bones fused across their lifetime.

Their head crests and tails have been argued to represent sexual display features used in mating, somewhat similar to modern peacocks or turkeys.

"The origins of communal roosting in birds are still debated, so this specimen will provide valuable information on roosting habits in bird-line theropods," Funston added.

The finding was presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Alberta, Canada. PTI SAR SAR

--- ENDS ---




China News on Women





Sorry, the page you requested was not found. If you're having trouble locating a destination on Womenofchina.cn, try visiting the Womenofchina Home page
Due to the similarity in their names, and most likely also thanks to the difficulty of their pronunciation for the average English-speaker, the so-called "stan" countries are often the subject of much mystery and misunderstanding. The suffix "stan" is an ancient Persian (and/or Farsi) word that means "country". This is generally the accepted blanket reason for the countries sharing similar names in English. However, when we look beyond this similarity, we can discover how every country in this Central Asian region is unique in its own way as well. Below is an overview of the countries found in this often overlooked section of the planet.

7. Afghanistan

Tourists explore the Afghan Mountains.

Officially called the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the 652,864 square kilometer Afghanistan is a mountainous and landlocked country. Its capital city, Kabul, is located at the eastern part of the country. Afghanistan is at the crossroads separating the Persian and the Mediterranean world to the west from India and China to the east. It borders Iran to the west and Pakistan to the east. Afghanistans population is 34.66 million according to the 2016 World Bank data, and the main languages spoken are Pashto and Dari. The main currency used in Afghanistan is the Afghani. Due to its location, the country has been at the center of countless invasions and strifes since the 6th century BCE that continues to this day. Agriculture is the main pillar of Afghanistans economy. Cotton, grapes, nuts, and insect resins are some of the products that provide export earnings to the country. According to the World Bank, life expectancy for men and women is 60.72 years.

6. Kazakhstan

The skyline of Astana, Kazakhstan.

Located in Central Asia, the 2.7 million square kilometer, mineral rich Republic of Kazakhstan is the worlds largest landlocked country, meaning there is no access to an open ocean. The capital city of this former soviet republic is Astana at the northern part of the country. Kazakhstan is bordered by China, Uzbekistan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, and the landlocked Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan has a population of 17.8 million people, according to the World Bank 2016 data. The main languages spoken here are Russian and Kazakh, and the mainstream currency is the Tenge. Kazakhstan has abundant mineral, oil, and natural gas deposits, and the fiscal proceeds from the export of these items have transformed the country into Central Asias largest economy. Life expectancy for both genders is 77 years according to the World Bank 2015 data. Islam and Christianity are the main religions practiced in Kazakhstan.

5. Kyrgyzstan

The mountainous landscape of Kyrgyzstan.

The 199,900 square kilometer Kyrgyzstan, officially known as Kyrgyz Republic, is a mountainous and landlocked country on the eastern part of central Asia. The capital and the largest city of this former Soviet Republic is Bishkek in the northern part of the country. Kyrgyzstan borders China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. It has a population of 6.083 million people, according to 2016 World Bank data. The main languages spoken here are Russian and Kyrgyz and the countrys currency is Kyrgyzstani Som. Islam and Christianity is the main religions in Kyrgyzstan. The countrys economy is sustained by mining of gold at the Kumtor mine which contributes 10 percent to the countrys GDP. Life expectancy in Kyrgyzstan is 70.65 years for men and women, according to the 2015 World Bank data.

4. Tajikistan

The Garm-Chashma Spring, Tajikistan.

Tajikistan is a landlocked former soviet country in central Asia also officially called the Republic of Tajikistan. At 143,100 square kilometer in size, its the smallest country in Central Asia by land area, and has a population of 8.735 million, according to World Bank 2016 data. Tajikistan borders Uzbekistan to the north and west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, China to the east, and Afghanistan to the south, according to Geology. Dushanbe located in west central part of the country is the capital and the largest city in Tajikistan. The main languages spoken in Tajikistan are Tajik, Uzbek, and Russian, and the countrys currency is the Tajikistani Somoni. Islam is the main religion in the country. Tajikistan is the poorest country in Central Asia and former soviet nations. In 2016, Global Finance Magazine ranked it among the 33 poorest countries in the world. According to the Heritage Foundation, Tajikistan economy relies greatly on revenues from aluminum and cotton. But illegal drug trade and remittances from migrant workers mostly in Russia, account for over 45 percent the countrys GDP. Exports and imports also contribute 55 percent to Tajikistans GDP. Life expectancy in the country is about 69.77 years, according to World Bank 2015, data.

3. Pakistan

Nanga Parbat, the world's ninth highest mountain, is found in Pakistan.

Officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Pakistan is a 796,095 square kilometer country in South Asia. It is located at the convergence of South Asia, Central Asia, and West Asia according to the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad. Pakistan borders India to the east, Afghanistan and Iran to the west, China to the north east, and the Arabian Sea to the south. According to the World Bank 2016 data, Pakistan has a population of 193.2 million people. Islamabad, the capital city of the country, is located in th Pothohar Plateau. Pakistans main religion is Islam, and the main languages spoken are English, Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, and Balochi. The Pakistan Rupee is the countrys main currency. Pakistans economy is fuelled by agriculture and textile industry. The textile industry contributes 8.5 percent to the countrys GDP, and contributes USD 9.6 billion to the country total textile exports annually, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Life expectancy in Pakistan is 66.38 years, according to World Bank 2015 data.

2. Turkmenistan

The famous Derweze Gas Crater in Turkmenistan.

The 488,100 square kilometer Turkmenistan is a landlocked former soviet republic located in Central Asia. It borders Uzbekistan to the north east, Kazakhstan to the north west, Iran and Afghanistan to the south, and the Caspian Sea to the west. Turkmenistan has a population of 5.663 million people according to 2016 World Bank data. Its capital is Ashgabat, which is also the countrys largest city and it is located in South Turkmenistan at the foothills of the Kopet Dag mountain ranges. The main religion in Turkmenistan is Islam, and the major languages are Russian and Turkmen. The Turkmen Manat is the countrys currency. Agriculture is among the major contributors to the countrys economy contributing about 13.2 percent to the GDP, according to the CIA fact book, and employs over 48 percent of the labor force. Cotton and wheat are the main crops grown in the country. Natural gas and industrial production are also important contributors to Turkmenistan's GDP. The latter contributes 41 percent to the countrys GDP according to Economy Watch, and the former accounts for 15.23 percent of the GDP, according to 2015 World Bank data.

1. Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a landlocked nation and a former soviet republic in south central Asia. It borders Kazakhstan to the north, Tajikistan to the south east, Kyrgyzstan to the north east, Afghanistan to the south, and Turkmenistan to the south west. Uzbekistan has a population of 31.85 million, according to World Bank 2016 data and its capital city is Tashkent. Tashkent is Uzbekistan's largest city and is on the north eastern part of the country in the Tashkent province. Islam is the main religion in the country, and the main languages spoken are Uzbek, Russian, and Tajik. The Uzbek som is the countrys currency. According to the International Trade Administration (ITM), agriculture accounts for 17.6 percent of Uzbekistan's GDP and employs 26 percent of the countrys labor force. Cotton and grains are the countrys main agricultural crops. Exports of agriculture products contributed about 13.6 percent of Uzbekistan's foreign earnings in 2016, according to ITM. Uzbekistan is also the worlds fifth largest cotton exporter and the sixth largest producer of cotton. Cotton, natural gas and gold exports form the pillars of the country's economy.
Wales forms part of the UK and the island of Great Britain, and its capital city is Cardiff. To the east, it is bordered by England, to the north and west is the Irish Sea, and the British Channel to the South. Cardiff is the 11th largest city in the UK and the largest city in Wales. The city is the largest commercial center in Wales and is the base for the most sporting and cultural institutions. The city covers an area of 8,023 square miles, and in 2011, its population was 3,063,456 with the unitary authority area having a population of 346,100 people. In 2011, the population of the metropolitan area of Cardiff was a third of the total population of Wales having a population of about 1.1 million people.The city of Cardiff is a major tourist center and receives visitors from around the world. The city received 18.3 million visitors in 2010. National Geographic ranked Cardiff as the worlds 6th alternative tourist destination.

History Of The Capital Of Wales

Areas near and around Cardiff shows that there was a human settlement as early as 6000 years ago. Cardiff was part of the territory of the Celtic British tribe known as Silures until the Romans conquered Britain. By the middle ages, Cardiff had flourished and had a population of between 1500-2000 people. Moving forward to the 20th century the city of Cardiff was given a city status in 1905 by King Edward II and officially became the capital city of Wales on December 20, 1955.

Geography Of The Capital City Of Wales

Cardiff is flat at the center, and its sides are bound by hills. As a city, it is built on marshland and Triassic stones. This type of landscape is usually shallow and low lying thus explaining Cardiffs center flatness. To the northern part, Cardiff is bordered by the South Wales Valley to the East it borders the city of Newport, to the South by the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel.

Economy Of Cardiff

Cardiff city contributes immensely to the economy of Wales, and industry has played a significant role in its development. The demand for coal catalyzed its growth from a small town to a major city. Presently, the city of Cardiff is the primary business and finance center in Wales. Its growth has been attributed to its strong representation in finance and business services. Tourism plays a significant role in its economy and Cardiff is one the famous tourist destination cities in the UK. Cardiff has a large media industry employing close to 6,000 people with a turnover estimated to be 350 million pounds. It also has a large retailer center with its shopping portfolio decked in the city center. It has an efficient transport system in rail, road, air, and water.

Government Of The Capital Of Wales

Cardiff has been managed by the City and County Council of Cardiff since 1996, which is run from the County Hall in Atlantic Wharf. The National assembly sits at Cardiff Bay after it was formed in 1999. After the 2012 elections, the Labour party won the majority seats in the county council. In the local government, Cardiff is divided into communities. Some are under their own councils, while some are governed by the Cardiff City Council.
By PTI: Washington, Aug 27 (PTI) Scientists have developed high- tech "twistron" yarns that generate electricity when stretched or twisted, an advance that may lead to self-powered wearable health monitors as well as smart clothes in future.

The yarns have various possible applications such as harvesting energy from the motion of ocean waves or from temperature fluctuations, researchers said.

advertisement

When sewn into a shirt, these yarns served as a self- powered breathing monitor, they said.

"The easiest way to think of twistron harvesters is, you have a piece of yarn, you stretch it, and out comes electricity," said Carter Haines, associate research professor at University of Texas at Dallas in the US.

The yarns are constructed from carbon nanotubes, which are hollow cylinders of carbon 10,000 times smaller in diameter than a human hair.

The researchers first twist-spun the nanotubes into high-strength, lightweight yarns. To make the yarns highly elastic, they introduced so much twist that the yarns coiled like an over-twisted rubber band.

In order to generate electricity, the yarns must be either submerged in or coated with an ionically conducting material, or electrolyte, which can be as simple as a mixture of ordinary table salt and water.

"Fundamentally, these yarns are supercapacitors," said Na Li, a research scientist at UT Dallas and co-lead author of the study published in the journal Science.

"In a normal capacitor, you use energy - like from a battery - to add charges to the capacitor. But in our case, when you insert the carbon nanotube yarn into an electrolyte bath, the yarns are charged by the electrolyte itself. No external battery, or voltage, is needed," said Li.

When a harvester yarn is twisted or stretched, the volume of the carbon nanotube yarn decreases, bringing the electric charges on the yarn closer together and increasing their energy, Haines said.

This increases the voltage associated with the charge stored in the yarn, enabling the harvesting of electricity.

Stretching the coiled twistron yarns 30 times a second generated 250 watts per kilogram of peak electrical power when normalised to the harvesters weight, said Ray Baughman, from UT Dallas.

Researchers showed that a twistron yarn weighing less than a housefly could power a small LED, which lit up each time the yarn was stretched.

To show that twistrons can harvest waste thermal energy from the environment, Li connected a twistron yarn to a polymer artificial muscle that contracts and expands when heated and cooled.

advertisement

The twistron harvester converted the mechanical energy generated by the polymer muscle to electrical energy.

"There is a lot of interest in using waste energy to power the Internet of Things, such as arrays of distributed sensors," Li said.

"Twistron technology might be exploited for such applications where changing batteries is impractical," said Li. PTI MHN MHN

--- ENDS ---
Although Modern Standard Arabic is Kuwait's official language, Kuwaiti Arabic is preferred for everyday life in the country. Kuwait is one of the world's Arab nations and thus Arabic is the predominant language. The nation hosts a large immigrant workforce especially from Asia who use English along with their native tongues. Expatriates represent about 70% of the Kuwaiti population which translates to increasing language diversity in the country. Tourists visiting Kuwait are advised to know a few Arabic or English terms.

Official Language Of Kuwait

Modern Standard Arabic in Kuwait is mainly used in education and journalism. The spoken form of Arabic has evolved depending on the region where it is used. Gulf Arabic is the variant used in Kuwait and more specifically Kuwaiti Arabic. Kuwaiti Arabic features loan words from Indian, English, Persian, Turkish, and Italian due to trade and immigration. There are some differences between the dialects used in Kuwait's rural and urban areas. Kuwaiti Arabic is locally known as Khaliji, Khamseh, and Al Hasaa in other Arab nations. Pupils are instructed in Modern Standard Arabic in Kuwait's public schools as well as private Arabic schools which inform their everyday use of Kuwaiti Arabic. At university levels, lectures are instructed in Arabic for courses with historical or religious focus. Official documents, magazines, books, and newspapers feature Modern Standard Arabic.

Major Foreign Languages Spoken In Kuwait

English and French

English occupies a significant place in Kuwait's educational curriculum. It is taught along with Arabic in the country's schools. The demand for western education has been growing in Kuwait due to factors such as the sophisticated curricula of the non-Arabic foreign educational institutions in Kuwait and the importance of an English foundation for advanced education overseas. The comparative high fees do not deter many students from enrolling in British and American curricula schools. English in Kuwait is widely understood, and it is sometimes used in business. The bulk of Kuwait's road signs are in English and Arabic as well as most restaurant and business signs. There are also several televisions and radio broadcasts in Kuwait which use English. French is a medium of instruction to the students learning humanities for only two years.

Primary Immigrant Languages Spoken In Kuwait

The history of Kuwait features historic immigration patterns. The Ajam Kuwaitis, for example, are Kuwaiti citizens who trace their origin to Iran. This group uses Persian, and they predominantly adhere to Shi'a Islam. Kuwait is popular with South Asian workers especially Indians and Pakistanis. Hindi and Urdu are thus often heard within these communities. As commonly observed with expats everywhere, immigrants in Kuwait often establish communities through which they keep their languages and cultures alive. The Farsi language is heard in Iranian communities as it is Iran's official form of speech. Other minority immigrant groups include Omani and Balochis.

Tagalog

The Tagalog language has been gaining ground in Kuwait such that Radio Kuwait broadcasts some programs using the language. Tagalog is a

language originating in the Philippines. Kuwait's government has been looking to the Philippines as a labor source and thus facilitating the immigration of Tagalog-speaking Filipinos to the nation.
Korean, also referred to as Hangul, is the national and official language in South Korea as well as North Korea. The language is drastically different from western languages. South Korea is home to close to 51 million residents, half of whom reside in and around the bustling capital of Seoul.

Korean: The Official Language Of South Korea

The Korean language belongs to the the Koreanic language family. The modern form of Korean developed from Middle Korean. This itself had developed from Old Korean which had developed from the kind of speech used in Prehistoric Korea.

The Chinese characters which arrived in the Korean region along with Buddhism were adopted as the language's main script called hanja. King Sejong the Great introduced the writing system currently called Hangul to deal with the inadequacy of hanja. Today, Hangul is preferred over hanja. In South Korea, the language is spoken in various dialects. The Gyeonggi dialect is the most popular of the rest of the dialects, and it is the basis on which the standard variant of Korean is formed. The dialect is widespread in the Seoul National Capital Area which includes the Incheon and Seoul Cities together with Gyeonggi Province. The Jeju dialect is used in South Korea's Jeju Province, and it is different from the Korean dialects used in the mainland. The dialect is regarded as a local language, and it is majorly used by the older people. The Gyeongsang dialects are used by communities in the Yeongnam region. Some of these dialects are tonal unlike standard Korean. The Jeolla dialect is mainly used in South Korea's Honam region including Gwangju region. The Chungcheong dialects are used in the Chuncheong region as well as in Daejeon City.

Other Popular Languages Spoken In South Korea

English

Almost all of Koreans under 40 years have participated in English lessons as part of their schooling. However, due to inadequate practice and the fear of mispronunciation, many Koreans only know basic English phrases. After the Korean War, South Korea embraced global trade with such nations as the US. English has been promoted as a second language and supported by government initiatives. Most of the Koreans who study English have a particular reason for doing so including trade, academics, and business. Few people will use the language among themselves and when they do they will use a particular kind of Korean-influenced English. Most Korean workers in hotels and airlines know a bit of English and are able to interact with international tourists. Tourists are however advised to familiarize themselves with a bit of Korean.

Japanese

The population of the older generation in South Korea speaks Japanese. The majority of the Japanese speakers reside in Busan, which is a short trip to the Japanese city of Fukuoka. The dialect verbalized in Busan bears similarities to Japanese while the Japanese dialect used in Fukuoka exhibits Korean influence.
By PTI: officials

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has asked Income Tax authorities to carry out a detailed study of the accounts of businessman Zahoor Watali, arrested by the agency in connection with a case it has registered on terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The officials also said the agency would hire chartered accountants to examine the books and ledgers of Watali and his business establishments.

advertisement

The NIA yesterday conducted raids in Srinagar in the office of Trison Farms and Construction Pvt Ltd, owned by Watali.

"The search has unearthed incriminating documents pertaining to Zahoor Watalis financial transactions. These have been seized and a further investigation is on," an NIA spokesman here said.

NIA officials said the Income Tax authorities would be examining the documents seized and also comparing the accounts with his tax returns.

The chartered accountants (CAs) would examine the ledgers and investments including kaccha (unofficial) receipts seized from his various offices, they said.

The officials said the CAs would also scrutinise the accounts of some NGOs and trusts in Kashmir Valley.

Watali is being questioned by the NIA regarding "incriminating" financial transaction details and property- related records seized during the searches.

The NIA has also accused Watali of travelling on an invalid passport.

"Instead of surrendering the cancelled passport to the authorities, he travelled abroad on the cancelled/invalid passport on March 21 last year in violation of the law and again when he tried to do so, his invalid passport was seized in Delhi by the authorities," NIA had said in a statement.

The statement had said that Watali, "who is suspected of acting as a conduit for illegally remitting funds to secessionists, terrorists and stone-pelters", had earlier been arrested in 1990 by the Jammu and Kashmir Police.

"Some anti-national activists were found present in his house at Bagat Barzulla, Srinagar. He was taken into custody along with Yaseen Malik, Sajjad Gani Lone, Bilal Lone and others and was jailed for eight months at Jammu," it said.

The NIA is also questioning several separatists including the sons of pro-Pakistan hardliner Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

The NIA had registered a case of terror funding and named Hafiz Saeed, leader of the Pakistan-based Jamaat-ud-Dawa and banned terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, as an accused. Several separatist organisations in Jammu and Kashmir have also been named in the FIR. PTI SKL BDS

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Five inspirational teenagers celebrated for their volunteering work in The Gambia

This article is old - Published: Monday, Aug 28th, 2017

Five inspirational teenagers from Wrexham have bagged themselves a national award at this years Youth Work in Excellence Awards for their promoting Health and Wellbeing.

Lauren Lewis, 17, Jade Griffiths, 17, Chloe Roberts, 17, Emma Baker, 16, and Katelyn Owen Jones, 14, set out to support and inspire others to make a difference to the lives of people living in third world countries such as Gambia.

Together the group, alongside Wrexham Councils Youth Work in Education Team, developed the Creating Change project, which saw them raise over 12,500 through fashion shows, bingo, Christmas fates, duck races, three peak challenge and sponsored canoeing (to name but a few!)

The five then travelled to the Gunjur Project in Gambia, whose focus is to ensure that all who visit leave making a positive impact on the local community and The Gambia as a whole.

The project focuses is to ensure that all who visit whether they be holiday makers or volunteers leave making a positive impact on the local community and The Gambia as a whole.

Whilst there the group used their hard earned funds to fund three years worth of education for three children  along with helping one young person with their midwifery studies and for funding for one man to work in the local bird sanctuary, which will help him support his family for ten for one year.

They also managed to provide mosquito nets, first aid supplies, sanitary products and stationary and painting supplies for a local primary school. As an added bonus the project saw the outside of the school walls painted in white wash and decorated with bright childrens designs.

Their work has now been recognised by the Youth Work in Excellence Awards for promoting Health and Wellbeing at a recent event in Cardiff. They also received a 50 hrs Global Millennium Award which recognised their contribution to overseas volunteering on the same night.

Cllr Paul Rogers, Lead Member for Youth Services and Anti Poverty, said: These five young ladies are an inspiration to all who read their story. Their compassion and humanity stands out and I congratulate them for their awards which are well deserved.

The Award was presented by the Childrens Commissioner for Wales, Sally Holland.

Youth workers Caroline Bennett and Tina Edwards, spoke on behalf of all the group said: We would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved in the project as it would not have been this successful nor would the young people had such an amazing experience if it wasnt for the support of so many people.
Gold standard award for Coleg Cambria

This article is old - Published: Monday, Aug 28th, 2017

Coleg Cambria has been awarded the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Presidents Gold Standard 2017 for outstanding Health and Safety Management.

The Gold standard is the highest award possible within the prestigious RoSPA Health and Safety annual award scheme. The Presidents Gold Standard is awarded to organisation who have achieved a Gold standard for ten consecutive years and not only maintained that standard but clearly demonstrated year on year improvements.

This is the twelfth consecutive year in which the college achieved the standard required and demonstrated improvements.

The RoSPA Health Safety Award scheme is open to businesses and organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas. A panel of leading Health and Safety professionals assess the entrants occupational health and safety management system, including aspects such as leadership and workforce involvement and where considered appropriate award Bronze, Silver or Gold standards.

Coleg Cambrias Head of Estates & Facilities, Rick Bedson said: The health & safety of students and staff is always of paramount importance to the college and we are delighted that this prestigious award recognises the commitment made by the college in maintaining and wherever possible, improving health and safety standards.

Julia Small, RoSPAs Head of Awards, added: The RoSPA Awards are the most prestigious in the world of occupational health and safety, and held in high regard around the world, as winning one demonstrates an organisations commitment to maintaining an excellent health and safety record. Achieving the standard required is no mean feat.

This is a special year in the history of RoSPA, and we congratulate all of our winners in this, our centenary year.

Coleg Cambria will be presented their award in September at the RoSPA annual awards ceremony in the Glasgow Hilton.
By PTI: of daily needs

By Bunty Tyagi

Sirsa, Aug 26 (PTI) Surender Kaur is unable to withdraw money from banks or ATMs for meet her daily household needs for the last two days while Manjeet Singh is not able to get the fuel tank of his motorbike filled at petrol pumps which are closed after authorities clamped strict restrictions in this town.

advertisement

Normal life in Sirsa, which is the headquarters of Dera Sacha Sauda sect, has come to a standstill after curfew-like restrictions were imposed to prevent any untoward incident after the large scale violence by the followers of sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was convicted by CBI court in a 15-year-old rape case.

Milk supply has also been affected adversely in several areas as the agitated followers set a milk plant on fire, located near the sect headquarters.

After the CBI court in Punchkula pronounced the Dera Sacha Sauda chief guilty in the sexual exploitation case, followers went violent and set a milk plant on fire, police said, adding that flames were doused within a few hours.

Hotels here too are facing the brunt as they are running out of supply of essential items. Also, hotel staff are not able to reach their workplace due to the restrictions.

"For the last two days, I am unable to buy essential items for my household as I have ran out of money and also banks and ATMs are closed. Authorities should ensure that essential facilities are open so that people wont have to face any problem," said Kaur, whose house is about four km away from the Dera headquarters.

Apart from Kaur, Rajesh Kumar, who runs a hotel in the vicinity of the sect headquarters, said, "As there have been huge shortage of vegetables and essential items. We are only providing accommodation to our guests and not lunch, breakfast and dinner since Thursday night."

Schools, colleges, cinema halls, petrol pumps have also been shut as a precautionary measure.

Authorities have imposed curfew in areas, which are in the vicinity of the Dera headquarters, on Thursday.

People have been asked to stay indoors in the wake of violent protest by Dera followers last evening.

Two companies of Army from Hisar district, ten companies of paramilitary forces ? the CRPF and the BSF, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and several companies of Haryana police have been deployed to maintain law and order in Sirsa district.

In the violence last night, two Dera followers have been killed so far while seven injured, authorities said.

advertisement

Out of seven, the conditions are three Dera followers are said to be critical.

Inspector General (Hisar range) A S Dillion said that police have been monitoring the situation in and around Dera headquarters.

Sirsa SP Ashwin Shenvi said that army has been called to maintain law and order situation in the district. PTI BUN SMJ

--- ENDS ---
Over the past week, the anarchist affiliation Antifa (Anti-fascist) has received widespread and favorable coverage in the establishment media.

On August 18, the New York Times, the main newspaper voice for the Democratic Party, published a major front-page feature article, Antifa Grows as Left-Wing Faction Set to, Literally, Fight the Far Right. The piece, written by Thomas Fuller, Alan Feuer, and Serge F. Kovaleski, showcased the views of the movement with interviews of its members.

The article presents Antifa as a serious force for fighting fascism, all but inviting readers to sign up. Unlike most of the counterdemonstrators in Charlottesville and elsewhere, the Times reports, members of Antifa have shown no qualms about using their fists, sticks or canisters of pepper spray to meet an array of right-wing antagonists whom they call a fascist threat to American democracy.

The newspaper interviewed several members of the affiliation, who, the Times states, believe the ascendant new right in the country requires a physical response. The quotes are all presented favorably, including one from a self-identified member of Antifa, who argues that physical confrontation with Nazi groups is necessary, because Nazis and white supremacists are not around to talk.

The Times article is not the only example. On August 20, NBCs Meet the Press carried a segment featuring Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook and Lecturer at Dartmouth.

Bray was also invited to write an op-ed in the Washington Post, owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The column, Who are the antifa?, published on August 17, was in effect a free advertisement, encouraging readers to support or join the movement. One photo caption read, Antifascists may seem like a novelty, but theyve been around for a very long time. Maybe we should start listening to them.

The prominent and sympathetic coverage for Antifa from the Times, the Post and NBC is politically sinister. The Times has a policy of excluding any genuinely left-wing opinion, while Meet the Press, the most widely-watched Sunday news program, never interviews or features in its panel discussions anyone outside what is considered acceptable by the political establishment.

At the same time as it is giving favorable coverage to Antifa, the Times, Post and other media outlets have collaborated with Google in the effort to suppress genuine left-wing opposition, including the World Socialist Web Site and other sites.

The promotion of Antifa serves several interrelated functions. First, the physical violence of a handful of protesters in any large demonstration is regularly used as a pretext for police provocation. This is true not only in the US, but in Europe and around the world. Police give the anti-fascist and anarchist groups a free hand to carry out provocations, which are then exploited to carry out a violent crackdown.

The groups themselves are easily infiltrated by police provocateurs, who encourage violent acts for the desired end.

The politics of the various groups that comprise Antifa are, moreover, entirely compatible with those of the Democratic Party, and serve a purpose for that section of the political establishment.

Since before Trump was elected, the Democratic Party has sought to channel widespread popular opposition to Trump behind the military and intelligence apparatus. Indeed, the conflicts within the ruling class since the Nazi rampage in Charlottesville have culminated in the strengthening of the grip of the military and financial elite over the Trump administration. The first product of this restructuring was Trumps announcement of a major escalation of the war in Afghanistan.

The Democrats and affiliated media, particularly the Times, have sought to bury the basic class issuesthe fight against social inequality, war, and authoritarianismthrough the promotion of a series of diversionary issues.

The Times has relentlessly promoted the anti-Russia campaign, seeking to channel mass opposition to Trump behind the demand for more aggressive measures against the government of Vladimir Putin. It has encouraged the conception that the United States is divided by immense racial divisions, promoting both the identity politics of the Democratic Party and providing respectful and even admiring coverage of what it calls white nationalists. It has also prominently featured the Jacobin magazine, affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, which supports the Democratic Party.

The promotion of Antifa conforms to this agenda. Indeed, many of the groups involved in Antifa are essentially factions of the Democratic Party. By Any Means Necessary, BAMN, which is mentioned by name with a link to its website in the Times article, is among the most fervent advocates of the racialist politics of the Democrats. It received national attention in 2014 for its campaign for Affirmative Action, which was waged in alliance with the Democrats and sections of the corporate elite and military.

Adherents of Antifa claim they are fighting the fascist threat by physically preventing neo-Nazis from getting a hearing, denying them access to schools and cities where they may reach followers. Ignored, however, is the role of the Democrats and the social and political conditions that create fascism.

The neo-Nazi groups are themselves at present a minuscule social force, unable to organize more than a few hundred people for their major rallies, including the demonstration in Charlottesville. Trump and his fascistic advisers (including the now-departed Stephen Bannon), however, are seeking to exploit political confusion and alienation to develop an extra-parliamentary far-right nationalist movement.

To the extent that a fascist movement will develop, it is because they receive the backing of a section of the ruling elite under conditions in which the policies of the ruling class go unchallenged. That is, it is the subordination of the working class to the Democratic Party and its various affiliates, to which Antifa contributes, that creates the ability for fascistic groups to grow.

In terms of its social basis, Antifa attracts disoriented layers particularly among the middle class on the basis of a program compatible with the aims of the Democratic Party and the ruling elite, and which is indifferent and even openly hostile to the mobilization of the working class. It is for this reason that they are being promoted in the media.

A principled struggle against the threat of fascism and the Trump administrations attacks on immigrants, democratic rights, health care, and living standards requires a fight against the entire political establishment and the capitalist system upon which it is based. It is not punch-ups with Nazis, but the independent political organization and mobilization of the working class, on a socialist program, that is the urgent task.
The official march called Saturday after the August 17 terror attack in Barcelona turned into an unprecedented demonstration of public hostility to imperialist proxy wars in the Middle East that spawned the Islamist networks now carrying out terror attacks across Europe.

Spanish King Felipe VI, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and other top officials were greeted with booing, honking car horns, and shouts of Your policies, our dead. Others at the 500,000-strong march denounced Spanish weapons sales to Middle East countries like Saudi Arabia, shouting, Felipe, if you want peace you dont do weapons trafficking and Mariano, we want peace not weapons sales. As the King and Rajoy marched, they were repeatedly met with catcalls and shouts of Get out, get out.

Rajoys conservative Popular Party (PP) government and regional authorities in Catalonia had called what they hoped would be a right-wing protest, denouncing terrorism and calling for peace and unity behind the police and the state. This backfired, however, as large numbers of protesters denounced war and official complicity with terrorism.

As the conservative Internet daily El Espanol confessed, pre-prepared, official blue signs calling for peace were overwhelmed by others, that blamed the heads of state and of government for weapons trafficking, and connected the Spanish monarch to Saudi Arabia, a country accused of financing the Islamic State, which carried out the Barcelona attack.

Protesters held pictures of King Felipe meeting Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, or of former PP Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar meeting with US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as they led the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Protesters also cited evidence of state foreknowledge or even complicity in the attack, as Madrid-Barcelona rivalries grow before the scheduled October 1 Catalan independence referendum. One man, who told El Pais that the King cannot come to a pacifist demonstration and sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, added that the government hid information about the terrorists from the Mossos dEsquadra, the Catalan regional police.

On Sunday, Rajoy was compelled to respond to press reports of his debacle at the march. He refused to address any of the protesters criticisms, but arrogantly declared, The insults of certain people, we didnt listen to them, and added: Yesterday we were where we had to be and with those we had to be with, expressing our support for terror victims and showing our solidarity with the immense majority of sensible and moderate Catalans. He called on Catalonia to abandon the scheduled October 1 independence referendum and plans for rupture.

Catalan officials, shocked by an outpouring of antiwar sentiment, tried to downplay it. We should not exaggerate it, Carles Puigdemont, the president of the Catalan Generalitat, said of the booing of the King, adding, People expressed themselves in liberty, in conviviality, and in peace.

Barcelona mayor Ada Colau, one of the so-called Mayors of Change backed by the Podemos party, refused to even discuss the growing antiwar sentiment. Citizenship paves the way to the city, she blandly declared, hailing Barcelonas support for conviviality, diversity, and peace. She added, In such a big demonstration, there is freedom of expression and many people come out with their own symbols and complementary questions.

Colaus statement is a cover-up of the political issues raised by the terror attack in her city. Fifteen people are dead and over 100 wounded in a horrific attack in Barcelonathe latest in a spate of Islamist attacks since 2015 that have killed hundreds and wounded thousands across Europe, from Paris to Brussels, Berlin and Manchester. Imperialist wars are not a supplementary issue to terrorism, but the driving force in the eruption of Islamist terror attacks in Europe, that must be halted if these attacks are to cease.

Washington and the European powers relied on Islamist militias in the 2011 war in Libya and then in the now six-year-old war in Syria, working with Persian Gulf oil sheikdoms like Saudi Arabia to plunge billions of dollars into Islamist terror networks. They recruited tens of thousands of fighters in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia to carry out shooting or bombing raids against regimes targeted by the NATO powers. In 2012, the Pentagon designated one proxy militia, Al Nusra, as a terrorist group and Al Qaeda affiliate, though it has continued to receive NATO support.

The events in Barcelona point to explosive class conflicts now building up in Spain and across Europe. Since 2015, the ruling class has continued to tolerate terror networks as a foreign policy tool, while using the attacks these networks carried out in Europe as a pretext to press for police-state measuresimposing a state of emergency in France, placing Brussels on lockdown, or putting armed law enforcement on the streets in Britainbased on the lie that Europe was waging a war on terror. This lie is now wearing thin, however.

Workers, facing high unemployment and waves of social cuts imposed by the financial aristocracy across Europe, are deeply hostile to the pro-war and antidemocratic policies of the political establishment. This opposition is all the more significant and explosive in that it brings the workers objectively into conflict with the entire ruling establishment, including its nominally left factions.

Pseudo-left parties like Podemoswhich has sought to develop its influence inside the Spanish officer corps and has recruited General Julio Rodriguez Fernandez, who commanded Spains forces in the 2011 Libya warare deeply committed to the war. Podemos aggressively defended the sale of Spanish warships to Saudi Arabia, with Puerto Real mayor Antonio Romero claiming that weapons deals were critical to create jobs.

Asked about the booing of the king at the Barcelona protests, Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias was silent on the issue of war, saying, People got out their banners, that is beautiful.

Similarly, the Barcelona attack is unmasking the Catalan nationalists, who continue to attack Madrid in the run-up to the scheduled Catalan independence referendum. On Friday, Puigdemont gave an interview to the Financial Times of London, attacking the Rajoy government and blaming the PP for preventing the Catalan authorities from stopping the attacks.

Puigdemont said, We asked them not to play politics with security. Unfortunately, the Spanish government had other priorities. Puigdemont cited potentially explosive charges from Catalan officials about, according to the Financial Times, Madrids decision to block the hiring of new Catalan police officers this year and to drag its feet on granting the local force access to information from Europol.

As of yet, no one has explained what role Madrids blocking of Catalan police access to international police databases played in allowing the attacks to proceed. Despite the Barcelona attack, Puigdemont asserted in the face of all evidence that Catalan police were doing a great job. The Catalan police, even if they do not have all the tools they need . . . and are badly financed, have managed the crisis exceptionally well, he told the Financial Times .

These remarks, coming after the Barcelona march, point to the political character of the forces seeking to set up an independent capitalist state in Catalonia. While they level explosive accusations against Madrid and have bitter rivalries over money and influence with the Spanish bourgeoisie, they are hostile to any appeal to working-class opposition to war and are firm defenders of their own police forces. They would prove deeply hostile to the working class, were they to come to power.
The World Socialist Web Site (WSWS) and the Autoworker Newsletter recently spoke to workers at Fords Chicago Assembly Plant, the Ford River Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan, and the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan over reports of sexual abuse by management at Ford. Ford Motor Company earlier this month agreed to pay $10.1 million to settle claims heard before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by female autoworkers that they faced widespread harassment at both the Chicago Assembly Plant and a stamping plant in suburban Chicago Heights.

Keith Hunt, lawyer for the workers in a separate class-action lawsuit, presented evidence that more than 1,500 female workers were subject to sexual abuse and racial harassment by both Ford management and UAW officials from 2012 to 2014. The case is at least the second to arise at the plants since the 1990s.

The report of the settlement comes in the wake of reports of gross corruption involving high level officials of the United Auto Workers. According to documents filed by federal prosecutors, Fiat Chrysler Vice President for Employee Development Alphons Iacobelli funneled more than $4.5 million to UAW executives to encourage them to take company-friendly positions over the course of the last decade, placing a question mark over all the contracts they negotiated.

UAW officials named in the case to date include retired UAW Associate Director Virdell King, who worked as a senior official in the UAW Chrysler Department between 2008 and 2016; the late General Holiefield, a former UAW vice president and lead negotiator with Chrysler; and Holiefields widow, Monica Morgan. Both King and Holiefield participated in the UAW national negotiating committee.

Speaking about allegations of sexual abuse at Ford, one autoworker with six years at Chicago Assembly told the World Socialist Web Site Auto Worker Newsletter, The harassment is true, and Ive seen the racial part of it. They dog you out if you make a mistake, they dont commend you if you do good work. Theyre showing favoritism, theyre not respecting seniority, and its creating a lot of conflict. People are getting angry, and I feel like they have the right to get angry if they put the time in and theyre not being respected for it.

They ask you, Can you come in early? Can you work through lunch? Theres a lot people busting their ass to build these cars that we cant even afford. Its BS.

At the River Rouge complex in Michigan, a skilled trades worker also reported harassment. Its been going on for years. There was a manager here at Rouge who was doing the same thing. The company was moving him around to different locations. And they moved the women too to different plants to cover it up. The company was protecting him.

Finally a young girl recorded him on her phone telling her that he would give her overtime if she gave him a blow job. She turned it in, so they couldnt cover it up any longer. They fired him.

It takes a special type of person to be in management at Ford, and its not a nice person. They will do anything to make the company money. The company doesnt care as long as they are making money. That is why they cover it up. It is not a pleasant work environment.

Many female workers at Rouge confirmed the widespread practice of sexual harassment. A worker with 10 years seniority said, It happened to me.

I had to go up front and report it, she continued. But the company did nothing about it. The supervisor finally got fired, but Im sure he got his job back. They moved the women around to protect him. They want an atmosphere of intimidation.

I see it all the time, added a female co-worker. The morale is terrible in there. They abuse people, adding a sentiment that many workers expressed, Thank you very much for being out here.

In Chicago, Ford workers frequently laughed with contempt when asked about the UAW bribery allegations. It doesnt surprise me, or, Of course they are, were common remarks. The UAW is Ford, summed up one veteran worker.

Its bad when the union gets paid by the employer, said another worker with five years. I mean, when that happens, the union works for them. Youre not your own entity. So if the company says, This is what we want, the union is going to say, This is what we want too. We want to fight what management is doing to us, but the union reps are just agreeing to it.

A lot of people, I would say 70 percent, if they were able to choose wouldnt be in the union. Back in the day it used to be beneficial, but now theres no benefit. But youre forced to be in it, its not like you have an option.

Commenting on the consequences of the current contract, a worker at Rouge who has been on temporary status for three years said, I have been cursing out the union every day because I have been here as a temp all this time, and they always say they are not hiring full time.

Under the contract, conditions in factories across the country have rapidly deteriorated. A central demand of workers at the time of the negotiations was the reversal of the hated two-tier system, introduced a decade ago as supposedly a temporary measure, which pits new hires against more senior co-workers.

The 2015 agreement maintained the two tier structure and allowed the company to introduce private contractors and different categories of temporary workers, further splitting the workforce with multiple tiers at different rates of compensation. In the process, job security has disappeared.

A worker with only a few years until retirement at the Michigan Assembly Plant (MAP) in Wayne responded bitterly to the reports of federal indictments of UAW negotiators. [Former UAW president] Bob King got out before his ass was on the line, he said. They are a business. They profit off of us.

The federal government wants to control everything today, the autoworker continued. They used the federal courts to steal their pensions in Detroit. Now they are going to go after mine.

Ford gave the executives a $500,000 buyout for them to walk away. [Former Ford CEO] Mark Fields got $20 million. Then Ford negotiated a 2 percent raise for us. [UAW President] Dennis Williams gave himself a 7.2 percent raise. And [UAW Vice President for Ford] Jimmy Settles got a 6.2 percent raise. They gave that to themselves.

UAW members as a whole have paid into the strike fund for years. Where did all that money go? he demanded to know. They raised our dues to build up the strike fund. But we have not been on strike. If that money was there, they could pay us $1,000 per week to go on strike.

I dont support the union at all. They all think they are better than you are. They are doing everything they can to push me out the door. They want all new hires and temps.

He went on to explain the situation at MAP since implementation of the 2015 contract. The body shop is full of temporary workers and low seniority people. They keep them at 30 hours a week.

They work the temps for four eight-hour days. Theyll come in an hour after we start and leave an hour before we leave. They get no benefits. Ford matches their contributions to a 401K up to $200 per month. Thats it.

When the current national auto contract was headed for defeat in 2015, UAW Local 600 at the Rouge complex became the focus of last-ditch efforts by the union to impose the pro-company agreement. A grievance later filed by a worker presented widespread evidence of ballot fraud, but was rejected at both the local and national level within the union.

UAW Vice President Jimmy Settles, originally from Local 600, was head of contract negotiations at Ford. He convened a press conference to use the corporate media in an effort to strong-arm workers into voting yes. The move backfired when a video shot by reporters for the WSWS showing UAW goons physically removing them from the press conference went viral on Facebook and was passed from hand to hand on the factory floor.

We have known about corruption for years. It is finally coming out, the worker continued. Jimmy Settles is nothing but a mobster. You saw that when your man was thrown out of the press conference at Local 600.

What they were doing was illegal. There was too much money involved. The real ballots went in the Detroit River, or someplace. Everyone I talked to voted no. How did they get all those yes votes?

The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter calls on workers to move now to form rank-and-file factory committees. All officials associated with the UAW gangster union should be banned from the shop floor, work locations and all meetings of workers. The factory committees should declare the previous contracts null and void and assume control of the negotiation of all new agreements.
Mehring Books is pleased to announce the publication of Why Study the Russian Revolution? Volume I: The February Revolution and the Development of Bolshevik Strategy. It is available for online purchase at Mehring.com. Between February and October 1917, two monumental revolutions shook Russia. The first overthrew the Romanov autocracy that had ruled the country for more than 300 years. The second overthrew the bourgeois Provisional Government and established the first socialist workers state in history.

One hundred years after the Russian Revolution, the events of 1917 retain a burning contemporary relevance. All the great historical issues that motivated that revolutionary struggleimperialist war, social inequality, political repressionare present today.

This volume includes lectures delivered by members of the International Committee of the Fourth International to mark the centenary of the Russian Revolution. The first lecture, Why Study the Russian Revolution, by WSWS International Editorial Board Chairperson David North, explains the unique character of the revolution and its enduring significance.

The other lectures cover the 1905 Revolution in Russia, the causes and consequences of World War I, the February Revolution, and the impact of Lenins return to Petrograd in April 1917. The volume also includes several additional important lectures and essays on revolutionary theory and historical falsification.

The events and lessons of the most monumental event in world history must be studied by workers and young people all over the world. As David North states in the first lecture:

There is not a single significant social problem that can be solved within the framework of capitalism. Indeed, the logic of capitalism and the nation-state system, which forms the basis of imperialist geopolitics, is leading inexorably to yet another global war, this time fought with nuclear weapons. Nothing can stop the descent into disaster but the renewal of the conscious struggle for world socialism. This, above all, is why it is necessary to study the Russian Revolution.

Order your copy of Why Study the Russian Revolution? Volume 1 today at Mehring Books!
Following our recent review of some locally produced grime tracks about the Grenfell Tower fire the World Socialist Website spoke to one of the artists, El Nino. Our telephone conversation revealed in a small way how the horrors of Grenfell Tower have had an effect on certain witnesses and their art.

I noted in the original review that Grenfell Towers Burnin was the angriest of the tracks put out by artists from the area to date. The artists press release described the track as a furious response by eyewitnesses to the tragedy. This remains its greatest strength, and our discussion touched on this.

This anger is not merely an individual response, and El Nino explained that he also aimed to bring people together around the track. The song was written like an anthem, with the aim that people could join in and share it: The chorus is all there, so everyone can get shouting.

This led to him being initially concerned that the video had appeared beneath a screenshot of a banner reading Royal Murderers of Kensington and Chelsea. That, he said, was only one part of the message of the track.

It may be only one part of the tracks message, I said, but it is an important one. He and Cx4 had performed the song in front of that banner at a protest on the steps of the town hall, which was a very powerful message. I asked if people had joined in the chorus then.

Its all in the video. Everything you see on the video, with the protest, is real and cant be faked. To my comment that the track focused popular anger, he insisted, No one else is going to bring out a tune like that.

For him the track is about bringing the community together around that anger, as something that people want to stand up for with a lot of meaning to it.

Our conversation returned repeatedly to the distinction between the victims and the perpetrators, and their different class outlooks. Bringing the community together in the track was driven by the realisation that Us as people, if we stand together, we can become stronger than the government, whos at fault .

Like other local residents, El Nino has seen how the survivors have been treated by the local authorities since the fire, for example, by making survivors bid against one another for properties:

The survivors were there, and they had no support from the council or anyone. If it werent for the community, they would have just been left on the street like homeless people. So imagine if it happened to me, or to my family, after having to watch it happen.

He is aware that there are limitations to an artistic response (Theres only so much you can do), but the song is to bring people together and stand up for something they believe in.

The songs not just about Grenfell Tower. Its about whats going on in the world. The rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer [a point made by Cx4 in the track]. Those type of people are from different backgrounds, theyre never going to understand. The person whos in charge [Elizabeth Campbell, new head of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea], shes never even been in a tower block! Completely different backgrounds!

We know that with a charge of corporate manslaughter, no one really goes to jail. But had that been any one of us, ordinary people who arent earning loads of moneywhere would we be?

The track is also expressing the anger that complaints and warnings from Grenfell residents were ignored for so long: These people warned you before it happened and you just ignored them .

El Nino watched the Tower burn from his window. He is uncompromising about confronting those responsible with the effects of that night. It wasnt soft for us to watch, so why should it be soft for them? We had to watch that, so why shouldnt they have to listen to us? You need to empathise, and actually have feelings towards whats going on, but they dont.

El Ninos understanding that these are not uniquely local problems is significant. He was interested to hear the responses internationally to our meetings and discussions on Grenfell. He was also aware of a very positive response to the track from a wider audience. This may be due to the subject matter, which is strikingly different to El Ninos usual material.

By his own admission he was not a conscious rapper. He is still coming to terms with that shift, commercially as well as artistically. He told me that for the first time he has started to find music platforms that will not take his track.

His description of this as the first conscious drill tune is a recognition of a change, and he acknowledges that it is setting him new challenges artistically. For me, its just made me a bit aware about the things I say, my music. That was my first conscious tune over a drill track. Im going to try and make something else like that, but it depends on the topic. Its kind of hard to talk like that over that genre of music.

This is a difficult fix for an artist who has made such a leap. He faces the challenge of What do I do next? Do I change it up a bit? Make it into what you like?

He is aware that he can reach all different types of people if theyre going through the same situation as the majority of people in London, or wherever. It reflects the possibilities within grime, but the strength of this track lies in its lack of calculation of target audiences and its honesty about reality. That such questions are coming up is an indication of the beginnings of a shift in consciousness.
Nearly twelve years to the day after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans, Hurricane Harvey is wreaking havoc along the Texas Gulf Coast. Harvey has caused widespread flooding in Houston, the fourth largest city in the country, with 2.3 million people and a metropolitan area population of nearly 6.5 million.

Once again, a major storm has stripped away the pretense and revealed the brutal reality of American society, exposing pervasive poverty, staggering levels of inequality, and rampant official neglect and corruption. Scenes are unfolding of entire families trudging through waist-high water befouled with oil, sewage and chemicals; people young and old scrambling onto roofs in the desperate hope of being rescued from rapidly rising water; entire sections of the city cut off from shelter, food and clean water. The situation will only grow worse as the storm continues to drop record volumes of rain on the city and its environs.

In the richest country in the world, where trillions of dollars were made available to the banks in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crash, widespread destruction and loss of life have become a common feature of the tornadoes, floods, hurricanes and other severe weather events that occur with increasing frequency. This is above all due to the decay of infrastructure and an acute social crisis that has left millions without the means to prepare for a natural disaster.

The victims, as always, are overwhelmingly working-class. Once again, scenes of human suffering amid official dysfunction are shattering the claims of the United States to be a land of prosperity and progress.

As in every such crisis, the spontaneous response of ordinary people is one of social solidarity. Victims of the storm are rushing to help their neighbors and thousands of people are pouring into the impacted area to assist in saving lives and providing food, shelter and medical care. This stands in the starkest contrast to the authorities, who did nothing to ward off the impact of a major flood or prepare to deal with its consequences.

This is despite the fact that Houston and southeast Texas have seen one flood disaster after another. The very existence of Houston as a major port city is due to the hurricane in 1900 that destroyed the nearby city of Galveston. Since the turn of the new century, Houston has been hit by tropical storm Allison in 2001, Hurricane Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Ike in 2008. Harvey is the third major flooding event in Houston in the past three years. Over the past forty years, Houston has had more floods than any other major city in the United States. Floods are the number one cause of deaths from natural events in Houston, known as the bayou city.

A center of the oil industry and home to the Bush family, Houston and the state of Texas are held up as models of unrestrained free market capitalism. Houston and other major Texas cities have seen substantial growth as major corporations relocated to take advantage of the states low corporate tax rates, minimal regulations and low-wage workforce, which includes millions of undocumented immigrants.

For decades, the city has allowed developers and real estate speculators to carry out uncontrolled expansion, replacing wetlands and prairie lands, which absorb water, with paved surfaces, increasing the flood risk to the city. National, state and local politicians have ignored the repeated warnings of scientists and experts that they were courting disaster.

Hurricane protection infrastructure has been neglected. After Hurricane Ike, experts proposed the construction of seawalls along the coast and the erection of a floodgate around the Houston Ship Channel. This project has yet to materialize. Its cost is estimated at $6 billion to $8 billion, a small fraction of the revenue of the US oil industry in a single year.

While the hurricane and flood may be acts of nature, the scale of their impact has been magnified by man-made factors. Indeed, even the weather events are profoundly affected by economic and social conditions. There is no question that global warming, the result of the anarchic, irrational and profit-driven nature of capitalism, is responsible for the increasing frequency and severity of storms and floods in the US and around the world.

As far as the American ruling class is concerned, the main assets to be protected are the oil refineries in the Houston area, not the citys working-class residents. Appearing on the Fox News Sunday program, Secretary of State and multimillionaire former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson offered reassurances to the financial elite that its investments were safe, declaring that the oil and gas industry was probably among the most prepared for these types of events.

The Wall Street Journal published an article on Sunday, as the floodwaters were rising in Houston, bearing the headline Hurricane Harvey Unlikely to Damage Insurers Balance Sheets.

Houston exemplifies the colossal levels of social inequality in America. Thirteen of the worlds roughly 1,600 billionaires live in the city, which has an official poverty rate of 25 percent and a child poverty rate of 38 percent. A recent study by the Pew Research Center found that Houston is the most economically segregated city in the United States, with the rich geographically isolated from the poor.

Many who were stranded by Harveys floodwaters have told reporters that they simply lacked the money to evacuate.

As after Hurricane Katrina, the BP oil spill of 2010 and dozens of floods in Houston and across the country, nothing will be done to make the victims of the disaster whole. More than a decade after Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of former residents have still not been able to return home, and whole neighborhoods in New Orleans remain depopulated wastelands. Moreover, the events in Houston come as the Trump administration proposes to carry out hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts to FEMA in the fiscal year 2018 budget, including sharp reductions to projects associated with the Federal Flood Insurance Program.

The spontaneous demonstration of solidarity, compassion and energy on the part of working people in response to the Houston flood disaster shows in embryo the immense potential for the development of a truly humane and rational society that serves the needs of the people. What stands in the way are the outmoded social relations of capitalism, which enable a tiny elite to monopolize wealth and resources and plunder society to amass ever greater personal fortunes.

What is required is the mobilization of the working class to put an end to the capitalist system and to establish socialism, based on common ownership and control of the productive forces and the principle of social equality.
Japanese officials said there was no damage to ships or anything else reported.

By AP: North Korea fired a ballistic missile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan before plunging into the northern Pacific Ocean, officials said Tuesday, an especially aggressive test-flight that will rattle an already anxious region.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile traveled around 2,700 kilometers (1677 miles) and reached a maximum height of 550 kilometers (341 miles) as it flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. The JCS said it is analyzing the launch with the United States and also that South Korea's military has strengthened its monitoring and preparation in case of further actions from North Korea.

advertisement

Japanese officials said there was no damage to ships or anything else reported. Japan's NHK TV said the missile separated into three parts. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters, "We will do our utmost to protect people's lives."

North Korean missile launches, which have been proceeding at an unusually fast pace this year, have Washington and its allies in Asia rattled because each one puts the North a step closer toward its goal of an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can reliably target the United States. Some analysts believe that could be achieved before the end of US President Donald Trump's first term in early 2021.

NORTH KOREAN MISSILE LAUNCHES

Tuesday's launch comes days after the North fired what was assessed as three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and a month after its second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which analysts say could reach deep into the US mainland when perfected.

North Korea typically reacts with anger to US-South Korean military drills, which are happening now, often staging weapons tests and releasing threats to Seoul and Washington in its state-controlled media. But animosity is higher than usual following threats by Trump to unleash "fire and fury" on the North, and Pyongyang's stated plan to consider firing some of its missiles toward Guam.

Kim Dong-yub, a former South Korean military official who is now an analyst at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said that the early flight data suggests the North Korean missile was likely a Hwasong-12, a new intermediate range missile that the North has recently threatened to fire toward Guam. Kim said it may also have been a midrange Musudan, a missile with a potential 3,500-kilometer (2,180-mile) range that puts much of the Asia-Pacific region within reach, or a Pukguksong-2, a solid-fuel missile that can be fired faster and more secretly than weapons using liquid fuel.

FIRST ROCKET EVER FIRED

North Korea first fired a rocket over Japanese territory in August of 1998 when a multistage rocket that outside experts called "Taepodong-1" based on the name of the village it was launched from flew about 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) before landing in the Pacific Ocean. The North later said it launched a satellite.

advertisement

North Korea flew another rocket over Japan again in April 2009 and said that, too, was carrying a satellite. The North claimed success, but the US North American Aerospace Defense Command says no satellite reached orbit. The United Nations has repeatedly condemned North Korean satellite launches as covers meant to test banned long-range missile technology.

Pyongyang regularly argues that the US-South Korean military exercises are an invasion rehearsal, although analysts say the North's anger is partly because the impoverished country must react with its own expensive drills and weapons tests. The allies say the war games are defensive and meant to counter North Korean aggression.

North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Ja Song Nam, wrote recently that the exercises are "provocative and aggressive" at a time when the Korean Peninsula is "like a time bomb."

TOUGH RESPONSE PLEDGED

The top US and South Korean military officers agreed to make a strong response to North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch on Tuesday, including possible unspecified military measures, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

The chairmen of both countries' Joint Chiefs of Staff agreed on a phone call "to take response measures at the earliest possible time that can demonstrate the alliance's strong will including military measures," Yonhap reported, quoting the South Korean military.

advertisement

The Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul could not be reached immediately for confirmation. A South Korean defence ministry official said there was no immediate plan to change joint military drills being conducted by the South Korean and US militaries.

Also Read:

North Korea details Guam missile plan, calls Trump's warning a 'load of nonsense'

North Korea says seriously considering plan to strike US territory Guam

Also Watch:

Trump warns North Korea over nuclear threats, says will be met with fire and fury if it threatens US

--- ENDS ---
MIDWAY, Fla. (WTXL) - I have a dreamthis nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of this dream. We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal.

Its the speech weve likely all heard at least once in our lives from Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.

Monday, August 28th marks the 54th anniversary since Dr. King gave that speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

MOBILE USERS: Download our WTXL news app on your Apple and Android devices for the latest from South Georgia and North Florida. Also, download our WTXL Weather Now app for Apple and Android devices to get the latest local weather wherever you go.

Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
ADEL, GA (WALB) - The GBI is investigating the death of fifty-one-year-old Carl Edward Kaiser that happened Saturday afternoon.

Investigators with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Adel Police Department want to know what lead up to Kaiser's death.

Saturday afternoon three people were shot, including Kaiser, on South Oak Street.

Adel Native, Tony Carithers was at work at the time but is calling for peace in his hometown.

"It's sad, you know, violence needs to stop in the community," said Carithers.

Carithers has lived in Adel for 37 years and said he's never seen anything like this. He said he lives on the opposite side of town, but had friends in this neighborhood growing up.

"It just hits close to home," said Carithers.

Carithers said this community differs from when he was young.

"The Adel I grew up in we fought it out. I mean if it was a problem, we might fight at 2 o'clock, we was back playing together by 4 o'clock...It's changed over the years, I can honestly say that," explained Carithers.

The GBI says the shooting also hurt Kaiser's 46-year-old brother Bobby L. Kaiser.

Bobby Kaiser was transported to South Georgia Medical Center for a non-life threatening gun shot wound.

The third man, 37-year-old Cervantez Pertilla drove himself to the Cook Wellness Center for a gunshot wound as well.

Pertilla was then transported to South Georgia Medical Center where he was in critical but stable condition Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Carithers says he's hopeful Adel can thrive.

"I hope it brings our community closer together. We kind of look to God for our help because, like I said, small town and in a small town it affects everyone," said Carithers.

Investigators ask anyone with information or video of the shooting to contact Adel Police at (229) 896-2224, extension 1308, or the GBI in Douglas at (912) 389-4103.

Copyright 2017 WALB. All rights reserved.
By PTI: London, Aug 27 (PTI) A Pakistan-born deputy headmaster at one of Britains most prestigious schools Eton College has quit after being found guilty of breaching exam security by leaking "confidential information" before a paper whose result has now been annulled.

Mo Tanweer, head of economics and deputy headmaster of academics at the posh school whose alumni include Princes William, Harry and many British prime ministers, left after an investigation by the Cambridge International Examinations Board (CIE), The Telegraph reported.

advertisement

The embarrassing disclosure emerged after a letter was circulated to Eton students informing them about Tanweer leaving the school, and that a number of students marks for an economics paper voided due to a "breach of exam security".

The letter, dated August 3, confirmed that the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE), an exam board which administers international GCSE, A-level and equivalent qualifications, had found that Tanweer had shared "confidential information" and practice questions which had then been shared with pupils ahead of their exam.

It said that Tanweer, who was privy to the practice papers due to his position as an Examiner for the Pre-U Economics course run by the exam board, had broken protocol by sharing the information with other teaching staff.

Subsequently, all Eton students sitting the paper have had their exam marks voided and replaced with a grade they achieved in other tests.

Headmaster Simon Henderson was quoted as saying that, "I am very sorry to be writing with this extremely unwelcome news. Regrettably this decision has had to be taken by the examination board because of the actions of a member of Etons staff."

"There is no suggestion that any boy at Eton had done anything wrong, nor is any member of staff at Eton other than Mr Tanweer implicated," he said.

"However, CIE has decided that they cannot accept the marks of any candidate at Eton for this paper because to do so would threaten the integrity of the exam and certification," Henderson said.

Tanweer, who is understood to have been born in Pakistan before moving to England and enrolling at Aylesbury Grammar School in the 1990s, joined Eton in 2015 following a distinguished career in investment banking.

He lives in Berkshire with his partner Emily and three- year-old son.

"This is a matter that, as headmaster, I have taken very seriously and Mr Tanweer has now left Etons employment," said Henderson of the exam security breach. PTI ASK AKJ ASK

--- ENDS ---
(WTXL) - Drivers will now be able to honor south Georgia law enforcement officers and deputies with a special license plate.

The "Back the Badge" license plates are now available on the Motor Vehicle Division website.

Sumter County native Aaron Cosby came up with the idea after Jody Smith and Nick Smarr were shot and killed in Americus last December.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed a law to design the license plate in May.

The special license plate costs $25.

All the proceeds will go to the Peace Officers Annuity and Benefit Fund.

MOBILE USERS: Download our WTXL news app on your Apple and Android devices for the latest from South Georgia and North Florida. Also, download our WTXL Weather Now app for Apple and Android devices to get the latest local weather wherever you go.

Copyright 2017 WTXL via Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - One year after the Cajun Navy fleet deployed to pluck stranded families from the flood waters that overwhelmed southeast Louisiana, the volunteer rescuers have mobilized again.

We're planning a large push to head in probably in the next day or so when things calm down about. It's just something we have to play by ear a bit and see how the weather cooperates, Jon Bridgers Sr., an organizer in charge of the Cajun Navy 2016 Facebook page, said Sunday.

Bridgers returned home to monitor calls for help and to help organize volunteers online.

Like the great flood of 2016, many families trapped in Houston are turning to social media, posting horrific pictures of families trapped by high water, pleading for help. Most posts include addresses and phone numbers. One video has been circulating of Montel Williams relaying information about a man in a broken wheelchair needing assistance.

Bridgers, and other volunteers are sharing those with the grassroots group with hopes of connecting rescuers on the ground in Houston with those victims. Hes also helping organize volunteers collecting water and food to take to Houston once the water recedes.

It's going to be the same situation as what we had back last year, said Bridgers.

Bridgers said the images coming out of Texas are haunting and bring back memories that are all too fresh. It also brings back a determination to help.

Don't give up hope, we're coming as quick as we can, said Bridgers.

Copyright 2017 WAFB. All rights reserved.
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is dedicating themselves to filling a trailer with essential items to help those in Texas affected by Hurricane Harvey and are asking for your help.

FCSO shared on Facebook that they would like to fill this trailer by the end of the week and deliver items the items to Texas.

They say the trailer will be parked in downtown Apalachicola beside the 13 Mile Seafood retail location starting Tuesday.

They are asking Franklin County residents to ban together and help by donating water, can foods, toiletries, diapers, baby food, blankets, pillows and any new or gently used clothing items.

If you have items and need someone to pick them up, they are asking donors let them know.

The trailer will be at the location specified above from Tuesday through Friday of this week.

They are asking everyone to share their post:

For more information, contact the Franklin County Sheriff's Office at (850) 670-8500 or message them on Facebook.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Georgia man is behind bars in Tallahassee, accused of sexually assaulting a child under the age of 12.

Tony Cobb was arrested over the weekend.

According to arrest documents, the Tallahassee Police Department opened up an investigation following a report from a local guidance counselor that a child disclosed they had been sexually abused while in the 2nd grade.

Through the investigation, they were able to gather from the victim that Cobb had sexually assaulted them multiple times throughout the time he lived with the victim.

The victim told investigators during an interview in April 2017 that the assault started when they were "7 or 8."

According to documents, the Department of Children and Families received a report in 2016 indicating that the victim may have been sexually abused. However, documents say that when the victim was interviewed back then, they did not disclose any crime.

In the April interview, the victim stated that they didn't disclose anything in the last interview because they were "scared."

Further investigation revealed DCF had documented reports of family violence involving the victim's family and Cobb in 2013 (verified findings), 2014 (non-substantiated findings), and 2015 (verified findings).

Based on investigators' findings, a warrant for Cobb's arrest was issued.

Cobb was taken into custody on Saturday and is charged with two counts of sexual assault and lewd and lascivious exhibition.

He is currently in the Leon County Jail under a $150,000 bond.
(WAFB) - Southeastern Texas has been devastated by historic flooding with the arrival of Hurricane Harvey, leaving thousands of residents stranded and in need of help.

Here are some ways that you can assist victims of the storm:

CSC Customs

CSC Customs at 10589 Airline Highway in Baton Rouge is a drop-off point for supplies. A team of guys with boats and trucks will be leaving the shop at 1:30 p.m. Monday and heading towards Texas to go help them.

Greater Houston Community Foundation:

Texas residents responded last year after Baton Rouge flooded, giving more than $167,000 to the Baton Rouge Area Foundations flood relief fund, which raised more than $6 million from around the country. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation granted the money to nonprofits that were providing immediate relief on the ground.

Now it's Louisiana's turn to help our neighbors in Texas. Please donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund at http://ghcf.org/.

Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services:

This is the disaster relief arm of the Protestant charitable organization, and it is taking donations to help victims of Harvey.

Texas Diaper Bank

It provides diapers, formula, baby food, and adult diapers to families in need. CLICK HERE for more.

Catholic Charities USA

Catholic Charities USA, a Catholic social service organization, is also seeking help for Texans who have been directly affected by Harvey.

Catholic Charities USA has set up a website devoted to Harvey relief that is mobile donation friendly.

NFL Houston Texans

The Houston Texans JJ Watt has setup an online donation site through YouCaring.com.

Apple:

Apple Corp. has set up a donation link directly on iTunes and App Store. Visit www.apple.com for more information.

Donations will go directly to the American Red Cross.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - A Tallahassee man is facing felony charges for fraud after investigators say he filed a claim about a fake car accident to pay for another accident he was at fault for.

According to a complaint filed by the Florida Department of Financial Services' Bureau of Insurance Fraud, Deandre Brownlee is accused of filing a fraudulent insurance claim that involved his car on December 11, 2016.

The investigator wrote in the complaint that on December 11, 2016, Brownlee was involved in an accident where his car hit the side of an apartment building.

According to the Tallahassee Police officer who arrived at 12:34 p.m. to file a report, no one was injured but the building suffered some minor damage. The officer also cited Brownlee as being a fault for the crash.

According to USAA Insurance records, Brownlee purchased an insurance policy just six minutes after the TPD officer arrived to the crash.

The day after the crash, court documents say, Brownlee called USAA to tell them that the crash had happened between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., saying that the policy was started a week before the accident.

On December 14, 2016, records state that Brownlee filed a second claim, saying that logs fell off the back of a truck while he was driving in Savahan, Ga. and hit his car.

During a recorded conversation with a USAA special investigator, Brownlee admitted that he "knowingly applied for auto insurance after the auto accident on December 11, 2016" and then filed the second claim to get money for the first claim.

The investigator wrote that Brownlee stated that the second claim was fraudulent and never happened. The investigator also noted that Brownlee consented to the recorded conversation.

Documents say that an investigator with the Florida Department of Financial Services contacted Brownlee to ask questions about the accident. Brownlee maintained his claim that the accident happened while under his insurance policy.

However, an investigator revealed that Brownlee had given the investigator a different current address than what USAA had on file.

A U.S. Army Special Agent later informed them that Brownlee was stationed at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Ga. as an active duty E-1 private and that the previously listed address USAA records had for his mail was located on the base.

Brownlee also admitted to being assigned to Hunter Army Airfield during the recorded call on December 28, 2016.

Based on the investigation above, an warrant for Brownlee's arrest was issued.

He was taken into custody on Friday for claim fraud and application fraud, both of which are a third degree felonies.

Brownlee has since bonded out of the Leon County Jail.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- There are three areas in the tropics that we are watching. One of which is Tropical Storm Harvey, is still battering parts of southeast Texas.

Tropical Storm Harvey continues to drift around over Texas. The eye of this system sits to the east of San Antonio with many the outer bands still able to reach the Gulf of Mexico. Because this system is still able to tap into the gulf moisture, it has been very slow to weaken and is still able to dump ample amounts of rain over Houston and surrounding cities. At this time, Tropical Storm Harvey is moving southeast at 2 mph with sustained winds at 40 mph.

The center of the circulation is expected to dip back into the Gulf of Mexico before making a turn to the north by midweek. This means that more rain and dangerous flooding will continue for this portion of Texas.

Just off the east coast of Georgia, we have Potential Tropical Cyclone Ten. This area of interest is still an area of broad low pressure with showers and thunderstorms associated with it. This low pressure is forecast to become better organized in the next few day or two. Locally, we may continue to see scattered rain showers, though the the coastal areas of North and South Carolina will likely see Tropical Storm conditions (stronger winds and higher surf). This potential tropical cyclone will have a slow northward movement into tonight and Monday. Winds are currently sustained near 35 mph with stronger gusts. This has a 90% chance of formation in the next five days.

Finally, there is a disturbance that just pushed off the west coast of Africa. This area of interest has a large area of showers and thunderstorms around it. Environmental conditions appear to be favorable for gradual development. In fact, this disturbance has a 40% chance of development in the next five days as it moves westward at 15-20 mph.
By PTI: Islamabad, Aug 28 (PTI) Pakistan today summoned Indias Deputy High Commissioner here after three civilians died in alleged "ceasefire violations" by Indian troops along the Line of Control.

Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned J P Singh and "condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian troops, the Foreign Office said.

It said those killed in firing by Indian troops yesterday included a woman. Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, the foreign office said. PTI SH ABH

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
On being quizzed about the violence in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi by Ram Rahim's followers after his conviction in a rape case, and subsequent deaths due to police firing, Radhe Maa said everything happens by God's grace and karma.

By Saurabh Vaktania: India Today TV interviewed controversial godwoman Radhe Maa at her residence in Borivali over the Ram Rahim episode. When asked about several babas getting jailed one after another, she said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a saint and his decisions are good for the country.

Actor Rishi Kapoor recently tweeted against Radhe Maa calling her and other self-styled spiritual gurus fraudsters. To this, she said Lord Shiva will take care of Kapoor. "Rishi Kapoor is a very good person. He has done no sin, and therefore, made a comment against me. Lord Shiva will give an answer to him," she said.

advertisement

On being quizzed about the violence in Haryana, Punjab and Delhi by Ram Rahim's followers after his conviction in a rape case, and subsequent deaths due to police firing, she said everything happens by God's grace and karma.

"I don't think a lot. I stay with my own people. I am busy with my devotion to Lord Shiva. In fact, I don't go out of my house very often. Whatever has happened is by the grace of God," she said. "I don't want to get into a controversy. I am neither a saint nor a guru, but a mother. I respect all saints and gurus."

"Those whose houses are made of glass have been injured. I won't say anything about them. My house is made of stones. I don't have to say anything. I have to save my own house first," Radhe Maa said on repeated convictions of godmen

Expressing confidence on PM Modi, she said, "I praise Modi ji. He and his government have very wise people and I respect all their decisions. Whatever decision Modi ji takes is always right."

On being quizzed about the controversy she found herself in, Radhe Maa said, "At that time, I was in love with society. There is no one bigger than Lord Shiva. I have my children and I have to save my house. My children love me a lot. People say a lot about themselves, but I am into Lord Shiva only."

In 2015, a woman had named Radhe Maa in a dowry harassment case. She accused the godwoman of inciting her in-laws to demand more dowry, and of forcing her to work at the ashram, where she was reportedly assaulted. Actress Dolly Bindra had also filed a criminal case of threatening and sexual harassment against her.

A few days later, videos of Radhe Maa's devotees carrying her around during satsangs went viral. Activist lawyer Falguni Brahmbhatt lodged a police complaint against her for obscenity, running a business disguised as religion, fraud and cheating.

Also Read

Now, Radhe Maa accused of insulting Goddess Durga

Radhe Maa has it all to attract masses and debates

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
The Americans have abandoned us. In truth, they have abandoned the entire Middle East, with us in tow. When the other shoe drops, the United States will look after its own interests.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



What former US president Barack Obama started, current President Donald Trump is finishing up. There's actually no difference between the two. Their approach to Israeli interests is virtually identical.

Presidents Obama and Trump

And it actually goes back further than that: on 19 June 2007, then-president Geroge H.W. Bush met with then-prime minister Ehud Olmert. It was the pair's last meeting regarding the Syrian nuclear reactor. Bush mentioned the meeting in his memoir, and depicting himself as "America's first Jewish president," a nickname bestowed on him by his mother due to his longstanding support of Israel.

Jewish or not, Bush was against attacking. The Americans were up to their necks in the failed "nation-building" exercise in Iraq. A war between Syria and Israel would get in their way. Bush much preferred sending the matter over to the United Nations. To dissolve the threat and let Israel go it alone. The splendid relationship was of no help. Israel's interests interested no one else.

A practical joke at our expense

The relationships between the two countries' leaders were less splendid during the Obama years, as were the interests. The final blow was struck with the nuclear deal with Iran.

Obama doesn't live in the White House anymore. We're in the Trump era now; no one is expecting him to be the messiah anymore, as the rhythm remains the same. The Americans aren't going to lift a finger to stop Iran from marching up to the Israeli border in the Golan Heights. The agreement with Syria is born of a clean-cut American interest to not get involved. Israeli interests were never even considered.

Arthur Finkelstein, the American backroom advisor who passed away two weeks ago at the age of 72, was the one who first introduced Israeli politics to the distinction between Jews and Israelis, in 1996.

These two identities lead to tribal voting patterns whenever election season comes around. Finkelstein's and other supporters of the Right identify mainly as Jewish, while the Left mainly identifies as Israeli. In underscoring this distinction, Finkelstein picked at the most painful wound Israel has known since its founding.

Zionism tried manufacturing a new breed of Jew. An Israeli and a Zionist. To leave the old identity of a Jew in the Diaspora by the wayside. This approach had its fair share of problems, but without removing Jews from the exile-centric identity, the country would not have been formed.

Religion was on the fringe within the Zionist movement. Finkelsteina Diaspora Jewand his statistical analyses proved the tide has already turned and the trend has changed. He sanctified the Jewish identity over the Israeli one and Netanyahu embraced it.

I only bring up Finkelstein since Trump's rhetoric is pro-Israeli, not pro-Jewish. It is reflected in the actions of US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, who has been fighting international attempts to boycott companies operating beyond the Green Line.

Trump speaks for Israel, promises to move the American embassy to Jerusalem and appoints Zionist Orthodox Jews to key positions in Middle-Eastern affairs. Meanwhile, in reality, he does nothing. Anyone who sees him as the messiah will find he him to be a false prophet. And this is without knowing what his plans are for "the ultimate deal" in the Middle East.

Trump has had a hard time with Jews in America, most of whom are liberals. He's also struggling to fight anti-Semitism Obama had a hard time with Israelis. In practice, they both do the same thing.

Militarily speaking, the US can wipe out the Iranian nuclear project without risking a counterattack. It's the Sunni countries and Israel that will feel that one. Trump is also capable of wiping out the North Korean regime, albeit at a steeper cost.

In both cases, the decision to not use military force, made in the days of Bush Sr. and Clinton, has become a strategic liability for the US.

Nobody wants to say out loud the only reasonable conclusion: a threat not wiped out militarily cannot be wiped out with agreements. War is a continuation of policy by other means. And when you're dealing with countries on the precipice of nuclear arms, it's the only policy.

It is precisely for this reason that Obama's agreement with Iran is a disaster and the agreement with Syria a strategic oversight. Looking forward, Trump will have no one to blame but himself.

The problem is Israel doesn't seem to have anyone else to blame, either. Netanyahu had an easy time with the Obama-Kerry administration; with them, he could have a love-hate relationship with them. Trump's embrace is far tighter.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was a meeting aimed at making peace with the status quo. Just like the old candid camera shows, only without the surprise reveal at the end. The Russians have been working with the Iranians and therefore, by proxy, also with Hezbollah. Iran, an enemy nation, will not be posted on our northern border.

Putin knows how to provide maximal coordination, giving his people the word to create supervision mechanisms and airspaces. What he doesn't know, nor wish to know, is how to change the Russian trend of sponsoring Iran and Syria. He has weapons deals and political agreements of a different kind. And, quite frankly, you can't expect anything more of Putin, either.
Five relatives of Omar al-Abed, the terrorist who murdered three members of the Salomon family in Halamish, were convicted of omission.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



A military court ruled that all five of them knew of Al-Abed's intention to carry out the attack and did not inform the security authorities, as is required by law.

Omar al-Abed (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Al-Abed's father was sentenced to two months in prison, and his mother, who was also convicted of incitement after she praised the attack in an interview she held on the day following it, was sentenced to one month in prison and a fine.

Omar al-Abed's mother

Al-Abed's two brothers and uncle were sent to eight months in prison.

The IDF Spokesperson stated that "the conviction of the family members of the offense of not preventing the attack is an important and significant precedent in the struggle against terrorism.

"In addition, the various punishments of the family members are derived from the degree of their involvement and the length of time they knew of Al-Abed's intention to carry out an attack."

After the attack, the terrorist's family said that it was a "natural reaction" to the events at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

An indictment was filed against al-Abed on Aug. 24. According to the indictment, the 19-year-old initially planned to carry out a larger attack with a suicide belt or firearms, but eventually settled for a stabbing attack in the settlement near his village.

In addition to the murder of Yosef, 70, Haya, 46, and Elad, 35, al-Abed was charged with the attempted murder of Tova, Michal and Michal and Elad's five children, as well as conspiring to commit a crime and additional offences.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu exercised his funny bone on Sunday, setting Twitter ablaze with a video lampooning late-night host Conan O'Brien, who is currently in Israel to film a special for his show.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



In the video, an unseen assistant can be heard telling Netanyahu that Conan wants to meet him. Netanyahu then asks him who, exactly, this Conan is, before saying, "Get back to me when Colbert is here."

Netanyahu welcomes O'Brien to Israel

X

After being informed that Conan has 25 million followers on Twitter, the prime minister changes his tune, offering a large smile and welcoming "Conan, my friend!" to Israel.

Managing one last zinger, Netanyahu asks his assistant whether Conan was "the pale one, who melts in the sun." Israelis really are the most hospitable of people!
Haim Aharon Yosefi, the ultra-Orthodox businessman suspected of baby trafficking and aiding and abetting Haredi draft dodgers , recently recounted his modus operandi to undercover reporters from Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth. During those conversations, Yosefi spoke about an incident involving a "16 year old girl" and her baby, on which he's now being investigated on suspicion of human trafficking and violating the adoption law.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"I'll tell you a sad story," Yosefi said in the meeting. "A troubled 16-year-old girl got pregnant by a young man. She wasn't handled very well. We sent her to the United States and wanted to send the boy too, who's 17. We couldn't. We were willing to pay $10,000 for him to receive a visa but he didn't. We wanted him to be by her side, because of her mental state but the Americans refused. The parents weren't aware of any of this and only later found out."

Haredi businessman Haim Aharon Yosefi, accused of human trafficking, being remanded in court (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"What a mess," Yosefi continued. "I was called in, and I sat with them for a couple of hours. Eventually she came back to Israel, and got pregnant again from the same guy. Six months later they also got divorced."

On Sunday, after 10 days under arrest, Yosefi was sent home to house arrest. Below is the original story, as told by the alleged victim, detailing the threats, intimidation and deception.

"He started threatening me"

"When I was 14.5 I had a boyfriend and after a year of being together he got me pregnant," said Meital (alias), the girl in the aforementioned story.

Meital (alias), who gave up her baby when she was 16 (Photo: Roee Idan)

"I was a religious girl, not Haredi but it's still terrifying to come out to your mom and tell her," she says. "I considered an abortion, but when we got to the clinic it turned out I was already four months pregnant and I decided to keep the baby. My partner and I were then referred to Haim Yosefi."

Yosefi, she says, presented himself as a "community rabbi helping a lot of girls in distress."

"He offered to fly both of us out to the US until after I gave birth, at which point he would marry us. We were really young, but we thought we'll raise the baby with the help of our parents. (Yosefi) then told my partner that because we're so righteous and keeping the pregnancy, he'll marry us later and help us financially."

Meital ended up arriving in the US by herself, with her partner remaining in Israel. After touching down, Yosefi moved her to the home of an elderly woman in New Jersey.

"Yosefi forced me to wear a head covering and explained: 'It's so no one finds out you're a teenager'," recalled Meital. "I didn't have anything there. I was cooped up in my room the whole day, and on Saturdays he'd send me to spend time with other families. It was nightmare. Two months on I was moved to a different family, and there was one other mana senior doctorwho collaborated with Yosefi. I lived in deplorable conditions at the time."

"At some point I told him I didn't want it anymore," Meital continues. "I wanted to go back home, I asked him to leave me alone. Let everybody find out. I was broken. That's when he began threatening me: 'Do you have the $400,000 to pay me back?' It was like he was extorting me."

"You're giving the baby to a poor family that doesn't have any children, and this way they'll take care of the kid and he'll come back to you when he's 18," Meital claims Yosefi advised her when she was eight months pregnant.

The partner signed the adoption papers

Meital's story is similar to those of other women who have been involved with Yosefi. She underwent hardly any of the requisite check-ups, and a week before giving birth she was given papers to sign. Concurrently, the "visa documents" in English her partner claims to have signed turned out to be adoption papers.

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"I had a normal birth, after which they let me see the newborn for all of two minutes," Meital lamented. "And then the adopting family came in: a Haredi couple in their thirties. They gave me a gift of perfume. They said I was their salvation. What they should have said was that I was their victim."

Two days after giving birth, and contrary to any established medical procedures, Meital was placed on a flight to Italy, where she met her partner. "I felt I was losing my mind," she recounts. "A woman just moments after giving birth, without doctors or the baby, is running around Italy looking for a place to eat."

'Helpless in the face of a dangerous criminal'

After returning to Israel, Meital and her partner quickly married. "I was broken," she explains. "The first thing we wanted to do was have another baby. I felt that would be our only comfort. We got married and had an amazing baby girl, who doesn't even know she has a biological brother who was kidnapped."

Meanwhile, only a year-and-a-half after the birth, Meital's mother found out the real story.

Meital's mother (Photo: Gal Arbel)

"I came in to Yosefi's office and started screaming at him," says the mother. "I told him I wanted the boy back, whatever it takes. He started talking all kinds of nonsense, like 'the boy can't be found' and 'some American businessman is responsible for it.'

"When I realized no one would help me deal with that man, I gave up," she admitted. "I only know I have a grandson I've never met."

In the decade since the incident, Meital has suffered the emotional consequences of Yosefi's actions. "We ended up getting divorced," she says. "At first my divorcee would not give up, and told Yosefi that if he didn't give us the kid back we'll file charges, but Yosefi immediately resorted to threats."

Meital's former husband confirms her account, and recounts his travails since. "For a decade fear has kept me quiet," he says in desperation.

This week, Meital, her ex-husband and her mother gave testimonies to the police. In their case they weren't paid any money, despite Meital claiming they were promised a payment by Yosefi.

'Our client denies all charges'

"On the matter of the adoption," said advocates Sagi Greenfeld and Yehonathan Dana on behalf of their client, "this is a cold case more than a decade old. Our client was investigated on the matter and gave his account, denying any involvement."

"On the matter of marrying minors," the lawyers continued, "our client denies any involvement or connection to the matter. It's important to understand the court viewed the evidence of the case and released our client from arrest while noting he poses no danger and that these are old suspicions."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday that Iran is building sites to produce precision-guided missiles in Syria and Lebanon, with the aim of using them against Israel.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



At the start of a meeting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu accused Iran of turning Syria into a "base of military entrenchment as part of its declared goal to eradicate Israel."

"It is also building sites to produce precision-guided missiles towards that end, in both Syria and in Lebanon. This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the UN should not accept," Netanyahu said as the two spoke during a joint press conference.

PM Netanyahu and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters and terror groups such as Hezbollah to help him in Syria's civil war.

The prime minister lamented its "troubled relationship" with the UN, decrying what he described as an "absurd obsession with Israel," which uses "flagrantly discriminatory tactics. You dont have to be the Israeli prime minister to understand that, and I think people of good faith and common sense understand that."

Netanyahu criticized the UN, saying that it fails to check Palestinian hate speech, "absurdly denies" Jewish connections to Jerusalem and has not stopped arms from reaching Hezbollah in Lebanon.

He was referring to a recent UN cultural agency resolution about Jerusalem that angered Israel after it failed to acknowledge Jewish ties with the city and recently denied Israeli sovereignty over the city.

Israel also criticized the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, or UNIFIL, for being too soft on Iranian-backed Hezbollah forces in the border area. The US recently backed Israel in its claims and suggested that more responsibilities be demanded of the group to curb Hezbollah's activities.

Photo: Gil Yohanan

He went on to express his hopes that Guterres would have an opportunity on this visit to see Israel. "Its a robust democracy. Its a very advanced country. Its a country that engages in the pursuit of knowledge and the betterment of our own people, the betterment of humanity," Netanyahu said.

Telling Guterres that the mandate of the UN was to advance peace and security and international cooperation, Netanyahu insisted that the UN had "failed when it comes to Israel to live up to this mandate."

Guterres vowed that he will "do everything in my capacity" to ensure UNIFIL fulfills its obligations. The UN peacekeeping force's mandate is up for renewal at the end of the month and Israel is pressing for the force to have an increased presence to better monitor and prevent what Israel says is Hezbollah building up its weapons.

"I understand the security concerns of Israel and I repeat that the idea or the intention or the will to destroy the state of Israel is something totally unacceptable from my perspective," the UN chief said, echoing the words he had said earlier to President Reuven Rivlin.

Earlier, Guterres told Rivlin that the mission everywhere is to promote dialogue, understanding and peace, as he kicked off his four-day visit to the country as part of a wider tour of the Middle East.

Guterres went on to assure the Israeli president that he would be handling relations in the Middle East impartially and that he was devoted to implementing the principles in the UN Charter.

"I want to express to you Mr President, that you can be fully confident that in my role as Secretary-General, and in relation to the functions of the secretariat that I am supposed to meet, I am very keen in stressing the values of the Charter, and the very important value of the Charter, impartiality," he said.

Guterres and Rivlin (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Touching on Israel's repeated grievances that the UN consistently acts as an anti-Israel forum, Guterres said that he was determined to change that.

"Impartiality means treating all states equally, and I am totally committed to that in my action and in everything I can do for the organization I lead," he continued. "I do believe that in particular when you mention those that call for the destruction of the State of Israel that that is a form of modern anti-Semitism, but you also understand that I sometimes disagree with positions with the government of Israel or any other government, and that is absolutely normal in a society where many of your citizens have exactly the same expressions of opinions."

His comments came in response to those delivered by Rivlin who told him: "...Because the idea of the nation state is so deeply rooted in the values and the principles of the UN, I call upon you, Mr. Secretary-General, to work to end discrimination against Israel in some branches of the organization you're heading."

(Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Prior to his meeting with Rivlin, Guterres paid a visit to Yad Vashem where he pledged his commitment to "combating anti-Semitism."

Secretary-General Guterres, who later met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and is scheduled to meet with Opposition leader Isaac Herzog and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, also participated in a short ceremony at the Yizkor tent (Hall of Remembrance).

UN Secretary-General Guterres places a wreath in the Yizkor tent (Photo: Amit Shabi)

Guterres placed a wreath in the tent, dedicating it to the memory of the victims and signed the museum's visitors' book. "As UN Secretary-General, I'm committed to combating anti-Semitism and any other form of intolerance that hasn't yet been eradicated. I wish to praise every person who works and preserves this exceptional museum," he said.

Gutteres in the Yizkor tent (:  )

X

During his visit, Guterres warned that anti-Semitism remains "alive and well" in today's world and vowed to combat all forms of racism and bigotry. "The horror of the Holocaust should be such that anti-Semitism should now be dead forever," he said.

Guterres also said that he "was shocked a few years ago to listen to the chant of a group of neo-Nazis in a developed country in the world, chanting 'blood and soil,' the slogan of the Nazis."

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon also accompanied Guterres on his trip. "Nowadays, when we're witnessing appalling and dangerous anti-Semitic incidents, the entire world must make a stand and denounce anti-Semitism," said Danon.

Secretary-General Guterres and UN Ambassador Danny Danon in Yad Vashem (Photo: Shlomi Amsalem)

Guterres will visit Mount Herzl next, where he will place a wreath on the tombs of late former Israeli president of Israel Shimon Peres and visionary of the modern State of Israel and one of the chief founders of Zionism Theodor Herzl.

The Secretary-General will meet with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj.-Gen. Yoav Mordechai.

He also participated in a tree-planting ceremony in the Grove of Nations in the Jerusalem Forest and will later meet with the family of Oron Shaul, whose body was captured by Hamas in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge. He will also hold discussions with the families of the missing Israelis Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.

After completing his rounds with the Israeli leaders, Guterres head to the Palestinian Authority where he will meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Tuesday in the West Bank and visit Gaza on Wednesday.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with President Reuven Rivlin at the President's Residence in Jerusalem.

Guterres promised the President he'll make sure to "implement the UN's charter and treat Israel equitably."

Speaking about calls for Israel's destruction, Guterres said this is a "modern form of anti-Semitism, we will not allow it."
President Reuven Rivlin appealed to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the latter's visit to the President's Residence.

"Stop anti-Israeli discrimination in several of the United Nations institutions and agencies," Rivlin urged Guterres.

Rivlin also spoke about the soldiers and citizens currently in Hamas captivity. "The world should call on Hamas to return our sons home," he said. "I call on you to help us in this matter."
The deceased BJP MLA was undergoing treatment at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital but was later shifted to Fortis Hospital on Sunday.

By Dev Ankur Wadhawan: Kirti Kumari, BJP MLA from Mandalgarh, in Bhilwara, passed away today. Kumari was suffering from swine flu.

The MLA was undergoing treatment at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh Hospital but was later shifted to Fortis Hospital on Sunday.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, took to social networking site twitter to condole the MLA's death.

She mentioned: "Express grief over the untimely demise of Kirti Kumari ji. Her death is a very big loss for me and the entire BJP family."

advertisement

Raje also stated: "She was an inseparable part of our family. Pray to God that her family members be given the strength to bear the pain in this bad time."

State BJP President Ashok Parnami expressed his condolence on the death of the BJP MLA. He has left from Udaipur for Bhilwara to be present during the last rites.

Kumari was 50 years old.

There have been several deaths in Rajasthan recently due to swine flu.

Also Read:

Ram Rahim's village in Rajasthan dejected after finding 'godman' is demon in disguise

Why aren't you naming chief ministerial candidate in Rajasthan, Congress asks BJP

--- ENDS ---
The terrorist responsible for carrying out a stabbing attack in a Shufersal supermarket in Yavne and who seriously wounded Niv Nehamia at the beginning of the month, was indicted for attempted murder Monday at the District Court in Lod.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Nineteen-year-old Ismail Ibrahim Ismail Abu Aram from Yatta near Hebron, who stabbed the 43-year-old Nehamia in the chest, neck and head in the supermarket, was inspired to commit an act of Jihad against the Jewish-Israeli occupation, according to the indictment, out of a sense of religious conviction.

Stabbing attack in Yavne

X

As part of his increasingly religious observance, the terrorist embarked on a pilgrimage during the last month of Ramadan and remained in Saudi Arabia for twelve days, the indictment states.

It was also noted that Abu Aram left his home and made his way into Israeli territory on August 2 without the required permit and chose to target a man he was already familiar with as his former employer using a knife and pepper spray.

Ismail Ibrahim Ismail Abu Aram (Photo: Yariv Katz)

Abu Aram entered the central city of Yavne using public transport. After failing to locate his former employer at an events hall where he once worked, he decided to carry out the attack against another victim using a knife he stole from the supermarket.

Stabbing attack in the supermarket

The indictment details how Abu Aram entered the supermarket and stole a 15cm knife which he concealed in his pants. Searching for his victim, the terrorist found the deputy manager of the supermarket Nehamia as he was stacking shelves when suddenly he produced the knife and proceeded to stab him multiple times.

Nehamias response to the attack was praised in the indictment. Despite his serious wounds, the victim struggled with the accused, while throwing items at him located nearby.

Niv Nehamia

During the violent encounter, the knife was broken fell out of the terrorists hand. At this point, he pulled out his pepper spray canisters and began spraying his victim in the face while he tried to flee his attacker. Eventually, Abu Aram managed to escape from the supermarket, leaving Nehamia in critical condition before being evacuated to hospital.

Before being taken for treatment, Nehamia screamed out the word terrorist, prompting passersby to pursue Abu Aram and eventually subdue him until the arrival of security forces.

Terrorist arrested

During his questioning by the Shin Bet, Abu Aram detailed his desire to murder a Jew and explained the circumstances surrounding his selection of Nehamia as his target.

Nehamia was discharged Sunday from Kaplan Medical Center. "I feel a little better," he said after leaving the hospital. "I know that I'm going to have a difficult recovery, but we'll get through it. I thank the Creator who gave me these days and saved me from this situation, and also the doctors who labored (to help me recovered)."
A campaign of incitement spearheaded by an imam against an esteemed Druze educator who won a tender to become headmaster of a Muslim high school in northern Israel has forced him to relinquish his position, despite support he garnered from the village councils head.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"They consider me an enemy who may influence students to join the IDF," said Dr. Eyal Isami from Daliyat al-Karmel, who was set to begin teaching at Kafr Qara school.

The village's imam Alaa Madlaja member of the Islamic Movement who has previously been arrested on suspicion of supporting ISISvehemently opposed Dr. Isami's ascent to the top spot of the school.

Dr. Eyal Isami, whose appointment as headmaster of a Kafr Qara high school was blocked by the village's imam

"There will be no appointment of a Druze headmaster who isn't familiar with Muslim religion or our culture," Madlaj stated in a video uploaded to social media. "It's unthinkable that such a man will be in charge of teaching our children. A Druze will not be appointed headmaster in Kafr Qara. It's very dangerous."

Isami expressed his immense disappointment at the objection, considering he had won the tender fairly. "The imam's video was circulated in all of the mosques, which then incited against me as well simply because I'm a Druze," he said. "I served in the IDF, andamong other thingstaught in the air force's technical school."

He added that the animosity shown toward him after the imam's had gone on the offensive was made abundantly clear and would inhibit him from carrying out the tasks expected of him as a school principal.

"When I saw the amount of hatred directed at me at a local community center, with 400 people in attendance, I knew I couldn't function. They threatened that if my appointment went through, the school would be shut down," he added.

Out of a desire to not further harm the head of the local council who supported him for the role, Isami stepped down. "I'm a man of peace and a firm believer in coexistence, but am both disappointed and angry," he admitted. "I never thought Muslims would treat me so degradingly in Israel because of my ethnicity."

Druze leaders lent their voice to supporting the beleaguered headmaster, with Sheikh Hosni Kozali, the imam of Isfiya, claiming Kafr Qara's imam does not speak for "sane, warm and good Muslims."

"If the imam indeed incited, insulted the Druze and belittled the headmaster, that's lamentable and the appropriate measures should be taken to punish him," said Ali Salalhe, himself a headmaster from Beit Jann.

Minister of Communications Ayoob Kara was outraged at what he described as racial discrimination. "If the imam receives a salary from the state, I'll demand he be brought before the Civil Service Commission and summarily removed."

Moreover, a source in the Kafr Qara local council said he regretted this "shameful incident. The committee chose Eyal and we respect its decision. Most of the residents of Kafr Qara reject the cleric's contemptible words."
ISLAMABAD  Two Pakistani soldiers were killed when a bomb went off during a military search operation in a tribal region near the border with Afghanistan, the military said Monday. The attack came as Afghan and Pakistan army chiefs met in neighboring Tajikistan.

A military statement said the Pakistani troops were conducting the search in the Angur Adda area, close to the border, when the bomb went off late on Sunday night.
BERLIN  Germany has reached an agreement with Egypt to slow the flow of migrants from the North African nation.

The agreement announced Monday is part of a wider effort by Germany to work with countries to fight the causes of unchecked migration.

Government spokesman Steffen Seibert says the new agreement will provide Egypt with more resources to run training programs to help people find better jobs, and more funds for Egyptians to study in Germany.
There is a good chance that the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) deliberation that will take place at the Supreme Court on the Last day of August will be the capstone to more than 30 yearsthirty years!of Supreme Court discussions on the very same topic, the Western Wall. The panel of judges will be led by Chief Justice Naor. It is not my place to rate her performance, but in a very wise move, she agreed, over the objection of the Attorney General, to go beyond the letter of the law and permit the Chief Rabbinate to file an independent brief, as if the State Rabbinate is not one of the arms of government represented by the State Prosecutors office but rather a separate entity free to interpret the law as it sees fit.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The Chief Justice even agreed to delay the urgent session by a month. However, she added an interesting sentence to the decision to grant the delay: Should any of the parties have additional requests (and this should not be construed as encouragement to file such requests), they should take care to file them within 7 days of this date. Chief Justice Naor, it would appear, was looking to head off any future argument on anyones part that s/he would like to request an additional hearing because his or her voice had not been heard. She is signaling to all of us that the Supreme Court will soon have its say and that its decision will be, so I hope, clear-cut. And unambiguous. And final.

Photo: Amit Shabi

It has cost the State Rabbinate (i.e., us) tens of thousands of shekels to obtain that lengthy, overwrought legal brief it has submitted to the Court, a brief which has nothing in common with our system of jurisprudence. The State Rabbinate has gone so far as to argue that the Supreme Court of the State of Israel has no authority to adjudicate matters related to the Western Wall. That, the Rabbinate claims is extraterritorial, a sort of mini-Vatican, where the Chief Rabbinate alone may exert authority.

This legal argument rests on a 1924 Kings Order in Council, the instrument through which the British ruled their colonies, among them Mandate Palestine. In the face of decades of High Court decisions and a panoply of precedents, this legal argumentation might be more appropriate for a paper in a first year law school course in constitutional law, but not only did it cost us dearly, it is also infuriating from a Zionist perspective. I imagine that the court will remind the honorable Chief Rabbis that their salary is no longer paid by King George V but rather by the State of Israel.

Photo: Amit Shabi

The Chief Rabbinates position ultimately will be just a footnote. It is the position adopted by the government that is so painful. I dont envy those who will present it in court. In the last deliberation on this matter a few months ago, before the government rescinded its agreement to the compromise plan, the justices entered the courtroom, turned straightaway to the State Prosecutors counsel, and asked, Nu? What will be? He was asked this question by Chief Justice Naor, and he understood just how much this blunt, direct question, requiring no prefaces or niceties, was both spot-on and all-encompassing. He responded, deftly weaving, absorbing the judges anger at the governments foot-dragging, but he promised that any moment now things would be moving along. He spoke in praise of compromise, but he explained that its implementation was coming along slowly. It will be interesting to hear what he has to say now.

We did everything possible not to be in court again. Honestly, we have been dragged there. We conducted a negotiation in good faith. We gave in on things we never dreamt that we would forgo. In order to settle the dispute once and for all, we even convinced ourselves to accept the discredited, perhaps anti-democratic principle of separate but equal. OK, you take the old familiar Western Wall, we said, and we will take the less well-known section, which is nonetheless not the Kotel, and we will lovingly tend to its development. We gave in on the matter of recognition, too, accepting only a certain amount of representation on the management council of the mixed-gender site.

We gave in on not having explicit reference to those abhorrent terms, Reform and Conservative, in the by-laws for that sacred place in order to placate the Haredi ministers. And the list goes on from there. I am even embarrassed about some of the things we gave in on. But we never imagined that the Government of Israel would treat us this way. We never thought we would be taken for a ride like this.

We come before the court with clean hands. We have tried. We have done our best. We have sought peace and pursued it. But on the other side there is no partner. It is not only the government of Israel that needs the court to pull the chestnuts out of the fire. The entire Jewish people looks now to that court.
Russia has won back ownership of the Sergei Courtyard, its former property in Jerusalem, and now looks to recapture two other Jerusalem landmarks: the Alexander Nevsky Church in the Old City's Christian Quarter and the Elisabeth Courtyard.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



In their meeting last Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin mostly discussed Iran. Putin nevertheless used the meeting to once again thank the prime minister on transferring ownership of the Sergei complex to Russia and to remind him of two related tasks: returning ownership of the Alexander Nevsky Church in the Old City's Christian Quarter and purchasing the Elisabeth Courtyard, where the Israel Police's Russian Compound detention center is now located.

On July 18, a ceremony took place in the Sergei Courtyard, celebrating the reopening of the complex to the general public for the first time since ownership of it was transferred to the Russian government.

Jerusalem's Sergei Courtyard

The ownership transfer promise was made originally by then prime minister Ariel Sharon while an official decision was made during the tenure of prime minister Ehud Olmert as a gesture of goodwill to Putin and as "evidence of the connection between the two states and peoples." Only Prime Minister Netanyahu made good on the old pledge.

The Sergei Courtyard was built in 1890 as part of the larger Russian compound during the reign of Czar Alexander III and was named after his brother. In the past, the compound housed British Mandate government offices andpost-independenceIsraeli government offices. The building was returned to Russia some six years ago and has been undergoing renovations since.

Negotiations for the building's transfer were handled by the Foreign Ministry, and it was agreed the historic building's courtyard will remain open to the public. The new complex will also boast a Russian cultural center and a hostel for pilgrims.

The July ceremony was attended by the Minister of Environmental Protection and Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Ze'ev Elkin and former Russian Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin, who has been appointed by Putin to oversee the return of Russian assets in Israel.

Stepashin made it clear Russia considers the Sergei Courtyard to be only the first step, and that it is now interested in once again receiving ownership of the Alexander Nevsky Church, named after the 13th century Russian prince who repelled German and Swede invaders, located near the Old City's Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Stepashin further added Russia has already presented the Israeli Ministry of Justice with documents proving its ownership of the property, built on land purchased in 1857.

Russian President Putin thanked Prime Minister Netanyahu on relinquishing ownership to the Sergei Courtyard (Photo: AFP)

Stepashin also noted Russia is interested in recovering ownership of the Elisabeth Courtyard, where a police detention center is now located. The courtyard was a women pilgrim's hostel named after Austro-Hungarian Empress Elisabeth. During the British Mandate, the hostel was used for locking up criminals, similar to the building's usage today.

The Elisabeth Courtyard was given to Israel in the 1960s as part of the famed oranges deal, where Israel received ownership of the property for $4,500,000, some of which were paid in oranges. To this day the Russians insist on receiving ownership back.

Stepashin spoke with Alex Tenzer, an expert on Israel-Russia relations, telling him Netanyahu promised the Russians to sell them the detention center and that the Kremlin is now looking for Jewish oligarchs who'll be willing to buy it. An idea floated in this regard is carrying out a circular transaction, wherein Russia receives ownership of the detention center and in return builds a new center of a similar size somewhere else in Jerusalem.

The possibility of Jewish Russian oligarchs financing the complex's eviction is now a decade old, and Russia even negotiated with Arcadi Gaydamak and Roman Abramovich on this matter. Tenser, meanwhile, fears selling the detention center back to Russia will arouse other countries to call for a return of their former assets.
"Hamas has two IDF soldiers, Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul, and is making unreasonable demands to Israel," Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "It also holds captive Israeli citizens who have crossed the border into Gaza, and refuses to release details of their condition. That's plain cruelty."

"Mahmoud Abbas is escalating the situation in the Gaza Strip to incite a confrontation between Israel and Hamas, thereby having his cake and eating it too."
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar said on Monday that Hamas is willing to hold indirect negotiations on the issue of Israeli prisoners held in Gaza, provided that prisoners jailed after being released in the the Shalit deal were released once more.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"We are ready to negotiate immediately through a mediator to discuss a prisoner exchange deal if Israel releases the prisoners of the Shalit deal that it has imprisoned again," Sinwar said, referring to the bodies of fallen soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul as well as the three Israeli citizens held by them as "bargaining chips."

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (Photo: AP, EPA)

"(It is) our commitment and our promise to all the prisoners (held by Israel) that we will work for their release in respectful transactions," he added.

L to R: Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul

Sinwar noted that the condition for the negotiations is the release of the prisoners who were arrested again in Operation Brother's Keeper in 2014, initiated in search of three teenagers kidnapped by Hamas' armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. As part of the operation, in the following 11 days Israel arrested around 350 Palestinians, including nearly all of Hamas' West Bank leaders. Five Palestinians were killed during the military operation.





Abera Mengistu, captured by Hamas in 2014

Sinwar then spoke about the resignation of Lior Lotan , the Prime Minister's Coordinator for the POWs and MIAs.

"The person in charge of POWs and MIAs in the Netanyahu administration resigned because he holds a title without any power or authority and acts under the shadow of a cowardly government," he said.

Lior Lotan (Photo: Ofer Amram)

"Netanyahu is selling illusions to the families of Israeli soldiers who are being held captive," Sinwar claimed. "From the very beginning, we set the condition that negotiations should not begin before the release of 54 prisoners recaptured after being released in the Shalit deal. We will not pay the same price twice.

"The Shalit deal was delayed for two years because the mediators offered us things that did not reach the threshold of (Hamas') demands."

Shalit prior to his release from Hamas captivity

Sinwar, who began his term as Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip in February, was one of the prisoners released in the Shalit deal.

When released from prison in 2011, Sinwar lamented the fact that other prisoners still remained in Israeli jails. We feel that we left our hearts behind us, we left many prisoners behind. This is a great victory for our people and our resistance.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned on Sunday that Israel "must not repeat the mistakes made with the Shalit deal" amid criticism of the resignation of POWs and MIAs coordinator Col. (res.) Lior Lotan.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: AFP)

Among the 1,027 terrorists released in the 2011 deal that saw captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit returned to Israel alive were Mahmoud Qawasmeh, "who was released to the strip and funded the abduction of the three Israeli teens," and Yahya Sinwar, "who became the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It is the same Sinwar who is now setting strict demands that don't allow making any progress towards any sort of deal," Lieberman said.

Manal al-Saayed, the mother of Hamas captive Hisham al-Sayed, holds a picture of her son (Photo: AFP)

The defense minister went on to say that "202 of the released prisoners in the Shalit deal have been arrested again since then for their involvement in terrorism, 111 of whom are still in Israeli prison, while seven Israelis were murdered because of direct or indirect involvement of prisoners released in that deal."

Abu-Ghanima, one of three Israeli citiznes still in captivity

Leah and Simcha Goldinthe parents of fallen IDF soldier Lt. Hadar Goldin angrily responded on Sunday afternoon to Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman's statement from earlier in the day, who urged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to not immediately appoint a new head negotiator to bring Israelis captured by Hamas, both those alive and dead.

Simha (L) and Leah Goldin (Photo: Shaul Golan)

Speaking at a press conference set up in their family home in Kfar Saba on Sunday, the Goldins accused Lieberman of not putting pressure on Hamas to return Goldin and Oron's bodies, adding that "the State of Israel has a weak and cowardly defense minister."

"A defense minister that says the kind of things he said today, has no moral right to make decisions, to command an army or to lead a battle," said Simcha.
The High Court of Justice ruled on Monday that the State of Israel cannot detain illegal infiltrators for more than 60 days. The decision was made by a panel of five judges, in response to an appeal submitted the end of 2015 to the Be'er Sheva District Court by two Eritrean citizens and six human rights organizations, including the Association for Civil Rights in Israel and a center for refugees and immigrants.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



According to the existing law, infiltrators who refuse to be deported can be held against their will indefinitely at Saharonim Prison in the Negev, until they are "convinced" to be deported to another country.

Saharonim Prison (Photo: Haim Horenstein)

However, the HCJ also ruled that the petitioners did not prove that the countries infiltrators are being deported to should necessarily be considered dangerous, thus allowing their continued deportation.

Chief Justice Miriam Naor noted that forcing the two appellants to "agree" to their own deportation by definition excludes the option of free will. She cited Justice Fogelman's description of such a situation as "an impossible reality."





Eritreans in south Tel Aviv (Photo: Yuval Chen)

In the ruling, Naor stressed that while an infiltrator could be held for more than 60 days for refusing to cooperate with authorities, refusing deportation does not constitute such a refusal, and could not be used to keep infiltrators locked up.

"Interpreting refusal of deportation as a refusal to cooperate cannot coexist with the need for a true, free-willed, voluntary and autonomous agreement (for deportationed)," said Naor.

Naor, center (Photo: Yoav Dudkevitch)

In an attempt to address the complaints voiced by residents of such areas as south Tel Aviv, where large numbers of infiltrators live, Naor suggested concentrating infiltrator populations throughout Israel.

Retired justice Elyakim Rubenstein, also spoke during the hearing, weighing in on what will be one of his final rulings.

Rubinstein (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

"The State of Israel's ethos, which was built as a place of refuge for persecuted Jews, as well as in the tradition of "Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the servant which is escaped" that has followed us, command us to act with caution in sending away foreigners and infiltrators, even when there is not much choice, as is many times the case."

Elyakim went on to stress the "humane approach, and the constant and detailed care for their wellbeing in the place to which they will be sent, whenever possible."

Several of the human rights organizations that signed the petition praised the judges' decision: "The High Court today ruled that it is impossible to hold asylum seekers in unlimited detention as a means of pressure, and decided not to make a draconian arrangement of unprecedented severity that enables indefinite detention of innocent people."

"We will continue to struggle until the State of Israel provides a humane solution to the asylum seekers who have been living for a decade within its borders, will allow them to submit applications for asylum, examine them and grant (a legaled) status to those who have been living in Israel who are entitled to it.

Deri (Photo: Avihu Shapira)

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, however, criticized the judges' decision. "The decision not to allow the state to expel infiltrators against their will is very problematic, as it takes away from the state a very important tool and allows any infiltrator who wants to stay to remain in Israel.

"Immediately after the High Court of Justice's ruling, I spoke with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and told her I was considering an amendment to the law that would allow the state to deport infiltrators from the country against their will "

Deri added: "We have to take care of the citizens of the State of Israel, the residents of south Tel Aviv and other cities whose lives are not worth living."

That said, Deri stated that "I am pleased that the High Court of Justice has allowed us to continue to remove infiltrators to a third country."

Following the petitioners' 2015 appeal, the state itself claimed that it had the authority to transfer refugees to a third country in which the lives of the infiltrators would presumably not be in danger. The state further noted in its response that the infiltrators must prove a danger to their lives in that third country, and that it is not sufficient to simply claim the third country is dangerous.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday that the situation taking hold in Lebanon in which Iran is seeking to establish precision weapons is "intolerable for Israel."

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



During his talks with Guterres in the capital Jerusalem, which took place shortly after separate discussions with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Lieberman told the UN chief that Israel was determined to prevent any security threat against Israels citizens?"

Defense Minister Lieberman meets with UN chief Guterres (Photo: EPA)

Turning his focus to the situation in Gaza, Lieberman accused Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas of causing an escalation of hostilities, before raising the issue of Hezbollah in Lebanon

After welcoming Guterres during his first visit to the country in his new position, he presented him with pictures and footage showing Hezbollahs presence in the southern Lebanon, insisting that the terror group was flagrantly violating the UN Resolution UN Security Council resolutions 1701.

"Hezbollah is placing, within the residents homes in villages and cities along the border, military equipment, including missiles and rockets, which are pointed at Israeli citizens," Lieberman said.

Hezbollah supporters in a rally, Lebanon (Photo: AFP)

"It is the Lebanese governments responsibility and its southern residents to know, that Israel will act with extremely great force in any conflict in which rockets and missiles are launched at its citizens," said the Yisrael Beytenu leader, substituting Netanyahu's and Rivlins diplomatic language for his characteristically tough-talking style.

"We have no desire to harm those uninvolved, but we also wont remain indifferent to a situation in which they shoot at our citizens, and we will act swiftly with force and determination. UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) must fulfill its UN mandate and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701."

Hezbollah militants fighting in Syria alongside Assad's army (Photo: Reuters)

The defense minister then spoke about the situation on the border with Syria.

"UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) has an important role in stabilizing the border with Syria," he said. "We therefore support preserving its status, ensuring its security and restoring it to full functionality so that it can fulfill its mandate.

"We are in a very precarious situation, because Iran is trying to establish itself in Syria and change the geostrategic balance in the region in a way that will affect Israel, and we have no intention of allowing it."
"Be it the Congress or the BJP or the Akalis, everyone was beholden to this baba," Former CBI director Vijay Shankar, under whom the CBI filed a chargesheet against Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for rape, recalls.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh used to answer each question with folded hands during his interrogation, CBI officials invovled in the case recall

By Meetu Jain: 15 years after the Central Bureau of Investigation began its court-directed probe into rape allegations against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the self-styled godman was today sentenced to 20 years in prison. Ram Rahim, who was convicted of raping two female followers, was handed two sentences of ten years each for the two counts of rape.

advertisement

The Dera chief will serve the two prison terms consecutively and not simultaneously, a special CBI court ruled, sending Gurmeet Ram behind bars for 20 years. Gurmeet Singh has also been fined Rs 30 lakh, Rs 28 lakh of which will be divided equally between the two victims.

For the CBI officers who doggedly pursued the case, it was an investigation fraught with many challenges, particularly because their suspect was so politically connected.

Former CBI director Vijay Shankar, under whom the CBI filed a chargesheet in the case in 2007, says the investigative agency managed to do its job, but admits that there was political pressure. "Everyone knows which politician was prostrating before this man and how much they compromised the victims," Shankar told India Today.

"Be it the Congress or the BJP or the Akalis, everyone was beholden to this baba," Shankar says, pulling no punches. The ex-CBI chief goes on to recall how a senior minister from the Haryana administration came to him to talk about the case.

"A senior minister from Haryana came to discuss the case with me. And I told him bluntly that I am ashamed of what he did and you are doing 'sifarish' for this man. The minister did not return," Shankar says, refusing to identify the minister by name.

Shankar recalls another such instance. "There was another politician from Haryana, one of the richest and amongst the youngest, who came to me. I had to give him a mouthful," the former CBI chief said, adding that the pressure had started building from 2005 onwards, when the CBI kickstarted a probe that CBI special director ML Sharma says was lying dormant.

In fact, the agency even received "suggestions" that it move Ram Rahim's interrogation away from the Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters in Sirsa. "In fact, many a suggestion was given to us to interrogate him elsewhere, in other states. Perhaps interrogating him at his headquarter(s) was embarrassing for him and hence the political pressure," says Shankar.

But it was not just the politicians who were linked to the controversial Dera chief, Shankar says. The media let itself down. "Every journalist in Punjab and Haryana knew what was happening at the Dera. Yet no one spoke up," Shankar said. "The media is now reporting a story that is easy to report. But when politicians were prostrating themselves before this rapist, didn't they or the journalists know what charges he was facing?"

advertisement

WHEN DERA MEN SURROUNDED CBI OFFICE

Shankar is not the only official who remembers what the investigators dealt with. M Narayanan, the lead investigator in the case, says the pressure from politicians was enormous. "In fact, the CBI office at Panchkula was once surrounded by Dera goons and we had to seek police protection," he says.

Things were finally brought under control when Shankar spoke to the Director General of Haryana Police and warned him that the CBI would take the matter to court if the attempts to obstruct the probe did not end.

"I had to give the Haryana DGP an ultimatum. Either make sure that there is no obstruction in our investigation or we will file an affidavit apprising the court of the situation," Shankar tells India Today. The incidents were not repeated, Shankar said.

The investigative officer in the case also recalls how folded hands was a trademark stance of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh - it was in this very posture that the Dera chief is reported to have stood before the CBI court today, pleading for forgiveness.

advertisement

That, however, may have been "nothing but drama", if the words of M Naryanan are to be believed. "We interrogated him once at his Dera at Sirsa for three hours. His answers were vague, evasive but all given with folded hands. It was nothing but drama," he recalls.

ALSO READ | Where is Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh's wife?

ALSO READ | Ram Rahim's rape was pardon: The guru's gufa and maafi of a sex fiend

ALSO WATCH | Dera Sacha Sauda shouldn't be closed because of Ram Rahim's actions: Baba Ramdev

--- ENDS ---
Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar on Monday said his group has restored relations with Iran and is using its newfound financial and military aid from the country to gear up for a new round of battle with Israel.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Sinwar delivered his assessment as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was visiting neighboring Israel. At a meeting with the UN chief, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained about what he said was rising anti-Israel activity by Iran and its allies across the region.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (Photo: AP)

Iran was once the top backer of Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel's destruction. But Hamas broke with Iran in 2012 after the group refused to support Iran's close ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, in the Syrian civil war.

During a four-hour meeting with journalists, Sinwar said those ties have been restored and are stronger than ever.

"Today, the relationship with Iran is excellent, or very excellent," Sinwar said. He added that the Islamic Republic is "the largest backer financially and militarily" to Hamas' military wing.

It was the first time that Sinwar has met reporters since he was elected in February. The 55-year-old Sinwar, who spent two decades in Israeli prison after being convicted of masterminding the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers, has close ties with Hamas' militant wing and takes a hard line toward Israel.

Israel and Iran are bitter enemies, and Israel has recently expressed concern that Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah are seeking a permanent military presence in Syria near the Israeli border. Both Hezbollah fighters and Iran have backed Assad's forces in the Syrian war.

President of Iran Hassan Rouhani (Photo: AFP)

In his meeting with Guterres, Netanyahu alleged Iran is building sites in Syria and Lebanon to produce "precision-guided missiles" to be used against Israel.

"Iran is busy turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment, and it wants to use Syria and Lebanon as warfronts against its declared goal to eradicate Israel," Netanyahu said. "This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the UN should not accept."

Israel has also accused the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, of failing to prevent Hezbollah from smuggling huge quantities of weapons into southern Lebanon in violation of a 2006 cease-fire. UNIFIL's mandate is up for renewal at the end of the month and Israel is pressing for the force to have an increased presence to better monitor and prevent the alleged Hezbollah arms buildup.

UNIFIL's commander, Maj. Gen. Michael Beary, told The Associated Press last week that he has no evidence that weapons are being illegally transferred and stockpiled in the Hezbollah-dominated south. But Guterres promised Netanyahu that he will do everything in my capacity" to ensure UNIFIL fulfills its obligations.

"I understand the security concerns of Israel and I repeat that the idea or the intention or the will to destroy the state of Israel is something totally unacceptable from my perspective," he said.

UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon (Photo: AFP)

Responding to Israeli claims that the UN is biased, Guterres stressed his commitment to "treating all states equally." He said those who call for Israel's destruction peddle in a "form of modern anti-Semitism"though he also said he doesn't always agree with the country's policies.

Guterres heads to the West Bank on Tuesday and is scheduled to visit Gaza on Wednesday. The UN maintains major operations in Gaza, running schools and health clinics and delivering humanitarian aid. Guterres is not scheduled to speak to Hamas.

Late Monday, Guterres met with Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, commander of COGAT, the defense body that is responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs.

Mordechai blamed Hamas for the poor conditions in Gaza, saying the group tries to exploit civilians and aid programs. He also said Hamas' refusal to return the remains of two dead Israeli soldiers, along with two Israeli civilians it is holding, hinders Israeli efforts to assist Gaza.

"The terror organization Hamas does not hesitate at all and repeatedly exploits the Gaza residents by attempting to take advantage of Israel's assistance, despite the severe civil hardships in the strip," Mordechai said.

Hamas militants marching in Gaza (Photo: AP)

Guterres later met with the families of the dead soldiers and captive Israeli civilians.

In his briefing with reporters, Sinwar would not say how much aid Iran provides his group. Before the 2012 breakup, Iran provided an estimated $50 million a month to Hamas.

Hamas wrested control of Gaza from the Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas' forces in 2007. Since then, it has fought three wars with Israel. Hamas has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks. It is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

Sinwar stressed that the Iranian aid is for "rebuilding and accumulating" Hamas' military powers for a larger fight against Israel that is meant to "liberate Palestine."

"Thousands of people work every day to make rockets, (dig) tunnels and train frogmen," he said. "The relationship with Iran is in this context."

Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei (Photo: AP)

But the shadowy leader said his movement does not intend to start a fourth war with Israel, instead preferring to remedy dire living conditions in the impoverished coastal enclave.

Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Hamas takeover a decade ago. Trying to pressure Hamas and regain control, Abbas has asked Israel to reduce electricity supply to Gaza, and he has slashed the salaries of thousands of his former government employees there.

The result is that Gaza suffers acute power outages of up to 16 hours a day, unemployment of nearly 50 percent and widespread poverty.

Sinwar has turned to Egypt, which has begun to ease the blockade as it seeks Hamas' help in controlling their border. The Egyptian military has been fighting an Islamic insurgency in the Sinai desert, near Gaza.

Mahmoud Abbas (Photo: AFP)

Relations with Cairo "have improved dramatically," Sinwar said. Egypt has recently sent fuel to ease the power crisis in response to Hamas' building of a buffer zone along the border.

"We will knock on all the doors, except that of the (Israeli) occupation, to resolve the problems," he said.

Sinwar was among more than 1,000 Palestinians released by Israel in 2011 in exchange for an Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit, whom Hamas kidnapped in 2006.

Sinwar said there would be no new talks over a prisoner swap until Israel frees 54 prisoners released in the Schalit swap that have been re-arrested.

"We are ready to start negotiations through a mediator, but only when the table is cleaned. Freed prisoners must feel they are immune."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several top ministers came out on Monday against the High Court of Justice's decision, which ruled that the State of Israel may no longer detain infiltrators indefinitely.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Deciding on the appeal, the HCJ ruled that the state cannot detain illegal infiltrators for more than 60 days. The appeal was submitted in 2015 by two Eritrean nationals facing deportation and six human rights organizations.

Netanyahu (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

According to the existing law, infiltrators who refuse to be deported can be held against their will indefinitely at Saharonim Prison in the Negev, until they are "convinced" to be deported to another country.

However, the HCJ also ruled that the petitioners did not prove that the countries infiltrators are being deported to should necessarily be considered dangerous, thus allowing their continued deportation.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who in the past has repeatedly championed the infiltrators' deportation, said in response to the HCJ's decision that "we will have to bring about an amendment to the legislation in order to enable the agreements with the African countries to be implemented" in order to transfer infiltrators to them.

Netanyahu added that "Israel's policy on the issue of infiltrators is made up of three parts: the fence we established in the south that has completely stopped the infiltrators; the agreement reached with countries in Africa to transfer infiltrators to them; and the issue of (lawed) enforcement."

Shaked (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked also came out against the HCJ decision, saying that "I will work together with the Inetrior Minister (Aryeh Deri) to amend the legislation that will enable the expulsion without their consent. We will fight until we get the necessary results. "

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, for his part, criticized the judges' decision. "The decision not to allow the state to expel infiltrators against their will is very problematic, as it takes away from the state a very important tool and allows any infiltrator who wants to stay to remain in Israel.

Deri (Photo:: Avihu Shapira)

"Immediately after the High Court of Justice's ruling, I spoke with Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and told her I was considering an amendment to the law that would allow the state to deport infiltrators from the country against their will "

Deri added: "We have to take care of the citizens of the State of Israel, the residents of south Tel Aviv and other cities whose lives are not worth living."

That said, Deri stated that "I am pleased that the High Court of Justice has allowed us to continue to remove infiltrators to a third country."

Erdan (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan also voiced his displeasure with the decision. "This policy won't be effective, since an infiltrator will prefer to sit for 60 days in jail and stay in Israel than move to Rwanda or Uganda."
Three Israelis are apparently held by Hamas along with the bodies of two soldiers, and the heart aches for their families.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Abera Mengistu entered the Gaza Strip in 2014, Hisham Shaaban al-Sayed entered in 2015, and Juma Ibrahim Abu Anima entered in 2016. The three of them entered the Gaza Strip of their own accord. All three are reportedly mentally ill. The late Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin fell in battle in Operation Protective Edge three years ago.

Simha (L) and Leah Goldin (Photo: Shaul Golan)

For a long time there has been a campaign to bring back the captives and bodies.

We were already in this situation with the struggle for the release of Gilad Shalitwho was a regular soldier when he was kidnapped by Hamas. There had already been prisoner exchange deals, all of which were disgraceful. There had already been deals that increased the appetite of the terrorist organizations. But the disgrace of the Shalit deal surpassed them all.

It was clear that some of those released from the deal, whose only expertise was terror, would return to their previous occupation. It was clear that just as 180 Israelis had been murdered by those released from previous deals, Israelis would also pay their lives in the wake of the new deal.





L to R: Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul

And that's exactly what happened. One of the released prisoners, Mahmoud Kawasmeh, initiated and commanded the kidnapping and murder of three youths in 2014. All in all, at least eight Israelis are known to have been murdered by those released.

Leah Goldin, the mother of Hadar Goldin, has become the most prominent spokesperson of the current struggle, and her statements are becoming more extreme.

One cannot judge a person in their grief. But the one who hurts, is not always the one who's right.

Goldin claimed that they were paying the price for the Shalit deal. It only means that maybe, just maybe, the decision makers understood that with all due respect to the families' struggle, there is no need for another concession that will only increase the level of terrorism.

Gilad Shalit (Photo: AFP)

Most importantly, we have to say what is not really pleasant to say: The fate of bodies and detainees who have entered the Gaza Strip of their own accord is unlike that of a soldier who was abducted during operational service.

Following the resignation of coordinator of activities on the subject of POWs and MIAs, Lior Lotan, Leah Goldin said: "I do not know who the real enemy is. He resigned because his initiatives were sabotaged." As for the defense minister, she added: "What mandate does he have to send soldiers to war if he does not want to return them home? What are these soldiers to him, disposable cups?"

On Sunday, at a press conference, the Goldin family framed Lieberman as " weak and cowardly ." Lieberman responded with restraint. He repeated that we must not repeat the mistakes of the Shalit deal.

Netanyahu and Lieberman must take into account the pain of the families, which is the pain of most Israelis, but they also have to do, most importantly, what is best for the nation. And according to that, there is no room for another chapter in the march of folly.

Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman (Photo: AFP)

And no, it's not simple. After all, we are dealing with the people's lives. The Goldin family does not pressure for the release of terrorists. It demands tougher treatment of the Gaza Strip and prisoners of Hamas as a means of exerting pressure on the government in Gaza.

Why should we transfer fuel and raw materials? Why not stipulate our ongoing supply of the strip in the return of the prisoners and bodies? Because it is doubtful whether, in the difficult conditions in Gaza, this will accomplish anything.

After all, the residents of Gaza have never been the main concern of Hamas leaders. After all, long ago Hamas could have decided on an agenda of growth and prosperity instead of investing in an industry of death, but its choice is known.

Will further pressure lead to change? Depends on what change you seek, as the greater the distress in the Gaza Strip, the more Hamas receives international support.

The detainees will not be released, but there will be more flotillas of "rights activists." More hardships will not bring hundreds of thousands to the streets to demonstrate against Hamas's new leader, Yahya Sinwar , who was released from the Shalit deal himself. On the contrary, it will strengthen Hamas.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar (Photos: AP, EPA)

Israel must make every effort to bring about the release of the detainees and the bodies. But "every effort" is not "any price," and the confusion between the two concepts has already cost us in blood.

Creative ideas are needed. Perhaps even taking certain risks, but one thing should not be an argument: We were already in this situation. There was already a concession. The same disgrace must not be repeated.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met Monday evening with the families of the captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Sergeant Oron Shaulwho is presumed deadand civilians Abera Mengistu and Hisham Shaaban al-Sayed.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



The family members asked Guterres for his personal involvement in promoting the return of their children to Israel.

Danon, Guterres and the family of Oron Shaul (Photo: Shlomi Amsalem)

Abera Mengistu's mother, Agernash, burst into tears at the meeting and told the secretary general: "I have no life without my son. I have no day and no night. I ask you to help bring my son home. I ask you not to leave the Gaza Strip without a sign of life from my son Abera and a demand to Hamas for his immediate release."

Zahava Shaul, mother of Oron Shaul, told the secretary general: "My husband has already died and I am still waiting for an answer. I ask you to put pressure on (the leaders in) the strip when you visit there on Wednesday."

The UN Secretary General promised the families to take care of the issue personally and through UN agencies to bring about the release of the Israelis held by Hamas.

The Mengistu family asked the secretary general to set up a UN task force to deal with the humanitarian situation of Abera and the other prisoners until they returned home.

Danon, Guterres and the family of Abera Mengistu (Photo: Shlomi Amsalem)

"The case of Abera is a humanitarian issue of the highest order. An innocent civilian who has nothing to do with the conflict and is held captive in violation of all the laws and conventions that you have set," the Mengistu family told the secretary general.

Israel's ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, who was present at the meeting, said that "Hamas holds our soldiers and our citizens with unbridled cruelty. The UN must act to return them to Israel."

Lieutenant Hadar Goldin's family did not attend the meeting because it is expected to meet Guterres in New York in two weeks.

The issue of captive soldiers and civilians in Gaza has been raised in all the meetings of the Secretary General in Israelwith President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman , Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Major General Yoav Mordechai and opposition leader Isaac Herzog.
Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah broadcast a speech the Al-Manar television network on Monday, in which he declared the organization's victory in the war against ISIS along the Syrian border. During his speech, Nasrallah also managed to sneak in a zinger against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials "are the ones crying today about ISIS in Syria and Iraq."

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



"On May 25, 2000, we said we had removed the Zionist occupation. Today we are saying we have taken out the takfiri occupation (ISISed)." Takfiri is a term used when one Muslim accuses another Muslim of abandoning their faith.

Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah

Hezbollah fighters alongside Syrian army soldiers battle against ISIS on the Lebanese border (Credit: Reuters) (: )

X

"We have removed all the terrorists who were on the border and posed a threat to the whole of the Lebanon Valley."





PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

Nasrallah added: "Israel is an enterprise of occupation and hegemony, the United States is a hegemony enterprise, and ISIS and the terrorist organizations are the extermination enterprise of every Muslim, Christian, Yazidi and everywhere. ISIS was supposed to destroy our region, the army and our institutions, delivering it santized and cooked for the US and Israel."





Hezbollah forces on the Lebanese-Syrian border (Photo: AFP)

Hezbollah militants in the organization's fight against ISIS (Photo: Reuters)

Nasrallah added that as a result of ISIS's defeat, "Who is crying over ISIS in Syria and Iraq? Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials," adding that "they are the ones who cry and scream, they are the ones who have a problem with the Trump administration, whose priority now is to eliminate ISIS, the same Trump government that admitted it was the Obama administration that created ISIS. This is why it is impossible to claim there is a difference between liberation of South Lebanon (Hezbollah's attempts to conquer the Israeli Golan Heights) and this campaign (against ISIS). It is a continuation of the campaign against Israel."

Hezbollah forces launch attack on ISIS (Photo: Reuters)

On Sunday, Hezbollah, the Lebanese army and the Syrian army announced a cease-fire of their operations against ISIS along the Lebanese-Syrian border. As part of the agreement, ISIS provided information on the eight kidnapped Lebanese soldiers held by ISIS since the summer of 2014, when the terror group took control of the mountainous area of the Syrian-Lebanese border, together with the former al-Qaeda branch, Jabhat al-Nusra.





Photo: Reuters

At the same time, ISIS agreed to transfer to Hezbollah the bodies of Hezabollah militants killed in battles with Syria and Lebanon, and the bodies of two other militants killed on other fronts in Syria, in addition to one presumably live captive. The body of Mohsen Hajji, a member of the Revolutionary Guards who was executed three weeks ago,will also be transferred to Hezbollah.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met on Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the Turkish capital of Ankara. The two leaders expressed support for a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, with Erdogan saying that "the key to success lies in defending the rights of the Palestinians." He also called on Israel to stop the "occupation attempts" that undermine the feasibility of a two-state solution."

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Erdogan reiterated Turkey's official position supporting two states within the 1967 borders, and said that Turkey would continue to support the recognition of a Palestinian state in all international forums. "Turkey is ready to support efforts to revive the peace process," stated Erdogan. He added that he does not want Israel to continue to control the narrative covered by the press, allegedly through blood, tears and confrontation.

Abbas (L) and Erdogan (Photo: AP)

Photo: AP

"We emphasize that we are ready and committed to a historic peace deal under the auspices of President Trump, and we hope that our people will live with dignity and sovereignty in an independent state with east Jerusalem as its capital," Abbas said in a press conference with President Erdogan. He also thanked Erdogan and the Turkish people for their "stubborn stance against the Israeli measures in the Al-Aqsa Mosque and their provocations of Muslims."





Photo: AP

Following their meeting, Abbas stated, "I have had fruitful talks with President Erdogan on various issues of interest to both sides, and I have updated him on recent developments in our region and especially on the results of the recent visit of the American delegation and the efforts to convene the Palestinian National Council."

Photo: AP

Abbas added that he wanted to end the internal divide between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas (which rules the Gaza Strip), saying that "there will be no state in Gaza and no state will be established without Gaza."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke Monday evening at the central event marking the 50th anniversary of Jewish settlement in the West Bank area of Samaria. Addressing the crowd, Netanyahu said that "we are here to stay forever," and promised, "there will be no more uprooting of settlements in the Land of Israel."

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Thousands of residents of Samaria came to the Barkan Industrial Park to attend the festivities, titled "Lights of the Jubilee," attended by many senior politicians.

ime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at the ceremony (Photo: Dana Kopel)

"This is the inheritance of our forefathers, this is our country," Netanyahu said at the ceremony. "We came back here to stay forever. There will be no more uprooting of settlements in the Land of Israel.

Netanyahu went on to explain that, other than the right he says that the Jewish people have on the land, uprooting settlements does not help promote peace.

"We uprooted settlements , and what did they get? We got missiles," he noted. "That will no longer be the case."

Construction in the Ariel settlement in Samaria (Photo: AFP)

Netanyahu stated he also says this to the foreign leaders who visit Israel. "Imagine that on these peaks there were extremist forces of Islam. It would endanger us, but it would also endanger you, and all of our neighborsthe entire region and in fact the entire Middle East.

"In light of everything that is happening around us in the Middle East, one can only imagine the results (...) so we do not give up or foldwe keep hold of Samaria. In defiance of those who want us to uprootwe will deepen our roots, build, strengthen and settle."

Minister of Education and Chairman of the Bayit Yehudi Naftali Bennett backed Netanyahu's statement.

Naftali Bennett, greeted by Samaria residents at the event (Photo: Dana Kopel)

"The prime minister spoke about not uprooting settlements and I want to saydo not uproot the rooted, but if you did then replant that which you uprooted," Bennett said. "What led us here is the spirit of the pioneers, but what leaves us here is love, great love. But in order for it to grow, we need to nurture it and we need to see more of it, more neighborhoods and more new settlements.

"From here I call on the prime minister that the hand that signs for people's prosperity will be a light and lenient one. Or, better yet, that we will no longer have to sign at all, and that construction in Judea and Samaria will be unfettered. It cannot be that 50 years we (residents of the West Banked) are here, and are still considered as second-class citizens.

"The time has come for you, Mr. Prime Minister, to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria from now on."

During the event, the head of the Samaria Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, said: "We returned to the place of our origin. We returned here forever and ever. This is a day of celebration not only for the residents of Samaria, but for all the people of Israel."

Yossi Dagan on stage with Netanyahu (Photo: Dana Kopel)

Dagan then addressed the families of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul , who attended the ceremony.

"The bereaved families of Samaria sit here with us. We will never forget your devotion () The Salomon family is sitting with us today, and the Goldin family is with us. We are all with you in calling for the return of the soldiers Hadar and Oron."

Dagan then turned to the prime minister, asking him to give the residents of Samaria "the strength to realize the Zionist dream."

"Samaria is crying out for new settlements," Dagan said. "Dear Prime Minister, The settlement is desperate for renewed construction in Judea and Samaria. Twelve years ago, five settlements were uprooted for nothing. I turn to you, prime minister; it is in your power to correct the folly and return those people home."
Head of the IDF Intelligence Directorate, Major General Herzi Halevi, met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and briefed him on the intelligence situation in the various fronts.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



Halevi briefed Guterres on the intelligence situation in the various sectors, and explained the Iranian establishment in Syria and Hezbollah's power structure in Lebanon. He stressed that Iran's desire to produce precision weapons for Hezbollah on Lebanese soil and in the Syrian military industry is a serious development that Israel can not be indifferent to.

Halevi's meeting with Guterres

"The consolidation of Iran and the Shiite axis in Syria, and the strengthening of Hezbollah in Lebanon are two processes that could lead to an undesirable escalation in the northern front," stated Halevi.

According to Halevi, Hezbollah is tightening its hold on Lebanon. He stated that UNIFIL holds an important role with Hezbollah and could exert pressure and hinder Hezbollah's efforts to strengthen its position. Halevi stressed that more could be done on the UN's part, not only to preserve peace but to prevent the next war





Iranian Revolutionary Guard

Earlier on Monday, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah broadcast a speech the Al-Manar television network, in which he declared the organization's victory in the war against ISIS along the Syrian border. During his speech, Nasrallah also managed to sneak in a zinger against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials "are the ones crying today about ISIS in Syria and Iraq.

"Israel is an enterprise of occupation and hegemony, the United States is a hegemony enterprise, and ISIS and the terrorist organizations are the extermination enterprise of every Muslim, Christian, Yazidi and everywhere. ISIS was supposed to destroy our region, the army and our institutions, delivering it santized and cooked for the US and Israel."

Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Nasrallah added that as a result of ISIS's defeat, "Who is crying over ISIS in Syria and Iraq? Netanyahu and senior Israeli officials," adding that "they are the ones who cry and scream, they are the ones who have a problem with the Trump administration, whose priority now is to eliminate ISIS, the same Trump government that admitted it was the Obama administration that created ISIS. This is why it is impossible to claim there is a difference between liberation of South Lebanon (Hezbollah's attempts to conquer the Israeli Golan Heights) and this campaign (against ISIS). It is a continuation of the campaign against Israel."
Chinese media is of the view that Beijing and New Delhi have been locked in the Doklam standoff for some time, India may use the border disputes to divert public attention away from the domestic conflicts if riots escalate.

By Ananth Krishnan: China's media has drawn attention to the recent violence following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda "godman" Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, which claimed 38 lives, saying it "exposes India's woes" amid the on-going border stand-off at Doklam.

"It is India's internal affairs to settle the riots, and China hopes the Indian government can quell the unrest soon. But, as Beijing and New Delhi have been locked in the Doklam standoff for some time, we have reason to worry that India may use the border disputes to divert public attention away from the domestic conflicts if the riots escalate," said a Monday commentary in the hawkish Party-run Global Times.

advertisement

While there is no evidence to suggest any likelihood of New Delhi doing so, that did not, however, stop the Global Times from seeking to draw a link to the border stand-off. Ironically, this is despite the fact that India has been largely silent over the June 16 Doklam stand-off barring one Ministry of External Affairs statement, and it is China's State media and government ministries that have come out with a number of hard-hitting statements on the issue, drawing wide attention to the stand-off in China and fanning nationalist sentiment on social media.

The Global Times commentary was the latest to do so. Headlined "Riots over sect head conviction expose India's woes", the commentary by Liu Lulu said that the popularity of the Dera sect and the recent violence had "expose[d] the country's serious political and societal problems."

"India is perplexed by a number of ethnic and societal problems," it said. "We hope India can withdraw its troops from Chinese territory as soon as possible, and focus its attention on domestic development. Utilising the border disputes to alleviate domestic conflicts will only lead to lose-lose results," the commentary said.

It said the Dera sect leader's popularity had "highlighted that India is like an elephant mired in the furious struggle between traditions and modernisation." "Indians always regard their country as a bastion of purity in the world, but this superstitious and outdated traditional spirit has fettered India's modernisation. Indians always worship gurus. God-men are business tycoons in India as well," it added.

"The guru phenomenon also suggests the public's disappointments toward the country's traditional politics," the commentary said. "Dissatisfied with reality, an increasing number of Indian citizens are turning to these non-traditional religious groups. It is quite ironic that modernisation in the means of communication by these so-called gurus has become the barrier that impedes the Indian public from spiritual modernisation. The phenomenon also exposes the country's serious political and societal problems."

ALSO READ:

Ram Rahim conviction: Dera chief's henchmen planned arson and rioting, investigation reveals

Ram Rahim Family History: The story of a devil, a saint and Papa's angels

advertisement

Ram Rahim's rape was pardon: The guru's gufa and maafi of a sex fiend

Journalist who exposed Gurmeet Ram Rahim rape case was shot dead outside his house

WATCH: Ahead of Ram Rahim's sentencing, shoot-at-sight orders around Rohtak jail

--- ENDS ---
Nairobi: Kenyans producing, selling or even using plastic bags will risk imprisonment of up to four years or fines of $40,000 from Monday, as the world`s toughest law aimed at reducing plastic pollution came into effect.

The East African nation joins more than 40 other countries that have banned, partly banned or taxed single use plastic bags, including China, France, Rwanda, and Italy.

Many bags drift into the ocean, strangling turtles, suffocating seabirds and filling the stomachs of dolphins and whales with waste until they die of starvation.

"If we continue like this, by 2050, we will have more plastic in the ocean than fish," said Habib El-Habr, an expert on marine litter working with the UN Environment Programme in Kenya.

Plastic bags, which El-Habr says take between 500 to 1,000 years to break down, also enter the human food chain through fish and other animals. In Nairobi`s slaughterhouses, some cows destined for human consumption had 20 bags removed from their stomachs.

"This is something we didn`t get ten years ago but now its almost on a daily basis," said county vet Mbuthi Kinyanjui as he watched men in bloodied white uniforms scoop sodden plastic bags from the stomachs of cow carcases.

Kenya`s law allows police to go after anyone even carrying a plastic bag. But Judy Wakhungu, Kenya`s environment minister, said enforcement would initially be directed at manufacturers and suppliers.

"Ordinary wananchi will not be harmed," she told Reuters, using a Kiswahili word for "common man".

It took Kenya three attempts over ten years to finally pass the ban, and not everyone is a fan.

Samuel Matonda, spokesman for the Kenya Association of Manufacturers, said it would cost 60,000 jobs and force 176 manufacturers to close. Kenya is a major exporter of plastic bags to the region.

"The knock-on effects will be very severe," Matonda said.

"It will even affect the women who sell vegetables in the market - how will their customers carry their shopping home?" Big Kenyan supermarket chains like France`s Carrefour and Nakumatt have already started offering customers cloth bags as alternatives.
California: Thousands of counter protesters clashed with supporters of President Donald Trump in California on Sunday, leading to more than a dozen arrests, police and witnesses said.

A peaceful protest in Berkeley, outside San Francisco, began turning violent around noon (1900 GMT) as fights broke out with the opposing sides facing off in Martin Luther King Jr Civic Center Park, which was closed to the public.

Hundreds of black-clad leftist "antifa" activists jumped police barricades to confront the small number of Trump supporters who had showed up, despite their "No to Marxism in America" rally having been canceled over fears of violence.

The counter-demonstrators surrounded their outnumbered rivals, chanting: "No Trump, no KKK, no fascist USA" and "Go home Nazi."

A number of demonstrators with their faces covered were escorted out of the park by police, who reported 14 arrests, mostly for violating a ban on masks, sticks and other potential weapons.

Police in riot gear fired a rubber bullet at a demonstrator who attempted to cross a barricade into the park, according to the Los Angeles Times, while protesters set off smoke bombs.

Joey Gibson, leader of the right-wing Patriot Prayer group, was pepper sprayed by leftist counter-protesters, an AFP photographer saw.

Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer tweeted that he had been pepper sprayed and posted a video he said showed anti-fascist protesters stomping on and beating an "alt-right" supporter as he lay in the road.

It was one of a number of videos posted on social media purportedly showing black-clad antifa activists physically attacking both pro-Trump demonstrators and journalists.

City officials had denied at least three requests for permits from demonstrations on both sides at the park, they said.

Amber Cummings, a Trump supporter, had organized the "No To Marxism in America" rally but later asked supporters not to show up out of fears of violence.

Police said a crowd which had reached 4,000 at its peak had largely dispersed by 3:30 pm.

The clashes followed racially charged violence earlier this month in Charlottesville, Virginia at a demonstration called by neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

That rally saw a woman killed after an avowed white supremacist rammed his car into a group of anti-racism counter-protesters.
Jackson: The governor of Mississippi is scheduled to lead a state business trip to India.

A spokesman confirms that Republican Governor Phil Bryant is planning to take part in a trip September 11-15.

It sponsored by Mississippi Development Authority, the state agency that seeks to create jobs.

The agency says participants will meet with potential buyers, agents, distributors and joint venture partners.
According to her estranged husband, Vishwas Gupta, both Ram Rahim and Honeypreet started living and spending quality time together after she separated from him.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Priyanka Taneja alias Honeypreet Insan, 42, has a controversial past, with sources saying she married Vishwas Gupta, a moneyed man who was a Dera follower, on February 14, 1999.

She came close to Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and in 2009 moved a dowry harassment case against her in-laws. However, Vishwas Gupta moved the court in 2011 accusing the Baba of having illicit relations with his wife and had sought judicial custody of his wife from Ram Rahim. He, however, took the case back and got separated after reaching an out-of-court settlement with Priyanka. The Dera chief adopted Priyanka and gave her the new name Honeypreet Insaan.

advertisement

According to her estranged husband, Vishwas Gupta, both Ram Rahim and Honeypreet started living and spending quality time together. She became a close aide of the Dera chief and both were spotted together on many occasions.

"Honeypreet was adopted by Baba as he had bad intentions. He sexually exploited her as she was beautiful," Vishwas Gupta, who continues to lead a secret life following threats from Rahim's men, said.

Seven of Dera aides were arrested on charges of following him.

RISE OF HONEYPREET INSAN IN DERA

She became his 'favourite' daughter and started getting special treatment. She started taking important Dera decisions and later even learned film direction and acting. She also directed MSG The Warrior Lion Heart.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim had claimed that Honeypreet had broken Jackie Chan's record by playing 21 different roles in another Baba film MSG: Hind Ka Napak Ko Jawab.

"PAPA's ANGEL, Philanthropist, Director, Editor, Actress!! Passionate to transform my Rockstar Papa's directions into actions," says Honeypreet on Twitter who has over 1.02 million Twitter followers. She is also an active Facebook user and has over 505,976 followers.

She also openly tweeted about her friendship with Gurmeet Ram Rahim on August 6, 2017.

"My Best Friend @Gurmeetramrahim Pa, Ur love lights up an entire lifetime! Thank U for being U! Happy Friendship Day!" she tweeted with a background song "I wish tere jasa dost sabko mile".

The controversial daughter called the Dera chief a storehouse of energy when he celebrated his 50th birthday on August 15, 2017.

""#HappyBirthDayGuruPa Congrats for d phenomenal 50 yrs! Thanx for turning every darkest hour into a brightest moment," she tweeted.

She once again made news when she accompanied the rapist Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Insaan in a chopper on Friday when he was taken to Rohtak jail from Panchkula. According to the jail manual, no woman can stay with a male prisoner but the jail authorities, in contravention to the guidelines laid down in the jail manual, had allowed Honeypreet to stay with the Dera chief in the guest house. Both were in the guest house for nearly two hours.

advertisement

Sources said the Dera chief had created a ruckus when the jail authorities asked him to shift to a lockup. He even threatened to get the jail officials suspended and even tried to call the Chief Minister and a union minister.

VERSION OF EVENTS AS NARRATED BY HONEYPREET'S EX-HUSBAND

Vishwas Gupta, the estranged husband of Honeypreet, revealed the entire episode that led to his separation from his wife and he puts the blame squarely on Ram Rahim.

"I was staying at the goofa, private room of Baba ji. My wife was with him. He had inadvertenly left the door open. They were nude and were having sex. They were shocked after they saw me. Baba had threatened me with dire consequences. He had threatened me not to reveal anything and had said that I will be killed," Gupta said.

He said that he along with his parents were compelled to leave the Dera and later started living in Panchkula. The decision was taken in view of the threat. The family had been a Dera follower for 40 years.

Vishwas said that Baba Ram Rahim wanted to come close to Honeypreet. He had allegedly adopted her on the first day of marriage. Vishwas and Honeypreet accompanied Baba Ram Rahim wherever he would go, but Baba did not let her sleep with Vishwas. Baba and Honeypreet would sleep together in a single room.

advertisement

Vishwas got married to Honeypreet, alias Priyanka, a resident of Fatehabad on February 14, 1999. Baba had given her a new name as Honeypreet.

"Baba had thrown a big party in goofa in 1999 and had announced that he was adopting my wife and I will be his son-in-law. She will be his middle daughter," Vishwas said.

Also Read:

Who is Honeypreet Insan?

Ram Rahim wanted 'adopted daughter' Honeypreet to stay with him in Rohtak jail

Who will be Ram Rahim's heir? Jasmeet, Honeypreet and Vipassana in race

Watch Video: Ram Rahim rape sentence: Hands folded, tears rolling down his face; Here's what happened today

--- ENDS ---
Washington: US President Donald Trump will travel to Texas on Tuesday to appraise the amount of damage brought by Hurricane Harvey, which has now downgraded to a tropical storm that is causing catastrophic flooding.

"I will be going to Texas as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption. The focus must be life and safety," CNN quoted the President as saying in a tweet on Sunday

"We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know. We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said.

Earlier on Sunday, several sources familiar with the White House plans told CNN that the President is expected to travel away from the storm zone, avoiding the most hard-hit areas.

The White House is leaning towards San Antonio, but intends to avoid flood-ravaged Houston, the sources said.

The President said he wanted to visit the state as soon as he could to show his support.

Harvey first made landfall in Rockport, located northeast of Corpus Christi, at 10 pm on Friday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 215 kph.

Though it has now weakened to a tropical storm, Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit the US in 12 years.

At least five people have been killed and over dozens others injured.

Over 3,000 flights have been cancelled over the weekend due to the "catastrophic" flooding which on Sunday particularly hit Houston, the fourth largest city in the US with 2 million inhabitants and where the flood water could reach 1 metre deep.
San Francisco: The viral `honesty app` Sarahah where you can send or receive anonymous messages is not as anonymous as it appears as the app has been found uploading the user`s phone contacts on to the company`s servers.



A senior security analyst Zachary Julian who works for IT security consulting firm Bishop Fox was the first to discover Sarahah uploading private information, using a monitoring software BURP Suite.



"As soon as you log into the application, it transmits all of your email and phone contacts stored on the Android operating system," a report in The Intercept on Sunday quoted Julian as saying.



Though the app asks for user`s permission to access contacts, there is no such feature in the app where these contacts would be required or even a search feature where users can look up for a friend using a contact number.



However, Sarahah`s founder Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq said contact lists were being uploaded "for a planned `find your friends` feature" that was not yet released.



In a tweet, Tawfiq wrote that the data request will be removed on next update.



It often seems suspicious if users do not get anything out of granting access to apps to their contact lists.



For example, earlier in 2017, the newsletter unsubscription service Unroll.me drew a lot of criticism following allegations that it sold user data to cab-hailing service Uber.
New Delhi: Violence took over the streets on Friday when Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted in a rape case. Out of the 38 deaths, 11 people were identified so far as being from Punjab. Coincidentally, Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt was shooting in Patiala for her upcoming film 'Raazi' when the clashes broke.

According to a DNA report, originally attributed to Mid-Day, the cast/crew of the movie stayed inside their hotel over the weekend. "They were discussing how it would be in everyone's best interests to put off the shoot till Monday. There is a possibility of things spiralling out of control after the sentencing," a source was quoted as saying.

However, it is still not confirmed when the shooting will be resumed.

'Raazi' is being directed by filmmaker Meghna Gulzar. Based on the book 'Calling Sehmat", 'Raazi' is story of a Kashmiri girl, who is married to an army officer and is set during the 1971 Indo-Pak war.

It also features Vicky Kaushal in a key role.
New Delhi: Drug firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Monday said a class action lawsuit has been filed against it in the US by an investor alleging misleading statements in violation of the US federal securities laws.

The lawsuit filed at the District Court for New Jersey seeks damages to compensate the class of investors for a 'purported decline' in the company's share price allegedly caused by the misstatements or omissions, Dr Reddy's Laboratories said in a filing to BSE.

The company has yet not been served with the lawsuit and cannot comment on the "specific allegations in the pending litigation other than to state that the company believes the asserted claims to be without merit", it added.

Elaborating the development, Dr Reddy's said: "On August 25, 2017, a law firm representing a purported investor in the company filed a purported class action lawsuit against the company, its CEO and CFO in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging violation of the US federal securities laws."

The lawsuit represents a class of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired the company's publicly traded shares on the New York Stock Exchange between June 17, 2015 through August 10, 2017, it added.

Dr Reddy's said the lawsuit alleged that the company made materially false and/or misleading statements or omissions in connection with its corporate quality system.

The allegation is specifically in connection with a warning letter from the USFDA dated November 6, 2015 and a letter from Regierung von Oberbayern in Germany, dated August 10, 2017, it added.

The company will respond to the allegations after it has been served with the lawsuit and as and when it may be required to do so by the Court, Dr Reddy's said.

Shares of Dr Reddy's Laboratories were trading at Rs 2,051.10 in afternoon trade on BSE, down 1.76 per cent from previous close.
New Delhi: Unfair judgement awards by stock exchanges and market regulator SEBI and no refunds from scam cases like Sahara top the list of complaints received by the Centre, a government instituted study has said.

The pan-ministry study found that the bulk of the grievances related to the Department of Economic Affairs were on the National Spot Exchange Ltd (NSEL) scam and significant losses due to the levy of Commodity Transaction Tax (CTT).

The study was conducted by the Quality Council of India for the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, following recommendations of a Parliamentary committee.

It involved identification of top grievance categories and recommendation of systemic reforms.

"For the Department of Economic Affairs, the top most issue for the ministry revolved around investor woes concerned with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Commodity Markets issue, refund of scams and employee grievances, accounting for 25 per cent, 18 per cent,17 per cent and 8 per cent of the grievances," said the study, presented recently to Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh.

The study also cited "non-receipt of shares, dividend pay-outs or bonus shares", "unfair judgement awards by the stock exchanges and SEBI", "unauthorised and unlawful transaction by the brokers as trading members" and "unsatisfactory grievance redressal" as issues causing grievances with the market regulator.

"No refund has been received in scam cases like Sahara Ltd," the report said, highlighting "refunds of scams" as a major grievance causing issue.

The Department of Economic Affairs received 9,553 complaints from April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2016. The study focused on the period from April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016, when 2,076 complaints were received. For its analysis, it used a sample size of 250 cases.

The Sahara case deals with alleged irregularities in raising over Rs 24,000 crore from more than three crore investors.

The NSEL -- which is now defunct -- suspended trading on July 31, 2013 after a major payment crisis broke out at the bourse. Subsequently, a number of regulators and enforcement agencies launched probes into the NSEL matter.

The CTT is levied on transactions done on the domestic commodity derivatives exchange.

The study also suggested certain priority systemic reforms to check grievances.

"With regards to grievance category non-refund scams like Sahara, was deprioritized for the reform recommendation exercise, as most of these cases are sub-judice," it said.

According to the report, SEBI has taken several steps to address investor grievances relating to dividends.

It has made it mandatory for the top 500 listed companies (in terms of market capitalisation) to have a dividend distribution policy which will broadly list the circumstances and financial parameters (internal and external) under which a shareholder may or may not expect a dividend.

"This policy will need to be disclosed in the annual reports and websites," it said.

The report suggested that transaction taxes across products be looked at in order to increase trading volumes in market. It also suggested provision for placement of a link directing users to grievance lodging portals like SEBI Complaint Redress System (SCORES) within Demat dashboard websites.

A total of 20 ministries/departments were selected for the study based on the number of grievances received by them from April 2012 to March 2016 through the Centralised Public Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPGRAMS) -- an online system for filing of complaints.

Of the total grievances, the highest number of 18,567 grievances were related to the Information and Broadcasting ministry.

Besides, 17,840 grievances were related to the Department of Financial Services (Insurance Division), 17,323 against the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 17,084 against the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and 16,047 against Consumer Affairs Ministry, the study said.
Mumbai: The new chairman of Infosys said his priorities were to find a CEO, reconstitute the board and shape future strategy, as he sought to calm investors frazzled by the recent shock exit of the firm`s chief over a prolonged row with its founders.

Nandan Nilekani, himself one of Infosys` seven founders and a former CEO, was named chair on Thursday in a victory for the founders, who led by Narayana Murthy have waged an acrimonious battle with the board for months over alleged corporate governance lapses.

Vishal Sikka, the first CEO of Infosys drawn from outside its founders, resigned last week blaming Murthy for creating an "untenable atmosphere", sparking a sell-off and wiping billions of dollars off Infosys`s market value.

"I have come in to focus on the future of the company, I have come in to take the company forward and deal with its challenges," Nilekani told investors on a call on Friday, adding he would stay with the IT firm for as long as needed.

Earlier in the day, he tweeted: "Joined @Infosys at 26, re-joined it at 62. Life does turn full circle!"

Credited for increasing Infosys` revenue to $2 billion from $500 million during his 2002-2007 stint as CEO, Nilekani said his key task would be to assist in the search for a new leader from within the company or outside.

India`s second largest software services firm has named recruitment firm Egon Zehnder to help find a CEO who will be able to manage a large global firm, accelerate strategy execution and oversee its transformation, he said.

Nilekani, who said his inbox was already filling with names of potential applicants, stressed that not just competence, but cultural fit would be an important criteria, making internal candidates "very strong contenders."

Chief Operating Officer Pravin Rao has been named interim CEO and will remain in the post until a replacement is found.

PEACE DEAL

Disagreements between the founders, especially Murthy, and the board have centred around a rise in Sikka`s pay, the acquisition of automation firm Panaya for $200 million and a severance package offered to a former finance chief.

The Infosys board, which has denied any wrongdoing and blamed Sikka`s resignation on Murthy`s continuous assault, offered a tacit apology to the founder on Friday, terming the differences of opinion with him as "unfortunate".

"The board wishes to express that it was not its intention to cause Mr Murthy or any other affected person any personal distress or anguish while stating its point of view," Infosys said in a statement issued after a board meeting chaired by Nilekani.

Nilekani, who addressed the media after the meeting, dodged questions on the board`s sudden u-turn over the course of the past week and on any future exits. He instead recounted Murthy`s contribution to Infosys and said he would work to resolve differences over corporate governance.

"I personally will ensure Murthy gets the respect he deserves," Nilekani said.

FUTURE STRATEGY

The management reboot comes at a time when the broader IT services sector has been challenged by slowing growth.

Nilekani, refrained from commenting on Infosys` future strategy apart from saying it would be aligned with global developments and that he saw tremendous opportunity in software, data and machine learning.

He said a committee of directors has been formed to work with the interim chief executive and management to review and refresh the company`s strategy by October.

"I have a very open mind. I will request our strategy team to take a complete inventory of all things that are going on," Nilekani said, adding the current strategy would be reviewed on the basis of market size, growth and other factors.

Nilekani, who along with his family owns about 2.3 percent of Infosys and, according to Forbes, is worth $1.72 billion, also needs to tackle retention of top level executives critical to rolling out strategy.

Infosys shares plumbed a more than three-year low on Monday but have risen since on expectations of Nilekani`s return.

Indian markets were closed for a public holiday on Friday, but Infosys shares rose nearly 1 percent in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
New Delhi: Public sector banks have taken loan recovery action under Sarfaesi law against 5,954 wilful defaulters owing about Rs 70,000 crore to the lenders.

At the end of March 31, 2017, 21 banks together have taken action against 5,954 wilful defaulter under Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (Sarfaesi) Act, as per data collated by the Finance Ministry.

The country's largest lender SBI has taken action against 1,444 such defaulters with outstanding loan of Rs 20,943 crore.

Remaining 20 banks have taken action against 4,510 wilful defaulters with outstanding loan of Rs 48,496 crore.

Total outstanding loans due to public sector banks by wilful defaulters amounted to Rs 92,376 crore, according to the finance ministry data.

The total outstanding loans by wilful defaulters rose to Rs 92,376 crore at the end of financial year 2016-17, from Rs 76,685 crore at the end of fiscal 2015-16 -- up 20.4 per cent.

At the same time, there has been close to 10 per cent increase in the number of wilful defaulters on annual basis. It increased to 8,915 at the end of March as against 8,167 in the previous fiscal.

Out of 8,915 cases of wilful defaults, banks have filed FIR (first information report) in 1,914 cases with outstanding loans of Rs 32,484 crore.

During 2016-17, 27 public sector banks, including SBI and its five associates, had written off Rs 81,683 crore, the highest in the last five fiscals. The amount was 41 per cent higher than that in the previous fiscal.

Gross NPAs of the public sector banks rose to Rs 6.41 lakh crore at the end of March 2017 as against Rs 5.02 lakh crore a year ago.

In order to check incidences of wilful default, RBI has tightened the norms and made it clear that promoter of the defaulting company cannot escape from his responsibility even if he is not a whole-time director.

As per earlier guidelines, a bank couldn't label a non- whole-time director of a company as a wilful defaulter unless there was conclusive evidence that the individual was aware of the wilful default by the company and had not objected to it.

A wilful default occurs when a borrower does not honour an obligation despite having the capacity to pay or siphons off funds by disposing of assets without the knowledge of the bank, according to RBI.

RBI has allowed banks to name and shame wilful defaulters by publishing their photographs.
Rohtak: Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Monday sentenced to 20 years in jail by CBI judge Jagdeep Singh here for two rape cases in 2002, amid tight security in Haryana and neighbouring Punjab.

He has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment in each of the two cases and both sentences will run consecutively.

In teary eyes, the Dera chief pleaded for forgiveness with folded hands to the judge, who was flown in by a chopper to Sunaria jail for the sentencing.

Here are the 10 latest developments:

1. The Dera chief was forcefully removed from the makeshift court room by the security personnel when he refused to move out.

2. The 50-year-old godman was ordered to undergo a medical examination after the sentencing before being shifted to his allotted prison cell in Sunaria jail.

3. The judge also fined him with Rs 50,000, 10,000 and 5,000 in different cases.

4. Ram Rahim broke down and asked for forgiveness with folded hands from the CBI judge.

5. Minutes before the verdict, two cars were set on fire by Dera supporters in Haryana's Phoolka area in Sirsa.



6. Extra forces have been deployed outside the prison for security during the hearing. The Army conducted a flag march in Sirsa, Dera HQs, post sentencing.

7. Meanwhile, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar has called for an emergency meeting to review the security situation in the state after the court verdict.

8. Power and broadband services were barred at Dera headquarters in Sirsa.

9. The defence lawyer in his closing arguments claimed that Ram Rahim has been a social worker and urged the judge to take a lenient view in the case.

10. CBI had demanded a maximum sentence of 15 years for Ram Rahim.
New Delhi: Poverty reduction should take precedence over reducing inequality in India, outgoing Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Monday, while underlining that the country needs to focus much more on providing equality of opportunities, health and education.

There can be potentially serious conflict between poverty reduction and reduction in inequality, Panagariya said. "I would focus much more on equality of opportunities, health and education."

He pointed out that "when we think about our historic economic policies, actually at some point of time (1960-70s), we worried too much about inequality which led to policy mistakes".

Inequality is complex as well as multi-dimensional and in developing countries like India, poverty reduction should take precedence over inequality removal, he said.

"For rich countries, inequality is a bigger issue. For India, the removal of poverty has more salience than reduction in inequality," Panagariya said at an event here.

He said that going by the Gini co-effecient, Kerala is the most unequal state and Bihar most equal. "Focus on poverty eradication is the key."

Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said there are 201 backward districts in India which need to be readily transformed to reduce inequality in the country.

"You can't bring equality through legislation. My belief is that we can't bring equality without greater focus on health and education," Kant noted.

Also, it is not possible to achieve equality till there is gender equality, he added.
New Delhi: Karti Chidambaram reached Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) headquarters on Monday for second round of questioning in alleged corruption case.

Former union minister P Chidambaram's son was questioned for 8-hours by the CBI on last Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the Madras High Court directed Karti, to approach a court in Delhi to quash the FIR lodged against him in a bribery case.

The Madras High Court had informed Karti that he would have to take his petition to the Delhi High Court, as the case does not come under the jurisdiction of Madras High Court.

Karti had moved the court after the Supreme Court asked him to appear before the CBI in New Delhi, to help the investigating agency with its probe.

Earlier in August, the Madras High Court had stayed the Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Karti and four others.

The apex court had later said it would review the high court order cancelling the LOC issued by Foreigner Regional Registration Officer (FRRO).

On May 16, the CBI raided Chidambaram's residence, along with 13 other locations in New Delhi, Gurugram, Mumbai and Chandigarh.

The raids were regarding a 2007 case, in which INX Media had allegedly paid bribes to get an FIPB approval.

An FIR was filed against Karti, Indrani Mukherjee and Peter Mukerjea, who owned INX media.
The sentencing of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has taken a toll on Bollywood as well.

By India Today Web Desk: The conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda (DSS) chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a rape case unleashed the fury of his followers, who went on a 72-hour-long rampage in various parts of Haryana, Punjab and the national capital, in which 38 were killed. The self-styled godman was held guilty of raping two of his female followers at the DSS headquarters in 2002. As soon as the verdict was announced, his supporters began rioting.

advertisement

While violence and arson spread across Haryana, Punjab and Delhi, Bollywood has been affected as well.

The first casualty was the shooting of Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal's Raazi. According to a report in Mid-Day, director Meghna Gulzar, who was shooting with the two actors in Patiala, immediately called for pack-up when news of the violence broke. The unit stayed put in their hotel, after many parts of Punjab were placed under curfew following the riots.

Ram Rahim is set to be sentenced today, and there is a strong possibility of fresh violence. Keeping this in mind, the shoot has been stalled till the situation improves.

Meanwhile, Deccan Chronicle reports that the sentencing could take a toll on this week's big releases, Baadshaho and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, as well. The business of these films will take a hit in the northern market if violent protests break out, and the makers are reportedly contemplating delaying their release.

A source told the publication, "These are both very dissimilar releases, and a lot is expected from them. Shubh Mangal Saavdhan could be Ayushmann Khurrana and Bhumi Pednekar's follow up hit after Bareilly Ki Barfi and Toilet: Ek Prem Katha respectively. As for Baadshaho, it marks the return of director Milan Luthria, and leading man Ajay Devgn, after their successful collaboration in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai."

"Both films are potential hits, and the producers don't want to jeopardise their box-office prospects. Punjab and Haryana are major distribution sectors for Bollywood. Look at the fate of the releases this week under normal circumstances. Imagine what would happen if they were released when the violence and unrest were on," the insider added.

Apparently, the makers have decided to "wait and watch" if things go awry at the sentencing today before they make any official announcement.

ALSO READ: Ram Rahim's rape was pardon - The guru's gufa and maafi of a sex fiend

ALSO READ: Ram Rahim Family History - The story of a devil, a saint and Papa's angels

ALSO WATCH: Ahead of Ram Rahim's sentencing, shoot-at-sight orders around Rohtak jail

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Localites in Brazil recently came together to help rescue a baby humpback whale that was stranded in a beach near Rio de Janeiro.

The 32-foot-long creature was found washed up near the capital city and as soon as the locals spotted it, they informed the officials.

After that, nearly 300 people came together and joined the rescue operation to free the animal and managed to do it after hours of hard work.

As per experts, the whale may have separated from its mother during low tide.

Watch video:
Brussels: British officials arrive in Brussels on Monday to push the EU towards talks about their post-Brexit ties, which the bloc refuses to do without an agreement first on London`s exit bill and other divorce issues.

A third round of Brexit talks takes place more than a year after Britons voted in a referendum to leave the European Union, delivering an unprecedented blow to the post-World War Two European integration.

Chief Brexit negotiators, the EU`s Michel Barnier and Britain`s David Davis, will meet at 1500 GMT before more talks on Tuesday and Wednesday convene on technical level on expatriate rights, divorce bill and "other separation issues".

Senior officials will also tackle the conundrum of the future border between EU state Ireland and the United Kingdom`s Northern Ireland, and a news conference is due on Thursday, according to a schedule published by Brussels.

Britain will present in detail its several papers released last week on issues ranging from customs arrangements to data sharing. They have often ventured out into the future relationship between London and what will become a 27-state EU.

Britain will be urging the bloc to show "imagination" and focus discussion on these future ties rather than just on the divorce settlement.

On Sunday, the opposition Labour Party said it would keep Britain in the European single market and customs union for a transitional period after Brexit, offering a clear alternative to the policies of Prime Minister Theresa May.

The bloc wants to settle chief separation aspects first and has already signalled the slow progress so far means jumpstarting talks about a new accord with Britain is now less likely in October, as had been expected.

"Both the UK and the EU have an interest to move forward quickly in negotiations and that requires us to make sufficient progress on citizens` rights, on the financial settlement on Ireland," said a senior EU official involved in the talks.

"The divorce issues should be relatively straightforward to sort out. So it is not a matter of time needed in terms of the technical complexity, it is a matter of political will."

While there is some convergence on safeguarding the rights of EU citizens residing in Britain and Britons living on the continent, more technical work is needed, EU sources say.

The Irish issue, extremely delicate because of the violent history between the two communities there, is fraught with economic consequences and politically complex.

On money, the EU and Britain seem to be seas apart on agreeing how much London should pay the bloc on departure to account for previous commitments.

Sides expect no major leaps forward this week in the talks aimed at unravelling more than 40 years of union.

But both highlight that time is scarce as the negotiations should conclude well before the provisional Brexit date of March 2019 to leave time for ratification and approval procedures of any deal by Britain, EU states and the bloc`s Parliament.
Beijing: China and Russia are set to sign a milestone agreement on joint space exploration from 2018 to 2022, the media reported on Monday.



The deal is expected to be signed in October and will bring significant benefits to both nations, particularly in manned and future missions to the moon, the People`s Daily reported.



The bilateral agreement will cover five areas including lunar and deep space exploration, developing special materials, collaboration in the area of satellite systems, Earth remote sensing, and space debris research, according to informed sources.



This is not the first space agreement between China and Russia, but it is the first to cover a partnership spanning five years.



China also plans to launch a mission to collect samples from the moon to the Earth, and in 2018 Beijing is expected to launch the first module of its own space station, scheduled to be completed in 2022, reports Efe news.



In 2020, China plans to send a mission to Mars with a robot vehicle for scientific research, and last year inaugurated the world`s largest radio telescope, half a kilometre in diameter.
Brussels: The third round of Brexit talks will begin in Brussels on Monday, with UK negotiators urging the European Union (EU) to show "flexibility and imagination", the media reported.

Brexit Secretary David Davis said that he wants to broaden discussions to include trade, reports the BBC.

Davis is expected to secure a "mutually beneficial" agreement that works for people and businesses across Europe, according to informed sources.

However, the European Commission`s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said last week that the focus of the third round of negotiations would be "orderly withdrawal".

The EU position had been "clear and transparent" since day one, he said.

It was "essential" to make progress on citizens` rights, settling accounts and the Irish border, Barnier added.

The EU has also said the talks need to focus on the issues of citizens` rights, the Irish border and the "divorce bill" before negotiations can widen, the BBC reported.

Once the talks begin, officials will meet in working groups to discuss the details behind each side`s proposals, before the round is closed by Davis and Barnier on Thursday.

The UK is set to leave the EU by the end of March 2019, following last year`s referendum vote.

In the first phase of negotiations, British and EU officials are meeting each month for four days in Brussels.
New Delhi: The Home Ministry said on Monday the situation in Haryana three days after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, was still tense but under control.

"As per report dated August 28, of DGP Control Room, Haryana, total casualties have been 35 with 17 in Panchkula, six in Sirsa and 12 in Chandigarh and total number of injured is 204," the Ministry said in a statement.

It said Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) remained imposed in all districts of Haryana.

"Columns of Army are doing flag march continuously," it added.

The Ministry also said that there was a proper vigil in Panchkula, which bore the maximum brunt after the August 25 verdict, and at Sirsa that headquartered the Dera, as well as other parts of Punjab and Haryana.

Around 2.30 p.m., a special CBI court`s judge will begin hearing arguments on the quantum of punishment of the Dera chief in a 2002 rape case, inside the District Jail at Sunaria near Rohtak where Ram Rahim was lodged since Friday.

His punishment could range from seven years to life imprisonment.
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has directed National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and the Director, Intelligence Bureau, Dineshwar Sharma to continuously monitor the situation in Punjab and Haryana, ahead of the court proceedings against rape convict Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Along with Rajnath Singh, Doval and Sharma, the Home Secretary, and other Home Ministry officials were also present in the meeting that took place in North Block.

The past few days in Panchkula, Sirsa and the neighbouring areas have witnessed a volatile situation, after Ram Rahim was convicted of rape charges.

The court proceedings against the rape convict are scheduled to begin at 2:30 pm on Monday.

Earlier, Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sandhu had revealed that 52 cases were registered so far and 926 arrests were made.

Following the instances of violence, arrangements were made for the sitting of a CBI Court in Sunaria District Jail for the pronouncement of quantum of sentence against Ram Rahim.

People vacated the Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram in the Bajenka village and the whole premises are being inspected by the police and the Army located in the Sirsa district of Haryana.
Chandigarh: On August 28, a special CBI court, pronouncing a verdict in a 15-year-old rape case, sentenced Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 20 years in jail.

After the court pronounced the sentence, Gurmeet Ram Rahim pleaded the judge for mercy with folded hands and even broke down into tears.

Here's we take a look at what all happened inside the special makeshift CBI court inside the Sunaria jail in Rohtak:

The court began its proceedings at around 2:30 pm and special CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh allotted 10 minutes each to both sides (prosecution and defense) to put forward their arguments.

The prosecution, CBI demanded maximum sentence for Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the 15-year-old rape case, in which he was convicted by the court of raping two sadhivs inside the Dera.

The defense, however, argued that the Dera chief is a social worker, who has worked for the welfare of people and asked the judge to take a lenient view and give him minimum sentence.

Altogether nine people including rape convict self-styled godman Ram Rahim Singh was present in the makeshift courtroom.

As CBI Judge Jagdeep Singh started reading the verdict in the rape case, he called for a complete silence in the courtroom. Following this, Ram Rahim asks for a mercy from the judge with his folded hands. "Forgive me, please", he said while asking for mercy from the judge.

The CBI special court judge Jagdeep Singh sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh to 10 years in jail for rape.

Soon after the sentence was announced, Ram Rahim broke out in tears and sat on the floor with his hands on his head inside the courtroom. As he refused to accompany the cops escorting him for medical checkups and further formalities, he was forcefully dragged out of the courtroom.

Ram Rahim was also fined with Rs 50,000, 10,000 and 5,000 for three different cases.

In tears, rape convict 'godman' complaint of severe uneasiness after which ambulances were rushed inside the jail premises and medical check-ups were conducted on the Dera chief.

After the medical checkup, Ram Rahim was forcefully taken inside Rohtak jail premises.

CBI court judge's issued strict instructions to jail authorities to not provide any special facility to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh since he is a rape convict and as per manual, should be treated as an ordinary prisoner.

After the sentence pronouncement, Ram Rahim's lawyer announced to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court for relief against the CBI special court's order.

Meanwhile, Rohtak has been turned into a fortress by paramilitary forces and the Haryana Police. The Army has been kept on standby. Extra forces deployed outside the court, media persons also asked to be on standby.
New Delhi: The Centre has told the Supreme Court that it aims to double the income of farmers by 2022 to tackle suicides among them.

The Ministry of Agriculture also proposed to make special efforts to ensure adequate flow of credit in under-serviced areas, eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir.

"It is submitted that the government is addressing the low income of the farmers. Agrarian distress as manifest from large number of farmers living below poverty line and unfortunate incidents of suicides can be addressed by enabling farmers to increase their income.

"With this understanding, the government is targeting to double the income of farmers by 2022. To achieve this, department of agriculture, cooperation and farmers' welfare has constituted an inter ministerial committee to examine various dimensions of farmers' income and to recommend an appropriate strategy," the status report said.

The matter was listed before a bench of justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta which took on record the status report in which the government said it was implementing and promoting schemes to reduce cost of cultivation in order to realise net positive returns for farmers and the National Policy for Farmers (NPF), 2007 was also being reviewed by it.

The report, which came on a PIL filed by Punjab-based NGO Youth Kamal Organization, through its president G S Happy Mann, seeking steps to prevent farmers' suicides, said "a plan of action was prepared by an inter-ministerial committee set up by the government for operationalisation of NPF, 2007."

"After carefully analysing the differential between the action points as contained in the NPF and action already taken by the government, the committee prepared a plan of action and identified 201 action points, where action was to be taken," it said.

It said that as of now, out of 201 action points only nine action points remain for further action.

"This (inter-ministerial) committee has also been entrusted to review the NPF, 2007 which would also include the unresolved nine action points."

The report said that in order to increase production, the government was implementing schemes such as National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission for Oilseed and Oil Palm (NMOOP), Mission of Integrated Development for Horticulture (MIDH), National Mission on Agricultural Extension and Technology (NMAET) and Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY).

It further told the court that in Budget 2017-18, the government has increased the target for agricultural credit to "a record level of Rs 10 lakh crore from Rs nine lakh crore allocated during previous financial year."

"Government will make special efforts to ensure adequate flow of credit to the under serviced areas, the eastern states and Jammu and Kashmir," the report said.

It further apprised the apex court about Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, introduced in 2016 at very low premium rate which aims to address agricultural risks and shortcomings in earlier schemes.

"It ensures full insurance cover at all stages of crop cycle," it said, adding that 390 lakh farmers were covered under the scheme and 386.75 hectare area was covered with a sum of Rs 1,41,883 crore during Kharif 2016.

It also referred to its Kisan Credit Card scheme under which a farmer could purchase agricultural inputs and draw cash to fulfil their consumption needs.

"In order to ensure all eligible farmers are provided with hassle free and timely credit for agricultural operations, government has introduced Kisan Credit Card scheme which enables them to purchase agricultural inputs like seeds, fertilisers, pesticides etc and draw cash to fulfil their consumption needs," it said.

Further, the Reserve Bank of India has allowed the banks to take a lenient view on rescheduling of loans if a farmer loses 33 per cent or more of his crops.

"The banks have been advised to allow maximum period of repayment of up to two years (including moratorium period of one year) if the crop loss is between 33 per cent and 50 per cent," it said, adding that if the crop loss is 50 per cent or more, then restructured period for repayment is extended to five years.

The government also said it was enhancing the Minimum Support Price (MSP) to provide price support to farmers.

"In order to provide the much needed price support and de-risk farming, the government has been enhancing Minimum Support Prices(MSP) for various crops based on recommendations of Commission of Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP)," it said.
New Delhi: Three days after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim was convicted of rape, the Supreme Court on Monday rapped the Gujarat government for slow trial in the rape case involving another self-styled godman Asaram Bapu.

Asking why the victim in the particular case has not been examined till date, the top court asked the Gujarat government to file an affidavit in this regard, reported ANI.

In 2013, a Surat-based girl filed a case against Asaram, alleging sexual assaults between 1997 and 2006 when she was living in his ashram on the outskirts of Ahmedabad city.

The Jodhpur Police arrested Asaram on August 3, 2013. He's been inside the prison since then.

Last week, a special CBI court held Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim guilty of rape in a 15-year-old case involving two sadhvis or female followers.
New Delhi: India and China have decided to withdraw troops from the Sikkim border, signalling an end to the ongoing Doklam Standoff. The breakthrough between the two nations was achieved through diplomatic talks.

Raveesh Kumar, the official spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs, tweeted the official press statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding, that states both the countries have decided to 'disengage' troops.

In recent weeks, India and China maintained diplomatic communication in respect of incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, read the official MEA statement.

On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing, it added.

MEA Press Statement on Doklam Disengagement Understanding pic.twitter.com/fVo4N0eaf8 August 28, 2017

Reacting to the MEA's statement, China said it was "pleased" that India had agreed to withdraw troops from a disputed border with Bhutan following a months-long standoff in the Himalayas.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying confirmed that Indian troops and equipment had pulled back while "Chinese troops continue to patrol on the Chinese side of the boundary", reported the AFP.

The decision to disengage their troops comes ahead of a crucial BRICS summit being hosted by China in September, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

In June 2017, Indian troops stopped China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) from constructing a road on the Doklam plateau, which is a part of Bhutan. India said that constructing a road on the plateau will pose serious security concerns as it gives China access to the "Chicken's Neck" - a narrow strip of land that links India to the seven northeast states.
Self-styled godman Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will receive the quantum of the sentence in his 15-year-old rape case that the CBI court convicted him of on Friday.

By Ananya Bhattacharya: What is common in all Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh films? Apart from the Messenger of God himself, an un-understandable display of sickening narcissism form the crux of pretty much all of this man's films. The self-styled godman stands convicted of rape in a case dating back to 2002. The quantum of his sentence is to be pronounced today within the premises of the Rohtak jail, where Singh is housed currently. Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singhis on his way to tell Ram Rahim how many years he will spend behind bars for his crimes of rape.

advertisement

Since Friday when this man was convicted of rape by a CBI court in Panchkula, Haryana, three states have been on their toes thanks to the destruction and violence his followers have unleashed. The media has been attacked, with Outdoor Broadcasting vans of several channels destroyed and journalists left bleeding and wounded. Ram Rahim's followers brought the state of Haryana to its knees. It was only several hours and 38 deaths later that the cities of Panchkula and Sirsa (in haryana, where Ram Rahim's Dera Sacha Sauda is headquartered) could be seen crippling back to normalcy.

Today, the forces say they are prepared and the Rohtak jail is a veritable fortress.

Ram Rahim Singh has always been known for his flashy lifestyle, the complete 180-degree opposite of what we know saints to be. While normal saints choose an ascetic and sparse lifestyle, this 'Guru of Bling' loves all things grand. Custom-made SUVs, his signature Harley Davidsons and many high-end cars form his cavalcade.

MSG: THE MESSENGER

It was in 2015 that the Dera Sacha Sauda head, the self-proclaimed 'Messenger of God' decided to make a splash on 70mm. At a time when Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Jacqueline Fernandez were enticing people with the promise of a thriller called Roy, Ram Rahim took over theatres. His first film hit the screens on February 13 that year. His followers queued up in front of ticket windows to see their 'Pitaji' perched on a Harley Davidson and providing some stiff competition to Nicolas Cage's Ghost Rider.

The film, so claimed his followers on social media, grossed somewhere around Rs 120 crore. No one could ever verify the claims.

MSG 2: THE MESSENGER

Before the country could even recover from that self-indulgent film, Ram Rahim dropped his second missile on unsuspecting viewers. The second film in the MSG series was named MSG 2: The Messenger, because obviously, the Messenger of God's messages were too many to be contained in one film. The sickening, giddying film too, his supporters claimed, earned a dizzying amount of money, trade pundits be damned.

MSG: THE WARRIOR LION HEART

The films after MSG 2 did not take much time to land. The trailers of the third film left some people worshipping this 'guru' in an all-new light, while others reached for a leaf of Disprin. MSG was back.

advertisement

And this time, he was fighting, romancing, giving sermons, tackling aliens, displaying the new fashion trends and what not. 'Sher Dil', the film was called. Dard in the dil, it left people with. The people who mustered up enough courage to go and watch it that is (no, not his followers).

HIND KA NAPAK KO JAWAB: MSG LION HEART 2

Soon after the September 18 Uri attack last year, MSG crossed borders on the silver screen. He took up arms against a certain naughty nation called 'NaPak' (three cheers for creativity there). The surgical strikes that the Indian Army conducted on Pakistani soil as a retaliation to the Uri attack, of course, were far inferior to the feat Lion Heart achieved.

JATTU ENGINEER

Ram Rahim Singh's last offering to his followers was a film called Jattu Engineer that featured him as the messenger of god who takes upon himself the task of developing a village. Jattu Engineer was said to have been completed in flat 15 days (not sure if Ram Rahim earned another world record for that). The governments of Rajasthan and Haryana made the film tax-free.

advertisement

And you're wondering why this man holds such sway over the country and its politicians?

(The writer tweets as @ananya116)

ALSO READ | Ram Rahim sentencing: Alia's Raazi to Ajay's Baadshaho, here's how Bollywood is affected

ALSO READ | Ram Rahim's rape was pardon: The guru's gufa and maafi of a sex fiend

ALSO READ | The Ram Rahim family history: The story of a devil, a saint and Papa's angels

ALSO READ | Full text of the letter that nailed Ram Rahim Singh

LIVE UPDATES from Ram Rahim's sentencing

ALSO WATCH: Ahead of Ram Rahim's sentencing, shoot at sight orders around Rohtak jail

--- ENDS ---
Chandigarh: The CBI special court on Monday slapped a fine of Rs 30 on rape convict Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in connection with a 2002 rape case.

The court fined the Dera chief Rs 15-15 lakh in each rape case, out of which Rs 14 lakh would be given to each of the two rape victims as compensation.

"The judge announced 10 yrs imprisonment and Rs.15 lakh fine each in two cases and Rs 14 lakh each to be paid to both victims," Dera chief's lawyer said while speaking to ANI after the court's verdict.

"Total sentence is 20 years (10 and 10). Both sentences not consecutive but sentence of 376, 506 would run concurrently," he added further.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar confirmed the report and said, "Ram Rahim Singh sentenced for total of 20 years. 10 10-yrs each and a fine of Rs 15 lakh in each of the two cases."

CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal too confirmed and said, "Sentenced to 20 years (10-10 in both cases). Both sentences to run consecutively."
New Delhi: India and China have agreed to an "expeditious disengagement" of troops at a disputed border area where their soldiers have been locked in stand-off for more than two months, the South Asian nation`s foreign ministry said on Monday.

GRAPHIC: China-India border dispute http://reut.rs/2xpER8v

The decision comes ahead of a summit of the BRICS nations - a grouping that also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa - in China early next month, which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend.

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam," India`s ministry of external affairs said, referring to the area in the Himalayas close to the borders of China, India and Bhutan.

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going," it said in a statement.

Chinese and Indian troops have been confronting each other close to a valley controlled by China that separates India from its close ally, Bhutan, and gives China access to the so-called Chickens Neck, a thin strip of land linking India and its remote northeastern regions.

New Delhi says the dispute erupted after India objected to the Chinese building a road through the mountainous area.

Small incursions and troop stand-offs are common along other parts of the contested 3,500-km (2,175-mile) frontier, but the recent impasse was marked by its length and the failure of talks to resolve the dispute, raising fears of a wider escalation as the two Asian giants compete for influence.

The Nathu La Pass on the frontier between the Indian state of Sikkim and Chinese-controlled Tibet, was the site of a fierce border clash between Chinese and Indian troops in 1967.
New Delhi: India and China on Monday agreed to withdraw troops from the disputed Doklam area, signalling a climbdown after a months-long standoff.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar announced the Doklam Disengagement Understanding in a statement to the media.

Here are 10 latest developments:

1. In recent weeks, India and China maintained diplomatic communication in respect of incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, MEA said.

2. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing, it added.

3. China said it was "pleased" that India has agreed to withdraw troops.

4. Citing Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, AFP reported that Indian troops have pulled back from the area while "Chinese troops continue to patrol on the Chinese side of the boundary.

5. The decision to 'disengage troops' comes ahead of a crucial BRICS summit in September in China to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

6. India's policy is guided by belief that peace and tranquillity in border areas is essential prerequisite for development of bilateral relation, MEA said.

7. MEA said India has always maintained that it is only through diplomatic channels that differences on such matters can be addressed.

8. In June this, the Indian troops stopped China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) from constructing a road on the Doklam plateau, which is part of Bhutan.



9. India had objected to road construction, saying it will pose serious security concerns as it gives China access to the "Chicken's Neck" - a narrow strip of land that links India to the seven northeastern states.

10. The climbdown comes ahead of China's 19th Congress where President Xi Jinping is expected to be "cleared" for another five-year term.
New Delhi: India and China on Monday agreed to withdraw troops from the disputed Doklam area, signalling a climbdown after a months-long standoff.

MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar announced the Doklam Disengagement Understanding in a statement to the media.

Here are 10 developments:

1. In recent weeks, India and China maintained diplomatic communication in respect of incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, MEA said.

2. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing, it added.

3. China said it was "pleased" that India has agreed to withdraw troops.

4. Citing Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying, AFP reported that Indian troops have pulled back from the area while "Chinese troops continue to patrol on the Chinese side of the boundary.

5. The decision to 'disengage troops' comes ahead of a crucial BRICS summit in September in China to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

6. India's policy is guided by belief that peace and tranquillity in border areas is essential prerequisite for development of bilateral relation, MEA said.

7. MEA said India has always maintained that it is only through diplomatic channels that differences on such matters can be addressed.

8. In June this, the Indian troops stopped China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) from constructing a road on the Doklam plateau, which is part of Bhutan.

9. India had objected to road construction, saying it will pose serious security concerns as it gives China access to the "Chicken's Neck" - a narrow strip of land that links India to the seven northeastern states.

10. The climbdown comes ahead of China's 19th Congress where President Xi Jinping is expected to be "cleared" for another five-year term.
Puducherry: For the 19 AIADMK MLAs, staying in Puducherry's Windflower resort, it's not all about work. On Monday morning, the legislators were spotted practising yoga, hanging from a wooden pole and some involved in recreational activities.

#Visuals of AIADMK MLAs, supporting TTV Dhinakaran, at Windflower resort in Puducherry. pic.twitter.com/EgMyMIXP4B  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

Last week too, the legislators were seen playing volleyball, swinging and sitting on see-saws.

The 19 AIADMK legislators, supporting AIADMK deputy general secretary TTV Dhinakaran, had checked into the Puducherry beachside resort on Tuesday.

Last week, the legislators withdrew their support from the Palaniswami-led AIADMK government. They met the state governor C. Vidyasagar Rao, demanding a new Chief Minister.

Dhinakaran also expressed hope that the state governor would agree to the legitimate demands raised by the 19 MLAs supporting him.

Meanwhile, the newly-merged AIADMK party is currently holding a meeting at party headquarters in Chennai to discuss the details of ousting jailed interim General Secretary VKSasikala.

AIADMK meeting at Royapettah in Chennai begins, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami and O. Panneerselvam also present #TamilNadu  ANI (@ANI) August 28, 2017

A decision on the Dhinakaran's actions against party office bearers will also be discussed during the meet, said a senior party leader.
Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba emphasised on maintaining harmonious relations with its southern neighbour, India, for the betterment of the nation.

"Undermining the national interest, improving the Indo-Nepal relations is must. More the relations between Nepal and India improve and get strengthened, the more it gets in favour of Nepal. The establishment of harmonious relations with India is in national goodwill for Nepal," Deuba told the reporters as he returned to Kathmandu after his five-day official visit to India.

Prime Minister Deuba also discussed the engagements and agreements sealed during his visit to New Delhi.

Earlier on August 7, Foreign Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, in a press briefing, asserted that that Nepal stands in between two countries over border dispute which was claimed to be a setback for New Delhi.

With the Prime Minister`s assertion to maintain harmonious relations with India, China must worry about it, he said.

Reacting on the allegations made by the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist Party (CPN-UML) to invite its southern neighbour over the internal issue of the Constitution amendment, Deuba said that their was a need of some reforms over the Constitution.

"We made an attempt to amend the Constitution in order to respect the feeling of the Madheshi people, but failed. In the coming days, it could be possible to amend as per the feeling of the Nepali people. In this talk, there also is possibility of support from the CPN-UML, there is no assurance that a two-third majority will be met," the Prime Minister said.

During his visit to India, Deuba signed agreement over eight issues, out of which four are to ease the way for India to assist Nepal for the reconstruction of various infrastructures as promised before, along with other focussing on trade, security, power and investment.

Apart from this, the Nepali Congress President as well as Deuba raised the issue of the Terai inundation caused by the dams constructed over by India as well as other issues of national interest during his brief meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
New Delhi: Leaders from various political parties on Monday welcomed the 20-year prison term given to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh even as some Opposition leaders lashed out at the Haryana government for the violence that preceded the pronouncement of the sentence.

The Congress lauded the judiciary for proving that no one is above the Constitution and the law.

It, however, accused the central government of showing "mulish obstinacy" and arrogance by not sacking the BJP government in the face of strictures by the high court after violence in Panchkula that left at least 36 people dead.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said, "We unconditionally welcome... With great respect, we salute how the majesty of the law has been upheld in the state irrespective of our division."

Terming the court's order "appropriate", BJP general secretary Anil Jain, who is Haryana in-charge, asserted that those supporters of Ram Rahim who broke law will not be spared.

"The court has delivered an appropriate verdict," he said adding that the Haryana government will ensure that the court orders are implemented.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the law of the land must be implemented, but expressed concerns over the violence after the court on August 25 held Ram Rahim guilty of rape.

"It is strange that despite the high court's directions, no stringent measures were taken to ensure there was no violence," he said.

The verdict on Friday had led to widespread violence in Punjab, Haryana, parts of Uttar Pradesh and even Delhi leading to the deaths of more than 30 people.

"The law has taken its course. It is a verdict on the charges of serious nature. One should respect the verdict. Somebody must be held responsible for the violence which preceded the verdict. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar should have resigned by this time. His position has become untenable and he must quit," said CPI national secretary D Raja.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said the court has found Ram Rahim guilty and sentenced him.

The sentencing was "not a thing to be either welcomed or rejected", he said as he appealed to the people to "accept" the court verdict.

"There is curfew in one or two places in Punjab and we have left it to the district administration to decide in a day or two when the time is right to lift the curfew," he added.

Both Haryana and Punjab are on high alert with elaborate security arrangements in place. Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh passed the sentence in a makeshift court in the Sunaria jail where Ram Rahim, had been lodged since his conviction.

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said that Ram Rahim's conviction was a message that no one is too big to be prosecuted.

He also said that it was unlikely that Rahim's 20-year term would be reduced on appeal.
New Delhi: A Delhi court on Monday extended the National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody of Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Watali, who was arrested in connection with terror funding case.



Watali was arrested by the NIA slueths on the charges of receiving funds from Pakistan to sponsor terror activities and stone-pelting in Kashmir. He is said to be close to hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.



Earlier on August 16, the NIA conducted searches at a dozen locations in Jammu and Kashmir, including the house of Watali.



An NIA spokesperson said in New Delhi that officials searched the premises belonging to the family, relatives and aides of Zahoor Watali - an influential Kashmiri businessman known to be friends with Pakistani leaders and separatists as well as mainstream politicians in Kashmir.



Former Pakistan-administered Kashmir Prime Minister Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary had attended the marriage ceremony of Watali's son at the businessman's residence in the posh Srinagar neighbourhood of Baagaat. His business empire is reportedly spread in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh and Dubai.



The central probe agency had arrested seven persons on July 24 in the case of alleged funding of terror and subversive activities in the Kashmir Valley to fuel unrest.



The NIA had alleged that money was being raised to fund separatist and terror activities in J&K.



The agency had claimed that the accused were waging war against the country and were involved in various offences punishable under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.



Geelani's son-in-law Altaf Shah is among those arrested. Other arrested are Nayeem Khan, Ayaz Akbar Khanday, Mehrajuddin Kalwal, Peer Saifullah (all from Geelani's faction of Hurriyat), Shahid-ul-Islam (of the Hurriyat faction led by the Mirwaiz) and Farooq Ahmed Dar alias Bitta Karatay of a faction of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front.
New Delhi: Kashmiri businessman Zahoor Ahmed Wattali, who was sent to a 10-day National Investigation Agency (NIA) remand in connection with the terror funding case, will appear before the Patiala House Court today.

Wattali was arrested on Friday. meanwhile, close aide of separatist Shabir Shah and an alleged hawala dealer Mohammad Aslam Wani was to be produced before a Delhi Court in connection with the case.

The Delhi Court on August 14 extended Enforcement Directorate's (ED) remand of Wani, by six days in the terror funding case.

On August 6, the ED arrested Wani from Srinagar with the help of the state police.

Reportedly, Wani was arrested with Rs 63 lakh, received through 'hawala' channels from the Middle East, and a large cache of ammunition, on August 26, 2005.

The NIA has been tough on Separatists regarding the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir.

On July 24, the NIA arrested seven separatists over money laundering charges, for funding terror in the Kashmir Valley.

All seven separatist leaders - Altaf Shah, Ayaz Akbar, Peer Saifullah, Mehraj Kalwal, Shahid-ul-Islam, Naeem Khan and Bitta Karate - were later sent to 10-day NIA custody.

The accused have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The NIA visited Srinagar in May to probe the alleged funding by Pakistan for illegal activities in Kashmir, and questioned several Separatist leaders on the issue of raising, collecting and transferring funds via the Hawala route and other channels to fund terror activities in Kashmir.
Srinagar: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who heads the Congress's policy planning group on Kashmir, will lead a team of party leaders to Jammu and Kashmir next month for discussion on current situation in the state with party workers and "like-minded" groups.

"Singh, who is likely to be accompanied by Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad and Ambika Soni, will visit Jammu on September 10 and Kashmir on 16 September," Congress state president G A Mir told PTI here.

Mir said Singh and other members of the team would meet party leaders and workers.

"The idea is to get inputs from the grassroots. The current issues that the state is facing will also be discussed," he said.

He said the Singh-led team would also meet "like-minded opposition groups" in the state.

Mir said the team would also visit Ladakh region at a later date.

The Congress set up the policy planning group, headed by the former prime minister, on Jammu and Kashmir in April this year following worsening situation in the valley due to widespread street protests in the wake of eight deaths in security forces firing on April 9 during bypolls to the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency.
The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

By India Today Web Desk: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, chief of the controversial sect Dera Sacha Sauda, will be sentenced today at 2.30 PM at a special court near Rohtak town in Haryana.

The quantum of punishment will be pronounced in a court being specially set up inside the District Jail premises in Sunaria near Rohtak, where Ram Rahim was brought and lodged after his conviction.

advertisement

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court judge Jagdeep Singh, who had on Friday held the Dera chief guilty of rape and criminal intimidation of the two female disciples in 2002, will be flown to Rohtak today for announcing the sentence.

The sect chief has been convicted on two counts for rape (Section 376 IPC), criminal intimidation (Section 506 IPC) and Section 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).

The minimum punishment for rape is seven years which may extend till life (term). The other sections have imprisonment for two and one years respectively.

The district jail premises, about 10 km from Rohtak town, has been completely cordoned off by security forces, including para-military forces and Haryana Police. The Army has been kept on stand-by.

No movement of people, other than those authorised, will be allowed within a distance of 10 km from the prison premises.

"We are fully prepared for any situation. The army has been kept on stand-by," Haryana Director General of police (DGP) BS Sandhu said.

Rohtak range Inspector General (IG) Navdeep Singh Virk said that 28 companies of para-military forces, along with Haryana Police, have been deployed in Rohtak.

Security forces were on high alert again today in Haryana and Punjab as both states braced for the announcement of quantum of punishment to the disgraced sect chief.

Curfew was reimposed in Haryana's Sirsa town, where the sect's headquarters are located, on Sunday. The curfew is still on.

The sect has lakhs of followers mainly in Punjab and Haryana.

(With inputs from IANS)

Also Read:

Ram Rahim's rape was pardon: The guru's gufa and maafi of a sex fiend

We are considered pious but we live as prostitutes: Read full text of Sadhvi's letter that nailed Ram Rahim

Watch Video: Gurmeet Ram Rahim: Dera chief and his political clout across party lines

--- ENDS ---
Srinagar: An assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of police was shot at and injured by militants in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday, police said.

Militants fired at and injured ASI Abdul Rashid, who was on duty without a weapon at Mehandi Kadal in Anantnag, this afternoon, a police official said.

He said the policeman received bullet injury in his abdomen and has been shifted to district hospital Anantnag.
Srinagar: Security forces surrounded six villages in Jammu and Kashmir`s Shopian district on Monday following information about the presence of militants, police said.

"Searches have begun to locate the militants...So far, there has been no exchange of fire", the police said.

As part of an all-out operation against militants in south Kashmir, the security forces have launched search operations in Anantnag, Shopian, Kulgam and Pulwama districts during the last two months.
Bangalore: In a shocking incident, a 36-year-old mother flung her seven-year-old differently-abled daughter from the third floor of a building of her residence in Karnataka on Sunday.

The incident took place at JP Nagar area of Jaraganahalli in Bangalore.

According to News Nation reports, the girl, has been identified as Ishika alias Shreya, daughter of Swathi and Kanchan Sarkar.

A resident of the same building claimed that initially they felt that the girl lost her balance and had an accidental fall. When they asked the child's mother that why she ddn't rush her daughter to a hospital, Swathi shouted back at them and said, the child was mentally unstable.

Another resident claimed that Swathi picked up the girl from the floor, went back upstairs and locked herself in before pushing her down the second time.

This time, the residents claimed that the accused mother changed her clothes and came down to check the body after which local residents rounded her up and tied her to an electric pole.

One of the residents called and informed the nearest police station after which the Puttenahalli police arrived at the spot and took the accused into their custody.

The police has claimed that the accused told them that her daughter was restless and hence she decided to throw her down to calm her.

A case has been registered and an investigation has been launced into the matter.
New Delhi: Looking to tap into the upbeat investor sentiment, as many as four companies, including Bharat Road Network Ltd and and Matrimony.Com, are expected to come out with their IPOs next month to raise over Rs 2,500 crore.

The other two firms are consumer electronics manufacturer Dixon Technologies and construction company Capacit'e Infraprojects.

These four companies are expected to float their IPOs (initial public offers) in September to garner over Rs 2,500 crore, merchant banking sources said.

Proceeds from the sales will be primarily used for expansion plans, repayment of loans and general corporate purposes.

Amid persisting bullish market sentiments, despite intermittent volatility, around two dozen companies have filed preliminary papers for Initial Public Offers (IPOs) with the regulator Sebi so far this year.

So far this year, a total of 17 companies, including BSE, Avenue Supermarts, Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), Eris Lifesciences and Cochin Shipyard, mopped-up more than Rs 12,000 crore through initial share-sale offers.

Going by current trends, the IPO segment is expected to see better performance in 2017 compared to last year when 26 companies collectively mopped up more than Rs 26,000 crore -- making 2016 the best in six years.

The initial share-sale offer of Bharat Road Network, a Srei Infrastructure Finance initiative, will be open for public subscription during September 6-8, Srei Infrastructure Finance announced last week.

The company's IPO consists of up to 29.30 lakh equity shares of face value of Rs 10 each. According to sources, the firm is expected to raise an estimated Rs 1,200 crore through an IPO.

Dixon Technologies, plans to raise an estimated Rs 600 - 650 crore through its initial public offering, sources said.

The IPO, which comprises fresh issue of shares worth Rs 60 crore and an offer for sale of up to 3,753,739 equity scrips by the existing shareholders, will also be open on September 6 and close on September 8.

The public issue of Matrimony.Com, which runs online match making business under BharatMatrimony brand, is expected to raise Rs 350 crore, sources said.

The IPO comprises fresh issue aggregating up to Rs 130 crore and an offer for sale of up to 3,767,254 equity shares.

Capacit'e Infraprojects is expected to mop-up Rs 400 crore through its initial public offering.
New Delhi: Vishal Sikka resigned as managing director and chief executive of the technology services and consulting company Infosys on August 18. Post his sudden exit, the shares of the company witnessed major ups and downs at the bourses in the past couple of weeks.

Shares of Infosys Ltd.plunged 9.56 percent on August 18, the most in over four years, after Vishal Sikka resigned.

Shares of the company had tumbled 14.45 percent in two trading sessions to settle at Rs 873.50 on 21 August 2017, from its closing of Rs 1,021.15 on 17 August 2017.

Infosys added nearly 3 percent intraday on August 23 after reports emerged that former executive Nandan Nilekani is likely to return at the helm of affairs at the company.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 24 August 2017, falling 8.18 percent compared with 2.43 percent decline in the Sensex.

The scrip touched its fresh 52-week high of Rs 1,080.70 on October 14, 2016 and its 52-week low of Rs 861.50 on August 22, 2017.

Infosys' consolidated net profit fell 3.3 percent to Rs 3483 crore on 0.2 percent decline in revenue to Rs 17078 crore in Q1 June 2017 over Q4 March 2017.
Mumbai: Salman Khans next  Tiger Zinda Hai  with his former ladylove Katrina Kaif is slated to release in December. And if you feel the wait is too long, heres a glimpse of the two actors chemistry.

The hunk of an superstar took to Twitter a couple of days back to share a video of an ad film for a brand titled Splash. In the ad, we can see Salman aiming a paper plane at Katrina. As the plan lands on her hand, she opens it to see Eid Mubarak written on it. The commercial is specifically meant for their fans in the Middle East.

Check it out here:

This Eid a special treat from Splash for all my fans in the Middle East . pic.twitter.com/yxZnHcueKB  Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) 26 August 2017

Salman and Katrina are currently in Abu Dhabi shooting for Tiger Zinda Hai, a sequel to 2012 blockbuster Ek Tha Tiger. The first franchise was directed by Kabir Khan and the latest is being helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar.
Mumbai: Not too long ago, there were reports suggesting that Sanjay Dutt and Salman Khans friendship has gone kaput. But those were mere rumours. The two actors, who have been buddies for long, met and greeted each other at Mukesh Ambanis Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations recently.

The two hadnt met (at least publicly) since Sanjays return to Mumbai from the Yerwada Jail in Pune after completing his jail term for illegal possession of arms in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

Salman and Sanjay have been thick friends for over a couple of decades. The two have worked in films - Saajan, Chal Mere Bhai, Son of Sardaar and have even jointly hosted Bigg Boss season 5.

It is indeed good to see the two Bollywood heavyweights back together.
New Delhi: Barnala Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harjeet Singh on Monday said that a curfew will be imposed in Punjab `s Barnala from tomorrow.

The SSP said that the curfew will be imposed from 9 a.m. till 9 p.m.tomorrow.This came after 10-year sentence by a Special CBI judge handed down to Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim.

Meanwhile, security forces carried out a flag march in Barnala after the sentencing."Environment is peaceful after the announcement of sentence and adequate security arrangements have been given therefore no untoward incident will happen," Barnala SP Swarn Singh told ANI.

Also the police in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana have upped the vigilance and precautionary measures in districts adjacent to Delhi and Haryana after the sentence to the Dera chief.

The police in Uttar Pradesh has increased the level of security in the state as 12 districts of the state have as many as 18 Dera ashrams. In addition to it, ten companies have been assigned to look over the security of eight districts in NCR.

Earlier in the day, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar presided over an emergency meeting at his residence in Chandigarh.The meeting was attended by senior officials of the state, including party leaders and ministers.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has appealed for peace and said that the sentence must be accepted by all."So there is nothing for us to say rather than to say to the people to accept the decision.

There is total normalcy. Our forces are on their toes. We will not let any untoward incident happen. This sentence must be accepted by the people and peace must prevail," Singh told ANI.Ram Rahim, who was held guilty on charges of rape of a female devotee in 1999, was, earlier in the day, sentenced to ten years of imprisonment by the Special CBI Court of Panchkula.

The Special CBI judge Jagdeep Singh had allotted 10 minutes to both sides to put forth their arguments. The prosecution reportedly had demanded the maximum punishment for the rape convict.
Jaipur: BJP Mandalgarh MLA Kirti Kumari died on Monday. She was suffering from swine flu.

The 50-year-old legislator was being treated at Fortis Hospital in Jaipur. She was kept on the ventilator after she complained of difficulty in breathing. She died at around 7 am on Monday.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje took to Twitter to offer condolences:

                         Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) 28 August 2017

                            28 August 2017

Several BJP members reached in the hospital to offer condolences.

Kumari had defeated the Opposition Congress candidate by a large margin in 2013 assembly election.

Over 15 people have died of swine flu in Rajasthan in August 2017.
Mumbai: Healthy surge in rentals across key business districts reinstated the growing prominence of Indian metros including Mumbai, Bengaluru and New Delhi on the global map of high-rent yielding commercial spaces during April-June 2017, says Knight Frank in a recent study.

According to the report, the global price index that compares rental values of prime office spaces across 20 international markets rose by 1.2 per cent in the quarter.

"Prime business districts in the three Indian metros have seen robust rental growth courtesy strong demand and limited vacancies. This scenario is expected to remain for a year owing to a supply crunch of new office space," Knight Frank India Chief Economist and National Director-Research Samantak Das said.

As per the report, sustained interest from the IT/ITes sector pushed rents in Bengaluru's business district by four per cent- the highest among other key CBDs in India.

Other established business districts such as the Connaught Place in Delhi also saw a 2.2 per cent climb in rentals, courtesy a lull in supply of new office spaces and dwindling vacancies, it said.

The Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai, recorded a quarter-on-quarter increase of 2 per cent in rents in April-June 2017. Vacancy levels here, however, got a boost with a fresh office supply of around 530,000 sqft in the last quarter.

"Despite the global pressures on the IT/ITes sector triggered by automation and limitation in demand for business the technology-driven Bengaluru market has performed well and it expected to do even better. But prime office assets in Mumbai and Delhi are likely to see a slower growth trajectory having already scaled high-rental values," he added.

According to it, Phnom Penh in Cambodia topped the chart this quarter with 4.2 per cent increase, Bangkok (Thailand) the erstwhile topper saw its first decline this quarter in close to three years.
By PTI: (Eds: Adding para 17, details) New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) India needs to reform with alacrity with a view to improving ease of doing business as it is the best way to eradicate poverty and give millions a chance for better life, says a Niti Aayog report. The report, Ease of Doing Business: An Enterprise Survey of Indian States, made a strong case for labour reforms, easier entry and exit of firms and level-playing field for small and larger enterprises. Prepared jointly by the Niti Aayog and IDFC Institute, the report was released today by Union Minister for Law and IT Ravi Shankar Prasad and Minister of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman. "India needs to reform with alacrity because the ability to do business, create wealth as consequences, and redistribute in a sensible, well-designed manner remains the best way to give millions of Indians a chance for a better life and to make their way out of poverty," the report said. Referring to labour reforms, it stated that reforming labour laws and achieving greater flexibility in their implementation can greatly help enhance the ease of doing business. "According to our surveys finding, firms in labour- related regulations particularly are onerous. This fact translates into enterprises avoiding labour-intensive sectors," the report noted. According to the report, the fact that enterprises in the labour-intensive sector experience greater difficulty than those in the capital-intensive sector points to the need for further reforms in this area. "In addition, more flexible labour laws will allow enterprises to grow larger and reap economies of scale, generating productivity improvements, job creation and higher growth," the report said further. It suggested that growth and ease of doing business form a virtuous cycle such that one reinforces the other. The survey, the report stated, shows that about half of the enterprises do not borrow from financial institutions and about a third consider lack of access to finance as a major stumbling block to doing business. "This suggests that enhancing the access to low-cost capital to business could be an important vehicle to improve business environment, especially in poorer states such as Bihar," it said. Noting that faster-growing states have, for the most part, a more conducive business climate than slower growing states, the report said "these results should provide the impetus to press ahead with the economic reform agenda". On facilitating firms entry and exit, the report said other things being equal, an increased pace of "creative destruction" that allows more rapid entry and exit should lead to an increase in productivity. The report stressed on the need of providing level playing field for small and large firms. "The regulations that place disproportionately large compliance burden on large firms need to be addressed. The survey has shown that in several instances, larger firms perceive greater regulatory obstacles compared to smaller firms... This state of affairs discourages smaller firms from growing larger," it reasoned. For India to enter the "double digit economic growth club", the report laid a pitch for continually streamlining and improving business environment. The survey covered more than 3,000 firms in 23 manufacturing categories in all states and Union Territories except Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep. Speaking on the occasion, Sitharaman was emphatic that this report is going to be "the most important" contribution that outgoing chief Arvind Panagariya is making and "I am sure it is going to reveal lots of things". She also said "we are going through transformational era" and the ease of doing business is getting full attention of the government so that India becomes a manufacturing hub.

advertisement

Prasad noted that India has transformed a lot in the last three years. "In the last three years, 95 mobile manufacturing units came up in India. 45 are mobile manufacturing plants and 49 plants are making mobile components... Noida and Greater Noida are emerging as the big hub for mobile manufacturing," he pointed out. Prasad was optimistic that India should emerge as a hub for international and domestic arbitration centres. He called for a separate kind of index for measuring digital ecosystem of states. "India can become country for innovation... the digital infrastructure happening in hinterland is remarkable," Prasad said. PTI BKS RR CS ARD

--- ENDS ---
Chennai: The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday passed four resolutions, according to which the decisions made by party deputy general secretary T.T.V. Dinakaran would have no legal impact as his appointment was announced null on August 10.

The four resolutions are:

- Decisions made by Dinakaran will have no legal impact as his appointment was announced null on August 10

- Party mouthpieces - the Namadhu MGR magazine and Jaya TV - will be retrieved legally

- To call for a General Council meeting (date not finalised)

- To strengthen the party to be capable to run for another 100 years and to celebrate the MGR centenary in a big way

The resolutions were made at the AIADMK headquarters.

The AIADMK meeting at Chennai's Royapettah was held today. Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palanisamy and O. Panneerselvam were present in the meeting.

The meeting discussed the issue of 19 (allegedly 22) legislators giving a letter to Governor C.Vidyasagar Rao withdrawing their support to Chief Minister E. Palanisamy and wanting a new Chief Minister.

Originally, the AIADMK was divided into two factions - one led by former chief minister O. Panneerselvam and the other by Sasikala.

The Election Commission (EC) had recognised only these two factions at the time of R.K. Nagar constituency by-polls. However, it was postponed because of money play - bribing the voters.

Later, a third faction emerged under Palanisamy as it developed differences with the Sasikala-Dinakaran faction.

On August 26, Dinakaran said that all those MLAs supporting him will teach a lesson to those who want to evict Sasikala.

Over the last few days, many MLAs of the AIADMK have pledged support to Dinakaran taking the strength of his camp to 21.

The anger within the EPS over its merger with the Panneerselvam camp was evident as the MLA publically chided the Chief Minister for his decision.

While the DMK and the Congress have been urging the Tamil Nadu Governor to direct Palanisamy to prove his majority in the House, no decision on the same has been taken yet.

Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao is expected to return to Tamil Nadu shortly, after which he is likely to ask Palanisamy to take a floor test.

This would be the second time in six months that the State Assembly would witness a floor test, if it happens.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam will on Monday meet to decide on the modalities of ousting jailed interim AIADMK general secretary VK Sasikala.

The senior AIADMK leaders would also deliberate on the actions taken by TTV Dinakaran against party office bearers.

Nineteen AIADMK MLAs loyal to Dhinakaran have revolted against Palaniswami. The 19 MLAs have been staying in a resort in Puducherry. Later, two more MLAs jointed the Dinakaran camp.

The meeting at AIADMK headquarters will also discuss the issue of 19 legislators giving a letter to Governor C Vidyasagar Rao withdrawing their support to Palaniswami and wanting a new Chief Minister.

Post the merger between two factions - one led by (now) Deputy Chief Minister O.Panneerselvam and the other by Chief Minister Palaniswami, the duo also announced that steps would be taken to sack Sasikala from the party post and also from the party.

Following the recent merger of two AIADMK factions headed by Palaniswami and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, the party has been hit by fresh dissent with a group of MLAs rallying behind Dhinakaran, whose aunt, V K Sasikala, is the AIADMK chief and in jail on a corruption case.

The two factions' decision to remove Sasikala from the post of party general secretary triggered the unrest.
New Delhi: India's largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel on Monday announced a partnership with Symantec Corp to provide cyber security solutions to businesses in India.

The strategic alliance comes amid a spike in cyber attacks over the past few months, including incidents like Petya and WannaCry that disrupted systems across the world.

Some of the biggest corporations, including Russia's largest oil company Rosneft, Ukraine's international airport, shipping firm AP Moller-Maersk, and advertising giant WPP had come under the cyberattack in June this year.

Companies, big and small, are now prioritising IT security related investments in a bid to fortify their operations in the current threat landscape. The prevention of online threats has become even more critical given the increased digitisation and adoption of digital payments in India.

"We are seeing an unprecedented levels of cyber crime and cyber attacks at the moment," Symantec CEO Greg Clark said pointing to "audacity and boldness" of cyber criminals to unleash such attacks.

Through the partnership, the two companies will target the IT security requirements of large enterprises, small and medium businesses, as well as the government.

"We think this is a rising tide...It will have decades of constant recurring revenues. Cybercrime is a new theatre of crime...Of warfare...That will be with us for centuries. We think the alliance is well positioned to benefit from that rising tide," Clark told reporters.

As per the agreement, Airtel will be the exclusive cyber security services partner for Symantec in India and distribute the latter's enterprise security software.

Gopal Vittal, the MD and CEO (India and South Asia) of Bharti Airtel, said while the service provider had so far been a customer of Symantec, the alliance now paves the way for two to take the security solutions to the market.

The two companies, however, did not give the revenue projection for business they will target in the coming years through the alliance.

Symantec has blocked over a billion Petya and Wannacry infection attempts since the launch of the two malware platforms and they are an example of the risks, "both financial and mission critical" which organisations are facing, Clark said.

In a joint statement here, the companies said as the Indian enterprises embrace cloud applications and infrastructure, they require security technologies built for the new cloud-based environment.

The partnership leverages Airtel's business to business reach and Symantec's Integrated Cyber Defense Platform, the statement added.

Airtel Business services over 2000 large enterprise accounts, and 2.5 lakh corporate and tech start ups with its integrated telecom solutions, and also addresses requirements of central and state government departments.

Its offerings emcompass areas like voice, data, video network integration, data centres, managed services, and enterprise mobility applications.
Mumbai: Ajay Devgn and team Baadshaho, who were scheduled to shoot for a promotional episode with The Kapil Sharma Show ream apparently left the sets of the show without shooting, latest reports suggest.

Devgn reportedly stormed out of the sets after waiting for Kapil who did not turn up.

According to a report in hindustantimes.com, originally attributed to SpotBoyE, Kapil was nowhere to be seen. Ajay and his Baadshaho co-stars Emraan Hashmi, Ileana DCruz and Esha Gupta were supposed to shoot with Kapil on Saturday morning.

Kapils phones were switched off. The team was leaving no stone unturned to get in touch with him, but to no avail. Even Kapils team did not give a proper answer, the report quoted a source as saying.

Not too long ago, BJP leader and Bhojpuri superstar Manoj Tiwari had to return to Delhi without shooting for TKSS after the shooting was called off. Then, the shooting was reportedly cancelled due to a strike of film workers.

But this is not the first time Kapil cancelled the shoot. Earlier on more than a couple of occasions, the star comedian had to call off the shoot  once when Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka were scheduled to promote Jab Harry Met Sejal and later when the team of Mubarakan had turned up to promote their film.

The report also said that the Baadshaho team was later informed that Kapil got a panic attack and hence the shoot had to be cancelled.
Lucknow: Hours before the court proceedings against rape convict Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, scheduled to take place around 2:30 pm on Monday, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) on Monday directed the district administration to be on high alert and arrange special security measures for any ruckus in the city.

ADGP Anand Kumar has directed the police to monitor the Dera Sacha Ashram and bases in the NCR.

A high alert has been given to all districts of the Agra zone, and also to the Meerut Zone on the UP borders.

While necessary security arrangements have been made, instructions have also been given to the district administration to impose Section 144 when needed.Special vigilance and security arrangements have been made in the Meerut Zone.

Instructions have also been given for enhancing surveillance on the border areas adjoining Delhi-Haryana.

Intensive checking of vehicles and police force deployment has been ordered on state borders.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi Police, while dismissing the same, said everything would function as normal.

"There are some rumours being spread on the WhatsApp and other platforms that schools will remain closed on Monday as the sentencing is scheduled. Also, we have also been told that rumours have been spread about gatherings of Ram Rahim`s followers in parts of East Delhi. I would like to notify that all these are fake, and people must stop spreading them immediately," Madhur Verma, Delhi Police`s Public Relations Officer told ANI.

Verma clarified that traffic would not be diverted and the metro will comply as scheduled.

"We have got sufficient deployment of the Delhi Police in all areas, apart from certain decisions of the paramilitary forces and the CRPF. Police patrolling is going on in important places. There is no reason to panic or instigate panic through these rumours," stated Verma.

Arrangements have been made for the sitting of a CBI Court in Sunaria District Jail, Rohtak for the pronouncement of quantum of sentence against Ram Rahim Singh, after his followers went berserk with grief and anger over his conviction,Yesterday, Rohtak District Collector Atul Kumar while assuring complete vigil from the police stated that if any anti-social elements are found trying to harm themselves or others, shoot at sight orders would be passed immediately.

Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sandhu had earlier said that 52 cases were registered and 926 arrests made so far."At least 52 cases have been registered so far and 926 people have been arrested. As for casualties, 38 people have died in the violence. 6 casualties are from Sirsa and 32 are from Panchkula. All bodies in Sirsa have been identified, but in Panchkula, 24 have been identified through post-mortem, the rest are yet to be identified. Of the 250 injured," he said.
Kolkata: Three persons were electrocuted and seven people injured during an immersion of a huge Ganesh idol at Baza Kadamtala ghat here in the early hours on Monday, police said.

Puja organisers Bimal Sahani (37), Jitendra Sahani (28) and one Bitash Mondal (30) were electrocuted when an overhead electrical wire got detached from a pole and fell on the idol, after portion of the 25-feet tall idol got entangled in it.

The incident occurred at around 1 am when the organisers were carrying the idol for immersion in the Hooghly river.

"They were trying to cross the railway track when the idol's hand got entangled with the overhead electrical wires and fell on it. Bitash Mondal, who was standing just behind the idol on the dais and managing the wires with the help of a wooden stick, was electrocuted. Two others were also electrocuted," a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

"There were seven others who were injured and a sizeable portion of the idol caught fire," he said.

Five of the injured, identified as Mahesh Shaw (22), Dinanath Ram (15), Amar Mondal (45), Arjun Chetri (20), Mohon Sahani (35) were being treated in two hospitals.

Two others, Asis Podder and Niranjan Sarder, were discharged from a hospital after treatment, he said.

The puja organisers and witnesses present on the spot alleged that there were only a few policemen present at the ghat.

Rubbishing the allegations, police said that it was the height of the idol that caused the accident.

"Generally, we give permission to an idol not more than 18-feet in height, but in this case the Ganesh idol was taller. And that caused the problem leading to the death of the three persons. Had they followed the norms, the mishap could have been avoided," the police officer told PTI.

The police was trying to find out whether the organisers had the permission to hold the puja with such a huge idol.
Baghdad: A car bomb killed at least eight people in a crowded vegetable market in a Shi`ite Muslim district of Baghdad on Monday, police and medics said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, though the Sunni Muslim militants of Islamic State have said they carried out a string of other recent attacks in the capital.

The car rigged with explosives detonated in the mainly Shi`ite eastern district of Jamila, police said, as Iraqi government forces were preparing to declare victory over Islamic State more than 400 km (250 miles) further north in the city of Tal Afar.

It was not immediately clear if a suicide bomber had driven the vehicle to the target or if it was a parked car bomb, police sources said.

Medics and police sources said eight people died and 25 were wounded.

Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Saad Maan said four people were killed and 12 wounded, including two policemen.
Jerusalem: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Iran is building sites to produce precision-guided missiles in Syria and Lebanon, with the aim of using them against Israel.

At the start of a meeting in Jerusalem with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu accused Iran of turning Syria into a "base of military entrenchment as part of its declared goal to eradicate Israel."

"It is also building sites to produce precision-guided missiles towards that end, in both Syria and in Lebanon. This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the U.N. should not accept," Netanyahu said.

Iran, Israel`s arch-enemy, has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad`s staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him in Syria`s civil war.

There was no immediate comment from Iran.

Israel has pointed to Tehran`s steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shi`ite Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu, in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Israel was prepared to act unilaterally to prevent an expanded Iranian military presence in Syria.

Russia, also an Assad ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria`s future. Israel fears an eventual Assad victory could leave Iran with a permanent garrison in Syria, extending a threat posed from neighbouring Lebanon by Hezbollah.

Netanyahu accused Iran of building the production sites two weeks after an Israeli television report showed satellite images it said were of a facility Tehran was constructing in northwest Syria to manufacture long-range rockets.

The Channel 2 News report said the images were of a site near the Mediterranean coastal town of Baniyas and were taken by an Israeli satellite.

In parallel to lobbying Moscow, Israel has been trying to persuade Washington that Iran and its guerrilla partners, not Islamic State, pose the greater common threat in the region.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) India needs to reform with alacrity with a view to improving ease of doing business as it is the best way to eradicate poverty and give millions a chance for better life, says a Niti Aayog report. The report, Ease of Doing Business: An Enterprise Survey of Indian States, made a strong case for labour reforms, easier entry and exit of firms and level playing field for small and larger enterprises. Prepared jointly by the Niti Aayog and IDFC Institute, the report was released today by Union Minister for Law Ravi Shankar Prasad and Ministry of Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman. "India needs to reform with alacrity because the ability to do business, create wealth as consequences, and redistribute in a sensible, well-designed manner remains the best way to give millions of Indians a chance for a better life and to make their way out of poverty," the report said. Referring to the labour reforms, it said reforming labour laws and achieving greater flexibility in their implementation can greatly help enhance the ease of doing business. "According to our surveys finding, firms in labour- related regulations particularly are onerous. This fact translates into enterprises avoiding labour-intensive sectors," the report noted. According to the report, the fact that enterprises in labour-intensive sector experience greater difficulty than those in capital-intensive sector points to the need for further reforms in this area. "In addition, more flexible labour laws will also allow enterprises to grow larger and reap economies of scale, generating productivity improvements, jobs creation and higher growth," the report observed. It suggested that growth and ease of doing business form a virtuous cycle such that one reinforces the other. The survey, the report stated, shows about half of the enterprises do not borrow from financial institutions and about a third consider lack of access to finance as a major source of obstacles for business in the country. "This suggests that enhancing the access to low-cost capital to business could be an important vehicle to improve business environment, especially in poorer states such as Bihar," it said. Noting that faster growing states have, for the most part, a more conductive business climate than slower growing states, the report said "these results should provide the impetus to press ahead with the economic reform agenda". On facilitating firms entry and exit, the report said other things being equal, an increased pace of "creative destruction" that allows more rapid entry and exit should lead to an increase in productivity. The report stressed on the need of providing level playing field for small and large firms. "The regulations that place disproportionately large compliance burden on large firms need to be addressed. The survey has shown that in several instances, larger firms perceive greater regulatory obstacles compared to smaller firms... This state of affairs discourages smaller firms from growing larger," it noted. For India to enter the "double digit economic growth club", the report said it will need to continually streamline and improve business environment. Speaking on the occasion, Sitharaman said this report is going to be "the most important" contribution that Panagariya is making and "I am sure it is going to reveal lots of things". She also said "we are going through transformational era" and the ease of doing business is getting full attention of the government so that India becomes a manufacturing hub.

advertisement

Prasad noted that India has transformed a lot in the last three years. "In the last three years, 95 mobile manufacturing units have come up in India. 45 are mobile manufacturing plants and 49 plants are making mobile components... Noida and Greater Noida are emerging as big hub for mobile manufacturing," he said. Prasad was optimistic that India should emerge as a hub for international and domestic arbitration centres. He called for a separate kind of index for measuring digital ecosystem of states. "India can become country for innovation... the digital infrastructure happening in hinterland is remarkable," Prasad added. PTI BKS RR CS ARD

--- ENDS ---
Moscow: Two men stabbed one policeman to death and wounded another in Dagestan in Russia`s North Caucasus on Monday before being shot dead by police in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group.

It was the second attack in Russia in 10 days claimed by IS after a man armed with an axe wounded seven in the Siberian city of Surgut on August 19.

Russian investigators have said they are investigating both attacks as criminal incidents, despite the claims by IS.

The attackers used knives to stab the two police officers before being "eliminated" at a petrol station in the Caspian Sea town of Kaspiisk, the regional Investigative Committee said.

IS later claimed responsibility through its Amaq propaganda agency, calling the assailants "soldiers of the Islamic State".

The claim came after a reporter on Rossiya 24 television quoted law enforcement sources as saying that one of the attackers had a black jihadist banner in his rucksack.

The reporter said it appeared to be "an attempt to repeat" recent stabbings in western Europe claimed by the jihadist group.

An unidentified source also told the state TASS news agency that investigators found two knives and items with the IS logo.

Islamist rebels from Dagestan, which lies immediately east of Chechnya, are known to have travelled to join IS. In 2015, the group declared it had established a "franchise" in the North Caucasus.

IS has claimed a number of attacks on police in Dagestan in the last couple of years that have involved guns and explosives as local security forces battle a simmering Islamist insurgency.
Jerusalem: Israel signed a deal to buy additional 17 stealth F-35 US-made fighter jets, the Defence Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.



The purchase was part of a larger deal to buy a total of 50 F-35 planes, the first of which arrived in Israel in December, Xinhua reported.



The deal was signed over the weekend in the US, the statement said, following a cabinet decision from November 2016, which approved the purchase.



The acquisition is part of Israel`s plan to replace its fleet of F-16 fighter jets with 50 new F-35, citing a need to ensure its military`s qualitative edge in the region.



Currently, the Air Force has five F-35s, all are amidst "absorption process" and are expected to become operational by the end of 2017, according to the military.



The Defence Ministry did not specify the exact cost of the planes but said that in the recent deal, the price of the jets went under $100 million per plane for the first time.



The Ministry said that due to the lower price, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will consider buying more planes, expanding the fleet from two squadrons, as currently planned, to three squadrons.



In 2011, Israel and Washington signed a Memorandum of Understandings, in which the US Administration committed to enabling Israel to buy 75 F-35s.



Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman praised the deal as "a significant and strategic addition of strength to the Air Force."



"The F-35 squadrons are the pinnacle of technology and will assist the IDF and air force in meeting the many security challenges Israel faces head-on. They are a central aspect of protecting the safety of the people of Israel along the country`s borders and even away from them," he said in a statement.



The high-tech fighter bombers have stealth capability that makes it nearly invisible to radars and can carry an increased number of bombs.



The aircraft, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Corp., was criticized in the US Congress over its costs and alleged engineering flaws.
Rome: Pope Francis plans to visit Myanmar and Bangladesh in late November and early December, two countries caught up in a crisis over the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The Vatican, confirming an earlier Reuters report, said on Monday he would visit Myanmar from Nov. 27 to 30, stopping in Yangon and in the capital, Naypyitaw. He would visit the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.

The announcement came hours after Bangladesh border guards pushed back thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing the worst violence in Myanmar in five years, with 104 people killed.

In February, Francis issued a stinging criticism of the treatment of Myanmar`s Rohingya community, saying they had been tortured and killed simply because they wanted to keep their culture and Muslim faith.

Around 1.1 million Rohingya live in Myanmar`s Rakhine state, but are denied citizenship and face severe travel restrictions. Many Buddhists across Myanmar regard them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.
Bangkok: Thailand`s defence minister on Monday said he did not know the whereabouts of former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, days after she failed to show up for a verdict in her trial for negligence at which she faced up to 10 years in prison.

Yingluck, whose government was ousted in a 2014 coup, fled to Dubai via Singapore, sources in her Puea Thai Party said on the weekend. Her departure leaves the populist movement that has dominated Thai politics for more than a decade leaderless.

Her brother, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted by the military in 2006 and also fled Thailand to avoid a 2008 jail sentence for corruption, has a home in Dubai.

"We don`t know where Yingluck fled and whether she has asked for asylum anywhere," Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, who is also a deputy prime minister, told reporters.

"We haven`t asked for her extradition yet."

Yingluck was often followed by plain-clothes police, her aides said. During a provincial tour last year men in military uniform would often follow her as she greeted supporters.

Critics are now asking how a person under close scrutiny by security forces could leave the country without being noticed.

"How should I know?" was Prawit`s response to reporters who asked him that on Monday.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Yingluck, 50, who had been due to appear at the Supreme Court on Friday to hear a verdict in a case against her, involving a rice buying scheme introduced by her government that lost an estimated $8 billion.

A former commerce minister in her government was jailed for 42 years on Friday for falsifying government-to-government rice deals in connection with the same subsidy scheme.

Reuters could not reach either Thaksin or Yingluck for comment on Monday. Yingluck, who is usually active on social media, has not posted on her Facebook page since Thursday, when she told supporters she would see them at the court.

Defence ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tanatravanich told reporters he was confident Yingluck was no longer in Thailand.

"We have to see first which country she`s in. The security side is working on this," Kongcheep said.

Srisuwan Janya, secretary-general of the Association to Protect the Thai Constitution political group, said he would file a complaint on Monday with the National Anti Corruption Commission over what he called government officials` failure to prevent Yingluck from fleeing.

By mid-morning on Monday Janya had yet filed the complaint.

Sentencing in Yingluck`s case has been moved to Sept. 27 and is expected to be delivered in absentia.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Foreign ministers of Armenia and Kazakhstan Edward Nalbandian and Kairat Abdrakhmanov on August 27 exchanged congratulatory messages on the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Kazakhstan, press service of the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress.

In his message the Armenian FM highlights the historical significance of the establishment of diplomatic ties that served basis for the contemporary development stage of the Armenian-Kazakh centuries-old ties.

Minister Nalbandian appreciated the existence of broad legal framework between the two countries, the high-level political dialogue, as well as the current mechanisms aimed at consistent development of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation at different spheres.

Summing up, the Armenian minister expressed confidence that the joint efforts of the foreign ministries of Armenia and Kazakhstan will serve for strengthening the friendly ties between the two peoples, as well as will contribute to increasing the bilateral inter-state partnership to a new qualitative level.

In his message the Kazakh FM said over the quarter-century of establishment of diplomatic ties the two countries managed to create firm and thorough system of bilateral cooperation based on mutual trust and equal partnership.

Kairat Abdrakhmanov expressed hope the two countries will continue the close cooperation at all level of inter-state relations, and the upcoming joint events will additionally boost the Armenian-Kazakh ties.

Concluding his message, the Kazakh FM expressed confidence that the traditional friendly ties will continue developing and strengthening for the benefit of the brotherly peoples of the two countries.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan commented on the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group American Co-Chair Richard Hoagland over the main provisions of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, reports Armenpress.

In a meeting with reporters on August 28, the political scientist said actually nothing has happened. That person who is a leaving Co-Chair, moreover, an acting Co-Chair, has reminded about the Madrid principles.

As for the new US Co-Chair of the Minsk Group Andrew Schofer, Iskandaryan said he is an experienced diplomat and has a great experience on dealing with conflicts. However, the political scientist doubts that the change of the US Co-Chair can seriously affect the conflict settlement. This is a very complex conflict, and by the change of one person one must not expect sharp changes in the conflict settlement process, he said.

He added that the Minsk Groups co-chairmanship format for the NK conflict settlement is unique since there is no other format where three superpowers  US, France and Russia cooperate so effectively.

The political scientist added that the Co-Chairs will manage to organize a new meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, stating that this meeting as well will not lead to sharp changes, and the situation will remain the same as after the military operations of April 2016.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Fire broke out in the area of Yerevans Nairit plant on August 28, the emergency situations ministry told Armenpress.

According to the ministry, 6 firefighting crews were dispatched to the scene.

As of 14:03, 9 firefighting crews left for the scene.

As of 14:16, the ministry was reported that on August 18, at 13:10, explosion was heard at the territory of the plant and fire broke out.

10 firefighting crews and emergency situations response groups of the crisis management center departed for the scene.

Additional information will be provided.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 28 (PTI) India needs to reform with alacrity with a view to improving ease of doing business as it is the best way to eradicate poverty and give millions a chance for better life, says a Niti Aayog report. The report, Ease of Doing Business: An Enterprise Survey of Indian States, made a strong case for labour reforms, easier entry and exit of firms and level playing field for small and larger enterprises. Prepared jointly by the Niti Aayog and IDFC Institute, the report was released today by Union Minister for Law Ravi Shankar Prasad and Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. "India needs to reform with alacrity because the ability to do business, create wealth as consequences, and redistribute in a sensible, well-designed manner remains the best way to give millions of Indians a chance for a better life and to make their way out of poverty," the report said. Referring to the labour reforms, it said reforming labour laws and achieving greater flexibility in their implementation can greatly help enhance the ease of doing business. "According to our surveys finding, firms in labour- related regulations particularly are onerous. This fact translates into enterprises avoiding labour-intensive sectors," the report noted. According to the report, the fact that enterprises in labour-intensive sector experience greater difficulty than those in capital-intensive sector points to the need for further reforms in this area. "In addition, more flexible labour laws will also allow enterprises to grow larger and reap economies of scale, generating productivity improvements, jobs creation and higher growth," the report observed. It suggested that growth and ease of doing business form a virtuous cycle such that one reinforces the other. The survey, the report stated, shows about half of the enterprises do not borrow from financial institutions and about a third consider lack of access to finance as a major source of obstacles for business in the country. "This suggests that enhancing the access to low-cost capital to business could be an important vehicle to improve business environment, especially in poorer states such as Bihar," it said. Noting that faster growing states have, for the most part, a more conductive business climate than slower growing states, the report said "these results should provide the impetus to press ahead with the economic reform agenda". On facilitating firms entry and exit, the report said other things being equal, an increased pace of "creative destruction" that allows more rapid entry and exit should lead to an increase in productivity. The report stressed on the need of providing level playing field for small and large firms. "The regulations that place disproportionately large compliance burden on large firms need to be addressed. The survey has shown that in several instances, larger firms perceive greater regulatory obstacles compared to smaller firms... This state of affairs discourages smaller firms from growing larger," it noted. For India to enter the "double digit economic growth club", the report said it will need to continually streamline and improve business environment. Speaking on the occasion, Sitharaman said this report is going to be "the most important" contribution that outgoing chief Arvind Panagariya is making and "I am sure it is going to reveal lots of things". She also said "we are going through transformational era" and the ease of doing business is getting full attention of the government so that India becomes a manufacturing hub.

advertisement

Prasad noted that India has transformed a lot in the last three years. "In the last three years, 95 mobile manufacturing units have come up in India. 45 are mobile manufacturing plants and 49 plants are making mobile components... Noida and Greater Noida are emerging as big hub for mobile manufacturing," he said. Prasad was optimistic that India should emerge as a hub for international and domestic arbitration centres. He called for a separate kind of index for measuring digital ecosystem of states. "India can become country for innovation... the digital infrastructure happening in hinterland is remarkable," Prasad added. PTI BKS RR CS ARD ARD

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan says there is a great possibility that Armenia will sign the Comprehensive and Enhanced partnership agreement with the European Union in November 2017, reports Armenpress.

In a meeting with reporters on August 28, he said he doesnt see any obstacles for signing of the agreement.

As I know, at the moment the sides are holding talks on some technical issues. There are no political disagreements between the sides, Iskandaryan said.

Armenia and the EU initialed the Comprehensive and Enhanced partnership agreement on March 21, 2017.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. On August 28, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Karen Mirzoyan met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Abkhazia Daur Kove who arrived in Stepanakert on an official visit, press service of the Artsakh foreign ministry told Armenpress.

Karen Mirzoyan welcomed the guest and expressed confidence that Daur Koves visit, as a manifestation of close practical and professional ties formed between the two Ministries, will also give a new impetus to the friendly relations between Artsakh and Abkhazia. In this context the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh highlighted the importance of maintaining regular political consultations.

During the meeting, the sides discussed steps to be taken for the development of cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of the two states, as well as exchanged views on various points of the bilateral agenda, international and regional issues. Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the current stage of the settlement process of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and efforts exerted by Artsakh aimed at achieving progress in the negotiations.

The meeting was followed by the ceremony of signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the Foreign Ministries of the Republic of Artsakh and the Republic of Abkhazia. Within the framework of the Memorandum, the sides agreed, in particular, to hold consultations on collaboration in the areas of information and public expertise, on development of co-operation on interstate, inter-governmental and interagency level as well as in the fields of youth policy and diplomacy and other urgent issues. The Memorandum also envisages implementation of programs on experience exchange and trainings for diplomats.

At the end of the ceremony, the Foreign Ministers held a joint press conference.


YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan commented on the statement of the US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills according to which the US wants to be sure that Armenia can make sovereign decisions, reports Armenpress.

The political scientist told reporters that any country, even the US, has dependency on other countries.

For instance, the same United States has to take into account the interests of Saudi Arabia on many issues. There is no country that doesnt consider the interests of its partner, ally countries and doesnt depend on other countries, Iskandaryan said.

He added that all countries assess the geopolitical situation, try to take into consideration the interests of superpowers and assess their capabilities. Armenias sovereignty lies in the fact that it manages to assess the interests of superpowers and thus to determine its policy. Until now Armenia has managed to maintain good relations both with Russia, US, Georgia and other countries, Alexander Iskandaryan said.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict is a political issue, so its hardly possible for the spiritual leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to have a serious impact on the conflict settlement, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan told reporters, commenting on the information according to which His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, and Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Council Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh are going to discuss the NK conflict and regional peace during the upcoming meeting in September, Armenpress reports.

I dont think this meeting can somehow affect the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process. It is a political issue, and I dont think that the spiritual leaders can make changes in the process. The spiritual leaders meet from time to time, but it cannot have a serious affect on the process, he said.

His Holiness Garegin II and Sheikh-ul-Islam Haji Allahshukur Pashazadeh will meet in September. According to preliminary data, the meeting will take place in Moscow on September 8. They will discuss issues related to the Karabakh conflict and regional peace. The meeting is being organized under the mediation of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian on August 28 hosted deputy mayor of Marseille Didier Parakian, press service of the ministry told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guest the Armenian FM said with satisfaction that the cooperation between the local self-government bodies plays a key role in the development of unique relations between Armenia and France.

During the talk a number of issues relating to the Armenian-French decentralized cooperation were discussed. Both officials attached importance to the productive activity of the Armenian Consulate General in Marseille.

The sides also touched upon the issue of holding Armenian-French decentralized forums, stating that they are a good platform to implement projects and develop new ones in decentralized cooperation sphere.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and minister of external affairs of India Sushma Swaraj exchanged congratulatory messages on the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and India, press service of the Armenian foreign ministry told Armenpress.

In his message the Armenian FM appreciated the firm inter-state relations between Armenian and India that are based on mutual trust and respect, stating that high-level political dialogue and broad legal framework have been formed between the two countries. FM Nalbandian attached importance to the recent visit of Indian Vice-Presidet to Armenia which gave a new impetus to the bilateral ties at various spheres, at the same time expressing hope that the high-level mutual visits will significantly contribute to expanding the bilateral agenda.

In her message the Indian minister said the close relations of the two countries are based on historical-cultural ties that have more than two millenniums of history. Sushma Swaraj highlighted Indias readiness to further deepen the relations with Armenia and develop ties in new cooperation spheres.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenias President Serzh Sargsyan didnt discuss the issue of deploying peacekeeping forces in Artsakh during the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President said during the meeting with the participants of Baze pan-Armenian youth camp, reports Armenpress.

The President also touched upon the recent statement of OSCE Minsk Group acting American Co-Chair Richard Hoagland and the analysis over the Armenian-Russian high-level talks held in Sochi according to which the date of Hoaglands statement was not a coincidence.

President Sargsyan said a tradition of meetings in a free regime has been formed with Vladimir Putin several times a year, and during those meetings the multifaceted agenda of the Armenian-Russian relations is being discussed. The meeting in Sochi was one of them.

The participants asked the President whether the rumors are right according to which the issue of deploying peacekeepers in Artsakh has been discussed during the meeting with the Russian President.

We not only didnt hold a discussion on peacekeeping forces, but also we didnt hold a discussion in general. I have just briefly introduced the current situation in the line of contact and I presented my vision over the intentions of our neighbor. Thats it. We have not discussed any such issue, he said.

Asked about the link of the statement of Co-Chair Richard Hoagland with Sargsyan-Putin meeting, the President said the link between these two events is unlikely, in case when the former US Co-Chair also expressed an opinion in a more free status over the negotiations after his resignation.

Hoagland is leaving his post and one day he must have expressed his conclusion in a more freely status since its one thing to be a current Co-Chair, and another thing when he is going to resign. If you remember, the same was true for the previous one. In general, such tradition has been formed since in that case his words are not obliging since tomorrow he will not take part in the negotiations so that one of the sides will not quote his words. As for what has been said by Hoagland, it was absolutely nothing new for me. But for many, I think, it is a proof of the fact that previously our stance and our meetings have been misinterpreted. The leaders of the Co-Chairing countries have repeatedly talked about this, and overall, that provisions have been put forward for more than 10 years. Its just a general approach. In order for that provisions to be implemented, they need to be documented for days, weeks, months since every word, every comma in that document is very important, the President said.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will sign the Comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement with the European Union in autumn, President Serzh Sargsyan said in response to questions of the participants of the Baze pan-Armenian youth camp, reports Armenpress.

Yes, we are going to sign it in autumn. Why I say this with such confidence because the document has already been initialed. If I am not mistaken, we have announced in March that the document, in general, is already negotiated, and after that we have initialed it. We have no reason not to sign that document, the President said.

Serzh Sargsyan also said some foreign media attempts to present Armenias 2013 decision to join the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) as a decision made at a night are groundless and just ridiculous.

We were holding talks both with the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union since from the very start both sides told that one would not hinder another. But when the EU said it hinders, what we should do?, Serzh Sargsyan said.






YEREVAN, 28 AUGUST, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs Armenpress that today, 28 August, USD exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 478.99 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 6.19 drams to 571.53 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.09 drams to 8.19 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.27 drams to 617.75 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 54.91 drams to 19793.47 drams. Silver price up by 1.42 drams to 262.11 drams. Platinum price down by 29.23 drams to 15014.89 drams.
BROOMFIELD, Colo.Eldorado Trading Company has partnered with adult toy manufacturer EasyToys to exclusively distribute the companys Fetish Collection.

"We are extremely excited to enter the U.S. market with Eldorado as our partner. We couldnt wish for a better distributor to start this venture, said Andre Visser of EasyToys. EasyToys is growing at an amazing rate here in Europe and taking advantage of the reach that an award-winning company like Eldorado has will only help our brand grow internationally.

The Netherlands-based brand EasyToys launched its Fetish Collection in January 2015 to great success in the European market. The Fetish Collection offers customers a varied selection of BDSM items for the curious and more experienced user. The line is presented in luxurious boxes that make for an eye-catching in-store display. The EasyToys Fetish Collection has more than 100 SKUs for the fetish aficionado to choose from.

The EasyToys Fetish Collection boasts everything that is needed for an exciting and thrilling fetish game. Each product in the line is intended to make the fetish-game extra thrilling with everything from blindfolds, handcuffs and ticklers to butt plugs, paddles and restraint systems.

What is great about the Fetish Collection is that it is not made of leather but looks like leather and is a fraction of the price! said Jon Vogt, Eldorado director of purchasing. It is a more advanced line for people who have dabbled in bondage but want to explore deeper. The line fills a niche for Eldorado and our customers.

The EasyToys Fetish Collection is expected to be in stock and ready to ship to Eldorado customers towards the end of August. For more information on EasyToys and to place an order, call (800) 525-0848, email [email protected] or visit Eldorado.net.
By PTI: (EDs:With more quotes, background & network expansion details)

Mumbai, Aug 28 (PTI) French auto major Renault is planning to do an encore of its runaway success with the Duster and the small car Kwid, with its new premium SUV, the Captur thats slated for Diwali launch.

Sumit Sawhney, managing director & chief executive of Renault India told PTI that the much-talked-about launch will take place in the December quarter, but refused to specify whether it could be a Diwali offering or not.

advertisement

The crossover SUV is also known as Kaptur in some global markets like Russia and Captur in Europe which is based on the Clios platform. But the Captur thats coming to the domestic market is a crossover on the Duster platform and will be "positioned at a very premium over the Duster," he said.

Sounding very bullish, he said Captur is a globally tested SUV having already sold over 1 million units. "We hope to repeat the same level of success here with the Captur".

According to industry analysts, the Captur will take on the Hyundai Creta and the top-end model may take on the Mahindra XUV500, the recently launched Tata Hexa and also Nissans Kicks expected by the end of the year.

According to analysts, the SUV may come in two engines options - a 1.6-litre petro and a 2-litre diesel powertrain and may be priced around Rs 12 lakh, which is the more or less same at that of the Creta.

The compact SUV segment is the fastest growing cornering a fourth of the market pie. Launch is expected to cash in on this segment as Renaults larger SUV, the Koleos, has failed here therefore withdrawn now.

"The 5-seater compact SUV with cross-over DNA will be a very premium offering and much higher than the Duster. The new SUV will be rolled out from the companys Chennai plant," Sawhney said.

The largest European car brand in the country with around 5 per cent market share has primarily two models- the entry level SUV Duster and two variants of its small car Kwid-0.8 litre and 1 litre, which has been specially made for this market and the biggest volume grosser.

Despite media reports that Kwid is facing some headwinds, Sawhney said the "car is selling as per expectation, in fact exceeding our expectation of 8,000-10,000 units in all the seven months of 2017. In fact in most of the months, we have crossed 10,000 units. Together, we have sold around 58,000 units so far in 2017. We were the seventh largest carmaker here and still continues to be now."

"We have completed a little over five years but we are already the No 1 European car brand here. Weve a long-term commitment to this market and will continue to aggressively ramp up our network and build on our product offencive strategy to drive volumes. We still stick to our target of being the amongst the top 5 players by 2020," he said.

advertisement

In this regard he also said the company has already opened 300 outlets, making it the fastest network ramp-up in the country and will have 20 more by December.

"Our network expansion is more focused on small towns. For instance we opened 10 outlets on a single day in Kerala taking the overall number 30 in the Southernmost state," Sawhney added.

On the new launch he said, the Captur has a sensual crossover French design which is a unique vehicle class, clearly reflecting our new global design DNA.

The Captur will have features like projector headlamps with C-shaped LED DRLs, large front grille and alloy wheels. Inside the cabin, the crossover will have a 7-inch touch screen compatible with Bluetooth, USB and AUX apart from steering mounted controls, automatic climate control and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. PTI BEN NRB SDM

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
If you're in Kenya, don't be caught with a plastic bag. Starting today, using a plastic bag, whether for groceries, lining a trash can, or anything else you can think of, will cost you the equivalent of a $38,000 fine or land you in jail for up to four years.

According to NPR:

"It is a toxin that we must get rid of," Judi Wakhungu, the country's Cabinet secretary for the environment, told reporters. "It's affecting our water. It's affecting our livestock and, even worse, we are ingesting this as human beings."

But the new law is controversial.

The Kenyan Association of Manufacturers, which challenged the ban in court, said nearly 3 percent of all Kenyans are directly employed by the 176 plastic manufacturers in the country. The ban, they argued, will cost cost Kenya tens of thousands of jobs. Then there is the issue of convenience. When I visited Kibera in June to report on the proposed ban, residents overwhelmingly opposed it Kenneth Okoth, a member of Parliament who represents Kibera, opposed the ban because he said it would affect his poor constituents the most. In Kibera there is little running water, no toilets or outhouses, but the ban will affect the so-called flying toilets  plastic bags residents use to defecate and urinate in. "It may look very fashionable in international circles," he said. "But in reality, in a place like Kibera, we still need those plastics."

It's only been a day, but so far no one has been busted for using a bag.

Image: Trosmisiek
Felix Sater, a longtime business associate of Donald Trump with organized crime ties, promised in a 2015 email to "engineer a real estate deal with the aid of the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin, that he said would help Mr. Trump win the presidency," reports the New York Times today.

It's unclear what the emails may have led to, and how the discovery of communication may affect the ongoing federal investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 U.S. elections that Trump won.

From the NYT:


Psychology professor Dr. Emyr Williams of Glyndwr University in Wales, UK researchers "real vampires" and often appears on television to discuss their blood-drinking lifestyle.



"We are talking about a group of individuals who believe they have a psychological need to consume blood," Williams has said.





Now an employment tribunal has revealed that after a female student somehow got a cut while in class, Williams allegedly wiped up the blood with his fingers and then licked them. The young woman reported the unusual behavior to one of Williams's PhD student, Helen Coleman, who reported it to school officials. Coleman alleges that the school didn't reprimand Williams but instead punished her, kicking her out of the PhD program.

"This is an extraordinary case," said Coleman's attorney. "We have never dealt with anything like this before."



"'Extraordinary' claims Glyndwr University student 'turned vampire'" (Daily Post via Mysterious Universe)
"Soooooooo apparently I look like a neo-Nazi and got stabbed for it," wrote 26-year-old Joshua Witt on Facebook. "Luckily I put my hands up to stop it so he only stabbed my hand please keep in mind there was no conversation between me and this dude I was literally just getting out of my car." Witt said his attacker was a black man. The alt-right went berserk over the story, but in a big surprise twist, it turns out that Witt stabbed himself.

From Gizmodo:

Witt's story was first debunked by Buzzfeed who contacted the police in Sheridan, Colorado for the full story. Gizmodo reached out to the Sheridan Police Department as well, who confirmed that Witt actually stabbed himself. And on top of that, he originally told police that his attacker was a "black male" in his mid-20s.

Police checked surveillance footage near the Steak n' Shake where he was allegedly attacked and couldn't find anybody running from the scene like Witt had claimed. What did they really find on the tapes? Footage of Witt buying a knife at a nearby store minutes before he was allegedly "attacked."

"On August 24, 2017 Sheridan Police, re-interviewed Mr. Witt where he was confronted with all the information listed above," Sheridan Police Chief Mark Campbell told Gizmodo in a statement.

"Mr. Witt subsequently admitted to accidentally cutting himself with the knife while parked in his car in front of the sporting goods store and admitted making up the story about being attacked," Chief Campbell continued.

Witt was booked and released for filing a false police report. He faces up to a $2,650 fine and up to a year in jail.
A few hecklers aside, people at the Winona Peach Festival seemed content to set politics aside and take joy in a prime minister visiting their small town event Saturday when Justin Trudeau turned up for the festival's 50th anniversary.

The prime minister dropped in as part of a whirlwind tour of southern Ontario, also stopping at Niagara College and McMaster University Saturday morning. When he arrived at the small town festival around 3 p.m., a breathless crowd formed a double line just for a peek.

"He's so adorable," sighed one girl.

"He's beautiful," responded another.

Hamiltonians young and old crowded around, phones in hand, extending them when he got close in hopes of capturing their very own selfies. And Trudeau  on brand  posed for hundreds.

Not everyone loved it. "Hey, pop star," yelled one heckler. "Stop trying to be a pop star." But on the whole, the Prime Minister's star power was so intense that one of the festival's regularly scheduled skydivers drifted to the ground with a Canadian flag billowing from his leg.

In the crowd's defence, a prime minister visiting the peach festival is an anomaly. Georgina Beattie, the festival's corresponding secretary, has been involved since 1967, when she was a lady in waiting at its Blossom Queen pageant. She's never seen a prime minister here.

"Not to my knowledge," she said when asked if one had ever stopped by. "We've had a couple of premiers."

"There are going to be so many pictures to put in our time capsule, and in 25 years, they'll be open it and see that he was here."

Nancy Adie came from Burlington with her granddaughters, Kaylee and Addie, to get a look at Trudeau. Standing near where Trudeau was scheduled to hand out some of the festival's famous peach sundaes, Adie said they were just pleased that he thought to come.

"We're very impressed that he would come to a small town venue like this."

Trudeau also attended a festival put on by the Tamil community in Toronto Saturday evening.

samantha.craggs@cbc.ca | @SamCraggsCBC
When her daughter got a bug bite in early June, Samantha Simon never expected the next three months would be spent in hospitals and clinics, trying to find out why her toddler was increasingly ill with an array of symptoms: Fever. Vomiting. Headaches. Joint pain. Diarrhea.

Eventually, two-year-old Emily was diagnosed with Lyme disease and is now on an antibiotic regimen to kick the potentially-debilitating illness.

But Simon said it took visiting multiple clinicians to get answers  a frustrating situation stemming from a lack of diagnostic tools and clinician confusion, which could soon be a reality for more and more Canadians as the tick-borne disease spreads farther north in the years ahead.

On June 8, Emily's bite looked like a regular mosquito bite, said Simon, who lives in Durham, Ont., a community about 170 kilometres northwest of Toronto.

The bite soon turned into a bulls-eye shape  which can be a marker of Lyme disease  coinciding with a high fever and a rash over Emily's whole body. Eventually, the toddler began suffering from headaches, vomiting and diarrhea, her mom said.

Suspecting Lyme disease as the culprit, Simon brought her daughter to the family's regular physician, emergency room physicians and a nurse practitioner in the months that followed in hopes of getting answers. Some told her it could be a virus, or an allergy to a bug bite.

Later, a clinician from Owen Sound Public Health said it was clear Emily was suffering from Lyme disease. Seeking answers, Simon travelled to B.C. to consult a Lyme specialist, who confirmed the diagnosis.

By that point, Emily had been sick for most of the summer.

'Something needs to change'

"Something needs to change and something needs to be done, because this problem is only getting worse," said Simon. "Lyme is unfortunately on the rise, and our health care system needs to have a better plan of action for how we're treating and how we're diagnosing."

Story continues

Medical experts agree that Lyme disease, which is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria and spread through the bite of infected ticks, is becoming more common in Canada.

In 2015, there were more than 700 cases of Lyme disease reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada, up from roughly 130 in 2009.

And it's not just in remote areas. On Friday, Toronto Public Health (TPH) officials said Toronto has seen an increase in the number of cases of Lyme disease acquired in the city's Rouge Valley area this year.

Toronto's associate medical officer of health, Dr. Christine Navarro, said 24 cases of Lyme disease have been reported to TPH so far this year, including eight that were from local exposure to ticks. That's up from 23 cases for all of 2016.

"We are seeing an increased number of ticks through our tick surveillance," Navarro added.

Once you start seeing ticks persisting in a new habitat, you'll soon start to see more of them carrying Lyme disease, said infectious disease expert Tara Moriarty, an associate professor in the faculties of dentistry and medicine at the University of Toronto.

Could affect 80 per cent of eastern, central Canada

Partly thanks to climate change, it's expected that 80 per cent of the Canadian population in eastern and central Canada will be living in the habitat of potentially-infected ticks, she added.

But that doesn't mean the medical community has kept pace with the level of risk.

"Physicians are confused, still, about how they should be diagnosing it," Moriarty said.

If someone has had a tick bite, doctors should administer a protective dose of antibiotics, she said. "That information is not quite getting out there  we need to improve early measures on the part of physicians."

Earlier this year, Dr. Gregory Taylor, the country's then-chief public health officer, acknowledged that clinicians in Canada are divided on how to interpret the blood test for Lyme disease  and how to treat it.

The early-stage diagnostic techniques are also lagging behind, with no rapid testing available, Moriarty said.

That combination can lead to frustration for patients and caregivers like Simon, who said it's important to advocate for yourself by providing Lyme disease information to clinicians who may not be familiar with the growing risk.

"Patients who suspect that they have Lyme disease, and who know that they've been bitten by a tick, should be able to go to their doctor and request  within 72 hours of the bite  a dose of antibiotics," added Moriarty.

$4M in federal research funding

Local public health agencies are working hard to distribute information about Lyme to both physicians and the public, she noted.

And the federal government has also stepped in, announcing $4 million in research funding earlier this year, coupled with a national medical surveillance program. The program will use data collected by the Public Health Agency of Canada to track incidence rates and the economic costs of Lyme disease, and establish guidelines for best practices throughout Canada.

Simon welcomes any positive changes, but is still frustrated by the summer of pain and suffering her young daughter has faced.

"Our faith in our medical system has been completely shattered," she said.
It may be a largely forgotten chapter in the annals of polar exploration, but not because it lacks drama.

In fact, the tale of the airship Italia has it all  adventure, tragedy, and some international intrigue.

General Umberto Nobile led the pioneering expedition under the flag of Fascist Italy, but after successfully reaching the North Pole on May 24, 1928, the Italia never made it home. Neither did famed Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who died during an attempted recovery mission to rescue Nobile  his bitter enemy.

Yukon-based journalist and author Eva Holland digs into the story in her new Kindle Single e-book, Mussolini's Arctic Airship.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What made you want to tell this story?

I was reading a biography of Amundsen called The Last Viking by another Canadian writer [Stephen R. Brown], and I got to the end and found out that Amundsen died in a plane crash trying to rescue, basically, his nemesis, which I hadn't known. I knew about his South Pole stuff, I knew about his Northwest Passage stuff, but I hadn't been aware of how he died, and I just thought that was sort of a crazy twist.

And then I read a bit more into the Italian character, Umberto Nobile, and it just was interesting to me how their lives collided and how these two men who really disliked each other, and how they sort of influenced each other's fates. And I thought that was a story on its own.

The Italian role in polar exploration does not seem as well known or celebrated, compared to that of the Norwegians, Americans or British. Why do you think that is?

I think partly because it was quite focussed and sort of limited. They got into polar exploration basically because they were blimp experts, they were airship experts. And so, their role in Arctic exploration was almost, as far as I know, limited to these airship expeditions.

And then two things: airships fell massively out of favour after the Hindenberg, and then also Nobile was disgraced in Italy after this.

Story continues

So between airships going completely out of style and Nobile being a complicated figure in Italy, I think that's partly why the story has been sort of forgotten, although I don't think it was forgotten entirely in Italy.

How did you go about sorting fact from legend, or in the case of Fascist Italy, propaganda?

That was one of the real challenges of writing this and I have a note, sort of trying to cover my butt a little bit, at the end of the book. Because it's really difficult to say.

Nobile wrote two separate memoirs that are very similar, but if you go through them line by line, there are a few differences. And one of them was published under Mussolini, and one of them was published after Mussolini.

So how do you say  maybe he was trying to protect himself after Mussolini was gone, by seeming to be less sympathetic to a Fascist dictator than he was in reality, or maybe he was just trying to protect himself under a Fascist dictator by seeming sympathetic. You go in circles with it.

My rule of thumb while writing was to stick to the closest account that I could find, both chronologically and physically in terms of the person being there on the ground. There were times when the Norwegian journalist who was in Svalbard, his account conflicted with The New York Times. And so in most cases, I would have gone with the Norwegian journalist who was physically there.

One of the more dramatic moments in the story is when Amundsen is informed that the Italia has gone missing. Amundsen then immediately offers to launch a rescue. What do you think was behind his decision in that moment?

I think it was partly a sense of honour and duty to go and rescue [Nobile], even though they were enemies. You know, he would have regarded himself as most qualified for the job to rescue the Italians. So for him to stay home would have been compromising, in his view, probably their chances of rescue  although by then he was getting older and was maybe less the only man for the job than he might have thought.

There's some suggestion that he may have felt it was his fault on some level  that Nobile went back to the pole to try to prove that he could do it without Amundsen [Nobile had been part of an earlier polar expedition led by the Norwegian].

But it's hard to say. Because although Amundsen left memoirs about all aspects of his life up to 1927, of course we don't know what he thought about what happened in 1928 because he died in the rescue effort.

I think even if he wasn't personally moved to go to the rescue, I think he would have been poorly regarded by the public if he didn't. So there was also that social pressure.

One of the things that becomes clear in the story is how, at the time, there were many international interests at play in the Arctic  Norway, Italy, Russia, the U.S., Sweden. Was that the end of an era, or are those rivalries still playing out in the Arctic today?

I didn't want to overplay my hand on that in the actual story, but it's definitely one of the things that drew me to it  that now we have these different polar nations that are placing claims on the North Pole and the undersea resources, and there's the Russian submarine that planted that titanium flag at the bottom of the ocean at the pole.

And there's sort of a second rush for the Arctic happening, and that's definitely part of what drew me to the story, although I didn't want to be too over-the-top with referencing that in the story.

Back then, people were predicting that airships were the future of Arctic travel. Some are still predicting that. What do you think?

I don't know. I know that it doesn't seem out of the question.

Amundsen and Nobile had valid reasons for feeling like airships made a lot of sense in the 1920s. There's that quote I use in the story about how they make more sense than airplanes in a land where there are no landing places to be found. And that's still the case  that there's still a logical progression where airships make sense in our treeless, roadless, runway-less world up here.

But I don't know if we'll ever actually get to see a golden age of Arctic airship aviation. It would be interesting if we did, and I know that there are some companies that are trying to make it happen in the next few years. So we'll see if the Arctic airship rides again.

Is there any part of this story, that you'd like to explore further?

It's sort of amazing to me that no trace of the [Italia] was ever found. And that no trace, except for that one pontoon, of Amundsen's plane was ever found.

You have to figure that stuff is out there somewhere. You know, we found [HMS] Erebus and [HMS] Terror. We should theoretically be able to find the Italia. But I don't think anybody's looking.

An airship is not going to just disappear.
La Flor de Ynclan is a brand that has been recently resurrected by Villiger Cigars. The origins of this brand trace back to Cuba. In the 1960s, Villiger acquired the trademark, but it wouldnt be until 2007 when Villiger would release its version of La Flor de Ynclan. After it was released, Villiger Chairman Heinrich Villiger was not satisfied with the blend and the decision was made to remove it from the market. Fast forward to 2017, and the blend has been tweaked and has been re-introduced to the market. Recently Ive had an opportunity to smoke the new La Flor de Ynclan in the Churchill size. Overall, I found this to be a sensational cigar and one that has all of the potential for Villiger to put its stamp on the U.S. market with a premium cigar.

During the time La Flor de Ynclan was off the market, Heinrich Villiger worked hands-on with Master Blender Jose Matias Maragot at the ABAM factory in the Dominican Republic to rework the blend. One key factor of the process was that some of the tobaccos earmarked for the blend were set aside to age an additional five to seven years. The result was the new incarnation of La Flor de Ynclan.

Blend Profile

La Flor de Ynclan consists of a four-country multi-national blend highlighted by an Ecuadorian wrapper.

Wrapper: Ecuadorian

Binder: Indonesian

Filler: Nicaraguan, Dominican

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (ABAM)

Vitolas Available

La Flor de Ynclan is valable in three sizes. Each size is available in 25 -ount boxes.

Robusto: 5 x 50

Torpedo: 6 x 52

Churchill: 7 x 48

Appearance

The Ecuadorian wrapper of the La Flor de Ynclan Churchill has a light to medium brown color. Depending on how the light shined on it, there was a varying degree of rosado mixed in. The surface of the wrapper had a light coating of oil on it. There were some thin visible veins and thin visible wrapper seams. Overall I considered this to be a wrapper that was on the smoother side.

La Flor de Ynclan is now using a similar banding design to what being was used on the Villiger 1888 and the Villiger SanDoro series. The upper part of the band has a black background surrounded by silver and red trim. The center portion of the band has a semi-circle shape to it. Sitting on that semicircle is the Villiger coat of arms  and just below that is the text VILLIGER in silver font. The lower portion of the band is blue color with silver trim surrounding it. Sitting on that portion of the band is the text LA FLOR DE YNCLAN in white font.

As for the box design, it incorporates elements from the old Cuban brand, the original Villiger release, as well as some additional modern elements.

Preparation for the Cigar Experience

As I usually do, I opted to use a straight cut to remove the cap of the La Flor de Ynclan Churchill. Once the cap was removed, I commenced with the pre-light draw. The dry draw delivered a mix of wood, cherry, and cream notes. While it was somewhat a simple flavor profile on the pre-light draw, I found it to be quite enjoyable. At this point, I was ready to light up the La Flor de Ynclan Churchill and see what the smoking phase would have in store.

Flavor Profile

The start of the La Flor de Ynclan Churchill delivered a mix of cream, wood, coffee bean, and cherry notes. Early on the cream and coffee bean notes became the primary flavors while the wood and cherry settled in the background. Some black pepper would subsequently emerge in the background as well.

Some black pepper would subsequently ermine in the background as well. Meanwhile, the retro-hale delivered a subtle layer of cedar and some additional black pepper.

Throughout the first third, the cream notes remained primary. The coffee bean notes varied in intensity, but mostly remained grounded in the forefront. There were a few times the cherry sweetness surfaced in the forefront. Meanwhile, the wood and black pepper notes remained secondary.

By the second third or the La Flor de Ynclan Churchill, the coffee bean notes took control as the primary flavor. During this stage, the cream diminished in the background joining the cherry and black pepper notes. The wood notes morphed into more of a classic cedar sweet-spice. These cedar notes increased in intensity and just past the midway point, they joined the coffee bean in the background.

The last third of the cigar experience saw the coffee bean and cedar notes remain in control. The cream and cherry were now greatly diminished. There was an increase in black pepper, but this didnt quite reach the forefront. This is the way the La Flor de Ynclan Churchill remained until the end. The cigar finished up with a nub that was cool in temperature, but somewhat on the softer side.

Burn and Draw

The La Flor de Ynclan Churchill was a well-constructed cigar and this reflected nicely on the burn and draw. This is a cigar that for the most part maintained a straight burn path and had a sharp burn line. The resulting ash was skewed toward the firmer side. It was mostly white in color. The burn rate and burn temperature were both ideal.

The draw to the La Flor de Ynclan Churchill was in a sweet-spot. It was not too loose, nor was it too tight. For a 7-inch cigar, I found this to be a low maintenance cigar to puff on an derive flavor from.

Strength and Body

Overall this was a cigar that started out on the lower end of medium for both the strength and body. There was a slight increase in intensity with both attributes, but in the end, this cigar stayed in the medium range. In terms of strength and body, I found that the strength and body balanced each other nicely with neither attribute overshadowing the other.

Final Thoughts

Its been a long time since I smoked the original La Flor de Ynclan from Villiger, but I can tell you smoking the new 2017 blend, I was quite impressed. The flavors of this new incarnation mesh quite well and they seemed to fit this cigars medium strength, medium-bodied profile nicely. I also found all three sizes to perform quite well, however, the Churchill size seemed to really shine with this blend. This is a cigar that can be enjoyed any time of the day by either the novice or experienced cigar enthusiast. As for myself, this is a cigar I would easily smoke again  and its worthy of a box split.

Summary

Key Flavors: Coffee Bean, Cedar, Wood, Cream, Cherry, Black Pepper

Burn: Excellent

Draw: Excellent

Complexity: Medium+

Strength: Medium

Body: Medium

Finish: Good

Rating

Assessment: 3.5-Box Split

Score: 91

References

News: Villiger La Flor de Ynclan to Return at 2017 IPCPR

Price: $13.00

Source: Villiger Cigars North America

Brand Reference: Villiger
If you are a fan of the 2002 film Kaante, there is some good news for you.

By India Today Web Desk: Back in 2002, when filmmaker Sanjay Gupta got inspired by Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, he brought together a bunch of seven actor to make Kaante. From songs to storyline to performances, everything about Kaante hit the right chord with the audience, and it turned out to be a hit.

And now 15 years later, the filmmaker wants to recreate the magic with its sequel.

advertisement

According to a report in Mid-Day, after the success of his last venture Kaabil, he is all geared up to direct the sequel to the 2002 hit film Kaante.

The reports further suggests that while the original had Amitabh Bachchan, the filmmaker now wants to rope in his son Abhishek Bachchan for the sequel. Along with Bachchan jr, the filmmaker is also keen to have John Abraham in the film.

ALSO READ: For Ranbir Kapoor, Kaabil director Sanjay Gupta has a special project

ALSO READ: Hrithik Roshan is a dream actor for any director, says Sanjay Gupta

MOVIE REVIEW: Kaabil

--- ENDS ---
A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam Monday over a multi-million dollar fraud at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the sector.





HANOI: A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam Monday (Aug 28) over a multi-million dollar fraud at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the sector.





Authorities have vowed to clean up an industry plagued by favouritism and dodgy loans - part of a broader drive against corruption in the country.





In the latest trial, the ex-chairman of Ocean Bank, Ha Van Tham, is accused of illegally approving loans worth US$23 million in 2012, ultimately leading to the bank's demise and stripping him of his status as one of the country's richest men.





Tham and 50 other bankers and businessmen, most of whom worked at Ocean Bank, face various charges related to the illegal loan in the 20-day trial that opened Monday.





Several face the death penalty, according to the lengthy indictment.





The trial involves a record 50 defence lawyers and more than 700 witnesses, and is the second time the accused have appeared after a March trial was postponed for further investigation.





Tham is accused of approving the loan to the Trung Dung real estate company without proper collateral.





The head of the real estate company, Pham Cong Danh, is currently in jail for a separate conviction of economic mismanagement.





Ocean Group, which includes real estate and hotel subsidiaries, enjoyed a meteoric rise after its founding in 2007, and was valued at US$500 million in 2013 under Tham's stewardship.





But after Tham was arrested in 2014, most bank branches shut and the State Bank of Vietnam, the central bank, acquired Ocean Bank for US$0.





Ocean Group is still active in real estate and hotels and services and was valued at about US$3.5 million in 2016, according to its website.





Vietnam has already jailed dozens of bankers in other high-profile banking cases, which some see as a commitment to cleaning up the sector.





"(Monday's) trial shows progress made by the Vietnamese government in the fight against corruption," Nguyen Hoang Hai, deputy chairman of the Association of Financial Investors, told AFP.





In September last year 36 former Vietnam Construction Bank employees were given jail terms of up to 30 years, after they were accused of secretly withdrawing millions of dollars from clients' accounts to use for loans or keep for themselves.





Bad debts have long plagued the banking industry. They make up some eight percent of outstanding loans, according to the state bank, though experts say the real number could be far higher.





Authorities have also targeted other sectors in their anti-corruption drive, though analysts say convictions are often driven by political infighting rather than a genuine commitment to reform.





This month Germany accused Vietnam of kidnapping Trinh Xuan Thanh, a former oil executive accused of corruption, from a Berlin park.





Officials in Vietnam said he turned himself over to police in Hanoi voluntarily.





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Agence France-Presse, August 28, 2017
HRANA News Agency  Saman Naseem, death row juvenile offender in Uremia prison was transferred to the court for verification of his age at the time of arrest. The examination was conducted by forensic officers but no result has been publicized yet.





According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Saman Naseem, death row juvenile offender, who is imprisoned in ward number 12 of central prison of Uremia was transferred to the revolutionary court of Uremia in order to be examined regarding his age at the time arrest, by presence of judge and forensic officers on June 1, 2017, even though he had previously been examined and it had been confirmed by the forensic that he was under 18 at the time of the alleged crime.





A close source to Mr. Naseem told HRANAs reporter, Saman Naseem was transferred to the revolutionary court of Uremia court by presence of presiding judge, to be examined by few physicians for verification of his mental growth, at the time of the alleged crime.





This source continued, during the examination he got naked above the belly, his arms were examined and those kind of things, but the presiding judge did not ask any question and they did not say anything and just returned him to prison.





HRANA had previously reported that Saman Naseem had been examined by forensic officers and they had confirmed his mental growth at the time of the alleged crime was under 18. This report was sent to the presiding judge.





In October 2016 HRANA reported that this juvenile offender had been summoned to the court and was questioned there. Close sources to this prisoner had reported about the letter of head of judiciary to stop of the execution order. But local security authorities insisted and intervened and demanded this sentence to be executed.





Need to be mentioned, prison authorities in Uremia prison summoned four death row prisoners including Saman Naseem in April 2016, Mohammad Abdullahi, and two others prisoners and warned them that due to new regulations administered by prison bureau, and Uremia judiciary, and certainty of their sentences, there was not much left until their executions.





Saman Naseem, born on December 8, 1993, was arrested in 2013 while he was 17 years old and sentenced to death on charge of Muharebeh by using fire weapons and membership in one of opposition Kurdish parties in Mahabad revolutionary court, which was eventually confirmed in the Supreme Court.





Saman Naseem did not have access to a lawyer during the investigation. He has stated that he was tortured all the time during the interrogations; those tortures included pulling out his nails and being hanged upside down for few hours.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
NCRI - The Iranian regimes judiciary has sentenced to death political prisoner Mohammad Ali Taheri, his attorney told news agencies on Sunday.





Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei told The Associated Press that the court has sentenced his client to death on charges of founding a cult.





The 61-year-old Taheri has been held in solitary confinement for over six years in Tehrans Evin prison.





In an Urgent Action issued in July, Amnesty International had warned about Mr. Taheri facing death Penalty.





Amnesty International statement said: Prisoner of conscience Mohammad Ali Taheri is accused of spreading corruption on earth (efsad-e fel arz) through the establishment of the spiritual group Erfan-e Halgheh and its related teachings. His trial started on 6 March before Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.





This is the third time that Mohammad Ali Taheri is standing trial on the charge of spreading corruption on earth. The first time was in 2011 when a Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced him to five years imprisonment for insulting Islamic sanctities but said further investigations were necessary before it could rule on the charge of spreading corruption on earth





For the next four years, the authorities kept him in solitary confinement in Section 2A of Evin prison, where he remains imprisoned, under the pretext of conducting investigations. This time counted toward his five-year sentence, which was deemed complete in February 2016. He was ultimately tried again on the charge of spreading corruption on earth in 2015 and sentenced to death, but he was acquitted in June 2016. Despite this, he was not released and in late 2016, the authorities charged him again with spreading corruption on earth based on the same activities that had formed the basis of his 2011 conviction.





On Sunday, a group of Mr Taheris followers gathered outside Revolutionary Court in Tehran to protest the death penalty.





In recent weeks, authorities have detained dozens of his followers protesting ill treatment of Mr. Taheri.

Iran Sentences Faith Healing Shiite Mystic to Death

TEHRAN  The founder of a mystical, New Age version of Shiite Islam was sentenced to death by an Iranian court after losing an appeal, his lawyer said on Monday.





However, the religious mystic, Mohammad Ali Taheri, who was convicted on charges of founding a cult, is entitled to another appeal, the lawyer, Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaei, said. An earlier death sentence for blasphemy against the 61-year old was overturned in 2014 by an appeals court.





In recent weeks, dozens of Mr. Taheris followers have been arrested across the country, especially around the central Iranian city of Isfahan.





But opponents of the spiritual leader say his conviction has nothing to do with proselytizing for a cult, saying he has had illegitimate sexual relations with women.





He has committed sodomy, said Hamidreza Taraghi, a hard-line political analyst. Sodomy, if testified to by at least four separate witnesses, also carries the death sentence in Iran. His followers deny the accusations.





Around 2005, Mr. Taheri, a researcher in alternative medicines, founded a group called Circle of Mysticism, focused on faith-based healings and their understandings of the universe. Initially, Mr. Taheris teachings were tolerated by Irans religious establishment, which is quite restrictive about alternative versions of its understanding of Shiite Islam. He was allowed to give public speeches and publish books, and attracted a following across the country.





In a video laying out his theories, Mr. Taheri says that humans are as extensive as the universe and are comprised of infinite parts. He says that people can act as healers and find cures, using ultra healing, which works beyond human knowledge.





As Mr. Taheris following grew, hard-line clerics started objecting to his practices, saying that he was a false mystic and that his group was a deviant sect.





He was first arrested in 2010 but released soon after. In 2011, Mr. Taheri was arrested again, and has remained in prison ever since.





In rejecting his appeal on Sunday, a revolutionary court ruled that he was spreading corruption on earth, an Islamic ruling often reserved for apostates, political figures and fraudulent businessmen, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported.





Also on Sunday, a couple dozen of his followers protested the death sentence in front of one of Tehrans revolutionary courts. It is unclear if any of these people were arrested. Some months ago, during a similar protest, in front of Evin prison in Tehran, several were arrested.





He has taught me to connect to god through happiness not sorrow, said Saba Motmaen, a 27-year-old web administrator and follower of Mr. Taheri. While she has never met him herself, she said that the spiritual world was more dear to her than her own life, and that he had opened it up to her.





He is a great teacher, who taught me and others how to connect to god. Many great people have gone to the scaffolds, she said. He has stood by his beliefs. This proves his righteousness.

Taheris Death Sentence Will Not Stand, Says Hopeful Lawyer

The lawyer for imprisoned Iranian spiritual leader Mohammad Ali Taheri is optimistic that the latest death sentence against his client will again be turned down upon appeal.





The verdict, issued by Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh of Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court on August 27, 2017 on the charge of corruption on earth will be appealed within the 20-day legal deadline, attorney Mahmoud Alizadeh Tabatabaee told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).





The Supreme Court has already rejected the death sentence against my client on the same charge and I am hopeful that it will once again declare the verdict unlawful and reject it, said Tabatabaee.





The attorney added that the verdict had been issued on the basis of Article 286 of Irans Islamic Penal Code which states, Any person, who extensively commits felony against the bodily entity of people, offenses against internal or international security of the state, spreading lies, disruption of the economic system of the state, arson and destruction of properties, distribution of poisonous and bacterial and dangerous materials, and establishment of, or aiding and abetting in, places of corruption and prostitution, [on a scale] that causes severe disruption in the public order of the state and insecurity, or causes harsh damage to the bodily entity of people or public or private properties, or causes distribution of corruption and prostitution on a large scale, shall be considered as mofsed-e-fel-arz [corrupt on earth] and shall be sentenced to death.





As leader of the Erfan-e Halgheh spiritual organization established in the 2000s, Taheri, 61, was arrested on May 4, 2010 and charged with insulting the sacred, immoral contact with women, and carrying out illegal medical procedures. At the time, he also taught at Tehran University and practiced a form of alternative medicine.





He was sentenced to five years in prison and 74 lashes, along with a nine-billion rial (approximately $300,000 USD) fine. But instead of being released at the end of his sentence, he was re-questioned about his books and sentenced to death for spreading corruption on earth. In December 2015, the Supreme Court rejected the death penalty and asked the lower court to review and issue a new sentence.





I dont understand such a sentence being issued in todays world where freedom of speech is respected, Taheris sister, Azardokht, told CHRI in reaction to the second death sentence.





More importantly, the Supreme Court had already acquitted my brother and rejected his execution. So how can you sentence him to death again for the same charge?





His sentence must be thrown out and he should go free. Any outcome other than his freedom will be unusual and unlawful. This is the verdict his interrogators decided for him. The trial was just a pretense.





They say the sentence is based on charges stemming from his writings. But they denied several requests by my brother for copies of his book in prison to prepare for his defense. He wrote the books 10 years ago and hes been in prison since 2010. He needed to read his books again to be able to defend himself.





Irans security establishment has cracked down on Taheri and supporters of his Erfan-e Halgheh spiritual group, viewing it and any other organized alternative beliefs as a threat to the prevailing Shia religious establishment.





During a speech on December 28, 2016, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described the emergence of spiritual groups in Iran as a Western plot to undermine Islam.





The enemies are plotting to weaken our young peoples faith in Islam and Islamic principles by encouraging promiscuity and promoting false spirituality, Bahaism and home churches, he said.





In March 2017, Irans state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) aired a documentary titled  The Devils Circle , which included alleged confessions from Taheri and several of his followers about the groups ideology and activities. In the heavily edited interviews, Taheris students claimed he taught anti-Islamic ideas.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

NCRI, August 27, 2017 The New York Times , Thomas Erdbrink, August 28, 2017 Center for Human Rights in Iran , August 28, 2917
A housewife escaped the gallows for killing her 22-month-old daughter 2 years ago after the High Court here found her to be of unsound mind when committing the offence.





Daphne Phang Mei Kei, 28, clad in a pink jacket over an orange shirt and jeans, was all smiles and even shook hands with other accused at the courthouse here when Judicial Commissioner Siti Khadijah S. Hassan Badjenid issued her ruling.





Siti Khadijah ruled that the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case, which held that the accused was responsible for her daughter's death.





However, Daphne was ordered to be sent to the Permai Psychiatric Hospital in Tampoi, Johor, at the pleasure of the Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob.





"Under Section 84 of the Penal Code, Daphne was (deemed) of unsound mind when committing the murder, and was incapable of knowing the nature of the act, or that what she was doing what either wrong or contrary to the law.





"Due to this, the court has ordered, under Section 348 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (safe custody of person acquitted), for Daphne to be placed under the safe custody of the Permai Hospital in Johor Baru.





"Daphne is to be confined to the psychiatric hospital at the pleasure of the Melaka Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob under Section 348 (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code," Siti Khadijah said.





Earlier, the atmosphere at the courthouse was tense, as Daphne's relatives anxiously awaited the sentencing hearing. Family members appeared calm and composed, and breathed a sigh of relief after the court's verdict.





On Aug 4, 2015, Daphne was charged at the Alor Gajah magistrate's court with killing her daughter, who was aged 1 year and 10 months. She was accused of murdering Evan Chee Xin Ci at 5.30pm on July 20, 2015 at her house at No. PS 2237, Jalan Padi Indah Utama, Taman Padi Indah, Pulau Sebang here.





She was charged under Section 302 of the Penal Code, which carries the mandatory death penalty upon conviction.





It was reported that Daphne, who was pregnant at the time, had tossed Evan in the air before knocking her head on the floor several times, as she was annoyed with her continuous crying for milk. Evan died later that day.





The case was initially classified as "sudden death." However, a post-mortem showed that the child had suffered 2 severe cracks on the rear of her skull, apart from fresh swelling on her forehead and nose.





Old injuries were also found on her body.





More than 25 prosecution and defence witnesses were called during the trial.





Deputy public prosecutor, Ifa Sirrhu Samsudin prosecuted, while lawyer Tiu Leong Kim represented Daphne.





It is understood that Daphne has 3 other children by her 35-year-old husband.





 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!





"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed, but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde
The mosque in Ripoll where Es Satty was imam. REUTERS

Abdelbaki Es Satty, the Moroccan imam who headed the terrorist cell that perpetrated the attacks in Catalonia on August 17 and August 18, had been radicalized at least a decade ago. But his training enabled him to lead an outwardly normal life that drew no attention from residents of Ripoll, the small town in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees where he lived.

On Saturday evening, hundreds of thousands of people, including King Felipe of Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and regional Catalan premier Carles Puigdemont, marched in Barcelona in a show of unity against the terrorist attack that has claimed 16 lives to date in Barcelona and in the seaside town of Cambrils.

A 51-year-old German woman who was seriously injured in the attack on Barcelonas La Rambla promenade became the 16th victim of the attacks when she died in hospital on Sunday.

We found nothing relevant and the wiretaps were stopped. Otherwise, we would have arrested him Spanish police officer

Es Satty, who died in an explosion inside a house in Alcanar, some 300 kilometers south of Barcelona, where he and other cell members had been manipulating large amounts of butane gas canisters  presumably to prepare a bomb attack  was trained chiefly by Mohamed Mrabet, a 48-year-old butcher of Moroccan origin who lived in the Catalan town of Vilanova i la Geltru. Mrabets wife, Kdadija Virginia Pood, is a British national who converted to Islam.

Mrabet worked at the Al Furkan mosque by day, and by night he headed an Al Qaeda group that called itself the Viceless of the West. Personal documents belonging to Es Satty  which suggest he intended to kill himself in a major attack before his accidental death  turned up inside the home of Mrabet, who spent years sending a long list of volunteers to their death in Syria and Iraq after indoctrinating them at his home. Some of these volunteers achieved their goals: Belgacem Bellil, 31, drove a bomb truck into a group of people in Nasiriyah, Iraq, killing 28 people. Others were caught and sent to Morocco.

Two of the latter, Hassan Mordoude and Ahmed Said Hssisni, were found to have ties to an Al Qaeda group that carried out the Casablanca attacks in 2003. Another suspect was Es Satty. The Spanish police tapped his phone for several months in 2005, but we found nothing relevant and the wiretaps were stopped. Otherwise, we would have arrested him, says a senior police officer.

The cell investigated by the police was made up of at least 22 people. After Mrabet was arrested, investigators found a document in his home entitled Clandestinity in jihad is a legitimate duty. In 2008 EL PAIS unveiled the contents of this manual, whose goal is to help jihadists avoid detection.

Lies and disguises are authorized if the goal is to punish the infidels The manual for Salafi jihadism

Es Satty followed these recommendations, making none of the mistakes that might have led to his arrest in Spain. The manual follows the precepts of Takfir Wal-Hijra (excommunication and exodus), the most radical and violent strand of Salafi jihadism.

Secrecy is a key factor in any war. It is a mistake to reject its use in Jihad, because the ruling infidels have recruited thousands of intelligence agents to obtain information from the mujahideen, reads article 1 of the manual. The second article is even clearer: The Muslim must imitate the infidels in the way they dress if it benefits Islam. Just like the Jews who used to live in the Arab peninsula in the days of the prophet.

The instructions went on to encourage lying: Lies and disguises are authorized if the goal is to punish the infidels.

Es Satty followed these recommendations, always avoiding beards in his ID photographs and changing his routine. Nobody knew that for a year, he had been meeting the young men who would carry out and prepare the attacks in Catalonia secretly in Ripoll.

Es Satty was their ringleader. Police found a single belt primed with explosives, which they believe was meant for him as the leader of the group. This man had decided a long time ago to commit a large attack and to go down in history as the perpetrator, says a police officer and counter-terrorism expert. His early contacts with the Vilanova cell and his relationship with several volunteers who wanted to join the jihad in Iraq shows that he was moving in those circles for many years. His trip to Vilvoorne [a center of jihadist activity in Belgium] confirms it. It took him a long time to find this group of young men and fulfill his personal dream.

English version by Susana Urra.
The explosion in Alcanar. Photo of iman Abdelbaki es Satty.

Abdelbakri Es Satty, the ringleader of the cell that carried out the terror attacks in Catalonia earlier this month, had established himself in the small town of Ripoll in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees, working as the local imam, a position that allowed him to act as a recruiter for the so-called Islamic State, or ISIS.

But unlike other imams arrested and jailed in Europe over recent years for promoting jihad, 44-year-old Es Satty carried out his indoctrination in secret, and whats more, was also directly involved in organizing the attacks to be carried out by his followers.

They can be recruiters that select young men, but they can also provide psychological leadership Counter-terrorism expert John Horgan

They carry out two functions, says counter-terrorism expert John Horgan of the University of Georgia of Muslim clerics involved in the recent spate of attacks in Europe claimed by ISIS.

They can be recruiters that select and encourage young men to get them involved, but they can also be facilitators who provide psychological and spiritual leadership, explains Horgan. Es Satty probably fulfilled both roles, and unusually, oversaw the preparations for the attack on August 17. He was killed in an explosion the day before in a house some 300 kilometers south of Barcelona being used to make bombs.

Counter-terrorism experts say this is the first time an imam has been directly involved in preparing a terrorist attack in Europe. Spanish police say they believe Es Satty intended to blow himself up in an attack.

Unlike Es Satty, Tarik Chadlioui, a 44-year-old Moroccan cleric, was known to the intelligence services, and had traveled around Europe. He was arrested in the British city of Birmingham on June 28. It has since emerged he had been in Spain.

Counter-terrorism experts say this is the first time an imam has been directly involved in preparing a terrorist attack in Europe

He had visited Mallorca in early 2015 where he began to create a group, those who are now under arrest, with the intention of recruiting, indoctrinating and radicalizing on behalf of ISIS, becoming from that moment, their spiritual leader, according to the Spanish police.

Chadlioui, a successful fundraiser, was arrested by the British police on the same day that four members of his cell were detained in Spain. One of them, Abdelbakir Mahmoudi, was planning an attack in the town of Inca, on Mallorca.

During a stay in France, Chadlioui preached at the mosque at Luce, in the town of Courcouronnes, south of Paris. He has been linked to Omar Mostefai, who visited the mosque regularly and was one of the perpetrators of the terrorist attacks at the Bataclan music venue in Paris in November 2015.

Police also linked Mostefai to Abdelilah Ziyad, a 59-year-old Moroccan cleric who was jailed for eight years in 1995 for masterminding the attacks a year earlier on a hotel in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh in which two Spaniards were killed.

Ziyad has denied any involvement in terrorism, as have all the other Muslim clerics arrested by European police in recent years, among them Olivier Corel, the so-called white emir, following the Bataclan attacks. Born in Syria (his real name is Abdel Ilat Dandachi, he was accused of instigating the group that carried out the attacks that killed 90 people and left dozens wounded on November 13, 2016, a charge he denies.

Farid Benyettou, a 35-year-old French Algerian, also denied any involvement in the attack against the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015. In 2005, he was found guilty of recruiting jihadist volunteers at a Paris mosque to fight in Iraq for ISIS. He underwent a de-radicalization process in jail and trained to be a nurse. He attended several of the people wounded in the Charlie Hebdo attack at the Paris hospital where he worked.

Es Sattys case has similarities with that of fellow Moroccan Khalid Zerkani, who was convicted by a Belgian court of propagating extremist ideas among disturbed and vulnerable young people. He had helped to send young men to Syria, among them Suleimane Abrini, the brother of Mohamed Abrini, who took part in the terrorist attack at Brussels airport in March 2016.

But neither Zerkani, Benyettou, Ziyad, and Choudary got their hands dirty in the same way that Es Satty did. The only precedent is the attacks that took place in London in 2005: among the four men who carried it out, Mohammad Sidique Khan, a 30-year-old community worker who masterminded the bombings.

English version by Nick Lyne.
La Concha beach in San Sebastian. javier hernandez

The terrorist attacks in Catalonia could have economic consequences as well. The most likely ones involve the attractiveness of our tourist destinations. The risk factors that had, until now, sent flows of international visitors to Spain instead of other destinations could also work in reverse. This is an additional reason to reflect on the future viability of an industry that is essential to our countrys prosperity. And also to eliminate the budding tourism-phobia that has recently emerged in some institutions, endangering an important source of wealth and jobs.

Spain is a world power on the tourism front. The industry contributes over 11% to the economys GDP and represents 13% of all jobs. Its positive evolution in recent years has been a determining factor in the reduction of the deficit in the current account balance. In the first six months of this year, there were over 36 million international tourists in Spain, a 11.6% rise from the same period last year. If the trend persists in the coming months, 2017 will again set a new record in terms of revenues and visitors  there were 75 million tourists last year  for the fifth year in a row.

The combination of exposure to terrorist threats and cheap offers should accelerate reforms that have been long sought by some industry members

The main risk, a drop in British visitors  feared after Brexit  has been averted. There were 8.6 million visitors from Britain in the first half of this year, a 9% rise from the first six months of 2016, and these tourists spent over 7.5 billion. To a lesser degree, other Europeans have also increased their preference for Spain as a vacation destination.

But the industry is in no way immune to threats, as we have just witnessed. Deteriorating quality of equipment and services is one threat, as is the lack of deviation from the cheap-sun-and-sand formula that makes up tourisms main competitive edge. This trait is very price-sensitive, and experience has proven that it is also highly exposed to the perception of risk of a terrorist attack and political instability in alternative destinations.

To entrust the industrys future to continuing low prices and a risk-free environment is a mistake, because a rise in visitor numbers coupled with reduced average spending is bad business. This option does not allow for an improved offering; it attracts visitors who care little for other attractive spots in the country, it leads to a deterioration in infrastructure and the environment, and it adds to the weariness shown by Spaniards themselves when it comes to some popular destinations.

The terrible terrorist attacks in Catalonia represent something more than a wake-up call about the vulnerability of the industrys bonanza years. This region is the main recipient of foreign tourism in Spain: in the first half of 2017 it held the first spot in tourist arrival numbers: over 8.6 million visitors, a 10.3% rise from the previous year, and with spending of over 8.1 billion. It is precisely in Catalonia, and more explicitly in Barcelona, where some residents have manifested their weariness with the excessive tourist flows, and where local officials have acted in ways that are far from recommendable.

That combination of exposure to terrorist threats and an excess of cheap offers should accelerate reforms that have been long sought by some industry members. These reforms should control the number of available tourist lodgings, and also help improve the quality of the same while diversifying the offer. Spain has the business acumen and the cultural, historical and culinary attributes to create an offer that can generate greater revenue at a lower cost for all, without generating an aversion to visitors.

English version by Susana Urra.
By PTI: sector

By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Aug 28 (PTI) There is a great prospect for cooperation between India and the US in the energy sector, the top Indian envoy to Washington has said as he visited the resource-rich Alaska to explore the possibility of importing oil and gas from the state.

Indian Ambassador Navtej Sarna met Alaskas Governor Bill Walker during which energy co-operation was an important aspect of the discussions.

advertisement

Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation president Keith Meyer made a detailed presentation to him on potential opportunities for India in Alaskan gas and oil.

"Great prospect for Oil and Gas Cooperation between India and Alaska," the Indian Embassy in Washington DC quoted Sarna as saying during his recent visit to Alaska.

"It?s something worth exploring," Sarna said as he concluded his Alaska on Friday.

An Indian delegation to discuss technical aspects could visit Alaska soon.

Alaska is said to have one of the world?s largest proven natural gas resources.

Sarna?s visit with focus on energy comes just days after the first consignments of American crude oil left from Texas to India. It is likely to reach Paradip (Odisha) in the last week of September.

Of late, the Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation has been marketing its gas with focus on Asian markets.

"Alaska is another state with a huge potential of oil and gas," Sarna said.

The Ambassador also had a meeting with the 11th Air Force commander Lt Gen Ken Wilsbach, who is head of Alaskan Command and NORAD or North American Aerospace Defence Command.

Sarna also interacted with Indian students, researchers and academicians at the University of Fairbanks.

"Inspiring discovery, Inspiring greatness"!...Engaging with students & faculty on research & co-oprn,? the Indian Embassy tweeted. PTI LKJ NSA

--- ENDS ---
Sex workers in Amsterdam's red light district. GETTY

Prostitution has been legal in the Netherlands since 2000, but sex workers, who pay taxes and must register with the chamber of commerce as self-employed, cant get someone to sell them a house. Banks also dont want to issue credit cards in their name for professional uses, only personal, because its a risky and stigmatized job.

Almost two decades later, the law still hasnt normalized sex work, so My Red Light, the first brothel run by prostitutes, wants to help change things. It has been open for three months in the red light district of Amsterdam and uses 13 of its 14 windows for displays that have made the district famous. Thats at night. During the day, when there are more tourists than clients, they only use three or four.

Local government greenlighted the project, but it is not a municipal brothel and does not receive subsidies

It will take time, but we hope that the project, which is unprecedented in the world, will serve to emancipate and empower women (also transsexuals and men) who work voluntarily, says Justine le Clercq, a spokeswoman for My Red Light.

An artist and a writer, Justine, 50, ended up on the streets between the ages of 18 and 21 because of drugs, and she speaks passionately about My Red Light. It aims to create, she says, a community where sex workers (of which there are about 40) feel secure in being part of the leadership. The brothel is distributed between four buildings owned by the City Council, which later sold them to a foundation. Its not a municipal brothel. The rent is paid for with the prostitutes income, she says. This needs to be clarified. We do not receive subsidies, although we do compete with the 10 other brothels in Amsterdam.

The government greenlighted the project after closing some 125 windows in the area and now it watches its evolution, and nothing more, adds Jasper Karmen, a spokesman for the mayor. Lyle Muns, a sex worker and member of the board of My Red Light, emphasizes in an email the talent, innovation, and creativity that the sector offers. Many people think of exploitation, sexual abuse and drug addiction when talking about sex work, but projects like this show that sex workers are much more than that.

Decorated to their taste

Decorated in red and black tones by the interior designer Janpaul Scholtmeijer of the Vens architecture studio, with furniture from the Lensvelt firm, the workers dictated their preferences for the space, highlighting strict hygiene standards. Instead of floor tiles, like the other brothels use, they installed linoleum, which is warmer. To avoid any tension, My Red Light pays the same fee for the windows as the rest: 80 from 10am to 8pm, and 160 from 8pm to 5am. The minimum fee charged the customer is usually 50 for half an hour.

I realize that is it difficult to understand someone choosing this profession, but not all sex workers are victims Justine le Clercq, My Red Light spokeswoman



Form there, there are no limits, says Justine, who prides herself on differentiating voluntary prostitution from sex trafficking, a horrendous crime. I understand that is it difficult to understand someone choosing this profession, she continues. But not all prostitutes are victims, or victims of trafficking. In the Netherlands there is more human trafficking in the flower industry, greenhouses, or construction. Im sure that in the Red Light district there is no more. The problem is that they cant stand up to defend themselves, but we will continue to make the difference.

But this enthusiastic view is subject to nuance. Jolanda de Boer, a prosecutor specializing in people trafficking, says that My Red Light is a good idea but that there is also trafficking going on in Amsterdams red light district.

It is hard to find the places, and no matter how many laws we pass, its just so easy to bring a girl over from Eastern Europe and put her in a window display against her will the moment she arrives... she notes.

De Boer admits that the reality of women who are prostitutes of their own free will is not my field of expertise, but she believes that these represent a minority, and she worries about prostitution being considered a normal job.

There is no school of prostitution, and kids dont go around saying that they want to be prostitutes when they grow up, she says. Its respectable, but I think that calling it a normal job is an insult to many women, who may not be reporting their own situation. Controls are necessary, otherwise it is the traffickers who win out. And thats when we really start talking about victims.

English version by Debora Almeida.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.28

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The United States is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Schofer as the next US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, said the message from the US State Department.

The United States remains firmly committed to the Minsk Group Process and helping the sides reach a peaceful settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said the message.

United States supports a just settlement that must be based on international law and Andrew Schofer looks forward to helping the sides achieve this goal, said the message.

The governments Azerbaijan and Armenia have been informed of Andrew Schofers appointment, according to the message.

Andrew Schofer will assume his new position effective immediately.

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 have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijans territory, 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 region and the surrounding districts.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

Trend:

Azerbaijans State Security Service (SSS) has eliminated Yashar Javadov, who was suspected of planning to commit a terrorist attack in the country, the State Service said in a message.

As a result of the counter-terrorism investigation, the SSS had established that, Azerbaijani citizen Yashar Javadov had joined a religious extremist terrorist group and took part in the military conflicts outside of the country. Upon return to Azerbaijan he had received funds from the mentioned group, acquired firearms and explosives, and was planning to commit an attack against a state institution.

In line with the criminal case initiated by the SSS, immediate operational-investigative measures were conducted in Azerbaijans Ismayilli city. In the course of the measures conducted by SSS on Aug 27 Yashar Javadov was found using firearms in a public place. Suspect confronted the SSSs special operations group with the armed resistance and, as a result, was eliminated.

Followed searches unveiled crime related documents, including direct proof of Javadovs being funded by the terrorist group operating abroad.

Operational-investigative measures currently continue.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Aug. 28

By Demir Azizov - Trend:

Almalyk Mining and Metallurgical Combine (AMMC, Almalyk city, Tashkent region), a monopoly copper producer in Uzbekistan, will execute a $420 million-worth project to develop Yoshlik II porphyry copper deposit (former Kyzata, Tashkent region) by 2024, according to the decree of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

The main parameters of the investment project have been approved in the document. The deposit should reach its designed capacity by 2023. It is planned to produce up to two million tons of ore at the deposit annually.

The Uzbek president instructed the State Committee for Geology and Mineral Resources of Uzbekistan to issue AMMC a license for the subsoil usage rights "without public bidding, on the results of direct negotiations."

AMMC must prepare a feasibility study for the project until September 1, 2018. The enterprise was granted a number of benefits, including tax and customs concessions, for the duration of the project implementation. The financing will be provided through a loan worth $350 million from the Fund for Reconstruction and Development of Uzbekistan, loans from local banks and AMMCs own funds.

It was earlier reported that in April 2017, AMMC has started developing the Dalneye porphyry copper deposit. The combine started implementation of the first phase, which envisages development of the Central quarry of the Dalneye deposit, execution of overburden and mining operations, as well as construction of the facilities for production, transport, energy and other auxiliary infrastructure.

The second phase (2019-2028) envisages construction of a complex of processing, smelting, associated and auxiliary facilities, with the processing capacity of 23 million tons of ore per year and the continuation of overburden and mining operations.

The processing capacity of these facilities is planned to reach 35 million tons of ore per year before 2028.

The total cost of the project is about $1.7 billion.

According to the Uzbek presidential decree, the Dalneye deposit was renamed to Yoshlik I, and the Kyzata deposit was renamed to Yoshlik II. The projects will be implemented simultaneously.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Hungary intends to raise the level of cooperation with Azerbaijan to a long-term partnership and expects the intensification of relations with the Azerbaijani business circles, Deputy State Secretary of Hungary Zsolt Csutora said in an interview with Trend.

Hungary and Azerbaijan have friendly political relations, without any outstanding problematic issues. We see our partnership as strategic not only on the bilateral basis, but on the level of the European Union as well. Our bilateral relations might be characterized by the regular contacts at the highest level: last year Prime Minister Viktor Orban paid an official visit to Baku, and President Ilham Aliyev is going to visit Hungary in October this year. The Hungarian-Azerbaijani Joint Economic Commission is chaired at ministerial level, which is quite rare in our practice, said Csutora.

However, our economic relationship falls short of its potential and of the intensity of our political cooperation. Thus, we are committed to enhance and deepen our economic cooperation; we expect that President Aliyevs visit will give a new impetus for the intensification of the B2B relations, which is in the interest of both sides, he noted.

According to him, Hungary looks forward to all kinds of cooperation with Azerbaijan, including mutually favorable investments or joint ventures.

We intend to move away from the simple turnover of goods in favor of long-term cooperation. The most perspective areas are construction industry, food processing industry, logistics, IT, water sector, and healthcare industry, said the Hungarian official.

He also noted the availability of favorable opportunities for Azerbaijani investments in Hungary.

The Hungarian market offers favorable tax possibilities, skilled workforce, outstanding logistical infrastructure and a bridge to the European market for the Azerbaijani investors. Foreign direct investments are supported by the Hungarian Investment Promotion Agency (HIPA) which is supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said Csutora.

The diplomat noted that Hungary considers Azerbaijan as a strategic partner both in terms of national and European energy security.

We are pleased to see that Azerbaijani natural gas exports will reach Europe within just a few years. We are working on North-South pipeline connectors in our region to ensure Hungarian access to the new Azerbaijani supplies, he added.

According to him, the cooperation between the Hungarian oil company MOL and Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR has a long tradition.

Both sides are looking for mutually beneficial projects. Our friendly political relations provide an appropriate framework for the cooperation of our strategic companies, said the Hungarian official.

Earlier, Hungarian MOL Group expressed its interest to participate in oil and gas projects in Azerbaijan.

According to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, trade turnover with Hungary amounted to about $20 million in January-July 2017, and almost the entire amount accounts for the supply of Hungarian products to Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that Azerbaijan and Hungary outlined promising areas of cooperation at the talks of the two countries foreign ministers during the official visit of the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov to Budapest in early August. The parties expressed interest in developing cooperation in such areas as transport, agriculture, industry, education, pharmaceutics and others.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

Azerbaijan can start exporting packaging materials to Kazakhstan, Aydin Karimov, managing director of METAK Company, which is the producer of steel pipes and other products in Azerbaijan, told Trend Aug. 28.

Karimov noted that currently, the companys production volumes more than fully meet the domestic demand and METAK plans to start exporting packaging materials.

The production volume is quite big, and it should be noted that we are the biggest producer of packaging in Azerbaijan. Currently, we more than fully meet domestic demand and plan to start exporting our products abroad. Currently, the main interest to our products is shown by Kazakhstan, said the managing director.

He emphasized that the company is gradually expanding its production activity.

We have created several production sites in the country  plants are already working in Sumgayit, Balakhani and Gusar. Moreover, we have already supplied the necessary equipment to Neftchala and are planning to start the production process after the completion of recruitment process, added Karimov.

METAK Company has been operating since 1997. The company offers local and foreign customers more than 250 products, including pipes and fittings made of polypropylene, glass fiber reinforced pipes and metal-plastic fittings.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 28

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) will reduce its oil export as part of the OPEC output cut deal by late 2017.

The countrys ADNOC company has decided to reduce the Murban, Das and Upper Zakum oil supplies by 10 percent in October, UAE Minister of Energy Suhail Al Mazroui tweeted Aug.28.

The company has declared monthly reduction in oil supplies for 2017 as a sign of UAEs commitment to reduce its crude output as part of the OPEC deal, said the minister.

On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 23

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

It is unlikely that the oil market balance will be achieved by March 2018, William Arthurs, chairman of the London-based Transatlantic Institute, told Trend.

"OPEC and the other producers, who have agreed to cut production up to March 2018, may attempt to stabilize or slightly increase prices," said the expert, adding that this will only encourage further investment in US shale production technology, which cannot be controlled by OPEC.

"For this reason, it is unlikely that market balance will be achieved by March 2018. (Any disruption in production in Venezuela, caused by the current political unrest, would have a minor effect on inventory reductions.)," added Arthurs.

These factors are likely to make concerted action on production cuts beyond March 2018, difficult for OPEC to follow through, he believes.

"For market balance to be achieved in the medium term, OPEC would have to inspire confidence and credibility in the market. With the disruptive effect of shale production, this will be hard to achieve. The real long-term price trend for oil will be down," said the expert.

The possibility of agreement within OPEC on further measures to extend or increase production cuts, depends on the relative standing of OPEC's individual members, between whom the current geopolitical situation has created stresses, and who have widely differing production costs: strains in these relationships are becoming apparent in current historically low compliance levels, as recently reported by the International Energy Agency, according to Arthurs.

On May 25, OPEC member countries and non-OPEC parties, Azerbaijan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Brunei Darussalam, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Sultanate of Oman, the Russian Federation, Republic of Sudan, and the Republic of South Sudan agreed to extend the production adjustments for a further period of nine months, with effect from July 1, 2017.

The reductions will be on the same terms as those agreed in November.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Aug. 28

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmenistans parliament has adopted draft resolutions "On ratification of the Strategic Cooperation Agreement between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan", "On Ratification of the Strategic Cooperation Treaty between Turkmenistan and the Republic of Kazakhstan, said the Turkmen government in a message.

Turkmenistan and neighboring countries, which have impressive reserves of hydrocarbon resources, stand for diversification of energy flows. The implementation of the project on construction of the Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China gas pipeline, commissioned in 2009, is a good example for that.

Ashgabat is also ready to intensify cooperation within the project on supply of electricity from Central to South Asia along the route Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Tajikistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan. Ashgabat and Astana are discussing the prospects of trade and economic partnership, the development of legal and contractual base, the cooperation in the gas sector, agriculture, and the development of transboundary mineral deposits, transport, environment and fisheries.

Moreover, a project on construction of transnational railway route Kazakhstan-Turkmenistan-Iran was completed in December 2014. According to preliminary calculations, final annual volume of freight traffic may reach 10-12 million tons.

Goods can be freely transported to the countries of the Persian Gulf, to the Indian Ocean, and to be exported to Europe via this route. In 2016, Kazakhstan joined the Central Asia-Middle East (Uzbekistan-Turkmenistan-Iran-Oman) transport corridor project.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Kamila Aliyeva  Trend:

A meeting between Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Secretary-General of World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai was held Aug. 27, according to the information published on the website of Uzbek Foreign Ministry.

Rifai arrived to Uzbekistan in order to participate in the international conference "Central Asian Renaissance in the history of world civilization" in the city of Samarkand.

At the meeting, Uzbek leader noted the dynamic and fruitful cooperation with the specialized UN institute in the field of tourism.

Promising areas of further expansion of practical cooperation in the field of tourism were discussed.

Particular attention was paid to the implementation of coordinated measures to popularize the tourist destination in Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region, the development of new types of tourism and the development of demanded tourism products as well as the creation of modern international infrastructure.

Rifai in turn noted that the World Tourism Organization intends to actively support and participate in programs and projects for the development of tourism in Uzbekistan.

Earlier, Secretary-General held a meeting with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.

The meeting underlined the mutual interest in the consistent realization of the existing potential of cooperation, based on the rich historical, architectural, cultural heritage of the Uzbek people.

The parties also discussed the establishment of the Regional Commission for Central Asia under UNWTO and other topics of mutual interest.

Uzbekistan has been participating in the operation of UNWTO since 1993.

At the initiative of Uzbekistan, UNWTO adopted a number of documents including the Samarkand Declaration on the Development of Tourism on the Great Silk Road (1995), the Khiva Declaration on Tourism and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (1999) and the Bukhara Declaration on Tourism along the Silk Road (2002), which stimulated the development of tourism in the region.
Yadav on Sunday not only attended Lalu Prasad Yadav's anti-BJP rally but also trained his guns against Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar without naming him.

By Anindya Banerjee: Tagged a rebel leader, Janata Dal-United has made up its mind about Sharad Yadav's ouster. But he will not be sacked overnight, informed JDU sources.

The matter will go through a disciplinary committee of the party who will seek an explanation.

Yadav on Sunday not only attended Lalu Prasad Yadav's anti-BJP rally but also trained his guns against Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar without naming him.

advertisement

"I would like to remind those who broke the Grand Alliance in Bihar that now we will form the Grand Alliance at the national level," he said at a rally in Patna

Adding to that Yadav remarked, "People were cheated. I am sure and certain that I will form a Grand Alliance in the country."

He said that amid applause from the crowd and thumbs up from key leaders like Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav or lalu Prasad on stage.

But by saying this he crossed the much hyped laxman Rekha, JDU's KC Tyagi has been warning for weeks.

"As per provisions of the 10th schedule of the Constitution dealing with anti-defection, if somebody attends a rally of another party against the party line it is construed that he/she has voluntarily given up the membership of the parent party," JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi said.

And so his party will formally move the Rajya Sabha Chairperson to disqualify Sharad Yadav on grounds of anti-party activities.

Also Read

Lalu's anti-BJP rally: Is JDU planning to show Sharad Yadav the door?

Lalu's anti-BJP rally : Akhilesh, Sharad Yadav join 'BJP bhagao desh bachao' campaign

--- ENDS ---
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Fatih Karimov  Trend:

Russian airplane manufacturer Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company needs to receive necessary permission from the United States in order to sell Sukhoi Superjet 100 short-haul passenger aircraft to Iran, Secretary of Association of Iranian Airlines Maqsoud Asadi Samani said.

Any country that wants to sell planes to Irans airline companies needs to receive approval from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Asadi Samani said, ISNA news agency reported.

In recent weeks various media outlets reported that certain Iranian airlines are negotiating with the Russian company to purchase Sukhoi Superjet 100.

Asadi Samani explained that actually the talks were for leasing, not purchase of aircraft.

Unfortunately OFAC permission is needed even for leasing aircraft, he said, adding that the Russian company should obtain the necessary permission to sell or rent a plane to Iran.

If the Russian side obtains the permission, it can negotiate with Iranians for cooperation, otherwise delivering the Russian aircraft to Iran is impossible, at least in the near future.

The countrys flag carrier airline, Iran Air, has already signed deals to buy 100 planes from Airbus, 80 from Boeing, and 20 from ATR.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Kamila Aliyeva  Trend:

One of the most important aspects of the US-Iran relationship concerns the way in which the new administration is likely to see concessions in one place as creating possible danger in another, Patrick James, an expert in comparative and international politics and Dornsife Dean's Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California, told Trend.

Take, for example, the nuclear deal between Iran and the Obama Administration. This is seen in conservative opinion circles as a dangerous form of appeasement that could impact upon North Korean nuclearization and use of missiles in a very harmful way, he said.

The expert noted that as things get worse between the Trump Administration and North Korea, more assertive US statements and actions vis-a-vis Iran may be expected.

International players such as China and Russia will most likely stay away from US allies such as France and Germany in this case, he noted.

All of NATO is concerned about a nuclear-capable Iran. However, Russia is likely to support Iran, James added. China is in the most difficult position of all and it is not at all obvious what they will do.

Meanwhile, the expert believes that the likelihood of the White Houses declaring Iran non-compliant with the 2015 nuclear deal, aka JCPOA, is high, because the Trump Administrations base of support is very anti-Iranian.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, the United Kingdom, France, China and Russia  plus Germany signed the nuclear deal on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

The agreement limits Irans nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related bans against the Islamic Republic.

The US Congress requires the administrations certification (every 90 days) of Irans compliance with the nuclear deal. Trumps administration has already declared Iran in compliance, as required by law, twice during his tenure.

However, Trumps remarks forecasting that the US would declare Iran non-compliant when the next review is due in September, have cast shadow over the future of the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and the world powers.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Farhad Daneshvar  Trend:

Barbara Slavin of the Atlantic Council estimates that all the damages to the 2015 nuclear deal have already been done, but the historic accord is here to stay.

Both sides have violated the spirit of the deal, but I think both sides will keep to the letter of the deal, because it is of mutual interest, Barbara Slavin, the director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council, told Trend.

Your browser doesn't support video.

Please download the file: video/mp4

In accordance with the United States law, President Donald Trump's administration has declared Iran compliant of the nuclear deal, twice, so far.

Nonetheless, President Trump has threatened with the declaration of Irans non-compliancy, for the next review in September.

Trump complained bitterly about the deal during the campaign and has continued to criticize it. But he is absorbed with other issues now, including getting funding for his border wall with Mexico, renegotiating NAFTA and surviving the Russia investigation. So I do not believe this is a major priority for him, Barbara Slavin added.

The chief of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, said on Aug 22 that his country is capable of resuming high-level uranium enrichment process within five days, if the US tears up the nuclear deal.

I believe that the US will continue to declare Iran compliant, but it will couple this with more non-nuclear sanctions and angry rhetoric, Barbara Slavin suggested.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley meeting with the Atomic Energy Agency's Director Yukiya Amano, in Vienna, Austria on Wednesday, had said that Washington is determined to ensure the International Atomic Energy Agency of the resources it needs for "robust verification of nuclear-related activities in Iran."

In the statement after the meeting Ambassador Nikki Haley said that discussion with the UN nuclear agency's director was concentrated on "ensuring [that] Iran strictly adheres to its obligations."

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, earlier this month, had warned that his country could abandon the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA/nuclear deal) within hours, if the US keeps on imposing new sanctions.

Trump incapable of renegotiating nuclear deal

Responding to a question on the possibility of renegotiating the nuclear deal, Barbara Slavin played down such a possibility, saying Trumps team is ill-equipped to conduct these talks.

They do not even have the personnel that would be required to undertake such a renegotiation.

Your browser doesn't support video.

Please download the file: video/mp4

Trump not after war with Iran

The US President Donald Trump may step up pressure on Iran through introducing fresh sanctions but he is neither after waging war against Iran nor escalating US involvement in Syria or Iraq, Barbara Slavin believes so.

Trump has just grudgingly agreed to keep troops in Afghanistan. I do not see him escalating US involvement in Syria or Iraq or risking a war with Iran



Earlier last week President Trump ruled out the possibility of withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan saying a hasty US withdrawal from Afghanistan would leave a vacuum for terrorists to fill.

Elaborating on the impact of the recent developments within the Trump administration on the US foreign policy, Slavin pointed out that recently exited Steve Bannon was more influential in the domestic policy.

Nonetheless, the generals around Trump have been and will continue to be more influential and they are likely to continue the status quo when it comes to the foreign policy in particular, Iran and Russia, she said.

Described as Trumps chief strategist  Steve Bannon was the latest, among the other top aides, who left their posts at the White House and this was received by many as an indication of a possible change in the US foreign policy, in particular, regarding its stances with Iran and Russia.

US is isolated, Europeans should feel stronger

Europeans should feel stronger in their desire to do business in Iran as US President Donald Trump is increasing unpopularity in the US, Barbara Slavin believes.

As [European] companies become more comfortable in Iran, as they restore old relationships and find people they can trust I think they will go forward

Your browser doesn't support video.

Please download the file: video/mp4

Since 2015, when the nuclear deal between Iran and the major world powers was signed, international bodies have observed a surge in interest among multinational companies in investing in the Islamic Republics economy. Giant oil companies, aircraft manufacturers as well as carmakers are among those who have shown keen interest in Irans markets.

Barbara Slavin, further forecasted that Iran over the next four years under President Rouhanis second term would gradually integrate into the worlds economy.

I think Iran will slowly but surely increase its economic integration with the outside world

Second-term-President Hassan Rouhani won the May Elections on a pledge to press ahead with the policy of easing Irans political isolation, to further the sanctions relief for the economy.

I expect continuity, with an emphasis on improving the economy and hopefully some gradual political liberalization, she said elaborating on Rouhanis policy prospects, considering the changes in his second-term cabinet.

No alliance between Iran, Russia, Turkey

Barbara Slavin turned down the significance of speculations suggesting the possibility of forming a new alliance between Russia, Iran and Turkey in the region.

I doubt the formation of any kind of alliance but the three countries need to make sure their forces dont accidentally clash in Syria. They have some other interests in common, including growing economic ties, but Turkey remains more firmly anchored in the West

Your browser doesn't support video.

Please download the file: video/mp4

Earlier this month the head of Central Command of Irans Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad-Hossein Baqeri, paid a rare visit to Turkey. A group of observers believe that the two neighbors, who had previously found an increasing rivalry in Iraq and Syria, are, apparently, making efforts to find common ground; furthermore, even planning out joint operations.

Barbara Slavin also voiced hope that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani would contribute to finding a political solution aimed at putting an end to crisis in Syria.

My hope is that Rouhani will be able to influence [Syrian President Bashar] Assad to agree to a power-sharing, federalist formula to help put an end to the devastating war in Syria

She further touched upon Tehran-Moscow ties saying Iran-Russia relations will likely remain close but not intimate.

Speaking about Tehran-Riyadh tensions, Barbara Slavin, said that Rouhani will try for detente with the Saudis but success there depends on whether the Saudis are amenable.

Last Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif suggested that delegations from Iran and Saudi Arabia would exchange diplomatic visits in near future.
Tehran, Iran, August 26

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Although President Hassan Rouhani has appointed the same interior minister as before, the president is required by reformists to create a more inclusive political atmosphere at home and promote activities of political parties, Abdollah Ansari, member of Baran Foundation (Foundation for Freedom, Growth and Development of Iran, headed by former president Mohammad Khatami) told Trend August 26.

"We hope that some real change is made to the domestic policy. The minister (Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli) has himself promised some changes," Ansari noted.

Last week Rouhani received votes of confidence for all but one of his ministers for his second administration (2017-2021).

Fazli, a conservative, was once again appointed as the interior minister. He had served on the same position in the previous Rouhani administration.

Nevertheless, Ansari said, the new Rouhani cabinet needs to take into serious account the relegation of some of its authority to local and provincial officials in order for the administrative affairs of those locations to run more effectively.

As for the other reformist concerns and expectations of the Rouhani administration, Ansari said the livelihood of people should be put high on agenda, especially considering the damages that sanctions have wrought on the economy.

Issues of water management, agriculture, and environment are also important points in the demands that reformists have of the incumbent administration, he noted.
Police issued a warning on Sunday after chemical haze left up to 50 people on Britains south coast suffering irritation to their eyes and throats, Reuters reported.

Sussex police urged people to keep doors and windows shut in the affected area, between the resort town of Eastbourne and Birling Gap, a few miles along the coast.

Police also warned people to stay away from the beaches, on a busy public holiday weekend.

The haze seems to have been coming in from the sea but the source has not been established, the statement said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

An operation against drug dealers is being carried out in the Mugla province in the south of Turkey, the provinces police said, Aug. 28.

The operation involves 250 police officers.

No other details are reported.

It should be recalled that, Bonzai (cheap synthetic drug) is the most widespread drug among teenagers in Turkey. More than 400 people die annually as a result of using the Bonzai drug.

According to the Ministry of Healthcare, Istanbul ranks first in the consumption of Bonzai drug in the country.

More than 300,000 people have been detained in Istanbul for using and selling drugs over the past four years.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 28

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Istanbul police have said they detained 648 people in the city from August 2016 to August 2017 on suspicion of links to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

The Istanbul police carried out 117 operations against IS members in the period.

It was established that 282 detainees had links to IS and were members of armed groups in Syria and Iraq, reads the police message.

The police message also said that 940 people were deported from Turkey between August 2016 and August 2017 as part of fight against IS.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
By PTI: By Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Aug 28 (PTI) Singapore will hold Presidential polls on September 23 if more than one candidate qualifies to run for the position, Elections authorities said today.

Former Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, Indian-origin businessman Mohamed Salleh Marican and Farid Khan Kaim Khan are bidding to qualify for the election.

If there is only one eligible candidate, he or she will be declared as the President on Nomination Day.

advertisement

If elected, Halimah will be the Singapores first woman President.

Singaporeans will vote for their eighth President on September 23. The winner will be the second Malay president in Singapores history, and the first to be chosen in a presidential election reserved for candidates of a specific community.

Singaporeans will know if they will get to cast their vote or if the election will be a walkover on Nomination Day which is set on September 13, The Straits Times reported.

The Presidential elections Committee will screen all presidential hopefuls and inform them of the decision on September 12.

Candidates must apply for a certificate of eligibility, as well as a community certificate confirming they belong to the Malay community.

So far, three people of Malay origins have thrown their hat in the ring. PTI GS MRJ AKJ MRJ

--- ENDS ---
US Programmatic Ad Revenue

This story was delivered to BI Intelligence "Digital Media Briefing" subscribers. To learn more and subscribe, please click here.

Google is refunding advertisers whose campaigns were placed via DoubleClick Bid Manager on websites with fake traffic, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The problem happened over the course of a few months this year, mainly in 2Q, and hundreds of marketers and ad agency partners have been informed by Google about the problem over the past few weeks.

Advertising executives arent fully satisfied by the refund because it only a covers a fraction of the total cost to place the ad. Google is offering to refund its "platform fee," which amounts to 7-10% of the advertisers total purchase. This is a service fee that Google charges to connect advertisers with ad tech providers that are plugged into DoubleClick Bid Manager. These other ad tech providers then work to place an advertisers campaign on the appropriate website.

This ad fraud incident highlights two of the pressing issues in digital and programmatic advertising:

Invalid traffic, or ad fraud. An estimated $6.5 billion in ad spending will be lost this year to fraud, down 10% from 2016, according to a report by the Association of National Advertisers and WhiteOps. This can happen in several ways, including pages that use bots (non-humans) to inflate impressions, or exchanges that "spoof" inventory low-quality websites with minimal traffic as premium ad space.

Transparency and the "ad tech" tax. The complexity and opacity of the programmatic ad supply chain make it difficult for ad-buyers to track where their dollars are spent. In a hypothetical situation in which an advertiser places an $100 ad through DoubleClick, Google would keep 7-10% and relay the purchase through to its ad tech partners for them to place the ad on the right website, and whichever ad exchange or ad network is used would also take a cut from the remaining budget  this is known as the ad tech tax.

Story continues

However, Google is working on a solution that should prevent this from happening again, and that should increase transparency and accountability in digital advertising. The company is investigating which of its partners are responsible for placing ads on websites with invalid traffic and is developing technology to automatically give advertisers full refunds in the event of ad fraud.

The company is reportedly in talks with 100-plus exchanges, ad networks, and publishers that are on DoubleClick Bid Manager, and asking whether they would be willing to offer full refunds if such incidents occur. Advertisers will then be able to filter out sources of inventory that dont offer full refunds. This should provide a strong incentive for exchanges and networks to clean up and verify their advertising inventory.

Kevin Gallagher, research analyst for BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on ad tech that:

Forecasts US programmatic revenue through 2020.

Highlights the factors driving consolidation, and identifies new acquirers and attractive targets.

Explores the challenges ad tech companies face including the dominance of walled gardens, ad blocking and measurement.

Outlines emerging technologies that will help propel ad growth in the next decade.

To get the full report, subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and more than 250 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally.  Learn More Now

You can also purchase and download the full report from our research store.





More From Business Insider


Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is expected to take the role of Ubers new chief executive. (Courtesy of Expedia, Inc. via AP)

After two months of discussions, Uber has finally found its next chief executive in current Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, a source told Yahoo Finance.

The 48-year-old Iranian businessman was the third choice on the short list of Ubers board, alongside former GE CEO Jeff Immelt and Hewlett Packard Enterprises CEO Meg Whitman. On Sunday evening, Ubers board voted largely in favor of Khosrowshahi, although its unclear at this point whether he will accept the boards offer, Recode first reported.

Uber did not respond to a request for comment in time for publication, and Khosrowshahi has yet to formally accept the offer.

Khosrowshahi has served as CEO of Expedia since 2005 where he helped expand the company to more than 60 countries. Prior to Expedia, the Brown University graduate served as chief financial officer of IAC (IAC), which also owns the popular dating site Match.com.

An Iranian immigrant, Khosrowshahi was one of the first tech leaders to file a legal challenge to President Trumps travel ban, citing the potential harm it could do to the companys employees and customers.

As Ubers next potential CEO, Khosrowshahi inherits an embattled company rocked by months of scandal involving sexual harassment in the workplace and questionable workplace practices, which included ongoing litigation with Waymo, a self-driving company spun out by Google (GOOG, GOOGL) in late 2016.

UPDATE AT 11:33 p.m. ET on 8/27/17: Khosrowshahi has accepted the offer from Ubers board to join the company as its next CEO, according to a source. Weve reached out to Uber for comment.

UPDATE AT 12:53 p.m. ET on 8/28/17: IAC Chairman Barry Diller released a statement:

As you probably know by now, Dara Khosrowshahi has been asked to lead Uber. Nothing has been yet finalized, but having extensively discussed this with Dara I believe it is his intention to accept. I also know the struggle he has been having out of both his abiding enthusiasm for Expedias future as well as his loyalty to all of us. I know Dara would like to communicate now with all of you but Ive asked him not to until this is fully resolved. If Dara does leave us, it will be to my great regret but also my blessing  hes devoted 12 great years to building this Company and if this is what he wants for his next adventure it will be with my best wishes. I say that because he deserves nothing less and I say that also because he will leave behind a tremendously talented corps of executives

Story continues

We both will be back in touch very soon.

Sincerely,

Barry Diller



JP Mangalindan is a senior correspondent for Yahoo Finance covering the intersection of tech and business. Email story tips and musings to jpm@oath.com. Follow him on Twitter or Facebook.

More from JP:
Back in February, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin predicted American workers and businesses would be enjoying tax cuts by now. We want to get this done by the August recess, he said on Feb. 23. Were primarily focused on a middle-income tax cut and simplification for business.

Congress will soon return from its August recess with tax reform still months away. The Trump administration obviously got off to a halting start, with immediate court battles over Trumps hastily imposed immigration ban and a divisive, failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Mnuchin and other top administration officials, meanwhile, have ratcheted back their promises for tax legislation, perhaps the most important Trump initiative for financial markets.

In April, Mnuchin said the Trump administration would release a tax plan very soon, while acknowledging it probably wouldnt pass by August. There is still no Trump tax plan, however, and there may never be one. Instead of pushing its own plan, the White House now seems set to rely on Republicans in Congress to formulate a plan from the various GOP proposals that have been kicked around for years.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin speaks during the news briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Mnuchin now says he hopes a tax bill will pass by the end of the year while leaving some wiggle room for that to slip into next year. President Donald Trump himself will start talking up tax reform this week, during a visit to Missouri. But previous Trump efforts to play up important priorities, such as Infrastructure Week, Technology Week and Made in America Week have been upstaged by various Trump controversies, including Trumps own attacks on allies and critics alike. It would fit the profile if Trump undermined his own effort to rally support for tax cuts with an ill-timed Twitter fusillade or a fratricidal attack on should-be GOP allies.

How will investors react to tax cuts

If Congress actually passes a tax-cut bill, and Trump signs it, it probably wont matter that Mnuchin was naive about the bills timing and whether it originated in Congress instead of the White House. But markets wont wait forever, and if it turns out Republicans have over-promised, an adverse reaction is likely. Its a mystery to us why the White House keeps raising expectations for tax reform, Greg Valliere of Horizon Investments wrote in a recent note to clients. It simply sets expectations too high, which means a disappointment is inevitable.

Story continues

Investors expect Congress to spend September negotiating spending bills that must go into effect by Oct. 1, along with an increase in the governments borrowing authority. If those pass without high drama like a government shutdown or a threat to default on some U.S. debt payments, Congress could take up tax reform in October. Its technically possible to pass a bill by the end of the year, though most forecasters think it wont happen till 2018.

If Republicans show progress on tax cuts, markets probably wont care about slipping deadlines. But if tax reform begins to sink into the familiar Washington quagmire, investors could lose faith in the Trump agenda once and for all. Thats the point at which Team Trump may learn to underpromise instead of the opposite.

Confidential tip line: rickjnewman@yahoo.com. Encrypted communication available.

Read more:

Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman
PHOENIX, Aug. 28, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AARP Arizona today announced its sponsorship of the Arizona Myeloma Networks (AzMN) Cancer Caregivers Education Program (CCEP) scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Scottsdale. The CCEP is a series of events designed and offered to the public free of charge by AzMN. Seminars provide professionals, family and friends practical knowledge, skills and strategies necessary for effectively caring for their loved ones and themselves. The AzMN, a 2016 Top-Rated Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits, delivers free cancer education to cancer patients, cancer caregivers and their families. The CCEP topic for the Sept. 30 event is Helping Cancer Caregivers in the Workplace.



According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 33,000 people in Arizona were diagnosed with some form of cancer in 2016. A single patient may have multiple caregivers throughout the course of his or her cancer journey. If each patient had just five different caregivers, at least 165,000 people in Arizona alone could benefit from the practical support provided by the CCEP educational programs.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 60% of caregivers have challenges with work attendance, which can lead the caregiver to suffer from stress-related illnesses and even depression. The Sept. 30 CCEP program will offer valuable information to help caregivers and employers understand what can be done to address some of these challenges.

You and your loved one may find yourself suddenly trying to decode new terminology, process the diagnosis and evaluate how this may change your lives. It can be overwhelming, but there are resources available for caregivers and their families. AARP is proud to partner with AzMN in the Cancer Caregivers Education Program, said Dana Marie Kennedy, AARPs State Director.

I know what it is like to be a cancer caregiver because my husband, Jack, is a 26-year survivor and has recently relapsed, said Barbara Kavanagh, President and CEO of AzMN. The CCEP seminars help cancer caregivers get help, minimize their stress, and overcome the challenges of the disease and the healthcare system. AARP Arizona has partnered with AzMN in 2017 to increase awareness and support for the cancer caregiver. We are grateful for the momentum AARP Arizona has made in highlighting the importance of educating the cancer caregiver, added Kavanagh.

CCEP Event Details

Who: Cancer patients, cancer caregivers, family, friends and healthcare professionals

What: Cancer Caregivers Education Program  Helping Cancer Caregivers in the Workplace

When: Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Where: Embassy Suites by Hilton, 5001 N. Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ

Cost: none; complimentary continental breakfast and information packets will be provided

Register: www.azmn.info/care

For more information, visit www.azmyelomanetwork.org or call AzMN at (623) 466-6246.

About AARP

AARP is the nations largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the worlds largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

About Arizona Myeloma Network (AzMN)

Founded in 2004, the Arizona Myeloma Network (AzMN) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity organization that conducts cancer outreach events and education programs. Its mission is to promote collaboration, awareness, education and advocacy for improved treatment and quality of life for multiple myeloma patients, their families and all cancer caregivers with special consideration to the underserved. To sponsor a cancer caregiver program, volunteer or donate, please visit www.azmyelomanetwork.org, email admin@azmyelomanetwork.org or call (623) 466-6246. AzMN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located at 20280 N. 59th Ave., Suite 115-448, Glendale, AZ 85308. Tax ID# 32-0169742.

NOTE: All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
rohan2345 wrote:

In 19th Century Rochester upper middle class woman protected their skin while having their hair washed by covering their bodies with pumice and lavender.



A. woman protected their skin while having their hair washed by covering their bodies

B. woman protected her skin while having her hair washed by covering her body

C. woman protected their skin while having their hair washed by covering their bodies

D. women protected her skin while having her hair washed by covering her body

E. women protected their skin while having her hair washed by covering her body

A. woman protected their skin while having their hair washed by covering their bodies

B. woman protected her skin while having her hair washed by covering her body

C. woman protected their skin while having their hair washed by covering their bodies

D. women protected her skin while having her hair washed by covering her body

E. women protected their skin while having her hair washed by covering her body

Answer B

Learn Quant at my blog: WebMaggu.com Signature Read More

This question tests singular/plural subject-pronoun relationship.Most of the difference in the options is between woman/women .... their /herSo, if we use woman the pronoun must be singular and if we use women the corresponding pronoun must be plural.woman ... their ... their.. their is wrongseems correct but lets check other optionswoman... their ... their..... theirwomen... her ... her..her... is wrongwomen... their... her... her is wrong_________________
Mitchell1774 wrote:

Hello,



I took the GMAT without much studying and scored a 650(V40 Q39). This is a very uneven split, but I have a background that may make up for the lower quant score. I graduated undergrad with a 3.43/4.00 in civil engineering. Additionally, I have 3 years of work experience as a consulting engineer. I am looking at schools with average GMAT scores between 680-700 (Emory, Duke, Vandy, UNC). Would it be worth while to focus on studying and hopefully increase my score or spend more time focusing on my application?



Thank you!

Hey dude,I really think you should retake. Average GMAT at Duke is around 700, which means you are in at 50 points below par. Ouch. And working as a civil engineer is not necessarily a very strong working experience (Finance and consulting, and biopharm might be, though). So actually you will likely need ABOVE the average to get accepted at these schools (since there are so many engineers applying).In reality Id love to help you out and dig deep into your profile, but without more info its gonna be hard. Where do you work? What do you do? How quickly have you advanced? Do you have any leadership? What are your great achievements? Do you have notable community service or extra curriculars? Which school did you graduate from?All of these will play important roles in your evaluation.Best,JonAnd feel free to drop us a line for a more full-on Free Consultation: http://bit.ly/mbafcGC
Re: Although trained in Sweden, the renowned doctor has spent most of her [ #permalink

A humble request  Please give KUDOS if you like the response.

Let us first dissect the sentence.

Although trained in Sweden, This is the dependent clause

the renowned doctor has spent most of her life in Africa, - This is the independent clause. This is in present perfect tense.

grew up in Kenya as the eldest of a missionary couples six children, - This is in simple past tense.

attended prep school in Namibia, - This is in simple past tense.

and after college and medical school in Sweden,

did graduate work in the Congo and Zimbabwe. - This is in simple past tense.

This is a list of activities and the tenses are being tested in this SC question.





(A) grew up in Kenya as the eldest of a missionary couples six children, attended prep school in Namibia, and after college and medical school in Sweden, did

All tenses are in past tense an hence is incorrect choice we need something in present tense.



(B) has grown up in Kenya as the eldest of a missionary couples six children, has attended prep school in Namibia, and after college and medical school in Sweden, did

this sentence has present perfect tense, present perfect tense and past tense. Hence incorrect.



(C) having grown up in Kenya as the eldest of a missionary couples six children, attended prep school in Namibia, and after college and medical school in Sweden, having done

simple present, simple past and simple present. Hence incorrect

If you are still reading my post please hit the KUDOS button.



(D) growing up in Kenya as the eldest of a missionary couples six children, attending prep school in Namibia, and, after college and medical school in Sweden, doing

Present continuous tense for all three list had been used. This is the correct choice. All the tenses are in the same form.



(E) growing up in Kenya as the eldest of a missionary couples six children, attending prep school in Namibia, and, after college and medical school in Sweden, she did

Present continuous tense, Present continuous tense and past tense has been used. Hence incorrect.

Thank you for reading the post. Request you to please hit the KUDOS button.

Answer is D.
The 'Indian immigrant meets the West' novel has been written so many times and with such varying levels of talent and skill that a reader could be forgiven for rolling his or her eyes at the premise of Amitava Kumar's latest offering. Part fictionalised memoir, part academic discussion of history and memory and part erotic romance, The Lovers is nonetheless a testament to Kumar's ability to make his readers think, even if against their will.

It is not an easy read, though the opening is simple enough. An Indian student goes to America in the eighties, and along with picking up a PhD, he goes on a quest to understand the concept of desire and love by sleeping with a number of women, most of them not Indian. It's almost like Anurag Mathur's The Inscrutable Americans, but with a twist-and that's where things get more complicated. Our narrator may be as curious about this new world, but it is a touching curiosity, neither glamourised, nor ridiculed. Kailash, the protagonist, feels lost in his new land, and searches, perhaps unknowingly at first, for anchors. He searches for meaning by writing down new words and expressions, and eventually falls in with a group of eclectic students who are gathered around a central figure, a professor from Pakistan.

advertisement

Professor Ehsaan is perhaps the book's most important figure. Despite all the 'lovers' in this story, it is Kailash's adoration for his teacher that shines clearest. Kumar weaves for him a long and troubled history, starting from a violent childhood during Partition, leading on to a life filled with political thought and struggle. Ehsaan becomes mythologised in his students' minds, crossing paths and exchanging letters with luminaries like literature scholar and Palestinian activist Edward Said, passing on to his loyal listeners advice both professional and personal. Ehsaan is the epitome of the dispossessed, the immigrant who has faced persecution both on his home turf and in his new country. He faces down the CIA and the FBI; he mounts protests against the Vietnam War and gets called out for his political sympathies. Everything Kailash does, every woman he sleeps with, is shadowed by the thought of Ehsaan, and perhaps the knowledge, apparent to the reader if not to him, that he will never match up to his professor's exploits.

The Lovers is a story of a man seeking himself in women. It is also a story of a man seeing a reflection of his ambitions and loftiest dreams in another, a mentor he can never aspire to be. Finally, it is a story of how love and loss shape all aspects of being, morphing personal memory until reality is indistinguishable from fictive retellings. The book itself is a living testament to that: how much of Kailash is Kumar, an immigrant writer who also settled in the West? How many of the memories he recounts are 'true' recollections, and how many created by the desire to remember these stories and shape them to a particular time and circumstance? Neither we, nor perhaps the author himself, can ever really know.

Book reviews

--- ENDS ---
Canberra is set to become a global data centre, following the announcement of a new partnership between Microsoft and Canberra Data Centres (CDC).

The deal will see Microsoft deliver its hyperscale cloud service, Microsoft Azure, from two highly-secure data centres in Canberra.

The move is set to assist the Australian government in handling unclassified and secure government data and accelerate the pace of their much-publicised digital transformation agenda.

The government is trying to do a digital transformation and its kind of hard to do that if you dont have the capabilities locally, Microsoft Chief Technology Officer, James Kavanagh told Information Age.

In one secure perimeter, that the Australian government currently trusts for even secret data, well have our hyperscale cloud running across two data centres based in Canberra.

With that we can do digital identity, we can join up community services, we can modernise some of the oldest systems like mainframes and legacy systems and really accelerate the pace of innovation.

Were building the capabilities so that the government can spend less on the old systems and more on digital transformation.

The partnership, which will begin operation in early 2018, will mean Microsoft Azure now has 42 locations globally, more than any other major cloud provider.

CEO of Canberra Data Centres, Greg Boorer, said the move can assist in government innovation.

Weve built Canberra Data Centres from the ground up over 10 years with a singular purpose to be the most trusted, flexible and resilient platform for government innovation.

I couldnt be more excited about the potential this creates for the digital transformation of Australian and New Zealand governments and what it means to our combined ecosystem.

The location of the data centres in Canberra also removes the need for water cooling, due to cool temperatures. This could save 400,000 litres of water each day and can save government users up to 30% on power costs.

Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation, Angus Taylor, also welcomed the new partnership.

The Australian Government has embarked on a sweeping program of change to bring digital innovation to the transformation of the Australian public sector to ensure we meet the expectations and needs of all citizens, he said.

Combining the global innovation of Microsoft Azure with the confidence and expertise of Canberra Data Centres, it creates an essential foundation for our transformation.
By PTI: Hyderabad, Aug 28 (PTI) Three Nigerians and their Indian associate were arrested by the Cyberabad Police from Delhi last week for allegedly defrauding a city-based person of Rs 21.95 lakh.

The accused made the complainant deposit Rs 21.95 lakh between April 2015 to November last year after sending him messages that he had won a lottery of Rs 4.5 crore, according to police.

advertisement

While the Nigerians are identified as Gauza Aristide, Omeke Eric Tochukwu, and Okwereaku Tochukwu, their local accomplice as Anand Nagesia, a resident of West Bengal.

They were arrested on August 23, the Cyberabad Police said in a release.

According to the police, the complainant was contacted by one Ashish Patel, who posed himself as an Accounts Officer with Reserve Bank of India.

"The accused then asked the victim to deposit amount for claiming the lottery prize and gave him different bank account numbers. As per the instructions, the victim deposited Rs 21.95 lakh for claiming the lottery prize. However, as he failed to receive any money, he realised that he was cheated, and subsequently approached the police," the release said.

Probing the details of bank accounts and the call data records, the Cyberabad Police went to Delhi on a specific information and arrested the four.

It also came to fore that Nagesia had posed as the RBI officer.

The four were brought here on a transit remand and produced before a court at Miyapur, which remanded them to judicial custody. PTI VVK NSK

--- ENDS ---


From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle Report.

In 2016, more than 60,000 people died in the United States because of drugs. That is the highest number of drug deaths and the fastest yearly increase in recorded history. Early data suggests that deaths from opioids and other drugs will continue to rise in 2017.

Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein made this statement in June 2017 at a news conference with Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials.

Rosenstein called it a horrifying surge in drug overdoses." He added that drug abuse is wrecking families and communities throughout the U.S.

More than two million Americans have some sort of physical dependence on opioids. Opioids are a type of painkiller that are legally prescribed to many people. Opioids are addictive if people take too much of them or take them for a long period of time.

New types of illegal killer drugs

However, there is a new and even more dangerous part of the opioid crisis and it is happening much more often. This is the making and selling of extremely strong, illegal types of drugs that copy ones that already exist. One such drug is fentanyl.

Fentanyl is so strong that even the smallest amounts  as little as two or three grains  can kill. Police officers and other first responders who try to help drug overdose victims are often affected by the drug themselves.

DEA does not yet have data on this part the problem. However, officials say there is a clear increase in cases where first responders have become ill while handling evidence or helping overdose drug victims.

Chuck Rosenberg is a high-level official at the DEA. He has warned emergency responders to take great care in drug-overdose cases. He advises them to wear protective gear such as masks and gloves.

Even dogs trained to find illegal drugs are at risk. Their handlers have begun carrying antidotes for both the animals and themselves. However, these new synthetic drugs are so powerful that many doses of antidotes are sometimes needed to save the rescuers.

Rosenberg summed up DEA advice to emergency teams at an overdose scene: "If you don't know what it is, assume there's something in it that will kill you.''

Increasing danger in Europe

The extremely fast rise in opioid problems is also happening in Europe. The European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction reported in June 2017 that dangerous synthetic drugs similar to heroin and morphine are a growing health threat in the European Union.

Experts at the center say on its website that more than 8,000 people died from overdose in the EU in 2015. This is the third year in a row that the number of overdoses has increased in the EU. And the center warns that drug-related deaths in Europe could be much higher. For this, it blames delayed reporting and under-reporting in some countries.

And thats the Health & Lifestyle report. Im Anna Matteo.

_____________________________________________________________

Quiz

Now, test your understanding by taking this short quiz.

Quiz - More Americans Died From Drugs Than Ever Before Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz



_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

data  n. acts or information used usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something

opioid  medical n. possessing some properties characteristic of opiate narcotics but not derived from opium

horrifying  adj. something that causes someone to feel horror

surge  n. a sudden, large increase

antidote  n. a remedy to counteract the effects of poison

sum up  phrasal verb to present a summary : to assess and then describe briefly

synthetic  adj. made by combining different substances : not natural


Houston, a city in the American state of Texas, will face worsening flooding conditions as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to rain on the city.

On Friday, Harvey, the strongest storm to strike Texas in 50 years, came ashore near Corpus Christi, about 354 km south of Houston. It has since remained around Texas' Gulf Coast.

The storm's rains submerged cars and flooded highways. Schools, airports and office buildings in the fourth largest city in the United States were closed as high waters filled some neighborhoods.

More flooding is expected to come as the storm moves back in the direction of Houston. Weather reports say some areas in Texas could have as much as 1.27 meters of rain from the storm.

Brock Long is the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. At a news conference on Monday, he said that more than 30,000 people are expected to be placed temporarily in shelters.

The area immediately surrounding Houston, called the metropolitan area, is home to 6.8 million people. It is also home to many oil refineries in the U.S.

Many have stopped operations, likely for weeks, due to the storm, including Exxon Mobils facility in Baytown. It is the United States' second largest refinery.

As of Monday morning, the shut down reduced about 2.4 million barrels of oil, or 13 percent of daily U.S. production.

The outages will limit the availability of U.S. gasoline and other refined products and push prices higher, experts said.

Federal authorities predicted it would take years to repair the damage from Harvey. The rains brought back memories of Tropical Storm Allison, which struck Texas in 2001. It flooded 70,000 homes and caused $9 billion in damage.

Damages are not likely to be as extensive as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed 1,800 people in and around New Orleans. Nor will damages likely be as high as Sandy, which hit New York in 2012. Those storms caused $80 billion and $36 billion in insured losses, respectively, according to Hannover Re, one of the worlds largest reinsurance companies.

I'm Alice Bryant

Ruthy Munoz and Marianna Parraga reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Hai Do was the editor.

_____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

worsen  v. to make (something) worse or to become worse

administrator  n. a person whose job is to manage a company, school, or other organization

refinery  n. a place where something, like oil, is refined

reinsurance -- n. insuring (something) again so that the insurance is shared by more than one company
Download Lesson 49

Speaking

Pronunciation

Conversation

Anna: It is no secret that Washington, D.C. has spies. Well, it should be a secret because spying is secret. But its not a secret. Theres even a spy museum! The International Spy Museum has created an amazing collection of spy things! And today, we will see them! My boss, Ms. Weaver, has sent me here  on a mission!

Ms. Weaver: Hello, Anna, are you there?

Anna: Thats her. Yes, Agent Peacock. This is Agent Flamingo, reporting for duty.

Ms. Weaver: Agent what? Look, Anna  I mean, Agent Flamingo, I want you to learn all you can about spying.

Anna: You mean, collect intelligence?

Ms. Weaver: Yeah, its for our new show -- D.C. Secrets.

Anna: You've got it, Agent Peacock. The mission is safe with me.

Ms. Weaver: Oh, okay, great. Just be back by noon.

Anna: Agent Peacock, Im at an air duct!

Ms. Weaver: Yes, spies sometimes sneak down air ducts.

Anna: I have never snuck down an air duct. Its dark and small. Im afraid of dark, small places.

Ms. Weaver: You can do it, Agent Flamingo. You know, spies arent afraid of a little darkness.

Anna: Right. Its just an air duct -- a dark, small air duct. Okay. Im doing it, Agent Peacock! I am sneaking down a long, dark, small air duct. Im having a little trouble breathing.

Ms. Weaver: Just keep going, Agent Flamingo. Think of the team!

Anna: Okay, I will think of the team. Im thinking of the team, Agent Peacock! I did it! I did it! I sneaked down an air duct. That was a little uncomfortable.

Ms. Weaver: Good!

Anna: What's the next mission?

Ms. Weaver: Umm  have you ever cracked a code?

Anna: No.

Ms. Weaver: Well, go learn. Spies use their brains.

Anna: Got it! Ive never cracked a code before. Lets try, Agent Flamingo! This is really hard. I'm still trying to crack the code. I've cracked the code! I've cracked the code, Agent Peacock! My brain really hurts.

Ms. Weaver: Great. Umm, Agent Flamingo, now answer this question: Do spies have to be in good shape?

Anna: Yes, Agent Peacock! Spies have to be in really good shape! Can you hear me?

Ms. Weaver: Youre breaking up, Flamingo.

Anna: The International Spy Museum is awesome! Agent Peacock, I completed the mission!

Ms. Weaver: Great. Great. Now, I have another very important mission for you.

Anna: Got it. See you back at H.Q.!

Ms. Weaver: Yummy! You brought my lunch! Thanks, Agent Flamingo!

Anna: Mission completed. Agent Peacock!

(Amelia makes a face.)

Ms. Weaver: Don't ask.

Special thanks go out to the International Spy Museum for letting us film in the museum!
Summary

The Lets Teach English video series offers free online training for English language educators worldwide. It is based on the Women Teaching Women English text for adult, beginning level learners. Voice of America and the University of Oregon are partners on this project. The course includes:

1. An introductory video which summarizes the main topics of second language teaching and shows classroom examples of the topics.

2. Ten 5-minute video episodes based on the units of Women Teaching Women English. Each of these episodes provides a model of communicative language teaching through simulated language classroom interaction. The course can be used by men and women.

3. English teaching materials from the course, Women Teaching Women English. The student book, teachers manual, and audio files can be accessed for each unit. This course is the result of a collaboration between the University of Oregon American English Institute and the U.S. Department of State.

Teaching Topics

Click on the image below for more details about the course and these teaching topics.

Theory of Constructivism Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) Method Learner-Centered Practices and Active Learning

Transcript

Tra Mi: You have been watching the videos. Your assignment was to choose a teaching topic, explain it in your own words, and give an example of where you see it in the video course. Can you tell me what you chose?

Rebecca Sui: I chose Constructivism.

Linh Dan: Mine is about the Communicative Language Teaching Method.

Laila Azimi: I looked for some Learner-Centered Practices, such as teaching students how to use learning strategies.

Tra Mi: Very good. Since Lets Teach English is built on the theory of Constructivism, why dont you start?

Rebecca Sui: Sounds good to me!

Rebecca Sui: When I think of building or constructing something, I see a house or a school. To me, constructivism means my students are taking in new ideas and new words, and building their own understanding of the world around them.

I found an example of this in Unit 4.

First, the teacher prepares students to read a story by talking about the content. She has her students bring in pictures of technology that they know about. In this way, students start with things they already know about. Then they can connect that to the new information in the story. The teacher gets her students interested in the story by previewing the title and images.

Rebecca Sui: The students know about technology and the internet. But, they do not know that someone could learn from the internet without having an internet connection. They read a story and learn about a mobile library called SolarSPELL, where information from the internet could be stored. Finally, her students make a picture to explain the SolarSPELL library in their own words.

Rebecca Sui: I think this is a good example. They knew something to start with, but they had to construct or build on their knowledge. They read about the Solar SPELL and then they told about it in their own words. They learned some new words in English and they also learned about a new place, Vanuatu.

Tra Mi: Okay, great start on constructivism. Who wants to talk next?

Linh Dan: I do! I decided to talk about the Communicative Language Teaching method.

Linh Dan: In Unit 5, the students do role-plays in groups, and each group has different information. That way, their role plays are all different. This is a great example of a real world task and Communicative Language Teaching. Students use their own words to shop, sell, and bargain in the marketplace.

Video clip of shopping role play

Linh Dan: The students were in a real-world situation in this unit. They were using English in a meaningful way to do the task. They had a clear purpose for communicating. And, just as important, the activity was learner-centered because they had choices in the language and actions that they used.

Tra Mi: Thank you, Linh Dan! Now, for Laylas presentation.

Laila Azimi: I want to tell you what I learned about Learner-Centered Teaching and Active Learning for students. In Unit 9, the students practice an interview for a job. They each choose the job that they want to get. Then, they practice the learning strategy of predicting in two ways. They predict what kinds of questions can occur in their interviews. And, during the role-play, the listening group predicts what questions might come next.

Laila Azimi: We saw one students interview for the job she chose. We know that every student chose a different job, did research about that job, and wrote her own interview questions.

Tra Mi: What was the teachers role in this?

Laila Azimi: The teachers job was to support the learners in their choices and research. She also gave them more control over their learning by teaching them to apply strategies. In this case, they predicted hard questions for the interview. They can use these strategies later in other real-world situations.
Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a marine fuel logistics company that markets and supplies refined marine fuel and lubricants to vessels in port, at sea, and on rivers worldwide. The company offers fueling services to ocean-going and a range of coastal vessels, including oil tankers, container ships, drybulk carriers, cruise ships, reefers, LNG/LPG carriers, car carriers, and ferries, as well as to marine fuel traders, brokers, and other end-users of marine fuel and lubricants. It also markets and distributes marine lubricants under the Alfa Marine Lubricants brand; and provides a range of shipping services, such as technical support and maintenance, insurance arrangement and handling, financial administration, and accounting services. As of December 31, 2016, the company owned and operated a fleet of 46 bunkering vessels, including 45 double hulls and 1 single hull special purpose vehicle; 15 double hull bunkering vessels with an aggregate carrying capacity of approximately 292,400 deadweight ton (dwt); operated 10 land-based storage facilities with an aggregate storage capacity of approximately 1,075,000 cubic meters; and operated 2 vessels as floating storage facility with a cargo carrying capacity of approximately 86,800 dwt. Aegean Marine Petroleum Network Inc. was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Athens, Greece.
Your Ultimate Investing Toolkit

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

Portfolio Monitoring

Top Stock Lists

Premium Reports

Stock Screeners

Live News Feed

Premium Support

Free for your first month.
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Aug 27 (PTI) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said today that the "conditions on the ground" in Afghanistan would determine the number of American troops in the war-torn country and the new US strategy was intended to send a strong message to the Taliban that "we are not going anywhere".

Tillerson told Fox News that US President Donald Trump had been very clear that the policy he announced this week was a dramatic shift from a time-based military strategy to a conditions-based strategy, "which means it will be dictated by conditions on the ground informed by battlefield commanders."

advertisement

"He has delegated significant authority to Defence Secretary (James) Mattis to set troop levels, but also has been able to delegate for the military commanders in the field, decision-making, to begin to turn the tide against the Taliban," he said.

"Now, all of this is directed at sending a message to the Taliban that we are not going anywhere. Were going to be here," Tillerson said.

According to the secretary of state, Afghanistan has a history of being a refuge for some of the most devastating attacks carried out.

"As we all know, the attack of 9/11 was organised and carried out from Afghanistan. So, in Afghanistan, we have to secure Afghanistan in a way that that can never occur again because theres no territory available to organisations to do so," he said.

Tillerson asserted that Trump was clear in his speech the US was not undertaking nation-building in Afghanistan.

"So, we will be shifting our diplomatic and aid and development programs as well to coincide with the presidents view that the Afghan government and that Afghan people must own their form of government," he said.

"They must come to some reconciliation with all ethnic groups, including the Taliban, as to how they can secure their country, as a peaceful country, one that does not support terrorism, does not provide safe havens for terrorists and does not align itself with any terrorist organisations or countries that do. Thats what winning looks like," he said.

He also strongly refuted the allegation of former White House official Sebastian Gorka on the absence of word "radical Islamic terrorism" in Trumps Afghan policy speech.

Gorka was fired by the White House on Friday.

"I think hes completely wrong. I think it shows a lack of understanding of the presidents broader policy when it comes to protecting Americans at home and abroad from all acts of terrorism. Terrorism, as weve said, manifests itself in many types of organisation," he said.

"The president has charged us to develop policies and tactics both diplomatically and militarily to attack terrorism in as many forms, wherever it exists in the world and wherever it might present a threat to the homeland or to Americans anywhere. This means that we have to develop techniques that are global in their nature," Tillerson said. PTI LKJ ABH

--- ENDS ---

advertisement
Thanks for that nice night! I really enjoy writing about "Game of Thrones," at least I do most of the time, and I particularly enjoy discussing the series with all of you.

I'd note that writing recaps like these are always a challenge; I try to finish writing within an hour of the episode airing, which means knocking out a couple hundred words in 50-odd minutes. This was an era where I could have been a little bit clearer about what I meant.

I agree that the Night King's invasion of Westeros makes the consequences of all the human complications on the series come home in a sharp and unyielding fashion. At a crunch moment like this, it's deadly telling who is deciding to join the fight against the White Walkers, and who is still acting as if the war is about the Iron Throne. That said, I just find watching the Night King and his minions fundamentally un-interesting. Take an episode like "The Spoils of War," for example. That's a case where we're equally invested in people on both sides of the conflict -- Dany and Tyrion on one side, Jaime and Bronn on the other -- and so not only do we care who lives or dies, but we care about how the conflict affects people on either side. I don't care about the Night King, and as sad as it might be to see some familiar characters as wights, once they get into that state, it's not as if we can be invested as them in the same way. So I feel relatively bored during the sections where we watch the army of the dead maneuver, and the tension between the sides in any given engagement isn't emotionally or morally balanced in the same way. It just makes for a slackening of tension in a way I find rather enervating, and have found for some time. The White Walkers may ramp up the stakes for our living characters, but fighting them directly means we're spending time on screen with people who are just special effects and deus ex machina.
Apixaban lowers the risk of stroke compared to warfarin in anticoagulation-naive patients with atrial fibrillation scheduled for elective cardioversion, according to late-breaking results from the EMANATE trial presented today in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress. Rates of bleeding were similar between the two groups.

Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder and is associated with increased risks of death and stroke. Restoring and maintaining the heart's normal (sinus) rhythm, called cardioversion, is an integral part of management, as is the administration of blood thinners (anticoagulants) to prevent strokes.

Apixaban is a blood thinner that works by blocking the action of factor Xa, a substance in the blood that is required for clotting. It has a rapid onset of action and is easy to use. Heparin and warfarin are standard blood thinners but are difficult to use because heparin is given by injection and warfarin may take a week or even longer to have a therapeutic effect. While blood thinners prevent clots, and decrease the chance of having a stroke, they also increase the risk of bleeding.

Patients scheduled for cardioversion of atrial fibrillation have traditionally received heparin and/or warfarin to reduce their risk of stroke. Apixaban has not been tested prospectively in patients undergoing cardioversion.

The purpose of the EMANATE trial was to compare the rates of stroke and bleeding with apixaban versus warfarin with heparin in anticoagulation-naive (defined as having received less than 48 hours of anticoagulation therapy) patients scheduled for elective cardioversion of predominately new onset non-valvular atrial fibrillation.

This was a multicentre, prospective, randomised, open-label trial with blinded endpoint adjudication. The study included 1500 patients with atrial fibrillation who were randomised to apixaban versus parenteral heparin with warfarin.

Apixaban was administered orally at a dose of 5 mg twice a day (or 2.5 mg twice a day when two of the following conditions were met: age 80 years, weight 60 kg, or serum creatinine 1.5 mg/dL). At the discretion of the local investigator, patients could also receive an initial 10 mg or 5 mg loading dose of apixaban (for study doses of 5 mg and 2.5 mg, respectively) if the cardioversion was immediate.

Rates of stroke, systemic embolism, death, major bleeding, and clinically relevant non-major bleeding were compared between the two groups.

Patients treated with apixaban had fewer strokes and similar bleeding to those receiving usual care. There were no strokes in the 753 patients treated with apixaban compared to six strokes in the 747 receiving usual care (p = 0.01). There were no systemic embolic events in either group. Major bleeds occurred in three and six patients in the apixaban and usual care groups, respectively, while clinically significant non-major bleeding occurred in 11 and 13 patients. There were two deaths in the apixaban group and one in the heparin/warfarin group.

Out of 753 patients in the apixaban group, 342 received a loading dose. In this subgroup there were no strokes or systemic embolic events, one death, one major bleed, and four clinically relevant non-major bleeds.

Principal investigator Prof Michael Ezekowitz, professor of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, and attending cardiologist at Lankenau Medical Centre, Bryn Mawr Hospital, said: "In patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing cardioversion, apixaban with or without a loading dose was safe, resulting in few bleeding events and less strokes than conventional anticoagulant therapy. We expect these findings will be translated into clinical practice."
BiliScreen is a new smartphone app that can screen for pancreatic cancer by having users snap a selfie. It's shown here with a 3-D printed box that helps control lighting conditions to detect signs of jaundice in a person's eye. Credit: Dennis Wise/University of Washington

Pancreatic cancer has one of the worst prognoseswith a five-year survival rate of 9 percentin part because there are no telltale symptoms or non-invasive screening tools to catch a tumor before it spreads.

Now, University of Washington researchers have developed an app that could allow people to easily screen for pancreatic cancer and other diseasesby snapping a smartphone selfie.

BiliScreen uses a smartphone camera, computer vision algorithms and machine learning tools to detect increased bilirubin levels in a person's sclera, or the white part of the eye. The new app is described in a paper to be presented Sept. 13 at Ubicomp 2017, the Association for Computing Machinery's International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing.

One of the earliest symptoms of pancreatic cancer, as well as other diseases, is jaundice, a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes caused by a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. The ability to detect signs of jaundice when bilirubin levels are minimally elevatedbut before they're visible to the naked eyecould enable an entirely new screening program for at-risk individuals.

In an initial clinical study of 70 people, the BiliScreen appused in conjunction with a 3-D printed box that controls the eye's exposure to lightcorrectly identified cases of concern 89.7 percent of the time, compared to the blood test currently used.

"The problem with pancreatic cancer is that by the time you're symptomatic, it's frequently too late," said lead author Alex Mariakakis, a doctoral student at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. "The hope is that if people can do this simple test once a monthin the privacy of their own homessome might catch the disease early enough to undergo treatment that could save their lives."

BiliScreen provides estimates of bilirubin levels in a person's blood. Elevated levels can be an early warning sign for pancreatic cancer, hepatitis and other diseases. Credit: Dennis Wise/University of Washington

BiliScreen builds on earlier work from the UW's Ubiquitous Computing Lab, which previously developed BiliCam, a smartphone app that screens for newborn jaundice by taking a picture of a baby's skin. A recent study in the journal Pediatrics showed BiliCam provided accurate estimates of bilirubin levels in 530 infants.

In collaboration with UW Medicine doctors, the UbiComp lab specializes in using cameras, microphones and other components of common consumer devicessuch as smartphones and tabletsto screen for disease.

The blood test that doctors currently use to measure bilirubin levelswhich is typically not administered to adults unless there is reason for concernrequires access to a health care professional and is inconvenient for frequent screening. BiliScreen is designed to be an easy-to-use, non-invasive tool that could help determine whether someone ought to consult a doctor for further testing. Beyond diagnosis, BiliScreen could also potentially ease the burden on patients with pancreatic cancer who require frequent bilirubin monitoring.

In adults, the whites of the eyes are more sensitive than skin to changes in bilirubin levels, which can be an early warning sign for pancreatic cancer, hepatitis or the generally harmless Gilbert's syndrome. Unlike skin color, changes in the sclera are more consistent across all races and ethnicities.

Yet by the time people notice the yellowish discoloration in the sclera, bilirubin levels are already well past cause for concern. The UW team wondered if computer vision and machine learning tools could detect those color changes in the eye before humans can see them.

"The eyes are a really interesting gateway into the bodytears can tell you how much glucose you have, sclera can tell you how much bilirubin is in your blood," said senior author Shwetak Patel, the Washington Research Foundation Entrepreneurship Endowed Professor in Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering. "Our question was: Could we capture some of these changes that might lead to earlier detection with a selfie?"

BiliScreen is a new smartphone app developed by University of Washington computer scientists, electrical engineers and doctors that can screen for pancreatic cancer by having users snap a selfie. It uses a smartphone camera, computer vision algorithms and machine learning tools to detect increased bilirubin levels in a person's sclera, or the white part of the eye, which is an early warning sign of pancreatic cancer and other diseases. Credit: Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering

BiliScreen uses a smartphone's built-in camera and flash to collect pictures of a person's eye as they snap a selfie. The team developed a computer vision system to automatically and effectively isolate the white parts of the eye, which is a valuable tool for medical diagnostics. The app then calculates the color information from the sclerabased on the wavelengths of light that are being reflected and absorbedand correlates it with bilirubin levels using machine learning algorithms.

To account for different lighting conditions, the team tested BiliScreen with two different accessories: paper glasses printed with colored squares to help calibrate color and a 3-D printed box that blocks out ambient lighting. Using the app with the box accessoryreminiscent of a Google Cardboard headsetled to slightly better results.

Next steps for the research team include testing the app on a wider range of people at risk for jaundice and underlying conditions, as well as continuing to make usability improvementsincluding removing the need for accessories like the box and glasses.

"This relatively small initial study shows the technology has promise," said co-author Dr. Jim Taylor, a professor in the UW Medicine Department of Pediatrics whose father died of pancreatic cancer at age 70.

"Pancreatic cancer is a terrible disease with no effective screening right now," Taylor said. "Our goal is to have more people who are unfortunate enough to get pancreatic cancer to be fortunate enough to catch it in time to have surgery that gives them a better chance of survival."
New research presented at ESC Congress today shows, for the first time, that blood pressure control is pivotal in reducing major bleeding and stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).

The range of variability in a patient's systolic blood pressure (SBP) from visit to visit was strongly associated with their risk of adverse outcomes, reported Dr Marco Proietti, MD, from the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Birmingham.

"Our findings suggest that consistency in blood pressure control, beyond the single measurement, is very important, and this appears to be the case across all types of AF patients, irrespective of age, blood pressure history, blood pressure level or clotting risk," said Dr. Proietti.

"Interventions aimed at reducing blood pressure variability over the long term, such as optimizing the medications and improving adherence are strongly needed," he added.

The study was a post-hoc analysis of the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM) trial, a prospective randomized comparison of two treatment strategies in patients with AF.

In total, 3,843 patients from AFFIRM were included in the current analysis, for whom visit-to-visit variability (VVV) in mean SBP had been recorded at 2, 4, 8 and 12 months and then every 4 months after enrolment.

The patients were categorised into four quartiles based on their mean standard deviation in SBP: those who SBP varied by less than 10.09 mmHg from visit to visit (1st quartile); and then those with variations of10.09-13.85 mmHg (2nd), 13.86-17.33 mmHg (3rd) and ?17.34 mmHg (4th).

After a mean follow-up of 3.6 years, 149 strokes and 248 major bleeding events had been recorded, with a clear pattern of increasing risk with each elevation in quartile.

Specifically stroke rate progressively increased from 2.5% to 3.0% to 3.8% and 6.2% from the first to the fourth quartile (p<0.001) and similarly, the major bleeding rate was directly related to SBP-VVV quartiles (10.8%, 11.2%, 15.6%, 20.8% respectively; p<0.001).

After adjusting for variables, the analysis showed that patients in the third and fourth quartiles were at significantly increased risk of stroke (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.85 and 2.33, p=0.042 and p=0.004 respectively) and major bleeding (HR: 1.92 and 2.88, p=0.009 and p<0.001 respectively).

Dr. Proietti said these outcomes will likely translate to higher mortality in patients in the higher quartiles.

"A better effort in controlling blood pressure in the clinical follow-up is pivotal to obtain a better management of patients with atrial fibrillation and improvement of outcomes", he reiterated.
Endotracheal intubation (ETI). Credit: ESC Congress 2017/ ESC

Bag-mask ventilation fails to improve on endotracheal intubation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients, according to late-breaking results from the CAAM trial presented today in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress.

"Sudden cardiac arrest is the main cause of death worldwide in previously healthy people," said principal investigator Prof Frederic Adnet, an emergency physician at Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, France. "Each year it causes 300 000 deaths in the US and more than 200 000 in Europe. Less than 10% of patients survive out-of-hospital cardiac arrest."

Airway management with endotracheal intubation (ETI; figure 1) has been the standard of care in cardiopulmonary resuscitation of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims. But its effectiveness has been challenged by retrospective studies from international registries which suggested that survival is much lower when ETI is performed during resuscitation. The studies have proposed that bag-mask ventilation (BMV; figure 2) is safer and more effective.

The CAAM trial was a prospective, randomised, controlled, multicentre trial which compared the impact of airway management with BMV versus ETI on survival with healthy brain function in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients.

Bag-mask ventilation (BMV) Credit: ESC Congress 2017/ ESC

The study included 2 043 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients from 15 centres in France and five in Belgium. Patients were randomised to receive BMV or ETI during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The primary endpoint was survival with good neurological function, defined as Glasgow-Pittsburgh Cerebral Performance Categories (CPC) of 2 or less, at 28 days.

The investigators found the same rate of survival with good neurological outcome at day 28 in the two groups (4.2% with BMV versus 4.3% with ETI). However, the BMV technique failed in 6.7% of patients compared to 2.1% with ETI. There was a much greater incidence of regurgitation/aspiration with BMV (15.2%) compared to ETI (7.5%).

Prof Adnet said: "Bag-mask ventilation did not appear to be without danger in our trial. We were surprised by the much higher incidence of failure of the BMV technique compared with ETI. The higher incidence of regurgitation/aspiration in the BMV group confirms previous studies linking BMV with risks for the patient."

He concluded: "BMV appears less safe than ETI as a means of ventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Thus, we cannot recommend BMV as the standard method to ventilate out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients during cardiopulmonary resuscitation."
Credit: University of California, San Francisco

We take roughly 20,000 breaths a day, mostly without thinking, but exactly how our breathing is controlled is a puzzle that has perplexed thinkers from Aristotle to Galen to modern physiologists.

This universal mammalian instinct is still so poorly understood that there currently are no pharmacological treatments for human breathing disorders, like sleep apnea or sudden infant death syndrome.

Just as our heartbeat is controlled by pacemaker cells in the heart, our breathing is regulated by a cluster of a few thousand cells in the brainstem known as the preBotzinger complex, or preBotC. Discovered in 1991, these cells are the center of breathing regulation. They send rhythmic signals to our spinal cord, which relays them to skeletal muscles, like the diaphragm, that expand our lungs.

But the mechanisms by which this region of the brain regulates breathing are still a mystery, one that UC San Francisco physiologist Kevin Yackle, MD, PhD, is tackling with the latest tools of molecular biology.

Yackle, a Sandler Faculty Fellow, is trying to zero in on the specific cells of the preBotC that generate the breathing rhythm  though not all researchers in the field agree if such a breathing pacemaker exists.

An Elusive Target

Unlike the well-understood heart pacemaker, the breathing pacemaker has remained an elusive target. It's not an easy subject to study.

For one thing, breathing is a more complex behavior than the heartbeat: it can be voluntary or involuntary; it must be coordinated with speech, singing and swallowing; and it has distinct variations, like sighs, yawns and gasps, which can be tied to a range of emotions. The few thousand cells of the preBotC  discovered by Jack Feldman, PhD, a neurobiologist at UCLA  may be involved in all these aspects of breathing and it's unclear how the division of labor occurs.

Credit: University of California, San Francisco

Although researchers have been able to measure bursts of electrical activity from a small number of neurons in the preBotC at the intake of each breath  which suggests these may be the ones setting the rhythm  these neurons are intermingled with other neurons. There's no easy way to isolate these neurons from the mosaic, nor is it even clear that the same neurons fire every time.

Yackle believes he may be able to tease out the breathing pacemaker neurons by looking at gene expression. Sifting through a database called Eurexpress, he's screened expression patterns for more than 19,000 genes in the preBotC of mice and identified dozens of neural types marked by distinct molecular signatures.

After identifying a group of neurons by some commonality in gene expression, Yackle then studies their function by turning them off in mice.

He hasn't found the pacemaker yet, but in the course of his searching, he's stumbled upon something remarkable: distinct groups of neurons that control surprising aspects of the breath.

Sighing, Sniffing and Deep Breathing

The first group of neurons he found were the ones that control sighing. A sigh is essentially a double breath that allows the lungs to fully inflate. This is physiologically important because the many minute alveoli of the lungs begin to collapse in the course of normal breathing and must be reinflated through sighing.

In fact, all mammals sigh, and the smaller the animal, the more frequent the sighing because tinier alveoli are more prone to collapse. We hardly notice it, but humans spontaneously sigh about every five minutes. Mice sigh every two minutes.

Through his genetic screening, Yackle found some cells near the preBotC that were producing an interesting molecule. Earlier work by Feldman's lab at UCLA had found that a similar molecule called bombesin could induce sighing when injected into the brain stem. Realizing they held different pieces of the same puzzle, the two labs worked together to identify the preBotC neurons responsible for sighing. When these neurons are disabled, mice do not sigh.

Kevin Yackle (left), MD, PhD, works with Sam Elmojahid, a junior specialist, in Yackles Mission Bay lab. Credit: Susan Merrell

Since then, Yackle has also identified neurons in the preBotC that act as a relay station between breathing and a brain area involved in attention and arousal. Sniffing in mice normally triggers alertness, but with these neurons disabled, the feedback system is broken and mice are uncharacteristically calm; instead of anxiously exploring a new environment, they settle down to groom.

The researchers now refer to these 175 neurons as the pranayama neurons, after the ancient yogic breathing techniques. If these neurons can be identified in the human brain, they may explain how slow, deep breaths can help relieve anxiety and depression.

Connecting the Dots

Some neurons produce sighing and others connect breathing with attention. Recently, Yackle has found a small group of neurons that seem to control the length of exhalation.

"By classifying subpopulations, we've found that different aspects of breathing can be separated at the cellular and molecular level," he said.

For Yackle, these findings are a good sign that control of the breathing rhythm also lies in a subpopulation of cells in the preBotC waiting to be molecularly defined.

Because breathing is such an essential biological function, the physiology is likely conserved across mammalian species, said Yackle. His studies in mice might eventually help us understand and treat human breathing disorders.

Premature babies who have irregular breathing are sometimes treated with caffeine, but scientists don't really understand how that works, said Yackle. "We currently don't have any ways of controlling breathing rhythm pharmacologically," he said.

A sequence of images showing rhythmic neural activity in the preBotzinger complex, the region of the brain that controls breathing. Credit: University of California, San Francisco

Dispute About Pacemaker's Existence

Not everyone believes there is a breathing pacemaker to be found. Many in the field of respiratory neurobiology now believe the breathing rhythm is an emergent phenomenon  that it arises from the coordinated efforts of different cells in the preBotC. This includes Feldman at UCLA, who 25 years ago discovered the preBotC and is a prominent figure in the field.

Feldman says understanding the breathing rhythm is a "goal that defies any easy discovery." His team had years ago considered the theory that a specific subset of neurons was responsible for breathing rhythm and discarded it, along with other obvious hypotheses.

Despite the skeptics, Yackle is optimistic about his search. He believes those earlier studies could not rule out the possibility of specific pacemaker neurons because they didn't molecularly define the cells. In order to reproducibly find a cell in the preBotC and test its role in breathing, you have to be able to genetically access the cell, said Yackle.

"The fact that we can find cells that are molecularly distinct and it appears so far that they are also functionally distinct, it seems to me that the premise that all of these cells can function in a redundant way doesn't seem to be true," said Yackle.

"We know that they're there, we just don't know yet how to uniquely define them."

He is hoping to define them through his systematic genetics approach  reviving a discarded theory with new molecular tools. It's possible now, for example, to measure the electrophysiological activity of a single neuron, extract that single neuron, and sequence its RNA, said Yackle.

Despite their differing views on the breathing pacemaker, Feldman and Yackle collaborate often and are mutual fans. When Feldman saw that Yackle had systematically combed through gene expression databases to map the preBotC, he thought, "Why didn't I think about this?"

"He's done incredible things," said Feldman. "Someone with much less imagination and creativity would have just taken the data and published that data. But for Kevin, it was a means to new experiments."

More information: Peng Li et al. The peptidergic control circuit for sighing, Nature (2016). Journal information: Nature Peng Li et al. The peptidergic control circuit for sighing,(2016). DOI: 10.1038/nature16964
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide affecting 8.2 million of people per year, and in the US, the number of new cases will achieve 1.6 million in 2017. The global impact of this disease costs a trillion of dollars, which makes critical the development of new drugs and treatment against it.

In a recent study published in the scientific journal Translational Oncology, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), State University of West Zone, (UEZO) and D'Or Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) tested the therapeutic effect of a combination of conventional - common anti-cancer agents - and new drugs - under clinical trials. "The results were very exciting because the successful outcome depended on the chemotherapy regimens. On the other hand, "wrong" combination of drugs could elicit harmful effects", states Helena Borges, professor at Institute of Biomedical Sciences of UFRJ, and study leader.

The disease

Cancer is characterized by abnormal cell growth that invades other parts of the body. It is known that this abnormal pattern of cell growth depends on several signaling mechanisms inside the cells involving the protein pRB. pRB plays multiple roles, including controlling cell division, which prevents abnormal growth. In cancer cells, both cell division and apoptosis (programmed cell death) are impaired because tumor suppressor agents, such as pRB, are not fully available. As a result, cell number increases drastically since cell death and division do not occur appropriately.

Many anti-cancer drugs widely used were developed more than 50 year ago, when the cancer-related cellular mechanisms were poorly understood. Among them, cisplatin and 5-FU act inducing DNA damage or preventing DNA production, leading to a reduction of cancel cells. Recent findings about the central role of pRB on cancer revealed it is a potential target for treatments with fewer side effects. Indeed, new drugs were developed to act on the pRB pathway, fostering its functioning and allowing the appropriate control of cell growth. Some of these drugs are under clinical trials and may be incorporate as alternative anti-cancer treatment soon.

The study

Researchers from Rio de Janeiro investigated whether cisplatin and 5-FU would be able to interfere with pRB. Also, they evaluated the impact of the drugs on tumor cell death induction and on the standard treatment against cancer.

First, they described that the signaling pathway in which the pRB plays a key role is impaired in esophageal cancer, the sixth most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Human esophageal biopsies coming from non-tumoral tissue, esophageal pre-cancer and advanced stages of disease were assessed for pRB expression. As a result, a positive correlation between pRB expression and cancer progression was observed: the more advanced the stage of the esophageal tumor, the greater pRB inactivation was found.

"This result reinforces the notion that impaired pRB signaling contributes for the esophageal cancer progression", points Prof. Borges.

Then, researchers focused on a family of proteins responsible for pRB inactivation, named CDKs. Blocking CDKs' activity is the mechanism of action of new anti-cancer drugs under clinical trials.

The group aimed to clarify whether blocking CDKs combined with conventional drugs, such as cisplatin and 5-FU, would increase cell death, making the treatment more effective.

The analyses revealed that blocking CDKs, associated with cisplatin, increased mortality of tumor cells. On the other hand, opposite effects were observed when treating cells with 5-FU: esophageal cancer cells became resistant to the drugs, showing decreased death rates.

Stevens Rehen, researcher from IDOR and professor at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences/UFRJ, co-author of the study, highlights the importance of gathering knowledge of cell biology in order to strategically identify and test anti-cancer drugs.

"The results bring attention to studies that investigate the combination of CDKs' inhibitors and conventional anti-cancer drugs. CDKs' inhibitors seem to enhance the treatment, but depending on the situation, combining them with 5-FU can be disastrous" says Prof. Borges. New studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of specific CDKs' inhibitors on new combinations of several types of cancer.

More information: Rossana C. Soletti et al, Inhibition of pRB Pathway Differentially Modulates Apoptosis in Esophageal Cancer Cells, Translational Oncology (2017). Journal information: Translational Oncology Rossana C. Soletti et al, Inhibition of pRB Pathway Differentially Modulates Apoptosis in Esophageal Cancer Cells,(2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2017.06.008

Provided by D'Or Institute for Research and Education
"High salt (sodium chloride) intake is one of the major causes of high blood pressure and an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke," said Prof Pekka Jousilahti, research professor at the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. "In addition to CHD and stroke, heart failure is one of the major cardiovascular diseases in Europe and globally but the role of high salt intake in its development is unknown."

This study assessed the relationship of salt intake and the development of heart failure. Estimation of individual salt intake is methodologically demanding and therefore suitable population-based cohorts are rare. This study used 24 hour sodium extraction, which is considered the gold standard for salt intake estimation at individual level.

This was a prospective follow-up study of 4 630 randomly selected men and women aged 25 to 64 years at baseline who participated in the North Karelia Salt Study and the National FINRISK Study between 1979 and 2002 in Finland. Baseline data collection included a self-administered questionnaire on health behaviour, measurements of weight, height and blood pressure, a venous blood sample for laboratory analysis, and collection of a 24 hour urine sample.

At the study site, nurses measured urine volume and took a 100 ml sample for laboratory analysis. One gram of salt intake was calculated as equal to 17.1 mmol sodium excretion.

The study cohort was followed up for 12 years through computerised register linkage to National Health Records. Cases of incident heart failure were identified from the Causes of Death Register, the Hospital Discharge Register and drug reimbursement records. The association of salt intake in quintiles (<6.8g, 6.8-8.8g, 8.8-10.9g, 10.96-13.7g and >13.7g/day) and the risk of an incident new heart failure event was estimated.

During the follow-up, 121 men and women developed new heart failure. In an age, sex, study year and area adjusted model, hazard ratios in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th salt intake quintiles, compared to the 1st one, were: 0.83, 1.40, 1.70 and 2.10. After further adjustment for systolic blood pressure, serum total cholesterol level and body mass index the hazard ratios were: 1.13, 1.45, 1.56 and 1.75, respectively.

Prof Jousilahti said: "The heart does not like salt. High salt intake markedly increases the risk of heart failure. This salt-related increase in heart failure risk was independent of blood pressure."

"People who consumed more than 13.7 grams of salt daily had a two times higher risk of heart failure compared to those consuming less than 6.8 grams," he continued. "The optimal daily salt intake is probably even lower than 6.8 grams. The World Health Organization recommends a maximum of 5 grams per day and the physiological need is 2 to 3 grams per day."

Prof Jousilahti concluded: "Studies in larger, pooled population cohorts are needed to make more detailed estimations of the increased heart failure risk associated with consuming salt."
A new study of the growing United States opioid epidemic reveals that deaths from overdoses have nearly doubled over the past seven years, while increasing acute care costs and hospitalizations are taxing health care systems.

The new paper, "The Critical Care Crisis of Opioid Overdoses in the United States" published online ahead of print in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society is believed to be the first to quantify the impact of opioid abuse on critical care resources in the U.S. The findings reveal that opioid-related demand for acute care services has outstripped the available supply.

In the cohort study, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel, Harvard Medical School and University of Chicago analyzed nearly 23 million adult hospital admissions at 162 hospitals in 44 states over a seven-year period: January 1, 2009 through September 31, 2015. Among the more than 4 million patients requiring acute care, the researchers found 21,705 who were admitted to intensive care units (ICU) due to opioid overdoses. Admissions included overdoses for prescription drugs, methadone or heroin.

"We found a 34 percent increase in overdose-related ICU admissions while ICU opioid deaths nearly doubled during that same period," according to Dr. Lena Novack, Ph.D., a lecturer in BGU's School of Public Health. The mortality rates of these patients climbed at roughly the same rate, on average, with a steeper rise in deaths of patients admitted to the ICU for overdose after 2012.

The average cost of care per ICU overdose admission also rose significantly - 58 percent - from $58,517 in 2009 to $92,408 in 2015. In addition, the study indicated that opioid-related ICU admissions increased an average of more than half a percent each year over the seven-year timeframe, jumping from seven percent to 10 percent by the end of the study period.

Patients admitted to the ICU due to an overdose increasingly required intensive care, including high-cost renal replacement therapy or dialysis.

Admissions were identified using the Clinical Data Base/Resource ManagerTM of Vizient, Inc., which is comprised of data mainly from urban academic medical centers and may not reflect overdose-related acute care needs in other settings.

"Our estimates may actually be on the low side," Dr. Novack says. Since our team of researchers analyzed admissions rather than a manual chart review, we may not have captured every admission if opioid-related complications weren't coded as such."

The study also did not determine whether increased ICU admissions for opioid overdoses resulted from improved community emergency response that may have saved lives but then required critical care, or whether the increased ICU admissions indicated that community emergency response needs improvement so patients require a less intensive hospital care.

States With the Highest Opioid Hospitalizations

The researchers found that Massachusetts and Indiana have the highest opioid admission densities in the nation. Pennsylvania experienced the sharpest rise in opioid-related overdoses during the study period, with critical care overdose admissions nearly doubling since 2009. Illinois, California, New York, and Indiana have also experienced ICU admission rate increases during the period.

"Our findings raise the need for a national approach to developing safe strategies to care for ICU overdose patients, to providing coordinated resources in the hospital for patients and families, and to helping survivors maintain sobriety following discharge," the researchers conclude.

More information: Jennifer P. Stevens et al, The Critical Care Crisis of Opioid Overdoses in the United States, Annals of the American Thoracic Society (2017). Jennifer P. Stevens et al, The Critical Care Crisis of Opioid Overdoses in the United States,(2017). DOI: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201701-022OC
By PTI: Bhopal, Aug 28 (PTI) A policeman ran with a 10-kg artillery shell, found at a school in Chitora village of Sagar district, for about a kilometre to save the lives of 400 students, officials said today.

Head constable Abhishek Sen, posted at Surkhi police station in Sagar district, was honoured by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan this morning as a video of the cops action went viral on the social media.

advertisement

A state public relations department official said the incident had taken place on August 25.

An anonymous caller informed the Dial -100 service of the state police at around 12.50 pm on August 25 that an unexploded artillery shell was lying in the backyard of the Middle School at Chitora village of Sagar district, the official said.

After reaching the spot, Patel got the school evacuated, as over 400 students were present there at that time. In the meantime, he picked up the shell, weighing around 10 kilograms, and ran for about a kilometre before dumping it into a nullah, the official added.

The army personnel of Mahar Regiment Centre at Sagar finally defused the shell on Sunday.

The Madhya Pradesh government today presented a cash reward of Rs 50,000 to Patel here for his brave act.

"Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan honoured the constable this morning with the cash prize at the CMs residence in the state capital," the official said.

R S Bagir, in-charge of Surkhi police station, under whose jurisdiction the school is located, said it is yet to be confirmed from where the shell reached the school.

"It is not yet known from where it landed in the school backyard. This was an unexploded and old. It is possible that a villager might have brought it from a nearby army shooting range. We are investigating it," Bagri said. PTI ADU MAS NP SK RT

--- ENDS ---
"It has been many long, hard, agonizing battles for the last few years and you fought like a warrior every step of the way. Addiction, however, won the war. To the person who doesn't understand addiction, she is just another statistic who chose to make a bad decision."

Despite working nearly two decades as an addiction scientist, I cannot read Kelsey Grace Endicott's mother's eulogy without crying. The opioid epidemic has turned those who lost their lives to addiction into statistics, while leaving their families in sorrow.

Overdose deaths in the U.S. have tripled since 2000, with 52,404 deaths in 2015 as the highest ever recorded. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has yet to release official statistics for 2016, early estimates put the number of deaths at as many as 65,000.

On August 10, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national emergency. Nearly a decade into this epidemic, this national emergency was declared at least eight years too late. Policymakers have missed opportunities to implement strategies scientifically demonstrated to reduce overdose deaths and help people recover.

Declaring a national emergency is important, but it's not clear what steps the administration will take or how much funding will be committed to these strategies. We have proven prevention and treatment services that we need to significantly expand, and we need the money to do this.

The right treatments

Declaring the opioid epidemic a national emergency expands the availability of federal funding; frees up public health workers to address the issue; and makes it possible to remove regulatory barriers to lifesaving medications.

In a speech on May 11, Attorney General Jeff Sessions suggested that tools like "Just Say No" and Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) can help fight the opioid epidemic.

However, addiction science has repeatedly proven that such drug prevention programs are ineffective. Some would argue that we are biologically wired to try new things, so education alone is not sufficient to prevent repeated drug use.

Prevention efforts are part of the solution, but we need more immediate solutions for people already ensnared by addiction. Naloxone, known by the brand name Narcan, is usually the only thing that can prevent death when someone has overdosed on opioids. Science has unequivocally demonstrated that naloxone can reverse an opioid overdose, if administered in time and in an adequate dose.

When patients with opioid use disorders are treated with FDA-approved medications like methadone and buprenorphine, they not only reduce their use of opioids but they are also less likely to overdose. When these drugs are used to treat addiction, they are referred to as medication-assisted treatment. Medication-assisted treatment helps many people, particularly early in recovery, when otherwise their brains seem to focus only on using more drugs. In fact, a National Institute on Drug Abuse study found that only about 7 percent of patients can stop using opioids without buprenorphine.

We need drugs like naloxone and buprenorphine to prevent deaths and help people recover from addiction. In the past few years, state governments have taken significant steps to remove regulatory barriers and expand community access to naloxone.

But policies are infrequently aligned with addiction science. In 2015, only 11 percent of people who needed addiction treatment received it. There are not enough medication-assisted treatment treatment slots available: A recent study estimated that the U.S. was short 1.3 million treatment slots for medication-assisted treatment in 2012. Demand has only increased since then.

There is an entrenched belief that people choose to use drugs and that this choice reflects a moral failing. Even the director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources  which cites medication-assisted treatment as part of its strategy  has been quoted saying: "If we're just substituting one opioid for another, we're not moving the dial much."

Moving too slowly

Early on, everyone believed that the epidemic was fueled by widely available prescription pain relievers. Books like "American Pain" by John Temple described "drug tourists" routinely traveling from states like Kentucky and West Virginia to Florida, where millions of prescription pills were dispensed at "pill mills."

Such overprescribing and doctor-shopping did contribute to the current epidemic. States have been successful at dispensing fewer prescription opioids, but this doesn't help the nearly 2.6 million Americans already addicted, or the 329,000 who report currently using heroin.

And, since 2014, it has become clear that the epidemic is no longer just about prescription opioids. In addition, heroin is frequently mixed or substituted with powerful synthetic opioids like fentanyl or carfentanil. They require far more of the overdose reversal drug naloxone than is routinely dispensed in communities.

Meanwhile, in poor and rural areas, community resources for public services are being exhausted by the costs of the epidemic.

Areas that have been disproportionately impacted by the epidemic, like West Virginia, have woefully inadequate access to harm-reduction services like syringe exchange programs and specialty addiction treatment. A clinic at our university that dispenses buprenorphine has more than 600 people on its waiting list. We will soon open a second clinic that will help reduce but not eliminate the waiting list.

A bill passed by President Obama, the 21st Century Cures Act, is making approximately US$1 billion in funding available to help states combat the opioid epidemic. But, as Dr. Keith Humphreys at Stanford University has said: This is not enough. We likely need 50 times that, as Ohio spent $1 billion in 2016 on the opioid epidemic.

Fighting back

It can be hard to grasp the devastation of the opioid epidemic. As the President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis has described it, in the scale of deaths, it's like the September 11 terrorist attacks happening every three weeks. A national emergency would have been declared 10 years ago if such a disaster occurred every three weeks. And it can be even harder to imagine the emotional turmoil and the depth of sorrow felt by the families who've lost their daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers.

I think it's fair to say that we all want a simple solution  something that we can wrap our arms around. Something that can be done in one legislative session. But that has not worked and it will not work, just as declaring a national emergency is not enough.

Addiction scientists know what needs to be done to turn the tide. While we may not understand every aspect of the epidemic and certainly need more research to understand these deaths of despair, we are eager to collaborate with communities to find empirically informed solutions, such as medication-assisted treatment. The President's Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis consists of four politicians and one addiction scientist. It might help to start by asking an expert, rather than politicians, what should be done.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
(HealthDay)When a child has a serious reaction to a vaccine, the chances of it happening again are slim, a new analysis suggests.

The review, of 29 studies, found that severe vaccine reactions recurred rarely, if ever, when a child received the same vaccine again, or one with similar ingredients. Those reactions included seizures and a potentially dangerous allergic response called anaphylaxis.

Feversa more common side effectrecurred more often. But they were usually milder and short-lived the second time around, the researchers reported.

Experts called the findings "reassuring," and another piece of evidence that childhood vaccinations are safe.

Any vaccine can cause side effects, but they are generally minor, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A sore arm or low-grade fever are among the most common, the agency says.

Rarely, though, babies and young children can have more troubling side effectslike a serious allergic reaction or a fever high enough to trigger a seizure.

When those problems do happen, parents want to know whether they're likely to happen again, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"This is one of the most common questions I get," he said.

Offit, who was not involved in the new study, called it welcome information. While there are estimates on how often vaccine reactions happen in the first place, it's harder to find figures on how often they recur.

For example, the CDC estimates that seizures affect one out of 14,000 children who receive the DTaP vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis (whooping cough).

The new review included three studies of kids who'd suffered a seizure after receiving DTaP or several other routine vaccines. None had a recurrence when they were vaccinated again.

"I think these findings are very reassuring," Offit said.

For the study, investigators with the Canadian Immunization Research Network, who were led by Dr. Gaston De Serres, searched the medical literature for research on recurrent vaccine side effects. They found 29 studies done between 1982 and 2016; most focused on children.

Several studies followed children and adults who'd had allergy symptoms after a vaccinationranging from rashes and eye symptoms to anaphylaxis. The latter is a potentially life-threatening reaction that causes breathing problems and a sharp drop in blood pressure.

Overall, 5 percent had another allergic response after being re-vaccinated, the findings showed. No patient had anaphylaxis again.

It's hard to know why. But one possibility is that the initial allergic reaction was not due to the vaccine at all, explained Dr. Sean O'Leary, an infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital Colorado.

O'Leary, who wrote an editorial published with the study, agreed that the findings are reassuring.

On the "off chance" that a child has a more serious vaccine reaction, he said, it appears there's little chance of it happening again.

A few studies focused on hypotonic hyporesponsive episodes (HHEs). The condition, which usually affects young infants, causes the child's body to go limp and the skin to turn pale or blue.

The review found that of nearly 400 children who'd developed HHE after being vaccinated, only threeor 0.8 percenthad a repeat episode the next time they were immunized.

HHE has been tied to a few vaccines, but it's most strongly linked to older pertussis-containing vaccines, according O'Leary.

The pertussis vaccine now used is thought to carry a lower HHE risk.

Fevers recur more often, the review found. One study, for instance, focused on babies and young children who'd developed a fever after getting the flu shot: Just over half had the same reaction the next time around.

But parents can usually take fevers and other mild reactions in stride, according to O'Leary.

Problems like seizures and HHE are another story. Neither has long-term consequences, but they are frightening for parents to witness, O'Leary said.

Offit agreed that those reactions are scaryand milder ones, like fever, are not pleasant.

"Vaccination is never risk-free," Offit said.

But, he added, those small risks have to be weighed against the benefit of protecting children from diseases like measles, whooping cough, mumps and the flu.

The findings were published online Aug. 28 in the journal Pediatrics.

More information: Paul Offit, M.D., director, Vaccine Education Center, and professor, pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Sean O'Leary, M.D., associate professor, pediatrics-infectious diseases, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora; Aug. 28, 2017, Pediatrics, online Paul Offit, M.D., director, Vaccine Education Center, and professor, pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Sean O'Leary, M.D., associate professor, pediatrics-infectious diseases, Children's Hospital Colorado, Aurora; Aug. 28, 2017,, online The CDC has more on vaccine side effects. Journal information: Pediatrics

Copyright  2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
A study conducted by Keele University shows that patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are also suffering with anxiety or depression may avoid talking to their GP about their mental health symptoms.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a long-term inflammatory condition which causes joint pain, swelling and deformity. Although 1 in 5 people with rheumatoid arthritis experience anxiety or depression, the study (funded by the Haywood Hospital) found that healthcare providers may not recognise mental health problems; instead prioritising physical health concerns. The research showed that this negative experience of care can lead to patients feeling unable to raise their mood problems in future consultations.

The Haywood Foundation funded the set-up of nurse-led clinics in two North Staffordshire community hospitals, as part of a rheumatoid arthritis annual review. Dr Annabelle Machin, a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded researcher, interviewed patients about their previous experiences of care, understanding of anxiety and depression, and preferences for the management of mood problems.

Some patients interpreted their mood problems as normal because of their rheumatoid arthritis, which prevented them from seeking help. Others reported GP appointments to be anxiety-provoking, or felt that their GP prioritised physical over mental health concerns. Patients felt these potential barriers to the discussion of their mood problems could be overcome through continuity of care, provision of time, and encouragement to attend follow-up appointments by a named GP. Patients experiencing severe anxiety and depression felt that mood problems themselves could be a barrier to self-referral for psychological therapy, suggesting that a GP referral could improve access to care.

There was key input from a patient group, who not only assisted with study design and analysis of the interview transcripts, but also helped to develop an information leaflet, which educates patients about mental health problems and treatments in rheumatoid arthritis. The leaflet is now readily available in the Patient Information and Education Resource Centre (PIER) at the Haywood Hospital.

Lead researcher and academic GP, Dr Annabelle Machin, said, "I would like to thank the NIHR for funding this study, which I hope will promote future discussion of mood problems within rheumatoid arthritis annual reviews, as this could have a great impact on both physical and mental health outcomes for patients".

More information: Annabelle Machin et al. Improving recognition of anxiety and depression in rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative study in a community clinic, British Journal of General Practice (2017). Journal information: British Journal of General Practice Annabelle Machin et al. Improving recognition of anxiety and depression in rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative study in a community clinic,(2017). DOI: 10.3399/bjgp17X691877
Vascular screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, and hypertension. Credit: Lisbeth Hasager Justesen, Viborg Hospital

A novel screening programme for vascular disease saves one life for every 169 men assessed, according to late-breaking results from the VIVA trial presented today in a Hot Line LBCT Session at ESC Congress and published in the Lancet. The combined screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral artery disease, and hypertension gained more living years for lower costs than European cancer screening programmes.

"National screening programmes are implemented for different types of cancer, yet there is limited research on similar programmes for asymptomatic cardiovascular disease  irrespective of the fact that it causes more deaths," said principal investigator Prof Jes Lindholt, professor of vascular surgery, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.

The Danish Viborg Vascular (VIVA) trial tested the mortality impact and cost-effectiveness of combined screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (dilatation of the largest artery in the belly), peripheral artery disease (hardening of the arteries in the lower limbs), and hypertension.

Prof Lindholt said: "These diseases are often asymptomatic and can be life threatening. Of course, elective repair of an aneurysm can prevent dying of rupture. However, pharmacological therapy for peripheral artery disease, aneurysms or hypertension holds a much larger potential to reduce the risk of dying from coronary heart disease, stroke and heart attack."

The prospective, randomised trial included all 50,156 men aged 65 to 74 years from the central region of Denmark. Half were invited to screening and the other half to usual care where disease is typically detected only if a man reacts to symptoms or is in contact with healthcare for other reasons. The primary outcome was all-cause mortality.

Men in the screening group underwent a ten minute procedure in which their aorta was scanned using ultrasonography and their blood pressure was measured and compared for the ankle and the arm, as shown in the picture. Two specially trained nurses undertook the procedure.

More than 20 percent of those attending screening had positive test results: 3 percent had an abdominal aortic aneurysm, 11 percent had peripheral artery disease, and 11 percent had suspected hypertension that was untreated. "We were quite surprised that despite modern healthcare with diagnostic technology being available essentially everywhere, one out of five men had undiagnosed vascular disease," said Prof Lindholt.

Men who tested positive for abdominal aortic aneurysm and/or peripheral artery disease had a confirmatory test and consultation where individualised prophylactic activities, including smoking cessation and pharmacological therapy, were recommended. If not already prescribed, low dose aspirin (75 mg/day) and simvastatin (40 mg/day) were prescribed. Those with an aneurysm larger than 50 mm in diameter were referred to a vascular surgeon to assess the need for elective repair. Men with suspected hypertension were referred to their general practitioner.

The screening and usual care groups were followed using national registries for hospital admissions, surgeries, and overall and cause-specific death. After five years, 149 more lives were saved in the screening group (there were 2 566 deaths in the screening group versus 2715 in the control group). This corresponds to one life saved for every 169 men screened, and a statistically significant 7 percent relative risk reduction compared to no screening.

"A result of this magnitude has never been seen before in general population screening programmes," said Prof Lindholt. "We believe that it is primarily explained by the 2.5 times higher incidence of elective aneurysm repairs and the doubled initiation rates of antithrombotic and lipid-lowering therapy in the group invited to screening."

The cost of screening (using 2014 prices) was estimated at an additional 148 per citizen in comparison with usual care from a healthcare sector perspective. The resulting costs of a life year and a quality adjusted life year gain from screening were estimated at 6 872 and 7716, respectively, and the corresponding probabilities for screening being cost effective at 97 percent and 96 percent, respectively.

Co-investigator Prof Rikke Sgaard, professor of health economics at Aarhus University, Denmark, said: "A cost per life year gained of around 7 000 is quite low by European standards. Vascular screening is simple and cheap and the benefit in terms of lives saved is substantial. It is more cost effective than many existing programmes such as screening for breast or colon cancer and has the potential to be a game changer in public health prevention."
Full Article

I dont often get a chance to see a band at the very beginning, and then the very end of a long tour run. But last night at the Ridgefield Playhouse, in Ridgefield, CT I had the pleasure of seeing The Neal Morse Band, who I had reviewed earlier for their Toronto, ON show back in January. And as incredible as they were back in January, after months of touring their last album, The Similitude of a Dream, that time has paid dividends, and they were even tighter and more impressive than they were the first time.

Last nights show was special to me on a personal note as well; I traveled to Connecticut with my Dad, the man who first introduced me to the wonderful world of progressive rock when I was in middle school. It was his first time seeing the band, and hed gotten us tickets before I even knew that were even covering the show. As far as the show went, the main set list was identical to all the shows this tour has had, as they have been performing the entire 100 plus minute Similitude album in its entirety on a consistent basis for the past 7 months. And as I said previously, all those shows have combined to take what was already one of the best and most impressive live bands in music today, and make them even better together. The show last night was, to put it mildly, an awe-inspiring performance of technical and emotional skill.

Neal Morse, besides being the main vocalist, transitioned between playing keys, electric, and acoustic guitar the entire evening and never missed a cue. He was, of course, joined by his long time collaborator, friend, and drum legend Mike Portnoy, who for my money has saved his best drum work to date for this current tour and album. Mike is always a showman, and incredible to watch, but the clear amount of fun he was having on stage last night, and joking back and forth with Neal (all the while playing insane drum parts), was one of the most joyous things Ive been able to witness in a live setting. They were joined by long time Neal alum, bass maestro Randy George, who while stoic and solid, continues his playful touch with a large stuffed sloth hanging from his bass throughout Sloth from the second act. And one cannot forget guitarist Eric Gillette, who has been making a name for himself as amongst the best young guitarists in prog rock and metal. He recently joined Mike for Mikes Shattered Fortress tour celebrating his music with Dream Theater, standing in for John Petrucci; the chemistry the two share was readily apparent and his impassioned vocals shined throughout the evening. Bill Hubauer rounds off the band, providing key work, vocals, and, for two (separate) songs, saxophone and mandolin as well. And, as the first time I saw them, Bills performance on Worldly Wiseman was jaunty and spot on perfect.

There havent been any real changes in the show, however, if you happen to get the chance to see any of the next three performances (which are the last times playing Similitude in its entirety) it is still worth seeing again if you saw an earlier tour. Neal still dresses the part of the pilgrim throughout, wearing all black for the majority of the performance, but at the end of both acts when the character finds salvation switches to white. And he goes through several mask changes, including a sloth mask for the above mentioned Sloth and last night, laid down on the floor of the stage to take a brief nap in the middle of the song. The crowd, to say the least, loved every minute of it. But the band is playing at much a higher level, it will make it well worth anyones time. The highlight last night came during a chilling performance of The Mask (which includes a dark video with an almost X-Files vibe) through Broken Sky/Long Day (Reprise) which ends the show. This section is arguably the best work Neal has done throughout his entire career. And by the end of the night with the final song of the main set, Neal was literally in tears singing it and he certainly wasnt the only one. The crowd which was very active and truly fed off his energy the whole night and he in turn fed off them throughout. The evening ended with a brief encore of The Call which was a fun and fitting ending to a perfect night of prog.

Last night was a truly inspiring and powerful evening of some of the best prog being produced today by some of the best musicians on the planet. And as they keep playing together they just get better at what they do. There are only a few shows left but if you can attend one youre in for a true treat. Thankfully, a DVD shoot is planned for Morsefest so this memorable tour will be captured forever. The Neal Morse Band are clearly passionate about what they play, and even if you dont share Neals religious beliefs, his message of hope, redemption, and salvation clearly can still move plenty of people.

Also check out our photo gallery here!
Alpine to make 3 electric crossovers

Number of injured in Istanbul blast rises to 81

Paul McCartney sells guitar for $77,000 to support Ukraine

Erdogan says preliminary findings after Istanbul bombing point to terrorist attack

Erdogan says number of victims of Istanbul bombing rises to six

Authorities forbid TV channels to broadcast from Istanbul bombing site

Istanbul blast: Governor reports 4 dead and 38 wounded

Media: Terrorist attack considered as one of versions of bombing in Istanbul

Blast in Istanbul: victims reported

Reuters: National Bank of Ukraine prepares banking system for power outages

Explosion hits pedestrian street in Istanbul

Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin calls for Turkey to be recognized as sponsor of terrorism

Bloomberg columnist says Japan may be preparing for war with China

Reuters: U.S. to demand EU colleagues to continue aid to Kyiv at G20

Washington Post: U.S. intelligence believes UAE tried to interfere in U.S. politics

Yeni Safak: Turkey increases sales of winter products, blankets in EU by almost third since beginning of year

Fox News: Trump has been silent on social media for over 24 hours amid Republican failures

Lebanon extradites to Iraq relative of Saddam Hussein

Financial Times: Kyiv plans to nationalize more private companies

U.S. Senate declares 'death' of Republican Party after congressional elections

Head of U.S. Customs resigned

President of Georgia Zourabichvili says about 100 thousand Russians settled in country

CNN: Democrats to retain control of Senate after congressional elections

Alen Simonyan: We are truly and sincerely committed to the peace agenda

Artak Beglaryan: Genocidal purpose is apparent

French maritime services rescue more than 140 migrants trying to swim across English Channel

Biden says he is satisfied with results of midterm elections in U.S.

Slovenia holds second round of presidential elections

'Witch' burned alive in India, 14 arrested

COVID-19 cases are expected to surge in Germany this winter

Dollar makes worst showing in week since early days of COVID-19 pandemic

Macron confirms France's readiness to support normalization of relations between Yerevan and Baku

Germany withdraws from Energy Charter Treaty

Is Jordan country that has not supplied arms to Armenia?: 'The press usually has reliable information'

European Commission approves nationalization of Russian Gazprom's German subsidiary

Pashinyan: If the state interferes with the exchange rate unnecessarily, the economy will only suffer

U.S. to work with strategic coalition of Southeast Asian countries

Armenian PM: To reform army, it is necessary to make military service more attractive

Putin and Raisi discuss topical issues of the bilateral agenda

Blinken: Ukraine must decide on timing and content of any talks with Russia

Catholicos expresses hope that Russia efforts will contribute to ensuring free, safe life of Artsakh Armenians

More than 50 of poorest developing countries are on brink of bankruptcy, says UN official

Armenia ex-ombudsman: We are facing serious national security issues (PHOTOS)

Biden has no plans to meet with Saudi crown prince at G20 summit

EU offers natural gas price cap assurances amid disagreements with member countries

Scholz is against establishment of ceasefire in Ukraine on Kremlin's terms

Turkologist: Turkey does not support agenda of achieving peace with Armenians

Sweden to not permit deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory after joining NATO

Erdogan signs decree on appointing Turkey ambassador to Israel

Information security expert: Some Armenia officials received letter that they were victims of national hackers attack

Armenia FM meets with France minister of foreign trade

Foreign Policy: US to resume nuclear arms control talks with Russia

Armenia opposition MP: Artsakh army reduction is impermissible

Biden to warn Chinas Xi that North Korea path could lead to increase in US military presence

US Treasury chief: India can buy as much Russian oil as it wants

Newspaper: Armenia authorities trying to find legal grounds for signing peace treaty

Newspaper: People of Karabakh not going to tolerate final destruction of their army

Texas woman sentenced to death for killing pregnant woman, removing fetus from victim

Van Gogh's painting sold for a record $117 million

Gentiloni: EU countries have accumulated enough gas to get through the coming winter

Several dozen activists detained at protest rally in Baku: They chant slogans 'Freedom!', 'Resign!'

Princess Haya seeks asylum in Wales

Pashinyan: Iran is concerned about the presence of other actors in our region, which are not in the territory of Armenia

Pashinyan: Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan listened to presented proposals

Volvo reveals its flagship EX90 electric crossover

Pashinyan: Yerevan supports Russia's proposals for Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement

Pashinyan: Russia cannot withdraw from Karabakh unless it creates additional guarantees for peacekeeping mission

Pashinyan: We will do everything to Armenia-Azerbaijan sign peace treaty by end of year

Russia bans entry of Biden's family and White House press secretary

Pashinyan: We believe there should be a dialogue between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh

Pashinyan says positions voiced by some member countries of CSTO are unacceptable

19 countries that use euro currency will slide into recession over winter

Pashinyan to Baku: If 1991 border is mutually recognized, what are your troops doing near Jermuk?

Pashinyan: If the Karabakh issue is solved, why is Azerbaijani Armed Forces shooting at Karabakh residents?

Pashinyan: Russia should say whether their version of peace settlement is still circulating?

Pashinyan: Maybe Azerbaijan doesn't want Armenia to receive revenues?

Pashinyan: Azerbaijan must withdraw its troops from Armenia

Pashinyan: My yesterday's speech served its purpose, Azerbaijani MFA no longer uses 'corridor' term

Microsoft founder Paul Allen's collection of world masterpieces sold for $1.6 billion

Public TV of Armenia hosts Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan

China shows drone killer

Armenian FM meets his French counterpart

Rishi Sunak decides to close hole in British budget through austerity

Delegation of Russian MPs visits Jermuk resort town

Lavrov and Mirzoyan discuss regional agenda

Harut Sasunyan: The best way to achieve peace is to be prepared for war

Turkish prosecutor demands court to ban Istanbul mayor from political activities

German business leaders warn against leaving China

Sasunyan: Russia and US pursue their own interests in South Caucasus

British economy shrinks in three months, foretelling prolonged recession

Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan summoned to Foreign Ministry

Euro rises above dollar for first time in long time

Hungarian Foreign Affairs Minister calls Council of Turkic States 'forum of peace' and praises Turkey

EU embargo on Russian oil will be a boon for OPEC

Armenia defense minister receives China ambassador, military attache

Lemkin Institute condemns Azerbaijan president's genocidal rhetoric

Dollar goes up, euro rises sharply in Armenia

U.S. warns Europe that conflict over Taiwan will cause massive global economic shock

EU calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to moderate their rhetoric

Erdogan says Turkey has been waiting at door of EU for 52 years and will give answer when time comes
By PTI: (Eds: Correcting policemans name in para 2)

Bhopal, Aug 28 (PTI) A policeman ran with a 10-kg artillery shell, found at a school in Chitora village of Sagar district, for about a kilometre to save the lives of 400 students, officials said today.

Head constable Abhishek Patel (rpt) Patel, posted at Surkhi police station in Sagar district, was honoured by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan this morning as a video of the cops action went viral on the social media.

advertisement

A state public relations department official said the incident had taken place on August 25.

An anonymous caller informed the Dial -100 service of the state police at around 12.50 pm on August 25 that an unexploded artillery shell was lying in the backyard of the Middle School at Chitora village of Sagar district, the official said.

After reaching the spot, Patel got the school evacuated, as over 400 students were present there at that time. In the meantime, he picked up the shell, weighing around 10 kilograms, and ran for about a kilometre before dumping it into a nullah, the official added.

The army personnel of Mahar Regiment Centre at Sagar finally defused the shell on Sunday.

The Madhya Pradesh government today presented a cash reward of Rs 50,000 to Patel here for his brave act.

"Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan honoured the constable this morning with the cash prize at the CMs residence in the state capital," the official said.

R S Bagir, in-charge of Surkhi police station, under whose jurisdiction the school is located, said it is yet to be confirmed from where the shell reached the school.

"It is not yet known from where it landed in the school backyard. This was an unexploded and old. It is possible that a villager might have brought it from a nearby army shooting range. We are investigating it," Bagri said. PTI ADU MAS NP SK RT BSA

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN.  President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan didnt discuss the issue of deploying peacekeeping forces in Artsakh during the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the President said during the meeting with the participants of Baze Pan-Armenian youth camp, Armenpress reported

The President also touched upon the recent statement of OSCE Minsk Group acting American Co-Chair Richard Hoagland and the analysis over the Armenian-Russian high-level talks held in Sochi according to which the date of Hoaglands statement was not a coincidence.

President Sargsyan said there is a tradition of meetings with Vladimir Putin several times a year, and broad agenda of Armenian-Russian relations is discussed. The meeting in Sochi was not an exception.

The participants asked the president to comment on the rumors alleging that deployment of peacekeepers in Artsakh had been discussed during the meeting with the Russian President.

We not only didnt hold a discussion on peacekeeping forces, but also we didnt hold a discussion in general. I have just briefly introduced the current situation in the line of contact and I presented my vision over the intentions of our neighbor. Thats it. We have not discussed any such issue, he said.

Asked about the link of the statement of Co-Chair Richard Hoagland to Sargsyan-Putin meeting, the President said the link between these two events is unlikely, in case when the former US Co-Chair also expressed an opinion after his resignation.

Hoagland is leaving his post and one day he must have expressed his conclusion in a more free status since its one thing to be a current Co-Chair, and another thing when he you going to resign. If you remember, the same was true for the previous one. In general, such a tradition has been formed as he will not take part in the negotiations tomorrow, so none of the sides would have a chance to quote him. As for what has been said by Hoagland, it was absolutely nothing new for me. But for many, I think, it is a proof of the fact that previously our stance and our meetings have been misinterpreted. The leaders of the Co-Chairing countries have repeatedly talked about this, and overall, that provisions have been put forward for more than ten years. Its just a general approach. In order for that provisions to be implemented, they need to be documented for days, weeks, months since every word, every comma in that document is very important, the President said
Research goes national as scientists tailor strategies to different regions around the country

UC Santa Cruz researchers who have pioneered alternatives to methyl bromide in commercial strawberry production have received a $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will take their work national.



Carol Shennan, professor of environmental studies, will lead a team of researchers and stakeholders around the country who are optimizing biological methods to manage soil-borne diseases and pests.



The grant builds on Shennan's leadership in the development of alternatives to methyl bromide and other environmentally harmful soil fumigants used to combat soil pathogens. She and UC Santa Cruz research scientist Joji Muramoto have adapted a clever strategy called anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) for strawberries. ASD combines short-term saturation with the application of an organic amendment like rice bran under plastic mulch to temporarily create anaerobic conditions in the soil; that results in "fermentation" processes and changes the microbial activity in the soil prior to planting, killing off pathogens like Verticillium dahliae that can devastate berry fields.



Unlike methyl bromide, which dramatically reduces microbial activity in the soil, ASD shifts microbial populations in ways that suppress targeted pathogens. "It stimulates disease-suppressing mechanisms," explained Shennan. The technique has received significant interest in California, which produces more than 80 percent of the nation's strawberries; more than 20 percent of the state's organic strawberry acreage uses ASD to manage soil disease, said Shennan.



"Because it's a biological process, its effectiveness depends on the environmental conditionssoil type, soil temperature, carbon sources, pathogens, and water management," she said. "Heavier soils are more difficult because you don't want clods. Farmers also have to do this at the right time to get the soil temperatures needed to kill off pathogens, and they may need different carbon sources depending on which pathogens they have."



The goal of the USDA project is to develop region- and pathogen-specific management systems so farmers can use ASD in combination with crop rotation and disease-resistant strawberry varieties. This "integrated systems" approach is the best way to address environmental and biological variables and increase the reliability of pathogen control.



"ASD is not like a fumigant that's going to work wherever and whenever you apply it," said Shennan. "It's more knowledge-intensive. For strawberries, it's currently the best alternative to fumigants to control Verticillium."



Other barriers to the widespread adoption of ASD include the variability in soil types and the need for equipment to spread tons of rice bran, grape pumice, or other organic matter on fields. Shennan's team will survey farmers about their experiences with ASD to learn more about who uses it, what works, and what prompts growers to abandon the technique. "It's easier to do on some soil types than others," acknowledged Shennan. "And the mechanics take some working out."



"We've been doing this for 14 years now, getting an accumulation of data from greenhouse experiments and field trials," said Shennan. "This grant will allow us to analyze the data from all those trials, as well as new trials, in a comprehensive way so we can develop decision guidelines for farmers in each region."



Since the phase-out of methyl bromide, two diseases have emerged as significant challenges for strawberry growers on the Central Coast: fusarium wilt and charcoal rot, which are triggered by fungi that are well-adapted to local conditions. "Fusarium is difficult to control in the central coast of California with ASD alone because of the cold soil in the fall when it is typically done," said Shennan. Her team is now developing ASD strategies tailored to these additional pathogens, including summer ASD combined with more resistant cultivars.



Strawberries are a $2.8 billion industry in the United States, employing more than 80,000 workers. But the phase-out of methyl bromide and other fumigants has posed a significant challenge for berry growers around the country. Shennan's team will address the needs of growers in California, Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee.



This project will focus on strawberries, but Shennan hopes to be able to apply what her team learns to get a "head start" on how to design systems for other crops. Like soil fumigation, ASD is a fairly expensive technique, which limits its use to specialty crops that fetch a higher price at the market. Researchers in Japan and the Netherlands are experimenting with ASD in greenhouse crops, asparagus, and tree seedling production, while scientists in Florida are conducting field trials with tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.



A consortium of researchers, farmers, and other stakeholders has collaborated with Shennan to develop ASD strategies, which growers are now using on about 1,500 acres of strawberries and raspberries in California, according to Shennan. "That's up from one acre five years ago," she noted, adding, "None of this would have happened without our partnership with Farm Fuel in Watsonville, which delivered carbon sources and provided technical assistance to growers early on."



In addition to Muramoto, Shennan's collaborators include Mark Mazzola, a research plant pathologist with USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Wenatchee, WA; Oleg Daugovish, a farm adviser with UC's Cooperative Extension in Ventura County; and Erin Rosskopf, a research microbiologist with USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Florida.
Who needs the Great Wall of China and Chichen Itza? Wisconsin is full of wonders that are much closer to home. So pack up the car, fire up the GPS and get ready to crisscross America's Dairyland with OnMilwaukee.com as we travel to the Seven Wonders of Wisconsin this summer.

SHERWOOD  The upper Midwest doesn't often come to mind first when discussing the most geologically significant regions of the United States or North America.

The towering mountains along the East Cost and through the west; the amazing vistas, plateaus and canyons of the American Southwest ... these are the images that have kept the postcard and scenic photography industries churning for centuries.

But here in the Midwest, where we are a more subdued society to begin with, there are plenty of geological marvels to keep scientists, outdoors folks and those just looking for a good picture more than interested.

Few geological features, outside of the aforementioned regions, are as impressive as the Niagara Escarpment, a nearly 1,000-mile-long cliff that begins (or ends, depending on how you look at things), in east-central Wisconsin, running northeast along side Lake Winnebago, forming almost all of the Door Peninsula and continuing north east through Canada and into upstate New York.

It's the Escarpment that gave Niagara Falls its name  the river drops right off the edge along the United States-Canadian border. It's also a leading reason the Great Lakes exist.

Contrary to popular belied, the Niagara Escarpment is not a fault line or a result of glaciation on the North American landscape though the glaciers did play a part in exposing the natural feature.

"What you're essentially looking at when you look at the Escarpment as a whole is the outer edge of a circular basin; the Michigan basin which, 400 million years ago, was a shallow seat," says Eric Fowle, Founding Co-Chair of the Niagara Escarpment Resource Network. "The glaciers did come into play, in terms of helping to expose that outer edge.

"As they advanced from the north, the last glacier more or less split in half when it hit Door County. The west side of the glacier went along the Escarpment corridor, exposed that cliff face, dug out the Bay of Green Bay, Lake Winnebago and Horicon Marsh."

In short, and speaking geologically, of course, the Escarpment is a pretty big deal ... and much more than just a really long cliff. The Escarpment influences weather patterns along its length and thanks to a number of factors, even miles away from the cliff face, creates a unique environment featuring numerous plant and wildlife species not found anywhere else in North America or, in some cases, the world.

"Groundwater, for example, which seeps out through the rock face and creates the micro-climate and sort of a cooling effect that allows a variety of plant and animal species to exist," Fowle says. "A lot of people want to focus on the cliff face but we need to be broader with that definition."
Photo caption: In the Snowdrift Game, individuals gain direct benefits from cooperative acts, which may indicate why cooperation is favored by natural selection. (Photo of 1977 blizzard in Buffalo, New York)

When it comes to explaining the evolution of human cooperation, researchers have traditionally looked to the iterated Prisoners Dilemma (IPD) game as the paradigm. However, the observed degree of cooperation among humans is generally higher than predicted by mathematical models using the IPD, leaving unanswered the question of why humans cooperate to the extent they do.

A group of researchers from the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and the University of Edinburgh in the UK suggests that a different game, called the iterated Snowdrift game (ISD), may more realistically reflect social situations that humans face, compared with the IPD. In experimental tests, the proportion of cooperative acts in the ISD game (48%) was significantly higher than those in the IPD (29%).

The cause for this difference is due to the higher risks of being exploited in the IPD compared with the ISD, where the risk of being exploited by someone who doesnt cooperate when you do is lower.

In principle, natural selection predicts individuals to behave selfishly, Rolf Kummerli, co-author of the study, told PhysOrg.com. However, we observe cooperation in humans and other organisms, where cooperation is costly for the actor but benefits another individual. The question is why does natural selection favor such cooperation? One solution to this problem is given by the Snowdrift game (but not by the PD), where individuals gain direct benefits from their cooperative acts.

The situation of the Snowdrift game involves two drivers who are trapped on opposite sides of a snowdrift. Each has the option of staying in the car or shoveling snow to clear a path. Letting the opponent do all the work is the best option (with a pay-off of 300 used in this study), but being exploited by shoveling while the opponent sits in the car still results in a pay-off of 100. (The other two possibilities, both shoveling and both sitting, have pay-offs of 200 and 0, respectively.)

Compare this with the Prisoners Dilemma. For a quick synopsis, two prisoners being questioned each have the choice to either defend the others innocence or betray the others guilt. As in the Snowdrift game, the best option is to betray your opponent while he defends you (pay-off of 400), and next for both of you to defend each other (pay-off of 300). Also, as in the Snowdrift game, both of you betraying results in a pay-off of 0.

However, the significant difference is in the greater risk in the Prisoners Dilemma when you cooperate while your opponent defects: while shoveling snow always helps you out, even when the opponent sits (100 pay-off), defending an opponent who betrays you results in the worst outcome for youa pay-off of -100. In the study, participants cooperated more in the ISD because they could always obtain individual benefits by cooperating, while the costs of cooperating were shared between cooperators.

The researchers noticed other interesting trends in the study, which involved 96 participants (38 female and 58 male) divided into 16 groups and arranged in 48 pairs, not knowing their partners identity or gender. Each pair repeated (iterated) both games 12 times, though were initially told the number of repetitions was randomly determined. The researchers created global competition by revealing that the players with the four highest pay-offs would receive monetary awards.

Players who employed Tit-for-Tat and Pavlovian strategiesknown to increase pay-offs in the IPDhad better pay-offs in both games than players who did not use these strategies. Further, the researchers found that female participants were twice as likely to use one of these strategies as male participants in the ISD (but not the IPD), resulting in both greater cooperation in female-female pairs compared with male-male pairs, as well as greater pay-offs for individual females. Interestingly, these results contrast with the theory of social sciences, suggesting that there is no simple rule on how males and females behave in different social dilemmas.

The most significant result is that humans adapt the degree of cooperation according to the social context (ISD or IPD) and the behavior and gender of their partner, Kummerli said.

Besides offering a potential explanation for the high levels of cooperation among humans, the ISD may also have more real-life associations than the IPD. For example, as the researchers point out, two scientists collaborating on a report would benefit if the other worked harder. But when your collaborator doesnt do any work, its probably better for you to do all the work yourself. Youll still end up with a completed project, rather than life in prison.

Many natural situations of cooperation are much more similar to the SD than to the PD, Kummerli said. For that reason, I think that the SD can provide more indications why cooperation is favored by natural selection than the PD. However, the PD is still a useful tool for mathematical models and to demonstrate differences in cooperation between two groups and in treatment of the gender differences in our study.

Citation: Kummerli, Rolf, Colliard, Caroline, Fiechter, Nicolas, Petitpierre, Blaise, Russier, Flavien, and Keller, Laurent. Human cooperation in social dilemmas: comparing the Snowdrift game with the Prisoners Dilemma. Proc. R. Soc. B, doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.0793.

Copyright 2007 PhysOrg.com.

All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com.
Credit: IBM

As we look to get from point A to point B, people increasingly have options that go beyond the typical bus or taxi. Various flavours of ride and car sharing are now available in cities worldwide, making getting around more convenient than ever. Yet, as anyone that uses such services knows, it can be difficult for a driver to find you using GPS alone. And, of course, you have to stay put until they doeven if plans change.

In the language of artificial intelligence (AI) research, this is a "moving-target search problem." The user is a moving target and the cab is an agent that needs to find the user so they can board the cab. Together with a team of collaborators, I'm working on a solution that could one day allow passengers in need of transportation to book intelligent cabs, shared cars or autonomous vehicles that will be able to find them and pick them up at the right time and precise location.

At IBM Research  Ireland we've developed a new moving target algorithm that allows users to keep changing their location as they wish, instead of being forced to wait at a pre-arranged location. The service provider in this scenario also benefits from the ability to minimize running costs such as fuel.

This solution is illustrated in our research paper entitled "A Scalable Approach to Chasing Multiple Moving Targets with Multiple Agents," which I presented at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI) in Melbourne, Australia. At the conference, I demonstrated how different agents are assigned to different targets (users) and how to plan the movements of the chaser agents (cabs).

The algorithm is very fast and it easily scales to problems with hundreds of agentsmuch larger than could previously be addressed. It provides a solid AI foundation that will allow to apply large-scale moving target search to useful real-life applications. Besides intelligent cab systems, this could be applied to a healthcare scenario, such as matching in-home care providers with patients.

A care service company typically manages a large number of care workers under some constraints, such as the availability and expertise of each worker, making it challenging to match them with the right patient. In the AI research community, this is a so-called multi-agent search and planning problem where each agent (care worker) finds a plan (determining a set of care receivers to visit), under some objectives (e.g., minimizing the delay to service) and constraints (e.g., all receivers need to be treated, duplicate services to the same care receiver are unnecessary).

In another paper we presented at the AI conference IJCAI "Efficient Optimal Search under Expensive Edge Cost Computation"we address the problem of minimizing delays of service caused by uncertainty of transportation. In this scenario, the benefits are similar to the taxi scenario in that the care services experience reduced running costs by matching caregivers closer to the patient's location while the patient benefits from reduced waiting time.

This approach builds on top of a journey planning system IBM Research has developed for several years and is very robust in the sense that the maximum delay of the service is theoretically guaranteed even if uncertain events occur such as missed connections of trains/buses. Our experimental results with real transportation networks show the promise of the approach.

Both the taxi and care giver scenarios present a real-time search problem that requires the agent to quickly match a user to a service provider with little information. In another paper we're presenting at IJCAI, "Online Bridged Pruning for Real-Time Search with Arbitrary Lookaheads," we describe an algorithm that improves the behavior of a real-time agent significantly. The algorithm identifies places in the environment that the agent has no reason to revisit, and prevents the agent from returning there. The results show that this work is a solid step ahead in the journey of having intelligent agents make very good decisions in the presence of limited information and limited thinking time.

For example, real-time search enables an agent to quickly find another route to reach its destination, when detecting that the current road is blocked off due to an unexpected event such as a traffic accident. We clearly do not have to revisit the origin, and just find another route from the current location. Real-time search can efficiently do so based on the acquired knowledge about which roads were passable without any problems. Real-time search can be extended even to search and rescue operations against disasters such as earthquakes and floods, where autonomous robots have limited knowledge about the current road-map due to many roads that become suddenly blocked off.

More information: Fan Xie et al. A Scalable Approach to Chasing Multiple Moving Targets with Multiple Agents, Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (2017). DOI: 10.24963/ijcai.2017/624 Masataro Asai et al. Efficient Optimal Search under Expensive Edge Cost Computation, Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (2017). DOI: 10.24963/ijcai.2017/596 Carlos Hernandez et al. Online Bridged Pruning for Real-Time Search with Arbitrary Lookaheads, Proceedings of the Twenty-Sixth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (2017). DOI: 10.24963/ijcai.2017/72

Provided by IBM
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef in the world. Coralline algae plays an important role in strengthening corals so they can form long-lasting reef structures. Credit: Kyle Taylor/Flickr

The Great Barrier Reef, and most other large reefs around the world, owe their bulk in large part to a type of red algae that grows on corals and strengthens them. New research led by Anna Weiss, a Ph.D. candidate at The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, has found that ancient coral reefs were also bolstered by their bond with red algae, a finding that could help scientists better understand how reefs will respond to climate change.

"Coral reefs as we know them today are a product of that long term coral-coralline algae relationship," Weiss said. "So if we want to preserve our coral reefs, we need to pay attention to the health of coralline algae as well."

Weiss conducted the research with Rowan Martindale, an assistant professor in the Jackson School's Department of Geological Sciences. Their research was published in August in the journal PLOS ONE.

Coralline algae are a type of red algae that helps build coral reef ecosystems in a variety of ways. They encourage reef growth by attracting coral larvae; they serve as a food source for reef animals; and help patch up broken coral skeletons by growing over breaks. The most important role of the algae when it comes to reef long term growth is directly reinforcing the limestone skeletons of corals with calcite, the hard mineral that forms the algae's skeleton. This allows coral reefs to maintain long-term structures that serve as the foundation of reef ecosystems.

Paleontologists think that the algae found in fossilized reefs plays a similar role in reef ecosystems as it does today. Weiss said that her study is the first to test that assumption by quantifying and statistically measuring that the algae has a significant, long term effect on reef diversity and structure.

Weiss research involved analyzing data from 128 fossilized coral reefs with coralline algae present cited in the research literature. She zeroed in specifically on reefs that were fossilized in the late Cretaceous and Cenozoic, a period that spans from 100 million years ago to the present.

Lead author of the study Anna Weiss, a Ph.D. candidate in The University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences, at a fossilized reef in Adnet, Austria Credit: Anna Weiss

She found that reefs with significant algae fortification were strongly associated with having higher structural integrity and more active ecosystems than those with little or no signs of algaea correlation that is also found in modern day coral reefs.

"Studying ancient events and ecosystems provide is important information about the modern world," Weiss said. "This work shows that the important interaction between corals and coralline algae isn't new, it goes back millions of years."

Today, climate change is warming ocean water and making it more acidic, putting stress on coral reefs around the world. Weiss said that other research indicates that the algae may be more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than coral, a finding that she said exemplifies the importance of learning more about algae's relationship with corals now and in the past.

"We know how important coralline algae are to reef building, so that could mean that coralline algae actually play a larger part than corals in determining whether a coral reef survives an ocean acidification event," Weiss said. "My research underscores the importance of coralline algae to coral reefs and confirms the antiquity of that importance."

Richard Aronson, an expert on the paleontology and ecology of marine communities and the department head of biological sciences at the Florida Institute of Technology, emphasized the importance of looking to ancient reefsand the factors that influenced their life cyclesto understand reefs in the future.

"Those associations [between coral and algae] mirror what we see in contemporary reefs," said Aronson, who was not part of the study. "Whatever the causal relations may be, the important point is that we might be able to track the rise, fall, and recovery of fossil reefs and the environmental correlates of those changes as a way of projecting what mightor might nothappen to reefs over the next century of rapid climate change."

More information: Anna Weiss et al. Crustose coralline algae increased framework and diversity on ancient coral reefs, PLOS ONE (2017). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181637 Journal information: PLoS ONE
New Norcia, Western Australia. Credit: European Space Agency

Earlier this month, radio dishes from three deep-space networks combined to catch faint 'survival' whispers from one of ESA's Mars orbiters, underlining the value of international collaboration for exploring the Red Planet.

For the first time ever, deep-space ground stations from ESA, NASA and Russia's Roscosmos joined together, on 13 August, to receive ultra-faint signals from ESA's ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, now circling Mars.

Engineers carefully designed the test to probe the limits of what their ground stations could achieve, and confirm that all three could catch signals from the orbiter should it ever switch itself into the low-power, minimal 'survival mode'.

This special mode can occur if a software or hardware glitch causes multiple onboard computer reboots.

The test took place just as Mars was moving from the opposite side of the sun, where it is at its greatest distance from us.

This meant that ExoMars was more than 397 million km from the three dishes, a situation that occurs only every two years, when communications are at their most difficult.

Big Iron listens in

As expected, NASA's 70 m-diameter dish at Canberra, Australia, could receive the ultra-weak signals and transmit commands.

Likewise, ESA's 35 m antenna at New Norcia, Australia, picked up the call and demonstrated that it could also transmit commands to ExoMars  but only at 10 bits/s. This would be sufficient in an emergency to upload instructions to recover the craft.

Artists impression of the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter at Mars. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

In addition to the low rate, the New Norcia station used only its low-power amplifier to transmit, and there was poor weather over the station in Western Australia.

"If a problem is going to happen with our orbiter or, in future, our rover, at Mars, we want to have confidence that we can communicate even under the worst possible conditions of power and distance, and this test simulated that very well," says spacecraft operations manager Peter Schmitz.

Testing success

The real prize came with the Russian 64 m dish at Kalyazin, some 200 km north of Moscow. Originally designed as a radio telescope, it has been upgraded to support the ESARoscosmos ExoMars missions.

The RT-64 radio-telescope at Kalyazin, Russia, is supporting the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars mission. Credit: ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

"Kalyazin was able to receive the signal, demonstrating that all three networks can support ExoMars under the worst-case scenario, when Mars is at its furthest distance and the signals are at their weakest," said Daniel Firre, ESA's ground station engineer responsible for cooperation with other agencies.

"And the test was all the more impressive given the extreme weakness of the signals. These had a power upon receipt at Earth some 1000 times less than we would receive from a typical mobile phone transmitting from the moon."

In good shape

The test ensures that the three deep-space networks can support future exploration of Mars, including the ESARoscosmos ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform in 2020. ESA's Rover will be delivered to the surface by a Russian lander, which will then serve as a stationary science platform.

"Yeaah... bring 'er down, mate!" Great ambient audio on this clip, recorded in 2012 when ESA's 35m deep-space tracking station at New Norcia, Western Australia, was undergoing maintenance. The station was inaugurated on 5 March 2003. Credit: European Space Agency

"Science data and onboard status information from the Russian surface platform, from the ESA rover or from either of ESA's Mars orbiters could be received via orbital relay by any of the three networks," adds Daniel.

The ExoMars orbiter also carries a robust, NASA-provided transponder that will allow it to relay data from any rover or lander on the surface back to Earth.

The test required a great deal of technical coordination between the three organisations as the orbiter team at ESA's mission control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, commanded the craft to mimic the survival mode.

"We had fantastic collaboration between us, NASA and the Russians," says Daniel. "This test has shown that we're all in pretty good shape to support ExoMars now and in the future."

ExoMars - A promising future. Credit: European Space Agency
Sandia National Laboratories' Guillaume Loisel poses with Sandia's Z machine, where hands-on experiments contradicted a long-standing assumption about the X-ray spectra from the vicinity of black holes in space. Loisel is the lead author of a paper on the experimental results, published in Physical Review Letters. Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image. Credit: Randy Montoya, Sandia National Laboratories

A long-standing but unproven assumption about the X-ray spectra of black holes in space has been contradicted by hands-on experiments performed at Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine.

Z, the most energetic laboratory X-ray source on Earth, can duplicate the X-rays surrounding black holes that otherwise can be watched only from a great distance and then theorized about.

"Of course, emission directly from black holes cannot be observed," said Sandia researcher and lead author Guillaume Loisel, lead author for a paper on the experimental results, published in August in Physical Review Letters. "We see emission from surrounding matter just before it is consumed by the black hole. This surrounding matter is forced into the shape of a disk, called an accretion disk."

The results suggest revisions are needed to models previously used to interpret emissions from matter just before it is consumed by black holes, and also the related rate of growth of mass within the black holes. A black hole is a region of outer space from which no material and no radiation (that is, X-rays, visible light, and so on) can escape because the gravitational field of the black hole is so intense.

"Our research suggests it will be necessary to rework many scientific papers published over the last 20 years," Loisel said. "Our results challenge models used to infer how fast black holes swallow matter from their companion star. We are optimistic that astrophysicists will implement whatever changes are found to be needed."

Most researchers agree a great way to learn about black holes is to use satellite-based instruments to collect X-ray spectra, said Sandia co-author Jim Bailey. "The catch is that the plasmas that emit the X-rays are exotic, and models used to interpret their spectra have never been tested in the laboratory till now," he said.

NASA astrophysicist Tim Kallman, one of the co-authors, said, "The Sandia experiment is exciting because it's the closest anyone has ever come to creating an environment that's a re-creation of what's going on near a black hole."

Theory leaves reality behind

The divergence between theory and reality began 20 years ago, when physicists declared that certain ionization stages of iron (or ions) were present in a black hole's accretion diskthe matter surrounding a black holeeven when no spectral lines indicated their existence.The complicated theoretical explanation was that under a black hole's immense gravity and intense radiation, highly energized iron electrons did not drop back to lower energy states by emitting photonsthe common quantum explanation of why energized materials emit light. Instead, the electrons were liberated from their atoms and slunk off as lone wolves in relative darkness. The general process is known as Auger decay, after the French physicist who discovered it in the early 20th century. The absence of photons in the black-hole case is termed Auger destruction, or more formally, the Resonant Auger Destruction assumption.

However, Z researchers, by duplicating X-ray energies surrounding black holes and applying them to a dime-size film of silicon at the proper densities, showed that if no photons appear, then the generating element simply isn't there. Silicon is an abundant element in the universe and experiences the Auger effect more frequently than iron. Therefore, if Resonant Auger Destruction happens in iron then it should happen in silicon too.

"If Resonant Auger Destruction is a factor, it should have happened in our experiment because we had the same conditions, the same column density, the same temperature," said Loisel. "Our results show that if the photons aren't there, the ions must be not there either."That deceptively simple finding, after five years of experiments, calls into question the many astrophysical papers based on the Resonant Auger Destruction assumption.

The Z experiment mimicked the conditions found in accretion disks surrounding black holes, which have densities many orders of magnitude lower than Earth's atmosphere.

"Even though black holes are extremely compact objects, their accretion disksthe large plasmas in space that surround themare relatively diffuse," said Loisel. "On Z, we expanded silicon 50,000 times. It's very low density, five orders of magnitude lower than solid silicon."

This is an artist's depiction of the black hole named Cygnus X-1, formed when the large blue star beside it collapsed into the smaller, extremely dense matter. (Image courtesy of NASA) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

The spectra's tale

The reason accurate theories of a black hole's size and properties are difficult to come by is the lack of first-hand observations. Black holes were mentioned in Albert Einstein's general relativity theory a century ago but at first were considered a purely mathematical concept. Later, astronomers observed the altered movements of stars on gravitational tethers as they circled their black hole, or most recently, gravity-wave signals, also predicted by Einstein, from the collisions of those black holes. But most of these remarkable entities are relatively smallabout 1/10 the distance from the Earth to the Sunand many thousands of light years away. Their relatively tiny sizes at immense distances make it impossible to image them with the best of NASA's billion-dollar telescopes.

What's observable are the spectra released by elements in the black hole's accretion disk, which then feeds material into the black hole. "There's lots of information in spectra. They can have many shapes," said NASA's Kallman. "Incandescent light bulb spectra are boring, they have peaks in the yellow part of their spectra. The black holes are more interesting, with bumps and wiggles in different parts of the spectra. If you can interpret those bumps and wiggles, you know how much gas, how hot, how ionized and to what extent, and how many different elements are present in the accretion disk."

Said Loisel: "If we could go to the black hole and take a scoop of the accretion disk and analyze it in the lab, that would be the most useful way to know what the accretion disk is made of. But since we cannot do that, we try to provide tested data for astrophysical models."

While Loisel is ready to say R.I.P. to the Resonant Auger Destruction assumption, he still is aware the implications of higher black hole mass consumption, in this case of the absent iron, is only one of several possibilities.

"Another implication could be that lines from the highly charged iron ions are present, but the lines have been misidentified so far. This is because black holes shift spectral lines tremendously due to the fact that photons have a hard time escaping the intense gravitation field," he said.

There are now models being constructed elsewhere for accretion-powered objects that don't employ the Resonant Auger Destruction approximation. "These models are necessarily complicated, and therefore it is even more important to test their assumptions with laboratory experiments," Loisel said.

More information: G. P. Loisel et al. Benchmark Experiment for Photoionized Plasma Emission from Accretion-Powered X-Ray Sources, Physical Review Letters (2017). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.075001 Journal information: Physical Review Letters
A new study projects the spread of the destructive southern pine beetle through much of the northern United States and southern Canada. Darker colors here represent infestations in successively later decades. Credit: Lesk et al., Nature Climate Change, 2017

Over the next few decades, global warming-related rises in winter temperatures could significantly extend the range of the southern pine beetleone of the world's most aggressive tree-killing insectsthrough much of the northern United States and southern Canada, says a new study. The beetle's range is sharply limited by annual extreme temperature lows, but these lows are rising much faster than average temperaturesa trend that will probably drive the beetles' spread, say the authors. The study was published today in the journal Nature Climate Change.

The study points to "huge vulnerability across a vast ecosystem," said lead author Corey Lesk, a graduate student at Columbia University's Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. "We could see loss of biodiversity and iconic regional forests. There would be damage to tourism and forestry industries in already struggling rural areas." Coauthor Radley Horton, a researcher at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, said infested forests could also dry out and burn, endangering property and emitting large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere.

Until recently, southern pine beetles lived from Central America up into the southeastern United States, but in the past decade or so they have also begun appearing in parts of the Northeast and New England. Substantial outbreaks began occurring in New Jersey in 2001. The beetles were first found on New York's Long Island in New York in 2014 and Connecticut in 2015.

Lesk and Horton project that by 2020, the beetles will establish themselves along the Atlantic coast up to Nova Scotia. They say that by 2050, 78 percent of the 48,000 square miles now occupied by pitch pine forests from southern Maine to eastern Ohio will have climates newly suitable to the beetles. By 2060, they expect the beetle will further establish itself from southern New England through Wisconsin, and by 2080, climates suitable for the beetle should reach 71 percent of red pines and 48 percent of jack pines, which extend across more than 270,000 square miles of the northeastern United States and southern Canada.

The research is part of a larger body of work in which Lesk and Horton aim to identify risks to species and ecosystems related to changes in extreme temperatures. Many species are sensitive to highs and lows, which are expected to see wide swings in frequency and intensity as the climate warms. The researchers chose to focus on the southern pine beetle because it has a huge impact on forest ecosystems, and the influence of cold thresholds on its range has been well documented going back to the early 20th century. Pine beetle infestations in the southeastern United States cost an estimated $100 million a year in timber losses from 1990 through 2004 alone, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Dead pines in northeastern Oklahoma, where some forests have been hit hard by beetles. Credit: Kevin Krajick/Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Past such analyses have looked mainly at average July temperatures or average January temperatures, said Matthew Ayres, a professor of ecological science at Dartmouth College who has studied the beetles. This may seem sensible, he said, but "that variable, the coldest night of the winter, is very important for all kinds of things." The coldest night of the winter has warmed by approximately 6 or 7 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 50 years at weather stations in many parts of the United States, compared with just 1 degree Fahrenheit for average annual temperatures. Horton and Lesk project additional increases in annual minimum air temperatures of 6.3 to 13.5 degrees Fahrenheit across the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada by 2050 to 2070.

The researchers took a close look at New Jersey, where the beetles' spread occurred amid a warming trend in cold extremes. The temperature of the pine bark on which the beetles feed, which is warmer than the air, is apparently the critical factor. The northernmost sightings were highly correlated with latitudes at which winter bark temperatures reached a minimum of 14 degrees Fahrenheit. Since 1980, 14-degree winter minimum bark temperatures have migrated northward in New Jersey by about 40 miles per decade. The northernmost sightings of the beetles have drifted north by about 53 miles per decade since 2002.

To account for uncertainties in their projections, Lesk and Horton incorporated 27 different global climate models and two-greenhouse gas emissions models. They also factored in the possibility that the beetles would not be able to travel through pine-sparse hardwood forests in the northern United States. However, the beetles have already managed this feat in many areas. In all, the researchers found that the uncertainties resulted in a 43-year range between the earliest and latest year a climate suitable to the beetles would be expected to emerge on average across the study region.

The paper did not address some uncertainties, such as the possibility that cold extremes could change more dramatically than climate models suggest, if atmospheric circulation patterns or snow cover shift in unpredicted ways. There are also questions about how the beetles might respond to droughts or heat waves; how vulnerable northern pine species will be to beetle attacks; and how warming temperatures may affect the beetles' natural predators, such as the checkered beetle.

Land managers further south have used adaptive strategies with limited success, mainly thinning of forests where tree density is high, or cutting out infested trees. The question is whether these strategies will work in the north.

More information: Threats to North American forests from southern pine beetle with warming winters, Nature Climate Change (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nclimate3375 Journal information: Nature Climate Change
Visualization of color-coded crystal orientations in a Stylophora pistillata coral skeleton, demonstrating that coral forms via attachment of particles. The map is 280 micrometers wide, and has 60 nanometer resolution. Credit: Pupa Gilbert, Chang-Yu Sun, Cayla Stifler, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Matthew Marcus, Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Coral skeletons are the building blocks of diverse coral reef ecosystems, which has led to increasing concern over how these key species will cope with warming and acidifying oceans that threaten their stability.

New research from Pupa Gilbert, a professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides evidence that at least one species of coral, Stylophora pistillata, and possibly others, build their hard, calcium carbonate skeletons faster, and in bigger pieces, than previously thought. Instead of slowly adding material molecule by molecule, the coral animal actively constructs large chunks of minerals that it adds to its growing skeleton, helping it grow much faster than it otherwise could, and with greater control.

The new research suggests that because the minerals are first formed inside the coral tissue, they may continue to do so even in acidifying oceans. If other coral species build their skeletons in a similar way, then the oceans could avoid a large-scale crisis in coral skeleton formation that scientists have worried would unravel reef ecosystems. Other stresses, like warmer waters and coral bleaching, still endanger coral, however.

The work is published this week (Aug. 28, 2017) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Collaborators from the University of Haifa and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory contributed to the research.

"Coral reefs only cover one percent of ocean floors, but they host 25 percent of all marine species, so they're incredibly diverse and important from a biological point of view," says Gilbert. "But they're also economically important for the fishing industry, tourism, and because of their role in providing coastlines with protection from tropical storms."

Corals are colonies of small, tentacled animals that encase themselves in bony structures made of the mineral calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up the shells of other sea creatures. Their role in creating habitat for diverse ecosystems has drawn attention to corals and how they build their rocky skeletons.

This is a Stylophora pistillata coral photographed in the Red Sea in 2017. If more corals form their skeletons via attachment of amorphous particles as the Stylophora pistillata coral shown here, they may resist ocean acidification. Credit: Tali Mass, University of Haifa

Despite decades of research, scientists had been unable to reliably distinguish between two competing theories of coral growth. The classical idea was that corals largely relied on a calcium-rich fluid slowlyone molecule at a timeadding minerals to the skeleton. Other evidence pointed to a much more active role for the soft-bodied animals taking in seawater, concentrating it, but still adding it one molecule at a time to their skeletons.

Gilbert developed a new way to image the growing portions of coral skeletons to see what the forming structures were made of, which she calls component mapping. Using high-energy light provided by the Advanced Light Source at Berkeley Lab to distinguish different minerals, Gilbert's team created a pixel-by-pixel map to generate an image of the growing skeletons of Stylophora pistillata, also known as hood coral. They saw particles made up of unstable, amorphous forms of calcium carbonate at and near the growing surfaces of the coral skeletons.

Some of the particles were a comparatively large 400 billionths of a meter across, which is more than 500 times larger than a single calcium carbonate group. The researchers also observed evidence that the unstable precursors eventually crystallized into aragonite, the stable form of calcium carbonate that makes up mature coral skeletons.

"These are the same precursors seen in biominerals from sea urchin and abalone, which are different organisms from completely different branches in the tree of life, so the fact that they used exactly the same mechanism to form their skeletons is really surprising," Gilbert explains.

In their new model of coral skeleton growth, Gilbert and her colleagues propose that corals collect seawater in their tissues, add materials, and organize them into large particles of amorphous calcium carbonate. Only then do the animals transport these particles and attach them to their growing skeletons, where they slowly convert to the stable aragonite. This growth pattern is more than 100 times faster than molecule-by-molecule growth, which is in line with previous measurements of how fast corals grow.

Since this new research indicates an active role for corals in developing their skeletons, it suggests that they are not entirely at the mercy of the ocean's chemical makeup. While acidic conditions are known to dissolve calcium carbonate, the method of skeleton construction that Gilbert observed in this study should be much more stable in the face of acidifying oceans. Although increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are acidifying the oceans, the new work suggests that corals could withstand this stress.

"If this mode of formation is verified in other species of coral, then it could be a more general mechanism, and that would enable us to predict that corals will actually form just as well in acidifying oceans," says Gilbert.
Hurricane Harvey has left a trail of destruction in its wake and scientists say global warming means that the worst ones are becoming ever stronger

Scientists freely acknowledge they don't know everything about how global warming affects hurricanes like the one pummelling southeast Texas.

But what they do know is enough to keep them up at night.

The amplifying impact of sea level rise, warming oceans, and hotter airall incontrovertible consequences of climate changeis basic physics, they say.

Likewise accelerated shifts in intensity, such as the sudden strengthening that turned Harvey from a Category 2 to a Category 4 hurricaneon a scale of 5just as it made landfall Friday.

What's missing is a detailed track record of hurricanes past, the kind of decades-long log of measurements that climate scientists need to discern the fingerprint of human influence.

Starting in the 1970s, satellite data allowed for a better tally, but even that wasn't enough.

"It is awfully difficult to see climate change in historical data so far because hurricanes are fairly rare," Kerry Emmanuel, a professor of atmospheric science at MIT in Boston, told AFP.

Experts, in other words, do not disagree on the potential of manmade global warming to magnify the destructive power of the tropical storms known variously around the world as cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons.

Rather, they are confoundedfor nowby a lack of information.

Scientists fear that as the effects of climate change become ever more apparent, storms will rapidly gain strength just before hitting land, with ever more devastating consequences

"Just because the data don't allow for unambiguous detection yet, doesn't mean that the changes haven't been occurring," noted James Kossin, a scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Center for Weather and Climate in Madison, Wisconsin.

Kossin figured out that cyclones have drifted poleward in their respective hemispheres over the last three decades, a finding hailed by other hurricane gurus as the most unambiguous evidence so far that global warming has already had a direct impact.

Like a tsunami

When it comes to cyclones and climate change, there are many points of near "universal agreement," said Emanuel.

One is the consequence of rising seas.

"The most lethal aspect of hurricaneswherever they occur in the worldis storm surge," he said in an interview.

"It is physically the same phenomenon as a tsunami, except that it is excited by wind rather than a sea floor shaken by an earthquake."

If Hurricane Sandywhich caused $50 billion in damagehad happened a century earlier, it probably would not have flooded lower Manhattan because sea level was about 30 centimetres (a foot) lower, he pointed out.

Global warming is likely to add roughly a metre (three feet) to the global watermark by century's end, according to recently revised estimates.

The most lethal aspect of a hurricane is storm surgewhich is becoming more devastating and more penetrating

"The surge from these storms will be more devastatinghigher and more penetrating," said James Elsner, an atmospheric scientists and hurricane expert at Florida State University.

A second point of consensus is that hurricanes will hold more water, raising the threat of lethal and destructive flooding.

"We calculate that one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) of warming translates into a seven percent increase in humidity in the atmosphere," said French scientist Valerie Masson-Delmotte, co-chair of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The US National Hurricane Center predicts that Harvey could dump more than 40 inches (100 centimetres) by the time skies clear.

Hurricane Mitchthe second deadliest Atlantic hurricane on recordleft some 19,000 dead in Central America, "all from fresh-water flooding," noted Emanuel.

"The irony is that hurricanes are known for wind, yet wind is third on the list of lethal aspects," after storm surges and flooding caused by rain.

'Fewer but stronger'

Earlier this year, Emanuel published a study pointing to yet another worrying climate "signal" emerging from the noise of raw data.

Scientists have made great progress in anticipating the path a storm will follow, extending their predictive powers from a day or two to about a week.

Hurricane Harvey is the most powerful storm to hit the US mainland in more than a decade, destroying homes, severing power supplies and forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee

At the same time they have made scant headway in forecasting hurricane strength.

"The thing that keeps forecasters up at night is the prospect that a storm will rapidly gain strength just before it hits land," Emanuel said, citing Harvey as an example.

In 2015, Hurricane Patricia in the Pacific Ocean intensified more rapidly"It just went 'Boom!'"than any storm on record.

"Global warming can accentuate that sudden acceleration in intensity," Emanuel said.

A finding oft cited as evidence that the jury is still out on whether climate change will boost cyclones is that scientists don't know if there will be more or fewer such storms in the future.

But even if there are fewer, which seems likely, that misses the point, the experts interviewed agreed.

Since 1971, tropical cyclones have claimed about 470,000 lives and caused some $700 billion in damages globally, according to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters.

But most of that death and destruction is attributable to a relative handful of storms. Just three, for example, have caused well over half of all storm-related deaths in the US since 1900.

So even if the number of mostly smaller storms diminishes, that's not what counts.

"The idea of 'fewer but stronger' seems to be the fingerprint of climate change on tropical cyclones," Elsner concluded.

 2017 AFP
UC San Diego researchers are using lasers and drones to create a digital record of Geisel Library. Credit: Erik Jepsen/UC San Diego

A team of researchers from across UC San Diego is developing a new approach for detecting damage to buildings during earthquakes and other extreme events.

They came together at the Geisel Library recently to use lasers and drones to create a digital record of the structure that will serve as a baseline health assessment. In the event that a sizeable earthquake hits nearby, the team will reconvene to retake the digital measurements and assess any damage to the building such as tilting or cracks. (View photo gallery.)

The information is intended to provide both researchers and emergency responders with more detailed information on how structures respond during the earthquakesbeyond the simple visual inspection of buildings currently in useprior to allowing them to reopen.

According to researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego who are spearheading the project, the iconic library is the perfect location to begin what they hope will become an effort to digitize the entire campus.

"We are using this culturally significant building on campus as a reference model to help detect structural changes over time," said Falko Kuester, a professor of structural engineering who serves as director of the Jacob's School Cultural Heritage Engineering Initiative (CHEI) and DroneLab.

For Yehuda Bock, a distinguished researcher and director of the Orbit and Permanent Array Center at Scripps Oceanography, the primary motivation for the recent survey of Geisel Library was to integrate structural monitoring into his early-warning prototype system for earthquakes and tsunamis.

"Our system tracks ground motions at a millimeter level of accuracy," said Bock. "This allows us to detect large earthquakes within the critical first minute before the shaking begins."

Six months ago, Bock equipped the Geisel Library with sensors that continuously measure ground motion from the many faults that crisscross Southern California. The technique he helped pioneer, called seismogeodesy, relies on a combination of GPS receivers and accelerators to very rapidly pinpoint the location and magnitude of strong earthquakes6.0 magnitude or greaterbefore the hazardous trembling begins.

The late-July project involved nearly two hours of drone flights led by CHEI researcher Eric Lo, capturing more than 1,000 high-resolution images of the Geisel Library that will be turned into a photorealistic model of the structure. Lo's drone survey was accompanied by a several-hour ground survey by professional land surveyor Richard Maher using lidar (light detection and ranging), an instrument that sends pulsating laser lights at an object to provide a precise 3-D model. By combining these techniques, the team will create a geometrically as well as visually detailed and accurate final model.

Bock's GPS sensors provide a precise 3-D reference to tie together the high-resolution drone and lidar imagery, allowing for the accurate detection of subtle permanent displacements of the structure's outer shell as a measure of its integrity after an event.

Kuester currently leads research teams developing drone technology for crisis management and response, as well as applying the work to study and help preserve ancient Mayan structures in Mexico, Neanderthal caves in Italy, and shipwrecks and coral reefs in Bermuda. For him, this project is a first step to create a digital surrogate or as he calls it, a "cyber-twin" of the campus, before new buildings and bridges transform the campus's physical appearance in the future.

Although Kuester often looks at ancient buildings and ruins, he points out that "it's important to also document modern buildings before the perils of time or extreme events cause them to deteriorate or create an even less fortunate outcome."

The digital record on the condition of buildings as they exist today provides a baseline for comparison in the future as a building ages, or in the case of a fire, earthquake or other natural hazard, actionable data, according to the researchers, to swiftly respond and mitigate risks.

Within a few minutes of completing the drone flights, Lo had a quick 360-degree rotating view of the geometrically shaped building from the images collected during the flights for view in 3-D.

Another important motivation for Bock and Kuester is to have students involved in real-world research projects, both on site and as classroom teaching tools.

"As an educator, it's important that I expose my students to real-world conditions," said Falko. "The contribution to science needs to be useful and usable."

Kuester and Lo will also be turning the drone imagery into a virtual reality experience for those interested in flying themselves around the outside of the library.

Bock and Kuester are hoping the project will attract more interest and funding to seismically monitor and digital archive all buildings throughout the UC San Diego campus.

Meanwhile, at Bock's lab at Scripps Oceanography, the seismic monitoring data is continuously streamed back in real-time. When the next powerful quake strikes, the system will alert him first of the primary signal, called a P-wave, which indicates an earthquake has taken place, and that the destructive S-wave, the one responsible for the strong earth-shaking, is seconds to minutes away. The GPS and seismic sensors on the Geisel Library will quickly indicate whether it has suffered significant shaking and displacement.

For Bock and Kuester, how these buildings and others respond to outside influences is an important component to how we better prepare as a society for extreme events in the future.
Clamp (glowing green) is found all over these fly chromosomes, but it's particularly concentrated at the histone locus (red) at the bottom center. Credit: Rieder, et. al.

An essential fruit fly protein called CLAMP may help biologists answer the key question of how the same protein can manage to coordinate two completely different processes on distinct chromosomes in the same cell.

New research on a crucial protein in fruit flies provides a clear model for a fundamental question in biology that's significant for drug development in particular: What influences the exact same protein to coordinate a vital molecular process on one chromosome but an entirely different one on another chromosome?

The new study concerns the recently discovered protein CLAMP. Previously, scientists at Brown University had identified CLAMP as the linchpin in the process by which cells in males doubly express their single X chromosome to achieve genetic parity with females, a process necessary for male existence and survival. Now, in a study published in the journal Genes and Development, the researchers have identified another role for CLAMP that is equally essential to males and females alikethe protein is responsible for coordinating the process by which the DNA in newly replicating cells of an embryo becomes properly wound up and structured.

"It's really exciting because now we have these two separate chromosomes on which CLAMP does vital jobs," said senior author Erica Larschan. "That sets us up for a compare-and-contrast strategy where we can understand how one protein can function differently in context-specific ways."

That matters, added co-lead author Leila Rieder, a postdoctoral researcher at Brown, because in order for clinical interventions that target key proteins to do more good than harm, they need to be tailored to a specific context. It may be tempting to block or amplify a gene or protein to treat a disease, but without confining the intervention to that one process, it could upset the entirely healthy actions of the same gene or protein in an unrelated process. That could produce potentially devastating side effects.

"One of the biggest fears about using genetics in people is that there are off-target effects," Rieder said. "You don't know when you manipulate a gene if it's going to have a single effect or if it's going to have many effects. We don't understand all the roles that that one manipulation is going to have."

The confirmation of a second life-giving role for CLAMP, Rieder and Larschan said, provides a perfect example of a protein that is essential in two completely different ways in the convenient research model of the fruit fly.

CLAMP goes GAGA

CLAMP binds to DNA all over the fly genome, but it kicks into consequential action when it finds a long series of repeats of the nucleotides GA. In the new study, the scientists found long GA repeats and CLAMP on chromosome 2L at the "histone locus," where a cluster of genes produce the proteins around which DNA gets wound up to fit inside the nucleus. In many organisms, humans included, cells assemble the same cadre of proteins around which they wrap their DNA. Approximately a yard of DNA is present in every microscopic cell, so it is essential that it be tightly packed but still accessible for regulation immediately in a newly fertilized egg.

In a series of experiments, a team at Brown, the University of North Carolina and Massachusetts General Hospital found that in fruit flies, CLAMP is the protein that launches the process of gene regulation that produces histones by recruiting other known regulators. It is among the very first proteins on the scene of the histone locus in a newly fertilized egg and opens up the histone locus for expression by the cell, they found. Experiments in which the team interfered with CLAMP led almost universally to fly eggs failing to hatch.

Foiling CLAMP proved to be so lethal, in fact, that studying its function at all required an experimental ploy that would allow the scientists to manipulate CLAMP while keeping the flies alive. To understand, for example, how CLAMP lures the other histone-related proteins to the histone locus, the Brown team worked with the University of North Carolina collaborators, including co-lead author Kaitlin Koreski, to generate CLAMP mimics that wouldn't interfere with natural CLAMP's DNA binding, but could still attract the other key regulatory proteins that control histone gene regulation.

Same protein, different functions

Larschan and Rieder's new understanding of CLAMP's function at the histone locus now matches their understanding of its function on the X chromosome. But they said they don't yet know exactly what differs about the context of those two chromosomes such that CLAMP, with the same molecular anatomy and bound to the same GA repeats, manages to recruit two completely different groups of proteins to perform separate gene expression tasks.

That's the next step in their research.

"It sets up a paradigm for the future," Larschan said. "There are very few casesthat's what I'm always surprised about when I read the literaturewhere there are such specific roles at different sites for a single protein. It's a really strong model."

More information: Leila E. Rieder et al, Histone locus regulation by the Drosophila dosage compensation adaptor protein CLAMP, Genes & Development (2017). DOI: 10.1101/gad.300855.117 Journal information: Genes & Development
A massive, young galaxy cluster seen in X-rays (blue), visible light (green), and infrared light (red). Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ of Missouri/M.Brodwin et al.; optical: NASA/STScI; infrared: JPL/CalTech

It's a cosmic irony: the biggest things in the universe can also be the hardest to find.

Elizabeth Blanton, a Boston University associate professor of astronomy, started hunting for distant galaxy clusters more than 20 years ago. A single galaxy cluster can be as massive as a quadrillion suns, yet faraway clusters are so faint that they are practically invisible to all but the biggest Earth-bound telescopes. Distant clusters hold pieces of the story of how the web-like structure of the universe first emerged and could help illuminate the true nature of dark energy and dark matter. Now, her team's search is delivering its biggest return yet: a catalog of about 200 candidate galaxy clusters which, if confirmed, may include some of the most distant clusters ever found. The new results, which will be a useful tool for astronomers worldwide, were published in the July 26, 2017, edition of the Astrophysical Journal by a team that includes Rachel Paterno-Mahler (GRS'15), PhD candidate Emmet Golden-Marx (GRS'16,'19), Gagandeep Anand (GRS'17), Joshua Wing (GRS'07,'13), and colleagues at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

Galaxy clusters can contain thousands of galaxies and many trillions of starsand that's just what astronomers can see with ordinary telescopes. Hot gas between the galaxies glows with X-rays, and astronomers suspect that more than 85 percent of every cluster's mass is hidden in the form of dark matter. Mapped in three dimensions, the universe is a web of bright filaments and dark voids, with galaxy clusters occupying the spots where the filaments intersect.

Woven into this cosmic web are clues to two major cosmic mysteries: dark matter, the invisible stuff that permeates galaxies and the spaces between them, and dark energy, which is driving the accelerating expansion of the universe. Together, dark matter and dark energy make up some 95 percent of our universe, scientists suspect, but astrophysicists know of dark matter and dark energy's existence only indirectly, by their influence on the stars and galaxies that light up the sky.

The new cache of distant galaxy cluster candidates may help researchers pin down the properties of dark matter and dark energy, says Paterno-Mahler, first author on the new paper, one of a series forthcoming from Blanton's team. "Galaxy clusters are really good test-beds for learning about the cosmological parameters of our universe, like how much dark energy there is and how much dark matter there is."

By comparing faraway clusters with their local counterparts, researchers can also assemble a timetable of how galaxy clusters formed and grew. That's because light from the most distant clusters had to travel billions of years before reaching Earth, so astronomers see those clusters as they were long ago. "If we want to learn how clustersthe most massive collapsed structures in the universeform and evolve, we need to study them over a range of distances, going all the way back," says coauthor Mark Brodwin, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. And because galaxy clusters give astronomers access to a large sample of galaxies that are similar in age, they also provide a laboratory in which to study how individual galaxies have changed over time. "You have a bunch of galaxies at the same epoch, together in space, to compare to more nearby galaxies," says Blanton.

A visual-light image from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (left) looks almost empty, but an image from the Spitzer Space Telescope (right) reveals dozens of faraway galaxies. An overlaid radio-wave map (green lines) reveals the telltale C of a galaxy moving relative to cluster gas. Credit: Blanton et al.

But the farther a galaxy cluster is from Earth, the fainter it appears. Traditional optical telescopes must stare at a single spot in the sky for a long time to collect enough light to reveal a distant cluster, and surveying the whole sky this way is time-prohibitive. So, to create the new catalog, Blanton and her team scoured archived data for clues to where clusters might be, and then followed up with targeted telescope observations. Their search, dubbed COBRA (Clusters Occupied by Bent Radio AGN, or active galactic nuclei), was supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and NASA.

Their trail of clues starts with the fact that almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. These black holes are notoriously messy eaters, and when they are feasting, some of the dust and gas plunging inward gets splashed out in enormous, spiraling jets. These jets can stretch the width of the galaxy and beyond, and they produce a radio-wave roar that astronomers can pick up with radio telescopes on Earth. If the galaxy also happens to be zooming through hot cluster gas (or if the gas is zooming past the galaxy), the jets flex into a characteristic "C" shape"like your hair blowing in the wind," says Blanton. This "C" shape is the first clue to a possible cluster.

Blanton's team pored over existing sky surveys and found almost 2,000 of these peculiar objects. Then Wing, as part of his dissertation work, compared those suspected clusters to visual-light images from the archives of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. The most exciting candidates, says Blanton, are those for which the Sloan pictures look dark, hinting that the radio signal could be coming from a cluster so distant that the Sloan Survey telescope can't see it at all.

With the possibilities narrowed down further, they then used the Spitzer Space Telescope to zero in on about 650 possible clusters, one by one. (Spitzer is most sensitive to infrared light, radiation that can't be seen by the human eye but is ideal for observing distant galaxies.) With a computer's help, they counted up the number of galaxies in each Spitzer frame and compared it to the typical number of galaxies in a comparable area of the sky. An unusually high number of galaxiescalled an "overdensity"suggests a galaxy cluster.

An overdensity is not definitive proof of a galaxy cluster, though. "You're seeing a 2-D image of a 3-D distribution of objects," explains Blanton. "Some of them could be way in the foreground, or way in the background." These "projection effects" can create the illusion of a cluster where none really exists. The group's next step, underway now, is to measure the distance to each galaxy in the apparent cluster to confirm that the grouping is real, not an optical illusion.

Golden-Marx is already pinning down distances to some of the galaxies using the 4.3-meter Discovery Channel Telescope, where BU is a partner institution, and Blanton hopes to secure time on the Hubble Space Telescope and one of the twin 10-meter Keck telescopes in Hawaii to get even more precise measurements. Once the distances are confirmed, the team will be able to properly order the clusters by age and also confirm whether their catalog really includes the most distant clusters yet found.

More information: R. Paterno-Mahler et al. The High-redshift Clusters Occupied by Bent Radio AGN (COBRA) Survey: The Spitzer Catalog, The Astrophysical Journal (2017). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/aa7b89 Journal information: Astrophysical Journal
All of Houston's major freeways, including Interstate 610 North shown here, are flooded

Massive flooding unleashed by deadly monster storm Harvey left Houstonthe fourth-largest city in the United Statesincreasingly isolated Sunday as its airports and highways shut down and residents were rescued from their inundated homes by boat.

The city's two main airports suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station also was knocked off the air.

At least three people have been killed so far, with reports of other fatalities still unconfirmed. As night fell, dramatic rescuessometimes by volunteers with their own boatswere still taking place.

The National Hurricane Center called the flooding "unprecedented" and said the storm, which crashed ashore late Friday as a huge Category 4 hurricane, would move into the Gulf before doubling back midweek, bringing even more rain.

President Donald Trump, who had said he did not want to disrupt emergency efforts with a visit, is planning to head to the disaster zone on Tuesday, the White House announced.

Rising waters from Harvey inundated roads throughout the Houston area, affecting every major freeway and hamstringing efforts to move people to safety.

"It's crazy to see the roads you're driving on every day just completely under water," Houston resident John Travis told AFP.

Another city resident, Brit Dreger, said: "It doesn't look like we're going anywhere for a while."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott gives an update on the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and severe flooding in the state

Overwhelmed emergency services warned residents to head for high ground or climb onto rooftopsnot into atticsso they could be seen by rescue helicopters. More than 2,000 rescues had been made so far.

The local ABC affiliate showed the helicopter rescue of a man and his six-year-sonboth named Jeremiahfrom the second floor of their home. Each only had the clothes on their back and a backpack.

"This is all we got," the father said. "We thank God. We thank God."

Emergency 911 operators in Houston received 56,000 calls in a 15-hour spanseven times more than in a usual full day.

"We are going on fumes & our hearts ache for community we serve, but we will not stop!" said Houston police chief Art Acevedo.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned the operation was far from over, given the foreboding forecasts.

"The number of evacuees is increasing. The number in harm's way will increase also with the rain that is forecast to come," Abbott said, adding that the storm had already inflicted billions of dollars in damage.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner dismissed the idea that evacuations should have been ordered sooner.

A sunken boat lies submerged in front of houses after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, Texas

"You issue an evacuation order and put everybody on the highwayyou really are asking for a major calamity," Turner told reporters.

Houston proper has a population of 2.3 million people, but the greater metropolitan area has more than six million.

'Life and safety'

Trump, who spent the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, had said he would visit the Lone Star State as soon as he could "without causing disruption."

"The focus must be on life and safety," he said in a series of tweets about the disaster, his first major domestic challenge since taking office in January.

Later, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the visit would take place Tuesday.

At least three deaths have been blamed on Harvey, which has spawned tornadoes and lashed east and central Texas with torrential rains.

In Houston, a woman drowned when she left a car which had stalled in high water, and another man was found dead in a flooded Wal-Mart parking lot in the Galveston area, officials said.

People walk through flooded streets in Galveston as heavy rains from Harvey leave a trail of destruction

On Saturday local officials said that one person was killed when a house caught fire in the Rockport area, one of the places hardest hit.

"The breadth and intensity of this rainfall are beyond anything experienced before," the National Weather Service said on Twitter.

Houston opened community centers to shelter people forced out of their homes, but the mayor appealed to residents to stay put and not call the 911 emergency line unless they faced a life-threatening situation.

"Even if there's a lull today, don't assume the storm is over," Turner said.

'I might have left sooner'

The National Weather Service said more than two feet (60 centimeters) of rain fell in Houston and nearby Galveston in a 24-hour period. Another 20 inches were expected.

Flooding was expected to worsen as Harvey, the most powerful storm to hit the United States mainland since 2005, lingers over the area.

Harvey ripped off roofs, flipped mobile homes and left hundreds of thousands of people in the dark on the Gulf Coast, home to some of the country's most important oil refineries.

A sunken boat lies submerged in front of an oil rig after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, Texas

Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby International, the city's two airports, also stopped all commercial flights.

Thousands of National Guard troops joined local police and emergency workers to help with rescues in inundated areas of the city.

Boats also were being deployed, but more were neededHarris County Judge Ed Emmett appealed to residents to use their own vessels.

One volunteer rescuer told KTRK TV: "Basically, there were a lot of people out here and not enough boats."

'Landmark' disaster

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said there should be no illusions about the long-term impact.

"This disaster will be a landmark event," FEMA director Brock Long told CNN, adding it would take "years" to recover.

Coastal Texas is home to a large number of oil refineries and a number of major ports.

Highways leading into downtown Houston are submerged

ExxonMobil said Sunday it had closed its massive Baytown refining complexthe second-largest in the country.

US authorities said about 22 percent of crude production in the Gulf of Mexico, accounting for more than 375,000 barrels a day, was shut down.

But Abbott said the oil industry was well prepared.

"They have the ability to ratchet up back up there quickly," he said on Fox News Sunday, predicting a "one- or two-week downturn."

 2017 AFP
View of carbonate rocks from Mount Slipper, Yukon that contain apatitic scale microfossils. Fossils are found by dissolving the carbonate rocks in weak acid. Canadian penny for scale. Credit: Justin V. Strauss

A critical feature of many multicellular lifeforms on Earth are hard, biological structures, such as animal bones and snail shells that are made from minerals.

Tiny fossils recently discovered in Canada have pushed back the oldest known evidence of "bio-mineralization" to 810 million years ago. The finding could yield insights into locating fossils on other planets and shed light on the ways in which lifeforms and their planets develop together over time.

The researchers detailed their findings in the journal Science Advances. They received financial support from the NASA Astrobiology Institute MIT node and through a NASA Astrobiology postdoctoral fellowship.

Multicellular organisms, such as animals, plants and fungi are all examples of eukaryotes, whose cells possess nuclei. The evolution of bio-mineralization was a key milestone in the history of eukaryotes and for Earth in general, since bio-mineral structures, such as coral reefs, have had a dramatic impact on the planet's geology. Yet, early signs of eukaryotic bio-mineralization have remained obscure in the fossil record, making it difficult to know the age and environmental circumstances in which these biological structures first emerged.

To pinpoint when eukaryotic bio-mineralization might have first evolved, scientists collected samples from a roughly 200-foot-thick (60-meter) section of lime mudstone and black and gray shale near Mount Slipper in Yukon territory, Canada, near the Alaskan border.

"We were there in late June, but it was still really cold," said lead author of the study, Phoebe Cohen, a paleobiologist at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. "There was lots of snow still on the ground, but that was actually okay, since that's where we get our drinking water from."

The researchers focused on microfossils within the rock, which arose during the Neoproterozoic Era between 541 million to 1 billion years ago.

View of Mount Slipper looking towards the layers of rock that contain biomineralized fossils. Credit: Phoebe A. Cohen

"The mountain slope where the fossils are found is very steep, and much of the rock is loose, so we spent a lot of time precariously perching on steep slopes whacking away at rocks with our rock hammers to collect samples," Cohen said.

The microfossils Cohen and her team uncovered, thought to be single-celled marine eukaryotes, come in a wide variety of shapes. "Each of the tiny fossils we find we think isn't its own organism, but part of a single cell. Imagine a round single cell surrounded by these little armored plates," Cohen said.

Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopes, Cohen and her colleagues found these microfossils were largely made of complex, interwoven networks of fibrous crystals of a mineral known as apatite. The intricate nature of these networks confirmed they were created by a biological, as opposed to a geological, process, the researchers said.

Furthermore, analysis of isotopes of the elements rhenium and osmium in the rock suggested these fossils are roughly 810 million years old, representing the oldest specimens of eukaryotic bio-mineralization discovered to date. They are, in fact, older than previous specimens by about 200 million years, Cohen said.

"Eukaryotes were building very complex bio-mineralized structures much earlier than we thought they were," Cohen said.

It was a different world during the lifetime of these organisms than today; almost all of life existed in water, and plants and animals had not yet entered the scene. But there was a large diversity of microscopic eukaryotes at the time. Some of these organisms were algae similar to today's red and green algae, while others do not have a similar modern analog, like the mysterious fossils Cohen's team found.

Analysis of the rocks surrounding the fossils suggest that chemical alterations in the oceans when these eukaryotes were alive boosted the amount of phosphate compounds that were dissolved in the water where these lifeforms dwelled. This, in turn, helps explain why these organisms might have created structures made of apatite, which is a phosphate mineral. And it suggests that bio-mineralization developed as organisms and their environments evolved together through time, Cohen said.

Scanning electron microscope image of a cluster of biomineralized ASM fossils from Mount Slipper. Fossils are found by dissolving carbonate rocks from Mount Slipper in weak acid. These structures likely acted as armor, with many plates of the same type surrounding a single cell. Credit: Phoebe A. Cohen

"Lots of available phosphorus? Then maybe you'll expect to see organisms using that element to bio-mineralize," Cohen said.

This research may also shed light on where to find fossils on other planets. For instance, if looking for fossils made largely of phosphates, scientists may want to focus on areas that were once, or are currently, rich in dissolved phosphates.

"We've learned more about the conditions under which these types of bio-mineralized fossils can be found, which is useful as we begin to explore places like Mars for potential fossil evidence of life," Cohen said.

Future research could focus on finding such fossils elsewhere in the world, Cohen said.

"I'm also working on trying to understand why these fossils are preserved here and how they are preserved, which will help us find them elsewhere and also help us understand more generally how bio-mineralized fossils get preserved in ancient rocks," she said.

"There's also a lot of questions about why we don't see eukaryotic bio-mineralization again for almost 200 million years," Cohen said. "Was it because these organisms went extinct? Then why didn't other organisms evolve this capability? Was it because of ocean chemistry conditions? There's many interesting questions to follow up with there as well."

More information: Phoebe A. Cohen et al. Controlled hydroxyapatite biomineralization in an ~810 million-year-old unicellular eukaryote, Science Advances (2017). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1700095 Journal information: Science Advances

This story is republished courtesy of NASA's Astrobiology Magazine. Explore the Earth and beyond at www.astrobio.net .
A young panda peers from its perch in a tree in the Wolong Nature Center in the Wolong Nature Reserve in Sichuan, China. Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability

Things aren't all black and white for giant pandas.

The beloved Chinese icons have basked in good press lately - their extinction risk status downgraded from "endangered" to "vulnerable," their good fortunes shown to rub off on their less charismatic forest neighbors that benefit from panda-centric conservation efforts.

Yet endangered vs. vulnerable isn't a pass/fail status. In Biological Conservation, Michigan State University (MSU) scientists agree with the logic of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for down-listing the pandas - to a point. The MSU team takes both a finer, and broader, look at panda habitat and finds gaps in understanding. Gaps big enough for panda survival to fall through.

"Sustainability of a species like the panda relies on holistic and thorough analyses," said Jianguo "Jack" Liu, Rachel Carson Chair in Sustainability. "We all want to do a victory dance for the panda, but need to continue to understand and address possible threats. There is no declaring a victory and moving on."

The IUCN drew heavily on data collected in the Third (1999 to 2003) and Fourth (2001 to 2004) National Giant Panda Surveys. The problem that researchers, led by PhD student Hongbo Yang, found is that the two surveys used somewhat different ranges and the habitat analyses based on the survey data did not incorporate range-wide information about bamboo (pandas' staple food). That meant they missed important changes in habitat suitability and how much of the habitat, however good, is fragmented.

The methods the MSU team used were a blend of detailed satellite images that provided rich information about bamboo and integrating that information with on-the-ground data. This study for the first time examines changes across the whole geographic range of panda habitat. What they see is agreement that high-quality panda habitat is indeed growing. In fact, they also find that areas outside nature reserves are showing increases in favorable panda habitat patches, thanks to sweeping nation-wide conservation efforts to curb deforestation and return cropland to forest. However, there was a growing fragmentation between those habitat patches, due to human activities such as roads or development, and natural events, such as the catastrophic Wenchuan Earthquake in 2008. This insight infuses "vulnerable" status with concern.

A giant panda in the Wolong Nature Reserve takes a chewing break. Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability

A captive giant panda in China's Wolong Nature Reserve eats bamboo -- an activity that takes up much of panda's day. Credit: Sue Nichols, Michigan State University Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability

More information: Hongbo Yang et al, Range-wide evaluation of wildlife habitat change: A demonstration using Giant Pandas, Biological Conservation (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2017.07.010 Journal information: Biological Conservation
Trajectories of a microvehicle through mazes. The path is planned by an artificial intelligence system and the microvehicle is guided by magnetic fields. Credit: Li et al. 2017 American Chemical Society

(Phys.org)In a new study, scientists have developed the microscale version of self-driving vehicles: a 5-m spherical micromotor that autonomously navigates its way through micro-traffic along a micro-maze to reach its final destination. The researchers expect that these "smart microvehicles" have potential applications in biomedical tasks, such as delivering drugs to tumor cells while avoiding healthy cells.

The scientists, led by Longqiu Li at the Harbin Institute of Technology in China, and Joseph Wang at the University of California San Diego in the US, have published a paper on the smart microvehicles in a recent issue of ACS Nano.

"We have embedded artificial intelligence into a micro/nanorobot," Li told Phys.org. "We introduce a smart microvehicle for precise autonomous navigation in complicated and dynamically changing environments through optimal path planning. Similar to their large vehicle counterparts, the autonomous navigation of microvehicles entails collision-free movement in dynamic environments."

Until now, micro- and nanomachines have been restricted to navigation that uses a closed-loop control system, in which the machines can only move along a predefined path. The new study marks the first demonstration of micromachines that can autonomously navigate complex, dynamically changing environments, such as those with other moving micromachines.

The autonomous navigation process consists of three main steps. A CCD camera attached to a microscope takes pictures and sends them to a feature extraction processor, which identifies obstacles and constructs a map of the environment. The map is then sent as input to an Artificial Intelligence (AI) planner, which uses a path-searching algorithm and fuzzy logic approach to determine the shortest collision-free path among multiple possible paths to the destination. The AI planner then sends these travel directions to a magnetic field generator, which orients a magnetic field in such a way as to steer the microvehicle along the collision-free pathway.

A microvehicle avoids collision with an obstacle. Credit: Li et al. 2017 American Chemical Society

The AI planner, which is at the heart of the smart navigation system, can also detect when the microvehicle drifts from its planned path, which can occur due to the presence of noise. In these cases, the AI planner can simultaneously measure the error and guide the microvehicle back onto the path.

One of the main applications of this type of smart microvehicle may be in the biomedical field for tasks such as disease diagnostics, drug delivery, and precision surgery. To demonstrate, the researchers showed that the microvehicle can use the camera to sense and distinguish between cancer cells, red blood cells, and mixed cells, by recognizing differences in their size and shape. The AI planner then regards the cancer cells as the targets and the other cells as the obstacles, and plans a path accordingly.

Microvehicles navigate through mazes. Credit: Li et al. 2017 American Chemical Society

"We want to apply the micro/nanorobotic systems in the field of biomedical operations and nanoscale manipulation," Li said.

In the future, the scientists plan to develop more sophisticated autonomous microvehicles, with features such as autonomous braking, "cruise" control, lane-keeping, and the ability to interact with the environment.

More information: Tianlong Li et al. "Autonomous Collision-Free Navigation of Microvehicles in Complex and Dynamically Changing Environments." ACS Nano. DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b04525 Journal information: ACS Nano

 2017 Phys.org
Editors note: This is part two of a feature that began in the pages of the Fall issue of Pittsburgh Quarterly. We invited the heads of the regions top independent schools to address three important questions, in 200 words or less for each. The first of the questions is below, along with the answers. For the second and third questions and answers, please visit pittsburghquarterly.com in the next two weeks.

How are the political tensions of our country being reflected in

your school community and how are you addressing these issues?

Gary J. Niels, Head of School, Winchester Thurston School



Over the last decade or so, the U.S. political climate has become more polarized, and children are more exposed than ever through omnipresent media channels. The WT community is respectful and open, but we arent immune to the tensions. So, in addition to teaching the principles and history of democracy, and the impact of sociopolitical movements, we must help students think logically and critically, and talk and act with empathy. WT works to construct an environment that allows multiple voices. Before the 2016 presidential election, we hosted local leaders of all political parties to share their platforms. The morning after the election, we facilitated an optional open forum for students to share their thoughts. Such interactions must be guided by experienced facilitators who are knowledgeable about diversity. We hired a nationally respected Director of Equity & Inclusion to lead our effort to maintain a community that seeks not agreement, but understanding. Our democracy depends upon a common willingness and ability to engage in dialogue, which occurs only with thoughtful planning, reflection, and learning. We cannot change our divided political climate, but within that context, we teach students to engage in respectful dialogue, and we graduate students who have learned to seek understanding.

Macon Finley, Head, The Ellis School

The Ellis School prides itself on being a community in which diverse opinions are celebrated and respected. Ellis girls are encouraged from an early age to express their ideas and beliefs confidently, without fear of judgment, and to listen with an open mind to their fellow students, especially those with whom they might disagree. One of the core values of the school is to pursue, support, and embrace diversity of all kinds, recognizing the collective strength derived from our individual differences. We believe greater learning happens when we are not just surrounded by others who think and believe as we do. Last years election, and the current political climate, has provided rich opportunities for engaging conversations in and out of the classroom. Our work with students has focused on exploring what it means to live in a democracy, what it means to think critically and form your own opinions based on facts and research, and what it means to be a positive force for change in the world. As an all-girls school, we are particularly committed to helping each girl find her authentic voice, discover her passions, and reach her full, unique potential.

Tom Cangiano, President, Shady Side Academy

In the lead-up to and the immediate aftermath of the 2016 election, we saw some students struggle with maintaining dispassionate, high-level conversations about political issues. This situation was exacerbated by the incendiary rhetoric of a presidential race that was so unlike presidential races in recent history. Throughout election season, we have always encouraged our students to engage in political conversations, but to do so in a way that is respectful, thoughtful and informed. And being informed is particularly challenging given the propensity of people to get news from their own ideologically slanted sources, particularly on social media. We ask our students to apply the same intellectual rigor and academic honesty that they would use in understanding any issue or making any argument. Students must not only have a firm understanding of their own arguments, but they must make every effort to fully understand the positions of those who have a different take on issues. Having a purely ideological take on key issues is frequently an intellectually lazy take on the issues.

Justin Zimmerman, Headmaster, The Linsly School

The political tension in our country has created healthy debate and discourse within our school community. At The Linsly School, we have focused our attention on finding ways to listen, respect each other, and have healthy and appropriate conversations, especially when opposing views are represented. Students know that within our community they can safely and freely express their opinions as long as they do it in respectful and proper ways. Honestly, the ongoing political discourse creates valuable teaching and learning opportunities and helps deepen the classroom learning experience for our students. Students at Linsly are encouraged to think, ask questions, and to form and clearly articulate their own opinions regarding political issues.

Katherine M. Titus, Head of School, Mercersburg Academy

Mercersburg Academy is a welcoming and accepting place that believes that all political viewpoints should be heard and respected. As the national culture has shifted to one that has no tolerance for differing opinions, Mercersburg is committed to instigating opportunities for debate and civil discourse. Educating our students on how to thoughtfully support their opinions while also considering alternative perspectives is not only critical to the mission of our school but also vital to the future of our world. We seek to be a community of learners who are open, patient, and carefully articulatearbiters of conflict and defenders of truth. As such, we offer a broad and robust curriculum that examines and frames contemporary issues alongside historical ones and host an annual series that invites speakers and experts of national and international renown to our campus to interact with our students. In addition, our summer reading for the upcoming year focuses specifically on creating a culture of civil discourse, which will frame classroom conversations as well as this years speaker series.

Christopher D. Burner, Head of School, Western Reserve Academy

Our students are attuned to current events, including politics. Last year, our class president worked for an elected official in Ohio and another student lobbied for procedural change that would allow 17-year-olds to vote. Our government classes are very popular, and we have clubs representing the entire political spectrum. Student government and other leadership opportunities are abundant, and designed to teach lessons in democracy, but also leadership skills like tolerance, focus, cooperation, humility and integrity. Because of our diverse student body, representing 15 countries and 24 states, we have broad global perspectives in our small community of 400 students. This diversity provides opportunities for students to become global thinkers, enriching their political perspectives and cultural understanding.

Kolia OConnor, Head of School, Sewickley Academy

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. The real safeguard of democracy, therefore, is education. Our most recent presidential election has certainly seemed to divide rather than bring together, and unfortunately, that division has come at the expense of citizens researching, knowing, and understanding the issues before they vote. This election has offered schools an excellent opportunity to engage our students in discussions about our government and political processes. Through our core value of diversity, we are dedicated to being a community that represents and celebrates different backgrounds, talents, interests, and divergent yet informed opinions. The role of schools is to help inform our students of the facts of the issues in order for them to be prepared to choose wisely.

Mary Claire Kasunic, President, Oakland Catholic

During a period in our countrys history when political tensions are elevated, Oakland Catholic High School has optimized its academic approach to examine, study, and analyze the words, actions, and decisions being made by government officials on many levels. Although tension is frequently viewed as a negative, it has brought about a positive increase in political awareness among students and highlighted the role that all schools play in developing informed and responsible citizens who are capable of separating truth from fiction, formulating opinions grounded in facts, and recognizing the value of strong leadership. Social Studies instructors continue to draw from current events, but learning about the effect of politics on all aspects of society brings discussions to Literature, Foreign Language, Art, and Religion classes as well. Edmodo and other tech platforms have served as convenient ways to share global perspectives on politically driven issues occurring both in the States and abroad; a recent Young Womens Leadership tour of Italy put the developing role of female leadership into the context of the current political atmosphere; GCI (Global Competence Initiative) has served students well by providing broader context to news items broadcast in the U.S.
Frank Cahouet, 85: Cahouet rescued Mellon Bank from the brink of failure in the 1980s and restored the fabled Pittsburgh institution to strength. The first outsider to lead the bank when he arrived in 1987, he inherited bad loans and excessive expenses that led to a loss of nearly $1 billion that year. Cahouet aggressively cut expenses, including nearly 3,000 layoffs. His purchases of The Boston Co. and Dreyfus Corp. ultimately repositioned Mellon to become one of the countrys most profitable financial companies. After his 1998 retirement, he expanded his Pittsburgh community efforts, serving on the boards of Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance and many others.

George Romero, 77

With 1968s Night of the Living Dead, which he co-wrote, directed and filmed in Pittsburgh, Romero created a worldwide legacythe zombie moviethat became so massive that he could never escape its gravity. The ultimate low-budget cult classic, it made him a cult figure, bringing acclaim and a string of similar movies for the next 49 years. The native New Yorker graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and spent most of his working life in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Herbert L. Needleman, 89

Dr. Needleman was a pediatrician and psychiatrist who pioneered research into the effects of lead on children. Though he often came under attack from industry groups, his groundbreaking work at the University of Pittsburgh showed that even low levels of lead exposure led to lower IQs among exposed children and hastened the removal of lead from a variety of products including paints and gasoline.

Paul Maher, 91

He was the 10th archabbot of the St. Vincent Archabbey, the oldest Benedictine Monastery in the U.S. and largest in the Western Hemisphere. He completed secondary school at Saint Vincent Preparatory School in 1943, was a tail gunner on a B-24 bomber in the Army Air Corps during World War II, flying 21 missions over Germany and Austria. He returned to St. Vincent College, where he graduated in 1950, and later earned a Ph.D. in philosophy before returning to teach at St. Vincent, ultimately becoming its chancellor.

John F. Jack Donahue, 92

A man of devout Catholic faith, Jack Donahue made two remarkable contributions to Pittsburgh. The more obvious is Federated Investors, which he founded with Central Catholic classmates Richard Fisher and the late Thomas Donnelly. The firm created money market funds, offered investors new alternatives and became a financial giant, managing more than $360 billion and employing nearly 1,500 people, mainly in Pittsburgh. The less obvious is the family he and his wife of 70 years, Rhodora, nurtured13 children, 84 grandchildren, and 109 great-grandchildren to make widespread contributions to their community. And in that regard, the Donahue clan has played a leading role in supporting a wide range of causes in the region.

Marshall Katz, 77

The heir of Papercraft Corp., Katz was a benefactor of the arts in Pittsburgh, and a world-renowned collector of Palissy ware. His father, Joseph Katz, started the company that made gift wrap and a variety of consumer products, and Marshall ran the company in the 1980s before retiring and focusing on the arts. He was a board member of the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh Symphony, Andy Warhol Museum and Pittsburgh Opera, and, with his sister Andrea McCutcheon, donated $1 million to create Downtowns Agnes Katz Plaza, named for their mother and noted for its eyeball benches. His 19th century Palissy ceramics collection is among the worlds best, and he was a world authority on it, authoring three books.

Donald Robinson, 91

A man of broad talents and accomplishments, Robinson used his experience in the familys retail tobacco and candy business to become president of White Cross Stores, which later merged with Revco. Beyond business success, he was a man who loved photography and community service. He travelled to every continent and 60 countries, blending his love of taking pictures with helping international charities around the globe. His photography is internationally renowned and his community work included numerous civic and arts boards in Pittsburgh but especially support of a wide array of Jewish organizations.
Sewage-laden floodwaters dumped on Texas by Hurricane Harvey bring a higher risk of disease, such as bacterial infections and mosquito-borne illnesses, and the fallout may linger for years, experts warn. Immediate risks from floods include death by drowning -- often people drown in their cars as they try to flee -- electrocution, and hypothermia. The long-term picture could be even more dire, as communities grapple with immense amounts of polluted water in the streets, in homes and businesses. When floodwater washes over a heavily populated metro area like Houston, it is sure to be dirty and dangerous, experts say. "There is sewage, all kinds of pesticide, waste, herbicides and toxins that we don't even know of -- are all going to wash in," Ranit Mishori, a family doctor and a professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine. "We are talking hundreds of different types of bacteria and viruses that could contaminate that water," she added. People can get sick simply by wading through dirty floodwater with a scratch or an open wound. "The biggest issue is the release of sewage and bacterial-related infections," said Howard Selinger, chair of family medicine at the Frank H. Netter MD School at Quinnipiac University. Dirty water can also infiltrate the drinking water system, raising the risk of contaminated water and with it, cholera. Cholera causes acute diarrhea, causing some three to five million cases of illness and more than 100,000 deaths each year worldwide. "The spread of cholera is one of the most significant dangers following any natural disaster, but especially flooding after a hurricane," said Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. "Cholera is quite contagious, and can be transmitted person to person by infected feces after dirty water is swallowed, or from contaminated food with vibrio cholera bacteria." Cholera is rare in the United States and other industrialized nations, but has been on the rise worldwide over the past decade, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - Dirty floodwater - Studies of multiple floods worldwide have shown a spike in the incidence of a disease called Leptospirosis, which is caused by caused by rodent, pig and horse urine, and can be fatal. The bacteria can enter the body through the skin, mucous membranes, or by drinking water. Symptoms occur within two days to four weeks, and may start off as flu-like, with fever, vomiting, chills and diarrhea. Some people get progressively sicker, and may have liver and kidney failure along with meningitis. "The elderly and disabled are really, incredibly highly vulnerable," said Mishori. "Also sick people and children are highly vulnerable. They will the first victims." People can even get sick from washing or bathing in contaminated water. "It's essential to boil all water for bathing, brushing your teeth, or drinking after a flood. Bottled water remains the safest water source in this setting," said Glatter. - Mold, mental health - Being forced to evacuate, live in a makeshift shelter, and losing one's possessions can all cause mental trauma that lasts long after the event, experts say. Hospitals may fill up quickly, and people may have a hard time getting lifesaving medications and health care. Over the weeks and months to come, soggy buildings will grow mold, which can be toxic and can cause a host of health problems for people exposed. "One of the legacies of (2005's Hurricane) Katrina was the mold that remained for a long, long time in schools and other buildings," said Mishori of the devastating storm that lashed Louisiana. "There is no question that the mold is going to present itself at some point." Viral illnesses such as West Nile and Zika could also begin to spread in the coming weeks, as mosquitos take advantage of all the extra standing water to breed. Multiple studies have analyzed the long-term health effects of disasters, and have found that the struggle is far from over once the floodwaters recede. "Most of them have found that a year out in the communities affected there are much higher rates of mortality in general, of heart attacks and strokes," said Mishori.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A Jakarta court has sentenced a female would-be suicide bomber to seven and a half years in prison, prosecutors and her lawyer said, the first time a woman has been convicted in Indonesia for planning such an attack. Dian Yulia Novi, 28, was arrested late last year on suspicion of plotting to blow herself up outside Jakarta's presidential palace during the changing of the guard. She was arrested along with her husband, Muhamad Nur Solikin. Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, has seen a surge in homegrown militancy inspired by Islamic State, and has grappled with a series of small-scale attacks in the past two years. Prosecutors had demanded a 10-year sentence for Novi, whom they said received instructions to carry out the attack from Bahrun Naim, an Indonesian militant believed to be fighting with Islamic State in Syria. "Her sentence was reduced because she admitted to her actions," Novi's lawyer Kamsi told Reuters on Monday. He said the verdict was handed down by East Jakarta District Court on Aug. 25. Judges delivered the verdict earlier than expected because Novi is pregnant and due to give birth in early September, her lawyer said. She is detained at a Jakarta area facility. Her husband is on trial for the same plot. His next hearing, at which he is expected to enter a plea, is scheduled for Sept. 6. Kamsi said Novi, who was believed to be radicalized through social media while employed as a domestic worker in Taiwan, did not intend to appeal her verdict. Police said they had intercepted a letter that Novi intended to send to her parents stating her intention to carry out jihad. Later an unexploded bomb was found in a room the woman had rented in Bekasi, about an hour outside Jakarta. Counter-terrorism forces are worried that militants may be using new and more sophisticated tactics to try and carry out attacks - like recruiting female suicide bombers or using dangerous chemicals to make "dirty bombs". (Reporting by Stefanno Reinard; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Richard Borsuk)
By Angus McDowall BEIRUT (Reuters) - A convoy of Islamic State fighters and their families left the Lebanon-Syria border region on Monday under Syrian military escort, surrendering their enclave and travelling to eastern Syria after a week-long battle. A line of ambulances and buses were shown on Syrian state television driving slowly through the arid countryside, the border's pale hills behind them, as they departed. The transfer ends any insurgent presence on the border, an important goal for Lebanon and Hezbollah, and marks the first time Islamic State has publicly agreed to a forced evacuation from territory it held in Syria. Islamic State agreed a ceasefire deal that took effect on Sunday with the Lebanese army on one front and Hezbollah with the Syrian army on the other. The militants had lost much of their mountainous enclave straddling the border since the two offensives began on opposite sides of the frontier. The Lebanese army has said its offensive against Islamic State did not involve coordination with the Syrian army or Hezbollah. Lebanon's Hezbollah has been a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad through Syria's six-year war. The Iran-backed Shi'ite group has played a major role fighting Sunni militants at the border and has sent thousands of fighters into Syria to support Assad's government. The leader of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Monday that the group had accepted Islamic State's evacuation partly in order to find out the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers in Islamic State captivity since 2014. The convoy being transferred into Syria included 308 militants with their small arms and 331 civilians, Nasrallah said in a televised speech. Islamic State will hand over one Hezbollah captive and the bodies of some Hezbollah forces and one Iranian fighter killed in battles across Syria, he said. At the last stage of the deal, the two sides would exchange the bodies for the convoy of militants at a transit point in Syria, Nasrallah said. Eleven Hezbollah fighters and seven Syrian soldiers had been killed in their offensive in the western Qalamoun region on Syria's side of the border, he said. The border battle has ended in "fully liberating Lebanese land and securing the border with Syria," he said. Both Hezbollah and Lebanese officials have billed the evacuation as a surrender by Islamic State. "We do not bargain. We are in the position of the victor and are imposing conditions," the head of Lebanon's internal security agency, General Abbas Ibrahim, said on Sunday. A commander in the pro-Assad military alliance said Syria and Hezbollah had accepted Islamic State's evacuation rather than a fight to the end, to avert a bloody war of attrition. Islamic State fighters were sheltering among civilians and to complete the offensive would have involved great bloodshed, the commander said. HEAVY SECURITY Syrian state television and a Hezbollah military media unit said the convoy left the western Qalamoun for its destination in eastern Syria. The evacuees will travel across Syria under heavy security escort to Islamic State lines near Al-Bukamal in the eastern province of Deir al-Zor, a Lebanese security source said. The Syrian army and Hezbollah were communicating with Islamic State near Al-Bukamal to arrange the transfer of the convoy into jihadist territory, the source said. Islamic State fighters were earlier seen burning heavy equipment and arms which they left in the border enclave. Northeast Lebanon saw one of the worst spillovers of the Syrian conflict in 2014, when Islamic State and other militants briefly overran the border town of Arsal. The fate of nine Lebanese soldiers that Islamic State took captive in 2014 had remained unknown until Sunday. Ibrahim, the Lebanese general, said the troops were almost certainly dead after recovering remains thought to belong to them. The news and the evacuation deal have sparked some public outcry in Lebanon that authorities had not been able to retrieve the soldiers alive. Earlier this month, Nusra Front militants and a Syrian rebel group withdrew from their footholds along the border after accepting similar evacuation deals. Those agreements came after a brief Hezbollah offensive that began at the end of July against militants of the ex-Nusra Front, which was al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until last year. Hezbollah has maintained a strong presence in the parts of Syria near the border with Lebanon for years, helping Assad capture several rebel-held towns and villages there. Inside Syria, Islamic State is retreating on many fronts, losing territory to separate offensives, including by the Russian-backed Syrian army and U.S.-backed militias. (Additional reporting by Ellen Francis and Sarah Dadouch; Editing by Alison Williams and Larry King)
Poland's rightwing government on Monday rejected EU concerns over controversial court reforms that Brussels fears will erode judicial independence, insisting that they are "in line with European standards". The European Commission gave Warsaw a month from July 26th to end legislative moves that it regards as posing a "systemic threat" to the rule of law and inform the EU executive branch of measures taken to modify them. The legal overhauls have triggered mass street protests in Poland and raised fears about the rule of law in one of the EU's leading former communist states in the east. Poland's foreign ministry insisted Monday statement that the Law and Justice (PiS) government's "legislative action, the overriding aim of which is to reform the justice system, is in line with European standards". Last month the Commission said the judicial reform "raises concerns that ... the independence of Polish courts will be undermined." The Commission expressed concern about the Polish justice minister getting "discretionary power" to prolong the mandate of judges who have reached retirement age as well as to dismiss and appoint court presidents. Other concerns, it said, include "discrimination on the basis of gender" by setting the retirement age at 60 for female judges and at 65 for their male counterparts. But Warsaw argued Monday the reforms in question also "meet social expectations that have grown over the years and therefore the Commission's doubts are groundless." It also said it had sent Brussels "exhaustive explanations" addressing its objections and "hoped to continue the dialogue in a substantive manner that is devoid of politics." Tensions between Warsaw and the EU have been mounting over what Brussels sees as a growing threat, not just to democratic standards in Poland but across the 28-nation bloc. The Commission last month said it was ready to launch an unprecedented procedure to strip Poland of its EU voting rights over the court reforms for alleged rule of law violations. - 'Nuclear option' - It could eventually lead to a case against Poland before the bloc's highest court, the European Court of Justice, and possibly a suspension of Warsaw from European Union decision-making. Brussels and Warsaw have been at loggerheads ever since Poland's governing PiS party announced reforms to the country's constitutional court after coming to power in late 2015. Polish President Andrzej Duda unexpectedly vetoed last month two bills that would have reinforced political control over courts, but Prime Minister Beata Szydlo has vowed to push ahead with all the reforms despite the vetoes. European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans has warned that the Commission is ready to immediately trigger the EU's never-used Article 7 procedure -- a so-called "nuclear option" that can freeze a country's right to vote in meetings of EU ministers -- if Supreme Court justices are sacked. In a separate brewing row, French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday made stinging comments insisting that Warsaw was "going against European interests in many areas" for rejecting tough proposals to overhaul a controversial EU rule on cheap labour. The EU has also warned Poland to obey a ban on logging in the ancient forest of Bialowieza, saying it would add any breach to the broader Brussels case against Warsaw over democratic standards.
By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panarat Thepgumpanat BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra kneeled before a row of saffron-robed Buddhist monks last Wednesday as she offered them fruits and sticky rice soaked in coconut milk and logan juice, a specialty from her northern region. At the auspicious hour of 9 a.m. she released fish at the Temple of the Bells near Bangkok's Chaophraya river, a practice Thai Buddhists believe brings good karma. At that point, aides say they believed she still intended to appear on Friday for sentencing in the criminal negligence case brought by Thailands junta over a costly rice subsidy scheme. Within about a day, she had left the country. "She chose to leave because she heard from her sources that the court would give her a heavy sentence and would not grant her bail," said one source close to Yingluck. "She's not a last minute person. She always plans things very carefully. This was a last-minute decision." Yingluck fled with two aides but left her only son, Supasek Amornchat, 15, behind in Thailand, the source said. Another aide, who had worked with Yingluck for a decade, said that she was gone by Thursday afternoon. Yingluck, whose government was ousted in a 2014 coup, went to Dubai, where her brother former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has a home, via Singapore, aides and other sources in her Puea Thai Party told Reuters. Reuters was not able to contact Yingluck. An aide for Thaksin in Dubai said she was not authorized to speak to the media. DOOR LEFT OPEN? Exactly how Yingluck escaped from Thailand remains a mystery. At 10:55 am on Thursday, she posted one last time on her Facebook page in a message that apologised to her supporters for being unable to greet them at court because of heightened security, but at the same time implied she would show up. Even some of Yingluck's closest aides said they were not aware how she left the country. Deputy national police chief General Srivara Ransibrahmanakul said police intelligence showed Yingluck was at her Bangkok home at least up until 2 p.m. on Wednesday. It was not clear why the police had information up to that point but not beyond. The junta has denied leaving a door open for Yingluck to escape - solving a problem for Thailand's generals concerned that if she was imprisoned she would become a martyr - but both her supporters and enemies have questioned whether she had official help. Sources in the Puea Thai Party said she fled first to Cambodia - a route often used by Thai opposition figures in the past as the border is porous and it is less than four hours drive from Bangkok. Thai media have said she took a private jet from Cambodia to Singapore and then on to Dubai. Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen denied on Sunday that Yingluck used Cambodia as part of her escape route. By 9:40 a.m. on Friday morning, the Supreme Court had issued an arrest warrant for Yingluck, saying it did not think Yingluck was ill with an ear problem as her team claimed. She had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which carried a sentence of up to 10 years. Hours after the verdict against Yingluck had been due, the court sentenced her former commerce minister in a related case to 42 years in prison. He was denied bail pending appeal because it was too late in the day. Seventeen other people were given sentences of between 4-48 years in the case. Lieutenant General Werachai Indusobhana, commander of the Terrestrial Defence Command, told reporters on Monday that Yingluck's son Supasek showed up for student officer training on Saturday as required for Thai male students of his age. (Additional reporting for Prak Chan Thul in PHNOM PENH; Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Martin Howell)
By Jason Patinkin KAMPALA (Reuters) - United Nations peacekeepers in South Sudan are moving more aggressively to protect civilians caught in the country's four-year civil war, after years of criticism for failures that led to the sacking of the mission's military chief last year. This year, the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has rescued aid workers and U.N. staff during attacks, saved civilians from abduction by armed groups, and pushed past roadblocks to a massacre site. "A lot has been done ... to improve UNMISS' ability to deliver on its protection of civilians mandate," said Lauren Spink, a South Sudan specialist for the independent U.S.-based advocacy group Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC). South Sudan was the world's youngest country when it became independent from neighbouring Sudan in 2011 following decades of conflict. But the new nation dissolved into civil war less than two years later, after President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired his deputy, Riek Machar, a Nuer. Since then tens of thousands have died, and 3.5 million of the country's 12 million citizens have fled their homes, creating Africa's largest refugee crisis since Rwanda's 1994 genocide. BASE PROTECTION As the war spread, families flooded into U.N. bases seeking protection. More than 210,000 people now stay in six such bases, too fearful to go home. Between December 2013 and July 2016, more than 100 civilians and four U.N. peacekeepers were killed in attacks on U.N. bases when peacekeepers didn't shoot back, fled, or delayed responding, according to data from the U.N. and CIVIC. But a chastened UNMISS has gradually taken a tougher stance, boosted by the January arrival of new chief David Shearer, a former New Zealand labour party leader. "We are trying to make our peacekeeping more robust," Shearer told Reuters. "Our peacekeepers are going to stand up to situations and challenge them." Several incidents demonstrate the change. In April, peacekeepers deployed to Aburoc, a village on the Nile. After the U.N. arrived, rebels withdrew, and a government offensive that had displaced 20,000 civilians paused. Aid workers then intervened to stop a cholera outbreak. The same month, peacekeepers went to Torit in the southeast to protect an orphanage housing 250 children caught between the front lines. Mongolian peacekeepers in northern Bentiu town have repeatedly rescued civilians from abduction by armed groups this year, including one incident where they fired their weapons. Reuters was unable to find records of such interventions for previous years. "There is improvement," said Peter Ruach, who lives in the camp outside the U.N. base in Juba. A year ago government troops raped dozens of women who ventured outside the fence to search for food. "The Ethiopian battalion have cleared a buffer zone and they make sure that when women are going out for collection of firewood they are protected," he said. Since the buffer zone opened at the end of November, serious crimes like rape and murder reported near the camp had dropped from around 48 per month to between 1 and 5, the U.N. said. STRAINED HISTORY U.N. peacekeepers have been in South Sudan since before independence, but found themselves frequently criticised after war broke out by aid groups like Doctors Without Borders, who said they were not doing enough to protect civilians. A year ago, peacekeepers at the U.N.'s main Juba base ignored desperate pleas for help when government troops attacked a hotel a mile away, killing one aid worker and gang-raping others. In following days, government troops raped dozens of Nuer women outside the same base. Ten aid agencies released a joint statement accusing peacekeepers of failing to adequately patrol the area. "The inability of UNMISS to protect civilians threatens to undermine any attempts at safety and security in the country and makes it impossible for humanitarian agencies to provide the help that is so urgently needed," Frederick McCray, South Sudan Country Director at charity CARE, said at the time. The U.N. eventually launched an investigation that led to the firing of UNMISS' top general, Kenya's Johnson Ondieki, in November. In response, Kenya pulled its troops from the peacekeeping mission. PROBLEMS REMAIN Despite more robust peacekeeping, the violence continues. The mission has 12,000 armed peacekeepers and a budget of over a billion dollars. But that's not enough to patrol a nation the size of France with under 300 km (185 miles) of paved roads. Peacekeepers were too stretched to deploy to Pagak, a rebel stronghold in the northeast, where a government offensive has displaced thousands and forced dozens of aid workers to evacuate since July, Shearer said. U.N. patrols did not intervene in the northwestern town of Wau in April when a government-aligned Dinka militia went door-to-door, executing at least 16 people of other ethnicities. Part of the problem is that the U.N. needs permission from South Sudan's government for its presence. That can interfere with investigations or interventions aimed at government forces. Last week, the government grounded U.N. flights after a dispute about the deployment of an additional 4,000 troops to beef up the peacekeeping mission. The government is reluctant to accept the new force. "The U.N. cannot be totally independent in a country that is sovereign. They need to be working in cooperation with the government ... They cannot run a parallel government," said presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny. He denied that government forces had killed or abused civilians. "Government ... cannot do anything harmful to civilians that requires someone to come and protect them," Ateny said. Shearer has responded to some roadblocks with public pressure. He took to U.N. radio to demand access to the Torit orphanage, and has ordered peacekeepers to hold their ground when their patrols are blocked by troops. "We've had several instances of platoons sleeping at checkpoints for up to three days until they were finally persistent enough to be allowed to go," he said. But for some, U.N. intervention came too late. The U.N. did not arrive in Aburoc until April, well after the government offensive began in January. In the meantime, government forces killed civilians, bombing and shelling the area, and burning people alive in their homes, rights body Amnesty International said. (Editing by Giles Elgood)
If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.

As leaders progress further into the future, they will face a complex and unpredictable world. They will need to adapt to constantly evolving technology while keeping their businesses stable. They will work in an environment that uses both human and machine labor fueled by artificial intelligence. Businesses will need to make smart decisions about their teams time and energy in a globally competitive world that runs 24/7.

In short, future small business owners will all need to be master innovators. But where can they find the insights to make this happen? The list of books below is an excellent start.

Books on Innovation

This list is designed to bring out the innovative leader in you, the kind that will be able to create and test ideas quickly so their business can keep up with rapidly accelerating change. Drawing inspiration from various fields (including yoga, math, and art), this list of 10 books help build the knowledge base you will need to tap into as a leader of the future.

The Inevitable

by Kevin Kelly

You might be wondering what kind of future you are actually preparing for. The Inevitable doesnt give leaders a crystal ball, but it does give a sneak peek behind the curtain. The Inevitable looks at todays trends that are shaping the world of tomorrow.

Unlike other books, this book about the future doesnt focus on making predictions about which app or which bot a business needs to create a competitive advantage.

Instead, it takes a more comprehensive approach, focusing on the trends that people are engaging in now and how they could look in the future.

The books unique focus on the trends shaping the future ensures that leaders take a look at the big picture.

Innovative leaders shouldnt focus solely on their competition. They need to focus on the larger economic and cultural trends that will shape their customers world. Author Kevin Kelly does an incredible job of detailing the future world along with demonstrating why the trends he selected will have an impact on the future.

For leaders trying to predict how to stay ahead of their customers, this book is as close to a crystal ball as you will get.

Yoga for Leaders: How to Manage Self-Disruption in a World of Self-Destruction

by Stefan Hyttfors

With artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, and social media, business leaders are facing a future of unprecedented complexity. To deal with this complexity, futurist Stefan Hyttfors believes leaders need to draw wisdom from the past.

Specifically, leaders need to draw insight from the ancient Indian tradition of yoga. The philosophy behind yoga offers timeless principles for dealing with every kind of change, Hyttfors says.

Why?

One of the central cornerstones of yogic philosophy is the need to move with change.

We experience suffering when we cling to the illusion that things should stay the same. Likewise, leaders who cling too tightly to old strategies or technology will not survive in the fast-paced world of the future.

Yoga for Leaders helps leaders see the potential in adopting a flexible mind for dealing with an unpredictable world.

Time, Talent, and Energy

by Michael C. Mankins and Eric Garton

While many business owners view the unpredictable world of the future as a threat, you dont have to.

You just need to manage the three core principles behind every business: time, talent, energy.

Businesses without a strong foundation in the three principles will not survive. Building that foundation around these three principles is the focus of Time, Talent, Energy.

The book helps readers understand how crucial the three resources of time, talent and energy are to a business.

Most businesses get caught up in details that are important but not essential. Thats where the book comes in. It helps leaders optimize their businesses at the most fundamental level.

See Also: China Needs Your Small Business Products

Readers will learn which of their current processes are preventing their business from reaching a higher level. In doing so, a virtuous cycle of success in that business can begin.

The Analytical Marketer: How to Transform Your Marketing Organization

by Adele Sweetwood

Whether you do your own marketing or have someone handle it for you, marketing in the future will be a lot different from the past.

In earlier generations, marketing focused on scale. In the future, marketing will focus on personalization and insight gained from the smart use of data.

Businesses are already moving in that direction with the use of Big Data, artificial intelligence, and the use of tools like Google Analytics.

Technology is only part of the equation. The other half is knowing how to use that technology effectively.

Helping marketers bridge that gap between todays knowledge and the future is the goal of The Analytical Marketer.

It covers the strategies and responsibilities your marketing staff needs to embrace to take full advantage of the huge amount of data that will be available to them in the next few years.

Small Data

by Martin Lindstrom

Big Data is all the rage now, but it might miss the point.

No matter what kind of data sets you collect, it is still (and always will be) the individual customer that matters.

Small Data brings this home by helping readers see the potential in the unique identifiers and elements of your customers.

In Small Data, author Martin Lindstrom takes readers on a journey around the world as he explores the stories that reveal the motivations that drive customer purchases.

Lindstrom connects these stories and observations to the bigger picture, providing a framework to help business owners tap into small data for better marketing results.

When businesses connect with the numbers (big data) and the stories (little data) associated with their customers, they offer a better value for everyone.

Jobs to Be Done

by Stephen Wunker, Jessica Wattman and David Farber

You know that your business needs to innovate.

You know that your business needs to keep your current customers while reaching out to new ones.

Many businesses fail to combine these two goals adequately. They focus either on the technical side of innovation or they focus too much on marketing to the status quo.

They dont innovate in a way that meets the needs of their current and future customers.

Jobs to Be Done hopes to help businesses bridge that obvious gap.

While it might seem paradoxical, most businesses actually see the customer as an obstacle! Jobs to be Done helps businesses orient their focus back to the customer.

Without this shift back to customer focus, many businesses will lose out on a chance to have a future.

The Digital Transformation Playbook

by David Rogers

The first book on this list, The Inevitable, discussed current trends that will impact the future.

Your next question might be How am I supposed to improve my business with that information? Thats the job of The Digital Transformation Playbook.

The goal of this book is to show you how to turn knowledge about the future into innovative action that will thrive in the future.

The Digital Transformation Playbook does this by focusing on the key areas (called the five domains of digital transformation in the book) that business leaders need to focus on in order to prepare for the future.

It guides readers through case studies of current innovative companies, including GE and Apple, to show how these businesses are preparing to solve the challenges of the future.

It also helps business leaders create a plan for transforming their current resources into future assets in a way that works for their overall goals.

Matchmakers

by David S. Evans and Richard Schmalensee

The platform business model behind Facebook, Uber, and Airbnb is not new. Platform businesses connect two or more groups of people who want to exchange goods or services.

In the past, if you were a craft person wanting to sell to consumers, you might rent a flea market booth. If you wanted to sell a car, you could place a classified ad in the newspaper.

Technology has changed that. Platform businesses now allow consumers to interact globally, grow quickly, and evolve faster than ever before in human history.

Matchmakers explores this rapid development of platform businesses. It explores the core principles that allow a business like Facebook to play matchmaker with so many groups of people: consumers, businesses, developers, non-profits and advertisers.

Matchmakers also explores the disruptive future caused by these platform businesses fueled by technology. Because of technology, platform businesses are destroying industries and creating new ones in the process.

If you ever wanted to make your own Facebook or Uber-style company, this book will show you the principles and struggles of businesses that are changing the world at an astonishing rate.

The Mathematical Corporation

by Angela Zutavern and Josh Sullivan

The Mathematical Corporation is a look at the future of humans and machines. Many books focus on the potential negative impact of automation on human labor (not to mention the fear that robots could take over the world).

This book takes a more positive view.

Machines (artificial intelligence, in particular), the authors say, should definitely play a role in the future of humanity. They can complete many tasks that humans find impossible or boring to do.

The book argues that leaders can shift these tasks to robots while emphasizing the kind of work that humans are best at including creativity, imagining and reasoning.

The kind of business that can tap into the power of human and machine labor is the mathematical corporation and helping organizations reach that level is the goal of this book. Leaders can start on the path to becoming a mathematical corporation today using the strategies recommended within.

The Key to Leadership in the Future is Learning

As the above nine books show, the leadership of the future will be radically different. It will be fast-paced. No matter what happens, you can thrive in that world. All you have to do is staying committed to continuous learning from your customers, from your competition and from the world around you. You can start that commitment by reading just one of the books on the list. You might be surprised by where it leads you.

Pencil in Book Photo via Shutterstock

Save money on shipping costs for your Amazon purchases. Plus, enjoy thousands of titles from Amazons video library with an Amazon Prime membership. Learn more and sign up for a free trial today.
Surviving SNP participants express concerns about the sentiments among society.

Font size: A - | A +

All those who have been through the atrocities and suffering of war worry that such things could be repeated, said Anna Bergerova, one of the direct participants in the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) during the remembrance ceremony in Bratislava on the eve of the August 29 national holiday.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

The gathering in central Bratislava commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the SNP, the anti-fascist surge against the Nazi-satellite wartime Slovak state.

We have a duty to remember the history and tell the young people about the uprising and World War 2 and what was behind it.

So that they do not let anyone or anything manipulate them, Bergerova said as quoted by the TASR newswire.

Jan Chudik, another participant in the SNP, pointed to the threat that society is facing nowadays.

Phenomena similar to those in the 1930s are surfacing, it is a great danger, Chudik said as quoted by TASR.

Parliament and cabinet members, including PM Robert Fico, and the Bratislava regional governor, Pavol Freso, attended the ceremony too. The presidential guards of honour laid wreaths at the SNP memorial in the SNP Square in Bratislava. So did representatives of the armed forces, the Slovak Association of Anti-Fascist Fighters, and foreign ambassadors to Slovakia.
144 participants from all around the world have received their certificates this year

Participants of the Studia Academica Slovaca programme 2017 received their certificates on August 25. (Source: TASR)

Font size: A - | A +

The 53rd Studia Academica Slovaca (SAS) language and culture course for foreigners was wrapped up in Bratislava on August 25.

Students from 33 countries of the world, from beginners to advanced Slovak speakers, who have spent three weeks in Slovakia, received their certificates in Bratislava. Their programme consisted of lectures and seminars, but also excursions, including to Devin, Beckov, Nitra, Martin, Svaty Anton and other sights around the country.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Read also:

Read also: Ako sa mas? Read more

University students of Slovak lectorates at foreign universities made up two thirds of all participatnts, said SAS director Jana Pekarovicova. She specified that during the three weeks, the students have taken between 90 and 130 lessons.

If anyone talks about Slovak as a sort of Esperanto of the Slavic languages, they are not far from the truth, the rector of the Comenius University in Bratislava, Karol Micieta, told the participants during the ceremony.

Read also:

Read also: Almost 160 foreigners will learn Slovak in summer school Read more

The biggest group among the participants of this year's SAS were 16 Italians, followed by 13 Hungarians, 12 Germans and 12 Poles.

The oldest participant this year was a 70-year-old retired teacher from France.
All shops will be closed on August 29 and September 1, with a few exceptions.

Font size: A - | A +

Do not plan on shopping for food or anything else in Slovakia on Tuesday and Friday this week. Based on the law, effective as of June this year, all shops have to remain closed on national holidays.

There are a few exceptions from the rule, like petrol stations and shops at airports and train stations. Pharmacies and souvenir shops are allowed to open on national holidays too, the TASR newswire wrote. The ban does not apply to service providers, only to selling goods. This means hairdressers or rental shops may remain open.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

August 29 is the Slovak National Uprising day in Slovakia, while on September 1 Slovaks celebrate the Constitution Day.

Read also:
Imrich Karvas was one of the most powerful men in the wartime Slovak State but he helped the popular rebellion. He ended up in the concentration camps and even the communist regime imprisoned him.

Font size: A - | A +

In 1938, the life of successful economist, Imrich Karvas, got a dramatic twist. He was about to take up the position of professor at the Charles University in Prague but the capital of then-Czechoslovakia had been recently occupied by Nazi Germany. Czechoslovak president Edvard Benes resigned after the Munich dictates that split the country but Karvas did not agree with this step and decided to return to Slovakia, together with his family.

Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement Skryt Remove ad Article continues after video advertisement

Even his previous career was admirable. He had lectured in France at the Sorbonne, in Germany and in the USA. Karvas also simultaneously held many important functions, e.g. as secretary of the Union of Slovak Banks, secretary general of the National-economic Institute of Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia (i.e. Zakarpattia) and vice-president of the Export Institute in Prague.

At the age of 35, he was a minister without portfolio and later industry, trade and the self-employment minister of the Czechoslovak government.

He was an exceptional personage in Slovak history but some 20 years ago, he was almost unknown to the public  even to economic experts. This, despite Karvas being one of nation's best financiers who wrote more than 60 specialised articles.

The Communists succeeded in suppressing knowledge of my father for a very long time, his son, Milan Karvas, who wrote a book about him, explains.

Among outstanding Slovaks, only M.R. Stefanik may have had a similar fate  being first an excellent scientist, and then a state official, Milan, also a scientist but unlike his father a chemist, now aged 80, notes.

Governor's fight against Germans
Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. owns and operates utilities, transport, midstream, and data businesses in North and South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. The company's Utilities segment operates approximately 61,000 kilometers (km) of operational electricity transmission and distribution lines; 5,300 km of electricity transmission lines; 4,200 km of natural gas pipelines; 7.3 million electricity and natural gas connections; and 360,000 long-term contracted sub-metering services. This segment also offers heating and cooling solutions; gas distribution; water heaters; and heating, ventilation, and air conditioner rental, as well as other home services. Its Transport segment offers transportation, storage, and handling services for merchandise goods, commodities, and passengers through a network of approximately 22,000 km of track; 5,500 km of track network; 4,800 km of rail; 3,800 km of motorways; and 13 port terminals. The company's Midstream segment offers natural gas transmission, gathering and processing, and storage services through approximately 15,000 km of natural gas transmission pipelines; 600 billion cubic feet of natural gas storage; 17 natural gas processing plants; and 3,900 km of gas gathering pipelines, as well as one petrochemical processing complex. Its Data segment operates approximately 148,000 operational telecom towers; 8,000 multi-purpose towers and active rooftop sites; 10,000 km of fiber backbone; 1,600 cell sites and approximately 12,000 km of fiber optic cable; and 2,100 active telecom towers and 70 distributed antenna systems, as well as 50 data centers and 200 megawatts of critical load capacity. The company was founded in 2007 and is based in Hamilton, Bermuda. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. is a subsidiary of Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - A group of armed men claiming to represent the nation's indigenous Mapuche people hijacked and burnt 29 logging trucks in southern Chile on Monday morning as a years-long conflict with forestry companies heated up. The government convened an emergency meeting less than two weeks after a similar attack in which 18 trucks were burnt. It was not clear to what extent the attacks have broader support among Mapuche communities. Many Mapuche leaders doubt all such attacks are carried out by indigenous people, saying non-indigenous groups with a radical political agenda may be involved. The trucks belonged to Sotraser, a subcontractor that mainly serves subsidiaries of Chilean forestry companies Empresas CMPC and Arauco [ANTCOC.UL]. According to local authorities, at least two people were responsible for the arson attack, although local media reported that as many as seven people were responsible. "We're going to combat violence and we are not going to allow minoritarian groups, which don't value dialogue, to ruin the great effort all regional actors in the south are doing to promote development and overcome exclusion," Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said in televised remarks. Around 600,000 Mapuche live in Chile, concentrated in Araucania and Bio Bio, two lush and hilly provinces roughly 400 miles south of Santiago, the nation's capital. Ever since the Chilean army invaded Mapuche territory in a brutal campaign in the late 1800s, relations with the state have been fractious. The conflict has accelerated in recent years, with armed groups burning houses, churches, trucks, and forest plantations. It has also spread geographically. The Monday attack occurred in the region of Los Rios, south of the traditional conflict zone. The conflict is weighing on Chile's logging industry, the nation's second largest export sector after mining. (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
WARSAW (Reuters) - Romania, one of the fastest growing European Union members, may join the euro zone in 2022, once the incomes of its poorest citizens rise, foreign minister Teodor Melescanu said. "Already today we meet all formal requirements, we could join the currency union even tomorrow. But we're afraid that it will have a negative effect on the poorest, pensioners' incomes," Melescanu told Polish Rzeczpospolita daily. "I think that we will adopt the euro in five years, in 2022," he also said. The euro zone consists of 19 members. The latest one, Lithuania, joined the club in 2015. Fostering more integration between euro zone countries could mean that those remaining outside the club may risk being left in the dark on some key decisions. Romania, a country of 21.4 million people, is one of the fastest growing economies within the European Union, with gross domestic product expected to expand by 5.5-5.6 percent in 2017, according to Melescanu. At the same time, the country is still one of the poorest EU members. (Reporting by Marcin Goclowski; Editing by Kim Coghill)
By Lesley Wroughton ZAM ZAM CAMP, North Darfur (Reuters) - Washington's top aid official, Mark Green, visiting Sudan's North Darfur state, stressed on Monday the importance of unfettered humanitarian access as a key demand for easing U.S. sanctions against the government of President Omar al-Bashir Just two weeks into the job as U.S. President Donald Trump's new aid administrator, Green is on a fact-finding mission to Sudan before an Oct. 12 deadline for when the administration will decide whether to permanently lift 20-year-old sanctions. The United Nations has reported progress in the opening of aid corridors by Sudan's military to get food and medicine into once tightly-controlled areas of Darfur. Last month for the first time in seven years, aid workers were allowed into Jebel Marra, a mountainous region in central, north and south Darfur where fighting persists. There they found acute malnutrition and high levels of child mortality, according to a USAID report. Before sanctions can be lifted the Sudanese government needs to comply with five U.S. demands, including improved humanitarian access, more cooperation between the U.S. and Sudan on fighting extremism and an end to internal conflicts. While Green acknowledged there had been progress on all fronts, the question was whether it was enough for Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to permanently lift the sanctions, he said. "Certainly there has been progress particularly in recent weeks," Green told Reuters and the Washington Post in a joint interview. "This is not a matter of whether things look perfect on the date that a decision made, it's whether or not long-lasting changes have been made." "It's not meant to be one-off, it's not meant to be a single moment, a snap shot, but instead the product of real change," Green added. He said dialogue with Khartoum was an opportunity for a "new and closer relationship" and could mean a significant change in the lives of a population hard hit by the sanctions. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama temporarily lifted sanctions for six months in January, suspending a trade embargo, unfreezing assets and removing financial sanctions. But any sanctions relief would not remove Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation it shares with Iran and Syria. "The sanctions about which we're talking are but one set of sanctions," said Green. "At this point in time we're engaging in conversations with Sudan to see what is possible, and that is really all that these conversations are really about." "We will all know more about what is possible come October, so no one is pretending, or suggesting there is a magic wand and that everything changes on October 12," he said. Senior U.S. officials, who spoke before Green's trip on condition of anonymity, have expressed concern that once sanctions are lifted progress by the Bashir government could backslide. Others worry that if sanctions are not lifted in October the government will halt cooperation with Washington. Darfur's conflict began more than a decade ago when rebels took up arms against the government in Khartoum. The government responded with force, using militias known as the janjaweed, which were drawn from nomadic Arab tribes and blamed for much of the killing. U.S. AID MONEY AT WORK Less than 10 miles (16 km) outside the North Darfur city of El Fashir, the Zam Zam camp was once a village that has become a sprawling home for 230,000 people who have fled Darfur's conflict. As he toured the camp Green saw for himself US-funded programs that help mothers and malnourished children. "I want to go home but it isn't safe," said Hawad Abdullah Mohamad, 33, a mother of seven who has lived in Zam Zam for 13 years. Nearby, under a large tree, Green spoke with about a dozen men, who complained about access to food and camp life. "Where do you see yourself in five years from now?" Green asked Ahmed Nour Mohamed from Tawila village. When he did not get a straight answer, Green persisted with the line of questioning. "In my village or in the grave," Mohamed replied. Green said later he was trying to understand what was keeping people at Zam Zam from returning home. "These are important questions for us to ask because for an agency like USAID ... we should be thinking about what it would take to tackle conditions so people can leave the camps," he said. (Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
Frustrated by seeing a recurring cycle in which students and professors grew to collaborate at a high level, only for the students to move on after graduation, Fleming remained in Blacksburg to break that pattern and continue the work.

The autonomous vehicle team worked right beside the Baja team, right beside the sub team and the bridge team, Fleming said. We spent endless nights and weekends building and breaking and rebuilding things. Thats where lot of education takes place. It takes place in the classroom, too, but its also important for students to apply engineering know-how and for teams to figure out what works and what doesnt work.

Virginia Tech and Torc have collaborated on more than $10 million worth of research and development that very well could lead to driverless cars entering the consumer market in a matter of years, not decades.

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) also plays a significant role at the forefront of autonomous research, testing not just vehicle capacities but also the social effects of driverless cars. VTTI research on the reaction of motorists to driverless cars went viral in August, when an apparently driverless gray van drew the attention of people in Arlington, Virginia, eventually leading to a news reporter chasing the van only to discover the hidden driver through visible hands.

Virginia Tech and allied partners like Torc have only begun to scrape the surface of whats possible.

Ive worked in this space for a decade, Fleming said. I think about self-driving impact in society every day, and I still dont comprehend the impact its going to have. Who wouldve thought that we could pay our taxes, order pizza, and find a date when cell phones were first invented? Self-driving vehicles will have that similar impact.

That potential is part of the reason why Virginia Tech named Intelligent Infrastructure for Human-Centered Communities as one of its first five Destination Areasa topic area around which students and faculty from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines can come together to solve the worlds trickiest and most complicated problems. Self-driving cars fall under the Destination Area, as do drones and smart construction.

The university is investing $78.45 million over five years to build teaching and research capacities in ways that leverage its groundbreaking work in smart design and construction, as well as autonomous vehicles across land, air, and water. More than 80 faculty members from multiple colleges and institutes are involved in the initiative. The new investment will inject new assets into existing programs and research facilities across the Blacksburg campus and National Capital Region to create an unparalleled educational experience.

Virginia Tech President Tim Sands projects that more than than 2,000 students will be involved in intelligent infrastructure study and research by 2022. No doubt, some of them will end up at Torc after graduation.

Written by Mason Adams
Devon Energy Corp. manages all its oil operations in southeast New Mexico directly from a command-control center on the 44th floor of its Oklahoma City headquarters.

Teams of engineers continuously monitor everything happening in the field and deep underground from the companys 24-hour Well Construction Center, a state-of-the-art, computer-based work station where operators track and guide activity through fiber sensors embedded alongside the drill bits that bore into hard shale-rock formations.

Through cyber-steering, the team troubleshoots everything from Oklahoma, guiding drills in real time as they bore into the earth.

WellCon operates 24/7 to monitor all the information being pulled by fiber sensors from the holes, said Devon spokesman Tim Hartley. Those technology tools tell us where drill bits are at any given time to adjust and steer them up, down and sideways.

It also allows engineers to manage a myriad of problems that can plague operations, such as screen outs caused by cuttings clogging up the drill hole.

That happens when you go too fast, and it mucks up the works, Hartley said. The system senses it before it happens and automatically slows things down for protection.

Technology like WellCon, combined with a broad array of other high-tech innovations directly in the oil fields, is helping producers like Devon streamline operations and cut costs to a minimum. That, in turn, is fueling a new surge in activity in the Permian Basin in southeast New Mexico and West Texas.

Longtime energy analyst Daniel Fine says its the next wave in the technological revolution that began about 10 years ago, when hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling helped crack open hard shale-rock deposits that operators couldnt reach before.

That first wave of technology gave new life to aging basins like the Permian, while opening up vast new oil fields in places like North Dakota. This next stage is now radically lowering the costs for those operations, allowing producers to continue drilling and producing despite todays low oil prices.

This new wave of innovation is all about doing more for less, Fine said. Its a revolution in service operations thats allowing drilling rigs to do a lot more at much lower cost than before prices crashed in 2014.

That includes multi-well pads where drilling rigs now typically dig up to eight, or even 10, horizontal holes, rather than the two or three they dug before. And lateral wells are being extended much farther, boring up to two miles or more through different layers of shale rock to extract oil from hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

Companies use 3-D seismic imaging to pinpoint precise locations in the most productive zones before drilling. They co-locate multiple well pads in a single area to rapidly move rigs around, significantly cutting the number of days and rigs needed to pull crude from the ground.

A few years ago, it took about 40 days at a cost of $50,000 a day to drill a well, Fine said. But with all the new technologies and operational efficiencies, thats been cut to two or three days.

Most companies now hedge their operations with long-term contracts that lock in sales at above-market prices. They also negotiate lower drilling and operational costs with service companies.

Devon, for example, now pays different companies for individual services and often brings its own supplies to operations, such as sand for fracking. Thats cheaper than paying for bundled work and supplies from one service company.

Given all the innovation, many companies say they can break even, or even operate profitably, with oil prices at $50 per barrel or less. Thats especially true in the Delaware Basin in New Mexicos side of the Permian, where extremely productive shale-rock reservoirs bring immediate returns on investment.

Devon expects to grow its oil output there by 20 percent this year.

Were going to thrive in the $45 to $50 world, and were not counting on higher prices, Devon President and CEO David Hager told investors this month.

Still, hundreds of small, independent producers dont have the capital to deploy the cutting-edge technologies used by bigger players like Devon. Most need $60 or more per barrel to invest in new production.

But given todays innovations and New Mexicos lucrative reservoirs, the oil patch could come roaring back when prices climb again.

Many producers are still struggling in this low-price environment, said New Mexico Oil and Gas Association Executive Director Ryan Flynn. But we take the long view. When prices eventually do come back up, the state will be in a great position.
The Pueblo of Pojoaque has donated $20,000 to Pojoaque Valley School District for state-of-the-art books that will help the districts mission of improving teaching and learning every day.

This is the largest donation of its kind during my four-year tenure in the district, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mel Morgan said in a statement and news release. And were putting it to use  with the start of the new school year.

New Mexico schools are almost entirely funded by the state, with a specific budget designated for textbooks, according to the release. Since joining the Pojoaque Valley School District, Dr. Morgan has seen an original budget of about $400,000 for textbooks reduced to just $54,000 for the current school year.

This shortfall, he says, must be supplemented from other areas.

And thats where the Pueblos generous donation comes to our rescue, Morgan said.

Christine Gabaldon, director of marketing for the Pueblo of Pojoaque and Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino, called the donation an important step taken by the Pueblos Governor Joseph Talachy in making the textbook donation.

Many members of the Pueblo are themselves parents of students in this school district, Gabaldon said. The Pueblo understands the importance of nurturing students toward academic success. This donation is really an investment in our own future.

Morgan also said the adopted schedule for using textbooks is on a seven-year cycle, but some of the districts current social studies textbooks were 14 years old.

The Pueblos donation came at the right time, providing additional funding for social studies textbooks for the 2017-2018 school year, Morgan said.

The new books are being introduced to staff and students this week during both teacher in-service days and the first day of school for students.

The Pojoaque Valley School District has five schools with students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and employs 278 staff, including 115 teachers.
Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

Brenda Sisneros world took a horrific turn on June 20 with a loud knock on the door of the familys home, leading to her husbands arrest by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.

I went to the door and there were two ICE officers asking to talk to him, Sisneros recalled recently. They said they just wanted to ask him a couple questions.

The 9 a.m. visit surprised the couple because Abbas Al-Sokaini, 52, had an appointment to meet with ICE officials just three days later.

When ICE officers demanded that Al-Sokaini leave with them, he told his wife of 13 years that he would not be allowed to return home.

He hugged me, Sisneros said, her eyes filling with tears. He said: Theyre not going to bring me back. Theyre not going to let you come get me. Theyre taking me. 

A day later, the 20-year Albuquerque resident and home-health worker was in ICE detention in El Paso facing deportation to Iraq.

He remained in the El Paso facility Friday, ICE detention records show, and its not clear when  or if  he will be released.

Al-Sokaini is named as a plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of more than 1,400 Iraqis nationwide who face deportation to a country they fled years or decades ago, often as refugees.

The grounds for the entire case were that returning people to Iraq would expose them to persecution, torture and possible death, said Kristin Greer Love, an attorney for the ACLU in Albuquerque.

The Iraqis facing deportation have criminal backgrounds in the United States for a variety of offenses. Al-Sokaini pleaded no contest in 2000 to possession of cocaine and conspiracy to possess cocaine, both felonies, and a 2nd Judicial District judge in Albuquerque sentenced him to three years of probation, court records show.

As in Al-Sokainis case, more than half the Iraqis facing deportation were convicted of criminal offenses a decade ago or longer, Love said. The convictions led ICE to obtain orders of removal that could result in their deportations.

Country conditions in Iraq have changed dramatically over that period, Love said. The due process argument is that people need a meaningful opportunity to appear before an immigration judge before they are deported on these old orders of removal.

Al-Sokaini recently obtained free representation by a Los Angeles attorney for his immigration case, Love said.

For decades, Iraq refused to accept deported Iraqi nationals. But, in March, Iraq agreed to accept the deportees after President Donald Trumps administration dropped Iraq from a list of six predominantly Muslim countries that faced travel restrictions to the United States.

ICE subsequently began a sweep of Iraqis with deportation orders, leading to the arrests of Al-Sokaini and more than 200 other Iraqis nationwide.

Another Albuquerque man, Kadhim Al-bumohammed, is also among the 1,400 Iraqis included in the Michigan class-action suit.

Al-bumohammed, 61, did not appear in July at a scheduled meeting at the ICE field office in Albuquerque and instead sought sanctuary at a local church.

In 1997 in California, Al-bumohammed was convicted twice of misdemeanor domestic violence charges.

A federal judge in Michigan ordered a stay July 24 that, for now, prevents the U.S. government from deporting the Iraqis.

Many of those facing deportation say they would be persecuted if they returned to Iraq, either for their religious beliefs, or for collaborating with U.S. military personnel.

Carl Rusnok, an ICE spokesman in Dallas, said recently that anyone in violation of U.S. immigration laws is subject to deportation, regardless of circumstances.

ICE will not exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement, Rusnok said in a written statement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and deportation, he said.

Al-bumohammed aided the U.S. military during the Persian Gulf War and later taught language and cultural awareness to U.S. soldiers at military bases in California, supporters said.

For Al-Sokaini, deportation to Iraq would endanger his life for two reason, his wife said.

First, Al-Sokaini attends a Baptist church in Albuquerque, and people in Iraq are aware of his Christian beliefs, which would mark him for retribution in Muslim-majority Iraq, Sisneros said.

In addition, Al-Sokaini collaborated with the U.S. military during the Persian Gulf War by leading soldiers to a cache of weapons and ammunition, she said.

It is dangerous for him to go back there, she said.

Sisneros, who said she voted for Trump, said she supported his campaign promise to deport career criminals from the United States.

I thought that President Trumps thing was going (to deport) people who were constantly in trouble, Sisneros said. There are people here who have no good intentions for our country, but (Abbas) isnt one of them. He loves America.

The couple have three adult children, 11 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Sisneros describes her husband as a hard worker who drives for Lyft and Uber in addition to his work as a home-health worker.

He wasnt hurting anyone, Sisneros said of her husband. He was just living the way Americans should live. We just want to keep our family together and let us live our lives.
A man who prosecutors said swindled an elderly woman out of $600,000 before funding a music convention using bad checks while in jail was sentenced last week to another 10 years in prison.

Prosecutor Michael Fricke summarized Andrew Millers criminal history.

In a 2006 case, he said, Miller, now 45, persuaded an ill woman to give him power of attorney before he began transferring huge sums of money out of her account. He used those funds to buy several cars and to rent a home in Placitas with an indoor pool.

While Miller was in custody on that case, he organized the Wild West Music Festival from the county jail, but paid for the venue using a false check, Fricke said.

He was sent to prison, but the DAs Office said last week the Supreme Court reversed Millers sentence because it did not comply with Millers understanding of the plea agreement. And the District Court then vacated the sentence because the state did not comply with the plea agreement.

Fricke said that while Miller was out on release after those rulings, he was indicted in two new criminal cases. In one case, Fricke said, Miller wrote a worthless check and in another he attempted to fraudulently obtain loans.

So prosecutors sought to send him back to prison.

On Thursday, Miller was sentenced under a plea deal that wrapped all four cases together and required a sentence of between 15 and 30 years.

Attorneys agreed that he would receive 15 years of credit for time already served in the first two cases, meaning that Miller could have been placed on probation.

But 2nd Judicial District Judge Stan Whitaker on Thursday imposed the full sentence, suspending five years, leaving Miller to serve a 10-year sentence.

Millers family and friends attended the hearing, and several spoke on his behalf. They talked about the positive impact hed had on their lives and on a local church that he has been involved with. One woman told the judge about his Bible teachings, which she said were delivered in a way that people understood.

His attorney defended his more recent behavior, particularly his attempts to take out loans, and said that Miller was not malicious. He was always trying to get ahead, she said, but often extended himself in unsustainable ways.

And in his own statement to the court, Miller said what he had done to the elderly woman was very stupid. Although he said he disputed Frickes version of his crimes, he said he had no excuses.

But Whitaker, before announcing his sentence, said he didnt believe Miller was stupid or that his crimes were anything but calculated.

I think youre an incredibly bright man, Whitaker told Miller. I think your future could be incredibly bright. But I think you choose to make these decisions, and in choosing to do so, you harm other folks.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Restoration projects in four of New Mexicos national forests will get a financial boost thanks to $3.4 million in federal funding.

Members of the states congressional delegation announced the funds, saying they will be targeted at 10 projects designed to reduce the threat of wildfire and improve the health of watersheds around the state by thinning out small trees.

Projects on the Carson, Cibola, Gila and Lincoln forests will share in the grant funding. Private businesses, conservation organizations and water conservation districts will be awarded the funds to do the work.

The Pueblo of Santa Ana also will receive some of the money.
PROVIDENCE, R.I.  Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo has ordered flags lowered to half-staff to honor an Army specialist killed during a training exercise.

Twenty-year-old Spc. Matthew Turcotte, of North Smithfield, was killed early Wednesday during an exercise using live ammunition at Colorados Fort Carson.

The governor ordered that the Rhode Island flag and U.S. flag be lowered Monday and returned to full staff at sunrise the day he is interred. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.

Raimondo calls Turcotte a dedicated soldier, and says he gave his life in service of our nation. She says Rhode Islanders send prayers and condolences to his family.

Turcotte joined the Army in August 2015. He was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, part of the 4th Infantry Division based at Fort Carson.
The senior citizens who appear in a now-viral photo showing them submerged in waist-deep water in a Texas assisted-living center flooded by Hurricane Harvey over the weekend have been relocated to a nearby facility and a hospital.

Tim McIntosh, whose mother-in-law owns the facility in Dickinson, Texas, told The Associated Press Monday the National Guard rescued 20 people Sunday, about three hours after he shared on Twitter the harrowing photo of the living room of the La Vita Bella facility. The photo shows at least six senior citizens waist-deep in murky water, at least one sitting on a rolling walker, in a room with a popcorn machine, a cat and some bottles of water on a table.

They are all doing fine, said McIntosh, who defended facility owner, Trudy Lampson, who some accused on social media of not evacuating the facility on time. He said Lampson had made arrangements to evacuate the residents, but local authorities told her to stay put.

The nursing home had to follow protocol because its a big ordeal to evacuate it, he said. These ladies are on wheelchairs and most of them on oxygen.

On Monday, Harvey continued to pour rain in Houston after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues. The nations fourth-largest city was still largely paralyzed, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast.

The storm has been blamed for at least three confirmed deaths. Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-story homes, and people could be heard pleading for help from inside. With nearly 2 more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

McIntosh, of Tampa, Florida, contacted several emergency officials on behalf of Lampson until he was able to reach one in Galveston. He then tweeted the photo taken by Lampson along with the message: La vita Bella nursing home in Dickinson Texas is almost underwater with nursing home patients. A second tweet with the photo read: Need help asap emergency services please RETWEET.

He said he posted the photo to see if anyone familiar with Dickinson or the nursing home could maybe go down the street and help them. But the immediate response was not positive, with comments of fake news fake photo, and photo edited.

The narrative turned around, he said, after a reporter with a local paper spotted the tweet, interviewed McIntosh and wrote a story about the ordeal.

All of a sudden, it really started picking up and people actually believed it was a true event and the photo was real, he said. We are in Tampa, Florida, the only way we could have an impact was by trying to reach out to emergency services and trying to do social media to gain attention to the cause.
SANTA FE  A woman was transported to University of New Mexico Hospital after being shot by a Taos police officer Monday afternoon.

KOAT-TV reports that state Probation and Parole and Taos Police Department officers were trying to take 36-year-old Requildo Cardenas into custody for absconding from probation. Cardenas was spotted in a car at Fred Baca Park when he made a dangerous movement, prompting a Taos officer to fire his weapon.

Cardenas passenger in car was hit by a bullet, KOAT reports, and she was flown to UNMH. Cardenas was taken into custody.

State Police have taken over the investigation. State Police spokeswoman Lt. Elizabeth Armijo could not provide information on the case beyond a Twitter alert from her agency saying there had been an officer-involved shooting at the Taos park. Interim Taos Police Chief David Maggio could not be reached for comment Moday.

Two probation and parole officers were at the park looking for another man wanted for a parole violation when they spotted Cardenas in the car, KOAT reported.

In April, Cardenas pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter for the July 2012 shooting death of 22-year-old Matthew Lujan. His sentencing was deferred for an 18-month probation period. Court records indicate that Cardenas absconded from probation Aug. 22, and a motion was filed to revoke his probation and issue a bench warrant.

Cardenas had missed an Aug. 8 appointment with his probation officer and failed to complete a mandated program, court documents say.

In the 2012 case, Cardenas was accused of firing an AK-47 through his front door and killing a friend who witnesses said was banging on the door in the middle of the night. The defense said the shooting was an accident. A mistrial was declared after an initial trial in 2013. At a second trial, he was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter, but the New Mexico Court of Appeals overturned the verdict, based on an error in instructions to the jury.
Evan Blass (aka @evleaks) has just leaked codenames for the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, Huaweis upcoming flagship smartphones. Mr. Blass has released two separate tweets which revealed codenames of these two phones, the Huawei Mate 10 is, allegedly, called Marcel internally, while the Mate 10 Pros codename is Blanc. Huawei had recently suggested that the Huawei Mate 10 will be announced on October 16, along with that teaser, the company confirmed that the Mate 10 will sport a dual camera setup.

Now, Huawei did not say that there will be two different variants of the Huawei Mate 10, but a recent rumor suggested that. The Huawei Mate 10 is expected to be the companys regular smartphone, while the Mate 10 Pro will be Huaweis bezel-less offering. The Huawei Mate 10 Pro is actually rumored to ship with a 6.1-inch EntireView display, which will be an edge-to-edge display, it seems. Both the Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro will be fueled by the Kirin 970, which is Huaweis upcoming flagship processor. The Kirin 960, Huaweis current-gen flagship processor, is one of the most powerful mobile chips out there, so it will be interesting to see what will the Kirin 970 bring to the table. The two devices will probably also include the companys upcoming AI chip, which was teased recently, and which Huawei plans to introduce during IFA in Berlin. The company will host an event on September 2, when this SoC will be announced, and along with that processor, Huawei will probably introduce some devices as well.

The Huawei Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro will sport a dual camera setup on the back, as already mentioned, and those two sensors will ship with Leicas lenses on top of them. Both phones are expected to sport a QHD or QHD+ display, and the company will probably include 6GB of RAM in both of these phones, while an 8GB RAM variant remains an option as well. Chances are that the two devices will be made out of metal, and a rear-facing fingerprint scanner is also expected. Android Nougat will probably come pre-installed, unless Huawei manages to upgrade its Emotion UI (EMUI) skin to Android 8.0 Oreo in time for the Huawei Mate 10 (Pro) announcement.
Google will start issuing certified Android devices with Google Play Protect branding in the form of a badge, the Alphabet-owned company said on Monday. While the expansion of its consumer security programs was announced by the Indian division of the tech giant, the initiative seems to be available worldwide, with all original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) being eligible to submit their devices to Google for certification and have them labeled with the firms Google Play Protect badge. Devices labeled as featuring such certification are guaranteed by Google to have authentic apps from the company which were both developed and signed by it, the Internet giant explained, suggesting how one of the goals of the initiative is minimizing the chances of consumers buying smartphones, tablets, or other Android-powered hardware with fraudulent software which could compromise their data or general privacy.

Googles latest announcement comes five weeks after the Google Play Protect service started rolling out to Android devices all around the world, though devices labeled with its badge will run the software solution out of the box and thus feature a broad range of recently debuted mobile security functionalities like automated app scanning and other anti-malware mechanisms, Google said. The company isnt claiming its solution is the ultimate answer to all malicious software thats currently circulating the World Wide Web but is positioning it as the step in the right direction which is understood to be expanded upon in the near future. While the chances of buying a non-certified device with fraudulent apps in the West arent nearly as high as they are in some developing countries, the firm is still seeking to offer this additional protection layer to consumers around the planet.

From a consumers point of view, the latest change indicates that Android devices will soon start featuring the Google Play Protect branding on their retail boxes, with Google encouraging them to specifically look for this badge when shopping for a new smartphone or tablet. Its currently unclear whether all OEMs will opt to have the branding featured on their product packages even if theyre eligible for it, though that seems like a relatively probable scenario.
The Galaxy A (2018) smartphone lineup will feature Samsungs Infinity Display, one industry insider said on Sunday, suggesting that the South Korean original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is planning on expanding the bezel-less design language introduced with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus to its mid-range offerings. No more details on the matter were provided by the source, though the Galaxy A7 (2018) and a number of other possible members of the upcoming handset series have already been the subjects of several reports which emerged in recent months. By most accounts, Samsung is already in an advanced development phase of the Galaxy A (2018) series which the firm is likely to start mass-producing by early 2018, meaning its probable that the general design of the related smartphones has already been decided upon.

The latest rumor is in line with Samsungs recent statements regarding its product strategy, with some of the companys representatives previously stating that the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer will soon put a larger focus on differentiating its mid-range and entry-level offerings from the competition in the same manner in which it differentiates its high-end products. The companys consolidated financial report for its 2016 fiscal year revealed that the tech giant will strive to innovate in all price segments in the future by pioneering features like the IP68-certified dust and water resistance and artificial intelligence (AI) services in the non-flagship segment. If the company is truly planning on delivering a nearly bezel-free Galaxy A (2018) series, such a move would be a continuation of its existing strategy.

The Infinity Display Super AMOLED panel that Samsung debuted this spring boasts an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 which is currently the tallest in the industry, with this particular technology having already been featured on the Galaxy S8 lineup and being implemented into the upcoming Galaxy Note 8, the firms latest Android-powered flagship which was officially announced last week and is scheduled for a worldwide release on September 15. Samsung is also expected to ennoble its future mid-range offerings with the Bixby assistant which it sees as a beginning of a new Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem spanning everything from smartphones and tablets to refrigerators and air conditioners.
This year in China August 28 is the date when people celebrate a version of Valentines Day. As a result this is also a date when popular online retailers host a number of Valentines Day themed sales and promotions. This year however, this is also the date that OUKITEL has opted to open up pre-orders for one of its latest smartphones, the OUKITEL K3. While the OUKITEL K3 is due to become widely available priced at $179.99, as part of the pre-launch period the OUKITEL K3 can currently be pre-ordered for only $139.99. A price that also happens to include $20 worth of accessories for free.

The OUKITEL K3 is a business-focused smartphone as it is one which looks to provide business consumers with a device that is productive in multiple ways. However, one of its most unique selling points is that this smartphone comes equipped with a dual camera setup. While these double rear camera configurations are becoming more commonplace, what is unique about the OUKITEL K3 is that it comes with a dual camera setup on the front of the device, as well as one on the back of the device. In short, the OUKITEL K3 comes equipped with two dual rear camera setups. As for the main specs, the OUKITEL K3 features a 5.5-inch display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. Inside, the OUKITEL K3 comes loaded with 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, and is powered by a MediaTek 6750T octa-core processor. As mentioned, this is a dual rear and dual front camera smartphone, with both setups making use of a 16-megapixel primary camera, along with a 2-megapixel secondary camera. Additional features worth noting include a 6,000 mAh battery (with fast charge support), a symmetrical design, a fingerprint sensor, and Android 7.0 (Nougat) pre-installed.

Those looking to take advantage of the lowered pre-order price, will need to do so before September 7, as that is when the pre-order sale will end. More details on the OUKITEL K3, as well as the option to order for $139.99, available through the link below. Also below is the latest promotional video from OUKITEL which provides a 3D look at the OUKITEL K3. For those less interested in the OUKITEL K3, but on the lookout for a new smartphone, OUKITEL also has a number of other smartphones currently on sale through Aliexpress as part of the companys Brand Shopping Week event. The OUKITEL K10000 PRO, K6000 Plus, K6000 Pro, U7 Plus, U11 Plus, U15 Pro, U20 Plus, and the U22, are some of the models included in the promotion.
Jolla has announced that it will begin selling Sailfish OS for the unlocked, single SIM model of the Sony Xperia X, on September 27. Sailfish OS is an operating system that originated from MeeGo, an open source project that Nokia spearheaded more than five years ago. Like Android, Jollas software is based on Linux, although it is optimized for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. The Sailfish OS can also run Android apps, and the developers promised that the apps performance will be comparable with handsets running the Android operating system. Security is also a key feature of the software, with developers incorporating support for end-to-end encryption, Mobile Device Management (MDM), and strong local algorithms.

The company targets to release a downloadable image of the Sailfish OS for the Sony Xperia X on October 11, but interested consumers may already buy the software starting on September 27 for 49.90, which translates to roughly $59 at the current exchange rate. Right now, the sale of the operating system is restricted to users residing in Europe, although the company hopes to start selling its product in the United States soon. In addition, the Sailfish OS can only be installed in unlocked, single SIM units of the Sony Xperia X, as carrier-branded handsets may contain modifications that may make it incompatible with Jollas software. A Linux PC is required to install the operating system, but Jolla will include detailed instructions to make the entire process faster. After installing the operating system, additional modules that enable support for Android apps, predictive text input, and Microsoft Exchange can be downloaded from the Jolla Store. While the company will update the software for only a year, a continuation program is available for people who want additional OS upgrades.

Jolla reminds its users that they may encounter bugs, but its developers have managed to fix the biggest flaws of the operating system. However, a few features will still be disabled in the first version of the software, including the FM radio, Bluetooth connectivity, barometer, step counter, and support for fingerprint scanners. These features will be activated in later upgrades, but Jolla has yet to release a timeline for these updates.
Samsungs chairman and heir, Lee Yae-yong (also known as Jay Y. Lee) had been sentenced to five years in jail a couple of days ago, and his lawyers have just submitted an official appeal against that ruling. Samsungs heir has been sentenced to five years in prison due to bribery and some other crimes, and his lawyers have submitted an official appeal to the Seoul Central District Court. The details of that appeal did not surface, though, so we dont know exactly whats it all about, but Lee Yae-yongs lawyers probably want to lower that prison sentence, or perhaps theyre aiming for complete freedom here, well probably find out soon.

Now, under South Korean law, Mr. Lee Yae-yong can be kept in prison to a maximum of four months while the court considers its appeal, which means that they should have a decision by January next year. Such ruling actually affected Samsungs stocks as well, as their price decreased slightly, and it remains to be seen what will happen next, as Lee Yae-yong is, needless to say, one of the most important figures in the company, as hes the man in charge of Samsung. Having said that, Lee Yae-yong was looking at a 12-year sentence when this trial started back in February, but the court decided to sentence him to only 5 years. As a reminder, Lee Yae-yong has, allegedly, been sending generous donations to a foundation that had been operated by a close friend of the now-former President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye. In return, Lee Yae-yong managed to secure some political favors, at least thats what the court claims to be true.

Lee Yae-yongs lawyers tried to prove that their employer had nothing to do with such donations, as hes not exactly included in the day-to-day operations of Samsung, but he did approve of those donations, it seems, which is why he ended up in trial. Lee Yae-yongs father, Lee Kun-hee, was convicted of tax evasion back in 2009, though his sentence got suspended. Lee Kun-hee is no longer a part of Samsung, as his son, Lee Yae-yong, took over control of Samsung back in 2014 when his father suffered a heart attack. South Korean court will have more info to share in the coming months, and it will be interesting to see whether theyll consider Lee Yae-yongs appeal, or will Samsungs chairman serve five years in South Korean prison.
Google and Verizon jointly committed an error on Friday that caused internet connections throughout Japan to slow to a crawl and, in many cases, go out entirely. The somewhat simple issue boiled down to a misconfiguration of Googles border gateway protocol (BGP) that was not caught by Verizon, who most of the traffic ended up going through. This, in turn, caused a leak of sorts. Essentially, a number of Google IP addresses were advertised as free for internet traffic, and thus had traffic routed to them by local and foreign service providers, so long as the traffic was meant for Japan. Not only were Googles servers not equipped to forward traffic, but they could not handle the collective strain meant for all combined service providers in Japan. Google rooted out the issue and corrected it within minutes, but getting the traffic flowing correctly again resulted in hours of slow internet throughout the nation. The issue is currently under investigation not only by Google, but by the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry of Japan.

The incident had somewhat long-lasting knock-on effects for a range of network providers and internet entities around the world, including Japanese entities like KDDI Corp and NTT Communications, and more global entities like the German arm of Vodafone. Many of these providers ended up having traffic routed through upwards of 1,000 of Googles ports, which meant that the traffic needed to find that many open ports in order to right itself once the issue was fixed. NTT Communications was hit the hardest by the ordeal, having its traffic jump on 24,834 Google ports.

The widespread BGP leaks and misconfigurations led to somewhere in the area of 135,000 ports being erroneously used. The issue started with Googles erroneous assignment of traffic into Verizons network. Verizon did not have filters on its BGP handler, which resulted in it accepting this erroneous traffic from Google seamlessly. This, in turn, caused Verizons network to blast the Google ports and prefixes that it had received as available, since it did not see them saturated with traffic. According to BGPMon, having filters on both ends of the transaction would have prevented this disaster.
ICE

SUV

4WD

For starters, the XT5 28E benefits from a nine-speed automatic transmission designed with increased efficiency in mind. Its one of the most vital assets of the mild-hybrid powertrain, reducing fuel consumption to 7.9 liters per 100 kilometers (29.7 mpg). By comparison, the U.S.-spec XT5 with front-wheel-drive and the 310-pony V6 is rated 26 miles per gallon (9 l/100 km) highway.The internal combustion engine of the 28E is the 2.0-liter LTG, whereas the mild-hybrid part of the system comes in the form of an electric motor. The latter, which is essentially the eAssist system available in various General Motors products such as the 2018 Buick LaCrosse, works in conjunction with thein many driving scenarios.For example, the electric motor increases both power and acceleration when the loud pedal is pressed down to the floor. While cruising, the motor recovers excess power, which will be used for gathering momentum for the next round of acceleration. Even when braking, energy is recovered. The transmission is calibrated specifically for this powertrain, further boasting ETRS, meaning that the mid-sizeswitches to Park automatically after the engine shuts down.Available exclusively with all-wheel-drive, the China-only XT5 28E comes in two flavors: Advancedand Platinum 4WD, with the range-topping coming in at RMB 530,900. Also new for the 2018 model year of the XT5 for the Middle Kingdom is an updated Cadillac User Experience infotainment system, now boasting optimized functions, Kaola FM, and cloud-based apps.The highlight of the CUE is the 10th-generation OnStar, which provides 22 intelligent services. In China , OnStar is offered free of charge for the first five years of ownership, with the base plan including Automatic Crash Response, Vehicle Diagnostics, and Remote Vehicle Control.
The brand #Porsche #991.2 #gt3 #Touring will released in a few days at the motorshow! Spotted it :)) #911 #991 A post shared by Justus (@justusrd) on Aug 26, 2017 at 8:15am PDT

Was so random  realy like the new #Porsche #991.2 #gt3 #911 #991  #PTSRS A post shared by Justus (@justusrd) on Aug 25, 2017 at 4:36am PDT

You can regard this pack as a group of options that will enhance the GT3's daily driver aura - the Gen 2 model is more aggressive than the car it replaces, so, for those who want to put some serious mileage on their machines, these changes will be more than useful.Last time we spied the X90-codenamed package, we talked about the rear seats of the prototype - the standard GT3, if we may call it so, traditionally skips the 2+2 layout of the Neunelfer.And we can now bring you a fresh image of the 2018 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring Package, with a prototype having recently been spied by an Instagram car spotter.For the sake of comparison, the aficionado also shot a non-Touring GT3, so you can easily check out the visual difference between the posterior of the two.Gone is the bold wing of the "normal" GT3 , with this being replaced by an active element resembling the wing found on the Carrera/Carrera S models.And the 911 R diffuser is present, as is the case with the non-Touring GT3s. While there's no official info on this, the package could be compatible with the 911 R-borrowed six-speed manual of the GT3 - stick shift models enter production in September.Among others, the two elements we mentioned above mean that the 2018 GT3 helps Porsche fight the speculation bubble that has been built around the 911 R, whose prices were climbing towards the $1 million mark earlier this year.We've been talking about the coziness package for the 991.2 GT3 for quite a few months now and it looks like the German automaker is ready to introduce the goodie.As such, we should see the Touring Package making its debut next month, at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
SUV

Are the RS4 fans going to be surprised by a Frankfurt debut? Not really, our spyshots show production colors have been sprayed onto the uber-Abant, and our insider information suggests early-2018 is marked as the start of production.Beyond that, we were all pretty surprised to see the RS5 Coupe coming out before the RS4, even though the A4 pre-dated its two-door relative by quite a bit. Virtually no secrets are left for this model. It's going to be powered by a 2.9-liter twin-turbo powerhouse producing 450 horsepower and 443 pound-feet (600 Nm) of torque. The all-wheel-drive system will also have a mechanical rear differential and an 8-speed automatic taking care of the gears. We expect the official 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time is going to be 4.1 seconds, so not that much faster than the RS3 Sportback.But the big news inside this report by Automobile Magazine report is that the R8 GT is coming to the big European motor show. As all you German supercar fans know, the GT was a limited edition version of the previous generation R8, which had aero flicks, a big wing, and suspension revisions. They made 333 coupes followed by the same number of convertibles.While there's no need for more power on this generation, we would still like to see an Audi equivalent of the Huracan Performante . Speaking of the Lamborghini sister car might be donating its LP580-2 powertrain, as the R8 GT is supposed to be RWD. Back in June, Audi Sport CEO, Stephan Winkelmann, hinted at the possibility of a RWD coupe and this appears to be it.Lastly, the SQ2 is apparently also coming to Frankfurt. Although the performancewas seen around the Nurburgring once, we've haven't seen one in a really long time. But with the VW T-Roc coming out, the pressure is on Audi to come up with something better.
Yes, we're talking about the traffic in our beloved cities and how it forces so many of our fellow human beings to waste precious time of their lives locked up inside their vehicles, waiting for the lights to turn green so they can crawl for ten more feet.Coming up with a solution to this problem has to be tough, otherwise the bright minds on this planet would have found one by now. But they haven't - even though, to be fair, Elon Musk did start working on his recently.And so did Dahir Insaat. Who? Well, they can't all make successful electric vehicles that get 400,000 reservations before launch and master the art of Twitter communication, can they? You may not have heard of Dahir Insaat, but we promise you won't forget this name after you see the video below.No, it's not that great, but it is pretty ridiculous. The vehicle it features is based on the concept of the gyroscope and its ability to keep an object in balance even if the ground patch wouldn't suggest it should be able to stand up straight. The "technology" is rather old, but apart from some gyroscopic bicycle wheels that keep the two-wheeled vehicle erect, it hasn't been used too much.Dahir Insaat believes it holds the key to our traffic-free future. He has come up with a vehicle that looks like an overweight butterfish that uses a pair of extendable stilts to lift itself off the ground and navigate through traffic on strips of reinforced asphalt.Where do we begin? For one thing, having huge vehicles hanging over you is never a good idea. Second, concentrating all that weight on just two wheels on a scorching summer day is going to change the "knife through hot butter" idiom to "gyroscopic vehicle through hot asphalt."And then there are the street lights, the overpasses, the streetcar power wires, and countless other things that they could run into. And what about when people actually want to get off? What if there is no room to lower the thing to ground level? Special stations? That's the last thing a crowded city needs. As for the rest of the drivers, best of luck spotting those thin legs in your mirrors.But let's assume these things work, and they work so well that everybody starts riding in them. Imagine how silly they would look the day when nobody used their cars anymore. They'd be like a bunch of giraffes wondering why they have such long necks when all vegetation is dwarf-sized.But the best bit has to be that fire rescue vehicle. That whole section of the clip is really tense. It looks like Dahir Insaat is looking for financial backing for these projects. Well, they might not be very realistic, but at least the clips themselves are one hundred times better than this attempt from a Hungarian startup that allegedly wants to build an electric truck.
The following is a rare account of President Trump in a small Oval Office meeting, venting at senior staff for sometimes resisting his hawkish trade agenda.

This account  confirmed by sources with knowledge of the meeting and undisputed by the White House  hints at where Trump may be heading with his trade agenda. And it shows he believes some of his top economic advisors are resisting his agenda because they are "globalists."

The scene: The Oval Office, during Gen. Kelly's first week as Chief of Staff. Kelly convened a meeting to discuss the administration's plans to investigate China for stealing American intellectual property and technology. Kelly stood beside Trump, behind the Resolute desk. In front of the desk were U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, senior trade adviser Peter Navarro, top economic adviser Gary Cohn, and Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Trump, addressing Kelly, said, "John, you haven't been in a trade discussion before, so I want to share with you my views. For the last six months, this same group of geniuses comes in here all the time and I tell them, 'Tariffs. I want tariffs.' And what do they do? They bring me IP. I can't put a tariff on IP." (Most in the room understood that the president can, in fact, use tariffs to combat Chinese IP theft.)

"China is laughing at us," Trump added. "Laughing."

Kelly responded: "Yes sir, I understand, you want tariffs."

Gary Cohn, who opposes tariffs and the protectionist trade measures pushed by the Bannonites, had his shoulders slumped and was clearly appalled by the situation.

Staff secretary Rob Porter, who is a key mediator in such meetings, said to the president: "Sir, do you not want to sign this?" He was referring to Trump's memo prodding Lighthizer to investigate China  which may lead to tariffs against Beijing.

Trump replied: "No, I'll sign it, but it's not what I've asked for the last six months." He turned to Kelly: "So, John, I want you to know, this is my view. I want tariffs. And I want someone to bring me some tariffs."

Kelly replied: "Yes sir, understood sir, I have it."

At one point in the meeting, Navarro pulled out a foam board chart. Trump didn't pay attention to it, saying "I don't even know what I'm looking at here."

Trump made sure the meeting ended with no confusion as to what he wanted.

"John, let me tell you why they didn't bring me any tariffs," he said. "I know there are some people in the room right now that are upset. I know there are some globalists in the room right now. And they don't want them, John, they don't want the tariffs. But I'm telling you, I want tariffs."

Kelly broke up the meeting and said the group would work things out and reconvene at the appropriate time.

A White House official responded to the above account by telling Axios: "The president has been very clear about his agenda as it relates to trade. Discussions pertaining to specific tariffs and trade deals are ongoing and have already resulted in many positive developments."

Be smart: The nationalists in the White House took public credit for the China IP policy, arguing at the time that it would lead to a much-needed crackdown on Beijing. But now that he's outside of the White House, you should expect Bannon and his allies to argue that what's been done so far isn't enough, and that Trump needs to treat China as an adversary in an economic war.
Harvey's devastating flooding is hitting a state and region that's a central hub for the energy sector. For instance, BP and Shell alone have roughly 11,000 employees in the Houston region combined.

The storm is closing down refineries, some crude oil production offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in the Eagle Ford shale region, pipelines, shipping, and other infrastructure networks.

Via a sobering Reuters story: "Damage assessments could take days to weeks to complete, and the storm continues to drop unprecedented levels of rain as it lingers west of Houston, home to oil, gas, pipeline and chemical plants. And restarts are dangerous periods, as fires and explosions can occur."

Power loss: Over 300,000 people are without electricity, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which oversees the Texas power grid.

Gasoline: The disruption of Gulf Coast refining and pipeline networks will send prices upward nationwide, and gasoline futures are already trading higher.

On Sunday night, GasBuddy analyst Patrick DeHaan issued a forecast that prices in the Gulf region will rise by as much as 35 cents per gallon over the next two weeks. The midwest is due for a 10-25 cent rise, with smaller increases in other regions.

Gasoline futures were around 6% higher in Asian trading on early Monday, and The Wall Street Journal reports: "Energy markets could be in for a bumpy ride when they open Monday as investors try to gauge the impact of the disruption."

Refineries affected: The storm has forced the shutdown of multiple refineries in Corpus Christi, Houston, and elsewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, such as Exxon's huge Baytown facility that processes nearly 600,000 barrels of crude per day and Shell's big Houston-area refinery, which has a 340,000 barrel-per-day capacity.

Nearly three million barrels of refining capacity, or over 16% of the U.S. total, has been taken offline, according to a Goldman Sachs research note Monday morning.

"At this stage, most of the refining outages are reported as preventive, with only a few comments on minor flooding. However, the slow moving nature of the storm will likely lead to these shut-downs continuing in coming days and may generate persistent damage as well," Goldman said.

"Some of the issues around gasoline and refinery production are going to be a little bit enduring, at least for the next month," Wayne Gordon, a top analyst at UBS, told Bloomberg late last night.

Crude oil: The Interior Department said in a Sunday afternoon update that 105 Gulf of Mexico's platforms have been evacuated. Nearly 22% of Gulf of Mexico oil production has been halted.

Yes, but: Overall, the storm has been harder on the refining sector than on oil production, notes Goldman, stating that overall about 11% of total U.S. crude production is halted, including offshore and onshore. The heart of the Gulf of Mexico producing area was not in the storm's direct path, and the greater production impact has been onshore wells, they note.

Horrifying: Via Mashable, one meteorologist believes ongoing rainfall in Texas could eventually lead to a total of 25 trillion gallons dropped on the state, with 11 trillion having occurred already.
"Moscow Trump Tower was proposed," by Carol Leonnig, Tom Hamburger and Roz Helderman in WaPo: "While Donald Trump was running for president in late 2015 and early 2016, his company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow."

"Trump never went to Moscow."

to Moscow." Why it matters: "[T]he details of the deal ... provide evidence that Trump's business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president  and in a position to determine U.S.-Russia relations."

"[T]he details of the deal ... provide evidence that Trump's business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president  and in a position to determine U.S.-Russia relations." "[E]mails, which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon, ... point to the likelihood of additional contacts between Russia-connected individuals and Trump associates during his presidential bid."
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said a North Korean ballistic missile has passed over Japan, per CNBC, noting it's an "unprecedented, serious and grave threat." It landed in the ocean, according to Japan's chief Cabinet secretary and broke into three pieces, per Japanese broadcaster NHK. Yonhap News Agency reports it flew about 2700 km, which would indicate it was a medium-range missile.

South Korea's presidential office is convening a National Security Council meeting, per Yonhap News Agency.

The Japanese government warned citizens in northern Japan to take cover in solid buildings or underground shelters, per CNBC.

A new step: This appears to be the first time North Korea's launched a ballistic missile over Japan, and marks an aggressive escalation; normally tests are shot upwards or "lofted." North Korea has previously launched rockets over Japan, which it has claimed it was doing to put satellites, not weapons, in space, per BBC. The key difference here is rockets are unguided whereas missiles have a guidance system to steer towards a target.

Why it matters: Josh Pollack, Editor of The Nonproliferation Review, told Axios, "this is a big first. They warned they might do this back in early June and then again a few weeks ago in connection with Guam. But the Japanese are bound to be angered and dismayed. Not that there's much they can do."

Be smart: Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations tweeted, "N Korea missile test over Japan will stimulate missile defense buildup as well as intensify consideration of preventive military action"

Japan did not attempt to shoot down the missile according to NHA, a Japanese broadcaster. Col. Rob Manning, director of press operations at the Department of Defense, said this did not pose a threat to North America, ABC News reports.

This comes amid U.S. and South Korean joint military exercises, which North Korea perceives as rehearsal for invasion. August 28 was the final day of exercises for thousands of Japanese and U.S. troops in northern Japan. North Korea also launched three projectiles this weekend, which U.S. Pacific Command assessed to not be a threat to the U.S.The post has been updated to reflect that North Korea has reportedly previously employed satellite launch vehicles that sent rockets over Japan.
Law enforcement and other officials examine surplus gear at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Washington state as they attend an information session for a program that distributes surplus military equipment to state law-enforcement agencies, May 2012. Photo: AP

President Trump is rolling back an Obama-era law that limited the amount of surplus military equipment that was passed on to local law enforcement agencies. The order was announced Monday, when Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered a speech to the national conference of the Fraternal Order of Police in Tennessee.

Why it matters

Trump has vowed on several occasions to lift the Obama-era ban . It's in keeping with Trump and Sessions' law-and-order agenda that aims to curb violent crimes by providing government support to local police.

. It's in keeping with Trump and Sessions' law-and-order agenda that aims to curb violent crimes by providing government support to local police. Critics argue that the timing of the move could escalate the racial tension that has grown out of the violence in Charlottesville, and further exacerbate the outrage that followed Trump's controversial response.

The facts

Since 1990, the Defense Department allowed the transfer of surplus military equipment and supplies to federal, state, and local law enforcement, per NBC. The program was initially established to aid police in drug investigations, but it was later expanded to include all police missions.

In 2014, the Justice Department concluded that the military-grade equipment, such as riot gear and tear gas, used by law enforcement in the Ferguson, Missouri protests of 18-year-old Michael Brown's death only escalated the unrest.

As a result, Obama issued an executive order that made some gear off-limits, such as bayonets and grenade launchers, while other equipment required proof of the police agency's need.

"We've seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like they're an occupying force, as opposed to a force that's part of the community that's protecting them and serving them," Obama said in announcing the ban in 2015.

The other side
Armenia has expressed readiness to help Russia clear landmines in war-torn Syria, a top Russian military official claimed over the weekend.

Relevant requests were sent to the representatives of defense departments of Iran, Egypt, Serbia, Armenia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Armenia and Serbia are ready to send their units, Major General Alexander Novikov of the Russian armys General Staff was quoted by the Sputnik news agency as saying.

Novikov did not specify the number of Armenian demining experts that could be sent Syria or possible dates for their deployment as part of an international coalition on demining Syria. Russia called for the creation of such a coalition through its permanent representative to the United Nations in April.

Armenia did not confirm or refute Novikovs claim as of Monday afternoon. A spokesman for the Defense Ministry in Yerevan said only that the information requires additional examination.

Even before its international demining initiative, Moscow, which has intervened militarily in Syrias civil war to prop up President Bashar al-Assads regime, sought the deployment of Armenian army sappers near the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. The Russian and Armenian foreign ministers discussed the matter at an April 2016 meeting in Yerevan.

Just recently a Russian-Armenian center for humanitarian reaction was opened, and we discussed today the possibility of involving specialists from this center, sappers in the program of demining Palmyra, Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after those talks. I hope that our joint initiative can be implemented.

The Russian military claimed to have started demining operations in and around Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in March this year.

The Armenian government and military officials have so far made no public statements on the possibility of joining that effort. Instead, the authorities in Yerevan have sent, through the Russian military, several planeloads of humanitarian aid to Syria.

Syria was home to some 80,000 ethnic Armenians before the outbreak of the bloody conflict there in 2011. Most of them have since fled to Lebanon, Armenia and other countries.

The existence of the once affluent Armenian community is the main reason why Armenia is one of the few countries that still have functioning diplomatic missions in Damascus and even Aleppo.
28 August 2017 11:28 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Greed of Armenian oligarchs crossed all bounds and now they keep their eye on what is considered holy for many Armenians.

A couple of years ago a candle in Armenian churches could be purchased at the price of 5 drams (10 cents). But, over the past 10 year, the price hit 60 drams for the cheapest candle, Hraparak newspaper reporter writes, revealing that the reason behind is that the Mother See of Etchmiadzin that has a monopoly in the candle market and a desire to derive as much profit from sales as possible.

The candle sale is one of the sources of income for the Armenian Apostolic Church. Candles are produced in a foundry near the Saint Gayane Church and are then distributed all over Armenia, the newspaper reports.

Believers are deeply convinced that candles produced by the church are better because they are sanctified. This gives [the church] a business advantage over their competitors  the old people who sell candles outside the churches of Etchmiadzin. Its difficult to calculate the exacnt number of candles sold annually in each of the churches. Holy Etchmiadzin neither presents public reports nor issues receipts for the sold candles nor pays taxes. However, the dynamics of the candle market are quite calculable.

Press secretary of the Catholicos of All Armenians, Priest Vahram Melikyan, refused to comment on the rise of the candle price. He said he is driving the car and will call back, and deceived the reporter.

He lied, which is not at all unexpected from the press secretary of Garegin II., the reports wrote. We were rescued by Google, where we found Echmiadzins official position on the issue: Lighting candles is a pious tradition. Its the Armenians donation to the church. It is worth noting that the lighting of candles, in addition to its symbolic meaning, is a source of income for the Mother See of Etchmiadzin and the dioceses. Therefore, the rise in candle prices is not based only on economic calculations. The money generated candle sales helps the church to cover its administrative expenses.

Thus, the church sets prices on its own, based on its needs, according to Hraparak. There was the case, the author writes, when priests complained about the fact that due to the emigration the sale decreased.

At last year's meeting with the representative of the secular power, the governor of Lori oblast Artur Nalbandyan, Archbishop Sepuh Chuljyan talked about emigration and social situation of the villages, and the diocese accountant referred to the financial crisis. He complained that the fall in the candle sales and reduction of cash volume remittances from abroad negatively impacted the livelihoods of the usual diocese.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 11:39 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

With the Azerbaijani market becoming more saturated with locally produced goods, the continued expansion into foreign markets appears inevitable. And agricultural sector is of significant importance for expanding Azerbaijans exports to the world markets.

The export of fruits and vegetables of Azerbaijani origin grew by 62 percent in weight in January-July 2017, compared to the same period of last year, according to Aydin Aliyev.



The head of the State Customs Committee, addressing a meeting with exporters in the countrys Yevlakh region, stressed that Azerbaijan has paved its way to new major markets.

Aliyev said that some $360 million worth of [Azerbaijan made] products had been exported to China.



These were not fruits and vegetables, but alcohol and non-alcoholic beverages, as well as other non-oil products, which is related to the development of the non-oil sector. Other countries, in particular Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, also show interest in Azerbaijans food products, he added.

Azerbaijan has started promoting the Made in Azerbaijan brand in foreign markets since 2016, and already recorded about 36.5 percent growth in the exports in January-June 2017.

As of today, 92 trademarks of Azerbaijan are protected under the Made in Azerbaijan brand, while the countrys total outputs nears 250 kinds of products in food, light, heavy and construction industries. The brand is highly successful in regional and world markets, and Azerbaijans local output meets all the necessary standards.

Thanks to national export missions touring the world, Azerbaijani goods accessed major supermarkets and already see high demand.

Azerbaijan's foreign trade turnover amounted to $10.5 billion in January-June of 2017.

In January-July of 2017 Azerbaijan carried out trade operations with 176 countries. The main export operations the country carried out with Italy (22.57 percent of total exports), Turkey (12.46 percent), China (5.54 percent) and Russia (5.35 percent).

Overall, the top five countries importing non-oil products of Azerbaijan include Russia, Turkey, Georgia, Switzerland and Turkmenistan.

The country exports milk, sunflower oil, chicken meat, carrot, wine, butter, apple, pomegranate, pomegranate juice, tea, cosmetics, fuel, paint, silk carpet, bed linen, nuts, cognac, carrots, yellow onions, wine, apples, tea, cottonseed oil, cosmetics, cherry concentrate, medical gauze, mushrooms, tobacco etc.

In order to expand the export geography of non-oil products, the Azerbaijani government is also very active in opening of trading houses abroad, the first of which was opened in Belarus this May.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 13:48 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The Republic of Korea, home to the worlds three largest shipbuilders, is interested in cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Ten major South Korean companies intend to discuss cooperation in shipbuilding industry during the forthcoming visit to Baku in September, the South Korean Embassy in Azerbaijan told Trend.

The talks will be held within the framework of the Azerbaijani-Korean business meeting scheduled for September 13 in Baku.

Representatives of such companies as Yelim Paint Spray, Mattron Corporation, Dongsan Valve, Jin Gu Engineering, Kwangwoon, KEONSAE HIGH PRESSURE, Daedong Marine TECH, MSTECH and others will arrive to participate in the negotiations in Azerbaijan.

The trade turnover with Korea in January-July 2017 amounted to about $38 million, according to the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan. Almost the entire amount of trade fell on imports of Korean products.

At the time Baku was one of the largest ports of Eastern Europe. Therefore, the city has enterprises involved in all areas of navigation. The only exception was shipbuilding, since the largest and necessary tankers, steamships and much more had to be purchased from abroad. But in 2013 the problem resolved with the inauguration of Baku Shipyard LLC, the most modern shipbuilding and ship-repair facility in the Caspian Sea.

This enterprise is aimed at elimination Azerbaijan's dependence on imports in shipbuilding and, finally, to modernize the Caspian flotilla.

The yard is capable of constructing various vessels ranging from offshore support vessels, general cargo vessels, tug boats, crane vessels, specialized vessels and passengers vessels to tankers.

It has a capacity to produce 25,000 tons throughput per annum of steel works for new buildings and able to undertake 80 -100 vessels repairs and conversion of various types.

The Korean shipbuilding industry was gearing up for a rebound in 2016 even in the face of difficulties. Last year, Korean shipyards responded effectively to crisis with proper market strategies despite internal and external adversities such as the plunge in global shipbuilding orders, weak order-winning competitiveness, intensive restructuring aiming to normalize corporate management. New orders plunged 71.0percent year-on-year to 11.6 million CGT last year in global shipbuilding and offshore markets.

Despite such unfavorable market conditions, Korean shipyards claimed the top spot in terms of shipbuilding completion, carving out 35.4percent share of global market.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 15:25 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The State Committee on Property Issues of Azerbaijan will hold next auction on privatization of state property on September 26.

The auction will offer 101 state objects, of which 25 are joint-stock companies, 15-small state enterprises, 50-non-residential areas and 11-vehicles.

In Baku were privatized 47 of non-residential areas, the rest-in Ganja, Sumgayit and Mingachevir.

The privatization process is designed to attract both foreign and local investors, as well as develop the business environment of Azerbaijan.

The portal for privatization  privatization.az, launched in July 2016, reflects all necessary information about the facilities, their addresses, location, and even initial cost and aims at facilitation of the process. The website is available in two languages - Azerbaijani and English. Why Azerbaijan is special section available on the website explains the reasons and advantages of investing in the country.

Moreover, the State Committee on Property Issues held the first electronic auction on July 4.

The "electronic auction" service, which is available on the website privatization.az, combines the privatization procedure of vehicles and equipment. In the future, it will be possible to privatize small state enterprises and facilities, joint-stock companies through electronic auction. Now, the corresponding work in programming is being implemented.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 10:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Indonesian Cultural Festival returns to the City of Winds with a whole array of scheduled happenings encouraging crowds to explore, discover and enjoy totally new experiences.

Baku will welcome the 2nd Indonesian Cultural Festival on September 9-10, Azertac reported. The first day of the festival will be held at the Heydar Aliyev Palace.

A fascinating performance of world-famous jazz musician Dwiki Dharmawan, Indonesian traditional dances from Azerbaijani college students and Indonesian professional dancers and much more awaits festival's guests.

The second day will be held at the Seaside Boulevard as a funwalk program and feature open-air performances.

The first ever Indonesian Cultural Festival was held in Baku last autumn. The two-day Indonesian Cultural Festival brought together groups of artists who presented traditional music, folk dance-music and more.

Indonesia is interested in developing relations with Azerbaijan in the fields of tourism, trade and investment. Azerbaijan is the third largest trade partner of Indonesia. The country is interested in making mutual investments with Azerbaijan in the oil and gas sphere.

In addition, Indonesia intends to increase the tourist flow with Azerbaijan.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 14:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Moscow will host a meeting between Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade and Catholicos of all Armenians Karekin II .

The meeting, to be organized with the mediation of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, is scheduled for September 8, according to preliminary data.

The last meeting of two spiritual leaders was held in Moscow in November 2016, where they expressed intention to continue such meetings through intermediaries.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

More than two decades have passed since the ceasefire agreement. For all these years, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been supposed to find a solution by peaceful means. However, the reluctance of Armenia does not let to end the conflict and to restore peace in the South Caucasus.

--

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 11:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Azerbaijans State Security Service has eliminated Yashar Javadov, who was planning to commit a terrorist attack in the country, the State Service reported on August 28.

As a result of the counter-terrorism investigation, the Service revealed that, Azerbaijani citizen Yashar Javadov had joined a religious extremist terrorist group and took part in the military conflicts outside of the country. Upon return to Azerbaijan he had received funds from the mentioned group, acquired firearms and explosives, and was planning to commit an attack against a state institution.

In line with the criminal case initiated by the Service, immediate operational-investigative measures were conducted in Azerbaijans Ismayilli city. On August 27, Yashar Javadov was found using firearms in a public place. Suspect confronted the SSSs special operations group with the armed resistance and, as a result, was eliminated.

Followed searches unveiled crime related documents, including direct proof of Javadovs being funded by the terrorist group operating abroad.

Operational-investigative measures currently continue.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 14:47 (UTC+04:00)

All states should unite their efforts in the fight against terrorism, said Azerbaijani MP, Vice President of OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Azay Guliyev as he addressed the 62nd Pugwash International Conference titled "Confronting New Nuclear Dangers" in Astana.

Hailing the importance of the Pugwash conference, Azay Guliyev noted that such kind of events contribute to preventing nuclear weapons proliferation, combating terrorism and addressing regional security issues with the close involvement of international partners.

The Azerbaijani MP also underlined a significant role of international organizations in the fight against terrorism.

He noted that the OSCE, which is a security and cooperation organization, provides member states with a wide range of opportunities to work together in combating human trafficking, radicalism, extremism and terrorism.

Drawing the audiences' attention to the fact that a special committee on combating terrorism was established within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Vice President Guliyev emphasized the importance of involving the US, Russia and a number of European countries in the activities of this committee, which is the best platform for dialogue and cooperation in the fight against international terrorism.

Azay Guliyev then responded to questions from the conference participants.

Co-organized by the Kazakh Senate and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the conference brought together nearly 200 delegates from 46 countries, Azertac reported.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 15:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan is one of the few Muslim countries that have robust mutual relationship with Israel.

The Israel-Azerbaijan partnership is not only based on political, economic and energy cooperation, but also two nations share cultural ties, due to a fact that a large Jewish community lives in Azerbaijan.

To deepen the humanitarian ties between the two countries, cities of Azerbaijan and Israel will fraternize.

Azerbaijans Shamakhi and the Israeli Tirat-Carmel will become twin cities on September 5, said Lev Spivak, the director general of the International Association Azerbaijan-Israel (Aziz).

An Israeli delegation headed by Mayor of Tirat-Carmel Arieh Tal will visit Azerbaijan to sign an appropriate agreement with the Shamakhi city Executive Power.

The delegation will also include the deputy mayor, the director of the municipality, as well as the members of AzIz, Spivak told Report.az.

Soon Ismayilli and Israeli Kiryat Bialik also may sign an agreement on becoming twin cities.

For centuries, Shamakhi was one of Azerbaijan's most prominent cities, an important cultural and trading centre and the royal seat of the Shirvanshahs (9th to 18th centuries). Furthermore, it is known as the root of Azerbaijani literature.

Today, the city is well known for wine-making and carpet weaving. To meet craftsmen, weaving famous carpets such as "Shirvan", "Gobustan", "Shamakhi", "Israfil" and "Ardzhiman" tourists can visit village of Jangi.

Throughout the ages, Israeli city Tirat Carmel was controlled by many people, including the Romans, the Ottoman and the British. The city is built on the ruins of the town of al-Tira.

Tirat Carmel was ruled by the Ottomans in late medieval and Renaissance times and was an agricultural area with wheat and goats and other farms. While conscription in the late 1800s harmed the town, it recovered, and by 1945 was an agricultural Muslim community with a Christian minority. The town was widely known for production of olives and almonds.

---

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

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

By Trend

A dry cargo vessel broke in two in the Black Sea off Turkeys northwest coast, television images showed early on Sunday, while the 11-man crew was rescued.

Mongolian flag carrying Leonardo, a 114-meter-long dry cargo ship, started buckling and broke in two while on anchor off Istanbuls Kilyos coast, Reuters reported.

Half of the ship was taken ashore by tugboats, while the remainder is in the water gradually sinking.

Turkish media reports said the ship, constructed in 1975, was going to Istanbuls Tuzla dockyard for repairs.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 12:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Ali Mustafayev

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has stated that North Korea made a provocative act by launching three ballistic missiles, adding that the United States will continue to work on peaceful negotiations.

Were going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign, as I have described it, working with allies, working with China as well, to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table with a view to begin a dialog on a different future for Korean peninsula and North Korea, Tillerson said on Fox News Sunday.

Three short-range ballistic missiles were launched by the North Korea on Sunday, following the U.S. - South Korean joint military exercises.

Two missiles flew 250 kilometers distance, while the other exploded immediately. This missile test is not considered as a threat to North American Guam base, according to military authorities.

We do view it as a provocative act - a provocative act against the United States and its allies, Tillerson said, calling the firing a violation of UN Security Council resolutions, Tillerson said.

Clearly they are still messaging us as well that they are not prepared to completely back away from their position.

In early August, the UN Security Council voted to tighten sanctions on North Korea, intending to reduce about a third of the countrys export income.

The sanctions have been accompanied by mutual threats earlier between President Donald Trump and Kims regime.

US President warned North Korea it would face "fire and fury" if it threatened the United States. Pyongyang responded by threatening to fire missiles towards the U.S. Pacific island territory of Guam, but later said it was holding off while it waited to see what Washington would do next.

The Capitol Hill and President himself then welcomed the North Korean restraint considering that Kim was starting to respect the U.S.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 12:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with Secretary-General of World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Taleb Rifai on August 27.

Rifai arrived to Uzbekistan in order to participate in the international conference "Central Asian Renaissance in the history of world civilization" in the city of Samarkand, the Uzbek Foreign Ministry reported.

Thw Uzbek leader noted the dynamic and fruitful cooperation with the specialized UN institute in the field of tourism.

Promising areas of further expansion of practical cooperation in the field of tourism were discussed.

Particular attention was paid to the implementation of coordinated measures to popularize the tourist destination in Uzbekistan and the Central Asian region, the development of new types of tourism and the development of demanded tourism products as well as the creation of modern international infrastructure.

Rifai in turn noted that the World Tourism Organization intends to actively support and participate in programs and projects for the development of tourism in Uzbekistan.

In Uzbekistan, the Secretary-General also met with Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov.

The meeting underlined the mutual interest in the consistent realization of the existing potential of cooperation, based on the rich historical, architectural, cultural heritage of the Uzbek people.

The parties also discussed the establishment of the Regional Commission for Central Asia under UNWTO and other topics of mutual interest.

The international scientific conference  Central Asian Renaissance in the history of world civilization has started its work in the Samarkand city (Uzbekistan) on August 28.

The conference is being held under the auspices of UNESCO.

At the plenary and thematic sessions of the conference, famous scientists, experts and historians will make speeches on various aspects of the period of renaissance of science, culture, architecture and art in IX-XV centuries in Central Asia.

During the conference, the results of studies devoted to the Renaissance in the Central Asian region will be presented. Particular attention will be paid to the study of the historical significance and the role of the Great Silk Road in the economic and cultural development of the Asian continent, as well as in the evolution of scientific thought.

The modern development of Uzbekistan will also become a separate topic in the context of the ongoing transformations in various spheres in the country. Presentation devoted to the Uzbek investment and tourism potential will also be organized for foreign participants.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 14:36 (UTC+04:00)

By Ali Mustafayev

Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to visit Iran in the nearing future.

We expect that President Erdogan will visit Tehran soon. We will make an official statement as soon as the details and date of the visit is agreed upon, Irans Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi told Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA).

The announcement was made following the meeting between Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister, Ebrahim Rahimpour, and Turkish Foreign Ministry's Undersecretary Umit Yalcin, in Tehran

Noting that the meeting held between Erdogan and Irans Chief of General Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri addressing bilateral relations in Turkeys Ankara was very effective, Qassimi gave no information regarding the outcome of the meeting.

Bagheri visited Ankara on August 15 to make official contacts and the Turkish president received him on August 16.

The August 16 meeting focused on the regional issues, terrorism as well as cooperation between the two countries regarding the border issues.

Ankara and Tehran share common views on regional issues, particularly the war against terrorism in Iraq and Syria. The two hint at a joint military operation against PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, which is still on the agenda.

The negotiations with the government of Iraq continue in order to find the common ground and to agree on action.

Another point of common interests is Syrian conflict, which lasts since 2011. Along with Russia, Iran and Turkey are sponsoring the negotiations in Astana, dubbed as the Astana Process.

Astana Process is mainly intended to create the de-escalation zones in Syria.

Each of the three countries take initiative within cooperation to overcome the extremist groups and to provide dialogue between the Syrian opposition and Bashar al-Assads administration in the name of peace and to end the massacre, which represents danger for the security of the region and takes a large number of innocent lives every day.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 16:05 (UTC+04:00)

Turkish security forces have neutralized 34 PKK terrorists in a week of operations, according to the country's Interior Ministry on Monday, Anadolu Agency reported.

During the operations, 22 terrorists were killed, two were captured and 10 surrendered, a statement issued by the ministry said.

According to the statement, more than 2,849 arrests were made in 1,094 operations between August 21-28.

They include the arrest of 127 suspects for aiding the PKK, 44 for alleged ties to Daesh, 400 for potential links to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), and 14 who allegedly joined leftist terrorist organizations, the statement added.

Also last week, security forces destroyed nine shelters used by terrorists, and 27 mines and explosives in the southeastern provinces of Hakkari and Diyarbakir as well as in the eastern Bingol.

They also seized 351 kilograms of explosive materials and heavy ammunition.

During 639 anti-drug operations in 72 provinces, security forces arrested 2,258 suspects.

The PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- resumed its armed campaign against Turkey in July 2015. Since then, it has been responsible for the deaths of around 1,200 Turkish security personnel and civilians.

--

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 17:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Ali Mustafayev

The months-long dispute between Qatar and some of its neighbors, assessed as the most serious dispute among them in years, continues to destabilize an already turbulent region.

The crisis erupted in early June when four Arab countries severed diplomatic and travel links, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and regional foe Iran. Qatar denies the accusations.

While Kuwait is the mediator between the conflicting parties, many countries, including Russia voiced readiness to help solve the crisis.

Russia's foreign minister has started a three-nation tour of Gulf Arab states over the ongoing Qatar diplomatic crisis. Sergey Lavrov's visit to Kuwait City on August 28 marks the first high-level diplomatic visit by Russia over the crisis. Lavrov also will visit Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on his trip.

Lavrov, addressing a press conference following his meeting with Kuwait's Emir Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah on August 28, said that Russia is ready to cooperate in regulation of the Qatar crisis.

He also expressed hope that the issue would be solved peacefully and would not become an obstacle in the fight against terrorism.

We have common positions with Kuwait in international affairs, I would even say that we have similar positions on the principal issues, which remain in the region. Its about Syria, its about Libya and Yemen and situation around Qatar, which is being actively mediated by our Kuwaiti partners, said Lavrov, RIA Novosti reported.

Previously, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced that they recognize only Kuwait as a mediator in the diplomatic crisis with Qatar.

Lavrov added that Russia is not going to compete with any country in regulation of the Gulf crisis, since it has good relations with all the countries involved in this difficult situation.

"In the most active way possible, we believe Kuwait's initiative deserves the support of everyone who could have a positive influence on this situation," he said. "We are ready to provide this support in ways that are acceptable to all the participants in this situation."

Apart from Kuwait, several other countries offered their services as mediators in the Qatar crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took a trip to the Gulf countries, looking for a way to settle the crisis, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson made a number of trips to the region with the same goal.

The emirate still refuses to accept the 13 demands issued by the boycotting countries.

In protest, Doha filed a legal complaint at the World Trade Organization against a trade boycott by the Arab Four, formally requesting consultation with the three countries and demanding to resolve the situation in 60 days or to proceed with the case at the WTO.

---

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
28 August 2017 12:58 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijanis, in general, are renowned for having a sweet-tooth. And who can blame them when the nation has desserts sought after all over the world. Could there be a sweeter and more colorful festival to visit than a festival of jams in Gabala.

The fifth International Jam Festival was held in Gabala, a mountains region of Azerbaijan, on August 26-27, Trend Life reported.

Jam producers from all over the country and abroad arrived in the city bringing with them hundreds of varieties of natural marmalades and jams.

The spectacular opening ceremony was attended by state and government officials, parliamentarians and ambassadors of foreign countries. The president of the World Association of Culinary Specialists (WACS), Thomas A. Gugler, was the guest of the festival.

Producers from 44 regions of Azerbaijan and 22 counties, including Russia, Lebanon, Great Britain, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Croatia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and other countries attended the festival and made Gabala sweet and sticky for the weekend.

A medley of flavors from cherry, blackberries, strawberries, quinces, walnuts to , apricots, rose petals, plums left no one indifferent.

Over 5,000 local and foreign tourists visited the fest. The Festival, co-organized by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Gabala District Executive Authority, Azerbaijan National Culinary Center and National Culinary Association, thrilled all those who have sweet tooth.

The aim of the fest is to promote and present the best that Azerbaijan has to offer, as the country has a rich cuisine and jam making is part of the national culture.

Every year, the delicious festival draws in thousands of guests who are eager to taste delicious varieties of Azerbaijani jams, or as it called here murabba.

There are different kinds of jams in Azerbaijan which provide us with enough material to put together a book on it. Among them are strawberry, quince, cherry, apricot, rose, blackberry, walnut, plum and even tomato.

It goes very well with both bread and tea at breakfast. It is also used as a filling for pies and added to cakes and pastries.

It is also used for treating colds. Various types of murabba like dogwood, blackberries, and currants  rich with vitamin C  usually serve as treatment for the flu in Azerbaijani households.

---

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

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
Kriti Sanon Carried An Otherwise Impossible Look Combo Like A Pro! Bollywood Wardrobe Dona

Kriti Sanon attended an event in New Delhi and carried a vibrant style book. She wore a pink dress from the Gauri and Nainika collection. The shocking pink colour of the dress made the look vibrant. It looked nicer with the ruffled sleeves and assymetrical lower hemline.

Kriti teamed the attite with Steve Madden heels and those red pump heels created a bolder look out of the attire's classiness. As we generally do not suggest of pink and red going together, we must say Kriti carried this combination too well.

She completed her look with a pair of dangling silver-coloured earrings.
Want to be a Mother? Dont Use Yoga Mats News oi-Ria Majumdar

The use of flame-retardants to coat furniture and household goods is a common industrial practice.

After all, they dramatically reduce the risk of your house burning down in flames.

But what you may not know is that these chemicals have a sinister side to them if you are a woman who one day wants to have a baby, as discovered by a team of researchers at the Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health and the Massachusetts General Hospital.

What is it?

Read on to learn more.

Codename: EARTH Study

The Harvard School of Public Health has been associated with various researches in its EARTH program (Environmental & Reproductive Health) created to understand the implications of environmental chemicals and lifestyle choices on fertility and reproduction.

But this study on flame retardants was the first one of its kind.

Therefore, the team of researchers collected urine samples from 211 women who sought pregnancy through in-vitro fertilization at the Massachusetts General Hospital over the course of 10 years (from 2005 to 2015) to help them get a more well-rounded knowledge of the chemical.

But what they discovered was truly dismaying. Like the fact that more than 80% of the samples contained toxic metabolic products of flame retardants in them. Namely, TDCIPP, TPHP, and mono-ITP.

Impact on Reproduction

Household items that commonly contain flame retardants include yoga mats, upholstered furniture, and baby products.

In short, most goods that are made of polyurethane foam.

And while PFRs were once considered a safe alternative to the more dangerous PentaBDE, recent animal studies have shown that these chemicals are capable of causing hormone disruption once they are absorbed into our body through the skin, or inhaled in through the air.

Chemicals that the Harvard researchers found were responsible for decreasing chances of getting pregnant by almost 41%, reducing the success of fertilization through IVF by 10%, and increasing risk of abortion by almost 38%.

So What Does That Mean For You?

If you are a woman who wishes to get pregnant soon, or wants to have a baby one day, based on the research findings, we recommend that you reduce your exposure to goods covered in organophosphate flame retardants.

In fact, if you found this article useful, we urge you to share it with your female friends and relatives to help spread the awareness.

GET THE BEST BOLDSKY STORIES! Allow Notifications

Story first published: Monday, August 28, 2017, 13:03 [IST]
Each review score is between 1-10. To get the overall score that you see, we add up all the review scores weve received and divide that total by the number of review scores weve received. In addition, guests can give separate subscores in crucial areas, such as location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value for money and free Wi-Fi. Note that guests submit their subscores and their overall scores independently, so theres no direct link between them.

You can review an Accommodation that you booked through our Platform if you stayed there or if you arrived at the property but didnt actually stay there. To edit a review youve already submitted, please contact our Customer Service team.

We have people and automated systems that specialise in detecting fake reviews submitted to our Platform. If we find any, we delete them and, if necessary, take action against whoever is responsible.

Anyone else who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team, so our Fraud team can investigate.

Ideally, we would publish every review we receive, whether positive or negative. However, we wont display any review that includes or refers to (among other things):

Politically sensitive comments

Promotional content

Illegal activities

Personal or sensitive information (e.g. emails, phone numbers or credit card info)

Swear words, sexual references, hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, or references to violence

Spam and fake content

Animal cruelty

Impersonation (e.g. if the writer is claiming to be someone else)

Any violation of our review guidelines.

To make sure reviews are relevant, we may only accept reviews that are submitted within 3 months of checking out, and we may stop showing reviews once theyre 36 months old  or if the Accommodation has a change of ownership.

An Accommodation may choose to reply to a review.

When you see multiple reviews, the most recent ones will be at the top, subject to a few other factors (what language a review is in, whether its just a rating or contains comments as well, etc.). If you like, you can sort and/or filter them (by time of year, review score, etc.).

We sometimes show external review scores from other well-known travel websites. We make it clear when weve done this.

Guidelines and standards for Reviews

These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly without limiting expression of strong opinions. They are also applicable regardless of the sentiment of the comment.

Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please dont include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.coms services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams.

Contributions should be appropriate for a global audience. Please avoid using profanity or attempts to approximate profanity with creative spelling, in any language. Comments and media that include 'hate speech', discriminatory remarks, threats, sexually explicit remarks, violence, and the promotion of illegal activity are not permitted.

All content should be genuine and unique to the guest. Reviews are most valuable when they are original and unbiased. Your contribution should be yours. Booking.com property partners should not post on behalf of guests or offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Attempts to bring down the rating of a competitor by submitting a negative review will not be tolerated.

Respect the privacy of others. Booking.com will make an effort to obscure email addresses, telephone numbers, website addresses, social media accounts, and similar details.

The opinions expressed in contributions are those of Booking.com customers and properties and not of Booking.com. Booking.com does not accept responsibility or liability for any reviews or responses. Booking.com is a distributor (without any obligation to verify) and not a publisher of these comments and responses.

By default, reviews are sorted based on the date of the review and on additional criteria to display the most relevant reviews, including but not limited to: your language, reviews with text, and non-anonymous reviews. Additional sorting options may be available (by type of traveller, by score, etc.).

Translations disclaimer

This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, express or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2017 (1903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WASAGAMING  Before Doc Walker took the stage at Riding Mountain National Park for a free outdoor concert, Doreen Beaulieu was adamant the band read a Safeway receipt.

Actually, it was the other side of the paper slip that mattered to Beaulieu, then which groceries were purchased.

The resident of Ebb and Flow First Nation wanted frontman Chris Thorsteinson to read their shout-out to Richard and Melanie Beaulieu of Thunder Bay, Ont., who were at the show for their wedding anniversary.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Doc Walker frontman Chris Thorsteinson performs at a free outdoor concert on Saturday night at Riding Mountain National Park that drew thousands of people.

Lo and behold, Doreen found a way to get that receipt into Thorsteinsons hands.

After reading out the well wishes early in the show Saturday night, Thorsteinson had a question for Doreen and her gathered family. How many years had the two been married, he wondered?

Six? he repeated aloud. Man, you have a lot of work to do, Thorsteinson, a married man, replied with a knowing smile.

Estimates suggest thousands of people  in the neighbourhood of 6,000  spilled onto the Clear Lake beachfront for the eighth time the national park has hosted a free concert for the masses.

The headliner was Doc Walker, one of the longest-running successful acts in Canadian country music. They are Manitoban, too. Starting as a small country outfit from Portage la Prairie, theyve evolved into an award-winning group with a following from coast-to-coast.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Doc Walker performs at a free outdoor concert that drew thousands of people to Riding Mountain National Park on Saturday evening.

Their fans span the country and different age groups, evidenced Saturday at Wasagaming. The group with the country rock sound got the feet tapping of teenagers singing up front to the seniors in lawn chairs 150 feet away.

The opening act was Madelin Merlo, an up-and-coming country music artist who won the Rising Star award from the Canadian Country Music Association in 2015.

Doreen Beaulieu said her family, which makes an annual weekend trip to Riding Mountain each year, re-arranged their schedule to be in the audience for Doc Walker.

I love their music, Beaulieu said, in explaining her fandom. Its all country for me.

For those who knew Doc Walker well among five girls aged 13-14 from the Selkirk area, Rocket Girl was their preferred song.

Ian Froese/The Brandon Sun Friends Ella Conrod, Carlie Perrett, Hallee Cole and Kaitlyn Perrett enjoy Saturdays outdoor concert at RMNP.

I like how he connects with his crowd, like eye contact-wise, said Carlie Perrett, 13, of why she sings along to Doc Walker.

The concert would be a highlight of the friends packed weekend at the park, renting bikes, going paddling and eating ice cream, they said.

For a group of friends from Killarney who recently graduated high school, this Doc Walker concert and the weekend as a whole would be their last get-together a while.

Brina Rathwell will continue her schooling at Assiniboine Community College this fall, Shaelyn Vallotton and Beth Millan are headed to the University of Regina and Carleigh Zarn will find work in New Zealand.

All of our friends are doing awesome things, going different ways, Zarn said. Its nice to do these last fun things now and then leave  till next summer.

Mark Starodub of Selkirk, left, gets animated before the Doc Walker concert when the audience was asked to put their hands up. His wife, Charlene Fox, more reserved at this moment, plays along, too. The couple was among the thousands of people to take in the free concert at Riding Mountain National Park on Saturday evening.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2017 (1903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The French food-manufacturing giant investing $400 million to build a pea processing facility in Portage la Prairie has made the rounds in Westman to speak to farmers they want to call customers one day.

An agronomist from Roquette met with a number of farmers in the Hamiota and Melita area a few weeks ago as part of a regional tour, shared Amir Farooq, a farm production extension specialist in crops who works at Manitoba Agricultures Hamiota office.

Roquette obviously wants to maximize local pea production, since its cheaper to source local production than go farther afield, Farooq said.

If they could find more from Manitoba, itd be easier for them, itd be less travel, he said.

The company wants to process 125,000 metric tonnes of yellow peas at the plant annually.

This year, nearly 60,000 acres of peas  a mixture of yellow and green peas  were planted in Manitoba, half of the previous years acreage.

Farmers had been discouraged from planting the crop after a wet 2016 was detrimental to output. However, a dry spell has proven beneficial to this years crop, with peas yielding 55-60 bushels per acre this time around. On average, the crop is good for 40 bushels per acres, he said.

Im forecasting next year well have more pea acres for sure. This year, people are very happy with peas, Farooq said of news Roquette would appreciate.

Hamiota-area farmer Kendall Heise was one of the pea producers who spoke with a Roquette official.

Heise knows the crop well. In addition to planting yellow peas on the family farm since the 1970s, he hosts some of the provinces crop variety testing, which includes trials examining pea production.

He said Roquette wanted to meet with farmers and get an idea of their production practices, crop varieties and their expectations in terms of product marketing.

Construction on the plant west of Portage la Prairie is expected to begin this fall, with its operational starting date anticipated by 2019.

Roquette will hire 150 people to work at the new manufacturing facility.

The facility is designed to meet the fast-growing demand for pea protein, used in vegetarian foods and other nutrition-focused products like protein shakes and energy bars.

At the time of the facilitys announcement this January, an official with the food processor said they were making the largest investment anyone has made in pea protein processing.

The facility isnt as close as it could be to the centre of yellow pea production in the province, which would place it farther west in western Manitoba, Heise said. Still, the plants inclusion is a boon to the Prairies as a whole; another buyer to likely boost prices.

It adds a bit more value to growing peas in the area, rather than just looking at them purely for export, he said.

Heise said its possible more producers will start planting field peas as a result of Roquettes investment, but competition will prove stiff because of the acres already devoted soybeans, which have curried favour from farmers for its profitability.

This year, Heise got the best yield he has had for yellow peas in a number of years, he said.

 ifroese@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @ianfroese
Local content, like Offspring, should remain safe. Credit:Channel 10 Around ten million people a week watch CBS, double that for its biggest titles. In contrast, on a good night, Ten would scrape close to a tenth of that. If ever a little television network needed the stewardship of a bigger one, it is Ten. Some of CBS's key assets, including The Good Fight, already have local broadcasters. Credit:CBS Firstly, and significantly, a CBS-owned Ten would probably not seem overly American, at least not more overly American than it already is.

Ten is, after all, a network which has in the last two decades loaded its schedule with more US content than any other commercial network. In part that is because in the wake of its last collapse, receivership and rebirth, US content was cheaper. To Ten's eternal credit, it turned that weakness into a strength. Secondly, it is unlikely there would be less Australian content. Which means Offspring fans, you're okay. Ten's investment in Australian content is guaranteed by government quota; without significant legislative change, that must remain the same.

Finally, Ten's news department should heave a sigh of relief. CBS is a company which prides itself on its well-established and well-respected US news service, which means they see news delivery as core to their brand. In stark contrast to an imagined Murdoch-Gordon worst case scenario - Ten's news department booted and replaced with a feed of Foxtel's Sky News - that has to be a win. Ironically, in finding an overseas buyer, Ten's receivers may have strengthened the network's Australian identity in the longer term. So, what's in it for CBS?

Aside from the spectrum - enough for four free-to-air channels, essentially a never-to-be-repeated offer - Ten represents a chance for CBS to expand its global channels business at a time when the US market is signalling a preference for single-brand platforms over selling content to third-party players. Case in point: Disney pulling its content out of Netflix to launch its own streaming platform. In the next decade, you can expect to see that headline repeated a dozen times over. CBS already operates, in partnership with AMC Networks, a suite of channels in the United Kingdom including CBS Reality, CBS Drama, CBS Action and the Horror Channel. The Ten deal means CBS, which already has its content on Ten's channels Ten and One and operates the Eleven channel as a joint venture, can consolidate that content and, most likely, re-position Ten, One and Eleven.

The deal also, significantly, brings CBS's owned and operated streaming platform CBS All Access to the table. How that platform will sit alongside Ten's own, TenPlay, remains to be seen, though a merger of the two would seem self-evident. In that sense, TenPlay looks to be the one Ten asset on the least solid ground, at least in brand terms. CBSTenAllAccess, anyone? Significantly for a CBS All Access local launch, its two key US assets - Star Trek: Discovery and The Good Fight - are already sold in Australia, to Netflix and SBS respectively. That means any planned launch of CBS All Access here would need a serious re-assessment of the platform's content - mostly drawn from CBS's library - and either the acquisition or commission of key titles with which to market it.

Its two chief rivals in the local market - Netflix and Stan - have built their market share by investing in original content, and the evolution of the streaming market in Australia would suggest that without original content a streaming platform play is almost impossible. Though some traditionalists will herald this as a return to Ten's heartland - CBS does, after all, air the American version of Big Brother - in truth the notion of Ten as a youth-skewing network is likely now lost to history. A CBS-owned Ten will, most likely, end up looking more like Seven or Nine, with a broader pitch to its audience and an approach to the playing field that it is, at the very least, the equal of its two rivals. Loading Given Nine has just announced a balance sheet burning loss, and Seven is only just moving past a year of horrific and humiliating news headlines, that's perhaps not such an unlikely outcome.
River flows from the basin are highly variable. Credit:Louie Douvis 'Shocked and rocked' Evidence revealed by ABC's Four Corners on Monday indicated well-heeled irrigators have been extracting billions of litres to water cotton farms, with apparent encouragement by NSW bureaucrats. Ian Hunter, who as Water Minister for parched South Australia is arguably the most anxious to see upstream states toe the line, says his faith in the integrity of the basin plan has been "shocked and rocked". He's calling for a judicial inquiry because he doesn't trust NSW's investigation with its limited terms of reference and powers to extract documents and call witnesses. Water bird populations have dropped two-thirds from 1980s levels. Credit:Justin McManus

Labor's federal water spokesman, Tony Burke, who launched the plan during the Gillard government has also lodged a formal request for an audit to the National Audit Office. Also draining confidence have been revelations NSW has undertaken only perfunctory enforcement of the state's 130,000-odd water licences. Former compliance officers  often former police picked for their ability to detect and investigate criminal behaviour  have been frustrated as cases ripe for prosecution failed to proceed and expert teams were dismantled. Regulators' resolve across the basin may be tested in the months ahead as the region appears to be headed for an extended dry period. Credit:Peter Braig NSW boasts dozens of compliance staff but only a handful of them conduct on-the-ground, surprise inspections.

'Make money' Jamie Morgan, former head of the Department of Primary Industry's former Strategic Investigations Unit until early this year, says there was "no appetite for compliance any more".



He cites the transfer of responsibilities to state-owned WaterNSW, a corporation. "They are now the poacher and gamekeeper," Morgan says. "The charter is to make money, not to spend money to prosecute people they are making money from." Morgan's unit of 12 officers was disbanded soon after it began to target the Barwon-Darling region of north-west NSW, which even the authority views as a frontier zone compared with the more tightly regulated southern basin. His ability to issue stop-work notices for water users suspected of breaching their licences - an action he had performed hundreds of times in few years [check time] - was abruptly terminated by David Harris, his new boss at WaterNSW last September. New notices would need Mr Harris's "express written consent", he said. Fairfax sought an explanation for the change from WaterNSW.



A separate team of nine investigators that feed Morgan's group, was wound up when a $17 million, five-year federal subsidy  under the National Framework for Compliance and Enforcement Systems for Water Resource Management  ended. "Most of the states weren't fair dinkum on regulation," a former member of that team says.



Regulators' resolve across the basin  taking in Queensland, NSW, Victoria, SA and the ACT  may be tested in the months ahead as the region appears to be headed for an extended dry period.

June was the basin's driest since 1986 - and the fourth driest on record - and July's rains have been similarly poor and the outlook for the next three months also points to below-average rainfall for the region. (See Bureau of Meteorology chart below showing June 1- July 26 rainfall for the basin - outlined in black.) "When it dries out, the incentives to steal water go through the roof," the ex-investigator says. The shorter term fluctuations aside, the basin plan does not little to account for climate change. The authority's Glyde says the region is likely to get hotter but the impacts on rainfall are unclear - the northern region may get more rain and the southern areas less.

"Sooner or later we'll be precise enough [to predict local climate change impacts] and we'll have to bring forward the case for making changes to the plan," he said." Winding back oversight Meanwhile, federal oversight has also been systematically wound back. The Sustainable Rivers Audit, which in 2010 found all but two of the basin rivers to be in a poor to extremely poor state, was disbanded after the Coalition government in NSW cut funding. In 2015, the Abbott government also scrapped the National Water Commission that had been charged with auditing the basin plan. A year later, Barnaby Joyce as deputy prime minister deftly used the turmoil of Malcolm Turnbull's ousting of Abbott as PM to snatch control of water policy as his price for Coalition peace. Joyce reminded his constituents what was at stake for them on Wednesday, telling a pub gathering in the Victorian irrigating centre of Shepparton: "We've taken water and put it back into [the agriculture ministry] so we can look after you and make sure we don't have the greenies running the show, basically sending you out the back door."
Even the most beautiful women in the world are made to feel faulty. The body-shaming that is common to Hollywood and reflective of a big issue we all face, is a sure-fire way to make our weight issues worse.

In a podcast titled "It's a Man's World", British actor Gemma Arterton revealed the "traumatic" time a producer deemed her weight an "emergency" during a film shoot.

British actor Gemma Arterton has described the body-shaming she experienced in Hollywood.

"There was one film that I was on and we were out in Morocco and a couple of weeks went past and they literally were like, 'We need a personal trainer  stat.'

"And they flew someone out overnight that gave up their whole life to be with me and be my personal trainer," the 31-year-old told Guilty Feminist.
Ninety per cent of Australians think science has made life easier but nearly half of us feel that change has come too quickly.

The ANU was commissioned by the federal government to survey 1203 Australians about their views on science and science-related matters such as vaccinations, genetically modified foods, fracking and climate change.

Australians think science is more than alright.

The Australian Beliefs and Attitudes Towards Science Survey revealed more than 70 per cent of people felt at least "fairly well informed" about science, and 80 per cent said the benefits of science were greater than any harmful effects.

Australians overwhelmingly consider scientists to be people who, along with doctors and farmers, contribute most to the wellbeing of our society.
A Canberra jury has found a former Marist College teacher not guilty of one count of abusing a boy in his classroom in the 1980s.

But the jurors were unable to come to a decision on the other two counts on the indictment, and on Monday were discharged.

David Kisun was acquitted of a charge of indecently assaulting a boy. Credit:Alexandra Back

David Kisun, 71, was accused of repeatedly touching the 9-year-old boy inappropriately for the year he was the boy's teacher.

He did not answer questions as he left the ACT Supreme Court on Monday with his family, save: "I certainly am [happy]."
The meatworks industry in Ipswich is reeling from the impending closure of two major operations in the area, resulting in hundreds of job losses.

Over the next five months, more than 750 workers will go from an abattoir and a chicken processing plant in the region, west of Brisbane.

The Churchill Abattoir in Ipswich will close in September. Credit:Louise Kennerley

After 17 years, the Churchill Abattoirs entire 500-strong workforce will be axed when the facility closes its doors on September 28.

The announcement on Monday afternoon came within hours of massive chicken meat company Baiada Poultry, producers of Steggles, confirming 250 jobs would go with the closure of the companys processing facility in January next year.
A Gold Coast man accused of murdering his brother has been remanded in custody.

Ethan Clarke, 22, did not appear in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday after being charged with the murder of his brother Reece, 26, on Saturday.

'You will be epically missed': Katina Clarke with her brother Reece Clarke. Credit:Katina Clarke/Facebook

Clarke is accused of throwing petrol over his brother at the family's Nerang home in the early hours of Saturday morning before setting him alight.

Reece, who suffered what police describe as "horrific" burns, died a few hours later in hospital.
Ever wondered where the tipping point is between carefree youth and middle age?

For residents of Brisbane's western suburbs it appears to be precisely at Indooroopilly's Walter Taylor Bridge.

The Walter Taylor Bridge at Indooroopilly marks a tipping point into middle age. Credit:Queensland Government

The Australian Bureau of Statistics on Monday released median age figures for Australian suburbs based on 2016 Census data.

Examining the figures for Brisbane reveals the river represents a clear boundary in the city's west, from the student-dominated suburbs surrounding the University of Queensland to the family belt on the far side.
A Melbourne man smoked ice with his girlfriend in the hours before allegedly causing "catastrophic" and fatal injuries to her six-month-old baby, a court has been told.

Emergency crews found infant Chayse Dearing pale with strangle-like marks around his neck, a bump on his head, genital injuries and blood around his nose at a Glenroy unit on the morning of June 26, 2016.

Dwayne Lindsay is charged with murdering six-month-old Chayse Dearing.

The injuries were "almost certainly caused by assault", prosecutors allege.

Dwayne Lindsay, 34, is charged with murder.
In a world where top ATARs and success are celebrated, one Melbourne school is embracing failure.

On Monday, the worst stuff-ups of Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School teachers will be projected onto screens in every classroom as the school kicks off Failure Week.

Ivanhoe Girls' Grammar School wants to teach students the importance of failure. Credit:Justin McManus

"We are trying to curb an increasing trend we are seeing in students around perfectionism and concerns about grades, outcomes and achievement," the school's head of counselling Bridget McPherson said.

"We want our students to recognise that failure, and making mistakes, is a really crucial part of learning."
Electricity generators have rebuked the Turnbull government for delaying the introduction of a clean energy target, arguing a target will trigger new investment and bring down power bills.

Mr Turnbull will meet the bosses of some of Australia's biggest power companies in Sydney on Wednesday for a second round of discussions about skyrocketing rising power prices.

At an earlier meeting in August, a deal was struck for millions of Australians to be notified when their discount electricity plans expire, which could save households more than $1000 a year, as well as some other consumer protection measures.

The companies who will attend the next meeting include Energy Australia, Momentum Energy, Simply Energy, Alinta Energy, Origin Energy, AGL, Australian Energy Council and Snowy Hydro.
Claims that Shenhua's restricted coal mining will avoid affecting the aquifers of the rich farmlands of the Liverpool Plains are "false and ignorant", former state and private agronomists have said in a letter to Premier Gladys Berejiklian.

The government last month paid the Chinese coal miner $262 million for just over half the exploration licence area of the proposed mine at Watermark in northern NSW. Energy Minister Don Harwin said the buyback would ensure there was no mining on the fertile black soils of the plains.

Liverpool Plains are home to some of Australia's - if not the world's - richest soil. Credit:Kate Ausburn

But the agronomists, five of whom worked for the Department of Primary Industries or precursor departments, said limiting the proposed open cut mine to ridges would still likely affect surface and groundwater flows in the plains and downstream regions.

"The claim that mining the ridges above Breeza will not have an impact on farming operations is false and ignorant," the letter's authors said.



"Hydrogeological investigations have shown that there is a high degree of connectivity between the alluvial aquifers throughout the Namoi Valley."
A future Liberal National Party government in Queensland would ask the federal government to stump up cash for a feasibility study for a "very fast train" network.

The LNP opposition has promised to spend $2.5 million on a business case for a new fast rail network linking the Gold Coast and Sunshine coasts to Brisbane and cities such as Bundaberg.

It would also ask the federal government to tip some money into the study.

But Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls did not have a total figure for the final rail network and did not reveal how he would pay for it.
Citing a UN report that says Australia is lagging on cybersecurity cooperation, Labor's spokeswoman on cyber security and defence says our fall from fourth place to seventh is "a direct result of the Turnbull government's failure to effectively implement its own cyber security strategy and engage with international partners". Is she right?

The Australian Cybersecurity Strategy has been out for about a year and has been reviewed. It's important to note it covers a four year period and is fully funded. Saying the strategy is failed, one year into a four year program of work is quite a harsh comment. But the reality is we have been overtaken by other countries when it comes to cooperation according to the United Nations report [PDF link]. The Asia Pacific section, in which Australia is included, starts on page 33.

We have been overtaken by other countries when it comes to certain aspects of our policy. Credit:Shutterstock

When you look at the data in the report, the really important statistic isn't the one number the Labor spokesperson focussed on  which is not a great result  but the table on page 34. On the Asia and Pacific Region Scorecard, we score strongly in almost every category. Two of the categories we scored poorly in were bilateral and multilateral agreements (hence the poor score when it comes to cooperation). This is clearly an area that needs focus.

We also scored poorly in the areas of public/private partnerships and interagency partnerships. And these are areas that are specifically targeted in the strategy. The new Australian Cyber Security Centre has opened in Brisbane and is a place where law enforcement and civilians can meet and work together. And, once the other centres are opened across the rest of the country, there will be greater opportunity for public and private agencies to work together.
Early on Sunday morning, Bill Bishop, managing editor of Houston's KHOU 11 News, arrived at his station's headquarters to find floodwaters from Harvey creeping into the building and soaking the carpet.

The station was just south of a bayou, whose banks had swollen after 24 hours of torrential rain.

And it was only going to get worse.

Still, the station had a newscast to produce. Employees began moving operations upstairs, Bishop said on Twitter. Soon, KHOU had set up a makeshift studio on the second floor of the building and continued to broadcast live about the storm wreaking what officials called "catastrophic" flooding upon the country's fourth-largest city.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga arrives at the prime minister's official residence following a report of North Korea's missile launch. Credit:AP

Still, this launch, coming after last month's launch of two intercontinental ballistic missiles theoretically capable of reaching the US mainland, underscores both Kim's defiance of the international community and his determination to press ahead with his missile program. Kim has now ordered the launch of 18 missiles this year alone, compared with the 16 missiles his father, Kim Jong-il, fired during 17 years in power.

The White House did not immediately respond to the latest provocation, but Abe's office said he and Trump talked by phone for 40 minutes after the launch, agreeing that the test was unprecedented and that they should further increase the pressure on North Korea.

North Korea's first launch of a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile, which took place in early July. Credit:Korean Central News Agency via AP

The UN Security Council confirmed it would hold an emergency meeting in New York on Tuesday to discuss the latest provocation. Missile launches and nuclear tests are banned by the UN Security Council, but North Korea has paid no attention to its resolutions.

In Seoul, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, a liberal who has promoted engagement with Pyongyang, ordered an "overwhelming show of force" in response to the missile launch. South Korea's military aircraft dropped eight bombs on a shooting range on the southern side of the border with North Korea.

Analysts said the latest launch marked a worrying escalation from North Korea.

"This is a much more dangerous style of test," said Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia program at the Wilson Centre and a former top East Asia official at the Pentagon.

North Korea's recent missile tests had been carefully calibrated to go nearly straight up and land in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, rather than overflying Japan.

Australian in Japan

Bruce Holcombe, a Tokyo-based interpreter, has told radio station 3AW he first knew of the threat when his wife turned on her mobile phone to find an alert from the government at precisely 6.06am.

"Japan has got a system called J-Alert, which sends out alerts for any emergency," Mr Holcombe said.

"When we switched on the TV  all stations were running the same message over and over again.

"It said don't approach anything that's on the ground, don't go outside, that sort of message.

Mr Holcombe conceded it was a concerning time to be living within range of North Korea, saying Tuesday's events "up the ante".

Loading

"You feel uneasy. Everything else about Japan is great [but] that aspect about it is concerning, obviously," he said.

Washington Post, Reuters, Fairfax Media
Bogota: Venezuela's former chief prosecutor - who says she has proof of corruption at the highest levels of the socialist administration - travelled to Brazil on Tuesday amid fevered speculation that she would ultimately seek asylum in the United States.

Luisa Ortega Diaz's exact whereabouts have been shrouded in mystery since she fled Venezuela with her husband on Friday - taking a boat to Aruba and then a charter flight to Bogota.

On Monday, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos offered her political asylum "if she wants it", but by Tuesday afternoon government officials said she was on the move again - heading to Brazil where she was expected to deliver remarks at a meeting of international lawmakers.

Diaz, a long-time government insider who became chief prosecutor in 2007, is likely safeguarding some of the administration's most damning legal secrets. And she's thought to be working with US law enforcement at a time when Washington is ratcheting up sanctions on Caracas.
Former board member of the Bundestag, the national parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany, Leo Dautzenberg, spoke at the event, saying, What the Iranian regime is doing is a cowardly crime. The dictatorship in Tehran is weak, shaken by crises and hated by the Iranian people attempts to cover up its weakness by suppressing the defenseless political prisoners. 

Rally for Solidarity Held in Berlin for Hunger Striking Prisoners of Conscience in Iran

Watch this video on YouTube

Participants included human rights activists and representatives of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). They called on Germany and the EU to also take action to bring to justice perpetuators of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran.

Based on a fatwa by Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder the Iranian regime, some 30,000 political prisoners, most of them members of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), were executed over a period of just a few weeks in summer of 1988.

The German government was asked to support efforts to urge the United Nations to establish a fact-finding committee is as a first step towards seeking justice for the families of victims of the massacre.

Protesters demanded that German human rights groups condemn the actions of the Iranian regime in Gohardasht Prison, and express solidarity with the prisoners.

In a number of major European cities, similar protests were held, as members of the Iranian diaspora mobilized for prisoners of conscience who are on hunger strike for nearly a month in Iran. Many Iranians went on hunger strikes in solidarity with the political prisoners.

In the forecourt of the Les Invalides in Paris, human rights defenders sought to alert the international community of the deteriorating state of health of the political prisoners, and the intransigence of the authorities to respond to their basic demands.

Rally for Solidarity Held in Paris for Hunger Striking Prisoners of Conscience in Iran

Watch this video on YouTube

Widespread support from other political prisoners in other prisons in Iran has amassed. Notably, in Ardebil Prison, it was announced that political prisoners would undertake a seven-day hunger strike in solidarity with their comrades in Gohardacht.

n a secretly transmitted message from the prison, they call on the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Iran, Asma Jahangir, to intervene and pressure the authorities.

Courageous human rights activist Professor Mohammad Maleki issued a statement calling for the mobilization of Iranian public opinion, highlighting the need to bring to justice the Iranian authorities involved in the 1988 massacre in Iran. Several others have sent messages of support.

We say to the prisoners who go on hunger strike and make threats, their action is doomed to failure, because the judiciary will never give up, Tehrans Attorney General Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi said of the initiative of the strikers. He is on the list of European Union sanctions for gross violations of human rights.
According to the Motor Insurers Bureau of Ireland's (MIBI) Fighting Fraud report, as many as 1 in every 8 insurance claims they handle are suspicious.

In light of these findings, the organisation outlined its determination to stamp out motor insurance claims fraud by implementing a range of commitments, which aim to substantially reduce the success of false claims.

Claims fraud causes a range of problems for Irish motorists, such as increasing the cost of insurance policies and making Irish roads more dangerous. The MIBI estimate they receive hundreds of claims every year where the evidence does not support the case being made.

Since the beginning of the year, the MIBI has generated over 1.8 million in fraud savings while a further 158 new cases have been flagged as suspicious and are being thoroughly investigated.

Commenting on the report, Chief Executive of the MIBI, David Fitzgerald stated, Insurance fraud cant be tolerated. It is a scourge on Irish roads. It not only adds to the cost of insurance premiums, we also estimate that hundreds of injuries are sustained every year because of claims fraud related activity.

He continued, We also believe this activity is getting worse. For that reason we are determined to do everything we can to help stamp out claims fraud. We will make it as difficult as possible for fraudulent claimants to succeed. If that means bringing these claims to court, then we will. We will also be using all the investigative resources available to get to the bottom of suspicious cases  including internal and external investigators and scientific analysis. 

Mr Fitzgerald also spoke about working with the Gardai and the State authorities. He explained, Where the evidence shows a malicious claim without merit has been made we will be asking them to investigate with a view to beginning criminal proceedings against the claimant involved. It is worth remembering that providing false or misleading information relating to a claim is a crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and/ or a fine of 100,000.

He concluded, Essentially we have adopted a zero tolerance approach to claims that are not real. We believe these steps are necessary as the claims culture is continuing to thrive. The MIBI wants to play its part in putting a stop to claims fraud in this country and we are determined to do everything in our power to resist this type of claim."

The report also listed some of the common types of suspicious claims made to the MIBI, which included deliberate falsification of the accident, deliberately staged accidents, deliberately induced accidents and claims fraud tourism.

Source: www.businessworld.ie
There has been much confusion about the education loan waiver, if it is there or not for students and how to apply for it. Although the government had announced such a plan, people have been finding it difficult to submit their claims.

In order to alleviate this burden, Canara bank is acting as a gateway to help candidates who had availed the loan to apply for the interest subsidy. "Students who avail education loan from government-owned banks can submit a request to claim interest subsidy from Canara Bank", a top official said on Friday.

What did the HRD Ministry advise?

"The Ministry of Human Resource Development has recently advised Canara Bank to open the web portal for banks to submit their claims for interest subsidy on education loans between August 23 to November 23," K. Srinivasan, convenor of Education Loan Task Force (ELFT) and a former banker.

About ELTF

The ELTF guides students on rules and regulations governing education loans offered by nationalised banks.

According to Srinivasan, several bank branches did not submit their claims and as a result the students were not given the interest subsidy.

How to apply for educational loan interest waiver?

"On their part, the borrowers can also send a letter to the bank branches where they have taken the loan with necessary details to claim the interest subsidy along with a copy marked to the bank's Zonal Manager."

"It is enough if the parents submit the income certificate signed by the competent authority at the time of availing the loan. As per the central government's scheme, full interest subsidy to eligible students are provided during the study period plus one year moratorium period," the official said.

"If any bank fails to submit the claims in time for eligible student borrowers, the students can seek legal remedy through District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum for deficiency of service claiming damages and compensation. Students can also approach the Banking Ombudsman for redressal of grievances."

Triple Talaq Abolishment: How Education Empowers Muslim Women

Bank's role

The Indian Banks' Association (IBA) has also directed banks to provide training to its employees handling education loan in submitting claims on time without any error, it is learnt.

What is the interest subsidy scheme?

Under the interest subsidy scheme, the central government would reimburse the banks the interest due on the loan amount till the end of one year from the date of completion of the course, or six months from the date on which the student lands a job.

"The Centre would reimburse the interest to those students whose parental income is less than Rs. 4,50,000 per annum, and on loans which are available only for professional and technical courses and not for arts or science and students of diploma courses," he added.

Canara bank's role

Canara Bank is the nodal bank for the education loan interest subsidy scheme. It also has special web portal catering to the service. Other banks have to submit the interest subsidy claims to Canara Bank.

Also Read: United Bank of India Recruitment: Apply for Various Posts Now!
The third phase of allotment to MBBS, BDS courses and second phase of allotment to self-financing medical/ dental colleges are released by Commissioner Of Entrance Examinations (CEE) Kerala, on the official website.

The allotments are made through a Single Window System of the Centralised Allotment Process (CAP).Those candidates who receive an allotment afresh or a change in allotment than the previous one to MBBS/ BDS courses shall have to report for joining at Government Medical College Campus, Thiruvananthapuram on August 28, 2017, and 29, 2017.

How to check KEAM NEET allotment list 2017?

Log on to the official website.

On the homepage, click on KEAM link

A new page will open. Click on KEAM third allotment list for MBBS, BDS courses

A pdf file will open displaying names and percentage of selected candidates.

Download and take a print out of the allotment memo.

Note:
The Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) of Maharashtra will release the first round selection list for mop-up allotment to vacant government medical seats today. Candidates who have applied for allotment can check their allotment in the evening on August 28, 2017.

Those candidates who have not been selected in previous rounds or who were selected joined the course and have submitted a retention form are eligible for allotment for the mop-up round which will be conducted on the basis of the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) 2017.

Once the allotment list has been released, all selected and upgraded students should report to the institution by 3 pm on August 31, 2017. The Directorate has also announced that there will be no retention of these seats as further allotment rounds will not be conducted.

How to check the Maharashtra NEET mop-up allotment list 2017?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: In Atlanta, Soyia Ellison, soyia.ellison@cartercenter.org

In Monrovia, Meaghan Fitzgerald, meaghan.fitzgerald@cartercenter.org, +231 (0) 881 367 189

MONROVIA, LIBERIA  The Carter Center has launched an international election observation mission to Liberias Oct. 10 presidential and legislative elections.

Six long-term observers recently joined a core team of experts already on the ground. Together, the team represents six countries. The Center's observers will meet regularly with representatives of the National Election Commission, political party candidates, civil society organizations, the international community, and citizen election observers to assess electoral preparations and the pre-electoral environment, including election administration, campaigning, voter education, and other issues. They will be joined by a larger delegation of election observers in October that will assess the voting, counting, and tabulation processes.

"The Carter Center has a long history in Liberia and great respect for the Liberian people, said former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. These will be the fourth elections we have observed in Liberia since 1997, and we trust they will be peaceful and inspire hope for the future."

The Center began its observation of the upcoming elections last year, deployed a delegation to observe the voter registration process in February and March, and released two public statements on the pre-election environment that can be found on cartercenter.org.

The Carter Center has observed 104 elections in 39 countries. Its election observation mission is conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Principles for International Election Observation and Code of Conduct that was commemorated at the United Nations in 2005 and has been endorsed by 49 election observation groups. The Center assesses the electoral process based on Liberias national legal framework and its obligations for democratic elections contained in regional and international agreements.

###

"Waging Peace. Fighting Disease. Building Hope."

A not-for-profit, nongovernmental organization, The Carter Center has helped to improve life for people in over 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.
Pagans demand return of 'their' buildings they claim were 'stolen' by the church

A leader of some of Britain's pagans is demanding the 'return' of two church buildings as compensation for property they claim was stolen from them during the conversion of England 1,300 years ago.

The Odinist Fellowship, representing more than 1,000 pagans, has written to the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby also demanding that the pagans be given a public apology.

The letter, seen by the Sunday Telegraph, says: 'With a view to re-establishing better relations between the Odinist Fellowship and the Christian churches in England, and persuaded that a restitution of past wrongs is the best way to lay the foundations of improved relations, we wish you to be aware that the great majority of Odinists believe that honour requires the English church to issue a public apology for its former crimes against the Odinists.'

Ralph Harrison, director of the Fellowship, told the newspaper 'Two bishops have sent responses, which have been polite, but nothing substantial.

'The objective is just to get the Church to acknowledge that it has got a history of persecution when it comes to the Odinist religion and it has to take stock of that and not just write it out of history.

'Within the Odinist community there is a strong sense of antagonism towards the institutional Church.'

The group wants a church from both the northern and southern provinces of York and Canterbury to compensate for temple grounds it claims were stolen from them by Christian missionaries such as St Augustine.

Harrison described this as 'spiritual genocide' and said the Church of England was in possession of 'a vast quantity of stolen property'.

According Harrison, the Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner, replied: 'As yet I am uncertain as to the evidence for the strength of Odinist faith in these parts.'

The Church of England declined to comment
In a recent op-ed in Politico, law professor Elyn Saks argued for expand[ing] the definition of competence of seriously mentally ill people so more can refuse to consent to treatment. Instead of designing new ways to force medication on patients, she writes, we need to put our efforts into finding new ways to help people want treatment so we dont have to use force. Those are not mutually exclusive choices. Both are needed. This proposalto make it harder to designate incompetenceis dangerous both to society and to the mentally ill themselves.

Our laws to treat the seriously mentally ill have life-or-death consequences. Persons with untreated serious mental illness sometimes attack police, who often must use force to subdue them. The public has grown inured to headlines about such rampages. One problem is that individuals with serious mental illness usually cannot be committed against their will until after they become a danger to self or others. Laws should prevent dangerous behavior, not require it: think of seatbelts, or ignition-lock systems for habitual drunk drivers. Under our current system, even after the seriously ill have been deemed dangerous to themselves or others, they still cannot be medicated over their objections. Doctors have to make a second determination, often including a return to court, to determine if the patient has the competency to make his or her own decisions.

Saks wants to toughen the standard for making this second determination, thereby ensuring that a larger number of dangerous patients wont be treated. According to the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, virtually all nurses working in acute psychiatric units have been assaulted during their careers. Faced with dangerous mentally ill patients whom they cannot treat, nurses arrange to discharge these patients, or call the police to take them away; either way, patients will usually wind up as prisoners. Sakss proposal would turbocharge this hospital-to-jail pipeline.

Saks points to her own ten-year refusal to stay on medications, which only came to an end when her therapist threatened to stop treating her. But Saks is fortunate that she didnt wind up in jail; 400,000 seriously mentally ill individuals who decided not to take their medications did find themselves incarcerated, often as a result of their untreated illness.

Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) is one solution. It allows judges to require treatment-refusers who have already accumulated multiple incarcerations or hospitalizations to stay in treatment for six months as a condition of living in the community. AOT lowers the odds of arrest by nearly two-thirds. And while the threat of being forced into treatment may have inhibited Sakss recovery, research shows that it helps most others. At least 75 percent of those in AOT reported that it helped them gain control over their lives; 81 percent said that it helped them get and stay well, and 90 percent said that it made them more likely to keep appointments and take medications.

Elyn Sakss opinion carries great weight. HHS secretary Tom Price appointed her a public member of the Interagency Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC), which is charged with advising government on how to improve services for the seriously ill. It meets for the first time on August 31 but is already off to a bad start. Not only are committee members reading her op-ed, they are also studying briefing materials prepared by Paolo del Vecchio, director of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)s Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). As I documented in Insane Consequences: How the Mental Health Industry Fails the Mentally Ill, CMHS has no medical doctors on board and is so engulfed in political correctness that it refuses to focus on the seriously mentally ill. The organizations briefing materials start off with a discussion of mental healthnot mental illnessand note that the most important metrics for assessing mental health are successful performance of mental functions, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people, and the ability to adapt to change and to cope with adversity. Those are reasonable goals for most of the population, but for the seriously mentally ill, the indicators that matter are rates of homelessness, arrest, incarceration, hospitalization, victimization, and suicide. That means focusing on the lack of hospital beds, increased rates of violence, problems with civil-commitment laws, the refusal of many mental health programs to treat the most seriously illand the lack of focus on all this at CMHS.

As a result of legislation originally proposed by Representative Tim Murphy (R.-PA), Congress created an Assistant Secretary of Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders and confirmed President Trumps nominee, Elinore McCance-Katz, MD. She is a brilliant choice and began work last week. McCance-Katz is committed to focusing the nations mental health efforts on the seriously ill. Fixing CMHS and keeping the ISMICC on track should be the first order of business.

Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images
Even three days after the storm, we know little about how well Houston will survive Hurricane Harvey. As we learned in Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans 12 years ago tomorrow, as well as in Superstorm Sandy in New York five years ago this October, the hardest part of a storm comes after the rain stops. One terrible fact is becoming increasingly clear: despite several major storms in the past two decades, we still dont know how to get millions of people out of the way of a storms path.

Why didnt Houston evacuate? Twelve years ago, its worth recalling, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered city residents to leave the day before the Category 3 Katrina hit. Of the citys roughly half-million residents, about 100,000 didnt comply; of the people who stayed behind, 682 died, comprising the majority of the 917 victims in Louisiana. Yet late last week in Houston, as the Category 4 storm neared its Friday night landfall with windspeeds of up to 130 miles per hour, city and county officials told residents to hunker down.

This may sound like a failure, but New Orleanswhere rescue operations were often botchedand Houston are very different cities. Much of New Orleans lies under sea level. The Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, which border the city, often sit above it, kept out by levees and flood walls. The big risk Katrina posed (which eventually became reality) was that these levees and walls would break, trapping tens of thousands of people in their homes in the citys lowest-lying areas.

The risk that Harvey posed to Houstonand that Sandy posed to New York and New Jerseywas different. Water has risen more graduallyand continues to risefrom rain, not from a large body of water suddenly bursting its walls. The death toll from Harvey will surely rise from single digits, but it will almost certainly stay lower than the thousands who would have died in New Orleans had they not left town before Katrina.

Other differences are logistical. New Orleans is a small city within driving distance of a much bigger one (Houston). But as Judge Ed Emmett, an elected official who shares responsibility over Houston, said today, if we had gone out three days before and said, we want four million people to leave Harris County, that would have been a totally nonsensical thing to do. Houston already is the biggest metropolitan center within any realistic driving distance, so an evacuation would have merely overwhelmed the roads and resources of the surrounding area. Mass evacuation is dangerous in itself, as Houston learned just weeks after Katrina, when dozens of people died in car crashes fleeing Hurricane Rita, including 23 on a bus that caught fire, or from heatstroke, or, in the case of the elderly and sick, from the trauma of escaping.

Mandatory evacuations also invariably leave people behind. New Orleans residents failure to evacuate fully ahead of Katrina was no more an extreme case than what New York experienced before Sandy. Despite government calls for 375,000 people in Battery Park City and along coastal areas to leave before Sandy, at least half stayed, and 43 people died. If Houston had issued an evacuation order, hundreds of thousands of people would probably not have heeded it, leaving the city in basically the same situation its in today. Three days after the storm, as people flee the waters, Houston is providing safe public shelter for the tens of thousands of people whove had to leave, or need rescue from, their homessomething New Orleans couldnt do.

State and local competence is just as important as geography when it comes to surviving big storms. After Katrina, New Orleanss woes were exacerbated by the citys longstanding failuresabove all, its inability to police the city competently and keep residents safe from street crime. New Orleanss post-Katrina dangers were exaggerated, in part by the mayor, but they were real. Women were raped in communal shelters. Looters distracted rescue workers.

People who had never trusted the police or their fellow pedestrians on a good day, and who had lived with constant gunfire before Katrina, were understandably even more terrified when the lights went out and the storm-struck city was mostly empty. In New York post-Sandy, by contrast, even the parts of the city that suffered from power outages stayed safe. A city that can protect its citizenry during the good times may face bigger challenges during the bad, but it will have the necessary foundation to maintain order.

Before Harvey hit, Houston had a murder rate of about 13 per 100,000 residents. Thats nowhere near as low as New York, with its own murder rate at fewer than four equivalent homicides, but its much better than New Orleans, with its homicide rate in 2004, the year before Katrina, of 59 murders per 100,000 people (and 45 today). Houston has also seen its population soar, from 1.6 million in 1980 to 2.3 million today. New Orleans, before Katrina, was shrinking, from 558,000 in 1980 to 455,000 in 2005: thriving municipalities have more civic unity and the necessary service infrastructure to respond to crisis than do cities in decline.

Rescue and recovery from a big storm is hard no matter where you live. New York stumbled after Sandy, coming too slowly to the aid of people trapped in housing projects with no power. But a city thats doing well before a disaster is better equipped to deal with a disaster when it comes. Crises dont change a citys capabilities. Rather, as both Katrina and Sandy demonstrated, they reveal and magnify them.

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
After months of interviewing officials, fighters, commanders and analysts from nine countries, as well as conversations with members of Hezbollah itself, the New York Times has gather fa great amount of information on this organization that Iranian leaders increasingly rely on it to pursue their goals.

In fact, the article in the New York Times calls the Lebanese Hezbollah one of the most important instruments in the drive for regional supremacy by its sponsor Iran.

According to the report by the New York Times, Hezbollah is involved in nearly every fight that matters to Iran and, more significantly, has helped recruit, train and arm an array of new militant groups that are also advancing Irans agenda.

Hezbollah had a major role in the six year war against the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, an ally the regime in Tehran, who rely on it to pursue their goals.

Hamza Mohammed, an Iraqi militiaman who was trained by Hezbollah and fought in Aleppo said, On the front lines, there were lots of nationalities, and added, Hezbollah was there, Afghans, Pakistanis, Iraqis  everyone was there, with Iranian participation to lead the battle.

Iran and Hezbollah complement each other. For Iran, a Persian nation in a mostly Arab region, Hezbollah lends not just military prowess but also Arabic-speaking leaders and operatives who can work more easily in the Arab world. And for Hezbollah, the alliance means money for running an extensive social services network in Lebanon, with schools, hospitals and scout troops  as well as for weapons, technology and salaries for its tens of thousands of fighters, writes the NYT.

Hezbollah helped build a network that has changed conflicts across the region, such as in Iraq, where the Iranian regimes interests are promoted, and in Yemen, where the capital city has been taken over, and Saudi Arabia has been dragged into war.

The roots of the network goes back to the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, when Iran called on Hezbollah to help organize Iraqi Shiite militias that in the coming years killed hundreds of American troops and many more Iraqis, according to the report. After the American invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, Hezbollah operatives went to Iraq to help organize militias to fight the Americans with roadside bombs and other insurgency tactics.

Some of those militiamen now lead forces that have made common cause with Hezbollah again, this time in Syria.

The report adds, Hezbollah has become active in so many places and against so many enemies that detractors have mocked it as the Blackwater of Iran, after the infamous American mercenary firm.

Hezbollahs leaders have acknowledged that most of the groups budget comes as cash from Iran.

Hezbollahs name is Arabic for Party of God, and it has deep ideological ties to Iran. It endorses vilayat-e-faqih, under which Irans supreme leader is both the highest political power in the country and the paramount religious authority. Their stated goal is combating American and Israeli interests.

What will these tens of thousands of experienced fighters do after the wars in Syria and Iraq wind down? The New York Times reports this chilling message, Hezbollah leaders have said they could be deployed in future wars against Israel.
Look what you made me do, sings Taylor Swift in her new single of the same name. Though not explicitly stated, the you might just be referring to, wait for it, the media. Since the single dropped on Thursday night, the internet has been all atwitter (literallyso many tweets!) with conspiracies about the meaning of Swifts latest musical venture. Summary: Everyones got some serious feelings about it. Is it a jab at Kanye West? An ode to Arya Stark? Or is it actually a vent about her Bad Blood with the media?

Over the years, Swift has had a tenuous relationship with the press. From her romantic conquests to the Kanye drama, Swift is constant fodder for gossip rags, tabloids, and even the mainstream media. For a long time, she was portrayed as the victim: of Kanye, of her exes, of frenemies like Katy Perry. In BuzzFeed, Ellie Woodward wrote earlier this year: Swifts drama involved a sweet and unassuming embodiment of traditional femininity being repeatedly wronged by famous men. It was a more old-fashioned, pleasant story for the media to tell. Compared with the starlets who came before her (Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Amy Winehouse), Swift had an innocence to her, one devoid of DUIs and stints in rehab.

Swift was in control of her media narrative, at least for a while. But that ended with the release of 1989 in 2014. The fascination with her love life took on a more negative tone, and her brand of white feminism became problematic to many. In the media, the victim quickly became the villain. Woodward again: Swift was branded a psycho, a maneater, and desperate. Her love life had become the subject of jokes and analysis, and contributed to her being voted one of the most hated celebrities of the year in 2013. Shes probably telling herself I Knew You Were Trouble right about now.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Her new album, Reputation, due out November 10, could be her defense against this new version of her reputation, as portrayed in the media. In the past, Swift would just Shake It Off (it being negative press). Now shes confronting it head-on through her music. Its speculation, but Im not alone in this thinking.

"Use the false image media gives of you to write a fierce song" is the new "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" #TaylorSwift #LWYMMD  Greta Magni (@gretaamagni) August 25, 2017

What Taylor Swift looks like vs. What the media wants us to see her like !!

Genius Cover !!#TS6IsComing #TS6#TaylorSwift pic.twitter.com/c7YCLopbKL  NAD (@nader_af1) August 23, 2017

Reputation is a punch to all people, media outlets and haters who've labeled her something she is not.#Repuation #TaylorSwift  JAYE (@jayesoine) August 23, 2017

Hear me out. We dont know much about the album yet, but what we do know screams yes to this theory. Lets start with the album cover. Swift poses defiantly against a partial backdrop of newspaper clips and headlines that could have been grabbed from the pages of The New York Times or Page Six. It doesnt feature specific text except for her name, repeatedly, in the style of these news organizations. On the left side, against a crisp white backdrop, is the Swift she wants us to see; on the right, obscured by the headlines, is the one the media portrays. Taylor Swift is being engulfedquite literally shadowedby the medias obsession, writes Zach Schonfeld for Newsweek.

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Aug 23, 2017 at 9:39am PDT

Moving on to her debut single, Look What You Made Me Do. Is it a lament about the medias portrayal of her? Quite possibly. Lets take a look at some of the lyrics:

I dont like your little games / Dont like your tilted stage

Games being the stories about her, and the tilted stage the one-sided media treatment.

The role you made me play / Of the fool, no, I dont like you

This is pretty straightforward. The medias forced her into a specific role (first victim, then villain). She feels fooled by this betrayal, and she doesnt like it.

But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time / Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time

Is this a warning? If so, sounds like shes figured out her defense against the media: portraying us as the bad guys. Will the Swifties (a.k.a Swift fans) also buy into this new narrative? Lets hope not.

The world moves on, another day, another drama, drama / But not for me, not for me, all I think about is karma

Even though shes gotten negative press, the news cycle is so damn fast that the world moves on eventually. Too bad for the media, she doesnt.

I dont trust nobody and nobody trusts me

The press is no longer her friend. They lost her trust when they turned against her. And now maybe she thinks the fans dont trust her. Womp.

Im sorry, the old Taylor cant come to the phone right now. / Why? / Oh, cause shes dead!

Possibly an actual attempt by a reporter to contact Tay Tay? Or not. Old Taylor just tried to brush off the negativity in the media. New Taylor is ready to fight back.

Im not saying this album is Swifts declaration of war against the media (Donald Trump has that covered). But it does say something about her love-hate relationship with the press. Its a Love Story with a serious dose of shade. But there might be one way to mend her relationship with the press, swiftly:

Editors Note: A previous version of this story listed the wrong release date for Swifts 1989 album.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Meg Dalton is a freelance journalist and audio producer based in Connecticut. She's reported and edited for CJR, PBS NewsHour, Energy News Network, Architectural Digest, MediaShift, Hearst Connecticut newspapers, and more. Follow her on Twitter: @megdalts. Find her on Twitter @megdalts.
Earlier this month, North Korea declared it was drawing plans to launch four ballistic missiles near Guam, a part of the Marianas archipelago and an unincorporated territory of the United States. In the aftermath, US media coverage ramped up. Americans frantically Googled Where (or what) is Guam? and journalists rushed to explain the islands unsettled relationship to the US and speculate about the impact of North Koreas threat.

In the process, many news outlets displayed a troubling century-old pattern of their own: a fixation with Guams size.

Often starting from the headline, hundreds of articles in the mainstream press remarked on Guams proportions. It is tiny, a small slice and, even more dramatic, a speck of earth. On the surface, these depictions might be dismissed as simply a writing tic of journalists trying to say the word small in increasingly exotic ways. They may also be aimed at making Guam more interesting to American readers, most of whom have never heard of the island despite it being a US territory since 1898. But the matter goes deeper than that.

Its not unreasonable to describe Guam30 miles long and nine miles wide, with a total area of approximately 211 square milesas a small island in specific contexts. Yet the frequency with which journalists unnecessarily repeat the idea suggests the description may have little to do with geography. Rather, to the extent that size talk tends to appear only when discussing Guams relationship to the US or the American military, its main effect is to render the islands colonial subordination as natural and rational. In other terms, showering Guam with diminutives is not a ticit reflects how US media sees Guams worth and purpose.

A Washington Post article by Anna Fifield, the newspapers Tokyo bureau chief, was emblematic. Titled Some in Guam push for independence from U.S. as Marines prepare for buildup, the piece includes at least 15 size-related words, and mentions Guams small physical or population size seven times.

Significantly, while free associationa form of independence that would cede core sovereign powers such as defense to the USis defined neutrally, statehood and independence are described as potentially unviable due to Guams size. When considering Guams potential admission as a state of the union, Fifield affirms that Guam would be a very small state with a population less than one-third of Wyoming. Even further, when referring to the possibility of Guam choosing independence, she asserts that this would turn the island into a minuscule state. The message appears to be that given its size, Guams desire to become a US state or an independent nation-state is ridiculous. Who can take a microstate seriously?

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Equally important in this and more recent coverage, Guam is not the only player portrayed in terms of its proportions; so is the US military. Predictably, if Guam is small, the military is large, outsized, and just huge. In Fifields words: the island houses a huge air force base and is experiencing a huge military buildup.

Certainly, the fact that US armed forces own and occupy a third of the island is a fundamental part of Guams story and political predicament. But this hugeness is not deeply interrogated by the press or acknowledged as a structural, colonial inequity. If conflicts are noted, their reality and impact are generally accepted as part of a normal and ultimately beneficial relationship. In the words of Laura King from the Los Angeles Times: Not unusually for a small, contained territory with a large military presence, there are occasional tensions between Guams civilian population and what can seem an overweening outside power. But the big U.S. deployment, together with tourism, is the islands economic lifeline

Non-American English-language sources likewise report Guam differently, accentuating Americas peculiar vision.

Along similar lines, a widely circulated Associated Press report by Grace Garces Bordallo and Audrey McAvoy states: The tiny U.S. territory of Guam feels a strong sense of patriotism and confidence in the American military, which has an enormous presence even if Guam has a sometimes complicated relationship with the U.S. mainland. In these stories, the extreme militarization of Guam and its people is not treated as strange. Whats viewed as odd is that Guam is small.

Another way to see this trend is to compare how other small polities are described in US media. For example, the island state of Singapore is not much bigger than Guam, with a total area of 277.6 square miles. The Vatican, with an area of .2 square miles, is the smallest state in the world. Yet a review of articles published in top outlets like CNN, CNBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post over the last two weeks reveals that neither Singapore nor the Vatican are ever reduced to size. On the contrary, most recent coverage relates to major political or financial questions, including the Vaticans response to the support of some US Catholic leaders for Donald Trump and Singapores expanding economy and defense of its national interests.

Non-American English-language sources likewise report Guam differently, accentuating Americas peculiar vision. In an extended piece on the US military and the Pacific region, The Guardian consistently characterized the island in political terms: a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean run by an elected governor. Significantly, when the UK paper mentions the islands dimension and population, it does not qualify them; in fact, the only descriptions that include size-related language concerns the military, which is said to have a huge footprint. One may argue this is the case because The Guardian is a left-leaning source often critical of US policy. Still, in an August 13 note on the possible impact of North Koreas bombing threat on Guams tourism industry, the British tabloid Daily Mail offered an exoticizing word repeated in other articles but never mentioned size. It called Guam a tropical island.

The American tendency to insist on Guams smallness, however, is not new and encompasses more than land. Scholar Anne Hattori Perez has observed that Guams native people, the Chamorros, have also been described as little. At the beginning of the 20th century, for example, a group of white American women led by Susan Dyer, then-wife of the naval governor, sought to improve what they saw as unsanitary living conditions and replace indigenous healing practices with modern medicine. The group launched a campaign to build a hospital for Chamorro women, who as Hattori writes, were referred to in the hospitals fundraising campaign as the little people of Guam.

This persistent view of Chamorros as little and childlike was also crisply captured in a 1912 editorial cartoon published by the Navy newspaper Guam Recorder. The cartoon shows a roughly sketched Uncle Sam standing on a box labeled advancement next to a small dark-skinned Chamorro child standing on three boxes. Each box lists two or three of the advances brought by Uncle Sam to Guam, including hospitals, telephones, ice plant, educational system, good roads, electric plant, and water works system. The images caption is unequivocal in its paternalism: More like his Dad Every Day.

To insist on Guams smallness is a continuation of a colonial framework promoted by the military that still regards Chamorros as simple and helpless people in need of American protection, benevolence, and guardianship. The question of size, however, is not only relativeGuam is smaller than Hawaii but bigger than Barbadosand requires context to be meaningful: small or big for what purpose, and from whose point of view?

For some, what may be both disproportionate and untenable is the US political control of the island, its claim to a third of Guams land for military use, and a 120-year history of belittling. Guams demand for a non-colonial present remains undiminished. When it comes to a communitys right to freedom and justice, size does not matter.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Frances Negron-Muntaner is a filmmaker, writer, curator, scholar and professor at Columbia University, where she is the founding director of the Media and Idea Lab and founding curator of the Latino Arts and Activism Archive at Columbias Rare Books and Manuscripts Library. Among her books and publications are: The Latino Media Gap (2014), and Sovereign Acts (2017). Her most recent films include Small City, Big Change (2013) and War for Guam (2015).
A post to a group of freelance writers and editors asked, Have any of you noticed how many TV journalists are misusing equivocation following Trumps many sides pronouncement?

Another poster answered, I think their use is in reference to their opinion that he uses ambiguity to disguise his true feelings toward both sides of the Charlottesville event.

The original poster replied: Thats a reasonable guess, but thats not how theyre using it. Theyre really using it in place of equivalence.

Television journalists arent the only ones doing it.

ICYMI: The key difference between nationalists and supremacists

In an editorial, a newspaper cautioned against the use of false equivalency in moral debates. Pointing to President Trump asking whether statues of Washington and Jefferson should be next to fall, the editorial continued, Trumps statements last week are provided as just one of the latest examples of this false equivalency that is corrupting the political dialogue of our political system. It might be a risk of committing false equivocation ourselves to say ideologues on both the right and left commit these disingenuous arguments, but there are enough examples that we feel safe to call it a fact.

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

This war of words continued. After President Trump tweeted that Senator Lindsey Graham falsely stated that I said there is moral equivalency between the KKK, neo-Nazis & white supremacists, another newspaper said: The Republican presidents statements have been widely criticized as equivocating between white nationalists, including Ku Klux Klan members and neo-Nazis, on the one hand and those protesting against them on the other.

Though equivalence and equivocation are etymological cousins, they are separate and unequal.

Equivalence means effectively the same. A one-dollar bill has the equivalence of 100 pennies, or of four quarters, or 20 nickels, or 10 dimes. There is no substantive difference between them, except, of course, for the weight.

TRENDING: A newsroom predicted a disaster. Now its close to coming true.

In recent weeks, moral equivalency has been used side by side with false equivalency in discussing whether Trumps statements on the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, gave equal weight to people advocating hate and people protesting that hate. Moral equivalency is a polemical term meaning there is no moral difference between sides, that neither is more good or more evil than the other. When Jeane Kirkpatrick was the ambassador to the United Nations in the 1980s, she spoke and wrote frequently of the myth of moral equivalency, challenging claims that the United States and the Soviet Union had no significant moral differences. That myth of moral equivalency has also been invoked frequently with the Israeli-Palestinian conundrum, where each side claims moral superiority to the other.

False equivalency wouldnt just mean arguing that George Washingtons statue is as bad as Robert E. Lees statue. In journalism, false equivalency is often used to mean that too much weight is given to, say, climate deniers in an article discussing climate change. The question of objectivity in journalism has often become an argument as to whether coverage has false equivalency.

Equivocation, though, means evasion. An equivocal statement, as Merriam-Webster says, is subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse. Someone who is being equivocal is not only not saying that two sides are equal, theyre deliberately avoiding alignment with either side. To equivocate, M-W says, is to avoid committing oneself in what one says.

Equivalent dates from the mid-15th century, the Oxford English Dictionary says, with equivalence and equivalency showing up about 100 years later. Equivocate is older, with equivocation showing up in English in the late-14th century, the OED says. And while they both share the Latin root aequiv, or equal, thats where they part company. Equivalent states a relationship; equivocation refuses to acknowledge one.

Without a doubt, President Trump has made statements that are equivalent and equivocal, but the same statement cannot be both.

A rabbi at the New York synagogue of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner knew that, and was able to use them both in a single statement about Trumps Charlottesville statements: While we always avoid politics, we are deeply troubled by the moral equivalency and equivocation President Trump has offered in his response to this act of violence.

Now thats hitting from both sides.

ICYMI: Taylor Swift was in control of her media narrative, at least for a while. But that ended.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Merrill Perlman managed copy desks across the newsroom at the New York Times, where she worked for twenty-five years. Follow her on Twitter at @meperl.
Television carried footage of dramatic rescues, newspapers dropped their paywalls to keep readers informed, and social media filled with harrowing eyewitness accounts. Apocalyptic scenes from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey dominated media coverage over the weekend and into Monday morning. Houston and its surrounding regions are being battered by torrential rain and rising waters, and the story is far from over.

As national outlets descended on the nations fourth-largest city, local reporters more than pulled their weight. We have the entire editorial staff activated, Houston Chronicle Managing Editor Vernon Loeb told CNNs Brian Stelter. A slideshow of photography from the Chronicle team showcases their reporting throughout the region.

The staff of the local CBS affiliate, KHOU 11 News, was forced to evacuate their studio as flooding from the nearby Buffalo Bayou poured into their office, but reporter Brandi Smith and photographer Mario Sandoval remained on the air from the field. They provided one of the most dramatic scenes of the days coverage. After Sandoval spotted a driver trapped in the cab of his tractor-trailer, Smith flagged down passing sheriffs deputies, alerting them to the mans situation. She then narrated the drivers rescue while the camera rolled. Nothing is more valuable than your life and the lives of your family members, Smith said at one point, her voice full of emotion. Sometimes we get flak because, yes, we are out in it. We are doing the things were telling you not to do. We do it so that we can show you how bad the conditions are so you do not attempt them.

Amazing reporting and compassion by so many journalists out there  amazing life saving by FEMA, Natl Guard, volunteers. Patriots, all.  Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) August 27, 2017

Sign up for CJR 's daily email

Comparisons to Hurricane Katrina are hard to avoid, but one significant difference in this weekends coverage was the prevalence of social media updates and pleas from those trapped by rising waters. With reports that emergency service phone lines were overloaded, many residents took to Facebook and Twitter to share their locations and ask for help. I have 2 children with me and tge,water [sic] is swallowing us up. Please send help911 is not responding!!!!!! one resident posted on Twitter. She later updated to say she had been rescued, writing, Thank you everyone and thank you Facebook!!!!!! The miracles of social media. Forever grateful!!!

With rains expected to continue through the week, flooding is expected to get worse. This story is only beginning. Below, more on the coverage.

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.
Taxi drivers, union members and civic groups rally on the steps of City Hall to support a City Council move to limit the number of Uber drivers and other for-hire car companies, July 20, 2015 in New York City. Getty Images

Uber keeps adding to a growing list of lawsuits, with recent filings over the ride-hailing company's undisclosed 2016 hack  a trend that continues to plague the company's cultural reversal. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has made clear and sweeping changes since being tapped for the position in August to rid the company of scandal tied to founder Travis Kalanick. The company has made efforts to improve working conditions for drivers and has played nice with city officials who wanted to ban the service from operating in London. Japanese investment giant Softbank is eyeing a $48 billion stake in the company, and Khosrowshahi has hinted at an IPO as early as 2019. While most of the pending litigation facing Uber is carried over from its former CEO, a laundry list of suits could stand as a hurdle to the company's financial and cultural turnaround. Here are seven of the biggest legal threats ahead for the company, updated from our previous list that ran in June.

1. Failure to disclose a 2016 data breach

In November, Uber revealed a previously undisclosed 2016 hack that included the personal information of 57 million users and drivers. The company has said it paid the hackers $100,000 to delete the data and keep the breach quiet  raising consumer protection concerns. Last week the city of Chicago and the attorney general for the state of Washington filed separate lawsuits against the company, alleging misconduct by the company. The Washington lawsuit claims Uber violated the state's data breach notification law, which requires that the state be notified within 45 days of a breach if more than 500 Washington residents were impacted. The hack revealed the information of 10,888 Uber drivers in Washington, according to The Seattle Times. The Chicago lawsuit claims Uber failed to correct previously known security vulnerabilities: "After the details of Uber's May 12, 2014 data breach were revealed to the public, Uber was investigated by a number of state and federal regulators that were concerned about its inadequate data security practices. Uber ultimately promised to bolster its data security policies by, inter alia, adopting protective technologies for the storage, access, and transfer of private information ... less than a year later the same failures led to a breach that was one thousand times worse." The breach is also under investigation by several other states and the Federal Trade Commission, opening the door to potential future lawsuits.

2. Intellectual property battle with Waymo  and a regulatory investigation

Uber's courtroom fight with Alphabet , Google's parent company, has also heated up in recent weeks. Alphabet's self-driving car unit, Waymo, is claiming that Uber is using a key part of Waymo's self-driving technology. The fight centers around an engineer named Anthony Levandowski, who was deeply involved in Google's self-driving car initiative before leaving to found a self-driving truck start-up, Otto, in early 2016. Uber acquired Otto later that year. Waymo's lawyers have asserted that Levandowski stole documents from Alphabet, and that Levandowski was already negotiating with Uber before he left Alphabet. Levandowski has tried to stay out of the fray, looking to invoke his Fifth Amendment rights, and Uber has fired him. Last week, Judge William Alsup granted another delay in the lengthy legal battle in light of a letter written by a second former Uber employee, Richard Jacobs, that claims Uber employees were encouraged and enabled to steal trade secrets from competing companies. Uber has said Jacobs's letter was nothing more than an attempt to extort money from the company, but the contents appeared to carry weight with Alsup, who said it would be a "huge injustice" to force Waymo to go to trial now, adding that Uber "withheld evidence."

3. Emboldened claimants of discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation

During Kalanick's tenure as CEO, Uber was the subject of several workplace culture investigations, one of which resulted in the dismissal of at least 20 employees. Another probe resulted in a 13-page list of recommendations for overhauling the company. The company says it investigated 215 claims: 54 of discrimination, 47 of sexual harassment, 45 of unprofessional behavior, 33 of bullying, 19 of other harassment, 13 of retaliation, 3 of physical security and 1 wrongful termination claim. The company is facing several suits from women and former employees of color, alleging that Uber disproportionately favors white men. While Uber has taken steps to make sure these incidents don't repeat themselves, sexual harassment does not work like bankruptcy, said Phil Bezanson, white collar partner at Bracewell. "Just because they are doing their best going forward, doesn't erase liability for things they have done in the past," Bezanson said. He said potential litigants may feel emboldened to file a lawsuit after seeing the results of the investigation. "I do a lot of harassment training for companies," said Kate Bischoff of tHRive Law & Consulting. "Sometimes after that training, the HR department gets complaints, people saying, 'I didn't want to stick my neck out, but now I know that it's a big deal.' I don't know if litigation comes out of that .... We might see more come out of Uber." Bischoff said a lot depends on meeting various statutes of limitation, both at the state level and at the federal level under Title VII and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Other factors are whether the company took "timely and appropriate action" on the claims, and whether the interactions were between co-workers or with managers. There's also the option for "commissioners charge," a different way of handling such cases. It gets even more complicated when one considers arbitration agreements  a very common way for employers to keep legal matters private  and a release of claims that employees may sign when they resign, freeing their former employer from legal responsibility. Susan Fowler, the sexual harassment whistleblower that most prominently exposed Uber's issues, said in a Supreme Court brief that she was asked to sign a class-action waiver as a condition of employment, and that all employees were required to sign those waivers. Brooke Schneider, an associate in the Employment practice at Withers Bergman, said exiting employees can refuse to sign releases, or use them to negotiate more severance. Documents from the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing show a former worker, whose name has been redacted from the document, filed a "right to sue" claim against Uber. The document says: Beginning in late 2015, a number of female colleagues sought his intervention regarding alleged sex-based discrimination and harassment they were suffering at the hands of a male supervisor. On several occasions, [redacted] raised these concerns with Uber`s HR department. Instead of investigating the allegations of discrimination and harassment and taking appropriate corrective action, HR told that 'we get a lot of phone calls from employees that we don`t always act on.'

Shortly thereafter, was subjected to a retaliatory investigation, resulting in his termination on or about March 15, 2016.

4. Recourse from sexual assault victims

Several women have come forward in recent months alleging assault by Uber drivers and levying some fault on the part of the company. In mid-November, two unnamed women sued Uber claiming the company failed to properly vet the drivers who they say assaulted them. The complaint says: "Uber has done everything possible to continue using low-cost, woefully inadequate background checks on drivers and has failed to monitor drivers for any violent or inappropriate conduct after they are hired. Nothing meaningful has been done to make rides safer for passengers  especially women. This is no longer an issue of "rogue" drivers who act unlawfully." Allegations of this kind of misconduct date back several years to 2014, when then-executive Eric Alexander is accused of obtaining the medical records of 26-year-old woman who was allegedly raped by her Uber driver. According to Recode, executives had trouble believing she was telling the truth, speculating that instead the reported rape was an attempt by a competitor to sabotage Uber. She filed a lawsuit against Uber in June, claiming Uber has intruded in her private affairs and defamed her. Uber helped the prosecution in the rape case at the time it was being heard, and also settled a lawsuit with the woman in 2015. Kalanick publicly said at the time of the case he would do "everything to help bring this perpetrator to justice and to support the victim and her family in her recovery." It's unclear what international laws and releases of claims apply to the case, lawyers said. Either way, the suit is "just another hit to their brand," Bischoff said. Tweet: Good. Finally, one of the many women hurt by Uber can actually sue. Women employees are bound by forced arbitration, and won't get justice.

5. Driver classification battles across the globe

Last month a British tribunal ruled on the employee rights of Uber drivers in the country, and again sided with the drivers. The tribunal ruled that drivers are employees and not self-employed contractors, and therefore entitled to minimum wage and vacation time, according to USA Today. The company said then it would appeal to decision, and it continues to fight for contractor status on a case-by-case basis in the U.S. Earlier this year a New York court ruled in favor of three New York Uber drivers aiming for employee benefits, a ruling that could extend to "others similarly situated," according to Law360. Uber has long argued that drivers, who can set their own hours and own their own cars, are independent contractors. But New York, as well as other local regulators, have found that the start-up exercises considerable control over the drivers, thus treating them like employees. While Uber headquarters might be undergoing a cultural makeover, the same protections recommended by Eric Holder's report won't necessarily extend to drivers if they are independent contractors, Schneider said. That could stoke even more contention between executives and drivers, she said. "I look at Uber as a workplace culture that has failed. So now we know, working at Uber is not always pleasant," Bischoff said. "It's difficult, it seems to have this bro culture. Each one of these individual cases now looks more credible. So yeah if they are treating drivers poorly, there's a natural human response to take that seriously."

Uber has updated its app over the past several months, adding a tipping option and giving drivers more control over their trips. But Michael Solomon, who manages freelance technology talent with 10x Management, said that the treatment of drivers is increasingly starting to affect the perceptions of Uber's technical talent. "I'm not sure their exact timeline for rolling out autonomous vehicles widespread, but one of the big selling points is they were are making everyone a driver and creating jobs," Solomon said. "That's a big part of their story as the taxi companies are going away. Now they are completely undoing the good part. ... this a company that was very vocal about how good they were to have provided them with gigs, as they rip that out from under them."

6. Regulatory probes into 'greyballing' and data collection

The U.S. Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation into Uber's evasion of authorities in May, according to Reuters. The investigation focuses on a software, "greyball," that Uber used to stay under the radar of transportation authorities, according to The New York Times. Uber also agreed to years of privacy audits in conjunction with a Federal Trade Commission investigation. Local authorities in Portland, Ore., found the software was active in that city and denied service to 17 individuals, 16 of which were city government officials, according to Reuters.

7. Lawsuits among board members
Fraud is becoming a bigger threat to your retirement security  even if you think you're too sharp to fall for a scam.

One 2015 report estimated that older Americans lose $36.5 billion each year to financial scams and abuse. The problem is growing, and researchers say older adults experiencing cognitive decline are just a segment of the victims.

Three in 10 state securities regulators say they have seen an uptick over the past year in cases and complaints involving senior financial fraud and exploitation, according to a new survey from the North American Securities Administrators Association. Only 3 percent reported a decline.

Thieves are following the money, said the association's president, Mike Rothman.

"This population that's retiring is one of the wealthiest, if not the wealthiest generation, in terms of their retirement savings," said Rothman, who is also the Minnesota commissioner of commerce. "Criminals know this as well."

It doesn't help that seniors can also be more vulnerable.

"It's easier to try to exploit a senior citizen with cognitive or other impairments in financial issues, who are alone, than it is to rob a bank," Rothman said. "So they are the targets."
Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani.

followed. He said, There were friends in high places, in our countrys domestic and foreign hierarchy, who argued not to get involved in Syria and Iraq, and sit back and respectfully defend the revolution. One individual asked you mean we go and defend dictators? The leader (referring to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei) provided a clear response in saying when you look at the countries we have relations with, who is a dictator and who is not? We simply look at our interests.

With Irans support, Bashar Al-Assads dictatorship in Syria has lead to more than 500,000 people being killed, scores more injured, over 12 million displaced or seeking refuge abroad. Large parts of the country is in ruins.

Under Iraqs former prime minister Nouri Al-Maliki, the Sunni community was the main target of Al-Malikis Iran-backed wrath, which allegedly fueled the rise of ISIS.

In Yemen the ousted dictator Ali Abdullah Salah along with the Houthis have also been receiving Irans support. As the Saudi-led coalition advances, there are signs of major rifts, and even reports of clashes between the two forces.

Recently Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Atomic Energy Organization chief Ali Akbar Salehi have spoken of relaunching certain nuclear activities.

Additionally, Iran continues its human rights violations. Over 100 executions were reported in the month of July alone. During Rouhanis first term, more than 3,000 were hanged.

Political prisoners in a jail west of Tehran are reported to be participating in an ongoing hunger strike for nearly four weeks. The inmates are protesting violence and other repressive measure by prison guards.

Amnesty International, concerned of the overall situation in Iran, issued a statement demanding that Iranian authorities allow international monitors, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, to conduct independent, unannounced inspections of Rajai Shahr Prison and other prisons across the country.

The Syrian war has been draining Iran, forcing it to seek the support of other parties, including Russia. With more parties having stakes in Syria, and with the US taking a far more active stance, the more Iran sees its future in the country threatened. As well, with ISIS defeated in Iraq, there will no longer be legitimacy for Irans presence in Iraq.

As the international community realizes Irans destructive nature, they should take the initiative and demand the eviction of all Iranian elements from Syria, including IRGC members and foreign proxy members transferred from abroad, writes Heshmat Alavi in an article for Al Arabiya.

For peace in the Middle East to be accomplished, Irans influence on its neighboring countries must be contained.
Twitter 's former vice president of engineering, Nandini Ramani, has joined Outcome Health as its chief engineering officer.

Ramani, who was ranked one of the world's most powerful female engineers, joined Outcome Health earlier this month.

"I love the mission-driven aspects of health care and also the re-energizing of an industry," she told CNBC.

Chicago-based Outcome makes technology for doctor's offices, which is intended to improve the quality of in-person consultations and help patients stick to their treatment regimens. The company essentially digitizes -- and makes a lot less boring -- information that used to be contained in a pamphlet. The company makes money by charging payers like insurance companies as well as drug companies for access to aggregated patient data.

Examples of its products include an interactive anatomy "wallboard" for patients to get acquainted with their medical condition, and a digital waiting room screen, which provides patients with relevant content before they speak to their doctor.

Outcome claims to have reached 94 million patients via 140,000 mobile devices. It currently partners with 230,000 health providers.

In May, the company raised a gargantuan $500 million first funding round, which put its valuation at more than $5 billion as reported by Bloomberg.

Ramani said she was initially intrigued by the company because it has a female co-founder, Shradha Agarwal, who founded the company with Rishi Shah in 2006. Ramani said the "opportunity to touch so many lives" resonated after she heard about the company's mission.

Ramani is one of a slew of former Twitter leaders to make the move into health care. Color Genomics was founded by Twitter alumni Elad Gil and Othman Laraki, who later recruited Twitter's former global media vice president Katie Jacobs Stanton.
There is no one in Silicon Valley who's more connected than Reid Hoffman. That might be because he plays all of the connector rolessometimes at once.

Hoffman's a venture capitalist, at Greylock Partners, and an entrepreneur who co-founded LinkedIn, selling it last year for $26 billion. (His net worth is estimated to be north of $3 billion, according to Forbes). Now he has a seat on the board of directors at Microsoft .

After teaching a class at Stanford, he started a podcast, Masters of Scale, that's about the art and craft of building monster businesses.

Hoffman is deeply qualified on that subject. He was a founding board member at PayPal, and early on became its chief operating officer. That also makes him part of an eclectic group of characters known as the "PayPal Mafia," former PayPal employees who went on to dizzying heights of success. Those members include Elon Musk, YouTube founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley, investor Peter Theil, and entrepreneur Max Levchin, to name a few.

Fortt Knox spent some time with Hoffman last week after flying out to San Francisco to moderate a LinkedIn debate in front of a live audience. It wasn't politics: Reid was debating his friend Tim O'Reilly on the merits of spending gobs of investor money to build startups into dominant forces.

After the debate, Reid sat down with Fortt Knox on the 17th floor of LinkedIn headquarters to talk about how he scaled from a pre-teen who was ambivalent about school, into one of tech's most prolific builders.
Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has been chosen to be Uber's new chief executive, sources told CNBC.

That decision concluded Uber's long search to replace former CEO Travis Kalanick, who stepped down in June following a shareholder revolt.

Recode reported that Khosrowshahi, an Iranian American businessman, is considered the "truce" choice for the board, which saw ugly infighting in recent weeks between Kalanick and major investor Benchmark Capital. Earlier this month, Benchmark said it was suing Kalanick on claims of fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract.

Benchmark was reportedly backing Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman for the top job at Uber, while General Electric boss Jeffrey Immelt was also a front-runner to lead the troubled start-up. Immelt dropped out of the race over the weekend.

Amid weeks of breathless reporting on the decision for Uber's top spot, Khosrowshahi didn't make headlines. After he was announced, some deemed him the dark horse candidate.

Khosrowshahi has been at the helm of Expedia since 2005. He has been credited with expanding Expedia's global presence through several online travel booking brands, which include Expedia.com, Hotels.com and Hotwire.

As Uber's new leader, he will walk into a situation that would test even the most seasoned CEO: A $70 billion company fending off chaos on all sides.

The company's ride-hailing business has suffered a series of complications  sexual harassment allegations, a slew of firings related to a workplace culture investigation, political pressure, tussles with regulators, a legal battle with Alphabet , alleged distribution of a rape victim's medical records, a report of drug use, unflattering videos and emails from the former CEO, mergers, an exploding car, steep losses and infighting among investors  just to name a few.

Another hurdle is the former CEO. Travis Kalanick may no longer have an operating role in his company, but as a key player in Uber's origin, he has a seat on the board, 10 percent of stock and 16 percent of voting rights in Uber, according to legal filings.
Donald Trump's company was chasing a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while he ran for president in late 2015 and early 2016, the Washington Post reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the proposal and records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.

Russian-born developer Felix Sater had urged Trump to visit Moscow to work on the proposal and suggested he could persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to say "great things" about Trump, the report said, citing people briefed on the correspondence.

Trump didn't make the Moscow trip and while Trump's company signed a letter of intent, the project was abandoned at the end of January of 2016, the report said, citing sources.

As the talks progressed, Trump made many comments in support of Putin, while the Russian president began to reciprocate by the end of 2015, the report noted.

The Washington Post said the White House and Trump's personal attorney declined to comment.

The White House didn't immediately respond to CNBC's emailed request for comment.

The full Washington Post report can be read here.
U.S. crude oil futures nearly 3 percent on Monday, but gasoline prices surged to two-year highs as Tropical Storm Harvey kept hammering the U.S. Gulf Coast, knocking out several refineries which backed up crude supplies and disrupted fuel production.

Massive floods caused by the storm forced refineries in the area to close. In turn, U.S. crude futures fell as the refinery shutdowns could reduce demand for American crude.

The reduced inputs to those Gulf refineries will result in an increase in crude inventories," said Tony Headrick, energy market analyst at CHS Hedging, "That outweighs the outages in crude oil production from the storm.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures ended Monday's session down $1.30, or 2.7 percent, at $46.57 a barrel. Brent futures fell 66 cents, or 1.3 percent, to trade at $51.75 by 2:18 p.m. ET (1818 GMT).

The WTI discount versus Brent expanded to as much as $5.48 per barrel, its widest in two years.
Uber has selected Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive officer of Expedia, as the company's next CEO. If Khosrowshahi accepts the offer, his appointment would come two months after Uber's former CEO Travis Kalanick announced his departure from the company he co-founded, following pressure from shareholders. Khosrowshahi has led Expedia since 2005 and has been credited with expanding the travel agency's global presence through several online booking brands. Khosrowshahi could not be immediately reached for comment, but in a company filing posted by Expedia today, chairman Barry Diller says he believes Khosrowshahi intends to accept the role. Here are five other facts you may not know about Uber's next CEO pick:

1. He's been critical of Donald Trump's policies

Khosrowshahi has joined a growing list of CEOs who have spoken out against the Trump administration. While some tech CEOs have sought to stay away from commenting on politics, he has been openly critical of President Donald Trump. TWEET Khosrowshahi has spoken against Trump's immigration ban that prevented people from certain predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States. The CEO also recently criticized Trump's response to the Charlottesville rally, which left one activist dead and many wounded. TWEET In January, Khosrowshahi sent a letter to Expedia's employees condemning President Trump's travel ban and said 1,000 Expedia customers were affected by the ban, according to the New York Times. The company also backed a lawsuit against the immigration ban, which prevented people from seven Muslim countries from entering the United States, including Iran.

2. He was born in Iran

Khosrowshahi was born in Iran in 1969, according to TechCrunch. His family immigrated to the United States in 1978, when he was nine, prior to the Iranian Revolution. A few years later, his father returned to Iran to look after Khosrowshahi's grandfather. His father was detained by Iranian authorities for six years, according to the publication. Khosrowshahi was raised by his mother and two brothers in Tarrytown, New York.

3. He didn't think he was a good CEO at first

In a profile as a 2013 Ernst & Young (EY) Technology Entrepreneur of the Year, he says, "I think for the first year when I was running the company, I wasn't a particularly good CEO." Khosrowshahi recalls an engineer telling him that he wasn't laying out a clear vision for the future of the company. "She said if you tell us where to go we'll do it, because we believe in you, we want to go there, tell us where to go and then we'll do it," Khosrowshahi says in the interview. "That really shifted my view of what a CEO has to do. A CEO of a multinational global company can't say what to do, you've got to plant the flag."

4. He's close to his mom

Khosrowshahi says that his mother had to raise three kids without his father, in an interview with Bloomberg discussing his career success. He later tweeted the article: TWEET He has frequently mentioned his mother in the past. After his first appearance on Mad Money, he got this response from his mother: TWEET A few months later, he tweeted his mother's response to him making job site Glassdoor's list of top 100 CEOs: TWEET Uber's next CEO joins other tech bosses who are close to their mother, like Linkedin CEO Jeff Weiner. In fact, Weiner tells CNBC that his mother taught him how to read at a young age.

5. He was once the highest-paid CEO in the U.S.
Tax reform should still happen this year, House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady told CNBC on Monday.

The Texas congressman is dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, he said, but it won't affect the timing on taxes.

"I've continued to work with the speaker on our end of the tax reform issue," Brady said in an interview with "Power Lunch."

"At this point, I haven't seen anything that knocks us off this timetable for this year."

Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to strike Texas in more than 50 years when it came ashore on Friday near Corpus Christi. Now Houston is facing worsening flooding as Harvey, now a tropical storm, continues to dump more rain on the city in the coming days.

Brady said so far he is "pleased" with the way local, state and federal governments are working together.

However, politics is already at play. On Saturday, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said he'd support financial aid for Harvey even though Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and his "Texas cohorts" voted against aid after Superstorm Sandy.

TWEET

Cruz told CNBC on Monday that two-thirds of that bill was unrelated spending and nothing to do with Sandy. Brady, who voted against the legislation, said talking about that bill or whether lawmakers learned their lesson about including too much pork was "the last thing I'm worrying about."

"Right now our biggest challenge is getting people mandatorily evacuated," he said.



However, he said he was "hopeful" that he would get support from his colleagues from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Right now, Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, is leading a bipartisan effort to put together estimates for what an aid bill would look like, he said.

"We'll just take that step by step."

 Reuters contributed to this report.
A South Korean court has fined a man for spreading a rumor online that rapper and businessman Dr. Dre was to marry the widow of a former South Korean President.

According to local media reports, Seoul Western District Court fined the man 5 million won ($4,400) on Friday following convictions for "cyber defamation" and "defamation against the deceased".

In January, the unidentified man had written on his blog that Lee Hee-ho, widow of late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, was to wed Dr. Dre in order to launder the late Kim's slush funds.
European markets closed lower on Monday as the euro hit a two-and-a-half year high and investors kept a close eye on the moves in oil.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 closed 0.5 percent lower with most sectors moving south. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 is closed on Monday due to a public holiday.

Basic resources was the worst-performing sector as investors digested the impact of Hurricane Harvey in the U.S., which destroyed many refineries and some crude production. Oil prices recovered slightly at lunchtime European trading time after earlier losses. Brent was trading at $51.86 and WTI was being sold at $46.74.

Provident was once again at the top of the European benchmark, ending the day up by 22 percent. The stock has been recovering some of its value after having lost 66 percent at the start of last week on news that its chief executive Peter Crook was leaving the firm.

Altice, the French telecoms group, announced a 1 billion euro ($1.2 billion) share buyback program and said it is considering takeover opportunities.

In currency markets, the euro was at a two-and-half year high against the dollar after European Central Bank President Mario Draghi delivered two speeches last week giving no indications about the bank's next steps for monetary policy.

Stateside, U.S. stocks opened higher and shares of oil refinery companies rose on Monday after Hurricane Harvey forced refiners in Houston to shut down.

At the Jackson Hole meeting on Friday, President Draghi only said that protectionist policies could pose a "serious risk" to the global economy's growth, yet added that the global economic recovery looked like it was firming up. At the same time, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said that while actions made by regulators following the crisis had made the financial system safer, some modifications to regulations could still be required.
Michael Brown, the former FEMA head who was in charge when Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, told CNBC on Monday that he believes the economic impact from Hurricane Harvey will exceed that of Katrina.

By many estimates, Katrina caused upward of $150 billion in total economic damage with about of third of that coming from insured losses.

"We have no idea what the number is going to be [for Harvey]. But I think it's going to be much higher than Katrina," when considering the damage from the relatively quick Tropical Storm Allison in southeast Texas in 2001, Brown said on "Squawk Box."

Harvey, by comparison, has been lingering since it made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 storm in Rockport, Texas, before tracking northeast and swamping the Houston area with more than 20 inches of rain.

Many major refineries in the region were closed, sending gasoline futures higher on supply concerns and oil prices lower on worries about less crude being needed for refining.

The heavy rains from what's left of Harvey are expected to continue for several days and rivers are not expected to crest until later this week, so the flooding could get even worse.

Brown, who was in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency during the Republican presidency of George W. Bush, praised the current FEMA administrator, Brock Long, as a "great person to have in this position" to respond to the destruction from Harvey.

"[Long] was my representative to the National Hurricane Center when I was the [FEMA] director. He went on to be the emergency manager in Alabama," Brown said. "He's just that low-key, down-to-earth guy that you need in these kinds of high-pressure situations."

At a Monday morning news conference, Long said more than 450,000 people were expected to seek disaster assistance due to Harvey-related flooding. Long was confirmed as President Donald Trump's choice to lead FEMA in June.

Meanwhile, Harvey, the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years, was being blamed for five deaths. Thousands of high-water rescues were conducted.

Brown told CNBC on Monday that he understands the political perils of instituting mandatory evacuations before storms like Harvey hit, but said Houston officials should have strongly encouraged residents in the path of the storm to leave the area.

In 2005, President Bush, while touring Katrina destruction, infamously praised Brown. "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job," Bush said at the time. Brown quit his post shortly after that over what was viewed as a mishandling of the federal response to Katrina.
Uninsured losses from Hurricane Harvey in the Houston region and along the Gulf Coast of Texas could rival those seen 12 years ago after Katrina leveled New Orleans and flooded other areas in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Farmers Group CEO Jeff Dailey told CNBC on Monday.

"Unfortunately, the penetration of the National Flood [Insurance] Program is not that huge," Dailey said in a "Squawk Box" interview. "The typical homeowners policy does not cover flood."

By many estimates, Katrina caused upward of $150 billion in total economic damage with about of third of that coming from insured losses.

Harvey-related claims could put the National Flood Insurance Program in further financial straits. The NFIP owes $24.6 billion to the Treasury, most of which covered claims from Katrina in 2005, Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and severe floods in 2016, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manages the program.

"For our own book of business, maybe 1 in 4 of our homeowners actually selects the [National] Flood Insurance Program. I think you'll see an awful lot of uninsured losses," said the CEO of Farmers, a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Zurich Insurance which operates a multiline U.S. business, including home and auto.

"We're a servicing carrier for the National Flood [Insurance] Program. So our adjusters will be involved in those claims," but the bulk of the work at Farmers will be claims for damaged cars and trucks, Dailey said. "We will have a significant event for flooded vehicles as automobiles flooded will be covered by their automobile policies."

The heavy rains from what's left of Harvey were expected to continue for several days and rivers were not expected to crest until later this week. Harvey made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane in Rockport, Texas, before tracking northeast and swamping Houston with more than 20 inches of rain.

Early estimates vary, but JPMorgan predicted eventual insured losses from Harvey could be as much as $10 billion to $20 billion, making it one of the 10 most costly hurricanes to hit the U.S.
In making a case for strong banking regulations, Fed Chair Janet Yellen also may have been indirectly telling President Donald Trump not to reappoint her.

Yellen, speaking Friday at the central bank's annual summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, touted how a regulation revamp following the financial crisis has helped strengthen the system. She said the crisis "demanded action" and said the reforms "have made the system safer."

That, however, is just the opposite of what Trump has been preaching. The president has long bemoaned the handcuffs he sees Dodd-Frank and other reforms have put on banking, and is unlikely to want a Fed chair at odds with his thinking.

"When push comes to shove, would Trump, who put Scott Pruitt in charge of the EPA and Rick Perry in charge of the Energy Department, really keep on someone who defends financial regulation as strongly as Yellen just did?" Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said in a note.

The initial reaction among pundits is that Gary Cohn may just have moved to the front of the line. For months, the head of the National Economic Council has been pushed as a likely Yellen successor, and her speech Friday may have cemented the move. Yellen's term expires in February, and Trump has not said whether he will reappoint her.

Cohn and Yellen are of like minds when it comes to low rates, but diverge on regulations.
U.S. emergency management officials said on Monday they were expediting federal resources to Texas to help with rescue efforts after Hurricane Harvey swamped coastal areas of the state and forced 30,000 people to seek refuge in temporary shelters.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said more than 450,000 people were expected to seek disaster assistance due to flooding after Harvey made landfall during the weekend before weakening to tropical storm status.

President Donald Trump approved an emergency request on Monday for Louisiana, where severe flooding also was expected. "We are not out of the woods yet, not by a long shot," Acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke said at a news briefing early on Monday. "Harvey is still a dangerous and historic storm."

Duke said federal agencies were focused at the moment on providing state and local officials in Texas with the assistance they need to continue search and rescue efforts to help those immediately affected by the flooding.

"Right now we are focused on rescue operations and will move into recovery operations later in the week," she said. "But today we are deeply concerned with those in Houston and surrounding areas who are stranded and in need of immediate assistance."

Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long said federal officials were focused on a "life safety and life sustaining mission" at the moment, helping with things like swift water search and rescue efforts over the 30 to 50 counties possibly affected by the storm in Texas.

Brock said authorities were anticipating that some 30,000 people would be placed in temporary shelters due to the flooding.

He said FEMA was in the process of deploying life-saving commodities while the Army Corps of Engineers was helping work to restore power and other federal authorities were involved in ensuring communications interoperability between federal, state and local officials.
President Bill Clinton's Federal Emergency Management Agency director praised President Donald Trump's response to Hurricane Harvey.

James Lee Witt, who headed the agency from 1993 until 2001, commended Trump for signing a disaster declaration last week to offer federal assistance to Texas. He also applauded Trump for planning on visiting Corpus Christi on Tuesday.

People need to know the federal government will be there while they rebuild, he said. Clinton always visited major disaster sites to reassure people, he said.

"I think President Trump is doing the right thing," Witt told CNBC's "Closing Bell" on Monday. "I would like to suggest he might visit a shelter if he had time to visit with victims. I think that would add a lot of hope to them that are in some of those shelters just to tell them he's there for them and the federal government is. I think that would be a big difference."

Witt expressed confidence in FEMA Director William "Brock" Long, who began his tenure in June. Before joining the agency Long served as executive vice president at Hagerty Consulting, an emergency management consulting firm. Prior to that, he served as director of Alabama's Emergency Management Agency, where he coordinated 14 disaster responses.

"He knows how to do it," Witt said. "He knows how it works. And I think his leadership will help FEMA and the FEMA employees to work together in a way that's going to make a difference in this response."
This article originally appeared in Commentary Magazine.

It's no secret that President Donald Trump is no fan of Arizona Senator Jeff Flake. He's gone so far as to encourage Flake's prospective primary challengers and to attack Flake at a rally in the senator's home state. Turnabout is fair play. Asked whether the president's habit of engaging in internecine feuds with his fellow Republicans made a primary challenge to Trump more likely, Flake did not give a political answer. "I think he's inviting one," he said. Flake is right, but don't take his word for it. Donald Trump's own pollster confirms it.

On Tuesday, the Republican consultant and Trump campaign pollster Tony Fabrizio revealed the results of a survey was ostensibly designed to dispel the notion that the president's base was beginning to lose heart. It achieved the precise opposite effect.

Read more from Commentary Magazine

Obama's Motives

Who Knew Diversity Was So Complicated?

Not What You Expect In a President



According to Fabrizio, the number of Republican voters who approve of the job Trump is doing in office declined from 81 percent in June to 75 percent in August. Total disapproval increased from 19 to 25 percent. That kind of attrition is remarkable and outpaces even the rate at which public pollsters have shown Republican voters abandoning Trump.

But Fabrizio wasn't done face-planting. To prove that Trump still commands the enduring affections of his voters, the pollster tested a handful of prominent Republicans who are or were critical of the president against him in a theoretical primary battle.

"[Trump is] crushing a hypothetical GOP primary field," Fabrizio boomed triumphantly. "So much for the 'buyer's remorse' the DC insiders are convinced the GOP has." In fact, by even testing this proposition just seven months into a presidency, Fabrizio demonstrated that the president's people think the ground is softening beneath Trump's feet. The results of this survey proved conclusively that it is.

In a five-way primary race between Trump, Ohio Governor John Kasich, and Senators Ted Cruz, Ben Sasse, and Tom Cotton, Trump wins the contest handily. But he only pulls the support of 50 percent of the potential GOP electorate and 54 percent of the likely Republican vote. Among all Republicans, only 42 percent would "definitely" vote for Trump, rising to just 49 percent among likely GOP voters.

These are atrocious numbers for an incumbent. By way of comparison, in the immediate wake of the 2010 midterm elections and at the nadir of Barack Obama's political potency to that point, he was still drawing 65 percent among Democrats in a hypothetical primary contest between him and Hillary Clinton. Fabrizio's numbers prove without a doubt that Trump's base is crumbling, and Republicans who are contemplating a primary challenge are justified in doing so.

Trump's Praetorian Guard may pretend as though the president is unconcerned about a primary challenge, but his behavior suggests otherwise. His 2020 campaign machine is staffing up, raising funds, and tracking potential Democratic challengers. The president is touring swing states holding campaign-style rallies among devoted fans. Donald Trump is not exactly a wounded animal, but he clearly senses that predators are starting to gather, eying him hungrily.

It's worth considering that this kind of thinking is precisely what Team Trump wants to incept in prospective challengers. Maybe Fabrizio's inexplicable victory lap is explained by the White House's desire to bait prospective GOP challengers into probing donors, gauging receptivity on the Hill, or otherwise outing themselves early enough to nail them before they become threats. If that's the strategy, it's so obvious and ham-fisted it may only embolden potential candidates.

Inevitably, when political observers think about the prospect of a primary challenge against a sitting president, they think about personalities. Who will the candidates be? This is the wrong way to think about it at this early stage. Few anticipated Eugene McCarthy would emerge a credible candidate in 1965, or that the Vietnam War would be such a rallying cry. In 1977, who expected Ted Kennedy to test his popularity among Democrats at the polls? The issue set that Pat Buchanan used to mobilize a GOP coalition to challenge George H. W. Bush barely existed in 1989. The figures that emerge to challenge Trump could take us entirely by surprise. That's why it may be more predictive to examine the ideological camps from which primary challengers might emerge.

We can consolidate those camps into three factions. The first we'll call the Kasich Camp. Ohio's governor has been unguardedly positioning himself as a challenger to Trump in 2020, but from the president's left. He does not support Obamacare's repeal or the prolonging of America's mission in Afghanistan, and he's been reliably critical of Trump's rhetorical excesses.

The second camp is the camp into which Flake and Sasse fall: these Republicans are happy Trump has been convinced to abandon much of his isolationist and protectionist policy preferences, but are convinced his uncivil rhetoric is dividing the nation against itself.

The third camp is the Bannon camp: the wing of the GOP that believes in Trumpism even more than Trump.

Let's dismiss the last group offhand. The Bannon camp may be the most disappointed with the reality of Trump, but he's the only game in town. There just isn't much room to Trump's right on issues close the hearts of populist nationalists. As for the Kasich Camp, John Kasich pretty has that one locked. This leaves us to speculate on the Flake/Sasse wing. This group has the broadest Republican constituency from which to draw support. It is very likely to produce a real contender.

That contender should, however, realize what he or she might be getting into. There is no triumph on this path; at least, not in the near-term. Trump's challenger or challengers should know that they are most likely martyring themselves. No one has ever defeated a sitting president in a primary. They will be blamed for rending the party asunder and undermining Trump's chances for victory in November. If Trump loses, his supporters will be able to dismiss that loss as reflective not of Trump's record in office but the conceit of the spoiler.

All of these burdens may be worth bearing if prospective candidates truly believe the GOP is being transformed permanently into an irascible, bitter, racially anxious party that is hostile toward conservatism. Trump's challengers may arrest that transformative process, but they won't get credit for it initially. Vindication would come later.

Commentary by Noah Rothman, associate editor for Commentary Magazine. Follow him on Twitter @NoahCRothman.

For the latest commentary on the markets in U.S. and around the world, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
watch now

"500-year" floods are based not on history, but on probability

The severity of floods tends to get put in terms of years: a 100-year flood, a 500-year flood, a 1,000-year flood. But this isn't an assessment of "the worst flood in" that time  places like Houston don't actually have detailed weather records going back to 1017 AD, after all. The lack of hundreds of years' worth of flood data is actually the reason we have the term "100-year" flood to begin with. When the government decided to map flood-prone areas to improve the National Flood Insurance Program in the early 1970s, the maps couldn't just use the worst flood ever recorded in a given area to judge what a "bad flood" would look like  because some areas had more records than others, and besides, just because a bad flood hadn't happened yet didn't mean it couldn't. Instead, the standard set for mapping flood-prone areas was a compromise between the existing Army Corps of Engineers standards for dams and levees, and the (much more modest) standards that most communities had set for flood prevention. The areas deemed at risk of a bad flood were the areas that had about a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year: in other words, the areas that would flood approximately one year out of every 100. A 500-year flood is based on the same principle: Experts estimate that in any given year, there's a 1-in-500 (0.2 percent) chance a flood this bad will strike a particular area. In theory, that means that over 500 years, that will happen once: so there will be one flood that bad over a 500-year period. Of course, different areas flood at different frequencies. So how bad a flood has to get to qualify as a 1-in-500-year flood is going to vary depending on where you're judging it  and a flood will probably qualify as a "500-year" occurrence in some locations but not others. This table, for example, shows the flooding in various locations in the Houston area in April 2016. You can see that the flood reached 500-year levels in certain places, but in others it was the sort of event meteorologists would predict to happen every 10 years. When it comes to planning for future floods, you have to get a little more abstract. So FEMA maps out 100- and 500-year "floodplains"  the places that would get flooded by the kind of rainfall that has a 1 percent chance (or 0.2 percent chance) of falling on an area in any given year. But probability never works out perfectly in practice (as you know if you've ever flipped a coin twice and gotten heads or tails both times). And it's especially hard to get the probability of an event perfect when the circumstances keep changing  as they do when we're talking about weather events, which become more or less common depending on the underlying climate. And current climate change trends could easily increase the chance of bad flooding  there's more water vapor in the atmospherenow (ready to condense into storm clouds and precipitation), for example, than there was 70 years ago. As a result, FEMA has to keep updating its assessments of the floodplains  i.e., which locations should think of flooding as a 1 percent possibility, and which should think of it as something with a 0.2 percent chance of happening in any given year. The FEMA maps for Harris County had just been updated in late 2016. However, the city of Houston itself is working off a Hazard Mitigation Plan it developed in 2012  based on where FEMA was then saying the city's 100-year and 500-year floodplains were located. In the meantime, the reality of Houston's flooding has already shown the old models to be out of date. An area of West Houston called Memorial City, for example, was outside Houston's 500-year floodplain but flooded three times in the past decade: in 2009, 2015, and 2016.

It's hard to design policy around preventing damage for something with a 1-in-500 chance of occurring...

Anti-flood policy tends to focus on 100-year floods, not 500-year ones. Many mortgage lenders require any homeowner living in a 100-year floodplain to buy flood insurance (homeowners with federally backed mortgages have to have flood insurance, as well). But homeowners living in a 500-year floodplain don't typically have to purchase flood insurance  after all, 500-to-1 odds are pretty long odds. Similarly, it's hard to make city policies to prepare for remote events. In Houston, for example, the city's current Hazard Mitigation Plan calls to discourage people from building homes in the 100-year floodplain, but it doesn't say anything about the 500-year floodplain. There's a simple, probability-based reason for this. Everything that a person (or city) can do carries some amount of risk, and if a city prevents any activity that might be risky, it won't be able to allow people to build new houses at all. So if something really only has a 1-in-500 chance of occurring, it's not necessarily logical to force people to change their plans because of it.

...but certain areas are seeing "500-year" floods pretty frequently these days

What if storms happen more often than probability suggests they would, though? What if a place gets hit with more than one 100-year storm over a 10-year period  or even in consecutive years? The US appears to be getting hit with major storms with unusual frequency. From August 2015 to August 2016, there were eight 500-year flood events recorded by the National Weather Service. There were six "1,000-year" floods in the US over the five years from 2010 to 2014; in 2015 and 2016, though, there were at least three each year. Looking at the US as a whole can be a bit misleading  it's a big country, and probability suggests that if there are a few thousand flood-prone locations around the country, a few places a year will experience 1-in-1,000 events. But what's more suggestive are the places that keep getting hit with the kind of severe flooding that's supposed to be uncommon  places like Houston. Tomball, Texas, Public Works director David Esquivel told a local paper there this year that the Houston area had "two 500-year storms back to back": over Memorial Day weekend of 2015 and early April 2016. That means that Hurricane Harvey constitutes the third "500-year" flood in three years. Theoretically, the odds of a 1-in-500 event occurring three straight times are one in 125 million. Because Houston is a big city and the same spots aren't necessarily reaching 500-year levels each time, those odds don't quiteapply  but we're still, as the Memorial City example shows, talking about events that FEMA estimates to be vanishingly unlikely. Either Houston is incredibly unlucky or the risk of severe flooding is a lot more serious than the FEMA modeling has predicted  and the odds of a flood as bad as the ones Houston has seen for the past few years are actually much higher than 1 in 500. Houston isn't the only city to get hit by "historic" floods with rapid frequency. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, got hit with a 500-year flood in 2008, followed by a 100-year flood in 2016. After the 2008 flood, the city worked to develop a central greenway that could be used to protect residents from future floods, and a plan to put up temporary barriers. That plan worked to mitigate the damage done by the 100-year flood of 2016. But city officials acknowledged that if they'd been hit with a second 500-year flood in nine years, their planning wouldn't have been sufficient to protect them.

Houston wasn't even prepared for a 15-year flood
U.S. Treasury yields were mixed Monday, as investors digested the latest news out of the auction and economic data. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note sat lower at 2.166 percent at 1:04 p.m. ET, while the yield on the 30-year Treasury bond was higher at 2.763 percent. Bond yields move inversely to prices.

Treasurys



The Treasury Department auctioned $26 billion in 2-year notes at a high yield of 1.345 percent. The bid-to-cover ratio, an indicator of demand, was 2.86. Indirect bidders, which include major central banks, were awarded 45.8 percent. Direct bidders, which includes domestic money managers, bought 12.6 percent. Later in the day, the Treasury Department also auctioned $34 billion in 5-year notes at a high yield of 1.742 percent. The bid-to-cover ratio was 2.58. Indirect bidders were awarded 69.1 percent. Direct bidders bought 13.5 percent. U.S. politics continues to keep investors on their toes on Monday, as Wall Street looks to the U.S. President to see how he handles the hurricane which struck Texas and caused chaos over the weekend. Meanwhile, a number of reports emerged over the weekend about the U.S. President, including an article by The Washington Post, which reported on Sunday that Donald Trump's company had been chasing a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while the Republican was running for president during late 2015 and early 2016.
Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has reportedly been offered the top slot at Uber.

With Khosrowshahi in that role, Uber's tense relationship with the White House might continue. Khosrowshahi has not hidden his disapproval of some of the policies suggested by President Donald Trump.

In particular, Khosrowshahi opposed a travel ban aimed at several predominantly Muslim countries the administration said were associated with high rates of terrorism. Expedia was one of about 100 technology companies that challenged the ban in court.

"I emigrated here when I was 9 years old; my family had to flee Iran," Khosrowshahi told CNBC's Jim Cramer on "Mad Money" earlier this year.

"And we were very, very lucky to come to America and have the opportunities presented to us, and that's one of the things that makes America great. The power of immigration, the American dream  if you think about the power of the American dream  it is the best brand out there. It's stronger than Apple, and Microsoft and Google combined, times 10x."



He continued, "The American dream is you come here, you believe in democracy, you believe in the Constitution, you work hard, you can make it. That's what makes this country great, and I think the president should be for that, not against it."

Trump's opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, received by far the most donations from Expedia employees, at $30,429, including a donation from Khosrowshahi himself, according to OpenSecrets. Chelsea Clinton and outspoken Trump critic Barry Diller are both on Expedia's board.

Within Uber, that might not be so controversial: Employees there contributed $54,842 to Clinton's campaign, while Uber donated $190,000 to the host committee of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

But running Uber is far from an apolitical affair  the company itself was founded during the inauguration of Barack Obama. And former CEO Travis Kalanick, who is still on the board and has a large voting stake in Uber, left the company in a tough spot with both sides of the political spectrum.
North Korea's provocative launch of a missile through Japanese airspace came quickly following strong warnings from South Korea that its military was gearing up to hit North Korea back hard if necessary.

South Korea and Japan condemned the latest Tuesday's launch in strong terms.

While Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the missile was an unprecedented, serious and grave threat to his country, South Korean President Moon Jae-in ordered a show of "overwhelming" force against Pyongyang.

According to South Korean news agency Yonhap, Moon issued the order for his military to display its capabilities just hours after the recent launch. That demonstration included dropping several bombs at a range near the inter-Korean border, Yonhap said, citing Moon's chief press secretary.

South Korea's military issued a warning following the launch, with a spokesman saying it was prepared to initiate "resolute" retaliation if North Korea remained belligerent.

On Monday, Moon had urged defense officials to step up military reform in case the North "crosses the line," local media reported.

Moon told officials to "strongly push" for the military to "meet the requirements of modern warfare so that it can quickly switch to an offensive posture in case North Korea stages a provocation," according to South Korean news agency Yonhap.
Hundreds of thousands of Texans were without power along the Gulf Coast as Tropical Storm Harvey left parts of the Houston area under water.

There were roughly 280,000 customers without power along the Texas's coast and in Houston and the surrounding areas on Monday, according to reported outages by the state's investor-owned utilities. Harvey, which made landfall on Friday, caused devastating flooding and knocked out power lines along its destructive path.

reported more than 100,000 outages earlier on Monday, though that figure was down to 91,744 shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday.

The company said it was unable to access hard-hit areas until floodwaters recede and electric infrastructure dries out. Outages in the most flooded areas could last for several days, CenterPoint warned.

AEP Texas's coverage area south of Houston had 150,500 customers without electricity as of 11 a.m. ET on Monday. That was down from the peak of its outages on Saturday afternoon, which affected 220,000 customers.
One of President Donald Trump's business associates said in 2015 that a real estate agreement in Russia could aid the then-candidate in winning the White House, The New York Times reported Monday.

In emails to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen that the newspaper cited, the associate, Felix Sater, wrote: "Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

In a separate email seen by the Times, Sater, a Russian immigrant and then-Trump Organization broker, wrote: "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected."

The development comes as federal and congressional investigators probe Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin. Trump has denied any collusion, though developments since the election have shown that Trump associates were at least willing to accept Russian help during the election.

Cohen told the Times that Sater practices "salesmanship" and that he "ultimately determined that the proposal was not feasible." Cohen "never agreed" to make a trip to Russia, he added.

It is not clear why Sater would have thought a Trump Tower project in Moscow would have helped the president's chances of winning.

Separately on Monday, The Washington Post reported that Cohen asked top Kremlin press aide Dmitry Peskov for help with the "stalled" Trump Tower project in January 2016.

"Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower  Moscow project in Moscow City," Cohen wrote Peskov, the Post reported, citing a person familiar with the email. "Without getting into lengthy specifics. the communication between our two sides has stalled."

"As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon," he also wrote, according to the Post.

Cohen told congressional investigators that Sater recommended that he write the email, the Post added. He added that "he did not recall receiving a response," the newspaper reported.

A plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow never came about. In a statement to the Times on Monday, the Trump Organization said it "has never had any real estate holdings or interests in Russia."
A Trump Organization executive emailed a Kremlin aide during President Donald Trump's run for the White House seeking help on a "stalled" Trump Tower Moscow plan, The Washington Post reported Monday.

Michael Cohen, a Trump lawyer who was then an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, reached out to Dmitry Peskov, the top spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower  Moscow project in Moscow City," Cohen wrote. "Without getting into lengthy specifics. the communication between our two sides has stalled."

"As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon," he wrote.

Cohen told congressional investigators that Trump business associate Felix Sater recommended that he write the email, the Post added. He said that "he did not recall receiving a response," the newspaper reported.

In a statement to NBC News, Cohen called the Moscow plan "simply one of many development opportunities that the Trump organization considered and ultimately rejected." He said that he "abandoned" the proposal in January 2016 because he lost confidence that the licensee could complete it.

New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman later added that Cohen emailed Peskov at a general press address, not his personal email address. It suggests that he did not have direct access to Peskov, she said.

Haberman tweet

The development comes as federal and congressional investigators probe Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign coordinated with the Kremlin. Trump has denied any collusion, although developments since the election have shown that Trump associates were at least willing to accept Russian help during the election.

Later Monday, NBC News, citing three sources familiar with the matter, reported that investigators working for Robert Mueller, the special counsel in the federal Russia probe, are focused on the president's role in formulating a response to an article about a meeting between his son Donald Jr. and Russians in June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York.

The investigators want to determine what the senior Trump knew about the meeting and whether he tried to conceal the purpose of it, the sources told NBC.

Separately on Monday, the Times reported that Sater emailed Cohen in 2015 saying that a Russian business deal "will get Donald elected."

A plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow never came about. In a statement to the Times on Monday, the Trump Organization said it "has never had any real estate holdings or interests in Russia."
President Donald Trump sought to showcase the government's response to Hurricane Harvey in a series of weekend tweets. Trump plans to visit the affected areas of Texas on Tuesday. Greg Abbott, the GOP governor of Texas, described the federal effort as "A-plus." (AP)

Five deaths were being attributed to Harvey. There have also been widespread power outages, and thousands of high-water rescues , evoking memories of the helicopter and boat extractions during the devastating flooding from Hurricane Katrina in Louisiana in 2005. (NY Times)

The rain continued this morning in the flooded areas in and around Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city. Harvey was the fiercest hurricane to hit the U.S. in 13 years. More than 20 inches of rain has fallen as Harvey lingered after making landfall late Friday as a Category 4 storm. (NBC News)

Donald Trump's company was chasing a deal to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while he ran for president in late 2015 and early 2016, The Washington Post reported, citing people familiar with the proposal and records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.



* Trump reportedly demands China action: 'I want someone to bring me some tariffs' (Axios)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, addressing Trump's blaming of "both sides" in the racially charged violence in Charlottesville, told Fox News on Sunday "the president speaks for himself." Meanwhile, Axio reports Trump is growing frustrated with Tillerson.

Trump drew criticism from top Republicans, including Arizona Sen. John McCain, for his pardon of Joseph Arpaio, the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, convicted last month for disobeying a 2011 federal court order to halt immigration raids. (WSJ)

Mark Zuckerberg said young immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally by their parents should be allowed to remain in the country. The comments put the Facebook (FB) co-founder in the middle of a contentious political battle that could soon be headed to court. (CNBC)

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee, the 49-year-old heir to one of the world's biggest corporate empires, has filed an appeal against the five-year jail term he was given for bribery and other charges through his lawyer. (Reuters)

CBS (CBS) announced plans to buy Australian customer Ten Network Holdings and launch a streaming service in that country. The U.S. media company beat out a bid from Australian media moguls Bruce Gordon and Lachlan Murdoch. (WSJ)

As part of a promotion for its upcoming series "Disjointed" about a woman who lives her dream of opening a marijuana dispensary, Netflix (NFLX) is developing strains of marijuana inspired by 10 of its shows, including "Grace and Frankie" and "Bojack Horseman." (Variety)

A Missouri law taking effect on Monday mandates municipalities follow the state minimum of $7.70 an hour, nullifying the higher $10 per hour floor St. Louis implemented in May. The law also bars a similar hike in Kansas City even though it was never enforced. (WSJ)
[The stream is slated to start at 2 p.m., ET. Please refresh the page if you do not see a player above at that time.]

Houston is facing worsening historic flooding in the coming days as Tropical Storm Harvey dumps more rain on the city, swelling rivers to record levels and forcing federal engineers on Monday to release water from area reservoirs in hopes of controlling the rushing currents.

On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he was activating his state's entire National Guard in response to the aftermath of the hurricane. Roughly 12,000 servicemen will be deployed to assist in ongoing search and rescue efforts.

In the afternoon, Abbott is expected to receive a briefing on the aftermath of the hurricane at the Texas Department of Public Safety office in Corpus Christi.

More from CNBC:

Texas governor activates state's entire National Guard to aid in post-hurricane search and rescue efforts

Major refineries are shutting down in the wake of Harvey flooding

If you want to help Harvey victims, cash is best

Hurricane Harvey slams auto industry
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
08/28/2017

Besides federal disaster relief agencies, states and cities around the United States are offering to send help to storm-stricken Texas. So is Mexico. In a Sunday night telephone call, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that Mexico will help Texas "as good neighbors should always do in trying times."

Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, the Mexican consul general in Austin, said he has been in constant communication with the governor's office to determine how Mexico can best help, the Dallas Morning News reported.

"As we have done in the past, Mexico stands with Texas in this difficult moment," Gonzalez said.

The offer of help came as President Trump tweeted his insistence on Sunday that Mexico would be forced to pay for the wall he proposes to build along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mexico sent troops and a ship filled with food, medicine, and water to New Orleans 12 years ago after Hurricane Katrina.
The Cornerstone Credit Union League has updated its list of 15 credit unions closed on Monday in flooded areas in and around Tropical Storm Harveys path. They include:

AMOCO FCU, Community Resource CU (call center will be open), Cy-Fair FCU, First Service CU, Houston FCU (Houston-area locations), Houston Fire Fighters FCU, InvesTex CU, MemberSource CU, Members Trust of the Southwest FCU (Houston-area locations), Peoples Trust FCU, Primeway FCU, Resource One CU (Houston-area locations), SPCO CU, Texas Bay CU and USE Credit Union.

More credit union closures are expected as the storm continues to bring record-setting amounts of rain this week to Texas.
Allergan plc, a pharmaceutical company, develops, manufactures, and commercializes branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical, and regenerative medicine products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: US Specialized Therapeutics, US General Medicine, and International. It offers a portfolio of products in various therapeutic areas, including medical aesthetics and dermatology, eye care, neuroscience, urology, gastrointestinal, women's health, and anti-infective therapeutic products. The company also offers breast implants and tissue expanders; and RM-131 (relamorelin), a peptide ghrelin agonist for the treatment of diabetic gastroparesis. In addition, it develops medical and cosmetic treatments; therapies for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and other liver diseases; inhibitor for the treatment of psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders; atopic dermatitis drug candidate; peri-ocular rings for extended drug delivery and reducing elevated intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients; and treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Further, the company develops RST-001, a novel gene therapy for the treatment of retinitis pigmentosa; small molecule therapeutics for inflammatory and fibrotic diseases; topical medicines for fat reduction; and delivery system and botulinum toxin-based prescription products. It has collaboration, option, and license agreement with Lyndra, Inc.; and strategic alliance and option agreement with Editas Medicine, Inc. Allergan plc also has licensing agreements with Assembly Biosciences, Inc.; MedImmune; and Heptares Therapeutics, Ltd. The company was formerly known as Actavis plc and changed its name to Allergan plc in June 2015. Allergan plc was founded in 1983 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
The following companies are subsidiares of Arrow Electronics: A.E. Petsche Belgium BVBA, A.E. Petsche Canada Inc., A.E. Petsche Company, A.E. Petsche Company Inc., A.E. Petsche Company S De RL, A.E. Petsche SAS, A.E. Petsche UK Limited, ACI Technology, AKS Group Nordic AB, ARROWECS Portugal Sociedade Unipessoal, ARROWECS Sociedade Unipessoal LDA, ARW Electronics Ltd., ARW Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., ARW Portugal Unipessoal LDA, ASI Dedicated Services LLC, ASI Electrical Services LLC, ASI Managed Services LLC, ATM Electronic, ATM Electronic Corp., ATM Electronic Corporation (HK) Limited, ATM Electronics Hong Kong Limited, ATM Electronics Technology (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd, Addex Distribution AS, Adilam Pty. Ltd, Aiqi Xinxing (Beijing) Information Technology Co. Ltd., Altimate Belgium BVBA, Altimate Group, Altimate ND Belgium BVBA, Altimate Netherlands B.V., Annuity Systems Pty Ltd, Arrow (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Altech Distribution (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Altech Holdings (Pty) Ltd., Arrow Argentina S.A., Arrow Asia Distribution Limited, Arrow Asia Pac Ltd., Arrow Brasil S.A., Arrow Capital Solution BVBA, Arrow Capital Solutions Inc., Arrow Capital Solutions Nederlands BV, Arrow Capital Solutions SAS, Arrow Capital Solutions UK Ltd, Arrow Central Europe GmbH, Arrow Central Europe Holding Munich GmbH, Arrow Chip One Stop Holdings GK, Arrow Componentes ACCR S.R.L., Arrow Components (M) Sdn Bhd, Arrow Components (NZ), Arrow Components Mexico S.A. de C.V., Arrow Components Sweden AB, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow Denmark ApS, Arrow ECS (Ireland) Limited, Arrow ECS (NI) Limited, Arrow ECS AG, Arrow ECS ANZ Limited, Arrow ECS ANZ Pty Ltd, Arrow ECS Asia PTE. Ltd, Arrow ECS Australia, Arrow ECS B.V., Arrow ECS Baltic OU, Arrow ECS Brasil Distribuidora Ltda., Arrow ECS Canada Ltd., Arrow ECS Central GmbH, Arrow ECS Denmark A/S, Arrow ECS FZCO, Arrow ECS Finland OY, Arrow ECS GmbH, Arrow ECS Internet Security AG, Arrow ECS Internet Security S.L., Arrow ECS Kft., Arrow ECS Ltd., Arrow ECS New Zealand Limited, Arrow ECS Nordic A/S, Arrow ECS Norway AS, Arrow ECS Pty Ltd., Arrow ECS SA/NV, Arrow ECS SAS, Arrow ECS SPA, Arrow ECS Sarl, Arrow ECS Services Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Singapore Pte. Limited, Arrow ECS Sp.z.o.o., Arrow ECS Support Center Ltd., Arrow ECS Support Center Morocco S.A.R.L.A.U, Arrow ECS Sweden AB, Arrow ECS a.s., Arrow ECS d.o.o., Arrow Eastern Europe GmbH, Arrow Electronice S.R.L., Arrow Electronics (CI) Ltd., Arrow Electronics (China) Trading Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Jersey) Limited, Arrow Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics (Sweden) KB, Arrow Electronics (Thailand) Limited, Arrow Electronics (U.K.) Inc., Arrow Electronics (UK) Ltd., Arrow Electronics ANZ Holdings Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia (S) Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Asia Limited, Arrow Electronics Australia Pty Ltd., Arrow Electronics B.V., Arrow Electronics Canada Ltd., Arrow Electronics China Ltd., Arrow Electronics Components (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Arrow Electronics Czech Republic s.r.o., Arrow Electronics D.O.O., Arrow Electronics Danish Holdings ApS, Arrow Electronics EMEA Group GmbH, Arrow Electronics EMEASA S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Estonia OU, Arrow Electronics FC B.V., Arrow Electronics Funding Corporation, Arrow Electronics GmbH & Co. KG, Arrow Electronics Hellas S.A., Arrow Electronics Holdings Vagyonkezelo Kft, Arrow Electronics Hungary Kereskedelmi Bt, Arrow Electronics India Ltd., Arrow Electronics India Private Limited, Arrow Electronics International Holdings LLC, Arrow Electronics International Inc., Arrow Electronics Italia S.r.l, Arrow Electronics Japan GK, Arrow Electronics Korea Limited, Arrow Electronics Labuan Pte Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ltd., Arrow Electronics Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Arrow Electronics Norwegian Holdings AS, Arrow Electronics Poland Sp.z.o.o., Arrow Electronics Russ OOO, Arrow Electronics Services S.r.l., Arrow Electronics Slovakia s.r.o., Arrow Electronics South Africa LLP, Arrow Electronics Taiwan Ltd., Arrow Electronics UK Holding Ltd., Arrow Electronics Ukraine LLC, Arrow Elektronik Ticaret A.S., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Inc., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions India Private Limited, Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions Ltd., Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions S.A., Arrow Finland OY, Arrow France S.A., Arrow Global Asset Disposition Inc., Arrow Global Supply Chain Services Inc., Arrow Holdings (Delaware) LLC, Arrow Iberia Electronica Lda., Arrow Iberia Electronica S.L.U., Arrow International Holdings L.P., Arrow International Holdings Limited, Arrow Nordic Components AB, Arrow Norway A/S, Arrow S-Tech Norway AS, Arrow SEED (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow Systems Integration Inc., Arrow UEC Japan KK, Arrow United Holdings LLC, Arrow United International Holdings LP, Arrow Value Recovery ApS (fka Greentech Denmark ApS), Arrow Value Recovery Belgium BVBA, Arrow Value Recovery Czech Republic sro, Arrow Value Recovery Denmark ApS, Arrow Value Recovery EMEA BV, Arrow Value Recovery Finland Oy (fka Greentech Finland OY), Arrow Value Recovery France SAS, Arrow Value Recovery Germany GmbH, Arrow Value Recovery Netherlands BV, Arrow Value Recovery Norway AS (fka Greentech AS), Arrow Value Recovery Sweden AB (fka Greentech Sweden AB), Arrow Value Recovery UK LTD, Arrow eCommerce B.V., Arrow/Artlink Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, Arrow/Components (Agent) Ltd., Arrow/Rapac Ltd., Artlink Technology Co. Ltd., Aspen Labs LLC, Aspencore China Investment LLC, Aspencore LLC, Aspencore Media GmbH, Aspencore/IDG China Investment LLC, Asplenium SA, Asset Recovery Corporation, B.V. Arrow Electronics DLC, Beijing AIQI Technology, Beijing Arrow SEED Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing Canon Advertising Co. Ltd., Broomco (4184) Limited, COMPUTERLINKS, COMPUTERLINKS (UK) Ltd., COMPUTERLINKS Belgium BVBA, COMPUTERLINKS Denmark A/S, COMPUTERLINKS Nederland B.V., COMPUTERLINKS S.A., CSS Computer Security Solutions Erwerbs GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Holding GmbH, CSS Computer Security Solutions Ltd., CT3 Europe Limited, Centia Group Ltd, Centia Ltd., Channel Support Pty Ltd, ChiWan Electronics (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Chip One Stop, Chip One Stop (Hong Kong) Ltd., Chip One Stop (Shenzhen) Ltd., Chip One Stop Inc., Commtech Solutions (UK) Limited, Components Agent (Cayman) Limited, Components Agent Asia Holdings Ltd., Components Distribution Business - Achieva, Conrac Asia Display Products Pte. Ltd., Conrac MENA FZE, Converge, Converge (Shanghai) International Trading Co. Ltd., Converge Asia Pte Ltd., Converge Electronics Trading (India) Private Ltd., Converge France SAS, Converge Netherlands BV, Converge Scandinavia AB, Cross Telecom, Data Modul, Data Modul AG, Data Modul Electronics Technology (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Data Modul FZE, Data Modul France S.a r.l, Data Modul Hong Kong Ltd., Data Modul Iberia S.L., Data Modul Inc., Data Modul Italia S.r.l., Data Modul Ltd., Data Modul Shanghai Ltd., Data Modul Suisse GmbH, Data Modul Weikersheim GmbH, Diasa Informatica, Dicopel Inc., Distribution Business - Seed International, Distribution Central (MY) Sdn. Bhd., Distribution Central HK Pty Limited, Distribution Central Limited (NZ), Distribution Central Pte Limited (SG), Distribution Central Pty Limited, E-InfoChips KK, EC America, EDN Asia Advertising Pte Ltd., ETEQ Components Pte Ltd., Electronics Products Technology Co. Ltd., Embedded Developer LLC, Erf 211 Hughes (Pty) Limited, Eshel Technology Group Inc., Eurocomponentes S.A., Excel Tech, Excel Tech Inc., Firewall Systems Pty Limited, Fusion Distribution FZCO, Gates - Arrow Distributing, Gates - FA Distributing, Global Link Technology, Greentech Holding AS, Gross Telecom, ICC Global Media GmbH, IP Vista A/S, IPVista A/S, ITM USA Enterprises Inc., Intechra Holdings, Intex-semi Ltd., KeyLink Systems Group, LED Franchise LLC, LED Source Holdco LLC, LED Source LLC, LOGIX S.A., License Central Pty Ltd, Lite-On Korea Ltd., Marubun Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun Arrow (Thailand) Co Limited, Marubun Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun Arrow Europe Kft., Marubun Corporation, Marubun USA Corporation, Marubun-Arrow Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Marubun/Arrow (HK) Limited, Marubun/Arrow (M) Sdn. Bhd (Malaysia), Marubun/Arrow (Philippines) Inc., Marubun/Arrow (S) Pte Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow (Shenzhen) Electronic Product Consulting Company Limited, Marubun/Arrow (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Marubun/Arrow Asia Ltd., Marubun/Arrow USA II LLC, Marubun/Arrow USA LLC, NIC Components Asia PTE Ltd., NIC Components Corp., NIC Components Europe Limited, NIC Eurotech Limited, NUH Electronics India Private Limted, Networld Systems Pty Ltd, Nextworth Solutions Inc., Nu Horizons Electronics, Nu Horizons Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Asia PTE Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Hong Kong Ltd., Nu Horizons Electronics Malaysia SDN BHD, NuHo Singapore Holdings LLC, Observatory Crest, Openway Group SA, Openway SAS, PCG Parent Corp., PCG Trading LLC, PT Marubun Arrow Indonesia, Pansystem S.r.l., Pax8 Inc., Power and Signal Group GmbH, R.D. Trading Limited, RDC, RF Wireless & Power - Richardson Electronics, Rack Systems Pty Ltd, Red Education Pty Ltd, Redemtech, Renewal Systems Pty Ltd, Richardson RFPD (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Richardson RFPD (Thailand) Limited, Richardson RFPD Australia Pty. Ltd., Richardson RFPD Canada Inc., Richardson RFPD Electronics Trading (China) Co. Ltd., Richardson RFPD France SAS, Richardson RFPD Germany GmbH, Richardson RFPD Hong Kong, Richardson RFPD Inc., Richardson RFPD Israel Ltd., Richardson RFPD Italy Srl, Richardson RFPD Japan KK, Richardson RFPD Korea Ltd., Richardson RFPD Netherlands BV, Richardson RFPD Singapore, Richardson RFPD Spain SL, Richardson RFPD Sweden AB, Richardson RFPD Taiwan, Richardson RFPD UK Ltd., Richey Electronics, San Systems Pty Ltd, Schuylkill Metals of Plant City Inc., Seneca Data, Seneca Data Distributors Inc., Shared Technologies, Silicon Frameworks LLC, SiliconEgypt Technologies LLC, SiliconExpert Holdings LLC, SiliconExpert Technologies, SiliconExpert Technologies Inc., Sphinx CST Limited, Sphinx CST Networks Limited, Sphinx Group, Sphinx Group Limited, Sphinx Professional Services Limited, Spoerle Hungary Kereskedelmi Kft, Sun Chain Technology Corp., TLW Electronics Ltd., TechTurn, Titan Supply Chain Services Limited, Titan Supply Chain Services Pte Ltd., Trafomo AB, Trafomo ApS, Transim Technology, Transim Technology Corporation, U.S. Micro Operating Company LLC, UBM Tech Electronics Network, Ultra Source Electronics (SZ) Co LTD, Ultra Source Technology Corp., Ultra Source Trading Hong Kong Limited, United Technical Publishing Division - Hearst Business Media, Universe Electron Corporation, Verical, Verwaltungsgesellschaft Arrow Electronics GmbH, Wireless and Infrastructure Business Unit - Waching Company, Yongming Xincheng (Beijing) Technology Co., e-InfoChips, e-Infochips Private Limited, eInfochips, eMedia Asia Limited, immixGovernment Inc., immixGroup, immixGroup Inc., immixSolutions Inc., and immixTechnology.

Read More
Brookfield Asset Management is an alternative asset manager and REIT/Real Estate Investment Manager firm focuses on real estate, renewable power, infrastructure and venture capital and private equity assets. It manages a range of public and private investment products and services for institutional and retail clients. It typically makes investments in sizeable, premier assets across geographies and asset classes. It invests both its own capital as well as capital from other investors. Within private equity and venture capital, it focuses on acquisition, early ventures, control buyouts and financially distressed, buyouts and corporate carve-outs, recapitalizations, convertible, senior and mezzanine financings, operational and capital structure restructuring, strategic re-direction, turnaround, and under-performing midmarket companies. It invests in both public debt and equity markets. It invests in private equity sectors with focus on Business Services include infrastructure, healthcare, road fuel distribution and marketing, construction and real estate; Industrials include manufacturers of automotive batteries, graphite electrodes, returnable plastic packaging, and sanitation management and development; and Residential/ infrastructure services. It targets companies which likely possess underlying real assets, primarily in sectors such as industrial products, building materials, metals, mining, homebuilding, oil and gas, paper and packaging, manufacturing and forest product sectors. It invests globally with focus on North America including Brazil, the United States, Canada; Europe; and Australia; and Asia-Pacific. The firm considers equity investments in the range of $2 million to $500 million. It has a four-year investment period and a 10-year term with two one-year extensions. The firm prefers to take minority stake and majority stake. Brookfield Asset Management Inc. was founded in 1997 and based in Toronto, Canada with additional offices across Northern America; South America; Europe; Middle East and Asia.
Valley National Bancorp operates as the holding company for Valley National Bank that provides various commercial, retail, insurance, and wealth management financial services products. It operates through Commercial Lending, Consumer Lending, and Investment Management segments. The company offers non-interest bearing, savings, NOW, money market, and time deposit accounts; commercial and industrial, commercial real estate, residential mortgage, and automobile loans; loans secured by the cash surrender value of life insurance; home equity loans and lines of credit; and secured and unsecured other consumer loans. It also invests in various securities and interest-bearing deposits with other banks; and provides international banking services, such as standby and documentary letters of credit, and related products, as well as foreign exchange transactions, documentary collections, foreign wire transfers services, and transaction accounts for non-resident aliens. In addition, the company offers investment services for individuals and small to medium sized businesses; and trusts and custom -tailored investment strategies for various retirement plans. Further, it provides trust services, such as living and testamentary trusts, investment management, custodial and escrow services, and estate administration to individuals; tax credit advisory services; property and casualty, life, health, and title insurance agency services; and health care equipment lending and other commercial equipment leasing services, as well as owns real estate related investments. Additionally, the company offers online, mobile, and telephone banking services; and overdraft, drive-in and night deposit, automated teller machine, remote deposit capture, and safe deposit facility services. As of December 31,2021, it operated 232 branch offices in New Jersey, New York, Florida, and Alabama. The company was incorporated in 1927 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Deutsche Post AG operates as a mail and logistics company in Germany, rest of Europe, the Americas, the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa. The company operates through five segments: Express; Global Forwarding, Freight; Supply Chain; eCommerce Solutions; and Post & Parcel Germany. The Express segment offers time-definite courier and express services to business and private customers. The Global Forwarding, Freight segment provides air, ocean, and overland freight forwarding services; and offers multimodal and sector-specific solutions. This segment's business model is based on brokering transport services between customers and freight carriers. The Supply Chain segment delivers customized supply chain solutions to its customers based on modular components, including warehousing and transport services; and value-added services, such as e-fulfilment and returns management, lead logistics partner, real estate solutions, service logistics, and packaging solutions for various industrial sectors. The eCommerce Solutions segment provides parcel delivery and cross-border non-time definite international services. The Post & Parcel Germany segment transports and delivers mail communication, parcels, physical and hybrid letters, and special products for the delivery of goods; and offers additional services, such as registered mail, cash on delivery, and insured items. This segment also provides digital products, including stamps with data matrix codes and various postal services. Deutsche Post AG was founded in 1490 and is headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
Graco Inc. designs, manufactures, and markets systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials worldwide. The company's Industrial segment offers proportioning systems to spray polyurethane foam and polyurea coatings; equipment that pumps, meters, mixes and dispenses sealant, adhesive, and composite materials; and gel-coat equipment, chop and wet-out systems, resin transfer molding systems and applicators, and precision dispensing solutions. It also provides liquid finishing equipment; paint circulating and supply pumps; paint circulating advanced control systems; plural component coating proportioners; spare parts and accessories; and powder finishing products to coat powder finishing on metals under the Gema and SAT brands. The company's Process segment offers pumps to move and dispense chemicals, water, wastewater, petroleum, food, lubricants, and other fluids; pressure valves used in the oil and natural gas industry, other industrial processes, and research facilities; and chemical injection pumping solutions for injection of chemicals into producing oil wells and pipelines. It also supplies pumps, hose reels, meters, valves, and accessories for fast oil change facilities, service garages, fleet service centers, automobile dealerships, auto parts stores, truck builders, and heavy equipment service centers; and systems, components, and accessories for the automatic lubrication of bearings, gears, and generators in industrial and commercial equipment, compressors, turbines, and on- and off-road vehicles. The company's Contractor segment offers sprayers to apply paint to walls and other structures; and viscous coatings to roofs, as well as markings on roads, parking lots, athletic fields, and floors. It sells its products through distributors, original equipment manufacturers, and home center channels; and directly to end-users. The company was incorporated in 1926 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc., an offshore energy services company, provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry primarily in Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico, North Sea, the Asia Pacific, and West Africa regions. The company operates through three segments: Well Intervention, Robotics, and Production Facilities. It engages in the installation of flowlines, control umbilicals, and manifold assemblies and risers; trenching and burial of pipelines; installation and tie-in of riser and manifold assembly; commissioning, testing, and inspection activities; and provision of cable and umbilical lay, and connection services. The company also provides well intervention, intervention engineering, and production enhancement services; inspection, repair, and maintenance of production structures, trees, jumpers, risers, pipelines, and subsea equipment; and related support services. In addition, it offers reclamation and remediation services; well plug and abandonment services; pipeline abandonment services; and site inspections. Additionally, the company offers oil and natural gas processing facilities and services; and fast response system, as well as site clearance and subsea support services. It serves independent oil and gas producers and suppliers, pipeline transmission companies, renewable energy companies, and offshore engineering and construction firms. The company was formerly known as Cal Dive International, Inc. and changed its name to Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. in March 2006. Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Owens Corning manufactures and markets insulation, roofing, and fiberglass composite materials in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates in three segments: Composites, Insulation, and Roofing. The Composites segment manufactures, fabricates, and sells glass reinforcements in the form of fiber; and glass fiber products in the form of fabrics, non-wovens, and other specialized products. Its products are used in building structures, roofing shingles, tubs and showers, pools, flooring, pipes and tanks, poles, electrical equipment, and wind-energy turbine blades applications in the building and construction, renewable energy, and infrastructure markets. This segment sells its products directly to parts molders, fabricators, and shingle manufacturers. The Insulation segment manufactures and sells insulation products for residential, commercial, industrial, and other markets for thermal and acoustical applications; and glass fiber pipe insulation, flexible duct media, bonded and granulated mineral fiber insulation, cellular glass insulation, and foam insulation products used in construction applications. This segment sells its products primarily to the insulation installers, home centers, lumberyards, retailers, and distributors under the Thermafiber, FOAMULAR, FOAMGLAS, Paroc, Owens Corning PINK, and FIBERGLAS Insulation brand names. The Roofing segment manufactures and sells aminate and strip asphalt roofing shingles, oxidized asphalt materials, and roofing components used in residential and commercial construction, and specialty applications, as well as synthetic packaging materials. This segment sells its products through distributors, home centers, lumberyards, retailers, and contractors, as well as to roofing contractors for built-up roofing asphalt systems; and manufacturers in automotive, chemical, rubber, and construction industries. Owens Corning was incorporated in 1938 and is headquartered in Toledo, Ohio.
The following companies are subsidiares of TransDigm Group: 17111 Waterview Pkwy LLC, ARA Deutschland GmbH, ARA Holding GmbH, Acme Aerospace, Acme Aerospace Inc., Adams Rite Aerospace GmbH, Adams Rite Aerospace Inc., Advanced Inflatable Products Limited, Aero-Instruments, AeroControlex Group Inc., Aerosonic, Aerosonic LLC, Air-Sea Survival Equipment Trustee Limited, Airborne Acquisition Inc., Airborne Global Inc., Airborne Holdings Inc., Airborne Systems, Airborne Systems Canada Ltd., Airborne Systems Group Limited, Airborne Systems Holdings Limited, Airborne Systems Limited, Airborne Systems NA Inc., Airborne Systems North America Inc., Airborne Systems North America of CA Inc., Airborne Systems North America of NJ Inc., Airborne Systems Pension Trust Limited, Airborne UK Acquisition Limited, Airborne UK Parent Limited, Aircraft Materials Limited, AmSafe, AmSafe Aviation (Chongqing) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Kunshan) Co. Ltd., AmSafe Bridport (Private) Ltd., AmSafe Bridport Ltd., AmSafe Global Holdings Inc., AmSafe Global Services (Private) Limited, AmSafe Inc., Angus Electronics Co., Arkwin Industries, Arkwin Industries Inc., Armtec Countermeasures Co., Armtec Countermeasures TNO Co., Armtec Defense Products Co., Auxitrol SAS, Auxitrol Weston Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Auxitrol Weston Services China Ltd., Auxitrol Weston Singapore Pte. Ltd., Auxitrol Weston USA Inc., Aviation Technologies, Aviation Technologies Inc., Avionic Instruments LLC, Avionics Instruments, Avionics Specialties Inc., AvtechTyee Inc., Beta Transformer Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Beta Transformer Technology Corporation, Beta Transformer Technology LLC, Breeze-Eastern Corporation, Breeze-Eastern LLC, Bridport Erie Aviation Inc., Bridport Holdings Inc., Bridport Ltd., Bridport-Air Carrier Inc., Bruce Aerospace Inc., Bruce Industries, CDA InterCorp LLC, CEF Industries LLC, CMC Electronics Aurora LLC, CMC Electronics Inc., CMC Electronics ME Inc., Champion Aerospace LLC, Chelton Avionics Holdings Inc., Chelton Avionics Inc., Chelton Limited, Cobham Aero Connectivity, Cobham CTS Limited, Cobham Defence Communications Limited, Cobham Defense Products Inc., DART Aerospace, DDC Electronics K.K., DDC Electronics Ltd., DDC Electronics Private Limited, DDC Electronique S.A.R.L., DDC Elektronik GmbH, Darchem Engineering Limited, Darchem Holdings Limited, Data Device Corp., Data Device Corporation, Dukes Aerospace Inc., EST Defence Company UK Limited, Edlaw Limited, Electromech Technologies LLC, Elektro-Metall Export GmbH, Elektro-Metall Paks KFT, Esterline, Esterline Acquisition Ltd, Esterline Europe Company LLC, Esterline Foreign Sales Corporation, Esterline International Company, Esterline Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Corporation, Esterline Technologies Europe Limited, Esterline Technologies France Holding SAS, Esterline Technologies French Acquisition Limited, Esterline Technologies Global Limited, Esterline Technologies Holdings Limited, Esterline Technologies SGIP LLC, Esterline Technologies Unlimited, Esterline do Brasil Assessoria e Intermediacao Ltda, European Antennas Limited, Extant Components Group Holdings Inc., Extant Components Group Intermediate Inc., GQ Parachutes Limited, Guizhou Leach-Tianyi Aviation Electrical Company Ltd, Harco, HarcoSemco LLC, Hartwell Corporation, Hytek Finishes Co., ILC Holdings Inc., IRVIN AEROSPACE LIMITED, IrvinGQ France SAS, IrvinGQ Limited, Janco Corporation, Johnson Liverpool LLC, Kirkhill Elastomers, Kirkhill Inc., Korry Electronics Co., Kunshan Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Leach Holding Corporation, Leach International Asia-Pacific Ltd, Leach International Corporation, Leach International Europe S.A.S., Leach International Germany GmbH, Leach International Mexico S. de R. L. de C. V., Leach International UK Ltd, Leach Mexico Holding LLC, Leach Technology Group Inc., MarathonNorco Aerospace Inc., Mason Electric Co., Mastsystem Int'l Oy, McKechnie Aerospace, McKechnie Aerospace (Europe) Ltd., McKechnie Aerospace DE Inc., McKechnie Aerospace DE LP, McKechnie Aerospace Holdings Inc., McKechnie Aerospace US LLC, Mecanismos de Matamoros S. de R.L. de C.V., NAT Seattle Inc., NMC Group Inc., Norco, Nordisk Asia Pacific Limited, Nordisk Asia Pacific Pte Ltd, Nordisk Aviation Products (Kunshan) Ltd., Nordisk Aviation Products AS, Nordisk Aviation Products LLC, North Hills Signal Processing Corp., North Hills Signal Processing Overseas LLC, Norwich Aero Products Inc., Palomar Products Inc., Pexco Aerospace, Pexco Aerospace Inc., PneuDraulics, PneuDraulics Inc., Pressure Systems International Ltd, Schneller, Schneller Asia Pte. Ltd., Schneller LLC, Schneller S.A.R.L., Schroth Safety Products, Semco Instruments, Semco Instruments Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Inc., Shield Restraint Systems Ltd., Signal Processing Matamoros S.A. de C.V., Skandia, Skandia Inc., Skurka Aerospace, Skurka Aerospace Inc., Symetrics Industries, Symetrics Industries LLC, Symetrics Technology Group LLC, TA Aerospace Co., TA Mfg Limited, TDG Bavaria GmbH, TDG ESL Holdings Inc., TDG France Ultimate Parent SAS, TDG Germany GmbH, TEAC Aerospace Holdings Inc., TEAC Aerospace Technologies Inc., Tactair Fluid Controls Inc., Takata Protection Systems, Telair International, Telair International GmbH, Telair International Services PTE Ltd, Telair US LLC, TransDigm (Barbados) SRL, TransDigm Canada ULC, TransDigm European Holdings Limited, TransDigm Ireland Ltd., TransDigm Receivables LLC, TransDigm Technologies India Private Limited, TransDigm UK Holdings plc, Transicoil (Malaysia) Sendirian Berhad, Transicoil LLC, Wallop Defence UK Limited, Weston Aerospace Ltd, Whippany Actuation Systems, Whippany Actuation Systems LLC, XCEL Power Systems Ltd., Young & Franklin, Young & Franklin Inc., and exas Rotronics Inc..

Read More
Equifax Inc. provides information solutions and human resources business process automation outsourcing services for businesses, governments, and consumers. The company operates through three segments: Workforce Solutions, U.S. Information Solutions (USIS), and International. The Workforce Solutions segment offers employment, income, criminal history, and social security number verification services, as well as payroll-based transaction, employment tax management, and identity theft protection products. The USIS segment provides consumer and commercial information services, such as credit information and credit scoring, credit modeling and portfolio analytics, locate, fraud detection and prevention, identity verification, and other consulting; mortgage services; financial marketing services; identity management services; credit monitoring products; and online information, decisioning technology solutions, as well as portfolio management, mortgage reporting, and consumer credit information services. The International segment offers information service products, which include consumer and commercial services, such as credit and financial information, and credit scoring and modeling; and credit and other marketing products and services, as well as offers information, technology, and other services to support debt collections and recovery management. The company serves customers in financial services, mortgage, employers, consumer, commercial, telecommunication, retail, automotive, utility, brokerage, healthcare, and insurance industries, as well as state, federal, and local governments. It operates in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, the United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Brazil, the Republic of Ireland, Russia, Cambodia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. The company was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
Best Buy Co., Inc. retails technology products in the United States and Canada. The company operates in two segments, Domestic and International. Its stores provide computing products, such as desktops, notebooks, and peripherals; mobile phones comprising related mobile network carrier commissions; networking products; tablets covering e-readers; smartwatches; and consumer electronics consisting of digital imaging, health and fitness, home theater, portable audio comprising headphones and portable speakers, and smart home products. The company's stores also offer appliances, such as dishwashers, laundry, ovens, refrigerators, blenders, coffee makers, and vacuums; entertainment products consisting of drones, peripherals, movies, music, and toys, as well as gaming hardware and software, and virtual reality and other software products; and other products, such as baby, food and beverage, luggage, outdoor living, and sporting goods. In addition, it provides consultation, delivery, design, health-related, installation, memberships, repair, set-up, technical support, and warranty-related services. The company offers its products through stores and websites under the Best Buy, Best Buy Ads, Best Buy Business, Best Buy Health, CST, Current Health, Geek Squad, Lively, Magnolia, Best Buy Mobile, Pacific Kitchen, Home, and Yardbird, as well as domain names bestbuy.com, currenthealth.com, lively.com, yardbird.com, and bestbuy.ca. As of January 30, 2022, it had 1,144 stores. The company was formerly known as Sound of Music, Inc. The company was incorporated in 1966 and is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota.
Meritor, Inc. designs, develops, manufactures, markets, distributes, sells, services, and supports integrated systems, modules, and components in North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. It operates through two segments, Commercial Truck, and Aftermarket and Industrial. The company offers axles, including front steer and rear drive axles for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles; heavy-duty trailer axles; suspension modules and brake products comprising drum and disc brakes; universal joints and driveline components; trailer air suspension systems and products; transfer cases and drivelines; and advanced suspension modules for use in light-, medium- and heavy-duty military tactical wheeled vehicles. It also provides air brakes, such as cam drum, wedge drum, and air disc brakes, as well as wheel-end components, including hubs, drums, and rotors to medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle manufacturers; and electric drive systems comprising electric motors and inverters, power electronics, battery pack, electrified accessories, and related software and controls for terminal tractors and medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses. In addition, the company sells other complementary products, including third-party and private label items, which include brake shoes and friction materials; automatic slack adjusters; yokes and shafts; wheel-end hubs and drums; ABS and stability control systems; shock absorbers and air springs; and air brakes. Meritor, Inc. sells its products under the Meritor, Euclid, Trucktechnic, US Gear, AxleTech, and Mach brands primarily to original equipment manufacturers, their parts marketing operations, and their dealers, as well as other independent distributors and service garages in the aftermarket industry. The company was formerly known as ArvinMeritor, Inc. and changed its name to Meritor, Inc. in March 2011. Meritor, Inc. was founded in 1909 and is headquartered in Troy, Michigan.
The following companies are subsidiares of Colgate-Palmolive: 887357 Ontario Inc., COLGALIVE S.A., CP GABA GmbH, CP International Holding C.V., CP West East Investment Limited, Cleaning Dimensions Inc., Colgate (BVI) Limited, Colgate (Guangzhou) Company Limited, Colgate (U.K.) Limited, Colgate Business Services of the Americas S.C., Colgate Flavors and Fragrances Inc., Colgate Global Business Services Private Limited, Colgate Holdings, Colgate Inc., Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals Inc., Colgate Palmolive Ghana Limited, Colgate Palmolive Holding S.Com.P.A., Colgate Palmolive Nouvelle Caledonie Sarl, Colgate Palmolive Tanzania Limited, Colgate Sanxiao Company Limited, Colgate Venture Company Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (America) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Asia) Pte Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive (Blantyre) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Brunei) Sdn Bhn, Colgate-Palmolive (Central America) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Central America) Inc. y Compania Limitada, Colgate-Palmolive (Centro America) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (China) Co. Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive (Costa Rica) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (Dominica) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Dominican Republic) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (East Africa) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Eastern) Pte. Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Egypt) S.A.E., Colgate-Palmolive (Far East) Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive (Fiji) Pte Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Gabon) S.A., Colgate-Palmolive (Guyana) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (H.K.) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Hellas) S.A. I.C., Colgate-Palmolive (Hong Kong) Holding Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Kazakhstan) L.L.P., Colgate-Palmolive (Latvia) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive (Middle East Exports) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Myanmar) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (New York) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive (Proprietary) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Research & Development) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Romania) SRL, Colgate-Palmolive (Thailand) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (UK) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Uganda) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive (Vietnam) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive (Zambia) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive (Zimbabwe) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive A.B., Colgate-Palmolive A/S, Colgate-Palmolive Adria Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Argentina S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Asia Pacific Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Asia Pacific Treasury Services Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Belgium S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Bolivia Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Canada Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Caricom Service Co. Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Central European Management Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Chile S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Cia., Colgate-Palmolive Comercial Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Commercial (Hellas) SP LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Commerciale S.A.S., Colgate-Palmolive Commericale S.r.l., Colgate-Palmolive Compania Anonima, Colgate-Palmolive Company Distr. LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Company GmbH, Colgate-Palmolive Cote dIvoire S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Cyprus Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Development Corp., Colgate-Palmolive East West Africa Region (Pty) Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive Enterprises Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Espana S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Europe (Holdings) Sarl, Colgate-Palmolive Europe Sarl, Colgate-Palmolive Finance (UK) plc, Colgate-Palmolive Global Trading Company, Colgate-Palmolive Holding Argentina S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Holding Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Hungary Kft Limited Liability Company, Colgate-Palmolive IHQ Services (Thailand) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Inc. S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Industrial Ltda., Colgate-Palmolive Industriel S.A.S., Colgate-Palmolive International Holding LLC, Colgate-Palmolive International LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Investment Co. Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (BVI) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (PNG) Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Investments (UK) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Investments Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Israel Ltd., Colgate-Palmolive Italia S.r.l., Colgate-Palmolive JSC, Colgate-Palmolive Lanka (Private) Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Latin America Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Limited, Colgate-Palmolive Manufacturing (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive Marketing Sdn Bhd, Colgate-Palmolive Maroc S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Mocambique Limitada, Colgate-Palmolive NJ Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Nederland B.V., Colgate-Palmolive Norge A/S, Colgate-Palmolive Participacoes e Investimentos Imobiliarios Lda., Colgate-Palmolive Peru S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Philippines Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Pty Ltd, Colgate-Palmolive Retirement Trustee Limited, Colgate-Palmolive S.A. de C.V., Colgate-Palmolive S.p.A., Colgate-Palmolive Senegal S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Services (Hellas) LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Services (Poland) Sp. z o.o., Colgate-Palmolive Services CEW GmbH, Colgate-Palmolive Services S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Slovensko s.r.o., Colgate-Palmolive Support Services, Colgate-Palmolive Temizlik Urunleri Sanayi ve Ticart S.A., Colgate-Palmolive Transnational Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Ukraine LLC, Colgate-Palmolive Unipessoal Lda, Colgate-Palmolive de Paraguay Sociedad Anonima, Colgate-Palmolive de Puerto Rico Inc., Colgate-Palmolive del Ecuador S.A.I.C., Colgate-Palmolive del Peru (Delaware) Inc., Colgate-Palmolive Eeska republika spol. s r.o., Colpal CBS S de R. L. de C. V., Consumer Viewpoint Center Inc., Cotelle S.A., Dimac Development Corp., Dominica Coconut Products Limited, EKIB Inc., ELM Company Limited, Elta MD Holdings Inc., Elta MD Inc., EltaMD, Filorga Americas Inc., Filorga Asia Limited, Filorga Benelux SA, Filorga Cosmetiques Polska, Filorga Middle East DMCC, Filorga Portugal Unipessoal Lda., Filorga RU Limited Liability Company, GABA Europe Holding GmbH, GABA International, GABA International Holding LLC, GABA Schweiz AG, GABA Therwil GmbH, Gamma Development Co. Ltd., Global Trading and Supply LLC, Hamol Ltd., Hello Products, Hello Products LLC, Hills Funding Company, Hills Pet Nutrition (NZ) Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Asia Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Canada Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Denmark ApS, Hills Pet Nutrition Espana S.L., Hills Pet Nutrition GmbH, Hills Pet Nutrition Holding B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Indiana Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition Italia S.r.l., Hills Pet Nutrition Korea Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Ltd., Hills Pet Nutrition Manufacturing B.V., Hills Pet Nutrition Manufacturing s.r.o, Hills Pet Nutrition Norway AS, Hills Pet Nutrition OOO, Hills Pet Nutrition Pty. Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition S.p.A., Hills Pet Nutrition SNC, Hills Pet Nutrition Sales Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition South Africa Proprietary Limited, Hills Pet Nutrition Sweden AB, Hills Pet Nutrition Switzerland GmbH, Hills Pet Nutrition Taiwan Ltd, Hills Pet Nutrition Trading (GZ) Co. Ltd, Hills Pet Nutrition de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Hills Pet Nutrition de Puerto Rico Inc., Hills Pet Nutrition s.r.o., Hills Pet Products (Benelux) S.A., Hills Pet Products Inc., Hills Veterinary Companies of America Inc., Hills-Colgate (Japan) Ltd., Hopro Liquidating Corp., Hygiene Systemes et Services SA, IES Enterprises Inc., Inmobiliaria Colpal S. de R.L. de C.V., Inmobiliaria Hills S.A. de C.V., Innovacion Creativa S.A. de C.V., Kolynos Corporation, Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques Espana S.L.U., Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques Italia S.R.L., Laboratoires Filorga Cosmetiques S.A., Laser Brand Toothpaste, Lournay Sales Inc., Mennen Company, Mennen Interamerica Ltd., Mennen Limited, Mennen South Africa Ltd., Mennen de Chile Ltd., Mennen de Nicargua S.A., Mission Hills Property Corporation, Mission Hills S.A. de C.V., Norwood International Incorporated, Olive Music Publishing Corporation, PCA SKIN, Paramount Research Inc., Penny LLC, Pet Chemicals Inc., Physicians Care Alliance LLC, Productos Halogenados Copalven C.A., Purity Holding Company, Purity Music Publishing Corporation, Refresh Company Limited, Samuel Taylor Holdings B.V., Sanex, Sanxiao Company Limited, Services Development Co. Ltd., Societe Generale de Negoce et de Services (GENESE) S.A., The GDN - The Global Distributive Network SAS, The Lournay Company Inc., The MPDP - The Medical and Pharmaceutic Distributive Platform SAS, The Murphy-Phoenix Company, Tom's of Maine, Toms of Maine Holdings Inc., Toms of Maine Inc., Veterinary Companies of America Inc., Vipont Pharmaceutical Inc., and XEB Inc..

Read More
Energizer Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, markets, and distributes household batteries, specialty batteries, and lighting products worldwide. It offers lithium, alkaline, carbon zinc, nickel metal hydride, zinc air, and silver oxide batteries under the Energizer and Eveready brands, as well as primary, rechargeable, specialty, and hearing aid batteries. The company also provides headlights, lanterns, and children's and area lights, as well as flash lights under the Energizer, Eveready, Rayovac, Hard Case, Dolphin, Varta, and WeatherReady brands. In addition, it licenses the Energizer and Eveready brands to companies developing consumer solutions in gaming, automotive batteries, portable power for critical devices, LED light bulbs, generators, power tools, household light bulbs, and other lighting products. Further, the company designs and markets automotive fragrance and appearance products, including protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products, air fresheners, and washes to clean, shine, refresh, and protect interior and exterior automobile surfaces under the brand names of Armor All, Nu Finish, Refresh Your Car!, LEXOL, Eagle One, California Scents, Driven, and Bahama & Co; STP branded fuel and oil additives, functional fluids, and other performance chemical products; and do-it-yourself automotive air conditioning recharge products under the A/C PRO brand name, as well as other refrigerant and recharge kits, sealants, and accessories. It sells its products through direct sales force, distributors, and wholesalers; and through various retail and business-to-business channels, including mass merchandisers, club, electronics, food, home improvement, dollar store, auto, drug, hardware, e-commerce, convenience, sporting goods, hobby/craft, office, industrial, medical, and catalog. Energizer Holdings, Inc. was incorporated in 2015 and is headquartered in Saint Louis, Missouri.
EPAM Systems, Inc. provides digital platform engineering and software development services worldwide. The company offers engineering services, including requirements analysis and platform selection, customization, cross-platform migration, implementation, and integration; infrastructure management services, such as software development, testing, and maintenance with private, public, and mobile infrastructures for application, database, network, server, storage, and systems operations management, as well as monitoring, incident notification, and resolution services; and maintenance and support services. It also provides operation solutions comprising integrated engineering practices and smart automation; and optimization solutions that include software application testing, test management, automation, and consulting services to enable customers enhance their existing software testing and quality assurance practices, as well as other testing services that identify threats and close loopholes to protect its customers' business systems from information loss. In addition, the company offers business, experience, technology, data, and technical advisory consulting services; and digital and service design solutions, which comprise strategy, design, creative, and program management services, as well as physical product development, such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and virtual reality. It serves the financial services, travel and consumer, software and hi-tech, business information and media, life sciences and healthcare, and other industries. The company was founded in 1993 and is headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
PARIS -- Kari Rajkumar, a portrait artist from Paris, was chosen as the recipient of the Governors Choice Award (aka Best in Show) in the Professional Art Exhibition held in conjunction with the 2017 Illinois State Fair, for her oil painting, titled Autumn Walk.

According to a press release, Rajkumar's award-winning piece measures 5 feet by 3 feet and features a young man in princely attire alongside a glossy black horse. At 28 years of age, Rajkumar is one of the youngest recipients of this award in the Professional Division.

The juror for the Professional Art Exhibition this year was Henry Moy, director of the Museum of the Red River, a soon-to-be 43,000-square-foot complex located in Idabel, Okla.

The Professional Art Exhibition was on display inside the historic Artisans Building located on the IL State Fairgrounds in Springfield from Aug. 10-20.

Rajkumar, who is primarily self-taught, works principally in graphite, pastel, and oil. She has built a reputation as a fine draftsman, with a love of rendering details. Her works have appeared in such notable publications as Artists Magazine, Pastel Journal, and Southwest Art Magazine.

Autumn Walk, as well as more of this artists work, can be viewed on her website, www.karirajkumar.com, or find her on Facebook.
Chorus Aviation Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides various aviation support services in the United States and Canada. The company operates through two segments, Regional Aviation Services and Regional Aircraft Leasing. The Regional Aviation Services segment includes all three sectors of the regional aviation, such as contract flying, including ACMI and charter operations; aircraft leasing; and maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as part sales and technical services. The Regional Aircraft Leasing segment provides aircraft leasing to third-party air operators. As of December 31, 2021, this segment's portfolio of leased aircraft consisted of 62 aircraft of which 56 aircraft were on lease to airline customers, such as 23 Dash 8-400s, 18 ATR72-600s, four CRJ1000s, four E190s, two E195s and five A220-300s. The company was formerly known as Jazz Air Income Fund and changed its name to Chorus Aviation Inc. in January 2011. Chorus Aviation Inc. was incorporated in 2010 and is based in Dartmouth, Canada.
Humana Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a health and well-being company in the United States. It operates through three segments: Retail, Group and Specialty, and Healthcare Services. The company offers medical and supplemental benefit plans to individuals. It also has a contract with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to administer the Limited Income Newly Eligible Transition prescription drug plan program; and contracts with various states to provide Medicaid, dual eligible, and long-term support services benefits. In addition, the company provides commercial fully insured medical and specialty health insurance benefits comprising dental, vision, and other supplemental health benefits; and administrative services only products to individuals and employer groups, as well as military services, such as TRICARE T2017 East Region contract. Further, it offers pharmacy solutions, provider services, and home solutions services, such as home health and other services to its health plan members, as well as to third parties. As of December 31, 2021, the company had approximately 17 million members in medical benefit plans, as well as approximately 5 million members in specialty products. Humana Inc. was founded in 1961 and is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology has four unique artists in its fall show, and this show spans three different east-side-of-campus buildings: Moench Hall, Hadley Hall, and Myers Technology Building.

According to a press release, local and regional artists Erin Alise Blitz, Wyatt LeGrand, Debbie Anderson, and Sandy Fisher are featured.

Rose-Hulman's campus is just over an hour drive from Charleston and roughly 54 miles in distance. Right off of U.S. Route 40, the address for the school is 5500 Wabash Ave., Terre Haute, Ind. Visitor parking is available on campus, and the show is free and open to the public as it is featured in the open hallways of the classroom buildings.

Visitors to the exhibit are welcome to campus between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. The show will remain on exhibit from Aug. 31 to Dec. 20, and an artist reception will take place on Dec. 7 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on the first and second floors of Moench Hall. Visitors to the reception have a special opportunity to meet the artists of the show, who will be in attendance. Refreshments will be provided.

Charleston's own Erin Alise Blitz is featured in Hadley Hall on the second floor. Blitz has always been drawn to geometric figures and visual repetition. Since discovering fused glass, she has found it to be the best medium for expressing her love of pattern. Blitz enjoys the process, the step by step progression of building a work of art. Fused glass fulfills this need.

Her background, perhaps not surprising to those who view this exhibition, is in ceramic tilework. Blitz received her MA at Eastern Illinois University in 2000 with the study and creation of a large tile installation. At the time she was dealing with issues of preciousness. She found multiples not only her preferred design component, but comforting. If something blew up in the kiln she always had more.

For a number of reasons Blitz began experimenting with fused glass in 2008. The transition was rapid. The precision of construction, the necessary experimentation, and the amazing range of techniques sucked her in. She says, "I found it curious that I would find a medium seemingly so fragile, so appealing. In my case the rate of failure is much higher when working with glass than in clay, but Ive found the results more satisfying."

Blitz's current work still explores visual repetition. As her work matures she imagines the patterns will remain in one form or another, but she looks forward to expanding that definition, finding rhythm in the less obvious. There is more work to be done, more skills to master, more glass to break, and more fingers to bleed.

Moench Hall's first floor features Wyatt LeGrand, is a painter and teacher from Bloomfield, Ind. After graduating from Indiana University in 2009, he returned to his hometown and began pursuing painting and teaching as a career. LeGrand is currently the visual arts teacher for grades 7-12 at Bloomfield Jr./Sr. High School. In addition to teaching and working from his Bloomfield studio, LeGrand regularly travels to paint on location, including annual plein air excursions to the western states.

LeGrands work has been regularly exhibited across the country, recognized by the Oil Painters of America, American Impressionist Society, and in September 2016, acknowledged by Southwest Art Magazine in their annual 21 Under 31 feature. Of his work, LeGrand says, "This group of work features sentimental subjects that have become increasingly prevalent in my paintings; my wife, my grandparents, my home, and my travels. While the search for excitement and new subjects is a thrill, being away from home has had a lasting impact on my views of life here in Indiana. As I learned with my grandparents in their final years, I continue to discover through my own travels that defining what you love is often dependent upon finding what you cant live without."

You'll find Debbie Anderson's work on Moench Hall's second floor. Anderson, an intarsia (inlaid wood) artist, was raised in Terre Haute, Ind., and now resides in Parke Country. After taking intarsia lessons from Charlie Girton in the fall of 1999, Anderson fell in love with wood as an art medium. Anderson designs doors, murals, portraits and abstract pieces. Anderson has won numerous Best of Show and first-place awards. She holds degrees in Art Education and Physical Education.

Anderson taught Physical Ed for Vigo County School Corporation for over 20 years and has retired from teaching at Lost Creek where her two granddaughters were among her students. She has been married to Joe for nearly 40 years, and hes her biggest critic and fan and "carry the heavy art guy!" The granddaughters belong to their son, Tom, and daughter-in-law, Tanya. Tom also helps to carry the heavy art sometimes.

For those unfamiliar with intarsia as an art medium, intarsia is a woodworking technique that uses varied shapes, sizes, and species of wood fitted together to create a mosaic-like picture with an illusion of depth.

Fisher is featured in Myers Technology Building on the second floor. Fisher is a lifelong resident of Terre Haute. She has been painting since she was very young. She is mostly self-taught, but in recent years she has been mentored by local artist Pat Grigg, who has encouraged her to share her world with the public.

Fisher has traveled through many states studying Native American culture from Alaska to the Carolinas. She has shown her series of paintings depicting Native American life, and other subjects, in our Native American Museum here in Terre Haute, The Shawnee Theatre in Bloomfield, the Gaslight Art Colony in Marshall and various other places.

Fisher said she feels deeply that the Lord has been with her guiding her hand as she paints. She is humbled to realize that what she has created on canvas is enjoyed by others, and she has reached heights in her art that she never imagined.

For more information, contact Christy Brinkman-Robertson, art curator, at brinkman@rose-hulman.edu or 812-877-8523.
GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the creation, discovery, development, manufacture, and marketing of pharmaceutical products, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through four segments: Pharmaceuticals, Pharmaceuticals R&D, Vaccines, and Consumer Healthcare. The company offers pharmaceutical products comprising medicines in the therapeutic areas, such as respiratory, HIV, immuno-inflammation, oncology, anti-viral, central nervous system, cardiovascular and urogenital, metabolic, anti-bacterial, and dermatology. It also provides consumer healthcare products in wellness, oral health, nutrition, and skin health categories. The company offers its consumer healthcare products in the form of nasal sprays, tablets, syrups, lozenges, gum and trans-dermal patches, caplets, infant syrup drops, liquid filled suspension, wipes, gels, effervescents, toothpastes, toothbrushes, mouthwashes, denture adhesives and cleansers, topical creams and non-medicated patches, lip balm, gummies, and soft chews. It has collaboration agreements with 23andMe; Lyell Immunopharma, Inc.; Novartis; Sanofi SA; Surface Oncology; Progentec Diagnostics, Inc.; Alector, Inc.; and CureVac AG., as well as strategic partnership with IDEAYA Biosciences, Inc. and Vir Biotechnology, Inc. The company was formerly known as GlaxoSmithKline plc and changed its name to GSK plc in May 2022. GSK plc was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Brentford, the United Kingdom.
Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (NYSE:ARE), an S&P 500<sup></sup> urban office real estate investment trust ("REIT"), is the first, longest-tenured, and pioneering owner, operator, and developer uniquely focused on collaborative life science, technology, and agtech campuses in AAA innovation cluster locations, with a total market capitalization of $31.9 billion as of December 31, 2020, and an asset base in North America of 49.7 million square feet ("SF"). The asset base in North America includes 31.9 million RSF of operating properties and 3.3 million RSF of Class A properties undergoing construction, 7.1 million RSF of near-term and intermediate-term development and redevelopment projects, and 7.4 million SF of future development projects. Founded in 1994, Alexandria pioneered this niche and has since established a significant market presence in key locations, including Greater Boston, San Francisco, New York City, San Diego, Seattle, Maryland, and Research Triangle. Alexandria has a longstanding and proven track record of developing Class A properties clustered in urban life science, technology, and agtech campuses that provide our innovative tenants with highly dynamic and collaborative environments that enhance their ability to successfully recruit and retain world-class talent and inspire productivity, efficiency, creativity, and success. Alexandria also provides strategic capital to transformative life science, technology, and agtech companies through our venture capital platform. We believe our unique business model and diligent underwriting ensure a high-quality and diverse tenant base that results in higher occupancy levels, longer lease terms, higher rental income, higher returns, and greater long-term asset value.
Citigroup Inc. is one of the worlds largest financial institutions. It is the 13th largest bank globally by assets and 8th by market cap with operations in consumer and institutional banking. In the US, Citigroup is the 3rd largest bank by assets and one of the Big Four deemed systemically important and too big to fail.

Citigroup Inc. was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York. The bank was run by Samuel Osgood who led the company with success for many years, even throughout the War of 1812. The bank was later renamed the National City Bank of New York in 1865 and by 1895 is the largest bank in the US. In 1913 it was the first contributor to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and a few years later it began to expand into overseas territories.

The bank became the First National City Bank of New York after another merger in 1955 and then later, the New York part was dropped off as part of the 150th-anniversary celebration. By 1974 the company is known as Citicorp which is still the operational branch of the business and a global banking powerhouse. A merger with Travelers insurance group in 1998 resulted in the name Citigroup but the joint venture did not last. By 2002 Travelers was publicly traded once again but Citigroup retained the new name.

Today, the company is headquartered in New York, New York but boasts more than 200 million customer accounts in 160 countries worldwide. As of mid-2022, it operated 2,649 branches in the United States, Mexico, and Asia. The company reports nearly 725 branches in the US and 1499 in Mexico with the rest scattered throughout its territory. Total annual revenue topped $75 billion in 2022.

Citigroup is a diversified financial services holding company that owns Citicorp among other assets. The companys mission is to serve as a trusted partner providing responsible financial solutions to its clients. Citigroup provides financial products and services to consumers, corporations, governments, and institutions. The company operates in two segments, Global Consumer Banking (GCB) and Institutional Clients Group (ICG).

The GCB segment offers traditional banking services including deposit and saving accounts, credit cards, personal loans, home loans, and investment services. This segment operates through local branches and digital means. The ICG segment offers wholesale banking products and services to corporate, institutional, public sector, and high-net-worth clients.
SPRINGFIELD -- The American Red Cross is mounting a massive relief effort due to the most deadly and devastating hurricane forecast to strike the United States in over a decade.

The Red Cross is mobilizing hundreds of trained Red Cross disaster relief workers, truckloads of kitchen supplies as well as tens of thousands of ready-to-eat meals to support this response effort. Trailers full of shelter supplies including cots and blankets -- enough to support more than 20,000 people -- are scheduled to arrive in Texas.

As part of the response effort, the American Red Cross serving South Central Illinois has deployed two volunteers and will be deploying additional volunteers into this week.

More than 40 Red Cross emergency response vehicles have been activated including the emergency response vehicles from Springfield and Herrin. Volunteer driving teams from Springfield and Herrin left over the weekend and drove the emergency response vehicles to the Houston area.

The Red Cross is also working in close collaboration with government officials and community partners in both Texas and Louisiana to coordinate potential response efforts.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The Red Cross depends on financial donations to be able to provide disaster relief immediately. Help people affected by Hurricane Harvey by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

The Red Cross honors donor intent. Donors can designate their donation to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts by choosing that option when donating on redcross.org or on 1-800-RED CROSS. The best way to ensure your donation will go to a specific disaster is to write the specific disaster name in the memo line of a check. We also recommend completing and mailing the donation form on redcross.org with your check.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

For more information, visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit them on Twitter at @RedCross.
Pure Storage, Inc. provides data storage technologies, products, and services in the United States and internationally. The company's Purity software is shared across its products and provides enterprise-class data services, such as data reduction, data protection, and encryption, as well as storage protocols, including block, file, and object. Its products portfolio includes FlashArray for block-oriented storage, addressing databases, applications, virtual machines, and other traditional workloads; FlashArray//XL; and FlashArray//C, an all-QLC flash array. The company also provides FlashBlade, a solution for unstructured data workloads of various types; FlashStack that combines compute, network, and storage to provide an infrastructure platform; FlashRecover, an all-flash modern data-protection solution; and AIRI, a full-stack AI-ready infrastructure. In addition, it offers evergreen storage subscription, Pure as-a-Service, and Cloud Block Store, as well as Portworx a cloud-native Kubernetes data management solution It also offers technical and professional, training and education, and certification services. The company sells its products and subscription services through direct sales force and channel partners. The company was formerly known as OS76, Inc. and changed its name to Pure Storage, Inc. in January 2010. Pure Storage, Inc. was incorporated in 2009 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.
OAKLAND (JG-TC) -- A car ran off the road, struck a building and caused a natural gas leak early Monday afternoon on the west side of Oakland.

Chief Kyley Willison of the Oakland Fire Protection District said firefighters were dispatched at 12:30 p.m. Monday in response to a report of a gas odor in the vicinity of Illinois Route 133 and West Main Street. He said they found that an eastbound car on Route 133 had run off of the road, traveled through a soybean field, and struck an unoccupied building belonging to Brad Lee Home Improvement.

Willison said the collision broke a natural gas line at the building. He said an Ameren Illinois crew repaired the broken line and no evacuations were needed due to the leak. Willison said the driver and passenger declined medical treatment by ambulance crews at the scene.

The Oakland Police Department is handling the car crash report. Firefighters were on scene for approximately two hours.
Cardinal Health, Inc. operates as an integrated healthcare services and products company in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It provides customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, physician offices, and patients in the home. The company operates in two segments, Pharmaceutical and Medical. The Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical, and over-the-counter healthcare and consumer products. The segment also provides services to pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare providers for specialty pharmaceutical products; operates nuclear pharmacies and radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facilities; repackages generic pharmaceuticals and over-the-counter healthcare products; and offers medication therapy management and patient outcomes services to hospitals, other healthcare providers, and payers, as well as provides pharmacy management services to hospitals. The Medical segment manufactures, sources, and distributes Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical, and laboratory products and devices that include exam and surgical gloves; needles, syringe, and sharps disposals; compressions; incontinences; nutritional delivery products; wound care products; single-use surgical drapes, gowns, and apparels; fluid suction and collection systems; urology products; operating room supply products; and electrode product lines. The segment also distributes a range of national brand products, including medical, surgical, and laboratory products; provides supply chain services and solutions to hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories, and other healthcare providers; and assembles and sells sterile, and non-sterile procedure kits. The company was incorporated in 1979 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.
Robert Half International Inc. provides staffing and risk consulting services in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through three segments: Temporary and Consultant Staffing, Permanent Placement Staffing, and Risk Consulting and Internal Audit Services. It places temporary services for accounting, finance, and bookkeeping; temporary and full-time office and administrative personnel consisting of executive and administrative assistants, receptionists, and customer service representatives; full-time accounting, financial, tax, and accounting operations personnel; and information technology contract professionals and full-time employees in the areas of platform systems integration to end-user technical and desktop support, including specialists in application development, networking and cloud, systems integration and deployment, database design and administration, and security and business continuity. The company also offers temporary and full-time employees in attorney, paralegal, legal administrative, and legal secretarial positions; and senior-level project professionals in the accounting and finance fields for financial systems conversions, expansion into new markets, business process re-engineering, business systems performance improvement, and post-merger financial consolidation. It is involved in serving professionals in the areas of creative, design, marketing, advertising, and public relations; and placing various positions, such as creative directors, graphics designers, web designers, media buyers, front end developers, copywriters, digital marketing managers, marketing analytics specialists, brand managers, and public relations specialists. The company provides internal audit, technology consulting, risk and compliance consulting, and business performance services. It serves clients and employment candidates. Robert Half International Inc. was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.
CHARLESTON -- A man who didn't show up for his sentencing hearing for a conviction for planning to sell marijuana received a four-year prison sentence.

Reginald X. Burpo was sentenced in absentia for a charge of possession of cannabis with intent to deliver for which a jury returned a guilty verdict in June.

Burpo, 27, for whom court records list an address of an apartment at 1812 12th St., Charleston, was arrested on March 6 after police found marijuana in his vehicle and he admitted planning to sell it, according to records in his case.

After ordering the prison term, Coles County Circuit Judge Brien O'Brien issued a no-bond warrant for Burpo's arrest. Burpo was allowed to remain free on bond after the jury returned its guilty verdict.

Burpo represented himself in the case and after the trial filed a document he styled as a "constitutional challenge" to the conviction.

At sentencing, O'Brien stated that he wouldn't consider the document and based the sentence on Assistant State's Attorney Joy Wolf's recommendation.

Burpo took a similar route during the trial, when he didn't present any evidence.

Instead, his contention was that he didn't do anything illegal, claiming state law against having marijuana conflicted with federal laws. O'Brien granted prosecution objections to Burpo's proposed jury instructions based on that argument, however.

In addition to ordering the prison time, O'Brien included payment of about $1,400 in fines and court fees in the sentence.

Burpo's conviction could have resulted in a prison sentence of two to five years, through prison time wasn't required.

According to records in the case, officers with the East Central Illinois Task Force drug investigation unit and Mattoon police located and stopped Burpo's vehicle because of a warrant from an earlier case.

The search that followed led to the discovery of just more than four ounces of marijuana and several hundred dollars in cash, which Burpo later admitted were both for drug sales, the records say.

Another case charging Burpo with possession of cannabis with intent to deliver remains pending. In that case, he's accused of having marijuana he planned to sell on Dec. 17 and Jan. 11.
SunTrust Banks, Inc. operates as the holding company for SunTrust Bank that provides various financial services for consumers, businesses, corporations, institutions, and not-for-profit entities in the United States. It operates in two segments, Consumer and Wholesale. The Consumer segment provides deposits and payments; home equity and personal credit lines; auto, student, and other lending products; credit cards; discount/online and full-service brokerage products; professional investment advisory products and services; and trust services, as well as family office solutions. This segment also offers residential mortgage products in the secondary market. The Wholesale segment provides capital markets solutions, including advisory, capital raising, and financial risk management; asset-based financing solutions, such as securitizations, asset-based lending, equipment financing, and structured real estate arrangements; cash management services and auto dealer financing solutions; investment banking solutions; and credit and deposit, fee-based product offering, multi-family agency lending, advisory, commercial mortgage brokerage, and tailored financing and equity investment solutions. This segment also offers treasury and payment solutions, such as operating various electronic and paper payment types, which comprise card, wire transfer, automated clearing house, check, and cash; and provides services clients to manage their accounts online. The company offers its products and services through a network of traditional and in-store branches, automated teller machines, Internet, mobile, and telephone banking channels. As of December 31, 2018, it operated 1,218 full-service banking offices located in Florida, Georgia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia. SunTrust Banks, Inc. was founded in 1891 and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
MATTOON -- Protestors held an approximately hour-long "silent vigil" at a booth selling Confederate flags at the Cross County Mall before they were asked to leave this private property Sunday afternoon.

Protest participant Shirley Bell said she and others have voiced concerns to the mall in the past about flea market booths selling Confederate flag items, including some containing violent messages, according to Bell. She said they decided to hold a "silent vigil" following protests involving white supremacist groups that turned deadly on Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, Va.

Approximately 10 protestors attended this vigil at 1 p.m. Sunday, including some from Saturday's United Against Hate rally in Charleston. Bell said they do not want any booths to leave the mall; they just want them to stop selling Confederate flag items.

"You don't need to sell hate. We don't want to be your target audience," Bell said. She added that the sight of these symbols of the slave-holding Confederacy is particularly hurtful to African-American community members.

Bell said the vigil participants did not shout slogans, interact with passersby or carry protest signs as they stood in front of an empty storefront near the booth. She said their presence did catch the vendor's attention.

Mattoon police Chief Jeff Branson said officers were dispatched at 1:23 p.m. in response to a report of approximately 10 individuals causing a disturbance with a vendor. He said the officers were sent at the request of the mall's management and were asked to have the individuals leave this private property.

He said the officers told the individuals that they needed to go to nearby public right of way if they wanted to continue protesting.

"Everyone left without incident. No arrests were made," Branson said.

Bell said the police officers were friendly, respectful and polite as they spoke to her group. She said the officers advised them that they could face charges of non-disorderly trespassing if they did not leave the mall property.

The management of the mall could not be reached for comment Sunday afternoon. The flea market vendor declined to comment.

Vigil participant Sue Dhermy of Mattoon said she and other community members will continue to push for the mall to prohibit flea market vendors from selling Confederate flag items there.

"We are not going to stop until the hate and bigotry is brought to light," Dhermy said. She added that she also has concerns about flea market vendors selling switch blades and throwing stars, which are highly restricted in Illinois.
Varian Medical Systems, Inc. designs, manufactures, sells, and services medical devices and software products for treating cancer and other medical conditions worldwide. It operates through Oncology Systems and Proton Solutions segments. The Oncology Systems segment offers hardware and software products for treating cancer with radiotherapy, fixed field intensity-modulated radiation therapy, image-guided radiation therapy, volumetric modulated arc therapy, stereotactic radiosurgery, stereotactic body radiotherapy, artificial intelligence based adaptive radiotherapy, and brachytherapy, as well as quality assurance equipment. Its products include linear accelerators, brachytherapy afterloaders, treatment accessories, and quality assurance software; and information management, treatment planning, image processing, clinical knowledge exchange, patient care management, decision-making support, and practice management software. This segment serves university research and community hospitals, private and governmental institutions, healthcare agencies, physicians' offices, medical oncology practices, radiotherapy centers, and cancer care clinics. The Proton Solutions segment designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and services products and systems for delivering proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. The company has a strategic agreement with McKesson Corp. to supply treatment delivery systems and planning, services, and radiotherapy information system solutions to its U.S. Oncology Network and Vantage Oncology affiliated sites of care; and a strategic partnership with Siemens AG to represent Siemens diagnostic imaging products to radiation oncology clinics in the United States and other select markets. Varian Medical Systems, Inc. was formerly known as Varian Associates, Inc. and changed its name to Varian Medical Systems, Inc. in April 1999. The company was founded in 1948 and is headquartered in Palo Alto, California.
White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance and other financial services in the United States. The company operates through five segments: HG Global/BAM, Ark, NSM, Kudu, and Other Operations. The HG Global/BAM segment provides insurance on municipal bonds issued to finance public purposes, such as schools, utilities, and transportation facilities, as well as reinsurance protection services. The Ark segment writes a portfolio of reinsurance and insurance, including property, marine and energy, accident and health, casualty, and specialty products. The NSM segment operates as a managing general agent and program administrator for specialty property and casualty insurance to various sectors comprising specialty transportation, real estate, social services, and pet. The Kudu segment provides capital solutions to boutique asset and wealth managers for generational ownership transfers, management buyouts, acquisitions and growth finances, and legacy partner liquidity, as well as strategic assistance to investees. The Other Operations segment offers insurance solutions to travel industry through broker channel and on a direct-to-consumer basis; and manages separate accounts and pooled investment vehicles for insurance-linked securities sectors, including catastrophe bonds, collateralized reinsurance investments, and industry loss warranties of third-party clients. White Mountains Insurance Group, Ltd. was incorporated in 1980 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.
Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc. provides home and security products for residential home repair, remodeling, new construction, and security applications. It operates in three segments: Plumbing, Outdoors & Security, and Cabinets. The Plumbing segment manufactures, assembles, and sells faucets, accessories, kitchen sinks, and waste disposals under the Moen, ROHL, Riobel, Victoria+Albert, Perrin & Rowe, and Shaws brands in the United States, China, Canada, Mexico, Southeast Asia, Europe, and South America directly through its own sales force, as well as through independent manufacturers' representatives to wholesalers, home centers, mass merchandisers, and industrial distributors. The Outdoors & Security segment offers fiberglass and steel entry door systems under the Therma-Tru brand; storm, screen, and security doors under the Larson brand; composite decking and railing under the Fiberon brand; and urethane millwork under the Fypon brand. This segment also manufactures, sources, and distributes locks, safety and security devices, and electronic security products under the Master Lock and American Lock brands; and fire resistant safes, security containers, and commercial cabinets under the SentrySafe brand. It serves home centers, hardware and other retailers, millwork building products and wholesale distributors, specialty dealers, and remodeling and renovation markets, as well as locksmiths, industrial and institutional users, and original equipment manufacturers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Central America, Japan, and Australia. The Cabinets segment manufactures custom, semi-custom, and custom cabinetry, as well as vanities for the kitchen, bath, and other parts of the home directly to kitchen and bath dealers, home centers, wholesalers, and builders in North America under the AOK, Diamond Brands, Homecrest, Kitchen Craft, Omega, and EVE brands. The company was incorporated in 1988 and is headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois.
EFFINGHAM (JG-TC) -- John Boos & Co., the producer of Boos Block cutting boards and butcher blocks, plans to open a new, $16 million plant on Tuesday in Effingham, according to a press release.

In conjunction with the grand opening at 3 p.m., many former Boos employees will join with the companys current 240 staff members and with local dignitaries to celebrate the production of the companys 13 millionth butcher block at that time.

John Boos & Co. reported in a press release that Boos Blocks are used in restaurants, food service facilities, and home kitchens around the world. Boos Blocks are used by Gordon Ramsay, Bobby Flay, Trisha Yearwood and other celebrity chefs on cooking programs. The Boos brand is sold through gourmet retailers in the United States and exported overseas.

These cutting boards were originally crafted from hard rock maple in a process developed by Boos in 1887. The new production facility contains automated equipment, but the company reported that production will still rely on their proprietary process. John Boos reported that it maintains National Hardwood Lumber Association certification, and is committed to sourcing renewable and sustainable hardwoods in the USA.

Effingham has been home to the Boos brand since its founding, and company President Joe Emmerich said in the press release that was central to the companys decision to remain here.

Effingham area craftsmen and women have been dedicated to refining the art of making Boos boards since 1887. We are committed to making our products right here, where we were founded, Emmerich said. When we contemplated where to build our new wood plant, our shareholders agreed that Boos belongs in Effingham.

The new 116,000-square-foot plant will produce a variety of Boos Block cutting boards, as well as commercial and industrial counter tops. The construction of the new wood plant was financed by Midland States Bank Corp.

John Boos' new plant is located in a 27-acre Effingham campus that includes the company's stainless steel facility, as well as the corporate headquarters. Boos stainless steel product lines include sinks, prep tables, and other furnishings for the commercial food service market. The John Boos Factory Showroom will remain in its current location at 507 E. Fayette Ave.

Effingham Mayor Jeff Bloemker said in the press release that the impact John Boos has had on the Effingham area economy is immeasurable.

"As Effinghams most time-honored industry, the company has created numerous jobs and contributed countless dollars to the livelihood of the area. We congratulate John Boos on completing this great new complex, and we wish them success in the years to come, Bloemker said.

John Boos & Co. is one of the oldest manufacturers of premium quality butcher blocks in the United States. The company has been in business in Effingham continuously since 1887. Company founder Conrad Boos, working in his blacksmith shop, produced what would become the original Boos Block.

Conrad Boos harvested sycamore from local wooded areas, processed it in his sawmill, and then brought it to his blacksmith shop for finishing. That first block of sycamore was placed on three legs to absorb the shock of a blacksmiths hammer. A local butcher saw and admired Conrad Boos block and requested one for his meat market. Conrads son, John, adapted the idea and sold the first Boos Block.
Xylem Inc., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and servicing of engineered products and solutions for the water and wastewater applications in the United States, Europe, the Asia Pacific, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Water Infrastructure, Applied Water, and Measurement & Control Solutions. The Water Infrastructure segment offers various products, including water, storm water, and wastewater pumps; controls and systems; filtration, disinfection, and biological treatment equipment; and mobile dewatering equipment under the Flygt, Godwin, Wedeco, Sanitaire, Leopold, Wedeco, and Xylem Vue brand names for the transportation and treatment of water. The Applied Water segment provides pumps, valves, heat exchangers, controls, and dispensing equipment systems under the Goulds Water Technology, Bell & Gossett, A-C Fire Pump, Standard Xchange, Lowara, Jabsco, Xylem Vue and Flojet brand names for residential and commercial building services, and industrial water applications. The Measurement & Control Solutions segment provides smart meters, networked communication devices, and measurement and control technologies, as well as critical infrastructure technologies. It also offers software and services, including cloud-based analytics, remote monitoring and data management, leak detection, condition assessment, asset management, and pressure monitoring solutions, as well as testing equipment and managed services. This segment sells its products under the Pure, Sensus, Smith Blair, WTW, Xylem Vue, and YSI brand names. The company markets and sells its products through a network of direct sales force, resellers, distributors, and value-added solution providers. Xylem Inc. was formerly known as ITT WCO, Inc. and changed its name to Xylem Inc. in May 2011. The company. was incorporated in 2011 and is headquartered in Rye Brook, New York.
Nebraska Home Sales is pleased to welcome Tim Reckling and Aaron Fuller.

Tim Reckling has partnered up with Rich Rodenburg and Kim Soucie. Over the past couple years he has been working behind the scenes facilitating closings for buyers and sellers, insuring closings go smoothly. As a realtor, Reckling's goal is to take the stress out and make the buying and/or selling process enjoyable. Tim Reckling invites anyone seeking professional real estate services to contact him at 402.660.0473.

Aaron Fuller was born and raised in Nebraska. After two years of college he joined the United States Marine Corps, where he served in the Artillery Field as a fire direction control man. He also started and ran a successful trucking company for about eight years. Fuller has been in real estate since 2014 and his motto is to treat his clients the way he wants to be treated with honesty and integrity. Aaron Fuller invites anyone seeking residential and commercial real estate services to contact him at 402.326.0244.

Nebraska Home Sales is a locally owned and operated full service real estate company. Nebraska Home Sales is Lincoln's top producing agent owned real estate company. Our full service and expert agents are what sets us apart. Go to www.nebhomesales.com or call 402.489.9071 for more info.
While other railroads are cutting jobs, BSNF Railway is bringing workers back.

The Berkshire Hathaway-owned railroad, which is one of the largest employers in Lincoln, has recalled about 4,000 of the nearly 5,000 workers it furloughed in 2015 and early 2016.

A BNSF spokesman told Reuters news service that increases in coal and grain shipments along with upticks in intermodal containers and trailers have led to the need to recall workers.

BNSF reported earlier this month that coal shipment volumes were up 20.7 percent in the second quarter and 19.5 percent in the first half of the year compared with the same periods in 2016. The railroad also reported solid volume increases for agricultural, industrial and consumer products.

Despite the recalls of furloughed workers, BNSF has still cut its workforce by 6,000 since 2014, more than any other U.S. railroad except CSX Corp., which has cut 7,000 workers over the same period, including about 2,300 this year.

Union Pacific, which recently announced it is cutting 750 positions, mostly at its corporate headquarters in Omaha, has reduced its workforce by about 5,000 workers during the same time frame.

Before announcing the furloughs, BNSF had about 5,000 employees in Nebraska, including about 2,000 in Lincoln.

The company never revealed how many state and local employees were furloughed, and it is not detailing where workers have been called back.

"We continually match our workforce to better align with anticipated business demand and traffic volumes, which varies by location. We have called back employees in areas where we have seen traffic volumes grow, but are not disclosing breakdowns by region or state," Amy Casas, BNSF's director of corporate communications, told the Journal Star in an email.

However, the BNSF spokesman who spoke to Reuters said that fewer workers have been recalled along traditional coal routes in the lower Midwest, which presumably would include Nebraska.
The British Chambers of Commerce is calling on the government to ensure no new upfront costs or taxes for business in this parliament to ensure the UK remains an attractive and competitive environment going forward, after a survey released on Friday found that four out of every five businesses have seen their costs increase.

According to the British Chambers of Commerce's annual workforce survey, 75% of respondents had reported an increase in costs stemming from Pensions auto-enrolment with approximately 23% indicating a significant increase.

In parallel, 20% of businesses saw costs increase after introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, while 38% said they would raise prices of products and services due to the National Living wage increase to 8.75 per hour by 2020, and 25% said they expected to reduce pay growth.

However, firms in the North of England and the Midlands were more likely to be impacted by the National Living wage than firms in the South, the survey .

On the back of the survey's findings, the BCC advised that: "for the UK to remain an attractive and competitive environment going forward, action is needed to prevent unsustainable rises to the cost of doing business. The BCC is calling on the government to ensure no new upfront costs or taxes  which sap investment, growth and recruitment potential  are imposed on business for the remainder of this parliament."

Jane Gratton, head of Business Environment and Skills at the British Chambers of Commerce pointed out the likelihood of firms responding badly.

"Firms are most likely to respond by raising prices or adjusting employee pay growth and wider benefits. Increasingly, manufacturers are looking towards greater use of technology and automation. There comes a point at which rising employment costs can no longer be absorbed through reduced profits", said Gratton.

For his part, David Williams, director of Corporate Engagement at Middlesex University London which also helped in the survey, commented on the governments's unrealistic expectations: "Businesses are facing the challenge of maintaining profitability while remaining price competitive. This is a tough balance to achieve during what is an uncertain period, and we are seeing many start to tighten their belts and pull back investment", said Williams.

"We need to up our productivity to enable us to compete globally in a post-Brexit Britain."
A spate of bank robberies has led at least one local bank to beef up its security.

Pinnacle Bank, which is the largest bank headquartered in Lincoln and the third-largest Nebraska-based bank, has recently added security measures at local branches.

Amy Guenther, a Pinnacle Bank spokeswoman, said the bank is in the process of adding controlled access at all of its branches and is using armed guards at some branches until it can complete the process.

"In light of the recent bank robberies, we felt it was important to keep our customers and our employees safe," Guenther said in an email. "It was done for safety reasons."

Pinnacle Bank branches in Lincoln have been the targets of bank robbers three times in the past three months and five times in the past year. Over the past two years, Pinnacle Bank branches in Lincoln have been robbed six times. During that same time period, there have been nine other bank robberies in the city.

Thirteen different bank branches have been targeted in the 15 robberies since 2015, according to Lincoln police. (Scroll on map for locations.)

Guenther said Pinnacle Bank's secured-access process will work like this:

When a customer comes to the branch, he or she will ring a doorbell. If staff recognize the person, they will immediately let them in. If the person is not recognized, they will be asked some questions to make sure staff members are comfortable with them entering the building. In some instances, the bank may ask for an ID, Guenther said.

"We really are trying to keep it as friendly as possible," she said. "We are just doing it for the safety of everyone."

Though locking the bank branch doors and having to physically let in customers seems like an extreme move, it's not unusual.

Such actions are common in large cities, and several banks in Omaha have had secured entrances for as long as a couple of years.

Guenther said she knows of at least a couple of other banks that have secured-access branch locations in Lincoln.

"We are not the first in Lincoln, but Pinnacle Bank is the first to have all of our locations with controlled access," she said.

Pinnacle Bank lists 12 branch banks in Lincoln, including locations in two Hy-Vee stores. Guenther said she believes it won't be long before other banks in Lincoln follow suit.

The Journal Star contacted several banks with Lincoln branches, including Union Bank & Trust, First National Bank of Omaha, Wells Fargo and U.S. Bank. All either declined to comment on their security measures and whether they plan any changes or gave generic statements about the need to keep their customers safe.

"We are committed to the safety and security of our customers and employees, and we review our security protocols regularly, adjusting as situations warrant," said Jennifer Fredrick, a U.S. Bank spokeswoman.

The issue of bank robberies has not been limited to Lincoln and Omaha.

The number of heists in Nebraska surged last year to 75, up from just 14 in 2015, according to the FBI.

The surge comes as bank robberies rose nationally by about 5 percent in the same time period.

In May, the FBI and Omaha area law enforcement formed a task force to respond to a rash of bank robberies there that they believed have street gang ties.

FBI officials in May said they believed 33 of the 42 armed bank robberies occurring since early 2015 in the Omaha area appeared to be related.

In those cases, robbers stormed banks with guns drawn, their faces covered and yelling demands. In at least one case, a teller was bound.

Nationally, almost all of the more than 4,200 bank robberies that occurred in 2016 were at branch offices, and counters have been the main targets, according to FBI data.

Of the banks robbed across the country, only 56 had access-controlled entries and 224 had guards, the FBI reported.

Richard Baier, president and CEO of the Nebraska Bankers Association, said the increase not only in the number of robberies but also the violence involved is a topic on the mind of a lot of the state's banks.

As a result, the state's banks have been considering and/or implementing "a wide variety of new security features."

Those have included locking doors and having staff greet customers as they enter. Some banks also have added either armed or unarmed guards.

Baier said the bankers association has gotten active in security issues, including hosting training sessions for bank employees with FBI agents.

The association also has offered a $20,000 reward through Crime Stoppers for information leading to arrests in unsolved robberies.
Omaha Sen. Joni Craighead said Monday she will seek a second term in the Nebraska Legislature.

Craighead represents District 6 in west Omaha. She was elected in 2014.

She serves on the Legislatures Banking, Commerce and Insurance Committee; the Government, Military and Veterans Affairs Committee; and the Planning Committee. She chairs the Committee on Committees, which assigns each senator to various other committees.

We have started some great things in the Legislature, and I am excited to continue working on the behalf of District 6 and all Nebraskans, Craighead said.

Craighead said her priorities are tax cuts, including property tax cuts, eliminating barriers for entrepreneurs to create jobs and do business in the state, and ensuring students get a quality, locally controlled education that prepares them to succeed in the 21st Century workforce.

During her time in the Legislature, she has proposed and supported health and safety legislation for women, she said. Her 2017 priority bill, called Cheris Law, ensures that doctors inform women with dense breast tissue that a normal mammography might not reveal cancer. She has also supported legislation strengthening stalking and sex-trafficking laws in Nebraska.

Monday's announcement, she said, should end speculation that she was considering a run for Douglas County Assessor.

I have had many people approach me about running for Douglas County Assessor," she said. "While it was an interesting idea, I love being a state senator, and I owe it to my constituents and supporters to go back to Lincoln to finish the job we have started.

Craighead, 63, is a real estate broker and developer, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology and a master's degree in public administration.

She is married to Dick Hoback, and has a daughter, Staci Craighead.
Ever wanted to know how to get those pesky sex stains off different surfaces? Welcome to your weekly wrap of interesting news and worldly mysteries youve always wanted answers for but were never bothered to find out.

First Unofficial Yeezy Store Officially Opens In China

The Chinese can be rather bold when it comes to professional counterfeiting and the latest display of this audacious behaviour is the unofficial YEEZY store which sells fake YEEZY sneakers  right next door the New Bunren store.

The latest YEEZY outlet landed in Wenzhou and actually features a pretty slick fit out to complement the array of fake YEEZY BOOST sneakers which come in an array of never-before-seen colours.

Given that big companies are currently waging a war against some Chinese who have a blatant disregard for trademarks (Under Armour vs. Uncle Martian, Jordan vs. Qiaodan Sports, New Balance vs. New Boom), it should only be a matter of time before Wengzhous YEEZY gets the same book thrown at it. Whether or not the big label names win against this deep-rooted practice in China is another issue.

.[via Hypebeast]

Coffee Could Make You Immortal (Almost)

Those who openly admit that they cant live without coffee might actually have a point. A new study has found that drinking two to four cups of the brown stuff a day can reduce the risk of death amongst middle aged drinkers.

The surprising theory (which we dont recommend you try) was presented at the European Cardiac Society Congress 2017 and based on a study of nearly 20,000 people in Spain.

The subjects were all aged 37 and followed around for almost a decade. During this period, 337 participants had died with researchers claiming that participants who consumed at least four cups of coffee per day had a 64% lower risk of death when compared to those who didnt drink coffee. They also found that there was a 22% lower risk of death for those who consumed two cups of coffee a day.

We found an inverse association between drinking coffee and the risk of all-cause mortality, particularly in people aged 45 years and above. This may be due to a stronger protective association among older participants, said Dr. Adela Navarro, study co-author and a cardiologist at Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.

Thankfully the researchers were considerate enough to report that this was just a correlation between coffee and increased mortality  not solid evidence for a call to action.

For those who arent aware, coffee is a rich source of antioxidants including chlorogenic acids which can create a protective, anti-inflammatory effect in the body and brain.

[via Forbes]

How Get Out Sex Stains From Common Surfaces

Congratulations, youve done the deed and have won over your lover indefinitely. What happens next though is something a little less glamorous. Sex stains. Heres how to get them out of your mattress, carpet and car thanks to the insightful people at Metro.

Mattress: Go for enzyme cleaners. These can rid sex stains on your mattress that have been there from last night or (God forbid) last year. If you dont have time to find enzyme cleaners, try mixing hot water with dish detergent and baking soda instead. Adding hydrogen peroxide can also help as an active lifting agent. Once applied simply take a towel and scrub the stained area until it disappears.

Carpet: If you were game enough to engage in a bit of sexy time on your lounge room rug then you can bet youll need to engage in some form of cleaning afterwards. To tackle this, sponge down the area with cold water and detergent. Rinse afterwards and then blot it with a towel to remove the excess moisture. Any dry stains can be brushed away with a soft brush (like an old toothbrush) and vacuumed. Another option can be vinegar or enzyme cleaner.

Car Seat: Listen up backseat lover. First step is the trusty soap and water, second step is a lemon and baking soda mix. An enzyme cleaner can also work and if youve got the gear, a steam cleaner will also do wonders.

Australia Has Reached A New Milestone For Instagram

Instagram is continuing to flex its muscles in Australia with todays announcement that it has 9 million active users here. Thats about 40% of the countrys population.

Australians are using the platform to connect with friends and family as well as business brands.

Were thrilled that the Instagram community in Australia has grown to nine million monthly actives, says Will Easton, Facebook managing director Australia and New Zealand.

This growing popularity of the social media platform has allowed a many Australian businesses to flourish (including ours). Facebook purchased Instagram back in 2012 for $1B, a time when the photo-sharing app boasted 30 million users. Today it has over 700 million users.

[via Business Insider
MacKenzie will continue to be based out of Shanghai, China and will travel to India extensively to oversee India operations. However, Manish Agarwal, Country Manager, will be providing full support to operations in India on a day-to-day basis.

The new MD of Harley-Davidson India will manage the country's leadership team responsible for in-country sales, dealer network management, marketing, service, and operations activities to expand the company's presence in the country.

Peter MacKenzie joined the American bike maker in 2010 and will bring almost 25 years of business development experience in the automotive industry. Harley-Davidson says that he has consistently demonstrated an innovative and analytical approach to problem-solving, as well as successfully driven productivity, sales, and profitability.

Marc McAllister, vice president and managing director, International Markets said, "India is a strategic market for us in line with our company strategy to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally."

"I am confident that MacKenzie will provide strong leadership to the team to grow the reach and impact of our brand, as we expand our dealership network in the country to support our business and give loyal and new customers greater access to our brand,"

Harley-Davidson retails a broad range of motorcycles in India beginning with the Street 750 to the CVO Limited.

DriveSpark Thinks!

With new leadership at the helm of operations of Harley-Davidson India, the company will look to increase its market share with Peter MacKenzie's experience in business development.
By Paul Brown

With flood risks and damage from extreme events increasing across Europe, homeowners in areas of greatest risk are still not taking enough measures to protect themselves.

Researchers reported in the journal Risk Analysis their efforts to discover how to motivate people to keep themselves safe and protect their property from flood damage.

They said that both insurance companies and local and national governments need to do more to make people aware of the dangers.

Lead author Susanne Hanger from the Risk and Resilience Program at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria chose three countries in Europe, Austria, England and Romania, with completely different methods of dealing with flood risk, to discover whether her team could understand the trends at work. (The UK part of the study focused on attitudes within England alone, but the government measures the researchers examined come from the wider UK level.) Austria has a government-funded mandatory compensation scheme for flood victims, England relies entirely on private insurance, but in Romania there is no compensation scheme and very few have insurance.

One finding was that where governments or local authorities in Austria and England had built or created flood defenses to protect communities, that made homeowners less likely to take action themselves. In some recent instances in both countries, the rainfall extremes have been so great that even new flood defenses have been overwhelmed.

The report said, This means that a significant number of respondents who are protected by public measures such as flood dams actually feel safer, and thus tend to invest less in property-level prevention. This could be seen as a rational behavior, but it can become problematic if the perception of safety is overstated.

Such a false sense of security may inadvertently increase the chance of flood damage due to an underinvestment in private measures.

Distrust

However, the provision of public flooding defenses in Romania made no difference to peoples behavior, because they did not feel more secure. The researchers put this anomaly down to the widespread distrust of the authorities of the former Communist countries, resulting in a lack of confidence that the defenses would work.

The report divided flood defenses for private homes into two categories: flood defenses built in during construction, and measures taken retrospectively to keep the water out. Austria did best in building flood-resistant properties in risky areas, mainly because many Austrians build their homes themselves.

In England, where developers build homes, the flood risk is largely ignored in construction. The researchers said the way to tackle this, in all countries, is to strengthen and enforce the building regulations.

One recent development in both Austria and England is an increase in premiums by insurance companies in flood-prone areas. Those paying higher prices for insurance reacted by protecting their homes more and investing in waterproof windows, sandbags and other measures. This was the case even though these precautions were not required by insurance companies.

Risk neglected

Where insurers did require individuals to take flood protection measures as part of the conditions of the policy, this was highly effective, but it was rare, and the researchers suggested this incentive should be used more widely.

Where people in all three countries had taken no action to prevent flood damage to their homes, it was usually because they did not perceive that any risk existed.

Others thought that prevention measures were not worth it because they were too expensive, and 11 percent said flood protection was too complicated, and did not know what to do.

The researchers concluded that much more can be done to improve the chances of people taking action to avoid flood damage. They recommended stricter planning rules, improved building regulations and more public information campaigns by both governments and insurance companies.

Reposted with permission from our media associate Climate News Network.
Kenya is taking its new plastic bag ban very seriously. Starting Monday, anyone who manufactures, sells or even carries a plastic bag in the East African country could be slapped with a fine of up to $38,000 or get sent to jail for up to four years.

It took the Kenyan government three attempts over the past 10 years to finally pass the ban, which is considered as the worlds toughest, according to

Reuters.

Government officials say that non-biodegradable items harm the environment, use up valuable resources and can impact human health.

Plastic bags now constitute the biggest challenge to solid waste management in Kenya. This has become our environmental nightmare that we must defeat by all means, Kenyas environment minister Judy Wakhungu told the BBC.

Kenyans use an estimated 24 million plastic bags per month.

If we continue like this, by 2050, we will have

more plastic in the ocean than fish, Habib El-Habr, an expert on marine litter working with the U.N. Environment Programme in Kenya told Reuters.

Plastic bags, El-Habr said, take 500 to 1,000 years to break down and can enter the human food chain if fish or other livestock ingest the items.

In Nairobi slaughterhouses, some beef cows can accidentally consume up to 20 bags. This is something we didnt get ten years ago but now its almost on a daily basis, county vet Mbuthi Kinyanjui told Reuters.

Manufacturers worry that the ban could threaten jobs, however Wakhungu countered that thousands of jobs [are] going to be created from making reusable bags or ones from sustainable materials.

Under the new law, police can target anyone even carrying a plastic bag. But Wakhungu said enforcement will initially target manufacturers and suppliers.

Ordinary wananchi [the common man] will not be harmed, she told Reuters.

The BBC reported that some Nairobi supermarkets have already adjusted to the new law by selling fabric bags for 10 Kenyan shillings (10 U.S. cents).

Those traveling to Kenya with duty-free plastic shop bags will have to leave them at the airport, the National Environmental and Management Authority said.

Kenya joins a

growing movement of governments enacting laws against the disposable products. About 40 other countries including China, France, Rwanda and Italy have banned, partly banned or taxed plastic bags.
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
India and China have agreed to remove their own army from Doklam The Ministry of External Affairs gave this information today through a press release. Let us tell you that there was a dispute between India and China for the last two months in Doklam.

According to the press release, both countries will gradually remove their forces. It is being declared as Indias biggest diplomatic victory over the Doklam controversy. According to the news, negotiations between India and China for two months are going on for resolving the Doklam dispute. Next month, a BRICS conference is going to be held in China and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also participate in it. Modi will visit China on September 3.

According to the Foreign Ministry, diplomatic negotiations will continue with China. The situation will be restored in the Doklam before June 16.

What is the root of Doklam controversy

Geographically, India is situated on the threshold of China and Bhutan Border, which is only 15 kilometers from Indias Nathula pass. Dokalam, located in the Magnetic Valley, is strategically important for India and China. In 1988 and 1998, between China and Bhutan, there was a settlement that both the countries would work towards maintaining peace in the Doklam region.

In the year 1949, there was a treaty between India and Bhutan, in which it was decided that India will guide Bhutans foreign policy and defense affairs in its neighboring country. A new friendly treaty on this issue took place in 2007, in which the need for Bhutans instruction from India was abolished and it became an alternative.

China, which cites history on all disputed issues, has been making similar arguments on the issue. According to China, the use of the Dauchalam name was used by Tibetan cowherds as old pastures. China also claims that to go to doklam, before 1960, the coworkers of Bhutan used to take permission from them, although there is no historical evidence of it in the historical context. In fact, the root of this whole dispute is the second, the area of Dokalam is strategically important for India. On the threshold of Sikkim, China, Bhutan and India, China is in an attempt to make the highway at Doklam, which is opposing the Indian camp. The main reason for this is that even if the smooth movement of China reached to Dokmal, then it could make its reach easier by reaching Chicken Neck, which connects India with the North-Eastern States.

In this area, the army has started the construction of the road in the Indian territory, which is Indias biggest exercise to rein in Chinas minds. The tension of India is that if China succeeds in proving its supremacy in Doklam area, then it will take the lead in Chicken Neck area, which will be harmful to India.
BOSTON... August 28, 2017 -- A new study of the growing United States opioid epidemic reveals that deaths from overdoses have nearly doubled over the past seven years, while increasing acute care costs and hospitalizations are taxing health care systems.

The new paper, "The Critical Care Crisis of Opioid Overdoses in the United States" published online ahead of print in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society is believed to be the first to quantify the impact of opioid abuse on critical care resources in the U.S. The findings reveal that opioid-related demand for acute care services has outstripped the available supply.

In the cohort study, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel, Harvard Medical School and University of Chicago analyzed nearly 23 million adult hospital admissions at 162 hospitals in 44 states over a seven-year period: January 1, 2009 through September 30, 2015. Among the more than 4 million patients requiring acute care, the researchers found 21,705 who were admitted to intensive care units (ICU) due to opioid overdoses. Admissions included overdoses for prescription drugs, methadone or heroin.

"We found a 34 percent increase in overdose-related ICU admissions while ICU opioid deaths nearly doubled during that same period," according to Dr. Lena Novack, Ph.D., a lecturer in BGU's School of Public Health. The mortality rates of these patients climbed at roughly the same rate, on average, with a steeper rise in deaths of patients admitted to the ICU for overdose after 2012.

The average cost of care per ICU overdose admission also rose significantly - 58 percent - from $58,517 in 2009 to $92,408 in 2015. In addition, the study indicated that opioid-related ICU admissions increased an average of more than half a percent each year over the seven-year timeframe, jumping from seven percent to 10 percent by the end of the study period.

Patients admitted to the ICU due to an overdose increasingly required intensive care, including high-cost renal replacement therapy or dialysis.

Admissions were identified using the Clinical Data Base/Resource ManagerTM of Vizient, Inc., which is comprised of data mainly from urban academic medical centers and may not reflect overdose-related acute care needs in other settings.

"Our estimates may actually be on the low side," Dr. Novack says. Since our team of researchers analyzed admissions rather than a manual chart review, we may not have captured every admission if opioid-related complications weren't coded as such."

The study also did not determine whether increased ICU admissions for opioid overdoses resulted from improved community emergency response that may have saved lives but then required critical care, or whether the increased ICU admissions indicated that community emergency response needs improvement so patients require a less intensive hospital care.

States With the Highest Opioid Hospitalizations

The researchers found that Massachusetts and Indiana have the highest opioid admission densities in the nation. Pennsylvania experienced the sharpest rise in opioid-related overdoses during the study period, with critical care overdose admissions nearly doubling since 2009. Illinois, California, New York, and Indiana have also experienced ICU admission rate increases during the period.

"Our findings raise the need for a national approach to developing safe strategies to care for ICU overdose patients, to providing coordinated resources in the hospital for patients and families, and to helping survivors maintain sobriety following discharge," the researchers conclude.

###

In addition to Dr. Novack, researchers involved in the study are Drs. Jennifer P. Stevens, John Marshall and Douglas J. Hsu at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Dr. Michael J. Howell, University of Chicago.

About American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU) plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision: creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. As Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) looks ahead to turning 50 in 2020, AABGU imagines a future that goes beyond the walls of academia. It is a future where BGU invents a new world and inspires a vision for a stronger Israel and its next generation of leaders. Together with supporters, AABGU will help the University foster excellence in teaching, research and outreach to the communities of the Negev for the next 50 years and beyond. Visit vision.aabgu.org to learn more.

AABGU, which is headquartered in Manhattan, has nine regional offices throughout the United States. For more information, visit http://www.aabgu.org.
Bottom Line: Concurrent administration of the T-cell stimulating anti-OX40 antibody and the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD1 antibody attenuated the effect of anti-OX40 and resulted in poor treatment outcomes in mice.

Journals in Which the Studies were Published: Clinical Cancer Research and Cancer Immunology Research, two journals of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Authors: Senior author of the Clinical Cancer Research study: Bernard A. Fox, PhD, Harder Family Endowed Chair for Cancer Research at Providence Cancer Center and chief of the Laboratory of Molecular and Tumor Immunology at the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute in Portland, Oregon. Senior author of the Cancer Immunology Research study: Samir N. Khleif, MD, professor and GRU Distinguished Scientist and Clinician at the Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta.

Background: "While immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as anti-PD1 and anti-CTLA4, are already in clinics and are used mainly as single agents, there are currently almost a thousand clinical trials that are testing a combination of anti-PD1 with other therapies," said Khleif. The investigators from the two studies wanted to test whether a combination of anti-OX40 and anti-PD1 could produce outcomes that are better than either treatment alone.

How the Study Was Conducted and Results: In the study published in Clinical Cancer Research, researchers found that concurrent treatment of mice bearing tumors that are refractory to anti-PD1 with anti-OX40 and anti-PD1 immunotherapies suppressed the therapeutic effect of anti-OX40 antibody, produced a cytokine storm-like event that made the mice lethargic, resulted in enlargement of their spleens, and led to an increase in the levels of the immune checkpoint proteins CTLA-4 and TIM-3 on T cells.

In the study published in Cancer Immunology Research, researchers found that in tumor-bearing mice, the simultaneous addition of anti-PD1 and anti-OX40 therapies inhibited the T-cell specific positive effects of anti-OX40 and suppressed its therapeutic efficacy. They found that the detrimental effect of the combination was a result of the induction of antigen-specific T-cell death (apoptosis).

The study by Fox and team also showed that sequential treatment with anti-OX40 followed by anti-PD1 (but not in reverse order) significantly improved the therapeutic efficacy of the combination, resulting in delayed tumor progression, including complete regression of tumors in about 30 percent of the mice. This is unprecedented in this model of human breast cancer, Fox noted.

Given that the majority of patients do not respond to anti-PD1 therapies, Fox and colleagues used a mouse model that is refractory to anti-PD1 to study if stimulating the T cells with anti-OX40 would make PD-1 blockade effective in an anti-PD1 refractory population.

Khleif and team, however, found that the therapeutic efficacy of continuous treatment with anti-OX40 with delayed addition of anti-PD1 was not superior to the outcomes with continuous anti-OX40 alone.

Authors' Comments: "The complexity of combination immunotherapy is enormous, because there are potentially many different ways it could work," said Fox. "Our study suggests that treating patients with anti-OX40 followed by anti-PD1 needs to be tested as it may be the best sequence to increase T-cell proliferation, reduce T-cell death, and maintain the T-cell numbers without upregulating as many inhibitory molecules."

"Moving forward, it is important to carefully study the patients, evaluate whether they have any pre-existing immunity, and follow their peripheral blood very closely over the early course of treatment to understand the biological effects of immunotherapy combinations," Fox noted. He added it is critical that more effort be invested in evaluating the contribution of each agent administered to patients in clinical trials.

"With chemotherapy, you hit the tumor with one hammer, then you hit it with another hammer, and we know that the outcome is better in most cases," Khleif said. "But treating a patient with one immunotherapy could change the tumor microenvironment and the biology of T-cell signaling in such a way that when you give another immunotherapy it might work very differently than what is expected and could exhibit the exact opposite outcome than it was supposed to.

"Our findings are very important because current clinical trials are testing this combination," Khleif noted. "Our studies show that preclinical testing of immunotherapy combinations prior to taking it to clinical trials is very important, and we need more of that research," headded.

###

Disclosures: Fox is a consultant/advisory board member for Argos, AstraZeneca/MedImmune, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Definiens, Janssen/JNJ, OncoSec, PerkinElmer, PrimeVax, Peregrine, Ventana/Roche and Viralytics, and reports receiving commercial research support from AstraZeneca/MedImmune, Bristol-Myers Squibb and PerkinElmer. He co-founded and directs UbiVac, the company making the vaccine for the breast cancer trial noted in this release. Khleif is a consultant/advisory board member/member of the board of, and/or receives unrestricted research grants from MedImmune, AstraZeneca, PDS Biotechnology, Merus, NewLink Genetics, Bioline Therapeutics, Syndax, IO Biotech, Northwest Therapeutics, Bullett Biotech, UbiVac, Advaxis Immunotherapies, NewLink Genetics, Gilead, Lycera, and Genentech.

Follow us: Cancer Research Catalyst http://blog.aacr.org; Twitter @AACR; and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the American Association for Cancer Research

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world's first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR membership includes more than 37,000 laboratory, translational, and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and patient advocates residing in 108 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 30 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 21,900 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes eight prestigious, peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients, and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration, and scientific oversight of team science and individual investigator grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and other policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer. For more information about the AACR, visit http://www.AACR.org.

To interview Bernard Fox or Samir Khleif, contact Julia Gunther at julia.gunther@aacr.org or 215-446-6896.
The Nebraska National Guard has deployed four Army National Guard helicopters and 23 soldiers from units based in Lincoln and Grand Island to assist in relief and rescue operations along the storm-battered Texas Gulf Coast.

The soldiers are trained and equipped to conduct aeromedical evacuation and rescue missions.

Additional Nebraska Army National Guard helicopters and crews are ready to support the mission if requested, officials said.

"We, as Nebraskans, stand shoulder to shoulder with Texas to assist in this emergency," Gov. Pete Ricketts said Monday.

The deployments were ordered in support of an emergency management assistance compact request.

"While we never wish for anyone to be faced with disaster, we are always ready to assist, whether here in Nebraska or elsewhere in the United States," said Nebraska's adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Daryl Bohac.

"It's what we train for. It's who we are  America's military first responders, whenever or wherever we are needed."

Nebraska is joining a number of other states in providing assistance in Texas, where Tropical Storm Harvey has pounded the region with record-setting rainfall that has resulted in massive flooding.

"This multi-state cooperation is a great example of the American spirit  neighbors helping neighbors," Ricketts said.

 Don Walton
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A long-standing but unproven assumption about the X-ray spectra of black holes in space has been contradicted by hands-on experiments performed at Sandia National Laboratories' Z machine.

Z, the most energetic laboratory X-ray source on Earth, can duplicate the X-rays surrounding black holes that otherwise can be watched only from a great distance and then theorized about.

"Of course, emission directly from black holes cannot be observed," said Sandia researcher and lead author Guillaume Loisel, lead author for a paper on the experimental results, published in August in Physical Review Letters. "We see emission from surrounding matter just before it is consumed by the black hole. This surrounding matter is forced into the shape of a disk, called an accretion disk."

The results suggest revisions are needed to models previously used to interpret emissions from matter just before it is consumed by black holes, and also the related rate of growth of mass within the black holes. A black hole is a region of outer space from which no material and no radiation (that is, X-rays, visible light, and so on) can escape because the gravitational field of the black hole is so intense.

"Our research suggests it will be necessary to rework many scientific papers published over the last 20 years," Loisel said. "Our results challenge models used to infer how fast black holes swallow matter from their companion star. We are optimistic that astrophysicists will implement whatever changes are found to be needed."

Most researchers agree a great way to learn about black holes is to use satellite-based instruments to collect X-ray spectra, said Sandia co-author Jim Bailey. "The catch is that the plasmas that emit the X-rays are exotic, and models used to interpret their spectra have never been tested in the laboratory till now," he said.

NASA astrophysicist Tim Kallman, one of the co-authors, said, "The Sandia experiment is exciting because it's the closest anyone has ever come to creating an environment that's a re-creation of what's going on near a black hole."

Theory leaves reality behind

The divergence between theory and reality began 20 years ago, when physicists declared that certain ionization stages of iron (or ions) were present in a black hole's accretion disk -- the matter surrounding a black hole -- even when no spectral lines indicated their existence. The complicated theoretical explanation was that under a black hole's immense gravity and intense radiation, highly energized iron electrons did not drop back to lower energy states by emitting photons -- the common quantum explanation of why energized materials emit light. Instead, the electrons were liberated from their atoms and slunk off as lone wolves in relative darkness. The general process is known as Auger decay, after the French physicist who discovered it in the early 20th century. The absence of photons in the black-hole case is termed Auger destruction, or more formally, the Resonant Auger Destruction assumption.

However, Z researchers, by duplicating X-ray energies surrounding black holes and applying them to a dime-size film of silicon at the proper densities, showed that if no photons appear, then the generating element simply isn't there. Silicon is an abundant element in the universe and experiences the Auger effect more frequently than iron. Therefore, if Resonant Auger Destruction happens in iron then it should happen in silicon too.

"If Resonant Auger Destruction is a factor, it should have happened in our experiment because we had the same conditions, the same column density, the same temperature," said Loisel. "Our results show that if the photons aren't there, the ions must be not there either." That deceptively simple finding, after five years of experiments, calls into question the many astrophysical papers based on the Resonant Auger Destruction assumption.

The Z experiment mimicked the conditions found in accretion disks surrounding black holes, which have densities many orders of magnitude lower than Earth's atmosphere.

"Even though black holes are extremely compact objects, their accretion disks -- the large plasmas in space that surround them -- are relatively diffuse," said Loisel. "On Z, we expanded silicon 50,000 times. It's very low density, five orders of magnitude lower than solid silicon."

This is an artist's depiction of the black hole named Cygnus X-1, formed when the large blue star beside it collapsed into the smaller, extremely dense matter. (Image courtesy of NASA) Click on the thumbnail for a high-resolution image.

The spectra's tale

The reason accurate theories of a black hole's size and properties are difficult to come by is the lack of first-hand observations. Black holes were mentioned in Albert Einstein's general relativity theory a century ago but at first were considered a purely mathematical concept. Later, astronomers observed the altered movements of stars on gravitational tethers as they circled their black hole, or most recently, gravity-wave signals, also predicted by Einstein, from the collisions of those black holes. But most of these remarkable entities are relatively small -- about 1/10 the distance from the Earth to the Sun -- and many thousands of light years away. Their relatively tiny sizes at immense distances make it impossible to image them with the best of NASA's billion-dollar telescopes.

What's observable are the spectra released by elements in the black hole's accretion disk, which then feeds material into the black hole. "There's lots of information in spectra. They can have many shapes," said NASA's Kallman. "Incandescent light bulb spectra are boring, they have peaks in the yellow part of their spectra. The black holes are more interesting, with bumps and wiggles in different parts of the spectra. If you can interpret those bumps and wiggles, you know how much gas, how hot, how ionized and to what extent, and how many different elements are present in the accretion disk."

Said Loisel: "If we could go to the black hole and take a scoop of the accretion disk and analyze it in the lab, that would be the most useful way to know what the accretion disk is made of. But since we cannot do that, we try to provide tested data for astrophysical models."

While Loisel is ready to say R.I.P. to the Resonant Auger Destruction assumption, he still is aware the implications of higher black hole mass consumption, in this case of the absent iron, is only one of several possibilities.

"Another implication could be that lines from the highly charged iron ions are present, but the lines have been misidentified so far. This is because black holes shift spectral lines tremendously due to the fact that photons have a hard time escaping the intense gravitation field," he said.

There are now models being constructed elsewhere for accretion-powered objects that don't employ the Resonant Auger Destruction approximation. "These models are necessarily complicated, and therefore it is even more important to test their assumptions with laboratory experiments," Loisel said.

###

The work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Sandia National Laboratories is a multimission laboratory operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc., for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration. Sandia Labs has major research and development responsibilities in nuclear deterrence, global security, defense, energy technologies and economic competitiveness, with main facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Livermore, California.
A collection of thirteen research papers has been published to address the conservation of saproxylic beetles and other insects listed in the Habitats Directive

With biodiversity loss well underway, conservation measures are urgent on a global scale and the European Union is no exception. However, for efficient strategies and actions to be put in place, plenty of information, acquired primarily through monitoring, is needed to identify priorities for the conservation of threatened species, also for the elusive saproxylic insects, an ecological group of species that depends on dead wood.

Monitoring and conservation of elusive invertebrates is a particularly complex task, as shown in the papers comprising the special issue "Monitoring of saproxylic beetles and other insects protected in the European Union," supported by the EU's LIFE Programme> and published in the open access journal Nature Conservation. This special issue was produced in the framework of the Life Project "Monitoring of insects with public participation" (LIFE11 NAT/IT/000252 MIPP) and is a direct result of a European Workshop held in Mantova in May, 2017.

Colonel Franco Mason, project manager of the MIPP project, notes that the European Workshop was aimed primarily at monitoring of saproxylic beetles. The project MIPP resulted in two special issues: "Monitoring of saproxylic beetles and other insects protected in the European Union" and "Guidelines for the Monitoring of saproxylic beetles and other insects protected in the European Union". The first one is now available in the open access journal Nature Conservation.

"No knowledge exists of the success rate of monitoring elusive invertebrates," writes Dr. Arno Thomaes, Research Institute for Nature and Forest, Belgium, and his team in their paper assessing the feasibility of monitoring the European stag beetle. Having conducted their analysis, though, the scientists conclude that, "monitoring of stag beetles is feasible and the effort is not greater than that which has been found for other invertebrates."

Alessandro Campanaro, a researcher at the "Bosco Fontana" National Center of Carabinieri, highlights the fundamental role of Citizen Science as an essential tool for acquiring data on species, while simultaneously increasing the public awareness about Natura 2000 and the role of saproxylic species in forests.

###

Additional information:

About the Life project MIPP

The main objective of the project MIPP is to develop and test methods for the monitoring of five beetle species listed in the Annexes II and IV of the Habitats Directive (Osmoderma eremita, Lucanus cervus, Cerambyx cerdo, Rosalia alpina, Morimus funereus).
The average American's lifetime risk of using a nursing home is substantially greater than previous research has suggested, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Among persons age 57 to 61, 56 percent will stay in a nursing home at least one night during their lifetime, according findings published online by the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Previous studies have generally corroborated the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' estimate that only 35 percent of older Americans are likely to use a nursing home in their later years.

Researchers were surprised by their findings and hope the study will help consumers to prepare thoughtfully for their health care needs in old age.

"It is important to provide individuals and families a reliable assessment of the likelihood of entering a nursing home in retirement," said Michael Hurd, lead author of the study and a senior principal researcher at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "This information could help people make better decisions about how they or their loved ones will pay for the care they are likely to need."

Researchers analyzed 18 years of data drawn from the Health and Retirement Study, a longitudinal project of the National Institute on Aging and the Social Security Administration, and found that for most people, nursing home care will be relatively affordable -- about $7,300 per person over a lifetime.

Only about one-third of Americans between the ages of 57 and 61 will spend any of their money on nursing home care over their lifetimes, while 43 percent will be completely covered by private or public insurance.

The study found that most people will experience short stays in nursing facilities at a relatively affordable cost. But conditional on having a stay, the average nursing home stay was 272 nights and for 10 percent of the study group, the stay was much longer -- more than 1,000 nights. Out-of-pocket spending was similarly skewed, with 5 percent of older Americans needing long stays costing $47,000 or more over their lifetime.

A recent shift toward shorter stays may account for the higher estimate of nursing home use. The study found that nursing home stays of short duration (21 nights or fewer) rose from 28 percent in 1998 to nearly 34 percent in 2010.

Hurd said the increase may reflect efforts to control Medicare and Medicaid costs by more quickly discharging patients from hospitals to nursing homes, where rehabilitation costs are lower.

The graying of the U.S. population and growing numbers of Americans needing expensive, long-term care for dementia could cause the rate of nursing home use to keep rising and increase pressure on Medicaid to cover the costs. These trends should concern policymakers considering changes to government-subsidized health care, particularly Medicaid, Hurd said.

"People think of Medicaid as being for the indigent, which is true at younger ages," he said. "But Medicaid is the most important payer for nursing homes, covering a greater proportion of costs than individuals and families pay out-of-pocket. At older ages, Medicaid is an insurance program that many of us may need to use."

The study does not offer any clear-cut answers about the value of purchasing long-term care insurance.

"Long-term care insurance is only taken up by 11 percent or 12 percent of individuals in their early 60s," Hurd said. "It's not popular because of uncertainties over what the insurer will pay out, the coverage and the cost. I think people should be prepared to use the societally provided insurance, which is Medicaid. It's the best of a not-very-good situation."

Having children, the study notes, does not lessen the chances of needing a nursing home in old age, but can reduce the length of the stay and cut the associated costs by as much as 38 percent. Having daughters able to provide in-home care was correlated with even larger savings.

###

Funding for the study was provided by the National Institute on Aging. Other authors of the study are Pierre-Carl Michaud and Susann Rohwedder.

The RAND Labor and Population program examines issues involving U.S. labor markets, the demographics of families and children, policies to improve socio-economic wellbeing, the social and economic functioning of the elderly, and ec
Infants' racial and ethnic identities influence the quality of medical care they receive in California's neonatal intensive care units, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has found.

The study, which examined medical care of more than 18,000 of the state's smallest babies at 134 California hospitals, will be published Aug. 28 in Pediatrics.

The disparities were not uniform: At some California hospitals, infants from vulnerable populations received worse care than white infants, while at others, they received better care than whites. In general, however, the hospitals with the best outcomes for their patients also delivered better care to white infants. In addition, the study found that black and Hispanic infants were more likely than white infants to receive care in poor-quality NICUs.

"There's a long history of disparity in health care delivery, and our study shows that the NICU is really no different," said the study's senior author, Jochen Profit, MD, associate professor of pediatrics. "Unconscious social biases that we all have can make their way into the NICU. We would like to encourage NICU caregivers to think about how these disparities play out in their own units and how they can be reduced."

The smallest babies

The study used data from the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, which has collected information on 95 percent of premature births in the state. The study included 18,616 babies whose birth weights were less than 3.3 pounds, a category known as very low birth weight, and who were born between the beginning of 2010 and the end 2014. The research excluded infants born extremely premature (before 24 weeks of pregnancy), those who died before 12 hours of age and those with severe congenital abnormalities.

Profit and his colleagues used an index they had previously developed and validated to measure NICU care. To use the index, called Baby-MONITOR, each infant's medical records are evaluated and scored on nine yes-or-no questions, all of which have been shown in prior research to reflect the quality of medical care. Some questions assess whether patients received aspects of NICU care that are in keeping with standard medical practices for premature babies, such as being examined for an eye disease called retinopathy of prematurity, or receiving steroids before birth to help mature their lungs. Other questions assess specific medical outcomes, such as experiencing a hospital-acquired infection or growing at a healthy rate. All questions are worded such that better outcomes produce higher scores.

The analysis then adjusts scores to account for the length of the mother's pregnancy, whether the mother received prenatal care, whether the baby was from a single or multiple birth, the baby's 5-minute Apgar score (a quick assessment of the infant's physical health at birth) and whether delivery was by cesarean section.

Scores were also statistically adjusted to reflect the fact that some hospitals cared for sicker babies, on average, than others. The final score for each hospital, and for each group of patients within a hospital, reflects whether the hospital did the same, better or worse than would be expected in addressing their patients' medical problems. Scores were calculated separately for white, black, Hispanic, Asian and "other" infants and referenced for each subgroup against whites.

When researchers analyzed the population of very low birth weight infants in their study, Hispanic infants and those with "other" ethnicity had lower Baby-MONITOR scores than white infants, while black and Asian infants did not have significantly different scores than whites. However, across the state, white infants scored higher on measures of whether standard medical practices were being followed. For instance, 89 percent of white infants and 88 percent or Asian infants in the study received steroids before birth to mature their lungs, while 87 percent of Hispanic infants and 85 percent of black infants got the same treatment. The difference remained statistically significant after adjusting for possible confounding factors.

Black infants had higher levels than whites of chronic lung disease and collapsed lung, as well as lower rates of receiving any human milk at discharge -- all indicators of worse outcomes -- although they also grew more quickly than white babies (a faster growth rate is associated with better outcomes). Hispanic infants scored significantly lower than whites on all components of the score except collapsed-lung rates.

Across NICUs, those that provided the poorest quality of care tended to have the smallest disparities between ethnicities; in some, blacks fared better than white infants. As quality scores rose across hospitals, white infants tended to do better.

The researchers also found that although racial and ethnic differences in NICU care were fairly small when examined across California as a whole, some individual hospitals had large gaps in how they cared for infants from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Individualizing care

Addressing the disparities will require a nuanced approach, Profit said. "It's really important for NICUs to individualize care to the patient population they see," he said.

For instance, Hispanic families who are primarily Spanish-speaking may be experiencing language barriers that make it harder for parents to ask questions and act as advocates for their infants. "For them, having access to translation and personnel who speak Spanish is really critical," he said.

Hospitals serving a larger proportion of African-American infants may have different issues they need to address.

The next step, Profit said, is to help California's NICUs identify ways in which they can each make progress in treating all infants more equitably. "Our goal is to develop a dashboard of disparity measures for NICUs throughout California so that each can see how they're performing for infants of different races and ethnicities in comparison to their peers," he said. The feedback will become part of the work of the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, which has organized successful quality-improvement initiatives to help NICUs across the state improve the medical care they deliver. The researchers are also working with the Vermont Oxford Network, a sister organization that monitors NICUs across the country to provide similar feedback to hospitals nationwide.

"We need to continue to identify vulnerable populations, make sure they get their needs met and find better ways to engage all families in our care," Profit said.

Hospital care during the newborn period is not the largest contributor to health disparities that minority infants experience, Profit noted, estimating that socioeconomic and biological differences likely make a larger contribution. Nevertheless, that does not mean disparities in medical care should be ignored, he added.

"For many of these infants, their time in the NICU sets them on track for their entire life," Profit said. "If we can get things right early on, that could have a huge long-term effect."

###

Other Stanford collaborators on the research are Jeffrey Gould, MD, professor of pediatrics; biostatistician Mihoko Bennett, PhD; Ciaran Phibbs, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics; and Henry Lee, MD, associate professor of pediatrics. Profit, Gould and Lee are members of Stanford's Child Health Research Institute.

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine and the University of California-Santa Cruz also contributed to the work.

The study was supported by grants from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (grants R01HD083368, R01HD08467 and K23HD068400).

Stanford's Department of Pediatrics also supported the work.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu.
Scientists from the UK and Germany have discovered the largest Ichthyosaurus on record and found it was pregnant at the time of death.

The new specimen is estimated to be between 3 and 3.5 m long and is an adult female. Ichthyosaurs were a highly successful group of sea-going reptiles that became extinct about 90 million years ago. Often misidentified as swimming dinosaurs, these reptiles appeared before the first dinosaurs had evolved. The largest species of ichthyosaur grew to over 20 m in length.

The new specimen was originally discovered on the Somerset coast, during the mid-1990s, and is from the Early Jurassic, roughly 200 million years old. However, the specimen remained unstudied until it wound up in the collections of the Lower Saxony State Museum in Hannover, Germany.

Palaeontologist Sven Sachs of the Bielefeld Natural History Museum (Germany) first saw the specimen in August 2016, whilst on a routine visit. He informed University of Manchester palaeontologist and ichthyosaur expert, Dean Lomax, and together, the pair examined the new specimen in early 2017. They identified it as an example of an Ichthyosaurus somersetensis, a new species that Dean and another colleague, Prof. Judy Massare, had previously identified.

Dean said "It amazes me that specimens such as this [the biggest] can still be 'rediscovered' in museum collections. You don't necessarily have to go out in the field to make a new discovery. This specimen provides new insights into the size range of the species, but also records only the third example of an Ichthyosaurus known with an embryo. That's special"

The embryo is incomplete and preserves only a portion of the back bone, a forefin, ribs and a few other bones. The preserved string of vertebrae is less than 7 cm long. The bones of the embryo are not fully ossified, meaning that the embryo was still developing.

Another intriguing discovery the duo made was that the tail of this new specimen did not belong with the rest of the skeleton. A tail from another ichthyosaur had been added to the skeleton to make it appear more complete and visually appealing for display.

Sven added "It is often important to examine fossils with a very critical eye. Sometimes, as in this instance, specimens aren't exactly what they appear to be. However, it was not 'put together' to represent a fake, but simply for a better display specimen. But, if 'fake' portions remain undetected then scientists can fall foul to this, which results in false information presented in the published record.

"Specimens like this provide palaeontologists with important information about when these animals lived. Many examples of Ichthyosaurus are from historical collections and most do not have good geographical or geological records, but this specimen has it all. It may help to date other ichthyosaur fossils that currently have no information."

Ichthyosaurus is one of the most common fossil reptiles in the UK, with thousands of specimens known, ranging from isolated bones to complete skeletons. Some of the very first examples were collected from along the Dorset coast by Victorian palaeontologist, Mary Anning, who first brought them to the attention of the scientific world.

The new study has been published today in the scientific journal, Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

###

Notes to editors

Dean Lomax is a multiple award-winning palaeontologist, science communicator and author. He has travelled around the world and worked on many fascinating projects from excavating dinosaurs in the American West to discovering new fossil hunting locations and describing new species of extinct marine reptiles in the UK.

An Honorary Scientist at The University of Manchester, Dean is passionate about communicating palaeontology and actively engages with traditional and social media. He has written two books, numerous scientific papers and many popular articles and regularly appears on television, most recently as series advisor and recurring on-screen expert presenter for ITV's Dinosaur Britain. Dean is also the patron of the UK Amateur Fossil Hunters organisation. More here: http://www.deanrlomax.co.uk.

Please reference the article as "Lomax, D. R. and Sachs, S. 2017. On the largest Ichthyosaurus: A new specimen of Ichthyosaurus somersetensis containing an embryo. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX.

For media interviews with Dean Lomax, please email jordan.kenny@manchester.ac.uk or 0161 275 8257

About The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester, a member of the prestigious Russell Group, is the UK's largest single-site university with 38,600 students and is consistently ranked among the world's elite for graduate employability.

The University is also one of the country's major research institutions, rated fifth in the UK in terms of 'research power' (REF 2014). World class research is carried out across a diverse range of fields including cancer, advanced materials, addressing global inequalities, energy and industrial biotechnology.

No fewer than 25 Nobel laureates have either worked or studied here.

It is the only UK university to have social responsibility among its core strategic objectives, with staff and students alike dedicated to making a positive difference in communities around the world.

Manchester is ranked 35th in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities 2016 and 5th in the UK. The University had an annual income of almost 1 billion in 2015/16.

Visit http://www.manchester.ac.uk for further information.

Facts and figures: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/facts-figures/

Research Beacons: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/research/beacons/

News and media contacts: http://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/news/
Bone marrow contains hematopoetic stem cells, the precursors to every blood cell type. These cells spring into action following bone marrow transplants, bone marrow injury and during systemic infection, creating new blood cells, including immune cells, in a process known as hematopoiesis.

A new study led by University of Pennsylvania and Technical University of Dresden scientists has identified an important regulator of this process, a protein called Del-1. Targeting it, the researchers noted, could be an effective way to improve stem cell transplants for both donors and recipients. There may also be ways to modulate levels of Del-1 in patients with certain blood cancers to enhance immune cell production. The findings are reported this week in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

"Because the hematopoetic stem cell niche is so important for the creation of bone marrow and blood cells and because Del-1 is a soluble protein and is easily manipulated, one can see that it could be a target in many potential applications," said George Hajishengallis, the Thomas W. Evans Centennial Professor in the Department of Microbiology in Penn's School of Dental Medicine and a senior author on the work.

"I think that Del-1 represents a major regulator of the hematopoetic stem cell niche," said Triantafyllos Chavakis, co-senior author on the study and a professor at the Technical University of Dresden. "It will be worthwhile to study its expression in the context of hematopoetic malignancy."

For Hajishengallis, the route to studying Del-1 in the bone marrow began in his field of dental medicine. Working with Chavakis, he had identified Del-1 as a potential drug target for gum disease after finding that it prevents inflammatory cells from moving into the gums.

Both scientists and their labs had discovered that Del-1 was also expressed in the bone marrow and began following up to see what its function was there.

"In the beginning, I thought it would have a simple function, like regulating the exit of mature leukocytes [white blood cells] from the marrow into the periphery," Hajishengallis said, "something analogous to what it was doing in the gingiva. But it turned out it had a much more important and global role than what I had imagined."

The researchers' investigations revealed that Del-1 was expressed by at least three cell types in the bone marrow that support hematopoetic stem cells: endothelial cells, CAR cells and osteoblasts. Using mice deficient in Del-1, they found that the protein promotes proliferation and differentiation of hematopoetic stem cells, sending more of these progenitor cells down a path toward becoming myeloid cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils, rather than lymphocytes, such as T cells and B cells.

In bone marrow transplant experiments, the team discovered that the presence of Del-1 in recipient bone marrow is required for the transplanted stem cells to engraft in the recipient and to facilitate the process of myelopoesis, the production of myeloid cells.

When the researchers mimicked a systemic infection in mice, animals deficient in Del-1 were slower to begin making myeloid cells again compared to those with normal Del-1 levels.

"We saw roles for Del-1 in both steady state and emergency conditions," Hajishengallis said.

Hajishengallis, Chavakis and their colleagues identified the protein on hematopoetic stem cells with which Del-1 interacts, the 3 integrin, perhaps pointing to a target for therapeutic interventions down the line.

The scientists see potential applications in bone marrow and stem cell transplants, for both donors and recipients. In donors, blocking the interaction between Del-1 and hematopoetic stem cells could enhance the mobilization of those progenitors into the bloodstream. This could be helpful for increasing donor cell numbers for transplantation. Transplant recipients, on the other hand, may need enhanced Del-1 interaction to ensure the transplanted cells engraft and begin making new blood cells more rapidly.

In addition, people undergoing chemotherapy who develop febrile neutropenia, associated with low levels of white blood cells, might benefit from the role of Del-1 in supporting the production of immune-related blood cells such as neutrophils.

"It's easy to think of practical applications for these findings," said Hajishengallis. "Now we need to find out whether it works in practice, so our studies continue."

###

Ioannis Mitroulis, Lan-Sun Chen and Rashim Pal Singh of TU-Dresden were co-lead authors on the study, and Ben Wielockx of TU-Dresden was a co-senior author along with Hajishengallis and Chavakis. They were joined by coauthors Tetsuhiro Kajikawa, Kavita Hosur, Tomoki Maekawa and Baomei Wang of Penn Dental Medicine; Ioannis Kourtzelis, Matina Economopoulou, Maria Troullinaki, Athanasios Ziogas, Klara Ruppova, Pallavi Subramanian, Panayotis Verginis, Malte Wobus, Martin Bornhauser and Tatyana Grinenko of TU-Dresden; Torsten Tonn of the German Red Cross Blood Donation Service in Dresden; and Marianna Di Scala and Andres Hidalgo of the Spanish National Center for Cardiovascular Research.

The study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, European Commission, European Research Council and National Institutes of Health (grants AI068730, DE024153, DE024716, DE0152 54 and DE026152).
MADISON, Wis. -- Coral skeletons are the building blocks of diverse coral reef ecosystems, which has led to increasing concern over how these key species will cope with warming and acidifying oceans that threaten their stability.

New research from Pupa Gilbert, a professor of physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, provides evidence that at least one species of coral, Stylophora pistillata, and possibly others, build their hard, calcium carbonate skeletons faster, and in bigger pieces, than previously thought. Instead of slowly adding material molecule by molecule, the coral animal actively constructs large chunks of minerals that it adds to its growing skeleton, helping it grow much faster than it otherwise could, and with greater control.

The new research suggests that because the minerals are first formed inside the coral tissue, they may continue to do so even in acidifying oceans. If other coral species build their skeletons in a similar way, then the oceans could avoid a large-scale crisis in coral skeleton formation that scientists have worried would unravel reef ecosystems. Other stresses, like warmer waters and coral bleaching, still endanger coral, however.

The work is published this week (Aug. 28, 2017) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Collaborators from the University of Haifa and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory contributed to the research.

"Coral reefs only cover one percent of ocean floors, but they host 25 percent of all marine species, so they're incredibly diverse and important from a biological point of view," says Gilbert. "But they're also economically important for the fishing industry, tourism, and because of their role in providing coastlines with protection from tropical storms."

Corals are colonies of small, tentacled animals that encase themselves in bony structures made of the mineral calcium carbonate, the same material that makes up the shells of other sea creatures. Their role in creating habitat for diverse ecosystems has drawn attention to corals and how they build their rocky skeletons.

Despite decades of research, scientists had been unable to reliably distinguish between two competing theories of coral growth. The classical idea was that corals largely relied on a calcium-rich fluid slowly -- one molecule at a time -- adding minerals to the skeleton. Other evidence pointed to a much more active role for the soft-bodied animals taking in seawater, concentrating it, but still adding it one molecule at a time to their skeletons.

Gilbert developed a new way to image the growing portions of coral skeletons to see what the forming structures were made of, which she calls component mapping. Using high-energy light provided by the Advanced Light Source at Berkeley Lab to distinguish different minerals, Gilbert's team created a pixel-by-pixel map to generate an image of the growing skeletons of Stylophora pistillata, also known as hood coral. They saw particles made up of unstable, amorphous forms of calcium carbonate at and near the growing surfaces of the coral skeletons.

Some of the particles were a comparatively large 400 billionths of a meter across, which is more than 500 times larger than a single calcium carbonate group. The researchers also observed evidence that the unstable precursors eventually crystallized into aragonite, the stable form of calcium carbonate that makes up mature coral skeletons.

"These are the same precursors seen in biominerals from sea urchin and abalone, which are different organisms from completely different branches in the tree of life, so the fact that they used exactly the same mechanism to form their skeletons is really surprising," Gilbert explains.

In their new model of coral skeleton growth, Gilbert and her colleagues propose that corals collect seawater in their tissues, add materials, and organize them into large particles of amorphous calcium carbonate. Only then do the animals transport these particles and attach them to their growing skeletons, where they slowly convert to the stable aragonite. This growth pattern is more than 100 times faster than molecule-by-molecule growth, which is in line with previous measurements of how fast corals grow.

Since this new research indicates an active role for corals in developing their skeletons, it suggests that they are not entirely at the mercy of the ocean's chemical makeup. While acidic conditions are known to dissolve calcium carbonate, the method of skeleton construction that Gilbert observed in this study should be much more stable in the face of acidifying oceans. Although increasing levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide are acidifying the oceans, the new work suggests that corals could withstand this stress.

"If this mode of formation is verified in other species of coral, then it could be a more general mechanism, and that would enable us to predict that corals will actually form just as well in acidifying oceans," says Gilbert.

###

This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (grants DE-FG02-07ER15899 and DE-AC02-05CH11231), the U.S. National Science Foundation (grant DMR-1603192), the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation (grants BSF-2010065 and BSF-2014035), and the Israel Science Foundation (grant 312/15).

CONTACT: Pupa Gilbert, (608) 262-5829, pupa@physics.wisc.edu

DOWNLOAD IMAGES: https://uwmadison.box.com/v/coral-skeletons

Eric Hamilton, (608) 263-1986, eshamilton@wisc.edu
Pancreatic cancer has one of the worst prognoses -- with a five-year survival rate of 9 percent -- in part because there are no telltale symptoms or non-invasive screening tools to catch a tumor before it spreads.

Now, University of Washington researchers have developed an app that could allow people to easily screen for pancreatic cancer and other diseases -- by snapping a smartphone selfie.

BiliScreen uses a smartphone camera, computer vision algorithms and machine learning tools to detect increased bilirubin levels in a person's sclera, or the white part of the eye. The new app is described in a paper to be presented Sept. 13 at Ubicomp 2017, the Association for Computing Machinery's International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing.

One of the earliest symptoms of pancreatic cancer, as well as other diseases, is jaundice, a yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes caused by a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. The ability to detect signs of jaundice when bilirubin levels are minimally elevated -- but before they're visible to the naked eye -- could enable an entirely new screening program for at-risk individuals.

In an initial clinical study of 70 people, the BiliScreen app -- used in conjunction with a 3-D printed box that controls the eye's exposure to light -- correctly identified cases of concern 89.7 percent of the time, compared to the blood test currently used.

"The problem with pancreatic cancer is that by the time you're symptomatic, it's frequently too late," said lead author Alex Mariakakis, a doctoral student at the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. "The hope is that if people can do this simple test once a month -- in the privacy of their own homes -- some might catch the disease early enough to undergo treatment that could save their lives."

BiliScreen builds on earlier work from the UW's Ubiquitous Computing Lab, which previously developed BiliCam, a smartphone app that screens for newborn jaundice by taking a picture of a baby's skin. A recent study in the journal Pediatrics showed BiliCam provided accurate estimates of bilirubin levels in 530 infants.

In collaboration with UW Medicine doctors, the UbiComp lab specializes in using cameras, microphones and other components of common consumer devices -- such as smartphones and tablets -- to screen for disease.

The blood test that doctors currently use to measure bilirubin levels -- which is typically not administered to adults unless there is reason for concern -- requires access to a health care professional and is inconvenient for frequent screening. BiliScreen is designed to be an easy-to-use, non-invasive tool that could help determine whether someone ought to consult a doctor for further testing. Beyond diagnosis, BiliScreen could also potentially ease the burden on patients with pancreatic cancer who require frequent bilirubin monitoring.

In adults, the whites of the eyes are more sensitive than skin to changes in bilirubin levels, which can be an early warning sign for pancreatic cancer, hepatitis or the generally harmless Gilbert's syndrome. Unlike skin color, changes in the sclera are more consistent across all races and ethnicities.

Yet by the time people notice the yellowish discoloration in the sclera, bilirubin levels are already well past cause for concern. The UW team wondered if computer vision and machine learning tools could detect those color changes in the eye before humans can see them.

"The eyes are a really interesting gateway into the body -- tears can tell you how much glucose you have, sclera can tell you how much bilirubin is in your blood," said senior author Shwetak Patel, the Washington Research Foundation Entrepreneurship Endowed Professor in Computer Science & Engineering and Electrical Engineering. "Our question was: Could we capture some of these changes that might lead to earlier detection with a selfie?"

BiliScreen uses a smartphone's built-in camera and flash to collect pictures of a person's eye as they snap a selfie. The team developed a computer vision system to automatically and effectively isolate the white parts of the eye, which is a valuable tool for medical diagnostics. The app then calculates the color information from the sclera -- based on the wavelengths of light that are being reflected and absorbed -- and correlates it with bilirubin levels using machine learning algorithms.

To account for different lighting conditions, the team tested BiliScreen with two different accessories: paper glasses printed with colored squares to help calibrate color and a 3-D printed box that blocks out ambient lighting. Using the app with the box accessory -- reminiscent of a Google Cardboard headset -- led to slightly better results.

Next steps for the research team include testing the app on a wider range of people at risk for jaundice and underlying conditions, as well as continuing to make usability improvements -- including removing the need for accessories like the box and glasses.

"This relatively small initial study shows the technology has promise," said co-author Dr. Jim Taylor, a professor in the UW Medicine Department of Pediatrics whose father died of pancreatic cancer at age 70.

"Pancreatic cancer is a terrible disease with no effective screening right now," Taylor said. "Our goal is to have more people who are unfortunate enough to get pancreatic cancer to be fortunate enough to catch it in time to have surgery that gives them a better chance of survival."

###

Co-authors include Allen School undergraduate student Megan A. Banks, Lauren Phillipi and assistant professor of medicine Lei Yu.

The research was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Coulter Foundation and endowment funds from the Washington Research Foundation.

For more information, contact the research team at uwbiliscreen@gmail.com or Mariakakis at atm15@cs.washington.edu.
Stuart Carlson, a University of Michigan music student took his violin on a hot air balloon flight. Yes, that's right - a hot air balloon flight. Some people will go to great lengths to demonstrate their loyalty to the University of Michigan.





What did he play? 'Hail To The Victors' of course!

According to Scott Lorenz President and Chief Pilot of Westwind Balloon Co., it started when he met Stuart Carlson at Camp Dearborn in Milford, Michigan. "I met the Carlson family who scheduled a hot air balloon ride with my company. While we waited for the wind to die down I learned a little bit about my passenger, Stuart. I found out he was a concert violinist and composer and had recently performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC."

"I am glad the winds did not cooperate for our flight because when we rescheduled," said Lorenz, "I asked Stuart to bring along his violin and he did."

The launch took place at Island Lake State Park where the State of Michigan has provided a "Balloon Port" for local balloonists to launch their balloons. Island Lake State park boasts over 4,000 acres with miles of bike paths and the Huron River running through the park.

"Nobody forgets their first balloon flight. It is truly an experience that cannot compare to anything else," says Lorenz. "The sensation of flying over trees, lakes and streams, spotting deer and other wildlife is unique and inspiring. When an activity touches someone both emotionally and on a multi-sensory level people remember it vividly. "I think this flight will be burned into the memories of all those involved, I know I won't forget it. If you really want to make a lasting impression," says Lorenz, "a hot air balloon ride over Michigan is the ultimate 'unforgettable' gift."

Flights cost $695 for a private ride which is two passengers and the pilot. All flights are pre-paid. Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover and PayPal are accepted. Gift certificates are available.

To really appreciate all the beautiful scenery Michigan has to offer, call a balloonist and schedule a flight today; the view is really better from above!

Westwind Balloon Company- Plymouth, MI, Flying Private Flights for TWO over Kensington Park, Brighton, South Lyon and Milford. 734-667-2098 http://www.AboveMichigan.com Scott Lorenz, Pilot and Owner.

About Stuart Carlson

Stuart Carlson is a native of Dexter, Michigan and a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. "On March 8, 1996, I was born prematurely at the University of Michigan Hospital, weighing one pound and 13 ounces. I am a surviving twin," says Carlson. "After emergency surgery, I spent 100 days in the hospital incubator with recorded music playing Beethoven, Mozart, and The Beatles," says Carlson. "In late 1999, I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Autism gives me a variety of strengths and weaknesses not typical in the average human being," added Carlson. "I love being a student at the University of Michigan and I want to say 'thank you' to all the wonderful people who have helped me along my journey through life."

For more information about Stuart Carlson visit: http://www.StuartCarlson.com





About Scott Lorenz

Scott Lorenz, a commercial balloon pilot since 1982, has logged 1,850 + hours in-flight.

He has flown over Niagara Falls, The Great Wall of China, Disney World, the Olympics, Austria, Japan, Spain, Red Rock Canyon NM. He co-piloted a Guinness World Record flight to 19,000' and a 20 hour-Gas Balloon flight from MI to KY. Westwind has been featured by FOX-2 Detroit, WDIV, WJR, NPR, The Detroit Free Press, Oakland Press and Hour Detroit Magazine to name a few and was named "most creative date" by It's Just Lunch. In 2012 Westwind was named one of America's Most Romantic companies for the balloon engagement flights. Scott's Westwind Balloon Company offers unforgettable rides over Michigan's breathtaking countryside. Balloon rides make terrific gifts for Moms, Dads, Grads, the Boss and anybody who wants to enjoy life!!

-END-
Place Your Advert

Register or sign in to advertise your job
September is National Preparedness Month, and the theme is Disasters Dont Plan Ahead. You Can.

The weekly themes are:

Make a plan for yourself, family and friends

Plan to help your neighbor and community

Practice and build out your plans

Get involved. Be a part of something larger

Most people have not taken the time to plan ahead and as a result, when disaster strikes, they find themselves unprepared to deal with the issues that present themselves. The goal of NPM is to increase the overall number of individuals, families, and communities that engage in preparedness actions at home, work, business, school, and their place of worship.

It really is quite simple  know what will affect you, make a plan, build an emergency kit and get involved. We are all first responders and you can help stabilize the situation by training how to respond during an emergency and what to do when disaster strikes  whether you are at home, work, or out and about.

Racine County flooding

This past May, County Executive Jonathan Delagrave led a delegation of 70 Racine County, municipal and school officials, along with representatives from business and non-profit organizations, to the Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Md., for a week-long Community Specific: Integrated Emergency Management Course. The four-day Integrated Emergency Management Course is intended to prepare communities for large-scale disasters and is tailored to the needs of that community.

Almost two months to the day after leaving the Emergency Management Institute, many of the participants found themselves together at the City of Burlington fire station, responding to the largest disaster Racine County has faced in more than 30 years.

It could be described as the perfect storm. A combination of a wetter than normal spring that already raised river levels, a heavy rainfall that spanned two days, and a river that crested at historic levels resulting in widespread flooding that affected homes, businesses, government buildings and a We Energies transformer  befell both the city and town of Burlington.

If residents were not affected directly by the flooding, most experienced power outages that lasted up to four and a half days. In addition, other municipalities throughout the county were affected by flash flooding, which occurred earlier that day. In all, over 800 individuals reported damage to homes and property.

Preliminary damage assessment

Because of the degree of damage seen from the flooding, Wisconsin Emergency Management requested that the Federal Emergency Management Agency conduct a preliminary damage assessment. The purpose of the PDA is to assess whether the damage is significant enough to request a presidential disaster declaration. For three days, FEMA, WEM and Racine County Emergency Management visited 214 homes identified as either destroyed or having sustained major damage. The same process took place in Kenosha and Walworth counties.

Why didnt we receive FEMA funds?

From business owners to residents, the events of July 11 and 12 caused heart-wrenching pain and damage for many in Racine County. We spent long hours building a case for FEMA to declare Racine County a disaster area federal dollars could offset some of the losses.

However, based on FEMAs requirements for its individual assistance program, the three-county area of Racine, Kenosha and Walworth did not meet the threshold to warrant a presidential disaster declaration. Specifically, FEMA inspectors needed to confirm 582 homes as either destroyed or sustaining major damage.

In Racine, Kenosha and Walworth counties, FEMA declared three homes as destroyed and 109 with major damage. Simply put, the damage was not widespread enough throughout the region to warrant the declaration. We are disappointed that FEMA assistance will not be made available. However, its important to note that FEMA does not make an individual whole. In the past, the average grant was about $3,000-$5,000.

SBA Disaster Declaration

Although there was not enough damage for the governor to request a presidential disaster declaration, Governor Walker did, however, request an SBA declaration, which will provide low-interest loans to those affected.

Businesses and individuals may apply online using the electronic loan application via SBAs secure website at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. They may also obtain information and loan applications by calling the SBAs Customer Service Center at 1-800-659-2955 (1-800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing), or by emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded at www.sba.gov/disaster.

Lessons learned

Individuals, families, businesses and other groups need to make emergency planning and preparedness a priority. Surveys continue to indicate that most Americans are simply not prepared. Be informed, make a plan, build an emergency kit and practice. In addition, every home, workplace/business and house of worship should have a weather radio.

Homeowners should ensure they have adequate insurance, including flood insurance and a rider to cover storm water back-ups. Businesses should make sure they have a business recovery plan, adequate insurance including business interruption insurance and off site back-up of computer data.

By taking simple steps prior to disaster striking, you can mitigate further problems, speed up your personal recovery time and perhaps even assist your family, friends and neighbors.

For more information on emergency planning, visit our website at readyracineco.com.
France has passed a bill to introduce mandatory, independently-monitored CCTV in slaughterhouses, and the UK has been urged to follow suit.

France has passed a bill ordering slaughterhouses to install CCTV cameras, following an outcry over animal cruelty.

Members of the French National Assembly were informed that lawbreaking is a widespread problem in the nation's abattoirs.

The new bill requires slaughterhouses to install CCTV cameras across all areas, including in lairages and on the killing floor, by 2018.

A trial will take place this year to inform how the technology will be rolled out across the board. Those caught inflicting unlawful cruelty on animals will face one year in prison.

Animal Aid - one of the UK's leading animal protection organisations - is today calling on George Eustice MP, Minister for DEFRA, to bring forward similar measures to ensure the use of independently-monitored CCTV becomes mandatory in slaughterhouses, in an effort to combat unlawful animal cruelty.

A poll by the RSPCA has revealed eight out of ten people want animal welfare laws improved or at least kept the same after we leave the EU.

The poll found that 81% of the public believe that post Brexit animal welfare laws in the UK should be improved or at least kept at the same level and only 5% disagreed.

In December, a report instructed by the Welsh Government has recommended that CCTV should not be mandatory in slaughterhouses in Wales.
The fipronil scandal, along with the revelation that another surge of salmonella cases in the United Kingdom has been linked to Polish eggs, has added further weight to calls from the UK egg industry for retailers and processors to buy British.

Leading retailers have been forced to withdraw prepared foods from sale because of concerns that egg products contaminated with a banned pesticide make have been used.

The eggs were not produced in this country, but imported from the continent. Another 73 cases of salmonella found in the UK since February have been traced back to a Polish packing station.

Public Health England had already revealed, towards the end of last year, that more than 160 cases of salmonella had been traced to Poland.

Across the European Union more than 500 confirmed or probable cases in 14 countries have been connected to Poland in the last year.

The new revelations have prompted the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) to renew calls for Britain to source only British eggs.

This is just the latest of a number of food safety issues connected to eggs produced outside of the UK in recent years," said Ian Jones, chairman of British Lion Egg Processors.

"Consumers clearly want retailers, caterers and food manufacturers to use good quality British ingredients that are produced to high standards of food safety, but in some prepared foods this is not the case."

Sourced from overseas

Whilst major supermarkets promote the fact that they source their shell eggs from British producers, the withdrawals following the fipronil scandal show that many eggs for processing are sourced from overseas.

Phil Jones accused the retailers of operating double standards: The major retailers are operating to double standards when it comes to eggs. All of them stock British Lion shell eggs but they use imported eggs in many of their other foods containing eggs."

He said: As we approach Brexit, shoppers are growing increasingly concerned about the ingredients used in manufactured food and now more than ever want and deserve transparency on food packaging.

The egg industry believes that this is a great opportunity for retailers to listen to the concerns of their customers and reassure them by specifying the use of British eggs and using the Made with British Lion eggs logo on packs.

Robert Gooch, chief executive of the British Free Range Egg Producers' Association (BFREPA), also called for both retailers and manufacturers to buy British eggs produced under quality codes like Lion and Laid in Britain.

"British egg producers follow stringent production standards to ensure that what they produce is perfectly safe and nutritious for consumers to eat," he said.

"Consumers want safe, traceable food and we have ready-made schemes which delivers that in the form of the British Lion Code and Lain in Britain."

Health scares

Egg imports have been connected with a series of food and health scares over recent years.

In 2011 the Health Protection Agency confirmed that 136 cases of salmonella had been traced back to a farm in Spain.

The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) pointed out at the time that the outbreak was the latest in a long line of food poisoning outbreaks associated with imported eggs.

It said there was a fatal outbreak of salmonella food poisoning in 2002, which was also linked to Spanish eggs.

In 2004, Spanish eggs were linked to a food poisoning outbreak at a cafe in central London. One third of the Spanish eggs used by the cafe tested positive for salmonella.

An outbreak in a restaurant in Kent in 2005 was also linked to Spanish eggs after owners purchased a batch of eggs from an unapproved supplier.

In 2009 several outbreaks took place in England involving a strain of salmonella (salmonella enteritidis PT 14b NxCpl) which has not been found in egg-laying flocks in Great Britain.

Use only British

In 2015 the BEIC again urged retailers, caterers and food manufacturers to play safe and use only British eggs, following a high profile salmonella poisoning scandal in the United States.

A judge in the state of Iowa handed out jail sentences to a well-known egg company boss and his son for their part in a scandal that left thousands of consumers ill with salmonella poisoning.

Austin DeCoster, his son Peter DeCoster and their company, Quality Egg, had entered guilty pleas as part of a plea agreement after being charged with a series of offences following investigations into a nationwide salmonella outbreak.

It is estimated that more than 56,000 consumers may have been affected by the outbreak.

Quality Egg admitted that eggs were falsely labelled to disguise their age and that a US Department of Agriculture inspector had been bribed to approve poor quality eggs for sale.

Dioxin in eggs

Last years salmonella cases in the UK were traced back to Poland as a result of laboratory testing and Public Health England has now confirmed that the Polish salmonella problem has re-emerged.

Salmonella is not the only health issue connected with foreign eggs. In 2011 and 2012 high levels of dioxin were found in eggs from Germany.

Nearly 5,000 German farms were temporarily closed in 2011 as a result of dioxin contamination. There was a European Union-wide alert when contaminated eggs produced in Germany were traced to other countries.

In the United Kingdom, supermarkets removed suspect products from their shelves after contaminated eggs found their way into the cakes and quiches of two British food manufacturers.

The spread of dioxin was traced to animal feed. Fats not intended for food use were used in animal feed for pigs and poultry.

German authorities subsequently made revisions to the country's food safety laws and placed restrictions on animal feed ingredients.

New regulations

The European Union also introduced new regulations to prevent a similar outbreak in future, but in April 2012 high levels of dioxin were found in eggs on a farm in North Rhine Westphalia.

Contaminated eggs were also found on two farms near the city of Duisburg and two poultry farms in the northern German state of Lower Saxony were also affected. High levels of dioxin were also found in eggs on another farm in North Rhine Westphalia.

The current fipronil scandal is another crisis that has been brought into Britain as a result of egg imports.

Whilst well over 100 farms in the Netherlands were shut down after apparently being treated for red mite with the banned chemical, the Food Standards Agency said there was no evidence that the chemical had been used on British production units.

The BEIC has again called for retailers and processors to play sale and ensure that they buy British eggs.
Many farmers voted leave without fully realising the consequences, John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich said during a House of Lords debate.

The House of Lords yesterday debated the impact of Brexit on farmers, and the governments response to this as it prepares to begin negotiating Britains exit from the EU.

The debate was called by Conservative Baroness Anne McIntosh, a former shadow minister for environment, food and rural affairs and former chair of the EFRA Committee

The Earl of Sandwich was one of the biggest critics of leaving the EU in the debate.

John Montagu, 11th Earl of Sandwich, manages a small agricultural estate and voted to remain in the EU

He said: "Generally, I think there has been considerable dismay among farmers since Brexit simply because of the threat to their farm payments.

"The new Secretary of State will have to persuade the Chancellor that smaller farmers and hill farmers will not be able to carry on unless they are given stronger reassurances of support.

"In 2013, farmers received 2.6 billion under Pillar 1 and 637 million for agri-environment and rural development under green Pillar 2.

"How will the government ensure that British farmers continue to receive these payments?

"There are fears that direct payments will be significantly less under the new Government because of the continuing need for austerity.

"Farmers will have to receive this level of support or the whole fabric of rural society and the countryside will collapsewe heard of the situation in Wales.

The Earl then went on to talk about the fluctuating milk prices, and how it is a 'continual source of grievance' for farmers.

"There is wide disparity between farmers supplying milk to supermarkets at 30p a pint, or close to it, and others sending milk to companies like Arla for processed milk products with a price for ever in the low 20s.

"This is the result of oversupply worldwide and I will not go into it now. The EU has helped with emergency payments, but can we assume that this Government, outside the EU, will do any better?"
'I Did Have An Affair With A Married Woman'

In one of his throwback interviews which date back to 2005, Emraan had confessed that he had been in a relationship with a married woman, before tying the knot with his now-wife Parveen Shahani. He was quoted as saying, "Yes I did have an affair with a married woman."

He Wasn't Aware About Her Marital Status

"But all along I wasn't aware that she was married."

Later, Emraan Came To Know That She Is Married But...

The actor had confessed that as soon as he got to know about the woman's marital status, he wanted to back out, but somehow he couldn't. "Yes, I know it doesn't make sense but when in a relationship, logic goes for a toss. So I went along without knowing where this wild journey was headed for," he had said.

His Conscience Started To Hurt

Emraan still kept on continuing with the relationship, despite his "conscience started to hurt."

'Had I Been The Husband, I Would Have Killed The Guy Who Had Tried To Rustle An Affair With My Woman'

"I asked myself several times as to what was I doing? Had I been the husband, I would have killed the guy who had tried to rustle an affair with my woman. Must tell you, all these thoughts were troubling me for quite some time. But I till kept going at it for some strange reason."

The Relationship Ended When The Two Were Caught Red-Handed

It was only when Emraan and the lady were caught red-handed that the relationship came to an end.

The Woman's Husband Came To Know & There Was 'Fisticuffs'

Emraan said that the woman's husband got to know about their affair and a showdown was inevitable. He added, "We had even come to fisticuffs. But common friends intervened and the issue was sorted out before things took an ugly turn.

A Lesson Learnt

The actor had concluded by saying, "So for all the adventurism that is associated with a one night stand, I am not a big fan of it any longer!."
Mohanlal's Mass Look That Went Viral

Mohanlal, recently had appeared at the Stunt Union's Silver Jubilee celebrations, which was held in Chennai on August 26, 2017. The actor went on to grab all the attention with his mass look, with a thick beard and twirled moustache. He opted to appear wearing a saffron coloured dhoti and an orange kurtha. Simple yet impactful!

Release Date Of Pullikkaran Staraa

Mammootty is all set to give a grand Onam treat to the Malayalam film audiences with the film Pullikkaran Staraa, directed by Syam Dhar. The release date of the film has been confirmed and the Mammootty starrer will hit the theatres on September 1, 2017.

Postponement Of Masterpiece

Masterpiece, is one among the most awaited films of Mammootty. Directed by Ajai Vasudev, this high voltage mass entertainer was expected to hit the theatres during the Pooja season. Now, according to the latest reports, the makers have decided to push forward the release of the film to the first week of November.

Fahadh Faasil's Carbon Begins..!

Carbon is the upcoming film of Fahadh Faasil, which will be directed by Venu. Reportedly, the shoot of the film commenced in the past week and the first schedule of the film will be shot in Peeramedu.

Amal Neerad Is Not Directing Kunjali Marakkar

Earlier, reports were doing the rounds that Mammootty's upcoming big budget venture Kunjali Marikkar will be directed by Amal Neerad. Now, the popular film-maker has denied all the rumours and stated that he is not the one who will direct the project.

Prithviraj Joins Ranam aka Detroit Crossing

Ranam aka Detroit Crossing is the upcoming big budget project of Prithviraj, which will be shot extensively in the US. Reportedly, Prithviraj has moved to the US and the filming has already commenced. The actor has allotted 50 days for the movie.
F2 racer Sean Gelael will drive for Toro Rosso in four FP1 sessions over the 2017 run-in, the team have announced.

Gelael, 20, will be on duty in Singapore, Malaysia, the USA and Mexico - none of which clash with his current efforts competing in F2. The Indonesian already has previous experience with Toro Rosso, having tested for them earlier this year in both Bahrain and Hungary.

Team principal Franz Tost said those tests had helped convince of Gelael's abilities, "During the tests in Bahrain and Budapest Sean performed very well, helping the team in a very professional way, with a mature approach to the complex task of providing engineers with useful feedback.

"Everyone within the team was impressed by his performance, his technical understanding and his commitment. Therefore, we are happy that he will be driving the FP1 sessions for us at these four Grands Prix.
RACINE  The YWCA Southeast Wisconsin is requesting nominations for its Women of Distinction Awards. This is the fifth year the YWCA will offer the awards in these specific categories.

The YWCA will recognize two outstanding Racine County women this year with the Corrine Reid Owens Racial Justice award, honoring the memory of "Racines Rosa Parks," and the Empowering Women Award.

Award winners will be recognized at the Women of Distinction luncheon at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Racine Country Club, 2801 Northwestern Ave.

To nominate a Racine County woman for either award, visit www.ywcasew.org for nomination forms and requirements.

Nominations will be accepted through Sept. 15. Award winners will be selected by a volunteer committee and announced in September.
Google now says certified Android devices are the most safe and secure devices you can own News oi -Samden Sherpa Google has launched a new website today to help users learn more about certified Android devices.

Google has just put up a new website for its open-source platform, Android, and this will now help users learn more about certified Android devices.

The tech giant's move is attributed to one main reason. The company has said that there are over 2 billion active devices worldwide and thus the company wants to ensure that users will receive a secure and stable experience. Thus, while Google provides certification for Android smartphones the new website will help users gain knowledge about what exactly is a certified device and how it is certified.

Besides, the company in its blog post has said, "We work with manufacturers across the globe to run hundreds of compatibility tests that ensure devices adhere to the Android security and permissions model. These tests also verify that the Google apps pre-installed on devices are authentic and that apps from the Play Store can work as intended."

That being said, the new website also provides information on many things like the benefits of using certified Android devices and how the company has conducted many safety tests to ensure certified devices adhere to the Android security and permissions model and have software builds with recent security updates.

On the other hand, certified devices come with Google Play Protect out-of-the-box. So what this does is that it provides users with a suite of security features that include automatic device scanning for malware. So this feature will be providing a baseline protection against malware, privacy hacks and more.

All in all, Play Protect as it is built into every device with Google Play it will automatically check apps to keep users' data and device safe. Google claims that the company scans about more than 50 billion apps every day. The new feature significantly helps in detecting and removing apps that might be malicious.

In addition, the site also consists details about the verification process for Google apps, list of the partners and one important message, "when you shop for a new Android phone or tablet, we recommend asking for a certified device or looking for the Google Play Protect logo on the box, to make sure it brings the benefits of certification and additional layers of security provided by Play Protect."

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
KENOSHA  Auditions for Scripted Tour by Eric Houghton will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 5-6, at Rhode Center for the Arts, 514 56th St.

The production will be guided tours of the most haunted places in the Rhode theater, where groups encounter frightening things along the way. Actors will be asked to discuss previous experience, read from a script and be creepy. Experience is not a prerequisite.

Crew members are also needed. There are roles for 15 actors and 10 crew members (male or female). For more information, send email to audition@rhodecenter.org.
Google Pixel XL 2 to come with 5.99-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 836 and more on October 5 News oi -Samden Sherpa Lately, we have been hearing reports about the upcoming Google smartphones' design a lot.

Well, we are expecting Google to launch its new flagships or rather the successors to the Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones sometime in October, most probably on the 5 if you go by the recent tip provided by popular tipster Evan Blass.

Thus as we get closer to the launch, many rumors and leaks have surfaced as well as new ones are starting to appear online. However, lately, we have been hearing reports about the upcoming smartphone's design a lot. There have already been several reports last week and now yet again we have come across another one.

So basically, the new reports now hint that the upcoming Google Pixel 2 XL might come with bezel-less display whereas the Pixel 2 will retain the same design language as its predecessor. Further, the Pixel 2 XL is expected to come with a 5.99-inch QHD OLED display. As for the Pixel 2, it is expected to feature a 4.97-inch Full HD OLED display with large bezels.

Amidst this development, the rumors about Pixel 2 device with bezel-less display have already been doing rounds in the rumor mill for some time now. And further, images of the alleged Google Pixel 2 and Pixel XL 2 had also been leaked earlier. Interestingly, the images showed a display with larger bezels in Pixel 2 and almost a bezel-less display in PIxel XL 2. So it holds some credibility to what we have said above.

Apart from the display, it has been suggested that the audio port will not be included in the Pixel 2 as well as the Pixel 2 XL. Well, if it happens, the company will be following Apple's path of doing away with the headphone jack. Some users do prefer the audio jack and it is convenient when you want to connect a headphone directly instead of getting an extra adapter to connect the headphone through the USB port.

The upcoming Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL is also expected to come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 836 chipset. Apart from that, we know for sure that the smartphones with be running on the latest Android 8.0 Oreo which was launched by Google on 21 August.

And talking about the manufacturers, if you recall, last year the Pixel and Pixel XL were made by HTC solely. But this time Google will be working with two phone makers. One will be HTC and the company will continue to make the Pixel 2. Google's Pixel 2 XL will be made by LG this time.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
Samsung Galaxy J7 (2015) with Android 7.0 Nougat receives Wi-Fi certification News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Galaxy J7 once again spotted running Android Nougat.

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2015) was launched with Android Lollipop out of the box. Last year, the device received the Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow update. Sometime in June this year, the device was spotted with the Android Nougat OS on the Wi-Fi Alliance website.

After a couple of months, the original Galaxy J7 has been spotted running the Android Nougat OS once again by the folks at SamMobile. However, we need to mention that the update is yet to be rolled out to the smartphone. This time too, the Android 7.0 Nougat based Galaxy J7 (2015) has been spotted on the Wi-Fi Alliance website. From the listing, it is clear that Samsung is testing the Android 7.0 on the original Galaxy J7 but there is no clarity on when the update will be rolled out.

Notably, being spotted on the Wi-Fi certification website does not mean that the roll out of this update is imminent but it does point out that the Android 7.0 Nougat update for the Galaxy J7 (2015) is in the pipeline.

Going by the listing on the Wi-Fi Alliance website, the Samsung Galaxy J7 (2015) will arrive with support both dual-band Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct. The listing does not reveal any information regarding smartphone expect that the device will get the Android 7.0 Nougat in the coming weeks or months. Furthermore, the listing shows that the model number of the device is SM-J700T and certification ID WFA64700.

Though there is no mention on when the update will be rolled out to the users, as it has received the certification twice, we can expect it to be rolled out soon.

Best Mobiles in India

Facebook, To stay updated with latest technology news & gadget reviews, follow GizBot on Twitter YouTube and also subscribe to our notification. Allow Notifications
RACINE COUNTY  In the center of a Venn diagram used to describe the role of the University of Wisconsin Extension service, the agency is shown in the center as a bridge between local government, state residents and the University of Wisconsin System.

Finding herself in the middle of the extension operations in Racine and Kenosha counties is longtime Racine County UW-Extension employee Bev Baker.

As director, Baker said, shell be looking to see how the local extension office can share programs and resources, along with understanding the issues that are affecting Racine and Kenosha counties.

It will be a lot of listening and really getting a much better base of knowledge about that, Baker said, so that we have this ability to really look at the local issues and figure out what our staffing could be around that.

The local extension office, based at the Western Racine County Service Center, 209 N. Main St., Burlington, coordinates programs such as nutritional information, community development, agricultural and horticultural advice, 4H and youth in governance opportunities.

Baker started working full time for UW-Extension in Green County in 1990 and has been with the institution ever since.

She comes into the position as UW-Extension goes through a reorganization after some budget cuts from the state, which includes evaluating programming and staffing.

As we transition to whats ahead I think well look much closer at what are the key issues that Extension can be best positioned to bring the UW resources and what we can do, Baker said. Theres times when were spread pretty thin, trying to be involved in so many different things because theyre all really important.

Baker said she thinks UW-Extension will come out a lot stronger in the end.

Its quite different but it will get us, perhaps, to look at things in a different way and look at other possibilities, Baker said. I think it will also force us to do some more prioritization and do things really well instead of spread out. The reorganization was to look at how we needed to be better positioned to deal with that cut and look at everything on the table as far as Why are we doing it the way were doing in? 

Addressing key local issues

When it comes to the types of issues UW-Extension tackles, Baker said she looks at what are the needs in the community, which can include some intense topics.

For the last several years weve been working with child support and family court, Baker said. Theres a lot of misperceptions on how child support works, how family court works.

Baker said UW-Extension has been hosting FAQ (frequently asked questions) sessions to help people navigate the complexities of the system.

Weve worked, as part of a work group, to try to help dispel some of those myths and misunderstandings by doing these FAQ sessions, by trying to go where people are impacted by it and just to have an exchange of questions and answers, Baker said, adding that often they bring in local experts to give attendees the best information. We bring the educational arm of county government and UW to work on some of these things together.

Passionate about her work

Before coming to UW-Extension, Baker worked in customer service for People Express, an air carrier based in New Jersey. It was this low-cost carrier that  was like a bus in the sky, she said.

After a few years on the East Coast, she began working as a teacher, but it was a year in a temporary position as an extension educator in Grant County, Wis., that really got her interested in working for UW-Extension as a career.

While teaching school had some really nice (perks), like summers off, Baker said, Id rather work in a job where I really like to get up in the morning and feel passionate about what I do and Extension has allowed me to do that.
Even as their students christened the new laboratories, technology-enhanced classrooms, and collaborative spaces with clear views of Lake Michigan, Professor Erlan Wheeler and his colleagues sensed something missing from Carthage Colleges science center.

In a building so teeming with life, the faculty agreed the clinical, off-white walls needed a splash of color.

Periodically passing through the colleges Hedberg Library in summer 2016, Wheeler watched a student plug away on an elaborate mural near the circulation desk. He thought, why not commission that mural guy to paint something similar in the science building?

That artist, Carthage senior-to-be Paul Salsieder of Muskego, eagerly accepted the task. Last week, he completed a 400-square-foot science and math-themed mural in the heart of the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Natural and Social Sciences.

Discovery depicted

Unlike Domains of Knowledge  the traditional, single-wall mural that Salsieder created in the library  the new piece covers all four walls of an opening between the science buildings first and second floors.

One section of the mural serves as a broad timeline from the Big Bang to what Salsieder calls the birth of human consciousness. Another part celebrates major milestones in science and the men and women who achieved them.

Planning began in May. After meeting with professors from across the Division of Natural and Social Sciences, which funded the project, Salsieder tried to represent a range of subsets from chemistry to math.

Whatever field youre in, youll have a different touchstone in the mural, he said.

It took him about eight weeks to do the actual brushwork. He used acrylic paint, detailed with a few touches of stamping and imitation gold leaf.

You wouldnt think one person did it all, Wheeler said. Hes able to pull off a lot of distinct styles.

Anyone looking closely at the image of Albert Einstein might spot the student research notes that Salsieder incorporated into the cheeks  fitting for a man often considered the face of science.

Like Easter eggs that gamers unlock, the mural contains a few inside jokes. Only a sliver of the centers users will recognize that the lines of ones and zeroes, seemingly unrelated to an image of the first moon landing, spell out ONE GIANT LEAP  from astronaut Neil Armstrongs historic quote  in binary code.

A feel for the space

Both of Salsieders campus murals are mounted to the wall on canvas rather than painted directly on the surface, in case future maintenance requires access to those walls. In theory, then, he couldve worked on the new one from the solitude of a studio.

It wouldve been a 100-foot-long painting I just did by myself, sitting alone in a room, he said. But that just did not feel right to me.

Theres an advantage to painting in the space where the piece will reside. Professors would drift past and offer suggestions or minor corrections, like the color of the fins on the Saturn V rocket.

Salsieder also shared the building with fellow students who tackled projects like tiny satellite payloads or vocal analysis of wolf howls through Carthages Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. He did plenty of his own digging, to better understand the intricate concepts that the mural would portray.

I felt like I took 24 credits in a month, he joked.

That gave Salsieder, who had briefly considered minoring in biology, an excuse to rekindle his interest in the sciences. Years before entering college, he found his mind blown by topics like astrophysics.

It makes you feel unimaginably small, but in the best way possible, he said.

Advising a studio art and art history major was an unusual but welcome assignment for Wheeler, a professor of mathematics and computer science. Different disciplines aside, he admits the two share a penchant for perfectionism.

Four coats of varnish will protect the section that faces the buildings eastern windows from morning sunlight. Now that the paint has dried, the 2-year-old science center feels like a more human space to Wheeler.

The artist, on the other hand, has warring emotions: Its this moment of Look what I accomplished and What do I do now?

While finishing his studies at Carthage, Salsieder plans to keep an eye out for the next big canvas. Two murals down, and who knows how many more to go?

As he put it, I dont plan on stopping until every wall in the world has paint on it.




Haiti - Reconstruction : Chinese interested in the renovation of Port-au-Prince !





It seems that a Chinese company is interested in the renovation and partial reconstruction of Port-au-Prince. In a letter dated August 25, addressed to Xie Yong Jian, Advisor to Chinas Southwest Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute (Sichuan), the Mayor of Port-au-Prince, Ralph Youri Chevy confirms his acceptance in principle on a preliminary project of municipal renovation of Port-au-Prince, which does not commit anything but makes it possible to make progress if necessary in the development of the file.



This very general draft contains proposals for water and drainage works, road improvements, environmental protection, drainage and sanitation, a communication network and the reconstruction of the old town of Port-au -Prince; The initial infrastructure investment is estimated at $ 4.711 billion, whose terms and conditions of financing are still unknown, as this proposal has not yet officially reached the gates of the Central Government or borrowed the official channels of bilateral cooperation.



Caution is required faced this important draft project, which has to be put back for the moment in a preliminary marketing phase of a Chinese company, to a municipal politician, both of whom benefit in terms of visibility for one and political capital for the other, while waiting to learn more. Numerous large-scale projects are proposed from time to time in Haiti, but none so far was born...







Letter from the Mayor of Port-au-Prince :

"Port-au-Prince, August 25th, 2017



Mr. Xie Yong Jian

Advisor

Southwest Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute of China

No. 11, Xinghui Road, Jinniu District, Chengdu

Sichuan, China



Dear Mr. Xie:



We are pleased to accept the "Port-au-Prince Municipal Renovation project construction planning, project proposal," a project that contains six (6) sub-projects, with a total infrastructure investment of USD $4.711 billion that includes: water and drainage works; road work; environmental sanitation works; communications and information network with infrastructure; and reconstruction of "old city" Port-au-Prince that includes a new market, commercial area and a new city hall plaza.



Sound and sufficient infrastructure is a basic essential for a city's rapid growth and we understand that it will enhance the population's health and create a safe stable environment creating a solid base for economic development. Port-au-Prince, as Haiti's capital and industrial center with the largest port has tremendous potential for development. It is a paramount to commence the development of infrastructure to improve social welfare, create jobs, and boost economy after the earthquake in 2010. After thorough research and prudent consideration, the municipal government hereby supports the implementation of the Port-au-Prince Municipal Renovation Project by leveraging international investment and finance.



We are thankful for this opportunity and look forward to working with Southwest Municipal Engineering Design and Research Institute of China in this project.



Sincerely,



The Municipality of Port-au-Prince Council



Ralph Youri Chevery

Mayor



Rose Kettyna Bellabe

Vice Mayor



Bernard Joseph

Vice Mayor"



HL/ S/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - NOTICE : VISA Problem at the Embassy of the Bahamas in Port-au-Prince





The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise the travelling public applying for visas at The Bahamas Embassy in Port-au-Prince, that, with immediate effect, temporary measures have been put in place regarding the issuance of visas by the Embassy. This was necessary due to technical constraints.



While the temporary measure may initially result in minor delays, the Ministry wishes to assure the public that every effort will be made to process applications in a timely manner. All other functions of the Embassy will continue uninterrupted. The Ministry will advise the public in due course when the Embassy resumes its normal visa issuing function. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs apologises for any inconvenience caused.



SL/ HaitiLibre


















Ask Matt ... about Duke transmission line project

Crews working for Duke Energy will replace old wooden poles with steel towers.

0816 Ask Matt (Duke Transmission lines, fireworks)

with photo

Q. What are all those bucket trucks and equipment doing on the vacant lot on Asheville Highway about three miles north of town?

Theyre back! Yes, Duke Energy is back in the transmission line business  though not in the way the utility company planned in the tumultuous summer of 2015. Crews are installing new high voltage transmission lines but from what I gather this is power line lite. Dukes contractor, Southeast Power Corporation of Spartanburg, has leased a staging area on U.S. 25 north of the Balfour school. They will install 4 miles of 44 KV high voltage transmission line from Horse Shoe to Berkley Park. Its called a re-build project where old wooden vertical transmission poles will be removed and new cable will be strung from steel H frame lattice towers. Plans do call for a few monopole towers (single pole) in some locations. All work will be on existing right-of-way.

The old wooden poles that have been holding up the lines for perhaps a half century are 50 to 80 feet in height and the new lattice towers may be about 30 to 40 feet taller. So higher towers but fewer towers. This is the first phase of the project which should be complete by the end of December. The next phase will begin in 2018 and eventually a total of 12 miles of new transmission line will be re-built in Henderson County.

A Duke Energy spokesperson labeled this a reliability enhancement project to address aging infrastructure and support load growth in the area. Many county residents will remember the huge land-use fight when Duke rolled out plans for a 45-mile transmission line project through much of Henderson County. Relentless citizen outcry in Henderson County and in South Carolina helped put the brakes on the project but we all knew Duke Energy wasnt going to fold its tent and walk away.

Q. What is the cost of the annual fireworks display on July 4th at Jackson Park?

Tim Hopkin of our countys Parks and Recreation Department said that the Independence Day fireworks operation was handled by Zambelli Fireworks for $10,000, which includes the fireworks and the technician in charge. The event was underwritten by Pepsi-Cola, which covered two thirds of the cost. The Henderson County Tourism Development Authority paid the rest.

You may not know that Italian immigrant Antonio Zambelli came to this country is 1893 and started his fireworks business in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Today the family-owned company is a world leader in pyrotechnics.

* * *

photos

ADD SHIRTTAIL
Last Monday night, Aug. 21, I was fortunate to attend a town hall hosted by CNN featuring House Speaker Paul Ryan, held in Racine, and hear from him about a few of the important issues facing our country. Although I didnt have the opportunity to raise my question during the event, it was a privilege to represent my hometown.

I want to thank CNN for bringing this important event to Racine and to the speaker for this opportunity to raise our concerns about the state of our nation.

As council president for the City of Racine, I would like to ask Speaker Ryan about an issue important to every resident of Racine: infrastructure. Investment in our infrastructure is essential to driving economic growth in our nations cities. Improvements in transportation, water and broadband draw new businesses and jobs to cities and their regions, while creating a better climate for current businesses to expand.

Every day city leaders are in charge of maintaining and building local infrastructure, and addressing the needs of residents, regardless of party politics in Washington. As we like to say, there is no Republican or Democrat way to fill a pot hole. Our residents expect and deserve safe streets to get them to work and school, clean drinking water and safe communities to build their lives.

Its not always an easy job, but no local leader would underestimate the role a strong federal-local partnership plays in our mutual success. Cities across the nation use federal programs and funding to help build healthier, stronger and more vibrant communities.

Federal programs, like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, help cities attract an additional $4 of private investment for every dollar of federal investment in our future. Last year alone, the City of Racine received $1,757,084 in CDBG funding. Weve used this federal investment to fund public services like workforce development, economic development initiatives for small business, road improvements, blight mediation and even housing rehabilitation for our most vulnerable residents.

In other words, the CDBG program works  and it works very well.

A $100 million cut to a $3 billion program like CDBG may seem like a modest cut in Washington, but in Wisconsin that would potentially mean millions less for local workforce development, restorations of small town main streets and repairs to local infrastructure.

And, according to the National League of Cities, CDBG is just one of the many federal programs for cities that still face a threat by austere budget caps and a Congress seemingly determined to make cuts.

As a city leader, I fully understand the need for scrutinizing every expense and for living by a budget. But, Mr. Speaker, if you are trying to balance the budget by cutting wasteful spending, why target the programs that work?

As the Leader of the House of Representatives, what are you doing to reassure cities, particularly smaller ones like Racine, that they will continue to have a partner when it comes to maintaining our declining infrastructure?

We cant afford to go backward in communities like ours. Its up to Congress to develop a budget that invests in cities and focuses on building prosperity, expanding opportunity and investing in Americas cities.
Will Indian Govt and administration learn from China about how to take swift action against illegal loudspeakers from mosques creating noise pollution ?  Editor, Hindujagruti

A Chinese county has removed loudspeakers from over 300 mosques after getting noise complaints from neighbours about the call to prayer.

Hualong Hui Autonomous County in Chinas Qinghai province has removed over one thousand loudspeakers over three days.

The removal of the call to prayer has angered muslims in the area who have branded the locals as intolerant. It comes as anti-muslim sentiment rises in China and the Chinese government cracks down on people practicing the Islamic faith.

According to a report by state mouthpiece Global Times on August 21, the loudspeakers were removed due to noise complaints.

Environmental protection inspectors allegedly received complaints about noise pollution from local mosques.

Residents close to the places of worship have complained that Islamic calls to prayer wake them up early in the morning and they claim in some cases have aggravated heart conditions of some patients.

Locals were said to have put their support for the new move in posts online encouraging other governments to do the same.

According to Global Times, the call to prayer ritual is not forbidden and Muslims are free to practice their religion across China.

However in some areas of China such as Xinjiang, the government has been cracking down on Islamic activities. Now in the province, people under 18 are not allowed to visit the mosque while burqas and Islamic looking beards have also been banned.

Peter Irwin, World Uyghur Congress Project Manager told MailOnline: The article tries to show that there is clear support from the local population. Anti-muslim sentiment has been growing in recent years online, so it is of little surprise that it has emerged in this case as well.

William Nee, China Researcher at Amnesty International told MailOnline: In China, there are numerous cases where the government is arresting imams on flimsy charges, sending government cadres to peoples homes during Ramadan to ensure they dont pray and banning outward manifestation of Islamic faith.

Seen in this context, its highly likely that the move to take down loudspeakers in mosques is a way to ensure Islam literally has a diminished voice in the public square.

Source : Dailymail UK
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced today the appointment of Markus Platzer as General Manager of the historic Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. hotel. Platzer comes to Washington with nearly 30 years of experience managing dynamic, award-winning hotels around the world. Platzer is an Austrian native who has set a standard of excellence throughout his career, developing programs and personnel across major metropolitan areas in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. He began as front office staff at the Park Hilton in Munich, Germany, and eventually earned a role as Sales Manager at Hiltons International hotel in Vienna, Austria. In 1992, he joined the IHG team at the InterContinental Hotel Abu Dhabi, and in a few short years became the Regional Manager  Travel Trade Development for the United Arab Emirates, working from the companys hotel in Dubai. He returned to Europe in 2001 as Director of Sales & Marketing for InterContinental Hotel Prague  the hotel where he first led operations as Resident Manager  before launching a seven-year stint in Bangkok, Thailand, overseeing four hotels in the country. Since leaving Thailand, Platzer has served as Area General Manager for IHG in Japan, based at the InterContinental Tokyo. His position at The Willard will be his first in the United States. Markus Platzer earned Bachelor degrees in International Tourism and Hotel Management at the Tourism School Bad Gleichenberg and Business & Commerce at Handelsakademie Feldbach, both in Austria. He brings a wealth of experience leading distinguished, award-winning hotels from around the world to The Willard. In Washington, he will be joined by his wife and two children. Platzer will replace Patrick Birchall, who recently accepted a position in IHG as Vice President of New Hotel Openings and Operations for Corporate Managed Hotels Americas. Birchall had served as General Manager of the Willard InterContinental Washington and Regional Director of Operations for IHGs portfolio of hotels in the mid-Atlantic since 2013. During that time, he achieved the hotels highest ever scores in guest satisfaction and won the IHG Torch Bearer Award each of the four years.
Gili Lankanfushi has announced the appointment of David Stepetic as General Manager. Over the past five years, the resort has set the benchmark for barefoot and understated luxury in the Maldives, with 45 sophisticated over-water villas and a serious commitment to sustainability. David Stepetic joins Gili Lankanfushi from Jumeirah Dhevanafushi in the Maldives, where he held the position of General Manager for three years. Within the role, he became an expert on the country and brings with him an abundance of local knowledge to make sure that Gili Lankanfushi will always be an island that stands apart, offering its guests a truly authentic and intimate experience. Prior to that, David was the General Manager of Laucala Island Resort, an exclusive 25 room resort in Fiji. A U.S. National, David has more than 25 years of luxury hospitality management experience, and spent 19 of those years with the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in various Food and Beverage and senior management capacities. His experience has taken him from roles in America and Asia, to the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean. David is an avid naturalist and feels most at home in an island setting. He has a keen interest in ornithology and looks forward to getting to know the islands wildlife and further developing the recently unveiled marine biology centre, Gili Veshi.
Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok announces the appointment of Deborah Haines as new general manager, effective from 7 August 2017. U.K. native Deborah Haines brings to the position more than three decades of hospitality industry experience, the past 18 years of which have been with Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Prior to joining Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok, Deborah was District Director for the Groups hotel operations in Russia, responsible for nine properties. Deborahs experience includes GM positions at Radisson Blu hotels in Sochi, Moscow; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Durham, U.K. Her first GM stint was in London, at Park Inn Hyde Park.Deborah prepared for her career in the hospitality industry in the mid-1980s, earning diplomas in hotel management, hotel and catering administration, and completing several management and training programs. In all her postings, Deborah Haines has impressed colleagues with an extensive knowledge of all facets of hotel operation, She has a proven track record of exceeding financial expectations at each property she has managed and overseen. Radisson Blu Plaza Bangkok welcomes Deborah Haines to the Thai capital. The hotels management and staff look forward to learning and benefitting from her wide-ranging experience.
Kinseth Hospitality Companies is pleased to announce the official ribbon cutting ceremony and grand opening celebration of the Tru by Hilton Cheyenne, Wyoming took place on August 25, 2017. The event gave everyone in Cheyenne and the surrounding areas a glimpse of what this newly opened hotel has to offer. With over 200 guests in attendance Kimberly Miller of the Chamber Red Carpet Committee, Dale Steenbergen, President & CEO of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, Tony O'Brien, Board Treasurer of Visit Cheyenne, Tripp McLaughlin, Senior Director of Tru by Hilton, and Gary Kinseth, Vice President of Kinseth Hospitality Companies, shared their excitement about the opening of the fourth Tru by Hilton hotel nationwide. The millennial focused hotel, managed by Kinseth Hospitality Companies, is located at 423 W. Fox Farm Road in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

"This is a product that is for millennials but also for those of us who have a zest for life mind-set, people who enjoy traveling, enjoy open spaces to connect with others like you see in this lobby space." Tripp McLaughlin shares during the ribbon cutting ceremony. "We've done some very unique things here that you don't see in the rest of the hotels in the midscale segment. We want to have a different voice. We like to say we like to sing our brand as opposed to talking it."

According to Gary Kinseth, "We're excited to bring Tru to Cheyenne, this is the fourth Tru to open in the country. . . We think [Tru] is going to be one of the fastest growing brands in history not only for Hilton but for the whole industry."

Guests in attendance were able to tour the hotel's 4-zone lobby, pool, fitness area, and guest rooms as well as enjoy drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

About Tru by Hilton

Tru by Hilton is a revolutionary midscale hotel brand providing a simplified and spirited approach that is grounded in value for business and leisure travelers. Disrupting the midscale hotel space, Tru by Hilton will offer modern and functional guest rooms and social connectivity with reimagined public spaces, including an open lobby comprised of four zones where guests can work, play, lounge and eat. Designed to appeal cross-generationally, guests will enjoy complimentary amenities including breakfast, coffee and tea; optional mobile check-in and Digital Key; a multifunctional fitness center; and high-speed Wi-Fi. Single-serve wine and beer, fun snacks and light meal options will be available for purchase at a 24/7 retail market. Tru by Hilton is the newest addition to Hilton Worldwide's portfolio of market-leading brands. Learn more at www.trubyhilton.com.

About Kinseth Hospitality

Kinseth Hospitality is a leading hotel management, development and ownership company. KHC has a proven track record of developing and operating award-winning hotels, restaurant and meeting facilities. Kinseth Hospitality is based in North Liberty, Iowa, and currently operates over 65 hotels and 5 branded restaurants in 12 states.

For more information regarding KHC please contact our Corporate Sales and Marketing Team at 319-626-5600 or visit www.kinseth.com.

Jeff Schrader

847-202-7954

Kinseth

View source
The U.S. leisure travel population fell to 145 million in 2016, decreasing for the first time since 2011. The decline came a year after leisure travel incidence surpassed the pre-recession peak for the first time to hit a new high of 72%. But instead of maintaining their confident outlook, U.S. consumers pulled back on travel, with just two thirds of Americans taking a leisure trip. New Phocuswright research found that those who did travel took fewer trips and spent less; average annual travel spend declined more than $500.

Source: Phocuswright

Amid a contentious presidential election year and the rising threat of terrorism abroad, financial worries still held travelers back. Among U.S. adults who skipped vacationing in 2016, more than half cited financial considerations. U.S. consumers' cold feet had implications for a range of travel trends. Many Americans who did travel did so on a tighter budget, impacting trip length and destination selection.

But 2017 is a new year, and the outlook is positive amid a strong U.S. economy. For essential insight into key consumer trends and traveler intentions for the next 12 months, check out Phocuswright's U.S. Consumer Travel Report Ninth Edition.

ABOUT PHOCUSWRIGHT INC.

Phocuswright is the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. Independent, rigorous and unbiased, Phocuswright fosters smart strategic planning, tactical decision-making and organizational effectiveness.

Phocuswright delivers qualitative and quantitative research on the evolving dynamics that influence travel, tourism and hospitality distribution. Our marketplace intelligence is the industry standard for segmentation, sizing, forecasting, trends, analysis and consumer travel planning behavior. Every day around the world, senior executives, marketers, strategists and research professionals from all segments of the industry value chain use Phocuswright research for competitive advantage.

To complement its primary research in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia, Phocuswright produces several high-profile conferences in the United States and Europe, and partners with conferences in China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Industry leaders and company analysts bring this intelligence to life by debating issues, sharing ideas and defining the ever-evolving reality of travel commerce.

The company is headquartered in the United States with Asia Pacific operations based in India and local analysts on five continents.

Phocuswright is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Media, LLC. (116 32nd Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001 United States). www.phocuswright.com

ABOUT NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP

Northstar Travel Group is the leading provider of business-to-business news, information, data, transactions and custom content solutions for the travel, meetings and hospitality industries. Brands under the Northstar umbrella include Travel Weekly, Travel Weekly China, Travel Weekly Asia, TravelAge West, Business Travel News, Phocuswright, Meetings & Conventions, M&C China, Web in Travel and Inntopia. Northstar is the industry leader in marketing solutions, custom content communications, content licensing and database management serving the travel and meetings industries. The company produces more than 52 face-to-face events, taking place in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Northstar is based in Secaucus, NJ, and is a portfolio company of EagleTree Capital. www.northstartravelgroup.com
According to a recent report by Lodging Econometrics (LE), the U.S. Construction Pipeline stands at 4,973 Projects/598,371 Rooms, with projects up 7% Year-Over-Year (YOY).

There are 1,520 Projects/198,710 Rooms Under Construction, up 10% YOY, and are the highest counts recorded this cycle. Projects Scheduled to Start Construction in the Next 12 Months, at 2,312 Projects/264,924 Rooms, are up 5% YOY. Projects in Early Planning are at 1,141 Projects/134,737 Rooms and are up 8%, YOY. However, it's slightly down from last quarter which, so far, is the peak level this cycle.

For the economy, the rate of growth may be low but it's running on all cylinders. So, too, with the Total Pipeline whose growth rate is also stalling.

448 Hotels/50,521 Rooms have already opened in the U.S. with another 573 Projects/64,385 Rooms forecast to open by year-end according to analysts at Lodging Econometrics (LE). The Total 2017 Forecast for 1,021 Projects/114,906 Rooms, represents a 20% increase over the actual number of Hotel Openings in 2016, which stood at 849 Hotels/99,872 Rooms. 344 of the New Openings, or 34%, will be in the Top 25 Markets.

Almost half of the hotels that are expected to open this year are Upper Midscale, at 477 Projects/46,093 Rooms and another 289 Projects/37,914 Rooms are Upscale. These two chain scales represent 75% of the 1,021 projects anticipated to open through the end of 2017. 497 of the projects will be between 100 and 200 rooms, while 464 of the projects will be Suburban locations.

LE forecasts that 1,160 Projects/133,880 Rooms will open in 2018 and another 1,193 Projects/137,393 Rooms will open in 2019, still a distance from the annualized New Openings peak of 1,316 Projects/140,227 Rooms, set in 2009.

About Lodging Econometrics (LE)

For nearly 25 years, Lodging Econometrics (LE) has been the industry-leading provider of global hotel intelligence and decision-maker contact information. LE custom-builds business development database programs for hotel franchise companies looking to accelerate their brand growth, hotel ownership and management companies seeking to expand their real estate portfolios, and lodging industry vendors interested in increasing their sales. To learn more about our business development programs, contact us: +1 603.431.8740 or [email protected]lodgingeconometrics.com.

Emily Dennison

Lodging Econometrics
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

Breaking News email {{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }}

At least 14 people have been killed by Saudi-led air strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa, according to rescuers and witnesses.

Six children were among those who died in the overnight attack on a residential district, rescue workers said.

At least three houses in the Faj Attan area on the outskirts of the city were hit by the strikes, all but reducing them to rubble, witnesses told Reuters news agency.

It came as the UN issued a sharp rebuke towards Saudi Arabia and its allies over the bombing campaign on Yemen, demanding an independent investigation into air strikes on a Sanaa hotel this week that killed dozens of people.

The Saudi-led coalition is waging an air campaign against an Yemen's Shiite Houthi rebels and forces loyal to a former president. The rebels control much of the country's north, including Sanaa.

The coalition is trying to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi to power.

The UN has said 58 civilians were killed in Yemen in the week up to Thursday, including 42 by the Saudi-led coalition. The rest of the deaths were blamed on unknown armed men and groups linked to the rebels.

"We remind all parties to the conflict, including the coalition, of their duty to ensure full respect for international humanitarian law," said UN human rights spokeswoman Liz Throssell.

A Yemeni man covered in blood stains reacts as rescuers search for survivors in the debris of buildings inSanaa(AFP/GettyImages) (AFP/Getty Images)

Up to 60 people, including civilians and Houthi rebels, are thought to have keen killed in coalition strikes near Sanaa on Wednesday.

Witnesses said a two-storey hotel in Arhab, 35 kilometres (22 miles) north of the capital, was completely destroyed in the attack, leaving two bodies hanging from the upper floor.

A second strike hit a checkpoint controlled by Houthis a few kilometres away.

Saudi Arabia and its regional partners have used Iran's influence over Yemen's Houthi rebels to justify an extensive bombing campaign since March 2015.

The air strikes, carried out at the request of the exiled internationally recognised Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, have been repeatedly criticised for causing unnecessary loss of civilian life in a country that also faces a catastrophic cholera epidemic.

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

Last week a draft UN report accused the coalition of killing hundreds of children in Yemen.

The report, which has yet to be made public and could still be changed, estimated that 51 per cent of all child deaths and injuries in Yemen last year were the result of the Saudi-led military operation. It said the death toll was unacceptably high.

Western governments, including the US and the UK, have also faced criticism for providing logistical support and political backing to the nine-nation coalition. British companies have continued to sell weapons to Saudi Arabia despite growing concern about civilian casualties.

Saudi Arabia has always insisted that its operations follow international guidelines.
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IBNS): An Australian delegation led by Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, Australia Keith Pitt, called on Union Steel Minister Birender Singh at Udyog Bhawan, New Delhi, on Monday.

The meeting was attended by Deputy High Commissioner to India Chris Elstoft, Secretary, Steel, Dr. Aruna Sharma, and other senior officials from Australia and India.

Birender Singh shared details of National Steel Policy 2017 and other initiatives being implemented by the Indian Government in the past few years.

He invited members of the Australian government and businesses to be a part of the ambitious growth and development opportunities available in India.

He stated that there is ample scope for strengthening bilateral relations through investments, technology transfer and knowledge sharing.

The Minister also highlighted areas of concern for India steel industry like wide fluctuations in prices of coking coal imported from Australia and disadvantage to Indian steel exporters due to concessional tariffs for other countries.

Keith Pitt said that Australia is also keen on widening the scope of relations from natural resources to technology sharing and knowledge exchange.

Australian investors are excited to witness growth and potential of business in India, he added.

Pitt said that Australia would be happy to help in sharing its expertise in extracting resources efficiently.

Both sides agreed to take the discussions further for working on areas of mutual interest and finding avenues for collaboration and cooperation, according to a release by the Indian Ministry of Steel.

Image: PIB
Kolkata, Aug 28 (IBNS): The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India and JIS College of Engineering recently organized a program on 'Intellectual Property Rights for Sensitizing and Creating IP Awareness among Various Stakeholders'.

The aim of the workshop was to generate awareness about Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in the Electronics & IT Sector, thereby furnishing requisite guidance and proficiency about an assortment of procedures of patent search and application filing.

Dr. Malay R Dave, Principal JIS College of Engineering, in his inaugural address, said, This program aims to foster innovation and invention.



Intellectual property (IP) contributes a lot to our national and state economies. Many industries across our economy rely on the adequate enforcement of their patents, trademarks, and copyrights, while consumers use IP to ensure they are purchasing safe, guaranteed products. IP rights are worth protecting," said Sanjay Bhattacharya, Deputy Controller of Patents & Designs, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.



Sila Singh Ghosh, Vice President-Corporate Relations, JIS Group said, Programs like this are extremely beneficial for all stake holders and in the process the pertinent awareness gets raised."



Some of the other speakers present were Prof. (Dr.) Subir Kumar Sarkar, (Professor and Coordinator of M.Tech Evening Course in VLSI Design, Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Jadavpur University), Anal Kumar Roy (Project Manager, SIPEIT PMU, MeitY IPR Cell, Government of India), Sudipta Ghosh,(Head, IP Management  Wipro Limited), Dr. Mahuya Hom Chowdhury (Senior Scientist & Nodal Officer, Patent Information Centre, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India), Sudipta Sahana (Convener of the program).



Around 260 participants attended the program, including students and faculty members from various universities and colleges of West Bengal.
New Delhi/Kolkata, Aug 28 (IBNS): Bharti Airtel,a telecommunications services provider, and Symantec Corp, a cyber security company,on Monday announced a strategic partnership that sets a new standard for connecting and protecting people across India.

Together they will offer enterprises in India telco services combined with Integrated Cyber Defense solutions for the first time. Under the terms of the agreement, Airtel will be the exclusive Cyber Security Services partner for Symantec in India, and will distribute Symantecs enterprise security software.

The partnership will provide Indian enterprises with the best of both worlds, Symantecs unparalleled security, greater visibility and better control of critical assets, users and data; and support from Airtels expansive outreach within India.

It will leverage Airtels strength in Indias Business to Business (B2B) segment, helping them address the challenges of the Cloud Generation with Symantecs innovative Integrated Cyber Defense Platform. As Indian enterprises embrace cloud applications and infrastructure, they require security technologies built for this new cloud-based environment to gain the upper hand on adversaries.

Airtel Business serves over 2,000 large enterprise accounts, plus more than 250,000 corporate and tech startups with its integrated telecom solutions. In addition, it has a strong presence in Central and State Government departments/divisions.

Symantec Cyber Security Services prepares organizations for every stage of the attack lifecycle through global Threat Intelligence Services, Managed Security Services, Incident Response Services and Cyber Skills Development Services to protect organizations from internal and external attacks.

Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel said, Increasingly sophisticated cyber threats with potential to disrupt business continuity are the new normal in todays digitally connected world. Enterprises need to guard against these emerging threats and Airtel, with its experience in serving businesses with integrated connectivity solutions, is uniquely positioned to serve them. We are delighted to partner with Symantec and offer its world-class Integrated Cyber Defense Platform and solutions to customers in India. It will help us add value to our existing enterprise relationships and further consolidate our leadership position in the B2B space.

Symantecs CEO Greg Clark said, The partnership between Airtel and Symantec presents massive value to businesses in India. Airtel is one of the most forward-thinking telcos and Symantecs Integrated Cyber Defense Platform focuses on empowering businesses to protect their on-premise as well as fast growing cloud environment through every stage of an attack lifecycle by combining the broadest and deepest set of threat intelligence in the industry. With this partnership, Symantec will expand its outreach in India exponentially and Indian organizations will be able to strengthen their cyber defense and respond to new threats as they emerge at a significantly lower operational cost, under one service level agreement.




New Delhi/Kolkata, Aug 28 (IBNS): Peter MacKenzie has been named managing director of Harley-Davidson India with immediate effect. MacKenzie assumes the role in addition to his current role as managing director for Greater China.

MacKenzie will continue to based in Shanghai, China, with frequent travel to India. On a day-to-day basis, Manish Agarwal, Country Manager, will be providing full support to our operations in India.

In his new role, MacKenzie will manage Harley-Davidson Indias leadership team responsible for in-country sales, dealer network management, marketing, service and operations activities to expand the companys presence in the country.

MacKenzie joined Harley-Davidson in 2010, bringing with him almost 25 years of business development experience in the automotive industry.

In his tenure with the company, he has consistently demonstrated an innovative and analytical approach to problem-solving, as well as successfully driven productivity, sales and profitability.

India is a strategic market for us in line with our company strategy to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally. I am confident that MacKenzie will provide strong leadership to the team to grow the reach and impact of our brand, as we expand our dealership network in the country to support our business and give loyal and new customers greater access to our brand, said Marc McAllister, vice president and managing director, International Markets.
Mumbai, Aug 28 (IBNS): Five centuries ago, India was regarded as a fount of knowledge where scholars would come to imbibe wisdom. Given that it is home to the largest number of doctors, engineers and software professionals in the world, it can easily reclaim its ancient position as the knowledge hub of the world.

Eminent surgeons have urged India to improve its knowledge creation efforts especially in medicine relevant to its social, cultural and economic conditions.

New knowledge creation capabilities that take into account extremes of disease and economic disparities in India will significantly improve patient outcomes. And those creating the new knowledge will become role models for others, said Dr Mahendra Bhandari, Director of Robotic Surgery Research & Education, Vattikuti Urology Institute, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, while addressing surgeons at Mumbai.

The differentiator between a good surgeon and others is the quality of outcomes, said Bhandari, who has a distinguished career in surgery spanning over 50 years.

Surgeons achieve new breakthroughs in patient outcomes by creating their own benchmarks relevant to the community of patients they serve and not by simply adhering to the existing benchmark elsewhere. When peers adopt technology created by you, it is an evidence of your knowledge as a professional, he said.

Patients do not choose surgeons with 99 per cent success rate but those having zero tolerance for errors, Bhandari said, while providing tips for achieving excellence in the field of surgery.

The medical community in India has a bigger and more critical role in treating patients as patients coming from diverse literacy levels here place blind faith in doctors despite following a shared decision making process in deciding line of treatment.

He cited examples of several committed Indian surgeons who worked towards extending the boundaries of robotic surgery to enhance quality of outcomes. Due to their efforts a surgical robot created by US-based Intuitive Surgical Inc. in 2000 to augment human cognition to perform surgeries led to better outcomes and is today used for procedures in Urology, Gynaecology, Thoracic, Gastrointestinal, and Head & Neck area.

Many Indian surgeons like Dr Mani Menon, Dr Rajesh Ahlawat and Dr Pranjal Modi have created new techniques in renal transplant procedures in complex surgeries using a da Vinci surgical robot even though the robot makers Intuitive Surgical Inc. originally thought a surgical robot would be used for cardiac surgeries.

Speaking to surgeons at a Vattikuti Foundation event to felicitate Dr TB Yuvaraja, Uro-Oncologist and Head of Robotic Surgery at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH), Mumbai for doing 1001 robotic surgeries, Dr Bhandari said that what makes the medical community proud is the intelligent manner in which Dr Yuvaraja used his experience to deliver superior patient outcomes. He also lauded how Dr Yuvaraja mentored his team of surgeons to better themselves and wholeheartedly disseminated knowledge with the medical community.

Eminent surgeons Dr M Vijaya Kumar, Vice Chancellor, Yenepoya (Medical) University and Dr Percy Chibber, Senior Urologist, Jaslok Hospital and Dr Santosh Shetty, COO, KDAH joined in felicitating Dr Yuvaraja for achieving this landmark.

Dr TB Yuvaraja who specializes in Robotic Uro-Oncology Surgeries, treating Prostate, Kidney, Urinary Bladder, Testicular and Penile cancers is known for devising suspension stitch to improve post prostatectomy incontinence and standardising procedure for Inquinal lymph node dissection.

Dr Yuvaraja has won several fellowships including the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre (MSKCC), New York, USA among others.

Dr Bhandari who also serves as the CEO of Vattikuti Foundation, a US-based non-profit organisation that promotes robotic surgeries across the world, including India, said the Foundation is committed to training 500 robotic surgeons by 2020, in addition to offering 100 paid one year fellowships.

A series of international fellowships, Webinars, and Vattikuti Student fellowship at the bi-annual Robotic Surgeons Conference hosted by the foundation have played a significant role in the spread of multi-disciplinary robotic surgery practice.

There are now 275 trained robotic surgeons in the country with access to 51 Surgical Robots across 47 hospitals in India.
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lauded the Jan Dhan Yojana scheme, which completed three years.

Congratulating the people who have benefited from the Prime Minister's financial inclusion scheme, he said, "Today, Jan Dhan Yojana completes 3 years. I congratulate the crores of people, particularly the poor, who benefitted from this initiative."

He also hailed the initiative as a historic movement 'to bring the downtrodden and marginalised into the financial mainstream'.

Speaking about his government, he said that it has helped million of aspirants to dream big.

"Through Jan Dhan Yojana, social security schemes, MUDRA & stand up India, we have given wings to millions of aspirations. #JanDhanRevolution," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister added, 'Our efforts to bring a qualitative & transformative change in the lives of the poor & marginalised continue with immense vigour."
Rohtak, Aug 28 (IBNS): Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who was convicted for raping his two Sadhvis (female followers), will be sentenced on Monday afternoon as the city has been locked down to avoid any untoward incident.

The judge will pronounce the sentence at 2.30 pm.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the CBI court on Friday in a rape case that dates back to 2002. Following the verdict, Panchkula and Sirsa witnessed riots by the Ram Rahim followers who gathered there to showcase support for the Dera chief leading to 30 odd deaths.

His followers went on a rampage as they attacked police, journalists and even destroyed vehicles.

Several OB vans were also damaged by the attackers.

In order to gain control over the incident, the army was called in to Panchkula, on the outskirts of Chandigarh.

Before that, the police used tear gas and water cannons to try and disperse mobs of Ram Rahim supporters.

However, their efforts went in vain as they were outnumbered near the courthouse.

Ram Rahim is presently in Rohtak jail where the judge will be flown to pronounce the sentence.

The area around the Rohak jail has been cordoned off.

The schools and colleges are called off for the day.

After the conviction on Friday, controversy erupted as several news channels aired the footage to claim that Ram Rahim was treated as a VIP and was also not seen wearing the prison clothes.
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IBNS): Union Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has announced Denmark as the partner country for World Food India 2017, due to take place in the national capital on Nov.

Badal shared the news following a meeting with Denmark's Environment and Food Minister Esben Lunde Larsen.

The minister said that along with Denmark, Netherlands too will join in as the Focus Country.

Netherlands's decision was confirmed by Dutch Agriculture Minister Martin van Dam, who held a bilateral meeting with Badal.

Earlier, Germany had announced its participation as Focus Country in World Food India during Minister's Badal's successful meeting with Dr. Herman Onko Aeikens, State Secretary, German Federal Ministry of Food & Agriculture.

"I am delighted to welcome the participation of Germany, Denmark and Netherlands and I am confident that we will see strong collaborations and partnerships," Badal said.

Both Netherlands and Denmark have committed to bring a strong official and business delegation to leverage the networking opportunities that present themselves in World Food India, the minister added.

Germany will mount a business delegation to World Food India as well.

With this, Denmark is the Partner Country for World Food India and Germany, Netherlands and Italy will serve as the Focus Countries.

Europe as a region is an ideal partner for World Food India with its strength in technologies, R&D, cold chain which India needs and potential for partnerships with Indian companies, added the minister.

More than 100 international companies from 28 countries have already registered to participate in the upcoming event.

Image: Twitter.com
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IBNS): In a significant shift to the diplomatic relation, both India and China have agreed to disengage border personnel at Doklam in Sikkim border, said India's Ministry of External Affairs.

The Ministry of External Affairs of India said in a statement on Monday that both the countries had communicated with each other regarding the Doklam issue in the last few weeks.

"In recent weeks, India and China have maintained diplomatic communication in respect of the incident at Doklam. During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests" the statement reads.

"On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the face-off site at Doklam has been agreed to and is on-going" the MEA added.

The ongoing military standoff has heightened tension at the Bhutan-India-China tri-junction in Doklam, a disputed territory claimed by both Bhutan and China, where the Indian Army personnel have reached to stop China from building a road.

China has accused India of trespassing into its territory and demanded withdrawal of troops leading to a prolonged standoff.

While India and Bhutan say the land belongs to the tiny Himalayan kingdom and that the Indian troops are there at the request of Bhutan, China earlier warned that it will not accept any dialogue till Indian soldiers pull out from Doklam.

In a recent development to the ongoing standoff, Chinese troops clashed with their Indian counterparts in Ladakh on August 16.

Soldiers from both the countries received injuries as they were involved in stone pelting along the line of control in eastern Ladakh.

Both the countries were seen to be involved in rhetoric related to the Doklam standoff.

China threatened India with the possibility of a war as the former reminded the latter's defeat in the 1962 Indo-Sino war.

India retaliated verbally saying the nation is no longer the same as 1962.

Image: Official Facebook page of Narendra Modi.
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IBNS): With Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) managing to retain the Bawana seat in the recently concluded bypoll was a fillip to Arvind Kejriwal's leadership, according to media reports on Monday.

AAP, represented by Ram Chander, won the election by a margin of 24,000 votes, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in second place and Congress third.

Bawana is one of the biggest assembly constituencies of Delhi.

Ram Chander defeated former party colleague Ved Prakash who left AAP for BJP in March this year, which in fact necessitated the bypoll as Ved Prakash had to resign as a legislator.

After today's win, AAP has 66 MLAs in the state assembly of 70 members.

In its official Twitter handle, AAP said, "Thanks to people of Bawana for showing confidence in AAP. Congratulations Ram Chander Ji for winning election."



Image: AAP Twitter
New Delhi, Aug 28 (IBNS): Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, Chief of Naval Staff of the Bangladesh Navy, is on an official visit to India, from August 28-30, 2017.

The visit is aimed at consolidating bilateral naval relations between India and Bangladesh and to explore new avenues for naval cooperation, th Minsitry of Defence said in a release.

The Chief of Naval Staff, Bangladesh Navy will hold bilateral discussions with the Indian Navy chief, Admiral Sunil Lanba, and other senior officials of the Indian Navy .

Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed is also scheduled to meet Chief of the Air Staff, and call on the Union Defence Minister, the NSA and the Defence Secretary as part of his official meetings in New Delhi.

In addition to New Delhi, the Admiral is also scheduled to proceed to Visakhapatnam where he will be visiting various naval establishments, including INS Kalinga, INS Karna and INS Satavahana.

Naval cooperation between India and Bangladesh has been traditionally strong, encompassing a wide span which includes operational interactions through Training, Port Calls, Passage Exercises along with Capability Building and Capacity Augmentation initiatives, the Defence Ministry release said.

Bangladesh Navy is also the present Chair of the Indian Ocean Symposium (IONS), which is a Multilateral Maritime Cooperation platform launched by the Indian Navy.

Bangladesh Navy is also scheduled to conduct an International Multilateral Maritime Search and Rescue Exercise titled IMMSAREX in November 2017, which is being held under the IONS construct.



Image: SpokespersonNavy/Twitter
Rohtak, Aug 28 (IBNS): The special CBI judge, on Monday, announced a 10-year-jail term for Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.

He was convicted for raping two Sadhvis (female followers).

The prosecution demanded maximum punishment for the rape convict while the Dera chief's defence argued that Ram Rahim is a social worker and urged the judge to take a lenient view.

The CBI urged the judge to treat the case as 'rarest of rare' during its argument.

Reports said that the Dera chief broke down in court and pleaded for leniency while the judge was reading out the sentence.

According to Times Now, victims shouted slogans of 'jail him (Ram Rahim) for life' inside the court premises.

Meanwhile, keeping the importance of the situation in mind, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh called for an emergency meeting.

ANI news agency reported incidences of violence in Sirsa, the headquarters of the sect.

At least two cars were torched by Dera supporters.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the CBI court on Friday in a rape case that dates back to 2002.

Following the verdict, Panchkula and Sirsa witnessed riots by the Ram Rahim followers resulting in 30 odd deaths.
Srinagar, Aug 28 (IBNS): Suspected militants shot at and injured a Jammu and Kashmir police officer in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Monday, according to police reports.

According to an official, Assistant Sub Inspector of J&K Police, Abdul Rashid Peer, was seriously injured after gunmen fired at him, in Mehendi Kadal area of Anantnag town.

He was shifted to the District Hospital from where from he was referred to Srinagar for special treatment, the official added.

Soon after the incident, forces cordoned off the area and started searching it to nab the attackers.



Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri
Kolkata, Aug 28 (IBNS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday interrogated West Bengal Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Subrata Mukherjee in connection with Narada sting, officials said.

According to reports, the senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker Subrata Mukherjee appeared at CBI's office at Nizam Palace in south Kolkata at around 10 am and he was grilled by the investigators for nearly 8 hours.

While leaving the CBI's office, Subrata Mukherjee told reporters, "CBI asked me the same questions which were asked by ED earlier."

"I answered to their all questions and my statement was recorded," Mukherjee added.

Earlier on Aug 11, Subrata Mukherjee was quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the same case.

Since Mar 14 last year, news portal- Narada News- released several sting operation footage, where TMC's leaders, ministers, MPs and MLAs were allegedly seen accepting bribes.

From the beginning, TMC leadership had claimed that the sting footage was doctored and a conspiracy of the opposition parties.

After getting direction from the Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court, the CBI has started a probe into the case.

On April 17, the investigation agency registered an FIR in connection with the case under several non-bailable sections against 12 influential leaders, cabinet ministers, MLAs and MPs of TMC and one senior IPS officer, who were seen allegedly taking bribes in the sting footage, reports said.

Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has registered a money laundering case in the Narada sting and currently investigating the case.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
Chandigarh, Aug 28 (IBNS): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealed to Dera people to maintain peace after Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment on Monday.

The Haryana CM told media: "I appeal to all Dera people to maintain peace."

He urged the followers of the self-styled spiritual leader not to take the law into their hands.

Singh's followers had went on a rampage on Friday and attacked journalists, police and even damaged vehicles and public properties after the conviction of their leader in a rape case.

Khattar's silence after the riot in Haryana's Panchkula and Sirsa on Friday was earlier widely criticised.

Following the verdict, Panchkula and Sirsa witnessed riots by the Ram Rahim followers resulting in 36 deaths.

At least two cars were torched by Dera supporters. Several OB vans of media houses were destroyed.

The Haryana government led by Khattar was also rebuked by the court for failing to maintain the law and order in the state.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Saturday slammed the Haryanas government blaming it for deliberately letting Panchkula "burn for political benefits," while the Army entered the premises of Dera Sacha Sauda headquarters appealing the followers to leave the place.

While asking the Haryana government to present the full list of movable and immovable properties owned by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, the High Court said, you let Panchkula burn for political benefits".

Ram Rahim will serve two jail terms of 10 years each as he has been convicted for raping two of his Sadhvis (female followers).

He will also have to pay 14 lakhs each to both the victims.

Ram Rahim was convicted by the CBI court on Friday in a rape case that dates back to 2002.

The prosecution demanded maximum punishment for the rape convict while the Dera chief's defence argued that Ram Rahim is a social worker and urged the judge to take a lenient view.

The CBI urged the judge to treat the case as 'rarest of rare' during its argument.

Reports said that the Dera chief broke down in court and pleaded for leniency while the judge was reading out the sentence.

According to Times Now, victims shouted slogans of 'jail him (Ram Rahim) for life' inside the court premises.
If youve held a supervisory position in the 21st century, chances are good youve been given this instruction by your supervisor: Document everything. Any kind of serious conflict or incident involving someone you supervise, write it down and date it, including actions taken by the company.

Why? In the event of legal action taken by an employee against the company, the documentation youve accumulated is proof that issues involving the employee were taken seriously. Its standard practice at most companies above the level of mom-and-pop business.

Which makes us wonder why the University of Wisconsin-Madison is reportedly not insisting on such documentation when it comes to accusations of sexual harassment.

UW-Madison does not require supervisors or human resources officials to keep records of anonymous sexual harassment complaints that are brought forward by students or employees, administrators say.

Failing to document those cases could make it much more difficult for officials to know whether an employee has been disciplined for sexual harassment in the past, according to two experts on the federal gender discrimination law Title IX, the Wisconsin State Journal reported Sunday. They also warned that  as colleges nationwide face mounting pressure to address sexual misconduct by employees as well as students  failing to record complaints could make UW-Madison vulnerable to lawsuits from harassment victims.

You have to be able to have some documentation, because if that professor or that person harasses again, the school can be liable if it doesnt take action to address that, said Neena Chaudhry, director of education and senior counsel at the National Womens Law Center. From a schools point of view, it should want to know whats happening if there are multiple complaints against a person.

Saunie Schuster, a co-founder of the Association of Title IX Administrators, said harassment complaints should never be undocumented.

Asked about the criticism, UW-Madison officials said they are working to develop a system to track sexual harassment allegations against employees, as well as clearer policies for recording complaints that are handled through the universitys informal resolution process.

I wouldnt assume that there isnt tracking of anonymous harassment complaints, said Lauren Hasselbacher, UW-Madisons Title IX coordinator, though she acknowledged there is not a policy requiring employees do so.

That is an area where the university can improve, Hasselbacher said.

It can and it must. Because what should be obvious to any Wisconsin taxpayer is the fact that we fund the University of Wisconsin System. When Ms. Chaudhry points out that the school can be liable, that means that we would be paying, at least in part, for UW-Madison to deal with sexual harassment complaints.

In a 2015 survey on sexual misconduct, just over half of 1,503 responding women graduate students at UW-Madison said they had experienced sexual harassment in their time on campus. Of those who said they were harassed, 22.2 percent reported the source of the harassment was a UW-Madison faculty member  people in positions of power who in some cases could make or break students careers in tight-knit academic circles.

Its hard to believe that UW-Madison, the Systems flagship, doesnt require documentation on sexual harassment.

Not only is it the right thing to do  administrators must be aware of, and document, complaints against employees for the safety of all employees and students  but in 2017, keeping a copy of a complaint you file is as simple as flagging a sent email.

UW-Madison should be far more proactive in maintaining a database on sexual harassment, so that repeat offenders can be retrained or shown the door.
Guwahati, Aug 28 (IBNS) : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe the murder of All Bodo Minority Studentas Union (ABMSU)as president Lafikul Islam in lower Assamas Kokrajhar district on Aug 1.

Following the Assam governments request, the Centre has handed over the investigation of the murder case of the minority student leader to the CBI.

A state government press release said Union Minister of State (i/c) for DONER, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pension etc. Dr Jitendra Singh informed this to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over phone on Monday.

The ABMSU president was killed by unidentified miscreants at Titaguri market in Kokrajhar district on Aug 1.

Assam government has already constituted a Special Investigative Team (SIT), headed by Inspector General of Police Anurag Tankha, to inquire into the brutal murder and provided ex-gratia relief of Rs 5 lakh to the next of kin of the slain ABMSU leader.

According to the reports, two motorcycle borne unidentified assailants opened fire from an AK-47 rifle at Lafikul at a shop in Titaguri market in Kokrajhar district, while he had gone to buy tiles.

Seriously injured Lafikul was immediately rushed to the hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

In the firing incident, the shopkeeper also injured and admitted at a hospital.

Following the incident, Assam police had arrested the PSO of Lafikul identified as Jakir Ali in connection with the killing incident.

In past a month, several organizations had protested against the killing incident and demanded the state government to arrest the main culprit.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Kolkata, Aug 28 (IBNS): A suspicious object, which is suspected to be a part of a missile or a crashed fighter jet, was recovered in the Bay of Bengal near Digha coast in West Bengal's East Medinipur district on Monday, reports said.

According to reports, local fishermen found the heavy wreckage in early morning.

"Fishermen spotted the object 300 metres under the sea and nearly 7 nautical miles off the Shankarpur Harbour," a local police official told IBNS.

"The wreckage has been taken to Shankarpur Harbour for examination," the official added.

Besides local police, coast guard and Indian Air Force have started investigation into the matter, according to reports.

Earlier on Saturday (Aug 26) morning, a couple of loud explosion widespread panic among the locals and tourists in Bengal's coastal tourism hotspot Digha.

Glass panes of nearby hotels' windows were shattered due to the explosion's vibration while cracks were noticed on the walls of several establishments.

Exact reason behind the massive booms is yet to be established.

"We are investigating to know if there is a link between the explosions and the wreckage, recovered from sea," a senior official of East Medinipur district police told IBNS.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)




Guwahati, Aug 28 (IBNS) : Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed the Social Welfare Department to expeditiously complete the identification process of differently abled persons of the state and set time frame for Direct Benefit Transfer of fund as financial assistance for medical care to them under Deen Dayal Divyang Sahajya Achani.

Sonowal directed this while reviewing the implementation of budget announcements of Social Welfare Department alongwith Power and Administrative Reforms & Training Department in the Chief Ministers Conference Room in Janata Bhawan in Dispur on Monday.

Reiterating state governments commitment for inclusive growth of all sections of the society, Sonowal asked the department to enhance the number of disability screening camps covering all legislative constituencies.

He further directed the department to launch the Deen Dayal Divyang Sahajya Achani through distribution of sanction letters to identified Divyangs on Oct 31.

Considering the rising number of incidents of elderly persons being neglected by their grown up children, The Assam CM instructed the department to finalize the guideline for providing legislative cover to older parents including government employees at the earliest. Moreover, setting up of educational institutions for mentally retarded persons, establishing two new hostels of working women in the state and preparation of guideline for management of welfare fund to Anganwadi Workers with a view to provide financial assistance on emergencies were also reviewed.

Reviewing the implementation of budget announcements of Power Department, Sonowal asked the department to study the feasibility of greater use of renewable energies apart from augmenting the production of conventional energy sources.

The Assam CM also emphasized on generating more awareness amongst people regarding use of electricity besides the precautions to be followed.

He directed the department to ink an agreement with NGOs for carrying out public awareness programmes in this regard.

Implementation of Solar Power Project at Amguri, electrification of all villages of the state, installation of Smart Meters in Guwahati city and free of cost power connection to 5.41 lakh households of the state were also reviewed in the meeting.

Sonowal also reviewed the budget announcements of Administrative Reforms and Training Department and asked the department to expedite the implementation of projects for setting up of Administrative Training Centre at Umrangsu in Dima Hasao District and four Training Institutes for Grade III and IV employees of state government.

Principal Secretary, Power, Social Welfare Departments etc. Jishnu Baruah, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Sanjay Lohia, Principal Secretary, Finance Ravi Kota and host of other senior officers of state government were present in the meeting.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, Aug 28 (IBNS) : Several protesters, including women, were injured during clashes between the activists and supporters of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and security personnel in northern Assamas town Tezpur on Monday.

According to the reports, the protest turned violent after police resorted lathi charge upon the protesters of KMSS led by its leader Akhil Gogoi, who tried to break down the police barricade and also walk out a rally protest against the state governments decisions against the indigenous people by violating section 144 CrPC imposed by the Sonitpur district administration.

In the police action, several protesters including women were injured.

Police also arrested farmer leader Akhil Gogoi, but later he was released on bail.

It is not a democratic act, it is a Hitler act. While the protesters walking out through democratic process, security personnel used barbaric action upon us, Akhil Gogoi said.

The protesters had demanded the state government to provide land patta to the landless people and to stop eviction drive in the forest areas, where indigenous landless people lived in past several decades.

On the other hand, KMSS and few other organizations had also protested against the eviction drive by the state forest department at Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary in Guwahati on Monday.

Following the directive by the Gauhati High Court, the Assam forest department on Aug 25 had started eviction drives against the 1400 families that have been encroaching upon the Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary and evicted around 300 families on the first day.

The families, who had already lost everything in devasting flood and river erosion, are taking shelter in the forest area few decades ago. If the state government will evict these families from here, then where they will go. These are indigenous people and we are demanded the state government to stop the eviction drive immediately, a KMSS leader said.

Meanwhile, the state forest department has temporary stopped the eviction drive at the wildlife sanctuary.

I will discuss the matter with the Assam Chief Minister, Assam forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma said.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Mumbai, Aug 28 (IBNS): Jet Airways, a private airline, on Monday announced a week long, in-flight aBiryani Festivala, bringing variety and spice for its guests traveling Economy on select domestic flights commencing Aug 29 until Sept 4, 2017.

A delectable range of Biryanis from various parts of India will be offered as part of lunch and dinner menus.

The Biryani Festival menu, designed to trace and celebrate the culinary culture and flavours of several Indian states will comprise of mouthwatering varieties some of which include Yakhni Pulao Biryani, Aloo Badi Ki Biryani, Hyderabadi Chicken Dum Biryani, Kabuli Biryani, Kolkata Style Chicken Biryani, Lucknawi Dum Biryani, Shahi Veg Biryani and Veg Mopla Biryani.



Every day of the week, guests of Jet Airways can look forward to savoring a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian biryani option, carefully prepared by eminent chefs from TajSats and Sky Gourmet flight kitchens, according to the days menu.

The festival highlights Je Airways commitment towards its Guest First service philosophy, where the airline continually endeavors to exceed guest expectations.
Dubai, Aug 28 (IBNS): In a major development, UAE President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has ordered the release of 803 prisoners.

The order to release the prisoners were made by the President on the occasion of Eid Al Adha.

"The pardoned prisoners had been sentenced to jail terms for a variety of offences," reported the Khaleej Times.

According to reports, the UAE President has even pledged to settle the financial obligations of the released prisoners.
New York, Aug 28(Just Earth News): Preventing conflicts from breaking out in the first place, and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions once they do, is vital to relieving the suffering seen in many parts of the world, according to the top United Nations humanitarian official, Stephen OaBrien.

Thats the issue about conflict, its man-made, and, therefore, its capable of being unmade by man and the humanitarian suffering that is brought about by it can be reduced and eliminated over time, OBrien, who has served for over two years as Under-Secretary-General and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said in an interview with UN News.

For the past two years, the British national has witnessed some of that suffering first hand, meeting some of the millions affected by conflict and crises in, among others, Iraq, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

As he prepares to wrap up his assignment with the UN, OBrien discussed what he will remember most about being the UN humanitarian chief, some of his frustrations, UN reform efforts and how to avoid a sense of hopelessness from setting in given the numerous crises around the world and the ever increasing needs.

UN News: When you look back at the past two years, what is the one encounter that will stay with you the most, that encapsulates what the jobs been about for you?

Stephen OBrien: In Yemen, when I visited a school that was occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs)  there are millions in Yemen because of the terrible conflict  there was a girl called Marie, who was looking after eight of her siblings in the absence of any parents and they were struggling to get food. They had at last become registered so they were getting supplies from the very brave aid workers, from the UN and other NGO partners. But it was not possible as yet to give them schooling so they brought home to me more than anything else, that they should not be victims in other peoples wars, and also that the international community was doing an amazing job in giving them the lifesaving as well as the protection they needed.

UN News: Where do you think you have been most effective in the job, and what has been your biggest frustration?

Stephen OBrien: I look at the extraordinary work of all of these humanitarian workers around the world in these very tough spots in the two years that Ive been in the post and Ive been really inspired by the courage, persistence and determination of these people who want to make sure that the people affected by the crisis, through no fault of their own, are given the lifesaving and protection that they need.

While that has been rewarding, the job itself is extraordinarily challenging because the rise in humanitarian needs around the world has been exponential, and notwithstanding that we have managed to secure record amounts of funding in that period, the gap has grown wider.

The frustration is that we are simply not able to raise our ability to respond at the same pace that the needs are arising. And in that period, we havent had  thank goodness, but its not to say that we will not have in the future  a very large humanitarian need as a result of natural hazards, so our primary focus has been on the humanitarian needs out of conflict.

UN News: Your time in office has been dominated by some of the worst conflicts and humanitarian crises of the modern era. Is there any more that the UN could be doing in Syria, or is it really all up to the Security Council to act, as youve often said in your briefings?

Stephen OBrien: One of the great privileges that the Emergency Relief Coordinator has is that here in New York you get to speak to the Security Council on a fairly regular basis about the challenges that are arising as a result of conflict and other disasters and emergencies. It has been very clear to me that it is a duty, an obligation and, indeed, expected by General Assembly resolution 46/182, that I raise very difficult issues and often speak truth to power.

It can be a little uncomfortable, it can be challenging, but it is very important that the facts are before all of the Member States, here at the United Nations, the highest body in the world, which has the capacity, diplomatically and politically, to find a resolution and to prevent conflicts that result in producing humanitarian needs, which could be avoided.

Thats the issue about conflict, its man-made, and, therefore, its capable of being unmade by man and the humanitarian suffering that is brought about by it can be reduced and eliminated over time.

UN News: As Syria and Yemen stand out, do you worry that some of these complex conflicts will prove to be unsolvable?

Stephen OBrien: I never accept that these are unsolvable because with a will, when people come together, when we put our fellow human beings around the planet first, rather than [focusing on] the dispute for power or competition for resourcesthe issues can be solved. As long as we put a huge premium on our ability to talk through our differences. At the same time, we must recognize that we have the highest possible public duty internationally to relieve the suffering of our fellow human beings, wherever that arises, be that for their protection in conflicts where innocent civilians are put at risk, or for their lifesaving in natural hazards and the terrible risks that happen because of that.

UN News: What advice do you have for your successor?

Stephen OBrien: Above all, go out and meet the people to whom we are ultimately accountable, the people who need us most.

As I have sought to do, make sure all you do is rooted in the principles of international humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law.

Make sure that we call people to account so that there is a better deterrent to those causing humanitarian suffering on Monday.

UN News: The Secretary-General has made UN reform a priority. Do you have any constructive advice as to how that can be managed in the humanitarian field?

Stephen OBrien: The Secretary-Generals emphasis on prevention as core to policy and the ability for the UN in the world that we face on Monday, and looking ahead and particularly to be relevant to the vast number of younger generations. We need to make sure it is reformed to reflect that world.

That needs much better resolution of conflict, prevention in the first place, a greater participation of stakeholders, recognizing that so many of the worlds problems, particularly humanitarian, but also for enabling development and the equality of womens rights, all need to come together in a way that is relevant to on Mondays generation.

The reforms that the Secretary-General is pushing are all to be welcomed and supported. I am pleased that in OCHA, we have been doing this over the last two years. We have somewhat blazed a trail with our own reforms and put us in a fitter and better position to make sure that we are strategically aligned, nimble and adaptable.

UN News: What is the key message you relayed for your last World Humanitarian Day?

Stephen OBrien: We should make sure to put a real focus on how humanitarian aid workers around the world are #NotATarget. This was articulated at the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul. The protection of aid workers is paramount. People put themselves at great risk to reach people in need in some of the most dangerous environments in protracted crises around the world.

Humanitarian workers are operating across the world, often in countries for many years, despite insufferable difficulties. World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity for us to focus on protecting these humanitarian aid workers, particularly in the medical field.

UN News: Isnt the problem for the UN that theres little more that we can do than try to persuade perpetrators of violence and war, and power-hungry politicians, to change their ways?

Stephen OBrien: Its all about persuasion, and we should never be deterred. Yes, there will be knock backs, more disputes, more terrible violence but we must be clear that it is worth the effort every day to save lives and protect the people, particularly in conflict.

But, also remember that there is a real need to recognize that we have the capacity to make a difference. It requires political will and relationships with players [everywhere] to acquire access to reach the people in need.

The UN is very well placed to make sure we do this at the scale that the world needs and to bring it all together with that sense of courage and conviction.

We must make sure that the perpetrators of violence are held accountable for their actions. This is why it is important that we adhere to the international norms, laws and principles that weve all agreed to, and do our best to bring forward the evidence and to make sure that people are held to account.

UN News: You said there is never enough funding. How do we stop a sense of hopelessness, even cynicism, from creeping in and overwhelming us on the humanitarian front?

Stephen OBrien: We can never cease to seek to persuade people that this is a fantastic investment. We know that if you leave humanitarian need or poverty unaddressed, it has the potential to be exploited by those of malign intent. If we do not address it on Monday, the higher cost in the future will simply be borne by future generations. It is in all of our mutual interest in the cause of peace and community but also in the value of doing the right thing by our fellow human beings.

Photo: OCHA/Daniel Pfister

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Toronto, Aug 28 (IBNS): The Ontario Science Centre is holding an interactive science exhibition called the Power of Ideas (PIE) until August 31, 2017.

The traveling exhibition is supported by Cowan Foundation and is a joint effort of the Perimeter Institute  a leading research facility devoted to Physics -- and the Ontario Science Centre (OSC).

Cowan Foundation was started in 1995 in honour of Frank Cowan, the founder of Frank Cowan Company.

In 2017, as Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary of Confederation, 'Innovatio150' -- of which PIE is a part -- was selected as a national project and one of several Canada 150 Signature initiatives by the Department of Canadian Heritage, for creating an experience that brings the wonder of science to Canadians.

The PIE exhibition is travelling to schools and science centres across the country, with a goal to inspire students (mainly students in grades 7 to 12), teachers and the public with the wonders of science and technology.

Nick Butt from the Perimeter Institute said that this Traveling Exhibition for junior and high school students, started from B.C., Canada and covered approximately 60 different communities in Canada so far.

He said the exhibition explores changing ideas about our universe and invites visitors to take a hands-on approach to learning the scientific method to better understand how scientists investigate the natural world.

The exhibition includes: Wall of Ideas, Whats your Model, Large Hardon Collider, Peer into the Past, Eyes to the Skies, Spin to Infin, and Keep the Memories.

Wall of Ideas explains the collaborative nature of Science and includes photos, experiments, and information, spanning from the very first radio waves transmission in 1887 to Einstein's theory of relativity and gravitational forces .

Whats your Model encourages students to participate in a giant exploration tube and to invent their own model to share with others in the event.

High school students, John and Michael, pulled on the ropes hanging out of a large rope and observed what happened and tried to model how the ropes were arranged and connected inside.

Large Hardon Collider was a replica of the 27-km long underground tunnel located outside of Genewa, Switzerland and built by thousands of scientists in two decades, and believed to be the largest and most complex machine in the entire planet.

At the exhibition, high school student Peggy, with a passion for physics, experimented with the power of the Large Hadron Collider to smash protons and discussed with her classmates how the phenomenon worked.

Peer into the Past, shows the delay effect by using a special mirror that that shows the persons reflection delayed by a few seconds.

Another student, 10-year old Sebastien was thrilled with the delayed effect of his reflection as he stood in front of the mirror.

Eyes to the Skies explores the black holes, the most mysterious objects in the universe with a stong gravity that does not allow even light to penetrate through it. Currently the scientists have launched Event Horizon Telescope to explore more sites about this strange phenomenon

Spin to Infin enables participants to enjoy an amazing journey from the farthest reaches of the cosmos all the way down to the ultramicroscopic world of substance particles.

Keep the Memories shares with people of all ages the wonders of science and how it works, and the crucial role of invention.

PEI also includes an interactive presentation for youth that draws on stories of Canadas past and inspires the innovator in all of us.

Twelve-year old Raman, visiting the travelling exhibition with his parents, was fascinated when he stood at the edge of a black hole and watched their legs turn to spaghetti, which travelled from the vastness of the universe all the way down to the subatomic scale.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)
Burma ICG Warns Heavy-Handed Military Response Could Abet ARSA in Rakhine

Heavily armed Myanmar Army troops patrol Kyinkanpyin area in Maungdaw Township in Rakhine near the Bangladesh border on Oct. 16, 2016. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  The International Crisis Group (ICG) has warned that a disproportionate government military response without any overarching political strategy will play directly into the hands of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which continues to commit deadly attacks in northern Rakhine State.

ARSA claimed responsibility for Fridays attacks on 30 police outposts and an army basekilling 12 security personneland sending both Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine fleeing their homes.

The Myanmar government promptly denounced ARSA as a terrorist organization and on Sunday reported it had targeted civilians.

In a statement released on Monday, the Belgium-based transnational NGO that carries out field research to prevent and resolve conflict said ARSA was well aware that their latest attacks were likely to provoke a strong military response and a political backlashas they did in 2016which will greatly harm Rohingya.

That almost certainly is its aim. Despite its claim that it is protecting the Rohingya, it knows that it is provoking the security forces into a heavy-handed military response, hoping that this will further alienate Rohingya communities, drive support for ARSA, and place the spotlight of the world back on military abuses in northern Rakhine State, the statement said.

While suggesting the government quickly addresses legitimate Rakhine and Rohingya security concerns, the ICG also suggests that if the military response is not to entrench worsening cycles of violence, it must respect the principle of proportionality and distinguish between insurgents and Rohingya civilians.

It must provide protection to all civilians caught up in or fleeing the fighting. And it must provide unfettered access to humanitarian agencies and media to affected areas, lest it contribute to a dangerous, violent polarization, increase alienation and despair, and enable provocative misinformation to take hold, it said.

U Maung Maung Soe, a Yangon-based conflict and ethnic affairs observer, said he welcomed the ICG warning on the militarys response.

How [the military] takes action is important, he said, mentioning that he had heard reports the terrorist group was using women and children as human shields during confrontations with security forces.

Its hard for the security forcesIf there is no response, there will be more violence out there, he told The Irrawaddy on Monday.

He said if all the ethnic Rakhine people fled the area due to the violent attacks, the ARSA would be the winner.

So, action must be taken very carefully, he said. To do so, the government and the military have to be on the same page to tackle the issue on both local and international fronts.

The ICG said the current crisis was neither unpredicted nor unpreventable. The anti-Muslim violence of 2012, and the emergence of a new insurgent group last year were both clear signals that the volatile dynamics of Rakhine State urgently needed a politicalnot just a militaryresponse to address the concerns of all communities in the state.

Yet the Myanmar government has not moved quickly or decisively enough to remedy the deep, years-long policy failures that are leading some Muslims in Rakhine state to take up violence, the statement says.

The statement also urges the government to implement the recommendations outlined in the recently-released Kofi Annan-led advisory commissions report on Rakhine State, which was welcomed by Daw Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy-led government.

The recent attacks have created a far more difficult political context for the government to implement these recommendations, but have also reinforced the urgency of doing so, the ICG says.

The statement also warned that the impact of failing to address the roots of the crisis will not fall only on Rakhine State but on Myanmar as a whole.

The deepening crisis in Rakhine State threatens to sweep aside all other priorities as it will continue to dominate both domestic debate and international engagement with Myanmar, it says.
Burma Japan Conducts Survey to Revive Dawei SEZ

Coastline that will be the part of the Dawei SEZ. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  Japan is surveying to revive the long-delayed Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) project, deputy commerce minister U Aung Htoo said on Monday.

Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is conducting a master plan survey. The Dawei project has been delayed for various reasons, but the current government is encouraging the resumption of the project with fresh momentum, said the deputy minister in response to a question from Ye Township lawmaker U Thet Naing Oo in the Lower House.

The project is big, but Ive heard there have been many delays. Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand hope to come back if this project resumes. People want to know when exactly that could happen, U Thet Naing Oo said.

Dawei local U Lay Lwin questioned the electricity supply for the project as Dawei residents have to pay 210 kyats  five times more than average prices in Yangon  per unit of electricity from private power suppliers.

Various groups, including some from Japan, have visited the site but no more progress has been made. Ill wait and see what happens because my land is part of the project area, U Lay Lwin told The Irrawaddy.

Myanmar and Thailand formed a joint task force comprised of representatives from the National Economic and Social Development Board and the Fiscal Policy Office of Thailand and Myanmar to supervise implementation of the initial phase of the project.

The task force will review the initial works from various perspectives and complete the works on schedule, said the deputy minister.

Thailand and Myanmar signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop the billion-dollar Dawei Special Economic Zone in 2008, and expected to complete it in 2015.

Myanmar initially granted Italian-Thai Development PCL (ITD) a 75-year concession to develop the project in 2008. But the project has been suspended since 2013 and construction on the project has been minimal due to funding shortfalls.

In 2015, Japan joined as a third equal partner in the project, but new delays arose when Japan called for modifications to the original drafts. Meanwhile, there is also local opposition to the project for environmental concerns and issues of land compensation.

According to a new, 2015 plan by ITD, the initial phase will include the construction of 160-kilometer road to the Thai-Burmese border, as well as the construction of a small port, reservoir, telecoms network and other basic infrastructure within five years.

The Dawei SEZ was the first proposed SEZ in Myanmar, located some 17 miles northwest of Dawei in Tanintharyi Region.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Kofi Annan: Dont Leave Citizenship Issues To Fester

Kofi Annan takes questions from journalists at Sule Shangri-La hotel in Yangon on Thursday. / Thet Htun Naing / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  The Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State has urged the National League for Democracy (NLD) government to grant birth certificates and citizenship to children born in Rakhine State in order to prevent increasing statelessness in the region among the Muslim community.

The commissionformed of nine members in Sept. 2016 by the NLD administrationjust completed its mandate: to provide recommendations to address long-standing tension and conflict in Rakhine State.

Its final report criticized several aspects of Myanmars 1982 Citizenship Law as failing to meet international standards, pointing out that it contradicts the principles of non-discrimination under international law and treaties signed by Myanmar, as well as recently-approved domestic laws, including the 2008 Constitution.

Mr. Annan acknowledged that modifying the citizenship law would be seen as highly sensitive in Myanmar, particularly for the ethnic Rakhine community.

We are well aware that our recommendations on citizenship and freedom of movement touch on profound concerns of the Rakhine population, he said on Thursday at a press conference at Yangons Sule Shangri-La Hotel.

The former UN Secretary General explained why the commission confronted the controversial issue in the report.

If [these issues] are left to fester, the future of Rakhine Stateand indeed Myanmar as a wholewill be irretrievably jeopardized, said Mr. Annan.

Further Citizenship Issues

The commissions final report also encouraged the government to accelerate the national verification process in line with 1982 Citizenship law in Rakhine State and create a transparent strategy and timeline for granting citizenship to those eligible.

In response to frustrations from applicants, the commission recommended that those who have lost their or their parents documents should be permitted to submit documentation from another family member, such as an uncle or aunt. The report also emphasized the need to immediately recognize basic rights, such as freedom of movement, for those who are verified as Myanmar citizens.

Many Rakhine State Muslims have been critical of the verification process, citing it as discriminatory. However, Mr. Annan suggested that the Muslim community collaborate further with the government in order to advance the process.

According to the commissions final report, just 13,000 Muslimsof whom 9,000 are ethnic Kamanhave been recognized as full citizens or naturalized citizens, out of more than one million Muslims who are stateless in the region.

In a statement released on Thursday, James Gomez, Amnesty Internationals Director of Southeast Asia and the Pacific, corroborated the recommendations of the advisory commission that the 1982 Citizenship Law be amended, and encouraged the lifting of restrictions on freedom of movement. He also urged the government to implement the suggestions systematically in order to end discrimination and segregation in the region.

Without concrete action by the authorities to address long-standing grievances and redress decades of violations, people in the region will continue to be trapped in a cycle of deprivation and abuse, Gomez said.

The Army Weighs In

Before holding a press conference in Yangon, Mr. Annan met with Myanmar Army commander-in-chief Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing and State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw Thursday morning. Reporters asked Mr.Annan if he could reveal specific information about his discussion with the military chief but he provided very limited information on the encounter.

Later that evening, an update was posted on the official Facebook page of Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing concerning the meeting with Kofi Annan. Military representatives reportedly urged Mr. Annans delegation to review some factually wrong points and questioned the impartiality of the commissions report.

Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings statement maintained that citizenship must be granted in line with existing laws and that the national verification process existed in order to examine applicants for associate citizenship.

Mr. Annan had encouraged the army chief to allow the media and humanitarian aid agencies access to conflict-torn Rakhine State; Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaings statement said that they had allowed journalists to enter the region, but lamented a lack of accurate reports.

The Office of the Commander-in-Chief also said more emphasis must be placed on Muslims refusal to participate in the national verification process.

Overall, the commission, needs to understand the perspective of the military, government, and local Arakanese, Snr-Gen Min Aung Hlaing concluded.

If the ethnic Rakhine people do not accept [the recommendations], it will be tough to address the issues, read the army chiefs statement.
Burma Mon State Dismisses Seven Administrators

Mon State Chief Minister Dr. Aye Zan. / Hintharnee / The Irrawaddy

MAWLAMYINE  Mon State government has dismissed seven ward and village administrators since March and is investigating a further 31 more for selling communal land among other misconducts, said a state government director.

Administrators have authority and responsibilities enshrined in ward and village tract administration law. They have overstepped their authority, and they were dismissed for this, said Mon government office director U Myint Than Win.

Out of the seven dismissed administrators, three are from Paung, three from Kyaikto, and one from Chaungzon. Questioning has been completed on administrators from Mudon and Mawlamyinetwo of the 31 currently being investigatedand their possible dismissal is being considered, added U Myint Than Win.

Former Mon State chief minister U Min Min Oo, who resigned in February to live in peace, also issued warnings to the Mudon and Mawlamyine administrators for their alleged wrongdoings, according to U Myint Than Win.

One of the dismissed administrators from Paung Township was involved in settling a lawsuit in a child rape case; the victim was paid seven million kyats in compensation, and another two administrators sold communal land in their villages, according to a Paung resident who asked for anonymity.

From April 1, 2015 to the last week of August, 2017, the state parliamentary committee tasked with handling complaints received about 500 objectionsmore than 60 percent concerning land issues.

Village administrators sold the vacant land in plots for so-called village funds, and managed the funds. Many of the complaints are concerned with this. Again, administrators demanded money from both buyers and sellers in the sale of land plots. There are also many complaints regarding this, said U Aung Kyaw Thu, chairman of the parliamentary committee.

In May, Mon State Chief Minister Dr. Aye Zan told township administrators to ask ward and village administrators not to become involved in land dealings, according to Thein Zayat ward administrator U Soe Thet Oo of Kyaikto Township.

In his inaugural address on March 1, the chief minister vowed to fight corruption and drug dealings in the state.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Muslim Community Condemns Rakhine Violence

A burning house in Maungdaw Township. / Commander-in-Chiefs Office / Facebook

YANGON  Muslim leaders in Myanmar have condemned the violence in northwestern Rakhine that erupted on Friday, urging the government to support all victims in the conflict area.

Al Haj U Aye Lwin, chief convener for the Islamic Center of Myanmar, said the government must find those behind attacks in Maungdaw Township and take serious action against them.

Killing civilians is terrorism, Al Haj U Aye Lwin, who is also a member of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, told The Irrawaddy on Monday. There are innocent people on both sides who need help urgently.

The help, he added, must include protection and basic needs.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed Fridays attacks on the 30 police posts and an army base in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships.

The government reported at least 104 deaths, the vast majority militants, plus 12 members of security forces and several civilians.

The State Counselors Office labeled ARSA a terrorist organization and accused them of targeting civilians, including six members of a Hindu familythree of them were childrenwho were shot dead in northern Maungdaw on Saturday.

Thousands of Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists are fleeing the area and Reuters reported that the UN and other aid groups were moving staff out of the area on Sunday.

Lawyer and human rights defender U Robert San Aung told The Irrawaddy on Monday: There are two sidesterrorists and victims. This is not a racial or religious issue, all the people should cooperate with each other for the enforcement of law.

The governments operation should set a good example of how to handle problemsshowing the will to separate terrorists and innocent people, he said.

Ko Aung Ko Ko, director of Myanmar Islam youth group MOSAIC Myanmar, denounced the violence and warned that groups could exploit the conflict. Both communities have been affected by the terrorists violence.

He stressed that the government, civil society groups, and the media had a responsibility to protect people from misinformation.

Former UN secretary-general and chair of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State Kofi Annan denounced the attacks in a statement released on Friday and urged the security forces to exercise restraint.

As Chair of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State I am gravely concerned by, and strongly condemn, the recent attacks in Rakhine State. I am saddened to hear of the loss of life of members of the security forces.

No cause can justify such brutality and senseless killing, the statement said, adding that the perpetrators must be held to account.

The attacks occurred just one day after the advisory commission finished its year-long mandate to advise the Myanmar government on long-term solutions for the ethnically and religiously divided Rakhine State.

In its final report, the commission recommended holding the Myanmar Army to account on accusations of human rights abuses and encouraged all communities to reject violence.

Al Haj U Aye Lwin urged the government to implement the commissions recommendations, saying it could help build peace and harmony in Rakhine State.
Burma Pope to Visit Myanmar, Bangladesh Amid Rohingya Crisis

Pope Francis talks with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during a private audience at the Vatican May 4, 2017. / Reuters

ROME  Pope Francis plans to visit Myanmar and Bangladesh in late November and early December, two countries caught up in a crisis over the Rohingya Muslim minority.

The Vatican, confirming an earlier Reuters report, said on Monday he would visit Myanmar from Nov. 27 to 30, stopping in commercial capital Yangon and administrative capital Naypyitaw. He will visit the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2.

The announcement came hours after Bangladesh border guards pushed back thousands of Rohingya Muslims fleeing the worst violence in Myanmar in five years, with 104 people killed.

In February, Francis issued a stinging criticism of the treatment of Myanmars Rohingya community, saying they had been tortured and killed simply because they wanted to keep their culture and Muslim faith.

Around 1.1 million Rohingya live in Myanmars Rakhine State, but are denied citizenship and face severe travel restrictions. Many Buddhists across Myanmar regard them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.
Burma Thousands of Panic-stricken Civilians Flee Fighting in Rakhine

Displaced Rakhine villagers in northern Maungdaw Township. / Wai Hun Aung / Facebook

COXS BAZAR, Bangladesh  Thousands of fearful Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist civilians fled the worst fighting to grip Myanmars northwest in five years, with 104 people killed and the United Nations and international aid groups forced to pull out some staff.

The mass escape from the northern part of Rakhine state was triggered by widespread coordinated offensives by Rohingya attackers wielding sticks, knives and homemade bombs in attacks on Friday on 30 police posts and an army base.

The violence marks a dramatic escalation of a conflict that has simmered in the region since last October, when a similar but much smaller Rohingya attack prompted a brutal military response dogged by allegations of human rights abuses.

The treatment of about 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya in mainly Buddhist Myanmar has emerged as the biggest challenge for national leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has condemned the attacks and commended the security forces.

The Nobel peace laureate has been accused by some Western critics of not speaking out for the long-persecuted Muslim minority, and of defending the armys counteroffensive after the October attacks.

Thousands of Rohingyamostly women and childrenfleeing the violence sought to ford the Naf river separating Myanmar and Bangladesh and cross the land border.

Some of the refugees who had escaped previous pogroms in Myanmar said Bangladeshi police had warned them not to help the new arrivals.

They told us, If anyone gives them shelter, we will arrest you and send you to the other side. So, out of fear, we are not allowing any newcomers, Mohammad Yunus, a Rohingya Muslim, said in a makeshift refugee camp near the border.

Despite these measures, about 2,000 people have been able to cross into Bangladesh since Friday, according to estimates by Rohingya refugees living in the makeshift camps in Bangladesh.

At the no-mans land between the two countries, Reuters reporters saw dozens of Rohingya women, most wearing the all-enveloping burqa, seated in a cramped area under a few black plastic sheets shielding them from the harsh sun.

Gunfire rang out on the Myanmar side of the border on Saturday and Sunday.

For years, the Rohingya have endured apartheid-like conditions in northwestern Myanmar, where they are denied citizenship and face severe travel restrictions. Many Myanmar Buddhists regard them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Afraid of Swords

In Myanmar, the UN and international aid agencies withdrew some staff from the area, after the government said it was investigating whether members of aid groups had been involved in an alleged siege by the insurgents of a village in August.

The state has provided security to aid workers, but with this kind of situation, no one can fully guarantee safety, said Nyi Pu, chief minister of Rakhine state.

If they want to stay, we will give security as best as we can. If they dont want to stay, due to their safety concerns, and want to leave, we told them that we will help them, he added.

The military reported several weekend clashes involving hundreds of Rohingya insurgents across northern Rakhine state.

Extremist terrorists blew out improvised bombs, set fire to villages and attacked the police outposts in Maungtaw, the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar daily said on Monday, referring to a major regional town.

The government reported at least 104 deaths, the vast majority militants, plus 12 members of security forces and several civilians.

The government urged Rohingya civilians to cooperate with security forces, assuring those with without ties to the militants they would not be affected.

It has declared the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which instigated the October attacks and claimed responsibility for the latest offensive, a terrorist organization.

The governments allegations were baseless, the group said in a statement on Monday, seeking to present its cause as a defense of Rohingya rights.

North Rakhine state is populated mostly by Rohingya Muslims. Thousands of non-Muslim villagers were being evacuated to lasrger towns, monasteries and police stations, the government said. Many were arming themselves with knives and sticks for fear of attacks.

We are afraid of swords because they attack people with swords, said Than Aye, a 65-year-old villager fleeing the township of Buthidaung for Sittwe, the state capital.

Thats why we are fleeing from there, as we are afraid of them. I havent slept well at night.
Burma Urgent Rakhine Proposal Blocked in Lower House

Armed military and police forces travel in trucks through Maungdaw, Rakhine State, on Oct. 17, 2016 after attacks on police outposts. / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  Lower House Speaker U Win Myint blocked an urgent proposal by the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) regarding Rakhine State on Monday.

USDP lawmaker from Zayarthiri Township U Hla Htay Win, who was formerly the Chief of the General Staff (Army, Navy and Air) of the Myanmar Army, planned to put forward a proposal to the Lower House to condemn the brutal terrorist acts in Maungdaw that threaten sovereignty of the State, rule of law and regional stability. Lawmaker U Aung Thaung Shwe of the Arakan National Party (ANP) representing Rakhine States Buthidaung Township planned to second his proposal.

U Hla Htay Win planned to submit an urgent proposal to denounce the terrorist acts and I planned to second him. But, the parliamentary speaker didnt allow the proposal to be submitted, U Aung Thaung Shwe told The Irrawaddy.

He suggested that Parliament push for declaring a state of emergency in Maungdaw.

There is a need for a military administration and a state of emergency. There is no civil administration now. Administration has collapsed along with the rule of law, he said.

On Friday, USDP lawmaker U Thaung Aye also made an unsuccessful attempt to submit an urgent proposal to the Union Parliament following an outbreak of attacks in Maungdaw.

U Hla Htay Win, who views the unrest in Maungdaw as a threat to national security, told reporters on June 29 that the National League for Democracy (NLD) government was not doing enough to address the instability in Maungdaw.

Following coordinated attacks by Rohingya insurgents on 30 police outposts in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships on Friday morning, the government has branded the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) a terrorist organization.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist civilians have fled the area as the worst violence the region has seen in years continues. More than 100 people have been killed in the attacks since Friday.
Guest Column Kachins Natural Resources: A Curse More Than a Blessing

Miners search for jade stones at a mine dump at a Hpakant jade mine in Kachin state, Myanmar November 28, 2015. / Soe Zayar Tun / Reuters

On June 5, Myanmar Army helicopters dropped leaflets over parts of Tanai in western Kachin State, ordering residents to leave by June 15 or risk being considered as cooperating with the terrorist group KIA [Kachin Independence Army].

Soon after, the Myanmar Army, or Tatmadaw, launched offensives against the KIA in the amber and gold-rich area. The build-up and fighting forced thousands of local and domestic migrants who had been working there for years to flee; many of the displaced are now staying at temporary shelters provided by churches in Tanai town.

Then, on August 4, military representative Maj Hlaing Phyu proposed in the Kachin State parliament making Tanai (also known locally as Hukawng) an environmentally protected area, an anti-mining indictment that would essentially drive the KIA from the territory. He argued the KIA had benefited through taxes from illegal mining whereas the state government had lost revenues. His proposal was rejected, however, after receiving 20 votes for and 29 against.

Ten days later, Tatmadaw representatives assigned to Parliament reiterated its policy to protect the resource-rich territory in Tanai and attack the KIA in line with the 2008 Constitutionwithout need for approval from the government, they said.

The region they are contestingTanaiis rich with natural resources, including lucrative pieces of amber resin, some of which comprise extraordinary treasures such as a dinosaur-era cockroach and a 100-million-year-old damselfly.

A Curse

Jade, gold, amber, timber, and iron can all be salvaged in Kachin, potentially generating millions of dollars. Are these natural resources a blessing? Of course, if they are properly managed.

Regrettably, Kachin is faced with what scholars call the resource curse, an abundance of natural riches that draw trouble rather than advantage. In essence, countries with great natural resources tend to be more impoverishedor at least to grow more slowlythan resource-poor countries. Kachin proves the theory: people live in abject poverty among a land of profitable reserves.

In Hpakant Township, for example, where millions of dollars worth of jade has been unearthed, locals are denied direct access to mining because large companies control the plots.

A 2015 Global Witness investigation reported that the families of senior military figures Than Shwe, Maung Maung Thein and Ohn Myint hold multiple concessions on jade production which between them generated pre-tax sales of US$220 million at the 2014 jade emporium (the official government jade sale), and US$67 million at the 2013 emporium.

Likewise, many gold, amber, iron mines, and logging enterprises are under the control of joint ventures, militias, the Border Guard Force (BGF), and ethnic armed groups. Arguably, only people who are linked with these groups can benefit from natural resource extraction. Many locals of these areas sell vegetables, work in fisheries, and hunt for their livelihoods.

Ceasefire Capitalism

Kachin has several armed groups, including the Tatmadaw, KIA and its political wing the Kachin Independence Organization, as well as a BGF, and militia groups Lasang Aung Wah and Danggu Dang, also known as the Rebellion Resistance Force. There is also a militia of ethnic Lisu, and the Red Shan (Shanni) Army. The groups are all believed to hold business assetsparticularly involving natural resource extractionin their territories.

During the ceasefire era, the military regime allowed ethnic armed groups to do business, an act leading to so-called ceasefire capitalism. Northern Command commanders wielding considerable power selectively dispensed licenses, permits and business opportunities.

The KIO ran the business conglomerate the Buga Company Limited, which allegedly bought Namti sugar factory from the military government for an estimated 200 million kyats (US$150,000) according to Hpauwung Tang Gun, former Administration Officer of Namti Sugar Factory.

Other armed groups like the National Democratic Army-Kachin (NDAK), which formed into the BGF in 2009, reportedly extracted molybdenum in Pangwah, and militia groups such as Lasang Aung Wah and Danggu Dang reportedly logged timber.

The leaders of these groups were co-opted into new patronage networks exploiting the natural resources of land they controlled with the help of Chinese businessmen, according to the 2014 Journal of Contemporary Asias The Political Economy of Myanmars Transition by Lee Jones.

Economic Institutions

Economic institutions shape the incentives of key actors in society. They not only determine the collective growth of an economy, but also how the pie is divided among different groups and individuals, now and in the future.

Natural resources should, of course, be distributed equally among citizens, and not just benefit so-called cronies, military generals, militias, armed groups and the BGF.

Without economic institutions, a country may face what is called rentier effects in which the state derives a substantial portion of its revenues from the rent of indigenous resources to external clients. The revenues reduce the need for the government to tax the population, which may hinder the development of a representative political system.

Low-taxed citizens may then soften on holding the government to account, in turn decreasing the pressure to improve the quality of an institution. In a nutshell, when the government raises taxes, citizens demand more accountability.

Economic institutions must manage the allocation of natural resources. But effective institutions are not possible in the vast territories of Myanmar without a federalist system that ensures equal rights and opportunities.

Therefore, the Tatmadaws clearance operations against the KIA in order to control resource-laden land will fail to bring additional revenues to the state without effective institutions. Instead, they will lead to further casualties and produce more displaced people that nobody wants to help anymore.

Joe Kumbun is the pseudonym of a Kachin State-based analyst.
India-based outsourcer HCL Technologies is making its automation and orchestration system available to organisations that don't use the company's managed services.

HCL's DryIce embodies 15 years of intellectual property, said executive vice-president and chief technology officer IT services Kalyan Kumar (pictured).

This experience has now been productised, and DryIce is available to customers whether or not they use HCL's managed services.

There are four platforms under the DryIce umbrella, he said:

AIOps  aimed at automating technology, and including capabilities such as a cognitive service desk;

Idev  applying AI technology to DevOps;

Copa  for automating and unifying front and back office processes; and

Service Exchange  the delivery of DryIce technologies as services.

There are currently around a dozen products in the family, according to Kumar, and some can be deployed as microservices.

HCL claims DryIce is unique in that it is a mainstream IT automation platform combining AI-backed automation with powerful orchestration.

While DryIce is being broadly adopted, the media and publishing industry tends to adopt automation more quickly that other sectors, he observed.

But a large truck manufacturer is using DryIce to automate the dealer lifecycle, and a combination of a chatbot and robotic process automation are taking care of 98% of the work.

The handoff between chatbots and humans is important, Kumar said. The approach he recommends is to develop purpose-built chatbots for specific activities, notably those which are high volume but low complexity. Machine learning will improve their performance over time, but where they can't resolve an issue it should be transferred to a human.

On the orchestration side, the difficulty depends on the applications that are to be connected. Most implementations can be done in 4 to 12 weeks, but Kumar's advice is to look for the quick wins first and then iterate from there.

The truck dealership example involved four different systems, but Copa provided the chatbot with cognitive intelligence plus the orchestration capability needed to drive them.

This was a good example of an organisation applying the power of automation and AI without making major changes to the underlying systems, he said.

Other examples of greatly increased productivity include the use of HCL's ElasticOps service that allows each person to manage 20 times as many servers, and cloud automation that has reduced provisioning times from 25 days to four hours, he said.

HCL's plans for DryIce over the next year include the adoption of a new, next-generation service management system to cope with the XaaS (anything as a service) approach.
Technology services provider Kordia has made two senior appointments as it begins work on building a channel to deploy the Web-shielding application service RedShield in Australia.

The company has appointed Michael Warnock as country manager for cyber security in Australia and Tim Steele as channel manager for cyber security.

Both men are from Kordia's Sydney office.

New Zealand-based RedShield co-founder Andy Prow (below, right) told iTWire that the application was meant to protect Web apps like Internet banking systems, customer portals eGovt apps, eCommerce, booking systems and the like.

"We protect from hackers and malicious users. We prevent data breaches, being taken offline and abuse of functionality," he said.

RedShield sits in front of the shielded apps and all traffic flows through the platform globally. Vulnerabilities in apps are recognised and protective shields are applied to stop attacks.

Prow said the application was shielding more internal/enterprise apps because businesses were realising that their corporate networks were becoming hostile.

"Therefore they need to apply 'Internet security' to their internal apps, which is a massive job without something like RedShield," he added.

RedShield is also being used to shield SaaS apps, "because for many organisations they are moving to a SaaS and Cloud first approach. But it's hard to get SaaS vendors to develop unique features just for you. With RedShield in-path we can add security features beyond the SaaS provider's feature set".

While RedShield is not tied to any particular hardware or operating system, Prow said the company had a strategic partnership with F5 "as we love shielding on their hardware due to its speed and reliability".

He claimed that while there was competition from cloud Web-application firewall vendors, this was only at a basic level. "Imperva, Kona, CloudFlare, yes, but only at the basic protection level. Once an app gets complex and has deep security flaws, especially business logic flaws then WAFs run out of capability very fast. That's where we kick in," he added.

Prow said RedShield's competitors had no features which it did not. On the other hand, RedShield had attributes which, he claimed, were not matched by the competition.

"(The) ability for designer shielding. With no other WAF vendor can you give them penetration test findings full of real vulnerabilities and say 'please make these go away'," he said. "All WAF vendors will have certain items they fix but many will be untouchable and left for you to fix in code.

"However recoding, upgrading and re-releasing an app can be slow and costly. We are the only option where we say 'give us all of your vulnerabilities and let us see how we can help'. Our goal is 100% remediation."

Kordia executive general manager of sales and marketing Craig Williams said RedShield had enjoyed great success in New Zealand and was looking to replicate it in Australia.

Our focus over the coming months is to build a strong channel of like-minded partners to help bring this innovative solution to Australian organisations. RedShield is fast gaining popularity amongst our customers with many of them telling us it is a vital part of their security fabric," Williams said.

The strong growth RedShield has enjoyed in the past few years alone  both in New Zealand and around the world  is testament to just how great this service is and we look forward to bringing this innovative service to Australian businesses.
Sonys pulsating, pumping tower of audio power is the High Power Audio System MUTEKI V90DW, a true party machine that puts the V into volume with a genuinely horny sound.

Standing at an impressive 170cm tall, the large tower design of Sonys audio erection stands massively and proudly tall in terms of size, quality, features, lighting and sound.

Designed to allow music not only to be heard, but to be seen, Sony invites you to light up the night with the brilliant lighting feature options, and with excellent sound quality, giving you a machine that will be the life of the party.

Indeed, Sony says it has packed its V90DW with advanced technology and sound pressure to bring high quality sound to cover a wide range and reach a larger area, making it ideal for hosting big parties".

Promising powerful sound to blow you away, the V90DW features a Spread Sound Generator (an open back-type cabinet) to increase the range and spread of music".

But thats not all. Additionally, there are front-facing mid-range speakers and tweeters that are angled outward at 20 degrees, and with the speakers carrying a "horn" like style to maximise the reproduction of sound across the room, you can see why Sony has gotten itself quite excited.

From the living room party to reproducing the club-style experience, youll come to appreciate the fact Sony has built-in support for music services, including Googles Chromecast built-in and Spotify Connect.

Sony proudly boasts its easy-to-use touch panel user interface is also back-lit, so theres no fumbling around in the dark when attempting to skip a track".

But beyond all the superlative speakers and astonishing audio are the real stars of the show, which Sony states are the speaker lights and multi-colour woofer lights that change according to the beat and in turn lights up the surroundings all night long".

Using the Sony Music Centre and Fiestable mobile apps, the V90DW uses Wi-Fi to wirelessly synchronise up to 10 compatible speakers for an all-encompassing and engaging party chain speaker experience".

And, if you already own the V77W, the V90DW can connect wirelessly with it, and can be easily transported due to its built-in casters".

For those who see themselves as a bit of a DJ and the heart of the party, Sony assures you its V90DW has all the party features to showcase those talents".

By connecting via the Sony Music Centre and Fiestable app, you can adjust the lighting, add sampler and DJ effects as well as control the basic functions of the speaker.

And, to bring out the Jedi in you, a simple wave of your hand shows that various options can be controlled through Gesture Control, making it easier than ever to get the party started and the beat going".

The MHC-V90DW is available now for $1199, and if you look closely, this may fill the audio voids youve been looking for something innovative and new to fill with.



Specs below image:

Model Name

MHC-V90DW Home Audio Systems

Home Network

DLNA

TV

Yes (HDMI), (AUDIO IN)

Bluetooth

Yes(iAP1/iAP2 over BT)

Microphone Input

2 (6)

Video EQ

MOVIE1/MOVIE2/GAME/DRAMA/NEWS

Bass Boost function

MEGA BASS

DSEE sound enhancement

DSEE(AUTO)

Speaker light

Woofer Multi Colour/Mid Sky Blue

Party light

3 colours/for back wall

Power Consumption (in Standby)

0.5W

External Antenna

75 ohm

Tuning Range (FM)

87.5-108MHz/50KHz

Audio D / A converter

96kHz/24bit

USB port charging output

1A

Dimensions (WxHxD cm) (Approx.)

53.2x170.6x49.4

Weight (kg) (Approx.)

50.5
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has renewed 148 of 150 community broadcasting licences assessed in the last financial year.

Community broadcasting licences must be renewed every five years and the number assessed by the ACMA in the last year represents more than 40% of the total 360 long-term licences in Australia.

Uniquely among the wide range of broadcasting services available to Australian audiences, community broadcasting services are provided by the communities which enjoy them, said acting ACMA chairman Richard Bean.

To ensure that community licensees operate as intended, they must comply with legislation that requires them to involve members of their licence area community in the operations of the service and in the selection and provision of programs. On rare occasions, licences will not be renewed.

The only two declined applications were 2VTR in the Windsor area of New South Wales and 4MIG in Mount Isa, Queensland.

A decision not to renew a licence is not made lightly, Richard Bean said. Where a licensee is struggling to provide the service or to comply with the rules, the ACMA first works to assist the licensee to improve. These are, after all, not-for-profit, volunteer-run services. However, where compliance problems persist over a prolonged period, the ACMA will act to make licences available to others.

In a statement released on Monday, the ACMA said the 2VTR licence, held by Hawkesbury Radio Communications Co-operative Society, was not renewed following 2VTRs continued non-compliance with the community participation licence condition.

The compliance issues went unresolved despite informal and formal enforcement action taken by the ACMA over a lengthy period.

The ACMA also declined to renew the 4MIG licence, held by Mount Isa Christian Broadcasters Association, which it said was unable to muster the resources to meet the needs of the community in its licence area.

The two licences not renewed expire at the end of their current terms  11 September in the case of 4MIG and 3 October for 2VTR  and both licences will then be advertised and made available for temporary community broadcasting by the ACMA.
Launched earlier this year in partnership with DJI, a leading UAV maker, Seagates new hard drive for DJI drones has flown into Australian availability at last.

Seagate and DJI have partnered together, taking flight to solve the data demands of drone users as they are creating more content than ever before.

As drone cameras gain resolution and drone flight times grow longer, Seagate explains that its Fly Drive allows users to securely and efficiently store, manage, backup, download and share their photo and video content on location, thanks to its large storage capacity, integrated MicroSD card slot, quick transfer speeds and durable build".

Its a hard drive in a special enclosure able to withstand the rigours of drones diving out of the sky, or at least, thats what were promised.

So, what are more specifics on the features and benefits?

Up to 2TB of capacity

With this kind of space, Seagate says Fly Drive can store over 60 hours of 4K 30fps video footage. On a drone like the DJI Mavic Pro, thats more than 250 flights worth of content - with that stat backed up by the figure that, on average, 1 hour of 4K 30fps compressed footage creates 30GB of data.

MicroSD Card Slot

Managing multiple SD cards, readers and cables in the field is a pain. Thanks to an integrated hub thats UHS-II-rated, it lets the user be more effective in the field by being able to quickly drag and drop 4K files from the MicroSD card to Fly Drive or the computer.

Protective Bumper

The drives integrated, protective bumper helps provide shock resistance against the inevitable in the field, like being jostled around or dropped while packing and travelling. Safely tucked inside of the bumper is its USB-C cable, ideal for on-the-spot file transfers.

USB 3.1 Interface

Compatible with both Mac and Windows, Fly Drives USB 3.1 Type-C interface allows for fast file transfers with the latest generation Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 computers.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Fly Drive features two months of complimentary access to Adobe Premiere Pro CC, the industrys leading video editing software  a US$19.99 per month value based on the annual subscription price  so that users can immediately get to editin.

Equipped with a drone, laptop, Fly Drive, and Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Seagate and DJI say creatives will have everything they need to capture, edit, and share their content.

Available for $179, you can buy the Seagate DJI Fly Drive from Officeworks, JB HiFi and Bing Lee.

Seagate and DJI say theyre committed to uncovering new innovations for drone pilots and their data, so keep your eyes on the horizon for whats in store".
ANALYSIS The founders of well-known Indian outsourcing firm Infosys appear to have been hit by relevance deprivation syndrome. Nothing else can account for the fact that the founder N.R. Narayana Murthy has rallied a group to try and take back control of the company.

Installed as chairman again is Nandan Nilekani, a bloviator of no small ability, who left the company in 2009 to head Aadhar, the Indian government body that is in charge of allotting digital identities to the billion or so in that land.

Infosys was the first Indian company to make the concept of outsourcing popular in the mid-1990s; Narayana Murthy capitalised on his profile as a "humble" person, pushed along by similar descriptions provided by his family members.

One Vishal Sikka took over the reins from Nilekani and functioned as executive vice chairman with R. Seshasayee functioning as chairman. Now both have been pushed out by Narayanamurthy and his mob, with three other directors also being forced to quit.

Questions have been raised about Sikka's remuneration, the company's performance and corporate governance, the usual smokescreens that come up when one group wants to topple another in the company boardroom.

Infosys shares took a pounding when Sikka made his exit, with a fall of more than 7% when he quit. Analysts, the usual rent-seekers, added fuel to the fire with dire forecasts of further downgrades.

Sikka had started turning the company around and focusing on more modern technologies as the demand for expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning grows among companies that take up staff from the bunch of Indian outsourcers who hog the US H-1B visa allotments each year.

The ascent of US President Donald Trump has slowed the growth in the US of the foreign technology services business as more emphasis is laid on hiring American workers.

It is probably difficult for people like Narayana Murthy and Nilekani to leave businesses that they have founded and which have become so well-known; neither would be the first to try and return to such a business, with the driving factor being relevance deprivation syndrome.

But as has been seen numerous times in the past, such returns normally do little good. When this pair were in charge, the market demanded skills in cargo cult programming; today's demand is quite different.

There is a time for everything but this was not the time for men who are close to completing their allotted three score and ten to return and try to haunt the company that they once nurtured. That era has passed, that bus has long gone.
A security company claims that only 4% of companies on the ASX 100 are protecting the public against domain name spoofing that is used to trick consumers into believing messages come to them from a particular domain.

Vidur Apparao, the chief technology officer of Agari, a founding member of the standard called domain-based message authentication, report and conformance (DMARC), cited a study that examined phishing amid slow adoption of email authentication using DMARC for this claim.

The Australian component of the study was done in collaboration with Sydney-based infosec firm InfoTrust.

He said it had been found that 96% of Australia's leading companies had left their customers, partners and brand names vulnerable to domain name spoofing, one of the most common vectors of digital deception attack.

It is unconscionable that only 4% of the ASX 100 organisations are protecting the public against domain name spoofing, he said.

Phishing and other forms of digital deception are preventable, and the first step is for our largest companies and government organisations to deploy DMARC, a highly effective open standard."

DMARC was born in 2007 following a pilot between PayPal and Yahoo! to eliminate phishing emails. Apparao said Agari had worked with AOL, Comcast, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! to protect the receipt of email since January 2012.

He claimed DMARC more or less eliminated domain name spoofing and associated attacks like phishing, when DMARC policies were set to quarantine or reject unauthenticated email.

Among the ASX 100, another 23% adopted a minimal DMARC policy that monitored, but did not prevent domain spoofing, Apparao said. DMARC adoption was also not high among Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies.

Less than a quarter of ASX 100 companies have DMARC but are only monitoring email traffic and not yet actively rejecting or quarantining suspicious or deceptive emails, said Dane Meah, chief executive of InfoTrust. Only 4% are either rejecting or quarantining unauthenticated emails.

"Equivalent companies in the Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 fared better with adoption rates at one third, and active deployment (rejecting or quarantining) about double the Australian rate."

Meah said this should be a wake-up call to Australian companies. "Cyber criminals are global operators and will look to regions where targets are most vulnerable and wealthy. As other countries get ahead of us with DMARC protections, were likely to become more attractive to attackers, he added.
Entering the field of battle to provide end-users better services, Zain Iraq is upgrading its existing network with an Ericsson Virtual Evolved Packet Core.

vEPCs or the virtual Evolved Packet Core. Such things are meaningless to end-users who just want things to work, but for telcos, such things can be at the core of their activities to provide ever hungrier customers with more of what they want.

Ericsson says its virtual Evolved Packet Core provides solutions that address a range of vertical use cases, including IoT, distributed mobile broadband, enterprise, VoLTE and Vo-WiFi, MVNO and mobile broadband services.

Zain Iraq said it upgraded to an Ericsson vEPC to address customers growing data usage and quickly introduce new services for customers, while maintaining high-performance network requirements.

Ericsson will modernise Zain Iraqs existing infrastructure into Ericsson NFV infrastructure (NFVi) solution , which provides a software-defined infrastructure with Hyperscale Datacenter System 8000 . Also as part of the solution, Ericsson will provide system integration and support services".

Ali Al Zahid, chief executive, Zain Iraq, says: We trust that Ericssons Network Functions Virtualisation solution will be enable us to meet our strategic goals as well as our customers demands, and continue to provide superior performance while meeting growing data needs.

This investment and ongoing modernisation of our network is yet another example of our dedication to future-proofing our operations for the benefit of all stakeholders. It also reflects our commitment to providing the mobile community in Iraq with the highest quality of service available, delivered via cutting edge infrastructure and technology to ensure a superior mobile experience for our customers.

Rafiah Ibrahim, president of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, says: Todays deal represents a significant milestone for Ericsson as it further strengthens our partnership with Zain Iraq and is another testament of our commitment to our customers success.

Iraq is an important market for mobile network development and innovation. As Iraqi users are passionate adopters of new technology, network modernisation and adoption of new technologies become critical to meet Iraqi users demand for capacity and coverage.

Ericsson said its vEPC supports high-capacity environments and provides verified solutions, addressing many vertical use cases to open up new opportunities for operators".
NetComm Wireless has recorded a loss for the full year 2017 even as revenues hit a record, according to the results released on Monday.

While revenue rose to $107.6 million, an increase of 26.3%, the company's profits edged into reverse territory of $1.7 million, compared to a profit of $2.0 million in the preceding year.

Revenue for machine-to-machine, fibre-to-the-kerb (or curb as the NBN Co calls it) and fixed wireless sectors was up but the broadband business revenue took a tumble.

The company said it had signed a deal with NBN Co to supply distribution point units for the FttC part of the rollout. A total of $28 million of initial orders were recorded between June and August this year.

NetComm chief executive Ken Sheridan said: We are pleased to have delivered record revenues that have supported the critical investment needed to be made in FY17 to support NetComm Wireless long-term growth plans.

"Our strategic approach to Listen. Innovate. Solve, whereby we produce bespoke products to the exact needs of our customers, underpinned a strong increase in M2M growth business revenues, up 46.9% to $86.3 million over the past 12 months.

NetComm Wireless contracts with global Tier 1 telco customers, including NBN Co in Australia and AT&T in the US, puts the company in a strong position to continue its growth trajectory.

"Over the past 12 months we added the NBN Co FttC contract to our Ericsson/NBN Co fixed wireless broadband contract and commenced deliveries of FTTC/DPU units. In addition, we started supplying fixed wireless units to AT&T as it commenced the rollout to rural areas.

No dividend was paid for the year with the company saying that it had decided that investing back into the business was the best growth strategy at the moment. Sheridan said that further growth in revenue was expected in FY18.
Indigenous storytelling is continuing across the SBS network, with the launch of its new interactive documentary, Kgari, today, being a prime example.

Kgari is produced by SBSs Walkley Award winning team, and the team behind the voice-activated documentary game, My Grandmothers Lingo, and is told by internationally-acclaimed artist Fiona Foley with academic Larissa Behrendt and features Miranda Otto in the role of Eliza Fraser".

Tapping right into the zeitgeist to illuminate the past, were told that Kgari tells the story of one of the first alleged fake news stories to be circulated across Australia, the capture of British woman Eliza Fraser by Aboriginal people on Fraser Island (Kgari) in 1836".

The explanation continues: Eliza was a passenger on her husband Captain James Frasers ship, the Stirling Castle, which struck reef hundreds of kilometers north of Fraser Island. She claims to have been captured by Aboriginal people when in fact she was taken in and cared for by the Butchulla people when shipwrecked.

The story of Eliza Frasers capture has been reinterpreted by many Australian writers and artists; however an Indigenous version of the story remains largely unheard. The counterpoints to Elizas version reveal a complex example of cross-cultural miscommunication and conflict.

SBS says its online documentary reclaims the story of Eliza Frasers arrival on Kgari from Fiona Foleys perspective as a Butchulla woman of the Wondunna clan. The story reveals Fionas familys version of events and explores the contemporary ramifications of the capture myth in a rich interactive documentary featuring immersive animation by Indigenous illustrator Tori-Jay Mordey.

Through the interactive documentary, SBS explains that the user will witness the clashing versions of events from Fiona and Elizas perspectives and will be required to unleash the natural forces of the island of Kgari, including lightening, ocean and sand, to eliminate Elizas words and progress the story".

NITV channel manager Tanya Orman said: NITV is dedicated to providing its community with a voice and this interactive documentary, Kgari shares an important Indigenous perspective on this historic news story.

To complement the online interactive, SBS Learn has teamed up with Reconciliation Australias Narragunnawali: Reconciliation in Schools and Early Learning program, to develop freely accessible and engaging classroom resources linked to the curriculum, as part of its broader You Are Here educational resources. The resource is available on SBS Learn.

The conversation can be joined on social media using the hasHtag #YouAreHere

The online interactive animation can be accessed here at the SBS Kgari site.
Microsoft Store is teaming up with ASUS Republic of Gamers and HyperX to host weekly League of Legends events at Microsoft Store locations across the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and Australia.

Microsoft is inviting gamers at every skill level to unite with others in their local community to form teams and battle against one another on high-powered Windows 10 ROG G752VS gaming laptops with ROG Gladius mice, Whetstone mouse pads and HyperX Cloud II headsets at the Microsoft Store in Pitt St Mall, Westfield, Sydney.

You can sign up individually or with a team to compete in a single-elimination bracket tournament for a chance to win unique prizes and participate in giveaways.

More detail is available in the Xbox blog post here, but in short, Australians can attend these tournaments at Microsofts flagship Store Sydney from 2 September until 25 November.

You don't have to be a pro to compete  these events are open to all players, at every skill level, and the event is open to the public.

Microsofts blog post states that In League Unlocked, all champions and over 100 skins will be  you guessed it  unlocked for the duration of the event, and players can earn an extra 20% IP and 50% XP for their personal accounts. Also, with a little luck (and a few well-timed ults!), you could even receive prizes like mystery icons, RP, unique swag courtesy of ASUS ROG or the elusive Triumphant Ryze skin".

Sign up here, blog post here.
A virtual private network (VPN) service can help you safeguard your identity, location, and activities online. When looking for a VPN youll want to consider your options carefully. For instance, a VPN should keep your internet usage private and secure but not at the expense of too speed. If anonymity is a concern, you should look for a VPN with clear and transparent data collection policies. The number of available servers and country locations a VPN offers is also important if you are trying to get around region locks. And finally, extra perks arent necessary but could sweeten the deal.

Our in-depth VPN reviews cover all these issues and more, so you can choose the best VPN service for your needs. Whether your primary concern is anonymity, streaming your favorite shows from another country, speeds, or price, weve got picks for each category. Below that you can find information about how we test and what to look for when choosing a VPN.

Granted, not everyone wants a full-fledged VPN servicealthough it should be a priority if online privacy is important to you. You might just want a VPN for occasional usewhen youre using public Wi-Fi, for instance. If so, check out our roundups of best free VPNs for Chrome and best free VPNs for Windows for our recommendations, and caveats about a free VPNs limitations.

PROMOTION Black Friday: Save 68% on NordVPN Protect your online data with top-tier encryption. Block malware, third-party trackers, and ads. Secure your passwords and files. Get 68% off and 3 months free with the 2-year plan. Grab the Deal

Best VPN services

1. ExpressVPN  Best VPN overall Pros Consistently good speeds

Easy-to-use desktop program

Broad device support Cons Logs data transfer amounts

More expensive than many competitors Its hard to select the best overall VPN. Some services are weaker on privacy, but are significantly easier to use with tons of features, while others could stand an interface redesign. For many years we chose the best VPN based purely on privacy, but that is no longer the sole concern of most people when choosing a VPN. Privacy is important, to be sure, but so are performance, extra features, a wide country selection, and ease of use. ExpressVPN has it all, making it our top choice for VPNs. ExpressVPN is one of the fastest VPNs weve tested, and it has a very easy-to-use app. Its servers are all diskless, running everything in RAMa welcome practice thats become fairly standard these days. ExpressVPN also has wide device support, as well as a smart DNS feature for set-top boxes, consoles, and more. Its not the cheapest VPN out there, but you do get solid value for the price, and the service is regularly bringing in third-party auditors to bolster its privacy credentials. Read our full ExpressVPN review 2. NordVPN  Best VPN for features Pros Excellent speeds

Enough features to appeal to power users and novices

No-logs policy

Diskless servers Cons Expensive If you like ExpressVPNs speeds and features, but want something a little different, NordVPN is also an excellent choice. Nord is arguably more feature-filled than ExpressVPN, and the service is just one part of a larger suite of privacy and security focused products. The desktop app is very easy to use, and offers a lot of different features including access to the TOR network over VPN, multi-hop VPNs, and ad-tracker and malware blocking. NordVPN has gone a long way to bolster user trust. After years of not being transparent, the company is now upfront about whos running the show, it also undergoes third-party audits, carries out vendor assessments, and uses diskless servers. Read our full NordVPN review 3. Mullvad  Best VPN for privacy Pros Good speeds

Higher level of anonymity possible than with most VPN services

Windows desktop is easy to use Cons Not guaranteed to work with Netflix

Lacks the extra services that some VPNs offer

No password protection for your account Best Prices Today: As Hotspot Shield is to speeds, so Mullvad is to privacy and anonymity. Weve never seen another VPN that actively resists knowing who you are the way Mullvad does. Mullvad doesnt ask for your email address, name, or anything else. Instead it assigns a random account number that acts as your identifier and login. Mullvad accepts payments using standard methods such as credit cards and PayPal, but you can also mail your payment in cash to remain as private as possible. Mullvad has a no-logging policy and doesnt collect any identifying metadata from your usage. Mullvad is also fast, ranking within our top five for speeds. Though oddly we did find that on Windows, Mullvads OpenVPN configuration was actually faster than its Wireguard implementation. Read our full Mullvad review 4. IVPN  Best VPN for privacy runner-up Pros Excellent speeds for its U.S., UK and European servers

Interface is easy to understand

Default WireGuard protocol connects quickly Cons Its on the expensive side at $100 per year

Server network is under 100 servers Best Prices Today: Coming in behind Mullvad is IVPN. This Gibraltar-based VPN recently moved to dumping email-based identifiers and going with randomly assigned account numbers instead. Similar to Mullvad, it accepts a variety of payment options for privacy including cash, as well as the standard credit cards, PayPal, and other options like Bitcoin and Monero. IVPN doesnt rank as one of our fastest VPNs, but it does have acceptable speeds for most casual uses. Another option is OVPN. This VPN doesnt go to the levels that Mullvad and IVPN do, but it does only require a username and password to create an account. OVPN doesnt require an email address, though you can add one as a backstop for account recovery should you forget your password. OVPN doesnt rank in our top 10 for speeds, but its just outside the top performers at number 12. Read our full IVPN review 5. Hotspot Shield  Fastest VPN Pros Very fast

Large country selection and plenty of servers Cons Domain visits are recorded, though not tied to you

Expensive While our pick for best overall VPN, ExpressVPN, boasts above-average speeds, Hotspot Shield is on another level. No other service comes close to hitting the speeds weve seen with this service. This isnt just a one-off occurrence either; Hotspot Shield has consistently been at the top with speeds that are 12 to 15 percentage points above the competition. In our tests, Hotspot Shield maintained around 67 percent of the base speed. Thats substantially faster than youll see with most VPN servicesthough your experience may vary. On the downside, Hotspot Shield doesnt allow for a way to pay anonymously and its privacy policy may not sit well with some. Still, Hotspot Shield has excellent speeds, its desktop application is very nice, and as a bonus it works with U.S. Netflix. Read our full Hotspot Shield review 6. AirVPN  Best VPN for torrents Pros Excellent speeds

Detailed real-time information about the network

Good pricing with many subscription options Cons Team is largely anonymous Torrents get a bad rap, and if were honest, thats for good reason. Using torrents is the number one way to download pirated material including movies, TV shows, music, and games. But thats not all there is to torrenting. Its a very efficient way to download legitimate software such as Linux distributions and authorized content from sites such as BitTorrent Now. Whatever your reasons, when it comes to torrenting, a VPN makes it easierespecially if the network youre on blocks torrenting. There are many VPNs among our top picks that could be used for downloading torrents, but our preferred choice is AirVPN. This no-frills VPN has a reasonable number of servers and country locations, really good speeds, excellent network transparency, and a focus on user protection. The price is also right at about $58 a year. Read our full AirVPN review 7. AVG Secure  Best VPN for novices Pros Good speeds

Allows an excellent 10 simultaneous connections Cons Does log some data

No real customizability for power users If you want something thats all about ease of use then AVG Secure is a good choice. First, it comes from a known and trusted security company, so there are fewer worries about data security than with one of the independent services. The key thing with AVG Secure is that the interface is easy to understand and use. It has a big Change location button to help you select the country youd like to appear to be in. The app also tells you what your current IP address is and how long youve been connected to the VPN. Thats pretty much it. This VPN also works with streaming services and it has P2P servers. One thing it doesnt have is a lot of extra features, which is actually perfect for anyone looking for a no-frills VPN. Read our full AVG Secure review 8. Private Internet Access  Best budget VPN Pros Good number of extra features such as multi-hop and split tunneling

Diskless servers

Allows for up to 10 simultaneous connections Cons App panel locked to lower-right corner of screen

New ownership may give some users pause Best Prices Today: Choosing the best VPN for you can often come down to price. When thats the case its hard to beat Private Internet Access. Its got very good speeds and an everyday price of just $40 for a full year. It really is hard to beat for that simple reason. This no-frills VPN offers a good server and country count. Plus, advanced users can adjust their level of data encryption, data authentication, and handshake protocols. Read our full Private Internet Access review 9. PersonalVPN  Best U.S.-based VPN Pros Reasonably priced

Fast servers in many locations around the world

Good for power users and novices Cons Not a lot of extra or specialized features

Tiered pricing has odd choices for premium features Best Prices Today: If you want a VPN based in the good ol USA, we recommend WiTopias PersonalVPN. The speeds are good, the price is right, and the app is very easy to use. Its true that a lot of VPN review sites stress the importance of having a VPN thats outside of the so-called Five Eyes countries, which includes the U.S.some will even say to avoid the Fourteen Eyes. The idea being that if you use a U.S.-based VPN your activities may end up being secretly monitored by Western authorities. Snowden revealed such truths back in 2013. But if youre using a VPN to access your accounts for Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other U.S.-based service, then staying outside the Fourteen Eyes is more or less pointless. Sure, that VPN with an exotic locale may be able to easily ignore U.S. subpoenas for data, but the American online services you use are another story. Besides if an American VPN does you wrong, itll be a lot easier to hold it to account than one based in Singapore, or even Sweden.

What is a VPN?

VPNs create a secure tunnel between your PC and the internet. You connect to a VPN server, which can be located in the United States or a foreign countrysay, France or Japan. Your web traffic then goes through that server to make it appear as though youre browsing from that servers location, and not from your actual location.

When youre using a VPN, its difficult for others to snoop on your web-browsing activity. Only you, the VPN service, and the website youre visiting will know what youre up to.

A VPN can be a great response to a variety of concerns, such as online privacy, anonymity, greater security on public Wi-Fi, and, of course, spoofing locations.

While a VPN can aid privacy and anonymity, I wouldnt recommend fomenting the next great political revolution by relying solely on a VPN. To become an internet phantom (or as close as you can realistically get to one), it takes a lot more than a $5 monthly subscription to a VPN.

Beyond that, a VPN is an excellent choice for staying secure while using Wi-Fi at the airport or your local cafe. Hackers sitting on public Wi-Fi can try to hack your PC, but a VPN makes that task much harder.

Finally, you may want a VPN to spoof your location to download content you shouldnt have access to, but this too has limits. A VPN used to be the go-to solution to watch U.S. Netflix overseas. That changed in 2016 when Netflix opened up to almost every country on Earth. Since then, the company has invested a lot in detecting and blocking VPN users. Even people using a VPN inside their own country will be blocked by Netflix if detected.

There are VPNs that can fool Netflix, but they are rare and there are no guarantees these services will outsmart Netflix forever.

Beyond Netflix, a VPN can help to download an Android app that is only available on a foreign version of Google Play, or stream content from regionally restricted services such as the UK-bound BBC iPlayer or Disney Plus.

One final note of caution: Do not rely on your VPN to protect banking information on an open Wi-Fi connection. Whenever possible, leave online financial dealings for home over a hard-wired connection.

What to look for in a VPN

Before anything else, understand that if you want to use a VPN you should be paying for it. Free VPNs typicall sell your browsing data in aggregated form to researchers and marketers, or give you a paltry amount of data transfer every month. Either way, a basic rule of thumb is that a free VPN will not protect your privacy in any meaningful way.

The next thing to consider is a VPNs logging policies. In other words, what kind of data is a service collecting about you and your VPN activity, and how long is that data saved?

Privacy is the basic principle of a VPN, and what good is it to avoid passive government surveillance only to have a VPN provider record all your website visits?

Ideally, a VPN will say it only keeps logs for the briefest of periods. Some providers, for example, only log activity in RAM during a session or automatically send all records to oblivion once theyre created. Other providers may keep records for a few hours, days, weeks, or even months.

VPN policies also vary when it comes to personal information. Some VPNs want to know very little about you, preferring users sign on with a pseudonym and pay with Bitcoin. Thats a little exotic for most people, which is why many services also accept PayPal.

Paying this way isnt ideal for privacy, but it means the VPN doesnt have your payment information on recordthough it would be available from PayPal.

After the logging policies, you want to know how many servers the VPN offers and how many country connections it has. The number of servers provides an idea of how much load a VPN can take before slowing to a crawl due to overwhelming traffic.

The country connections, meanwhile, matter most to those who want to spoof their location; however, non-spoofers should also make sure there are connections in their home country. If you live in Los Angeles, for example, and want access to American content, then youll need a VPN that provides U.S. connections. It wont work to try and watch Amazon Prime Video over a Dutch VPN connection, because as far as Amazons concerned your computer would be in the Netherlands.

Some users will also want to research a VPN providers peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing policies. There are VPNs that block torrents. Others turn a blind eye to them, but will sell you out in a heartbeat should you be up to no good. P2P is not our main focus here, but we will note in each review whether a particular provider allows file sharing or not.

Finally, how many devices does a VPN support from a single account? In this age of smartphones, tablets, laptops, and PCs, a VPNs cost should include licensing for at least five devices. Also, a provider should have Android and iOS apps to make it easy to connect a smartphone or tablet to the service.

How we tested

We judge VPNs on a variety of criteria including overall connection speeds, privacy protection, usability of the interface, country choices, server count, and cost.

Speed tests are kept as simple as possible. We connect to five different global locations for a given VPNtypically North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, and a wild card somewhere in Asiaon three different days at different times of the day running the test at each location multiple times.

Before the test begins we check the speed of our base Wi-Fi connection using an online speed test. Then we connect to the VPNs servers around the world and run the speed test again. We then show each result, average them out, and calculate the average as a percentage of the base speed.

Remember that internet speeds can vary wildly based on location, routers, PCs, time of day, connection type, the load on the VPN and speed test servers, and numerous other factors. In other words, our test results will likely differ from yours. For that reason, consider our speed results only as a rough guide for how each VPN performs.

Judging server choices by country is also kept simple. We expect a VPN to offer a variety of country connections with a minimum of at least 20.

Privacy and anonymity is judged on the guarantees the companies make, as well as its reputation from any news items were aware of that may impact the trustworthiness of these claims. We also take a look at the data encryption, authentication, and handshake protocols used.

Finally, for pricing we expect to pay $60 per year, and anything over that needs to justify its cost with extra features or unique selling points of some kind.

Other notable VPNs

There are many more worthwhile VPNs than just our favorites listed above, including AVG Internet Security, CyberGhost, ESET Security Premium, FastestVPN, Hide.me, HMA Pro 4, OVPN, Trend Micro Maximum Security, Windscribe Pro, Perfect Privacy, PrivateVPN by TrunkSpace Hosting, PureVPN, Speedify 10, VPNCity, ClearVPN, Malwarebytes Privacy, TorGuard, VeePN, AceVPN.com, and SurfEasy.

Well keep evaluating new ones and reevaluating services weve already tested on a regular basis, so be sure to come back to see what else weve put through their paces.

FAQ 1. Is it legal to use a VPN? Yes! It is perfectly legal in most countries, including the United States, to use a VPN. While using a VPN, you might find some websites that try to block your connection, but this is an individual websites use policy and has nothing to do with the legality of the VPN itself. One thing to note though, while its legal to use a VPN, some of the activities done while using a VPN might be illegal. Such things as downloading pirated copyrighted content or accessing dark web markets are illegal whether you use a VPN or not. 2. Do VPNs protect against malware and computer viruses? No, a VPN connection itself does not protect you from malware and computer viruses. It does however encrypt your internet traffic and keep prying eyes from accessing your browsing history. Some VPN services, such as Nord VPN, do however provide additional security features such as ad and malware blockers. Additionally, many antivirus suites now offer VPN services along with their security features. Although VPNs and antivirus software are used for different purposes, there is still a degree of overlap that makes using both tools together beneficial. 3. Will a VPN affect my internet speeds? Most likely you will see a moderate speed decrease to your internet while using a VPN. This is mainly due to the process of your internet traffic being rerouted and encrypted through a VPN server before heading on to its destination. The amount of latency you will experience through this process is down to what countrys server you choose to proxy your traffic through. If you choose a server located on the other side of the world, then you will notice a much greater hit than if you were to connect to a server nearby in your same country. Thankfully, most modern VPNs should have the infrastructure to maintain high-speed, secure data transfer rates. So its likely you can still browse and stream with no noticeable impact while using a reputable VPN like those listed above. 4. Will a VPN make me anonymous online? Unfortunately, its not as simple as just turning on your VPN and disappearing off grid. While VPNs certainly offer better privacy and security, they dont make you completely anonymous. There are a mindbogglingly number of ways that companies track you across the internet and a VPN isnt capable of blocking all of them. For example, when you sign into a website, your identity is revealed to that website. Or when you log into your Gmail account while using a VPN, Google can now collect cookies based on your browsing. 5. How many servers should my VPN have? There is no set number of servers that make one VPN better than another. However, most major VPN providers offer between 3,000 to 5,000 servers. Also, we recommend avoiding any paid services whose providers have under 1,000 servers as this may be an indication that the company is not yet well established, meaning that there is a higher chance for reliability issues. It is common for VPN providers to advertise the number of servers they have, but this is largely a marketing gimmick and doesnt generally equate to the quality of the VPN provider itself. Things such as the spread of server locations and server quality are as important, if not more so, than the number of available servers.

Editors note: Because online services are often iterative, gaining new features and performance improvements over time, our reviews are subject to change in order to accurately reflect the current state of the services.

Want to find the perfect VPN for a specific use? Check out some of our other best VPN roundups to learn more:
Microsoft will release the first upgrade to Windows Server 2016 the last week of September.

"We'll be launching Windows Server, version 1709, at Ignite," Jeff Woolsey, a manager in Microsoft's Windows Server group, wrote on a company blog on Thursday.

Ignite, the conference successor to the long-running TechEd, will run Sept. 25-29 in Orlando, Fla.

[ To comment on this story, visit Computerworld's Facebook page. ]

Windows Server 1709, labeled in Microsoft's yymm release format, will be the first of an every-six-months upgrade cycle. The Redmond, Wash. company introduced the new cadence in June, saying at the time that it was synchronizing Windows Server upgrades with ones for both Windows 10 and Office 365.

The twice-yearly releases will be delivered by the "Semi-annual Channel" release track; that name will also be used for Windows 10 and Office 365.

While Microsoft implied that the upgrades for Windows 10 and Office 365 would appear Sept. 12, it had not hinted at a Windows Server release date during the month. By linking Windows Server 1709's debut with Ignite, Microsoft demonstrated that it sees Server, or at the least its first rapid release upgrade, as more promotional and less routine.

The follow-up to Windows Server 1709 will be version 1803, the latter to appear in March 2018. Cumulatively, Server's twice-annual upgrades will comprise the feature set of the next Windows Server X. In two or three years, Microsoft will put a stake in the ground by christening Windows Server 2018 or Windows Server 2019, built by the iterative process of shipping Server upgrades.
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 28, 2017) - First Cobalt Corp. (TSX VENTURE:FCC) (OTC:FTSSF) (the "Company") is pleased to announce the addition of Jason Rickard, MSc., P.Geo. to the new position of Exploration Manager for the Ontario Cobalt Camp.

Jason was previously a Senior Geologist for Goldcorp Inc., managing a 100,000+ metre drill program at their Borden Project in Ontario and leading the regional exploration program. Prior to Goldcorp, he was a Senior Geologist for Vale Exploration Canada, where he was heavily involved in exploration program management as well as permitting and community relations.

This is a key addition to the exploration team as the merger transactions with Cobalt One and CobalTech will give First Cobalt a dominant land position in the Cobalt Camp and provide several additional targets for follow up. With 17 years of experience across Canada, Jason will be based in Cobalt Ontario and report to the Vice President, Exploration.

Dr. Frank Santaguida, Vice President Exploration, commented,

"Having Jason leading the exploration team in Cobalt, Ontario is a huge leap forward for First Cobalt. His experience in a diverse set of high quality projects and in a wide range of geological settings strengthens the team and accelerates our strategy to be the first to understand the potential for bulk mining cobalt in this historic Canadian mining district. His enthusiastic and detailed approach will bring additional focus and insight to this program. I am pleased to be working alongside him on the Greater Cobalt Project."

Greater Cobalt Project Update

The previously announced Keeley-Frontier exploration drilling is progressing well. Since diamond drilling commenced on August 8, seven holes have been completed at the Haileybury target and another six holes have been drilled at Frontier 1, for a total of 1,276 metres as of August 27. The maiden Keeley-Frontier drill program will total 7,000 metres, with 5,000 metres targeting a two-kilometre strike length, including the Haileybury and the Bellellen systems. The remaining 2,000 metres will be drilled on regional exploration targets to identify new mineralized vein systems.

Sampling of holes for assay and multi-element geochemistry is now underway, while outcrop stripping continues at Keeley 1 and 2 in order better guide the orientation of future drilling in this program. This phase of the program is intended to test previously under-explored areas known to contain cobalt, as well as determine the grades of cobalt mineralization associated with high grade silver mineralization.

Qualified Person

Dr. Frank Santaguida, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration for First Cobalt is the Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 who has reviewed and approved the contents of this news release.
Pyongyang fires three projectiles in East Sea



By Jun Ji-hye



North Korea's relatively small-scale provocations conducted over the weekend seem to be aimed at protesting South Korea and the United States' ongoing joint exercise, but at the same time not to provoke Washington further, experts said Sunday.



Through such provocations, the North is apparently seeking direct negotiations with the U.S. by showing a somewhat conciliatory gesture, while maintaining military tension with Seoul, they said.



The Kim Jong-un regime fired at least three projectiles into the East Sea on Saturday morning, which Seoul's presidential office presumed to have been artillery rockets from the new 300-millimeter multiple launch rocket system.



The Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles were fired from the vicinity of Kitdaeryong in North Korea's Kangwon Province, and flew more than 250 kilometers in a northeastern direction.



For its part, the U.S. Pacific Command assessed the projectiles were believed to have been three short-range ballistic missiles, noting that the first and third ones flew approximately 250 kilometers, while the second one appeared to have blown up almost immediately.



This was the first provocation since the repressive state test-fired a Hwasong-14 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), July 28, claiming the missile was capable of striking targets on the U.S. mainland.



Later on Saturday, the North's state-run Korean Central TV also reported that the young leader inspected a simulated invasion of South Korea's border islands of Baengnyeong and Yeonpyeong by the North's special operations forces.



The projectile launches and the simulated attack came as Seoul and Washington are conducting their annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG) exercise, which will run until Aug. 31.



Kim Dong-yup, a professor at the Institute for Far East Studies of Kyungnam University, said such provocations aimed at South Korea may have been designed to hold Seoul "hostage" to position the North favorably in dealing with issues related to the Korean Peninsula as well as Pyongyang-Washington relations.



"Amid confrontation with the U.S., North Korea may be attempting to hold South Korea hostage by conducting a simulated invasion drill of the islands and launching short-range projectiles to keep the U.S. from carrying out military actions," he said.



Kim Yong-hyun, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University, also said, "As the North wants direct negotiations with the U.S., it may have attempted to adjust the level of provocations and conducted small-scale ones this time."



A Cheong Wa Dae official noted, asking not to be named, the North's latest provocations indicated its intention not to aggravate the situation further. The official added this could be a sign of the North positioning to seek dialogue after the UFG exercise.



The U.S. administration has also been seemingly turning positive about dialogue with the North, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying last week Kim has begun to "respect" Washington. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also said dialogue between the U.S. and North Korea could be possible in the "near future."



Seoul-Washington talks



Vice Foreign Minister Lim Sung-nam left for the United States on Sunday to meet with senior U.S. officials over North Korean issues and the Seoul-Washington alliance.



Lim will meet with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan and other officials Monday.



They plan to discuss their coordinated stance toward North Korea's nuclear and missile threats.



"We are going to discuss the current security situation and how to respond to it," Lim said before leaving the airport.



On the agenda is the two nations' ongoing discussion to amend the 2012 revision of missile guidelines, ministry officials said.



Seoul has sought to increase the weight of the warhead it can place on its own ballistic missiles with a range of 800 kilometers, as the 2012 revision does not allow the payload for this missile to exceed 500 kilograms.




By Tong Kim





Although tensions seem to have eased in Korea compared to two weeks ago, Pyongyang has kept up with its usual condemning of the annual U.S.-ROK joint military exercises that will continue until the end of August. Pyongyang continues to demonstrate an advancing missile program, as shown by Kim Jong-un's Aug. 23 "field guidance" at the Chemical Institute of the Academy of Science, instructing his scientists "to produce more solid-fuel rocket engines and rocket warhead tips."

On Aug. 14, Kim effectively suspended the spiraling escalation of tensions that put nerves on edge, fearing the worst-case scenario of a catastrophic war. He did it by deciding not to carry out a plan to launch ballistic missiles toward the U.S. territory of Guam. However, this was not a blink on his part, not necessarily taken aback at Donald Trump's warning that American "fire and fury" was "locked and loaded" at the North.

Kim announced the decision when he visited the Korean People's Army Strategic Force Command that had completed a plan "for an enveloping fire at Guam," saying he "would watch a little longer the conduct of the foolish and stupid American bastards, spending a hard time for every minute for their miserable lot." He also "advised the U.S. to take into full account the gains and losses with a clear head, whether the present situation is more unfavorable for which side."

Trump tweeted Kim's move as "a very wise and well-reasoned decision." On Aug. 22, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson noted that North Korea had had made no missile launches or provocative acts since the latest adoption of the U.N. Security Council resolution. He said, "Pyongyang has certainly demonstrated some level of restraint  We hope that this is the beginning of this signal  that they are ready to restrain their level of tensions  that perhaps we are seeing our pathway to sometime in the near future having some dialogue."

On Aug. 23, Trump said at a rally in Arizona, "Kim Jong-un, I respect the fact that I believe he is starting to respect us  I respect that fact very much  And maybe, probably not, but maybe something positive can come about." This statement may have some positive impact on the North Koreans. But Trump's statements are confusing sometimes even to Americans. The North's Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) said on Aug. 24 that Trump regularly posts "weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts on his Twitter" and "spouts rubbish to give his assistants a hard time."

In Seoul, President Moon Je-in started making a difference on the issue of war and peace in Korea. Through his Aug. 15 speech, his first 100 days press conference and his recent meeting with his foreign and unification ministers, Moon has conveyed his strong determination to prevent war in Korea, asserting "only the Republic of Korea can decide on the issue of war, there would be no military strike without Seoul's consent."

There is no easy military option. Moon is right in saying that any preventive strike through South Korea or from elsewhere, using U.S. war assets, could cause a North Korean retaliation to the South and it would hurt South Korea most. The U.S. has no fixed final position on how to deal with North Korea.

Recently, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. commanders from the Pacific Command, the Strategic Command and the Missile Defense Agency were in Seoul and they all renewed the U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea with a full range of capabilities while supporting the diplomatic option that should be given a good try first.

Some former commanders of U.S. forces in Korea expressed views last week that the U.S. could attack the North without the South's consent, if an attack is launched from outside the South, to protect the United States from an imminent North Korean threat. Talk of this possibility, as well as other tough talk, may have a deterring effect on the North's aggressive behavior, but such action, if implemented, will risk millions of lives in the South, including American soldiers and civilians.

Washington and Seoul are both pursuing a peaceful resolution of Pyongyang's nuclear threat through sanctions and pressure, based on a strong alliance. The U.S. does not rule out the military option. Seoul, understandably, wants to rule it out. Peace is contingent on Pyongyang as much as it is on Seoul and Washington. What's your take?

Tong Kim is a Washington correspondent and columnist for The Korea Times. He is also a fellow at the Institute of Korean-American Studies. He can be contacted at tong.kim8@yahoo.com.
Miami, FL The legal machinations involving three insurers duking it out in court over The legal machinations involving three insurers duking it out in court over Florida premises liability is overshadowing the suffering of a Florida woman who has undergone various amputation procedures involving her lower extremities following a snakebite on the grounds of her Miami-area condo.

Patricia Young was a resident of Silver Shores, a condo complex on the outskirts of Miami. Young was attempting to egress, or leave her condo unit one day in the summer of 2015 when she sustained a snakebite to one of her toes from a water moccasin, a poisonous snake.The aftereffects of the bite left Young severely injured, according to a premises liability lawsuit she filed a year later, in the summer of 2016  and at a time when the long-term aftermath of her injuries had become apparent. The plaintiff was required to undergo multiple amputations of her lower extremities, causing totally debilitating permanent injuries to the plaintiff.According to court documents, Young and other residents of the complex had repeatedly made overtures to Silvers Shores Master Association Inc.  the condo association  as well as to KW Property Management LLC, the property manager, about the snake problem. Both Silver Shores and KW Property Management are named in the lawsuit brought by Youngs Florida premises liability lawyer. Youngs complaint asserts that residents repeatedly complained to both the association and the property manager about the infestation of highly poisonous and vicious snakes on the grounds of the complex. However, the lawsuit asserts that neither the condo association nor the property management firm made any lasting attempt to rid the complex of snakes, and to protect the residents from snakebites.Court documents reveal there are four insurance policies in force between the two defendants named in the Young Florida premises liability lawsuit. Silver Shores Master Association holds a $1 million primary policy from Scottsdale Insurance Co. and a $5 million excess policy from Greenwich Insurance Co., while KW Property Management holds a $2 million primary policy from FCCI Insurance Co. and a $10 million excess policy from National Trust Insurance Co. Scottsdale has agreed to pay out the entirety of its policy limit to settle the underlying snakebite suit, but the plaintiff rejected the offer.Meanwhile NTIC, FCCI and Greenwich are locked in a three-way legal battle over which one of them  if either  carries any liability beyond Scottsdale, and are arguing over language in the various policies. Earlier this month NTIC and FCCI filed a Florida premises liability lawsuit against Greenwich, alleging that Greenwich is the next in line  of the three remaining insurers  as to obligation for payout of excess insurance.FCCI and NTIC are in doubt as to their rights and obligations under the policies and seek a declaration from this court as to how to proceed, the insurers write. They request this court to declare that Greenwich is the primary excess carrier for KW for any coverage in connection with the losses arising out of the incident as alleged by Young.The plaintiffs in the insurance lawsuit filed in early August assert the order of coverage should go Scottsdale, Greenwich, FCCI and finally NTIC. Scottsdale, the primary insurer, has already agreed to payment. The injured plaintiff in the original premises liability Florida lawsuit, Patricia Young, rejected the offer  signaling that she is not satisfied with a single payout by a single insurer, when there are three other insurers involved.The insurance lawsuit is, Case No. 0:17-cv-61570, in
Discovery

(Image credit: Old Royal Naval College)

On April 21, 2017, conservators working on a project at the Old Royal Naval College in England discovered rooms from Greenwich Palace, the birthplace of Tudor monarchs Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, his daughter. [Read more about the rooms found at Greenwich Palace]

Uncovering the past

(Image credit: Old Royal Naval College)

One of the rooms had a Flemish tile floor, and the other had a low ceiling and recesses in the walls that may have been used to store baskets that contained bees  a source of honey and wax  during the winter.

The dig

(Image credit: Old Royal Naval College)

During his lifetime, Henry VIII spent 4,000 nights at Greenwich Palace, Will Palin, conservation director for the Old Royal Naval College, told Live Science.

Glimpse of the tiles

(Image credit: Old Royal Naval College)

Yellow Flemish tile can be seen here.

Unknown purpose

(Image credit: Old Royal Naval College)

It's possible that the rooms were used by Henry VIII's courtiers or were connected to the on-site armory or nearby friary church.

Boisterous fun

(Image credit: Old Royal Naval College)

The palace had a tiltyard (a courtyard for jousting), a banquet hall, horse stables, dog kennels and places for cockfights.

The Painted Hall

(Image credit: Old Royal Naval College)

The two Greenwich Palace rooms are on the site of the Painted Hall, which contains baroque murals by the English painter Sir James Thornhill that are currently undergoing restoration.
Some eclipse watchers reportedly put sunscreen on their eyeballs during last week's solar eclipse, in what appears to be a misguided effort to protect their eyes from sun damage.

According to KRCR, a local news outlet in Redding, California, a few patients visited a nearby clinic complaining of pain after they put sunscreen on their eyeballs during the eclipse on Aug. 21. They did this because they did not have protective glasses to view the eclipse, KRCR reported.

"One of my colleaguesstated yesterday that they had patients presenting at their clinic that put sunscreen on their eyeball," Trish Patterson, a nurse practitioner at Prestige Urgent Care in Redding, told KRCR. These patients had eye pain and were referred to an ophthalmologist, Patterson said. [27 Oddest Medical Case Reports]

So far, Patterson said she and her colleagues haven't seen any patients with eye damage from looking at last week's eclipse.

There are several ways to view a solar eclipse safety, but putting sunscreen on your eyeballs is not one of them. In fact, sunscreen labels usually warn users not to get the product in their eyes, because sunscreen can cause eye pain and irritation.

If you want to look at a solar eclipse, you need to use special eclipse glasses or solar viewers that contain solar filters, according to the American Astronomical Society. Without proper eye protection, looking directly at the sun can cause serious eye damage.

Original article on Live Science.
A team of students from Germany sent a carbon-plastic pod whizzing through a tube at 201 mph (324 km/h) last weekend, securing the top spot in Elon Musk's second Hyperloop competition.

Musk, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and brain-interface company Neuralink, aims to revolutionize transportation with his Hyperloop concept, which he envisions as a series of underground vacuum tubes through which transportation pods levitated by air would zoom at nearly the speed of sound.

In January, SpaceX held its first Hyperloop Competition for students to test prototypes of pods. The winning team, WARR Hyperloop from the Technical University of Munich, again took top prize in the second Hyperloop Pod Competition, which was held between Aug. 25 and 27. The team's pod was one of only three that met the technical criteria for testing inside the 0.8-mile (1.28 km) tube at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. [Hyperloop, Jetpacks & More: 9 Futuristic Transit Ideas]

The WARR Hyperloop pod was a complete redesign of the team's first winning structure, the student engineers wrote on their website. Made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, the pod weighs only 176 lbs. (80 kilograms) and can accelerate from zero to 217 mph (350 km/h) in just 12 seconds.

The pod is a prototype, as SpaceX's test tube is a mere 6 feet (1.8 meters) in diameter. But Musk envisions tunnels that can accommodate 6,800-lb. (3,100 kg) pods holding up to 28 people each, as he wrote in a white paper introducing the concept in 2014. Musk's vision is that the Hyperloop would provide fast transportation between cities less than about 900 miles (1,500 kilometers) apart. He claims the Hyperloop system could whisk people from San Francisco to Los Angeles, or from Munich to Berlin, in about 30 minutes. That would require speeds of about 760 mph (1,220 km/h).

See more

The WARR team's winning pod is powered by an electric motor and lithium-polymer batteries. Pneumatic brakes provide stopping power and stabilizers dampen vibrations at high speeds. In the SpaceX testing, the brakes decelerated the pod from its peak 201-mph speed in 3 seconds. On Twitter, Musk noted that fast accelerations and decelerations are necessary because of the test tube's short length, but a real system would spread the speed changes over miles, "so no spilt drinks," he said. Musk's plans include making the systems entirely self-powered by installing solar panels above the tunnels.

The SpaceX test track isn't the only one where futuristic transportation pods have been tested. Since Musk published his Hyperloop manifesto, a series of unaffiliated private companies and academic groups have tackled the challenge of turning this futuristic transportation concept into a reality. Hyperloop One unveiled its 1,640-foot-long (500 m) Nevada test track earlier in 2017. The first European test track also opened this year, built by the company Hardt Global Mobility. Another company, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, made a deal in 2015 to build a 5-mile test track along California's Interstate 5, but there has been little forward progress on permitting and construction since then, according to a January 2017 article on the company by Inverse Innovation.

The WARR Hyperloop team poses for a group photo with Elon Musk. (Image credit: WARR Hyperloop)

As the enthusiasm of these companies shows, Musk's Hyperloop concept has some momentum behind it. But the technology is far from bulletproof, physicist James Powell, the co-inventor of superconducting maglev systems, told Live Science in 2015. Safety is a particular issue, Powell said: A slight kink in the tunnels  perhaps caused by one of California's frequent earthquakes  could ruin the system. The air compressor that levitates the traveling capsules and the equipment that maintains low air pressure in the tunnels would both have to be fail-proof, he added, because a loss of air pressure or vacuum would mean an immediate crash.

Original article on Live Science.
Houston and other parts of southeast Texas are in the midst of historic flooding from Harvey, now a tropical storm, with heavy rain still expected to batter the region in the coming days. How does flooding put people's health at risk?

The public health implications run deeper than the risk of injury and drowning during a flood, though these are a serious concern. [In Photos: Hurricane Harvey Takes Aim at Texas]

Indeed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes a slew of risks related to floodwater and standing water, including wound infections and the spread of infectious diseases and chemicals in the water.

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Tennessee, said that the biggest concerns during and after a flood are injuries, access to medical care and providing people with clean water to drink.

Safe water is more important than food, Schaffner told Live Science. "Lack of food for a period of time is not a crisis," but lack of water can lead to serious dehydration in the very young and the very old, he said.

Crowded conditions

People's health is at risk even after they've been evacuated from a flood zone to relief centers.

When people are congregated in relief centers for long periods of time, it's not uncommon for illnesses to spread, Schaffner told Live Science. Respiratory viruses such as the common cold can spread through shelters, and though it's still a bit early for flu season, Schaffner said he'd still keep an eye out for cases of influenza.

Less common in the United States, Schaffner noted, is the spread of gastrointestinal illnesses after a flood. For example, although norovirus is "very readily transmitted," there was only one outbreak of this virus in a relief center after Hurricane Katrina. Norovirus causes symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea.

It takes "very few of those [norovirus] viral particles to cause infection," Schaffner said. The virus, which often spreads on cruise ships, can be transmitted through water and food, and can also spread from person to person, he said. "If it gets into a shelter, it's likely to spread to everybody in the shelter."

Fortunately, gastrointestinal diseases such as cholera have not played a major role in the U.S. after natural disasters, which is "a testimony to the fact that we live in an environment with good sanitation," Schaffner said. If that good sanitation were to break down, however, you could see outbreaks of more troublesome illnesses.

And although cholera is not a concern, a type of bacteria related to cholera could pose a threat, Schaffner said. This bug, called Vibrio vulnificus, can live in the water in the Gulf of Mexico and can cause a nasty infection if it gets into an open wound, he said. Wounds exposed to seawater after a coastal flooding disaster should be washed with soap and water as soon as possible, according to the CDC.

Another public health threat from hurricanes and flooding is moving people away from their usual sources of medical care.

People with diabetes or seizures may have left their medications at home, for example, Schaffner said. And events such as giving birth or having a heart attack can be more difficult to manage, because people are removed from their medical care resources, he said.

After the flood

Even after the floodwaters recede, threats to health will remain, Schaffner said.

Standing water in puddles, small receptacles and gutters can provide "an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes," Schaffner said. And when you get mosquitos, you have to worry about mosquito-borne illnesses, including West Nile virus and Zika virus. Fortunately, Houston and Harris County  another area affected by the storm  have excellent mosquito control under normal circumstances, Schaffner added.

Once things get back to normal, "I would think that they would start monitoring [mosquito] populations and using their mosquito abatement techniques," he said.

Another concern after a flood is mold, but Schaffner noted that in the vast majority of cases, mold is an annoyance and a nuisance rather than a source of illness. "Mold-related illness is really quite rare," he said.

Originally published on Live Science.
People in Houston walk down a flooded street on Aug. 28, 2017 as Tropical Storm Harvey drives them out of their homes.

Tropical Storm Harvey, which made landfall as a hurricane late Friday (Aug. 25) near Corpus Christi, Texas, has been battering communities in southeastern Texas with periods of intense rainfall, flooding streets and homes, forcing thousands of people into shelters and killing at least 10 people so far.

And the storm is not over yet. With more heavy rain expected to drench the region in the coming days, the National Weather Service tweeted yesterday (Aug. 27): "This event is unprecedented & all impacts are unknown & beyond anything experienced."

So what is causing this degree of never-before-seen rainfall? [In Photos: Hurricane Harvey Takes Aim at Texas]

The answer has to do with the length of time that Harvey has been nearly stationary over southeastern Texas.

"Tropical cyclones, either tropical storms or hurricanes, tend to carry a lot of moisture with them and are often associated with pretty intense rain," Matthew Kelsch, a hydrometerologist at the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, told Live Science. "But what makes this situation even more impressive is that the tropical storm itself  what used to be Hurricane Harvey  has pretty much stalled. For several days, it's pretty much meandering around the same place, so the same location keeps getting the intense rain."

This is because there's a high-pressure system blocking Tropical Storm Harvey's movement, said Dave Gochis, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, also in Boulder. In other words, Harvey has become stuck. Parts of Houston and the surrounding areas have already been hit with more than 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, and the National Weather Service's (NWS) latest public advisory says isolated storm totals "may reach 50 inches [127 cm] over the upper Texas coast." The NWS further warned that "[t]hese rains are currently producing catastrophic and life-threatening flooding over large portions of southeastern Texas."

Storms like Harvey can be likened to corks in a flow, according to James Done, an atmospheric scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research.

"If you imagine dropping a cork in a river, it follows the path of the river, and in the case of Harvey, the river gave up its guidance and the cork just wandered aimlessly around coastal Texas. So it was guided toward Texas by the larger scale flow and then basically, the flow just collapsed and left Harvey to meander on its own in the coastal region," Done told Live Science.

Its coastal location, too, has stoked the storm. Tropical Storm Harvey is continuing to be fed by moisture coming off the ocean, which may even strengthen it further, Kelsch said.

But Harvey might get moving when the high-pressure system blocking the tropical storm lets up.

"That system appears to be sort of weakening later this week and there are resuming of upper level winds to start to move the system northward and then out to the east," Gochis said. "[This] is supposed to happen over the next couple days and so we're starting to see some initial movement of that this morning, but it's still very slow and so the rains remain over this heavily impacted area."

Southeastern Texas will likely experience another 8 to 15 inches (20 to 38 centimeters) of rain through Wednesday (Aug. 30), Jeff Weber, a meteorologist for the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research, told Live Science.

But this may not be the end of Harvey's massive destruction.

"The concern will shift eastward as Harvey starts to come out of Texas and people in Louisiana should be very cautious and keep an eye to the sky because it's moving in their direction," Weber said. "Lake Charles, in southwestern Louisiana, has been getting a lot of this impact and they will continue to get a lot more, and I suspect New Orleans could get impacted come Wednesday with significant rainfall of up to 10 inches [25 cm]."

A list of available shelters  maintained by the American Red Cross and partner agencies  for those forced out of their homes due to Tropical Storm Harvey can be found on the American Red Cross website. Live Science's sister site, Tom's Guide, has also put together a guide for how to make online donations to victims of Tropical Storm Harvey.

Original article on Live Science.
Not that long ago, it was easy to rack up bills of hundreds or thousands of dollars in data roaming charges when traveling with your mobile phone. Now, its possible to contain your costs, thanks to new offers from carriers, SIMs you can buy int he country you are visiting, or even mobile hotspots.

For Americans, Mexico and Canada are the easiest countries to travel to and call home from without a fuss. Any further abroad, and youll have to work harder for deals. It all comes down to planning ahead, and well show you how in this article.

Here are the best options for keeping your mobile data costs down while traveling.

Work with your carrier

Many U.S. carriers have plan levels that extend a domestic plan to Canada and Mexico. T-Mobile is the only one with a plan that works worldwide for data and text with an upgrade option. The other carriers offer day passes (and some have week or month ones, too) for roaming.

But note that with a plan instead of a pass, carriers will cancel or limit non-U.S. access if more than 50 percent of your usage is outside the U.S. for a two-month period. If youre traveling for an extended period, its better to put your U.S. plan on hiatus (many carriers will suspend your plan, which prevents cancellation fees and other penalties) while you use a carrier in other countries.

AT&T only includes Canada and Mexico for data (up to your data plan limits) and unlimited text calling in its Unlimited Plus and Unlimited Choice plans. The company sells $10 day passes that include unlimited text and calling within and among over 200 countries and use of your data plan. It also has $40, $60, and $120 monthly passes that work in the same countries, but come with a small data allotment (200, 300, and 800MB) and high per-minute voice rates. AT&T customers traveling outside Canada and Mexico should shop around.

Sprint includes Sprint Global Roaming as a free feature you can enable, and then includes 2G (like 128Kbps) data rates in about 180 countries, and within and among those countries, free texting plus $0.20 a minute voice calling. But it also sells 4G LTE high-speed data passes in about 50 countries: $2 a day or $10 a week in Canada or Mexico; $10 a day or $50 a week in China; and $5 a day or $25 a week in other places. This could be cheaper for short trips than anything you can find where youre going.

T-Mobile has several plansT-Mobile One, Simple Choice, New Classic, and Select Choicethat include unlimited texting and 128Kbps data in over 140 countries. Calls are $0.20 a minute within and between those countries, and very expensive otherwise, so find an alternate. A $5-per-month Plus upgrade takes that to 256Kbpsand includes unlimited in-flight Gogo Wi-Fi for domestic flights. Its T-Mobile One plan includes data, text, and calls in Canada and Mexico under the same terms as your U.S. plan, and unlimited calling to the U.S. as well. (T-Mobile says it offers data passes as well, but it currently has no information about this on its site, despite pointing to pages that should have details and dont.)

Verizon has the Verizon Plan Unlimited for bringing your plan and its limits at no extra cost to Mexico and Canada. However, 4G LTE data is limited to 512MB a day. It also offers a Travel Pass, which is $5 a day in Mexico or Canada (without the unlimited plan) and $10 a day in over 100 other countries. It also lets you apply your U.S. calling plans text, voice, and data limits wherever you are with the same daily limit.

Theres one more option, too:

Project Fi from Google is a great option for frequent global travelers based in the U.S. You have to purchase an Android phone, which can be a non-starter for iPhone users, but plans start at $30 a month for 1GB of 4G LTE data that can be used in the U.S. and in over 135 other countries, unlimited texting in those same countries, and unlimited calling within the U.S. (Data speeds may not always be LTE; theyll be at the fastest rate available with partners in those countries.) It costs $10 for each additional gigabyte, and signing up ahead of time for a higher level of usage doesnt come with an opportunity cost, as Google credits unused data forward. Cell calls within or among those countries are $.20 a minute.

Buy a SIM

If youre using an iPhone that can be internationally unlocked or that comes unlocked, you can drop in a GSM-based SIM wherever you land or arrive.

I asked frequent travelers to Asiaincluding to China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwanand the universal recommendation was to wait until you arrived at the airport, and purchase a SIM from a shop there. Because so many people recommended this option, Im passing it along, even though we all know from experience that many other kinds of airport shops fleece unwary tourists! In this case, apparently not.

Check for tourism office deals, too. One friend pointed out that Discover Hong Kong has a SIM targeted specifically to short-term tourists sold at the airport. For about $11 to $15 (HK$88 to HK$118), you can get a SIM with 1.5GB or 5GB of LTE data for a five-day or eight-day period, including Wi-Fi hotspot usage, local calls within Hong Kong, and preloaded international call credit. They also offer data roaming to mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan at $5 a day.

IDG iPhone 3GS and a China Unicom SIM.

(China also has the challenge of its Great Firewall. Youll need a VPN to work around it. You can read about a Macworld editors experience using his iPhone in China to get an idea of what youre in for.)

While I didnt rack up any specific recommendations in Europe and other destinations, one colleague pointed me to a detailed, constantly updated wiki that provides eye-watering detail about prepaid SIMs. Check the country or countries youre visiting and it may help prepare you for what plan to buy. Some carriers will sell a SIM online and ship it to you internationally ahead of your trip, too, but make sure the timing works.

In the 28 countries of the European Union, roaming fees among those nations for texts, call, and data evaporated on June 15 after over a decade of pressure and rule making by the EU. As a result, buying a SIM in any EU country lets you use it in all the others. This helps immensely for a trans-European trip, but make sure you know which countries arent in the EUlike Switzerland.

Once youve purchased a SIM, you should be able to recharge it if you visit the same country or region that it covers again, avoiding future one-time costs.

While you can purchase SIMs that work worldwide or in large regions via a number of websites in advance of travel, these are no longer the deals they were even two years ago, when you could spend hundreds of dollars a gigabyte. Now, its almost always possible to spend vastly less for multi-gigabyte data plans.

If your phone cant be unlocked, you may be able to rent a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot for about $3 to $15 a day with large data allotments, depending on the airport at which you arrive.

Find Wi-Fi for data, texts, and calls

You might not need international data, text, or calls at all. Wi-Fi may be abundant where youre traveling, and you could use it for free or with modest purchases in cafes. You can also purchase a subscription from Boingo Wireless for unlimited access to paid Wi-Fi hotspots in certain regions, like Asia-Pacific or England and Ireland, or 2,000 minutes (over 33 hours) per month anywhere in the world.

With Wi-Fi, you should be able to manage nearly everything you could with voice and text messaging service:

iMessage and FaceTime work over Wi-Fi for your iOS and macOS interactions.

WhatsApp has hundreds of millions of users, and offers text, audio, and video; check with those you want to reach and install and signup for the free service before you travel.

Skype can make calls to other people with Skype, but also has cheap per-minute and unlimited calling plans to other countries. You can also pay for incoming phone numbers in different countries and send and receive texts.

Google Hangouts can fill in gaps for those who dont use any of the above.

Most of these services are designed to work at low data rates, but you may find Wi-Fi speeds in many places are too slow or erratic for video, but work fine for audio or text.

How to unlock your phone

A SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) identifies your phone to a cellular network, and confirms the billing relationship.

If your iPhone (or other phone) is more than a few years old, make sure it has a SIM slot. Phones sold in America for Verizon or Sprint networks at one time only included support for their format of network (CDMA), which doesnt use a SIM. Look up your phone model if you have any confusion.

Swapping the module is straightforward (you need a special tool or an unbent paperclip). Because the SIM card has shrunk (from regular to micro to nano), an older phone might need an adapter to hold a newer, smaller card. However, wherever you buy a SIM, they should have these adapters since theyll be used to people with phones of all vintages.

Many phones are locked to a carrier at purchase, and a new SIM cant be activated immediately. Its critical you check on this and unlock the phone before traveling as you may be unable to unlock it outside your home country.

If you have a phone with active carrier service, you can search for the carriers FAQ or unlock page, and see if your phone is unlocked, or give them a call to check. Verizon doesnt lock its iPhones and Sprint generally unlocks on request (with some provisos). T-Mobile has a pile of requirements: it doesnt separately unlock internationally, and requires you pay off your phone first. AT&T also requires payoff, but has fewer other restrictions.

If your phone isnt on a plan, you will need to figure out the previous carrier and use an online unlock request (via links above) or call directly. If you cant figure out, call the most likely carrier, and they should be able to tell you which network the phone was sold on even if its not theirs.

Some carriers will require extra documentation to unlock a phone that was formally on the network. And phones reported lost, stolen, or used for fraud cant be unlockedyou could accidentally buy a used phone that met one of those criteria. (Apple removed a tool to check whether an iPhone is unlocked, reportedly because of criminal abuse.)

We have more details on how to unlock your phone.
Smoke in a surgical field is a common problem, particularly during laparoscopic and robotic procedures, that arises from the use of electrosurgical instruments, lasers, and other devices. Typically, smoke is vented out through one of the instrument ports, too often with slow and imperfect results. Alesi Surgical, a company out of Cardiff, Wales, offers a technology that significantly improves on simple ventilation (see video at the bottom of this post). We spoke with Dominic Griffiths, PhD, Managing Director of Alesi Surgical, about how the companys Ultravision technology works, how it was developed, and what the benefits are for the surgical team.

Medgadget: Smoke during minimally invasive laparoscopic and robotically assisted surgery can really spoil a scene. Ventilation is an obvious solution, but Alesi Surgicals system uses an electromagnetic approach. Can you please describe how Ultravision technology works?



Dominic Griffiths: Ultravision works on the principle of electrostatic precipitation. Electrostatic precipitation accelerates the normal process of sedimentation and is a proven, widely used method of clearing airborne vapour and particulate matter in industrial applications.

Ultravision introduces a small, transient electrostatic charge into the gas (carbon dioxide) that is used in laparoscopic surgery to create a working space inside the abdominal cavity. This low energy charge (a plasma) causes rapid and continuous precipitation of the vapour that is produced by electrosurgical instruments. The charge is supplied by an Ionwand electrode which is introduced to the abdominal cavity, either using a dedicated catheter  requiring a small incision that does not require suturing and can be dressed using a surgical plaster  or the new Ultravision 5mm Trocar. Ultravision is a low energy device, using 500 -1,000 times less energy than electrosurgical instruments.

Medgadget: Is this kind of technology used in other industries to control particulate pollution?



Griffiths: Yes, it is widely used in other industries such as cement manufacture, coal production, paper manufacture and in pharmaceutical clean rooms, for example. It is a highly efficient process for removing particulate matter from the atmosphere and is therefore very useful for removing such vapour and particles from waste gases.

Medgadget: Why is simple ventilation not sufficient, and does Ultravision require moving air in and out of the surgical volume?

Griffiths: Venting the smoke into the operating theatre by opening one of the gas valves on a trocar has historically been used to improve the view. However, this has several drawbacks in terms of potential impact on the patient and staff in the operating room.

The process is a dilution-based process and is inefficient and slow in clearing the view. Imagine a small glass of orange juice  how much water would you have to add to that glass to make the orange colour disappear? A lot! This is the process of dilution and is the same for venting to improve the view. In terms of patient impact, it results in a dramatic increase in the amount of carbon dioxide that a patient is exposed to during a procedure and this has implications. For example, the carbon dioxide is 21C and zero humidity, which rapidly desiccates tissue and is linked to the incidence of the formation of post-surgical adhesions where the surgical site is repaired incorrectly by the body, which can lead to the requirement for a further procedure. It also reduces core body temperature because the patient is being chilled from the inside by the excessive gas. Reduced body temperature is linked to longer time in recovery, post-surgical pain and an increased risk of post-surgical infection. Patients exposed to excessive carbon dioxide may also have additional stresses on the cardiovascular system which can complicate anaesthesia.

Because venting is not very efficient, the procedure is inefficient i.e. slowed down, which lengthens procedure time and the patients time under anaesthetic. From an administrator perspective, this means that the hospital is not optimising the efficiency of its expensive resources.

In terms of staff impact there is increasing concern that long-term exposure to the smoke released into the operating room may have a health and safety impact on the staff. Some, but not all, hospitals use filters to try and remove the smoke as it is released from the abdomen, but this slows the rate of clearing the view even more and so surgeons have often tended to be reluctant to adopt these.

Ultravision is the only technology that we are aware of that rapidly and continuously clears the smoke from the visual field without requiring gas exchange and filtration. It is the only product that provides maximum view with minimum carbon dioxide exposure.

Medgadget: Can you tell us about the latest clearance of the accompanying trocar?

Griffiths: The Ultravision 5mm Trocar is a line extension that provides an alternative consumable to the original Ionwand pack. We received surgeon feedback that in some procedures it would be beneficial to co-locate the Ionwand electrode with the cutting or grasping instrument. Integrating the channel for the Ionwand electrode with the channel through which such instruments pass, i.e. a 5mm trocar, seemed the logical solution.

Medgadget: What does it take to introduce this technology into an existing OR?

Griffiths: The buying process involves obtaining buy-in from the surgical team and the administrative team. Practically it involves installing the Ultravision generator  a small, portable, low power generator  and using the Ultravision single-use consumable item i.e. the 5mm Trocar or the Ionwand pack. Importantly it does not require a change to existing surgical practice.

Medgadget: How does managing it compare with existing solutions?



Griffiths: It is certainly very efficient and as noted before is the only system that gives maximum view with minimum carbon dioxide use.

Medgadget: Can you give us a brief history of Alesi Surgical and how it came to develop this technology?



Griffiths: The company was established in 2010 as a spinout from Cardiff Universitys Welsh Institute for Minimum Access Therapy (WIMAT). WIMAT is a leading training centre in the UK for laparoscopic and other surgical specialties. One of the founders of WIMAT, Dr Neil Warren, conceived the idea for Ultravision. Neil was very aware of the challenges presented by surgical smoke and the eureka moment for this new concept came from a domestic product that uses a similar principle that he bought to try and improve the symptoms of his daughters pollen allergy! The company was founded by Fusion IP  since acquired by IP Group PLC  and secured investment from Fusion IP and Finance Wales. The company recently raised a further 5.2m in 2017 which involved securing funds both from existing investors and from new investors Panakes Partners (Italy) and Earlybird (Germany).

Check out this video that demonstrates how Ultravision removes smoke out of a surgical scene:

Product page: Ultravision
by Tanya Gazdik , August 28, 2017

Genders, age groups, and regions differ in terms of what they value in their vehicle purchase decision and how they go about executing it.

Thats according to research from Yonkers Honda that examined the habits of American car buyers.

Every region except for the Midwest (52.31%) favored new car purchases over used.

Boris Maksumov, marketing manager at Yonkers Honda, says he found the regional differences surprising.

"Those in the Midwest, for example, were less likely to consider technology and safety in their decision compared to the other regions, he says.

Men were 1.5 times more likely than women to negotiate $2,000+ off of their cars asking price, while women were 1.4 times more likely than men to negotiate nothing at all. Men also valued style and technology more than women did in their purchase decision, while women valued fuel economy, affordability, safety and comfort more than their male counterparts.

advertisement advertisement

Young people were 2.3 times more likely to not set any budget at all, compared to the entire population. As consumers age, they are more likely to buy a new car rather than a used car. Every age group was most likely to only visit one dealership before their purchase except for those 18 - 24, who tended to make two visits.

Buyers who landed under their budget were nearly 1.4 times more likely to negotiate $2,000+ off of their car price, as compared to those who ended up right at their budget or over it. Buyers who prioritized affordability were only slightly less likely to go over budget as those who didnt prioritize it.

Auto marketers need to remember the importance of an automobile meeting a multitude of consumer needs, Maksumov tells Marketing Daily.

Regardless of demographic, individuals take an assortment of factors into consideration when making a purchase decision, he says. It is important to address as many of them as you can.
by Tanya Gazdik , August 28, 2017

Even before the massive hurricane struck Texas, companies were opening their purse strings to assist those in the deadly storms path.

Six U-Haul companies across Texas preemptively offered 30 days of free self-storage and U-Box container usage to residents who stand to be impacted by Hurricane Harvey. The tropical storm was upgraded to a hurricane on Thursday, and prompted millions to prepare for disaster and created a need for secure and dry self-storage options where people can store their possessions as the storm approached, as well as in its aftermath.

The Home Depot has been working around the clock to support coastal communities impacted by the storm. On Saturday, The Home Depot activated its Disaster Response Command Center at its Store Support Center in Atlanta. There, the company's merchandising, operations and supply-chain teams are working to continuously move truckloads of product to stores on the Texas coast. The companys foundation donated $300,000 to the Red Cross to help with immediate relief efforts.

advertisement advertisement

Lowe's made a $500,000 contribution to American Red Cross Disaster Relief to help provide food, shelter and supplies to those impacted by Harvey and other crises. At Lowe's stores in Texas, customers can also make a donation to the Red Cross.

PepsiCo and the PepsiCo Foundation donated $1 million to the American Red Cross to provide vital resources to hurricane victims across Texas and other impacted communities. The company will also provide supplies, such as Aquafina purified drinking water, to impacted communities.

United Airlines will provide up to three million bonus miles to customers who contribute to designated relief organizations. It will match the first $100,000 raised to support those in need. MileagePlus members who give to the American Red Cross, AmeriCares, Airlink or Operation USA through United's fundraising page can receive up to 1,000 bonus miles by entering their MileagePlus number at the time of their donation.

Starbucks has activated its donation capabilities in its U.S. company-operated stores so that any customer can come in and provide a donation to the American Red Cross right at the register to help those impacted. Starbucks Foundation also donated an initial $250,000 to the American Red Cross and are working through ways we can further assist.

Western Unions foundation announced a $30,000 donation to the Red Cross on Sunday and will also match "qualifying" contributions from its agents. The money transfer provider will also provide free transfers when users send funds to Texas from the U.S.

MoneyGram announced zero-fee transactions for Red Cross donations following Hurricane Harvey. The fee waiver applies to all donations up to $249.99 per transaction through October 1. Funds will help support the Red Cross's efforts to provide shelter, supplies and technical assistance to those in need. In addition to the fee waiver for Red Cross donations, the MoneyGram Foundation is providing support through donations made to disaster relief and emergency response efforts initiated by AmeriCares and Save the Children USA.

Caterpillar Foundation donated $300,000 to American Red Cross Relief efforts. The company and its dealers are also making generators available for power needs.

Other companies that have announced donations thus far include Exxon Mobil, which is donating $500,000 to Red Cross organizations along the U.S. Gulf Coast to aid with relief efforts. Google is making a $250,000 Google.org grant to the Red Cross and matching employee donations up to $250,000. The Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of health insurance company Humana, gave a $250,000 immediate grant to the Red Cross. Walmart and the Walmart Foundation said they would give cash and product donations of at least $1 million to organizations like the Red Cross, the Salvation Army and Convoy of Hope.

Tourism Cares encourages both companies and individuals who are donating to keep the longer-term recovery in mind, as well as tourism itself. The nonprofit is dedicated to advancing the travel and tourism industrys social impact.
by Wayne Friedman , August 28, 2017

CBS Corp. will acquire Network Ten in Australia -- one of three major commercial broadcast networks in that country.

The deal includes the companys core linear channel Ten; digital terrestrial television Eleven (which CBS already owns a 33% stake in); the digital channel One, and Network Tens digital platform, TenPlay.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Wall Street Journal says the company was in bankruptcy and CBS beat out two other media executives -- Lachlan Murdoch and Bruce Gordon. Murdoch is co-chairman of News Corp, while Gordon controls Australian TV network WIN Television.

Leslie Moonves, chairman/CEO of CBS, stated: We have been able to acquire it at a valuation that gives us confidence we will grow this asset by applying our programming expertise in a market with which we are already familiar.

advertisement advertisement

CBS plans to use the deal to leverage the companys launch of its digital subscription video on-demand service, CBS All Access, in the country. CBS recently announced plans to make CBS All Access available in Canada next year.

Reports suggest that Australian TV broadcasters have been struggling with a weak advertising market and competition from online streaming services, as they have in the U.S.

In early Monday morning trading, CBS stock was up 0.7% to $64.34.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, August 28, 2017

Classifieds site Backpage is pressing a federal judge to shut down Missouri Attorney General Joshua Hawley's attempts to investigate whether the company facilitates sex trafficking through its online ads.

"The State has not identified any single ad on Backpage.com that was allegedly unlawful," Backpage writes in court papers filed late last week. "Instead, the AG demands documents relating to millions of ads and editorial decisions (and much more) in hopes of finding something upon which to base a claim against Backpage."

The site's papers mark the latest development in a battle over alleged sex-trafficking ads between Backpage and Hawley. Last month, Backpage asked U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia Cohen in St. Louis to issue an injunction blocking Hawley from enforcing a "civil investigative demand" that would require Backpage to turn over seven years' worth of records relating to operations and editorial practices.

advertisement advertisement

Hawley's office has said it is investigating whether Backpage violated a state consumer protection law that bans unfair and deceptive practices. But Backpage counters that the federal Communications Decency Act trumps state laws, including Missouri's consumer protection measure.

In January, Backpage said it would shutter its "adult" ads section, which observers said mainly contained prostitution ads. But since then, many of those ads since appear to have migrated to other sections of the site.

The company's fight in Missouri is the latest in a long string of clashes with state law enforcement officials over ads related to sex trafficking. Backpage -- which has successfully sued state officials in Washington, Tennessee and Illinois -- argues that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects web sites from prosecution for ads posted by users.

Hawley argued in a motion filed two weeks ago that Backpage's request for an injunction was premature, writing that "an agency need not demonstrate that it will prevail in a future enforcement action in order to enforce a subpoena."

The attorney general also argues that Backpage may not be entitled to immunity due to evidence that the company "has played a direct and active role in creation, soliciting, and promoting advertisements for illegal commercial sex on its website."

Backpage counters in its most recent papers that the only relevant question is whether the ads were created by users -- as opposed to factors such as whether the site promoted the ads.

"Section 230 immunity cannot be evaded by attacking a websites overall design and operation or by claiming it invited or solicited unlawful content," Backpage argues. "The issue is who authored, created, and posted the particular content that allegedly caused harm."

In addition, Backpage noted that Hawley recently joined with 49 other attorneys general in a letter urging lawmakers to revise the Communications Decency Act. The attorneys general wrote in that letter that some judge have broadly interpreted that law, resulting in Backpage's immunity from prosecution by state and city officials for crimes by users.
Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang will almost surely miss all of the 2017 MLB campaign after failing to secure a visa following a DUI conviction, his third, last offseason. But the Pirates are hopeful that they can get Kang on the field this winter. Earlier this week, GrandesenlosDeportes in the Dominican Republic tweeted that Kang would be joining Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League. Pirates GM Neal Huntington has confirmed the Bucs plans, as Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review notes. We know we have a club that will play him, provided we can get him into the (Dominican Republic), Huntington says. In our minds, this is the best level of competition we could get him in the offseason. The Pirates still have Kang under contract for 2018, with a club option for 2019. Hes currently on the restricted list, which means he hasnt collected any salary for the year. The Pirates recently acquired Sean Rodriguez from Atlanta as an insurance policy for next season, in case Kang is unable to return. Heres more from the NL Central.
Gambia has been adjudged the winner in the Jollof Rice Competition organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) as part of activities marking the Jollof Festival at the weekend.

The competition, which featured Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal, formed part of the See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana, and Feel Ghana campaign being championed by the GTA, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to promote local tourism on a global scale.

Gambia prepared the jollof rice without tomatoes but with mustard, fish and other ingredients, making their jollof yellowish-white as compared to Ghana, who used tilapia, tomatoes and other ingredients to make their jollof attractive and tasty, giving it a reddish colour.

The Nigerian and Senegalese chefs used ingredients they believed could make their jollof super and delicious but, unfortunately, they could not win.

Ms Felicia Aniagyei, the Acting Public Relations Manager of the GTA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the Jollof Competition, which falls under the Eat Ghana module, was to encourage Ghanaians to be proud of their local dishes and patronise them wherever they went.

She said the occasion was also used to showcase some locally made cuisines including Kenkey with fish and rice balls with groundnut soup.

This month has been dedicated to the Eat Ghana module while next month, September, would be for the Wear Ghana module, followed by the Feel Ghana in October.

Ms Aniagyei noted that engaging other African countries in the competition was to help showcase the varieties of jollof rice and deepen the relationship among the participating countries.

Some of the jollof prepared at the event included; Kontomire black eye bean Jollof, Smoked Tuna and Vegetable Jollof, Beef Jollof and Egg plant koobi Jollof.

Mr Lucky George, the Publisher of African Travel Times Magazine, said jollof rice originated from the SeneGambia in the 19th Century before they separated to become two different countries.

There was also Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) challenge in the jollof rice competition, out of which Mr Seth Ocran, the CEO of Yorks Car Rentals, emerged the winner over Abeiku Santana of Kaya Travel and Tours and Mr Akwasi Agyemang of the GTA.

The judges, who were drawn from Mexico and the Netherlands, said the judgment was based on criteria including presentation, aroma, and taste.

Mr Jan van der Veer, the lead Judge, told the GNA that the Gambians had a fine presentation and a better taste for their jollof as compared to that of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.

He lauded the Tourism Ministry and the GTA for the innovative event adding that it was a great avenue to sell Ghana to the world.

The event was characterised by live-band music from the Ghana Immigration Service Band and the iconic Ghanaian female highlife Artiste, Akosua Agyapong.


28.08.2017 LISTEN

Chantelle Asante, co-host of the award-winning Celebrity Fanzone on GH One TV has for the first time opened up about her upbringing as a child in the United Kingdom.

Addressing issues related to how children are raised in these parts of the world and the social protections available to them, Chantelle Asante recalled how her mother once spanked her after school which nearly resulted in her arrest.

She recounted, I was seven and I lost my school cardigan. It was around 3:30pm and I didnt want to leave after school and the teacher was like,arent you gonna go home?I lost my cardigan and my mother is going to beat me, she replied.

True to her word, the beautiful presenter explained that her mother spanked her on the school premises after she was informed about the missing cardigan which prompted her school teacher to inform the police about the incidence.

Chantelle Asante explained that the police visited her home the following morning after the complaint from the school to verify the claims made by her teacher. She added that her mother was cautioned and was forced to apologise for her conduct.

They came to the house to speak to me privatelyand they came back the week after to observe how my mother behaved, she disclosed.

Reports that one-and-half-year-old babyStephen Otcherein the Ashanti region got severely burnt after he was left close to a coal pot with boiling water has ignited the debate about social protection for children in Ghana.

Jessica Opare-Saforo, co-host of the show also raised concerns about how children are raised in Ghana calling on the State to do more to protect children.

Is our social services active in Ghana? We must find ways to solve problems in Ghana like that. Someone should be genuinely interested in all these kids and how they kids are raised. People are just being left to take care of kids the best way they know how but, is the kids interest first, probably not, Jessica argued.

It was reported last week that the one-and-half-year-old baby Stephen Otchere had been detained by authorities of the KomfoAnokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) over unpaid medical bills.

Celebrity Fanzone airs every Saturday, 9pm on GH One TV.
29.08.2017 LISTEN

Big Events Ghana Ltd, Organisers of The Radio and Television Personality Awards (RTP Awards) wishes to acknowledge and appreciate all Radio and Television Personalities who filed for nomination into RTP Awards 2017.

The over 6000 applications received this year is a record in the events history and an indication of the ever growing acceptance of the scheme by industry players and the general public.

As always, we will guarantee all stakeholders a credible and wonderfully organised event that will raise the bar in events organisation in the country and the entire continent.

The 7th RTP Awards is a test case for our quest to respond to calls from other countries on the African Continent to organise a similar one for their respective industry.

In view of this ambition: which will project Ghana in no small way, we call on Ghana's media to continue giving us the support that has brought the Awards this far.

As always, our doors are widely opened to the media and general public for interviews and enquiries respectively.

For interviews and enquiries, contact Rifkin Nii Dodoo (Head of Communication) and Isaac KyeiAndoh (Deputy) on +233 50 400 2011 and +233 24 426 0638 respective
Marc J. Sievers US ambassador to Oman said in an interview with the Atlantic: "friendship ties between the US and Oman are historic and profound. We are grateful for the centuries-long relationship and we hope many more years of cooperation and collaboration to come."

Referring to the need for solidarity among the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and resolving existing crises and disputes while pointing to the Yemeni crisis, he stated: "Despite the passage of more than 30 months, Riyadh has faced a deadlock in solving the Yemeni crisis and should prepare itself for a painful compromise at the Oman Summit."

In assessing the current situation of Yemen crisis, Mr. Ambassador expressed hope that Riyadh would enter this round of talks with a positive look to end the crisis and the human tragedy which threatens the lives of Yemeni children.
Juba (AFP) - An American journalist has been killed while covering clashes between government and rebel forces in restive South Sudan, local officials and the US mission in Juba said on Sunday.

Christopher Allen, a freelance reporter and photographer, was embedded with insurgent troops when fighting broke out in Kaya, near South Sudan's southern border with Uganda.

A spokesman for the US embassy told AFP that "an American citizen" had died in the clashes, which also killed 18 others.

"Yesterday we confirmed the name and we confirmed the fact that the person was killed. We are not providing any additional information about the situation," the spokesman added.

A spokesman for South Sudan's armed forces said Allen had not been accredited to cover the conflict by authorities in Juba and it was likely he entered the country through Uganda.

A statement from the rebel SPLA-IO forces condemned the fighting that killed Allen as a "monstrous and unnatural act (that) violates international humanitarian law which entitles journalists to all rights and protection during armed conflicts."

Allen had worked for several outlets including Al Jazeera and Vice News and previously covered the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

South Sudan's civil war erupted in December 2013 just two years after it obtained independence from Sudan, when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

Thousands of people have been killed by the violence, which plunged part of the country into famine earlier this year. Some four million have been displaced, according to UN figures.
Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said the Libyan coastguard should be supported in its efforts to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, but warned that rights abuses would not be tolerated.

A day before a Paris summit on the migrant crisis, Merkel said the Libyan coastguard had to become capable of patrolling its waters and should be given "the necessary equipment to do its job".

"At the same time, of course we also consider it of the utmost importance that the Libyan coastguard adheres to international law, both in its dealings with refugees and migrants as well as non-governmental groups," she told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"Should any doubts be raised about this, then we will investigate the allegations," she vowed.

The Libyan government sparked controversy this month when it barred foreign vessels from a stretch of water off its coast, claiming that charity boats active in the search and rescue zone were facilitating illegal migration.

The move was welcomed by Italy, the main port of arrival for migrants from north Africa, but several NGOs have since suspended their sea missions, accusing the Libyan coastguard of making threats and creating a hostile environment in the Mediterranean.

So far this year more than 100,000 people have made the perilous journey from Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration, and the European Union is eager for Libya to clamp down on the influx.

Over 2,300 have died attempting the crossing.

"We cannot allow the business of people smugglers who have the deaths of so many on their conscience," said Merkel.

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting talks on the crisis at the Elysee Palace on Monday, with Merkel and her Spanish and Italian counterparts in attendance.

Libya's unity government chief Fayez al-Sarraj and the leaders of Chad and Niger will also attend the gathering.

Merkel, who is campaigning for a fourth term in next month's general election, told Die Welt am Sonntag that she had no regrets about her bold move to open Germany's borders to refugees in 2015.

"I would make all the important decisions of 2015 again in the same way," she said.

The arrival of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, mainly from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, deeply divided Germany and hurt Merkel's approval ratings.

But as the influx has slowed in recent months, Merkel's popularity has rebounded and her conservatives are comfortably leading in the polls ahead of the September 24 vote.
28.08.2017 LISTEN

The assertion today by Gov Nyesom Wike that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has destroyed institutions in Nigeria is manifestly false.

The above is the stand of the River State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress APC, in a statement made available to journalists today in Port Harcourt.

According to Rivers APC Spokesman, Mr. Chris Finebone said, Nigerians know between APC and PDP the party that finished the nation's institutions and brought us to this sorry pass. Wike needs to reset his assessment faculty and be factual and honest for once.

It noted that there is no evidence that INEC and the police are collaborating to favour APC like the PDP, INEC, security agencies collaborated with Wike and Gesila Khan to handover the entire electoral process to Nyesom Wike and the PDP in 2015. Gov. Wike is merely being haunted by his past and his shadows. Let him sort himself out and leave APC alone.

Mr. Finebone stressed that, the verdicts handed down by the Appeal Courts recently over the last rerun elections in Rivers State cannot be politicised by Gov. Wike as a means of shoring up morale amongst his party members. He should spare the judiciary his needless scathing criticism. Rivers people and Nigerians are fed up with the governor's antics of praising the judiciary when judgements favour his interest and lampooning the judiciary when otherwise happens.

The APC has taken notice of his subtle threat of violence come 2019. We can only remind him that 2019 won't be 2015. Never. A word is enough for the wise they say the statement finally warned.
27.08.2017 LISTEN

Free SHS (herein called the Message) has been the main rhetoric of then candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (NADAA) and his New Patriotic Party (NPP). Thank God NADAA massively won the 2016 General Elections; that victory necessarily triggered the translation of the Message into a reality (= the Free SHS Policy, simply the Policy).

Now the question is Is the Message on course to be translated into the Policy? The answer is 70 % No and thus 30 % Yes. Lets begin with the No answer.

This write-up discusses the No answer and offers some suggestions for decreasing its percentage. The No answer is grounded on the SEVERAL REDEFINITIONS (provided below) given to the Message since reality downs on NADAA and his NPP. That is, on detecting the real cost of education in Ghana, the NADAA Govt has taken stringent measures that aim to minimize cost rather to educate our children en bloc.

REDIFINITION 1. Free SHS begins with only first years starting from September 2017

The Message during both the 2012 and the 2016 electioneering campaigns was clear to parents and the general public that a victory for NADAA meant that SHS (from Forms 1 to 3) would be free. Therefore, making only first year students from September 2017 to enjoy the cost-free SHS while parents still pay for their second and third students amounts to a redefinition of the Message.

REDEFINITION 2. Exclusion of PTA dues from the absorbed fees

This section is based on the information given by the Education Minister, Hon. Matthew Prempeh, in his most recent presentation titled Implementation of Free SHS. That presentation is herein called the Presentation.

Albeit failing to define the term free, NADAA and his NPP informed us that parents would no longer pay any fees from September 2017 onwards. In a sharp contrast, the fees to be absorbed as stated in the Free SHS Policy exclude PTA dues. Here is an extract from the Presentation:

Under the Free SHS ALL FEES APPROVED BY GES COUNCIL for 1st Year Students, OTHER THAN PTA DUES, will be absorbed by the Govt. See Page 28 of the Presentation.

Reread the portions that I re-produced in UPPERCASE. Clearly, students and their parents must still pay some fees from September 2017 onwards. These fees include those not approved by the GES Council and PTA dues. The GES Council largely approves fees that are paid by students across Ghana. Localized fees are approved by the individual schools or by other bodies recognized by GES; such fees are legal because they are often intended to be used for specific programmes such as motivation of staff.

What surprises me is the deliberate inability of politicians and GES to note that quality education is provided by the individual schools and not by the Govt. That is, the active involvement of parents and past students (= old boys) makes schools WELL ENDOWED or high performing. The term well-endowed school (herein abbreviated to WES) is incorrectly replaced with elite school in the Presentation given by the Education Minister.

Several examples of the active participation of PTAs and past students in the running and in the fortunes of their schools are worth mentioning. First, past students of the finalist schools of the just-ended National Science and Math Quiz went into wild jubilations and/or teasing of each other. Those actions tell you that the past students went behind closed doors to motivate and to resource the students into winning.

Second, just walk into any of the WES (eg, Prempeh College) and attempt to count the number of projects undertaken or being untaken by PTA and past students. And you will be amazed that much of the modernization of such schools comes from within the school and not from the Govt.

To undertake the numerous projects, past students and PTAs voluntarily levy their members huge sums of monies as dues and other contributions. Consequently, PTA dues often stand tallest among the list of fees to be paid. Therefore, the Govts decision to allow schools to continue to charge PTA dues meant that the Free SHS Message has been redefined.

Simply put, less-endowed schools or low- and poor-performing schools are those whose past students and PTAs are least active in their running. Therefore, a deployable strategy which the Govt can adopt to improve academic standards across all SHSs is to re-entrust the running of schools into the hands of PTAs, past students and heads. That is, GES and the Govt at large should stop claiming that they have been providing or they will provide quality education by simply absorbing some fees.

REDIFINTION 3. Eligibility for Free SHS

I based my discussion on this statement, taken from a section subheaded Free SHS Eligibility, from the Presentation given by the Education Minister. The statement is as follows:

A Ghanaian student is qualified to access free SHS if he/she writes [sic] 2017 BECE and is placed by computerized school selection and placement system (CSSPS) into a publicly funded second cycle institution. (See Page 26 & 27.)

First, we look at a trivial issue. The parenthesized expressionsicsignifies a notorious journalistic error that has crept into our classrooms. A presentation by the Education Minister is not a place for such an errora student TAKES or SITS (for) an exam such as BECE, and not write an exam.

From the triviality, we move on to important matters. And our first concern is why the Education Ministry omitted the range of eligibility aggregates or scores from the Presentation.

We are now being told (by whom?) that the Govt has fixed the eligibility aggregates between 6 and 24. This reduced range is different from what GES considers pass for enrolment into SHS. In other words, some students who obtain aggregates above this range and are duly qualified by GES standards are unqualified to enjoy the free SHS.

Long before the Free SHS Message or its Policy, students needed to pass BECE before they were placed into SHSs and other kinds of second cycle institutions. Therefore, the reduced eligibility aggregates imply that the Free SHS Policy has become a scholarship programme.

What do the public especially teachers and parents expect from the Education Ministry? Long ago, the Ministry should have unveiled the Policy for inputs from stakeholders notably teachers, heads of SHSs, parents and the students themselves.

The Ministry over-delayed and up till now much information which the public need to understand the nature of the Free SHS is yet to be released. In other words, the most recent presentation by Hon. Mathew presented more questions than answers. For example, if a large number of qualified students do not obtain the redefined aggregates to be placed by the CSSPS, where will they go? That is, Is the Free SHS likely to lead to more or decreased enrolment?

We answer this question with these statistics from WAEC. About 468,060 candidates took BECE 2017; this figure represents a 1.53-percent increase over the number for last year. Naturally, the 8-month-old NADAA Govt could not have erected any structure to accommodate increased enrolment for the 2017/18 Academic year. This situation questions one of the eligibility criterionplacement in pubic SHSs.

The question is Do parents willingly send their children to private SHSs? No because we produce far more qualified BECE candidates than the public SHSs can admit. The excess students either end up in private SHSs or have their education terminated. That is, enrolling in private SHSs is not often a choice but rather a necessity.

Thus, one of the obvious limitations of the Free SHS Policy is that it will likely lead to reduced enrolment. Instead of the Govt addressing such issues, the Ministry of Education busied itself appointing outsiders as ambassadors of the Free SHS.

That is, what role do ambassadors play to implement an educational policy, which the Ministry itself acknowledges is based on a national consensus? First, the Education Minister in June this year outdoored one Abraham Attah, who attends school in the US, as a Free SHS ambassador. Second; Rebecca Asamoah, Miss Africa 2016, was also unveiled as another ambassador by the Education Ministry and E ON 3 Group.

Although the appointment of such ambassadors is unnecessary, it would have been more prudent to appoint potential BECE candidates, teachers and heads into such a position. The BECE candidates should be brilliant pupils from rural areas and poor families. The message from these students would be that had it not been free SHS, I would probably not have enrolled into a SHS of my choice.

To conclude, I offer the Govt and its Education Ministry three pieces of advice. That the Free SHS Policy needs overhauling if it intends to make more BECE candidates proceed to SHSs. That quality education can only be provided when PTAs and past students are actively involved in the running of SHSs. And that it (the Govt) alone can never bear the cost of quality education for the ever-increasing number of BECE candidates.

Iddrisu Abdulai

Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences

University of Ghana
Banking sector faces threat from its regulator

On August 15, the Nepal Rastra Bank, the banking sector regulator, barred banks and financial institutions from factoring in deposit collected from other banking institutions to gauge their lending capacity.
Accra, Aug 27, GNA - Most Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, has urged newly ordained priests to be good role models of the Church.

He admonished them to live a Christ-like life for others to emulate, saying the people must see the sacrament of Christ in their speech, conduct and action and be directed by the love of the Lord.

Most Rev Palmer-Buckle gave the advice at the ordination of seven priests in the Catholic Archdiocese of Accra on Sunday.

They are Reverend Dodji Kossi Gadessodji from St Kizito Catholic Church, Nima, Rev. Emmanuel Darfour Appah, St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, Awoshie, Rev. Bright John Elorm Fumey, Blessed Clementina Catholic Church, Ashiaman, and Emmanuel Kwofie, Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Sakumono Estates.

The rest are Rev. Donatus Pallu and Rev Albert Amonzem Apewe from St Anne and Joachim Catholic Church, Teshie, and Rev Eric Senam Kofi Asagba of Star of the Sea Catholic Church, Dansoman.

They went through nine years of formation; studying Philosophy, Sociology and Religion for four years and Theology for five years as well as minor courses in Communication and Greek.

Most Rev. Palmer-Buckle urged the priests to serve the people diligently, attend to their needs and be trusted in the Church's mission of new evangelisation.

'The priest is to progress in spiritual development, teaching and in exhortation of the Gospel and be ready to sacrifice for others. Even though Christ was rich, he became poor for our sake,' he added.

The Metropolitan Archbishop charged them to meditate daily on the word of God and follow Christ in prayer, praise and sacrifice to the people.

'You are called to become bread that is broken and eaten by the people in the celebration of the mass. You are to become a Eucharistic person by His life of obedience and your life must become gospel of life for people to read, emulate and obey'.

He urged Ghanaians to continue to live in peace, unity and be patriotic and self-sacrificing in the discharge of their duties.

The Archbishop anointed them and offered prayer of consecration as part of the Ordination.

GNA

By Kodjo Adams, GNA
27.08.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Aug. 27, GNA - Gambia has been adjudged the winner in the Jollof Rice Competition organised by the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA) as part of activities marking the Jollof Festival at the weekend.

The competition, which featured Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Senegal, formed part of the "See Ghana, Eat Ghana, Wear Ghana, and Feel Ghana" campaign being championed by the GTA, under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts to promote local tourism on a global scale.

Gambia prepared the jollof rice without tomatoes but with mustard, fish and other ingredients, making their jollof yellowish-white as compared to Ghana, who used tilapia, tomatoes and other ingredients to make their jollof attractive and tasty, giving it a reddish colour.

The Nigerian and Senegalese chefs used ingredients they believed could make their jollof super and delicious but, unfortunately, they could not win.

Ms Felicia Aniagyei, the Acting Public Relations Manager of the GTA, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, said the Jollof Competition, which falls under the "Eat Ghana" module, was to encourage Ghanaians to be proud of their local dishes and patronise them wherever they went.

She said the occasion was also used to showcase some locally made cuisines including Kenkey with fish and rice balls with groundnut soup.

This month has been dedicated to the "Eat Ghana" module while next month, September, would be for the "Wear Ghana" module, followed by the "Feel Ghana" in October.

Ms Aniagyei noted that engaging other African countries in the competition was to help showcase the varieties of jollof rice and deepen the relationship among the participating countries.

Some of the jollof prepared at the event included; Kontomire black eye bean Jollof, Smoked Tuna and Vegetable Jollof, Beef Jollof and Egg plant koobi Jollof.

Mr Lucky George, the Publisher of African Travel Times Magazine, said jollof rice originated from the SeneGambia in the 19th Century before they separated to become two different countries.

There was also Chief Executive Officers' (CEOs) challenge in the jollof rice competition, out of which Mr Seth Ocran, the CEO of Yorks Car Rentals, emerged the winner over Abeiku Santana of Kaya Travel and Tours and Mr Akwasi Agyemang of the GTA.

The Judges, who were drawn from Mexico and the Netherlands, said the judgment was based on criteria including presentation, aroma, and taste.

Mr Jan van der Veer, the lead Judge, told the GNA that the Gambians had "a fine presentation and a better taste for their jollof as compared to that of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal."

He lauded the Tourism Ministry and the GTA for the innovative event adding that it was a great avenue to sell Ghana to the world.

The event was characterised by live-band music from the Ghana Immigration Service Band and the iconic Ghanaian female highlife Artiste, Akosua Agyapong.

GNA

By Julius K. Satsi/ Gideon Ahenkorah, GNA
The need to encourage bilateral trade which does not exclude investment in line with the ECOWAS and AU membership agreement is the reason Ghana can trades with the rest of the world and also the free movement of expatriates into the country.

As a result, any individual with a positive mindset can enter the country provided he/she has genuine documents to support such visit into the country. The visit of expatriates into the nation has being motivated by the following reasons including:

To trade For excursions Tourism purposes For the purpose of education Missionary purposes and many other reasons.

Before permits and visas are granted, the individual visiting another country must state categorically the purpose for the visit. The reasons stated above mostly applies. Because such visits benefits the country, we warmly welcome all expatriates who visits as tourist to see our tourist sites etc because it contributes entirely to our annual revenue.

In as much as most foreigners through tourism, Foreign Direct Investments(FDIs), peaceful holidays/vacations in Ghana etc have contributed immensely towards our national income and development through providing jobs, paying taxes and many others, most of these expatriates too have become a thorn in the flesh of most Ghanaians.On August 17th 2017, a Nigerian stabbed and killed a Ghanaian at Sowutuom. The Nigerian accused the deceased of stealing his mobile phone and this led to the untimely death of the Ghanaian citizen on his own soil killed by an expatriate.

The demise of the Ghanaian unfortunately led to a crash between a section of Ghanaians at Sowutuom and Nigerians which the former has vowed to attack all Nigerians. The police command had to deploy police reinforcement to curb the situation and to prevent any further attacks (Source: Ghanaweb). Also, in the current agenda to stop the practice of galamsey which was causing harm to our water bodies, we rather found an expatriate who was the main pioneer championing the activity of galamsey and who happened to be Asia Huang popularly called Aisha.

On top of this shame after her arrest blackmailed our top politicians and security officers with sex tapes and videos she had recorded (source: Myjoyonline.com). Lastly, on 26th of Febuary 2017, Evelyn was assaulted by one of her bosses at Marwako Fast food when her boss held her head and used it to rub through pepper that was being blended.

Jihad Thaabn, a brother-in-law to the owner of the restaurant had accused Evelyn of trying to destroy the blender and that resulted in such harsh treatment meted out to Evelyn. Rubbing her face in pepper didnt end there but Jihad further locked her in one of the rooms in the restaurant for six hours and threatened her not to inform the police or risk losing her job (Source:myjoyonline.com).

We are a hospitable people, a nation full of peace-loving and kind hearted people, it is an undeniable fact that this nation is blessed. The reason we keep having expatriates show interest in Ghana as a place for tourism, visits/vacations, business etc, however, such enthusiasm expressed by these expatriates shouldnt end there, the law that governs these expatriates from the day of acquiring Visas, their entry into the country, doing business/visits/schooling and even time of departure must be strictly scrutinized by law.

There are a number of expatriates including Nigerians who are in this country for the purpose of schooling. Most of them take advantage of our hospitality to misbehave from the little information gathered. With the stories weve heard so far, I think this is enough to prove these expatriates are taking undue advantage of the entire situation and I recommend their dos and donts needs to be properly defined to ensure the law protects both Ghanaians and any foreigner that visits our soil.

God lives.

The Writer Blogs At: Degraftxclsuive.blogspot.com
Paris (AFP) - Leaders from seven African and European countries meet in Paris on Monday for a mini-summit to discuss how to ease the EU's migrant crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited his counterparts from Niger and Chad as well as the head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj, whose countries lie on the main transit route for migrants heading to Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europe's top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, will join the talks.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of economic migrants and asylum seekers.

A total of 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year, according to UN figures, with the vast majority arriving in Italy before travelling on to other EU members. An estimated 2,400 have died en route.

France is seeking improved border controls and patrolling of the waters around Libya -- complicated by the country's competing governments and state of lawlessness -- as well as development aid to create jobs in Africa.

"The fight against illegal migration is being led on two fronts: development and security," said a source in the French presidency, asking not to be named.

In July, Macron also proposed -- without consulting his allies -- the creation of so-called "hotspots" in Africa where asylum seekers fleeing persecution or war could lodge a request to travel to the EU.

This would mean they would not need to make the perilous trip across the Mediterranean with the help of people traffickers, who frequently pack too many people onto flimsy boats and often mistreat the migrants.

Sharp fall in crossings

Migrant arrivals from Libya have plummeted in recent weeks

The meeting might also provide information on why arrivals have plummeted in recent weeks from Libya, the main route into Europe since a separate pathway from Turkey into Greece was shut down in 2016.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year, leaving experts scrambling for an answer.

Improved action by the Libyan coastguard, tougher border controls in transit countries inland, as well as Libyan militias joining efforts to stop boats leaving have all been touted as possible reasons.

The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, will tell his European counterparts that the number of migrants passing through the transit town of Agadez in his country has fallen by 80 percent thanks to government efforts, a source in his team told AFP.

Libya has also sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean which pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

Italy has also sought to impose a code of conduct on the NGOs, which face accusations from some critics that their operations have encouraged migrants to attempt the crossing, knowing that they will be picked up in an emergency.

The code has been signed by five out of seven NGOs with rescue ships -- only the French organisation Doctors Without Borders and Germany's Sea-Watch have refused out of principle.

The code is set to be approved by all the countries present on Monday, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

After the talks about immigration during the day, the European leaders are set to meet together in the evening to discuss reforming the EU and joint efforts to prevent terror attacks.

burs-cf-adp/kjl/iw
Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) - Two million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime.

This year sees the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and comes with the Gulf mired in political crisis and Islamic State group jihadists squeezed in Iraq and Syria.

"I'm so excited because many people dream of coming to this place," said 47-year-old Eni from Indonesia, her face framed in a sand-coloured veil trimmed with lace.

"We feel more religious when we leave this place," she said.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the hajj.

Eni's compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometres (50 miles) west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the hajj every day.

Worshippers pray outside the Grand Mosque in Mecca on August 27, 2017 ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage

But Eni is almost oblivious to the hubbub that surrounds her as she studies her Koran in the oppressive heat, pearls of sweat beading her face.

"After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him," she said of the Prophet Mohammed before returning her attention to Islam's holy book.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in a lifetime if he or she has the means to do so.

"This year we expect around two million pilgrims," Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of hajj and umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs, told AFP.

Politics and the hajj

Iranians are back after not attending in 2016 following a deadly Mecca stampede the previous year that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims.

It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic republic among the dead.

Pilgrims arrive at Jeddah airport on August 26, 2017 ahead of the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca

Following the disaster, Tehran railed against Saudi Arabia's organisation of the pilgrimage.

The two countries then severed diplomatic relations in January 2016 after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was ransacked by a crowd protesting against the execution in the kingdom of a Shiite religious dignitary.

Analysts say that neither Riyadh nor Tehran has any wish to prolong the dispute.

"To politicise an event like this does no good," according to Slimane Zeghidour, author of "La vie quotidienne A La Mecque: De Mahomet A nos jours" (Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today).

Accusations of the hajj being politicised have marred the region for some time.

For nearly three months, the Gulf has been embroiled in its worst ever political crisis, with Saudi Arabia and its allies facing off against Qatar, which they accuse of being too close to Iran and backing extremism.

A boycott imposed on the small but gas-rich emirate since June 5 has resulted in Qatar's land, sea and air links being badly affected.

This has also had a knock-on effect on hajj-related travel, although Riyadh announced it was relaxing certain restrictions for pilgrims.

'Every time it's different'

In the arrivals hall at Jeddah airport, determined pilgrims walk hastily to avoid losing contact with other members of their group.

"I'm so happy to be a part of it this year," said 43-year-old Nigerian Mohammed Said, in the seamless two-piece white garment or "ihram" worn by male pilgrims.

"I want to do it every year if I can afford it," added Said who is in Saudi Arabia for his third hajj.

"Every time it's different -- it's like I'm doing it for the first time."

Syrian pilgrims at Jeddah airport on August 26, 2017

For author Zeghidour, going on the hajj takes pilgrims to another level altogether.

"The pilgrim has to run, move, and perform several stages" of the ritual.

"It is so physically and mentally demanding that he doesn't have time to think about the crisis in the Gulf. For him this is literature.

"Many pilgrims come from Asia or Africa, far from the Middle East, and they come to a place where they can try to forget their lives back home."

Murderous jihadist attacks across the world in recent years will be on the minds of many pilgrims, especially those from Iraq and Syria where the IS has suffered a series of setbacks.

But the threat from extremists has not put off pilgrims such as Fatima, from Perpignan in southern France.

"I've been waiting to go on this journey for a long time," she said, wearing a red veil like the other people in her group.
The Organisation of Ghanaians Abroad (OGHA) has met with the Ghanaian Community of the United Kingdom and Ireland at a Grand Durbar held last 19/08/2017 by His Excellency Papa Owusu Ankoma Ghana's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and the Ireland.

In a speech delivered by Mr. Michael Osei Mensah President of OGHA and head of the delegation, he thanked the High Commissioner for the invitation. He also congratulated the High Commission and the Ghanaian Community for their support with the massive presence at the occasion and hoped that other Heads of Mission will emulate such important initiative.

Supported by Naa Tsotsoo Soyoo I, OGHA Spokesperson and the Secretary General of FEGHADE (Federation if Ghanaian Diaspora in Europe), Mr. Osei Mensah first introduced FEGHADE as the major outcome of the Diaspora Engagement Policy meeting organised by Ghana's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ICMPD and MiEUx of the European Union in Brussels in October 2014.

Under his leadership, FEGHADE has not only fruitfully interacted with Ghanaian authorities including the Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also has gone a step ahead to create the Organization of Ghanaians Abroad(OGHA) in order to permit other compatriots outside Europe to join it.

The Organisation of Ghanaians Abroad's principal objective is to be the mouthpiece, a development support mechanism for Ghana and a welfare booster for Ghanaians living abroad. It is open to all registered national associations of Ghanaians across the planet.

Mr. Osei Mensah said that OGHA isn't an authority nor an Organisation to lord over others but reiterated that, today, the world has become a global competitive village and Diasporans have become key strategic agents of development hence the need for commitment to the course that will drive the nation Ghana forward through a unique voice.

He said that almost every Ghanaian family has relatives in the diaspora today. From remittances to developmental inputs, Ghanaians abroad have become the nation's greatest offshore asset. Therefore, OGHA seeks assistance and support in order to harness diasporans full participation in Ghana's progress and development.

In discussions with the High Commissioner and the leadership of the Ghanaian Community of the Great Britain, it was envisaged that the seat of OGHA shall be relocated from France to the United Kingdom due to a much higher concentration of the Ghanaian diaspora.

A mega launch of the Organisation involving Ghanaians from the world over shall be held soon. Mr. Awuah Ababio, Head of Diaspora Affairs at the Flagstaff House (Office of the President) is expected to give a Keynote address at the launch. Several stakeholders of the Ghanaian Diaspora shall be convened.
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has backed the President's approach towards dealing with alleged corruption in his government.

I believe that what the president said is the right thing to say. When you see something wrong you should have the courage of your conviction to move against the wrong report to the investigative authorities and the chain to secure justice. The president's approach I believe is the right approach. After all he is a lawyer and you don't convict people before you even investigated and tried them, he said.

Speaking to Citi News Caleb Kudah, President Kufuor also said Ghanaians must be concerned about who the president selects for the Special Prosecutor office in the fight against corruption.

He said the most important thing for all of us to look forward to is that whoever is appointed as the special prosecutor would be the type of good person we are talking about.

Get the right person in the good place and get the right solutions, he remarked.

I won't spare corrupt NPP officials  Akufo-Addo

President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Saturday disclosed that he has given the security agencies a directive to investigate any official within his administration who will be accused of corruption.

This he said follows his promise of not condoning corruption in his government.

Let me reassure you of one thing. Any allegation about corruption against any official member of my government will be investigated by the law enforcement agencies. And those who made that allegation better be prepared to support it when they are making these allegations of corruption because nobody is going to get away with it, he added.



By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
28.08.2017 LISTEN

TO: Honourable Minister Ignatious BaffourAwuah

TO: Honourable Minister Otiko Djaba

TO: Kona Bar and Grill Owners, Osu

Dear Honourable Ministers and Kona Bar and Grill Owner,

Alliance for Women in the Media (AWMA): a Women in Media and Communications advocacy and

empowerment group made up of over 150 professionals from across the media industry in Ghana.

We, members of Alliance For Women In The Media Africa, are writing to you this open letter as a follow up to a violent assault against a woman in a workplace in Accra that took place on Friday 18th August.

That evening, a male employee of Kona Bar and Grill, Osu slapped a female customer twice. A complaint was made to a second employee, the Manager, of Konas Bar and Grill, who informed the complainant she should leave it and walk away.

The individual affected followed up, sought medical treatment, went to the police, and demanded a public apology; on receipt of which she chose to drop the case. The Alliance for Women in the Media Africa continues to support the victim and stand with her through what was a traumatic violent and criminal assault.

This Open Letter is a follow up from a Statement by this organization in connection with this violent incident.

We are shifting focus from the victims action and her individual redress to the institutional issues that exist and require urgent attention.

We seek to engage this Establishment and these two Ministries in specifically addressing this issue of violence against women in the workplace in Ghana.

Women continue to dominate as the majority victims of all forms of violence whilst men dominate as

the majority of perpetrators of violence, according to statistics from the DOVVSU. In 2016 alone there

were 3,546 female victims of assault alone to 653 male victims.

This letter is a call to action. The action required is policy addressing violence against women in the

workplace. We make this call as an advocacy organization that engages issues impacting women and

empowers them using the influence, reach and power of Media.

Our call to action is specific, focused and public. We call for Policy within workplaces - all restaurants,

bars, cafes and eateries - regarding violence against women.

We recall and remind you about the February 2017 incident at another restaurant, Mawarko. A female

employee had her neck grabbed and her face smeared with hot pepper by her male supervisor. While the

culprit has since been jailed, the institutional issues remain.

In the Mawarko incident the Hon. Minister of Employment and Labour Relations promised to conduct a

safety audit into the operations of all businesses in the capital. Has this safety audit begun? Has it been

completed? What stage is that audit? Where is the report on compliance? Has it been issued? When

should the Public expect it?

The Alliance for Women in the Media Africa calls for this policy to begin with Kona Bar and Grill, and

all restaurants as an example of the second in publicized egregious assaults against women in the

workplace so far this year.

We call for the following:-

 Written policy from the Establishment on violence against women in the workplace

 Policy must include sanctions, consequences & orientation where violence against women occurs

by male employees

 Implementation of policy

 Publicize this policy

 Public statement from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations regarding eateries,

restaurant and bars having such policy

We call for the following:-

 Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations publicly issues a call for restaurants, bars, eatery

workplaces to create implementable policy that specifies sanction and consequence of violence

against women in the workplace.

 Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection engages and actively contributes in this

process of policy condemning and actioning violence against women in the workplace

3 | Pa g e

This Open Letter calls for action from all Parties to construct such policy and ensure what occurred to a

woman customer in the workplace by a male employee does not continue in this country.

This is about building stronger workplace institutions that respect women. It is about follow up and

follow through. It is about requiring each of us to play our role.

We request the owner of Kona Bar and Grill, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations and the

Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection each respond to this Letter. We emphasize this Open

Letter is a call to action, a call for policy and a specific request to engage an institution  a sector - in

transformation,

Our President, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo, was named the African Union Gender Champion. The

Alliance for Women in the Media Africa calls on him to lead this government to turn an accolade into

working policy through his Ministries.

We look forward to your response offering concrete next steps.

Yours sincerely,

ALLIANCE for WOMEN in THE MEDIA AFRICA
Johannesburg (AFP) - A gunman opened fire in a packed theatre early Sunday in South Africa after his cellphone went missing in the audience, killing one person and injuring eight, police said Monday.

The man shot indiscriminately at the crowd in Hillbrow Theatre, in central Johannesburg, demanding his mobile phone.

"The suspect fired randomly at the crowd, and one person died and eight others were wounded," said police spokesman Lungelo Dlamini.

"It is understood that the man had his cellphone stolen. He fled the scene on foot after the incident," he said.

Police were still searching for the assailant.

The theatre caretaker who escaped the violence told The Citizen newspaper that he heard the gunshot and rushed inside to find patrons jostling to escape.

"It seems the man lost his stuff in the crowd and started complaining about his phone. He grabbed the mic and started saying whoever took his cellphone must give it back," said Phanankosi Dube.

Hillbrow is a notorious densely populated inner city suburb, known for violent crimes.

The concert at the theatre has been staged to raise funds to support an organisation that offers safe space for children.


Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged Ghanaians, notably the youth, not to listen to vile propaganda and lies being leveled against the current Akufo-Addo administration by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

President Akufo-Addo's government is not cassava to mature in six months, Mr. Kufuor told critics of the current NPP administration, stating that President Akufo-Addo's government is implementing policies to ensure proper development of the country.

He particularly entreated the populace not to fall for the NDC's weak and unfounded claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under the leadership of Akufo-Addo, has failed to deliver on its campaign promises.

According to him, eight months is too short for anybody to accuse the NPP administration of not delivering on its promises, predicting that the party, which has a four-year mandate, would surely fulfill its campaign promises within that period.

He disclosed this when addressing NPP delegates from the 275 constituencies of the country during a mammoth rally to climax the ruling political party's annual National Delegates' Conference at the Victoria Park in Cape Coast Central Region, on Saturday.

President Nana Akufo-Addo and his wife, Rebecca; Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia and his wife, Samira; Fredie Blay; John Boadu; Sammy Awuku as well as other party gurus, were all present.

Jabs NDC

Mr. Kufuor accused the NDC of always indulging in propaganda and lies to confuse the masses, admonishing the citizenry to treat the NDC's concocted political messages with the contempt they deserve.

According to him, while in opposition, the NDC promised to introduce a one-term payment of premium of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), but could not implement it after eight years in political office.

Don't listen to the blatant lies being peddled about the Akufo-Addo administration by the NDC. They (NDC) could not implement the one-term premium payment of the NHIS, yet they have the audacity to accuse the NPP, he fumed.

Nana Promises Real Development

Mr. Kufuor stated that the fulfillment of Nana Akufo-Addo's campaign promises would ensure the rapid development of the country, and urged the citizenry to exercise patience and support the government.

Once the NPP programmes have been rolled out, their benefits would be experienced by the people for more than two decades, Mr. Kufuor said, stressing that Ghana is now in the safe hands of Nana Akufo-Addo as the president.

Gov't For The Youth

Mr. Kufuor charged the youth in the country to rally behind the Nana Akufo-Addo administration, pointing out that the current government has better plans to massively transform the lives of the youth.

The youth of this country, this is your government, the former Ghanaian leader assured, indicating that the high unemployment situation and other challenges facing the country would soon be a thing of the past.

He said he was extremely happy to see thousands of youth on the streets of Cape Coast dressed in NPP colours during the party's conference, and pointed out that the NPP, which has the backing of the youth, has a strong future.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr & Charles Takyi Boadu, Cape Coast
Dr KC gives govt 10 days to annul MBBS affiliation

Dr Govinda KC on Sunday issued a 10-day ultimatum to the government to revoke its decision to grant affiliation to the Kathmandu National Medical College (KNMC).
The National Lottery Authority (NLA) has organized a day's training programme for lotto agents and writers in the country on the processes involved in acquiring licence.

The training took place on Thursday in Accra following stakeholders' forum held by the Authority on August 15, this year.

Several events are being organized to foster collaboration between the Authority and other stakeholders in the lotto industry.

Director-General, Kofi Osei Ameyaw, stated that the training programme was to equip the agents and writers on how to regularize their activities in conformity with the National Lottery Law (Act 722).

According to him, the exercise would help them to do genuine business to avert police harassment.

During the training programme, the agents and writers were educated on how to fill the forms and other processes in order to gain valid NLA licence.

Mr. Osei-Ameyaw stated that all agents and writers validly licensed would be issued with ID cards which would be renewed annually.

He said the writers and the agents should ensure that operators they work with are validly licensed to avert problems.

He declared that fees for the registration process had not been determined because the NLA board was yet to set them.

Concerns

Some writers and agents expressed concern about the declaration of their criminal records.

They stated that some agents and writers had been convicted in the past for doing that particular business without licence.

They wanted to know whether having a criminal record would bar them from obtaining a licence.

The Director-General said they had granted those people some amnesty until 31st December, 2017 to register and get licensed.

They raised issues with the illegal activities of non-Ghanaians in the West African sub-region in the lotto business.

Mr. Ameyaw stated that they were going through the ECOWAS protocols and other diplomatic and legal means to bring such people to book, but their focus was on Ghana.

The writers and the agents expressed joy at the event and called on the Authority to extend it to various parts of the country.

The National Lottery Authority has been engaging stakeholders over the past weeks on how to improve the lotto industry in the country.

This was the third in a series of events which began with the stakeholders, operators and agents and writers to help implement a good licensing regime to improve the activities of all stakeholders in the lotto industry.

By Melvin Tarlue & Akpene Darko-Cobbina
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has urged Ghanaians, notably the youth, not to listen to vile propaganda and lies being leveled against the current Akufo-Addo administration by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

President Akufo-Addo's government is not cassava to mature in six months, Mr. Kufuor told critics of the current NPP administration, stating that President Akufo-Addo's government is implementing policies to ensure proper development of the country.

He particularly entreated the populace not to fall for the NDC's weak and unfounded claims that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government under the leadership of Akufo-Addo, has failed to deliver its campaign promises.

According to him, eight months is too short for anybody to accuse the NPP administration of not delivering on its promises, predicting that the party, which has a four-year mandate, would surely fulfill its campaign promises within that period.

He disclosed this when addressing NPP delegates from the 275 constituencies of the country during a mammoth rally to climax the ruling political party's annual National Delegates' Conference at the Victoria Park in Cape Coast Central Region, on Saturday.

President Nana Akufo-Addo and his wife, Rebecca; Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia and his wife, Samira; Fredie Blay; John Boadu; Sammy Awuku as well as other party gurus, were all present.

Jabs NDC

Mr. Kufuor accused the NDC of always indulging in propaganda and lies to confuse the masses, admonishing the citizenry to treat the NDC's concocted political messages with the contempt they deserve.

According to him, while in opposition, the NDC promised to introduce a one-term payment of premium of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), but could not implement it after eight years in political office.

Don't listen to the blatant lies being peddled about the Akufo-Addo administration by the NDC. They (NDC) could not implement the one-term premium payment of the NHIS, yet they have the audacity to accuse the NPP, he fumed.

Nana Promises Real Development

Mr. Kufuor stated that the fulfillment of Nana Akufo-Addo's campaign promises would ensure the rapid development of the country, and urged the citizenry to exercise patience and support the government.

Once the NPP programmes have been rolled out, their benefits would be experienced by the people for more than two decades, Mr. Kufuor said, stressing that Ghana is now in the safe hands of Nana Akufo-Addo as the president.

Gov't For The Youth

Mr. Kufuor charged the youth in the country to rally behind the Nana Akufo-Addo administration, pointing out that the current government has better plans to massively transform the lives of the youth.

The youth of this country, this is your government, the former Ghanaian leader assured, indicating that the high unemployment situation and other challenges facing the country would soon be a thing of the past.

He said he was extremely happy to see thousands of youth on the streets of Cape Coast dressed in NPP colours during the party's conference, and pointed out that the NPP, which has the backing of the youth, has a strong future.


President Akufo-Addo on Thursday cut the tape to commission the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory at Kuntunse, near Accra, signaling the dawn of a new era, as he himself put it.

He believes the establishment of the observatory is the beginning in Ghana's quest to harness the potentials of space science and technology for accelerated socio-economic development of the country.

This new era, the president said, would not witness the deepening of knowledge and skills development in electronics and information and communications technology of Ghanaian scientists, but also enhance their capacity to contribute to the world body of knowledge in the ever expanding field of astronomy and space science.

He recalled how sometime in the year 2007, Ghana, under the leadership of then President John Agyekum Kufuor, took the bold decision to sign up to the African Square Kilometre Array (SKA) partnership agreement  an agreement spearheaded by South Africa, which involved seven other African countries.

This decision, President Akufo-Addo explained, was made at a time when Ghana did not have any programme in astronomy, and was an example of the bold and visionary leadership of the time, its purpose being to propel the country to the enviable league of countries pursuing space science.

With this, Ghana becomes the first partner country of the African Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network to complete the conversion of the 32-metre Intelsat Telecommunications Satellite Earth Station at Kuntunse into a functioning radio telescope.

It is therefore the hope of President Akufo-Addo that the integration of this radio telescope into the African Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network, in preparation for the second phase construction of the Square Kilometre Array across the African continent, will be successful.

Delight

Making reference to the recent, successful launch into orbit of GhanaSat-1  a satellite developed by three students from All Nations University College, a private university in Koforidua, in partnership with their Japanese counterparts at Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT)  President Akufo-Addo noted that it is an indication that Ghana abounds in talents and that the government is very pleased to see Ghanaian talents shining, with even greater promise for the future.

The president reiterated the commitment of his government to continue to develop the human capital needed for a sustainable implementation of the country's space programmes, particularly enhancing the nation's human resource capacity in astronomy research.

We have big plans for our national space development programme. These include the establishment of a National Space Data Centre for satellite data collection, management and application. This comprehensive programme will involve the establishment of a national satellite ground receiving station and the launch of satellites, he said.

Nana Addo stated, The radio telescope, being launched today, will expand further our frontiers in space science. I am informed that the radio telescope will provide information from distant bodies in the universe that will help us understand the birth and formation of stars, the death of stars and the general structure of the universe.

He was hopeful that the facility would help Ghanaians appreciate the reality and complexity of global warming and its harmful effects, such as rising sea levels, coastal erosion, erratic rainfall pattern, prolonged and intense dry seasons, desertification and reduction of vegetation cover on the lives of the people.

It is for this reason that we, as humans and caretakers of our earth, should not compound the pressures on our fragile planet through harmful activities, such as illegal mining and logging and the production of greenhouse gases, he added.

Whiles recognising the role of science and technology in the socio-economic development of the country, President Akufo-Addo revealed that he had charged the Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to step up efforts in developing a potent science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education model for Ghana, that will stimulate the interest of pupils and students in engineering sciences and technology

Commitment

President Akufo-Addo has since reiterated his pledge of giving significant funding for research and development (R&D) in science, technology and innovation from 0.25% of GDP to 1% of GDP in the short to medium term, and increased further to 2.5% of GDP in the long term.

It will form the National Science, Technology and Innovation Fund to support R&D in all research institutions and universities, both public and private. At the same time, government will make efforts to increase collaboration among research institutions, industry, especially the private sector, and political authorities at all levels. These measures, I hope, will make the transition from research to product development and industrial production much easier, he added.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent
A-27-year old Vault Assistant at the Kaneshie Fidelity Bank was Thursday sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour for attempting to rob the bank.

The convict, Osman Abdul Gafaru and one Caesar, currently on the run, at about 7:30pm on November 11 last year, broke into the bank.

According to the prosecutor, Chief Inspector K. Adu, the two conspired to rob the bank. However, Osman was charged with attempted robbery, unlawful entry and causing damage to the door of the bank worth GH1,000.

Although the convict denied the charges, the court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh found him guilty on all the charges except that of conspiracy.

The judge, however, acquitted and discharged him on the charge of conspiracy and jailed him for 15 years for attempted robbery.

The court also sentenced Osman to three months each for the charge of unlawful entry and causing unlawful damage.

Facts

The complainant Bless Ayikoe is a security man working with Checks and Alerts Security Services, resident at Laterbiokoshie in Accra.

On November 20, 2016, one Thomas Aboagie, a security man of the same security company and a witness in the case was on duty at the bank from 6am to 6pm.

According to the prosecution, he was waiting for his relief who had not reported after 6pm and therefore left the post to buy food.

In his absence Osman and Caesar came in at 7:30pm, went for the keys, opened the gate, entered the premises of the bank at Kaneshie and locked the main gate.

With the aid of a pinch bar and claw hammer, the two broke into the bank.

Whilst Osman was inside operating, Caesar was outside spying.

On the complainant's arrival, he knocked severally but his colleague did not respond, he then climbed into the yard but Caesar attacked him with a military knife and stabbed him in his right palm and forehead.

The complainant who started bleeding profusely screamed for help and a group of young men came to his aid.

Osman on hearing the scream attempted to escape but he was arrested by the mob together with a bag containing a pair of handcuffs, two masks, a twin claw hammer and a pinch bar.

Osman in his caution statement admitted the offence.

[email protected]

By Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson


Kwabena Akyereba, the Northern Regional correspondent for Peace Fm, who was knocked down by a vehicle in Tamale, the Northern Regional capital, has called for support.

According to him, he was suffering due his inability to purchase the prescribed drugs to help him recover.

He said that he had been neglected by key personalities, who ought to have responded quickly to lessen his plight.

I beg friends and sympathizers for help daily, and things are really difficult for me, the drugs I buy are very costly. I find it difficult getting money to buy food to eat. I dont know whether the MTTU police personnel took the damaged motorbike to their directorate or not. I can't find my phone and recorder.

Mr Akyereba, who spoke to colleague journalists after he was discharged from the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH), narrated that an unidentified vehicle on the Gumani-Boligatanga Road knocked him and dragged him into drain and hurriedly sped-off.

I was returning from a community where I went for a social story, apart from that I cant tell what really happened. What I know again is that a good Samaritan rushed me to the hospital, and made the necessary arrangements for my medical healthcare. He paid for my drugs and other health related issues.

Kwabena said aside the important support of the Good Samaritan, he has been left to his fate in the house since he was discharged from the hospital.

The journalist, who is a devout Christian, praised God for having mercy on him, and appealed to well-meaning and philanthropic Ghanaians for support.

From Eric Kombat, Tamale


Chief Imam in a group photo with staff of GPHA and his entourage after he was presented with a gift.

The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, has paid a courtesy call on management and staff of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).

The visit of Sheikh Sharubutu to the Authority was aimed at interacting and encouraging the Muslims at the port.

The Chief Imam and the other prominent personalities in the Muslim community were received by the Director of Tema Port, Edward Osei and management of the authority.

He advised Muslim staff to live in peace with people of other faiths.

He also implored them to work hard in order to ensure the attainment of the goals of the authority.

Edward Osei, who received the Chief Imam, pledged the commitment of the authority to the advancement of the Muslim community.

He said the authority would continue to create an enabling environment so as to generate the required revenue for the development of the country.

From Vincent Kubi, Tema




Awulae Agyefi Kwame of Nsein Traditional Area (Right) with Nana Kobina Nketsia

The Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area in the Western Region, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, has charged chiefs and other traditional leaders in the region to use their experience to promote the developmental agenda of their respective areas and the Western Region as a whole.

According to him, chiefs, particularly the elderly ones, ought to promote development in their traditional areas and serve as role models for young and upcoming chiefs.

He mentioned that no meaningful development could take place without the involvement of the chiefs.

Nana Kobina Nkestia stated this during the launch of the 50th anniversary celebration of the enstoolment of Awulae Agyefi Kwame II as the Omanhene of Nsein Traditional Area in the region.

The anniversary celebration is on the theme, 50 Years of Successful Traditional Leadership: It is not by my might.

Nana Nketsiah urged the citizens of Nsein in the Nzema East Municipality of the region to be happy because it was no mean achievement to have a chief on the stool for 50 years.

The Essikado Omanhene pointed out that it required a man with great heart, who is also God-fearing to rule for 50 years, as chieftaincy in most parts of the country was bedeviled with problems.

He appealed to the people in the area to continue to give their chief the requisite support to help accelerate the progress of the communities.

Awulae Agyefi Kwame expressed gratitude to the people for their cooperation, which has made him arguably the longest reigning chief in the region.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Nzema East, Frank Okpeyen, commended Awulae for his honesty and courage, and reiterated the assemblys support for the successful celebration of the anniversary.

The Royal Golden Jubilee celebration has been slated for September 23, 2017 to coincide with the annual Kundum festival of the chiefs and people of the area.

Awulae Agyemfi Kwame II, known in private life as Abraham Kojo Fase, has served two consecutive terms as the President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs and the Vice Chairman of the National House of Chiefs.

A teacher by profession and commercial farmer, Awulae also served as the chairman of the Nzema Manle Council and the Western Regional Centre for National Culture.

He has served on numerous boards, including the National Advisory Board of the Ministry of Local Government, the Museums and Monument Board and the Ghana Railway Company Limited.

Activities lined up for the celebration include Keep Fit exercise, quiz competition for Senior and Junior High School students in the area and grand durbar to raise funds for a number of development projects in the area.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Nsein


DEPUTY GENERAL Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has apparently not recovered from the shock that hit him and the party after their massive defeat in last year's general election. He revisited the party's famous 'comfortable lead' mantra in the 2016 polls over the weekend.

Sounding extremely confident, he stated categorically that The NDC is still in comfortable lead, attracting jeers from the charged audience.

The occasion was the 2017 annual Delegate's Conference of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), which was held in Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital.

The NDC delegation which was at the event by way of solidarity, included top party gurus such as outspoken Allotey Jacobs and Kwaku Boahen, deputy communications officer.

The NDC is still in comfortable lead, he stressed when delivering the party's goodwill message to the teeming NPP delegates on Saturday.

Before Mr. Anyidoho could complete his comfortable lead statement, the charged NPP delegates, in unison, started to jeer at him.

The NDC deputy chief scribe, who seemed unperturbed, then rephrased his statement, We are still in comfortable lead to win election 2020.

We shall surely win the next election and invite the NPP to witness our conference just as we are doing today.

The NPP delegates, who had continually booed Mr. Anyidoho, seemed more fired up when Koku reframed his statement.

Earlier, the NPP delegates had chanted, Away, Away, Away, which were directed at Mr. Anyidoho for singing an NDC song at the NPP programme.

Mr. Anyidoho, after mounting the podium, shocked the NPP members, as he started singing The victory of the NDC is coming again

Mr. Anyidoho's few minutes on the podium seemed to have electrified the place as he sometimes, jokingly provoked the ruling party's delegates.

When he eventually veered into serious business, he charged President Akufo-Addo to fulfill all his campaign promises, notably, the Free Senior High School (SHS).

He said the NDC was impatiently waiting to see the NPP roll out all its lengthy campaign promises, which enabled the party to win the polls in 2016.

Mr. Anyidoho also charged the president to work to maintain the peace of the state, saying, We left Ghana in peace and so want peace.

He concluded by acknowledging the huge gains made by Ghana in the democratic dispensation and entreated all Ghanaians to protect the country's democracy.

For the fact that the NPP invited the NDC to its conference and the NDC also accepted the invitation, clearly shows that we are making gains, Koku noted.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr & Charles Takyi Boadu Cape Coast




Paris (AFP) - Seven African and European leaders are meeting in Paris on Monday to discuss ways to stem the flow of migrants into Europe from northern Africa.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited his counterparts from Niger and Chad as well as the head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj, whose countries lie on the main transit route for migrants heading to Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europe's top diplomat Federica Mogherini will join the talks.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of economic migrants and asylum seekers.

Some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year, according to UN figures, with the vast majority arriving in Italy before travelling on to other EU members. An estimated 2,400 have died en route.

France is seeking improved border controls and patrolling of the waters around Libya -- a mission complicated by the country's competing governments and state of lawlessness -- as well as development aid to create jobs in Africa.

In July, Macron also proposed -- without consulting his allies -- the creation of so-called "hotspots" in Africa where asylum seekers fleeing persecution or war could lodge a request to travel to the EU.

Under such a system they may be less tempted to make the perilous trip across the Mediterranean with the help of people traffickers, who frequently overload flimsy boats and often mistreat the migrants.

Some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year

"Above all, we have to save lives, we have to avoid situations where migrants and refugees put their lives in danger to reach protection," said Ralf Gruenert, France's representative of the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

"This working meeting will try to explore... how to ensure that refugees and asylum seekers can access protection mechanisms," he told AFP.

Sharp fall in crossings

The meeting might also provide insight into why arrivals have plummeted in recent weeks from Libya, the main route into Europe since a separate pathway from Turkey into Greece was shut down in 2016.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year.

Possible reasons include improved action by the Libyan coastguard, tougher border controls in transit countries inland, as well as Libyan militias joining efforts to stop boats leaving.

The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, will tell his European counterparts that the number of migrants passing through the transit town of Agadez in his country has fallen by 80 percent thanks to government efforts, a source in his team told AFP.

Migrant arrivals from Libya have plummeted in recent weeks

Libya has also sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

Italy has also sought to impose a code of conduct on the NGOs, which face accusations from some critics that their operations have encouraged migrants to attempt the crossing with the knowledge that they will be picked up in an emergency.

The code has been signed by five of seven NGOs with rescue ships -- only the French organisation Doctors Without Borders and Germany's Sea-Watch have refused as a matter of principle, saying they wait to maintain their independence.

The code is set to be approved by all the countries attending Monday's meeting, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

After the talks about immigration during the day, the European leaders are set to discuss reforming the EU and joint efforts to prevent terror attacks.

burs-cf-gd/cb/txw
28.08.2017 LISTEN

Accra, Monday 28th August, 2017As the government of Ghana continue to make efforts to revamp the Agric sector and make it more attractive to investors, it appears there is a glimmer of hope with the sector ready to undergo massive revamp through a new innovation.

Bitland Global based in the USA is proud to introduce Nagrovest to Ghanaians.

Bitland is an organization that aims to provide services to allow individuals and organizations to survey land and record deeds onto the Bitland Blockchain. As the pilot project is working out of Kumasi Ghana, the team is looking to expand their reach further into the African continent.

The official launch of Nagrovest is scheduled to take place on Friday, 1st September, 2017 in the USA, precisely Indiana Bloomington.

This is the first Vanilla farm project to be introduced in Ghana. The company is in the process of securing 100-acres of land that will be transformed for vanilla cultivation.

Nagrovest aims to become the very first nursery, training center and trading hub for vanilla cultivation in Ghana.

The initiative would also be opened to potential investors who are interested in investing in one of the most promising agribusinesses in West Africa that hopes to leap into the stock/blockchain market.

With this investment, the farm is estimated to cover approximately 40 hectares of plantations.

After two years of plant growth and in the subsequent 2-10, the farm should reimburse the investor and subsequently earn profits in millions of dollars for a period between 8-10 years.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bitland Global, Mr. Narigamba Mwinsuubo, explained that the general framework for the realization of the project is 10-20 years.

After the initial investment has been paid back by the farm, the farm will realize its investment project as a self financing entity. As the organization grows and with your support, we can together make use of arable lands in developing countries and potentially unlock millions of dollars making Africa a healthier economy.

Bitland Global streamlines and automate the entire land registration process so it provides a better system of record. We combine automation with blockchain technology. Secured land titles are the first important step towards safe investments in real estate and businesses.

By being able to deliver these secured land titles and as proof of concept we can now proactively initiate and start-up various lucrative and profitable real estate and arable agricultural investment projects that smart investors (big or small) can choose from, he further revealed.

As the organization grows, they look to build infrastructure in developing countries to potentially unlock billions of dollars in untapped property rights.

Bitland has been building the team over the past years through Mr. Narigamba Mwinsuubo. While the current team is making connections locally in Ghana, the company looks to have their services available globally within a projected period of 5- years.

Bitland Global is an organization that saves lives and create community opportunities by providing land title security and valuation services.

With a combination of remote workers and key partnerships, Bitland is also looking to assist governments in solving land disputes in areas that are currently beyond their reach.
EC setting up offices in local units of Province 2

The Election Commission (EC) is establishing its offices in 136 local units of Province 2, where the third and final phase of local level elections are scheduled to be held on September 18.
The Minority in Parliament is demanding the immediate dismissal of Deputy Agriculture Minister, William Quaitoo from the government over disparaging comments he made against northerners.

We are demanding that he should, immediately, on his own volition resign as a minister and quit from Parliament, failing which the President must sack him to show his revulsion against such ethnocentric tribal bigotry, the Sagnarigu Member of Parliament, A. B. A Fuseini stated in a Citi News interview.

Mr. Quaitoo has since apologized after suggesting farmers in the northern part of the country could not be trusted on claims about the destruction wreaked by the Fall Armyworm on their farms.

He intimated that the complaints and calls for compensation were simply a ploy to fleece the government of some money.

Deputy Minister for Agriculture, William Quaitoo

But in his apology, the Deputy Minister said he meant to say some farmers can be difficult as it is with all regions and that the losses by farmers will be needed to be verified before the government could act on their complaints.

A livid Mr. Fuseini said he would not accept the apology as he feels the damage from the ministers repulsive comments has already been done to millions of people.

The people of the three northern regions have been grossly insulted he has painted us a bunch of unreasonable people who cannot even understand and appreciate normal discourse then he goes on on the basis of that to say that we are untrustworthy people for perpetrating fraudulent activities, making false claims and stealing monies from state coffers.

He said this was especially painful because the farmers only complaint is that their farms have been devastated by fall armyworms and that government, which has a duty to help them must look at their face.

But their pleas culminated in a collective insult of the entire region, Mr. Fuseini lamented.



By: Umaru Sanda Amadu/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Sorry, we can't find the content you're looking for at this URL.
28.08.2017 LISTEN

Prophet Louis A. Melchisedec, one of the leaders of Grace and Truth Temple, based at Nungua-Accra, , has made a passionate appeal to Ghanaians, especially, pastors and religious leaders, to pray earnestly for Ghanaian marriages.

Speaking ahead of the 7th edition of the annual marital summit dubbed BREAKING MARITAL SPELLS scheduled for August 28 to September 3, 2017, Prophet Melchisedec warned that, if attention is not given to marriages, the future generations would suffer the consequences.

God instituted marriage as unit to fulfil His purpose in mankind and the success of marriages is the basis for a nations success , he observed.

That is why we all need to pray for marriages to succeed in order to secure the future of the young ones. He stressed.

Prophet Melchisedec maintained that, The reason(s) why there are many divorces in recent times is because Children of God lack and have refused to deploy the keys which will help their marriages to become successful,  my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge Hosea 4:6, he stated.

He added that, one important key needed to solve the problem is prayer which every Christian can deploy to save the Christendom and the nation at large, not forgetting the world.

He disclosed that the programme is at the Grace and Truth Temple  Nungua, behind the Danpong Pharmacy and it is on the theme, WINNING MARITAL BATTLES.

He advised married couples against using their own wisdom in resolving marital issues since God, who instituted marriages, is the only One who can give solutions to its problems. Marriages without the presence of the Holy Spirit will not work because Jesus is the solution.( John 2:1-10), he revealed.

He enumerated some of the marital problems as barrenness, lack of trust, unforgiveness, financial problems, misunderstanding, individual affirmed characters and attitudes among others, hinting that, Some of these challenges in marriages can be solved by prayers while others are just by the application of wisdom or both in some cases.

He implored Ghanaians to join the church at the programme and in prayer for marriages in the country, especially on the Special All Night Service on Friday 1st September 2017.

Pastor Melchisedec also disclosed that PRAYER WORKS, which is also an annual programme, will come of in December 2017.

The speakers on the program include Bishop Joseph Annang(Ghana), Pastor Godfrey Homela(South Africa), Pastor Solomon Okyere-Keelson(Ghana) and the host, Prophet Louis A. Melchisedec (Ghana).

Prophet Louis acknowledged Asjob, Eventcomm, Efodaavi, ACC Radio, Obolon Fruit Juice, Crystallite Services, Incredible Logistics, Vellum Enterprise and E-ComTV as partners for Breaking Marital Spells 2017.
28.08.2017 LISTEN

Introduction

Africa is endowed with abundant largely unexploited natural resources and raw materials yet the continent is afflicted by poverty, diseases and violent conflicts in the midst of plenty. Unfortunately, these resources when exploited are often not done so for the benefit of the people of Africa.

The availability and abundance of these resources present Africa with great investment opportunities. The paucity of a credible continental legal and economic framework defining Africas investment needs has led to a scramble for Africas resources by the leading nations of the world, from West to the East. This scramble has in turn generated an economic coldwar that affects all sectors of Africas economic, political and social life.

Investing in Africa under the prevailing economic, judicial and political condition breeds significant challenges and invites critical questions that require answers.Significant among these is the question whether a credible independent judicial mechanism exists within Africa that regulates investment contracts in Africa that benefits Africa. Do African countries possess independent judiciaries capable of guaranteeing the security of investments in the continent through fair trial processes?Who negotiates the terms of the investments?

Are the terms of negotiated investments favorable to Africa?Do investment contracts in Africa contain transfer of technology clauses aimed at transforming African economies from markets of cheap raw materials to markets for processed finished products?Is Africa endowed with an enabling legal environment for negotiating, drafting, interpreting and adjudicating investment conflicts? What are the opportunities and challenges that investors face in Africa?How can these challenges be surmounted? The answers to these questions and more are the subject of this paper.

The Universal Foundations of the Independence of the Judiciary

Among the founding objectives of the United Nations enshrined in the preamble of the UN Charter was a reaffirmation of   faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity of nations large and small, and the establishment of conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and sources of international law can be maintained, to promote social and better standards of life in freedom; and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples. [1]

These universal conditions for the administration of justice significantly inspired and informed the founding of the United Nations in 1945.Justice for all was therefore, conceived and proclaimed a critical instrument for the promotion and protection of peace, and the economic and social advancement of all peoples.

In furtherance of this objective, the UN multilateral human rights treaty regime adopted provisions that guarantee the independence and impartiality of the Judiciary and recommended that they be enshrined in the laws of state parties to the respective conventions. [2] To safeguard, protect and promote the independence of the judiciary within the international and national justice systems, the United Nations adopted the Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary. [3]

The preamble of these basic principles emphasizes that the organization and administration of justice in every country, member state of the United Nations must be inspired by the principles. It states that efforts must be undertaken to translate these principles fully into reality. And that the rules concerning the exercise of judicial office should aim at enabling judges to act in accordance with the principles, because judges are charged with the ultimate decision over life, freedoms, rights, duties and property of citizens.

There is therefore no gainsaying that the United Nations Charter foundation of universal tenets of Justice as the underlying principles for the attainment of world peace, security, economic well-being and prosperity of nations big and small, is well settled in customary international law. It is on this basis that these principles are enshrined in the Constitutions of member states.

It cannot reasonably be disputed that at the founding of the United Nations in 1945, Africa was not a subject of international law. Africa and peoples of Africa descent were not contemplated by thefounding fathers of the United Nations when they made the justice, economic, human rights and security pledges as the salvific tenets of a new world order and civilization.The so-called big and small nations that came under the protections afforded in the UN Charter did not include Africa and peoples of African descent. They were then invariably considered as chattel, European possessions, colonies by any other name but nations or states. Emerging from the humiliation of its World War defeat and occupation by Germany, France for example, led a genocidal campaign in its French Africa possessions orchestrating the extermination of millions of pro-independence nationalists and armless civilians in French Cameroun and Algeria. [4]

Without the protections afforded by the United Nations Charter Africa was deprived on the economic sovereignty over its vast natural resources.Africa could not exercise judicial independence over commerce, industry and investments in the continent. There was therefore no investment charter for the benefits of African European colonies or possessions. Investments benefitted the colonial masters and their national economies. Africans were valued as slave labour and nothing more.

Decrying this situation in 1949 Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe( Zik of Africa) in an Address delivered at the Plenary Session of the British Peace Congress powerfully submitted There is gold in Nigeria. Coal, lignite, tin, columbite, tantalite, lead, diamonite, thorium, (uranium-133), and tungsten in Nigeria, rubber, cocoa, groundnuts, benniseeds, coton, palm oil, and palm kernels. Timber of different kinds is found in many areas of this Africa fairyland. Yet despite these natural resources which indicate potential wealth, the great majority of Nigerians live in want. [5] DrAzikiwe speaking for all Africans stated emphatically, therefore, we are compelled to denounce imperialism as a crime against humanity, because it destroys human dignity and is a constant cause of wars.

Invoking the human carnage and devastation of the just ended World War 2 in which Africans were drafted to combat not as free people fighting for the interests of Africa and African Peoples, but as mere tools or instruments of warfare deployed to protect the economic and security interests of their colonial masters,DrAzikiwe made the following proclamation amongst others: We shall no longer be dragooned to act as cannon fodder in the military juggernaut of hypocrites who dangle before our people misleading slogans in order to involve humanity in carnage and destruction.

The conscience awakening alarm raised by Zik of Africain the threshold of the founding of the United Nations with lofty principles underpinning justice and economic empowerment as the salvation credo for a peaceful, prosperous world which ignored the situation of Africa and black peoples the world over, endures to this day. It endures becausethe cosmetic independence that was granted to many African states did not alter the European economic and political vassal possessions status that was imposed on them by European colonial treaties.

Due to the enduring effects of these injustices against Africa,it is safeto submit that the supposed tenets of universal justice, that includes the independence of the judiciary are elusive in Africa making the security of investments in the continent attainable but elusive.

Identifying the Investment and Justice Needs for Africa

The submission that the attainment of the goals of fair, credible and independent justice for Africa faces serious though surmountable obstacles may better be articulated through the following address credited to His Excellency President JakayaKwikete to the United Nations in New York in 2008.

Addressing the United Nations as Chairman of the African Union, President Kikwete reminded the world body that Africa rejected war, HIV Aids and Poverty as templates on which to anchor a just world security and economic order.He warned that highlighting the adoption of the UN political declaration on African development needs must not obfuscate the fact that poverty and the need to establish economic growth to overcome it was the continents greatest challenge.He pointed out that some so-called Millennium Development Goals were inadequate in addressing the serious shortfall in resources to meet African development needs. President Kikwete stated that In trade, Africas prospects remained bleak as the Doha Round was stalled.New negative trends included climate change and soaring fuel and food prices. [6]

In the face of this bleak picture of the African condition, there is an urgent need for investments in Africa must aim at attenuating poverty, Africa energy self-sufficiency and production industries for the processing and transformation of raw materials into finished products.There is an urgent need for the establishment ofefficient healthcare, food security, science and technology and communication industries in Africa by Africans. Foreign investors are invited to invest in Africa but the investments must aim at and relevant to the attainment of Africa economic and investment goals. Investments in Africa that not include aim at the transfer of technology for the transformation of Africas raw materials and natural resources to finished products for the universal market are deemed not to benefit Africa.

To satisfy Africas investment needs, stable, credible, efficient and effective legal frameworks capable of attracting foreign and national investments must be established. Do the existing legal institutions in Africa provide adequate security for foreign and national investments that aim at promoting growth and the economic prosperity of the continent and its people?I hesitate at this point in time to answer this question in the positive. This is not for the lack of capital building capacity by African investors, economic operators, capable independent judiciaries or competent professional lawyerswho can manage the continents investment portfolio. The critical obstacle to attaining these goals is the ghost of Africas colonial past whichis still lingering within the continent and manipulating the soul of the continent at all levels of constitutional governance;making profitable investments that benefit Africa and its people difficult.

The Constitutional Guarantee of the Independence of the Judiciary

When most of Africa gained independence in the early 1960s, the newly independent countries became member states of the United Nations. By their membership of the UN, they pledged allegiance to the United Nations Charter and thereafter ratified or adhered to many conventions in the UN Economic and Human Rights regime.

The constitutions of almost all independent African countries have provisions on separation of powers with the judiciary being an independent arm of government. The constitutions of these African countries guarantee the independence of the judiciary.Despite of the provision of article 26 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights guaranteeingthrough constitutional protectionsthe independence of the judiciary, the effectiveindependence of the judiciary as a constitutional arm of government remains illusory inmany African countries. The enabling legislation regulating the administration of justice in manyAfrican countries contradicts the intendment of the constitutional guarantees of independence of the judiciary; compromising its independence. [7]

A decision of African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in a case brought by the Southern Cameroons against the Republic of Cameroon, better explains this point succinctly. In that case the African Commission decided that Cameroon lacked independence of the judiciary despite the existence of a constitutional provision guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary and separation or powers [8] .In that decision, the African Commission found that the lack of independence of the Cameroon judiciary violated article 26 of the Africa Charter.

The decision was predicated on an admission by Cameroon that it did not have an independent judicial service commission and that the President of the Republic was the Chairman of the Higher Judicial Council while the Minister of Justice the Vice President of the Council. The said council has a mandate for the administration and guaranteeing the independence of the judiciary. The African Commission found that by subjugating the judiciary to the executive arm of government, Cameroon was in violation of its treaty obligations by violating article 26 of the African Charter. The Commission asked Cameroon to provide an effective remedy by making its judiciary genuinely independent, a decision Cameroon has failed to implement.

A melting pot of competing conflicting investment interests

An anxious look at foreign and national investment policies in Africa against available investments opportunities and the investment needs of the continent, there is justification in characterizing Africa as a melting pot of competing conflicting investment interests. Foreign investment in Africa has a checkered history and a tortious purpose. Like a chameleon, it assumes different colours while remaining in substance, the same.

Prior to independence, foreign trade policies of African European colonies were imposed rather than negotiated. African economies were rudimentary and mainly aimed at producing and supplying raw materials for the European industrial and commercial markets.The huge mineral deposits and agricultural potential which DrAzikiwe talked about in his 1949 address referred to earlier in this paper, although belonging to Nigeria and Nigerians, as a matter of colonial and imperial policy,in reality belonged to Her Majesty the Queen of Englands Government.

The colonial institutions at independence contained imposed military, monetary, economic, educational, social and cultural cooperation treaties that subjugated the economic sovereigntyof the colonies to the erstwhile colonial powers. In former French Africa colonies, France imposedpre and post-independence cooperation agreements imposed that subjugated their economic, monetary and defense sovereignty to the control of France [9] .

The subsistence of these treaties and colonial policies in Independent African countries renders an effective exercise of sovereignty over constitutional institutions among them independent judiciaries illusory.This state of affairs led Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to conclude that any form of economic union negotiated singly between the fully industrialized states of Europe and the newly emergent countries of Africa is bound to retard the industrialization, and therefore the prosperity and general economic and cultural development, of these countries. For it will mean that those African states which may be inveighed into joining this union will continue to serve as protected markets for the manufactured goods of their industrialized partners, and sources of cheap raw materials. [10] The existence of these colonial and neo-colonial economic treaties have retained Africa in what Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe characterized as a perennial source of war [11] .

In seeking to safeguard and enforce these subsisting colonial and neo-colonial imposed preferential economic and investment treaties, the erstwhile colonial powers and the economic blocs in which they belong have resorted to using coercive methods to impose unfavourable terms of trade and investment terms that auction away African mineral resources and raw materials at prices and conditions intended to recolonize supposed independent states. These includes, economic sabotage, political instability, coups, military intervention and the manipulation of international institutions to discredit, subvert and isolate governments and peoples who dare turn their backs on colonial and neo-colonial puppetry.

In attempts to render the resource endowed countries of Africa ungovernable, alternative sources of power control are funded among the civil society, national and international Non-Governmental Organizations, the Military and the political class. With the use of weapons and funds supplied to these organizations, violent political activism triumphs over laudable civil society activism whose primary purpose ought to have been protecting and promoting the social, economic, political and civic rights of the citizenry.

The sources of instability arising from political and socio-economic factorsare easily traced to the desire to control the natural resources and raw materials of African countries. The militarization of the political and economic life of the continent aimed at destabilizing many resource endowed African countries can be traced to this factor. Examples abound, but suffice to cite the failed recent violent regime change attempts in Burundi, Central Africa Republic, South Sudan,Angola and Libya.

According to AdekeyeAdebajo and Kaye Whiteman, the EU willingness to find ways of being militarily involved in Africa has been encouraged by France (seeking ways to justify its own continued military presence in Africa). [12] The problem with the ambitious mission of the EU to support peace and security initiatives as outlined in the EU Common Position on the Prevention, Management and Resolution of Violent Conflicts in Africa is that in conceptual terms, the EU initiative seems good. But it conflates and conceals the colonial and neo-colonial treaties entered into by individual erstwhile colonial powers like France and Belgium in significant regards.

These colonial treaties and policies fuel and sustain the instability that the EU aims to prevent or redress.The erstwhile colonial powershabouring economic and political ambitions to control and micromanage the economic and political life of their former African colonies targeted by the EU initiative are not faithful participants in the EU initiative.There is overwhelming evidence establishing that they are thesources of instability in Africa. These former colonial powers have consistently used their EU members to attempt to railroad the EU initiative to attain their neo-colonial agenda.

The mitigated result of the EU initiative in Central Africa Republic even with the presence in the territory of French troops who have maintained a military base there since independence is an alarming example of this policy of duplicity on the part of France. Mineral resources Burundi has consistently accused Belgium which recently accepted responsibility and apologized for the assassination of Patrice Lumumba plunging the Democratic Republic of Congo into a blood bath that endures till date, for supporting a rebellion within its national territory aimed at effecting a regime change and controlling its natural resources.

The failed belligerent EU policy towards Burundi demonstrated by an overwhelming objection of an EU resolution submitted to the 33rd Session of the Joint EU-ACP Parliamentary Conference on 19 June 2017 arises from this policy. For the EU initiative to attain its objective, the EU must call on its member states to rescind with immediate all colonial and neo-colonial treaties or so-called cooperation agreements that undermine the sovereignty of African states and constitute a perennial source of war, violence, instability, impunity and criminality. These perennial sources of war have subverted the rule of law and sound constitutional governance.

Africa does not manufacture weapons but the investment in arms through legal and illegal channels fuels internecine armed conflict on the continent. For this to occur, the mineral resources and raw material of African countries are carted away to support materialistic and capitalist cartels in foreign in other continents.These colonial and neo-colonial treaties are not subject to legal challenges before the judiciary of the African countries concerned depriving the citizens of those countries the opportunity to test their validity and legality before independent judges.This keeps significant areas of the African investment and commercial sectors out of independent judicial scrutiny. The Neocolonial economic cartels have also concluded treaties keeping the judicial scrutiny before national courts, keypublic and private investment sectors in the defense industry, the oil industry, the energy industry and some strategic mineral contracts. With this, corruption is institutionalized at the expense of the peoples sovereignty over their resources, their economic well-being and prosperity.

Owning African investment dilemma and its Judicial quagmire

For Africa to attract valuable national and international investments that meets African prosperity needs, they must aim at attaining economic sovereignty over its natural resources.Africa must put in place valuable judicial institutions that are competent, independent and reliable.

Investment contracts are quite often negotiated by non-professional bureaucrats and politicians without the assistance of lawyers and professionals in the varying sectors of the economy in which the investment is taking place.This often results in unfavorable terms in the investment contracts with adjudication clauses that defer the interpretation of the contracts and conflict resolutions to foreign arbitration and adjudication bodies outside the continent.African lawyers and the judiciary are often not even contemplated as key actors in the negotiation of investment contracts and the adjudication of investment disputes in case of conflict.This leaves investments in Key sectors of African economies in the hands of expatriates and foreign agents whose agenda is to stultify the much desired growth of Africa economies.

It has hardly been contemplated nor desired that a transfer of technology clause if inserted into foreign investment contracts could lead to the rapid transformation of Africa from a continent of perpetual slave labour to a continent that processes and transforms its raw materials for the national and universal markets.Africa must own its problems and accept to conceive and apply some dose of painful remedy to this complex life threatening ailment.

Since President Kikwete raised the alarm that placed the required focus on poverty and the need to establish economic growth to overcome the continents challenges citing Africas prospects as remaining bleak with the Doha Round stalling, and new negative trends that included climate change and soaring fuel and food prices, Africa has made frantic judicial and continental level efforts towards addressing these problems.The AU has made some adjustments in its focus towards seeking solutions to the continents security, economic, health, technological research, energy, mineral exploitation, communication, inter-African and Pan African justice needs.The efforts deployed so far though commendable are still insufficient or not commensurate to the magnitude of the problems.

The AU significantly made giant steps towards establishing an African Criminal Court to try crimes committed in Africa, relieving the continent of the humiliating focus of the international criminal court which gives the perception that Africans may be inherently criminal.The Malabo Protocol granting the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights have more than any international court in history criminalized crimes which from Nuremburg and Tokyo World War Tribunals no other international court has criminalized.

The Protocol targets a wide variety of crimes perpetrated on the continent including economic crimes. [13] The criminalization of the crimes of illicit exploitation of resources, trafficking in hazardous wastes, terrorism, money laundering, unconstitutional change of government, piracy and the crime of aggression have at long last awaken the enduring effects of the hitherto unpunished historic crimes of slavery, imperialism, colonialism and neo-colonialism from which colonial cooperation agreements and treaties drew legitimacy for eternal banishment from the continent of Africa.In other words, criminalizing these crimes at long last will target and slay the beast of colonial crimes and its offspring allowing room for Africa to develop and prosper in peace.

The African Union needs to conceive and proclaim an African Investment and economic Charter for the continent. The AU needs to summon as a matter of urgency, an Africa business forum in which governments and business operators in Africa will set in motion a mechanism and frame work for investment in Africa.The African Union lacks a clearing house for informing African investors and entrepreneurs the business potential of each African country.The Proposed investment and business Charter should aim at the AU working on harmonization business and investment law in Africa to enable African and foreign investors to invest in the continent. Presently, colonial and neo-colonial treaties favour foreign investors, particularly those from former colonial powers.

There is no reason why investment contracts in specific areas or sectors of the African economies shouldnot prioritize national and African investors making foreign investors come in as partners only.Africa has to start training its own road investor contractors. African banks have to start providing loans to support African investments in key areas of the African economy.

African lawyers must mobilize to intervene and settle African conflicts of a political and economic nature. There is no reason why the AU cannot establish a Pan African institution for the settlement of investments disputes on the continent. There is no reason why the AU with the support of the African Bar Association cannot establish a Pan African Board of Arbitration to which different arbitration bodies in the continent will be affiliated. Such an arbitration board will keep a roaster of arbitrators from which arbitrators will be to meet the arbitration needs of investors in Africa.

There is no reason why the AU cannot make article 26 of the African Charter more functional by establishing a more robust mechanism within the AU aimed at encouraging and protecting the independence of the judiciary in member states. In this regard, for a member of the judiciary of a state party to be eligible for appointment to a high judicial organ within the AU institutional framework or within an international judicial or quasi-judicial institution requiring AU support, the constitutional and institutional arrangement in the state party must guarantee independence of the judiciary. A failure to set standards in this regard, led to two Judges from the Cameroon Judiciary which the African Commission on Human found in the NgwangGumne v Cameroon (The Southern Cameroons Case) not to be independent to be elected to the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights and to the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights making a total mockery of its decision indicting the Cameroon judiciary for not being independent.

Conclusion

The Assembly of African leaders, lawyers, businessmen, professionals from all walks of life, the press and millions alive and unborn will look at this occasion with pride. With pride because African lawyers under the banner of the African Bar Association have risen to the occasion and the challenge to summon all of us here to make an informed pledge to lay down an enduring framework of investment, economic sovereigntyand prosperity for Africa.

There is general agreement that investing in Africa will provide a much desired panacea for the dire economic situation facing our continent. The security of these investments needs be guaranteed by competent professional lawyers and an independent judiciary. Africa has significant investment opportunities, competent professional lawyers and independent judges. However, the ability of these key actors to manage Africas investment portfolio in ways that benefit Africa and the investors is hampered by powerful extraneous actors and factors.

There is a compelling need for all judicial actors in Africa and the judiciary to organize, assert and prove their expertise, proficiency and relevance in playing the role of key actors in managing the investment portfolio of Africa with unblemished expertise and uncontested independence.This conference on investment in Africa is critical and timely. The next conference on the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law complement must be organized to complement the results of this conference.

I respectfully submit that the proceedings of this conference and all the very rich conference papers presented here be delivered to the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa, all African leaders and universities in Africa to help refocus the desired attention on investments in Africa.

[1] Preamble, Charter of the United Nations, 24 October 1945.

[2] Articles 8 and 10, UN General Assembly, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 1948. Article 14, UN General Assembly, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 16 December 1966, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 999, p. 171.

[3] Basic Principles on the Independence of the Judiciary Adopted by the Seventh United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders held at Milan from 26 August to 6 September 1985 and endorsed by General Assembly resolutions 40/32 of 29 November 1985 and 40/146 of 13 December 1985.

[4] The French campaign in French Cameroun commenced in 1948, the same year the UN Declaration on Human Rights was proclaimed against the Union des Population du Cameroun UPC founded by Um NyobeMpodol and continued this campaign directly or by proxy until 1971 when the last nationalist leader of the UPC Ernest Ouandie was assassinated.

[5] From an address delivered at the Second Annual Conference of the Congress of Peoples Against Imperialism on Colonies and War Poplar, London, on October 9, 1949 quoted in Wilfred Cartey and Martin Kilson: The Africa Reader: Independent Africa Rabdom House New York 1970 pp 74 and 75.

[6] President JakayaKikwete, AU Chairman Address to the United Nations in New York 23 September 2008.

[7] Article 26 of the African Charter states that State Parties to the present Charter shall have the duty to guarantee the independence of the Courts and shall allow the establishment and improvement of appropriate national institutions entrusted with the promotion and protection of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the present Charter.

[8] Communication No. 266/2003, 27 May 2009, African Commission for Human Rights, NgwangGumne v Cameroon para. 132.

[9] Cooperation Agreement signed between AhmadouAhidjo and France dated December 12, 1959. Cameroon attained independence on January 1, 1960 .The cooperation agreement in its articles 1-6 reserve the authority to 1) determine Cameroons economic, political, and socio-cultural orientations to France.2) France shall manufacture currency for Cameroon called the CFA.3) France shall guide the determination of educational programs at all levels.4) The French national treasury shall have a portfolio named operations account to cover 100% of Cameroons foreign exchange. After a series of revisions, the percentage stands at 50% today. 5) France shall have strategic priority in the exploitation of Cameroons raw materials.6) On 10th November 1961, shortly Cameroon annexed and colonized the Southern Cameroons in the evening of September 30, 1961, President Ahidjo signed a military cooperation agreement with France in which the French army may be invited by the Cameroon President or the French Ambassador in Cameroon to send French troops to suppress an internal rebellion or insurrection or any threats to the regime in place. The Southern Cameroon had voted in a UN sponsored plebiscite to attain independence by joining the independent Republic of Cameroon upon terms to be worked out prior to independence. The independence was attained leading the way for the termination of the trusteeship over the Southern Cameroons but the sovereignty to negotiate a union treaty was subverted by the annexation and military occupation of the territory.

[10] OsafgyfoDr Kwame Nkrumah: Neocolonialism in Africa in Africa Must Unite, (New York, 1964 cited in The Africa Reader: Independent Africa edited by Wilfred Cartey and Martin Kilson Random House New York, 1970 p. 220.

[11] The African Reader, p. 60.

[12] AdekeyeAdebajo and Kaye Whiteman: The EU and Africa: From EuroAfrique to Afro-Europa, 2012, Hurst and Company, London, p.17.

[13] Malabo Protocol Granting Criminal Jurisdiction to the African Court on Human and Peoples Rights (Adopted in Malabo Equatorial Guinea in June 2014) Articles 28 D, 28 E, 28 F, 28 F, 28 I, 28,Ibis, 28 J, 28 J, 28 L, 28 L Bis, 28 M. In addition to the crimes punishable under the Statute of Ad Hoc Tribunals and the ICC, the Malabo Protocol criminalizes and punishes the crimes unconstitutional change of government, piracy, terrorism, mercenarism, corruption, money laundering, trafficking in persons, trafficking in hazardous wastes, and illicit exploitation of resources.
Lagos (AFP) - A Nigerian court seized $21 million on Monday from bank accounts linked to a former oil minister accused of corruption as investigators continue to claw back her fortune.

Federal high court judge Abdulazeez Anka ordered the immediate forfeiture of 7.6 billion naira ($21 million, 17.9 million euros) allegedly held in local bank accounts by Diezani Alison-Madueke, who was once one of Africa's most prominent female politicians.

Nigeria's anti-graft Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accuses Alison-Madueke of corruption, argued in court that she had illicitly laundered the funds with the help of top oil officials.

Since leaving office in 2015, Alison-Madueke has been implicated in bribery, fraud, misuse of public funds and money laundering cases in Nigeria, Britain, Italy and the United States.

The former president of the global oil cartel OPEC, the first female to hold the post, Alison-Madueke has always denied the allegations which involve billions of dollars syphoned from oil deals and state accounts.

The ruling followed two applications by the EFCC which earlier this month successfully seized properties worth $44 million that Alison-Madueke allegedly purchased with the proceeds of corruption.

President Muhammadu Buhari, elected in 2015 on an anti-corruption platform, is seeking to stamp-out Nigeria's widespread graft.
US Immigration Policy

In the meantime, it is estimated that 15 million migrants are due to arrive EU, USA by 2020. Many of these migration reports are distorted for one reason or another, but there is no doubting the scale of migration and the problem is present, not least the hundreds of billions required in future years to control it.

The issue of refugees and economic migrants leaving the Middle East and Africa due to conflict and the desire for a better life is one that will be debated for decades.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing to unleash widespread raids on immigrants, mainly women and children.It would be the first ever program of mass deportations to target African people specifically.

The DHS has begun adding capacity to handle increased detentions during the raids, since those arrested will be held in federal facilities in the days preceding their deportation. The Washington Postfirstreportedthe mass deportation plan on December 24, noting that hundreds of immigrants facing current deportation orders would be targeted for arrest and returned to the countries from which they have fled.

The $400 billion deportation program promises to be one of the most disruptive government actions attempted since desegregation. Economists estimated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would need more than 900,000 agents to complete the deportations in the next two years.

Thousands of protesters remain camped outside the Trump International Hotel and around the fence of the White House  The scent of tear gas pervades Lafayette Square.

In May this year, the US Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Robert P. Jackson, said about 7,000 Ghanaians living illegally in the US were being processed for deportation..In fact about 7000 of them are currently at different stages of the deportation process. And we are not apologetic about that, the U.S. Ambassador was quoted by local news portalStarr FM Online.This came hours after the United Kingdom blacklisted three serving legislators of Ghanas Parliament over visa fraud.

MrDery said Ghana, as a member of the international community, had been home to many nationals but observed that Ghanaians were not receiving same treatment in some countries. For us in Ghana, we live as a member of the international community and we do not throw people out as some countries are doing. In June 2017 about 63 Ghanaian immigrants in the US arrived in the country, he stated.

According to the minister of interior, Ghana would continue to be hospitable to foreigners and not opt for the easier choice of deportation, stressing: We will not do so. He said discussions were being held with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the European Union on issues concerning illegal migration.

There are about 14,000 refugees in Ghana now. Out of the number, two-thirds live in Ampanin and Krisan in the Western Region, Egyeikrom in the Central Region and Fetentaa in the BrongAhafo Region. The rest are in the urban and semi-urban areas in the country. MrDery said the ministry had proposed to the President to include a professor of law on the membership of the GRB to help address matters bordering on illegal immigration.

He gave an assurance that the rights of all refugees in the country would be respected, in line with internationally accepted standards.Ghana will meet the international obligation. We are, however, not going to condone actions of people who clearly do not qualify to seek asylum in the country, he stated.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation would target only adults and children who have already been ordered removed from the United States by an immigration judge The adults and children would be detained wherever they can be found and immediately deported. The number targeted is expected to be in the hundreds and possibly greater.

Billionaire Donald Trump has forged a significant lead in the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination based on racist diatribes against immigrants and refugees, first smearing immigrants as rapists and murderers, then denouncing Syrian refugees as likely terrorists, finally calling for a ban on any Muslim entering the US.

The DHS move against African refugees is a green light to Trump and other ultra-right anti-immigrant forces, and Trump quickly embraced the proposed raids as a triumph for his campaign. Immigrant rights groups, for their part, pointed out that it made no sense to proclaim sympathy for Syrian refugees fleeing violence and brutality, while locking up and deporting refugees seeking to escape similar conditions.

The US Programs immigration work focuses on reforming harsh, outdated, and ineffective detention and deportation policies to ensure they take into account family unity, flight from persecution, and labor considerations that draw immigrants to the United States. We have exposed the crimes and unsafe working conditions that unauthorized immigrants are too afraid to report out of fear of being deported, the risks of violence back home for those denied due process to seek protection from US deportation, and the devastating impact on millions of people - citizens as well as non-citizens  whose families are torn apart due to inflexible and unfair immigration policies, told Reuters.

'American exceptionalism' has traditionally referred to the special character of the United States as a uniquely free nation based on democratic ideals and personal liberty.Might makes right arrogance and American exceptionalism has US constantly interfering in the internal affairs of other nations with complete impunity for well over a century, be they elections, coups or assassinations in dozens of smaller nations, use torture in Guantanamo.

The US ruling elite realizes a growing segment of the global population is onto their psychopathic endgame of theft debt enslavement, filthy debauchery, irreparable corruption, global warfare and genocide and skyrocketing tyranny fast leading us towards one world government. Afraid that the masses are awakening worldwide due to such important information disseminators the internet media exposing the elites widespread criminal activities, were now reaching critical mass and have the evil ones on the run. Terrified that were mobilizing against them on a massive worldwide grassroots scale, the handful of psychopaths who for centuries have owned and controlled the world are in a state of sheer panic and desperation.Since 9/11 America has degenerated from a beacon of light and freedom (albeit up until less than a century ago only for a privileged majority of white males) to todays malevolent darkness.

The US administration has a cumulative deportation total of nearly 3 million people last two years, plus several million more who were returned  detained and forced back across the american borders. Those figures alone make nonsense of the claims that the Democratic Party represents any alternative to the anti-immigrant racism of the Republicans, spearheaded by Trump.If Trump were a politician running such a campaign in a foreign country right now, the US State Department would probably be condemning him.
Assin South MP, John Ntim Fordjour has raised concern about plans to pressurize government into legalising homosexuality, bestiality and lesbianism.

The MP, who is also the senior pastor of Victory Bible Church International, East Legon branch, has rallied Ghanaians to once again reject the move because it offends religion and the 1992 Constitution.

There is a group in Canada said to be collecting signatures to petition the Canadian government to apply diplomatic pressures on Ghana to legalise same-sex practices deemed offensive.

A Canadian website reported, some Ghanaians showed up a multicultural festival to collect signatures against anti-LGBT laws.

They are seen in a photo holding notepads and pens in Winnipeg, Canada which is home to a flourishing gay community after gay marriage was legalized on July 20, 2005.

"The way they are treating the LGBTQ community in Ghana is so very bad," said Abdulai, who organized the effort. "People get killed [over] their sexual activities."

But the Assin South MP, a debutant in the 2017 parliament, wants Ghanaians to remain alert and resist plans to give same-sex practices legitimacy.

He referred to Article 39 of the 1992 constitutions which detail the country's cultural objectives.

(1) Subject to clause (2) of this article, the State shall take steps to encourage the integration of appropriate customary values into the fabric of national life through formal and informal education and the conscious introduction of cultural dimensions to relevant aspects of national planning.

(2) The State shall ensure that appropriate customary and cultural values are adapted and developed as an integral part of the growing needs of the society as a whole; and in particular that traditional practices which are injurious to the health and well-being of the person of the person are abolished.

He said the practice of homosexuality is being pushed as a human rights issue to infiltrate a society that has already determined it as unacceptable.

The MP said, "there is no culture, there is no tribe, there is no religion in whose doctrines glorify homosexuality, lesbianism and bestiality".

"Let us rise up and raise this awarenessthere must be a strong resistance" he said Wednesday on Joy News program, The Pulse.

Homosexuality is a crime in 38 African countries.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com
Poultry farmers in Ghana must seize the opportunity offered by the government's agricultural sector initiative, 'Planting for food and jobs', to help make Ghana self-sufficient in the production of processed poultry products.

"It is scandalous that Ghana spends as much as between US$180-US$300 million annually importing frozen processed poultry products - especially when most of the consignments shipped here by the importers' overseas principals have been in cold storage for years."

How very absurd. Yet, with a little lateral thinking, our domestic poultry industry could be empowered to expand rapidly and be in a position to actually save our nation those huge annual foreign currency outlays spent importing frozen processed poultry products into Ghana. Were that to happen, as a nation in which a majority of the population love eating chicken, would we not create wealth that stays in Ghana and jobs galore for young people across the nation?

This blog's question to the trade associations in the poultry sub-sector of Ghana's national economy's agricultural sector is: Why do you not collaborate with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's poultry initiative for Africa, to find long-term funding for the setting up of mini poultry processing plants in strategically located districts nationwide?

They would also be wise to suggest to Bill Gates that he partners with them to run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's direct distribution of free day-old chicks across Ghana - and earn regular income for members of the varous regional poultry associations too, that way. For their benefit and that of this blog's many brilliant young readers, we have culled a BBC News story about the Bill and Malinda Gates Foundation's poultry sector initiative for Africa. Please read on:

"Bill Gates launches chicken plan to help Africa poor 9 June 2016 From the section Africa

Mr Gates says raising chickens can be a way to tackle extreme poverty Microsoft founder Bill Gates has launched a campaign to help extremely poor families in sub-Saharan Africa by giving them chickens.

The billionaire and philanthropist says raising and selling the birds can be efficient to tackle extreme poverty. He has promised to donate 100,000 chickens, and the project's page has already been shared thousands of times. The UN estimates that 41% of people in sub-Saharan Africa live in extreme poverty. Mr Gates said a farmer breeding five hens could earn more than $1,000 (690) a year. The poverty line is about $700 (484).

He added that the goal was to help 30% of the rural families in sub-Saharan Africa raise improved breeds of vaccinated chickens, up from the current 5%. Media caption wwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mozambique chicken farmer struggles to compete with cheap imports Africa Live: More on this and other news stories Will it work?

Matthew Davies, BBC Africa Business Report editor: You can't fault the sentiment. Giving away 100,000 chickens in an effort to alleviate poverty is a noble gesture in itself. But the plan throws up a few questions. As the chicken population increases, where is the feed going to come from? Will more arable land have to be given over to growing chicken feed?

Also, with more chickens on the market, simple demand/supply economics suggests the average price of a chicken would fall. There's also the issue of dumping. The US, the European Union and Brazil are accused of selling chickens into African markets at prices way below what local farmers can afford to sell them for. But all this doesn't mean that Mr Gates' plan shouldn't be tried.

If there's even a small chance of success it needs to be done. Nay-sayers and cynics may flap and cluck about such a plan, but at least when it comes to helping Africa's poor, Bill Gates has once again proved that he isn't chicken.

At the launch of the campaign in New York, Mr Gates said: "These chickens are multiplying on an ongoing basis so there's no investment that has a return percentage anything like being able to breed chickens." Image copyright Twitter - @BillGates How does Bill Gates choose which causes to back?

He is partnering with charity organisation Heifer International. Some 800 million people live in extreme poverty worldwide, the UN says. What else has Bill Gates done? The Bill and and Melinda Gates Foundation has given $36bn to fund health, development and education projects. Has contributed to numerous projects in research about Aids, Ebola, malaria and tuberculosis, among others.

He has supported technology projects including an initiative to provide clean water from human faeces and another to create high-tech toilets in poor areas. But it has seen failures too, as with InBloom, an educational project aimed at recording students' data, which shut down in 2014. Critics also say some of the foundation's projects are of difficult large-scale implementation or have faced local rejection.

Bill Gates explains which 'superpower' he'd choose to help poor
Paris (AFP) - Seven African and European leaders met in Paris on Monday to try to build a "new relationship" aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into Europe from northern Africa in return for aid.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with his counterparts from Niger and Chad, along with the head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj.

Niger and Chad are transit points on the route to Europe through war-torn Libya.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europe's top diplomat Federica Mogherini also joined the talks.

The meeting "may constitute the start of a new relationship between Europe and Africa," the interior ministers of Italy, Chad, Niger, Mali and Libya said in a joint statement after meeting in Rome.

France is seeking improved border controls and patrolling of the waters around Libya -- a mission complicated by the existence of two competing governments and a general sense of lawlessness in the desert state.

European countries have long sought to cut off clandestine immigration routes into the continent.

A controversial accord with Turkey last year stemmed the flow of migrants across the Aegean Sea to Greece, one of the main channels.

But other routes have come back into use, including via Morocco and Spain.

More than 14,000 people have died attempting to reach Europe since 2014.

This year alone, some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat, according to UN figures, with the vast majority landing in Italy.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of migrants and asylum seekers.

Last month the EU offered 10 million euros ($12 million) in aid to Niger to combat clandestine immigration.

Also in July, Macron proposed -- without consulting his allies -- the creation of so-called "hotspots" in Africa where asylum seekers could lodge a request to travel to the EU, avoiding a perilous voyage across the Mediterranean in a smuggler's boat.

Some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year

Charities that help migrants have criticised attempts to stop migration at its source. "We're extending the European border farther and farther away," Eva Ottavy of the French charity Cimade told AFP.

Sharp fall in crossings

Monday's meeting might provide insight into why arrivals have plummeted in recent weeks from Libya, the main route into Europe since the pathway from Turkey into Greece was shut down in 2016.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year.

Possible reasons include improved action by the Libyan coastguard and tougher border controls in transit countries, as well as Libyan militias being recruited into efforts to stop boats leaving.

Libyan leader Sarraj, whose government controls only part of the coastline, is expected to ask European leaders to work to lift an arms embargo imposed in 2011 so that he can arm coast guard and customs officers.

The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, will tell his European counterparts that he has managed to reduce the number of migrants passing through the transit town of Agadez in his country by 80 percent, a source in his team told AFP.

Migrant arrivals from Libya have plummeted in recent weeks

Libya has also sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

Some political right-wingers have accused the groups of unintentionally encouraging migrants to attempt the crossing, as they know they will be rescued in the event of an emergency.

An Italian code of conduct that has divided NGOs is set to be approved by all the countries attending Monday's meeting, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

"Above all, we have to save lives, we have to avoid situations where migrants and refugees put their lives in danger to reach protection," said Ralf Gruenert, France's representative of the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

burs-cf-gd/cb/kjl
Khartoum (AFP) - US aid chief Mark Green visited a camp for the displaced in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region Monday, the first high-ranking official from President Donald Trump's administration to visit Africa, officials said.

Green recently became head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and his trip comes just weeks before Trump decides whether to lift permanently the US trade embargo imposed on Sudan since 1997.

His visit also comes at a time when the Trump administration is planning a cut of more than 30 percent in American foreign aid.

Green is the "first high-ranking official from the Trump adminstration to visit Africa", a US official told AFP.

The trip aims to show that the Trump adminstration "wants to engage and not disengage" with Africa, the official added.

On Monday, Green visited Zam Zam camp in the state of North Darfur, which houses tens of thousands of people displaced by the fighting in Darfur since the conflict erupted in 2003.

On October 12, Trump will decide whether to lift the Sudan embargo after his predecessor Barack Obama eased it before leaving office in January.

A key element of Green's visit is to see whether Khartoum allows access for humanitarian aid in Sudan's conflict zones -- a condition laid out by Obama for a permanent lifting of sanctions.

Green wants to see "whether aid is reaching the right people", the US official said.

Washington imposed the embargo over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups. The late Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum between 1992 and 1996.

Washington also argues that the conflict in Darfur has been a factor in keeping the embargo in place.

The Darfur conflict erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, accusing it of marginalising the region economically and politically.

About 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced by the conflict, the United Nations says.

Bashir himself is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur. He steadfastly denies the charges.

Green, who is on a three-nation trip to Africa, is also scheduled to visit South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Experts call to step up conservation efforts

The South Asian Conference on small mammals kicked off in the Capital on Sunday, with calls for more efforts towards conservation of these species.
The Kotobabi police is investigating a case of unlawful damage reported by the People's National Convention (PNC) General Secretary of the party, Atik Mohammed.

A letter sighted by Citi News indicates that the police have invited the leader of the PNC and former party Flagbearer, Dr. Edward Mahama, for questioning on Wednesday, August 23.

The police noted that he was accused of being the brain behind the crime.

The PNC, in recent times, has been marred by some internal turmoil following the suspension of Mr. Mohammed.

He was suspended indefinitely by the National Executive Committee of the party, following some alleged derogatory comments he made against, Dr. Edward Mahama.

Atik Mohammed

Mr. Mohammed rubbished his suspension, saying he was still at post. He also described moves to get him out of office as illegal.

The Party's National Chairman, Bernard Mornah also described the decision to suspend the General Secretary of the party, Atik Mohammed as unlawful.

The comments followed Dr. Edward Mahama being named an Ambassador-at-Large by the President and sworn in on Monday, July 10, 2017.

He had called for the resignation of Dr. Mahama from the party as he had shown 'bad judgment' in accepting the position.

Mr. Mohammed is quoted as saying the party could not even be sure where [Dr. Mahama's] loyalty is anymore he cannot continue, in my opinion, to be the leader of the party.

Senior members of the PNC expressed their opposition to the acceptance of the position of Ambassador-at-Large in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, by Dr. Mahama without consulting the party.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Khartoum (AFP) - US aid chief Mark Green said Monday Washington was monitoring Sudan's progress on conditions for a permanent lifting of sanctions, as he visited a camp for the displaced in Darfur.

The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is the first high-ranking official from President Donald Trump's administration to visit Africa.

His trip comes at a time when the Trump administration is planning to cut more than 30 percent in American foreign aid.

It also comes just weeks before Trump decides whether to lift permanently the US trade embargo imposed on Sudan since 1997.

"We will be watching closely for sustained progress on all the five tracks," Green said in a statement.

He was referring to conditions laid down by former president Barack Obama that Khartoum must meet before US sanctions are permanently lifted.

Green said the timing of his visit to Sudan shows the importance Washington attaches to its relations with Khartoum.

"We are at critical point in Sudan," Green said.

The five US conditions include giving more access to humanitarian workers in war zones, counter-terrorism cooperation, an end to hostilities against armed groups in Sudan and halting support for insurgents in neighbouring South Sudan.

"In particular, we are hoping to see progress on humanitarian access right here in North Darfur," Green said as he met the governor of North Darfur state prior to visiting the Zam Zam camp.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese people displaced by the conflict in Darfur live in the camp.

"There is still a need for live-saving humanitarian assistance, and we hope to see a successful resolution to the conflicts in Darfur and the two areas," he said, referring to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

US committed to Sudan

On October 12, Trump will decide whether to lift the Sudan embargo after Obama eased it before leaving office in January.

Washington imposed the embargo over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups. The late Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum between 1992 and 1996.

Washington argues that the conflict in Darfur has been a factor in keeping the embargo in place.

The conflict erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, accusing it of marginalising the Darfur region economically and politically.

About 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced by the conflict, the United Nations says.

Bashir himself is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur. He steadfastly denies the charges.

Similar conflicts also erupted in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011.

While assuring that Washington will stand by Khartoum, Green urged other global donors "to do their part" in aiding Sudan.

"We remain committed to engaging with the government of Sudan at a high level on all areas... including improving humanitarian access," he said.

Global aid officials say that in recent months Khartoum has given increased access for aid deliveries.

A US official said Green's visit aims to show that the Trump adminstration "wants to engage and not disengage" with Africa.

After Sudan, Green is scheduled to visit South Sudan and Ethiopia.
Some angry land guards have burn down a Church at Okpoi Gonno on the Spintex Road in Accra.

The land guards, who were wielding machines guns, stormed the Believers House Worship International on Monday and set the building ablaze.

Musical instruments, chairs and some electrical gadgets worth several hundreds of thousands of cedis were all destroyed.

The Manet Police is currently investigating circumstances that led to the action.

According to the Head Pastor of the Church, Rev. Abraham Lamptey, the Church was summoned to court over a suit challenging their ownership of the land about seven months ago.

He said the Church responded and there is an ongoing case in court to determine the rightful owner of the land.

He said he was shocked that the other party could take the law into their own hands and perpetuate the act.

I was home today when I had a call that some 10 thugs, land guards had come to the site, chased everyone out of the place with gun, entered the auditorium, poured petrol and set the place ablaze and burnt everything.

They fled in their pickup and got out of the place. Nobody could stand because they holding guns and ready to shoot, Rev. Lamptey told Citi News in an interview.

He said the church three months earlier, received threats from the land-guards.

Some members of the church were seen trying to salvage a few of the properties left in the auditorium later in the day.



By: Jonas Nyabor & Zoe Abu-Baidoo/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Paris (AFP) - African and European leaders on Monday backed proposals to screen asylum seekers in Africa as a way to prevent thousands from taking perilous journeys across the Mediterranean.

Hosting the talks in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested setting up "fully safe areas" in Niger and Chad -- key transit points for migrants -- where asylum-seekers would be processed by the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

The leaders signed a roadmap on the proposal, though there were as yet few details on how it could work. A joint mission will be sent to Niger and Chad soon, they said in a statement after the mini-summit.

The seven heads of state or government, who included Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Libya's political stalemate was a central obstacle to resolving the crisis that has seen nearly 1.5 million people arrive in Europe since 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration.

"As long as the crisis in Libya is not resolved, I don't think we can find a definitive solution to the issue," said Chadian President Idriss Deby.

Libya, which plunged into chaos after the overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011, has two competing governments and dozens of armed factions filling the power vacuum. The north African country is a major transit hub for migrants.

Evaluation centres in Niger and Chad would help prevent "women and men from taking unwise risks in an extremely dangerous area and then in the Mediterranean" by starting the asylum process closer to home, Macron said, reiterating a proposal he made in July.

Human traffickers as well as arms and drug dealers "have turned the Mediterranean into a cemetery," he said.

More than 14,000 people, many fleeing conflicts or hardship in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, have died attempting to reach Europe since 2014.

Leaders meeting at the mini-summit in Paris said the chaos in Libya was an obstacle to tackling the migrant crisis

This year alone, some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat, with the vast majority landing in Italy.

The head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj took part in Monday's talks as well as Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou and Europe's top diplomat Federica Mogherini.

European states have long sought to cut off clandestine immigration routes into the continent.

A controversial accord with Turkey last year stemmed the flow of migrants across the Aegean Sea to Greece, one of the main channels.

But other routes have come back into use, including via Morocco and Spain.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of migrants and asylum seekers.

'Living hell'

Last month the EU offered 10 million euros ($12 million) in aid to Niger to combat clandestine immigration.

Charities that help migrants have criticised attempts to stop migration at its source. "We're extending the European border farther and farther away," Eva Ottavy of the French charity Cimade told AFP.

On Monday, the Oxfam and ActionAid charities criticised Europe's leaders for what they called "fearmongering" over the migrant crisis.

They "continue to present migration as a threat rather than recognising its benefits," the charities said in a joint statement.

"They are playing into the hands of populist fearmongers who falsely claim that Europe is unable to cope with the arrival of people to its shores and who demonise search-and-rescue missions that save lives in the Mediterranean," it went on.

Main European migration routes according to the International Organization for Migration

"Their short-term approach ignores the fact that Europe needs migrants," the statement said, adding: "Italy alone will need an estimated 1.6 million regular migrants over the next decade to sustain its welfare and pension schemes."

They called on the EU to "stop outsourcing border controls to Libya, trapping more and more people in a living hell" and urged governments not to make aid conditional on border management.

Libya has sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

The groups have been accused of unintentionally encouraging migrants to attempt the crossing as they know they will be rescued in the event of an emergency.

burs-cf-gd/kjl
Earlier this month, my dear sister Marian called me - out of concern for her brother - to find out whether or not I was the Kofi Thompson listed as key contact person for a company known as Concord Landscaping Limited, which apparently appeared on a list published in the Daily Graphic of companies said to be owing money to the Venture Capital Trust Fund (VCTF).

Since I have never borrowed money from the VCTF before, naturally, I answered in the negative - but told her I would get to the bottom of the matter: because I did not want anyone in the world to think I was the Kofi Thompson said to be the key contact person for a company indebted to the VCTF, when in fact I had never actually borrowed any money from them before.

Apparently, three individuals were named as directors of Concord Landscaping Limited in the list published by the Daily Graphic: a Mr. Baba Ibrahim; a Mr. John Agbeko; and a Mr. Ernest Ababio. As it happens, earlier today, I spoke to the current VCTF loans recovery officer, a Mr. Bawa, who informed me that Concord Landscaping Limited had borrowed GHC130,000 from them in 2013 and had thus far not repaid it. Hmm, Ghana - eyeasem o.

Since I neither know the aforementioned directors of Concord Landscaping Limited nor have I ever had any dealings with their company, I have, perforce, to assume that the company's key contact person, the Kofi Thompson whose name appeared in the Daily Graphic publication of debtors of the VCTF is someone else who just happens to bear the same name as mine.

It had better be the case. For his own sake I do hope he is who he says he is and not someone impersonating me to fraudulently obtain a loan from the VCTF - for were the opposite to be true then he and his three sodden co-conspirators will end up in jail as sure as day follows night after their coming prosecutions. For their information, as a result of this abominable matter, I have already lost a member of a team I have put together to publish what will be a well-respected and authoritative voice in the Ghanaian media world - and an example to other media houses in this country of what ethical journalism anchored on centrism actually looks like.

Be that as it may, for the avoidance of doubt, I, Kofi Thompson of McCarthy Hill, a humble cocoa farmer and writer, have never dealt with Concord Landscaping Limited before in my entire life. Neither do I know any of the three named directors - Baba Ibrahim, John Agbeko and Enerst Ababio - nor at any material time have I ever joined them to borrow GHc130,000 from the VCTF in 2013 or on any other date. So l rest my case for now.
The renowned Ghanaian musician Kwame A Plus has ruffled NPP. He has accused two well-positioned members of the NPP of stupidity and corruption. Probably based on information privy to him but hidden from the public, he has accused the two Deputies Chief of Staff, Francis Asenso-Boakye and Abu Jinapor of involvement in corruption and acts of sheer stupidity.

What have these two people done to merit such serious allegations of corruption and stupidity against them? It is only Kwame A Plus and themselves who at this juncture are able to tell.

Anyway, corruption in itself does not always only mean how many a Ghanaian understands it, thus, embezzlement of funds. By dictionary definition, it is illegal, bad, or dishonest behaviour, especially by people in positions of power.

Therefore, what have these two individuals done that has compelled Kwame A Plus to come public accusing them of corruption?

In a response to the musician, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakye was not only being equally harsh on him but also, purporting to repeat what he said to him when they met in April if he was to encounter him again. What did he tell Kwame A Plus in April 2017? Could that be the reason for the seeming animosity towards him by the musician if I understood it very well? The public may want to know.

Ghanaians are no longer going to sit by while our perceived and correctly known corrupt politicians dupe us the way they usually do.

Yes, Kwame A Plus helped with bringing NPP to power so were Lucky Mensah, Daddy Lumba, Agya Koo et al. Any Ghanaian that prayed, campaigned and/or voted for NPP and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did contribute immensely towards the victory of the NPP at the 7 December 2016 elections.

Therefore, for Abronye DC or whoever to downplay the role played by Kwame A Plus will be act of ungratefulness to the highest degree. Yes, if the musician is misbehaving, he can be reprimanded if we chose to wash our dirty linen in public but to try to belittle his role is mischievous.

Is it not said all animals are equal but some are more equal than others as made known in George Orwells Animal Farm? Yes, some people might have played crucial roles that actually brought NPP to power without which all the efforts by the Abronyes, Rockson Adofos, Prophet Owusu Bempahs, Nana Akufo Addos, Joseph Anokyes, and Alex Daddys et al would have been in vain.

Those who played that last minute crucial or determining role as bestowed on them by God have been completely forgotten and are nowhere near to, or allowed at, the seat of government.

I will therefore entreat those who by the unique efforts of those people are now enjoying power or have had the opportunity to frequent radio stations to share their views with, or to educate, Ghanaians, to be mindful of their actions.

Why did Alex Daddy make a same day or next day return trip to London in December 2016? This question is an enigma which should be more than enough to shut up the mouths of all those shouting loudly claiming to have brought NPP to power. The NPP coming to power was a concerted effort.

It hurts me to see how the two or three people who played certain crucial roles have been side-lined completely. Anyway, all Ghanaians helped to bring NPP to power. Ghanaians will no longer sit on the fence for our elected or appointed leaders to cheat us same as that incompetent, corrupt and clueless former President John Dramani Mahama and his NDC government did to Ghanaians.

Asem beba dabi
29.08.2017 LISTEN

Kwame A-Plus, one of Ghana's finest musicians and a close friend of Ghana's President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has launched a scathing attack on the Akufo-Addo government over massive corruption. The Ace musician has accused the two deputy "Chief of Staff" of taking bribes and kickbacks from people who apply for government contracts.

His accusation followed similar allegations made by Mr Kennedy Agyepong who accused Mr Gabby Otchere-Darko and Duke of taking $30,000 from people before they are allowed to see the President. A-Plus's allegations have generated heated debate on social media, and "strong" responses from the accused and their sympathizers.

The musician who was until this incident, the darling boy of many NPP members and executive members, has suddenly become the "haunting cold" and being attacked with all kinds of insults. But who is A-Plus and why is his attacks causing tension in the party and the Presidency. A-Plus Scientist say, without its atmosphere to retain the Sun's heat, earth would be cold and nearly lifeless.

Few months ago, A-Plus was the Carbon dioxide, was the water vapour and was the methane the greenhouse gases who made Ghana habitable for Nana Addo and his NPP. He is not an ordinary member of the npp as we are being made to believe by some aggrieved npp supporters who react to his accusations. He is a close confidant of the President and the President and A-Plus, have not hidden that fact.

The President offered him special thanks for making his dream possible and this was what he said about A-Plus "In the heat of the moment yesterday, I forgot to acknowledge the immense support Kwame A-Plus gave my campaign. He's been a brick. I thank him and I'm really grateful".

The President extended a special invitation to him to attend his inauguration. This is how close he is, to the President and how serious the President takes their relationship. Kwame unleased serious cold on President Mahama with his scathing attacks and did that through his special campaign song he composed for the Npp and on his social media platforms.

Kwame, started his attacks on the current administration with his accusation that, some functionaries of the NPP were scrambling for political appointments and described some of the persons he alleged were breathing on the President's neck to be appointed into government as corrupt and unfit to come near the administration among names he mentioned was one Bryan Acheampong.

Through the various responses by those accused of taking bribes and kickbacks, we are made to know that Kwame A-Plus has been meeting the President and he has unlimited access to the President. Another close confidant of the President, one Abronye responding to A-Plus's allegations, revealed that the musician has benefited more than any Npp party official since they won power.

He also said, a contract at BOST offered A-Plus, fetches him Gh 3million a month. This tells how powerful the musician is when it comes to NPP matters A-Plus acting as molecules, aerosols and particles in the npp, is absorbing radiation from the sun shinning on the party releasing heat all over and this time, his is what he told his party folks "Unban yourself and like or comment on this post if your name is in the list. #Gbemi people.

You can insult John Mahama but no one can talk about anybody in the NPP." He is not only exposing rot in his government, but telling Ghanaians how the party's attacks on Mahama during the 2016 campaign, were cooked.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has scheduled an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting Tuesday to discuss issues of security across the country.

Joy News has gathered the NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia's alleged encounter with armed men in Suhum in the Eastern Region is one of the issues on the agenda.

The NDC General Secretary has said he witnessed the attack on a motorist by some armed men on his way to Accra from his village in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Narrating the incident to Omanhene on Asempa FMs Ekosi Sen Monday, former lawmaker said the men who were in a Toyota Tundra vehicle with registration number GT 666 12 sped past him to stop a vehicle that was ahead of him just around the Suhum Township.

They got down from their vehicle brandishing AK47 rifle and grabbed the driver in the vehicle.

Mr Nketia said he then got out of his vehicle together with a friend to intervene and rescue the driver.

I had a friend army officer who was with me in the car so he got down first and identified himself and asked them what was their problem, he said.

I am not sure whether they are armed robbers because nobody made any attempt to rob me of my hard earned money or other valuables, he told the presenter.

Mr Nketia's experience in Suhum comes months after government put in place measures to stem the tide of attacks across the country after the 2016 general elections.

The NDC's emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting will afford the party an opportunity to discuss the incident and how to avoid same in the future.

NDC National Organiser, Kofi Adams told Evans Mensah on Joy FMs Newsnite the incident is a stark reminder to all Ghanaians that nobody is safe in the country of their birth.

It started with an invasion of some of our homes, to courts and churches and now some political opponents are being attacked, he lamented about past attacks.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com |
Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) (AFP) - Equatorial Guinea said Monday it has demanded 73 million euros from French oil giant Total over "fraud" in fuel sales made between 2010 and 2012.

"Following an investigation, we found a suspicious and fraudulent situation," said Finance Minister Miguel Egonga Obiang as he announced the claim for 48 billion CFA francs.

No further details were immediately available on the alleged fraud, though Equatorial Guinea has also referred the case to its justice system.

The government of the oil-rich, sub-Saharan nation has demanded that Total come up with a proposal for a settlement, state TV reported.

Total's management in Equatorial Guinea did not reply to repeated requests for comment.

The country, Africa's only Spanish-speaking nation, has become the continent's number three oil producer but experts say the vast majority of the population has not benefitted from the energy revenue boom.

As the country demands the settlement from Total, French prosecutors are seeking a three-year jail term and a 30 million euro ($34 million) fine for Equatorial Guinea's Vice President Teodorin Obiang, on trial in absentia for embezzlement.

The 48-year-old son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema is charged with using money plundered from his country's state coffers to fund a jet-set lifestyle in France, where he bought a six-storey mansion in an ultra-posh part of Paris.
Odebrecht Engineering and Construction International, a global organization of Brazilian origin with presence in 25 countries, including Ghana, has supported the College of Engineering of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, to organise the Colleges flagship Biennial Engineering, Science, Technology and Entrepreneurship Conference (ESTE) in Kumasi.

The ESTE was created by the College as a platform to bring researchers such as technologists, engineers, entrepreneurs from varied fields of endeavor to interact on how to develop sustainable development solutions to peculiar challenges confronting Africa. Speakers and participants were invited from different parts of the world.

Speaking at the Conference, Ms Vanessa Ashun, Odebrecht Ghanas Human Resource Responsible, reiterated the companys support to the learning, teaching and promotion of engineering, science, technology and entrepreneurshipin Ghana.

She emphasized that: This Conference is one of academias gifts to the overall development of Africa. Technology is dictating the pace and shape of development and a Conference that focuses on seeking solutions to local problems through technology is indeed a blessing. Odebrecht Ghana believes in investing in helping grow the local workforce by supporting educational activities related to science and engineering and absorbing qualified personnel through the Odebrecht Young Partners Program.Odebrecht Ghana pledges a continuous support to the Universitys quest at deepening the quality of the study and practice of science and engineering in Ghana.

The Provost of the College of Engineering, Professor Mark Adom-Asamoah, in his opening remarks, stated: Our roles as academic institutions and by extension as development partners, are multi-faceted. This also includes a mandate to embark on development-driven research and come out with innovative outputs which will significantly contribute to the development of the country and Africa in general. In the long run, no nation can continue to remain only a user of new knowledge. We must out of necessity, also create our new knowledge that are at the core of our unique development challenges. What we need to do is to forge the needed partnership between the various industry players so we can fully leverage the benefits of our scientific, technological and entrepreneurship prowess. He thanked all corporate sponsors and partners of the Conference and asked for a more robust partnership.

In his speech, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. KwabenaFrimpong-Boateng expressed governments commitment to supporting innovation among students, entrepreneurs and Ghanaians at large.

Over the last few years, Odebrecht Ghana has developed a thriving relationship with KNUST, especially the College of Engineering. Odebrecht in partnership with the College, established the Odebrecht Ghana Engineering Awards to recognize, encourageand motivate students to learn and overcome challenges, and to pursue careers in the engineering field, thereby populating the national engineering workforce with quality additions.

Odebrecht Ghana has diversified business activities and a decentralized structure and does business in the fields of engineering and construction, industry, and in the development and operation of infrastructure and energy projects, creating integrated and innovative solutions that serve both its clients and communities where it operates.
Floods destroy infra worth Rs 1b in Banke

The devastating floods and inundation of August second week have destroyed infrastructure worth more than Rs 1 billion in Banke district.
Greetings Mr President, Respectfully, let me use my platform to share few concerns with you. I am addressing this concerns to you because of your professional background and the role you personally played to make the media landscape what we see today. Mr President, the role of the media in moulding the opinion of the society cannot be underestimated.

It has helped to bring criminals to hook and in recent years, the advent of internet and other technologies has enhanced the impact of the mass media. However, it be established that the media cannot usurp the functions of the judiciary. I know and saw how you, Kweku Baako, Kwesi Pratt, Prof P V Ansah, Kofi Koomson, Kabral, Akoto Ampaw, Victor Newman and others fought for media freedom in the past.

I am seriously opposed to the system where governments shackle the media it is unhealthy for democracy, and primitive but we must also know that the implications of continued unaccountability of the media and display of unprofessional conducts are even more damaging. I am sharing this concern with you because of the facts distortion in the media about the SSNIT- Software issue.

Looking at the rate of distortions and trial of innocent officials by some journalists, I think steps need to be taken in order to prevent the media trials from eroding the civil right of innocent citizens, whereby the media ( journalists) have a clearer definition of their professional rights and duties, and the courts, given the power to punish those who flagrantly disregard them.

We better institute measures to curb this dangerous phenomenon else, your special prosecutor initiative will suffer serious challenges. I am happy you made this important statement when you met the press at the Flagstaff house "It is not enough to accuse and prosecute someone on grounds of corruption allegations if there is no evidence as such" it is one statement very very dear to my heart.

I am not against prosecuting officials found to have misconducted themselves, I am all for it and support it fully but it must be done without injuring suspects inalienable rights. Media trial in many tend to influence judges by subconsciously creating a pressure and must be seen and treated as undue interference in the process of justice delivery. I am worried because of the ordeal Mr Tsatsu Tsikata and others went through.

How the media hijacked their cases and landed them at the "public court" before the courts came out with their judgement. Mr President, like you rightly pointed out, the vital gap between an accused an a convict keeping at stake the golden principle of 'presumption of innocence until proven guilty' and guilt beyond reasonable doubt must not be overlooked. But most journalists do on air and (print) is that they do their own investigation, build pubic opinion against the accused even before the courts take cognizance of the case.

They prejudice the public and sometimes even the judges and as a result accused persons who should be assumed innocent, are presumed as criminals leaving all their rights and liberties unrepressed Mr President, I have been following media discussions about the SSNIT's software issue and the kind of misinformation and distortions being fed the public is scary and dangerous.

Most journalists are less informed about the issue, and use their own interpretations to make their conclusions inciting the public against innocent officials. I am not going to waste your eyes on the facts since you know more than i know but I am aware an entity has been contracted to do independent investigation into the matter alongside what EOCO has started. I think we must all wait for the final results before making conclusive statements.

Mr President, the time has come for politicians across the divide to come together to clear the political stables of disgraceful corrupt practices which make the public lose confidence in the politician. The phenomenon where politicians use corruption as their potent campaign weapon must end for issues about policies to determine which party must be in government. We better do that else, the public will soon come together against the politicians and we shall regret our actions. Thank you, Wishing you God's blessings and guidance.
Ghanas Young Entrepreneurs (GYE), one of the largest networks of young entrepreneurs in Ghana over the weekend launched one of their flagship projects dubbed GYE HUB.

The event which was coupled with a hangout, under the theme BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS; THE ROLE OF NETWORKING took place at GYEs head office in Ajirngano-East legon.

Mrs. Eyram in her submission told the young entrepreneurs that one of the reasons why we fail to network effectively is because of religion.

He advised the budding entrepreneurs not to allow Religion be a barrier to their business networking.

She said a muslim can network or partner with a Christian to build a successful business. She advised the youth to use social media wisely because its an effective tool for networking.

Be confident when approaching someone, dont be too desperate, doing more listening than talking, prepare yourself for business, dig background information of partners before you network. 

Mr. Prince Abbey in his lecture also urged the youth to create legacy businesses. Dont only think of yourself; think of the generation yet to come.

The CEO of GYE Mr. SherifGhali is his address said the GYE Hub was necessary as their membership is growing, leadership of the association had tofind a way of bringingits members together once in every month for the purpose of networking, learning and sharing of ideas. He said The GYE Hub will serves as a platform for entrepreneurship development and the acquisition of relevant life transforming skills, particularly among the youth.

This will be done through the fostering of a collaborative business environment for exchange of ideas and networking purposes in every last Saturdays of Every month. The Hub will also provide direct support by way of training, mentorship and linkage to funding sources for young entrepreneurs in Ghana.

Mr. Patrick PahrukBandanaa, in his closing remarks edge participants, to take networking serious. He said You Network determines your net-worth and for this reason networking was crucial for business. He ended by invited the young business owners to theGLOBAL HALAL EXPO 2017 to be held in Indian between 19th and 21st of September.
Nollywood actor, Obi Madubogwu, has finally bid farewell to mother earth as he has been reportedly dead after long battle with acute diabetes.

The actor was some months back shown the needed love by some Nigerians who donated to help save his life but he could not fight the ailment anymore.

He passed away Monday afternoon while in the hospital. The actor has featured in lots of movies but was notable for his role in Battle of Musanga.

May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace amen.
Over 90 central banks discuss it, more than 24 countries are investing in it, and over 2,500 patents concerning it have been filed in the last three years.

The figures above relate to distributed ledger technology (DLT)  the blockchain.

Youve probably heard a lot about this emerging technology. But if youre not sure about the particulars heres how Blockgeeks defines it:

Picture a spreadsheet that is duplicated thousands of times across a network of computers. Then imagine that this network is designed to regularly update this spreadsheet and you have a basic understanding of the blockchain.

Information held on a blockchain exists as a shared  and continually reconciled  database. This is a way of using the network that has obvious benefits. The blockchain database isnt stored in any single location, meaning the records it keeps are truly public and easily verifiable. No centralized version of this information exists for a hacker to corrupt. Hosted by millions of computers simultaneously, its data is accessible to anyone on the internet.

According to a 2016 World Economic Forum report, DLT will be one of the foundational technologies for financial services infrastructure. And to disagree is actually pretty tough.

DLT is secure, more transparent and faster than traditional payment systems we have today. And thats just to start. DLT could also form the basis for smart contacts and digital agreements attached to financial assets.

Its why theres so much buzz around bitcoin and other digital currencies. While you can make a quick profit by buying and holding cryptocurrencies, the infrastructure theyre built on could solve future billion-dollar problems.

If you want to learn more about the secret world of bitcoin and other digital coins, click here.

Regards,

Harje Ronngard,

Junior Analyst, Money Morning
'The big truck is still on ...
Govt announces Rs1.25b aid for flood-hit farmers

The government on Sunday announced a Rs1.25-billion relief scheme for farmers in 30 districts who lost their crops to the recent floods.
India, China agree to end border dispute at Doklam

India and China have agreed to end their stand-off through expeditious disengagement of their troops from Doklam, a disputed border area, after a tense stand-off that lasted more than two months.
Crash On Highway 4 - Photo by Bill Joseph View Photos

Calaveras County, CA  Three people were airlifted to hospitals in the Central Valley following a weekend head-on crash on Highway 4 near Forrest Meadows.

The CHP reports that 61-year-old Donald Burns of Arnold was driving a 2013 Ford Escape eastbound on Highway 4 near Sunset Ridge Court when he reportedly fell asleep and drifted into the opposing traffic lane. His vehicle collided with a 2013 Subaru Outback driven by 65-year-old Ruth Barber of Cerritos, California. She and her lone passenger, 73-year-old Wayne Barber, suffered major injuries and were flown to Doctors Medical Center in Modesto.

Burns also suffered major injuries and was flown to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. The CHP reports that drugs and/or alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash. It occurred at 2:25pm on Saturday. No additional information is immediately available.
India visit successful: PM Deuba

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has said that his India visit has been successful to lay the foundation for further strengthening Nepal-India relations.
Sacramento, CA  A California lawmaker is calling for the expansion of hate crime laws in the state following the violence witnessed at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia two weeks ago.

Democratic Senator Nancy Skinner is working to gather support for a series of bills and resolutions introduced in response to the event on August 17. SB 630 would expand the states existing hate crime statute of protections to cover individuals who are acting in defense or support of protected groups. Skinner references Heather Heyer, who was killed in Charlottesville. She says a loophole in the law would prevent the man, James Alex Field, who drove his car into a group of counter-protesters, from being prosecuted for a hate crime. The incident killed Heyer, and because the crime was not prompted due to her specific race, religion, sexual preference, etc., Fields death would not have the enhanced consequences of a hate crime.

In addition, two separate resolutions have been introduced in the legislature, essentially stating that California denounces white nationalist and neo-Nazi acts of violence, and urges local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to use all legal options, including those relating to terrorism and hate crimes, to prosecute such crimes.
- According to MASSOB, the fight for Biafra does not give room for restructuring

- The pro-Biafra group released a statement accusing IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu of betraying the struggle

- The group also claims that their struggle is non-violent, therefore President Buhari had no grouse with them

It appears that the crisis within the pro-Biafra groups Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has deepened.

On Saturday, August 26, MASSOB said that Nnamdi Kanu has shaken hands with the federal government and therefore compromised the struggle to achieve an independent state of Biafra after he met with some politicians.

Accoridng to Punch, Mr Sunday Okereafor, the MASSOB National Director of Information, said in an interview that they would continue the struggle through non-violent means and they would not be deterred by IPOB.

Okereafor said: IPOB has compromised the struggle; the IPOB leader (Nnamdi Kanu) has had a handshake with the Federal Government. He has embraced restructuring. What are we going to restructure in Nigeria? We are saying no to that.

READ ALSO: MASSOB reveals what will happen if Nnamdi Kanu is re-arrested

He (Kanu) has told the world that he has compromised and he has deceived millions of people. But we are insisting that it is Biafra or nothing. We are storming Onitsha on September 13 to celebrate our 18th anniversary.

The IPOB leader is saying that after restructuring of Nigeria, he will abandon the struggle. He has a hidden agenda. He has access to politicians, senators and governors. He is in the struggle for his selfish interest. But we are telling the Federal Government that on Biafra we stand. No matter the intimidation, the struggle continues.

When asked about the recent warning by President Buhari on groups clamoring for disunity, he said the President could have been referring to Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen killing and destroying peoples farmlands.

Explaining, he said: Our struggle is based on non-violence. We (MASSOB) are not among those President (Muhammadu) Buhari mentioned that they have crossed the red lines because we have been non-violent in our struggle.

The groups threatening Nigerias unity are Boko Haram, Fulani herdsmen, who are his brothers. Look at it now, Boko Haram is looking for autonomy and the Fulani herdsmen are not interested in the unity of Nigeria and they are killing people all over Nigeria. Yet, none of them has been prosecuted.

READ ALSO: Nigerian must divide - MASSOB insists

We have continued to tell the Nigerian Government to hold a sovereign national conference. Must we go to war? Must we stay together in Nigeria?

"Boko Haram is saying that they want Islamic Republic and the Fulani herdsmen are going everywhere and killing people and destroying farmlands. Buhari knows who he is talking to; it cannot be MASSOB because we are non-violent.

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

Legit.ng earlier reported that President Muhammadu Buhari was described as a hypocrite for believing in one Nigeria, by the MASSOB.

According to reports, the groups position was made public in a statement signed by one of its leaders, Uchenna Madu.

Watch this video of Nigerians speaking on Nnamdi Kanu and his Biafra Secret Service:

Source: Legit.ng
- The Rivers state governor has decried the level of marginalization on the south-south and south-east regions

- Nyesom Wike said the regions are the most neglected in Nigeria

- He also called on governors from the two regions to work towards overcoming all the challenges faced in the zones

The Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that the south-south and the south-east region are the most marginalized region in Nigeria.

Wike speaking during a meeting with 11 governors from the regions in Port Harcourt over the weekend said there are no 'reasonably' functional seaports and airports in the zones.

Decrying the state of federal roads, the Rivers state governor said the regions must strive to overcome all the challenges by sharing resources.

Wike also said that the south-south and the south-east region are the most neglected in the country.

READ ALSO: Presidency dismisses rumours that Osinbajo has been sidelined by a cabal

He said: From geo-strategic economic perspective therefore, there is an urgent need to establish and link our cities with railways and super highways; to provide viable and affordable flight services between our cities, and to ensure that cargoes are brought into the country and the regions through our seaports, jetties and ferry services as a veritable means of stimulating economic growth and social progress across our two regions.

Also, we are all aware that economic growth and social progress are possible only in a peaceful and secure environment."

The governor also called for the devolution of powers and resources to state and the institutionalization of state police.

READ ALSO: Top Boko Haram commander who led Chibok girls abduction surrenders, reveals how the girls were kidnapped

Also speaking, the chairman of the south-south and south-east governors' forum, Emmanuel Udom, said the meeting is a new beginning for the regions.

Udom said the presence of federal activities is not experienced in the regions.

He also called for a creation of an industrial framework that will enhance regional development.

Udom said: Federal presence in the region is minimal and only seen in the presence of policemen."

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Ohanaeze Ndigbo said the South-East region has been marginalized since inception.

The president-general of the Pan-Igbo group John Nnia-Nwodo said the Biafra agitation may soon get more sympathizers if the issue of marginalization is not addressed.

Nwodo said it is also discouraging that the Fulani herdsmen and the Boko Haram terrorists operating across Nigeria are yet to be prosecuted.

You can watch this video of Nigerians reacting to the secret security inaugurated by the IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu:

Source: Legit.ng
National Trading likely to get new lease of life

The government is mulling to resurrect National Trading Limited (NTL) instead of merging the defunct state-owned enterprise with Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) as per an earlier decision.
- The former minister of aviation Osita Chidoka has received the staff of authority from traditional rulers in the south-east region

- The staff of authority was presented to Chidoka by Igwe of Igbo Ukwu, His Royal Highness Idu Martin Ezeh

- The staff was also given to the incumbent governor of Anambra state, Willie Obiano, during the 2013 Anambra governorship election

The former minister of aviation, Osita Chidoka, on Sunday, August 27, received the staff of authority from traditional rulers in the south-east region.

The traditional rulers led by Igwe of Igbo Ukwu, His Royal Highness Idu Martin Ezeh, handed the staff of authority to Chidoka, a candidate for the Anambra election, under the platform of the United Progressive Party (UPP).

The staff - Ofor igbo staff of Obi Igbo - which is an Igbo traditional symbol of power and authority was given to Chidoka ahead of the November 18 Anambra gubernatorial election.

READ ALSO: Be ready to fight, nobody should be afraid of police or army - Governor Wike tells followers ahead of 2019 election

The staff of authority was presented to Chidoka by Igwe of Igbo Ukwu. Photo credit: Viola Okolie

The staff of authority was earlier given to the incumbent governor of Anambra state, Willie Obiano, during the 2013 Anambra governorship election.

However, while presenting the staff of authority to Chidoka during the new yam festival in the community, Ezeh said Anambra state is in need of a leader like the former minister.

Ezeh said Chidoka possesses the required character, experience and commitment to steer Anambra towards the rights direction.

He also said that with Chidoka's political will, challenges currently faced by the people of the state will become a thing of the past.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu says anyone who tries to arrest him in Biafra land will be killed by IPOB

Ezeh said he has the proficiency and political will to tackle the challenges facing the state.

Also speaking at the event, the national chairman of the Mbido Igbo Association, Okafouzu Ugochukwu, said Chidoka has all the qualities needed for a next governor of Anambra state.

Ugohukwu said: "The vesting of this symbolic staff on Chief Chidoka is very significant and it has very deep meaning."

He also said the former minister has been selected for the symbolic staff of authority.

While, noting the present governor of the state, Obiano, has done his best for Anambra, Ugochukwu said the state needs a more creative, energetic and determined individual like Chidoka for proper re-positioning.

Reacting to the honour bestowed on him by the traditional rulers and the association, Chidoka pledged never to let the people of Anambra down.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Chidoka said he has already worked out all the processes needed to unlock a wealth creation potential for the people of the state.

He also said the processes will ensure that all the people of Anambra have equal access to opportunities and resources available in the state.

Legit.ng earlier reported that Chidoka picked a nomination form to run for governor in Anambra state.

Chidoka picked the form under the platform of United Progressive Party (UPP) at the party's secretariat in Abuja.

The former minister also said he is focused on transporting the people of the state to an environment desired by all.

You can watch this Legit.ng video of APC official stating how the party can loose elections in 2019:

Source: Legit.ng
With the 2019 election campaigns in their beginning phases, it is increasingly clear that President Muhammadu Buhari's health challenges might stand in the way of his 2019 presidential ambitions.

It is very likely then that the other All Progressives Congress (APC) bigwigs will position themselves to replace him in the party's primaries.

Below is a list of some politicians likely to replace him and run for president in 2019:

1. Atiku Abubakar

On February 2, 2014, Atiku left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join APC. In 2019, he will be 73 years of age and his current presence in the Nigerian media, suggest the former vice president might run for president in 2019.

2. Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

In 2015, Kwankwaso unsuccessfully contested the presidential primaries nomination under the opposition All Progressive Congress, but lost to Muhammad Buhari.

He is currently a senator representing Kano Central and is likely to try again for presidency in 2019.

READ ALSO: South-east group present names of Igbo politicians ahead of 2019 presidency

3. Bukola Saraki

Saraki is a current member of the APC and previous member of the PDP. He has been the president of the Senate since 2015 and might run for presidency in 2019.

4. Mallam Nasir El- Rufai

He is a member of the APC and was elected as the executive governor of Kaduna state during the 2015 general elections in Nigeria.

5. Ibrahim Shettima

Kashim Shettima is a Nigerian agricultural economist and politician who was elected governor of Borno state, Nigeria in the 26 April 2011 national elections, running on the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) platform which is now part of the APC.

READ ALSO: South-east group present names of Igbo politicians ahead of 2019 presidency

6. Rochas Okorocha

Owelle Rochas Anayo Okorocha is a Nigerian multi-billionaire businessman, education philanthropist and politician from Imo state, Nigeria who won the May 6, 2011, gubernatorial election in Imo state and was reelected for his second term on April 11, 2015.

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

Legit.ng earlier reported that meanwhile, some senior members of the APC mostly from the northern part of the country were jittery over the safe return of President Muhammadu Buhari from his medical sojourn in London, United Kingdom (UK).

Investigations revealed that following the prolonged stay of the president in London, some APC bigwigs who are jostling to succeed him should he fail to re-contest the 2019 election began scheming and opened consultations, but have suddenly slowed down.

Watch this Legit.ng video on President Buhari's latest return:

Source: Legit.ng
Punch newspaper is reputed to be the most widely read newspaper in Nigeria.

With its head office in Ogun state, near Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, the newspaper still thrives to reach virtually all nook and crannies of the country despite the short comings in infrastructure and logistics.

File photo of Punch newspaper headquarters in Ogun state

In order to be accessible to it readers and clients, the management of the media outfit embarked on an expansion drive.

One of the offices first opened in its national expansion program is that of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

READ ALSO: What's the address of Heritage orphanage home Gwarimpa Abuja

Given the strategic nature of the FCT, the management of Punch was one of the first media outfits to register their presence in Abuja.

Punch newspaper has two offices in Abuja, while one is located in the heart of town., the other, which is their permanent site is on the outskirts of town.

The office in town is located at Millennium Builders Plaza on 251 Herbert Macaulay Way in the Central Area.

The permanent office is located at Plot 743, Sani A. Mashi Crescent off Mohammed Namadi Sambo Way, Cadastral Zone C 16, adjacent Salini Nigeria Limited, Idu Industrial Layout, Abuja.

Key officers of the company that can be reached on phone are:

- Imeh Inoh on 08033116738 and 08059095102;

- Margaret Oji on 08033594912;

- Michael Kofoworola, on 08028398818 and 07033345777.

Watch Legit.ng TV interview with Nigeria's 'ambassador of peace' living on a street in Abuja:

Source: Legit.ng
- More Nigerians may go blind if the federal government does not increase funding of the health sector, Ophthalmologists in Nigeria have said

- The group called on the general public to go for eye checks consistently

- The group said the high rate of eye diseases in Nigeria is having a negative impact on individual, family and nation's economy

A group of ophthalmologists has said that more Nigerians are likely to go blind if the federal government fails to increase funding of the health sector.

The group said that the proliferation of eye diseases in Nigeria is having a negative impact on individual, family and nation's economy.

The president of the group Sebastian Nwosu while speaking during the 42nd annual general meeting and scientific conference of the society in Kaduna state said the lack of adequate funding of the health sector is responsible for the high rate of blindness in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: Nnamdi Kanu says anyone who tries to arrest him in Biafra land will be killed by IPOB

Nwosu also warned that inadequate manpower in health facilities might be contributing to the challenges faced by patients with various eye diseases.

Decrying the rate of cataract cases in the country, Nwosu further warned that, more Nigerians are likely to become blind if the situation is not nipped in the bud.

He urged the government at the state and federal level to support the fight against blindness in Nigeria by encouraging adequate funding of the health sector.

READ ALSO: BREAKING: President Buhari receives briefing from CBN governor, minister of finance (photos)

Also speaking at the event, the president of the Nigerian Medical Association, Mike Ogirima, said the budgetary allocation for Nigeria's health sector is low.

He also said the number of ophthalmologists in Nigeria cannot match the individuals suffering from one eye disease or the other.

Ogirima said only about 300 ophthalmologists to care for the over 170 million Nigerian population

He also urged the general public to consistently go for eye check in order to promptly detect any form of eye disease especially those that might be threatening.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Legit.ng earlier reported that it is important that the eyes are often protected during the use of smartphones.

Also, doctors have advised the general public to desist from spending too much time in front of screens like laptops, desktops, smartphones and all the likes of it.

You can watch this Legit.ng video of Nigeria's family of six with four blind children:

Source: Legit.ng
NRA readies list of quake-hit settlements for relocation

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has started enlisting quake-survivors residing in places at high risk of natural disaster for their relocation to safer places.
- As part of efforts to eliminate corruption, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has banned cash payments for passport processing

- Applicants are now advised to make all payments in respect to passport processing through banks to generate application ID and reference number on the NIS portal

- Nigerians have also been urged to direct any complaint or enquiries to 07080607900 and the email address - nis.servicom@nigeriaimmigration.gov.ng

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has banned cash payments for passport processing as part of efforts to eliminate corruption at all passport offices nationwide, NAN reports.

Legit.ng notes that the NIS spokesperson, Sunday James, disclosed this in an interview on Monday August 28, in Abuja.

READ ALSO: Federal High Court orders permanent forfeiture of N7.6bn linked to Diezani Alison-Madueke

He said the Comptroller General of the NIS, Muhammad Babandede, had directed that henceforth all payments for passport processing must be done online and through designated banks.

He said the NIS boss had in a circular, directed all passport control officers not to allow cash payments in any of the passport premises.

All payments in respect to passport processing are to be done by applicants through banks to generate application ID and reference number on the NIS portal and not through an individual or touts, Mr. James said.

According to him, the NIS CG has also ordered an investigation into allegations of passport racketeering at some passport offices in Lagos with a view to sanitising the system.

Mr. James therefore urged passport applicants to ensure that all categories of Nigerian passports fees were done online.

Passport applicants are therefore strongly advised to visit the NIS website www.immigration.gov.ng to confirm the approved fees for all categories of Nigerian Passports and age groups before making payments, he added.

He said the management of all passport offices have been directed to paste all information required at the premises to guide applicants in line with the executive orders.

He urged Nigerians to direct any complaint or enquiries to 07080607900 and the email address nis.servicom@nigeriaimmigration.gov.ng.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Muhammad Babandede, the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), stated that from 2018, the Nigerian e-passport will be produced within the country.

The immigration boss made his comments during an oversight visit by members of the House of Reps. Committee on Interior.

Babandede said local production of the passports would be achieved by the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company Ltd. in 2018; and the immigration service was working very hard towards that.

Watch this Legit.ng TV video of Nigerians reacting to news that President Buhari was chased out of his office by rats:

Source: Legit.ng
On August 25, 2017, the Nigerian government asked the court to order the rearrest and detention of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

In a statement released by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and the minister of justice, Abubakar Malami, the government demanded that Kanu be arrested again for flouting his bail condition.

However, the Pan-Yoruba sociology-cultural group, Afenifere, has issued a warning to the federal government not to rearrest Nnamdi Kanu as doing so will heat up the polity of the country.

Many are afraid of what will happen if the IPOB leader is actually rearrested. Looking at history and recent happenings, here are a list of things likely to happen if he is re-arrested again:

1. Killing of IPOB supporters

Violent clashes between members of IPOB and the Nigerian security agencies are as old as the renewed agitation for Biafra. These clashes have sometimes resulted in deaths.

If the FG makes the move to re-arrest Nnamdi Kanu, violence looks like a likely result, with bloodshed looking increasingly possible.

READ ALSO: Leave northern region - IPOB tells southerners

2. Anambra elections boycott

Nnamdi Kanu has been calling for a boycott of the forthcoming Anambra gubernatorial elections and it looks like his followers are set to obey him. If he is re-arrested it seems the most likely that the boycott of the election will be a success.

3. Ohanaeze Ndigbo

The apex socio-political organisation of the Igbos, Ohanaeze Ndigbo will also take a stand against the federal government.

They have warned that re-arresting and commencing a fresh legal action against Kanu will exacerbate the ethnic tension already mounting in various parts of the country.

The group also berated the federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, for applying to the court for the revocation of bail conditions Nnamdi Kanu.

READ ALSO: IPOB issues statement on Biafra Secret Service (BSS)

4. International outrage

The renewed agitation for Biafra has drawn international interest and a subsequent re-arrest of Nnamdi Kau will definitely lead to outrage beyond the shores of Nigeria against the federal government.

Meanwhile, the IPOB leader who is aware that the federal government has commenced process to have him rearrested said that anyone who tries to arrest him will not leave Biafra land alive.

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

Im a Biafran and we are going to crumble the zoo. Some idiots who are not educated said that theyll arrest me, and I ask them to come. Im in Biafra land. If any of them leaves Biafra land alive know that this is not IPOB. Tell them thats what I said.

Tell Buhari that Im in Aba and any person who comes to arrest Nnamdi Kanu in Biafra land will die here. Ill never go on exile I assure you," he said.

Watch this Legit.ng video on the recent Biafra agitation:

Source: Legit.ng
Editors note: Poor or unhygienic drinking water has been a great problem to most parts of Nigeria. In order to get clean drinking water, many people resort to buying pure water but ironically the pure water poses great danger to their health.

Investigative journalist, Hannah Ojo reports on the result of the first 15 laboratory-tested sachet water samples randomly selected in the five divisions of Lagos.

From the presence of pathogenic bacteria to coliform, high microbial levels, acidity and objectionable odour, the hygiene and safety status of many of the brands of pure water consumed by majority of Lagosians are questionable.

Lagosians may be killing themselves in installment through the sachet water they drink, investigation has revealed. For three months, 30 sachet water brands popularly known as pure water were randomly selected in the five divisions of Lagos.

A laboratory test contracted to the University of Lagos Consult Limited examined the physical, chemical and microbiological characteristics of each sample, which were coded to conceal their brand names.

The results of Lagos sachet water test. Photo credit: Hannah Ojo

READ ALSO: Buharis return: APC bigwigs allegedly turn to PDP for 2019 presidential ticket

A registered public analyst and chartered chemist from the University of Lagos chemistry department issued an analysts certificate on each sample, in accordance with the Institute of Public Analysts of Nigeria (IPAN). The test ran from the month of May to August.

Out of the first batch of 15 sachet water samples analysed, only six met the recommended World Health Organisation (WHO) standard on potable water. The other nine showed high level of contaminants ranging from the presence of pathogenic bacteria and faecal coliform to high microbial levels, objectionable odour and low pH (acidity), which falls short of the minimum WHO pH parameter of 6.50.

The names of the tested sachet water are: Maja Water, Makus Water, Unilag Water, Haars Premium Water, Skord Water, Le Harmonious Water, David's Key, Fizco Water, Dis Day Water, Clock Water, Austin Water, Vic Water, Ray Queen Water, Troven Water and Vida water.

Interpreting the health implications of the contaminants found in the tested water samples, a professor of Chemical Pathology at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof Oluwole Adedeji, stated that low pH in water represents acidity.

pH is the concentration of hydrogen iron which represents acidity. The neutral pH is seven. Anything below seven is acidic. Anything above seven is basic and denotes alkalinity, he said.

The consultant also described odour as a product of metabolism which shows some form of decay with grave implications for the human body if ingested through contaminated water.

Asked about the health implications of coliforms and other forms of pathogenic bacteria, he offered that the coliform count in potable water should not go beyond a certain percentage.

Our intestines have what is called the resident coliform. But when immunity is reduced, they become a problem. Adding more from outside means exposing the body to higher risks of toxic effects, especially when a person is stressed, he said.

At risk of diseases and terminal illnesses

Beyond water borne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, cholera and hepatitis, drinking contaminated packaged water can also expose the body to carcinogenic agents. This happens when the polythene bag used to package the water is of low quality whilst being exposed to sunlight or stored in an unwholesome condition.

Findings revealed that the drive for profit often makes many sachet water manufacturers patronise low quality polythene bags, which causes dissolution of chemical into the water.

Most of these bags have pores. They have holes which may not be visible to the human eye, which allow some elements in the environment to diffuse gradually into the water. The chemicals can be very carcinogenic, Prof Adedeji intoned as he connects poorly packaged sachet water with cancer and other terminal illnesses associated with the lungs, liver and the heart.

With the acute water shortage in Lagos owing to the inability of the states Water Corporation to supply potable water to majority of residents, there is a high reliance on sachet water as a means of potable drinking water by over 70 per cent of the citizens.

In a twitter poll conducted by the reporter on potable drinking water source for Lagosians, 44 per cent of respondents chose sachet water as their source of potable water while 39 per cent chose boreholes.

Another 12 per cent voted bottled water and the lowest vote stands at 6 per cent, representing those who source potable water from the Lagos State Water Corporation.

Majority of sachet water producers interviewed source their water from boreholes. Although there are strident measures laid down by regulatory agencies such as the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), and the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission; enforcement to these standards is not often adhered to, findings have revealed.

Kabir Ahmed, the chairman of the Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, an agency responsible for regulating water supply and wastewater management, told the reporter that indiscriminate sinking of boreholes and wells have negatively impacted on the quality of ground water in Lagos.

Ahmed said: Underground, we have four aquifers of water. As we speak, the topmost aquifer has been polluted by human activities.

"As recent as 25 years ago, we used to fetch water from shallow wells in Lagos to drink. Now, water from that depth of 0-12m is not drinkable because it is practically impure.

Lamenting the fact that many borehole drillers in the state use substandard equipment which drips oil into the underground water, Ahmed further stated that sinking of soak-away and pit latrines close to water source is responsible for the presence of coliform in some water sources across the state.

Cheap death channel

At N10 per sachet and N150 for 20 pieces, pure water in Lagos appears a cheaper alternative to bottled water. A 75 cl bottled water sells between N50 and N100, depending on the brand. However, low costing sachet water might be bait to a cheap death channel.

Data exclusively obtained by the reporter from the Lagos State Ministry of Health, showing the prevalence of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea, typhoid and cholera in the 25 general hospitals in Lagos, revealed higher rates of water-borne diseases in areas of the state faced with the most pressing cases of inadequate Water Hygiene and Sanitation (WASH) facilities. Such areas include Badagry, Ikorodu, Epe and Orile Agege.

Prevalence of water-borne disease in Lagos general hospital 2014. Photo: Hannah Ojo

In 2014, General Hospital Orile Agege recorded a total of 1,690 cases of typhoid fever and 3,213 cases of diarrhoea. The ijede Health Centre recorded the highest cases of cholera with 48, followed by General Hospital Epe with 15 cases.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Also, in the year under review, The Massey Children Hospital also recorded 2,612 cases of diarrhoea while the General Hospital, Epe treated 893 patients out of a total diarrhoea prevalence rate of 12,413 in 2014. Diarrhoea prevalence rate in Nigeria, put at 18.8 per cent, is one of the worst in sub-Sahara Africa.

Although data from 2015 and 2016 showed a slight reduction in the prevalence of water borne diseases in the state, local government areas such as Ikorodu, Epe and Badagry recorded highest prevalence rates and would be published in the second part of this report.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had previously reported that a photo showed two men filling up dispensable water bottles from water in a stream.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Legit.ng.

Your own opinion articles are welcome at info@corp.legit.ng  drop an email telling us what you want to write about and why. More details in Legit.ngs step-by-step guide for guest contributors.

Were ready to trade your news for our money: submit news and photo reports from your area using our Citizen Journalism App.

Contact us if you have any feedback, suggestions, complaints or compliments. We are also available on Facebook and Twitter. Subscribe to Legit.ng Opinion page!

Watch this Legit.ng video and see the way Buhari's return was recently celebrated:

Source: Legit.ng
- Senator Christopher leads an eight-member US congressional delegation visit to Nigeria

- The members of the US Congressional delegation are to meet with members of the National Assembly and religious and civil society leaders

An eight-member US congressional delegation has visited Senate President Bukola Saraki as part of its visit to assess the destruction caused by the Boko Haram terrorists as well as strengthen US Nigeria relations.

READ ALSO: Anyone who tries to arrest me in Biafra land will die here - Nnamdi Kanu

The delegation is led by Senator Christopher who is a member of the appropriations, foreign relations, judiciary, small business and entrepreneurship, and ethics committees.

The delegation also includes Sen. Gary Peters (Democrat-Michigan); Sen. Michael Bennet (Democrat-Colorado); and Rep. Lisa Rochester (Democrat-Delaware).

The others are Rep Terri Sewell (Democrat-Alabama); Rep. Charlie Dent (Republican-Pennsylvania); Rep. Barbara Lee (Democrat-California); and Rep. Frederica Wilson (Democrat-Florida).

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), citing a statement by the US Department of State reports that members of the US delegation will also meet with other members of the National Assembly, and religious and civil society leaders.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Among the issues of particular interest to the U.S. officials will be the fight against Boko Haram and the humanitarian situation in the northeast of Nigeria, the statement read.

See photos of the US congressional delegation meeting with Bukola Saraki below:

Senator Bukola Saraki welcoming some of the US congress members, photo credit: Nigeria Senate - Twitter

Bukola Saraki in a warm handshake with a US congress member, photo credit: Nigeria Senate - Twitter

The US congress members and members of the Nigerian Senate, photo credit: Nigeria Senate - Twitter

Meanwhile, Senator Isa Hamman Misau representing Bauchi central senatorial district in the National Assembly has been declared wanted for questioning by the Nigeria Police Force.

Reports say the police want to speak with Misau over alleged forgery and desertion from the force among other things.

Misaus trouble began after he told National Assembly Correspondents on Friday, August 25 that there is huge corruption in the police involving payments for special security services to corporate bodies, oil firms and highly placed citizens in the country.

The lawmaker also accused Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris of being involved in high-level extortion.

But police spokesman Jimoh Moshood says Misaus accusations are all false.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians if they support the scrapping of the Senate.

Source: Legit.ng
- Nigeria's interior minister, Abdulrahman Danbazau has announced a two-day public holiday as part of the Eid-el-Kabir celebration

- Danbazau urged Nigerians to use the two days, September 1 and 4, to pray for peace in the country

- He also warned citizens peddling hate speeches to desist from it as government will now frown at such

The government of President Muhammadu Buhari has declared Friday, September 1 and Monday September 4, 2017 as holidays in celebration of the Eid-el-Kabir.

Premium Times reports that the announcement of the public holiday was made by Abdulrahman Dambazau, the interior minister.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Danbazau congratulated Muslims over the celebration.

READ ALSO: Abubakar Shekau is hiding in Mandara Mountain - BH commander

He also urged Nigerians to use the period to pray for peace, unity, prosperity and the stability of the countrys democracy.

The report quoted Dambazau as asking Nigerians to continue to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari as it moves to build a peaceful and harmonious country that ensures the rights of citizens are protected.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

The minister also warned against hate speeches by citizens of the country saying that the government would no longer take it lightly with those found culpable.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Sultan of Sokoto and chairman of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Saad Abubakar, has declared September 1, 2017 as Eid-el-Kabir day

This was contained in a statement signed by Prof. Sambo Junaidu, the chairman, Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs to the Sokoto Sultanate Council.

Watch this market survey as Muslims celebrate Sallah:

Source: Legit.ng
- The information minister says the federal government will not gad the media in its ongoing fight against hate speech and fake news

- Lai Mohammed says the alleged directive from NBC regulating phone-in programmes and newspaper review is fake news

- He also added that no new laws to tackle the challenge of hate speech will be made

Minister of information and culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said the federal government will not make any law or directive that will stifle the press in its ongoing fight against hate speech and fake news.

The minister gave the assurance on Monday, August 28, in Lagos when he paid a working visit to the headquarters of TV Continental (TVC).

Mohammed described as fake news, the alleged directive from National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) regulating phone-in programmes and newspaper review on TV and radio programmes.

READ ALSO: Federal government declares 2 days public holiday for Sallah

He said there was no directive whatsoever from NBC or his office to any media house, regulating phone-in programmes and newspaper review as reported in the media.

The minister recalled that there was a brainstorming meeting among stakeholders including NBC, media owners and others in Lagos where issues affecting the industry were discussed.

He said it was one of the participants at the meeting that leaked out the issues raised, which were never adopted as government directive or policies.

Mohammed reiterated that no government that stifles the press, ever succeeds and the Federal Government will not make laws or issue directive to gag the media.

He said the position of the government has been and still remains that the industry should regulate itself.

He, therefore, underscored the need for media houses to discharge their responsibilities in accordance with the dictates of their guiding codes to check the alarming rate of hate speech and fake news.

He said many Nigerians relied on newspaper review on radio and TV as their source of news daily and such review should, therefore, be done from the holistic perspective.

The minister also underscored the need for media houses to regulate the calls received during phone-in programmes to checkmate opportunists from using such avenue for hate speech.

The minister said that the government would not make any new laws to tackle the challenge of hate speech because there are enough provisions for it.

He said the Anti-Terrorism Act 2011 defines hate speech amongst others, as an act deliberately done with malice and which may seriously harm or damage a country or seriously intimidate a population.

Reacting to why there was upsurge in incidents of hate speech and fake news in the country, the Minister said that the purveyors were being paid with stolen funds to whittle down the anti corruption stance of the government.

He added that the upsurge was also about the 2019 general elections, to whittle down the many achievements recorded by the President Muhammadu Buharis administration.

He reiterated that no amount of hatred would obliterate the solid achievements recorded by the Administration.

The Chief Executive Officer of TVC, Mr Andrew Hanlon, thanked the minister for the visit.

NAN reports that the minister also featured on a live interview programme of the station.

In a previous report by Legit.ng the United Nations has called on the federal government of Nigeria to investigate and prosecute people behind the ultimatum against Igbos in the northern part of the country and those responsible for the creation, publication and circulation of the hate song and audio message.

PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigerias #1 news app

The UN made this known in a publication obtained from the office of the United Nations high commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The UN which strongly condemns the ultimatum and hate songs said hate speech and incitement can endanger social cohesion and threaten peace by deepening the existing tensions between Nigerias ethnic communities.

Watch IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu speak on the activities of the group on Legit.ng TV:

Source: Legit.ng
- The Nigera Police Force expresses its reservations against the alleged setting up of a security outfit by IPOB

- Adeleye Oyebade, a commissioner of police in Abia state, says the force will not condone any attempt to continue with the 'illegal' security outfit

- Oyebade notes that Nigeria, as a country, cannot habour another republic, which is what the agitators want to achieve

The Nigerian Police Force (NPF) is sending a warning signal to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, over the latters alleged setting up of a security service.

The police said the Biafran security outfit was illegal and would not be condoned.

READ ALSO: Federal government declares 2 days public holiday for Sallah

Legit.ng learnt that the warning was issued by Adeleye Oyebade, the police commissioner in charge of Abia state, while he paraded some suspected criminals.

Nnamdi Kanu was recently pictured inspecting the guard of honour set up by the alleged security body.

Oyebade warned that Nigeria cannot have a republic inside it and that the police would ensure Abia is crime-free.

AIT reports that Nnamdi Kanu has reacted claiming that IPOB set up the Biafran security service to ensure the safety of the people in the south-east.

Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Army recently said it was addressing the issue of a Biafra force reportedly being mobilized by the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

The reaction followed the emergence of a video in which Kanu was seen inspecting a group of men called the Biafra Secret Service (BSS).

The footage showed some of the purported BSS officers dressed in black attire and red beret. Kanu could be seen walking around and in between them, inspecting what can be described as a guard of honour.

Watch this video and see how Nigerians reacted to the setting up of the Biafran Security Service:

Source: Legit.ng
Only a meaningful partnership will yield tangible results

On Sunday, Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba returned home from a state visit to India. Nepali Prime Ministers visiting India have had the challenge to be seen striking a balance between their government's ties with India and China.
- Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will pay an official visit to Edo state on Tuesday, August 29

- Osinbajo will inaugurate a 60,000 metric tonnes-capacity fertilizer plant in Auchi

- The Edo state-owned fertilizer plant was rehabilitated to boost farming nationwide

All is set for Vice President Yemi Osinbajos visit to Edo on Tuesday to inaugurate a 60,000 metric tonnes-capacity fertilizer plant in Auchi, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Alhaji Sadiq Kassim, spokesman of Wacot, the company managing the plant, told NAN on Monday in Auchi that the plant would create about 500 direct jobs for people in the area.

READ ALSO: Federal government declares 2 days public holiday for Sallah

He said that the Edo state-owned fertilizer plant was rehabilitated by Wacot under the presidential fertilizer initiative to boost farming nationwide.

The plant will provide immediate 500 direct jobs to indigenes of Edo State as soon as the Vice President commissions it tomorrow.

We are managing the plant under a long term lease with Edo government, he said.

Kassim did not disclose the companys financial involvement.

All I can say is that we plan extension of the project in few years to scale up the capacity and turnout which will be in billions of naira, he said.

He commended the people of the community whom he described as very homely and accommodating.

Our relationship with the host community is absolutely fantastic. We have made extensive contact with the people who are grassroots farmers; they are homely and very accommodating towards us, he said.

NAN reports that Gov. Godwin Obaseki had, during a visit to the site of the plant in January, expressed optimism that the plant would become functional this year.

The Edo Fertilizer Company, Auchi, had remained dormant since it was commissioned during Lucky Igbinedion administration on March 22, 2003.

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 new app

Legit.ng had reported that Dr Junaid Mohammed said Professor Yemi Osinbajo did not perform up to expectation as acting president while also insisting that the north has been marginalised.

In an interview with Vanguard, the second republic lawmaker said Osinbajo was probably under the influence of cabal who were trying to direct his affairs.

Watch a Legit.ng TV video of Osinbajo speaking about the unity of Nigeria.

Source: Legit.ng
In most clinical trials for cancer therapy, investigators test treatments in patients with advanced disease. But a recent cardiovascular secondary prevention study has given researchers a unique opportunity: to explore the effectiveness of giving a drug to patients before cancer emerges. At the European Society of Cardiology meeting, Paul M. Ridker, MD, director of the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH, and colleagues presented findings from CANTOS (Canakinumab Anti-inflammatory Thrombosis Outcomes Study). In addition to their cardiovascular results, Ridker and colleagues shared that patients who received the anti-inflammatory therapy canakinumab had a marked reduction in the incidence of lung cancer and lung cancer mortality. In this high-risk population, death from cancer was reduced by half in the group of people who received the highest dosage of the drug. These findings are detailed in a paper published simultaneously in The Lancet.

"As an inflammatory biologist and cardiologist, my primary interest is in heart disease, but my colleagues and I were aware of experimental research indicating a connection between cancer and inflammation, and we recognized that our cardiovascular clinical trial could be the perfect place to explore this link," said Ridker. "The data are exciting because they point to the possibility of slowing the progression of certain cancers. However, this is an exploratory study that needs replication."

CANTOS, designed by Ridker and his colleagues and sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals, is a randomized, double-blinded trial of the anti-inflammatory drug canakinumab, with the primary goal of testing whether the drug lowered rates of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death. More than 10,000 patients with a history of heart attacks who had high levels of C-reactive protein (hsCRP) - a biomarker of inflammation - were enrolled in the study. None of the participants had been diagnosed with cancer.

Participants in the trial received 50 mg, 150 mg or 300 mg of canakinumab or a placebo, injected subcutaneously every three months. They were followed for up to five-and-a-half years. The researchers observed a marked cut in rates of total cancer death, but especially in death due to lung cancer, as well as in the incidence of lung cancer among patients who received the drug. This effect was dose-dependent - for example, lung cancer rates were reduced 26 percent, 39 percent and 67 percent, respectively, for the low, medium and high doses of canakinumab.

Patients who received the highest dose of the drug (300 mg) had approximately half the rate of total cancer deaths and one-quarter the rate of fatal lung cancer compared to those who received the placebo.

Inflammation is one of the body's first lines of defense against harmful invaders such as bacteria. Inflammation can also occur in the lungs, for example, when a person smokes, inhales polluted air or is exposed to toxins such as silica and asbestos. That inflammation is known to increase the risk of lung cancer.

CANTOS evaluated participants with a history of heart attacks who were selected for elevated hsCRP, itself a risk marker for lung cancer. Ridker and colleagues knew that this population - many of whom were smokers - would be at high risk for lung cancer. Therefore, the team had formed an adjudication committee of leading cancer experts as part of their safety monitoring plan, in anticipation of cancer-relevant results.

The research team notes that it's unlikely canakinumab directly prevents new lung cancers from developing - instead, they believe it's more probable that the drug helps slow lung cancer progression and invasiveness, consistent with prior studies in animal models.

Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

"These are fascinating, human findings that open a potential new class of therapies for cancer," said Laurie H. Glimcher, MD, president and CEO of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute who was not involved in the study. "We look forward to working with Dr. Ridker and his colleagues to develop and further evaluate anti-inflammatory therapies for lung cancer."

The team closely monitored for adverse events and found an increased risk of fatal infections among approximately one of every 1,000 patients treated. As reported at ESC today, CANTOS met its primary cardiovascular endpoint, reducing risk of a composite of heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death by 15 percent (more details in an accompanying BWH press release and simultaneously published New England Journal of Medicine paper). The research team also found significant reductions in arthritis, gout and osteoarthritis, due to the drug's anti-inflammatory properties.

The drug used in this study - canakinumab - is a fully human monoclonal antibody that neutralizes interleukin-1. Interleukin-1 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that, if overexpressed, results in increase inflammation throughout the body as well as increased levels of hsCRP. Canakinumab is currently an "orphan drug" indicated to treat several rare inherited conditions associated with over-production of IL-1?. Ridker is also serving as a principal investigator for CIRT (Cardiovascular Inflammation Reduction Trial, sponsored by the National, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute), an ongoing clinical trial testing the effectiveness of low-dose methotrexate in cardiovascular disease. In contrast to canakinumab, low-dose methotrexate is a generic, inexpensive drug commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Results of CIRT are expected in two to three years.

"Our work builds on the idea that cancer and inflammation are intimately linked, and gives novel insights regarding how inhibiting inflammation may slow cancer progression and invasiveness," said Ridker. "While confirmatory work in formal cancer studies are needed to address if and how canakinumab can be integrated into lung cancer protocols, this work represents a stepping stone toward what we hope will be a new treatment approach."

Many Brigham researchers and Brigham-led clinical trials have helped build the case that hsCRP is a marker of inflammation. After making initial observations in the Brigham-led Physicians Health Study and Women's Health Study, Ridker and colleagues continued to unearth evidence of a connection between higher hsCRP levels and greater risk of atherothrombosis through a series of additional Brigham-led clinical trials, including Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE), PRINCE, LANCET, PROVE IT - TIMI 22 and JUPITER. Multiple studies have since shown that hsCRP levels are also predictive of future lung cancer.

CANTOS was proposed and designed by investigators in the Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at BWH, in collaboration with Novartis. In addition to Ridker, other Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers who contributed critically to this work include Jean MacFadyen, BA; Brendan M. Everett, MD; Peter Libby, MD; and Robert J. Glynn, ScD. Ridker and Glynn received financial support for clinical research from Novartis to conduct the CANTOS. Ridker has served as a consultant to Novartis and is listed as a co-inventor on patents held by BWH that relate to the use of inflammatory biomarkers in cardiovascular disease and diabetes that have been licensed to AstraZeneca and Siemens.
Every year millions of people around the world are diagnosed with heart failure, a chronic, progressive condition where the heart is unable to pump enough oxygenated blood throughout the body. Researchers at the University of Utah Health and Klinikum Coburg, Germany co-led a clinical trial that showed radiofrequency catheter ablation lowered hospitalization and mortality rates by 47 and 44 percent respectively in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), a contributing factor to heart failure. The findings were presented on August 27 at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Barcelona, Spain.

"None of the traditional drug therapies are improving the patient's condition, a major medical dilemma when we see these patients in our clinics," said Nassir F. Marrouche, M.D., professor in Internal Medicine and Executive Director of the Comprehensive Arrhythmia Research and Management (CARMA) Center at U of U Health.

The medical community has long debated the ideal treatment for AF, especially for patients who suffer from left ventricular dysfunction, a weakening of the left ventricle that supplies most of the heart's pumping power. Until now, no clinical studies have been conducted that support one definitive treatment.

Marrouche and Johannes Brachmann from the Klinikum Coburg conducted the eight-year CASTLE-AF clinical trial to compare catheter ablation to conventional drug therapies recommended by the American Heart Association and European Heart Society to control the heart's rate.

"The CASTLE-AF clinical trial represents a landmark in the history of cardiovascular medicine because of its potential impact on our patients who are suffering from heart failure," said James Fang, M.D., Chief of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Utah Health. "For the first time in a randomized study, the strategy of catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation may be better than the current approach for these patients. It is also one of the many landmark contributions to cardiovascular medicine that the University of Utah has made over the past five decades."

After evaluating more than 3,000 patients from North America, Europe and Australia, researchers selected 363 participants with temporary or persistent AF and heart failure, characterized by heart function at less than 35 percent capacity, for the clinical trial. The patients were separated into two groups, receiving either radiofrequency catheter ablation (179) or a conventional drug therapy (184).

Lab Diagnostics & Automation eBook Compilation of the top interviews, articles, and news in the last year. Download a copy today

The clinical trial's end point was set at all-cause mortality and worsening of heart failure, resulting in an unplanned overnight hospitalization. Patients in the ablation group experienced lower overall mortality (28%; 51/179) compared to the medication group (46%; 82/184). In addition, catheter ablation resulted in lower cardiovascular mortality (13%; 24/179) compared to the medication group (25%; 46/184).

Special heart cells create electrical signals that cause the heart's upper and lower chambers to beat in the proper sequence to pump blood through the body. Abnormal cells can cause the heart to beat faster or irregularly, resulting in AF.

"Atrial fibrillation prevents the heart from filling and pumping properly," said Marrouche. "When the heart is not synchronized, it hastens heart failure and increases the risk of stroke."

During the ablation process, a catheter is snaked through the patient's body to the site of abnormal heart cells. The doctor delivers a dose of radiofrequency energy, similar to microwaves, to destroy the abnormal cells, which restores the heart's regular rhythm.

All of the participants included in the CASTLE-AF trial had previously received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), which allowed for continuous monitoring of heartrate. The ICD may have improved mortality, which Marrouche believes is the primary limitation in this study that may have affected death rates in both groups.

"This clinical trial is the first time we can show with hard data that ablation is saving more lives than arrhythmia medications," said Marrouche. "It also lowers the cost of treating patients by keeping them out of hospital due to lower incidence of worsening heart failure."
Rivaroxaban plus aspirin improves survival and reduces stroke and heart attack in patients with stable coronary or peripheral artery disease, according to late-breaking results from the COMPASS trial presented today in a Hot Line - LBCT Session at ESC Congress and published in the NEJM.

One-third of the 55 million deaths in the world each year are from cardiovascular causes. Patients with known coronary or peripheral artery disease are at risk of death, stroke and heart attack. Aspirin is the single most widely used treatment to prevent strokes and heart attacks but is only modestly effective.

The COMPASS trial tested two possible ways to improve on aspirin, by using the combination of rivaroxaban and aspirin, or by using rivaroxaban alone, to protect against heart attack and stroke in patients with stable coronary or peripheral artery disease.

The trial randomised 27 395 patients from 33 countries in North America, South America, Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Australia. The treatments tested were rivaroxaban 2.5mg twice daily plus aspirin 100mg once daily and rivaroxaban 5mg twice daily, each of which were compared to standard therapy with aspirin 100mg once daily. The primary endpoint was a composite of cardiovascular death, stroke or myocardial infarction.

On 6 February 2017 the Data Safety Monitoring Board recommended that the rivaroxaban and aspirin arms be stopped because of a clear superiority of the combination of rivaroxaban and aspirin over aspirin alone.

The results indicate that the addition of rivaroxaban to aspirin, compared with aspirin alone, reduced cardiovascular death, stroke, or heart attack by 24%, and improved survival by 18%. Rivaroxaban 5mg twice daily was not superior to aspirin alone. The addition of rivaroxaban to aspirin increased bleeding, and the most common site of bleeding was in the stomach or lower bowel. There was no significant increase in fatal or brain bleeding.

Dr John Eikelboom, co-principal investigator and associate professor, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, said: "The substantial benefits seen with rivaroxaban and aspirin support the approach of using low doses of the two treatments in combination. Recent trials in other disease areas have demonstrated substantial benefits from using low doses of a combination of drugs and this concept is now further supported by the results of COMPASS."

Prof Stuart Connolly, co-principal investigator and professor of medicine at McMaster University, suggested that the increase in bleeding should be considered in the context of the overall findings. He said: "Many of these bleeds were not serious and despite the increase in bleeding the results clearly show a net benefit for patients, as highlighted by the 18% reduction in mortality."

The data indicates that for every 1 000 patients treated for an average of 23 months, rivaroxaban plus aspirin prevents 13 heart attacks, strokes, or cardiovascular deaths, and seven deaths from any cause, at a cost of 12 major bleeds, most of which were readily treatable. The benefits of the drug combination were achieved in patients in whom lipid-lowering and blood pressure-lowering drugs, and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors were widely used.

"It is noteworthy that the benefits of the combination of rivaroxaban and aspirin are on top of proven therapies," said Prof Salim Yusuf, chair of the COMPASS Steering Committee and director of the Population Health Research Institute at McMaster University. "If rivaroxaban plus aspirin is widely adopted, the potential benefits are enormous. Use of the combination in 10% of the approximately 300 million persons around the world with known cardiovascular disease would prevent as many as 100 000 deaths and twice as many premature vascular events each year."

Source: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/rivaroxaban-plus-aspirin-improves-outcomes-in-stable-cardiovascular-disease-compass
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
PAC pressed not to probe delays

The Gautam Buddha Airport project in Bhairahawa has slowed to a crawl due to a dispute over payments between the contractor and an illegally appointed sub-contractor.
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.
DigitalGlobe will launch the WorldView Legion constellation of satellites from 2020 to 2021. called Scoutcan snap a photo of a high-demand spot (say the Port of Shanghai) 40 times a day. Scott declined to specify how many satellites count as legion, but they will be 30-centimeter- and 50-centimeter-class, meaning they could resolve a laptop or a TV. The first will rocket up in 2020, the last in 2021. The satellites will belong to Space Systems Loral (SSL) of California, which builds its satellites in Palo Alto. DigitalGlobe is in the final stages of a merger with a communications company called MDA, which also bought SSL back in 2012. With DigitalGlobe and MDA under a single umbrella, they control 54 percent of the market. And with SSL, they can in-house legions of satellites, big and small, for themselves and others.

* Image analysis software can count cars in WalMart parking lots to know how many people shop

* Prospectors can learn whether someone just started drilling into an oil supply

* Relief organizations can look at a flood zone and figure out how best to help.

* high resolution satellites will help self driving cars with better maps
Despite its imperfections, the interest yield curve in China has been useful in signaling acceleration and slowdowns in economic growth over the past decade. Chinas yield curve is signaling a coming slowdown for Chinas economy that could be exacerbated by Chinas high level of leverage. Barrons has an article by CME Groups Erik Norland that lays out the prediction.

 The slowdown may most likely occur in mid-to-late 2018, although it could start earlier or later than that timeframe.

 In contrast with the Fed and ECB in 2007/2008, the PBOC is coming off an easing, rather than a tightening, cycle.

 Does a bull flattening of the yield curve send the same signal as a bear flattening?

 Chinas crackdown on credit expansion may be the reason why the yield curve has flattened and, if so, could spell trouble for Chinas economic growth.

 Commodity markets such as copper and iron ore, as well as commodity currencies, appear to be looking backwards at Chinas recent GDP growth rather than looking forward to the possibility of renewed economic slowdown.
SEOUL, South Korea  This is a partial list of the businesses of Samsung, the South Korean business empire: smartphones, microchips, insurance, gas ovens, hospitals, dishwashers, cargo ships, stocks, microwave ovens, apartment buildings, vacuum cleaners, credit cards, pharmaceuticals, air-conditioners and bidets.

Samsung is South Koreas No. 1 brand and, when all its products are added together, its single biggest export. It dominates South Korean business and social life in a way that can be difficult for outsiders to comprehend.

That dominance may make it difficult to keep its top executive in prison.

A South Korean court on Friday shocked the country by sentencing Lee Jae-yong, the third-generation de facto leader of one of the worlds largest business empires, to five years in prison after his conviction of bribery, embezzlement and other charges. Mr. Lees attorneys have said they will appeal, and experts predict a fierce legal battle.

Mr. Lee is not the first big business figure in South Korea to be convicted, but if he stays in prison it would represent something of a milestone. His father, Samsungs longtime chief, was twice convicted of crimes and twice pardoned by a South Korean president. Other top business South Korean leaders have avoided conviction, negotiated light sentences or been allowed to run their corporate empires from prison.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.  Residents and local activists roared their approval as speakers condemned local politicians and the police at a gathering here on Sunday for what they said was their failure to protect their city from a rally of white nationalists earlier this month.

The meeting, billed as a community recovery town hall and held in a performing arts auditorium, was the second in a week to address the events here. Hundreds of white nationalists came to this historic college town to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, resulting in skirmishes between demonstrators and counter-protesters. A 32-year-old woman, Heather Heyer, was struck and killed when a man drove his car into a crowd.

During the previous meeting, residents shouted down the mayor and City Council members and briefly took over the Council chambers.

Sundays gathering was more orderly, moderated by a representative from the Justice Department. The Department has opened a civil rights investigation into the deadly crash.
The citys police chief, Art Acevedo, said the city had handled 56,000 calls to 911 since 6 p.m. Friday and had rescued 2,000 people. He said the city was aware of about 185 requests for rescue that had not yet been handled.

A lot of people are frustrated, Chief Acevedo said. Hopefully today well get to the rest of you. Please dont give up on us. None of us are going to give up.

In Houston, harrowing close calls shook many families.

Maya Wadler, 17, recalled the moments before she was rescued from her home Sunday around 4 a.m. The water, she said, bubbled up from the doors, seeped in from the windows.

Everywhere you turned, she said, there would just be a new flowing puddle. It just kept filling. It passed the outlets. I was so scared. We didnt know what would happen. And there is no one you can call.

Ms. Wadler was eventually helped onto a dump truck driven by rescue workers.

I was sitting in the corner holding my dad really tight, she said. I usually just trust my parents that everything is going to be O.K. But I looked up and I saw that my dad was closing his eyes, the water was getting in his eyes. And I just thought: He has absolutely no idea where we are going to go.

For a vast swath of southeast Texas, there may be more trouble in the days ahead. The National Weather Service said the storm was expected to linger for a number of days. It predicted an additional 15 to 25 inches of rainfall along the upper Texas coast and southwest Louisiana through Friday. The service also raised the possibility of 50 inches of total rainfall in some areas, exceeding previous Texas records.
When the president says, Make sure to hit the heads of people on the door of the police car, or pardons a sheriff accused of racial profiling, it redefines the law as just brute force, Mr. Waldman said.

Officials in the executive branch and in individual agencies have started to speak out with increasing, and surprising, frequency. A senior Justice Department official wrote a memo after Mr. Trumps Long Island speech, stating strongly that the agency does not condone brutality. So did several police departments across the country.

Mr. Trump, who spent his early adult years in the crime-ravaged, racially volatile crucible of New York City in the 1970s and 1980s, sees life through the prism of strength versus weakness. On Twitter, as Hurricane Harvey ravaged Texas, Mr. Trump said he had unleashed the force of federal aid. On Sunday morning, as the rains continued, the president tweeted an endorsement of a book by another hard-line law enforcement official accused of civil rights violations: Sheriff David A. Clarke of Milwaukee County, Wis., whom he called a great guy.

While Mr. Trump has spoken often of the significance of the rule of law, his actions have raised questions about his commitment to hallmarks of the American system like due process, equal protection under the law, independence of judicial proceedings from political considerations, and respect for orders from the courts.

I dont think you have to be a champion of it; all you need to do is comply with it, said Charles Fried, a Harvard Law School professor who was a solicitor general under President Ronald Reagan.

And he shows himself absolutely unwilling to respect it, Mr. Fried said, citing the pardon as a particular thumb in the eye of a judge. Its a use of authority specifically to undermine the only weapon that a judge has in this kind of ultimate confrontation.

The White House declined to address the criticisms on the record, but one official said the presidents actions on immigration enforcement, in particular, had re-established the rule of law instead of ignoring it, lifted the morale of the police, and restored the focus on combating illegal immigration to states instead of the federal government.
WASHINGTON  The Trump administration plans to reinstate in full a program that provides local police departments with military surplus equipment such as large-caliber weapons and grenade launchers, according to a document obtained by The New York Times.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is expected to announce the changes to the program on Monday when he speaks at a Fraternal Order of Police conference in Nashville. It was not immediately clear why Mr. Sessions would announce changes to a Pentagon program, but he has rolled back several Obama-era policing reforms and helped bolster the Trump administrations support among law enforcement.

President Barack Obama put limits on the program in 2015, when several high-profile cases of police officers killing black men inflamed tensions between law enforcement and local communities.

The shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014 by a white police officer triggered protests and a heavily armed police response that many in the community saw as unnecessary. Images of the police with sniper rifles on top of armored cars or wearing riot gear to watch over protests set off a debate about whether police departments had lost sight of their missions to serve and protect.
Parties in race to pick poll candidates

Three weeks before the September 18 polls in Province 2, the parties are yet to choose their candidates for the local councils in the eight Tarai districts. All the major partiesNepali Congress, CPN-UML, CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Rastriya Janata Party-Nepalare still in consultations to finalise their candidates.
HOUSTON  The rain had begun to fall again on Sunday afternoon when there was a roar over Interstate 610. A Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter was hovering overhead, a rescuer and a resident joined together by a harness and arms.

The men touched down in an emptied traffic lane. They unhooked from each other. Seconds later, the rescuer and his helicopter were off again.

And Robert Durbin, 33, was left to find his wife, Danielle, who had been airlifted in her pajamas minutes earlier. Shoeless, he ran through the parking lot that had sprung up on the interstate, searching, his eyes scanning the cars and vans. He soon found her in a television crews vehicle.

They had been on the roof of their home since about 8 a.m., and they expected all of their possessions, except those in the attic, would be lost. That was insane, Mr. Durbin said of his familys ordeal.
Heres how it works: An infrared camera scans the dancers outlines, 60 frames per second, even as they move, and transmits that information to a computer, which then projects images around the dancers. As Mr. Simkin explained during a recent rehearsal, the speed of the computer processing is crucial. If there is a lag, the brain sees it as a technological trick, he said. If there is no lag, as we can do it now, it is like magic, giving another layer to the movement  like a big dress, my father says.

Mr. Simkins father, Dmitrij, is the projects video designer. He has been concentrating on set and video design since retiring from his own career as a ballet dancer in 2007. A shared interest in dance and technology bonds father and son.

We live in fascinating times, said the younger Mr. Simkin. We have all these new technological tools, but we dont know how to use them yet. I want to see what is possible when you combine them with dance, if the sum can be greater than the parts.

Choreographing From Above

It is important to Daniil that the video be integrated and balanced with the dancing. Otherwise, it becomes gimmicky, he said.
After years of financial turbulence, and significant damage from Hurricane Sandy, the South Street Seaport Museum has received another substantial financial commitment from the City of New York: $4.5 million to stabilize and restore a 110-year-old lightship.

The museum, located on the lower tip of Manhattan on the East River, showcases the citys maritime history. In addition to galleries and educational spaces, it features an active fleet of five historic ships. The city paid $13 million for a restoration of the sailing ship Wavertree, which was completed last year, plus another $4.5 million to make the ship accessible. Now, New York is funding the restoration of the lightship Ambrose, which guided vessels into lower New York Bay between 1908 and 1932, a period of major immigration.

For millions of immigrants, Ambrose was the literal light of liberty, said Jonathan Boulware, executive director of the museum. Passing Ambrose lightship meant that youd arrived at Americas shores. Ambroses light was the beacon of liberty visible long before the Statue of Liberty.

There is also symbolic significance to the citys funding of this beleaguered museum. The museum has had major setbacks over the past decade: It struggled financially for years, resulting in staff layoffs, trustees resignations, and board members making personal loans to keep it afloat. Then, Hurricane Sandy hit hard. Six feet of oil-laced water surged into the lobby, the electrical system and computer network failed, and the museum was shuttered for nearly four years. It eventually received $10.4 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and reopened in 2016.
Season 3, Episode 16

Every week as I prepare to write about Twin Peaks, I pull up the shows Wikipedia page, so Ill have all the actors and characters names in front of me. That means each week I see the introduction to that page, which ends with a quote from Showtimes president, David Nevins, describing the 18-hour maxi-series as Agent Coopers odyssey back to Twin Peaks. Maybe thats why I havent been too concerned about how Kyle MacLachlans been stuck week after week playing the evil Mr. C and the addled Dougie Jones, instead of fast-talking, gung-ho lawman Dale Cooper.

That said, I cant pretend it wasnt incredibly satisfying to see Mr. MacLachlan this week as the real Cooper, snapping out of a coma in the hospital and proclaiming I am the F.B.I.! as the Twin Peaks theme song swelled. With two episodes left, mysteries galore are still left to be solved. Finally, Coop is back on the case.

This weeks episode felt remarkably full, though when broken down into its component parts, its actually one of the least eventful hours of the entire run. Its packed with significant moments, for sure  including Coopers reawakening, the long-awaited confession of the woman who may or not be Diane, the fairly arbitrary deaths of Chantal and Gary (Hutch) Hutchens, a potentially major revelation about Audrey Horne and Mr. C leading Richard Horne to his death. But compared with episodes that bounce among dozens of characters around the country, this chapters remarkably sparse.

Even the return of Cooper is handled fairly fleetly. After Dougie jabbed a dessert fork into a light socket in Part 15, he apparently lapsed into a coma and was taken to a hospital, where hes fussed over by his wife, Janey-E, his son Sonny Jim, his boss, Bushnell Mullins, and his mobbed-up benefactors, Bradley and Rodney Mitchum. Those benefactors have Candie, Mandie and Sandie bring the Jones family a tray of finger sandwiches; then later that same day, they serve the revived Coop coffee in a fancy glass mug, as they transport him to their private jet to whisk him to Washington. This all happens so fast that Dougie/Cooper barely has a chance to say goodbye to his family or to reassure the amoral Mitchums that you both have hearts of gold. Hes too much in a rush to leap back into the fight against evil.
Kristen Bell takes lessons in goodness when she accidentally finds herself in heaven in The Good Place. And Heston Blumenthals jaw-dropping meals come to the Cooking Channel.

Whats Streaming

THE GOOD PLACE on Netflix. This philosophical comedy from Michael Schur, co-creator of Parks and Recreation, conjures a world where a points-based system tallies a persons moral actions to determine their afterlife destination. Kristen Bell plays the egotistic Eleanor Shellstrop, who, after dying in a car crash, realizes she has mistakenly been sent to the good place instead of a virtuous woman with the same name. With no intention of leaving this la-la land (where swearing and hangovers are nonexistent), she works toward becoming a better person. Ms. Bell may not belong in heaven, James Poniewozik wrote in The New York Times, but its fun to watch her give it hell. Catch up on Season 1 before the next season begins on Sept. 20 on NBC.
Surprising absolutely no one, Captain America is to return to heroism this week after 15 months as the leader of Hydra, a Nazi-like organization.

The moment of truth comes in Issue No. 10 of Secret Empire, which will be released by Marvel Comics on Wednesday. The series has chronicled the Captains takeover of the United States and many of his former allies forming an underground resistance.
Lees code of gentlemanly conduct did not seem to apply to blacks. During the Gettysburg campaign, he did nothing to stop soldiers in his army from kidnapping free black farmers for sale into slavery. In Reconstruction, Lee made it clear that he opposed political rights for the former slaves. Referring to blacks (30 percent of Virginias population), he told a Congressional committee that he hoped the state could be rid of them. Urged to condemn the Ku Klux Klans terrorist violence, Lee remained silent.

By the time the Civil War ended, with the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis, deeply unpopular, Lee had become the embodiment of the Southern cause. A generation later, he was a national hero. The 1890s and early 20th century witnessed the consolidation of white supremacy in the post-Reconstruction South and widespread acceptance in the North of Southern racial attitudes. A revised view of history accompanied these developments, including the triumph of what David Blight, in his influential book Race and Reunion (2001), calls a reconciliationist memory of the Civil War. The war came to be seen as a conflict in which both sides consisted of brave men fighting for noble principles  union in the case of the North, self-determination on the part of the South. This vision was reinforced by the cult of Lincoln and Lee, each representing the noblest features of his society, each a figure Americans of all regions could look back on with pride. The memory of Lee, this newspaper wrote in 1890, was the possession of the American people.

Reconciliation excised slavery from a central role in the story, and the struggle for emancipation was now seen as a minor feature of the war. The Lost Cause, a romanticized vision of the Old South and Confederacy, gained adherents throughout the country. And who symbolized the Lost Cause more fully than Lee?

This outlook was also taken up by the Southern Agrarians, a group of writers who idealized the slave South as a bastion of manly virtue in contrast to the commercialism and individualism of the industrial North. At a time when traditional values appeared to be in retreat, character trumped political outlook, and character Lee had in spades. Frank Owsley, the most prominent historian among the Agrarians, called Lee the soldier who walked with God. (Many early biographies directly compared Lee and Christ.) Moreover, with the influx of millions of Catholics and Jews from southern and eastern Europe alarming many Americans, Lee seemed to stand for a society where people of Anglo-Saxon stock controlled affairs.

Historians in the first decades of the 20th century offered scholarly legitimacy to this interpretation of the past, which justified the abrogation of the constitutional rights of Southern black citizens. At Columbia University, William A. Dunning and his students portrayed the granting of black suffrage during Reconstruction as a tragic mistake. The Progressive historians  Charles Beard and his disciples  taught that politics reflected the clash of class interests, not ideological differences. The Civil War, Beard wrote, should be understood as a transfer of national power from an agricultural ruling class in the South to the industrial bourgeoisie of the North; he could tell the entire story without mentioning slavery except in a footnote. In the 1920s and 1930s, a group of mostly Southern historians known as the revisionists went further, insisting that slavery was a benign institution that would have died out peacefully. A blundering generation of politicians had stumbled into a needless war. But the true villains, as in Lees 1856 letter, were the abolitionists, whose reckless agitation poisoned sectional relations. This interpretation dominated teaching throughout the country, and reached a mass audience through films like The Birth of a Nation, which glorified the Klan, and Gone With the Wind, with its romantic depiction of slavery. The South, observers quipped, had lost the war but won the battle over its history.
There are several bookstores in the Orlando, Fla., area, but on Sept. 16, Kristen Arnett will celebrate the publication of her debut short-story collection, Felt in the Jaw, at her local 7-Eleven.

Arnett feels such affection for the franchise (or, as she called it in a recent email exchange, my convenience store second home) that it was her first thought as a venue to host a book party. I just stopped by like I normally do  which is often every other day  and asked if it would be something theyd consider, she said. And they said absolutely, yes. So that was a very easy part that I thought would take more work!

The store will remain open to the public while it holds the literary soiree (I presume its first, though if someone knows of another, please correct me). One of the things I really like about 7-Eleven is all the different kinds of people I meet there, Arnett said. So the idea that I could read and new people might come in while I do that is very cool and exciting to me. I like that its such a community space.

At 7 p.m. that night, Arnett said, she plans to read pretty promptly and then well just party a little at the 7-Eleven. The first round of Steel Reserve is on me!
The tone is at once adamant and intimate. This is a book that is spoken softly rather than screamed; and one senses that it took great personal discipline to be so. In fact, what is admirable is the extent to which Hansen implicates herself. She does this soberly and without self-pity. She is, to herself, independent but by no means innocent. The foreign country of the title is to be interpreted in different ways: as the writers adopted country, Turkey; as her homeland, America, made new and unfamiliar by the journey she has taken; and, perhaps most poignantly, as the existential place she finds herself in relation to the present and the history that has led to it. She takes James Baldwins words (he is as close as she gets to having a guide through this difficult landscape) and turns them on to herself, asking: I ran the plantations, and I owned the slaves, and I lashed the whip  for everything?

Strangely though, and as un-American as this book might seem, Notes on a Foreign Country is in fact a very American book. It is interested in personal transformation; it is both a record of conversion  Once you realize that the way you have looked at the world has been muddled, you begin a process of shedding layers of skin  and an optimistic attempt to convert. Because, as she writes, no one tells Americans that they will spend their first months abroad  feeling superior to everyone around them and to the nation in which they now have the privilege to live. Hansen wants to be the one to tell them.

The problem, however  and it is a problem to do with conversion  is that it is assumed that the question is one of persuasion. If only America were like Hansen: disquieted, self-analytic and imaginative. Perhaps, in other words, Americans know that they feel superior and are quite content with their superiority. Perhaps their naivete, if that is what it is, is not as deep as Hansen imagines; perhaps they are aware of the myth of themselves and have simply decided it is too useful a myth to give up. For as she herself notes, The largest existential threat to Americans might have been admitting the Afghans would be better off without them.

This is why Hansens book is as much a gesture of despair as it is an expression of confidence in her people, that once they see what she saw and learn what she learned they would be persuaded. It is also an attempt at redemption  a word that appears in the final sentence of the book  for just like the Americans she criticizes, those who travel the world seeing nothing but themselves, Hansen too at times slips into a consciousness that looks at other countries in order to diagnose Americas perversions, as though part of her purpose is not only to show but also demonstrate how, if you are fated to be American, everything, including your well-intentioned desire to see the world clearly, will most likely lead you back home.
1. Pounding rains and rapidly rising floodwaters from the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. in a decade have brought Houston, the countrys fourth largest city, to its knees.

The region looks like an inland sea after Hurricane Harvey, and officials fear the worst is yet to come. Nearly two feet of rain is still expected. An enormous and frantic rescue operation is underway. The toll  at least 10 dead  is almost certain to rise. President Trump plans to visit Texas on Tuesday.
Sarlahi flood survivors compelled to live under tents

Floods triggered by incessant rainfall washed away the house of Mahendra Mahara, 71, of Ram Nagar Rural Municipality-7 of Sarlahi district.
The Amazon vortex wont suck in everyone. Thats the verdict of investors in the retail sector.

Among potential competitors to the e-commerce juggernaut founded by Jeff Bezos, some  including Ross Stores, Home Depot and AutoZone  may have the wherewithal to withstand Amazon. The market is conferring on them valuations commensurate with, or better than, the one accorded to Amazon.

Amazon is already wreaking damage on the shopping landscape. And that will intensify with the completion of its $13.4 billion purchase of Whole Foods this week. Amazon pledged to lower prices and put an end to its reputation as Whole Paycheck, crushing shares in competing grocers last week.

But not all chains selling stuff to consumers are equally in the path of destruction. E-commerce sales made up 9 percent, or some $111 billion, of total retail sales tallying $1.3 trillion in the second quarter, according to the United States Census Bureau. In that same time, Amazon notched $22 billion in North American revenue, suggesting there are still plenty of dollars to fight over.

True, investors are betting Amazon will emerge with lots of them. They value its equity and debt at about 1.5 times projected 2020 revenue of nearly $300 billion, Thomson Reuters Eikon data show. Yet Home Depot bests Amazon at 1.8 times projected sales. That may reflect the fact that 40 percent of its online sales are picked up at more than 2,200 stores, giving it a potentially defensible mix of e-commerce and bricks and mortar.
After months without a chief executive, Uber finally has a new leader: Dara Khosrowshahi of Expedia, according to people with knowledge of the decision. He emerged as the dark horse candidate after weeks of speculation that two better-known names, Meg Whitman of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Jeffrey R. Immelt of General Electric, were the leading candidates.

Here are some behind-the-scenes nuggets on how Mr. Khosrowshahi was chosen:

 Mr. Immelt, considered the front-runner by some last week, didnt have enough support from the Uber board. He was the preferred candidate of Travis Kalanick, who was removed as C.E.O. in June but who remained on the board.

 Ms. Whitman, who had been favored by much of the board, couldnt come to an agreement on terms like what role Mr. Kalanick would play at the company. She had the support of Benchmark, the big venture capital firm that helped lead the removal of Mr. Kalanick.

 Mr. Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Expedia since 2005, has plenty of experience at a digital company immersed in the business of moving people around. He was ultimately the truce candidate.
The Hills menu will also include plenty of vegetables and meat, as well as game birds, venison and boar in the fall. Mr. Pollinger said the restaurant would have the simple, warm look of a farmhouse, with no tablecloths in the dining room. Im not looking to recreate a New York City restaurant in the suburbs, he said.

Farther south, in Jersey City, the chef Leah Cohen will open her second restaurant, Piggyback Bar, with her husband and partner, Ben Byruch. Much as she did at her Manhattan restaurant Pig & Khao, Ms. Cohen plans to draw on flavors from all over Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, where her mother comes from.

But at Piggyback Bar, she will package these flavors loosely and casually, in yellow curry crab cakes, mapo chili dogs and pulled pork sandwiches served with kimchi. Many of the dishes will be ideal for accompanying several rounds of drinks. A team from the Lower East Side bar Black Crescent will be in charge of those.
The companies that the F.D.A. cited have been performing liposuction to remove belly fat from patients, extracting stem cells and then injecting those cells back into the patients to treat various ailments.

On Friday, the agency said, federal marshals seized 500 doses of live Vaccinia virus vaccine for smallpox belonging to StemImmune Inc., a San Diego firm that develops stem cell-based immunotherapies for cancer. The raid came after the F.D.A. learned that the vaccine was being used to create an unapproved stem cell product, a combination of excess amounts of vaccine and stem cells derived from body fat, which was then administered to cancer patients with potentially compromised immune systems.

The F.D.A. said patients at the California Stem Cell Treatment Centers in Rancho Mirage and Beverly Hills, Calif., received the treatment made with the smallpox vaccine. It also said it had serious concerns about how StemImmune obtained the vaccine for use in an unapproved and potentially dangerous treatment.

StemImmune obtained at least some of the vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to Thomas Skinner, a C.D.C. spokesman. In its request, the company said it was conducting cancer research involving the vaccinia virus, and needed to vaccinate researchers  a seemingly legitimate reason. The company did not tell the C.D.C. that it was going to inject the vaccine into patients, he said.

A statement from StemImmune said the company had lawfully obtained the drug.

The F.D.A. also issued a warning letter to U.S. Stem Cell, a private clinic in Sunrise, Fla. The company was the subject of a March report in The New England Journal of Medicine, describing how one woman went blind and two others suffered severe, permanent eye damage after being given shots of stem cells, extracted from fat, into their eyes.
Here are a few of the much-anticipated highlights of the 74th Venice International Film Festival  a mix of big and small films, beginning with the one that will be shown on opening night.

Downsizing

Alexander Payne, the director of Nebraska and Sideways, takes on a science fiction premise about the problem of overpopulation. Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig star as a couple who join a project to miniaturize humans and as a result take up less space on the planet. Mr. Paynes pedigree promises a dramatic focus on the characters rather than on novelty computer-generated imagery (or C.G.I.)  though micro-Damons do appear likely.

Zama

Argentinas Lucrecia Martel emerged as a leading auteur in the 2000s with The Holy Girl and The Headless Woman, but cinephiles have had to wait nearly a decade for her next feature. Set in colonial-era South America, Ms. Martels first historical drama adapts the beguiling 1956 novel Zama by the Argentine author Antonio di Benedetto. The story centers on a frustrated official of the Spanish empire who is marooned in a dead-end post  a scenario ripe for Ms. Martels visually innovative brand of psychodrama.
It promised a new way of bike riding in New York City  GPS-tracked smart bikes that would rent for as little as $1 and did not have to be picked up or returned to fixed locations.

But before it could even start, the company that operates the bikes, Spin, canceled a demonstration project in the Rockaways in Queens after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from city transportation officials. A news conference to welcome the neon-orange Spin bikes instead became a rally to bring them to the beachside community complete with ceremonial rides along the boardwalk.

Spins unsuccessful effort comes as a new generation of tech-savvy bike companies are vying to make riding less expensive and more convenient, competing with more established bike-share programs in the process. Instead of heading to a docking station full of bikes, riders tap a mobile app to locate the closest bicycle left by a previous rider on a street or sidewalk, or in another public space. They typically scan a code on the bikes or punch in numbers to unlock the rear wheels. Once riders get where they are going, they find a place to park the bike, and lock the wheels again to deter theft.

These so-called dockless bike programs aim to let customers ride on their own terms, and are similar to the flexible car-sharing program car2go, which allows drivers to leave cars where they can find on-street parking within an operating area. The dockless bikes can be rolled out more quickly and easily than bike-share systems that rely on a network of docking stations, which are expensive to build and take up valuable street and parking space. In Dallas, which had struggled for years to fund a bike-share system, there are now about 300 dockless bikes.
Thapa moves SC against legality of Ranas party

Chairman of the Rastriya Prajatantra Party Kamal Thapa on Sunday filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court, demanding that the Election Commissions decision to register RPP (Prajatantrik) be scrapped.
Will continue push for amendments: PM

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has reiterated that he would continue to push for constitutional amendments.
Pounding rains and rapidly rising floodwaters caused by Hurricane Harvey inundated the city of Houston, a metropolitan area of 6.6 million. The storm made landfall late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane and has dropped record levels of rain on the city.

Dramatic rescues unfolded across the city.

Thousands of requests for help had been submitted to local rescue groups as of Tuesday evening. The groups use the requests to dispatch boats to people who need assistance, said Melissa Wynn Adair, co-founder of the Texas Navy, one of the rescue groups.

Rescue request Creek Cypress Lake Houston Addicks Reservoir HOUSTON Buffalo Barker Reservoir Bayou Galveston Bay Lake Houston Addicks Reservoir HOUSTON Barker Reservoir Galveston Bay HOUSTON Source: Google

Thousands were in shelters.

Shelter populations grew through Wednesday morning, with the George R. Brown Convention Center holding the most people by far. Others were in schools and churches that housed anywhere from a dozen to several hundred people.

Cypress Ranch High School 1,000 people M.O. Campbell Education Center 2,000 people HOUSTON Bay Harbour United Methodist Church 505 people George R. Brown Convention Center 7,550 people 10 MILES M.O. Campbell Education Center 2,000 people Cypress Ranch High School 1,000 people Bay Harbour United Methodist Church 505 people HOUSTON George R. Brown Convention Center 7,550 people 10 MILES Cypress Ranch High School 1,000 people M.O. Campbell Education Center 2,000 people HOUSTON George R. Brown Convention Center 7,550 people 10 MILES Cypress Ranch High School 1,000 people M.O. Campbell Education Center 2,000 people HOUSTON George R. Brown Convention Center 7,550 people Bay Harbour United Methodist Church 505 people Galveston Bay 10 MILES Source: Texas Department of Public Safety

Water channels throughout the city overflowed.

Many of the bayous, flood channels and rivers around the city were well above the top of the water bank as of 4 p.m. Central time on Monday.

Overflowed Nearly overflowed Contained Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Barker Reservoir Galveston Bay 10 MILES Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Barker Reservoir 10 MILES HOUSTON 10 MILES Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Barker Reservoir Galveston Bay 10 MILES Source: Harris County Flood Control District

Roadways flooded.

Rising waters closed major roads, frontage lanes and exits.

High-water incidents Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Barker Reservoir Galveston Bay 10 MILES Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Barker Reservoir 10 MILES HOUSTON 10 MILES Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Barker Reservoir Galveston Bay 10 MILES Source: Houston TranStar, as of 3:15 p.m. Aug. 28.

And infrastructure was shut down.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport W Lake Houston Northeast Water Purification Plant W HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir W W Barker Reservoir ExxonMobil Baytown refinery W Royal Dutch Shell refinery W Ben Taub Hospital W Bayshore Medical Center W William P. Hobby Airport W Southeast Water Purification Plant W Galveston Bay 10 MILES George Bush Intercontinental Airport W Lake Houston W Water plant HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Oil refinery W W Barker Reservoir W W Hospital Medical center W Oil refinery W W Airport W Water plant 10 MILES George Bush Intercontinental Airport W Water plant W HOUSTON Oil refinery W Reservoirs W W Medical center W Hospital W Oil refinery W W W Airport Water plant 10 MILES

Reservoirs filled to capacity The Army Corps of Engineers began a controlled water release from the Addicks and Barker reservoirs into Buffalo Bayou early Monday. A voluntary evacuation order was put in place for adjacent residential areas. Hospital patients evacuated Bayshore Medical Center in Pasadena transferred almost 200 patients to nearby facilities and suspended its 24-hour emergency services on Sunday. Floodwaters have prevented rescuers from reaching patients at Ben Taub Hospital. Major airports shut down The storm halted nearly all operations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, with flooding of the surrounding roads. William P. Hobby Airport also ceased all commercial flights Sunday morning. Water plants not functioning Mayor Sylvester Turner said that Houstons Northeast Water Purification Plant was completely submerged as of 6 p.m. Sunday and that the Southeast Water Purification Plant was operating at 5 percent production. Oil and gas facilities closed ExxonMobil shut down operations at its Baytown refinery because of flooding and Royal Dutch Shell closed a large refining facility at Deer Park.

While Houston is growing and vibrant economically, it is divided.

The west and south sections of the city, along Brays and Buffalo Bayous, are prosperous. The east, along the ship channel toward Pasadena, and north are poorer.

Median household income $20k $35k $50k $75k $100k $150k

Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Barker Reservoir Brays Bayou Galveston Bay 10 MILES Lake Houston HOUSTON Addicks Reservoir Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Barker Reservoir Brays Bayou 10 MILES HOUSTON Buffalo Bayou Ship Channel Brays Bayou 10 MILES Source: socialexplorer.com
"-

"-Inequality doesn't appear to soften at all. Not locally and not globally. Rather it grows and deepens. In consequence, the probability of massive class conflict seems inescapable. Who will likely win a war of Haves versus Have-Nots? Can Haves easily annihilate "inconvenient" Have-Nots, as they did in the past? Is supporting oligarchy, therefore, a reasonable tactic of survival for some? White-skinned right-wingers think so. What about white-skinned left-wingers?

Ideologically, U.S. progressives oppose policy makers' inhumanity. Does their moral sense include enough courage to risk the latters' wrath? Does it outweigh awareness that left-wingers can be safe-if-white so long as their discord stays within certain boundaries? As benefactors of victimized others, rather than victims themselves, will they stay the course?

Flipping the coin, what if growing evidence reveals that Haves can no longer crush Have-Nots without suffering devastating blowback? What if the next war's likeliest outcome is a world in chaos? Not the world depicted in 1984 or Brave New World or The Hunger Games, but in The Road Warrior and The Road? Would rational fear of such an outcome strengthen left-wing activism? Are people more likely to risk body and soul when both are at risk? Might right-wingers, so aware, reconsider their commitment to oligarchy?

This issue was raised at a Historians Against the War (HAW) conference in Austin, Texas, in 2006. Keynote speaker Howard Zinn passionately described the moral imperatives confronting U.S. citizens in light of the Bush administration's reckless foreign policy. "We must rise up and put an end to regime outrages," he implored. "We must acknowledge that these outrages have been occurring for much longer than the last six years... We must finally become the nation our ideology says we are."

During the discussion period, the question arose whether U.S. citizens' failure to rise to this challenge implied more than the destruction of innocent people. If we-the-people simply continued to watch reality television and shop at malls while our bullies beat up the have-nots of the world and muscled aside our own allies when they objected, would we hardly notice the consequences? Or might we all experience the effects of effective reaction such as Chalmers Johnson described in his highly regarded analysis Blowback (2000), and Noam Chomsky warned of in Hegemony or Survival (2003). Were we to understand that citizen action was a moral necessity, but not necessarily a physical one?

"-"-Many felt that the United States possessed overwhelming military power. Without public constraint of it the nation's leaders would wreak havoc upon others at will, and the public must shoulder full moral blame for this travesty. Many also agreed that the question of possibly serious blowback effects was hardly a fringe hypothesis. If presented to the public it might motivate more citizens to support the HAW position than a plea only to their humanitarianism.

Evidence mentioned in support of focusing the issue were (1) a 2001 New York Times article described U.S. vulnerability to terrorist attacks employing lethal biologicals such as anthrax, plague, botulinum, Q fever, eastern equine encephalitis, yellow fever, and Marburg virus. (2) The Hart-Rudman Senate Foreign Relations Committee Task Force on Homeland Security report of October 25, 2002, which had described the nation's great and probably un-reducible vulnerability to small nuclear devices of various kinds smuggled into the country for similar kinds of attacks. (3) The New York Times lead editorial of February 20, 2005, which found it striking "how much has not changed in the three and a half years since nearly 3,000 people were killed on American soil. The nation's chemical plants are still a horrific accident waiting to happen. Nuclear material that could be made into a 'dirty bomb' or even a nuclear device, and set off in an American city remains too accessible to terrorists. Critical tasks, from inspecting shipping containers to upgrading defenses against biological weapons, are being done poorly or not at all." (4) A February, 2006 Scientific American article, just a month prior to the conference, titled "Thwarting Nuclear Terrorism," which reinforced the NY Times report. It described how High-Energy Uranium (HEU) was abundant and readily available to terrorist organizations that might wish to make use of it.

At one point a panelist cited data indicating that about half the U.S. public seemed to support the war at least passively. Another participant felt certain that whether U.S. policy makers could successfully dominate and obliterate others was an important, rarely stated question on the lips of most citizens, issues of ethics and morality aside. Few at the conference disagreed with this proposition but many felt that given the Bush administration's efforts to characterize its victims as evil and dangerous, and the public's susceptibility to such misdirection and propaganda, it was advisable not to focus this issue now.

Next Page 1 | 2

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
The border dispute between China and India ended Monday (August 28, 2017) as India agreed to China's demand to pull out troops from the disputed Doklam territory.

India said on Monday it had agreed with China to pull back troops to end a months-long face-off along a disputed Himalayan region.

A statement issued by external-affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the "expeditious disengagement of border personnel" that both sides had agreed on had "been almost completed under verification".

Kumar said the two sides had diplomatic exchanges in recent weeks over the situation on Doklam plateau in the eastern Himalayas that allowed them "to express our views and convey our concerns and interests".

Spokesperson Kumar noted that the two sides had agreed on the margins of the SCO Summit in June that "differences should not be allowed to become disputes and that India-China relations must remain stable.

"Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected," he added.

Chinese statement

Soon after India announced the disengagement, the Chinese foreign ministry said, "Chinese personnel on the ground have verified" that Indian forces withdrew to their side of the border on Monday afternoon.

"In the light of the changes of the situation on the ground, China will make necessary adjustment and deployment," China's foreign-ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing.

Chinese forces will continue to patrol Doklam - a region disputed between Bhutan and China - to exercise the country's sovereignty and uphold territorial integrity, she said.

China had repeatedly said India must withdraw its troops before any proper negotiation takes place. India said both sides should withdraw their forces together.

Withdrawal of Indian troops from the disputed territory puts a lid on one of the most serious disputes between the nuclear-armed neighbors who share a 3,500-km mountain frontier that remains undemarcated in most places, Hindustan Times said, adding: "It came days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to China to attend a summit of BRICS, a grouping that also includes Brazil, Russia and South Africa."

Speaking from China's capital, Beijing, Al Jazeera's Adrian Brown said that the "high-stakes, high-altitude problem" was over for now. "This dispute has been going on for 55 years but China is making it clear that it is not giving up its historical claims," he said. "It says it wants to work with India to maintain peace but it said India must respect China's historical borders."

China-India border Standoff

India and China have been locked in a standoff over the Doklam plateau for over two months now.

The dispute began in June, when Indian soldiers stopped Chinese troops from constructing a road in the border region. India claimed the construction in the region will seriously affect the security in the tri-junction and the sensitive Chicken Neck that connects the northeast with mainland India.

Next Page 1 | 2

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

House Speaker Paul Ryan does not hold traditional town-hall meetings. The Wisconsin Republican is so frightened by his constituents that he now opts for restricted events where the questioners and the questions are screened. But the frustration with Ryan has grown so great that the restrictions are no longer sufficient to shield this political careerist from scrutiny.

When Ryan participated in a "CNN Town Hall" last week, the questioners from Racine and other communities in his district asked tough questions, as did moderator Jake Tapper.

One line of questioning was particularly devastating -- as it revealed Ryan's startling ignorance regarding not just poverty but the anti-poverty programs he seeks to diminish and dismantle.

It came from a local nun and retired educator and school principal, Sinsinawa Dominican Sister Erica Jordan:

"Good evening, Mr. Speaker. I know that you're Catholic, as am I, and it seems to me that most of the Republicans in the Congress are not willing to stand with the poor and working class as evidenced in the recent debates about health care and the anticipated tax reform. So I'd like to ask you how you see yourself upholding the church's social teaching that has the idea that God is always on the side of the poor and dispossessed, as should we be."

Ryan answered with a spew of right-wing talking points about how historic anti-poverty programs have supposedly failed.

"The status quo isn't working, Sister, and what I think we need to do is change our approach on fighting poverty instead of measuring success based on how much money we spend or how many programs we create or how many people are on those programs, you know, measuring on inputs. Let's measure success in poverty on outcomes. Is it working? Are people getting out of poverty?"

To bolster his claim, Ryan announced that "we're in the 32nd year of the war on poverty. Trillions spent, and guess what? Our poverty rates are about the same as they were when we started this war on poverty 32 years ago."

Click Here to Read Whole Article
A proclamation of September as Voting Rights Month, so close to this day that commemorates MLK's "I have a dream" speech 54 years ago, will be issued soon, along with a calendar of relevant events for next month.

A mid-month (September 13) press conference at the National Press Club at 11 am will discuss the newly formed Commission for Voter Justice, whose purpose is, according to the Transformative Justice Coalition's executive director Barbara Arnwine, "to put out to the public the truth about voter suppression countering the narrative of Trump's 'Election Integrity Commission'" (EIC). EIC's charter goal is to prove that the nearly 3 million popular votes won by HRC in excess of Trump's score were fraudulent. Shades of Tammany Hall? Now it's Boss Trump calling the shots.

At the request of Rev. Jesse Jackson, Arnwine will co-chair the newer commission.

In addition to Rep. Terry Sewell (D-AL) and Sen. Patrick Leahy's (D-VT) bill to revive section 5 of the VRA (click here), gutted in 2013 by the killer SCOTUS decision Shelby County v Holder, Rep. Marc Veasey's (D-TX) newer bill, HR 3029, "Combating the President's Voter Suppression Commission Act" (see .congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3029), will reverse Trump's holocaust of voting rights (Trump's cabal plans to establish a national proof-of-citizenship requirement, to be announced soon). The goal is to defund the "EIC" by "taking over the national media" next month.

"It will be ugly," said Arnwine; the worst talking points will be exposed for the deceptions they are attempting to plant as fake news/alt-reality in this county.

In other, more positive news, the governor of Illinois, Bruce Rauner, has signed legislation to establish automatic voter registration there, the tenth state to complete this action that Oregon pioneered last year with great success. Millions more voters will be registered, said Arnwine; the largest group of voters in this country are the unregistered and nonvoters. She plans to publish a fact sheet on voter suppression, detailing the 20+ forms it takes, along with a brochure that amplifies this discussion. In Oregon, the voter turnout is now 70 percent, she said.

It is unfortunate that the Democrats are so focused on Russian intervention in Election 2016 when in fact domestic skullduggery has so corrupted voting results at every level from municipality to federal for so long. A few federal legislators in high positions sympathize with the dirge we have been singing for decades. It is up to them to join in for everyone's sake--everyone's whether they know it or not.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is more sympathetic to this fact and is one of the federal legislators whose assistance will be enlisted this month to support Sewell's new bill. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has announced efforts to dismantle the EIC by designating the Anti-Vote Suppression Act as "must pass" by legislators in the Senate. Let's hope for a good outcome, for "election integrity" not to lose its original meaning in the hands of the present miasma, so well materialized by Hurricane Harvey.

Join us.
From Paul Craig Roberts Website

We don't need no stinkin' facts



Truth versus Lies

(Image by pixabay.com) Details DMCA



In the United States, facts, an important element of truth, are not important. They are not important in the media, politics, universities, historical explanations, or the courtroom. Non-factual explanations of the collapse of three World Trade Center buildings are served up as the official explanation. Facts have been politicized, emotionalized, weaponized and simply ignored. As David Irving has shown, Anglo-American histories of World War 2 are, for the most part, feel-good histories, as are "civil war" histories as Thomas DiLorenzo and others have demonstrated. Of course, they are feel good only for the victors. Their emotional purpose means that inconvenient facts are unpalatable and ignored.

Writing the truth is no way to succeed as an author. Only a small percentage of readers are interested in the truth. Most want their biases or brainwashing vindicated. They want to read what they already believe. It is comforting, reassuring. When their ignorance is confronted, they become angry. The way to be successful as a writer is to pick a group and give them what they want. There is always a market for romance novels and for histories that uphold a country's myths. On the Internet successful sites are those that play to one ideology or another, to one emotion or the other, or to one interest group or another. The single rule for success is to confine truth to what the readership group you serve believes.

Karl Marx said that there were only class truths. Today we have a large variety of truths: truths for feminists, truths for blacks, Muslims, Hispanics, homosexuals, transgendered, truths for the foreign policy community that serves the military/security complex, truths for the neocons, truths for the One Percent that control the economy and the economists who serve them, truths for "white supremacists," itself a truth term for their opponents. You can add to the list. The "truth" in these "truths" is that they are self-serving of the group that expresses them. Their actual relation to truth is of no consequence to those espousing the "truths."

Woe to you if you don't go along with someone's or some group's truth. Not even famous film-maker Oliver Stone is immune. Recently, Stone expressed his frustration with the "False Flag War Against Russia." Little doubt that Stone is frustrated with taunts and accusations from completely ignorant media talking heads in response to his documentary, Putin, based on many hours of interviews over two years. Stone came under fire, because instead of demonizing Putin and Russia, thus confirming the official story, he showed us glimpses of the truth.

The organization, Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity, published a report that completely destroyed the false accusations about Trump/Russian hacking of the US presidential election. The Nation published an objective article about the report and was assaulted by writers, contributors, and readers for publishing information that weakens the case, which the liberal/progressive/left in conjunction with the military/security complex, is orchestrating against Trump. The magazine's audience felt that the magazine had an obligation not to truth but to getting Trump out of office. Reportedly, the editor is considering whether to recall the article.

So here we have left-leaning Oliver Stone and left-wing magazine, The Nation, under fire for making information available that is out of step with the self-serving "truth" to which the liberal/progressive/left and their ally, the military/security complex, are committed.

When a country has a population among whom there are no truths except group-specific truths, the country is so divided as to be over and done with. "A house divided against itself cannot stand." The white liberal/progressive/left leaders of divisive Identity Politics have little, if any, comprehension of where the movement they think they lead is headed. At the moment the hate is focused on the "alt-right," which has become "white nationalists," which has become "white supremacists." These "white supremacists" have become epitomized by statues of Confederate soldiers and generals. All over the South, if local governments are not removing the statues, violent crazed thugs consumed by hate attempt to destroy them. In New Orleans someone with money bused in thugs from outside flying banners that apparently are derived from a communist flag to confront locals protesting the departure of their history down the Orwellian Memory Hole.

What happens when all the monuments are gone? Where does the hate turn next? Once non-whites are taught to hate whites, not even self-hating whites are safe. How do those taught hate tell a good white from a bad white? They can't and they won't. By definition by Identity Politics, whites, for now white heterosexual males, are the victimizers and everyone else is their victim. The absurdity of this concept is apparent, yet the concept is unshaken by its absurdity. White heterosexual males are the only ones without the privilege of quotas. They and only they can be put at the back of the bus for university admissions, employment, promotion, and only their speech is regulated. They, and only they, can be fired for using "gender specific terms," for using race specific terms, for unknowingly offending some preferred group member by using a word that is no longer permissible. They can be called every name in the book, beginning with racist, misogynist, and escalating, and no one is punished for the offense.

Recently, a professor in the business school of a major university told me that he used the word, girls, in a marketing discussion. A young womyn was offended. The result was he received a dressing-down from the dean. Another professor told me that at his university there was a growing list of blacklisted words. It wasn't clear whether the list was official or unofficial, simply professors trying to stay up with Identity Politics and avoid words that could lead to their dismissal. Power, they tell me, is elsewhere than in the white male, the true victimized class.

For years commentators have recognized the shrinking arena of free speech in the United States. Any speech that offends anyone but a white male can be curtailed by punishment. Recently, John Whitehead, constitutional attorney who heads the Rutherford Institute, wrote that it is now dangerous just to defend free speech. Reference to the First Amendment suffices to bring denunciation and threats of violence. Ron Unz notes that any website that can be demonized as "controversial" can find itself disappeared by Internet companies and PayPal. They simply terminate free speech by cutting off service.

It must be difficult to teach some subjects, such as the "civil war" for example. How would it be possible to describe the actual facts? For example, for decades prior to the Union's invasion of the Confederacy, North/South political conflict was over tariffs, not over slavery.

The fight over which new states created from former "Indian" territories would be "slave" and which "free" was a fight over keeping the protectionist (North) vs. free trade (South) balance in Congress equal so that the budding industrial north could not impose a tariff regime. Two days before Lincoln's inaugural address, a stiff tariff was signed into law. That same day in an effort to have the South accept the tariff and remain in or return to the Union -- some southern states had seceded, some had not -- Congress passed the Corwin amendment that provided constitutional protection to slavery. The amendment prohibited the federal government from abolishing slavery.

Two days later in his inaugural address, which seems to be aimed at the South, Lincoln said: "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."

Next Page 1 | 2

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

By BruinKid

Oh my, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's daughter recently ripped Trump a new one over his transgender military ban.

"Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's daughter Jennifer Detlefsen, who is a Navy veteran, sharply criticized the proposal, calling the president a "disgrace," the Billings Gazette reported Friday. ... "'This man is a disgrace. I've tried to keep politics out of my social media feed as much as possible, but this is inexcusable,' read her post on July 26, which still appeared online on Saturday. "'This veteran says sit down and shut the f--k up, you know-nothing, never-served piece of s--t,' she added."

From The Missoulian, more on her Navy background:

"Detlefsen served in the Navy as a Deep Sea Diving Medical Technician and later as a High Risk Instructor of an explosive ordnance disposal training unit. She had worked at Special Operations for America, a military-focused super political action committee founded by Zinke, doing digital consulting and social media work, according to filings with the Federal Elections Commission. "Detlefsen now is a Virginia-based glass artist 'bound by themes of masculine/feminine dichotomy, double standards, motherhood, and literature's impact on gender roles.'"

Here is the Instagram post, which is still up. Her full unedited quote:

"This man is a disgrace. I've tried to keep politics out of my social media feed as much as possible, but this is inexcusable. This veteran says sit down and shut the f*ck up, you know nothing, never-served piece of sh*t. #itmfa #wtf

For those who don't know, #ITMFA stands for "Impeach the motherf*cker Already." She also responded to a Trump supporter attacking her on her Instagram post:

"You served. So did I. You have your opinion. So do I. I am disgusted that a Commander In Chief would so callously disregard the service and sacrifice of the thousands of transgender soldiers, sailors and airmen already putting their lives on the line for our county. And you can take your machismo posturing elsewhere. I'm not afraid of you or your threats."

Thanksgiving may be a bit awkward at the Zinke household this year.
Quicklink Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their quicklinks after publishing them.



To see if the quicklink was renamed or re-published, please click here.
Progressive Content Not Found

Sometimes, authors delete their progressive content after publishing.



To see if the progressive content was renamed or re-published, please click here.
Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.

--Lincoln, Message to Congress, December 3, 1861



Labor Day Fireworks

(Image by 5chw4r7z) Details DMCA



According to the Department of Labor's website, "Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers." In other words, it's a tribute to the contribution of organized labor.

However, when we reflect on the history and present state of American labor, it's hard to find cause for celebration. The percentage of workers belonging to unions has declined from its 1945 peak of 35.4% to just 6.4% of the private sector in 2016.

Congress made Labor Day a national holiday in 1894, in an effort to pacify American workers after President Grover Cleveland sent 12,000 troops to suppress a national strike against Pullman by the American Railway Union. As noted labor historian G. William Domhoff tells us in Who Rules America, "After 1877 American labor relations were the most violent in the Western world with the exception of Russia."

Violent suppression of unions continued well into the 20th century. Employers often supplemented regular state and local police with deputized company guards, private detective agencies, and goon squads. One infamous example of this unrelenting assault is the Ludlow Massacre of 1914, in which Baldwin Felts agents machine-gunned and burned the tent colony occupied by striking miners and their families. They killed around 24 people, including women and children.

Why do workers want to form unions? The reasons are obvious. They want to be treated in the workplace with the same respect that the Constitution accords them as citizens. Even when they don't own their workplaces, they want safe working conditions, reasonable working hours, and the ability to resist what they see as arbitrary employer decisions such as sudden layoffs, firings and steep wage cuts.

With the passage of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) of 1935, it seemed that at long last the federal government would uphold workers' right to form unions: "Employees shall have the right. . . to form, join, or assist labor organizations, to bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and to engage in other concerted activities [incl. strikes] for the purpose of collective bargaining" (NLRA Sec. 7). Employers were prohibited from interfering with union organizing and elections, from retaliation against employees engaged in union activities, and from refusing to bargain in good faith. Labor's promised land seemed to stretch ahead.

Of course, the broad language in the NLRA's regulations governing union and employer interaction needed to be interpreted and applied to specific situations. For this purpose, the Act established a kind of court system--the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)--to deal with complaints by unions and employers.

The NLRB has five members, nominated for five-year terms by the president and confirmed by the Senate. Moreover, its rulings can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. So the degree to which NLRB rulings will be pro-labor and survive court challenges greatly depends on the political orientation of NLRB and Supreme Court appointees.

Although precedent plays an important role in Supreme Court decisions, at the NLRB "Precedent means nothing. It totally switches back and forth now," says Nelson Lichtenstein, a professor of labor history at the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a result, labor's gains from NLRB rulings have been unstable and frequently reversed by pro-business majorities.

In 1947 the labor movement suffered a major legislative defeat with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act by a Republican Congress (overriding President Truman's veto). This law seriously weakened the prolabor features of the NLRA. It permitted states to enact so-called right-to-work (RTW) laws prohibiting union contracts that require employees to pay union dues as a condition of continued employment.

RTW laws invite employees to be 'free riders,' benefitting from union representation while not paying dues. As more employees refuse to pay union dues, the cost of the union's function is born by fewer employees, and the dues have to be increased. This results in even fewer dues-paying members--a death spiral for the union.

For the same reasons, RTW laws block union expansion by reducing funds for organizing and recruiting. After Michigan Republicans passed an RTW law in 2012," the headcount of union members in Michigan fell by 48,000, even as the workforce grew by 44,000" (Detroit News, 1/23/15). Thanks to the steady increase in GOP-controlled state governments, there are now 28 right-to-work states, nine by constitutional amendment.

Gone are the days when American employers would turn out police and goon squads to intimidate workers trying to unionize. Now, as soon as employers detect evidence of union activity, they turn to one of many firms in the multi-billion dollar union-busting business.

The recent failure of the United Auto Workers' 12-year campaign to unionize the Nissan plant in Canton, Mississippi provides a good example of union-busting tactics and the ineffectiveness of the NLRB. As Chris Brooks of Labor Notes reports:

Next Page 1 | 2

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



(Image by (Mr. Fish / Truthdig) Details DMCA



Editor's note: A Berkeley, Calif., rally organized by a right-wing group turned violent Sunday after arrival of a group that carried an anarchist banner.

Behind the rhetoric of the "alt-right" about white nativism and protecting American traditions, history and Christian values is the lust for violence. Behind the rhetoric of antifa, the Black Bloc and the so-called "alt-left" about capitalism, racism, state repression and corporate power is the same lust for violence.

The two opposing groups, largely made up of people who have been cast aside by the cruelty of corporate capitalism, have embraced holy war. Their lives, battered by economic misery and social marginalization, have suddenly been filled with meaning. They hold themselves up as the vanguard of the oppressed. They arrogate to themselves the right to use force to silence those they define as the enemy. They sanctify anger. They are infected with the dark, adrenaline-driven urge for confrontation that arises among the disenfranchised when a democracy ceases to function. They are separated, as Sigmund Freud wrote of those who engage in fratricide, by the "narcissism of minor differences." They mirror each other, not only ideologically but also physically -- armed and dressed in black, the color of fascism and the color of death.

It was inevitable that we would reach this point. The corporate state has seized and corrupted all democratic institutions, including the two main political parties, to serve the interests of corporate power and maximize global corporate profits. There is no justice in the courts. There is no possibility for reform in the legislative bodies. The executive branch is a dysfunctional mess headed by a narcissistic kleptocrat, con artist and pathological liar. Money has replaced the vote. The consent of the governed is a joke. Our most basic constitutional rights, including the rights to privacy and due process, have been taken from us by judicial fiat.

The economically marginalized, now a majority of the country, have been rendered invisible by a corporate media dominated by highly paid courtiers spewing out meaningless political and celebrity gossip and trivia as if it were news. The corporate state, unimpeded, is pillaging and looting the carcass of the country and government, along with the natural world, for the personal gain of the 1 percent. It daily locks away in cages the poor, especially poor people of color, discarding the vulnerable as human refuse.

A government that is paralyzed and unable and unwilling to address the rudimentary needs of its citizens, as I saw in the former Yugoslavia and as history has shown with the Weimar Republic and czarist Russia, eventually empowers violent extremists. Economic and social marginalization is the lifeblood of extremist groups. Without it they wither and die. Extremism, as the social critic Christopher Lasch wrote, is "a refuge from the terrors of inner life."

Germany's Nazi stormtroopers had their counterparts in that nation's communist Alliance of Red Front Fighters. The far-right anti-communist death squad Alliance of Argentina had its counterpart in the guerrilla group the People's Revolutionary Army during the "Dirty War." The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) rebels during the war I covered in El Salvador had their counterparts in the right-wing death squads, whose eventual demise seriously impeded the FMLN's ability to recruit. The Serbian nationalists, or Chetniks, in Yugoslavia had their counterparts in the Croatian nationalists, or Ustase. The killing by one side justifies the killing by the other. And the killing is always sanctified in the name of each side's martyrs.

The violence by antifa -- short for anti-fascist or anti-fascist action -- in Charlottesville, Va., saw a surge in interest and support for the movement, especially after the murder of Heather Heyer. The Black Bloc was applauded by some of the counter protesters in Boston during an alt-right rally there Aug. 19. In Charlottesville, antifa activists filled the vacuum left by a passive police force, holding off neo-Nazi thugs who threatened Cornel West and clergy who were protesting against the white nationalist event. This was a propaganda coup for antifa, which seeks to portray its use of violence as legitimate self-defense. Protecting West and the clergy members from physical assault was admirable. But this single act no more legitimizes antifa violence than the turkeys, Christmas gifts and Fourth of July fireworks that John Gotti gave to his neighbors legitimized the violence of the Gambino crime family. Antifa, like the alt-right, is the product of a diseased society.

The white racists and neo-Nazis may be unsavory, but they too are victims. They too lost jobs and often live in poverty in deindustrialized wastelands. They too often are plagued by debt, foreclosures, bank repossessions and inability to repay student loans. They too often suffer from evictions, opioid addictions, domestic violence and despair. They too sometimes face bankruptcy because of medical bills. They too have seen social services gutted, public education degraded and privatized and the infrastructure around them decay. They too often suffer from police abuse and mass incarceration. They too are often in despair and suffer from hopelessness. And they too have the right to free speech, however repugnant their views.

Street clashes do not distress the ruling elites. These clashes divide the underclass. They divert activists from threatening the actual structures of power. They give the corporate state the ammunition to impose harsher forms of control and expand the powers of internal security. When antifa assumes the right to curtail free speech it becomes a weapon in the hands of its enemies to take that freedom away from everyone, especially the anti-capitalists.

The focus on street violence diverts activists from the far less glamorous building of relationships and alternative institutions and community organizing that alone will make effective resistance possible. We will defeat the corporate state only when we take back and empower our communities, as is happening with Cooperation Jackson, a grass-roots cooperative movement in Jackson, Miss. As long as acts of resistance are forms of personal catharsis, the corporate state is secure. Indeed, the corporate state welcomes this violence because violence is a language it can speak with a proficiency and ruthlessness that none of these groups can match.

"Politics isn't made of individuals," Sophia Burns writes in "Catharsis Is Counter-Revolutionary." "It's made of classes. Political change doesn't come from feeling individually validated. It comes from collective action and organization within the working class. That means creating new institutions that meet our needs and defend against oppression."

The protests by the radical left now sweeping America, as Aviva Chomsky points out, are too often little more than self-advertisements for moral purity. They are products of a social media culture in which each of us is the star of his or her own life movie. They are infected with the American belief in regeneration through violence and the cult of the gun. They represent a clash between the bankruptcy of identity politics, which produced, as Dr. West has said, a president who was "a black mascot for Wall Street," and the bankruptcy of a white, Christianized fascism that produced Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and Jefferson Beauregard Sessions.

"Rather than organizing for change, individuals seek to enact a statement about their own righteousness," Chomsky writes in How (Not) to Challenge Racist Violence. "They may boycott certain products, refuse to eat certain foods, or they may show up to marches or rallies whose only purpose is to demonstrate the moral superiority of the participants. White people may loudly claim that they recognize their privilege or declare themselves allies of people of color or other marginalized groups. People may declare their communities 'no place for hate.' Or they may show up at counter-marches to 'stand up' to white nationalists or neo-Nazis. All of these types of 'activism' emphasize self-improvement or self-expression rather than seeking concrete change in society or policy. They are deeply, and deliberately, apolitical in the sense that they do not seek to address issues of power, resources, decision making, or how to bring about change."

Next Page 1 | 2

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

THE SPECTACLE is almost bizarre: a political party refuses to accept new members. And not just a few individuals, but tens of thousands. And not just any party, but the Likud ("Unification"), the main force in Israel's governing coalition.

Strange? But there is method in this madness. It may soon come before Israel's highest court.

The present leaders of the party, Binyamin Netanyahu and his fellows, are afraid that the people who are now seeking to register as Likud members are really settlers in the occupied territories, who want to take over the Likud, while in practice remaining loyal to their own parties, which are even more extremist.

One of the present Likud members of the Knesset has submitted a bill that may well be unique in the world. It arises from the fear that these new Likud members will not vote for the Likud in the general elections. To counter this possibility, the bill says that when a new member registers in the Likud party, their name will be struck from the general election voter registry, and they will be recorded as having voted for the Likud.

This is manifestly unconstitutional, since it negates the secrecy of the ballot. The legal adviser of the Knesset will probably block it. If not, it will go to the Supreme Court.

This all shows that the Likud is really a curious kind of bird. And not from today.

YEARS AGO, a leading French journalist came to me during an Israeli election campaign. I directed him to an election rally of Menachem Begin's.

When he came back he was bewildered. "I don't understand it," he exclaimed. "When he was talking about the Arabs, he sounded like a rabid fascist. When he was talking about social affairs, he sounded like a moderate liberal. How can this fit together?"

"Begin is not a great thinker," I explained to him. "All the ideology of the Likud goes back to Vladimir Jabotinsky."

Vladimir (or Ze'ev) Jabotinsky was the founder of the "revisionist" party, the parent of the Herut Party, which was the parent of the present-day Likud. He was born in 1880 in Odessa in the Ukraine. When he was a young man he was sent as a journalist to Italy, a country that had attained its freedom not so long before.

The Italian liberation movement was an unusual mixture of extreme patriotism and liberal social ideas. This fixed the young Jabotinsky's political outlook for life.

He was a very captivating person, extremely gifted in several fields. He wrote a novel (about the Biblical hero Samson), translated Edgar Allen Poe's poems into Hebrew, was a brilliant orator and gifted journalist, wrote songs and much more. In World War I he helped form Jewish battalions in the British army and was a junior officer in the conquest of Palestine.

A few years later the British partitioned Palestine and set up the separate Arab emirate of Transjordan. Jabotinsky objected and founded the ultra-Zionist "Revisionist Party," which demanded the "revision" of this decision.

Jabotinsky loathed the dour, socialist "pioneers" who dominated the Zionist community in Palestine and who hated him. I suspect that he was not too unhappy when the British kicked him out of the country. David Ben-Gurion called him "fascist" -- though, as an Italy-lover, Jabotinsky loathed Benito Mussolini.

Next Page 1 | 2 | 3

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

I hate to say this, but I'm starting to feel sorry for Donald Trump. He's only been in office for half a year, and already he's running out of Americans to attack.

Of course, he came into office having already notched his AK-47 Twitter rifle with hundreds of hits on the American citizenry, including such entire groups such as "nasty women," Mexican-Americans who have Latin-sounding names and Muslim-Americans who are, you know ... Muslims. Since then, he's repeatedly used the presidential bully-pulpit for mass-bullying assaults on every news outlet and reporter who refuses to be a Sean Hannity-suck-up to The Donald.

The trigger-happy tweeter-in-chief also relishes gunning down his own political kin: He has blasted all House Republicans who voted for a health care bill he called "mean" after he had personally pushed them to pass it; he mercilessly called for Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell to commit political hara-kiri for failing to pass his abominable Trumpcare bill, a bill which was meaner than mean; and he publicly shoots down his own top appointees, from Attorney General Jeff Sessions to his short-lived mouthpiece Anthony Scaramucci (aka "The Mooch"), and now even his chief political strategist, Stephen "The Barbarian" Bannon has been bounced.

Then came The Great Donald Debacle -- his bumbling, shameful response to the racist, anti-Semitic rampage in Charlottesville by a menagerie of neo-Nazis, KKK thugs and swastika-clad white supremacists. His embrace of these marauding far-right extremists -- and his attack on all who stood up to their bigotry -- was so appalling that even his multimillionaire allies in Fortune 500 corporations gagged. Led by Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier, the 47 members of Trump's two big corporate advisory committees abolished their own panels in protest. The petulant president, clueless as usual to the importance of political symbolism, tweeted an angry potshot at Frazier -- who happened to be one of the only two African-Americans on Trump's corporate committees.

But our foam-at-the-mouth president still has one loyal friend by his side -- Ku Klux Klan poohbah David Duke. "Thank you," the Duke of Whiteness tweeted to Trump after his defense of the supremacists' murderous frenzy in Virginia. Perfect -- The Duke and The Donald deserve each other.

While the present President of the United States keeps revealing a constricted moral character that ranges from boorish to brutish, it's only fair to note that he also has a tender side.

This surprising side of Trump popped out several days after those savage attacks by raging white supremacists in Charlottesville. In a presidential tweet, he said: "Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart." Yes, very sad to see a resurfacing of raw bigotry ripping so viciously into America's historic attempts to create a culture of mutual respect and unity in a nation of extraordinary diversity -- e pluribus unum, as our national maxim puts it.

Oh... wait, that's not what Donald meant. Rather than criticizing the violence of the armed racists who were out to rip apart the Big Idea of American Egalitarianism, this was the boorish, small-minded president speaking. Trump was actually defending the bigots who were rallying around pieces of bronze and granite that celebrate America's darkest period of slavery, secession and white supremacy.

The KKK thugs invaded Charlottesville in a violent objection to the city's planned removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, who led the southern states' war against the U.S. so they could continue to enslave African-Americans. Trump's lament, then, was not about the attack on America's humanitarian ideals, but merely about "the removal of our beautiful statues." Apparently, it never occurred to him that most Americans do not consider the statues either beautiful or ours.

Ironically, Robert E. Lee himself opposed erecting Confederate statues across the south: "I think it wiser not to keep open the sores of war," he said, but instead "to obliterate the marks of civil strife."

If only we had a leader with such self-effacing wisdom today, when bigots feel newly empowered to incite civil strife in our nation.
The 'Freedom Movement of Kurdistan Society' known by its Kurdish name as 'Tevgeri Azadi,' which is formed based on the Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan Philosophies. It was tough to convince the majority of Kurds in the 'Kurdistan Regional Governments of Kurdistan of Iraq (KRG) (former Northern Iraq)' region to join Abdullah Ocalan teaching.

Barzani and Talbani started to fight for Kurdish people right in 1961. Both families split in the year 1963 and continue to this day. They used Kurdish people very well for their dirty games; the Kurd of Iraq lost more than one million people from 1961-2003. The US Government invaded Iraq in the year 2003. The US Government divided KRG region among both families, each one of them; they have military, police and secret services to kill anyone who speaks out against the unjust practice by both families above.

Barzani and Talabani bought many ex-officials from the US, Israel, EU countries, Iran and Turkey by paying them from the stolen money of Kurdish people. Every member of Massoud Barzani and Jalal Talabani are ballooners without working for it one single day. The majority of Kurdish people are suffering in KRG region.

In the year 2014, the ISIS Islamic Sunni Arab terrorist attacked KRG region. Even Massoud Barzani had the secret agreement with Turkey and Sunni Arabs to sell Yazidi Kurds to them, and they promised him they would save his region (Here Turkey, Sunni Arabs and ISIS) betrayed Barzani, But Greedy Massoud went back to Turkey after PKK forces protect his region to fall to ISIS.

In time the people in KRG region are joined 'Tevgeri Azadi.' In free and clean election majority of Kurds in Iraq will vote for 'Tevgeri Azadi' if you hold an election today. 'Tevgeri Azadi' organizations are not working for Turkey, Iran, Iraq, or Syria. They are working for Kurdish people. And the majority of Kurds found out that now.

'Tevgeri Azadi' organizations enjoy the good relationship with PJAK of Iran, PKK of Turkey, and PYD of Syria. They are challenging corrupt Barzani and Talabani mafia families. It is the matter of time before they take over KRG region through the election.

Finally, there are hopes for Kurds in KRG region to be free from the injustice of Barzani and Talabani rules.

Reference

Tevgeri Azadi

http://tevger.co/Default.aspx

Mullah Saman Sangawi

http://tevger.co/Drejey-hawal.aspx?id=17020&LinkID=1

Kurdish people listening to representative of Tevgeri Azadi
The National Disaster Management Organisation is warning of a possible flooding in areas along the White Volta in the Upper East Region following the spilling of the Bagre Dam in Burkina Faso.



It has therefore asked farmers and residents in Bawku West, Talensi, Bunkprugu and other places in the catchment area to stay off their farms close to the riverbanks of the White Volta.



The Bagre Dam was spilled last Friday and NADMO says it could take three days for the flooding water to reach the catchment area.



Farmers in the area have defied the Ministry of Food and Agric buffer zone regulation to them to only farm 50 metres away from the White Volta.



NADMO says it has set up a 24-hour system to monitor the situation in the area. Issuing the flood alert at Galaka, a suburb of Sapeliga in the Bawku West District, National Deputy Director NADMO Abu Ramandan, said it is feared the flood would submerge some farmlands and settlements along the White Volta.



He assured that measures have been put on the ground to avert heavy impact but advised residents and farmers to be cautious.



Farmers who have farms along the riverbanks should cease going to their farms until the spillage is over. They shouldnt say they are going there to either continue with farming activities or to take their farm produce, he advised.



He warned the situation could be dangerous if people are not cautious during the period of spill, noting, the government of Ghana needs every single soul of Ghanaian.



Chief of Sapeliga, Naba Ayagiba Emmanuel Mbangiba , said the people were grateful to NADMO for alerting them but called for more education on the effects of the floods.



Director of NADMO for Bawku West, Moses Adukpam, underscored the need for NADMO to employ more staff to ensure effective running of the organisation.

Source: 3news









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

Featured Video
An independent financial analyst, Sydney Casely-Hayford has accused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of being business unfriendly.



According to him, EPAs handling of the of the Exton Cubic Groups bauxite deal has not been encouraging.



We have an EPA that is coming across to me as very business unfriendly.



This is a very unfriendly way of encouraging local business persons to move on, he said.



EPA had given the company the permit to prospect bauxite in the Tano-Offin Forest Reserve in the Ashanti Region but later asked the company to halt operations because Exton Cubic breached certain conditions in the permit.



Although the Lands and Natural Resource Minister, Peter John Amewu cleared Exton Cubic of any wrongdoing, the EPA insists the company has no right to enter the forest.



The Public Relations Officer of Exton Cubic, Sammy Gyamfi had said the company has so far spent $20 million dollars on the prospecting deal hence their current predicament has been a headache to their business partners. Speaking on the Big Issue on Saturday, Casely-Hayford said EPAs posture will deter other local businesses from growing.



If a company has sank 20 million dollars already into this prospecting initiative and intends to do a lot more with a whole integrated aluminum factory coming up and presumably that will entail another 200 million before trying to recoup its investment, the least you can do is to give them all the support they need and encourage them in order to get things done and especially so when they are going to create employment of about 20,000 to the youth.



Its time we stop doing this big person mentality thing that we do and get a little bit closer to the people who we are regulating and see what their challenges really are and how we can assist them to move the project forward, he added.



Exton battles government for trucks



In a related development, Exton Cubic is currently battling the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah and the Atwima Mponua District Chief Executive for confiscating trucks and equipment belonging to Ibrahim Mahamas Engineers and Planners (E&P), a civil engineering company Exton engaged to help it prospect the bauxite in the forest reserve.



Although the regional minister insists that it will only release the equipment when he receive proper documentation from Exton Cubic, the companys PRO has said Mr. Osei Mensah has refused to give meet them.

Source: Citifmonline.com









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

Featured Video
THE HEAVY mining equipment being used by Exton Cubic Company Ltd, which were impounded at Nyinahin, in the Atwima Mponua District of the Ashanti Region, have finally been removed from the area.



The sophisticated equipment, which were being kept by the Nyinahin District Police Command, have now been towed to the Nkawie District Police Headquarters, in the Atwima Nwabiagya District, for security and safety reasons.



However, the Atwima Mponua District Assembly has issued a fresh 24-hour ultimatum to Exton Cubic Company Ltd to remove its mobile houses from the Tano Offin Forest Reserve, else they would be towed away as well.



The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, and the Chief Executive of the Atwima Mponua District Assembly, have both confirmed the removal of the machines from Nyinahin to DAILY GUIDE during separate interviews.



Arson Threat



Mr Osei Mensah stated that the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) had information that some unscrupulous people were planning to torch the impounded machines at Nyinahin.



He added that the long vehicles that were carrying the machines seemed to have blocked the main road and so the possibility of an accident occurring in the area was high.



According to him, to prevent unscrupulous people from burning Exton Cubics machines and a possible crash at Nyinahin, REGSEC decided that the machines should be towed away on Tuesday at 9pm.



No Documents



The Ashanti Regional Minister disclosed that Exton Cubic Company Ltd had failed woefully to produce documents which permit it to mine or prospect for bauxite in the Tano Offin Forest Reserve at Nyinahin.



Fresh Ultimatum



The Atwima Mponua DCE, Williams Darko, gave a 24-hour ultimatum which elapsed on Friday, to Exton Cubic Company Ltd to remove its mobile houses from the Tano Offin forest.



He said the district assembly would order the national security and other appropriate security agencies in the country to remove the mobile houses from the forest reserve if its directive was not adhered to.



Machines Impounded



The Atwima Mponua District Assembly impounded complex machines belonging to Engineers and Planners (E&P) which were being carried into the forest by Exton Cubic Company Ltd, last week.



The Ashanti Regional Minister and the DCE said they ordered for the machines to be impounded because they had no knowledge of the presence of the company and its activities in the area.

Source: Daily Guide









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

Featured Video
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called for an unalloyed support from the rank and file of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to enable the Government return the country to the path of growth and prosperity.



He said the President Akufo-Addo-led Government was just eight months old, which was not enough to solve the numerous socio-economic and political problems that had impeded national development and stifled growth.



"Even when you plant cassava or maize, it takes time to go through the processes of germination, growth and harvest. You must, therefore, give the Government time and space to operate," he said.



The Former President said this at the mammoth rally held by the NPP in Cape Coast at the weekend as part of the National Delegates Conference on the theme: NPP, Our Promises, Our Roots, Our Strength, Our Future.



He said the Party believed in democracy, which must be supported by all regardless of their differences.



The Vice President, Dr Mamudu Bawumia, said the measures put in place to put the economy back on track had started yielding dividends.



He indicated that the Government's policy of providing free quality education will commence next month to ease parents' burden of paying school fees.



The Vice President noted that tax cuts and other stimulus packages were aimed at oiling the private sector to occupy its rightful position as the engine of sustainable growth.

Source: GNA









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

Featured Video
American actor, model and photographer, Lance Gross is currently visiting Ghana, and among many other things he is loving Ghanaian Jollof.

Lance, who is currently promoting the movie, When Love Kills(trailer below) , had a taste of Ghana jollof at Big Sams Kitchen, and rated it highly.

He made a post on Instagram saying: The Jollof Rice I just had was BOMB!

Lance is best known for his role as Calvin Payne on the TBS sitcom Tyler Perrys House of Payne, as well as appearing in other Tyler Perry productions such as the Meet the Browns film and Tyler Perrys Temptations: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor.

He also co-starred in 2010s Our Family Wedding alongside Forest Whitaker, Carlos Mencia, America Ferrera, and Regina King. He also starred as Secret Service Agent Marcus Finley in NBCs political drama Crisis.



Lance can soon be seen in When Love Kills which premieres August 28 on TV One in the US. It based on a gripping true story and stars Niatia Lil Mama Kirkland as Falicia Blakely, a young woman who gets caught up with the wrong man who leads her down a dangerous path of drugs, gun and more.

At 16 and already a mother, Blakely is at odds with her mom and soon begins working at a strip club when she meets Dino (Lance Gross), a man who she thinks is the man of her dreams. Dino, however, is much more than he seems and soon pulls Falicia into a dangerous life of crime that changes everything she knows about herself.

Grosss late father was of Ghanaian decent and married his mother before moving the family to Nevada where Lance grew up.







































We made it! @codenamerico || These are JOKES people. Please relax, we're just happy to be here...I know the accent off. Thanks.

A post shared by lancegross (@lancegross) on Aug 25, 2017 at 8:08am PDT





Instagram Videos-







































The Jollof Rice I just had was BOMB! #chefSamofBigSamsKitchen @TheRajwaExperience #TheRajwaExperience

















A post shared by lancegross (@lancegross) on Aug 25, 2017 at 2:43pm PDT





Trailer

Lance with his late dad

Source: ameyawdebrah.com









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

Featured Video
"I'm not going to rule it out. Who knows? Life is big, and I'm young."

One of Hollywood's most prominent social justice warriors has just announced that there is a possibility she'd run for office in a few years. We've seen Shailene Woodley grow up over the years, from working on The Secret Life of The American Teenager to breaking out with a stunning performance in the Divergent series. Most recently, Woodley took on the mysterious and notably mature role of Jane Chapman in HBO's Big Little Lies, but besides racking in award nominations and bringing us stellar performances, Woodley has worked hard to use her prominent voice to protect our environment, human rights, and more.

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F10%2FShailene-Woodley.jpg&ho=http%3A%2F%2Fdekhnews.com&s=86&h=c4c08e63103afa3b3da9ccf82ee75a0f3bdc4138d678179eb25fe9fa0ce10897&size=980x&c=3413841442 photo_credit="" caption="Iguang" pin_description="" image-library="0" crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2016%252F10%252FShailene-Woodley.jpg%26ho%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdekhnews.com%26s%3D86%26h%3Dc4c08e63103afa3b3da9ccf82ee75a0f3bdc4138d678179eb25fe9fa0ce10897%26size%3D980x%26c%3D3413841442%22%7D" expand=1] Iguang

Shailene Diann Woodley is an American actress. She is well known for her portrayal as Amy Juergens in the popular ABC Family original series The Secret Life of the Am...

Shailene Woodley shocked the media on October 10th of last year, by being arrested after peacefully protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline amongst other activists on Indigenous People's Day. She released the statement, "if we don't begin taking genuine steps to protect our precious resourcesour soil, our water, our essential elementswe will not have a healthy or thriving planet to pass on to future generations." Since her arrest and battle with the Dakota Access Pipeline, Shailene has persisted in standing up for political issues she finds important. Throughout the past election she worked with Bernie Sanders and following his loss has worked with him on Our Revolution, an organization geared toward revitalizing democracy in America and helping progressive candidates get the attention they need to get to office. She's also challenged the Democrat Party with endorsing "The People's Platform," proposing a series of bills that are geared toward caring for all of America's citizens, not just certain demographics.

Shailene is also often seen enjoying the beautiful earth she works so hard to protect. Her Twitter and Instagram are both covered with thankfulness for the gems mother nature gives us providing her with further reason to use her voice to protect it!

While Woodley has not made any concrete plans to run for office, she says that, "I'm not going to rule it out, you know? Life is big and I'm young." Woodley, 25, already has a long list of accomplishments under her belt, but still has a whole decade before she could run for President and five years before she can run for Senate. Through social media and our generation's commitment and engagement in politics, I think we could see a reemergence of politicians coming from the general public much like during the Jacksonian era. I think Shailene Woodley is a perfect example of that. By utilizing her status and her popular social media platforms that reach many people, she is spreading her cause in a positive and genuine light. She is building credibility one day at a time, so if she does decide to run for office some day, I for one will be behind her, and I'm sure a lot of her followers feel the same. She has shown us time and time again that she is not afraid to be in the middle of the conflict fighting for what's right both literally and figuratively.

Shailene, whenever you're ready, I'm behind you! Do you want to see Shailene Woodley run for office? Let me know @anie_delgado.

Follow Shailene Woodley on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Anie Delgado is a contributor to Popdust and is an actress and musician based in NYC. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @anie_delgado and on Facebook and check out her music on Spotify.

Read More...

Today's Street style explains a lot about our culture



Taylor Swift is back with LP 6 and there are mixed feelings

What is sheetcaking? Tina Fey's SNL appearance has become controversial.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-28 01:14:01

Bayers data shows Xarelto  (rivaroxaban) significantly lowers the combined risk of stroke, cardiovascular death and heart attack in patients with chronic coronary or peripheral artery disease

The highly anticipated COMPASS study, halted early due to highly significant efficacy, reveals clear and consistent clinical benefit

Rivaroxaban vascular dose, 2.5 mg twice daily, plus aspirin 100 mg once daily showed a 22% relative risk reduction (absolute risk reduction (ARR): 0.47%) in cardiovascular death compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone (current standard of care)

Additionally, results showed an unprecedented 42% relative risk reduction (ARR: 0.65%) in stroke

CORRECTING and REPLACING COMPASS study presented at ESC Congress 2017  largest rivaroxaban study to date, enrolled 27,395 patients to investigate CAD and PAD

Bayer

Hayley Knight, Tel. 0118 206 3523

hayley.knight@bayer.com

In the fourth paragraph of release dated 27 August, the quote by Dr Derek Connolly should be replaced with the new text below. Additionally, the document code appearing at the end of the release should be replaced with new code: UKXAR07170353a.

The corrected release reads:

COMPASS STUDY PRESENTED AT ESC CONGRESS 2017  LARGEST RIVAROXABAN STUDY TO DATE, ENROLLED 27,395 PATIENTS TO INVESTIGATE CAD AND PAD

Bayers data shows Xarelto  (rivaroxaban) significantly lowers the combined risk of stroke, cardiovascular death and heart attack in patients with chronic coronary or peripheral artery disease

The highly anticipated COMPASS study, halted early due to highly significant efficacy, reveals clear and consistent clinical benefit

Rivaroxaban vascular dose, 2.5 mg twice daily, plus aspirin 100 mg once daily showed a 22% relative risk reduction (absolute risk reduction (ARR): 0.47%) in cardiovascular death compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone (current standard of care)

Additionally, results showed an unprecedented 42% relative risk reduction (ARR: 0.65%) in stroke

Bayer and its cooperation partner Janssen Research & Development, LLC, today announced results at The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress that are set to change clinical practice in the UK for cardiologists treating patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and peripheral artery disease (PAD)1.

Highly anticipated Phase III COMPASS study data announced during two hot line presentations at ESC in Barcelona, and simultaneously published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed Bayers Factor Xa inhibitor, rivaroxaban (Xarelto) vascular dose, (2.5 mg twice daily), plus aspirin 100 mg once daily, reduced the risk of the composite endpoint of stroke, cardiovascular (CV) death and heart attack by 24% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 1.3%) in patients with CAD and PAD1. The study compared this combined approach with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone. Patients included in the study already received guideline recommended therapy for hypertension, high cholesterol and diabetes. A 5 mg twice daily dose of rivaroxaban was also investigated but did not reach statistical significance.

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily:

Was superior to aspirin 100 mg once daily alone for the prevention of the composite endpoint of stroke, CV death and MI (primary efficacy outcome) 1

Significantly reduced the risk of stroke by 42% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 0.65%), and CV death by 22% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 0.47%) 1

Demonstrated a 20% improvement (relative risk reduction, ARR: 1.14%) in net clinical benefit (defined as the reduction in stroke, CV death, and heart attack balanced against the most serious bleeding events) providing clinicians with the first evidence that rivaroxaban not only has a more favourable risk-benefit profile than current best practice, but also offers protective benefits in patients with the high risk conditions of CAD and PAD 1

Reduced the risk of heart attack by 14% (relative risk reduction, ARR: 0.31%) however this result was not statistically significant1

Overall bleeding incidence rates were low, and while there was an increase in major bleeding, notably there was no significant increase in fatal or intracranial bleeding. Importantly, in the PAD patient population, the combination of major adverse limb events plus all major amputations of a vascular cause were reduced significantly.

Dr Derek Connolly, Consultant Interventional Cardiologist at Birmingham City Hospital and COMPASS trial investigator commented: The results of the COMPASS trial exceeded all expectations, demonstrating efficacy in reducing serious cardiovascular events that was so compelling we offered the treatment to study participants in an open-label extension trial. This study further builds on rivaroxabans role in a wide range of complex conditions including atrial fibrillation. This was the biggest study of rivaroxaban to date, and when licensed for these conditions, it will provide cardiologists with a new option for treating CAD and PAD.

Dr Luis Felipe Graterol, UK Medical Director, Bayer, said: The results from COMPASS have important implications for daily clinical practice, demonstrating the broader protective benefits of Xarelto across multiple indications. Bayer has a robust heritage in addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular health, and a strong pipeline of new indications that we hope will make a real difference for patients now and in the future. While Xarelto is already widely used by cardiologists across a spectrum of cardiovascular indications, Bayer is committed to investigating its wider benefits across new indications, as well as building on and refining current evidence to guide prescribing decisions.

The COMPASS study is the largest clinical study of rivaroxaban to date. The study was stopped approximately one year ahead of schedule due to highly significant efficacy and Bayer, Janssen and the Population Health Research Institute (PHRI) are working towards offering rivaroxaban to study participants in an open-label extension trial. Rivaroxaban is the only non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC) investigated in secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease.

The results, along with Bayers ongoing research into AF and concomitant conditions, have significant implications for how UK cardiologists will respond to high-risk patients now and in the future. Rivaroxabans extensive clinical development programme makes it the most studied novel OAC in the world. Since it was first approved in the orthopaedic setting in 2008, 23 million patients worldwide have received it in daily clinical practice2.

Reporting of side effects:

This medicine is subject to additional monitoring . This will allow quick identification of new safety information. You can help by reporting any side effects you may get. See www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard for how to report side effects.

About CAD and PAD

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cause of cardiovascular disease and is estimated to occur in up to 20-30% of patients with AF3. It is responsible for approximately 7.3 million deaths worldwide every year4, with up to half of all middle-aged men and women at risk of developing CAD during their lifetime5. The number of patients with AF and CAD that will have to undergo coronary revascularisation has doubled in the last decade6.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD), while often undiagnosed, affects over 27 million people in Europe and North America and is an important risk marker of cardiovascular disease7.

About COMPASS1

The Phase III randomised controlled COMPASS study is the largest clinical study of rivaroxaban to date with 27,395 patients. COMPASS was conducted in collaboration with the PHRI in more than 600 research sites across more than 30 countries worldwide8.

The COMPASS study evaluated the use of rivaroxaban for the prevention of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including CV death, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke in patients with coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease or both.

Patients received a run-in of aspirin 100 mg once daily for 30 days, and were then randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive (with or without pantoprazole):

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily

Rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily

Aspirin 100 mg once daily

Patients who were being treated with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) prior to enrollment continued with their existing medication. Patients without a continued need for PPI treatment were randomised to pantoprazole or its placebo.

Efficacy Outcomes1

For the primary efficacy outcome, rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily was superior to aspirin 100 mg once daily alone for the prevention of the composite endpoint of stroke, CV death and MI (hazard ratio [HR] 0.76; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.66-0.86; P<0.001). Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily reduced the risk of stroke by 42% (HR 0.58; 95% CI 0.44-0.76; P<0.001, CV death by 22% (HR 0.78; 95% CI 0.64-0.96; P=0.02) and heart attack by 14% (HR 0.86; 95% CI 0.70-1.05; P=0.14). Rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily also reduced the composite outcome of stroke, CV death and MI but these results were not statistically significant.

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone improved the net clinical benefit defined as the composite of stroke, CV death, MI, fatal bleeding or symptomatic bleeding in a critical organ (HR 0.80; 95% CI 0.70-0.91; P<0.001). Rivaroxaban 5 mg twice daily compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily did not improve the net clinical benefit.

Safety Outcomes1

The main safety outcome was a modification of the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) criteria for major bleeding, and included fatal bleeding, symptomatic bleeding in a critical organ, bleeding into a surgical site requiring reoperation, and bleeding leading to hospitalisation (including presentation to an acute care facility without overnight stay). Unlike the ISTH criteria, all bleeding leading to presentation to an acute care facility or hospitalisation was considered as major.

Rivaroxaban 2.5 mg twice daily plus aspirin 100 mg once daily compared with aspirin 100 mg once daily alone increased the risk of major bleeding (HR 1.70, 95% CI 1.40-2.05, P<0.001). Most of the major bleeding was into the gastrointestinal tract, with no significant increase in fatal bleeds, intracranial bleeds or symptomatic bleeds into a critical organ.

Although there was also a significant increase in major bleeding as defined using the non-modified ISTH scale, incidence rates using this definition were approximately one-third lower when compared to those obtained when using modified ISTH criteria.

About Xarelto (Rivaroxaban)

The extensive clinical development programme for rivaroxaban evaluating/ investigating the protection of different patient populations at risk of venous and arterial thromboembolism (VAT) makes it the most studied novel OAC in the world. To date, Xarelto has been approved for use in more than 125 countries, across all indications, and in the UK specifically to date across the following indications9:

The prevention of stroke and systemic embolism in adult patients with non-valvular AF with one or more risk factors

The treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) and prevention of recurrent DVT and PE in adults

The prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients undergoing elective hip or knee replacement surgery

The prevention of atherothrombotic events in adult patients after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with elevated cardiac biomarkers, co-administered with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) alone or with ASA plus clopidogrel or ticlopidine

Rivaroxaban was discovered by Bayer, and is being jointly developed with Janssen Research & Development, LLC. Xarelto is marketed outside the U.S. by Bayer and in the U.S. by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson Company). Anticoagulant medicines are potent therapies used to prevent and treat blood clots the consequences of which may be serious, or to treat serious illnesses and potentially life-threatening conditions. Before initiating therapy with anticoagulant medicines, physicians should carefully assess the benefit and risk for the individual patient.

Responsible use of Xarelto is a very high priority for Bayer, and the company has developed a Prescribers Guide for physicians and a Xarelto Patient Card for patients to support best practice.

Bayer: Science For A Better Life

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the Life Science fields of health care and agriculture. Its products and services are designed to benefit people and improve their quality of life. At the same time, the Group aims to create value through innovation, growth and high earning power. Bayer is committed to the principles of sustainable development and to its social and ethical responsibilities as a corporate citizen. In fiscal 2015, the Group employed around 117,000 people and had sales of EUR 46.3 billion. Capital expenditures amounted to EUR 2.6 billion, R&D expenses to EUR 4.3 billion. These figures include those for the high-tech polymers business, which was floated on the stock market as an independent company named Covestro on October 6, 2015. For more information, go to www.bayer.co.uk

Forward Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayers public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

1 Eikelboom, J.W., Connolly, S.J., Bosch, J., et al. Rivaroxaban With and Without Aspirin in Stable Coronary or Peripheral Artery Disease. New England Journal of Medicine 2017

2 Data on file, Bayer UK

3 Capodanno, D., et al. Management of Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Therapy in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation in the Setting of Acute Coronary Syndromes or Percutaneous Coronary Interventions. Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions. 2014; 7:113-24

4 Zaromitidou, M., et al. Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease: from basics to genetics. 2016. UK: Elsevier.

5 Lloyd-Jones, D., et al. Lifetime risk of developing coronary artery heart disease. Lancet. 1999; 353(9147): 89-92

6 Bhatnagar, P., et al. The epidemiology of cardiovascular disease in the UK 2014. Heart. 2015;101(15): 1182-9

7 Belch, J., et al. Critical issues in peripheral arterial disease detection and management: a call to action. Arch Intern Med. 2003; 163(8): 884-92

8 Cappato, R., et al. COMPASS PAD study design. Exploring unmet needs in venous and arterial thromboembolism with rivaroxaban. Thromb Haemost. 2016; 116(2): 2-12

9 eMC. 2017. Xarelto SPC. Available at: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/medicine/25586 [Last accessed: August 2017]

UKXAR07170353a

Date of Preparation: August 2017

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201708270050
PR-Inside.com: 2017-08-28 18:02:02

Held in Bogota, the Regional Event Will Convene Technology Industry Experts and Policymakers to Discuss Key Drivers for Innovation.

GSMA Mobile 360  Latin America Will Showcase Mobile Ecosystem Innovation across the Region

For the GSMA

Mauro Accurso

+54 (9)11 3251 9811

maccurso@gsma.com

or

Clare Fenny

+44 20 7067 0749

CFenny@webershandwick.com

or

GSMA Press Office

pressoffice@gsma.com

The GSMA today outlined the first details of the 2017 Mobile 360 Series  Latin America conference, which will take place 31 October  2 November in Bogota, Colombia. The thought leadership conference, which forms part of the 2017 GSMA Mobile 360 Series of events, will highlight the latest innovations in the region and will feature experts from leading mobile operators, ecosystem players, internet companies and organisations in adjacent industry sectors, as well as regional policymakers.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201708280050

GSMA Mobile 360 - Latin America Will Showcase Mobile Ecosystem Innovation across the Region (Photo: Business Wire)

For Latin America, mobile is a key foundation supporting the innovation that businesses, startups and small and medium enterprises are generating in the region, said Michael OHara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. Mobile can boost Latin American economies and help tackle the social challenges facing underserved populations. Mobile 360  Latin America will convene key industry leaders and decision makers from across the ecosystem to discuss the key role that mobile will play in Latin Americas future.

Mobile 360  Latin America will address the main opportunities and challenges facing the mobile industry today. Delegates will have the opportunity to explore key drivers of innovation in the region, including the Internet of Things, financial inclusion and mobile money, connected cars, mobile identity, future networks and 5G, network security, media and advertising, and mobiles contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, among others.

Industry Leaders Confirmed to Speak

The Mobile 360  Latin America conference programme will offer perspectives from across the mobile industry and broader technology landscape. Held 31 October  1 November, the conference programme will feature a series of high-level presentations and panel discussions on the most pressing trends and issues in mobile.

Speakers confirmed to date include:

Edgar Salas, CEO, AZ Logica

Paulo Cesar Teixeira, CEO, Claro Brasil

Elizabeth McQuerry, Partner, Glenbrook Partners

Michael OHara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA

Sebastian Cabello, Head of Latin America, GSMA

Mauricio Ramos, CEO, Millicom

Marcelo Cataldo, CEO, Tigo Colombia

Bibiana Aido, Permanent Representative, UN Women Ecuador and Former Minister for Equality in Spain

David Salamanca, Director General, URF

Alongside the conference, the regional event will also feature several themed seminars and workshops including the GSMA Latam Strategy & Innovation Forum, the Mobile Ecosystem Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals seminar, and the 5G Spectrum and Policy Forum, among others.

Expert Working Groups to Meet

GSMA Latin America has four operator-led Working Groups that provide GSMA regional members the opportunity to get engaged in GSMA activities and programmes, exchange information, provide training and network, as well as establishing regional industry positions. On 2 November, four Working Groups will meet, including the Regulatory Working Group (REGU), the Security & Fraud Working Group (SEGF), the Technical & Terminals Working Group (TECT), and the Wholesale Agreements and Solutions LATAM Group (WASL). Participants at these invitation-only sessions will have the opportunity to discuss in greater depth the many technical, regulatory and commercial aspects of new and existing services.

Calling All Startups

Mobile 360  Latin America will again offer the Innovation Showcase, where entrepreneurs from across the region will have the opportunity to spotlight their companies. In this session, a panel of venture capitalists, investors and industry experts will share their views on what makes a successful telecommunications venture today. A select group of Latin American startups will then pitch their companies to the expert panel and audience, with the winner being granted the exciting opportunity to speak at Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona. Companies interested in participating in the Innovation Showcase should submit a proposal at www.mobile360series.com/latin-america/agenda/startups/.

Mobile 360  Latin America Event Sponsors

Sponsors for the event include TigoUne (Host Sponsor) and Amdocs (Silver Sponsor). Huawei is the Global Industry Supporter for the full Mobile 360 Series of conferences taking place throughout 2017.

Registration for Mobile 360  Latin America

Registration for Mobile 360  Latin America is now open; individuals wishing to attend should visit www.mobile360series.com/latin-america/attend/atten. For a limited period, attendees can purchase a conference pass at a 25 per cent discount.

Get Involved at Mobile 360  Latin America

For more information on Mobile 360  Latin America, including how to attend or sponsor, visit www.mobile360series.com/latin-america/. Follow the latest developments and updates on Mobile 360  Latin America on Twitter, using the #M360LATAM hashtag or following @GSMALatam and @GSMAEvents, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Mobile360Series and LinkedIn on www.linkedin.com/company/gsma-mobile-360-series.

-ENDS-

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide, uniting nearly 800 operators with more than 300 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset and device makers, software companies, equipment providers and internet companies, as well as organisations in adjacent industry sectors. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as Mobile World Congress, Mobile World Congress Shanghai, Mobile World Congress Americas and the Mobile 360 Series of conferences.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com. Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201708280050
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.




Exeter Orthodontics offers both Invisalign aligners and braces in Easton for only $3,995

Both teens and adults can find Invisalign aligners and braces in Easton.

Contact

Meredith Souder-Liss

***@exeterorthodontics.com Meredith Souder-Liss

End

-- Families in Easton and Phillipsburg no longer have to worry about the cost of braces. Exeter Orthodontics offers Lehigh Valley and New Jersey residents quality orthodontic care for a very low price.Braces in Easton cost only $3,995. Adjustments, x-rays, visits, and even emergencies are included, ensuring that affordable braces are in reach for all Easton and Phillipsburg families. Invisalign in Easton also costs only $3,995."Our team will walk patients through each option and help them choose which one is best for their smile," says Dr. John Pardini, orthodontist in Easton.No matter which option patients ultimately choose, they're promised one low price. To learn more about braces in Easton and Phillipsburg, request an appointment with Exeter Orthodontics:http://www.exeterorthodontics.com/request-appointment/About Exeter Orthodontics:For several years, Exeter Orthodontics, a Pennsylvania-based orthodontic practice, has offered area patients braces and Invisalign treatments for as low as $3,995. Its team of orthodontists remains dedicated to providing high quality care at an affordable price. Learn more at http://www.exeterorthodontics.com/
Cooperative Systems, a strategic IT partner to clients across New England, was invited to the set of Worldwide Business with kathy ireland to speak about how they empower businesses with their proactive, innovative managed technology services.

Media Contact

Megan Kravitz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

mkravitz@coopsys.com

8607683022 Megan KravitzSales and Marketing Coordinator8607683022

End

-- Cooperative Systems was invited to the set of Worldwide Business with kathy ireland to speak about how they empower businesses across New England with their managed technology services.They are honored to be featured as a leader in proactive, innovative managed IT services and support for small businesses.Left unmonitored, your business network will inevitably encounter roadblocks and threats: Security gaps, connectivity issues, hardware failures, and other disruptions. This leads to lost productivity, revenue and damaged reputation, all with implications for irreparable damage and costs to your business.Cooperative Systems takes corrective action before the problem even occurs, providing all mission-critical data and assets the protection and continuity they require to serve you.Cooperative Systems is well-renowned for serving as strategic IT partners to clients. They deliver exceptional customer service and support, as well as tailored and cost-effective IT solutions to propel businesses forward.Visit http://www.noahITservices.com/ for more information!
DENA BURTON F/W COLLECTION scheduled to stock at JoKilda Boutique inside the Scotts Square Mall in Singapore, Southeast Asia ~

Contact

***@denaburton.com

4243549015 4243549015

End

-- The Dena Burton Collection expands its reach internationally to Singapore on Wednesday, Sept 6th at the JoKilda Boutique in the Scotts Square Mall. The F/W 2017 Collection featuring flirty and sassy A-line minis, button down blouses, bell bottomed jumpsuits and faux fur stoles, will be stocked and made available to the Singapore audience starting a new brand expansion into the Asian market.Renowned for her elegant and luxurious design, Dena Burton met and connected with fellow designer JoKilda at the 2015 Fuji Fashion Week who later sought advice on moving her fashion line forward. Fast forward two years, JoKilda taps Dena Burton Collection to launch her 2017 fall season with a wine tasting and designer meet and greet at the physical store located at 6 Scotts Rd."I recently saw Dena's fall collection at LA fashion week followed by Vogue Italia's private runway. Right then I decided to invite Dena Burton to Singapore," said Jyoti, creative director and founder of Jo Kilda. "As a designer I have not ventured out into a Fall/Winter collection yet, so having Dena Burton Collection at the boutique would be an absolute delight. I am very excited to introduce Dena Burton to the Singapore market".: Chicago native and Howard University graduate, Dena Burton worked behind the scenes designing fashionable clothing for women learning her craft when she got the support of a Karen Kane scholarship, she attended The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). In 2008, Dena successfully launched The Dena Burton Collection offering classic one-of-a-kind luxury designs for the confident, accomplished, and discerning jet setter. Burtons designs have been presented in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Miami, as well as internationally, in Africa, Jamaica and Fiji.Jo Kilda is the founder of a fashion label known for creating clothing lines that meet the modern standards of women who seek style and luxury in an affordable setting. After acquiring formal education in business and fashion, she established her own Singapore based brand Jo Kilda. Her work was featured on the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Australia in 2016 and has since opened a Boutique in the heart of Orchard.
Multi Corporation has signed a lease with H&M brand Weekday for an 850-sqm store in its shopping centre Stadsfeestzaal in the Antwerp city centre. Weekday, a fashion and denim brand, is expected to open its doors at the end of October 2017. Multi is the owner, manager and developer of

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

PSFK iQ - Where Innovators Turn for Research. Our professional-grade research platform is designed specifically for Retail and CX leaders who want to know whats next. Whether youre staying current on trends or need a real-time research partner to help you get ahead, count on PSFK iQ to deliver the info you need to make your next move.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University President Mitch Daniels fireside chat with Eli Lilly and Co. chairman and CEO Dave Ricks will highlight Lilly Day at Purdue on Aug. 30.

The multifaceted event is designed to introduce Purdue students to Lilly and the career opportunities that exist within the pharmaceutical company.

Daniels and Ricks will sit down for a fireside chat and Q&A from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Purdue Memorial Union North and South ballrooms. The conversation is expected to be wide-ranging. The chat and Q&A are free and open to the public.

Dave Ricks is yet another example of a Boilermaker who through talent and hard work reached the top of their profession, Daniels said. Its great of him to come back to campus and share his wisdom with our students who are looking to one day make their own marks in their chosen careers.

Ricks is a Purdue graduate, having earned a bachelors degree in business in 1990. He joined Lilly as a business development associate in 1996 after completing his Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University. He held various management roles in U.S. marketing and sales, where he served successively as director of pharmaceutical marketing, national sales director and general manager. He was subsequently named president and general manager of Lilly China before becoming president of Lilly USA in 2009. This year he stepped into the role of chairman and CEO after the retirement of John C. Lechleiter.

I am excited to be part of the second Lilly Day at Purdue. The student turnout last year was outstanding, said Ricks. I look forward to an engaging conversation with President Daniels about the strong partnership between Lilly and Purdue and our similarities in leading organizations in rapidly changing environments.

Students will be able to learn about Lilly and its 130 years of hiring Purdue graduates in areas such as engineering, science, information technology, statistics, finance, marketing, management and animal health, among others.

Lilly employs more than 1,600 Purdue graduates  more than from any other university.

The history between Lilly and Purdue is rich with mutually beneficial relationships and collaborations, and the future is even more exciting, said Kristen McCain, associate consultant with Eli Lilly and organizer of Lilly Day. We look forward to our second Lilly Day at Purdue to meet students and share opportunities for continuing this great tradition.

Purdue students will be able to learn more about the universitys connection with Lilly at information tables set up across campus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information tables will be located near the Krannert School of Management, Memorial Mall, Lilly Hall and the Purdue Mall.

After the fireside chat with Daniels and Ricks, students will be able to learn about career opportunities at Lilly in breakout sessions beginning at 5 p.m. in Stewart Center, rooms 204, 214 and 218.

Media contact: Brian Peloza, 765-496-9711, bpeloza@purdue.edu

Sources: Kristen K. McCain, Eli Lilly associate consultant, HR, talent acquisition  manufacturing and quality

Dave Ricks, Eli Lilly CEO

Mitch Daniels, president@purdue.edu
Hundreds of people rallied across northwestern Pakistan on August 28 to protest U.S. statements that the country is providing safe havens to extremist groups.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against the United States in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, as well as in Swat district and Mohmand, Bajaur, and Khyber tribal areas.

The protests were mostly led by the local leaders of the Jumat-e-Islami (JI) and Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (JUI) religious parties.

Similar protests were also reported in the southwestern province of Balochistan.

On August 27, police used tear gas and batons to disperse anti-U.S. protesters in the southern port city of Karachi.

Outlining a new U.S. strategy for the war in Afghanistan last week, President Donald Trump accused Pakistan of offering safe havens to "agents of chaos" and suggested relations would be adjusted.

Islamabad heavily criticized the comments, denying claims of being soft on militancy and accusing its ally of ignoring the thousands who have been killed in Pakistan and the billions spent fighting extremists.

In an apparent response to U.S. criticism, Pakistan postponed a visit by a senior U.S. diplomat due to begin on August 28.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry and the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells trip had been postponed at the request of the government of Pakistan, without giving a reason for the cancellation.

Pakistan "has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists," Trump said in his speech on August 21. "No partnership can survive harboring of militants."

The U.S. president also invited the countrys archrival, India, to provide more economic assistance and development to Afghanistan.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on August 22 that the United States could consider punishing Pakistan or cutting off its status as a major non-NATO ally if Islamabad doesn't crack down on terrorist groups.

Pakistan is one of 16 countries to currently enjoy "major non-NATO ally" status, which allows close military cooperation.

And the top U.S. Army commander in Afghanistan said on August 26 that the United States knows that the Afghan Taliban leadership is in the Quetta and Peshawar areas.

Support for terrorists and insurgents has to be reduced, has to be stopped, General John Nicholson said in an interview with Afghan television channel Tolo News.

Nicholsons remarks were rejected by Pakistani Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal, who told the Dawn newspaper that Taliban militants dont need to hide in Pakistan since they have control over so much land and resources in Afghanistan.

A U.S. report found earlier this year that the Taliban controls or contests control of about 40 percent of the country.

Pakistan is fully committed to rooting out terrorism and no other country can match us in terms of the number of sacrifices made in the war on terror, Iqbal insisted.

Separately, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif reiterated that the United States should refrain from blaming its failures in Afghanistan on Pakistan.

America used Pakistan as its ally, but Pakistan suffered unbearable losses in the war on terror, he told Geo News TV on August 27. If the U.S. doesnt trust Pakistan, it should make preparations to repatriate the Afghan refugees Pakistan has been hosting for nearly 35 years.

And in an interview with Bloomberg News published August 27, Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that Trumps strategy for the war in Afghanistan is doomed to failure.

From Day One, we have been saying very clearly the military strategy in Afghanistan has not worked, and it will not work, said Abbasi, who assumed office three weeks ago.

There has to be a political settlement, he added. Thats the bottom line.

Tillerson, the U.S. secretary of state, on August 27 said the administrations new strategy in Afghanistan is designed to put pressure on the Taliban to enter into negotiations with Kabul by sending a message...that we are not going anywhere.

I think the presidents been clear that this is a dramatic shift in terms of the military strategy, Tillerson told Fox News Sunday.

With reporting by Dawn, Bloomberg, and Tolo News
Azerbaijan's State Security Service (DTX) says it has killed a man suspected of planning terrorist attacks in a special operation in the town of Ismayili, northwest of the capital, Baku.



Security forces shot dead Azerbaijani national Yasar Cavadov who "planned a series of terrorist attacks" in the country, DTX said in an August 28 statement.

The statement also says that Cavadov took part in unspecified military conflicts abroad.

Cavadov fired shots at DTX officers, who returned fire and killed the suspect, it said.

Security forces also discovered documents on Cavadov which showed that he had been financed by a foreign terrorist group, the statement said without elaborating.


A car bomb has killed at least eight people and wounded more than 25 others at a vegetable market in a predominantly Shi'ite neighborhood of the Iraqi capital, officials say.

Police said the vehicle packed with explosives detonated on August 28 at the Jamila market in the Sadr City district of Bahgdad.

The extremist group Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility in a statement carried by its affiliated Amaq news agency.

The victims included members of the countrys security forces.

It was not immediately clear if a suicide bomber had driven the vehicle to the target or if it was a parked car bomb.

The attack comes as U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are in the final stages of recapturing the northern town of Tal Afar from IS fighters.

IS militants have carried out a string of attacks in Baghdad in the past.

Based on reporting by AFP, AP, and Reuters


It happens every August, almost without fail.

As the summer winds down, you can count on the annual controversy about the events and repercussions of August 1939.

Every August, the ghost of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact -- the specter of the Soviet Union's collaboration with Nazi Germany -- comes back to haunt Europe.

And this year was no exception.

To mark the anniversary of the pact on August 23 -- which the European Commission has proclaimed a Day Of Remembrance For The Victims Of Totalitarian And Authoritarian Regimes -- Estonia, which currently holds the EU Presidency, held an informal ministerial conference in Tallinn on The Heritage In 21st Century Europe Of The Crimes Committed By Communist Regimes.

Now, one would think that this wouldn't be controversial.

Especially given the fact that tens of thousands of Estonians, Latvians, and Lithuanians were deported to the gulag and thousands died under the Soviet occupation.

But controversial it was.

The European Parliament's United Left-Nordic Green group accused Estonia of politicizing its EU presidency.

The Greek justice minister boycotted the event, saying it revives the climate of the Cold War.

This all, of course, is music to Moscow's ears as the Kremlin has gone to extraordinary lengths to airbrush the memory of the Hitler-Stalin pact -- and airbrush the memory of Soviet repression -- from history.

Shortly before the conference in Tallinn, the Russian Foreign Ministry accused Poland's foreign minister of historical "forgery" and "insulting remarks" for saying something that is indisputably true: that the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany jointly invaded Poland.

It's been nearly eight decades since August 1939. But the ghosts of that fateful month still haunt Europe.

Keep telling me what you think on The Power Vertical's Twitter feed and on our Facebook page.
Russian authorities say a construction worker who was injured when a bus packed with laborers plunged off a pier on a peninsula near Crimea has died.

The death announced on August 28 brought the toll from the accident to 19.

Authorities in Krasnodar Krai said that another 19 people remain hospitalized, five of them in grave condition.

Officials said the bus packed with workers fell off a pier they were building on the Taman Peninsula on August 25.

Russia is building a bridge linking the peninsula to Crimea, the Ukrainian region on the Black Sea that Moscow occupied and seized in 2014.

With reporting by Interfax and RIA Novosti
Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Iran has for the first time admitted that it sent "a small number" of drones to Russia, but it said they were supplied months before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in February. Kyiv and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of using Iranian-made combat drones to destroy civilian infrastructure in Ukraine in recent weeks.

Following Iran's admission, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Tehran was lying about the number of drones it had supplied Russia. He said Ukrainian air defenses shoot down at least 10 Iranian-made drones every day. The U.S. envoy to Iran, Rob Malley, said Iran had transferred dozens of drones to Russia in recent months and deployed military personnel to help Russia use the drones.

Why It Matters: Iran's decision to supply combat drones -- and potentially ballistic missiles -- to Russia is a sign of the deepening ties between Tehran and Moscow. Both countries, which have pledged to work together against the West, have been hit by international sanctions and isolation.

The move also reflects Tehran's policy of looking to the East -- turning to allies Russia and China -- after then-U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions in 2018.

Ali Vaez, the director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, told me Tehran has concluded that Russia's potential defeat in Ukraine would "weaken Iran." Raz Zimmt, a research associate at Tel Aviv University, said Tehran is looking to exploit Russia's "weakness in Ukraine in order to make their relations with Moscow more equal and beneficial toward Iran."

He added that Tehran can also "now show that it has the ability of using its military asymmetric capabilities even outside the Middle East."

What's Next: Britain and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Iran for supplying Iranian-made drones to Russia that are being used in attacks on Ukraine. Tehran could face further punitive measures from the West, but it is unlikely to change course.

Henry Rome, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told me that "Iran probably calculates that the strategic and security benefits outweigh greater opprobrium from the West." Rome also said Iran's decision to send drones to Russia allows Tehran to deepen its relationship with Moscow, "a country that the leadership likely considers essential to Iran's geopolitical and security interests, especially in a world in which the [nuclear deal] is not revived."

Stories You Might Have Missed

A new investigation by Schemes, the investigative unit of RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, found that the Iranian combat drones Russia is deploying in its war against Ukraine use Western components, raising questions about how Tehran obtains this technology despite sanctions. Iran's Mohajer-6 drones contain components produced by companies from the United States and the European Union, both of which have sanctions restricting the export of such technology to Iran.

A resident of Iran's Kurdistan region, Yahya Rahimi, was allegedly shot dead by security forces for honking his car horn in support of the ongoing anti-government protests. His father, Ahmad Rahimi, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda that the authorities had pressured him to declare his son was a member of the Basij paramilitary forces, a branch of Iran's powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), in an apparent attempt to blame his death on protesters.

What We're Watching

Iranian lawmakers urged the judiciary on November 6 to "deal decisively" with anti-government protesters as the authorities struggle to suppress the biggest show of dissent in years. A majority of 227 lawmakers from Iran's 290-seat, hard-line parliament made the request. The lawmakers called for the judiciary to enforce the Islamic "eye for an eye" retribution law. Separately, a judicial spokesman said sentences against "rioters" should create "regrets" and teach them a lesson.

Why It Matters: At least 300 people have been killed and several thousand arrested in the state's violent crackdown on nationwide protests since mid-September. Yet, the protests have continued. The call by lawmakers for harsher sentences appears to be an attempt by the establishment to stoke fear and pressure protesters to end the rallies.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,



Golnaz Esfandiari



If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.
Iran's top communications official has suggested that negotiations have begun that could lead to the unblocking of Twitter. But while the social-networking site has been heavily filtered to prevent access in the Islamic republic for years, it has hardly been ignored by some of the country's highest-ranking authorities.

Twitter was not a hugely popular networking tool when it was blocked in 2009 amid massive protests over the reelection of President Mahmud Ahmadinejad.

At the time Facebook and YouTube were seen as the outlets of choice for spreading information and videos about the nationwide protest and the subsequent harsh crackdown. Twitter was used more outside the country to spread news of the 2009 events.



Despite the obstacles, however, Twitter has since become increasingly popular with Iranians, including among conservative officials who frequently blast social media as a Western spying tool. Despite the apparent contradiction, the hard-liners use Twitter to reach out to their supporters with statements and messages, and to disseminate propaganda.

After recently appointed Communications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said in an interview with the government daily Iran last week that the service no longer needed to be blocked, and that Twitter had announced that it was ready to negotiate to resolve problems, RFE/RL was unable to confirm that negotiations were indeed taking place (the U.S.-headquartered company declined to comment to an inquiry about Jahromi's statement).

But the idea that it could be unblocked led us to list some of the bigger Iranian names who have been using Twitter all along.

Ali Khamenei

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, often listed by media watchdogs among the world's top enemies of the Internet, was one of Irans first officials to join the social networking site.

The Iranian leader maintains Twitter accounts in several languages, including in English, Farsi, Arabic, and Spanish, and his media team regularly posts his statements, speeches, pictures, as well as infographics.

Khamenei's Twitter accounts follow six other Twitter accounts -- each of them follows its alternative-language counterparts, plus an account named after the founder of the Islamic republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Khamenei's Twitter accounts do not interact with users.

Hassan Rohani

President Hassan Rohani has a twitter account in Farsi, for his audience at home, and one in English, presumably for Twitter users abroad.



At the time of writing, his Farsi Twitter account had 516,000 followers, while his English account has 686,000 followers.



The accounts Rohani follows include Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif; former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a political ally who died in January; former reformist President Mohammad Khatami; and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.



A tweet marking the death of internationally renowned Iranian-born mathematician Mariam Mirzakhani, a message marking Journalists' Day in Iran, and a warning against tearing down the 2015 nuclear deal are among his recent posts on Twitter.

Rohani's Twitter accounts have occasionally retweeted tweets by his supporters and fans.

He's also liked a number of tweets, including one by Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser for former U.S. President Barack Obama, expressing solidarity with Iran following the June 7 deadly attacks in Tehran claimed by the extremist group Islamic State (IS).

 Mohammad Javad Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has a Twitter account in English.

He follows Rohani, Khamenei, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davotglu, Vali Nasr (a renowned expert on the Middle East and South Asia who served as an adviser to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton), and several Iranian and foreign journalists.

In recent weeks, Zarif has taken to Twitter to defend Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and to criticize comments by U.S. President Donald Trump.

In 2013, Zarif famously send out a tweet wishing Jews a happy New Year. Zarif also distanced himself from the Holocaust denials regularly made by Mahmud Ahmadinejad when he was president.

 Mohammad Khatami

Former reformist President Mohammad Khatami, who faces a media ban, uses social media such as Twitter to spread his statements and speeches as well as for reaching out to Iranians.

Ahead of the 2016 elections for parliament and the Assembly of Experts, Khatami issued a video statement calling on his supporters to vote for pro-reform and moderate candidates.

The statement, posted on Twitter and other social media, including on the popular app Telegram, went viral.

In May, he issued a similar message calling on his supporters to vote for Rohani in the country's presidential vote.

Among his recent tweets was a call for Khamenei to release opposition figures who've been under house arrest since 2011 and a picture of him visiting those injured in the June terrorist attacks in the Iranian capital that were claimed by IS.

 Shahindokht Molaverdi

Shahindokht Molaverdi, a special assistant to President Rohani on citizen's rights who previously served as vice president on women's affairs, is among the rare authority figures in Iran who have interacted with users.

Earlier this week, when users criticized the Education Ministry's guidelines for hiring teachers, she promised on Twitter to look into the situation.

She often tweets about state policies as well as achievements by Iranian women.

One of her recent posts was a picture of the woman elected as head of the city council in Mohajeran, in central Iran.

 Massoumeh Ebtekar

Massoumeh Ebtekar, Iran's vice president on women and family affairs, has a Twitter account in Farsi and one in English.

Ebtekar, a spokeswoman for the Islamic student revolutionaries who seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and the former head of Iran's Department of Environment, used to tweet often about environmental issues.

She's now switched to tweeting about women's issues and achievements by Iranian women.

In a recent tweet, Ebtekar, whose son lives in the United States, denied a claim by an unnamed lawmaker that she has a U.S. Green Card, a document that grants foreign individuals permanent residence in the United States.

 Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi

Communications Minister Mohammad Jahromi has been quite active on Twitter of late.

He's blasted Apple for removing Iranian apps, apparently because of U.S. sanctions.

He's also dismissed allegations that he interrogated activists detained in the crackdown on the 2009 protests.

Jahromi follows only four others on Twitter: Khamenei, Khomeini, Rohani, and Rafsanjani. He has now about 8,000 followers, but due to his activism that number is likely to grow.

Mahmud Sadeghi

Reformist lawmaker Mahmud Sadeghi tweets quite often and he also interacts with users.

Last year, he took to Twitter to say that its filtering inside the country was unjustified.

"The activity of senior establishment officials and many figures in this social networking site is proof, he tweeted.

In July, he highlighted state filtering of the Internet by posting a screengrab of the website of pro-reform Ayatollah Yousef Sanei that appeared to have been blocked inside the country.

"This site has been identified as having criminal content," he tweeted.

Mahmud Ahmadinejad

Former hard-line President Mahmud Ahmadinejad joined Twitter earlier this year, apparently amid efforts to make a political comeback that failed after he was prevented from running in the May presidential vote. The combative Ahmadinejad doesn't follow anyone on Twitter and he only posts in English.

He tweets about peace, justice, and democracy, has praised late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez, and posted family photos, including one with his wife.
The Iraqi military says its forces have taken nearly all of Tal Afar, the Islamic State (IS) extremists stronghold in the northwest of the country, but commanders say some militants continue to hold out in a nearby region.

The military on August 27 said that after eight days of fighting, its forces have recaptured all 29 neighborhoods in Tal Afar from IS fighters.

Iraqi Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said the military was waiting to declare victory until after it retakes Al-Ayadiya, a small region where extremists are holding out after fleeing the Tal Afar city center some 11 kilometers away.

Tal Afar is the latest major objective for U.S.-backed Iraqi forces after having driven IS from the larger northern city of Mosul, which the extremists took in 2014 and named the center of their self-declared Islamic caliphate.

About 2,000 militants were believed to be holding out in Tal Afar at the start of the offensive on August 20.

Iraqi forces consisted of some 50,000 fighters, Iraqi and Western officials say.

Iraqi special forces liberated the city center on August 26 and raised the Iraqi flag atop of the heavily damaged, Ottoman-era citadel.

"We tried to push out the militants without doing too much damage," a Shi'ite militia fighter allied with the Iraqi forces told the Reuters news agency. "We only used light weaponry."

Based on reporting by Reuters and AFP
Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev has expressed hope that allies will hold power and adhere to his policies after he leaves office following an October 15 presidential election.

Meeting with residents in the southern town of Ozgon on August 28, Atambaev called presidential candidate Sooronbai Jeenbekov his "friend" and suggested that Sapar Isakov, who became prime minister after Jeenbekov quit to run in the election, is his protege.

"After I leave my post, my friend may become the president. A young fellow whom I trained and raised was recently appointed prime minister.... I hope they will carry on my affairs and finish what I have undertaken," Atambaev said.

Jeenbekov and Isakov are seen as loyal allies of Atambaev, who is limited to a single presidential term by the Kyrgyz Constitution.

Critics say Atambaev is looking for ways to maintain influence after he leaves office to make way for the winner of the election in the nation of 6 million.

Constitutional amendments proposed by Atambaev and approved in a December 2016 referendum boosted the powers of the prime minister in Kyrgyzstan, the only Central Asian country that has had more than two presidents since the 1991 Soviet collapse.

Opponents fear the amendments were aimed to make it easier for Atambaev and his allies to remain in power as long as possible.

Atambaev began his six-year term in 2011, succeeding Roza Otunbaeva. The two previous presidents were driven from power by street protests, Askar Akaev in 2005 and Kurmanbek Bakiev in 2010.

Controversy has been cast over the election by the August 16 conviction of opposition politician Omurbek Tekebaev, a former ally of Atambaev, on bribery charges that his Ata-Meken (Fatherland) party says were aimed to keep him off the ballot.

Tekebaev was sentenced to eight years in prison, a ruling that bars him from running in the upcoming election and the next presidential vote, due to be held in 2023.

Election officials are scheduled to release the final list of candidates in the October 15 vote on September 10.
Pakistan's prime minister says U.S. President Donald Trumps strategy for the war in Afghanistan is doomed to failure.

From Day One, we have been saying very clearly the military strategy in Afghanistan has not worked, and it will not work, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said in an interview with Bloomberg News published on August 27.

There has to be a political settlement, he added. Thats the bottom line.

Abbasi, who assumed office three weeks ago, said that while Islamabad supports the fight against terrorists in neighboring Afghanistan, it will not let the conflict spill over into Pakistan.

On August 21, Trump set out his administrations new path forward for Afghanistan, where U.S.-led forces have been fighting a 16-year war against Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups attempting to overthrow the government in Kabul.

Speaking at a military base near Washington, D.C., Trump vowed "to win" the war and said his strategy will not be based on "arbitrary timelines" but on conditions on the ground.

Following Trump's address, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis suggested the United States and other countries would send more troops to Afghanistan.

In setting out the new strategy, Trump also took aim at Pakistan, saying Washington will no longer tolerate Pakistan offering "safe havens" to extremist groups, a claim Islamabad denies.

"We can no longer be silent about Pakistans safe havens," Trump said. "Pakistan has much to gain from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by continuing to harbor terrorists."

In an apparent response, Pakistan postponed a visit by U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells due to begin on August 28.

Pakistan did not say the postponement was linked to Trumps allegations, but Islamabad has heavily criticized the comments.

"At the request of the government of Pakistan, Acting Assistant Secretary Wells' trip has been postponed until a mutually convenient time," the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad said.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on August 27 said the administrations new strategy in Afghanistan is designed to put pressure on the Taliban to enter into negotiations with Kabul by sending a message...that we are not going anywhere.

I think the presidents been clear that this is a dramatic shift in terms of the military strategy, Tillerson told Fox News Sunday.

With reporting by Bloomberg, Reuters, and The Express Tribune
Children escaping from the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, which has been held by Islamic State (IS) militants since 2014, have been "tormented" by years of living under the extremists rule, a U.S.-based charity says.

Save the Children on August 28 also said a bombing campaign has increased the nightmares for young people in the self-declared IS capital, which is under siege by U.S.-backed Syrian Arab and Kurdish fighters.

"Raqqa's children might look normal on the outside, but inside many are tormented by what they've seen," the charitys Syrian director, Sonia Khush, said.

"The children of Raqqa didn't ask for the nightmares and memories of seeing loved ones die right in front of them," she added. "We risk condemning a generation of children to a lifetime of suffering unless their mental health needs are addressed."

Save the Children said it could take decades for the young people to overcome psychological difficulties.

Raqqa was taken by IS fighters as they captured large amounts of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014, declaring an Islamic caliphate in areas they controlled.

A U.S.-backed offensive pushed the extremists out of their self-declared Iraqi capital of Mosul and are pressuring them elsewhere in the country.

The Syrian Democratic Forces -- an alliance of Syrian Arab and Kurdish fighters -- have encircled Raqqa and are preparing for the final assault, backed by U.S.-led air power.

An estimated 20,000 people -- about half of them children -- are trapped in the city behind IS lines as the extremists attempt to hold out in the face of the U.S.-backed coalition offensive.

With reporting by AFP and The Washington Post
The newly appointed Russian ambassador to the United States has met with the outgoing U.S. ambassador to Russia to discuss ties, Russias Foreign Ministry says.

Anatoly Antonov and John Tefft also exchanged views on a number of international problems," the ministry said on August 28.

The meeting in Moscow comes a week after the Kremlin announced President Vladimir Putin's appointment of Antonov, a veteran diplomat who is under European Union sanctions for his role in Moscow's interference in Ukraine.

Relations between Moscow and Washington are severely strained by animus over Russia's aggression in Ukraine and its alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election in 2016.

The latest spiral of tension involves the countries diplomatic representations. Russia late last month demanded that the United States cut 755 of the roughly 1,200 staffers -- many of whom are Russians -- at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and consulates in three other Russian cities.

The U.S. Embassy said on August 21 that it was sharply curtailing nonimmigrant visa processing at the four missions.

Teffts said on August 23 that the move was forced by the Russian demand for dramatic diplomatic staff cuts and was "not vindictive," but Russia has reacted with accusatory words. Foreign Ministry spokesman Maria Zakharova, who has become known for strong language, was quoted as saying on Russian channel Dozhd (TV Rain) that the reduction of visa services was "some kind of genocide of ordinary [Russian] people."

Tough Negotiator

Antonov, 62, has served in both the Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry.

He has been a staunch public advocate of Russia's assertive foreign policy in recent years, and is seen as a tough negotiator on issues including arms control.

In February 2015, the EU added Antonov to a list of Russians targeted by sanctions over Moscow's takeover of Crimea and backing for armed separatists in eastern Ukraine, saying he was "involved in supporting the deployment of Russian troops in Ukraine."

Canada and Ukraine have also imposed sanctions on Antonov, who was a deputy defense minister from February 2011 to December 2016. The United States has not.

More than 10,000 people have been killed since April 2014 in the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and the Russia-backed separatists, who hold parts of two provinces in eastern Ukraine.

Antonov took over from Sergei Kislyak, whose contacts with members of President Donald Trump's campaign team during the 2016 presidential campaign and the transition following his win in November are among the subject of U.S. investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the election and whether there was any collusion between Russia and allies of Trump. Both Trump and Moscow deny the allegations.

Tefft is expected to leave Moscow this year. In July, Trump nominated Jon Huntsman Jr., a former ambassador to China, to be ambassador to Russia. His appointment is subject to approval by the U.S. Senate.

With reporting by Reuters, TASS, Interfax, and MK


Russian authorities say three law enforcement officers were killed in two separate incidents in the southern Daghestan region on August 28, including an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group's propaganda agency.

Russia's National Antiterrorism Committee said in a statement that two officers and two suspected militants were killed in a shoot-out on the outskirts of the town of Khasavyurt in the North Caucasus republic.



The deadly clash erupted after the suspects refused to surrender, the committee said.

Meanwhile, regional investigators in Daghestan said that on the morning of August 28, one local police officer was killed and another injured in a knife attack by two assailants in the town of Kaspiisk.

Investigators said in a statement that the two assailants were killed by police following the attack.

There was no mention of terrorism in the statement, but the IS propaganda agency Amaq later called the attackers "soldiers of the Islamic State."

The head of Daghestan's regional security council, Abdulmuslim Abdulmuslimov, was quoted by the Russian business daily RBK as downplaying claims of IS involvement. He said the claims were "untrue" and aimed at "destabilizing the situation in the republic," RBK reported.

The state-run TASS news agency cited an unidentified source as saying that authorities recovered two knives and IS paraphernalia.

Daghestan and other mainly Muslim republics in the North Caucasus are the site of frequent fighting between government forces and militants whose insurgency stems from two post-Soviet separatist wars in Chechnya.

Russia says hundreds of its citizens, mainly from the North Caucasus, have fought alongside Islamic militants in Iraq and Syria.

The IS-affiliated Amaq also claimed responsibility for an August 19 stabbing rampage in the Russian city of Surgut that left seven people injured.

The attacker, a local Surgut resident, was shot dead by police following the attack.

With reporting by AP, AFP, TASS, and rbc.ru
Police in Russias Far East are investigating an incident in which a taxi driver appeared to force a woman to smear her face with a green antiseptic known as zelyonka after she failed to pay the fare.

A video of the incident in the far eastern city of Khabarovsk was posted on Instagram on August 27. It shows a man appearing to pressure a female passenger who emerges from a taxi into rubbing the antiseptic, which leaves a deep green stain, on her face.

Two other people seen in the video -- a man and a woman who were also reportedly passengers in the taxi -- also appear to have applied the zelyonka on themselves.

A voice coming from off camera can be heard saying in a mocking voice: Youll be on YouTube today.

The Interfax news agency cited a representative of the local Maksim taxi company as saying on August 28 that the driver had been fired and that the firm had launched an internal probe.

The representative said the three passengers had run up a 2,000-ruble ($34) fare that they did not pay, adding that the driver should have either taken the issue to the company or to the police.

A city police spokesman said that authorities on August 28 had opened a probe into the incident, adding that the passengers had not filed a complaint with police.

Zelyonka has become a notorious weapon in assaults against Kremlin opponents.

Opposition leader Aleksei Navalny underwent eye surgery in Spain in May due to an injury he suffered when he was splashed with the antiseptic in an attack.

Based on reporting by Interfax, Amurpress.ru, and Gubernia.com
The results are in, and the title of highest-earning spouse of a Russian official -- according to official declarations, at least -- goes to the wife of the head of the oil-rich region of Tatarstan.

Gulsina Minnikhanova, married to Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov, topped the list published on August 28 by the Russian business publication Forbes Woman with an income of 2.35 billion rubles ($40.1 million) in 2016 -- outearning her husband by more than three-hundredfold.

The Russian magazine said it analyzed the 2016 public income declarations of Russian officials and lawmakers, which include declarations of their spouses, at all levels of power.

Aside from Minnikhanova, the owner of an elite spa and hotel complex in Tatarstans capital, Kazan, the top 10 earners among Russian officials' spouses last year included the wife of another regional head, as well as the spouses of federal, regional, and local lawmakers.

Opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin have long pointed to the wealth of officials relatives as evidence of a system of corruption and cronyism that they accuse him of fostering during his 17 years in power. The Kremlin has repeatedly brushed off such criticism.

The runner-up to Minnikhanova was the wife of businessman Vadim Bredny, a city lawmaker with Putins ruling United Russia party in Ulan-Ude, capital of the Siberian region of Buryatia.

Raisa Bredny, managing director of the retail and food company founded by her husband, earned 1.92 billion rubles ($32.9 million) last year, according to Forbes Woman.

Coming in at No. 4 was Yekaterina Ignatova, the wife of Sergei Chemezov, head of the state-owned Russian conglomerate Rostec. Ignatova earned 848.5 million rubles ($14.5 million) last year, according to Chemezovs declaration. She is a shareholder of the International Finance Club bank, known by the Russian acronym MFK. The other shareholder is Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov.

Chemezov, who is widely seen as being close to Putin, was slapped with U.S. sanctions in 2014 over Russias backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine. He declared 212 million rubles ($3.6 million) in income last year.



Minnikhanova, whose husband has led the mainly Muslim region of Tatarstan since 2010, secured a large windfall in 2016 from the sale of a stake in the company that owns the Luciano spa and hotel complex in Kazan.

That sale earned her 2.2 billion rubles ($37.6 million), according to her husbands declaration.

The Tatarstan presidents office said in May that the deal involved a 49-percent stake being sold to a strategic investor -- a Cyprus-based firm called Santerna Holdings Limited, the Kommersant newspaper reported. That firms ultimate beneficiary is unclear.
The Russian human rights group Memorial is calling for the release of a 77-year-old former space researcher who was sentenced to prison on a treason conviction in 2016.

In an August 28 statement, Memorial said that Vladimir Lapygin is a political prisoner and called for his immediate release.

Lapygin was sentenced to seven years in prison in September 2016 after a Moscow court found him guilty of handing secret information to foreigners.

Memorial said that the information at issue cannot be considered as secret as many scientists in Russia have said that it is freely accessible from different open sources.

Lapygin denies any wrongdoing, saying he never had any access to classified information.

Before his arrest in May 2015, Lapygin worked for a research branch of the Russian space agency Roskosmos.

His case is one of several in recent years in which scientists and scholars have been accused of selling secrets.

Government critics say that they are frequently prosecuted for disseminating open-source information and that such cases cast a chill over research, science, and the academic community in Russia.
More than 30 cultural figures from different countries have signed a petition calling on Russian authorities to drop the criminal investigation into prominent theater and film director Kirill Serebrennikov.

German theater director Thomas Ostermeier and director and playwright Marius von Mayenburg were circulating a petition on behalf of Serebrennikov, who has been charged with fraud and was placed under house arrest last week.

Serebrennikov says he is innocent and Kremlin critics contend that the case is part of a clampdown on dissent ahead of the March 2018 presidential election.

The Germans urged their government to seek to ensure that Serebrennikov doesn't become the victim of a politically motivated defamation of character and doesn't end up in prison."

The signatories of the petition included Australian actress Cate Blanchett, German actress Nina Hoss, and German film director Volker Schloendorff.

On August 23, a Moscow court placed Serebrennikov under house arrest pending further investigation and trial into charges that he embezzled government funds allocated for one of his projects.

The 47-year-old, who was detained in St. Petersburg on August 22, dismissed the charges as "incredibly absurd and impossible."

He could be sentenced to 10 years in prison if convicted.

A few hundred supporters demonstrated outside the courtroom during the hearing and many Russian artists came to the director's defense.

A prominent director who has protested against President Vladimir Putin's government and staged controversial productions, Serebrennikov is the artistic director of the Gogol Center theater in Moscow and founded a dramatic collective called Seventh Studio.

He is known for taking aim at what Kremlin critics say are high-level lies and corruption and a turn toward hard-line conservatism in Putin's current presidential term.

Investigators claim he organized the embezzlement of at least 68 million rubles ($1.1 million) in state arts funding that was provided to Seventh Studio by the Culture Ministry between 2011-14 for a project called Platform.

Opposition politician Aleksei Navalny said that Serebrennikov's prosecution was intended by the government to send a signal to Russia's cultural elites to toe the line ahead of the March 2018 presidential election, in which Putin is expected to seek and win a fourth term.

Critics of the charges against Serebrennikov also include Putin's longtime former Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin and Vladimir Solovyov, a prominent TV host who is generally loyal to the Kremlin.

With reporting by AP
The children are getting sent to school, but it's postcommunist Tajikistan's founding fathers that are being taught the lesson.

In an unprecedented move, the Education Ministry in the overwhelmingly Muslim country says it will kick off the new school year on September 1 despite that also being one of the holiest days on the Islamic calendar.

Eid al-Adha, locally known as Idi Qurbon, is one of two major religious festivals designated as public holidays in Tajikistans 1994 constitution. Because it is rooted in the Islamic, lunar calendar, it falls at different times on the Gregorian calendar.

But the Tajik Constitution also prescribes that September 1 is the Day of Knowledge, the start of the academic year.

So something had to give.

But Education Ministry spokesman Ehsoni Khushvaqt told RFE/RLs Tajik Service on August 28 that classes will take place in schools and universities across the country on the Day of Knowledge.

Students will instead be given a public holiday on Saturday, September 2, to mark Eid al-Adha, Khushvaqt said. Saturday is normally a school day in Tajikistan, where students attend schools six days a week.

Eid al-Adha is celebrated for three days, so our students will still have an opportunity to celebrate it on Saturday and Sunday, the spokesman added.

Eid al-Adha, the "Feast Of The Sacrifice," lasts at least three days. But the Tajik Constitution allocates one public holiday each for Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr, the Muslim festival that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

On August 28, the countrys Federation of Independent Trade Unions came out in support of the Education Ministrys decision, saying the move doesnt contradict the constitution.

The ministry has offered an alternative public holiday for the education sector, Ismoil Hodizoda, the deputy head of the federation said.

September 1 is a public holiday in all other workplaces, he added.

Backed By Imams



Meanwhile, in many mosques across Tajikistan -- where around nine out of 10 people are Muslim -- imams urged parents to send their children to school on September 1.

Imams in Tajikistan largely back the staunchly secular government, which in recent years has tightened control on how its citizens practice Islam amid fears of what officials describe as growing extremism.

The hijab head scarf and other forms of Islamic dress are banned in schools and government offices, and schoolchildren are largely prohibited from praying in mosques, with few exceptions.



The Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, once the only officially recognized expressly Islamic political party in Central Asia, has been banned and was branded a terrorist organization by the Tajik Supreme Court in 2015.



Meanwhile, other Central Asian states that declared independence from the Soviet Union have taken varying approaches to accommodate the synchronous celebration of Eid al-Adha and the first day of school.

Kyrgyzstan will mark both the religious festival and the first day of school on September 1 but has canceled classes. Instead, schools will simply host gatherings to mark Education Day. Kyrgyzstan also is holding a four-day public holiday that begins with Independence Day on August 31.

Kazakhstan has moved the first day of school to September 2 to accommodate Eid al-Adha celebrations.

Uzbekistan did not need to juggle schedules because September 1 is an annual public holiday to mark its Independence Day.

Turkmenistans state media reported that Eid al-Adha would be marked with a three-day public holiday on September 2-4. The country announced an additional day off on Wednesday, September 5, to compensate for the Sunday that coincides with one of the Eid days.

Written by RFE/RL correspondent Farangis Najibullah


Russian authorities say at least three people have been killed in a fire in a retirement home in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

The Investigative Committee said 34 people were evacuated from the building on August 28.

The fire may have started in a building next door and spread to the retirement home, investigators said in a statement.

In recent years, devastating fires have killed hundreds of people at retirement homes and other state facilities in Russia, such as drug treatment centers and orphanages.

Investigators often blame lax enforcement of safety regulations.

Death rates from fires are substantially higher in Russia than in many Western countries.

According to the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services, there were 10,068 fire deaths in Russia in 2014 and 3,275 in the United States, whose population is roughly twice that of Russia.

With reporting by Interfax and AP
U.S. President Donald Trump's lawyer in a statement to congressional investigators has disclosed that the Trump Organization was negotiating to build a Trump Tower in Moscow while he campaigned for the White House in 2015 and early 2016, U.S. media report.

Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who was the Trump Organization's chief counsel at the time, said in a two-page statement to the House Intelligence Committee on August 28 that the deal reached the "letter of intent" stage but ultimately was abandoned "for a variety of business reasons," according to media organizations that said they obtained copies of the statement and e-mails.

The Moscow Trump Tower deal was "unrelated" to Trump's presidential campaign, media quoted Cohen as saying in the statement, but he said that he personally told Trump about the proposal "on three occasions," and Trump signed a nonbinding letter of intent to build the hotel complex in October 2015.

Cohen also said he sent an e-mail to Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, asking for help with the deal, based on the advice of a Russian go-between, Felix Sater, who claimed to have deep connections with the Kremlin, media reported.

The House Intelligence Committee is one of several congressional panels that are investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and whether there was coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign.

Responding to the reports about Cohen's statement, the Trump Organization confirmed that a nonbinding letter of intent was signed in October 2015 with Moscow developer I.C. Expert Investment Co. to build a Trump Tower in Moscow.

The company said the licensing deal was abandonned because it "was not significantly advanced" and no site or financing materialized during negotiations. It also said Trump was never paid any fees as part of the deal..

"To be clear, the Trump Organization has never had any real estate holdings or interests in Russia," the company said.

The Washington Post first reported about the letter of intent to build a Moscow Trump Tower on August 27.

The New York Times on August 28 first reported about Sater, who it said appeared to boast in an e-mail that the real estate deal could help Trump get elected.

"Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it," Sater was quoted as saying in an e-mail to Cohen. "I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process."

Sater, a Russian immigrant, was quoted as saying he had lined up financing for the Trump Tower deal with VTB Bank, a Russian bank that was under U.S. sanctions over Moscow's aggression in Ukraine.

Sater was quoted as saying he envisioned a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Moscow: "I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected."

In his two-page statement to the House committee, media said Cohen claimed to have e-mailed Peskov after Sater suggested doing so because "the proposal would require approvals within the Russian government that had not been issued."

Cohen said he did not recall any response to his e-mail, or any other contacts with Peskov or other Russian government officials about the project.

Cohen in a statement to the press downplayed Sater's claims about gaining the Kremln's backing for the deal, saying Sater "has sometimes used colorful language and has been prone to 'salesmanship'."

Cohen said the proposal for a luxury hotel, condominium, and office complex in Moscow was one of "countless" such proposals that the Trump Organization has received for building developments around the world, the media reports said.

Cohen said he "performed some initial due diligence" to determine whether the deal was a good fit for the Trump Organization, and the organization also sought building designs from architects and held preliminary discussions about financing the deal, media reported.

With reporting by AP, AFP, ABC News, The Washington Post, New York Times, and Reuters
A U.S.-based rights watchdog says that the international community should acknowledge positive changes in Uzbekistan since President Shavkat Mirziyoev took power almost year ago while continuing to encourage full-scale scale reform in the Central Asian nation.

The Washington-based monitor Freedom House said in a report released on August 28 that Mirziyoev has taken some steps to open up the nation of some 30 million since he came to power after the death of autocratic longtime President Islam Karimov was announced in September 2016.

But it said that some of these initiatives -- including allowing media reports critical of Karimovs legacy -- may be largely aimed at securing Mirziyoevs hold on power rather than indicative of a broad reform agenda.

By increasing the transparency of some government operations and slightly cutting back on corruption that has traditionally enriched law enforcement, [Mirziyoev] may be looking to weaken the entrenched elites and transfer wealth to his support base -- a more dynamic, pro-trade, pro-business elite, the report says.

The report was authored by Bakhtiyor Nishanov, the deputy director for Eurasia at the Washington-based International Republican Institute.

Mirziyoev was installed as interim president after Karimovs death was announced on September 2, 2016. He was then elected in a tightly controlled December 4 vote.

'Slight Opening'

Among the positive changes during Mirziyoevs year in power is an opening of the media space, a significant improvement in ties with Uzbekistans neighbors, and a move to abolish exit visas that prevent citizens from traveling abroad without permission from the state, the Freedom House report says.

It adds that observers have also noted a slight opening for civic activism and a greater opening for religious freedom in Uzbekistan."

Seemingly, then, there is a thaw in Uzbekistan. But the question is whether this is simply a thaw with no sign of a spring bloom or -- even worse -- only a brief respite before the coming re-freeze, it states.

The report also suggests Mirziyoev could face security challenges if his incremental policy changes raise expectations of greater freedoms that authorities fail to deliver.

The international community should acknowledge positive changes in the country but continue nudging the government toward a full-scale reform to ensure a prosperous, secure, and pluralistic Uzbekistan, it stated.

Other monitors have noted a positive trajectory in the area of human rights in Uzbekistan under Mirziyoev, but they say more needs to be done.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said earlier this month that five political prisoners have been released under Mirziyoev.

"The Uzbek government should also immediately and unconditionally release the other peaceful activists and human rights defenders who remain in prison following politically motivated and unfair trials," HRW said in an August 14 statement.


The nearby alien planet Proxima b may have lost the ability to support life long ago, a new study suggests.

If Earth had formed where Proxima b orbits  quite close to a red dwarf star  our planet's atmosphere would likely have been stripped away by intense stellar radiation fairly quickly, the study found.

"Things can get interesting if an exoplanet holds on to its atmosphere, but Proxima b's atmospheric loss rates here are so high that habitability is implausible," co-author Jeremy Drake, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said in a statement. "This questions the habitability of planets around such red dwarfs in general." [Proxima b: Closest Earth-Like Planet Discovery in Pictures]

Stripping the atmosphere

Proxima b circles the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, which lies just 4.2 light-years from the sun. The roughly Earth-size exoplanet completes one lap around its host star once every 11 Earth days. But, because Proxima Centauri is much dimmer than the sun, this tight orbit puts Proxima b within the habitable zone  the region where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface.

This proximity also puts the planet in danger, however. Red dwarfs tend to be quite active, especially in their youths. Charged particles pour out from these stars into space, and the closer a planet orbits to such a star, the more intensely it gets hit by damaging radiation.

High-energy UV light can knock electrons off molecules in a planet's atmosphere, producing charged particles (also known as ions). Some of these newly liberated electrons can be energetic enough to escape the planet's gravity, pulling particles of the opposite charge with them into space.

This atmosphere-stripping stellar activity is one reason many scientists argue that most planets around red dwarfs are not habitable. Because red dwarfs make up roughly three-quarters of the stars in the Milky Way, most of the galaxy's rocky planets may receive too much radiation for life to evolve.

Planets can have a variety of shields against radiation. One possibility is a thick atmosphere, which can absorb the bulk of radiation hitting a planet. Another is a magnetic field, which can funnel charged particles away from the planet. But magnetic fields aren't always helpful.

"The magnetic poles of a planet can be connected to the stellar wind, which provides a pathway for the upper, ionized region of the atmosphere to escape," said Katherine Garcia-Sage, lead author of the new study and a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

"Energy from the stellar wind is also redirected to the magnetic poles, providing extra energy for escape at these same regions where ions and electrons are able to leave the planet and enter interplanetary space," told Space.com via email.

So, the same magnetic field that shields a planet can also help funnel away part of its atmosphere. [Alien World 'Proxima b' Around Nearest Star Could Be Earth-Like (Video)]

The exoplanet Proxima b likely cannot sustain an Earth-like atmosphere at its current orbit, a new study reports. (Image credit: Mary Pat Hrybyk-Keith/NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

How would Earth fare?

To investigate what might be happening with Proxima b, Garcia-Sage and her colleagues did some computer modeling. Their models put an Earth twin  an Earth-size world with an Earth-like magnetic field  at Proxima b's spot and then buffeted the planet with the appropriate radiation (levels of which were determined using nearly 40 years of observations of Proxima Centauri).

"This was a simple calculation based on average activity from the host star," Garcia-Sage said in the same statement. "It doesn't consider variations like extreme heating in the star's atmosphere or violent stellar disturbances to the exoplanet's magnetic field  things we'd expect to provide even more ionizing radiation and atmospheric escape."

Despite the relatively conservative radiation dose, the modeled planet didn't fare well, the researchers found. Assuming high atmospheric temperatures and a completely open magnetic field, Proxima b could lose an Earth-equivalent atmosphere in only 100 million years, an eye-blink in the 4-billion-year lifetime of the planet, the researchers said. Even with the lowest temperatures and a closed magnetic field, the atmosphere would be stripped in 2 billion years.

Of course, these results assume an Earth-like magnetic field. A stronger or weaker magnetic field could produce different timescales, the scientists said.

"It is not immediately obvious which quantities contribute to a planetary magnetic field and to its strength," said Chuanfei Dong, a researcher at Princeton University. Dong, who was not involved in the project, studies exoplanet atmospheres.

Candidate contributors include a planet's radius, conductivity, density and core rotation rate, Dong said, and none of these quantities are known for Proxima b. Because of how the planet was detected, scientists have direct measurements of its mass but not its radius. That means they cannot directly calculate Proxima b's density, which would yield insights about the planet's core. Instead, researchers rely on previous studies that link a planet's mass with its radius.

"The radius of the planet can affect the radius of the electrically conducting fluid core, so it can affect the development and strength of its magnetic field," Dong told Space.com.

The distance between a planet and its star, and the time the planet takes to orbit, can also play important roles in determining the magnetic field strength, Dong said. That's due in part to the phenomenon called tidal locking, in which one side of a world permanently faces its star  a common feature of tightly orbiting worlds such as those in the habitable zones of red dwarfs.

Though the new results  which were published last month in The Astrophysical Journal Letters  don't bode well for the prospect of life on Proxima b, not all hope is lost, Dong said. Geological processes such as volcanic activity could help replenish a planet's atmosphere, he said.

Follow Nola Taylor Redd at @NolaTRedd, Facebook or Google+. Follow us at @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com .
In this image we can see the asterism of the "Summer Triangle" a giant triangle in the sky composed of the three bright stars Vega (top left), Altair (lower middle) and Deneb (far left).

The famous "Summer Triangle" will appear overhead around 9:30 p.m. local time this week. The summer sky landmark is not a constellation itself, but rather three bright stars from three separate constellations. The pattern is nearly isosceles, which means it appears as a triangle with two equal-length sides.

Brightest of the three is the bluish-white Vega, in the constellation of Lyra, the Lyre. Next in brightness is the yellowish-white Altair in Aquila, the Eagle. Finally, there is white Deneb in Cygnus, the Swan. To our eyes, Vega appears twice as bright as Altair and more than three times brighter than Deneb.

Apparent brightness can be deceiving, however, and regarding actual luminosity a different tale is told: brilliant Vega is 40 times brighter than our sun and 25 light-years away. Altair is 10 times brighter than the sun and is one of our nearer neighbors at just 17 light years away; it owes its splendor in the summer skies to its nearness to the Earth. But Deneb is one of the greatest supergiant stars known. Its luminosity is nearly 200,000 times that of the sun, yet at 2,600 light-years away it appears to us as a fairly conspicuous but by no means particularly notable star. But if it were somehow possible to move Deneb to Vega's distance from us, it would then appear to shine some 40 times brighter than Venus, capable of casting distinct shadows and even being visible in the daytime.[Morning Milky Way Shines Over Summer Triangle in Stunning Photo]

A special treat of the Summer Triangle's noticeable prominence in summer months is the visible framing of the Milky Way between Vega and Altair. Deneb appears to lie in the middle of the Milky Way's dim band.

Lie back on a warm summer night and look straight up. Youll see three bright stars: Vega, Deneb, and Altair. These mark the corners of the Summer Triangle and are your guides to the three constellations of Lyra, Cygnus, and Aquila. (Image credit: Starry Night Software

A symbol of the summer . . . or fall?

Although "Summer" Triangle suggests that it's a star pattern most favorably situated during the warm summer months, that is not entirely true. During July, it is visible during the entire night. By the time we get into September  a transitional month where we officially move into fall in the Northern Hemisphere  the Triangle continues to stand high overhead soon after darkness has fallen. To this end, some might argue that it should really be branded as the "Autumn" Triangle. However, on the day of the autumnal equinox, the Triangle has already begun to disappear below the west-northwest horizon by the break of dawn. So, unlike during the sultry nights of July, the Triangle does not remain in view from sunrise to sunset as the leaves begin to turn. But even as late as mid-November, stargazers can still see the Triangle in pretty much the same position that we would see it this week during the middle to late evening hours, though by mid-autumn this view will more closely correspond to dusk (around 5 p.m. local time).

Who branded it first?

There is some debate as to who first christened the bright stellar trio of Vega, Deneb and Altair as the Summer Triangle. Some say that the legendary British astronomer, Sir Patrick Moore (1923-2012), was the first to coin the term.

Noted Moore: "During a 1958 television broadcast on the BBC, I introduced the nickname of the Summer Triangle and everyone now seems to use the term, even though it is completely unofficial." However, several years earlier, in 1954, in his popular sky guide "Find the Constellations," H.A. Rey (1898-1977) also used the Summer Triangle moniker. Still others believe that the term was popularized through U.S. navigator training manuals during World War II. Interestingly, Romanian astronomer Oswald Thomas (1882-1963) described Vega, Altair and Deneb as "Grosses Dreieck" (Great Triangle) in the late 1920s and "Sommerliches Dreieck" (Summerly Triangle) in 1934.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmers' Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for Fios1 News in Rye Brook, New York. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Tropical Storm Harvey is seen early Aug. 28, 2017 as it moves back toward the Gulf of Mexico in this NASA image from the GOES Earth-observation satellites.

NASA is monitoring Tropical Storm Harvey as it moves back into the Gulf of Mexico this morning (Aug. 28) after causing heavy rains and severe flooding across Texas and Louisiana this past weekend.

Harvey initially hit the Texas coast as a Category 4 hurricane on Friday (Aug. 25). NASA's aptly named Aqua satellite  "aqua" is Latin for "water"  has been gathering data that has helped scientists identify the clouds within the tropical storm that are capable of generating heavy rainfall.

On Sunday (Aug. 27), NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston was closed to everyone except mission-critical staff due to the flooding. JSC is home to Mission Control, which is responsible for NASA's operation of the International Space Station. The massive rainfall has flooded many of the roads surrounding JSC. [How to Donate to Harvey Victims Online]

The Aqua spacecraft made readings using one of its instruments, known as the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). The instrument detected the temperature of the clouds in the storm using infrared light, and scientists used that information to find out how large  and therefore how powerful  the storm clouds were in any given area the satellite surveyed, according to a NASA statement.

"The higher the cloud tops, the colder and the stronger they are," officials wrote in the statement. "So, infrared light  gathered by the AIRS instrument can identify the strongest storms within a tropical cyclone."

This infrared view of Tropical Storm Harvey was captured Aug. 28, 2017 by NASA's Aqua satellite. The strongest storms appear in purple and stretch from southeastern Texas to Louisiana, and into the Gulf of Mexico. (Image credit: NASA JPL, Ed Olsen)

On Sunday morning, AIRS discovered that Harvey's coldest clouds  those capable of dropping the heaviest rainfall  were near the tropical storm's center and east-of-center, which corresponded to areas extending from southeastern Texas into southeastern Louisiana. The cold clouds have temperatures as low as minus 63 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 53 degrees Celsius).

Today, NASA responded via Twitter to the outpouring of public concern for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, which is currently housed at JSC and is set to launch in 2018. The agency confirmed that the "personnel and hardware are safe and everyone is taking appropriate precautions." [Hurricane Harvey: Photos of the Massive Storm from Space]

According to NASA's Aug. 27 announcement, JSC's senior management will evaluate the conditions of the facility and nearby roads on a "day-to-day basis." For those in need, NASA also recommended using the FEMA mobile app and the Red Cross map to locate the nearest shelters.

Follow Doris Elin Salazar on Twitter @salazar_elin. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Algiers, August 27, 2017 (SPS) - Sahrawi human rights activist Aminatou Haidar advocated on Saturday in Algiers the setting up of a United Nations mechanism to monitor the violations of Sahrawi's human rights by Morocco, especially as the MINURSO" is powerless in the face of these violations."

She also hoped that the new UN Personal Envoy gave a new impetus to the peace process.

"Morocco continues to prevent NGOs, international organizations (political, parliamentary, unions and student organizations) and newspapers from visiting the Sahrawi occupied territories, with a view to hiding serious violations of human rights committed against Sahrawi civilians, who peacefully claim their right to self-determination and independence the exploitation of their natural resources and the release of all Sahrawi political detainees," said Haidar during a press conference jointly held with Fatma El Mehdi, member of the national secretariat of the Polisario Front and Secretary General of the National Union of Sahrawi women (UNFS) at the embassy of SADR in Algiers.

Haider also spoke of human rights violations by the Moroccan occupation against Sahrawi civilians between January and August 2017, and reported 225 peaceful demonstrations held by the Sahrawi people to claim their right to self-determination and fully exploit their natural resources, in addition to solidarity movements with the Sahrawi people.

"Moroccan authorities have repeatedly resorted to violence, electrocution and abusive arrests of 105 young Sahrawi," she said, stressing that 70 individuals are detained in various Moroccan prisons, including two minors.

She also referred to the political trials held on last July against Sahrawi human rights activists and activists, as well as iniquitous sentences against the political prisoners of Gdeim Izik group.

Moroccan authorities continue to prevent dozens of foreign observers from entering to occupied Western Sahara in order to conceal their inhuman practices inflicted on the Sahrawis, said the Sahrawi militant.

"The Sahrawi people are determined to continue the struggle until victory and proclamation of the Sahrawi state," said Haidar, calling for a "UN mechanism" to monitor Moroccan violations committed against Sahrawi citizens, especially as the MINURSO is powerless in the face of the crimes and violations committed by Morocco against the Sahrawi people."

She called for pressure on the Moroccan authorities to respect the decisions of international legality and the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination.

The Sahrawi activist expressed the wish that the new UN Personal Envoy, Horst Kohler, fully assumes his duties and engages in "serious" negotiations.

She also welcomed Algeria's "strategic support" to the Sahrawi people and its just cause for self-determination.

For her part, Fatma El Mehdi said that since her accession to the African Union (AU), Morocco had tried in vain to expel Western Sahara from the African organization, saying that "the AU is a real actor and partner" of the Sahrawi Republic and has always defended the independence of this occupied territory. (SPS)

062/090/APS




P olice are investigating after footage emerged of a couple having sex on a platform at a London Overground station.

The couple were filmed by disgusted onlookers in a clip that has been shared thousands of times online.

After their act, which lasted several minutes, the pair nonchalantly board an train.

The clip has attracted hundreds of comments from disgusted viewers.

One wrote: "These people have no shame. The way they boarded the train like nothing happened too!"

A British Transport Police spokesman said: 'We are investigating reports of a couple engaging in sexual activity on a platform at Hackney Downs station.

"The incident was reported to BTP around 1.20pm on Saturday 26 August and we are appealing for anyone with information to text 61016 or call 0800 40 50 40 quoting 286 of 26/08/2017".
C oncerns are growing for a 25-year-old mother-to-be who went missing five days ago.

Lauren Doyle, who is five months pregnant, was last seen at 10.30pm in the Bath Road area of Hounslow in west London on Wednesday.

Police said the vulnerable woman, from Ealing, could be in central London somewhere near Tottenham Court Road and appealed for the publics help in finding her.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: Officers are growing increasingly concerned for her safety and wellbeing as Lauren is five months pregnant.

Lauren is described as white with a slim build and shoulder length brown hair.

At the time of his disappearance she was wearing black jeans, trainers and a black body warmer.

Contact police in Ealing on 101 with information regarding her whereabouts or call the charity Missing People on 116 000.
N otting Hill Carnival fell silent for a second time today to honour firefighters who risked their lives rescuing Londoners from the fire disaster at Grenfell Tower.

Members of the London Fire Brigade bowed their heads for a minute's silence in front of hundreds of carnival-goers who offered them support. At least 80 people died in the tragedy on June 14.

Onn the closing day of the street party on Monday, carnival fell silent to honour the victims.

Firefighters were once again applauded and cheered after crowds paid their respects at 3pm at Europe's biggest street party.

Crowds rushed to thank firefighters after the minute's silence on the second day of the carnival / BBC

Paramedics were pictured alongside revellers with their heads bowed as carnival goers paid their respects victims of the June 14 blaze.

Music was cut, floats moving along the parade route came to a complete stop and people stood still as a sign of respect for the second time on Monday.

It came after Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Sunday urged crowds to keep those who died in the tragedy in their thoughts and prayers.

He added that the event takes place in the context of sadness and sorrow.

At least 80 people are feared dead following the Lancaster West estate blaze, including 52 who have been formally identified.

Notting Hill Carnival 2017 - day two 1 /28 Notting Hill Carnival 2017 - day two Two women wave for the cameras at the start of day two of Notting Hill Carnival REUTERS Carnival performers parade in the sunshine on the main Parade day of the Notting Hill Carnival AFP/Getty Images Hot stuff: Carnival-goers bask in what was predicted to be record levels of heat PA A woman dances in the sunshine at Carnival Rex Features A carnival performer poses for photos AFP/Getty Images A woman blows kisses to the camera as parades get underway on the second day of carnival AFP/Getty Images Carnival performers parade in the sunshine AFP/Getty Images A woman dances in the parade on day two of the 2017 Carnival REUTERS A woman gives a cheeky wiggle for photographers REUTERS Performers make their way to the start of the parade on the second and final day of the Notting Hill Carnival PA Dancers head to Carnival on the Tube Rex Features A dancer bares (almost) all ahead of the second day of Carnival PA There will be further commemorations for the Grenfell Tower victims later today PA Police officers pass performers ahead of the second day of Carnival PA Dancers from the Paraiso School of Samba observe their own minute's silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire PA Performers prepare to take part in the parade PA Two women make their way to the start of the parade PA Juliana Campos and her nine-year-old daughter practice their moves before the start of the celebrations PA Four women in burlesque outfits get ready to wow the crowds at carnival PA Samba dancers prepare for their big day in the sun Rex Features Four dancers get ready to take part in the Carnival parade Rex Features

The usually noisy carnival site was quiet and many people were visibly moved and in tears as they stopped their celebrations and bowed their heads.

A klaxon sounded the end of the minutes silence and soundsystems resumed music as people hugged each other.

Sadiq Khan remembers Grenfell Tower victims as Notting Hill Carnival begins

For the second time, many carnival-goers gathered outside the fire station in Notting Hill to honour the firefighters who attended the Grenfell fire.

Scores of revellers attended the two-day event dressed in green, which was an arranged tribute to the victims.

Performers passing the burnt-out tower were encouraged to lower their music volume and walk respectfully instead of dancing while hundreds of hand-drawn tributes, flowers and candles laid in the wake of the fire was protected by fencing.

Organisers and community leaders said they hope the 2017 event will provide a healing opportunity for survivors of the blaze.
A dancing police officer famed for his show-stopping performances on Britain's Got Talent has been filmed delighting crowds at Notting Hill Carnival with his incredible moves.

Pc Daniel Graham was told you must be an undercover raver as he threw shapes while manning the barriers at the famous west London street festival on Sunday.

Crowds cheered as revellers filmed the amazing moment on their phones while an MC on a nearby stage hyped up the performance chanting: Go 5-0, go 5-0.

In a clip, the MC can be heard saying: Hes not feds, he aint police, you must be an undercover raver.

[Warning: this video contains adult language]

Pc Graham then taps his ID patch on his shoulder to prove who he is before gesturing for the music to be turned up.

Carnival-goer Phemmy Nice was among those to see the incongruous sight and posted a clip on Twitter with the caption: When being a policeman is your 2nd job

He later told the Standard he was not at all surprised, adding: He really light the ground up ... he turned it up big time.

He estimated more than 80 people were transfixed by the display and said he respected the police officer showing his human-side.

I believe police are human so the joy of free mind and socialising should be expressed whenever, he said.

Pc Graham, 34, found fame earlier this year after reaching the semi-finals of Britains Got Talent.

After the audition, the Kingston police officer told the Standard he did it in the hope that I can show a human side to the police and try to break down some barriers.
F ormer British Olympian and star hurdler Colin Jackson has come out as gay.

Colin, 50, revealed his sexual orientation for the first time during an interview on Swedish television.

He came out publicly in the TV interview with SVT reporters Kajsa Bergqvist and Peter Haggstrom, having previously denied rumours about his sexuality.

He said he previously chose not to come out because he was worried that the press might 'sensationalise' his personal life.

Colin, who appeared on series 3 of Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, revealed the news on the Swedish series Rainbow Heroes because of their careful and in-depth choice of questions.

Hurdler Colin Jackson in action / Stu Forster/Allsport/Getty Images

He told Kajsa: "The way you asked me, it was a whole storytelling kind of thing and you were just interested in the way it affected me sports-wise, emotionally-wise and my preparation."

He also spoke about how his family reacted to the news.

He said he came out to them in 2006 after an ex sold a story about him to the media.

He said: "I was waiting for them in the kitchen. They walked in and they sat down. My mother could see my face and I was quite distraught.

"It didnt phase them at all."

"My mum went: First of all, is the story true?

"And I said its true, so its not like I can deny it. And then she went: Well, why are people so disgraceful?

"I just realised, Ive got the best parents."
A chemical cloud which forced coastline evacuations across East Sussex on Sunday is "very unlikely" to have floated over from northern France, authorities said.

Some 150 people required treatment for stinging eyes, sore throats and vomiting, but the effects of the unknown substance were "mostly minor", Sussex police said.

Despite the incident, thousands are expected to flock to beaches along the coastline on Bank Holiday Monday as temperatures reach up to 25C (75F).

In the past, chemicals have drifted across from European industrial units, but weather models indicate this was not the case on Sunday, according to the Met Office.

Forecaster Jay Merrell suggested a vessel in the English Channel may have been responsible for the noxious haze, but stressed nothing conclusive had been proven and that inquiries continue.

Police still do not know what caused the toxic mist to sweep across beaches

Bob Jefferey, of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) Eastbourne division, said it would be business as usual.

He said: "Whatever it was, it smelled like burnt plastic. It hung about and didn't move yesterday because there was no wind. The cloud seems to have dispersed today though.

"The hospital has downgraded the threat to pretty much non-existent now."

Mr Jefferey added that five people had to be rescued from rapidly rising tides yesterday, and urged beach-goers to watch sea levels.

People along the shoreline from Eastbourne to Birling Gap, near Beachy Head, were advised to close windows and doors on Sunday, but have been told it is now safe to open them.

Kyle Crickmore, who had been enjoying the bank holiday weekend sunshine at the beach at Birling Gap with his family, tweeted: "Some sort of chemical incident at Birling Gap, eyes are streaming and there's a strong smell of chlorine in the air".

Dan Sankey added: "Beautiful afternoon at Birling Gap cut short by some weird mist, burning everyone's eyes which led to the beach and cliff being evacuated."

Sussex police said: "Neither the gas nor its source have been established, but agencies are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out either on-shore or off-shore locations, although it does appear that it did sweep in from the sea driven by on-shore breezes.

"However, weather models suggest that an onshore source in northern France is very unlikely."

Jonathan Hill, 28, who lives around half a mile from the Birling Gap beach, said the incident had not discouraged people from flocking to the coast to enjoy the Bank Holiday weather on Monday.

133 beach-goers received emergency treatment after the mist approached

He said: "Everything appears to have cleared up completely today and people are arriving at the beach. It's maybe a bit less busy than usual but that's just my impression from what I've seen this morning."

The supermarket manager, from East Dean, returned from holiday with his girlfriend at around 4.30pm on Sunday and immediately began to suffer.

He said: "We got home, threw open the windows to air the house and quickly developed stingy eyes. Initially we thought it might be hayfever.

"It got so bad at one point I couldn't see for about five minutes, it was very hurtful to open my eyes and I had to wash them with cold water."

Members of the public alerted emergency services after inhaling mist which left them vomiting and unable to see properly

Public Health England said anyone still suffering effects from the fumes should wash irritated areas with soap and water.

The fire service has now stopped dealing with the incident and inquiries continue into the cause of the cloud.

The RNLI said that "possibly some kind of gaseous fumes" had drifted over and a significant number of people on cliff tops had been struck down with symptoms including irritation, sore eyes and vomiting.

The RNLI launched all-weather lifeboats from Eastbourne and Newhaven to the Birling Gap area after fears from the coastguard that people could be trapped on the beach.

There was a doctor on board the Eastbourne lifeboat.

UK Coastguard commander Steve Carson said: "This seems to have been caused by an unknown haze coming in from the sea, but the source has not yet been established.

"People living along the coast in the area have been advised by emergency services to keep doors and windows shut and to move away from the Birling Gap area in particular."

Eastbourne councillor Kathy Ballard described it as "a matter of definite concern," adding: "We need to find out the cause, where did this come from and to make sure that steps are taken so that it does not happen again.

"I have not heard of it happening before in this area."
A woman whose mother and sister were killed in a vicious hammer attack 21 years ago has announced her engagement to a man who had no idea about her history when they met.

Josie Russell, now 30, survived a brutal attack which claimed the lives of her mother Lin and younger sibling Megan in the Kent village of Chillenden in 1996.

They were walking home from a school swimming gala when Michael Stone set upon the family, blindfolding each of them before using strips of Josies towel to tie them to a tree. He then beat the mother and daughters as well as the family dog with a hammer.

Lin, 45, and Megan, six, died at the scene but Josie miraculously survived despite suffering catastrophic head injuries.

Killer: Michael Stone / PA

Now after more than two decades in which she stunned people with her recovery, she is engaged to boyfriend of 12 years Iwan Griffith.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Josie revealed how he had proposed on Christmas day last year.

She said: It was on Christmas morning, Iwan gave me chocolates and said Sorry, I didnt get you much.

Then he produced the ring  a diamond solitaire  and said: Happy Christmas.

"He did offer to get down on one knee and propose but I told him he didnt have to. It was a wonderful moment because Iwan is not only a wonderful man, hes my best friend."

She said the couple weren't "lovey-dovey" but instead had a relationship built on love and mutual respect.

"I think we are both quite strong-willed which sometimes makes for conflict, but apart from that we get on well," she said, adding that with friends settling down and having children she is now also thinking about it.

"[It's] inevitable that my thoughts have turned to whether we should too," she said.

The couple met in a Welsh pub on New Year's Eve 2005, while Josie was a student at university. Iwan had no idea about her past at the time and now the couple avoid discussing the subject.

She said: He asked about my mum once and I just told him she had died. Later his parents told him the full story but we never talk about the past. Its better for me to just get on with the present.

Stone was convicted of the murders in 1996 but has continued to protest his innocence of the double-murder that shocked the nation.

Following the attack, Josie's injuries were so severe that a huge portion of her skull had to be replaced with a titanium plate.

She suffered problems with her speech caused by the blows, but after moving to Wales with her father she surprised specialists with the speed of her recovery.

Earlier this year a BBC documentary claimed to expose new shocking details that never made it to trial and cast doubt on Stone's alleged confession of the murders made to a fellow prison inmate.
A lorry driver facing 20 charges over a motorway horror crash that left eight people dead has appeared in court.

Ryszard Masierak, 31, is accused of being over the alcohol limit when his truck was involved in the incident on the M1 in Buckinghamshire early on Saturday.

Six men and two women in a Ford Transit minibus died after the collision with the Polish driver's Scania lorry and a second lorry, shortly before 3.15am on the southbound carriageway near Newport Pagnell.

Three passengers, including a five-year-old girl, were left fighting for their lives, and a fourth suffered minor injuries in the crash between junctions 15 and 14.

Crash victim: Cyriac Joseph was killed in a devastating crash on the M1 / Facebook

Masierak appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court on Monday.

With short, cropped brown hair and stubble, and wearing a grey custody tracksuit, he listened intently to proceedings via a Polish interpreter as the charges were read out.

At one point Masierak wiped away tears with a tissue.

An artist's sketch of Ryszard Masierak weeping in the dock

Speaking outside court, Chief Inspector Henry Parsons, from Thames Valley Police, said: "Four people who were injured remain in a serious condition in hospital.

"We have had full co-operation from the two freight companies involved and they are fully supporting us with our investigation."

The minibus driver and owner of Nottingham-based ABC Travels, Cyriac Joseph, who was killed in the crash, was described as an "extraordinary father".

The crash happened on the southbound carriageway. / PA/Sky News

He had been taking a group of people from India to London from where they were due to start a tour of Europe.

Three other fatalities were named on Sunday as employees of IT company Wipro.

A spokeswoman for the firm said: "It is with deep regret and sadness that we confirm the passing away of three of our colleagues, Karthikeyan Ramasubramaniyam Pugalur, Rishi Rajeev Kumar, and Vivek Bhaskaran in a tragic road accident in the UK.

"Another colleague, Mano Ranjan Panneerselvam was critically injured in the accident and we are praying for his speedy recovery.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of all those who lost their lives in this tragedy.

"We will continue to provide all assistance to the families in this hour of grief."

Masierak faces eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving, four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

The court heard that he is accused of having 55mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood. The legal driving limit is 35mg.

Masierak, of Evesham, Worcestershire, made no application for bail and did not indicate how he would plead to the charges.

He was remanded in custody to appear next at Aylesbury Crown Court on September 26.
S everal people have been taken to hospital on Jersey after taking what police called a "potentially lethal" batch of the party drug MDMA.

Detectives on the Channel Island urged the public to seek medical attention if they became concerned, after a number of illnesses linked to the class A substance.

In a message posted on the States of Jersey Police's Facebook page, a spokesman said: "We have been made aware of a potentially lethal drug, believed to be MDMA or ecstasy circulating in the Island after a number of young persons have been admitted to hospital this weekend.

"Please remember not only are these drugs illegal, they can cause serious illness or even death.

"If you have any concerns, seek medical assistance."

No other details were given.

In April 2014 Jared Harrison, 17, died in the island's capital St Helier after taking a white powder thought to be MDMA.
M exico has responded to Donald Trumps latest angry tweet demanding it pays for the controversial border wall with a compassionate offer to help US victims of Hurricane Harvey.

The US President again demanded the central American country should pay for the highly-publicised wall between the countries which is designed to cut the number of illegal migrants travelling into the US.

It was a major election campaign promise by President Trump, who has repeatedly claimed he will get Mexico to pay for the divide despite the countrys flat out refusal.

In an aggressive tweet posted on Saturday amid a flurry of other posts about the Texas hurricane rescue operation, the US leader said: With Mexico being one of the highest crime nations in the world, we must have THE WALL.

Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other.

In response to the tweet, Mexicos foreign ministry issued a press release, which again dismissed claims it would pay for any wall or physical barrier along the US-Mexican border.

The statement ended with the earnest pledge to help the US government with the rescue effort calling the two countries good neighbours.

The Mexican government takes this opportunity to express its full solidarity with the people and government of the United States as a result of the damages caused by Hurricane Harvey in Texas, the statement said.

And [it] expresses that it has offered to provide help and cooperation to the US government in order to deal with the impact of this natural disaster - as good neighbours should always do in trying times.

Donald Trump impeachment protests - In pictures 1 /8 Donald Trump impeachment protests - In pictures Demonstrators carry signs during the Impeachment March to call for Congress to start impeachment hearings against US President Donald Trump in Los Angeles AFP/Getty Images Kyle Chapman (right) gets held back by supporters after an altercation with an anti-Trump supporte AP Demonstrators hold signs during the Impeachment March to call for Congress to start impeachment hearings against US President Donald Trump in Los Angelse AFP/Getty Images A small group of protesters gathers at Piedmont Park during an 'Impeachment March' against US President Donald J. Trump in Atlanta, Georgia EPA Demonstrators hold signs during the Impeachment March to call for Congress to start impeachment hearings against US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Anti-Trump supporters rally at the Texas State Capitol AP

Along with his latest tweet about the wall, President Trump then went on to partly blame Mexico for negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement, a deal between Canada, Mexico and the US.

We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico and Canada, the US leader said.

Both are being very difficult, may have to terminate?

Mexicos foreign affairs statement responded that its position at NAFTA talks will continue to be serious and constructive and after a beneficial result where the three countries win.

The statement added: Mexico will not negotiate NAFTA, nor any other aspect of the bilateral relationship, through social media or any other news platform.

Hurricane Harvey was classed as Category 4 hurricane late on Friday evening, but has since been downgraded to a tropical storm.

It reached land on Friday evening, wrecking havoc along some of the state's coastal towns and bringing devastating floods to many areas including Houston, the fourth-largest city in the US.

Rising water forced thousands of people on to their rooftops and higher ground, and overwhelmed rescuers have been struggling to keep up with constant calls for help.

Further downpours are expected in the coming days, and forecasters say a year's worth of rain may have fallen by the end of the week.
N orth Korea has reportedly fired a missile over Japan.

The Japanese government confirmed that Pyongyang had fired the unidentified projectile from an area near its capital early on Tuesday local time.

According to Japan, the missile passed over the northern part of the country before breaking into three pieces and falling into water off the coast of north-east island Hokkaido.

The government's alert system warned people in the area to take precautions, but public broadcaster NHK said there was no sign of any damage.

World reacts to North Korea's latest missile launch

Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, said he would do everything in his power to protect the public after the missile, which passed over the east Asian country at 6.06am local time - 10.06pm in the UK.

The country's military did not try and shoot down the missile. South Korea's military also confirmed the missile firing.

North Korea's estimated missile ranges

It comes after growing tensions in recent months, with Pyongyang last week firing missiles into the sea.

Two of the short-range ballistic missiles, which were fired from a site in Gangwon, flew about 155 miles, officials in South Korea said.

In July the North successfully flight tested a pair of intercontinental ballistic missiles that analysts say could reach deep into the US mainland when perfected.

US President Donald Trump has previously warned that he would unleash "fire and fury" if the North continued its threats.
T his article contains spoilers for Game of Thrones series seven, episode seven. You are advised not to read on until you are up to date with the latest installment.

The penultimate series of Game of Thrones has come to an end in spectacular style, with a finale that boasted lightning dragon fire, throat-slitting, double-crossing and confirmed incest.

Viewers shared their reaction to the bumper feature-length final episode on social media, describing it as intense and emotional.

However, the episode proved bittersweet for fans, who now face a possible two-year wait for the final series.

Game of Thrones season final trailer

Not that it stopped them celebrating the death of long-hated schemer Littlefinger and pondering just exactly what fate befell Tormund?

Here we've rounded up viewer reactions to some of the stand-out moments of the series seven finale.

The episode began with a meeting of several of the main characters, as Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen proved the existence of the army of the dead by unleashing a wight in the dragon pit.

There was some characteristic double crossing from Cersei, but it was one step too far for father of her child and brother Jaime, and fans were relieved to see him escape from her clutches unharmed.

Meanwhile as one incestuous relationship ended, another began and Jon and Daenerys sealed the deal in the only love scene in series seven.

But despite many fans having shipped them all season there was a distinctly unsettling air as Bran Stark and Sam Tarlys discussion about Jons true Targaryen heritage was played over the top, confirming a family connection.

But while there were new beginnings there were also endings for some major characters - Littlefinger was finally brought to justice after scheming and betraying his way through the seven series (and kingdoms).

Though fans were thrilled at his demise, they were devastated as it was strongly hinted that everyones favourite Wildling Tormund Giantsbane had fallen to his death off-screen after the destruction of The Wall.

Not that fans had much time to process the cliffhanger as the Night King, who had used his new wight dragon to decimate the only thing holding him back from a full-blown zombie invasion, marched his army past the crumbling wall.

And as the episode ended, viewers mourned the idea that they might be waiting until 2019 for new episodes.

It is has yet to be confirmed when series eight of the fantasy series will return, but broadcaster HBO has hinted that it could be back on screens in late 2019.

Game of Thrones: Season 7 - In pictures 1 /28 Game of Thrones: Season 7 - In pictures Kit Harington as Jon Snow HBO Nathalie Emmenuel as Missandei, Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister, Conleth Hill as Lord Varys, Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen and Jacob Anderson as Grey Worm Home Box Office Maisie Williams as Arya Stark HBO The Knight King HBO Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark Nathalie Emmanuel as Missandei HBO Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen HBO Gwendoline Christie as Brienne of Tarth, Kristofer Hivju as Tormund Giantsbane HBO Kit Harington as Jon Snow HBO The Knight King HBO Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister HBO Sophie Turner as Sansa Stark and Aidan Gillen as Petyr Baelish HBO Rory McCann as Sandor Clegane HBO Conleth Hill as Lord Varys HBO Isaac Hempstead Wright as Bran Stark, Ellie Kendrick as Meera Reed HBO Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen Home Box Office HBO Maisie Williams as Arya Stark HBO Bella Ramsey as Lyanna Mormont The Knight King HBO Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Jaime Lannister HBO

Game of Thrones series 7, episode 7 will air again tonight at 9pm on Sky Atlantic. You can also catch up with the current series on Now TV.
Countries & Areas

Search for country or area A Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan B Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burundi C Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Costa Rica Cote dIvoire Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czechia D Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic E Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia F Fiji Finland France G Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana H Haiti Holy See Honduras Hungary I Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy J Jamaica Japan Jordan K Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan L Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg M Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Mozambique N Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea North Macedonia Norway O Oman P Pakistan Palau Palestinian Territories Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Q Qatar R Republic of the Congo Romania Russia Rwanda S Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Korea South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria T Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvalu U Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan V Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Y Yemen Z Zambia Zimbabwe
The Israeli Air Force again grounded its AH-64 helicopter gunships after one (an AH-64A) crashed while landing at an airbase on August 7th. The pilot was killed and the co-pilot (weapons officer) injured. The cause was investigated and found not to be the same cracked tail rotor blade (discovered during a routine inspection) that caused AH-64s to be grounded in June. The cause of the August crash turned out to have nothing to do with the rotors although details were not made public. The pilot reported a technical problem as the AH-64A was coming in to land and managed to bring the AH-64 down (largely intact) next to the runway.

The grounding in June was because of a 20 cm (7.8 inch) crack in a tail rotor. Inspection of all Israeli AH-64s (and many used by the Americans and other export customers) confirmed that it was not a problem common to other AH-64s and the Israeli helicopters were cleared for regular use. During these groundings AH-64s (or other types of grounded warplanes) can usually still be called on for emergencies. In any event the Israelis have been shifting more of the AH-64 workload to UAVs. Israel began receiving AH-64s in the early 1990s and has worked then hard ever since.

Before the August crash Israel had 46 AH-64s all of them modified and upgraded over the years with Israeli electronics and made capable of using a number of Israeli missiles and sensors. Since the Israeli AH-64s have more hours in combat than any others still in service the Israelis have to carefully inspect them for signs of age (material fatigue and worn out components) and promptly attend to the problem. Age and lots of flight hours are the main causes of damage as the Israeli AH-64 defenses have managed to keep them safe from ground attack.

Back in 2010 the Israeli Air Force decided to halt upgrading its older AH-64A Apache helicopter gunships to the all-weather AH-64D "Longbow" version. At that point 17 of 47 Israeli AH-64s had been upgraded. The issue was cost and growing hostility by the U.S. government (and refusal to supply key items). Eventually less expensive Israeli sources were found for the electronics needed to achieve many of the capabilities of the D model. Using Israeli electronics also meant it was easier integrating AH-64 systems with Israeli made communications and battle management systems. This also reduced the cost as has the decision to switch to Israeli missiles instead of the American Hellfire.

With the improved electronics the AH-64 can be used at night and in bad weather, and be able to spot things on the ground and far (about ten kilometers) away. Up to sixteen missiles (plus its 30mm cannon) can be carried, and these weapons are particularly useful for urban warfare, where you want to minimize civilian casualties. It was the civilian casualties sometimes caused when Israeli AH-64s were used against Islamic terrorists in Gaza that created political opposition to the U.S. selling Israel more AH-64s or allowing them to upgrade using American suppliers.

Since 2009 Israel has used the original AH-64A and the few AH-64Ds it received from the U.S. against Islamic terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Based on past experience, Israel developed tactics that integrated the AH-64s closely with the ground units. The Israelis examined how the U.S. has been using AH-64s in Iraq and Afghanistan, and picked up some tips there as well. Now the Israelis are using all that knowledge to upgrade and refurbish their AH-64s with Israeli equipment and ideas and also switch to UAVs or AH-64s controlling one or more UAVs in combat.
While the government has been successful at buying diplomatic and economic cooperation in most parts of the world it doesnt always work. Yet it does work enough to make it the preferred Chinese tactic. Often all it takes is being allowed to export goods or investment cash to a country to make the recipient more receptive to siding with China when asked. The more obvious examples (Africa in general, Iran, Venezuela, Burma, the Philippines) are featured in the news regularly. But other examples are nations that have been under economic attack for so long that it is no longer considered news. Taiwan is one of the best examples. China wants to regain control of Taiwan but not at the risk of a major war. So China does it the Chinese way. That means more patience, discretion and cash than bluster, threats and military demonstrations. Case in point is the movement of Taiwanese investment cash and company operations to China simply because its much more profitable than the alternatives (other East Asian nations). Taiwan shares culture, ethnicity and language with China and as the Chinese market has grown China became an attractive place for ambitious Taiwanese university graduates. This is great for Taiwanese job seekers and investors but not so good for Taiwanese independence. Then again, its another example of an offer you cant refuse. For the Taiwanese university grades jobs in China paid much more and the opportunities were more abundant and exciting. For these Taiwanese China has become the Wild West, a land of danger and opportunity.

A similar situation occurred more recently in Europe, where Greece was limping along after an economic disaster brought on by decades of local corruption and overspending. Greece was always a difficult place for foreign investors but China came along offering massive investments (with tough conditions to make them viable business deals and not outright bribes) and the Greeks were receptive. Like the Ukrainians to the east, the Greeks have a culture of corruption going back a long time and difficult to clean up. Ukraine demonstrated to the Greeks that you could do business with China, all they wanted was a reasonable chance of making a profit and, more importantly, a more China friendly (or less China hostile) foreign policy. Greek found this acceptable and China seeks to do more such business in Europe.

The economic influence approach does not always work. The most vivid example of this is North Korea. Chinese individuals and firms doing business in North Korea complain that the North Koreans have become even more unreliable when it comes to handling foreign investments from China. In the past China could impose some degree of discipline on North Korea for abuse of Chinese investors and investments. The North Koreans are increasingly ignoring this sort of pressure and as a result Chinese investors are backing away from current and planned investments. North Korea used to be a dependable place, at least for Chinese with the right connections in the Chinese government. While corruption in China has declined in the past few years it appears to have gotten worse in North Korea, to the point where long-term deals are avoided and transactions are made carefully, usually with payment before delivery. The smugglers and various other criminal gangs in China that do business with their North Korean counterparts have been forced to operate this way as well and for the same reasons. South Korea and Japan have already learned how unreliable North Korea can be when it comes to business deals and Russia has already adopted the wary approach to economic deals with North Korea.

China has visibly increased enforcement of economic sanctions on North Korea but this has not made North Korea any more willing to negotiate. The growing number of police and secret police night patrols in areas where North Korean smugglers long operated is hard to miss, as is the fact that when North Korean smugglers are encountered they get arrested and taken away. Even higher bribes (over $3,000 to make an arrest not happen) no longer work because the Chinese cops will still demand that amount of cash before they will turn the smugglers over to North Korean officials. China never came down so hard on North Korean smuggling before.

China is also cracking down on North Korean drug production and smuggling. This is a matter of self-defense for China and is effective because North Korea make the highest profits from methamphetamine (meth). But this drug requires a key ingredient (phenylacetic acid, in the form of white crystals) to be smuggled in from China. Now the Chinese are cracking down on that as well as the meth coming into China. North Korea is seeking another, probably more expensive, supplier in Russia.

While Russia is still doing business with North Korea China and Russia are also cooperating with the new rules banning North Korean workers they long employed legally. This exported labor was outlawed by the latest round of sanctions. North Korea responded by quietly ordering overseas workers to stay where they are and work illegally (in deals arranged by their government minders). Yet in many instances the export ban on slave labor is being enforced by Russia and especially China and that is hurting North Korea economically.

The North Koreans see this as yet another challenge that can be worked around. While it is true that there are still a lot of corrupt Chinese and Russians willing to do business with North Korea if the bribe is large enough, that is not working as well as it used to in China. This is because North Korea is very unpopular with Chinese in general and a growing number of senior Chinese officials in particular. Russians are less upset with North Korea and, while having fewer economic resources than China, are more receptive to shady deals. The problem is that North Korea has become very dependent on the much larger and still expanding Chinese economy. Russia simply cannot supply a lot of what North Korea needs. It is possible to still buy the forbidden goods in China and have them shipped to a fictitious customer Russia who will quietly send it to North Korea. That does not always work and when it does it costs a lot more than getting the goods directly from China. North Korea has less cash for the extra expenses. The Chinese know this and are quite willing to slowly squeeze until North Korean leaders are all dead or more receptive to Chinese needs (no nukes next door and fewer desperate illegal migrants). Yet there is the growing risk that North Korea will get (or thinks it has) reliable nukes and keep threatening China. That is not the desired outcome but the Chinese have quietly reminded leaders of both Koreas (and their foreign allies) that in the past China has occupied much of Korea when the Koreans become troublesome.

Xinjiang Will Be Assimilated

China continues to have problems with minorities. The most difficult group (Turkic Uighurs) can now be found in the northwest (Xinjiang province) where the government has introduced more financial rewards for non-Han minorities who behave. The latest such incentive is a large (up to $13,000) discount on maintaining (utility bills) for a house or apartment if they move from an area where Uighurs are the majority to an area where Han (over 90 percent of all Chinese) are the majority. With this policy the government are encouraging economically successful Uighurs to move out of neighborhoods where such families form the local leadership and get then into Han majority areas where these Uighurs can live among and get to know their new Han overlords better. Similar incentives are given to Han families who move to these new integrated neighborhoods. The money is paid out over ten years and monitored in an effort to avoid cheating. Many of the Han families taking advantage of programs like this are recent arrivals. The national government has been advertising nationwide for qualified (politically and in terms of needed skills) for Han Chinese individuals willing to move, with their families if necessary, to Xinjiang.

There are many Turks (Uighurs and other Central Asian minorities) in Xinjiang and most of them are Moslem and the source of most of the few Islamic terrorism recruits China has produced. The main cause of unrest in Xinjiang is ethnic and economic but China justifies (at least to the outside world) the growing list of restrictions in Xinjiang with the need to eliminate Islamic terrorism. Nationwide most of the violent unrest is because of corruption and government failures but that sort of thing is not given as much media coverage as Islamic terrorism and other foreign threats (like American warships passing through the South China Sea). For the last few years the government has come up with a growing number increased security measures to deal with the ethnic fraction. This has included restricting or blocking foreign journalists who attempt to enter the province. Foreigners who do get in find Xinjiang is different than the rest of China in some very special ways. They would see that Han Chinese hold most of the police and key government posts. That has not been enough. In early 2017 the government ordered mandatory spyware installation on all smart phones used by residents of Xinjiang so that the government can monitor smart phone use in much more detail and constantly report back to the government censors. Normally most of the several million people working for the national Internet censorship bureaucracy look for anti-government activity online. The use of the new spyware is actually part of an earlier effort to introduce similar spyware nationwide. That generated more trouble (and backlash) than it was worth and was halted. But work on that spyware continued. The Xinjiang effort seems to be another test of the idea. Police in Xinjiang are checking locals (who must produce their ID cards at the many checkpoints established in the past few years) and those whose smart phones do not have the spyware are punished. Naturally the spyware is not popular but the government publicized some recent arrests (for incorrect thought online) to the spyware. It is also believed that the spyware is responsible for growing number of local officials (Han and non-Han) being arrested and prosecuted for corruption.

South China Sea Peacemaking

China and the Philippines have agreed to settle the latest South China Sea incident peaceably. This one occurred on August 12th when Chinese warships chased Filipino fishing boats away from a sandbar within Filipino territorial waters. Many Filipinos saw this as an act of war but others pointed out that the Philippines could not win a war with China over a sandbar, or anything else. China cooperated by saying it was a misunderstanding and that China had no intention of building an artificial island out of the sandbar (followed by a military base) as it had done elsewhere in the South China Sea. This did not satisfy a lot of Filipinos, or those from other nations dealing with Chinese territorial claims in the area.

This sandbar clash was a clear violation of international law as it occurred within Filipino coastal waters (that extend 22 kilometers from land). But the island (Pagasa) in question, despite being closer to the Philippines than China and occupied by Filipino civilians is now being claimed by China. Pagasa (also called Thitu Island) is the second-largest (37.2 hectares/93 acres) of the Spratly Islands and is inhabited by 250 Filipinos civilians and a few military personnel. China has been increasingly belligerent about its claims to Pagasa and threatens to take it back by force. Chinese military and civilian ships are showing up near Pagasa with increasing frequency and sometimes the Chinese vessels try (by getting in the way) to prevent non-Chinese vessels from getting too close to the island. The Philippines often has a coast guard patrol boat off the island (which is 480 kilometers from the nearest Filipino territory China does not claim) and that provides the possibility of a violent military encounter. China is also concerned with the increasingly frequent visits of American warships to the Philippines (for leave and maintenance) and the South China Seas (to challenge Chinese claims.) So far China has not been violent but with more and more Chinese warships, warplanes and troops showing up in the South China Sea there appears to be increased risk of someone opening fire. There are a growing number of offenders for the Chinese to shoot at. In addition to ships from the nearest countries (mainly Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan) there are the more powerful allies of these countries (mainly Japan and the United States).

President Duterte of the Philippines pointed out earlier in 2017 that China threatened war if the Philippines went ahead with plans to drill for oil in offshore areas that international law recognizes as Filipino but that China claims actually belongs to them. Duterte admits that the Philippines cannot protect such oil projects from foreign aggression and openly criticizes other nations for not confronting China. All the South China Sea nations facing territorial losses because of Chinese claims have backed down. He points out that even the United States is unwilling to go up against China. Meanwhile the Chinese are openly moving more weapons to bases in the South China Sea as well as their main naval base in southern China (Hainan Island). When pressed a few Chinese officials would admit that in talks between Duterte and Chinese leaders it was mentioned that war was a possibility if other nations sought to take possession of Chinese territory. In other words (that non-Chinese can understand); back off or die.

Peace In Our Time With India

Today China and India agreed to pull back their military forces on the Doklam plateau, near the Tibet border. Details to follow later. This confrontation has been going on since June when, for the first time since 2008, another ancient and unresolved border dispute between China and India escalated. The two nations blamed each other for this confrontation in a very inhospitable part of the world. The Doklam plateau is where the Tibet border meets Indias Sikkim State and is near Bhutan and Nepal. Sikkim is small (7,100 square kilometers) and has a population of less than 700,000. East of Bhutan is the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which China claims most of. China claims smaller bits of Bhutan and Sikkim. The problem with Sikkim is that it was an independent monarchy until 1975 when the king allowed a referendum on joining India, which won. China protested Sikkim becoming part of India because of the border disputes China long had with independent Sikkim. The current incident began when China began building a road into Bhutan that was seen as part of a Chinese effort to threaten the Siliguri Corridor (a 22 kilometer wide strip of land between China and Bangladesh that connects northeast India to the rest of India). India had agreed to help Bhutan oppose Chinese efforts to just grab the disputed area (which is 3,000 meters up on the Doklam plateau and has no real value to anyone). China and India had signed an agreement in 2012 to respect the existing Bhutan border. But like most Chinese territorial claims revived recently incidents like this serve to make the Chinese government look like it is serving the (Chinese) people and are carried out at little cost in lives or money. So thousands of Chinese and Indian troops have been moved to this inhospitable part of the world because the Chinese government wants some good publicity inside China. There has not been much violence aside from some fistfights and rock throwing.

Meanwhile China is very obviously carrying out military training exercises nearby. These exercises in Tibet have become a regular event and get larger each year as more Chinese troops learn how to cope with the problems of high altitude operations. Most of Tibet is a high (over 3,000 meters/10,000 feet) plateau and that causes unique problems for people and equipment not prepared for it. Altitude sickness afflicts over 90 percent of lowland Chinese, but hardly any native born Tibetans. Equipment also has problems, as many mechanical and hydraulic items operate differently at the higher altitudes of Tibet. The pilots and maintenance personnel gain valuable experience each time they spend a week or two in Tibet for training. If the border dispute with nearby India ever got hot, China would have to rapidly fly in additional warplanes and operate them from Tibet.

China has, since 2011, very openly (lots of TV coverage) brought more lowland military personnel to the Tibet highlands to train and remain for extended periods. While India has lowlands close by on its side of the border China has no such advantage and on their side of the border must be capable to operating on a sustained basis at high altitude. China has turned a disadvantage into an advantage.

August 26, 2017: China criticized Japan for the new sanctions Japan just imposed on Chinese and Namibian companies illegally doing business with the North Korean military. Japan is following the lead of the United States and using their large network of international business and financial relationships to uncover and suppress North Korean smuggling (of tech and equipment) for its nuclear and missile program. Japan believes that China is expressing its displeasure by sending more of its electronic intelligence aircraft to the vicinity of Japanese territory and close enough to trigger Japanese fighters taking off to confront the intruder. These aerial intrusions now (for the first time) include long range bombers and maritime surveillance aircraft getting close of Okinawa. To the dismay of the Chinese these intimidation moves backfire. Japan sees these escalating threats from North Korea, Russia and China as justification to shed over half a century of pacifism and expand their military power. That could include developing nukes, which the Chinese know Japan could do quickly and quietly.

August 25, 2017: The government has banned North Korea from establishing any new businesses in China or expanding existing ones. Russia has done the same, but the Chinese are a much larger market and apparently intent on following through.

August 22, 2017: The United States imposed more sanctions on sixteen Chinese and Russian firms or individuals American investigators have linked to North Korean efforts at obtaining components and technology for its nuclear and missile programs. In addition to the smuggling some of the sanctions are directed at the illegal (in both the U.S. and China) financial transactions. The sanctions freeze assets, if possible and make it more difficult for the firms or individuals trying to use the international banking system. The Chinese reaction was quick and negative, indicating the sanctions had publicized some more corrupt practices that the government anti-corruption had not mentioned yet. That often indicates the illegal operation is still protected by a senior official who is also immune to prosecution, at least as long as none of his corrupt activities are publicized. China added that in response to this it would be less cooperative in dealing with North Korea. That is another way of admitting that North Korea isnt paying any attention to Chinese demands either.

August 21, 2017: For the second time in two months an American destroyer collided with a merchant ship in the Western Pacific. This time ten American sailors died. The Chinese navy and state controlled media made much of two incidents and implied that this some sort of divine payback for the problems the U.S. Navy had been causing China. As part of this propaganda campaign Chinese naval experts implied that American warships are fragile and not as sturdy and dangerous as they seem to be.

August 20, 2017: China admitted that there had been a brawl between Chinese and Indian troops on the Tibet border on the 15th. At first China denied the incident took place but as it became obvious that the video of incident on the Internet was authentic, China changed its mind and not only admitted some of its soldiers were involved but that some were injured and the Indians started it. The commentary on Chinese state controlled mass media played up the Chinese popular attitude that most non-Chinese (especially westerners, which includes India) are vulgar, ignorant barbarians who often cause trouble and must occasionally be punished. This was a subtle reference to the 1962 skirmish on the Tibet border with Indian forces, a series of short but decisive battles that India very obviously and quickly lost. The new stories run on Chinese TV also featured video of air and army training exercises being held elsewhere in Tibet (but near the Indian border).

August 18, 2017: American and Japanese military leaders met in Japan and the U.S. agreed to provide whatever Japan wanted to improve its missile defenses. This would include the land-based (Aegis Ashore) version of the Aegis anti-missile system already installed on some Japanese warships. The U.S. pledged to work closely with Japan as it develops new anti-missile technologies.

August 16, 2017: China has halted the legal importing of North Korean seafood. Dozens of North Korean trucks were stopped at the border and some of the drivers got out and loudly protested the fact that their refrigerated cargoes were going to be lost either from spoilage or because the seafood would have to sold for much less in North Korea.

August 15, 2017: North Korea backed down on its threat to fire four ballistic missiles at Guam. The threat was described as a demonstration as four IRBMs would be fired at Guam but aimed to fall at least 30 kilometers from the island. This would be a demonstration of North Korean capabilities and the threat was supposed to persuade the U.S. to back off on planned joint military exercises with South Korea. In addition North Korea wants the U.S. to take action to lift sanctions on North Korea. In the past, as least since the 1990s, such threats have persuaded the U.S. to provide enormous amounts of economic aid in return for disarmament pledges the North Korea did not make good on. The U.S. would not withdraw its remaining forces from South Korea nor cancel the treaties it has with South Korea to defend it against North Korean attack. North Korea has always insisted that it is the victim and that the U.S. is out to destroy North Korea. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953 that was never the case but China and Russia always supported the North Korean propaganda until, after the Cold War ended in 1991, such support weakened. China in particular was tired of North Korean behavior and in 2017 told the North Koreans that Chinese support would not be provided if North Korea attacked the U.S. or South Korea. Meanwhile the U.S. refused to back down to the North Korea threat and made it clear there would be a violent and immediate response if North Korea even appeared ready to fire missiles towards Guam. This put North Korea in a bad position because the IRBMs aimed at Guam require a day or more of preparations that can be seen by satellite surveillance. So North Korea announced today it would pause its preparations to see what the United States would do.

In the southwest (Tibet) on the border with India (Sikkim State) about fifty Indian and Chinese troops clashed alongside a lake on the Doklam plateau. Punches and rocks were thrown during the brawl, which was caught on video and officially denied by both sides (but unofficially confirmed by troops familiar with the area).

August 14, 2017: India, Pakistan and Bangladesh recently celebrated the 70th anniversary of British India (and centuries of British rule) being replaced with independent India and Pakistan (which, after 25 years, split into Bangladesh and what is now Pakistan). Today these three nations have a population equal to China but have fared differently when it comes to economic growth. After 70 years India has seen its GDP per capita increase 5.5 times, Pakistan 3.9 times and Bangladesh 2.4 times, Neighbor China saw an increase of 17.9 times. Back in 1947 the GDP per capita in India was 38 percent higher than China while in what is now Pakistan it was 50 percent higher and in Bangladesh 21 percent higher. In 1947 China has just ended four decades of rebellion, civil war, invasion and one more civil war that put the communists in power. During that time British India was much more peaceful and undergoing the industrial revolution and the attendant changes. The Chinese economy didnt grow much more quickly than that of India until the 1980s when the Chinese government decided to give economic (but not political) freedom a chance. India always had political freedom but the economy was crippled by corruption and state control. In the 1990s India introduced more economic freedom but still, like Pakistan and Bangladesh, suffered more from corruption than neighboring China. There were also cultural differences between the four nations but it is interesting to see how the four did after 70 years of independence. China makes much of this in the state controlled media while India seeks ways to catch up.

August 12, 2017: Down in the South China Sea (Spratly Islands) a Chinese naval force (three warships, a large coast guard ship) and ten fishing boats showed up five kilometers from Pagasa Island and chased away Filipino fishermen working near Sandy Cay (three sandbars featuring good fishing).

August 11, 2017: Russia announced that its new (and still not ready) stealth fighter had an official designation; Su-57. Russia now says the Su-57 will enter service in 2019, or at least thats the current plan. The American F-22 entered service in 2006 and the F-35 ten years later. One of the Chinese stealth fighter designs (the J-20) entered service in early 2016 but it hasnt been seen much. About a dozen J-20s have been built. The Su-57 looks a lot like the F-22. The 37 ton Su-57 about the same weight as the F-22, and has a similar shape but lacks reliable engines and competitive electronics. The J-20 is also similar to the F-22.

August 10, 2017: Japan, in part to counter Chinese military aid, has offered the Philippines a stock of 40,000 spare parts Japan put in storage after it began retiring the last of its 150 locally built (under license) UH-1H helicopters in 2012. The Philippines is still a heavy user of the UH-1. These spares are extremely valuable to the Philippines, which has been using the UH-1 for decades and often arms them. Mostly the Philippines uses UH-1s as transports. The Philippines has received over 160 UH-1s since 1969 and many have been lost to accidents and hostile fire or have just worn out. About 45 are still in service. Often as many as half of these are not operational because spare parts are not available. The Filipinos have been pleased with the performance of these aircraft and its the spare parts, and the skill of Filipino maintainers that keeps so many of the elderly UH-1s going. The Japanese parts collection thus looms very large for the Philippines as it makes more money available to buy other needed equipment.

August 3, 2017: In North Korea Kim Kwang Won, the head of the fisheries department was released from custody after being arrested in China sometime in mid-June and charged with smuggling antiques. The Chinese were surprised to find a senior North Korea official personally supervising a smuggling effort but it turned out that Kim Kwang Won was no ordinary government official or smuggler. His real occupation was leader of a large smuggling operation which had bribed so many North Korea officials that it had gained control of a small port town near the coast on the Yalu River. From here he ran a smuggling operation that survived by making sure that the North Korean government was paid well. Given the growing demand for foreign currency by the government Kim Kwang Won was tolerated. But the master smuggler got caught up in the growing Chinese anti-corruption drive as well as stricter Chinese enforcement of sanctions on North Korea. Kim Kwang Won misjudged the danger and while in a Chinese port to help organize a new smuggling operation (dealing in North Korean antiques) he was arrested along with two associates. Undaunted Kim Kwang Won pulled strings and paid whatever it took (in bribes and gifts) to get quietly expelled back to North Korea and then, after explaining himself and paying more fines was quietly released to go back to his lucrative (for the government) work. At the same time Kim Kwang Won has to discreetly discover if he has enemies among his friends in the Chinese and North Korean security services.
UPDATED 7.26PM: The cause of a fire which completely engulfed a sleep out in Bethlehem is under investigation.

The New Zealand Fire Service received multiple calls to the fire at the back of a property on Carmichael Road in Bethlehem around 7pm.

Northern Fire Communications shift manager Colin Underdown says the sleep out was completely involved when crews arrived at the scene.

"There was no one involved in the time. The guys are just waiting for our fire safety investigator to arrive at the scene."

Colin says there were reports of a gas bottle exploding, but the exact cause of the fire is still to be determined.

EARLIER:

Reports are coming in of a house fire in Bethlehem this evening.

A caller to the 0800 SUNLIVE news hotline says a house is on fire on Carmichael Road.

Police and firefighters are at the scene.

We will bring your more information as soon as its available.

At the scene?

Call 0800 SUNLIVE or email photos to newsroom@thesun.co.nz
1. Yes. The ordinance goes against state law and is not in the best interest of the cities.

2. Yes. At the very least, it should be amended to give police officers some discretion.

3. No. Voters approved the ordinance by large majorities; the councils cant ignore that fact.

4. No. The petition process has to be given a chance to work. Leave the ordinance alone.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say how the cities should move forward regarding the ordinance.

Vote

View Results
A week after Donald Trump disbanded two advisory councils in the wake of several CEO departures, another White House panel has seen a number of its members leave. Eight of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council's (NIAC) 28 members quit last week. Their group resignation letter cites the administration's inadequate approach to cybersecurity threats and Trump's response to the Charlottesville rally.

The NIAC - formed in 2001 under George W. Bush - advises on the security of the critical infrastructure sectors and their information systems. Its members, which can total a maximum of 30, are chosen by the President from the private sector, academia and state and local government.

In the resignation letter obtained by NextGov, the leaving members explain: "You have given insufficient attention to the growing threats to the cybersecurity of the critical systems upon which all Americans depend, including those impacting the systems supporting our democratic election process."

It also states that Trump's failure "to denounce the intolerance and violence of hate groups" when asked about Charlottesville "threatened the security of the homeland." The President is lambasted for his "false equivalences and attacking the motives of the CEOs who had resigned from their advisory roles in protest."

After several CEO's, including Intel's Brian Krzanich, resigned from the Manufacturing Council and the Strategy and Policy Forum, Trump disbanded the councils. But despite the departures, it seems unlikely that the NIAC will also be dissolved.

Rather than putting pressure on the businesspeople of the Manufacturing Council & Strategy & Policy Forum, I am ending both. Thank you all! --- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 16, 2017

Some of those leaving the NIAC include the first ever White House Chief Data Scientist, DJ Patil, along with former Office of Science and Technology Policy Chief Cristin Dorgelo and White House Council on Environmental Quality Managing Director Christy Goldfuss.

Another high-profile tech name to leave the White House councils was Elon Musk. The Tesla boss, who recently unveiled his SpaceX space suit, resigned in June as a protest against the US pulling out of the Paris Accord.
It's getting close to four years since the very first Xbox One was released in the US. Now, with the Xbox One S available and the Xbox One X on its way, Microsoft is no longer selling the original version of the console.

Manufacturing of the first Xbox One ended a few months ago but, as reported by Kotaku UK, last week marked the first time you could no longer buy one of the consoles from Microsoft's online stores. The US site only has a listing for refurbed versions, while they're marked as 'Out of Stock' in the UK store.

Last year, not long after it announced the end of Xbox 360 manufacturing, Microsoft released the smaller, prettier Xbox One S. Featuring high-dynamic-range imaging (HDR) along with 4K support through its Blu-ray player and certain apps, the new machine quickly became most Xbox fans' console of choice.

At Gamescom, Microsoft revealed there would be two new Xbox One S bundles arriving this October: Minecraft and Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Soon afterward, the company will be focusing on its next big release - the Xbox One X.

The third generation of the Xbox One features a 6 teraflop GPU, HDR support, and the ability to run many games in native 4K. Microsoft has confirmed that 121 current and upcoming titles will be enhanced for its new machine.

Preorders for the Project Scorpio Edition started last Sunday, with most retailers selling out within minutes. Microsoft has called it the "fastest-selling Xbox pre-order ever," with company marketing VP Mike Nichols stating: "You, our biggest fans, have pre-ordered more Xbox One X Project Scorpio Edition consoles in the first five days than any Xbox ever." Standard edition preorders will start next month.

It doesn't come as too much of a surprise to see Microsoft streamline its Xbox One offerings to the two newest options. Expect those retailers still selling the original console to drop its price over the next few months as stock levels deplete.
Apple will unveil its next flagship smartphone at a press event on September 12 according to sources familiar with the company's plans as reported on Monday by The Wall Street Journal.

The rumored date is in line with iPhone reveals in previous years.

Apple the past couple of years has unveiled its new iPhones at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. This year, however, the company is reportedly aiming to host the event at the Steve Jobs Theater on its new campus... that is, if construction of the facility is complete in time.

While the iPhone will be the star of the show, it likely won't be the only new product we see that day. Apple is also expected to showcase its third generation Apple Watch at the event. Rumors suggest the wearable will feature the same design as its predecessors albeit with upgraded internals and an optional LTE radio.

A new Apple TV with support for 4K video is also on the docket, we're told.

Most believe Apple will announce as many as three variants of the iPhone for 2017 including a high-end model with an OLED display to mark its 10th anniversary. The first iPhone was unveiled to the public on January 9, 2007, and launched on June 29.

Samsung last week officially introduced its second-half flagship, the Galaxy Note 8, and opened pre-orders the following day. That phablet launches on September 15.

Apple typically releases its iPhones 10 days after announcing them. If that holds true this time around, we'd be looking at a launch date of September 22.
Portrait of Sylvia Delgado by Patssi Valdez. Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber/Ian Byers-Gamber

In the late 1960s, the Chicano civil-rights movement dovetailed with feminist and gay-rights efforts in East Los Angeles. Mexican-American artists, many from the LGBTQ community, reclaimed pejoratives like maricon (the Spanish word for faggot) and malflora (dyke); spoke out against police brutality and the Vietnam War draft; and grappled with the impact of the AIDS crisis by creating printed flyers, experimental videos, and politically charged art performances.

The exhibit Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A., opening September 9 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in Los Angeles, explores how art and activism merged during the era, featuring more than 50 artists work from the 1960s to early 1990s. Curators combed through USCs National Gay & Lesbian Archives to bring lesser-known artists into the fold. The artists include Faith Wilding and members of the 1970s artist collective ASCO, which included celebrated figures like Patssi Valdez and Gronk. The museum displays showcase studded-denim jackets, punk records, and correspondence letters alongside photographs and video works.

The exhibit covers a wide range of queer and Chicano visual culture in East L.A. and beyond, featuring artists from Guadalajara to Oakland and Houston. Many of them were collaborators, co-conspirators, and allies while supporting countercultural art outside white-dominant institutions. In L.A., they fostered community at alternative art spaces like LACE and Beyond Baroque, and at gay clubs like Bitter End West, Paradise Ballroom, and Circus.

In the 70s, one artist, the muralist and community arts organizer Judith F. Baca, helped lead a wave of outspoken L.A.-based women who railed against traditional family structures, macho violence, and homophobia, expanding perceptions of queerness to include women of color. Baca skillfully leveraged city resources for her work, creating colorful murals and public art installations that skewered sexism. Photos from Vanity Table, a campy performative comedy she staged at the citys Womans Building in 1976, appear in the exhibit, showing Baca dressed up with red lips, arched eyebrows, and long lacquered nails while she satirized notions of femininity.

In other images on display, the photographer Laura Aguilar stands in front of a health clinic with a sign that reads STOP AIDS; composer Pauline Oliveros leads an all-women sonic meditation session; and artist Patssi Valdez renders the poet Sylvia Delgado as a heavily made-up force of nature. Together, the artists work shows how social change is cultivated by community. Click ahead to preview the exhibit.

Axis Mundo: Queer Networks in Chicano L.A. is on view at ONE Archives gallery in West Hollywood and MOCA Pacific Design Center from September 9 through December 31.

Photo: Womans Building Records. Getty Research Institute, LA

Judith F. Baca

Documentation of Vanity Table, a performance for the exhibition Las Chicanas: Venas de la Mujer at the Womans Building, September 1976.

Photo: Courtesy of Anthony Friedkin

Anthony Friedkin

Jim and Mundo, Montebello, East Los Angeles, 1972.

Photo: Courtesy of Jerri Allyn

Jerri Allyn

Documentation of Laughing Souls/Espiritus Sonrientes, a performance at LACE (Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions), October 31November 2, 1979.

Photo: Ian Byers-Gamber/Ian Byers-Gamber

Patssi Valdez

Portrait of Sylvia Delgado, c. early 1980s.

Photo: Courtesy of Laura Aguilar

Laura Aguilar

Judy, 1990.

Photo: Courtesy of Pat Meza

Mundo Meza

Documentation of a window display at Maxfield Bleu, West Hollywood, c. early 1980s.

Photo: Fredrik Nilsen/Fredrik Nilsen

Mundo Meza

Merman with Mandolin, 1984.

Photo: Courtesy of Patssi Valdez

Patssi Valdez

Reclining (Betty Salas and Gloria), c. early 1980s.

Photo: Courtesy of Patssi Valdez

Patssi Valdez

Monterey Park Girls (Betty Salas and Gloria), c. early 1980s.

Photo: Pauline Oliveros Papers, Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego

Pauline Oliveros and the  Ensemble at Oliveross home in Leucadia, California, 1970.
President Trump has posed for hundreds of photos behind the Resolute Desk. Photo: Pool/Getty Images

President Trump has talked openly about missing his former career  I loved my previous life  I had so many things going, he told Reuters last spring. But if theres one part of his new job he seems into, its all the presidential photo ops. He seems to love having an official White House photographer around, and on Monday Politico reported that posed photos are his favorite part of the job.

According to Politico, he asks anyone whos standing around to take photos of him with visitors, and hell often inspect them over their shoulders:

Check the lighting, one senior White House official said, describing his comments. Are your eyes closed? Do you want another? He knows these are special moments for people.

Theyre also special moments for him, apparently  aides say he appears happiest when showing the Oval Office off, almost seeing it as the ultimate prize. Those photos project the presidential image he wants, and his staff is quick to distribute them.

Its the fastest Ive seen them do anything, said one adviser who posed for a photo with the president.

When asked, the White House said it was impossible to know how many photos the president has taken with visitors. Hope Hicks, the administrations interim communications director, said in a statement that the president is incredibly generous and is very proud to welcome visitors to the Oval Office.
Photo: (c) picturegarden

New Yorks Sex Diaries series asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives  with comic, tragic, often sexy, and always revealing results. This week, a managing director at a start-up: 30, straight, married, Tribeca.

DAY ONE

8:35 a.m. As soon as I wake up, I open Tinder and see Ive matched with a cute artist/musician, BKAM, 38. I cant count on my current fling, Viking, 39, because he gets really busy. I message BKAM. We exchange numbers and plan to meet at a bar later. For dates like this, I lie and say Im either divorced or separated. Im listed as single on dating sites, and have no relationship status on FB.

I met my husband, M, when I was 15. We dated on and off throughout high school and college. We took lots of breaks, but eventually ended up together for the long haul. I loved his bad boy personality and, of course, his good looks. But as a grown-up, hes a bit boring  in life and in bed. He has no idea that I have affairs  he travels a lot for work. He doesnt know about my affairs, and as far I know, hes not having any. I wouldnt care if he did.

10:53 a.m. Viking texts me as soon as I get into my office. I met him on Bumble. Hes separated and has kids, and hes hard to read, but Im positive that I mean more to him than just a fling. Our affair started in early July, and Im scared itll run its course soon. Its hard to see him because he lives in Connecticut, works a lot, and wont take me out in public. I get it. I send him a picture, and he tells me Im pretty.



6 p.m. I finish working and make my way to meet BKAM. Im not looking forward to it. Why cant I just be happy with Viking?

6:45 p.m. BKAM turns out not to be cute at all. Hes also a little strange (and leaves four times to smoke weed), but hes fun to talk to. He gets a kick out of me being in the marching band in high school.

9:30 p.m. Drunkenly, I let BKAM come back to my place. He smokes in my apartment and makes a mess. He also helps himself to my liquor cabinet. I dont have any mixers, so he mixes rum with my Beyonce lemonade. EW WHY.

11 p.m. We have terrible sex. He leaves midway to smoke and drink more.

12:30 a.m. I want him to leave, but he comes back. I tell him to hurry up and finish. When he does, it sounds like a little girl squealing.



2 a.m. I kick him out, Febreze my apartment, and strip my bed.

DAY TWO

10:30 a.m. I show up to work late, tired from my shenanigans. What was I thinking? I text Viking to make myself feel better. He cant come over after work, so I make plans for wine lunch.

1:54 p.m. I go to a bar with my assistant, MJ, 21. We regularly have wine lunch, but were kind of responsible about it. MJ is a great assistant but an even better friend. Were taking drunk Snaps.

2:45 p.m. MJ and I share a joint on the way back to our office.

4:30 p.m. We play flip cup  the joys of working at a start-up. Viking still cant come over, so I make plans with my BFF, S.

5:30 p.m. I meet S and we head to a bar where we order our usual: Champagne and fries. I dont miss my husband.

6:20 p.m. Im feeling drunk and sexy, so I decide I should snapchat my fuckboy, BP, 30. We slept together two months ago, after I met him at a work event. Hes sweet, charming, and British; Im a sucker for an accent. Unfortunately, I lost my shit immediately after we slept together because I went off my anxiety meds, flipped out, and he ghosted me. I probably deserved it, but now Im drunk and invincible! S and I find a sexy picture and I snap BP with the caption: Your loss. BP responds that he wants to see me.

8 p.m. I go home to get ready to see BP. We keep snapping back and forth.

10:15 p.m. BP tells me to leave now, so I grab an Uber in nothing but my trench, Louboutins, and a pair of Wolfords  the kind you pull on one at a time.

10:30 p.m. I meet BP outside his building. He unlocks the door, and we head up the stairs. His hands are already up my trench. Good; I feel in control. We kiss and I pull away and slap him. Hes surprised. Take that, ghoster! My plans in motion.

We have angry, passionate sex until I come, and then I get up, put my trench and Louboutins back on, and say: BOY BYE. I walk toward the door, but he pulls me back for a kiss. I win! We fuck some more, and I let him come on me. This time I demand a towel. The last time he came on me, he gave me toilet paper. Asshole. I leave immediately after.

DAY THREE

9:30 a.m. I work from home. I dont text anyone.



7:30 p.m. My husbands home. M and I get high, watch Netflix, and go to sleep.



11:28 p.m. I cant sleep, so I open Tinder. Ive matched with HP, 35. He immediately messages me, and we make plans for later in the week.

DAY FOUR

9:30 a.m. I work from home again. (Im the boss, so I can do whatever I want.) Im counting down the hours until M has to leave for the airport. He feels more like a roommate now than a husband. While Im waiting for M to leave, I text Viking, saying Im home and he should visit.

11 a.m. Bye, M! Im free 

3:15 p.m. I tell Viking to come over. He responds with: Yes maam. Weve been sending dirty texts all day.



3:45 p.m. I text my official date for the night  GKP; we met on Tinder a few weeks ago  and say Ill be closer to seven. Im hoping Viking stays longer so I can cancel. I nearly run home because Im so excited. I need to get my apartment ready.

4:20 p.m. First, I take down all of the framed pictures that have M in them. Then I remove all evidence of his existence from his side of the bed. Finally, I double check that Im not wearing my wedding and engagement rings (not that I wear them a lot these days).

4:30 p.m. Viking finally arrives! He so fucking hot. Something is different though. I can sense it. I know this is it. We both caught feelings and fell in love  and now its ruined.

We have mind-blowing sex on my kitchen counter. Hes much taller than me, so the kitchen counter is a struggle. At one point, he actually leaves and goes into my bedroom to bring me a pillow. The angle is funny, and I tell him I feel like Im at the gyno. I never take off my dress. Viking makes me come like no one ever has before.

Before he leaves, theres an excessive amount of cuddling, kissing, and talking. I know Ill never see him again, but regret nothing.

6 p.m. I suck it up and get ready to meet GKP. Two guys in one night. I dont shower. Viking is all over me. His scent, his sweat  all of him. I dont care.

6:30 p.m. I leave to meet GKP and take the subway in the wrong direction because Im distracted.

7:05 p.m. I finally make it to the bar. GKPs cute, and hes got a cute accent too! Hes very quiet, but we have a great time and go to another bar so I can get fries. Hes sweet  I want to fuck him.

9:30 p.m. We call it a night. He walks me to the subway and holds my hand. Eventually we stop and he kisses me. Hes a fantastic kisser, maybe the best. Its nice to kiss someone in public  BP wasnt into PDA, and Viking and I never had the opportunity.

9:58 p.m. At home, I get high and turn in early, patting myself on the back for seeing two guys in one night. But Im still sad about Viking  I know its over between us.

DAY FIVE

10:08 a.m. I dont have anything pressing to do at work, so I open Bumble. Ive got a new match, ABJ, 32. ABJ lives on the UWS. We decide to meet in the middle, which is Times Square. I let him pick the place  and what he chooses is very Hooters-esque. I agree because I want attention.

8:30 p.m. I meet ABJ after working late. I get to the bar and immediately want to leave. Unfortunately, ABJ is right behind me. I see him and am disappointed: Hes dressed in black shorts, a black short-sleeved button-down shirt, black shoes, and a greasy man-bun. Hes also about an inch taller than me (Im five-foot-one). He suggests we go next door to a wine bar, so I give him a second chance.

9 p.m. Im having a nice time. The conversation is fantastic, actually.

10:15 p.m. I get up to pee and ABJ pays the bill. I feel terrible because I ordered expensive wine, assuming wed pay separately. I feel like I owe him. We get outside and he grabs my hand. I let him because Im tipsy. We walk to the subway and he kisses me. Its bad  hes licking my face. He suggests we go back to his place. I tell him Im not going to fuck him. He says thats okay, so I say fine. We make out in the cab. Its disgusting.

10:35 p.m. His studio is all black, and he has action figures in glass cases. I need to leave. He starts licking my face again. He cant get my bra off. He says he doesnt know why, because he used to work at Victorias Secret. I say Im a grown-ass woman, and I shop at Agent Provocateur. He never gets it off. I tell him again that I wont fuck him. He says we can dry hump instead. WHAT?!

10:45 p.m. We move from his couch to his black shag rug. He goes down on me. It feels like what I imagine covering my pussy in peanut butter and letting a dog lick me would be. Its terrible. I fake it for five minutes and pull my pants back on. He says hell call me an Uber. I give him a fake address.

10:50 p.m. My Uber is here, thank God!

11 p.m. At home, I tell myself this is what I get for trying to replace Viking. I shower, smoke a bowl, and go to sleep.

DAY SIX

10:35 a.m. I get to work, late again, and Ive got a text from ABJ saying good morning. I ignore him.

11:05 a.m. I get another text from ABJ saying he had a great time and cant wait to see me again. I respond with: Thanks! Busy!

3:30 p.m. I get yet another text from ABJ telling me hes buying socks. I block him. Im seeing GKP tonight.

6 p.m. I rush home to get ready to see GKP.

7:15 p.m. We meet at a bar to watch stand-up. Im wearing a low-cut shirt and a bra that you can see through my shirt.

10:30 p.m. The show is over, and we go back to my place for another drink, where we have some wine and watch Netflix. I end up on his lap kissing him. He doesnt have any problems taking off my Agent Provocateur bra.

10:50 p.m. We have drunk sex. I want him to spend the night, but he says that he didnt sleep well the night before and has trouble sleeping in other peoples beds. I understand because Im the same way. He leaves.

DAY SEVEN

4 p.m. I wake up late, very late, and dont drag my ass out of bed until the late afternoon. M is on his way home, and Im meeting HP. I say Im seeing a show with a friend. Its so easy to lie to him. He doesnt even ask any questions. Part of me wonders if M secretly knows about all of my other men. I could see that happening actually. If M did secretly know, he would never confront me about it because he doesnt want to lose me.

8:30 p.m. I meet HP, and hes lovely. I immediately want to kiss him, but I dont. I let him hold my hand, and we talk over drinks.

10:15 p.m. HP kisses me, but Im wearing my signature red, so I pull back. I congratulate him on such a bold move. I like it. I like him.

10:45 p.m. HP takes me to another bar where we meet some of his friends and listen to live music. Im smitten. I want to kiss him all night, and I dont care how much red lipstick I get all over my face.

11:20 p.m. HP asks me if I want to go back to his place for more wine. I say yes. We grab a cab and kiss the entire trip.

11:35 p.m. After a quick detour to buy some coke for his friend, we get to his place. His cock his huge. We have sex for hours. I come four times. Its the most passionate sex that Ive ever had in my entire life.

2:30 a.m. HP wants me to stay the night, but Im not ready for that. He walks me to the subway and we take selfies in front of the Chrysler Building. Hes so happy. I wonder what life would be like if I were with him instead of M. Thats my problem  the grass is always greener. As I walk down the stairs to catch the subway, I text M to tell him Im on my way home and that my friend and I went dancing after the show. He buys it, just like I knew he would.

3 a.m. I get home, take a quick shower, and climb into bed next to M.

Want to submit a sex diary? Email sexdiaries@nymag.com and tell us a little about yourself.
Photo: Laia Arqueros Claramunt

Welcome to Its Complicated, a week of stories on the sometimes frustrating, sometimes confusing, always engrossing subject of modern relationships.

As her number one reason why relationships in your 20s just dont work, Leigh Taveroff writes for the website Todays Lifestyle, These years are extremely important: youre meant to be finding out who you are and building a foundation for the rest of your life. You dont want to get too caught up in someone elses problems, triumphs and failures, and forget to be experiencing your own. At the end of the day, your 20s are the years where YOU DO YOU. Be selfish, have fun and explore the world.

Its not hard to find young people who echo Taveroffs sentiment that self-exploration is the purpose of ones twenties  a notion that many 25-year-olds as recently as the 1990s might have found odd. By that age, most Boomers and GenXers were married, and many had children. Thats not to say that one way is right and the other isnt, but they are very different viewpoints on the best way to spend the high-energy years of your life.

Im a researcher studying generational differences, and lately, my focus has been on the rising generation, those born between 1995 and 2012. Its the subject of my latest book, iGen, a name I started calling this generation because of the large, abrupt shifts I started seeing in teens behaviors and emotional states around 2012  exactly when the majority of Americans started to use smartphones. The data show a trend toward individualism in this generation, as well as evidence that iGen teens are taking longer to grow up than previous generations did.

One of the ways this shows up in their behavior is dating  or not: In large, national surveys, only about half as many iGen high school seniors (vs. Boomers and GenXers at the same age) say they ever go out on dates. In the early 1990s, nearly three out of four 10th graders sometimes dated, but by the 2010s only about half did. (The teens I interviewed assured me they still called it dating.) This trend away from dating and relationships continues into early adulthood, with Gallup finding that fewer 18- to 29-year-olds lived with a romantic partner (married or not) in 2015 compared to 2000.

Its way too early, says Ivan, 20, when I ask him if most people in their early twenties are ready for a committed relationship such as living together or getting married. We are still young and learning about our lives, having fun and enjoying our freedom. Being committed shuts that down very fast. We will often just leave our partner because we are too young to commit.

In general, relationships conflict with the individualistic notion that you dont need someone else to make you happy  you should make yourself happy. That is the message iGeners grew up hearing, the received wisdom whispered in their ears by the cultural milieu. In just the eighteen years between 1990 and 2008, the use of the phrase Make yourself happy more than tripled in American books in the Google Books database. The phrase Dont need anyone barely existed in American books before the 1970s and then quadrupled between 1970 and 2008. The relationship-unfriendly phrase Never compromise doubled between 1990 and 2008. And what other phrase has increased? I love me.

I question the assumption that love is always worth the risk. There are other ways to live a meaningful life, and in college especially, a romantic relationship can bring us farther from rather than closer to that goal, wrote Columbia University sophomore Flannery James in the campus newspaper. In iGeners view, they have lots of things to do on their own first, and relationships could keep them from doing them. Many young iGeners also fear losing their identity through relationships or being too influenced by someone else at a critical time. Theres this idea now that identity is built independent of relationships, not within them, says the psychologist Leslie Bell. So only once youre complete as an adult can you be in a relationship.

Twenty-year-old Georgia college student James feels that way. Another person could easily have a large effect on me right now, and I dont know if thats necessarily something that I want, he says. I just feel like that period in college from twenty to twenty-five is such a learning experience in and of itself. Its difficult to try to learn about yourself when youre with someone else.

Even if they go well, relationships are stressful, iGeners say. When youre in a relationship, their problem is your problem, too, says Mark, 20, who lives in Texas. So not only do you have your set of problems, but if theyre having a bad day, theyre kind of taking it out on you. The stress alone is ridiculous. Dealing with people, iGeners seem to say, is exhausting. College hookups, says James, are a way to find instant gratification without the trouble of taking on someone elses baggage. That way you dont have to deal with a person as a whole. You just get to enjoy someone in the moment, he says.

Social media may play a role in the superficial, emotionless ideal of iGen sex. Early on, teens (especially girls) learn that sexy pictures get likes. Youre noticed for how your butt looks in a sink selfie (in which a girl sits on a bathroom sink and takes a selfie over her shoulder Kim Kardashian style), not for your sparkling personality or your kindness. Social media and dating apps also make cheating extremely easy. Like your boyfriend could have been talking to somebody for months behind your back and youll never find out, 15-year-old Madeline from the Bronx said in the social media expose American Girls. Love is just a word, it has no meaning, she said. Its very rare you will ever find someone who really likes you for who you are  for yourself, your originality . Rarely, if ever, do you find someone who really cares.

Theres another reason iGeners are uncertain about relationships: you might get hurt, and you might find yourself dependent on someone elsereasons that intertwine with iGens individualism and focus on safety.

People who are so heavily reliant on relationships for their whole source of emotional security dont know how to cope when thats taken away from them, says Haley, 18, who attends community college in San Diego. A relationship is impermanent, everything in life is impermanent, so if thats taken away and then you cant find another girlfriend or another boyfriend, then what are you going to do? You havent learned the skills to cope on your own, be happy on your own, so what are you going to do, are you just going to suffer through it until you can find someone else who will take you? Haleys view is the famous couplet Better to have loved and lost/Than never to have loved at all turned on its head: to her, its better not to have loved, because what if you lose it?

This fear of intimacy, of really showing yourself, is one reason why hookups nearly always occur when both parties are drunk. Two recent books on college hookup culture both concluded that alcohol is considered nearly mandatory before having sex with someone for the first time. The college women Peggy Orenstein interviewed for Girls & Sex believed that hooking up sober would be awkward. Being sober makes it seem like you want to be in a relationship, one college freshman told her. Its really uncomfortable.

One study found that the average college hookup involves the woman having had four drinks and the men six. As sociologist Lisa Wade reports in her book American Hookup, one college woman told her that the first step in hooking up is to get shitfaced. When [youre] drunk, you can kind of just do it because its fun and then be able to laugh about it and have it not be awkward or not mean anything, another college woman explained. Wade concluded that alcohol allows students to pretend that sex doesnt mean anything  after all, you were both drunk.

The fear of relationships has spawned several intriguing slang terms used by iGeners and young Millennials, such as catching feelings. Thats what they call developing an emotional attachment to someone else  an evocative term with its implication that love is a disease one would rather not have.

One website offered 32 Signs Youre Catching Feelings for Your F*ck Buddy such as You guys have started cuddling after sex and You realize that you actually give a shit about their life and want to know more. Another website for college students offered advice on How to Avoid Catching Feelings for Someone because college is a time of experimentation, of being young and wild and free and all that crap, the last thing you need is to end up tied down after the first semester. Tips include Go into it with the attitude that youre not going to develop feelings towards this person and Dont tell them your life story. It ends with Dont cuddle. For the love of God, this is a must. Whether its while watching a film, or after a steamy session in the bedroom, do not go in for the hugs and snuggles. Getting close to them literally is going to mean getting close to them emotionally, and thats exactly what you dont want. Dont indulge in those cuddle cravings, and if needed make a barrier of pillows between you. Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Maybe Im just a GenXer, but this sounds like someone frantically fighting against any kind of actual human connection because he has some idealized idea about being wild and free. Humans are hardwired to want emotional connections to other people, yet the very concept of catching feelings promotes the idea that this is a shameful thing, akin to being sick. As Lisa Wade found when she interviewed iGen college students, The worst thing you can get called on a college campus these days isnt what it used to be, slut, and it isnt even the more hookup-culture-consistent prude. Its desperate. Being clingy  acting as if you need someone  is considered pathetic.

Many Millennials and iGeners have ended up someplace in the middle, not merely hooking up but also not settling into a committed relationship. As Kate Hakala wrote on Mic.com, theres a new status called dating partner thats somewhere between a hookup and a boyfriend. Dating partners have emotionally deep conversations but dont move in together or meet each others parents. Hakala calls it the signature relationship status of a generation and explains, It might all come down to soup. If you have a cold, a fuck buddy isnt going to bring you soup. And a boyfriend is going to make you homemade soup. A dating partner? Theyre totally going to drop off a can of soup. But only if they dont already have any plans.

Heres the irony: most iGeners still say they want a relationship, not just a hookup. Two recent surveys found that three out of four college students said theyd like to be in a committed, loving relationship in the next year but about the same number believed that their classmates only wanted hookups.

So the average iGen college student thinks he is the only one who wants a relationship, when most of his fellow students actually do, too. As Wade says, Theres this disconnect between brave narratives about what they think they should want and should be doing and what, in a way, they do want. Or as a 19-year-old put it in American Girls, Everyone wants love. And no one wants to admit it.

Copyright  2017 by Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D, from iGen: Why Todays Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happyand Completely Unprepared for Adulthoodand What That Means for the Rest of Us. Extracted by permission of Atria Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. Printed by permission.
SAN FRANCISCOUber has selected the chief executive of Expedia, Dara Khosrowshahi, as its new leader, a surprising turn after board members considered two other stalwarts of industry, two people with direct knowledge of the matter said Sunday.

The move comes after a weekend of frantic meetings with two other final candidates, Meg Whitman, chief executive of Hewlett Packard Enterprises, and Jeff Immelt, the departing chief executive of GE. Immelt made it clear the job would not be his in a tweet Sunday. And a divided board shifted between Whitman and Khosrowshahi throughout the weekend, the people said, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private meetings.

Khosrowshahi an Iranian-American who has run Expedia since 2005, was an unexpected and lesser-known choice; his interest in the position was largely kept secret until today. The agreement came together only in the last few days, such that even family members and friends close to Khosrowshahi were surprised by the news.

But within Silicon Valley, Khosrowshahi is well liked and respected. He has presided over a huge expansion of the online travel company to over 60 countries. Khosrowshahi is also a vocal critic of U.S. President Trump, particularly his travel ban against Muslim Americans.

Read more:

Uber founder Travis Kalanick resigns as CEO following months of scandal

Travis Kalanick is gone, but what really changes?

Despite all the bad news Uber has generated, itll take a lot to kill the ride-sharing company

People who know him said Khosrowshahi brings two assets to Uber. For one, he is considered even-keeled and low-key  a sharp contrast to Ubers former chief executive and co-founder Travis Kalanick, who has been known to fly into fits of anger. (In one infamous episode that was caught on video earlier this year, Kalanick unloaded onto an Uber driver who criticized the companys wages).

My whole life, anytime Ive faced a high-pressure decision, my model for mature behaviour has been, What would Dara do? Hes one of the humblest and most even-keeled people I know, said Ali Partovi, an entrepreneur and technology investor, who is Khosrowshahis second cousin. The two went to primary school together in Iran.

Khosrowshahis other asset is his skill as a dealmaker in the highly competitive market for online travel. He has expanded Expedia into an even larger online travel conglomerate by acquiring other consumer brands, such as bookings sites Travelocity and Orbitz, and home rental site Homeaway.

That instinct for honing in on competitors in related or similar businesses may serve Uber, which faces brutal competition from rival Lyft as well as other ride-sharing startups in developing countries, and the taxi industry itself, which in some cities have created copycat ride-sharing apps. Uber is already leveraging its network of drivers to expand into trucking and food delivery. Uber is the most highly-valued start-up Silicon Valley has produced over the past decade, and it is expected to move toward a massive public stock offering in the coming year or so.

Khosrowshahi will face a company in crisis. He is tasked with transforming the companys culture, while shoring up the companys business in the wake of lawsuits and competition, analysts say. Morale at Uber has plummeted in the wake of eight months of controversy, including reports of widespread discrimination and sexual harassment, lawsuits that threaten the companys future, a leadership vacuum, and the ouster of Kalanick.

The executive search has lasted all summer long and been marred by infighting among board members. After Kalanick was pushed out, he scrambled to find allies who would help him make a comeback, the people with knowledge of the matter said. That led one of the companys largest investors, Benchmark Capital, to sue Kalanick for breach of contract and fraud, arguing in court filings that Kalanick was seeking to entrench himself in the process for his own selfish ends.

Kalanick fired back in his own legal filings, calling the Benchmark suit a baseless and personal attack. Meanwhile, the board itself disagreed with the Benchmark suit, releasing a statement signed by all members except Benchmark representative Matt Cohler that it was disappointed that a disagreement between shareholders has resulted in litigation.

Read more about:

SHARE:
A competitive drama showcase for high schools across Ontario that has run for 71 years faces an uncertain future after learning that main sponsor Sears Canada is pulling out.

Knowing how easily dramatic arts get swept under the rug in secondary schools, I just feel sad for future students, said Taryn Dougall, a theatre artist based in Toronto who took part in the Sears Ontario Drama Festival as a teen.

The festival, founded in 1946, helped launch the careers of numerous Canadian actors, including such celebrities as Rachel McAdams and Keanu Reeves.

Since the loss of support became known, students have come out of the woodwork to express their dismay, citing their experiences as a highlight of their childhood, said Wayne Fairhead, the festivals executive director.

Funding sponsorships is, unfortunately, not something that we can consider while operating under (creditor) protection, Vincent Power of Sears Canada wrote in an email.

The festivals organizers were alerted to Sears decision at the end of June, Power said. The festival is considered an after-school program and not part of any theatre or drama programs taught in schools.

We hope the festival itself can continue at some future time with alternative support, Power wrote.

In seven decades, the festival that was originally sponsored by Simpsons department store has grown from three shows to now bringing together 12,000 students annually to perform, compete and take part in workshops. It was the inspiration for sister showcases in B.C. and the Atlantic provinces and offered scholarship money for students aiming to get into performing arts schools.

Fairhead said the festivals in other provinces have also taken the funding hit.

The drama festival has such a track record, being one of the oldest cultural institutions in the country, Fairhead said. Its pretty important for thousands of kids.

This isnt the first charitable program for youth that has suffered since Sears financial decline. The company also cut funding for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada after almost 50 years of support.

For teenagers interested in drama, the Sears festival offered a taste of what it was like to perform in front of big crowds and be professionally judged. It was also an opportunity for students from all economic backgrounds, whether their schools could afford fog machines and elaborate set designs or had only a few chairs and a group of aspiring actors.

Fairhead described the festival as a lifeline for those who grew up in smaller communities where art was not a priority, a sentiment Dougall shared.

All of our productions used the same repainted flats and whatever props and costumes we had on hand, Dougall said. The only reason we got to put on a single spring show each year was due to the immense dedication of our drama teacher.

The opportunities afforded to our drama program were very small.

She said her school was able to put on more shows after attending the Sears festival and that participating was definitely a huge factor in her decision to pursue a career in drama.

Current theatre performer and administrator Angela Sun, who was involved as a teenager in one of the first Sears plays chosen to be featured in the SummerWorks Festival, also appreciated the escape.

I came from an immigrant family of colour that wasnt very familiar with or embraced by the Canadian theatre scene at the time, so (the Sears festival) was my only introduction to being a part of a full production, she said.

Both women stressed that, above all else, the Sears festival fostered a real sense of community.

(It) gave me the opportunity to see art made by other young artists and begin this process of learning and networking, which is very important when you start thinking about having an artistic career, Sun said.

The young people that I met from other schools participating in the festival are now the young adults shaping the Toronto indie theatre scene, Dougall said. The people I met from other schools at Sears remain my friends to this day.

Sears Canada was given creditor protection on June 22 and is in the process of cutting 2,900 jobs and 59 stores. Since then, it has been criticized for offering bonuses worth millions of dollars to keep key employees while not paying severance to laid-off workers, and experienced plunging share prices and shakeups in executive positions within the company.

It is still hoping to find a buyer.

Sears had always been a very good supporter of the festival, said Fairhead, who added that he didnt want to ruin anyones summer by revealing the news until now.

The drama festival is not giving up just yet. Smaller competitions held in each school district are expected to go ahead while the festival scrambles to find a sponsor.

We were all pretty devastated about it, but were quite optimistic that we will find a new sponsor and that well continue in some format, Fairhead said. Because its just too important.

Im sure were going to find someone, I really am.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Ever heard of a sunk cost fallacy?

In economics, a sunk cost is any cost that has already been paid and cannot be recovered. In life, its the expense that weve already reconciled ourselves to covering so weve stopped thinking about spending the money.

It comes from the fact that we perceive our various pots of money as having different values, and we react to them in different ways.

And once were used to spending, stopping or changing directions hurts more than sticking with the original plan. Witness all the people who keep paying for a gym membership they never use. Or the folks who will not get rid of stuff cluttering up their homes because they spent good money on it.

You know  the cable package and digital recorder that you pay for every month without a second thought. Thats you thinking about the cable bill as spent money. With one call you could cut your costs substantially and slam $50 or more a month into your emergency fund, against your mortgage or into your retirement savings.

You see the money you blow on your smartphone as sunk money. By the time you get the bill youve already spent the money. Never mind that a call to pick a better plan that gives you more for less money, or a switch to a pay-as-you-go plan, could save you hundreds of dollars a year.

Switching banks is too much trouble. Golly, just think of all the auto-debits youd have to change. Switching where you shop for your groceries takes planning, but thats too much work even though you could reduce your monthly costs significantly. Switching from buying new to buying used as just plain yucky. (Oh, get over it!)

Ready to free yourself from bad decision-making based on sunk cost fallacy? Heres the good news: Youre already on your way. Just being aware of how youre thinking can help you make better decisions moving forward.

Struggling to find the extra money to make a dent in your debt? Concerned that youre not saving enough for the future? Wish you had an emergency fund so you could sleep at night? Its time to go over your expenses with a paring knife and a keen eye on your sunk costs.

Today, pick an expense youve been paying without even thinking about it  be it your gym membership, your book-of-the-month-club subscription, your car or home insurance  and look for ways to slim down your spending.

Dont keep doing what youve always done just because youve gotten used to spending the money. Becoming aware about where the money is going, deciding to spend on purpose instead of by rote, is the first step to putting your money to best use.

No one is asking you to give up all the good stuff. Its about becoming conscious about how youre using your money. Todays pleasure must balance with your future peace of mind.

SHARE:
An early scene in the coming movie Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the sequel to the hit starring Colin Firth and Samuel L. Jackson, unfolds in a cave and involves the discovery of a dusty safe filled with amber bottles of old bourbon.

It was an ideal spot for a product placement. But the director, Matthew Vaughn, took that common commercial device and reversed it.

What is in the safe is Statesman bourbon, a spinoff of the long-standing Old Forester brand produced by Brown-Forman of Louisville, Ky., since 1870. It is not a fictional spirit: Statesman bourbon has been quietly appearing on liquor store shelves since spring.

By introducing its product before the release of the movie, Old Forester is not only hoping to capitalize on the cachet of the Kingsman characters discussing and enjoying Statesman bourbon. It is also trying to establish what marketers are seeking more than ever: authenticity.

Read more:

Kingsman star Taron Egerton never expected to be an action hero

Colin Firth beats up everyone in new Kingsman: The Secret Service trailer

Drizzys new booze tops LCBO launch sales

This is authentic storytelling with the product in there, Vaughn said. I think this is the future of advertising.

It is not an entirely new concept for Vaughn. Moviegoers who admired the dapper style of Firth and his fellow spies in the original, Kingsman: The Secret Service, could buy the clothes through a collaboration between the filmmakers and the clothing website Mr Porter.

Vaughn said he and Jane Goldman wrote the sequels script to revolve around Kentucky distillers whose products predated Prohibition. When he happened to bump into a cousin of Campbell Brown, president of Old Forester, at a cocktail party, an idea was hatched to incorporate the brand, which claims to be the oldest bourbon in continuous production on the market.

Product placement I wont do, Vaughn said. Whats really important to me is keeping it so real.

Hence Statesman. Characters in the film  played by, among others, Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges  will produce, drink and discuss the bourbon. To make those moments seem as genuine as possible, it had to become a reality.

It just fit well  it wasnt something we had to make up, Brown said. To have that as a fundamental story line that fit so neatly with our own history makes it a welcome and unique opportunity to partner.

The bourbon, which became widely available this month, well before the Sept. 22 release of the movie, is its own product. Jackie Zykan, Old Foresters master taster, chose barrels from the warmest parts of the companys warehouses to produce what Brown described as a character-rich flavour, at 95 proof.

We wanted to make sure whatever we bottled and sell fit the world that was presented in Kingsman, he said.

Matching the fictionalized world with something that consumers can experience  beyond the suspended reality of the theatre  is where product placement seems to be heading, said Nancy Hansell, brand strategist at Siegel & Gale.

What brands and media properties are doing really well today is creating more of the universe  an immersive experience you get to participate in, Hansell said. Theyre allowing consumers and fans to participate in the world that theyre creating. I think thats the future.

It does not come without risk. Old Forester needed to make, market and sell products well before the public could even grasp the tie-in to the movie. And then there is always a gamble about how well the movie will do. Kingsman: The Secret Service grossed more than $400 million (U.S.) worldwide, so it may be a worthy gamble.

Another risk is that the movie product will not align with the real-world product in a way that seems authentic to the brand. It is the risk of being labelled gimmicky or a sellout. And with a product like bourbon, whose fans tend to be choosy about their spirits, that is a particularly salient concern.

Steve Coomes, a spirits writer based in Louisville who reviewed the bourbon for the website The Whiskey Wash, said he has long been a fan of Old Foresters products but was not quite as enamored of Statesman.

It really flattened out to me, Coomes said. Instead of char and oak, I was getting ash. Instead of the balance and roundness that Im used to from that brand, it just was flat.

But Coomes added that, though Statesman might not have fit his palate, he could still applaud Old Foresters effort to generate a fresh, unique product that was thoughtfully conceived and executed. It also indicated Brown-Formans willingness to experiment to reach a younger audience, as it often does with the Jack Daniels brand.

It doesnt seem forced, Coomes said. This is not like trying to wriggle into The Hunger Games.

Brown said the Statesman bourbon was not created as a quick in, quick out product to simply take advantage of the success of the movie.

This brand has never been about gimmicks, he said. Its always been about the process and our ability to deliver an excellent product at an accessible price. We werent going to deviate from that.

Because consumers are becoming savvier, the stakes have become higher for brands trying to gain exposure in creative ways.

You need to figure out what is the most authentic brand that people are going to want to interact with, Hansell said. The brand needs to feel like something the characters would be proud of. If it feels like a direct line of the media property, it instantly becomes a different thing.

SHARE:
MONTREALThe four NDP leadership hopefuls trod carefully on Sunday when they were asked to weigh in on Quebecs ongoing discussion over religion and identity during a French-language debate in Montreal.

Manitoba MP Niki Ashton, Quebec MP Guy Caron and Ontario MP Charlie Angus and Ontario legislature member Jagmeet Singh were asked about the Quebec governments proposed legislation that sets guidelines for accommodating religious requests.

The bill attempts to enshrine into law the policy that all people giving or receiving a service from the state must do so with their face uncovered.

Caron chose to tackle the issue in his opening statement, saying it was important to fight racism and Islamophobia but also to support Quebecs right to make its own decisions on the issue.

Rejecting secularism because we believe its just racism is fundamentally misunderstanding Quebec, he told a packed room at Montreals Club Soda.

Read more:

Jagmeet Singh calls out NDP opponents on niqab issue in Quebec

Religious rights may dominate remaining weeks of NDP leadership campaign: Hebert

Quebec secularism debate jumps to federal NDP race

Singh, who has said he is against the bill, said he doesnt believe the state should be able to dictate what people wear, but added he believes the province has laws in place to ensure rights are protected.

In his opening statement, he also appeared to acknowledge critics fears that Quebec voters will reject him due to his own visible symbols of faith.

Im not here to convince you to accept my turban, nor my beard, said Singh, who is Sikh. What I want to convince you is that Im someone who shares the same values as you.

Ashton and Angus also disagreed with the idea that the state should be able to dictate what a person wears but refrained from criticizing the Quebec government.

Its absolutely essential that we stand up for human rights and the peoples freedom. Its also important we respect Quebec, Ashton said.

Angus expressed a similar sentiment, saying it was important to understands Quebecs fight for the separation of church and state during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s.

Im confident that the conversation in Quebec will result in a balance between the rights of individuals and the need to maintain the secularism of society, he told reporters after the debate, while declining to state exactly where the line should be drawn.

The question of religion and identity was a thorny issue for the NDP in the last federal election, and one that may have contributed to the partys slide in a province that had previously helped vault it to official Opposition status.

Thomas Mulcairs insistence that women should have a right to wear a veil at citizenship ceremonies is believed by some to have cost the party crucial support.

The NDP holds 16 seats in Quebec, well below the 59 it claimed in its historic breakthrough in the province in 2011 under Jack Laytons leadership.

Early questions focused on the wave of asylum seekers crossing from the United States, the government role in supporting the provinces aerospace industry, and Premier Philippe Couillards plan to restart cross-country discussions on Quebecs role in Canada.

All four candidates criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for rejecting any possibility of reopening the constitution, with Caron and Singh accusing him of slamming the door on the province.

All of the candidates expressed themselves fluently in French, with Singh and Angus occasionally having to search for words.

Caron is the races only francophone and the only candidate from Quebec.

Members of the NDP will vote for the successor to Mulcair on Sept. 18.

Read more about:

SHARE:
WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump again suggested the North American Free Trade Agreement be terminated, tweeting Sunday that both Canada and Mexico are being very difficult, but observers and political leaders didnt appear to take the threat too seriously.

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard brushed aside Trumps comment.

I think what we have to recognize is that the negotiations are going forward. You will not hear me react to his daily tweets or statements. I dont think that would be very productive, Couillard said as he arrived in Charlottetown for the annual meeting of New England governors and eastern premiers.

Couillard says the American governors hes meeting with are eager to modernize and improve NAFTA.

When we talk to governors, when business people talk to each other, the feeling is quite good and quite positive. Everybody recognizes that trade is beneficial for both Canada and the U.S.A.

Read more:

Trumps NAFTA bluster all about him, not us: Tim Harper

Mexico to Trump: We dont negotiate on social media

Mexico a tough-minded amigo in NAFTA talks: Olive

Trump has already threatened earlier this year to end NAFTA. At the time Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freelands office said heated rhetoric is common in trade negotiations, her officials had little to add in response to Trumps Sunday tweet.

Sundays tweet was the first time though that Trump has complained about Canadas role in the talks, which began earlier this month between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Sui Sui, an economics professor at Ryerson Universitys Ted Rogers School of Management, said she doesnt take Trumps comments too seriously either, because these kind of talks should be hard.

This is a pretty normal trade negotiation: each party fights (for) the best interests of their own country, she said. The Canadian government is just doing their job, same as the Mexican government.

Robert Holleyman, former deputy trade czar under Barack Obama, also doesnt expect Trump to follow through with his threat to withdraw the U.S. from the trade deal. In a Twitter post on Sunday morning, Holleyman cited agricultural interests and dissent from Congress as barriers to the presidents plan.

Mark my words. He will not pull out of NAFTA, he wrote.

Trade economist Dan Trefler, professor at the University of Toronto and senior research fellow at the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, agrees that Trumps Twitter rhetoric is unlikely to translate to action. For one thing, the president is unlikely to receive the congressional approval he would need to act on a major trade agreement. Congress has been more involved in these trade negotiations than its ever been involved in any previous trade negotiation, Trefler says.

And while withdrawing from NAFTA would appeal to parts of Trumps base  people who work in manufacturing jobs in states like Michigan and Wisconsin, for instance  Trefler says it would alienate Trumps many supporters in the farm belt.

Echoing Couillard, Trefler said that focusing on Trumps inflammatory Twitter posts can detract from the things his administration is doing. Its easy for him to make these kinds of statements, because they play to the image, he says.

Trump has only one audience, and thats the electorate.

Read more about:

SHARE:
CHARLOTTETOWNA key ally of Donald Trump says Canadians should understand the U.S. president believes in free trade, and they shouldnt read too much into what they hear.

Maine Governor Paul LePage, in Charlottetown for a meeting of Eastern Canadian premiers and New England governors on Monday, said hes spoken to Trump on the subject and he is confident any issues with the North American Free Trade Agreement can be fixed.

Dont read in too much in what you sometimes hear. He really truly believes in having free trade and good, honest trade between the two countries. He really does believe that.

Read more about U.S. President Donald Trump

On Monday, Donald Trump said he may need to put the U.S. on the brink of withdrawing from NAFTA to get his renegotiation objectives met. Any NAFTA party can pull out of the agreement with six-months written notice. I believe that you will probably have to at least start the termination process before a fair deal can be arrived at, Trump told reporters.

While the threat of withdrawal sounds like a ploy to gain leverage in the ongoing talks with Canada and Mexico, he may not be bound to follow through on terminating the pact at the end of the six months. Its not even clear that Congress would allow it.

Theres this question of who in the United States gets to decide whether the United States government withdraws from NAFTA: Is it the president himself, or is it the president acting with Congress? said Simon Lester, a trade policy analyst at the Cato Institute in Washington. At least in theory, they can step in and say, You cant do that, we have a say in all of this.

Trump suggested Sunday that NAFTA should be terminated, tweeting that both Canada and Mexico are being very difficult. It was the first time that Trump has complained about Canadas role in the talks, which began earlier this month between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

Trump repeated his NAFTA criticisms Monday during a news conference with Finlands president, calling it one of the worst trade deals in history.

Its been a one-sided deal  and this includes Canada by the way. Great respect for Canada, great love for Canada, but its been a one-sided deal for Canada and for Mexico . . . its been unfair for too long, he said.

Read more:

Trump Tower plan in Russia was abandoned for business reasons, lawyer says

Mexico to Trump: We dont negotiate on social media

Trumps NAFTA bluster all about him, not us: Harper

LePage, who campaigned several times with Trump, said earlier in the day Canada likely has little to worry about.

I dont really believe hes concerned as much over Canada as much as maybe Mexico.

The Eastern Canadian premiers and New England governors ended their meeting Monday with a resolution to tout the importance of cross-border trade and commerce to their respective economies.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy said its his hope that any rhetoric coming from Washington wont affect an opportunity to refresh and modernize NAFTA.

The best result, he said, would see as little harm done as possible during the negotiations.

In 1864, when the Fathers of Confederation came to P.E.I., most of them were not greeted upon their arrival because most of the population was at the circus. Right now the circus is in Washington, the Democratic governor said in Charlottetown.

Im hopeful that the rhetoric that has been applied most frequently to our southern neighbours, but at times to our northern neighbours is just that, rhetoric, and that this will be looked at as an opportunity to refresh these agreements and to modernize them.

Vermont Gov. Philip Scott said the governors realize the importance of the trade relationship with Canada and he believes common sense will result in a mutually beneficial deal.

Frank McKenna  a former Canadian ambassador to the United States and former premier of New Brunswick  said people should not get caught up in Trumps tweets.

Hes a negotiator. Its in his blood, McKenna said in Charlottetown. I think hes always going to use soaring rhetoric as part of negotiations, but at the end of the day there are a lot of sober-minded people involved at the negotiating table guiding the negotiations and supporting the negotiations.

McKenna, now deputy chair of TD Bank Group, was the luncheon speaker at the conference of premiers and governors. He said he remains confident that the Canada-U.S. relationship will be strong during and after negotiations on both NAFTA and softwood lumber.

The relationship is massive, its integrated, and it is highly supported on both sides of the border. At the end of the day the government of Canada is handling the file beautifully in my view and I think were going to come out eventually with a softwood lumber agreement and, as well, a new NAFTA.

LePage had proposed that the leaders gathered in Charlottetown join together on softwood lumber. He wants them to write a letter supporting exemptions on duties for softwood lumber from Atlantic Canada and Quebec.

LePage said the pressure for the duties is coming from the U.S. lumber coalition.

He said the U.S. industry is being irresponsible and if new, hefty duties remain in place there will be collateral damage to economies on both sides of the border.

In June, the U.S. Department of Commerce hit Canada with an additional 6.87 per cent in preliminary average anti-dumping tariffs, leaving the industry facing average duties of about 27 per cent.

The decision exempts the other three Atlantic provinces, but New Brunswick  exempt from such tariffs in the past  is not.

LePage said the issue needs to be resolved quickly  noting that Texas is going to need a lot of softwood lumber to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.

When you get eight feet of water in Texas, theres going to be a lot of lumber needed in the next couple of months to rebuild that state. And its going to be coming from Canada and the U.S.

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil said many of the states and provinces at the meeting are each others largest trading partners and they will continue work to grow ties that run historically deep.

With files from Bloomberg

Read more about:

SHARE:
Just call it Sorbonne-tario.

The provincial government is moving forward on a plan to create Ontarios first French-language university  likely in downtown Toronto.

Advanced Education and Skills Development Minister Deb Matthews announced Monday that Queens Park will soon introduce legislation for the proposed post-secondary institution.

This is a tremendous step forward in the creation of the first standalone French-language university in Ontario, Matthews said in a statement.

The minister said it would be governed by and for francophones (and) ... will provide access to high-quality French-language university education in the Greater Toronto Area and Central and Southwestern Ontario.

While it will be some time before Ontario is home to anything that can rival the three Parisian universities that make up the Sorbonne, its a significant announcement for the provinces 611,500 francophones.

Francophone culture and the French language have always been essential to Ontarios identity and prosperity, said Francophone Affairs Minister Marie-France Lalonde.

This is strongly reaffirmed today with the governments intent to provide high-quality postsecondary education to francophone students. The creation of a new French-language university, governed by and for francophones, is a critical milestone for Franco-Ontarians and future generations, said Lalonde.

The government is acting upon the recommendation of the French-language University Planning Board, a panel struck last fall to study the issue.

Last month, the group led by former official languages commissioner Dyane Adam, tabled a 139-page report recommending the new school.

Adams panel said the main campus of the university should be located in Toronto, specifically, in downtown Toronto.

Thats in part because more than 430,000 people in the GTA speak French.

The areas French-speaking population is also characterized by diversity thanks to francophone migration from other provinces and an influx of newcomers to Canada, the board said.

Like Torontos population in general, nearly half of the citys francophones were born outside the country, it noted.

The roughly 80,000 francophone immigrants in Ontario present significant potential for expanding the provincial economy into the broader international Francophonie, the board added.

But NDP MPP France Gelinas (Nickel Belt), who has twice introduced private members bills for a French-language university, noted that no money has yet been earmarked for it and expressed concern about its proposed location in Toronto.

The northerners are the big losers, said Gelinas, pointing to the pockets of franco-Ontarians in Sudbury, Timmins, North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie.

I have nothing against a campus in Toronto and more programs in the southwest, but thats not what we need. The need is throughout the province, she said.

This has to be province-wide.

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown, who has been promoting a French-language university since taking his partys helm two years ago, said he was wary about the premiers motives so close to the June 7, 2018 election.

While Im pleased that we are one step closer, I remain skeptical that Kathleen Wynne will do anything but make another empty election promise, said Brown.

Adams report, meanwhile, said the Ontario labour market would have no difficulty absorbing the number of graduates that would be produced by a French-language university.

Her recommendation was that the new institution work with College Boreal, the French-language community college that has small campuses around the province, including inside the Toronto Star building at One Yonge St., and TVOntarios French service.

So as to create a resolutely francophone, dynamic and immersive milieu for its students, the new university would work collaboratively to create a francophone hub of knowledge and innovation with two main partners: College Boreal and Groupe Media TFO, she wrote.

By pooling together their physical and human resources and complementary educational mission, these institutions would open up innovative learning, training and research opportunities in French, and achieve economies of scale.

SHARE:
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.Two weeks after white supremacists and violence turned this city into a new flash point of racial strife in the U.S., hundreds of residents still anguished and angry came together Sunday for what was billed as the beginning of a road to recovery.

But the gathering delivered few answers to a community demanding them, and it appeared healing is still a ways off.

Jack Ridley, 66, a lifelong resident and retired city employee, echoed many at the meeting, saying that city leaders need to get beyond finger-pointing and begin to provide clarity about what went wrong and how it can be fixed.

What happened two weeks ago came from the outside and it has put a mark on the city thats never been there before, he said.

Emotions were sometimes raw as residents continued to grapple with the aftermath of the deadly demonstration Aug. 12 by white supremacists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members that claimed the life of Charlottesville resident Heather Heyer.

Heyer, 32, a paralegal, had joined the counterprotest that day and was killed when a car, allegedly driven by a man with neo-Nazi ties, barrelled into a crowd of pedestrians. Two state troopers monitoring the rally by helicopter died in a crash.

Charlottesville has not been the same since.

This picturesque city of fewer than 50,000 peoplehome to the University of Virginia and not far from Shenandoah National Parkhas roiled since white supremacists converged in a Unite the Right rally, following a city decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.

The Sunday town hall, hosted by the city and the U.S. Justice Departments Community Relations Service, was planned as a way to move forward.

But many asked why police did not do more to quell the deadly violence.

This is not about blame, this is about accountability, said Judith Minter, the owner of a downtown business, who voiced disappointment that there was not more clarity about why the police failed the community that day.

City officials were present but did not take the stage to give a detailed defence of their actions. The city announced Friday that it had hired former U.S. attorney Tim Heaphy to lead an independent review of the citys response to the Aug. 12 rally and two others in recent months.

Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy said in an interview that the gathering was intended to give residents the chance to speak. We need to listen and empathize and let people express themselves, he said.

Sundays event was led by a federal official from the community relations service, and some who stepped forward took issue with the Justice Department itself and the messages that have come from Washington and the Trump administration.

The leader of your department is another monument to white supremacy that must fall, librarian Dave Ghamandi, 30, told the crowd, saying Attorney General Jeff Sessions was named for Confederate heroes. (His full name is Jefferson Beauregard Sessions.)

The gathering went beyond its planned two hours, touching on issues of racial inequity, free speech, gun laws, Confederate monuments, affordable housing and civic leadership.

I would just ask that we adequately prepare for the next time and continue to resist this scourge, said Dena Imlay, president of a neighbourhood association.

The town hall came six days after a contentious city council meeting that grew so raucous that council members left the chamber. According to the Charlottesville Daily Progress, two women then went to the dais and stood on it, holding a banner that read: BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the council voted to shroud the citys statues of Lee and Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson in black fabric. But during the weekend, the statue was uncovered overnight, the newspaper said.

On Saturday, police charged three men with felonies in attacks on counterprotesters at the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally. One of the men has been identified as an imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and one of the men is still at large.

Police said 18-year-old Daniel Borden of Mason, Ohio, is part of a group of six men who violently beat a man in a parking garage next to the Charlottesville Police Department. The attack was captured on video.

Borden and Alex Ramos, 33, were charged with malicious wounding, related to an aggravated assault. Ramos was being sought Sunday, police said.

Richard Preston, 52, was charged with discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet (300 metres) of a school. Preston has identified himself to news media as the imperial wizard of the Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, based in northern Maryland.

James Fields, 20, has been in custody since the day of the rally in connection with Heyers death. He is charged with second-degree murder, among other crimes.

In announcing the town hall, city officials said representatives from the community relations service will work closely with residents to engage the community and come up with an action plan. A working group of people from all walks of life is to be part of the effort.

The CRS works with state and local governments and others to prevent and resolve racial and ethnic tensions. It was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

SHARE:
A small group of right-wing demonstrators who gathered in a Berkeley park Sunday to rail against the citys famed progressive politics was driven out, often violently, by an army of anarchist counterprotesters in black clothing and masks whose tactics overwhelmed a huge contingent of police officers.

Hundreds of officers tried to maintain calm in and around Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park before the 1 p.m. No to Marxism in Berkeley rally, putting up barricades, searching bags, and confiscating sticks, masks, pepper spray and even water bottles. The goal was to head off the type of clashes that sprang from similar rallies in the city earlier this year.

But once again, counterdemonstrators frustrated police efforts. As the crowd swelled, officers stepped aside and allowed hundreds of people angered by the presence of the right-wing rally to climb over the barriers into the park, said officer Jennifer Coates, a spokesperson for Berkeley police.

The masked counterprotesters, often referred to as antifa or anti-fascists, significantly outnumbered the people who had come for the rally, many of whom wore red clothing supporting U.S. President Donald Trump. The anarchists chased away the right-wingers, in some cases beating them with fists and sticks. They also attacked reporters who documented their actions.

Read more:

Two weeks after neo-Nazis marched chanting Sieg Heil, Charlottesville Jews try to heal

Police arrested 14 people after right-wing demonstrators and anti-fascist counterprotestors clashed at Martin Luther King Park in Berkeley, Calif., on Sunday.







Rally in Quebec turns violent after protesters opposing anti-immigrant rallies clash with police

Torontonians rally against white supremacist violence in Charlottesville

Police arrested 14 people and briefly detained Joey Gibson, the leader of the conservative group Patriot Prayer, who had cancelled a rally Saturday at Crissy Field in San Francisco after city leaders criticized the event plans as inciting white nationalists. Officials said police did not arrest Gibson on Sunday but instead rescued him after he was chased and pepper-sprayed by his opponents.

Saturday had been a day of mostly peaceful anti-hate demonstrations across San Francisco. Sunday was different in Berkeley, even though thousands of people who came out to speak against the right-wing rally were not part of the anarchist mob.

No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA! crowds chanted early in the day at Civic Center Park, voicing opposition to the policies of Trump, which many people said had buoyed white nationalists across the country.

Also early in the day, hundreds of mostly local residents converged at Berkeleys Ohlone Park to oppose hate speech, racism and white supremacy. They carried signs reading Berkeley stands united against hate, Queers against hate and End white supremacy.

Jeff Conant, 50, of Berkeley, who helped organize the anti-hate rally, said, Its important for people to show up and make it unacceptable for right-wing white supremacists to spew hate and incite violence.

He praised Saturdays tremendous victory in San Francisco and said Sunday was about galvanizing a movement to oppose white supremacy and the structures that support it.

Berkeley denied a permit to the organizer of the anti-Marxist rally, Amber Cummings, saying her application was late and incomplete. Cummings later asked supporters not to show up because she feared violence.

The swamping of right-wing political ideas by left-wing demonstrators has become a recurring theme in Berkeley and other California cities. The tension rose Aug. 12 when a Nazi sympathizer allegedly drove his car into a crowd in Charlottesville, Va., that had been protesting a white supremacist rally, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Trump blamed the violence in Charlottesville on many sides.

Left-leaning demonstrators dwarfed a right-wing rally in Boston on Aug. 19.

In Berkeley on Sunday, some observers derived satisfaction from watching the counterprotesters beat up and chase off a young man who was apparently at the rally in support of Trump.

Its a good time, said Tom Martell, 70, of Crockett, who was at Civic Center Park with his girlfriend, Lisa Argento, 53.

Theyve got to be chased out, Argento said. I moved to the Bay Area and pay good money to live here. I dont want these people here. They need to leave us the f--- alone.

Argento said she has mixed feelings about the idea of ignoring members of the political right who rally to drum up support for their views.

What are we waiting for? she asked. They already hold the White House. They are already dragging people away in the middle of the night.

But others thought the actions of the counterprotesters were shameful.

Linda Fuentes Rosner, 69, a Spanish-language interpreter from Vallejo, stood near the parks dry fountain glaring at a group that was holding a Teachers for Thought banner and chanting anti-Trump slogans.

What hypocrites, Fuentes Rosner said. They dont know what theyre talking about. You think its OK that a Trump supporter gets beat up? Its embarrassing. The left has prevented the right from speaking. Thats not American, that despotism.

Fuentes Rosner, a Republican, came to Berkeley for a conservative meetup that didnt happen. Event organizers told her that members of the small group left because they felt intimidated.

Jay Pino, 23, said he came to Berkeley from New Mexico to protest the right-wing rally, but peacefully.

This doesnt have to be about violence, he said. The aggressive people here, I get it. Its hard to express their anger and its also hard to keep it in. Im here to try to keep the peace. No matter how bad the other side is, we have to pray for them as well.

SHARE:
ATLANTAFor many people, Aug. 28, 2017, marks the return to the work week. Nothing special. Just another Monday.

But for Black America, and by cosmic happenstance, Aug. 28 is much more  even if they dont know it.

On this date in 1955, a 14-year-old black boy was lynched in Mississippi, awakening the country to the horrors of racism.

In 1963, more than 250,000 people gathered in Washington to hear a young preacher talk about freedom, jobs and a dream.

In 2005, hundreds of thousands of people fled the Gulf Coast as a killer hurricane was about to make landfall.

In 2008, a Black man stood on a stage in Denver and accepted his partys nomination for president.

And in 2017, Georgia will unveil a statue of an African-American hero on the grounds of the state capitol.

The 28th of August shows two sides of America, said former Atlanta mayor Shirley Franklin. There are examples of when we were at our best and lots of people were engaged. And examples of us at our worst as a country.

Academy Award-nominated director Ava DuVernay put the pieces together with her short film August 28: A Day in the Life of a People, which debuted in 2016 at the opening of the Smithsonians National Museum of African-American History and Culture.

In my eyes, August 28 tells so much about black history through the lens of one date, DuVernay said at the time.

Aug. 28, 1955: Money, Miss.

In the early morning hours, two white men and a woman arrived at the home of Mose Wright in Money, Miss.

They wanted Wrights 14-year-old nephew, Emmett Till, who had arrived from Chicago seven days earlier. Till, they said, had flirted with and whistled at a white woman. Three days later, his mutilated body washed up in the Tallahatchie River.

His mother, Mamie Till, insisted on an open casket at her sons funeral. She wanted the world to see her sons battered and bloated corpse, and Jet magazine and the Black press shared the unforgettable images.

Shirley Franklin was 10, growing up in Philadelphia. She remembers sitting around the dinner table with her mother and grandmother, talking about the murder. Talking about Mamie Tills decision. Talking about what it all meant.

His death impacted me and radicalized me, Franklin said. Those discussions and his death were touchstones for me.

Rita Dove celebrated her third birthday on the day Till was killed. She has no direct recollection of it, but by the time she was 7, she was an avid reader of Jet and its On This Date column.

Dove, who grew up in Akron, Ohio, won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1987 and became poet laureate of the United States in 1993, the youngest person and first African-American poet to do so.

I remember being totally shocked beyond measure at what I saw, Dove said. I suddenly realized that there was a larger world out there.

Aug. 28, 1963: Washington

Franklin was an 18-year-old freshman at Howard University when 250,000 people marched on Washington.

Her mother and aunts wanted to go to the march as a family.

It was important because my mother and aunts were following the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr., Franklin said. No one knew if it was going to be peaceful, because we had seen the horrific things on television. We didnt know what would happen.

Rita Dove was in Washington but had to watch the march on television. Because her birthday falls in late summer, the family generally took a trip to celebrate it. This time they went to Washington.

Doves father, Ray, wanted to march but was concerned about the safety of his children. So he joined the march while Rita and her brother stayed with relatives.

I was already fascinated with words and poetry, so the repetition in Kings speech was mesmerizing, said Dove.

After the march, her father returned, and they cut her birthday cake.

It was a special day, Dove said. But at 11, I didnt quite understand how special it was.

Aug. 28, 2005: New Orleans

On Aug. 27, the day before New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered the city to evacuate as hurricane Katrina drew near, Christan Theresa Poret took her 1-year-old daughter, Meah, to a pool party.

I kinda blew it off as just another warning, Poret said. We got hurricanes all the time.

Katrina was different  even if Poret didnt know it. Instead of leaving, Poret and her mother and daughter went uptown to stay with her then-fiance, Mark.

We woke up and the sky was so clear, Poret said. Then we noticed that the water was coming to us.

In no time, the flood breached the home, which was at least four feet off the ground.

With Meah on her back, they walked a half-mile to the Super Dome through brown water, dodging snakes and wires. The Super Dome was the last refuge for people who couldnt get out of town. But by the time they got there, the dome wasnt accepting anybody else.

They walked back.

At length, a helicopter came and rescued them from the roof of the complex and dropped them off on the highway. They waited for another 16 hours, with no food or bathrooms, for a bus to take them to Houston.

Then on Aug. 31, four days after the pool party, a relative in Atlanta pooled together enough frequent flyer miles from her friends to fly eight family members to Atlanta.

Aug. 28, 2008: Denver

Shirley Franklin was not keen on taking her family to Colorado for the Democratic National Convention. She was co-chairing the event and it was going to be a mess dealing with tons of people, security and booking hotels and transportation.

But Democrats were poised to make Barack Obama the first Black presidential candidate to represent a major political party.

Doves day was notably quieter. Because she travelled so much as a child, she is content on spending her birthday at home, watching television with her husband.

It is a day of contemplation, Dove said.

But on this birthday she was nearly giddy.

I was at home trying not to split my face with my grin because I was so happy, she said. But I was also a little frightened. I did not think that the country had grown up enough to see that this man was ready for this job.

Aug. 28, 2017: Atlanta

A statue of Martin Luther King Jr. will be unveiled on the State Capitol grounds, in effect replacing the statue of segregationist Thomas Watson.

I dont assign any great sense of things aligning, but human beings being human beings, we will try to assign significance to things falling on the same date. So it is important, said Dove, who is working on a new book. What that does is, it allows us to make comparisons. You can see the best of mankind and the worst. The best of nature and worst. These are these bookends that are very useful to us.

SHARE:
WASHINGTONWhile Donald Trump was running for president in late 2015 and early 2016, his company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow, according to several people familiar with the proposal and new records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.

As part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested he could get President Vladimir Putin to say great things about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence.

The developer, Felix Sater, predicted in a November 2015 email that he and Trump Organization leaders would soon be celebratingboth one of the biggest residential projects in real estate history and Donald Trumps election as president, according to two of the people with knowledge of the exchange.

Sater wrote to Trump Organization executive vice-president Michael Cohen, something to the effect of, Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president?  said one person briefed on the email exchange. Sater emigrated to the United States from what was then the Soviet Union when he was 8 and grew up in Brooklyn.

Trump never went to Moscow as Sater proposed. And although investors and Trumps company signed a letter of intent, they lacked the land and permits to proceed and the project was abandoned at the end of January 2016, just before the presidential primaries began, several people familiar with the proposal said.

Nevertheless, the details of the deal, which have not previously been disclosed, provide evidence that Trumps business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president and in a position to determine U.S.-Russia relations. The new details from the emails, which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon, also point to the likelihood of additional contacts between Russia-connected individuals and Trump associates during his presidential bid.

White House officials declined to comment for this report. Cohen, a longtime Trump aide who remains Trumps personal attorney, and his lawyer have also declined to comment.

In recent months, contacts between high-ranking and lower-level Trump aides and Russians have emerged. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a U.S. senator and campaign adviser, twice met Sergey Kislyak when he was Russian ambassador.

Donald Trump Jr. organized a June 2016 meeting with campaign aides Jared Kushner, campaign manager Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer after the presidents eldest son was promised the lawyer would bring damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help the campaign.

Internal emails also show campaign adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly sought to organize meetings with campaign officials, including Trump, and Putin or other Russians. His efforts were rebuffed.

The negotiations for the Moscow project ended before Trumps business ties to Russia had become a major issue in the campaign. Trump denied having any business connections to Russia in July 2016, tweeting, for the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia and then insisting at a news conference the following day, I have nothing to do with Russia.

On the sidelines of the G20 Summit on July 7, the leaders of the United States and Russia hold their first, much anticipated, sit-down meeting. (The Associated Press)

Discussions about the Moscow project began in earnest in September 2015, according to people briefed on the deal. An unidentified investor planned to build the project and, under a licensing agreement, put Trumps name on it. Cohen acted as a lead negotiator for the Trump Organization. It is unclear how involved or aware Trump was of the negotiations.

As the talks progressed, Trump voiced numerous supportive comments about Putin, setting himself apart from his Republican rivals.

By the end of 2015, Putin began offering praise in return.

He says that he wants to move to another, closer level of relations. Can we really not welcome that? Of course we welcome that, Putin told reporters during his annual end-of-the year news conference. He called Trump a colorful and talented person. Trump said afterward that the compliment was an honor.

Though Putins comments came shortly after Sater suggested that the Russian president would speak favorably about Trump, there is no indication that the two are connected.

There is no public record that Trump has ever spoken about the effort to build a Trump Tower in 2015 and 2016.

Trumps interest in building in Moscow, however, are long-standing. He had attempted to build a Trump property for three decades, starting with a failed effort in 1987 to partner with the Soviet government on a hotel project.

Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment, he said in a 2007 court deposition.

We will be in Moscow at some point, he promised in the deposition.

Sater was involved in at least one of those previous efforts. In 2005, the Trump Organization gave his development company, the Bayrock Group, an exclusive one-year deal to attempt to build a Moscow Trump Tower. Sater located a site for the projectan abandoned pencil factoryand worked closely with Trump on the deal, which did not come to fruition.

In an unrelated court case in 2008, Sater said in a deposition that he would personally provide Trump verbal updates on the deal.

When Id come back, pop my head into Mr. Trumps office and tell him, you know, Moving forward on the Moscow deal. And he would say, All right,  Sater said.

In the same testimony, Sater described traveling with Trumps children, including joining Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. on a trip to Moscow at the future presidents request.

They were on their way by themselves, and he was all concerned, Sater said. He asked if I wouldnt mind joining them and looking after them while they were in Moscow.

Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told the Washington Post last year that Sater happened to be in Moscow at the same time as Trumps two adult children. There was no accompanying them to Moscow, he said.

Neither Sater or his attorney responded to requests for comment.

Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Sater, who served time in jail after assaulting a man with the stem of a broken margarita glass during a 1991 bar fight and then pleaded guilty in 1998 to his role in a organized crime-linked stock fraud. Saters sentencing was delayed for years while he co-operated with the federal government on a series of criminal and national security-related investigations, federal officials have said.

During that time, Sater worked as an executive with Bayrock, whose offices were in Trump Tower, and brokered deals to license Trumps name for developments in multiple U.S. and foreign cities. In 2010, Trump allowed Sater to briefly work out of Trump Organization office space and use a business card that identified him as a senior adviser to Donald Trump.

Still, when asked about Sater in 2013 court deposition, Trump said: If he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldnt know what he looked like. He added that he had spoken with Sater not many times.

Read more about:

SHARE:
This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com
WASHINGTONU.S. President Donald Trump on Monday defended his decision to pardon Joe Arpaio, calling the former Arizona sheriff a patriot who loves his country.

Asked about his controversial pardon during a joint press conference with the president of Finland on Monday, Trump insisted that a lot of people believe he made the right call. He said Arpaio had done a great job for the people of Arizona and argued that hed been treated unbelievable unfairly by the Obama administration.

Hes done a great job for the people of Arizona. He is very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration. He is loved in Arizona, Trump said.

Read more:Trump pardons controversial ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio

Trumps decision drew criticism from both sides of the aisle, and renewed allegations that he has little respect for an independent judiciary.

Arpaio shot to national fame by aggressively targeting immigrants living in the U.S. illegally using tactics that Latino and immigrants rights advocates likened to racial profiling. He faced a possible jail sentence on a federal conviction stemming from his refusal to halt certain immigration patrols.

Sheriff Joe is a patriot. Sheriff Joe loves our country. Sheriff Joe protected our borders and Sheriff Joe was very unfairly treated by the Obama administration, especially right before an election, an election that he would have won, Trump said during the event on Monday. So I stand by my pardon of Sheriff Joe and I think the people of Arizona who really know him best would agree with me.

The White Houses Friday announcement came as Hurricane Harvey threatened to batter Texas with heavy winds and severe flooding and shortly after the administration outlined long-awaited details of Trumps plan to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military. But Trump pushed back on the assumption the timing was intended to bury the news, claiming instead that hed announced the pardon then because he knew people would be watching.

In the middle of a hurricane, even though it was Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally, he said.

Trump on Monday also continued to insist that Mexico will pay for his long-promised Southern border wall.

One way or the other Mexico will pay for the wall, Trump said, arguing that, while the project may initially be funded by United States taxpayers, ultimately Mexico will pay.

Trump recently threatened to force a federal government shutdown unless Congress provides funding for his wall, but said Monday that he hopes such had drastic measure is not necessary.

Still, he added: if its necessary, well have to see.

Read more about:

SHARE:
A top executive from Donald Trumps real estate company emailed Russian President Vladimir Putins personal spokesperson during the U.S. presidential campaign last year to ask for help advancing a stalled Trump Tower development project in Moscow, according to documents submitted to Congress on Monday.

The request came in a mid-January 2016 email from Michael Cohen, one of Trumps closest business advisers, who asked longtime Putin lieutenant Dmitry Peskov for assistance in reviving a deal that Cohen suggested was languishing.

Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower-Moscow project in Moscow City, Cohen wrote to Peskov, according to a person familiar with the email. Without getting into lengthy specifics, the communication between our two sides has stalled.

As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon, Cohen wrote.

Read the latest news on U.S. President Donald Trump

Cohens email marks the most direct outreach documented by a top Trump aide to a similarly senior member of Putins government.

Cohen told congressional investigators in a statement Monday that he did not recall receiving a response from Peskov or having further contact with Russian government officials about the project. The email, addressed to Peskov, appeared to have been sent to a general Kremlin press account.

The note adds to the list of contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials that have been a focus of multiple congressional inquiries as well as an investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller exploring Russian interference in the 2016 election. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the Kremlin intervened to help elect Trump.

Cohens email to Peskov provides an example of a Trump business official directly seeking Kremlin assistance in advancing Trumps business interests.

Cohen told congressional investigators that the deal was envisioned as a licensing project, in which Trump would have been paid for the use of his name by a Moscow-based developer called I.C. Expert Investment Co.

Cohen said he discussed the deal three times with Trump, and that Trump signed a letter of intent with the company on Oct. 28, 2015. He said the Trump company began to solicit designs from architects and discuss financing.

However, he said that the project was abandoned for business reasons when government permission was not secured, and that the matter was not related in any way to Mr. Trumps presidential campaign.

Cohens request to Peskov came as Trump was distinguishing himself on the campaign trail with his warm rhetoric about Putin.

Cohen said in his statement to Congress that he wrote the email at the recommendation of Felix Sater, a Russian American businessman who was serving as a broker on the deal.

In the statement, obtained by The Washington Post, Cohen said Sater suggested the outreach because a massive Trump development in Moscow would require Russian government approval.

White House special counsel Ty Cobb said that Trump knew nothing about Cohens effort to enlist Peskovs help.

The mere fact that there was no apparent response suggests this is a non-collusion story, he said.

Cohen has been one of Trumps closest aides since 2007, serving as a business emissary, lawyer and sometimes spokesperson for Trump. Friends said Trump has treated Cohen like a member of his family.

Cohen, who was executive vice president of the Trump Organization, did not have a formal role in Trumps campaign. But he spoke with reporters as a defender of Trump and appeared on television as a surrogate for the candidate. He left the company shortly before Trump was inaugurated as president, and, since January, has served as one of Trumps personal lawyers.

In a statement to the Post, Cohen described the potential Moscow project as simply one of many development opportunities that the Trump Organization considered and ultimately rejected.

It should come as no surprise that, over four decades, the Trump Organization has received and reviewed countless real estate development opportunities, both domestic and international, he added.

Cohen said he abandoned the project because he lost confidence that the Moscow developer would be able to obtain land, financing and government approvals. It was a building proposal that did not succeed, and nothing more, he said.

Read more:Trump Organization sought deal on a Trump Tower in Moscow while he ran for president

The Post reported Sunday that Cohen had been in negotiations with Sater and foreign investors to build a Trump Tower in the Russian capital from September 2015 through the end of January 2016, at the same time Trump was campaigning for president. Trump entered the race in June 2015, and by January 2016 he was leading in the polls for the Republican nomination.

Cohen told congressional investigators that Sater constantly pushed him to travel to Moscow as part of the negotiations, but that he declined to do so.

He said that Sater, who has attempted to broker Trump deals for more than a decade, was prone to salesmanship, and that, as a result, he did not routinely apprise others in the company about their interactions and never considered asking Trump to go to Moscow, as Sater had requested.

A lawyer for Sater did not respond to requests for comment.

Over email, Sater bragged to Cohen that he could get Putin to assist with the project and that it would help Trumps presidential campaign, according to correspondence submitted to congressional investigators.

Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it, Sater wrote in a November 2015 email. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.

The Post on Sunday first reported on the existence of the emails, copies of which were published Monday by the New York Times.

In another email published by the Times, and confirmed by the Post, Sater described accompanying Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump on a 2006 trip to Moscow. I arranged for Ivanka to sit in Putins private chair at his desk and office in the Kremlin, Sater wrote.

A White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, but in a statement to the Times, Ivanka Trump said she had taken a brief tour of the Kremlin but did not recall sitting in Putins chair.

Donald Trump has tried to distance himself from Sater, a New York developer whose office was located in Trump Tower and who helped broker licensed Trump deals. Sater had served time in jail in the 1990s after a bar fight and pleaded guilty in 1998 to his role in Mafia-linked stock fraud. Federal officials have said he then cooperated on various national security and criminal investigations.

In writing to Peskov, Cohen was reaching out to a Kremlin official considered one of the main gatekeepers to Putin.

Peskov was appointed the head of the presidential press service in 2000, during Putins first term, and has served as a spokesperson for Putin in various roles since, staying with Putin during his four years as prime minister. Because he regularly travels with and speaks to Putin, he is a target for lobbyists and petitioners trying to attract the Russian presidents attention.

Aside from being the Kremlins mouthpiece, hes definitely someone who is viewed as a senior lieutenant, an important oligarch in Putins power system, said Steven Hall, who retired from the CIA in 2015 after 30 years of managing the agencys Russia operations. If youre looking for someone who is close to Putin, Dmitry Peskov is as good as any of them.

Asked for comment about the Trump Tower negotiations, Amanda Miller, a spokesperson for the Trump organization, emphasized Monday that Cohen did not pursue the deal beyond its initial stages. After the signing of a non-binding letter of intent . . . it was not significantly advanced (i.e., there was no site, no financing, and no development), she wrote in an email to the Post. To be clear, the Trump Organization has never had any real estate holdings or interests in Russia.

Still, Trump repeatedly tried for three decades to build in Russia. In 2013, he signed a preliminary agreement to build a tower in partnership with Aras Agalarov, a billionaire who had financed the Trump-owned Miss Universe pageant when it was held in Moscow in 2013. Agalarov told the Post last year that his companys deal with Trump was on hold because of the presidential campaign.

A representative of Agalarovs company attended a June 2016 meeting with top Trump aides and Russian lawyer organized by Donald Trump Jr., after he was told that the lawyer would provide damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton provided by the Russian government.

Scott Balber, an attorney for Agalarov, said Agalarov and his company played no role in the 2015-16 Trump Tower proposal.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Small children find the world an alarming place, which it is when youre short and underweight. Youre at a huge disadvantage. What is a trump? You cant read the menu. If your mom orders green eggs and ham, how will you know? Knowledge is power. You have neither.

And then you see people holding up big pictures of what look like cut-up minnows or creepy-crawlies covered in blood, and Dad gets mad and tells the people to go away. But they dont. Mom doesnt let you check the mailbox any more.

All over Toronto, huge posters and hundreds of thousands of anti-abortion flyers with these photos are being publicly displayed and delivered to homes by the so-called Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.

Throughout the summer, GO trains and thousands of cars heading downtown on the Gardiner and Lake Shore faced these big posters. Ive seen teenage girls  and strange shy boys  displaying the photos on Bloor St. and yes, I have spoken to them with brisk sincerity.

The photos purport to be of aborted fetuses. But Ive seen the results of abortions in medical trays and youd really have to hunt through all that uterine lining with a magnifying glass to find what they claim to show. A fetus does not look like the alien that surged out of Ripleys stomach. Most are invisible.

City councillors, MPPs and school trustees are asking Ontario Attorney General Yasir Naqvi to file an injunction banning the images  though not the words  which they say are especially upsetting to children.

People are horrified, theyre traumatized, theyre worried about their children, Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns told the Star. Were in a society where free speech is guaranteed and Im very glad of that but putting out images that are so horrendous is not something that is responsible.

Theres free speech, and theres the abuse of free speech. The photos, all red and pink, look like a butchers shop window (which is actually where director Ridley Scott got props for his creatures in the movie Alien).

What they resemble is pornography. If Ontario families were being handed close-ups of vaginas and penises, the government would shut it down, and fast. So why not ban misleading photos intended to frighten women out of their legal right to control their own bodies?

In Torontos east end, we used to get the racist equivalent of anti-choice frighteners: a neo-Nazi newspaper of indescribable vulgarity, racism, and anti-Semitism. It went on for years. Canada Post workers were compelled to deliver the wretched things, and then I had to hide them and slip them out of the house.

I was unable to get my MP to understand my distress, but brave local citizens finally managed to get a federal ban on its distribution. A hearing into the ban continues.

These publications made me feel shame for the adult world. I didnt want children to know that adults could be so malevolent  parents hint at this knowledge and then break the bad news in adolescence  but this is us.

The centres website is disturbing enough, but one campaign, The Genocide Awareness Project, breaks records for bad taste. It shows billboards which graphically compare the victims of abortion to victims of other atrocities, such as Jews in the Holocaust.

What do children think those bloody tadpoles in the photos are? Cake decorations, maybe, or red ants. And swastikas perhaps look like spiders, itsy-bitsy ones.

The anti-choice campaigners basically taunt parents and children for being unable to look away, for not having the choice to see or not see. They defend themselves by claiming its for their own good.

I dont much care about the anti-abortion cult. Let these men in dark suits and women in their red dresses smile manically in their own photos, let them have huge families, be my guest. Thats their choice.

But stop pestering people outside abortion clinics, get out of my mailbox, and get out of my way on the sidewalk.

You make small children cry. You upset adults for reasons you cant guess at. You dont know what fear you inspire, what memories of bullying you dredge up ... oh wait, you do know.

That is the part you enjoy.

SHARE:
More than 700 harm reduction workers, nurses, physicians, nurse practitioners, public health officials and others working within our health-care system, from 59 different cities and towns in Ontario, have signed a letter calling on the provincial government to declare an immediate emergency in response to opioid overdoses and related deaths in Ontario.

The Ontario provincial government has been slow and ineffectual in its response to the deaths of Ontarians from the opioid crisis. People who use drugs and their allies have been left to respond to the recent opioid crisis alone, without sufficient funding or support. Appallingly, the most recent data available for Ontario is from 2016. It showed that opioid deaths jumped 11 per cent in the first half of 2016. For those on the front lines, it is evident that the current rate of opioid-related deaths is exceeding the mid-2016 estimate of two deaths per day, and the rate of emergency department opioid-related visits has risen dramatically. This crisis has impacted people all across the province, including in northern Ontario.

In response, the provincial government has asked for more data, while people are dying. This is not enough. It is not enough to move slowly while people are losing their loved ones, family members, friends, colleagues and patients from preventable deaths. Peer workers, with severely limited funding and support, have been handed the heavy burden of witnessing overdoses and being first responders, watching over their friends in alleyways, on stairs and in public bathrooms.

Brave front-line harm reduction workers in Toronto recently opened an overdose prevention site in Moss Park, which is providing a safe space for people to use. Since its opening, city officials have expedited the opening of an interim city-sanctioned supervised injection site at Toronto Public Healths The Works. The provincial government has finally released funding requested by South Riverdale Community Health Centre and Queen West Community Health Centre to start their own supervised injection sites in fall 2017. The opening of the site in Moss Park has also inspired those in health care and public health into action.

We are calling for a declaration of an emergency, to hold the province accountable to implement a plan to respond to this crisis. We need increased funding for front-line workers, additional supervised injection sites and overdose prevention sites across the province, and support and treatment for people who use drugs. Naloxone, the life-saving medication that can reverse opioid overdoses, needs to be made available broadly and in innovative ways, such as through home programs and from hospital emergency departments. We need wider access to drug testing; with the current tainted supply, life-saving information can be gained by testing drugs before they are consumed. This is a public health crisis, and it needs a co-ordinated public health response, not a criminal justice response. An emergency declaration would also send a message to survivors, families and communities that their lives are respected.

We met with Premier Wynne today, and presented the letter to her. She affirmed the fact that we are in a crisis and that the trajectory is dangerous, and expressed a commitment to immediately increase funding and to ongoing discussion. We are now seeking a government response that reinforces the urgency for action, and that brings funding to the frontlines, while also supporting further overdose prevention sites to open where needed.

Let us take leadership from those most affected by this crisis, and listen carefully to them when they say, as displayed on banners during a protest organized by front-line harm reduction workers at the 2017 International Harm Reduction Conference in Montreal: They talk, we die. We hope Premier Wynne and her cabinet will hear these words and move into action, starting with this necessary political declaration for an emergency in Ontario.

Dr. Nanky Rai is a family physician in Toronto.

Zoe Dodd is a hepatitis C program co-ordinator in Toronto.

Dr. Michaela Beder is a psychiatrist in Toronto.

Dr. Mary Yang is a psychiatry resident in Toronto.

SHARE:
U.S. President Donald Trump gave a speech on Aug. 21 that laid out his strategy to continue, and ultimately win, the war in Afghanistan. But buried underneath that lead, was a clear message, intended for neither Afghanistan nor Pakistan  but for China. Despite being less overt than previous speeches, the message was simple: the U.S. plans to remain a political, economic, and perhaps even military force not just along Asias Pacific coast, but in Asia as a whole.

While his language was not nearly as blunt as the statements he made about China during last years election campaign, Trump delivered a bold policy message. Put simply, the message was that the U.S. will further develop its strategic partnership with India, the worlds largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United States.

The president also made it clear that a new partnership with India would not simply be about ending the war in Afghanistan, but would involve the pursuit of shared objectives for peace and security in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.

While India lags China  economically, diplomatically, and militarily  if any county in Asia is ever going to have the ability to challenge Chinas geopolitical dominance of the continent, it is India. While the two countries typically have a quiet rivalry, it has not always been that way. In 1962, China and India fought a brief war over a disputed border in the Himalaya mountains (the two countries came to blows again over the border issue in 1967, and Chinese and Indian soldiers are currently in a standoff over a Chinese claim on Bhutans northern border).

In 1964, Chinas first nuclear bomb test alarmed India, and helped solidify support in the Indian bureaucracy for their own nuclear weapon program. Today, India warily eyes Chinas ambitious One Belt, One Road (OBOR) policy that envisions building a modern-day Silk Road linking central China to markets in Europe.

While Beijing argues that OBOR will benefit the whole of central and southern Asia, the Indian government has raised concerns about the how the project will be managed and whether the project will skew the regional balance of power.

While Chinas history with India may not be as bloody and bitter as its history with Japan, the stakes in some ways are much higher. Together, the two nuclear-armed countries have a population of more than 2.5 billion, and account for some 18 per cent of the global economy.

The governments of both countries will be  rightly or wrongly  rewarded or held accountable for meeting or failing the economic expectations of their growing middle classes, and neither can afford to cede political dominance (and the economic benefits, such as market access, that come with it) of Asia to the other.

Of course, the U.S. and India have been drifting closer together for years (see, for example, President George W. Bushs decision to allow the U.S. to sell nuclear material and technology to India). But announcing that American security relies in part on decisions made in New Delhi  while India is in the midst of a border dispute with China  verges on making political alignment with India official U.S. policy.

The decision is ultimately not that surprising. On many issues China and the U.S. simply do not see eye-to-eye. These range from the potentially incendiary (Chinas military bases in the disputed South China Sea), to the serious-but-manageable (American accusations that China dumps manufactured goods in the U.S. market). Both India and the U.S. want to see China stop doing certain things. A partnership between the two countries may be unruly, but the basic logic is there.

When taken in conjunction with last weeks new sanctions on Chinese firms that the U.S. accuses of bypassing sanctions on North Korea, President Trumps endorsement of India is a strong signal that Americas China policy is getting more hawkish.

While President Xi and President Trump had a cordial and productive meeting this April, the tone of the Sino-American relationship has changed. While Trump may have been vague about how the U.S. is going to win the war in Afghanistan, he did send China an unmistakable message: the United States is going to attend to its interests in Asia, and China cannot expect special  or gentle  treatment.

Simon Palamar is a research associate at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) where he focuses on U.S. foreign policy, African conflict management and emerging global security issues.

Read more about:

SHARE:
A year ago, Reena Lal had a typical high school summer job. She made subs for hungry customers who requested no onions or complained you didnt toast my bread enough!

But this July and August, the Bloor Collegiate student had the kind of work most teens hoping for a career in science or health care dream of.

Instead of taking food orders, Lal learned interactions of a far more sensitive nature  with patients, doctors and researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital where she was part of a team developing a peer support program for men with prostate cancer.

Its a really valuable experience, says Lal, 17, who last week completed an eight-week pilot project called the summer student clinician scientist program.

The initiative, launched by the University Health Network, which includes Princess Margaret, and the Toronto District School Board, gave nine Toronto teens a chance to assist a research team in a hospital setting while also earning a paycheque.

High school is the time youre deciding what you want to do, and this gives you more insight into different (career) possibilities, Lal says.

The program was everything I expected and more, adds Lal, who learned how to gently approach overwhelmed patients and offer them a chance to connect with others who have gone through similar experiences by shadowing her supervisor.

I wasnt expecting to be thrown into clinic and to talk to patients. I was expecting to be put on the sidelines and watch. But they really believed in me.

Unlike most summer opportunities for teens in high school, the clinician scientist program is a paid job rather than a volunteer position, which is a first for the hospital. Students earn minimum wage, funded through the Princess Margaret Foundation.

Theyre learning and earning at the same time, says Leeanne Bouteiller, who runs the UHN-TDSB partnership, which has placed 2,000 students in school-year co-op placements and summer programs over the last 23 years.

The first year has been such a success, Bouteiller says she has high hopes the program will continue and expand.

For many Toronto students, working without pay is not an option, says Bouteiller. This gives those who cant afford to spend the summer volunteering a shot at valuable experiences on-site.

We didnt want the need for employment to be a barrier, adds radiation oncologist Dr. Meredith Giuliani, director of cancer education who oversees the hospitals many educational programs.

Students this summer came from Bloor Collegiate and Newtonbrook Secondary School. School staff approached teens whod expressed interest in pursuing health care careers and who they thought would flourish in the pilot.

Under the tutelage of supervisors at Princess Margaret, they participated on research in such diverse subjects as MRI-guided radiotherapy for liver cancer, cervical cancer biology and the role of family physicians in palliative care.

The goal was to expose them to the many career paths available in hospitals, which have grown to include medical physicists, wellness chefs, librarians, bioethicists and public health experts, says Giuliani.

The fresh perspective and energy that youth bring is good for the hospital and an investment in the future of our specialty, she adds.

Fostering the next generation is very rewarding.

In addition to working with a research mentor on a supervised project, they attended weekly seminars and mingled with many medical and graduate students at different phases of their career paths.

They also participated in a summer student research day, presenting a research poster they had created to a panel of judges.

The program was amazing because it was tailored for high school students, says Kelly Jesalva, who embraced the opportunity and was one of the winners in the research poster competition.

The 17-year-old Newtonbrook student spent her summer in the world of molecular biology assisting researchers exploring the link between nasopharynx cancer and the Epstein Barr Virus. She got to don a lab coat, peer into microscopes and collect data through a complex lab application that amplifies DNA.

Jesalva had been thinking about becoming a doctor, and a research job wasnt on her radar. But after two months at Princess Margaret, it is.

It requires a lot of perseverance and compassion, says Jesalva, citing the dedication, long hours and refusal to give up that she observed in staff. It touches a part in my heart to be part of the research.

Newtonbrook classmate Pooja Parkash worked on a project perfectly suited to a generation raised on social media.

She spent the summer combing through different online platforms to better understand the perspective and needs of patients with brain tumours called meningiomas.

Patients go through their own journeys that doctors arent necessarily a part of, says Parkash, who combed through Facebook posts and comments, Twitter feeds and YouTube accounts to gather data about what patients shared and what they believed might help them.

She learned how to do a literature review and also spent time in the lab, where cancer cells were stored in liquid nitrogen to keep them alive for research.

Not a lot of teenagers can say I worked in a lab and studied brain tumours. I learned a lot, made connections and got to see first-hand what working in a health care setting is like.

SHARE:
Ryerson University students who moved into their residences Sunday will be the first cohort to experience the schools new all gender student housing option  the first known of its kind in Canada.

This month, in a move to introduce housing that accommodates all gender identities, Ryerson announced it is no longer requiring students to identify a gender on its residence application.

Students had the option of choosing all gender housing or not. If they chose that option, they could be assigned roommates from a different gender. If students preferred to disclose their gender and be paired with someone from the same gender, they had that choice as well.

The school also expanded its gender categories on the application.

Nearly half of the 750 incoming students who moved into their new dorm rooms this weekend chose the all gender option, according to school officials.

Camryn Harlick, vice-president of equity for the Ryerson Student Union and a third-year trans student who does not identify as male or female, remembers what it felt like to fill out the old housing application, when there was only the option of selecting one of the two genders.

I felt like it was an othering process, Harlick said Sunday afternoon as students hauled suitcases and bedding into their new homes.

I felt like my experience at university was going to be that, continued.

Last year, Harlick, 19, and other members of Ryersons Trans Collective  a group that focuses on support for trans people on campus  spoke to school officials about having more equitable student housing.

Ian Crookshank, director of housing and residence life at Ryerson, told the Star on Sunday that the school listened to the concerns about the old mandatory and binary system. Crookshank said that while conventionally schools have been accommodating individual students who might have different needs around gender, Ryerson decided instead to change the system altogether. This way, Crookshank said, students wouldnt feel discouraged upon application, like Harlick did.

The system works for everyone now, whereas before, it worked for a lot of students, but not for everyone, Crookshank said.

Weve put that first question of identifying their gender back on the student, he said. Its a choice rather than being told.

Students now identify their gender if they have a need they would like to be met, such as having their gender taken into account for room assignments.

We dont need to ask it because it isnt important to us. But it may be important to you, Crookshank said of that shift in priorities, adding he had not received any complaints from students or parents about the changes.

The move to all gender residence was a natural next step, said Sophie Lafleur, president of Ryersons residence council. Residences had already been mixed with genders and Ryerson moved to all gender washrooms two years ago.

By not forcing students to identify a gender on the application, they dont have to out themselves if they dont want to, said Lafleur, 19.

(This) can be students first time in the city, their first time moving away from home . . . Its a way for students to feel more included and have a safe space on campus.

Harlick, who uses the pronouns they and them, added that the fact that this new all gender option now exists will also help improve campus culture.

I think it sets the tone that transphobia wont be accepted, they said.

You at least know that if you go to somebody, theyre going to kind of know what youre talking about.

Read more about:

SHARE:
Updated from 6:05 a.m. ET

If you'd like to receive the free "5 Things" newsletter, please register here.

Here are five things you must know for Monday, Aug. 28:

1. -- U.S. stock futures pointed to a soft open for Wall Street on Monday, Aug. 28, and trading in energy markets was volatile following the massive flooding along the coast of Texas after Hurricane Harvey lashed the area.

Harvey was the most powerful storm to hit Texas in 50 years, according to some estimates. The region in which Harvey touched down is home to a quarter of U.S. crude oil refining capacity.

European stocks traded lower (markets in London were closed), while Asian shares finished the session mixed.

The economic calendar in the U.S. on Monday includes International Trade in Goods for July at 8:30 a.m. ET.

U.S. stocks on Friday, Aug. 25, ended mixed after Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen said regulations put into action since the financial crisis have made the system "substantially safer" and boosted its resiliency.

2. -- Hurricane Harvey has caused massive, unprecedented flooding in Corpus Christi, Texas, and Houston, and the storm's impact on the area's refineries, pipelines and storage remains unknown though there is some evidence of major losses.

The relentless rain from Harvey, which was downgraded to a tropical storm, was expected to last through Friday and could bring as much as 50 inches of rain. Ahead of the hurricane, refiners shut down about 900,000 barrels of day of capacity, mostly in the Corpus Christi area. Before the Category 4 hurricane made landfall with winds of 130 miles per hour, the four refineries owned by Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) - Get Free Report and Citgo Petroleum and Flint Hill Resources shut down production on Thursday.

FactSet, quoting the U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, reported that 22% of daily oil output and 25.7% of gasoline production in the Gulf has been shut-in. Gasoline futures spiked as much as 7% on Sunday evening to their highest levels since July 2015.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Harvey knocked almost 15% of U.S. refinery capacity out of commission, which could boost fuel prices across the U.S.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) - Get Free Report closed its Baytown refinery, located on the Houston Ship Channel, when floodwaters paralyzed large portions of the area after Harvey was downgraded to a tropical storm from a hurricane, according to the Journal.

The plant is the second-largest refinery in the country, processing as much as 560,000 barrels of oil a day. Royal Dutch Shell Corp. (RDS.A) also shut down its Deer Park refinery.

Futures for West Texas Intermediate crude oil slumped 1.1% to $47.36 a barrel.

3. -- Uber Technologies Inc. reportedly has named Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of online travel company Expedia Inc. (EXPE) - Get Free Report , to head the ride-sharing company.

Recode's Kara Swisher and The New York Times' Mike Isaac bothtweeted Sunday that Khosrowshahi, Expedia's CEO since 2005, will take the helm. Investors at the start-up, which is now worth nearly $70 billion, ousted co-founder Travis Kalanick after a series of public relations nightmares this year.

Khosrowshahi, a former investment banker, was previously an executive at IAC/InterActiveCorp and serves on the board of New York Times Co.

The final front-runners for the CEO post at Uber were Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Inc. CEO Meg Whitman, General Electric Co. Chairman Jeff Immelt and an unknown third candidate, presumably Khosrowshahi.

4. -- General Electric Co. (GE) - Get Free Reportwants its industrial software business to cut costs and lift profits next year under new CEO John Flannery, and is considering expanded partnerships and the possible sale of some equity in the unit, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the business.

GE has had technical problems and delays with its software platform, known as Predix, which connects equipment like turbines and elevators to computers that can predict failures and reduce operating costs.

This spring, GE tackled the Predix problems, which have not been previously reported. With fixes in place, GE will now emphasize sales to existing customers in its energy, aviation and oil-and-gas businesses, and scale back efforts to sell to new customers in other sectors, three senior GE executives told Reuters.

Former CEO Jeff Immelt spent six years and more than $4 billion transforming GE into a "digital industrial" company, Reuters noted.

GE said it now expects $12 billion in digital revenue in 2020, after it redefined digital revenue, compared with previous estimates of $15 billion.

General Electric is a holding in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GE? Learn more now.

5. -- CBS Corp. (CBS) - Get Free Report has acquired troubled Australian television broadcaster Ten Network.

New York-based CBS had "entered into binding transaction documents" to buy the network's owner, Ten Network Holdings Ltd., administrator KordaMentha said in a statement, the Associated Press reported.

CBS is the biggest creditor of Australia's third most popular free-to-air commercial TV network that went into voluntary administration in June.

The sale price will be revealed in a report to creditors within days, according to the AP.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:
Anu Aiyengar is one of the most powerful women on Wall Street.

She is head of JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s (JPM) - Get Free Report North America Mergers and Acquisitions business, which was the #1 ranked advisor in total number of announced deals in 2016.

She has been involved in over $500 billion worth of transactions including mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts and hostile transactions. And she has led some of the biggest deals in American business - like the $11 billion sale of the New York Stock Exchange to Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) - Get Free Report and the $4.6 billion of Petco to a private equity group. More recently, she advised Walmart Stores Inc. (WMT) - Get Free Report on its $2.9 billion purchase of Jet.com.

Listen to her keen insights into the M&A environment below, but no surprise, she believes that "while the market is by no means dried up, having more certainty around the regulatory environment would super charge it."

One of the biggest trends she is seeing in M&A is the "cross-section of different industries...industrial companies pursuing tech...tech pursuing consumer retail."

She points to deals like Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) - Get Free Reportand Whole Foods Market Inc. (WFM) , Walmart and Jet.com and Samsung's acquisition of Harman.

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone more ingrained in the M&A world than Aiyengar (Eye-YEN-Gar).

And yet someone once told her she couldn't be hired because she was "the wrong gender, wrong color and wrong country" and would therefore never make it on Wall Street.

We would just love to meet that person today.

Her rise to the top is just as impressive as her credentials. As a young girl in India, she had the strength and courage to come to America -- alone.

With the help of the United States-India Education Foundation, she got herself a three-year scholarship to Smith College in Massachusetts. And yes, she finished her degree in three years and eventually got her MBA from Vanderbilt University.

She joined JPMorgan as an associate in 1999 and one of the things that attracted her most to the firm was meeting with multi-cultural staff members during her interview process.

Today, Aiyengar continues to encourage diversity within the firm and has a mission to bring in more women. She started the "Winning Women" program to help identify and recruit women from 30 different undergraduate and business schools.

There actually was a female intern helping out at our interview that day and once we were off camera, Aiyengar was valiantly trying to convince her to come work for the firm full-time.

If that girl was smart, she took the job.

For more from Tracy Byrnes and Alpha Rising:
American cosmetics maker Estee Lauder (EL) - Get Free Report has denied rumors that it was exploring a potential sale of the company.

In a memo to employees, seen by the Wall Street Journal, Estee Lauder CEO Fabrizio Freda and Executive Chairman William P. Lauder shot down reports that the company had hired advisers to facilitate the sales process.

"There is no truth to these rumors. The Estee Lauder Companies is not for sale," the executives said. "The Lauder Family and our board place great value in remaining independent. Our company is strong and we have excellent momentum going forward."

Shares of Estee Luader were sinking during Monday morning trading.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:
Facebook Inc. (FB) - Get Free Report announced plans Monday to open its first training center in Latin America in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The facility will cater to future entrepreneurs and coders.

"You've got people without a job, so they can't afford training. And yet there's so much demand for positions that the market can't fill," Facebook's regional VP Diego Dzodan told Reuters.

The 1,000 square meter facility is slated to open in December and is expected to train 7,400 Brazilians in its first year.

Facebook shares were up 0.79% to $167.64 in morning trading Monday.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:
Major oil producers in Saudi Arabia and Russia want to prolong their agreement to limit crude oil production for an additional three months.

Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid al-Falih, along with his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak, met last month in St. Petersburg regarding the extension of the deal. The two are also said to be lobbying for support from other countries.

The extension would leave last year's agreement between OPEC and non-OPEC producers in place through the end of June.

OPEC members agreed to curb its output by about 1.2 million barrels per day from January 1 for six months. Russia and other non-OPEC producers agreed to cut half as much.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the possible changes.

More of What's Trending on TheStreet:
Wedding planner Peter Kelly, whose company saw a four-fold increase in profits last year, on a photo shoot for the Brides of Franc TV show on RTE

The Irish version of Say Yes to the Dress is due to air in 2018 and if we're honest it can't come quickly enough!

The show, which will follow the same structure as the hit US version filmed in Kleinfield Bridal in New York, is due to air on RTE2 early next year and style-hungry brides-to-be in their thousands have already been queueing up to be one of the lucky few to undergo the once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience.

Irish wedding planner and former Brides of Franc front man Peter Kelly (aka Franc) will host the show, which helps brides to find their dream gown before their big day, whatever their budget.

Speaking at RTE's new season launch, the wedding guru revealed that the bridal store Vows in Cork, which will play host to 40 brides hoping to say yes to the dress, will stock a variety of gowns which range in price from 500 all the way up to 25,000.

However when it comes to the big day spend on the gown, Franc says it's something for the brides themselves to decide if they want to shell out the big bucks or opt for a more budget-friendly guna..

"It's up to them," said Franc. "Some people buy Cinquecentos, some people buy Maseratis."

Expand Close BIG DAY: Peter Kelly features on new RTE2 show / Facebook

Twitter

Email

Whatsapp BIG DAY: Peter Kelly features on new RTE2 show

"The average price is whatever they want to spend," said Franc, who added that the option to buy off the rail is also available for bride who could have to find a dress in a shorter space of time than the traditional 6-12 months.

Franc said that while brides in the US version often put a budget on their gown before looking at their options, Irish brides are a little more fluid when it comes to the cost.

"Some haven't told us what they're going to spend," he said.

"And I want to have the opportunity to show everything."

Video of the Day

When it came to finding his dream shop for brides to have their 'yes' moment in, Franc was as discerning as one of his soon-to-be-wed clients are about their gunas, and said that they took time to find the perfect spot to shoot the much-anticipated series.

"We were looking for stores and what they looked like and also the space, air conditioning - things that I would really like for brides because I wanted the experience to be really amazing for them both on camera and off," he said of Vows, which has been in the wedding business for over 100 years.

"It's just like Kleinfields in New York, where the whole show started," he added.

So, can we expect as many tears on the Irish version as in the US?

"Always tears. Tears for a whole load of reasons. That's why the show isn't boring, because each one is such a unique story it makes viewing so addictive."
The investment opportunities offered by Saudi Arabia's economic cities and the role of Economic Cities Authority (ECA) were highlighted at a major event in Washington, US, recently.



The US-Saudi Arabian Business Council (US-SABC) meeting, which also discussed cooperation between both the countries, was addressed by ECA secretary general Mohanud Helal.



The meeting focused on leveraging and capitalising on the strong economic ties between the American and Saudi business communities, said a statement.



The event was hosted and organised by Edward Burton, president and CEO of the US-SABC, and the executive team, and sponsored by the renowned international law firm Mayer Brown, represented by Charles Hallab, corporate and securities partner at Mayer Brown and board member of the US-SABC.



Helal gave a brief about ECA, the business model and the investment opportunities in the economic cities, and a video presentation about King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC).



Helal said: This is a very exciting opportunity to present ECA and the progress that we have made in pursuing the economic cities agenda. It is important that we convey to our colleagues at the US-SABC the opportunities that the economic cities present to leaders in the US.



He explained Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the role that ECA plays in realising the visions goal of creating a vibrant society, a thriving economy and a nation ambitious to achieve new levels of effectiveness, transparency, accountability and performance.



He highlighted the function of ECA as a facilitator and regulator dedicated to creating an investment-friendly environment while providing swift and efficient government services to both investors and residents.



Outlining a new Saudi Arabia set to welcome foreign investment, Helal listed the various international cooperation agreements that it is forging in order to motivate an exchange of expertise and transfer of industries.



He also explained the kingdoms growing dedication to establishing public-private partnerships as economic policy.



Helal wrapped up his remarks by inviting the US-SABC and its members to visit the kingdom and see opportunities for themselves, highlighting the special economic zones, that will help Saudi Arabia attract more companies to invest in, it stated.



Mike Wysong, chief financial officer, building technologies and solutions and global products at Johnson Controls, spoke about his companys positive experience with ECA and KAEC and the benefits of moving into KAEC early on. He also encouraged American companies to establish their businesses in KAEC. - TradeArabia News Service
Remarks by H.E. Mr. Taro Kono, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, at the TICAD Ministerial Meeting in Maputo, Mozambique

At the outset, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all the participants for sharing their robust and constant efforts to steadily implement the policies contained in the six priority areas of the TICAD V Yokohama Declaration, its Action Plan, the three pillars of the TICAD VI Nairobi Declaration and its Implementation Plan. The two sets of reports you have in front of you present the progress made during the past year, highlighting respectively the African and international efforts and Japans efforts.

First, allow me to take this opportunity to explain how Japan has been working on the implementation of the commitments made at TICAD V and VI.

At TICAD V in 2013, Japan announced an assistance package for the growth of Africa to expand public and private means of up to 32 billion US dollars from 2013 to 2017, including 14 billion US dollars worth of Official Development Assistance. At TICAD VI, Japan committed to invest for the future of Africa amounting to approximately 30 billion US dollars between 2016 and 2018 under public-private partnership.

Today, I wish to report to you all that Japan has disbursed approximately 5 billion US dollars since 2016 and the amount of our assistance from 2013 to 2016 has reached 26.7 billion US dollars. I believe that such contribution has driven forward economic transformation for Africas growth and promoted the realization of human security and resilient society.

Secondly, I would like to share my thoughts on the international partnership for Africas development and the progress made in that respect.

It is Japans firm belief that without self-sustaining growth and peace in Africa, which embraces 1.2 billion people, with its economy growing at a higher rate than the global average, we will never achieve international peace and stability. That is why the international community as a whole must be involved in Africas development.

To this end, TICAD has, since its inception, engaged multiple actors including non-African countries, international and regional organizations, private sector and civil society to stand united under the principle of partnership and ownership.

Here, I would like to highlight some good practices of trilateral cooperation, being promoted for African development.

The Governments of France and Japan are steadily implementing the Franco-Japanese Plan for Sustainable Development, Health and Security in Africa, which lead to the signing of a memorandum of cooperation in the area of sustainable cities by the Government of Cote d'Ivoire, France Development Agency (AFD) and JICA.

The Governments of the UK and Japan are co-funding NGOs activities on landmine clearance program in Angola.

Furthermore, last year, the Prime Ministers of India and Japan agreed to promote cooperation and collaboration with a view to synergize their effort in the areas of capacity building, health, infrastructure and connectivity in Africa.

These are just few examples of enhanced international partnership Japan has been working on for African development.

Needless to say that African ownership is the key for achieving long-term development. Sustainable development cannot be carried out without Africas firm will and engagement. I would like to emphasize that the Africans are and will always be on the drivers seat of any international partnership including the trilateral cooperation that I have just mentioned, for African development.

Thirdly, I wish to add few words on the challenges ahead and the way forward.

Despite the significant progress weve made to date, we need to scale up our efforts to achieve our targets. Huge potential still remains in the field of private direct investment. Good governance, diversified economy, and basic infrastructure are keys to promoting domestic and foreign investment, and I would like to call on our African friends to further their reform efforts in these key areas. The Government of Japan stands ready to provide necessary support and will continue to facilitate Japan-Africa business partnership.

Our efforts for sustainable growth should not be hindered by security concerns such as conflicts, acts of terrorism and the spread of violent extremism. Global challenges of climate change and environmental degradation should not stand in our way neither.

Rapid growth and urbanization should not endanger healthy communities. There were lively discussions this afternoon during the side event on African Clean Cities Platform with the participation of local authorities. We need to intensify our cooperation and collaboration to tackle these human security issues and build resilient society.

All the views and information shared during this session regarding the implementation of our commitments made at TICAD V and VI form an invaluable basis for more effective measures in the future. I hope that we will have a more concrete and in-depth discussion on the way forward along the substantive agenda items during tomorrows sessions. To conclude, I wish to thank once again all the participants for actively engaging in the follow-up activities of the TICAD process.

Thank you for your attention.
A new approach from Steelcase suggests that it could be a little of both.

Whenever we write about open offices, I get serious pushback from writers of words and writers of code, who complain that they work better in private offices. My arguments that open offices are better for the exchange of ideas and for cooperative work fall on the deaf ears of people who, like Greta Garbo, just vant to be alone.

But a new study from office furniture manufacturer Steelcase, "Creativity, Work, and The Physical Environment," is actually pretty persuasive in making the case that one size does not fit all, and that different kinds of work need different conditions. Chris Congdon, director of Global Research Communications for Steelcase, tells Fast Company:

Historically, weve thought we design one space for people to work in thats going to meet all their needs. But creative work doesnt look like this at all. Its about a fluid, iterative process, spaces for focused work, idea incubation, and ideation as a team.

Now I normally run from anyone who uses words like "ideation", defined as "the formation of ideas or concepts" or what I call "thinking", but others claim that it is different, that it is collaborative thinking, "a technique that involves both the left and right sides of the brain to allow breakthroughs from entrenched habits of thought and persistent difficult problems. It also helps participants avoid the circular thinking of channeling ideas along a constrained path that often occurs when individuals brainstorm together." OK.

One reason I am fond of open offices, which I noted in my look at the open office of the new Apple Park, is that connection to nature, to the exterior, is important. Steelcase writes these words that I certainly agree with:

Environmental cues that frame long views can trigger new ways of thinking: Broad vistas, high ceilings and having the ability to move through different physical perspectives can prime your brain to make new connections and see things in new ways. Exposure to nature and sunlight releases endorphins in the brain that improve your mood and diffuse your attention, supporting your ability to flow across many different ideas and imagine alternative approaches.

Thats hard to do in a private office. And at other times, you need other conditions:

Creativity requires time alone as well as time together. Intervals of physical and mental separation from a group enables individuals to connect their thoughts in new ways and allows for spontaneous insights to emerge. In later stages of the process, individual focus work is critical for building out visions and executing plans.

 Steelcase

So Steelcase proposes a range of spaces that one moves among:

Focus Studio: (shown at top of post) owned or shared enclaves that allow an individual user to focus and get into flow; the space may also support a visitor for a short-term collaboration session.

 Steelcase/ Maker Commons

Maker Commons: open, social spaces that encourage idea generation and sharing, allowing creative experiences to flow from collaboration and focus into informal and serendipitous exchanges.

 Steelcase/ Ideation Hub

Ideation Hub: setting that supports a teams generative collaboration sessions in enclosed and open spaces.

 Steelcase/ Duo Studio

Duo Studio: a shared space for individual focus and paired co-creation; each space invites others in for a quick review and rapid iteration.

 Steelcase/ Respite Room

Respite Room: a private space that allows users to balance active group work with moments of solitude or relaxation to improve their wellbeing or let ideas incubate before sharing with a larger group.

The difference between some of the spaces seems subtle to me. The Ideation Lab and the Maker Commons are both big rooms where people get together, the Focus Studio and Respite Room both variations on a private office. They all have big Microsoft Hub Surface thingies on the wall because Microsoft was a co-sponsor. But the key message that comes from Steelcases Congdon is one that makes total sense:

Our attitude is, Youre an adult, you can choose the best space for you to do whatever work you need to do. Youre held accountable for results, not whether I can see you at your computer. Thats a big culture shift for a lot of organizations because its about trust.

Thats the key concept. What works for Allison Arieff doesnt necessarily work for John Barber, even though they both have spent their careers writing. What works one morning may not be appropriate the next afternoon. This is smart ideation thinking.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site.
Is your company in need of the most reliable and efficient best Best Jasmine Tea s in the market? Your good luck led you to the ideal situation, so congratulations! You are in the best possible place. By eliminating the need to read through dozens of Best Jasmine Tea reviews, we are saving you time and stress.

Many customers find it difficult to decide which Best Jasmine Tea product to buy. The dilemma is brought about by the many types of Best Jasmine Tea in the market. This comprehensive guide will provide you with a clear understanding of how you may choose the most suitable Best Jasmine Tea available in the market.
- Babu Owino does not intend to stop drinking the illicit brew changaa

- He says money from the brew was used to educate him

- He now drinks it to remain humble and remember his background where he and his mother struggled to make ends meet

Vocal ODM Embakasi East Member of Parliament elect Babu Owino will not stop drinking a brew that is considered illicit in Kenya.

The 2027 presidential candidate narrated his history with the brew- Changaa- and how it changed his life for the better

Speaking to Edaily over the weekend of Saturday, August 26, Babu Owino told of how the illicit brew was a source for finance for his education and his familys upkeep.

READ ALSO: ODM members up in arms after party nominated 24-year-old to Senate

Babu Owino enjoying a drink in jail after being arrested for causing chaos at the Kilimani Police station in January 2017. Photo: Courtesy.

READ ALSO: We will still get to Canaan - Raila assures NASA supporters

I grew up in Nyalenda slums in Kisumu county.My mother used to brew and sell changaa. Times were hard and the police would often go into peoples homes and beat them up. I saw my mother being whipped and I slept in Kisumus Central Police Station several times because of selling the brew,

We struggled do much but that was the only means that I could see to raise fees for my education. That was until I won a scholarship that gave me a chance to do my A levels and proceed on to university,

READ ALSO: We will still get to Canaan - Raila assures NASA supporters

Babu Owino with his wife and daughter. Photos: Courtesy.

Install TUKO App To Read News For FREE

I still drink changaa up to now because that is where I came from. It wasnt a bed of roses," said Owino.

From his days as the chairman of the student union at the University of Nairobi for several terms, Babu Owino dove into politics with a enthusiasm.

While his first shot at entering parliament as the Westlands representative was not successful, he tried again in 2017 for the Embakasi East seat and won.

READ ALSO: Former Citizen TV anchor Kirigo Ng'arua slays in thigh-revealing mini-dress as she parties with Jackie Maribe (photo)

Babu Owino with his ODM party leader Raila Odinga (l) during a past meeting. Photo: Courtesy.

He now intends to vie for the Nairobi county governor in 2022 and the presidency in 2027.

Zoea rais wako mapema (Get used to your president early), concluded Owino.

Have something to add to this article? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
The United National Congress says yesterday's firing of Public Utilities Minister, Robert Le Hunte is nothing short of amazing.
Militants launched 22 attacks on positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in ATO area in Donbas over the past day. There were no losses among Ukrainian soldiers.

This is reported by the ATO press center.

In Mariupol direction, militants used heavy machine guns to shell Ukrainian positions near Vodiane (16km north-west of Donetsk) and Lebedynske (16km north-east of Mariupol).

The tensest situation was still observed in Donetsk direction, where illegal armed formations used mortars and grenade launchers to shell Ukrainian positions in the industrial area of Avdiivka (18km north of Donetsk). The enemy also launched attacks from grenade launchers on ATO troops near Mayorske (45km north of Donetsk) and Luhanske (59km north-east of Donetsk).

The ATO press center reported that there were no casualties among Ukrainian soldiers.

ish
Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has said he is confident that Ukraine could become a start-up nation.

"Becoming the next start-up nation is a good goal for us, and I am fully confident that it will be achieved. Ukraine has all the prerequisites for achieving this. The government has already started working on supporting new projects that have a chance for global success," he wrote on Facebook.

Groysman also said that he had recently initiated the creation of an innovative government council: "And now, based on the experience of Israel, Turkey and some other countries, we are creating a mechanism for its work. It is also about the state's involvement in financial support for promising start-ups."

At the same time, he said that the main thing was to provide a climate favorable for business development. "Making and teaching the controlling authorities to work on the principle 'to help, not to disturb" is one of the most serious challenges today, and I am doing everything in my power to achieve this," he added.

op
The procedure of duty-free purchase of Ukrainian fodder maize for Kenyan companies has been extended until June 30, 2018.

This is reported by the press service of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

"The Government of Kenya has extended until June 30, 2018 the procedure for the duty-free purchase of "yellow" fodder maize for the needs of companies belonging to the Association of Millers and the Association of Feed Makers of Kenya. The Government of Kenya also extended until September 30, 2017 the duty-free purchase of "white" food maize," reads a statement.

The ministry notes that this year Ukraine has already exported to Kenya corn worth USD 17.5 million. This is 111,500 tons.

ish
Slovenias Adria Airways announced it will launch new flights between Ljubljana and Kyiv, which marks company's return to Ukraine after six years.

This has been reported by the Centre for Transport Strategies with a reference to EX-YU Aviation News.

The Slovenian airline on October 29 launches Ljubljana Kyiv-Ljubljana flights. The flights will be serviced by the Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft, reads the report.

The flights will be performed three times per week: each Thursday, Friday and Sunday from the Slovenian capital, and on Monday, Friday and Saturday from Kyiv.

The Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft accommodates 86 passengers.

iy
Six Ukrainian journalists, including two from Ukrinform, have taken part in international war journalism courses in Ankara.

A total of 23 journalists from six countries - Ukraine, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Iraq - participated in 12-day war journalism training courses in the Turkish capital, Ankara, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The War Correspondent certification program was organized by the News Academy of the Anadolu Agency, in cooperation with the Turkish Police Academy and funded by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency. From the Ukrainian side organizational support was provided by the Information Policy Ministry.

The training program envisaged 26 subjects and consisted of a total of 110 hours, of which more than two thirds of the time was allocated to practical courses. The training was conducted by representatives of the Turkish police, armed forces, the disaster and emergency management presidency, and experienced military journalists.

op
U.S.-Russian relations will be "crippled" unless a solution is found to the crisis in Ukraine, U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker has said.

"The relationship between Russia and the US is important, and it's going to be crippled by this problem in Ukraine," he said in an interview with the Financial Times.

Volker also said that Russia must comply with the Minsk agreements.

He also noted that Russia seems to be trying to "freeze" the conflict in Donbas. According to him, there is a cost to Russia internationally being in the Donbas, the sanctions as well as politically. "And frankly that situation is going to get worse over time, not better," Volker said.

"A situation where Russia is going to be frozen out of diplomatic relationships, of economic relationships, because of this, is certainly not something that Russia would want," he said.

He added that the conflict in the Donbas "is going to continue to get worse unless we do something."

Volker also confirmed that the U.S. administration was "seriously considering" whether to change its position and deliver lethal weapons to Ukraine.

op
A U.S. delegation led by Secretary of Energy Rick Perry will arrive in Kyiv tomorrow, August 29.

This is reported by the press service of the U.S. Department of Energy.

"On August 29, 2017, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry will lead a U.S. delegation to Kyiv, Ukraine," the report reads.

The delegation will meet with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko as well as other Ukrainian officials to discuss ways both countries can use to continue boost their economies through a strong energy partnership.

"It is an honor to lead this delegation from the United States to the great country of Ukraine. I look forward to strengthening our relationship with such an important ally and furthering our work to ensure energy stability and security in the region, Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said.

The delegation also includes member of the U.S. House of Representatives Kevin Cramer and President and CEO of Overseas Private Investment Corporation Ray W. Washburne.

ish
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Poland to Ukraine Jan Pieklo will pay a working visit to Donetsk region on Tuesday, August 29.

This has been reported by the information and interior policy department of Donetsk Regional Military and Civil Administration.

Tomorrow, on Tuesday, Ambassador of Poland Jan Pieklo will visit Kramatorsk and Avdiivka. The program of the visit envisages a meeting with journalists at 13:45 in the building of Donetsk Regional State Administration, the administrations information and interior policy department reports.

Also, during the meeting Head of Donetsk Regional State Administration and Regional Military and Civil Administration Pavlo Zhebrivsky and Ambassador of Poland Jan Pieklo will discuss the results of Polish assistance provided to the region over the recent years, prospects for future cooperation, as well as social and political situation in the region.

iy
President Petro Poroshenko arrived with a working visit to Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, where he held a meeting with the military regarding the situation in the ATO zone.

Svyatoslav Tsegolko, the spokesperson for the Head of State, wrote this on Twitter.

"The President arrived in Kramatorsk, where he held a meeting with the servicemen regarding the operational situation in the ATO zone," Tsegolko wrote.

According to the press service of the Head of State, a report was heard during the meeting on the situation in the ATO zone.

ish
A visit of U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry to Ukraine, which was scheduled for August 29, has been postponed until November due to Hurricane Harvey.

This was reported by 112 Ukraina TV Channel with reference to the organizing committee of Naftogaz Ukrainy, which was preparing a presentation and discussion of Naftogaz's strategy, where Perry was supposed to be present.

"We decided to postpone a presentation and discussion of the strategy of Naftogaz scheduled for August 31 until November. We believe it is important to involve key international partners of Ukraine into the discussion at the highest possible level. However, due to Hurricane Harvey this week, the U.S. participants, including Secretary of Energy Rick Perry and CEO of Overseas Private Investment Corporation Ray W. Washburne, have been forced to dial back their plans and will not be able to visit Kyiv," the report reads.

As Ukrinform reported, a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of Energy Rick Perry was planned to arrive in Kyiv on August 29.

ish
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko says that a pay raise for teachers is investments in Ukraines future.

He stated this during his working trip to Donetsk region on Monday, August 28, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The law on education reform is now in the Verkhovna Rada. I hope that in the near future it will be voted. Education standards will be significantly raised. Last but not least priority is a rise in teachers' salaries. I consider this increase not simply an additional article of the budget, but as investments of the state, investments of the state in its future," said Poroshenko.

As Ukrinform earlier reported, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman on August 15 stated that the government intends to raise salaries of teachers by at least 25% in 2018.

iy
AMMAN/SANAA, 28 August 2017  The Yemeni people continue to be hit by an unprecedented and mostly man-made humanitarian crisis. Amid the suffering, ordinary Yemenis are leading a heroic daily fight against acute watery diarrhoea and cholera which is now paying off.

Thanks to an unparalleled response effort from local workers with the support of international NGOs and UN organisations, the weekly number of reported new cases has declined by one third since late June.

Health, water and sanitation personnel  who have not received salaries in over ten months  have been working tirelessly to stem the outbreak, which remains the worst in the world with over 550,000 suspected cases and more than 2,000 associated deaths recorded since April. More than half of the suspected cases are children.

Massive collective efforts to treat the sick and improve water and sanitation systems have helped slow the spread of the disease.

We had difficulties managing the number of patients that came to us  many of them with severe conditions, said Dr. Nahla Arishi, Deputy Manager and Head of the cholera treatment center at Alsadaqah Hospital in Aden City. The hospital is crowded and beds and essential medicines are in short supply. But I cant close the hospitals doors and not accept children because there arent enough beds  I am a doctor and a mother too.

A nationwide cholera awareness campaign is currently underway, mobilizing over 40,000 volunteers going house-to-house and reaching over 2.7 million families so far - approximately 80 per cent of households in Yemen. Through the campaign:

Nearly 12.5 million people across the country have received information on water disinfection, handwashing, sanitation and food safety, and

250,000 children and adults suffering from diarrhoea have been provided with oral rehydration salts and referred for treatment.

Many of the children I have visited in their homes are thin and weak, said Muthab Alburaik Salem, a community health volunteer working on the campaign. Its crucial to spread awareness among vulnerable communities so they are spared additional suffering. I fear that my own children will be exposed to diseases  so I treat all children Im working with in Yemen as if they were my own, adds Muthab, a mother of two.

Despite these recent gains, the fight against cholera is far from over. Amid continued violence, water and sanitation systems are collapsing, and more than half of Yemens health facilities are out of service, cutting off almost 15 million people from safe water and access to basic healthcare. The country remains on the brink of famine, with an estimated 385,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, putting them at heightened risk of acute watery diarrhoea and cholera.

To maintain the gains made, the international community must step up its support for rebuilding health, water and sanitation facilities and invest in preventing future outbreaks.

But without an end to the fighting, more children will die. UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to find a peaceful political solution to the violence in Yemen to save childrens lives and offer them the prospect of a brighter future.

###

Notes for editors:

Photo and video assets available for download here: https://weshare.unicef.org/Package/2AM40805FSQX

For more information, please contact:

Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, + 1 917 340 3017, ctidey@unicef.org

Rajat Madhok, UNICEF Yemen, rmadhok@unicef.org, +967 712 223 001

Mohammed Al-Asaadi, UNICEF Yemen, malasaadi@unicef.org, +967-711-760-002

Tamara Kummer, UNICEF MENA Regional Office, tkummer@unicef.org ; +962 797 588 550
Cambodia has drawn sharp criticism from the United States, and press freedom and human rights organizations, after the government suddenly suspended several radio stations, expelled an international NGO, and threatened to close an English-language newspaper.

State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told reporters in Washington on Aug. 23 that the U.S. was deeply concerned by the deterioration in Cambodias democratic climate and noted the troubling government actions curtailing freedom of the press and civil societys ability to operate.

Nauert said the U.S. Ambassador had met with Cambodian officials to advocate for a fair application of tax laws and other administrative measures that have been used to pressure or close down media and civil society organizations.

Senator John McCain, Congressmen Alan Lowenthal and Steve Chabot all issued statements condemning the crackdown by Prime Minister Hun Sens government. Lowenthal told VOA by phone Friday that a free and fair vote in Cambodias 2018 general elections was being threatened by rapidly worsening repression under the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP).

He said Washington and the international community should take steps against Cambodia to reverse its slide into authoritarianism. I think we must really begin to look at that and really begin to put much more economic pressures on Cambodia, Lowenthal said.

A Crackdown Before Elections

Hun Sen has ruled Cambodia through a mix of political skill and force for three decades. In the 2013 general elections, his CPP narrowly beat the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), but the results were disputed and triggered demonstrations that were crushed by security forces. The CPP appears to now be cracking down on independent media and civil society to weaken any political challenge to its rule next year.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights warned the recent government measures could undermine the election process.

Ahead of next years general elections, we call on the government to guarantee full political and civil rights, and media freedoms, Liz Throssell, the commissioner's spokesperson, said Friday. She added that the sudden closure of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) for allegedly violating the 2015 Law on NGOs appears to have occurred without due process.

NDI, a U.S. Democratic Party linked NGO, had been promoting democracy and election monitoring in Cambodia for 25 years. NDI President Kenneth Wollack said last week he was surprised and saddened by the decision.

We have been transparent in our work, and have made every attempt to comply with the law. It is our sincere hope the Cambodian government will review its decision, he said.

Independent Media Shut Down

The government recently also forced two independent local radio stations - Moha Nokor and Voice of Democracy - to close for allegedly violating their contracts with the Ministry of Information. The Phnom Penh Post reported that a dozen other local stations were also ordered to stop broadcasting.

Some stations regularly aired critical, Khmer-language news reports by Radio Free Asia (RFA) and Voice of America (VOA), two global, U.S. government-funded radio stations.

RFA and VOA's offices in Cambodia have been warned that they supposedly owe the government back taxes, as have a number of local human rights groups, and The Cambodia Daily, a long-running English-language newspaper.

Last week, Hun Sen publicly called the newspaper a thief and warned it will have to pay $6.3 million in alleged taxes and interest by September 4, or face being shut down. Its American publisher said the newspaper had been slapped with a sudden, arbitrarily calculated tax amount and has demanded a transparent audit.

Cambodian Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith denied in a news conference Thursday that the government was cracking down on press freedom, and claimed that RFA and VOA programs could still be aired through some other radio stations.

Strong Condemnation

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) released a statement Thursday calling on Cambodia to end its attack on press freedom.

Cambodian authorities should stop threatening to close The Cambodia Daily for alleged tax evasion and allow it to continue publishing without fear of reprisal, said Shawn Crispin, CPJs Southeast Asia representative. Hun Sen's government is using the tax department to silence one of Cambodia's most prominent independent newspapers.

Phil Robertson, Human Rights Watchs Deputy Asia Director, also warned in a statement released Friday, that the shutdown of independent media outlets and a respected democracy promotion group shows that Hun Sen is intensifying efforts to curb criticism of his rule."

Diplomats and donors should put Hun Sen on notice that if he doesnt reverse course, the elections in 2018 wont be considered credible.

John Lansing, CEO of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the U.S. agency that oversees the RFA and VOA broadcasters, expressed worry over the closure of key FM radio stations, which will deprive Cambodians of critical means to access accurate and independent news about Cambodia and the world.

We call on the Cambodian government to reverse this decision to muzzle objective sources of news and to allow all impacted stations to resume normal operations immediately, he said.
Villagers who have refused to leave their homes to make way for one of Southeast Asias largest hydropower dams have denied accusation from the government that they are seeking to start a secessionist movement in the country.



The Lower Sesan II hydropower project, a joint venture between Chinas Hydrolancang International, Cambodias Royal Group, and a state-owned Vietnamese firm, began pre-operation testing on July 15, flooding parts of Srekor village, where some locals have refused to leave and turned down compensation offers.



Last week, a provincial official told local media that the holdouts were secessionists who had refused to allow the authorities to establish a center in the village to assist villagers to leave.



Choeun Sreymom, a representative of the ethnic minority Bunong villagers, said the remaining villagers had no intention of stoking secessionist sentiment.



They should understand people are suffering...Only those who have been directly affected understand how hard this is for the community.



The Bunong and Lao people place spiritual significance on the forests and ancestral burial grounds which will be flooded when the dam goes online.



Suth Thoeun, a representative of the Lao community in Srekor village, said that people will resist until their relocation demands were met.



In Kbal Romeas village, locals have also refused to move ahead of the flooding - about 700 people in total.



Doung Pov, deputy provincial governor, said the accusation of secession was not a government position, but questioned why the villagers had declined offers of help.



We dont understand. I dont understand them, he said, going on to suggest the villagers might seek to create a separate administration.



Despite reports from villagers to the contrary, Pov said no armed forces had been deployed in the area.



There were no weapons, no police or soldiers brought into the villages. They were all officials and mostly women who went to meet them to start a dialogue between the state and the people, he said.



He added that the authorities had agreed to end the testing of the dam at the end of August to give villagers more time to evacuate the area.



The Lower Sesan II dam is due to go online on September 25.
Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales announced Sunday he was expelling the head of the U.N.-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, known as CICIG in Spanish. But the move was quickly blocked by the country's top court. Background on the commission and its role in Guatemala:

What is CICIG?

Guatemala's Congress, under heavy international pressure, voted in 2007 to ratify the commission, which is made up of foreign experts to help local law enforcement build cases and gain expertise in fighting organized crime and police corruption. The country had seen an explosion of drug gang violence and corruption in the decade after the end of a 1960-1996 civil war in which 200,000 people died. Opponents said the commission was an unconstitutional violation of Guatemala's sovereignty.

What has it done?

The commission began by going after police corruption and drug gang enforcers and kidnappers. Its recommendations led to the firing or resignation of more than 1,700 police officers, several senior prosecutors and six Supreme Court judges.

Its scope rapidly expanded to broader political corruption. In 2008, it helped prosecutors build a case accusing former President Alfonso Portillo of stealing millions from the country's defense department. While a local court absolved him, Portillo was extradited to the U.S. and served time on money laundering charges. In 2010, it helped clear President Alvaro Colom of allegations he'd orchestrated the murder of a prominent lawyer. It also helped prosecute former defense and interior ministers for cases including the slayings of prison inmates.

Its crowning achievement was the 2015 resignation of then-President Otto Perez Molina and his Vice-President Roxana Baldetti, who remain jailed awaiting trial on a variety of corruption charges. The wide-ranging investigations have swept up many business people, politicians and bureaucrats. A judge this year gave prosecutors the green light to move ahead with a corruption probe of President Jimmy Morales' son and brother.

Action against Morales

The country's chief prosecutor, together with Velasquez, announced Friday that they were moving to strip Morales himself of his immunity from prosecution in order to probe alleged irregularities in the financing of his 2015 presidential campaign. If the Supreme Court approved the request, it would be up to Congress to decide on removing immunity.

What happens to the commission now?

Morales didn't address the future of the commission itself. Its current mandate, approved by the government and the U.N., extends through September 2019. The Constitutional Court injunction blocking expulsion of Velasquez means Morales the future of order itself is in question.

Guatemalan political forces have repeatedly tried to get rid of the commission, but public and international pressure has forced them to back off and renew its two-year terms.

The citizens of other countries in the region have watched its work admiringly, but paradoxically its success in prosecuting top politicians in Guatemala has made it unlikely that another leader in the region would invite the creation of such a commission.
Islamic State militants and their families began leaving a border area between Lebanon and Syria on Monday as part of a controversial negotiated deal with the extremist group to end its presence there, Lebanese and Syrian media reported.

An unidentified number of militants and their families headed in buses toward a town held by the Islamic State group in far eastern Syria, near the border with Iraq. The evacuation will effectively end the presence of Sunni militant groups on the Lebanon-Syria border, after al-Qaida-linked fighters evacuated earlier this month.

The transfer comes nearly a week after Lebanon launched a military campaign to drive IS from the rugged mountainous area along its border with Syria.

The Syrian army and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which has been fighting alongside President Bashar Assad's forces in Syria since 2013, have been waging their own separate but simultaneous offensive to pressure IS on the Syrian side of the border.

In a televised speech Monday night, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared victory and said the country was now free of "terrorists" after buses evacuated 670 people, including the militants and their families.

"The Lebanese army can now set up checkpoints along the border comfortably because the security threat on the other side is no longer there," Nasrallah said. He said 11 Hezbollah fighters died in the week-long operation on the Syrian side of the border.

The transfer of the militants marks the first time the Islamic State group has negotiated a forced evacuation for its fighters. It is part of a deal that came into effect following negotiations, led by Hezbollah, to determine the fate of nine Lebanese soldiers who were kidnapped in 2014.

On Sunday, the Lebanese army, on one side, and Hezbollah and the Syrian army on another, declared separate but simultaneous cease-fires. Shortly afterward, the remains of eight soldiers were located and exhumed in an area near the border with Syria. The fate of one soldier remains unclear. The bodies of five Hezbollah fighters killed in fighting the militants were also handed over, allowing for the transfer of militants.

The Lebanese government and Hezbollah both cast the evacuation deal as a victory and a capitulation by IS but many in Lebanon, particularly the families of the dead soldiers, were bitterly opposed to the deal, which they said allowed their sons' killers to leave in air-conditioned buses back to Syria.

Nasrallah defended the deal, saying it was the only way to recover the bodies of the kidnapped soldiers. He said the army could have freed those soldiers from the first day had there been political will.

Nearly two dozen buses and 11 ambulances carried the militants and their families Monday from the area straddling the Syria-Lebanon border toward the IS-held town of Boukamal in eastern Syria.

The Lebanese military on Monday took journalists on a tour of areas along the border near Ras Baalbek that were recaptured from IS in the past week. Soldiers, tanks and armored vehicles were heavily deployed along the border area, and caves used by IS bore signs of damage from the recent fighting. About 5,000 Lebanese soldiers took part in the offensive.

A senior Lebanese military official said a number of militants were also leaving from the Lebanese side of the border, to be transferred with the Syrian convoy. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not part of the negotiations, did not have a number for militants leaving Lebanon.

Al-Ikhbariya said the Syrian government approved the transfer of militants to Boukamal to facilitate the talks over the fate of the soldiers.

The military official said once the transfer is completed, the Lebanese army would take control of the evacuated areas. Before the deal, the Lebanese military successfully pushed out IS militants from about 100 square kilometers (38 square miles) while Hezbollah fighters drove IS from another 20 square kilometers (8 square miles).

The Lebanese military said last week 20 square kilometers (8 square miles) remained in the hands of the militants. On the Syrian side of the border, the militants had before the offensive controlled 155 square kilometers (60 square miles).

The U.S-.backed Lebanese army denies coordinating its operation with the Syrian army.

Once the last of the militants depart, the border area will be free of insurgents for the first time since the early days of the Syrian civil war, which began in 2011. The clearing of the area also secures the strategic highway between Damascus and Homs, Syria's third largest city.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama has named a restructured Cabinet with a goal of increasing the country's economic growth from 3.8 to 5 percent in four years.

Rama on Sunday told his Socialist Party leadership that his Cabinet would be reduced from 20 to 14 ministerial posts, making it "a smaller but more cooperative one."

The new structure merges the finance ministry with the economy ministry, and the energy ministry with the transport and infrastructure ministry. A new ministerial post has been created to oversee the Albanian diaspora and to coordinate with businesses.

Most of the appointees are holdovers from the previous government, but serving in different positions. Four are new appointments. The new Cabinet preserves an equal number of women and men.

The left wing Socialists secured a second mandate in a June election, winning 74 seats in the 140-seat parliament and can run the government without allies.

The opposition Democratic party won 43 seats while the Socialist Movement for Integration Party that was in Rama's governing coalition in the previous mandate secured 19 seats. Four other seats were won by a smaller political grouping.

The Democrats said the Cabinet picks represented "the return to power of the former communist elite" that would lead to "deepening Edi Rama's and a small group's private reigning."

Rooting out corruption, fighting drug trafficking, improving pay and lowering unemployment are some of the key issues in Albania, a NATO member since 2009 that wants to launch membership negotiations with the European Union next year.

The new Cabinet will be subject to a vote when parliament convenes early next month.
A car bomb exploded Monday in Baghdad, killing at least 10 people and wounding 28 others.

The blast happened in the mainly Shi'ite Sadr City section of the Iraqi capital.

Members of Iraq's security forces were among the casualties.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing.
Beijing is letting Philippine-registered fishing vessels access to a disputed South China Sea shoal, once the centerpiece of a bitter bilateral dispute, in an apparent goodwill gesture that would help otherwise strained Chinese relations with Manila as well as much of Southeast Asia.

China has been allowing the boats since April into Scarborough Shoal, a 150-square-kilometer (93 mile) feature with a lagoon west of the Philippine island of Luzon, official and academic sources say. It's considered a prime fishing site.

What's happened around Scarborough Shoal has been not widely reported, but that you have Filipino fishing vessels accessing the shoal. China allowing that suggests that China in some sense is actually starting to accommodate, said Euan Graham, international security director at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney.

The Chinese coast guard effectively controls access to Scarborough Shoal, though both countries claim it. That control has angered a large, struggling fishing population in the Philippines, just 220 kilometers (137 miles) from the shoal, closer to the fishing grounds than the nearest part of China.

The shoal lies within the Philippines' 370-kilometer (230 miles) exclusive economic zone, but China is militarily stronger than the Philippines, deterring any push back.

Chinese coast guard vessels had barred Philippine boats from the shoal since a tense two-month standoff in 2012. After Philippine vessels withdrew that year, China fortified its patrols.

That move touched off years of trouble in Sino-Philippine relations. In 2013 Manila filed for a ruling from the world arbitration court in The Hague, which found in July 2016 that Beijing lacked a legal basis to much of its claim to the broader 3.5 million-square-kilometer South China Sea.

Remarks from an official in Beijing in April indicated that China was relaxing its guard against vessels from the Philippines.

China is making appropriate plans for Philippine fishermen who approach Scarborough Shoal or the related areas in the nearby sea for trawling business, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a media briefing April 10.

That move came after Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte set aside his government's maritime dispute with China late last year. China pledged $24 billion in aid and investment to the Philippines, which wants outside help with a $167 billion, 5-year infrastructure development plan.

Beijing, the strongest claimant among six with interests in the South China Sea, hopes upbeat Philippine ties show other countries that it can manage maritime disputes without unwelcome third-party intervention, scholars say. The world court was one such party. The United States has previously asked China to work together with Southeast Asian countries.

Even the most minimal gestures of goodwill toward other countries, such as allowing Philippine fishermen into Scarborough Shoal, are enough to appease critics or at least defer criticism for the time being, said Jonathan Spangler, director of the South China Sea Think Tank in Taipei.

China's consent to let Philippine vessels into the shoal now shows tacit implementation of the (arbitration) award, Graham said.

China claims about 90 percent of the sea, extending south from its coastline over to the Philippines and into the claims of Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan. It cites historic records as a license to use those waters.

Beijing has alarmed other countries by letting coast guard vessels operate in disputed waters and by building artificial islands, some for deployments of radar systems and combat aircraft.

But since the world court ruling, China has tried to get along with other rival maritime claimants as well as the Philippines  without accepting the verdict itself.

China agreed earlier this month with 10 Southeast Asian nations to a maritime code of conduct framework aimed at preventing accidents in the disputed sea. It has separately steered tourists toward Vietnam to ease a long-festering South China Sea dispute with Hanoi by helping its economy.

In the Philippines last week, Beijing took a low profile after a legislator and chief justice accused it of occupying the Sandy Cay sandbar in part of the South China Sea's contested Spratly Islands. It also kept quiet in April when Duterte pledged to beef up Philippine holdings in the Spratlys.

Fishing boat operators from Masinloc, the Philippine coastal town closest to Scarborough Shoal, had held demonstrations and complained to mass media that China was blocking them. Lack of shoal access forces some boats to travel further for catches, adding to their costs.

If China's control over Scarborough Shoal had escalated to harassment of fishermen, it would risk angering masses of Filipinos and turning voters against Duterte's pro-China policies, analysts in the Philippines say.

Some people already think China should do more than letting Philippine vessels into the shoal as it sees fit, said Maria Ela Atienza, political science professor at University of the Philippines Diliman.

They've said that the Chinese authorities allow them, but there are people who say why would they say allow them? Atienza said. These are areas that are supposed to be, if not Philippine territory, it should be shared openly."
Two civil rights organizations filed lawsuits Monday against President Donald Trump's ban on transgender service in the military.

The two cases argue the ban, set into motion by President Trump in July, violates U.S. constitutional guarantees of equal protection and due process under the Fifth Amendment.

"President Trump cast aside the rigorous, evidence-based policy of the Open Service Directive, and replaced it with discredited myths and stereotypes, uninformed speculation, and animus against people who are transgender," a case filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) read.

On Friday, the Trump administration sent a memo to the Department of Defense directing it to implement the ban.

The policy would give the Pentagon the ability to expel military members based on a standard of whether they could be deployed to war zones or take part in other missions. It would also deny admittance to new transgender people who want to join the military, and would end spending for medical treatment related to sexual reassignment for current transgender service members.

Trump in his tweets based his decision on what he said were the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail.

The move came a year after the Pentagon under former President Barack Obama announced transgender military members would be allowed to serve openly.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe is urging U.S. President Donald Trump to stop his attacks on the press, saying they "degrade" the essential role of the media in a democracy.

The OSCE's media freedom representative, Harlem Desir, Monday said Trump's comments about the media are "deeply problematic," adding that such statements, especially those identifying the media as "the enemy of the people," could make journalists more vulnerable to being targeted with violence.

"I urge the United States administration to refrain from delivering such attacks on the media," said Desir in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Desir highlighted remarks Trump made last week in Phoenix, Arizona in which the president accused the media of being "truly dishonest," "fake," "crooked," and of making up stories and deepening divisions within the country.

Desir said the comments are "particularly worrying given the United States' long-standing position as one of the global leaders in defending free speech and press freedoms." He said the media play a key role in democracies to hold governments accountable and to offer a platform for diverse voices.

The Vienna-based OSCE monitors security and election issues across the group's 57 member states, including Europe, much of central Asia, Russia and the United States.

Trump has popularized use of the term fake news to criticize news media and reporters that he contends treat him unfairly.

A poll released last week by Quinnipiac University found that the majority of Americans agrees with Trump: 55 percent of voters said they disapprove of the way in which the news media report on Trump, compared to 40 percent who approve.

An even larger number of voters  62 percent  said they disapprove of Trump's negative comments about reporters and their employers. Thirty-five percent of those surveyed said they agree with Trump on such issues.
Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has been named Uber's top executive, taking the difficult job of mending the dysfunctional ride-hailing giant and turning it from money-losing behemoth to a profitable company.



Uber's fractured eight-member board voted to hire Khosrowshahi late Sunday, capping three days of meetings and the withdrawal of once-top candidate Jeffery Immelt, former CEO and still chairman of General Electric, two people briefed on the decision said. They didn't want to be identified because the decision had not been officially announced as of Sunday night.



Khosrowshahi has been CEO of Expedia since August of 2015. The online booking site is one of the largest travel agencies in the world.

Self-driving cars



He'll replace ousted CEO Travis Kalanick and faces the difficult task of changing Uber's culture that has included sexual harassment and allegations of deceit and corporate espionage. Uber also is losing millions every quarter as it continues to expand and invest in self-driving cars.



The company currently is being run by a 14-person group of managers and is without multiple top executive positions that will be filled by Khosrowshahi.



Khosrowshahi has served as a member of Expedia's board since it was spun off from IAC/InterActiveCorp. two years ago. An engineer who trained at Brown University, Khosrowshahi helped to expand IAC's travel brands which were combined into Expedia, the company's website says. He also serves on the boards of Fanatics Inc. and The New York Times Co.

Many problems to solve



He immediately will face troubles on many fronts, including having to deal with multiple board factions that had once pushed Immelt and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman. Several factions of the board are suing each other.



Whitman, an investor in Uber, denied multiple times publicly that she was interested in the job. Although she spoke to some board members remotely Friday night, they could not guarantee an end to their infighting or that Kalanick would not become board chairman, said another person with knowledge of the board discussions. That person also didn't want to be identified because board discussions are supposed to be private.



Khosrowshahi also must bring together a messy culture that an outside law firm found was rampant with sexual harassment and bullying of employees. He also must deal with driver discontent, although Uber already has started to fix that by allowing riders to tip drivers through its app.
Fall armyworm has spread to Cameroon. The pest has attacked crops in at least 24 African countries. In Cameroon, the Ministry of Agriculture says it is particularly concerned about the impact of the fall armyworm infestation in the north and the east of the country.

Minister-delegate Ananga Messina says fall armyworm has infested six of the central African states 10 regions.

She says the armyworms have been a serious threat to food security in Cameroon because cereals like maize, sorghum, rice and legume plants like cow-pea, peanuts and beans are increasingly being attacked every day. She says the situation is particularly worrisome on Cameroons northern border with Nigeria where the population and 100,000 Nigerian refugees are already suffering from food scarcity due to the Boko Haram conflict.

The Ministry of Agriculture says nearly two million people are currently in need of food assistance in northern Cameroon.

Messina told VOA about half of Cameroons 23 million inhabitants and millions of livestock risk hunger in the months ahead. She said the armyworms have extended to Cameroons eastern border, putting neighboring Central African Republic at risk, a country gripped by a severe humanitarian crisis after years of conflict.

Cameroon has launched a task force to manage the infestation.

Some farmers have been using chemicals to kill the pests, but agriculture technician Anicet Mvondo says that is not the best approach.

"The problem is that the insecticide is not good for the health of the farmer," said Mvondo. "It is not good for the environment. It kills other organisms in the environment. Using insecticides is not a good way. We should try to look for other solutions because these insects on the field are also eaten by other organisms."

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization reports fall armyworm was first detected in four countries in West Africa in early 2016. It has since spread to at least 20 other countries.

Experts say the fall armyworms can reproduce rapidly and can fly long distances in moth form, though it remains unknown how the pest spread to West Africa from South America.

The FAO is leading the regional response efforts in Africa, and it says it is drawing from lessons learned in the Americas on sustainable fall armyworm management. FAO Subregional Coordinator for Southern Africa, David Phiri says methods like regular monitoring and hand-picking of worm larvae can be effective.

"Fall armyworm has a lot of natural enemies and we should enhance their use to control the fall armyworm ... So the message is that fall armyworm has come here to stay and also that use of chemical pesticides should be reduced to a minimum, said Phiri.

Staple crops like maize, sorghum, rice and sugarcane have been hit hard in Africa, though the fall armyworm can ravage more than 80 other plant species. Losses for Africa are estimated at at least $13 billion.
Illinois will limit how local and state police can cooperate with federal immigration authorities under a plan signed into law Monday by Governor Bruce Rauner, a move that puts the first-term Republican at odds with his party on immigration issues.

The narrow measure prohibits police from searching, arresting or detaining someone solely because of immigration status, or because of so-called federal immigration detainers. But local authorities will be able to communicate with immigration agents and hold someone for immigration authorities if there's a valid criminal warrant, according to the new law.

Rauner acknowledged at the signing  a heavily-attended, festive event in a predominantly Mexican city neighborhood  that it was a tough proposal many didn't want him to support, but he said he was convinced after talking with law enforcement and immigrant leaders.

"This took months and months of difficult negotiations," Rauner said after a mariachi band performed and top Democrats gave supportive speeches. He said it helps Illinois take another step toward "continuing to be a welcome state."

Proponents insist the measure falls short of a "sanctuary" law because it leaves the door open to communication and ensures the state complies with federal law. But Republican opponents have tried to characterize it that way, something that comes as President Donald Trump has threatened to crack down on sanctuary cities, which have laws friendly to immigrants living in U.S. without legal permission.

The move places Rauner in a tricky spot as Democrat-heavy Illinois' first GOP governor in over a decade. He faces re-election next year and will need to shore up support from Republican strongholds outside Chicago.

Rauner said he believed the measure would increase safety and "improve connectivity" between immigrants and law enforcement to make the state safer.

Detainers are requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to law enforcement agencies to hold suspected deportable immigrants long enough for immigration authorities to pick them up. But federal courts have found the requests aren't sufficient for local jails to hold someone after bail has been posted or beyond the sentence, with critics raising constitutional and liability questions for jails. California and Connecticut don't honor them, a practice many counties nationwide already follow.

Trump crackdown

Trump has called for more links between federal and local authorities to fix a broken immigration system and deport criminals. He's threatened to withhold public safety funds from sanctuary cities such as Chicago, which has filed a lawsuit in response. In light of his crackdown, Miami-Dade County has reversed a sanctuary policy and Texas beefed up laws to allow police to ask about immigration status on traffic stops and requiring law enforcement to honor detainers or face punishment. However, the Texas law faces a court challenge.

In Illinois, the measure was only approved after it was scaled back from an initial proposal that included the creation of "safe zones," like schools and hospitals where immigration agents wouldn't be allowed to make arrests.

Law enforcement agents, who attended Monday's event, said the plan would allow them to focus energy on safety, build trust and keep from deterring immigrant victims of crime from coming forward.

Rauner's hesitance to back the bill has been obvious. The former businessman has avoided talking about national issues such as immigration, particularly when it comes to Trump. He's said he favors comprehensive immigration reform, but has not detailed what that means.

This month during his first national television interview on Fox News, he repeatedly declined to discuss Chicago's lawsuit or sanctuary laws. He pivoted to his ongoing fight over state funding issues with majority Democrats. In response, conservative media outlets such as Breitbart News, blasted Rauner for not denouncing the measure. A Chicago Tribune columnist said Rauner signing the bill "opens a breach on his right political flank."

Ahead of the signing, Rauner would only say the measure was "reasonable," prompting groups in support such as the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition, which includes high-profile Republicans and CEOs, to boost advocacy.

Backers say the law, reviewed by State Police and the Illinois Attorney's General office, will help protect immigrants from federal harassment.

"It's obviously a benefit to an undocumented person to know the police are not going to be putting them under suspicion everywhere they go," Senate President John Cullerton, a Democratic sponsor of the bill, said at the signing. "There are also benefits to law enforcement."

The law takes effect immediately.
Illinois will allow automatic voter registration under a measure signed by Gov. Bruce Rauner.



The Republican's Monday signing comes a year after he vetoed a similar measure over concerns about voter fraud.



Under the law eligible individuals will be automatically registered unless they opt out when they visit Secretary of State's offices for drivers' license services and other state agencies. The measure had wide bipartisan support.



The law takes effect immediately, but it will be implemented in phases. Most changes will take place ahead of the November 2018 election, with all agencies on board by July 2019.



Over half a dozen states have such measures, including Oregon and West Virginia.



Supporters say it'll modernize the system and improve turnout. Opponents had raised concerns about the potential registering of ineligible people.


In India, controversial guru Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two of his female followers.



Lawyers said he was handed two separate 10 year sentences which will run consecutively.

A judge was flown in by helicopter Monday to sentence Singh, who is being held in Rohtak, in the northern state of Haryana. Ahead of the sentencing, a security cordon was placed around the city and the prison converted into a virtual fortress, surrounded by hundreds of security forces. .

Avoiding further violence



Police were given orders to shoot on sight while the army was placed on standby. Roads were lined with barbed wire and soldiers stationed at checkpoints to avoid a repeat of the rampaging that left 38 people dead after Rahim was convicted last Friday.



Schools and colleges in Haryana as well as Punjab, the states where Singh has a large following, were also shut down as a precaution.



During last week's rioting, Singh's followers set fire to government buildings, cars and buses, while journalists and police officers were attacked.

The once-powerful and well-connected 50-year-old guru, who claimed a following of more than 50 million, broke down when the sentence was announced. Defense lawyers had argued for a lenient sentence, citing his social work and said they would appeal his conviction.



Also Monday, the army conducted a flag march as a curfew was imposed for the town of Sirsa, where the self-styled "godman" ran a virtual empire from his sprawling headquarters.

Fearing more violence after his sentencing, police surrounded the Sirsa complex and his other centers, detaining about 100 people in the process and asking his thousands of followers to leave the area. While many complied, thousands of his devotees, many believing their guru was framed, remained inside the facility.



As per law they have either been sealed or shut down, said Navdeep Singh Virk, the head of police in Rohtak. We need to clamp down on the organizational capability of the deras [centers] in the region.



The heavy security arrangements were made after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, or BJP, in Haryana was criticized for failing to prevent last week's rioting.



Singh made films and music albums, rode motorcycles and drove fancy cars and at the same time won a following by casting himself as a social reformer, helping drug and alcohol addicts, and providing poor and sick people with food and medicine. He was dubbed the "guru in bling" for his flamboyant style of dress and jewelry.



Political connections



The case has turned the spotlight on the controversial gurus high-profile political connections. He had supported the BJP in the 2014 elections and was one of 36 people in India with the highest level of security cover.



In a weekly radio address on Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Violence will not be tolerated in any form," and that those who have taken the law in their hands or taken to violence will not be spared, whoever they are.



The rape case was not the only criminal case against Ram Rahim. He also faces charges of conspiracy in two murder cases including that of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who was probing the rape allegations, which were first made in 2002 in an anonymous letter to then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.



The journalist's son, Anshul Chhatrapati, told reporters that he has taken heart from the guilty verdict and said he hoped his father too could get justice. This is a good beginning and I hope he gets stiff punishment in the other cases also, he said.

Dozens of gurus or "godmen" in India have tens of thousands of devotees, usually among the poor and marginalized sections of society.
Italy is being accused of paying off Libyan militias linked to people smugglers in order to stop trafficking migrants across the Mediterranean for a month.



The claim, which coincides with an 86 percent fall in the number of asylum-seekers reaching Italy this month, compared to August of last year, comes as European and African leaders met in Paris to discuss how to stem the migrant flow roiling Europe.

According to Middle East Eye, a London-based news site, the Italian government has been paying off local brigades in the city of Sabratha, 80 kilometers west of the Libyan capital, Tripoli. The alleged payoffs involve cash, aid and equipment, and are channeled through the citys municipal authorities, which are controlled by the militias, the site claims.

Earlier this month, the Italian Development Cooperation Agency announced it shipped 11 tons of aid to Sabratha University Hospital. Italian government spokespersons are refusing to respond to the payoff allegations, but last week the Reuters news agency reported an armed group has been stopping migrant boats from setting off across the Mediterranean from Sabratha beaches.

There have also been reports that trafficking from nearby Zawiya has come to a virtual standstill. The trafficking trade may have been disrupted, too, by the arrest in recent days of Fahmi Salim Musa Bin Khalifa, nicknamed the king of smuggling, by a mainly Islamist militia, known as the Rada Special Deterrence Force, in Tripoli.

A Rada statement said, He is considered to be one of the biggest smugglers across the [Mediterranean] Sea, and owns transporters. He is also very active in sending death boats [migrant boats] across the [Libyan] shores of Zuwara and Sabratha. Zuwara is a port city in northwestern Libya, 60 kilometers from the Tunisian border.

Drop in crossings

In explaining the sharp drop in numbers during July and August, Italian authorities say weather conditions have been highly changeable in what is normally peak season for crossings, but the weather has been highly favorable, according to seafarers.

Another explanation offered has been the Libyan coast guards have been more effective in their interdiction efforts, because of training and equipment offered by the Italian navy. An Italian warship is docked at Tripolis port.

According to analysts, some coast guard units are also tied to the militias.

On Saturday, Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti met mayors from southern Libya to renew a commitment to fight people trafficking as part of an agreement signed earlier this year between Rome and the internationally recognized government of Fayez al-Sarraj, who heads one of Libya's three rival governments.

The meeting focused on helping to shape economic alternatives to human trafficking and contraband smuggling in Libyan towns that profit from the migrant trade. Youngsters in those areas and the whole of Libya deserve a future of hope, free from the threats of criminal organizations, Italys Interior Ministry said in a joint statement with the Libyans.

Libya looks forward to the timely support of Italy and the European Union," the statement continued.

From Libya to Italy



Since 2014, more than 600,000 migrants have reached Italy by sea from Libya, where people smugglers linked to dozens of mainly town-based militias have operated with impunity in the turmoil that has engulfed the country since the fall of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.

Italy's coalition government of Paolo Gentiloni has been stepping up efforts to curb the migrant influx.

Last month, Italian authorities introduced a code of conduct for NGOs operating humanitarian migrant rescue vessels in the Mediterranean.

The charities were accused of at best acting as a pull factor, encouraging asylum-seekers to risk the perilous crossing and, at worst, actually coordinating with the people smugglers and facilitating the trafficking.

Five of eight aid groups that operate migrant rescue ships, which pick up about 40 percent of the migrants rescued in the Mediterranean, have refused to sign up to the code, which discourages them from patrolling in Libyan territorial waters.

Paris meeting



At the meeting Monday in Paris, Italy was to push the European Union to try to replicate with Libya a deal struck last year with Turkey that largely shut down the migrant route through the Balkans.

Analysts warn such a deal would be unworkable when it comes to Libya, given its lack of an effective central authority. The Italians, with German support, have been pushing for a concerted interdiction effort along Libyas southern borders.

Minniti also met Monday with the interior ministers of Chad, Libya, Mali and Niger to discuss strengthening controls on sea and land borders. Rome wants the U.N. refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration involved in setting up migrant centers in Niger and Chad.

Meanwhile, with full migrant centers, Italian authorities are considering using property confiscated from the mafia to house asylum-seekers.
Donald Trump on Friday issued the first clemency of his presidency, pardoning controversial former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The 85-year-old Arpaio, an early Trump supporter, had been convicted of criminal contempt after defying a judge's order to stop racially profiling Latinos.

In Arpaio's defense, a White House statement cited his age and "life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration."

Critics slammed the move, saying Trump acted to protect a political crony and didn't follow Department of Justice guidelines in issuing the pardon.

It is the latest in a long line of controversial clemencies granted by U.S. presidents.

Pardons vs. commutations

Under the Constitution, U.S. presidents have broad power to extend forgiveness to those who have committed federal crimes.

This usually takes one of two forms: pardons, whereby the crime is erased from an individual's record; and commutations, which leaves the conviction in place but reduces the sentence.

Former President Barack Obama granted clemency to over 1,900 people  more than any other president in over 60 years. The vast majority of those were commutations  most for nonviolent drug offenders whose sentences Obama had deemed too harsh.

Manning, Rivera

Before leaving office, Obama also issued commutations to former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning, who was convicted of disclosing sensitive information to Wikileaks, and Puerto Rican nationalist Oscar Lopez Rivera, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his involvement with a group that fought for Puerto Rican independence.

The commutations angered many conservatives who saw the decisions as an abuse of Obama's presidential pardoning power.

On Monday, Trump used those cases to deflect criticism of his Arpaio decision. Trump retweeted a conservative columnist who accused Obama of pardoning a "traitor who gave U.S. enemies state secrets" and a "terrorist who killed Americans."

The tweet was incorrect. Obama, in fact, issued commutations  not pardons  to both individuals, and only after they had spent significant time in prison. Rivera was 35 years into a 55-year jail term; Manning had served seven years of a 35-year sentence.

Other controversial clemencies

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush were also criticized for their use of the presidential pardon.

Most notably, in his last day in office Clinton pardoned Marc Rich, a wealthy financier and prominent Democratic fundraiser, who had been on the run in Switzerland avoiding prosecution for tax evasion.

Bush commuted the jail sentence of Scooter Libby, the former chief of staff of his vice president, Dick Cheney. Libby had been convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators in the probe of the leak of the name of a CIA operative.

Criticism

Perhaps sensing the Arpaio pardon would also be criticized, the White House announced the move late on a Friday, a time traditionally reserved for getting out bad news, and during a major hurricane that was dominating the bulk of media attention.

But the timing of the announcement didn't silence Trump's critics. While very few questioned whether Trump had the constitutional authority to pardon Arpaio, both liberal and conservative commentators quickly slammed the move as inappropriate.

Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders accused Trump of using his power to defend racism. The conservative National Review magazine said Trump's pardon "effectively endorses Arpaio's misconduct."

Others pointed out that Trump's pardon of Arpaio was different from other cases because the sheriff was convicted not just of breaking a law, but also failing to obey a court order  an act, they say, that undermines the rule of law.
Members of the "Cajun Navy" volunteer group traveled from Louisiana to Houston to assist rescue efforts in the wake of unprecedented flooding, the group announced on social media.

"Okay Texas The Cajun Navy from Louisiana is enroute to Dickinson. We have been given the GREEN LIGHT to enter your area," the group's leader wrote in a Facebook group dedicated to rebuilding efforts in Houston.

The group has already posted multiple photos, videos, and various updates of their convoy and initial rescue operations in the Houston area Sunday. Dozens of trucks and boats are seen arriving in Texas, and the group has continued to call for more volunteers to join.

The unofficial group of volunteers formed last year to rescue victims stuck in flooding that hit the Louisiana city of Baton Rouge.

"We the people of Louisiana refuse to stand by and wait for help in the wake of disasters in our State. We rise up and unite and rescue our neighbors!" their "about" section on Facebook reads.

Unprecedented rains in southeastern Texas caused by hurricane Harvey have left thousands of people stranded, with rebuilding efforts expected to take years
Hamas' new leader in the Gaza Strip said Monday his group has repaired relations with Iran after a five-year rift and is using its newfound financial and military aid to gear up for new hostilities with Israel.

The announcement by Yehiyeh Sinwar came as U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was visiting Israel. At a meeting with the U.N. chief, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu complained about what he called rising anti-Israel activity by Iran and its allies in the region.

Iran was once the top backer of Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel's destruction. But Hamas broke with Iran in 2012 after the group refused to support Iran's close ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad, in the Syrian civil war.

During a four-hour meeting with journalists, Sinwar said those ties have been restored and are stronger than ever.

"Today, the relationship with Iran is excellent, or very excellent," Sinwar said. He added that the Islamic Republic is "the largest backer financially and militarily" to Hamas' military wing.

It was the first time that Sinwar has met reporters since he was elected in February. The 55-year-old Sinwar, who spent two decades in Israeli prison after being convicted of masterminding the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers, has close ties with Hamas' militant wing and takes a hard line toward Israel.

Israeli concerns

Israel and Iran are bitter enemies, and Israel has recently expressed concern that Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah are seeking a permanent military presence in Syria near the Israeli border. Both Hezbollah fighters and Iran have backed Assad's forces in the Syrian war.

In his meeting with Guterres, Netanyahu alleged Iran is building sites in Syria and Lebanon to produce "precision-guided missiles" to be used against Israel.

"Iran is busy turning Syria into a base of military entrenchment, and it wants to use Syria and Lebanon as warfronts against its declared goal to eradicate Israel," Netanyahu said. "This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the U.N. should not accept."

Israel has also accused the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, of failing to prevent Hezbollah from smuggling huge quantities of weapons into southern Lebanon in violation of a 2006 cease-fire. UNIFIL's mandate is up for renewal at the end of the month and Israel is pressing for the force to have an increased presence to better monitor and prevent the alleged Hezbollah arms buildup.

U.N. response

UNIFIL's commander, Maj. Gen. Michael Beary, told The Associated Press last week that he has no evidence that weapons are being illegally transferred and stockpiled in the Hezbollah-dominated south. But Guterres promised Netanyahu that he will do everything "in my capacity" to ensure UNIFIL fulfills its obligations.

"I understand the security concerns of Israel and I repeat that the idea or the intention or the will to destroy the state of Israel is something totally unacceptable from my perspective," he said.

Responding to Israeli claims that the U.N. is biased, Guterres stressed his commitment to "treating all states equally." He said those who call for Israel's destruction peddle in a "form of modern anti-Semitism"  though he also said he doesn't always agree with the country's policies.

Guterres heads to the West Bank on Tuesday and is scheduled to visit Gaza on Wednesday. The U.N. maintains major operations in Gaza, running schools and health clinics and delivering humanitarian aid. Guterres is not scheduled to speak to Hamas.

Late Monday, Guterres met with Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, commander of COGAT, the defense body that is responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs.

Mordechai blamed Hamas for the poor conditions in Gaza, saying the group tries to exploit civilians and aid programs. He also said Hamas' refusal to return the remains of two dead Israeli soldiers, along with two Israeli civilians it is holding, hinders Israeli efforts to assist Gaza.

"The terror organization Hamas does not hesitate at all and repeatedly exploits the Gaza residents by attempting to take advantage of Israel's assistance, despite the severe civil hardships in the strip," Mordechai said.

Guterres later met with the families of the dead soldiers and captive Israeli civilians.

Hamas' military powers

In his briefing with reporters, Sinwar would not say how much aid Iran provides his group. Before the 2012 breakup, Iran provided an estimated $50 million a month to Hamas.

Hamas wrested control of Gaza from the Western-backed President Mahmoud Abbas' forces in 2007. Since then, it has fought three wars with Israel. Hamas has killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, shootings and other attacks. It is considered a terrorist group by Israel, the United States and the European Union.

Sinwar stressed that the Iranian aid is for "rebuilding and accumulating" Hamas' military powers for a larger fight against Israel that is meant to "liberate Palestine."

"Thousands of people work every day to make rockets, [dig] tunnels and train frogmen," he said. "The relationship with Iran is in this context."

But the shadowy leader said his movement does not intend to start a fourth war with Israel, instead preferring to remedy dire living conditions in the impoverished coastal enclave.

Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after the Hamas takeover a decade ago. Trying to pressure Hamas and regain control, Abbas has asked Israel to reduce electricity supplies to Gaza, and he has slashed the salaries of thousands of his former government employees there.

The result is that Gaza suffers acute power outages of up to 16 hours a day, unemployment of nearly 50 percent and widespread poverty.

Egyptian border

Sinwar has turned to Egypt, which has begun to ease the blockade as it seeks Hamas' help in controlling their border. The Egyptian military has been fighting an Islamic insurgency in the Sinai desert, near Gaza.

Relations with Cairo "have improved dramatically," Sinwar said. Egypt has recently sent fuel to ease the power crisis in response to Hamas' building of a buffer zone along the border.

"We will knock on all the doors, except that of the [Israeli] occupation, to resolve the problems," he said.

Sinwar was among more than 1,000 Palestinians released by Israel in 2011 in exchange for an Israeli soldier, Gilad Schalit, whom Hamas kidnapped in 2006.

Sinwar said there would be no new talks over a prisoner swap until Israel frees 54 prisoners released in the Schalit swap that have been re-arrested.

"We are ready to start negotiations through a mediator, but only when the table is cleaned. Freed prisoners must feel they are immune."
North Korea conducted a missile test early Tuesday morning that flew over Japan, one that analysts say was similar to Pyongyang's recently aborted plan to fire a missile near the U.S. territory of Guam, and which prompted sharp reaction from Japanese and other leaders.

The launch is believed to be the second successful test of the Hwasong 12 intermediate-range ballistic missile that can reach distances between 3,000 to 5,000 kilometers (1,800 to 3,100 miles), according to ballistic missile expert Jeffrey Lewis, the director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California. The first successful Hwasong 12 test occurred in May.

The missile passed high above Japan about 10 minutes after launch, split into three pieces and splashed into the Pacific Ocean, east of the northern main Japanese island of Hokkaido, according to Japan's government.

The trajectory triggered satellite-activated emergency alarms to the Japanese public, warning people in the northern Tohoku region to take cover because of a possible impact from a North Korean missile, but no rocket fragments are known to have hit the ground.

Fired from a mobile launch site from Sunan, near Pyongyang's international airport, the missile flew more than 2,700 kilometers (1,700 miles) at a maximum altitude of around 550 kilometers (340 miles), according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Many of North Korea's recent missile tests were launched from different mobile launch sites across the country, making them more difficult to target than one stationary launch site.

Test draws sharp reaction

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga condemned the latest North Korean missile test that entered the country's airspace as the greatest and serious threat to the nation ever and said Tokyo will work with the United States and United Nations Security Council to further increase economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.

We find these repeated threats by North Korea unacceptable and have strongly protested to North Korea in the strongest possible words, said Suga.

U.S. Army Col. Robert Manning, a spokesman at the Pentagon, said the launch did not pose a threat to North America.

South Korean fighter jets conducted bombing drills in response to Pyongyang's missile launch, according to a presidential spokesman at the Blue House. Leaders in Washington and Seoul also agreed to seek increased economic sanctions on North Korea, just weeks after the United Nations imposed new punitive measures that included a export ban on fish, coal and other lucrative minerals that could deprive Pyongyang of over $1 billion in revenue.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said sanctions and pressure alone cannot fundamentally resolve the issue, while issuing China's usual call for restraint from all those involved.

Speaking to the RIA Novosti news agency, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Russia is "extremely concerned by the general developments" and sees "a tendency towards an escalation."

Guam substitute test

Lewis said the Hwasong 12 was likely the missile that North Korea was planning to launch earlier in August toward the U.S. territory of Guam, where a major American military base is located. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un decided to delay that test after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to respond with "fire and fury" to any attack on U.S. territory.

They sort of backed down but I am guessing they substituted this instead. So it's some of the provocation but not all of it, said Lewis.

Missile defense

Japanese authorities say their anti-missile batteries made no attempt to shoot down the projectile. Japan has in the past vowed to shoot down North Korean missiles or rockets that appeared likely to hit its territory, and deployed its Patriot missile defense system in response to the threat against Guam.

However analysts say Japan does not have a reliable capability to target a high altitude missile mid-flight. The Patriot system only intercepts low-altitude incoming missiles and Tokyo's Aegis missile defense system, like the THAAD missile defense battery in South Korea, is designed to stop missiles in their descent phase.

Tensions resume

This latest launch came just days after Pyongyang test fired three short-range missiles at the beginning of joint military exercises by American and South Korean military forces.

The launch also ended a month-long hiatus in missile tests, which U.S. officials interpreted as restraint and prompted President Donald Trump last week to say that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was starting to respect us.

Anyone who believes that somehow North Korea would abandon these capabilities or change their intentions regarding the acquisition of these capabilities, I just think that is very far-fetched and unlikely, said Northeast Asia security analyst Daniel Pinkston with Troy University in Seoul.

An annual joint defense exercise, Ulchi Freedom Guardian between the South Korean and U.S. forces, is under way on the Korean peninsula. These exercises always prompt strong protests from Pyongyang and frequent provocations.

ICBM progress

The new launch is also different from two launches last month that Pyongyang claimed were intercontinental ballistic missiles with a range long enough to reach the continental United States. Those ICBMs were fired into steeply lofted ballistic paths that kept the rockets from overflying Japan.

Experts say at this point North Korea's ICBM capability is unreliable and needs further testing to improve its accuracy and to demonstrate the ability to incorporate a miniaturized nuclear warhead to become a verifiable threat. However with each missile test Pyongyang moves closer to achieving its goal.

I think we transitioned from a period from which they're figuring it out to a period in which they are perfecting it, said ballistic missile expert Lewis.

Tuesday's incident recalled the over flight of Japan by a North Korean missile in 1998 as well as another launch in 2009, a purported attempt to send a satellite into Earth orbit, in which a multistage rocket passed over Japanese territory.

White House Bureau Chief Correspondent Steve Herman and National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin contributed to this report
Pakistan appears to have hardened its stance to U.S. President Donald Trumps recently announced Afghan and South Asia strategy; but, officials dismiss suggestions Islamabad is seeking confrontation or a rupture in its decades-old relations with Washington.

While announcing his long-awaited policy last week, Trump accused Pakistan of housing agents of chaos and the very terrorists the U.S. military has been battling in Afghanistan. The policy also attempts to give Pakistans archival, India, a major role in security-related regional efforts.

Pakistani leaders responded by saying the U.S. terror charges are an attempt to scapegoat their country and accused the American military of failing to defeat the 16-year-old Afghan Taliban insurgency.

Moreover, Pakistan postponed Assistant Secretary of State Alice Wells visit to Islamabad, scheduled for Monday, until a mutually convenient time.

The development came shortly after Islamabad decided against sending Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to Washington, where he was scheduled to meet with his U.S. counterpart.

More engagement needed

Instead of acknowledging Pakistans unprecedented sacrifices in fighting terrorism, Washingtons new Afghan strategy is nothing but the same old tactics of bullying and browbeating, according to Pakistani Senator Mushahid Hussain.

That attempt has already backfired, says Hussain, chairman of the Pakistani Senates Defense Committee. Thats why Pakistan has said very clearly neither the foreign minister is going to Washington nor are we willing to receive any American delegation to Islamabad, Hussain noted.

The influential Pakistani senator emphasized the importance of engagement between the two countries, saying only through collective efforts, also involving key regional stakeholders, can the long-standing Afghan problem be resolved.

I think the best way forward would be for the United States administration to review its wrong policy, not place blame on Pakistan and consider Pakistan as part of the solution rather than part of the problem and not look at issues and the region through the lenses of India, asserted Hussain.

Islamabad alleges rival India is using its growing influence in Afghanistan to foment terrorism and violence in Pakistan.

Pakistan has long ignored U.S. and Afghan demands to use force against Taliban insurgents hiding on its soil. Officials maintain millions of Afghan refugees are in the country and it is impossible for authorities to identify suspected militants who are using the displaced population for shelter.

Pakistan cannot bring Afghan war into Pakistan, the chief of the countrys powerful military, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, reiterated Sunday. He was talking to his Afghan counterpart on the sidelines of four-nation counterterrorism military-level talks in Tajikistan, with China also in attendance.

Pakistan has already cleared all its areas indiscriminately and has started unilateral border security measures including fencing, Bajwa said.

Pakistan defends efforts

Suspicion in Washington about Islamabad's efforts against terrorism stem from the killing of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces deep inside Pakistan in 2011 and the elimination of Taliban chief Mullah Akhtar Mansoor in a U.S. drone strike in the country's southwest in 2016.

Pakistani officials cite the U.S. militarys assessments the Taliban has extended its control or influence to more than 40 percent of the Afghan territory since the withdrawal of international combat forces from Afghanistan in 2014.

They don't need hideouts or sanctuaries in Pakistan. They have vast territory [under their control], which is beyond Kabuls writ, at their disposal. Why would they come to Pakistan for sanctuaries? Foreign Minister Asif asked over the weekend.

Pakistani officials say the fencing of nearly 2,600-kilometer largely porous border with Afghanistan and building of new forts as well as outposts will effectively deter terrorist infiltration.

Despite financial and logistical challenges, the massive project is expected to be completed within next two years, says army spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor.

The border management program has already reduced terrorist attacks in the country and Pakistan would like Afghans to introduce similar steps on their side, he said. We are even ready to fund and fence the border as well as build security outposts for Afghan security forces on their side of the frontier, Ghafoor said.

Within a year, all traditional crossing points on the Afghan border will be opened for travelers and traders because Pakistans aim is to hurt terrorists and facilitate movement of peaceful citizens.

For years, terrorists were freely roaming across the border but today, 90 percent of the frontier is difficult to cross from the Pakistani side because of strict measures we are putting in place, Ghafoor said.

Other support for Pakistan

Officials in Islamabad have shown concern about possible U.S. military and economic sanctions in the Trump administration's new Afghan policy, citing years of dependence on American military hardware and the U.S. being a major trade partner.

They do not, however, anticipate a "rupture" in bilateral ties as Pakistan's ground lines of communication and airspace continue to play a crucial rule in sending supplies to thousands of American and NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Observers say Pakistans deepening relations with traditional ally, China, and emerging alliance with Russia have apparently emboldened Islamabad to say enough is enough to U.S. pressure tactics.

On Monday, the Chinese special envoy on Afghan Affairs, Deng Xijun, during his visit to Islamabad, reaffirmed Beijings continuing and firm support to efforts Pakistan is making for peace and stability in Afghanistan, officials said.

The Chinese special envoy lauded Pakistans contribution and sacrifices made in the fight against terrorism," said a Pakistani Foreign Ministry statement.
Speculation is rife in Washington that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson may soon leave the administration, following comments he and an aide made to reporters over the past two days.

Tillerson lunched Monday with President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. Later in the day, Pence was meeting with the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. The coincidence of meetings led White House observers to comment on the possibility that Haley might be tapped to take over should Tillerson leave.

In a television interview with "Fox News Sunday," Tillerson was asked about Trumps much criticized response to deadly violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month, following a rally by white supremacists which resulted in clashes with counterprotesters.

Trump sparked outrage by initially blaming both sides for the unrest. Lawmakers from Trump's Republican Party and many social commentators accused the president of failing to single out unacceptable racial partisans for condemnation.

The top U.S. diplomat was asked this week whether Trump's comments, which were seen as equating white-supremacist sentiments with those of far-left demonstrators, reflected the nation's values.

Tillerson said at first: "I don't believe anyone doubts the American people's values or the commitment of the American government, or the government's agencies to advancing those values and defending those values."

When TV host Chris Wallace followed up by asking specifically about Trumps values, Tillerson replied, "The president speaks for himself," without further explanation.

A Tillerson aide Monday denied that the remark constituted a criticism of Trumps values, but declined to soften the comment.

"The values start from the Constitution," the unidentified aide told CNN Television. "The president's job is to uphold those values. Did he do the best job ever responding to Charlottesville? Nope. But that doesn't mean America changes."

The aide added, "That is why the president speaks for himself, because the Constitution speaks for the country."

The back-to-back comments by Tillerson and his aide raised eyebrows among White House observers.

Thomas Whalen, political science professor at Boston University, said a statement that the Constitution and not the president speaks for the country "shows contempt for Trumps authoritarian style of presidential management." He described the Tillerson aide's words as "a farewell to Trump."

The news website Axios on Monday reported that Trumps frustration with Tillerson had bubbled over after a recent meeting on Afghanistan.

"Rex just doesn't get it; he's totally establishment in his thinking," Trump said, according to a source quoted by Axios.

The website reported that Tillerson was at odds with Trump on several foreign policy questions, including tensions in Qatar and sanctions against Venezuela, and that administration officials were having trouble understanding why the secretary had not filled senior political jobs at the State Department.

Tillerson's spokesman, R.C. Hammond, blamed a "busted" system, according to the Axios report. The website quoted Hammond saying, "The secretary sends over recommendations and they sit on the dock."

Tillersons departure would only add to the confusion that has characterized the first months of the administration, according to politics-watchers who spoke to VOA.

"Trump doesnt have a deep bench," said Joshua Sandman, an expert on the presidency at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. "[New chief of staff] John Kelly is doing an excellent job of trying to bring order to a chaotic situation, and Kelly would be more oriented toward keeping somebody like Tillerson and [chief economic adviser] Gary Cohn, because these are very solid people."

Cohn also has sharply criticized Trump's comments on race-related political issues.

However, Sandman said appointing someone like Nikki Haley, who he said has maintained "a high profile" for the United States at the United Nations, would go a long way toward easing concerns if Tillerson were to leave.

The secretary of state hinted at his dissatisfaction with Trumps attitudes on racial issues earlier this month in a speech to a group of students at the State Department.

"We do not honor, nor do we promote or accept hate speech in any form," Tillerson said.

"Those who embrace it poison our public discourse and they damage the very country that they claim to love," the secretary said. "So we condemn racism, bigotry in all its forms. Racism is evil; it is antithetical to Americas values. Its antithetical to the American idea."

Hammond added fuel to the speculation Monday when he tweeted a recent comment by Tillerson who noted that free-speech rights guaranteed by the Constitution and by centuries of political tradition are "what sets us apart from every other government regime in the world."
An attorney for Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong filed an appeal Monday in the bribery case for which Lee was sentenced last week to five years in prison.

The lawyer filed the appeal at Seoul Central District Court, which in addition to the bribery charge also found Lee guilty of embezzlement, sheltering assets overseas, concealing profit from criminal acts and perjury.

Lee has denied any wrongdoing.

The court said the 49-year-old Lee offered $38 million in bribes to four entities controlled by Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of former president Park Geun-hye, in exchange for government support for a merger deal that strengthened Lee's control over Samsung and its flagship Samsung Electronics at a crucial time.

The court also said the amount included $6.4 million to sponsor the equestrian career of Choi's daughter.

Park, who was removed from office earlier this year as a result of the scandal, is also on trial, as is Choi.
South Sudan's main rebel group says an American journalist shot and killed while embedded with rebels Saturday was not taking part in a battle against government forces.

Christopher Allen was shot in the head by government forces at the Kaya border post near Uganda, according to the rebel SPLA-in-Opposition.

Colonel Lam Paul Gabriel, deputy military spokesman for the group, says Allen was with us in the frontline but he was only photographing the battle.

Gabriel told VOA's South Sudan in Focus that government forces fired straight at him and they hit him in the head.

Government spokesman Michael Makuei painted a different picture, saying a group of rebels attacked Kaya garrison on Saturday morning. Makuei tells VOA that during the attack, the identity of that white man is not known, but he was among those who attacked the garrison.

The rebels say they tried to retrieve Allens body from the battlefield but heavy fighting made it difficult. We lost two people in the process of retrieving his body but we managed to get his belongings, Gabriel says.

South Sudan deputy military spokesman Colonel Santo Domic tells VOA that government forces killed 16 rebels in Kaya, including Allen in that number. The rebel military spokesman said his group lost only five - two in Kaya and three in nearby Kimba.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement Sunday confirming Allen's death. Allen was a freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was covering South Sudan's civil war.

His body was flown to the capital, Juba, in a military helicopter by government forces. Makuei said the body was then transferred to a military hospital.

South Sudan army spokesman Brigadier General Lul Ruai Koang said Monday that no one had yet claimed Allens body at the hospital mortuary.

Allens body, as seen by South Sudan in Focus when it arrived at Jubas airport, was dressed in civilian clothes with a red ribbon tied to the sleeve of his upper left arm.

Colonel Domic said the red ribbon was similar to what was found on the bodies of slain rebel fighters.

Colonel Gabriel said the ribbon is used to identify fighters and civilians alike, including journalists who work in rebel-controlled territory.

The red mark is just to identify us from opponents, Gabriel said, adding, We tie on our head, but for him [Allen], let him put on his left arm to make sure we know he is with us.

An eyewitness, speaking on condition of anonymity out of concern for his safety, says the few civilians who remained in Kaya when the fighting broke out Saturday have since fled to neighboring Uganda.

Both rebel and government forces have claimed control of the town.

Allens death brings to 10 the number of journalists who have been killed in South Sudan since 2012.
Houston, Texas, the fourth-biggest American city, braced for more tropical storm rains Monday, with rescue workers struggling to reach thousands of people already stranded by raging floodwaters.

City officials said they had rescued 2,000 people, but still had another 185 "critical rescue requests" to handle.

"The goal is rescue," said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "Our focus is getting people out of the stressful situation they're in." He said 5,500 people have been moved to shelters.

Forecasters expected the storm that came ashore as Hurricane Harvey on Friday night to drop as much as 25 centimeters of new rainfall around Houston and that another 40 to 60 centimeters could fall through Wednesday. The region has already seen more than 60 centimeters of rain in some places.

While the hurricane-force winds have diminished  I want to stress that we are not out of the woods yet," said acting U.S. Homeland Security chief Elaine Duke. "Not by a long shot. Harvey is still a dangerous and historic storm."

Duke said rivers in south Texas "won't crest until later this week."

WATCH: Duke on possible danger ahead

Federal Emergency Management Administrator Brock Long told a Monday news conference that FEMA is going to be in Texas "for several years."

"We're anticipating over 30,000 people being placed in shelters temporarily  to basically stabilize the situation and provide for their care. Next  we are ready  and already deploying life-essential commodities."

Long said FEMA is bracing for one of the longest periods of housing recovery ever seen.

WATCH : FEMA official on current operations

Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft said rescue workers are checking Google maps "to see where calls are coming from. We want to save lives."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott told reporters he has deployed the entire Texas National Guard  a total of 15,000 men and women.

Abbott heaped praise on local leaders along the Texas Gulf coast, calling them "humane, courageous, and heroic." He said the way people got through the storm and that so many lives were saved is "remarkable."

Trump plans Tuesday visit

President Donald Trump plans to visit Texas Tuesday. He has already declared 18 Texas counties and parts of neighboring Louisiana a disaster area, making them eligible for federal help. Abbott declared 54 counties as disaster areas, making them eligible for state aid.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said, "The storm is more or less stationary, but to the extent that it's moving, it's actually moving towards the east in our direction and that makes this, obviously, a dangerous situation for our state."

U.S. Weather Prediction Center lead forecaster Patrick Burke told VOA, "The message we've been getting out today is that we've never seen a storm like this. We've never seen these rainfall amounts over such a large area, and so the damage is already catastrophic and unfortunately is going to continue to be catastrophic for days to come."

The National Weather Service said the center of the storm was drifting slowly to the southeast early Monday on a path that would take it back out into the Gulf of Mexico sometime Monday and allow for it to possibly strengthen slightly before making landfall again Tuesday.

With the storm bringing band after band of heavy rain over the region, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced early Monday it was beginning the controlled release of water from two reservoirs in order to help prevent them from failing and to reduce the risk of further flooding. The releases will continue for weeks.

Rescue operations

Hundreds of rescue operations have taken place throughout the area with crews in helicopters and boats, and wading through floodwaters on foot. Volunteers have joined police, fire and medical crews, as well as the National Guard.

In Photos: Houston rescue effort

Every major highway into and out of Houston has become a river, and the city's two airports are closed. So far, two deaths have been blamed on the storm.

Since the storm's path was predicted in great detail well before it hit Texas, questions are beginning to be raised about why no mass evacuation was ordered.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said it was not possible to overcome logistical obstacles to a large-scale evacuation. He defended his actions at a news conference late Sunday, saying it would have been "crazy" to attempt a mass movement of millions of people on such short notice.

Advice from emergency officials



Turner asked where the 6 million residents of Houston and its suburbs could have gone, since the city is by far the biggest population center in that part of Texas. The mayor said his decision not to order an evacuation was smart and in the best interest of Houstonians.

For those stranded in flooded parts of the city, emergency officials said no one should seek refuge in the attics of their homes, due to a risk that water rising to record levels would trap them in an enclosed area. The advice to all was simple: Climb onto the roof and try to attract attention by waving a white cloth.

Aircraft continue to be in the skies over Houston and surrounding areas, searching for people marooned atop their homes. Hundreds of boats are searching for flood victims. Some people managed to escape the flooded areas by kayak, canoe or inflatable rafts.

People who thought they might be able to walk to safely through water waist- or chest-deep in their neighborhoods were warned to resist the urge to test strong currents.

WATCH: VOA Spanish service reporter on current situation

Several Houston-area oil refineries shut down on Sunday as the storm continued. The closures take roughly 12 percent of U.S. fuel-making capacity offline, compounding concerns about fuel shortages and higher gasoline prices.

Harvey was the strongest hurricane to hit the United States mainland in more than a decade.



Celia Mendoza in Houston and Victor Beattie in Washington contributed to this report.
President Donald Trump on Monday prepared to visit Texas to view the federal government's response to Harvey's devastating flooding as his administration vowed to help the millions of residents dealing with the catastrophic storm.

Harvey represented the first major natural disaster of Trump's presidency and a significant test for a White House that is often chaotic and rife with infighting. Attention on Harvey from officials, the public and the news media also allowed Trump to refocus after a turbulent stretch that included his widely criticized response to the white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Vice President Mike Pence said in a series of radio interviews on Monday that the Trump administration would "be there for the long haul to help rebuild Texas and all the affected areas from Hurricane Harvey."

"The president has been continuously engaged in this. We've all been deeply concerned by the impact of this storm," Pence told KTRH radio in Houston. "We're saddened by the loss of life and the president is anxious to come to the region."

Pence said Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Cabinet officials would visit Tuesday.

Trump spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, and convened his Cabinet by telephone during the weekend. He tweeted on Sunday a promise of a Texas visit "as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption"  later announced by the White House as Tuesday. Details on the president's itinerary were not yet immediately available.

But by traveling to the region just days after Harvey made landfall, the president raised questions among his critics on whether his presence would complicate efforts by emergency responders to help Texans still in need.

Jennifer Psaki, a former aide to President Barack Obama, commented on the President's plans

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican and Trump ally, however, loaded heavy praise on the president and the federal government, describing it as an "A-plus" effort.

"I've got to tell you, I give FEMA a grade of A+, all the way from the president down," Abbott said. "I've spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of FEMA, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services."

The devastating storm has dumped more than two feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a "landmark event" that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.

Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. Abbott said he expected heavy rain "for days to come."

The governor commended Trump for being "extremely professional, very helpful" in moving quickly to grant his request Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.

Abbott said the focus was on rescue in the Houston area, citing multiple high-level vehicles sent in late Saturday night that were being manned by the National Guard, but that boats and helicopters will be available all across east Texas for swift water rescue. Still, in many areas, Houston officials were reporting flooding so widespread that rescuers were getting too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.

In his tweets, Trump praised Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long for "doing a great job" and touted the "great coordination between agencies at all levels of government."

He also tweeted Sunday morning about his Cabinet meeting to address Harvey. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, is currently without a secretary.

The Trump administration efforts seek to offer a contrast to President George W. Bush's response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in August 2005 and left more than 1,500 dead. The mismanaged response of Bush's FEMA administrator, Michael Brown, to that hurricane, as well as Bush's praise of Brown for doing a "heck of a job" in the immediate days after, dogged Bush for the rest of his presidency.

Abbott spoke on ABC's "This Week" and "Fox News Sunday," and Long appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" and NBC's "Meet the Press."
The Pentagon is not ready to move forward with President Donald Trump's new strategy for the war in Afghanistan, since military officials say key decisions have yet to be made.

Defense officials said Monday that critical planning was still under way, and that there was no timeline for when it might be finished, despite the fact that the Afghanistan strategy remains a "top priority."

"We're just not there yet," a Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Robert Manning, told reporters. "There is work to be done here within the department and answers that need to be provided."

Following months of deliberations, the president unveiled his new, "condition-based approach" for Afghanistan at a military base outside Washington last week.

"Conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables, will guide our strategy from now on," Trump told about 2,000 troops at Joint Base Myer.

The president offered few details about how many additional troops would be required in Afghanistan, or how they would support Afghan forces fighting both the Taliban and the Islamic State terror group.

"America's enemies must never know our plans or believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to attack, but attack we will," Trump said.

Sources speaking to VOA on condition they not be named said up to 4,000 more U.S. troops could be sent to Afghanistan under the new strategy.

And the top U.S. commander for the region, General Joseph Votel, told reporters last week that the first of those troops would be arriving "pretty quickly," in a matter of days or weeks.

But while he refused to contradict Votel, spokesman Manning appeared to walk back the timeline for sending reinforcements.

"We're approaching this very deliberately," Manning said. "Once the chairman [of the Joint Chiefs of Staff] provides the recommendations, the secretary will determine how to move forward and how many additional troops we'll need to send."

Manning's comments Monday seemed to reflect an ongoing back-and-forth discussion among U.S. officials about how to proceed on Afghanistan.

Earlier this month, prior to Trump's Afghanistan speech, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis seemed to suggest that most of the planning was done, and that it was simply a matter of deciding which approach would be best.

"We're sharpening each one of the options so you can see the pluses and minuses of each one, so that there's no longer any new data you're going to get. Now [we should] just make the decision," Mattis told Pentagon reporters August 14.

But following Trump's address, Mattis said he was waiting on the top U.S. military officer, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joseph Dunford, to get him a plan "right away."

"We've obviously been discussing this option for some time," Mattis said during a visit to Iraq last week. "When he brings that to me, I'll determine how many more [troops] we need to send in."

One of the challenges for Pentagon planners is to determine exactly how many troops the U.S. has in Afghanistan.

Officials have put the number at about 8,400, tasked with carrying out counterterrorism operations against groups such as the Taliban or the IS Afghan affiliate. But that figure does not necessarily account for temporary support personnel or for defense contractors.

Military officials say the new plan for Afghanistan, once formed, may require reorganizing some forces already on the ground.

VOA's Steve Herman and Cindy Saine contributed to this report.
The U.S. Navy says divers have recovered the remains of all 10 sailors from the USS John S. McCain, the naval ship that collided with a merchant vessel last week.

Last Monday, the USS McCain became the second U.S. guided-missile destroyer to collide with a commercial vessel in as many months.

U.S. investigators are trying to determine what led to the collision with a Liberian oil tanker near the Strait of Malacca. Navy photos show a gaping hole below the waterline on the destroyer's port (left) side. Some sleeping areas and communications rooms flooded as a result.

Commander dismissed

In response to the incident, the Navy ordered an immediate operational pause across the U.S. fleet and dismissed the commander of the 7th Fleet, Vice Admiral Joseph Aucoin.

In the earlier collision involving a U.S. destroyer, seven sailors from the USS Fitzgerald died when their ship collided with a container ship in waters off Japan. The Navy relieved the ship's captain of his command, and further punitive actions are expected, following an inquiry that found poor seamanship and flaws in keeping watch contributed to the collision.

Brad Glosserman, executive director of the defense think tank Pacific Forum, said so many accidents involving the same fleet suggests there is a problem with the Navy's procedures or training. He cited the importance of the Asia-Pacific region and the many challenges there, including North Korea's nuclear threat, China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and terrorist activities  all on top of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

'What's the problem?'

It's just extraordinarily high paced tempo in operations, our resources are stretched, our crews are probably not getting the rest or the training that they need, and as a result, we have accidents, Glosserman told VOA.

The countries that are looking to us to help defend the sea lanes, to help defend them, to provide as you note deterrence and security and stability are looking at this and wondering, what's the problem? And until we come up with good answers and until these things stop happening, they're going to have doubts.

The USS McCain is named for the father and grandfather of U.S. Senator John McCain, both of them four-star Navy admirals. The senator also was a naval officer, an aviator who spent six years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.
Dean Evans, a Bolivar, Tex., resident who said he would remain home during Hurricane Harvey, fills a container with gasoline. (Guiseppe Barranco/Beaumont (Tex.) Enterprise via AP) (Guiseppe Barranco/AP)

Hurricane Harvey has barreled into the heart of the U.S. oil and gas industry, prompting the sudden evacuation of workers. Spot prices for gasoline are expected to jump Monday, but the full extent of damage will not be clear for days, companies and experts said.

Oil and gas companies have shut down about a quarter of oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico, according to a U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement survey Saturday. That would be about 5 percent of nationwide output.

Companies have also been shutting down much of their refinery operations onshore, idling about 10 percent or more of the nations refinery capacity. That might not only raise prices and create temporary shortages in the Gulf Coast area but could also boost prices in places as far away as the Northeast, where a portion of gasoline supplies are delivered by pipeline from the Gulf.

S&P Global Platts estimated Saturday that about 900,000 barrels a day of refinery capacity had been closed, about 5 percent of nationwide capacity.

More plants closed Sunday, including two of the countrys biggest  Shells Deer Park and ExxonMobils Baytown, with about a million barrels a day of capacity between them.

Initially, companies were closing facilities in Corpus Christi, but the latest closings were on the Houston ship channel.

How long the shutdowns will last wasnt clear Sunday.

Craig Pirrong, professor of finance and director of the Global Energy Management Institute at Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, said in an email that it was too early to tell re oil and gas. Gulf operations shut down, and they wont be able to assess until they go back. Refineries should be OK as long as they have power.

He said that with most people and companies hunkered down, its hard to get a comprehensive picture.

Petrochemical refineries were also closing, which will likely dent the economy over the next week. Chevron planned to shut down its Cedar Bayou facility through Sept. 6 because of the storm, according to PetroChem Wire.

Youre knocking out a significant portion of production with one event, said Kathy Hall, executive editor of PetroChem Wire. A lot of these plants are very complex.

She added that you can do this in a 24-hour period, but you dont want to wait for the storm to hit the plant.

Harvey was also putting a damper on shale oil and shale gas drilling in the Eagle Ford shale play, a strip of lucrative wells at the northern edge of the storm. About 75 exploration rigs that had been drilling there last week have been idled, too.

Shell spokeswoman Kimberly Windon, working from home in a Houston neighborhood damaged by tornadoes, said Sunday afternoon that the company had closed its offices and was shutting down the sprawling Deer Park refinery and chemical plant, which is along the Houston ship channel. About 2,500 ships are loaded or offloaded there every year. About 1,500 Shell employees and about 1,200 contractors work there.

ExxonMobil said it was shutting down the Baytown complex, one of the nations largest oil and petrochemical refineries. The complex, on the Houston ship channel 25 miles east of Houston, employs about 7,000 people. Shutting it down takes about a day.

Valero, the nations largest oil refiner, closed its Corpus Christi and Three Rivers refineries. The company was also helping employees from the hard-hit Rockport area, putting many of them in hotels.

Flint Hills, a Koch brothers company with refineries in and near Corpus Christi, had closed its facilities earlier. We are in the process of assessing the condition of our Corpus Christi refineries following Hurricane Harvey, spokesman Jake Reint said in an email. Based on what weve observed so far, the two refineries appear to have not sustained any major damage.

It remains unclear how markets will react Monday. Crude oil prices could remain stable. Cuts in output offshore in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in the Eagle Ford shale play that would reduce supplies have been outweighed by the idling of refineries.

But gasoline prices, which rose last week, could jump further.


People walk down a flooded street in Houston, Texas, as they evacuate their homes Monday because of Hurricane Harvey. Harvey is expected to dump up to 40 inches of rain on Texas over the next couple of days. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Floodwaters reached the roof lines of single-story homes Monday, and people could be heard pleading for help from inside as Hurricane Harvey kept pouring rain on the Houston area after a chaotic weekend of rising water and rescues.

The nations fourth-largest city was still largely paralyzed, and there was no relief in sight from the storm that spun into Texas as a Category 4 hurricane, then parked itself over the Gulf Coast. With nearly two more feet of rain expected, authorities worried whether the worst was yet to come.

Harvey has been blamed for at least three confirmed deaths, including a woman killed Monday in the town of Porter, northeast of Houston, when a large oak tree toppled onto her trailer home.

The disaster unfolded on an epic scale in one of Americas most sprawling metropolitan centers. The Houston metro area covers about 10,000 square miles, an area slightly bigger than New Jersey. Its crisscrossed by about 1,700 miles of channels, creeks and bayous that drain into the Gulf of Mexico, about 50 miles to the southeast from downtown.

On Monday, the citys normally bustling business district was virtually deserted, with emergency vehicles making up most of the traffic. Most traffic signals were out, and most businesses closed.

Elsewhere, water gushed from two reservoirs overwhelmed by Harvey as officials sought to release pressure on a pair of dams where floodwaters were at risk of spilling from around the sides of the barriers. The move aimed at protecting the downtown business district risked flooding thousands more homes.

Meanwhile, rescuers continued plucking people from the floodwaters  at least 2,000 so far, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo.

With rain falling nonstop, he said there was nowhere left for the water to drain.

Im not sure where the water is going because its just so much that we cant really absorb more in the ground at this point, Acevedo told MSNBC.

The rising water forced a mass evacuation of parts of the city Sunday, and rescuers could not keep up with constant calls for help.

The Red Cross quickly set up Houstons George R. Brown Convention Center and other buildings as shelters. The convention center, which was also used as a shelter for Hurricane Katrina refugees in 2005, can hold roughly 5,000 people. By Monday morning, it had reached half its capacity, the Red Cross said.



Shardea Harrison checks on her 3-week-old baby, Sarai, who is held by Dean Mize as he and Jason Legnon used his airboat to rescue them Monday from their flooded home. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Residents living near the Addicks and Barker reservoirs  which were created to prevent flooding in downtown Houston  were warned Sunday that a controlled release would cause additional street flooding that could spill into homes. The rising water and ongoing rain put pressure on the dams, which could allow water to spill outside them if the pressure is not relieved.

The Army Corps of Engineers started the reservoir releases before 2 a.m. Monday  ahead of schedule  because water levels were increasing at a rate of more than 6 inches per hour, Corps spokesman Jay Townsend said.

In the Cypress Forest Estates neighborhood in northern Harris County, people called for help from inside their homes as water from a nearby creek climbed to the lower part of their roofs. A steady procession of rescue boats floated into the area.



Angelina De Los Santos, 7, left, Vanessa Pasillas, 2, center, and Jade De Los Santos, 5, center right, watch videos with Rosemarie Pasillas, right, at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston on Monday. Thousands of people gathered at the convention center after fleeing their homes. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

One man, Joe Garcia, carried his German shepherd in the chest-deep water before being picked up by a boat. Garcia said he floated out a tub of his belongings, then went back in for the dog.

The Weather Service warned that the flooding will get worse in the days ahead and that the floodwaters will be slow to recede once Harvey moves on.

Up to 20 inches of rain could fall in the coming days, on top of the more than 30 inches some places have seen, Weather Service Director Louis Uccellini said Monday.

Some people used inflatable beach toys, rubber rafts and even air mattresses to get through the water to safety. Others waded while carrying trash bags stuffed with their belongings and small animals in picnic coolers.

Residents had been given conflicting about whether to evacuate. Governor Greg Abbott urged people to flee from Harveys path, but the Houston mayor told everyone to stay home.

The governor refused to point fingers Sunday.

Now is not the time to second-guess the decisions that were made, Abbott said at a news conference. Whats important is that everybody work together to ensure that we are going to, first, save lives and, second, help people across the state rebuild.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner defended his decision, citing the risk of sending the citys 2.3 million inhabitants onto the highways at the same time.

If you think the situation right now is bad, and you give an order to evacuate, you are creating a nightmare, Turner said.


Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) talks with Joe Maggio and others in August at an American Legion hall in Independence, Mo. (Christopher Smith for The Washington Post)

Only a handful of President Trump supporters showed up to Sen. Claire McCaskills town hall here in rural Missouri, but they definitely made their presence known.

One arrived early so he could park his red Dodge pickup with its Make America Great Again and Dont Tread on my Gun Rights stickers directly in front of the American Legion halls entrance, where nobody could miss it. Another, a squat man with a graying goatee, volunteered for the task of plucking written questions for McCaskill out of a basket; he screened out anything less than a zinger and gave the first series of questions to Debbie Phillips, a 65-year-old Republican in a cropped white denim jacket who wasnt afraid to stand up in a packed room full of Democrats to voice her displeasure.

All Im hearing on TV is that because Im a white conservative woman, Im a racist, a white supremacist and a neo-Nazi, she said. Somebody besides me has to be sick of this.

The crowd booed, but McCaskill wasnt here to go head-to-head with Trump supporters. She was here to try to win them over.

First of all, let me say, McCaskill responded, her voice made tinny by the microphone, I dont think anybody in this room thinks youre a racist. If youre being stereotyped that way thats just as unfair as stereotyping every black person as a terrorist for Black Lives Matter.

The senator swayed on the stage, her long cardigan coat flowing behind her, as she made direct eye contact with Phillips through tortoiseshell glasses. I can assure you, she said, there is stereotyping going on, on both sides.

Since joining the Senate a decade ago, McCaskill has been known as one of its most quotably outspoken Democrats, but in her conversations with voters this day, she doggedly rode the median: People who deface statues should be prosecuted. Single-payer health care is a bad idea, and so is trying to impeach Trump, even if he had recently suggested that protesters standing with Nazis and white supremacists were very fine people.

My job is not to fight the president, she has been saying at town halls all over the state this summer. My job is to fight for Missourians.

* * *



McCaskill, at a roundtable at the Missouri State Fair, tries to keep a finger on the states political pulse. Are you spending enough time in rural Missouri? her dying mother kept asking her in 2012. (Christopher Smith for The Washington Post)

This is what its like being a moderate in immoderate times. After Trumps election, populists in McCaskills party tried to grab the wheel and pull hard to the left. It was Bernie Sanderss party now, they said, and good riddance to the insiders and horse-traders. Prominent Democrats started cursing in speeches, trying to harness the fires of liberal outrage that the president has been all too glad to splash with gasoline.

And yet here was McCaskill, the most endangered Democrat in the Senate, for whom resistance politics are a liability. A Democrat in Trump Country, the Missourian represents the oft-forgotten flank of the partys two-year battle to reclaim Congress. To hold the line, she is running as an experienced politician who, shell have you know, has been ranked as the least ideologically pure.

This approach makes her seem like a relic of a long-gone Washington, where flexibility and the art of reaching across the aisle were desirable traits in an elected official. Nowadays, seeking the middle can make a politician  even one introduced at all her town halls as the most candid member of the Senate  appear unwilling to take tough stands.

On this day, for example, hours after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called for Confederate statues to be removed from the Capitol, McCaskill wouldnt say whether she agreed.

I think Nancy Pelosi should decide who the statues are for California, she said when asked by a reporter. Thats a decision each state has to make.

So what about monuments in Missouri?

I think it should be up to each local community, she said.

Is there a moral argument to keep them up or take them down?

I understand why they cause pain, she said. I also understand why we always have to be reminded of the ugliness of our history, because it keeps us from repeating it.

And if that sounds like a politician playing both sides  well, if McCaskill has any chance of pulling out a win in 2018, in a state that voted overwhelmingly for Trump, shell need to rely on her razor-sharp political instincts about the place. And get a lot of help.

From both sides.

* * *



McCaskill, at a town hall meeting in Clinton, has been striking a moderate tone across Missouri. (Christopher Smith for The Washington Post)

A decision each state has to make, she said of the removal of Confederate statues. (Christopher Smith for The Washington Post)

McCaskill was never supposed to survive this long. In 2012, she faced a tough reelection challenge from John Brunner, a Republican hand-sanitizer magnate positioning himself as an outsider. Instead of firing full blast on him, she engaged in a bit of political jujitsu with a move she liked to call Operation Dog Whistle: She bought TV ads attacking Brunners GOP opponent, Todd Akin, as too conservative for Missouri. In a Republican primary contest, that amounted to an in-kind contribution.

McCaskill had reckoned Akin would be the easiest Republican to defeat, because of his hard-right stances and his propensity to say outlandish things.

She was right.

Shortly after Akin won his primary, he choked on his own foot, with an interview in which he maintained women who suffer a legitimate rape arent likely to get pregnant. It was, McCaskill says, the most exciting day of her political career.

Surely theres a part of McCaskill  whos spent a good chunk of her career beclowning boorish men  that wishes she could use the president as a similar foil. While a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, the Senate majority leader called her a whore. She used the opportunity to condemn gutter speech, earning a standing ovation from the House and  perhaps more important  some statewide name recognition. In 2012, McCaskill was quietly thrilled when Rush Limbaugh called her a commie babe liberal. The attack made her look moderate by comparison and generated a flood of campaign contributions.

Of course, in todays political circus, where the star of the scandalous Access Hollywood tape is now the president, McCaskill isnt so sure that legitimate rape would even qualify as a legitimate controversy. It certainly wouldnt be as noteworthy, she said.

And despite her attack-dog reputation, McCaskill has long seen value in picking her battles. Early in her career, I made a decision to laugh on the outside at all the sexual harassment, she wrote in Plenty Ladylike, her 2015 memoir, while on the inside I used those moments to amp up my determination and focus to succeed.

Today, McCaskill may be making a similar calculation. The best way to fight Trump is to win. And the best way to win, she seems to have decided, is to not fight Trump.

* * *



McCaskill listens to Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) at a roundtable in Kansas City. I think it was Senator McCaskill from Missouri who said it was not her job to really criticize the president, Roberts said pointedly. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

My dad taught me to drive on these country roads, McCaskill said from the passenger seat of a Chevrolet Suburban as she headed from one rural town hall to the next. When there was a break in the yellow line, he would reach over with his foot and just step on the accelerator.

She pantomimed lifting her leg over the console. Her young driver widened his eyes with worry.

Id start shouting, Holy s---! she cackled. And hed yell right back: Well, ya gotta learn how to pass in the country! Thats how we do it out here! 

She grew up in these parts and knows how much that matters. As her mother lay dying in a hospital during the 2012 election cycle, she would constantly needle her daughter: Are you spending enough time in rural Missouri?

When she talks law and order  maintaining, for example, that anyone who tears down a statue should be prosecuted  its with the authority of a veteran prosecutor. (A killer, she was called by a top defense attorney in a 1987 Kansas City Star profile headlined Blonde Ambition.) And when reports surfaced on Twitter that violent left-wing antifa protesters had physically lashed out at journalists in Charlottesville, McCaskill seized upon the news.

Yep, I know some of those guys, Im telling you, she said, holding up her phone to her staffers in the back of the car. The skirmishes that broke out, Im sure there was fault on both sides.

Both sides. There it was again, an unexpected echo of Trump, who cast blame on many sides for the violence that erupted in Charlottesville when white nationalists and neo-Nazis protested the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue. McCaskill was quick to say that Trump made the situation worse by not coming down hard on the Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan  but her condemnation of both sides had an intentional-sounding ring to it.

McCaskills worry, of course, is not that Democrats will see her as too conservative; its that moderates will see her as too liberal. A Republican super PAC, America Rising, already has a tracker attending all of her events in search of a sound bite to help paint her as just another progressive in the Elizabeth Warren mold. On Sunday morning, Trump interrupted his tweets about the Texas storm response to announce that I will also be going to a wonderful state, Missouri, that I won by a lot in 16. Dem C.M. is opposed to big tax cuts.

So at her appearances across the state, McCaskill seems more interested in talking about the price of hearing aids, bipartisan efforts to fix health care, or a bill shes working on to provide aid to World War II veterans exposed to mustard gas, than she is in litigating the culture wars or talking about the president. It shouldnt be surprising: Missouri has had trouble choosing sides ever since its residents fought for both the North and the South in the Civil War. Today, its the swingiest of swing states, and the land of both Ferguson and Rush Limbaugh. McCaskill knows the importance of finding balance on terrain thats liable to shift, and shift again.

Recently, McCaskill co-hosted a Kansas City roundtable with Sen. Pat Roberts, a Republican from Kansas, on the risk of agro-terrorism. The two discussed their work to protect the nations food supply from biological attacks, and Roberts praised McCaskill as the person to call when you need to get things done.

As the event came to a close, a news-media gaggle moved in, peppering the senators with questions about Trumps latest controversies, among other things. Fortunately for Roberts, a member of the opposing party had armed him with the perfect dodge.

Well, you know, there was somebody, I think it was Senator McCaskill from Missouri, who said it was not her job to really criticize the president, he intoned. Its not mine, either.

Standing by his side, McCaskill offered an exasperated smirk.

Its not exactly what I said, she emphasized, then clarified: Her job was to fight for Missourians, but she reserved the right to criticize the president whenever she saw fit. She also reserved the right not to.

And so, she didnt.
A view of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at City Dock in Annapolis last year. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

This has happened before.

A monument erected in a prominent place was removed in the darkness of night. The Ku Klux Klan was invoked.

But this memorial, installed more than 30 years ago in the most touristed part of Annapolis, was dedicated to an African slave.

It took only two days for racist vandals to remove a bronze plaque in honor of Kunta Kinte, ancestor of Roots author Alex Haley, back in 1981.

Left in its place was a business card that read in big red letters: You have been patronized by the KKK. Above that, in black, it said, The Invisible Empire, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.

Of course, it was the KKK, neo-Nazis and other white supremacists who descended on Charlottesville this month to protest the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee. Their demonstration ended in clashes with counterprotesters that left 32-year-old Heather Heyer dead and many others injured.

[Trump lit the torches of white supremacy in Charlottesville. We must extinguish them.]

Right now, there are about 1,500 Confederate monuments scattered across the country  every one of them a reminder of whats at stake as we debate our history and how to mark it. In some cities, including Baltimore and Annapolis, statues honoring the heroes of the South were removed this month in the dead of night.

Is a statue there to honor? Glorify? Teach? Remember? The idea of heritage and history is an important part of this discussion.

And if thats the case, the 1,500 monuments dont come anywhere near to telling the full story of our history or honoring our heritage.

Where, exactly, are all the statues to the millions of enslaved men and women who were so crucial to the foundation of our great nation?

Where are the monuments to Nat Turner, Madison Washington, Gabriel Prosser or Jemmy  all men who led slave rebellions on behalf of their people. Arent their heroic actions  and the bloody results  as worthy of memorializing as the Confederacy?

Yet theres no statue for Virginian Nat Turner, who on Aug. 22, 1831, led 70 men to kill his master, his wife and their children with axes and then dozens of other whites. In his home state, all he gets is a roadside marker on the site of the insurrection.

Compare that with the massive statues along Monument Avenue in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, where Gen. Robert E. Lee commands a 60-foot-high view of the city. What should happen to him and Confederate rebels Jefferson Davis, Stonewall Jackson, Matthew Fontaine Maury and J.E.B. Stuart? Should the city remove them or continue adding more statues that recognize the contributions of African Americans, as it has already started to do? Maybe Nat Turner should get a statue on Monument Avenue.

[Confederate memorials: An excuse for white supremacists to spew hatred]

It took 18 years of debate and planning for Charleston, S.C., to erect a statue of Denmark Vesey, a freed slave who was a founder of Emanuel AME Church and was executed for organizing a foiled slave revolt in Charleston in 1822.

Just a few months ago, three years after it was unveiled, city officials believe damage they found on the Vesey statue may have been the result of vandals trying to topple it.

This is what happens when America tries to remind itself of its bloody past.

Back in Annapolis, neither the culprit nor the missing Kunta Kinte memorial was ever found. But the people of Annapolis rallied to raise enough money to replace the plaque and add a sculpture of author Alex Haley reading to a trio of multiethnic children.

Its now a beloved Annapolis fixture. Kids sit in Haleys lap and pose alongside the bronze children. And on an August morning, it did exactly what every memorial, monument and statue should do.

You must hear me now, with more than your ears! Harvey Kramer read to three of this grandchildren. He was reading a quote from Haleys book, and he explained to the three little imps swirling around him that this is a part of American history.

Kramer, 79, graduated from the Naval Academy and was showing his family his old stomping grounds in Annapolis. He said most of his classmates were white, like him. And there was little conversation at the time about diversity in history.

The memorial to Haley and Kunta Kinte gave him that chance to talk to his children about a painful piece of U.S. history.

Another family with children frolicking around the statue said the memorial sparked conversation about the time they watched the seminal TV miniseries Roots as kids and when, exactly, they should begin talking with their young children about slavery.

We need honesty about this, said the father, who was visiting Annapolis from Minneapolis.

Confederate statues and monuments dont really bother Jacqueline Jones, who is from Brooklyn, nor do they have an impact on her daughter, Christen Jones, who lives in Maryland.

Thats history. It happened, and we shouldnt try to erase it, said Jacqueline, who is 57 and African American.

Its the absence of other memorials that bothers her.

How about some more Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass monuments? she asked.

Sure, those exist. But not many. Statues to African Americans on American soil include ones to Duke Ellington, Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King Jr., but we have done little to remember the millions of Americans who lived as slaves and built the economic powerhouse that the United States quickly became.

Our African American memorials are uplifting, friendly, even sanitized.

Throughout the world, there are starker and more powerful monuments to the human terror that was the slave trade and the astounding resilience of those who survived it.

Barbados has a powerful sculpture of a man showing his broken chains. It is known as Bussa, the name of the leader of that islands 1816 slave revolt. The statue went up in 1985.

Tanzania has a haunting sculpture unveiled in 1998 that shows forms with chains around their necks, slightly lowered into the ground, the way slaves were kept at the nearby slave market.

Back in 1976, Veracruz, Mexico, celebrated Gaspar Yanga with a statue of the leader of a 1570 slave revolt who became the leader of his colony.

America can do better.

On the promenade along the Savannah River in Savannah, Ga., there is a granite-and-bronze African American monument showing a black family with broken chains at their feet.

When it was proposed in 2001, there was a citywide furor over the quote by poet Maya Angelou on its base: We lay back to belly in the holds of the slave ships in each others excrement and urine together, sometimes died together, and our lifeless bodies thrown overboard together.

It was too harsh, some city leaders said.

Maya Angelous description was a little far out, said David Jones, a black City Council member. I myself wouldnt want to be reminded of that every time I look at it. History . . . can hurt.

Yes, the truth hurts.

The quote stayed. And certainly it started many, many conversations.

Twitter: @petulad
Two weeks after white supremacists and violence turned this city into a new flash point of racial strife in America, hundreds of residents still anguished and angry came together Sunday for what was billed as the beginning of a road to recovery.

But the gathering delivered few answers to a community demanding them, and it appeared healing is still a ways off.

Jack Ridley Jr., 66, a lifelong resident and retired city employee, echoed many at the meeting, saying that city leaders need to get beyond finger-pointing and begin to provide clarity about what went wrong and how it can be fixed.

What happened two weeks ago came from the outside and it has put a mark on the city thats never been there before, he said.

Emotions were sometimes raw as residents continued to grapple with the aftermath of the deadly demonstration Aug. 12 by white supremacists, neo-Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members that claimed the life of Charlottesville resident Heather Heyer.

Charlottesville Chief of Police Al Thomas, left, and City Manager Maurice Jones listen during Sundays town hall meeting. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

Heyer, 32, a paralegal, had joined the counterprotest that day and was killed when a car allegedly driven by a man with neo-Nazi ties barreled into a crowd of pedestrians. Two state troopers monitoring the rally by helicopter died in a crash.

Charlottesville has not been the same since.

This picturesque city of fewer than 50,000 people  home to the University of Virginia and not far from Shenandoah National Park  has roiled since white supremacists converged in a Unite the Right rally, following a city decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E Lee.

The Sunday town hall, hosted by the city and the Justice Departments Community Relations Service, was planned as a way to move forward.

But many asked why police did not do more to quell the deadly violence.

[How Charlottesville lost control amid deadly protest]

This is not about blame, this is about accountability, said Judith Minter, the owner of a downtown business, who voiced disappointment that there was not more clarity about why the police failed the community that day.

City officials were present but did not take the stage to give a detailed defense of their actions. The city announced Friday that it had hired former U.S. attorney Tim Heaphy to lead an independent review of the citys response to the Aug. 12 rally and two others in recent months.

Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy said in an interview that the gathering was intended to give residents the chance to speak. We need to listen and empathize and let people express themselves, he said.

Sundays event was led by a federal official from the Community Relations Service, and some who stepped forward took issue with the Justice Department itself and the messages that have come from Washington and the Trump administration.

The leader of your department is another monument to white supremacy that must fall, librarian Dave Ghamandi, 30, told the crowd, saying Attorney General Jeff Sessions was named for Confederate heroes.

The gathering went beyond its planned two hours, touching on issues of racial inequity, free speech, gun laws, Confederate monuments, affordable housing and civic leadership.

I would just ask that we adequately prepare for the next time and continue to resist this scourge, said Dena Imlay, president of a neighborhood association.

The town hall came six days after a contentious City Council meeting that grew so raucous that council members left the chamber. According to the Charlottesville Daily Progress, two women then went to the dais and stood on it, holding a banner that read: BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS.

In the early hours of Tuesday, the council voted to shroud the citys statues of Lee and Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson in black fabric. But during the weekend, the statue was uncovered overnight, the newspaper said.

On Saturday, police charged three men with felonies in attacks on counterprotesters at the Aug. 12 Unite the Right rally. One of the men has been identified as an imperial wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, and one of the men is still at large.

Police said 18-year-old Daniel P. Borden of Mason, Ohio, is part of a group of six men who violently beat a man in a parking garage next to the Charlottesville Police Department. The attack was captured on video.

Borden and Alex Michael Ramos, 33, were charged with malicious wounding, related to an aggravated assault. Ramos was being sought Sunday, police said.

Richard Wilson Preston, 52, was charged with discharging a firearm within 1,000 feet of a school. Preston has identified himself to news media as the imperial wizard of the Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, based in Northern Maryland.

James Alex Fields Jr., 20, has been in custody since the day of the rally in connection with Heyers death. He is charged with second-degree murder, among other crimes.

In announcing the town hall, city officials said representatives from the Community Relations Service will work closely with residents to engage the community and come up with an action plan. A working group of people from all walks of life is to be part of the effort.

The Community Relations Service works with state and local governments and others to prevent and resolve racial and ethnic tensions. It was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Tom Jackman contributed to this report.
More than a quarter-million students in Northern Virginia are heading back to school Monday as the states two largest school districts  Fairfax and Prince William  reopen their doors.

Fairfax County schools open with a new superintendent  Scott Brabrand, who arrived in July to lead the school system. Brabrand, a former Lynchburg City schools superintendent and a former assistant superintendent in Fairfax County, is scheduled to mark his first day of classes with a tour of Chantilly High.

[Fairfax County taps former high school principal to be new superintendent]

Brabrand arrives as the school system grapples with $50 million in budget cuts. The school board voted to raise class sizes by an average of about half a student per class, which means schools dealing with overcrowding will receive no relief. The cuts also forced the school system to scale back plans for teacher raises and to levy a $50 fee on student athletes.

[Fairfax schools brace for bigger class sizes, new student fees amid budget woes]

This is the first time in recent history that Fairfax County schools have opened before Labor Day. The school system  the states largest, with about 190,000 students  received a waiver from a state law that requires classes to start after the holiday weekend to safeguard Virginias tourism industry. The school system has had enough snow days over the past decade to qualify for the waiver.

[Fairfax County schools to move to pre-Labor Day start in 2017]

Those who supported the change said the late start put Fairfax County students at a disadvantage because it gave them less time to prepare for standardized exams. It also meant that students had to remain in class for far longer after they completed comprehensive exams, when students might be less motivated to complete their work.

Prince William County, a fast-growing district with nearly 90,000 students, opened another new school this year. Covington-Harper Elementary School in Dumfries welcomes students for the first time Monday. The school is named for two former board members: Betty Covington, who worked for the school district for more than 50 years; and John Harper Jr., a retired Army officer who was the boards first African American member.

School start dates are staggered in Northern Virginia. Children in Loudoun County returned to classes Thursday, while students in Arlington County and Alexandria City are scheduled to go back on Sept. 5, the day after Labor Day.
Five days after roaring ashore in Texas  leaving behind more than 24 trillion gallons of water, disastrous flooding across Houston and a mounting death toll that had reached at least 22 people  Harvey made landfall near Cameron, La.

Houston officials described a vast rescue effort and said about 2,000 people had been brought to safety with more still in need of help.

Houston officials described a vast rescue effort and said about 2,000 people had been brought to safety with more still in need of help.

Among the potential victims of the Hurricane Harvey are hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants who live in Houston and other hard-hit parts of Texas.

The storm is devastating the region just days before a new state law cracking down on sanctuary cities is scheduled to take effect. Advocates say it presents an entirely new set of challenges for a population already reeling from accelerated state and federal enforcement of immigration laws.

As the hurricane loomed, federal authorities and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said undocumented immigrants should seek shelter from the storm and rising floodwaters. In a joint statement, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agencies said they would not target undocumented immigrants at evacuation sites, shelters or food banks, and would prioritize lifesaving and life-sustaining activities during the storm and its aftermath.

But Oscar Hernandez, a community organizer with United We Dream in Houston, said he knew of undocumented immigrants in the Houston area who were afraid to seek help from shelters and were bunking with neighbors instead. Others are worried about losing their houses or everything they own to floods.

All of us are scared, Hernandez said.

This drone video taken Aug. 27 shows the historic flooding in Houston caused by Hurricane Harvey. (ahmed.gul/Instagram)

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States and one of the most diverse. Its metropolitan area, which includes the city and surrounding suburbs, has the third-largest unauthorized immigrant population in the country, about 575,000 people, according to a report this year by the Pew Research Center. Unauthorized immigrants made up 8.7 percent of the metro areas population as of 2014, more than double the national average.

Advocates say Texass looming crackdown on illegal immigration has already driven many of those immigrants further into the shadows, and possibly, out of the state.

On Friday, Texas will officially outlaw sanctuary cities, threatening local police chiefs with jail time and city officials with losing their jobs if they do not help deport immigrants. The new law is being challenged in court by Houston and a number of other cities and localities.

Texas is also leading a coalition of GOP officials in 10 states threatening to sue President Trump if he doesnt act by Sept. 5 to start phasing out the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which has granted reprieves from deportation to nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants.

Hernandez, who has DACA protection, said many immigrant families in Texas fear increased racial profiling, detentions and deportations in the state once the sanctuary law takes effect.

As concerned as everyone is about the hurricane, we have another disaster thats heading our way, led by the government, led by Trump, said Hernandez, 29, who came to the United States from Puebla, Mexico, when he was 2 years old.

Eduardo Canales, director of the South Texas Human Rights Center, said the state is at risk of losing much-needed low-wage workers  cleaners, cooks, carpenters and landscapers  who because of the crackdown may not stick around to help Texas communities recover from the storm.

People are leaving the state already. Whos going to clean up the mess? Canales said in a phone interview from his home in Corpus Christi. All the landscaping, all the work that they do. All that service work . . . Theres going to be a lot of remodeling and a lot of work and somebodys gotta do it.

Ali Noorani, executive director of the National Immigration Forum, said Texas business and church leaders were already worried about losing workers before the hurricane struck.

Things are really piling up for the immigrant community in Texas in a bad way, Noorani said. Its hard to tell exactly how many people are going to be displaced, but I think already the Houston workforce is so immigrant-driven, that to rebuild the city of Houston is going to need the contributions of everybody.

The undocumented workforce in Texas is 1.15 million. Of those, 32 percent work in hotels, restaurants and other service industries and 23 percent work in construction, according to Mark Hugo Lopez, director of Hispanic research at the Pew Research Center.
BLOOD DONATIONS

Blood drives Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Leesburg Public Safety Center, 65 Plaza St., Leesburg, 800-733-6727; Sept. 5, 3-8 p.m. Ashburn Farm Association, 21400 Windmill Dr., Ashburn, 800-733-6727; Sept. 13, 2:30-8 p.m. Onelife Fitness, 42365 Soave Dr., Ashburn, 800-733-6727.

Inova Blood Donor Center Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood.

FIRST AID

First aid/adult, infant and child CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Fauquier Health Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Call for schedule. Registration required. 540-316-3588. $85.

HEARING

Disability Resource Center Technical assistance through the state Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free.

MENTAL HEALTH

Counseling for sexual violence survivors Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020.

Crisis Intervention Treatment and Assessment Center Provides emergency mental-health, substance-use and developmental services to Loudoun residents. Daily 7 a.m.-11 p.m. 102 Heritage Way NE, Suite 102, Leesburg. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day at 703-777-0320.

Crisislink Suicide and crisis intervention. Community education, a volunteer crisis response team and CareRing, a telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services This mental-health nonprofit organization is accepting clients ages 16 to 30 for a coordinated services program with Loudoun County to help young people with their first experience of psychosis find hope and recover. For information, call Lisa Beran at 703-388-6572 or go to prsinc.org.

Piedmont Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness and their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213.

Mental health first-aid A public education program offered by the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services to help residents understand mental illness and seek intervention. Go to loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid.

Northern Virginia Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their loved ones. naminorthernvirginia.org.

PREGNANCY, PARENTING

Adoptive family preservation Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. Call 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellario@umfs.org.

Birthright of Loudoun County Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272.

Bond Between Us A nonprofit organization that offers support to birthparents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844.

Breast-feeding support Mondays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588.

Dad support New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360.

For the Childrens Sake A support group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information: 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org.

La Leche League Mother-to-mother support and breast-feeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-829-0349. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637.

Loudoun Fatherhood Program Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free.

Loudoun Nurturing Parenting Program Positive parenting techniques; children attend with parents. Registration required. Call 703-771-3973, Ext. 27, or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org. Free.

Mothernet/Healthy Families Loudoun Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family-support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217, or inmed.org.

New mother support Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360.

Online childbirth education program Inova Loudoun Hospitals Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breast-feeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360 or thebirthinginn.org/classes.

Parenting Alone group For parents who have school-age children and have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org.

Pregnancy and childbirth support Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438.

Young parent services Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375.

SENIORS

Chair yoga Age 55 and older. Mondays 11 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Wear comfortable clothes. Bare feet or socks encouraged. 571-258-3400. $2 drop-in.

Exercise equipment Age 55 and older. Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Eye care LensCrafters staff members clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free.

Inova Loudoun mobile van Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Laughing yoga for seniors Exercises to improve flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Loudoun Adult Day Centers For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free.

Tai chi for seniors Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Zumba gold class Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month.

Zumba For people 55 and older learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance. Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Addiction support Tuesdays 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Email sznnodum@gmail.com or 540-935-8148.

Al-Anon Service Center of Northern Virginia A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m., Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m., St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m., Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m., Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m., Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666.

Alcoholics Anonymous Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org.

Alzheimers caregivers support For those caring for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org.

Alzheimers caregiver support For those who care for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800.

Alzheimers caregivers support Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov.

Alzheimers caregiver support group Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831 or alz.org.

Alzheimers support First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520.

Alzheimers support First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334.

Alzheim ers support First Thursdays, noon, Lansdowne Woods of Virginia, 19375 Magnolia Grove Sq., Lansdowne. 703-283-6554.

Alzheimers support Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400.

Talk About Curing Autism A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org.

Autoimmune support Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. autoimmunesupport@hotmail.com.

Bereaved parent support One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

Bereavement support Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800.

Breast cancer support For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857.

Breast cancer support Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588.

Breast cancer support For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or have metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free.

Breast Cancer Support Assistance Fund Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org.

Cancer support Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual-care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273.

Cancer support Life with Cancer, for patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012 or ashburnpresbyterian.org.

Caregiver support Emotional, educational and social support. Encourages caregivers to maintain their physical and emotional health while caring for people with dementia or other chronic illness. Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831.

Caregiver support and resource group Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv.

Caring for Aging Parents Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537.

CHADD parents support For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.novaloudoun@gmail.com.

Chronic illness support Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

Coffee and Conversation Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

Compassionate Friends For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707.

Creating and Connecting Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Western Loudoun Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org.

Drop-in grief support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. Davids Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781.

Families Overcoming Drug Addiction Support group. First and third Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. myfodafamily@gmail.com or 540-316-9221.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and parent support A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling. 703-328-6518.

Griefshare Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Tuesdays through Oct. 3, 7-8:30 p.m. Purcellville Baptist Church 601 Yaxley Dr., Purcellville. Call 540-338-0918 or email caring@purbap.org. Workbook, $15.

Griefshare Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free.

Grief support Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Email hospicesupport@verizon.net or call 540 - 347-5922.

Grief support Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

Hospice support Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses . 540-347-5922.

Look Good, Feel Better For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45-9 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free.

Loudoun CHADD support Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445.

Lyme disease support Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@gmail.com.

Lyme disease support Third Thursdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Call 540-341-8245 or email phillipsgeo@comcast.net.

Lyme disease support Age 18 and older. First Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Email charphealy@yahoo.com.

MADD Loudoun victim support For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491.

Man-to-Man cancer support Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-858-8857 or karen.archer@inova.org.

Menopause support Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060.

Mens grief support Second Mondays at 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 703-568-3346. Free.

Multiple sclerosis support Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826.

Multiple sclerosis support Last Sundays, September-June, 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. Call ahead to confirm. 703-771-4256.

Nar-Anon family support For those affected by loved ones with addiction. Meaningful Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; Wisdom Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; Serenity Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125.

Overeaters Anonymous For fellowship and support. For locations and times, go to oa.org.

Parkinsons social Coffee and conversation. Third Wednesdays 10 a.m.-noon, Tribute at One Loudoun, Welcome Center, 20618 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn. parkinsonsocialnetwork.org or 703-378-7221. Free.

Parkinsons support Open to those with Parkinsons disease, their family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851.

Postpartum support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Call 703-909-9877 or email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required.

Reach to Recovery Home-visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550.

Sexual assault and incest survivors group counseling Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Womens Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020.

Sexual assault survivors empowerment support Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48 hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720.

Spiritual support group For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850.

Stroke support First Wednesdays, noon-1:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Free.

Stroke survivors and caregivers support Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6199 or jill.lieb@inova.org.

Suicide counseling Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. 703-587-1618 or survivorsofsuicidelossleesburg@gmail.com.

Widows and widowers support Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Womens support Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876.

Womens cancer support Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850.

MISCELLANEOUS

Brain trauma survivors brown-bag lunch For survivors and caregivers. First Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free.

Child developmental screenings For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County school systems Child Find Center. 571-252-2180.

Cholesterol screenings Weekdays, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35.

Emergency food supplies Loudoun County residents in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Hunger Relief. Call 703-777-5911 or go to loudounhunger.org.

Fauquier free walk-in medical clinic Call Thursdays 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Fauquier Hospital Bistro Senior Supper Club Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.49.

HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. Support to military members and families, from predeployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental-health services. caring@purbap.org or heroescare.org.

Inova Loudoun Hospital Mobile Health Services Blood pressure screenings. Thursday 10 a.m.-noon, Lansdowne Woods, 19400 Leisure World Blvd., Leesburg. Call 703-858-8818 for information or go to inova.org/mobilehealth. Free.

Loudoun Cares information and referral help line Call 703-669-4636 for help in finding resources for county residents on issues of eviction, utility cutoffs, health care and employment.

Motor skill screenings Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free.

Northern Virginia long-term-care ombudsman Call 703-324-5861 for help with complaints related to long-term-care facilities.

Road to Recovery Free rides to appointments for cancer patients. Call 410-781-6909 or email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free.

Safe sitter classes For girls and boys ages 11-14. First Saturdays except for holiday weekends. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. To receive a Safe Sitter Certificate, students must pass practical and written tests on babysitting and handling an emergency. Take a lunch from home or buy one in the cafeteria. $70, includes handbook and snacks. Registration required. Contact 703-858-8818 or charlene.martin@inova.org.

Seven Loaves Food Pantry Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon. Go to sevenloavesmiddleburg.org or call 540-687-3489.

Tree of Life Food Pantry Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595.

 Compiled by Sandy Mauck

TO SUBMIT AN ITEM

Email: ldliving@washpost.com

Fax: 703-777-8437

Mail: Health Calendar, The Washington Post, 104 Dry Mill Rd. SW, Suite 101, Leesburg, Va. 20175

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar

Loudoun County and Fauquier County health calendar
Correction: Earlier versions of this article incorrectly stated that one of MaryMeds out-of-state affiliates faced a federal probe. It was a probe by state and local authorities. The article has been corrected.

Maryland medical cannabis regulators gave final approvals Monday to three more cultivation centers and two processing companies, and announced that they would give 10 other companies that missed a key deadline additional time to complete their licensing requirements.

The businesses were supposed to have finished inspections and final background checks within a year of receiving preliminary approval from the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission last August.

Other businesses that applied for licenses but were denied, and state lawmakers allied with them, are monitoring the final-approval process closely, hoping that companies that missed the deadline will be rejected and that their own companies will get another chance to break into the potentially lucrative legal marijuana industry.

Commissioner Charles Smith III, who is the states attorney for Frederick County, said regulators decided against rescinding preliminary approval for the two growers and eight processors that missed the deadline, and will monitor their progress in the coming weeks.

Patrick Jameson, executive director of the commission, said, Theyll look at it on a case-by-case basis.



Brian Lopez, left, chairman of the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, with Executive Director Patrick Jameson at a commission meeting on Aug. 14 in Belair, Md. (Photo by Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

[Maryland House reprimands member for marijuana business ties]

Marylands medical marijuana program, legalized in 2013, has so far licensed a dozen growers, six processors and a single dispensary, in Frederick County. Retail outlets have until December to pass final vetting and inspections.

One company that received preliminary approval, MaryMed, was ultimately denied a cultivation and processing license amid questions over a probe of one of its out-of-state affiliates. The company is appealing that decision.

The commission is the target of several lawsuits alleging that the process of choosing companies was unfair. In addition, various state lawmakers have called for additional licenses to be awarded or for an overhaul of the program. Those critics include the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland, which objects to the dearth of black-owned businesses in the medical cannabis industry.

The commission has also been probing potential conflicts between some of the companies and the independent experts hired by the state to review their applications.

One such company had its application for a processing license reviewed by a team that included the wife of one of its executives, The Washington Post reported last month. That company is among the eight prospective processors that have been granted extra time to complete the final requirements.

Marijuana regulators on Monday also discussed expanding the number of processor licenses, which  unlike the number of growers  is not capped by law.

Darrell Carrington, a lobbyist for several prospective companies, said a bigger pool of processors would mean a broader range of medical marijuana products available on the market and, potentially, more minority- and female-owned companies.

But Jake Van Wingerden, who chairs an association of pre-

licensed growers and processors, said those first companies made assumptions and business decisions based on the original award numbers, and we believe it is premature to add any additional licenses at this time before the market is even up and running.
An attorney from the Maryland attorney generals office says it would be legal for the state to allow public financing for candidates on a county-by-county basis, clearing the way for the drafting of such a bill in the 2018 legislative session.

Del. Marc A. Korman (D-Montgomery) contacted the attorney generals office in May for guidance on whether a localized approach to public financing  as opposed to a statewide option  would hit constitutional roadblocks. A county-by-county approach was so novel that it left certain questions, such as how to handle legislative districts that dont match up with county lines, unanswered.

Korman called the offices opinion good news and said he will move forward with drafting a bill, which he and other advocates say would increase opportunities for candidates to run for office without relying on big individual or corporate donors.

Although Korman said he would prefer a statewide public financing option for legislative candidates  a proposal that has not advanced in past legislative sessions  he described a county-by-county program as a way to inch closer to that goal.

In a letter earlier this month, Sandra Benson Brantley, counsel to the General Assembly, wrote that a local option would not violate the Equal Protection Clause or the First Amendment rights of candidates so long as all candidates running in a particular district have the same opportunity to use the public financing program. Korman said his bill will authorize public financing in multicounty districts only if all of the counties in that district have public financing programs.

There is evidence of growing support in parts of Maryland for publicly financed campaigns.

In 2014, the Montgomery County Council unanimously voted to adopt partial public financing for county executive and council candidates; several 2018 hopefuls are now seeking public matching funds by forgoing corporate or PAC contributions and collecting a certain number of small-dollar donations.

In June, the Howard County Council approved a public financing system, which will begin in the 2022 election cycle.

Opponents of public financing say the government should not be in the position of funding individual campaigns. Some also have expressed concern that a localized option would be unfair to candidates in poorer counties, which may be less willing to use tax revenue to generate funding pools for political campaigns.

Robert Lipman, co-founder of the advocacy group MoCo Voters, which advocates for reducing the role of big donors in politics, welcomed the idea of a county-by-county public finance option.

Lets inch it forward little bit by little bit, Lipman said. People will like it and theyll say, How can we expand on this? 
Martha Ann Miller, a former Arlington Public Schools educator who helped fight for the countys first elected school board and taught at one of Virginias first desegregated public schools, died Aug. 16 at a senior living center in Arlington. She was 106.

Her daughter, Margaret Filiatrault, said the cause of death had not yet been determined.

At 101, Mrs. Miller independently published an autobiography, The First Century: And Not Ready for the Rocking Chair Yet. She chronicled her life from her girlhood on an Indiana farm during the Great Depression to her efforts on behalf of Arlington students at a pivotal moment in history.

Mrs. Miller was credited with playing a key role in changing the administration of Virginia schools. In Arlington, where she settled in 1937, she viewed the public school system as inadequate and slow to change. In the 1940s, she circulated a petition demanding that the Arlington School Board issue bonds for new schools, but the request was denied.

There was a real fight that went on, Mrs. Miller said at an event for her book in 2013. We were listed as communists, as people who would leave the county with a big debt and leave in a year or so.

She and her husband, Malcolm D. Miller, who was a lawyer, joined the Citizens Committee for School Improvement and mounted a campaign to give Arlington an elected school board. The committee helped obtain General Assembly approval for a vote in 1947, and Arlington soon succeeded as the first and only county to vote for an elected school board.

After the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954, in which the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated schools unconstitutional, the Arlington school board moved to begin desegregating its schools. In response, Sen. Harry F. Byrd (D-Va.), who operated a statewide political machine, called for massive resistance to racial integration, and the General Assembly replaced the elected board with a state-appointed one in 1956. Virginia did not allow the local election of school boards again until 1992.

Mrs. Miller taught math at Stratford Junior High School in Arlington for 21 years. In 1959, Stratford admitted four black students, becoming the first public school to desegregate under court order in Virginia.

The principals asked the teachers if we would be willing to teach black students, she wrote in her book. Some teachers refused. I personally felt it was an insult to be asked this kind of question, and I, of course, volunteered, considering it an honor to have these students in my classroom.

Two of the four students joined Mrs. Millers seventh grade class. In her memoir, she described it as a regular day.

Theyre human beings like the rest of us, and they should be treated that way, she told The Washington Post in 2011.

Martha Ann Riggs was born in Evansville, Ind., on Aug. 6, 1911, and raised on a nearby family farm. At 13, as a member of the 4-H youth club, she won a statewide baking contest. Her loaf of bread won her a trip to Washington and a full scholarship to Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Ind., which they held for her until she finished high school. In 1934, she graduated with a degree in economics and a minor in math.

1 of 66 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Notable deaths so far this year View Photos Remembering those who have died in 2017. Caption Remembering those who died in 2017. Mamie Peanut Johnson Mamie Peanut Johnson, the first female pitcher in the Negro leagues, died on Dec. 18. Read the obituary: Mamie Peanut Johnson, hard-throwing woman in baseballs Negro leagues, dies at 82 Katherine Frey/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Her husband died in 1989 after 42 years of marriage. A son, William Miller, died in 1945, and a daughter, Winifred E. Kriebel, died in 1994.

Survivors include two children, Margaret Filiatrault of Georgetown, S.C., and Malcolm R. Miller of Santa Rosa, Calif.; four grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Miller had been a member of the American Association of University Women since 1944. In 1997, she was honored by Arlington Countys Commission on the Status of Women for her service in the community and commitment to education. She belonged to Clarendon United Methodist Church for 73 years.

Having lived most of my life in the 20th century, it is worth noting what a wonderful century it was, she wrote in her book. Ive lived through the days of horses and buggies, trolley cars, Model-T Fords, and early planes. . . . I fully believe there will never be another century as full of change and inventions as that one.
Pike & Rose, which originally was called Mid-Pike Plaza, is named after two of the three roads that border it: Rockville PIKE and MontROSE Parkway. (John Kelly/THE WASHINGTON POST)

If you havent spent a lot of your life driving on Rockville Pike in Montgomery County, congratulations. But if, like me, the pike figured prominently in your upbringing  if you spent many hours as a newly minted driver piloting your mothers vinyl-roofed Buick Century up and down it  then it may occupy a fond place in your heart.

For me, the pike is something of a suburban ley line, each shopping center along its length imbued with its own sense of history: White Flint, Congressional, Wintergreen, Mid-Pike Plaza . . .

It was at Mid-Pike Plaza that I saw my first Toys R Us. I thought Id died and gone to heaven, except instead of God there was GI Joe with Kung Fu grip, boxes and boxes of him. (That was before Id gotten my drivers license, I should hasten to point out.)

These days, people apparently dont want strip shopping centers, with their oceans of parking fronting tiny atolls of commerce. They dont want malls, either. They want town centers.

Theyre redoing White Flint, the fancy mall from my youth that boasted inside its belly an ersatz Venetian shopping street, complete with cobblestones. Things arent going so well. Everythings been torn down except for Lord & Taylor, which now looks like a besieged fort in a post-apocalyptic hellscape. But Im sure its very nice.

And Mid-Pike Plaza? Well, to be honest, it was never the sexiest name in the world. It dated from a time when businesses thought it was important to convey useful information with their names. Now, names are meant to convey a mood. Thus Mid-Pike Plaza is in the process of becoming Pike & Rose.

I was a little slow to figure out where the new name came from. It sounds like what youd call a pub in an English village famed for its fishing and its fragrant horticulture. Instead, its named after two of the three roads that border it: Rockville PIKE and MontROSE Parkway. Its also bordered by Old Georgetown Road, meaning it could have been named George & Rose, like that nice older couple down the street that you check up on when the newspapers start piling up on the front lawn.

Around the same time that Pike & Rose was a-bornin, some of the roads around it were reconfigured. Since then, I have never successfully gotten from Montrose Parkway onto Rockville Pike on my first attempt. Never. The layout is counterintuitive. The signage is bad. I always end up irritated.

Last time, I somehow ended up in Pike & Rose. It was as if Shangri-La had been revealed through a break in the clouds. It was the first time Id been in there since all the stores I remember from my youth  the toy store, the fabric store  had been scraped away.

Im afraid my mood didnt improve much. Just as with the reconfigured roads around it, something didnt seem quite right with Pike & Rose. I found it a bit claustrophobic. But maybe new developments work best for people who dont remember the old developments.

And maybe these are just the pains that go with construction. Pike & Rose is still being built. Maybe everything will magically click into place when theyre done.

Theres another place where Ive felt that sense of not quite rightness and thats the Montgomery County public library that opened a couple of years ago in downtown Silver Spring, replacing a rather tired building on Colesville Road.

Tired the old place may have been, but it had a quality that I appreciate in a building: It was fairly simple to get into, around in and then out of. Thats not the case with the new library, which is a tall, pointy glass thing at Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street.

Every time I visit it, I wonder if its architects have ever been inside a building before, or are just really good at drawing the outsides of them. The library is on the third floor, but not all elevators will take you there. Once you are there, its easy to forget how to get out.

It didnt help that right after the library opened, none of the librarians seemed to know where the books were. A lot of helpful signs have been added but it still takes me awhile to find my bearings. I still have never successfully used the self-checkout machines, which either dont work or are too complicated for English majors.

The Rockville Pike/Montrose Parkway interchange, the Silver Spring library, the wonky self-checkout machines  couldnt they have been thought through a little better?

Are there places that you frequent in the area that just dont seem quite right? Send me details.

Twitter: @johnkelly

For previous columns, visit washingtonpost.com/johnkelly.
Ceremony scheduled to commemorate 9/11

A public ceremony marking the anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, will begin at 9 a.m. Sept. 11 at the Liberty Memorial, near the McCoart Administration Building, 1 County Complex Ct., Woodbridge. During the ceremony, the names of the 22 county residents who were killed that day at the Pentagon and the World Trade Center will be read.

Community is invited to ferry transit summit

Prince William County Supervisor Frank J. Principi (D-Woodbridge) recently announced plans for a Fast Ferry Summit on Sept. 21 at the Occoquan Harbour Marina, 13180 Marina Way, Woodbridge.

The event will bring together government officials, fast ferry owners, military members, marina owners and academic professionals. It will include meetings and a public town hall on how to remove road congestion by moving commuters on the water.

According to Principi in a news release, the summit is part of a study commissioned by the Northern Virginia Regional Commission and conducted by consulting firm Nelson Nygard to detail the shore-side infrastructure needs of marinas, with an eye toward bringing fast ferries to Belmont Bay or Occoquan Marina in Woodbridge.

For information, call 703-792-4646 or visit newwoodbridge.org.
One person is dead after a hit-and-run in Prince William County.

The crash happened just after 11 p.m. Sunday and involved two vehicles on the northbound side of Interstate 95 in Dumfries, according to Virginia State Police.

The vehicle that police believe was at fault in the crash fled the scene on Exit 152B, according to witnesses.

Police did not release the name of the person who died at this time, pending the notification of relatives.

Officials only had a vague description of the vehicle involved. They said witnesses described it as being dark in color and said it may have damage to the drivers side door.

The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call 703-803-0026.
The stun of the police Taser that struck Ronnie Lyles in the back and dropped him to the ground lasted only about five seconds, but he said the repercussions of the shock and his subsequent arrest tormented him long after the law enforcement encounter.

Lyless head hit the ground with a thud after being Tasered, leaving him in physical pain for months.

Charged with assault, failure to obey police and disorderly conduct, the professional driver had his license suspended and lost his job while fighting his prosecution.

And the prospect of spending his 40s in prison left Lyles distraught and withdrawn, an emotional transformation that broke up his engagement.

Five years after Lyles found himself writhing in a parking lot, a federal jury in Maryland ordered two Riverdale Park police officers to pay him more than $500,000 in damages. At the end of a two-day civil trial this month in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, the jury determined that police used excessive force, falsely charged Lyles and maliciously prosecuted him.

[Deaths have raised questions about the risk of excessive or improper deployment of Tasers]

It was a remarkable example of a pretty blatant violation of rights, with really no reasonable excuse whatsoever even under the officers version of events, said Cary Hansel, the Maryland attorney who represented Lyles. The officer admits the guy never struck him or touched him but still charged him with assaulting an officer and Tased him in the back.

In a statement, Riverdale Park Police Chief David C. Morris said the town is reviewing the court decision.

The underlying incident in this civil lawsuit occurred more than five years ago, Morris said. The town of Riverdale Park was then and continues to be committed to providing professional police services to our residents, businesses and visitors.

The officers who were ordered to pay damages  Job Blanco and Brian Slattery  still serve on the force, Morris said.

The attorney listed for Blanco and Slattery did not respond to requests for comment. And Blanco and Slattery did not respond to messages via social media and phone.

Lyles, a Forestville resident, was not convicted of a crime in connection with the encounter with the Riverdale Park police.

The case stems from an April 2012 traffic stop. Lyles and his fiancee had just finished dinner with friends in the District and stopped at a McDonalds to pick up food for their children before heading home.

As they left the parking lot of a nearby shopping center in their Cadillac SUV, Blanco pulled them over, Hansel said.

Lyles asked why he was being stopped, but the officer did not initially answer, court documents state. Lyles repeated the question several more times, before the officer finally replied, No seat belt.

Lyles, whose job involved driving, was shocked.

He always wears his seat belt because hes a freak about it and worries about it for his job, Hansel said.

Lyles told the officer that he had unbuckled his seat belt to grab his license and registration after being pulled over, according to the claim Lyles filed.

Lyles, who is black, believed that the police stopped him because of his race and then made up an explanation. Lyles became upset at the officer to the point of being rude, Hansel said.

But we have every right as Americans to question our government, even rudely, Hansel said. It would have been different if there had been any threat against the officer, but there was no threat and no argument that there was any threat. Here is a man pulled over for what he believes is for the color of his skin and voices his displeasure.

Lyles tried to hand over his license and registration, but Blanco would not accept it, and Blanco instead called for backup, Lyless lawsuit stated. Several marked cruisers and police officers arrived, and police ordered Lyles out of the car.

Lyles stepped out and, as ordered, put his hands on the vehicle, according to Hansel.

Almost immediately upon turning his back to the officers, Mr. Lyles was Tasered in the center of the back by Blanco, the lawsuit asserted. Mr. Lyles uncontrollably fell to the ground striking his head with a thud against the parking lot surface.

Police handcuffed Lyles, took him to the hospital to have the Taser prongs removed and then charged him with second-degree assault, failure to obey and disorderly conduct.

Both sides agreed that Lyles never touched or swung at any officers, Hansel said.

In court, Blanco testified that Lyles turned around a few times after getting out of the car and then balled up his hands, according to Hansel. Blanco said he perceived that posture to be a fighting stance even though Lyless back was to the officer, Hansel said.

Lyles contested his case at trial and a Prince Georges County jury acquitted him of all counts, according to Hansel and online court records.

Although Slattery did not use the Taser on Lyles, the jury ordered him to pay damages for approving the filing of charges that resulted in the prosecution of a case.

Hansel said that Lyles has recovered physically but that he continues to face psychological issues. He and his fiancee called off their wedding, because the stress of facing 10 years in prison changed Lyless personality.

Just taking the officers story for face value, it is still a gross constitutional violation, Hansel said. Asking him to get out of the car for not wearing a seat belt just isnt done, at least not to white people.
D.C. residents wait to recharge their food stamp benefits or apply for new benefits at the Taylor Street Service Center. (Jason Andrew/For The Washington Post)

Low-income D.C. residents are not getting the help they need to buy groceries because of widespread problems with the Districts food stamp program, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court on Monday.

Brought by four individuals and the nonprofit safety net organization Bread for the City, the court filing details delays in processing applications and the elimination of benefits without warning in violation of federal law.

The ongoing failures mean that households are deprived of desperately needed assistance to help them feed their families and suffer hunger as a result, according to the lawsuit filed by the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia and the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, which has brought similar cases, including in New York, Maryland and Arizona.

Each month, thousands of D.C. residents apply for benefits from the federally funded Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program  also known as food stamps. As of May, about 120,000 people in roughly 70,000 households participated in the program run by the citys Department of Human Services.

[D.C. does an about-face on welfare reform with decision to keep helping long-term recipients]

The trouble began last year, advocates for the poor say, when the city transitioned to a new computer system despite warnings of potential problems from the federal government, which pays for the program.

Before the rollout, U.S. Department of Agriculture officials recommended more testing to avoid backlogs and delays, and told the city that proceeding was against our best advice and that the city was moving ahead at its own risk, court records show.

Within a few months, federal government officials reported a series of errors, including inaccurate or missing benefits and a failure to send required notices to recipients about changes in their benefits. Instead of processing applications in 20 minutes through the old system, for instance, processing took 90 minutes, city caseworkers told federal officials.

New case processing is often very error-prone and leads to system errors and the inability to process the case timely, according to a March 2017 letter.

As recently as last month, the federal agency told Human Services in a follow-up letter, we remain concerned about the customer complaints.

On Monday, the deputy mayor for health and human services, HyeSook Chung, said: There is no responsibility we take more seriously than the health and well-being of our residents. . . . Even as we make long-overdue improvements and overhaul District systems and processes to best serve our constituents, we take immense care to meet the needs of residents seeking assistance.

Chung said in a statement that service center wait times have been reduced and that the number of households served daily has increased by 50 percent.

Frustration and hunger

D.C. Council member David Grosso (I-At Large) said Monday that he is frustrated that the city agency has tried and failed to fix this problem and that it should consider a new approach.

The victims here are the people who are hungry in our city, he said. These folks are looking for help from our government to be able to eat.

[Why Trump's plan to slash food stamps and Medicaid could cost him crucial support]

Under federal law, eligible needy families are supposed to receive food stamps within 30 days of filing an application. When a households benefits are reduced or eliminated, the city is also required to notify residents in advance so they can reapply or appeal.

In the District, low-income residents typically apply in person at one of five service centers, where applicants are also interviewed. Because of the backlog, residents often line up outside the centers as early as 5 a.m.

Attorneys in the case, including from the law firm Hogan Lovells, are seeking to bring the lawsuit as a class action on behalf of potentially hundreds of other poor residents affected by the reported glitches in the citys system.

One of the plaintiffs, Tracey Ross, had received $194 per month in food stamps through June. Ross is a seasonal worker at Nationals Park, and her benefits were cut off last month without warning for allegedly failing to apply to recertify. Ross said she was never notified by the city as required by federal law that she needed to reapply, according to the lawsuit.

Its been hard to keep food in the house without food stamps when Im also trying to pay my electricity bill and rent, Ross said in a declaration filed in court.

Linda Murph, who works as a security guard, tried to reaffirm her eligibility for food stamps in April at the service center on H Street NE. Murph, who earns about $550 every two weeks, filed the paperwork and was told by a DHS employee that she was all set. The city has not processed her application, according to the lawsuit, and Murph has gone without food stamps since May.

Increased demand for food

The transition to the new computer system in October 2016 and associated problems coincided with a citywide surge in demand for food from Bread for the City. The number of households receiving emergency food packages increased by nearly 40 percent through May 2017 compared with the same period one year earlier, according to the organization.

As a result of the citys policies, practices and wrongdoing, the organization says in the court filing that it has diverted, is diverting, and will continue to divert scare resources to needy residents whose food stamp benefits were unnecessarily delayed or improperly processed.

At a D.C. Council meeting in March, Legal Aid raised similar concerns about the transition to the new computer system that its representatives said is wreaking havoc with the Districts most vulnerable residents as they continue to wait for hours at service centers and their benefits are terminated without notice.

Legal Aid told council members that DHS officials have repeatedly refused to meet to discuss possible fixes.

We have no information about steps the agency is taking to mitigate these problems and how our clients might be able to benefit from mitigation strategies.
THE DISTRICT

Park message board hacked by vandal

For the second time in a week, an unknown person hacked into a flashing message board along Beach Drive in the District and posted a profane message directed at President Trump, along with one that said Kill Nazis.

Motorists and pedestrians saw the sign in Rock Creek Park shortly after 7 a.m. Guy Hill said he was jogging south on Beach Drive near a picnic area when he saw the sign, which said [Expletive] Trump. After snapping a photo, he continued his run and reported the messages to the U.S. Park Police station in the park.

In addition to the anti-Trump message, the sign also flashed Kill Nazis, Hill said.

Park Police responded about 9:30 a.m. and had the message taken down, Sgt. Anna Rose said, meaning the message was publicly visible for at least 2 hours.

The sign is operated by a contractor for D.C. Water, which is doing repairs along Beach Drive, D.C. Water spokesman John Lisle said.

They took steps to secure the sign, he said. Well follow up with them to see if those steps were adequate, or if theres anything else they need to do.

 Tom Jackman

THE REGION

Search teams sent to Texas for storm relief

Search and rescue teams from the Washington area are being dispatched to Texas to take part in relief efforts in the wake of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath, officials said.

Members of Montgomery Countys Task Force-1 were loading equipment Sunday evening in final preparation for being sent to Texas to work in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Montgomery fire spokesman Pete Piringer said the task force has more than 30 members whose specialties include swift-water rescue.

The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department said its swift-water rescue team also would leave Sunday for Texas, with about 14 members. The team is part of Virginia Task Force 1.

 Martin Weil

VIRGINIA

Blasts may occur in Quantico training

Demolition training will be held at the Quantico Marine Corps Base each day from Monday to Friday, the Prince William County police said.

In addition, live-fire training will be held Thursday and Friday, according to the police.

The police said residents of the surrounding area may notice sounds, shaking or flashes resulting from the training.

 Martin Weil
Doug Duncan experienced a shock when he first ran into his old classmate Bill Aitcheson at a reunion of their Catholic high school in the District years ago.

Aitcheson had been an exceptionally angry young man in high school in the early 1970s  downright hateful, recalled Duncan, a former Montgomery county executive. He was a very bad guy  a skinhead, a racist. You stayed away from him.

And yet he had returned to the button-down campus of St. Johns College High School as a priest  the very last person his classmates imagined would have become one. The fair-skinned, bespectacled Aitchesons demeanor had changed dramatically, too, as he related affably with his classmates, Duncan recalled. At another reunion, Aitcheson even celebrated Mass for his classmates in the chapel.

He had a conversion, thats the only way I can say it, Duncan said. Something happened to him and he just gave up everything he was before.

In an essay published last Monday, the 62-year-old priest at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Fairfax City addressed this apparent transformation, revealing his college days in the Ku Klux Klan in the mid-1970s and proclaiming himself saved by his faith.

Racists have polluted minds, Aitcheson wrote in the Arlington Catholic Herald. He referenced the recent deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville and opined that for former racists who have repented as he did, the images should bring us to our knees. Aitcheson temporarily stepped down, the Arlington Diocese said, at his own request.

Aitchesons account of his racist past and conversion at first seemed like a straightforward tale of good overcoming evil. But as more details emerged, the story grew more complicated.

It turned out that he wasnt just a member of the KKK, as his essay said, but a violent ringleader in Maryland who served time after burning crosses, threatening to kill Coretta Scott King and plotting to take down water systems, military installations and launch an armed revolution for which hed stockpiled bombs and guns, according to authorities and published accounts. And while he wrote Monday that God had forgiven him, the African American family and Jewish groups he had terrorized said he never apologized to them directly nor paid them the $26,000 in damages a court had ordered decades ago.

The reason behind Aitchesons revelation also has been called into question. Maria Santos Bier, a freelance journalist and member of the Arlington Diocese, had contacted the diocese a few days before Aitcheson wrote the essay to ask about Aitchesons KKK history  and told them she might write about it.

In an essay published in The Washington Post, Santos Bier described her experience as a history student of Aitchesons while she was home-schooled in the early 2000s in Woodstock, Va. Aitcheson was a fervent advocate of the Confederacy who would joke about Saint Robert E. Lee in homilies at the church, and seemed so knowledgeable about history, Santos Bier wrote, that I trusted him when he taught us that the Civil War was fought for states rights, not slavery; that the Souths cause was noble and just.

[The Catholic Churchs last major effort on racism was in 1979. Charlottesville woke it up.]

Through all the revelations, Aitcheson has been publicly silent, declining daily interview requests through the diocese. Efforts to find him were unsuccessful. Church officials in Arlington and Reno  the two dioceses where he has worked since his ordination in 1988  declined to speak at any length about him. Priests and lay leaders in the eight parishes and many congregants where Aitcheson has worked also declined to speak about him.

Billy just wants to forget

William M. Aitcheson grew up in Howard and Prince Georges counties, one of four sons in a prominent, devoutly Catholic family before enrolling at the University of Maryland, where he studied television and film. He was still a student there at 22 when he was arrested as the exalted cyclops  or leader  of a Klan group in 1977. Police searching Aitchesons belongings found a publication titled How to Kill, along with a cache of weaponry and extensive survival gear.

By that point, Aitcheson had been deemed too radical and violent for the main KKK branch, which threw him out, according to FBI files. An undercover agent testified that the Aitcheson-led group, the Klan Beret, was readying to blow up a power plant and communications center at Fort Meade, Md., the local branch of the NAACP and private homes. Aitcheson was arrested after he gave the undercover agent a fully-built bomb intended for the NAACP, according to the FBI.

The group had burned six crosses in Prince Georges, including at two Jewish institutions and on the front lawn of a black couple, Barbara and Phillip Butler, newlyweds who had just moved into what was then a mostly white neighborhood in College Park.

In July 1977, Aitcheson was sentenced to 90 days in a federal medical prison with four years probation by a judge who told him, I dont believe you are a bad person.

[This is the church where Robert E. Lee declared himself a sinner. Should it keep his name?]

After serving his time, Aitcheson kept a low profile. He relocated to the church-run Kings College in Pennsylvania and graduated in 1979 with a degree in politics and government before teaching elementary and high schools in Missouri for two years, according to a 2013 bio by the diocese. An attorney for the Butlers at that time said it took two years after the couple filed their civil suit against Aitcheson in 1978 to find him. The suit was resolved in 1982 with $23,000 in damages awarded to the Butlers and the rest to his Jewish victims.

I dont see what purpose it would serve to rehash this business all over again, Aitchesons father, William W. Aitcheson, a lumber company executive who is now deceased, told a columnist for the Baltimore Sun that year. There are so many other groups that are just as bad, if you want to call it that. . . . Billy just wants to forget about it all now.

The young Aitcheson soon made the dramatic decision to become a priest. He attended the Pontifical North American College in Rome and received a bachelors degree in sacred theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas, the diocese bio reads. Officials at Kings College, the seminary and St. Thomas declined to comment. Aitchesons mother, Ann D. Aitcheson, declined to comment. Numerous attempts to reach other relatives by phone were unsuccessful.

Aitcheson was ordained for what was then the diocese of Reno-Las Vegas in 1988 at age 33. In brief comments early this week, Reno diocesan spokesman, the Rev. Robert Chorey, said church leaders understood at least part of his background when they hired Aitcheson. . . . I have no record of their thought process.

In 1992, Aitcheson was arrested on charges of trespassing on the property of the West End Womens Medical Group clinic in Reno. On Friday, Damon Stutes, the doctor who still runs the clinic, recalled the priest as a regular protester, who yelled at people coming in and acted like a caged lion that was just holding himself back, Stutes told The Post.

Aitcheson was convicted of trespass, fined $155 and ordered to remain at least 100 feet from the clinic. Later that year, he was transferred to the Arlington Diocese, one of the most traditional in the country.

The diocese declined to offer any details about what then-

Bishop John Keating knew or asked about Aitcheson. At the time he began ministry here in 1993, the Diocese learned of his past as well as his sincere conversion of heart, the diocese said in a statement.

[Priest who penned essay about his KKK past came forward after journalists inquiry]

Conflicted parishioners

In Northern Virginia, Aitcheson began a tour of at least six parishes. In interviews and in comments left last week on the Facebook pages of the Arlington Diocese and its Arlington Catholic Herald newspaper, Aitcheson was described by some as stern and bookish, while others viewed him as deeply empathetic in the confessional and a capable preacher.

Aitcheson was highly outspoken in favor of the death penalty, and preached and taught often about wars, including the Civil War, some parishioners recalled.

He referred to the latter as the war of Northern aggression or the war against the states, said Chris Peer, 31, who was an altar boy under Aitcheson at St. John Bosco Catholic Church in Woodstock. The priest never talked explicitly about race, Peer said.

Aitcheson was a history buff in a region passionate about its history, displaying Civil War memorabilia hed collected since his youth at St. John Bosco rectory, the parish said on its website.

The priest participated in a Memorial Day ceremony reenacting Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jacksons final days and the Battle of Chancellorsville, a decisive victory for the Confederates, according to a 2004 story in the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star. Aitcheson, who had worked in a Fredericksburg parish a few years earlier, offered a prayer. Then Aitcheson turned to the crowd, the newspaper reported, and said Lets sing the old national anthem. He raised his voice, and soon, everyone joined in, singing Dixie.

In 2005, Aitcheson took a medical leave, moving between parishes upon his return. In June 2014, he came to St. Leo the Great in Fairfax City.

[The day Reagan comforted a black family who had a cross burned on their lawn]

Last week, some parishioners were struggling to reconcile the priest they knew with his violent past and failure over decades to make amends to his victims, actions the diocese has now offered to broker and says Aitcheson is willing to do.

St. Leo parishioner Mark Krajewski at first praised Aitcheson as a deep scriptural thinker and said he felt unconflicted. But as he learned more about his priests KKK past, and his lack of apology and payment to his victims, Krajewski grew more ambivalent.

I try to think good things about our priests and its difficult to learn of this information and think good things. . . . This will always be in my mind, he said.

Others greeted Aitchesons account of conversion with empathy and praise for the priest and the diocese for coming out with a healing story during a time of racial division.

Id have no problem going to confession or getting spiritual direction from this guy  in fact, maybe more now, said Ryan Ellis, 39, a parishioner at St. Rita Catholic Church in Alexandria. This guy has seen hell and the other side.

Magda Jean-Louis and Tom Jackman contributed to this report.
A regionwide one-cent sales tax to fund Metro would have a disproportionate impact on poor families, taking five times the share of income from the bottom 20 percent of earners when compared with those in the top 1 percent, according to a new analysis from a trio of left-leaning think tanks representing the District, Maryland and Virginia.

Calling recent service cuts, fare hikes and a potential sales tax a triple whammy on the regions low-income residents, the groups are pressing local officials to ditch the sales tax proposal in favor of flexible, jurisdictional financial commitments, with each government finding its own way to pay for Metros long-term needs.

Its not right to ask the families who are least well-off to shoulder the biggest responsibility for fixing Metro, while leaving businesses and high-income families off the hook, said Ed Lazere, executive director of the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, one of three groups that participated in the analysis.

The other two organizations who participated are the Maryland Center on Economic Policy and the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. The think tanks join labor groups, including Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689, Metros largest union, in opposing the sales tax.

The tax burden should be placed on businesses and high-

income earners rather than struggling families, the groups say.

Further, a proposal to limit the growth of annual subsidies that jurisdictions contribute to Metro risks hamstringing the transit agencys ability to perform critical maintenance and maintain current fares and service, the report argues.

[New dispute over cost of fixing Metro pits District against Virginia, Maryland]

The analysis, conducted by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, found that while a penny-per-dollar sales tax would cost those making more than $600,000 less than 0.1 percent of their income, those making less than $25,000 would sacrifice 0.5 percent of their earnings. Black and Latino families in the District would be the hardest hit, according to the report, because 38 percent and 35 percent of their households, respectively, have incomes below $50,000, the report says. Meanwhile, families are already grappling with the regions high cost of living and disproportionate economic growth that has seen overall wages rise but not for the bottom 40 percent of workers.

When were asking a family who maybe tomorrow is skipping a meal, or two or three by the end of the month, Hey, we need another 50 bucks for Metro, that is food thats being taken off their table because they are spending all of their income, said Benjamin Orr, executive director at the Maryland Center on Economic Policy. In many cases, their bills and their obligations, and what they need to survive, exceeds what their income is.

[Metro union calls for flat fares, dedicated taxes to rescue ridership and finances]

The release of the report appears timed to influence Mondays regional summit of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), where Metro is expected to be a principal topic. The three have been far apart in the past on funding Metro. Bowser strongly supports a uniform, regionwide sales tax, perhaps as much as a penny-per-dollar. McAuliffe would back increased taxes or other new funding mechanisms only after Metro has shown it has made progress on safety, reliability and efficiency. Hogan has ruled out giving Metro any extra money from the Maryland state budget, but he has left open the possibility that Montgomery and Prince Georges counties might tax themselves to pay for Metro.

The three leaders also are due to get an update on work done by former U.S. transportation secretary Ray LaHood, who was recruited by McAuliffe to devise a package of structural changes and funding plans for Metro that could win support throughout the region. LaHood plans to get feedback from the three and make his recommendations in late September or October.

LaHood has not said anything publicly about his intentions, but officials who have been briefed on his plans said they expect him to discuss Metros funding needs, labor costs and governance reforms, as well as other topics.

Were hoping that this report helps wake our leaders up that they need to think about who theyre actually asking to help to pay to fix Metro, Lazere said. Im hopeful that it will get people to think twice about the sales tax.

Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld has called for $15.5 billion over 10 years to support the systems capital needs  including $500 million in new, annual dedicated funding  and a slew of concessions from Metros unions to keep the systems finances healthy and infrastructure in a state of good repair.

Metro, which is funded through a combination of jurisdictional subsidies and federal grants, is alone among the nations major subway systems in lacking a significant source of dedicated funding

The jurisdictional subsidy cap is another area of concern, the think tanks say. Such limits to spending could only lead to further maintenance problems, service cuts or fare increases down the line, they argue.

Under Wiedefelds proposal, growth in annual subsidies to Metro from the jurisdictions would be capped at 3 percent.

[Metro GM proposes new business model and $500 million a year in extra funding to save D.C.-area transit agency]

A 3 percent cap could . . . force Metro, in a short amount of time to shortchange maintenance, raise fares or cut services, or look for employee concessions, the report says. A 3 percent goal can be established but should include flexibility to go above that should a clear need be demonstrated.

The report says jurisdictions could consider an additional property tax for businesses closest to Metro lines and stations  although it leaves the door open for an exemption for small businesses.

In addition to business contributions, the remaining costs should be borne largely by higher-income households, both because they can best afford to pay and because they have benefited most from D.Cs growing economy, the report said.

The groups liken their approach to the millionaires tax proposed by New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) to fund that citys struggling subway.

Metro board Chairman Jack Evans, a longtime supporter of a one-cent regional sales tax, acknowledged that such a measure would be felt more deeply by poorer families. But, he said, the sales tax is the simplest mechanism for raising the $650 million Metro needs, referring to the amount in dedicated funding recommended by a Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments technical panel. In addition, the regions lowest-income residents also rely on Metro to get around, so they have a stake in the system, Evans argued.

I understand, if Im only making a dollar, a pennys a lot to me, Evans said. If I make a hundred dollars, then a pennys a lot less work. In the scheme of the world at the end of the day, it is the fairest way. Because everybody benefits from Metro and everybody benefits from Metros success.

Lazere questioned why the region couldnt use a system akin to the multifaceted funding mechanism that paid for Nationals Park  including the tax on businesses that paid for stadium debt, for example. Evans said, however, that any tax proposal should be bondable, and it wasnt clear that the alternatives the groups were proposing would be deemed suitable for significant long-term borrowing.

But Lazere, whose think tank studies D.C. budget and tax issues, said the region doesnt have to be restricted to one source of revenue for dedicated funding.

As long as theres a commitment and every jurisdiction puts the full faith of their government against it, I dont see why there has to be a single revenue source from one jurisdiction to another, he said. The notion that you cant have a bond backed by more than one revenue source  it just seems sort of too simplistic an answer.

Robert McCartney contributed to this report.
California

Black-clad anarchists storm rally, assault 3

Several thousand people converged in Berkeley on Sunday for a Rally Against Hate in response to a planned right-wing protest that raised concerns about violence and resulted in a massive police presence. Some people were arrested in connection with violating rules against covering their faces and carrying items banned by authorities.

Tense but brief skirmishes erupted when several dozen left-wing protesters surrounded and shouted at a handful of right-wing demonstrators. Three of those targeted sought safety by rushing toward officers and were escorted out of the park. They were put in a van that was kicked by yelling protesters as it drove away.

The left-wing protesters far outnumbered those who showed up for the largely peaceful rally.

Anti-rally protesters chanted, No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA, and carried signs that said: Berkeley Stands United Against Hate.

By early afternoon, more than 100 protesters dressed in black had pushed their way past police barricades and into a Berkeley park. They assaulted at least three people by punching and kicking them. The three people who were attacked ran behind police lines to escape.

Police broke up one fight by using what appeared to be a smoke grenade.

The black-clad protesters carried a large banner that identified them as anarchists.

Berkeley is the city that gave birth to the 1960s free speech movement, but authorities refused to issue a permit allowing Sundays event.

The Berkeley rally happened a day after a rally planned by a right-wing group fizzled amid throngs of counterprotesters in San Francisco. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee declared victory over a group he branded as inviting hate.

 Associated Press

Tunnel discovered

at Mexico/U.S. border

Authorities in California say they have found a smuggling tunnel that carried dozens of people across the border from Mexico into the United States.

Border Patrol agents discovered the crude tunnel described as a hole in the ground with a ladder inside it shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday near San Diegos Otay Mesa border crossing.

The San Diego Union-Tribune said agents saw a group of men and women in the street who ran when the agents approached. Some people tried to get back into the tunnel.

Agents detained 23 Chinese nationals and seven Mexican citizens they say they think crossed into the U.S. illegally.

 Associated Press

New York

Anti-Semitic graffiti found at high school

New York police are investigating the spray-painting of swastikas and other anti-Semitic messages on walls, doors and windows of a Long Island high school.

Nassau County police say MS13 and profanities also were found painted in the rear of Syosset High School. MS-13 is the Salvadoran-based street gang that has been blamed for more than 20 killings on Long Island in the past year and a half. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the graffiti.

Detectives say they think the vandalism occurred Sunday between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.

 Associated Press

Victims of Marine plane crash honored: Hundreds have gathered to remember nine Marine Corps aviators who were killed when their New York-based transport plane crashed in Mississippi last month. A memorial service was held Sunday inside a hangar at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, N.Y.s Hudson Valley, where the nine were based. They were in a Marine Forces Reserve transport squadron. A total of 15 Marines and a sailor died when their C-130 transport plane crashed in soybean fields in the Mississippi Delta on July 10. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

 From news services
Volunteers from Louisiana, known as the Cajun Navy, make their way to the flooded areas of Texas, bringing with them supplies and boats. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

Volunteers from Louisiana, known as the Cajun Navy, make their way to the flooded areas of Texas, bringing with them supplies and boats. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

As soon as Jordy Bloodsworth saw the images of Texans wading through Hurricane Harveys gushing floodwaters, he borrowed his buddys brand new Chevy truck, hitched his 18-foot fishing boat to the back and took off from his home in Baton Rouge.

Bloodsworth was just 12 years old when Hurricane Katrina dumped 14 feet of water on his familys home as the storm surged over the levee. They lost every photo, every cent.

What he gained, though, was a deep motivation to help his brethren in Texas during this weeks historic deluge.

[Water is swallowing us up: Desperate flood victims turn to social media for survival]

Hes part of a group thats known here as the Cajun Navy, a volunteer online grass-roots effort that, along with the Cajun Coast Search and Rescue Team, roared into Pasadena, Tex., on Sunday. They came in high-clearance pickup trucks with bass boats and pirogues like the Cajun Cavalry, ready to help search and rescue efforts alongside first responders who were inundated with thousands of calls across the region.

I was young during Katrina and I know how it feels to lose everything, Bloodsworth said. So being able to help others going through this situation that I have experienced, theres no way  no way  I could pass up helping.

On Monday morning in Pasadena, which was nearly inaccessible by road as it sat under deep floodwaters, Bloodsworth said there were thousands of people in the water stuck. By midday, the flooding had gotten so bad that the rescuers got stuck, too.

Some guys had boat troubles and had to leave their stuff, and we are saving our own team right now, Bloodsworth said in a text. But they are determined to push on.

Cajun Navy member Benji Terro, 36, and his cousin Todd Gaspard drove for more than four hours through flooded areas of Katy on Monday, helping people who were floating on air mattresses and in canoes, some of them carrying trash bags stuffed with changes of clothes and photo albums. He said they had rescued nearly 40 people so far.

Were burning a lot of gas trying to get boots on the ground, Terro said. But when we help people, well, thats the point, the whole thing. This is familiar ground for us. We are from Louisiana, and we know floods.

The rescues were often chaotic  with little organization and many residents flagging down help as they waded in the waters.

The Cajun Navy is part of an armada of private boats that have descended on the Houston area after authorities asked for help from those who could potentially navigate the treacherous floodwaters across a massive swath of southeast Texas in search of residents. Many boaters from east Texas and west Louisiana streamed to the outskirts of the disaster until they could drive no more, switching over to boats to go door to door seeking out the stranded.

1 of 75 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Cleanup and flooding in Texas continue in wake of Hurricane Harvey View Photos Houston officials described a vast rescue effort and said about 2,000 people had been brought to safety with more still in need of help. Caption Five days after roaring ashore in Texas  leaving behind more than 24 trillion gallons of water, disastrous flooding across Houston and a mounting death toll that had reached at least 22 people  Harvey made landfall near Cameron, La. Aug. 30, 2017 The sun sets on downtown Houston as flood waters still surround some neighborhoods. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

Painful and haunting memories of Hurricane Katrina run deep in whats informally known as the Cajun corridor, between Texas and Louisiana. During Katrina, hundreds of Texans did just what Bloodsworth did, crossed the border and even the Sabine River to help rescue teams in New Orleans.

[Harvey death toll rises as flooding continues]

Many families in Houston housed relatives and friends who were Katrinas victims, in some cases for months. Thousands have now made Houston home.

There are long-standing ethnic ties, and Cajun families often live across state lines and are connected by fishing and oil refinery jobs in both states. Many say these regions of Texas and Louisiana are mirror images, with the largely flat landscape dotted with oil refineries with their mazes of pipes and tanks and flare stacks burning high above them like giant torches.

I vividly remember that many Texans came to Louisianas aid, which was incredible to me, said Taylor Aucoin, who is in Baton Rouge working with an app, called Zello, that allows her and her husband to radio in rescue requests to volunteers on the ground in Texas. I cant really describe the heartbreak that I feel now for Texans. Its a very small thing we can do from here to kind of repay the favor for the help we received last year and countless other times.

The most terrifying call they got was from a young mom of an 8-week-old baby with breathing problems. The mother tweeted, asking for help for a couple hours with no luck. She then posted that her newborn was turning blue and was not breathing. Her phone was at 2 percent.

Someone shared the tweets and I immediately had my husband calling the Coast Guard over and over, Aucoin said. Finally, he got on the Texas Search and Rescue channel on Zello, and they were able to send out boats and the Coast Guard. Last she heard, they were rescued and the baby was recovering.

Toney Wade, commander of the volunteer Cajun Coast Search and Rescue Team, stayed up to 3 a.m. and was at it again Monday morning.

Tired, but rolling lol, he texted. Its just what we do for each other.

Dressed in full hunting camouflage slickers, Todd Gaspard, with the Cajun Navy, was racing into floodwaters in the Cinco Ranch neighborhood of Katy, ready to assist. He helped out during Rita and Katrina, at times assisting with the rescue of cows whose noses were just sticking out of the water.

On Monday, he was on his way to save a woman who had water right at her front door fixing to come in. Gaspard said helping people like her this week is just what he knows.

Just the way we were brought up, he said. You help your neighbor.

Read more: How to help Texas residents affected by Harvey

The cost of cleaning up Harvey will bring a new test for Trump and GOP

Rains from Harvey obliterate records; flooded area to expand
This photo made available by NASA shows Hurricane Harvey over Texas on Saturday, as seen from the International Space Station. (Jack Fischer/AP)

Even if Harvey had been a milder storm, spinning lazily across the Gulf of Mexico, there would have been reasons for alarm early last week.

For starters, the jet stream  the air current that meanders across the continent, pushing storms along a familiar path  flowed far north of Texas, and thus when Harvey crashed into the state there was nothing in the atmosphere to shove it somewhere else. Harvey stalled.

After making landfall, the storm took a path that positioned it almost perfectly to drag huge bands of rain out of the Gulf and onto the metropolis of Houston, which is interlaced with rivers and bayous and paved over with impervious urban surfaces. Essentially parked near the coastal town of Victoria, Harvey has dumped trillions of gallons of water across Southeast Texas.

Harvey also proved that the Gulf of Mexico  in late August, in a warming climate  can prove explosive for the development of what is generically called a tropical cyclone. In barely more than a day the storm went from a disorganized tropical depression to a significant hurricane and then all the way up to Category 4  the second-highest rating on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane intensity scale, which is based on wind speed.

[What you can and cant say about climate change and Hurricane Harvey]

The result: a record-setting storm that within 24 hours plunged much of the nations fourth-largest city and its surroundings under feet of choppy brown water. It threatens to submerge even more of the region during the next few days.

There are a lot of worst-case-scenario stars that aligned, said Marshall Shepherd, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Georgia and a past president of the American Meteorological Society. As bad as it is now, we still have days of this to go.



The National Weather Service downgraded Harvey to a Category 1 hurricane on Saturday and then to the status of a tropical storm. The rating change might have given people a false sense of security that the worst of the storm was over.

On social media and elsewhere, weather officials and meteorologists emphasized that the danger had not passed and was actually just beginning.

More people die of inland flooding than any other hurricane threat, the National Weather Service tweeted multiple times.

Houston, let me be blunt, Travis Herzog, a meteorologist for the ABC affiliate in Houston said on Twitter early Saturday. Prepare for a flood today. Prepare for multiple tornadoes. Do not underestimate #Harvey. Respect the water.

A stunning amount of rain has fallen over Texas so far, and it is expected to continue for several more days as the storm creeps along, weakening slightly. In general, things will probably get worse before they get better; some areas might see as many as 50 inches of rainfall when all is said and done, wreaking damage that experts predict could lead to years of recovery across the region.

As of Sunday afternoon, the storm had deposited 9 trillion gallons over Southeast Texas, as bands of rain picked up moisture from the Gulf. Thats enough water to fill up the Great Salt Lake twice over, meteorology student Matthew Cappucci wrote for The Washington Post.

Just how unprecedented is this? Cappucci wrote. Well, remember the flooding that New Orleans experienced with Hurricane Katrina? Most places saw about 10 to 20 feet of water thanks to levee failure, inundating about 80 percent of the city. Now, if we took the amount of rainfall that Texas has seen and spread it over the city limits of New Orleans, it would tower to 128 feet in height  roughly reaching as high as a 12-story office building.

Experts say the lack of steering currents to move the storm along is unusual and probably responsible for the scale of the flooding. As of Sunday evening, the center of the storm was virtually parked at a spot about 25 miles northwest of the coastal town of Victoria  crawling southeast at 2 miles per hour toward the Gulf.

With a more common tropical storm, the damage in any one place would be mitigated by the fact that the storms move quickly, spreading the rain over a larger area.

Perhaps making things worse is something called the brown ocean effect, which hypothesizes that storms, which typically get their energy over the ocean or another large body of water, can absorb that energy and moisture from rain-soaked land. The land, in effect, mimics the energy supply of the ocean, University of Maryland Baltimore County professor Jeff Halverson wrote for the Capital Weather Gang.

Joel Achenbach and Jason Samenow contributed to this report.


Volunteers rescue people from their flooded homes along Beamer Road in Houston on Sunday. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Even as government officials vowed a powerful, forward-leaning response to the disaster that Hurricane Harvey has left in Texas, the situation on the ground remained chaotic and desperate on Monday, with millions of soaked residents resorting to their own resources and wits to survive.

Houston is notoriously flood-prone, but no one in the government had planned for a disaster quite like this. They had planned for calamities with elements of what has unfolded in the city and surrounding communities, but they didnt war-game the inundation of thousands of square miles, including a huge, sprawling metropolis, from a storm that sticks around for days.

You could not draw this forecast up. You could not dream this forecast up, William B. Brock Long, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Monday.

Two of his predecessors and other former FEMA officials concurred. I dont remember an exercise that says, Now were going to drop historic amounts of rain on you for three days. We never did anything like that, former FEMA chief of staff Jason McNamara said.

Harvey has exposed anew how vulnerable the nations fourth-largest city is to the forces of nature and the failings of infrastructure  and how natural disasters have a way of revealing the fault lines in governmental operations.

Residents received mixed messages from the state capital and Houstons City Hall about whether to evacuate in advance of Harveys landfall late Friday, when it was a Category 4 hurricane. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) urged people to leave voluntarily, but Houstons mayor said it was better to shelter in place  a decision influenced by the harsh memory of the evacuation in advance of Hurricane Rita in 2005, when scores of people died in overheated cars stuck in highway traffic jams.

When asked Monday whether the city should have been evacuated, the governor said there was no point in thinking about past decisions. We are where we are now, he said.

Abbott announced that he had mobilized the entire Texas National Guard to assist with rescue-and-recovery efforts. Surrounded by local officials from the Corpus Christi area, he said Texans are united in their effort to recover from Harvey, and he rated the early federal response to the disaster as an A plus.

FEMA said Monday that it already had made major deployments of personnel and resources to Texas, including about 900 people in search-and-rescue teams, a million liters of water, a million meals, 20,520 tarps and 70 generators. The FEMA-coordinated response includes 100 ambulances and 15 air ambulances from San Antonio.

U.S. Coast Guard helicopters buzzed the city for much of the day and plucked stranded residents from rooftops. National Guard troops drove massive trucks through high water, looking for people in desperate straits. But professional first responders could not meet all the demands of people immersed in floodwater.

Please dont give up on us. None of us are going to give up, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo implored residents during a news conference.

Texas state Rep. Armando Walle (D), who represents a district on the north side of the Houston metropolitan area, put out a call on his Facebook page: If you know of any families still needing to get rescued please let me know. Within three hours, he had a legal pad with 25 houses listed.

Government cant do it all alone, Walle said later. Weve had to have the county judge ask for boats from the public. The mayor has asked for boats. Weve had people all over the state converge. The Cajun Navy is here from Louisiana in their airboats.

[Harvey may force 30,000 people into shelters, officials warn]

Social media has proved to be the crucial piece of infrastructure for rescue operations.

We are actually seeing situations where Bob down the street has a flat-bottom boat and Mary up the street has a canoe, and you put those resources together, hitch them together, and get everybody on the block the hell out of there, said Matthew Seeger, a communications professor at Wayne State University in Detroit who advises government agencies.

That may not sound significant, but when you think about where we were just 15 years ago when Katrina hit and we had to pass out fliers  in shelters, by boat, whatever we could do just to get some basic health and safety information out there. Not everyone has a transistor radio, Seeger noted, but almost everyone has access to Twitter.

Retired Adm. Thad Allen, who played a key role in shoring up the initially weak federal response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and served as national incident commander for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, said government agencies seem to be doing their best in a complex situation.

Im not sure how much more you can ask for, he said. If you have more total fires than you have firemen, the scale, complexity and scope becomes a risk aggregator.

Allen also pointed out that every storm is different: When youve seen one hurricane, youve seen one hurricane.

W. Craig Fugate, who led FEMA during Barack Obamas presidency, said the agencys previous advance planning had been more concerned with no-notice disasters such as earthquakes. He said he pushed FEMA staff members to think outside the box. You have to prepare for the things that havent happened, or you havent thought of that will exceed the daily capabilities, he said.

Yet he acknowledged what is obvious in the wake of Harvey: You cant anticipate every scenario that might happen.

Having learned lessons from Hurricane Katrinas aftermath, FEMA positioned many of its personnel in advance of Harvey, as did the Red Cross and other organizations. But when the floodwater rose, Houstonians were still largely on their own. Some rode to shelters or hospitals in the back of city dump trucks, while others waded through chest-deep water.

A neighborhood in Friendswood, Tex., was so heavily flooded by Hurricane Harvey that some people are using boats to travel through it. (Zoeann Murphy/The Washington Post)

Leaders of the federal response to the Hurricane Harvey disaster had an early morning news conference Monday in Washington that was by turns a declaration of competence, an expression of grave concern and a plea for the publics help.

Under the presidents direction, we have made every resource available to respond to this historic storm, said Elaine Duke, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, who on Tuesday will accompany President Trump on a tour of storm-ravaged areas.

And thats before the actual cleanup begins  which FEMA chief Long is warning will be one of the largest recovery housing missions that the state has ever seen.

[Rains from Harvey obliterate records, flood disaster to expand]



Evacuees are taken Sunday to the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. (Nick Oxford/REUTERS)

[Storm victims take shelter at Houstons convention center]

McNamara, the former FEMA chief of staff, said Texas officials are overwhelmed by the task of saving lives.

Very quickly, youre going to get behind the curve on what comes next week, he said. The other thing? Schools. How do we get the schools open and kids back to school? If they cant go back to school, the parents cant go to work, and that creates another economic problem.

Mary Lee Grant in Corpus Christi and Janell Ross in Washington contributed to this report.
Corpus Christi Mayor Joe McComb gives the latest updates as Hurricane Harvey approached the Coast Bend area during a news conference on Friday. (Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP)

If anyone in this city knows the power of water, its Mayor Joe McComb. He wears it on his wrist.

On Memorial Day weekend in 2015, McCombs daughter-in-law, granddaughter and grandson were killed when a 30-foot wall of water thundered down the Blanco River in the Texas Hill Country, crashing through a vacation home they had rented with two other families.

McCombs 38-year-old son was swept eight miles downstream during the flash flood near Wimberley, Texas, but he survived after managing to grab onto a tree branch and scurrying up a 100-foot cliff. In all, 12 people were killed during that flood, including eight people in the vacation house. Rescue workers never recovered the body of McCombs 4-year-old granddaughter.

Now, as Corpus Christi and surrounding communities struggle to recover from Hurricane Harvey and worry even more flooding could hit the industrial city this week, McComb knows the safety of 330,000 people rests on his leadership. And when he needs a reminder of that responsibility, he just glances down at the yellow bracelet on his right wrist. It contains the names of the families killed in the Wimberley flood disaster.

My whole motivation is keeping people safe, and its a huge responsibility, said McComb, 70. But I have an added commitment to do everything I could possibly do because I know how devastating it is to lose somebody in a flood.

Heavy damage in the main street after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, Texas. (Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images)

But just as in Houston, McComb has struggled with the decision of just how far he should go in getting residents out of the path of Harveys waters.

[Scope of Harveys aftermath starts to come into chilling focus]

On Wednesday afternoon, McComb stunned many when, with the hurricane aiming directly at Corpus Christi, he ordered a voluntary instead of a mandatory evacuation. McComb, a lifelong Republican who was just elected mayor in May, said he didnt think it was governments responsibility to mandate that people leave their homes.

Ive been through a lot of hurricanes, and every one of those had a mandatory evacuation, an angry Dale Nelson, a veteran meteorologist for Corpus Christis NBC affiliate, said Friday night as Hurricane Harvey strengthened into a Category 4 storm. This storm has gotten away from us, and its the local residents who are paying a price now.

McComb takes offense at such criticism, saying no local elected officials anywhere in the country would purposely put residents in danger. Some critics also questioned whether Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner also erred by not ordering evacuations in that city before Sundays devastating flooding.

When storms approach, police and emergency workers shouldnt have to be distracted trying to goad residents who dont want to, or refuse to, heed common-sense advice that they should leave low-lying locations, McComb argues.

Sitting around that table, it can be a real tug between your heart and your head, McComb said, referring to emergency management meetings. We all know we got one goal in mind  keeping people alive.

[Texans are trying to keep their heads above water as Harvey batters region]

At least in Corpus Christi, where the Gulf of Mexico pours into a large bay and numerous inlets, McCombs decision didnt turn out to be a fatal mistake. Appearing at a news conference Sunday afternoon, the relieved mayor announced Corpus Christi suffered no deaths or serious injuries during the storm.

Then McComb hopped into his Ford pickup truck to assess damage on the barrier islands, including Padre and Mustang . Though Padre Island suffered only scattered damage, the power of the hurricane was clearly visible on Mustang Island, a spit of land once known for its cattle but is now a state park and beach destination.

A three-foot storm surge from Corpus Christi Bay washed over much of the island and the wind blew much of the roof off the 210-condo Port Royal Resort, which is the citys second-highest hotel revenue producer.

McComb then traveled to neighboring Port Aransas, a beach town that was devastated both by wind and storm surge flooding. Huge mounds of debris now clog city streets as the force of the water knocked houses off their foundations while the wind sucked off roofs. Boats  some blown to their resting place; others washed ashore  also litter the island.

So far, local officials have discovered 200 destroyed structures and 30 others that suffered major damage.

I would say every house has some damage, whether 2 percent or 100 percent, said David Parsons, the Port Aransas city manager.

As they rush to restore services such as electricity and water, and do additional sweeps to make sure there were no fatalities, more than 100 emergency workers are camped out in a damaged Port Aransas city building. They sleep under dangling weaves of insulation and use buckets of water to flush the toilets. For the second consecutive day, police barred property owners from returning to their island homes.

Its uninhabitable, said Jim Kaelin, the sheriff for Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi. The only guys who could survive are the ones who bring a fishing pole and a tent.

Across Corpus Christi, another concern shifts back to the potential for flooding. With the remnants of the hurricane stalled just 100 miles north of here, local officials say its still possible the heavy rain could unleash torrents similar to those experienced in Houston on Sunday.

If a flooding disaster does develop here, once again McComb will be glancing down at his bracelet for emotional support, knowing this is a city that is highly susceptible to disastrous flooding.

In 1919, when Corpus Christi had just 5,000 residents, 284 people were killed when an unnamed hurricane came ashore here. Fifty years later, 4,000 houses were destroyed and more than 6,000 others were damaged by Hurricane Celia in 1970, according to Greg Smith, a city council member who represents many coastal sections of Corpus Christi.

Scores of properties also flooded in 2015 during several weeks of unrelenting rainfall.

If we get two to three inches of rain in a day, at least you got a chance for it to drain off, said McComb, noting the citys drainage system is designed for water to flow into and then under streets. If we get 10 inches in two hours, we got a problem.

In the Wimberly flood that killed McCombs family members, six to eight inches of rain fell on the evening of May 30. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., the Blanco River at Wimberley rose from five feet to 41 feet.

McComb, a former Corpus Christi council member and county commissioner, was vacationing in Hawaii when one of his sons called to say his daughter-in-law and grandchildren were missing.

After returning home, McComb almost immediately started wearing his bracelet, which was given to him in support of the hundreds of volunteers who scoured the canyon for the missing. The child of a family friend also was never found.

Local officials, many of whom also believe the criticism of McCombs evacuation decision is unfair, said the same emotional strength McComb exhibited during that tragedy now guides the citys hurricane recovery  as well as the preparations for its potential second act.

Most of all, they say, McComb knows you should fear water.

On his tour of the barrier islands, several residents also credited McComb for being a voice of caution during the storm.

When police denied him access to Aransas Pass so he could check on his house, Paul Golibart waited at the checkpoint for six hours hoping to find an authorized ride into town.

When McComb passed, he motioned for Golibart to discreetly hop into his truck.

Driving into the ravaged town, Golibart, 54, clutched his fist as he passed row after row of homes missing walls, windows and roofs. Certainly, his three-story yellow house didnt survive unscathed, Golibart said.

But when they turned the corner near the beachfront, McComb yelled: Well, I see a yellow house.

I see a yellow house, too, a relieved Golibart yelled back.

To get there, however, McComb would have to drive through 18 inches of water.

He inched the truck up to edge of the floodwaters, but then he abruptly stopped.

I aint getting down in that, McComb said before Golibart trudged through the water.
LEBANON

Remains of troops held by Islamic State located

The remains of eight Lebanese soldiers kidnapped by the Islamic State three years ago were located Sunday, a senior Lebanese official said, in a negotiated deal that followed a military offensive to drive the militants out of the area along the border with Syria.

Abbas Ibrahim, chief of Lebanese General Security, said six bodies buried in Lebanon near the border were removed. He said that two more bodies were being pulled out but that the fate of a ninth soldier remained unknown.

Locating the remains was part of a deal that comes a week after the Lebanese military launched a campaign to drive out Islamic State militants from about 50 square miles in a mountainous area that straddles the border. Separately but simultaneously, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia, in cooperation with the Syrian army, launched an offensive to pressure the militants in Syrian territories along the same border area.

The deal also entails the transfer of remaining Islamic State militants on both sides of the border to Deir al-Zour province in eastern Syria.

After a week of fighting, cease-fires were announced on both sides of the border earlier Sunday. The Lebanese army said the pause was to allow for negotiations to determine the fate of the soldiers.

The soldiers were among more than 20 kidnapped in 2014 when militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State overran the border town of Arsal. Most of those kidnapped were later released. It was the most serious spillover into Lebanon from the Syrian war.

 Associated Press

CAMEROON

Boko Haram militants suspected of killing 16

Suspected Boko Haram extremists killed at least 16 people and burned homes in two villages in northern Cameroon, near the border with Nigeria, residents said.

Iya Gana, whose husband was killed in the attack, which occurred late last week, said the rebels entered her village and killed her husband and others. She said they burned homes and stole vehicles and cattle after killing people in two villages near Mora, in Cameroons Far North province, about 12 miles from the border with Nigeria.

Boko Haram extremists, who are based in Nigeria, have been crossing into and attacking towns in neighboring countries, including Cameroon, that contribute to a regional military force trying to eliminate the Islamist group.

Boko Haram is accused of killing more than 20,000 people in its eight-year-old insurgency against the Nigerian government.

 Associated Press

U.S. reporter killed in South Sudan is identified: An American killed this weekend in war-torn South Sudan has been identified as 28-year-old freelance journalist Christopher Allen. Allen was killed when fighting erupted between opposition and government forces along the border with Uganda. Allen and two other journalists were embedded with the rebels on a two-week mission, an opposition spokesman said.

Police make second arrest in London terrorism incident: London police made a second arrest in an incident in which a man drove up to a police van not far from Buckingham Palace, then reached for a four-foot sword. Scotland Yard said three officers were slightly injured when they confronted the 26-year-old man, who repeatedly shouted Allahu akbar! (God is great in Arabic) during the incident, police said. The officers used tear gas to incapacitate the man and then arrest him. Police said the second suspect, a 30-year-old man, was detained in London on suspicion of involvement in terrorism.

Saudi coalition cites technical mistake in Yemen strike: The Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen said an airstrike that killed at least 14 civilians was the result of a technical mistake. A coalition spokesman said Fridays bombing in the capital, Sanaa, was accidental and unintentional. He expressed sincere sympathy and said the airstrikes intended target was a legitimate military objective belonging to the Houthi rebels, who control the capital.

Woman succumbs to injuries suffered in Barcelona attack: A 51-year-old German woman has died of injuries suffered in the Aug. 17 vehicle attack in Barcelona, health officials in Catalonia said. The latest death raises to 14 the toll in the van attack on Barcelonas popular Las Ramblas boulevard. Another man was stabbed to death in a carjacking that night as the van driver made his getaway, and another woman died in an Aug. 18 vehicle-and-knife attack in the nearby coastal town of Cambrils.

 From news services
IN THE first few weeks of Donald Trumps presidency, the new administration prepared an executive order to make good on Mr. Trumps campaign promise to load [Guantanamo Bay] up with bad dudes, directing the Department of Defense to bring new detainees to the prison. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo disavowed the draft after it was leaked to the press, and the order  which also called for a policy review on the possible reopening of secret CIA prisons around the globe  was never signed.

Now the administration is trying again. The New York Times reports that an interagency group is drafting a policy that would reverse President Barack Obamas decree calling for the closure of the prison and authorize Mr. Mattis to bring suspected terrorists to Guantanamo. This would be a grave mistake.

In a welcome development, none of the policies currently under consideration float a return to the use of CIA prisons  a practice which did great damage to the United States international reputation after 9/11. But even absent this provision, an executive order authorizing newly captured prisoners to be detained at Guantanamo would risk alienating U.S. allies.

Domestically, detaining ISIS fighters at the prison would be an invitation to years of risky litigation over the scope of government authority in the battle against the Islamic State. And short-sighted congressional restrictions on transferring detainees out of Guantanamo, along with a system for trying detainees by military commission that has proved painfully slow and mired in legal confusion, could consign any new detainees to custody without trial for decades. The military judge in the case against the 9/11 attackers has yet to even set a trial date.

In contrast, the government has had relative success in prosecuting terrorism suspects in federal court. In July, the Trump administration itself extradited a suspected al Qaeda recruiter from Spain to face criminal charges. And the administration recently received another indication of the viability of criminal prosecutions when a federal judge ruled in the governments favor in the case of Ahmed Abu Khattala, who was interrogated aboard a ship sailing to the United States following his capture. The arrangement allowed government interrogators to question Mr. Khattala to gain intelligence before advising him of his right to remain silent, then inform him of his rights and restart the questioning with a new team of officials in order to build a criminal case against him. In holding that prosecutors could use Mr. Khattalas statements after being read his rights, the court showed that criminal trials need not preclude the intelligence gathering that can be valuable for preventing attacks.

To be sure, this system is far from perfect: The judge in Mr. Khattalas case hinted that the government may face restrictions on its ability to conduct lengthy interrogations at sea. But the cases of Mr. Khattala and Ali Charaf Damache, the suspect from Spain, demonstrate that the United States can fight terrorism without compounding the tragic mistakes of Guantanamo Bay. Mr. Trump would be wise to pay attention.
Regarding the Aug. 23 front-page article U.S. sets new sanctions related to North Korea:

The Trump administrations attempts to isolate North Korea with sanctions failed to note the role that Burma has played in colluding with the North Korean military since the mid-1990s.

In March, the State Department reissued sanctions prohibiting arms sales to Burmas Directorate of Defense Industries because of its ongoing close relationship with North Koreas military. Last month, the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea asserted that the United States could not fully normalize ties to the Burmese military if it continued its support for North Korea.

Unfortunately, the Senate might undercut efforts to encourage Burmas military to sever its support for North Korea. The 2018 defense authorization bill, which the Senate plans to consider next month, would increase U.S. support to Burmas military. A consistent approach is needed.

Erica Carvell, Washington

The writer is a policy associate

at the Open Society Policy Center.
In his Aug. 24 Washington Sketch column, All things Confederate-ish must go, Dana Milbank trivialized a very important issue. The question is: Should monuments to white supremacy, specifically those commemorating Confederates in public places, remain standing?

I am the great-great grandson of Maryland native Lloyd James Beall, commandant of the Confederate States Marine Corps. I also am a descendant of the man who advocated Southern states rights in the Senates Webster-Hayne debate of 1830. And I am a descendant of Northern abolitionists. I accept my heritage; I do not identify with it.

Those who advocate keeping the Confederate monuments as part of their heritage miss the point; these men committed treason, they fought to maintain an economic system that dehumanized and exploited other human beings because of the color of their skin, treating an entire population as chattel and revealing the worst in mans inhumanity to man. But should we then, by extension, remove all slave-holder monuments? I couldnt care less, personally, but that is not the issue. The issue is perpetuating hurtful Southern myths as well as publicly glorifying Confederate treason and racism. History books are where their story may be told, both good and bad.

Arthur Hayne Mitchell, Fairfax
From left, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and Foreign Minister Taro Kono answer questions from the media with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis after a meeting of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee at the State Department. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Facing an immediate threat from North Korea and the long-term challenge of a rising China, Japan finds itself forced to rely on a Washington roiled by constant turmoil and led by an unpredictable president. Yet rather than turn away from the Trump administration, like some European allies, the Japanese government has doubled down on its U.S. alliance.

Personal ties between President Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe are strong, and theres zero public daylight between the governments on key issues. Privately, however, there surely is growing anxiety in Tokyo about the Trump administration  and in particular, worry that Washington may be wavering on its commitment to the elimination of North Koreas nuclear and missile programs.

Just before he was fired, White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon said what many in Washington were thinking: Theres no viable military option for preventing a nuclear North Korea. They got us, Bannon said in an interview with the American Prospect.

The day after Bannons interview, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson publicly clarified the administrations position and defended the credibility of the North Korea military option, standing alongside their Japanese counterparts, Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and Foreign Minister Taro Kono.

For Japan theres no debate: North Koreas nuclear program must be eliminated, not contained, Kono told me in an interview, after meeting with Mattis and Tillerson. Japan is depending on the United States to stick to that plan.

This would mean that the leader of a country who has no intention of respecting the life and property and human rights of other citizens would have the opportunity to threaten or blackmail the other countries of the Earth, Kono said.

The United States and its allies must maintain the credible threat of military force against North Korea to support diplomatic efforts, he said, adding that Pyongyang must meet strict preconditions before any talks can begin.

Last week, Trump suggested that there might be an opening for dialogue with North Korea after leader Kim Jong Un retreated from his threats to shoot missiles in the direction of Guam. For Japan, thats not enough. Tokyo wants Trump to continue insisting that Pyongyang not only halt testing, but also confirm that abandonment of the current nuclear arsenal is on the table.

Until North Korea shows a clear intent with regard to denuclearization and they engage in specific actions, there should be no dialogue. And there is agreement on this with the United States as well, Kono told me.

Kono assumed the position of Japans top diplomat earlier this month, as tensions with North Korea reached their highest point in decades. His father, Yohei Kono, was speaker of Japans lower house of parliament and a leading figure in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

The elder Kono was known as a liberal who supported better relations between Japan and China. Foreign Minister Kono is a robust realist, more hawkish than his father but without the nationalistic characteristics that his current boss, Abe, is known for.

For Kono, getting China right is crucial to solving the North Korea crisis, and vice versa. His idea is that the stronger the alliances in Asia, the more successful pressure on China will be.

If Japan, the United States and the Republic of Korea properly put in place a defense framework and strengthen that, and that becomes clear to China, then China will take actions on North Korea, and they will understand it is in their interest to do so, he said.

Caught between his fathers legacy and his bosss shadow, Kono is trying to stake out his own public identity while helping his country navigate the most dangerous period in its post-WWII history. Part of that effort includes standing up to Chinas military expansion and aggression in the South China Sea and East China Sea, while also pushing China to do more to rein in Pyongyang.

Its about time China realizes that when they do something, the impact is felt of that power, so they need to curb the use of that power, Kono said. Countries that yield great power must realize that with that power is an accompanying responsibility that they must assume.

To be sure, Japan has gone all in on the Trump administration in part because it has no better option. Still, the Trump and Abe-Kono visions for the alliance mesh. Both want Japan to evolve into a more self-sufficient alliance member with a greater regional role. Both realize that deeper U.S.-Japan cooperation is the best way to steer Asia toward greater peace and stability.

But until Washington is able to communicate and then implement a better strategy for confronting the North Korea threat and the China problem, allies such as Japan will continue to worry about their bet on the Trump administration and their dependence on U.S. leadership.

Read more from Josh Rogins archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Cristian Bardales is a student at George Mason University.

Guatemala, land of eternal spring  this is the country I left at age 6, now a foreign nation not my own. I am 21. I have spent most my life here, in the great United States of America, once a foreign nation not my own.

I had no say in coming, the choice was made for me. It was a decision made by my two loving and supportive parents, who wanted nothing more than to give me the life they never had. A life of opportunity. A life where hard work and determination could make even my wildest of dreams possible.

My parents left their homeland, my homeland, with nothing but the clothes they carried, determined to prosper in this land of liberty. And now this is my home. Virginia is my state. Sterling Park my neighborhood. George Mason my university. The United States, the land that I love.

I am a dreamer. I am living, walking, talking, prosperous proof that my parents sacrifices and hard work are paying off. I am Generation 1.5, both a child of immigrants and an immigrant myself.

By the grace of the living God I believe in, my parents journey was made possible. We arrived here safe and sound, and then my parents got right to it, working diligently at jobs the more privileged in this country did not want.

I was enrolled in first grade without knowing a lick of English. Now I am studying to become an engineer, and I thank the Obama administration, too, which let a ray of hope shine into the lives of 1.5 dreamers like me.

Although initially against DACA, President Trump has signaled this group could be spared from deportation. (Meg Kelly,Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

Through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, we children of immigrants could obtain work permits and a Social Security number. Without DACA, I would have been consigned to the shadows, like so many before me, limited in what opportunities I could pursue. But now I can thrive just as the citizens of this country can thrive, though I am still not one of them. I can obtain a license to legally drive a car. I can be legally employed. I could also apply to colleges and get quoted in-state tuition, making a once near-impossible goal a bit more attainable.

I am thankful, but I cannot rest easy. I cant get financial aid for school, reserved only for citizens, and I cant leave the United States because I wont be allowed back in. This makes one of my dreams  to travel the world, to see family in Guatemala  not feasible as of now. And I cant escape the reality that some are pushing the Trump administration to end what the Obama administration started.

But I remain thankful, because now I can work legally, and I can use this income to pay my way through college, out of pocket, even if it takes me longer to graduate. I am thankful that I can pay taxes, even if the money goes into a system that for now wont make me one of its own. I am thankful that the Trump administration has allowed the DACA program to continue, and even to grow.

I am thankful, yes. I am the son of two honest and hard-working immigrant parents from Guatemala. I am a dreamer 1.5. But I am also a whole lot more than that.
The Aug. 25 Retropolis column, The U.S. Nazi Party chief who inspired the alt-right [Metro], didnt dig deep enough into the past of American Nazi Party leader George Lincoln Rockwell to discover Rockwells previous link to Charlottesville.

In 1964 I was a student at the University of Virginia. Rockwell gave a speech at Cabell Hall, and his speech was very well attended. He had toned down his theatrical Nazi, racist rants to gain wider appeal with mainstream Americans. To wit, he told the audience that he had absolutely no problem with Jewish people. He did not hate Jewish people. He had been given a bad rap by the press. However, he did hate communists with a passion. They were scum who had no place in our great country. He said that if he had the power, he would round up all the communists in America and take them out and have them shot to death.

During the question-and-answer portion after his speech, one of my classmates asked Rockwell what percentage of American Jews,in his estimation, were communists. Without missing a beat, Rockwell answered, Ninety-five percent.

The creator of the alt-right had a connection to Charlottesville well before the hate rally that led to tragedy a few weeks ago.

Victor Podell, Reston
Robert Bauer, professor of practice at New York University School of Law, served as White House counsel to President Barack Obama.

Since January, examples have piled up of a pattern of recklessness, impropriety and perhaps outright obstruction in President Trumps oversight of federal law enforcement. And now, with the pardoning of Joe Arpaio, we have the first exercise of that power in a different context, perhaps serving for Trump as a test run for shutting down the investigation into ties between his campaign and Russia. No doubt the president is acting on his belief that, because the pardon power is complete, it cannot cause him real harm, and all the rest is politics. This is a miscalculation.

The instances of Trumps warped approach to the law are legion: the demeaning of his attorney general for recusing himself, as required by the Justice Department rules, in the Russia matter; the demand for personal loyalty from James B. Comey and the request that the then-FBI director desist from investigating the conduct of his former national security adviser; the appeal to the heads of intelligence agencies to help him contain Comey; the firing of Comey for his continued pursuit of the Russia case; and the threats to fire special counsel Robert S. Mueller III. Trump has since repeatedly tweeted his denunciation of that investigation  a major, ongoing federal criminal inquiry  as a hoax. He has hinted in clear terms that he could end all of these troubles by the use of the complete pardon power.

Trumps record on rule of law issues, now including this pardon, weakens his defenses in the Mueller probe  and in any future debate over impeachment. Instead, for a president contending with questions of obstruction of justice in the Russia matter, the pardon casts his modus operandi in the worst possible light. The former sheriff was convicted in July of criminal contempt , and Arpaios attorney announced that he would appeal. Only weeks later, Trump highlighted a possible pardon at a political rally. He impugned the seriousness and motive of the courts judgment, dismissing it as an attack on Arpaio for doing his job. Days later, without Justice Department review, he extinguished the conviction and ended the case.

There is a line that distinguishes a pardon from direct interference with the administration of justice. Trump has crossed it. The difference between this form of interference and the others is, simply, that the use of a pardon has enabled Trump to engage in obstruction unilaterally, not needing a willing partner in the Justice Department. And it is now reported that Trump did, in fact, first try to have the department drop the case against Arpaio.

The statement the White House issued is hopelessly inadequate in justifying the pardon. The true rationale remains a subject for speculation. But there are clues, and they all point in the same direction: pure political self-interest. The president touted the pardon at a political rally when he encouraged a sympathetic crowd of supporters to register loudly how much they like Arpaio, a political ally whom the president also appears to like personally. The timing of the pardon suggests that Trumps politics may have entered into the decision from another direction: a bid to soften the blows now raining down on him from the Breitbart wing of the party in the aftermath of Stephen K. Bannons departure.

So the president has situated this pardon squarely within the realm of politics, not criminal justice. The action was not consistent with the constitutional norm that pardons are a judiciously considered act of grace, a measure to correct for injustice, or otherwise related to the presidents constitutional responsibility for the public welfare. It exposes, as do other Trumps other interventions in law enforcement, the presidents blindness to the difference between his own interests and his obligations to the constitutional duties, values and norms he took an oath to defend, including the faithful execution of the laws. This supremacy of self-interest is also evident in his refusal to separate himself from his business interests and his continuing promotion of those interests by ostentatiously arranging events on properties from which he derives personal income.

Of course, all presidents must and do, in some cases and to some degree, weigh politics in the balance in meeting their responsibilities. But Trump shows no sign of knowing when political considerations are appropriate, and he does not do balance. This is all, it is increasingly clear, beyond him.

Trump seems to believe that the pardon power is so complete that it is his ace in the hole, his ultimate protection. But it will be of no use to him if the time comes  after further developments in the Russia case, or for other reasons in this deeply troubled administration  that Congress must consider impeaching him for systematically violating his oath to put his constitutional obligations ahead of his political or personal interests. At that time, the Arpaio pardon is sure to be part of the story of this presidency and, very conceivably, of how it came to an end.
I was pleased to read in the Aug. 23 news article U.S. holds up military assistance to Egypt over human rights concerns that even the human rights-challenged Trump administration finds Egypts record sufficiently lacking that it is withholding, at least temporarily, previously approved military and other aid to Egypt. Unfortunately, the article made no mention of the far greater amount that the United States already gave to Egypt during the fiscal year when its human rights record was just as appalling.

Malcolm K. Tronic, Annandale
President Trump speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington this month during the unveiling of legislation that would place new limits on legal immigration. (Evan Vucci/Associated Press)

David Bier is an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute.

The Trump administration is quietly throwing up new obstacles for legal immigrants: increasing the load of paperwork for immigration applications by double, triple or more.

The new forms have complex and vague questions, which will result in mistakes with devastating consequences and will cost immigrants thousands of dollars in attorneys fees to complete.

Since January, Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that processes applications for immigrants, has increased the length of 15 immigration applications  including many of the most commonly required forms  collectively doubling their length from 72 to 162 pages. Each new form also comes with instructions, which also almost doubled in length from 114 to 215 pages. That amounts to a combined total of an additional 191 pages of forms and instruction in less than a year.

Unbelievably, the agency estimates in its instruction booklets, as required under the Paperwork Reduction Act, that the forms will take, collectively, only 7 percent longer to complete. It asserts that applicants will be able to finish each individual page in about half the time needed for previous forms.

In fact, on 10 of these forms, the agency claims that it will take not even a minute longer to complete. The agency, for example, increased the length of the I-485 form, which allows immigrants to adjust status from temporary to permanent residency, from six to 18 pages. The forms instructions underwent a fivefold increase, from eight to 42 pages. Still, the government asserts that immigrants will be able to finish the new application in the exact same amount of time as the old one  at three times faster per page.

But the main issue is not the time  its the cost. U.S. citizens will need to fill out nine times as many pages to bring over their spouses. Because the new questions are confusing and complex, many immigrants who would not have previously needed a lawyer will now have to hire one. Some attorneys have told me that the forms have already forced them to raise their prices dramatically.

The need to hire a lawyer becomes obvious once you read the new questions. The I-485 adjustment of status form asks, for example, whether you have ever been arrested, cited, charged or detained for any reason by any law enforcement official. These terms are undefined. Does cited include parking violations? Is a parking enforcement officer a law enforcement official? Does detained include at the airport, where everyone undergoes screening? What about being pulled over or patted down by police on the street?

Another question asks immigrants to state whether you could endanger the welfare of the United States. Are we asking immigrants to claim they have no risk at all? Yet another asks whether you will have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences. This year, the administration suggested that allowing any grandmothers from certain countries would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences. What standards are applicants supposed to apply?

This is extreme vetting  extremely vague vetting. Its a morass of complex questions that will undoubtedly keep out no determined terrorists, but will ensnare millions of immigrants in needless bureaucracy. And its exceptionally important that immigrants answer these questions correctly and precisely  one wrong answer can count as misrepresentation and result in a denial, deportation after an approval or the inability to naturalize.

That can be true  although legally, its not supposed to be  even if its an admission against your own interests. Jason Dzubow, a D.C.-based immigration attorney, has a client who denied he was associated with any political groups in the United States or in any other location in the world, or had been arrested for a crime, and the government denied him naturalization because he took part in a protest at which he was arrested. How did it find out? He had told the agency himself. The arrest was the reason the government granted him asylum in the first place.

He interpreted associated to mean formal association, not just attending a protest, and the arrest was for political activities, not a crime. This occurred before the new form rolled out. Now there are even vaguer questions that will trip up well-meaning immigrants.

Is the goal of this an employment program for immigration lawyers? Dzubow quipped to me.

No, but these changes do offer the government something else: control. If anyone falls out of favor after an approval, the government can always find an excuse to kick him or her out later. This allows the executive branch to wrench power over legal immigration from the legislative branch.

President Trump has already revealed his preferred vision of legal immigration reform  a bill to make drastic cuts to the number of legal immigrants. The new forms and bureaucratic hurdles may provide a way to accomplish that goal without legislation: delay, obfuscate and price out immigrants who would otherwise come to the United States. Congress should reassert its control and protect the system that it created.
Fed Up, a group representing community activists, labor unions and liberal policy groups, holds a protest rally August 25, outside the conference site for a three-day meeting of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyo. (Martin Crutsinger/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

As founding president of the University of Wisconsin Teaching Assistants Association, I learned firsthand how workers cannot rely exclusively on the legal process. I was reminded of that lesson when I read the Aug. 25 Politics & the Nation article Graduate students won right to organize, but victory in peril under Trump.

In 1969, the Wisconsin legislature refused to recognize us as employees, even though we did more than 60 percent of undergraduate teaching. The university agreed to bargain with us only after we threatened an illegal strike. We won the first TA contract in the country in 1970 only after we waged a 24-day illegal strike.

It took us four years to get our rights. At every turn, the legal process told us to give up. Had we relied on a rigged legal process, a half-century later we would still be waiting to start a union.

The Aug. 25 news article For many, getting to work isnt the problem. Its low pay reported that economists are stumped to explain why wages remain low with unemployment at 4.3 percent. The decline of unions was not considered a significant part of the answer.

Workers need higher pay. The country needs more democracy. We need more unions. We wont get any of these by relying on legal processes whose entire purpose is to keep all of us in our place.

Robert L. Muehlenkamp, Takoma Park
The Rev. Al Sharpton, center, joins religious leaders on Monday in Washington for the Thousand Ministers March for Justice to reaffirm a commitment to the ongoing struggle for civil rights in the United States. (Jim Lo Scalzo/European Pressphoto Agency)

President Trump has united us, after all.

He brought together the Rev. Al Sharpton and the Jews.

This modern-day miracle was on display Monday, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Mall, 54 years to the day after the great man gave his greatest speech. There, clergy of all varieties, but mostly rabbis and black ministers, came together in common cause against the despicable anti-Semitism and racism Trump has unleashed, most conspicuously in Charlottesville.

Sharpton has been a controversial figure in the Jewish community for decades, earning criticism during the Crown Heights riot in 1991 and when he called a Jewish landlord in Harlem a white interloper before a deadly attack on the mans store in 1995.

But that was long ago, and a rehabilitated Sharpton, who has privately expressed regrets to Jewish leaders for his past actions, made Jews the centerpiece of his Thousand Minister March for Justice on Monday. The civil rights leader, joined by Martin Luther King III, stopped in at a pre-march prayer session held by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and addressed the assembly of 300 rabbis, cantors and lay leaders.

Sharpton told the Jews that we could not commemorate this day and face the challenges today without standing together as Dr. King stood 54 years ago. Invoking those murdered in the Freedom Summer of 1964, he went on: We should never forget that it was Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner that died together  two Jews and a black  to give us the right to vote.

Sharpton spoke of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched with King at Selma, and he addressed the more recent ill feelings. We have had days good and bad, but from this day forward . . . were going to make sure we do our part to keep this family together, he said. When we can see people in 2017 with torches in their hands, talking about Jews will not replace us, its time for us to stop praying to the cheap seats and come together.

Some of the rabbis shouted amen.

Jewish leaders applauding Al Sharpton? Who knew? Miracles out of a mess, proclaimed Reconstructionist Rabbi Malka Binah Klein of Philadelphia. Its tragic that it took Trumps bigotry and the spectacle of Charlottesville to remind Jews and African Americans of their shared vulnerabilities. But it played out movingly at Mondays march, which was in planning long before the violence in Charlottesville.

Rather than 1 million men, Sharpton asked for 1,000 ministers, and got somewhat more than that among the 3,000 assembled for Mondays march. Rabbis swayed and clapped to hip-hop and gospel music. There were skullcaps of every color and size, mainline Protestant ministers in white collars and colorful shawls, black evangelicals in bright choir robes, black-robed monks, Buddhists in saffron, a Sikh in a yellow turban. There were Black Lives Matter signs and posters with verses of scripture.

As if by way of greeting, a white-and-green chopper from the Marine One fleet buzzed low over the crowd during the opening prayer. Speaker after speaker, regardless of color or creed, denounced the person who rides in that helicopter, and more than one faulted Jerry Falwell Jr. and other white evangelicals for the sin of silence in the face of the hatred Trump has stirred.

A cantor led the crowd in the Hebrew song Hine Ma Tov  how good it is for brothers to live as one. A black Jewish woman in a tallit  a Jewish prayer shawl  spoke, and a rabbi blew a shofar. A black Catholic nun spoke.

Gods majestic creation, observed Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, head of the Religious Action Center. From the Nazis in Charlottesville, Pesner said, we learned that anti-Semitism and white supremacism are intertwined. They are dual threats that call us to act and confront them together and directly.

African Americans responded with cries of Yes! and All right! to the rabbis preaching.

Sharpton picked up the theme. Youre going to see the victims of Nazism, the victims of white supremacy, march to the Justice Department and say we dont care what party is in, we are not going to be out, he told the crowd. We are coming together like Dr. King and Abraham Heschel did, like Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner did.

Jonah Geffen, a conservative rabbi from New York, in white robe and tallit, liked what he heard. He pronounced Sharpton a totally different man from the Sharpton of old.

Joining Sharptons march was Jesse Jackson, of Hymietown fame. But there is no time to dwell on old slights when neo-Nazis are at the door. We dont have a person to lose, King told the Jews at their prayer meeting Monday morning. We are brothers and sisters.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Henry Allen is a former Post editor and reporter.

Washington vs. New York  the resentful bewilderment continues on both sides.

Cats and dogs, Hatfields and McCoys, India and Pakistan, coyote and roadrunner, Cowboys and Redskins: Were seeing it now in the White House, where New Yorker Donald Trump has taken up his awkward Washington residence.

President Trump gets it backward, to Washington ears. He boasts of his riches and calls the media the enemy of the American people. But as veteran columnist Walter Shapiro has said of Washington: Its a city where being rich counts for less than anywhere else, and being a journalist counts for more.

The medium of exchange in New York is money brokered by Wall Street. In Washington, its power brokered by the media.

You can buy the Empire State Building, which has no particular power, but you cant buy the Supreme Court, which does.

Money gets you somewhere in Congress, but it has its limits.

How do you buy Sen. John McCains (R-Ariz.) vote on the health-care bill? Or consider the recent scrap between Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who called her to complain about her no vote on debating the repeal of Obamacare. Trump had already tweeted his disappointment. Zinke and Trump didnt understand how power works here.

The odd thing was that the Interior Department has nothing to do with the health-care plan, but it has a lot to do with ongoing public-works projects in Alaska. Zinke, the career SEAL, and Trump, the career New Yorker, were trying to wield power.

They seem to have forgotten that Murkowski oversees the confirmation process for Interior Department nominees  a process she announced would be delayed after the Zinke phone call (while denying the call had anything to do with it). Had they noted that Murkowski doesnt face reelection until 2022? She has power over them  them over her, not so much.

Washington understands New York better than New York understands Washington, much as the South understands the North better than the North understands the South. In the same way, out in flyover country, Americas working class understands dinner-party liberals better than the liberals understand the working class, if they even know it exists.

In a speech at the 2017 National Scout Jamboree in Glen Jean, W.Va., July 24, President Trump told the audience to never quit, never give up, do something you love. (The Washington Post)

Deplorables, Hillary Clinton called them  with their regrettable guns and religion, as Barack Obama said.

Clinton and Obama thought they had the power to dismiss the biggest piece of the electorate. Democrats had been doing it for decades, after all. Finally, the blue collars spotted a messiah in Trump, thinking for some reason that he had the power to save them. So far it hasnt happened, but hes a New Yorker, and New Yorkers have a tough time doing things for people in Washington.

The difference can come down to the most trivial details. Washingtonians noticed when Ivanka Trump, his daughter and assistant, wore an off-the-shoulder dress with what looked like a black bra strap to her fathers speech to Congress. Dear Ivanka, Washington is not a black-bra-strap kind of town.

Jared Kushner, Ivankas immensely rich New York husband and another top adviser, seems to regard filling out security clearance forms the way the late Leona Helmsley, New Yorks Queen of Mean, regarded taxes: Only the little people pay taxes.

Kushner didnt bother including a lot of the required information on his forms, thereby attracting the attention of Washingtons intelligence community and various departments and committees of law enforcement and investigation.

But why would a New Yorker worry about these people? Trump had dismissed them as incompetent leakers, never seeming to realize that the intelligence community has no money but does have immense power. It has something on everyone. Didnt Trump ever wonder how J. Edgar Hoover held power as FBI director for all those decades?

For half a century since I came down from New York myself, Ive watched New Yorkers arrive. They think they have all the answers. (I thought I did, too, for a while.) You never hear them ask: When youve had this problem before, how have you solved it? After a while they begin to sense they dont have the power they thought theyd have, the way Northerners are appalled to discover that those big Southern smiles arent inviting them in.

When Trump tweeted his surprise ban on transgender people serving in the military, he must have thought he was on safe ground. (Indeed, Trump voters dont have Ivy League liberals sympathy for the LGBT world.) But Trump voters dont run Washington, and that tweet provoked wrath even from conservative Republicans in Congress.

Trump didnt and couldnt understand that in Washington, you have to clear things with the right people, whether they agree or not. The rule is: No surprises. You give a heads up to the powerful people, using your power to add to their power, and vice versa. He didnt do that. Even the military, of which he is commander in chief, shrugged him off, doing a variation on the old trick the sergeant plays on the lieutenant when he says Yessir, well get right on it, sir, and then does absolutely nothing.

It didnt start with Trump. New Yorkers have been this way for a long time. In August 1774, before Washington even existed, John Adams visited New York and observed in his diary, With all the opulence and splendor of this city, there is very little good breeding to be found . . . there is no modesty, no attention to one another. . . . They talk very loud, very fast, and all together. If they ask you a question, before you can utter three words of your answer they will break out upon you again, and talk away.

And they so often fail to fit in, here in Washington.
A top executive from Donald Trumps real estate company emailed Russian President Vladimir Putins personal spokesman during the U.S. presidential campaign last year to ask for help advancing a stalled Trump Tower development project in Moscow, according to documents submitted to Congress on Monday.

The request came in a mid-January 2016 email from Michael Cohen, one of Trumps closest business advisers, who asked longtime Putin lieutenant Dmitry Peskov for assistance in reviving a deal that Cohen suggested was languishing.

Over the past few months I have been working with a company based in Russia regarding the development of a Trump Tower-Moscow project in Moscow City, Cohen wrote to Peskov, according to a person familiar with the email. Without getting into lengthy specifics, the communication between our two sides has stalled.

As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon, Cohen wrote.

Cohens email marks the most direct outreach documented by a top Trump aide to a similarly senior member of Putins government.

Cohen told congressional investigators in a statement Monday that he did not recall receiving a response from Peskov or having further contact with Russian government officials about the project. The email, addressed to Peskov, appeared to have been sent to a general Kremlin press account.

The note adds to the list of contacts between Trump associates and Russian officials that have been a focus of multiple congressional inquiries as well as an investigation led by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III exploring Russian interference in the 2016 election. U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the Kremlin intervened to help elect Trump.

Cohens email to Peskov provides an example of a Trump business official directly seeking Kremlin assistance in advancing Trumps business interests.

Cohen told congressional investigators that the deal was envisioned as a licensing project, in which Trump would have been paid for the use of his name by a Moscow-based developer called I.C. Expert Investment Co.

Cohen said that he discussed the deal three times with Trump and that Trump signed a letter of intent with the company on Oct. 28, 2015. He said the Trump company began to solicit designs from architects and discuss financing.

However, he said that the project was abandoned for business reasons when government permission was not secured and that the matter was not related in any way to Mr. Trumps presidential campaign.

Cohens request to Peskov came as Trump was distinguishing himself on the campaign trail with his warm rhetoric about Putin.

Cohen said in his statement to Congress that he wrote the email at the recommendation of Felix Sater, a Russian American businessman who was serving as a broker on the deal.

In the statement, obtained by The Washington Post, Cohen said Sater suggested the outreach because a massive Trump development in Moscow would require Russian government approval.

White House special counsel Ty Cobb said Trump knew nothing about Cohens effort to enlist Peskovs help.

The mere fact that there was no apparent response suggests this is a non-collusion story, he said.

Cohen has been one of Trumps closest aides since 2007, serving as a business emissary, lawyer and sometimes spokesman for Trump. Friends said Trump has treated Cohen like a member of his family.

Cohen, who was executive vice president of the Trump Organization, did not have a formal role in Trumps campaign. But he spoke with reporters as a defender of Trump and appeared on television as a surrogate for the candidate. He left the company shortly before Trump was inaugurated as president, and, since January, has served as one of Trumps personal lawyers.

In a statement to The Post, Cohen described the potential Moscow project as simply one of many development opportunities that the Trump Organization considered and ultimately rejected.

It should come as no surprise that, over four decades, the Trump Organization has received and reviewed countless real estate development opportunities, both domestic and international, he added.

Cohen said he abandoned the project because he lost confidence that the Moscow developer would be able to obtain land, financing and government approvals. It was a building proposal that did not succeed, and nothing more, he said.

The Post reported Sunday that Cohen had been in negotiations with Sater and foreign investors to build a Trump Tower in the Russian capital from September 2015 through the end of January 2016, at the same time Trump was campaigning for president. Trump entered the race in June 2015, and by January 2016 he was leading in the polls for the Republican nomination.

Cohen told congressional investigators that Sater constantly pushed him to travel to Moscow as part of the negotiations, but that he declined to do so.

He said that Sater, who has attempted to broker Trump deals for more than a decade, was prone to salesmanship,  and that, as a result, he did not routinely apprise others in the company about their interactions and never considered asking Trump to go to Moscow, as Sater had requested.

Sater said in a statement Monday that he brought the idea of the largest tower in Russia to Cohen, his longtime friend. Despite Saters enthusiasm for the plan, he said, the Trump Organization abandoned it.

Michael Cohen was the only member of the Trump Organization who I communicated with on this project, Sater said.

Over email, Sater bragged to Cohen that he could get Putin to assist with the project and that it would help Trumps presidential campaign, according to correspondence submitted to congressional investigators.

Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it, Sater wrote in a November 2015 email. I will get all of Putins team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.

The Post on Sunday first reported on the existence of the emails, copies of which were published Monday by the New York Times.

In another email published by the Times, and confirmed by The Post, Sater described accompanying Trumps daughter Ivanka Trump on a 2006 trip to Moscow. I arranged for Ivanka to sit in Putins private chair at his desk and office in the Kremlin, Sater wrote.

Ivanka Trump said she had taken a brief tour of the Kremlin but did not recall sitting in Putins chair.

She added, I was not part of Michael Cohens discussions surrounding a potential Trump project that he was evaluating in 2015 in Russia with the exception of recommending architects to consider as part of the routine design process for any potential deal.

Donald Trump has tried to distance himself from Sater, a New York developer whose office was located in Trump Tower and who helped broker licensed Trump deals. Sater had served time in jail in the 1990s after a bar fight and pleaded guilty in 1998 to his role in Mafia-linked stock fraud. Federal officials have said he then cooperated on various national security and criminal investigations.

In writing to Peskov, Cohen was reaching out to a Kremlin official considered one of the main gatekeepers to Putin.

Peskov was appointed the head of the presidential press service in 2000, during Putins first term, and has served as a spokesman for Putin in various roles since, staying with Putin during his four years as prime minister. Because he regularly travels with and speaks to Putin, he is a target for lobbyists and petitioners trying to attract the Russian presidents attention.

Aside from being the Kremlins mouthpiece, hes definitely someone who is viewed as a senior lieutenant, an important oligarch in Putins power system, said Steven L. Hall, who retired from the CIA in 2015 after 30 years of managing the agencys Russia operations. If youre looking for someone who is close to Putin, Dmitry Peskov is as good as any of them.

Asked for comment about the Trump Tower negotiations, Amanda Miller, a spokeswoman for the Trump Organization, emphasized Monday that Cohen did not pursue the deal beyond its initial stages. After the signing of a non-binding letter of intent . . . it was not significantly advanced (i.e., there was no site, no financing, and no development), she wrote in an email to The Post. To be clear, the Trump Organization has never had any real estate holdings or interests in Russia.

Still, Trump repeatedly tried for three decades to build in Russia. In 2013, he signed a preliminary agreement to build a tower in partnership with Aras Agalarov, a billionaire who had financed the Trump-owned Miss Universe pageant when it was held in Moscow in 2013. Agalarov told The Post last year that his companys deal with Trump was on hold because of the presidential campaign.

A representative of Agalarovs company attended a June 2016 meeting with top Trump aides and a Russian lawyer organized by Donald Trump Jr., after he was told that the lawyer would provide damaging information about Democratic rival Hillary Clinton provided by the Russian government.

Scott Balber, an attorney for Agalarov, said Agalarov and his company played no role in the 2015-16 Trump Tower proposal.

Andrew Roth in Moscow contributed to this report.
While Donald Trump was running for president in late 2015 and early 2016, his company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow, according to several people familiar with the proposal and new records reviewed by Trump Organization lawyers.

As part of the discussions, a Russian-born real estate developer urged Trump to come to Moscow to tout the proposal and suggested that he could get President Vladimir Putin to say great things about Trump, according to several people who have been briefed on his correspondence.

The developer, Felix Sater, predicted in a November 2015 email that he and Trump Organization leaders would soon be celebrating  both one of the biggest residential projects in real estate history and Donald Trumps election as president, according to two of the people with knowledge of the exchange.

Sater wrote to Trump Organization Executive Vice President Michael Cohen something to the effect of, Can you believe two guys from Brooklyn are going to elect a president?  said one person briefed on the email exchange. Sater emigrated from what was then the Soviet Union when he was 6 and grew up in Brooklyn.

Trump never went to Moscow as Sater proposed. And although investors and Trumps company signed a letter of intent, they lacked the land and permits to proceed and the project was abandoned at the end of January 2016, just before the presidential primaries began, several people familiar with the proposal said.

Nevertheless, the details of the deal, which have not previously been disclosed, provide evidence that Trumps business was actively pursuing significant commercial interests in Russia at the same time he was campaigning to be president  and in a position to determine U.S.-Russia relations. The new details from the emails, which are scheduled to be turned over to congressional investigators soon, also point to the likelihood of additional contacts between Russia-connected individuals and Trump associates during his presidential bid.

White House officials declined to comment for this report. Cohen, a longtime Trump legal adviser, declined to comment, but his attorney, Stephen Ryan, said his client has been cooperating and will continue to cooperate with both the House and Senate intelligence committees, including providing them with documents and information and answering any questions they may have about the Moscow building proposal.

In recent months, contacts between high-ranking and lower- level Trump aides and Russians have emerged. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, then a U.S. senator and campaign adviser, twice met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak.

Donald Trump Jr. organized a June 2016 meeting with campaign aide Jared Kushner, campaign manager Paul Manafort and a Russian lawyer after the presidents eldest son was promised that the lawyer would bring damaging information about Hillary Clinton as part of a Russian government effort to help the campaign.

Internal emails also show campaign adviser George Papadopoulos repeatedly sought to organize meetings with campaign officials, including Trump, and Putin or other Russians. His efforts were rebuffed.

The negotiations for the Moscow project ended before Trumps business ties to Russia had become a major issue in the campaign. Trump denied having any business connections to Russia in July 2016, tweeting, for the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia and then insisting at a news conference the following day, I have nothing to do with Russia.

While campaigning during the 2016 election, President Trumps company was pursuing a plan to develop a massive Trump Tower in Moscow, according to several people familiar with the proposal. (Amber Ferguson/The Washington Post)

Discussions about the Moscow project began in earnest in September 2015, according to people briefed on the deal. An unidentified investor planned to build the project and, under a licensing agreement, put Trumps name on it. Cohen acted as a lead negotiator for the Trump Organization. It is unclear how involved or aware Trump was of the negotiations.

As the talks progressed, Trump voiced numerous supportive comments about Putin, setting himself apart from his Republican rivals for the nomination.

By the end of 2015, Putin began offering praise in return.

He says that he wants to move to another, closer level of relations. Can we really not welcome that? Of course, we welcome that, Putin told reporters during his annual end-of-the year news conference. He called Trump a colorful and talented person. Trump said afterward that the compliment was an honor.

Though Putins comments came shortly after Sater suggested that the Russian president would speak favorably about Trump, there is no indication that the two are connected.

There is no public record that Trump has ever spoken about the effort to build a Trump Tower in 2015 and 2016.

Trumps interests in building in Moscow, however, are long-standing. He had attempted to build a Trump property for three decades, starting with a failed effort in 1987 to partner with the Soviet government on a hotel project.

Russia is one of the hottest places in the world for investment, he said in a 2007 court deposition.

We will be in Moscow at some point, he promised in the deposition.

Sater was involved in at least one of those previous efforts. In 2005, the Trump Organization gave his development company, the Bayrock Group, an exclusive one-year deal to attempt to build a Moscow Trump Tower. Sater located a site for the project  an abandoned pencil factory  and worked closely with Trump on the deal, which did not come to fruition.

In an unrelated court case in 2008, Sater said in a deposition that he would personally provide Trump verbal updates on the deal.

When Id come back, pop my head into Mr. Trumps office and tell him, you know, Moving forward on the Moscow deal. And he would say, All right,  Sater said.

In the same testimony, Sater described traveling with Trumps children, including joining Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr. on a trip to Moscow at their fathers request.

They were on their way by themselves, and he was all concerned, Sater said. He asked if I wouldnt mind joining them and looking after them while they were in Moscow.

Alan Garten, a lawyer for the Trump Organization, told The Washington Post last year that Sater happened to be in Moscow at the same time as Trumps two adult children. There was no accompanying them to Moscow, he said.

Neither Sater nor his attorney responded to requests for comment.

Trump has repeatedly tried to distance himself from Sater, who served time in jail after assaulting a man with the stem of a broken margarita glass during a 1991 bar fight and then pleaded guilty in 1998 to his role in an organized- crime-linked stock fraud. Saters sentencing was delayed for years while he cooperated with the federal government on a series of criminal and national security-related investigations, federal officials have said.

During that time, Sater worked as an executive with Bayrock, whose offices were in Trump Tower, and brokered deals to license Trumps name for developments in multiple U.S. and foreign cities. In 2010, Trump allowed Sater to briefly work out of Trump Organization office space and use a business card that identified him as a senior adviser to Donald Trump.

Still, when asked about Sater in 2013 court deposition, Trump said: If he were sitting in the room right now, I really wouldnt know what he looked like. He added that he had spoken with Sater not many times.
The House Ethics Committee is reviewing allegations that Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) engaged in misconduct, four months after his personal investment practices came under scrutiny in the media.

Leaders of the Ethics Committee said they had jointly decided to extend the matter and plan to announce their course of action in October.

The announcement provided the first public confirmation that the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent ethics monitor, investigated Collins and concluded that there is substantial reason to believe he violated the law, House rules or the code of conduct governing lawmakers.

The Ethics Committee, which received the OCEs report July 14, said its review does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred. It did not provide details of the OCEs investigation or describe the specific allegations against Collins.

The New York Republican, who has denied wrongdoing, received a barrage of negative headlines in April and May after the Daily Beast reported that he wrote legislation that would benefit a pharmaceutical company in which he held a substantial interest.

Collinss involvement with Australian pharmaceutical company Innate Immunotherapeutics, including his participation in its initial public offering in late 2013, prompted Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.) to introduce a bill designed to stop lawmakers from taking advantage of exclusive stock deals not available to the public.

The legislation would bar members of Congress from taking part in foreign IPOs or private-placement stock offerings. It would also stop them from purchasing stock at discounted prices.

Slaughter said she would be interested to know what Congressman Collins knew and when.

He presented Innate as a great investment opportunity to his friends and members of Congress that shortly thereafter went bust after its drug was found to be no better than a placebo that caused harm to patients, Slaughter said in a statement Monday. Beyond the original STOCK Act that said members and staff couldnt trade on non-public information, Congressman Collins went further and wrote an amendment to the 21st Century Cures Act that benefited him personally.

A spokeswoman for Collins denied allegations of misconduct and accused Slaughter of engaging in a partisan witch hunt.

Todays announcement was expected and is nothing more than a pro forma delay because Congress is currently in its August recess, Sarah Minkel said in an emailed statement. Congressman Collins has followed all ethical and legal guidelines when it comes to his personal investments and he looks forward to their review.

Slaughters bill has received heightened attention because former congressman Tom Price (R-Ga.), now secretary of health and human services, also invested in Innate Immunotherapeutics through questionable stock trades the legislation seeks to stop.

The Ethics Committee must make the OCEs report public Oct. 12, unless it impanels an investigative subcommittee to explore the matter further.

The OCE, which has not confirmed its investigation of Collins, declined to comment because the matter is pending.

Read more at PowerPost
The workers message for Sen. Joe Donnelly was blunt: President Trump, I think, has got a long road ahead of him, he said, and I hope you can back him on some things, because I think he has the countrys best interest at heart.

Donnelly assured the man that he is working with Trump on creating jobs and combating opioid abuse. Looking out on the construction of a railroad underpass in this rural town, he said, Anywhere weve got some common-sense stuff, count me in.

I hope so, said the worker, who declined to give his name to a reporter. Because if not, then Im going to be voting for someone else.

Its a message Donnelly, a burly Indiana Democrat, is hearing a lot. Its one he and other Democrats seeking reelection next year in states Trump won are responding to in a way that puts them at odds with the leadership and base of their own party: by promising to work with this president.

Donnelly is one of 10 such Democratic senators  and one of five in states where Trumps margin entered the double digits. (In Indiana, Trump won by 19 points.) They face a seemingly impossible challenge: to appeal to Trump voters while retaining the support of anti-Trump Democrats. They must do so not only for their own political futures but for their party to win back control of the Senate and compete in states rich with the white working-class voters who drifted to Trump in 2016.

Donnelly, second from left, poses for a photograph with a supporter at Savage's Ale House in Muncie, Ind. More than a year before the vote, his reelection bid is rated a toss-up. (Mike DeBonis/The Washington Post)

Key congressional forecasters consider Donnellys race a toss-up, even without a clear Republican opponent. The same goes for the races of Democratic senators in Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, West Virginia and other states  all caught between their constituents support for Trump and a national Democratic brand increasingly centered on resistance to the president.

Its a delicate dance for many of them. Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) described her approach at a recent town hall: My job isnt to fight the president. My job is to fight for you. It was on full display last week as Donnelly kicked off his reelection campaign, touring the state in an Indiana-built RV.

[Claire McCaskills balancing act: How to be a moderate in immoderate times]

At the highway project, Donnelly basked in the praise of the local mayor, who said that if the senator hadnt made a phone call to the railroad, the project might still be entangled in red tape.

Thats the kind of prudent, results-oriented governing Donnelly ran on when he pulled off his unlikely 2012 victory, and its the image he hopes voters will have in mind when they cast their ballots next year. But he is frequently reminded that his reelection isnt going to be about just roads and bridges.

A few hours before inspecting the underpass, Donnelly rose in a union hall in the factory suburb of Anderson and denounced the violent white-nationalist rally in Charlottesville  and, by implication, the presidents tepid response to it.

There is no place for white supremacy, for neo-Nazis, for KKK in the United States of America, Donnelly declared to a standing ovation. He later told reporters that Trumps remarks were way off the mark and that he hoped the president might choose his words more wisely on those types of issues.

Donnelly speaks at the UAW in Anderson, Ind., as he starts his reelection campaign. (Don Knight/Associated Press)

Thats as far as Donnelly went  and he otherwise steered clear of open conflict with Trump, touting instead his own bipartisan initiatives to crack down on corporate outsourcing, address the opioid epidemic and beef up military readiness and services for veterans.

In an interview, Donnelly relayed what hes heard from Indiana voters over the past eight months:  Be with him, and dont try to give him a hard time just because hes the president. Thats pretty universal.

As much as any congressional Democrat, Donnelly has complied with those wishes. He has voted for more Trump Cabinet nominees than all but four other Democratic senators and was one of three Democrats to vote to confirm Neil M. Gorsuch as a Supreme Court justice. He also has sided with Republicans on some efforts to overturn environmental regulations.

Donnelly has kept his Washington profile low, ignoring reporters in the Capitol hallways and eschewing the cable news circuit, preferring instead a robust schedule of local TV and radio appearances back in Indiana.

But he also has been a team player for Democrats on most key issues  including preserving the Affordable Care Act. That gives GOP leaders in both Washington and Indiana what they say is a clear path to reclaiming his seat in 2018 by tying him to the national party.

We know the Trump voters, and they are not Donnelly voters, said Kyle Hupfer, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party. The reality is, hes not supportive of the president, and voters in Indiana are going to know that.

Reps. Luke Messer and Todd Rokita are giving up their safe House seats to take on Donnelly, and five other Republicans have also declared their candidacies.

Donnellys air of vulnerability is partly rooted in the circumstances of his 2012 victory.

He won comfortably against Republican Richard Mourdock, then the state treasurer, whose campaign imploded after he suggested in a debate that a pregnancy resulting from a rape was something that God intended to happen.

But political observers in Indiana say it would be a mistake to dismiss Donnellys victory. They credited a skillful campaign that positioned the Democrat as a bipartisan problem-solver  including TV spots where he literally stood in the middle of a road to play up his centrist outlook. Current public polling is scarce, but strategists cite past surveys and anecdotal evidence indicating that Donnelly has built a genuine bipartisan following.

Donnelly won by six points because of the rape comment, but he didnt win because of the rape comment, said Christine Matthews, who polled the 2012 race and has worked for numerous Republican candidates in Indiana.

Donnellys message is well calibrated to a state that is 85 percent white and has seen a decline in low-skill manufacturing jobs, and where three-quarters of the population has no more than a high school degree. It involves a major focus on the effects of foreign trade, highlighting his work on the Armed Services and Agriculture committees, and a hefty dose of reverence for service members and veterans.

In Winchester, he visited a facility for homeless veterans, where he pressed administrators and local officials on how the federal government could do more to help them and quizzed the residents on the challenges they faced.

Greg Beumer, a Republican state lawmaker, attended the event and had little ill to say about Donnelly.

Many Republicans were scratching their heads, he said, at why Messer and Rokita would risk safe seats to take on Donnelly, who by and large has done a very good job of being that moderate voice in the Senate.

Beumer wouldnt say whether he would vote for the Democrat, but he said moderate Republican voters will be up for grabs next year. I would say if I were in his shoes, hes done exactly what I would have done, Beumer said.

Donnelly has been most outspoken on economic issues, introducing an End Outsourcing Act and waging war against Carrier Corp.s decision to move hundreds of jobs from an Indianapolis furnace factory to Mexico  a crusade Trump later joined, culminating in a dramatic announcement in November that the then-president-elect had brokered a deal to keep most of the jobs intact.

Those bombastic promises did not completely pan out  Carrier began laying off more than 600 workers last month  but while other Democrats have lambasted Trump for a bait-and-switch, Donnelly doesnt. Theres more jobs that stayed after he got involved than there was before he got involved, he said.

Donnelly has taken a recent bruising on the outsourcing issue, thanks to an Associated Press report in July that revealed that an arts-and-crafts company owned by the Donnelly family uses Mexican labor for some of its products. The senator owns a minority stake in the company.

The AP reported this week that Donnelly is finalizing the sale of his share of the company, Stewart Superior Corp., and donating the proceeds to charity, but the political toll has come swiftly: The National Republican Senatorial Committee has already started trying to brand Donnelly as Mexico Joe.

It hired a mariachi band to play outside his campaign kickoff in Anderson last week.

In an interview, Donnelly said he has had no active role in the company in two decades and he learned of the outsourcing only when he was contacted for the AP report. The subject never came up in conversations with family, he said, adding, I was disappointed when I found out.

Donnelly noted that a company facility in Indiana has added jobs in recent years and said his record on trade speaks for itself: Im more than happy to have this discussion any place, any time.

For now, it is Trump  not outsourcing  that appears to weigh more heavily on many Hoosiers minds. Kaye Whitehead, a farmer and former Republican county party chairman, attended a Donnelly campaign event on a Hartford City farm to hear his thoughts on the upcoming farm bill  and on Trump.

We need to support the president of the United States no matter who it is, Whitehead said. I really think hes got some good ideas, but nobody gets on board.

As the sun beat down on the cornfield outside, Donnelly stood inside a pole barn and rattled through his efforts to maintain crop insurance programs and his opposition to an Obama administration regulation that applied Clean Water Act protections to small streams.

Whitehead listened closely and said afterward that she was willing to give Donnelly a chance. But she said she would be watching closely, with a particular eye on health care and taxes.

Theres a lot of issues on the table that the senator will have to vote for or against, and Im interested in seeing how he proceeds.

Read more at PowerPost
The damaged port aft hull of the USS John S. McCain is visible while docked at Singapore's Changi naval base. (Wong Maye-E/Associated Press)

The bodies of all 10 sailors missing since a collision between the USS John S. McCain and an oil tanker off the coast of Singapore have been recovered, the Navys 7th Fleet said Monday.

The bodies were all recovered from within the destroyer, which was badly damaged during the Aug. 21 collision, complicating retrieval efforts. The ship is still docked at Changi naval base in Singapore.

The incident is under investigation to determine the facts and circumstances of the collision, said a spokesman for the Japan-based 7th Fleet, to which the McCain belongs.

The 10 sailors were identified as:

Electronics Technician 1st Class Charles Nathan Findley, 31, of Amazonia, Mo.;

Interior Communications Electrician 1st Class Abraham Lopez, 39, of El Paso;

Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kevin Sayer Bushell, 26, of Gaithersburg, Md.;

Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob Daniel Drake, 21, of Cable, Ohio;

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy Thomas Eckels Jr., 23, of Manchester, Md.;

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Corey George Ingram, 28, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Dustin Louis Doyon, 26, of Suffield, Conn.

Electronics Technician 3rd Class John Henry Hoagland III, 20, of Killeen, Tex.

Interior Communications Electrician 3rd Class Logan Stephen Palmer, 23, of Decatur, Ill.

Electronics Technician 3rd Class, Kenneth Aaron Smith, 22, of Cherry Hill, N.J.

The McCain, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, and a Liberian-flagged oil tanker more than three times its size collided before dawn near the entrance to the Strait of Malacca, one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes.

It was the fourth incident in Asia this year involving a U.S. Navy vessel, and came barely two months after a collision involving the USS Fitzgerald, also a guided-missile destroyer based at the 7th Fleets home port in Yokosuka, Japan. In that collision, with a container ship south of Japan, seven sailors were killed.

The collisions were remarkably similar, with the sailors being trapped inside the hull at the point of impact.

In response to this latest collision, the Navys top admiral last week ordered a fleetwide review of seamanship and training in the Pacific. Then, on Wednesday, the admiral in charge of the 7th Fleet was removed from his position because of his commanders loss of confidence in his ability to lead.

Adm. Scott Swift, commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, visited the 7th Fleet last week during the change of command.

In the wake of two tragic collisions, our hearts may be broken but our will remains strong, Swift wrote on his Facebook page. The Pacific Fleet has faced adversity before in our history, and no matter the challenge, we have overcome it.

The Navy would determine the causes of these incidents, we will learn from them and we will apply those lessons, he wrote.



The McCain is named for the father and grandfather of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), both of whom served as admirals in the Navy.

Read more:

Navy names 10 sailors missing since McCain collision, begins recovery operation

The USS John S. McCain was struck in some of the worlds busiest waters

Top Navy admiral orders fleetwide investigation following latest collision at sea

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
French President Emmanuel Macron, center, meets with Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou and Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Aug. 28. (Thibault Camus/AFP/Getty Images)

More than 1.5 million migrants have surged into Europe since 2015. Now European leaders and their African counterparts are working to stop the next mass migration before it starts.

In Paris on Monday, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Spain met with the presidents of Niger and Chad  as well as Fayez Serraj, the head of Libyas unity government. They agreed on a policy of registering vulnerable migrants at reception centers in Africa before they can seek asylum in Europe.

The war in Syria and conflict and poverty across Africa have caused a surge in migration over the past several years, prompting migrants and asylum seekers to pour into Europe, including along the deadly central Mediterranean route. To curb the flow, European leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have long called for increased screening in Africa. In return, they have promised their African partners significant developmental aid.

[In once-welcoming Italy, the tide turns against migrants]

Mondays summit was a victory of sorts for European leaders, who pushed for guarantees on tightened African border checks, increased Libyan patrols in the Mediterranean, and a crackdown on aid groups that carry out water rescues, which governments say enable traffickers to continue dangerous smuggling practices.

The Washington Post's Sudarsan Raghavan explains what migrants attempting to travel to Europe face when the Libyan Coast Guard takes them in. (Jason Aldag,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

But migration advocates were quick to reiterate the problems with what they consider a deeply flawed bargain.

The developmental aid Europe has promised, they say, can amount to funneling money to repressive regimes.

Its out of sight, out of mind, said Sophia Wirsching, a migration consultant for Bread for the World, a Protestant aid organization in Germany. Europe is attempting to shift its duty to countries that are not capable or willing to take on the responsibility for refugees.

[Smugglers are abandoning migrants in the middle of a desert the size of Texas]

The migration issue continues to inflame domestic politics across the continent  and perhaps nowhere more so than Germany.

There, finding ways to address forced migration beyond Europes borders has taken on new urgency several weeks before a federal election that is serving as a referendum on Merkel and her decision two years ago not to close Germanys borders to about a million migrants fleeing the Syrian war.

Polls show the long-serving, center-right leader with a comfortable advantage as she works to assure voters that the rapid influx of asylum seekers was a one-time deal.

Earlier in the summer, Macron proposed a network of hot spots in Libya, where migrants would be evaluated for asylum before making the journey. Those deemed to be economic migrants would be turned back. The notion was harpooned by Human Rights Watch and prominent European humanitarian groups.

But some political analysts insist that implementing refugee processing on the African side of the Mediterranean is a necessary step.

You can be critical of hot spots because its not entirely clear how they would work, but the reality is, the idea is not all that different from what we decided with Turkey last year, said Pierre Vimont, a former French ambassador to the European Union, referring to the deal between the E.U. and Turkey to stem the flow of migrants into Greece.

[Migrants face abuses in Libya even before they risk death at sea]

Mondays summit also addressed a proposed code of conduct for aid groups, some of which have been accused of performing rescues that enable smugglers to continue dangerous journeys across the Mediterranean.

Many aid groups reject those charges.

Basically, the accusations weve heard about NGOs, that we are somehow helping the traffickers, are vastly ill-conceived, said Bruno Jochum, director general of Doctors Without Borders.

Its part of a general strategy to stop the coming flow at whatever cost, he said. Today, European states are accommodating themselves and pushing people back into situations of generalized mistreatment.

Read more

They are not treated like humans: Inside Libyas thriving migrant trade

More than 6,000 migrants rescued in Mediterranean amid surge on dangerous sea route

Overwhelmed by immigrants, Italy threatens to bar the door to rescue ships

Meet the Libyan coast guard: Few ships, no lights, little hope of stopping migrants

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news


Britains Princess Diana and sons Harry, center, and William at the commemorations of V-J Day in London in 1995. (Johnny Eggitt/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

Princes William and Harry are good lads  and either would make a proper 21st-century king. Given all that has happened, that is amazing.

On the 20th anniversary of the death of the Peoples Princess, the British people have reached a consensus: Diana raised two relatively normal, capable, flawed but decent, and maybe even exceptional sons, under extraordinary circumstances.

That one of them, Harry, once dressed up as a Nazi is mostly forgotten. That the other, William, is a little dull is okay.

On Wednesday, the eve of the anniversary of Dianas death, the princes paid tribute to their mother by visiting a memorial garden planted in her honor at Kensington Palace, her former home. Afterward, they stopped to look at the flowers and messages fans started leaving outside of the palace gates this week.

The princes also talked to some of the onlookers who had braved the soggy London weather to pay their respects.

Harry is really nice  Im shaking! said Gracie Oxby, an 8-year-old who had a brief chat with Harry before handing him a bouquet of flowers that the prince laid next to other floral tributes.

All eyes are now on the next generation of royals as the world remembers the strange and unsettling tabloid days surrounding the death of Diana, killed in a horrific car crash in a Paris tunnel on Aug. 31, 1997.

William was 15 then; Harry was 12. That they were young and that it was heartbreaking escaped no one. Billions watched the televised reports that day, one of the largest global audiences ever assembled.



Prince William, left, and Prince Harry, the sons of Diana, Princess of Wales, bow their heads as their mothers casket is taken out of Westminster Abbey in London after her funeral. (Adam Butler/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)

Since then, the pair has done well. To recap, the princes got through their teens and survived their roaring 20s without fatal embarrassments.

There was plenty of partying  and some jousting with paparazzi outside night clubs. But both served honorably in the military, which the British public applauded.

William was a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance until last month. He had a day job. His crew saved lives.

Harry served as an Apache attack helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. Two tours. He got high marks for trying hard not to draw too much attention to himself. Or as the Sun put it in a tabloid headline, From wild nights to fire fights: How Prince Harry became a man.

[Prince Harry says no one in royal family really wants to wear the crown]

Once dubbed the Party Prince, the ginger-haired bachelor Harry has settled down, a bit. He is now dating the American actress Meghan Markle. He understands your interest, but issued a statement through his Kensington Palace spokesman asking people to back off.

These days, William and Harry are busy promoting charities that seek to help disabled veterans and those with AIDS. And, most remarkable, they are speaking out on the stigma surrounding mental-health challenges  by discussing their own, and by extension, very delicately, their mothers struggles. She suffered from depression and bulimia.



Catherine, Prince William and Prince Harry race during a Marathon Training Day at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London in February. (WPA Pool/Getty Images)

None of this was guaranteed.

That neither prince became a punchline, an afterthought or train wreck  growing up in the selfie age under the all-seeing eye of the most unforgiving tabloid culture on earth  is remarkable.

Their parents, Charles and Diana, had a deeply unhappy public marriage with the most lurid details splashed on the front pages of the worlds newspapers for years. The fascination continues.

1 of 12 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Prince Charles, Princess Diana and their children View Photos The then-royal couple and their sons, William and Harry, heirs to the British throne. Caption The then-royal couple and their sons, William and Harry, heirs to the British throne. March 8, 1982 Actress Elizabeth Taylor, left, chatted with a pregnant Diana, Princess of Wales, after a charity premiere of The Little Foxes, in which Taylor starred, at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London. David Caulkin/BIPNA via AP Wait 1 second to continue.

A documentary that aired on Britains Channel 4 two weeks ago generated news about how much sex  or not so much  Charles and Diana were having as their marriage cratered, mostly because Charles could not get over his one true love, Camilla Parker Bowles, whom he later married and who is now the Duchess of Cornwall.

Although many might wish otherwise, the 68-year-old Charles will almost certainly be king when his mother, the 91-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, dies.

In Britain, at least now, Charles appears a kind of afterthought, a vintage image. The enduring moment from Dianas funeral 20 years ago is not of Charles but of sons William and Harry, walking behind their mothers flag-draped casket, their heads bowed as they shuffled forward between immense ranks of mourners, most silent, but some wailing, others nearly hysterical.

It was a long and lonely walk, William says in a new BBC documentary, Diana, 7 Days, one of several marking the 20th anniversary of Dianas death. William said he tried to hide behind his floppy blond bangs, which were like a safety blanket.

Reflecting on the experience today, William says he had many roles to play that day: He was a grieving teenage son, yes, but he was also Prince William, the nations future king.

There was a balance, he said, between me being Prince William and having to do my bit, versus the private William who just wanted to go into a room and cry, whod lost his mother.

British Princes William and Harry appear in a new documentary to honor the anniversary of their mother's death and recount their reactions to her fatal car crash 20 years ago. "I wanted her to be proud of the person I would become," Prince William said.

Until recently, William and Harry have not spoken publicly like this about their mother and what it was like to cope with her loss when they were so young.

It is hard to overstate just how unusual it is, even in 2017, for the queens subjects to see the princes on the television talking so openly about Diana.

Old-school British aristocrats are renowned for the stiff upper lip. The royals can be reserved to the point of hypoxia, in a mostly mute doggedness, viewed charitably as keeping calm and reigning on.

[Princess Dianas private tapes will air despite pleas from her family and friends]

The queen has ruled for more than 65 years, and she has given exactly zero interviews during her long reign.

But William says he felt now was an appropriate time to honor his mothers memory. In the two documentaries, the princes paint a portrait of a fun-loving, cool mum who is dearly missed.

The princes light up when they talk about Diana playing pranks  from hiding candies in socks to sending rude cards to her sons at school to arranging supermodels to surprise William at their home.

Our mother was a total kid, through and through, Harry says in the HBO documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.

One of her mottos to me was, You can be as naughty as you want  just dont get caught. 

Prince Harry chats to sports stars at a 'Heads Together BBQ' at Kensington Palace regarding challenges they have faced during their lives.

In 2012, Harry was photographed naked in Las Vegas during a game of strip poker. He didnt really lose that hand.

Today, Harry, 32, lives in a cottage on the grounds of Kensington Palace.

In his post-army career, Harry founded the Invictus Games, a sporting event for disabled veterans. To help publicize it, he roped in the queen for a promotional video with the Obamas that went viral on Twitter.

Proving that the royals have a sense of humor.

His older brother, William, second in line for succession after his father, Charles, is the less-interesting one, with the thinning hair and the glamorous wife. He doesnt have the same bad-boy allure as his brother, but he hasnt fully escaped criticism from the news media.

Work-shy William is his nickname in some tabloids, upset that he hasnt clocked up enough royal duty hours. Throne idle said one front-page headline in the Sun.

William defended himself against the gibes, saying that he was concentrating on being a good father, pilot and a royal. But he will soon be clocking up more duties in service of the realm.

William and Kate, both 35, recently packed up the fam  George, 4 and Charlotte, 2  and moved their main residence from Anmer Hall in Norfolk, a relatively secluded area in eastern England, to Kensington Palace in the bustling British capital. Prince George starts school this fall in Battersea, south London, a few miles from the family home.

Both William and Harry are now full-time royals, and as such carry out engagements  as they are called  on behalf of the queen, and draw attention to various charities.



Prince William and Prince Harry arrive for the marriage of Pippa Middleton to James Matthews at St. Marks Church in Englefield Green, England, in May. (WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The queen  the boss as William has called her  is still very much at the helm, but as she gradually scales back her duties, the younger generation is taking on a greater role.

[Prince Philip will step back from royal duties, Buckingham Palace announces]

Commentators say that William may start to fill in some of the gaps left by his grandfather, Prince Philip, who recently hung up his royal cleats at age 96.

In the closing years of her life, the queen and William will make a natural couple, carrying out royal duties, said Robert Lacey, a royal biographer. He noted that the two have a similar style  reserved, cautious, calm  that contrasts with the more opinionated Prince Charles, the queens eldest son and first in line to the throne. In an interview with the BBC, William suggested that he is more likely to rule in a manner similar to the queens.

Some traditionalists have sniffed at the princes openness. The queen doesnt do touchy-feely, and the heirs should follow suit, they say.

Time for William to put a royal sock in it and follow his grandmothers rule of never complain and never explain, ran one headline in the Daily Mail.

In a recent poll, 78 percent of those surveyed said William had made a positive contribution to the royal family; Harry, 77 percent; Kate, 73 percent; Charles, 36 percent; and Camilla, 18 percent.

I think they have a difficult job, said Robert Jobson, a longtime royal correspondent and co-author of Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret. They have to bridge that gap between their mother, who showed she cared about something other than the institution, and also show respect for the monarchy itself.



Prince William, Catherine and Prince Harry cheer on runners as they signal the start of the 2017 Virgin Money London Marathon in April. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Despite their recent openness, its widely reported that the princes loathe the media, and William in particular comes across as guarded.

William has to be more private. Hes the father of two young children, and he doesnt want a repetition of the abhorrent behavior of the media that chased his mother to her death, Jobson said.

In the BBC documentary, William said that when he saw his mother crying, it was usually to do with something connected to the media. He said that this took a toll on him and that he found it difficult as a young boy who wanted to protect his mother from the paparazzi.

And I mean a pack, like a pack of dogs, followed her, chased her, harassed her, called her names, spat at her, tried to get a reaction to get that photograph of her lashing out, get her upset, William said.

Last year, Harry fired his own salvo at the news media, condemning what he said was the medias racist and sexist abuse of his girlfriend Meghan Markle, an American actress of mixed race who is arguably best known for her role in the TV drama Suits. The princes have signaled they wont be talking about Diana as much in the future, but dont expect them to stop talking about the importance of expressing feelings.

There may be a time and a place for the stiff upper lip,  William has said. But not at the expense of your health.

Read more:

As Britain cracks down on weapons, criminals turn to acid attacks

Just a few more bongs for Big Ben before London bell is silenced for four years

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai to study at Oxford

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
In July 2006, a Chinese and an Indian soldier place a barbed wire fence at a border crossing after a meeting between leaders from the two countries. (Desha-Kalyan Chowdhury/AFP/Getty Images)

India and China have withdrawn troops from a disputed Himalayan region on their border, foreign ministries from the two countries announced Monday, defusing a tense standoff that had threatened to provoke armed conflict between the nuclear-armed Asian rivals.

For the past two months, Indian and Chinese troops had faced off on a plateau in the Doklam area in the Himalayas after Indian troops moved in to prevent the Chinese military from building a road into territory claimed by Indias close ally, Bhutan.

China had repeatedly and furiously denounced the Indian move as a direct infringement of its sovereignty, demanded an immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and warned that conflict was a real possibility if that didnt happen.

[China and India are dangerously close to military conflict in the Himalayas]

On Monday, the two sides announced they had reached an agreement, with India saying its troops were disengaging and China saying it would redeploy forces in response. By the evening, India said both sides had almost completed their withdrawals.





It was not clear from the countries public statements whether Beijing had offered any concessions in return for the Indian withdrawal, such as agreeing to halt construction of the road.

China said it would continue to patrol and garrison the area, and to exercise its sovereign rights.

In a short statement, Indias Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries had maintained diplomatic communication about the dispute in recent weeks.

During these communications, we were able to express our views and convey our concerns and interests, it said. On this basis, expeditious disengagement of border personnel at the faceoff site at Doklam has been agreed to and is ongoing.

Later, it confirmed that forces from both sides were pulling back, adding that the process was almost completed under verification.

Chinas Foreign Ministry said it was happy to confirm that all Indian individuals and facilities had withdrawn to the Indian side of the border. It also implied it would be reducing troop numbers in response to the Indian redeployment.

The Chinese frontier defense force will continue to patrol and garrison in the Doklam area, spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular news conference. The situation at the spot has changed, and China will adjust and deploy according to the current situation.

Hua said China will exercise its sovereign rights according to the historical treaty and guard its territorial sovereignty.

China maintains that the area in question was listed as on its side of the border under the 1890 Convention Between Great Britain and China Concerning Sikkim and Tibet.

Neither side, though, was willing to admit to having backed down.

We remind India to learn the lessons from this incident, tangibly abide by the historical treaties and the basic principles of international law, and to meet China halfway, jointly guard the peace and tranquility of the border areas, and promote a healthy development of bilateral military relations, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian said in a statement.

India said it had always insisted on resolving the dispute through diplomatic channels. Our principled position is that agreements and understandings reached on boundary issues must be scrupulously respected, the Ministry of External Affairs said.

An Indian foreign ministry official also told the Associated Press that the two sides had agreed to return to the status quo. The cable news channel NDTV reported that Chinese bulldozers had moved away and road construction stopped, according to its sources  implying that Indias demand had been met.

Earlier Monday, the state-owned China Daily newspaper warned that India stood to face retribution over the incident, arguing that New Delhi was complacent if it thought China was not prepared for military conflict if necessary.

But Beijing also wanted to resolve the dispute ahead of a meeting scheduled to take place in China this weekend of heads of state from the BRICS countries  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Its hugely good news, said Wang Dehua, an Indian studies expert at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies.

We have avoided falling into the situation where two major countries with ancient civilizations become hostile enemies, Wang said, but he cautioned against declaring the incident a diplomatic victory for China.

He said China would try to address Indias security concerns when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits for the summit but would continue building roads in border areas.

Mao Siwei, former Chinese consul general in the Indian city of Kolkata, said the statements were deliberately vague because of the sensitivity of the issue and the reluctance of either side to show weakness.

Judging from experience and common sense, I guess both sides have come to the following agreement: Firstly, on principle, China would stop its road building and India would withdraw its troops; secondly, regarding the timing, India would withdraw first and China would withdraw later.

Some India experts also interpreted the statements  and New Delhis comments about having raised its security concerns  to mean that China had quietly agreed to stop building the road in question but would not say so publicly.

I very much doubt that India would have agreed to withdraw unless it involved, at the very least, a commitment from Beijing that it would halt construction of the disputed road, said Shashank Joshi, an analyst with the Royal United Services Institute in London.

In these cases, clarity is the enemy of face-saving, he added. India will probably be comfortable with China spinning the agreement, because New Delhi is likely to have met its objectives: restoring the pre-June status quo. However, I imagine that India will now be vigilant, as China is likely to conduct more aggressive patrolling in Doklam in the future, having had its claims challenged in such serious fashion.

The tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan was inadvertently swept up into the dispute when Indian soldiers moved from a nearby garrison into territory Bhutan contests with China to block a road-building crew from China's Peoples Liberation Army.

A few hundred troops from India and China were eventually deployed in a standoff that produced harsh rhetoric  mostly from the Chinese side  and sparked a period of tension between the neighbors not seen in decades, analysts said.

Although India and China have often sparred over disputed areas along their estimated 2,200-mile border  and fought a brief war in 1962  this clash was unusual because it involved a third country and came at a time when relations between India and China were at a low ebb.

Whether India  long a patron of Bhutan  moved in after coordinating with Bhutanese forces, as the Indians have said, or deployed on its own, as China claims, is the subject of much debate.

Bhutans government was careful not to make comments and inflame tensions; aside from one brief statement from its Foreign Ministry, it maintained a calculated silence throughout the dispute.

Gowen reported from New Delhi. Shirley Feng and Luna Lin in Beijing contributed to this report.

Read more:

Could a war break out between India and China  again?

Chinese state media made a racist video about India and is censoring its critics

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
North Korea launched a ballistic missile Tuesday morning that flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, the most brazen provocation of Kim Jong Uns five-year-long rule and one that elicited strong condemnation from U.S. allies Japan and South Korea.

The launch poses a further challenge, in particular, to President Trump, who has made North Korea a favorite rhetorical target. Trump said earlier this month that he would make Kim truly regret harming the United States or its allies.

In Japan, the prime minister was visibly agitated by North Koreas actions. A missile launch across Japan is an outrageous act that poses an unprecedented, grave and serious threat, and significantly undermines the peace and security of the region, Shinzo Abe said after an emergency national security council meeting.

Japans upgraded missile response system swung into action, sending emergency alerts through cellphones and over loudspeakers shortly after 6 a.m., warning people on the potential flight path of the threat and advising them to take cover.

However, Japan did not try to shoot down the missile.

The missile appears to have been a Hwasong-12, the intermediate-range ballistic missile technically capable of flying 3,000 miles that North Korea has been threatening to launch toward the U.S. territory of Guam.

But North Korea launched Tuesdays missile to the east, over Hokkaido and into the Pacific Ocean, rather than on a southward path toward Guam, apparently to test its flight on a normal trajectory without crossing a red line of aiming at the United States.

Still, this launch, coming after North Korea last month launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles theoretically capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, underscore both Kims defiance of the international community and his determination to press ahead with his missile program. Kim has now ordered the launch of 18 missiles this year alone, compared with the 16 missiles his father, Kim Jong Il, fired during 17 years in power.

The White House did not immediately respond to the latest provocation, but the Japanese prime ministers office said Trump and Abe talked by phone for 40 minutes after the launch, agreeing that the test was unprecedented and that they should further increase the pressure on North Korea.

The the U.N. Security Council confirmed it would hold an emergency meeting in New York Tuesday to discuss the latest provocation. Missile launches and nuclear tests are banned by the U.N. Security Council, but North Korea has paid no attention to its resolutions.

In Seoul, President Moon Jae-in, a liberal who has promoted engagement with Pyongyang, ordered an overwhelming show of force in response to the missile launch. South Koreas military aircraft dropped eight bombs on a shooting range on the southern side of the border with North Korea.

Analysts said Tuesdays launch marked a worrying escalation from North Korea. This is a much more dangerous style of test, said Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center and a former top East Asia official at the Pentagon.

North Koreas recent missile tests had been carefully calibrated to go nearly straight up and land in the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, rather than overflying Japan.

North Korean missiles have a habit of breaking apart in flight, so if this happened and parts of it landed in Japan, even if it was not North Koreas intention, this would amount to a de facto attack on Japan, Denmark said.

This missile appeared to have broken into three during flight, but all of the parts landed in the sea.

[ North Korea launches three missiles into sea, heightening tensions ]

The missile was launched at 5:58 a.m. Japan time from a site at Sunan, north of Pyongyang and the location of the countrys main international airport.

U.S. intelligence agencies were monitoring the site and had seen signs of the impending launch hours earlier, when they spotted Hwasong-12 missile equipment being moved into place.

The Hwasong-12, known to American agencies as the KN-17, is fired from a road-mobile launcher  usually a modified truck  making it easy to move around the country and launch on short notice.

North Korea has sent rockets over Japan before, in 1998 and again in 2009. But both times it claimed that they were satellite launches, and in the second case, it gave Japan notice before the launch.

This time, there was no notice, and analysts said that this launch was clearly for military purposes.

The missile traveled almost 1,700 miles in total, flying over Hokkaido at 6:06 a.m. before landing in the Pacific Ocean 730 miles to the east of Hokkaidos Cape Erimo at about 6:12 a.m. During this time, it traveled through Japanese airspace for about two minutes, government officials said.

The Pentagon said it had detected the launch but was still in the process of assessing it.

Japanese military aircraft and ships headed to the landing site on Tuesday morning to try to recover debris from the missile, which could yield important information about its technical capabilities.

The Japanese broadcaster NHK showed Patriot missiles installed at sites around the country.

We will make every possible effort to protect citizens lives and property, Abe told reporters before heading into the national security council meeting.

However, the Japanese military did not attempt to intercept the missile. Government officials said they could tell the missile was heading into the sea, rather than toward Japanese territory.

But analysts said that the PAC-3 missile defense system has a range of less than 20 miles and is designed to intercept the missile as its coming down, meaning that even the batteries on Hokkaido would not have been able to intercept this one.

[In a dangerous time, the Pentagon prepares for a war game on the Korean Peninsula]

Tuesdays launch, on the heels of three short-range missiles fired Saturday, comes amid ongoing joint exercises between the United States and South Korean militaries, exercises that North Korea always strongly protests because it considers them preparation for an invasion.

The exercises, which mainly involve computer simulations rather than battlefield maneuvers, are due to end Thursday.

We should expect a kinetic reaction from North Korea during the exercises, but this pushes the boundaries of an ordinary response, said Daryl Kimball, the director of the Arms Control Association.

However, Kimball said that talks still remain the best course of action for dealing with North Korea.

The U.S. and Japan have so few options to respond to these ballistic missile tests short of negotiations that would have North Korea agree to halt these launches in return for a modification of future military exercises, he said. This is why North Korea is such a problem  there are no good options.

Despite the international pressure, Kim has pressed ahead unrelentingly with his missile program.

His government had been threatening to fire a missile to pass over Japan and land near Guam, which is home to two huge U.S. military bases, by the middle of this month. However, Kim later said that after reviewing the plans, he would watch the Yankees a little longer before making a decision about whether to launch.

After the Guam threat, Trump warned North Korea that things will happen to them like they never thought possible should the isolated country attack the United States or its allies.

With no missile launches during the first three weeks of August, the Trump administration had suggested that its tough talk was working, with Trump saying last week at a rally in Phoenix that Kim had come to respect him.

John Wagner and Ellen Nakashima in Washington and Yuki Oda in Tokyo contributed to this report.

Read more

North Korea mocks Trumps ego-driven Twitter posts as military exercises continue

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
It was March 2020, and the world was closing down as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. At first, the news of...
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2017 (1903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Eritrean family survived for years as refugees in Sudan without protection, rights or much hope for the future. When a Winnipeg church sponsored them, they thought theyd be coming to a place of peace and security to build new lives for themselves.

That was before theyd ever even heard of a white supremacist.

Nearly a year after moving to Canada and being menaced by a neighbour with a Confederate flag in his window, the family feels it may have to move from its quiet North Point Douglas street.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS "Their protection, safety and comfort is the most important thing," Ryan Wiebe says.

They said theyve received racial insults like the n-word, verbal harassment and threatening gestures from the man who has driven his pickup truck toward them as if hes going to hit them when theyre walking down the street, and mimed aiming a rifle and shooting them while saying go back to where you came from.

They have to walk past that house to get to the bus stop, said Ryan Wiebe, one of the familys church sponsors. The family  made up of grown children and a single mother  hasnt wanted any sort of confrontation with the unpredictable neighbour and has held off contacting police. They feared that if he knew they spoke up about him, theyd become even more of a target.

The tipping point  when they agreed to involve law enforcement  was when one of them was walking down the sidewalk and the individual drove at them like he was going to hit them, said Wiebe. They jumped up onto the median.

They werent sure if the driver was trying to hit or scare or harass them, he said of the incident that occurred five months ago. They agreed to call police.

The police were very helpful that day; they responded quickly with care and concern, and they knew the individual in question, said Wiebe. They encouraged the filing of a protection order. Such an order would be issued without notice to the neighbour and prevent him from contacting them. The applicant has to explain to a justice of the peace why the order is needed and give facts, times, dates and locations of incidents that show why protection is urgently needed.

A church member who is a lawyer took the family through the process that took the better part of two days and required the family to take time off work and classes. But in the end, the order was denied, Wiebe said.

The justice didnt feel there was sufficient evidence to issue a without-notice emergency protection order, said Wiebe. It hadnt occurred to the family, that had no protection or rights while living as refugees in Sudan, to document the incidents as they happened.

The justice did encourage and inform them they could proceed with a peace bond, Wiebe said. It requires the peace bond applicant and respondent to appear before a Provincial Court judge, and the respondent can question the applicant. It can take weeks to get a court date and months before a judge will hear a peace bond application, Manitoba Justice says.

The family  the mother, especially  thinks their time and efforts may be better spent moving away from their neighbour.

Everything is good  everyone is nice  except this guy.

My moms scared for my sisters, said her eldest son, who agreed to speak to the Free Press if their names and street werent identified. We dont know what hes going to do.

Before school let out for the summer, their mom watched their youngest sister walk past the mans house every day before and after school to make sure she was safe, he said. Now that school is starting up again, shes anxious to get her family off the street, said the son who works full time.

Their protection, safety and comfort is the most important thing, said Wiebe. Its not our call to say they should stay there on principle, he said.

They like the house theyre in now thats owned by a member of the sponsorship group, he said. The house is big enough to house relatives of the family whove also been sponsored by the church and are expected to arrive within the next year or two. It would be an ideal setup but not if theyre afraid to walk down their street, Wiebe said.

Its not fair to ask them to stay where theyre not safe, he said. Theyve made a fairly seamless adjustment to Canada and are doing well. The mom is attending English as an Additional Language classes, two youngest children are in high school, the middle children work part time and attend classes, and the oldest works full time. Theyre active in their church and have a deep faith.

This place has so many opportunities, said the youngest son who starts Grade 12 next month. His oldest brother, who is working and recently bought a car, is grateful for their decent, affordable housing.

Everything is good  everyone is nice  except this guy, said the eldest.

Entire street is on their side

The family shouldnt have to move, said Sel Burrows, chairman of the North Point Douglas Residents Committee.

The entire street is on their side, said Burrows, whos received calls on the committees tip line more than once from neighbours concerned about the newcomer family being menaced by the resident notorious for his Confederate flag and Hail Satan sign on his truck. One caller said the man was making threatening hand gestures towards one of the young family members, pretending to load a shotgun, taking aim and firing at the teen.

I called the community support cops and they visited Mr. Satan and read the riot act, Burrows said. So far this summer, things have been quiet on the street, he said.

The entire street is watching. There is strength in numbers, Burrows said during a week fraught with headlines about Nazis and anti-immigrant rallies being organized by anti-Islam groups, including one set for Winnipeg on Sept. 9. On Wednesday, national media shared a video of a man calling himself a Nazi and launching a verbal anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim attack on a woman wearing a hijab in a parking lot in eastern Manitoba.

There are always going to be racists and periods of time when they feel more empowered, said Burrows. If the community, in total, shows that negative behaviour is not acceptable, they get beaten down and back off.

The Manitoba Human Rights Commission agrees.

People can hold views that are offensive but not necessarily illegal. Winnipeg Police Const. Rob Carver

Given our role to promote human rights and educate the public our message is simple  call out this kind of behaviour when you see it; tell others; stand up against it, said Isha Khan, a lawyer and acting executive director of the commission. This means sometimes joining with others around to directly indicate that this kind of behaviour cannot be tolerated in Manitoba or elsewhere in Canada.

The North Point Douglas refugee family isnt alone in being targeted, said Khan.

We are aware of these kinds of incidents happening, which are obviously extremely disturbing, she said. There is no question that this behaviour demeans the individual and impacts a persons dignity. In North Point Douglas, the residents committee bought the targeted family a cake to send a positive message, said Burrows: Youre always welcome in our community.

Not everyone feels that way, and Winnipeg police are caught in the middle, trying to keep people safe while upholding the law.

Its important for newcomers  and established Canadians  to understand the concepts of free speech and hate speech, said Winnipeg police Const. Rob Carver. It can be especially tough for people moving from countries where freedom of expression doesnt exist to Canada where people can say almost anything.

People can hold views that are offensive but not necessarily illegal, Carver said Friday.

For example, Confederate flags may be considered symbols of white supremacy and hatred toward non-whites but flying one isnt a crime. Advocating genocide with a swastika or promoting hatred against an identifiable group is considered a hate crime. Someone miming the loading of a shotgun, pointing it at a person and pulling the trigger could be considered uttering a threat. Unless theyre joking, I would act on it, said Carver.

If someone feels theyre being menaced or harassed, its important to document it, he said.

Keep detailed notes  dates and times and the nature of whats happening, said Carver.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2017 (1903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Zookeeper Bianca Johnson is in the enclosure for red pandas at the Assiniboine Park Zoo, coaxing Sachi out of her nest box for a treat, much to the thrill of the kids watching nearby.

Sachi and Johnson have a kind of shorthand; Johnson holds out her arm, and Sachi gently bumps her fist with her nose. Johnson has a soft spot for red pandas, and her enthusiasm for their furry little faces is infectious.

Theyre one of my all-time favourite creatures in this world, she says. Theyre almost too cute to look real. Like, if you were walking through a forest and saw one of those, you would assume magic existed in that forest.

JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Assiniboine Park Zoo's Bianca Johnson feeds two red pandas. Red pandas breed more successfully in Winnipeg than they do at other facilities.

Sachi and her mate, Tango, are new parents. Ten months ago, they welcomed twins, a boy and a girl.

For the zoo, the twins are yet another success in its species survival plan program.

Created by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, such programs see association-accredited zoos work together to build and maintain sustainable populations of species that need protection and conservation.

The red panda is one such species. Native to the Himalayas and southwestern China, red panda populations continue to decline because of a host of factors, including deforestation, poaching and whats known as inbreeding depression.

Breeding programs, such as those through the species survival plan or the European endangered species program, address the last issue.

You need a certain number of these animals in a wild space for them to be able to find each other often enough to breed often enough to keep the genetics fresh enough to have a healthy population, Johnson explains. Once those numbers get too low, it doesnt mean theyll die instantly, but it means there will be more interbreeding with relatives and slowly the genetics will get worse over time in a wild population.

Anything we can do in a captive environment to help keep those genetics fresh and varied, and then help with the programs that reintroduce those healthy, fresh, varied genetics back into the wild, can only help those wild populations.

Basically, the species program is like Match.com for animals  or Panda Tinder, if you will.

I often say its like online dating because it works along similar lines, says Gary Lunsford, senior director of animal care and conservation at the Assiniboine Park Zoo.

You have a program co-ordinator that looks at the entire population throughout all zoos in whatever region is being focused on and rank them based on their genetic diversity and heritage. And itll pop out a list so they can match animals up to maximize that genetic diversity for generations to come.

While a program co-ordinator might recommend that Female A meet Male B, C or D, there has to be chemistry for a match to work out, not unlike in the human dating world. There are times when its not just a matter of putting two animals together, Lunsford says. They actually have to like each other and be interested in each other.

Sachi, for example, was just not that into her first suitor, Zorro.

Were not entirely sure of the dynamics, but he was pretty much terrified of her, Johnson says. Hes a very nervous panda in general, and he just didnt get along with her. So, no babies happened.

But then Sachi met Tango. They get along quite well, although she definitely puts him in his place when hes not doing something she likes, she says.

Sachi and Tangos twins, like all babies, are the joys of the zoo.

Any red panda baby would make us ecstatic because theyre so endangered, Johnson says. This family unit, however, is particularly exciting. Sachi, who moved to the zoo two years ago, is new blood, quite literally: she was brought to North America from Asia to refresh the regions genetic pool. The zoo was selected to be her home on the strength of its track record for breeding red pandas.

We dont know exactly what we do differently, but red pandas breed (here) more than they breed in other facilities, Johnson says. Typically, when they do breed, its once a year, and then its usually a single birth. But the zoo is a statistical outlier in that area as well: most of the females here have had twins.

The red panda is what is referred to as an umbrella species, a species whose protection extends to other species. But the charisma and cuteness of the red panda can also help other animals in other ways; think of them as adorable conservation ambassadors.

They live in parts of the world where the environment is so much at risk, and the wildlife is so much at risk, and because theyre so cute, so many people can relate to them, Johnson says. Its a good way to get people to want to help. You get them wanting to learn about the red pandas, to love the red pandas, but we know that in that way were helping so many other creatures that desperately need it. Someones not necessarily going to care about that newt or that spider, but theyre going to care about the snow leopard or the red panda.

Its not just red pandas that are part of breeding programs at the zoo. Were involved in around 50 or 55 (breeding) programs, Lunsford says, adding snow leopards, tigers, snowy owls, gibbons and many of the zoos birds and hoofed stock are involved in breeding programs.

When it comes to reintroducing animals from the program back into the wild, think long term, Johnson says. Its not that this panda who lives at this zoo in Winnipeg will go back to the wild, she says.

But that doesnt mean that their grandkid wont.

Reintroducing animals born in captivity usually requires some sort of transition centre where they can be acclimated to the wild and trained on how to be on their own, Lunsford says. Like college.

There have been successful cases of reintroduction, Lunsford says. We dont keep them on-site anymore, but were still part of the European breeding program with the silvery gibbon. Several animals that are descendants of animals of the zoo here in Winnipeg have actually been released back into the wild.

Still, goodbyes, no matter their form, can be hard. When an animal has to move on to another zoo  or when their offspring match elsewhere  it can be tough on the keepers.

Oh lord, its like ripping one of my kids away, Johnson says with a laugh. Im only half-joking. We get to know our animals so well. Whenever any animal leaves, youre losing a good friend. I hate seeing them go, but when they go, I know theyre going for a good reason.

jen.zoratti@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @JenZoratti
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2017 (1903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Most Manitobans are convinced dramatic changes to health-care delivery have less to do with improving care and more to do with the provinces bottom line, according to a new Probe Research/Winnipeg Free Press survey.

Sixty per cent of people surveyed said they believe the changes stem from the Progressive Conservative governments pledge to reduce the deficit, not a desire to build a higher quality, more efficient health-care system.

The survey confirms what many have been vocalizing for months. Not even Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen, who has championed the change since it was first announced in April, was surprised by the results.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Kelvin Goertzen acknowledges there has been confusion over cuts and reforms.

Im not expecting it to go perfectly, Goertzen said in an interview with the Free Press. There are a lot of changes that are happening, and its a system that hasnt changed for a long time.

What is surprising, according to Mary Agnes Welch, a Probe Research associate, is how deep skepticism of the reforms cross party lines, as well as the typical urban-rural divide.

Of the 60 per cent of people who said the changes are motivated by savings, 43 per cent identified as Progressive Conservative supporters. As well, 46 per cent of those surveyed who identify as Conservative backers think the changes will result in worse health care.

And theres virtually no difference between how Winnipeggers feel about the changes and how the rest of Manitoba feels. Fifty-seven per cent of rural Manitobans think the changes are about the deficit, just four per cent less than the figure for Winnipeg alone.

Usually, Welch said, theres a 10-point difference.

Part of that is political; its Tories versus NDP, she said, but, we didnt see that here, so rural people  including many Tories  are just as worried about these changes.

Tories are just like other voters, Goertzen noted, and change can be difficult for people.

While the health minister hasnt been blase about the disruptions associated with the overhaul, he has been resolute in their need to happen.

When Im challenged and sitting there at two in the morning and thinking about a lot of these things, at least I know that we acted on the evidence, he said.

His comment is a nod largely to the Peachey report, commissioned by the former NDP government, although only submitted to Goertzens deputy minister earlier this year. The evidence he refers to also includes a health-care sustainability report the government paid KPMG to conduct, promised to release with redactions and then, ultimately, refused to release.

Weve seen nothing but spin, said NDP health critic Matt Wiebe, MLA for Concordia. The survey, he said, is an indication that Manitobans are seeing right through it.

They understand that the cuts that have been made are part of an austerity agenda by this government, he said. Theyre part of a cut agenda and not about improving patient care, which is what this government has been saying theyre trying to do.

Wiebe called for the government to put the brakes on health-care reforms. He wants the province to release the KPMG report and conduct a thorough review of the system, in line with the Peachey report, instead of doling out changes piece by piece.

Thats not possible, Goertzen said.

In a perfect world, we would have looked at doing Dr. Peachey first, those recommendations first, for a couple of years and then looking at the sustainability for a couple of years, he said.

The report was co-authored by Dr. David Peachey, a Nova Scotia-based principal with Health Intelligence Inc.

Even then, Goertzen noted, that would have been largely to help the public more clearly separate the provinces demand each regional health authority find millions in annual savings from the overhaul to Winnipeg health care delivery.

Ultimately, Goertzen said, we didnt inherit a perfect world.

Although Manitoba finally signed on to Ottawas health-funding agreement last week after a months-long stalemate, it didnt succeed in overturning the federal governments decision to cut annual increases in health transfers to 3.5 per cent from the previous six per cent.

That decrease coupled with the provinces own rising health-care costs meant making the changes in tandem was somewhat of a matter of necessity, Goertzen said.

Still, he acknowledged theres been considerable confusion about where cuts do and dont overlap with reforms.

To be clear, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority was instructed to find $83 million in annual savings. It says $21 million will come from reforms, although those reforms will require nearly $20 million in infrastructure upgrades to be feasible.

I accept some of that criticism, Goertzen said. All of us could learn to do a better job of communications. I mean, you dont get a lot of trial runs at this, right? This is the largest change in the health-care system in a generation.

Lori Lamont, the WRHA vice-president spearheading the change, agreed.

I wouldnt necessarily say that your poll results are surprising to me either given the magnitude of the change, she said.

Far from being a plan tied to a specific savings amount, Lamont stressed, the consolidation plan was really developed by our clinical leadership in the region to design a system that better met the needs of, particularly, our most acute patients.

Its in the nature of health care to evolve, she said, with staff always looking for new technologies and new methodologies to improve care and excising old ones that maybe arent at the cutting edge.

Still, the doors at the Victoria General Hospital ER and the Misericordia Urgent Care Centre havent even shut yet and Manitobans are already frustrated.

If two-thirds of Manitobans right now think that things are going to get worse thanks to these changes and the changes havent even happened yet, Welch said, how much is this a harbinger of even more anger to come?

jane.gerster@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2017 (1903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With Canadas 150th birthday squarely in the rear-view mirror, we should now look to our future. Our current government has been staking much on an innovation economy  if the regular speeches by various ministries are anything to go by. So how do we get there?

Follow the governments own evidence, and part of the answer is clear: invest in research.

Like many, we were heartened by the April release of the final Review of Federal Support for Fundamental Research commissioned by the federal minister of science over a year ago. The report speaks clearly to a loss of Canadas international research stature over the past decade and notes that Canadas research output has declined relative to its global peers, from seventh to ninth place between the years 2000 and 2014. Canadas research publication growth rate ranked only 15th, suggesting we are stalling.

Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press FILES The Canadian government should follow its own advice by adequately funding research.

On a per-capita basis, our research output currently lags behind smaller countries such as the Netherlands, Australia, Sweden and Switzerland.

Why has this occurred?

The politicalization of research that directs greater funding toward perceived priorities and away from independent investigator-driven research was cited as a key finding. The report also notes that Canadas federal research ecosystem is disjointed and lacks consistent oversight and evaluation. And the stipends for exceptional emerging researchers have not changed for the past 17 years.

It is estimated there has been a relative decline in real resources for individual researchers of approximately 35 per cent over the past four years.

After the report was published, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) surveyed its broad membership  those with expertise ranging from fundamental biomedical and clinical sciences to social sciences and population health sciences. We found widespread support for the reports findings and special interest in increased support for young trainees and investigators.

The CAHS membership also flagged the need for rigorous oversight and an improved peer-review system for allocating funding, as well as more attention given to equity and diversity in determining who receives funding.

Finally, there was an overwhelming recognition of the need for increased investment in research. The reports recommendation for a $485-million increase per annum in research funding, phased in over four years (representing about a 30 per cent increase), was widely applauded.

So what needs to happen now? How do we make Canada a robust environment for fundamental research that would seed an innovative knowledge-based economy?

First, we need coordination, balance and harmonization across the four existing grant funding agencies (the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the Canada Foundation for Innovation). This could be accomplished through the creation of an advisory council coupled with the appointment of a chief science officer.

The desired result would be consistent and transparent standards for governance and interagency collaboration across scientific disciplines. A shared approach to the best peer-review practices and most appropriate strategy for balancing the needs and development of researchers at various career stages would be positive outcomes.

Secondly, restoring a balance of a 70/30 per cent funding distribution in favor of independent investigator-led research is key to long-term success. The serendipitous nature of research and long latent period between discovery and application of findings for human health are inherent characteristics that are well documented.

Finally, our scientific community is aging. The report emphasizes the need for a focus on young researchers in training and early-career investigators  and this should be central to the governments agenda. Recruiting the best and brightest minds while looking to collaborate internationally would enrich Canadas research community.

In the current global context, creating an environment where students from other countries are attracted to Canada for training and where young and established scientists can flourish is critical to populating our research community. So, too, are greater international linkages and collaborations, since science knows no boundaries.

In short, the governments own report gets it right. But to make the recommendations work for Canada  to build toward our innovative economy of the future  we need to start now. We need a four-year measured increase in funding to begin in 2018. We can make sure there is a return on investment in research by implementing the CAHS assessment tool that facilitates accountability for funders of health research.

The government has the right blueprint and now needs to act.

The reports compelling recommendations are likely to transform Canadas ability to compete on the global stage and meaningfully contribute to the health, prosperity and well-being of current and future generations of Canadians. So what are we waiting for?

Paul Armstrong is a distinguished university professor at the University of Alberta, and founding director of the Canadian VIGOUR Centre, a research centre devoted to enhancing cardiovascular health.

Carol Herbert is a professor emerita, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University, adjunct professor at UBC School of Population & Public Health, and current president of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

 EvidenceNetwork.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 28/08/2017 (1903 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The balance between free speech and hate speech has become one of the most contentious issues of late. Those who support the more orthodox view of liberalism are willing to accommodate even the most offensive speech. But two precedent-setting Supreme Court cases  Canada (Human Rights Commission) v. Taylor in 1990 and Canada (Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission) v. Whatcott in 2013  pushed aside muscular liberalism in favour of restrictions.

In both decisions, the courts aim was to protect minorities from becoming targets of abuse; however, we should continuously question whether state prohibitions are the most effective means of regulating hate speech.

In Taylor, the two appellants, John Ross Taylor and the Western Guard Party, distributed cards inviting calls to a Toronto telephone number answered by recorded messages. The thrust of the messages concerned a Jewish conspiracy, one that set out to control and program Canadian society. When Taylor and the party refused to acknowledge a cease and desist order, the party was sentenced to a $5,000 fine and Taylor, its leader, was given one year of imprisonment.

In Whatcott, the appellant, William Whatcott, distributed flyers containing vile attacks against gays. The Supreme Court held that two  titled Keep Homosexuality out of Saskatoons Public Schools! and Sodomites in our Public Schools  did represent hate speech. Whatcott was eventually found guilty and ordered to pay one complainant $5,000 and another $2,500.

A dilemma exists, however, concerning the courts subjective use of terms. Writing for the majority in Taylor, Chief Justice Brian Dickson held that the phrase hatred and contempt referred to unusually strong and deep-felt emotions of detestation, calumny and vilification. In dissent, Justice Beverley McLachlin (as she then was) admitted that such wording made it difficult to determine where offensive speech ends and hate speech begins: (T)he phrase does not assist in sending a clear and precise indication to members of society as to what the limits of impugned speech are.

Similar issues persisted in Whatcott. The court asked whether a reasonable person, aware of the context and circumstances of the case, would view the expression as exposing the protected group to hatred. The problem is, reasonable people often disagree. Moreover, messages that are repugnant or offensive are not considered criminal unless they incite the level of abhorrence, delegitimization and rejection that risks causing discrimination or other harmful effects. In other words, offensive messages are fine, but the line is drawn at the use of really offensive messages.

The question begs: are there more efficient ways to address hate speech? Although not exhaustive, these include: counter-speech, a liberal education, government advertising, media condemnation and an engaged citizenry. An assumption exists that hate will spread without the threat of fines or incarceration, but as Macleans magazine observed in Whatcott, Why expect, however plausible, that a harmful environment will be produced rather than the opposite: where individuals drown out the haters with expression of their own?

In fact, its possible that hate speech could provide a social good. Journalist and author Dan Gardner argues even the most venomous hate speech is not worthless. He suggests hate speech challenges people to recall why they believe what they do, and in doing so, it also forces us to address important philosophical questions, such as why is hate wrong? and why do we think tolerance, diversity, decency and love are right?

The Supreme Court, however, remains unconvinced. From its perspective, hate propaganda does not fall under the classification of protected speech since the former undermines both the dignity of minorities and the tolerance essential in a multicultural society. Yet in Whatcott, the evidence used to justify punishment was thin: the discriminatory effects of hate speech are part of the everyday knowledge and experience of Canadians. In other words, common sense should prevail.

But courts of law require a higher evidentiary standard. Its difficult enough to prove that a specific individuals or groups expression was the primary  or even a contributing  cause of social strife. And as Stefan Braun notes in Democracy Off Balance, censorship may be self-defeating: With every toughening of the law, the racist is invited to hide his meanings in more socially pernicious and politically insidious forms  in subtle, symbolic, or coded messages of intolerance and prejudice.

If philosopher Charles Taylor is right in that liberalism is a fighting creed, then Canadian society must ask itself whether prohibitive measures against hate speech are sensible, or whether more effective means can be used to combat the rhetoric of hate merchants. Supreme Court justices may view hate speech as self-evidently harmful, but in a liberal society, self-evident positions need to be constantly revisited.

Stuart Chambers, Ph.D., teaches in the faculties of arts and social sciences at the University of Ottawa.

schamber@uottawa.ca
Late Friday night, the White House released a statement by President Trump announcing a presidential pardon for Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff of Arizonas Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, the state capital and fifth most populous city in the US. Voted out of office last November, Arpaio built his reputation on police brutality and racism, particularly directed against immigrants.

He was facing a jail term on criminal contempt charges for defying a federal judges 2011 order to stop racially profiling Latinos, detaining them on mere suspicion of being undocumented and turning them over to federal immigration agencies. Arpaio was an early supporter of Trumps presidential campaign and shared his racist and xenophobic views on immigration and law and order.

Trump chose to announce the pardon on a Friday evening when public attention and media coverage were focused on the impact of Hurricane Harvey on Texas. He foreshadowed the decision in a right-wing speech last Tuesday at a rally in Phoenix, less than a week after his public defense of the neo-Nazi rampage in Charlottesville, Virginia, which left one antifascist protester dead.

Press reports based on White House sources reveal that Trump had sought to block the trial and conviction of Arpaio in the spring, when the former sheriff was facing contempt charges in federal district court. He discussed the case with White House counsel Donald F. McGahn and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but was advised against attempting to shut down the case by executive order.

On July 31, Arpaio was convicted of misdemeanor contempt of court by the federal judge, with sentencing set for October. He faced up to six months in jail, but Trump had already decided on a pardon and waited barely three weeks before intervening. The White House ignored the usual pardon procedure, which requires a detailed study by the Justice Department unit that handles pardon petitions, the passage of five years from conviction and sentencing, and a statement of remorse.

The final trigger came with a two-page letter to McGahn from Arpaios lawyer, sent Friday morning, pleading for presidential action before the sentencing to forestall the possibility that the former sheriff would be sentenced, handcuffed, given a perp walk and incarcerated. In other words, Arpaio had to be spared the treatment he had dealt out to thousands of innocent people, although with much greater brutality. Only hours later, the White House announced the full pardon.

At the rally in Phoenix, Trump declared that Sheriff Arpaio faced a prison term for just doing his job, suggesting that a similar get-out-of-jail-free card will be awarded in the unlikely event that a police officer is convicted in any of the hundreds of cases of police murder that occur every year in the United States.

There were the usual protests from congressional Democrats, and even a few from Republicans such as Senator John McCain of Arizona and House Speaker Paul Ryan. But none of those objecting to the actionmainly on procedural groundspointed to its clear political significance, coming on the heels of Trumps positive comments about the Charlottesville neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

The criticism by the Democrats is particularly hypocritical since they universally supported the anti-immigrant actions of the Obama administration, which set a record by deporting 2.7 million people and authorized the construction of privately run prisons-for-profit to detain refugees fleeing violence and repression in Central America.

What the Democrats and Republicans really object to is the fact that Trumps open embrace of racists and bigots shatters the US governments claims to be defending freedom and democracy at home and abroad.

Arpaios misdemeanor conviction originated from a judges 2011 court order barring him from racially profiling Latinos during patrols and turning them over to immigration officials. He defied the order and kept jailing immigrants until he was voted out of office in November of 2016.

As sheriff of Maricopa County, Arpaio established a tent city in 1993 to jail inmates in the triple-digit Arizona heat. In his own words, he described the tent city as a concentration camp. Despite condemnation from Amnesty International, the prison camp survived Arpaios entire tenure and was only shut down by newly elected Sheriff Paul Penzone in April of this year.

Arpaio was also infamous for reintroducing chain gangs, a barbaric practice that was discontinued in the United States as far back as the 1950s and viewed as a relic of chattel slavery. Arpaio reintroduced the practice in 1995, imposing forced labor on men, women, and even children incarcerated in juvenile detention centers.

The former sheriff was also infamous for forcing inmates to wear pink underwear and refusing to investigate sex crimes, particularly when the victims were children of undocumented immigrants.

Arpaio took special delight in humiliating his prisoners, overwhelmingly poor and working-class Arizonans locked up for trivial drug offenses or crimes against private property. The sheriffs department website published images from the jail that housed pretrial detainees and featured a mugshot of the day.

Critics of Arpaio were themselves harassed by the police. When Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon called for a federal investigation into Arpaios enforcement tactics, the sheriff demanded access to the mayors emails and phone logs. He arrested reporters for the New York Times under false pretenses in 2007, for which he was ultimately ordered to pay $3.75 million in legal fees.

Family members of inmates who died in Arpaios custody filed lawsuits against him, resulting in a total of $42 million in settlement claims during his tenure. From 2004 to 2008 alone, 64 inmates died in his custody, mostly from illnesses that would have been treatable in normal medical settings. Several inmates were found beaten to death by his guards.

After a three-year investigation by the Justice Department, a report was released stating that the Maricopa County sheriffs office had a pervasive discriminatory bias against Latinos that reached the highest levels of the agency. The Justice Department declared that Arpaio was responsible for unconstitutional policing and the worst pattern of racial profiling in US history.

Trumps pardon of Arpaio is a warning to the working class and a signal that the state is preparing police-state forms of rule. The use of concentration camps, the inhumane treatment of prisoners and the open appeal to racism are seen as pluses and not minuses by the Trump administration and powerful sections of the ruling class for which it speaks.

The pardon also comes as Trump is preparing further measures to attack the democratic rights of immigrants in addition to his notorious border wall. Last week, Trump threatened to trigger a shutdown of the federal government if Congress failed to authorize money to build the wall in budget legislation that must be passed before the end of the current fiscal year on September 30.

Numerous press reports suggest that Trump is planning to freeze future admissions to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program or scrap the program altogether. Under DACA, nearly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children are allowed to work or continue their education without fear of deportation.

Under the program, implemented by executive order during the Obama administration, enrollees are required to reveal their undocumented status to the government, setting them up, with a change in administration or government policy, for possible rounding up and deportation. The program exemplifies the two-faced character of the immigration reforms enacted by Obama and the Democrats, which completely accept and institutionalize the reactionary premise that undocumented workers are criminals.

With Trumps election, the potential within the program for mass detention and deportation is poised to become reality.

Attorney General Sessions discussed plans for DACA at the White House last Thursday. Ten state attorneys general have threatened to file a federal lawsuit against the program unless it is halted by September 5. The most likely outcome is a suspension of the program, which would block new enrollment and prevent those currently enrolled from reenrolling when their two-year exemption from deportation expires.

Whatever the precise form of the administrations attack, the eventual result will likely be the rounding up of young men and women, who in most cases have no memory of any country other than the United States, and their deportation to countries whose language they frequently cannot speak.
The ongoing standoff between India and China over Doklam, a narrow plateau in the Himalayas at the junction of Bhutan, China and India, has seen a number of concerned political comments in the Bangladesh media. Bangladesh has close relations with both India and China.

The conflict over the Doklam Plateau began in mid-June when Indian troops crossed into the territory in an attempt to prevent road expansion by Chinese forces, raising the danger of a military conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers.

China wants to build a link road to access the Chumbi Valley, already the subject of a border dispute between China and the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The Chumbi Valley adjoins Indias Siliguri Corridor, a narrow stretch of land also known as the Chickens Neck. Indias rail and road connections to its north-eastern states pass through this corridor, which is sandwiched between Bangladesh and China.

Bangladesh has previously attempted to politically balance between US-backed India and China but its ability to continue these manoeuvres is being hampered by the Doklam dispute. The government of Prime Minister Sheik Hasina has not issued any official statements on the issue.

The political silence is in contrast to Dhakas reaction to conflicts between India and Pakistan. Last November, India withdrew from the South Asian Association of Regional Corporation summit in Islamabad after accusing Pakistani troops of attacking its army post at Uri, in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir in September 2016. India carried out so-called surgical strikes into Pakistan-held Kashmir in retaliation for Uri. Hasina supported New Delhis cross border military attacks and later followed India in withdrawing from the event.

While the Bangladesh government remains silent, local media commentators and strategic analysts have voiced their concerns.

On August 7, the Dhaka Tribune published an article entitled, What does the China-India standoff mean for Bangladesh? Noting that Bangladesh had extensive ties with both countries on the political, economic and military front, it said that Dhaka was in a precarious situation. It warned that if China took control of the Doklam Plateau, Bangladesh would be in a serious predicament and that India would want to use Bangladesh as a transit for military purposes to counter China.

Bangladesh, which has a 4,000 km border with India, is heavily dependent on India for water, trade and security. Dhaka is attempting to improve relations and plans to develop four river ports between the two countries and improve infrastructure in three existing ports.

New Delhi, however, is concerned about Dhakas close military and economic ties with Beijing. In an effort to counter Beijings influence, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh in May 2015, promising economic and military assistance. Bangladesh signed a comprehensive defence agreement with India during the trip.

In April, Bangladesh Prime Minister Hasina travelled to New Delhi. During the visit officials from both countries signed a number of agreements, including on defence, cyber security, information technology, connectivity, energy and human resource development and a civil nuclear cooperation pact.

An August 4 article on wionews.com by Sarvar Jahan Chowdhry from BRAC University in Bangladesh, noted that the worst thing for Bangladesh would be if the Chinese and the Indians start fighting each other in a big way and Bangladesh is forced to take sides.

The author commented that so far, Bangladesh has been careful about Indian sensitivities and honoured it even by accepting losses, and cited the countrys cancellation of a contract with Chinas state-owned company to build a deep seaport at Sonadia. The deal was called off after Dhaka came under pressure from New Delhi and Washington, as part of US-led efforts to diplomatically isolate Beijing.

While arguing the merits of Bangladesh maintaining good relations with China and India, the author failed to explain how this could be achieved under conditions of increasing US economic and military provocations against China.

For its part, China is boosting its economic and military ties with Bangladesh. The Tribune comment pointed out that the two countries have signed agreements worth $US13.6 billion and Beijing has promised to provide $20 billion in loan assistance.

In 2016, China channeled $61 million in foreign direct investments (FDI) into Bangladesh. While this is small compared with US investment, it is a marked increase on the $18 million Chinese FDI in 2011. The Hasina government has also joined Chinas ambitious One Belt, One Road initiative, which is aimed at boosting trade and transport links across Asia and into Europe.

Bilateral trade between the two countries has increased dramatically over the past four years. According to Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh statistics, Dhakas total merchandise exports to China climbed to $US808.14 million in 201516, up from $US319.66 million in 201011.

China is also Bangladeshs principal supplier of military hardware. Dhakas recent purchase of two Chinese submarines for $203 million has provoked concerns in New Delhi.

On July 31, the Chinese embassy in Dhaka hosted a function to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army. The embassys military attache declared that military relations between China and Bangladesh had reached unprecedented heights.

While media commentators have limited their analysis to the strategic and economic impact on Bangladesh of the Doklam Plateau conflict, the rivalry between India and Chinatwo nuclear-armed countriescould erupt into war with far-reaching implications for South Asia and throughout Asia. Such a conflict could involve the US, which would back India, and become a catastrophic global conflagration.

The major destabilising factor in the geopolitical tensions in South Asia is the US. Having made India one of its principal regional partners in the military build-up against China, Washington has fueled New Delhis geopolitical ambitions and, in turn, provoked Beijings counter-moves.

The author also recommends:

Chinese presidents visit to Bangladesh highlights growing rivalry in South Asia

[5 November 2016]
A spate of news reports last week raised questions about US and European government foreknowledge of the August 17 terror attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils that killed 15 people and wounded more than 100, and how this attack was allowed to proceed. It is ever clearer that the Islamic State (IS) terror cell was under close surveillance by multiple intelligence services of NATO powers, including France, the United States, and Belgium.

Astonishingly, only days before the attack, several members of the terror cell visited Paris, a center of intelligence monitoring of Islamist activity in Europe. They were under surveillance, and French officials informed Spanish officials after they were spotted in France, driving the Audi A3 car that they used to plough into pedestrians in the seaside resort of Cambrils, killing one woman. The car was flashed by a speed camera in France.

BFM-TV reported, Two members of the jihadist cell that attacked Barcelona and Cambrils, including Younes Abouyaaqoub, the suspected driver in the attack on Las Ramblas, made an express round-trip to Paris on August 11-12. The Audi was photographed at 1 p.m. on August 11 at the Lestelle toll booths in the Pyrenees traveling north, before being flashed by a speed camera for speeding. The two cell members reportedly spent the night in a budget hotel in the Paris suburb of Malakoff and visited a mall before returning to Spain.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb then tersely confirmed that Paris was following these individuals and had passed on this information to the Spanish government. He said, The car was indeed flashed by a camera in the Paris area. Yes, we saw what was in the offing, but we did not know these individuals. We had passed on these reports  This group came to work in Paris, but it was a quick round-trip.

Collombs statements raise more questions than they give answers. If French authorities knew to follow someone not known to them, who gave them the tip-off? And if they saw what was in the offingi.e., a terror attackand then notified Spanish officials, why was no action taken even though both French and Spanish intelligence services were aware of the threat?

This question is all the more serious in that intelligence agencies in the United States had detailed knowledge from Abouyaaqoub of the groups plans.

Abouyaaqoub was in direct electronic communication via WhatsApp with Exeintel, a private US intelligence agency which proclaims on its Twitter account that it provides actionable intelligence that will only be accessible to law enforcement. According to a report in Publico, an Exeintel operative posing as another jihadist terrorist texted Abouyaaqoub on July 31 and obtained extensive details from him about the terror cells operational planning.

Abouyaaqoub confirmed to Exeintel that he was located in Spain, that his emir or leader was also in Spain, and that he was monitoring police deployments in order to be able to carry out multiple attacks in small towns across Catalonia. He said that the group used bitcoin transactions to hide from financial monitoring. He also claimed to be in contact with three brothers in the United States, from whom they were seeking to obtain weapons. Publico writes, what Exeintel Group Intelligence Service definitely says that it did, as it stresses on its web page, is that it launched a Red Alert to US and European intelligence services. This was 17 days before the massacre.

There has been no explanation given by security officials as to how this attack was allowed to proceed, although Spain was on high alert and France is under a state of emergency that suspends basic democratic rights, ostensibly to allow the state to fight terrorism.

The Barcelona attacks follows a series of similar attacks by purported jihadists linked to the Islamic State (IS) in major cities in Europe. The attackersincluding the shooters at Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan theater in Paris in 2015 and the Brussels attack in 2016were virtually all known to police and European intelligence services prior to the attacks. They all came from a network of Islamist operatives working in Europe and fighting in various NATO wars for regime change in the Middle East (see: Intelligence accounts raise more questions on origins of Brussels, Paris attacks).

Thousands of European Islamist fighters were traveling back and forth between Europe and Syria, as the NATO powers backed Islamist proxy forces to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government. It appears that the Barcelona attackers were part of this network.

A key figure in planning the attack, Imam Abdelbaki Es Satty, reportedly lived between January and March 2016 in Belgium. He was in Vilvoorde, which police treat as a center of terrorist recruitment in Belgium. It remains unclear whether he was staying there during Brussels attack of March 22, 2016. Es Satty was killed along with another two others during the night of Wednesday, August 16 in an explosion at a house in Alcanar, a village south of Barcelona, that was reportedly being used as a bomb factory and headquarters by the jihadist cell.

French news magazine lObs writes that Belgian police reported Es Satty to the Catalan regional police, Mossos dEsquadra , after he tried to become imam in a mosque of Diegem, Belgium.

The mosque ultimately refused to offer Es Satty the job. The president of the mosque, Soliman Akaychouch, stated, He did not follow the Prophet, he went at it with more violence and he was more extreme  Abdelbaki Es Satty came to ask us for a job as an imam. Of course we asked for his identity papers to check them. And when we asked for his documents, he behaved in a very suspect way.

Belgian Interior Minister Jan Jambon insisted that there had been contacts between the Belgian police services and their Spanish counterparts about Es Satty, after this episode aroused authorities suspicions.

According to lObs, Belgian police wrote to Mossos to ask, Is is possible for you to give us information on the following person who wants to serve as an imam in Vilvoorde? At the time, the Catalan police responded that it had no information related to terrorism on Es Satty in their database, but that he had served time in prison for drug trafficking in Spain.
North Korea fired three short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan on Saturday amid ongoing tensions and major US-South Korean military exercises known as Ulchi-Freedom Guardian that are due to continue until Thursday. The Pyongyang regime has condemned the joint war games as reckless and has in previous years responded with a show of force of its own.

The reaction of the US and its allies to the North Korean missile test has been decidedly muted, in contrast to the belligerent response of US President Trump earlier this month. Following the North Korean test of two long-range missiles in July, Trump warned that the US would engulf North Korea in fire and fury like the world has never seen.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared yesterday on Fox News that the missile launches had been provocative. However, he added: We are going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign  working with allies, working with China as well, to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table with a view to begin a dialogue on a different future for [the] Korean Peninsula and North Korea.

Tillerson hinted last Tuesday that talks might be possible because North Korea had demonstrated some level of restraint by not testing any missiles since the imposition of the latest round of UN sanctions in early August. Perhaps we are seeing some pathway to sometime in the near future having some dialogue, he said.

President Trump reinforced the point at his rally in Phoenix, Arizona, saying that he believed that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is starting to respect us. While qualified, he added: Maybe, probably not, something positive will come out of it.

Asked yesterday if his assessment last week had been incorrect, Tillerson replied: I dont think that we are wrong  I think its going to take some time to tell. He added that he thought that the Pyongyang regime was clearly sending a message that they are not prepared to completely back away from their position.

The low-key response is in part due to the limited character of the North Korean launches. Three short-range missiles flew around 250 kilometres, and according to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, posed no threat and did not land within Japans exclusive economic zone. South Koreas National Security Council met but the government issued no statement and did not criticise North Korea.

In the wake of Trumps reckless threats of war against North Korea, Tillerson and other senior White House officials have stressed that their preference is for a diplomatic solution, while still maintaining that the military option is still on the table. The unleashing of fire and fury against North Korea, that could include nuclear weapons, would lead to a war that could rapidly spiral out of control and involve major nuclear-armed powers including China and Russia.

While seeking the assistance of China and Russia in strong-arming North Korea, the US last week imposed unilateral sanctions on a number of Chinese and Russian companies and individuals for allegedly trading with Pyongyang. The Trump administration has also instituted a formal investigation over Chinas alleged theft of intellectual property that could result in US trade penalties.

Japan has followed suit, announcing on Friday that it would impose its own unilateral sanctions on eight foreign firms and citizens, including four Chinese companies and a Chinese individual over their alleged dealings with North Korea. In all, Tokyo has now sanctioned 72 entities and 81 individuals over their business relations with Pyongyang.

The latest US bans are a deliberate slap in the face to China and Russia which voted for the latest round of harsh sanctions in the UN Security Council against North Korea. The measures include a complete ban on the import of North Korean coal, iron ore, iron, lead and seafood that is estimated to slash North Korean exports by one third. China, which is by far North Koreas largest trading partner, has already acted to impose the UN sanctions.

While suggesting that negotiations with North Korea may be possible, Tillerson has made clear that the US will insist on nothing less than Pyongyangs abandonment of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and existing arsenal. North Korea has repeatedly declared that it is now a nuclear power and will not give up weapons that it regards as essential to preventing a US attack.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula remains extremely tense, not least because the Trump administration has made absolutely clear that it will not tolerate a Pyongyang regime armed with a nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile able to reach continental America. A leaked assessment by the US Defence Intelligence Agency claimed that North Korea could reach that goal as early as next year.

The White House has also rejected calls by China and Russia for the US and South Korea to suspend major joint exercises in return for a halt by North Korea to its nuclear and missile tests. The Pentagon has proceeded with the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian military drills that involve tens of thousands of US and South Korean troops in rehearsing for a war with North Korea, including pre-emptive strikes on the Pyongyang regime.

Western journalists are not normally allowed into North Korea when US-South Korean war games are underway. But CNN correspondent Will Ripley was given entry and was told by a North Korean official: This is the most tense Ive ever seen [it]. The situation could escalate at any moment.

The potential for a wider war was underscored by a flight last week by Russian strategic bombers around the Korean Peninsula. The Tupolev-95MS bombers were accompanied by fighter jets and an early warning and control aircraft that is capable of intelligence gathering.

While the Russian aircraft flew in international airspace, the mission was clearly aimed at underscoring Moscows concerns about the dangerous US confrontation with North Korea. Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticised the US-South Korean military exercises and urged restraint on all sides.

Given the arms build-up in the region, any rash move or even an unintended incident could spark a military conflict, Zakharova warned.
The more the Social Democratic Party (SPD) declines in the pollsthe party is running four weeks prior to the federal election at 22 percent, far behind Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union (CDU) at 39 percentthe more it lashes out aggressively in its election campaign. In ZDFs summer television interview on Sunday evening, SPD Chancellor candidate Martin Schulz attacked the German Chancellor from the right on foreign and domestic policy issues.

Schulz used the first four minutes of the 18-minute interview, which was broadcast on primetime television, to furiously attack Turkey. The Turkish President was breaking all international regulations and was intervening in a drastic manner into the election campaign of another country. He then threatened, This has nothing to do with Mr. Erdogan  it is a violation of all regulations.  German politicians must respond to this unacceptable way of behaving by Mr. Erdogan.

As German chancellor, he would consider very tough measures against Turkey. This included sanctions and an end to negotiations about expanding the customs union with Turkey. One could not continue to accept that innocent citizens of our country rot in the prisons of an arbitrary leadership in Turkey and that the Turkish president gives us the run-around. One would have to get used to the fact that Schulz has principles and would, if necessary, resort to tough measures. He added that he did not care if this meant the SPD would lose votes among voters of Turkish origin in the election.

Schulzs hysterical threats against the Muslim-majority Turkey and almost 1.5 million Turkish citizens living in Germany underscore the right-wing essence of the SPDs election campaign. The SPD is responding to mounting opposition in the working class with nationalism and barely concealed racism so as to divide the working class and appeal to the most right-wing voters.

Everyone knows how dishonest Schulzs blather about democracy and human rights is. It is obvious that the AKP government in Turkey is indiscriminately clamping down on opposition forces and journalists, and establishing an authoritarian regime in Turkey. But in Germany, the ruling class is responding to deepening social divisions with the same methods. Only on Friday, the CDU-led Interior Ministry banned the left-wing platform linksunten.indymedia.org with the full support of the SPD. Hardly a week goes by in the election campaign in which the grand coalition does not unveil new measures to strengthen the police and intelligence services, spy on the population, and to censor the Internet.

Schulz used the second half of the interview to make personal attacks on Merkel, a tactic the SPD election strategists have apparently stolen from Donald Trump in the United States. For example, according to Schulz, the chancellor is using federal infrastructure at a knockdown price to fly to election events. There are a whole series of points where the people feel Angela Merkel is disconnected.

In his closing appeal, Schulz declared that he had presented a nuanced programme, while the CDU was satisfied to state, We have Angela Merkel, thats enough for the future. All of this has happened once before, he recalled. The last four of Kohls 16 years were years of political stagnation and agony, which he wanted to save Germany from. It is well known what this means. The nuanced SPD programme at that time consisted in the Agenda 2010 and Hartz laws, which introduced the largest wave of social cutbacks in post-war Germany.

Schulzs campaign is so aggressive and repugnant that he is seen by wide sections of the population as the greater evil in comparison to Merkel. In the second summer interview of the evening, the chancellor sought cynically to portray herself as the caring mother of the German population. Asked about Schulzs attacks, she recalled the oath of office she had taken, to serve the well-being of the German people. She was seeking to do justice by this oath.

In truth, Merkels quieter and sober style conceals an extreme militarist policy that is shared by all parties in parliament and is being prepared behind the backs of the population for the period following the election. In a lengthy interview in the weekend edition of Handelsblatt, Merkel appealed for more independence for Germany in foreign policy and a massive build-up of the military.

She repeated her statement made in a Bavarian beer tent, which has since become famous, that Europe had to take our fate into our hands and ranted at Handelsblatt editor Gabor Steingart about a European century, the construction of a European army, and different interests from the US. Among other things, Europe needed a joint Africa policy, a joint Syria, Iraq, Iran policy, and a joint Russia and China policy, stated Merkel. Anything else would infringe upon Europes interests.

German defence spending had to be substantially increased to achieve this, she continued. Merkel recalled that Germany had confirmed in the white paper adopted by our government last summer that it would meet NATOs 2 percent target for defence spending. Then we began to increase our defence budget and we have already done this in the past two years. And I think it has been revealed to everyone that the army needs to be better equipped.

In reality, in the wake of the horrific crimes perpetrated by German imperialism in the last century, the majority of the population is opposed to the military build-up and war. In a Forsa poll commissioned by Stern magazine in February, 55 percent of respondents spoke out against an increase in defence spending over the coming years. Only majorities of Alternative for Germany supporters (62 percent) and Free Democratic Party supporters (53 percent) backed a military spending increase.

Nonetheless, Schulz and the SPD are also attacking Merkel from the right on this question. In their recently published Principles for a Social Democratic security and defence policy, the Social Democrats, with whom the Left Party and sections of the Greens are striving to form a coalition, are described as the better party of German militarism.

Instead of adapting our armed forces to the challenges of the 21st century, the CDU/CSU defence ministers zu Guttenberg, de Maiziere and von der Leyen have bungled the reform of the army, and allowed the Defence Ministry to degenerate into a career platform for over-ambitious CDU politicians, it states. The suspension of military service had been rammed through, without preparing politically and organisationally for it. The army was now forced to struggle with hollowed-out structures and poor equipment which have emerged due to the CDU/CSU cost-cutting programme.
On the occasion of President Lyndon Johnsons birthday, the National Constitution Center looks at 10 interesting facts about one of the most colorful and controversial figures in American history.

pesidentjohnson

Even if Johnson hadnt become President after John F. Kennedys assassination in November 1963, his career in Congress still would have made him a remarkable historical figure.

Johnsons time in office came during a period of huge societal change in American society, marked by the civil rights revolution and the Vietnam War.

Johnsons legacy among historians and the public has also evolved since his death in 1973. Indeed, along with Richard Nixon, who followed him as President, Johnson is seen as a complex figure involved in many significant initiatives and events that have marked modern American history.

So how did someone born into poverty in Texas and who started out as a school teacher become one of the pivotal figures of the twentieth century?

Here are 10 fascinating milestones from Johnsons life and career:

1. Johnson was indeed from humble origins. He was born on August 27, 1908, in Stonewall, Texas. The Johnson family had been in the area for generations, but Johnsons father had financial problems, and the future President grew up under difficult circumstances. As Senator and President, Johnson had a chance to translate his sympathy for the less fortunate into real social policy laws.

2. Johnsons first career was as a teacher. As a student at Southwest Texas State Teachers College, Johnson was assigned to a tiny Hispanic school in a deeply impoverished area on the Mexican border. Johnson left his brief career as a teacher after four years to pursue politics during the Great Depression.

3. Johnsons political ambitions were clear early in his career. His father had served in the Texas state legislature, and Johnson became a congressional aide in 1931. In 1937, he won a special election to the U.S. House to replace a deceased Texas House member named James Buchanan

Story continues

4. Johnson was the surrogate son of powerful House Speaker Sam Rayburn. The legendary Rayburn had served in the Texas legislature with Johnsons father, and Rayburn backed Johnsons fast rise as a leader within Congress.

5. Johnson was nearly killed in World War II. Johnson entered the Naval Reserves while still a Congressman, and on his only bombing run, he boarded a plane called the Wabash Cannonball for a mission in the South Pacific. A last-second trip off the plane to use a bathroom saved Johnsons life. On his return from the facilities, Johnson boarded another plane that survived the mission. The Wabash Cannonball crashed, with a total loss of life.

6. The Landslide Lyndon incident. Johnson won election to the U.S. Senate in 1948 after winning a Democratic primary by only 87 votes. Allegations of voter fraud are debated to this day.

7. Johnson quickly became the Senates leader. In 1953, he was named Senate minority leader after opposing Republicans gained control of the Senate. Two years later, Johnson became Majority Leader when Democrats regained power.

8. The energetic Johnson reshaped the role of Senate Majority leader. Despite having a heart attack in 1955, Johnson worked tirelessly to promote himself and his agendas, including civil rights legislation and the American space program. His ability to persuade politicians of both parties was legendary.

9. Why did Johnson decide to become Vice President? After losing a bitter campaign against Kennedy in the 1960 Democratic primary, the Kennedys shocked observers by choosing Johnson as Kennedys running mate. One theory is that Johnson saw the position of Vice President as expanding his power base in the Senate. But after the 1960 election, Johnson was rebuffed when he tried to chair the Democratic conference in the Senate; his fellow Democrats saw the move as a violation of the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

10. The Johnson presidency was incredibly active. In addition to pursuing the Vietnam War, President Johnson pressed on with an expansive slate of programs labeled as the Great Society that included three landmark civil rights bills and Medicare. But Vietnams impact damaged Johnsons political base severely, and he declined to run in the 1968 presidential election.
The Daily Beast

NBCOn the first Saturday Night Live episode after each of the past two presidential elections, Dave Chappelle served as host and used the opportunity to share his thoughts about the state of American politics. The comedian returned for a third time this week after the midterms, but this time something was different.It was Chappelles first time hosting SNL since he came under fire for a slew of transphobic jokes in his latest Netflix special The Closer. And before he even took the stage at Studi
Two legal nonprofits slapped President Donald Trump with lawsuits Monday over his directive to ban transgender recruits from enlisting in the military.

Lambda Legal, a national legal nonprofit focused on LGBTQ issues and based in New York, teamed up with the OutServe-Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) in filing a suit against the Trump administration Monday, stating that they side with every single transgender service member and those who want to serve.

Lambda Legal officials made the announcement on Twitter Monday morning.

Just minutes later, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) echoed those sentiments in announcing its own lawsuit, arguing that the ban singles out trans individuals for unequal and discriminatory treatment and is therefore unconstitutional.

BREAKING: We're taking @realDonaldTrump to court to challenge the unconstitutional transgender military ban. pic.twitter.com/udV6P1hIJh  ACLU National (@ACLU) August 28, 2017

The ACLUs lawsuit was filed on behalf of five current members of the armed forces who identify as transgender: Petty Officer First Class Brock Stone, Senior Airman John Doe, Airman First Class Seven Ero George, Petty Officer First Class Teagan Gilbert, and Technical Sergeant Tommie Parker. The complaint, which can be read in full here, slams Trumps motivation for the ban as purely political and reflecting a desire to accommodate legislators in an effort to secure funding for the planned border wall with Mexico.

Each and every claim made by President Trump to justify this ban can be easily debunked by the conclusions drawn from the Department of Defenses own review process. Allowing men and women who are transgender to serve openly and providing them with necessary health care does nothing to harm military readiness or unit cohesion, Josh Block, senior staff attorney with the ACLUs LGBT & HIV Project, said in a press release sent to HuffPost Monday. Men and women who are transgender with the courage and capacity to serve deserve more from their commander-in-chief.

Meanwhile, Lambda Legal and OutServe-SLDNs lawsuit was filed on behalf of Ryan Karnoski and Drew Layne, who identify as trans and are hoping to enlist, as well as Cathrine Schmid, a 12-year U.S. Army member is seeking an appointment as an officer, as well as the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and Gender Justice League.

This ban not only wrongfully prevents patriotic, talented Americans from serving, it also compromises the safety and security of our country, Lambda Legal Senior Attorney Peter Renn said in a statement. Once again attacking a vulnerable population based on bias, political opportunism and demonstrably untrue alternative facts, President Trump is denying brave men and women the opportunity to serve our country without any legitimate justification whatsoever.

News that Trump had directed the Department of Defense to stop accepting trans people who enlist for military service was another stinging, if anticipated, blow to a community that has been dealt a series of devastating setbacks since the president took office.

In my judgment, the previous Administration failed to identify a sufficient basis to conclude that terminating the Departments longstanding policy and practice would not hinder military effectiveness and lethality, disrupt unit cohesion, or tax military resources, and there remain meaningful concerns that further study is needed to ensure that continued implementation of last years policy change would not have those negative effects, Trumps memo read.

A number of lawmakers and LGBTQ advocates blasted the president in the wake of the news, with many implying that his delivery of the memo just as Hurricane Harvey was barreling toward Texas was in particularly bad taste.

Find ways to combat bigotry by subscribing to the Queer Voices newsletter.

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Evan, Spring Lake, Michigan, 2013

Alex, Austin, Texas, 2014

Jamie and Kaylee, San Diego, California, 2014

Travis Green, Okinawa, Japan, 2014

Jenn, Ft. Lewis, Washington, 2014

Brynn, Dayton, Ohio, 2013

Hunter, Killeen, Texas, 2013

Jamie, Dayton, Ohio, 2013

Landon, Aspen Hill, Maryland, 2014

Laila, Honolulu, Hawaii, 2013

Logan, Altus, Oklahoma, 2013

Raki, New York, New York, 2014

Jake, Louisville, Kentucky, 2013

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Demonstrators protest President Donald Trump's announcement on Twitter that he would ban transgender people from serving in the military 'in any capacity.': Carlo Allegri/Reuters

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the Trump administration over the President's ban on transgender people in the military.

The ACLU claims the ban, which Mr Trump first announced via Twitter, is unconstitutional and "based on uninformed speculation, myths and stereotypes, and a desire to harm transgender people".

Men and women who are transgender with the courage and capacity to serve deserve more from their commander-in-chief," ACLU attorney Joshua Block said in a statement.

Mr Trump's tweets sparked outcry and confusion last month, as it seemed the Pentagon had not been briefed on the decision. The announcement appeared to roll back an Obama-era decision that allowed current transgender service members to serve openly, and permitted new transgender recruits to enlist.

Mr Trump codified his decision last week, directing the Pentagon to bar all transgender individuals from joining the military indefinitely. White House officials would not say whether those currently enlisted could continue to serve.

Now, the ACLU has filed a suit claiming that the policy discriminates based on sex and transgender status, and violates constitutional rights to equal protection and substantive due process.

The suit is one of two legal complaints filed against Mr Trump's ban. The Lambda Legal and OutServe-Service Members Legal Defense Network also filed suit on Monday, claiming the ban is "unsupported by any compelling, important, or even rational justification".

Mr Trump has claimed transgender service must be banned due to the "tremendous medical costs and disruption" that it would entail. A 2016 study commissioned by the Department of Defence, however, found that allowing transgender troops to serve openly would have little to no impact on military readiness, and would increase health care expenditures by less than half a per cent.

Each and every claim made by the President Trump to justify this ban can be easily debunked by the conclusions drawn from the Department of Defenses own review process," Mr Block said.

Story continues

BREAKING: We're taking @realDonaldTrump to court to challenge the unconstitutional transgender military ban. pic.twitter.com/udV6P1hIJh  ACLU National (@ACLU) August 28, 2017

The ACLU filed suit on behalf of five transgender members of the military. One of the members served in the US military for nine years, including a tour in Afghanistan, according to the ACLU. Another was previously named "Airman of the Year". Lamnda Legal is representing one transgender person currently serving in the military and two who want to enlist.

It is estimated that more than 15,000 transgender people are actively serving in the US military. Another 134,000 are veterans.

We promised that we would sue if the president took this action," said Peter Perkowski, Legal Director for OutServe-SLDN. "...We are on the side of every single transgender service member and those who want to serve."

He added: "The nations courts exist to protect the people whom tyrants would otherwise abuse. Trump cant tweet his way out of this one.
Paris (AFP) - Seven African and European leaders met in Paris on Monday to try to build a "new relationship" aimed at stemming the flow of migrants into Europe from northern Africa in return for aid.

French President Emmanuel Macron met with his counterparts from Niger and Chad, along with the head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj.

Niger and Chad are transit points on the route to Europe through war-torn Libya.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europe's top diplomat Federica Mogherini also joined the talks.

The meeting "may constitute the start of a new relationship between Europe and Africa," the interior ministers of Italy, Chad, Niger, Mali and Libya said in a joint statement after meeting in Rome.

France is seeking improved border controls and patrolling of the waters around Libya -- a mission complicated by the existence of two competing governments and a general sense of lawlessness in the desert state.

European countries have long sought to cut off clandestine immigration routes into the continent.

A controversial accord with Turkey last year stemmed the flow of migrants across the Aegean Sea to Greece, one of the main channels.

But other routes have come back into use, including via Morocco and Spain.

More than 14,000 people have died attempting to reach Europe since 2014.

This year alone, some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat, according to UN figures, with the vast majority landing in Italy.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of migrants and asylum seekers.

Last month the EU offered 10 million euros ($12 million) in aid to Niger to combat clandestine immigration.

Also in July, Macron proposed -- without consulting his allies -- the creation of so-called "hotspots" in Africa where asylum seekers could lodge a request to travel to the EU, avoiding a perilous voyage across the Mediterranean in a smuggler's boat.

Story continues

Charities that help migrants have criticised attempts to stop migration at its source. "We're extending the European border farther and farther away," Eva Ottavy of the French charity Cimade told AFP.

- Sharp fall in crossings -

Monday's meeting might provide insight into why arrivals have plummeted in recent weeks from Libya, the main route into Europe since the pathway from Turkey into Greece was shut down in 2016.

The numbers arriving in Italy have fallen by around 50 percent in July and August compared with last year.

Possible reasons include improved action by the Libyan coastguard and tougher border controls in transit countries, as well as Libyan militias being recruited into efforts to stop boats leaving.

Libyan leader Sarraj, whose government controls only part of the coastline, is expected to ask European leaders to work to lift an arms embargo imposed in 2011 so that he can arm coast guard and customs officers.

The president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, will tell his European counterparts that he has managed to reduce the number of migrants passing through the transit town of Agadez in his country by 80 percent, a source in his team told AFP.

Libya has also sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

Some political right-wingers have accused the groups of unintentionally encouraging migrants to attempt the crossing, as they know they will be rescued in the event of an emergency.

An Italian code of conduct that has divided NGOs is set to be approved by all the countries attending Monday's meeting, according to the Italian news agency ANSA.

"Above all, we have to save lives, we have to avoid situations where migrants and refugees put their lives in danger to reach protection," said Ralf Gruenert, France's representative of the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

burs-cf-gd/cb/kjl
Photo credit: Anheuser-Busch

From Delish

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Anheuser-Busch has halted beer production at its Cartersville, Georgia brewery to provide cans of emergency drinking water to those affected by the storm that has caused at least five deaths and catastrophic flooding across Texas and parts of Louisiana since it made landfall last Friday.

While the beer company initially sent out 50,000 cans to the Baton Rouge Red Cross, Anheuser-Busch has now sent over 155,00 cans to flood-damaged areas, The Miami Herald reported.

"Throughout the year, we periodically pause beer production at our Cartersville, Georgia brewery to produce emergency canned drinking water so we are ready to help out communities across the country in times of crisis," Brewmaster Sarah Schilling from the Cartersville Brewery said, WXIA reported. "Putting our production and logistics strengths to work by providing safe, clean drinking water is the best way we can help in these situations."

Water being rolled off the truck at the Red Cross thanks to @AnheuserBusch @WBRZ pic.twitter.com/VvpXVgbChe - Malary Pullen (@MalaryPullenTV) August 28, 2017

This isn't the first time Anheuser-Busch has sent drinking water to help people in need. After Hurricane Sandy, they sent more than a million cans of water to areas affected by the storm and they've also donated 50,000 cans of water to the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan to help with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

"Anheuser-Busch is committed to supporting local communities," Bill Bradley, vice president of community affairs, told Fortune. "This is one way we can help our friends and neighbors in a time of need."

If you can, donate to help victims of Hurricane Harvey here.

Story continues

Follow Delish on Instagram.

Download the Delish app.

You Might Also Like
Valletta (AFP) - Crew members of the C-Star, the ship chartered by far-right group Defend Europe, came ashore Sunday in Malta in the final chapter of a fraught effort to disrupt the flow of migrants from across the Mediterranean.

"The mission ends and after 5 weeks of hardships... our crew members return home to their families and friends. But Defend Europe will go on!," a statement from the group said.

During its troubled two-month campaign the boat spent less than a week performing its stated task: patrolling waters off Libya where hundreds of thousands of migrants were rescued in recent years and brought to Italy.

Its crew never got the chance to act on their threats to take any distressed migrant boats they came upon back to Libya -- a move humanitarian organisations had warned would be in breach of international law.

Malta had warned the C-Star it was not welcome on the island, prompting a furious reaction from the anti-immigration campaigners.

But in the end at least three of the boat's crew came ashore, which a spokesman for the Maltese government told AFP it could do little to prevent for European passport holders.

"Together we went in front of the bureau of Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat," the group said. "It's our right as Europeans to enter Europe."

In a video posted on Twitter on Sunday, the crew members said they would be entering Malta. They said Malta had become a global "headquarters" for illegal immigration.

The C-Star had received similar cold shoulder treatment from ports in Greece, Italy and Tunisia during its short-lived mission.

The C-Star's brief presence in the Mediterranean was regarded as no more than a minor irritant and occasionally a source of amusement.

Chartered after a crowd-funding campaign generated $228,000 (195,000 euros), the C-Star set off from Djibouti in early July.

The boat was held up for a week in the Suez Canal by Egyptian authorities then delayed further in Cyprus, where some of the Sri Lankan crew got off and claimed refugee status, embarrassingly adding to the list of asylum-seekers the mission was supposed to help cut.

Plans to refuel in Greece, Sicily and Tunisia were scuppered by local opposition and, at one point last week, it briefly looked as if one of the NGO boats would have to come to the aid of the C-Star as it encountered technical problems.
By Ian Simpson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Anti-racism activists will begin a 10-day march on Monday from Charlottesville to Washington to protest against a far-right rally in the Virginia city and what they called President Donald Trump's reluctance to condemn its white nationalist organizers.

The "March to Confront White Supremacy" is the latest demonstration following the Aug. 12 rally in Charlottesville, when one woman was killed after a man drove a car into a crowd of anti-racism counterprotesters.

Trump received fierce criticism from across the political spectrum after he first blamed "many sides" for the violence. Under pressure, he later condemned neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan by name, but that did little to appease his opponents.

March organizers said that about 200 people will begin walking on Monday evening from Charlottesville, a liberal-leaning college town that is home to the University of Virginia. That number is expected to rise as the march nears its end in Washington on Sept. 6.

"What we're trying to do is unite the country," one of the organizers, Cassius Rudolph of People's Consortium for Human and Civil Rights, said. "We're standing up to confront white supremacy."

Other organizers include the Women's March, which oversaw a massive anti-Trump demonstration in Washington in January, and the Movement for Black Lives, Rudolph said.

The march will begin at Emancipation Park, which was the focus of the Aug. 12 rally called by white nationalists to protest against the city's plans to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

There were hours of clashes in the streets and a 32-year-old local woman, Heather Heyer, was killed when a car crashed into a group of counterprotesters. The alleged driver, 20-year-old Ohio man James Fields Jr., faces multiple charges including murder.

Charlottesville police charged two men over the weekend in connection with an Aug. 12 assault. Daniel Borden, 18, is in custody in Cincinnati, police said in a statement, while Alex Ramos, 33, is at large.

A third man, Richard Preston, 52, was charged with firing a weapon during the rally and is being held in Towson, Maryland, the police statement said.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; Editing by Alistair Bell)
"Love does not separate, it unites," AnnaLynne McCord wrote in an open letter to Southwest Airlines. (Paul Archuleta via Getty Images)

AnnaLynne McCord said she was left absolutely broken hearted after witnessing two gay men and their daughters receive discriminatory treatment at an airport.

On Saturday, the 30-year-old Nip/Tuck and 90210 actress posted a photograph of the family on both Instagram and Twitter, along with an open letter to Southwest Airlines. In the letter, McCord claimed shed seen Southwest employees deny the men family boarding privileges because they are a same-sex couple.

#OPENLETTER to @southwestair

Dear Southwest Airlines,



Have you ever felt bullied? Have you ever been picked on?... https://t.co/gKSsJ4b3Jc?ncid=edlinkushpmg00000313pic.twitter.com/7TMEN9jp8P  AnnaLynne McCord (@IAMannalynnemcc) August 26, 2017

Love is what these wonderful little girls have for their dads. Love does not separate, it unites, she wrote. I implore you, as a company that seeks to provide a happy experience for all of its customers, to hire individuals who despise hate, not love; who embrace difference, not look down on it.

A post shared by AnnaLynne McCord (@theannalynnemccord) on Aug 25, 2017 at 6:31pm PDT

Though McCord did not specify where the alleged incident took place, she identified the men involved in the incident as her very close friends, Jake and Dave, in a comment below her initial post on Instagram.

Fans were quick to support McCord for speaking out. As of Monday afternoon, her Instagram post had received over 4,900 likes, while the subsequent tweet had been retweeted over 1,200 times. How dare anyone say they are not a family. Thank you for continuing to make a difference and do the right thing to help others, one person wrote. Added another, The world needs less haters and more people like you who only want to do good and spread love!

Story continues

HuffPost has reached out to Southwest Airlines and is awaiting comment. A representative for the Texas-based airline told People Saturday they were unaware of any formal complaints regarding the familys treatment, but noted they regret any less than positive travel experience the passengers may have had.

We dont have any existing reports associated with the Customers travel experience but we have contacted the Employees involved for an internal review of what happened, the spokesperson said. Our Customer Care Team reached out directly to the Customer and has not received a response. Our Employees work to carry out our Boarding policy for families traveling together, while also maintaining boarding priorities for all Customers.

Its the second time this year that Southwest Airlines has been hit with anti-LGBTQ discrimination claims. In May, Grant Morse and Samuel Ballachino said they were denied the companys family boarding option on a flight because they are gay. The men had been traveling from Buffalo, New York to Fort Lauderdale, Florida with their three children and the childrens grandmother.

A spokesperson for the airline denied the claims at the time, telling HuffPost the men had been declined only because Ballachinos 83-year-old mother required special assistance while boarding.

Find ways to combat bigotry by subscribing to the Queer Voices newsletter.
Former Vice President Joe Biden strongly rebuked President Trumps response to the events in Charlottesville, Va. in an op-ed Sunday, urging Americans to fight for what he characterized as a battle for the soul of this nation.

While Biden acknowledged that America has fought white supremacists before, he argued that the current situation feels different because of President Trumps hesitancy to condemn these groups. Trump came under near-universal criticism from both sides of the aisle for refusing to rebuke white supremacists in the immediate aftermath of the Charlottesville attack, when a white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd of counter-protesters at a white nationalist rally, killing one woman and inuring at least dozen others.

Today we have an American president who has publicly proclaimed a moral equivalency between neo-Nazis and Klansmen and those who would oppose their venom and hate. We have an American president who has emboldened white supremacists with messages of comfort and support, Biden wrote in the Atlantic Sunday. This is a moment for this nation to declare what the president cant with any clarity, consistency, or conviction: There is no place for these hate groups in America.

Biden also criticized the presidents decision to pardon Joe Arpaio, arguing that the former Arizona Sheriff terrorized the Latino community.

But, ultimately, Biden expressed optimism the nation would prevail.

Joined together, we will win this battle for our soul, he wrote. Because if theres one thing I know about the American people, its this: When it has mattered most, they have never let this nation down.
Ohio governor John Kasich is latest senior member of presidents own party to condemn pardon of former Maricopa County sheriff as politically motivated

Ohio governor John Kasich. Photograph: Evan Vucci/AP

The onslaught of criticism against Donald Trumps decision to pardon former sheriff Joe Arpaio did not let up on Sunday, with members of the presidents own party calling the move absolutely staggering, out of bounds and a dangerous message to send to law enforcement.

It absolutely should be out of bounds for somebody to use [the power to pardon] as some sort of a political wedge, said Ohio governor John Kasich, who competed against Trump in the Republican primary in 2016 and is widely reported to be considering a run in 2020. It appears as though thats what it was.

Arpaio gained infamy as the long-serving chief law enforcement officer of Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, with a relentless and brutal campaign to detain undocumented immigrants. The sheriffs use of chain gangs and prison tent cities during Arizonas scorching summers, and scores of legal claims he violated the constitutional rights of Latinos, earned him a reputation on all sides as the nations most ruthless immigration opponent.

He lost a re-election bid in 2016 and was convicted this year of contempt of court, for refusing to carry out a court order stemming from a racial profiling case. Had the 85-year-old been sentenced, he would have faced up to six months in jail.

On Friday night, as national attention turned to Texas and Hurricane Harvey and hard right adviser Sebastian Gorka left the White House, Trump followed through on weeks of hinting that Arpaio would be pardoned.

Few national-level Republicans have been willing to defend the pardon. On Friday, both of Arizonas senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, criticized the president. On Saturday, as the Washington Post reported that Trump had asked attorney general Jeff Sessions if the case against Arpaio could be dropped, House speaker Paul Ryan issued a critical statement. The trend continued through Sunday morning.

Story continues

For the majority of Latinos, Joe Arpaio is a symbol of racism, of discrimination, of anti-Hispanic sentiment, or anti-immigrant sentiment, of abuse of power, and this is the guy Donald Trump chose to pardon, said Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist who has frequently called on elected members of her party to oppose Trump.

Earlier in the weekend, Navarro called the pardon a slap in the face to the Latino community.

What differentiates the US from more repressive countries, she said on CNNs State of the Union, is that here, government officials are held accountable when they behave like thugs. The message that [Trump] is sending with this pardon to other government officials, to other law enforcement officials is a very bad message.

Kasich, who has the power to pardon individuals convicted of state crimes, said he never wielded that ability before a person has made proper restitution.

Its not how I would have done it, he told NBCs Meet the Press.



The remark hinted at one of the distinctions between Trumps pardon and those of his predecessor in the White House. Barack Obama overwhelmingly exercised his pardon authority for people, mainly nonviolent drug offenders, who had already served a large share of their sentences.

Trumps few defenders nonetheless pointed to Obamas pardons, commutations and acts of clemency, particularly the commutation of the sentence served by Oscar Lopez Rivera, a Puerto Rican activist who was convicted of seditious conspiracy, as justification for Trumps action.

Whats on display here is, frankly, the hypocrisy of the left, said Steve Montenegro, an Arizona state senator called on to defend the president on CNN.

Calling the hundreds of low-level offenders who received Obamas pardon unrepentant thugs, Montenegro drew a contrasting picture of Arpaio as an elderly man who has served this country since he was 18.

Michael Caputo, who was a communicatons adviser to Trumps presidential campaign, similarly dismissed criticism.

The people carping about this today are going to be carping about everything Donald Trump does, he said on CNN.

Appearing opposite Montenegro, Jorge Ramos, the Spanish-language Univision news anchor who verbally scuffled with Trump during his racially charged campaign, said: By pardoning Arpaio, President Trump is defending racism.

Kasich waved away the notion that Congress should investigate Trumps decision or force his testimony. Congress scrutinized presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton for their decisions to pardon, respectively, president Richard Nixon and a wealthy Democratic donor, Marc Rich.



Weve got enough problems [without having] to start, you know, figuring out why he did this, OK? Kasich said.

Danielle Pletka, senior vice-president for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative thinktank, suggested the pardon represented a breakdown in the rule of law.

It is absolutely staggering that he chose to make this decision and chose to use the power of the presidency in this way, she told NBC.

Describing what she believed to be the presidents logic, Pletka said: Joe Arpaio is a guy who is deserves to be pardoned because he was good to Donald Trump. Thats the only standard that matters.
Tropical Storm Harvey is turning out to be one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S. since 2005, and you don't have to sit on the sidelines as it continues to inundate parts of Texas

SEE ALSO: Airbnb offers Hurricane Harvey evacuees free shelter

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other relief agencies are already taking stock of the situation to help with evacuations and rescue efforts in Texas. But if you're looking to pitch in sooner, here are some of the most reliable non-profit organizations you can contribute to:

To help people affected by #HurricaneHarvey, please visit https://t.co/lG3cxjpyAd or text the word HARVEY to 90999 to make a $10 donation.  American Red Cross (@RedCross) August 25, 2017

Donations can be made directly on the website redcross.com or you can also call 1-800-REDCROSS or text HARVEY to 90999 to make a minimum donation of $10.

It's also seeking blood donations.

Apple iTunes

Prayers for Texas and all those affected by #HurricaneHarvey. Join us in the relief effort by donating: https://t.co/QLBMFOjaDG  Tim Cook (@tim_cook) August 27, 2017

The tech giant has teamed with American Red Cross to accept donations via a link available on the iTunes online store. You can donate in increments of $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 or $200. Unfortunately, store credit can't be used.

Families affected by #HurricaneHarvey need your help. Give today + support vetted nonprofits ready to deliver aid. https://t.co/JoUu7dMRwW  GlobalGiving (@GlobalGiving) August 26, 2017

This crowdfunding site started The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund and is looking to raise $2,000,000 to exclusively donate the funds to provide long-term relief to the storm's victims.

Story continues

Image: texas diaper bank

This non-profit is accepting donations to help with basic supplies and food for the youngest victims of Tropical Storm Harvey.

Americares is raising funds to provide medical care to those affected by the storm. As of now, they have deployed emergency teams to assist with the relief efforts in Texas.

The Salvation Army is collecting funds to "provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care to survivors and relief workers." Donated dollars are spent to support the organizations disaster teams, which help with both relief efforts and clean-up.

Austin Pets Alive! is helping shelters in the direct line of #HurricaneHarvey. Please find out how you can help: https://t.co/h3iQOCwcOm pic.twitter.com/hlk72N7XbS  Austin Pets Alive! (@austinpetsalive) August 24, 2017

Austin Pets Alive! is currently transporting pets out of shelters in affected areas. As of Saturday, Aug. 26, APA had transported over 235 animals into their shelters.

Most of the organizations listed pledge to send along 100 percent of the donations for Harvey relief efforts.

However, if you're looking to donate elsewhere, Charity Navigator provides an A-to-Z guide to charities based on a 4-star rating system. It could be a useful tool for researching other non-profits that best align with your intentions.

Hi @jiatolentino  we've got a list of some more highly-rated organizations working to aid those affected https://t.co/xQ3sGEgsny  Charity Navigator (@CharityNav) August 27, 2017

Due to the enormous damage Harvey has already caused, it looks like the recovery effort will be long one. In a statement to CNN, FEMA head Brock Long announced that the recovery work in the aftermath of the storm's epic disaster could take years.

"The disaster is going to be a landmark event," Long said.

Remember, unless you can physically volunteer, it's best to donate cash, not things or assets, to relief agencies during a disaster of this scale. They know how to use the money better than you do.
The mystery over a noxious chemical haze that drifted ashore along the Sussex coast and put scores in hospital has deepened as police have said it is unlikely to have come from France.

Around 150 people needed hospital treatment for burning eyes, vomiting and sore throats after the mystery gas came ashore near Beachy Head on Sunday afternoon.

People stand on a cliff at Beachy Head amidst mist, near Eastbourne Credit: Louisa Neale /Reuters

A senior officer said on Sunday there had been previous incidents when "stuff has come across from industrial units in France."

But officers on Monday said wind patterns suggested the cloud had not come from the Continent.

233 people were treated at the local hospital Credit: Eddie Mitchell

Scientists suggested the haze had instead come from shipping in The Channel or had blown from further along the English coast.

The haze had dispersed by Monday morning and police lifted an order for residents around the Eastbourne area to stay inside and close their windows.

Thousands of visitors are expected to travel to the area as the Bank Holiday sees some of the hottest weather of the year.

Sussex Police and East Sussex Fire Service are dealing with an incident in the Birling Gap area. (1/2)  Sussex Police (@sussex_police) August 27, 2017

Members of the public are advised by Fire Service to stay indoors and shut windows if you are in the Eastbourne area. (2/2)  Sussex Police (@sussex_police) August 27, 2017

Sussex Police said: Neither the gas nor its source have been established, but agencies are continuing to investigate and have not ruled out either onshore or offshore locations, although it does appear that it did sweep in from the sea driven by onshore breezes.

However, weather models suggest that an onshore source in northern France is very unlikely.

Birling Gap is evacuated after reports that chlorine gas has been leaked affecting people in the area. Credit: @Kyle_Crickmore/Twitter

The Met Office scientists are helping police try to determine the source of the haze. Winds in the Channel on Sunday had been light and variable with some fog banks. A spokesman said a pocket of low-lying cold air had been covered by a blanket of warmer air in a phenomenon known as a temperature inversion. The phenomenon can mean that pollution becomes trapped and does not disperse.

Story continues

The spokesman said: "There's a possibility that it's something from a ship in the Channel and also the possibility that it came from the English Coast."

In 2013, residents along the south coast complained after cloud of foul-smelling but harmless gas has leaked from a factory in north-west France.

The leak was blamed on a chemical factory near Rouen releasing mercaptan, which is added to natural gas to give it a smell.

The haze apparently reached land at Birling Gap at around 5pm on Sunday afternoon.

Map: East Sussex toxic mist direction

Kyle Crickmore, who had been enjoying the Bank Holiday weekend sunshine at the beach with his family, tweeted: "Some sort of chemical incident at Birling Gap, eyes are streaming and there's a strong smell of chlorine in the air."

He had finished swimming when his eyes started stinging. He looked around and saw everyone on the beach also rubbing their eyes and coughing in what he described as "all sorts of strange behaviour".

He told BBC News: "Then looking out towards the water, there was just this crazy foggy haze rolling in off the sea out of nowhere. It was definitely out of the ordinary considering it was a nice clear sunny day 10 minutes beforehand.

"It was stupidly busy and it was a boiling hot day. It emptied in about 10 minutes which was quite staggering considering the amount of people who were there."

The beachfront is popular with dog walkers and is a busy spot for tourists and locals enjoying the bank holiday sunshine.

Dan Sankey wrote on Twitter: "Beautiful afternoon at Birling Gap cut short by some weird mist, burning everyone's eyes which led to the beach and cliff being evacuated."

Sameer Jadhav tweeted: "Birling Gap some weird gas leak. People crying. Ambulances called. Don't go to Birling Gap at the moment".

The effects felt by those caught in the cloud prompted emergency services to warn people to stay away from the beaches and to keep doors and windows closed if living near the coast.

Sussex Police said: People living along the coast in the area have been advised to keep doors and windows shut and to move away from the Birling Gap area in particular.

Specialist teams worked to decontaminate patients Credit: Eddie Mitchell

The RNLI said that "possibly some kind of gaseous fumes" had drifted over the scene and a significant number of people on cliff tops had been struck down with symptoms including irritation, sore eyes and vomiting.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said there had been a "hazardous cloud moving across from Birling Gap to the Eastbourne area".

By 10.30pm 233 patients had been treated at Eastbourne District General Hospital where they were being "decontaminated on site" by hospital staff.

Fears from the coastguard that people could be trapped on the beach saw the RNLI launch all-weather lifeboats from Eastbourne and Newhaven to the Birling Gap area.
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Monday sent Congress a bill that would legalize gay marriage, a move that follows a string of liberal reforms in one of Latin America's most conservative nations. In 2015, Chile's Congress approved same sex civil unions after years of legislative wrangling. In March, Bachelet, a center-left politician, pledged to send a full marriage bill to legislators before the end of the year. "We do this with the certainty that it is not ethical nor fair to put artificial limits on love, nor to deny essential rights just because of the sex of those who make up a couple," Bachelet said in Chile's La Moneda presidential palace. Just last week, a Chilean court gave the green light to a law passed in July that will allow abortion in limited cases. Before that, Chile was one of only a handful of countries in the world that outlawed terminating a pregnancy in any situation, including when a woman's life was in danger. Bachelet's push for marriage equality also comes as countries across the region are expanding gay rights. Same-sex marriage has been legalized in recent years in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Mexico, despite the powerful influence of the Catholic Church, which opposes such unions. It was not immediately clear if Bachelet will be able to push the gay marriage bill through Congress before she leaves office in March 2018. Though her Nueva Mayoria coalition has a congressional majority, it is severely fractured ahead of elections in November and several members of the coalition hold socially conservative views. (Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Paul Simao)
NASA is in the business of giving small-time scientists and engineers opportunities: its small business grants, open data initiatives, and other efforts are meant to empower the high school kid or hobbyist who could be the next Werner Von Braun. But in the Cube Quest Challenge, for the first time ever, NASA will is enabling amateur spacecraft builders to participate in a mission to deep space.

Three teams have been selected from an initial pool of over a hundred (two thirds of which were from universities) to hitch a ride on NASA's Exploration Mission-1, the maiden voyage of the new Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. Their Cubesats, no larger than a shoebox, will be carried as cargo and then given a clear shot at the moon and beyond. Millions of dollars in prizes await for those craft capable enough to earn them.

"In the Cube Quest challenge we're challenging competitors to take their cubesat into deep space, where no cube sat has gone before," said James Cockrell, who's been running the challenge to NASA for about two years now. We had a chance to talk with him during a visit to NASA's Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

"That means there's all kinds of new challenges," he continued. "They've got to do navigation without GPS, without the Earth's magnetic field. If you get into a lunar orbit, there's no compass. All this has to be autonomous, so our developers are having to do subystems that are going to work in ways cubesats to date haven't."

There are two main challenges: the lunar derby and the deep space derby. In the first, craft must achieve a stable lunar orbit and establish communications with Earth. In the second, craft must demonstrate data transmission from 4 million kilometers (about 2.5 million miles) out  that's more than 10 times the distance to the moon, for reference.

Beyond some basic standards (they only get a certain amount of space, and things must be up to code), how the teams pursue the challenges is up to them.

Story continues

Steve Jurczyk, of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, explained that although they have small budgets and little formal training, these teams are not to be underestimated.

"The whole maker, additive manufacturing, miniaturization, commoditization, reduction of cost... has really enabled this kind of citizen science and engineering," he said. "And what it gives us is a more diverse set of participants contributing to NASA and the NASA mission, and a whole new set of innovative ideas that come through that diverse set of participants."

The teams competing produced solutions that are, he said, "incredibly innovative and novel." The top three, announced in a ceremony at Ames while we visited, demonstrate remarkable ingenuity and variety.

Team Miles

This cubesat uses an evolutionary plasma thruster, and will be flown entirely by an autonomous system contained on board.

They're using a software defined radio that hasn't been tested in space that the team's leader, Wesley Faler, says "is probably going to work." They're also going the distance, aiming for operating out to 96 million kilometers before ending the mission.

CU-E3

These guys are laser-focused on the communications side of the challenge, in which teams receive prizes based on how much data they can send from space, and from how far. To do that, they created a unique "planar" antenna that provides the range and directionality of a larger parabolic antenna in a fraction of the space.

"There have been few, if any, CubeSats that have gone the distance that were trying to go," team manager Forsman said in a NASA profile of the team, "and the communications technology we're developing is non-existent."

Cislunar Explorers

This is definitely the craziest craft of the three. Not only does it use a water-electrolysis propulsion system that's never been tried in space, but the whole craft is designed to split apart into two identical halves.

Not only does that give their mission fault tolerance (one of the craft could totally fail and the other would be unaffected) but it could offer opportunities for unique data-gathering techniques like stereo spectrography. Notably, this is also team leader Kyle Doyle's dissertation work, which gives you an idea of how fresh it is!

As with most deep space missions, this one isn't going to lift off until everything is good and ready, which means months or years of precision manufacturing, painstaking assembly, and patient testing.

Right now the plan is for the teams to deliver their payloads next spring, with the launch very tentatively planned for sometime in 2019.
Mom Nicole Walters paid her daughter a surprise visit at college after not hearing from the student for a few days. (Photo: Nicole Walters via Facebook)

A mother who didnt hear from her daughter for several days after dropping her off at college swung by campus to deliver what can only be described as a missing person flier in a hilarious viral video.

Nicole Walters, 32, is an entrepreneur and mother of three in Maryland (daughters ages 6, 15, and 18) who recently sent her eldest off to a local college. On Aug. 22, Walters and her husband had plans with their freshman daughter, but when she didnt respond to their text messages and phone calls, the worried parents decided to pay her a visit.

Walters filmed the aftermath of the visit and posted it to Facebook, where its received 53,000 reactions, 14,000 comments, and 3.6 million views. Bless her heart, Walters says of her teen in the footage. She thought she could dip off and go ghost for three days. No you wont. What youre not fittin to do, while I pay tuition, is disappear for three days.

Walters explains that her daughter initially made contact  at 2 a.m. via text message  after her first day of classes in a message that read, Oh no, sorry, I was just out late.

Walters says in the video, Out late doing what? Out late doing what? Cause the campus bookstore is closed and the library is not 24 hours.

During their surprise visit, the parents brought their daughter some fruit  Heres some bananas because potassium is important, Walters quips  and a flier with the teens photo that read, Is my kid being irresponsible? Tweet @NapturalNicole photo proof and get a $10 Starbucks gift card and a free pizza. She also threatened to print 500 copies and distribute them in the campus quad if her daughter disappears again. Were not playing.  There are 35 Kinkos between my house and your school, Walters says.

Walters also dismisses any claims that her daughter needs to learn independence at school: I pay for you to get a degree.  Life is coming no matter what.  You will not learn independence on my dime.

Her supporters seem to agree, leaving comments such as Mom goal for real. I would have showed up after the first day and asked my daughter who she thinks she is and Whew, shes no joke! Bet shell focus and earn that degree. Another person commented: This was absolutely great!!! It is everything we feel when our kids go MIA.

Story continues

I have a pretty structured way of parenting, but what you saw in the video was everyones mom in their worst moment, Walters tells Yahoo Beauty, adding that her parenting style is unique to her family. I adopted my daughters a few years ago and they didnt have support, so theyre not used to adults who are consistently present. I want them to know that out of sight doesnt mean out of mind.

The mom says that the college visit was necessary. We wanted to reset our daughters intentions and remind her that her past doesnt have to dictate her future, she says.

The visit also came as no surprise to the college freshman, who Walters says was standing off camera laughing while she filmed. She knows  I Snapchat her friends and ask them to take photos of her to send me, she says, adding that she is happy to recruit them to track down her daughter if necessary and that the phrase potassium is important has become a punch line at school.

Some parents may disagree, but we are confident in our parenting, says Walters. Excellence is a priority.

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day. For Twitter updates, follow @YahooStyle and @YahooBeauty.
Seven of Donald Trump's advisers have quite a cyber-security panel: AP

Eight of Donald Trump's cyber-security advisers have resigned, warning the President had "given insufficient attention to the growing threats" facing the US.

A quarter of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council's 28 members quit with a joint letter in which they claimed Mr Trump "threatened the security of the homeland".

They cited his response to white supremacist violence in Charlottesville, the country's withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the vulnerability of the US election process.

The panel is tasked with advising the US Homeland Security Department on cyber-security and the protection of infrastructure.

The eight departing members accused Trump's administration of failing to be "adequately attentive to the pressing national security matters" or "responsive to sound advice received from experts".

Your actions have threatened the security of the homeland I took an oath to protect, said their letter, obtained by IT news website Nextgov.

The resignations come after Mr Trump disbanded two business advisory councils following a flurry of resignations from chief executives over his response to the neo-Nazi rally in Virginia.

The President's most controversial comments on the violence, in which he suggested left-wing activists were partly responsible for a white supremacist killing an anti-fascist protester, were made at a press conference on infrastructure reform.

"When asked about the horrific violence in Charlottesville, you failed to denounce the intolerance and violence of hate groups, instead offering false equivalences and attacking the motives of the CEOs who had resigned from their advisory roles in protest," said the cyber-security experts' resignation letter.

It added: "The moral infrastructure of our nation is the foundation on which our physical infrastructure is built."

The advisers said the President had "given insufficient attention to the growing threats to the cyber-security of the critical systems upon which all Americans depend, including those impacting the systems supporting our democratic election process."

Story continues

Mr Trump has repeatedly downplayed and cast doubt on US intelligence officials' conclusion that a Russian hacking campaign had attempted to subvert the 2016 presidential election.

The resignation letter added: "Additionally, your decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, your intent to revoke flood-risk building standards, and your many other actions to ignore the pressing threat of climate change to our critical infrastructure also point to your disregard for the security of American communities."

Three Obama-era White House officials were among the departing council members.

Former US chief data scientist DJ Patil, Office of Science and Technology Policy chief of staff Cristin Dorgelo, and Christy Goldfuss, managing director of the Environmental Quality Council, all confirmed their resignations on Twitter.

Members of the council, set up in 2001, are drawn from the private sector, government and academia.
President Donald Trump: REUTERS

Donald Trump might refuse to leave power when his time at the White House comes to an end, an expert on Latin American leaders has warned.

Tim Rogers, a journalist, said the US leader had no respect for the "sanctity of the presidency".

The expert on Nicaraguas Sandinista Front for National Liberation (FSLN) and the country's former President Daniel Ortega, Mr Rogers said it was common for Latin American leaders to stay in power for long periods.

He added that he sees similarities between Mr Trump and the likes of Mr Ortega.

Describing Mr Trump as a tribal leader", he said he was dividing" the US as opposed to uniting it.

This is a dangerous moment for the country," he wrote on the Fusion website. "Trump has shown no interest in preserving the sanctity of the presidency or the traditions of U.S. democracy. He might not even be familiar with them.

Trump is only interested in Trump. Hes willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of self-preservation. This is how dictatorships are born."

He added: Shortly after Daniel Ortega was elected president of Nicaragua in 2006, renowned author and intellectual Sergio Ramirez told me, 'anyone who thinks Ortega is going to leave office at the end of his term is being naive.' I was naive. I didnt see it coming, even after I was warned what to look out for.

I might be naive again by thinking that Trump will try something similar by refusing to go away when his time is up. But Nicaragua taught me its best to err on the side of caution when dealing with authoritarians.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.
Helicopter rescues took place throughout Houston over the weekend after Hurricane Harvey dumped enough rain to cause catastrophic flooding.

One such rescue was caught on video by local ABC News station KTRK. The footage showed a woman and child who were rescued from floodwaters and transferred to safety.

WATCH LIVE: Incredible helicopter rescues underway right now, plucking victims from flood waters https://t.co/y6m66VCQjN #HoustonFlood pic.twitter.com/y6kHl0b29m  ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) August 28, 2017

Helicopter crews from the Texas Department of Public Safety were deployed to airlift flood victims stranded on rooftops, in cars, on vessels and in other life-threatening situations. Officials told The New York Times that the Coast Guard also sent 14 boats and seven helicopters to Houston.

Many states provided additional relief aid. Elite urban rescue teams from California, Colorado and Florida are en route to Houston to offer their assistance. On Saturday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) sent three rescue helicopters along with more than 100 members of the states Air National Guard.

Another video posted to Twitter showed a father named Jeremiah and his 6-year-old son as they were airlifted to safety. The father and son were able to reach a rescue helicopter after climbing out of a second-story window when their home flooded.

"WE THANK GOD." Jeremiah holds on to his faith after he and his son crawled through a 2nd story window to be rescued https://t.co/foTaVHxsOV pic.twitter.com/Nap4ZfkEQf  ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) August 28, 2017

Related...

Here's How To Help The Victims Of Hurricane Harvey

Story continues

Scenes From Hurricane Harvey

Also on HuffPost

Steve Culver cries with his dog Otis as he talks about what he said was the, 'most terrifying event in his life,' when Hurricane Harvey blew in and destroyed most of his home while he and his wife took shelter there on in Rockport.

Ofelia Castro leads her grandchildren across a flooded street as they continue an hours long trek from their flooded house in the Edgewood area of South Houston to a relatives apartment miles away.

Aaron Tobias who said he lost everything stands in what is left of his home in Rockport. Mr. Tobias said he was able to get his wife and kids out before the storm arrived but he stayed there and rode it out.

Damaged boats in a multi-level storage facility are seen in Rockport.

People gather supplies out of destroyed homes to take back to a shelter near City-By-The Sea, Texas.

A destroyed laundromat is seen in Rockport.

A destroyed apartment complex is seen on Aug. 26, 2017, after Hurricane Harvey passed through Rockport, Texas.

Donna Raney is helped out of the window by Lee Guerrero and Daisy Graham in Rockport.

Valerie Brown walks through a flooded area after leaving her apartment in Rockport.

Charlie Company of the 4th Assault Amphibious Battalion, Marine Forces Reserve arrive at the Central Mall in Port Arthur, TX on Thursday night after running rescue missions in the hardest hit areas of town throughout the day.

A Rockport firefighter goes door to door on a search and rescue mission as he looks for people who may need help.

Rescue personnel help Hersey Kirk as she is airlifted into a rescue helicopter.

Jacque McKay walks through the apartment complex where she lives in Rockport.

A damaged home is seen after Hurricane Harvey in Rockport.

Damage is seen to a shopping center in Victoria, north and farther inland than Rockport.

Damage is seen at a business near Rockport

A damaged mobile home in Victoria.

Damage to a hotel in Victoria.

A business is damaged in Victoria.

A light plane sits upside done at Rockport Airport.

A sunken boat at Rockport Harbor.

Destroyed houses in Rockport.

Light medium tactical vehicle's (LMTV) make their way through floodwaters near Bridge City in Texas.

A car lies abandoned in Rockport.

A police officer checks for survivors among destroyed houses in Rockport.

A gas station in Victoria.

Damage to homes is seen near Rockport

A sign on a Holiday Inn hotel in Victoria.

Just got out of Rockport; no cell service there; catastrophic damage; homes, businesses destroyed. #hurricaneharvey pic.twitter.com/CJKPJOhEHZ  Jeremy Schwartz (@JinATX) August 26, 2017

First light reveals heavy damage in Rockport, TX. #hurricaneharvey. pic.twitter.com/a9vVRn9iJS  Jeff Gammons (@StormVisuals) August 26, 2017

A burnt-out house that caught fire after Hurricane Harvey hit Corpus Christi.

A house suffers roof damage in Corpus Christi.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Quito (AFP) - A court in Ecuador sentenced the crew of a Chinese ship caught fishing endangered sharks in the Galapagos marine reserve to prison terms on Sunday.

The Chinese-flagged Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 was caught within the protected zone on August 13 with 300 tonnes of fish -- including some 6,000 sharks, mostly protected species such as the hammerhead and the bigeye thresher.

The court announced on the third day of the trial against the crew that it was sentencing the ship captain to four years prison for committing an environmental crime with aggravating circumstances.

The ship's three top officers got three years prison, while the 16 other crew members were jailed for one year.

The court also ordered the crew to pay $5.9 million to the Galapagos National Park.

It's unclear if the Chinese crew will appeal the sentence.

"After the enormous indignation we felt, this will definitely compensate for the damage caused because a historic precedent has been set," park director Walter Bustos told AFP upon hearing the sentence.

The 138,000 square-kilometer reserve, a sanctuary for sharks, has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

Some 27,000 people live on the 19 Galapagos islands, located in the Pacific some 1,000 kilometers off Ecuador's coastline.

The Galapagos is famous for its unique flora and fauna studied by Charles Darwin as he developed his theory of evolution.

"Zero tolerance for environmental crimes!" tweeted Ecuador's Environment Minister Tarcisio Granizo.

The Chinese ship has been confiscated and will be held in service to the Galapagos park, Granizo said.

Galapagos residents have been protesting what they say is a fleet of 300 Chinese fishing vessels located in international waters just outside the marine reserve.
(Reuters) - U.S. mortgage agencies face possible losses on some of the 400,000 mortgages they guarantee on homes ravaged by Hurricane Harvey, but they will not know the extent of the damage until the wind and rain stop in Texas and Louisiana. Some of the structures may not have flood insurance, which may result in homeowners abandoning the buildings because they will not have the money to rebuild. Even with insurance, some homeowners may suffer job losses or health problems and fall behind on their mortgage payments. More than 200,000 homes with mortgages guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in areas hit by Hurricane Harvey, the most powerful storm in Texas in more than 50 years, the mortgage agencies said on Monday. About another 200,000 homes with loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration are in the affected counties, the Department of Housing and Urban Development said. These figures were preliminary as more homes will likely be impacted this week as Harvey is forecast to bring more flooding to these areas. Inspectors have not been able to assess the homes. As FEMA begins to assess the damage and respond to the immediate needs of residents, HUD will be there to offer assistance and support the longer-term housing recovery efforts, HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement. Those homeowners without flood insurance may need the most help. In Houston, U.S. fourth most populous city, 52 percent of properties are considered moderate-to-high risk for flooding, and located outside special flood hazard areas that require them to carry flood insurance, property data firm Corelogic said. Because flood insurance is expensive, some home and businesses not in those special zones might not buy the insurance. Smaller Texas cities in Harvey's path such Bay City and Beaumont also have more than half their moderate-to-high risk properties outside designated zones to carry flood insurance, according to Corelogic. POST-STORM RELIEF Fannie Mae said it guarantees loans on some 36,000 homes in Harvey's initial impact area with about $5.1 billion in unpaid principal balance. Freddie Mac said it has so far counted about 167,000 homes whose mortgages it secured in the 18 counties affected by Harvey. Under Fannie Mae's disaster relief guidelines, a mortgage servicer may suspend or reduce a homeowner's mortgage payments for up to 90 days if it believes a natural disaster has adversely affected the value and habitability of the property. The same criteria can apply if a natural disaster has temporarily had an impact on the homeowner's ability to make mortgage payments. Freddie Mac said it would provide mortgage relief to borrowers whose homes have not been impacted but whose places of employment have been impacted by the storm. In addition to disaster aid, HUD said it will grant immediate foreclosure relief on FHA-backed homes for 90 days and it will make mortgage insurance available to homeowners who have lost their homes. "Please note that, until the storm and flooding are over, we will not be able to fully assess the impact and determine which properties have actually sustained damage," Freddie Mac spokeswoman Lisa Tibbitts said in a statement. (Reporting by Richard Leong in New York; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Lisa Shumaker)
By John Irish and Michel Rose PARIS (Reuters) - Getting Europe's migrant crisis under control will be in focus at a summit of Europe's "big four" continental powers and three African nations in Paris on Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron seeking concrete action. The 28-nation European Union has struggled to agree on a coherent answer to the influx of migrants fleeing war, poverty and political upheaval in the Middle East and Africa, and the crisis is testing cooperation between member states. Over the summer, Macron sought to take the initiative on managing the flow of migrants crossing the Mediterranean from Libya, mainly into Italy. He proposed hotspots in Africa to handle asylum requests. The viability of such centers was questioned by European and African allies and on Monday an official from the Elysee Palace said the idea was no longer under discussion. "The hotspots announcement was nonsense and neither Chad nor Niger were consulted beforehand," a West African official said. "Macron is trying to make up for that mistake." Leaders at the meeting will seek accord on a migration action plan, notably on tackling the economic model of people traffickers. "The leaders will be presented a roadmap that outlines ... what we want to do to tackle all stages of the migrant route," the Elysee official told reporters. "NEED TO DO MORE" The meeting hosts the leaders of Germany, Italy and Spain as well as the leaders of Chad, Niger and Libya - all three of them transit countries for migrants. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini will also attend. The Elysee official said the roadmap would include ideas on fighting people traffickers, asylum rights and stabilizing chaotic Libya, where thousands of migrants end up before embarking on a perilous Mediterranean sea journey to Europe. But diplomats and analysts said they did not expect any major breakthroughs. The crisis has put Paris and Rome at odds. Italy has accused France and other EU states of not sharing the migrant burden and has also asked the EU Commission for more budget flexibility to help it tackle the crisis. Nearly 120,000 migrants, including refugees, have entered Europe by sea so far this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. More than 2,400 have drowned while making the dangerous odyssey, often in overcrowded dinghies run by people smugglers without enough food or water. An Italian government official said he hoped the Paris meeting would accelerate the dispersal of EU funds that have already been promised to Libya. "More generally, Italy and Germany have pledged funds to Libya and to other African countries to try and get control of immigration, but France and Spain need to do more." Germany said on Monday it had reached an agreement with Egypt to stem the flow of migrants from the Arab country to Europe. "What is important is the joint goal of Germany and Egypt to protect people's lives and to fight illegal immigration and the criminal smuggling of people," German government spokesman Steffen Seibert told a news conference. A Niger presidential source said his country, one of the world's poorest, would be looking for more European financing to help with general security measures. (Reporting by Marine Pennetier, John Irish and Michel Rose in Paris, Steve Scherer and Massimiliano Di Giorgio in Rome, Sarah White in Madrid, Paul Carrell in Berlin; Editing by Richard Lough and Mark Heinrich)
By Sofia Menchu GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales on Sunday appeared to defy a court ruling that he not expel the head of an influential U.N. anti-graft unit investigating his campaign financing, deepening an institutional crisis in the Central American nation. Earlier on Sunday, the president said Ivan Velasquez, head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, or CICIG, must leave the country immediately. Hours later, the nation's top court suspended the decision. In a nearly four-minute address in which he was flanked by Guatemalan flags, Morales accused Velasquez of exceeding his mandate. He said the decision to expel him was a matter of foreign policy and therefore the responsibility of the executive, not the courts. In the charged atmosphere, hundreds of Guatemalans took to the streets, mostly to defend Velasquez outside his offices and in the center of Guatemala City, although some groups came out in support of the president and against foreign interference. Velasquez, a veteran prosecutor who previously investigated drug cartels and paramilitary groups in his home country, Colombia, remained in his office on Sunday afternoon, where he was meeting with supportive foreign ambassadors. The U.S. State Department said it was "deeply concerned" about the move against the anti-corruption unit, echoing criticism by the United Nations, Europe and Canada. Several senior members of Morales' government resigned over the issue. In its ruling, the country's highest civil court said the foreign, defense and interior ministers should not participate in removing Velasquez from the country. Two constitutional experts consulted by Reuters said the president would be committing a crime if he does not obey the court. With powers to prepare crime and corruption cases, CICIG was instrumental in removing Guatemala's former president, Otto Perez Molina, from office in 2015 after identifying him as a key player in an alleged multimillion-dollar corruption racket. Morales, a former comedian, came to power in 2016, winning the election on an anti-corruption ticket. Morales' declaration that Velasquez was "persona non grata" came days after CICIG said the president should be investigated over alleged illicit funding during his election campaign. CICIG is investigating some $800,000 in allegedly unexplained contributions to Morales' campaign. Morales has denied any wrongdoing. CICIG has been a thorn in the president's side since it started a graft probe focused on his elder brother and one of his sons. Many politicians in Guatemala consider the foreign-led body, which is unusual among U.N. bodies for its powers to bring cases to prosecutors, to be a violation of national sovereignty. Anti-corruption activists credit it with cleaning up government. It is responsible for the arrests of at least 15 current and former members of Congress on corruption charges. RESIGNATIONS Guatemala's foreign minister, deputy foreign minister, health minister and three deputy health ministers all left the government earlier in the day, according to a spokesman and a resignation letter. The circumstances of the foreign minister's departure were not immediately clear, but he said on Friday he would resign if Velasquez were forced out. "You've taken a position in favor of impunity and the corrupt sectors of the country, contradicting all of the statements you once made about justice and transparency," Health Minister Lucrecia Hernandez wrote in the letter, also signed by three vice ministers who resigned with her. Guatemala has struggled to thwart corruption and organized crime since it ended 36 years of civil war in 1996, and memories have not faded of ruptures with democracy under a military government in the 1980s. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement he was "shocked" by Morales' move, and called on Guatemalan authorities to treat Velasquez with respect. In a joint statement issued by the U.S. Embassy, a group of nine Western countries and the European Union strongly backed Velasquez and criticized Morales' move to oust him. Representative Eliot Engel of the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said he was "extremely disappointed" by Morales' decision and called on the State Department and Congress to examine the future of U.S. assistance to the Guatemalan government. "CICIG has played a transformational role in combating corruption and impunity in Guatemala," he said in a statement. (Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Writing by Frank Jack Daniel and David Alire Garcia; Editing by Peter Cooney; Editing by Andrea Ricci and Peter Cooney)
Guatemala City (AFP) - Protesters yelled Monday for Guatemala's President Jimmy Morales to quit in a political crisis, after courts blocked his bid to expel a UN official investigating corruption allegations against him.

Scandal has come to haunt Morales, a former television comedian, less than two years after he took office on promises to stamp out the corruption that toppled his elected predecessor.

Morales sparked international criticism on Sunday when he ordered the expulsion Ivan Velasquez, head of the UN International Committee Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).

A grouping of 80 Latin American civil society organizations condemned the move, in a statement published Monday by the Due Process of Law Foundation.

Morales's move "strongly suggests that he seeks to block the criminal investigation into his alleged activity, in addition to shielding members of illegal security forces and clandestine security structures that are currently under investigation," they said.

- President alleges 'meddling' -

Morales said Sunday that he ordered Velasquez, a Colombian national, to be expelled from Guatemala "for the good of the country and not for personal motives."

"He meddled in domestic affairs that are the sole responsibility of the Guatemalan state" and "tried to pressure lawmakers to pass constitutional reforms," Morales said.

The Constitutional Court however temporarily suspended Morales's order, its chairman Francisco Mata told reporters.

Health Minister Lucrecia Hernandez and her three deputies resigned in protest over Morales's move.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was "shocked" by Morales's move, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

The United States, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland jointly condemned the move, in a joint statement issued by their embassies in Guatemala City.

- Angry protests -

Story continues

The government said at a cabinet meeting on Monday that Morales retained the support of his remaining ministers.

An army spokesman said on Sunday that the force remained loyal to Morales.

But there was anger on the streets.

Dozens of demonstrators from indigenous, rural and student groups rallied in the historic center of Guatemala City on Monday calling for him to resign.

"The president wants to guarantee impunity by avoiding criminal prosecution for illicit finance. It is shameful," said Andrea Ixchiu, an activist from the indigenous area of Totonicapan.

"All those who have been accused of corruption have joined together to get rid of Ivan Velasquez," said Alvaro Montenegro, an activist from the anti-corruption protest movement Justice Now.

Guatemala's chief human rights attorney Jordan Rodas told reporters that Morales's approach risked causing "a situation where it is impossible to govern."

- Party funding allegations -

The protests raised the prospect of a fresh wave of unrest like the one that broke out against then-president Otto Perez in 2015.

The CICIG helped prosecutors investigate the corruption scandal that toppled Perez.

Morales won the subsequent elections and took over as president the following year.

Now investigators say he is suspected of failing to declare electoral campaign funds. They estimate the value of the suspect transactions at about $1.0 million.

On Friday, Velasquez and Guatemalan prosecutors had applied to strip Morales of his immunity so he can be probed over the payments linked to his party, the National Convergence Front.

- TV personality -

Morales became famous for his performance as Neto, a naive bumpkin, in his television show Moralejas.

He produced the show along with his brother Samuel, who has since been caught up in fraud allegations.

The future president insisted during campaigning that he was "neither corrupt nor a thief."
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - The Gaza head of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas said on Monday it had increased its military capabilities thanks to newly improved relations with Iran.

In a rare meeting with a small number of journalists, Yahya al-Sinwar said Iran was "the biggest supporter" of Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

Hamas was "developing our military strength in order to liberate Palestine," Sinwar said in response to an AFP question, but he also stressed that the movement did not seek war.

Hamas has run Gaza since 2007 and received Iranian financial and military support for years before it was reduced following a falling out over the Syrian civil war.

It was the first time Sinwar had spoken on record with international journalists since he became the organisation's Gaza chief in February.

Sinwar said relations with Tehran had improved in recent months, with a delegation visiting Tehran.

"The Iranian military support to Hamas and al-Qassam is strategic," he added, saying the relationship had "become fantastic and returned to its former era".

"Every day we build missiles and continue military training," he added, saying that thousands of people are working "day and night" to prepare for the next conflict.

However, he stressed that the movement "doesn't want a war and takes every effort to avoid a war".

"At the same time we are not afraid of a war and are ready for it."

The Islamist movement, which is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States and the European Union, has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, most recently in 2014.

- Former top commander -

The election of the 56-year-old in February was seen by analysts as Hamas's military wing asserting power over the political one.

Prior to taking the job, he was a top commander in Qassam with decades of intelligence experience and a reputation as a fierce advocate of military struggle against Israel.

Story continues

He also speaks Hebrew well, having spent 23 years in Israeli jails with four life sentences for "terrorist activities". He was released in a prisoner swap in 2011.

Sinwar has reached out both to old allies and to enemies as Hamas seeks to avoid regional isolation.

Relations with Iran had faltered over Syria, where Tehran backed President Bashar al-Assad while Hamas distanced themselves from his regime as he violently crushed an uprising.

However, Sinwar has sought to push previous tensions under the carpet and rebuild relations -- sending a high-level delegation to meet Iranian politicians.

At the same time he has made overtures to Mohammed Dahlan, a former ally of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas turned rival who is seen as close to the Egyptian government.

Palestinian Authority leader Abbas has in turn sought to squeeze Hamas by reducing the amount of electricity the PA paid for in Gaza, further worsening a power crisis there. Residents now receive only a few hours of mains electricity a day.

Sinwar called on Abbas to form a government of national unity with Hamas "for a year or two in preparation for holding presidential and legislative elections".

Multiple attempts at reconciliation between Abbas's Fatah movement and Hamas have failed.
It was as if the entire Mississippi River had been diverted from its course, lifted into the sky and dumped on a sprawling modern metropolis, with all its vulnerable infrastructure of roads, bridges, sewers, light rail, electrical power and fiber-optic cables, its malls and office buildings, living rooms and kitchens, refineries and pipelines.

The wind damage from Harvey, although far from negligible, will likely be dwarfed by the inches and feet of rain piling up on Houston and the surrounding counties. It is still much too early to put a dollar figure on the cost, and the casualties are still being counted. But here is a brief statistical profile of Hurricane Harvey, as of roughly noon Monday.

260 billion: Rough estimate of gallons of rain that have fallen on the city of Houston so far, assuming an average of 24 inches across 620 square miles. Thats approximately as much water as the Mississippi River carries past New Orleans in 16 hours.

56,000: Number of calls to 911 within 24 hours as of Sunday night, according to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner.

50 inches: Maximum expected rainfall total from Harvey in some parts of Texas. The average annual rainfall at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston is 49.76 inches.

130 mph: Harveys maximum sustained wind speed at the time of landfall on Aug. 25.

30,000: Estimated number of people who will be forced from their homes as a result of Hurricane Harvey, according to the Washington Post.

82,000: Number of homes in Houston area reportedly without electricity as of Sunday night.

3,000: Number of National Guard and State Guard members deployed to Texas as of Sunday, with Gov. Greg Abbott promising to send an addition 1,000 National Guard troops to Houston Monday.

2,000: Number of people whove been rescued from flooding in Houston, according to Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, who said Monday morning that 185 critical requests for help were still pending in the city.

$667 million: Amount of funding the Trump Administration seeks to cut from grants to the Federal Emergency Management Agency  including FEMAs Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program  to help pay for the construction of a border wall.

Story continues

16: Percentage of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administrations overall budget the Trump Administration has proposed cutting.

40,000: Estimated number of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who had permanently resettled in the Houston area as of 2015, according to the Houston Chronicle. Of the more than 1 million people who fled Louisiana and Mississippi before and after Katrinas catastrophic landfall in 2005, up to 250,000 were relocated to Houston.

56: Years since the last Category 4 hurricane, Hurricane Carla, made landfall in Texas in September 1961. Before that, the only other Category 4 hurricane to make landfall near the Texas Coastal Bend was in August 1886.

Houses destroyed by Hurricane Carla in 1961. (Photo: Lynn Pelham/The Life Images Collection/Getty Images)

Read more from Yahoo News:
WASHINGTON  President Donald J. Trump will be in Houston on Tuesday; one vicious hurricane surveying the damage of another.

Hurricane Harvey has devastated the Gulf Coast as few storms have done in recent decades, spreading fear and paralyzing the nations fourth-largest city with winds and floodwaters.

With tweets, meetings, disaster orders and vows of vigilant relief efforts, Trump is suggesting that he is a source of stability and community, and that laws, governments and public officials exist for the good of all, especially the most vulnerable in American society.

It is going to be a hard sell. In his first eight months in office, Trump has been a human hurricane, wreaking havoc on every institution and tradition of law and political order he can. And when he isnt destroying things in real time, fresh details of his pre-presidential dealings further undermine his attempts to project an image of leadership.

Consider the latest, per The Washington Post: Trumps would-be partner in a would-be Moscow tower was a Russian/Brooklyn enforcer who once stabbed a guy with a broken margarita glass.

Any pretense that the Trump administration is about anything but maintaining power is gone  even as it seems more in peril by the day.

With the departure of Sebastian Gorka, nearly the entire cast of characters in the original administration are gone: Michael Flynn, Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus, Sean Spicer, etc. Say what you will about that crew; at least they had ostensible roles and a purpose: Establishment Republicans would get deals done, nationalists would give a populist, anti-corporate, anti-elitist philosophical underpinning to Trumps rage.

Not that there ever was any credible pretense  let alone reality  of high-mindedness to all this, but what we are reduced to now is the grim nub of Trump: lawlessness, racism, authoritarianism, resentment, brutality, venality and a blind desire to dismantle everything in the way of the one thing he wants and understands  his own survival.

Story continues

Trumps pardoning of former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio is a message not only to his white far-right followers and to U.S. Latinos, but to witnesses whose cooperation (or silence) he needs (think Flynn, Paul Manafort and many others) and above all, to the very rule of law, which Arpaio flouted and for which Trump has never shown anything but contempt.

A lawless president begets a lawless nation.

Charlottesville and Berkeley are just the start of the fighting in the streets. Trump is planning to once again allow the Pentagon to sell military gear to local police, all the better to inflame every situation with tanks, armored personnel carriers and the like. He may dismantle the DACA program, sending undocumented Dreamers under cover and further unleashing immigration agents on the hunt.

Shut down the government so that he can get money to build his border wall? Why not?

A federal court order  the one that Arpaio was found in contempt of  means nothing to the president. Why assume that any other court order, or any act of Congress, would mean more? Trumps disdain for the Hill leaders of even his own party grows by the minute, and he has committed too many outrageous acts for even the most craven Democrat to seek common cause with him on virtually anything.

If Trump thinks he must defy special counsel Robert Mueller, he will try. If he thinks he must fire Mueller, he will try. If he must force an impeachment trial in the Senate, he will. If he thinks he can replace shaky GOP votes there with solid ones (in, say, Arizona and Alabama), he will try.

In the meantime, alleged wise persons in Washington count on what essentially amounts to a military junta  the Four Horsemen of John Kelly, H.R. McMaster, James Mattis and Rex Tillerson  to rein in the president. But just because they were able to oust Bannon & Co. does not mean they can control Trump at any given moment on any given topic.

And so onward to Texas and the Gulf, where Trump will promise Houston deliverance from the storm. American politics and government, in the meantime, are forecast to be at flood stage for the indefinite future.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
A Texas couple has been forced to cancel their wedding for a third time, thanks to Hurricane Harvey.

Jenny Swarers and Dustin Morgan, who live in Orange, Texas, made the tough decision after floodwaters from the storm caused nearly all their guests to cancel on them.

The pair has already been down this road twice.

Read: Boy Finds Wallet, Mails It to Owner With Letter: 'Hopefully, I Have Made You Smile'

Swarers and Morgan got engaged in 2015 and planned their wedding for April 2016. But when the Sabine River flooded in 2016, just a week before their scheduled wedding date, they had to cancel.

My venue was set to be right on that river. They were flooded with six feet of water, Swarers told InsideEdition.com Saturday. I just called the venue up and they were freaking out and I told them, 'Dont worry about it.'

Swarers said they rescheduled their wedding at the same venue for the following year. They sent out letters to all of their guests, letting them know about the cancellation.

I said, Please save the date, next year, same date, same time, Swarers said. It was a mess.

Swarers said that as the date of the wedding approached, she called the venue to make sure everything was still in place. But the venue had still not finished renovating after the flood, Swarers said.

They said there was no way possible they would be open fully by the time we wanted to have the wedding, Swarers said.

The couple then decided to reschedule at a venue by the water in Lake Charles, La., but Hurricane Harvey had other plans.

Most of the couple's guests who were scheduled to attend Saturday's wedding are from the Texas area.

When this hurricane came through, everyone started canceling. Even our preacher canceled on us, Swarers said. After he canceled, everyone else started canceling.

Story continues

The couples confirmed guest list went from 150 people to 15.

I said, Theres no reason to have this anymore, Swarers said.

Read: Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Officiates Couple's Surprise Wedding

The couple said they are making sure that their next wedding venue won't be flooded.

"If we have to go up to the mountains or a desert, whatever we have to do, it won't be near water, Swarers said.

Watch: A Look at Six Flags New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina Forced It to Close

Related Articles:
By Adnan Abidi ROHTAK, India (Reuters) - An Indian judge sentenced a self-styled "godman", whose followers went on a deadly rampage after he was convicted of rape last week, to 20 years' jail on Monday, but a shoot-to-kill order, curfew and heavy police presence kept protesters at bay. A spokesman for the Central Bureau of Investigation, which investigated the case, said late on Monday that Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh would serve two consecutive 10-year-terms for the two rape convictions. Reuters and other media had earlier quoted government officials and lawyers as saying that the twin sentencing would run concurrently for 10 years. Tens of thousands of police enforced a lockdown in large parts of the northern states of Haryana and Punjab where Singh, 50, has a mass following. Police in Haryana issued orders to shoot protesters on sight ahead of the sentencing and ordered the hearing to be carried out inside the prison where Singh was being held. Hundreds of followers went on the rampage when he was convicted on Friday, attacking train stations, buses and television vans. At least 38 people were killed and more than 200 injured, triggering criticism that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling party, which also governs the state of Haryana, was either unable or unwilling to act against Singh's followers. The case dates back to 2002 when two women followers accused Singh of rape at the headquarters of his Dera Sacha Sauda organization in the town of Sirsa. Singh, also known as the guru of bling for the bejeweled costumes he wears in self-produced films, faced a minimum of seven years under new tough rape laws. Singh's lawyer, A.K. Panth, said his client was innocent and would appeal. Vipassana Insaan, a spokeswoman for the Dera Sacha Sauda, urged Singh's followers to respect the court's order. "Our legal battle will not end here. Our client is absolutely innocent," said Panth. Indian TV channels reported that Singh broke down after the sentence was passed and refused to move out of the court room, saying he was innocent. The prison in the town of Rohtak, 66 km (40 miles) from New Delhi, was transformed into a fortress, with journalists banned from approaching within a mile (1.6 km) and roads were lined with barbed-wire barricades. V. Umashankar, a special commissioner in Haryana, said a curfew was in force in the town of Sirsa and parts of Rohtak. Nirmaljit Singh Kalsi, an official in Punjab, said paramilitary forces were patrolling public places to maintain order. "We will not withdraw forces today... the situation can easily go out of hand even now," said Kalsi. Singh's conviction in a rape case is the latest in a series of cases involving spiritual leaders who have been accused of sexually abusing followers, amassing untaxed money and finding favor with politicians. The case has highlighted the Indian heartland's fascination with spiritual gurus, who enjoy immense influence for their ability to mobilize millions of followers. Singh claims more than a million followers on his website. In 2015, Singh started a film franchise portraying him as MSG or "Messenger of God", performing miracles, preaching to thousands and beating up gangsters while singing and dancing. Singh also faces charges of murder in two separate cases and is accused of castrating 400 men inside his ashram to help them get closer to God. (Additional reporting by Rupam Jain and Neha Dasgupta; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani and Richard Balmforth)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israel will press UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on what it says is Hezbollah's arms buildup in Lebanon during his first visit to the Jewish state since taking office, the deputy foreign minister said Sunday.

Guterres was due to arrive in the evening for meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and officials, with the visit scheduled to continue through Wednesday.

The trip comes as the UN Security Council debates renewing for a year the mandate of its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, with a vote expected on August 30.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has blasted the commander of the UNIFIL peacekeepers, accusing him of turning a blind eye to Hezbollah weapons smuggling.

United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric has however said: "We have full confidence in (the commander's) work."

Israeli deputy foreign minister Tzipi Hotovely told public radio on Sunday: "Haley was right."

"We shall not allow this blindness to continue."

She said that Hezbollah's deployment along Lebanon's border with Israel would be a "very central issue" in the discussions with Guterres.

"He will meet the head of military intelligence and receive a briefing, and also meet the prime minister, and I am sure that he will not leave here with the feeling that the mandate given to the UN is being implemented on the ground," Hotovely said.

Beyond meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he is also expected to hold talks with Palestinian premier Rami Hamdallah in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.

Guterres has told the Security Council that he intends to look at ways in which UNIFIL could beef up its efforts "regarding the illegal presence of armed personnel, weapons or infrastructure inside its area of operations".

As US President-elect, Donald Trump dismissed the United Nations as "just a club for people to get together and have a good time" and warned that things would be different after his inauguration.

Story continues

Since taking office in January he has proposed a dramatic cut of 60 percent of US funding for peacekeeping missions.

The United States is the biggest contributor to the United Nations, paying 22 percent of the $5.4 billion core budget and 28.5 percent of the $7.9 billion peacekeeping budget.

Israel has long alleged bias at the United Nations against it and also plans to discuss that with Guterres.

Hotovely said that, as a former prime minister of Portugal, Guterres has sharp political antennae and realises that under the current US administration there may be a price to pay for what she calls a long tradition of "almost anti-Semitic" UN bias against the Jewish state.

"We find in him an understanding that his organisation risks losing not only its credibility but also its funding from the world's biggest and most important power, the United States," she said.

"I very much hope that we shall see a change of direction in relation to Israel."
Its August 2017, and Hillary Clinton is not the president of the United States, even if she beat current President Donald Trump in the popular vote.

For better and worse, Katy Perry has spent much of her hosting role for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards reminding those watching of that fact.

Perrys opening speech at The Forum in Los Angeles shakily tackled how the world is on fire and that a show like The Handmaids Tale is now eerily relevant. Good points, but Perrys speech looked and sounded like a struggling comedian at an open mic.

When she later returned to talk about how voting was still open for the Best New Artist category, Perry referenced that popular vote issue from the 2016 election.

Listen guys, this is one election where the popular vote actually matters, said Perry, before adding that viewers should vote so a Russian artist didnt win. In the 2016 election, Perry was a vocal supporter of Clintons campaign, even lending her song Roar to a Clinton campaign advertisement.

"This is one election where the popular vote really does matter" -- Katy Perry on the voting for the #VMAs Best New Artist pic.twitter.com/1u5JZsWypx  Raw Story (@RawStory) August 28, 2017

The VMAs host also made a statement that was actually controversial (being mad about the presidential election is likely not considered controversial on MTV). She explained that whoever won the Best New Artist competition would join the ranks of artists such as Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. Then she said the new winner would also join her personal favorite, Hootie and the Blowfish.

Now thats an opinion worth arguing about.

Later on in a bit about Twitter, Perry put up a jokey, fake old tweet of hers about how when Clinton won, Perry would put out an album that everybody loves.

Besides the currently dire state of American politics, maybe Clintons loss also explains why people arent really getting behind Perrys recent album Witness?

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Paris (AFP) - African and European leaders on Monday backed proposals to screen asylum seekers in Africa as a way to prevent thousands from taking perilous journeys across the Mediterranean.

Hosting the talks in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested setting up "fully safe areas" in Niger and Chad -- key transit points for migrants -- where asylum-seekers would be processed by the UN refugee agency UNHCR.

The leaders signed a roadmap on the proposal, though there were as yet few details on how it might work. A joint mission will be sent to Niger and Chad soon, they said in a statement after the mini-summit.

The seven heads of state or government, who included Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, said Libya's political stalemate was a central obstacle to resolving the crisis that has seen nearly 1.5 million people arrive in Europe since 2015, according to the International Organization for Migration.

"As long as the crisis in Libya is not resolved, I don't think we can find a definitive solution to the issue," said Chadian President Idriss Deby.

Two competing governments and dozens of armed factions are jostling for power in Libya, which plunged into chaos after the overthrow of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011. The north African country is a major transit hub for migrants.

Screening centres in Niger and Chad would help prevent "women and men from taking unwise risks in an extremely dangerous area and then in the Mediterranean" by starting the asylum process closer to home, Macron said, reiterating a proposal he made in July.

Human traffickers as well as arms and drug dealers "have turned the Mediterranean into a cemetery," he said.

More than 14,000 people, many fleeing conflicts or hardship in Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia, have died attempting to reach Europe since 2014.

This year alone, some 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean, the vast majority landing in Italy.

Story continues

UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi welcomed Monday's developments, but added: "Measures that simply aim at curbing the number of arrivals do not solve the problem of forced migration.

"Any meaningful approach must include a set of strong and determined actions to ensure a lasting peace in conflict-ridden countries as well as social and economic development in places of origin."

The head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj took part in the talks as well as Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou and the European Union's top diplomat Federica Mogherini.

European states have long sought to cut off clandestine immigration routes into the continent.

A controversial accord with Turkey last year stemmed the huge influx across the Aegean Sea to Greece, but other routes have come back into use, including via Morocco and Spain.

- 'Living hell' -

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to African countries in return for help in stemming the flow of migrants.

Last month the EU offered 10 million euros ($12 million) in aid to Niger to combat clandestine immigration.

On Monday, the Oxfam and ActionAid charities criticised Europe's leaders for what they called "fearmongering", accusing governments of presenting migration "as a threat rather than recognising its benefits".

"They are playing into the hands of populist fearmongers who falsely claim that Europe is unable to cope with the arrival of people to its shores and who demonise search-and-rescue missions that save lives in the Mediterranean," they said in a joint statement.

"Their short-term approach ignores the fact that Europe needs migrants," the statement said, adding: "Italy alone will need an estimated 1.6 million regular migrants over the next decade to sustain its welfare and pension schemes."

They called on the EU to "stop outsourcing border controls to Libya, trapping more and more people in a living hell" and urged governments not to make aid conditional on border management.

Libya has sought to restrict the work of NGOs operating rescue boats in the Mediterranean that pick up migrants stranded on inflatable dinghies or other unseaworthy crafts.

The groups have been accused of unintentionally encouraging migrants to attempt the crossing as they know they will be rescued in the event of an emergency.

burs-cf-gd/kjl/jm
Beirut (AFP) - A top Lebanese security official said Sunday that authorities had located human remains believed to belong to troops kidnapped by the Islamic State group three years ago.

The announcement came hours after the Lebanese army declared a ceasefire deal with IS along the border with Syria in exchange for information on the missing soldiers.

The head of the General Security agency, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, said IS fighters who had surrendered led his agency and the Lebanese army to the remains.

"We have removed the remains of six bodies. We are expecting the number to go up to eight," he told reporters gathered in downtown Beirut.

"We believe that these remains belong to the soldiers."

The troops were among 30 soldiers and police kidnapped by IS and Al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate when they overran the Lebanese border town of Arsal in August 2014.

Four were killed by their captors and a fifth died of his wounds while 16 were released in a prisoner swap in December 2015.

The army has said the missing troops were its "top concern" in its offensive against an estimated 600 IS fighters in the hilly border region.

The missing troops were numbered at nine, but Ibrahim on Sunday only referred to the bodies of eight people and did not give details on a ninth.

He said the remains would be subject to DNA testing to ensure their identities but that he was "almost certain that the case is closed."

The top official spoke in downtown Beirut after informing the soldiers' families of the developments.

Relatives of the hostages had gathered for hours in the blistering heat on Sunday to await news of their loved ones, sitting in tents they erected three years ago during protests to pressure the government to find the troops.
Khartoum (AFP) - President Omar al-Bashir said on Sunday that the crisis in neighbouring Libya has impacted Sudan, with human traffickers using the East African country's territories to commit "cross-border crimes".

Speaking at a joint press conference with visiting UN-backed Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj, Bashir also said security issues in Libya had made Khartoum's fight against human trafficking "more expensive".

"We are affected directly by the insecurity in Libya, which has made it expensive for us to fight human trafficking, illegal immigration and cross-border crimes," Bashir said.

"Those who are committing these crimes are using the instability in Libya, and using Sudanese territories to commit their crimes."

Every year tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from the Horn of Africa cross Sudan and enter Libya for their onward journey to Europe across the Mediterranean.

In recent years European and African authorities have put pressure on Khartoum to boost efforts to curb illegal immigration and human trafficking.

Khartoum recognises the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord of Sarraj, a rival of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, who is accused by Sudan of enlisting rebels from the country's Darfur region to fight alongside his forces.

Bashir reiterated that accusation on Sunday.

"We have some Sudanese members of rebel groups active in Libya as mercenaries," he said, without elaborating.

Sarraj said the two leaders discussed the security situation in Libya.

"Sudan is of strategic importance to Libya, and we discussed how to secure the border," he said.

The two leaders did not talk about last month's closure of a Sudanese consulate and the expulsion of 12 diplomats by the Haftar-backed authorities in eastern Libya.

A pro-Haftar news agency had reported that the Sudanese mission in Kufra, an oasis in southern Libya, was closed on the grounds that it damaged "Libyan national security".

Story continues

According to officials in Khartoum, dozens of young Sudanese -- both men and women -- have been killed in Libya fighting in the ranks of the Islamic State jihadist group.

Libya has been rocked by chaos since the 2011 fall and killing of longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi in a NATO-backed revolution.

Jihadists, arms dealers and people traffickers have gained a foothold in the North African country as multiple authorities and dozens of militias vie for power.
A huge batch of letters penned by British cryptographer Alan Turing has been found at the University of Manchester. Professor Jim Miles was tidying a storeroom when he discovered the correspondence in an old filing cabinet. At first he assumed the orange folder, which had Turing's name on the front, had been emptied and re-used by another member of staff. But a closer look revealed 148 documents, including a letter sent by GCHQ, a draft version of a BBC radio programme about artificial intelligence, and invitations to lecture at some top universities in America.

Turing worked at the University of Manchester from 1948, first as a Reader in the mathematics department and later as the Deputy Director of the Computing Laboratory. These jobs followed his pivotal work with the Government Code and Cypher School during the Second World War. At Bletchley Park, he spearheaded a team of cryptographers that helped the Allies to unravel various Nazi messages, including those protected by the Enigma code. The newly discovered documents date from early 1949 until his death in June 1954. At this time, Turing's work on Enigma was still a secret, which is why it's rarely mentioned in the correspondence.

None of the letters contain pivotal or previously unknown information about Turing. They do provide detail, however, about his life at Manchester and how he worked at the university. They also shed light on his personality  responding to a conference invitation in the US, he said: "I would not like the journey, and I detest America." The documents also reference his work on morphogenesis -- the study of biological life and why it takes a particular form -- computing and mathematics. "I was astonished such a thing had remained hidden out of sight for so long," Miles said.

All of the letters have now been sorted and stored by archivist James Peters at the university's library. "This is a truly unique find," Peters said. "Archive material relating to Turing is extremely scarce, so having some of his academic correspondence is a welcome and important addition to our collection." You can now search for and view all 148 documents online.

None of the correspondence references his personal life. Turing was arrested in 1952 for homosexual acts and chose chemical castration over time in prison. In 1954, he died through cyanide poisoning, which an inquest later determined as suicide. The British government officially apologised for his treatment in 2009, before a posthumous pardon was granted in 2013. Last October, the UK government introduced the "Alan Turing Law," awarding posthumous pardons to thousands of gay and bisexual men previously convicted for consensual same-sex relationships.
Munich (Germany) (AFP) - A 32-year-old man on Monday confessed to selling the gun and bullets used by a teenager to kill nine people in a shooting spree at a Munich mall last year.

The suspect, Philip K., told the court at the start of his trial in the southern German city that he "would have never sold him the weapon" if he had known that the gunman was planning "such a horrible act".

In a statement read out by his lawyer, he also expressed his "sincere condolences" to the families of the victims.

The 18-year-old attacker, David Ali Sonboly, killed himself after his murderous rampage at Munich's Olympia shopping centre in July 2016, using the gun he had bought through the darknet, a hidden part of the internet.

Prosecutors argue that the killing spree would not have been possible had Philip K. not provided the Glock 17 and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, at a price of around 4,500 euros ($5,300).

He was arrested in August 2016 and charged with negligent homicide, illegal arms trafficking and other weapons violations.

As his trial began on Monday, the suspect admitted to the weapons charges and said he used the darknet to make contact with buyers before meeting them in person to make the transaction.

He had been dealing arms through the darknet since 2014 under the username "rico", the Munich court heard. One of his customers was a 17-year-old student.

The judges also heard that investigators found a video of Philip K. giving the straight-armed Hitler salute on his mobile phone, along with pictures of the truck attack in the French city of Nice that killed 86 people a week before the shooting happened.

Investigators searching his home also found Nazi symbols on his computer hard drives.

Police believe Sonboly, who suffered from psychological problems and was bullied at school, had planned his attack for over a year.

They have also said that the gunman was obsessed with far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik, whose massacre of 77 people in Norway came exactly five years before his own shooting rampage.

Philip K.'s trial is set to run until September 19. If convicted, he faces several years in jail.
A Colorado man who claimed he was stabbed by an antifa militant because of his neo-Nazi haircut now admits he made up the whole story.

Joshua Witt, 26, a U.S. Navy boatswains mate, was booked by Sheridan police Thursday on a summons charging him with false reporting. He confessed his earlier report that he was the victim of a stabbing was false, according to the Denver Post.

Witt told police he was attacked Aug. 16 while in the parking lot of a Steak n Shake. Actually, he cut himself and made up a story about being stabbed by someone who asked if he was a neo-Nazi, according to the Denver Post.

All I hear is, Are you one of them neo-Nazis? as this dude is swinging a knife up over my car door at me, Witt told the New York Post after the supposed stabbing. I threw my hands up and once the knife kind of hit, I dived back into my car and shut the door and watched him run off west, behind my car.

Witt described his attacker as a black man in his mid-20s, wearing a green shirt and blue pants.

Investigators reviewed surveillance video from the area, and found nothing resembling what Witt had described. Officers found a man matching the description provided by Witt  a transient who was quickly cleared of any involvement, according to KUSA-TV.

Additional video showed something else: Witt exiting a sporting goods store near the Steak n Shake, where he had purchased a small knife.

Police questioned Witt again on Thursday. Thats when he admitted accidentally cutting himself with his new knife and making up the attack story, according to CBS Denver.

Witt said he was worried his insurance wouldnt cover treatment for the cut if he admitted it was self-inflicted, Sheridan police Chief Mark Campbell told HuffPost.

If convicted, Witt faces a maximum fine of $2,650 and up to one year in jail.

(Photo: Sheridan Police Dept)

America does not do a good job of tracking incidents of hate and bias. We need your help to create a database of such incidents across the country, so we all know whats going on. Tell us your story.

Story continues

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

A man holds up a sign during a protest against racism gathered in front of the White House, on August 14, 2017 in Washington, DC.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower.

Hundreds of protesters gather outside of Trump Tower.

A woman raises her fist at the front of a march down Washington Avenue to protest racism and the violence over the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

Supporters of anti-Trump protestors hold up signs inside Trump Tower ahead of President Donald Trump's arrival, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

Pedestrians walk past a 15-foot tall inflatable rat in the likeness of U.S. President Donald Trump at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 59th Street up the road from Trump Tower, August 14, 2017 in New York City.

A President Donald Trump supporter (left) argues with anti-Trump protesters as they gather outside of Trump Tower.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue near Trump Tower.

Hundreds of protesters gather outside of Trump Tower.

Protestors rally on Fifth Avenue.

A man holds up a sign during a protest against racism in front of the White House.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
MTV is already making a statement at Sunday nights Video Music Awards, inviting six transgender military members to attend the event and walk the signature blue carpet alongside the president of GLAAD.

Any patriot who is putting their own life at risk to fight for our freedom and stand for equality is a hero at MTV, and to young people everywhere, said MTV president Chris McCarthy in a statement provided earlier, according to Billboard.

Among those who walked with GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis were Brynn Tannehill, Laila Ireland, Akira Wyatt, Jennifer Peace, Logan Ireland and Sterling James Crutcher.

Historically, the VMAs have been a huge platform for social issues that are currently happening, so being able to have that platform and share our stories is important to us, retired Army vet Ireland told Billboard ahead of the event.

So incredibly honored to have these trans military members with us at the #VMAs tonight ?? https://t.co/taFCsbkZzR pic.twitter.com/KLpadYupgT  MTV (@MTV) August 27, 2017

Trans military members walk the #VMAs red carpet! Thank you for your bravery and service, WE SALUTE YOU! ?????????????????? pic.twitter.com/D30qT7roP2  Shady Music Facts (@TheShadyFacts) August 27, 2017

On Friday, President Trump made a formal order for the Department of Defense to stop allowing transgender individuals to openly serve in the U.S. military. The order means the military cannot accept new transgender troops and has six month to plan how to handle transgender troops currently serving openty, the White House said.

Although there is no official number for how many transgender people serve in the military, a 2016 commissioned by the RAND Corporation estimated between 1,320 and 6,630 transgender service members are in active duty and another 830 to 4,160 are in the reserves.
Confederate statues and monuments have become lightning rods for protests, with some cities covering the markers or taking them down. But one community in Alabama has gone the other way, unveiling a new memorial.

The monument to the unknown Alabama soldiers of the Confederacy was dedicated on Sunday on private land at the Confederate Veterans Memorial Park in Brantley, a town of about800 people located 60 miles south of Montgomery.

As cities across the country tear down and relocate Confederate monuments, a county in Alabama unveils a new one.https://t.co/tiuKuXAkIapic.twitter.com/YOqBBdRBWm  ABC News (@ABC)August 28, 2017

Cannons were fired during the dedication, which was attended by people in Civil War attire, NBC News reported. About 10 armed members of the Three Percenters, a right-wing militia, also attended wearing fatigues and body armor in case anything were to happen, per AL.com.

Attendees said they were honoring the war dead.

The thing is nowadays everyone wants to take the monuments down sowere just glad that theyre down here doing this [ceremony], Vann Royal, a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Tallassee, Alabama, told the AL.com. Its to let people know that what our ancestors did was not in vain.

A post shared by Connor Sheets (@connorasheets)on Aug 27, 2017 at 12:46pm PDT

Critics called the ceremony divisive and said it didn't matter that the memorial was on private property.

Confederate symbols and monuments are offensive to far too many citizens, especially blacks/people of African descent, the state NAACP said in a letter to the Greenville Advocate. The historical meaning, intent and outright disrespect noted in these Confederate symbols and monuments re-ignite the negative history and memories associated with them.

The organization also blasted thetiming of the ceremony, coming so soon after the deadly violence inCharlottesville, Virginiaearlier this month.

Story continues

If they had to unveil it,why would they unveil it on the heels of such a tragic event that happened in Charlottesville, Virginia, Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, told NBC station WSFA.

David Coggins, owner and developer of the Confederate Veterans Memorial Park, told The Associated Press that the memorial was ordered a year ago, and the ceremony scheduled months in advance, not in response to Charlottesville.

Its important that we remember our heritageand its very important we remember our history, for those people that forget their heritage  are doomed to repeat it again, Coggins said.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Berlin (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday said the Libyan coastguard should be supported in its efforts to stem the flow of migrants to Europe, but warned that rights abuses would not be tolerated.

A day before a Paris summit on the migrant crisis, Merkel said the Libyan coastguard had to become capable of patrolling its waters and should be given "the necessary equipment to do its job".

"At the same time, of course we also consider it of the utmost importance that the Libyan coastguard adheres to international law, both in its dealings with refugees and migrants as well as non-governmental groups," she told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"Should any doubts be raised about this, then we will investigate the allegations," she vowed.

The Libyan government sparked controversy this month when it barred foreign vessels from a stretch of water off its coast, claiming that charity boats active in the search and rescue zone were facilitating illegal migration.

The move was welcomed by Italy, the main port of arrival for migrants from north Africa, but several NGOs have since suspended their sea missions, accusing the Libyan coastguard of making threats and creating a hostile environment in the Mediterranean.

So far this year more than 100,000 people have made the perilous journey from Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration, and the European Union is eager for Libya to clamp down on the influx.

Over 2,300 have died attempting the crossing.

"We cannot allow the business of people smugglers who have the deaths of so many on their conscience," said Merkel.

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting talks on the crisis at the Elysee Palace on Monday, with Merkel and her Spanish and Italian counterparts in attendance.

Libya's unity government chief Fayez al-Sarraj and the leaders of Chad and Niger will also attend the gathering.

Merkel, who is campaigning for a fourth term in next month's general election, told Die Welt am Sonntag that she had no regrets about her bold move to open Germany's borders to refugees in 2015.

Story continues

"I would make all the important decisions of 2015 again in the same way," she said.

The arrival of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, mainly from Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, deeply divided Germany and hurt Merkel's approval ratings.

But as the influx has slowed in recent months, Merkel's popularity has rebounded and her conservatives are comfortably leading in the polls ahead of the September 24 vote.
BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for Russia and Ukraine to increase their efforts to implement a fragile ceasefire agreement in eastern Ukraine. The conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed separatists has claimed more than 10,000 lives since it erupted in 2014. Germany and France have tried to convince both sides to implement a peace deal agreed in Minsk in 2015 but with little success so far. Merkel and Macron said they were concerned that the security situation in eastern Ukraine had not significantly improved since they held a four-way telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko in the so-called Normandy format on Aug. 22. "We urge President Putin and President Poroshenko to fully respect their commitments, to support the ceasefire in a public and clear manner, and to ensure that appropriate instructions have been sent to the military and local forces," they said in a joint statement issued by the chancellery in Berlin. They said the ceasefire agreement was still violated too often, including with the use of heavy weapons. They called on all parties to provide observers from the OSCE security watchdog with safe and unimpeded access to areas within the battle zones. "The OSCE observer mission continues to report threats to its staff and restrictions on their freedom of movement, particularly in the areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government," Merkel and Macron said. Both the European Union and the United States imposed broad economic sanctions on Russia's financial, defense and energy sectors in response to Moscow's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and its direct support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. Moscow denies direct involvement in the conflict despite NATO's assertions its troops are supporting the rebels. (Reporting by Michael Nienaber; Editing by Alison Williams)
Although Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor had the spotlight during their epic Saturday evening in Las Vegas, there was another fighter who had a vested interest in the outcome and made sure that his presence was felt.

MMA fighter Nate Diaz, who owns a victory over Conor McGregor and is a key component in what would be a highly anticipated rubber match, was captured on video engaging in a heated argument with former UFC fighter turned Showtime analyst Brendan Schaub over McGregors performance. As you can imagine, Diaz was not impressed.

Its difficult to make out whats being said but it is clear that the two are disagreeing on what McGregor accomplished before being stopped in the 10th round of their superfight. Diaz implied that Mayweather didnt put much effort into putting away the UFC lightweight champion while Schaub believes that the Irishman did well in his first professional fight. In the end, Diaz gave Schaub the middle finger with an expletive before the video ended.

Diaz was also backstage with Mayweather and took a photo with the 50-0 fighter.

Diaz and Mayweather have been friendly in the past and there were rumors that Diaz would accompany Mayweather to the ring against McGregor. That didnt happen but Diaz made sure everyone knew which side he was on.

Story continues

McGregor is likely to head back to the UFC for his next fight. Hes expected to defend his lightweight title against the winner of the Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee interim title fight at UFC 216 on Oct. 7th in Las Vegas. However, the money fight would be the trilogy with Diaz. The Stockton fighter won their initial bout at UFC 196 last March by second round submission and McGregor won the rematch at UFC 202 last August. Both fights performed exceptionally well in the PPV department and the third fight will likely outperform both with McGregors showing against Mayweather.

More Mayweather-McGregor coverage from Yahoo Sports:

 Mayweather picks up big TKO win over McGregor

 McGregor unhappy with stoppage: Let the man put me down!

 Sports world reacts to Mayweathers 50th career win

 Why was Floyd Mayweather wearing a ski mask?


By Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Iran is building sites to produce precision-guided missiles in Syria and Lebanon, with the aim of using them against Israel. At the start of a meeting in Jerusalem with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Netanyahu accused Iran of turning Syria into a "base of military entrenchment as part of its declared goal to eradicate Israel." "It is also building sites to produce precision-guided missiles towards that end, in both Syria and in Lebanon. This is something Israel cannot accept. This is something the U.N. should not accept," Netanyahu said. Iran, Israel's arch-enemy, has been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's staunchest backer and has provided militia fighters to help him in Syria's civil war. There was no immediate comment from Iran. Israel has pointed to Tehran's steadily increasing influence in the region during the six-year-old Syrian conflict, whether via its own Revolutionary Guard forces or Shi'ite Muslim proxies, especially Hezbollah. On Wednesday, Netanyahu, in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said Israel was prepared to act unilaterally to prevent an expanded Iranian military presence in Syria. Russia, also an Assad ally, is seen as holding the balance of power in achieving a deal on Syria's future. Israel fears an eventual Assad victory could leave Iran with a permanent garrison in Syria, extending a threat posed from neighboring Lebanon by Hezbollah. Netanyahu accused Iran of building the production sites two weeks after an Israeli television report showed satellite images it said were of a facility Tehran was constructing in northwest Syria to manufacture long-range rockets. The Channel 2 News report said the images were of a site near the Mediterranean coastal town of Baniyas and were taken by an Israeli satellite. In parallel to lobbying Moscow, Israel has been trying to persuade Washington that Iran and its guerrilla partners, not Islamic State, pose the greater common threat in the region. (Additional reporting and editing by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
North Korea has once again test launched a series of missiles, reigniting tensions with the U.S. after the State Department had credited the bellicose nation for showing more restraint.

North Korea launched three short range missiles Saturday from a multiple-tube rocket launcher, according to the New York Times. Two of the missiles flew about 155 miles before crashing down in the Pacific Ocean, while one missile exploded shortly after launch, according to U.S. Pacific Command, the military wing responsible for armed forces in the region.

The U.S. and South Korea began joint military exercises Monday, an annual event that typically draws a blustery response from North Korea. The war games called the Ulchi-Freedom Guardian exercises, prepare troops for a possible invasion from North Korea. On top of the Saturday missile test, North Korea released a threatening video. The video depicted missiles landing on the U.S. territory of Guam and President Donald Trump surrounded by flames looking out on a graveyard of white crosses. The video is called What will the cost be for Americans, who are losing sleep at night?

North Korea is known for its intense rhetoric and evocative language. Trump matched that rhetoric earlier this month when he warned continued North Korean threats would be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen. Trump heightened tensions after North Korea tested two Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles this summer that have a range that includes the continental U.S.

Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson praised the country for its restraint. After Trumps comments, the country threatened to shoot missiles that would splash down around Guam, but decided to ease tensions, and watch and wait. Guam is home to two key U.S. military bases.

The country, through its state controlled media, has poked fun of Trump for his tweets, this week, after saying they would monitor the president's actions and wait.

Story continues

[He posts] weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts in [sic] his Twitter and spouts rubbish to make his assistants have a hard time, wrote the Korean Central News Agency, the state news arm of North Korea.

The Saturday missiles launched by North Korea have a range long enough to hit U.S. military bases in South Korea. While the missiles the country has launched are not new developments, their launching mechanism is. The missiles were fired from a tube missile launcher, according to South Korean officials. Typically in the past, the North Korean have used Scud-type launchers, which shoot one missile at a time. Tube launchers are cheaper and can fire multiple missiles at a time.

This set of missiles flew northeast, away from U.S. military bases and Guam.

North Korea has test fired over 20 missiles since February, according to CNN.

Related Articles
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Several hundred Gazans went to the cinema on Saturday for the first time in more than 30 years, albeit for one night only.

The long-abandoned Samer Cinema in Gaza City, the oldest in the strip but closed for decades, hosted a special screening of a film about Palestinians in Israeli prisons.

About 300 people of both sexes attended, with men and women not segregated by gender and despite the lack of air conditioning on a hot and humid evening.

The Islamist Hamas group has ruled Gaza for 10 years and there are currently no functioning cinemas in the Palestinian territory where two million people live in cramped conditions under an Israeli blockade.

Ghada Salmi, an organiser, told AFP the one-night showing was "symbolic" of wider efforts "to bring back the idea of cinema to Gaza".

Jawdat abu Ramadan, a member of the audience, said he wanted to see a permanent cinema in Gaza.

"We need to live like humans, with cinemas, public spaces and parks," he said.

The Samer Cinema was built in 1944 but shut in the 1960s.

The enclave's remaining cinemas closed in the late 1980s during the first Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

There was a fire at one cinema in 1987 which was widely thought to have been the work of Islamists who consider cinema ungodly.

"The rest of the cinemas were scared to show films after that," Salmi said.

Ironically, according to French historian Jean-Pierre Filiu's 2012 history of Gaza, the Muslim Brotherhood's Gaza branch -- from which Hamas sprang -- held its founding conference at the Samer on the Islamic new year in 1946.

"Ten Years", the feature-length film screened on Saturday, was made in Gaza with volunteer actors and tells the story of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Salmi said it does not focus on the wider politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, instead telling a human story.

Saturday's showing went ahead with the approval of Hamas.

Story continues

Nermin Ziara, who appeared in the film, said she wanted to see a cinema open as "society needs to develop through films and documentaries".

Ziara said she did not think the Islamist rulers should or would block such moves.

"I don't think there is a problem with opening a cinema with Hamas as it is a place of art," she told AFP.

"We as Palestinians need to have a large space for art."

In May, a rare festival showcased films focusing on human rights issues, with outdoor screenings at Gaza City's port.

Other films have occasionally been shown in rented halls.

Gaza is still recovering from the last of three wars with Israel in 2014, when more than 2,000 Palestinians were killed and much of the strip was devastated.

Seventy-four people died on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers.
Naomi Coto carries Simba as she evacuates her home after the Houston area was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017. Harvey, which made landfall north of Corpus Christi late Friday, is expected to dump upwards of 40 inches of rain in Texas over the next few days. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

South Texas residents, fleeing Hurricane Harveys floodwaters, have done their best to rescue their canine companions.

Facing rising sea levels and a never-ending torrent of rain, Texans have taken to hoisting their dogs above their shoulders while marching to safety.

Slideshow: Animals rescued in the aftermath of Harvey >>>

Not all the pups have been able to flee with their families. As with Hurricane Katrina, several dogs separated from their owners have been rescued by first responders. In a touching story, a storm chaser found a lost dog, Cash, and ended up returning him to his owner.

While another dog sparked a viral moment by helping out:

WATCH: Touching image from #HurricaneHarvey of dog carrying bag of food goes viral #MorningBoost pic.twitter.com/XLateEYeUz  TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 28, 2017

Here are additional photos of the dogged pets surviving the storm:

Woman and her dogs were rescued from a truck after it got stuck in a flooded street right Rockport. More: https://t.co/TRqvlv1xUL #Harvey pic.twitter.com/hFq39BJnB7  NBC DFW (@NBCDFW) August 26, 2017

Volunteers and officers from the neighborhood security patrol help rescue residents and their dogs in Houstons upscale River Oaks neighborhood after it was inundated with flooding from Hurricane Harvey on Aug. 27, 2017. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Bentley, a 10-year-old Maltese, takes refuge with his owner in a school after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

J.G. Roberson walks his dog, Peace, past a trailer overturned by the winds of Hurricane Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas. Roberson rode the storm out in his own trailer. (Photo: Eric Gay/AP)

A woman carries her dog into a collectors vintage military truck to evacuate from floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey in Dickinson, Texas, Aug. 27, 2017. Rick Wilking/Reuters/TPX Images of the Day

Evacuees Robin Alter, left, and her daughter Melissa Alter walk their dog, Dexter, into the George R. Brown Convention Center after Hurricane Harvey inundated the Texas Gulf Coast with rain, causing widespread flooding, in Houston, Aug. 27, 2017. Nick Oxford/Reuters

Julie holds her dog, Pee-wee, as they wait to be evacuated to Austin after losing their home to Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas, Aug. 26, 2017. Adrees Latif/Reuters

Read more from Yahoo News:
Paris Jacksons moment on the MTV Video Music Awards stage was yuuuge.

The model and actress made dad Michael Jackson proud at the ceremony on Sunday night, when she issued a strong message in response to the violence that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month.

Before announcing the winner for the Best Pop Video at the ceremony on Sunday night, Jackson mocked President Donald Trump by turning some of his favorite catchphrases against him. She then addressed the Nazi white supremacist jerks watching at home in a fiery, seemingly impromptu speech.

We must show these Nazi white supremacist jerks in Charlottesville and all over the country that as a nation with liberty as our slogan we have zero tolerance for their violence, their hatred and their discrimination, Jackson told the audience. We must resist.

Fifth Harmony went on to win the award, which made the moment even more perfect.

Watch Jacksons speech below.

Also on HuffPost

DJ Khaled and Nicole Tuck attend the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Chico Beans (L) and Karlous Miller attend the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Joe Jonas of DNCE attends the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Taboo attends the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

(L-R) Pete Nappi, Ethan Thompson and Samantha Ronson of Ocean Park Standoff attend the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Terrence J (L) and Katy Perry attend the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Cardi B attends the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Host Katy Perry (L) speaks onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Alessia Cara accepts the Best Dance award for 'Stay' onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Katy Perry is lowered onto the stage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

(L-R) Dinah Jane and Ally Brooke of Fifth Harmony, Gucci Mane, and Normani Kordei and Lauren Jauregui of Fifth Harmony pose backstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Shawn Mendes performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Jared Leto speaks onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Cardi B performs onstage during the the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

(L-R) Billy Ray Cyrus, Noah Cyrus, Ellen DeGeneres, and Miley Cyrus poses during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Pink performs during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Hailee Steinfeld speaks onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Pink performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Ed Sheeran and Ellen DeGeneres pose together during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

\Ludacris (L) and Olivia Munn pose backstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Miley Cyrus performs during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Kesha speaks onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Lorde performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Logic performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Ellen DeGeneres and Chance The Rapper pose together during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Host Katy Perry (L) and DJ Khaled speak onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Katy Perry poses in costume during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Lil Uzi Vert performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Ed Sheeran performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Miley Cyrus and Millie Bobby Brown attend the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Miley Cyrus performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on Aug. 27, 2017 in Inglewood, California.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Samuel Ssebuliba

The governments of Uganda and Equatorial Guinea have agreed on an action plan for implementing a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the field of oil and gas.

This was during President Yoweri Musevenis four-day state visit to the country that has ended today.

According to a joint communique by the president Museveni and his host H.E Teodre Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the priority activities will include exchange of information on policies, legal and regulatory structures, capacity building in the areas of operation, production and process control, environmental health and safety.

The training will also cover construction as well as maintenance of oil and gas infrastructure.

The two delegations further agreed that both countries will be participating in hydrocarbon events, starting with the upcoming 3rd Uganda International Oil and Gas Conference scheduled for end of September 2017.

Addressing a joint Press Conference with his host, President Museveni said, it will be the first time that Equatorial Guinea will be sharing experiences with Uganda in the areas of oil and gas saying while there are many pitfalls, it is important to learn and agree with exploration companies to avoid selling cheaply.

On how he has managed to turn what is described as the oil curse into a blessing for his people, President Obiang Nguema said the ugly term, curse is only used by exploiters and that oil is black gold and cannot be referred to as a curse.

Like Honey, Oil and gas attracts all and sundry. Petroleum or black gold is never going to be a curse. How can a curse bring so much transformation and development to a nation. Only those seeking to have the wealth for themselves wish that it is a curse for others, he said.

President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on the other hand said Museveni is the first Uganda President to visit his country and that despite not going to many places, he dedicated three days to Equatorial Guinea.

President Obiang Nguema said the quality of the person of President Museveni is a rare and yet great quality for the continent and humanity.

The quality of the person of the president Museveni, we find few on the continent. A very good leader, pan Africanist who looks for the sovereignty of the people of Africa. Without the Intention of minimizing rate of other leaders on the continent, we need more leaders with the qualities of President Museveni to pacify Africa, he said.

In order to further bolster bilateral relations, the two leaders have each promised to appoint ambassadors in the near future.
House Speaker Paul Ryan became the latest top Republican leader to disagree with President Donald Trump's decision Friday to pardon Joe Arpaio.

"The Speaker does not agree with this decision," Ryans spokesman Doug Andres said in a statement Saturday. "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."

Other prominent Republicans such as Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush condemned the move as did several Democrats and human rights campaigners.

Arpaio was convicted of criminal contempt of court in July for ignoring court orders to stop his aggressive enforcement of immigration laws and was facing up to six months in jail.

However, in a controversial move, Trump pardoned the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, Friday night and announced the decision in a Twitter posting.

I am pleased to inform you that I have just granted a full Pardon to 85-year-old American patriot Sheriff Joe Arpaio. He kept Arizona safe! wrote the president.

In a statement, the White House said: "Throughout his time as sheriff, Arpaio continued his life's work of protecting the public from the scourges of crime and illegal immigration. Sheriff Joe Arpaio is now 85 years old, and after more than 50 years of admirable service to our nation, he is a worthy candidate for a presidential pardon."

McCain reacted strongly to the pardon Friday, saying it undermined the presidents claim for the respect of rule of law.

No one is above the law and the individuals entrusted with the privilege of being sworn law officers should always seek to be beyond reproach in their commitment to fairly enforcing the laws they swore to uphold," he said in a statement.

"The President has the authority to make this pardon, but doing so at this time undermines his claim for the respect of rule of law as Mr. Arpaio has shown no remorse for his actions."

Story continues

Arpaio's lawyer, Jack Wilenchik, however, told CNN that Ryan was wrong about the pardon, and his conviction was a result of politics trying to mix with the courts.

But at the end of the day here, the President did the right thing, because there should have been a jury in this case. We should have had one from day one, and at this point the appeal  in fact the sheriff is an old man, can't forget that, he's 85 years old. And this would be a lot more money and wasted time all around. So I would have rather seen this go to jury in the first place, and get the right verdict. But at this point, we're dealing with a wrongful verdict," Wilenchik said.

Meanwhile, a Washington Post report Saturday said Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions about dropping a criminal case against controversial ex-sheriff Arpaio.

According to the report, Trump was told that closing the case against Arpaio would be inappropriate.

Related Articles
The MTV Video Music Awards are often dismissed for being all about shock value and vapid celebrity worship. But in a teachable, touching, and real moment on Sundays uncharacteristically political VMAs telecast, this years Video Vanguard recipient, Pink, used her time onstage to make a strong feminist statement about self-acceptance, self-expression, and gender equality. Theres little no doubt that her speech will resonate with viewers  particularly young, impressionable female viewers  long after weve all forgotten who won or wore what.

As Pink  who had proudly walked the VMAs red carpet with her 6-year-old daughter, Willow, with the two wearing matching menswear suits  accepted her Moon Person trophy from friend and admirer Ellen DeGeneres, she addressed Willow directly, at first telling a sad story about how Willow was teased at school for being ugly.

Ugly? Spectators gasped as the cameras cut to the adorable girl in golden pigtails, watching her mother intently in the audience with father Carey Hart. How could anyone be so cruel to this child? And how could someone as young and innocent as Willow already feel so insecure?

She said to me, out of the blue, Mama, I am the ugliest girl I know, Pink revealed angrily. And I said, Huh? And she was like, Yeah, I look like a boy with long hair. And my brain went to, Oh my God, you are 6. Why? Where is this coming from? Who said this?  But I didnt say anything. Instead I went home, and I made a Powerpoint presentation for her.

Proving that Pink would have been the coolest schoolteacher ever had she not become one of the fiercest pop stars of the past 17 years, the 37-year-old mother of two explained that her presentation for Willow showcased androgynous rock stars like Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, Annie Lennox, Prince, George Michael, and Elton John  artists that live their truth, are probably made fun of every day of their lives, and carry on, wave their flag, and inspire the rest of us.

Story continues

But when Willow still complained about looking like a boy, Pink, whose signature tomboy style has always included ripped muscles and close-cropped hair, explained that her looks have been criticized for years. When people make fun of me, thats what they use: They say that I look like a boy, or I am too masculine, too many opinions, my body is too strong. And I said to her, Do you see me growing my hair? Do you see me changing my body? Do you see me changing the way I present myself to the world? And do you see me selling out arenas all over the world? So, baby girl, we dont change. We take the gravel and the shell and we make a pearl.

Everyone in the Forum audience was clearly moved, but no one seemed more shook than VMAs host Katy Perry herself, who exclaimed immediately afterwards: I am dead, I am living, I am crying. She is iconic!

Pinks proclamation wasnt the only emotional speech of the night. During his performance of 1-800-273-8255 with Alessia Cara, Khalid and a cast of brave suicide attempt survivors and loss survivors wearing shirts stating You Are Not Alone, positive rapper Logic thanked MTV for giving him a platform to talk about something that mainstream media doesnt want to talk about: mental health, anxiety, suicide, depression, and so much more we talk about on the album. Racism. Discrimination. Sexual assault. Domestic assault. I dont give a damn. If you are black, white, any color, Christian, Muslim, gay, straight, I am here to fight, because I believe that we are all born equal, but we are not treated equally. That is why we must fight. We must fight, for every man, woman, child. And every color, creed, sexual orientation. Hear now if you believe in this message, our message of peace, love, positivity, and equality for all. I demand that you rise to your feet and applaud not only for yourselves, but for the foundation we all raised for our children.

The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards took place at the Forum in Los Angeles on Sunday evening.

Read more from Yahoo Celebrity:
The 2017 MTV Music Video Awards were by no means short of socio-political commentary. It ranged from Kendrick Lamars dramatic opening number to an impassioned plea for suicide and mental health awareness, a quiet monologue delivered toward the end of the broadcast that overshadowed all the more dramatic moments of the evening.

The Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV, a descendant of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, took the stage at Sundays awards show to plead for social justice against racism. Lee publicly supported the removal of the statue of his ancestor in Charlottesville, Va., as well as similar monuments, while denouncing the tragic violence that surrounded these events  including the killing of 32-year-old activist Heather Heyer.

Susan Bro, mother of Heather Heyer, the activist killed during a rally in Charlottesville, Va., earlier this month, is joined on stage by Rev. Robert Wright Lee IV at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards. (Photo: Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

My name is Robert Lee IV. I am a descendant of Robert E. Lee, the Civil War general whose statue was at the center of violence, he told the audience. We have made my ancestor an idol of white supremacy, racism as hate. As a pastor, it is my moral duty to speak out against racism, Americas original sin.

Today, I call on all of us, with privilege and power to answer Gods call to confront racism and white supremacy head on. We can find inspiration in the Black Lives Matter movement, the women who marched in the womens march in January, and, especially, Heather Heyer, who died. Lee then introduced Heyers mother, Susan Bro, who had a special announcement for the broadcast.

Today, I am announcing the launch of the Heather Heyer Foundation  a nonprofit organization that will provide scholarships to help more people join Heathers fight against hatred, she told the crowd. Heather never marched alone. She was always joined by people from every race and every background in this country.

She also explained MTVs part in the endeavor in the form of a new award category: Best Fight Against the System.

Through their diversity, the six videos show there are many ways to take action and many battlegrounds in the fight for social good, she noted. Big Sean decries violence. Alessia Cara spoke out about body shaming. The Hamilton mixtape and John Legend both took on the targeting of immigrants. Logic and Damian Lamar celebrated diversity. They rebelled against government exploitation.

Story continues

Those who are interested in contributing to the cause can find the foundations website here.

The 2017 MTV Music Video Awards aired live from Los Angeles on Aug. 27.

Read more from Yahoo Celebrity:
Lawyers for the jailed heir to the Samsung empire filed an appeal against his conviction on Monday as South Korean media divided on the ruling that put the country's top business leader behind bars.

Lee Jae-Yong, the de-facto head of Samsung Electronics, was found guilty last week of bribing South Korea's ousted president Park Geun-Hye and sentenced to five years in prison.

The official website of the Seoul Central District Court showed that Lee's lawyer Kim Jong-Hoon filed an appeal on Monday but gave no further details.

Prosecutors have also said they will appeal the court ruling -- to seek a harsher punishment for Lee.

A Samsung Group spokeswoman declined to comment.

But another Samsung Electronics vice chairman, Kwon Oh-Hyun, called the situation "regrettable" in a statement to employees of the world's biggest smartphone maker, the Yonhap news agency reported.

"We should all steadily wait until the truth is revealed," it cited him as saying, urging them to "gather power and wisdom to overcome the unprecedented challenge".

South Korea's media have divided over the unprecedented imprisonment of the country's most powerful tycoon, with some newspapers condemning the ruling and others accusing their rivals of "kneeling" before the rich.

Samsung is by far the biggest of the chaebols, as the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate Asia's fourth-largest economy are known, with its revenues equivalent to around a fifth of the country's GDP.

Chaebols were instrumental in South Korea's economic rise but have long had murky connections with political authorities and are also known to wield considerable influence on the media, potentially courtesy of their giant advertising budgets.

The JoongAng Daily, a company with close family ties to the Samsung Group, said in an editorial that an appeal by Lee would have "a good case".

The country's top-selling Chosun Ilbo daily, which is conservative in outlook, added: "The company faced retaliation if it rejected the president's request and faced punishment for bribery if it gave in."

Story continues

Samsung was the first South Korean company emerge as a top global firm and it would be "worrisome" if the verdict proved "a negative turning point" for it, the paper said, unable to make key business decisions for years with its leader in jail.

But liberal papers heralded the ruling and slammed other media outlets for siding with the country's rich.

The Hankyoreh paper expressed concerns about the "amicable attitude towards Lee and Samsung" from "conservative media and business papers".

Their argument that evidence was lacking, it said, was "irrational", adding: "It is hoped they will no longer ask to become the press that kneeled before the chaebol."
Beirut (AFP) - Syrian government troops advanced 13 kilometres (eight miles) on Sunday in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor as they pressed an offensive against the Islamic State group, a monitor said.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said troops of the Damascus regime pushed into the southwest of the oil-rich province from the desert town of Sukhnah.

In June, Syrian troops broke into Deir Ezzor from a border region with Iraq and earlier this month they breached it from the neighbouring province of Raqa, but moving just four kilometres in.

Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said Sunday's advance was the first carried out from the Badia desert region.

Since May, Syria's army has been conducting a broad military campaign with Russian support to recapture the Badia that separates the capital Damascus from Deir Ezzor.

Most of Deir Ezzor has been held by IS since 2014, and jihadists have also besieged government forces and civilians inside the provincial capital Deir Ezzor city since 2015.

On Thursday, regime forces backed by Russian warplanes completely surrounded the jihadists in a vast central desert region.

Fierce clashes erupted in that area on Sunday, the Observatory said, adding that the region was also struck by more than 50 air strikes overnight.
Immigrant rights groups are planning a march in Austin on 1 September following reports that Trump is set to pull the plug on the Dreamers programme

Activists are preparing to launch protests in Texas over fears that Donald Trump will end a programme that gives protection from deportation to undocumented immigrants who arrived as children. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Activists in Texas are preparing to launch protests on two fronts, with a harsh immigration law set to come into effect just as fears grow that Donald Trump will end a programme that gives protection from deportation to undocumented immigrants who arrived as children.

NBC News reported on Friday that Trump appears likely to pull the plug on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) policy started by the Obama administration in 2012.

About 800,000 young people who were brought by their parents to the US before they were 16 and who have lived in the country since 2007  known colloquially as Dreamers  have been granted relief from deportation. It is a status that must be renewed every two years. Most live in California or Texas.

Trump pledged on the campaign trail to eliminate the programme and it has seemed at risk since he took power and pursued a slew of tough immigration policies. He said at a news conference in February he would deal with Daca with heart, but Texas is among a group of 10 Republican-led states pressuring the administration to end Daca.

In 2014, Texas led a coalition of states that successfully sued to stop the implementation of another Obama-era programme, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (Dapa). The Trump administration formally scrapped Dapa in June.

A couple weeks later, Texass attorney general, Ken Paxton, wrote to Jeff Sessions, the US attorney general, calling for Daca to be phased out.

Just like Dapa, Daca unilaterally confers eligibility for work authorization and lawful presence without any statutory authorization from Congress, Paxton and the other signatories wrote.

The letter threatens legal action if steps to dismantle Daca are not under way by 5 September. Three days before then, immigrant rights groups are planning a march and concert in Austin to follow a rally on 1 September, the day state law SB4 is scheduled to go into effect  barring a possible ruling from a federal judge who is considering whether to block it.

Story continues

I am super-scared, I am really angry too. Angry that these politicians think our lives simply dont matter Mona Ramirez, Jolt activist

Signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott in May, on Facebook Live and with almost no notice, SB4 effectively outlaws so-called sanctuary cities  places where local law enforcement limits or refuses co-operation with federal immigration agents  and gives police the right to ask the immigration status of people they detain.

The measure has inspired a number of resistance events, including teenage girls in dresses holding a quinceanera at the capitol in July.



I think SB4 has had a huge impact on mobilising, and not just immigrants, said Tania Mejia of Jolt, a Texas-based group aiming to raise Latino voter turnout. Our mission is to get more Latinos engaged in the political process.

While we do have Daca recipients and undocumented immigrants, the majority of our youth members have been born here in Texas.

Mona Ramirez, a Jolt activist, was born in Mexico and brought to the US aged six. She did not know she was undocumented until she was in high school. Now 24, she and her three siblings are Daca recipients and she has a young daughter who is a US citizen. She worries that SB4 and the possible end of Daca increase the risk of her family being split up through deportations.

I come from a mixed-status family so theres always been this [anxiety over] what happens when half of the familys no longer there, Ramirez said. Ive felt like my life has been played with since I arrived here.

They just give us a little crumb to calm us down for a little bit and then we just kind of like wait until the next time that they want to use us for their political games.

I am super-scared, I dont know whats going to happen, I am really angry too. Angry that these politicians think our lives simply dont matter because we are not from here.

Greg Casar, an Austin city council member, is concerned that after the backlash to Trumps much-criticised response to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville earlier this month, the president will revert to a familiar theme that plays well with his base: demonising immigrants, this time Daca holders.

Any time that Donald Trump gets in trouble for just being himself its immigrant communities who suffer, Casar said.

On Friday night, Trump pardoned Joe Arpaio, the former Phoenix-area sheriff who was convicted of contempt of court over his refusal to stop racially profiling Latinos in Arizona.

A Texas-born son of Mexican immigrants, Casar was one of a group of demonstrators arrested for trespassing in May during a sit-in at Abbotts office to protest SB4.

Proponents say the measure supports the rule of law, but it is opposed by police chiefs in big cities on the basis that it will erode community trust and lead to more reluctance to report crimes. Critics also argue that minor events such as traffic stops will become a gateway to racial profiling and increased deportations.



Texass biggest cities  Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin  as well as other local entities have joined a lawsuit against SB4 that was heard in June by Orlando Garcia, a federal district judge in San Antonio. Activists are hopeful that Garcia will rule the law unconstitutional this week.

Casar said that it has already had consequences: given the states growing anti-immigrant political climate and the threat posed by the new law, some undocumented people have moved.

Some already left Texas [for] other states in the south west that are seen as less dangerous for them to live in, which is horrible and saddening but I understand it, he said.

Even if we are able to block it theres still so much work that has to be done to defeat the root causes of why this law exists in the first place.
Thailand's junta has come under fire from conservative allies following ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra's escape overseas, with many questioning how the military could have let her flee given she was heavily monitored.

Yingluck, whose government was toppled by the military in 2014, pulled a dramatic disappearing act before a scheduled court judgment on Friday in a criminal negligence trial.

She faced up to ten years in prison and a lifetime political ban if convicted. But instead she was a no show, with junta and party sources saying she had fled abroad.

Analysts say Yingluck most likely cut a secret deal with the junta to exit the country -- a charge the military has denied.

The leadership is desperate to avoid instability as it digs in for a long stay.

The junta says it does not yet know how the country's first female prime minister managed to slip the net.

But key conservative figures, some of whom agitated for the coup that toppled Yingluck and are seen as political allies of the junta, rounded on the military in a series of statements over the weekend.

"It was clear that security officials followed her closely and took photographs of her everywhere she went, all the time. But she still was able to escape," Panthep Puapongpan, one of the leaders of 2014 protests against Yingluck's government, told reporters.

"With Yingluck now escaped, the government, the security forces and the NCPO has to take responsibility," he added, using the official acronym for the junta.

Veera Somkwankid, another prominent opponent of the Shinawatra political dynasty, took to Facebook to vent his frustration.

"The government must hunt down the traitors and punish the persons (who might have helped her escape), otherwise the NCPO will end up being the defendant," he wrote.

Yingluck frequently complained of being constantly followed by military intelligence since she was ousted from office.

Thai media has been filled with speculation over how she might have escaped, with most suggesting she went to Cambodia either by land or sea in the days before the court verdict and then on to Singapore.

Story continues

A senior junta source told AFP they believed she had fled to Dubai, the base of Shinawatra family patriarch Thaksin, who is Yingluck's older brother.

The Shinawatra political dynasty emerged under Thaksin in 2001 with a series of groundbreaking welfare schemes that won them votes and the loyalty of the rural poor.

But their popularity rattled the royalist and army-aligned elite, who assailed successive governments linked to the clan with coups, court cases and protests.

Thaksin was toppled in a 2006 coup and fled overseas two years later to avoid jail for a corruption conviction.

The period since then -- dubbed the "Lost Decade" -- has seen frequent deadly street protests, short-lived governments and the return of military rule in 2014.
Washington (AFP) - US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson declared Sunday that North Korea's latest missile test was a "provocative act" but said he still hopes to persuade Pyongyang to come to the negotiating table.

Earlier this month, Washington's top diplomat suggested a diplomatic opening might be close after North Korea reacted to a new round of United Nations sanctions with what he termed "some level of restraint."

And on Tuesday US President Donald Trump seized upon the lack of immediate North Korean missile tests as evidence that the country's leader Kim Jong-Un "is starting to respect us."

But on Saturday, true to recent form, North Korea test-fired three short-range ballistic missiles, with Kim apparently thumbing his nose at calls for him to send Washington a signal that he is serious about nuclear disarmament.

"The firing of any ballistic missile is a violation of UN Security Council resolutions," Tillerson told Fox News Sunday. "We do view it as a provocative act, a provocative act against the United States and our allies."

But he added, "We continue to want the Kim regime to understand (there) is a different path that he can choose."

Asked whether he and Trump had been too quick to imagine that Kim might be ready to show restraint, Tillerson said: "I don't know that we are wrong ... I think it's going to take some time to tell."

"Clearly they are still messaging us as well that they are not prepared to completely back away from their position," he said.

"Having said that, we are going to continue our peaceful pressure campaign as I have described it," Tillerson said, "working with allies, working with China as well, to see if we can bring the regime in Pyongyang to the negotiating table, begin a dialogue on a different future for the Korean peninsula and for North Korea."
Days after PresidentDonald Trumpsigned a memo banning transgender soldiers from enlisting in the military, several service members aremaking a statementon theMTV Video Music Awardsred carpet.

The six members of the U.S. military attending Sunday nights event are,per Billboard, Akira Wyatt (Navy Corpsman Petty Officer 3rd Class), Jennifer Peace (U.S. Army Captain), Logan B. Ireland (Air Force Staff Sergeant),Sterling James Crutcher (Air Force Airman First Class), Laila Ireland (retired Army veteran) and Brynn Tannehill (Former Navy Lt. Commander).

Historically, the VMAs have been a huge platform for social issues that are currently happening, so being able to have that platform and share our stories is important to us, Laila Ireland said to Billboard.

Logan B. Ireland spoke out earlier this summer after Trumps tweets about his intention to ban transgender service members from serving.

For the President to deny an able-bodied, fully qualified person the inherent right to raise their right hand and serve their country, potentially giving their own life for our freedoms, is doing this country an injustice,he said at the time.

Save for Brynn Tannehill, who was in uniform, the service members walked the VMAs red carpet Sunday night in jeans and black T-shirts identifying their military affiliation.

President of GLAAD Sarah Kate Ellis, center, with transgender members of the military at the VMAs: Sterling James Crutcher, Laila Ireland, Brynn Tannehill, Jennifer Peace, Akira Wyatt and Logan B. Ireland.

Aside from having an important presence on the red carpet at the event, the service members were also enjoying the star-studded award show, meeting celebrities who joined in their support of transgender troops.

The incredibly talented@jackantonoffis supporting trans service members and veterans at the#VMAs!pic.twitter.com/artiuWh1Xw  GLAAD (@glaad)August 27, 2017

A post shared by @glaadon Aug 27, 2017 at 4:10pm PDT

A post shared by @glaadon Aug 27, 2017 at 4:47pm PDT

Story continues

Laila Ireland shared a photo of their red carpet passes before the event.

A post shared by LAILA IRELAND (@laila.ireland)on Aug 26, 2017 at 5:40pm PDT

The network announced its invitation to transgender service members Friday, with MTV President Chris McCarthy saying in a statement, Any patriot who is putting their own life at risk to fight for our freedom and stands for equality is a hero at MTV, and to young people everywhere.

Tannehill, who served in the Navy for 17 years, said the invite sends a clear and unambiguous message that we will not allow discrimination against trans people.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Bb Benjamin Jumbe

The government of Uganda will soon come up with a final position on the ban on plastic carrier bags commonly known as Kaveera.

In the 2009/2010 budget, government announced a total ban on all polythene material below 30 microns as an environmental protection measure but full implementation is yet to be achieved due to resistance from various players including the manufacturers.

Speaking to KFM, environment minister Sam Cheptoris says he has been tasked to present a fresh paper to cabinet to enable review of the matter within one month.

He expresses confidence that all obstacles will be dealt with to enable full implementation of the ban soon.

This comes as a ban on plastic carrier bags comes into full force in neighboring Kenya today.

Currently Kenyans are estimated to use 24 million bags a month but maufacturers or anyone found selling or carrying them could face fines of up to the equivalent of UGX 133m or prison sentences of up to four years.

The government says the ban will help protect the environment,but manufacturers claim that 80,000 jobs could be lost.

A number of other African countries have outlawed plastic carrier bags, including South Africa, Rwanda and Eritrea.
President of GLAAD Sarah Kate Ellis, center, and transgender military members attend the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at the Forum on Aug. 27, 2017, in Inglewood, Calif. (Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for MTV)

MTV is sending a message to Donald Trump.

Two days after President Trump signed a directive reinstating a ban on transgender individuals from serving in the U.S. military, the network invited a group of transgender military men and women to the Video Music Awards.

Airman Sterling James Crutcher, Air Force Staff Sgt. Logan Ireland, Army Capt. Jennifer Peace, Navy corpsman Akira Wyatt, and veterans Laila Ireland and Brynn Tannehill all walked the carpet on Sunday afternoon. The president and CEO of GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis, attended as well.

It doesnt matter who you are, our nation is only safe if we have the best and brightest in our country serving in the military, Peace said on the carpet, according to People. There was a time when blacks couldnt serve, women couldnt serve, where gays and lesbians couldnt serve, and there was a time when trans people couldnt serve.

She continued, But today the armed forces are open to everyone regardless of your race, gender, religion, or anything else. If youre willing to serve our country and youre among the most qualified in the nation, you should be welcome in the United States armed forces just like everyone else.

were pumped to have these trans military members walk the #VMAs red carpet!  pic.twitter.com/wLhDmFxgO4  MTV Look Different (@LookDifferent) August 27, 2017

The president of MTV, Chris McCarthy, announced the networks invitation on Thursday.

MTV has invited transgender members of the U.S. armed forces to the 2017 Video Music Awards, and we would be honored if they could attend, he said in a statement. Any patriot who is putting their own life at risk to fight for our freedom and stands for equality is a hero at MTV, and to young people everywhere.

The request had to be approved by the Department of Defense, as there are restrictions around active-duty military members participating in high-profile events, per CNN.

Story continues

On Friday, Trump signed a memorandum barring the military from accepting transgender men and women as recruits. It also halts the government from funding sex-reassignment surgeries for active personnel unless the process is already underway.

Read more from Yahoo Celebrity:
By Dion Rabouin and Megan Davies (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Harvey is challenging a wide range of industries beyond energy, including insurers, home improvement retailers and automakers, but some sectors may benefit. The hurricane could weigh on energy stocks, be mixed for insurers and boost home improvement companies, analysts said on Sunday. Home improvement companies Lowe's and Home Depot have temporarily frozen prices for lumber and roofing materials at stores in the area affected by Tropical Storm Harvey, even as flooding has forced the chains to close dozens of stores, the companies said on Sunday. Home Depot has so far announced the closure of 42 stores while Lowe's has closed 14 stores in Houston and the surrounding area. "Right now we have to play it by ear just to see what the conditions are going to be in those areas," said Sarah Lively, a spokeswoman for Lowe's. "We are reopening those stores as quickly as possible." The companies are preparing for strong demand once the storm has passed and property owners can begin repairs. Both companies said building supplies had already been sent to nearby emergency response centers. Lively said Lowe's had already sent "500 truckloads" of supplies to the impacted area. At Home Depot, spokesman Matt Harrigan said preparations began "as soon as the storm was on the radar." Companies in other sectors are still assessing the impact of the storm, which washed over manufacturing supply lines and transportation routes that run from Mexico through southern Texas. Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV said on Sunday they had thus far not seen any impact or issues with getting parts across the storm zone but were monitoring the storm closely. The area of Mexico south of the storm zone is a major center for auto parts manufacturing. Texas is a significant vehicle market, particularly for pickup trucks built by the big three Detroit automakers. In the short term, the storm is likely to hamper operations at dealers. But longer term, "it seems there has been enough flooding to damage thousands of light vehicles that will need replacing, said Nick Colas, an independent analyst based in New York City. BNSF Railway Co. told customers on Friday it was halting train traffic in and out of its yard on Galveston Island, Texas, until further notice, company spokesman Gus Melonas said. Union Pacific Corp, the No. 1 U.S. railroad, said late last week it would move rail cars in yards prone to flooding to high elevations and would curtail trains operating through areas likely to be hit by excessive winds and rain that will impact operations. For insurers, the storm could be a mixed blessing. "Insurers -- from a long term point of view they can raise their rates but some insurers, if they have a particular geographic or sector concentration can get really beaten up. Maybe the winners are the companies that have the least damage but the most license to increase their premiums," said Michael Purves, chief global strategist at Weeden & Co. Harvey was expected to not have a big impact on the market as a whole. "Markets, based on Asian trading, appear bullish. So I don't expect much of an impact on equities," said Jack Ablin, Chief Investment Officer, BMO Private Bank, a part of BMO Financial Group. Colas said there would possibly be some chatter tomorrow about the effect of rebuilding on Q3/Q4 GDP, but said that would probably be small. (Reporting by Dion Rabouin and Megan Davies in New York and Joseph White in Detroit; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Donald Trump's Homeland Security adviser has suggested people dont really care about the presidents decision to pardon controversial former sheriff Joe Arpaio.

Speaking to ABCs This Week, Tom Bossert said in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the public was not focused on just one person but on all the people who were suffering.

"I'm right now focused on not only the 4.6 million people in the Houston area, but the millions of people around the country who are trying to bring together outside of these divisive political questions, their efforts and their prayers to help those people who are in need," Bossert said.

Donald Trump, Joe Arpaio

Scott Olson/Getty Images

"So my guess is that not too many people care about this one guy right now. They care about the millions of guys that are worried about their homes.

The hurricane has left people trapped in their homes by rising floodwater, with two people killed and the death toll expected to rise, Texas authorities told CNN.

But the presidents decision to pardon Arpaio, who was convicted of contempt of court for ignoring a ban on racial profiling, did raise eyebrows and prompted an outcry from civil rights groups.

Trump has been accused by Democrat Chuck Schumer of using both the hurricane and the announcement of the transgender military ban as a cover for Arpaios pardoning.

"As millions of people in TX and LA are prepping for the hurricane, the President is using the cover of the storm to pardon a man who violated a court's order to stop discriminating against Latinos," Schumer tweeted, referring to Arpaio, "and ban courageous transgender men and women from serving our nation's Armed Forces.

Bossert said the criticisms leveled at Trump were unfair, telling This Week: Just about every modern president ends up with some controversial pardons.

Story continues

But I think the president's been pretty clear on it, and I certainly don't think it's fair to characterize him as not caring about the rule of law.

Related Articles
Washington (AFP) - Donald Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions about dropping a criminal case against controversial ex-sheriff Joe Arpaio, a close ally of the Republican president who has since received a pardon, The Washington Post reported Saturday.

Trump was advised that closing the criminal contempt case against Arpaio, who was convicted for ignoring a court order to stop detaining illegal migrants, would be inappropriate, said the Post, citing three unnamed sources with knowledge of the conversation.

The president decided to let the case go ahead, but said he would pardon Arpaio if necessary -- one source said Trump was "gung-ho" about the idea, the Post said.

Trump has received pushback on the pardon by members of his own party -- most recently from the highest ranking Republican in Congress, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

"The speaker does not agree with this decision," Ryan spokesman Doug Andres said in a statement late Saturday.

"Law enforcement officials have a special responsibility to respect the rights of everyone in the United States," Andres said. "We should not allow anyone to believe that responsibility is diminished by this pardon."

Both Republican senators from Arizona, John McCain and Jeff Flake, earlier criticized the presidential pardon.

Trump's reported chat with Sessions over Arpaio stands as evidence of the inability -- or unwillingness -- of the 71-year-old billionaire US leader to maintain the traditional distance between the White House and the Justice Department on specific cases.

It also bears similarities to two situations that have dogged Trump for months.

One is his alleged bid to influence a federal inquiry into his onetime national security advisor Michael Flynn, and his bid to persuade high-level officials to downplay the possibility of collusion between his campaign team and Russia, which is still under investigation.

The 85-year-old Arpaio, a divisive figure who was once dubbed "America's toughest sheriff," was granted a presidential pardon on Friday -- the first since Trump took office, and one that seemingly did not follow regular protocols.

Story continues

"He kept Arizona safe!" Trump tweeted, calling Arpaio, the former sheriff of Arizona's Maricopa County, a "patriot."

Arpaio had been due for sentencing in October. The move ensured he would serve no time in prison.

Both Trump and Arpaio pushed the "birther" conspiracy theory that former president Barack Obama was not born in the United States. They also found common ground on the campaign trail on illegal immigration.

The move however earned immediate scorn from Democrats, some Republicans and rights groups, who said Trump skirted the normal procedures by not consulting the Justice Department before granting clemency.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told the Post: "It's only natural the president would have a discussion with administration lawyers about legal matters. This case would be no different."
Suspicious ties between President Donald Trump and the Russian government just keep appearing.

In 2015, a Russian-born real estate broker working for the Trump Organization, Felix Sater, reportedly wrote a series of emails to Michael Cohen, Trumps lawyer, attempting to broker a deal for a Trump Tower in Moscow. Those emails, obtained by The New York Times on Monday, appear to indicate Saters willingness to use a Moscow deal as a way to bolster a Trump presidency.

Our boy can become president of the USA and we can engineer it, Sater wrote. I will get all of Putins [sic] team to buy in on this, I will manage this process.

I will get Putin on this program and we will get Donald elected, another email said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The deal in Moscow, spearheaded in 2015 while Trump was already running for president, was originally reported by The Washington Post on Sunday.

In an additional story published Monday afternoon, the Post reported that Cohen reached out to a top aide to Putin for help on the deal, at Saters recommendation.

As this project is too important, I am hereby requesting your assistance, Cohen wrote in an email to Dmitry Peskov, Putins press secretary. I respectfully request someone, preferably you, contact me so that I might discuss the specifics as well as arranging meetings with the appropriate individuals. I thank you in advance for your assistance and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sater reportedly suggested Trump visit Moscow, baiting him by claiming President Vladimir Putin could say great things about Trump.

Trump never ended up traveling to Moscow to pursue the deal, and Cohen says he didnt either.

I ultimately determined that the proposal was not feasible and never agreed to make a trip to Russia, Cohen told The New York Times in a statement.

Side-by-side Justice Department and congressional investigations are currently underway to determine whether Trump campaign aides colluded with Moscow to influence the 2016 election. The investigations are looking into a number of possible contacts, including a meeting Donald Trump Jr. organized in June 2016. That meeting was with a woman Trump Jr. and others had been told was a Russian government attorney who could provide documents that would incriminate Hillary Clinton.

Story continues

This article has been updated with details about Michael Cohen reaching out to a Putin aide.

Also on HuffPost

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak during talks with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not in picture) in the Oval Office at the White House.

President Donald Trump and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet for talks in the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as they meet for talks in the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet for talks in the Oval Office.

President Donald Trump and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meet for talks in the Oval Office.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, President Donald Trump, and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak talking during a meeting in the Oval Office.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, President Donald Trump, and Russian Ambassador to the United States Sergei Kislyak talking during a meeting in the Oval Office.

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Mike Stone

(Reuters) - The U.S. government may soon lift a ban on the transfer of some surplus military equipment to police departments, according to a news report on Sunday.

USA Today reported it had obtained documents outlining a plan which would lift an Obama-era ban on putting some of the military's surplus equipment, such as armored vehicles and large-caliber weapons, in the hands of local police departments.

On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to address the annual meeting of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest police union. The report said Sessions could unveil the plan at that time.

A representative for the Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; Editing by Andrew Hay)
WASHINGTON  President Trump on Monday defiantly defended his pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio by attacking controversial acts of clemency by Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

I stand by my pardon of Sheriff Joe, Trump declared at a joint press conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto at the White House.

The president said he had done some research into past controversies over presidential clemencies because I assumed that somebody would ask me the question.

Pulling a white piece of paper from his suit pocket, Trump said he wanted to look at some of the other people that were pardoned over the years, then read a list of controversies over clemency.

He cited Marc Rich, one of the 140 pardons Bill Clinton issued on his way out the door in January 2001. The fugitive financier decamped to Switzerland after being charged with evading $48 million in taxes and trading oil with Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions.

Trump said Rich was charged with crimes going back decades including buying oil from Iran while it held 53 American hostages and he was pardoned after his wife donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Clintons. Richs former wife, Denise Rich, was a top contributor to the Democratic Party, and also gave money to Hillary Clintons Senate race in New York.

Trump accused Clinton of pardoning dangerous criminals, citing Susan Rosenberg, a member of the Weather Underground terrorist group. She was tied to a 1981 armored car robbery that claimed the lives of two police officers and a guard. The president also pointed to Clintons decision to commute the sentence of convicted drug trafficker Carlos Vignali.

President Trump speaks during a news conference with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, on Aug. 28, 2017, at the White House. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Trump hit Obama for commuting the sentence of criminal leaker Chelsea Manning, calling that a horrible, horrible thing that he did, as well as the sentence of Oscar Lopez Rivera, a member of the radical Fuerzas Armadas de Liberacion Nacional (FALN) Puerto Rico independence group behind a deadly bombing campaign in the 1970s and 1980s.

Story continues

Sheriff Joe is a patriot, Sheriff Joe loves our country, Sheriff Joe protected our borders, and sheriff Joe was very unfairly treated by the Obama administration, Trump said. He did not say Arpaio was innocent of the charges against him.

The presidents decision to pardon Arpaio, announced Friday night as Hurricane Harvey began its devastating march into Texas, drew angry responses from elected officials, civil rights advocates and Latino-Americans. Arpaio, an early and fervent supporter of Trumps presidential campaign, had been convicted of criminal contempt last month for failing to obey a federal judges order to stop targeting Latinos on the basis of their suspected immigration status. It was just the latest tangle with the law for the self-styled Americas toughest sheriff, whose tactics met time and time again with court rebukes and cost taxpayers millions in settlement fees.

The news followed the late-Friday disclosure of Trumps plans to bar transgender individuals from serving in the military  an information pileup that stoked suspicions of a Friday news dump, a term that refers to the time-honored practice of minimizing the attention an announcement gets by making it late on Friday.

Trump rejected the notion on Monday.

In the middle of a hurricane, even though it was Friday evening, I assumed the ratings would be far higher than they would be normally, the president said.

Read more from Yahoo News:
Trump faces scrutiny he visits the ravaged parts of the state this week



Its the biggest ever. Theyre saying its the biggest  its historic, Trump says

News wrap: Trump to visit Texas as flood levels from Harvey forecast to rise

The floodwaters deluging Houston present Donald Trump with a significant long term test of his presidential leadership. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Donald Trump faces a major test of his presidency as he prepares to visit Texas after tropical storm Harvey ravaged southern parts of the state, releasing pounding rain and catastrophic flooding on the nations fourth largest city.

Few events clarify a presidents effectiveness like a major natural disaster  and for Trump, the stakes are high following a tumultuous summer marked by a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, an escalating war of words with North Korea and multiple staff upheavals.

Trump will travel with Melania Trump, the first lady, to Corpus Christi on Tuesday morning, a city along the Gulf of Mexico near to where Harvey swept ashore as a category 4 storm late Friday night, thrashing the central coast with torrential rain and 130mph winds. As of Monday afternoon, Texas officials said at least eight people appear to have died as a result of the storm, including six in Houston. They expect the toll to rise as rescue efforts continue.

Before a meeting with Sauli Niinisto, the president of Finland, Trump told reporters he was looking forward to touring parts of the storm-ravaged state, although he said travel will depend on the conditions. He also suggested that he may make a second trip to the region to visit Texas and Louisiana, which is now in the storms path.

Trump said of the storm: Its the biggest ever. Theyre saying its the biggest  its historic. Its really  like Texas, if you think about it.

It is a historic amount of water in particular  theres never been anything like it. The people are handling it amazingly well, and the people of Texas have really persevered.

Its the biggest ever. Theyre saying its the biggest  its historic. Its really  like Texas, if you think about it. Donald Trump

Story continues

Trump, a businessman with no experience in disaster relief, used words and images on Twitter to showcase that he is closely monitoring the response efforts. On Monday, he retweeted the Texas governor, Greg Abbott, who thanked the state national guard for rescuing marooned residents.

But Trump has come under sharp criticism for firing off a series of unrelated tweets. As Houstons freeways turned into rivers and thousands of people fled their homes on Sunday, Trump intermittently provided updates on the storm while also commenting on the Senate race in Missouri (Republican will win!), the proposed wall along the southern border (Mexico will pay for it through reimbursement/other) and negotiations over the Nafta trade agreement (worst trade deal ever made).

On Monday morning, Trump retweeted Dinesh DSouza, the controversial conservative author convicted for violating campaign finance laws, who argued that leftwing activists were to blame for the violence seen at rightwing rallies. Trump was widely criticized for equating leftwing protesters with neo-Nazis in Charlottesville. He also shared a tweet from a conservative reporter who incorrectly claimed that Obama had pardoned Chelsea Manning, who was convicted under the Espionage Act after disclosing classified military information. Her sentence was commuted, not pardoned. He then retweeted a quote by Mother Teresa: No color, no religion, no nationality should come between us, we are all children of God.

In a pair of interviews on Monday, Mike Pence said Trump is fully engaged and anxious to visit Texas.

Hes deployed the full resources of the national government, Pence told Trey Ware in a radio interview on KTSA. Hell reflect on that tomorrow, and people can just be confident that as we move through this rescue operation that were there for the long haul. Were there for the long haul with Texas through the recovery efforts.

I expect there will be plenty of time to debate all of this in the days ahead, Pence said in an interview with the conservative talk radio host Chris Salcedo.

But I can assure you that from the president on down, were completely focused on doing everything in our power to get people out of harms way, to engage in lifesaving efforts and to continue to lean into this effort to assist in the long term recovery that will be required in Texas.

The White House released photographs from the weekend of Trump leading a teleconference monitoring the storm at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland. In the photos, Trump is sporting a USA cap available for purchase on his campaign website for $40.

On Friday night, Trump signed a federal disaster declaration to support the relief effort in Texas, and on Monday he also approved a federal disaster declaration in Louisiana to aid with relief efforts there.
By Benjamin Jumbe

The President of the republic of Burundi Pierre Nkrunziza has appealed to East African Community member states to refrain from provoking one another or abetting individuals or groups likely to disrupt peace and security in the region.

This was during the launch of the 11th edition of EAC military games and cultural events being hosted in Burundi.

Nkrunziza noted that Burundis efforts in Somalia, Central Africa Republic and within the Great Lakes region are examples of collective efforts in search of peace and that such dedication and efforts will definitely facilitate fast tracking of peace security.

Uganda was represented by Major General Charles Lwanga Lutaya, Commander Air Force who represented the Chief of Defence Forces, Minister for East African Affairs Al hajj Kirunda Kivejinja, and Lieutenant Colonel (Rtd) Bright Rwamirama Minister of State for Defence in charge of Veterans Affairs.

Games and cultural events are intended to build confidence and spirited cooperation among the EAC armed forces.
Mr Trump has claimed that both sides of the political divide have been violent recently: Sara D. Davis/Getty Images

Donald Trump has endorsed a Twitter post that appears to blame leftist demonstrators for the violence that has shocked the nation in recent weeks, and has seen at least one death.

Mr Trump retweeted a post made by Dinesh DSouza, a conservative commentator and prominent critic of former President Barack Obama, that implied that the media has purposefully downplayed violence from left-wing demonstrators and blaming the right.

Finally, as if by accident, the Washington Post breaks down & admits the truth about where the violence is coming from, Mr DSouza wrote in that post.

Mr DSouza linked to a Washington Post article that cited the Associated Press, noting that black-clad antifa - short for anti-fascist - demonstrators had stormed into what had been a largely peaceful Berkeley protest against hate and attacked at least five people.

Mr Trump has been criticised recently for his response following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, when a counter protester was killed after a suspected white supremacist drove his car through a group of peaceful protesters. Those demonstrations had also seen clashes between neo-Nazis and counter-protesters, some of who were dressed in all black with their faces covered in the style of antifa protesters.

The President, after initially condemning violence and racism, commented several other times on the violence. After several days, Mr Trump said that there had been violence coming from both sides in Charlottesville, and seemed to avoid condemning white supremacy.

The emergence of antifa protesters has coincided with a surge in white supremacist rallies, and alongside the rise of Mr Trump on the national political scene. Clashes between those two groups have been seen at demonstrations throughout the country, including previous clashes in Berkeley before a planned speech by right wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. Clashes have been seen repeatedly in Portland, Oregon, as well.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Monday he would talk with Congress about how to fund what will be a very expensive recovery from Hurricane Harvey as deadlines loom on the U.S. budget and federal debt ceiling. It is unclear how the hurricane relief will impact budget talks in Washington. Trump has threatened a government shutdown over the budget unless lawmakers include funding for his proposed border wall with Mexico. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump lauded the efforts by Texans to extract storm victims from flooded areas of Houston and beyond after record amounts of rainfall from Hurricane Harvey. "We're dealing with Congress. As you know it's going to be a very expensive situation," said Trump. Trump will visit Texas on Tuesday. He said he might return on Saturday and could stop in Louisiana where the storm is now dumping rain. Trump, who has presided over a number of Cabinet meetings to help coordinate the federal response, said "things are being handled very well" and he hailed the relief effort. "It is a historic amount of water. There's never been anything like it. So the people are handling it amazingly well and the people of Texas as you know have really persevered. And when you watch the spirit and the enthusiasm and helping each other and the teamwork, it's really been something," he said. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
By Lisa Lambert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will visit Texas on Tuesday to survey storm damage caused by Harvey, the first major U.S. natural disaster since he took office in January, the White House said on Sunday. Harvey came ashore late on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years and has killed at least two people. The death toll is expected to rise as the storm lashes the state for days, triggering record floods, tidal surges and tornadoes. "The president will travel to Texas on Tuesday," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "We are coordinating logistics with state and local officials, and once details are finalized, we will let you know. We continue to keep all of those affected in our thoughts and prayers." The widespread flooding caused by Harvey in Texas, including in Houston, the fourth most populous U.S. city, is the first test of how Trump, who never previously held political office, responds to a major storm on his watch. Former President George W. Bush, a fellow Republican, was sharply criticized for his handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the last time a storm of Harvey's magnitude struck the United States. Bush was called insensitive for not initially visiting New Orleans, hard hit by Katrina, and instead releasing a photo of himself looking out a plane window at the damage. Since the president travels with a large retinue of Secret Service agents and under a rigorous security protocol, most administrations avoid visiting during the height of natural disasters for fear they will pull resources away from rescue and aid attempts. During a video conference with his Cabinet on Sunday afternoon, Trump "reminded everyone that search and rescue efforts will transition to mass care, restoring power, providing life-sustaining necessities for the population that sheltered in place, and economic recovery," according to a White House statement. A year ago, Trump, then the Republican presidential nominee, and his running mate, Mike Pence, toured the scenes of major flooding in Louisiana and criticized Democratic President Barack Obama for vacationing at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts during the storm. Trump spent Saturday and part of Sunday at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland where he tweeted frequently about Harvey and other issues. Texas Governor Greg Abbott told a news conference on Sunday that coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its new director, Brock Long, was going smoothly. Long said Harvey's effects would last for years. "This disaster is going to be a landmark event," Long told CNN on Sunday. "We're setting up and gearing up for the next couple of years." (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Mike Stone; Editing by Andrew Hay and Peter Cooney)
President Donald Trump pardoned America's "toughest sheriff" Joe Arpaio on Friday.

He reportedly asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to drop the federal investigation into Arpaio.

This development could serve as a critical data point in special counsel Robert Mueller's apparent investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice when he fired James Comey.

The Washington Post's report on Saturday that President Donald Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions about dropping the case against former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio offers a critical window into Trump's thinking.

Trump's alleged conversation with Sessions and subsequent decision to pardon Arpaio could shed new light on Trump's motives when he spoke to former FBI director James Comey about ending the investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn one day after Flynn resigned.

Arpaio, an early and enthusiastic Trump surrogate, was convicted of criminal contempt in July for violating a court order to stop racially profiling Latinos.

When Trump allegedly asked Sessions this past spring whether it would be possible to drop the federal criminal investigation into Arpaio, Sessions told Trump such a move would be inappropriate, but that Trump could pardon Arpaio if he was convicted, The Post reported, citing three people familiar with the conversation.

Trump ultimately granted the pardon on Friday evening, sparking fierce backlash from liberals and some conservatives.

But some legal analysts also pointed out that Trump's decision to pardon Arpaio, and the actions he took preceding that, may serve as an important piece of evidence to special counsel Robert Mueller, who is reportedly investigating the president for obstruction of justice.

Specifically, Trump's decision to pardon Arpaio is key to determining his intent when he had the February conversation with Comey about dropping the Russia investigation before ultimately firing Comey after he refused to do so, said Renato Mariotti, a former federal prosecutor.

Story continues

How Comey fits in

james comey

According to Comey's testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee in June, Trump privately told Comey, who was spearheading the FBI's Russia probe at the time, he "hoped" Comey would "let this go," referring to the investigation.

Several Trump allies and Republican lawmakers have since grasped those words and said they do not prove Trump tried to obstruct justice by asking Comey to drop the investigation and subsequently firing him.

Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, for instance, zeroed in on the statement during Comey's testimony.

After reading out Comey's recollection of Trump's statement, Risch said to Comey, "He did not direct you to let it go."

"Not in his words, no," Comey replied.

"He did not order you to let it go," Risch said.

He later asked Comey: "Do you know of any case where a person has been charged for obstruction of justice or, for that matter, any other criminal offense, where this  they said, or thought, they hoped for an outcome?"

When Comey said that despite Trump's words, he took it as a direction from the president of the United States, Risch said, "You may have taken it as a direction, but thats not what he said."

The main thing Mueller  who was put in charge of the Russia investigation after Trump fired Comey  would need to prove in an obstruction of justice case is whether Trump acted with corrupt, or unlawful, intent when he asked the FBI director to drop the Flynn investigation.

"[Trump's] defense would be that he thought it was appropriate to end the Flynn investigation because it was meritless and that there was nothing wrong with him, as president, making that determination," Mariotti told Business Insider.

But the president's decision to pardon Arpaio demonstrates that "this has become a pattern of activity where he tries to end investigations of his friends," he added. "Everything he said, did, and was told as to Arpaio is relevant to help us understand what he was thinking when he tried to end the Flynn investigation."

Moreover, despite statements from his allies and administration officials who painted Trump's comments to Comey as musings and not a direct order, Arpaio's pardon suggests "that he was serious about ending investigations as to his friends" and it wasn't "just idle talk."

A pattern emerges

Donald Trump Mike Flynn

Experts say that intent is difficult to prove, particularly when it comes to obstruction of justice.

Obstruction of justice is broadly defined: It involves any conduct in which a person willfully interferes with the administration of justice.

Trump's statements don't individually rise to the level of obstruction of justice, said Jens David Ohlin, an associate dean at Cornell Law School and an expert on criminal law.

"The obstruction of justice would flow from the entire landscape of Trump's behavior: telling Comey to back off on the Flynn investigation, firing him when he wouldn't, and then admitting on national television that he dismissed Comey because of the Russia investigation," Ohlin told Business Insider.

He added that Trump's statement to the Russians in the Oval Office, during which he called Comey "a real nut job" and said firing him had taken "great pressure" off of him, added weight to the inference that Trump used his executive authority to fire Comey to stymie a federal investigation.

The FBI's investigation has progressed in recent weeks  Mueller's team reportedly issued subpoenas to several Washington lobbying firms that have worked with Flynn's and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort's consulting groups, and the special counsel is also scrutinizing a June 2016 meeting that Donald Trump Jr. had with a Kremlin-connected lawyer and a former Soviet military intelligence officer.

The Washington Post additionally reported earlier this month that the FBI conducted a predawn raid on Manafort's home in July. Agents working with Mueller left the former Trump campaign manager's home "with various records," according to The Post.

And recent revelations that lower-level aides were in touch with Russian contacts during the campaign will likely generate more evidentiary leads and indicate that individuals who were not previously at the center of the controversy will be of interest to congressional intelligence committees and the special counsel.

This latest development is just one of many leads that Mueller, who has reportedly broadened the scope of his investigation in recent weeks, could follow.

NOW WATCH: Steve Bannon is out  here are all the casualties of the Trump administration so far





More From Business Insider
Uber on Sunday selected Dara Khosrowshahi, the chief executive of an online travel platform Expedia Inc, as the companys new CEO. Ending the companys contentious search, Khosrowshahi was chosen by the board of directors at Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] following the board meetings over the weekend, according to two sources having the knowledge of the decision, reports said.

He would replace former CEO Travis Kalanick, who was forced to step down in June following a tiff with a shareholder.

Khosrowshahi, 48, an Iranian-born American businessman has been the CEO of Expedia since 2005 when the global online travel platform saw rapid expansion. He completed his graduation from Brown University, a private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, and he has previously worked at media and internet company InterActiveCorp (IAC), and investment bank Allen & Company.

Khosrowshahi was picked among three finalists after a weekend of board meetings, according to anonymous sources, the New York Times reported. Earlier on Sunday, the leading candidate, former General Electric (GE) CEO Jeff Immelt, announced on Twitter that he had "decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber," after it was made clear that he did not have enough support from the board, sources familiar with the decision-making process told the Washington Post.

In his Twitter post, Immelt added: "I have immense respect for the company & founders - Travis, Garrett and Ryan" (the first names of Kalanick, Garrett Camp and Ryan Graves). The board had been quite supportive of another top contender Meg Whitman, the CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, who also said earlier this month that she was not keen on taking the job. But speculations suggested she resurfaced as a leading contender after Immelt's withdrawal.

Khosrowshahi is respected in the Silicon Valley for handling the huge expansion of Expedia Inc. to over 60 countries, reports suggested. After he took over Expedia, he successfully battled recessions that hampered people's travel budgets and upstarts like Airbnb, which attempted to take away its business. Before working at Barry Diller's IAC, he worked in the banking industry.

Story continues

He has been known for his outspoken criticism about President Donald Trump. Earlier this year, he condemned Trumps travel ban that mainly barred travelers from Muslim majority countries from entering the country. "It is important to have safe borders, but at the same time, we cant forget what brought us here. This is an immigrant nation," he told the Financial Times earlier this year. The Iranian-born businessman moved to the United States along with his family at the age of four as a refugee after the Iranian revolution.

Following his selection, sources familiar with the matter told the Washington Post he would help the struggling ride-share company in two important ways. Firstly, Khosrowshahi is considered to be low-key and "even-keeled" as compared to Uber's former CEO, who has had several instances where he was known to fly into fits of anger while handling a situation.

"My whole life, anytime I've faced a high-pressure decision, my model for mature behavior has been, 'what would Dara do'? He's one of the humblest and most even-keeled people I know," Ali Partovi, an entrepreneur, and technology investor, who is Khosrowshahis second cousin, told the Washington Post. The two were said to have attended primary school together in Iran.

Secondly, if Khosrowshahi accepts the offer, he would have his hands full. Since Uber has been embroiled in controversies for about a year, he would be responsible for transforming the companys work culture and business. Several controversies about Uber made the headlines in the last eight months including sexual harassment and discrimination allegations against the ride-share giant that led to the resignation of the former CEO, according to Forbes.

Related Articles
After two months without a CEO, Uber finally found someone to put in the drivers seat.

That someone is Dara Khosrowshahi, currently CEO of the online travel company Expedia. Ubers board selected Khosrowshahi on Sunday, reportedly as a compromise choice over Hewitt Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman and GE board chairman Jeff Immelt.

While its unclear when Khosrowshahi will assume the new role (Reuters reports hell accept the offer), hell have his work cut out for him when he takes the helm. Among the most pressing tasks: hiring a bevy of senior staff, including a chief financial officer.

Uber has burned through eye-popping amounts of cash to fuel its rapid expansion, and now desperately needs to stem those losses and get its finances under control.

The biggest issue for Uber is how to generate enough cash to fund internal investments, Evan Rawley, an associate professor at the University of Minnesotas Carlson School of Management, and an expert on corporate strategy and entrepreneurship, told HuffPost in an email earlier this year. If they have to go back to the capital markets with so much red ink flowing, the current investors will take a huge haircut on their investment.

Uber doesnt need a visionary anymore, Rawley said. They need a capable pair of hands to steer the ship through some known challenges.

At the same time, Khosrowshahi will have to handle several other significant challenges, including fixing Ubers toxic, sexist culture, increasing the companys abysmal driver retention rates (only 4 percent of them last more than a year), navigating a potentially devastating lawsuit over allegedly stolen technology secrets from a rival, and pacifying Ubers board, which is beset by infighting.

Amid all that, hell potentially have to fend off power plays by former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, who still has significant clout on the board and was at one point weighing a return to the company.

Jeff Reid, a professor at Georgetown Universitys McDonough School of Business and the founding director of the schools entrepreneurship initiative, told HuffPost earlier this year Ubers new CEO should start by hiring good people to fill numerous top-level vacancies (see below).

Story continues

I think the first thing youve got to do is clean up the culture. And that means putting the right people in place, Reid said. The right management team, and accompanying management systems, will signal to employees, customers and Uber drivers that things are truly going to change, he said.

Uber needs people with great integrity and the right gravitas, he said.

Heres a look at Ubers depleted senior ranks:

(Photo: ALISSA SCHELLER/HUFFPOST)

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Engagement Ring

Uh-oh. Someone's in trouble.

Paintings

But there's no word on whether they are kids' finger paintings or a Picasso.

Wedding Outfit

Someone's already lost an engagement ring (^^), now this person has misplaced their entire wedding outfit?!?

Smoke Machine

Every Uber ride needs some Beyonce-style smoke machine drama.

Rubber Mallet

Nope, us neither.

Bulletproof Vest

Just to be on the safe side.

Expensive Slipper

So Cinderella took an Uber to get to the ball?

Kite

Not sure Uber was around in Mary Poppins' time.

Taser

No need to travel with this. Period.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
Khartoum (AFP) - US aid chief Mark Green said Monday Washington was monitoring Sudan's progress on conditions for a permanent lifting of sanctions, as he visited a camp for the displaced in Darfur.

The head of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is the first high-ranking official from President Donald Trump's administration to visit Africa.

His trip comes at a time when the Trump administration is planning to cut more than 30 percent in American foreign aid.

It also comes just weeks before Trump decides whether to lift permanently the US trade embargo imposed on Sudan since 1997.

"We will be watching closely for sustained progress on all the five tracks," Green said in a statement.

He was referring to conditions laid down by former president Barack Obama that Khartoum must meet before US sanctions are permanently lifted.

Green said the timing of his visit to Sudan shows the importance Washington attaches to its relations with Khartoum.

"We are at critical point in Sudan," Green said.

The five US conditions include giving more access to humanitarian workers in war zones, counter-terrorism cooperation, an end to hostilities against armed groups in Sudan and halting support for insurgents in neighbouring South Sudan.

"In particular, we are hoping to see progress on humanitarian access right here in North Darfur," Green said as he met the governor of North Darfur state prior to visiting the Zam Zam camp.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese people displaced by the conflict in Darfur live in the camp.

"There is still a need for live-saving humanitarian assistance, and we hope to see a successful resolution to the conflicts in Darfur and the two areas," he said, referring to South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

- US committed to Sudan -

On October 12, Trump will decide whether to lift the Sudan embargo after Obama eased it before leaving office in January.

Washington imposed the embargo over Khartoum's alleged support for Islamist militant groups. The late Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden was based in Khartoum between 1992 and 1996.

Story continues

Washington argues that the conflict in Darfur has been a factor in keeping the embargo in place.

The conflict erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated government in Khartoum, accusing it of marginalising the Darfur region economically and politically.

About 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced by the conflict, the United Nations says.

Bashir himself is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes in Darfur. He steadfastly denies the charges.

Similar conflicts also erupted in South Kordofan and Blue Nile since 2011.

While assuring that Washington will stand by Khartoum, Green urged other global donors "to do their part" in aiding Sudan.

"We remain committed to engaging with the government of Sudan at a high level on all areas... including improving humanitarian access," he said.

Global aid officials say that in recent months Khartoum has given increased access for aid deliveries.

A US official said Green's visit aims to show that the Trump adminstration "wants to engage and not disengage" with Africa.

After Sudan, Green is scheduled to visit South Sudan and Ethiopia.
By Ritah Kemigisa

The U.S. Embassy, the U.S. Agency For International Development (USAID) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are set to hand over 36 metric tons of high- energy biscuits meant for South Sudanese refugees.

The high-energy biscuits are a gift of the American people to the refugees in Uganda through USAID.

The goods will be delivered pro-bono by the American logistics company, United Parcel Services in Entebbe tomorrow.

The biscuits are part of a larger 70 million USD contribution that the U.S.Government has made this year to the refugee humanitarian response in Uganda through the WFP.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green is travelling to Sudan, to discuss progress toward improving humanitarian access in Sudan, as part of the expanded bilateral engagement that began last year.

According to a statement from the US department of state, administrator Green will also meet with United Nations officials, and visit people displaced by conflict.
President Donald Trump hinted to supporters in Phoenix on Tuesday that he was about to pardon Joe Arpaio, the former local sheriff who was convicted for defying a court order in involving racial profiling of immigrants. (Photo: Ralph Freso via Getty Images)

WASHINGTON  Once upon a time, Republicans decided they needed to attract Latinos and Asians and blacks. They created a special committee to figure out why it wasnt happening and to find ways to fix it. The very future of the party was at stake.

All of that, of course, took place circa 3 BT  Before Trump.

Now the partys leader uses the White House bully pulpit to equate neo-Nazis and defenders of Confederate monuments with those who protest them. He is expected Tuesday to announce an end to his predecessors policy not to deport people brought into this country unlawfully as children. He has even pardoned a former sheriff convicted of contempt of court for illegally rounding up suspected undocumented immigrants.

I think it will catch up to them and be disastrous, said political consultant Stuart Stevens of his fellow Republicans who continue to support Donald Trump. I dont think the 2016 election repealed demographics. Its like someone who goes to a party and has a few too many drinks and makes it home all right and decides that alcohol makes you drive better. Im not sure thats the right conclusion.

Stevens in 2012 was a top aide to Mitt Romney, whose loss to Democratic President Barack Obama was caused in part by winning only 27 percent of the Latino vote sparked the Republican National Committees Growth and Opportunity Project report the following spring.

It was dire in its tone, laying out long-term consequences if the party did not improve its relationship with minority communities. The nations demographic changes add to the urgency of recognizing how precarious our position has become, the so-called autopsy stated. According to the Pew Hispanic Center, in 2050, whites will be 47 percent of the country while Hispanics will grow to 29 percent and Asians to 9 percent.

Notwithstanding all of that, Trump won the White House while seeming to do and say exactly the opposite of what the report had recommended. The result: a party whose long-term future may be even more bleak now.

Story continues

Hes branding the party as so toxic to so many people, said Ruy Teixeira, a demographer at the liberal Center for American Progress. The Democrats are in a better position in terms of how the country is changing than the Republicans are.

Ari Fleischer, a press secretary to former President George W. Bush and an author of the 2013 autopsy, said Trump was able to win the election by bringing out more white voters, which does not appear to be a sound long-term strategy.

The demographic trend is continuing, Fleisher said. Trump may have changed the math, but only temporarily.

The White Base

Trumps strategy of playing to the white voting base is not new. While Republicans were instrumental in the 1950s and early 1960s in the passage of legislation helping African-Americans, including the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act, Richard Nixon took the opposite tack in his 1968 presidential campaign.

He played to white resentment of that law, euphemistically calling for law and order to let voters, particularly whites in the South, know that he did not support activists clamoring to end segregationist policies.

That Southern Strategy was detailed in Nixon aide Kevin Phillips 1969 book, The Emerging Republican Majority, which correctly predicted a sustained period of GOP dominance.

While most Republican candidates denied there was any such race-based effort underway, that claim was later undercut by top party strategists. In 1991, infamous political operative Lee Atwater, as he was dying of a brain tumor, apologized for his partys tactics through the years, and in 2005, GOP chairman Ken Mehlman apologized for the partys reliance on racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong, he told the annual meeting of the NAACP.

Despite the official repudiation, though, some Republican candidates continued their targeted appeals to white voters, particularly white voters without a college education. In 2008, while John McCains vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin regularly attacked Obama, the first black major-party nominee, as somehow un-American.

Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with Sen. John McCain at a presidential campaign rally in Arizona in 2010, regularly attacked Barack Obama as somehow un-American. (Photo: Joshua Lott / Reuters)

And in 2012, in his efforts to win over an increasingly anti-immigration primary voting base, Romney said his policies would be so harsh that people in this country illegally would probably self-deport.

That tone, combined with Obamas popularity with Latinos, ended with Romney winning just 27 percent of the Latino vote. McCain had won 31 percent in 2008, and George W. Bush, running for re-election, had won 40 percent in 2004.

The partys post-election autopsy cited Romneys performance in its analysis about what to do next. If we want ethnic minority voters to support Republicans, we have to engage them and show our sincerity, the report stated. If Hispanics think we do not want them here, they will close their ears to our policies.

At the partys summer meeting in Boston that August, then-chairman Reince Priebus  who later went on to help Trump win the presidency and served as his first chief of staff  went even further. Using the word self-deportation  I mean, its a horrific comment to make, Priebus said back in 2013. Its not something that has anything to do with our party. But when a candidate makes those comments, obviously it hurts us.

The party began that year to reverse things. They hired staff in key states to build a Republican presence in Latino communities long before the next election to show that they were serious about long-term relationships, not just a frantic get-out-the-vote push at the very end. That appeared to pay off in the 2014 midterms. In Colorado, Republican Senate nominee Cory Gardner ran nearly even in heavily Latino Pueblo County, for example, helping him squeak out a narrow 2.5-percentage-point victory over incumbent Democrat Mark Udall.

Party leaders saw that as proof that their approach could work, and they set out to replicate it for the general election.

And then Trump rode down his Manhattan escalator and accused undocumented immigrants of being rapists and drug dealers  essentially setting the tone for the whole of his campaign, the first seven months of his presidency and the party he now leads.

Theres not a Republican Party, said one prominent GOP strategist who spoke on condition of anonymity. Theres a Trump party. Its an uncompassionate conservatism. And its not even conservatism.

Playing To Fears

Whether the Trump message is conservative or not, it is appealing to  and perhaps designed for  a segment of the Republican voting base that sees the increasing percentage of African-Americans, Asians and particularly Latinos as not merely a problem for the country but the major one.

From the middle-aged white men at the 2015 Iowa State Fair discussing how illegal immigrants had to be stopped because their children born in the United States are U.S. citizens to the Florida woman who supported Trump because she just preferred being around white people to the grandmother waiting to enter a Trump rally in northeast Ohio last year who believed that immigrants speaking in a foreign language near her were ridiculing her, many of Trumps supporters saw him as their best hope of regaining the American culture of the 1950s or early 1960s.

They should speak English in public. Its fine if they want to speak in their own language at home, said Brenda Johnson after driving four hours from Cincinnati to see Trump in person.

It is that sentiment, Trump critics say, that he is actively stoking by repeatedly referring to our culture in his public statements about the neo-Nazi rally and ensuing violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this month.

Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments, Trump wrote on Twitter about memorials to Confederate leaders. Theyre trying to take away our culture. Theyre trying to take away our history, he told thousands of rally-goers in Phoenix last week.

The culture and history in question is that of the pro-slavery South and its leaders who took up arms against the United States, resulting in what remains the deadliest war in the nations history  a clear message to white voters who harbor racial resentments that Trump is on their side, his critics believe.

Even his slogan, Make America Great Again, they add, has little appeal to minorities whose lives are markedly better than they were several decades ago, while sending a clear message to white voters aggrieved by the status they believe they have lost in those years.

But while resonating with a chunk of Republicans voters, Trumps language is hardening negative views against him in just about everyone else, the Center for American Progress Teixeira said.

Thoughtful Republicans are a little bit nervous, Teixeira said, but he added that it is difficult for them to do anything to thwart their own president.

He said the fact that less than 80,000 votes in three states provided Trumps margin of victory despite the weakness of his opponent and the help of a foreign power should be setting off alarm bells. He pointed to smaller victory margins in traditionally Republican states with high minority populations, including Georgia, Arizona and Texas, as evidence that continued alienation of non-white voters could easily backfire.

Thats the handwriting on the wall. Thats sending a signal about whats going on in those states, Teixeira said. But until people see that it hurts them, until they get hit upside the head with a two-by-four, politically speaking, they wont change.

George Rivera, the Mexican-American former Republican chairman of Pueblo County, Colorado, is among those unwilling to buck a winner, even one he personally had misgivings about during the primaries.

Its a mixed bag, he said of Trump, adding that he was not blind to his deficiencies. Still, he said, he would continue to back him.

His supporters are still out there strongly supporting him. I know I am.

Also on HuffPost

Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.

Sen. John McCain (Ariz.)

"Donald Trumps behavior this week, concluding with the disclosure of his demeaning comments about women and his boasts about sexual assaults, make it impossible to continue to offer even conditional support for his candidacy," McCain said in a statement.

Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.)

Ayotte never formally endorsed Trump, but said she was withdrawing her support.



"I wanted to be able to support my party's nominee, chosen by the people, because I feel strongly we need a change in direction in our country. However, I'm a mom and an American first, and I cannot and will not support a candidate who brags about degrading and assaulting women. I will not be voting for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton and instead will be writing in Governor Pence on election day."

Donald Trump's statements are beyond offensive & despicable. While I cannot vote for Hillary Clinton, I will not vote for Trump. #utpol  Gary R. Herbert (@HerbertForUtah) October 8, 2016

Donald Trump's behavior makes him unacceptable as a candidate for president, and I won't vote for him.



Full statement: pic.twitter.com/Ge7GU1TSvm  Rep. Martha Roby (@RepMarthaRoby) October 8, 2016

Rep. Cresent Hardy (Nev.)

"I will no longer support the guy at the top of the ticket," Hardy said on Saturday.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (Alaska)

"We need national leaders who can lead by example on [sexual assault and domestic violence]. The reprehensible revelations about Donald Trump have shown me that he can't. Therefore I am withdrawing my support for his candidacy," Sullivan said in a statement.

Rep. Ann Wagner (Mo.)

"I have committed my short time in Congress to fighting for the most vulnerable in our society. As a strong and vocal advocate for victims of sex trafficking and assault, I must be true to those survivors and myself and condemn the predatory and reprehensible comments of Donald Trump," Wagner said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. ""I withdraw my endorsement and call for Governor Pence to take the lead so we can defeat Hillary Clinton."

Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.)

"The abhorrent comments made by Donald Trump are inexcusable and go directly against what I've been doing in Washington to combat assaults on college campuses. Because of this, I am rescinding my support for Donald Trump and asking to have my name removed from his agriculture advisory committee. With the terrible options America has right now, I cannot cast my vote for any of the candidates, so I hope Donald Trump withdraws from the race so the American people can elect Mike Pence as our next president," Davis said in a statement to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capitol (W. Va.)

"As a woman, a mother, and a grandmother to three young girls, I am deeply offended by Trump's remarks, and there is no excuse for the disgusting and demeaning language. Women have worked hard to gain the dignity and respect we deserve. The appropriate next step may be for him to reexamine his candidacy.

Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.)

"I will not vote for Donald Trump, he said in a statement. If Donald Trump wishes to defeat Hillary Clinton, he should do the only thing that will allow us to do so  step aside, and allow Mike Pence to be the Republican partys nominee. If he fails to do so, I will not vote for Hillary Clinton but will instead write-in my vote for Mike Pence.

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley

"I endorsed Governor John Kasich for President, because I felt like he was the most qualified and the best person to lead our nation. I certainly won't vote for Hillary Clinton, but I cannot and will not vote for Donald Trump," Bentley said in a statement.

Rep. Tom Rooney (Fla.)

As the father of three young sons, I dont want my boys growing up in a world where the President of the United States is allowed to speak or treat women the way Donald Trump has, Rooney said in a statement. "My greatest responsibility in life is to try and be a good husband and father. If I support Donald Trump, I will be telling my boys that I think it is okay to treat women like objects  and Ill have failed as a dad.

Rep. Erik Paulsen (Minn.)

"I will not be voting for him, Paulsen said in a statement.

Rep Joe Heck (Nev.)

I can no longer look past the pattern of behavior and comments that have been made by Donald Trump, Heck said on Saturday. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience continue to support Donald Trump.



Rep. Frank LoBiondo (N.J.)

Saying this election has been incredibly disappointing is an understatement. It never had to be this way. We should be debating the issues that affect our nations future. Instead we have two horribly flawed choices. It is clear that neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton can unify a deeply divided country.I have repeatedly and strongly spoken out against Mr. Trump when he degrades and insults women, minority groups and Gold Star military families. I will not vote for a candidate who boasts of sexual assault. It is my conclusion that Mr. Trump is unfit to be President.Similarly Secretary Clintons dishonorable actions  flagrantly ignoring federal laws, repeated failures in judgment on critical foreign policy and national security decisions, and intentionally lying to Congress and the American people  have disqualified her.I cannot support and will not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton to be President of the United States. I will write in Governor Mike Pence for President, LoBiondo said in a statement.

I can no longer endorse Donald Trump. Read my full statement: pic.twitter.com/lfa9mYZbdC  Senator Mike Crapo (@MikeCrapo) October 8, 2016

Sen. Deb Fischer (Neb.)

"The comments made by Mr. Trump were disgusting and totally unacceptable under any circumstance. It would be wise for him to step aside and allow Mike Pence to serve as our party's nominee," Fischer said in a statement.



But she later said she planned to vote for Trump anyway.

Rep. Bradley Byrne (Ala.)

"Donald Trump's comments regarding women were disgraceful and appalling," Byrne said in a statement. "There are absolutely no circumstances when it would ever be appropriate to speak of women in such a way."



"It is now clear Donald Trump is not fit to be President of the United States and cannot defeat Hillary Clinton. I believe he should step aside and allow Governor Pence to lead the Republican ticket."



Byrne later said that he would, after all, support the Republican ticket.

Rep. Scott Garrett (N.J.)

Garrett said that Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, would be "the best nominee for the Republican Party to defeat Hillary Clinton," according to the AP.



Garrett later said he still intended to vote for the GOP nominee.



"Donald Trump remains the nominee of the Republican Party, and Rep. Garrett has always said he will vote for the Republican Party nominee, his campaign manager said.

Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah)

"I'm out. I'm pulling my endorsement," Chaffetz said in an interview on Friday.



"I can not support in any way, shape or form the comments or approach Donald Trump has taken. This is so over the top, it is not even acceptable in locker rooms. It shouldn't be acceptable anywhere. We are talking about the president of the United States. I want someone of high moral values."



But less than a month later, Chaffetz tweeted that he would vote for Trump after all.

Sen. John Thune (S.D.)

"Donald Trump should withdraw and Mike Pence should be our nominee effective immediately," Thune tweeted.



But Thune said he still intends to vote for Trump.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.
By Amy Sawitta Lefevre and Panu Wongcha-um BANGKOK/KHON KAEN (Reuters) - Thailand's generals could hardly have planned it better. The flight of ousted prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra before a court verdict for negligence leaves the populist movement that has dominated Thai politics for a generation leaderless and in despair. It also means Yingluck doesn't become a martyr, as she could have done if she had been jailed over the costly rice subsidy scheme, or get let off lightly, which could have raised awkward questions over why the military overthrew her in 2014. What it doesn't do is eliminate the Shinawatras' power base: the largely poor and provincial Thais who have had the numbers to deliver them victory in every election since 2001 despite the best efforts of pro-army and deeply royalist conservatives. Yingluck fled just before a court verdict on her criminal negligence trial over a multi-billion dollar scheme to help poor farmers, sources within her Puea Thai Party said. They said she had gone to Dubai to join her brother Thaksin Shinawatra, the self-made billionaire and family patriarch who was overthrown as prime minister in 2006 and fled to escape a corruption conviction he says was politically motivated. Neither Thaksin or Yingluck could be reached for comment. "The party has no true leader right now. Without Yingluck the party is headless," said one senior Puea Thai Party member, who declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. "It doesn't have a figurehead that the people love." FIGUREHEAD Yingluck, 50, had been banned from politics for five years by the junta in 2015, but could have rallied support for her party at elections the army has promised for next year. That would have been harder if she had been sentenced over the estimated $8 billion losses on the rice scheme, but jail would have made her a rallying point with glamorous star power at home and abroad. Her departure meant she would not become Thailand's version of neighboring Myanmar's once long-detained Aung San Suu Kyi. "This will embolden the military government because they did not have to put her in jail," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, the director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University. Government spokesman Weerachon Sukhontapatipak declined to comment on the case or the implications of Yingluck's absence. There was no evidence the junta had been aware Yingluck might have intended to skip bail, but suspicions circulated among her supporters that her departure was very convenient for the military government. "She was closely monitored by authorities. It isn't possible that she left the country without help," said Thanawut Wichaidit, of the red-shirt United Front For Democracy Against Dictatorship political movement that supports the Shinawatras, without offering any proof. The crowds of supporters bearing roses and bunches of rice at Yingluck's previous court appearances had shown her enduring support despite crackdowns on dissent since the coup. In the red-shirt heartlands of Thailand's rural northeast, the mood was somber. Yingluck supporters sympathized with her for fleeing, but didn't know who could replace her. Yingluck took over despite being a political novice after Thaksin fled into exile and succeeded through personal charm and charisma - as well as his distant backing. There are no obvious candidates now. "I don't have the skill," Yingluck's older sister, Monthathip Kovitcharoenkul, 58, a businesswoman who had been talked about as a potential candidate, told reporters. POWER BASE The constituency the Shinawatras represented has not disappeared, however. That potentially complicates the military's plans for an election even with a new constitution that entrenches the power of the generals for years to come. Electoral numbers show the poorer, aspiring parts of Thai society have more votes than backers of the entrenched elite and its yellow shirt followers. The majority Shinawatra-supporting northeastern and northern regions alone account for more than 45 percent of Thailand's population, according to the most recent official data. They accounted for less than 12 percent of the economy. "If they field a dog as a candidate in the northeast it would win a seat in the election," said Wassawan Ken-kla, 40, a local leader in northeastern Udon Thani. After Yingluck's flight, poor, rural voters who had benefited from Shinawatra policies may become even more sympathetic, said Paul Chambers, a lecturer at Naresuan University in the northern Thailand. "Other Puea Thai leaders will soon emerge," he said. Even without the party, the red shirt movement said it would carry on. It played a pivotal role in backing both the Puea Thai Party and Thaksin's former party, Thai Rak Thai, which was dissolved in 2007. "We will vote for any party that supports us and is on the side of democracy," Thanawut, the red shirt activist, said. (Editing by Matthew Tostevin and Lincoln Feast)
Frank Rudzicz with his robot Ludwig - WinterLight Labs

This is the second in a three-part series reporting from Torontos booming Artificial Intelligence sector where new technologies are being pioneered that will permanently change all of our lives

Just 45 seconds in the company of scientist Frank Rudzicz and his machines is all it takes to determine whether or not you are suffering from Alzheimers disease.

In that time, the complex Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms that the 37-year-old and his team have developed are able to pick apart your voice and predict the severity of the disease to an accuracy of around 82 per cent (and rising).

First, there is your actual use of language. Alzheimers sufferers tend to leave longer pauses between words, prefer pronouns to nouns (for example, saying she rather than a persons name) and give more simplistic descriptions, such as a car rather than the model or make.

Then there is what Rudzicz calls the jittter and shimmer of speech; variations in frequency and amplitude. These are very difficult for the human ear to pick up but the computer is objective and completely quantifiable, he says.

How human speech is picked apart by AI to check our health Credit: WinterLight Labs

Rudzicz is speaking from the boardroom of WinterLight Labs, the company he co-founded on the upper floors of the West Tower of Torontos Mars Discovery District: a cluster of shiny downtown buildings run by a public-private partnership where some of the most ground-breaking AI research in the world is taking place, and from where the Telegraph is reporting for a three-part series on the technologies already changing our lives.

Frank Rudzicz and Laim Kaufman of WinterLight Labs Credit: Julian Simmonds

Much has been made in recent days of the world-destroying potential of AI. Last Monday, the founders of more than 160 companies, including Elon Musk of Tesla and British tech entrepreneur Mustefa Suleyman, signed an open letter to the UN warning without urgent action lethal autonomous weapons will create a third revolution in warfare similar to that which followed the invention of gunpowder and the atomic bomb.

Despite the very real fears that such technologies could be our undoing, it is also hoped if managed properly they will be of huge benefit to society  nowhere more so than in healthcare where a revolution is already underway.

Story continues

Neural networks replicates human learning in machines Credit: E+

According to a recent industry projection by the market research company Frost and Sullivan, in 2021 AI in health will be worth 5bn globally, representing a 40 per cent growth on today.

In April, British digital healthcare company Babylon raised nearly 50m to build an AI doctor that can diagnose illnesses without help from a human.

Frank Rudzicz is working towards something similar. As well as his 45-second test which studies 400 different variables of speech, he has built a robot named Ludwig, two foot-tall and possessing the appearance of a ventriloquists dummy.

Ludwig runs on so-called machine learning algorithms which recognise data and make predictions - similar to how Amazon might suggest a new book and Netflix a must-watch box-set. For Ludwig, these algorithms enable him to engage patients in conversation and assess speech patterns to determine their health.

As well as testing for memory and speech impairment, such technology can even predict emotions  and whether or not a patient is at risk of an imminent bout of anxiety or depression.

AI timeline

Rudzicz, who is also an assistant professor in computer science at the University of Toronto, admits there are complex regulatory issues around the extent to which AI machines should be used to diagnose patients.

Currently, his models are being piloted in the largest network of retirement homes in North America, and among elderly patients in Edinburgh and Nice, to collect data and train the machines to understand different languages and accents.

At present, they are only being used only to map cognitive decline within existing patients rather than actually diagnosis new ones.

We have always been careful to position this as an assessment aid rather than straight diagnosis, Rudzicz says. One of the main risks I see with AI in healthcare is people can put a lot of faith into it and discount other sources of evidence.

How long such restraint continues, though, remains uncertain. Already we rely on AI algorithms contained within our smartphone to map many of our vital statistics: blood pressure, heart rate, sleep quality and fertility.

All the experts predict that in the coming years this ceding of our biological data to machines will rise exponentially to the point where each of us carries around what is, in essence, our own portable GP.

According to Android Dreams, the new book written by the eminent Australian artificial intelligence professor Toby Walsh, smartphones may also take selfies to identify suspect melanomas and monitor the health of eyes. AI-equipped toilets, meanwhile, will unprompted analyse samples of urine and stool and alert us to anything amiss.

In his book, Professor Walsh also offers another prediction: that by 2050, many of us will have had our genes sequenced making it far easier to identify and treat genetic disorders which presently affect some 350m people worldwide.

In a different building in Torontos Mars Discovery District, another pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence is working on that exact problem. The aim of Brendan Freys work is simple. We want to change medicine, he says.

Brendan Frey of the Deep Genomics Credit: Julian Simmonds

The 48-year-old, who is a professor at the University of Toronto and chief executive of the AI health research company Deep Genomics, which he started in 2014, has painful personal experience of the current knowledge gap in genetic disease.

In 2002, he and his wife were told their third child with whom she was pregnant at the time could be suffering from an (unnamed) genetic disorder.

We were told it could be nothing, or it could be a disaster, Frey recalls. It was very difficult to deal with, and we ended up terminating the pregnancy.

At the time, Frey was on the technical advisory board of Microsoft working on speech recognition. Following the death of his unborn child, he decided to leave and begin focusing on developing the technology that could cure genetic disorders.

Leaning back against a white chalkboard scrawled with impregnable equations and wearing an AC/DC Highway to Hell T-shirt, Frey attempts to explain how his work will unravel the mysteries of the human genome and help both predict and eventually treat diseases such as spinal muscular atrophy and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

A man walks past a digital representation of the human genome Credit: Getty

In the Nineties, Frey worked on early AI machine-learning algorithms with the so-called Godfather of AI, the British scientist Professor Geoffrey Hinton. Machine learning works by teaching the computer through layers of code, enabling it to build up a pattern of understanding which it can then apply itself to a particular problem  in this instance, mapping the genome.

The basic fact is no human or group of humans will ever understand how the genome works, Frey says. We have an exponentially growing set of data to allow us to peer into cells and read out what is changing. There is only one solution: artificial intelligence. Its the best technology we have in our systems to understand complex data.

Certainly Freys work is exciting enough to be attracting a lot of venture capital money. He says some 3m was initially raised to start the company and now he is looking to raise a further 9.5m in the coming months, with his 20-strong staff expected to soon double.

According to Frey, pathologists in different laboratories will disagree over a particular genetic mutation up to 50 per cent of the time. In the new machine age he is working to bring about, he says such contrarian advice will be eradicated.

This gulf between robot intelligence and human uncertainty has unsurprisingly fuelled growing talk of AI replacing doctors, radiologists and laboratory technicians.

Frey insists we will always need humans to address the outliers. But how long before we will be making an appointment with a machine?

The robot, not the doctor, will be seeing you soon enough.
Theres all kinds of incredible and distressing imagery coming out of Hurricane Harvey, but as ever, you need to check before pressing E to pay respects.

The photo above is doing the rounds on social media, purportedly showing Houston airport after the flooding of Hurricane Harvey. Its a staggering image  and not unbelievable, given the very real photos of flooded highways going around  but also totally fake.

Don't Miss:This hidden spy camera is so covert, it should be illegal

The picture was actually made by digital artist Nickolay Lamm for search engine company StorageFront as part of a series showing the effect on rising sea levels. The picture most widely being circulated shows what LaGuardia airport would look like after 25 feet of sea level rise, but there are others in the same series that show the effect of five feet and 12 feet of rise.

Workers at Houston airport have said on social media that although the airport is affected by the storm, its not anything like the image here. The FAA closed the airport to commercial traffic on Sunday, and all roads to and from the airport are also closed. That caused a number of Southwest passengers to become stranded at the airport, and the airline ended up airlifting them to safety on Sunday.

There are still a number of aircraft left on the ground at Hobby, Houstons smaller airport. The FAA expects the airport to remain closed until August 30th at the earliest, although non-emergency flights do continue to operate.

Related:

For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
- Dr Eyifa-Dzidzienyo has several publications to her credit, including Social Construction

- Archaeologists are social scientists who study people to know what they do and why they do so based on their culture

A 37-year-old student at the University of Ghana has graduated as the first ever female archaeologist from Ghana.

Dr. Gertrude Eyifa-Dzidzienyo graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) in Archaeology during last months graduation ceremony for graduands.

She explained in an interview with The Mirror that she was encouraged to take up this course because she realized there were no female Archaeologists in Ghana.

Dr Eyifa-Dzidzienyo and her family

According to her, she wishes to see more Ghanaians women venture into this field, while admitting that it was a very proud moment for her to be able to achieve this feat.

READ ALSO: Akufo-Addos age and health threat for re-election - EIU report

Explaining how this whole dream started, Dr. Gertrude Eyifa-Dzidzienyo said: After speaking to my academic advisor, Mr John Arkor, for instance, he told me, Youre very inquisitive and probing, so you can do better if you stick to Archaeology, and that motivated me to continue with the programme and graduate with a first degree.

What actually motivated me the most was the fact that during my undergraduate programme, there was no Ghanaian female who taught us except some foreign women who came to assist in Level 300.

She continued that realizing there was no Ghanaian female archaeologist motivated her to take up the challenge and decided that if that was the case, I was going to study hard to become the first Ghanaian female to obtain my PhD in the field.

Dr. Gertrude Eyifa-Dzidzienyo, though, attributed the low level of interest from Ghanaian women in Archaeology to a lack of proper education concerning the field.

Get more YEN news here.

She added that Archaeologists are neither grave looters nor diggers as is being misconstrued by many people out there.

READ ALSO: Photo: Shatta Wale reignites love for Shatta Michy

Dr. Gertrude Eyifa-Dzidzienyo is currently married with two children. She had her elementary education at thee Seventh Day Adventist Demonstration school, before continuing her secondary school education at the Juabeng Secondary Commercial School.

Do you have any stories to share with YEN? Get featured! Contact us on Facebook and email via info@yen.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh
ANGOLA  Dr. Fred Doloresco and his wife, Joanne, moved to Steuben County in 2012 into a house that Fred did a lot of the design work for, including the indoor decor.

In addition to being a cardiologist, Fred is an accomplished oil painter and the two are heavily into collecting the art that accents their Lake James home.

Fred first became interested in painting and collecting art when visiting a friend that was taking courses in college in art and art appreciation. The two painted the day Fred visited, and although he said it wasnt a good painting, Fred found the art interesting.

Id do one or two bad paintings a year and quit, he said.

Later, he found himself doing a painting that wasnt too bad and it inspired him to take a painting workshop with his mentor, American impressionist painter Don Stone, in Maine.

His work with Stone got him into learning about American art history and the impressionist style which he paints.

He wanted to paint more, and 10 years ago he approached the cardiology group he was a part of and asked them if he could step down to a few days a week so he could paint more frequently.

I went into painting because I couldnt buy a painting every day and I needed more art in my life, he said.

He purchased his first painting at an auction. Theyd attended not even planning to buy anything.

They have since amassed a collection of paintings that decorate their home and have hung in galleries, including a few in Indiana.

Three years ago, some friends and I arranged for an exhibit of Cape Ann paintings at the University of Saint Francis museum. It was written up in the magazine American Art Review, he said. One of the paintings was featured on the cover, and we own several of the others in it.

A piece he painted won best of show at the Indiana Heritage Arts festival this year, and it marked the fourth time hes won that show. Hes pretty sure its a record number of wins. The painting was purchased by the organizers of the festival for the museum.

An avid kayak paddler, Fred goes out in his kayak daily and takes his phone so he can take photographs of what he sees on the lake so he can recreate it in a painting. He also spent several months going around the lake painting old cottages he came across.

Ive also painted a particular flower garden from Lake George that is beautiful, he said.

Hes also painted figures of his children, his grandchildren and other scenes from in and around Steuben County.

I am struck by the historic aspect of the Amish, he said. I won an award at a show for a painting of two Amish women helping an Amish man load hay onto a wagon.

When his grandchildren come to visit, they do art projects. These projects include a painting of Lake James in their home they painted with Fred in a day and a statue of an alligator they constructed that stands outside the home. He said some of the art and projects they do together are really interesting.

Art isnt relaxing for me, but its rewarding, he said.

Joanne said Freds attention to detail has played a role in both his art and his career as a physician.

When designing their home, Fred was told the pergola on the front porch could be built out of cedar, as it was the best wood to get for the project. He wanted more and told the contractors to give him a bit to find what he wanted.

Thanks to the internet, he found some old growth redwood that had been harvested in 1850 and caught in a log jam, pushed into the silt, and not unearthed until 1970.

Its a religious experience almost walking under that wood thats 1,000 years older than Christ, he said.

Its details like the redwood and the craftsmanship throughout the home, all of which are art and craft from someone, that set it apart. They wanted to live surrounded by art and craft.

The Doloresco home along with the home of their neighbor, Yvonne J. Boesker, will be open for an art tour on September 24 from 1-5 p.m. as part of the Art and Architecture tour with the Fort Wayne Art League. The Dolorescos as well as Boesker will be present during the tour to answer questions and share about their art and homes.

Tickets for the tour must be purchased by Sept. 10 at the price of $75/person. Only 100 will be sold. Parking for the tour is at Mad Anthonys Lakeview Ale house, 4080N 300W, Angola, with shuttles running to the homes.

More information about the tour, including a link to the registration pamphlet, can be found on Facebook, @FWArtLeague.
Almaty. August 15. Kazakhstan Today - The Mayor Administration of Almaty held a meeting on the realization of state and government programs, - Kazakhstan Today reports.





During the meeting, the Mayor of Almaty Bauyrzhan Baibek gave several official instructions on achieving benchmarks of programs and solving problem issues, paying special attention of the heads of departments and city districts on the need of strengthening control over the quality of production and compliance with deadlines of facility commissioning. Following the results of 7 months of this year, all programs achieved basic meaning, including in the field of development of health care, education, Rukhani Zhangyru, etc., - Press Service of the Mayor of Almaty reported.





According to the Press Service, in the city, within the framework of Nurly Zhol State Program for Infrastructure Development, the work is managed in three directions: modernization, reconstruction and construction of infrastructure for housing and utilities sector and heat supply, water supply systems and drainage. Since 2015, 81 km of engineering networks have been built to provide Sayaly, Zhas Kanat, Algabas-1 micro-districts and objects of the Universiade with the necessary infrastructure, 13.9 km of engineering networks were reconstructed. This year, objects are reconstructed at the amount of 9.9 billion tenge that will reduce a wear-out by 1.5%, losses by 2.3%, fault rate by 3.2% compared to 2016. During implementation of the program, more than 2,400 work places were created.





Besides, within the framework of the implementation of Nurly Zher program, this year 85 buildings with a total area of 216.8 thousand m2 or 4,198 apartments will be commissioned, including construction of 73 buildings through the Mayor Administration within the framework of this state program, 24 of which will be completed this year.





According to the Regions Development Program till 2020, 141 km of new water supply networks and 96 km of sewerage at the amount of 4.8 billion tenge have been built since 2015. In total, over 2016 year, 467.2 km of engineering networks were built and reconstructed. In 2017 it is planned to build and reconstruct 545 km of engineering networks: water supply, drainage, gas supply, electricity supply, heat supply. In the framework of the Program, last year 37 buildings were repaired and 47 elevators were replaced. In 2017, 245 buildings will be repaired (replacement of 199 elevators in 94 buildings and repair of entrances, facades, roofing in 151 buildings).





Also the Press Service informed that within the State Program of Industrial and Innovative Development, 100 projects at the amount of 190 billion tenge with creation of 12,000 workplaces are included into the Almaty Business Support Map. Since 2015, 33 projects at the amount of 35.6 billion tenge with creation of 2.7 thousand new workplaces have been launched. All enterprises work according to plan with a capacity of 70% or more. By the end of the year, it is planned to launch another 22 projects at the amount of 59 billion tenge with creation of more than 2 thousand workplaces.





In the framework of the DKB 2020 Business Support and Development Unified Program, in 2015 and 2016, 448 projects were supported with creation of 2.5 thousand new workplaces. At the same time, 15.5 thousand workplaces were kept. In this year, 4.4 billion tenge was allocated for subsidies, guarantees and grants. As a result, 1.6 thousand workplaces were created, 7.3 thousand workplaces were kept, - the Mayor Administration confirmed.





Since 2015, 10.7 billion tenge was allocated to Zhibek Zholy regional program on a parity basis with Damu Fund, with the support of 175 projects. The participants of the program for 2016 - 2017, 1.2 billion tenge have already paid for taxes; 550 new workplaces were created, 1.2 thousand workplaces were kept.





Following the results of 7 months, the number of Small and Medium Enterprises in the city grew by 7.3% and amounted to 172.9 thousand. The number of employed in Small and Medium Enterprises for the 1st quarter of 2017 amounted to 581 thousand people, with growth of 2.4%.





According to the results of 7 months of this year, all programs achieved basic meaning, including in the field of healthcare development, Rukhani Zhangyru, etc. For example, in 2016, according to the Program for the Development of Education and Science in Almaty, first-grade schoolchildren were provided with free textbooks and academic and methodological complexes at 100%. In 2017, the second, fifth, seventh classes will have updated content of education. This year, according to the results of the Unified National Testing, the students of the city take the first place in the republic for the sixth year in a row. The maximum results have been achieved for other indicators of the program, - the Press Service concluded.








The Houston County Board of Commissioners continues to weigh its options when it comes to a geographic information system following the retirement of its GIS coordinator.

The board discussed the online system to store spatial and geographic data during its Aug. 22 meeting. It also approved an agreement with Southeastern Minnesota Water Resources Board and discussed a possible land purchase.

After two meetings, the countys GIS committee recommended that the county use Schneiders online GIS technology with the condition that the services contract be reviewed after the first six-months. It also recommended that the coordination of the technology be under the countys assessors office.

GIS is an online system that captures and stores spatial or geographic data.

I have a hard time spending $30,000 or whatever the quote was when we have people educated in GIS in the county, said commissioner Teresa Walter.

The discussion about possible changes comes after GIS coordinator Dan Krzoska retired in June. In an effort to save money, the board listened to a presentation by Schneider Corporation about its online GIS technology called Beacon about a month ago. The technology would eliminate the need for a GIS coordinator and would save the county from paying a salary.

After Krzoskas retirement, the only known GIS trained personnel in the countys office is surveyor Eric Schmitt who was hired in January.

If he has GIS knowledge, then that should go hand in hand with his surveying knowledge, said commissioner Jack Miller. If we are in fact a team, I dont know why he shouldnt share that knowledge without a career change.

While Schmitt does not currently work on GIS services, the board discussed possibly tying GIS into his role and contracting with Schneider for training services.

Every department head has written to us saying they want somebody in house, said commissioner Scott Connor. I believe them.

After the board discussed a few compromises, no action was made and the county agreed to look more discerningly at Schneiders contract.

New Website

A newly commissioned Houston County-based graphic design group will soon turn its attention to the official Houston County website as approved at the Houston County Board of Commissioners Meeting.

The redesign of the countys website has been a major focus for Community and Economic Development Associates Director Courtney Bergey in the last six months.

Although the county received 15 proposals ranging from $1,600 to $55,680 by the July 15 deadline, the EDA board approved the only Houston County-based proposalHazel Street Creative owned by Caledonia resident Amanda Wray Ninneman for $2,850.

The project is funded by the EDAs 2017 $5,500 marketing budget.

Hazel Street Creative will build, manage and maintain the website as well as rebrand the EDA logo.

Possible land purchase

A property next to the countys highway department shop is on the real estate market.

I wanted to see if we have an interest, Connor said. The land we have is not big enough if we want enough room for a water retention pond and a larger shop.

Although the owners of the property currently have no offer price, Connor and Houston County Attorney Sam Jandt agreed to work together to find the proper procedure to possibly pursue the property.

In Other News

The board approved a grant agreement with the Southeastern Minnesota Water Resources Board. The agreement gives the county $8,500 to fix feedlots.
La Crosse keeps its collective memories on the second floor of the public library.

Established in 1980, the La Crosse Public Library Archives is a repository for official city documents, local newspapers, business records and family photos. Hundreds of rolls of microfilm, books and maps, and roughly 1,100 cubic feet of other materials from nearly 1,000 collections.

Two archivists and four support librarians last year fielded about 13,000 questions, roughly half of them related to genealogy, said Anita Doering, manager and chief archivist.

Hidden Places: The La Crosse Public Library Archives Photos depicting workers in the former LaCrosse Footwear factory are among the many collections of documents detailing local history in the Ar

Want to know when your home was built? Archivists can use property tax roles, city directories, and water and sewer records to tell you when. They can also give you a pretty good idea of who else has lived there.

Census ledgers  both online and on microfilm  allow genealogists to track down ancestors and find out where they lived, what they did for work, as well as the names and ages of immediate family and neighbors.

City directories dating back to the 1800s offer a bi-annual snapshot of businesses and residents. School yearbooks and church directories help fill in the social tapestry.

Hidden Places: The La Crosse Public Library Archives The archives holds microfilm copies of nearly every newspaper printed in the city of La Crosse, and most of those printed in the county since 1885.

There are microfilm copies of every newspaper ever printed in the city of La Crosse, and most of those printed in the county since 1885.

A collection of family photos offers a window into the social life and times of people  in this case the 1890s up to the 30s and 40s, Doering said.

Hidden Places: The La Crosse Public Library Archives Police blotters  actual handwritten logs  detail life on the streets from 1898 through 1954. The entry at the upper left of this 1933 book d

Police blotters  actual handwritten logs  detail life on the streets from 1898 through 1954. On Dec. 27, 1932, officers found the front doors of the Hoeschler Building and Holland Furnace Co. left unlocked, responded to a battery, collected $3.50 in parking fines and arrested a 56-year-old Chicago man found passed out drunk at Fourth and Market streets, among other things.

An 1856 petition asks the newly formed La Crosse city council to do something about the smell and inconvenience of two slaughterhouses in the citys Third Ward.

Most of the collection resides in compact storage  rolling shelves that collapse to save space  that was added to the library in 1996. Its footprint has grown over the past two decades as the librarys periodical holdings moved into the digital realm.

A 16-shelf electronic carousel designed for a hospital pharmacy holds the archives clipping files  indexed folders of newspaper stories on thousands of topics. With a few keystrokes, associate librarian David Kranz can summon several decades worth of collective knowledge.
DAVENPORT, Iowa  Caked in mud and covered with bug bites, a shivering group of six friends from the Quad-Cities huddled together in the dark Aug. 20, stranded in the woods of northeast Iowa.

The leisurely float they planned down the Yellow River had gone haywire.

Wearing swimsuits and carrying snacks, water and inner tubes, the women embarked on their outing about 11 a.m., thinking they had only three hours to travel.

Several hours passed, however, and they had not yet reached their endpoint.

"We just thought our second car was a lot closer," said Wendy Saathoff, a 37-year-old mother of two, who manages the taproom at Great River Brewery in Davenport.

The river levels also were lower than they expected, which slowed their journey.

"It's a little embarrassing," she said, noting this was not their first trip in the wilderness. "We've all floated before, kayaked before and backpacked before; it just takes one mistake for something like this to turn into a pretty bad situation."

Finally, they decided to ditch their rafts and hike toward Great River Road. After tearing through thick brush full of stinging nettle for 2 hours, they hopped back in the river.

As three of the women swam ahead, Saathoff and two others jumped back on shore to escape the cold water.

Just before dusk, one of them had managed to climb atop a bluff, where she found a sliver of cellphone service to call for help.

The Allamakee County Sheriffs Office received the call at 7 p.m. and requested backup from other agencies to assist in a search-and-rescue mission near Effigy Mounds National Monument, according to a news release.

Upon arrival, the Decorah Fire Department deployed a drone. Thanks to the aircrafts thermal imaging camera, it was able to locate three of the women within 10 minutes.

After pinpointing their location, volunteer firefighter and quadcopter pilot Zach Kerndt attached a radio transmitter to the aircraft and delivered it to the group.

It felt like we were in a movie, said Saathoff, whose trio received the communication device. It was just surreal.

Using the radio, Saathoff said they informed authorities that their three other friends were downriver from them.

It creates a means of communication, Kerndt said, referring to the drone. We were able to tell them that there was help coming.

Aboard utility terrain vehicles, first responders with Harpers Ferry Fire and Rescue picked up both groups of women and transported them to safety around 11:30 p.m.

Saathoff, whose hands had turned purple, said she and two others were treated for hypothermia.

Without the drone, Kerndt said, "It wouldve been really hard to find them."

"In years to come, I could see almost every fire department having one," he said. "It gives you another view on things that you don't normally get to see."

Having survived this nightmarish adventure, Saathoff said they will be better prepared for their next trek on the Yellow River.

"We're absolutely going back," she said. "We're not going to be scared."

She mentioned plans to kayak and camp along the waterway someday.

"That place is gorgeous," she said.
The first ad from state Superintendent Tony Evers Democratic gubernatorial campaign blasts the $3 billion incentive package Republican Gov. Scott Walker has proposed for a Taiwanese electronics giant.

The radio ad, which airs in the Milwaukee, Green Bay and Wausau markets, also ties the Foxconn deal to President Donald Trump, who helped announce it last month in an event at the White House with Walker and Foxconn CEO Terry Gou.

The Donald Trump-Scott Walker $3 billion deal for Foxconn might sound good, until you look at the fine print, Evers says in the ad.

The ad criticizes the deal for lacking requirements that Foxconn workers be Wisconsin residents, exempting the project from state environmental protections and for taking 25 years for the state to begin to recoup its investment. The deal calls for giving Foxconn $2.85 billion in refundable tax credits tied to the project over the next 15 years.

Sounds good for Foxconn, but whats in it for the rest of us? Just think if we invested that money in our schools instead, Evers says.

Evers made his candidacy official last week.

State Rep. Dana Wachs of Eau Claire, Milwaukee-area businessman Andy Gronik and Barneveld newcomer Bob Harlow also are officially seeking the Democratic nod for governor in 2018.

Walker is widely expected to announce soon that he will seek a third term.

Republican Party of Wisconsin spokesman Alec Zimmerman said Evers stance shows hes putting political futures ahead of Wisconsin families.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  North Korea fired an unidentified projectile from its capital Pyongyang that flew over Japan, officials said, an especially aggressive test-flight that will rattle an already anxious region.

Seoul's Joint Chiefs of Staff on Tuesday said the South Korean and U.S. militaries were analyzing the launch and didn't immediately confirm how far the projectile traveled. Japanese officials said the missile flew over the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido and landed in the Pacific Ocean. There was no damage to ships or anything else reported. Japan's NHK TV said the missile separated into three parts.

The launch comes days after the North fired what was assessed as three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea and a month after its second flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which analysts say could reach deep into the U.S. mainland when perfected.

North Korea typically reacts with anger to U.S.-South Korean military drills, which are happening now, often staging weapons tests and releasing threats to Seoul and Washington in its state-controlled media. But animosity is higher than usual following threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to unleash "fire and fury" on the North, and Pyongyang's stated plan to consider firing some of its missiles toward Guam.

Pyongyang regularly argues that the U.S.-South Korean military exercises are an invasion rehearsal. The allies say they are defensive and meant to counter North Korean aggression.

North Korea's U.N. ambassador, Ja Song Nam, wrote recently that the exercises are "provocative and aggressive" when the Korean peninsula is "like a time bomb."
WASHINGTON  In the federal government and in most states, there are consequences when governments deprive Americans of their constitutional right to liberty  through, say, wrongful imprisonment.

So why arent there more meaningful consequences when states deprive Americans of their constitutional right to vote?

Again and again, voter fraud has been shown to be virtually nonexistent. Yet in the name of eradicating this imagined scourge, state officials around the country have been systemically and aggressively disenfranchising American citizens. To prevent a handful of votes from possibly being cast illegally, officials purge thousands of eligible voters from state rolls, toss ballots and pass modern-day poll taxes.

This year alone, at least 99 bills restricting access to registration and voting have been introduced in 31 states, according to New York University School of Laws Brennan Center for Justice.

And this doesnt even capture the full extent of voter-suppression efforts, given that some changes have been done administratively rather than through legislation.

A few states have proved to be especially bad actors.

In the 2016 election, for example, Kansas threw out more than three times as many ballots as any similarly sized state did, according to a recent Associated Press analysis.

Some Kansans ballots were tossed as a result of recent policy changes. But others were eliminated because of a stupid software bug. That is, some people arrived at the polls incorrectly believing they had already legally registered, because the states online registration system had mistakenly told them so. This glitch had been happening for months before the general election, according to emails obtained by the AP.

All this occurred of course under the leadership of Kansas Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, now spearheading President Trumps election integrity commission.

Texas has likewise repeatedly tried to suppress minority (and predominantly Democratic) votes.

On Wednesday, a federal court struck down the states voter ID laws, which the judge determined had been enacted with discriminatory intent  knowingly placing additional burdens on a disproportionate number of Hispanic and African-American voters.

The same court had found the states voter ID law discriminatory in 2014, and Wednesdays ruling determined that a new, watered-down version was no better. While a challenge had been working its way through the judicial system, a discriminatory law was in effect for multiple statewide elections.

Where is the justice for those denied suffrage in Kansas, Texas and other states?

Their elections are effectively tainted, but theyre also over. Nothing to be done about them now.

There should be, though.

If we want state officials to stop erring so often on the side of disenfranchising voters, we need to start punishing them for illegally denying Americans the right to vote, rather than just have courts say, Hey now, dont do that again.

The costs are much too low for public officials who, whether deliberately or mistakenly, disenfranchise Americans.

On very, very rare occasions, if a plaintiff can prove that an election was sufficiently tainted, a judge could order a new election. Also on very, very rare occasions, individuals can be charged with a criminal offense if they can be proved to have intentionally interfered with someones votes.

But for the most part, policies that systemically disenfranchise thousands of voters  and possibly swing election results  go unpunished.

A states bad law or administrative policy gets struck down, and officials are just forced to do things differently in the next election.

In which case, state officials might respond by introducing a new bad law, a la Texas.

One way to change the system would be for courts to more often grant preliminary injunctions against new election laws undergoing a legal challenge.

Once the damage is done you cant really adequately repair it, says Wendy Weiser, director of the Brennan Centers democracy program. Courts could recognize this and err on the side of keeping the status quo, at least temporarily.

This would address only deliberate policy changes, though, not incompetence (as in Kansas software glitch). So why not raise the possible costs to getting things wrong, to change the calculus?

Congress or state legislatures could, for example, pass laws making it easier for state officials to be held liable for monetary damages if they have illegally denied someone their right to vote. Right now these officials likely have qualified immunity from such suits, according to Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.

For American citizens, voting is a sacred and constitutionally enshrined right. Its time the country, and those paid to serve the public, actually treat it as such.
MADISON, Wis.  In the same week when Wisconsins overall health-care quality was ranked No. 1 in the nation by the federal agency that tracks such data, the state Workers Compensation Advisory Council came up with a solution in search of a problem.

The council agreed with the states largest business lobby that companies are being overcharged by providers and hospitals for treating injured employees  and that adding a set fee schedule for medical procedures would keep costs down.

The recommendation, which may reach the Wisconsin Legislature in bill form, should be examined as part of a much larger issue: Employers who invest in high-quality health care for their workers get measurable returns on their investment.

The Workers Compensation issue has been a source of friction between Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and the states medical community for years. The business lobby has argued that companies get charged too much for treating workers injured on the job. The medical community has countered by touting its record of fixing what ails those workers, cutting down on return trips to the hospital, and quickly returning healthier workers to their jobs and productivity.

While there will always be anecdotal examples to the contrary, the quality of health care in Wisconsin compares favorably to what can be found in any state. Moreover, employers who contribute to providing health coverage for their workers are paying somewhere in the mainstream of what companies in other states pay. Here are recent examples of quality scores.

The federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported in late August that Wisconsin ranked No. 1 among the states in overall quality of health care, as measured by 200 statistical measures used by the agency to evaluate performance. Wisconsin historically ranks high in the federal study but cracked into the top spot this year, followed closely by Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The AHRQ ranking follows on the heels of a No. 1 ranking for the states critical access hospitals by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. Critical access hospitals are smaller facilities that provide essential services in rural areas; Wisconsin has 58 such hospitals. Maine, Utah and Minnesota were next in the federal ratings.

If Wisconsin has high-quality health care, are employers paying through the nose to get it? While there can be striking regional differences on employer costs, the answer is a qualified no.

A recent study by the state of Oregon specifically targeted to Workers Compensation costs in all 50 states ranked Wisconsins premiums 12th highest in the nation and at 112 percent of the national median. However, other rankings of overall employer costs are a bit more favorable.

In a report released Aug. 24, the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation calculated that employers in Wisconsin pay an average premium of $4,985 per employee for single health insurance coverage. That ranked 13th highest in the nation and within a few dollars of eight other states that ranked lower in employer costs.

In early 2017, the Huffington Post ranked Wisconsin 11th best in the country in terms of overall health insurance costs. In October 2016, the Commonwealth Fund reported that premiums and deductibles for employer health insurance have risen more slowly in Wisconsin and nationally since 2010, when the Affordable Care Act was adopted. About 55 percent of Wisconsin residents are insured through employers.

Thats not to say businesses shouldnt be concerned about rising health-care costs  the trend lines remain up  but quality care can accrue benefits that go straight to the bottom line.

The often-asked question, How much does this health plan cost? can be answered in ways that go far beyond insurance premiums. It also includes sick days, sick wages and worker productivity.

The failure to prevent serious complications, such as a hospital-acquired infection, may cost the patient his or her life, prolonged disability and thousands of dollars in treatment. Avoidable surgical complications may prolong hospitalization, result in disability or death, and cause great expense and repeated procedures.

More than 30 studies have been conducted over time on the links between health risks, medical costs and workplace productivity. The studies provide compelling evidence that investing in employees good health pays off in measurable ways.

High-quality health care is also a business advantage worth touting. At a time when Wisconsin businesses are working to attract and retain workers, they should be pointing to quality metrics and working with health providers to do more.

Setting fee schedules and procedure rates may have a short-term effect, but weighing health-care costs against quality and productivity is a better long-term strategy.
Of all the damaging actions President Trump has taken, pardoning Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio may be the most devastating.

His pardon isnt simply an endorsement of racism, inhumane detainee treatment and terrorism of minority communities. It is a reward for violating the rule of law.

By pardoning a man who openly subverted the judiciary branch, Trump destabilizes the very pillars upon which American democracy rests.

For years, Arpaio proudly ran his Maricopa County jail, in his words, like a concentration camp. Detainees were served rotten food and lived outside in tents under the scorching Arizona sun. This was a jail, not a prison -- many of these detainees were awaiting trial, not yet convicted of any crime.

Arpaio terrorized the Latino community of Maricopa County, engaging in racist policing that led to illegal stops and searches in violation of the 4th Amendment. Latinos in Arpaios county were up to nine times more likely to be pulled over than non-Latinos.

Courts repeatedly ordered Arpaio to stop his illegal, racist misconduct. He didnt just refuse; he openly bragged about his lawlessness, considering himself above the law he solemnly swore to uphold. He was charged, tried and convicted of criminal contempt of court before being pardoned.

The presidents pardon eviscerates our nations basic tenet that no man is above the law. His pardon creates a shockwave that shakes the very foundational pillars of our Constitution. With his actions, President Trump signals yet again that he stands with the white supremacists and against the rule of law.

Mason Schultz, Stoddard
Theres a new kid on the block, muscling in on crude sales to China. America is rapidly carving out a niche for itself, stepping in to fill the gap left by falling supplies from OPEC countries.

As recently as last year U.S. crude-oil exports to China were puny. On average in 2016, companies shipped just 10,000 barrels a day to China  thats less than two supertankers during the whole year.

The U.S. ranked 32nd in the list of Chinese import sources in 2016, according to data from the Chinese customs authorities. Thats below Mongolia and Sudan, and only just above war-torn Yemen.

But all that has changed dramatically this year, with U.S. crude exports to China leapfrogging sales from OPEC countries such as Libya and Chinas neighbors Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Australia.

The upward march extended through the first seven months of 2017. Sales averaged 131,000 barrels a day in the period, but over the last four months the daily average figure exceeded 200,000 barrels. That is enough to move the U.S. up to 11th place in the ranking of crude oil suppliers to China, putting it just behind OPEC heavy weights Venezuela, Kuwait and the U.A.E.

OPECs bid to push up prices by restricting output, combined with Chinas apparently insatiable thirst for imported oil, have certainly helped open up a market for American suppliers. So too have low shipping costs and widening discounts for U.S. crude benchmark WTI against both North Sea Brent, which is used as a pricing reference for West African grades, and the Oman/Dubai average, used for pricing Middle Eastern exports to Asia.

Expect the U.S. ranking to gain further ground as producers look for outlets for rising volumes of production, even while the U.S. itself remains a net importer of crude. That may be sweet music to the ears of President Donald Trump, with rising oil sales helping to reduce the trade deficit with China.

But it will not be so comfortable for OPEC countries, who have long seen China and other emerging Asian countries as their core markets. Nor is it helping to drain global stockpiles. While the volume in storage in the U.S. is coming down, the volume held in China is still rising. Commercial stockpiles of crude and refined products in China have risen by 16.5 million barrels, or 5 percent, since the beginning of the year. Strategic stockpiles, which are not reported, have also almost certainly increased too. Not exactly the rebalancing OPEC is trying to achieve.

With oil demand stagnating in the developed world, OPEC producers have turned to Asia, tying up markets with investments in refining and storage capacity in the region. It is no coincidence that initial output cuts by Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf OPEC countries back in January were targeted at buyers in Europe and North America, while supplies to Asian customers were largely unaffected.

Saudi Arabia has already ceded its position as Chinas biggest oil supplier to Russia, and this year has also seen fellow OPEC member Angola move into second place. And itll be hard to regain that top spot: Russia looks set to consolidate its position as Chinas biggest crude supplier once the second string of a pipeline connecting oil fields in East Siberia to Chinese refineries comes into operation in January. That line will allow Russian producers to ship another 300,000 barrels a day of Siberian crude directly to China.

U.S. oil flows to China remain vulnerable to any increase in freight costs or a narrowing of the price differential to other global benchmarks. But while OPEC continues to restrict supply, neither of those looks like a big risk. Gadfly via Bloomberg
The chief of the weather bureau, Fong Soi Kun, was fired for good reason. But I dont agree with the governments justification. Actually, he should have resigned a long time ago, not because he is incompetent, I dont think he is, but because he failed disgracefully to perform his duty, putting political interests, more or less vested, before the interests and the safety of the community. Instead of safeguarding the public, he was, apparently, safeguarding his back. As the saying goes, if you cant stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.

This wasnt the first time, far from it, but this time he ran out of luck, and his failure to comply with explicit and strict laws and regulations on how to deal with warnings in the face of a tropical storm was tragic.

Warning signals are meant to warn, otherwise they defeat the purpose. When signal 10 was hoisted last Wednesday, close to midday, the eye of typhoon Hato was virtually over our heads.

That is why The South China Morning Post apologized last week for their constant criticism of the HK Observatory scrupulously complying with the law when it came to forecasting.

Our next thoughts might be to forgive the Hong Kong Observatory for all the No 8 typhoon signals and the subsequent city shutdowns and inconvenience we have moaned about over the years when nothing much actually happened. Macaus ordeal has underlined the virtue of Hong Kongs dogged persistence in being prepared for the worst while hoping for the best.

No city would have escaped without devastation from the furious, powerful force of typhoon Hato, but a decent forecast system would have helped minimize the damage. I tend to agree that Mr Fong was but a scapegoat for lack of political accountability for deeper problems in a city that has developed as fast as Hatos winds over the past 15 years while some ground rules were bent or skipped in the process.

Im talking for example, of glass windows shattering all over town, in what became a trade mark of typhoon Hatos work. Something must be very wrong when you see entire skyscrapers recently built  and even some labeled as quality construction  with their windows shattered.

Legal requirements for glass windows clearly state that the glass must be strong enough to withstand wind speeds of 240 kmh (for a ten-meter building) to 290 kmh, depending on the height of the construction. Do you believe that this requirement alone has been met by greedy developers lately? I have my doubts.

Another point at stake is the apathy of both the authorities and the general public. Its been 18 years since the last time signal 10 was hoisted, and ever since, until Hato, nature has been kind to Macau. I have seen numerous confessions on social media of people saying they just didnt care about what the weatherman was saying, and didnt take precautions. Typhoon 8 just became an extra holiday, and people would even cheer as signals went higher. At the same time, the government didnt make any effort to inform and educate the newcomers properly about this common natural event of our monsoon season. As in many other things they left it to luck.

Last but not least, our thoughts are with the victims and with the community that, on the bright side, showed a tremendous sense of solidarity in the face of overwhelming calamity.

Hato marked the end of an era. We have to wait no more for September to remember.
The Electoral Affairs Commission for the Legislative Assembly Election (CAEAL) ordered a media outlet to remove from its online edition an interview with a candidate to the Legislative Assembly elections.

The CAEAL noted in a letter to weekly publication Plataforma that the interview with Jose Luis Pedruco Achiam, who is listed on 12th position on the New Union for Macaus Development, was not permitted by law. The notification came at a time when the interview was been already published for a period of over one week.

Candidates are required, during the period between August 2 and September 2, to remove from the Internet all content considered to be electoral propaganda.

The newspaper responded to the order by claiming that CAEAL is confusing concepts that clashes in between the right to inform and propaganda. RM


A Chinese man has been charged in California with distributing a type of computer malware that has been linked to attacks on U.S. businesses and to the theft of personnel records of millions of U.S. government employees, authorities said.

Defendant Yu Pingan, 36, knew the rare malware known as Sakula would be used to hack U.S. companies, the FBI said in court documents obtained Friday.

The malware has also been linked to hacks at the U.S. Office of Personnel Management in 2014 and 2015, when hackers accessed massive amounts of information from security clearance forms of federal workers and contractors.

The court filing against Yu does not specifically mention those hacks. U.S. officials have said the Chinese government is responsible for those breaches.

Asked about the arrest of Yu, Hua Chunying, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman in Beijing, said at a regular briefing that she was unaware of the situation.

But, she added, China has a clear and consistent position in fighting against all kinds of cybercrimes. Also, we will proactively protect the legitimate rights and interest of overseas Chinese nationals.

Yu worked with unidentified co-conspirators in China to acquire and use malicious software tools, some of which were rare variants previously unidentified by the FBI and information security community, the criminal complaint said.

Yu, a native of Shanghai, was arrested early last week at Los Angeles International Airport and is due back in court next month. His attorney, Michael Berg, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The software was used to target companies based in Massachusetts, Arizona, San Diego and Los Angeles from 2012 to 2014, federal officials said.

An FBI agent wrote in an affidavit that the novelty and rarity of this malware is evidence that only a small group of hackers knew of it and that they were working together. AP
A group of four journalists from Hong Kong, who planned to cover volunteers cleanup activities, were denied entry to Macau on Saturday.

The local immigration authority issued a written statement saying the journalists posed a risk to the stability of internal security.

The move was criticized for hampering press freedom and affecting residents rights to the latest information on disaster relief.

Media outlets including the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Apple Daily and online portal HK01 were outraged, deeming the local authorities absolutely ridiculous and asserting that they posed no security threat.

Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak defended authorities at a press conference yesterday, stressing that the entry ban had to do with specific reasons that they cannot disclose.

He added that other regions had also banned entry and that Macau was not an exception.

We are not targeting anybody in particular [] we are not concentrating on one profession only, he said.

Meanwhile, speculation that the act was due to the presence of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Macau Garrison continue to persist.

Eric Sautede, a political commentator and Times columnist, suggested that the government may have used a perceived attack on patriotism as an excuse to exclude the journalists.

Sautede recalled that the journalists have been reporting the regions situation and have been criticizing the government for its shortcomings.

HK01, especially, ridiculed the Chief Executive, the Secretary for Justice and Administration and the whole exercise at unsuccessful damage control that was the Thursday governmental press conference, he said.

Yesterday, the Government Information Bureau (GCS) said that the Judiciary Police had begun investigating netizens who are criticizing the PLA, a move that Sautede condemned.

First, it is rather indecent as it gives the impression that the lives and the situation of the people of Macau are less important than the reputation of the PLA, he said.

Second, it appears overblown because even if there were some unwarranted or even discriminatory attacks against the PLA, they have had, judging by the content on several social media, absolutely no traction, Sautede argued.

Although the presence of the PLA was supported by the majority, Sautede said that the mention of investigation in GCSs statement feels like a threat, and again slightly overblown, especially because the GCS does not give any details pertaining to the nature of the rumors.

Further, Sautede also believed that the presence of the PLA has been saluted by 99.9 percent of the people, and ultimately calling upon them appears to have been a very wise move.

The Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association have issued a joint statement expressing deep regret over the denial of the Hong Kong press entry.

We urge the Macau government to respect press freedom and not to arbitrarily restrict the rights of entry and exit of journalists in Macau, the two groups stated.

Both associations are calling on the Macau government to draw up reasonable entry and exit criteria, and have also requested that the Hong Kong Immigration Department maintain regular communication with Macau authorities to ensure normal entry and exit for travelers holding Hong Kong travel documents.

The Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) also criticized the decision of the local authorities.

AIPIM finds the explanation given by the local authorities incomprehensible and unsatisfactory and cautions that this move, similar to previous ones of the same kind, tarnishes the international image of the SAR regarding press freedom, it stated.

[Updated]
Thousands of supporters of an Indian quasi-religious sect leader left his headquarters in northern India yesterday as authorities relaxed a curfew a day ahead of his sentencing for rape.

They responded to an appeal by authorities to go home after thousands of followers protested the gurus rape conviction with violence that left at least 38 people dead in Panchkula and Sirsa towns in Haryana state on Friday. The guru faces seven years to life in prison.

Police spokesman Surjeet Singh said the curfew imposed in Sirsa, where the headquarters is located, was relaxed for five hours on Sunday to help people buy food and other essential items and outsiders to return home.

Singh said nearly 20,000 people had left the gurus headquarters since Saturday. However, the presence of another 10,000 or so there has raised fears that they may turn violent again after their leader is sentenced on Monday.

The judge will hold the proceedings in a prison in Rohtak town, where the guru, who calls himself Saint Dr. Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh Ji Insaan, has been detained since Friday amid tight security. The guru had denied the charges of raping two women at his ashram in 2002.

Singh said hundreds of government forces, including the army, have been posted outside the sects headquarters since Fridays violence, when mobs set fire to government buildings, vandalized bus stations and government vehicles and attacked police and TV journalists in Panchkula.

B.S. Sandhu, Haryana states director-general of police, told reporters on Sunday that 32 people died in Panchkula and another six in Sirsa, while 926 people were arrested for rioting. All but 17 of the 264 people injured in Fridays violence have been discharged from hospitals in Panchkula.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his concern over violence and said it was not acceptable to the nation in any form.

I want to assure my countrymen that people who take the law into their own hands and are on the path of violent suppression  whether it is a person or a group  neither this country nor any government will tolerate it, Modi said in his monthly radio address, adding that the guilty would unquestionably be punished.

The sect claims to have about 50 million followers and campaigns for vegetarianism and against drug addiction. It has also taken up social causes such as organizing the weddings of poor couples. Such sects have huge followings in India and their leaders often maintain private militias for protection.

Clashes in 2007 between the gurus Dera Sacha Sauda followers and members of the Sikh faith left at least three people dead in northern India.

In 2014, six people were killed when followers of another religious leader, the guru Rampal, fought pitched battles with police who were attempting to arrest him after he repeatedly failed to appear in court in connection with a murder trial. AP
Myanmars government and advocates for the countrys Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority traded charges yesterday of killing civilians, burning down buildings and planting land mines, as clashes that began last week when insurgents launched attacks against police posts continued.

An announcement posted online by the office of the countrys leader, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, said the death toll from the violence that started Thursday night had reached 96, mostly alleged Rohingya attackers but also 12 security personnel. The announcement was the first by the government to list civilians among the dead  six people identified as Hindu said to have been killed by the insurgents.

Myanmar is overwhelmingly Buddhist, but about 1 million Muslim Rohingya live in the northern part of Rakhine state, where the violence is taking place.

Advocates for the Rohingya suggest many more civilians have died in army attacks on villages, but they have not given a total. They also say the attacks have caused villagers to flee to the mountains for shelter or to try to cross the border into Bangladesh.

Witnesses and refugees on the Bangladesh border said that the situation there was tense, with thousands of Rohingya trying to flee Myanmar but still unable to leave. Witnesses said they heard the sound of gunshots. Bangladeshi villagers said they could see military helicopters hovering in the Myanmar sky.

Several hundred Rohingya got stuck in a no mans land at one border point in Bangladeshs Bandarban district, barred from moving farther by Bangladeshi border guards. Lt. Col. Manzurul Hasan Khan of Border Guards Bangladesh said they cordoned off about 1,000 Rohingya after they attempted to enter Bangladesh.

Still, more than 2,000 Rohingya entered Bangladesh overnight through two points at Teknaf in Coxs Bazar district, said Jalal Ahmed, a local government official at the Kharangakhali border point.

A Rohingya insurgent group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, took responsibility for Thursday nights attacks on more than 25 locations, saying they were in defense of Rohingya communities that had been brutalized by government forces.

Suu Kyis office accused the insurgents of torching police outposts and monasteries, killing innocent people and planting mines.

ARSA, meanwhile, accused the army of using civilians as human shields.

Clashes were continuing yesterday, with witnesses contacted by phone in the northern Rakhine town of Maungdaw saying they could hear gunshots.

Independent confirmation of the situation is difficult because the government bars journalists from the area.

Suu Kyis office issued an official warning to media, saying some media have been referring to the group as insurgents instead of terrorists. On Friday, the government declared ARSA a terrorist organization, which means most contacts with it are illegal. Yesterdays announcement specifically said we warn the media to avoid writing in support of the group.

The government refuses to recognize Rohingya as a legitimate native ethnic minority, calling them Bengalis to reflect the position that they are mostly illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. Most Rohingya are denied citizenship and its rights.

The Rohingya have long faced severe discrimination and were the targets of violence in 2012 that killed hundreds and drove about 140,000 people  predominantly Rohingya  from their homes to camps for the internally displaced, where most remain.

Suu Kyi has called Thursdays attacks a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine state. The attacks were also generally condemned by Western nations and rights groups, who also warned the government against violent retaliation.

The clashes were deadlier than an attack by the militants on three border posts last October that killed nine policemen and set off months of brutal counterinsurgency operations by Myanmar security forces against Rohingya communities in Rakhine state. Human rights groups accused the army of carrying out massive human rights abuses, including killing, rape and burning down more than 1,000 homes and other buildings.

The armys abuses fueled further resentment toward the government among the Muslim Rohingya. ARSA took advantage of the resentment by stepping up recruitment of members. AP

Pope laments persecutions of Rohingya muslims in Myanmar

Pope Francis is decrying persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and praying they receive full rights. The pontiff said yesterday there was sad news about the persecution of the religious minority of our Rohingya brothers. Thousands of Rohingya are trying to flee into Bangladesh after escalated deadly violence at home. Last week, Rohingya militants attacked police and border outposts, and security forces responded. Francis asked the faithful in St. Peters Square to pray that God saves them and they receive help. A Myanmar bishop recently said Francis will most likely visit Myanmar, while the Vatican has said only a pilgrimage is being considered.
Peruvian archeologists have discovered in a sacred pre-Incan site the bodies of 16 men from China who arrived to South America almost two centuries ago as semi-enslaved workers.

The secret tomb in Lima is the biggest burial site of Chinese migrants ever found in Peru and was presented last week to journalists. Found alongside the bony remains were opium pipes and other personal objects used by the migrants.

As many as 100,000 Chinese migrants arrived to Peru in the second half of the 19th century and for little pay performed back-breaking work on farms, building railroads and removing guano, which is bird excrement coveted as fertilizer.

The Chinese were discriminated against even in death, having to be buried in the pre-Incan sites after being barred from cemeteries reserved for Roman Catholics.
The Peoples Liberation Army marched onto Macau streets on Friday, marking the first time that the mainland army has intervened in local affairs in either Macau or Hong Kong since their respective handovers.

Around 1,000 soldiers from the Macau Garrison were dispatched to the streets to aid in the clean up effort after Typhoon Hato, starting on Friday and lasting through until yesterday.

In the absence of any government notification, the presence of PLA soldiers initially startled Macau residents because of its unprecedented nature.

However, their involvement in the relief efforts were quickly warmed by locals, and the citys anger toward MSAR authorities over their handling of Typhoon Hato was replaced with applause for the Chinese soldiers.

While the populace at large welcomed their intervention, some residents questioned whether they were being put to good use.

Legislator Au Kam San posted a message on social media on Saturday, arguing that the Macau garrison was under-utilized by local authorities.

We often see the PLA saving [people from] disasters on the TV  in floods and earthquakes  these are called saving [people from] disasters. But in Macau, they are asked to pick up trash.

He questioned whether the work was deserving enough of a professional army, when a large number of local associations had organized volunteers for the clean up effort. Au also said that he considered it weird that the MSAR government would request the army for such a purpose.

Statements such as these may have formed the basis for a harshly-worded condemnation issued by the local government yesterday, warning locals not to criticize the PLA. Aus social media statement did not criticize the PLA.

In the warning, published through the Government Information Bureau, local authorities strongly condemned all baseless and irresponsible comments on the Internet criticizing typhoon relief efforts by the Peoples Liberation Army Macau Garrison.

The local government had not disclosed the fact that PLA soldiers would be dispatched on Friday morning prior to their deployment. At a press conference yesterday, Security for Security Wong Sio Chak said that Chief Executive Chui Sai On, in accordance with the Basic Law, had requested their involvement.

The relevant law states that the chief executive can request, through official political channels, PLA soldiers stationed in the SAR to assist in disaster relief efforts or to maintain order.

The request was allegedly sent on Wednesday morning as Typhoon Hato struck the city, and approval was granted by Beijing later that day. Preparations were underway on Thursday for the deployment on Friday morning. DB
Premium wines are smuggled into China through several illegal channels, with an estimated 30,000 bottles of fake wines sold every hour in the country, a Forbes report has claimed.

Imported wines make up 29 percent of the Chinese wine market. In 2015, China overtook France as the country with the worlds second-largest vineyard area, though it continues to trail in production.

However, Forbes claims that as much as 50 percent of wine in China could be fake, with empty bottles refilled with cheaper wine or having counterfeit labels attached.

The Chateau Lafite label is one of the most counterfeited wines in China, with buyers pursuing renowned old world imports.

According to Forbes, prestigious producers such as Henri Jayer, Petrus, Mouton Rothschild and the burgundies of Domain de la Romanee-Conti have also become popular knockoffs.

With visitors from mainland China accounting for nearly 70 percent of Macaus tourist arrivals, experts and local authorities noted that Chinese wine enthusiasts need not be wary of counterfeited wines in Macau.

The IACM told the Times that it had not received any inquiries or complaints about fake wines this year, while the Consumer Council reported that it had only received complaints about counterfeit liquor from China.

We only received two suspicious cases relating to [] counterfeit wine for the period from 2016 to the 31st day of July 2017, in which Chinese alcoholic beverages and brandy were involved. We have not received any complaints against counterfeit red wine in the meantime, the council said.

The council also said that cases relating to the counterfeit goods were referred to the Macao Customs Service for further action, in accordance with its criminal investigation procedures.

Wine expert Filipe Cunha Santos, president of the Wine Society of Macau, also told the Times that, while it is an issue in China, Macau is unlikely to suffer the same difficulties due to the gaming operators diligent procurement teams.

He added that such wines are only offered in integrated resorts VIP sector.

The casinos, which are the [main] clients of those types of wines, actually source them from good sources including the U.S. and Europe [] Casinos have strong procurement processes before they accept any suppliers, the expert said.

Santos also added that other outlets and restaurants in the region do not purchase types of wines that are likely to be counterfeited, such as premium French and Italian wines.

He explained that there are other types of seals that are difficult to clone, and such classifications are made available online for verification.

These kinds of products are able to maintain [] accountability. Counterfeit wines are of the top ranges [only and] not day-to-day consumption. So its not a problem for the [general] population, Santos said.

The expert noted that wine importation in Macau is increasing, with a growing interest in wine tasting from the mainland.

Haigan Wong, director of city-

based wine store Adega Royale, said it is difficult to assess whether a bottle of wine is counterfeit, as retailers lack a system to assist them in this endeavour.

Sometimes its difficult to compare. [] Im sure there will always be some fake bottles but not by intention, Wong said.

Theres always a worry whether you buy it from Macau or elsewhere. So you need to trust the source. Any [trader] can fall for it, he added.

The Interprofessional Council of Bordeaux (CIVB) stated that the council cannot offer figures on counterfeiting, explaining that there is rarely reliable data for illegal activities.

Nevertheless, the CIVB stated that it is fully aware of this industry-hampering scourge, and claimed that it actively works with the relevant authorities to eradicate it.
Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak said yesterday that works being performed by the authorities in order to recover from the destruction of Typhoon Hato are very positive, praising the efforts of the security forces, Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) Macau Garrison soldiers, volunteer groups and society in general.

The acknowledgement was made yesterday afternoon at a press conference held at the headquarters of the Civil Protection Operations Center (COPC), which drew senior officials from several government departments and security forces involved in the operation.

In the assessment, Wong noted the loss of many lives as well as the economic damage of the typhoon but said, The population is united and helping the security forces. Everyone is engaged  the population, volunteer groups and the PLA  to perform tasks of cleaning and providing aid such as meals and water [to the needed].

The typhoon was a big disaster but fortunately we have love in society, the security chief said while noting the very positive response and outcome.

Wong also mentioned that, as was agreed in a meeting held earlier with the chief executive, we will perform an in-depth review of all our procedures [after the city is back to normal], promising changes in efficiency and response times.

Asked for an estimate of the economic impact of the typhoon, Wong said, We are still at the cleaning stage. We havent yet made any calculation of the economic losses but, as everyone can tell, we are to believe that they wont be little.

He added that the priority for the time being is to bring back the city back to normality.

Wong said that normality might return as soon as today.

We are in contact [with all authorities] to see how we can accelerate the process. We are doing all the possible. We hope by [today] we can have more significant improvements and we can be generally back to normality.

In the evaluation made by the authorities, which also included the most recent passage of Typhoon Pakhar, it was noted that there are at the present time no additional victims to add to the report. Commissioner-general of the Unitary Police Service (SPU) Ma Io Kun informed that, as of 2 p.m. yesterday, a total of 107 incidents resulting in eight non-serious injuries had been caused by the latest tropical cyclone.

Ma said that most of the incidents were the result of falling objects, in some cases, connected to prior damage inflicted by Typhoon Hato.

Public Security Police Force (PSP) head Leong Man Cheong noted that the officers under his purview have been performing relentless work and that, according to the latest information, 90 percent of the streets have already conditions for the circulation of people and vehicles, noting also that the Lotus bridge border cross-point had reopened at 1 p.m. yesterday after the lowering of the Signal 8 for Typhoon Pakhar.

Works on the debris and wreckage clearance restarted yesterday at 2 p.m., according to Leong, involving both frontline and standby staff. According to the PSP chief, currently the most challenging areas are Fai Chi Kei, Patane and Praia do Manduco, where there is still a lot to clean and large objects are creating difficulties on the job.

He noted that previous appeals to the population not to discard items on the street had not garnered a very positive response.

Regarding the most critical damage inflicted by the latest typhoon to strike Macau, Leong highlighted the cases of the Sai Van Bridge and the Bus Terminus at the Border Gate, which was flooded.

According to Fire Services Commander, were registered 91 calls for help today and three people with non-serious injuries were assisted.

Pakhars intensity as forecasted

Typhoon Pakhar presented an intensity as initially forecasted of around 106km/h, the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) new acting director said in press conference, noting the final path took it closer to Macau than expected [about 40km away] and with a faster progression, she said. The acting director informed that the typhoon made landfall at 9 a.m., one hour earlier than initially expected. Pakhar recorded an average wind speed of 88km/h with gusts that reached 125.3km/h and 56.6mm of rainfall, considered to be higher than normal. In consequence, the water level rose about 1.5 meters, but since it happened at a time that did not coincide with the high tides, it caused no severe flooding.
The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) has estimated that ten schools will be unable to start classes on September 1 due to damage caused by Typhoon Hato.

The Head of the Department for Pre-

School and Primary School Division of DSEJ, Kong Chi Meng, noted that different schools incurred varying levels of damage.

Head of the Department of Education Leong Vai Kei said several schools have reported difficulties in opening on schedule because of the typhoons influence.

With only one week left until the scheduled opening day, DSEJ is still evaluating the circumstances faced by different schools.

DSEJ will respect the schools decisions to delay their opening date, and will also instruct them on situations where personal circumstances caused by the typhoon have rendered students unable to attend.

According to Kong, DSEJ is likely to announce tomorrow the exact number of schools which will have their opening days delayed.

DSEJ is also in talks with other government departments to manage the possible overloading of the citys public transportation systems once all schools have reopened.

The departments are considering assigning schools different opening dates in order to address the issue. JZ
China has appointed Communist Party and government officials to manage one of the worlds largest centers of Tibetan Buddhist learning, raising concerns over strengthened ideological control over religion that critics say is draining such institutions of their vitality.

The appointments at Larung Gar are the latest sign of Beijings distrust of members of the Tibetan Buddhist clergy who embody the regions traditional culture and beliefs.

Those appointed to top positions by the personnel department of the Communist Party in Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture include the prefectures former deputy police chief, the website of the party mouthpiece Peoples Daily reported. All apparently ethnic Tibetans, they will serve as the head and deputy head of the Larung Gars party committee.

The appointments will help the school operate in accordance with laws and will not affect its teaching, since the officials will be administrators, Penpa Lhamo, deputy head of the contemporary studies institute of the Tibet Academy of Social Sciences was quoted as saying by the Global Times last week.

Despite that, the presence of party officials in temples, monasteries and nunneries brings new demands, especially that monks and nuns attend patriotic education classes that seek to instill patriotism but take precious time away from religious study.

Founded in 1980 by prominent monk Jigme Puntsok, Larung Gar has attracted increasing official attention in recent years, with the authorities currently carrying out a drive to cut the number of residents living there by half to 5,000, largely through housing demolitions and evictions. Authorities say they are merely clearing routes for firefighting equipment.

Overseas Tibetan groups say such campaigns show how authorities want to contain the spread of Tibetan Buddhism, which has grown popular among Chinese beyond traditional Tibetan areas such as Garze, which sits in the western mountains of Sichuan province.

Several United Nations special rapporteurs wrote to the Chinese government in November to express concern about serious repression of Buddhist Tibetan cultural and religious practices in the region. AP
A woman accused of beating and starving a woman she brought from China to work as a nanny in Minnesota will be deported after she spends a year in jail.

Lili Huang, 36, pleaded guilty to charges of forced labor and third-degree assault. She was sentenced last week to a year and a day in jail. U.S. District Judge David S. Doty also ordered her to forfeit her home and pay nearly USD100,000 in restitution. Huang lived in Woodbury, a suburb of St. Paul.

Authorities said the 58-year-old nanny was found wandering in the street in July 2016, battered and malnourished. She weighed less than 90 pounds, had several broken bones and bruises and on her face. She told police she fled Huangs home after being threatened with a kitchen knife.

The woman was treated well when she worked for Huang in China but the abuse began after they immigrated to Minnesota, court documents said. Investigators said she was forced to work up to 18 hours a day doing child care, cooking and cleaning, for less than $2 per hour, which is a fraction of the states minimum wage of $7.75 per hour.

The nanny asked Huang to buy her a plane ticket to return to China in April 2016, but Huang said she wasnt allowed to leave and hid her passport.

Huang is a Chinese citizen living in the U.S. with a valid visa.

Ryan Pacyga, Huangs attorney, said she was experiencing mental health problems at the time of the abuse.

Its extremely rare to have a federal labor trafficking case that ends in a sentence this short, frankly  so were happy about that, Pacyga said. AP
TWIN FALLS  Swarms of pesky black flies are munching their way through horses ears and buzzing in human ears. The population is already large and its likely to be much worse before the first frost.

The bountiful black fly population is a result of last winters record snowpacks that resulted in high flows in the Snake River this spring and early summer.

Habitat is the key to black fly, sometimes known as buffalo gnat, production. While mosquitoes need stagnant water, black fly larva must have moving water to bring food to them. Larva attaches to rocks and grass in the water and then filter that water for food. The cleaner, faster and more turbulent water  think spring runoff  the better.

Adults generally only live two weeks, then they return to nearby flowing water such as a river or canal to lay up to 600 eggs. During the heat of the summer, the eggs hatch in as little as seven to 10 days.

Combine the high reproductive rate with a short life cycle, and the population can explode quickly. The Snake River at high flow can produce up to 1 billion black flies per mile per day and many of the areas canals are capable of the same production, said Kirk Tubbs, manager of the Twin Falls County Pest Abatement District.

Larva that overwinter in the Snake River hatch in the spring and colonize canal systems as the irrigation water comes in across the Magic Valley. A seasonal increase in black fly populations is normal, but it is much larger this year thanks to all the habitat created by high rivers flows.

The pest abatement district treats the Snake River and canal system for black fly, but not every county in the Magic Valley does. Since adults can fly 20 to 30 miles, the small insects can easily move in from untreated areas.

Sampling of adult populations in mid-August showed six adults per trap per night in Twin Falls County. However, traps set out of the county and along the Snake River showed populations of 60 adults per trap per night. Those adults are migrating into Twin Falls County.

As annoying as black flies are to horses and their owners, the insects can cause economic losses to livestock producers.

Young animals dont eat nor grow well when they are being harassed by the black flies. Because black flies are more active when temperatures are warm, most livestock try to avoid black flies by not eating or drinking during the daytime. Milk production is reduced in dairy cows.

Black flies are also thought to transmit vesicular stomatitis, a disease that mimics the lesions formed by the highly contagious hoof-and-mouth disease. An outbreak of vesicular stomatitis can lead to a quarantine until the disease is identified.

Idaho implemented restrictions on animals entering the state from New Mexico and Arizona in 2015 after vesicular stomatitis was identified in those states. The case of vesicular stomatitis in Idaho occurred more than a decade ago. The last major outbreak was in 1982 when more than 140 farms in the Magic Valley reported infections.
MOUNTAIN HOME  Paula Knudson Ferbache, last seen leaving her job at Walmart Friday afternoon, was later found dead in the trunk of her car, Elmore County Sheriff Mike Hollinshead said Monday.

Details of how Ferbache died have not been released, but an autopsy was under way Monday afternoon, Hollinshead said. The womans death was reported Saturday as suspicious and clarified as a homicide Sunday, but no information was released until Monday about why that conclusion was reached.

Deputies are following numerous leads and were talking to several people, Hollinshead said, but no one has been arrested and no person of interest has been publicly identified.

Ferbache left work at the Mountain Home Walmart about 2 p.m., and her husband called 911 when she had not arrived home by 7 p.m., Hollinshead said. Deputies searched for the woman and her car late into the night without success, but around 8 a.m. Saturday a citizen reported seeing the car along a dirt road in an agricultural area about four miles northeast of Mountain Home, the sheriffs office reports.

The sheriff did not disclose the specific location where the car was found, but said the womans body was found in the trunk. Ferbache lives in the same general area where her car was found, Hollinshead said Monday.

Asked whether investigators believe Ferbache was taken as she left work, Hollinshead said various possibilities are under investigation, and deputies are reviewing surveillance video from Wal-Mart and other area businesses.

Idaho State Police are assisting the sheriffs office with the investigation.
Twin Falls Senior Citizen Center

530 Shoshone St. W., Twin Falls. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors 60 and older; $6, non-seniors; $3, children 9 and younger. Other items: cinnamon roll, $2; coffee 50 cents; soup to go, $3; lunch to go, $5.50. For lunch take-out, 11 a.m. to noon daily: 208-734-5084.

Today: Hamburger stroganoff

Tuesday: Polish sausage

Wednesday: Fried chicken

Thursday: Baked potato bar

Friday: Barbecue pork

Today: Quilting, 9 a.m.

Fit and Fall Proof exercise, 10:30 a.m., free

Mega Monday game, 11:45 a.m.

City of Twin Falls discussion with Senior Citizens Advisory Commission, 12:15 p.m.

Tai Chi exercise class, 1 p.m., free

Bridge, 1 p.m.

Art class, 1:30 p.m.

TOPS meeting, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Ticket Tuesday, 11:45 a.m.

Hand and foot canasta, 1 p.m.

Art classes, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Pinochle, 6:30 p.m., cost is $2

Wednesday: Cinnamon roll sales, 7:30 a.m.

Quilting, 9 a.m.

Fit and Fall Proof, 10:30 a.m., free

Tai Chi exercise, 1 p.m., free

Bridge, 1 p.m.

Laughter Therapy, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday: Organ music by Pat Blessin, 11:30 a.m.

Thunder Thursday game, 11:50 a.m.

Visually Impaired Support Group meeting, 12:45 p.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Hand and foot canasta, 1 p.m.

Art classes, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Ladies AA, 6 p.m.

Friday: Quilting, 9 a.m.

Fit and Fall Proof, 10:30 a.m., free

Bingo, 11:45 a.m.

Tai Chi exercise, 1 p.m., free

Art class, 1:30 p.m.

West End Senior Citizens Inc.

1010 Main St., Buhl. Lunch at noon, suggested donation: $5, seniors, 60 and older; $7, non-seniors; $7 for take-out dinners; and $4, children 10 and younger. Sunday buffet at 1 p.m.: $5, seniors, 60 and older; $7, non-seniors; $4, children 10 and younger. Bus for lunch pickup: 208-543-4577 by 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Today: Potato soup, egg salad sandwich

Tuesday: Hot pork sandwich

Wednesday: Breakfast burrito, 8 to 10 a.m.

Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce

Sunday: Closed

Today: SilverSneakers exercise program, 10:30 a.m.

Pinochle, 7 p.m.

Wednesday: SilverSneakers, 10:30 a.m.

Bingo, early bird starts at 6:45 p.m., doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Filer Senior Haven

222 Main St., Filer. Lunch at noon Tuesday through Thursday. Suggested donation: $5. 208-326-4608.

Tuesday: Hot turkey sandwich

Wednesday: Pig-in-a-blanket

Thursday: Birthdays, fried chicken

Today: Bingo, 7 p.m.

Tuesday: Puzzles, 11:30 a.m.

Bingo, 12:45 p.m.

Wednesday: Puzzles, 11:30 a.m.

Bingo, 12:45 p.m., $2

Thursday: Puzzles, 11:30 a.m.

Bingo, 12:45 p.m.

Cards, 1:30 p.m.

Ageless Senior Center

310 Main St. N., Kimberly. Salad bar at 11:30 a.m., lunch served at noon; take-out; home delivery. Seniors 60 and older, suggested donation is $6, under 60, $7.50 (not donations); meals to go, $7.50. 208-423-4338.

Wednesday: Hamburger in a bun

Thursday: Chicken tenders

Friday: Menu not available

Today: Exercise, 10 a.m.

AA meeting, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Snooker, 1 p.m.

Bingo, 7 p.m.

Wednesday: Exercise, 10 a.m.

Thursday: Snooker, 1 p.m.

Friday: Exercise, 10 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Gooding Senior Citizen Center

308 Senior Ave., Gooding. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $3.50 for seniors. 208-934-5504.

Today: Haystacks

Tuesday: Pork chops

Wednesday: Baked potato bar

Thursday: Roast beef

Today: Pool, 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Fit and Fall Proof exercise, 11 a.m.

Pinochle, 12:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Pool, 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Hand and foot, 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Pool, 9:30 a.m.

Fit and Fall Proof, 11 a.m.

Open pool, 1 p.m.

Shuffleboard, 2:30 p.m.

Thursday: Morning out, 9 a.m.

Pool, 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Friday: Pool, 9:30 a.m.

Bingo, 6 p.m.

Saturday: Breakfast, 7:30 to 10 a.m.

Wendell Senior Center

380 First Ave. E. Lunch served at noon. Suggested donation: $4 for seniors; $6 for under 60. 208-536-9951.

Today: Roast beef and noodles

Friday: Taco bar

Hagerman Valley Senior and Community Center

140 E. Lake, Hagerman. The center is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors 60 and older; $7, non-seniors. All take-outs, $6. 208-837-6120.

Today: BLT wrap

Wednesday: Meatloaf

Friday: Spaghetti

Today: Blood draws (by doctors order), 8 to 10:30 a.m.

50/50 raffle and Bridge Club, 1 p.m.

Friday: Two bingo games

Jerome Senior Center

520 N. Lincoln St., Jerome. 208-324-5642. Salad bar at 11:30 a.m.; lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors (age 60 and older); $5, non-seniors; $3, children under 12.

Today: Stroganoff with muschrooms

Tuesday: Parmesan chicken

Wednesday: Hamburger in onion gravy

Thursday: Baked chicken

Friday: Meatloaf

Today: Fitness classes with certified instructors, 10:30 a.m. and 5:20 p.m.

Music by Ricki Lee, 11:30 a.m.

Bridge, 12:30 p.m.

Bunco, 12:45 p.m.

Tuesday: Fitness class, 10:30 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Wednesday: Fitness class, 10:30 a.m.

Country Boys Band, 11:30 a.m.

Stitch in Time, 1 p.m.

Womens pool, 1 p.m.

Pinochle, 6:30 p.m.

Thursday: Yoga, 10:30 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Hand and foot, 1 p.m.

Fitness class, 5:20 p.m.

Womens pool, 7 p.m.

Friday: Fitness class, 10:30 a.m.

Music by the Fiddlers at lunch

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Bingo, 6 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m.

Sunday: Potluck and dance with the Music Melody Masters, 2 to 5 p.m.; cost is $5

Silver and Gold Senior Center

210 E. Wilson, Eden. Lunch at noon Tuesday and Thursday. Breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Suggested donation: $5, seniors (age 60 and older); $6.50, non-seniors. 208-825-5662.

Today: Coffee, 7 a.m.

Tuesday: Coffee, 7 a.m.

Birthday dinner, Dutch oven pork

Fit and Fall Proof exercise, 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday: Bible study, 7 a.m.

Breakfast, sausage, hash browns, 8 a.m.

Thursday: Coffee, 7 a.m.

Calzones

Exercise, 10:30 a.m.

Friday: Coffee, 7 a.m.

Richfield Senior Center

130 S. Main, Richfield. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors; $5.50, under 60.

Today: Beef taco salad

Thursday: Hot dogs

Golden Years Senior Citizens Inc.

218 N. Rail St. W., Shoshone. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors 60 and older; $5.50, non-seniors. 208-886-2369.

Tuesday: Chicken tenders

Wednesday: Barbecued pulled pork sandwiches

Friday: Spaghetti with meat sauce

Today: Quilting, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday: Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Friday: Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Camas County Senior Center

129 Willow Ave. W., Fairfield. Breakfast, 7:30-11 a.m. Monday through Friday. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors 60 and older; $5, non-seniors; $2.50, children 10 and younger. 208-764-2226.

Tuesday: Beef stroganoff

Wednesday: Chicken fettuccine

Friday: Meatloaf

Tuesday: Exercise class, 9 a.m.

Quilting, 10 a.m.

Cards after lunch

Wednesday: Exercise, 9 a.m.

Cards after lunch

Weight loss group, 4 p.m.

Thursday: Art class, 10 a.m.

Friday: Exercise, 9 a.m.

Quilting, 10 a.m.

Book club, 10:30 a.m.

Cards after lunch

Blaine County Senior Center

721 Third Ave. S., Hailey. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors; $7, non-seniors. 208-788-3468.

Today: Turkey tetrazzini

Tuesday: Pan seared chicken breast

Wednesday: Pasta bar with sauces

Thursday: Ketchup glazed meatloaf

Friday: Baked haddock

Today: Fit and Fall Proof exercise, 11 a.m.

Connection Club, 11 a.m.

Tuesday: Fit and Fall exercise, Carey, 10 a.m.

Connection Club, 11 a.m,

Bingo, 1 p.m.

Wednesday: Fit and Fall exercise, 11 a.m.

Kiwanis lunch, 11:30 a.m.

Thursday: Fit and Fall exercise, Carey, 10 a.m.

Connection Club, 11 a.m.

Card games, 1 p.m.

Friday: Connection Club, 11 a.m.

Fit and Fall exercise, 11 a.m.

Card games, 1 p.m.

Minidoka County Senior Citizens Center

702 11th St., Rupert. Lunch at noon Monday through Friday. Suggested donation: $5, seniors; $6, non-seniors; $3, children 10 and younger; $4.50, home delivery. 208-436-9107.

Menu not available

Thursday: Pinochle, 6 p.m.

Friday: Bingo, 7 p.m.

The Senior Junction

2421 Overland Ave., Burley. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors and children 12 and younger; $6, non-seniors.208-878-8646.

Today: Lasagna

Tuesday: Hamburgers

Wednesday: Baked chicken

Thursday: Senior appreciation

Friday: Menu not available

Today: Open billiards, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Chair yoga, 10:45 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Tuesday: Woodcarvers, 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday: Open billiards, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Chair yoga, 10:45 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Thursday: Art with Shirley, 1 p.m.

Pinochle, 6 p.m.

Friday: Open billiards, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Lorna Reed Senior Center

424 Market St., Albion. Open Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; lunch at noon. Suggested donation, $5 seniors, $6 non-seniors. Take-out available ($8.50), call by 11:30 a.m. 208-673-6210.

Wednesday: Potato bar
Blood drive

The American Red Cross will hold a community blood drive from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday and 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Zion Lutheran Church gymnasium, 2410 Miller Ave., Burley.

To schedule an appointment, call Eileen Heins, 208-670-4161, or Gayle Rasmussen, 208-431-3671.

Parenting, coping support

Voices Against Violence is offering support groups at 212 Second Ave. W., No. 200, Twin Falls.

Parenting Group, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, to help improve parenting skills as well as learn rewards and consequences.

Mas alla de mi, Empoderando a las Mujeres domestic violence group in Spanish, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, for those who have been involved in an abusive or traumatic relationship, and also helps women develop a support system.

The Power to Change Group, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, provides information and support to women 18 and older, who have experienced difficulties in coping with past experiences.

Domestic Violence Support Group, 6 to 8 p.m. Thursdays, provides information and community to individuals 18 and older, who have experienced domestic abuse or gender violence.

Information: 208-733-2558.

Victims support

Support group for victims of domestic violence, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. every Tuesday at the Mini-Cassia Shelter Haven of Hope, 323 First St., Rupert. Information: Rachel, 208-312-7021.

CPR, infant safety

Infant safety and cardiopulmonary resuscitation class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in Oak Rooms 2-4 on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

New parents, grandparents and caregivers learn CPR and what to do if an infant chokes. The class isnt a certification course.

Free; no registration required. 208-814-0402.

Blood drive

The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive from 12:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 50 E. 100 S., Jerome. To schedule an appointment to donate, use the blood donor app, visit redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767.

Alzheimers support

Alzheimers Association, Greater Idaho Chapter, will hold Caregiver Support Group meetings from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at DeSano Place Suites, 545 Nevada St., Gooding, 208-934-4623; and from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at DeSano Place Village, 1015 E. Ave. K, Jerome; information: Becci Bowler, 208-749-1621.

Vision support

Visually Impaired Support Group meeting, 12:45 to 2 p.m. Thursday at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone St. W., Twin Falls.

Topics: glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetes-caused vision problems.

Information: Idaho Commission for the Blind, 208-734-2140.

Grief support

Visions of Hope meeting, 5 p.m. every Thursday at Hospice Visions, 1770 Park View Drive, Twin Falls.

This grief support group is open to everyone in the community.

Information: 208-735-0121.

Mental health support

Mental Health Support Group will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at 826 Eastland Drive in Twin Falls. The free support group is open to Magic Valley residents.

Information: 208-539-7492.

Grief support

Griefshare meeting, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Lighthouse Church, 960 Eastland Drive, Twin Falls.

Anyone who has lost a loved one or friend is welcome to attend. A separate class for pre-teen and teens will meet at the same time. Participants can attend any session. Enter through the east doors at the rear of the building.

Information: 208-737-4667.

Childbirth

St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Centers prepared childbirth classes, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Sept. 5 through Oct. 3, in Oak Rooms 2-4 on the lower level of St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Topics: Wellness during pregnancy; labor and delivery process with relaxation and breathing techniques; caesarean birth; postpartum care for mother and newborn; infant CPR; car seat and home safety; and a tour of the maternal and child units. Bring a labor-support person if possible.

Cost is $25 for a five-week session. Pre-registration is required: 208-814-0402.CPR, first aid

St. Lukes Magic Valley Education Department is offering a Heartsaver CPR, First Aid and AED class, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 9 at the Learning Center, 840 Meadows Suite 2, Twin Falls.The course provides training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid and using an automated external defibrillator.

Cost is $60 and pre-registration is required: 208-814-9050.

Childbirth





St. Lukes Magic Valley prepared childbirth bootcamp, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 9 in the Oak Room at St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls. This session is for those unable to attend the five-week prepared childbirth classes.

Topics: wellness during pregnancy; labor process with relaxation and breathing techniques; videos of deliveries and labor positions; and care of the postpartum mother and newborn. Bring a labor support person if possible.

Cost is $25 and pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.

Fitness





College of Southern Idahos Over 60 and Getting Fit classes start the week of Sept. 11 at 10 southern Idaho locations. Seniors may register in advance or at the first class.

The program provides aerobic, strengthening and flexibility components designed for older adults.

Classes will be held from 9 to 9:50 a.m., beginning Sept. 11, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the CSI gym in Twin Falls, the Jerome Recreation Center, Shoshones old high school gym, the Rupert Civic Gym, and the CSI Blaine County Center recreation gym in Hailey.

Also beginning Sept. 11, classes will be held from 8:45 to 9:35 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Filer Elementary School gym; 9 to 9:50 a.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday at the Hagerman High School gym; and from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Gooding Recreation Center.

Classes will start Sept. 12 in Buhl and Burley: 10 to 10:50 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at the Seventh Street gym in Buhl; and 11 to 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the CSI Mini-Cassia Center gym in Burley.

The program is free for ages 60 and older. Information: Instructor Shelly Wright, 208-732-6483, or Ann Rolfes in CSIs physical education office, 208-732-6475.
TWIN FALLS  Over 30 years, Judy Fisher has been left with very few options for treating her multiple sclerosis.

But for the Twin Falls resident, who has the primary progressive form of the disease, theres finally an approved medication she can try.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Ocrevus in March after a large study found it slowed progression of the neurological disease and reduced symptoms. Its approved for both patients who have relapsing and primary progressive forms of MS.

This medicine is really promising, Fisher said.

Its the first FDA-approved medication shown to be effective in treating primary progressive MS. But for months, Magic Valley residents whove wanted to try the new treatment  which is delivered intravenously  have been forced to travel elsewhere.

Every time theres a new drug on the market, health systems decide whether to add it to its formulary, and that determines whether it will be available to patients.

Dr. John Steffens, a neurologist at St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, told the Times-News on Aug. 24 he received confirmation Ocrevus will be offered at St. Lukes infusion centers soon.

He has about a dozen MS patients who are receiving the new treatment. Most of them have primary progressive MS, but a few have relapsing form of the disease and havent seen results with other medications.

Since 1993, 14 drugs have been approved to slow the most common form of MS, but everything tested against primary progressive MS failed until now. An estimated 15 percent of MS patients have the primary progressive form of the disease, Steffens said.

In primary progressive MS, the diseases course varies among patients, but symptoms gradually worsen from the start and there usually are no periods when symptoms subside.

Symptoms are caused by the immune system attacking the fatty coverings on nerves in the brain and spinal cord that protect them, much like insulation on electrical wiring.

As the coverings deteriorate, nerve messages arent properly transmitted, disrupting movement and muscle control.

For years for people who have primary progressive MS, doctors were left to treat symptoms and cross their fingers hoping a new medication would be developed, Steffens said.

Hed also have patients try other MS medications to see if theyd work, but they often didnt.

Fisher was diagnosed with MS in 1988 when she was in her 30s. Now shes 63.

Ive been lucky, she said. I havent progressed fast at all.

The only prescription medication shes taking is a water pill. Weakness in her right side due to MS, she said, hasnt gotten much worse over the years.

Seven years ago, she underwent stem cell treatment in Germany and saw excellent results. For three months, I was darn near perfect, Fisher said. Im still reaping the benefits from it.

But many of the symptoms have returned, she said. I would give anything to do stem cell again, but its too expensive.

At an appointment with Steffens  her neurologist  a couple of months ago, Fisher expressed interest in Ocrevus.

But it just came out, Fisher said. He said he had like three or four patients now doing it. I am waiting to see what goes on with them.

Will she try Ocrevus? If theres any way I can afford it, you bet I am, Fisher said. Her next neurology appointment isnt until November.

Active in the local MS community, especially with fundraising walks, Fisher said theres a lot she doesnt know about Ocrevus, but she has read about it.

This is big for that type of MS, she said. It has helped even mobility on people and that is what I would be looking for.

Compared to study participants getting dummy infusions, patients given Ocrevus infusions had slower declines in walking ability and slower disability progression over nearly 2 years.

The Ocrevus group also had fewer new brain-damaging lesions develop but slightly higher rates of certain side effects, including upper respiratory tract infections and tumors developing in various parts of the body.

Ocrevus is given intravenously every six months. It takes about half a day to receive treatment, Steffens said. Its a really logistically simple drug to give.

The medication also seems to be well tolerated among patients, he said, and has the fewest side effect warnings among any MS drugs he has encountered.

During a recent follow-up appointment with Steffens first patient who has received treatment, the person is walking better now than in three years, he said.

But he doesnt know if thats a placebo effect or if that will be a sustained benefit.

And the bad news for MS patients, Steffens said: We still have no cure for any form of the disease.

One common dilemma for MS patients can be figuring out how to pay for often-costly treatment.

Ocrevus was developed by Genentech, part of Swiss drugmaker the Roche Group. Genentech, based in South San Francisco, Calif., has said the initial list price without insurance is $65,000 a year.

So far, Steffens hasnt heard of any of his patients having problems getting the treatment covered by insurance.

And with patient assistance programs factored in, too, co-pays are typically less than $100, he said.

We were expecting huge, huge pushback from insurance companies, he said, but that hasnt been the case.

After years of waiting, it means more local MS patients may be able to finally get the help theyve been looking for.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
On Dec. 4, 2009, my wife, Eva, and I were driving in our truck in Phoenix when a Maricopa County sheriffs deputy drove up alongside us in a police cruiser. The deputy stared at us both, then switched his lights on and pulled us over. We hadnt been doing anything wrong, and at first, when he turned his lights on, we thought he was speeding off to respond to a call.

After a few minutes, he still hadnt come over to our truck, so we both stepped out to see what was happening. The deputy got out of his car and yelled at us, furious. He demanded my drivers license and Evas, even though she wasnt driving. And he refused to answer my questions about why hed pulled me over.

I had my suspicions, though. I was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, though Ive been living legally in the United States since 1958 and have been a citizen since 1967. When we were stopped, the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office, led by Joe Arpaio, routinely engaged in racial profiling of Latinos in Phoenix and the surrounding area. After Arpaio refused to end discriminatory treatment of Latinos despite a federal court order that I and other victims of his had won, he was convicted of criminal contempt of courtwhich is what President Donald Trump pardoned him for Friday night.

What happened to me and Eva that night eight years ago was all too typical: We were driving a pickup truck with landscaping tools, and we were Hispanic, so we got pulled over by an overzealous deputy working for a sheriff who never made any attempt to hide his contempt for immigrants.

The deputy asked me if I was carrying any drugs, weapons or bazookas. I told him I did not have any drugs or bazookas, but that I did have a gun in the truck, which I was legally permitted to carry. He ordered me to hand it over, which I did, and then he told me to step out and put my hands on the side of the truck and spread my legs.

Whats going on? I said.

Im going to search you, he answered.

I asked him what he was searching me for.

Drugs and weapons, he told me.

I replied that Id already told him I didnt have any drugs and had already given him my gun, but he told me he was going to search me anyway.

Standing there in the street, he patted me downmy underarms, my torso, my legs, even my groin. My wife was watching the whole time. That was the most humiliating part: I couldnt defend myself or her.

When the search was finished, I asked the deputy for the third time why hed pulled us over. He said it was because he hadnt been able to see the license plate on my truck. And then, finally, he let us go, with this warning: Dont think for a minute that this has anything to do with racial profiling.

But that was exactly what it was. In all my time living in Phoenix, it was the firstand onlytime where I felt Id been pulled over just because of the color of my skin. The experience left Eva traumatized: Shed bring it up, often, out of nowhere, from that night until she died in January 2016.

Not long after we were stopped, I contacted the Arizona chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and I joined their lawsuit against Arpaioa lawsuit they had filed the year before we were pulled over. Three years later, in 2012, I finally had my chance to testify against Arpaio. Eva and I both worried that we were in danger from the sheriff, his men or his supporters in Arizona, though I never let her know I was almost as scared as she was. When we won the case in 2013, I was elated.

Arpaio never stopped his racist practices, though, which is why he was finally convicted of contempt.

I followed all the related cases closely. On election night last fall, I was so happy to see that the voters had finally rejected Arpaio. And again last month, when Arpaio was convicted, I felt like wed triumphed. My one regret was that Eva wasnt there to share that victory.

That triumph, that elation, didnt last long, because of Trump.

I trust in the judicial system, and I always will: I always trust the justice system of America. But I never thought the president would come and step all over it.

On Friday night, I got a text from a friend I used to work with, telling me the news of Arpaios pardon. Soon after that, my daughters called, then my sister, then another friend. Im not an angry person, but Friday night, I was furious.

Arpaio built a culture in his department of discrimination and racism. By pardoning him, Trump is saying to the nation that its OK to insult another race or another culture. Instead of making America great, hes making America a lot more divided, just like Arpaio did here in Phoenix.

The two of them both should look at their consciences and change their ways.
For those a long time around Idaho, losing Cecil Andrus is like losing a member of the family.

When I first arrived in Idaho in 1973, his was one of the few Gem State names Id ever heard. He was then well into his first term as governor, following his second run for the office. At his death this week he had been a well-known Idahoan and a representative leader of the state for longer than just about anyone I can think of; statistically at least, he was governor longer than anyone else, and never was he a mere caretaker.

But it was a while before this point about him came clear to me: He didnt get there by dint of deep Idaho roots; he didnt, in a phrase Ive heard elsewhere, live on a road named for his grandparents. At the time he first ran for governor, in 1996, hed been in the state little more than a decade, moving to Orofino from Oregon in the spring of 1955 as a logger. He was elected to the state Senate only half a decade after his Idaho arrival. (Barely a decade after that, he was United States secretary of the Interior.)

That alone speaks to something unusual about his capabilities in politics. Too often the word politician is used as a derogatory; it ought to be a term of praise, and as a natural politician Andrus stands as a good demonstration of why.

Those reasons werent immediately obvious back then, and have little to do with his charismatic presence, though Andrus was one of those people whose presence in a room is immediately felt. His urbane surface with well-chosen words and that smart you-know-and-I-know wink developed over time, and his entry into politics famously was said to come in a fit of anger. (A local Republican apparently taunted him that it was a good thing he didnt run for the Legislature, because he would have been clobbered; Andrus took the bait and defeated the Republican incumbent.)

But his instincts about how to run for office and about how to act and govern once there seemed to come from somewhere deeper; seem almost to have been there all along. They seemed rooted where they should, in an understanding of human nature stronger than most people have.

He also had a deep understanding of Idaho, and in turn he helped change the way Idahoans thought about themselves.

When Martin Peterson and I some years back published a list of the most influential Idahoans in state history, we ranked Andrus at 16, and the main argument about that was the contention he should have ranked higher. We did rank him higher than any other governor, and his long-time associate and columnist Chris Carlson built a book about him around the title Idahos Greatest Governor. His effects on education, environmental protection and economic development in the state have been enormous.

Peterson and I suggested, One of Andrus greatest impacts may be psychological: He added in 1970 a new dimension to the way Idahoans think about their state, when he campaigned in part on quality of life as an important ideological consideration. It had not much been part of the way Idahoans thought about their state before then, but it has been ever since.

Andrus left the governorship in 1995, and has not sought or held office since. But he has been visible through the years, taking a role on issues, mentoring people and helping candidates, building community activities such as the foundation started under his name.

Thats his role in the family. He carried it superbly.